Berlin calls on Moscow to explain the circumstances of the poisoning of a leading Russian opposition figure. Experts from the Bundeswehr's laboratory found traces of poison from the Novichok group in the body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Read alsoEU condemns suspected poisoning of Russian opposition leader NavalnyGerman government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Twitter on September 2 that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. In this regard, Berlin calls on Moscow to explain the circumstances of the poisoning of the Russian opposition figure. The representative of the German government, in particular, said that the German Foreign Ministry would summon the Russian ambassador to Germany to discuss the situation with Navalny. Navalny poisoning: background YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had a telephone conversation with Doctor Hrayr Hovaguimian who was recently bestowed with the National Hero titled according to the presidential decree, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. President Sarkissian considered symbolic the fact that Hrayr Hovaguimian is the first doctor to receive the National Hero title and congratulated the renowned doctor on this occasion, wishing good health and new achievements. Armen Sarkissian highly valued Hrayr Hovaguimians services to the Homeland and the Armenian people, as well as his dedicated humanitarian activity as a cardiologist which saved numerous lives. In his turn Hrayr Hovaguimian said today his main goal is to transfer knowledge and experience to the young generation. President Sarkissian expressed hope that he will soon meet with the Doctor in Yerevan in order to hand over the highest award. On August 27 President Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on bestowing doctor Hagop (Hrayr) Hovaguimian with the National Hero highest title. Doctor Hagop Hovaguimian received the Order of Motherland for saving numerous human lives, for his exclusive services in the healthcare sector, creating an innovative medical center conducting complex heart surgeries, preparing new specialists, etc. The Armenian President signed the respective decree based on the Prime Ministers petition. The Order of Motherland is awarded for exceptional services of nationwide importance rendered to the Republic of Armenia in the spheres of the defense of the state and strengthening of law and order, as well as for creation of significant national values. Person awarded with the Order of Motherland is considered a National Hero of Armenia. Hagop (Hrayr) Hovaguimian is the first doctor National Hero. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan By Express News Service HYDERABAD: A stranded Gulf migrant from Telangana, who has been suffering from amnesia, finally reached his motherland after 16 years. The UAE government waived a fine of Rs 29 lakh under the Amnesty scheme for his return. Yellaiah from Chinthamanpalli village in Domakonda mandal of Kamareddy, went to UAE in 2004 to work as a labourer in a construction company. He left the company due to differences with the employer and had been living in Dubai and Sharjah for the last 16 years, doing odd jobs. He was stuck there because he did not have a passport to come back to India. At the request of his wife Neela Rajavva, the Hyderabad Passport Office searched for the old passport (2004) details in their database and found the passport number and other details. The same details were shared with the Consulate General of India (CGI), Dubai, which made it easier to issue a temporary passport. The consulate also provided a free air ticket from Dubai to Hyderabad. After a long wait, Yellaiah finally boarded an Air India Express flight from Dubai to Hyderabad on Monday late night. E Chittibabu, NRI Department Officer, who was on the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) duty at Hyderabad Airport gave Yellaiah permission for home quarantine on the request of his family members, considering his physical weakness and memory loss. The protocol staff at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport took special care to complete the immigration formalities for Yellaiah and brought him out and handed him over to his relatives after midnight. They reached their native village on Tuesday morning. Bheem Reddy Mandha, an activist has appealed to the State and Centre to provide rehabilitation for Yellaiah. (Repeats Sept 2 story) By Anshuman Daga and Scott Murdoch SINGAPORE/HONG KONG, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Thailand's Siam Cement Group Packaging's initial public offering (IPO) is looking to raise 50% more than a previously targeted $1 billion, boosted by higher valuations, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The firm joins other companies in Malaysia and Philippines preparing to list next month, signalling a revival in investor interest in Southeast Asia's underperforming markets. The sources said cash-rich funds and investors were keen to allocate money to sectors viewed as long-term beneficiaries in pandemic-hit markets. They said Siam Cement Group Packaging was looking to line up cornerstone investors for its IPO, which is now likely to raise $1.5 billion, up from an estimated $1 billion when the company announced plans a year ago. The company did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. "As we moved through the course of the year, investors are valuing it higher, at 2021 earnings," said one source, adding that business was stable this year. Fundraisings from Southeast Asian IPOs are at $4.6 billion so far this year, up from $3.1 billion a year ago, Refinitiv data shows, mainly due to $3 billion raised by Thailand's Central Retail in February. Debt investors are also piling in. In July, Thai energy firm PTT sold a 50-year bond and Philippines' San Miguel also issued debt. "There is strong interest from a global investor base on growth opportunities in Southeast Asia, especially in the context of maintaining diversified emerging markets exposure," said Vijay Vaidyanathan, Morgan Stanley's head of global capital markets for Southeast Asia. "While the recovery in Southeast Asian IPO markets is not yet broad-based, we are starting to see some meaningful transactions for companies that are benefiting from structural shifts due to the pandemic or, at a minimum, are exhibiting COVID resilience in their financial performance," he said. Story continues The Philippines' equity index has dropped 27% so far this year, Thailand's main index has lost 17% while Malaysia has shed 4% compared with an 11% drop in Hong Kong and a 12% rise in Shanghai. Bankers said they were keeping a close watch on uncertainty in policy-making in Thailand but the presence of a large pool of retail investors usually supported IPOs. In Malaysia, home improvement retailer Mr DIY is talking to investors about launching its up to $500 million IPO next month, sources said. The company did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Philippines' fibre broadband services provider Converge ICT Solutions which filed for an IPO of up to $725 million, cashing in on a surge in home working, is seeing strong demand for its issue, which is set to hit the markets in October. The company declined comment. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Scott Murdoch; Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila, Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok and Tom Westbrook in Singapore; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Australia's eSafety commissioner has told Facebook and other social media giants they must act against co-ordinated harassment campaigns, as COVID-19 conspiracy groups use the tactic in attempts to overwhelm targets online. So-called volumetric attacks, also known as brigading, mobbing or pile-ons, involve targeting specific people, pages or posts with a huge amount of online comments. Such attacks have been used by racist, misogynist and anti-semitic groups in the past, but in recent times have also become a tool for conspiracy theorists and groups rejecting climate action and COVID-19 public safety measures. Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety commissioner, said the rising prevalence of volumetric cyber abuse had prompted her to ask social media platforms for "urgent discussions" about how they planned to contain them. "Volumetric attacks are a disturbing and harmful form of cyber abuse. The strategy is to disorient and overwhelm the target, and possibly do so without breaching the specific terms of service of a platform," she said. "It is a tactic increasingly being used online to harass, abuse and silence specific people." COVID-19 struck Oregonians the hardest in August -- killing at least 126 people in the state, more than in any other month since the pandemic began. Last months death toll surpasses that of July, when a then-record 122 people died in Oregon from the disease, according to state data. The August number is expected to grow in coming days as delayed reports of deaths continue to be announced. Although the number of new infections statewide has been slowly but steadily declining since the end of July, the number of deaths has continued to rise because it often takes a few weeks before the disease progresses to the point that it kills. And so the high case counts from June and July continue to result in deaths, said Dr. Bukhosi Dube, a senior health adviser with the Oregon Health Authority. COVID-19 has killed a total of 470 people in Oregon since the first death in March. In comparison, April by far was the deadliest month in the United States, fueled in part by the massive wave of cases in the New York region. The vast majority of Oregons coronavirus fatalities in August were of people with underlying medical conditions who were elderly -- the oldest was a 99-year-old woman. But some were young and healthy -- including a 37-year-old woman who died Aug. 15 and a 29-year-old man who died Aug. 22. Both were from the Portland area. The youngest person killed by the virus last month was a 27-year-old Washington County man who had underlying medical conditions, which the state did not specify. Some of those who died fought excruciatingly long battles, such as a 55-year-old woman from Marion County who lost her fight Aug. 15 -- 102 days after she tested positive in May. But data provided by the Oregon Health Authority also shows how swiftly the disease can progress -- killing an 86-year-old woman from Multnomah County on Aug. 14, just four days after she started showing symptoms. We extend our sympathies to the families that have lost loved ones, said Dube, the Oregon Health Authority health adviser. The number of deaths is expected to start declining in September because new infections have been down for weeks now -- fewer people infected means fewer deaths. Public health officials said the decline in new cases is due in large part to the efforts of many Oregonians who are wearing masks and keeping their distance from others outside their households. Officials are urging the public to stay the course this coming Labor Day weekend. The state saw spikes in new cases after the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, and officials are hoping to avoid a repeat. We can prevent deaths by preventing infections -- wearing our face coverings, staying physically distant, and avoiding gatherings with people outside our immediate household, Dube said. The Oregonian/OregonLive would like to learn more about the lives of Oregonians whove died from COVID-19. If one of your loved ones has died from the disease and you want to share their story, email agreen@oregonian.com. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee Oregonian staffer David Cansler contributed to this report. All the same, Park, 25, is eager to make the best of the situation. It will be a challenge, but not the only one he has faced this year. Park was forced to put his thesis research on hold for four months when the university shuttered in the spring. He has been back in the lab with a handful of people since July but is weary of more people returning to campus. Will come back to haunt you: Jaishankar in veiled reference to Pakistan S Jaishankar stresses on connectivity,proposes Chabahar Port be included in the NorthSouth Transport Corridor India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar Amid LAC Row, Jaishankar to attend Sept 10 SCO meeting in Moscow India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Moscow to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on September 10, it was officially announced on Thursday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left for Moscow on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a meeting of SCO defence ministers. "The external affairs minister will be visiting Moscow to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers'' meeting which is scheduled on September 10," spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivstava said at an online media briefing. Asked whether Jaishankar will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Srivstava said, "Once his engagements are finalised we will let you know." Jaishankar likely to attend SCO meeting in Moscow alongside China amid heightened LAC tension The SCO meetings are taking place at a time when India and China, two of the bloc''s members, are engaged in a fierce border row in eastern Ladakh. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of SCO in 2017. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 18:54 [IST] As Athens restaurants, bars and eateries adjust to changing policies and conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, their operations change frequently. Heres this weeks roundup of restaurant news. Dont forget to stay up to date on hours of operations, service options and contact information with our comprehensive restaurant guide. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 3 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan discussed the resumption of regular meetings of representatives of public and private structures of the two countries, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. This was said during a videoconference between Minister of foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Chingiz Aidarbekov on September 2, 2020. The parties also actively cooperate within the framework of international organizations, which has a positive impact on the development of bilateral relations. In general, the countries cooperate in a number of areas and are constantly working to strengthen relations. Previously, the leadership of the Union of Industrialists and entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan considered proposals to stimulate entrepreneurship and investment cooperation. In the first seven months of 2019, the trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan amounted to $6.5 million, as entrepreneurs mainly cooperated in the trade sphere. Tourism, transport, logistics and agriculture were also identified as promising areas of cooperation. Turkmenistan supplies fresh tomatoes, bakery and flour products, textiles, and pipes to Kyrgyzstan. In turn, Kyrgyzstan exports lamps, plastic films and tapes, and machinery for the textile industry to Turkmenistan. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held talks with his Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu on a wide range of issues, particularly on how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries. Singh who arrived in Russia's capital Moscow on September 2 is on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Calling the meeting 'excellent' Singh "conveyed appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia consistent with the defence and security needs of India". In this context, he particularly noted the timely manner in which the Russian had responded to requests for procurement of particular weapon systems. Both sides would continue to maintain contacts to ensure timely delivery. Singh briefed Shoigu on the 'Make-in-India' defence programme in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Aatma Nirbhar Bharat vision. Both sides welcomed the advance stage of discussions for the establishment in India of an India-Russian Joint Venture for the production of AK203 assault rifles which are considered one of the most modern weapons available for infantry forces. This provides a very positive basis for further engagement of the Russian defence industry in 'Make in India' programme, according to an official statement. Shoigu reiterated the commitment of the Russian side to engage actively with India to ensure the success of 'Make in India' programme including substantial participation in the forthcoming Aero India Exhibition to be held in February 2021. Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 3, 2020 Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Singh tweeted, "Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries." On Thursday, Singh had a one-hour meeting with the Russian Defence Minister at the Russian Ministry of Defence. The meeting was marked by the traditional warmth and friendship, characteristic of the Special and Privileged Partnership between India and the Russian Federation in which Military-Technical Cooperation and Military-to-Military cooperation constitutes an important pillar. The Defence Minister extended an invitation for General Shoigu to visit India for the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission for Technical and Military Cooperation which is expected to be held towards the end of 2020. General Shoigu conveyed his warm appreciation to Singh for his participation in the 75th Anniversary of Victory Day Parade at Red Square on June 24 2020, and his participation in the joint meeting of the SCO, CIS & CSTO countries. His meeting with Singh was the first meeting he was having with visiting Defence Ministers. The meeting covered a broad range of areas of cooperation between the two countries. It was noted that this meeting coincides with the Indra Naval Exercises to be conducted by the Indian and Russia navies off the Straits of Malacca over the next two days. Singh noted that these exercises demonstrated the common interests of both countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. There was a substantial commonality in positions with respect to challenges at the regional and international levels in the areas of peace and security, reflective of the deep trust and confidence that both sides enjoy as Strategic Partners. Singh, accompanied by a delegation including Defence Secretary and other senior officials is visiting Moscow to participate in the 75th Anniversary Event to commemorate Victory Day by the Russian Federation in the meeting of Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. A famous dialogue from yesteryears villain Ajit goes like this: Robert, ise liquid oxygen mein daal do. Liquid ise jeene nahin dega, oxygen ise marne nahin dega! (Robert, immerse him in liquid oxygen. The liquid will not let him stay alive, and the oxygen wont let him die.)" Several Congress leaders are today experiencing a similar plight. A few of them are MPs and are looking at a not-so-bright future. They say it is tough to leave the party now, tougher to join the BJP, and they that dont know of any other alternative. Most of the leaders News18.com spoke to, predictably, do not want to be quoted. However, a common thread was their worry that given the slide in the party and the Teflon-like popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, winning the next Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket may not be feasible. By 2024 when the next elections are due, the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will have been completed, which means a near-sweep in Uttar Pradesh from where a bulk of MPs come. The economy could be back on track; so the other issue that the Congress could use to capture peoples anger might end up in a whimper. News18.com did a check of some of the Congress leaders caught in a quagmire. Jitin Prasada, once a favourite of the Gandhis, has gone down under. He is also among those who wrote the dissent letter, which puts him in the group that may be left out in the cold. Prasada is now carving out his own niche by floating the Brahman Samaj Paridhan, eyeing the 12% Brahmin votes in UP. Prasadas disengagement from the Congress began when he didnt agree to contest from Lucknow Priyanka Gandhi was keen to see him contest from here. His future seems uncertain, and so he signed the letter. With newer people like Aradhana Mishra and Ajay Kumar Lallu racing ahead, Prasada may be forced to look for options. With the BSP, SP and BJP not on his list, his only hope is the Brahmin card, which if it pays off may help him regain some relevance that the Congress is unlikely to do for him. Milind Deora: One of Rahul Gandhis close team members, who travelled with him during his visits abroad as part of his reach-out team for the NRIs. Deora is now left out and after his resignation as Mumbai chief, he seems to be nowhere. Contrary to speculation, Deora did not contest on a BJP ticket and stuck to his party. But what lies ahead? Its pretty much dark. The NCP and Shiv Sena are options but the former itself is facing a family turmoil and will find it difficult to accommodate him. Deora shares good ties with all parties and if he is keen to contest in 2024, he may have several options. Karti Chidambaram: While he has made his Lok Sabha debut, it is uncertain whether his fathers goodwill in Sivaganga would work in 2024. Winning from the Congress may be tough but moving over to DMK, BJP or AIADMK are no options either. The Congress has barely any footprint left in the south and the message from the BJP to most regional parties is if you are not with us, its ok, but you cant be seen with the Congress either. The problem for the Congress is it is running out of allies that suits the BJP as it brings it closer to a Congress-mukt Bharat . The list is long. But a strategy being considered by some is being head of a party that has no presence in their state but offers them a platform for their political future. For example, if the Trinamool opens a Tamil Nadu or a UP chapter, it could give space to both Chidambaram and Prasada. But the condition is that these leaders would have to prove their mettle, so that whichever party they contest from doesnt matter. For instance, after the hawala" controversy, Madhavrao Scindia contested on a Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress ticket and beat the Congress candidate. But those were past days. Not many leaders who are restless and disgruntled may be able to pull this off. But politics is about taking chances and giving it a shot. And with the Congress not looking as the best bet, many are looking around. 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 city's 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 wouldn't 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 court's ruling was based on a 1990 Supreme Court decision, Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith, which held that the First Amendment's protection of the free exercise of religion didn't 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. 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 shouldn't 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. This article appeared at the Los Angeles Times and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency. Any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of chemical weapons. The Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, has issued the statement in response to the German federal government's statement about the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent. Read alsoMFA Ukraine calls for Russia sanctions over Navalny poisoning "Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of chemical weapons. Such an allegation is a matter of grave concern," he said in a statement published on the OPCW's website on September 3. "States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention deem the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and wholly contrary to the legal norms established by the international community," reads the statement. The OPCW continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to engage with and to assist any States Parties that may request its assistance. Navalny poisoning: background Influential veteran politician Ali Larijani is widely believed to be preparing to become Irans next president, leaving political circles in a heated debate on whether the longest-serving parliament speaker can win bipartisan backing from rival camps. A report by several conservative outlets said last week that Larijani is set to launch his bid but with a condition for Reformists and traditional conservatives: Endorse me and I will run in the next presidential election. The election is slated for June 24, 2021. The 63-year-old politician is currently serving as a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while holding a seat at the Expediency Council after he bid farewell to the parliament speakership, a post he held for 12 consecutive years. Last November, Larijani dismissed speculation that his decision not to run again for parliament was an indication that he was planning to fulfill his long-standing ambition for presidency. But even back then, there were serious doubts that Larijani indeed meant what he announced. He might not confirm it openly, but he does not rule it out either, said former deputy parliament speaker Ali Motahari, who is also Larijanis brother-in-law. Former parliamentarian Hossein Naghavi Hosseini claimed that [Larijani] has already inaugurated his campaign headquarters. Larijani has demonstrated in the past two decades a gradual shift in his political leanings. The man who once rose from the hard-line layer of the conservative camp is now found to be a key player in the center-to-left sections. This he particularly proved through his unwavering support for moderate President Hassan Rouhani and the Iran nuclear deal, which cost him the favor of the hard-line elements of the conservative camp. The more hardcore groups of the Reformist camp, on the other hand, argue that despite their endorsement of Larijani in the 2016 parliamentary elections, he is still not a welcome member in the circle. Since when was Larijani a Reformist so that now we could think of endorsing him? This simplistic optimism by some members of the [Reformist] camp is insensible, said Mohammad Sadegh Javadi Hesar of the pro-Reform National Trust Party. In 2013 and 2017, those Reformists solidly rallied behind Rouhani and succeeded in holding off a victory by hard-liners. Given their overall waning popularity now and the possibility that their potential candidates could be simply disqualified by the hard-line candidate-vetting body known as the Guardian Council, the Reformists are deliberating whether they should repeat the Rouhani experience that is, hire a candidate who is not a genuine Reformist but could help them breathe in the future political atmosphere. There are loud voices in the camp in open opposition against the plan, however. By resorting to a hired candidate, the camp will be digging its own grave, said Reformist political figure Esfandyar Abdollahi. And in an interview with pro-Reform daily Aftab-e-Yazd, former lawmaker Jalal Jalalizadeh even regretted the camps support for Rouhani, whose performance dealt the most severe blow to the camps credibility. The same pattern is holding with greater vigor on the other end of the spectrum, where the hard-line Paydari movement considers Larijani a traitor and a dictator. Yet when it comes to the more moderate sections on both sides, namely pro-Rouhani groups and some traditional conservatives, Larijani is by and large seen as the right choice. Irans latest election held last February was a race for parliament that recorded the lowest voter turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The apathy was largely interpreted as the publics reaction to deep economic grievances, the states clampdown on the November fuel price protests and partly on the merciless purge of Reformist candidates at the hands of the Guardian Council. And the vote count left nearly no room for Reformists in a parliament dominated by hard-liners. Now, to avoid being entirely sidelined from the scene, some Reformists are already examining a new exit strategy, one they say could boost voter turnout and facilitate a landslide in their favor. Based on the proposal, the camp will endorse a Larijani presidency on the condition that he appoints current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as his first vice president before the official start of the campaigning. That way, they argue, Larijani could capitalize on Zarifs popularity, neutralize the hard-liners and set the stage for an administration that will pursue closer engagement with the outside world at a critical juncture for the Islamic Republic. 1. US Company Removes Sushant Singh Rajput's Billboards, Sister Shweta Calls It Work Of 'Paid PR' Instagram She said that a Hollywood billboard company has decided to not keep the billboards as the company suspects that the campaign is trying to malign the "woman associated with Sushant." 2. Kangana Ranaut Blocks Farah Khan Ali After She Criticised Her Tweets Against Mumbai Police Twitter "The self proclaimed Queen of Bollywood just blocked me !!! I must have said something to p**s her off," Farah Khan Ali wrote on Twitter as she shared a screengrab revealing that Kangana had blocked her. 3. 'I Still Tease Him', Sonu Sood Shares Anurag Kashyap Disappeared After Offering Him A Role Agencies Taking a funny jibe at Anurag, he said, Ki woh film ke liye promise karta hai, uske baad gayab ho jaata hai. Main usko bada chhedta hoon. Bahut saal pehle ek film ban rahi thi Gulaal, uske andar bada kamaal ka role diya. Sonu, yeh tu hi kar sakta hai, koi nahi kar sakta. Script aaya mere paas, maine badi tayari ki, uske baad Anurag gayab ho gaya. Pata laga Gulaal ban bhi gayi kisi aur ke saath (He promises you a film and then disappears. I tease him a lot about it. Many years ago, he was making a film called Gulaal, in which he gave me a great role. He told me that only I could do the role. I got the script and began preparing, but Anurag disappeared after that. I later found out that the film was made with someone else). 4. Kangana Tells Anubhav Sinha He Wasn't Invited To High-Profile Parties As 'Drugs Are Expensive' Twitter "Hey I specifically mentioned most high profile parties and inner circle of hugely successful stars, I have no doubt that people like you have never been invited to those parties cos these drugs are expensive, 99% superstars have been exposed to hard drugs and I guarantee this," she said. 5. NCB Arrests 2 People Involved In Alleged Drug Trafficking In Connection With Sushant's Case Twitter The arrested men have been identified by the federal anti-narcotics agency as Zaid Vilatra and Basit Parihar, reports PTI. The US has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, claiming the organisation "continues to target Americans". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions and claimed that Ms Bensouda was "materially assisting" in the effort to target Americans. He also said the US is sanctioning the ICC's director of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko. According to a statement released by the US Treasury, both Ms Bensouda and Mr Mochochoko have been classified as "specially designated nationals", which blocks their assets and stops US citizens from making deals with them. The "specially designated nationals" classification is often used to identify narcotics dealers and terrorists. The move is the latest of the Trump administration's responses to the ICC after the organisation announced its authorisation of an investigation into war crimes committed in Afghanistan. The investigation will examine all participants in the conflict, including the US. These are not the first round of sanctions aimed at the ICC. In June, Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions on ICC officials involved in the Afghanistan investigation. In addition to the sanctions, the Trump administration has previously shown hostilities towards the organisation. The US has opposed the ICC's decision to investigate alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians during an investigation into abuses carried out by Palestinian security forces. No other western democracy save Israel has supported the US in its campaign against the ICC. The Trump administration's obstinate attitude on the world's stage has alienated the country from its diplomatic allies. On Monday, the US voted against a counter terrorism resolution because it did not include the repatriation of Isis fighters who were not born in Syria or Afghanistan. US officials said leaving them there would foment "Isis 2.0," but western democracies like the UK have said they do not want the fighters returned and would rather they face justice overseas. The US also is refusing to take part in an international effort to find a Covid-19 vaccine because of the World Health Organisation's involvement. Mark Leon Goldberg, the editor of the UN Dispatch newsletter, said the Trump administration's recent actions should be a "five alarm fire for the UN". "It's one small step from imposing sanctions against top WHO officials as part of Trump's campaign to shift blame for his handling of Covid-19," he said. The ICC released a statement on Wednesday responding to the Trump administration's actions. "These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the Court ... and the rule of law more generally." Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? local Data shows that international and Thai investors have filed 50 project applications, worth a total investment value of 12.69 billion baht during the first six months of 2020 A growing number of international and Thai companies are investing in Thailand's medical to help address the COVID-19 situation as well as to build on the country's potential as a medical hub, Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) said. BOI data shows that international and Thai investors have filed 50 project applications, worth a total investment value of 12.69 billion baht (USD400 million) during the first six months of 2020. In April, the BOI approved a special incentive scheme to accelerate investment in the medical industry. "The projects that were submitted largely relate to the production of the medical devices and parts needed to support the rapid response to the coronavirus outbreak," said Ms. Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary-General of the BOI. "We have approved more than 80 percent of the projects in order to respond to the situation while paving the way for Thailand's longer-term development as a manufacturing hub for medical devices and supplies." The 50 applications include projects for the manufacture of medical devices or supplies such as rubber gloves and masks, and of Non-Woven Fabric such as Spunbond or Melt blown used as raw materials in the manufacture of masks and medical devices, BOI data shows. Other projects are in the field of biotechnology, including that filed by Apsalagen Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd. and Germany's Haase Investment, which is the main shareholder in Biotechrabbit GmbH, a producer of biological reagents. Apsalagen's biological reagents and mastermixes are used in the production of rapid tests (RT-PCR) used in the detection of COVID-19. Recently, the BOI also approved a biotechnology development project undertaken by KinGen Biotech, a 50-50 joint venture between South Korean biotech firm Genexine, and Thailand's KinGen Holdings Co., Ltd. The company has pledged to invest 406 million baht (around USD12.8 million) to develop and manufacture in Thailand bioactive compounds, such as Plasmid DNA and Fusion Protein. The venture will work closely with King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi in the local research and development as well as the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, the BOI said. TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ICL Group Ltd (NYSE: ICL) (TASE: ICL), a leading global specialty minerals and chemicals company, today announced that it will host a virtual Investor Day on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. ICL President and CEO, Raviv Zoller, together will other members of ICL's senior management team will present ICL's unique business model, strategic growth plan and financial targets for 2025. ICL is focused on developing new, innovative technologies and products to capitalize on major trends across its end markets. The Investor Day invitation and registration link are published on the company's website here. The Investor Day will commence promptly at 8:30 AM Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 and can be accessed through this link. A replay of the Investor Day will also be available on the company's website. About ICL ICL Group LTD is a leading global specialty minerals and chemicals company operating bromine, potash, and phosphate mineral value chains in a unique, integrated business model. ICL extracts raw materials from its unique mineral assets and utilizes technology and industrial know-how to add value for customers in key agricultural and industrial markets worldwide. ICL shares are dually listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (NYSE and TASE: ICL). The company employs over 11,000 people worldwide, and its 2019 revenues totaled approximately $5.3 billion. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.icl-group.com. To access ICL's interactive Corporate Social Responsibility report, please click here. You can also learn more about ICL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT Dudi Musler Investor Relations Manager +972-3-684-4448 [email protected] PRESS CONTACT Or-li Kasuto Madmon Scherf Communications +972-52-4447750 [email protected] SOURCE ICL Related Links https://www.icl-group.com Local headteachers stress importance of hygiene as pupils prepare for a year like no other School life for children across the district will be very different when they all return in the coming days. Teaching bubbles, hand sanitising units and face coverings in corridors and on buses is the new norm as schools open their doors for all pupils for the first time since March 20. Pupil Georgina Brown, who spoke to newburytoday at the beginning of lockdown, starts in Year 7 at Park House School today (Thursday). She said: Im very excited to start secondary school. Although it will be different from normal, it will be new for everyone. Im looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting loads of new friends as well as starting loads of new subjects and sports. Eleven-year-old Esme White, who will also start in Year 7, was able to go back to her primary school in Woolton Hill for a few weeks at the end of term. She said: Im a bit nervous, but Im glad that I know four people who will be in my tutor group. Throughout the summer schools have been busy planning and preparing for the return of pupils, installing hand-santising units and creating one-way systems within their buildings. Marketing officer at St Bartholomews School Lucy Rumens said: At St Barts we are really looking forward to welcoming students back tomorrow. Staff have been in for two training days already this week. Theres a very positive atmosphere and we feel we have done all we can do to prepare for the students return. The headteacher wrote to parents again last week to make sure everyone was signposted to the most recent information, including a presentation on the changes the students will encounter. All this information is on our website. At Kennet School in Thatcham every member of staff has been issued with a Covid backpack containing items to manage their own safety and that of people in their classroom. Headteacher Gemma Piper said this allowed their movement around the site to be a little bit simpler, they are never going to be without the items they require. Mrs Piper said the school is not forcing face coverings but if it is a barrier to a pupil coming back, I want them in the classroom over not wearing a face covering. She added: We are pretty confident that we have done everything that we need to on the ground, and if transmission rates do increase locally then we will stipulate face coverings in due course. If there is some nervousness, we have worked with a number of our families to help them feel confident and to make sure they have got what they need to feel safe. Headteacher at Trinity School Charlotte Wilson said she was excited to welcome students back this week. The school will be split into bubbles class bubbles for the younger pupils and year group bubbles for the upper school and an enhanced cleaning programme is in place. The Clere School headteacher Ben Bond said in an innovative move they were creating bubbles based on buses, not year groups. There will be two main bubbles those who live in catchment and those who dont. Those bubbles will be broken down further into classrooms where pupils will remain throughout the school day. Teachers will move between classrooms, instead of pupils, as the school felt this was the safest way to ensure social distancing during changeover times. This has meant the school has had to continue online learning even though all pupils will be back in the same building. For some special lessons we will have some children in front of laptops following a lesson being taught by a teacher in another classroom, Mr Bond explained. We have sourced all the laptops for this to take place. The staff moving around the school instead of the pupils changes the perspective of things. We are doing a great job, as best we can, but we cant minimise risk completely. We believe this gives us the best chance to be Covid-secure. There have been questions from staff too, but I think they are all up for it. Theres a good team spirit at this school. Headteacher at St Nicolas Junior School (above) Keith Harvey said his focus will be on supporting childrens physical and mental health. After months of home-schooling, the school is anticipating a wide range of abilities when they return and already has plans in place to support pupils. The school will be arranged into year group bubbles and will have staggered start and finish times, separate entrances and exits for different years and alternate break and lunch times. We are really emphasising to our staff about keeping themselves safe, Mr Harvey said. If adults are moving around the school we are asking them to wear a face covering. We have increased the washing facilities and are making sure the children know the importance of increased hygiene. Secondary school reopening dates St Barts Today (Thursday) for Years 7-12. Tomorrow (Friday) for Year 13 The Downs Today (Thursday) for Years 7 and 12. Tomorrow (Friday) for all other years. Park House Today (Thursday) for Year 7 and 12. Tomorrow (Friday) for all other years. Trinity Today (Thursday). Kennet Today (Thursday). John O'Gaunt Today (Thursday) for Year 7. Tomorrow (Friday) for all other years. The Willink Today (Thursday) for Year 7 and 12. Tomorrow (Friday) for all other years. Theale Green - Today (Thursday) for Year 7 and 12. Tomorrow (Friday) for Years 10, 11 and 13. Monday, September 7, for Years 8 and 9. Mary Hare Pupils will set be returning to school yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Little Heath Today (Thursday). Newbury College Courses begin this month. The Clere Monday, September 7 The Hurst Monday, September 7, for Years 7 and 11. Tuesday, September 8, for all other years. During the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina in Washington, the US demanded that President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic recognize Kosovos independence. As reported Serbias Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali, who is a member of the Serbian delegation, the head of the republic is under serious pressure, TASS reports. We have received the worst document since the launch of the negotiations with Pristina. There were 16 points, the tenth of which implies bilateral recognition. There are very aggressive responses following the statements of not only the Albanians, but also our statements. There are very few topics related to the economy, Mali told reporters in Washington, as reported newspaper. There is big pressure. These topics are very serious topics for us. President Vucic is battling, but lets see if he will resist. Were going to fight until the end, and as the President said, giving up is not an option, the minister said during a break from the negotiations. THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman (Viking 14.99, 400 pp) THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman (Viking 14.99, 400 pp) This debut from TV presenter Osman introduces an exciting new talent in crime fiction. His narrative voice is as distinctive as his characters four residents of the Coopers Chase retirement village in Kent, who meet on Thursdays to try to solve old murder cases rather than watch daytime TV. Then, suddenly, two new murder cases turn up on their doorstep. The man who built the village and the one who owns it are killed. The four OAPs leap into action led by the doughty Elizabeth, while a friendly uniformed policewoman gives them inside information. The tone is light and witty, with touches of Alan Bennett and a sprinkling of Hyacinth Bucket, but the detection is deadly serious. It is addictive, hugely entertaining and far from pointless. THE WATCHER by Kate Medina (HarperCollins 14.99, 458 pp) THE WATCHER by Kate Medina (HarperCollins 14.99, 458 pp) This is the fourth outing for damaged psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn, and her character is deepening with each book. Once again, she is helping Detective Inspector Bobby Simmons known as Marilyn. Together they investigate the murder of ruthless landlord Hugo Fuller and his wife at the swimming pool of their huge house outside Chichester in West Sussex. The crime scene is particularly horrifying as Hugo has been stabbed through both eyes while tied to a sun lounger. Flynn is also asked by a police colleague to help a teenager who has been relentlessly bullied since childhood because of his cleft palate. This, in many ways, echoes Flynns own troubled adolescence which saw her incarcerated in a mental institution for a time. Beautifully observed, with a rich central character, it has a heart and a conscience. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny (Sphere 19.99, 443 pp) ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny (Sphere 19.99, 443 pp) This 16th novel featuring Canadian Gamache sees him and his wife in Paris, visiting Stephen Horowitz, his billionaire godfather who virtually raised him as a boy. But after dinner at a local restaurant, Horowitz is knocked down and killed just feet away from Gamache in what looks like a deliberate hit and run. Inevitably, Gamache calls on his friends in the Paris police for help in investigating. When a second body is found in the flat his godfather owned, while he was staying for some inexplicable reason in a vast suite at the Hotel George V, the mystery deepens. What secrets has Horowitz been hiding from his godson over the years? This is vintage Penny, delicate, engrossing and subtle. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global recruitment process outsourcing market size is expected to reach USD 20.8 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 18.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rising demand for streamlined recruitment processes and new hiring methodologies have augmented the growth prospects of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) market. The emergence of the digital recruitment strategy is expected to provide a new horizon to hiring processes in terms of creating requirements that stand out, improved career site interference, and an efficient user interface. In the coming decades, technology is expected to play a vital role in enhancing the recruitment process. HR automation is paving the way for a new age of recruitment by innovating hiring solutions across organizations. Many organizations are already using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sourcing and screening candidates. The use of such advancements reduces human errors, manual workload, and smoothens the overall HR process. Moreover, the use of data-driven tools, mobile application platforms, and social media recruitment marketing simplifies the hiring process. Key suggestions from the report: In terms of type, the on-demand RPO segment is expected to register significant growth over the forecast period owing to the rising demand for cost-effective and limited recruiting services The provision of off-site RPO services is a scalable business model and can attract international talent on a large scale. The off-site service segment dominated the market in 2019 In an attempt to streamline the hiring process and build a strong employer brand, the adoption of recruitment process outsourcing services and solutions in small and medium enterprises is likely to increase over the forecast period The development of labor-intensive industries in the Asia Pacific region is expected to accelerate the growth of the regional market Read 124 page research report with ToC on "Recruitment Process Outsourcing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (On-demand, Enterprise), By Service (On-site, Off-site), By Enterprise Size, By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/recruitment-process-outsourcing-rpo-market With the evolving relationship between Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) providers and organizations, the complete talent solution is likely to become the main focus of the organization. RPO is not just limited to hiring people but also includes the management of people, processes, technology, and the talent acquisition strategy. RPO offers exceptional communication experience to the candidate by providing consistent, transparent, and honest feedback that can help the organization's reputation sterling. It also helps in amplifying the employer brand of the organization. North America and Europe dominated the RPO market, whereas South America and the Middle East regions occupied relatively smaller revenue share, in 2019. Factors such as economic crisis, currency depreciation, and language barriers limit the growth of outsourced hiring activities in South America. Most employers in the Middle East have their in-house recruitment teams and RPO is yet to make inroads in the region. However, the current market scenario is expected to change in these regions owing to international brands entering the regional market. Real-estate and mega construction projects in the Middle East are expected to provide significant traction to the RPO market growth in the near future. Grand View Research has segmented the global recruitment process outsourcing market based on type, service, enterprise size, end-use, and region: RPO Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) On-demand RPO Function-based RPO Enterprise RPO RPO Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) On-site Off-site RPO Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Large Enterprises RPO End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) BFSI Healthcare Manufacturing IT & Telecom Education Others RPO Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) North America The U.S. Canada Mexico Europe Germany The U.K. France Asia Pacific China Japan India South America Brazil The Middle East & Africa List of Key Players of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market ADP, Inc. Alexander Mann Solutions Cielo, Inc. Hudson Global Inc. IBM Corporation ManpowerGroup Korn Ferry PeopleScout (TrueBlue Company) Pontoon Solutions Randstad N.V. Sevenstep WilsonHCG Find more research reports on Communication Services Industry, by Grand View Research: Business Process Outsourcing Market Enhanced operational efficiency, improved customer service, innovation, and flexibility are some other factors that will bolster market growth over the forecast period. Enhanced operational efficiency, improved customer service, innovation, and flexibility are some other factors that will bolster market growth over Customer Experience Management Market Surging demand for personalized experience by customers across different industries is one of the key trends in escalating market growth. Surging demand for personalized experience by customers across different industries is one of the key trends in escalating market growth. Mobile Marketing Market Increasing use of smartphones to access online content coupled with the growing trend of location-based mobile marketing are expected to drive the market. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. In its divided ruling, which applies statewide in Maryland, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the administration failed to recognize and address the ethical concerns of literally every major medical organization in the country, and it arbitrarily estimated the cost associated with the new regulations. Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty turned cautious in early trade on Thursday amid lack of directional cues from global markets. After opening 150.33 points higher, the BSE Sensex pared most gains to trade 12.69 points or 0.03 per cent higher at 39,098.72; while the NSE Nifty was up 13.80 points or 0.12 per cent at 11,548.80. M&M was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by Maruti, TCS, L&T, Titan, Bajaj Auto and Sun Pharma. On the other hand, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank and PowerGrid were among the laggards. In the previous session, Sensex settled 185.23 points or 0.48 per cent higher at 39,086.03, while Nifty climbed 64.75 points or 0.56 per cent to close at 11,535. Exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors bought equities worth Rs 990.57 crore on a net basis on Wednesday. According to traders, domestic equities turned choppy amid lack of directional cues from global markets. Concerns of India-China border tensions too weighed on investor sentiment, they said. Bourses in Shanghai and Hong Kong were in the red in mid-day deals, while Tokyo and Seoul was trading with gains. Stock exchanges on Wall Street ended significantly higher in overnight session. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.09 per cent higher at USD 44.47 per barrel.. Expressing concern over the state of economy, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister claimed on Thursday that the Centre does not have a roadmap to revive the country's economy. He said several months have passed but so far, only announcements of incentives have been made by the Union finance minister. "Small industrialists have not got any financial support. I am very worried. Everyone knows that the economy is going down, but I worry that the central government does not have any roadmap ready to revive an economy after the decline," Pilot told reporters here. He said the government should call an all-party meeting and take everyone's suggestions on reviving the economy. "The GDP figures are shocking but neither the central government has any roadmap nor it has prepared any concrete policy to deal with the issue," Pilot alleged. Speaking about "Question Hour" being removed during the upcoming Parliament session, the former deputy chief minister said the biggest right of an MP is to ask a question. "If you are snatching him of his rights, then what is the meaning of running Parliament? It is a wrong decision of the government not to have the Question Hour in the session of Parliament and the government should reconsider," he said. Replying to a question, he said the Centre should clearly tell the public what has happened so far in the India-China border dispute. (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.) Liberals got income supports wrong, OToole says, Aug. 3 After reading of Conservative Leader Erin OTooles assertion that the Liberals screwed up with the CERB because it undermined the Canadian Employment Wage Subsidy, it makes me wonder what country OToole thinks hes living in. He seems to be going on the blinkered assumption that every worker in Canada has an employer, gets regular paychecks and celebrates TGIF. As a professional self-employed musician working mainly in musical theatre, my livelihood has vanished with no return in sight. And what about the thousands of actors, artists, stagehands, dressers, and so on, in this industry? Not to mention the tens of thousands of other self-employed Canadians working in the service industry, the trades well, the list goes on. Would OToole have had us all swinging in the breeze because we didnt fit into his corporate box? I think I speak for my community in saying we are very grateful for Justin Trudeau and his Liberals for stepping up to the plate with such alacrity. CERB was a lifeline that left no one behind. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. How is it already September? As summer comes to a close, theres more that were allowed to do now: Both indoor dining and movie theaters are about to open. How does it work and how do you stay safe? We have some good advice for navigating both those decisions, below. Weve collected all our best articles about how to do everything better right now. Theyre all in one place here. Stay healthy, stay safe, and, as much as possible, its still a good idea to stay home. thingstodo@inquirer.com Your questions, answered Ask us a question through Curious Philly: inquirer.com/askus Plan this Here are some of the best ways to keep busy this week, with a few selections from our weekly events calendar: Jurassic Quest Drive-Thru (Event / in-person / kid-friendly / multi-day) Come eye-to-eye with life-sized dinosaurs at the Wells Fargo Center from the comfort of your car. Dozens and dozens of dinosaur recreations from the Cretaceous period, the Jurassic Period and the Triassic period grace the outdoor driving course until Sept. 13. ($49 per car, Sept. 4-13, jurassicquest.com , map , add to calendar ) The United States Air Force Full Spectrum Virtual Concert (Concert / virtual / free / multi-day) Enjoy a free, virtual Labor Day concert as the United States Air Forces Full Spectrum band performs on the Delaware River Waterfronts social channels and website twice over the course of the holiday weekend. (Free, Sept. 4 and 7, 7 p.m., delawareriverwaterfront.com , add to calendar ) Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Festival / in-person / day trip) Labor Day weekend marks opening weekend for the outdoor faire, which returns with COVID safety precautions like limited and timed entry, mandatory masks, and social distancing requirements. Enjoy classic ren faire activities like jousting, archery demonstrations, shopping from artisan merchants, turkey leg eating and more. (Free-$29.95, Sept. 5-7, parenfaire.com , Mount Hope Estate & Winery, Manheim, PA, map , add to calendar ) Reopening of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Museum / in-person) The grand dame of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway reopens in time for Labor Day weekend with pay-what-you-wish admission on Sept. 6 and full access to its main building. Exhibits include Fault Lines: Contemporary Abstraction by Artists from South Asia and Horace Pippin: From War to Peace , both extended into the cold-weather months. Masks and social distancing required. (Free-$25, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., philamuseum.org , map , add to calendar ) The Labor Day Comedy Jam at Live-In Drive-In (Comedy / in-person / drive-in) The holiday weekend closes out with an evening of drive-in comedy at Citizen Bank Park. Enjoy laughs from Michael Blackson as well as entertainment from DJ Jazzy Jeff, Capone, Skeet Carter and more. ($99.50-$395 per car, Sept 7, 7:30 p.m., Citizen Bank Park parking lot, map, add to calendar) More great events at inquirer.com/calendar Dine like this Indoor dining is opening back up in Philly and New Jersey. So Grace Dickinson asked servers what they want you to know when you eat out. Heres how to make it easier and safer for your server right now, and still have a great meal out. Here are some pro-tips: Read the menu before arriving. The shorter you make your interaction with your server, the better (and safer). Come prepared with questions, and then swiftly place your order. Order everything including condiments at once. I cant just go back and get ketchup like I used to, says Jackie McCoy, a bartender and server at Millers Ale House in Montgomeryville. Now I have to ring it in and have someone with gloves hand it off, and all these little things take longer for both of us than normally. Stack your own plates. I dont want one glass here, one plate there, where Im leaning over your table. I want you to limit as much time as possible that I have to breathe your air, says Leanie Williams, a bartender at Philadelphia Distilling. Dining outside? Get your check at the first sign of rain. Your server may have another eight hours ahead of them, wearing soaked shoes, says Alyssa Al-Dookhi, a bartender at Devils Den. READ MORE: What servers want you to know as indoor dining resumes in Philly Watch this Is it safe to go back to the movies yet? Movie theaters in both Philly and New Jersey are also reopening, though things will look quite different now to help keep people safe. Nick Vadala looked at the rules and risks, and how to lower them if you do decide to go. Safety precautions. Theaters have to limit crowds. In Philly, only 25 people are allowed in a single screening room. In N.J., attendance is capped at 25% capacity, or 150 people, whichever is lower. Theaters also have to clean and disinfect more, and some have signed on to a voluntary program that calls for additional precautions like increased ventilation and disinfecting. Social distancing. You have to stay 6 feet apart from others, both in line and in the theater. And you have to wear a mask at all times. The only exception: In New Jersey, where theaters are allowed to sell concessions, you can take off your mask if youre eating and drinking. In Philly, concessions arent allowed, and you have to wear your mask at all times. The risks: Safety really depends on the individual movie theater, says Henry F. Raymond, epidemiologist and associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. It can be risky because it involves being around crowds in an enclosed space. Ultimately, it comes down to a variety of factors, he says, such as capacity limits, a high-functioning HVAC system, and enforcement of social distancing and mask use. If done right, he says, going to a movie could be done relatively safely. But its worth noting that Raymond says hes not planning to go the movies soon. Making it safer: Seth Welles, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexels Dornsife School of Public Health, suggests scoping out the theater and crowd before going in to make sure both moviegoers and employees are following mask and social distancing rules. And, if you decide you arent comfortable, and dont feel safe, leave. Should you go? Its a personal decision, and depends on your own comfort with risk. People have to take their own risk into account while bearing in mind the potential effects on other people, Raymond says. Is it worth the risk to my friends and family when I can watch Mulan on Disney+? I get that it is a different experience in the theater. And we all need a break. READ MORE: The rules and risks of going to the movies HANOVER, Penn., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advantage Lifts, the premier home auto lift manufacturer, is now the exclusive sales, marketing and production manager of Steel Valley Lifts and their most popular product, the Backyard Buddy. Based in Warren, Ohio, Steel Valley is a manufacturer of high-end, completely customizable American-made car lifts for the auto hobbyist. "It's an honor to take a leadership role in distributing and manufacturing the high-quality selection of Steel Valley products," said Stacey Mack, president & CEO, Advantage Lifts. "Steel Valley has been manufacturing their line of lifts, including the Backyard Buddy, in Warren, Ohio for more than 30 years. We plan to grow the business by expanding production and adding high quality manufacturing jobs for local workers." "We look forward to introducing the Backyard Buddy to a whole new generation of car enthusiasts, home wrenchers and auto collectors," added Mack. Advantage Lifts, headquartered in Hanover, Penn., is a leader in distributing high quality, reasonably priced auto lifts with durability and safety built in. Coupled with strong customer service and the industry's best Five-Year Warranty, Advantage has grown quickly under Mack's leadership. Distribution channels include popular auto shows like Mecum Auctions, Barrett Jackson Auctions, Good-Guys Car Shows, Carlisle Events, and many regional swap meets or car events. The company's product ambassador is Wayne Carini, host of "Chasing Classic Cars." "Advantage Lifts and Steel Valley Lifts are partnering to offer a full lift line for both home and commercial customers," said Mack. "Our Advantage Lifts principles of Quality, Safety and Strength align well with Steel Valley's long-standing manufacturing excellence. And since the Backyard Buddy and the other Steel Valley lifts are manufactured in America, we're proud and happy to continue to support American workers through these efforts." For more information, visit www.advantagelifts.com or www.steelvalleylifts.com. On Facebook, visit @AdvantageLifts or @SteelValleyLifts. MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Robar, 313.207.5960, [email protected] SOURCE Advantage Lifts Related Links http://www.advantagelifts.com India is among the countries that China has taken advantage of since the outbreak of the Covid-19 from Wuhan, US diplomat David Stilwell said on Wednesday. Washington DC [US], September 3 (ANI): India is among the countries that China has taken advantage of since the outbreak of the COVID-19 from Wuhan, US diplomat David Stilwell said on Wednesday. Stilwell said at a press briefing that what the had seen since the corona outbreak from Wuhan was it seemed the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) was trying to take advantage of the situation, and India, he thought, was one of those examples of that. He said to people in Beijing that he would ask them to follow their commitment to resolve these things through peaceful means and dialogue. The Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs also reiterated Secretary Pompeos remarks that the United States hopes for a peaceful resolution to the border standoff between India and China. The US diplomats remark comes after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Armys attempt on the night of August 29 and 30 to transgress into areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso. Also read: No Indian troops killed in recent border clash: China Also read: Chinas treatment of Uyghurs amounts to genocide: Biden campaign Indian Army said that on the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the 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. On a question over the border stand-off between India and China, Stilwell added: that for the conflict in the Himalayas, like all things, especially related to the PRCs differences of opinion with its neighbours, was they advise them to return to dialogue, resolve those things peacefully without coercion, use of force. Further talking about Chinas engagement in other areas, he said that many conflicts that were going on in Chinas periphery then. He said You mentioned Tibet. Xinjiang very concerned still about what theyre doing there. Hong Kong activities, South China Sea I could go on and on. Earlier in the press briefing, Pompeo had slammed the Chinese Communist Party for engaging in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours. He said that from the Taiwan Strait to the Himalayas and beyond, the Chinese Communist Party was engaged in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours, it was also evident in the South China Sea. He added that they were hoping for a peaceful resolution of the situation on the India-China border. India and China have been 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. Negotiations 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. Also read: India gains advantage over China, forces capture key heights near S Pangong lake By PTI MUMBAI: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Chinese are "surreptitiously" encircling the Indian sub-continent, and India must keep a close watch on developments in Sri Lanka and Nepal. He had invited former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd) for interaction with NCP MPs Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Amol Kolhe and Vandana Chavan against the background of the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, Pawar tweeted. The former defence minister said that during the meeting he expressed his concerns over a larger strategic and political thinking in China that aims to halt India's economic growth. "I highlighted the fact that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and also expressed my concern over their presence in the South China Sea," Pawar said in another tweet. "I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general," he added. Vijay Gokhale spoke about the history of Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes. The former foreign secretary shared his views on the current situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Pawar said. Air Marshal Gokhale emphasized that India must take into consideration the new era of parallel warfare that includes cyber war, information war, perception creation and war on economic fronts, the NCP president added. Shooting of Deon Kay prompted protests in US capital amid increased nationwide scrutiny over police. Police in Washington, DC, on Thursday released body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a young Black man in the citys southeast, which ignited protests in the US capital. The killing on Wednesday of 18-year-old Deon Kay prompted a late-night face-off between the police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station. In the police footage, an officer can be seen getting out of a vehicle and running between parked cars while shouting Dont move. A single gunshot is heard and a man is then seen falling to the ground. The police department said Kay had brandished a firearm at officers. But protesters took to the streets again on Thursday morning to demand accountability for the shooting, which comes amid a nationwide protest movement decrying police violence against Black people and increased scrutiny over police tactics. Chanting say his name, Deon Kay and no justice, no sleep, protesters marched to Mayor Muriel Bowsers residence, calling on her to fire the Washington, DC police chief, local television news station NBC4 reported. In a news conference later on Thursday, Bowser offered her condolences to Kays family and said an investigation was under way. Our community is hurting and we know that they want answers, she said. We are still gathering all the facts and [the Metropolitan Police Department] and my administration will conduct a full investigation of this incident. The chief of the MPD, Peter Newsham, on Thursday said Kay was one of two people who fled when approached by uniformed officers who were investigating reports of a man with a gun in the area. Two individuals fled on foot and officers pursued them, one of those men brandished a firearm from his waistband as he was fleeing, Newsham said during the news conference. In response, an MPD officer discharged his service weapon firing a single shot at the individual. Calls for reform Police said the other man, who escaped from police, and Kay were taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. In a statement on Wednesday, police included pictures of the handgun they said Kay had been carrying, as well as of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPDs 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet: DC police murdered a Black man today. On Wednesday night, videos posted on social media showed dozens of enraged protesters jostling with a line of police officers, who used bicycles to help form a barrier in front of the station. Police killings of Black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform, prompting local efforts by the DC Council to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, following the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. Kays shooting also comes after the release of a video showing a deadly incident involving police in Rochester, New York. Daniel Prude, a Black man, died of suffocation in March after a group of police officers put a hood over his head and then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes. Prude died seven days after the incident occurred when he was taken off life support. Indias coronavirus disease count reached 3,853,406 on Thursday after 83,883 new cases of the disease were reported in the last 24 hours, according to Union health ministry update. The number of active cases in the country are 8,15,538 and 29,70,492 patients have been cured of the disease. The country recorded 1,043 new fatalities till Wednesday, which pushed the death toll up to 67,376, the ministry said. On Wednesday, India had recorded 1,045 deaths. India, meanwhile, conducted over a million Covid-19 tests for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said. The number of tests conducted yesterday were 1.17 million. The ICMR said that Delhi once again conducted the most number of tests per million - 28,000 - on Wednesday. The health ministry had said on Wednesday that 54 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in India were reported among people from 18 to 44 years of age while patients in 60 years and above bracket account for 51 per cent deaths. According to the ministry, there are eight per cent cases and one per cent deaths below 17 years of age. Fourteen per cent of total coronavirus cases in India and one per cent of deaths were recorded among the 18-25 age group, it added. It also said that Indias case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 1.76 per cent, one of the lowest across the world. The global CFR stands at 3.3 per cent. India is reporting 48 deaths/million population, also one of the lowest in the world while the global average is 110 deaths/million population, according to the health ministry DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's ruling People's Democratic Party has officially nominated President Emomali Rahmon, already the longest-serving leader in the former Soviet Union, to run for another term. Rahmon was not present at the party's September 3 congress when the decision to nominate the 67-yar-old incumbent for the October 11 election was made. According to government officials, Rahmon was not present because he was taking part in ceremonies devoted to the 25th anniversary of the National Guard. Independent journalists were not allowed to attend the congress. The Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the Union of Tajikistan's Youth nominated Rahmon to run for the presidency. There has been speculation that Rahmon, who has been president since 1992, would bow out to clear the way for his son, Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali, to run for the presidency. Once his candidacy is formally registered, Rahmon will join five other candidates who have entered the race. Many in the tightly-controlled former Soviet republic expect that Rahmon will be announced the winner again. In Tajikistan's last presidential election, in 2013, Rahmon was reelected by a landslide, with 84 percent of the vote. None of Tajikistan's five presidential elections won by Rahmon has been deemed free and fair by Western election observers. Apple is delaying a controversial privacy feature in its upcoming iOS 14 that requires developers to ask users for permission before tracking their mobile activity and data. The tech giant posted a note online Thursday stating that although its priority is users' ability to choose, it wants to give developers time to adjust and has pushed the rollout until early 2021. The delay could benefit Facebook, which last week said the changes would render one of its mobile advertising tools 'so ineffective on iOS 14 that it may not make sense to offer it.' Apple announced new privacy rules in June that were slated to take effect with the launch of its iOS 14 operating system this fall. Among them is a new requirement that advertisers who employ an Apple-provided tracking identifier, or other tools that have a similar function, must now show a pop-up notification asking for tracking permission. Apple is delaying a controversial privacy feature in its upcoming iOS 14 that requires developers to ask users for permission before tracking their mobile activity and data Facebook said last week it would quit using the tool that requires a prompt in its own apps but did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Apple said Thursday that developers will still have the option to use the prompt when iOS 14 arrives. 'When enabled, a system prompt will give users the ability to allow or reject that tracking on an app-by-app basis,' Apple said in a statement. 'We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year.' The tech giant posted a note online Thursday stating that although its priority is users' ability to choose, it wants to give developers time to adjust and has pushed the rollout until early 2021 Digital advertising firms will have space in the notification to explain why they are seeking tracking permissions, but they expect most users will decline to grant that permission. Advertisers are instead gearing up to use a new advertising system that Apple has created and claims is more private because it does not provide detailed information about individual users. Advertisers have said that system is likely to generate less revenue. Facebook was not happy with the new update, releasing a statement on August 27 claiming privacy changes in the next version of Apple's mobile operating system will cripple app makers' ability to make money from targeted advertising. Apple announced new privacy rules in June that were slated to take effect with the launch of its iOS 14 operating system this fall. Among them is a new requirement that advertisers who employ an Apple-provided tracking identifier, or other tools that have a similar function, must now show a pop-up notification asking for tracking permission Facebook and other ad networks rely on this device identifier to track where users go online, what they do and what they buy, to deliver targeted ads. The social media giant fears that, given the choice, many iOS users will reject tracking, affecting not only its own ad business but also any app makers and publishers that use its Audience Network. The Audience Network allows Facebook and Instagram advertisers to place their ads elsewhere on the internet. Facebook claims that the change in iOS 14 could slash the amount publishers make from targeted advertising in half, and may force the company to pull its Audience Network altogether. In Facebook's second-quarter earnings call last month, finance chief Dave Wehner said the company is 'still trying to understand what these changes will look like and how they will impact us and the rest of the industry. The delay could benefit Facebook, which last week said the changes would render one of its mobile advertising tools 'so ineffective on iOS 14 that it may not make sense to offer it 'But the very least, it's going to make it harder for app developers and others to grow using ads on Facebook and elsewhere.' In a blog post, Facebook said it was making changes to its own apps, to help its advertising partners prepare for the iOS 14 changes. It will no longer collect the identifier for advertisers on its own apps for iOS 14 devices. The firm is also asking businesses to create new ad accounts dedicated solely to running ads for apps for iOS 14 users, in order to comply with Apple's new rules. And it said these changes were likely to 'disproportionately affect' its Audience Network, given its heavy dependence on app advertising. 'Like all ad networks on iOS 14, advertiser ability to accurately target and measure their campaigns on Audience Network will be impacted, and as a result publishers should expect their ability to effectively monetize on Audience Network to decrease,' the company said. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More A proposal to transfer ownership of a terminal at India's busiest port Mundra Port in Gujarat to a Chinese company has come under the government's scanner. The government is evaluating an agreement between the Adani Ports' French joint venture partner CMA CGM and the China Merchants Group, according to a report by The Hindu. The proposal is being scrutinised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and there is a possibility of red flags being raised, the report said. Government officials who have received the application told the publication that the deal has "not been cleared as of now". The application has also been sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Ministry of Shipping, the report said. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story. Adani Group clarified as per the report that it has not filed the application itself. "We are not the applicant. We partner with CMA-CGM for the terminal in Mundra Port. We are the operator of the terminal as well as the port at Mundra port," a senior official of the Adani Group said. "CMA-CGM is the third largest shipping company in the world and they are our partner in Mundra," the official added. Chinese investments in India have come under increased scrutiny amid rising border tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "Eat, Pray, Love" brought Elizabeth Gilbert the kind of fame most authors only dream of. The 2006 memoir followed Gilbert as she soul-searched her way around the world in the emotional aftermath of a difficult divorce. The book sold more than 10 million copies and was later turned into a hit movie starring Julia Roberts in 2010. And it all began with Gilbert getting on a plane to Italy 16 years ago this week. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. Gilbert, 51, marked the anniversary Thursday by sharing a throwback photo of herself shortly before she embarked on her life-changing trip. "Sixteen years ago today on September 3, 2004 I got on a plane to Italy, to begin the journey that would eventually become EAT PRAY LOVE," she wrote in the caption on Instagram. "This is what I looked like, just a few months before I left for Italy." "I was 33 years old. I had been in a state of depression, anxiety, and shame for nearly three years," she continued. "I felt like a failure because Id blown up my marriage and didnt want to have kids. (What kind of woman cant keep a husband and doesnt want children? #failure) And I was now lovesick (literally: SICK AND SUFFERING) over an emotionally unavailable man, who held me in such contempt that he couldnt even make eye contact with me." Pennsylvania Conference For Women 2019 (Marla Aufmuth / Getty Images) Gilbert recalled being so depressed that she was unable to eat and said her body at that time was "in constant pain." "Its not much of an exaggeration to say that I never stopped crying," she wrote. "Look at my posture: I could barely hold up my own body weight." She also recalled that before stepping onto that plane, she'd spent her life trying to make everyone around her happy while neglecting her own needs. "Until that point in my life, I had been guided by only two forces: People Pleasing, and Addictive Impulse," she wrote. "Which meant that I constantly wavered between abandoning myself by trying to be GOOD, and abandoning myself by acting out for immediate gratification. Story continues "This is what self-abandonment looks like. This is what a woman looks like when she does not take care of herself, honor herself, cherish herself, or know how to get quiet enough to connect to Intuition and Source (rather than impulse and need.)." Looking back, Gilbert said her faith coupled with her belief in her writing and her desire to learn Italian inspired her to pitch the idea of "Eat, Pray, Love" to her editor. "I wrote an email to my editor, who had already published three of my books," she shared in the caption. "The letter was no more than a page long. I told him what I wanted to do. Where I wanted to travel, and why. I told him that I wanted to write a memoir, even though I had never written about myself before." Though Gilbert's idea for a memoir seemed like a long shot, her editor agreed she was embarking on a journey well worth taking and he believed it was one others would want to read about. "I dont remember exactly what I said in that letter, but I remember what he said: 'Do it. Go.'" she wrote. "And on September 3, 2004, I did it. I went." Emmanuel Macrons government has unveiled the long-awaited 100bn stimulus plan the French president is betting on to transform the countrys economy and his political fortunes with less than two years to go until elections. The plan, dubbed France Relaunch, includes wage subsidies, tax cuts for businesses and funding for environmental projects. It aims to shift away from the emergency spending of the Covid crisis to addressing longer term problems of weak investment and job creation in the euro areas second largest economy. The fiscal reboot -- much of which was announced over the summer -- will be spread over two years and is split in roughly equal parts between competitiveness, jobs and social policies, and financing the transition to a greener economy. This stimulus plan aims to stop our economy collapsing and stop unemployment shooting up, Prime Minister Jean Castex said. It has an immediate target, but also a structural and long-term target that is part of the logic of reform and transformation of the presidency. Its a high-stakes political move for Mr Macron amid signs the rebound from the virus slump is fading, and the risk of rising unemployment. Looming over the grim outlook are presidential elections in April 2022, leaving the president no time for another shot at a defining policy transformation before he faces voters. Governments across Europe are planning additional stimulus as the coronavirus continues to hammer economies. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling bloc this week backed plans allowing for extraordinary deficit spending next year. But many countries have already stretched their finances. In Frances case, emergency spending has pushed the debt burden to around 120% of output. It will rely on European financing for up to 40bn of the stimulus plan. Around 15bn will be spent on employment, including 7.6bn on a long-term furlough combined with training for idled workers, and bonuses for hiring young people. Green spending will focus on low-emission transport -- particularly the SNCF rail network -- and renovations to make buildings more energy efficient. The industrial part of the plan is made up mainly of a cut to taxes on production, at a cost of 10bn a year, which the government expects to benefit mainly SMEs. The government estimates that France Relaunch will return economic output to 2019 levels in 2022. Under pressure from opposition parties for alleged political bias and handling of hate speech content, Facebook on Thursday said it has banned Bharatiya Janata Party Telangana MLA T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate, even as the legislator from Telangana claimed that he had no account with the social networking site for over a year. In a separate communication, Facebook also told the Congress that the company was non-partisan, denounces hate and bigotry in all forms, and strives to ensure that its platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. It was responding to the opposition party's allegation that the social media giant was soft on members of the ruling BJP while applying its hate speech rules. 'We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. 'The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to this decision,' a Facebook company spokesperson said in a statement. Facebook -- which counts India among its largest markets with over 300 million users -- has been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleged that the social media platform's content policies favoured the ruling party in India. The report had accused Facebook of ignoring posts containing hate speech by BJP MLA Raja Singh. Since then, the ruling BJP and Congress have been trading barbs over the social media giant's alleged political bias. Reacting to Facebook's action, Singh, the lone saffron party legislator from the southern state, claimed he did not have a Facebook account since April 2019 and that the pages the social networking site now banned might have been created by his followers. He said he had written a letter to Hyderabad Police Cyber Crime department on October 8, 2018 that his verified official Facebook page was hacked. In a brief statement, Singh said he again started a new page which 'was unpublished/ deleted in April 2019. So, Since April 2019, I'm not on Facebook itself, so no question of banning (me). Is Facebook working under the pressure of Congress'. He also said that he will write to Facebook to open his official account. "I will follow all rules and regulations to use it. I should be given the right to use Facebook account and I will seek their permission," he said. In a separate video message, Singh also alleged that leaders like Rahul Gandhi made false statements on social media paltforms against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and demanded that after thorough research, accounts of the Congress and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen parties should be deleted from social networking sites. Meanwhile, responding to Congress' allegations, Facebook's Public Policy, Trust and Safety Director Neil Potts has said it has taken the party's charge of bias very seriously and will ensure that it remains non-partisan and is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity. The Congress accused Facebook of interfering in India's democratic process and social harmony and being soft on members of the ruling BJP while applying its hate-speech rules. The Congress had written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after the WSJ and the Time magazine reports alleged 'biased' conduct of Facebook and WhatsApp India's leadership team and proximity with the ruling BJP. 'We take seriously the concerns and recommendations you raised on behalf of the Indian National Congress... First and foremost, we want to take this opportunity to state that we are non-partisan and strive to ensure that our platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias seriously and want to make clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in all forms,' Potts said in the letter, dated September 1. In his letter to All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who had written to Zuckerberg twice, Potts said, 'on the question of hateful content by public figures, we want to assure you that our Community Standards prohibit attacks against people based on their protected characteristics, including religion, caste, ethnicity, and national origin. In line with our hate speech policy, we have removed and will continue to remove hateful content by public figures in India on our platforms.' With the WSJ report triggering a massive political row, a Parliamentary panel had summoned Facebook representatives on Wednesday to hear their side regarding the alleged misuse of the social media platform. On Tuesday, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had also written to Zuckerberg, accusing the Facebook employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and 'abusing' the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. According to sources, the decision to remove Singh from the platform was taken after an extensive process that the company follows in determining which individuals meet the criteria for policy violation and the work had been ongoing for some time to review Singh's actions. The company had previously removed the content Singh had posted that violated its policies, including its hate speech policies, but the decision to ban Singh from the platform has been taken now, one of the sources said. Post the ban, Singh has been designated under Facebook's dangerous individuals and organisations policy, and he will not be allowed to maintain a presence on the platform going forward. As a part of the process, Singh will not be allowed on Facebook or its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram. The company will remove pages, groups and accounts set up to represent him. However, it will continue to allow a wider discussion of him, including praise and support. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 00:19:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday launched the first Agribusiness Partnership Platform Framework (CAP-F) to streamline engagement with the private sector. Peter Munya, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives said the framework will facilitate private sector investments in the agricultural value chains. "We want to ensure that all relevant stakeholders ranging from national and county governments, large and small scale private sector players, development partners and civil society are involved in the framework," Munya said during a virtual forum in Nairobi. He said that CAP-F is being integrated within the country's Agricultural Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) plan. Munya said that agricultural investments in Kenya are driven by commercial outcomes and social good, hence the need to engage the private sector to develop commercially viable and sustainable food systems in the country. He said the government recognizes the need for collaborative partnerships in the CAP-F and has identified the Agriculture Transformation Office (ATO) as the coordinating mechanism for the initiative. "ATO will coordinate these partnerships and see the process through to actualization of investments in the agricultural sector," said Munya. He hailed the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) for emphasizing agricultural transformation and increased productivity to achieve food security and prosperity in the continent. Munya said that Kenya has developed ASTGS, a ten-year plan to guide the agricultural sector towards achieving its objectives for the CAADP-Malabo Commitments, Sustainable Development Goals, Vision 2030 and the Big Four Agenda. "All these align with the National Agriculture Investment Plan and clearly underline the critical importance of private sector interventions in agricultural value chains in order to achieve the mission and vision of the government," said Munya. Enditem She's currently making the most of summer by holidaying with her roommate and former Love Island co-star Arabella Chi. And Harley Brash mixed business with pleasure as she took part in a sun-soaked photoshoot with ISAWITFIRST.COM at O Beach in Ibiza on Tuesday. The reality star, 21, turned up the heat as she slipped into an animal print swimsuit while showcasing her best poses. Working it: Harley Brash mixed business with pleasure as she took part in a sun-soaked photoshoot with ISAWITFIRST.COM at O Beach in Ibiza on Tuesday Highlighting her enviable figure, the former estate agent stunned in the patterned one-piece, which featured cut-out detailing across its bodice. The TV star opted for comfort when it came to her footwear as she ditched her signature heels in favour of going barefoot and flashed her sleek white pedicure in the process. Proving less is more, the Geordie beauty accessorised with just a pair of dainty earrings and a gold necklace. Straight, glossy tresses framed her stunning features, which were accentuated with neutral-toned make-up. Catching the eye: The reality star, 21, turned up the heat as she slipped into an animal print swimsuit while showcasing her best poses Soaking it up: The model topped up on her bronzed complexion during a sunbathing session The holidaymaker will face 14 days of quarantine when she returns to the UK after the government pulled its air bridge with Spain following a spike in COVID-19 cases. Harley rose to fame on last year's Love Island, when she was partnered up with Chris Taylor and later became the first couple to split after leaving the villa. The media personality revealed details about her single life during an interview with FUBAR Radio. Less is more: The TV star opted for comfort when it came to her footwear as she ditched her signature heels in favour of going barefoot and flashed her sleek white pedicure in the process All in the details: The Geordie beauty accessorised with just a pair of dainty earrings and a gold necklace Watch her glow: Straight, glossy tresses framed her stunning features, which were accentuated with neutral-toned make-up Uh oh: The holidaymaker will face 14 days of quarantine when she returns to the UK after the government pulled its air bridge with Spain following a spike in COVID-19 cases She said: 'Im happy being single at the moment. Im just enjoying myself. Im having fun. I dont kiss and tell but it is nice.' The blonde bombshell also blamed their 'busy schedules' for pulling them apart from each other. She confessed: 'We were just better off as friendswe had such busy schedules and we both realised that it was better to break it off now and we could still be friends. The former couple's relationship appeared to be on the rocks when fans noticed they were sat apart from one another at the Love Island final. By Danny Sjursen September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - According to Transparency Internationals 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, the US is the worlds 23rd least swindling state. A bit better than Bhutan, but not quite as honest as Uruguay or the United Arab Emirates. So much for "Were number one! Were number one!" Still, I think the index was rather generous to Uncle Sam. Maybe thats because it "ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people." In other words, Transparency International mainly looks inward, paying limited attention to states foreign policies and the domestic profits produced. Yet two short-lived stories last month a US companys Syrian oil contract and the State Department Watchdog report on Saudi arms sales should seal the deal: Americas true top export is corruption. A Syria "Mission" fit for a Smedley Butler Back in the bad old days of "gunboat diplomacy," Washington shipped its sons off to overt corporate protection-racket missions in Latin America and East Asia. Sometimes the guns on those boats werent sufficient, so the navy was obliged to "send in the marines." These were dubbed Americas "Banana Wars." So it was that the proudest of the Corps "few and proud" Major General Smedley Butler earned his two Congressional Medals of Honor during ten or so deployments bolstering business interests. Or, as hed later explain in his post-retirement "Road to Damascus" tract, War is a Racket: I helped make Mexicosafe for American oil interestsHaiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boysraping half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall StreetI helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothersthe Dominican Republic for the American sugar interestsmade Honduras right for American fruit companiesIn Chinahelped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. All in all, he diagnosed himself mostly "a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street." No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Yet whats unfolding in the Syrian sphere of the US militarys Operation Inherent Resolve would be all too familiar to Smedley. For about the only thing current administration has inherently resolved to do there is protect the oil wells of Delta Crescent Energy. Five will get ya 500 about as many troops still in country that Americas mothers imagined a more romantic mission for their cherished sons. But such is life at the tip of Trumps transactional strategic-spear. It was, predictably, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who announced the deal between the US energy corporation and northeastern Syrias Kurds to develop the fields under their militias control. Delta Crescent is a classic kleptocratic choice basically a "revolving door" with shareholders what with its co-foundingtrio of a former US Army Delta Force officer, a Bush-era diplomat, and a veteran oil executive. Official Syria screamed, naturally and not without cause. A foreign ministry statement said Damascus "condemns [the agreement] in the strongest terms" as a scheme for "an American oil company to steal Syrias oil under the sponsorship and support of the American administration." Unsavory Assads regime may be; but wrong, according to international law? Not exactly. The deals broad strokes are more than a bit shady. The insider trio formed Delta Crescent for the sole purpose of securing this secretive contract, which it lobbied State hard for this past year. The deal is expected to produce billions of dollars for Kurdish authorities and the US company, none of which they plan to share with the Syrian government. Adding insult to injury, this Spring the Treasury Department granted Delta Crescent a license exempting it from Washingtons expansive sanctions regime against the Assad regime. Only lets not vilify The Donald and absolve the Democrats. However muddled motives and paltry his principles, do remember that Trump has thrice declared his intent to pull US troops from Syria; and all three times hawkish foreign policy advisers and advocates dissuaded him. The second time, in late 2018, National Security Advisor John Bolton pushed back and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis literally resigned in protest. The last time, in October 2019 with Bolton and Mattis both banished a bipartisan House super-majority condemned Trumps withdrawal in the face of a Turkish invasion of northern Syria. Some of the loudest rebukes came from Democrats, who, you know, control the chamber. Not a single one of them voted against the measure (though nine didnt vote at all). None other than Mr. Israel himself, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Eliot L. Engel, introduced the bill. His virtue-signal of a statement was sufficiently vacuous: "At President Trumps hands, American leadership has been laid low." Nobody paid much mind to the ceaseless canary in the militarism coal mine, Senator Rand Paul, when he sensibly Tweeted "If we can save one American soldier from losing their life or limbs in another senseless middle eastern war, it is worthwhile." Enter a far savvier senatorial operator, Lindsey Graham, and his go-to Fox News contributor-general Jack Keane an architect of that Iraq surge which went so swimmingly. They reportedly convinced Americas casino-commander-in-chief to keep a contingency force in Syria to defend oil fields from the Iranian boogeyman. Brilliant, as my brother British officers used to say! The dastardly duo at the forever war law firm of Graham&Keane knew their man his incredible ignorance, profound principles-paucity, and just what buttons to press. It was almost too easy, and the third time sure was the charm in this case: "I like oil. Were keeping the oil" in Syria, the president parroted. All of which set the staggeringly stupid stage for the current centenary reprise of American boys (and now girls!) wagering their lives for distant oil interests. And it isnt even all that much oil were talking about here. In 2018, Syria produced an anemic 24,000 barrels per day in other words, something like 1/500th the daily output of Saudi Arabia. Thing is, the dirty secret that everyone not-so-secretly knows is this: a meager 500 US troops can neither defeat the remaining insurgents in post-civil-strife Syria nor (clearly) deter invasions by even ostensible NATO-allies like Turkey. What they can do is babysit Delta Crescents concessions protecting its infrastructure and civilian workers from an array of hostile forces roaming the Wild West of Syrias East. Cue poor Smedley rolling in his proverbial grave. Saudi Arms Sales and Starving Yemeni Children Its a rather old banana republic story: an outside audit or internal investigation exposes government misbehavior; and then, for his trouble, the diligent inspector is canned. I know what youre thinking: it cant happen here not in a nation so full of freedom it cant help but share some with the rest of the world. Until it does, and just didagain. Early last month, the State Department inspector general issued a report criticizing the agencys failure to take proper measures to reduce Yemeni civilian deaths from the American-made bombs Washingtons Saudi and the U.A.E. buddies have been dropping on them since 2015. Pretty scathing, if secretive stuff seeing as its detailed civilian casualties data was heavily redacted and the reports single "recommendation" was in the classified annex. Are you catching my drift here, good people of Transparency International? But wait: didnt Congress put a bipartisan two-year hold on transfers of arms for the Saudi-Emirati terror war on Yemen? Well, sure but Machiavelli Mike is made of sterner stuff than that. Besides, he had a handy mechanism for an end run around those pesky legislators on the Hill: the "emergency" clause. So a persistent Pompeo went ahead and just declared one in May 2019, citing some compulsory and vague "threat" from Irans malign if largely unchanged activities in the region. And, in case you were wondering, no: investigators didnt much examine whether an actual Iran "emergency" existed or if the weapons-sale approval was based on that at all. Rather, the report addressed more narrow procedural issues. Anyway, with "emergency" waiver in hand, Pompeo opened the floodgates for $8.1 billion in Saudi-bound sales of the munitions mandatory for killing Yemeni kids. That sure is a lot of dough: wonder who made most of it? You guessed it: Raytheon: longtime lobbying home of Mighty Mikes West Point classmate and cabinet-compadre, Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Youve got to stand in awe of corruption that overt and old school. These M&M boys could teach some Arab and African authoritarians a thing or two! Only it gets worse. In May, under some Pompeo-prodding, Trump fired Mr. Steve Linick States then inspector general amidst this and four other investigations into alleged wrongdoing at the department. Ice cold, Mike; Ice cold. Not a month later, Linick fingered the two main administration heavies whod pressured him to drop the arms sale investigation. One was States top lawyer, Mark String. The other? Yep, Brian Bulatao: the under secretary of state for management, longtime friend and West Point 86 classmate of Pompeo and Esper. "He tried to bully me," Mr. Linick said of Butalao whose nickname at the academy just happened to be "Rambo." Well, sure: Brian learned his moves at hazing central: from those oft-cruel cadets at West Point! Sound shady enough yet? Theres also this: Mike, Mark, Brian, and a core of other 86ers in the administration call themselves the "West Point Mafia. So, yea But have no fear, folks that no-retreat-from-Syria stalwart, Eliot Engel, has our back and was presumably breathing down Pompeos. And boy did he ever fire back at the IGs insufficient report. Wait for it: "We will review the entire product with an eye toward ensuring that the classified annex hasnt been used to bury important or possibly incriminating information." Hardly scathing, that. Nor has lame duck Eliot shut down business on the Hill until he gets to the bottom of this banality of evil executed in our name. Which begs the pathetic question: this guy is the best overseer on offer? Guess that leaves average Americans sh*t out of luck. To hell with this loser which he was in the recent primary and his home in the Israeli far-rights pocket. Good riddance to bad (and ever-complicit) rubbish! As for the output, its a classic case of qui bono the American defense secretarys old bosses at Raytheon and qui gets f*cked: Yemeni babies. Americas "Lebanonization of Iraqand Itself If theres a silver lining to more classic mafia states like Lebanon and Liberia (tied for 137th on the Transparency list), or textbook tin-pot dictatorships like Djibouti (126th), its that theyre too small to export corruption. Not so America the exceptional, and expeditionary. Take Dr. Freedoms post-9/11 patient zero: the Iraqi Kleptocracy. As Robert Worth wrote in a New York Times investigatory report, "As recently as the 1980s, corruption was rare, and ministries in Saddam Husseins autocratic government were mostly clean and well run." The key pivots were the U.S. sanctions regime imposed after Saddams 1990 invasion of Kuwait which, beyond killing half a million Iraqi kids, dropped per-capita income from to $3,500 to $450 and Bushs 2003 Baghdad regime-change fiasco. See, when government officials salaries halve or "eighth" it can be difficult to make ends meet without taking bribes. Worse still, when the regime one works for is "changed," plus government and society collapse into chaos then civil war, corruption becomes king. Of course, a desperate US military and its Washington masters had an expedient solution for the ethno-sectarian strife theyd catalyzed: consider it the Lebanon formula. So Americas orientalist ambassadors most, staggeringly young Republican stalwarts with no knowledge of the Mideast imported Frances imperial Levantine blueprint. Essentially, this meant sectarian quotas and preferences for political office: a Kurdish president, Sunni parliamentary speaker, and Shia prime minister. The French have actually added the term for this disastrous recipe libanisation to their dictionaries: "A process of state fragmentation, resulting from the clash between various communities of faiths." The end state, in todays Iraq as in modern Lebanon is government ministries meted out to various militias (many linked to Iran) by unwritten "street" agreements. The Sadrists have Health, Badr Brigades have long held Interior, and Oil belongs to the Hikma honchos. Now thats for some "Iraqi Freedom" befitting Baby Bushs operational codename for the 03 invasion. Still, seen another way, this Iraqi endgame wasnt just predictable, but perfectly appropriate reflective of a US increasingly Lebanonizing at home. In Sectarian America, a people divided, distracted, and armed, battle for control of the nations streets, whilst their nominal leaders corruptly carve up contracts with the defense industry and in overseas fiefdoms. Washingtons duopoly elites ship their bombs to Saudi Arabia and their sons (well, not their sons) to Syria to secure arms deals and oil fields. And if, as a result, about a 100,000 Yemeni children, and a handful of American soldiers have to die, well so be it. "All of them means all of them" Hardly anyone here in the "land of the free" notices, of course. Yet, for those paying attention, its enough to wonder if todays post- (corruption-induced) blast, livid Lebanese protesters are on to something. Theyve recently taken to constructing makeshift gallows, hanging effigies of their political elites, and even in a macabre nod to their French colonial forebears retweeting calls to "bring back the guillotine." Should that sound solely Lebanon-level crazy, recall that last week a demonstration of Amazon employees led by Staten Islands own, Christian Smalls, set up a guillotine outside Jeff Bezos house. He whose wealth has grown by $85 billion since January, amidst Amazons soaring mid-COVID revenue, and owns a Washington Post that recently ran the headline (unironically): "Lebanon patronage system immune to reform." Pot, meet kettle. Both sides have blood and bribery on their hands. Pompeo and Esper are Republican kleptocrat classmates; but the Pelosis and Engels (himself a Raytheon recipient) doing the over-sighting attended their Democratic sister school. Could it be the rotten two-party system fueling Americas expeditionary extortion is to blame? Couldnt be more obvious; or less meaningfully challenged. Perhaps We the People should take another page out of the Lebanese protest playbook and collectively chant down our own oligarchs: "All of them means all of them!" Or, since US foreign policy doesnt serve the national interest, but as a kleptocrat piggy-bank, Americans ought offer their Iraqi cousins trademark slogan: "Nureed watan""We want a country." Danny Sjursen is a retired US Army officer, contributing editor at Antiwar.com, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy (CIP), and director of the soon-to-launch Eisenhower Media Network (EMN). His work has appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, The Nation, Huff Post, The Hill, Salon, The American Conservative, Mother Jones, ScheerPost and Tom Dispatch, among other publications. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point. He is the author of a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge. His forthcoming book, Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War (Heyday Books) is available for pre-order. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet and see his website for speaking/media requests and past publications.- " Source " - Copyright 2020 Danny Sjursen The All Progressives Congress, APC, has risen in defence of the new increase in pump price of petrol and electricity tariff calling on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and other critics to wake up to a new Nigeria where the government works for the citizens and not for a few interests. Mr Yekini Nabena, the partys Deputy National Publicity Secretary in reaction to criticisms on the issue made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. The PDP, in an earlier statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, rejected the new fuel price increase from N143 to N151 and hike in electricity tariff. The APC, however, said the decision to increase the fuel pump price and the hike in electricity tariff was in the best interest of all. The attention of the APC has been drawn to a shameless statement by PDP on the current petrol price and electricity tariff in the country. The pricing template now reflects competitive and market-driven components which is supported by the citizenry. He noted that the PDP had foisted a corrupt subsidy regime that enriched few individuals some of who are still in hiding abroad. He also said the APC was determined to continue to make fuel available to all Nigerians. On electricity he said: In an effort by this administration to put an end to estimated and arbitrary billing for electricity, President Buhari recently directed a nationwide mass metering programme for electricity consumers in the country, He said that the APC, however, did not expect the PDP to grasp the import of this landmark presidential directive. He explained that apart from improving electricity and service delivery, the directive was also aimed at protecting the poor and vulnerable Nigerians from increased electricity tariff, arbitrary and estimated billings. Commendably, the Federal Government is already working to ensure that Electricity Distribution Companies commit to increasing the number of hours of electricity supply every day and also improve on their quality of service, Nabena said. Patna, Sep 3 : Until a few years ago, Bihar was known for roads filled with pits or pits filling the roads. Tall claims were made to build roads similar to 'Hema Malinis cheeks'. Today Bihar Road Construction Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nand Kishore Yadav claims that not only do the villages have paved roads but Bihar has become the first state where a 'maintenance policy' has been formulated to repair roads. There has been a change in the working style in Bihar, Yadav said, as a result of which work has been done in all areas, not just the roads alone. In an interview to IANS, citing statistical data Yadav said only 42.36 per cent of the amount earmarked in 2003-04 was spent on road construction while in 2004-05 it was only 42.03 per cent. He claimed that the situation in the state has changed as up to 99 per cent of the road construction department's money has been spent this fiscal. The BJP leader said during 2017-18, 99.2 per cent of the road construction department's money was utilised while in 2018-19, 97.3 per cent of the earmarked funds were spent. He said this change was now visible on the ground. Recalling the situation 15 years ago, Yadav said it was only after the NDA government was formed that an action plan was prepared for roads, aimed at reaching the capital Patna from any region in the state in not more than six hours. Having met this goal, he added, work is now going on to meet the new target of five hours. Yadav said, "There were only 16 bridges along the six major rivers of the state -- Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, Sone, Bagmati and Phalgu -- till the NDA government came to power. However, during the tenure of the NDA government 25 bridges were built and 14 are under construction." Quoting data, Yadav said Bihar's villages have now been connected with paved roads. According to Yadav, in 2005 the intermediate lane length of the National Highways including other roads in the state was 2,593 km but today it has exceeded 6,261 km. Similarly 15 years ago, double-carriageway roads were nearly 1,369 km, now they have increased to more than 6,471 km. The length of more than two-lane roads was only 860 km in Bihar which has increased to 2,378 km now. Yadav said that many radical transformations have taken place. When a road is constructed there is a specific life span for it. In order to reduce or eliminate the complaints of deterioration of roads, the maintenance policy has been incorporated into the tender itself. The company constructing the roads is also given the responsibility of repairing the roads for a period of five years or a certain specific time. Bihar is the first state, he added, to have implemented this policy, which has reduced complaints of road damage. He said the work of repairing roads is not an easy task. Road ambulances have been arranged which contain all the equipment and material required for repairing the roads which have been divided into different segments. Asked about future plans, the minister said the construction of a ring road outside Patna and construction of roads from Magadh to Mithilanchal remains to be done. The government, he added, is working on a plan to provide four-lane roads for travel to any part of the state from Patna. HALIFAXNova Scotias premier has accused the provinces teachers union of creating a bunch of noise and rhetoric by suggesting public schools are unsafe and in chaos because educators havent been given enough time to prepare for the resumption of classes. The schools are not in chaos, Stephen McNeil said after a cabinet meeting Thursday. That is simply not factual. Find me a school thats in chaos in the province. They havent even opened yet. McNeil was responding to a litany of allegations made Wednesday by Paul Wozney, president of the 10,000-member Nova Scotia Teachers Union. Wozney issued a statement saying union members have reported ventilation systems that havent been inspected or repaired, windows that wont open, a lack of proper handwashing stations, and hallways filled with furniture that has been moved to increase space in classrooms. The union leader asked Education Minister Zach Churchill to postpone the beginning of the school year by two days to give teachers, administrators and staff more time to sort out the turmoil and meet new requirements aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. McNeil rejected that request Thursday, saying the provinces 130,000 students will be safe when schools reopen on Tuesday. I think its not helpful when (union) leaders use that kind of rhetoric, he told reporters. There are many hard-working teachers across the province who are in the classrooms now ... Theyre ready. Theyre ready to welcome kids. The premier said, however, he recognized that many teachers, parents and students are probably feeling anxious about the resumption of classes, saying that living with an ongoing pandemic can be difficult. Well adapt and adjust to the reality of what is going to be there, he said. Some (teachers), Im sure, are upset. Thats not abnormal. This is a large workforce. When asked about allegations that ventilation systems in some schools are broken, McNeil said the Education Department is used to dealing with such problems, given the fact these systems must meet national air quality guidelines every year. Wozney said without smaller class sizes and more physical distancing, students wont be able to adhere to public health guidelines. The education minister has said he understands those concerns, but he said the provinces low level of community spread has created safe conditions for a resumption of in-class learning. Students, teachers or others who have had some or prolonged contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be sent home to isolate for two weeks and will be tested. Those who had casual contact with a confirmed case, either by walking past them or being near them in a hallway or in another common area, will not be required to isolate. Read more about: A new international study published today [02 September] has shown that treating critically ill patients with COVID-19 with the steroid hydrocortisone improves their chances of recovery. The study, led in the UK by Professor Anthony Gordon from Imperial College London with collaborators from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre, found that patients receiving intensive care who were treated with a regular fixed dose of the steroid hydrocortisone for seven days had a better chance of recovery, compared with the patients who were not treated with the steroid. Patients in the UK were treated at 88 hospitals including Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Hospitals. This research is one of three studies, published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), that suggests steroids improve survival of the sickest COVID-19 patients. As a result, the World Health Organisation will be issuing new guidelines to include the use of steroids to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. At the beginning of the year at times it felt almost hopeless, knowing that we had no specific treatments. It was a very worrying time. Yet less than six months later, we've found clear, reliable evidence in high quality clinical trials of how we can tackle this devastating disease." Professor Gordon, Chair in Anaesthesia and Critical Care at Imperial and a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust The work was funded by the National Institute for Health Research and supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre. Professor Gordon added: "The studies published today show that we now have more than one choice of treatment for those who need it most. Steroids are not a cure, but they help improve outcomes. Having a choice of different types of steroids, all of which seem to improve patient recovery, is great as it helps ease the problem of drug supply issues." NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "One of the distinctive benefits of having our NHS is that we've been able to mobilize quickly and at scale to help researchers test and develop proven coronavirus treatments. Just as we did with dexamethasone, the NHS will now take immediate action to ensure that patients who could benefit from treatment with hydrocortisone do so, adding a further weapon in the armoury in the worldwide fight against Covid-19." These findings offer further evidence that corticosteroids can be an important part of COVID-19 treatment for severe patients. Both the REMAP-CAP and the Bristol University papers show the important work that has been done here in the UK by researchers in making further major contributions towards the international evidence. It is impressive to see so many UK participants willing to take part in studies, and able to volunteer due to the rapid recruitment response of the NIHR's Clinical Research Network. Research such as this will make the difference in controlling this virus." Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Steroids are anti-inflammatory drugs, and evidence strongly suggests that they reduce the lung inflammation in patients with COVID-19 who are seriously ill and require oxygen support for their breathing difficulties. In the hydrocortisone study, 403 patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 who required respiratory or cardiovascular organ support (such as mechanical ventilation or drugs to support their blood pressure) were enrolled between March and June 2020. The cohort included patients of mixed ethnicities in the UK, Ireland, Australia, the US, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and France and patients were randomly assigned to different treatment regimes. One group were treated with a fixed dose of 50mg hydrocortisone four times a day for seven days, another group were treated with hydrocortisone only if their blood pressure dropped, and a third group received no hydrocortisone. The trial showed that using the fixed dose of hydrocortisone led to a 93% chance of a better outcome (greater chance of survival and less need for organ support) than not using hydrocortisone. If the hydrocortisone was given only when the blood pressure was low, the chance of a better outcome was 80%. A different study, called the RECOVERY trial, was also investigating whether another type of steroid, called dexamethasone, helped improve recovery of patients with COVID-19. The first results from the study, published in early June, suggested dexamethasone boosted recovery. Because the dexamethasone study showed positive results, the hydrocortisone steroid study stopped recruiting patients on 17 June. These new results add to the previous study and provide additional support that steroids improve recovery in severe COVID-19. The findings are published in JAMA alongside two further clinical trials which have also evidenced the benefits of steroids as a treatment for the severely ill COVID-19 patients. This journal edition also includes an overall analysis of the three independent studies, plus data from the original RECOVERY trial and three other smaller trials. It concludes that a range of steroids - all safe, cheap and readily available - can improve the outcomes of patients receiving intensive care. Professor Gordon, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial, added: "This been an incredible international effort. We were all aware of the other studies and were happy to share our raw data before it was published. Only by collaborating were we going to make real advances and make them fast." The ethnic minority schools, if they study well the language of communication in the country, it will be of great benefit to them in employment, in learning modern scientific and cultural knowledge and allow them to integrate into society, he said at a Central Ethnic Work conference in 2014. His words were quoted in the most recent policy document. Linda Lewis-Everett personally knows 10 people who have died as a result of COVID-19. Still, she said she wont choose to be vaccinated when a vaccine is available. That shows how much distrust I have, she said. There are two reasons for that. Lewis-Everett, an Indiana delegate at the Democratic National Convention, is skeptical of President Donald Trumps administration when it comes to quickly developing a vaccine that is both effective and doesnt have harsh side effects. Plus, shes a child of the 60s and 70s, when media and Congress began uncovering the truth behind the Tuskegee Experiment. Weve had that ingrained in us that we are the guinea pigs of the society, Lewis-Everett said. New vaccines usually take years to develop, but governments have been trying to speed up the process for a COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. governments Operation Warp Speed aims to have 300 million doses available by January 2021, while other estimates for vaccines look farther into the year. Theres also the possibility that more than one vaccine becomes available, as dozens of other research groups look to begin clinical trials by the end of 2021. In that case, its conceivable that later vaccines will be more effective than the first. Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Public Health Department, said waiting for later vaccines could be a reasonable position if it turns out the first vaccines dont meet optimal study metrics, including a representative trial of at least 30,000 people. We have to watch and monitor this, she said. We have to see and know no shortcuts are being taken and that the proper safety pieces have been put in place. Lewis-Everett, who said she might reconsider her options if and when more vaccines are available later, is far from alone in her skepticism. In an NPR-PBS News Hour-Marist poll released in August, 44% of Black respondents said they would not choose to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and 48% said they would. Eight percent were unsure. The numbers were almost the same for Latinos. Overall, 35% of respondents said they would not choose to be vaccinated. Some went to social media to express disbelief or outrage that more than a third of people report they wont take a COVID-19 vaccine, but they apparently dont recognize the long and troubled history of racism that plays into the distrust many African Americans have for medical professionals and the government. Aside from the Tuskegee Experiment, there was Henrietta Lacks, a 30-year-old African American woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Before she died, doctors took samples of her cancer cells now called HeLa cells and used them for research, but they never received Lacks permission. A more recent example is an algorithm used widely in U.S. hospitals to allocate health care to patients that was found in 2019 to give lower risk scores to people who identified as Black, underestimating their needs and leading to fewer referrals for care. Jarnell Burks-Craig, board president of Minority Health Coalition of Marion County, said the organization will advocate for people to get vaccinated when a vaccine is available. The coalition has been working with the county health department at COVID-19 testing sites, and Burks-Craig said she hasnt noticed a lack of participation from African Americans, which she hopes translates to willingness to get a vaccine. About 20% of COVID-19 tests in Marion County have gone to those identifying as Black or African American, according to data from the state health department, but African Americans account for about 30% of the county population, and African Americans have been among the hardest hit by the virus. Burks-Craig is also counting on African Americans to trust Caine, who, along with being the top county health official, is a Black woman. Its the person that is delivering the message is what the general population will look at, she said. Caine knows she likely carries more credibility for African Americans than a white man, for example, would in her position. But Caine is still concerned vaccination rates will be too low among African Americans. Plus, she warned that the fall season could be a double whammy because of the flu, which could compound complications related to COVID-19 and lead to an increase in the number of hospitalizations and deaths. Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick. COVID-19 vaccinekiattisakch A chef who only uses fire to grill, smoke and bake his produce has offered his best barbecue tips as the southern hemisphere enters its summer months. Lennox Hastie, owner and head chef at Sydney restaurant Firedoor, has made a living out of cooking succulent meat over an open flame - and wants Australians to have the same success when creating a BBQ family dinner at home. From how much oil to use on your steak to where you should purchase your cuts, the UK-born, Europe-trained cook has spilled his secrets. Lennox Hastie (right), owner and head chef at Sydney restaurant Firedoor, has made a living out of cooking succulent and tender meat over an open flame 1. Don't flame-grill your meat The moment you see black charcoal marks appearing on the outside of the flesh, you've gone too far. 'Nothing should ever be grilled on flame,' Hastie told news.com.au. 'You should never subject an ingredient directly to the flame because it's a completely different flavour - it's more astringent and bitter. If you're using a gas barbecue - as most will be doing at home - you want to put a campfire grill basket between the flames and your meat to avoid over-searing it. As gas barbecues don't heat up as much as firewood barbecues do, he also recommends only cooking a small amount of produce at a time - with all of the burners turned on. If you fill the BBQ space up with vegetables and meat they won't all be getting the amount of heat they deserve. The moment you see black charcoal marks appearing on the outside of the flesh, you've gone too far 2. Don't oversaturate with oil While most BBQ cookbooks will remind you to 'brush' your meat with oil, Hastie actually uses a cooking spray so you're not lathering on too much. 'If you have a spray, you can load it up with whatever you want - the majority of what we use is grape seed oil because it can withstand a very high temperature and has a neutral flavour profile,' he told the publication. The oil on the outside will just cause the skin to burn and blacken, so a light misting is crucial. While most BBQ cookbooks will remind you to 'brush' your meat with oil, Hastie actually uses a cooking spray so you're not lathering on too much What are Weber grill expert Laura Romeo's best tips for cooking on the barbecue? 1. Preheat: It is always important to preheat your barbecue before throwing food on. It burns off any leftover food and nasties, makes it easier to clean with a wire brush, and importantly caramelises and sears the food instantly. 2. Keep the lid closed: All Weber barbecues are designed to cook with the lid closed. Your food will have the most amazing flavour as the smoke is trapped in by the lid, cooking your food in a cloud of flavour. Your food is cooked evenly and quicker as the lid keeps the heat inside the barbecue and protects the food from the elements. 3. Time and Temperature: Get to know what how long the food should take to cook, what temperature to have the barbecue set at or what temperature should the food get to will help you become a better barbecue. Advertisement 3. Buy your meat from a farmer's market While most people will head into their closest supermarket for a pork chop or sausage, Hastie recommends making friends with a local supplier. 'You can look them up online, they're around, there's good people there. And you can visit them locally, have a chat to the farmers as well. No one knows more about the ingredients than they do,' he said. While it may not necessarily be the cheapest option, it will likely be the most flavoursome because additive chemicals supermarkets use to store meat for longer won't be used. While most people will head into their closest supermarket for a pork chop or sausage, Hastie recommends making friends with the local supplier While owning a barbecue might be more convenient, the best food is always cooked over an open fire made with bricks and logs of wood, according to Hastie 4. Build your own fire pit While owning a barbecue might be more convenient, the best food is always cooked over an open fire made with bricks and logs of wood, according to Hastie. He described it as a beautiful process that brings people together, and the wood becomes a 'flavour resource' at the same time. The role of a fire is not only to cook the food but also to provide a space for people to gather around it and 'solve the problems of the day', the chef explained. Ex-Khabarovsk Region Governor denied release from detention as part of murder case Moskva city news agency, Kirill Zykov 18:20 03/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) The Basmanny District Court of Moscow on Thursday dismissed a motion of the former Khabarovsk Region Governor Sergey Furgal detained on charges of organized murders of businessmen in 2004-2005 to place him under house arrest or impose other non-custodial restrictive measure, the courts press service told RAPSI. The court extended his detention until December 9. 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. Accounts of a person flying around the Los Angeles International Airport wearing a jet pack has caused a buzz this week, but San Antonio had a more under-the-radar situation happen a few months ago. Logan Puente and his friends Brianna Chacon, Michael Oldbucher and Ashton Simeon all spotted what they believe was a "floating man" rocketing into the air using a jet pack near the Hamilton Wolfe jogging trail on June 10 at 9:10 p.m. Puente went to the San Antonio Reddit page soon after, hoping to find others who had seen the same thing. The post generated a healthy amount of interaction, but only one other person, who said they were at the Starbucks on Fredericksburg, said they saw the flying person too. RELATED: Video captures removal of 'absolutely' venomous snake from beneath New Braunfels home Months later, attention surrounding the Reddit post is skyrocketing again. Puente says he believes it's due to the heightened interested in jet packs brought on by the recent Los Angeles incident. "There was just this dude flying around," Puente remembered. "I initially thought my friend (Simeon) was joking." He said the flight path lasted about 1o minutes. Puente said he and his group saw the person shoot up in to the sky, then lingered at the highest altitude for a few minutes before descending. Considering their proximity to a graveyard, Puente said his friends thought they had seen some sort of ghostly apparition. "We were dumbfounded, we thought we were hallucinating," he added. Puente believes an open field near the San Antonio Medical Foundation is the spot where the mysterious jet packer was launching from. He plans on returning to see if he can spot him or her again. The witness said he reached out to the city's aviation department, but has not heard back. RELATED: Airline crews report jetpack flier near Los Angeles airport Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the FBI has launched an investigation into the incident at LAX after multiple pilots reported seeing a man in a jet pack flying near their planes, which is illegal, according to ABC. The Federal Aviation Administration said the report was turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department, but authorities have not found the California jet packer, ABC reported. The FAA also told ABC reports of unmanned aircraft sightings have increased "dramatically" over the past two years. Unlike the San Antonio incident, the Los Angeles stunt has caused a stir online, especially on Twitter. "full disclosure: i didnt even know jetpacks were a real thing," Twitter user @DavidWaldstein said. Others chalked the oddity up to just being a part of 2o20. "Carole Baskin on Dancing with the Stars? A man flying via Jetpack? 2020 bingo is getting even stranger in the 4th quarter," user @shelby_young said. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Sorry! This content is not available in your region What started as an earnest dad joke or a misfired attempt to go incognito ended in $12,049 in traffic fines for information security researcher Joseph Tartaro. A presenter at this year's DEF CON a Las Vegas-based conference assembling thousands of hackers and techies each year Tartaro shared his seemingly clever idea for a vanity license plate. Mulling over a few career-related puns, he finally settled on one that read, "NULL." In many programming languages, the term indicates a nonexistent data value. To finish off the prank, he would also get another custom plate for his wife's car that read "VOID," so that their driveway could be "NULL and VOID." If he dodged a parking ticket or two, or at the very least, caused some confusion for the DMV system well, that wasn't his problem. "I was like, 'I'm the s,'" he joked to the crowd, according to Mashable. "'I'm gonna be invisible.'" But the joke was on him. Tartaro purchased the plates in 2016, and a year went by with no issue. But when he attempted to renew his license, something strange happened. "It broke the website," he told Wired. The license plate was allegedly invalid, but he managed to find a different reference number to renew his vehicle. Later, in 2018, he received a ticket for "not having the appropriate registration sticker" on his license plate. Tartaro figured someone had swiped it to use on their own car. It was only a $35 fee, so he paid, thinking nothing of it. Then, a flurry of citations came. Dozens of them, from Fresno to Rancho Cucamonga. Thousands of dollars in fines in the amounts of $37, $60, $74, and $80 monopolized his mailbox. "I've never been to Fresno," Tartaro said. He added that some of the tickets he received were from 2014 two years before he named and claimed the doomed license plate. On one bizarre occasion, he even received two tickets written at Cyprus College within two hours of each other. They were for two separate vehicles. But because he paid that $35 ticket in order to save himself a headache, he ended up with an even bigger one. Tartaro speculated that a database somewhere now associated NULL with his personal information meaning any time a police officer neglected to fill in the license plate number on a citation, the fine would automatically be sent his way. Taking matters into his own hands, Tartaro contacted the Citation Processing Center, a private company that issued his tickets. But they told him he had to prove they weren't his, and advised him to mail the hundreds of paper tickets to them for further inspection. He refused, worried about losing the paper trail. The next day, he noticed something weird: a specific citation he had mentioned to the company over the phone as an example had been changed to an Infiniti with Taranto's license plate number. The company told Wired they were aware of the situation, but unable to comment on the modified ticket. He turned to the DMV next. Thankfully, they helped him void out most of his tickets. Yet, more and more continued to show up on his record as time went on. This was more of an inconvenience than a genuine disaster, as he simply had to keep reaching out to the DMV to void them. But just days before the conference, Tartaro received a notice that the DMV would not allow him to renew his registration unless he paid the outstanding fines. "Now that the DMV is enforcing these tickets that are falsified, it changes everything," he told Wired. "At the moment, I cannot reregister my vehicle without paying the tickets. But I can't pay the tickets because it admits guilt, and the minute I admit that it opens me up to all the other tickets. I'm basically in a really bad situation." Just $140 in tickets remain. California DMV spokesperson Marty Geenstein told Wired the situation is out of their hands the issue stems from policies set by local parking authorities, which the DMV does not have control over. Tartaro is determined to keep his plates not for the sake of pride, but to avoid an even more convoluted mess. Christopher Null, a past journalist for Wired, can relate to the issues his last name presents. But, he doesn't understand why Tartaro picked it out in the first place. "He had it coming," Null said. "All you ever get is errors and crashes and headaches." Amanda Bartlett is an SFGate editorial assistant. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfchronicle.com Foreigners entering Vietnam on a short-term working trip may not be subject to 14-day quarantine but there will be a number of conditions attached. Foreign experts are tested on August 25 for SARS-CoV-2 during their quarantine period in two hotels in Ninh Binh Province. Most are Chinese and South Korean highly skilled workers or managers who work at businesses in the province's industrial zones. VNA/VNS Photo Hai Yen New guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday apply to foreign investors, experts, highly skilled workers, business managers and their families who are allowed to travel to the country since borders were closed in March. It also includes other arrivals that are in agreement with their origin countries on a case by case basis. Short-term trips are defined as no longer than 14 days, according to the guidelines. Ministries, agencies, and Peoples Committees of cities and provinces can consider at their discretion inviting foreign experts and guests on diplomatic missions or business trips to Vietnam without having to quarantine them but COVID-19 regulations must still be rigorously observed to prevent cross-infections and spread to the community, the guidelines read. Those who come into contact with these foreign visitors during their entry and business in Vietnam are also amenable to the guidelines, and are expected to self-monitor their health. Once they develop symptoms frequently associated with COVID-19 like fever, coughing, sore throat or breathing difficulties, they should immediately notify local health authorities. The accommodation for the foreign visitors must satisfy the requirements for centralised quarantine facilities and voluntary paid quarantine facilities set out earlier in March. Foreign visitors must possess international health coverage (or one provided by the host/inviter) and a declaration indicating they would pay for their own treatment if they contracted coronavirus. Foreign visitors must be present in Vietnam one day earlier than their working schedule for health protocols to be conducted. All expenses for isolation, transportation, and testing for COVID-19 are covered by the host. The fees will be waived for those entering on diplomatic missions or official purposes (except for the quarantine expenses at hotel as desired). After 14 days from the date of entry, if experts and visitors on diplomatic or official trips would like to continue to stay in Vietnam and their coronavirus tests are negative, they could continue to work normally without being quarantined. Negative tests According to the Ministry of Health, prior to the entries of foreign experts into Vietnam, a plan needs to be developed covering their work arrangements, accommodation, transport modes, and other COVID-19 prevention measures during their contacts with other people. For experts who would only participate in meetings, sign contracts and agreements, the host should prioritise meeting venues and accommodation in cities and provinces having or lying near border gates, to minimise the risks of having the visitors travelling through many localities into the mainland, which might complicate prevention efforts. Foreign experts must test negative for SARS-CoV-2 with real time-PCR technique by certified labs in their countries 3-5 days prior to the date of entry to Vietnam. Entry and exit points must be rearranged to make separate lanes for experts, avoiding contact with other people. The experts must produce the negative tests at entry time, comply with COVID-19 measures such as health declarations, body temperature checks and screenings. Foreign experts will also be asked to install and use Bluezone, Vietnams contact tracing app available on both Android and iOS platforms, during their stay in Vietnam. Foreigners are asked to comply with Vietnamese Governments anti-COVID-19 measures and guidelines. They must frequently carry out personal hygiene, including washing hands with soap or hand sanitiser (especially before meetings, before and after meals), refraining from shaking hand and not sharing personal effects such as cups, bottles, or handkerchiefs. They cannot leave their designated accommodation facility, and are asked to follow the scheduled agenda, meetings, and field trips (if any). Those coming into contact with the foreign guests can continue to work normally, but should avoid in-person gatherings or meetings with others in the two weeks since the last contact and should monitor their own health. VNS Vietnam to set up separate zones to welcome overseas diplomats, businesspeople Vietnam plans to set up separate zones with ensured hygienic conditions and testing labs to welcome diplomats, investors and businesspeople who enter Vietnam to work short-term. By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday said the Justice Department was monitoring the protest movement antifa, saying that it is at the heart of violence in cities around the country. "I've talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified antifa as the ramrod for the violence," Barr said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country." "We see some of the purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots," Barr added. "So, we are following them." Antifa is a largely unstructured, far-left movement whose followers broadly aim to confront those they view as authoritarian or racist. Republican President Donald Trump, who has been trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, has been appealing to his base of white supporters with a "law and order" message. In a visit Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a 17-year-old Trump supporter has been charged with killing two people during protests following the police shooting of a Black man in the back, Trump said the destruction that occurred was "really domestic terror." Barr on Wednesday also said he thought there was no systemic racism in the U.S. justice system, and that there is a "false narrative" that the country is in an "epidemic" of unarmed Black people being killed by white police officers. "I think our institutions have been reformed in the past 60 years and if anything has been built into it it's a bias toward non-discrimination," Barr said. In a Fox News interview late on Monday, Trump said an investigation was under way into alleged thugs who boarded a plane seeking to cause damage last week during the Republican Party convention, without providing details or evidence. Story continues Law enforcement, intelligence and Congressional officials familiar with official reporting on weeks of protests and related arrests said on Tuesday they were aware of no incidents or reports that would confirm Trumps anecdote. Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatens to cut federal funding to "lawless" cities, including Seattle, Portland, New York and Washington. "My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones," said the memo, which was released by the White House. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter that the memo was an "illegal stunt." (Reporting by Eric Beech, Katanga Johnson and Jan Wolfe; Editing by Alistair Bell and Leslie Adler) A catastrophe is unfolding at schools and colleges across the US as millions of students, teachers and staff are being forced to return to campuses for in-person learning amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that in-person learning will lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, hundreds of schools are moving forward with reckless reopening plans. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth and student wing of the Socialist Equality Party, condemns the drive to reopen schools. We call on students and young people in middle schools, high schools, and colleges to join our fight to oppose the unsafe reopening of schools! We urge students to take a stand on the side of teachers and on the side of life, safety, science and the working class. Members of the IYSSE speak out against the drive to reopen schools. A predictable and preventable catastrophe The situation is deadly serious. Students and parents are being asked to sign liability waivers acknowledging the chance of death if they return to campus. Teachers are writing out their wills and obituaries. Meanwhile, parents are being forced to choose between sending their kids back to schools under dangerous conditions or losing their jobs and risk being thrown into poverty or homelessness. For schools that have already opened, the situation has proven to be disastrous. Within days of reopening, outbreaks of COVID-19 infections in Georgia, Delaware, Louisiana, Alabama, Hawaii, California and other states forced thousands of children and school workers to quarantine. The University of Georgia reported 821 new COVID-19 cases in the past week alone, adding to the 189 new cases reported the first week before. The positive test rate for COVID-19 at Iowa State University doubled from an already alarming 13.6 percent during the first week of classes to a staggering 28.8 percent in the second. There are now hundreds of confirmed cases on the campus, and the state has become an international hotspot for the virus. One administrator and professor at Yale University, Laurie Santos, the Head of College and a psychology professor, sent a chillingly honest message to campus residents last month: prepare for deaths. In an email to students she wrote, [W]e all should be emotionally prepared for widespread infectionsand possibly deathsin our community. You should emotionally prepare for the fact that your residential college life will look more like a hospital unit than a residential college. The unfolding crisis was both predictable and preventable. There was every indication, both in the science as well as evidence from other countries, that the premature reopening of schools would lead to more infections, more hospitalizations and more deaths. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified reopening schools in Israel in May on the basis that COVID cases were low, falling from 750 confirmed cases a day to double digits. Within a few days of reopening schools, the virus was spreading on campuses and throughout communities. By late July, the rate had increased to more than 2,000 a day. Well before the first school reopenings in the US, there were already dozens of scientific reports proving that children could not only spread the virus just as much as adults, but could also fall ill and even die. Despite this evidence, the ruling class, Democrat and Republican alike, moved forward with reopening schools and campuses. Who is to blame? The demand that schools reopen has been central to the ruling class campaign in every country to force workers back to work in order to pump out profits for the corporate-financial elite. In the US, the main concern of the ruling class as the pandemic spread in the first months of the year was to organize an historically unprecedented bailout of the rich. This was accomplished through the CARES Act, which sanctioned the multi-trillion dollar handout to Wall Street. Once this was completed, all energy was directed towards pushing an aggressive campaign for a return to work. The debt incurred by the bailout of the financial markets demanded a rapid end to restraints on the process of profit extraction. However, in order for workers to return to work, their children had to be back in school. Democrats and Republicans alike have shamelessly claimed that they are solely motivated by concerns about the academic and emotional needs of children. They claim that the risk of COVID-19 is not as great as the emotional and social toll that virtual learning may have on students. School districts and politicians have already begun shaming teachers into returning to school for the well-being of the children. Who do they think theyre kidding? The supposed concern for the well-being of children never stopped any of the politicians from both corporate-backed parties from slashing funding from public education, closing schools, and gutting vital services. Furthermore, none of them dares speak about the permanent psychological damage that will be inflicted on children who lose a teacher, parent or grandparent to the virus, or how they will be affected socially and emotionally when they are told day after day that socializing, hugging, and playing on playgrounds (i.e., being a child) is against the rules. While the Trump administration has spearheaded this campaign, the Democrats are also responsible. The CARES Act was passed with almost unanimous bipartisan support in Congress. Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders even hailed the bill as a boon for workers on the Senate floor. Democratic governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, is leading the charge to reopen schools in New York, including New York City, which is the largest school district in the country. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is refusing to release information on where school outbreaks are taking place. Furthermore, the campaign to reopen schools has received the full support from Democratic Presidential Nominee, Joe Biden. While Bidens tactics and rhetoric are different from Trumps, the fundamental conclusion remains the same: schools must reopen. In fact, Joe Bidens wife announced on Monday she would be beginning a multi-week Back to School Tour that will stop in ten cities. The response of the entire ruling class has been clear since the start: profits over lives. Even as millions of workers remain unemployed, lining up for miles on end in food lines, and hundreds of thousands stand at risk of eviction, the rich are even richer than before. Nine out of the 10 richest US billionaires are wealthier now than they were a year ago, collectively receiving $200 billion over the course of the past year. Mounting working class opposition The ruling class is terrified of the enormous opposition that exists to the reopening of schools. There have already been brave efforts made by students and teachers across the country to oppose this campaign, including by students in Georgia who leaked videos and photos of unsafe conditions; a school-wide sick-out by students and faculty at Iowa State University; and countless demonstrations and petitions by teachers in Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, Detroit, New York and many more. Teachers, staff and students have taken the critical step in forming a network of nationally coordinated Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees, independent of the corporate controlled unions and both big business parties, to organize their struggle. The IYSSE urges students to join these committees where they have already formed, and to help set one up in your area or at your school if there is not one already. These committees are fighting to unite all workerseducators, school bus drivers, janitors, maintenance workers, and other support staff, with students, youth and workers from all other industriesto carry out a nationwide general strike to prevent the reopening of schools and to save lives. In the face of growing opposition, the ruling class will try everything in its power to divide workers along racial, gender, ethnic, and generational lines in order to force students back to school and workers back to work. This includes blaming students and youth for the outbreaks on campuses and pitting students and teachers against each other. Students and youth must refuse to be used as pawns in the campaign of the ruling class! We urge students to take a stand on the side of teachers and the working class in this fight. The fight for socialism Only through the direct intervention of the working class, in the US and internationally, can this disaster be curtailed and lives and livelihoods be saved. The drive to reopen schools is only the latest among the most grotesque expressions of the bankruptcy of the socio-economic system that has produced the catastrophe: capitalism. Schools and campuses have been turned into a battleground in which the lives of students, teachers, and parents are at stake. In this battle, the interests of the two main classes in society, the working class and the capitalist class, stand most nakedly exposed. The working class stands for life, science and progress, while the ruling class stands for death, lies and profits. Nothing can be resolved without a frontal assault on the wealth hoarded by the ruling class and the fight for socialism. The trillions that have been handed over to Wall Street and the financial oligarchy must be redirected to provide full unemployment benefits to all workers and universal access to health care and public education. The IYSSE insists that this fight must be completely independent of the Democrats and the Republicans, along with the corporate-controlled trade unions. It must reject all efforts to divide the working class, whether through the fascistic politics of Trump or the racialist identity politics of the Democrats. It must fight for the international unity of workers in every country, who have the same social interests and the same class enemies. Students and young people should proceed in this struggle with immense confidence. Over the past several years, workers and youth have proven their strength and willingness to fight in countless protests and demonstrations in defense of immigrants, democratic rights, and against capitalism. There is enormous opposition in all sections of the working class to the homicidal policy of the ruling elites. There is no doubt that workers and youth want to fight. What is needed, above all, is a political program, perspective, and leadership. We urge all youth and students committed to this fight to get off the sidelines and make the decision to join the IYSSE, the student and youth movement of the Socialist Equality Party, and take up the fight for life, progress, and socialism! We urge youth who want to get involved to contact us today and sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates. Help us share this statement widely among young people. 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. Dog the Bounty Hunter stars in upcoming Christian film, honors his late wife Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Reality TV star Duane Chapman, who's better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, will star in the upcoming Christian film Hunters Creed. Previously titled Hunting God, the new faith-based movie was partly inspired by the commonly asked question: Why does God allow bad things to happen? The inspirational story, directed by Justin Jackola and written by Ken Miyamoto, is about keeping the faith even in the face of great personal loss. After losing his wife, a man reunites with his church buddies to film the hunting show theyve always wanted to make together. Before long, he senses a dark presence in the woods eventually bringing him face to face with death and his faith, the synopsis of Hunters Creed reads. Chapman plays himself in the film, which also stars Wesley Truman Daniel (Second Samuel), Mickey OSullivan, Ann Sonneville, John Victor Allen, James Errico and LaDios Muhammad. The Christian Post interviewed Jackola, who shared about some of the miraculous occurrences that took place while filming Hunters Creed, as well as details involving the famous bounty hunters involvement in the film. Christian Post: What was the inspiration behind the film? Jackola: The film was inspired by the following three questions: 1. Why does God allow bad things to happen? 2. Are there wrong ways to present Truth? 3. Does ones spiritual beliefs change when they are about to die? The main character, Dave, is based on my personal journey asking who God really is? I wanted to make a film based on someone who has known God, rejects Him, and then comes face to face with death, and what they do in that moment. CP: Can you share about wanting to include Duane "Dog" Chapman in his first faith-based film? Jackola: When my producer reps brought Dogs name to me for the role, I knew he was exactly the right person. Dog Chapman was the perfect choice for "Hunters Creed" for a number of reasons. First off, Dog isnt afraid of his faith. Hes open and honest about what Gods done in his life on and off-camera. In his television show, we have literally seen him pray on camera for help in finding his next bounty. Its a film about a mans intimate response to losing his wife to cancer and Dog has experienced exactly that with his late wife Beth Chapman passing away to cancer. CP: How was this experience for Duane, given how similar the plot was to his own loss? Jackola: It was a beautiful experience to shed tears on set with Dog while making the film. There is a scene where Dog is giving the main character, Dave, advice on taking care of his wife (Kate), who just found out she had cancer. Dog began to weep during the take and began giving real life advice, off-script and from his heart, on what to do for his wife advice that he had learned when dealing with Beth's battle with cancer. When we first talked to Dog about the project, he said that his wife, Beth, was one of the main reasons he wanted to do this film. The story struck a cord in his heart. The timing was also divine. Dog told us that he had been sitting at home thinking I want to do a feature film and our team reached out to him for the role the next day! Dog is a reality TV star, so that wasnt normal at all! CP: What are you hoping people take from this film? Jackola: Without giving away the ending of the film, we want people to walk away with a sense of awe, that Gods sovereignty and plan may be more beautiful and complex than you could ever imagine. We also want people to think deeply about what they truly believe. If you were face to face with death, where would your heart really rest? CP: What are some other details you can share about the film? Jackola: The movie was shot in Savanna, Illinois, in a 120-year-old cabin. Dogs scenes were shot in Colorado. There were several miraculous coincidences that happened in this film: Dogs involvement The eagles in the film while filming hundreds of brown and bald eagles showed up and made it in the film. A giant snowstorm hit on the only two days we had off during filming and melted before we had to start filming again two days later. Everyone involved in the filmmaking was amazing! Its not often you get a perfect cast and crew and that in itself is a miracle! There was just such JOY on set. The Hunters Creed will be released Oct. 6. The has issued over two lakh challans between June 15 and September 2 for violation of COVID-19 norms, with most people being fined for not wearing masks, officials said on Thursday. Challans were also issued to people for spitting in public places and violating social distancing norms, they said. As many as 2,60,991 challans were issued in 15 police districts during this period and over Rs 13 crore was collected as fines for various violations, they said. Of the total number of challans, the maximum 29,297 were issued in outer district, followed by 23,389 in west district , 21,181 in Dwarka district and 20,513 in south district. Out of the total, the maximum 2,33,545 challans were issued for not wearing masks. Of that, 26,889 were issued in the outer district, 20,597 in the west district, 20,330 in the south district, 18,157 in Dwarka district and 15,613 in southeast district, police said. A total of 2,819 challans were issued for spitting in public places. According to a data shared by the police, of that 460 challans were issued in the outer district, 376 in the west district, 344 in southwest and 249 in Shahdara district besides others. As many as 24,614 people were fined by police for violating social distancing norms. A maximum of 3,117 challans were issued in southeast district, 2,933 in Dwarka, 2,783 in outer-north district and 2,569 in southwest district among others, police said. The has distributed 2,47,007 masks to the needy since June 15. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal had empowered health, revenue and police officials to impose fines up to Rs 1,000 for violations of norms, including non-observance of quarantine rules, non-maintenance of social distancing, not wearing a face mask in public or work places, spitting in public places, and consumption of paan, gutka and tobacco in public places, to contain COVID-19. A fine of Rs 500 is imposed for a first-time offence and a fine of Rs 1,000 for repeat offenders. Police officials said when they issue challans, people come up with different excuses for not wearing masks but they repeatedly explain to them the importance of wearing masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "When issuing challans, people come up with various excuses. While some claim they had just stepped outside and had their masks on until a while ago, others claim, they had just removed their mask to either have food or to drink water, but when we ask them to show us the water bottle, they have none. "But in genuine cases, where we notice people actually removing their masks for drinking water or have their food, we don't issue challan to them," a police officer said. Another police officer said people often argue with them when they are being issued challans. "Many a times, we also deal with cases, where people start arguing with us when we challan them for not wearing masks. Some claim they removed masks because of sweat, some say they have asthma and feel suffocated while wearing masks. "There are others who say they removed it because they were talking on phone and their voice wasn't clearly audible, but we do explain to them about the importance of not wearing a masks and try to reason it with them. Sometimes, we warm them that if they misbehave and don't pay penalty, they will be taken to the police station," he said. Some people wear masks, but don't cover up their nose or chin properly and instead it's hanging around their neck. In such scenarios too, people are issued challans for not wearing masks properly but in cases, someone who genuinely cannot afford and is in need of it, masks are provided to them on the spot, another police officer said. Narrating his incident, Jitender Saini, a resident of Delhi, said he was caught by a policeman a few days ago for not wearing a mask when he was sitting inside his friend's car. "I asked the policeman who issued challan to me how could the virus travel out of the closed car. But I still had to pay the penalty. "Again, I was caught on Wednesday when I pulled down my mask to speak to my parents on phone who were not able to hear me properly because of it. I still had the mask in my hand. It's not that I stepped out without it and I was inside a cab," he said. The policeman stopped me, while he ignored many others who were not wearing a mask, Saini claimed. "I asked him why he chose to stop me and let others go. I reasoned with him. I had pulled my mask down for a moment to speak to my parents on the phone. This time, I did not pay the penalty and kept on waiting till he let me go," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the increment in electricity tariff and the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol. Recall that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had approved the Multi Year Tariff Order 2020, and began the implementation by September 1. According to electricity distribution companies, the new rates are categorised by the number of hours the customers are supplied electricity. According to them, rates charged are fair to customers and will guarantee full recovery of efficient cost of operations and reasonable rate of return on capital invested by the power firms. They said the new rates will provide a path for transition to full service-based cost-reflective tariffs by July 20 Similarly, the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol has been increased to N151.56 per litre with effect from September 2, 2020. This was disclosed in an internal memo by the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), Ibadan depot, to all the stakeholders on September 2, 2020, and signed by the Depot Manager, D.O. Abalaka. But reacting on Thursday, the former Vice President slammed the federal government, saying Nigerians need stimulus and not increment of electricity tariff. In a tweet, the former Vice President described the increment as ill-advised. I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised, Atiku tweeted. . PV: 14 RALEIGH Some North Carolina students may be able to take their state standardized tests at home next spring instead of on campus. Students are currently required to take state end-of-grade and end-of-course tests at school to meet federal testing security requirements that show the exams are valid and reliable. But N.C. Department of Public Instruction officials said Wednesday they're considering administering those state exams at home next spring using virtual proctoring. The state, however, would need federal permission to make the change. The U.S. Department of Education requires that states test their students as a way to hold schools accountable. North Carolina received federal and state legislative waivers to not give the end-of-grade and end-of-course tests last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. The majority of North Carolina school districts are using remote instruction only for the start of the school year due to COVID-19 concerns. But districts are expected to resume in-person classes at some point in the school year. Representational Image In yet another case, a Delhi-based dancer was invited to perform at a birthday party in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad and allegedly raped at a hotel where the event was organised. She was provided an accommodation to stay for the night. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Big Win For All: Maharashtra Government Has Reserved 600 Acre Of Aarey Land As Reserve Forest BCCL In a welcome decision, the Maharashtra government has decided to reserve 600-acre Aarey land near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in suburban Mumbai as a forest and conserve the same. Read more 2) What COVID? Five Held In UP For Shooting Bhojpuri Music Video Without Permission File Photo Five people, including two actors, were arrested In Uttar Pradesh for shooting a Bhojpuri music video without seeking relevant permission from authorities and flouting COVID protocol. Read more 3) When South Helps North - Plasma Flown To Srinagar From Bengaluru For COVID Positive Woman AFP Help and hope came for a 60-year-old woman with COVID infection in Srinagar on September 1, from 3000 km down south, in a special flight. Just hours after an SOS call from the patients family, plasma from a patient who had recovered in Bengaluru was sent via Delhi, as per a TOI report. Read more 4) Silver Lining Of COVID Lockdown: 1,30,000 Drug Addicts Check Themselves Into Rehab In Punjab AFP (Image: Pixabay) According to Scroll, the prices of heroin shot up due to the lockdown, meaning addicts could not get enough cash to score drugs. Take the example of Sukhwinder Singh, who started doing drugs after seeing his friends 2 years ago. Read more 5) Shameless: Rajasthan Khap Panchayat Allegedly Orders Woman To Bathe Publicly To 'Wash Off Sins' Representational Image According to a report by IANS, the nephew and aunt who were allegedly involved in an 'illicit' relationship, were asked to deposit Rs 31,000 and Rs 22,000 respectively by the Khap panchayat as penalty before they were allowed to return to the social fold. Read more 'Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir,' Ranaut had tweeted on Thursday, and tagged a news report quoting Raut as saying that she shouldn't come back to Mumbai if she was afraid of the city police Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that actor Kangana Ranaut should approach the police with evidence and prove that he threatened her rather than "playing on Twitter". Earlier in the day, Ranaut alleged on Twitter that Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, had threatened her openly and asked her not to return to Mumbai. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said without naming the actor that "instead of playing on Twitter, one should approach the police and government with proof." "Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir," Ranaut had tweeted, and tagged a 1 September news report where Raut purportedly said that she should not come back to Mumbai if she was afraid of city police. The actor had said she feared Mumbai Police more than the "movie mafia". She would require security from Haryana or Himachal Pradesh police and would not accept protection from Mumbai Police to expose the 'drug mafia in Bollywood', she had stated. The Queen star has been lashing out at the cliques and nepotism in Bollywood since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The Pune railway division is waiting for the go-ahead from the state government to resume Pune-Mumbai train services. We are prepared to begin passenger train services, but the decision is awaited from the state government and from our headquarters, said Renu Sharma, divisional railway manager (DRM), Pune Railway division. She said freight and parcel trains were running during the Covid-19 lockdown restriction period. Our division operated 110 special parcel trains with 3,696 tonnes of essential commodities, medicines, medical equipment and also signed a special memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the postal department for door-to- door service, she said. Sharma said that the Pune division ran 144 Shramik trains to facilitate migrant workers, students, pilgrims, tourists and other stranded persons stranded, facilitating 180,000 passengers to 16 states from five originating stations (Pune, Uruli, Satara, Miraj and Kolhapur). We provided them with food packets, snacks and water bottles arranged by railways, state government and NGOs at the originating station and their food requirement was taken care at enroute stations till the destination, Sharma said. Saharsha Bajpai, additional divisional railway manager, presented the progress report on the electrification of Pune-Miraj-Kolhapur section which was delayed due to the Covid situation. The division has also executed many infrastructure and safety works which would have required major blocks with lot of traffic disruption during normal circumstances, like working on the overhauling of 24 level crossing gates and dismantling of the foot over bridge (FOB) at Talegaon and launching the girders of new FOBs at Kadethan and Chinchwad, said Bajpai. Specialised Criminal Court President Jan Hrubala admits judges make mistakes too, but is convinced that the judges in the Kuciak case tried to do their job the best they could. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled There is not even a hint of a suspicion that the senate of the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok, that acquitted Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova of murder charges, acted out of fear or even worse motivations. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The recently-appointed president of the Specialised Criminal Court, Jan Hrubala, made the statement in front of journalists after the verdict was delivered in Pezinok on September 3. While Tomas Szabo, the man who drove the hit-man to the place where the murder was committed, was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison, the people whom the prosecutors believed to have been behind the murder, Alena Zsuzsova and Marian Kocner, were cleared of charges. Hrubala declared that the judges of the senate under Judge Ruzena Sabova have his trust and he is convinced that their decision was based on their own conscience and convictions, the TASR newswire reported. >>> Read more of the reactions to the verdict Mistakes might have occurred Washington: US Attorney-General William Barr on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) claimed it is a "false narrative" in the US that many unarmed black people are shot by white police officers. "I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed black men is simply a false narrative," Barr said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "The fact is that it is very rare for an unarmed African American to be shot by a white police officer." Attorney General William Barr testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on the Mueller Report. Credit:AP In the past five years, 1322 black people have been killed by police, compared to 2533 white people, according to statistics compiled by The Washington Post. Blacks make up 13 per cent of the US population but comprise 26 per cent of the deaths by police. Whites make up 60 per cent of the population but comprise 50 per cent of the deaths by police. That means, 32 black people per million are killed by police violence versus 13 white people per million, according to calculations based on The Washington Post numbers. Rome's municipal museums are free to all visitors this Sunday. Rome's city-run museums will be open for free to all visitors on Sunday 6 September. There are new rules attached to the monthly appointment, held on the first Sunday of the month, chief of which involves obligatory advance booking. Reservations, which can be made by calling tel. 060608, will see visitors assigned time slots. New rules for visitors On arrival at the museum, visitors will have their temperature measured by a thermoscanner and access is not allowed for those with a temperature of, or higher than, 37.5. Access to museums is direct, by showing your booking either on your smartphone or printed off on paper. The wearing of masks is compulsory. Visitors must maintain social distancing and there will be hand sanitiser available at the entrance and inside the museums. Which museums will be open for free? The museums include Capitoline Museums, Palazzo Braschi, Trajan's Markets, Ara Pacis, Centrale Montemartini, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Gallery of Modern Art, Villa Torlonia, Zoological Museum, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Museo Barracco, Napoleonic Museum, Museo Canonica, Museo della Repubblica romana, Casal de Pazzi and Museo delle Mura. Also included are the archaeological areas of the Imperial Forums (entrance from the Trajan's Column), and the archaeological areas at the Circus Maximus (excluding the Circo Maximo Experience). Museum exhibitions The free visit will also include exhibitions on display in city museums with the exception of Cera una volta Sergio Leone at the Ara Pacis and Per gioco. La collezione dei giocattoli antichi della Sovrintendenza Capitolina at Palazzo Braschi. For full visiting and exhibition details see the city website. Photo credit: Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock.com. The union representing the 1,400 Dominion workers on picket lines across Newfoundland is digging in its heels, after receiving a letter from parent company Loblaw stating there's no better deal to be had than the one already rejected. In a two-page letter, dated Sept. 1, to the workers, Loblaw's Atlantic Canada vice-president Mike Doucette lays out the company's side: competition is fierce, business at Dominions across Newfoundland is in decline, and the tentative agreement reached at the end of July was still on the table. "You need to know that this strike will not result in an improved offer," Doucette says at the end of the letter. In a reply the next day, Unifor Local 597's bargaining committee was no less blunt in rejecting Loblaw's stance. While its letter acknowledged "the business is right now struggling," the union pointed to Loblaw's national profits, the CEO's multimillion-dollar compensation and their own wages, which they said were mostly under $15 an hour. "Ultimately, when workers feel they've had enough, then they're going to fight back. And that's what we're seeing here, and now Dominion's sharing in the very same pain that the workers have been feeling for many many years," Chris MacDonald, assistant to the national president of Unifor, told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show. "We find ourselves in a stalemate with the company." The union has been on strike since Aug. 22, with all 11 Dominion stores in Newfoundland closed since. Colleen Connors/CBC Difference of financial opinions In his letter, Doucette outlines the rejected Loblaw offer, which he says included "fair wage increases" for each of the three years in the agreement, as well as creating additional full-time jobs and security for the existing ones. But the letter states a $2 wage increase the same amount temporarily provided to workers at the height of the pandemic "sets all of us up to fail" as it would "literally put the business at risk." Elsewhere, the letter states that some Newfoundland stores have seen "double-digit declines" in business as pressure continues from chains like Coleman's and Costco. Story continues In a statement to CBC, Loblaw said, "We just want our colleagues to understand the strength of the recommended offer, which includes annual wage increases and more full time jobs." During a bargaining process, MacDonald said, the union is usually given financial records to validate company's claims such as those, but that didn't happen this time, with instead Loblaw officials making a short speech. "They make these claims about profitability, but we haven't seen any proof of that," said MacDonald. At its national level, Loblaw did report a dip in profits in its second quarter of 2020 compared with the same time frame the year before, although its food retail sector saw a sales growth of 10 per cent. The company also spent about $180 million on temporary pay premiums. Loblaw reported earnings of $240 million in its first quarter of 2020, an increase of $42 million over the same period last year. Nathan Denette/Canadian Press A Canada-wide campaign? In its letter, Unifor says it's awaiting a phone call from Loblaw. MacDonald said the local is ready to go back to the bargaining table but there is no intention of doing so if the deal doesn't change. At a certain point, he said, the issue becomes bigger than just the picket lines in one province. "I don't think that anybody in Newfoundland is happy with what's going on here. The strings are being pulled from Toronto. This is about them not wanting to set a national wage pattern," MacDonald said. "This is about an inherent problem that Loblaws and other grocers have." While the two sides appear at a stalemate for now, MacDonald said Unifor will spend its Labour Day weekend reaching out to workers at Loblaw brands across the country. "We plan to raise this conversation nationally," he said. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Idaho prosecutors have asked a judge to combine the cases against Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell so they can be tried together in a move that an expert says would help lead to a conviction. Madison County Special Prosecutor Rob Wood and the state of Idaho made the request in a motion on Tuesday, arguing that the cases should be joined because both defendants are facing charges for conspiring to hide the remains of Lori's children Joshua 'JJ' Vallow and Tylee Ryan, who disappeared last September and were found buried on her husband Chad's property in June. Both defendants are set to face trial in January 2021. Chad's attorney filed a motion last week for all of the charges against him to be dismissed because there is no evidence to support them. DailyMail.com spoke to a former federal prosecutor, Neama Rahmani, about how the cases would be affected if a judge grants Wood's motion to join them. Idaho prosecutors have asked a judge to combine the cases against Chad Daybell (left) and Lori Vallow (right) so they can be tried together in a move that could help lead to a conviction. In a motion filed Tuesday, they argued that the cases should be joined because both Chad and Lori are facing charges for conspiring to hide the remains of her children Lori is charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to destroy or conceal evidence, as well as three misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing officers, solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court. She is set to appear at an arraignment next week. Chad pleaded not guilty last week to the same two felony counts, and previously pleaded not guilty to two other felony counts for destruction or concealment of evidence. Rahmani, who is the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and is not affiliated with the Vallow case, said it was not surprising that Wood and the state are asking to combine the cases. 'Prosecutors generally prefer to try co-defendants together because it preserves limited government resources and allows them to "dirty up" multiple criminal defendants in front of a jury,' he said. 'Defense attorneys, on the other hand, usually push for severance or separate trials to avoid guilt by association and to point to the "empty chair" at trial.' Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani (pictured) says the prosecution has a better chance of convicting Lori and Chad if their cases are joined Rahmani said that joining the two cases could make it more likely for Lori and Chad to be convicted, adding: 'But the prosecution case is very strong even if Lori and Chad are tried separately.' The veteran prosecutor said he fully expects attorneys for both defendants to oppose the joinder motion. If they do request separate trials, Rahmani said the judge is likely to comply. 'Judges tend to sever cases when there is any risk that joinder will prejudice the rights of a criminal defendant,' he said, adding that doing so could also create an appellate issue. However, Rahmani said that the prosecution is on strong footing regardless of whether the joinder motion is granted. 'This is a very strong case for the prosecution because Lori and Chad have been caught in lie after lie and their children were buried in their backyard,' he said. 'Even though the state has yet to file murder charges, it is probably only a matter of time, and regardless of whether they are tried together or separately, Lori and Chad will likely turn on one another when the alternative is life in prison or a potential death sentence.' Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, seven, disappeared in September 2019 but were never reported missing by their mother or Chad, whom Lori married in early November Investigators are seen recovering the remains of Tylee and JJ from the backyard of Chad's home in Salem, Idaho, on June 9 Chad is now seeking to avoid trial altogether after his attorney, John Prior, filed a motion asking District Judge Steven Boyce to dismiss his client's entire case last week. In his motion, Prior stated that there was not sufficient evidence presented at the Chad's preliminary hearing in early August, where Magistrate Judge Faren Eddins determined that Wood presented enough evidence to have the case advance to district court. 'The charges are not supported by the evidence and duplicative as allegations against the defendant,' Prior wrote. 'Further, the prosecution has yet to present evidence to support when the alleged acts is [sic] supposedly to have taken place and if the defendant acted in any manner to support the allegations.' The attorney said that the claims against Chad are 'vague and broad' and argued that the defendant's constitutional rights are being violated because he can not be 'fairly notified and apprised of when, how and what he is accused of doing'. Judge Boyce has not yet responded to Prior's motion. Chad is now seeking to avoid trial altogether after his attorney, John Prior (pictured together in court on August 21), filed a motion asking to dismiss his client's entire case last week The latest developments in the case came just days before the anniversary of Lori's daughter. Tylee vanished on September 8, 2019, just days before her 17th birthday. Investigators said her body was burned and dismembered before being buried sometime the following day. JJ was last seen two weeks later on September 23. His body was wrapped in duct tape and plastic and buried the same day, investigators said. Authorities believe Lori's now-deceased brother Alex Cox brought the children's bodies to Chad's home to bury them. Neither Chad nor Lori have been accused of harming Tylee and JJ. Authorities have yet to say how the children died, or whether homicide charges will be filed in the future. The search for JJ and Tylee began back in November 2019 when police officers performed a welfare check at Lori's home in Rexburg and found that neither of the children had been heard from since two months earlier. The story captured nationwide attention with the revelations that police were also investigating at least three suspicious deaths linked to Lori and Chad, as well as relatives' claims that the couple are members of a dangerous doomsday cult. Lori and Chad went on the run the day after police began searching for the children and reopened an investigation into the death of Chad's first wife Tammy Daybell, who died on October 19, 2019. Police tracked the couple down in Hawaii in January and Lori was later arrested on charges of child abandonment and desertion. The search came to a devastating end in June as JJ and Tylee's remains were discovered in Chad's backyard in Salem, Idaho. Facebook will ban new political ads during the week leading up to the general election on November 3, the companys CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday. The U.S. elections are just two months away, and with Covid-19 affecting communities across the country, Im concerned about the challenges people could face when voting, Zuckerberg wrote in a memo to Facebook staff. Im also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country. The move comes amid clashes between the Trump administration and Democrats over voting by mail, President Trump saying he opposes widespread voting by mail over concerns it could be a breeding ground for election fraud. Democrats, by contrast, have encouraged voters to cast their ballots by mail, citing coronavirus concerns. The mammoth social media company will also remove posts on its platform that Facebook deems attempts to suppress or discourage voting, such as posts claiming voters will catch the coronavirus if they vote in person and will work to prevent campaigns and supporters from claiming victory prematurely. This election is not going to be business as usual, Zuckerbergs note to staff read. Since the pandemic means that many of us will be voting by mail, and since some states may still be counting valid ballots after election day, many experts are predicting that we may not have a final result on election night. Last year, Facebook announced efforts to tighten its rules on political advertising ahead of the 2020 elections, in an attempt to crack down on election interference after insidious actors ran rampant on the platform in 2016. During the 2016 election, Facebook came under fire from critics who charged the social media platform with negligence for allowing Russian actors, among others, to spread misinformation and attempt to sow discord on the site. The company ramped up efforts to combat election meddling during the 2018 midterm elections. Story continues Facebook has removed dozens of accounts on Facebook and Instagram originating in Russia and Iran that targeted the U.S. as well as accounts apparently run by the Chinese government as part of an effort to confuse and disrupt pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The company has pledged to continue to advance its technology, hire more employees, and work with law-enforcement and security experts ahead of the upcoming elections. More from National Review LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles-based food pre-ordering platform Allset ( www.allsetnow.com ) today announced a partnership with Olo, the leading digital food ordering platform for the restaurant industry, to enable fully integrated takeout and dine-in pre-ordering through Olo Rails for mutual restaurant partners. Takeout and dine-in orders placed by customers on the Allset app and website will flow directly into Olo restaurant partner's point-of-sale systems (POS). The integration streamlines order fulfillment experience and allows restaurants to access Allset's contactless ordering feature. Rails is Olo's solution that makes it easy for restaurant brands to publish their menus, prices, and location information on participating third-party marketplaces and apps in order to drive incremental sales, simplify workflows and manage orders in multiple places. "We are excited to partner with Olo to streamline the Allset ordering experience for our restaurant partners," said Stas Matviyenko, CEO of Allset. "Allset takeout and dine-in orders are now injected directly into the order stream at the restaurant, increasing order accuracy and operational efficiency of the restaurant. We look forward to adding new favorite brands to our platform while helping restaurants benefit from contactless, commission-free orders." "Digital ordering has proven mission critical for restaurants, and we're delighted to work with Allset to provide our joint partners a solution that further simplifies the process of managing disparate channels," said Jackie Berg, VP of Marketing at Olo. "The demand for technology that consolidates the growing options for restaurant ordering will continue to grow as consumers increasingly look to digital ordering to get their next meal." As the integration continues, diners will see more national favorites available on Allset in the coming weeks. With the addition of automatic menu updates, customers will be able to order from the most up-to-date menu, minimizing the risk of order cancelation. If the restaurant is looking for more options to receive Allset orders, they can use the Allset Merchant App which is available for download on Android devices and on Allset-issued tablets, as well as other point-of-sale integrations that the company provides. About Allset Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Allset ( www.allsetnow.com ) is a food pre-ordering platform that connects local restaurants and its busy diners for everyday dining that is easy, frictionless, and healthy. Allset has pioneered a service of pre-ordering a sit-down meal at restaurants and now is seeing surging interest in its contactless ordering solution. Allset is partnering with over 3,000 restaurants nationwide including national favorites Joe & The Juice, Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, illy Caffe, The Halal Guys, BurgerIM, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, IHOP, Papa John's Pizza, and many more, and raised a total of $16.6M in funding from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Greycroft, and others. With more than 80 employees in four offices (Kyiv, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York), Allset is recognized as one of Forbes Best Startup Employers in 2020. About Olo Olo powers digital ordering and delivery programs that connect restaurant brands to the on-demand world, placing orders directly into the restaurant through all order origination points - from a brand's own website or app, third party marketplaces, social media platforms, smart speakers, and home assistants. Olo serves as the on-demand ordering and delivery platform for over 300 brands, such as Applebee's (DIN), Checkers & Rally's, Cheesecake Factory (CAKE), Chili's (EAT), Dairy Queen, Denny's (DENN), Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Jamba Juice (JMBA), Noodles & Company (NDLS), Portillo's Hot Dogs, Shake Shack (SHAK), sweetgreen, Wingstop (WING), and more. Learn more at www.olo.com . SKIP THE LINE For more information or to partner with Allset, please visit our website . SOURCE Allset Related Links http://www.allsetnow.com New Delhi, Sep 3 : Just when it seemed there was no end to the woes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there are words of solace from Pope Francis who explains in a revelatory, uplifting, and practical book why we must - and how we can - make the world safer, fairer, and healthier for all people. In "Let Us Dream" the beloved shepherd of over one billion Catholics sees the cruelty and inequity of our society exposed more vividly than ever before. He also sees, in the resilience, generosity, and creativity of so many people, the means to rescue our society, our economy, and our planet. In direct, powerful prose, Pope Francis urges us not to let the pain be in vain. He begins "Let Us Dream by exploring what this crisis can teach us about how to handle upheaval of any kind in our own lives and the world at large. With unprecedented candour, he reveals how three crises in his own life changed him dramatically for the better. By its very nature, he shows, crisis presents us with a choice: we make a grievous error if we try to return to some pre-crisis state. But if we have the courage to change, we can emerge from the crisis better than before. Image Source: IANS News Along the way, he offers dozens of wise and surprising observations on the value of unconventional thinking, on why we must dramatically increase women's leadership in the Church and throughout society, on what he learned while scouring the streets of Buenos Aires with garbage-pickers, and much more. Pope Francis then offers a brilliant, scathing critique of the systems and ideologies that conspired to produce the current crisis, from a global economy obsessed with profit and heedless of the people and environment it harms, to politicians who foment their people's fear and use it to increase their own power at their people's expense. He reminds us that Christians' first duty is to serve others, especially the poor and the marginalized, just as Jesus did. The book is the fruit of many exchanges between Pope Francis and his biographer, Austen Ivereigh, in the weeks following the coronavirus lockdown. It was written simultaneously in English and Spanish and will be published by Simon & Schuster's audio division and Simon & Schuster's international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. Simon & Schuster Consulting Publisher Stephen Rubin and Vice President and Executive Editor Eamon Dolan acquired world rights, first serial rights and audio rights from the agent, William Barry. "Any wisdom the Pope had to offer would be extremely valuable now," Dolan noted, "but what made me believe 'Let Us Dream' might actually change the world is how clear and practical his guidance is, and how deeply comforting is the voice with which he delivers it. Here the Pope sounds closer to us - and even kinder - than we've ever heard him before." -- Syndicated from IANS Not content with sentencing his political opponents to death, Josef Stalin inflicted a particularly cruel end on those awaiting execution in Lubyanka, the notorious Moscow jail run by his secret police, the NKVD the forerunner of the KGB and FSB. In a neighbouring building there was a special cell where condemned men and women became guinea pigs in experiments designed to find the ultimate weapon for the state's assassins a poison which left no trace in the body. Given food and drink laced with deadly toxins, they died in such agony that their torturers had to buy a radio set to drown out their victims' cries. Fast forward to the present day and it seems that Western governments have their own radio sets turned up to full volume, in ignoring the murders commissioned by Vladimir Putin in the 20 or so years he has been in power many drawing on knowledge gained from those twisted early experiments of Lenin's era. Western governments have their own radio sets turned up to full volume, in ignoring the murders commissioned by Vladimir Putin (pictured) in the 20 or so years he has been in power On Wednesday it was reported that the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. Navalny has been fighting for his life in a Berlin hospital, after falling ill on a flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk last month. Footage taken on the plane showed him screaming in agony before falling unconscious. But even before the poisoning was confirmed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, I had no doubt Navalny had fallen foul of Putin. As a Russian historian who has written several books critical of the president's regime, I have worked with three authors later killed by Putin's henchmen. His aims in taking out such opponents are non-ideological. Unlike the hard-line Communists who preceded them, all Putin and his cronies want is monopoly control over Russia's resources, finances, and economy, for their personal gain. Today, Putin is one of the world's biggest oil-and-gas and financial magnates but he is also an ex-KGB soldier who takes pride in giving orders to kill anyone who gets in his way and the West appears powerless to stop him. The problem is partly that Western leaders are far from united in their condemnation of these murders. On Wednesday it was reported that the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny (pictured), was poisoned with a novichok nerve agent Meanwhile, the rise of nationalism in Europe actively encouraged by Putin means Right-wing governments in countries such as Hungary and Czech Republic won't risk alienating this most important of allies. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has at least joined Merkel in her demand for Russia to explain itself over the Navalny poisoning. Although he has pledged to aid international efforts to 'ensure justice is done', the difficulty will be in finding evidence because, as Putin is fully aware, poisoning is the most difficult of crimes to prove. For this reason, it was long a favoured weapon of the much-feared Cheka, the secret police force set up in 1917 to root out anti-revolutionary elements in Soviet Russia. Since Lenin was the first to make use of the Cheka and its talent for assassinations to establish himself as an undisputed leader, it is ironic that his own death in 1924 was likely the result of his meals being poisoned by a cook acting on the orders of his rival, Stalin. In 1939, Lenin's widow would also be murdered by Stalin, who had a poisoned cake sent to her on her 70th birthday. Whatever toxins were used to kill the Lenins, they were almost certainly developed in Laboratory-X, the special poisons facility that used those condemned prisoners as its experimental subjects, and still exists today. Anna Politkovskaya, a vocal Putin critic, was gunned down in her Moscow apartment building on October 7, 2006 Putin's 54th birthday Perhaps its deadliest success came in 1957 with the first criminal use of a radioactive poison the thallium slipped into the coffee drunk by KGB deserter Nikolai Khokhlov at a conference in Frankfurt. This agent kills slowly and irreversibly from within, and is all the more dangerous because the early symptoms can be confused with flu or pneumonia. Khokhlov's life may have been saved because he rushed off to a meeting before he had finished his drink, but he suffered many terrifying symptoms including red and brown stripes developing all over his body, a sticky liquid oozing from his eyes, and clumps of hair falling out at the slightest touch. Other murderous innovations in the 1950s included the use of a specially designed tube to shoot cyanide capsules into the faces of intended targets. This was used successfully against two Ukrainian dissidents who dropped dead on the spot. By the 1970s, specially adapted umbrellas were being used to inject tiny capsules into victims, each sealed with two wax plugs which melted at body temperature to release toxins. The substance novichok, was deployed in the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, in the attempted murder of ex-Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia (pictured) In 1978, this technique was famously used to kill 49-year-old Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on London's Waterloo Bridge. Nearly two decades on in Moscow, the delivery method had changed again. In 1995, both Ivan Kivelidi, a prominent Russian businessman and reform politician, and his secretary, Zara Ismailova, succumbed to a poison slipped into his mobile phone's receiver. The substance used was novichok, the military-grade nerve agent deployed in the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, in the attempted murder of ex-Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Novichok penetrates the body through pores in the skin or respiratory pathways, killing within hours. Without extremely sophisticated analysis, the cause of death is impossible to determine. These details were released when Ivan Kivelidi's deputy, Vladimir Khutsishvili, was later framed for the murders, even though the state prosecutor failed to explain how a man with no previous connection to poisons had obtained a nerve agent made only in a secret state laboratory. The only people with access to such a chemical, and the expertise to handle it, were, of course, the Russian secret services. In 2004, they made a failed bid to assassinate Anna Politkovskaya, a vocal Putin critic with whom I was about to write a book questioning his government's handling of the siege of a Moscow theatre by Chechen terrorists in 2002. She was finally gunned down in her Moscow apartment building two years later, and it was no coincidence that the date was October 7, 2006 Putin's 54th birthday. She was murdered as a perverse gift to mark the occasion. That same month, a memorial service was held for Anna in London and that was the last time I saw my friend Alexander Litvinenko, a former lieutenant-colonel in the FSB, the successor to the KGB. I had helped him escape to a new life in the West after we collaborated on a book investigating how the FSB had secretly bombed several apartment buildings in Moscow in September 1999, killing more than 300 innocent Russians and pinning the blame on Chechen terrorists. This had been used as a pretext for Putin, then Prime Minister, to invade Chechnya, building the reputation as a strong-man which helped him win the presidential election in March 2000. Dawn Sturgess collapsed after being exposed to an 'unknown substance'. Novichok penetrates the body through pores in the skin or respiratory pathways, killing within hours The book, Blowing Up Russia, was promptly banned and copies were confiscated by Putin, a first in Russia since the outlawing of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's work, Gulag Archipelago in the 1970s. Three months before Anna Politkovskaya's assassination, Putin had the Russian parliament pass a law unique in the world allowing the secret services to kill abroad with his permission. Despite this, Alexander, who had taken British citizenship, seemed confident that he was safe. 'Now they won't dare to touch me,' he told me at Anna's memorial service. 'No one would try to kill a British citizen.' But within a month, he was dead, poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210 that was slipped into his green tea at a meeting in the bar of a Mayfair hotel. The following year, I was working on a book about the wide-scale corruption and merciless oppression which followed Putin's accession to power when the FSB raided the Moscow flat of my co-author Vladimir Pribylovsky. They took away his computer and files, which included a first draft of the book. Fortunately, I had my own copy of our manuscript in America, my home since 1978. We published the book in 2008. Vladimir died suddenly in 2016 while on his own in his apartment. He was 59. Nikolai Glushkov was found dead with strangulation marks, following an earlier suspected attempt to murder him with poisoned champagne in a Bristol hotel The cause of his unexpected death was apparently a cardiac arrest, but this did nothing to allay suspicion, given that the FSB's poisons of choice include fluoroacetates, which have no taste, colour or odour when dissolved in water, and mimic the effects of common causes of death such as heart attacks or strokes. Such poisons may also have been deployed by Putin's agents in the UK which, since many rich Russian exiles preferred Britain over other parts of the world, became a main stage for his assassinations. Alexander Litvinenko's death was followed by that of 52-year-old oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili, who was found dead at his mansion in Surrey in 2008. He had apparently suffered a heart attack but there were suspicions of an assassination given his close links to Litvinenko's long-time sponsor Boris Berezovsky, who was once the most powerful man in Russia after Boris Yeltsin, the nation's first president. Berezovsky eventually hanged himself with his favourite scarf, suspended from a shower rail at his home in Ascot, Berkshire. Then 67, Berezovsky was also an author I had worked with as an editor. He was an egocentric and extremely tough individual who had been Boris Yeltsin's number two and seemed to me most unlikely to have taken his own life. There was also Nikolai Glushkov, who was in charge of Aeroflot, owned by Berezovsky and Patarkatsishvili. He emigrated to London in 2010 and eight years later would be found dead with strangulation marks, following an earlier suspected attempt to murder him with poisoned champagne in a Bristol hotel. Alexander Litvinenko, a former lieutenant-colonel in the FSB, the successor to the KGB, was poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210 that was slipped into his green tea Other strange ends included that of Scottish property developer Scot Young, a Berezovsky associate who was impaled on railings after a fall in 2014; and Dr Matthew Puncher, the scientist who first linked Litvinenko's assassination to Polonium-210 and supposedly hacked himself to death with two different kitchen knives in 2016. Over the decade, the list of the untimely deaths of Russians and Britons who worked for them in the UK mushroomed, and the Salisbury novichok poisonings in March 2018 further demonstrated that Putin has ceased to see a distinction between taking someone out in Britain, or in, say, a war zone such as Syria. Masterminded by the GRU, the military equivalent of the FSB, they were notable both for the carelessness with which evidence was left near the scene, and the complete disregard for collateral damage to innocent bystanders. This includes the lasting effects on Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who was taken into intensive care after being contaminated on a visit to the Skripals' home; and the death of Dawn Sturgess who handled the perfume bottle that had contained the novichok, so casually discarded by the two Russian operatives concerned. It was an audacious demonstration of just how far things have come. The Kremlin no longer cares what the West thinks, and neither will it care in the case of Alexei Navalny, regardless of whether he lives or dies. All of this brings us to the question of what, if anything, can be done to stop Putin's killing spree and here we need to understand that, while he has money and power in abundance, what he really craves is respect. In the 1970s, specially adapted umbrellas were being used to inject tiny capsules into victims, and this technique was used to kill Georgi Markov on London's Waterloo Bridge When Russia was kicked out of the G8 group of powerful nations following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, he found it a genuinely painful blow, and Western governments need to keep up the momentum no longer talking to him or inviting him to international gatherings. It's the only thing that will make an impression. Whether that will happen remains doubtful. There are too many vested interests at stake, not least in the U.S., where, according to evidence provided by a CIA sleeper in the Kremlin, the campaign to get Donald Trump elected was allegedly personally directed by Putin. Putin is blackmailing the world with his talk of a limited nuclear war, and if the West shows weakness as it did when Russia invaded Georgia and Crimea he won't hesitate to act again. Today, the attempted murder of Alexei Navalny, tomorrow the slaughter of hundreds of thousands in the Ukraine, Belarus or the Baltic States. It's all the same to Putin. With his disregard for human life and international law, he will continue to run riot until the West finally decides to act; and by then, I fear, the genie will be well and truly out of the bottle. An EDITED extract from The Age Of Assassins by Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky, to be published on September 11 by Gibson Square at 14.99. Available from Mailbookshop.co.uk. 2020 Yuri Felshtinsky and Vladimir Pribylovsky. Compiling the biggest news of the day at a single place, heres our tech wrap of the day. Some big brands made announcements today in the world of tech. From new smartphones launched by Realme to IFA announcements by Qualcomm, fitness bands by Samsung and more, the day had something or other for tech lovers around the world. So, compiling the biggest news of the day at a single place, heres our tech wrap of the day. SoftBank is said to consider bid for TikTok in India SoftBank Group Corp. is exploring assembling a group of bidders for TikToks India assets and has been actively looking for local partners. Over the past month, the Japanese conglomerate, which owns a stake in TikToks Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd., has held talks with the heads of Indias Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. PM Modis Twitter account was taken over by hackers Today morning a hacker group named John Wick took over a Twitter account thats linked to PM Narendra Modis website. The hackers told The Next Web that they wanted nothing to do with the account and only wanted to quash a recent report that blamed them for hacking Paytm Mall. Paytm Mall has, however, denied any breach on their platform. Realme 7, 7 Pro launched in India: Price, specs and more The line up includes the 7 and 7 Pro, both of which come with a base price of 14,999 and 19,999 respectively. The handsets are being marketed for their camera performance and fast-charging solutions among other features. You can get the Realme 7 in 6GB+64GB and 8GB+128GB variants at 14,999 and 16,999 whereas the 7 Pro comes in 6GB+128GB and 8GB+128GB models, priced at 19,999 and 21,999 respectively. Qualcomms new noise cancelling audio tech might be a challenge for Apple AirPods Pro, Sony earbuds Announced today, the chipset maker says that this tech should adjust noise cancellation levels in real time, based on how the earbuds fit in the user's ear. The Adaptive factor kicks in when the earbuds are not fit properly and will still enable a consistent performance. The firm says that the new feature may result in change in audio quality according to the tightness of fit and the level of leak-through no matter how or where the earbuds are being used. Microsoft launches Video Authenticator to detect deepfake media Microsoft has introduced new software that aims to help people detect deepfake photos and videos. Called Video Authenticator, the application gives a confidence score sorts to help users identify whether the media is artificially manipulated. The launch of the new platform comes ahead of presidential elections in the US. Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 unveiled with new design, advanced tracking features Samsung at its Life Unstoppable virtual event announced a new fitness tracker, Galaxy Fit 2. The company is likely to launch the wearable later this year. Samsung did not reveal the full specifications and price of the fitness tracker. The company said that Galaxy Fit 2 comes with a slim and lightweight design. Windows 10 to become cooler with GIFs, emojis on the touch keyboard and better voice typing The company is planning to make the platform cooler with some significant changes to its built-in keyboard for Windows 10. The new keyboard design is built on Microsofts on Windows 10X and brings in new key-press animations, sounds and the ability to search for and insert GIFs. Intel launches 11th Gen Intel Core for the laptops of the future Intel has launched the 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics (code-named Tiger Lake). These new processors are going to be used across Windows and ChromeOS-based laptops of the future. Galaxy A42 5G is Samsungs cheapest 5G phone, check key features Samsung has unveiled Galaxy A42 5G, touted as the companys cheapest 5G smartphone so far. The phone will go on sale later this year. Samsung has not disclosed the full specifications and price of the phone yet. The latest addition to Samsungs popular Galaxy A-series comes with four rear cameras and a 6.6-inch OLED screen. The phone comes in black colour option. In his latest comments, EU Chief Negotiator Barnier has again criticised the UK position and there was a greater emphasis on the need to make progress now given a key Summit in mid-October and strict end-October deadline. Barnier again criticises UK lack of trade commitment At a seminar in Ireland, Barnier has again criticised the UK position in trade talks; so far the UK, frankly speaking, has not engaged on key Brexit conditions. He again complained that the UK is looking to keep the benefits of EU membership without the obligations. According to Barnier, the EU has shown flexibility to work with UK red lines and it is time for the UK to reciprocate. He was worried about the talks following last weeks talks in London, especially as there had been no change in the UK position. Barnier emphasises that we want a deal, but not at any price. We will never seal a deal to the detriment of our single market. No deal without agreement on fisheries Two key issues remain; fisheries and a level playing field. On fisheries, he complained that the UK had shown no willingness to seek compromise on fisheries and no new legal texts have been submitted. The importance is indicated by Barniers comments that Without a long-term fair agreement on fisheries, there will be no new trade relationship with the UK. According to Barnier, a level playing field is the only way to start a new EU/UK relationship while the UK has refused to give guarantees on open and fair competition. Barnier reiterated that everyone must be realistic about the end-October deadline, the Brexit clock is ticking and that there is no more time to lose. There were some more positive elements with remarks that the EU believes that Prime Minister Johnson wants a deal and that it their wish. He also noted some progress had been made on the Northern Ireland issue. According to Barnier, there is enough flexibility in the EU27 mandate to reach a deal and that the EU is prepared to move on fisheries if the UK does likewise. A UK government spokesman commented, the UK and EU had a useful review, but there are still major differences. Talks will resume next week with a political injection necessary for progress. Dollar moves still tended to dominate Sterling in choppy trading, although the UK currency lost some ground. With the US currency recovering ground, Sterling/dollar dipped to near 1.3300 with Euro/Sterling round 0.8895 from daily lows around 0.8875. India has conducted more than 1.17 lakh Covid-19 testing in the last 24 hours, keeping in line with its test, track, treat strategy to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, the Union health ministry said on Thursday. The country crossed the milestone of conducting one million tests daily on August 21. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said, Over 11,70,000 tests have been done in last 24 hours. High levels of testing sustained over a period of time in widespread areas enable to diagnose cases early and facilitate seamless isolation and hospitalisation. It eventually leads to low mortality rate. 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. India on Wednesday recorded 78,357 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the nationwide tally to 3,769,524, according to Union health ministry dashboard. The number of active cases reached 8,01,282, and those discharged from hospitals stood at 29,01,908 - a gap of 21,00,626. The death toll reached 66,333 after 1,045 people died due to the disease in the last 24 hours. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative 4,33,24,834 samples have been tested up to August 31, with 10,16,920 of them being tested on Monday. Indias daily testing capacity has crossed 10 lakh and the tests per million too have seen a sharp increase, reaching 31,394, the health ministry highlighted. Twenty-two states and union territories have tests per million better than the national average, it said. On Sunday, August 23, 2020, the NBL's 120,000 members across 367 chapters worldwide celebrated the organization's steadfast commitment to the economic development of Black communities. On its 120 th birthday, the NBL is poised to streamline the integration of the nation's 2.6 million black businesses into the global marketplace using technology. Black-owned businesses generate $150 billion in annual revenue in the U.S. and support 3.56 million U.S. jobs. This advanced shift into the digital age will be absolutely critical in the post-COVID-19 era, according to NBL president and CEO Ken L. Harris, Ph.D. "Booker T. Washington's vision is more relevant today than it was 120 years ago, as a new generation of unapologetic Black leadership takes the helm," said Harris, president/CEO of the National Business League, Inc. "The revolution won't be televised; it shall be digitized," he said. Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, organized the National Negro Business League on August 23, 1900, to promote "commercial, agricultural, educational, financial, and industrial advancement of the Negro [sic]." In 1966, the organization was renamed the National Business League. "Booker T. Washington's vision was that a significant number of our people would train for, and become, captains of industry, employing millions during this time of global economic development," said Booker T. Washington's great-grandson, Marshall Washington-Cabiness Abuwi, Ph.D. The World Conference of Mayors, an organization engaged with 5,000 current and former mayors throughout the United States and around the world, joined the Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance in voting unanimously to adopt a formal declaration recognizing the National Business League as an official partner in its efforts to develop Black business and commerce-driven activity worldwide and declaring Aug. 23 an official holiday in recognition of 120 years of service. The Honorable Johnny Ford, founding president of the World Conference of Mayors, said, "This is the beginning of a worldwide partnership unifying the Black political economy throughout the world to further develop the entrepreneurial and innovative landscape within the global marketplace." Booker T. Washington was also known for his ability to develop financial and political connections between the Black community and white corporate elite. Washington's close associate, Andrew Carnegie, helped Washington establish a group of corporate giants such as John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan, John Wanamaker, and Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Co., just to name a few. These men played pivotal roles in helping the NBL to development Black businesses throughout America. "Today, the NBL has established itself as a corporate powerhouse with more than 125 Fortune 500 companies, public and private partnerships, including the likes of Amazon, AMEX, Comcast, Comerica Bank, FIAT Chrysler, Ford, GM, Google, and Toyota, as the organization further advocates for economic equity and inclusion of Black businesses nationwide," said Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., NBL Board Chairman. In Booker T. Washington's last address to the league, he said, "At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion itself there must be for our race, as for all races, an economic foundation, economic prosperity, economic independence." About the National Business League The National Business League is the first and largest nonprofit, non-partisan, and non-sectarian Black business and professional trade association, which was founded on August 23, 1900, by the iconic Booker T. Washington. The NBL has more than 120,000 members nationwide, with regional offices in Atlanta, GA, Detroit, MI, Los Angeles, CA, and Washington, D.C., as well as more than 367 local league chapters across the country. The organization provides access to 2.6 million Black businesses throughout the United States. Visit www.nationalbusinessleague.org, Twitter @theNBL1900, Instagram @NBL1900, and Facebook @theNBL1900. Contact: LaToya Cunningham Phone: (248) 361-8557 SOURCE The National Business League, Inc. Related Links https://www.nationalbusinessleague.org Press Release September 2, 2020 Villanueva welcomes filing of charges vs BI personnel behind illegal foreign workers' racket Senator Joel Villanueva welcomed the filing of administrative and criminal charges against immigration personnel who allegedly facilitated the entry of illegal foreign workers eventually employed by Philippine offshore gaming operations firms. In a statement, Villanueva lamented that the surge of illegal foreign workers in the country had been enabled by no less than personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), who are primarily tasked to scrutinize the entry and exit of individuals at ports. "Nakakahinayang po talaga na kung sino pa ang nagbabantay ng ating mga border, sila pa ang kauna-unahang masasangkot sa pagpapalusot ng mga iligal na manggagawa. Magandang balita po itong pagsasampa ng kaso sa mga immigration personnel sa ating laban para itigil ang pagpasok ng iligal na manggagawa, at umaasa tayong tututukan ito ng ating NBI," Villanueva said in a statement. "Hinihiling po natin sa pamunuan ng BI na palakasin pa ang kanilang counter-intelligence upang linisin ang kanilang hanay sa mga tiwaling tauhan." ("We regret the fact that the people who patrol our borders are the same people who are behind the scheme of allowing illegal foreign workers to slip through. The filing of charges against immigration personnel is a welcome development in our fight to stop the entry of illegal foreign workers, and we trust that the NBI would continue to pursue this case," Villanueva said. "We also call on the BI to continue its counter-intelligence to cleanse its ranks.") "Our immigration personnel should be really circumspect about the people they allow to enter because they might be allowing individuals with criminal intentions, and this creates problems with our law enforcement as we have been showing in our public inquiries," pointed out the lawmaker who chairs the Senate labor committee. Villanueva reiterated that effective border control should help law enforcement agencies from deterring crimes such as human trafficking and other related issues. The inquiry into the influx of illegal foreign workers, which Villanueva has been pursuing, established that POGOs are the ultimate destination of these individuals. Data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) showed that 6,678 foreigners had been employed at POGOs without securing an alien employment permit. Villanueva earlier uncovered a scheme at a BI satellite office where personnel there issued special work permits to foreigners within hours for an "unreceipted" fee of P5,000. The BI leadership sacked the entire staff manning the satellite office after an internal investigation confirmed the racket. The lawmaker also introduced a bill to amend Labor Code provisions mandating understudy program in companies employing foreign nationals to facilitate transfer of skills and know-how to Filipino workers. Senate Bill No. 1778, which is up for plenary debates, explicitly states that non-resident foreign aliens seeking employment in the country must obtain an alien employment permit from the DOLE. Villanueva urged the NBI and other law enforcement agencies to continue their efforts in hunting down illegal foreign workers. The BI personnel were tagged as behind the so-called "pastillas" racket where grease money amounting to P10,000 wrapped in white paper were paid to them to facilitate the express entry of foreigners who were going to work at POGO firms. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday supported a claim made by Donald Trump that "thugs" crowded a plane headed for Washington to disrupt the Republican National Committee, saying the Justice Department received "numerous reports" to that end. During a wide-ranging interview on CNN, Mr Barr passionately warned that state officials planning to mail out ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic are "playing with fire" and denied there is systemic racism either in the United States or its police forces. He aslo denied feeling political pressure from the president to shape DOJ investigations to help his political interests. "There were many on planes. We've received multiple reports," Mr Barr said during a contentious interview on CNN. The AG was defending Mr Trump, who made this claim during a Monday night interview on Fox News: "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." The host, Fox News's Laura Ingraham, asked: "Where?" The president replied: "I'll tell you sometime. It's 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 on the plane, to do big damage." Barr: Officials planning mass mail-in voting 'playing with fire' Then the host shot back: "Coming for Washington." The president replied: "Yeah, this is all happening." Mr Trump later said the plane was actually leaving Washington. Kansas State University veterinary researchers Hans Coetzee, left, and Michael Kleinhenz are studying the safety of using industrial hemp in feed for cattle. Credit: Kansas State University A pair of studies at Kansas State University is bringing new insight to farmers and producers seeking to incorporate industrial hemp in cattle feed. After the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production in the U.S., interest has grown in industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity, including as feed for animals. FDA approval, however, through the Association of American Feed Control Officials would be required before hemp could be fed to livestock or pets. "Although hemp can be legally cultivated under license in Kansas, feeding hemp products to livestock remains prohibited because the potential for cannabinoid drug residues to accumulate in meat and milk has not been studied," said Hans Coetzee, professor and head of the anatomy and physiology department in the College of Veterinary Medicine. A team of K-State researchers recently received a $200,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish concentrations of cannabinoids in livestock after exposure to industrial hemp. "Industrial hemp is typically grown to produce oil, seed, fiber and medicines," said Michael Kleinhenz, assistant professor of beef production medicine. "While varieties of hemp may be planted for a single or dual purpose, such as for seed and fiber, byproducts consisting of leaves, fodder and residual plant fibers remain after harvest. These byproducts could serve as potential feedstuffs for animals. Because these are predominantly cellulose-containing plant materials, the ideal species for utilizing these feeds are ruminant animals, specifically cattle." While there is interest in the use of hemp for cattle feeds, there are questions about whether the feed can be used safely because of concerns about tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, intoxication and the presence of other bioactive cannabinoids. Kleinhenz noticed that most research was focused on humans, mice and swine, but not on cattle. Buds from industrial hemp plants that are being studied at Kansas State University for possible use in cattle feed. Credit: Kansas State University "This is surprising because cattle can readily utilize industrial hemp byproducts as they can digest cellulose plant materials in their rumens," Kleinhenz said. Kleinhenz is part of a multidisciplinary research team consisting of pharmacologists, toxicologists, analytical chemists and horticulture experts. The hemp used in the studies was grown at K-State's John C. Pair Horticultural Center near Wichita. Other K-State researchers involved include Geraldine Magnin, Zhoumeng Lin, Steve Ensley, Jason Griffin, Katie E. Kleinhenz, Shawnee Montgomery, Andrew Curtis, Miriam Martin and Coetzee. The research team also included John Goeser and Eva Lynch, Rock River Laboratories. "We observed that the acidic cannabinoids, such as CBDA and THCA, are more readily absorbed from the rumen than other nonacid cannabinoid forms, such as CBD and CBG," Kleinhenz said. "Now that we have found that some cannabinoids are readily absorbed from the rumen, the next steps are to study the tissue and milk residue depletion profiles of these compounds after animal feeding experiments. The effects of cannabinoids on cattle are also unknown." Follow-up experiments will include pilot studies to examine the effect of feeding hemp on animal behavior and immune function. "Our goal is to fill in the knowledge gaps," Kleinhenz said. "Until feedstuffs containing hemp are established as safe in animals, our data will assist producers in managing situations involving intentional or unintentional hemp exposures." The two published studies are "Nutrient concentrations, digestibility, and cannabinoid concentrations of industrial hemp plant components," which can be found in the journal Applied Animal Science, and "Plasma concentrations of eleven cannabinoids in cattle following oral administration of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa)," which was published in Scientific Reports. Explore further Is hemp the same thing as marijuana? More information: Michael D. Kleinhenz et al. Nutrient concentrations, digestibility, and cannabinoid concentrations of industrial hemp plant components, Applied Animal Science (2020). Michael D. Kleinhenz et al. Nutrient concentrations, digestibility, and cannabinoid concentrations of industrial hemp plant components,(2020). DOI: 10.15232/aas.2020-02018 Michael D. Kleinhenz et al. Plasma concentrations of eleven cannabinoids in cattle following oral administration of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa), Scientific Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69768-4 Journal information: Scientific Reports Florida resident Bounty Cheramy, 22, was charged with driving under the influence after he crashed his Mazda into an electronic road sign that said 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' with a BAC level allegedly twice the legal limit A Florida resident was arrested for drunk driving after crashing his car into an electronic road sign that said 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over', officials say. Bounty Cheramy, 22, was arrested early Sunday after he slammed his Mazda into the sign trailer that displayed the Charlotte County Sheriffs Offices campaign against drunk driving. Police found Cheramy outside his car around 12.30am on the Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte. Cheramys car sustained 'heavy front-end damage' in the incident and the roadway sign was knocked over. Cheramy told police he was talking to a friend on the phone when he 'suddenly struck something' but was unsure 'what he had struck or how he was hit', according to the arrest affidavit. Police said he smelled of alcohol and was swaying back and forth and could not focus on the deputys questions, according to The Smoking Gun. 'He was oblivious to the fact that he ran over that sign,' Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Claudette Bennett told NBC 2. 'In this case, the gentleman who was driving had no idea he even hit anything,' she added. Cheramy claimed he had been studying with a friend before getting behind the wheel that night. A view of the electronic roadway sign that Cheramy knocked over above. Cops said that Cheramy smelled of alcohol and didn't know what he hit in the accident Cheramy was given a series of field sobriety tests and took two breath tests, which found blood alcohol content levels at .166 and .161, twice the .08 legal limit in Florida. The Charlotte County Sheriffs Office said they often place drunk driving safety signs in 'problem areas' to educate drivers. He was charged with DUI and DUI damage to property or another person. He was bonded out on $6,000. He is scheduled for arraignment on September 16. The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, on Thursday decided to not consider the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admissions to the five years integrated B.A LL.B(Hons) course for the academic year 2020-21. A notice regarding this decision has been uploaded on the varsitys official website. The University will not accept CLAT 2020 scores for admission to Academic Year 2020-21, reads the notice. The varsity has decided to conduct the National Law Aptitude Test 2020 on September 12, 2020. The examination will be held in an online mode. The decision has been taken because of the repeated postponement of the CLAT 2020 examination. If NLSIU is unable to complete admissions before the end of September 2020 it will inevitably result in a Zero Year with no admission, reads the notice. The online registration process began on Thursday, September 3, 2020, and will end on September 10, 2020. Candidates belonging to the general category are required to pay an application fee of 150, while SC/ST candidates needs to pay 125 as a registration fee. Eligibility Criteria: 1. Candidates must have scored an aggregate percentage of 45% or its equivalent grade in the case of General Category and PWD students in class 12 examination. 2. Candidates should have scored an aggregate percentage of 40% or its equivalent grade in the case of SC/ST in class 12 examination. For more information, candidates are advised to read the official notification. Heres the direct link to apply online. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New moderate income housing program could be on the way to Long Beach TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Downtown Tampa now has access to world-class, convenient medical care at the newest TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track. The new clinic located at 564 Channelside Drive is on the first floor of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Taneja College of Pharmacy and Heart Institute opens September 3. A grand opening is scheduled for the week of September 21. "Tampa General Hospital is elevating healthcare in an innovative way for consumers," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "Tampa General has over 50 convenient locations, including primary care, urgent care, medical imaging and general outpatient centers. We are excited to add another TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track location in the Water Street district, which is a thriving part of Tampa Bay." The new clinic offers board-certified primary care providers treating common illnesses and injuries. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track locations span throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. "All locations offer online reservations and walk-in care, creating a convenient and less costly alternative to the emergency room," said Dr. Daron G. Diecidue, CEO of TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track. "We are delighted to expand services for patients who need us, especially during this global pandemic." The new clinic follows rigorous safety practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, face masks and hand sanitizer are given to patients upon arrival. Employees are required to wear masks and follow strict hygienic procedures set out by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health. Also, patients can schedule a COVID-19 test by making an online fast pass reservation. This process has been established to help with the testing process for people needing it most. The options include rapid tests with results as quick as 15 minutes. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track has achieved Accreditation through the Urgent Care Association (UCA). This is the highest level of distinction for urgent care centers. TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track provides patients with walk in, extended-hour medical attention with license providers for a large scope of medical conditions and have et all the UCA's established standards and criteria for quality of patient care, safety and scope of services. The new clinic is one more way Tampa General Hospital provides patients with high-quality, low-cost, patient-centered care as well as a connection to high-level, acute hospital care for patients with serious and complex illnesses. Tampa General's health system also includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group primary care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 18 outpatient radiology centers. For more information about TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track, call (813) 925-1903 or visit www.fasttrackurgentcare.com Media Contact: Karen Barrera Asst. Director Communications & Partnerships (813) 928-1603 (cell) [email protected] SOURCE Florida Health Sciences Center, Inc. d/b/a Tampa General Hospital Related Links http://www.tgh.org [September 03, 2020] Meharry Medical College Receives Historic $34 Million Gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies to Help Increase Number of Black Doctors and Improve Minority Health Nationwide Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (News - Alert) today announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded $34 million to Meharry Medical College to help increase the number of Black doctors in the U.S. by significantly reducing their debt burden. Over the next four years, the historic gift will provide scholarships for medical students with financial need, many of whom have faced increased financial pressures because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Meharry Medical College community learned of the gift this morning during a virtual announcement hosted by college President and CEO Dr. James E.K. Hildreth that included a video presentation by Mayor Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Current Meharry School of Medicine students with financial need could be eligible for scholarships of up to $100,000 over four years under the gift. The grant also covers "wrap around" services, such as financial counseling for students and resources to track the program's success. "This is a momentous day for Meharry Medical College, our students and the people we serve," said Hildreth. "We could not be more honored to receive this gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies or more excited about what it means for the future of minority health care for generations to come." "Graduates of Meharry overwhelmingly choose to go into primary care so that they can make the largest impact on their communities," Hildreth continued. "But primary care, particularly in rural areas, does not provide the same level of financial security as other medical specialties. This transformative gift will significantly ease the burden of debt for our students, allowing them to make decisions about where and how they practice based on their passion, not a paycheck." Since its founding nearly 150 years ago, Meharry Medical College has been dedicated to a mission of serving the underserved in Middle Tennessee, across the nation and world. The college's commitment to service can be seen throughout its mission-focused curriculum, within its community outreach endeavors and by the work graduates go on to complete throughout their careers. Today, three out of four Meharrians return to urban or rural areas across the country to provide medical care to those most in need. Meharry was one of four historically black medical schools to receive grants announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies totaling $100 million today. In addition to Meharry, Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science were awarded grants that allow the schools to provide scholarships. The grants are the first investment by Bloomberg Philanthropies' Greenwood Initiative, a new effort to accelerate the pace of generational wealth accumulation for Black Americans and address systemic underinvestment in Black communities. The initiative was born out of a commitment Mayor Bloomberg made earlier this year during his campaign for U.S. President. Bloomberg Philanthropies will partner with leaders and organizations across the country to implement, scale and advocate for efforts that increase economic and social mobility-and ultimately create intergenerational wealth for Black people in America. "COVID-19 has been especially devastating for the Black community, and the scarcity of Black doctors practicing in Black communities is one reason for it," said Michael Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg LP. "More Black doctors will mean more Black ives saved and fewer health problems that limit economic opportunity. But right now, the burden of student debt and lack of financial aid means that the shortage of Black doctors could get even worse. During my campaign for president, I proposed a set of bold policies -- which we called the Greenwood Initiative -- to increase generational wealth among Black families and shrink the racial wealth gap. The commitment Bloomberg Philanthropies is making today is just the first step we will take to bring that work to life." Currently only 5 percent of practicing physicians in the United States are Black, yet data shows that Black patients-who are almost three times more likely than white people to contract COVID-19 and twice as likely to die from it-have better outcomes when treated by Black doctors. Across the country, Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to die at nearly every stage of life. Experts cite a variety of factors contributing to this inequity, including pre-existing conditions and lack of access to trusted health care providers. Bloomberg Philanthropies maintains that more Black doctors will lead to more Black lives saved in America, as well as a reduction in the health issues that end up suppressing economic opportunity in Black communities. Although Black doctors are more likely to serve minority patients, and in medically-underserved areas, the devastating economic impact of COVID-19 threatens to worsen existing disparities, potentially preventing current students with financial need from completing their degrees or forcing graduates to pick specialties that offer higher pay in the interest of paying off their medical school debt. Ultimately, the pandemic could slow the placement of Black doctors in communities with the most need and significantly limit the ability of historically Black medical schools-which have produced as many Black medical school graduates over the last 10 years as the top 10 non-HBCUs with the highest number of Black graduates-to meet increased demand for financial assistance. "We are extremely grateful to Mayor Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their recognition of the need for more Black doctors across our country," said Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Meharry Patrick H. Johnson. "A major gift like this shines a light on the significant gaps within our health care system and the need for widespread support and investment in the institutions and individuals who will help reduce these disparities. For years to come, Meharrians will mark this day as a historic moment for our college, when our work was broadly recognized for its impact on the greater world." About Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College, founded in 1876, is the nation's largest private, independent historically black academic health sciences center dedicated to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation's health professions workforce. Meharry is a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences. Visit www.mmc.edu to learn more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005601/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The prominent civil right advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of practicing dangerous apartheid policy through the demolition of houses of the poor and the flagrant abuses of the Abuja master plan by allocating lands in Green Areas to his political friends and stooges in Abuja. Besides, the Rights group has condemned as despicable, outrageous, uncivil, wicked and reprehensible the evil policy of hiking the rates of electricity supply and pump price of premium motor spirit simultaneously at the time that most Nigerians have lost their means of livelihood due to the covid-19 lockdown and the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to provide humanitarian assistance due largely to the systemic and massive corruption by officials at the ministry for humanitarian Affairs and disaster management. The Rights group said even when President Muhammadu Buhari read out his inauguration speech last May and stated that THERE are over 100 million citizens in Nigeria, his administration has ended up inflicting pains, penury and agony on a massive scale on Nigerians through the recent rash of anti people actions and policy implementation. HURIWA said it was foolhardy for government to hike the purchasing prices of commodities when other nations of the World including even capitalist nation's like the USA and UK are implementing different types of relief packages and funding aides to businesses in the formal and informal sectors of the economy to keep them operational irrespective of the vicissitudes of the Covid-19 PANDEMIC and it's attendant consequences on businesses. HURIWA has therefore canvassed civil protests by Nigerians to reject these enslaving policies of government because all other organised trade union groups and notable Civil Rights bodies have either been bribed to shut up or cajoled with the threats of company and Allied matters toxic 2020 amendment Act because most of these civil Rights groups and trade union bodies may have some skeletons in their pockets. Best bet is for Nigerians not to suffer and smile but to protest against these burdens imposed on the suffering and oppressed masses by government which has transformed from government that should govern to the new slave drivers. The oppressed masses should know that it is better to protest at the risks of arrest by the security forces than to be afraid, keep quiet and die in silence. Any government that has failed to provide funding assistance in this perilous period of health emergency but has instead chosen to over tax the people, has lost its legitimacy to govern. On the demolition of houses of the poor in Abuja, HURIWA said President Buhari is waging economic war of attrition against the poor at the time that the FCT ministers are allocating lands in the hitherto Green Areas to their stooges in total disregard to the environmental master Plan of FCT thereby exposing Abuja residents to predictable environmental hazards of floods and environmental disasters of unprecedented proportions. What is going on now in Abuja is same with the apartheid policy in South Africa just before the new South Africa introduced a new constitution which recognises right to housing as s human right. In Nigeria, the poor are made homeless and the rich helped by the oppressors wearing the garb of a government to basterdize the master plan. HURIWA wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari adopted apartheid typed housing policy of rendering poor people homeless without providing alternative shelters and the National Assembly members are all after their pockets to ratify their insatiable appetite for quick money rather than make necessary legislation to ensure that RIGHT TO ADEQIATE HOUSING FOR THE POOR IS MADE A CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION JUST LIKE IN SOUTH AFRICA. HURIWA cited South African constitution recognizing right to housing as binding thus: The right to adequate housing is an important basic human right which is recognised in the Constitution and International human rights instruments. Housing provides shelter from the elements, a place to eat, sleep, relax and raise a family. The right to adequate housing ensures that people enjoy physical and mental health and live in a safe place in peace and dignity. Human rights are indivisible and interdependent, so the rights to adequate housing cannot be separated from the other rights such as sanitation, water, education, and healthcare. The right to housing is also inextricably linked to broader developments in the economy, labour markets, migration, demographic and other trends, which affect access to housing. failure to realise these rights and provide socio-economic goods and amenities in turn compromise the progressive realisation of the right to housing. "The right to housing is enshrined in section 26 of the Constitution of South Africa, which state that:1. Everyone has a right to have access to adequate housing.2. The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of this right.3. No one may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances. No legislation may permits arbitrary evictions. HURIWA accused President Muhammadu Buhari of disrespecting the relevant sections of the Constitution by churning out scorched earth policy of inflicting exorbitant rates and pump price of essential supplies as against what section 13, 14(1)(2)(a)(b)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution which provides thus: It shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government, and of all authorities and person, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers, to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter of this Constitution.The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State base on the principles of democracy and social justice.It is hereby, accordingly, declared that-a. sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its power and authority;b. the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government; and, c. The participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (R) with NASDAQ president Michael Splinter in New York City on July 12, 2019. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) US to Move Ahead With Taiwan Trade Deal, Expects Beijings Ire WASHINGTONAs the United States moves forward with talks toward a bilateral trade deal with Taiwan, the State Department is expecting backlash from the Chinese regime, while hoping for the best. The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of retaliating against other countrys decisions that involve what it deems as threats to its power. The regimes response to a U.S.Taiwan deal would be all about Beijings decision matrix, said David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs. But, our job is to obviously think through what those are and anticipate them, Stilwell said in response to a question by The Epoch Times during a media call on Sept. 2. If you look at the language from the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act the economic relationship, cultural exchanges, all those things are fully allowed. Theres nothing that prohibits those things. And so there should be no lash back. The efforts to increase prosperity between the two countries should have no effect. Taiwan opened the door on Aug. 28, when President Tsai Ing-wen announced she would move to lift restrictions on imports of U.S. pork and beef. This decision is based on our national economic interests and consistent with our overall strategic goals for the future, Tsai said in a translated statement. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the news. This move opens the door for even deeper economic and trade cooperation, Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Aug. 28. Keith Krach, the State Departments under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment, is set to begin talks with Taiwan to look for further trade opportunities. Currently, the United States maintains a robust, nondiplomatic relationship with Taiwan, and supplies the island with military weapons and equipment for its self-defense against Beijing, which has threatened to forcibly annex the self-ruled island. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited Taiwan in early August to sign a cooperative agreement on health. Beijing postured by flying fighter jets across the unofficial airspace boundary in the Taiwan Strait before Azars visit; Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the visit and threatened firm countermeasures in response to the U.S. wrong move. Azar is the highest-level U.S. cabinet official to visit the island since 1979the year the United States severed official diplomatic ties with the island, in deference to Beijing. The Trump administration has been vocal about moving supply chains away from China, especially for products involving technology and pharmaceuticals. In May, Taiwan chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said it plans to build a US$12 billion factory in Arizona. Tsai anticipates that the lifting of U.S. beef and pork import restrictions will pave the way to bigger things. In the future, we can develop a more dynamic and vigorous economic and trade strategy, she said. For industries, especially traditional industries, that have been impacted over the past two years by the U.S.China trade conflict and the pandemic, this is an important opportunity. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for further details of the trade talks. Frank Fang and Alan McDonnell contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 15:45 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4283ec9 1 World UK,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,data,Lapor-COVID-19,funding,British-embassy Free The United Kingdom has provided financial support for Indonesian volunteer group LaporCOVID-19 to improve the platforms capabilities in data collection and information dissemination in Jakarta, the countrys epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. LaporCOVID-19 and the British Embassy in Jakarta launched the joint project, worth 56,178 pounds (US$74,700), on Thursday. It is their second project together, following their collaboration with the East Java administration launched on July 3. This project is part of the British Embassys Digital Access Program and will be implemented in collaboration with the Jakarta administration. Together with LaporCOVID-19, the city has agreed to develop the Pandemic Vulnerability Index (PVI) to highlight the density and mobility in each subdistrict as a follow up of a risk perception study released by LaporCOVID-19 in Jakarta. Read also: NGOs, volunteers take part in health education initiatives for COVID-19 LaporCOVID-19 cofounder Irma Hidayana extended her appreciation for Jakarta, which she said was one of the most progressive regions for COVID-19 data transparency an important aspect for policymakers and the public to understand and respond to the pandemic. [This project] is intended to offer a visual model of the current pandemic communication that easily explains complex scientific data and information for Jakartans, Irma said in a statement on Thursday. British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins said Indonesia could learn from the experiences of the UK, which had set out the multiple steps to easing lockdown through a new monitoring system of alerts. The UK system works on a scale of one to five with specific indicators, ranging from a low to critical threat level. Learning from the experience, data-based indicators are an important consideration for the government in fighting COVID-19. Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba had a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Poland Zbigniew Rau yesterday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministrys press service reported. In particular, the misters discussed the preparations for Polish President Andrzej Dudas visit to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which should further promote political cooperation and serve an opportunity to reach new agreements on a wide range of issues on the agenda of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland. Dmytro Kuleba pointed out the importance of utilizing every opportunity and platform available in order to promote economic and trade cooperation between Ukraine and Poland in spite of the ongoing COVID pandemic and its negative impact on the economies of both countries. The Ministers endorsed the urgent need to set in the coming weeks a date for a meeting of the Ukrainian-Polish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, reads the report. In addition, the ministers stated about a common commitment to continue positively seeking solutions to the shared cultural and historical issues. iy Former Santa Ana city councilwoman Michele Martinez was involved in the debate to cut the police budget only to have it be foiled by a police union backlash. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) For immigrant rights activist Hairo Cortes, the Santa Ana jail stood as a monument to oppression. In a city with a large Latino population, elected leaders had turned it into a detention center for immigrants in the country illegally. The jail became a rallying cry for a political reform movement that eventually led the Santa Ana City Council to phase out immigrant detention at the facility, improve police accountability and spend more money on badly needed community services. In many ways, the effort foreshadowed what is happening in Los Angeles and other cities around the country as protesters call for an end to police brutality and sweeping social reforms. But Santa Ana offers a cautionary tale for the "defund the police" movement, one that underscores the fragile nature of such reforms even in predominantly working-class, non-white cities. What happened in the short time following activists' victories, Cortes now says, was a sobering reality check. The nationwide call to cut police budgets has been fueled by massive street protests against racism and police violence a historic reckoning prompted by the death of George Floyd, a Black man, under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. The city of Los Angeles has voted to slash its police budget by $150 million, taking the force to under 10,000 officers, a staffing figure that had been the goal of city leaders for decades. And Minneapolis has started the process of dismantling its police department altogether. Its like deja vu," former Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez said of the mood this summer. The seeds of political revolution in the Orange County city sprouted nearly a decade ago nurtured primarily by a generation of young immigrants who lacked legal status but were able to attend college when a change in California law allowed them pay in-state tuition. While at Santa Ana College, Cortes joined an immigrants rights group and helped organize a 2014 sit-in at the Washington D.C. office of then-Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), demanding she ask President Obama to halt deportations. Story continues In Santa Ana, Cortes and his colleagues sought to raise awareness about the city's jail contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The issue caught fire with residents who had never before engaged their city government. "For people who were hearing that the city had a detention center, it was like, 'Why? How?' said the 27-year-old Cortes, who came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 7. At the same time, a generation of immigrants was finding its political voice, the California Endowment a nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving public health was working to address stark inequalities in the city. The foundation focused on an area that encompassed about 91,000 residents and found that 42% of the adults in Santa Ana lacked health insurance. Generally, people faced hurdles to accessing healthy food, housing and education. Activists sponsored by the project were organizing residents to lobby the city council for more park land, city-funded market spaces for Latino merchants, neighborhood micro-farms and developments with more affordable housing. Over the years they marked several achievements. The council voted to build a community center close to downtown, increase overall park space in the city and create a fund to provide legal services to immigrants, as well as enact government transparency measures in a new city law dubbed the "sunshine ordinance." But the watershed moment for activists was the end of the contract with ICE to hold detainees at the city jail. In 2006, following a precipitous drop in crime, city leaders entered into a contract with ICE to house immigrants facing possible deportation. A decade later, according to a city staff report, the jail held 239 detainees for ICE. It became a flashpoint in the struggle for political influence between the Santa Ana Police Officers Assn. intent on preserving the jobs of dozens of correctional officers and activists. Amid intense lobbying from activists, the council in February 2016 backtracked on a proposal to expand the number of beds available to ICE for transgender detainees and instead directed the city manager to find ways to pay the jail debt without revenue from the contract. Activists celebrated the victory on the steps of city hall, and planned their next move calling on the council to terminate the contract ahead of its 2020 expiration date. "It felt like a big win," Cortes said. The police budget continued to grow year-over-year, which included previously negotiated raises for officers, but council members rejected union requests for more generous pay increases. Martinez, who served on the council from 2006 until she was termed out in 2018, recalled that she and her colleagues were motivated by the demands of activists to fund other community improvements. The council also backed a police chief who was cracking down on officer misconduct. Among the police ranks, resentment was growing. Santa Ana officers installed a new union president, Gerry Serrano, a no-nonsense cop who accused the council of ignoring the city's "silent majority." In the November 2016 election, the union's political action committee spent more than $400,000, public filings show. The election came as the city was experiencing a surge in shootings. Santa Ana saw 23 homicides that year, nearly double the previous year. "Violent crime was up. Shootings were up. And the council majority was tone deaf to it," Serrano said. Voters elected two new council members supported by the union, Juan Villegas and Jose Solorio, and reelected longtime Mayor Miguel Pulido, who was also backed by the officers association. A few months after the new council was installed, Police Chief Carlos Rojas resigned. He filed a lawsuit claiming that Serrano had made offers campaign support in exchange for backing his firing that at least one councilman considered to be attempted bribery. The city, which denied the allegations in court filings, settled the suit in 2018 and agreed to pay Rojas $350,000. In an interview with The Times, Serrano said the suit's accusations were "political rhetoric" and "pandering to try to delegitimize public safety." Despite the election setback, activists celebrated again in late 2016 when the council galvanized by Donald Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric during his presidential campaign voted to push forward with ending the ICE contract by reducing the number of beds available to the agency. Afterward, ICE voluntarily terminated its contract. In 2018, the police union political action committee again spent heavily to help elect two more council members, cementing the union's influence at City Hall. Shortly after, the new council granted officers a generous package of raises. The police department, after years of reductions, went on a hiring spree, adding 50 officers. This year, the officers union spent heavily on a special election that successfully recalled Councilwoman Cecilia Iglesias, who had voted against across the board raises for police. Today, city leaders backed by the police union note that killings and other violent crimes have dropped since 2016 and officers are responding to 911 calls faster. We have a lot to be proud of in achieving our goal of making Santa Ana a safer community, Solorio said. Some of the activists' past accomplishments have survived the reform backlash. The city has more park space than it did a decade ago. The community center remains open. Artists have started moving into an affordable housing complex. But there's a sense among activists that progress has been halted and a realization that electing allies to the council is central to cementing long-term change. "The main lesson is that our community needs to build strong political power," said Carlos Perea, an immigrant rights activist. Cortes runs a nonprofit, CHISPA, dedicated to helping Latinos engage in the political process. At least one candidate who activists supported won in a recent school board election, but their favored candidates have yet to win a city council seat. At a meeting in July, the council majority scrapped a plan to slash the city fund for legal services. But they also rebuffed activists' calls to cut the police budget deciding instead to increase police funding by another $3 million. Report: COVID-19 Now is The Third Leading Cause of Death Among Black People Americas economic situation has substantially deteriorated since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, and families across race and ethnicity feel the pain, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution, which notes that the coronavirus now stands as the third leading cause of death among African Americans. If I told you on January 1 that a new virus that we did not even know about would, in August, be the third leading cause of death for Black Americans, our hair should have been set on fire and we would have an extensive public policy response to this unprecedented pandemic, noted Trevon Logan, professor of economics at the Ohio State University. ADVERTISEMENT Logan co-authored the report titled, The Hamilton Project, Racial Economic Inequality Amid the COVID-19 Crisis, with Bradley L. Hardy of the American University in Northwest, Washington D.C. In 2020, more Black Americans will die of COVID-19 than will succumb to diabetes, strokes, accidents, or pneumonia. In fact, COVID-19 is currently the third leading cause of death for African Americans, Logan and Hardy concluded. Among the reasons for the disparity is that African Americans are more than twice as likely as the average worker to be employed in the healthcare support service industry, which has been decimated by COVID-19 in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. African Americans are also significantly overrepresented in the personal care and service and food preparation industries, which are disproportionately essential worker industries, the authors discovered. Black Americans also comprise more than a quarter of the meatpacking industrys frontline workforce, which has seen several outbreaks of COVID-19. Among those out of the labor force, the outbreak of the virus among the incarcerated has a disproportionate racial impact as well, given the overrepresentation of African Americans in the prison population, Logan and Hardy wrote. Additionally, on average, African Americans share their living quarters with more people. While only 48 percent of white households have three or more members, more than 58 percent of Black households do, the authors noted, citing a 2013 Pew Research Center study. ADVERTISEMENT This increases the scope for exposure to COVID-19 in living quarters for Black households. For nearly all of the health conditions that increase the likelihood of serious COVID-19 complications, African Americans have higher rates of prevalence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Logan and Hardy said. For example, African Americans are more likely to have cancer, be obese, have diabetes, and have kidney disease relative to white Americans. African Americans also have higher rates of lung disease than White Americans, which is particularly pertinent for respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19. Death rates among African Americans due to diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and obesity are all higher than among White Americans, according to the CDC. The authors summarized the report by noting that Americas economic situation has substantially deteriorated since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross domestic product fell at an annualized rate of 32.9 percent from April to the end of June 2020. Its the most significant decline on record. Families across race and ethnicity are feeling the pain, but African Americans are generally in an even weaker position to absorb this economic adversity, the authors said. Further, Black families face a range of economic risks without the buffer from stable employment, adequate earnings, or sufficient savings and wealth accumulation. Amid substantial economic and policy uncertainty, there is the potential for this crisis to have negative, long-term economic and educational consequences. COVID-19 has exposed and further highlighted existing racial inequality across economic and health status, the authors wrote. They continued: As a result, these preexisting factors have left many Black families at greater risk to bear the consequences of this historic economic crisis. Inadequate, additional federal economic relief, such as legislation that does not provide enough unemployment assistance and supplements to the safety net, potentially threatens Black families economic security. Ultimately, robust, reliable fiscal policy responses to the crisis will help to reduce the negative impacts of the pandemic on families. If the economic and public health crisis continues at its current pace, many American families will require such assistance, including a disproportionate share of Black families. The Ministry of Finance has explained that the increasing cost of servicing the national debt in recent times is due to the shock brought about by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has caused revenues to fall substantially. It said although the pandemic had dragged revenue down, debt service cost, which refers to the payment of due portions of loans (amortisation) and the interest, remained high, resulting in a higher ratio when debt service cost was compared with total revenue. The ministrys response followed analysis that showed that the ratio of debt service cost to total revenue and grants had risen to 89.1 per cent in June this year. The countrys debt stock currently stands at GH258.4 billion. The Ministry of Finance plans to reduce that to 71.6 per cent. Corrective measures In a response to Daily Graphic enquiries on the debt situation and its impact on the economy, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Charles Adu Boahen, outlined a series of measures that the ministry was pursuing to help bring the cost down. He said the ministry "recognises the relative increases in debt service burden in 2020, as against the original forecast in the 2020 Budget". Low-cost debts Having identified the challenge, he said, the ministry had rolled out a number of solutions to help reverse the trend and reduce its impact on the economy. They included the use of low-cost debts to retire comparatively costly ones, the development of a robust domestic debt market to create space for low-cost debts and an increased resort to bilateral and multilateral sources for loans, he said. Debt management The deputy minister said the governments debt management strategy included borrowing at least cost and at a prudent level of risk. That was consistent with the liability management strategy, where new debts were secured at cheaper costs to replace cheaper ones, he said. Consequently, Mr Adu Boahen said, an updated strategy document would be published soon to reflect the mid-year budget. The government was also in the process of reviewing the Primary Dealer guidelines and system to ensure the development of the domestic market, he explained, and added: This will ensure that we will be able to mobilise domestic funding at a lower cost. He said the government was also engaging more external funding from bilateral and multilateral institutions, noting that those were cheaper sources but they had been dwindling over the past years because the country attained a lower-middle-income status. Debt sustainability Commenting on the current debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 67 per cent, the deputy minister said the development was a "reflection of COVID-19s temporary reduction in revenue, one-off increased expenditures to save lives and livelihoods and a temporary reduction in GDP". "When you calibrate all these, the result of the 2020 COVID-19 Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) shows that Ghanas debt distress remains the same as the results from the 2019 DSA. "The results indicate that the debt under the COVID-19 pandemic is sustainable but high," Mr Adu Boahen said. He said the prospects for debt sustainability were also bolstered by the structuring of the GH100 billion Ghana Coronavirus Alleviation & Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) programme. The Deputy Finance Minister said the ministry expected the programme to stabilise the economy this year and revitalise it over the medium term. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Maharashtra recorded its biggest daily jump of over 17,400 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, pushing its tally to 8,25,739. On Tuesday, the state saw 15,765 new cases and 320 fatalities, taking its tally to 8,08,306. It took the state seven days to get to 8 lakh from 7 lakh infections. According to a report in The Times of India, with these new figures, Maharashtra's caseload is greater than that of Peru, the fifth most-hit country. As on September 1, the South American nation had 6,57,129 coronavirus cases. Maharashtra's active cases breached the 2 lakh-mark on Wednesday while the toll crossed 25,000 with the addition of 292 fatalities. The state toll constitutes 38% of deaths in India. In what may be a cause of concern, the states positivity rate has increased to 19% after it saw a decline two weeks ago. Top government officials told the publication that after a small decline in the coronavirus positivity rate two weeks ago, the positivity rate is now again at 19.2%. This shows the prevalence of the infection and with the addition of a large number of new cases, recovery rate has stagnated to 72.4%, a senior official was quoted as saying. Out of the 292 coronavirus deaths that the state recorded on Wednesday, 201 were added in the last two days alone, 55 in the last week and 36 from the period prior to that, data released by the state government showed. On Wednesday, Pune circle saw more than 4,700 Covid-19 infections and 58 fatalities whereas Mumbai circle, recorded 4,553 cases and 81 deaths. The cumulative cases in the MMR stand at 3.4 lakh, while Pune circle has 2.1 lakh infections and 5,314 deaths. Kolhapur division has reported 42,788 cases and 1,278 deaths. Aurangabad division has reported 31,990 cases and 931 deaths. While Latur division has reported 26,823 cases and 794 deaths, Akola division has registered 17,983 cases and 473 deaths. Meanwhile, Nagpur division 36,764 cases and 830 deaths. Public health minister Rajesh Tope told ToI that there is a greater focus on the Pune region and that Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was closely overseeing the situation prevailing in Pune. ...Ulhasnagar city reported 24 fresh cases, taking its tally to 7,857, with 230 deaths. Presently in Ulhasnagar, out of 7,857 patients, 7,216 patients have recovered while 411are active. At Bhiwandi, where cases are under control, 33 fresh cases were reported, taking the total to 4,252, with 286 deaths. Beds are being added and aggressive testing being carried out in the district, Tope was quoted as saying. As many as 757 people from other states have been treated in Maharashtra, including 72 who died. A Miami high school junior, 16, has been arrested following a wave of cyber attacks on the county's public schools computer network, which left students and teachers unable to access virtual learning set up for the start of the school year. David Oliveros, a student at South Miami Senior High, confessed to using an online application to carry out an attack on the Miami-Dade County Public School (MDCPS) computer network, according to authorities. Oliveros also admitted to being behind eight different attacks that overwhelmed the district's computer networks, the police report said. Police believe other attackers are still at large after MDCPS, the largest school district in Florida and fourth-largest in the country, was hit by at least 14 attacks following its virtual start to the semester Monday. The district superintendent said he is now considering axing the new online learning system altogether and Republican Senator Marco Rubio has asked the Department of Homeland Security for an intelligence briefing over the incident. Scroll down for video A Miami high school junior, 16, has been arrested following a wave of cyber attacks on the county's public schools computer network, which left students and teachers unable to access virtual learning set up for the start of the school year. Pictured South Miami Senior High where David Oliveros is a student MDCPS, which serves 275,000 students and is using virtual learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, suffered two distributed denial of service attacks on Monday and Tuesday in which a software glitch blocked access to the district's servers. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho then announced the district had been hit by another 12 separate cyber attacks on Wednesday morning, some local and some from outside of the US. The attacks completely overwhelmed the systems, including virtual learning system My School Online. The fifth attack alone prevented more than 170,000 students and teachers from logging into the system. No personal data was stolen in any of the attacks. District officials scrambled to minimize disruption to students' learning as much as possible and students in grades 6-12 were moved to different systems Thursday. An investigation was launched involving Miami Dade Schools Police Department, the FBI, the Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said it was 'disheartening' to learn a student was behind the attacks Police said Thursday detectives tracked down one of the culprits - Oliveros - by tracing an IP address responsible for the attacks back to the 16-year-old. He has been charged with the third-degree felony of computer use in an attempt to defraud and the second-degree misdemeanor of interference with an educational institution. Oliveros is being held in the Juvenile Assessment Center. MDSPD Chief Edwin Lopez said he believes other perpetrators are still out there and warned them 'we will find you' MDSPD Chief Edwin Lopez said he believes other perpetrators are still out there and issued a warning to them that 'we will find you'. 'We believe, based upon our investigation, that other attackers are out there,' said Lopez. 'We will not rest until every one of them is caught and brought to justice. Cyberattacks are serious crimes, which have far-reaching negative impacts. 'Our message to anyone thinking of attempting a criminal act like this is to think twice. We will find you.' District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said it was 'disheartening' to learn a student was behind the attacks. 'It is disheartening that one of our own students has admitted to intentionally causing this kind of disruption, however, I am confident that the M-DCPS family will continue to show its resilience and commitment to education, in the face of adversity,' he said. He said he is now considering scrapping the online learning system following the attacks. The district was conducting classes virtually through MSO, a virtual learning platform run by education tech giant K12. Pictured: An error screen indicates that the district's virtual learning platform isn't functioning correctly Carvalho watches a teacher conduct a class online. Republican Sen. Rubio requested a briefing with the Department of Homeland Security on cybersecurity following the attacks because it relates to school districts The platform went down nationally on Wednesday and many teachers and students complained about not being able to see their classes. The Florida Education Association said it had warned the district not to use the system prior to its rollout, reported Miami CBS Local. 'All of the signatures on this side are there with the exception of my personal and final original signature,' Carvalho said of the $15 million contract on Wednesday. The district has until September 11 to decide whether students in grades 6-12 will return to using and whether grades Pre-K-5 will continue using the K12 platform. Dr. Steve Gallon, Vice Chair of the school board, described the attacks as 'an utter fail'. 'We've had these cyber attacks previously but they've never come to point out shutter an entire school system,' he said. 'There's no question that the K-12 from training through implementation, thought course uploads, and most importantly allowing access to parents has been an utter fail. It's been an utter fail. It's been an utter fail.' Republican Sen. Rubio requested a briefing with the Department of Homeland Security on cybersecurity following the attacks because it relates to school districts. Torontos public board will move more than 700 teachers from their classrooms to work online given about 14,000 students have opted for remote learning because of COVID-19. With just two weeks to go before classes start, Director of Education Carlene Jackson emailed trustees to tell them about 79 per cent of teens or 57,000 will return in person, about 21 per cent will learn from home in the virtual school and that changes to staffing and timetables are now in the works. The change means that a high school with 1,000 students would lose 15 of its 50 teachers to online learning something local union President Leslie Wolfe called unprecedented. The breadth of system reorganization that will be required to staff the virtual school is unprecedented, Wolfe said in a memo to members. The (Toronto District School Board) has not invoked the reallocation process since 2012, and at no time in TDSB history have we ever approached the immensity of the staffing adjustments that are required this year, a result of the remote learning option for all students, she wrote. Jackson told trustees that while the board has extra funding from both the provincial and federal governments to be used for staffing, it is not enough to maintain current staff compliments at each secondary school, while also fully staffing a virtual school with thousands of students and lowering elementary class sizes. She acknowledged that the timelines to do this are quite short and thanked administrators for the heavy lifting that is needed over the upcoming days. Torontos public high schools reopen Sept. 15, and students will study two classes at a time for about two months in the quadmester system, with those opting for in-person learning attending school every other morning for almost four hours, then returning home for live online class in the afternoon. For the virtual high school, staff who have requested a workplace accommodation to work online will be given priority, followed by teachers who prefer to work virtually and then others, based on subject specialty and seniority. There will also be a ripple effect for teachers working in schools, who may find themselves moved to another location to ensure appropriate levels of staffing at all of the TDSB bricks and mortar sites as well, Wolfe said. Meanwhile, NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles has appealed to the provinces ombudsman for an urgent and independent review of the governments back-to-school plans given parents concerns about elementary class sizes in particular and physical distancing requirements. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford said that Ontario has the safest, most cautious plan in the entire country, and its been vetted by everyone we could possibly think of. The provinces four teacher unions have launched a challenge with the labour relations board for improved conditions for their members, in particular smaller classes. Ford, however, said if youre asking me who am I going to listen to some of the best doctors, health, mind, science in the entire country or some head of some teachers union that wants to fight with every single government that God ever created? Theyre playing politics. Were pulling out all the stops. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 CAIRO As war raged in Libya last winter, a dozen world leaders gathered in Berlin to talk peace. The contradictions surrounding the conference were no secret: Many of the global leaders who pledged to end foreign meddling in Libyas conflict were themselves fueling it. Even so, few expected the hypocrisy would be so blatant. As leaders posed for a group photo with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Jan. 19, having signed a pledge to respect the arms embargo on Libya, at least five cargo airplanes filled with weapons from the United Arab Emirates and Russia were cruising across the skies of North Africa, bound for the battlefields of Libya. Details of the secret, embargo-busting flights are contained in a confidential report to be presented to a panel of the Security Council on Friday. Such breaches are nothing new in Libya, where even U.N. officials call the embargo a joke. But the sheer scale of violations so far this year, combined with the volume of advanced weaponry now circulating inside the country, are a cause of growing international alarm. Using flight data, ship records and other tools, investigators show that egregious violations by leaders who flout the embargo with seeming abandon have reached new levels. A Florida public school district will allow teachers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to return to school and teach if they are asymptomatic, according to a policy change Tuesday. Polk County Public Schools is reporting 12 cases of COVID-19 connected to Lakeland High School and Harrison School for the Arts, which share a campus, according to the district's online dashboard. The shocking policy change comes after reports that dozens of teachers and nearly 300 students are under quarantine at the schools, but the district hasn't released an official number on how many people are quarantined. '[Teachers] will have the option of continuing to work or can self-quarantine if they have concerns, Kenny Kennedy with Polk County Public Schools media relations said in a statement to News Channel 8. Florida's Polk County Public Schools district will allow teachers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to return to school and teach if they're asymptomatic. The decision comes as 12 cases of COVID-19 have been reported connected to Lakeland High School and Harrison School for the Arts, which share a campus 'If they continue working, these teachers must also monitor their temperature and symptoms, practice social distancing and have their work areas cleaned more frequently,' he added. Teachers who live with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus are required to self-quarantine. Six new COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday involved people under quarantine, the district said in an email to parents. Outgoing school board member Billy Townsend said he believes the policy was changed because too many teachers were being placed under quarantine. 'Rather than just be honest about that and say that directly, they put out this nonsense about protecting peoples safety. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with capacity,' he said. Townsend said to The Ledger he heard that 25 teachers and approximately 300 students are quarantined at Lakeland High School and Harrison School for the Arts. School board member Billy Townsend says he heard that 25 teachers and approximately 300 students are quarantined from Lakeland High School and Harrison School for the Arts, but officials haven't released a number of how many people are quarantined 'Its really messed up. Youre taking a risk with other peoples lives. Its wrong,' Lakeland high school student Perla Cruz said The district said Tuesday that the schools have 'relocated some students to the gymnasium so they could spread out and (be) supervised while continuing to do their work' as teachers are out being quarantined The move has enraged parents and students alike who say they're putting people at risk. 'Its really messed up. Youre taking a risk with other peoples lives. Its wrong,' Lakeland high school student Perla Cruz said. 'They open the school and I get it you take measurements for students to not get sick, but they still get sick,' she added. On Tuesday district and school officials said in an email to parents that the Florida Department of Health in Polk County has directed certain individuals to self-quarantine, forcing a number of teachers to temporarily leave campus. The district also said Tuesday that the schools have 'relocated some students to the gymnasium so they could spread out and (be) supervised while continuing to do their work.' 'This was done as a temporary measure while we have teachers out on quarantine. Some teachers have been able to continue working remotely while on quarantine.' Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum said shes trying to make quarantine figures public. She said: 'The public has a right to know and we have a right to know so that we can help best keep our members safe' Polk Education Association President Stephanie Yocum said shes trying to make quarantine figures public. She said: 'The public has a right to know and we have a right to know so that we can help best keep our members safe. Weve put in several requests. Theyve gotten back with us saying were working on it but then they direct us to their website.' Yocum believes the new quarantine policy puts teachers and students at risk. 'Youre telling somebody that could have been exposed, you just keep exposing yourself to other people and possibly spreading the infection and well wait until youre symptomatic,' she said. Today there are more than 6million cases of the virus and more than 185,000 deaths from it across the US. In Florida there have been 637,013 total cases and 11,650 deaths from the virus. Justice Taiwo Taiwo has recused himself from a suit challenging the qualification of Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Sept. 19 governorship election in Edo State. Mr Taiwo, a judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, withdrew from the case on Thursday following a petition filed against him by one of the lawyers in the APC legal team. The judge decried the attempt by the lawyer to call his integrity to question and maliciously tarnish his image. As judges and lawyers in the temple of justice, it is our duty to protect the integrity of the court and that of the judiciary. SEE ALSO: It is disturbing to receive a petition from a party in the suit seeking for the transfer of the case; The contents of the said petition are wicked and unsubstantiated. It is very disturbing that counsel would write this petition and even back it with an affidavit. According to the judge, it is not only coronavirus that has become a pandemic, the spate at which politicians write petitions against judges should be declared a pandemic and should be checked. He said it was unfortunate that judges could not respond to petitions against them through the media. He, however, maintained that he had no affiliation, personal or political with any of the parties in the case. Some senior lawyers in the matter distanced themselves from the petition, and appealed to the judge to take the petition as one of the hazards of the profession. The judge subsequently remitted the case file to the Chief Judge of the court, John Tsoho, for reassignment to another judge. The APC had, in a separate petition two weeks ago, raised objections to the speedy hearing of the suit seeking the disqualification of its governorship candidate from the Edo election. The plaintiffs, led by Mr Momoh Abdul-Razak, sued the APC, Ize-Iyamu, INEC and Audu Ganiyu praying for an order of the court to stop Ize-Iyamus participation in the election on account of alleged ineligibility. I recently hosted a conversation between Investec's lead digital content producer, Ingrid Booth and head of Marketing, Corporate & Institutional Banking, Ann Muthuma to find out their thinking around the value of content marketing and the evolving role of content or media in the marketing function within Investec, as a case in point, and the greater industry. Ingrid Booth, lead digital content producer at Investec Ann Muthuma, head of Marketing, Corporate & Institutional Banking at Investec We havent necessarily worn a marketing lens. Weve worn a human lens, and I think thats whats worked. It would have been the worst time to do a hard product push, but content marketing in itself is much more of a long-term game, where youre building trust and loyalty with your clients and prospects. And when theyre ready to make that decision about who they want to bank with, then weve already built up that relationship with our content. To provide some context, Investecs content marketing or publishing platform, Focus launched about three years ago and is run by a team of in-house journalists, and incorporates various thought leaders across the organisation to produce content that is engaging, relevant and adds value to its clients and prospects.Booth said that over the last few months, they've really ramped up their content offering and particularly their efforts in helping their clients navigate the crisis and now theyre looking at beyond Covid, such as the future of work and the economic impact on various industries.Looking back to when we went under lockdown at the end of March, she says April was a record month in terms of traffic and the number of articles that were going out. We really went into overdrive producing content We were seeing massive engagement rates on the platform. People were spending up to 20 minutes looking at our webcast, we had an average time of 9 minutes on the site, and so there was this real hunger for content. They also noticed an upsurge in interest when it came to longer-form content and listening to podcasts, she added.Investec has been steering some content initiatives to assist economically active citizens to make sense of recent events, such as their Road to Economic Recovery webcast series and Women Behind the Mask initiative . Muthuma tells us how these conversations came about and how the bank is using content to educate the new consumer to help move South Africa forward, rather than focusing on selling at this stage.With regard to their Road to Economic Recovery webcast, Muthuma said they thought to engage various stakeholders to discuss South Africas scenarios for the future to help map out a road to economic recovery. And they applied their learnings to their Women Behind the Mask initiative, which they launched in August to showcase women in business making a difference and discussions on how women can help each other build back better.For Muthuma, its about having real, day-to-day conversations, talking about what really matters to their clients or prospects and in a relatable and accessible way. I think whats different now with content is that people are keen to hear what others are saying, especially if they're trustworthy, if theyre being real, if theyre not just giving you a company line, if theyre really having an engaged conversation and, more importantly, if theyre seen to be seeking answers to todays problems.Booth added that during the crisis would have been the worst time to do a hard product push because youd come across completely insensitive and out of touch.Muthuma agreed, saying that theyve hardly talked about their products or services. While clients have approached them, looking for solutions to their businesses, theyve also been looking for guidance as to what next steps to take. Today they need some clarity, some assurance that youll walk this road with them. Thats what they need right now.Booth went on to say how Covid has accelerated digital and that brands cannot afford to not be online. I think its been coming for a long time, but the amplification that digital can give your content is huge We used to have these amazing events at Investec, wed have 200 people come into the building, and have a really cool panel or a speaker, but then they go away and its just those 200 people that are reached. Now we can target 100s of 1000s of people really carefully, and select who were sending our messaging to, but we can then put that on social media, newsletters, display there are so many avenues for us to get that content out, so I really think digital content is just going to get bigger and bigger.Then commenting on the blurring of the lines between brand and media platforms, whereby brands are now becoming publishers and content creators in their own right, Booth tells us why she thinks this is the case. She said this is gaining a lot of traction in South Africa, especially with the rise of purpose-driven brands. As she said previously:Its also important to note that brands that publish their own content, such as Investec in this case, are not necessarily competing with the media houses. Booth believes there's room for collaboration. Weve got quite a niche audience and theres definitely room for collaboration, especially with progressive media outlets who are already looking at ways that we can place sponsored content on their sites, ways we can participate with them on their podcasts.I think were going to see more brands becoming publishers, and for us, its a really cost-effective way of marketing. Its not as expensive as traditional advertising and it also really enhances our SEO, so by having this really rich content and videos and podcasts on our site, we see our search rankings are really improving, and that helps all of our product pages as well. And we tightly integrate our editorial content on our product pages, so if youve got an investment page that talks about the products we offer, then we bring in our content there too, so it adds another layer of interest. So, if someones interested in investing, they can find out about the latest trends or find out from our experts, so it really enriches our marketing offering, she went on to explain.Speaking of media houses and all the recent closures, if any corporates are looking to start a content initiative, there are some incredible journalists out there," stressed Booth. Weve seen so many amazing titles close down that theres a really rich base of really talented people out there that are looking for opportunities.When I asked Muthuma whether she thinks brands should tactically shift to relevant and topical narratives or rather stick to their true north, she said its a bit of both.She said today organisations have to think about their purpose broader than just pure profits and how they can have a positive impact on society.When we talk about purpose, I think companies that just exist today purely to make profits if theyre not dead theyre dying, and the reason is we dont live on society, we live in it, and thats a lovely expression that is well said within the halls at Investec The reality is all of the stuff that we do has an impact. It has an impact on society, it has an impact on the environment, weve got to think of those things in the way that we conduct our business because if we dont, its a very short-term view of the world and somewhere along the way it will manifest itself in a negative way, so youve got to look broader than just pure profits.Then explaining how they plan, produce and monetise content to stay relevant and engaging to their audiences, Booth said that all of their articles are aligned to their PR and overarching thought leadership strategy. When were looking at a piece of content, we look at it through three lenses. The first is do we have the authority to speak about that topic? So, obviously, as a bank we can talk about markets and the economy, but we also have authority to speak about a lot of issues around sustainability, for example.The second thing is, is it unique? Investec prides itself on being out of the ordinary. Is it a unique perspective or angle or are we offering clients unique access to this amazing person that they might not get elsewhere?And then the third one is, is it impactful? Is it really making a difference to our audiences lives?Investec has a strong community across the group, which has allowed for collaboration around various projects. We really try and work together on a lot of things and we really are working closely with our PR teams so that we no longer put out a boring press release. Were now able to give the media a really meaty editorial piece or access to a really interesting individual, continued Booth.In terms of monetisation, content marketing is a much longer-term game than traditional advertising, she said. Their aim is to boost traffic to the site, and eventually convert that into quality leads. One of the stats that were quite proud of is that of people who visit Focus and engage with Focus content, those people are 53% more likely to fill out a lead form on one of our product pages, so it really is building that relationship and that audience.Muthuma noted that the two most important things for them have beenand that this drives what they do and the kind of content they generate, and Booth added that content addsto their digital properties. Content marketing enhances all of our communications, because it gives us stuff to talk about in PR, and it really helps us in our internal communications because now were sharing these kinds of insightful pieces with our staff. It helps with SEO, PR, PPC. Its fueling all those different channels.So, we really are seeing the value in it, and it gives you a starting point to have a conversation with a client. If youve got a piece of content thats really relevant to their business, great conversation starter to send that to them.Its taken about three years to get up and running but we're now seeing the benefits. 1,400-y-o Christian cup uncovered in Britain 'important' to understanding early Christian church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Archaeologists have unearthed a unique 5th-century cup etched with symbols of early Christian iconography while excavating a ruined 6th-century church in Northumberland, northern England. According to a statement from the Vindolanda Charitable Trust, the lead cup or chalice was recovered in 14 fragments from the Vindolanda Roman fort near Hadrians Wall, a 73-mile stone barrier constructed around 122 A.D. to identify the edge of the Roman Empire. Though in poor condition, symbols identified on the cup include a chi-rho (or monogram said to represent Jesus Christ), a happy bishop, ships, a congregation, a fish, and a whale. Additionally, Latin, Greek and potentially Ogam an early medieval script letters appear alongside the drawings. The combination of so many of these etchings and the context of the discovery makes this artifact one of the most important of its type to come from early Christianity in Western Europe, reads the statement. It is the only surviving partial chalice from this period in Britain and the first such artifact to come from a fort on Hadrians Wall. Andrew Birley, director of Vindolanda excavations, told the Independent that the inscriptions may have conveyed Christian stories at a time when Bibles were difficult to acquire. So far, when we find etchings on stones in churches, or on mosaic floors, unless they are an integral part of the structure we have thought that they are graffiti left by worshipers or the early Christian equivalent of Banksy but this artifact changes the narrative quite a bit, he said. The etchings are no random act, and a chalice is a holy Christian artifact. It is the only portable artifact from this period yet to have been found that is festooned with graffiti or etchings. The symbols are a Christian code of sorts, mechanisms by which Christians could identify with and tell the stories to each other. Remember this is long before anything like the Bible would have been commonly available. Studying the chalice, he said, could help reveal what was important to congregations almost 1,500 years ago and just after the fall of Roman Britain. The chalice is being examined by Dr. David Petts, a researcher in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University. He said the cup has the potential to tell us much about the development of early Christianity in beginning of the medieval period. This is a really exciting find from a poorly understood period in the history of Britain, he said. Its apparent connections with the early Christian church are incredibly important, and this curious vessel is unique in a British context. The excavation also discovered the foundations of a significant church of the 5th or 6th century, large enough for about 60 parishioners, according to The Guardian. Through the church had collapsed, the chalice had been securely sealed under the rubble perhaps in a ceremony marking the end of the church, notes the outlet. Being able to prove youve got a church of the 5th or 6th century is hard unless you find associated material within it, Birley said. Whats really important about this chalice is that it is a definite Christian artifact. It helps us to reevaluate the other similar buildings on Hadrians Wall of the same period, which have similar features but dont have artifacts preserved. Birley also told BBC News that finding a chalice smothered in Christian symbols offers an opportunity for increased understanding of Christianitys spread across the region. "Many potential church structures have been located from this period, but without the Christian artifacts to back that up, they could not be proven beyond doubt, he said. Prior discoveries at the fort included a board game and a scrap of leather cut into the shape of a mouse, according to The Smithsonian. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Chadwick Bosemans hometown is already working on a statue dedicated to the late actorbut it will not replace the Confederate monument that still stands in the town square. After the actors tragic death from colon cancer, fans began signing a petition calling for Anderson, South Carolina, where Boseman was born and raised, to replace the Confederate statue that claims the soldiers who fought for the South were in the right with one dedicated to Boseman, the towns most famous resident. More than 60,000 people have signed it so far, although its unclear how many of the signatories hail from Anderson itself. A representative for Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts office told TMZ Thursday that the city has already chosen an artist and is currently brainstorming concepts for the statuewhich will include a mixture of sculptural and mural elements. But the Confederate monument, which has stood in the town since 1902, will be a different matter. Per TMZ, its removal falls outside the mayors purview and requires a two-thirds vote from South Carolinas state legislature. The viral petitions creator, DeAndre Weaver, noted in its description that Boseman has uplifted and inspired many Black Americans especially during the turbulent times our nation is going through. In addition to his illustrious film career, Mr. Boseman made it a mission to give back to his community, Weaver continued. Not only with his appearances at his alma mater Howard University but financially as well. Weaver noted that upon the release of Black Panther, Boseman rented out an Anderson theater to show the film for free. Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure and his accolades go on and on, Weaver wrote. It is only fitting that his work is honored in the same place that birthed him. Weaver noted that he actually studied acting in Bosemans hometown and became the first Black graduate from BFA Acting program at Anderson University. For the past four years, every day as I walked to my class downtown the eyes of this monument would be the first thing I see, Weaver wrote of the Confederate statue. As I left and entered my classroom, I faced a monument erected to a man and an ideology that believed that I was inferior... It is unfair and undemocratic that the residents of Anderson County cannot even assemble to vote on whether or not this statue should remain. Story continues Chadwick Boseman Kept His Eyes on a Greater Mission. I Cant Think of a More Generous Act. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing examining the company's plan to launch a digital currency on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. Facebook announced Thursday it will ban new political ads from running in the week before the Nov. 3 presidential election. The action is narrow, banning only political ads submitted in the week before the election but still allowing those submitted before Oct. 27. In addition to the new restriction, Facebook said it will link any post from a candidate attempting to declare victory before the final results are in to vote counts from Reuters and the National Election Pool. Until now, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been adamant about allowing political ads on Facebook and Instagram, even if candidates use those ads to lie or spread misinformation. Other social media companies, including Twitter and Pinterest, have already banned political ads on their services. Facebook also said it would take down posts on the social network that attempt to discourage people from voting by claiming they'll catch Covid-19 if they go to the polls. For other posts that "might use Covid-19 to discourage voting," Facebook said it would attach a link to "authoritative information" about the pandemic. In a post to his Facebook page Thursday, Zuckerberg said the company will block ads that use the coronavirus pandemic to discourage voting. In short, user-submitted posts using Covid-19 to discourage voting will still be allowed on Facebook, unless they explicitly say you'll catch Covid-19 by voting. But people won't be able to pay Facebook for ads to spread the message. Posts that attempt to deligitimize the results of the election or legal voting methods, such as voting by mail, will still be allowed but will be labeled with more information about voting, Zuckerberg said. He also said Facebook will expand its policies to prevent posts that call for violence or harm to election officials. "I believe our democracy is strong enough to withstand this challenge and deliver a free and fair election even if it takes time for every vote to be counted," Zuckerberg wrote in his Facebook post. "We've voted during global pandemics before. We can do this. But it's going to take a concerted effort by all of us political parties and candidates, election authorities, the media and social networks, and ultimately voters as well to live up to our responsibilities." Correction: The headline of this story was updated to reflect the ban only affects new political ads submitted in the week before the presidential election. The schedule of final-year examinations for professional and non-professional courses is likely to be declared by early next week as Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday approved the state governments plans to allow students to appear for final-year exams from home. He also approved vice-chancellors recommendation to seek time up to October 31 from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to complete the examination process. Koshyari also directed vice-chancellors to conduct practical examinations at the universities from mid-September. State higher and technical education minister Uday Samant said they are working to ensure that students can appear for practical exams from home. The vice-chancellors committee will submit its report on holding final-year exams to the state government on Friday. They will also be convening meetings of the Board of Examinations and Academic Council within the next two-three days to finalise exam schedule as directed by the Governor. A proposal will then be placed before the state disaster management authority, headed by the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, by Tuesday for final approval. Samant said, Allowing students to appear for exams physically will not be possible this year as there are chances of them getting infected with Covid-19. More importantly, the Governor has approved to allow students to appear from home. He was interacting with media persons after his meeting with the Governor along with vice-chancellors of all universities in the state on Thursday. A statement issued by Raj Bhavan also stated that the Governor, in his capacity as the chancellor of universities, asked the vice-chancellors to consider conducting examinations using the best possible mechanism including multiple choice questions (MCQ), optical mark recognition (OMR) method and to think of conducting offline examinations only in exceptional cases. He also directed them to complete the entire process of examinations including declaration of results by October 31. The Governor asked all universities to start practical examinations from September 15, stated the release. Students can appear for practical exams from home. We are working to ensure that they wont have to step out of home for that as well, Samant told reporters. He also added that the state will see that the students intending to go abroad for higher studies wont have to face any difficulty. The Governor interacted with all vice-chancellors and reviewed their preparations. He is satisfied with the progress on the issue so far, the minister said. Considering the shortage of time available for setting question papers, Koshyari has also asked universities to coordinate with Savitribai Phule Pune University, University of Mumbai and other universities for preparing question banks, said the Raj Bhavan statement. On August 31, Samant declared that students will be allowed to appear for final-year examinations for professional and non-professional courses from home. He had also said that the exams were likely to start from first week of October and the state can seek extension up to November 10 from the UGC for completing the process. The Supreme Court had last week ruled out that students cannot be promoted without writing final-year exams and upheld a July 6 directive of UGC to hold exams by September 30. However, it has given liberty to the states to approach UGC if they wish to postpone holding the examinations beyond the September 30 deadline in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the apex courts order, the state has formed a committee of vice-chancellors to suggest measures to safely complete the examinations process. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani special (02454) express train is stranded at Jharkhands Daltonganj railway station since early Thursday morning as the agitating Tana Bhagats, a tribal community following Gandhian principles, continue to sit on railway tracks near Tori railway station in states Latehar district. Daltonganj railway station is situated on the Coal India Chord (CIC) section of the Dhanbad rail division in the east central railway (ECR) zone. Hundreds of Tana Bhagats-- a tribal community that believes in the Gandhian principles of non-violence-- from Latehar, Palamu, Chatra and other districts had announced to meet at Chandwa in Latehar district on Wednesday. When the local administration did not let them hold the meeting, they sat on the railway tracks, late on Wednesday evening, in support of their demands for ensuring their rights on ancestral land. The Daltonganj railway station manager Anil Kumar Tiwary said, The train arrived at 6.40 am in the morning. It has been stopped here as the Tana Bhagat community members have blocked railway track near Tori. The local administration is having a talk with them. Once the track is cleared, this train will leave from the station. Also Read: Missing minor girls mutilated body recovered in Jamshedpur; stepfather detained More than 750 passengers were on board the train. Officials from district, civil and police administration also reached the station and ensured that the passengers were served breakfast. In a press release, the public relation officer of ECR, Rajesh Kumar, said, We are keeping a tab on developments there. Also Read: JEE Mains 2020: Day one of exam passes off peacefully in Jharkhand Meanwhile, the authorities were mooting ways to send the stranded passengers to their destinations by buses. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Herd immunity has become a controversial topic after months of the U.S.'s efforts to limit the COVID-19 pandemic's spread. White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Scott Atlas was reportedly "urging the White House to embrace a controversial 'herd immunity' strategy." Atlas denied the report. He said during a press conference in Florida that he has never advocated the stated strategy. The herd immunity approach would mean that many people across the country would have to get sick with the coronavirus to build up a natural immunity in communities. Many people could die in the process as the virus spreads and infects people. Atlas denied that he is pushing for this kind of strategy. But an administration official said that all of the policies that Atlas is touting are in line with her immunity. "Everything he says and does points toward herd immunity," the senior administration official was quoted in a report. Emergency physician and medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said that about two million Americans could die in trying to achieve herd immunity. "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 in this effort to try to get herd immunity," Wen was quoted. Wen said that those are preventable deaths of our loved ones that we can not let happen under our watch. Herd immunity is a significant public health concept, developed and used to guide vaccination rules. This involves calculating the percentage of people in a population who would need to achieve immunity to prevent an outbreak. The World Health Organization's technical lead for coronavirus response Maria Van Kerkhove earlier said that herd immunity is typically discussed in the context of vaccinations, not as a response to a pandemic. Van Kerkhove said that when herd immunity is talked about, it is normally about how much of the population needs to be vaccinated to have immunity to the virus. In this way, transmission can no longer occur, or it is very difficult for a virus to penetrate a community. "If we think about herd immunity in the natural sense of just letting a virus run, it's very dangerous," she was quoted. She added that that means many people are infected, many people will need hospitalizations, and many people will die. White House communications director Alyssa Farah said there is no change in the administration's approach in fighting the pandemic. She said that Trump is still focused on defeating the virus through therapeutics and a vaccine. Farah added that there is no discussion about how they are changing their strategy. "We have initiated an unprecedented effort under Operation Warp Speed to safely bring a vaccine to market in record time - ending this virus through medicine is our top focus," Farah was quoted. White House officials said the president has asked questions about herd immunity but has not formally adopted the strategy. Trump, however, made comments that tout the same approach. Check these out: Dr. Fauci: The Coronavirus Knows No Age New Guidelines From CDC Lets COVID-19 Patients Come Out of Isolation Even Without Retesting Herd Immunity Slows COVID-19 Pandemic F rance unveiled an 100 billion (90 billion) stimulus package for its stuttering economy today, putting pressure on UK chancellor Rishi Sunak to do the same. With the UK government reportedly plotting tax increases and cutbacks, the French went the other way, with a scheme it says will create 160,000 jobs next year. The multi-pronged France Relaunch earmarks 35bn for making the euro zones second biggest economy more competitive, 30bn for more environmentally friendly energy and 25bn for supporting jobs. The cost of the scheme is equal to 4% of French GDP. That means at this point it is pushing more cash into its economy than other large European countries. Theres also money to improve transport networks, and 2bn to invest in the hydrogen energy industry - to help the move to greener power sources. The aim is to get the economy back to where it was pre Covid-19 by 2022. The French economy crashed by nearly 14% in the second quarter. City economists say the move shows that President Emmanuel Macron plans to push through a pro-business reform agenda. And ups the pressure on others to follow suit, including the UK. Prime Minister Jean Castex said: This recovery plan aims to keep our economy from collapsing and unemployment exploding. Today there was some optimistic signs for the UK. The services sector is growing at a faster rate than Eurozone rivals, with Markits index for August at 58.8, the best reading since April 2015. Any number above 50 shows growth. In the Eurozone, the PMI fell to 50.5. Duncan Brook of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply said: As the UK economy continues to wake from its pandemic slumber, the services sector reported a higher than expected rise in new orders and at the strongest levels since December 2016. Buoyed up by increased consumer spending from domestic markets and unfettered by lockdown measures, businesses continued to be optimistic even though obstacles to stronger growth lingered on. Navalny was initially treated in a local Russian hospital, where doctors said they were unable to find any toxic substances in his blood, before he was flown to Berlin for specialised treatment German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced mounting pressure Thursday to toughen her ambivalent stance toward Russia following her announcement that Berlin has "unequivocal" proof that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent. The Navalny case is only the latest in what Berlin has seen as a series of bitter provocations by Russian President Vladimir Putin that have damaged ties and called future cooperation into question. But German politicians and media said a line had been crossed with the use on Navalny of military-grade Novichok, a poison first developed by the Soviet Union towards the end of the Cold War. Merkel was confronted with insistent calls in particular to abandon the controversial German-Russian energy project Nord Stream 2, a multi-billion-euro gas pipeline nearing completion that has drawn the ire of US and European partners alike. "Diplomatic rituals are no longer enough," the head of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee, Norbert Roettgen, tweeted. "After the poisoning of Navalny we need a strong European answer which Putin understands: The EU should jointly decide to stop Nord Stream 2," said Roettgen, a candidate to be the next leader of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party. The top-selling Bild daily issued a full-throated appeal to abandon the pipeline, saying that pursuing it was "tantamount to us financing Putin's next Novichok attack". - 'Strategic weapon' - Bild slammed Merkel for comments last week that Nord Stream 2 should be judged independently from Moscow's actions. "Vladimir Putin views the gas pipeline as an important strategic weapon against Europe and as a vital source of funding for his war against his own people," it said. Navalny fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month, with aides saying they suspect he drank a cup of spiked tea at the airport. Story continues He was initially treated in a local Russian hospital, where doctors said they were unable to find any toxic substances in his blood, before he was flown to Berlin for specialised treatment on August 22. Navalny's poisoning comes a year after a daylight murder of a former Chechen rebel commander in a Berlin park, which German prosecutors believe was ordered by Russia. Merkel had also revealed in May that Russia had targeted her in hacking attacks, saying she had concrete proof of the "outrageous" spying attempts. Moscow has denied involvement in the string of allegations, with the Kremlin saying Thursday "there is no reason to accuse the Russian state" over Navalny's poisoning. Russia has long been a divisive issue in German politics, and a deterioration in transatlantic ties under US President Donald Trump had revived sentiment that Berlin couldn't afford to alienate Moscow. Wolfgang Ischinger, the head of the Munich Security Conference, often a forum for airing Russian-Western tensions, warned against cutting ties too abruptly. "We can't put up a wall between us and Russia," he told public broadcaster ARD. - 'Dark clouds' - Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of the Social Democrats, junior partners in Merkel's government and typically strong advocates of maintaining close ties with Russia, said Berlin would now consult with EU and NATO allies about an "appropriate reaction" to the Navalny case. In a speech earlier this week in Paris, Maas acknowledged that while "constructive ties" remained essential, "dark clouds" now hung over relations between the EU and Russia. ARD commentator Michael Strempel noted that Merkel's statement Wednesday that "Navalny was meant to be silenced and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms" marked an unprecedented hardening of her tone. "I have never seen the chancellor so determined on foreign policy," Strempel said. "Nor have I ever experienced her this critical and demanding of Russia." Now Merkel's credibility is on the line, he said, calling for new economic and political sanctions against Moscow. The EU has had sanctions targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy in place since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said the time had come to go further. "A European response is vital, but if the usual suspects refuse to play ball then Germany will have to react bilaterally, too. We are talking about attempted murder after all." dlc/hmn/gd Chinas vulgar threats over a visit by the Czech Republics senate speaker to Taiwan are like a cold, unwelcome winter wind and contrast with the courteous words the speaker offered while in Taiwan, a senior Taiwanese politician said on Thursday. China, which claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory, has condemned Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil for travelling to Taipei. The Chinese governments top diplomat Wang Yi said this week he would pay a heavy price for visiting the democratic island. Vystrcil 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, further angering Beijing but winning plaudits in Taipei. Speaking with Vystrcil by his side Taipei, Taiwan parliament Speaker You Si-kun praised his stirring speech at the legislature. Vystrcil was gentle and elegant, a paragon of a cultured country, like spring sunshine, splendid and warn - Taiwans people were deeply moved, You said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis vulgar threats however were like a cold, unwelcome winter wind that cause discomfort. Vystrcil said he had invited You to lead a delegation to Prague for what he termed a working visit, and dismissed Chinas criticisms. Of course I dont like the statements, but I do not feel I have crossed a red line whatsoever, as I dont think we did anything that was an infringement of the one China policy as the Czech Republic has it within its foreign policy, he said, speaking through an interpreter. As I have always said, democratic and free countries should always cooperate. Theres nothing to be changed on that approach. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China demands countries it has relations with accept that Taiwan belongs to one China. Taiwan has shown no interest in being run by autocratic China. PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), parent company of First National Bank, announced the promotion of R. Timothy Evans to President of F.N.B. Equipment Finance and Donna Yanuzzi to Managing Director of F.N.B. Equipment Finance Sales and Marketing. The leadership changes follow the retirement of Gary Cook, President of F.N.B. Equipment Finance, after almost five decades in the financial services industry. F.N.B. Equipment Finance promotes Donna Yanuzzi and R. Timothy Evans "Gary led our equipment finance business since its inception, building it to a top 50 bank leasing company and assembling an exceptional management team to ensure continued success," said Bryant Mitchell, Executive Vice President of Capital Markets and Specialized Finance Businesses. "With the portfolio approaching $1 billion in assets, Tim and Donna are poised to put their nearly 60 years of combined expertise to work to lead F.N.B. Equipment Finance to its next phase of growth and evolution." Evans is responsible for the overall growth and profitability of F.N.B. Equipment Finance. With almost 40 years of extensive equipment finance experience, Evans joined FNB in 2016 to oversee all aspects of the Company's expansion into commercial equipment finance. Based at FNB's Pittsburgh headquarters, Evans reports to Mitchell. Prior to joining FNB, Evans was President of FirstMerit Equipment Finance, Inc. He received his bachelor's degree in business and finance from Thiel College. Evans is active in the leasing industry, serving as a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association's (ELFA) Financial Institutions Business Council. In her new role, Yanuzzi is responsible for all origination activities for the equipment finance company. In addition to leading vendor finance sales activities, she also assumes responsibility for commercial leasing sales and marketing efforts. Yanuzzi has been with FNB for more than 23 years, during which time she has made significant contributions to the expansion of the Bank's vendor equipment finance and small business portfolios. She most recently served as Director of Vendor and Small Business Banking Equipment Finance for FNB. Yanuzzi's banking career began at Bank Capital Services Corp., which was acquired by FNB in April 2008. She currently is a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) and serves as a Trustee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation (ELFF). Yanuzzi is a graduate of Bloomsburg State University where she earned a bachelor's degree in communications and public relations. F.N.B. Equipment Finance delivers comprehensive leasing and finance solutions for commercial bank clients, including the ability to offer financing for their customers through the indirect vendor finance program. Each product is delivered with tailored, personal service to provide commercial clients the flexibility to add new equipment without disrupting cash flow or increasing debt balances for a purchase. The Monitor recently recognized F.N.B. Equipment Finance on its 2020 ranking of the 100 largest equipment financing/leasing companies in the U.S. About F.N.B. Corporation F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB's market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total assets of nearly $38 billion and approximately 350 banking offices with operations throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia. FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. FNB's wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance. The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FNB" and is included in Standard & Poor's MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks Sub-Industry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com. SOURCE F.N.B. Corporation Related Links http://www.fnbcorporation.com The state Department of Education and state Department of Health have set up a system for the daily reporting of coronavirus cases in schools to pinpoint problems early, officials said Wednesday. Under the setup, individual schools statewide will notify the state Department of Health of positive or suspected cases of COVID-19 -- the illness caused by the virus -- among students, faculty and staff. School officials will first fill out registration forms, then use a password-protected portal to transmit the information. Louisiana will provide 1 million masks for public and private schools and day care centers The state plans to provide public and private schools and child care centers with one million face masks and other personal protective equipme The state Department of Education is assisting the public and private schools covered by the emergency order. "We will be able to very early on see warning signals of problems should they arise and proactively be able to respond before it becomes an overwhelming concern," state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "This will allow us to see patterns that will help us make decisions that are important, such as does a school stay open, does it need to close for a period of time." "It is just an additional safety measure that I think is good for the overall public health and is good for us to be able to keep kids in school," Brumley said. +2 Louisiana lands $17 million in federal dollars to assist students during pandemic Louisiana is getting $17 million in federal dollars to help students navigate public schools issues during the coronavirus pandemic, the U. S. Most of Louisiana's 69 school districts are splitting their classes between in-person and distance learning. While the state has shown improvements in recent weeks, it has long been one of the most infected states per person in the nation. What information will be available to the public, including how individual schools and districts are faring, is unclear. California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a pack of bills intended to rein in police misconduct, but stopped short of passing two high--profile measures that would have restricted law enforcement officers' use of rubber bullets and make it easier to fire cops. The setbacks disappointed some activists and lawmakers who wanted more after the nation protests that followed the May killing by asphyxiation of George Floyd, a Black man, while in custody of Minneapolis officers. "To ignore the thousands of voices calling for meaningful police reform is insulting," Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, said in a statement after his bill to decertify problematic officers stalled on Monday in the Assembly. "Today, Californians were once again let down by those who were meant to represent them." But, advocates for police accountability accomplished a number of other goals in sending bills to Newsom that aim to increase outside oversight of local police departments and ban officers from using chokeholds while detaining suspects. Lawmakers approved a pilot program to fund community crisis organizations that can respond to emergencies with civilian resources, as well as a measure to discourage the hiring of officers with misconduct investigations on their records. "I'm pleased we were able to push forward a number of important police reform bills," said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento. "There was disappointment, but we can't ignore the fact we were able to get a number of police reform wins across the finish line." The toughest bills didn't pass, but here's what did: More investigations The Legislature passed two bills aimed at providing independent, outside oversight of law enforcement agencies. One by McCarty would require the state's attorney general's office to more frequently investigate police killings of unarmed people instead of local district attorneys. The measure, Assembly Bill 1506, passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, though the California State Sheriffs' Association has argued the bill "unnecessarily politicizes very difficult situations that are already subject to a very high level of review at multiple levels." The second measure, also by McCarty, would allow voters and county boards of supervisors to create sheriff oversight boards with the authority to issue subpoenas. McCarty's Assembly Bill 1185 was partly inspired by Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones, who attempted to locked out an inspector general appointed to investigate the death of Mikel McIntyre, an unarmed Black man shot on Highway 50 in May 2017. Flagging problematic officers Assembly Bill 1299 would require a law enforcement agency to alert the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training if the officer resigns or is terminated during a misconduct investigation. The department then would have to complete its review and follow up with additional details of the findings, creating records that would be disclosed if an officer tries to find another job in law enforcement. The Senate passed the measure on a bipartisan, 39-0 vote, and the Assembly followed up with a 76-0 vote. Another proposal, Assembly Bill 846, would require departments to include in their evaluations of prospective officers any bias against demographics like race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. The proposal would also require recruiting materials to highlight community relations as part of the job. Banning chokeholds A high-profile measure that's already earned Newsom's approval is Assembly Bill 1196, which would ban carotid artery restraints and choke holds in California. The technique caught national attention this summer after Floyd died from an officer kneeling on his neck for several minutes. Newsom said in June that officers shouldn't use such tactics that are "designed to stop people's blood from flowing into their brain," and called for banning "strangleholds that put people's lives at risk." Community crisis programs Activists this summer demanded state strip funding from law enforcement agencies and instead put dollars into local crisis organizations with ties to their neighborhoods. Assembly Bill 2054, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, would create a pilot grant program to financially equip community organizations with handling certain crises instead of law enforcement. "That's what people want. They want emergencies stopped and problems solved," said Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager, D-Los Angeles. "They don't want law enforcement to come in and arrest folks." Allowing media access Another bill would let media representatives into areas closed off by law enforcement during demonstrations and rallies, and would prohibit officers from citing the press. Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said Senate Bill 629 "would protect our First Amendment rights and allow the press to be able to do their job in holding all of us in government accountable." What Newsom won't sign The bills that did not make it to Newsom include a proposal to decertify concerning misconduct records. Senate Bill 731 by Bradford also would have made it easier for excessive or deadly force victims and their families to file lawsuits against law enforcement for alleged civil rights violations. Police unions worked until the last minute to block SB 731, which they called a "flawed bill that would have had debilitating repercussions for police officers." Lawmakers also did not pass a bill that would have restricted when officers can use rubber bullets and pepper spray, and would have banned tear gas as a way to control crowds. Speaking in support of the Assembly Bill 66 during a recent press event, Shantania Love said she was shot in the face with a rubber bullet during a George Floyd protest at the end of May in Sacramento. Love said she's now permanently blind in her left eye and suffers from a resulting brain injury. "These aren't 'less-lethal weapons,'" Love said. "Not to me or the people who have been injured or disabled by them." Law enforcement agencies fought the bill, arguing tear gas can be effective in dispersing crowds. Watch now: Wildfire evacuees make camp at Skyline Park Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Turkey and Greece have been locked in a tense standoff as Turkish vessels are doing seismic work for oil and gas exploration in eastern Mediterranean sea, Greece says the disputed area is over its continental shelf The chief of NATO said Thursday that Greece and Turkey have agreed to start ``technical talks'' aimed at helping to reduce the risks of military incidents and accidents in the eastern Mediterranean, where the allies have been locked in a tense standoff over offshore energy rights. But an official in Athens quickly denied any such agreement, saying Turkey must first withdraw its warships from the area where it's carrying out research. There was no immediate reaction from Ankara. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the possible diplomatic opening in a statement on the military alliance's website the same day that Turkey announced that Russia plans to conduct live-fire naval exercises this month in the eastern Mediterranean . ``Greece and Turkey are valued Allies, and NATO is an important platform for consultations on all issues that affect our shared security,'' the statement read. ``I remain in close touch with all concerned Allies to find a solution to the tensions in the spirit of NATO solidarity.'' A Greek official told The Associated Press that talk of an agreement ``does not not correspond with reality.'' ``In any case, we have noted the NATO Secretary-General's intention to work to create mechanisms for de-escalation within the framework of NATO,'' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to comment on the record. ``Nevertheless, de-escalation would only be achieved with the immediate withdrawal of all Turkish ships from the Greek continental shelf,''he said. Turkey announced the Russian exercises in a navigational notice that said they would take place Sept. 8-22 and Sept. 17-25 in areas of the Mediterranean Sea where Turkish research vessels are doing seismic work for oil and gas exploration. Greece says the disputed area is over its continental shelf. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the exercises, which Turkey announced after the United States said it was partially lifting a 33-year-old arms embargo against ethnically divided Cyprus. Like Greece, Cyprus has been in a dispute with Turkey over drilling rights in the Mediterranean. In Athens, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the planned Russian exercises were being ``monitored by all the countries in the region, as well as our NATO allies and European Union partners.'' It's unclear why NATO-member Turkey announced such drills on Russia's behalf, but the two countries have in recent years significantly strengthened their military, political and economic ties. They are coordinating closely on their military presence in Syria, while Turkey has purchased Russia's advanced S-400 missiles and has broken ground on a Russian-built nuclear power plant on its southern coast. Cyprus government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that Russia notifies Cypriot authorities directly about navigation notices. He said Cyprus has no issue with Russia and that its only complaint concerns Turkey's attempts to ``take advantage'' of the situation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Thursday. Germany currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency and has been trying to informally mediate the dispute over drilling in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A statement from Erdogan's office said the Turkish leader wants an arrangement in which resources are shared ``fairly'' and complained that Greece, Greek Cypriots and countries backing the two were the ones escalating tensions. The Turkish government has reacted angrily to the US move on the Cyprus arms embargo, saying it went against the ``spirit of alliance'' between Washington and Ankara. It also warned that it would harm efforts to reunify Cyprus, a Mediterranean island nation which is split between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities. Turkish officials have also vowed to take steps to guarantee the security of the self-declared Turkish state in the island's north. The Russian exercises come at a time of increased friction between Turkey on the one side and Greece and Cyprus on the other over offshore energy exploration rights. Warships from Greece and Turkey have shadowed each other in recent weeks as Turkish survey vessels and drill ships continue to prospect for hydrocarbons in waters where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights. Greek and Turkish armed forces held their own exercises in the area last month. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday that the lifting of the embargo against would lead to a deadlock. ``If you lift the embargo and try to disrupt the balance in this way, this will bring conflict, not peace. This will create a deadlock, not a solution,'' he said. Cyprus split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkey is the only nation to recognize a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus. Akar also took aim at France, which joined Greece and Cyprus for military exercises in the region, accusing it of ``bullying, making claims and playing the role of a guardian angel.'' US Ambassador to Cyprus Judith Garber said the embargo lifting had no connection to ``valued partner and ally'' Turkey, but aimed to strengthen regional security and to ``counter malign actors in the region.'' ``We believe that Russia is playing a very destabilizing role in the region, especially in Syria,'' Garber said. Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Stanislav Osadchiy on Thursday rejected Garber's remarks. He said that Russia is in Syria at the behest of the country's government, and he accused the US of sowing ``blood, chaos, unrest and an unprecedented migration crisis`` through its actions in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Osadchiy also accused Washington of pursuing a policy of ``divide and rule'' in the eastern Mediterranean by attempting to drive a wedge between Russia and Cyprus through its demand for the island nation to deny Russian warships access to its ports. Russia maintains a sizable naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and regularly conducts naval maneuvers there. Search Keywords: Short link: Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. A team of astronomers have identified the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted rings. This new research suggests exotic planets, not unlike Tatooine in Star Wars, may form in inclined rings in bent discs around multiple stars. The results were made possible thanks to observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Our Solar System is remarkably flat, with the planets all orbiting in the same plane. But this is not always the case, especially for planet-forming discs around multiple stars, like the object of the new study: GW Orionis. This system, located just over 1300 light-years away in the constellation of Orion, has three stars and a deformed, broken-apart disc surrounding them. "Our images reveal an extreme case where the disc is not flat at all, but is warped and has a misaligned ring that has broken away from the disc," says Stefan Kraus, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Exeter in the UK who led the research published today in the journal Science. The misaligned ring is located in the inner part of the disc, close to the three stars. The new research also reveals that this inner ring contains 30 Earth-masses of dust, which could be enough to form planets. "Any planets formed within the misaligned ring will orbit the star on highly oblique orbits and we predict that many planets on oblique, wide-separation orbits will be discovered in future planet imaging campaigns, for instance with the ELT," says team member Alexander Kreplin of the University of Exeter, referring to ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, which is planned to start operating later this decade. Since more than half the stars in the sky are born with one or more companions, this raises an exciting prospect: there could be an unknown population of exoplanets that orbit their stars on very inclined and distant orbits. To reach these conclusions, the team observed GW Orionis for over 11 years. Starting in 2008, they used the AMBER and later the GRAVITY instruments on ESO's VLT Interferometer in Chile, which combines the light from different VLT telescopes, to study the gravitational dance of the three stars in the system and map their orbits. "We found that the three stars do not orbit in the same plane, but their orbits are misaligned with respect to each other and with respect to the disc," says Alison Young of the Universities of Exeter and Leicester and a member of the team. They also observed the system with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's VLT and with ALMA, in which ESO is a partner, and were able to image the inner ring and confirm its misalignment. ESO's SPHERE also allowed them to see, for the first time, the shadow that this ring casts on the rest of the disc. This helped them figure out the 3D shape of the ring and the overall disc. The international team, which includes researchers from the UK, Belgium, Chile, France and the US, then combined their exhaustive observations with computer simulations to understand what had happened to the system. For the first time, they were able to clearly link the observed misalignments to the theoretical "disc-tearing effect", which suggests that the conflicting gravitational pull of stars in different planes can warp and break their discs. Their simulations showed that the misalignment in the orbits of the three stars could cause the disc around them to break into distinct rings, which is exactly what they see in their observations. The observed shape of the inner ring also matches predictions from numerical simulations on how the disc would tear. Interestingly, another team who studied the same system using ALMA believe another ingredient is needed to understand the system. "We think that the presence of a planet between these rings is needed to explain why the disc tore apart," says Jiaqing Bi of the University of Victoria in Canada who led a study of GW Orionis published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in May this year. His team identified three dust rings in the ALMA observations, with the outermost ring being the largest ever observed in planet-forming discs. Future observations with ESO's ELT and other telescopes may help astronomers fully unravel the nature of GW Orionis and reveal young planets forming around its three stars. More information This research was presented in the paper "A triple star system with a misaligned and warped circumstellar disk shaped by disk tearing - https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aba4633 " to appear in Science (doi: 10.1126/science.aba4633). The team is composed of Stefan Kraus (University of Exeter, School of Physics & Astronomy, UK [Exeter]) Alexander Kreplin (Exeter), Alison K. Young (Exeter and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, UK), Matthew R. Bate (Exeter), John D. Monnier (University of Michigan, USA [Michigan]), Tim J. Harries (Exeter), Henning Avenhaus (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany), Jacques Kluska (Exeter and Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven, Belgium [KU Leuven]), Anna S. E. Laws (Exeter), Evan A. Rich (Michigan), Matthew Willson (Exeter and Georgia State University, USA), Alicia N. Aarnio (University of North Carolina Greensboro, USA), Fred C. Adams (Michigan), Sean M. Andrews (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, USA [CfA]), Narsireddy Anugu (Exeter, Michigan and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, USA), Jaehan Bae (Michigan and Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, USA), Theo ten Brummelaar (The CHARA Array of Georgia State University, California, USA), Nuria Calvet (Michigan), Michel Cure (Instituto de Fisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valparaiso, Chile), Claire L. Davies (Exeter), Jacob Ennis (Michigan), Catherine Espaillat (Michigan and Boston University, USA), Tyler Gardner (Michigan), Lee Hartmann (Michigan), Sasha Hinkley (Exeter), Aaron Labdon (Exeter), Cyprien Lanthermann (KU Leuven), Jean-Baptiste LeBouquin (Michigan and Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, France), Gail H. Schaefer (CHARA), Benjamin R. Setterholm (Michigan), David Wilner (CfA), and Zhaohuan Zhu (University of Nevada, USA). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of ESO, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. ### Links * Research paper - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2014/eso2014a.pdf * Interactive 3D model of the disc structure and stellar orbit of the GW Orionis triple system, as derived from the observations (Open with Acrobat Reader to display interactive elements properly) - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/pdf/eso2014a.pdf * Augmented reality representation of the GW Orionis triple system (via the National Radio Astronomy Observatory) - https://public.nrao.edu/news/alma-discovers-misaligned-rings-in-planet-forming-disk-around-triple-stars/ * Photos of the VLT - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/paranal/ * Photos of ALMA - https://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/alma/ * For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso.org/sci/publications/announcements/sciann17277.html Contacts Stefan Kraus Associate Professor in Astrophysics, University of Exeter Exeter, UK Tel: +44 1392 724125 Email: S.Kraus@exeter.ac.uk Alexander Kreplin Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter Exeter, UK Tel: +44 1392 725571 Email: A.Kreplin@exeter.ac.uk Alison Young Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Leicester Leicester, UK Tel: +44 116 3736281 Email: alison.young@leicester.ac.uk Barbara Ferreira ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: pio@eso.org BERLIN: Germany has taken in another group of sick children who have been living in migrant camps in Greece, along with their close relatives. A flight carrying 31 children and their relatives, a total of 118 people, landed Thursday in Hannover, the interior ministry said. It did not give any details of the childrens nationalities. The transfer was part of a wider European effort to get hundreds of vulnerable children out of camps on the Greek islands. Three previous transfers of ailing children to Germany took place in July and August. The government aims to complete them in the coming weeks. Germany has agreed to take in a total of 243 children from Greece who need medical treatment, as well their closest relatives, 928 people in all. So far, 99 of the children have arrived. It also has taken in 53 unaccompanied children evacuated from the overcrowded Greek camps. Children also have been transferred to Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal, Finland, Belgium and France, according to the German interior ministry. 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 Chinese MND: US report on China full of Cold War mentality PLA Daily Source: China Military Online Editor: Huang Panyue 2020-09-02 21:14:09 BEIJING, Sept. 2 -- The Chinese military has expressed opposition to the Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020, an annual report released by the U.S. Department of Defense. In response to press question on Wednesday, the information bureau of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the U.S. report is full of the zero-sum Cold War mentality. The report exaggerates the so-called "Chinese military threat", distorts China's defense policy and military strategy, smears China's military modernization development, defense expenditure and nuclear policy, and provokes cross-strait confrontation and intensifies tensions across the Taiwan Strait, which are extremely wrong, said the bureau. The Chinese side is resolutely opposed to the report and will make further response depending on the situation, the bureau announced. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address : Russia on Thursday reiterated that it would not supply weapons to Pakistan during a meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, people familiar with the developments said. The Russian commitment on no arms supply to Pakistan followed an Indian request, they said. The defence minister got Russias assurance that it stands by Indias security interest, they said. Russia also strongly supported the Make in India initiative aimed at self-reliance in the defence sector during the one-hour meeting that covered a broad range of areas of bilateral cooperation. It was noted that this meeting coincides with the Indra naval exercises to be conducted by the Indian and Russian navies off the Strait of Malacca over the next two days, the defence ministry said in a statement. Singh said the drills demonstrated the common interests of both countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. There was substantial commonality in positions with respect to challenges at the regional and international levels in the areas of peace and security, reflective of the deep trust and confidence that both sides enjoy as strategic partners, the statement said. Singh conveyed Indias appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia to address the countrys defence and security needs, it said. General Shoigu reiterated Russias commitment to engage actively with India on the Make in India programme, including substantial participation in the forthcoming Aero India-2021. The show will be staged at the Yelahanka air base outside Bengaluru from February 3 to 7 with all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. (Newser) Heard of the "bradykinin hypothesis"? It might just explain COVID-19's odd array of symptoms. That's according to a recent paper based on data crunched by a supercomputer in Tennessee, Medium reports. Earlier this year, the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory analyzed 17,000 genetic samples in an effort to better comprehend the disease. Researchers pored over the results and confirmed a previously floated theorythat COVID-19 can be explained by its effect on bradykinin, a body chemical that usually helps regulate blood pressure. "There was a Sunday afternoon eureka moment just staring at the data," lead researcher Daniel Jacobson told Forbes in August. story continues below The virus seems to trigger a domino effect that spikes bradykinin levels, which then cause blood vessels to leak. That would fill lungs with fluid; create seizures, stroke, delirium, and dizziness; and possibly create low blood pressure and arrhythmias, all of which have occurred in COVID-19 patients. The researchers say COVID-19 boosts bradykinin by altering a hormone system called the reninangiotensin system, or RAS. "We've been very interested in the RAS pathways because coronaviruses so often target them," says Jacobson. Luckily there are drugs that affect the RAS, including danazol and stanozolol; vitamin D also helps. The researchers are calling for clinical trials to test these approaches. "We have to get this message out," Jacobson says. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Trump tweeted 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! That leads to the second revelation this week: ABC News reported that In early July the Department of Homeland Security withheld publication of an intelligence bulletin warning law enforcement agencies of a Russian scheme to promote allegations about the poor mental health of former Vice President Joe Biden. The bulletin assessed with high confidence, that Russian malign influence actors are likely to continue denigrating presidential candidates through allegations of poor mental or physical health to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. This is a line of attack that Trump himself initiated against Biden months ago. Dan Scavino, the White House media director, has shared several doctored videos of Biden, some clearly meant to suggest that Biden has some form of mental decline. One video from March, retweeted by Trump, shows Biden slurring his words and stumbling over them. Twitter labeled the video manipulated media. Biden does sometimes stumble over words or search for them, but he has attributed this to his lifelong struggle with stuttering. While delivering remarks in Wilmington, N.C., on Wednesday, Trump recognized Hershel Woody Williams, a veteran, and couldnt miss the opportunity to compare the 96-year-old Marine (Trump incorrectly stated that he was 97) to Biden: Ill tell you, hes a 100 percent sharp. Hes a 100 percent sharp, Trump said of Williams. I know a 78-year-old thats not so sharp, but hes 97, and hes 100 percent. It has nothing to do with that. Seventy-eight is young. It depends on whos 78. Modernist architecture has a grandness of scale and simplicity of form that makes it feel hopeful, expansive, and full of possibility. Vietnamese architecture firm Whale Design Lab wanted to translate these feelings to an unusual setting: the interior of a typical apartment in a high-density urban neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City. Whale Design Lab brings the style of Modernist masters to an urban Vietnamese apartment. Mai Apartment embraces and reimagines the aftermath of Vietnams fraught colonial history. The country was controlled by France for more than six decades as part of the so-called French Indochina, during which time the French believed it was their responsibility to introduce modern Western political, social, industrial, and technological ideas to Asian and African nations in order to civilize them. Northern Vietnam declared independence from France in 1945, but Western influences continued to have a big impact in the ensuing decades. Imported from the United States, Modernist architecture flourished as part of an effort to overthrow the French neoclassicism, introducing a new aesthetic of concrete and terrazzo to the otherwise-tropical environment. Great examples of this style in Vietnam include the General Science Library by Nguyen Huh Then and Bui Quang Hang and Independence Palace by Ngo Viet Thu. Bold terrazzo floors blend seamlessly with the apartments many archways and white walls. The interiors of Mai Apartment are defined by bold concrete and bright eye-catching furniture pieces. A sleek built-in wooden desk looks out over the Mai Apartment's minimalist dining space. The interiors of Mai Apartment are defined by bold concrete and bright eye-catching furniture pieces. Take a walk through Ho Chi Minh City and youll see evidence of these influences on virtually every street. The style is easy to spot when it comes to exteriors, but less common indoors, especially within residences. Whale Design Lab, led by architect Hanh Le, has brought to life a striking arrangement of minimalist surfaces and monumental forms without making any significant structural changes to the existing apartment. One significant influence is Louis Kahn, one of Americas greatest 20th-century architects. A master of Brutalism, Kahn created such visionary structures as the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California (1959-65), Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire (1965-72), and the striking National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1962-63). His work is typified by dynamic geometric shapes, and though most of his structures were made of cold and hefty cement, they never felt static or boring. Story continues Like the rest of the apartment, this bathroom is undeniably modern. The dining area in the Mai Apartment is quaint and unassuming, with a carefully-placed corner plant bringing the space to life. A bold terrazzo staircase inside the ultramodern Mai Apartment. A sleek, simple hallway inside the Whale Design Lab-renovated Mai Apartment. Hanh Le saw in Kahns work a revolutionary functionality and pared-down elegance, eventually leading him to wonder how could these aesthetics be recreated in a boring four-bedroom condo apartment. The giant circular cutouts seen in the Phillips Exeter Academy appear here in a new way, sliced out of interior concrete walls that allow light to pass between the spacious, open two-level living area and a quiet study with a curving built-in desk upstairs. Theyre echoed by the rounded archways subtly separating and defining various interior spaces, including the lip of a gorgeous terrazzo floor, which uses large chunks of white marble inlay instead of aggregate for an updated look. Interior shot of the Philips Exeter Academy's ultramodern arches and walkways. Exterior shot of the iconic Phillips Exeter Academy, designed by modernist master Louis Khan (himself a major influence on Whale Design Lab's Mai Apartment design). This terrazzo continues both up the stairs to the second level and into the kitchen, where it forms the counters, central island, and even a backsplash. Custom furniture, like a rounded dining table with a built-in planter for a living tree, perfectly complements the architecture of the space. Tropical greenery and warm wood give it an edge thats distinctly Vietnamese. The apartment takes its name, mai, from the Vietnamese word for polish. It took three years to complete, but the result meets all of the clients needs with a refreshing sense of uniqueness that cant be found anywhere else. WINNETKA, Ill. - A white woman faces a felony hate crime charge after police said she initiated a racist confrontation with a group of Black men at a beach in suburban Chicago, telling them they werent allowed there and that one of them would kill her because hes Black. Irene Donoshaytis, 65, of Northfield, is accused of aggressively confronting Otis Campbell and two other Black people who were riding bicycles near a pier along Lake Michigan in Winnetka last month, Deputy Police Chief Brian OConnell said. Donoshaytis was initially charged with battery, but the states attorneys office decided to upgrade that Wednesday to a hate crime, OConnell said. Campbell captured the Aug. 17 interaction in a video that was uploaded to Twitter. In the video, Donoshaytis complains to a Winnetka Park District employee that the group of three Black men didnt belong in a certain area without a pass. The employee responds that the men were on public property and a beach pass wasnt required. Donoshaytis disagrees. She asks Campbell, Are you crazy? What, you want to kill me? No? It feels like it. Why would I want to kill you? Is it because Im Black? Campbell says. Yes, Donoshaytis responds, nodding her head. After that, Donoshaytis tries to knock the phone out of Campbells hands, and the recording shakes and stops. Campbell said she hit his arm twice. At a hearing Wednesday, Judge Anjana Hansen set Donoshaytis bond at $10,000 and prohibited her from contact with Campbell or other witnesses and ordered her to surrender her passport. She is due back in court Sept. 18, records show. Campbell, 25, said the woman confronted him just after he finished a 15-mile (24-kilometre) bike ride with his cousin and friend from the nearby suburb of Skokie, where Campbell says he grew up. Campbell said Donoshaytis told them, This is America. This is America. You cant do this. Im from Winnetka. You need to go back where youre from. Campbell added that he will let the justice system handle the womans punishment and that hes not the one throwing this at her. Donoshaytis attorney, Jeffrey Fagan, said Donoshaytis was a refugee from the Soviet Union who fled persecution there. Her story and version of events amounts to a misunderstanding between the parties that was escalated based on the timing of where we are as a culture, Fagan said. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts for the full episode. You could be forgiven for losing track of all the investigations into President Donald Trumps businessthere are just so many of them. They take a long time, theyre complex, and theres no linear story structure. The latest salvo came from the New York State Attorney Generals Office, which is investigating whether Trumps company improperly inflated the value of its assets to get tax benefits and loans. But how close are we to the truth? On Thursdays episode of What Next, I checked in with David Fahrenthold, a Pulitzer Prizewinning investigative reporter at the Washington Post, to find out what we know and still dont know about the Trump Organization and its finances. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ray Suarez: Youve been piecing together the Trump family business for years now. Are you getting closer to a complete picture of its interests and operations? David Fahrenthold: Closer is the key word. We know a lot more about the state of its businesses, its business partners, the pressures its under, and its business with the federal government than we did when we started. But in many ways its still a black box. Theres still a lot I dont know. Trump has always exploited honor systems. He does what the honor system doesnt expect. David Fahrenthold The Trump Organization is facing a level of legal scrutiny that it really has never faced before. It has always sort of skated by, both because Trump was so difficult to deal withhe was so contentious when you went after him as an investigatorand because it wasnt very big. None of its balance sheets were ever that big, and so people didnt feel like it was worth the trouble. Now, thats changed. Its facing some pretty serious investigations, and that could cost it a lot of money in legal fees, but it could also bring some significant damages, and, perhaps most importantly, it could crack open this black box of a company in a way that we really have not seen before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president and his family have lost a fair number of rounds in various federal courts, but theres been no payoff, no aha moment of heres the final thing, the missing key to understanding a lot of other things. Do you feel like you have a better handle on this? Are there little details that leak out in these wins and losses and ties where you find things out almost by accident? Generally, no. Whats happened so far is sort of procedural wrangling that doesnt tell you anything at all about the underlying questions: How much foreign money has gone to the Trump hotel in D.C.? Did Trump break the law with the way his company handled the Stormy Daniels payments? Theres been a lot of talk about thatwho gets to look at those documents and what they might say. But we havent learned anything about what they actually do say. To be honest, the most revelatory document weve gotten was the one thing thats been filed by the New York attorney generals office, which at least laid out the specific cases that the New York attorney general is interested in. Its interested in a few different properties where Trump allegedly inflated the value of his properties. Thats not the biggest offense, but at least we know now which properties theyre interested in, and we can go dig into what Trump has said about those values. Everything else has been a very frustrating but I guess illuminating course in how you can use the legal system to delay accountability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These would be knotty legal and business problems for any business anywhere at any time. But here we have crossing jurisdictional boundariesthe president is the head of the executive branch of the United States and holds a position in a private business headquartered in the state of New York. And while theres a lot of ink being spilled about who can accuse him of what, where, and when, it seems like even after 3 years, none of this has been nailed down. No. One thing Ive learned about Trump and about the country is that Trump has always exploited honor systems. Hes always looked for places where people obey the law not because they have to but because its seen as the right thing to do. They dont want to go against social convention, and so they follow the rulesbut when you break the law, its not like a cop steps out from behind a pillar and arrests you. He takes advantage of that. When he finds a place where theres an honor system, he exploits it. He does what the honor system doesnt expect. And he often gets a huge advantage out of that. He did that in his business often. He did it at his charityhe didnt follow charity rules, and he took advantage of the fact that the charity system takes a long time to catch up with you if you do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And what weve found is that the presidency is an honor system. On purpose, we did not write a lot of laws that govern the presidency because thats supposed to be held by a person of honor who will follow honor systems about not mixing government and private business, not mixing government and politics. And Trump has again taken advantage of that. Theres so many cases in which he said, I know it says I cant do this or other people havent done this, but Im going to do it. Try and stop me. Ill see you in two years. What weve seen in all these court cases is that that worked. And also that Trumps opponents, the Democrats in Congress and people in law enforcement, didnt understand whom they were dealing with. Often they sort of seemed to expect that Trump would follow the honor systems, even when his whole life had shown that he would not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is the Republican Party, and he will still be in 2021. David Fahrenthold Are Trumps kids on the hook in any important way? I think they could be. The New York attorney generals case mentions Eric Trump specificallyhes linked to a couple of transactions theyre interested in. Trumps approach only works for a while, and sometimes thats enough. I mean, think about how well it worked for him in 2016: It got him elected president. But eventually it comes down on him. That happened with the Trump Foundation. It happened with Trump University. Eventually the system stirs to life and comes after him. So he and the whole organization could be in that position next year if Trump loses. He will finally have the honor system catch up to him, the kids and Trump. If hes reelected, though, he may get a protection from it that will last long enough to effectively be permanent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Often in a story there is a sort of nexus fact, a knot that, once you untie it, a lot of other things loosen up. In this beat over the years, has there been a great white whale fact or document or piece of data that youre still trying to get your hands on? Yeah, certainly. In Trumps case, thered be a lot of them. Tax returns would obviously be a clue to solve a lot of different mysteries. But Ill just tell you about one of themits my sort of favorite mystery. Trump says, on his financial statements that he has to file as president, he owes a loan of more than $50 million to a company called Chicago Unit Acquisition LLC. Now, Chicago Unit Acquisition LLC is basically a shell company. It has no employees, has no offices, and its headquarters is Trump Tower. Trump owns it, so he owes a $50 millionplus loan to himself. Now, why would you do that? He says it started in 2012 and has to do with Trumps hotel in Chicago. And so one of the things were trying to figure out is whose loan is that? How did he get it? What would be the tax benefits to doing that? And even more intriguing, the only thing Trump has said about that loan is that he bought his own loan back from his creditors. I cant find any evidence thats true. So that wouldnt be the key to all of his finances, but if I could understand what happened there, Id at least unlock a pretty important portion of his finances. And I think the New York attorney general has zeroed in on the same thing. I have a faint hope that that office, because it has subpoena power, will figure it out before I do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Are there things youre starting to suspect you may never find out? Im sure there are a lot of mysteries about his finances that we wont know this year or next year, maybe ever. So certainly I worry about that. In Trumps case, it will be interesting to see if he does lose in November to Joe Biden and becomes a private citizen in 2021. Will the zest for prosecuting him or investigating him go away completely just because, for purely partisan reasons, the Trump Republican Party has no other leader? Theres no other person ready to step in. Trump is the Republican Party, and he will still be in 2021. Even if he loses, Trump will still be the most important figure in Republican politics and a huge thorn in the side of Joe Biden if Joe Biden is president. So I wonder if the zeal to investigate him will disappear, especially because there are so many questions that Trump has managed to run the clock out on that are still standing. Advertisement It has surfaced that the Trump administration is preparing a dossier on you. It must be a little bit of a shiver to find out that, with the tremendous power of the presidency, theyre mad at you. Yeah. I suppose thats true. I mean, I definitely have had presidencies mad at me before. What the dossier threat was, at least the way they phrased it, was not like were out to get youits that were out to show that your stories are false. Now, if they think our stories are wrong, I want to know. We ask them a bunch of questions before the story runs and give them a chance to comment on everything, but if they still think somethings wrong, theyve got to tell us. Thats true for presidents. Its true for anybody. And they havent. Theres been no challenge to anything we wrote in the particular story that thats in response to, or in any other story this year. So if they want to come to us and say our stories are wrong, we are all ears. But that has not happened. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. It definitely felt at times that this was the worst time ever to launch, said Colin LoCascio of debuting his eponymous label with fall 2020 right before mass lockdowns. For young brands, and especially those that have launched during quarantine, being nimble has been key to survival and the industrys long-needed reset. The New York-based designer has made shifts of his own since Februarys debut. He moved development from small manufacturers in New York, which are now closed, to factories in India, Asia and Italy, and is focusing on how his novelty aesthetic can work into versatile pieces with a longer lifespan as opposed to one-off statement looks. Ahead of lockdown, LoCascio had built hype around custom designs for Cardi B and other musicians. His blend of printed mesh jumpsuits, neon leathers, faux fur outerwear and Nineties iconography is loud-yet-wearable and easily lends itself to the music video and on-stage markets. He honed his skills at RISD, Adam Selman, Elizabeth and James and Marc Jacobs before becoming the design director at Kendall+Kylie. The spring 2021 collection, his second, began with a quieter approach while he quarantined with natural surroundings in Rhode Island. Swimming afforded mental clarity, which led to research into beach iconography from Helmut Newtons photos of Jerry Hall and Jean Pigozzis Pool Party series. The sand and water inspired the color palette and textural play of crochets and engineered jacquards. Core pieces included crochet knitwear in the form of a lacey skirt with a stretchy malleable form and a long mesh dress and sweater with the option of tacking on playful frog-shaped embellishments. His answer to the current casual and ath-leisure trend is the debut of 12 denim pieces with sun-dried and acid wash textures, including a jacket and shorts with multiple bubble-shaped pockets that LoCascio says can get reiterations and reuse. Statement pieces in line with what fans expect include a faux fur coat in a mix of lavender and orange, along with six new prints on mesh in tie dye and watercolor patterns. Story continues Here, LoCascio shares sketches and illustrations of color concepts and looks from spring 2021, which hell present to buyers in Paris and Dubai throughout October. Launch Gallery: Ones to Watch: Colin LoCascio Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. As the evenings shorten, RTE is having another stab at drama. This seasons offering taps into a major issue in rural Ireland. The South Westerlies has as its setting a fictional West Cork town earmarked for a new windfarm. The promotional material sets out the conflict that arises between the commercial interests of the Norweigan-owned farm, fronted by a Dublin woman, and local objectors to a major intrusion on life as they know it. The cast is high calibre. It should be worth a punt. Irrespective of how good or bad it turns out to be, the series can rely on close scrutiny from one constituency the growing number of communities around the country who have been there, done that. In the last 15 years, the development of windfarms has evolved into a major issue for rural communities. The scenario has been replicated right across the country and always had the makings of great drama. A rumour takes flight that theyre a-comin. Inquiries are made. It turns out that, yes, there is a farm earmarked and in the preliminary planning process. Public meetings are held, and research is conducted into every aspect of wind energy. Politicians are lobbied, the media contacted. Campaigns of opposition arise out of fear and can sometimes heighten fears beyond a rational level. Orla Brady as Kate in The South-Westerlies Much of the fear is soundly based and revolves around noise, in particular, the concept of shadow flicker from turbines, and also visual impact. On the other side, there is often a local business interest behind the windfarm venture. This person may be required to possess nether regions of steel in a local area, where the hostility can be radioactive. Of course, those who object would instead suggest that its the brass neck that is this persons outstanding feature. The other cohort in favour of development tends to be local landowners whose property will be utilised. Rental income from windfarms is steady, long term, and an antidote to farming in a time of great uncertainty. This heady mix can lead to some serious bad blood and does absolutely nothing for the long-term cohesion of communities. In the worst-case scenarios, there will be a blockade or the objectors are forced to court, taking on long months and years freighted with stress and worry over the ruinous financial fallout that comes from an unsuccessful legal action. All of this is against a backdrop in which renewable energy takes on greater significance with each passing day as climate change tightens its grip on the planet. The State has committed to producing 70% of its energy through renewables by 2030. Just this week, we have two examples of wind energy generating opposition in rural Ireland. A windfarm earmarked for the scenic Gougane Barra in West Cork was refused planning permission by the county council. Among the reasons for the refusal was that plans for blades on the wind turbines were of an order of 178.5m. The plans had also come up against opposition from the local community. Tadhg O Duinnin, chairman of a community group in the nearby village of Ballingeary, was quoted in yesterdays Irish Examiner as saying the area was already encircled with windfarms. This community has had to take more than its fair share of them, he said. Meanwhile, the semi-state forestry body Coillte has recently submitted plans for a windfarm on the Sligo/Leitrim border, prompting the setting up of a local objection group, Wind Aware Dromahair. The farm is designed to accommodate 10 turbines with an average height of 170m. A spokesperson for the group told The Irish Times yesterday that the plans are based on the 2006 guidelines for windfarms, and they fear that 40 homes in the area would be adversely impacted. St Finbarr's Oratory at Gougane Barra Picture: Eddie O'Hare The issue over out-of-date guidelines cited in Dromahair is the one that has dogged windfarm development for nearly 15 years and created major confusion and frustration. Turbines are being constructed under the 2006 guidelines, while technology has raced ahead at a breakneck speed. For instance, in 2006, the average size of a turbine blade was 50m. Now it is, as seen above, in the region of 170m-180m. The guidelines are simply not fit for purpose yet successive governments continue to long-finger a statutory update. This is down to nothing more than the politics of kicking the can down the road. New guidelines will inevitably leave somebody feeling aggrieved, probably highly aggrieved. Install stringent guidelines, however, and developers will simply refuse to build. To be fair, developers already have to work in a State that has one of the most dispersed populations in Europe. Decades of appalling planning has seen to that. Most possible locations for farms are going to impact on somebody, and you cant blame homeowners today for the disastrous planning policies of the last 40 years. The answer to this dilemma since new guidelines were first proposed in 2009 seems to have been for successive ministers to gladly pass it on to their successors. In August 2013, the then-Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan told the Dail that a process to draft new guidelines which will address the key issues of noise (including separation distance) and shadow flicker was under way. Draft guidelines will be published for public consultation by end-November 2013, with a view to finalising guidelines by mid-2014, he said. Of course, they werent. The parcel was subsequently passed to each successive environment minister, each of whom apparently ran into some problem that relieved them of the burden of making a decision. The latest draft was published in December 2019. According to the Department of Housing, there have been almost 500 submissions which will require detailed analysis. One thing is certain there will be no rush with it. The smart money says the current minister Darragh OBrien will be gone before any new guidelines see the light of day. In this, successive governments are failing abysmally to lead on an issue that is convulsing some communities across the country and impacting on the States ability to general renewable energy. The resultant conflict, fallout, divisions, and heightened emotions all make for great drama. But its no way to run a country. By Lee Hyo-jin More people are growing weary of the "excessive" number of emergency alert notifications amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and frequent typhoons recently, according to disaster prevention experts, Thursday. Those experts fear the public will develop a tolerance to disaster alerts and not act appropriately in the event of an emergency of greater magnitude. These text alerts received on Aug. 30 are disaster notifications about new coronavirus infection cases sent from multiple local governments and strengthened social distancing measures from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. / Korea Times photo by Lee Hyo-jin Emergency text alerts are sent out by various government agencies to warn about natural disasters and to provide guidelines in emergency situations. Although mobile notifications from the government have been issued for some years now, they have been heavily used as a far-reaching digital public announcement system since the early days of the pandemic. The increasing number of repetitive messages about COVID-19 over the past few months has been shifting public opinion on these emergency notifications. More than 25,000 text messages have been sent from various government agencies nationwide from January to August this year, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. This is a 48-fold increase compared with 527 sent in the same period last year. August showed the largest number, a total of 10,394 messages, due to the resurgence of infections, as well as floods brought by the wettest rainy season on record plus mega typhoons that have been battering the country. Although the purpose of emergency texts is to keep the public informed of natural disasters and the spread of coronavirus infections, some municipalities are overusing them by sending what some consider irrelevant information. Gyeonggi City used alert texts to warn people against flying propaganda leaflets over the border into North Korean in June. Daegu City sent multiple messages to promote its disaster relief money program. Gijang County in Busan has issued more than 30 repeated messages on its social distancing campaign. "It's very bothering to receive more than 10 texts every day, including irrelevant ones from Seongnam or Hanam in Gyeonggi Province," said Joo Young-Eun, an office worker living in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul. These multiple messages occur because the emergency alerts are sent based on a person's current location, rather than place of residence. Telecommunication operators automatically send the message to every cellphone in the range of their base station. "I used to read all the messages in March when we had a lot of infections in our area, but lately I haven't paid as much attention to them since I already know it will be about the virus or a typhoon," said Lee Yoon-ji, a resident in Daegu. "People choosing to ignore emergency alerts can lead to a serious accident in the future as they keep overlooking information about disasters," said Lee Young-joo, a professor at the department of fire and disaster prevention at the University of Seoul. "Local governments should be more judicious in sending emergency alert messages, and refrain from overusing the system." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:06:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi army officer was killed on Thursday during an operation to hunt down Islamic State (IS) militants in Salahudin province, while two border guards were killed in an IS attack in Anbar province, police sources said. Iraqi army and police forces launched in the morning an operation designed to hunt down IS militants in the al-Tharthar desert area in the western part of Salahudin, and managed to destroy several IS hideouts and found caches of weapons and ammunition, a local police officer Mohammed al-Bazi said. During the operation, a roadside bomb planted by IS militants was detonated near an army vehicle and killed an officer and wounded three soldiers aboard, al-Bazi added. In another incident, two border guards were killed and two others wounded when IS militants attacked their headquarters near the Iraqi-Saudi border in the southwestern part of Anbar, a provincial police source said. The attack sparked a fierce clash between the two sides, which also resulted in the killing and wounding of a number of the attackers who fled the scene, the source added. IS militants are still active in the desert areas in Salahudin and Anbar which stretch to the border with neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem Nine current and former police officers in Boston were arrested and charged in connection with an overtime scheme that collectively netted them more than $200,000, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. The nine people were each charged in an indictment unsealed Wednesday with one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. Lieutenant Timothy Torigian, 54, of Walpole; Sergeant Gerard OBrien (retired), 62, of Braintree; Sergeant Robert Twitchell (retired), 58, of Norton; Officer Henry Doherty (retired), 61, of Dorchester; Officer Diana Lopez (retired), 58, of Milton; Officer James Carnes (retired), 57, of Canton; Officer Michael Murphy, 60, of Hyde Park; Officer Ronald Nelson (retired), 60, of Jamaica Plain; and Officer Kendra Conway, 49, of Boston will make initial appearances via videoconference in federal court in Boston on Wednesday. The officers currently work for the department have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case, Boston police said. RELATED: Five retired Boston cops accused of overtime fraud are receiving pension payments totaling $36K per month I am a strong supporter of the police, especially in these difficult times. But all must be treated equally under the law, regardless of wealth, power or station, United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said in a statement. These officers are charged with stealing taxpayer money, year after year, through fraud. Beyond the theft of funds, this kind of official misconduct also erodes trust in public institutions, at a time when that trust is most needed. Torigian received over $43,000 for overtime hours he did not work, authorities said. Twitchell, OBrien and Doherty each received over $25,000 for overtime hours they did not work, authorities said. Carnes and Lopez each received over $20,000 for overtime hours they did not work, the DOJ said. Murphy, Nelson and Conway each received over $15,000 for overtime hours they did not work, authorities said. The defendants were assigned to Boston Police Departments Evidence Control Unit, where they were responsible for storing, cataloging and retrieving evidence at the warehouse, the DOJ said. Beginning in May 2016, the officers routinely departed overtime shifts two or more hours early but submitted false timecards claiming to have worked the entire shift, the DOJ said. One overtime shift, called purge overtime, was scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m and focused on reducing the inventory of the evidence warehouse, authorities said. The warehouse, though, was closed, locked and alarmed before 8 p.m. and often by 6 p.m. during those shifts, the DOJ said. Still, the officers charged, filed timecards claiming to have worked all 4 hours, authorities said. Another shift that was scheduled for 8.5 hours, when unused prescription drugs from each police district in the city were transported o an incinerator in Saugus. The DOJ said while slips filed included 8 hours of work, often times the task was completed in 4 hours. Through the fraudulent slips, between May of 2016 and February of 2019 the defendants embezzled more $200,000 in overtime pay, the DOJ said. The charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The allegations and behavior alleged in todays indictments is very troubling and in no way reflect the attitudes of the hard-working employees of the Boston Police Department, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said in a statement. I hold my officers to the highest standards and expect them to obey all the laws that they have taken an oath to uphold. News of these indictments sends a strong message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated or ignored and can damage the trust my officers have worked so hard to build with the communities we serve. The charges from the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday follow the state police overtime scandal. In the state police overtime scheme, dozens of troopers were allegedly paid for hours they did not work. State police previously referred 46 troopers for criminal prosecution for their alleged participation in the overtime scandal. Of those, 10 were charged criminally by the U.S. Attorneys office or the Office of Attorney General Maura Healey. Eight of the 10 have been convicted and sentenced. Of the remaining 36 flagged in the state police investigation, 14 have retired. Twenty-two are still within the department. Related Content: Samsung vice chairman Jay Y Lee indicted in 2015 merger fraud case South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted vice chairman and de facto head of Samsung Group, Jay Y Lee, in a case of alleged accounting fraud and stock price manipulation in connection with a 2015 merger. Along with lee, 10 other current and former Samsung executives were indicted over the merger of two Samsung affiliates that helped Lee assume greater control of the groups flagship Samsung Electronics. Samsung Electronics has a market value of $311 billion. The indictment paves the way for Lee, 52, to undergo trial on the allegations. He will not be detained as a Seoul court denied a request from prosecutors in June for an arrest warrant. Lee has already served jail term in connection with a separate case. The indictment comes as a fresh blow to the head of one of Asias most valuable companies. Lee was jailed for about a year, until his release in February 2018, for his role in a bribery scandal. The court said prosecutors seemed to have secured a considerable amount of evidence and it was appropriate to send the case to trial. The decision comes as President Moon Jae-in rallies big business during a recession driven by the novel coronavirus, and at a time the public might be more interested in controlling the disease and reviving livelihoods than punishing the family-run conglomerates, known as chaebol, that dominate the economy. He was accused of giving horses to the daughter of a confidante of former President Park Geun-hye to win government support for the merger of the two affiliates. Charges against Lee include unfair transaction and manipulation of market prices under the Capital Markets Act, breach of trust during the course of business, and false disclosure and accounting fraud under the External Audit Act, prosecutors said in a statement. We took into account the gravity of the issue, which disturbed the order of the capital market, said Lee Bok-hyun, senior prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. Jay Y Lees attorneys denied the allegations in a statement, calling the indictment unjust, but said the defendants would conscientiously participate in a trial. The $8 billion merger of affiliates Samsung C&T Corp and Cheil Industries in 2015 was seen as key to Lee increasing control of the sprawling group, even as critics said the merger undermined the interests of minority investors. Prosecutors also alleged that Lee and other Samsung executives colluded to inflate the assets of Samsung BioLogics Co Ltd to avoid criticism that the merger was agreed at terms favourable to shareholders of Cheil Industries, which counted Lee as the biggest shareholder. Cheil was a major shareholder of BioLogics. Prosecutors decided to indict Lee despite an independent panels recommendation in June against such action. The decision by the panel, which consisted mostly of non-financial experts, had invited criticism from some lawmakers and experts who raised concern that the panel system could be abused by the wealthy and powerful. Lees lawyers said the prosecutors' decision to flout the independent panels decision and belatedly add a breach of trust allegation suggests prosecutors conducted the investigation with the goal of prosecuting Samsung Group and Lee Jae-yong (Jay Y. Lee) from the beginning, rather than seek objective truth based on evidence. Capital Markets Act violations can be punished with jail of five years to life if a court finds the amount the defendant unlawfully gained or avoided losing is 5 billion won ($4.22 million) or more. Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday gave its consent to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to handle the audit reports of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, one of the worlds richest temples. The move is aimed at bringing in more transparency and bolstering Andhra CM Jagan Reddys vision of clean governance," Y V Subba Reddy, Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, said. According to the official announcement, the CAG will audit the temples accounts from the year 2020-21 but the temple management has requested the central watchdog to conduct a special audit from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020, which has already been done by Andhra Pradesh audit department. We have requested the CAG to go through previous records as well so that there is no confusion with accounts in future. The TTD was dragged into multiple controversies by those with vested interests, hence we want the CAG to set the record straight and furnish a report within 6 months," said Subba Rao. The state governments decision was hailed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who had filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking re-verification of TTDs assets and accounts during the TDP regime led by Chandrababu Naidu. My associate Satyapal Sabharwal and I had filed a PIL in Andhra HC seeking a CAG audit of Tirupati Temple funds for the last 5 years& hereafter. The CM Jagan gracefully consented. TTD Chm. Subba Reddy & Member & VHS AP leader Govind Hari piloted it thru TTD Board. Task complete!" Swamy tweeted. My associate Satyapal Sabharwal and I had filed a PIL in Andhra HC seeking a CAG audit of Tirupati Temple funds for the last 5 years& hereafter. The CM Jagan gracefully consented. TTD Chm. Subba Reddy & Member & VHS AP leader Govind Hari piloted it thru TTD Board. Task complete! Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 2, 2020 Swamys petition, filed in 2018, demands liberation of Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and 11 others from the clutches of the state goverment". Back then, Swamy had accused the Chandrababu Naidu government of usurping the temples assets and resources by sidelining hereditary trustees and nominating his own men to the temples governing body. With the passage of the latest resolution on Wednesday, the Temple board will send an affidavit to the high court seeking an external audit of the temples accounts, funds, jewellery worth crores donated by pilgrims and trust members. It really is possible to conduct a smooth election during a pandemic. The states that created a universal vote-by-mail system years ago, like Colorado and Oregon, have the easiest time doing so. But states without such a system can still avoid long voting lines, count ballots quickly and announce almost all results on election night, even when turnout is high and a virus is raging. Thats perhaps the most important lesson of this weeks primary in Massachusetts. Even though more than 1.5 million people voted, a record for a Democratic primary in the state, wait times at polling places were mostly short. And even though many people voted by mail, the results were available on election night. It was a contrast to the recent messes in Georgia (where lines lasted hours) and New York (where some results werent available for weeks). How did Massachusetts do so? Mostly by making an effort. In July, the state legislature passed an emergency bill that, among other things, mailed forms to all registered voters allowing them to request a mail-in ballot. Local officials set up dozens of ballot drop-off boxes, to reduce mail volume. The state loosened restrictions on who could serve as a poll worker a particular problem since many existing workers are older and thus vulnerable to Covid-19. And the state allowed local officials to begin counting ballots as they arrived, rather than forcing them to wait until Election Day, as some states do. Himachal Pradesh Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh Thakur tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, ahead of the monsoon session of state assembly which begins on September 7. I got the Covid-19 test done after developing some early symptoms and the report came out positive. I humbly request all those who came in my contact in the recent days to isolate themselves and also undergo a test for the virus, Thakur wrote on his Facebook page. The minister was feeling uneasy for last two days and had got a routine checkup at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla on Wednesday. He again visited the hospital on Thursday and his sample was sent for Truenat test for Covid-19. The test report came out positive in the afternoon. Thakur had visited New Delhi and met BJP national president JP Nadda on August 20 and 21. After returning from Delhi, Thakur had also attended a cabinet meeting held in Shimla. Meanwhile, a team of doctors will decide whether he will be admitted to a hospital or will home isolate. His personal staff has been quarantined and contract tracing is being done. The 70-year-old leader is the second minister in Himachal to have caught the virus after power minister Sukhram Chaudhary. Chaudhary and his daughters had tested positive on August 6, soon after he was inducted into the cabinet. He was discharged on August 20 after he recovered. Earlier, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur went into a quarantine after a deputy secretary was found infected in July. He, however, did not contract the virus. Himachal Pradesh on Thursday recorded 199 fresh Covid-19 infections, taking the state tally to 6,615, officials said. This is the biggest single-day spike in the state. Of the new cases, 52 were reported in Sirmaur, 41 in Solan, 40 in Kangra, 19 in Una, 13 each in Hamirpur and Bilaspur, 11 in Shimla, six in Kinnaur, two in Kullu and one each in Chamba and Mandi. Active cases have climbed to 1,708 while 4,814 people have recovered till date. The death toll has mounted to 46 with three deaths in last 24 hours. All the deceased belonged to Solan district. A 56-year-old man residing at the housing board colony, Nalagarh, who was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, on August 31 after testing positive, died last evening. Another 80-year-old man died in Solan. Two more deaths were recorded in Nalagarh including a 28-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh who was currently residing at Manpura and 45-year-old factory worker. With 1,533 cases, Solan remains the worst-hit district followed by Sirmaur where 980 cases have been reported till date. Kangra has 966 cases, Hamirpur 611, Una 533, Chamba 442, Mandi 403, Bilaspur 374, Shimla 376, Kullu 287 and 102 cases in Kinnaur district. Lahaul-Spiti remains the least affected district in the state as it has only reported eight Covid-19 cases till date. Kathmandu: India has sought permission from Nepal to conduct a detailed study of the Raxaul-Kathmandu rail link without any delays. A proposal sent by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to the Nepal government has promised to follow health and safety protocols amid COVID-19 while carrying out the study. Konkan Railway Corporation, a union government company headquartered in Navi Mumbai will conduct a detailed study of the project. "The Indian team is ready to come to Nepal whenever we ask them to come. They even have sent us the details of machinery and other logistics they will be bringing along with them as they come for the study. We have asked them to send the names of the people along with their designation again," Balram Mishra, the Director-General of Department of Railways, said. "Situation now is not favourable as before as there is a risk of COVID-19 infection. Despite the grim situation, the Indian side is ready to conduct the study. They will send us the details within a week in the format we have asked for," Mishra added. The details received will be sent to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation, after which it will be forwarded to Home Ministry and then to COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC), which will give the final decision about their arrival. "We are following the COVID-19 guidelines and have to follow the procedure," Mishra said. A rail line is operational on the Indian side, reaching up to the dry port of Raxaul and India has planned to link it up to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It will run from the side of the proposed second international airport at Nijgadh after getting through Bara`s Jitpur. The total length of the rail line is expected to be 136 kilometres, out of which 42 kilometres will pass through a tunnel. It is expected to cost about three trillion Nepali rupees. "After conducting the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the final cost will be known. It can increase or decrease by some percent. It will take us at least a year to complete the study," Mishra said. Nepal and India had signed a deal to conduct a feasibility study of the Kathmandu-Raxaul rail link during the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held at Kathmandu in 2018. The investment modality of the project is yet to be finalised. Porn producers are bringing in special measures to protect performers after dozens of women accused adult film star Ron Jeremy of sex attacks. Top porn star Keiran Lee - who works with leading porn production companies such as Canadian firm Brazzers - is introducing measures including the use of CCTV cameras on set and hiring 'talent liaison officers' to help performers deal with any allegations of abuse. Lee's production company Mr. Big is making the move in response to the ongoing court case against Jeremy. The 67-year-old was charged in Los Angeles in June with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth. On Monday, he was hit with 20 new counts of sexually abusing 13 more women dating back to 2004 - including the assault of a 15-year-old girl. Prosecutors in Los Angeles say they have been contacted by at least 25 women across the US who made allegations 'ranging from misdemeanour sexual battery to rape' against Jeremy. Porn producers are bringing in special measures to protect performers after dozens of women accused adult film star Ron Jeremy of sex attacks, DailyMail.com can disclose The 67-year-old was charged in Los Angeles in June with raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth. On Monday, he was hit with 20 new counts of sexual abuse dating back to 2004 - including the assault of a 15-year-old girl Top porn star Keiran Lee (pictured) - who works with leading porn production companies such as Canadian firm Brazzers - is introducing measures including the use of CCTV cameras on set and hiring 'talent liaison officers' to help performers deal with any allegations of abuse Keiran, 38, said: 'The industry turned its back on Ron Jeremy a long time ago. 'He had let the fame go to his head and he thought he was the man and to be fair he was one of the biggest porn stars ever. 'He was already banned from the porn industry's main awards show, the AVN Awards, for walking around and groping people. 'I've never met him and he never worked with us but after the whole Ron Jeremy thing kicked off what [we] are doing is making sure there is a special female liaison on set at all times. '[We] saw the Ron Jeremy situation and decided to review best practices during lockdown to make sets even safer than they already are. The 20 new charges against Jeremy date back to 2004, when Jeremy allegedly sexually assaulted an unnamed teenage girl at a party in Santa Clarita, just outside Los Angeles 'So now if a girl ever feels like she is not comfortable with something she has someone she can confide in. 'I say female but it's for all talent, so female and male performers can go to the liaison officer and let them know if there's anything they're not comfortable with. 'Talent that aren't working on the day will be hired as liaison officers so it puts money in their pockets and there is someone neutral and not affiliated with the production there for the talent. 'We are also having a camera filming at all times during the day, like a CCTV camera that is on at all times so we have video evidence if anything goes wrong. 'Thankfully we have never had anything like that but it's good to be prepared if a director or performer steps out of line. 'From what I understand Ron Jeremy was a sleazeball off camera so we want transparency on set at all times, although from what I understand a lot of the women who have made complaints against him were not involved in the porn industry. 'Production has been on halt because of the pandemic but these guidelines are now in place for when we go back on set. 'It's also in response to the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein case, we've learned from mistakes they have made and want to make sure nothing like that happens on our sets.' Jeremy, whose real name is Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, remains in jail on $6.6 million bail after he pleaded not guilty in June. Last month DailyMail.com published exclusive photos of Jeremy's filthy, cockroach-infested LA apartment. Last month DailyMail.com published exclusive photos of Jeremy's filthy, cockroach-infested LA apartment. A New York woman who met Jeremy in September 2017 said she went to his apartment to use the restroom and was shocked by what she saw. The woman says she isn't surprised about the allegations against Jeremy because he was so sexually aggressive with her and tried to grope her in her car (pictured) This is the filthy, cockroach-infested Hollywood apartment of accused serial rapist and former porn star Ron Jeremy Photos obtained by DailyMail.com show Jeremy's lounge filled with dozens of boxes, while the kitchen sides were filled with paperwork, used candles and empty bottles The woman said: 'There was trash piled up, old porn memorabilia stuffed in overflowing boxes. His kitchen table looked like an unkempt outside porch, there were plants that had grown around the table legs and into the floor' His lounge filled with dozens of boxes, while the kitchen sides were filled with paperwork, used candles and empty bottles. One corner of the apartment is seen filled with medication and discarded pill bottles and prescriptions with his real name, Ron J Hyatt written on them. There's barely enough room to move around in the apartment due to the junk left on the floor which is black with dirt. A woman who met Jeremy, 67, in 2017 said she went to his rundown one bedroom apartment to use the restroom and was so shocked by what she saw she began snapping pictures. 'It was disgusting, I was so shocked. You could hardly open the front door and you couldn't get in the bathroom at all. 'There was trash piled up, old porn memorabilia stuffed in overflowing boxes. His kitchen table looked like an unkempt outside porch, there were plants that had grown around the table legs and into the floor. 'I honestly thought he was on that show Hoarders. There were cans of roach spray left on the side, piles of medication, books, DVDs, paperwork and he had pet turtles.' The woman claimed Jeremy aggressively came on to her while she was in his apartment but agreed to go to an event later that night with him. But she gave Jeremy the slip and was later bombarded by calls from him. She said: 'He was so angry that I took off without saying goodbye. He was enraged, it was really unsettling how angry he got.' The woman said she isn't surprised about the allegations against Jeremy because he was so sexually aggressive with her and tried to grope her in her car. As New Jersey schools move forward with their reopening during the lingering coronavirus crisis, children will be returning to a different kind of experience. NJ Advance Media recently visited several schools to see what the new normal will be for students as they make the transition from virtual instruction to a physical return to the classroom. Among the things they will see: Signage placed at entrances, exits and hallways reminding everyone to keep 6 feet apart, and arrows directing traffic flow. Temperature checks for everyone. Hand sanitizers available at every turn. Signs reminding everyone that mask-wearing is mandatory. And plexiglass shields in offices and classrooms. The pandemic has created a new normal for all students returning for in-person classes. Plexiglass shields are attached to every desk in one of the classrooms at Cove Road School in Hazlet. The school is prepared to open its doors on Sept. 8 for students to attend classes during the coronavirus pandemic.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Cove Road School in Hazlet has installed plexiglass shields on desks and in staff offices. Charles Hildner, supervisor of business and grounds for the district, estimated they built 2,800 shields for staff and students. All students and staff will be required to have temperature checks as they enter the school. School is scheduled to start on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in the Hazlet public school district. Teachers practice social distancing during their lunch break at Lafayette Township School. The school was preparing for students to return in early September.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Lafayette Township School in Sussex County welcomed back students on Thursday for a full day of school, arriving at 8 a.m. and ending at 2:17 p.m. The school is offering both in-person and virtual classroom instruction. Students do not have access to their lockers but have space at a desk to keep their belongings. Signage for designated seating in a lecture hall at Montclair State University. Thursday, August 20, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Montclair State University began welcoming students back on campus in August, offering students both in-person and virtual learning opportunities. Performing arts and science labs will remain in-person. Lecture halls have designated social distancing seating. Signage at a dining hall on Montclair State University's campus on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media More scenes from schools across N.J. The cafeteria at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown. Tables (in the background along the wall) have been replaced by desks spaced 6 feet apart and all facing the same direction, awaiting students' return to school during the lingering coronavirus crisis.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Cleaning supplies in each classroom at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown as the scool prepares for students return during COVID-19. Monday, August 31, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Paul Tomko, IT technician at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown works behind plexiglass barriers as the school prepares for students return during COVID-19. Monday, August 31, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Laura Cariddi, social science teacher prepares her classroom at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown. The school prepares for students return during COVID-19. Monday, August 31, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Jason Farnsworth an art teacher at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown prepares for students return during COVID-19. Monday, August 31, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Lisa Rothenberg, left, and her son Liam have their temperatures checked before entering Lafayette Township School. They are coming to pick up remote school supplies. The school is preparing for students return during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Lafayette Township School prepares for students return during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Each desk station, a desk and two chairs is for one student allowing them space to keep their backpacks with them at all times. Lafayette Township School prepares for students return during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Colorful cones are used to mark 6 foot social distancing at Lafayette Township School as the school prepares for students return during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Brad Dragone, a history teacher at Lafayette Township School prepares his classroom. Students will return for in class education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Plexiglass shields on every desk in one of the classrooms atCove Road School in Hazlet. The school is prepared to open its doors on September 8 for students to attend classes during the pandemic. Tuesday, August 25, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Patti Caravaglio, secretary at Cove Road School in Hazlet works behind a plexiglass barrier. The is prepared to open its doors on September 8 for students to attend classes during the pandemic. Tuesday, August 25, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media The gym is transformed into a classroom with plexiglass shields on every desk at Cove Road School in Hazlet. The school is prepared to open its doors on September 8 for students to attend classes during the pandemic. Tuesday, August 25, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Signage reminding everyone to wear a mask and social distance on Montclair State University's campus. Thursday, August 20, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Students wait in line to be served at one of the dining halls on Montclair State University. Thursday, August 20, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Plexiglass shields in one of the labs at Montclair State University. Thursday, August 20, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Patti Sapone may be reached at psapone@njadvancemedia.com. Have you seen an inspiring story in your community during this troubling time? Tell us about it. See more uplifting stories in #TogetherNJ. RTP eyes accused cops in Boss case THAILAND: The Royal Thai Police (RTP) will take legal action against 21 police officers allegedly found guilty of mishandling the fatal hit-and-run case of Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya, saying they accept Vicha Mahakuns report. corruptionpolicedeath By Bangkok Post Thursday 3 September 2020, 08:12AM Vorayuth Yoovidhya is in Bangkok police custody after his crash on Sept 3, 2012. Photo: Bangkok Post file. Assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Jaruwat Waisaya and national police deputy spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen held a press briefing yesterday (Sept 2) on the police probe against the 21 officers. They said the police accepted the results of an examination by a panel chaired by Mr Vicha, and national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda would oversee the ongoing police probe himself. We [RTP] will do our best and we will not protect police who do wrong. We need to find evidence to substantiate the claims and then we will pass the evidence to the National Anti-Corruption Commission [NACC] to investigate so society will have no doubts, Pol Lt Gen Jaruwat said yesterday. The police had found more evidence against the 21 police officers named in addition to that uncovered by Mr Vichas fact-finding panel, they said. Further details were unavailable. Investigators from Thong Lor police station on Aug 31 indicted Mr Vorayuth on three charges: reckless driving causing death, failing to help a victim after a crash and drug abuse. Eleven of the 21 police officers had been accused of negligence in their duties by the NACC in 2016 and have already faced disciplinary measures. The remaining officers were recently found to be involved in the mishandling of the case and would be investigated by the NACC to find out if they had committed any criminal offences, said the assistant police chief. Regarding assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Permpoon Chidchob who is also alleged to have been involved in the polices mishandling of Mr Vorayuths case, Pol Lt Gen Jaruwat said the police had set up a panel to launch a disciplinary probe against him. However, that did not mean he was found to be involved in mishandling the case. Regarding Mr Vorayuth, police officials said if prosecutors indicted Mr Vorayuth, they would ask Interpol to issue a Red Notice against the Red Bull scion to 150 member countries, to help ensure he was brought to justice. After that, the police would see if Thailand had an extradition treaty with countries that responded to the Red Notice, the deputy spokesman said. The police probe panel would also look into why Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, the victim of the hit-and-run case, faced a contributory negligence charge, he said. The police had knowledge of Mr Vorayuths whereabouts, but could not reveal any details, said the deputy spokesman. Pol Col Kissana added the Immigration Bureau already had information of Mr Vorayuths leaving the kingdom. Former national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung refused to speak to the press further, saying he had explained everything. Pol Gen Somyot brought a lecturer to give new evidence about the speed of the car driven by Mr Vorayuth in the crash. George Floyd died May 25. Today is Aug. 30. What has the Portland City Council been doing for three months? Im a 40-year Portland citizen. I havent seen any commissioner in our neighborhood this year meeting with citizens, displaying leadership or discussing a safe and serious future. While pieces of Portland shatter, commissioners battle internally over turf. While bullies roam the city, they tussle with the police bureau and county sheriff. They should do their jobs today and every day, and lead our city from this chaos now. Last night, a stream of the presidents supporters poured through our neighborhood on a hunting journey. Driving white trucks with banners, flags, guns and hate, they searched for political prey. What to say about Portland? Its filled with fearful citizens desperate for leadership in these dangerous days and months. Mr. Mayor, why did it take you three months to meet with Portlands business and civic leaders? Whats the City Councils plan to achieve peace? Rebuild the community, our neighborhoods and a fractured, frayed social contract? Commissioners, your collective indecision is still a decision. You are elected to represent every Portland citizen and seem now, more than ever, to represent no one. Begin with one answer for me and every citizen: Whats your plan for Portland? Michael G. Sievers, Portland Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 16:14 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4286f10 1 National TNI,military,military-police,clash,Ciracas-Police-Attack,Ciracas-Police-Station Free Authorities have named 29 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel suspects over an attack on the Ciracas Police Station in East Jakarta and the destruction of public property on Saturday morning. Military police commander Lt. Gen. Dodik Wijonarko said the 29 soldiers would be arrested to account for their actions. Their status has been upgraded to that of suspects, and we have filed for their detention, Dodik said in a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com. The military police investigated 51 TNI members of 19 units from last Saturday to Wednesday. We are still examining the [possible] involvement of 21 of them, while one has been released because he was only a witness, Dodik said. The suspects reportedly admitted in the investigation that they had attacked the police station and damaged public property, arguing that they had been enraged by information about an alleged attack against a fellow serviceman. They said a TNI member, identified as Second Pvt. MI, had been beaten up in Arundina, Ciracas. The Ciracas Police has denied this and said the soldier had been injured in a traffic accident. The private, who is a member of the Army Law Directorate unit, is now being treated at Ridwan Meuraksa Hospital in East Jakarta. Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa has apologized for the actions committed by the military personnel. We apologize to the victims, and we are sorry for the damage suffered by both civilians and members of the National Police, Andika said during a press conference on Sunday. We will make sure that we follow up on the matter, including by covering the costs of hospital care and providing compensation for the damage caused by the perpetrators, he added. (syk) New Delhi: India has reiterated once again that when it comes to the COVID vaccine, Bangladesh will get a priority. The issue of the coronavirus vaccine was discussed during Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla's visit to Dhaka. "As a close neighbour and strategic partner, we have assured the Bangladesh side that Bangladesh will get high priority in supply of vaccine, once ready. We are glad to note that enterprises on both sides are also taking steps towards this end," said the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava in his weekly presser. The issue of the COVID-19 vaccine was discussed during Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Dhaka. Days after Harsh Vardhan Shringla's visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh's largest pharma company Beximco Pharmaceuticals announced that it is investing in the Serum Institute of India for the vaccine. Issuing a statement, the company said, "Once the vaccine receives regulatory approvals, SII will include Bangladesh among the countries who will be the first to receive an agreed quantity" of the COVID vaccine. India currently produces over 60% of the world's vaccine and amidst the COVID pandemic supplied hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol to over 100 countries. Three COVID vaccines are currently in different stages of development and India is expected to start mass production after the regulatory approval. India has sent medicines to Bangladesh and has also been conducting capacity building courses. The Central Bureau of Investigation has released its first official statement on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The investigating agency has dismissed all media reports attributed to its investigations as 'speculative' and 'not based on facts'. Stating that it is conducting its investigation of Sushant's death in a systematic and professional way, the CBI has requested media to confirm details with its spokesperson before quoting the agency. CBI's official statement read, "The CBI is conducting investigation related to death of Sh. Sushant Singh Rajput in a systematic and professional way." It continued, "Certain media reports attributed to CBI investigation are speculative and not based on facts. It is reiterated that as a matter of Policy, CBI does not share details of ongoing investigation. CBI spokesperson or any team member has not shared any details of investigation with media. The details being reported and attributed to CBI are not credible." "It is requested that media may please confirm details from CBI Spokesperson before quoting CBI," the statement added. It further said, "CBI spokesperson or any team member has not shared any details of investigation with media. The details being reported and attributed to CBI are not credible." Sushant's case, which was earlier being investigated by the Mumbai Police who were later joined by the Bihar Police, was eventually handed over to the CBI by the Supreme Court. Sushant was found dead in his apartment on June 14. It is suspected that he died by suicide. " title="ALSO READ: Sushant's Death Case: Centre Accepts Bihar Govt's Request For CBI Inquiry, Actor's Sister Reacts" />ALSO READ: Sushant's Death Case: Centre Accepts Bihar Govt's Request For CBI Inquiry, Actor's Sister Reacts ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Case: Supreme Court Orders CBI Inquiry ANSONIA Police have charged Rosali Acquefredas ex with her murder. Andre LeFrancois, 22, of Ansonia, has been charged with murder and risk of injury to a child in the death of Acquefreda, 20. The two have a 3-year-old son, Eli, together. The child is with Acquefredas family. LeFrancois was taken into custody without incident at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday outside his Root Avenue home. He is being detained on $750,000 bond pending an appearance in Milford Superior Court Thursday. Lt. Patrick Lynch and Police Chief Andrew Cota III announced the arrest during a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday press conference in Veteran's Park next to City Hall Justice is served, said Joseph Acquefreda Jr., Rosalis father. My daughter is finally at peace. He thanked the law enforcement personnel who played a role in bringing the case to a quick arrest. My daughter had a toxic relationship with this gentleman ever since she was 14, he said. She was in fear of this man, and its sad to say that because he was the childs father. Christian Federici, Rosalis boyfriend, urged anyone involved in a abusive or physical violent relationship to come forward and seek help. This could have been avoided, he said. I tried my hardest. I was there all the time. She was so scared of this man. Acquefredas murder is the second involving domestic violence in the past year. Last December, police found the body of Christine Holloway beaten to death in her Myrtle Avenue home. Jose Morales of New Haven has been charged him with her killing. He has pleaded not guilty and his case is pending in Milford Superior Court. The couples child, Vanessa Morales, is still missing and the subject of a nationwide search. LeFrancois arrest comes just days after Acquefredas bleeding body was found on North Coe Lane shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. She was pronounced dead at Griffin Hospital. "I applaud the work of the Ansonia Police department for making an apprehension so quickly and bringing some closure to Rosali's family," Mayor David Cassetti said. Following an autopsy Monday, the Chief Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a homicide caused by multiple stab wounds. During a police press conference Monday afternoon, several family members said they believed that LeFrancois had killed Acquefreda, describing him as controlling, abusive and angry that Aquefreda had a new boyfriend. She lived in fear (of LeFrancois), said Rosalis father. She had her run-ins with (LeFrancois) ... he was very aggressive. Rosali and LeFrancois were involved in a legal battle over custody of Eli. A hearing was scheduled for Thursday in Milford Superior court. My daughter, my grandson and myself were preparing to move to a new home in Shelton this week, Joseph Acquefreda said Monday. The babys father did not want to see this happen." While details of the homicide were not immediately available, John Izzo, a former Ansonia Board of Education member, said he was on his way to visit friends in Derby Sunday when he saw people standing around what appeared to be a badly injured woman near Coe and North Coe Lane. "I got out of my car and asked them to help me move the body to level ground so I could start CPR," he said. "There was no pulse. I looked down at this young girl and could only think she was someone's daughter, sister or niece. I tried, believe me I tried so hard, to get a heart beat but I just couldn't." After being told an arrest was made, Izzo said he "was so glad. My heart goes out to the family and my hat goes off to the police." A GoFundMe site has been created to help the family pay for funeral and burial expenses. So far, 211 people have donated $9,599. Lynch said help in the Valley is available through the Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence which can be reached at 203-736-9944 or 1-888-774-2900. Statewide domestic violence assistance can be found at www.CTSafeConnect.org or calling 1-888-774-2900. MILWAUKEE: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday met with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man whose shooting by police in Wisconsin in August sparked a new surge of civil unrest around the United States. The private meeting, which took place in a building at the Milwaukee airport, came at the start of a trip by Biden to the state. Biden and his wife Jill met with four members of Blakes family, including his father, Jacob Blake, Sr., the Biden campaign said. Biden later will convene a community meeting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a white police officer shot Blake in the back on Aug. 23, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and sparking several days of protests against police brutality in the city and across the country. A 17-year-old supporter of Bidens Republican rival, President Donald Trump, has been charged with killing two people and wounding another with a semi-automatic rifle during a clash with Kenosha protesters. Trump visited the city on Tuesday, but did not meet with Blakes family. Instead he visited a furniture store that was destroyed in the upheaval and suggested that Democrats like Biden condoned the violence that has at times disrupted largely peaceful demonstrations, even as Biden has condemned it. Trump has increasingly made the national protests over racial inequality and police brutality a central theme of his campaign to be re-elected on Nov. 3, casting himself as holding the line against urban chaos. Biden, in turn, has accused Trump of stoking conflict to frighten voters. Donald Trump looks at this violence and sees a political lifeline, Biden said in a speech in Pittsburgh on Monday. The visit marks a distinct change in campaign tactics for Biden, who has mostly avoided traveling far from his Delaware home, arguing the coronavirus pandemic required caution. The protests that have flared nationwide since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd in May have placed the Democrat in a difficult political position at times. Along with his running mate, Kamala Harris, Biden has praised the energy of the Black Lives Matter movement, but has not embraced its goals of de-funding or even eliminating local police departments. That has not stopped the Trump campaign from suggesting Biden is in lockstep with the movement. These are left-wing radicals aligned with his partys extreme anti-police wing, and they are in control of the Democratic Party, and therefore in control of Joe Biden, Trump spokesman Tim Murtaugh said on Wednesday. Wisconsin is a critical battleground in the fight for the White House. Trump edged out Democrat Hillary Clinton there four years ago, and while opinion polls show Biden with a lead in the state, Trumps campaign has made retaining it a top priority. Trump will visit another swing state crucial to his re-election when he makes a campaign stop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. Trump won Pennsylvania by just 45,000 votes in 2016. Recent polls show him trailing Biden in that state as well, although there are indications the race there is tightening. 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 All businesses in Maryland will be able to open later this week as the state enters the third phase of its coronavirus recovery plan, Governor Larry Hogan announced Tuesday. Movie theaters and performing arts centers will be able to open at 50% capacity beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. Up to 100 people will be allowed at indoor venues, or 250 people at outdoor venues. All retail stores as well as churches and houses of worship will be able to increase capacity from 50% to 75%. Local jurisdictions will still be able to decide not to open as much as the state plan allows. I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into Stage 3 does not mean that this crisis is behind us and remind them that we must remain vigilant so that we can keep Maryland open for business, Hogan said at a news conference. The governor said the state has continued to see declining numbers in key health metrics. Marylands statewide posititivity rate is down to 3.39%, Hogan said. Marylands positivity rate has now been under 5%, which is the benchmark set by the World Health Organization and the (Centers for Disease Control an Prevention) for 68 consecutive days, since June 25th, and it has been under 4% for 24 consecutive days, since Aug. 8, Hogan said. While it is absolutely critical to remain vigilant as we battle this deadly virus, it is also important that we continue to fight to protect and improve our economy and the health of our small business community and our struggling Maryland families by continuing to push to safely reopen our economy and to get more people safely back to work, Hogan said. Maryland also has seen nearly a 30% decline in intensive care unit levels since July 25. In just the last month alone, our statewide case rate per 100,000 has dropped by 45%, Hogan said. Hogan also thanked the Maryland State Board of Education for voting to require school systems that have not developed a plan for returning any students for in-person instruction until 2021 to reevaluate their reopening plans by the end of the first quarter. Last week, the governor announced that, as a result of improved COVID-19 health metrics, every county school system in Maryland is authorized to begin safely reopening but made clear that the legal authority and final decision on safe openings rests with county boards of education. The Maryland State Board of Elections has told the administration that absentee ballot applications have been mailed out to all state voters. We continue to strongly encourage Marylanders to take advantage of voting by absentee ballot or to participate in early voting, Hogan said. Hogan also said more than 11,000 residents have to stepped forward to serve as election judges. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Maryland By John W. Whitehead A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.Anonymous September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Have you noticed that the governments answer to every problem is more governmentat taxpayer expenseand less individual liberty? The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Every crisismanufactured or otherwisesince the nations early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn. Indeed, the history of the United States is a testament to the old adage that liberty decreases as government (and government bureaucracy) grows. To put it another way, as government expands, liberty contracts. To the police state, this COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge boon, like winning the biggest jackpot in the lottery. Certainly, it will prove to be a windfall for those who profit from government expenditures and expansions. Given the rate at which the government has been devising new ways to spend our money and establish itself as the solution to all of our worldly problems, this current crisis will most likely end up ushering in the largest expansion of government power since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This is how the emergency state operates, after all. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter From 9/11 to COVID-19, we the people have acted the part of the helpless, gullible victims desperately in need of the government to save us from whatever danger threatens. In turn, the government has been all too accommodating and eager while also expanding its power and authority in the so-called name of national security. As chief correspondent Dan Balz asks for The Washington Post, Government is everywhere now. Where does it go next? When it comes to the power players that call the shots, there is no end to their voracious appetite for more: more money, more power, more control. This expansion of government power is also increasing our federal debt in unprecedented leaps and bounds. Yet the government isnt just borrowing outrageous amounts of money to keep the country afloat. Its also borrowing indecent sums to pay for programs it cant afford. The governments primary response to this COVID-19 pandemicflooding the market with borrowed money in the amount of trillions of dollars for stimulus payments, unemployment insurance expansions, and loans to prop up small businesses and to keep big companies afloathas pushed the country even deeper in debt. By the country, I really mean the taxpayers. And by the taxpayers, its really future generations who will be shackled to debt loads they may never be able to pay back. This is how you impoverish the future. Democrats and Republicans alike have done this. Without fail, every president within the last 50 years has expanded the nations debt. When President Trump took office on January 20, 2017, the national debtthe amount the federal government has borrowed over the years and must pay backwas a whopping $19.9 trillion. Despite Trumps pledge to drain the swamp and eliminate the debt, the federal debt is now approaching $27 trillion and is on track to surpass $78 trillion by 2028. For many years now, economists have warned that economic collapse would be inevitable if the national debt ever surpassed the size of the U.S. economy. The government passed that point in June 2020 and has yet to put the brakes on its spending. In fact, the Federal Reserve just keeps printing more money in order to prop up the economy and float the debt. At some point, somethings got to give. As it now stands, the U.S. is among the most indebted countries in the world. Almost a third of the $27 trillion national debt is owed to foreign entities such as Japan and China. Most of the debt, however, is owed to the public. How is this even possible? Essentially, its a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. First, the government requires taxpayers to pay a portion of their salaries to the Social Security Trust Fund. The government then turns around and borrows from Social Security to cover its spending needs. Then the government raises taxes or prints more money in order to pay out whatever is needed to the retirees. Its a form of convoluted economics that only makes sense to government bureaucrats looking to make a profit off the backs of the taxpayers. According to the U.S. Debt Clock, each taxpayers share of the national debt is $214,000 and growing. Thats almost five times more than the median income for what Americans earn in a year. Thats also almost five times more than the average American has in savings, across savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, call deposit accounts, and prepaid cards. Almost 60% of Americans are so financially strapped that they dont have even $500 in savings and nothing whatsoever put away for retirement. Just the interest that must be paid on the national debt every year is $338 billion and growing. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the fastest growing item in the budget over the next decade will be interest on the debt. As the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported in 2019, before COVID spending pushed the country over the fiscal cliff, Interest payments will rise from $325 billion last year to $928 billion by 2029, a nearly threefold increase. If tax cuts and spending increases are extended, interest will exceed $1 trillion and set a new record as a share of the economy. The federal government will spend more on interest than on Medicaid or children by 2020. By 2024, interest will match defense spending. Bottom line: The U.S. governmentand that includes the current administrationis spending money it doesnt have on programs it cant afford, and we the taxpayers are the ones who will have to pay for it. As financial analyst Kristin Tate explains, When the government has its debt bill come due, all of us will be on the hook. Despite the tax burden we the people are made to bear, we have no real say in how the government runs, or how our taxpayer funds are used, but were being forced to pay through the nose, anyhow. We have no real say, but that doesnt prevent the government from fleecing us at every turn and forcing us to pay for endless wars that do more to fund the military industrial complex than protect us, pork barrel projects that produce little to nothing, and a police state that serves only to imprison us within its walls. All the while the government continues to do whatever it wantslevy taxes, rack up debt, spend outrageously and irresponsiblywith little thought for the plight of its citizens. This brings me to a curious point: what the future will look like ten years from now, when the federal debt is expected to surpass $78 trillion, an unsustainable level of debt that will result in unprecedented economic hardship for anyone that does not belong to the wealthy elite. Interestingly enough, that timeline coincides with the governments vision of the future as depicted in a Pentagon training video created by the Army for U.S. Special Operations Command. According to the video, the government is anticipating trouble (read: civil unrest), which is code for anything that challenges the governments authority, wealth and power, and is grooming its armed forces (including its heavily armed federal agents) accordingly to solve future domestic political and social problems. The training video, titled Megacities: Urban Future, the Emerging Complexity, is only five minutes long, but it provides a chilling glimpse of what the government expects the world to look like in 2030, a world bedeviled by criminal networks, substandard infrastructure, religious and ethnic tensions, impoverishment, slums, open landfills, over-burdened sewers, a growing mass of unemployed, and an urban landscape in which the prosperous economic elite must be protected from the impoverishment of the have nots. And then comes the kicker. Three-and-a-half minutes into the Pentagons dystopian vision of a world of Robert Kaplan-esque urban hellscapes brutal and anarchic supercities filled with gangs of youth-gone-wild, a restive underclass, criminal syndicates, and bands of malicious hackers, the ominous voice of the narrator speaks of a need to drain the swamps. Drain the swamps. Surely, weve heard that phrase before? Ah yes. Emblazoned on t-shirts and signs, shouted at rallies, and used as a rallying cry among Trump supporters, drain the swamp became one of Donald Trumps most-used campaign slogans. Far from draining the politically corrupt swamps of Washington DC of lobbyists and special interest groups, however, the Trump Administration has further mired us in a sweltering bog of corruption and self-serving tactics. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Now the government has adopted its own plans for swamp-draining, only it wants to use the military to drain the swamps of futuristic urban American cities of noncombatants and engage the remaining adversaries in high intensity conflict within. And who are these noncombatants, a military term that refers to civilians who are not engaged in fighting during a war? They are, according to the Pentagon, adversaries. They are threats. They are the enemy. They are people who dont support the government, people who live in fast-growing urban communities, people who may be less well-off economically than the government and corporate elite, people who engage in protests, people who are unemployed, people who engage in crime (in keeping with the governments fast-growing, overly broad definition of what constitutes a crime). In other words, in the eyes of the U.S. military, noncombatants are American citizens a.k.a. domestic extremists a.k.a. enemy combatants who must be identified, targeted, detained, contained and, if necessary, eliminated. Funny how closely fact tracks fiction these days. Just recently, in fact, I re-watched Escape from L.A., John Carpenters 1996 post-apocalyptic action film that imagines a future (2013, in fact) in which the United States has elected a president for life who runs the country according to his own theocratic moral law. Anyone who runs afoul of the presidents moral laws is stripped of their citizenship and either electrocuted or deported to the island of Los Angeles, a penal colony where lawlessness reigns supreme. As the films opening narrator recounts: In the late 20th century, hostile forces inside the United States grow strong. The city of Los Angeles is ravaged by crime and immorality. To protect and defend its citizens, the United States Police Force is formed. A presidential candidate predicts a millennium earthquake will destroy L.A. in divine retribution. The earthquake measuring 9.6 on the Richter scale hits at 12:59 P.M. August 23rd in the year 2000. After the devastation, the Constitution is amended, and the newly elected president accepts a lifetime term of office. The country's capital is moved from Washington, D.C., to the president's hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. Los Angeles Island is declared no longer part of the United States and becomes the deportation point for all people found undesirable or unfit to live in the new, moral America. The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped among the shorelines, making any escape from L.A. impossible. From the southeastern hills of Orange County to the northwestern shore of Malibu, the great wall excludes L.A. from the mainland. The president's first act as permanent Commander in Chief is Directive 17: once an American loses his or her citizenship, they are deported to this island of the damned, and they never come back. Carpenter is a brilliant filmmaker whose dystopian visions of the future are eerily prescient, but this film is particularly unnerving: environmental disasters; engineered viruses used like weapons to control the masses; riots and looting that leave the populace longing for law and order; religion used like a weapon; martial law; surveillance that keeps every citizen under the governments watchful eye; and a growing awareness that the only path to freedom left for humanity is to shut down the government and start over again. Were almost there now. As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, unless we make some effort to reject the sorry excuse for representative government that we have been saddled with, the future that awaits uswhether its the future envisioned by the Pentagon in its training video or the future imagined by Carpenterwill be a living nightmare from which there is no escape. Growing numbers of Louisiana residents are turning to the state to find a place to stay after Hurricane Laura ravaged the states southwestern region, wrecking homes, ripping away roofs and leaving hundreds of thousands without utility access. In addition to the thousands of evacuees staying with friends and family or putting themselves up in other temporary locations, more than 11,000 people are being sheltered by the state, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. The vast majority are relying on the state for shelter are staying in hotels largely in New Orleans, but also in Baton Rouge and Shreveport. The numbers tick upward each day, Edwards said at a news conference. Whats driving people to the shelter is some combination of their home not being safe, habitable and secure, not having power and not having water, and for many people in our shelters, its going to be all three, the governor said. More than 260,000 utility customers in Louisiana, about 12% of customers, remained without power Tuesday, five days after Lauras fierce winds arrived, according to the Louisiana Public Service Commission. That included nearly every customer in Cameron Parish where the hurricane came ashore, and its neighbors to the north, Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes. But while generators can patch over the power outages, the larger difficulty seemed to be with water systems. About 180,000 people had no water, the state health department said, while another 420,000 people were under boil water advisories for the water coming through their taps. And repairs in the hardest-hit areas and in some cases, total rebuilding of power and water structures were expected to take weeks, possibly months. Concerns about the federal governments response to the hurricane started to mount Tuesday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved nine Louisiana parishes for aid to individual households, while Edwards continues to push for another 14 parishes to be added to the list. FEMA is offering $500 in one-time cash assistance to displaced households in those nine parishes, one-third the amount the state requested. And U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said he worried about plans for FEMA and the federal Small Business Administration to operate virtual disaster recovery centers for Laura, saying that could lengthen the recovery. Louisiana residents cannot afford to wait until reliable power and internet are restored to apply for federal relief, disaster loans and other necessary steps virtually, Louisianas Republican senator wrote leaders of the two federal agencies. He added: We need boots on the ground, not bureaucrats with iPads on Zoom. Laura roared ashore on Aug. 27 as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Lake Charles near Cameron, Louisiana, packing 150-mph (240-kph) winds and a storm surge as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters) in some areas. State officials have called it the most powerful storm ever to hit Louisiana. We have tens of thousands of our fellow Louisianans whose homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed, their livelihoods have been impacted, and its a very, very tough situation, Edwards said. Nineteen deaths in Louisiana and Texas have been attributed to the storm. Damage assessments were only beginning, but projections from two Boston-based disaster modeling firms Karen Clark & Co. and AIR Worldwide indicated insured losses to U.S. properties from Laura could reach $8 billion to $9 billion. Fights, Equipment Thefts There has been a rise in thefts of storm-recovery equipment in one Louisiana parish and fights at gas stations in another during the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, authorities said. The fights broke out between customers at Vernon Parish fuel pumps, according to a statement posted Friday on Facebook by the Vernon Parish Sheriffs Office. Vernon Parish Sheriff John Craft urged residents to only get the amount of gas they need, saying in the statement that the citizens of this parish are better than this. He also asked residents to be courteous to gas station employees, adding fuel may be scarce for the foreseeable future due to logistical issues. It was not clear how many calls about these fights were made to the sheriffs office, or if anyone was arrested. In Beauregard Parish, authorities are advising residents to take precaution with their storm-recovery equipment, including generators and chainsaws, because of a rise in theft. Beauregard Parish Chief Detective Sylvestor Denmond called to thefts frustrating. He told the American Press that residents should make note of the identifying numbers on their equipment. Such identifying marks will allow authorities to easily identify stolen items, Denmond said. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Louisiana Hurricane The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi University to submit the data relating to number of students who have applied online for seeking digital degree certificates and figures of such certificates which have been issued. The high courts direction came on being informed that despite judicial order, students have not been issued digital degrees by the varsity. This is completely violative of the order of this court. The timelines as set out in the order dated August 7 shall be adhered to strictly by DU, Justice Prathiba M Singh said. The high court directed the university to issue digital degree certificates of the two students, who filed the pleas, before September 7. In the affidavit to be filed by the DU, the data relating to number of students who have applied online for seeking digital degree certificates and the number of digital degree certificates issued online shall be clearly mentioned, the judge said. The high court also directed Dr Sanjeev Singh, Joint Director of Delhi University Computer Centre (DUCC), to join the proceedings by video conferencing on September 7. The high court on August 7 had passed an order on a bunch of petitions, putting in place a proper procedure for issuance of degree certificates through an online mechanism to ensure that delay in printing of degree certificates does not become an impediment to students who need it. It had then recorded satisfaction in respect of the digital certificate that was filed by DU and noted that an online platform www.digicerti.du.ac.in was also created for enabling students to apply for issuance of such certificates. It had directed that DU shall ensure that students digital degree certificates are issued within a period of one week from registration. However, on Wednesday the high court was informed by final year law student Shubham Kumar Jain that he had graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce, DU in 2017 and was seeking a digital degree for the bachelors course which has still not been issued. He submitted that despite the online submission of the application for issuance of digital degree certificate and completion of all formalities, the university was insisting on physical submission of a hard copy of the application. He said he has applied for the digital degree on August 14, but it has not been issued. Advocate Sarthak Maggon, representing petitioner Dhritiman Ray on whose plea the earlier order on issuance of digital degree was passed, said even he has not yet got his digital degree certificate. He said he has received more than 30 calls from the students who are similarly situated. The high court said the purpose of directing issuance of the certificates digitally and through an online mechanism was to dispense with the need for physical presence of students at the university during the COVID-19 pandemic and also to streamline the process for students who are not in Delhi and need the document either for employment or for further educational purposes. The high court said as per the August 7 order, it was clear that after registering on the portal, the digital degree certificates have to be issued within one week and the insistence on physical filing of the same documents which are submitted online, defeats the entire purpose of the order. It is made clear that DU shall not insist on submission of hard copies of the application or other related documents, for the purpose of issuing digital degree certificates. Insisting on the submission of a hard copy would again set the whole process at naught and create further inefficiencies. It would also force students to visit the university, which ought to be completely avoided, Justice Singh said. The judge noted that earlier the senior officials of DU had informed it that the data of all students who have graduated till November 2019 is available with the university and had assured that online filing would be sufficient. There is no permissibility for DU to insist on physical filing of documents. Accordingly, the verification of the applications, which have been filed online for digital degree certificates, shall be done on the basis of online filing. Insistence on physical presence of the students or the submission of hard copies would be contrary to the order dated August 7. Let a reply to this application be filed before the next date, it said. Though teachers have built in breaks for meals and movement and are trying to limit the number of times students are logging on and off, Banks said staff members understand if children need to eat during class, and are asking that they turn off the mic for any breaks. Support staff members are also ready to monitor lunch chats and step in if a teacher needs to break away for a few minutes. Cath this Teachers Day special on 5th September at 8 PM Known for her female centric blockbuster films in Tamil Cinema, actress Jyotika is all set to entertain the audience with her recently released film Madam Geeta Rani on the small screen. This Teachers day enjoy this fun-filled family drama on Sony MAX on 5th September at 8 PM. Madam Geeta Rani is a Tamil dub of Jyotikas highly popular title Raatchasi directed and written by Syed Gowthamraj. The film is produced by S.R. Prakashbabu and S. R. Prabhu under the banner of Dream Warrior Pictures. The film stars Jyothika in the lead role, alongside Hareesh Peradi, Poornima Bhagyaraj, Sathyan, Nagineedu, and Aruldoss in other prominent roles. Madam Geeta Rani is the story of a government schoolteacher named Geeta Rani who implements different plans to reform an undisciplined government school. However, she faces numerous challenges in her way, including a corrupt MLA. The roller-coaster journey of Geeta Rani to discover herself and reform the society is worth inspiring. The exciting part of the film is that Jyotika as a lead does everything that a hero does in any film. She battles criminals by herself, lectures on social messages and she is the sole deliverer of an entire school and additionally changes a whole town. Remember to catch the World Television Premiere of Jyotika starrer Madam Geeta Rani On Sony MAX on 5th September at 8 PM British Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'dropped in' on a meeting between White House adviser Jared Kushner and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, government officials confirmed. Mr Johnson made a 'short drop-in' during talks at the Foreign Office between Mr Raab and Mr Kushner about the situation in the Middle East. It was 'specifically a discussion about the Middle East peace process', the Prime Minister's spokesman told reporters during a briefing. President Donald Trump's son-in-law arrived in London having this week travelled on a high-level Israeli delegation to the United Arab Emirates on the first direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) 'dropped in' on a meeting between White House adviser Jared Kushner (right) and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, government officials confirmed Mr Johnson (pictured leaving the Foreign Office) made a 'short drop-in' during talks at the Foreign Office between Mr Raab and Mr Kushner about the situation in the Middle East Karlie Kloss is set to appear at event in support for Joe Biden... despite being the sister-in-law of Trump adviser Jared Kushner By Adam S. Levy For Dailymail.com Karlie Kloss is pledging her support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. The supermodel, 28, is slated to make an appearance on Thursday in support of the former Vice President in tandem with the group STEAM, which is aimed at spreading awareness toward educating people on science, technology, engineering, art and math. Kloss - who is wed to Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Donald Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner - will be joined at the proceedings by Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, as well as Dr. Morine Cebert Gaitors, Nancy Lu and Adrianna Williams. The Project Runway personality will participate in an event set to 'highlight the important work that is happening with women in STEAM,' according to Biden's campaign. An insider told People that the cause is near and dear to Karlie's heart: 'For those who know Karlie, this event makes a lot of sense. 'She cares deeply about the future of women in STEAM and has always supported the candidates who stand for the issues shes passionate about.' Five years ago, the catwalk superstar initiated her Kode With Klossy program encouraging young girls to focus on developing the technical skills in the fast-changing digital landscape. 'Kode With Klossy is about igniting the initial spark in young women to want to explore the world of technology, so applicants that show creativity, passion and curiosity around tech always stand out to me,' Kloss told People in 2019. The appearance comes at a bit of a conflict with her personal life, as she's been married to Josh Kushner - the brother of President Donald Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner - since October of 2018. Advertisement The flight traversed Saudi airspace following a US-brokered deal by the United Arab Emirates to normalise relations with Israel. Before boarding the flight on Monday, Mr Kushner said: 'While this is a historic flight, we hope it will start an even more historic journey for the Middle East and beyond. 'This is a very hopeful time and I believe that so much peace and property is possible in the region and across the world.' Mr Kushner visited the traveling press corps in the back of the plane while over Saudi airspace to say it was 'gracious' of the kingdom to make such an extraordinary gesture, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a recorded in-flight address over the loudspeaker noting so as well. The flight itself came after weeks of a quickly-warming relationship since the surprise August 13 White House announcement establishing ties. In just over two weeks, telephone lines were connected between the countries, the UAE's ruler issued a decree formally ending the country's decades-long boycott of Israel and several Israeli companies have already signed business deals with Emirati counterparts. Mr Kushner was joined onboard by national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Mideast envoy Avi Berkowitz and envoy for Iran Brian Hook. The Israeli delegation was led by national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, who spoke in Arabic upon arrival. It included the director generals of several government ministries who hoped to establish a rapport with their Emirati counterparts on issues of diplomacy, trade, science, technology and cooperation in countering the coronavirus pandemic during the short two-day visit. For the Palestinians, the day was also symbolic - and painful. The Palestinians have long counted on the Arab consensus that normalization with Israel could come only after a Palestinian state is established. They have condemned the UAE's move toward Israel as treacherous. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said 'it hurts us very much' to see the Israeli plane landing in the UAE. He noted that the plane was called 'Kiryat Gat,' a southern Israeli town built where Arab villages once stood before the war surrounding Israel's establishment in 1948. 'We would have liked to have an Emirati plane landing in liberated Jerusalem, but we live in a difficult Arab era,' Shtayyeh said. While the Palestinians have cut off ties with the US, Mr Kushner said the US and the 'whole region' is ready to help them. 'But they can't be stuck in the past. They have to come to the table,' he said. Number 10 defended the Conservative Party leader's decision to join a meeting with a figure so close to Mr Trump now that campaigning for the next presidential election has stepped up before the looming November poll. President Donald Trump's son-in-law (pictured arriving at the Foreign Office) arrived in London having this week travelled on a high-level Israeli delegation to the United Arab Emirates on the first direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries Number 10 defended the Conservative Party leader's decision to join a meeting with a figure so close to Mr Trump now that campaigning for the next presidential election has stepped up before the looming November poll. Pictured: Mr Kushner arriving at the Foreign Office today Mr Trump is fighting to secure a second term in the Oval Office against a challenge from his Democratic rival Joe Biden. 'It was specifically a discussion about the Middle East peace process, which I think we all would agree it is important we continue to be fully engaged in that work,' the Prime Minister's spokesman said. When asked whether the Prime Minister would be 'endorsing' Mr Trump in the November election, the No. 10 spokesman said: 'The long-standing position in the UK is that elections are a matter for the electors of that particular country.' The UK is currently involved in negotiations with the US as it seeks to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the world's largest economy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:28:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TASHKENT, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan will step-by-step resume regular flights to the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan starting from Sept. 4, the national air carrier Uzbekistan Airways said Thursday. Passengers arriving from those countries will have to provide a certificate, in English or Russian, with a negative test result for COVID-19 and sign a paper with a commitment to 14-day self-isolation, the airliner said. Uzbekistan has further eased COVID-19 lockdown measures this week, allowing theaters, cinema halls, restaurants and cafes to reopen from Sept. 5 with strict sanitary rules. However, weddings and other family ceremonies can only be held at home with no more than 30 guests and a ban on mass gatherings, beauty salons and nightclubs will remain in place, the authorities said. Uzbekistan has so far registered 42,635 COVID-19 cases, with 331 deaths and 39,883 recoveries. Enditem Kylie Jenner may not be interested in reuniting with her ex Travis Scott at the moment, but she's not ruling out a reconciliation in the future. The mood between the 23-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and the 28-year-old rapper 'changes often,' according to Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood podcast. Despite their shifting feelings, the fashion mogul hasn't ruled out having another child with Travis in the future. Growing her family: Kylie Jenner, 23, hasn't ruled out reunited with Travis Scott and wants another child in the future, according to Us Weekly; pictured together in 2018 'Kylie and Travis have been so shaky for a while now. They are so on and off and it changes almost month to month,' a source told the publication. However, the ex couple 'definitely still have a physical attraction to one another and are on pretty good terms.' The celebrity duo separated in September of 2019, though they had previously had on and off periods in their relationship. The two were first linked in April 2017, and Kylie gave birth to their daughter Stormi, now two, on February 1, 2018. It's a possibility: The ex couple 'definitely still have a physical attraction to one another and are on pretty good terms,' a source said; pictured with daughter Stormi Webster in August 2019 'Neither of them is fully committed or attached to one another romantically at this time and Kylie is definitely crushing on a few other guys as of late,' the source continued. They added that the couple might get back together someday in the future, 'but right now doesnt seem like the time, but again, their dynamic changes often. They are still young and figuring out their next steps.' Even if the former lovers aren't sure how they feel about each other, Kylie 'loves' being a mother to Stormi. 'Kylie definitely wants more kids, shes just not sure about if it will be with Travis, but again, it could happen one day,' the insider said. Moving on? 'Neither of them is fully committed or attached to one another romantically at this time and Kylie is definitely crushing on a few other guys as of late,' the source said; shown in May 2019 Family time: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Travis and Kylie have been quarantining together in order to spend plenty of time co-parenting their daughter Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Travis and Kylie have been quarantining together in order to spend plenty of time co-parenting their daughter. Back in June, a source told Us Weekly that Travis was 'hopeful' that he and the near-billionaire could be together again, though their current priority was Stormi. 'They co-parent Stormi successfully by being as inclusive and involved as possible and making an effort for Travis to still certainly be part of the picture and let Stormi know that their level of coparenting and dynamic is OK and normal,' a source said. 'They dont want to give off any energy that it isnt and everyone in her family thinks they are doing a pretty great job, Travis and Kylie included In the picture: 'They co-parent Stormi successfully by being as inclusive and involved as possible and making an effort for Travis to still certainly be part of the picture and let Stormi know that their level of coparenting and dynamic is OK and normal,' a source said Paris vacation: Last month, Kylie outraged some followers when she visited Paris for meetings with executives from Coty Cosmetics, the company which bought a majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics Late last month, Kylie outraged some of her followers when she took a trip to Paris for business meetings with executives from Coty Cosmetics, the company which bought a majority stake in Kylie Cosmetics, making her a near-billionaire. Social media users were upset that she traveled for non-essential meetindgs that could likely have been conducted virtually despite the ongoing pandemic. 'You don't have to deal with COVID if ur rich,' sniped one fan in the comments of a post. 'Is the pandemic over for rich people? I just see them taking luxurious vacations to tropical places or Europe like how is Kylie Jenner in Paris rn I don't understand,' wrote another. Another remarked, 'Kylie Jenner going to Paris during Covid while the rest of the world can't travel or visit family in other countries/states due to border restrictions just doesn't sit well with me.' Puzzling: It's not clear how Kylie got an exemption to enter the EU, and she documented herself ignoring the 14-day quarantine period for entering France Some users wondered how Kylie had even been admitted to Paris in the first place. The European Union has instituted travel restrictions that ban people from the United States from entering any EU countries due to the US' failure to control its coronavirus cases. Though the EU lists multiple exemptions to the travel restrictions, Kylie doesn't appear to qualify for any of them. She also seemed to have ignored orders to quarantine for 14 days after entering France. The Papua New Guinea government granted a 20-year lease for the Porgera gold mine last month to a state-backed enterprise. Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd, Chinas largest gold producer, may lose its operating rights at a $1 billion-a-year gold mine in Papua New Guinea after the Pacific island countrys national court dismissed a request for judicial review of the governments decision to take control of the mine. In April, the Papua New Guinea government denied an application from Barrick Niugini Ltd., Zijins local joint venture, to extend its lease at the Porgera gold mine. The dismissal of Barricks request for judicial review followed a lengthy dispute. The national court will issue its final detailed judgment Sept. 21, according to local media report. Barrick will seek to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court and has applied to the World Banks International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) for international arbitration, the company said in a statement. Operations at Porgera have been on hold since the dispute began in April, while fears of global economic collapse triggered by the covid-19 pandemic have sent gold prices to record highs, making the fight over the gold mine even more consequential. Zijin and Canadian gold giant Barrick Gold each owns 47.5% of the mining venture, which contributes about 8 tons of gold annually to Zijins total production and generated 12.3% of net profit last year. The Papua New Guinea government is also eager to resume operation at the Porgera mine, which accounts for around 10% of the countrys exports. The government granted a 20-year lease for the mine Aug. 25 to state-backed Kumul Minerals Holdings (KML). Zijin invested $298 million in 2015 to acquire its stake in the joint venture. Zijin said it has recouped its entire investment cost. The government cited environmental damage and resettlement issues as reasons for denying an extension of the mining rights. But Barrick called the move tantamount to nationalization, arguing that environmental practices at the mine were regularly audited and approved by the government and that the company has compensated and relocated more than 1,400 households affected by the mine. Read more Developers Face New Debt Limits as Property Crackdown Continues The mine has a remaining life of 20 years, with high-grade gold reserves of 11.6 million ounces, according to the government. If the mine produces 500,000 ounces of gold a year at a price of $2,000 per ounce, the annual cash flow will be $1 billion, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape estimated. After taking out operating costs of $360 million, the prime minister projected a net profit of $640 million a year from the mine. If the mine is 100% owned by us, this money will be easily injected into the economy, Marape said. Barrick said the governments rushed and nontransparent decision was unlawful and invalid. Before the government granted the lease to KML, no consultation was made with local owners and stakeholders, Barrick said. Barrick said it proposed an arrangement to Marape that would give the government 57% of the net cash flow derived from Porgera over the next 20 years in the form of equity benefits, royalties and taxes, including an additional 15% free equity. Barrick said it still owns the plant, assets, infrastructure and ore stockpiles at Porgera valued at more than $1 billion. Even assuming those assets were all for sale, the government has no way to pay for them, the company said. Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com) Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. An anti-capitalist organization who started the Occupy movement in 2011 have vowed to 'draw wind' from BLM protests tearing through the country and 'lay siege to the White House' for 50 days. Adbusters, a non-profit environmentalist organization based in Canada - who are known for spurring the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 - have announced plans to 'lay siege' to the White House from September 17 until November 3. The group describe themselves as 'a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs' whose goals involve advancing a 'new social activist movement'. In a post on their website titled '#WhiteHouseSiege Tactical Briefing #1', the activists say: 'It's time again for dramatic, decisive action. 'Which is why, on September 17th, in the original and enduring spirit of Occupy, we and tens of thousands of our fellow citizens will stream into Lafayette Square, in Washington. D.C.' Adbusters posted this image with their 'tactical briefing', which details a plan to 'lay siege' to the White House on 17 September Who are Adbusters? Adbusters Media Foundation is a non-profit organization based in British Columbia, Canada. It describes itself as a 'a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age.' Since 1989, it has published a bi-monthly issue of the consumerism-challenging magazine 'Adbusters'. The organization has sparked numerous campaigns including Occupy Wall Street. In mid-2011 they sent out an email to their subscriber list suggesting a peaceful occupation of Wall Street. Their goal was to challenge corporate influence, wealth disparities, and the failure of officials to hold those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis to account. Advertisement The group said the date was chosen to coincide with the ninth anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, when thousands of protesters occupied NYC's Zuccotti Park to demonstrate against economic inequality. It is due to finish on the same day as the Presidential election. The movement set off a chain reaction with similar demonstrations carried out across the globe. Adbusters named BLM in their call to action, who are currently embroiled in protests across the US. '#Whitehousesiege will electrify the U.S. election season and it doesn't stop there. Drawing wind from #BLM, #MeToo, and #ExtinctionRebellion and protests against Trump's lethal bungling of coronavirus, we'll inspire a global movement of systemic change a Global Spring a cultural heave towards a true world order.' The Canada-based activists claim that 'inequality has soared' and that 'not a single Wall Street CEO spent a night in jail for his role in the 2008 financial meltdown' in the years since 2011. The focus of their campaign, however, is US President Donald Trump, who they call a 'howling void of a president' with 'sins too many to name [...] sitting smugly atop a corona death-toll that may surpass two-hundred thousand Americans by Christmas'. According to their website, the group hopes their movement - which they say will be nonviolent - will go global. 'A siege only works if it is sustained,' their post reads. Occupy Wall Street members stage a protest march near Wall Street in New York, on October 12, 2011 'We witnessed this the multiplying power of a strategic occupation nine years ago. You dig in, hold your ground, and the tension accumulates, amplifies, goes global.' Adbusters kicked off the Occupy movement in 2011 by proposing the peaceful protest near Wall Street through their email subscriber list. However, they are not in control of the movement, which is now represented worldwide. Election 2020 Rejected Candidate in Myanmars Rakhine State Says Hes Been Bullied off the Ballot ANP candidate U Pho San / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy SITTWE, Rakhine StateAn Arakan National Party (ANP) official says election authorities are bending the rules to keep him off the November ballot. The Union Election Commission (UEC) removed U Pho San from the ANPs candidate list, citing his sons role with the Arakan Army (AA), which the government has designated as a terrorist organization. I am an ANP Central Executive Committee [CEC] member and currently a lawmaker representing Kyaukphyu, U Pho San told The Irrawaddy. It is just an excuse for them to say that I violated the law. I didnt. If I violated the law, then there should be an investigation. If I violated the law, legal action can be taken against me. I am willing to take the appropriate punishment if thats the case. But right now, I feel like I have been bullied by the UECs bending of the rules. U Pho Sans candidacy was initially approved by the Kyaukphyu District Election Sub-commission on Aug. 14. But the UEC later ruled that he was in violation of the parliamentary election law. Article 10(n) of the law states that a person is not eligible to stand for election if there is credible evidence that they have had contact with any of the following: an organization declared an unlawful association under any existing law; organizations or persons designated by the state to have committed terrorist acts; or insurgent organizations in armed revolt against the state, or their members. The initial approval of his candidacy came after none of the seven other rival candidates raised any objections. U Pho Sans son, Aung Myit Soe, attended the Defense Services Academy starting in 2002 as part of Intake No. 47, and was serving as a major at No. 3 Armored Battalion Headquarters in Meiktila Township, Mandalay Region when he left his post to join the AA in May of 2018. Secretary of Kyaukphyu District Election Sub-commission U Htay Aung Khaing said the commission had no choice but to reject the candidacy after being informed by the UEC that it was in violation of the law. We were asked to take necessary actions, and we have to function in line with parliamentary election law, he told The Irrawaddy. How can we know if there is contact between U Pho San and his son in the AA? We cant and the UEC cant. Thats a matter for the Home Affairs Ministry, he told The Irrawaddy. U Pho San attempted to appeal the rejection of his candidacy but ran into a series of hurdles. He was informed of the decision on Aug. 22, when the Kyaukphyu District Election Sub-commission summoned him and told him that the Home Affairs Ministry had found that his son had joined the AA. I denied that I violated the election law. When I said I would submit an appeal to the state election sub-commission, district election sub-commission officials said the instruction came from the UEC and had nothing to do with state and district commissions. So, I submitted an appeal to the UEC, he told The Irrawaddy. He did that on Aug. 24, he said. But the UEC denied the appeal, saying that U Pho San should have first submitted an appeal to the state election commission. The district election sub-commission only told me verbally [that I was disqualified]. I denied [the allegation]. When I said I would submit an appeal to the state election sub-commission, they said the order came directly from the UEC. Now, the UEC says the district election sub-commissions decision will be upheld because I failed to appeal to the state election sub-commission. But then the district election sub-commission did not give me the rejection letter. How can I submit the appeal without the rejection letter? he said. Rejecting U Pho San, who is a CEC member of an official political party and current lawmaker, based only on the fact that his son has joined the AA amounts to a slap in the face not only for U Poe San, but also for the ANP, said the partys general secretary, U Khaing Pyi Soe. The ANPs leader, lawyer Daw Aye Nu Sein, also rejected the UECs argument. He is a sitting lawmaker, and his son has been gone for a long time. The law says credible evidence must be submitted about having contact with unlawful associations and insurgent organizations. Can the simple fact that a son has joined the AA be called strong evidence? she asked. She also criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, accusing it of repressing the opposition even though the NLD itself had endured repression during military rule. She urged the NLD to have sympathy, reminding the ruling party of the era when an entire family could not even run a roadside stall if there was a single NLD member in the family. U Pho Sans elder son is still serving as a sergeant in Light Infantry Battalion 270 of the Myanmar military based in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. If his candidacy is in violation of the law, U Pho San said, his elder son is also in violation and should be released from military service. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Myanmars Ruling Party Vows to Reform Military in Election Manifesto Nearly 7,000 Candidates Approved to Run in Myanmars November Election Election 2020: The Week in Review 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. The crisis engulfing Boeing and Airbus intensified as another major customer asked to push back orders for more planes. Qatar Airways has struck a deal with European plane maker Airbus to delay the delivery of new aircraft, after the coronavirus pandemic triggered a slump in global air travel that is expected to last for several years. But the airlines chief executive Akbar Al-Baker said it was still in talks with US group Boeing about its order, and hinted it could stop doing business with it in future if the two cannot agree. Qatar Airways has struck a deal with European plane maker Airbus to delay the delivery of new aircraft, after the coronavirus pandemic triggered a slump in global air travel He said: As far as Boeing is concerned we are still in negotiations with them, but regardless of what they feel, an aircraft manufacturer needs to oblige customers in difficult times. People who will not oblige and stand with us in this difficult time will not see us again. Al-Baker did not say how many planes had been delayed with either company. Airlines are bracing to carry fewer passengers until around 2025. It is thought it will be especially difficult for companies that make a lot of their money from long-distance routes, as the short-haul market for holidays and business travel is expected to pick up a lot sooner. Qatar has made a name for itself for being a connecting hub in the Middle East between the East and the West so it is likely to suffer sorely from the collapse. Al-Baker said: We have the ability to bring forward the deliveries if there is a rebound in air travel. But, he added, the airline had not reached an agreement with Boeing. Qatar has dozens of orders with both firms, including 50 for Airbuss A321neo and 60 Boeing 777X planes. Al-Bakers threat comes as Boeing and Airbus have seen a slew of orders cancelled or pushed back since the Covid crisis began. In July alone Boeing customers cancelled plans to buy 43 of its 737 Max planes. In April, Easyjet pushed back orders for 24 aircraft from Airbus until between 2025 and 2027. It followed a bust-up with the budget carriers founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who wanted Easyjet to cancel the 4.5billion order for 107 planes entirely to save cash. The jets were originally meant to be delivered this year, next year and in 2022. Both plane makers have now scaled back their production schedules with Boeing retiring its iconic 747 jumbo jets by 2022 and cutting the number of 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner jets it makes every month. And Airbus is planning to make just five of its A350 jets per month down from 9.5 in April. They are also planning mass lay-offs to counter the collapse in demand, as well as making swingeing cost cuts throughout their businesses. Boeing is axeing 10 per cent of its 160,000-strong workforce, while Airbus is cutting 15,000 of its 34,000 staff. We imagine your first encounter with a wind turbine was through the window of your car as you zip down a remote highway. Wind turbines are unforgettable because of their large and impressive stature and are emblematic of the widespread global adoption of this power source as a means to generate more sustainable energy solutions for communities. India has been at the forefront of renewable energy revolution and has emerged as the one of the worlds largest and most competitive markets for clean energy innovations. Wind power saw a stable growth in the country over the past few decades, and India currently ranks fourth in the global wind energy capacity ranking. Two IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) members, Pouyan Pourbeik and Nicholas Miller, explain how wind power technology works, and why it is so important. What is a wind turbine? In simplest terms, a wind turbine is a mechanical machine that converts the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical rotational energy that can be used to do some work, says Pourbeik. Utilizing the natural resource, wind, as a source of energy production is not a new technological practice. In fact, wind turbines have been developed in various ways for several centuries. Pourbeik says that the first recorded wind turbine dates back to the seventh century in Iran and was used to grind grain and pump water from wells. Todays modern wind turbines are used to run electrical machines that then convert the rotational mechanical energy into electrical energy that can serve the electrical needs of residential homes, commercial buildings and industry, says Pourbeik. How is wind power a sustainable technology? Wind turbines are sustainable because of the power conversion process; by tapping into the wind, the process is cleaner than having to mine or burn material that creates massive amounts of emissions as a result. Wind energy is a solution to reducing those carbon emissions, eliminating other forms of pollution in the air, and eventually moving away from traditional methods that have the opposite effect on our planet. Another benefit of wind power is that this source of energy is free and bountiful. When I lecture on wind turbine basics, I often start with the statement a wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy in wind/moving air into money, says Miller. The fact that there is electric power generated is incidental. You cant afford to build a wind turbine that captures all of the available energy all the time, says Miller. What are the challenges of wind energy? Every technology comes with its own set of challenges that engineers are equipped to solve. Integration into pre-existing power grids and gaining general public awareness of the technology as a sustainable tool are the current hurdles Pourbeik and Miller face as power engineers. There are challenges with engineering such systems and reliably integrating them into the world-wide electric infrastructure but that is what makes the current technical environment in the field of power and energy engineering so exciting, says Pourbeik. One of those challenges to the energy grid is energy storage and reliability. Traditionally, when a customer demands electric power, the generation and the power grid is capable of meeting that demand. But with the advent and explosive growth of wind and solar power, it is Mother Nature who decides when the electric power will be supplied, not the consumer, says Miller. Since the birth of the electric power system in the late 19th and early 20th century, energy has been converted from mechanical energy to electrical energy through the use of rotating electrical machines, which are directly connected to the bulk power grid, explains Pourbeik. These conventional machines run at a constant speed, which means that the frequency of the electrical power they produce is also constant. Because wind turbine speed is constantly changing due to the wind, power engineers must figure out a way to efficiently convert the wind energy to mechanical rotating energy. The solution is a rotating electrical machine connected to the wind turbine that runs at a wide range of speeds. So to interface the machine (running at different speeds) to the bulk electrical power system (which has a fixed frequency) one needs to use a power-electronic converter interface, says Pourbeik. Thus, the electrical behavior of the power generating device becomes very different as seen from the grid. While power-electronic converters have been used in other ways, they have never been used at such a large scale as they are now to connect the heart of wind power plants to the grid. Over the last few decades, the power and energy industry has been learning how to utilize this technology in the most reliable way possible. Pouyan and I have worked through the first stages of the revolution, says Miller. Since the turn of the century, we have watched (and participated) as innovations in technology, markets, regulation and understanding have steadily moved the challenge out. Today, we (the U.S. and other world grids) regularly operate at levels of wind and solar generation that we thought would be nearly impossible or wouldnt happen for decades into the future. IEEE PES and the renewable integration community have a large focus on how to make the grid work in a reliable, safe, clean and affordable fashion. But Pourbeik and Miller are hopeful about the future of sustainable energy and the technology being developed. We are continuing to move at an astonishing rate, adding innovations on all those fronts, says Miller. Very honestly, there has never been a better, more exciting time to be a power engineer. A Portland man was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for the assault and rape of a homeless woman he lured to a vacant home last year, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Michael Moody, who had five previous felony convictions, was ordered to serve a 118-month sentence after a jury found him guilty earlier this year of rape, assault, unlawful use of a weapon and coercion. On Jan. 7, 2019, the victim was lured to the vacant building near Northeast 1st Avenue and Schuyler Street after Moody offered to help her, said Sean Hughey, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case. Moody then demanded the victim remove her clothing. When she refused, Moody hit her with a bat and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said. Michael Moody was opportunistic and took full advantage of the victims vulnerabilities and offered to help her in early January 2019, Hughey said in a statement. Instead of helping, Mr. Moody lured her to an abandoned house where he physically and sexually assaulted her and ultimately left her injured and abandoned. The victim went to a hospital the next day complaining of head pain for her injuries. She told medical staff that shed been raped and police began searching for Moody, who was arrested in October not far from where the assault occurred. Moodys criminal record stretches back roughly 20 years, said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, and includes seven misdemeanor convictions and five felonies, ranging from possession of a stolen vehicle to trespassing to assault. Schmidt said Moodys criminal history helped inform his sentencing recommendation. This is an important sentence as it addresses the victims right to justice, protects our community and holds Mr. Moody accountable for the crimes he committed. No matter a persons circumstances in life, we all deserve protection under the law, Schmidt said in a statement. She was exposed to significant physical and emotional trauma, including being threatened if she proceeded to cooperate with the criminal proceedings but she remained committed to ensuring justice. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban were repeatedly pushed back over disagreements on prisoner exchange. High-profile Taliban prisoners will be transferred to Qatar ahead of the intra-Afghan peace talks that are set to begin in a matter of days, officials from the group and the Afghan government have said. Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban were set to begin in March but have repeatedly been pushed back over disagreements on a prisoner exchange, a pre-condition for the dialogue. There could be six to nine people [transfered to Qatar], a source told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, adding that the move was made possible after lengthy negotiations with multiple regional and international powers. We had a few options for the Taliban after the objections raised by European countries created another roadblock for intra-Afghan dialogue. The most amicable way was to replicate what was achieved with US forces to send these inmates to a guarantor country. Under the troop withdrawal deal agreed between the Taliban and the United States in February, the Afghan government was due to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the Taliban were meant to free 1,000 prisoners belonging to the Afghan government before the talks could take place. 200827081557254 However, the Afghan government baulked at the release of a final 400 prisoners. Australia and France had officially asked Kabul not to release Taliban prisoners convicted of killing their citizens. Foreign forces occupying Afghanistan were killed in battles. They were in Afghanistan illegally and we were fighting them. We have not raised issues of violations and thousands of our people being killed by the foreigners because we want to turn over a new leaf and work towards bringing peace to Afghanistan, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Talibans political office in Doha, told Al Jazeera last week. If occupation powers insist on reviving old issues, it would hamper the peace process. Shaheen added that the Taliban regularly released prisoners as a gesture of goodwill and as part of their commitment signed between them and the US government. On Thursday, the Afghan government said it had released all Taliban prisoners except for a few in return for the armed group freeing the remaining Afghan commandos, as the two sides inch closer to starting direct talks in Qatar. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received our commandos held hostage by Taliban, after which the Gov't released the remaining 400 convicts, except the few for which our partners have reservations. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We expect direct talks to start promptly. Javid Faisal (@Javidfaisal) September 3, 2020 Sources told Al Jazeera the Afghan delegation will fly to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Friday but it was not immediately clear when the talks would start. A Taliban official told Al Jazeera: We are open to all dialogue as long as it is in good faith, follows the guidelines set in the Doha agreement, has representation from all Afghan groups and does not involve any foreign intervention. Intra-Afghan dialogue will be a good step to end foreign occupation and let Afghans decide their own matters, the official added. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, a representative body responsible for reconciliation efforts with the Taliban, said a ceasefire will top the agenda at the talks. Shereena Qazi from Doha and Akbar Shenwari from Kabul contributed to this report India sets 100 million tonne coal gasification target by 2030 The coal ministry has set a target of achieving 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030, involving investments of over Rs4 lakh crore, union minister of coal and mines Pralhad Joshi has said. Addressing a webinar for discussing the road map for achieving the target of coal gasification and liquefaction, Joshi said that in order to encourage use of clean sources of fuel, the government has provided for a concession of 20 per cent on revenue share of coal used for gasification. He said the process of coal gassification and liquifaction will also boost production of synthetic natural gas, energy fuel, urea for fertilisers and production of other chemicals. The webinar was attended by around 700 delegates from government, CIL and the coal sector. Joshi said that coal gasification and liquefaction are well in the governments agenda and various actions have been taken for development of surface coal gasification in India. He said a steering committee has been set up under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat comprising of members from the ministry of coal to address the issues. CIL has also planned to set up at least 3 gasification plants (besides Dankuni) on BOO basis through global tendering and has signed an MOU with GAIL for marketing synthetic natural gas. Meanwhile, the government has started auctioning out of coal mines for commercial extraction to the private sector in an initiative aimed at attracting global investment in the mining sector. In all 41 mines with total geological coal reserve of 17 billion tonne and peak rated capacities ranging from 0.5 to 40 million tonne per annum of coal has been offered for private mining. The cumulative PRC of all mines is 225 mtpa. The mines, located in five states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha, are largely fully explored and could be brought to production immediately. The terms and conditions of leasing coal mines are very liberal allowing new companies to participate in the bidding process with reduced upfront amount, adjustment of upfront amount against royalty, liberal efficiency parameters to encourage flexibility to operationalise the coal mines, transparent bidding process, 100 per cent FDI through automatic route allowed and reasonable financial terms and revenue sharing model based on National Coal Index. There will also be complete freedom to use coal production for sale, captive consumption, sale to affiliates, coal gassification and exports. Moreover, exploitation rights for CBM and other minor minerals present in the coalfields would also be provided to miners. Also, Security creation through mortgage over the coal mine has been allowed for scaling any financing needs. Change in control has also been allowed. Albany, N.Y. Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in New York dropped 15 to 430 on Wednesday and the statewide test rate for the virus was about 1%. A total of 117 people were in intensive care units with the virus on Wednesday and 61 patients were intubated. Both numbers were unchanged from the day before. Another 81 people were newly admitted to hospitals with the virus, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office. Seven more people in the state died due to the virus yesterday, which brings the statewide death toll 25,343. The state conducted another 88,981 tests for the virus and confirmed 889 new cases. The positive test rate for the virus was 0.999%. The positive rate in Central New York was 0.6% on Wednesday, down from 0.7% on Tuesday and 0.9% on Monday. The rate has generally been less than 1% in the region in recent weeks. New York now has 437,107 confirmed cases of the virus. School testing dashboard New Yorks Health Department is sending a letter today to all school districts requiring them to send the state data on their Covid-19 testing and results. The Health Department will use the information to establish an online dashboard, Cuomo said today. I hope this will give teachers and parents some confidence that the plans are being implemented and if the plans arent being implemented, we want to know that also, right? Because if theres a problem, the sooner you find out about the problem, the better, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Winter is coming: What happens when CNY restaurants lose their outdoor dining? Child psychiatrist on back-to-school jitters: Make a plan, set a routine, be honest about uncertainty Syracuse extends Walton St. outdoor dining another month (but theres at least one critic) Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 - Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, says government's double track has the potential to move Ghana the country 20 years ahead in solving its inequality problems - He said the initiative has given every Ghanaian child the opportunity to access Senior High Education no matter grades and finances - According to him, the new system has created a level playing field for every child Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The New Patriotic Party (NPP) governments double-track education system, since its introduction, drew a lot of reactions from Ghanaian parents and other stakeholders of education as well. Their arguments were simply based on the fact that the system would not give room for students to enjoy their school periods like was being done in the past. The Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has jumped to the defense of the government's new system saying, it has the potential to leapfrog the country 20 years ahead in solving its inequality problem. Deputy Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum Source: Graphic.com.gh Source: UGC READ ALSO: Wi-Fi for SHSs: GES to review policy on use of phones in SHS Minister Speaking on JoyNews' PM express and reported by myjoyonline.com, Dr. Adutwum quoted a recent study conducted by the Brooklyn Institution about 6 months ago, saying, "Ghana has been a nation in the developing world that has used a leapfrogging strategy to achieve something that they would have waited for 20 years to achieve and that is the double-track [system]. Explaining further, he said the initiative has given every Ghanaian child the opportunity to access Senior High Education no matter the grades and financial backgrounds. Dr. Adutwum stated that the government was actively working at expanding and providing enough school facilities to contain the large number of students the Free SHS policy had managed to bring into the nations educational system. READ ALSO: Reopening of schools: JHS 2 and SHS 2 students to return to school on October 5 In other news, Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, revealed that the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been tasked to review their policies on the use of mobile phones and other devices to make room for the president promise. Speaking on Citi FM's Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News, Dr. Adutwum said concerns were not enough to hold back arguments against the use of gadgets with internet access in schools without adult supervision. According to him, the time is now for society to embrace the positives of technology in schools. READ ALSO: Open schools by September 22 or we boycott elections - Private school teachers to gov't Vox Pop: Mahama or Akufo-Addo? Who deserves to win Election 2020? | #Yencomgh Got a story you think we should know about? Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh After that, she decided she needed to be better prepared, so she began an online appeal in mid-July to raise money to buy earplugs, a respirator mask and goggles. When she posted a link to the fund-raiser in a neighborhood Facebook group, a woman confronted her. Ms. Allen was destroying the city, she said. Ms. Allen fired back, arguing that the police were polluting the city with tear gas. The argument ended with the woman sending her a direct message, which Ms. Allen has saved in her inbox, just to remind herself of the mentality she is fighting against. If I see you on the street, you will be the next Black person hanging from a tree, the woman wrote. Other neighbors were more supportive, and Ms. Allen ended up with about $300 to buy supplies. She got the mask and the goggles, but the helmet she bought did not quite fit. She went without one until another protester gave her a hard hat. Her family eventually followed her into the movement. Sometimes, her aunts took her to marches. Her grandmother watched livestreams of the protests on Twitter to check on her. Even her 12-year-old brother tagged along at a few protests. Im very scared, Laura Vanderlyn, her grandmother, said. No matter what, she feels she has to be out there. Daria is a very, very passionate girl about everything. In the crowds that swarm nightly around downtown Portland, there are many things to fear: projectiles, aggressive protesters, low-flying fireworks, riot police and counterprotesters who sometimes try to antagonize the crowd. Over the weekend, one of the counterprotesters was shot to death. After TikTok, WeChat and 57 other Chinese apps were banned by the Indian government in June, 118 more apps were added to the prohibited list today including hit battle royale game PUBG Mobile. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released a press statement confirming the newly outlawed apps which were all described as being prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order. Government Blocks 118 Mobile Apps Which are Prejudicial to Sovereignty and Integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order. Press Release issued by @GoI_MeitY regarding blocking of 118 mobile apps https://t.co/VyahsHR5f0 Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) September 2, 2020 Notable other apps hit by the new ban include Alipay, Baidu, WeChat Work, PUBG MOBILE LITE, WeChat reading and Arena of Valor across both Android and iOS. There arent any specific details as to when the ban becomes effective though it's expected to be enacted in the coming days. The official statement also clarified that all newly banned apps are accused of stealing and transmitting user data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs has reported multiple instances of violated user data from the newly banned apps. Theres also the case of the deteriorating India-China relations following border skirmishes near the Tibet region back in May. Heres the full list of blocked apps, as given by the Indian government: India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent COVID-19 fatalities may be much more than what is being reported New AI-based test uses X-rays to detect Covid in a few minutes Former JD(S) MLA Appaji Gowda dies after testing positive for COVID-19 India pti-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, Sep 03: Former JD(S) MLA M J Appaji Gowda died at a private hospital in Shivamogga, a Health department official said. The 69-year old leader had tested positive for coronavirus three days ago and died on Wednesday evening, the official added. "He had fever for the past three days and was rushed to the McGann Hospital after he complained of a severe respiratory problem," the District Health Officer Nagaraj Naik told P T I. Children can have both COVID-19 antibodies, virus in their system simultaneously: Study Barely a few hours after his admission to the hospital, he breathed his last, Naik added. Condoling the death, former Prime Minister and the JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said the former Bhadrawathi MLA used to toil for the poor people and for the uplift of the workers of Bhadravathi factory. In his condolence message, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was deeply pained to hear about Appaji Gowda's demise. Kumaraswamy said Appaji Gowda had entered politics as the voice of the workers of the Steel City of Bhadravathi. His demise has caused an irreparable loss to the party. She's been holed up with her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth in Byron Bay on the far north New South Wales coast, but on Wednesday, Gabriella Brooks returned to work. The 24-year-old model put her moves to good use on the set of a new photo shoot, with local hair and makeup artist Luciana Rose sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos on Instagram Stories. In one video, Gabriella sat in the front seat of a camouflage Jeep wearing just a patterned one-piece swimsuit with a plunging neckline. Working it: She's been holed up with her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth in Byron Bay on the far north New South Wales coast, but on Wednesday, Gabriella Brooks returned to work She showed off her impossibly long legs in a pair of camel-coloured cowboy boots, and wore a pair of round sunglasses, while her long, light brown hair sat loose. 'Onset yesterday,' Luciana captioned the video, with The Turtles' classic 1967 hit, Elenore, heard playing in the background. A male photographer is briefly seen giving the stunning model directions as she posed against a rural backdrop for Australian fashion label, Kivari. Model moves: The 24-year-old model put her moves to good use on the set of a new photo shoot, with local hair and makeup artist Luciana Rose sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos on Instagram Stories Skin on show: In one video, Gabriella sat in the front seat of a camouflage Jeep wearing just a patterned one-piece swimsuit with a plunging neckline In a photo posted to Luciana's Instagram Stories, Gabriella posed seductively with one leg out of the car while wrapping an arm around the door frame. Tossing her head back slightly, she shot the camera a smouldering gaze. In a second video, Gabriella stood beside the vehicle wearing just a floral boho-style top and a pair of skimpy black bikini briefs. Topping it off: In a second video, Gabriella stood beside the vehicle wearing just a floral boho-style top and a pair of skimpy black bikini briefs Prints charming: A third and final video showed the stunning model in a green and white patterned dress with a plunging neckline and tie waist Standing with her hands on her hips, she tried out a variety of different angles, before running her hands through her long hair. A third and final video showed the stunning model in a green and white patterned dress with a plunging neckline and tie waist. The braless star narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction, with the wind blowing her dress out. Five of the six retired Boston police officers accused of overtime fraud are receiving more than $36,000 a month in pension payments collectively, with the sixth set to begin collecting later this month, according to the Boston Retirement System. Altogether, nine current and former Boston officers were arrested in connection with the overtime scheme, which authorities say netted them more than $200,000. Of the six retired officers implicated in the alleged scheme, five retired in 2020, city records show. The nine people were each charged in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday with one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. Here are their names and what they earned in 2019: Lieutenant Timothy Torigian, 54, of Walpole: $202,619 Sergeant Gerard OBrien (retired), 62, of Braintree: $173,245 Sergeant Robert Twitchell (retired), 58, of Norton: $158,118 Officer Henry Doherty (retired), 61, of Dorchester: $159,983 Officer Diana Lopez (retired), 58, of Milton: $146,390 Officer James Carnes (retired), 57, of Canton: $134,918 Officer Michael Murphy, 60, of Hyde Park: $163,091 Officer Ronald Nelson (retired), 60, of Jamaica Plain: $79,945 Officer Kendra Conway, 49, of Boston: $131,803 OBrien retired on July 6 and is set to receive his first pension payment on Sept. 29; Twitchell retired on March 20 and receives $8,456.70 a month; Lopez retired on Jan. 2 and receives $7,439.29 a month; Doherty also retired on Jan. 2 and receives $7,763.24 a month; Carnes retired on Feb. 6 and receives $6,664.40 a month; Nelson retired on June 6 and receives $6,122.12 a month. The Boston Retirement System did not list the monthly pension payment amount for OBrien. Torigian received more than $43,000 for overtime hours he did not work, authorities said. Twitchell, OBrien and Doherty each received more than $25,000 for overtime hours they did not work, authorities said. Carnes and Lopez each received more than $20,000 for overtime hours they did not work, the DOJ said. Murphy, Nelson and Conway each received more than $15,000 for overtime hours they did not work, authorities said. The defendants were assigned to Boston Police Departments Evidence Control Unit, where they were responsible for storing, cataloging and retrieving evidence at the warehouse, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Massachusetts said. Beginning in May 2016, the officers routinely departed overtime shifts two or more hours early but submitted false timecards claiming to have worked the entire shift, the DOJ said. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh did not respond when asked if the officers pensions will be revoked. In a statement issued by his office, Walsh said he is outraged and outright disgusted by the actions of the nine officers. These allegations are an affront to the thousands of police officers who do their jobs every day with honesty, integrity, and bravery, Walsh said. I commend Commissioner Gross and our federal partners for bringing these actions to light. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins called the allegations a blow to the credibility of our noble profession. If these allegations are true, these men and women have dishonored the badge, she said in a statement. They stole taxpayer dollars, multiple times over a period of years. Related Content: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 2 ordered authorities to release from prison all female prisoners who suffer from physical or mental illness or who are age 55 or older. Khan also announced that all juvenile prisoners around the country will be released. A Pakistani court ordered the releases months ago and there was no appeal of that ruling. Khan on September 2 announced his government would implement a plan for the releases. About 1,200 women and girls who are on trial or have been convicted of a crime are imprisoned in Pakistan. Human rights activists have long campaigned for the release of women prisoners and their children who are languishing in Pakistan's jails and prisons. More than 1,000 children inmates under age 18 are also imprisoned in Pakistan. Khan, in a series of tweets, also ordered a report on foreign women in Pakistani prisons, including ones on death row, for consideration for release on humanitarian grounds. The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Steven M. Sexton and his firm, Sexton Advisory Group, Inc., in federal district court with the unregistered offer and sale of securities and with acting as an unregistered broker in connection with their sale of securities of the Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC. The SEC alleges that from May 2016 to November 2017, Sexton and Sexton Advisory sold approximately $4.6 million of Woodbridge's securities to about 63 investors, earning $244,654 in commissions and other compensation from Woodbridge. According to the complaint, neither Sexton nor Sexton Advisory were registered as broker-dealers, and the Woodbridge securities were not sold pursuant to SEC registration or an exemption from registration. The complaint alleges that through their selling activity, Sexton and Sexton Advisory acted as brokers. The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges Sexton and Sexton Advisory with violations of the securities registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 and the broker registration provisions of Section 15(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint, Sexton and Sexton Advisory agreed to permanent injunctions against violating the charged provisions. Sexton also agreed to pay a total of approximately $271,792 in disgorgement and prejudgment interest, which will be offset by the approximate $251,827 that Sexton Advisory has already paid to the trustee appointed over Woodbridge in a separate case, leaving a balance of approximately $19,965. Sexton will also pay a $30,000 civil penalty, for a total payment of approximately $49,965, all of which he will pay to the trustee to be distributed to investors as part of a Fair Fund. The SEC's investigation was conducted by David Rosen and supervised by Spencer Bendell, with litigation assistance by Douglas Miller. The matter arose out of a referral from the Los Angeles Regional Office's examination program with the exam conducted by Mark Tseng and Jon Self and supervised by Christine Connolly. The director of upcoming Netflix movie Cuties has revealed that she was sent death threats after the streaming site released a 'hyper sexualized' poster and trailer for the film that was slammed online - and prompted thousands of people to demand that the movie be pulled before its release date. French film director Maimouna Doucoure, 35, told Deadline that she faced a barrage of online abuse in the hours after Netflix unveiled its marketing materials for the movie - which, she says, were 'not representative of the film and especially its message'. 'I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hyper-sexualiation of children,' she revealed. 'I also received numerous death threats.' Under fire: Maimouna Doucoure, the director of upcoming Netflix movie Cuties, has revealed she was sent death threats after a poster for the movie was slammed for 'sexualizing' minors Outrage: Netflix sparked fury earlier this month when it released incredibly provocative imagery to promote the movie - including this image of young girls in hot pants and crop tops Innocent: Unlike Netflix's poster, the original version depicted the youngsters on a shopping trip - prompting many to accuse the streaming site of purposely 'sexualizing' the stars Upset: Many Twitter users highlighted the fact that Netflix was to blame for the provocative portrayal of the movie, but that didn't stop its director Doucoure from being attacked online The furious controversy erupted earlier this month when Netflix debuted a trailer and poster to promote the movie - which is due to premiere on the site on September 9 - prompting outrage from social media users who were left horrified by the 'sexualized' portrayal of its young stars. Cuties, tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl named Amy, and, according to the director, it is meant to depict the struggle of 'many children who have to navigate between a liberal western culture and a conservative culture at home'. However, while publicizing the movie, Netflix chose to focus almost solely on Amy's participation in her school dance team and their quest to 'twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest'. The site's trailer and poster featured imagery of pre-adolescent girls dancing provocatively in very skimpy outfits, while Netflix's description of the movie centered around their 'increasingly sensual dance routines'. In stark contrast, the original poster for the movie - which has been used on other sites like IMDB - depicts the youngsters on a shopping trip. Doucoure, who had not yet seen Netflix's take on the poster, or its trailer, when the backlash began, was left stunned by the online response. Panned: In the Netflix trailer for the movie, its young stars are seen practicing provocative dance moves and sexy poses Pushing boundaries: The youngsters model incredibly adult outfits throughout the trailer 'Reprehensible': Social media users were quick to slam the trailer - while calling for the movie to be banned from Netfix before its September 9 premiere Anger: Some people called out Netflix for choosing to highlight the most provocative aspects of the movie - prompting the streaming site to issue an apology 'I discovered the poster at the same time as the American public,' she explained. 'My reaction? It was a strange experience. I hadnt seen the poster until after I started getting all these reactions on social media, direct messages from people, attacks on me. I didnt understand what was going on. 'That was when I went and saw what the poster looked like.' Cuties tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl named Amy, who joins a school dance team and takes part in a 'twerking competition', upsetting her mother and going against her family's strict religious beliefs. According to Doucoure - and several film critics - it is meant to offer commentary on the dangers of society sexualizing its youth, however that message was completely lost in translation thanks in large part to Netflix's 'hyper-sexualized' depiction of the film and its young stars. But while the streaming site accepted full responsibility for the blunder - and quickly issued an apology for any offense caused - the damage was already done, with both Doucoure and her movie facing furious attacks from thousands of outraged viewers. 'We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Cuties,' a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement at the time. 'It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film, which premiered at Sundance. We've now updated the pictures and description.' Doucoure also received a phone call from the streaming site's co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who made a personal apology for the error, she revealed. 'We had several discussions back and forth after this happened. Netflix apologized publicly, and also personally to me,' the director shared. Following the backlash, Netflix withdrew its poster, and changed its description of the movie on its site - however not before more than 20,000 people signed a petition to stop the film from ever being put up. Before being changed, Netflix's official synopsis read: '11-year-old Amy lives with her mom, Mariam, and younger brother, awaiting her father to rejoin the family from Senegal. 'Amy is fascinated by disobedient neighbor Angelicas free-spirited dance clique, a group that stands in sharp contrast to stoic Mariams deeply held traditional values. 'Undeterred by the girls initial brutal dismissal and eager to escape her familys simmering dysfunction, Amy, through an ignited awareness of her burgeoning femininity, propels the group to enthusiastically embrace an increasingly sensual dance routine, sparking the girls hope to twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest.' Some Twitter users were quick to point out that the marketing materials used by the streaming site were much more risque than the original French versions, with the Netflix poster showing the girls posing provocatively while wearing crop tops and hot pants, while the original offering featured the youngsters on a shopping trip. 'It's interesting to compare the French version of the Cuties poster to the American version... like the French version has more "kids having fun!" vibes, while the American version is just f*****g.... gross,' the user pointed out, while sharing a side-by-side comparison of the two posters. 'I feel like the #Netflix marketing team has a lot to answer for.' Another person called out the fact that even Netflix's blurb about the movie fails to highlight Cuties' main storyline - instead choosing to focus solely on its young star's 'fascination with twerking'. 'The thing about the Netflix campaign for Cuties is how disgustingly sexualized these girls are,' the person wrote. 'Compare the poster and blurb from Netflix versus the ones on IMDb, s**t is as different as night and day. Someone should get fired.' The Netflix blurb shared by the user read: 'Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she stars to explore her femininity, defying her family's traditions.' However, on IMDB, the movie blurb doesn't include any mention of twerking, instead detailing: 'Amy, an 11-year-old girl, joins a group of dancers named "the cuties" at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity - upsetting her mother and her values in the process.' Even Wikipedia highlights the movie's social commentary, with the site's movie description pointing out how Cuties is intended to raise concerns about the impact internet culture can have on pre-adolescent girls. 'The film is based on a traditional Senegalese Muslim girl who is caught and torn between two contrasting fortunes, traditional values and internet culture while also speaking about hyper sexualization of pre-adolescent girls,' the description says. Controversy: Twitter users blasted Netflix for showing the French film, which tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl, Amy, who joins a school dance group Accusations: One Twitter user pointed out the fact that Netflix appears to have purposely emphasized the more provocative aspects of the movie in its marketing materials Provocative: The Netflix blurb also focuses on the more sexualized aspects of the movie, describing how an 11-year-old becomes 'fascinated with twerking' Contrast: On IMDB, the movie's description doesn't mention twerking, and instead talks about how Amy's decision to join the Cuties upsets her mother and her values Difference: Even Wikipedia highlights the movie's social commentary, with the site's movie description noting that Cuties is meant to raise concerns about the impact of internet culture Message: 'The film is based on a traditional Senegalese Muslim girl who is caught and torn between two contrasting fortunes, traditional values and internet culture,' Wikipedia states In the wake of the furious backlash, Netflix issued a swift apology, confirming to Deadline that it removed the 'inappropriate artwork' used to promote the movie, while also updating the film's blurb on its website. The blurb on the Netflix website no longer contains any mention of twerking, and instead highlights central character Amy's 'rebellion' against her family's strict ethos. 'Eleven-year-old Amy stars to rebel against her conservative family's traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew,' it reads. The trailer still does not appear to have been edited or changed however. In the Cuties trailer, which was posted on the official Netflix YouTube account on August 18, Amy - who is portrayed by 11-year-old newcomer Fathia Youssouf - is seen trying to balance her strict religious upbringing with her newfound friend group, all of whom are shown acting and dressing in an overtly mature and sexual way. A once-shy Amy is seen growing in confidence - dressing more provocatively, acting against her mother's wishes, and eventually stealing money to fund a shopping trip for her and her friends. At times the tween stars are seen acting like the young girls they are, giggling, having fun and playing - however these scenes are mixed in with clips of the girls practicing overtly sexual dance moves and experimenting with provocative poses. Concerns: An online petition to have the movie removed from Netflix has received tens of thousands of signatures 'Shame on you Netflix': Social media users were left horrified by the trailer, in which a group of tween girls are seen dancing provocatively in skimpy outfits Towards the end of the trailer, the four young stars are seen in what appears to be their final dance performance, for which they don incredibly skimpy outfits - metallic crop tops and tight spandex hot pants - before twerking and body rolling in front of a panel of adults. However, while some chose to call out Netflix's portrayal of the movie, others insisted that the incredibly mature content of Cuties is the issue. Audiences have started a petition to have Cuties removed from Netflix, which has received almost 20,000 signatures. Others have shared their outrage on social media, with dozens of Twitter users voicing fury about the sexual nature of the movie - and Netflix's decision to promote Cuties through provocative imagery. One Twitter user wrote: 'This is f***ing disgusting. Minors shouldn't be sexualized like this.' Another added: 'I'm all for discussing those import[ant] issues, but we don't have to sexualize young girls to discuss the sexual of young girls. Too much of it happening for real. No need to have it happen for fake.' The film was directed by Maimouna Doucoure, a French-Senegalese screenwriter and filmmaker. Maimouna received the Directing Award for 'Cuties' at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. WA Treasurer and Aboriginal Affairs minister Ben Wyatt has lashed Rio Tintos "anxious" board for not reflecting the Pilbara-centric reality of its operations, calling on the company to reconsider who sits on it. Responding to questions about the Juukan Gorge blast on Perths 6PR radio on Wednesday, Mr Wyatt said a "vast distance" had emerged between Rio Tintos London-based board and its Pilbara operations, which generates 75 per cent of the company's global earnings. WA Treasurer and Aboriginal Affairs minister Ben Wyatt called on Rio Tinto to 'reconsider' it's London-based board. Credit:Fairfax I look at that board, yes they're very global and very impressive, but I look at them and think not one of them has any understanding of Western Australia or the Pilbara, he said. The board need to understand they aren't a global company, they are a Pilbara company with overseas interests. Protests and job actions by educators opposed to the unsafe opening of schools have spread across the country as the drive to reopen public schools and universities has sparked a massive resurgence of COVID-19. The University of Georgia reported a staggering 821 new COVID-19 cases from August 2430. Additionally, three K-12 schools in Manatee County School District in Florida reported positive cases this week, sending hundreds of students with possible exposure into quarantine. Teachers and students at P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City on September 2, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) These deadly conditions have provoked hundreds of protests by teachers, parents and students across the country. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, the scene of the mass protests against police killings and the murder of protesters by a right-wing vigilante, teachers continued to protest over the school districts plans for in-person learning. Last week, the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) changed its plans and announced there will be an in-person option incorporated into their reopening plans, which starts September 14. Teachers, parents and students protested at the district office Mondaythe day before Trumps provocative visit to the citydemanding that officials reverse their plans for in-person instruction. They held signs that read One student or teacher funeral is too many and Dont make me choose between students and my health. Teachers and parents are expected to protest and voice opposition at the KUSD school board meeting tonight, shortly after Biden visits the city. On Monday, educators in Andover, Massachusetts, a town of 33,000 people 25 miles north of Boston, refused to enter school buildings for professional development, citing concerns about poor ventilation and safety, and decided to work outside the schools instead. Andover Public Schools are set to begin the school year with a hybrid learning plan on September 16, with each student attending in-person two full-days per week. School district officials denounced the action as an illegal strike and threatened to take legal action against teachers, who were then ordered back to work by the union. Nearly 375 teachers in Elizabeth, New Jersey publicly announced that they would refuse to show up to teach if school districts reopened for in-person instruction in September. In spite of threats that they may face charges of illegally striking, they insist that their safety as well as the safety of their students and families outweigh the possible retribution. On Monday, teachers also protested outside the Brighton Area Schools district office, northwest of Detroit, over safety concerns and looming budget cuts. A recent press release outlined major budget cuts to the district due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The press release stated that the state projects an excess of $5 million in cuts in Brighton Area Schools budget for the 20202021 school year. Speaking to local news media during the protest, Jennifer, a teacher in BAS, said, Why am I being asked to take a 5.8 percent pay cut in the middle of a pandemic when our district is not in a deficit situation. She also expressed concerns over building ventilation, social distancing and other safety issues during a pandemic. On Wednesday, hundreds of students and faculty at the University of Iowa participated in a sickout to demonstrate against the universitys deadly policy of continuing in-person education. In response to a recent rise in cases, students and faculty throughout the university demanded all classes be moved online. Last month, teachers from around the country established the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee to unite educators, parents and student and prepare for a general strike to halt the reckless opening of schools. Safety committees, which are independent of the unions, are being set up in Michigan, Florida, Texas and other states. On Monday, teachers and community members in Jacksonville, Florida, including members of the Duval County Rank-and-File Safety Committee, spoke at the local school board meeting. The district is currently open to in-person instruction under a hybrid modelpart in-school, part onlinefor its roughly 130,000 students and over 8,000 teachers. Duval County teacher speaks at local school board meeting The district has announced three inadequate measures it will take to stop the spread: cardboard desk shields with clear plastic film, face masks, and a long-lasting bioprotectant spray. Teachers are speaking out against these pseudo-scientific reopening plans that fly in the face of recent science that prove aerosolized COVID-19 particles can become airborne and travel 16 feet or more, well beyond the recommended six feet for social distancing, and remain suspended in the air for hours in poorly-ventilated spaces. One teacher told local reporters, These cardboard dividers make it so that students cant even see through a couple of them, so students have to lift their heads over them so that they can see the instructor, see the board. It makes the classrooms kind of impossible. In comments to the school board, Bradley Fisher, a teacher and member of the Duval County Rank-and-File Safety Committee (DCRFSC), said, Its appropriate that the board meeting began with a discussion about how many students are enrolled and how that will affect money because clearly that is at the heart of the decision to reopen these schools so unsafely. Dollars and cents before the lives of our most vulnerableour children. He called school officials claims of a so-called safe reopening false, and presented the 10 demands of the DCRFSC. Primary among their demands were the calls for the immediate closure of all schools until the safety committee, working with trusted health professionals, deem them safe to reopen, and universal testing for all students, educators and staff. Fisher denounced efforts by school authorities to intimidate and silence those exposing these dangers. I would like to denounce the investigation that is currently filed against me for professional misconduct and other teachers who have dared to tell the truth about what the Superintendents reopening really looks like on the ground [and] who have had the bravery to whistle blow. Three local doctors also spoke during the meeting, all emphasizing the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and must be handled carefully. Doctor Nancy Staats, member of Doctors Fighting COVID, stated that COVID-19 is more contagious than any other virus besides measles. Staats also noted the implications of in-between deaths. She said, Yes, you might survive, but you will have a long-term problem and children can have asymptomatic cases and have lung damage, weve seen this. Trump has repeatedly demanded that workplaces and schools reopen, asserting at the Republican National Convention that, schools and workplaces have to be open, they have to get back to work. The Republicans are more open in their push towards the murderous reopening policies, but whatever their rhetorical and tactical differences both parties fundamentally agree. In remarks Wednesday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made clear that if he were in the White House, he would declare a national emergency to open the schools, and keep them open. Biden said, If President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on with this crisis, American schools would be open and open safely. The Democratic candidate said he would use federal disaster money to provide educators and administrators the protective equipment for a safe reopening of schools. It is not possible, however, to reopen schools safely while the pandemic continues to spread across the country. To do so will only lead to a resurgence of the contagion and more death. However, the Democrats, just like the Republicans, are determined to reopen the schools in order to get parents back to work producing corporate profits, no matter what the human cost. This includes the mayor of New York City, the largest school district in the nation, which will resume in-person schooling on September 21. As vice president under Obama, Biden oversaw an oversaw an historic assault of teachers and public education, which has left school districts terribly underfunded and understaffed more than a decade after the Wall Street bailout of 200809. Having handed Wall Street a far greater bailout this year, tripling government debt, Biden would oversee a ruthless program of austerity, cutting funds to schools and other vital services to pay the debt. "Untitled" from the Chair Series 2019 - Andreas Rentsch Download Image: Web At its first show since closing in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lycoming College Art Gallery invites the greater Williamsport community to its annual faculty exhibition, featuring recent works from the Colleges studio art faculty. The show opens Sept. 4, and is scheduled to run through Jan. 23, 2021. The 2020-21 Art Faculty Show will include the following artists: Seth Goodman Seth Goodman, associate professor of art, will exhibit Eric in the Red Room After Hours at this years faculty show. My paintings look through the lens of America's class structure at the dysfunction of our political apparatus. I am interested in commenting on the truths that lie just beyond the folly and the fiction of the topical movements of the ruling class, said Goodman. Goodman is a professor of painting, drawing, 2-D design, digital art, and curatorial methods at Lycoming College. He received his B.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Asherville, and M.F.A. from Townson University. He exhibits his artwork internationally. Andrea McDonough Andrea McDonough 03, adjunct professor of art education, will exhibit a piece titled Last. Love, that incorporates gel transfers from National Geographic magazines, drawing meditations in graphite and ink, fabric, and paper. It was created in the style of a broken and sporadic meditation to display alongside student work for an exhibit that never opened in the spring of 2020. The process of creating can be a meditation. Bringing awareness to texture, material, line, and the way it feels to manipulate an image or to drag a tool across a surface. Sometimes it's connecting to the breath and scanning the body, allowing the breath to literally guide the arm and the hand to make marks, said McDonough. I save packaging, papers, and images that occasionally become transfers or find themselves embedded into a composition. McDonough is a secondary art educator and K-12 art curriculum leader for the Williamsport Area School District. She also supports the art and education departments at Lycoming College, and industrial design students at Pennsylvania College of Technology. McDonough is a successful grant-writer with a passion for public art and the expansion of K-16 visual arts experience in the Williamsport area. She holds a Pennsylvania K-12 Art Education Certificate and a Pennsylvania PK-12 Supervisory Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction. McDonoughs current art practice involves the exploration of mindfulness through drawing and experimental, mixed-media approaches. She received her doctoral degree from Drexel University, researching creative mindfulness in secondary art education. John McKaig John McKaig, part-time art instructor, creates pictures that help him explore the idea of escape, ideas of mortality and passage after life, and about how to deal with trauma and healing from that trauma. He will show Naples, Italy at this years faculty art show. My use of the figure explores my identity as a queer man that is still expected to justify my experiences and basic human identity. I use nautical imagery, water, and the human figure in order to communicate essential ideas of how we relate to each other, how we affect each other, and how to move to space that is empowering and encouraging. I often depict the figure (or figurative elements or components) in situations or stances that allude to ideas of fighting back, play and wonderment, as well as stoicism and quiet resolve, said McKaig. I also work with the idea of passage and journey not only to communicate ideas of healing and working through trauma, but also to communicate the idea of growing beyond limitations and definitions of being without the suggestion of irony or cynicism. McKaig is a professor of drawing and figure drawing at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, and is currently also providing instruction at Lycoming College. He received a B.F.A. in printmaking from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and an M.F.A. from Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. He has taught printmaking, painting, and figure drawing at Syracuse University, drawing and illustration at Cazenovia College, and all levels of painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He has exhibited work in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and Internationally recently at the Bankside Gallery in London, UK, and solo exhibitions at Lycoming College and the Pennsylvania State University. To learn more about McKaig, visit http://johnmurraymckaig.com. Manuel Moreno-Lee The works of Manuel Moreno-Lee, assistant professor of digital art, focus on narrative driven stories and themes of culture, nature, technology, and human identity using a wide range of mediums. While I prefer working on traditional techniques to create my films, I always allow my own personal desire to push myself to explore new technologies to dictate how I create any new work. For Lumens, my fascination with the absence of light led to the concept behind the film while exploring the ideas of hope and personal achievement, said Moreno-Lee. Moreno-Lee is an assistant professor of digital art at Lycoming College. He earned his B.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and his M.F.A. from Rochester Institute of Technology in Film and Animation. Moreno-Lee is a 3D generalist and artist whose work has been screened at festivals globally, winning several awards. As a freelance animator, he has worked in Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Rochester, NY. He works in a wide range of mediums to create narrative-driven work in both 2D and 3D. Andreas Rentsch The recent photographic work of Andreas Rentsch, assistant professor of photography, possesses a close aesthetic relationship to performance art, drawing, and painting. Process has become the most important part of his art practice. Rentschs aim has consistently remained within the parameters of the photographic medium in order to discover new ways to articulate his ideas visually. Experimentation and chance have become important tools in his research. In the Chair series, Rentsch outlined himself with a flashlight and recorded these performances with a 4x5 camera on outdated black & white film. He then processed the film by painting with traditional photo chemicals directly onto its surface. The negative is then used in the creation of a cyanotype print. Rentschs methodology has been to abandon a considerable amount of control and allow the material to take over in some unexpected and unpredictable ways. The idea for the Chair series was triggered upon reading the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, explained Rentsch. In our over-saturated world of instant news, cynicism, and enjoyment in the misfortune of others, the play resonates during these times of social and political upheaval. As we seem to have lost our sense of respect for one another, especially toward people with differing views, my images from the Chair series raise a microcosm of broader existential questions that need to be addressed in our society. Rentsch received his B.F.A. from Les Ecoles dArts Appliques in Vevey, Switzerland, and his M.F.A. in Studio Art from Stony Brook University. Having grown up on a prison compound where his father was the warden, Rentschs work is an ongoing exploration of the connection of fate, geography, and politics in the direction of justice, and has been exhibited worldwide, including a solo exhibition at the Musee de lElysee in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is in many museum collections (Musee de lElysee, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va., Musee de la Photographie in Charleroi, Belgium, Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, N.Y., amongst others). He is a recipient of two New York Foundation for the Arts fellowships and two grants from the Polaroid Corporation. The prestigious photography magazine Aperture published one of his portfolios. Other pieces have been published in numerous books and magazines, including The Polaroid Project, a book published as part of a 7-museum exhibition of artists that have used the Polaroid film in their work. For more information on Rentsch, visit the following website: www.andreasrentsch.com Howard Tran Howard Tran, art professor and department chair, is exhibiting artwork that ranges from figurative sculpture to abstract two-dimensional pieces. Utilizing traditional and non-traditional materials, he creates pieces that emphasize texture and symbols that reflect his Vietnamese/Chinese background. Tran will show To-Tien #28 at the exhibit. My work explores the Chinese and Vietnamese philosophy that are influenced by Buddhism, and Taoism stressing simplicity, worship of ancestors, the cycles of life, and connection to nature. I explore connections between the generations before and after, as well as during, the movement between East and West, he said. Tran received his M.F.A. in sculpture from Boston University in 2000. He also attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 1998 where he earned a B.F.A. in sculpture. His work has been exhibited across the country in solo and group exhibitions. Tran currently teaches sculpture, figure modeling, and drawing. ABOUT THE LYCOMING COLLEGE ART GALLERY: The Lycoming College Art Gallery is located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St. The gallery contributes to the citys arts culture and provides a way for the College to become more involved with the community surrounding it. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists and their work, as well as learn first-hand the inner workings of a gallery. This fall, the gallery is open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 4-8 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at https://www.lycoming.edu /art /gallery.html or email dirocco@lycoming.edu. Former President Jerry John Rawlings and wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings 03.09.2020 LISTEN The National Democratic Party (NDP) has scheduled Friday, September 4, and September 5 for its extraordinary congress at the GNAT Hall popularly called Teachers' Hall in Accra. Members of the party will use the same programme to introduce former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings as the party's flagbearer for the second successive time. The NDP which goes by the refrain 'Be Bold!' will hold the congress under the theme: Shared leadership for national transformation, human empowerment and anti-corruption. Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) out of which the NDP was born, is expected to be the guest speaker. He has been billed to speak on corruption and national development. NDP Formation The NDP was founded in October 2012 with Mrs Rawlings as its leader, after breaking away from the then ruling NDC which she (Mrs. Rawlings) had nurtured to become a dominant force in Ghana politics. Nana Konadu was formerly a high-ranking member of the then ruling NDC founded by her husband before breaking away. Mrs Rawlings left the NDC in an acrimonious fashion after her ambition to become the then ruling party's flagbearer instead of the then sitting President J.E.A Mills at the Sunyani Coronation Park in 2011 failed miserably. It was at that Sunyani Congress that the parlance FONKAR (Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings) and GAME (Get Atta Mills Elected) was popularized in local politics. In his recent controversial book 'Working with Rawlings', Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, one of the NDC gurus, recounted how they used state machinery to discredit all Mrs Rawlings' efforts in order to stop her from leading the NDC to the December 2012 election which Prof. Mills never lived to contest after his sudden death in July 2012. The NDP officially announced its formation on 7th December 2012 and held its first national congress at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on October 13, 2012, endorsing Mrs Rawlings as its leader. ---Daily Guide KENOSHA, Wis. More than 250 people have been arrested since the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, with more than half from outside the county that the southeastern Wisconsin city is in, police reported Thursday. Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer on Aug. 23, sparking three nights of unrest that resulted in roughly two dozen fires and damage to numerous downtown businesses. Two nights after the shooting, prosecutors say 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two demonstrators and wounded a third. His attorney claims it was self defense. Kenosha police updated arrest figures Thursday, saying of the 252 people arrested, 132 did not live in Kenosha County. Rittenhouse came from his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Kenosha, to join others who walked the streets with rifles saying they were there to protect businesses from damage. Four people arrested filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that police were not arresting pro-police demonstrators like Rittenhouse who were breaking a curfew, while targeting others. The citys attorney called the lawsuit baseless and said it should be dismissed. The city on Wednesday ended a curfew that had been in place since Aug. 24, a sign of calming tensions in the city of about 100,000 midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday to thank law enforcement for their efforts and his Democratic rival Joe Biden was in Wisconsin on Thursday and met with members of Blakes family and Kenosha community leaders. The police said damage to city property was about $2 million and damage to county property was about $385,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating more than 23 fires, police said. The Justice Department says that it has so far arrested more than 2,000 people, including 147 homicide suspects, as part of a sprawling, nationwide initiative to stem the tide of violent crime. DOJ released new statistics on Thursday detailing the roundup of suspected criminals in some of Americas hardest-hit cities as part of Operation Legend. According to the department, since the nationwide crackdown was announced on July 8, local and federal law enforcement officials have confiscated more than 544 firearms, seven kilos of fentanyl, 14 kilos of heroin, 12 kilos of cocaine, and 50 kilos of methamphetamine. Of the more than 2,000 suspects, 476 have been charged with federal offenses - most of them related either to firearms or drugs. Most of the arrests - 103 - were made in Chicago while other suspects were rounded up in Kansas City, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis, and Indianapolis. Attorney General William Barr (seen above during an August 19 news conference in Kansas City, Missouri) announced a nationwide crime-fighting task force that his department says has so far netted more than 2,000 arrests Barr's Justice Department says that federal authorities have charged 147 homicide suspects as well as scores of those alleged to have committed drug and weapons offenses. The image above shows a crime scene in Chicago on August 19, when a mother and a nine-year-old boy were shot Operation Legend was named after Legend Taliferro, a four-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, boy who was fatally shot while he slept on the floor of his father's apartment on June 29. Last month, Ryson Ellis, 22, of Kansas City was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of Legend. Ellis allegedly shot blindly into the back of the Citadel Apartments unit where the boy's father, Raphael Taliferro, lives and had taken in his sister who has a child with the suspect. After the Kansas City boy was killed in June by a gunshot meant for somebody else, the Trump administration launched a nationwide crackdown on violent crime named in his honor. President Donald Trump and his attorney general, Bill Barr, have touted the operation, spread across nine US cities, as a much-needed answer to spiking crime that Trump claims is caused, at least in part, by the police reform movement and protests that have swept across the U.S. since George Floyds death in May. Trump has seized on the operation to showcase what he says is his law-and-order prowess, claiming hes countering rising crime in cities run by Democrats. 'The future of our country, and indeed our civilization, is at stake,' Trump said last week. Ryson Ellis, 22, of Kansas City, was charged earlier this month with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. Legend Taliferro, four, was struck by a bullet June 29 while he slept on the floor of his father's apartment in Missouri. Operation Legend was named in the boy's honor 'These are all Democrat-run places. But these are people that dont have any clue what theyre doing.' But spiking crime defies easy explanation, experts say, pointing to a toxic mix of issues facing America in 2020: an unemployment rate not seen in a generation, a pandemic that has killed more than 175,000 people, stay-at-home orders, rising anger over police brutality, intense stress, even the weather. And to the 300 investigators deployed to the nine cities, and the local law enforcement getting help, this isnt about politics. Its about reducing crime, working to solve outstanding cases and prioritizing the arrest of violent criminals. Police have welcomed the partnership, as they have with previous operations, and some activists are cautiously optimistic. Despite what Trump has claimed, the operation is routine. Some federal operations go on for months or years, and the arrests can number in the thousands. Meanwhile, the nation continues to reel from horrifying reports of young children being shot in the streets. A 7-year-old girl was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while attending a relative's birthday party in northern Indiana on Saturday, according to police. Chrisyah Stephens was one of between 60 and 70 guests at a birthday party that was taking place just outside of a home on the 800 block of East Donald Street in South Bend. The shooting occurred Saturday around 7:40pm when multiple shots were fired from a vehicle driving by the home in South Bend. 'We were standing right here,' Chrisyah's uncle, SlyLavecchio Hines told the South Bend Tribune. Hines was pointing to an area near the front stoop of the house. Chrisyah Stephens, 7, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while attending a birthday party in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday The shooting occurred Saturday around 7:40pm when multiple shots were fired from a vehicle driving by the home in South Bend. Chrisyah was among 70 other guests at the birthday party just outside of a home on the 800 block of East Donald Street in South Bend Chrisyah and the other children attending the party had just finished breaking open a pinata and were getting ready to get ice cream and cake when gunshots were fired 'I would say about 20 seconds after we came outside, we hear gunshots, "Pow, pow, pow".' Chrisyah and the other children attending the party had just finished breaking open a pinata and were getting ready to get ice cream and cake when gunshots were fired. She was seriously injured and later died at an area hospital, police told WNDU-TV. Although several people were standing in front of the home, she was the only shooting victim, according to authorities. Well-wishers left balloons near the scene of the shooting on Sunday The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit has taken over the investigation. Hines said that when he heard the gunshots, he ran to Chrisyah. 'I ran and I was trying to grab her, to block her from the bullets,' Hines said on Sunday. 'But it was too late. As soon as I grabbed her, her body got heavy. I laid her down, I called her name, and then I seen the blood.' Chrisyah's killing has left the family 'hurt and heartbroken,' Hines said. He told the Tribune that the shooter fired from a white car, possibly a Chevy Malibu. Hines said it appeared the car had tinted windows and black wheels. He said he heard three shots fired from the car as it was approaching Donald Street from the south and three more shots after it crossed Donald. The car then drove away. Hines could not say how many people were in the car, though he is certain the shots were fired from the passenger-side window. Cannon Hinnant, 5, was riding his bike in front of his father's house in Wilson, North Carolina on Sunday when Sessoms approached and shot him in the head. The motive has not been released He said it was unclear if the shooter was a driver or a passenger. Hines believes that the shooter fired directly at the house. 'I think they was targeting us,' Hines said. When asked why anyone would want to target them, Hines responded that he did not know. In South Bend alone, three other people were shot and wounded. Since the start of the calendar year, nearly 100 people in the city have fallen victim to gun violence. Earlier this summer, the fatal shootings of young children shocked Americans nationwide. North Carolina police charged a neighbor with the murder of a five-year-old boy who was riding a bike in his own yard when he was shot at point blank range on the evening of August 9. Darius Sessoms, 25, was taken into custody by Wilson police around 24 hours after he allegedly approached Cannon Hinnant in front of the young boy's father's house at 5:30pm and shot him in the head. Hinnant's seven-year-old and eight-year-old sisters witnessed the killing. Seven-year-old Natalia Wallace was standing on the sidewalk outside her grandmother's house on the Chicago's West Side during a Fourth of July party when, according to police, suspects climbed from a car and opened fire. Seven-year-old Natalie Wallace (pictured) was among the at least 17 people killed in shootings in Chicago on the Fourth of July The child was shot in the head. About three hours after Natalia was shot, a group of young men police believe are members of a gang jumped from a vehicle in the Englewood neighborhood on the city's South Side and opened fire on a rival gang member. They shot and killed him and they stand over him and keep shooting before jumping back in the car and fleeing the scene, Deputy Chief Brendan Deenihan told reporters Monday morning. But a child, 14-year-old Vernado Jones Jr, was nearby and one of the bullets fired at the man who was killed struck Vernado in the armpit. He had nothing to do with gang-on-gang violence. He was not the intended target, Deenihan said. Natalia's death came amid a spate of shootings around the United States that left several children dead, including a 6-year-old boy in San Francisco, a 6-year-old boy in Philadelphia,an 8-year-old girl in Atlanta, an 11-year-old girl in Columbia, Missouri, and 8-year-old boy in Hoover, Alabama. Public officials in Atlanta were outraged after the shooting death of an 8-year-old girl, Secoriea Turner, on Independence Day. At least two people opened fire on the car she was riding in near a flashpoint of recent protests against police brutality. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called for justice in Secoriea's death during an emotional July 5 news conference with the girl's grief-stricken mother. In July, The Wall Street Journal found that reported homicides were up 24 per cent in the nations 50 largest cities. Secoriea Turner (above) was shot to death in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 4th while sitting in a car across the street from the Wendy's parking lot where Rayshard Brooks was killed by a police officer The Journal did a statistical analysis which found that while shootings and gun violence rose, there was a drop in other violent crimes, including robbery. Cities that have long been plagued by violent crime saw their figures increase, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, and Chicago. The Windy City leads the nation in homicides. According to figures, approximately one in every eight homicides takes place in Chicago. PARK CITY, Utah, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Skullcandy, the original lifestyle audio brand, announced the launch of Crusher Evo, the newest model in the famous Crusher franchise. Crusher Evo delivers an unprecedented immersive audio experience combining two notable audio advancements: an improved version of Skullcandy's patented Sensory Haptic Bass and Personal Sound from Audiodo, a progressive audio personalization technology enabled through the Skullcandy App. The Sensory Haptic Bass feature has long been the defining attribute of the Crusher franchise and is widely recognized as the only audio experience of its kind. New Crusher Evo boasts a further refined version of the hallmark platform with more multi-dimensional haptic vibration patterns across a wider range of bass frequencies. "Skullcandy fans have always loved Crusher because it truly delivers a one-of-a-kind immersive bass experience. It allows users to not only listen to their music or movies, but actually feel them. Crusher Evo takes that immersion to an even higher level than ever before," says Jeff Hutchings, Skullcandy Chief Product Officer. Together with the Sensory Haptic Bass improvements, Skullcandy has partnered with Sweden-based Audiodo to offer Personal Sound: A groundbreaking capability to tune Crusher Evo to users' unique hearing profiles. A Crusher Evo user simply connects the headphones to the Skullcandy App, then takes a quick audio test to determine their unique Personal Sound Profile in both left and right ears. The Audiodo technology then automatically adjusts the incoming audio levels to optimize the sound of the headphones to each individual user's profile. The remarkable result is that users typically hear layers and sounds in their audio that were never perceptible to them before. "We know that everyone's hearing is different," says Hutchings. "So it's no surprise that what one person may deem as 'great sound' may not be great for someone else. The Personal Sound feature enables everyone to find that ideal balance of audio levels that are matched precisely to them and only to them." When the two advancements are combined, Skullcandy fans will enjoy an experience unlike anything else available on the market. "The result of bringing together our patented Crusher haptics with Personal Sound by Audiodo is something that's pretty mind-blowing the first time you experience it. In testing, we found it really enjoyable to see how surprised people are when they hear and feel what they've been missing. There's just nothing like it," Hutchings concluded. Of course, Crusher Evo is also designed and engineered with a wide range of features to meet the everyday lifestyle demands of today's audio consumer, including: Long-lasting 40 hours of battery life. Rapid Charge technology delivering 4 hours of play on just a 10-minute charge. A full suite of media controls directly from the headphones. Users can take calls, change tracks, adjust volume controls and activate native device assistants (Google, Siri, etc) without ever touching their phone. Built-in Tile finding technology that allows Crusher Evo owners to easily "ring their headphones" to locate them if ever lost. Flat-folding and collapsible design for easy portability. Streetwear-inspired carry case. Auxiliary cable for non-Bluetooth connectivity (ex: watching or listening to content on airplane consoles). Crusher Evo is available now on Skullcandy.com/crusher-evo in True Black and Chill Grey for $199.99. About Skullcandy Skullcandy is the original lifestyle audio brand. Based in Park City, Utah, the company designs, markets and distributes audio products through a variety of global channels in some of the most important cultural hubs in the world. The company's website can be found at https://www.skullcandy.com . About Audiodo Headquartered in Malmo, Sweden, Audiodo has used over 30 years of experience with acoustical algorithms to design one of the most advanced audio personalization technologies currently available in consumer electronics. Developed by innovators with a passion for music, Audiodo Personal Sound utilizes the power of digital signal processing to provide every music lover with sound quality that has been perfected for them. https://www.audiodo.com/ SOURCE Skullcandy, Inc. Related Links https://www.skullcandy.com (Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News: Severfield PLC - North Yorkshire-based structural steel in UK and India - Now working on-site across all operations in UK and Europe. Profitability affected in first quarter of 2021 financial year, however, overall activity levels have continued to increase, as activity levels return to pre-lockdown levels in second quarter. September 1 order book at GBP270 million, compared to GBP271 million at June 1. Indian subsidiary order book at GBP94 million at September 1. Keeps cautious optimism for financial year ending March 31, 2021. Expects total dividend of 2.9p per share, up from 2.8p. Orosur Mining Inc - South American gold explorer and developer - Notes that Newmont Colombia, subsidiary of Newmont Corp will continue to exercise rights and obligations regarding Anza project in Colombia under exploration agreement terms signed in September 2018. Newmont has paid fourth and final cash payment of USD500,000 under phase one earn-in arrangement. Miton UK Microcap Trust PLC - investment firm - Over 2020 to date, net asset value total return at 19.1%, compared to negative return of 19.8% from FTSE All-Share, and positive return of 1.2% from FTSE AIM All-Share. Due to discount in company shares, has decided to reduce annual management fee to 0.9% of market capitalisation from 1.0%. Revolution Bars Group PLC - Greater Manchester-based bar operator - For eight weeks to August 29, comparable venue sales at 73% of figures for same period the year before. In first four weeks, sales were 60% of prior year, but Eat Out to Help Out scheme lifted sales for latter four weeks to 78% of last year. Ten sites have been reopened this week, and 13 more are scheduled for next week. Expectations for financial year remain unchanged. Shanta Gold Ltd - East Africa-focused gold producer - Total group-wide reserves at 653,000 ounces of gold grading 3.15 grams per tonne across company's two projects in Tanzania. Total resources of 3.2 million ounces grading 3.58 grams per tonne across all three projects in Tanzania and Kenya. Current reserve-based mine life to 2028 at Singida gold project, and reserves assume life of mine gold price of USD1,350 per ounce. Braveheart Investment Group PLC - Barnsley, England-based strategic investor - investee Paraytec Ltd said development of Single Generation Module of Covid-19 test is complete. Now work has started on building the optical detection system, which will be used to detect and quantify fluorescent nanospheres which will bind the CAPTURE module in the presence of SARS-nCov2 virus. Argo Blockchain PLC - cryptocurrency miner based in the UK - In month of August, Argo mined 166 bitcoin equivalent compared to 165 in July, which takes the total amount of bitcoin mined in 2020-to-date to 2,001. Based on daily foreign exchange rates and cryptocurrency prices during the month, mining revenue in August amount to GBP1.5 million from GBP1.3 million in July. BlueRock Diamonds PLC - South Africa-focused diamond miner - processes 41,000 tonnes of ore from main pit at Kareevlei mine in South Africa, with an improved average grade of 5.1 carats per hundred metric tonnes. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Manish Anand By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Seeking to shift the focus of civil servants from rules to roles, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to launch Mission Karmayogi, which aims to continuously re-skill and add to their capacity. The whole programme will be monitored by the prime minister, who will head an HR Council consisting of experts drawn from India and abroad. To create the necessary infrastructure, a special purpose vehicle will be floated to provide technological support, including building digital resources. The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building has been designed because bureaucrats generally work in silos with few exchange of ideas, bogged down as they are in file work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the new programme will radically improve the human resource management practices in the government. Within the ruling dispensation, there is a sense that bureaucrats have not really been delivering as per expectation, hence the new initiative. However, it drew mixed reactions from veteran civil servants. The main challenge currently is the politicisation of the civil services. The political masters control the civil services, wielding punitive powers to transfer. Despite talented youngsters joining the civil services with a lot of idealism, the civil services have been controlled by the politicians, said Shankar Sen, a former IPS officer, who had been Director of the Sardar Patel Police Academy, Hyderabad. However, Badal Chatterjee, a former civil servant, concurred with the government, saying the intentions were always there in spirit and the Cabinet has only sought to put them in letter. Barring individual excellence, bureaucrats have been seen working as babus, sticking with files, while their field experiences and motivation of serving the public is taking a back seat, said Chatterjee, while speaking to this newspaper. Rooted in Indian culture, learning from abroad The programme aims to ensure that civil servants remain entrenched in Indian culture and sensibilities while learning from the best institutions and practices across the world. Mission Karmayogi will focus on individual civil servants and institutional capacity building, with resources and benefits being made available to the ranks of section officers to secretaries. Officials will be allowed to choose their fields of interest. The programme will "radically" improve the government's human resource management practices and prepare civil servants for the future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. A council, comprising select union ministers, chief ministers, eminent public HR practitioners among others and headed by the prime minister, will serve as the apex body for providing strategic direction, while a Capacity Building Commission is also proposed to be set up. The programme will help in overcoming existing impediments like "lack of lifelong & continuous learning environment", "evolution of silos at department level preventing shared understanding of India's development aspirations" and "diverse and fragmented training landscape" among others, the government said. The core guiding principles of the competency-driven programme will be to support a transition from "rules based to roles based" HR management, it said. "Today the Union Cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to bring this very big, post-recruitment reform, where an opportunity will be given to officers and employees to improve their performance. "This is the biggest human resource development programme in the government," Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said during a press briefing after the cabinet meeting. To cover around 46 lakh central employees, a sum of Rs 510.86 crore will be spent over five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 under Mission Karmayogi or the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), according to the statement. Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, who was also present at the briefing, said the scheme will help end subjective evaluation, and ensure scientifically-devised, objective and real-time assessment of employees. "Mid-career training which was only available for All India Services will now be mandatory for all officials at all levels in all services," he said. Dwelling on the salient features of the new mechanism prepared after two years of labour to reform the bureaucracy, the minister said that appointing authorities will have ready-made data available for choosing "the right candidate for the right job", while real-time evaluation will go a long way in ensuring accountability and transparency in governance. This will not only provide continuous capacity building but will also help in uniform realization of common values, priorities and future goals of the nation, he said. He said that the ultimate aim of Mission Karmayogi is to ensure "ease of living" for the common man, "ease of doing business" and "citizen-centricity" that is reducing the gap between the government and the citizens, according to an official statement. Singh said the programme is a means to transform work culture in administration and institutionalise capacity building. "The endeavour is also to end the culture of working in silos and to overcome the multiplicity of training curriculum, which we have because of the institutions spread all over the country, with the introduction of a common platform for the uniform realisation of nation's vision and our shared aspiration and our shared future goals," he said. Hailing it as a landmark initiative, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, "Goal driven and constant training will empower & sensitize the civil servants to ensure accountability and transparency". "Mission Karmayogi aims to prepare the Indian civil servant for the future by making him more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic, enabling, transparent and technology-enabled," said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry. It will build future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of new India, according to a presentation given during the media briefing by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Secretary C Chandramouli. "A Public Human Resources Council comprising of select Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, eminent public HR practitioners, thinkers, global thought leaders and public service functionaries under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Prime Minister will serve as the apex body for providing strategic direction to the task of civil services reform and its capacity building," it said. It is also proposed to set up the Capacity Building Commission with a view to ensure a uniform approach in managing and regulating the capacity building ecosystem on a collaborative and co-sharing basis, the statement said. The Commission will also come out with an 'Annual State of Civil Service Report', it said. An integrated government online training platform - iGOTKarmayogi - will be set up for the Mission. "iGOT-Karmayogi platform brings the scale and state-of-the-art infrastructure to augment the capacities of over two crore officials in India," it said. There will be a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for owning and operating the digital assets and technological platform for online training and a coordination unit headed by the Cabinet Secretary for the program, the statement said. "NPCSCB has been carefully designed to lay the foundations for capacity building for civil servants so that they remain entrenched in Indian culture and sensibilities and remain connected with their roots, while they learn from the best institutions and practices across the world," it said. The expenditure is partly funded by multilateral assistance to the tune of USD 50 million, the statement said. Besides capacity building, service matters like confirmation after probation period, deployment, work assignment and notification of vacancies, etc. would eventually be integrated with the proposed competency framework, the statement said. On the conceptualisation of the Mission, Singh said that it started taking shape when on October 27, 2017, Narendra Modi became the first prime minister after 42 years to have visited the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. The LBSNAA is the country's premier training academy for civil servants. During his two-day stay, Modi interacted with faculty members and trainee officers, and the essence gathered from his observations was that something needed to be done to eliminate the culture of working in silos followed by most of the government departments and ministries, Singh said. Modi had also hinted at institutionalisation of continuous capacity building which could ensure the growth of both professional as well as personal capacities of individuals, the minister said. For the last nearly two years, Singh said, there has been continuous brain-storming and a number of presentations have been made. (With PTI Inputs) Researchers conducting a large international study of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) examined the impact of the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on their study participants. Compared with pre-COVID baseline assessments, findings from a COVID Impact Survey administered during lockdown showed minimal changes in depression, anxiety, and quality of life, and in the impact of MS symptomatology on activities of daily living. The article, "The emotional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with progressive multiple sclerosis" (doi: 10.1007/s00415-020-10160-7) was published online on August 19, 2020, in the Journal of Neurology. The article is included in SpringerLink's COVID collection: https:/ / link. springer. com/ article/ 10. 1007/ s00415-020-10160-7 The authors are members of the CogEx Research Team, comprised of site investigators from Canada, the United States, Italy, the UK, Denmark, and Belgium. The COVID Impact Survey was administered during the suspension of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) involving 131 participants at 11 sites in the above six countries. The trial's principal investigator is Anthony Feinstein, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto. The COVID pandemic has had substantial impact on the general population, raising concern for populations at increased risk for infection, as well as for detrimental psychological and social effects of quarantine and social distancing requirements. The pause in the RCT provided an opportunity for investigators to assess the impact of the pandemic on the population with progressive MS in real time. Participants from all sites responded to the COVID Impact Survey while under social restrictions from May 2020 to July 2020. COVID infection was reported by 4% of participants, according to lead author Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of the Centers for Neuropsychology, Neuroscience and Traumatic Brain Injury at Kessler Foundation. Comparing baseline with COVID assessments revealed minimal changes in depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Impact of MS symptomatology on daily life functions was also minimal, except in the small subset with COVID-19 infection, where the impact was significant. "Minimal effects were not what we expected to see," said Dr. Chiaravalloti, noting that the findings were consistent across different continents. "People with progressive MS appeared to have adapted more effectively to the lockdown conditions. Knowing their increased risk, they may have been early adopters of safety precautions, which may have provided a sense of control that countered negative emotional reactions," she speculated. "They are also accustomed to living with medical uncertainly and social isolation, two major factors that fueled high levels of psychological discomfort in the general population." The COVID Impact Survey showed that the majority of participants actively engaged in mental and physical activities during a lockdown. This is not surprising given that the aim of the RTC was to measure the outcomes of such activities. Focusing on elements of a healthy lifestyle may have mediated the negative effects on wellbeing in this group with progressive MS." Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, Director, Centers for Neuropsychology, Neuroscience and Traumatic Brain Injury, Kessler Foundation Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order regarding additional measures to improve irrigation and drinking water supply in Aghsu, Shamakhi, Shabran and Yevlakh districts. Under the presidential order, 1.19 million manat have been allocated to the Azerbaijan Irrigation and Water Management Open Joint Stock Company for digging 17 sub-artesian wells to improve irrigation of cultivable lands and supply of drinking water for 42,678 people in 16 residential areas in four districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Sonya Allen, of Advance, North Carolina, and her two teenaged children, Smitty and Lanie, were forced to move out of their home after it was condemned due to water damage and mold. The family spent time in a Family Promise shelter program in Davie County, North Carolina, before moving into transitional housing after graduating Family Promise's financial program. Sonya owns family land in Advance, North Carolina, where she grew up, and had always hoped she'd be able to move back one day. By permanently placing the new off-site built home on the land, Sonya's property has the potential to appreciate over time and build equity for further stability. Now, being selected as the recipient from Family Promise for the donation of this new Clayton home, Sonya's dream of stability, security and independence has been realized. "At Clayton we are dedicated to helping open doors to a better life through attainable homeownership," said Susan Brown, Director of Philanthropy at Clayton. "Sonya and her family have overcome obstacles and worked hard to build their future, so Clayton is honored to be part of the team providing this family with the dream of homeownership. We are very excited to witness how this family will make memories for years to come in a new home on their family land." The home donation is part of a larger national partnership between Clayton and Family Promise. Both organizations believe that assisting families brings the nation closer to where every family has a home, a livelihood and the chance to build a better future. Through the home donation program and A Future Begins at Home, Clayton and Family Promise provide educational outreach and resource development, comprehensive case management, support services, and affordable housing solutions for graduate families, like off-site built housing and transitional housing. "Since we launched the A Future Begins at Home program, our partnership with Clayton has helped countless families achieve housing independence through home donations and homelessness prevention efforts," said Claas Ehlers, Chief Executive Officer of Family Promise National. "We are thankful for Clayton's ongoing commitment to the fight against family homelessness, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on America's low-income families." The transitional home Sonya and her family were previously living in is being donated by another organization to Family Promise of Davie County, where it will be used to empower even more families on their journeys to sustainable housing. The Allen family donation is the first of five home donations to Family Promise in 2020 through the A Future Begins at Home program, which will include donations to families and transitional housing this year About Off-Site Built Homes The Allen's new off-site built home, constructed by Clayton and finished by Clayton Homes of Winston-Salem is an example of the many modern off-site built homes (also known as manufactured homes) available for individuals and families seeking quality homeownership. Every off-site Clayton Built home comes with energy efficient features such as a smart programmable thermostat, energy efficient appliances and furnace to help with long-term utility savings. The Allen family's home is permanently affixed to a foundation on her property, which will give the family the potential to build equity in their property over time. Manufactured homes that are permanently attached to land have the potential to appreciate similarly to site-built homes according to the MH index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The Urban Institute reported 2018 research based on the FHFA indexes that also indicated manufactured homes may appreciate at nearly the same rate as site-built homes according to the national index, 3.4% for manufactured homes and 3.8% or site-built homes. With the current economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, families across America are finding the dream of homeownership harder to achieve than before. Off-site built homes offer an affordable and quality option for homeownership. ABOUT CLAYTON Founded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing including modular homes, manufactured homes, CrossMod homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. All Clayton Built homes are proudly designed, engineered and assembled in America. In 2019, Clayton built 51,964 homes across the country. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com. CrossMod is the trademark of Manufactured Housing Institute. ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and served more than 111,000 family members in 2019. Family Promise will change the future for 1 million children by 2030. For more information visit FamilyPromise.org. CONTACT: Caitlyn Crosby | Media Relations [email protected] Katie Coughlin | Media Manager [email protected] SOURCE Clayton Related Links https://www.claytonhomes.com Kim Dong Hwan, vice president of Samsung Vietnam, in charge of Vietnam Procurement Center How does Samsung evaluate the capability of Vietnamese suppliers? With the strategy of co-development, Samsung Vietnam considers the competitiveness of partner enterprises as its strength. Therefore, we distinguish in neither nationality nor geographic location, and endeavour in the process of searching for suppliers. We have achieved some remarkable results already, however, the basic foundations of Vietnamese businesses are not strong enough and the large-scale investment in modern equipment and high-tech manpower is still limited. Lots of businesses around the globe are prioritising and investing in the development of new technologies. Based on Industry 4.0 and smart factories, these companies apply new automated-production methods; something that Vietnamese businesses could consult on and learn from. With the strength of rich human resources and competitive production costs, plus the effort and cooperation between the government and enterprises, achievements in the development of exclusive technology are bound to happen. In addition, the government also needs to have medium- and long-term master plans to develop incentive policies in parallel with boldly promote the signing of technology cooperation and mergers and acquisitions activities between Vietnamese enterprises and global tech companies, creating a driving force for industrial development. Samsung set a target to promote the development of local vendors to increase localisation rate. How has the performance been so far? With its commitment to co-prosperity with Vietnam, Samsung not only strengthens the capabilities of the businesses in its supply chain, but we also support the overall development of supporting industries in Vietnam. Specifically, Samsung has been continuously implementing several practical activities. First, it has held supporting industry exhibition seminars annually with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and various authorities and associations to find and connect local businesses to Samsungs global supply chains. Second, Samsung has organised quality and production improvement consultancy programmes for businesses directly guided by South Korean experts since 2015. Participants are potential Vietnamese enterprises, not necessarily just enterprises in the supply chain of Samsung. By the end of 2019, we have consulted and trained 142 enterprises and achieved many good results such as average productivity increasing by 30 per cent, and even in some enterprises by up to 90 per cent. In addition, in 2018 and 2019, Samsung Vietnam cooperated with the MoIT to train 207 Vietnamese consultants for the supporting industrys enterprises. We aim to train about 200 experts in the field of mould manufacturing by 2023. What are the reasons for expanding cooperation into the field of moulds? Mould engineering is being seen as a core industry and the foundation of manufacturing. Vietnam has started focusing on this area as well as being aware of the importance of developing and fostering professionals. Improving mould engineering capacity is equivalent to possessing an advanced production technique that will play a major role in contributing to industrial production in Vietnam. When local enterprises have built up a solid foundation with outstanding mould technology, they will be able to not only actively participate in the supply chain of Samsung in many fields but also join other global enterprises. How do you evaluate the status of the mould industry in Vietnam? The value of the industry in Vietnam is currently estimated at $1 billion a year with a growth rate of 18 per cent. Vietnamese firms have produced tier 3 and 4 products out of the 5-tiers of technological competency. Tier 1 and 2 products are still imported from large corporations. A survey conducted by Samsung Vietnam and the MoIT shows that there is a lack of professional mould engineers. That is why Samsung is training those mould experts. Can Vietnam maintain its status as an attractive and effective investment destination for Samsung? For Samsung, Vietnam has actually become a second home for the group. After 12 years, Samsung is currently the largest foreign investor in Vietnam with the total investment capital of over $17.3 billion. Up to now, Samsungs presence in Vietnam includes six factories and one research and development (R&D) centre, of which SEV in Bac Ninh and SEVT in Thai Nguyen are the two largest mobile phone factories for Samsung globally. SEHC in Ho Chi Minh City meanwhile is the largest home electronics factory and SVMC is Samsungs largest R&D Center in Southeast Asia. Currently, Samsung is building a new R&D centre near West Lake in Hanoi, with an investment of about $220 million and a floor area of nearly 80,000 square metres. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and will increase the workforce from the current 2,200 people to 3,000 people. Along with, Samsung has now created stable jobs for 130,000 local workers. KABUL - Officials on both sides of Afghanistans protracted conflict say efforts are ramping up for the start of negotiations between Afghan representatives and the Taliban while a top U.N. envoy expressed hope Thursday that a formal launch will take place in the coming days, not the coming weeks. The so-called intra-Afghan talks are a critical next step to a U.S.-negotiated peace deal with the Taliban. They are expected to start in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office, perhaps within days. The aim of the negotiations is to lay out a road map to a future Afghanistan, with the first item on the agenda expected to be a cease-fire agreement. Calling it a historic moment, U.N. special representative Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that after four decades of war the people of Afghanistan have more reason than ever to hope that this devastating conflict which has brought so much suffering may finally come to an end. But lets be clear, this will be a long and challenging process, she said, noting that the issue of prisoner releases took five months to resolve. Lyons urged all countries to amplify the U.N. call for a humanitarian cease-fire as the negotiations begin and they will begin. Despite the air of cautious optimism, the level of violence on the battlefield remains deeply worrying, she cautioned. The last few weeks have seen near record numbers of security incidents, including egregious attacks by spoilers targeting civilians involved in the peace process. As we look towards the peace talks, this violence also creates an atmosphere of mistrust that risks derailing negotiations, she warned. The U.S.-Taliban deal, which calls for the intra-Afghan negotiations, was signed by the U.S. and the Taliban in February and was seen at the time as Afghanistans best hope for peace after four decades of war. The deal was brokered to provide for Americas exit from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war and calls on the Taliban to fight against militant groups. Although Washington has pushed the warring sides to the negotiating table, Americas exit is not dependent on the success of the talks, but on the Taliban fulfilling their commitment to not support terrorist groups but fight against them, and ensure that Afghanistan cannot be used as a staging arena for attacks against the U.S. and its allies. Washington has already begun reducing its troop levels and by November, it is expected to have less than 5,000 soldiers still in Afghanistan down from around 13,000 when the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed. This week, the Afghan government and the Taliban have quietly moved to reduce the last hurdle to the start of talks the mutual release of remaining prisoners. Neither side has spoken publicly of the releases, but both Taliban and government officials who have spoken to The Associated Press say each side has completed the releases as outlined in the agreement. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters. The Afghan government was to free 5,000 Taliban members, which it had been delaying, particularly on the final 400, and the Taliban were to free 1,000 government and military personnel. The latest holdup from the Taliban side was apparently over 22 Afghan commandos who they reportedly have now freed. President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the High Council for National Reconciliation, the umbrella organization overseeing the government side of the talks, say a reduction of violence or cease-fire will top their agenda. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen earlier told the AP that a cease-fire would be among the first items on the negotiating table. The group s 20-member negotiation team reports directly to Taliban chief Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. Both sides have been short on specifics but the Taliban have said in recent statements and interviews with the AP that they do not want to monopolize power and that they are ready to share power, accept that women should have the right to work and girls the right go to school and become judges. However, they say a woman would not be acceptable as a Supreme Court chief justice or president of Afghanistan. They have also talked of constitutional changes, without offering specifics. In all their statements, the Taliban have said that whatever rights and privileges are agreed on, they would be in keeping with the tenets of Islam, without specifying what that means. The government side includes an array of representatives, and also a few hard-line Islamic conservatives such as Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who have also publicly stated that a woman president or chief justice would not be acceptable. They too have in the past advocated for strict interpretations of Islamic injunctions. The women on the governments negotiation team will carry a heavy burden to defend and protect rights for women and girls, analysts say. Lyons, the U.N. envoy, said womens rights are already emerging as one of the most difficult issues confronting the conflict parties as they enter negotiations, and one where any compromises will pose a difficult dilemma for member states. This issue of womens rights will be more central in the Afghan peace process than we have ever seen in any other peace negotiation in recent memory, she said. Lyons said a key U.N. role will be to ensure human rights, and take into account the concerns of the victims of war, ensuring that their voices are included in peace negotiations. Eventually, the negotiations will have to tackle a range of profound questions about the kind of country Afghans want, she said. These can only be tackled by Afghans talking with other Afghans. Solutions will not be found on the battlefield, we know this, nor can they be imposed from the outside. She called for sustained international support as the peace process unfolds. A peace process and even a peace agreement does not peace make, Lyons stressed. Everyone must help create a conducive environment for peace talks and we must ensure that the ground is prepared for peace to flourish once an agreement is reached. ____ Gannon reported from Islamabad and Lederer reported from the United Nations. Read more about: ROME - UN Head of Mission in Libya Stephanie Williams said blatant violations of the UN arms embargo in Libya are continuing, and said the military assistance from various foreign sponsors to General Khalifa Haftar and the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj is "deplorable". Williams said in the past two months, 70 resupply flights landed in airports in eastern Libya, dominated by Haftar, while 30 resupply flights were dispatched to the country's west, under the control of the government of al-Sarraj. She said this "constitutes an alarming breach of Libya's sovereignty" and "a blatant violation of the UN arms embargo". "We continue, in addition, to receive reports of large-scale presence of foreign mercenaries and operatives," Williams said, adding that this complicates the situation in the country. She said on the ground, an "uneasy stand-off" continues around Sirte, imperiling the lives of the coastal city's 130,000 inhabitants as well as the country's vital oil infrastructure which comprises its economic lifeline. During the night between September 1 and 2, rockets were fired by forces affiliated with General Haftar and although the rockets didn't cause any damage or injuries, Williams said they "are a breach of the ceasefire". In addition, Williams said "political and military instability in Libya is further compounded by degraded socio-economic conditions." "The partial lifting of the oil blockade announced by Haftar's forces didn't reduce the energy crisis in Libya. In Tripoli, people live 20 hours a day without electricity," she said. "We must make the full lifting of oil blockade, which has been in place since January, a top priority," Williams said, highlighting that "the use of oil as a weapon of war has only exacerbated the misery of the Libyan people and propelled the country towards economic and social collapse". Williams said the situation of migrants and refugees on Libyan soil continues to be a source of great concern. On August 17, at least 45 migrants died off the coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe. Williams said this shows "Libya cannot be considered as a safe port for disembarkation". WAALRE, Netherlands, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IME Medical Electrospinning, a global leader in electrospun medical devices and regenerative medicine, today announced it has successfully raised 3 million in equity financing and debt from existing shareholder TIIN Capital, new investors Borski Fund and Lumana Invest, and from Rabobank Region Eindhoven. In 2019 IME launched the MediSpin XL production platform for large-scale industrial manufacturing of reproducible and scalable electrospun nanofiber-based scaffolds for Class I, II and III medical devices, marking a global breakthrough in the controlled large-scale production of batch-consistent, high-quality end-products in volume. To be able to manage the electrospinning control parameters, unlocks its full potential for industrial medical applications. MediSpin XL creates nanometer solutions that mimic the natural extracellular matrix in the human body. Human cells recognize and infiltrate these scaffolds, encouraging quick and efficient tissue integration, resulting in natural tissue restoration while minimizing medical complications. The vast array of innovative applications include fully bioresorbable stents, heart valves, nanofibrous meshes and many other new devices for a.o. local drug delivery, implantables and tissue engineering. Judith Heikoop, Managing Director of IME Medical Electrospinning, says: "The additional financing and support of new shareholders Borski Fund, Lumana Invest and existing shareholder TIIN Capital will enable us to further strengthen our MediSpin XL electrospinning platform and industrial production capabilities for medical devices and drug delivery applications. Combining our state of the art production platform with our broadened focus, underpins our strong belief in the strategic goal of becoming the leader in large-scale production of both medical devices and drug delivery solutions. Now we can jointly develop other breakthrough medical solutions with our pharma partners and expand our operations. The support of both our existing and new investors fills me with pride and shows that they recognize the large value-adding component of our game-changing capabilities." Ramon Solberg, Founder and together with Judith Heikoop, Managing Director of IME Medical Electrospinning, adds: "This new successful financing round enables us to further capitalize on our scientific and technical findings over the past decade, growing our product portfolio from regenerative medtech solutions to the even broader and promising global market for targeted drug delivery solutions." About Medical Electrospinning Applying specific polymers, IME's advanced equipment creates fiber-based medical device solutions that mimic the natural human extracellular matrix in nanometer and micrometer format for implants and membranes in the human body. Human cells recognize this artificial matrix (scaffold) as the body's own facilitating the repair of the damaged tissue for heart valves, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, skin and bone etc. This is in contrast to implants and membranes of traditional structures, which are seen as foreign and therefore can lead to scar tissue or rejection phenomena. The MediSpin XL platform has been developed specifically for MedTech industrial manufacturing of medical devices and is now also suitable for pharmaceutical drug delivery applicaitons and ensures the firm control of the crucial parameters of the electrospinning process, leading to identical and consistent end-products. About Borski Fund Dutch Borski Fund believes in diversity, gender equality and fair opportunities. It invests in female entrepreneurs because it wants to build good companies with them, because their talent needs to be better utilized, because Borski Fund is their natural partner, because is has the network that matters to them. Because it is important that innovation is stimulated by female entrepreneurs. For more info, please visit www.borskifund.com About Lumana Invest Dutch Lumana is an investment company founded by entrepreneurs. Lumana Invest stands for committed stakeholdership supporting management in strategic issues. With an investment horizon for an indefinite period, Lumana has a unique investment approach. In addition, the fund managers responsible for entering into and supervising participations are also founders and co-shareholders of Lumana. Lumana prefers to invest in start-ups in new markets and new techniques. Exploring boundaries with management and, if possible, pushing them further. Forward-looking and with the ambition to permanently change the future. "Lumanai" has been freely translated from Samoan meaning 'future'. For further info please visit www.lumanainvest.nl About TIIN Capital TIIN Capital is a Naarden, the Netherlands, based fund manager and uses a network of approximately 1.000 angel investors. Entrepreneurship, knowledge of the market, technology (from the network) and capital are of great added value for the investments. As entrepreneurial investors, TIIN Capital accelerates growth-oriented companies with active growth and buy & build strategies, where innovative entrepreneurship is central to be able to take the next step. For more info please visit www.tiincapital.nl About IME Medical Electrospinning For over ten years, IME Medical Electrospinning has been a leading player in the field of developing and implementing electrospinning processes and equipment for the manufacturing of medical devices for (regenerative) medicine and drug delivery. Electrospinning is a flexible process for producing extremely thin fibers and structures that have excellent properties to help regenerate human tissue. IME Medical Electrospinning has developed an unique set of innovations in electrospinning technology for the reproducible and scalable production of electrospun material under tightly controlled conditions required for the MedTech and Pharma market. Customers and scientific partners include the MedTech and Pharma industry, scientists and health institutions. More information available at www.ime-electrospinning.com For further inquiries: IME Medical Electrospinning, Waalre, The Netherlands Judith Heikoop M.Sc. Ph.D. T: +31 40 28 27 956 E: [email protected] For media: LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam Leon Melens T: +31 6 538 16 427 E: [email protected] SOURCE IME Medical Electrospinning What Was the Ark Used For? When the tabernacle was completed, the Ark was eventually placed in the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. Exodus 40:1-3 tells us Then the Lord said to Moses, Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year. Place the Ark of the Covenant inside, and install the inner curtain to enclose the Ark within the Most Holy Place. One of the things about the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God is that it was serious business. You couldnt just enter the Most Holy Place any way you wanted to. If you did, it meant certain death. Here is Gods warning to Aaron: The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aarons two sons, who died after they entered the Lords presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him. The Lord said to Moses, Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Arks cover the place of atonement is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover (Leviticus 16:1-2). As I mentioned, only the high priest - in this case Aaron and his descendants - were allowed to even enter the Most Holy Place. The high priest, beginning with Aaron and his sons, eventually flowing down to the Levites, would enter once per year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and offer the sacrifice for the sins of the people. There was also a long list of requirements necessary before Aaron, and eventually the high priests after him, could enter the Most Holy Place. These are detailed in Leviticus 16. So aside from it being the place where Gods presence dwelt, it was also the place of annual sacrifice for the atonement of the people. Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden Israels flagship airline El Al will fly the first cargo flight from an Israeli airline to Dubai this month. On Sept. 16, an El Al jet will fly to Belgium and pick up farming and tech products and then head to the United Arab Emirates most populous city, Reuters reported today. The flight is the latest example of strengthening ties between Israel and the UAE since they agreed to establish full relations in August. Air travel plays an important role in normalization. Israeli planes cannot fly over many Middle Eastern countries because most do not recognize Israel. However, in June, the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways operated two flights to Tel Aviv to deliver COVID-19 aid to Palestinians. This took place before the Israel-UAE deal last month. This week, El Al flew the first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE when Trump administration adviser Jared Kushner and Israeli officials landed in Abu Dhabi. Regular flights between Israel and the UAE can happen because Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow planes originating in Israel to use Saudi airspace. The Gulf kingdom said all planes can use its airspace to travel to the UAE but did not mention Israel in the announcement. The two main airlines in the UAE, Emirates in Dubai and Etihad in Abu Dhabi, have yet to announce regular flight services to Israels airport in Tel Aviv. Both airlines continue to continue to add to their networks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt and Jordan are the only other two Arab countries to recognize Israel. Travel was possible between them and Israel before the virus. Turkey also has relations with Israel and there are flights between Istanbul and Tel Aviv. The El Al cargo flight to Dubai will become weekly, according to Reuters. MacKenzie Scott is now the worlds richest woman. With net worth of $68 billion, Scott has propelled past LOreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers to be the worlds richest woman, according to Bloombergs Billionaire index. She also happens to be the 12th most richest person in the world. Scott is an American novelist, billionaire and venture philanthropist and was formerly married to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. The couple was divorced in 2019. Scott received a quarter of Bezos Amazon shares in the couples divorce settlement in 2019. That equated to a 4% stake that was worth more than $35 billion at the time. Scotts bump up in wealth follows a surge in tech stock gains, which has led to other billionaire ranking shake ups at the top. Here are few things about the worlds richest woman and her divorce with Amazon boss Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage: Scott and Bezos Divorce: The couple announced their divorce in January 2019 after being married for 25 years. Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos married in 1993 and have four children. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in their Seattle garage in 1994 and turned it into a colossus that dominates online retail. The couple finalised their divorce on July 5 to the tune of a USD 38-billion settlement. At the time of the divorce, her stake was worth about $36 billion. Her fortune has grown to over $60 billion with a jump in Amazons shares this year. Under the agreement, Scott , 49, was to receive approximately 19.7 million Amazon.com shares, giving her a four percent stake in the company valued at USD 38.3 billion. Scott and Bezos Divorce Deal At the time of divorce settlement, Scott had promised to donate half her fortune to charity, joining the ranks of the worlds ultra-wealthy philanthropists as a signatory of the Giving Pledge. A year has passed since the couple were divorced. Scott has donated $1.7 billion of her wealth in the past year to causes including racial equality, LGBTQ rights, public health and climate change, she said in a blog post. In fact she found a mention in a study on super-rich individuals who pledged to give away most of their money to good causes are instead sitting on rising wealth. Scotts Donations and Philanthropy The co-authors of the report from the Institute for Policy Studies urged the wealthy to follow the example of Scott by donating directly to charities. The Giving Pledgers set out in 2010 to give away half their wealth and instead their assets have doubled," said Chuck Collins, co-author of the Gilded Giving" report. By giving $1.7 billion directly to 116 charities, MacKenzie Scott (Bezos) has modelled what Giving Pledge billionaires should be doing with their wealth. The Giving Pledge initiative, founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, encourages the worlds richest people to dedicate a majority of their wealth to charitable causes. Bezos, the worlds richest man, hasnt signed the pledge, according to a list of signatories. Bezos Boom in Pandemic Amid a pandemic which has hurt businesses and economies alike, CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos on August 26 became the first-ever individual to hit a net worth of $200 billion. The e-commerce platform stocks continued to soar even as the United States became the worst-affected country due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. On August 26, Amazons share price climbed 2.3 percent to $3,423 per share, helping Bezos enter the $200 billion net worth territory in the process. Bezos net worth is more than Nike, McDonalds and Pepsi, all three companies are valued between $139 billion and $191 billion, The Wraps report said. Amazons CEO and also the worlds richest man is worth $204.6 billion as of August 27. He is $90 billion richer than Bill Gates, who is the worlds second-richest person, currently worth $116.1 billion, as per a Forbes report. (With inputs from agencies) Kwamena Duncan, Central Regional Minister, has urged Ghanaians to disregard the opposition by the Minority in Parliament and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the government's Agyapa Royalties deal. The Agyapa Royalties deal was passed in Parliament to allow the country to float its mineral shares to reap more benefits. The firm in charge of floating the shares in accordance with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act of 2018 (Act 978) is Agyapa Royalties Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle. According to the deal, Agyapa Royalties Limited will operate as an independent private entity and raise funds to the sum of about $1 billion from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The money is to be used to finance infrastructural projects in the country. But the Minority staged a boycott while the deal was being discussed on the floor. They raised concerns about the terms of the deal and also cited conflict of interest due to the selection of Senior Minister's son and a cousin to President Nana Akufo-Addo, Gabby Otchere-Darko as part of the Agyapa Royalties Firm. The Minority also believes the deal is shrouded in secrecy, hence suspecting some underhand dealings. Addressing the issue on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kwamena Duncan asserted there is nothing wrong with the deal. According to him, the opposition party is only making empty claims, insisting ''there is absolutely no corruption anywhere''. He also refuted the claims of conflict of interest emphasizing the Agyapa Royalties Limited is ''100% government-owned''. He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the opposition party has decided to oppose every good initiative of the government but President ''Akufo-Addo and his government [are] always two steps ahead of the ordinary''. "What they say can't be done is what Akufo-Addo's government gets it done," he added. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Inside Hook Well never agree on the best James Bond of all time (though were more than happy to argue about it). The best James Bond car, however, is somewhat of a foregone conclusion: the Aston Martin Vanish DB5. While the original model was only produced between 1963 and 1965, Aston Martin and James Bond diehards alike recently had a chance to purchase continuation versions of the DB5 Sean Connery drove in 1964s Goldfinger, and those $3.5 million gadget-stuffed machines are now in the process of being delivered. For those that missed out on those or dont have that much cash to blow, there is another option: the DB5 Junior, a mini version of the Aston Martin thats now for sale through The Little Car Company. The London outpost made headlines this summer for offering a mini version of the legendary Bugatti Type 35 race car, and now its expanding its offerings with Aston. The general idea here is the same as those electric ride-on cars youll find in the toy aisle of Target as the junior nomenclature suggests, these are designed for kids but thats where the comparison ends. Instead of some pint-sized cheap plastic cruiser, the DB5 Junior is a sizable authentic recreation made in collaboration with Aston Martin. According to the website, the car has been developed using a full 3D scan of an original 1963 Aston Martin DB5, just with the proportions shrunk to 66 percent. It does feature an electric powertrain, but it can hit an impressive 30 mph in the top driving modes (you can basically handicap the power if you dont trust your kid with that much speed). Not only does it sport authentic Aston Martin badges throughout, but it also comes with supple leather upholstery, a mahogany-and-aluminum steering wheel and replica Smiths instruments the same firm which produced them for the 60s original, Robb Report noted. All that attention to detail will cost you. The limited-edition DB5 Junior starts around $47K and the premium DB5 Vantage Junior ups the price to $60K. That may seem like a lot, but hey, if you compare it to the real thing, this is a steal right? Not everyone wants escapism in a pandemic. One of the films on our radar that were most excited for is Beauty Water, a grisly psychological horror from South Korea. After building hype on a festival run that included Annecy and Fantasia, the animated feature is due to open this month in its home country and elsewhere. The film tells the story of Yaeji, a woman with low self-esteem who uses an elixir the titular beauty water to lose weight and beautify herself, then faces some chilling side effects. The narrative serves as a grim satire of oppressive beauty standards in South Korea, which (by some estimates) has the highest rate of plastic surgery per capita in the world. Heres the trailer: Beauty Water is the feature directorial debut of Kyung-hun Cho, CEO of Studio Animal (which is producing the film with SS Animent). The studio, which made a splash with the series Ghost Messenger, specializes in works for older audiences. For Beauty Water, the filmmakers adapted a hit web comic by Seong-dae Oh, which can be read here. China Forcibly Collects Blood From Falun Gong Practitioners, Raising Concerns About Organ Harvesting When Shen Fang, a 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner living in Shanghai, refused to open the door to four police officers who arrived at her apartment on Aug. 2, they called up a locksmith and broke in. Despite her protests, the four pinned her down, grabbed her wrist, and scratched her hand multiple times to draw her blood. The blood sampling was required by the state, they repeatedly told her. The law doesnt apply to you guys, one police officer shouted while covering his badge number. Were going to wipe you all out! In recent months, dozens of adherents of the spiritual practice Falun Gong have faced similar ordeals across the country, according to reports by Minghui.org, a U.S.-based clearinghouse that keeps track of the Chinese regimes persecution of Falun Gong. Some, like Shen, were visited by police, while others were forcibly taken to the police station for the blood draw with little explanation. Just a river-crossing away from Shens home, in the sprawling Pudong district, police also forcibly collected blood samples from more than 10 practitioners, along with their fingerprints, a recording of their voice, and a sample of their handwriting. If they refused to cooperate, police said they would be arrested, according to an August report from Minghui. Falun Gong, a spiritual practice with a set of meditative exercises and moral teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, has been brutally suppressed in China since 1999. Over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of adherents have been thrown into labor camps, detention centers, reeducation facilities, and psychiatric hospitals, where they are tortured to coerce them into renouncing their faith, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. Read More INFOGRAPHIC: How Falun Gong Is Persecuted in China The recent blood testing especially raises concern in the context of mounting evidence that the Chinese regime is commodifying prisoners of conscience by forcibly removing their organs and selling them for transplant surgery. In 2019, an independent peoples tribunal in London determined beyond reasonable doubt that imprisoned Falun Gong adherents were the principal source for Chinas vast for-profit organ harvesting industry. Upon releasing its final judgment in March this year, the tribunal found that the grisly practice has continued unabated. Such acts, it said, constitute a crime against humanity. If the accusations are proved, they will, inevitably, be compared to the worst atrocities committed in conflicts of the 20th century, the tribunal said in the March judgment. Doctors carry fresh organs for transplant at a hospital in Henan Province, China, on Aug. 16, 2012. (Screenshot via Sohu.com) Undoubtedly Illegal Chen Jiangang, a Chinese trial lawyer and visiting fellow at the American University Washington College of Law, said that the polices blood collection doesnt appear to be a routine physical checkup, but rather collecting peoples biological samples. When the Chinese Communist Party persecutes people, they dont need the backing of the law, he told The Epoch Times, adding that the polices behaviors were a breach of personal rights and extreme humiliation of ones character. They want to control you, to create psychological terror. Li Xudong, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said that the blood collection is clearly not normal, and likely meant to pave the way for identifying organ matches later on. They are not there to ensure your personal health, he said. Dr. Torsten Trey, executive director of medical advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, agreed that the blood testing is unusual. Trey said the police appeared to have administered a bedside blood test on Shena simple test often performed at the bedsideadding that it was likely that they were screening for possible organ donors. If they need an organ for a blood type that is rare among Chinese (AB or B), then they might first screen and if positive make a more accurate test, he told The Epoch Times. In the absence of complete data, he noted that the total number of such tests might be much higher. Peng Yongfeng, a former human rights lawyer from Hebei Province who previously drew authorities ire for defending Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese courts, said that the polices actions were undoubtedly illegal. If they were indeed collecting the blood samples for fueling an organ data bank, the police would be liable for intentional injury and intentional homicide, said Peng, who has fled to the United States. Falun Gong practitioners take part in a candlelight vigil commemorating the 20th anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill on July 18, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Other Recent Cases Minghui reports indicate that forced blood sampling has recently happened to Falun Gong practitioners in eastern Shandong Province, the northern cities of Beijing and Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, the northeastern provinces of Jilin and Liaoning, and Henan in the countrys east-central. Dong Xuejing, a Falun Gong practitioner in Tianjin, told Minghui that she was doing laundry at home in March when the police suddenly rushed in, taking away her Falun Gong books and some materials introducing the practice. The police took her to the local station and shackled her to a chair. Later, they locked her in a metal cage for hours and then forcibly collected her blood, before releasing her on bail at midnight. She was placed under house surveillance and has to report to the police station every month. Cheng Suqin, from Zhengzhou city in Henan Province, was arrested by police officers who knocked on her front and back doors in May. She was interrogated and blood-typed. The police showed her some surveillance camera footage that showed her posting a sticker on a wall with the words Falun Dafa is Good in April. On July 22, police in Gaomi city, Shandong, arrested 46 local adherents in an operation that mobilized over 400 officers. All 46 were blood-typed. Wang Juan, a practitioner in Changsha city, Hunan, was arrested during a trip to Chongqing city in October 2019, according to Minghui. After police failed to collect her blood sample at a local police station due to technical issues, she was sent to the Youyang County police bureau, where an officer named Zhang Tao took her blood sample. Im already on Minghuis blacklist, Zhang told her, referring to a compiled list of local officials who are active in Chinas persecution campaign. The officer declared that he was simply not afraid, and said, Im going to harvest your organs. What are the chances of survival for Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny? German authorities say he was poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent intended to kill him. Ismail Efendiyev from the European Association of Poison Centers and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) says a dose 30 times smaller than a raindrop can be fatal -- but that Navalny's German doctors are likely gaining crucial insight into his treatment from British colleagues with experience from the 2018 Salisbury Novichok poisoning. Biological control of insect pests - where 'natural enemies' keep pests at bay - is saving farmers in Asia and the Pacific billions of dollars, according to University of Queensland-led research. Dr Kris Wyckhuys from UQ's School of Biological Sciences said biological control involved the careful release of an exotic natural enemy from a pest's native habitat. "Scientists meticulously choose co-evolved beneficial insects that are the most effective and least likely to pose ecological upsets," Dr Wyckhuys said. "We've reviewed how biological control introductions have effectively managed 43 insect pests in food, feed and fibre crops in the Asia-Pacific region over a century." The team found that biological control has helped regulate invasive pest threats in multiple key food crops such as banana, breadfruit and coconut. "Our work shows these techniques are saving farmers in Asia around $20.1 billion to $26.8 billion (US$14.6-19.5 billion) per year," Dr Wyckhuys said. "That's a phenomenal amount of money and benefit, particularly when compared to other innovations in the agricultural sector. "A good point of comparison is the Green Revolution in Asia during the late 1960s, which tripled the output of local rice production but also saw a rise of chemical fertilisers, agrochemicals and newer methods of cultivation. "A large part of the Green Revolution impacts can be ascribed to double-yielding rice varieties, which generated $4.8 billion (US$4.3 billion) per year in Asia." UQ's Associate Professor Michael Furlong said recognition of the success of biological control might lead to greater uptake and more resilient, prosperous farming globally. "Biological control offers great opportunities for some of the world's poorest farmers," Dr Furlong said. "It's promoted rural growth and prosperity even in marginal, poorly endowed, non-rice environments. "A great example is the coconut scale (Aspidiotus destructor), which jeopardised the economic prosperity and food security of entire nations. "This coconut scale posed a serious problem to crops like coconut, bananas and copra industries in Fiji at the start of the Twentieth Century. "In 1928, lady beetles from Trinidad and millimetre-long parasitic wasps were introduced, and the results were almost immediate. "Coconut scale ceased to be an economic issue on all of the main Fijian islands within nine months, and after 18 months, the scale was so rare it was difficult to find. "These innovative approaches, with increasingly better science, are helping feed the world, safeguard on-farm biodiversity and increase farmers' quality of life. "We're hoping this research provides lessons for future efforts to mitigate invasive species, restore ecological resilience, and sustainably increase the output of our global food system." ### The research has been published in Nature Ecology and Evolution (DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01294-y). A freighter carrying 43 crew members and about 5,800 heads of cattle went missing during a stormy weather off south-western Japan after coastguard officials received a distress signal, according to local media reports on Thursday. The Japan Coast Guard had rescued one Filipino crew member late Wednesday, but the 42 others 38 Filipinos, two Australians and two New Zealanders remained unaccounted for, Kyodo News reported. Coastguard officials said they found the crew member with a life vest drifting in the East China Sea and his health condition was not life-threatening, according to the news agency. According to the Japan Coast Guard, it received a distress call from the 11,947-ton Gulf Livestock 1 around 1:45 am Wednesday (1645 GMT Tuesday) when it was about 185 kilometres west of Amami Oshima Island. Rescue operations were hampered as the area was hit by torrential rains and strong winds because of Typhoon Maysak, weather authorities said. The freighter left New Zealand on August 14 and was due to arrive in Tangshan, China on Friday. (dpa/NAN) A recent deep dive in the Washington Posts Outlook section, Whats the Worst That Could Happen? exploring various potential outcomes of the 2020 presidential election, found that in every scenario except a Biden landslide, our simulation ended catastrophically. According to the Post, any other outcome is destined to spark violence and a constitutional crisis. Or, in other words, nice country you got there . . . Every assumption in the article, written by Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor and co-founder of the Transition Integrity Project, is awash in the conspiratorial paranoia thats infected the modern Democratic Party. Its a world where Trump officials played, quite implausibly, by Joe Biden partisans Michael Steele and Bill Kristol are ruthless and unconstrained right out of the gate but the genteel statesmen of Team Biden struggled to get out of reaction mode. It is a place where Republicans arent only reflexively seditious and autocratic, but a highly politicized Supreme Court tries to steal the election. In their war game scenarios, however, its the Democrats who refuse to accept the will of courts to adhere to the constitutionally prescribed system rather than hysteria, and its the Democrats who wishcast the wholly imaginary popular vote into existence. One of the scenarios, we learn, doesnt look that different from 2016 a contest in which, it must be pointed out, not one vote has been proven to be uncounted or altered. In that outcome, America is confronted with a big popular win for Mr. Biden, and a narrow electoral defeat. In the real world, incidentally, that scenario is called a Trump victory. In the fictional war game, however, John Podesta, playing the role of Biden, contends that his party wont let him concede the race, and instead alleges voter suppression the catch-all go-to every time a Democrat loses and persuades the Democratic governors of Trump-won states such as Wisconsin and Michigan to send pro-Biden electors to the Electoral College. In the meantime, California, Oregon, and Washington threaten to secede from the union if Trump takes office. The Democratic House unilaterally names Biden president. At that point in the scenario, the New York Times Ben Smith explains, the nation stopped looking to the media for cues, and waited to see what the military would do. Story continues This scenario is what a real-life coup might resemble. It is, needless to say, utterly insane that Democrats would destroy the nations long-standing and peaceful transition because they refuse to accept the mandated process of electing the president. All of which is to say the proactive and retroactive delegitimization of the Trump presidency has been a successful four-year project. It permeates the entire Democratic Partys information complex. First, Democrats convinced millions of Americans that a handful of inept and puerile social-media ads were enough to overturn a presidential election in the most powerful nation on earth. By 2017, a majority of Democrats believed that vote tallies had been tampered with by Russians, somehow without a trace of evidence. Since then, Democrats have been working to convince themselves there is no legitimate way in which Trump could win the election again. A large number of high-profile left-wing columnists have laid the groundwork to make this case and high-profile politicians have joined them. Hillary Clintons advice to Biden not long ago was to not concede defeat on the night of the November 3 election no matter what happens. In January during the impeachment trial, Representative Adam Schiff said, The Presidents misconduct cannot be decided at the ballot box, for we cannot be assured that the vote will be fairly won. House speaker Nancy Pelosi has noted that Let the election decide is a dangerous position because Trump is already jeopardizing the integrity of the 2020 elections. Its worth pointing out that *almost* no one thinks Trump will actually win more votes, Chris Hayes told his followers not long ago. I think if he wins the electoral college and loses the popular vote *again* youre looking at the worst legitimacy crisis since secession. A far bigger crisis for the United States is that liberal pundits tell their audience that the method of winning an election in the United States, one that every president in history of the country relied on, should be considered a crisis of legitimacy. What is worth pointing out as well is that the dynamics of the presidential election would be completely different if the popular vote actually existed. But candidates do not compete for the popular vote, so they can neither win nor lose it. If they did try to win the popular vote, they would cater to the largest population centers, and no one else, and elections would look very different. Im not sure that that setup would work out for Democrats exactly as they imagine, but it doesnt matter. A popular vote undercuts federalism, one of the foundational ideas of the Founding. And thats the point. If you havent noticed, its working. A recent USA Today poll found that 28 percent of Bidens supporters say they arent prepared to accept a Trump victory as fairly won, and 19 percent of President Trumps supporters say the same about a potential Biden victory. So a significant minority of American voters dont believe the next election will be legitimate before it has even been conducted. What happens when every long line at the polls and every Facebook meme and every delayed mail-in ballot is turned into a nefarious plot by the enemy to snatch democracy from the rightful winner? Its going to be ugly, indeed. If their war games are to be believed, thats what Democrats are counting on. Editors Note: An earlier version of this article stated that almost half of Americans doubt the legitimacy of the next election. It has been updated to more accurately reflect the poll numbers it cites. More from National Review WASHINGTON -- Service members might not be at the front of the line to receive the coronavirus vaccine when it is ready, unless they are health care workers or at high risk of contracting the disease, according to a document outlining the possible order of distribution. A four-phased approach for distributing a coronavirus vaccine in the United States has been recommended by the Committee on Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus. It was laid out in "Discussion Draft of the Preliminary Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine," published Tuesday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Read next: Army Set to Receive First Armored Vehicles to Replace Vietnam-Era M113 According to the preliminary framework, which is open for public comment until Friday, the military was not set aside as an individual population group to be prioritized in any of the four phases of distribution for a vaccine. Instead, "in the absence of a separate allotment of [coronavirus] vaccine to the U.S. military," the committee recommended personnel would receive the vaccine using the same priority criteria as civilians, the document states. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provides independent policy advice, including ad hoc committees such as the one that wrote this vaccine distribution draft at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. The Pentagon did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment about the document. The four phases are organized into population groups, with those who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus or becoming severely sick receiving the vaccine first. Then, workers in daily support industries, such as mail carriers, bus drivers and teachers, would be next, as well as those in homeless shelters and prisons. The third group would be children, young adults and workers in industries such as restaurants and hotels. And finally, everyone else who does not fall into the criteria for the other three phases would then get the vaccine. For each population group, the vaccine would also be prioritized geographically through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vulnerability Index, according to the report. Pentagon officials have repeatedly said service members are less likely to be severely affected by the virus. The military now has about 1.2 million active-duty service members and 781,000 reservists, according to the report. "We have a young, healthy, fit, robust demographic in the United States military," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in March. As of Wednesday, the military has had 38,424 cases of the coronavirus and seven service members have died. About 575 people have been hospitalized and 23,011 have recovered, according to Pentagon data. Throughout the United States, there have been more than 6.1 million cases of the coronavirus and more than 185,000 deaths as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University, the highest numbers of any country affected by the pandemic. Operation Warp Speed is the public-private effort led by the government to rapidly develop and distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus. The Defense Department is a participant in the effort, and one of its key responsibilities would be supporting a quicker distribution of the vaccine across the country. The goal of Operation Warp Speed is to have 300 million doses of a vaccine developed and delivered by January 2021, according to the Defense Department. But the details for how the vaccine will be distributed and given to people have not been fully determined, according to the draft document. Despite the goal to have doses available for everyone in the United States by early next year, the committee was established in July to look at how the vaccine would be distributed with a small initial supply, according to the report. The committee researched and designed a way for distributing the vaccine fairly by examining other frameworks for medical care during the coronavirus pandemic and past priorities for vaccines, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa between 2013 to 2016. Phase One populations are high-risk workers in health care facilities and those whose underlying health puts them at "significantly" higher risk from the virus, according to the document. Service members who work in health care facilities or who have underlying conditions that would put them at significant risk would potentially be in this first phase. Phase Three also would cover a large portion of the military as it includes all "young adults" or people who are between 18 to 30 years old. Even though people in this age range are less likely to die or be hospitalized by the virus, more evidence is showing that they might disproportionally be spreading the virus more, according to the report. It also cites studies that adults younger than 30 have larger social networks than other adult-age groups, making them more at risk of exposure and spreading the virus. They are also more likely to live in communal settings, and this would also apply to the barracks and dorms for service members on military installations. The military has had outbreaks among its personnel, including on ships where sailors are put in confined work and living conditions. The outbreak of the virus aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in March infected more than 1,150 sailors. One died. The public comments submitted this week will be considered in the final framework and report that is expected to be released in the early fall, according to the National Academies website. Related: More Than 60 Fort Benning Soldiers Have Been Punished for Violating COVID-19 Rules People described as Antifa militants smash windows and set a fire to the Sacramento District Attorney's Office on Aug. 27, 2020. (Sacramento District Attorney's Office) Sacramento DA: Planned Attack on Office Was Led by Antifa Intelligence indicates that the recent attack on the Sacramento District Attorneys Office was planned and led by the Antifa extremist group. There is no question that there was a planned attack on our office, and now that we have more intelligence, we understand that much of it was led by Antifa, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, an independent, said during an appearance on Fox News The Ingraham Angle late Wednesday. There was that particular night, there were two separate organizations. The first one was a peaceful protest, which we all support, but the second we now know was organized and planned by Antifa, which is an organization that their whole endgame is the destruction of democracy, and theyre going to do that by violence and intimidation and coercion. Rioters broke into Schuberts office on Aug. 27 and set a fire in the lobby. They also damaged many other buildings in Californias capital. A man dressed in the style favored by Antifaall-black, with his face obscuredtold a local reporter on camera that she was putting people in danger by reporting on the events downtown. Im going to break your [expletive] camera in a minute if you dont back off, the man said. That man is among others captured on camera that the district attorneys office is seeking more information on. Antifa is a far-left, anarcho-communist group linked to riots across the nation since May. Facebook posts from Antifas Sacramento chapter urging people to gather on Aug. 27, 2020. (Sacramento District Attorneys Office) Ive talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence, Attorney General William Barr said this week. Many of the people who fomented unrest in Sacramento were from outside the city, Schubert said. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told reporters last week that many came from other national protests such as Portland to try to establish here in Sacramento what they have accomplished in other protests in other cities, including Portland, Seattle, and New York City. It is disappointing, there seems to be a lack of courage to call it what it is. It is not a protest. It is an attempted insurrection. This is not a protest or demonstration. It is not a call for justice. And it transcends either political party. These people are anarchists, Antifa and others, that have no platform, no end goal and no core beliefs other than to create chaos and undermine many of our social institutions, including police, Jones said. Theyre well organized, well funded, and have an endless supply of tools of destruction. A spokeswoman for the agency told The Epoch Times via email that Jones obtained the information on Antifa from their own distributed fliers and other open source media. The Department of Justice is probing the people funding the rioters, a top law enforcement official revealed Monday. Two people have been arrested in connection with the rioting in Sacramento last week, a police spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. One was arrested for allegedly shining a laser in a police officers eyes while another was arrested for resisting officers who were trying to take the other suspect into custody. Sacramentos district attorney said that the way to respond to what happened is to catch those responsible. The night that these folks tried to destroy our building and set it on fire, we had the police department out collecting evidence. Anybody that understands our abilities, were going to do everything we can. If you left your DNA behind, were going to find it and figure out who you are, she said. Were not going to be terrorized. They tried to post where they think I live on their own social media. This theme of intimidating by showing up at peoples homes has to end, and were going to do that by identifying them, and prosecuting them, and making sure that they understand that were not going to tolerate it. According to history.com, Labor Day is the result of activism on behalf of working people throughout the United States. The average American worked 12-hour days in the late 1800s, and, quite often, seven days a week. Children as young as 5 worked in factories and mills and were paid only a fraction of the small wages adults earned. As manufacturing began to supplant agriculture as the major source of American employment, labor unions grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. According to the website, Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history. The idea of a holiday specifically recognizing workers began to catch on and many states passed legislation making it a holiday. Congress would not legalize the holiday until 1894, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers rights squarely into the publics view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified. Heres a gallery of vintage photos of working people in New Jersey. If you have vintage photos youd like to see in our slide shows, send them in an email to greghatalagalleries@gmail.com. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday (September 3) informed that four more MLAs in the state have tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19, taking the total number of coronavirus positive legislators in Punjab to 33. There are 117 MLAs in Punjab Assembly. "Four of our MLAs, Randeep Nabha, Angad Singh, Aman Arora and Parminder Dhindsa, have tested Covid-19 positive. Wish them all a speedy recovery. Fight against Covid-19 is real and the onus is on all of us to observe full precautions, to test, and if found positive, to start treatment quickly," CM Singh tweeted. 4 of our MLAs, Randeep Nabha, Angad Singh, Aman Arora & Parminder Dhindsa have tested #Covid19 positive. Wish them all a speedy recovery. Fight against Covid is real & the onus is on all of us to observe full precautions, to test, & if found positive, to start treatment quickly. Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 3, 2020 Notably, five ministers in Punjab government have also tested positive for coronavirus. Meanwhile, India on Thursday registered the highest single-day spike of 83,883 new COVID-19 cases and 1,043 fatalities. The total tally in the country mounted to 38,53,407 which includes 8,15,538 active cases, 29,70,493 cured cases and 67,376 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry data. Though, India's Case Fatality Rate (CFR) at 1.76 per cent is one of the lowest in the world while global CFR stands at 3.3 per cent. India has been reporting 48 deaths/million population, also one of the lowest, while the global average is 110 deaths/million population, according to the Ministry of Health. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 8,08,306 cases and 24,903 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh with 4,45,139 cases and 4,053 deaths. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar come next. SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- YUCHIP launches a new design - a "cold" LED advertising screen that saves advertising companies up to 56% energy cost. Today, LED display application has realized vast growth. The LED advertising screen's applications are specifically defined as stage LED screen, transparent LED display, LED poster, etc. LED advertising screen delivers a dynamic visual effect to passers-by. Along with the LED screen's cost drop, people have higher demands for large LED displays. A large screen delivers a more dynamic visual effect to passers-by. Due to that, the worldwide LED display panel is built bigger and bigger. In 2016, YUCHIP installed a 402sqm LED advertising screen in Lima, Peru, the largest LED display in South America. Even though LED display is environment-friendly technology and energy-saving, power consumption is still high, especially LED advertising displays which are always big, with electricity cost at 4/5 of operating cost. As China's leading LED display manufacturer , YUCHIP engineers keep researching energy-saving LED screens and know energy savings are realized by a lower-voltage power input. So, instead of the standard 5V DC power input, Red lamp bead power input is DC 2.8V and Green and Blue lamp bead power input is DC3.8V, and the PCB, IC and power supply all have energy-saving models. YUCHIP engineers explained: The R, G, B (red, green, blue) of the LED lamp bead is used to supply power separately, and the current and voltage are accurately distributed to the R, G, B lamp bead. Each lamp bead requires a different working voltage and current, the current passes through the lamp beads and then to the negative electrode of the IC, and when the forward voltage drop is reduced, the internal resistance of conduction will be reduced. YUCHIP engineers introduced four advantages of the newly designed LED advertising display. Save energy cost (low power consumption). It saves up to 56% of electricity compared to standard LED advertising displays. Save installation cost (low heat and low temperature rise). The LED display panel installation site doesn't require installing an air conditioner or ventilation fan to cool down the temperature. Save maintenance cost (trouble-free). Due to its averagely low heat and low temperature rise, LED display advertising works stably and properly, trouble-free. Longer lifespan. The new LED screen doesn't generate heat itself and all components work in an ideal environment which leads to a longer lifespan. Found in 2004, YUCHIP is an award-winning global LED display supplier headquartered in China. As a comprehensive LED display manufacturer, the company focuses on offering top-notch technology and high-performing visual products. The engineers use this energy-saving technology in stage LED screens, transparent LED displays , LED posters, flexible LED displays and more. Media Contact Eric Zheng Mob: 008613798508687 [email protected] https://www.yuchip-led.com/ A3 Building, Fu Wei 2nd Industrial Park, Fu Yong Town, Bo an District, Shenzhen, China. Related Files YUCHIP LED Display Catalogue-20190702.pdf YUCHIP LED PostAir Catalogue 20190806.pdf Related Images led-advertising-screen.jpg LED Advertising Screen LED advertising screen delivers a dynamic visual effect to passers-by. Related Links LED Advertising Screen Transparent LED Display SOURCE YUCHIP Online learning platform Coursera will allow its employees to opt for remote working till January 1, 2022. Additionally, employees will also receive $1,000 (Rs 73,500 approximately) or the local equivalent in the UK, India, Canada, Bulgaria, and the UAE to create a productive home environment. In a blog post, Rich Jacquet, Chief People Officer of Coursera said that giving all employees more time to work from home offers the flexibility they need to adjust to new routines brought on by the pandemic, like home-schooling and plan the next 16 months with a clear timeline. Coursera is among the first companies that has announced remote working till January 2022. Most companies, especially ed-tech players have offered work-from-home till January 2021 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Coursera is also among the first global companies to announce home office set-up allowance. Jacquet added that Coursera may reopen some locations at limited capacity before 2022, but only if its safe. Coursera has about 2,000 employees across the globe. Even after our offices safely reopen, Courserians will have the flexibility to work remotely for the long term, work from a nearby office, or split their time between the two arrangements, said Jacquet. Coursera employees transitioned to the remote working environment in March. Jacquet said in the blog that the firm has seen more casual interactions between employees who work in different countries over the last six months than ever before. Further, the blog post said that supporting off-campus work at this scale will enable Coursera to recruit candidates who live beyond a commuting distance from our offices. Well continue to listen to and work with employees to solve other challenges that come up, starting with a focus on wellness, promoting the use of our flexible vacation policy, and workshops to help managers lead remote teams effectively, said Jacquet. Set up in 2012, Coursera now has 68 million learners across the country and the platform partners with 200 plus universities across the world to offer its learning programmes. Riverdale's Camila Mendes confirmed her relationship with Grayson Vaughan on Instagram with a PDA-filled shot of them tenderly embracing on Thursday. 'That long distance kind of love,' the 26-year-old actress captioned a picture of herself with both arms wrapped around the model's neck in front of a private plane. While the lovebirds have been seen numerous times throughout quarantine, it appears they'll now be a plane ride away as she resumes filming on her CW drama. Kissing: Riverdale's Camila Mendes confirmed her relationship with Grayson Vaughan on Instagram with a loved-up shot of them tenderly embracing on Thursday Her kissing post, which she tagged Vaughan in, comes seven months after Mendes broke up with her costar Charles Melton after a year of dating in December. Her announcement garnered responses from her Riverdale costar Madelaine Petsch, who wrote, 'I'm not crying!!! You are!!!' Additionally, 13 Reasons Why's Katherine Langford commented she was happy for Mendes, while Tommy Dorfman gushed: 'FINALLY PUBLIC' 'That long distance kind of love': The 26-year-old CW star captioned a picture of herself with both arms wrapped around the model's neck in front of a private plane (pictured with Vaughan in August) She will be joining her longtime pal Lili Reinhart on set, who recently described feeling 'like a prisoner' for having to return north of the border to film their popular series in a new Nylon profile. Lili has said she's less than thrilled about the idea, as it means she 'cannot leave Canada' and won't be able to visit her family for Thanksgiving in November. She also lamented having to fit into a prom dress she wore in an episode before filming was halted, because she's 'a little bit thicker' than she was before the pandemic. Splitsville: Her kissing post, which she tagged Vaughan in, comes six months after Mendes broke up with her costar Charles Melton after a year of dating in December; seen in May 2019 'We stopped during the prom episode, so I have to fit back in that prom dress. Five months later, we're all going to be tan, maybe a little bit thicker. I certainly am,' she said. 'I genuinely feel like a prisoner, going back to work, because I cannot leave Canada. That doesn't feel good. You can't go home for Thanksgiving, can't visit your family. No one can come visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks. It just feels f*****.' Despite her grievances, Lili acknowledged she is 'very lucky' to have the show to return to as other people have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Even ghosts can teach us a thing or two, the author Randall Kenan wrote in an essay published just last month about the Confederate monuments falling all over the South that was the center of his life and his lifes work. Ive thought about that line a lot the past few days, while revisiting Kenans books. Were living in a haunted time, a time in which more and more ghosts seem to float through our lives every day, and no writer was better situated to tell truths about this world than Randall Kenan. Advertisement Kenan, who was 57, was found dead in his home in Hillsborough, North Carolina, late last week. Raised in rural Duplin County in eastern North Carolina, a place where his family had deep rootsthe county seat is KenansvilleKenan attended college in Chapel Hill and then left for New York City. There he worked for four years at Knopf, the highest of high-toned literary publishers, while working on the earthy tales that would make up his 1989 debut novel, A Visitation of Spirits, and his collection Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Those tales were the template for the fiction he would write the rest of his career: stories set in the thinly veiled eastern Carolina town of Tims Creek, imbued with Southern folkways and an eye on the long shadow of history. Ghosts abound in his work, starting with the very first story in the collection, Clarence and the Dead, in which a 3-year-old boy sends Tims Creek into an uproar when he begins delivering messages from their dead relatives, not always kind ones: Your mama says Joe Hattan is stepping out on you with that strumpet Viola Stokes. The title story, a metafictional masterpiece of academic fakery complete with false footnotes and references to future, unwritten Randall Kenan works, concerns the history of Snatchit, a community of escaped and rebelled enslaved people deep in the swamps, and culminates in, essentially, a zombie uprising led by an evil preacher who raises the dead of Snatchit in his service. The wicked they stayed, and well, how do you stop a dead man? he writes. They ran into the houses of people they hated the most and beat the shit out of them. Advertisement Advertisement Like his childhood in Duplin County, Kenans time in New York and his life as a gay man were reflected his fiction as well. His stories often explored the intersection of queer life and rural tradition. In one, a Tims Creek woman mourning the death of her grandson up north invites his white lover to visit her in an attempt to learn more about the boy who so determinedly took himself away from the place where he grew up. How curious the world had become, she thinks, that she would be asking a white man to exonerate her in the eyes of her own grandson. Advertisement Critics have compared Tims Creek to Faulkners Yoknapatawpha County, and its true that Kenans grasp of his lightly fictionalized homes history, geography, and culture was as keen as Faulkners. Kenans Tims Creek was Black, of course, populated mostly by the descendants of those runaways and rebels in Snatchit and other formerly enslaved people. You might argue that Kenans treatment of Tims Creeks white characters is more thoughtful and complex than Faulkners treatment of his Black characters. I think particularly of Dean Williams in the shattering story Run, Mourner, Run, a beautiful boy with eyes that could give a bull a hard-on. Dean knows that wealthy Percy Terrell, son of the countys most prominent white family, sees him as nothing more than poor white trash: a sweet-faced, dark-haired faggot with a broken-down Ford Torino. But Percy orders him to seduce Tims Creeks richest Black man, and Dean, desperate for a way out, follows his lead. The investigation of power, wealth, lust, and love that ensues is a small masterpiece of Southern literature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The difference between Tims Creek and Yoknapatawpha, of course, is that Faulkner explored Yoknapatawpha in a dozen novels and scores of stories, while after 1992, Kenan published several excellent nonfiction books but no more fictionuntil last month, when a new collection, If I Had Two Wings, appeared. I dont know why Kenan didnt write more. In the 1990s, he returned to North Carolina, eventually becoming, by all accounts, a wonderful teacher at his (and my) alma mater, and if my own experience with him is any guide, he devoted a lot of time doing kindnesses for students, former students, and anyone who asked. The 10 stories in the new collection are as rich and provocative and funny as the ones that came before; I particularly liked a tall tale about a Tims Creek plumber who, on a trip to New York with his wife, somehow ends up in Billy Idols entourage. Horrible Percy Terrell returns, in a story that explores with a keen eye and true generosity a white man beginning to confront the lies and thievery of his familys past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And one story in particular caught my eye. It doesnt seem autobiographical, exactly, but it does feature a narrator named Randall who comes back to North Carolina from a life in New York publishing to launch a regional cooking magazine. (Kenan was passionately interested in Southern foodways and edited the terrific collection The Carolina Table: North Carolina Writers on Food, which came out in 2016.) Randalls 200-year-old restored farmhouse turns out to have once been a stop on the Underground Railroad, and soon the man comes face to face with, yes, ghosts. Some are horrifying and some are mystifying and some are friendly, and though the haunting drives his boyfriend away, Randall takes it in stride. Do ghosts eat? he wonders, and, just in case, he makes breakfast for two. Northern Irelands police chief has expressed concern at ongoing uncertainty over Brexit. Simon Byrne warned in his latest report to the regions policing board that there is an unresolved funding shortfall around the current financial year. He said a funding bid for a three-year plan for costs around the Northern Ireland Protocol has been submitted to the Treasury. The protocol is due to come into effect on December 31. The Chief Constable said the PSNI has prepared a number of scenarios, and are also refreshing operational readiness by updating tactical plans in a number of key areas. There is still a high level of uncertainty in relation to the UK Governments ongoing negotiations with the EU and the potential for non-negotiated outcomes (NNOs) remains, he noted in his report. Brexit is coming at us over the hill. Simon Byrne Mr Byrne said 300 officer posts are based on EU related funding, adding that the PSNI has yet to receive any assurances as to the sustainability of that resource. Appearing at Thursdays meeting of the Policing Board, Mr Byrne said: Brexit is coming at us over the hill clearly we need to remain on our front foot for preparations of making sure that legislation is joined up as best it can be, because were no clearer yet, is there going to be a deal or not. Clearly if there isnt, we need to be able to mitigate some of the effects. Turning to coronavirus, Mr Byrne said the first fine issued over quarantine regulations this week should serve as a reminder that the rules are being policed. He also announced a three-month pilot programme with Translink for police officers to be placed on the rail network to reduce antisocial behaviour and support staff. Mr Byrne was questioned by Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt about spit and bite guards, introduced by the PSNI earlier this year to protect officers amid the pandemic. Expand Close Undated picture of a spitguard. PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Undated picture of a spitguard. The Chief Constable responded: I know it is a very emotive issue we rolled them out in the Covid period to try and mitigate against the risk of what is and can be a fluid-borne disease. There is no unequivocal evidence that it reduces the risk of transmission in the medical sense, but clearly common sense would say that if you have got someone who is intent on spitting on somebody with saliva or blood, the risk of transmission would be higher we want to mitigate that. Officers and staff should be given the kit they need to do the job but we need to mitigate the concerns about any abuse of human rights we have seen some nasty incidents of spitting over the last few months. He added that the use of spit and bite guards is reviewed every month, with no concerns about their use reported so far. Mr Byrne also revealed that of nine promotion offers to the rank of chief superintendent, two are women and one has a Catholic background. (TNS) Work is set to begin by the end of this week on installation of broadband Internet capability for the northern portion of Iberville Parish.Contractors will head to work on the project that will bring fast-speed Internet to portions of Maringouin, Rosedale and Grosse Tete, according to Grosse Tete Mayor Mike Chauffe.The installation will begin as the Iberville Parish school system continues the hybrid and virtual learning, which required online capability for students throughout the parish.Its coming together at a key time, he said. Everyone is glad its coming here because so many students need to have the broadband capability, so this will make it easier for them.A $15.5 million federally funded project will create or improve rural e-connectivity for more than 2,600 households, pre-subscribed businesses and farms across Iberville and Pointe Copuee parishes.The U.S. Department of Agricultures Re-Connect Pilot Program will implement a high-speed broadband infrastructure project that will create or improve rural e-connectivity for 2,609 rural households, 12 pre-subscribed businesses and 16 pre-subscribed farms.The program one of the many funding announcements in the final round of USDAs Re-Connect Pilot Program investments also will benefit Iberville and St. Landry parishes. It is the programs first venture in Louisiana.Through USDAs Re-Connect Program, thousands of Louisianians living in rural communities will get access to the latest broadband technology that will connect them to opportunities in education, health care and economic development, said Roy Holleman, the Louisiana director of the USDA.Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities to deploy this critical infrastructure, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.The Re-Connect Program will offer federal financing and funding options in the form of loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that do not have sufficient access to broadband.The program will generate private sector investment to deploy broadband infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet e-connectivity to as many rural premises as possible, including homes, community facilities for health care and public safety, schools, libraries, farms, ranches, factories and other production sites.Funds will go toward the construction, improvement and acquisition of facilities required to provide service at a minimum of between 25 mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 3 mbps upstream.This program will bring fiberoptic gig speeds to areas that wouldve never seen something like this in an area, said Tim May, general manager and owner of STAR Communications. This is a long way for me, considering my grandfather started me in this business for delivery of phonebooks.The funds also can go toward acquisition of an existing system not providing sufficient access to broadband, under certain circumstances.The program began in 2018 when Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. LONDON (dpa-AFX) - RPS Group Plc (RPS.L) reported that its loss attributable to equity holders of the parent for the six months ended 30 June 2020 was 31.9 million pounds or 14.06 pence per share compared to profit of 9.8 million pounds or 4.35 pence per share in the prior year. The Group's performance was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Loss before tax was 34.1 million pounds compared to profit of 13.1 million pounds in the prior year. Adjusted earnings per share was 2.03 pence compared to 6.38 pence in the prior year. Fee Revenue was 232.4 million pounds compared to 266.0 million pounds in the previous year. The company said its board is not proposing a 2020 interim dividend, due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the Group's profit and restrictions within the short term 60 million pounds RCF liquidity facility. RPS also separately announced a proposed Placing and Subscription of shares, which together will not exceed 19.99% of the Group's existing share capital, as well as proposed amendments to its banking facilities which are conditional on the equity raise. RPS plans to conduct a non-pre-emptive placing of new ordinary shares of 3 pence each in the capital of the Company at a price of 44 pence per Placing Share. In conjunction with the Placing, certain directors of the company intend to subscribe for new ordinary shares of 3 pence each in the capital of the company at the Placing Price to contribute 555 thousand pounds in aggregate. In addition to its existing 100.0 million ponds committed revolving credit facility, on 27 April 2020 the Group announced an additional twelve month 60.0 million pounds revolving credit facility. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Crew members on the International Space Station still haven't found the source of an air leak that was first detected a year ago. NASA officials first detected air leaking from the space station, which floats in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 254 miles, in September 2019. Despite getting more severe in the past year, the leak is allegedly too small to present an immediate danger to the lives of the on board crew. But the recent surge in air loss, which suggests the hole is getting bigger, means NASA can't put off finding the source any longer. Most of the station's modules have already been ruled out as the location of the offending hole or gap, according to a NASA official. Staff on the ground should be forming conclusions on the source of the leak in the coming days, which should help the three astronauts on board seal it off. The ISS has been under constant occupation by astronauts since November 2000 but due to structural fatigue needs to be decommissioned by 2030 NASA spokesman Daniel Huot told Business Insider that the search is 'taking longer than expected'. 'The leak rate is still stable and well below the design specifications for the station and presents no concern for crew or vehicle safety,' he said. On August 20, NASA confirmed that the three ISS astronauts NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner would be spending a weekend in the Russian section of the ISS as part of a plan of action. While in the Zvezda service module of the Russian section, the crew members closed all hatches on the station, allowing Earth-based officials to monitor air pressure levels and find the source of the leak. Commander Chris Cassidy and his crewmates Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin stayed in the Zvezda service module for a weekend late August At the time, NASA and Roscosmos said the situation represented no immediate danger to the crew or to the space station but that it was important to find the source. Technical teams are still reviewing data collected by the crew during their weekend in Zvezda and have already ruled out most of the station's modules, Huot said. They will complete their review 'in the coming days', he was quoted as saying by Business Insider. However, there's a possibility it still can't be pinpointed, which will require a fresh course of action. Generally, tiny amounts of air leak from a space vessel over time, requiring routine repressurisation from nitrogen tanks delivered on cargo resupply missions. The stations atmosphere is maintained at pressure comfortable for the crew members. From left, NASA astronaut and Commander Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts and Flight Engineers Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The three-man team on board the ISS have been working with ground staff to pinpoint the location of the leak But if the leak were to become more sizeable, these resupply missions may not be able to replace air quickly enough. NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate back in September 2019. 'Because of routine station operations like spacewalks and spacecraft arrivals and departures, it took time to gather enough data to characterise those measurements,' NASA admitted last month. 'That rate has slightly increased, so the teams are working a plan to isolate, identify, and potentially repair the source.' This isn't the first leak on the ISS two years ago, the space station's crew discovered a 2-millimetre (0.08 inches) hole on the outer wall of the Soyuz capsule on the orbiting laboratory, which they had to plug with epoxy and gauze. August 2018 saw astronauts rush to fix a hole (pictured) which had appeared in the outer wall of the Soyuz capsule on the orbiting laboratory. Its origins are still a mystery Russian media reports that Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, knew the hole's source, but wouldn't disclose it to NASA. 'We know exactly what happened, but we will not tell you anything,' Rogozin said in September 2019, as quoted by Russian news agency Ria Novosti. The exact cause of the breach was thought to be a botched repair job by an engineer who drilled through the side of the spacecraft. However, some made allegations of subterfuge and deliberate sabotage. The amount that the Environmental Protection Agency claims will be saved under new regulations that cut back on coal plant pollution regulation. If these savings are passed onto American customers, those consumers will save an estimated 49 cents per year. ( Ars Technica September 1, 2020) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday that the BJP believed in the politics of development and that he aimed to develop the Gwalior-Chambal region. Talking to journalists in Gwalior, Scindia said, Despite the crisis the country is facing due to Covid situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working wholeheartedly to make available all facilities in hospitals like beds, plasma etc for treatment of Covid patients. He has infused a sense of security in people. Praising the PM and BJP, Scindia said, On one side there is development-oriented thinking and on the other side there is negative thinking. I only believe in politics of development. If former CM Kamal Nath visits our hometown (Gwalior) he is welcome here. However, we will continue to work for development of the region. When it comes to elections, people of the region would send him back, Scindia said. He said, During the first five months of the present BJP government in the state, every state assembly constituency has development projects worth 100 to 300 crore. Chambal Expressway which was the dream of my revered father is going to link Gwalior-Chambal region to Uttar Pradesh on one side and to Rajasthan on the other side. Two major projects have been sanctioned for Gwalior also. A dad-of-three has taken advantage of his live appearance on national television to propose to his long-term partner in front of their kids. Rhys Scott appeared on the Today show on Thursday morning and took the traditional approach of getting down on one knee and asking: 'Will you marry me Natasha Leigh?' The mother to Brooklyn, Harlon and Weston beamed with excitement as she embraced Mr Scott and kissed him. The couple then hugged as Ms Leigh said 'yes', and the children held a sign in the background saying 'Mummy marry daddy'. The sweet moment was caught at Sirromet Wines at Mount Cotton, Queensland, while the family was among the on-site guests for the breakfast program's weather forecast. Weatherman Tim Davies caught up with the couple moments later to clarify how long they had known each other and how soon they would be getting married. Rhys Scott got down on one knee to ask Natasha Leigh if she would marry him on the Today show about 7.30am on Thursday (pictured) The couple then hugged as Ms Leigh said 'yes', and the children held a sign in the background saying 'Mummy marry daddy' (pictured) The could have married on the spot - they had a perfect location and she was dressed in white - but Ms Leigh said the wedding would 'need some time' to organise and forecast they would tie the knot in 'maybe a year'. 'Need this one to not be the menace,' she joked about one of her young children who was wriggling all over the place while being interviewed. The couple met at a Gold Coast night club seven years ago. Mr Scott told Mr Davies he knew Mr Leigh was the one as soon as he set his sights on her and 'had a lot of work to do'. In a surprise twist, Ms Leigh (pictured) said she would 'need some time' before confirming the couple would tie the knot in 'maybe a year' - despite being dressed for the occasion on Thursday by wearing white Weatherman Tim Davies caught up with the couple moments later to clarify how long they had known each other and how soon they would be getting married (pictured) 'He harassed me,' Ms Leigh joked. In keeping with his traditional approach, Mr Scott had sought the approval of Ms Leigh's dad the night before. 'I almost missed that phone call but got it in time,' he said. 'I had so much on my mind.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to the couple for comment. People have only been able to digest milk products as adults for the past few thousand years - and it was the result of a 'lactose tolerance' genetic mutation. Experts from the Johannes Gutenberg University, studied the remains of Bronze Age warriors that were slain in 1200 BC on a river bank in what is now Germany. A DNA analysis showed only one in eight had a gene that breaks down lactose - a type of sugar in milk. The mutation makes a special enzyme called lactase. About 90 per cent of the population living in that same area have the ability to process lactose - suggesting the mutation spread in just a few thousand years. Lead author Professor Joachim Burger said this was a huge difference when there can't have been more than 120 generations of humans between then and today. Bronze Age skull in situ in the Tollense valley. Experts from the Johannes Gutenberg University, studied the remains of Bronze Age warriors that were slain in 1200 BC on a river bank in what is now Germany A DNA analysis showed only one in eight had a gene that breaks down lactose - a type of sugar in milk. The mutation makes a special enzyme called lactase. Stock image The study, published in Current Biology, found that aside from lactase tolerance and a few other genetic variants, the genomes of the Bronze Age warriors were similar to those of today's inhabitants of northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region. Professor Daniel Wegmann, of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, said the only way to explain this difference to today is 'very strong natural selection'. 'We conclude that over the past 3,000 years, lactase-persistent individuals had more children or, alternatively, those children had better chances of survival than those without this trait.' 'In each generation lactase-persistent individuals have a 6 per cent greater chance of surviving to reproductive age than non-lactase-persistent individuals,' he added. Discovery of a mandible in the Tollense river. The study, published in Current Biology, found that aside from lactase tolerance and a few other genetic variants, the genomes of the bronze age warriors were similar to those of today's inhabitants of northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region But researchers say there is still no answer to why being able to digest the sugar in milk after infancy provided such a big evolutionary advantage. Many people are still intolerant to milk. the team said. Without lactase, milk causes unpleasant and anti social side effects including flatulence and cramping. The study also analysed the genetic material in Bronze Age bones found in eastern and south-eastern Europe for comparison. Scientists found these also showed low frequencies of lactase persistence. The warrior remains from the Tollense Valley are from what researchers say was likely the oldest known battle in Europe. Remains were first discovered there in the 1990s, and for more than 10 years archaeologists have been systematically searching the river for more. The bones of more than 100 individuals have been discovered, many of them exhibiting signs of violent combat. Many contain arrowheads, while some skulls had been crushed by blunt objects. Several thousand men are estimated to have been involved, some of whom were on horseback, according to Wegmann. Milk is a weird thing to consume. It is a liquid made by a cow or other animal to feed its young - we squirt it from the cow's udders to obtain it. According to the German research team - this gave those able to digest it during hte Bronze Age and beyond 'a remarkable selective advantage'. Various bones at a Bronze Age battle excavation site, some of which were genetically tested to determine the presence of the lactase-persistent gene When we are babies, lactase allows us to digest the lactose in our mother's milk. But after infancy, production used to stop. Burger said each generation's lactase-persistent individuals have a six per cent greater chance of surviving to reproductive age than those without persistence. In 2007, the same team established almost none of the first sedentary farmers in Europe were lactase-persistent. 'It is astonishing at the time of the battle at the Tollense, more than 4,000 years after the introduction of agriculture in Europe, lactase persistence in adults was so rare.' 'With milk being a high energy, relatively uncontaminated drink, its ingestion may have provided greater chances of survival during food shortages or when supplies of drinking water were contaminated,' he added. 'Particularly during early childhood, in the years shortly after weaning, this factor often may have been decisive amongst prehistoric populations.' Archaeologists have been systematically searching a section along the Tollense river for more than 10 years Today, drinking milk is common practice in northern Europe, the US and a patchwork of other places but in many cultures it is strictly off limits. In 2000, China launched a nationwide campaign to encourage the consumption of milk and dairy products for health reasons. It had to overcome the deep suspicions of older generations. Cheese, which is essentially milk that has been allowed to go off, can still make many Chinese people feel sick. In northern Europe, more than 90 per cent of people are lactase persistent. But many Africans do not have the trait and it is also uncommon in Asia and South America. The findings have been published in the journal Current Biology. Ant Group's late-summer IPO filing drove home why the business - backed by 711 million monthly users that spent $US17 trillion ($23.4 trillion) through its platform - is headed for potentially the world's largest stock debut. Yet investors may do well to focus on the long-term threat to its core businesses from arch rival Tencent. Ant is set to join the top echelon of global finance alongside Bank of America, as it seeks to raise about $US30 billion with a valuation of about $US225 billion in Hong Kong and Shanghai, people familiar have said. Once the dust settles, the crown jewel of Jack Ma's Alibaba Group empire has to contend with a renewed challenge from old nemesis Tencent that's increasingly encroaching on its turf from payments to wealth management. Ant, the crown jewel of Jack Ma's Alibaba Group empire has to contend with a renewed challenge from old nemesis Tencent. Credit:Stefan Postles China's two largest corporations Alibaba and Tencent are wrestling for online leadership in everything from social entertainment to e-commerce and cloud computing. The key to winning the war is to control the means through which a billion Chinese spend their money online. Alibaba's 33 per cent-owned Ant and Tencent's WeChat are the smartphone and payment backbones underpinning the twin internet juggernauts. "Ant should be wary of the wider Tencent ecosystem, which is taking away its payments traffic," said Shawn Yang, a Shenzhen-based managing director for Blue Lotus Capital Advisors Ltd. "Even though Ant has better quality data from the e-commerce transactions it collects, it needs to make sure it's not losing too much share in the other high-frequency verticals like ride-hailing, food delivery and offline retail." News Headlines Foreign specialists not subject to mandatory quarantine during short-term work in Vietnam On September 2, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas once. The enemy tried to provoke our soldiers in the front sector near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk) with an unaimed shot from under-barrel grenade launcher. The servicemen of the Joint Forces did not fire back. No combat losses among Ukrainian troops were reported, the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports. Since the beginning of the current day, September 3, the ceasefire has been observed in all sectors of the front. No violations have been recorded. The JFO Headquarters noted that Ukrainian soldiers adhere to the ceasefire and are ready to return fire in case of a threat to their life or health. In parallel with the fulfillment of combat missions, units of the Joint Forces and the Defense Forces contain large-scale forest and steppe fires in Luhansk region, provoked by the enemy. In the area of Stanytsia Luhanska, more than 200 hectares of forest-steppe are covered with fire. Near the village of Lobacheve, the fire occupies an area of about 950 hectares. About 600 personnel and 84 units of engineering and automotive equipment of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service were involved in fire-fighting operations in Luhansk region. In Zaitseve and Novoluhanske, the fire has already been extinguished. While extinguishing the fire, two soldiers from the Joint Forces received thermal burns. They were provided with first aid and were taken to military medical institutions. The health of both soldiers is satisfactory. ish Family of Daniel Prude have released video and records detailing man's death by police in March: AP A black man who died from asphyxiation after an encounter with New York police had his face pressed into the pavement for two minutes, his family have said. Daniel Prude, who was suffering with his mental health, was pursued by police in Rochester, New York, who then restrained him with a so-called spit hood. Prudes death, which occurred on 30 March, came after seven days spent on life support. For the first time on Wednesday, his family held a news conference releasing police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. The videos show Prude, who had taken off his clothes, complying when police ask him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back. Prude, who is visibly agitated and shouting as he sits on the pavement in handcuffs for a few moments, shouts Give me your gun, I need it, to the officers. They are seen putting a white spit hood over his head to protect themselves from the detainees saliva, following coronavirus pandemic precautions. When Prude demands they remove the hood, the officers force the 41-year-olds head into the pavement, as another officer places a knee on Prudes back. Trying to kill me! Prude says, before he turns silent. The video shows the officers then removing the hood as medics perform CPR prior to Prude being loaded into an ambulance. A medical examiner concluded that Prudes death was a homicide caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. The report, released on Wednesday, also listed excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors. The police have shown us over and over again that they are not equipped to handle individuals with mental health concerns, said Free the People activist Ashley Gantt, who appeared at Wednesday's news conference alongside Prudes family. These officers are trained to kill, and not to deescalate. These officers are trained to ridicule, instead of supporting Mr Daniel Prude, he added. Story continues Prude, known to his Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. He was just a bright, loving person, just family-oriented, always there for us when we needed him, she said, and never hurt or harmed anybody. Prude had been traumatised by the deaths of his mother and a brother in recent years, having lost another brother before that, Ms Moore said. In his last months, hed been going back and forth between his Chicago home and his brothers address in Rochester because he wanted to be close with him, she said. I know he didnt deserve to be killed by the police, she added. The fatal encounter took place two months before the death of another unarmed black man, George Floyd, who was killed in Minneapolis police custody. His death, which prompted nationwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality, enraged Americans after footage showed officers pinning Floyd to the ground until he could not breathe. As with the officers in Floyds case, activists have now called for the those involved in Prudes death to face murder charges and suspension from duty. New York state attorney general Letitia James office, which began an investigation into the death in April, said on Wednesday that investigation is continuing. Additional reporting by Associated Press Read more How Trumps law and order message is falling flat in Kenosha Antifa hunter sentenced to prison for threatening black activist Police kill black man riding bike in another shooting caught on video Who was Jackie Ormes, the first black female newspaper cartoonist? 52 black franchise owners sue McDonalds for discrimination Trump says Black Lives Matter is a bad name, so discriminatory Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 3 : Back in the day, had a Communist Chief Minister done what Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did on Thursday, it would have been considered scandalous. State BJP leader Sandip Warrier had alleged that the signature of Chief Minister Vijayan was "forged" on a government file while he was on a trip to the US for medical reasons in 2018. Vijayan, when asked about it, took out his iPad in a flash and waved it at the media. "The signature on the file is my own and it pertained to a function to be held on Kerala Day. On September 6, 2018, I signed 39 files." Waving the iPad , he said "I get all the files on this. Just like you (media) have, I also have this when I go for trips and I use the digital signature and send the file back." "It was on August 24, 2013 that the Kerala government order came announcing that file processing will be under e-office procedures," added Vijayan. Earlier in the day, speaking to the media here Warrier said Vijayan had left for the US for his medical treatment on September 2, 2018. "He returned to the state after his treatment on September 23. On September 3, a file from the general administration department regarding a function for promotion of Malayalam, according to the records, arrived at Vijayan's office. On September 7, this file was signed by Vijayan," said Warrier. "How can this happen, when Vijayan is in the US. This clearly shows that someone else has put Vijayan's signature. The signature also is not an e-signature. So now we all want Vijayan to explain, who is putting his signature in his absence," said Warrier. Warrier also said though this was an insignificant file, "but the mystery remains on who has put his signature." (Natural News) New York City saw a spike in the incidences of violent crimes, such as murders and shootings, in August. The grim report comes from new crime statistics released on Sept. 2, Wednesday by the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The NYPDs data showed that the city saw 53 murders in August, a 47 percent increased from the 36 during the same months last year. Meanwhile, shootings went up by 166 percent, with 242 reported during the same time period. Addressing the numbers, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that the city had experienced a perfect storm of issues due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. We are dealing with a challenge wed never seen in the city, he said. However, de Blasio was quick to add that NYC authorities had begun to make progress curbing crime. He cited an increase in arrests for crimes related to guns alongside an uptick in the pace of criminal hearings, following a slowdown in trials due to court closures from the pandemic. Other crimes also up but rape and hate crimes have gone down In addition to violent, gun-related crimes, other forms of crime were also up in the Big Apple. (Related: Shooting incidents in New York City surge NYPD unable to solve them due to ineffective governance and anti-police sentiment.) The number of robberies increased by 4 percent to 1,276 in August compared to 1,226 from the same time last year. Meanwhile, burglaries during the same month were up 22 percent to 1,310 compared to 1,076 in 2019. Gun arrests were also up slightly, with the NYPD making a total of 359 arrests in August 2020 compared to 357 in August 2019. The NYPDs data did have some bright spots. In August 2020, rapes decreased by 22 percent, with only 126 compared to 167 from the same time last year. The NYPD, however, has conceded that rape continues to be underreported in the city. Hate crimes are also down by 37 percent, with only 182 reported through Aug. 28 compared to 288 for the same time in 2019. NYPD claims its making an effort, but local leaders have their doubts According to the NYPD, it is making efforts to address the surging violence in the city. These include shifting officers to areas experiencing upticks in shootings, collecting timely intelligence about crime and addressing them in real-time. In addition, the department is having officers engage with the community at the grassroots level so they can work together to focus and solve problems locally. Despite all the continuing challenges, our NYPD officers are undaunted, said New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea in a statement. The work of our officers represents the best of the policing profession and it continues as they increasingly engage with all of our community partners to protect life, prevent crime and build safer neighborhoods. Despite the assurances from the NYPDs top brass, however, some local leaders have begun to wonder if the NYPD is actively engaging in some sort of slowdown. Ive witnessed a lot of funerals happen this summer, to be honest, its really bad out there, said Chantal Tejeda to NBC New York. I havent seen much police action to be honest, and you would think with all the violence coming, but no. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has expressed similar statements. In particular, hes disturbed by what he believes is the NYPD deliberately slowing down their response to 911 calls as a reaction to recent criticism aimed at the police. When a police officer does a slowdown, hes not only endangering the public, hes endangering lives of his colleagues, Adams said. Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the citys highest-ranking uniformed officer, has disputed the slowdown allegations. According to Monahan, the rise in violence is instead due to other factors, such as having fewer officers patrolling the streets every week. In addition, he pointed to the rise in gun arrests in August as proof that no slowdown is taking place. Combination of factors led to rise in crime Both Monahan and de Blasio have attributed the rise in crime to not just one, but a combination of factors an assessment that other experts have agreed with. Were now in the confluence of so many factors and events going on simultaneously, that its difficult to sort out the relative influence of any of them, said Dr. Eli Silverman, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. One of the factors, at least according to de Blasio, was the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. During the height of the outbreak in the city last Spring, up to 20 percent of the citys police force was out sick with COVID-19. Compounding this is the increased number of retirements that the NYPD saw this year, retirements that are continuing to go up thanks to the general sentiment towards police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed. Should this trend continue, then even if the NYPD is able to make progress and increase the number of arrests its officers make, it may still be coming onto hard times in the months to come. Sources include: WSJ.com NBCNewYork.com Edition.CNN.com FOXBusiness.com Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The presidential council of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Thursday reinstated the minister of Interior, Fathi Bachagha, following an administrative investigation, after his temporary suspension from his duties, an official source said here Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Aishwarya Kumar and Vishal Manve (Agence France-Presse) New Delhi/Mumbai, India Thu, September 3, 2020 10:50 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426b1a8 2 World India-China-conflict,China-India,border-clash,border-conflict,Chinese,apps Free India on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps as the backlash intensified against Beijing over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the giant neighbors. The government said the apps -- including the popular video game PUBG and other services provided by Chinese internet giant Tencent -- promoted activities "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order". India and China, which fought a border war in 1962, have been embroiled in a series of deadly clashes and showdowns on their disputed Himalayan frontier in recent weeks. In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat in the Ladakh region. An Indian special forces member was killed in one of two incidents at the weekend. China has also suffered casualties in the high-altitude battle at more than 4,200 meters but has not given figures. India had already banned 59 Chinese apps -- including the video-sharing platform TikTok -- after the June battle. Another 47 were added in July. The PUBG mobile app has millions of young users in India. The company said it had been made aware of the government action but had no comment. PUBG was developed by a South Korean company, but the mobile version that has taken off around the world was developed by Tencent. Chinese selfies banned Other apps targeted by India include games, online payment services, dating sites and even software to edit selfies. The IT ministry accused the apps of stealing user data and moving it abroad. The "mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures", it said. India has increasingly used economic weapons against its neighbor in the dispute. On top of banning the apps, India has frozen Chinese companies out of contracts including for its 5G mobile phone infrastructure and blocked Chinese goods at ports and customs posts. India has warned that relations risk permanent damage unless China pulls its troops back to positions they held before May. Tensions at the border are now at some of the highest levels since the 1962 war. Both sides have sent tens of thousands of troops to the region with India dispatching more since the weekend, according to sources in Ladakh. Indian and Chinese military officers held a third day of emergency talks at the border Wednesday but no progress in easing tensions has been reported. India accused Chinese forces of seeking to take more territory at the weekend, but its troops, including special forces, seized a number of hills that dominate a strategic valley. China reacted with anger again Wednesday. "Since the start of this year, India has repeatedly violated bilateral agreements and important consensus" on the frontier, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing. "It has tried to unilaterally change the status quo by force, undermined the peace and stability of the border area, and caused tension in the border area. The responsibility is undoubtedly solely on the Indian side." BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the pandemic causing an interruption for non-COVID treatments, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals Delhi has taken the initiative for long-awaited Iraq patient to travel to Delhi for treatment. This facility is extended by the hospital on basis of continuous patient queries and follow ups. Manipal Hospitals exclusively arranged an air ambulance, so that the patient does not postpone their treatment due to this pandemic. The international flight will be flying in the second week of September 2020, from Baghdad to New Delhi. Sharing his thoughts about the same, Dr. Vedant Kabra, HOD and Consultant - Surgical Oncology, said, "With the pandemic causing a hiatus for serious non-COVID treatments, we have set up a COVID Response Team to review the evolving situation and to ensure the implementation of the government's directives and advisories." "Infection Control team has been really active for regular sanitisation activities. A detailed SoP for operational readiness including key surgeries for handling COVID and non-COVID patients is updated regularly which helped us function nonstop even during pandemic," said Dr Yugal Kishore Mishra, Chief of Clinical Services, Head of Cardiac Sciences and Chief Cardio Vascular Surgeon. "In this pandemic, our transplant doctors' team provides reassurance to our patients, and remain poised to reinvigorate the valuable transplant infrastructure while the COVID-19 crisis continues. At Manipal Hospitals, we have world-class modular operation theatres and surgical team seconded by well-equipped Intensive Care units to ensure better outcomes," said Dr Shailendra Lalwani, HOD and Consultant - Liver Transplantation and Hepato-Pancreatic Biliary Surgery. About Manipal Hospitals: Manipal Hospitals is among the largest hospital network in India serving over 2million patients annually. Its focus is to develop an affordable tertiary care multispecialty healthcare framework through its entire multispecialty delivery spectrum and further extend it to homecare. With its flagship quaternary care facility located in Bangalore, India, 8 tertiary care, 7 secondary care and 2 primary care clinics spread across India and abroad, Manipal Hospitals successfully operates and manages 5,200+ beds. It is first in India to be awarded accreditation by the AAHRPP for ethical standards in clinical research activities. It is also NABL, NABH and ISO certified. For more detail contact Manish Bakshi [email protected] +91-7014677837 SOURCE Manipal Hospitals By Kazeem Ugbodaga Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has recounted the night he will never forget in his life. According to him, that night was in Ibadan, on January 15, 1966 when the first military coup took place in Nigeria. He said that night, soldiers came to their house, the Old Governors Lodge in Ibadan, to arrest and abduct his father, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode, who is in Oyo State to tour and assess projects executed by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said I lived here years ago from the age of 4 to 6 when my father was Deputy Premier of the Old Western Region. As a matter of fact, I am staying in Govt. House, in the old Governors lodge on the hill overlooking the city, right next to where we used to live when he was Deputy Premier. This brings back so many memories and particularly that of the night of January 15th 1966 when the first coup took place and soldiers came to our house to arrest and abduct my father. What a night of horror that was! I shall never forget it. I have had a great time here over the last few days and some much needed rest. The tour of the state is going well and we will see more projects, sites and industries in Oyo State tomorrow. We will visit Ogbomosho, Oyo and other great ancient towns in this state before rounding up. I love being home in the South West and I really have missed my people. Nowhere like home. Qualcomm has announced plans to bring 5G to its budget Snapdragon 4-series mobile SoCs. The chip giant will unveil the first 5G-capable Snapdragon 4-series chipset in early 2021. This will bring the next-gen networking standard to the cheapest range of smartphones yet, pretty much making 5G mainstream. 5G services are currently available on more than 80 commercial networks across 35 countries around the world. Qualcomm says its new budget chipset will be truly global, enabling 5G access to more than 3.5 billion smartphone users globally. Details are still sparse, so its unclear what modem the new chipset will use or whether the modem will come integrated into the chipset or not. However, the chipsets are unlikely to offer support for mmWave 5G. Theyll probably only work with sub-6GHz 5G. Advertisement Reports say only about 30 percent of currently available 5G devices support mmWave 5G networks. Most of the wireless carriers around the world are also deploying their 5G networks on low-band or mid-band spectrum because of poor coverage of the high-frequency mmWave spectrum. Qualcomm recently announced that it extended its 5G mmWave range to over 2 miles. The company expects devices based on the 5G-enabled Snapdragon 4-series chipsets to arrive in the first quarter of 2021. Motorola, Oppo, and Xiaomi will likely be among the first smartphone makers to use the chipset. Today, it is exciting to see Qualcomm Technologies expand 5G to the Snapdragon 4-series, accelerating 5G global commercialization. Xiaomi will become one of the worlds first OEMs to introduce a 5G smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 4-series 5G mobile platform, said Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi. Advertisement Were excited to continue our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies in 2021, working on a unified mission of offering 5G for everyone, Motorola president Sergio Buniac added. Qualcomm brings 5G to Snapdragon 4-series Qualcomm has been gradually expanding its 5G portfolio since last year. Starting with the flagship Snapdragon 8-series, the company has extended 5G support to cheaper solutions in its Snapdragon 7-series and 6-series as well. Smartphones that use the flagship Snapdragon 8-series chipsets typically cost upwards of $700. On the other hand, Snapdragon 7-series chips bring the cost of 5G phones down to around $500. The companys current most affordable 5G chipset, the Snapdragon 690, is yet to appear in devices. Advertisement It is said to power the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G, which will reportedly retail for 369 euros (around $435). More affordable Snapdragon 690-powered phones are likely to cost lesser than $400. But with the arrival of 5G-capable Snapdragon 4-series chipsets next year, 5G phones may be available at under $200 as well. This would give 5G networks a much broader audience. Qualcomm predicts that the 5G smartphone shipment volume will surpass 1 billion by 2023. Lets get this story tamped down before President Donald Trumps advance team schedules him for a visit to schmooze and commiserate with the Glassboro Police Department. Heres what we know: A man charged in connection with the shooting deaths of a borough pair last month made a big public splash when he was a Rowan University student two years ago with claims that he was stopped and held inappropriately on campus by borough officers. Now, Altaifjoe H. Hassan, 23, of Glassboro, faces conspiracy to commit murder charges in the killings of Manuel DelaRosa Jr., 26, and Shantal Farrow, 36, in what authorities believe was a home invasion robbery on Aug. 19. Hassan, also known as Altaif, is the same student (though he is no longer enrolled at Rowan) who gave harrowing details about being stopped by police in a campus parking lot in October 2018. Video captured by bystanders shows multiple officers pointing guns at him and a passenger in his Dodge Charger, based on a tip that a heavy set black male with puffy hair had just pointed a gun at a vehicle at Collegetown Shopping Center. Police said the alleged assailants vehicle was similar to Hassans. I never was so sure I was gonna die, Hassan told NJ Advance Media in an interview a day later. Hed been handcuffed and held for about 35 minutes before being released, he said. He and his passenger were not charged with any crime, and no gun was found. Hassan maintained that hed been at the shopping center to pick up eyeglasses, and that the tipster may have mistaken his glass case for a gun. Maybe its the way I look. Maybe its my race. Ive never seen them do that to white people, Hassan said then, asserting that hed been stopped numerous times by borough and campus police since he began attending Rowan. The fallout included emergency campus meetings about policing and race. In March, Hassan and his 2018 passenger, Giavanna Roberson, filed federal civil rights lawsuits against the Glassboro police. Obviously, thats the same Glassboro police who were involved in apprehending Hassan and three co-defendants in last months murders. Hassan is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. Devon J. Conover and Abdelgadi H. Hassan, both 19 and from Trenton, and Daniel P. Hall, 23, of Teaneck, are each charged with two counts of murder, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder and robbery, along with weapons offenses. So, are Glassboro officers in the clear for stopping Altaifjoe and Roberson in 2018, after all? Thats something we DONT know. Its possible the pair were wrongly stopped on the campus, but also that Altaifjoe Hassan is a dangerous criminal, based on the new charges. It would not be a stretch for police-right-or-wrong and pro-Trump social media (which seem to have a connection to each other) to turn the recent arrests into proof that systemic racism in law enforcement is nonexistent. Fair justice demands separation, legally, between the traffic stop and the murders. Its terrible that DelaRosa and Farrow would be shot to death on Warrick Avenue in a quiet Glassboro neighborhood, a crime that shows utter disregard for human life. The suspects are also charged with another Glassboro home invasion robbery on Franklin Road. The civil courts will determine whether or not the 2018 traffic stop was a bad one worthy of any compensation for the plaintiffs. But the criminal courts will determine whether or not Altaifjoe Hassan is guilty of multiple violent crimes, and thus unworthy of support from those who, two years ago, saw a good guy victimized by law enforcement. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The human ability to digest the milk sugar lactose after infancy spread throughout Central Europe in only a few thousand years. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team led by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The researchers analyzed genetic material from the bones of individuals who had fallen in a conflict around 1200 B.C. on the banks of the Tollense, a river in the present-day German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and report their findings in Current Biology this week. The researchers found that only around one in eight of the assumed warriors had a gene variant that enabled them to break down the lactose in milk. "Of the present-day population living in this same area, around 90 percent have this lactase persistence," explained population geneticist Professor Joachim Burger of JGU, the lead author of the study. "This is a huge difference when you consider that there cannot be many more than 120 human generations between then and today." Aside from lactase persistence and a few other genetic variants, the genomes of the Tollense people are similar to that of today's inhabitants of northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region. "The only way to explain this difference between these Bronze Age people and those of today is very strong natural selection," emphasized biologist Professor Daniel Wegmann of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, who also played a leading role in the study. "We conclude that over the past 3,000 years, lactase-persistent individuals had more children or, alternatively, those children had better chances of survival than those without this trait." The researchers calculate a remarkable selective advantage: "In each generation lactase-persistent individuals have a six percent greater chance of surviving to reproductive age than non-lactase-persistent individuals," added Professor Joachim Burger. Back in 2007, Burger and his team established that almost none of the first sedentary farmers in Europe were lactase-persistent. "It is astonishing that at the time of the battle at the Tollense, more than 4,000 years after the introduction of agriculture in Europe, lactase persistence in adults was still so rare," said Burger. However, there is as yet no definitive answer to the question: Why did being able to digest the sugar in milk after infancy provide such a big evolutionary advantage? "With milk being a high-energy, relatively uncontamined drink, its ingestion may have provided greater chances of survival during food shortages or when supplies of drinking water were contaminated. Particularly during early childhood, in the years shortly after weaning, this factor often may have been decisive amongst prehistoric populations," Burger concluded. The study, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), also involved analyzing the genetic material in Bronze Age bones found in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe for comparison. The scientists found that these also showed low frequencies of lactase persistence. Even in bones from individuals from the Eastern European steppes, where previous studies had suspected adult lactase persistence may have originated, the trait was completely absent. The conflict in the Tollense valley is considered the oldest known battle in Europe. Remains were first discovered there in the 1990s. For over ten years now, archaeologists have been systematically searching a kilometer-long section along the river. So far, the bones of more than 100 individuals have been discovered, many of them exhibiting signs of violent combat. Many still contain arrowheads, while some skulls look to have been crushed by blunt objects. Several thousand men are estimated to have been involved in the conflict, some of whom may have been on horseback. ### WASHINGTON - Police officers in Washington, D.C., fatally shot a young Black man Wednesday who the department said had brandished a firearm, prompting protests amid increased nationwide and local scrutiny over police tactics. The killing prompted a late-night face-off between police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station. Police identified the victim as 18-year-old Deon Kay of southeast D.C. A subsequent statement from the Metropolitan Police Department said Kay was one of two people who fled Wednesday afternoon when approached by uniformed officers who were investigating reports of a man with a gun in the area. During the foot pursuit, one of the suspects brandished a firearm. In response, an officer discharged their firearm one time, striking the suspect, the MPD statement said. The other man who fled escaped from police, and Kay was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The police statement included pictures of the handgun they say Kay had been carrying, as well of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPDs 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, DC police murdered a Black man today. Later Wednesday night, videos posted on social media showed dozens of enraged protesters jostling with a line of police officers, who used bicycles to help form a barrier in front of the station. The shooting comes as police killings of Black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform, prompting local efforts by the D.C. Council to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, following the the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. The Australian sharemarket made it back to back sessions of gains as investors rode a strong Wall Street session above 6100 for the first time this week. The benchmark ASX 200 added 49.4 points, or 0.8 per cent, to close at 6112.6 on Thursday, building on a bumper session the day before and finally moving into positive territory for the week. The ASX finished Thursday beyond the 6100 mark again. Credit:Getty Investors pushed the market up by as much as 1.1 per cent at lunch after taking a lead from a juggernaut US market. On local shores, a worse-than-expected $3.5 billion dip in the July trade balance was largely ignored. ANZ economists Hayden Dimes and Catherine Birch said a 17.7 per cent fall in exports to China did not mark the start of a trend lower. We think demand from China for resources, particularly iron ore, will hold up over the coming months based on production data and the price of iron ore, they said. CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman said there were also some good signs in the trade numbers. The near 7 per cent lift in imports in July was encouraging as the economy re-opens and domestic demand recovers. The big lenders and blood giant CSL outperformed on Thursday, while the likes of Transurban, Wesfarmers, Woolworths, ResMed also had a strong session. ANZ led the way for the banks, up 1.8 per cent to $18.37. Westpac leapt 1.6 per cent to $17.60 and NAB rose 1.5 per cent to $17.89. Commonwealth Bank finished 0.8 per cent higher at $68.18. Cabinet approves new architecture for civil services capacity building The union cabinet has approved a scheme called `Mission Karmayogi, aimed at comprehensive reform and capacity building at individual, institutional and process levels for efficient public service delivery. A cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved the launch of a National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), which will be monitored by an HR Council led by the prime minister. Towards this a Capacity Building Commission will be set up, which will harmonise training standards, create shared faculty and resources, and oversee the functioning of all central training institutions, Prakash Javadekar, minister of environment, forest and climate change, informed after a cabinet meeting today.. The Public Human Resources Council comprising select union ministers, chief ministers, eminent public HR practitioners, thinkers, global thought leaders and public service functionaries, being set up under the chairmanship of the prime minister, will serve as the apex body for providing strategic direction to the task of civil services reform and capacity building. Besides a wholly owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be set up to own and operate online learning platform and facilitate world-class learning content market-place. The institutional framework of NPCSCB comprises: Prime Minister's Public Human Resources (HR) Council, Capacity Building Commission, Special Purpose Vehicle for owning and operating digital assets and technological platform for online training, and Coordination unit headed by the cabinet secretary. NPCSCB has been designed to lay the foundations for capacity building for civil servants so that they remain entrenched in Indian culture and sensibilities and remain connected with their roots, while they learn from the best institutions and practices across the world. The programme will be delivered by setting up an Integrated Government Online Training iGOT Karmayogi Platform. The programme will support the transition from 'Rules based' to 'Roles based HR management, aligning work allocation of civil servants by matching their competencies to the requirements of the post. Emphasis will be laid on 'on-site learning' to complement the off-site learning, and to create an ecosystem of shared training infrastructure, including that of learning materials, institutions and personnel. All civil Service positions will be calibrated to a `Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRACs) approach while creating and delivering learning content relevant to the identified FRACs in every government entity, It will make available civil servants an opportunity to continuously build and strengthen their behavioral, functional and domain competencies in their self-driven and mandated learning paths. All central ministries and departments and their organisations will be able to directly invest their resources towards co-creation and sharing of the collaborative and common ecosystem of learning through an annual financial subscription for every employee. It will encourage and partner with the best-in-class learning content creators including public training institutions, universities, start-tips and individual experts. The objective is to ensure a uniform approach in managing and regulating the capacity building ecosystem on collaborative and co-sharing basis. The commission will assist the PM Public Human Resources Council in approving the annual capacity building plans; exercise functional supervision over all central training institutions dealing with civil services capacity building; create shared learning resources, including internal and external faculty and resource centers; coordinate and supervise the implementation of the capacity building plans with the stakeholder departments; make recommendations on standardisation of training and capacity building, pedagogy and methodology; set norms for common mid-career training programmes across all civil services; suggest policy interventions required in the areas of HR management and capacity building to the government. iGOT-Karmayogi platform will bring the scale and state-of-the-art infrastructure to augment the capacities of over 20 million officials in India. The platform is expected to evolve into a vibrant and world-class marketplace for content where carefully curated and vetted digital e-learning material will be made available. Besides capacity building, service matters like confirmation after probation period, deployment, work assignment and notification of vacancies etc would eventually be integrated with the proposed competency framework. `Mission Karmayogi aims to prepare Indian civil servant for the future by making him/her more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic and technology-enabled.. Empowered with specific role-competencies, the civil servant will be able to ensure efficient service delivery of the highest quality standards. To cover around 4.6 million central employees, a sum of Rs510.86 crore will be spent over a period of 5 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25. The expenditure is partly funded by multilateral assistance to the tune of $50 million. A wholly owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) for NPCSCB will be set up under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. The SPV will be a `not-for-profit company and will own and manage iGOT-Karmayogi platform. The SPV will create and operationalise the content, market place and manage key business services of iGOT-Karmayogi platform, relating to content validation, independent proctored assessments and telemetry data availability. The SPV will own all intellectual property rights on behalf of the Government of India. An appropriate monitoring and evaluation framework will also be put in place for performance evaluation of all users of the iGOT-Karmayogi platform so as to generate a dashboard view of Key performance indicators. Government proposes to achieve a transformational change in civil service capacity by organically linking the transformation of work culture, strengthening public institutions and adopting modern technology to build civil service capacity with the overall aim of ensuring efficient delivery of services to citizens. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally Thursday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa. Read more LATROBE, Pa. President Donald Trump rallied supporters Thursday night in Southwestern Pennsylvania, pledging to keep your jobs in America and bring rioters, looters, violent extremists, and anarchists to justice. Joe Biden wants to surrender your jobs to China. You know that, Trump told cheering supporters inside an airport hangar. He wants to surrender your nation to the radical left-wing mob. Speaking for about 90 minutes, Trump took on a litany of familiar foes: the fake news media, the fake polls, the fake everything, the plague from China, Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi, and mail ballots. He again encouraged those who vote by mail to also go to the polls on Election Day to make sure their ballot was counted. Pennsylvania voters can track the status of their mail ballots online, and voting twice is illegal. He celebrated an endorsement from the local Boilermakers union and, as he often does, reminisced about his 2016 election victory: Was that the greatest evening ever? Trump also suggested, inaccurately, that Pennsylvanias economy remains shut down under Gov. Tom Wolfs emergency coronavirus declaration. Wolf has largely lifted restrictions, though some remain on things like indoor dining at restaurants and bars, and on larger gatherings. Earlier in the day in Harrisburg, Deborah Birx, Trumps coronavirus task force coordinator, said Pennsylvania has done a remarkable job combating the pandemic. Trump spoke 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, in Westmoreland County. Trump carried Westmoreland, an overwhelmingly white area of farms and small cities, in 2016 by a 2-1 ratio over Hillary Clinton en route to his narrow surprise victory in Pennsylvania. His latest Pennsylvania rally came days after Biden, the Democratic nominee, campaigned in Pittsburgh and condemned the destruction and violence that erupted after the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin. Biden is leading Trump in key battleground states including Pennsylvania, according to new polls released this week. A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed Biden up eight percentage points over Trump in Pennsylvania among likely voters. A Monmouth University survey published earlier this week found Biden with a narrower advantage. Earlier Thursday, Biden traveled to Milwaukee to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer late last month in Kenosha, Wis., leaving him paralyzed. The Aug. 23 shooting led to peaceful protests against police brutality and systemic racism, but the demonstrations were overtaken by looting and riots. The unrest culminated in the fatal shooting of two protesters, allegedly by a teenage Trump supporter from Illinois. Authorities charged 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse with homicide. His lawyer has said he acted in self-defense. Trump has seized on the renewed civil unrest, trying to make it a defining campaign issue against Biden and divert focus from the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying economic crisis. READ MORE: Trump makes a clear bet: Violence in Americas cities will help him beat Biden in states like Pennsylvania The president, in his own trip to Kenosha on Tuesday, surveyed the wreckage of property destroyed in the looting and blamed domestic terror for the violence. He did not mention Blakes name, but said he tried to call his mother. Trump also did not acknowledge issues like police brutality that led to the unrest, and accused Democrats of failing to restore order to Kenosha and other cities like Portland, Ore. Trump, who has described himself as the candidate of law and order, quickly returned to that message Thursday in Latrobe. Bidens plan is to appease the domestic terrorists, and my plan is to arrest them and prosecute them, Trump said. Trump declared he could end months of unrest in Portland in half an hour if local Democratic officials there would accept federal assistance, and blasted the district attorney there. He also took a swipe at Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner: You have somebody in Philadelphia whos worse, huh? Hundreds packed into a hangar Thursday night at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, with a large overfill crowd watching outside on a screen. The line of cars on the street leading to the small airport was at least three miles long. Open-air hangars have become a go-to rally set-up for the presidents campaign during the pandemic. Trump told the crowd in Latrobe he prefers hangars because he can get off the plane, give the speech, and get the hell outta here. Some people parked in nearby shopping centers and walked the rest of the way, forming an impromptu parade of supporters. This area isnt going red, it is all red, said Michele Lippert of Homestead, about 40 miles west. What Ive noticed on Facebook is people are ashamed to be Democrats. My husband is a registered Democrat and hes just so embarrassed by the party right now. Most people who were wearing face masks removed them and sat in folding chairs positioned with little room next to each other. Trump urged supporters to follow social distancing guidelines over Labor Day weekend, but also said of Biden: Did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him? It wasnt the first time Trump has mocked Biden for following public health guidelines, and Bidens campaign quickly responded on Twitter with a picture of the Democratic nominee in a mask, saying: The President has a duty to set an example. Bill Wittmer, 59, a programmer for a coal mine, said Trump supports his industry, whereas Democrats interest in a so-called Green New Deal threatens it. None of that nonsense makes any sense to folks up here, he said. Dawn Hoyman, 53, of nearby Derry, waited to buy dinner from a food truck outside and explained why he believes Western Pennsylvania loves Trump: Hes pro-life, hes pro-God, and I am so freaking excited to be here. I wish I could vote for him every four years, she added. Congress dont have term limits, why should the guy at the top? He should be president for life. Norma Day of Greensburg was moved to tears as the sun set behind Trump and Air Force One. Im just so excited. I love President Trump, she said. Hes changing the world. Its going to be biblical. The Trump campaign and his allies have also tried to appeal to voters in Western Pennsylvania by falsely accusing Biden of wanting to ban fracking, the controversial drilling technique a line of attack Trump repeated on Thursday. Biden has said he wants to block the federal government from issuing new permits to drill for natural gas on public land, but that he would allow existing fracking operations to continue. READ MORE: A Pennsylvania county voted for Obama twice. But its Trump Country now. In addition to condemning violence during his speech in Pittsburgh on Monday, Biden blasted Trump for refusing to condemn Rittenhouse and Trump supporters who drove into Portland over the weekend and fired paintballs at counter-protesters. A right-wing protester was fatally shot during the conflict. This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it, Biden said Monday. Both campaigns have showered attention this week on Pennsylvania. After the presidents visit, his daughter Ivanka is stumping in Chester County on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence spoke in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, declaring that even though Scranton is Bidens childhood hometown, the region is Trump country now. Barbie released its second Dia de Muertos doll that you're going to want to add to your collection. Designed by Mexican American designer Javier Meabe, this collectible doll will also celebrate the time-honored tradition of Dia de los Muertos, which many Latino families acknowledge every year as they set up ofrendas (offerings) in honor of their loved ones who have passed. NAVIDAD EN EL BARRIO KEEPING CHRISTMAS SPIRIT ALIVE: Navidad en el Barrio needs 'angels' to keep the Christmas spirit alive for kids across Houston It was very important that the second Dia De Muertos doll felt just as special as the first in the Barbie series," said Meabe in a statement via Mattel. "As a Mexican American designer, it was important to me to use my creative voice to design a doll that celebrates the bright colors and vivid textures of my culture, as well, as have the traditions I grew up with represented and celebrated in Barbie." The toy maker released the first doll in its signature Dia de Muertos collection in 2019. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated every year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, as many Latino households put together beautiful altars dedicated to their dearly departed loved ones with items that belonged to them, along with their favorite foods. "For this doll, I was inspired by the color gold seen throughout Mexican culture, jewelry, buildings, statues, and artwork, and highlighted it throughout the design," said Meabe. Staying true to tradition, Meabe made sure to include important symbols associated with the holiday like marigold flowers, skeleton details, along with the traditional Calavera make-up design. The doll will also come with a stand and a Certificate of Authenticity. The price is $75 and can be purchased at the website here. Jersey City school children wont be going back to their classrooms until mid-November at the earliest, and some students will be starting the school year without the technology to connect to their classes, Superintendent Franklin Walker told The Jersey Journal. Walker said Thursday the district will not have Chromebook laptops in the hands of each of its 30,000 students hands before the start of school on Sept. 10 because a shipment of 5,000 laptops is only expected to arrive in October. Citing a nationwide backlog in orders, Walker said the indication is that they shouldve been in by now, but now we have the estimated time being in October. At the same time, Walker said the school district will conduct all-remote learning for the first marking period, which ends in November. He said committees went into the summer months with an idea of what needed to accomplished in COVID19-proofing classrooms and keeping students and staff safe, but the district is still not prepared. Our position was that it is better we operate that way for the entire marking period because it works better for the students the teachers . the curriculum the learning and also in terms of the planning, Walker said. We want to give parents the opportunity and time to plan, so they know that from September at least until November the whole first marking period we will be operating 100 percent remotely. This decision is the second step back from the districts previous plans to reopen the states second-largest school district after all schools were closed in March to stem the pandemic. The initial plan was to open with 33 percent of students returning in-person, then last month the district announced students would return to schools by the start of October. The states Road Back plan says calls the school year to start with at least some level of in-school learning absent a shift in the public health data. Walker said Thursday that hes comfortable waiting until November because of the current uptick in the statewide coronavirus transmission rate. One Jersey City parent told The Jersey Journal her four children will have to share one Chromebook because School 11 ran out of Chromebooks. At this point, I am going to have one of them log in on Monday, of them log in on Tuesday, one of them log in on Wednesday and no one long in on Thursday and we start the rotation again on Friday that way they have equal absences,Megan Verheyen said. What other plan can I have? Walker said he would investigate the situation and principals will work with parents on a case by case basis to ensure their students can keep up with classes. The district is working on getting devices by other means, including donations. Everyone who has a need will receive a device, Walker said. There will be a few cases like that, but once we get all the computers in October that will help support where the needs are. Jersey City Together, a local school advocacy group, will host a town hall conversation with Walker via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss the coming school year. It will be aired on NJ Togethers Facebook Live page. Japanese shareholders want to sell shares in Viet Nhat Medical Equipment from August 27 to September 25.(Photo courtesy of the firm) Hanoi - Japanese DI Asia Industrial Fund (DIAIF) announced it would sell all shares in Viet Nhat Medical Equipment from August 27 to September 25. The 21.8 million shares, or 19.35 percent, with the sticker JVC, were registered to the funds chairman Kyohei Hosono. At the same time, Dream Incubator Inc or DI Inc, that is also related to Hosono, registered to sell nearly 6.6 million JVC shares, or a 5.85 percent stake in the firm. DIAIF is an investment fund established by two Japanese companies, Dream Incubator and Orix Corporation. The total volume of JVC shares to be sold was 28.35 million shares or 25.2 percent of the stake in the medical firm. At the price of 4,600 VND per share, the Japanese shareholders could earn more than 113 billion VND (4.8 million USD) from the sale. JVC was listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange in 2011 and used to be one of the best selling stocks for many investment funds. In 2015, each share peaked at more than 25,000 VND. However, founder and CEO Le Van Huong was arrested on charges of fraud and lying to customers. The stock started to plunge. A series of major shareholders withdrew their capital from the company, including Dragon Capital, Vietnam Equity Holding, and Vietnam Medical Equipment Corporation. If youre like me, you probably thought funny man Norm Foster, Canadas most successful and prolific playwright, would be the very guy writing a comedy about COVID-19. Not so. No, I have no intention of writing one. Im sure many other playwrights will attempt it, but the subject doesnt interest me. In fact, the subject depresses me. Im going to move on to subjects that make me feel good. Make me laugh. Ive never written about anything I didnt enjoy writing and has always been a joyful, rewarding experience for me. Ive never been one of those writers who needs the wringing of hands and the gnashing of teeth to be satisfied. Give me a smart setup and a good payoff any time. Foster was in Costa Rica on vacation when the pandemic struck. His experiences on the flight home were like the pains of Job. We flew out of the country on the last day that they were allowing vacationers to leave. On the flight home I suffered a ruptured abdominal aneurysm and had to endure that for five and a half hours. I thought it was food poisoning. I was rushed to hospital after the flight and doctors operated immediately. The doctor said I was lucky to be alive. Four weeks into his recovery Foster suffered a gall bladder attack and had to have another operation to remove that. This was all on top of having open heart surgery in September 2019. Not a great year overall. One that I want to forget. In fact Foster says, For the longest while during COVID-19 I wasnt able to write anything. I didnt feel in the mood. And I always feel in the mood to write. But it did something to the creative juices. It pretty much killed them for me. I started writing again in the past three weeks, but it took me a long while to get interested again. Foster has lost more than 50 productions of his plays as well as the annual St. Catharines-based celebration known as The Foster Festival. This includes a production of Wrong for Each Other in London, England, a tour of Jonas and Barry in the Home in Southern Ontario, Halfway There in Port Dover and Come Down from Up River at Theatre Aquarius here in Hamilton. Financially, Ive taken a big hit. I have zero income right now because all the theatres have closed. Im hoping I can make it into the summer of 2021 when, with any luck, theatre will try to open up again. But Im not counting my chickens just yet. We, all of us in the theatre business, are suffering so I dont like to complain too much. Were all gong through the same thing and trying to keep our chins up. Foster believes Canadians can still laugh. Definitely. I dont think it has affected our Canadian sense of humour. Personally though, Ill admit that Im laughing less these days. Ive become even more curmudgeonly than I already was. And thats going some. Foster admits he misses things. I miss simple things like meeting friends in a bar for a beer. I dont go to bars, or to restaurants now. I dont feel comfortable around groups of people. At my age, Im the low-hanging fruit for this virus. Im not taking any chances. If I had to be isolated with someone for two weeks Id choose my wife ... or Paul McCartney. Sorry, dear. These days Norm Foster lives in Fredericton, N.B. I moved there in 1979 and fell in love with it. I moved around since then but finally came back for good seven years ago. Its a medium sized town with friendly people. I really feel at home here. Foster doesnt know what play hed like to write just now. I havent thought ahead, but I guess that would be any play that would get me on Broadway. Come on! Its about time. Right now, Im working on a play that takes place during the first days of the War of 1812. Im really enjoying writing this play. Its fun and its clever. And yes, its a comedy based on fact. Of the plays hes written, Foster thinks Jonas and Barry in the Home would speak most to the COVID-19 experience. It takes place in a seniors home and we all know that is one of the worst places to be during the pandemic. These two guys discuss death and death, in fact, plays a big part in the play, even though its a comedy. A favourite of the plays hes written is Hildas Yard. Although people think you are not supposed to have a favourite play, theyre supposed to be like your children, no favourites, Hildas Yard is mine. I like the setting of the Fifties because thats when I was a child. I like all the characters because they are good people who are each going through a tough time. And it has a couple of the funniest lines Ive ever written. Smart and funny, I call them. Another favourite is The Melville Boys, strictly for sentimental reasons. That was my first hit and the one that got my foot in the door in a lot of theatres across the country. Having written 63 plays, seven of which were musicals, Foster isnt written-out yet. I still dont think Ive written the musical that Im completely satisfied with yet, although Beside Myself which was at the Foster Festival last summer came close. Steve Thomas music in that show was terrific. Fosters audiences are fiercely loyal. He thinks he knows why. I think because they know what theyre going to see when they come to my plays. They are not going to be deeply offended and they know they are going to laugh and also be touched in the heart somehow. And theyre also going to think, when Im writing, I think about my audience. I know they expect a certain kind of play and I try to deliver it. But, at the same time I try to explore different topics for myself. I cant be writing The Affections of May every time out. Foster is honest about what he thinks of the virtual plays proliferating now. Im not crazy about them. I dont think the technology is watchable just yet. And even when it does become watchable, Im not sure Ill enjoy it. This is why we have theatres. Thats where plays were meant to be seen. I even have trouble with online streaming of plays and live broadcasts. Maybe Im too old school. When theatre comes back I think it will be a cautious time. It will be like wading into cold water. We will do it slowly until we get used to it. We all want things to be the way they were, but we cant rush it. I just hope that not everyone is going to want to put on a Covid play. Personally, thats the last thing Ill want to see. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (GWM) saw its Taizhou manufacturing base's first PT (prototype) vehicle roll off the production line on September 1, indicating that the Taizhou plant has fully advanced into the production trial stage, according to a posting on GWM's WeChat account. The PT vehicle coming off the assembly line is ORA Haomao (known as Haomao in Chinese), the fourth model of GWM BEV-focused brand ORA. The all-electric model made its debut at the Chengdu Motor Show kicking off in late July, and is anticipated to hit the market in October. The Haomao measures 4,235mm long, 1,825mm wide and 1,596mm tall with a wheelbase spanning 2,650mm. Powering the vehicle is an electric motor offered by UAES, paired with a ternary-lithium battery pack made by SVOLT Energy Technology Co., Ltd. GWM began the construction of its Taizhou base in November 2019. The birth of the first PT vehicle signifies that the plant is moving into a sprint phase to the volume production. As GWM's eighth domestic manufacturing base, the Taizhou base involves an investment of 8 billion yuan ($1,169,881,360) and covers an area of 1173 mu (782,000 square meters). Upon completion of the construction, it will primarily produce the Haval-branded vehicles boasting core product competitiveness and GWM's NEVs, said the automaker. The volume production is expected to kick off next month. GWM said the Taizhou plant will play an important role in GWM strategic deployment designed to make a bridge between the south and the north of China. GWM has been perfecting its global production deployment in recent years. In the second half of 2019, the automaker's Tula factory in Russia and Yongchuan plant in Chongqing were successively put into production, and the company also started building the complete vehicle production bases in Pinghu and Taizhou. At the beginning of this year, GWM acquired General Motors' plants in Rayong of Tailand and Talegaon of India (photo source: GWM's WeChat account). NEWS FLASH Egypt Air will begin codesharing on Air Cairos flights between Hurghada and Belgrade starting this winter season, from late October. The move is considered the first step in cooperation between the two airlines, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding previously inked on May 7. Air Cairo will also place its designator code and flight numbers onto Egypt Airs services from Hurghada to Alexandria, Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh, enabling passengers from Belgrade to book flights to these destinations on a single ticket. This step comes as part of Egypt Airs plan to achieve integration between the flight schedules of both airlines and offering more flying options for Air Cairo customers to the top leisure destinations in Egypt and to other destinations in Egypt Airs global network, while Egypt Air customers will have the chance to fly to a number of destinations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East through domestic airports in Egypt, Egypt Air CEO, Amr Abu Elenin, said. Egypt Air already codeshares on Aegean Airlines service between Athens and Belgrade. The Greek carrier plans to resume operations to the Serbian capital on October 26, after temporarily suspending flights in mid-July due to entry restrictions. Bexar County saw new cases of COVID-19 inch upward on Wednesday, although hospitalizations continued to fall. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 250 new cases, an increase of 28 from Tuesday and a jump of more than 200 since the city recorded only 40 cases on Monday. But cases have generally been on a downward trend since the mid-summer surge that often saw more than 1,000 cases a day, a spike that eventually resulted in a high number of deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new cases reported on Wednesday was 184, showing a slight increase. This shows that the virus is still in our community and we need to work to contain it, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. San Antonio has a COVID-19 death rate of about 50 per 100,000 people, the highest rate among major urban areas in Texas. Metro Health reported 13 deaths Wednesday, with some dating as far back as July 14. The health department verified six of those deaths from the states database of death certificates. They included a white man in his 60s; a white woman in her 60s; a Hispanic woman in her 60s with underlying conditions; two Hispanic men, both in their 50s, at least one with underlying conditions; six women, one in her 80s, two in their 70s and three in their 60s, one of whom had underlying conditions; and two men, one in his 50s and the other in his 80s, both with underlying conditions. There were 356 patients hospitalized Wednesday, 10 fewer than the day before. Less than half of these patients, 164, were in intensive care, and 93 were on ventilators. Hospitalizations, the number of patients in ICUs and on ventilators have fallen significantly over the last month, providing hope that the pandemic, at least for now, has loosened its grip on San Antonio. Overall, we continue to see a step in the right direction, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said. We have to keep up with what were doing. Adherence to the mandate to wear masks in public, and to socially distance, has helped lower the number of cases, he said. He also noted that theres been an effort to improve air circulation in buildings to lower the risk of exposure to the virus. Dr. Sandra Guerra, assistant medical director at Metro Health, addressed reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent documents to health officials in San Antonio and across the country detailing scenarios in which COVID-19 vaccines could be distributed as early as late October or early November. Yes, CDC has communicated with municipalities letting them know what the priority order would be of persons who need to be considered at the top of the list given the potential small batches that may come out and be made available, Guerra said. And so that is something that San Antonio Metro Health has evaluated and has looked at and is ready to move forward as anything may present itself. Guerra added, When it may present itself is still in question for a lot of folks. There is definitely a lot of hope around getting it sooner than later, but I think at the end of the day, as a clinician, as a public health professional, we not only want a vaccine available, we want it to be safe, we want it to be effective, because we recognize we have the trust of the population in our hands when we start administering a vaccine. ANKARA, Turkey - NATOs chief said Thursday that alliance members Greece and Turkey have agreed to start technical talks to reduce the risks of military incidents and accidents in the eastern Mediterranean, where the two are locked in a tense standoff over offshore energy rights. But Athens quickly denied any such agreement, saying neighbouring Turkey must first withdraw its ships from the area where it is carrying out gas and oil prospecting. Ankara, on the other hand, said it backs NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergs initiative for military and technical talks and called on Greece to do the same. Relations between the historic regional rivals have hit their worst point in 46 years when their militaries briefly fought in Cyprus after Ankara sent a research vessel, escorted by warships, in July into waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus. Turkey says it has every right to prospect there. Greece placed its armed forces on alert and sent its own warships to the area, between the islands of Crete and Cyprus and Turkeys southern coast, while simulated dogfights between Greek and Turkish fighter pilots have multiplied over the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Stoltenberg announced the possible diplomatic opening on NATOs website Thursday, the same day Turkey announced that Russia plans live-fire naval exercises this month in the eastern Mediterranean. Following my discussions with Greek and Turkish leaders, the two Allies have agreed to enter into technical talks at NATO to establish mechanisms for military de-confliction, to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean, Stoltenberg said. He added that Greece and Turkey are valued Allies, and NATO is an important platform for consultations on all issues that affect our shared security. A Greek official told The Associated Press that talk of alleged technical talks at NATO does not correspond with reality. De-escalation would only be achieved with the immediate withdrawal of all Turkish ships from the Greek continental shelf, he said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to comment on the record. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said Turkey was ready for a dialogue to resolve disputes. We would like to take this opportunity to remind that our country is ready for a dialogue with Greece, without preconditions, in order to find permanent solutions that are just and fair to all issues between us within the framework of international law, the statement read. Germany has already launched a diplomatic effort for Ankara and Athens to engage in talks. Both insist they want to talk, but each on its own terms. It is rare for members of NATO to require de-confliction mechanisms to avoid collisions or exchanges of fire. While often at loggerheads, the alliance has often urged Russia to continue to use military dialogue to avoid incidents and accidents, mostly between war planes or ships. Still, its not the first time that Turkey has appeared close to a confrontation with one of its allies. On June 10, the French frigate Courbet was illuminated by the targeting radar of a Turkish warship that was escorting a Tanzanian-flagged cargo vessel. The French navy, acting on NATO intelligence, suspected the cargo ship was violating the arms embargo on Libya. Turkish officials said a NATO probe into the incident was inconclusive. NATO has not made its findings public. Earlier, Turkey announced the Russian naval exercises in a navigational notice that said they would take place Sept. 8-22 and Sept. 17-25 in areas where the Turkish energy exploration is being carried out. Greek and Turkish armed forces held their own exercises in the same area last month. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the exercises, which Turkey announced after the United States said it was partially lifting a 33-year-old arms embargo against ethnically divided Cyprus. Its unclear why NATO-member Turkey announced such drills on Russias behalf, but the two countries have in recent years significantly strengthened their military, political and economic ties. They are co-ordinating closely on their military presence in Syria, while Turkey has purchased Russias advanced S-400 missiles and has broken ground on a Russian-built nuclear power plant on its southern coast. Russia maintains a sizable naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and regularly conducts naval manoeuvrs there. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Thursday. Germany currently holds the European Unions rotating presidency and has been trying to informally mediate the offshore prospecting dispute. The European Union has threatened sanctions against Turkey to force it to end its exploration activities in the area. A statement from Erdogans office said the Turkish leader wants an arrangement in which resources in the Mediterranean are shared fairly and complained that Greece, Cyprus and the countries backing them were the ones escalating tensions. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar on Thursday took aim at France, which joined Greece and Cyprus for military exercises in the region, accusing it of bullying. Greece is reportedly considering a major arms purchase from France that would include around 20 Rafale fighter jets and two frigates. Greece and Turkey, who are divided on an slew of issues, including territorial disputes in the Aegean, have come to the brink of war three times since the 1970s. In 1974, Turkey invaded and occupied a third of Cyprus following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. The result, the breakaway Turkish-Cypriot north of the island of Cyprus, is only recognized by Turkey. ___ Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser reported this story in Ankara, Turkey, and AP writer Nicholas Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece. AP writers Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report. Since Aug. 24, developers have filed plans with the state to build two distribution facilities in San Antonio one gigantic, the other modestly sized but nobodys saying who will operate them. Economic development and City Hall officials plead ignorance, and the builders arent commenting. Its a mystery. And all good mysteries come with clues. Start with the most recent project. Its a planned $30.5 million delivery station at I-35 and Fischer Road on the South Side. It will include a 219,000-square-foot warehouse with an office area and a break room. The project is dubbed DSX5 in an Aug. 27 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Amazon Inc.s San Antonio operations include a facility named DSX3 on the East Side and another called DSX1 near Rolling Oaks Mall on the Northeast Side. The second clue also could maybe, possibly implicate the online retail behemoth from Washington. But its far more tenuous than the first. Plans for the other project call for a 3.8 million-square-foot fulfillment center, or large sortation facility, on Cal Turner Drive in eastern Bexar County. The owner listed on the Aug. 24 filing is a representative of Seefried Development Management Inc., which is affiliated with Seefried Industrial Properties Inc. Courtesy of Google The Atlanta firm has built facilities for Georgia Pacific, Best Buy and Amazon. It also provides leasing and property management services. Seefried didnt respond to an inquiry. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Neither filing identified a tenant, obviously. And what does Amazon have to say for itself? Amazon does not comment on rumors or speculation, spokesman Daniel Martin said. Construction on both projects is expected to start in November, with work on the delivery station wrapping up in October 2021 and on the East Side facility in February 2022. Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co. is the owner named in the filing for the South Side warehouse. The commercial real estate developer and investor also has worked on industrial facilities for Amazon, as well as Fedex and other companies. A spokesperson for the firm declined to comment. On ExpressNews.com: Sprawling, $200 million fulfillment center headed to East Bexar County Trammell Crow announced in June that it had started building an e-commerce fulfillment center for Amazon in Richmond, southwest of Houston. The 850,000-square-foot facility is slated to open in 2021. In a TDLR filing, the Richmond project is referred to as Project Miriam and Amazon is listed as the owner. The San Antonio sortation center is dubbed Project Star. An online search failed to turn up a firm link between Miriam and Star, though several astronomers and astrophysicists appear to be named Miriam. On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: Are coronavirus concerns cutting demand for San Antonios office space? Regardless of who will operate the forthcoming San Antonio facilities, demand for warehouse space and cold storage has spiked during the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers rushed to upgrade their websites and warehouses and add more pickup and delivery slots as homebound customers ordered groceries and household goods online in record volumes. Nationally, demand for industrial space could reach an additional 1 billion square feet by 2025, commercial real estate firm JLL predicted in July. On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: Coronavirus pandemic throws wrench into East Side project In San Antonio, the industrial market which includes warehouses as well as factories and other facilities has grown significantly, increasing 14.1 percent in the past five years to 126.4 million square feet, a second-quarter report by NAI Partners states. Richard Drew /Associated Press Yet the vacancy rate inched up to 6.8 percent in the second quarter and net absorption, or the change in occupied space, was 591,358 square feet. Thats down from nearly 2.2 million square feet during the same period last year. That discrepancy between the markets multiyear build-out and the recent small increase in vacancy is an easier mystery to solve than who will operate the two planned distribution facilities. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, San Antonio had strong economic momentum, and the current statistics largely reflect the environment before the pandemic, NAI Partners analysts wrote. San Antonios industrial market remains healthy, though a large amount of speculative development has recently delivered, resulting in higher vacancy rates than the historical average." So there you have it: the developers did it. madison.iszler@express-news.net Facebook and other social media companies are being scrutinised over how they handle misinformation. With just two months left until the United States presidential election, Facebook says it is taking more steps to encourage voting, minimise misinformation and reduce the likelihood of post-election civil unrest. The company said on Thursday it will restrict new political advertisements in the week before the election and remove posts that convey misinformation about COVID-19 and voting. It will also attach links to official results to posts from candidates and campaigns that declare premature victories. This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post. That means helping people register and vote, clearing up confusion about how this election will work, and taking steps to reduce the chances of violence and unrest. Facebook and other social media companies are being scrutinised over how they handle misinformation, given issues with President Donald Trump and other candidates posting false information and Russias continuing attempts to interfere in US politics. Facebook has long been criticised for not fact-checking political ads or limiting how they can be targeted at small groups of people. The US elections are just two months away, and with Covid-19 affecting communities across the country, Im concerned Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, September 3, 2020 With the nation divided, and election results potentially taking days or weeks to be finalised, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country, Zuckerberg said. In July, Trump refused to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming election, as he scoffed at polls that showed him lagging behind Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump has also made false claims that the increased use of mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic allows for voter fraud. That has raised concerns over the willingness of Trump and his supporters to abide by election results. Asked in an interview on CBS News aired on Thursday if he had personally engaged with Trump on his posts about voting, Zuckerberg said he did not think he had recently. But Zuckerberg said he had had certain discussions with him in the past where Ive told him that I thought some of the rhetoric was problematic. Under the new measures, Facebook says it will prohibit politicians and campaigns from running new election advertisements in the week before the election. However, they can still run existing advertisements and change how they are targeted. Posts with obvious misinformation on voting policies and the coronavirus pandemic will also be removed, the company said. Users can only forward articles to a maximum of five others on Messenger, Facebooks messaging app. The company will also work with the Reuters news agency to provide official election results and make the information available both on its platform and with push notifications. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on Online Platforms and Market Power in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC [File: Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters] After being caught off-guard by Russias efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, Facebook, Google, Twitter and other companies put safeguards in place to prevent it from happening again. That includes taking down posts, groups and accounts that engage in coordinated inauthentic behavior and strengthening verification procedures for political advertisements. Last year, Twitter banned political advertisements altogether, while Alphabets Google limited the ways in which election advertisers could micro-target voters. Zuckerberg said Facebook had removed more than 100 networks worldwide engaging in such interference over the last few years. Just this week, we took down a network of 13 accounts and two pages that were trying to mislead Americans and amplify division, he said. But experts and Facebooks own employees say the measures are not enough to stop the spread of misinformation including from politicians and in the form of edited videos. Facebook had previously drawn criticism for its advertisement policy, which cited freedom of expression as the reason for letting politicians like Trump post false information about voting. We are thrilled as a national corporation to express our gratitude of these critical and courageous people. Its also a great prelude to Assisted Living week, running September 13th through the 19th. Meridian Senior Living, LLC (Meridian) is proud to announce that they will be publicly recognizing all first responders including firefighters, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, and any other first responders by designating Friday, September 11, 2020 as their national Honor Our First Responders Day. These dedicated men and women, who put their lives in harms way by protecting and serving their country and their individual communities every day, deserve to be recognized and celebrated. We are thankful to have such a collaborative relationship with first responders in each of our communities and have partnered locally with them to deliver secure senior living settings at all Meridian communities, shares Kevin Carlin, Principal and Chief Sales Officer of Meridian Senior Living. We are thrilled as a national corporation to express our gratitude of these critical and courageous people. Its also a great prelude to Assisted Living week, running September 13th through the 19th. Each of Meridians more than 75 communities work concertedly with local first responder groups to provide a secure setting for their residents. To celebrate and honor their service, each of these communities will be hosting their own events to acknowledge these essential individuals for protecting the nations senior population and providing assistance as needed. In addition to celebrating, every Meridian community will be extending special move-in offers to area seniors in an effort to provide them with a secure, comfortable home in their later years. These special community events will be conducted safely by following CDC guidelines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Meridian communities remain open and have rooms move-in ready for new residents. Their dedicated staff is committed to the safety and well-being of their residents and are trained and certified to assist in daily support functions such as dressing, bathing, medication management and especially the ability to immediately respond to emergency circumstances. Furthermore, they work tirelessly in keeping their residents engaged with activities and, where allowed by state and local health departments, Meridian communities are implementing outdoor visitation, group activities, and communal dining. To learn more about Meridian Senior Living and how their communities are recognizing these essential brave men and women for the incredible sacrifices they make daily on everyones behalf, visit the website: meridiansenior.com or Facebook page: @MeridianSeniorLiving. About Meridian Senior Living: Meridian Senior Living, a privately held company based in Bethesda, Maryland, owns and operates seniors housing communities across the country and provides operational consulting to 24 communities in China. With more than 75 communities in 21 states and more in development, Meridian is one of the largest seniors housing operators in the U.S. The company prides itself on providing the highest quality care, exceptional lifestyle programming and a distinctive dining experience for its residents. For more information on Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com. Its not possible to learn a new job like this in 90 days, so whats the point of making this temporary appointment when you have a career person in the job now, said a senior State Department official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. To the Editor, Recently the police in East Alton conducted a massive raid on a house very near me. It was a sight to bring the neighborhood to a standstill as at least 9 vehicles that I could identify came in and carried out the raid. From my third row seat perspective I must say the conduct of the EAPD was exemplary. There seemed to be no excessive force, no paramilitary vehicles, no heavily armored pseudo storm troopers carrying assault weapons. No grenades were thrown thru windows, no shots fired, I heard no one screaming demands that amounted to SURRENDER OR DIE!!! All I saw was a large, by local standards, group of police acting with the due diligence, regard for public safety, professionalism and restraint that is absolutely necessary for good law enforcement officers to display and exercise. The operation was done quietly and without endangering anyone nearby. I saw no signs of violence, abuse or any of the other things seen all too often in videos of police actions in other areas. As I watched the operation unfold before me I was reminded of how, 4 years ago, when a certain demagogue was running, or I should say waddling, for the white house and there were calls during speeches for the police to abuse and brutalize suspects. Recently the demagogue personally ordered law enforcement to violently remove non violent protesters from an area around a church and even the rightful occupants of the church to arrange a photo op where the demagogue held a bible backwards and upside down. (The right wing media was silent on this, I can only imagine the fury of manufactured outrage that would have flown from the mouths of the talking heads on fox news had our last president done something like this.) Unfortunately the law enforcement agents involved just followed orders, the mantra of another demagogues followers. My immediate neighbors seemed very happy with the way the police behaved. I was very glad to see that at least the police in my community had ignored the pedagogue-in-chiefs incitement to violence and still conducted themselves in a way respectful and respectable. Perhaps the way the EAPD behaves might possibly be connected to the fact we see a distinct lack of violent protests in East Alton. Russ Bullman East Alton Bryan Connor Herrell, a 26-year-old man from Colorado who served as a moderator for AlphaBay, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. His is the latest AlphaBay-related case to come to a close after authorities seized what was once the dark webs biggest marketplace for guns, drugs and stolen identities and financial data back in 2017. According to the Department of Justice, Herrell settled over 20,000 disputes between vendors and purchasers for the marketplace. He also kept an eye out for scams and monitored users attempts to defraud each other. The DOJ says Herrell was paid in Bitcoin for his services and operated under the pseudonyms Penissmith and Botah, but the steps he took to preserve his anonymity werent enough to protect him. When the Royal Thai Police, the FBI and the DEA executed an arrest warrant for alleged AlphaBay founder Alexandre Cazes at his residence in Bangkok, they found an unencrypted laptop with files identifying people associated with the marketplace. Cazes case was dismissed after he died in his cell in Thailand of suspected suicide. Meanwhile, Herrell pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in a racketeer influenced corrupt organization in January and faced up to 20 years in prison. US Attorney McGregor Scott of the Eastern District of California said in a statement: This sentence serves as further proof that criminals cannot hide behind technology to break the law. Operating behind the veil of the darknet may seem to offer shelter from criminal investigations, but people should think twice before ordering or selling drugs online you will be caught. This office will continue using all means available to pursue darknet-based crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, opioids, and other dangerous drugs. According to an old Wired report, AlphaBay featured up to 300,000 listings and earned between $600,000 and $800,000 a day in revenue before it was seized. It was a massive business and its takedown led to the arrest not just of individuals running the marketplace, but also of vendors selling illicit goods on the dark web. An AlphaBay public relations specialist was sentenced to three years in prison back in 2018, and at least a couple of drug traffickers were also sentenced to serve time. In February this year, feds charged Ohio resident Larry Harmon for laundering the equivalent of roughly $300 million in Bitcoin for drug dealers and other crooks who sold their goods on the marketplace. Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. Sydney has been rocked by 29 shootings in less than five weeks as bikie feuds and low-level drug wars explode in suburban neighbourhoods. A worrying map has revealed Sydney's south-west is at the centre of the gang-linked violence, with over a dozen drive-by shootings in recent weeks. Acting Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said police were ramping up patrols and resources after a huge surge in shootings since August 1. Ten of the shootings have been in regional NSW and 19 in Sydney's central metro region, which covers the CBD, eastern suburbs, Inner West and Sutherland Shire. Just three days into the new month and there have already been three shootings - all in the central metro region. A worrying map has revealed Sydney's south-west has had an outbreak of crime believed to be linked to outlaw motorcycle gang conflicts Police cordon off the area before forensic officers arrive at Knoll Avenue in Turella after a shooting last week In the most recent shooting, bullets were sprayed into a home in Fairfield Heights just after 10.15pm on Wednesday. No one was injured during the shooting and police believe it was targeted. One of the attacks left infamous former Comanchero bikie Fares Abounader dead outside his home in Panania on August 29. Police believe Abounader, who was present during the Sydney Airport bikie brawl, was a victim of a targeted shooting amid tension between the Comancheros and Bandidos. However, officers now suspect the botched hit on Turrella businessman Mohamed Saab three days earlier was related. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said there are now a handful of theories about Abounader's death. 'We've uncovered at least five indicators around why (Mr Abounader's) shooting occurred we've had discussions with particular (bikie gangs) about acceptable behaviour. Anyone that participates in a public place shooting carries 25 years to life in prison,' Mr Smith said. Mark Shammo was shot in the legs and torso on Garrong Road in Lakemba on September 1 Mr Smith said both Abounader and Saab had alleged links to outlaw motorcycle gang conflicts, while most of the other hits are believed to be targeted. 'It is not acceptable under any circumstances,' Mr McKenna said on Wednesday. 'It doesn't matter who is involved in these shootings - it's not acceptable and we will come down on them.' Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith says the shootings are a result of individual conflicts, and could relate to low-level drug dealing which has been made harder given the border closures. Shots were fired in a unit with three people inside on Columbine Avenue in Punchbowl on September 2 'We have seen COVID-19 putting some pressure in terms of the ability of organised crime to move illicit prohibited drugs into the state,' Mr Smith told reporters. 'There is some indication it's reflecting a higher than average price for drugs which is possible that some of this low-level stuff is a conflict occurring around the payment of drugs.' Mr Smith said it was 'unacceptable' and 'dangerous' to other members of the public, warning the punishment could be life in prison. 'These people are taking a significant risk that they will spend a lifetime behind bars,' he said. So far eight shootings have resulted in nine people being charged. Mohamed Saab (pictured) was found with gunshot wounds to his shoulder, ribs and leg outside a home in Turrella There's no doubt Chris Rihanna loved Chris Brown despite their turbulent relationship highlighted with physical assault case. In a resurfaced video from 2012, the Grammy Award winner revealed that they were mending their relationship but only as friends. "We've been working on our friendship again. Now we're very, very close friends. We've built up a trust again.," the "California King Bed" songstress told Oprah Winfrey in the throwback interview. "We love each other, and we probably always will. And that's not something we're ever going to change. That's not something you can shut off if you've ever been in love." Riri went on and revealed that she "truly love him" no matter what and that she has already forgiven the RnB star "I think he was the love of my life. He was the first love. And I see that he loved me the same way... it's not even about us being together. I truly love him. So the main thing for me is that he is at peace. I'm not at peace if he's a little unhappy, or he's still lonely." The "Fenty" founder later on confessed that it was not easy being in the situation, especially since she considered him as her best friend. Rihanna also mentioned feeling "hurt," humiliated" and "embarrassed" about the highly publicized physical assault by her then-boyfriend. Chris Brown Charged With Felony Assault Over Domestic Violence Complaints The confession came years after the "Take You Down" crooner was arrested over felony assault in February 2009 following the infamous altercation with Rihanna. Prior to this, multiple reports claimed that the then-19-year-old Brown was involved in two domestic violence incidents with the music icon, which took place in Europe and in Riri's hometown in Barbados. Four months later, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of assault and was sentenced five years probation with 1,400 hours of community service. Chris Brown Broke His Silence After Altercation With Riri Meanwhile, in his 2017 documentary "Welcome to My Life: The Official Chris Brown," he mentioned how his image went from being a famous chart-topper to being "public enemy number one." He also revealed that he "felt like a f--king monster" at the time of the incident. "I remember she tried to kick me, just like her beating s--t, but then I really hit her. With a closed fist, like I punched her, and it busted her lip. And when I saw it, I was in shock, I was like, f--k why did I hit her like that?" Why Is it Trending Again? Several outlets believe that the no-holds-barred interview trended once again after the video was re-uploaded by "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations" podcast. However, the podcast description noted that Riri's statement took place in 2012. "Rihanna reveals how she really feels about Chris Brown and her relationship with him. Oprah and Rihanna drive through Rihanna's childhood neighborhood and meet Rihanna's mother, Monica Fenty," the podcast's description cited. READ MORE: LOOK! Zendaya Almost Cried Because of Timothee Chalamet Red Scare: United Russia Uses 'Administrative Resources' To Beat Back Communists In Ulyanovsk By Sergei Gogin, Robert Coalson September 02, 2020 ULYANOVSK, Russia -- "Is mackerel healthier than chicken?" Billboards with this absurd election slogan have appeared across this middle Volga city of some 600,000 people. On September 13, voters will go to the polls in local elections, including for a new city duma. And by all appearances, the ruling United Russia party -- which has dominated the region for more than 15 years but which now is increasingly unpopular as the economy flounders -- is on the ropes. Other billboards urge voters to vote against all candidates. The goal, say representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), is to turn the elections into a farce and suppress voter turnout, making it easier for the authorities to falsify the results -- and for United Russia, the main political support for President Vladimir Putin's vertical power structure, to maintain its grip on power. On August 20, the Communists struck back, holding a mock funeral for fair elections and solemnly carrying a coffin through the streets of the city before leaving it on the steps of the regional government building. Throughout the early post-Soviet period, the Ulyanovsk region was the buckle in the so-called Red Belt of Communist-leaning agrarian regions across southwestern Russian. The capital of the region, the city of Ulyanovsk, was the birthplace both of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin and of Aleksandr Kerensky, who headed the provisional government that Lenin's Bolsheviks overthrew in 1917. But for the last 15 years, the region has been the fiefdom of United Russia Governor Sergei Morozov. The ruling party's position has been deteriorating for some time now. In the 2018 local elections, the KPRF won the party-list race for the regional legislature, although United Russia held its majority by winning many rural single-mandate districts. The Communists also took a majority in the city council of Dimitrovgrad, the second-largest city in the region where Morozov served as mayor before rising to the governor's chair. Now, with Putin's personal popularity slipping in the wake of a reviled pension reform, controversial constitutional amendments that could see him remain in the Kremlin until 2036, and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, United Russia faces another round of local elections from a particularly weak position. In Ulyanovsk, as in other recent local elections across Russia, United Russia candidates are running as "independents" to avoid explicit association with the unpopular brand. The party prepared the ground at the beginning of the year by changing the way the Ulyanovsk City Duma is elected -- eliminating party-list seats and creating 40 single-mandate districts instead. Communists vs. Communists In addition, the Communists of Russia party, headed by regional lawmaker Maksim Suraikin, is playing the role of a well-funded "spoiler" party. As soon as the process of registering candidates was completed, the Communists of Russia filed court challenges demanding the registrations of the KPRF candidates be annulled on technical grounds. A city court agreed, disqualifying 19 KPRF candidates. Upon appeal, a regional court reinstated seven of them. The party is currently appealing to the Russian Supreme Court regarding the others. "And they will definitely be reinstated," said local KPRF head and State Duma Deputy Aleksei Kurinny, citing the party's experience in other regions of the country. "But the Supreme Court will meet either right on the eve of the elections or after them, so our comrades are being pushed out of the race. And there is no precedent for annulling the results of an election because of such a situation." Kurinny noted that the Ulyanovsk City Election Commission did not bother to defend its decisions to register the candidates, leading the party to conclude that the entire situation was planned from the onset. "One of our candidates was incorrectly advised by the commission to fill in the blank about employment with the phrase 'temporarily not working' instead of 'unemployed,'" he told RFE/RL. "And that was later cited as a reason for cancelling his registration. In the wake of such a large number of mistakes, the commission should have been disbanded." The election commission is headed by Vadim Andreyev, who is also a member of the regional political council of United Russia and deputy secretary of its outreach department. He ignored requests to be interviewed for this article. "This is a political fight," said independent candidate Konstantin Tolkachyov, whose KPRF rival had his registration annulled. "We are talking about competition. The Communists are suffering from their own incompetence. They should have studied the legal precedents and consulted with their Moscow leadership." Ulyanovsk-based political analyst Nina Dergunova is certain the Communists of Russia are doing United Russia's bidding. "It looks as if United Russia is not involved," she said, "but it is obvious that Suraikin didn't come up with this idea on his own but rather was prompted by United Russia or the governor's administration. But all the negative feedback will go to Suraikin and the Communists of Russia. And United Russia will say, 'This is just a dispute among the communists.'" Dissatisfied Voters Become Radical Voters But Nikolai Vasin, another political analyst in Ulyanovsk, is not convinced the ruling party will reap benefits from its tactics. Many voters still dislike United Russia and want to vote for change, which could lead to radicalization. "This happens when people are deprived of the right to make their own choice and are pushed to do something else," he said. "And this creates mass dissatisfaction, that's a fact. What form that dissatisfaction will take is hard to say." In local elections in Moscow last year, the authorities disqualified almost all the liberal-opposition candidates, sparking weeks of intense protests. In the 2018 elections to the Ulyanovsk regional legislature, many KPRF candidates were disqualified as well, and locals instead gave their votes to the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia headed by firebrand politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky. "When voters see that their candidates are disqualified and that the authorities are behind it, they might give their support to someone whom the authorities like even less," Vasin added. "Not everyone understands politics very well.... The sharp conflict between United Russia and the KPRF has gotten out of hand and voters have lost the plot. So any unexpected candidate might get their votes." On September 13, voters in 18 Russian regions will elect governors, while 11 regions will choose regional legislatures. In addition, four special elections for State Duma seats will be held, in addition to numerous municipal and local elections. The anti-Putin opposition has focused on the local elections with the aim of weakening United Russia's near-monopoly on political power ahead of the 2021 parliamentary elections. "The Kremlin is tightening controls even further, using techniques such as new powers to disqualify unwanted candidates, extended early voting, electronic voting, mail ballots, and unlimited mobile voting at home or in makeshift locations outside regular polling places -- all of which leave plenty of room for manipulation and vote fraud by the state," wrote opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza in The Washington Post in August. "According to Golos, an independent election-monitoring group, the 2020 local elections 'will be held under the worst legislative framework of the last 25 years.'" Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting from Ulyanovsk by Sergei Gogin of RFE/RL's Russian Service Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/united-russia- uses-administrative-resources-to-beat-back- communists-in-ulyanovsk/30817179.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today show host Karl Stefanovic failed to keep the law and odour on Thursday's breakfast program as he savagely accused Allison Langdon of smelling like garlic. The pair were speaking to Dr Penny Adams about the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting sleep patterns when Karl noted that many people were trying herbal medicines to switch off at night - including his co-host. 'Ally has got a liking for garlic which is unfortunate for the entire crew here at Channel Nine,' the 46-year-old hilariously noted, as fellow journalist Alex Cullen jokingly pretended there was a lingering stench in the air. Scroll down for video Kicking up a stink! Today show host Karl Stefanovic failed to keep the law and odour on Thursday's episode as he savagely accused Allison Langdon of smelling like garlic 'It's a bit woofy this morning!' Karl quipped, before re-iterating: 'It's so woofy, it's not funny!' Pretending that Allison's hygiene levels were so inadequate that they could no longer handle it, Karl and Alex put on clear face shields to protect themselves. Luckily, Allison proved to be a good sport, as she said: 'Look, I owned it as soon as I walked in this morning! 'I also agree that it's not a pleasant experience for you guys this morning.' 'Ally's got a liking for garlic!' The pair were speaking to Dr Penny Adams [R] about the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting sleep patterns when Karl noted that many people were trying herbal medicines to switch off at night - including his co-host 'It's so woofy, it's not funny!' Pretending there was still a lingering stench in the air, Karl hilariously put on a clear face shields to protect himself Allison has been a firm fixture in Australia's broadcasting industry for nearly two decades. And the TV personality has hardly aged a day since beginning her career for Channel Nine in 2001 as a junior researcher and producer. While the presenter has swapped out her shorter darker blonde tresses with lusciously lighter locks, she has always sported a youthful glow. What's her secret? Allison hasn't aged a day since beginning her career for Channel Nine in 2001 as a junior researcher and producer. She is pictured left in 2018 and right, during her early days at Channel Nine Youthful: While the presenter has swapped out her shorter darker blonde tresses with lusciously lighter locks, she has always sported a youthful glow Allison has worked her way up in the Channel Nine newsroom before hitting the big time as a reporter for 60 Minutes. The TV star went on to replace Deborah Knight as co-host of Weekend Today in December 2017, and she also became a fill-in presenter on Nine News Sydney and the Today show during the same time. From January this year, Langdon began presenting the Today show with co-host Karl Stefanovic. Despite her hectic schedule, Allison has also looked sensational for the cameras. Throwback! Allison has worked her way up in the Channel Nine newsroom before hitting the big time as a reporter for 60 Minutes Big move! From January this year, Allison began presenting the Today show with co-host Karl Stefanovic She has kept regularly coy about her beauty and fitness secrets over the years. However, she has been regularly spotted enjoying the Bronte to Bondi coastal walk to stay in shape. No doubt, her children, son Mack, 3, and two-year-old daughter Scout - who she shares with television executive husband Michael Willesee Jr. - keep her on her feet. Years younger: Allison has kept regularly coy about her beauty and fitness secrets over the years. However, she has been regularly spotted enjoying the Bronte to Bondi coastal walk to stay in shape Happy family: No doubt, her children, son Mack, 3, and two-year-old daughter Scout - who she shares with television executive husband Michael Willesee Jr. - keep her on her feet Speaking to 9Honey last year, Allison admitted that her approach to motherhood was very different the second time around. 'I'm such a different parent this time, I'm so much more relaxed I think I've got it this time,' she said. She admitted that when she fell pregnant for the first time, she wasn't 'naturally maternal'. 'Because it didn't come to me naturally I thought, "That's okay, like everything else I can just learn it. If I read enough books, I'd be awesome at it,"' she explained. Parties To Iran Nuclear Deal Meet In Vienna Amid U.S. Pressure Radio Farda September 02, 2020 Abdou Abbarry, the United Nations Ambassador for Niger who will be chairing the Security Council this month, said on Tuesday that Niger will follow last month's precedent and ignore the United States' attempt to restore all U.N. sanctions on Iran. "We're staying with this decision... that was stated and announced by the president of the Security Council last month," Abbarry told an online press conference. Indonesia, the president of the Security Council for August, took no action on the U.S. move on August 20 to attempt to trigger the 30-day process known as a "snapback" under the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The disagreement over the JCPOA between the other signatories of the deal, consisting of Britain, France, Germany and Iran allies China and Russia all veto-wielding members of the Security Council has set the stage for a potential crisis in the Security Council. Under the deal, if any of the participating members notifies the Council that Iran has violated the provisions of the agreement, sanctions will be reinstated after a 30-day process. If the Security Council continues to not acknowledge the U.S. move, and if no member of the nuclear deal puts forward a draft resolution for extending sanctions relief, the snapback process will not go forward. Abarry added that other members of the Council could put forward a draft resolution for extending sanctions relief for Iran, although as chairman, he was not planning on taking any action. In the absence of other countries' support, the U.S. can propose a resolution to extend sanctions on Iran, and then veto its own resolution, therefore allowing the sanctions to remain. The Dominican Republic, which voted in favor of an earlier U.S. move to extend the Iran arms embargo due to expire this month, has not yet stated its stance on the U.S.' invocation of the snapback mechanism. The remaining 13 members of the Council all abstained from the vote. Last Thursday, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote in a tweet that "if no resolution is introduced, the sanctions on Iran will still return on September 20." The other veto-wielding members of the Security Council have now all lined up against the United States, saying that the U.S.' withdrawal from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 invalidates the country's move to invoke the snapback provision of the JCPOA. On Tuesday, after a meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, European Union representative Helga Schmid, who chaired the meeting, tweeted that all participants were "united in resolve to preserve the Iran deal" and "find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges." Iranian officials have not yet made any comments about the outcome of Tuesday's meeting, but ahead of the meeting, Iran's representative, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said the U.S.' move towards the snapback mechanism would "definitely be an important discussion topic" in the Joint Commission talks. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/parties-to -iran-nuclear-deal-meet-in-vienna- amid-u-s-pressure/30816804.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cowtown TV Drama Redux VICE News documentary puts spotlight on KCPD KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Kansas City police are in the national spotlight after a Vice News documentary about the department that has been viewed more than 130,000 times since it was posted last Friday. The mayor, the Jackson County prosecutor and some city council members are aware of the video, but not all have had a chance to watch it. Alleged Summer Scam Busted KC landscaper behind bars after allegedly defrauding customers of over $55,000 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City landscaper FOX4 Problem Solvers has warned people about for two years is behind bars in Clay County. John Cazzell was arrested Tuesday on charges of defrauding his customers. "I don't want any pictures please," that was the last thing Cazzell said to FOX4 Problem Solvers after we tracked [...] Teaching New Normal Here's what 'pod learning' in a 'pop-up classroom' will look like KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Before the pandemic, Sara Soseman and her husband operated a fully-staffed marketing firm in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District. Now with most of the firm's employees working from home, Soseman has repurposed her office space for a suddenly thriving industry. Kim Gives Birth To Sis?!? Did Kim Kardashian Just Give Birth to Kylie Jenner in Never-Before-Seen 'Feel Me' Music Video? Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner are the video vixens in the never-before-seen music video for "Feel Me." The collab by Kanye West and Tyga debuted three years ago, and director Eli Russell Linnetz is just now releasing the video. Linnetz posted it on Instagram and wrote, "I directed this three years ago. Pricing Election Risk Investors brace for choppy markets as race for White House heats up Traders are ratcheting up bets on a particularly turbulent US presidential election on November 3, and a potentially messy aftermath. Futures contracts on the Vix volatility index - which uses options to derive an estimate of the future choppiness of the S&P 500 stocks benchmark - show what some traders call a "kink" around October and November, in a pick-up that exceeds previous contests for the White House. Hairdresser Hot Mess Contd Salon owner denies setting up Pelosi and says her business is done Erica Kious, the owner of the e Salon SF, said she has received death threats in the wake of exposing the House Speaker's trip to her business on Monday Pelosi said Wednesday she fell for a 'set up' by the salon and is owed an apology But Kious said it Boot To The Head For Biden Trump fan kicked in head in brawl with BLM protester after Kenosha visit A KENOSHA Trump supporter was kicked in the head during a brutal brawl with a Black Lives Matter protester in a shocking public display just after the president left the violence-plagued city. Prez Campaigns On Threats Trump Went to Kenosha to Make One Point: The World Falls Apart Without Him President Donald Trump touched down in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday looking to make a point: The world falls apart without him. Whether the point is accurate or true or helpful or even worthwhile doesn't matter to Trump 62 days out from Election Day and down double digits in the polls. American Alienation Spikes U.S. Perceptions of White-Black Relations Sink to New Low Story Highlights Fewer than half rate relations between White and Black Americans "good" Current 44% is lowest in 20-year trend Both racial groups still hopeful problems will eventually be resolved WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' already tepid review of relations between White and Black Americans has soured since 2018 and is now the most negative of any year in Gallup's trend since 2001. Locals Spin Nostalgia Two new documentaries examine the changing face of physical music media Mills Record Company // photo credit Sherri Kauk Within two hours on Monday evening, I got screener links for two separate record store documentaries, and while they're both quite different in their respective perspectives, the ultimate takeaway from each film is celebratory in its own way. Trading Cash For Tech Diversity $100K in microgrants awarded across 23 struggling, but resilient minority businesses Editor's note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News' nonprofit newsroom. A COVID-era resiliency fund that quickly closed applications after receiving a deluge of response from entrepreneurs in need has awarded microgrants to 23 minority businesses on both sides of the state line. Erin Forecasts Pleasant Local Labor Day Weekend Your Storm Track 5 Daily Forecast Cloudy skies to start your Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies and highs near 84 this afternoon. We start this morning with just a bit of glimpse at longtime pop culture divas getting weird and then quickly transition to a glimpse of community news and pop culture. Checkit:is the #TBT song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . HUNTINGTON, NY Shrimpy's Burrito Bar of Huntington opened Wednesday in Huntington Station. For co-owners Ryan DiPaola and John Nasta Jr., it marks their second Long Island location. In DiPaola's case, it signals the successful opening of an eatery in his hometown. DiPaola, who grew up in Melville and lives in South Huntington, is a Walt Whitman High School graduate. To him, the second Shrimpy's is a symbol of hometown love and pride. "This is like opening up a restaurant in my backyard," he told Patch. "To see friends and family, see the people. Im very stoked about having a business in a town that I grew up in." The first Shrimpy's opened in Massapequa Park in August 2018. DiPaola and Nasta Jr. had been thinking of expansion ever since they launched their maiden voyage. It took just six months to see how successful their concept was. Now, the Huntington area will get to experience the "Americanized type of California-Mex" menu that features burritos, tacos, quesadillas, avocado items, shrimp skewers, and more. "We try to make all of our food items based off of Long Island-type of vibes," said DiPaola, who named the Strong Island Burrito a surf n' turf burrito with grilled steak and shrimp as an example. "We try to make it funky and give some cool names to represent the island. Were surrounded by water, so we give some nice beach, chill vibes." Shrimpy's Burrito Bar opened in Huntington on Wednesday. (Credit: Ryan DiPaola) The lease for the Huntington Shrimpy's was signed late February into early March before the coronavirus pandemic saw to the temporary closure of all indoor dining at restaurants and bars. The outbreak delayed the opening process for the businessmen, DiPaola said, as they hoped to open in the beginning of summer. "It was definitely a little scary, but were excited," DiPaola said. "Better late than never. We think our quality of food, our quality of service, everything is top-notch. Even with these tough times, everyone needs to eat. Everyone wants to have good food and good service. They want to feel comfortable. We try to give that family type of vibe at our restaurants." Story continues The owners and staff ensure everything on-premises remains sanitized; something they'd been doing in Massapequa Park before the COVID-19 outbreak began. Hand sanitizer is placed on each table, and employees are held to high standards of cleanliness, according to DiPaola. When the pandemic caused many to struggle, Shrimpy's Burrito Bar of Massapequa Park donated food to hospitals, local organizations and nonprofits in order to help people especially essential workers the co-owner said. Plans for further expansion are in the works. Shrimpy's ownership would like to have eateries across the four corners of Long Island: north, south, east and west. Business at the original location has been going strong, said DiPaola, noting that no staff members were laid off when state-mandated store closures hit. "In the beginning, we were nervous," he said. "Do we possibly have to take some people off, because it would affect sales? or Do we need to close down for a little bit? Thankfully, all of our staff were strong-minded. Everyone willed through, and everyone wanted to work. We took the right precautions we had to do to maintain great service. Sales didnt drop; they stayed pretty steady. Regardless, even if they did drop a little bit, thats a win." Shrimpy's primarily does takeout and delivery, so the lack of in-store dining didn't too badly hurt the bottom line. Outdoor seating is available at both locations, and the stores also offer catering. "I just want [people] to know were here for them," DiPaola said. "As much as they come to help support us, we want our food to stand out in their eyes and definitely just give them a sense of being comfortable through these tough times by enjoying some good food." Suffolk Legislator Tom Donnelly and New York State Senator Jim Gaughran were on-hand for the grand opening of the burrito joint. "I am thrilled to welcome Shrimpys to the neighborhood," Donnelly said via news release. "I wish them the same great success in Huntington Station that they have enjoyed in their original Massapequa Park location." Would love to thank Tom Donnelly and Jim Gaughran for welcoming us to the town with open arms especially on the day... Posted by Shrimpys" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://www.facebook.com/shrim... Burrito Bar of Huntington on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 The new Shrimpy's Burrito Bar is located at 135 W. Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station. The store can be reached by phone at 631-312-5588. More photos Shrimpy's Burrito Bar opened in Huntington on Wednesday. (Credit: Ryan DiPaola) Shrimpy's Burrito Bar opened in Huntington on Wednesday. (Credit: Ryan DiPaola) This article originally appeared on the Huntington Patch If youve been waiting to buy the Citation 200 speaker from Harman Kardon that was announced back at CES 2020 in January, youre not alone. This Google Assistant-powered speaker seems to have a lot to offer. No doubt Harman Kardon wants consumers to buy the Citation 200 as well. After all it is a company and companies need to make money to stay afloat. Well the time to purchase this speaker is not far off for consumers. At least for consumers who live in the UK, because today Harman Kardon confirmed when it would go on sale in that region. Advertisement You can buy the Harman Kardon Citation 200 speaker in October Sadly, there is no firm release date in October for the sale of the Citation 200 going live. Just that it will be in October. The unfortunate detail is that according to Android Police, the only confirmed release window for the speaker is in the UK. So once October rolls around, UK consumers can pick it up. There is a chance that it will launch in the US at the same time. But for now Harman Kardon has not confirmed a US release date. Advertisement As for how much the speaker will cost, in the UK itll retail for 299. If and when it releases in the US, $299 may very well be the price. Though it could also be different. Powered by Google Assistant Just as a refresher, this speaker is powered by Google Assistant. So more than being a somewhat compact speaker from Harman Kardon, it also has smart features that let you interact with all of your smart home products. This means you can talk to Google with this speaker and turn on/off your lights and any other appliance or device you have that links up to your home Wi-Fi network. Advertisement If what youre after is just a Google Assistant-powered speaker though, there are a multitude of options out there. And plenty of them are available in the US. Such as the Acton II Voice and Stanmore II Voice from Marshall. Theres also the Sonos One and plenty of others. All of which you can find in this list. That said, if youre dead set on the Citation 200 from Harman Kardon, it appears that the month of October is when you can potentially expect to see it. Whether or not availability will go beyond the UK is unknown at this point but if it does happen, next month is probably when that will be announced. Maysak ripped into the southern peninsula of South Korea on Thursday morning with little regard for the tumultuous typhoon season the region has had to deal with this season. Just one week after Typhoon Bavi brought a lot of worries but little more than heavy rainfall to mainland South Korea, Maysak has proven to be far less accommodating. The ninth typhoon of the West Pacific tropical season and the fourth to impact South Korea, Maysak made landfall on Thursday morning, local time, with 177 km/h (110 mph) winds, equivalent to that of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic basin. The typhoon made landfall near Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. Before it even arrived on the South Korean peninsula, Maysak was already thrashing the country, as over 20,000 residents on the resort island of Jeju lost power Wednesday night. After landfall, that figure climbed to over 120,000 along with damage reports and a death toll. This Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, satellite image released by NASA shows Typhoon Maysak over Japan's southernmost islands, including Okinawa, center. The powerful typhoon was blowing over Japan's southernmost islands early Tuesday on course for Japan's main southern island and later the Korean Peninsula. (EOSDIS via AP) By the end of the day Thursday, local time, at least two Maysak-related fatalities had been confirmed by authorities. The first came in Busan by way of injuries sustained from a broken window that killed a woman, according to Korea Joongang Daily. The 67-year-old woman, who, according to police, was attempting to tape a window in her house in preparation for the storm on Wednesday when she accidentally broke the window and hurt herself with the shattered glass. Another fatality was of a man in his 60s when winds toppled a large outdoor fridge, crushing him, according to Voice Of America. A third death was still under investigation after a man was found dead on Thursday. He was believed to have fallen off his roof while repairing a leak related to Maysak, Reuters reported. Story continues At least 12 other injuries have also been reported in Busan and over 850 cases of property damage were reported, according to local reports. In Gyeongsang, located about 85 km inland from Busan, 5,151 hectares of farmland were damaged. Those injury and death totals are expected to climb, however, as dozens of others are missing, including over 40 sailors and over 5,800 cattle who were on a cargo ship that went missing. According to the Japan Coast Guard, only one sailor was rescued after spending several hours in the water. Early Friday morning, local time, a second crew member was rescued from the East China Sea, where he had been floating in raft, stated the Associated Press. A third crew member was found unconscious hours later, and was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. CNN reported that the 133.6-meter-long (438-foot-long) ship, known as the Gulf Livestock 1, was sailing from Napier, New Zealand, to Tangshan, China, according to the authorities. The vessel sent out a distress signal early Wednesday when it was about 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of the Japanese island of Amami Oshima. The #Japan Coast Guard rescued a man who was found drifting after it received a distress signal from a Panamanian cargo ship off #Kagoshima Prefecture. https://t.co/TiXexohvLX#JCG #AmamiOshima pic.twitter.com/PSzoUr4h5x The Japan News (@The_Japan_News) September 3, 2020 Earlier in the week, Maysak had inflicted damage on Japan's Ryukyu Islands with winds of 196 km/h (122 mph). In North Korea, Maysak dumped extremely heavy rainfall, leading to flooding in the coastal town of Wonsan. According to the country's state television broadcast, the Korean Central Television Broadcasting Station, Wonsan was dealt 132 millimeters (5.19 inches) of rain in just three hours. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghi is understood to have sought a meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of a key Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meet in Moscow, people familiar with the development said on Thursday. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh being welcomed at Moscow airport on Thursday. Photograph: @DefenceMinIndia/Twitter Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a tense border row in eastern Ladakh for nearly four months now. Singh and Wei are currently in Moscow to attend a meeting of SCO defence ministers on Friday. According to information, the Chinese side conveyed to the Indian mission its keenness to have a meeting between the two defence ministers. However, there is no official confirmation about it. Tensions flared in eastern Ladakh after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the Southern Bank of Pangong lake four days back when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the festering border row. India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. China has strongly objected to India's move. India has also rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region following the Chinese attempts. India on Thursday said the border tension in Ladakh over the past four months is a 'direct result' of Chinese actions aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region, and asserted that the only way forward to resolve it was through negotiations. The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) that squarely put the blame on China for the prolonged border standoff came even as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat asserted that India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in 'best suitable ways'. Brian Austin Green's tattooed 'girlfriend' Tina Louise has clapped back at haters who complained she was showing too much of her body. During an Instagram Q&A on Wednesday, the Australian model was told to cover up, and one troll even asked: 'Why do you need to show your body that much?' Tina, 39, responded by sharing a video of herself in a racy swimsuit, which drew attention to her sensational curves and pert derriere. 'Does it offend you?' Brian Austin Green's tattooed 'girlfriend' Tina Louise has clapped back at haters who complained she was showing too much of her body 'Does it offend you that I'm confident and comfortable with my sexuality?' she wrote. Tina has gone from social media star to bona fide celebrity since her fling with the Beverly Hills, 90210 actor made headlines in July. Tina, who boasts 2.4 million followers on Instagram, was most recently spotted with Brian at the beach in Los Angeles on Monday. Talk to the booty! During an Instagram Q&A on Wednesday, the Australian model was told to cover up, and one troll even asked: 'Why do you need to show your body that much?' The father of four, who is separated from wife Megan Fox, was unable to take his eyes off the bombshell. He had reportedly split with Tina at the end of July after a month of dating, only for them to reconcile weeks later. It comes just days after Brian told his Instagram followers he would 'never say never' to getting back with Megan. Bombshell: Tina, 39, responded by sharing a video of herself in a racy swimsuit, which drew attention to her sensational curves and pert derriere Star: Tina has gone from Instagram star to bona fide celebrity since her fling with Brian made headlines in July. She was most recently spotted with the actor at the beach in LA on Monday 'I kinda feel like people are on paths in life and sometimes your paths are together and you travel that path together, and you see eye to eye and then sometimes those paths do different things,' he said during a livestream on Saturday. 'We shared a lot together and we really went through a lot together,' he added. 'At some point I think our paths will regulate a bit and run parallel to each other.' Meghan started dating rapper Machine Gun Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, less than a month after her split with Brian. Outspoken: It comes just days after Brian (pictured On February 15, 2020, in LA) told his Instagram followers he would 'never say never' to getting back with estranged wife Megan Fox Luxembourg's emergency services were busy on Wednesday night, attending to accidents in the capital, Dudelange and Clemency. A cyclist was knocked down by a car on Boulevard Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg City around 6.15pm, suffering minor injuries in the process. Local ambulance crews and fire fighters attended the incident. Around 9.15pm, a car flipped on to its roof between Clemency and Kaerjeng, injuring two. One of the car's occupants was reported to have more serious injuries, and both needed to be cut out of the car by emergency services. Among the teams on-site were Kaerjeng and Esch-sur-Alzette fire fighters, Esch Samu and Esch/Petange ambulances. Two cars collided on the A3 motorway to Dudelange, around the Croix de Bettembourg, at 9.20pm. Four people were injured in the crash, and were assisted by Bettembourg and Dudelange fire fighters, alongside Bettembourg ambulances. Shortly before 9.30pm the Irrgarten roundabout formed the backdrop to yet another collision between two cars. One person suffered minor injuries and was treated by local paramedics. Brito Cruz will support Elsevier's objectives to deliver insights and analytics to universities and funding bodies around the world that enable them to achieve their desired outcomes. Brito will engage with funders and university leaders to understand their priorities. He will work collaboratively and pragmatically to make tangible progress in addressing issues and opportunities identified. Dr. Nick Fowler, Chief Academic Officer at Elsevier, said: "We are delighted to welcome Brito Cruz to the Elsevier team. He brings with him a wealth of experience and insights from his distinguished career in science, university and funding leadership. His appointment reflects Elsevier's strong commitment to working with the international research community and of building trusted relationships with university leaders and funding bodies around the world." Brito Cruz commented: "I have long been impressed with Elsevier's commitment to support university leaders and funders in their efforts to advance research outcomes and to evaluate that impact using data and analytical tools, which is a key goal. I'm delighted to join the team to assist in connecting the opportunities to make the social, economic and intellectual impact of research more visible and effective worldwide." Brito Cruz has a highly distinguished career in research as a scientist, a university leader, and a research funding agency leader. As a researcher he has degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Physics and worked at the University of Campinas, University of Rome, University Pierre et Marie Curie and AT&T Bell Laboratories. As a university leader, Brito's career in administration culminated in him becoming Rector of the University of Campinas, which is consistently ranked among the top universities Latin America. As a funder, Brito was, for 15 years, the Scientific Director at the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) where he worked to develop a broad network for international research collaboration with entities around the world. He also chaired the Governing Board of the Global Research Council, which comprises the heads of science and engineering funding agencies worldwide, promoting the sharing of data and best practices for high-quality collaboration among funding agencies. A member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the AAAS, Brito is also a member of the Council of the United Nations University, the Shell Science Council, the International Advisory Board of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Panel of Judges for the Queen Elizabeth Engineering Prize. He received the Ordre des Palmes Academiques de France, the Order of the Scientific Merit from the Federative Republic of Brazil, and the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Brito Cruz will be based in Oxford, UK. About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.elsevier.com Media contact David Tucker Elsevier Communications, Europe +44 7920 536 160 [email protected] SOURCE Elsevier Amid the longest stretch of Spare the Air alerts since the air-quality warnings were instituted nearly 30 years ago, Bay Area residents looking for a sense of whether its safe outside as wildfire smoke continues to choke the region have gone online, and then opened their door and taken a breath. As they check the official readings on their apps, the thought strikes some: Something doesnt smell right. There are two main sources of air quality data: AirNow.gov, a federal website with local partners that include the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; and PurpleAir, a website maintained by a company in Draper, Utah, that relies on data from low-cost air-quality sensors that people buy and install on their own. Often, their measurements dont match up with each other or with what the air feels like when people breathe it in. AirNow has only hourly data drawn from a handful of regional monitors, and is reported with a time lag. PurpleAir refreshes data every 10 minutes and uses a lot more sensors, but theyre lower quality. So what information can people rely on? AirNow has the most accurate information, experts said. But that information isnt real-time people can only see measurements drawn from data a few hours old. That can be useful for an air district deciding whether to keep a Spare the Air warning in effect, but it doesnt help if youre deciding whether to go for a run or take your baby for a stroll. A couple of factors go into that lag, said Michael Flagg, principal air quality specialist at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The monitors that send information to AirNow take measurements hourly, as that is the finest resolution possible to still get dependable, accurate data. They run for about 50-52 minutes to collect a sample of the air. After that, theres a short analyzing period and quality control at the end of the hour, he explained. We want to make sure were not pushing out wildly erroneous data to the public. Those technical steps combine with the way its presented to create an apparent lag. The 9 a.m. measurement reflects the data gathered between 9 and 10 a.m., for example, Flagg explained. On top of that, the data on the website are run on standard time, not daylight-saving time, so it appears to be an hour behind what it actually is. PurpleAir provides a crowdsourced online map that uses information pulled from sensors that cost around $200 or $300 cheap enough that people keen on air quality can purchase and install them outside their houses. These sensors use a laser particle counter to count the number of airborne particles in the air, according to PurpleAirs website. AirNow relies on readings from regulator-approved air quality monitors, rather than the lower-cost sensors that PurpleAir customers use. Trying to line up their measurements is an apples to oranges comparison, said Lyle Chinkin, CEO and chief scientist at Sonoma Technology, an environmental consulting firm that helped develop AirNow. The 30-some air district stations in the Bay Area directly measure very fine particles like those in smoke that are 1,000th of an inch or less in size, called PM2.5, as well as ozone, another pollutant, to assess air quality, pulling them in through a filter and weighing them. PurpleAir sensors use light scattering to estimate particle concentrations in the air. For smoke particles, PurpleAir tends to report higher concentrations than regulatory monitors report, Chinkin explained. The air district is reporting a situation usually less dire than what PurpleAir says, and where there are air district measurements you really should trust it, Josh Apte, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley, said. PurpleAir sensors in wildfire smoke tend to overstate PM2.5 concentrations (the particulate matter in smoke) by approximately a factor of two. PurpleAirs website says that its sensors may appear to read high in wildfire smoke conditions because the density of smoke particles differs from that of other airborne particles of similar size, affecting its calculations of particle concentration. The company could not be reached for comment. Another factor: PurpleAir sensors, paid for by individuals with the means to afford them, tend to be concentrated in more affluent neighborhoods. The qualitative insights you can get from PurpleAir are really powerful, but there is that bias, Apte said. PurpleAirs system, however, can give readings every 10 minutes, Apte pointed out. PurpleAir is also useful for getting a sense of the air quality in a specific neighborhood, as there are many more sensors than regulatory monitors. Still, you should never trust the absolute value of PurpleAir without trying to cross-check it against the actual measurements, Apte said. The regulatory monitors, installed primarily to measure air pollution from cars and other vehicles, were never meant to give a real-time measure of air quality in every neighborhood, and, logistically, its very difficult and expensive to do so, Flagg said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The objective of the (air quality) network was never to monitor in every location, he said. It was to gather information about a region. Theres an effort under way to merge the two approaches. AirNow has a Fire and Smoke Map that combines data from AirNow and PurpleAir, after applying some mathematical corrections to the numbers. That map is one way to fill those gaps and provide more local data to the public, Flagg said. The California Air Resources Board has also set up temporary monitors that arent as high grade as the permanent monitors, but still use reliable technology to provide data for the fire and smoke map. What about the sensors every human has from birth? Those have their own data-quality problems, experts said. Smelling smoke in the air something that would seem to indicate that the air is bad even when measurements disagree doesnt actually mean theres serious pollution. The human nose has the ability to smell things that are very low concentration, Charley Knoderer, meteorology manager at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, said. You can actually smell smoke when its good outside. Even so, Knoderer and other experts advise caution: If you can smell smoke, it doesnt matter what the apps say. Take precautions and try to stay inside. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev Sailors stand near fighter jets on the deck of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning as it participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province, April 23, 2019. China is set to greatly increase its military presence in the South China Sea, according to a new U.S. Department of Defense report. Chinas neighbors can expect to see its newest aircraft carrier, ship-killer missiles, and Marine Corps wade into disputed waters more boldly as the Peoples Liberation Army focuses on an expeditionary capability, facilitated by the increasing militarization of its outposts in the Paracel and Spratly Islands. China has strengthened and modernized its military capabilities to the point where its Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is already ahead of the United States in some areas, the Pentagon said in its annual China Military Power Report published on Wednesday. There didnt used to be this much tumult in the South China Sea, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Chad Sbragia said at an event held by the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute on Tuesday. He cited Chinas construction of artificial islands in disputed waters and the refusal of China to delimit its claims in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. Which would have been the right thing to do, he added. They have not. They have continued to argue and put forward claims that are inconsistent with international law. Thats certainly one of the aspects that weve talked to the Chinese about, both in our department and in other departments. China now has the worlds largest navy, with an overall battle force of around 350 ships and submarines compared with the U.S. 293 ships, the report said. Some of this growth, according to the Pentagon, is aimed at asserting Chinas claims in the South China Sea. Notably, Chinas first domestically-produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, is very likely to be permanently stationed at Yulin Naval Base, the home base for the PLA Navys South Sea Fleet that sits right on the doorstep of the Paracel Islands, a string of rocks disputed between China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. China now also operates 30 Type 054A guided missile frigates and over 42 Type 056 corvettes both classes of warship frequently spotted in the South China Sea. It is also planning on patrolling the South China Sea with AI-enabled unmanned surface vessels, although the report is scant on details about them. The PLA Marine Corps, amphibious troops under Chinas navy that have exercised in the Paracel and Spratly Islands this year, has also grown exponentially, from two to eight brigades. However, the Marine Corps has improved slower than expected, according to the report, with only its original two brigades properly equipped and ready for the its mission of safeguarding Chinas bases in the South China Sea and seizing other small islets and reefs there. Nonetheless, China is preparing its forces to work farther and farther afield, as it builds up its expeditionary capabilities with the help of its artificial islands in the South China Sea. The construction of new airfields and hangars on outposts in the South China Sea extends the possible operating areas of PLA aviation forces, the report says. Future deployments of PLA combat aircraft operating from Spratly Island outposts could feature extended range and/or loiter time over the South China Sea or even reach into the Indian Ocean. Two of Chinas newest bombers, the H-6K and H-6J, are known to have landed at key Chinese military bases in the South China Sea, such as Woody Island and Fiery Cross Reef. Those bases have also been significantly upgraded. Chinas bases in the Spratlys -- Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef, Gaven Reef, Hughes Reef, Johnson South Reef and Cuarteron Reef -- boast advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems as well as jamming equipment, according to the report. Despite the reports warnings about Chinas increasing military might versus the United States, China downplayed its findings on Wednesday and took issue with its framing of Chinas intentions in modernizing its armed forces. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for Chinas foreign ministry, said at a press conference in Beijing. China has also pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China is a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. The development of China's military power means growing strength for world peace. The Pentagon report, however, says PLA has also improved its ability to hit moving ships at sea with missiles from the Chinese mainland. China launched four anti-ship missiles into waters off the Paracel Islands last week, including a DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBMs), as part of its military exercises in the area. According to the Pentagon, the PLA Rocket Force is dramatically ramping up its supply of these ship-killer missiles, which can be used with either conventional or nuclear warheads. The Pentagon estimates China now possesses about 200 DF-26 IRBMs. Chinas PLA Rocket Force now commands more than 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, the report says. Our leadership has called repeatedly on the Chinese to limit the activities of what theyre doing. To not militarize their features, to halt these really unlawful practices and expectations they hold, for us and others, Sbragia said. As a result we have increased our military operations and activities in the South China Sea, both by ourselves and in coordination with others in the region, and globally, and will continue to do so. A postgraduate student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by another group of students inside his hostel room. Also read: JNU to accept admission forms for MBA, MPhil and PhD under JRF till Sept 21 Vivek Pandey, an activist of All India Students Association (AISA), said the incident took place late Wednesday night when he was inside his room. He said he was attacked by student members of the ABVP who accused him of filing complaints against them at the security and the hostel wardens office. One person said I had filed a complaint against him for returning from home. I told him that I had not filed any such complaint and didnt know anything about it. He then abused and punched me and repeatedly hit me on my head. They threatened me. My friend, who tried to rescue me, was also assaulted, Pandey said. AISA national president N Sai Balaji shared a video on Twitter of Pandey narrating the incident. Balaji said they have filed a police complaint. Meanwhile, the ABVP has denied the allegations. Sujeet Sharma, a JNU student and ABVP Delhi executive member, said, We got to know about the incident through social media. AISA and SFI activists engage in regular scuffles and this could be a political stunt before reopening of the campus. These are baseless allegations and ABVP has nothing to do with the incident. The registrar could not be reached for a comment at the time of filing this story. If (police) were going after him, they could have shot him anywhere else in the body to stop him, why directly to his head? asked a tearful Jacqueline Leon, a childhood friend of Vegas. The two grew up in the area, and shes lost a few of her friends to police shootings and other shootings over the years. IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Interdependence Public Relations announced today that Michael Rinaldo has joined the agency as President, Global Health Business. Rinaldo will be responsible for driving business strategy, delivering senior counsel, growing healthcare client relationships and strengthening Interdependence's position and influence in the global healthcare business arena. Interdependence PR "What excites me about Interdependence is its commitment to high-impact client relationships which start with a media engagement approach that leverages predictive analytics and AI to secure results," said Rinaldo. "We plan to combine in-market experience and a deep understanding of healthcare that clients demand, with an advanced technology-driven, results-focused approach that clients want." Rinaldo joins a growing agency team that has collectively worked with some of the biggest healthcare brands and companies, including 15 of the Top 20 pharmaceutical companies. That experience is supercharged by Interviewed, the most advanced predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) technology in public relations, to maximize consistent media placements. "Clients are looking for new options and innovative approaches that deliver predictable, targeted media coverage and full-scale communication solutions," according to Rinaldo. "Interdependence has developed a technology platform called InterviewedTM which has helped increase pitch conversion for its clients by 300-400 percent, increasing traffic to websites, converting users, driving thought leadership and increasing client valuation. It's an approach that's ideally suited to the highly competitive healthcare space," Rinaldo continued, "where breaking through is essential for meeting business goals and ultimately transforming patient lives." Over the course of a three-decade career in public relations, Rinaldo has built reputations, brands and businesses leveraging broad experience across a wide swath of healthcare communications, from public health and patient education to brand marketing and corporate reputation. Rinaldo's ability to marry public health needs with business opportunity has helped influence opinion, shape policy and change diagnostic, treatment and care delivery. He led Fleishman Hillard's global healthcare practice for more than a decade. Rinaldo followed that up by playing a lead role in building dna Communications part of the IPG and Weber Shandwick network into a global healthcare public relations agency. "At Interdependence we'll never lose sight of the importance of media and its ability to influence beliefs and behaviors," said Rinaldo. "And we'll never miss the chance to use media engagement as a springboard for deeper connections with important stakeholders like patients and healthcare providers." About INTERDEPENDENCE PUBLIC RELATIONS Established in 2012, Interdependence is a full-service digital PR, investor relations and media communications firm supercharged by the most advanced technology ever in public relations to maximize consistent media placements in prestigious media and industry outlets. It is an experience that stands apart. We power constant media placements for some of the most notable companies in the world from leading Silicon Valley venture backed startups to firms with billions of dollars in annual revenues. Our team consists of former journalists and veteran public relations experts. Our strong relationships with journalist and editors across the board at national, global and industry trade publications give us an unrivaled presence and a competitive edge when it comes to strengthening our clients' brands and reputations. About INTERVIEWEDTM Interdependence's proprietary Interviewed technology works by breaking each of its client's brands into roughly 50 key terms that best describe the product's or company's relevant attributes and positioning. Every minute, the technology uses AI and predictive analytics to search for breaking news, trending stories and emerging topics that relate to those key terms. Once it finds a match, it identifies journalists that cover that match term but have not yet written about the story. Agency professionals then craft a customized pitch and insert a client's expert as a leading subject authority. In doing so, the writer or journalist becomes aware of the traffic-driven story, gains interest and doesn't have to spend hours looking for resources for their feature or expert story. But it's not just about getting into a traffic-driven story. The technology's analytics give Interdependence the insights and inspiration that help create and drive stories that are strategically and creatively aligned to a brand's interests and business needs. Using the data and knowledge gained via Interviewed the agency is able to identify far more feature stories, expert stories, TV, radio, podcasts, Op-Ed and bylines, data-driven stories, campaign concepts and brand activations. It's a full-scale strategy and communications solution. http://www.interdependence.com For additional Information: Michael Rinaldo Email: [email protected] Tel: (201) 755-0001 SOURCE Interdependence PR Key indices reversed trend and slipped into negative terrain in early afternoon trade. At 12:21 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 91.7 points or 0.23% at 38,994.86. The Nifty 50 index declined 10.9 points or 0.09% at 11,524.70. Trading was volatile due to expiry of weekly index options. Rising COVID-19 cases spooked investors. Introduction of new margin requirement in the cash segment from 1st September and geo-political tensions between India-China also impacted sentiment. The broader market was trading firm. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.49% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index surged 0.89%. Both these indices have risen 3% in three sessions. The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1392 shares rose and 1019 shares fell. A total of 164 shares were unchanged. The Sebi's new margin rules came into effect from 1 September 2020. As per the new rule, it is mandatory for brokers to collect margins from investors upfront for any purchase or sale of shares. Failing to do so will attract a penalty. Sebi has introduced these measures to safeguard the interest of all investors. COVID-19 Update: Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 25,938,122 with 861,679 deaths. India reported 8,15,538 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 67,376 deaths while 29,70,492 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Meanwhile, India continued to report one of the lowest COVID Case Fatality Rates (CFR) when compared to several other countries. While the global CFR stands at 3.3% as on date, the comparative figure for India is 1.76%, an official update noted today. The deaths per million population in India is one of the lowest in the world. While the global average is 110 deaths /million population, India is reporting 48 deaths /million population. The comparative figure for Brazil and the UK is 12 and 13 times higher, respectively. Derivatives: The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 2% to 20.6825. The Nifty September 2020 futures were trading at 11,531.35, at a premium of 6.8 points compared with the spot at 11,524.55. The Nifty option chain for 3 September 2020 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 64.58 lakh contracts at the 11,600 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 51.18 lakh contracts was seen at 11,500 strike price. The Nifty option chain for 24 September 2020 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 20.49 lakh contracts at the 12,000 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 29.82 lakh contracts was seen at 11,000 strike price. Buzzing Segment: Aviation stocks were in demand after the Ministry of Civil Aviation decided to increase capacity of domestic flights to 60% from the current levels of 45%. Shares of SpiceJet were trading 2.75% higher at Rs 52.35 while InterGlobe Aviation which operates IndiGo Airline gained 1.53%. Stocks in Spotlight: Jindal Steel & Power was down 0.2%. The company informed that the company's consolidated steel production has risen by 21% to 8,25,000 tonnes in August 2020 from 6,81,000 tonnes produced in August 2019. JSPL's consolidated steel sales in the month of August stood at 8,36,000 tonnes, up by 38% from 6,06,000 tonnes sold in the same period last year. The company further said that steel exports contributed to 42% of the total sales volume. VIP Industries was down 0.63%. The board of VIP Industries agreed to dispose of the land and building of the Haridwar factory in Uttarakhand on 'as-is-where- is' basis to Fresh PET for about Rs 25-30 crore. The operations at the said Haridwar factory of the company were suspended since March 2020 due to Covid-19 Pandemic. Turnover of Haridwar factory during the FY20 was Rs 246.60 crore (14.39% of the total turnover of the company for the FY20). Contribution made by Haridwar factory in net worth during the FY20) was Rs 27.11 crore (15.98% of the net profit before exceptional item and tax of the company for the FY20). Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Northern farmers have been advised to increase the winter crop growing area and increase exports to China, in anticipation of a farm produce shortage there caused by severe floods. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the winter crop production in northern provinces has favorable conditions. In many localities, farmers consider the winter crop as the major production crop of the year. The mid-year crop is expected to be harvested 5-7 days earlier compared with previous years, which will clear land soon to prepare for the winter crop. Meanwhile, conditions are unfavorable in China. The heavy floods and Covid-19 have seriously affected agricultural land and crops. Thus, it is expected that China will have to import farm produce in large quantities to satisfy domestic demand. This is a great opportunity for Vietnam to boost exports to the neighboring market. MARD decided that the cultivation area in the winter crop would be 430,000-450,000 hectares, an increase of 10-20 percent compared with the winter crop in 2019. The ministry hopes that the total winter crop output would be 4.6-4.9 million tons and total production value would be VND34-36 trillion dong, or VND75 million per hectare. Of these, warmth-loving plants such as maize, sweet potato, soybean, peanut and vegetables account for 55 percent, and cold-loving plants 45 percent. At a conference on reviewing the 2019 winter crop production and the 2020 winter crop in northern provinces, MARD Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said Vietnam has overcome great challenges caused by Covid-19. The country has reached major goals on food security. All provinces have overcome natural calamities to have bumper crops and good prices compared with 2019. The country has reached major goals on food security. All provinces have overcome natural calamities to have bumper crops and good prices compared with 2019. Cuong said 31 provinces in the north are blessed with cold winters by nature, which allows cultivation of cold-loving plants. He urged farmers to step up winter crop production. The winter crop production duration is short, but it can bring high economic value and plants, less affected by natural disasters, pests and diseases, Cuong said. If the production can be organized well, farmers can earn VND200-300 million per hectare, many times higher than rice production, he said. Cuong also mentioned the opportunity to boost consumption in the domestic market and increase exports to China. Floods are attacking 27 provinces and cities there, severely damaging vegetable production. Northern provinces can increase sales in the domestic market because there are no Chinese products of the same kind competing with domestic products. Meanwhile, the shortage in China will force the country to increase imports from Vietnam. However, he asked localities to carefully choose the crops to cultivate in order to avoid an oversupply. Bao An EVFTA smooths the way for Vietnamese farm produce The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, at its core, aims to liberalise both tariff and non-tariff barriers on key exports of both sides over a period of 10 years. WASHINGTON As the U.S. coronavirus death toll climbed to 185,000 this week, President Donald Trump commandeered multiple news cycles by spreading unfounded conspiracy theories and shooting down Internet gossip about his own health. Monday: Trump claimed in a television interview, without offering evidence, that Democratic rival Joe Biden is controlled by people hiding in dark shadows and that a planeload of black-uniformed anarchists planned to disrupt the Republican National Convention. Tuesday: Trump took to Twitter several times to dispel an unfounded Internet rumor that a series of mini-strokes sent him to Walter Reed Medical Center last November. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS, he wrote. Wednesday: Trump retweeted an article from a conservative publication that raised questions about the impact of mail-in voting on the upcoming election and added his own editorial comment. Rigged election? he asked. Trump has long embraced conspiracy theories as a way to attack his critics or divert attention from events that reflect poorly on him or his administration. But the dizzying pace in which he has given oxygen to outlandish tales that are typically the domain of Internet trolls or fringe groups like QAnon suggests the practice has now become a central part of his reelection strategy. "Conspiracy theories make him powerful, said Jennifer Mercieca, author of "Demagogue For President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump." Conspiracy theories "are 'self-sealing' narratives, meaning no evidence is allowed to count against it," said Mercieca, a communications associate professor at Texas A&M University. "The logic of conspiracy prevents it from ever being proven or disproven. If you try to fact-check it, conspiracists say, The truth is out there. They are suppressing it.'" Conspiracy theorists: How QAnon and other dark forces are radicalizing Americans as the COVID-19 pandemic rages and election looms Story continues US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he tours an area affected by civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin on September 1, 2020, as John Rode(C), the former owner of Rode's Camera Shop looks on holding a sign. Coverage of the November presidential election has been occasionally subsumed by the circus from Trump's dare for Biden to take a drug test before their first debate to his public ruminations about whether Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, is eligible for office. (Harris was born in Oakland, California, and has been a U.S. citizen since birth). The controversies can fleetingly distract from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout and racial strife playing out in many cities. Half the time, Trump is trying to distract from COVID with fringe conspiracies and, half the time, he's trying to get cable news attention on himself for promoting conspiracies, said veteran Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. People are disappointed, but not surprised, that he's up to these old tricks. 'Dark shadow, what is that?' Trumps rise to political power was fueled in part by conspiracy. Trump, a real-estate mogul and television celebrity at the time, was one of the primary proponents of the birther movement that falsely claimed that former President Barack Obama wasnt born in the United States and was thus ineligible for the presidency a theory Trump later repudiated and blamed on Hillary Clinton. Trump has perpetuated conspiracy theories throughout his presidency. He suggested election fraud cost him the popular vote, but never backed up the claim with evidence. The president's impeachment late last year was triggered by a phone call in which he pressured the Ukraine's to investigate unfounded reports that Biden pushed for the ouster of prosecutor Viktor Shokin to protect Hunter Biden, the former vice president's son. In fact, Shokin's inaction on corruption had prompted international calls for his ouster and ultimately resulted in his removal by Ukraine's parliament and no evidence has surfaced to suggest Biden's involvement had anything to do with his son. Now that Biden has formally accepted his party's nomination to run against Trump in the November election, the president is circulating more unproven tales and at a faster clip. I dont even like to mention Biden because hes not controlling anything, Trump said during an interview Monday night with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, echoing his often-repeated claim that Biden is a puppet of the radical left. Biden, he argued, is controlled by people that youve never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows. The assertion appeared to flummox Ingraham, a commentator who agrees with Trump on many issues. "What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory," she said. "Dark shadow, what is that?" In the same interview, Trump claimed without evidence that thugs in black uniforms had boarded a plane bound for Washington, where they intended to disrupt the Republican convention. When Ingraham asked for details, he replied: Ill tell you sometime. Its under investigation right now. The next day, Trump added to the story, telling reporters he had been told about the flight by someone who was a passenger. He refused to identify his source. Presidential race: Exclusive: The conventions over, Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by a narrower 50%-43% in USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll 'Excruciating poison' In recent weeks, Trump has spread unproven theories that Biden is taking enhancement drugs and seemed to breathe life into a conspiracy that Harris is ineligible to become president because her parents were not U.S. citizens when she was born. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution makes clear that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a citizen, which means there is no question that Harris is indeed eligible to become president. "I heard it today that she doesnt meet the requirements," Trump told reporters at the White House last month. "I have no idea if thats right. I wouldve I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president." Trump also has made false or exaggerated claims about mail-in voting, arguing without evidence that mailed ballots are corrupt and that theres a lot of fraudulent voting going on in this country. Though there have been examples of voting fraud, notably in a New Jersey local election this year, experts say voting fraud is exceedingly rare. In addition, Trump has offered encouragement to QAnon followers (Ive heard these are people that love our country, he said), suggested that bleach and ultraviolet light could kill the coronavirus in patients (experts say that is false) and retweeted a video in which a controversial doctor claims that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19 and that face masks are unnecessary. The doctor, Stella Immanuel, also has claimed that gynecological problems can be caused by sex with witches and demons during dreams. Asked by reporters about Immanuels bizarre claims, Trump said, I thought her voice was an important voice. But, he added, I know nothing about her. Bidens campaign framed Trumps conspiracies as a distraction. The very last thing American voters are hungry for is more dangerous instability or excruciating poison from this commander in chief, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said. Trump campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald defended the president by suggesting Biden's team was "grasping at straws." She did not address Trump's conspiracy theories. Republicans have accused Democrats of concocting conspiracies of their own, such as the notion that Trump won't accept the results of the election if he loses. But Trump himself has added to that speculation by declining to say definitively whether he would accept the results. He also refused to give a definitive answer to that question in 2016. "I have to see," Trump told Fox News Sunday in July. "Im not going to just say 'yes.' Im not going to say 'no,' and I didnt last time either." 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. Several Republicans noted that the problem of conspiracy theories slipping into campaign discourse isnt new phenomena in American politics but acknowledged it has intensified during Trumps tenure. Russ Schriefer, a veteran GOP consultant, said the problem has been exacerbated by the ability of conspiracies to race into voters consciousness through social media. When voters are looking for quick and easy solutions to complex problems, he said, conspiracy theories can fill in the blanks. And certainly, bad actors who are deliberately out there making stuff up, stir the pot and contribute to the problem, Schriefer said. Today any campaign is playing whack a mole in shutting down wild theories from both the left and the right. Mail-in voting: Return to sender: Trump's strategy on mail ballots divides party before GOP convention 'Mini-strokes' and other gossip As he has spread unverified stories about Biden and others, Trump has tried to shut down rumors about his own health in one instance giving them far more attention than they had received in the first place. Trump and the White House physician took the unusual steps of issuing statements Tuesday denying he had a stroke even though no major news outlet had delved into any speculation that Trump suffered from a stroke. The speculation had, however, swirled around in left-wing circles on social media. A new book on the Trump presidency by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt features in some of the discussions, even though the book mentioned nothing about "mini-strokes." Schmidt's book, "Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President," focuses on internal clashes within the Trump administration. One passage in it cites Trump's surprise visit to Walter Reed in November. Schmidt writes 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," Schmidt wrote. 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 While Schmidt, a New York Times reporter, did not report the reason for Trump's sudden visit, Internet users filled in the blanks with all sorts of unfounded theories about the president's health. Joe Lockhart, a former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, questioned in a tweet whether Trump had a stroke but provided no evidence to back up the claim. Other Internet users theorized that Trump had suffered what doctors call a Transient Ischemic Attack a "mini-stroke." As Trump traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to tour the damage from anti-police demonstrations, the White House issued a statement from presidential physician, Dr. Sean Conley, who said Trump had not suffered a stroke, a mini-stroke or any acute cardiovascular emergencies. Trump used the rumors to go on the attack, arguing it was his critics who are guilty of spreading unsubstantiated claims. The president remains healthy, and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him, Conley said. Conspiracy theories and Internet gossip are here to stay no matter who wins in November, predicted Mike DuHaime, a well-known Republican strategist. That's partly because of the increased polarization in American politics. Its not going away after this election, DuHaime said. Leaders of both parties, as well as leaders in media and business, should be concerned about how easily too many people fall for conspiracy theories, which is often predicated on a willingness to believe the worst about people different from you. Election 2020: Chris Wallace, Susan Page among moderators for presidential and vice presidential debates This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 Election: Donald Trump wades deeper into conspiracy theories Community-Based Alternatives to Police Response Advances to Governors Desk A bill to establish a pilot program to have community-based organizations serve as first responders instead of the police awaits only Governor Gavin Newsoms signature. The legislation, AB 2054 the CRISES Act authored by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), passed both houses of the California legislature with nearly unanimous and bipartisan support. The bill is co-sponsored by 13 organizations and includes family members of individuals killed by police, advocates, and experts in non-police responses to crises. Law enforcement has become the go-to solution for societal problems that shouldnt require police involvement, said Kamlager. The CRISES Act limits unnecessary interaction with police by providing alternatives to police involvement. The pilot program will provide humane and germane emergency response to address the root of problems. ADVERTISEMENT Interactions with police can be scary for communities historically traumatized by law enforcement, Kamlager continued. These interactions also can be deadly, as we see all too frequently. Police violence is a leading cause of death for young Black men, Kamlager said. Police kill people with untreated mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, 16 times more often than people without mental health issues. Asantewaa Boykin is an emergency room registered nurse and co-founder of Mental Health First in Sacramento, which was created to provide non-punitive, patient-centered crisis intervention to individuals in a mental health crisis. The increased stress of living through a Pandemic has meant a surge is mental health calls as well, noted Boykin. We all know someone, love someone, or, are someone living with mental illness. In a time of crisis, I imagine we all would prefer our loved one, or ourselves, be lifted up with a kind hand and not hand-cuffs. She shared. Despite the positive impact and cost savings of community-oriented responses to emergencies, California has done little to offer and support these efforts. Instead, law enforcement officers respond to emergencies better suited to peer support experts, or crisis counselors trained to deescalate and resolve crises. Community-based services need to be part of the web of emergency response networks. ADVERTISEMENT In cities across the state, community organizations successfully respond to situations involving unhoused people, people exposed to violence, people experiencing substance abuse and other issues. These are not new efforts. Many communities of color, especially Indigenous and Black communities, have organically developed and used similar systems of care for years, said Ellie Virrueta, with Youth Justice Coalition and STOP Coalition, co-sponsors of the bill. Virruetas 14-year-old cousin was killed by police. Not only have we already been doing this work without funding, but we also have the trust and relationships needed to care and uplift our community. AB2054 will fund solutions to save lives by investing in community-based alternatives. Law enforcement officials have expressed frustration and a desire to focus on public safety emergencies and a preference for trained health professionals to respond to the type of crises targeted by this legislation. Other state and federal legislators are looking at the legislation as a model, said Kamlager. We have an opportunity to move away from the tired status quo that results in the shooting of unarmed Black men in front of their children and drove hundreds of thousands of people into the streets to protest during a pandemic. This bill is an opportunity to advance racial equity in California. I hope our Governor takes it. A wide range of organizations, cities and government officials support the CRISES Act. The bill has received no opposition. Mozambiques President Filipe Nyusi Monday met with the outspoken Bishop of Pemba, Luiz Fernando Lisboa, CP. Paul Samasumo Vatican City & Herminio Jose - Maputo The Catholic Bishop of the northern provinces Cabo Delgado city of Pemba, Luiz Fernando Lisboa has spoken about his meeting with the Mozambican head of state, Filipe Nyusi. Bishop Lisboa said the President of the Republic praised the role of the Catholic Church and other social actors in responding to the humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of Internally Displaced Persons in the Province. The humanitarian situation is the result of terrorist attacks that started in October 2017. A satisfactory encounter Bishop Lisboa said that he, in turn, told the President what the Catholic Church has been doing in concrete terms since the terrorist attacks in the region began. Apart from the physical humanitarian work, the Church in the Diocese of Pemba also engages in Psycho-social care, Bishop Lisboa said. Mozambican media reported first on the meeting after President Nyusi made public the face to face encounter on his Facebook page The meeting, held at the Bishops Pemba residence, lasted about an hour, according to local media. Both Bishop Lisboa and President Nyusi seemed to have come away satisfied with the discussion. Our Bishop The reversal in tone was not lost on observers. Barely two weeks ago pro-government media took turns in condemning Bishop Lisboa for speaking out about the problems in Cabo Delgado. Pro-government media, in Mozambique, accused the Bishop of Pemba of inciting hatred against the Government and even said e was colluding with the terrorists. Bishop Lisboa has frequently criticised Government saying they could do more to protect the people from the terrorists and that government could be more transparent in its efforts to dislodge the insurgents. After Mondays cordial meeting between the President and Bishop, Nyusi spoke of Bishop Lisboa in endearing terms and referred to him as our Bishop. Nyusi told reporters, in Pemba, that dialogue was always preferable irrespective of differing viewpoints. The unrest in Cabo Delgado Since 2017, the northern province of Mozambique has been rocked by deadly attacks perpetrated by armed groups who claim affiliation to the Islamic State. Their operations are increasingly becoming sophisticated and a source of anxiety also for Mozambiques neighbours, especially Tanzania. The Cabo Delgado attacks have resulted in many deaths, conscription of young people and the displacement of thousands of ordinary villagers as a climate of fear reigns in the region. Even before the discovery of rich gas reserves and the terrorist attacks, Cabo Delgado was already festering with discontent due to high levels of poverty and marginalisation by the central Government. A humanitarian crisis getting out of hand According to reliefweb, about 211 485 people are now estimated to be Internally Displaced in Cabo Delgado. The majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) are children, followed by women. Food, shelter, and non-food items are the most-needed assistance for IDPs. While there are settlements and accommodation centres, the majority of IDPs are being hosted by families and relatives. In August, the strategic port town of Mocimboa da Praia fell into the hands of insurgents. The military is still trying to re-take the city. Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako has jumped to the defence of Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo's son and President Nana Akufo-Addo's cousin's involvement in the Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal. Background Parliament approved five agreements on Friday, August 14, 2020 to allow Agyapa Royalties Ltd, a Special Purpose Vehicle, to secure about $1 billion for Ghana's minerals sector. The deal is to permit Agyapa Reyalties Ltd to operate as an independent private sector entity and raise funds from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and London Stock Exchange (LSE). The Agyapa Royalties deal is intended for the country to gain maximum value from its mineral resources by monetizing its mineral income in accordance with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act of 2018 (Act 978). Senior Minister's Son & President's Cousin's Roles The Senior Minister's son named Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo and Gabby Otchere-Darko, a relative of the Finance Minister and the President of Ghana have been appointed as members of the Agyapa Mineral Royalties firm to handle the deal. The roles of these two gentlemen have been met with vehement opposition as members and leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as well as the Minority in Parliament share a strong opinion that the selection of the Senior Minister's son and President's cousin is a conflict of interest. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Spokesperson on Finance speaking on Joy News file programme, questioned the selection process asking ''was there a system in place that this government advertised for any Ghanaian to be able to have that opportunity; what type of recruitment process was done..?'' Kweku Baako's Take Addressing the issue during a panel discusson on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Kweku Baako also questioned the opposition's logic in citing a conflict of interest in the deal. According to him, the fact that Kofi Osafo-Maafo and Mr. Otchere-Darko are related to the top government officials and the President does not disqualify them from handling the minerals royalties deal. To Mr. Baako, he would see the importance in discussing the issues if the argument was about whether the gentlemen have the expertise to secure the deal or not, but they being relatives of the Senior Minister and President is inconsequential to the deal. He further alluded to similar issues that characterized some events in the past. He cited former President J.A Kufour's son whose ownership of the African Regent Hotel became a political topic with the former President receiving bashings from his political opponents and publications where former President John Mahama's brother, Ibrahim Mahama was said to own Merchant Bank. In 2017, Ibrahim Mahama, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineers and Planners Ltd, was reported to have owned the Merchant Bank but managers of the bank denied the reports stressing he is neither a shareholder nor owner of the bank. In all of these incidents among others, Kweku Baako, speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, noted that he consistently defended Mr. Kufour's son as well as Ibrahim Mahama on the lines that they have the right to own businesses provided they use the right means. He is today standing by the same conviction that the selection of the Senior Minister's son and Gabby Otchere-Darko in the Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal is in right order. "We have to be consistent. We have to be coherent . . I don't expect everybody to agree with me and I expect people who disagree to vehemently, if they like violently, disagree with me and criticize me . . . The way we're going around this politics, the so-called conflict of interest relative to political office holders over the period, I see a certain huge area of inconsistency and incoherence and I'm worried about that. This is not going to be the last time this will happen; you bet me!'' Gabby's $2 Million Allegations The opposition National Democratic Congress has also accused Gabby Otchere-Darko of benefiting from the deal. They allege that a law firm owned by Gabby Otchere-Darko has been paid a whopping amount of 2 million dollars but Kweku Baako has denied the allegations. According to Mr. Baako, Gabby never received the said amount but rather was paid a lower rate. "His firm has not been a beneficiary of 2 million dollars. I don't know if I'm allowed but it's not even up to $105,000. It's below," he said. Osafo-Maafos Son Is Qualified Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has also jabbed the opposition party for coming at the Senior Minister's son. Hon. Oppong Nkrumah, in an interview on Joy News, held that Kofi Osafo-Maafo has a rich experience in mineral royalties transaction and his track record very much qualifies him to engage in the Agyapa Royalties deal. Show me the scheme because Osafo-Maafos son who over the years has been very experienced in mineral royalties [...] but why must he be barred because he is Osafo-Maafos son? he asked. Please! Please!! Lets not do this to ourselves because tomorrow your son when he has an opportunity to do something we will say because his father is a known journalist in this country [...] he is disqualified, he further stressed. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video ABB Supplies Electrical Package and Drives Automation to Grupo Gondi's New Recycled Containerboard Mill in Mexico ABB' scope of supply includes switchgear, transformers, motors, drives, and automation for the paper machine drive system. Sept. 3, 2020 - ABB has supplied and commissioned a full electrical solution for Grupo Gondi at its new 400,000 tonnes per year recycled containerboard mill located just north of Monterrey, Mexico. The project includes switchgear, transformers, motors, drives, and automation for the paper machine drive system with ABB's Ability System 800xA distributed control system. ABB will also supply a specialty instrumentation package to enable Gondi to optimize operations while maintaining low energy costs. Commissioning of the project is close to completion, with startup of the new paper machine, PM 7, scheduled this month, September 2020. "Given the importance of this project, working with a reliable and experienced supplier that guaranteed meeting stringent paper machine specifications was crucial," said Jose Iribarne, Project Director, Monterrey Mill, Grupo Gondi. "ABB also has solid resources for support and maintenance in Mexico, and we look forward to working with them to ensure ongoing success." About Grupo Gondi Grupo Gondi is a leading paper and cardboard packaging company in the Mexican market. Currently, Grupo Gondi employs over 7,500 people, with 15 converting plants and 6 recycled paper machines in operation for a current paper production of 650,000 tons per year. With the new paper machine at Monterrey, the Group will increase its capacity to over 1 million tons per year. ABB is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries with four customer-focused businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability digital platform. To learn more, visit: wwww.abb.com . SOURCE: ABB ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a private pay distribution from the CARES Act provider relief funds for licensed assisted living providers. Argentum, its members, and its association partners have been advocating for months for financial relief for the industry, which is caring for vulnerable older adults. Providers in the industry have seen and continue to bear staggering costs related to COVID-19. "We are very pleased that HHS has agreed to allocate this relief funding from the CARES Act provider relief fund to the licensed private pay assisted living industry. It will go directly to supporting the communities that are on the front lines of the pandemic," said James Balda, president & CEO of Argentum. "We are grateful for the partnership of HHS, the President and the White House, and the bipartisan support we have received from members of Congress." Argentum will continue to advocate for the urgent and critical needs of the senior living industry, including seeking priority access to a vaccine for those who live and work in senior living communities as well as priority access to rapid and accurate testing. Recently, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a discussion draft regarding allocations of COVID-19 vaccines, which includes senior living residents and employees under Phase 1. This is a significant step in ensuring vaccine priority, but Argentum will be working closely with decision-makers to offer guidance on what an administration of vaccines needs to look like among senior living communities. Additionally, an announcement was recently made that the federal government intends to prioritize assisted living in the distribution of point-of-care COVID-19 antigen tests. Argentum is pleased that this critical need has been recognized by HHS. "We appreciate the federal government's prioritization of assisted living communities for these rapid COVID-19 antigen tests. Rapid and accurate testing is absolutely essential for communities serving vulnerable older adults, as those results inform critical operational decisions," said Balda. "We look forward to working with HHS and other decision-makers as plans continue to move forward." About Argentum Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Learn more at argentum.org. SOURCE Argentum Related Links https://www.argentum.org HOUSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Properties: VictoriaThree (3) land lots and two light industrial buildings Louisiana Properties: Broussard 12.22+/- ac lot Belle Chasse 37,370+/- sf flex office/warehouse property featuring large shop w/ four (4) bridge cranes and eleven (11) overhead doors. Warehouse space complete w/ four (4) overhead doors and 6,100+/-sf of office space, on two (2) levels Pennsylvania Property: New Castle residence Williams & Williams, a worldwide real estate auction firm and leader in global live and interactive auctions, will auction several surplus real estate properties for energy midstream company Archrock Services L.P. (NYSE: AROC). Listings include warehouse, office space, and land parcels for auction on September 29. The vacant residence in New Castle, PA will sell in an online only auction Sept 28-30 at AuctionNetwork.com. The auctions are being offered in conjunction with commercial broker JLL. The commercial properties include three land lots and two light industrial buildings in Victoria, TX; improved lot in Broussard, LA; and office/warehouse/shop property in Belle Chasse, LA. Fontana Fitzwilson, Executive Vice President of Williams & Williams, says "We are honored to be selected by Archrock to assist with the auction of their surplus real estate. The auction process they have chosen is both effective and efficient and powered by technology that lets anyone in the world participate in these auctions. We are honored they selected us for our knowledge and experience in the oil and gas sector." Public inspections have been scheduled for the buildings in Victoria, TX and Belle Chasse, LA on Sept. 11 & 18 from 11-2pm, and on Sept. 13 from 1-4 pm for the residence in New Castle, PA. The land parcels may be viewed at your convenience during daylight hours. The auctions are open to the public, with no bidder deposit required to participate. Online bidding is available simultaneously with the live auctions at AuctionNetwork.com. For a complete list of properties, sale times, locations and terms, please visit the auction website: https://www.williamsauction.com/ARCHROCK. About Williams & Williams: Williams & Williams (www.williamsauction.com) is a worldwide real estate auction firm and the leader in global live and interactive auctions. A full-service brokerage with an operating footprint in all 50 United States and U.S. Territories, the company is part of the Insight One Solutions family of companies. Williams & Williams also cooperatively partners with residential, commercial and land brokers to auction properties throughout the United States and abroad. SOURCE Williams & Williams Related Links http://www.williamsauction.com Greylock Investment Group Promotes Astorino to Vice President Brian Astorino PITTSFIELD, Mass. Brian Astorino, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and a longtime LPL Financial Advisor at Greylock Investment Group, has been promoted to vice president. Astorino develops long-term financial strategies for credit union members and clients and is located at Greylock Federal Credit Union's Merrill Road office in Pittsfield. "Brian is an asset to us and to the entire community," Greylock Investment Group Senior Vice President Michael Fazio said."His keen insight into financial planning is matched only by his compassion for the community and family. We are proud to have him as a leader on our team." Astorino joined Greylock Investment Group in January 2009 and has been in the industry for 18 years. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, earning a B.S. in Business Administration. He holds the Series 7 and 66 registrations with LPL Financial, and his Massachusetts insurance licenses. He currently serves as chairman of the Adams Cheshire Educational Partnership and is a member of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires. He lives in Cheshire with his wife, Laurie, and their three children. One of Chinas senior Communist party leader and public security minister has instructed the police to strengthen fight against terrorism and separatism during a tour to parts of the northern ethnic Mongolian province which saw protests against the imposition of Mandarin in schools in the past week. The powerful public security or police minister Zhao Khezhi, who is also a State Councilor, said during his visit to Inner Mongolia that it is necessary to deepen the struggle against separatism, strictly implement anti-terrorism and prevention measures, and do a solid job in maintaining stability in the ethnic and religious fields and promoting ethnic unity. Zhao toured Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, home to Muslim minorities, between August 29 and September 2. Zhaos Inner Mongolia tour seemed to be in the backdrop of rare protests by ethnic Mongols against Beijings decision to make Mandarin instead of Mongolian as the language of instruction of key subjects like politics and history in local schools. It is rare for a senior Communist Party of China politician to make a speech about terrorism and separatism in Inner Mongolia. According to a report by the official news agency, Xinhua, in Mandarin, Zhao visited the anti-terrorist and special patrol departments of the local police in Hohhot, the provincial capital. He also reviewed the Warhawks, the detachments commando force. The official media report said Zhao said the police should undertake the duties of maintaining stability and dealing with emergencies, and fighting terrorism and violence. According to the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre (SMHRIC), the local police have increased deployment in the capital city, Hohhot; exiled groups refer to Inner Mongolia as Southern Mongolia. A short video taken by a Mongolian resident of Hohhot shows that hundreds of heavily armed riot police were waiting for orders in the citys main squareXina Hua Square, the group said in a statement. According to some posts published on social media, government officials and Communist Party members of Mongolian ethnicity have been ordered to send their children to school by September 3, or else they will be fired or expelled from the party. Any Mongolians, on social benefits, will also automatically become ineligible for renewal if they do not send their children to school by the same deadline, the SMHRIC said. The change in curriculum in schools in Inner Mongolia, which was enacted this week, means that three core subjects politics, history, language and literature will now be taught in Mandarin, and not in Mongolian anymore. The vast mineral-rich province shares its international border with Mongolia and Russia. Also Read: Taiwan denounces Chinas vulgar threats towards Czech speaker Rights groups say the move to change language in schools in Inner Mongolia mirrors what Beijing has done in Tibet and Xinjiang where, after local languages were replaced, the focus now is to sinicise even Tibetan and Islam assimilate, even subsume, local ethnic communities within the majority Han population. The Hindustan Times has reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry for a comment on the protests. Christopher P. Atwood, professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches the history of Mongolia and the Inner Asian borderlands of China, explains the policy in the academic journal Made in China. Also Read: Indian Army changes posture at LAC after Chinas failed midnight attempt The plan is to begin transitioning to the state-compiled textbooks for language and literature, morality and law (politics), and history classes. The key point is that these classes will be taught in the national common languageMandarin Chinese. This policy will be formally implemented from the beginning of school, this 1 September, starting with language and literature in first and seventh grade, Atwood wrote in the journal, which is brought out by the Australian Centre on China in the World and the Australian National University. Next year, it will be extended to morality and law and then to history in 2022. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 14:08:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Aug. 11, 2020 shows exhibits at an exhibition to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War at the Imperial War Museum in London, Britain. (Xinhua) From both the deadliest hot war in human history and the ideological confrontation that used to split the world into two rival camps, the human race needs to learn one momentous revelation: peace should be cherished while aggression must be rejected. by Xinhua writer Guo Yage BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, while the Cold War has been over for almost three decades. From both the deadliest hot war in human history and the ideological confrontation that used to split the world into two rival camps, the human race needs to learn one momentous revelation: peace should be cherished while aggression must be rejected. Yet it seems that, instead of heeding the tragic lessons of history, some politicians in Washington, by abusing U.S. superpower status, have now become the archenemy of world peace and stability. Photo taken on July 7, 2020 shows the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Those Washington zero-summers have been recklessly instigating hatred and confrontation worldwide. Over the years, they have been manufacturing and selling all kinds of so-called "China threat" theories and have stepped up such crafty deeds during the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic. To divert public rage over the White House's fouled-up pandemic response for their own political interests, those politicians have raced to use every possible chance to peddle a battery of conspiracy theories, fomenting anti-China hysteria and xenophobic sentiments within and beyond the United States. To contain China's development, those China hawks in Washington, notably U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have been busy stifling Chinese technology enterprises. They have also been travelling around the world and coercing countries into choosing sides between Washington and Beijing, seeking to stir up ideological strife and raise the specter of the Cold War. Those U.S. politicians are also unbridled practitioners of bullyism on the world stage, constantly sowing chaos and instability in almost all corners of the globe. People hold anti-war banners and wave Iraqi flags during a protest in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 24, 2019. Hundreds of supporters of Iraqi prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr rallied in the capital Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, rejecting war between Iran and the United States. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) Since the start of the new millennium, the United States has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq under the pretext of combating terrorism, and militarily intervened in Libya and Syria on grounds of humanitarianism, resulting in one hellish humanitarian disaster after another. After the current U.S. administration took power, it has been growingly obsessed with its "maximum pressure" tactic against Tehran, Pyongyang and Caracas, risking the danger of kicking those regions into the abyss of bloody wars. In recent months, it has dramatically raised tensions in the South China Sea by sending warships and fighter jets to the area more frequently. Those U.S. politicians have also been tearing down the existing world order the United States helped build in the post-war era, violating international law and widely recognized norms in international relations, and eroding the foundation for multilateral cooperation. In a world where global challenges need multilateral solutions, they tend to turn their back against the international community. Under their watch, the United States has been more willing to brandish the big stick of tariff against almost all of its major trading partners, and has cast aside its responsibility as a major country for arms control and nuclear non-proliferation by quitting the Iran nuclear deal and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The Capitol and a stop sign are seen in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) At a time when global solidarity is much needed to win the fight against the deadly pathogen, the United States has been breeding protectionism. It has blocked or diverted other countries' medical supply orders, hyped up vaccine nationalism, and decided to quit the World Health Organization, only sowing seeds of distrust and division in the international community and making the arduous global battle much tougher. Involving 61 countries with 1.7 billion people, the Second World War left more than 100 million dead or wounded, while during the Cold War decades, the race for global supremacy cloaked the whole world in the shadow of ideological divide, arms race and geopolitical tensions. Those years of chaos and carnage should never be allowed to be repeated in any form. "We are not each other's enemies. Rather, our common enemy is a tireless virus that threatens our health, security and very way of life," the United Nations vowed ahead of this year's International Day of Peace themed "Shaping Peace Together." Washington should work hard to restrain its ballooning greed for global domination, live up to its global responsibility as the world's sole superpower, and help promote a perpetual peace. That is the only way it can best serve the common interests of all mankind. Photographers capture the sunset over Philadelphia from the Camden Waterfront, following the passing of a fast-moving evening thunderstorm and a June tornado warning. Read more A severe-thunderstorm watch was in effect for most of the Philadelphia region until midnight Wednesday, and the National Weather Service says strong storms are even more likely late Thursday into Thursday night. The governments Storm Prediction Center lists the primary threat both days as strong winds; the criterion for severe would be winds gusting to near 60 mph. Storms Thursday are likely to be more potent and potentially dangerous than those that form Wednesday night, forecasters said, as the atmosphere will be well-juiced and unstable. Supercells and all severe weather threats will be on the table damaging winds, large hail, and even the threat for tornadoes the weather service office in Mount Holly said in its afternoon discussion. It said Delmarva was the likeliest target, however, the threat would extend into the Philadelphia region with heavy rain and flash flooding possible. The weather service said the main period of concern Thursday looked to be from 5 to 11 p.m., with the storm clearing out overnight, with a potentially splendid holiday weekend to follow. Temperatures Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are expected to be around 80 or better in the afternoon under ample sun, followed by comfortable nights with lows in the 60s. The Houston Health Department may soon show up at your door to conduct a new coronavirus survey, and officials are calling on residents to answer the call and participate. In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, the health department is launching a new COVID-19 antibody survey that aims to determine how prevalent the virus has been in the community by identifying people who were previously infected. On HoustonChronicle.com: Baylor College of Medicine to use antibody testing to determine COVID-19's prevalence in Houston Beginning Sept. 8 through the 24, health department staff along with Houston Fire Department paramedics will be traveling to randomly selected Houston households to issue questionnaires and take blood samples, according to a city news release. Participation is voluntary. "If we knock on your door, I strongly encourage you and your loved ones to participate in this important survey, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in the release. The data you provide by participating will help inform strategies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. The antibody test does not identify if a person is currently infected with the virus but instead if they have previously been infected. Dr. David Persse, the health authority of the city of Houston, said during a Wednesday news conference that officials will be asking only COVID and medical-related questions and that questions related to personal information, such as a person's social security number and bank account, will not be asked. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Houston's COVID positivity rate drops, but officials warn to stay vigilant "That's important to us to get an idea across the community, how many folks have been infected and to what degree of antibody response do they have," Persse said. "Because as we move forward, we need to know this information to get an idea of what the virus is doing in our community so we can get ahead of it and control it." Selected participants will receive their test results in about two weeks, Persse said. A second phase of the survey will launch in winter 2021. Those who test positive for antibodies will be asked to participate in future surveys. Read more on the antibody survey on the Houston Health Department website. rebecca.hennes@chron.com She had to take a pause on filming Riverdale's fourth season due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Now Lili Reinhart says she feels 'like a prisoner' as she has resumed filming the CW series in Vancouver, Canada. The 23-year-old actress expressed misgivings about returning north of the border to film her popular series in a new Nylon profile. Alone: Lili Reinhart admitted that she feels 'like a prisoner' while having to be separated from friends and family as she resumes filming Riverdale in Vancouver in a new Nylon interview Lili has said shes less than thrilled about the idea, as it means she 'cannot leave Canada' and wont be able to visit her family for Thanksgiving in November. She also lamented having to fit into a prom dress she wore in an episode before filming was halted, because shes 'a little bit thicker' than she was before the pandemic. 'We stopped during the prom episode, so I have to fit back in that prom dress. Five months later, were all going to be tan, maybe a little bit thicker. I certainly am,' she said. 'I genuinely feel like a prisoner, going back to work, because I cannot leave Canada. That doesnt feel good. You cant go home for Thanksgiving, cant visit your family. No one can come visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks. It just feels f*****.' Tough work: Lili had to quarantine for two weeks and will work past Christmas. She can't leave Canada or have friends or family visit without quarantining; pictured in San Diego in July 2019 Changes: She worried about fitting into her character's prom dress. 'Five months later, were all going to be tan, maybe a little bit thicker. I certainly am'; shown in January Despite her grievances, Lili acknowledged she is 'very lucky' to have the show to return to as other people have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. The blonde beauty also spoke about her battle with depression and anxiety, explaining that she 'felt very lost' at the start of the health crisis. 'I felt very sad and hopeless, because of personal things that were happening in my life,' she admitted. 'Instead of distracting myself, f**king random people and doing drugs and drinking my problems away, I chose the harder route, which was to not distract myself. I was like, "Im not doing that. Im going to go through the next however many months of s**t, pure s**t, awful, crying every day, but the necessary work."' Set adrift: The blonde beauty also spoke about her battle with depression and anxiety, explaining that she 'felt very lost' at the start of the health crisis; still from Riverdale Lili and her costars are set to finish filming the final three episodes of season four, before beginning immediately on season five, which while take place seven years in the future as they leave their high school days behind them. They'll have to quarantine separately for two weeks before filming starts, and once they begin filming they'll work until after Christmas. Lili also spoke more about her bisexuality, which she revealed back in June. 'I didnt date girls until I was right now,' she said. 'Id been with a girl when I was 18. This part of my life was never intentionally hidden. My friends and family knew. My cast members knew. 'I didn't want to come out and talk about it because I felt that bisexuality was becoming a trend [among celebrities], but Ive supported the LGBTQ community since I was a little tween, and it just felt organic. I was like, "F**k it. Nows the time. Its not something Im ashamed of. Hey, you. Im going to be at this protest for LGBTQs for BLM. Come join me.' Bad timing: Lili added that she didn't declare her bisexuality until June because she thought it was becoming a trend with celebrities; pictured in January in LA In May, it was confirmed that Lili and her costar boyfriend Cole Sprouse had split after filming was shutdown due to the pandemic. The onoff couple reportedly separated due to the distance between them, as they chose to quarantine separately. Lili plays Betty, the sometime love interest of Archie (KJ Apa), while Cole plays Archie's friend Jughead. By David Shepardson and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group representing major internet companies including Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a Trump administration bid to narrow the ability of social media companies to remove objectionable content. The Internet Association said in a filing that the Trump administration petition filed in August seeking new rules "is misguided, lacks grounding in law, and poses serious public policy concerns." It said new FCC rules ... 23 years in prison, more than 25 years of a revolutionarys life, including 8 years supervising the torture and execution of thousands of presumed and mostly imaginary enemies, finally got the better of the strength of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch. The former Khmer Rouge executioner, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012, died in a hospital in the Cambodian capital shortly after midnight on September 2 at the age of 77. For eight years, Duch was a key commander of the Communist Party of Kampucheas security services, in charge of the arbitrary detention, interrogation, torture and systematic execution of those whom the Party, led by Saloth Sar, alias Pol Pot, randomly considered its enemies. First, from 1971 to 1975, it was camp M-13, when the Cambodian communist guerrillas the Khmer Rouge (Red Khmer), according to the name given to them by King Sihanouk were in the maquis. Then it was S-21, an ultra-secret prison set up in the heart of the capital, Phnom Penh, during the period when the Khmer Rouge controlled the country, from April 1975 to January 1979. Four years during which it is estimated that a quarter of the Cambodian population perished through bloody purges, mass executions, forced labor, disease, exhaustion and hunger. Until the Vietnamese army invaded the country and pushed the Khmer Rouge back into the mountains for another twenty years of fighting in the name of a totalitarian ideology. A Khmer Rouge who killed other Khmer Rouge It was in 1967 that Duch joined the Communist Party, when it was banned and clandestine but not yet a guerrilla group. In January 1968, he was arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison for sedition. He was freed two years later, thanks to a coup detat organized by the reactionary and militarist right, supported by the United States in short, Duchs enemies. He then immediately joined the armed rebellion. And it was in the company of several other professors of his generation that he became a senior member of the secret police. He reached the peak of his revolutionary career between 1976 and 1978, when S-21 was in full swing and purged thousands of Party cadres. Indeed, it is estimated that 80% of the 12,000 or so prisoners identified at S-21 were Khmer Rouge themselves. The heart of Duchs work was to be a Khmer Rouge killing Khmer Rouge. He received orders directly from the supreme organ of the Party, whose paranoia and infernal, voracious and almost anthropophagous cycle of murders he satisfied and fed. The internal enemy was everywhere. It justified all the failures of the Revolution. And the confessions, often grotesque, extorted through terror and torture by agents trained by Duch, allowed the regime to prove the multiple conspiracies of which it claimed or believed itself to be a victim. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, Duch held himself up in the ranks of an increasingly exhausted revolution, but he clearly no longer played any significant role in it. In short, Duch was a major criminal from 1971 to 1979, neither before nor after. No one would probably know his name today if he had not left the incredible S-21 archives intact. Thousands of photos, documents, interrogation reports, execution lists, dated, annotated, signed by this extremely meticulous, efficient, devoted and obedient comrade, possessed with the lunatic principles of the dictatorship of the proletariat. For historians, the archives of S-21 the masterwork of Duch constituted an essential mine of information on the functioning of one of the most secret regimes in history, in a country that had entirely closed itself off from the world in order to, its rulers claimed, transform the old Khmer kingdom into an agrarian utopia surpassing all other revolutions by its radicalism. A project that was inevitably murderous and inevitably vain. S-21, symbol and museum of the Pol Pot years In 1979, the S-21 prison, a symbol of the crimes committed, was converted into the Genocide National Museum. It is here that since the 1990s, millions of tourists have come to find out, sometimes in shorts and flowered shirts, about the Khmer Rouge death machine, as filmmaker Rithy Panh, author of several major films on S-21 and the crimes under Pol Pot, has called it. Some visitors may still have the uncomfortable privilege of having as a guide and witness one of the last two survivors of the dozen or so prisoners who escaped execution thanks to their useful skills (electrician, mechanic, painter) and thanks to the Vietnamese invasion. It is also in this place that a memorial was erected for the victims. And it is the photos of those who would be killed that have identified the Pol Pot years in the eyes of the world, the time of the men in black as some survivors call it. Photos of prisoners upon their arrival at S-21, the prison run by Duch, have become the visual symbol of the Khmer Rouge crimes. Nicolas Asfouri / AFP The notoriety of the place has caught up with its former director, betrayed by his own archives. Uncovered in 1999 by Nic Dunlop, a young Irish press photographer, Duch, who was working under a false identity for an American charity, immediately acknowledged his role. This made him a unique case among Khmer Rouge executives, inclined to deny atrocities or responsibility. The birth defect of an international tribunal Duch was quickly put in prison, and never got out of it. Ten years after his arrest, his trial opened before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a court composed of both Cambodians and international lawyers, and created after eight years of negotiations between the Cambodian government itself led by defrocked former Khmer Rouge and the United Nations. A court that was flawed from the outset, built on a narrow and ambiguous political compromise, against the backdrop of a weak, corrupt and subservient national judicial system, and that would never emancipate itself from the demands of the all-powerful Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who deserted in 1977 before coming back with the Vietnamese army, for whom only five individuals were to be tried. Duch was the first of them. He was not one of the leaders of the movement and of the party, but his name was more famous than that of the latter, except for Pol Pot, whom Duch had seen only twice in his life. It had been thirty years since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. Pol Pot, Son Sen and Ta Mok were dead and international justice could only afford symbolism. A remarkable trial In essence, Duchs trial was easy. He was a very cooperative defendant, who acknowledged most of his responsibilities and the facts against him. The mass of documents found at S-21, already well studied by researchers, made for an implacable indictment. Duch was a guaranteed judicial success. Yet, his trial remains today one of the most remarkable of its kind at the international level. From March to September 2009, almost every day, Duch analyzed and clarified the documents submitted to him, answering questions directly from victims or relatives of victims who, before the ECCC, were involved in the trial as they had never been before any other international court. Never before had the voice of the executioner been heard in such detail. It was served by an intelligent Duch, endowed with an astounding memory, in turn fighting, coldly clinical or broken by the fright of certain testimonies, repentant or unable to sink to the devastating depths of his memories. Never had the voice of the victims been so present and opened to stories revealing the extent of the suffering and destruction of families, beyond the killings. This voice was served by witnesses whose evocative power and emotion overwhelmed and destabilized the formal order of the judiciary. It was a trial with little legal or procedural stakes, which often turned it into a kind of spectacular and heartbreaking truth commission. How could an exemplary former mathematics teacher from a modest background, loved by his students and concerned about social justice, turned into a ruthless executioner? This question, which is at the heart of the experience of mass crime and often swept away by the technical and fearful logic of trials, had never been so consciously approached as in this case. No one will remember the debates of the second major trial that took place before the ECCC. But literature and filmography on S-21 and the Duch trial is abundant. It seals the historical and judicial memory of the Khmer Rouge crime. And as a result Duch has unwillingly become the symbol of this crime. When justice expires In fourteen years of activity, the ECCC has tried only three former Khmer Rouge leaders Duch first, then in a second trial, Nuon Chea, the regimes number 2, and Khieu Samphan, the former head of state. Two other defendants died before reaching a verdict. Attempts by international prosecutors and judges to prosecute five or six other suspects all failed. Today, the ECCC appears to be a judicial enterprise at its wits end, mired in vain, costly and near-absurd proceedings, overwhelmed by the passage of time, disconnected from the interests and priorities of a population born, for 80% of them, after the fall of Pol Pot, and that has resolutely turned its back on a history that has become so remote, covered by the thick layer of ideological dust of another century. Last April, the American NGO Open Society Justice Initiative publicly asked the UN to stop funding the ECCC. This was an unprecedented position for an organization whose support for international criminal justice is unequivocal. Last month, Cambodian judges officially buried one of the pending cases, all of which have been in a deadlock since they were initiated twelve years ago. Duch now dead, only one convict remains alive: Khieu Samphan, 89 years old and still awaiting a final judgment on appeal, thirteen years after his indictment by the ECCC. The passing of the former director of S-21 thus appears to be a vivid anticipation of that of the court that tried him and whose raison detre has expired. Recommended reading Is it time to wrap up the Khmer Rouge tribunal? On 1 September, Cambodians began Pchum ben, a religious festival, the second most important moment of the year. This is the time when, for two weeks, the Khmer people are invited to pray in memory of the dead in the hope of improving their karma. Duch died the following night. As if symbols, right to the end, had chosen him in order to embody History and to go beyond it. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 13:12 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c42747ee 1 Business Malindo-Feedmill,Malindo-Food-Delight,export,nuggets,global-trade,COVID-19 Free Food company PT Malindo Food Delight launched on Tuesday its first export to Japan amid declining global trade due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Malindo Food Delight shipped 6 tons of chicken products including nuggets and sausages worth Rp 156 million (US$10,597) to the East Asian country. The company produces 9,000 tons of such products each year, contributing 4 percent to the revenue of its parent company, PT Malindo Feedmill. I hope this export can give extraordinary energy to us and all the parties in seeking other export opportunities, Lau Joo Hwa, the director of the parent company, said in a virtual presser on Tuesday. This is also our effort to support the Agriculture Ministrys movement in raising exports threefold. The coronavirus outbreak has hit international trade amid movement restrictions implemented in various countries around the world, including in Indonesia. The World Trade Organization (WTO) projects global trade volumes will contract by between 13 percent at best and 32 percent at worst this year. Indonesias overall exports were down 9.9 percent year-on-year (yoy) to $13.73 billion in July as the COVID-19 outbreak hampered global logistics, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data. However, agriculture exports rose to $350 million in July, an 11.17 percent yoy increase from the figure in the same month last year. Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said Tuesday Malindo Food Delights maiden export proved that Indonesian chicken products could penetrate Japans market, which demanded high quality food products. The target is raising it tenfold, said Syahrul, a NasDem party politician. I hope we can maintain consistency in quality and efficiency so that we can keep competing in the international market. The minister went on to say that companies like Malindo Food Delight should buy more chickens from local farmers to help stabilize prices. CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has secured an equipment order totaling $110,000. The order is for an ASV Track Loader RT-120 Forestry with a dozer blade and a 4&1 bucket. The RT-120 Forestry features a rated operating capacity of 3,745 pounds and a tipping load of 10,700 pounds. It offers ASV's patented Posi-Track rubber-track suspension and includes both suspended wheels and axles, allowing it to achieve faster speeds. This machine offers a fully-flexible 20" tracks and suspended wheels that conform to the ground and a special guarding package. Combine that with 15 inches of ground clearance and you get a unit that works in more places, on more days, more comfortably than competitive machines. The ASV RT-120 was purchased by a commercial rancher in Northern California and will ship before the end of the third quarter ending September 30, 2020. About AmeraMex International AmeraMex International sells, leases, and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional corporate information, online heavy equipment inventory/ pricing and videos. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. CONTACT: Investor and Media Relations McCloud Communications, LLC Marty Tullio, Managing Member Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com SOURCE: AmeraMex International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604604/AmeraMex-International-Receives-110000-Equipment-Order The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,160 new coronavirus cases Thursday, marking the largest number of new cases in a day in more than a month. The new report raises the statewide total to 136,711 cases. Its the first time the state has reported more than 1,000 new cases in a single day since July 28. Its the biggest one-day number since July 24, when the state reported 1,213 cases. The number of new cases had dropped throughout most of August, but there has been an uptick in recent days, although the number of new infections remains well below the peak in the spring. The state has reported 5,615 new cases over the past seven days, an average of 802 per day. That matches the numbers seen in early August. Across Pennsylvania, 7,732 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 20 newly reported fatalities Thursday. More than 5,000 of the states coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. The health department reports 530 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals. In late July, more than 700 people were hospitalized for COVID-19. During the peak in the spring, about 2,800 people were in hospitals due to the coronavirus. Most of those who have contracted the coronavirus have recovered. The health department estimates 82% of those infected have recovered. The department considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days past the point of infection or the development of symptoms. There were 25,063 test results reported to the health department through 10 p.m. Wednesday. From Aug. 27-Sept. 2, the state has administered 166,499 coronavirus tests. More than 1.5 million people have tested negative for the coronavirus, according to the health department. Gov. Tom Wolfs administration said 3.2% of all coronavirus tests last week were positive for COVID-19, down from 3.4% the previous week. The positive test rate has dropped for five consecutive weeks, according to the Wolf administration. Still, the Wolf administration on Monday named 9 counties to watch because more than 5% of those tested were positive for the virus over a 7-day period. These are the counties: Columbia (13.5%), Armstrong (8.3%), Perry (6.9%), Northumberland (6.7%), Potter (5.9%), Beaver (5.7%), Dauphin (5.3%), Fulton (5.3%) and York (5.0%). The state is also tracking an uptick in cases among young adults. In August, the health department reported roughly 1 in 5 new cases in eastern Pennsylvania involved those between the ages of 19 and 24. In northcentral Pennsylvania, nearly a quarter of the new cases in August came in that age group. On Thursday, Temple University announced it was suspending nearly all in-person classes for the fall semester due to an increase in students testing positive for COVID-19. Heres a look at the week-by-week trend in new cases going back to early July. July 3-9: 4,793 new cases, an average of 684 per day July 10-16: 5,579 new cases, an average of 797 per day July 17-23: 5,912 new cases, an average of 844 per day July 24-30: 6,720 new cases, an average of 960 per day July 31-Aug. 6: 5,443 new cases, an average of 777 per day Aug. 7-13: 5,600 new cases, an average of 800 per day Aug. 14-20: 4,819 new cases, an average of 688 per day Aug. 21-27: 4,216 new cases, an average of 602 per day Aug. 28-Sept. 3: 5,615 new cases, an average of 802 per day 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. More from PennLive Pa. nursing homes will allow visitors to help care for some residents Latest Pa. GOP attempt to strip Gov. Tom Wolf of his coronavirus emergency powers fails Pa. high school sports get new guidance on how many fans can attend games, other events, this fall Pa. House passes pandemic-related school bills, including one that guarantees school boards have the power to decide whether to hold sports We need a change; Pa. House plans to attempt to override governors veto of bill to bring an end to his COVID-19 disaster declaration Gettysburg College quarantines all students to their rooms because of COVID-19 The husband of Conservative minister Chloe Smith is a Covid-19 conspiracy theorist who has called coronavirus a 'mental illness' - and retweeted posts describing the government as 'globalist puppets' and 'tyrants'. Sandy McFadzean, a vice president at Credit Suisse who first met Ms Smith at a charity ball in 2012, attended Saturday's march in London along with 10,000 other anti-vaxxers protesting against lockdown measures. Father-of-two Mr McFadzean, a former officer in the Parachute Regiment, also retweeted a poster for the march, which called for no track and trace, an end to social distancing and no facemasks. Today, Ms Smith, MP for Norwich North, told MailOnline: 'My husband is a private citizen. Everyone is entitled to their views and to debate. I take a different view to his. My own views are on the record and I'll carry right on working for my constituents accordingly.' Ms Smith, Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution, has supported the government's policies against coronavirus and changed her Twitter name during the pandemic to reflect the government message of 'Stay Alert, Save Lives'. However, Mr McFadzean - who originally hails from Scotland and married Ms Smith in 2013 - denies the existence of Covid-19, writing on Twitter: 'Government need to be clear. Either there is a killer virus on the loose or there isn't. (Spoiler alert: There isn't)'. In July, he wrote: 'Covid-19 is most likely an outbreak of mental illness.' The husband of Government minister Chloe Smith is a Covid-19 conspiracy theorist who has called coronavirus a 'mental illness'. Sandy McFadzean, a financial consultant, attended Saturday's march (pictured at the event) in London along with thousands of other anti-vaxxers protesting against lockdown measures Minister of State for the Constitution Chloe Smith - who is MP for Norwich North - has supported the government's policies against coronavirus and changed her Twitter name during the pandemic to reflect the government message of 'Stay Alert, Save Lives'. She is pictured with Mr McFadzean, who denies the existence of Covid-19, in 2012 - the year they became engaged Mr McFadzean, who was briefly an officer in the Parachute Regiment, wrote on Twitter: 'Government need to be clear. Either there is a killer virus on the loose or there isn't. (Spoiler alert: There isn't)' In July, he wrote: 'Covid-19 is most likely an outbreak of mental illness.' Above, his Twitter account, which was deleted yesterday More than 10,000 Covid-19 conspiracy theorists who believe the virus is a hoax gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday to protest against lockdown restrictions and vaccination programmes Mr McFadzean also mentioned StandUp X in one Twitter post - a group which believes coronavirus will force vaccinations on people for the benefit of pharmaceutical companies and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. His account was deleted on Wednesday afternoon after Ms Smith, 38, was contacted by her local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press reported. Signs at Saturday's march, which was led by conspiracy theorist David Icke, also included a poster calling for Mr Gates to be jailed, along with Ms Smith's colleague, health secretary Matt Hancock. More than 10,000 anti-lockdown protesters who believe coronavirus is a hoax gathered for the 'Unite for Freedom' rally which started at noon in the capital. Who is Sandy McFadzean?Cambridge student, parachute regiment officer, financial consultant and conspiracy theorist Sandy McFadzean was born in Scotland and grew up in north Wales. He holds an MA from Cambridge University and served on a short service commission with the Parachute Regiment as an officer. He later embarked on a financial service career, initially working for Morgan Stanley before moving to Deloitte - and is currently a vice president at Credit Suisse. Mr McFadzean, then 34, was working as a senior consultant with London-based finance firm Catalyst Development in 2012 when he met Chloe Smith, then aged 30, at a charity ball. Chloe proposed to him after a four-month romance in her desire to strike a blow for equality. Sandy McFadzean, then 34, was working as a senior consultant with London-based finance firm Catalyst Development in 2012 when he met Chloe Smith, then aged 30. (The couple are pictured in 2012) They became engaged just after her car-crash interview with Jeremy Paxman in which she defended government policy on fuel. The following day, Mr McFadzean accepted and produced a diamond ring - and the couple were married in 2013. Ms Smith said it was 'love at first sight' when she met her husband-to-be at the charity event in the summer when he had just completed a triathlon. 'By the time we met that evening, Sandy had swum to shore from the Isle of Wight, cycled 100 miles through the New Forest and run a half marathon into London, and still made it to the charity ball,' she told the Norwich Evening News. 'He is welcome to repeat that with a box of Milk Tray any time he likes. 'I just loved the way Sandy talked. I was instantly attracted to his really relaxed manner and we just hit it off straight away. We share a great interest in the way the world works and what makes people tick.' The couple have two children, Alastair, born in 2016, and Rosamund, born last year. Sandy McFadzean and Chloe Smith became engaged soon after the MP's car-crash interview with Jeremy Paxman in 2012 (pictured) - which was described as a 'mauling' after she struggled to answer his questions on fuel duty Advertisement The demonstrators called for an 'end to Government lies' and the restoration of all freedoms as they marched past Downing Street towards the Houses of Parliament. Among the earlier posts Mr McFadzean retweeted was one which swore at the government for announcing fines on people who joined mass gatherings. And the vice president at bank Credit Suisse also retweeted a post comparing the arrest of one of the march organiser's, Piers Corbyn, to the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Mr Corbyn, brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, was arrested and fined 10,000 after the march for the offence of holding a gathering of more than 30 people in an outdoor place. 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) Other speakers included David Icke, who believes coronavirus is linked to 5G technology. Norwich South Labour MP Clive Lewis said: 'There's absolutely no way I'd hold anyone responsible for the views of their partner. Chloe Smith (above) proposed to her future husband in 2013 after a four-month romance. She said at the time it was 'love at first sight' when she met the former soldier at a charity event 'However, if my partner was spouting forth a load of Covid conspiracy, anti-vaccination nonsense, it is very likely the subject might come up for discussion at some point over tea.' Chloe Smith proposed to her future husband in 2013 after a four-month romance. She said at the time it was 'love at first sight' when she met the former soldier at a charity event. 'I just loved the way Sandy talked,' she said in 2013. 'I was instantly attracted to his really relaxed manner and we just hit it off straight away. 'We share a great interest in the way the world works and what makes people tick.' Mr McFadzean said at the time: 'One of the features of our relationship is that we have quite clear views on equality and we are a very equal couple. We realised really quickly that we wanted to be together.' WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- "What is worth remembering about U.S.-China cooperation in fighting Japanese aggression in World War II is that, at the time, the interests of the U.S. and China differed, yet they still cooperated, united by a common foe," renowned American public intellectual Robert Lawrence Kuhn has said. Kuhn made the remarks to Xinhua when responding to a question about the 75th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. "To China, the battle on Chinese soil was existential: their country invaded, partially occupied, and suffering unspeakable horrors. To the U.S., the battle on Chinese soil was diverting Japanese forces and resources, reducing Japan's capacity to wage war against America and American interests throughout the Pacific theater," Kuhn said. "It is a propitious time to reflect on the past in order to better understand the present and to better plan the future," he added. "Such reflection seems especially relevant today because, sadly, the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies, have moved ... from collaborators to competitors, with some now calling the U.S. and China adversaries; a descent into a hostile, perilous, zero-sum game," added the expert. "If common foes are what we need, the U.S. and China have common foes in abundance. They are not marching soldiers but they are every bit as dangerous and deadly: pandemics, climate change, world poverty, world inequalities, terrorism, organized crime, wars and threats of war in numerous locations," Kuhn said. "That said, while appreciating lessons to be learned from history, I also believe, to take a contrarian position, that history lessons have limited value today," he said. "Our epoch is unique. For multiple reasons, especially instant global communication, our geopolitical conditions are sui generis -- unique, never happened before -- which should give us pause to reflect before we react," Kuhn said. "The burden is on us, especially leadership in the U.S. and China, to find the right road on which both great countries and peoples can walk in peace and harmony, with honesty, dignity and mutual respect," he said. Steve Mnuchin, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, asks Congress subcommittee panel to extend unemployment claims and send more stimulus checks. Steve Mnuchin testified before the House subcommittee who are looking into another coronavirus relief aids that include stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury supports having the second round of the financial benefits. Trump's administration wants to make sure that millions of Americans will receive stimulus checks before the government operation shuts down on Oct.2. Along with this is making sure also that the weekly unemployment benefits will be extended until the end of this year. Mnuchin described the second round of stimulus checks and the extension of unemployment benefits as critical to the economic recovery of the country. He said this after Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected the $1.3 trillion coronavirus relief aide intended for millions of Americans. According to Mnuchin, Pres. Trump does not have the power and the ability to authorize new spending for stimulus checks and unemployment benefits but Congress does. It is for this reason that Mnuchin asked the subcommittee panel for another financial aide. Trump's administration and the Republican lawmakers have been persistent in pushing for stimulus payments. In fact, they want Congress to deliberate it on the floor so that the benefits will be sent out as soon as possible to millions of Americans who continue to suffer the economic devastation of the pandemic. In a recently published article in Latin Post, Mnuchin said that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would unveil next week the details of the new stimulus bill. Around 100 Democratic lawmakers are expected to support the new stimulus bill. It can be remembered that these Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to accept the proposal of the White House rather than rejecting it and letting the Americans suffer due to some political issues between the two parties. They also asked to forget, in the meantime, the bipartisan issues and deliver what Americans need in this tie of economic fallout. The talks on the second round of the stimulus package were stalled after it collapses due to disagreements on the package's total amount. After it, Pres. Trump signed and issued an executive order that extended the unemployment benefits, suspended the collection of payroll taxes, and gave a signal through White House Chief of Staff that he will immediately sign the stimulus bill once it is on his table. Meanwhile, Mnuchin reiterated during the House sub-committee panel hearing that he is willing to negotiate with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi anytime, even though their previous proposals for a stimulus package were rejected multiple times. Hopefully, next week, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell will successfully unveil before Congress the details for the next stimulus package. The financial benefits' decision needs to be made the soonest as possible or else millions of Americans will be homeless and have nothing to support themselves and their families. Check these out! New Delhi: The Election Commission will deploy about 400 expenditure observers, drawn from the IRS and other central services, to check use of black money and other illegal inducements in the Assembly polls in five states. Officials said while 200 observers will be drawn from the Income Tax department stream of the Indian Revenue Service, 150 are from the Central Excise and Customs department of the IRS and about 50 more from other central services. The EC, they said, has had preliminary briefing sessions with these observers and allocation of the state and constituency to each officer has been made. These expenditure observers will be deployed to check circulation of black money and other illegal inducements during the polls and will be in touch with the EC headquarters in Delhi. The Commission is committed to have a level playing field during the polls and hence it is essential to monitor the flow of funds, cash and other items that act as bribes to the voters, they said. The Central Board of Direct Taxes, the policy-making body of the I-T department, has also asked the taxman to bolster their Air Intelligence Units (AIUs) at major airports in these poll-bound states to check movement of cash and other suspect items. State excise departments and police authorities have been asked to monitor production, distribution, sale and storage of liquor and other intoxicants (including narcotics) during the election process. The functioning and operations of the flying squads and mobile teams shall be closely monitored using GPS tracking, the EC said today. The EC has also asked the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to inform it and the I-T department with regard to any suspicious movement of deposits and cash related to these states. The poll panel today announced the schedule for the Assembly elections in the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and the exercise will be held between February 4 and March 8 in these states. While polling will be spread over seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, it will be a one-day affair in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa while in Manipur it will be a two-day exercise. Counting of votes in all the states will be held on March 11. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi said the Commission will keep a watch on the use of black money, which is expected to come down due to demonetisation, and steps will be taken up to ensure that other illegal inducements are not used to influence voters. The maximum limit for expenses for each candidates in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand is Rs 28 lakh, while that in Goa and Manipur is Rs 20 lakh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. After the pandemic and economic hit in the first half of the year, the markets have found a clear path forward. The S&P 500 is up 8% year-to-date, and the NASDAQ has gained 30% this year. The gains are heading into the rarefied reaches of the financial stratosphere, and its important not to lose perspective. Rapid, large, gains like these can easily put investors into a buying mood, just picking up any convenient stocks as they follow the herds buying trend. Instead, investors should take a step back, and use a data-driven signal to find stocks that are likely to take a lead. Corporate insiders can provide just such a data signal. These company officers by virtue of their positions in upper management have access to information that is simply not available to the general investing public. And, unlike the general public, they are responsible to shareholders and Boards of Directors for bringing in positive results. So, when they start buying up stock in their own companies, its a sign that investors should heed. 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. iMedia Brands, Inc. (IMBI) Well start with online shopping, a sector that has gotten a lot of attention during the pandemic period. iMedia Brands is the owner of ShopHQ and a half-dozen sister brands, offering a variety of goods and services: health and wellness products, jewelry, online streaming, and even tech logistics. The social distancing and lockdown policies put in place to combat the coronavirus have been a boon for online vendors, as brick-and-mortar retailers felt the pinch of lost customer traffic. IMBIs share price slipped when the markets crashed in late winter but the stock has recovered, and then some. IMBI is now up nearly 70% year-to-date, strongly outperforming the general markets. Story continues Revenues slipped in Q1, losing 22% sequentially, but quickly turned back upwards. The Q2 top line, at $124 million, recouped the Q1 losses and came in slightly higher than the 4Q19 figure. The stronger second quarter earnings were reported at the same that iMedia announced a $15 million offering of common stock, totaling 2.4 million shares. And that brings us to the insider purchases. In the end of August, Board of Directors member Eyal Lalo put down $1.6 million for a bloc of 256,000 shares in IMBI. It was Lalos second large insider buy of IMBI this year and this one purchase pushed the insider sentiment on the stock far above the sector average, to a strongly positive reading. Lake Street analyst Mark Argento sees iMedia Brands holding a strong position in its marketplace. He writes, We expect revenue to continue to benefit from improved product/pricing discipline, new product launches, and the stay-at-home trend over the coming quarters. We expect the build-out and growth of the company's more specialized channels and OTT platform to further benefit the top line over time. Going forward, we believe the improved level of profitability is sustainable In line with his optimism, Argento rates IMBI stock a Buy. His $13 price target implies an upside potential for the coming year of 93%, impressive by any standard. (To watch Argentos track record, click here) Overall, the Wall Street analyst consensus on iMedia Brands is a unanimous Strong Buy, based on 3 recent reviews. The shares are selling for $6.73, while the $11.50 average price target suggests a one-year upside of 71%. (See IMBI stock analysis on TipRanks) SmileDirectClub (SDC) Next on our list is SmileDirectClub, the dental telemedicine startup. This company specializes in clear aligners, an alternative to traditional braces and one that is growing in popularity. SDCs customers interact with the company via two-way video link, consulting with licensed dentists and orthodontists who guide them through the process for taking tooth impression and making the aligner molds. The final product is manufactured by 3D printing and returned to the customer via mail. The growth of telemedicine has been accelerating in recent years, and the COVID-19 crisis has only reinforced that trend. Company insiders are clearly confident in SDCs future, as evidenced by strong buying activity over the past two weeks. Four SmileDirectClub officers have bought up large blocs of shares. The largest purchase, and easily the most notable, was for $10.32 million. Company CEO David Katzman bought 1.278 million shares in the company this week. Robbie Marcus, a 5-star analyst from JPMorgan, agrees that SDC is a stock to buy, and explains his reasoning: were encouraged by managements commitment to its 4Q adjusted EBITDA profitability target and see a clear path toward this target as second gen automation comes online and the company continues improving selling & marketing leverage. When coupled with conservative guidance for 3Q and recent wins on the legal front (here), we remain bullish on the companys outlook for 2H To this end, Marcus backs his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating with a $14 price target, predicting an 18% growth potential this year. (To watch Marcus track record, click here) Overall, with 8 recent reviews, including 6 Buys and 1 each Hold and Sell, SmileDirectClub gets a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus. The analysts believe the share price will remain range-bound, as indicated by the $10.14 average price target. (See SDC stock analysis on TipRanks) American Assets Trust (AAT) Last on our list today is American Assets Trust, a San Diego-based real estate investment trust with a portfolio of high-end office, retail, and residential properties on the West Coast and in Hawaii. The companys portfolio includes 3.1 million square feet of retail space, 3.4 million square feet of office space, and 2,112 multifamily rental units. Like most REITs, American Assets Trust pays out a generous dividend. The company did cut back on the payment, reducing it from 30 cents per common share to 20 cents for the June quarter payment, in order to maintain viability. At that rate, the dividend has an annualized payout of $1.00 and a yield of 3.93%. This dividend is supported by earnings that have remained positive despite the coronavirus and economic crises. Q1 EPS was stable 56 cents per share it matched the previous quarter. Q2 EPS slipped to 48 cents, but beat the forecast by 29%. While AAT shares are down 41% year-to-date, managements confidence is made clear by an informative buy from CEO Ernest Rady who bought 20,000 shares worth $506,000 in the end of August. Wells Fargo analyst Tamara Fique sees strength and reason for optimism in the companys rent collections and overall liquidity. AATs rent collection rate averaged 82.7% in Q2, including 98% for office, 95% for multifamily, and 58% for retail. To date, July rent collections have improved to 83.3% on average with retail improving 450 bps to 70.1% from the June level AAT has $396MM in liquidity, including $146MM of cash and $250MM available on its line of credit. It has no debt maturing for the remainder of 2020 Following her comments, Fique rates the stock an Overweight (i.e. Buy) and her $33 price target suggests that it has room for a 28% upside in the coming year. Fiques is the only recent review on record for this stock. (To watch Fiques 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. Brad Pitt's new girlfriend seems to be enjoying the spotlight after the news broke that she is the latest lady who caught the Hollywood A-list actor's heart. This, after his messy divorce with Angelina Jolie. Several sources already confirmed that Brad and Nicole are indeed in a relationship. A week after the couple was spotted arriving at Le Bourget Airport, it looks like the 27-year-old model is enjoying all the attention she is getting from the public, just one of the many perks of being Brad Pitt's lady love. The German model was recently caught checking out a fan account dedicated to the newest hottest couple in town. An Instagram account with the username @nicobrad2020 is dedicated to Brad and Nicola shippers. As what the account's bio suggests, it is meant to "support Hollywood's next super couple." The bio also took a swipe on Brad Pitt's ex-wives Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie, and stated: "Jennifer and Angelina dead. It's Nicole's time?" Based on the fan account's screenshots, it appears that Nicole herself checked out their Instagram story entry, which featured a collage photo of herself and Brad. The account excitedly shared the screenshot, which showed that user @nico.potur - Nicola's official Instagram account was indeed one of the viewers. "Queen watched my story, love you, Nicole," the fan account wrote. It looks like someone is enjoying her newfound fame. Nicole checking out the fan account came after she blessed her 194,000 followers a braless photo of herself. Nicole daringly stuns in a beige coat dress that exposed a bit of her cleavage. "Its all about your Mindset," Nicole wrote, adding a white heart emoji. The photo now has over 10,000 likes and flooded with comments praising her sultry beauty. While the couple's romance just blew up on public yesterday, new evidence shows that Brad and Nicole's relationship could be traced back as early as 2019. It is after photos of the new couple attending a concert surfaced the internet. In the rare picture, Brad and Nicole would be seen sitting beside each other in the VIP Box at Kanye West's show. The said concert took place in Hollywood Bowl last November 24, 2020. In the photo, the Hollywood A-lister appears to be totally smitten with the supermodel as they look at each other while smiling. Another source seems to have echoed this evidence. An insider told People that Brad and Nicole had known each other since last year, and they were first spotted hanging out in August 2019. The said meeting happened after the Berlin premiere of Brad's movie, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," where he later bagged the Oscars award for Best Supporting Actor. "They were very flirty," an eyewitness said. The insider revealed that since that flirty meeting, Brad and Nicole have been lowkey seeing each other until their recent France getaway broke the internet. "They are spending some time together on vacation and are enjoying each other's company while traveling," the insider said. READ MORE: From 'Tiger King' to Dancing Queen? Carole Baskin Joins' Dancing with the Stars' A man who carried out a calculated and hateful campaign against judges and their families in retaliation for decisions made during Family Court proceedings has been handed three life sentences without parole and will die in jail. Leonard John Warwick, 73, carried out a shooting and a series of bombings between 1980 and 1985 targeting three Family Court judges, a solicitor who had represented his wife, the court building itself, and innocent members of a Jehovah's Witness congregation who helped his wife and daughter leave Sydney. Leonard John Warwick murdered three people in a shooting and series of bombings. Credit:AAP During the attacks Justice David Opas was shot dead outside his home, Pearl Watson the wife of Justice Ray Watson was killed by a bomb blast at their front door, and worshipper Graham Wykes was killed in an explosion at a Casula prayer hall that injured dozens of others including children. Justice Richard Gee survived a blast that destroyed his Belrose home. A four-kilogram bomb, placed under the bonnet of a car where a solicitor used to live, was discovered before the key was turned in the ignition, while a bomb at the Family Court in Parramatta exploded at night when no one was around. Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 3 September 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 29,407 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 2,110 pence 28.01 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 2,060 pence 27.34 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 2,087 pence 27.71 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 3 September 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 17,471 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 28.00 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 27.50 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 27.68 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 3 September 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 24,057 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 28.10 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 27.45 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 27.77 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 39.02 USD 29.19 GBP which was calculated as of 31 August 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 192,944,999 Public Shares outstanding, or 198,984,362 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 18,011,751 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. Category: (PSH:ShareRepurchases) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005812/en/ Contacts: Media Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk After Manipuri black rice, locally known as Chakhao,bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the Manipur government expects that the Tamenglong orange (Citrus reticulata),a species of mandarim group and a unique fruit crop found in the state,will get its GI certificate after 120 days. We are expecting to get a GI Certificate for Tamenglong orange as it has already been notified, K Devdutta Sharma, Project director of Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) said. Devdutta added, Sirarakhong Hathei, a long chilly variety having a unique taste and colour which grows in Sirarakhong village under Ukhrul district has already been approved and it will also be notified soon. Last year, MOMA applied for GI tags for Tamenglong orange, Sirarakhong Hathei, Shirui Lily of Ukhrul district and Black Cherry of Senapati district. But Shirui Lily was rejected following changes in GI guidelines, he said. Tamenglong orange is a species of mandarin group is a unique fruit crop found only in Tamenglong district which contributes over 50 per cent of the states annual production.It is famous especially for its well blended sweetness and acidic taste. Usually each fruit contains 10-14 pods. Manipur has been celebrating the Orange Festival every December for the last 15 years to promote Tamenglong orange. Manipur black rice, a scented glutinous rice which has been cultivating in the state over centuries and it is characterised by its special aroma,bagged GI tag in May 2020. Authorities here are also targeting to take up GI process for a high protein content local pea variety-Hawai-Tharak Makhyatmubi. Earlier Kachai Lemon (Citrus jambheri Lush), a unique lemon variety which contains high ascorbic acid, has been accorded GI registration tag. The Kachai Lemon grows at Kachai village under Ukhrul district. TEHRAN, Iran, Sep. 3 Trend: South Korea cannot meet all of Iran's pharmaceutical needs in exchange for Iran`s blocked money and major imported medicines are supplied through European countries and India, the head of the Health Economic Committee in Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Mahmoud Najafi Arab said, Trend reports citing ILNA. In July, President Hassan Rouhani had reacted to Seouls blocking of Iranian assets, saying that South Koreas ban on Irans use of its central bank resources to buy basic goods, medicine, and humanitarian items is by no means acceptable, and we expect Seoul to lift this restriction as soon as possible. Also in May, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had said that preliminary steps were taken to set up a channel to allow Iran to use its funds in South Korea to buy humanitarian goods. Weeks later South Koreas Foreign Ministry said Seoul was sending $500,000 worth of medicine to Iran. The head of the Health Economic Committee in Tehran Chamber of Commerce, expressed his disagreement with the idea of importing medicine from South Korea adding that "So far, I have not received any news about receiving health-related items in exchange for Iran`s frozen reserves in South Korea, It is also impossible to import those items from South Korea in exchange for demands because our country imports only a limited number of drugs from this country, he added. He went on to explain that South Korea cannot meet all of Iran's medical needs. "Of course, this is not the case for European countries, he said referring to channels that allow Iran to use its funds in other countries to buy humanitarian goods. Our country has two types of medical imports; first one is the imports of medicine and the other the imports of raw materials for medical use, most of which are imported from India, China and only fraction of it from South Korea, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:30:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A 32-year-old British national named and a 44-year-old Australian were detained at the police office in Indonesia's Bali provincial capital of Denpasar for trafficking crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy in the province. The foreign nationals use visit visas to Bali. The Briton was suspected of serving as a dealer and trafficker while the Australian was allegedly serving as a courier, the Denpasar police's chief Senior Commissioner Jansen Avitus Panjaitan told a press conference on Thursday. The police found 11.84 grams of crystal methamphetamine in 14 packages and 15 pieces of ecstasy from the Briton, and 1.23 grams of crystal methamphetamine in one package from the Australian. If found guilty of violating a drug law, the suspects shall be jailed for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years. Enditem University of Illinois professor Ghassan Moussawi examines the daily survival strategies of Beirut's LGBTQ residents in his new book 'Disruptive Situations: Fractal Orientalism and Queer Strategies in Beirut' CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Daily life in Beirut is subject to violence and an ever-changing series of disruptions - a reality that residents refer to as "al-wad" or "the situation." Ghassan Moussawi - an ethnographer and a professor of gender and women's studies and of sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - looks at the daily survival strategies of Beirut's LGBTQ residents in the face of al-wad in his new book "Disruptive Situations: Fractal Orientalism and Queer Strategies in Beirut," which was published this summer. "To be in Beirut is to understand 'the situation' without having to explain it. It keeps changing from a lack of resources such as electricity to bombings, war, a garbage strike," Moussawi said. It's similar to the uncertainty and the struggle to adapt to changing circumstances that we all find ourselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. "The book helps us understand what it means to live in a disruptive moment that keeps changing. It has no beginning nor end," Moussawi said. Beirut has been promoted as an exceptional place for LGBTQ people and a gay-friendly destination in the Middle East. Moussawi examined representations of Beirut and how it is positioned as exceptional and modern, likened to Provincetown, Massachusetts. But this gay-friendly Beirut is available along the lines of class and race, and ignores the realities of al-wad, he said. He challenges how sexuality is used to provide an exceptional narrative about Beirut by comparing it with cities in the U.S. and Europe as reference points. Moussawi said "fractal orientalism" implies looking at patterns of representation - traditional versus modern, backward versus progressive - repeating on multiple scales. For example, Lebanon is compared to other countries in the Arab Middle East, and Beirut is compared to both American and European cities and other cities in the Middle East. The West is viewed as more tolerant than the Middle East, Lebanon more tolerant than other Arab countries and Beirut more tolerant than other areas within Lebanon. "They are blanket statements about who is more progressive, who is gay, who is tolerant. In one way, fractal orientalism is the problem I tried to attend to or unpack by looking at queer strategies of everyday survival," he said. Moussawi's book does not document gay life in Beirut, but it uses LGBTQ people's strategies for daily life as a lens to look at how people navigate everyday violence and constant disruption that is always taking new forms. The precarious situation of daily life in Beirut is itself queer, as are the strategies used in order to survive, and they are at odds with descriptions of Beirut and gay life there as exceptional, Moussawi wrote. He is interested in what the tactics of daily life tell us about local and regional politics. The strategies people adopt to deal with al-wad include accepting contradictory messages - for example, nonbinary individuals who see their gender identity as fluid, or those who refuse to reconcile their queer identity with their identity as Muslims because they don't see them as incompatible, he said. "Things don't have to fit neatly," Moussawi said. "In order to live in this situation, you can't try to make sense of it, though you feel its disruptions. Language fails to account for experiences, but affect doesn't." Beirut residents also create "bubbles" - physical or metaphorical spaces that provide a respite from the situation and in which they feel safe. They can be spaces to share their emotions or connect with others. "They are aware (the bubbles) could be taken away at any moment, and they are not accessible to everyone. You have to have some element of privilege to forget that there is ongoing violence," Moussawi said. The strategies Moussawi describes for living with violence and disruptions also can be applied to segregated U.S. cities with high levels of violence and a lack of basic resources due to state neglect, he said. "This applies to spaces that don't have actual war or conflict. It's traumatic but people create certain strategies for survival," he said. Moussawi had to adapt to the changing circumstances in Beirut while conducting his research. It was interrupted at times by violence, just as the pandemic is interrupting travel to research sites, he said. ### Editor's notes: To contact Ghassan Moussawi, email moussawi@illinois.edu. Pictured: Michael Gu A multi-million dollar mansion owned by an investor who fled the country owing $350million has been defaced with graffiti in Chinese demanding he 'pay back the money'. Michael Gu has been dubbed 'Australia's new Christopher Skase' after his business, iProsperity Group, collapsed owing hundreds of millions of dollars before he fled the country. His luxury Mosman home, which overlooks Sydney Harbour, was hastily abandoned in late July as Mr Gu and his business associate, Harry Huang, flew to Los Angeles via New Zealand. They were granted permission to travel by the Department of Home Affairs, despite well-known fraud allegations levelled against them by their creditors. Neither have been charged with any crimes. Neighbours in the well-to-do suburb told Mosman Collective Gu's 'display of wealth was obscene' during his short stint living in the area. 'Everyone in the street used to talk about the cars this guy had... they were only in Mosman for a couple of years and... vanished into thin air,' one said. The resident found it concerning that somebody had taken the time to graffiti the property this week in Chinese writing which roughly translates to 'pay the money back'. 'It's intimidating to learn that someone has spray-painted graffiti over the front of the house I mean, what was this guy up to?,' they said. A multi-million dollar mansion owned by an investor who fled the country owing $350million was defaced with graffiti which demanded he 'pay back the money' in Chinese Michael Gu's luxury Mosman home (pictured with graffiti on the door reading 'pay back the money' in Chinese) was hastily abandoned in late July when Gu fled the country Gu has been described as a 'modern day Christopher Skase' (pictured) since he was granted permission to travel by the Department of Home Affairs The most flashy of his cars, a white-gold Rolls Royce with bright orange leather trim and lambswool mats was sold last week for $502,000. It was one of the few physical items liquidators could recover from the collapse of his business, which could cost investors up to $350million. The $10million home will likely also be sold off in an attempt to recover some of the money, but it is mortgaged to Credit Suisse. Gu has been described as a 'modern day Christopher Skase' because he was granted permission to travel and quickly fell off the radar. Skase was an Australian businessman who went on to become one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed and he fled to Majorca, Spain. He died before he could ever be extradited to Australia. Gu's last known location was in Los Angeles, but authorities are not certain he is still there. The $10million home will likely also be sold off in an attempt to recover some of the money, but it is credited to Credit Suisse His luxury Mosman home, which overlooks Sydney's Harbour, was hastily abandoned in late July as Mr Gu and his business associate, Harry Huang, fled to Los Angeles via New Zealand New South Wales Police are in the early stages of investigating Gu over potential fraudulent activity, but moved too slowly in trying to prevent him from leaving the country, the Australian Financial Review reported. By the time authorities put a stop on his passport, he'd already flown out of Australia on his way to the United States. Gu had been touted as an incredible success story in Australia, rising in the ranks from a salesman in western Sydney and gaining the trust of huge international investors. 'People who would say ''look at the car Michael drives, where he lives, his office'',' one person known to Gu said. 'They believed he was a great success story.' Cor Cordis was appointed as administrators of 13 iProsperity companies in July. 'Our urgent focus is on stabilising the iProsperity Group and commencing a full and thorough investigation into its affairs,' Cor Cordis Partner and Voluntary Administrator Barry Wight said in July. Liquidators are still establishing how they can best retrieve as much of the money owing as possible. According to a Cor Cordis report, Gu used $1 million of company funds to purchase Vanuatu passports in July last year. A report by KPMG said the 'potential misuse of investor funds' and 'potential improper conduct' likely led to the collapse of one iProsperity company, Capital Management Pty Ltd. The company, which had debts of $60.5 million, is just one of the Group's 64 operations, the AFR reported. The most flashy of his cars, a white-gold Rolls Royce with bright orange leather trim and lambswool mats was sold last week for $502,000 One person was injured and another went missing after an oil tanker carrying crude oil from Kuwait to India caught fire east of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Navy said on Thursday. The tanker MT New Diamond, carrying 270,000 metric tons (nearly 1.9 million barrels) of crude oil, was traveling from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip when an explosion of a boiler followed by fire erupted in the main engine room. The Sri Lanka Navy responded immediately to the distress signal of the tanker for relief assistance, while a nearby vessel rescued 19 out of the 23 crew members, the Navy said. One crew member, a Philippine national, is missing, while an engineer sustained injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. The MT New Diamond was chartered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the biggest refiner and fuel retailer in India, and was fully loaded, according to Refinitiv data reported by Reuters. The Indian Coast Guard also came to the scene of the incident, and the Indian vessel Shaurya has started to extinguish the fire. Other Indian coast guard and navy vessels are also approaching the area. The Indian Coast Guard, in a swift Sea & Air Coordinated operation, immediately diverted its ships Shaurya, Sarang, Samudra Paheredar, as well as Dornier Aircraft, to help with firefighting the blaze on the oil tanker, the Indian Coast Guard said on Twitter. The Sri Lankan Navy and authorities are taking steps to mitigate and manage the risk of possible oil spills in future due to this disaster, the Navy said. The incident with the fully-loaded oil tanker comes a month after a ship carrying fuel oil and diesel ran aground off the coast of Mauritius in late July, spilling part of the oil in the ocean and causing major environmental damage. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Around 50,000 gas customers in Northern Ireland will have lower bills after supplier firmus energy announced a 12.5% price cut Around 50,000 gas customers in Northern Ireland will have lower bills after supplier firmus energy announced a 12.5% price cut. Firmus supplies gas to 10 towns and villages including Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney and Banbridge. It said the latest reduction means it is charging the lowest price for gas since 2011, with customers now saving 63 per year. Michael Scott, managing director of firmus energy, said: "We recognise that many households and businesses are facing severe financial uncertainty because of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, while others will have seen their energy consumption change significantly as a result of working and schooling from home. "We appreciate the hardship that many of our customers are facing and are committed to providing the lowest possible prices to ensure natural gas continues to be an attractive offering for both domestic and business customers." Prices charged for gas and other utilities are set by companies like firmus following consultation with the Consumer Council, the Utility Regulator and the Department for the Economy. Jenny Pyper, chief executive of the regulator, said: "Given the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and as we approach the winter months, this tariff reduction is very welcome news for households and small businesses." Michael Legg, head of energy policy at the Consumer Council, said: "This will be especially welcome for those consumers in vulnerable circumstances, as the average weekly discretionary income in NI is 119 per week, which is approximately 100 lower than in the rest of the UK." NJ Transit wants to ban a Jersey City man who was arrested for a fifteenth time for a sex crime Tuesday night from using its trains, buses and light rail system. Darrell Jordan, 25, of Jersey City, was arrested and charged by NJ Transit Police with criminal sexual contact after he allegedly slapped a female passenger on the buttocks while riding a light rail train in Weehawken, police said. The incident happened around 9 p.m. on a Hudson-Bergen Light Rail train, which Jordon fled from at the Port Imperial station in Weehawken, authorities said. Officers from Transit District 3 responded, searched the area and arrested Jordan, police said. But Jordan has an extensive criminal history that includes 14 earlier arrests by NJ Transit police for sexual and public lewdness charges, according to police. There was someone whos a repeat sexual offender grabbing (a) woman on the light rail, our police captured him again, said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO and president. But we also went back to a judge and said we want to ban him and never have him ride NJ Transit again. The judge has yet to issue a decision on NJ Transits request to ban Jordan, he said. Jordans arrests date back to January 2019, including being charged with criminal sexual contact in June, lewdness/masturbation in public in August, and charges of sexual assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a minor in the third degree and public masturbation, also in August, officials said. A transit advocate brought up concerns about the sexual offenses at Mondays NJ Transit Board of Directors operations committee meeting, asking officials what they planned to do about it. Corbett said he wasnt sure if Jordan would be the first person barred from using NJ Transit in its 40 year history. Police said Jordan had just been released from jail over the weekend following his arrest on another charge last week. I want to thank our officers for their quick actions and outstanding police work to get this suspect off of the transit system and held accountable for his actions, said Christopher Trucillo, New Jersey Transit Police Chief. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. WHIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ConnectiveRx, a leading provider of technology-enabled patient support and access solutions for specialty and branded medications, today announced a strategic investment in HelpAround, an SMS, mobile web, and mobile app platform that simplifies the navigation and management of specialty medications for patients. This investment expands ConnectiveRx's innovative patient access platform to promote adherence and advances the company's mission to simplify how patients get on and stay on complex therapies. Studies have shown that 20-30% of prescriptions are never filled and about 50% of medications for chronic disease are not taken as prescribed.1 Additionally, less than 19% of specialty patients utilize valuable support services due to lack of awareness and access.2 Through this partnership, ConnectiveRx addresses these challenges by providing an easy, seamless way for patients (or their caregivers) to access support services and actively participate in their care by giving them information and support where and when they want it - on their smartphone. This hyper-personalized platform creates a single point of access to important support services and connects patients and caregivers to helpful alerts, reminders, actions, and support communities, assisting patients along their journey to better health. "Specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers invest significantly in support services for patients, and most of them go underutilized because patients don't know they exist or how to access them," said Julia Laurin, Chief Product Officer, ConnectiveRx. "We are advancing patient adherence by giving patients simple access to their care management when and where it fits their schedule and all in one place... their smartphone. This not only makes the patient's care management easier and lessens the burden on healthcare provider's offices, but it also provides specialty brand managers with important insights on patient behavior and utilization of support services." "HelpAround is laser-focused on using mobile to bridge the 'last-mile' obstacles for specialty patients. Our relationship with ConnectiveRx is a win-win for patients and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Patients get an easier way to navigate the complexities of specialty therapies while brands get support from all of the commercialization solutions provided by ConnectiveRx," said Yishai Knobel, Chief Executive Officer of HelpAround. With this new investment in HelpAround, ConnectiveRx continues to innovate solutions that deliver better outcomes for patients, providers and biopharmaceutical brands. To request a demo or learn more about ConnectiveRx's integrated commercialization solutions, please visit the company's website . About ConnectiveRx ConnectiveRx is a leading, technology-enabled biopharmaceutical services company that provides patient and provider support, access and adherence solutions for specialty and branded medications. The Company's services include the industry's leading patient engagement and access platform (hub services), patient and provider adherence messaging, patient affordability programs, and the iconic Physicians' Desk Reference, now known as the Prescribers' Digital Reference. ConnectiveRx's wide array of services and innovative solutions accelerate speed-to-therapy and increase access and adherence resulting in improved outcomes for patients and healthcare overall. ConnectiveRx has two main campus locations in Whippany, NJ and Pittsburgh, PA with additional locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri and California. To learn more, visit www.connectiverx.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook @ConnectiveRx. About HelpAround HelpAround's mission is to make patients' lives easier. Founded by health-tech and behavioral targeting experts, the company enables pharmaceutical brands to preempt therapy drop-off by establishing an omni-channel mobile relationship with patients and caregivers. By leveraging the platform's unmatched connectivity across the specialty ecosystem, brand teams can transform their patient support programs into a mobile concierge experience with best-in-class mobile experience and messaging intelligence. To learn more, visit www.helparound.co Viswanathan M, Golin CE, Jones CD, et al. Interventions to improve adherence to self-administered medications for chronic diseases in the United States : a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157(11):785-795. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22964778 Accenture Patient Services Survey, 2015. https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/accenture/next-gen/patient-services-survey/accenture-mc814-patient-servicesls-research-note2015-v7.pdf CONTACT: Danielle Daly ConnectiveRx [email protected] SOURCE ConnectiveRx Related Links http://www.connectiverx.com/ By Trend Turkey will always support Azerbaijan without hesitation, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on his Twitter page, Trend reports. Cavusoglu made the remark commenting on the statement of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev during the acceptance of the credentials of newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Azerbaijan Nikolaos Piperigkos. "We have never doubted the support of Azerbaijan," he wrote. The minister also reminded "One nation, two states" words of Azerbaijans national leader Heydar Aliyev and shared the image of the national flags of both countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz - Coca-Cola Ghana is set to lay off some workers - The company says it has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic - The company has informed the Employment and Labour Ministry of their decision - Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited has served notice that it will be laying off some of its employees in the coming weeks. According to a statement sighted by YEN.com.gh,the company said it has done this due to collapse in business following the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit it so hard. The internal memo which is dated August 31, 2020, and signed by the Business Unit Managing Director WAC of the Company, Felix Gomis, revealed that the layoff is the only way the business can survive. COVID-19 effect: Coca-Cola Ghana to lay off workers. Source: Graphic.com.gh Source: UGC READ ALSO: Videos from the expensive birthday party of NPP's Afia Akoto pop up Graphic.com.gh also states that the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited has informed the Chief Labour Officer of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and other labour unions of its decision. "In accordance with Section 65 (2), all affected employees shall receive a Redundancy Pay and in lieu of notice, payment shall be made for the notice period, where necessary. The leadership of the respective Trade Unions, ICU and UNICOF, have in accordance with law been notified, and management will be with them to discuss the terms and conditions of the severance," the memo said. The company said it has engaged the Unions and have agreed on terms and conditions of the severance of the staff that will go home. READ ALSO: An armed robber and a thief are contesting the 2020 elections - Dr. Steve Manteaw Management of Coca-Cola Ghana says it expects all staff to continue to carry out their obligations in accordance with the existing Collective Agreements and the Labour Act 2003 until the effective date of termination. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that an Accra High Court on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, dismissed an application by MTN seeking to quash the directive of the National Communication Authority to classify it as a significant market player in the telecommunications industry. The court, in a 33-page ruling, dismissed the case while awarding a cost of GHc10,000 against MTN. Citinewsroom.com reports that by the decision of the court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu, the NCA can now take measures to promote competition to protect the interest of other mobile service operators and consumers. Ghanaians speak up about Bawumia's promise about new cars for trotro drivers | #Yencomgh READ ALSO: Don't vote for those who promote ethnic sentiments Akufo-Addo Got a story you think we should know about? Get interactive via our Facebook page! Source: YEN.com.gh RTHK: Thai activists sent back to prison Two prominent Thai political activists were remanded in prison on Thursday, their lawyer said, after a court ruled they had breached the terms of their bail following earlier arrests over anti-government rallies. Human Rights lawyer Anon Nampa, 36, and student activist Panupong Jadnok, 24, were sent to the Bangkok Remand Prison after the court said their political activities since their August 8 release were in breach of their bail conditions. They were among more than a dozen anti-government demonstrators, including students and rappers, charged recently with inciting unrest and breaching regulations that ban public gatherings, after they took part in a rally on July 18. The two were sent to pretrial detention because they declined to post bail again, arguing they had stuck to their bail conditions, said Anon's lawyer, Weeranan Huadsri. "The court did not prevent the posting of new bail but both Anon and Panupong insisted that they did not breach the court's condition," Weeranan told Reuters, adding they can be held for up to 48 days. Both have participated in anti-government protests that have taken place almost daily in the past six weeks to demand an end to military influence over politics and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who first came to power in a 2014 coup. Anon is also among a number of activists that made a bold public call for reform of the country's monarchy, until recently a taboo subject in Thailand. . A student group plans a major protest on September 19. "My duty outside of prison has ended, and I wanted to gamble everything for change," Anon posted on Facebook before being sent to jail. "Let my jailing today be the receipt of harassment against the people. On 19 Sept. 2020 go take it back." (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs fathers lawyer on Thursday said that the late actors family doubts that the incident was not a suicide and but murder, according to news agency ANI. The family is definitely having grave doubt that this is not suicide but a murder, lawyer Vikas Singh representing Rajputs father KK Singh was quoted as saying by ANI. Vikas Singhs remark came a day after he told reporters that the Mumbai police had made Rajputs father sign a statement that was written in Marathi and that the family did protest against it as opposed to what the Mumbai police commissioner has said. This comes in the backdrop of reports that KK Singh told Mumbai police in a statement that he believes his son might have done suicide out of dejection. The lawyer, however, refuted the claims saying, At that point, we only protested that it should not be in Marathi. We did not know what was written in Marathi as none of the family members hails from Maharashtra. Also read: Mumbai police has a reputation, welcome plea by retired cops in Sushant case, says minister In late August, as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) approached All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) for assistance, it formed a medical panel to look into the alleged murder angle in the case. We will look into the possibility of murder. However, all probable angles will be thoroughly examined, AIIMS forensic department chief Dr Sudhir Gupta had said. He had also termed the missing time stamp on the autopsy report a hard fact. In an FIR filed in Patna, KK Singh has alleged that actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family members drove his 34-year-old son to suicide. Also read| Sushant Singh Rajput case: NCB arrests 20-year-old Bandra resident The CBI is currently investigating the death of the actor at his Bandra apartment on June 14. A money laundering and drug-related angle is also being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) respectively. A Northern Territory police officer charged with murdering Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker was justified in firing one shot, but the second and third were 'excessive, unreasonable and unnecessary', a court has been told. In a committal hearing for Constable Zachary Rolfe, US criminologist Geoffrey Alpert told Alice Springs Local Court on Thursday that after the first shot, the officer had time to reassess and use other options to subdue Mr Walker. 'He had time, and the ability to go hands-on or use less lethal force, such as a Taser ... (as) far more reasonable responses than going and shooting at very close range - two shots in the chest,' Dr Alpert said. In his report read in part to the court, the University of South Carolina professor said the second and third shots were not 'reasonable, necessary, proportionate and appropriate to the circumstances'. In a committal hearing for Constable Zachary Rolfe (pictured receiving receiving Clarke Medal from then Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove) US criminologist Geoffrey Alpert told Alice Springs Local Court on Thursday that after the first shot, the officer had time to reassess and use other options to subdue Mr Walker Dr Alpert told the court that he believed the first shot was reasonable because at that time Rolfe, Mr Walker and another officer were basically fighting and Rolfe had been stabbed with a pair of scissors (Kumanjayi Walker pictured) 'The second round of shots in close range to Mr Walker was excessive, unreasonable, and unnecessary,' he said. Dr Alpert told the court that he believed the first shot was reasonable because at that time Rolfe, Mr Walker and another officer were basically fighting and Rolfe had been stabbed with a pair of scissors. 'Once that event ended, and Const Rolfe was able to disengage, my opinion is that he should have,' Dr Alpert said. 'He had the time and he had the ability and he had the space to reassess, and in my opinion reassessed improperly.' But he agreed with defence arguments that he could not know Rolfe's state of mind at the time in what was a tense, uncertain and rapidly-evolving situation that played out over just a few seconds. In other evidence, Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Barram, from police professional standards told the court he also believed the first shot fired by Rolfe could be defended. 'There is some scenario open where the discharge of the first shot may have been justifiable,' he said. In other evidence, Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Barram, from police professional standards told the court he also believed the first shot fired by Rolfe (pictured) could be defended Mr Walker (pictured) had threatened to kill the officers as they tried to arrest him, it was alleged In his report presented to the court, Sgt Barram said it appeared Rolfe fired the first shot in defence of his partner Adam Eberl who was grappling with Mr Walker at the time. 'Rolfe must have formed the belief that death or serious harm would result to Eberl, and that he had no other option than to shoot to protect Eberl from being stabbed,' he said in the report. 'That would be a reasonable belief at that moment in time.' The court was played video from cameras worn by some of the officers involved in the arrest, which showed struggles. Mr Walker had threatened to kill the officers as they tried to arrest him, it was alleged. Evidence was tendered about police training which dictated that officers draw guns if an offender produced a weapon such as a knife or scissors. Mr Walker died after being shot as police tried to detain him at a home in Yuendumu, 300km northwest of Alice Springs in November last year. An urgent police response had been called from Alice Springs to make the arrest after the 19-year-old had rushed at other officers with an axe three days earlier. Rolfe (pictured centre) has not entered a plea to the murder charge but previously indicated he would contest the allegation It was considered he posed a significant danger to police and had the capacity for extreme violence. Rolfe has not entered a plea to the murder charge but previously indicated he would contest the allegation. The committal hearing will determine if the matter proceeds to the Supreme Court for trial. Rolfe was not required to attend the hearing in person but appeared by video link from Canberra. The case is due to return to court later this month for Rolfe's counsel, David Edwardson QC, to present no-case-to-answer submissions. The entirety of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) appeared brilliantly lit up by the Vietnamese national flag on the night of September 2. A congratulatory message was sent to the nation on its National Day, alongside the Burj Khalifa projecting a beautiful image of the Vietnamese national flag. On the Facebook page of the Burj Khalifa, an image featuring the tallest building in the world decorated by a Vietnamese national flag was taken on September 2. The image was captioned with a congratulatory message to the country on its National Day, with the short message saying, We wish the people of Vietnam growth and success. According to a statement made by the embassy of the UAE in Vietnam, the act of projecting the Vietnamese national flag on the 160-floor Burj Khalifa, which stands at a total of 828 metres, is done in order to show the UAE governments respect to the special partner. Elsewhere, the Vietnamese national flag lit up the ADNOC building in Abu Dhabi. (Photo courtesy of the embassy of the UAE in Vietnam) This year marks the 27th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the country and the UAE after they first began in 1993. Indeed, sine then the UAE has developed into the nations largest trade partner in the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, the country can be considered to be the leading gateway for the UAE in which it can penetrate into the ASEAN market of 600 million people. VOV Google Doodle celebrates Vietnam National Day with typical images Google Doodle today [September 2] released typical Vietnamese images in an artwork to commemorate Vietnams National Day. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! "Yes," Mr Coppick replied. He said Victoria's Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions had got the structure of the state's program right, but the Department of Health and Human Services had needed to provide more training related to COVID-19. Nigel Coppick before the hotel quarantine inquiry on Thursday. Victoria's hotel quarantine program, set up with the aim of preventing transmission from arriving travellers,is under scrutiny because COVID-19 was spread in May to a hotel worker and security guards, then into the community. The inquiry has heard 99 per cent of Victoria's deadly second COVID-19 spike can be traced back to quarantined travellers at two Melbourne hotels, the Rydges on Swanston and the Stamford Plaza. Questions have been raised in the inquiry as to why Unified Security became the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions' security company of choice when it was not on the government's preferred security suppliers panel. There have also been allegations that guards were poorly trained in infection control. Unified Security Group was awarded at least $20 million more in contracts than the governments two other providers, Wilson Security and MSS Security, to run 13 hotels. Loading With just 39 permanent staff in Victoria, Unified relied almost entirely on subcontracting arrangements to hire more than 1700 guards, the inquiry heard. Wilson and MSS had more than 1000 permanent employees, although both firms still needed to draw on staff from subcontractors. "Were you ever given an explanation about why it was that so many hotels were being allocated to Unified?" counsel assisting the commission, Rachel Ellyard, asked Mr Coppick. "No, not at all ... I was contacted and I was asked if we could support ... if we could provide the service safely, then we would, he said. Ms Ellyard asked if there was ever a discussion about the risk of the company over-extending itself. "No, not with the department or with my senior leadership group within the organisation. We were comfortable with our abilities and we delivered," Mr Coppick said. He said many of the workers employed by the subcontractors were people who had been laid off because of the pandemic. They had been employed at Crown casino, in aviation and in retail, he said. Mr Coppick said all guards contracted by Unified were required to complete an online training module in COVID-19 before they started. They were also trained in how to use personal protective equipment on-site by Unified. Loading Despite Rydges quarantining only people with COVID-19, Mr Coppick said there was nothing dramatically different about infection control measures there, apart from more support from nurses on-site. Mr Nagi also confirmed there was a change in PPE protocol at Rydges in May, shortly before the outbreak. Although he said there was no shortage of PPE, he claimed nurses gave zip-lock bags to guards to put the masks and gloves they had been wearing inside. He said they were also advised that PPE was not required unless they could not maintain distance from guests. Unified told its guards to continue to wear PPE regardless, the inquiry heard. Trump Biden 2020 Our weekly newsletter will deliver expert analysis of the race to the White House from our US correspondent Matthew Knott. Coming soon. Sign up now for the Herald's newsletter here, The Age's here, Brisbane Times' here and WAtoday's here. This evidence came after a subcontracted guard previously testified that he was told to use one mask and one pair of gloves for a whole shift. Mr Nagi said Unified had an "ample supply of PPE". Alzheimer's disease is more common in rural Appalachian Ohio communities than in other rural areas in the state - raising concerns about access to early, specialized care in a region where many residents face struggles getting the medical care they need, a new study has found. Researchers from The Ohio State University examined 11 years of federal Medicare data, ending in 2017, to compare the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in Appalachian Ohio with other parts of the state. The research was published online this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Those who live in rural Appalachia, in particular, are both much more disadvantaged on the whole from a socioeconomic perspective and have a higher burden of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders compared to those who live elsewhere. It's a double whammy." Jeffrey Wing, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Ohio State's College of Public Health Rural Appalachian counties had a 2-3% higher prevalence of the degenerative brain disease compared to rural non-Appalachian counties. The researchers looked at the data on a county level, and adjusted for other population differences, including demographics and prevalence of other diseases. Likely compounding the problem are well-established barriers to care in the region, especially when it comes to specialized care, Wing said. "You really need to see a neurologist to get diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and that is likely more challenging for many in Appalachia than it is for people elsewhere in Ohio," Wing said. An estimated 5.8 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and, with an aging population in America, the burden is increasing. According to the Alzheimer's Association, that number is expected to more than double by 2050. Though there is no cure for Alzheimer's, interventions and therapies to delay its progress and improve a patient's quality of life are often most helpful earlier in the disease process. And an early diagnosis can also provide an opportunity for both patients and caregivers to be connected to other supportive resources, Wing said. "There aren't many studies that have been able to provide an estimated prevalence of Alzheimer's in geographically diverse populations, and we're hopeful that this information will help illuminate potential needs in Appalachia - that could include more screenings, earlier screenings and reallocation of medical and support resources," he said. Wing and his colleagues would like to further explore what factors might be driving the prevalence of Alzheimer's in Appalachia, he said. "We're trying to think about some structural and sociodemographic factors that may be driving this, including race and ethnicity, as proxies for racism, education and income," Wing said. SEATTLE, WA While the number of deaths resulting from COVID-19 illnesses has dropped substantially since the first peak of the outbreak in April, the disease still ranks as the sixth leading cause of all deaths in King County this year, according to a new public health report. In March and early April, the illness ranked third. In recent weeks, it has dropped to eighth. The findings are part of an analysis of deaths associated with COVID-19 in King County published this week, which also examined official death counts for potential underreporting or overreporting. "This report gives us confidence that our official death counts are not missing large numbers of people who have died from COVID-19," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for King County. "And it highlights that although the COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities that led to many deaths among older residents have decreased in response to effective COVID-1 prevention measures, the threat remains. This summer's increases in COVID-19 cases in the community remind us that we cannot let our guard down." The report did not find evidence of unidentified COVID-19 deaths before the first case identified in late February, nor a large number of potential COVID-19 deaths that went unrecognized in the official data. (Public Health - Seattle & King County) Key findings from Public Health - Seattle & King County: Through September 1, there have been 724 deaths attributed to COVID-19, with 680 of those confirmed and another 44 that are suspected or pending. In March, the report finds COVID-19 ranked as the third most documented contributing cause of death in the county, but in recent weeks, it has fallen to the number eight cause. More than 90% of those who have died from COVID-19 were over age 60 (and the median age of death over the past six months has remained around 81 years). More than 80% of those who have died from COVID-19 had an underlying medical condition . Among racial/ethnic groups, more White people have died from COVID-19 than from any other race. But the age-adjusted rate of death shows a dramatic impact among Hispanic/Latinx residents, at 84 per 100,000 residents three times higher than for Whites, at 28 per 100,000. And for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, the death rate is more than four times higher than for Whites, at 121 per 100,000. Story continues To determine whether there had been a significant amount of underreported deaths, public health officials analyzed the number of total deaths this year, compared with a recent year before the pandemic. They found 817 more deaths between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18. Over the same period, the official count of confirmed, suspected and positive COVID-1 deaths was 692. Accounting for statistical variations, researchers found there did not appear to be a large number of potential deaths that went uncounted. What counts as a COVID-19 death in King County? Since the pandemic began, public health officials in King County and elsewhere have worked to develop a methodology to best reflect the number of deaths linked to COVID-19. No national standard exists, and classification can vary between counties and states. Early counts often included everyone who died that previously tested positive for COVID-19, which can fail to account for those who were never tested, and improperly include people who died from unrelated reasons, like a car crash. In King County, such cases are removed. From Public Health - Seattle & King County: In July, Public Health, along with the Washington State Department of Health, classified deaths associated with COVID-19 into three main categories. A total of 724 deaths fall into these categories: 94% (680) are confirmed (the deceased person tested positive and had a death certificate noting infection with the virus contributed to death) 5% (37) are suspected (the deceased person tested positive for the virus, died of a natural disease that may have been exacerbated by COVID-19, but did not have it listed on their death certificate) 1% (7) are pending (deaths where Public Health is awaiting death certificates or the cause of death is missing, but the deceased person did have confirmatory testing for COVID-19) According to public health, 17 deaths where COVID-19 was listed on the death certificate, but the person was never tested, were not included. The King County Medical Examiner's Office has also ramped up testing in recent months, now testing about 90 percent of all people who died for the presence of the virus. For current data about COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and cases, visit the county's online dashboard. This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch Joe Biden is calling the struggle to reopen US schools amid the coronavirus a national emergency and accusing President Donald Trump of turning his back to stoke passions instead about unrest in Americas cities. The Democratic presidential nominees broadsides came a day ahead of his own trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Biden said he wants to help heal a city reeling from another police shooting of a Black man. The wounding of Jacob Blake and subsequent demonstrations have made the political battleground state a focal point for debate over police and protest violence, as well as the actions of vigilante militias. Biden assailed Trump for his vilifying of protesters as well as his handling of the pandemic that has killed nearly 190,000 Americans and crippled the national economy, leaving millions out of work, schools straining to deal with students in classrooms or at home and parents struggling to keep up. An American president, Trumps challenger declared, should be able to lead through multiple crises at the same time. Where is the president? Why isnt he working on this?, Biden asked. We need emergency support funding for our schools and we need it now. Mr. President, that is your job. Thats what you should be focused on getting our kids back to school. Not whipping up fear and division not inciting violence in our streets. Trump answered almost immediately with his own event in North Carolina, where he continued casting the protests generally as violent mobs here at home that must be met with a strong show of force. These people know one thing: strength, he said. If local leaders would ask for federal muscle, Trump said, Well have it done in one hour. Trump later tweeted, My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. To that end, he signed a memorandum directing agencies to review federal funding sent to Seattle, New York City, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Story continues The opposing Biden and Trump events reflected the clear fault lines of the general election campaign. Each man casts the other as a threat to Americans day-to-day security, but Trump uses law and order as his rallying cry while Biden pushes a broader referendum on Trumps competence, temperament and values. Biden said Wednesday that hed use existing federal disaster law to direct funding to schools to help them reopen safely, and he urged Trump to get off Twitter and negotiate a deal with Congress on more pandemic aid. He repeated his assertions that a full economic recovery isnt possible with Covid-19 still raging, and that reopening schools safely is a necessary part of both limiting the virus spread and allowing parents to return to work. The Trump campaign noted in reply that the president has asked Congress for $105 billion in aid for schools. Addressing the ongoing unrest over racial injustice and policing, Biden told reporters he believes the Kenosha officer who shot Blake needs to be charged. Biden also called for charges in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, home by police in March. Biden did not name specific charges and said authorities must conduct full investigations. Biden also called for legal action on citizens whove committed violence as part of civil unrest, a direct answer to Trumps continued assertions that Biden backs violent protests. The former vice president said he plans to meet in Kenosha with civic and business leaders and law enforcement. He also will meet with members of the Blake family; hes already talked with some of them by phone. Blake remains hospitalized after he was shot seven times in the back by police as he was trying to get into a car while authorities were trying to arrest him. Weve got to put things together, bring people together, Biden said, adding that he was not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do but instead would encourage citizens to talk about what has to be done. The president, he said, keeps throwing gasoline on the fire and encouraging people to retreat to their corners. Trump made his own foray to Kenosha on Tuesday, underscoring his blanket support for law enforcement, while blaming domestic terror for looting and arson thats taken place in the city. The violence included the burning of several buildings and the killing of two protesters by a 17-year-old, who said he went to Kenosha, armed, to help protect businesses. He is now in custody. Before his remarks Wednesday, Biden and his wife, Jill, a longtime community college professor and former high school teacher, met with public health experts. He emerged saying Trumps inaction on school aid has left a haphazard response nationally. Biden said he doesnt want to usurp local authorities power to decide how to conduct classes. But he said the federal government should make local systems financially whole as they incur considerable costs from software for virtual instruction, personal protective equipment for on-site employees and reducing class sizes for social distancing at schools that bring students to campus. As Trump and Biden dueled Wednesday, presidential debate organizers announced moderators for the fall. Chris Wallace of Fox News will lead the Sept. 29 debate, followed Oct. 15 by Steve Scully of C-SPAN and NBCs Kristin Welker on Oct. 22. Also ahead of his Wisconsin trip, Bidens campaign launched a $45 million advertising buy for a one-minute ad featuring his condemnations of violence during a speech Monday, along with his assertions that Trump is fomenting the unrest. The ad, which has English and Spanish language versions, is running on national cable networks and in local markets across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction, Biden says in the ad. Trump, he says, shows how weak he is by his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia. Its an answer to a consistent charge from Trump and his allies: You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. Indeed, when in Kenosha, Trump toured a block charred by protesters fire, called the destruction anti-American and suggested Bidens election would ensure similar scenes in US cities across the country. The ad was launched as the Biden campaign announced a record $360 million fundraising haul for August. Biden said Wednesday the money will allow an aggressive ad campaign to counter lies from Trump, such as the presidents erroneous claims that Biden has not denounced violent protesters and that he wants to defund the police. Trumps advisers hope his stances shift attention away from the pandemic that has all but crippled the nation during the presidents fourth year in office. They also believe the tactics help Trump attract white voters in suburbs and exurbs, key slices of his 2016 coalition. Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point in 2016, becoming the first Republican to win the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Bidens trip Thursday will be the first time since 2012 that a Democratic presidential nominee campaigns in Wisconsin. Hillary Clinton did not campaign in the state after she lost the primary in 2016, one of the reasons often cited for Trumps narrow victory. (AP) ELKO Elko County Commissioners voted 4-1 to advance an ordinance that would allow for sale of recreational marijuana in the border town of Jackpot. Commission Chair Demar Dahl was the only member to vote against the measure, which will now move forward with a second reading and public hearing during an upcoming County Commission meeting. The Commission previously tabled the ordinance in early August, citing concerns that the project seems rushed. This version of this ordinance is a lot better than what we saw last time, Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said. I appreciate the efforts that were put into the ordinance. Deputy Elko County District Attorney Rand Greenburg told board members that in addition to approving the first reading of the ordinance, they also needed to pass a resolution determining what the business application fee would be, as well as the renewal fee. Andreozzi made a motion to set the business application fee at $20,000, with a $10,000 annual renewal fee. If approved, Elko County will receive a 3 percent business license tax, while the business license fee will go directly to Jackpot. Commissioner Cliff Eklund said he has changed his stance on the ordinance, moving from a flat no to at least considering the measure, if only to benefit the citizens of Jackpot. Industry isnt just waiting to move into Jackpot, he said. Eklund said with the layoffs at Cactus Petes Resort Casino, Jackpot has lost a tremendous amount of jobs. Eklund said he would like to hear what Elko County Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza had to say about the matter.Narvaiza told commissioners that while he has never been a big fan of marijuana, he would rather people have a safe place to purchase it, if they decide to partake. I would rather have the people buy it legally, and at a smaller THC content and a safer product than buying from a regular Joe Blow down the street, he said. There have been past incidents in Elko County where individuals have overdosed on marijuana which they believed had been laced with other chemicals, Narvaiza said. While Jackpot can benefit financially from a recreational marijuana dispensary, he said it can be a double-edged sword because there could also be an increase in DUIs and car accidents as a result of people driving while impaired by marijuana. Narvaiza said he has spoken to the sheriff of Twin Falls County, Idaho, and was told that Idaho law enforcement does not plan to become involved in Nevada politics, but he was told that Jackpot could use this because they are hurting economically. Jackpot is on the Idaho border, and the communitys revenue is mostly from the hotels and casinos there. Thrive Cannabis Marketplace is interested in opening a dispensary in Jackpot, chief executive officer Mitch Britten said at the July 1 meeting. David Poole of Stateline Liquor in Jackpot also said he was interested in opening a dispensary, and he told the Elko Daily Free Press on July 2 the community supported a local owner. -- This article was corrected from an earlier version that incorrectly stated that Barton's Club 93 Casino a was closed. The casino has reopened following Gov. Steve Sisolak's mandate earlier this year. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Derkach has met in the past with Trumps lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and in the summer released 10 recordings of what appeared to be Bidens official vice-presidential phone calls in 2016 with Petro Poroshenko, then the president of Ukraine. It was the second cache of recordings the lawmaker, who studied under the KGB in Moscow in the early 1990s, has released since May. The silent majority roared. Pickups, lifted trucks and big rigs with more tires than occupants honked at flags American, Trump and Blue Lives Matter flapping with every gust of wind that swept the highway overpass in Conroe, each blare bursting the crowd into cheers of solidarity. Ralliers held signs with one hand and waved at strangers with the other. Smiles a rare sight in the world of the coronavirus pandemic filled mask-less faces baking in the early morning sun on a recent Saturday for the event billed as the Silent Majority Stands with Trump. Ive made a radical change, said Audrey Spiller, a 64-year-old Texan and mother of two who stood in the middle of those gathered, clenching a white sign with Trump 4 More Years written in red letters. Nearly four years ago, she voted for Trump only because I didnt want Hillary to win. About this series TRUMP'S APPEAL: President Donald Trump has low approval ratings, but a very devoted group of supporters. This occasional series will explore his appeal in Texas. See More Collapse But after she cast her vote and started paying closer attention to Trumps politics, Spiller said she realized he was the candidate for her. Now shes gung ho for the Republican incumbent. Ill stand out here six hours to support him, she said. Until other people see that hes the candidate we need. Spiller, like many supporters of the president in the Houston area recently interviewed, is very, very enthusiastic about her candidate. They love how he talks, what hes done, how he doesnt back down from a fight. They share the view of many voters across the spectrum that a tattered economy and the coronavirus pandemic that ravaged it remain two of the biggest issues that the nation is confronting as it heads toward what most agree will be a historic election. They also see a deeply divided nation in need of a leader who can work across the aisle and unite Americans and though many historians regard Trump as one of the nations most divisive presidents, his supporters say otherwise. In Trump, they see a man who is not a career politician, speaking in his own words and delivering more than he promised four years ago on issues from reducing immigration to reducing taxes, several said. They fear that a Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration could foster unsafe communities, open borders and more taxes, though the Democratic candidates have supported none of those things. Michael Wyke / Contributor The president jumped on containing the coronavirus early, his supporters said, by restricting travel and launching a task force, and has been striving to find a cure and develop a vaccine. They denounced reports of a bungled response to the pandemic that has claimed more than 180,000 American lives and continues to surge across the country after Trump played down the threat at a critical time, refused to expand testing, pushed to reopen businesses, declined to wear a mask, told officials to stop testing, promoted an unproven drug and suggested that ingesting bleach might be a remedy (Amid backlash, Trump said it wasnt a serious suggestion after at least one disinfectant manufacturer said its products should not be administered into human bodies under any circumstances). Most of all, many said they loved Trumps patriotism, his support for law enforcement and his America-first approach. He cares about the American people I think thats evident in the policies that he puts forth and things that he does, said Calvin Russell, wearing a sleeveless American flag shirt. Some people just cant get past that tough veneer that he has and I think he has to have because of the push-back and the condemnation that he gets from the media day in, day out. Volunteers The passerby who extended a middle finger at the crowd during the Aug. 29 event north of Houston wasnt flipping anyone off, said organizer Phill Cady as he handed out tiny Trump stickers. They were trying to say youre number one but did not know which finger was the correct one to use. The quip highlighted how Cadys come around to Trump since 2015 when, in Washington D.C., his wife asked him to stop in their walk back to a hotel so she could buy a Trump hat and shirt from a lone street vendor and he responded, Really? Soon after, he became a delegate for the Republican convention. He had not paid much attention to Trump at that point, but started listening to what he was saying because he was the partys nominee. He said he recognized the man represented just what he desired. I wanted somebody that wasnt a politician to get the job done, Cady said. And I believe he has. Efforts on the ground to support the president like a weekend get-together at a bridge occur throughout the Houston area nearly every week. Cady said he thinks most of the people there want to show their support somehow waving a flag or hand or simply being present among like-minded individuals. Others get more involved. Michael Wyke / Contributor Ginger Russell, Calvins wife, has been hosting Friday night rallies in Magnolia for the last few weeks with plans to continue until the election. She liked the fact that Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization. She says his America First stance is right in line with hers. Andy Valadez, a 55-year-old from the Cypress Fairbanks area, had never participated much in any political campaigns until the 2016 election. By then hed read many books about Trump and once auditioned for The Apprentice, he said. The man was just interesting to me, Valadez said at a recent meetup in Katy organized by the presidents campaign. After reading about how he does business, how he treats his friends and how committed he was to America, I just saw right away that he was the best candidate so thats why I decided to get involved. America needed him. Pointing to decreasing unemployment rates and the buoyant stock market, he said, Within the business community at large, everyone is hopeful. We definitely want to get President Trump re-elected. Valadez, who has a marketing strategy firm, said his volunteering dovetails with his work as he travels throughout the region. He contributes four to six hours a week to the Trump campaign. Typically you can do a door knock in two or three minutes but you might wind up talking to someone for 20 or 30 minutes, you know, and you get to make a new friend when its all said and done, said the Marine veteran, who said participating in democracy by volunteering or voting is a form of serving the country. Its not really about me, its about we. Law and order Lisa Bravo wanted to help others, so she joined law enforcement. The 27-year-old, whos lived in Houston her entire life, said when she worked as a dispatcher for the Houston Police Department and as a records clerk for the Harris County Sheriffs Office her colleagues were compassionate people. A small minority in law enforcement should not been in positions of authority, she said. She said granted another term Trump will clean it all up. Trump has been unwavering in his support of law enforcement and criticism of those protesting police violence against Black people, dismissing claims of systemic racism and vowing to quash protests that he claims are destructive to American cities with force. His threats of dispatching the National Guard to cities where elected officials have often said they dont want federal authorities interfering have become a regular occurrence over the last few months. Michael Wyke / Contributor As a series of recent high-profile deaths in police custody throughout the nation spurred the latest pleas for reform on the streets and debate about public safety funding in city halls, many of Trumps supporters said hes the candidate who will maintain law and order, a notion his campaign has leaned into as even as the president has not found a way to calm the civil unrest that has erupted into violence in some cities over the summer. The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their Movement, Trump tweeted on Monday. He has downplayed violence from right-wing groups who have expressed support for him and falsely said that Biden supports violence. Gene Avery, a 76-year-old who remembers supporting some of the ideas proposed by President John F. Kennedy during the civil rights movement when he was too young to vote, said he didnt understand how the recent calls for equality, which hes all for, escalated into violence. I dont know whos doing the violence right now but I dont think thats necessary to achieve the goals of equality, said Avery, Trump sign in hand. Latinos for Trump Latinos for Trump, a grassroots group, has been on tour in recent weeks throughout the state, hosting flag-waving events and helping register people to vote by connecting them with the appropriate local officials in oft-forgotten communities, said Bianca Gracia, the organizations president. She said shes heard from older individuals who have never voted in their lives, but feel compelled to do so now. You go, Wow, 53 years old and youve never voted? she said, recounting her reaction when a man told her he had never cast a vote. But they are waking up. It is a silent majority of people that dont say anything. Polls have found a majority of Latinos do not support Trump, from his arguably cruel child separations policy to his 2016 dismissal of Mexican immigrants as rapists. Michael Wyke / Contributor Born and raised a Democrat, Gracia said she never really knew what I was voting for. When Trump came along, it connected. She agreed with his stance on strengthening the border, saying she was so, so fully in support of building a wall and never was offended by his remarks. She appreciated how he tells it like it is. And as a businessman, he connected with her by acknowledging the struggles of small businesses. During Obamas presidency, she said, overregulation and high taxes limited her small business venture from expanding as she could not afford to hire employees and frequently dealt with lots paperwork that complicated the operation until she eventually shut it down. The president also supports veterans, including her husband and two brothers, one of whom once contemplated suicide, she said. He could not schedule an appointment at a Veterans Affairs for months. Her brother can now choose a doctor and has received help, she said. When Trump started to speak out, it resonated, she said. Cady, who put together the gathering in Conroe, says Trumps words resonate for many. I would say a majority of the people on this bridge are part of that silent majority, he said before the toot of a car horn once again cut through the raucous dissonance of traffic. alejandro.serrano@chron.com Masses of North Korean soldiers have been spotted practicing for a major military showcase despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Satellite images released by a US think tank show formations of troops and vehicles at the Mirim Parade Training Ground in the capital Pyongyang. North Korea has been widely expected to hold a major military parade on October 10 this year, the worrying 38 North report said. These images provide the first evidence that rehearsals are underway. The news comes even though its been reported Kim Jong-uns kingdom is secretly in the grip of a Covid-19 outbreak. The true extent to which the virus has spread within the state is not known, but it has closed its borders and implemented strict lockdown measures. It was even reported that troops have been ordered to shoot anyone seen straying near the border with China. The terrifying order apparently came after dictator Kim claimed North Korea is free of the killer virus and insisted he wasnt worried. And it appears Kim is not going to cancel his countrys annual display of military might even thought it regularly attracts huge crowds to the capital. The Mirim facility is often used by troops practicing the demanding marching style featured in North Koreas extravagant parades. The huge displays which also feature tanks, missiles and armoured trucks usually take place in Pyongyangs Kim Il-sung Square. They are held in front of powerful state dignitaries including Glorious Leader Kim himself. The parades are timed to mark the anniversary of the formation of the Workers Party of Korea which is a huge public holiday. However, preparations for the event appear to have been delayed possibly due to anti-pandemic measures or recent severe weather, 38 North said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The FBI is investigating the mysterious deaths of two potential witnesses in a corruption probe into a 20billion mining giant lead by three Kazakhstan oligarchs. James Bethel, 44, and Gerrit Strydom, 45, were originally believed to have died of cerebral malaria when their bodies were discovered in a motel in Springfield, Missouri, in May 2015. The FBI has since taken over the investigation - which was never officially closed - from Springfield police. This comes as a new book by Tom Burgis reveals that the probability that the two men would die of malaria at the exact same time were very small. Sam Wassamer of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said: 'The likelihood of two separate people developing the disease at the exact same time and dying the same night is almost certainly nil.' Genetic analysis ruled out the theory that the men were bitten by the same mosquito - which was the only plausible way the initial cause of death could have been explained. The FBI is investigating the mysterious deaths of James Bethel, 44, (left) and Gerrit Strydom, 45, (right). The men are potential witnesses in a corruption probe into a 20 billion mining giant lead by three Kazakhstan oligarchs Mr Bethel and Mr Strydom, both from South Africa, were senior officials in Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation's interests in Africa. The company is in the midst of a criminal corruption investigation by Britain's Serious Fraud Office and it is understood that the men - who left the company in 2015 - were seen as potential witnesses. The SFO - whose bribery investigation focuses on the company's mines in Africa - had reached out to Mr Bethel before he and Mr Strydom left Johannesburg and flew to Chicago via Amsterdam, sources said. The pair took a trip along Route 66 on Harley-Davidson motorcycles which they hired. They were found dead in their room by staff at the La Quinta Inn. The CDC found malaria in blood and tissue samples samples sent off by a local medical examiner. Fears that the samples were unreliable have now emerged, the Financial Times reports. Confirmation that an official custody chain - to make sure the evidence was properly handled - existed was not confirmed by private coronor sent by the ENRC nor the area's medical examiner. The CDC believed the men may have contracted the deadly disease during a fishing trip they took together in Zambia - two weeks before they started feeling ill on their flight to the US. However, it now been deemed highly improbable that the disease could have killed them both at the same time. The ENRC was set up by oligarchs Aslexander Mashkevitch (left), Patokh Chodiev (right) and Alijan Ibragimov, who have a respective estimated wealth of $1.9 billion, $1.8 billion, and $1.9 billion Alijan Ibragimov (pictured) is one of the founders of the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation. The company is in the midst of a criminal corruption investigation by Britain's Serious Fraud Office The case was never officially closed by local police. It was passed over to the FBI - but it is unclear when this handover happened. The ENRC was set up by oligarchs Aslexander Mashkevitch, Patokh Chodiev and Alijan Ibragimov, who have a respective estimated wealth of $1.9 billion, $1.8 billion, and $1.9 billion, Forbes reports. The men took hold of mines in Kazakhstan after the Soviet Union's collapse lead to mass privatization. The ENRC was worth 20 billion at one point. They expanded to various mines in Africa, where Mr Bethel and Mr Strydom worked. Author Mr Burgis told The Daily Beast: 'The billionaires who control ENRC holiday in the south of France with presidents or on superyachts half as long as the Titanic [Uzbekistan-born Ibragimov, spends much of his time on a reported 26-cabin, $200 million yacht]. He added: 'But more importantly, their money is power in the rawest sense. In places like Kazakhstan and Congo [...] oligarchs such as these have power like that of the old imperialists. 'They have extended that power into the rich democracies with the help of lawyers, bankers, spin doctors, lobbyists and spies.' A spokesperson for ENRC commented: 'Mr Burgis' attempts to draw a link between these deaths to ENRC are entirely without substance. 'It appears as though he has been used to advance an agenda by ENRC's adversaries, and is using sensationalist headlines in order to generate negative publicity around the company.' The ENRC sued the SFO for 70million last year, alleging wrongdoing in the way it conducted the investigation. It claims the lawyer it hired to look into fraud and corruption allegations internally passed on details to contacts at the SFO. Allegations are denied by all parties. MALMO, Sweden, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. This year, the number of press accreditations to the announcements will be very limited but it will also be possible to follow the event online and interview experts afterwards via phone or videolink. The press conferences at which the laureates will be announced are held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The press conferences are open only for media representatives covering this year's prizes. Please note that accreditation in advance and valid press credentials are mandatory. Applications must be made for each press conference separately. Because of the ongoing pandemic we can only accept a very limited number of media representatives in the Session hall. In order to make this a safe event for all present we will have social distancing measures in place. E-mail the Press Secretary [email protected] if you are interested in covering this year's prizes on site. Please note that you will not be able to participate unless you have received a personal invitation as a response to your e-mail. In the application you should submit name, contact details, media outlet, which press conference you would like to attend and if you wish to film with a camera on a stand, and/or interview an expert after the announcement. If you are applying for more than one person, please note whether they have to be inside the Session Hall or can wait outside. The press conferences will be broadcasted live at www.kva.se and www.nobelprize.org (no registration needed). If you are a journalist planning to follow the broadcast online it is possible to make arrangements in advance in order to interview an expert via phone or video link after the announcement. On our website you will be able to find information on how to embed the broadcast. TT Nyhetsbyran will have a photographer on site, for questions regarding pictures from the press conference please contact [email protected]. For special requests or to book an interview via phone or video link after the announcement contact the Press Secretary directly [email protected] or +46-70 878 67 63. Please note that this must be made well in advance. Venue: Session Hall, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Lilla Frescativagen 4A, Stockholm, Sweden. The following dates apply: The Nobel Prize in Physics - Tuesday 6 October at 11.45 a.m. CET at the earliest. Last date to apply for accreditation is 25th of September. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Wednesday 7 October at 11.45 a.m. CET at the earliest. Last date to apply for accreditation is 25th of September. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - Monday 12 October at 11.45 a.m. CET at the earliest. Last date for accreditation is 2nd of October. Information about other Nobel prizes are to be found at www.nobelprize.org/press-room For queries please contact: Eva Nevelius Press Secretary Mobile +46-70-878-67-63 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com SOURCE Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien Gov. Kay Ivey has announced proposed sites for three new mens prisons and the private developer teams that will negotiate with the Alabama Department of Corrections on the projects. The proposed sites are in Bibb, Elmore, and Escambia counties. The ADOC already has prisons in all three counties. Some of the states 13 mens prisons will close as part of the plan for new prisons. Todays announcement is the latest step in a plan Ivey announced last year for the state to negotiate with private developers to finance, build, and maintain three mens prisons that the state would lease and operate. The selections announced today: Facility One: Alabama Prison Transformation Partners (Star America; BL Harbert International; Butler-Cohen; Arrington Watkins Architects; and Johnson Controls, Inc.) with a proposed site located near AL-139/CR-2 in Bibb County. Facility Two: CoreCivic (CoreCivic; Caddell Construction; DLR Group; and R&N Systems Design) with a proposed site in Elmore County (multiple locations under review; proposed site to be shared at a later date). Facility Three: CoreCivic (CoreCivic; Caddell Construction; DLR Group; and R&N Systems Design) with a proposed site located near Bell Fork Road in Escambia County. CoreCivic and Alabama Prison Transformation Partners were the only developer teams still competing for the projects. They submitted proposals in May in response to a request from the Alabama Department of Corrections. The request says the states cost for leasing the facilities would be capped at a total of $88 million a year. The Alabama Prison Program is vital for the long-term success of our state and communities, Ivey said in a news release. We all legislators, advocates, and taxpayers, alike can and should agree that we must rebuild Alabamas correctional system from the ground up to improve safety for our states correctional staff and inmate population, and we must do it immediately. Given the failing state of the ADOCs existing infrastructure and that the Department already is faced with more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance costs alone, pursuing new construction without raising taxes or incurring debt is the fiscally sound and responsible decision. I am pleased with the integrity of this procurement process thus far and look forward to continuing to work closely with the legislature as we comprehensively address this intricate and important issue that affects us all. Alabamas prisons are filled beyond capacity. As of June, the state had 19,562 inmates in facilities designed for 12,412, an occupancy rate of 157%. The state has closed Draper Correctional Facility and the main portion of Holman Correctional Facility in the last two years. The Department of Justice alleged in April 2019 that conditions in mens prisons violate the Constitution because of the levels of violence and what the DOJ alleges is a practice of excessive use of force against inmates by correctional officers. While most of the DOJ report focused on violence in the prisons, it also noted the deteriorating conditions of the states prisons and said the facilities do not provide adequate humane conditions of confinement. Todays announcement marks the start of confidential negotiations between the ADOC and the developer teams, the governors office said. The ADOC expects to complete negotiations by the end of the year and for construction to begin early next year. The ADOC plans to close some of the existing mens prisons. Ivey will set up an Alabama Prison Repurposing Commission to make recommendations on which prisons should close and which prisons could be renovated or used for another purpose. The governors office said the ADOC is considering acquiring a vacant, private prison in Perry County as a transitional site for inmates getting out of prison. That would allow the ADOC to expand services provided through a contract with the the Alabama Therapeutic Education Facility in Shelby County. A graphic from the Alabama Department of Corrections on the plan to lease three new men's prisons financed and maintained by private developers. The ADOC says it can pay for the leases on the new prisons through cost savings. The Alabama Department of Corrections says it can pay the leases on three new men's prisons through cost-savings. Alabamians for Fair Justice, a coalition that includes former inmates, relatives of inmates and others affected by the criminal justice system, as well as organizations that support them, issued a statement opposing the plan for new prisons. The coalition supports sentencing reforms and expansion of programs that are alternatives to prison. If Alabama truly wants to address the prison crisis, lawmakers must pass sentencing reforms like abolishing the Habitual Felony Offender Act and making the 2013 Sentencing Guidelines retroactive; investing in prison alternatives and community resources such as diversion programs, mental health treatment, and drug treatment; requiring the parole board to release more people; and creating a diverse and inclusive oversight committee to hold prison officials accountable for working to end the abuse of incarcerated people by ADOC correctional officers, the coalition said. Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, who has been involved in criminal justice reform efforts for years, said new prisons are part of the solution to the problems of violent, overcrowded, understaffed prisons. I think this helps. I think this helps move us in the right direction. But by itself, it does not solve the overall problem were dealing with in courts, Ward said. Alabamas prisons have been overcrowded and understaffed for years. Former Gov. Robert Bentley proposed legislation that would have built new prisons with a bond issue. Lawmakers considered several variations of that plan but none won final approval. Ivey is trying a different approach. Her plan calls for the developers to bear the costs upfront. Legislative approval is not required. She did the best you could do, considering the Legislature just failed to do it, Ward said. We just failed to do it ourselves. The proposed sites for new prisons are in central and south Alabama. Ward said he expects that to mean that some of the prisons in north Alabama will remain open, including Limestone Correctional Facility. Ward said the proposed sites are close to the prisons in those counties and said they have water, sewer, and electrical service available. I think she (Ivey) looked at it, I think the staff looked, I think the experts they hired looked at it, and that was the best decision they could make, Ward said. I think the locations are good. Theyre close to medical facilities. They also, transportation-wise, arent too far for the correctional officers who work at the current facilities so they could keep their jobs. I think she did the best with what she had. ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn has said the states prisons are not designed to offer the education, training, and treatment programs necessary for rehabilitation and to reduce the likelihood that inmates who leave prison will commit more crimes and return. It is no secret that the ADOC is facing real, longstanding challenges, most of which are decades in the making and rooted in inadequate, crowded, and structurally failing facilities, Dunn said in a press release. Building new facilities that improve safety and security for staff and inmates and allow for effective inmate rehabilitation is the right and only path forward. Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement praising the plan for new prisons. Governor Ivey deserves our gratitude and praise for tackling head-on the toughest issue facing our state, replacing Alabamas aging prisons with modern facilities that will better serve to rehabilitate the inmate population while also protecting our communities, Marshall said. Years of delays in agreeing on a plan for their replacement - coupled with ever more costly maintenance - have created the need for action on the part of the State. Taking bold action to bring about this level of positive change is an example of real leadership and Governor Ivey is to be commended. But the Alabamians for Fair Justice Coalition said new prisons wont fix what it said is a criminal justice system that disproportionately punishes African-Americans. Since the ratification of the 13th Amendment, states have been building prisons to warehouse and re-enslave humans, the coalition statement said. Predictably, Black people went from being a small minority of people incarcerated to the majority in less than 10 years. That trend continues in Alabama and other states to this day. Building new prisons will not solve the problems facing Alabamas prisons: overcrowding, understaffing, inhumane treatment, excessive force, and sexual and physical violence. A prison plan focused only on building more cages will only serve to feed the prison industrial complex, resulting in the disproportionate incarceration and exploitation of even more Black and Brown people to pad the pockets of private prison corporations. About 52% of inmates in ADOC custody are Black, while Blacks make up only 27% of the states population. Programme Manager (LVMM), Brussels, Belgium Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme Country: Belgium City: Brussels, Belgium Office: UNDP Brussels Grade: P-5 Closing date: Tuesday, 15 September 2020 Job ID: 32483 Practice Area - Job Family: Capacity Development - GLOBAL POLICY NETWORK Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 15/09/2020 Duty Station: Brussels, Belgium Education & Work Experience: I-Masters Level Degree - 10 year(s) experience Languages: English, French Grade: P5 Vacancy Type: FTA International Posting Type: External Bureau: Development Policy Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension Candidates who submitted their application in response to the previous advertisement need not re-apply. Background UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDPs policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a connected spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDPs Strategic Plan. BPPSs staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDPs Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDPs development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data-driven including in its programme support efforts. To these ends, UNDP is seeking to recruit a Programme Manager for Phase II of the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme. The demand for Development Minerals is increasing rapidly. This demand is driven by urbanization, infrastructure developments, clean energy production and industrialisation in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). Development Minerals are mined, processed, manufactured and used domestically in industries such as construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture. These type of minerals have a different risk profile in contrast to the remainder of the mining sector, particularly to large-scale high-value mining. For instance, their production and use in the domestic market means that they are not subject to international commodity price fluctuations. The sector is also dominated by artisanal, small and medium scale domestic businesses, with a large proportion of informal operators. Even though the Development Minerals sector is more employment-generating and poverty-reducing, it has a long history of policy neglect. In response to this, Phase I of the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, implemented between 2015 and 2019, successfully brought the sector to the forefront of the development agenda. The Programme is financed by the European Commission and UNDP and is implemented by UNDP at the request of the ACP Group of States. Based on the lessons learned from Phase I of the Programme and the consensus that emerged under the Mosi-oa-Tunya Declaration, Phase II will continue to provide training and capacity development support to Artisanal and Small-Scale Enterprises (ASMEs), their associations, the public institutions that support and regulate them and the social stakeholders impacted by minerals development. The aim is to achieve better livelihoods for ASMEs through higher employment and incomes. These objectives are met by: 1) Improving the business environment and formalising the operations of ASMEs; 2) Enhancing their entrepreneurial skills and improving access to finance, technologies and markets; 3) Strengthening social and environmental safeguards in mining and quarrying; 4) Supporting women-owned and/or women-run ASMEs; and 5) Facilitating inter-ACP knowledge exchange on Development Minerals. The Programme contributes to the achievements of the ACPs Framework of Action on the Development of the Mineral Resources Sector; the ACP-EU Joint Cooperation Framework for Private Sector Development; the Africa Mining Vision (AMV); the Sustainable Development Goals; the African Unions Agenda 2063; and to UNDPs Strategic Plan 2018-2021. Duties and Responsibilities The Programme Manager will work under the direct supervision of UNDPs Senior Advisor on Extractive Industries and in close collaboration with the Management of the UNDPs Representation Office in Brussels. S/he will ensure the Programme is successfully implemented in accordance with its Programme document and the contribution agreement with the European Commission. The Programme Manager will: 1) manage the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme: Phase II; 2) provide policy advice and technical assistance on minerals development; 3) strengthen existing and build new partnershipswith the EU and the ACP Secretariat in the first instance; and with governments, bilateral and multilateral organisations, the private sector, academia, research and training institutions, and civil society organisations; 4) assure the quality of Programme activities and outputs; 5) prepare and implement a Programme communication and visibility strategy; and 6) provide financial oversight, budgeting and reporting. 1) Programme Management Conduct day-to-day management of the Programme; Manage operational and reputational risks and take appropriate actions to address them; Supervise and guide the work of the Programme team and ensure fluid communication within the team, despite their multiple locations; Ensure timely and quality delivery of Programme outputs and reports in accordance with the Special and General Conditions of the Contribution Agreement signed with the EU and the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement between the EU and the UN; Prepare annual budgets and ensure that financial management and oversight are in place in accordance with UNDPs rules and regulations; Prepare annual work plans and ensure their tracking and monitoring on a regular basis; Coordinate the mid-term progress monitoring and evaluation of the Programme; Organize the Steering Committee and Technical Committee meetings and ensure follow-up and communication of the decisions to partners; and Work closely with the UNDP Representation Office in Brussels to provide regular programme updates and coordinate with the other Office units and projects. 2) Policy advice and technical assistance Coordinate with UNDPs different practice areas to ensure substantive coherence and operational synergies across the organisation; Provide advice and technical guidance on the Development Minerals sector, and more broadly how the extractive industry can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals; Scan the priorities and strategies of the ACP Group of States and the EU in the extractives field and engage with their relevant departments to identify areas for policy dialogue and collaboration; Share UNDP, EU, ACP strategies, policies and priorities in this sector with UNDP country offices, partners and UN agencies; and Ensure coordination and organization of conferences, workshops, trainings. 3) Partnerships, outreach and communication Represent the Programme externally at conferences, meetings, consultations and outreach events; Manage relations with the EC and the ACP Secretariats main counterparts, and by extension, with representatives (embassies) from ACP countries based in Brussels; Tags access to finance capacity development clean energy collective action continuous improvement development policy extractive industries financial management immigration law local government manufacturing mineral resources monitoring and evaluation natural resource management private sector development programme management public institutions regulatory agencies results based management sustainable development sustainable development goals trainings Work closely with UNDP Country Offices in Programme countries; Provide oversight of the Programmes subcontractors; Ensure the delivery of the communications and visibility strategy, making use of a variety of technologies and information platforms; and Mobilise additional resources to complement the Programme budget. 4) Other duties and expected results The Programme is successfully implemented in accordance with its Programme document and the contribution agreement with the EU; The capacities of key stakeholders in the Development Minerals sector is enhanced, including that of public stakeholders such as regulatory agencies and local governments; private stakeholders such as small-scale mining enterprises and their associations; and social stakeholders such as civil society organizations and community groups; Steps are taken in selected countries to improve the management and operations of the Development Minerals sector; and Additional resources are mobilised. Competencies Core Innovation Ability to make new and useful ideas work; Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them Leadership Ability to persuade others to follow; Positions the organization as a center of expertise and influence Inspires others to reach new heights People Management Ability to improve performance and satisfaction; Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others Communication Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform; Creates confidence among stakeholders by delivering authoritative positions, compelling analysis, and contextual acumen Delivery Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement; Sets strategic goals and builds the means to achieve optimal service delivery and organizational excellence Technical/Functional Knowledge of the mining sector Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise Programme management Implement & Manage: Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work Achieving programme deliverables Execute & Learn: Performs defined tasks efficiently and deepens knowledge of area of work Manage competing demands Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise Identifying risks and mitigation measures Navigate & Guide: Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession Communicating effectively Role Model & Resolve: Creates an environment to facilitate full institutional potential and governs UNDPs strategic and political investments in line with organizational values and principles Problem-solving Integrate & Empower: Leads integral work of teams utilizing expertise, vision, problem-solving capability, and collaborative energy in professional area of expertise Motivation Replicate Reliably: Carry out work, as directed, and demonstrate motivation to develop Required Skills and Experience Education: Masters Degree in mining, geology, public policy, development studies, economics, business administration or a related field. Experience: 10 years of relevant professional experience, including programme management; Experience in the fields of sustainable development, natural resource management, economics or in a related field is a requirement; Field experience is desirable; Excellent networking and partnership building skills in a complex institutional setting; Excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely and effectively both orally and in writing, and Experience with the workings of the UN, European Union institutions and the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States is an asset. Language Requirements: Proficiency in English and French (both written and oral). Working knowledge of other UN languages is desirable Other: Workforce diversity UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Disclaimer Important information for US Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications. Applicant information about UNDP rosters Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements. Workforce diversity UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Scam warning The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web. The Defense Department marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday where it began for the U.S. -- at Pearl Harbor, with a ceremony aboard the "Mighty Mo'" battleship that served as the stage for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese empire. In paying tribute to the WWII generation, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the lesson learned from history's bloodiest conflict is to remain ever vigilant and prepared to fight against present and emerging threats. Read Next: More Than 60 Fort Benning Soldiers Have Been Punished for Violating COVID-19 Rules The end of the war "created new expectations regarding the use of force and the way countries should treat each other" that often have not been realized, he told a socially-distanced audience of about 50 aboard the battleship Missouri, now a memorial in Honolulu. "It is your legacy that inspires us to uphold the freedom and values for which you so nobly fought," Esper said to the audience, which included at least 12 WWII veterans. "To protect the hard-fought gains of generations past and present, [the U.S.] will remain ready to fight any foe and defend any friend [and] will safeguard our values and all we hold dear at every turn in every place," he said. "We will not back down, and we will not yield. Freedom is far too precious to do otherwise, and the sacrifice of those who came before us is far too great." In similar remarks, Adm. Phil Davidson, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned that the U.S. now faces challenges from China and others and called on today's service members to take inspiration from "the memories of our greatest generation." "We pay tribute to them by continuing to defend the values of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Davidson said. Esper also cited in part the message sent out at the end of the war by Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz, who was aboard the Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945, for the signing of surrender documents. But the SecDef's call for readiness to fight appeared to contrast with the fervent plea for lasting peace made 75 years ago from the decks of the battleship. Nimitz said the nation had an enduring obligation to those who died in the war -- "the obligation to ensure their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live. Now, we turn to the great tasks of reconstruction and restoration." Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur had just presided at the signing of the instrument of surrender by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, representing Emperor Hirohito. "It is my earnest hope and, indeed, the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past," MacArthur said in his closing remarks. He said he hoped for "a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish -- for freedom, tolerance and justice." In the early planning for the anniversary ceremony, about 200 World War II veterans had been expected to attend, but the organizers limited the gathering to about 12 vets living in Hawaii because of COVID-19 restrictions. Other ceremonies across the nation to mark the end of World War II were mostly virtual because of the pandemic, but President Donald Trump went to the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina, on a combination campaign swing and tribute to the World War II generation. With the battleship North Carolina, now a memorial in the city, as a backdrop, Trump declared Wilmington "the first American World War II Heritage City." "With this designation, we proudly declare that in America, we don't tear down the past. We celebrate our heroes. We cherish our heritage," he said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: 5 Things to Know About Japan's World War II Surrender (Repeats to additional subscribers, no changes to text) * Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam schools await UK enrolment boom * Pandemic changing the way some families view relocation * Some relocating students priced out of international schools By Sinead Cruise LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The coronavirus pandemic has forced some British-based families to put Brexit-related plans to move to the European Union on hold, leaving some top international schools wondering when a predicted surge in new applications will materialise. Thousands of staff - and their school-age children - could relocate from London as financial firms reorganise to maintain a presence in the European single market, and this had been expected to benefit schools in the region. But as the new academic year begins, three of the most prestigious institutions in the EU said they had yet to see a landslide in enrolment requests from UK-based families before Britain finally cuts ties with the bloc on Dec. 31. "The double impact of COVID-19 and Brexit is impacting the way globally mobile families approach relocation," Caroline MacDonald, Director of Advancement at the American School of Paris (ASP), told Reuters. "While some of our families arrived in France soon after Brexit was announced, there's not been a marked increase in families rushing to move before the end of the transition period," she said. The American School of Paris, which teaches an American curriculum to students aged 3-18, and where fees range from 19,000 to 35,150 euros per year, welcomed just eight new students from Britain when its campus reopened on Aug. 26. This reflected a dip in applications from families linked to embassies, institutions such as the European Banking Authority, and private firms in France. The slower-than-expected pace of enrolment has also been seen in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, where several global financial firms and EU institutions such as the European Medicines Agency have moved from Britain. Some employers may also be reluctant to support pricey fees. Story continues "We've found a lot of children of families educated in the UK and then relocated to Amsterdam have been subject to financial restrictions on school options they could go for," said Paul Morgan, head of the British School of Amsterdam. The British School of Amsterdam - where annual fees range from 15,840 to 16,980 euros - still has vacancies in its infant school, according to its website as at Sept. 1. NO HURRY TO MOVE One source at a major international bank said it was giving staff "as long as possible" to relocate to avoid unnecessary disruption. But global banks in Britain are under pressure from European regulators to move key staff to their new EU hubs without delay, despite COVID-19. Paul Fochtman, Head of the Frankfurt International School (FIS), said his institution, whose staff and students represent more than 50 nationalities and where annual fees range between 20,730 and 25,700 euros, is still waiting for a Brexit applications boom. He said some Brexit-related relocations due to happen in the 2019/2020 academic year were put on hold due to COVID, and the rate of Brexit-linked applications to the school for the 2020/2021 year also declined compared to pre-COVID levels. Around 10 students planning to join the FIS from Britain in August had deferred their arrival until January, with a few of those potentially deferring again until August 2021. Fochtman said demand for places from families of other nationalities moving to Germany instead of Britain was on the rise, offsetting the smaller numbers of UK-to-EU applications also seen in Paris and Amsterdam. Some 40% of the new enrolment at the ASP this year was from families moving to France from around Europe, MacDonald said. "We haven't seen that huge surge that you might have imagined after Brexit, when we were all thinking about what might happen. I can't tell you that we have seen any bigger demand than in previous years," Morgan said. (Reporting by Sinead Cruise; Editing by Giles Elgood) A pregnant woman was handcuffed by police in front of her children and led away in her pyjamas in Australia after allegedly inciting activists to demonstrate against the coronavirus lockdown. Zoe Buhler's partner helped her livestream the arrest on Wednesday at her home where she lives with two children, aged three and four, in the Victoria state city of Ballarat. The video has been viewed millions of times. The 28-year-old has since been charged with using social media platforms to incite others to break pandemic restrictions by attending demonstrations. "The police could have given me a phone call and said, 'Look, you need to take down your event or you could be charged with a crime,' and I would have done that," she told reporters. "It could have been as simple as that. You know, I'm not someone that would you know ever commit a crime or anything like that," she added. Melbourne, the state capital, has been under unprecedented lockdown restrictions since early August. A nighty curfew was imposed, while large parts of the economy were ordered to close to curb the spread of the virus. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius described handcuffing Ms Buhler as "entirely reasonable". "The optics of arresting someone who is pregnant are terrible," he said. Police have also arrested three men and charged them with inciting others to break pandemic restrictions over planned protests in Melbourne on Saturday. Australia reported its biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases in more than a week on Thursday, denting optimism that a stringent lockdown of its second-largest city will soon be lifted. Authorities said 127 cases have been detected in the last 24 hours, up on the 109 cases recorded on Wednesday and the biggest one-day jump since August 28. The World on Coronavirus lockdown 1 /60 The World on Coronavirus lockdown Getty Images A UK government public health campaign is displayed in Piccadilly Circus Reuters Chinese paramilitary police and security officers wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they stand guard outside an entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing AP A usually busy 42nd Street is seen nearly empty in New York AFP via Getty Images Bondi Beach, Australia Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images View of the illuminated statue of Christ the Redeemer that reads "Thank you" as Archbishop of the city of Rio de Janeiro Dom Orani Tempesta performs a mass in honor of Act of Consecration of Brazil and tribute to medical workers amidst the Coronavirus (COVID - 19) pandemic Getty Images Rome AFP via Getty Images An Indian man paddles his bicycle in front of a mural depicting the globe covered in a mask, as India remains under an unprecedented lockdown over the highly contagious coronavirus Getty Images Aerial view of the empty 9 de Julio avenue in Buenos Aires in Argentina AFP via Getty Images A view of an empty Grand Canal Reuters Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Central cemetery in Bogota, Columbia AFP via Getty Images The facade of the Palacio de Lopez (seat of the government palace) AFP via Getty Images Miami, Florida AFP via Getty Images Aerial view of the empty Simon Bolivar park in Bogota AFP via Getty Images An LAPD patrol car drives through Venice Beach Boardwalk AP Venice Beach, California Getty Images Los Angeles, California Getty Images Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images Many shops stand shuttered on the Venice Beach boardwalk Getty Images Empty escalators are seen at a deserted train station during morning rush hour after New South Wales began shutting down non-essential businesses Reuters A nearly empty Times Square in New York AFP via Getty Images Caracas AFP via Getty Images Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador AFP via Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Midland Park in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A general view of an unusually quiet Civic Square at lunchtimein Wellington, New Zealand Getty Images A policeman rides his motorcycle wearing a face mask in front of a closed shopping mall in Buenos Aires, Argentina AFP via Getty Images Florida Keys AP The historic Channel 2 Bridge closed to fishermen, bikers and pedestrians in Florida Keys AP The Beach on Scenic Gulf Drive near Seascape Resort in south Walton County, Florida sits empty of tourists AP Surfers Paradise is seen empty in Australia Getty Images A deserted Rajpath leading to India Gate in New Delhi AFP via Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images A general view is seen of a closed Luna Park in Sydney, Australia Getty Images Empty roads are pictured following the lockdown by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal Reuters An empty New York Subway car i AFP via Getty Images The empty pedestrian zone is seen in the city of Cologne, western Germany, AFP via Getty Images Place de la Comedie in the city of Montpellier , southern France AFP via Getty Images An empty street in Kuwait city AFP via Getty Images A building is covered by the Portuguese message: "Coronavirus: take precaution" over empty streets in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, AP A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters Parliament of Canada is pictured with empty street during morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images A near empty beach on Southend seafront in England PA Near empty Keswick town centre in Cumbria, England PA The majority of the cases were detected in Victoria state which reported 113 new cases in the past 24 hours, despite the state capital, Melbourne, nearing the end of a six-week lockdown. As result, state authorities said restrictions may have to continue beyond September 13. "I can't rule out that we have to continue (with some) rules. I simply can't," state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne. New South Wales reported 12 cases, a day after it posted its biggest one-day spike in new infections for two weeks. Queensland state accounted for the remaining two cases. Universities will push for major revisions to the Morrison government's funding shake-up after the legislation was forced to a Senate inquiry, delaying its passage through Parliament. The government had resisted sending the bill to a Senate committee for scrutiny but relented following pressure from Labor and the Greens, which convinced crossbenchers of the need for an inquiry. The government has been forced to refer its sweeping university funding bill to a Senate inquiry. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Coalition needs to secure an extra three crossbench votes to legislate the overhaul, which cuts fees for courses deemed "job-relevant" and raises them for others, while funding tens of thousands of additional university places in the coming years in response to rising demand. The bill has faced criticism from universities, with warnings it does not provide funding help or certainty for a sector in crisis because of the collapse in international student fee revenue due to COVID-19. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The Republican Sandoval County Central Committee has selected Joshua Hernandez as the unopposed candidate to replace state Rep. Tim Lewis on the ballot. Im really looking forward to being able to carry on and help our community as best I can, said Hernandez, who lives in Rio Rancho. I really just want to be a voice for not just District 60, but for all of Rio Rancho. He added that he looked forward to working with the areas other legislators. Lewis, also a Rio Rancho resident, has represented District 60 for 10 years. He withdrew his candidacy in July, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and didnt believe he should make politics a career. Republican Party of Sandoval County Chairman Daniel Stoddard said Lewis suggested Hernandez as his replacement. I believe hell do a wonderful job, Stoddard said of Hernandez. He said Hernandez is young, hard working and engaged with the party and county. The other person vying for the party nomination was former Sandoval County Commissioner Glenn Walters. Lewis had no opposition in the primary or general election. He is finishing his current term, which expires at the end of the year. Under New Mexico law, no other party can enter the race after the primary election. An Albuquerque native, Hernandez moved to Rio Rancho about 10 years ago. He works for Agenda, a public affairs and strategic communications firm in Albuquerque. He said his first priorities representing the southwestern Rio Rancho district will be small-business support, public safety and education. With COVID, I think that our small businesses in New Mexico need help, he said. Hundreds of them have closed already, and were not out of the pandemic. So Im sure there will be more victims. Hernandez said hes seen how hard his parents work to provide for the family with their small business, and COVID-19 has made it harder. He wants to help the businesses already in the state and bring in more. Hernandez said education is also a priority, as New Mexicans are tired of ranking near the bottom nationally in that area. He also said he is a strong supporter of law enforcement, saying police and other first responders need the resources and tools to keep the community safe. WELLINGTON/TOKYO: Japans coastguard rescued one person in the search for a cargo ship carrying livestock that went missing in the East China Sea after issuing a distress signal as typhoon Maysak lashed the region. The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 with 5,867 cattle and 43 crew members on board, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealands foreign ministry told Reuters. The ship sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan. Strong winds and rains from typhoon Maysak were hampering rescue efforts. The crew was made up of 39 members from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the coastguard said. A spokeswoman for the coastguard said one person was rescued on Wednesday night (Tokyo time) during the search for the ship after being spotted adrift wearing a life jacket. New Zealands foreign ministry said it was providing consular assistance to the families of two New Zealanders aboard. Path of the Gulf Livestock 1 livestock carrier https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/xklpynjkwvg/GulfLivestock1Path.png 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 British tourist who was detained in Qatar after airport officials found a 10 cannabis grinder on him during a stop-over 11 months ago has been arrested in Corfu and could be extradited back to the UAE. Conor Howard, 27, was stopped last October on his way back to the UK from Australia when he was found with the item - which he says he bought for a friend as a joke. The project manager from Tranent, East Lothian, spent six hours in a cell before returning home, and thought no more of his brush with Middle Eastern authorities. But Mr Howard was unaware he has been placed on an international most wanted list and has now been arrested in Greece after arriving to join his parents on holiday. Conor Howard, 27, was stopped in Qatar last October on his way back to the UK from Australia. He was unaware he had been placed on an international most wanted list and has now been arrested in Greece after arriving to join his parents on holiday. The project manager from Tranent, Eat Lothian, spent six hours in a cell before returning home Mr Howard is now being held in a Greek prison with the possibility of being extradited to Qatar to face drugs charges. His terrified parents Adele, 53, and Robert Young, 55, are being supported by Radha Stirling, of Detained in Dubai, who is representing him. Local lawyers are preparing a bail request for their son today. His father said: 'We are emotional, stressed, and my anxiety levels are through the roof. The project manager from Tranent, Eat Lothian, spent six hours in a cell before returning home, and thought no more of his brush with Middle Eastern authorities 'We are just having to support each other in this really difficult time. 'It is crazy the lack of support we have received from the British Embassy in Greece and the language barrier involving lawyers is so difficult. 'The embassy gave us a list of Qatari lawyers to contact who can speak English if he is extradited but none of them have got back to us and we have not been filled with confidence. 'But that said so many local people are trying to help us by taking us up and down to the court and jail. 'The waiting game in between is so painful and the no answers is so difficult. At least in Britain they could scream back at us in the same language.' Lawyer Radha Stirling said: 'Upon flying to Greece to visit family this past weekend, Greek authorities were alerted of the arrest warrant, and threw Conor in jail. 'He has a bail hearing later today, but it appears that Conor is to face extradition proceedings that might see him deported to Qatar to face charges - charges for which Qatar already released him last year. 'Obviously, Conor has not committed a crime, and that was even determined to be the case at the time of his initial detention. 'It is absurd that Qatar would issue an arrest warrant for an individual they themselves released from custody.' Mr Howard's terrified parents Adele, 53, and Robert Young, 55, are being supported by Radha Stirling, of Detained in Dubai, who is representing him A GoFundMe page set up by Mr Howard's friends to pay for legal assistance has already raised more than 9,500. One, Kyle Williams, 27, also from East Lothian, said: 'It is hard to describe it and it is so surreal. 'Conor is just a standard everyday guy and this just shows it could have happened to anybody. 'He's not a troublemaker or a drug smuggler, nothing like this happens to us and we are not used to it. He is just one of the boys. 'No one can believe it back home in East Lothian, the whole community has already come together and that has been brilliant. Hopefully, we can get him home soon.' Kenny MacAskill, MP for East Lothian, said: 'This is an abuse of a vital legal process and must be opposed. 'I will be asking the Foreign Secretary to intervene as a matter of urgency so that Conor can come home.' The Foreign Office said: 'Our staff are in contact with a British man and his family following his arrest in Corfu, and are in touch with the Greek authorities.' Russias largest oil producer, state-controlled Rosneft, said on Thursday in response to a media report that it does not ship petroleum products to North Korea and does not do any business in the country. On Wednesday, the Yonhap news agency of South Korea reported that North Korea boosted its imports of refined oil products from Russia by 16 percent last year, despite the wide-ranging sanctions on Kim Jong-uns regime. North Korea imported US$24.8 million worth of oil products from last year, Yonhap reported, citing research by international security research company Kharon, based on data from the International Trade Centre. According to Yonhaps article, the Russian oil products supplied to North Korea were produced by the state energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom. The research cited by Yonhap found that North Korea imported US$26 million worth of fuel products from Rosneft between 2018 and 2019 and about US$100,000 from Gazprom in 2018. In response to the report, Rosneft said on Thursday that The information provided in this article is not factual and aims to harm the industry market competition. Rosneft does not supply North Korea and does not conduct any commercial activity in that country. As a public company and one of the leaders in the global energy industry, Rosneft operates in strict compliance with Russian and international law, corporate standards, and in the interests of its shareholders, which include major international companies, professional institutional investors, and tens of thousands of individuals and legal entities, the Russian oil giant said. In addition, Rosneft said that it considers the publishing of information about alleged involvement in supplies of oil products to North Korea as a provocation, and will go to court to protect its business reputation. Last year, a UN Panel of Experts said that North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile program remains intact while the country continues to defy United Nations resolutions with significantly increased illegal ship-to-ship oil and coal transfers. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Rescue team from Chile work with Lebanese civil defense in a rescue mission after a scanner and a sniffer dog from the rescue team detected that there might be a survivor under the rubble A border collie dog working with Chilean rescuers discovered a potential survivor of the Beirut port explosion on Thursday night, nearly a month after the blast. The trained rescue dog detected signs of life beneath the rubble of a destroyed building in the district of Gemmayzeh, sparking an intensive search. Up to two bodies were subsequently potentially detected by thermal imaging cameras, trapped below the rubble: one small curled up body and a larger one. The smaller body showed some vital signs, registering 18 breaths per minute, while a faint pulse could also be detected, the team said. Francisco Lermanda, the head of the Chilean Rescue team, told The Telegraph that he suspected whoever was trapped was in a coma. He predicted a long night ahead to reach the possible victim. The discovery was made 29 days after the huge explosion in Beirut's port, triggered when a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored for six years in a warehouse was ignited by a fire. The resulting blast killed nearly 200 people, injured 6,000, and caused a huge swathe of devastation across the city. The chances of anyone surviving for such a long period under the rubble were 'very small' said an NGO worker involved in the rescue, but not completely unprecedented the Topos Chile team that made the discovery reportedly rescued a severely dehydrated and malnourished man in Haiti who had been buried 27 days after a devastating earthquake there. The rescue team worked through 40 degree heat to clear enough rubble for a female member of the team to try to explore beneath the collapsed buliding. As dusk fell they installed strong lamps in order to continue their investigations. As a crowd gathered to await news of a miracle, Beirutis took to social media to criticise their own government, as it had taken a foreign rescue team to find any signs of life so long after the August 4 explosion. Francisco Lermanda, the head of the Chilean Rescue team, told The Telegraph: The team arrived 10 days ago. Yesterday walking in this street with the dog, and the dog said what?! Story continues This life-locating equipment detected breathing. It was detecting 15 breaths per minutes. I think its a person in a coma state, breathing slowly. Its not another animal, its the breath of a human. He predicted a long night. Its waiting, its hoping. We need the team to penetrate in three holes, he said, with each hole needing to move through several metres of rubble. Were moving 10cm an hour, he said. Flash the rescue dog at work in Beirut Edward Bitar, a volunteer with Live Love Beirut, a community engagement organisation, said at the scene: "We're just making sure there's no one there alive. We're taking all the steps needed. "At any second the house, the building could collapse. So we need to work in small team without heavy equipment to try to retrieve whoever is there. "We don't want to get anyone's hopes up. We just want to make sure there's no one inside the house. "Even if there's a 99 percent chance there's no one alive, we need to make sure of that one percent chance. "Even if there's one percent probability we still have to do our work properly." Local resident Reine Abbas, said she was near the destroyed building two weeks ago when she smelled old blood and urged authorities to search the rubble. She said they didnt respond to her pleas: If they had checked back then, then the body may have been alive today but this is Lebanon, she said. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army also reported yesterday it had discovered and was dealing with another 4 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut's port. A total of 2,750 tonnes of the volatile chemical were ignited by a fire to cause last month's explosion. The combination of Miles' rider loyalty program and Vix's fare payment systems allows transit passengers to link their preferred fare payment method, such as contactless bank cards, closed-loop transit cards, and mobile apps. The integration utilizes ridership data collected by the fare system to enable hyper-targeted and individualized loyalty programs focused on specific transit or social equity initiatives. Transit agencies can gain a clearer, data-driven understanding of their rider base through the Vix and Miles integrated solution. In addition to providing transit agencies with rider data insights, passengers also benefit through the exclusive rewards they earn with Miles' individualized rewards program. Through the Miles and Vix integration, transit agencies can return to pre-pandemic rider levels more quickly by offering targeted incentives. "The integration of Miles' next-generation mobility loyalty program with Vix's transit ticketing platform allows public transit providers to provide game-changing benefits to customers. Some examples include providing incentives to current single-occupancy drivers to try transit instead, differentiating rewards for economically disadvantaged riders, and issuing free transit tickets as rewards that can be fulfilled in the Miles app with a touchless payment solution," said Gabe Klein, Cityfi co-founder and former commissioner of the Chicago and Washington, D.C. Departments of Transportation. Miles is the first universal rewards app that delivers value for every mile of commute and travel across every mode of transportation. Miles' automated rewards program requires no user logging of trips and rewards users for all their travel, no matter how they get from point A to point B, such as driving, taking a bus, or riding the train. Miles allows transit agencies to create exclusive rewards for current customers and new passengers alike, including incentives for drivers to swap to public transit. Miles' bundled analytics enable transit agencies to understand the percentage of passengers who alter their behavior based on a given reward, verifying both mode shift and change in vehicle miles traveled. Vix has been designing, delivering, operating, and maintaining some of the world's leading transit ticketing systems for more than over 30 years. Some of Vix's customers include ORCA (Puget Sound regional transit system in Washington State), DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), and Phoenix in the U.S., as well as Edmonton in Canada. Now, Vix's customers will have the ability to reward loyal passengers and incentivize mode shift among prospective riders through the integration of Miles. All of the automated logging and reward redemptions are completed directly in the Miles app to provide users with a seamless experience, while helping streamline existing transit agency operations. Riders can simply download the app, available on iOS and Android, and immediately begin to benefit. Transit agencies can also create new incentives, or 'challenges,' to influence rider behavior on the fly, choosing from more than 200 existing merchant rewards, or by rewarding riders with discounted or free tickets, through integration with Vix systems. "Miles makes it easy and fun for Contra Costa's residents to earn rewards for everyday travel. Miles also helps our agency better understand how people are moving throughout the county," said Randy Iwasaki, Executive Director of California's Contra Costa Transportation Authority. Agencies that have provided rewards in Miles' app for local citizens that primarily drive cars report between 1% and 4% of users showing documented mode shift to greener forms of transportation, with the percentage varying by local conditions and type of reward. In addition to traffic and environmental benefits, most transit rewards end up paying for themselves via farebox recovery. "This partnership offers transit agencies across North America a more engaging, more impactful experience that increases ridership, supports sustainable modes of transportation, and helps bridge the social equity gap," said Adrian Kelly, Vix Technology Chief Product Officer. "Miles is excited to work with Vix to offer agencies a way to integrate rewards with their ticketing platform for a single contactless solution. Transit agencies can take a data-driven approach to rewarding existing riders and incentivizing single occupancy vehicles to try transit," said Jigar Shah, Co-founder and CEO of Miles. About Miles Miles is the first universal rewards app that delivers value for every mile of commute & travel across every mode of transportation - with greener forms of travel rewarded even further. Using the miles you earn, enjoy redeeming rewards that range from free products and services to credits and savings on over 200 top brands such as Garmin, Chewy, Postmates, and more. Miles is backed by strategic investors from JetBlue Technology Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Porsche Digital, Liil Ventures, Urban Us, Sony Innovation Fund, Panasonic, and SAIC. For more information: www.getmiles.com Contact: [email protected] About Vix Our passion is providing a better customer journey. Vix has been designing, delivering, operating, and maintaining some of the world's leading transit ticketing systems for over 30 years. With a customer-first culture and a legacy of innovation Vix makes public transport more accessible for riders and more cost-effective for operators by reducing payment friction. Vix Pulse is an account-based ticketing platform featuring an industry-leading fare engine that supports flexible fare policies, multiple transit modes, and stacking fare caps. Vix Whisper is a contactless EMV service that eliminates the need for ticket vending machines and fareboxes and provides lower per-transaction costs compared to printed tickets, cards, and mobile tickets. For more information: www.vixtechnology.com Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Vix Technology Related Links vixtechnology.com TICKERS: GPG; GPTRF; GPB Source: Streetwise Reports (9/3/20) Grande Portage Resources, recipient of a $3 million investment by Eric Sprott, is in the midst of a 6,000-meter summer drill program at its Herbert Gold Project. Grande Portage Resources Ltd. (GPG:TSX.V; GPTRF:OTCQB; GPB:FSE) is focused on expanding its Herbert Gold Project in southeastern Alaska, located not far from the capital city of Juneau. The property sits in the 160-km-long Juneau gold belt and is flanked by some productive neighbors. The A-J Gold Mine in Juneau operated from 1917 to 1944 and was one of the world's largest gold mines at the time. The Kensington Mine, to the north, is operated by Coeur Mining, and produced nearly 128,000 ounces of gold in 2019. The Herbert Gold Project has an Indicated resource from 2019 of 606,500 ounces of gold at an average grade of 10.03 grams per tonne (g/t) and an Inferred resource of 251,700 ounces of gold at an average grade of 14.15 g/t. The company's goal is to expand that resource. To that end, Grande Portage raised CA$3.15 million through a fully subscribed private placement that closed in July. Veteran investor Eric Sprott purchased 10 million common shares and 5 million warrants, giving him 12.8% ownership on a non-diluted basis. Cash in hand, Grande Portage has literally doubled its efforts for this summer's drill program by adding a second diamond drill rig and plans to drill until early October. The days are long in the Alaska summer, and Grande Portage is making the most of it. "We drill from early summer to early fall, where we can get a lot of our drilling pattern in over four to five months," Grande Portage President Ian Klassen told Streetwise Reports. "Then we spend the rest of the year doing assessments and recording what we've achieved there." The Herbert project contains a series of at least five parallel gold-hosting mesothermal veins, with some high-grade numbers already in hand. Past drilling intersected values as high as 59.91 g/t gold over 8.08 meters and 37.07 g/t gold over 15.7 meters. Geologist Dave Webb likens the structure to sandwiching a piece of glass between two pieces of clay and then squishing the clay. "The clay will spread out and flow around, but the glass will tend to crack in a very predictable, parallel system. And that's what we have with the quartz diorite being that rigid block of rock that is cracking, so you end up with veins that are like vertical blinds. They're very predictable, spaced about every 200 meters apart, and they seem to have the same size and dimension and, to date, gold." The veins outcrop at surface because the soft, altered rock around them tends to weather away, Webb said. "It was quite outstanding when the LiDAR survey was completed, these vein structures just jump off the map. They're gold highways really." Exposed quartz on the Goat Vein This summer's program will drill up to 6,000 meters to expand mineralization on multiple veins, as well as follow up on prospective targets to the south that the 2018 LiDAR survey revealed. "This year we will mainly concentrate drilling on the Goat Vein, the Main Vein and the Deep Trench Vein because they're the most prolific veins and they make up the resource that we've got right now," Klassen said. "We're concentrating further to the east than ever before and at greater depths than before." The veins "average out around 4.5 feet, but we have intersected some really nice wide veins of up to 45 feet of better than an ounce," Webb noted. "The veins are expected to keep going to great depths and will really be limited by technology more than anything else." 2020 Drill Plan Map: While the company has not yet released drill results from this year's programCOVID-related issues have slowed down lab turnaround timesGrande Portage noted that it has discovered two new veins hosting visible gold. They are located between the Goat and Main veins, to the east of previous drilling. "We've encountered what looks like two newly found vein structures between the Goat and the Main that we didn't expect there," Klassen said. The company also is drilling on the North Vein, and on the Floyd and the Elusive veins to the south. "In its totality, we could be working on a total of six veins during this drill program," Klassen said. "We're fully funded with a treasury that enables us to do the work that we need to dothat we've always wanted to dowith two rigs we'll have some results out for our shareholders shortly," Klassen concluded. Grande Portage has around 78 million shares issued and outstanding, and about 5.6 million options and 19.8 million warrants. It has about $3.8 million in the treasury. Grande Portage is followed by industry analysts. Resource Maven Gwen Preston wrote on August 26, "The investment thesis for GPG had three planks. First, the market had forgotten about Herbert, which is a high-grade vein system well suited to this market. That advantage has already played out, with Eric Sprott's investment shining a light on this asset. The other two planks are that the known veins can likely be extended and odds are good that more veins can yet to be found. These results support both of those ideas." Eric Coffin wrote in HRA Hard Rock Analyst on August 20, "Today's news [visible gold in two holes] nicely fits the investment thesis here, that more drilling was bound to find more veins, in addition to extending the known ones. It looks like the Herbert resource is highly likely to grow again once the 2020 drill results are added to the mix and the notes on visible gold increase the odds we get the sort of high grades that increase the attention on the stock, and the share price." [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Patrice Fusillo compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Grande Portage Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the decision to publish an article until three business days after the publication of the article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. Additional disclosures: Disclosures from Resource Maven Companies are selected based solely on merit; fees are not paid. The publisher, owner, writer or their affiliates may own securities of or may have participated in the financings of some or all of the companies mentioned in this publication. Disclosures from HRA Special Delivery Alert We do not receive or request compensation in any form in order to feature companies in this publication. We may, or we may not, own securities of the companies mentioned herein. A Texas woman not wearing a mask inside an H-E-B has gone viral after she filmed herself having a meltdown due to the grocery store refusing service to her. It is policy at all of the San Antonio-based grocer's stores that shoppers wear a face-covering due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic. Katie Bug said of her meltdown, streamed live over Facebook and later posted on r/PublicFreakout subreddit, that a customer at the H-E-B in Cedar Park (just North of Austin) "harassed" her for not wearing a mask. When Bug complained to the store manager about the situation, she said they then refused to let her check out. It is unclear from the video when the actually incident at H-E-B occurred. "I have anxiety and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). They were berating me about not wearing one even though I told them I have a medical exemption," Bug, who was wearing a shirt that read "Shed the Mask," said while crying to her camera. READ ALSO: H-E-B shortens list of product purchase limits again Bug said she received no sympathy from the store manager and vowed to call their corporate office later. She also revealed in the video that the situation is happening "because less than 10,000 people have died from COVID-19" in the United States, saying at least two and a half of them had "co-morbidities." In a follow-up Facebook live video, also posted to the subreddit, a calmer Bug, in her car, said another manager at the store apologized and allowed her to buy her groceries, saying that he loaded them in her car. She also gave further details on the exchange between her and the customer who told her, "If my 3-year-old can wear one, then you can." "I said, 'No, I can't, and also, your child shouldn't, because children 10 and under shouldn't for sure.' I didn't tell her that it was child abuse, but anyway," Bug said in her video, which ended with her saying that she will still be contacting cooperate about the situation. READ ALSO: H-E-B aiming to open new store on far West Side in October Since the videos have been posted, Bug has gone viral on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Reddit, and has made headlines from news outlets in Austin, like the dailydot.com. On Twitter, @RetiredMaybe posted the video on Tuesday, writing "Maskhole Karen needs to seek help... Or wear a DAMN mask." The post has received more than 1,000 retweets and has nearly 4,000 comments as of Wednesday. "I highly doubt this drama queen has anxiety," someone commented. "I don't think she'd be recording this hissy fit in public." "Good actress. Academy award stuff right there. Can we have a remake of 'Mask' please. Starring whining Karen," another person wrote. Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here. A former employee of a Maryland Boys & Girls Club who pleaded guilty in 2011 to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of attempting to coerce and entice a minor is set to be released in 2022 after serving more than 10 years in prison, according to federal court and inmate records. Mark Allen Heil, 51, worked for the Bel Air Boys & Girls Club between 1993 and 2006, prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum filed with the federal district court for Delaware. He was arrested in 2010, after he met with a man in Delaware who had offered to give him access to a 9-year-old boy in online communications, per the memorandum. Database: Child sexual abuse at Boys & Girls Clubs Heil expressed his intent to sexually abuse the boy to the man, who turned out to be an undercover detective, and authorities later found thousands of child sexual abuse images on Heils laptop, per the memorandum. While court records do not specify the nature of Heils position with the Bel Air club, A Baltimore Sun report indicates Heil served as its technical director. In a letter filed with the court, Heil said he never made any inappropriate advances with any of the kids involved in that program or any other kids, and that he was proud of the work he did with the club. The Bel Air club is a branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford & Cecil Counties, that organizations website indicates. The prosecution acknowledged in its sentencing brief that it had not received any reports that Heil had sexually assaulted any children he met through community initiatives but contended that in addition to working for the club, he had held a number of supervisory positions with other youth programs. But in 2006, Heils then-wife told authorities she suspected Heil of viewing child sexual abuse images, saying she had found a list of websites and photographs of naked young boys on their family computer in 2004, according to the prosecutions sentencing memorandum. The club fired him around five weeks after she made the report, per the memorandum, which does not indicate whether the organization knew of the allegations. This individual has not been associated with our organization since 2006 at which time he was terminated for personnel matters unrelated to safety or the allegations that led to his arrest, said Derek DeWitt, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford & Cecil Counties. Upon learning of his arrest in 2010, a complete internal investigation of his interactions with Club youth during the tenure of his employment was conducted and parents were notified of the situation. The investigation produced no findings of inappropriate behavior involving youth members, DeWitt said. Regardless, crimes of abuse run counter to everything our organization stands for, and our hearts remain with any victim and their family as no harm should come to any child under any circumstance, he said. Our commitment to the safety of young people is unyielding, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford & Cecil Counties will never stop doing whatever it takes to continually enhance our safety practices to protect kids. After his 2011 conviction, the court sentenced Heil to 164 months in federal prison, a record of his judgment indicates. He is currently incarcerated at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey, with a release date slated for June 2022, according to a federal inmate search. Heil did not respond to a mailed letter seeking comment. The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory has arrested a 16-year-old and seven other suspected smugglers of 1,522 bags of foreign bags of rice in Calabar, Cross River. Speaking to journalists during the parade on Wednesday, the Commander, NNS Victory, Idi Abbas, disclosed that the suspects were intercepted in two batches. Mr Abbas, a naval commodore, said the first group of four men were arrested on Sunday around Tom Short Island with a large wooden boat containing 1,482 bags of foreign parboiled rice. He further revealed that the second group of four persons were arrested on August 28 with two fibre boats, containing 40 bags of foreign rice, suspected to have been smuggled from Cameroon. According to him, the confiscated items and eight suspects were handed over to the Team Leader of Operation Border Drill for further investigations and prosecution. We have been up and doing as part of our patrol effort not only to check smuggling but also curb all forms of criminality within our water ways. We are aware that most times when kidnapping is carried out, the fastest way for them to escape is through the creeks, so we have placed our boats at vantage positions that you cannot go into the sea without being seen. We all know that times are hard but no matter how hard times are, there are other ways of earning a living legitimately, he said. Receiving the suspects and items, Superintendent of the Nigerian Customs Service, Chuks Ofilli, said the procedure of the service was to take the items confiscated to the government warehouse. He said that the suspects would be handed over to the legal unit. (NAN) Officials in North Carolina are scrambling to counteract President Donald Trump's call for residents of the state to attempt to vote twice in the upcoming contest for the White House, issuing a notice on Thursday warning voters that doing so intentionally is a felony. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in the memo to voters that the board also discouraged people from showing up at polling sites on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot had been counted. "That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19," Brinson Bell wrote. North Carolina, a crucial swing state that Trump carried in 2016 and Barack Obama narrowly won in 2008, is due to begin sending out absentee ballots on Friday. Trump is nearly neck and neck with Democrat Joe Biden in the state, according to recent polling. The president, who has for years spread baseless conspiracy theories about rampant voter fraud, on Wednesday encouraged North Carolina voters to test the state's election apparatus by attempting to cast multiple ballots, which is a crime. "So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote," Trump said of voters who cast mail-in ballots. "If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote." Trump doubled down on his misinformation campaign in Twitter posts sent on Thursday morning, urging voters who send in mail-in ballots to go to their polling place on Election Day "to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted)." "If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen's right to do)," he wrote. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, told Fox News on Thursday that the president was "not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful." "What he said very clearly there is make sure your vote is tabulated and if it is not then vote," she said. Brinson Bell said that there were "numerous checks" in place to prevent individuals from voting twice. "Electronic pollbooks with information about who has already voted are used at every early voting site. If a voter tries to check in who has already voted, they will be prevented from voting a regular ballot," she said. "A voter will be offered a provisional ballot if they insist on voting, and this ballot will be researched after Election Day to determine whether it should be counted." Brinson Bell encouraged residents who wanted to verify that their ballot was counted to check the Board of Election's website, where they can track their vote "much like they can track their online order or pizza delivery." "North Carolina elections officials encourage voters to request their ballot as soon as possible and return it as soon as they are ready to do so," she said. "By doing so, you can track your ballot and ensure your vote counts." Read Brinson Bell's full memorandum below. "Memo sent out: A Message from Karen Brinson Bell to NC Voters RALEIGH, N.C. The following is a message to North Carolina voters from Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections: It is illegal to vote twice in an election. N.C.G.S. 163-275(7) makes it a Class I felony for a voter, "with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one timein the same primary or election." Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law. There are numerous checks in place in North Carolina that prevent people from double voting. Electronic pollbooks with information about who has already voted are used at every early voting site. If a voter tries to check in who has already voted, they will be prevented from voting a regular ballot. A voter will be offered a provisional ballot if they insist on voting, and this ballot will be researched after Election Day to determine whether it should be counted. On Election Day, voters who have voted absentee are removed from the pollbook, which is updated before voting starts at 6:30 a.m. Absentee ballots that are received on Election Day are not counted until after the election, and this prevents double voting. Also, the State Board conducts audits after each election that check voter history against ballots cast and would detect if someone tries to vote more than once in an election. Because absentee ballots and early voting ballots are retrievable, if someone tries to get around the system, their ballot can be retrieved and not counted, so it will not affect the outcome of an election. The State Board has a dedicated investigations team that investigates allegations of double voting, which are referred to prosecutors when warranted. If you request an absentee by-mail ballot but decide later that you would like to vote in person instead, you may. You should discard your absentee ballot. Do not send it back in. If you have already placed your ballot in the mail but are not sure whether it has been accepted by your county board of elections, North Carolina offers a few ways to check the status of your absentee by-mail ballot without leaving your home. Voters can: 1. Check your voter record at the State Board's Voter Search Tool to find out whether your ballot was accepted by your county board of elections. This information will appear in the voter record after a ballot has been accepted. 2. Sign up for BallotTrax, when it launches in the next few days, to track your ballot through the system. BallotTrax is a new service that will allow voters to track their ballot through the mail and confirm receipt by the county board of elections, much like they can track their online order or pizza delivery. When it launches, a link will be available at NCSBE.gov. 3. Contact your county board of elections if you have questions about their ballot status. The State Board office strongly discourages people from showing up at the polls on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot was counted. That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19. North Carolina elections officials encourage voters to request their ballot as soon as possible and return it as soon as they are ready to do so. By doing so, you can track your ballot and ensure your vote counts." Drug firm Strides Pharma Science on Thursday said it has received approval from the US health regulator for generic Prednisone tablets used as an anti-inflammatory medication. Strides Pharma Global Pte Ltd, Singapore, company's step-down wholly owned subsidiary, has received approval for Prednisone tablets USP in the strength of 1 mg from the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA), Strides Pharma Science said in a filing to the BSE. The product is a generic version of Schering Corporation's Meticorten tablets in the same strength, it added. The product will be manufactured at the company's facility at Bengaluru and will be marketed by Strides Pharma Inc in the US market,the filing said. According to IQVIA MAT July 2020 data, the US market for Prednisone tablets USP 1 mg is approximately USD 12 million (about Rs 88 crore), it added. Prednisone belongs to a class of drugs known as corticosteroids and is used as an anti-inflammatory or an immunosuppressant medication. It is used in treatment of different conditions such as allergic disorders, skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, or breathing disorders, Strides said. The company has 126 cumulative abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) filings with USFDA of which 89 ANDAs have been approved and 37 are pending approval,it added. Shares of Strides Pharma Science on Thursday closed 0.90 per cent lower at Rs 606.50per scrip on the BSE. . Advertisement Thousands of sunseekers have swarmed Sydney beaches to take advantage of unseasonably warm weather, but the ever-present pandemic and the threat of more lockdowns was not far from beachgoers' minds. As the mercury hit a scorching 29C on Thursday, Coogee was covered with groups of friends craving sun and sand after months being stuck indoors. But the return of the heat has sparked fears the beaches could once again be closed to the public like they were in March when the outbreak began. There are no restrictions on going to the beach in New South Wale, but there is a 20-person limit to group sizes. Residents have been encouraged to social distance and wear face masks while in crowded areas. Daily Mail Australia saw no face masks on Thursday although most beachgoers were attempting to remain at least 1.5metres apart. For Imogen Brownlee, 21, and Lindsay Firth, 24, the threat of the coronavirus was not far from their minds. The group (pictured) had ventured to the beach together to soak up some sun, all of whom are currently out of work due to the pandemic battering the tourism industry For many beachgoers the threat of the coronavirus was not far from their minds. Pictured from left: Samantha Robertson, 25, Alex Hale, 29, and Shona Davidson, 27, Maddie Smith, 24, Brianna Henderson 22, Imogen Brownlee, 21, and Lindsay Firth, 24) Further along the beach lounging in the sun were housemates Zoe Martin, 24, and Emma Byden, 26, they felt everyone was social distancing on Thursday Katie and Georgia (pictured) were at the beach enjoying the sunshine on Thursday, the pair were with a group of friends celebrating a birthday 'When it's cold it feels like flu weather whereas this doesn't feel like it,' Ms Firth said. Ms Firth said they were trying social distance but the high temperature made it hard to resist heading to the beach. 'The warmer weather does make it harder, I wouldn't be surprised if they have to shut down Bondi again,' Ms Brownlee said. 'I think at the moment we're all doing what we can, at the beach today I think we all could probably be doing a little bit more,' Ms Brownlee said. Ms Firth said: 'I think unless the beaches are actually shut, you're not going to stop going.' The women had ventured to the beach with a group of seven others, all of whom are currently out of work due to the pandemic battering the tourism industry. The group (pictured), who work in the travel industry, have been left in limbo as they wait for travel restrictions to be eased A woman in red messages on her phone as she soaks up the sun on Thursday. Temperatures reached a scorching 29C Alex Hale, 29, and Shona Davidson, 27, have a laugh as they enjoy the beach with their friends on Thursday afternoon They are all on JobSeeker, stuck in limbo, hoping travel restrictions are eased soon so they can get back to work. For Alex Hale, 29, the travel ban has been devastating. He has no idea what the next year will bring. 'I'm just trying not think too much about the future,' Mr Hale said. Samantha Robertson, 25, had her dream job lined up working for an events company but when restrictions were brought introduced in March, banning mass gatherings, her dreams were dashed. 'It was looking pretty promising but as soon as they shut off the mass gatherings my job was cut.' Thousands of sunseekers flooded the beach on Thursday making the most of the hot weather, most remained at a distance due to COVID-19 restrictions Two women toss a volleyball in the sand as they enjoy the first taste of the warm spring weather on Thursday afternoon She said she understands the need to keep Australia's borders closed but is hopeful state borders to reopen. 'I think the state restrictions definitely should ease, it's impacting the rest of the economy, especially tourism,' she said. 'I think now is a good time to open borders up and promote tourism in Australia. 'I'm not too fussed about travelling internationally at the moment. I mean, I can't really afford it anyway.' Shona Davidson, 27, was also hopeful the borders would reopen soon. She hasn't seen her family in over a year due to restrictions, despite being based in the Sunshine Coast. A couple apply sunscreen on their backs before hitting the water at Coogee Beach on Thursday afternoon Two women walk between sunbathers who were all spaced out along the sand in Coogee on Thursday afternoon Sunbathers took to the rocks to soak up the sun after the beach was scattered with thousands on beachgoers 'I did have flights booked to go home (to Queensland) in April but that wasn't able to happen. I'm hoping restrictions will be eased by my sister's wedding in June next year. 'I'm nervous because it would be really upsetting if I couldn't go to the wedding. Further along the beach lounging in the sun were housemates Zoe Martin, 24, and Emma Byden, 26. The pair were optimistic with how New South Wales had been handling the pandemic. They said residents seemed to be doing well with social distancing. 'It's starting to feel like we're returning to normal a bit - well a new normal I guess,' Ms Martin said. 'I feel like the next few weeks will be a test for what Christmas and New Years will be like.' Coronavirus cases continue to climb with New South Wales recording 12 new cases on Friday, bringing the total of cases in the state to 3,902. A sign at Bondi Beach warns beachgoers there is a maximum of 20 people allowed per group at the beach A group of women go for a splash as the mercury soared to a scorching 29C on Thursday afternoon, after months of cold weather Volleyball players are seen at Bondi Beach on Thursday afternoon as the mercury soared to a scorching 29C Five of the 12 new cases have been linked to known clusters including three out of a growing source of infection in Sydney CBD, which has ballooned to 52 infections. Waverley Council has employed roving ambassadors who wear shirts reading 'spread kindness not germs.' Under New South Wales health guidelines residents are allowed to gather in groups of up to 20 people in public places, including parks and beaches. But lifeguards are urging beachgoers to try and stay one 'towel-length' apart from others and avoid crowding inside the flags. Swimmers brave large swells to cool off during a 29C day in Sydney on Thursday, most people were social distancing Sunbathers lay metres apart at Coogee Beach on Thursday, ensuring they social distance due to the COVID-19 threat Beaches in the Waverley and Randwick local government areas were closed in March after visitors failed to comply with social distancing restrictions. Bondi and Bronte were closed for four weeks, with those who broke the rules threatened with hefty $1,000 fines. Nearby beaches Coogee, Clovelly, Maroubra and Malabar were closed for three weeks. Rescuers in Japan were searching on Thursday for a ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that was feared sunk after it sent a distress signal during stormy weather in the East China Sea. Japans coastguard said one person had so far been found in a search involving four vessels and several planes. The rescued crew member, 45-year-old Filipino Sareno Edvarodo, told the coastguard that the Gulf Livestock 1, a 139-metre Panamanian-flagged vessel, capsized after losing an engine. The cargo ship sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as the region experienced strong winds, heavy seas and torrential rain from Typhoon Maysak as it headed towards the Korean Peninsula. Japans coastguard said P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted Edvarodo, who was the ships chief officer, on Wednesday night. He was wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing up and down in the water. According to Edvarodo, who is able to walk and in good health, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, the crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo said he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. The crew included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia, the coastguard said. Pictures provided by the agency showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The Gulf Livestock 1 left Napier in New Zealand on August 14 with 5,867 cattle and 43 crew, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealands foreign ministry told the Reuters news agency. New Zealand animal rights organisation, Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE), said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. These cows should never have been at sea, said the campaigns manager, Marianne Macdonald. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue. Meanwhile, on the Korean Peninsula, one woman was killed in the South Korean city of Busan when a strong gust of wind shattered her apartment window after Maysak made landfall. More than 2,200 people were evacuated to temporary shelters, and around 120,000 homes were left without power across southern parts of the peninsula and on Jeju island. The typhoon also brought heavy downpours across the north, and North Koreas state media have been carrying live broadcasts of the situation, with one showing a reporter standing in a street inundated with water in the port town of Wonsan. But authorities lifted their typhoon warning as the storm weakened and moved towards China. The typhoon will pass through Musan and leave our country, a meteorological officer told Korean Central Television. I dont expect any effects. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Way back in 1958, during Jawaharlal Nehrus second term as Prime Minister of India, the then MP from UPs Rae Bareli, and Nehrus son-in-law, Feroze Gandhi, was instrumental in exposing the Mundhra scandal -- Independent Indias first big financial scamafter he raised a question during Question Hour. The scam involving the government-controlled Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) was not just an embarrassment to the Nehru government, but eventually led to the resignation of the then Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari. Also, Haridas Mundhra, the Calcutta (now Kolkata)-based industrialist at the centre of the whole affair, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. It was Question Hour and MPs put questions to the Union Finance Minister. When Ram Subhag Singh questioned him, Feroze Gandhi saw that TTKs (Finance Minister TT Krishnamachari) legs began to shake, Bertil Falk, Swedish journalist and biographer of Feroze Gandhi (Feroze - The Forgotten Gandhi) quotes HC Heda, Congress MP from Nizamabad, during a TV interview on September 15, 1993. Feroze had smelled foul play, prompting the question that led to the unearthing of the scandal, Falk wrote. This episode was one of the first incidents in the past seven decades of India's Parliamentary democracy when through an MPs question during Question Hour, a ministry was held accountable and action taken. Reducing Parliament to a notice board In recent days, the significant hour has drawn much attention after the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats notified that there will be no Question Hour during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning September 14. While the government cited COVID-19 pandemic restrictions as a reason, the move has elicited sharp criticism from Opposition leaders who said it was akin to murder of democracy and reducing parliament to a notice board. Questioning the government is the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. This Govt seeks to reduce Parliament to a notice-board & uses its crushing majority as a rubber-stamp for whatever it wants to pass. The one mechanism to promote accountability has now been done away with, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted on Wednesday. Question Hour - the first hour of a sitting session of the House proceedings - is devoted to questions that members of parliament raise about any aspect of governance. The concerned minister is obliged to answer to Parliament, either orally or in writing, depending on the type of question raised. It is through questions in the Parliament that the Government remains in touch with the people as much as members are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning the administration. Questions enable Ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration, the Lok Sabha website states. Financial irregularities apart, Question Hour is often the liveliest part of any session of the House, and also brings out numbers and statistics regarding government functioning in the public domain. In 1974, eighteen years after the Mundhra scandal, during the Indira Gandhi government of 1974, Tul Mohan Ram, a Congress MP from Araria in Bihar, was indicted in a corruption case relating to issuance of licenses from the then Foreign Trade Ministry, after the matter was raised during Question Hour. A memorandum, allegedly signed by 21 MPs, was submitted by traders of Puducherry to the Union Commerce Ministry to grant licenses for importing various items. The signatures were forged on the behest of Lalit Narain Mishra, a key aide of Indira Gandhi and the then Foreign Trade Minister. Mishra, however, died in a bomb blast during a visit to Samastipur in Bihar as Union Railway Minister on January 2, 1975. COVID-19 excuse Experts say Question Hour is an essential part of Parliamentary business and doing away with it was unheard-of wondering why the government was running away from questions. The government is under a constitutional obligation to answer the question. MPs have all the rights to hold ministers accountable on aspects of governance. It will be unusual to not have a Question Hour," said PDT Achary, former Secretary General, Lok Sabha The last occasion when Question Hour was done away with was during the Chinese aggression in 1962. The Winter Session was advanced and there was no Question Hour, after a consensus between the ruling and Opposition parties, Of course it has happened in the past. Sessions without questions were mostly during special sessions. But I do not remember a regular session without a Question Hour. The government is using Covid-19 as an excuse which doesnt hold any logic. The point is when other businesses can take place why not Question Hour. I do not know why the government is running away from questions, Achary said. Not running away from questions Responding to the criticism, the government on Wednesday said it was not running away from any debate and that all Opposition parties were informed. The government is ready for unstarred questions and it has requested presiding officers of both the Houses to facilitate the same, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told news agency PTI. Unstarred questions are those to which written answers are given by ministers, while 'starred' questions are those to which answers are desired to be given orally on the floor of the House during Question Hour. As per the norm, the minister receives questions fifteen days in advance to be prepared for Question Hour. Rules on the number of questions have changed over the years. The maximum questions, starred or unstarred, a member is now entitled to give is 10 per day. At times, MPs have faced flak over absenteeism in the house during Question Hour. In November 2009, for example, absenteeism in the Lok Sabha brought Question Hour to an abrupt halt as 34 MPs who had given notice to ask questions were not present. Of the listed 20 questions, the House could take up only three. "The honourable members who ask questions should be present in the House. It's a matter of concern if they are not there. I would be writing to the leaders of parties (on this issue)," the then Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar had said. Many other democracies have a system where elected representatives ask questions that are answered by the Prime Minister or any other minister. A similar system, known as Prime Minister's Questions, exists in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, in the Scottish Parliament as First Ministers Questions, and as Question Period in the National Assembly for Wales. SARASOTA, Fla., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Auto dealerships across the globe have been hit hard by the pandemic and the ensuing safety requirements. As an industry that has traditionally served customers face-to-face, dealers quickly needed to make a messaging shift for prospective buyers to ensure a safe and comfortable buying experience. Dealers United, a Facebook-based digital advertising agency for the automotive industry, was quick to successfully help their clients pivot and navigate the business challenges presented by these uncertain times. The agency provided auto dealers nationwide with an effective toolkit to keep their brand and messaging top-of-mind within their market area. The toolkit included several ad campaign strategies and "playbooks" focusing on safe service practices and sanitation, awareness of digital retailing and at-home options, current OEM incentives and promotions, and more. While many dealerships' sales sank during the pandemic, Cavalier Ford Greenbriar in Chesapeake, Virginia, saw an increase, boosting sales by 26%. And in New York, Middletown Honda used Dealers United to connect with buyers and ease their concerns about shopping during the pandemic, even creating custom videos showing team members sanitizing vehicles. The result? A total of 39 sales due to viewing or clicking on a Facebook ad. Queensbury, New York-based D'ELLA Honda credits Dealers United with helping them through the worst of COVID-19, indicating that their efforts resulted in 295 leads during this time. And over on Long Island, New York, Generation Kia earned a Facebook Resilient Business Feature by running Facebook ads for free oil changes and disinfecting services for healthcare workers, generating 42 sales attributed to Facebook and setting the stage for additional future sales. As featured in Automotive News, Power Ford in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shifted thousands of its advertising dollars to Facebook and has beaten its regional market new-vehicle sales average by about 12%. With Dealers United as its partner, Power Ford says that roughly 28% of its sales derived from targeted ads. Pete Petersen, CEO of Dealers United, says, "Those who flow with the times not only survive, but ultimately thrive. Our company offers an array of Facebook advertising packages that can be customized to the needs of the dealership, thus helping to guide them through these challenging times. And because we are a Facebook Marketing Partner, our Dealer-Partners enjoy enhanced technical support, exclusive invitations to alpha and beta tests, and a first look at the newest product releases. We are here for one reason: do everything possible to support dealers in their efforts to sustain and grow their business." About Dealers United Dealers United is the Facebook and Instagram advertising solution for the automotive industry, providing award-winning social advertising solutions to auto dealers, OEMs, and auto agencies. For more information, visit dealersunited.com. SOURCE Dealers United A massive screening program was launched in Hong Kong Tuesday to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and restore the normal lives of residents. A resident takes a COVID-19 test at a testing station at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong launched its massive screening program on Tuesday to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and restore the normal lives of residents. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) The Universal Community Testing Programme (UCTP), under huge support from the Chinese central government, offers free COVID-19 testing for citizens at a total of 141 testing centers. It is reported that as of the evening of Sept.1, over 650,000 had finished preregistration for the program, and 82,000 had been tested. One of the testing centers is located at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. According to the chief of the center, all chairs in the center's waiting area are 2 meters apart from each other, and the waiting area is also separated from the testing area by alert tapes. Rooms are separated in the testing area, and citizens must follow the one-way directing signs on the floor during the whole process of testing to avoid cross infection, the chief told People's Daily, adding that all facilities that citizens might touch are disinfected regularly by staff members. The center received the first batch of citizens who had preregistered at 8:00 am on Sept. 1. The citizens entered the stadium after showing their IDs and had their temperatures measured. Tung Chee-hwa, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also took the test on Tuesday morning at the testing center at the Hong Kong City Hall. He called on citizens to offer mutual help and jointly combat the virus. He also urged more people to participate in the program for the benefit of Hong Kong. Thanks to the support of the central government, Hong Kong can now carry out universal community testing, said Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam when receiving test at a testing center in Hong Kong's Central Government Offices CGO with other officials on Sept. 1. The massive testing helps epidemic response and is beneficial for the society, Lam said, adding that it will also help Hong Kong achieve an early victory over the virus, restore economic activities, and return normal lives to Hong Kong citizens. On the same day, Gabriel M Leung, dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine under the University of Hong Kong, as well as respiratory medicine professor David Hui S. C. with the Chinese University of Hong Kong went to a testing center in Sha Tin District and sampled each other. Hui introduced that medical workers will took samples of the citizens at an anterior part of their nasal cavity or throat, which not only improves the testing accuracy, but also lowers their discomfort. Faster tracking and more thorough testing will make it quicker to spot silent infections, said Leung, who believes the UCTP is of huge significance. He hopes regular testing can be carried out for high-risk groups after the massive screening program. At present, UCTP advertisements are seen everywhere in Hong Kong. Social organizations also put up posters and set up stands on the streets to help citizens register for the program. A woman surnamed Huang who participated in the program said the testing not only assures the testees, but also helps the entire society. "The UCTP has created a better condition for the phased resumption of school to be started in late September," said Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, the HKSAR's Secretary of Education. The education industry might make the testing a regular activity in the future as it helps cut social spread of the virus and control the epidemic, he added. Spokesperson of Hong Kong Hospital Authority noted that the program dovetails with the epidemic control policy of "early identification, early isolation and early treatment," and will help identify and eliminate the invisible transmission link in the community. By managing the epidemic, pressure of public hospitals can be alleviated and normal operation can be resumed as soon as possible, the spokesperson added. Currently, over 6 000 healthcare personnel have enrolled to participate in the UCTP. Some 4 000 government staff members from 75 bureaus and departments will also take up administrative support and management duties at the community testing centers. Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung thanked the serving and retired civil servant colleagues as well as the healthcare personnel for their active participation in the preparation and management, appealing to members of the public to actively participate in the UCTP. Citizens participating in the program said that the central government offered help every time Hong Kong encountered difficulties, which enhanced their confidence in defeating the virus. According to those who completed testing, the testing was smooth and enough prevention measures had been taken at testing centers. The whole process could be completed in 10 minutes, from identity verification to sampling, and the testees are spaced out at an interval of over 1.5 meters, they introduced. "It's an obligation of citizens to join the testing. The more people participating, the more possible it will be for us to cut the social spread of the virus and achieve an early victory," they said. The event was jointly held by the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, the Government and National Assembly of Laos, the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee, the Party Organisation and administration of Vientiane in collaboration with the Central Committee of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association. It saw the attendance of Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou; Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung; leaders and former leaders of the Party, NA, LFNC, ministries, sectors, organisations of Laos; and Vietnamese expats in Vientiane. Addressing the meeting, Lao NA Chairwoman Pany Yathotou recalled the glorious history of national construction and defence of the Vietnamese people over the past 75 years. She noted that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese people have overcome difficulties and challenges to gain great achievements in national construction and defence, especially in the 35 years of the Doi moi (Renewal) cause. Vietnams successes have been a source of encouragement for nations that are struggling for national independence, democracy and social progress, she said. The top legislator underlined the solidarity between the Vietnamese and Lao people in the struggle for independence of Laos and the combat alliance of the two nations in decades, which laid the foundation for the Laos-Vietnam great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation initiated by President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Ho Chi Minh. This has become an invaluable asset of the two nations, a rule of survival and development of both countries, and one of the decisive factors of the success of the revolution in each country, she said. The Lao people are always aware that their successes and achievements are closely linked with the great assistance, and timely and effectively support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, the Chairwoman said. The victory of Vietnams August Revolution in 1945 created a favourable chance for the Lao people to rise up and gain independence on October 12, 1945, while the success of the Spring Uprising of Vietnam in 1975 resulted in a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity for the Lao people to regain the whole administration and establish the Peoples Republic Democratic of Laos on December 2, 1975, she stressed. The Chairwoman expressed great gratitude and sincere thanks to the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their whole-hearted, timely and efficient support to Laos during the past struggle for national liberation and the current cause of national construction, defence and development of Laos. The Party, Government and people of Laos once again affirm that we will do our best and continue to work with the fraternal Party, Government and people of Vietnam to maintain and develop the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, which are rare in international relations, keeping them evergreen, and pass on to younger generations, thus being deserve to the great sacrifice of leaders, soldiers and people of both countries for todays life. For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and give top priority to special ties with Laos throughout the history and in the future. At present and in the future, although the world and the Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions have faced unprecedented, complicated an unexpected challenges, and both countries have seen changes, Vietnam and Laos will surely stand side by side, share difficulties and successes, together reinforce their special ties and comprehensive cooperation, and make them more fruitful and lasting forever, he stressed. 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. KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 22:50 | World, All, Coronavirus Thailand on Thursday reported its first case of community transmission of the novel coronavirus after 100 days with no detected local cases. Health authorities said the case was detected in a recently jailed 37-year-old man, who tested positive during his 14-day quarantine period at the prison. They said there was no record of his ever having traveled out of the country. His close contacts considered to be at high risk, including family members, other inmates and Corrections Department staff, have been tested, but so far all results have been negative. Thailand has had 3,427 cumulative cases, with 58 deaths. Wednesday marked Thailand's 100th day free from local infection. Related coverage: Coronavirus cases in Myanmar double in 10 days to top 1,000 Malaysia bans foreigners from countries with over 150,000 virus cases OPINION: What supply chain resilience means for Australia-India-Japan ties? WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the 2020 presidential campaign (all times local): 7:45 p.m. President Donald Trump is mocking his Democratic rival for letting his mask hang off his ear when he delivers speeches. Speaking to rally-goers in Pennsylvania, Trump says of Joe Biden, Did you ever see a man who likes a mask as much as him? Says Trump: He has it hanging down. Because it gives him a feeling of security. If I were a psychiatrist, right, you know Id say: This guys got some big issues. Hanging down. Hanging down.' Trump acknowledges that face coverings are particularly important for the nation heading into the Labor Day holiday weekend, as public experts have called for Americans to be particularly diligent to prevent a repeat of the explosion of new coronavirus cases seen after Memorial Day. Trump is telling supporters: Distance on the weekend and all of that stuff. Wear your mask when youre close together in particular and wash your hands, all of those things. __ 7 p.m. President Donald Trump has arrived in Western Pennsylvania for a rally two months from Election Day, as his allies feel new optimism about a battleground state that flipped in his favor in 2016. Air Force One touched down in Latrobe Thursday evening as his campaign claims signs of momentum in the state a longtime Democratic stronghold Trump won by less than 45,000 votes in 2016. Polls show Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, are closely matched. After months of trepidation, Trump campaign officials have been feeling encouraged in the last few weeks as Trump has pivoted to a law and order message amid protests over racial injustice. They believe efforts to paint Biden as weak on crime will help Trump win back suburban voters, and especially women, who supported him in 2016 but have since soured on him. __ 4 p.m. Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Jacob Blake on the phone for 15 minutes during a visit to Wisconsin. Blake is a Black man whose shooting by a white Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer last week led to days of protests and violence. Story continues Biden says Blake talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, about how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up. Blakes family members have said he is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times. The shooting remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Biden says his wife, Jill, asked to say a prayer and Blakes mother, who was also joining by phone, said a prayer. Biden says Blakes mother said: Im praying for Jacob and Im praying for the policeman as well. Im praying that things change. Biden met in person with other Blake family members before leading a community discussion in Kenosha. President Donald Trump was in Kenosha earlier this week but did not meet with Blakes family. __ 3:30 p.m. Jacob Blake, the Black man shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has spoken with former Vice President Joe Biden by phone, along with his parents and other family members. Blakes attorney Ben Crump says the 29-year-old participated in the meeting from his hospital bed. Crump says Blake shared the pain he is enduring and Biden commiserated. The family has said that Blake is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police Aug. 23. Biden and his wife, Jill, met with Blakes father, sisters and brother in person while Blake, his mother and attorneys joined by phone. Crump says the family was grateful for the meeting and impressed with Bidens willingness to listen. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday but did not meet with anyone from Blakes family. Crump says Blakes mother led everyone in prayer for his recovery. He says they talked about changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions and Bidens plans for change. Crump says Blakes father talked about the need for systematic changes in policing. Crump says Biden treated Blake as a person worthy of consideration and prayer. __ 3:10 p.m. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says he did not want presidential candidate Joe Biden to visit Kenosha where he met with family members of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot by police. Evers also asked President Donald Trump not to come. Both Trump and Bide ignored Evers requests and made stops to Kenosha, the latest epicenter of racial unrest in the country. Evers says he would prefer that no one be here, be it candidate Trump or candidate Biden. But the governor says candidates can make their decisions and it is what it is. Evers said in a conference call Thursday that he made his position to the Biden campaign clear, but they had already decided to come to Wisconsin. Biden announced the trip on Wednesday and came on Thursday. Evers sent Trump a letter telling him that his visit would not help Kenosha heal. Evers says he was upset that Trump and others holding a round table discussion inside did not wear masks, despite a statewide mandate to wear them. Evers did not send Biden a letter but says he told him to be concerned about what Im concerned about. Evers did not specify what that was. ___ 3 p.m. A crowd gathered outside a Kenosha church cheered as Vice President Joe Bidens motorcade arrived Thursday afternoon for a community meeting to mark Jacob Blakes shooting at the hands of police Some 30 protesters marched past Grace Lutheran Church ahead of Bidens arrival, chanting Black Lives Matter! while being trailed by a police vehicle instructing them to move out of the street. A larger group of 100 in front of the church chanted Dump Trump! Dump Trump! Dump Trump! as Bidens motorcade rolled up. A small group of people waving Trump/Pence and Dont Tread on Me flags stood on the corner. Blakes uncle, Justin, was also outside the church, criticizing Attorney General William Barr for remarks a day earlier that Blake was shot while committing a felony. Kenoshas police union has said Blake, a Black man, had a knife when he was shot. Investigators have said a knife was in Blakes vehicle but havent given more details. Little Jake had no weapon, Justin Blake said, accusing Barr of trying to justify the shooting. ___ 1:05 p.m. Joe Biden is meeting with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer late last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Biden's presidential campaign said he is meeting with Blakes father and mother, his siblings, and a few members of his legal team at the Milwaukee airport where he landed Thursday afternoon. Blake himself remains hospitalized. Blakes shooting set off weeks of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin that have at times erupted in violence. Those protests have made Kenosha the epicenter of a renewed political debate over systemic racism and violent protesters. Biden is visiting the city later Thursday to hold a discussion with business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. President Donald Trump visited the city earlier this week, but didnt meet with Blakes family. The president focused on thanking members of law enforcement for their handling of the violence that broke out after Blakes shooting. __ 12:30 p.m. Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden has arrived in Wisconsin, where hell meet with relatives of Jacob Blake and hold a discussion with business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. Blake is the Black man who was shot seven times in the back on Aug. 23 by a white police officer as authorities tried to arrest Blake. He remains hospitalized. Bidens trip comes two days after President Donald Trump visited Kenosha. Trump didnt meet with Blakes family. The president focused on thanking members of law enforcement for their handling of the violence that broke out after Blakes shooting. Its Bidens first campaign stop in Wisconsin in nearly two years. Its also the first time since 2012 that a Democratic presidential candidate campaigned in the pivotal state. In 2016, Hillary Clinton skipped the state. Trump ended up winning Wisconsin by less than than 23,000 votes as he became the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1988. ___ 11:15 a.m. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says he thinks former Vice President Joe Biden can help heal Kenosha, Wisconsin in ways that President Donald Trumps stop in the city did not. The Democratic presidential candidate is expected to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times in the back on Aug. 23 by a white police officer as authorities tried to arrest Blake. He remains hospitalized. Before Trumps visit to the southeastern Wisconsin earlier this week, Kaul accused the president of wanting to benefit from chaos and violence happening during this administration. The Democrat Kaul says Bidens visit Thursday provides an opportunity to help heal the community, to bring people together, to support people who are protesting peacefully and calling for the change they want to see. He says Trump was not interested in that when he met with law enforcement officials and business owners affected by the violence. Trump did not meet with members of Jacob Blakes family. Trump has also not publicly condemned 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with fatally shooting two demonstrators last week. Trump implied that Rittenhouse only shot the men after he tripped and they attacked him, even though the first fatal shooting happened before Rittenhouse ran away and fell. Kaul says, When you make excuses for people who are involved in that kind of violence, whether its vigilante violence or white supremacist violence or any other kind of violence or destruction, we need clear condemnations of that from our leaders. DUBLIN, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "European Woodfree Forecast" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The European Woodfree Paper Market service provides detailed analysis and forecasts by sub-grade and country. The European Woodfree Paper Market service comprises: Tri-annual European Woodfree Paper Market forecast reports Access to the subscriber information and support service Ad-hoc updates for subscribers The European Woodfree Paper Market forecasts are published three times per annum (in April/May, July/August, December/January), focusing on Western Europe and Eastern Europe, giving specific market information on Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Nordic, Benelux, Iberia and Other, as well as Eastern/Central Europe (new-EU). Data/analyses covered include: Demand Imports Exports Mill Shipments Mill Capacity Mill Operating Ratios Prices Leading Suppliers Delivery Times Mill Integration Papermakers' Converting Margins For the following paper grades: Coated Woodfree Sheets Coated Woodfree Reels Uncoated Woodfree Cutsize Uncoated Woodfree Folio Sheets Uncoated Woodfree Reels Key Topics Covered: 1. Forecast Summary: Data 1.1. Forecast - Cycle Dynamics 1.2. Forecast - Long-Term Trend 1.3. Demand: Demand Drivers 1.4. Demand: Sub-Grade Forecast 1.5. Demand: Regional Focus 2. Capacity 2.1. Forecast Capacity Overview 2.2. Capacity Projections, CWF - tonnage details 2.3. Capacity Projections, CWF - Other Europe 2.4. Capacity Projections, UWF - tonnage details 2.5. Capacity Projections, UWF - Others 2.6. Investment Details - Listing of Plans 3. Supply-Demand Balance 3.1. Delivery Lead Times 3.2. Quarterly Operating Ratios 3.3. Annual Operating Ratios 3.4. Supply-Demand Outlook (Base vs. Forecast) 3.5. Cut-size Papers - Demand Supply 4. Leading Suppliers 4.1. Consolidation - Leading Companies 4.2. Cut-Size Leading Companies 5. Trade 5.1 Trade Forecast - Exports 5.2 Trade Forecast - Imports 6. Prices & Margins 6.1. Papermakers' Costs 6.2. Papermakers' Converting Margins 6.3. Paper Price Forecast 6.4. Paper and Pulp Prices For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2ik0i7 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com The Ga East Municipality has welcomed one of the finest industrial projects ever to be established in Ghana, which is the construction of a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art Foundry and Machine Tooling Centre. The President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, laid the foundation stone to start the construction of the project at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), in the Ga East Municipality. The centre is set to become an essential catalyst for the nation's industrialization agenda being championed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP)-led government. The construction of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) will be critical to Ghana's industrialization agenda as the manufacturing industry relies heavily on computer-numerical control machining, including operations that once used engineer-operated equipment such as routers, shaping machines, and vertical millers. It will also facilitate the production of a broad range of metal and plastic elements that become a part of businesses and the general environment. Foundries on the other hand are established to make metal castings possible. This is essential in metalworking where castings are produced by pouring liquid metal into a mould, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape and then allowing it to cool and solidify. This, essentially, implies, Ghana is soon expected to reduce and possibly cease the importation of spare parts and other metals from Asia, the Americas and Europe to feed its industrial growth. The President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was the Special Guest of Honour, in his keynote address, explained that the facilities will provide technical support for some of the governments policies. "These facilities and associated workshops will be equipped with tools and machinery to provide agro-processing machines and equipment, farming implements and spare parts for maintenance and repairs. The facilities at this centre will provide technical support for policy initiatives of the government such as the One-District-One-Factory" he stated. He continued, "The foundry and machine tooling centre will put the nation in a position to develop and grow talented, skilled and innovative Ghanaians who graduate from our schools, colleges and universities". The President further added that the centre will be key to the future of technology in the country. "The establishment of this centre is a key component of a much broader strategic framework that is designed to ensure that Ghanas socio-economic development is driven by science, technology and innovation", he noted. The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, in his address thanked the President for the centre, stating that it has the potential to be one of his greatest legacies. "I will like to thank the President for the opportunity to put up this centre. We will certainly not disappoint him and the Nation. This is the journey to industrialization and there is no turning back. This centre will change the country forever. This also has the potential to be one of His Execellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos greatest ever legacies", he remarked. The Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Benjamin J. B. Nyarko, praised the President for championing the construction of the centre. "His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the first Head of State to visit GAEC since 1976. We are highly encouraged by his visit. He has demonstrated a huge commitment to the progress of nuclear science and technology in Ghana. I thank him for his enormous support in the Ghana Nuclear Programme", he said. The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA), Hon. Janet Tulasi Mensah told GEMANEWS the municipality was blessed to have the President and Vice visit four times within a year and especially for the numerous massive development projects been undertaken in the municipality within the first term of the Nana Addo administration. Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Patricia Appiagyei, Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama, Hon. Henry Kwabena Kokofu, President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Nii Okwei Kinkawe Dowuona, Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayi Bontey, Greater Accra Regional NADMO Director, Hon. Archibold Cobbina, the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr. Matthew Tay, the Presiding Member (PM), Hon. Jesse Nii Noi Anum, and NPP Dome-Kwabenya Constituency Chairman, Mr. Robert Osei Bonsu. Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha, awaiting trial on charges of treason, on Wednesday called on the court handling his case to drop all charges against him so that he can return to political work amid national fears over the spread of coronavirus. It has now been three years since I lost my freedom and right to engage in politics so that I can serve my country and constituents, Kem Sokha, head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) said in a Sept. 2 Facebook posting. Under the present circumstances, we need national reconciliation and unity, and I must have my full freedom to serve Cambodia and the [Cambodian] people, he said, adding, I would like to ask the court to consider dropping the charges against me. Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 over an alleged plot to overthrow the government with the help of Washington, and Cambodias Supreme Court banned his party in November that year for its supposed role in the scheme. The move to dissolve the CNRP marked the beginning of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election. Kem Sokha was released from pre-trial detention to house arrest in September 2018 and granted bail in November last year by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, and he is now allowed to travel within Cambodia but is restricted from taking part in political activities. His trial began on Jan. 15 but has been postponed while the country grapples with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Kem Sokha maintains his innocence, and his lawyers have said all along that prosecutors lack evidence to convict him at trial. Attempts to reach Kem Sokhas lawyers and Ministry of Justice spokesperson Chhin Malin were unsuccessful Wednesday, but CPP spokesperson Sok Ey San told RFA that Kem Sokha will not be allowed to return to political work while he still awaits trial. When the court charged him, he lost his political rights, Sok Ey San said, adding that 118 other CNRP activists and former lawmakers have now also been banned from politics since their party was dissolved. As a politician, Kem Sokha needs to show he is still active in order to draw support from his followers, and his Facebook message was likely intended to pressure the court to speed up his trial, Cambodia-based political analyst Em Sovannara told RFA on Wednesday. But he wont be able to convince the court or the government to drop the charges against him, because the ruling party is still working to weaken the opposition party, Em Sovannara said. Its only the international community that might have some influence over the government. In July, the presiding judge in Kem Sokhas trial warned him to adhere to the court order banning him from political activities after the 67-year-old opposition leader quietly began a tour of the countrys provincesvisits that one of his lawyers characterized as sightseeing. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney. (Natural News) Sea turtles around the globe are either endangered or threatened. Florida alone is home to five species of endangered sea turtles, and all of them are afforded some form of local or international protection. Despite this, sea turtles continue to face a serious and emerging threat: plastic pollution. In a recent report, scientists and rehabilitators from the University of Florida (UF) found that 39 of the 42 dead post-hatchling loggerhead sea turtles stranded on beaches in Northeast Florida had ingested startling amounts of plastic. The researchers are concerned that consuming such large quantities of plastic increases the likelihood of plastic nanoparticles leaching into the turtles bloodstream and causing ill health effects. In the future, this could further threaten sea turtle populations and push them closer to extinction. The report offers insight into the far-reaching impact of plastic pollution on ocean health and marine life. It also demonstrates that plastic ingestion presents a critical issue for marine turtles from the earliest stages of life. The findings appeared online in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Sea turtle hatchlings are ingesting plastic Recent studies point to plastic pollution as one of the main culprits behind frequent beachings and deaths of marine animals. Sea turtles, in particular, are among the handful of marine animals that often get tangled up in plastic or die from ingesting plastic in the ocean. Existing studies on sea turtles also suggest that turtles suffer more from the ill effects of plastic ingestion during the earlier phase of their life. To determine if this is true, the researchers examined the gut contents of a small population of post-hatchling sea turtles stranded along Floridas northeastern coast. The hatchlings died in rehabilitation due to poor health. Of the 42 turtles examined, 39 of them, or 93 percent, had ingested plastic fragments. One 1.6-ounce turtle had ingested 287 plastic pieces, and another hatchling half the size of the first one had ingested 119 separate pieces of plastic in total. The smallest hatchling of the bunch measured just 1.8 inches long, but it had ingested a piece of plastic that measured as long as a quarter of its shell. Most of the plastics were also classified as microplastics. These are minuscule pieces of plastic that result from the degradation of larger plastic fragments. Microplastics are often small enough to pass through membranes, enter the bloodstream and infiltrate organs. Sea turtles also have no means of getting rid of larger plastic fragments from their bodies, which could result in the accumulation of these fragments in their intestines. Microplastic ingestion is not unique to hatchlings. In fact, microplastic ingestion has been shown to be near-ubiquitous among older turtles. However, the burden of plastic ingestion on older turtle populations do not appear to be as high as that among hatchlings. The researchers speculated that this higher burden might be due to a combination of two factors, the first being that sea turtle hatchlings need to consume more food in order to grow. The second is that more hatchlings are mistaking plastic for seaweed. Together, both contribute to the rise in the incidence of microplastic ingestion among sea turtle hatchlings. Of this second factor, the researchers noted that floating seaweed mats, which serve as food sources for sea turtles, are borne through ocean currents in an area off the eastern coast of Florida thats polluted with plastic. Therefore, fragments of plastic within the tangled mats of seaweed could be ending up as dinner for sea turtles. In all, it makes sense that sea turtle hatchlings face a greater risk of the harmful consequences of ingesting plastic. If this continues, entire generations of sea turtles, as well as protected turtle populations, could then be affected. In effect, these findings show how plastic pollution is harming vulnerable wildlife populations. A soup of microplastics Plastic is the most ubiquitous form of marine debris around the globe. In fact, scientists the UKs National Oceanography Centre (NOC) estimated that there could be more than 200 million tons of minuscule plastic fragments floating across and beneath the entire Atlantic Ocean, and that figure just accounts for three of the most littered plastics. The scientists had been able to come up with the estimate after finding a staggering 1221 million tons of plastic suspended in the top 200 meters of the Atlantic Ocean. In order to determine the dangers of plastic contamination to marine life and to humans, scientists first need good estimates of the material in the ocean, said lead researcher Katsiaryna Pabortsava. However, scientists have been underestimating just how much plastic has entered the ocean since the 1950s when plastic production began to soar, and their findings more than demonstrate that. In another report on the incidence of microplastic ingestion among stranded marine mammals, Penelope Lindeque, the head of the marine plastics research group at Englands Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said that the ocean is a soup of microplastics. Lindeque has found microplastics in all sorts of marine animals, from zooplankton to sea turtles, as part of her research. Besides the serious choking hazard that plastic fragments pose, chemicals from these fragments could leach into the ocean and poison marine animals, she added. Taken together, existing studies on marine plastic pollution indicate a pressing need for humans to reduce their plastic consumption. In doing so, marine animals might be better protected from the harmful consequences of plastic ingestion. (Related: Microplastic pollution is changing ocean ecosystems.) Read more articles about the dangers and impact of marine plastic pollution at OceanHealthNews.com. Sources include: EcoWatch.com FrontiersIn.org ScienceDaily.com TheGuardian.com 03.09.2020 LISTEN On August 10th, 155 youth groups with one million members from 62 countries around the world sent a joint letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN affiliates, including the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The joint letter contained a request for recommendations to stop discrimination against Shincheonji Church, a new Christian denomination headquartered in South Korea, and a UN ECOSOC-affiliated organization named Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL). The representative of this letter, the director and founder of FREE WATCH AFGHANISTAN, Mobeenullah Aimaq, said that he agreed with the UN's concern for the persecution of minorities and vulnerable groups as well as human rights violations that continue to occur in the pretext of fighting the coronavirus. To solve this problem, he proposed a joint letter to young people around the world to appeal to the international community. He strongly urged that the Korean Government should knock off the prosecution of Shincheonji Church and HWPL in South Korea. "Prosecuting Shincheonji Church and HWPL should be immediately stopped so that the international reputation of the government, known as a proponent of peace in the globe, will be saved," he added. In the letter, they reported the several acts of unfair discrimination and oppression of the Korean government and the media against these organizations by citing the concerns of UN Secretary-General regarding "disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, and the targeting of vulnerable groups". According to the report, there have been over 5,500 instances of human rights abuses of members of the Shincheonji Church during this period of the ongoing pandemic. Among the cases include two female members death in suspicious circumstances. Many of these victims are promising young people who are now facing increased discrimination in workplaces and schools, violence at home, and even forced deprogramming. The letter highlights that the members of Shincheonji Church are also victims who were unfortunately infected with the virus despite following the government's guidelines related to the pandemic. Furthermore, the unprecedented custody investigation against 89-years-old Chairman Man Hee Lee of Shincheonji Church and HWPL was recently determined. The charters of these two groups have been revoked by the government and they have been subject to rigorous tax investigations. Those in leadership positions within the organizations also have been taken into custody for questioning. In the Korea Times column titled Can unpopular sect expect justice?, Michael Breen, CEO of Insight Communications, referred the current investigation into Shincheonji Church as a witch-hunt by saying that Shincheonji is a safe target for politicians and others who comment in public since it is unpopular. In the joint letter, they urged that cases of human rights, social and religious repression, such as the ones occurring in South Korea, must be put to an end in order to build "more effective and inclusive solutions for the emergency of today and the recovery for tomorrow." CHARLOTTE Like nearly 27,000 other North Carolina voters, Charlotte Republican Robert Connery mailed in an absentee ballot for this year's March primary. And like more than 2,800 other ballots, it was rejected. Election officials say he forgot to sign it. In the 2016 and 2018 general elections as well as this spring's primary, nearly 16,000 absentee ballots were rejected in North Carolina for missing signatures, deadlines or other required information, according to an Observer analysis of data from the N.C. State Board of Elections. In close races that could make a difference. On Friday hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots will go in the mail as the state becomes the first to start voting for the November election. Election officials are braced for a record number of mail-in votes. More than 618,000 absentee requests had been received through Wednesday, and election officials expect up to 10 times as many as usual to be cast this year. Officials say new protocols should reduce the number of absentee ballots that aren't counted. That's one of several changes designed to facilitate voting during the pandemic. RTHK: US sanctions ICC prosecutor over Afghan probe The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Pompeo also said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorised by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans. "Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly," Pompeo told reporters. Pompeo also said that individuals and entities that continue to materially support Bensouda and Mochochoko would risk exposure to sanctions as well. The ICC dismissed the measures as "another attempt to interfere with the court's judicial and prosecutorial independence" and said in a statement that it stood by the work of its staff. "These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," it said in a rare joint statement on behalf of the entire ICC. The State Department also restricted the issuance of visas for individuals Pompeo said were involved in the court's efforts to investigate US personnel, though he did not name those affected. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was concerned by Pompeo's announcement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. Dujarric said that "we trust that any restriction taken against individuals will be implemented consistently" with a decades-old US deal with the United Nations to host the world body's headquarters in New York. Bensouda was given the go-ahead by the court in March to investigate whether war crimes were committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Afghan military and US forces. The United States revoked Bensouda's entry visa last year over the possible Afghanistan inquiry. But under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, she was still able to regularly travel to New York to brief the UN Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. Rights groups immediately condemned the US designations. Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch international justice director, said it was a "stunning perversion of US sanctions." "The Trump administration has twisted these sanctions to obstruct justice, not only for certain war crimes victims, but for atrocity victims anywhere looking to the International Criminal Court for justice," he said. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. U.S. Atty. Gen. William Barr and President Trump on Tuesday tour a block in Kenosha, Wis., that was damaged during demonstrations after a police officer shot Jacob Blake. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Once again, something President Trump is doing makes me wonder if Republicans are still the party of federalism and small government, or if they just think the powers reserved to the states vary, depending on whether they vote red or blue. Trump issued an executive order Wednesday thrusting federal agencies even more deeply into local public safety issues, on the grounds that local elected officials werent doing enough to stop the sometimes violent and destructive protests against police brutality. He targeted four specific cities Seattle, Portland, New York City and Washington, D.C. for potential cutoff of federal funds on those grounds, writing, My administration will not allow federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones. Please point out what part of the Constitution or federal law gives the president the power to direct the vast amount of dollars that flow to cities based on whether they're managing their crime problems the way the president wants them to. And those four cities may just be the start. The order also calls on the attorney general to create within two weeks, then update every six months, a list identifying State and local jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities (anarchist jurisdictions). Meanwhile, the head of the White Houses Office of Management and Budget is supposed to advise federal agencies how to exclude or disfavor these cities when doling out grants, to the maximum extent permitted by law. Insert the sound of brakes squealing here. Can you imagine Congress setting up a grant program for community development, housing or other local needs and giving the executive branch the discretion to bar cities that are beset by anarchists? If anything, you would think Congress would set criteria that favor cities with crime problems, not punish them. Story continues But dont expect this administration to take a conservative view of what the law allows a president to do. This is, after all, the same group that tried to cut off Community Oriented Policing Services grants to cities and states that did not want to take on duties best left to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The effort was quickly blocked by a federal judge; three appeals courts have since ruled that the administration didnt have the legal authority to cut off the grants, while one appeals court came to the opposite conclusion. In those cases, at least, there's a relationship between the behavior Trump was targeting and the purpose of the grants. But Trump's order covers all the money the federal government sends to cities, which extend far beyond the realm of law enforcement. Whats particularly appalling here is how unmoored Wednesday's order is from federal law. For example, to decide what makes a city an anarchist jurisdiction, the attorney general is supposed to consider whether it limits local police tactics, cuts police budgets or powers, unreasonably refuses to accept an influx of federal law enforcement agents, and any other factors the attorney general deems appropriate. Under what view of the Constitution and federal statutes is it appropriate for the attorney general to decide how a city manages its police? The Supreme Court has already made clear, as recently as in the Obamacare ruling in 2012, that there's a limit to Washington's power to coerce state and local governments into following its policy lead. If President Obama had ordered Atty. Gen. Eric Holder to choose which cities had appropriate law enforcement tactics and therefore should be eligible for Community Development Block Grants, how many Republicans in Congress would have screamed bloody murder? Alan Berube, an expert on metropolitan policy at the Brookings Institute, said Congress typically lays out in "excruciating detail" who's eligible for grants, how much money they can receive and what the money can be used for. And if those details aren't in the law, they're in the regulations federal agencies adopt to govern grant programs. Although these rules leave varying amount of discretion to the agencies, Berube said, "my sense is that none of them would permit the executive branch to withhold funding for the reasons specified in this executive order." His bottom line? "It's a political act, not an act of governance." To be clear, there's little to defend in how mayors in Portland, Minneapolis and other cities around the country stricken with unrest have handled the circumstances they confronted. There are plenty of failures of local leadership on display, and the consequences for many residents of those cities have been devastating. This is yet another display of how poorly the I alone can fix it president accepts the limits of presidential power. And its hypocritical as well Trumps first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, declared that the Justice Department had lost interest in overseeing local police and sheriffs departments. Sessions was retreating from the Justice Department's well-established role responding to cops and deputies abusing civil rights; Trump is now asserting a new role for the Justice Department in determining whether cops and deputies are being kept on too tight a leash. Yes, Republicans have long styled themselves as the party of law and order, and not always in a noble way. But the GOP is also supposed to be the party that stands against federal overreach. And what Trump did Wednesday is clearly an overreach. The Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 (1624 E. Broadway Rd.) in Phoenix, a veterans service organization dedicated to giving back to the South Phoenix community, is excited to announce it will officially reopen on September 11 after being closed for more than five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. September 11 is a day for mourning, but also a day for healing for Americans, says Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 Commander, Jarvis Reddick. We are choosing this date to reopen so that all veterans, first responders and the community have a place to remember those who were lost in the tragedy. Post 65 is a safe haven and we are ready to welcome back our Legion family after so many months of chaos and strife. On the reopening date, and over the course of the weekend while supplies last, community partner HeroZona Foundation will be giving away limited edition Bota Hydration Backpacks to all first responders, active military, veterans and Post 65 members who purchase $20 or more at the Posts restaurant, All About Food, courtesy of real estate mogul Andrew Cohn, his wife Amy and daughter Alexa. The giveaway is limited to one backpack per individual with a valid I.D. between the hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The $20 spending requirement will extend to the Posts bar, alongside the restaurants menu. In preparation for the reopening, HeroZona Foundation Founder, U.S. Army Desert Storm Veteran and the Posts Second Vice Commander, Alan AP Powell, brought in Noral Clean Technologies to perform the state-of-the-art BioProtect System at the legion. The system is a proven antimicrobial solution treatment that creates a microscopic barrier on both porous and non-porous surfaces for up to three months. It safeguards against coronavirus, MRSA, ringworm, influenza, HIV and more. The post has also been equipped with BioProtects hand purifier that provides six hours of protection against germs after just one application. Similar to the antimicrobial solution, the alcohol-free formula creates a protective barrier on the skin, with aloe vera infusion to hydrate. The Post is a staple of support for the underserved heroes in our community, and while closing was necessary to fight the spread of coronavirus, it definitely had a big impact on morale for our veterans, Powell says. When it was finally safe to reopen, we wanted to make sure we went above and beyond with our safety precautions to keep everyone healthy and happy. The Post will be following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reopening guidelines, including operating on limited capacity, a modified dining layout for added space between tables, required face coverings worn by staff and patrons when not eating, increased cleaning and disinfection processes and more. All About Food will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Posts bar will be available for patrons Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The community can also order dishes for delivery via the ChowNow platform in conjunction with the DoorDash app. The Travis L. Williams Post 65 is made up of 900 members, including the Sons of the American Legion, Auxiliaries and Legionnaires. The Posts four pillars include assisting Veteran Affairs, Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism and Children and Youth. The legion hosts annual community programs for the South Phoenix community in partnership with the HeroZona Foundation. Community programs include Phoenix Tools 4 School, Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, Holiday Bike Giveaways, MLK Celebrating the Dream, Memorial Day Salute to Veterans Block Party, Play It Forward: Engaging Our Youth Through the Arts, Veterans Reach to Teach: Veterans Who Served Our Country Now Serve Our Classroom and the HeroZona Forgotten Heroes Breakfast. For more information about the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, visit twilliamspost65.org. To learn more about the legions community program partnerships with the HeroZona Foundation, visit herozona.org. About HeroZona Foundation The HeroZona Foundation is a non-profit organization that empowers heroes in the community through entrepreneurship, employment, and education. The group works with veterans, first responders and those that bring social good to future generations and under-served communities. The foundations mission is to create opportunities for the brave men and women who serve their country, and community, every day. For more information, please visit HeroZona.org. ### Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : VIVA TEQUILA FESTIVAL'S 5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY Industry: Events 5 Ways to Celebrate Mexican Independence Day This Mexican Independence Day Step Step your knowledge of Mexico's most well-known Spirit with a virtual class. Learn the basics like where does Tequila come from? What are the differences between Blanco, Reposado, Anejo? or what pairs nicely with a plate of Cheese! (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - September 3rd, 2020 - Contrary to popular belief, Mexicos independence is not celebrated on Cinco de Mayo. The celebration of the countrys birthday actually starts on Sept. 15, the eve of Mexican Independence Day, when cities across Mexico reenact the rally screams of the countrys independence heroes and then continues on the 16th. Mexicos cradle of independence is located in the state of Guanajuato, which is one of the Mexican states visited as part of Viva Tequila Festivals Mexico Experience and home to well-known tourist destinations like the cities of Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Miguel de Allende. This year, as travel is generally on hold for the moment, we invite you to celebrate Mexicos independence from home. Here are five ways to celebrate with friends and family this Mexican Independence Day. Have Mr. Tequila do a Virtual Tequila Class Step your knowledge of Mexico's most well-known Spirit with a virtual class. Learn the basics like where does Tequila come from? What are the differences between Blanco, Reposado, Anejo? or what pairs nicely with a plate of Cheese! Drink a Mexican flag Mexicans are very patriotic and love their national colors: green, white and red. Not surprisingly, they have made a drink La Bandera out of them. This festive, multiple-shot cocktail is made up of three shot glasses, one filled with lime jJuice, the next with Tequila Blanco and the third with Sangrita. Drink them in that order consecutively. Eat a Chile en Nogada The Mexican flag also makes an appearance in one of the countrys most patriotic dishes: the Chile en Nogada, a poblano chile stuffed with a ground-turkey picadillo, covered in a creamy walnut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. This is the dish to have in Mexico during this season and can be ordered from any Mexican restaurant in the United States. Throw a Mexican fiesta Just because you cant be in Mexico at this time it does not mean you cant bring the party to you! Throw your own fiesta to celebrate Mexican culture and independence. Cater your dinner with a local Mexican restaurant to support small business and decorate with the colors of the Mexican flag. And is there really a better time than this to get a pinata?! Add a little bit of Mariachi music from the state of Jalisco and, of course, you cant forget the Tequila! Shout "Viva Mexico!" "Viva Tequila!" Mexico's War of Independence was initiated by Father Miguel Hidalgo, who rallied against Spain in 1810. This event is known as El grito de Dolores. Each Sept. 15 at 11 p.m., el grito is re-enacted in town squares throughout Mexico. Join in this act of resistance this month and shout "Viva Mexico!" at the top of your lungs. While youre at it, try screaming "Viva Tequila!" Join Mr. Tequila on a Virtual Tequila 101 on October 2, 2020. ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release : CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Gustavo A Rivas-Solis Company: ENroute Communications Phone: 9174387096 Email: gustavorivassolis@gmail.com Web: vivatequilafestival.com PRESS RELEASE TAGS MEDIA GALLERY Visit Our Site Major aged care outbreaks are likely to blame for Parkville and East Brighton topping lists for active cases in this week's Melbourne postcode coronavirus data. The table below shows the postcodes with the highest rate of active cases as of Thursday this week. Topping the list is postcode 3052, which takes in Parkville and Melbourne University. It has the highest active case rate of any area in Victoria with eight infections per 1000 residents. While it may not account for every single case in the area, there has been a sizeable aged care cluster that may have taken the postcode to the top of the list. Mercy Place aged care facility in Parkville has an outbreak that is currently sitting at 92 cases, including 54 residents, 33 staff and five contact cases - according to the Department of Health. It's a similar situation for the postcode that this week has topped the list of areas with the biggest net increase in active cases. As per the table above, in postcode 3187 - which takes in Brighton East - there are now 20 active cases, 10 more than there were seven days ago. According to the DHHS, there are currently 59 cases linked to Allity's Princeton View aged care in Brighton East. That includes 26 residents, 30 staff and three contact cases. To read more about what's happening postcode by postcode this week in Melbourne's cases, read our full visual story here. A California Spotted Owl. Credit: Jake Bourque. In 2013 the Rim Firethe largest fire on record in the Sierra Nevadaburned one third of the potential California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) habitat in Yosemite National Park. The park provides prime habitat for this Spotted Owl subspecies, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and concern grew regarding the fire's effect on Yosemite's owl populations. But recent research provides some good news regarding the park's owls, and it may be due to Yosemite's unique history and fire management strategy. In a study published last week in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, researchers from The Institute for Bird Populations and Yosemite National Park found that Spotted Owl numbers and nesting rates remained stable in areas of the park that were burned by the Rim Fire. Between 2015 and 2017, the researchers surveyed for Spotted Owls, locating their territories and determining their breeding status. They used satellite data to characterize the habitat in the study area, including how severely it burned. "What surprised me, primarily, was not that owls were still present, but they were still present in the same numbers and still successfully setting up territories and breeding," says the study's lead author Lynn Schofield, a biologist with The Institute for Bird Populations. While the owls avoided the most severely burned areas, they still held territories within the fire's perimeter. California Spotted Owls can tolerate forest fire, but Schofield cautions that not all fires are created equal. Yosemite's forests have not been commercially logged since the early 1900s and fire suppression efforts since the 1970s have been kept to a minimum. This results in a forest structure and fire regime that is distinct from what is found outside of the park. "In Yosemite there is a diversity of forest habitat," explains Schofield. "This means the Rim Fire burned with a diversity of severities creating a range of post-fire habitat for owls to choose from." The study notes that in portions of the adjacent Stanislaus National Forest that were also burned by the Rim Fire, burn severity was more homogenous likely due to the contrasting logging and fire management regime on the National Forest. The frequency of large, high intensity "megafires" like the Rim Fire is expected to increase in the Sierra Nevada. These megafires are considered one of the most important conservation threats to the California Spotted Owl. This study suggests that Yosemite's owl population has benefited from the park's diverse forest habitats and restored fire regime, and that these factors have allowed them to thrive even after a major disturbance like the Rim Fire. "At Yosemite, restoring fire to its natural role is one of our management priorities," says Sarah Stock, a wildlife ecologist at Yosemite and co-author of the study. "It's gratifying to see that this strategy is paying off for the park's wildlife." Explore further Spotted owls benefit from forest fire mosaic More information: Lynn N. Schofield et al, Habitat selection by spotted owls after a megafire in Yosemite National park, Forest Ecology and Management (2020). Journal information: Forest Ecology and Management Lynn N. Schofield et al, Habitat selection by spotted owls after a megafire in Yosemite National park,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118511 Provided by The Institute for Bird Populations Report by Amnesty International highlights failure to protect those on the front lines in the fight against pandemic. A shocking 7,000 health workers have died globally after contracting coronavirus, a new report by Amnesty International has said, highlighting the failure to adequately protect those on the front lines in the months-long battle against the pandemic. The prominent rights watchdog said on Thursday the death toll represented a crisis on a staggering scale and renewed an urgent call for governments to provide healthcare professionals with the necessary equipment so they can continue their vital work. Every health worker has the right to be safe at work, and it is a scandal that so many are paying the ultimate price, said Steve Cockburn, Amnestys head of economic and social justice. Throughout the pandemic, governments have hailed health workers as heroes, but this rings hollow when so many workers are dying from a lack of basic protection, said Cockburn. According to Amnesty, which said it had collated data based on multiple sources including memorial pages, government figures and lists compiled by national medical associations, the country topping the list of health worker fatalities is Mexico (1,320), followed by the one hit the hardest by the pandemic the United States (1,077). Behind them are the United Kingdom (649) and Brazil (634). Carissa Etienne, director of the PanAmerican Health Organization, said on Wednesday the Americas has the highest number of healthcare workers infected in the world. In India, which on Thursday reported a record daily high of 83,883 new infections amid a rapid surge in the spread of coronavirus in recent weeks, at least 573 health workers have died and more than 87,000 have been infected. More than half of the health workers deaths (292) occurred in the state of Maharashtra. As in other countries, inadequate protection is also a significant concern for health workers in South Africa. where 240 of them have lost their lives to the novel virus. The countrys largest public-sector union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union on Thursday called for a demonstration to demand greater government support for front-line workers. Said Amnesty: We are calling on all governments to take urgent measures to protect the lives of health workers. As well as increasing the supply of protective equipment, they must listen to health workers who speak out about their working conditions, and respect their rights to organise. Below are the top 10 countries with the highest number of health worker coronavirus deaths, according to Amnestys report. Figures for countries may not always be directly comparable due to different methods used to collect data and definitions of health workers in various countries. Mexico: 1,320 United States: 1,077 United Kingdom: 649 Brazil: 634 Russia: 631 India: 573 South Africa: 240 Italy: 188 Peru: 183 Iran: 164 The National Committee (NC) of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) will outdoor the Party's 2020 Presidential Candidate on Saturday, 12th September. The event would be conducted on a virtual platform at 18:30 hours. A statement signed by Paa Kow Ackon, National Secretary of the PPP and copied to the Ghana News Agency said apart from the Greater Accra Regional executives who would be physically present, all other Regional executives would participate through virtual means. It said Constituency executives were urged to follow the programme through all the PPP social media handles and live feed from some selected media houses. Constituency chairpersons, it said were encouraged to project the event to allow a maximum of 10 persons to watch the programme, strictly observing all the COVID-19 safety protocols. The PPP has a historic function to perform in the winning of the 2020 election, and we shall do our utmost to see that victory is won, it is our time and turn for power, the statement said. GNA By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a rare meeting with rival factions on Thursday as they sought to present a united front over Israel and the United Arab Emirates' deal to normalise ties. The meeting was held through video-conference between Ramallah in the West Bank and Beirut, where Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhalah attended. It is rare for Islamist Hamas and Abbass secular Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization to have such high-level contacts after years of in-fighting. Palestinians were dismayed by the Gulf states normalisation accord with Israel, seeing it as a betrayal likely to weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that calls for Israel to withdraw from occupied territory. The deal was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Abbas has refused to deal with Trump's administration for more than two years, accusing it of pro-Israel bias, and rejected Trump's Mideast plan, unveiled in January. "Our meeting comes at a very dangerous stage, in which our national cause faces various plots and dangers," Abbas said on Thursday. "In order to stand together in the trench of confrontation and peaceful popular resistance to the occupation, I invite you here to agree on the formation of a national leadership." Speaking from the fortified Palestinian embassy in Beirut, Haniyeh also said it was important to have a unified strategy. We must succeed in ending the division and building a unified Palestinian position, he said. At this stage, failure is forbidden. Senior U.S. and Israeli officials visited Abu Dhabi on Monday on a historic trip to cement the UAE accord. Trump adviser Jared Kushner told Palestinians they should accept the deal, restart negotiations with Israel and not be stuck in the past. (Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem and Zainah El-Haroun in Ramallah; Editing by Dan Grebler) Delhi Police have arrested a 43-year-old man who was allegedly impersonating as an Indian Foreign Service officer posted in the Prime Ministers Office and allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing them government and non-government contracts. Police said the man had recently duped a Gujarat-based businessman of Rs 36 crore. The arrested man was identified as one Piyush Bandopadhyay, who lived in Noida and claimed to be an M.Tech graduate from IIT-Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Joint commissioner of police (economic offences wing) OP Mishra said they got a complaint from a bio-toilet company alleging that its representatives met a woman, Shweta Sorout, who introduced herself as the India head for the Intellectual Innovation Think Tank (IITT), a company engaged in the sale of patent technology to government and non-government agencies all across the world. She also claimed that her husband Piyush Bandopadhyay was an IFS officer presently posted in the PMO and arranged a meeting of the representatives of the company with her husband in Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi. The complainant said Bandopadhyay informed them that all projects related to Make-in-India, smart city, solar energy, etc. were looked after by him and claimed he could get any proposal of the company passed by the government of India, Mishra said. The joint commissioner said the complainants company was lured by Bandopadhyay and his wife and its representatives then convinced another company based in Dubai, to purchase the patent technology from Intellectual Innovation Think Tank (IITT). As per their mutual discussion, an initial amount of $3.1 million was transferred by the Dubai-based company to the account of IITT, of which Sorout is a trustee. Later, another sum of money was also transferred and the total amount paid to IITT turned out to be Rs 36 crores. But after the payment, when Bandopadhyay and his wife stopped responding to calls and messages from representatives of the two companies, they turned suspicious of the couple and lodged a police complaint, he said. Mishra said, during initial probe, it was learnt that two more complaints have been filed before a central investigating agency against Bandopadhyay. On this, he was put on surveillance and following a raid at his Noida residence, he was arrested. A beacon-fitted car, in which Bandopadhyay travelled for his meetings with his targets, was also seized from his house. We also seized from him documents related to properties that he had bought using the money earned through cheating, he said. The officer said, when questioned, Bandopadhyay said he always used to have business meetings in five-star hotels to make it look authentic. In order to give an impression about his coveted status as a senior government functionary, he would get the phones of all his visitors and clients deposited beforehand. He would often drop names of senior officials before the clients during business conversations to create an impression and used to mention government initiatives to make his targets believe that he played important role in policy-making, Mishra said. Role of Bandopadhyays wife Sorouts and other suspects are being investigated, the officer said. Bandopadhyays educational background is also being verified. The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has cautioned landlords, landladies and water vendors to stop selling water to residents and tenants as that was against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos directive for free water for all as a mitigating factor against the effects of the coronavirus. President Akufo-Addo, as part of measures to cushion the citizenry against the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, extended the free water policy first announced in April by three months ending September 2020. This notwithstanding, the GWCL in a statement issued in Accra and copied the Ghanaian Times yesterday said it had come to its notice that some home owners and water vendors were still selling the water in contravention of the Presidential directive. It is wrong and illegal for any water vendor or landlord or landlady to sell water during this period; July, August and September 2020, the statement emphasised. To meet commercial customers of the water distribution company half-way, the statement urged them to contact the GWCL for their status to be changed. All customers in category 612, especially water vendors and house owners who sell water directly to tenants and other members of the community, are to register with the district offices of the GWCL for their categories to be changed, to enable the system generate compensation for them, the statement said. Apologising to its customers for what it said were challenges being experienced in the distribution system, the GWCL cautioned against peddling of falsehood about the difficulties, assuring that engineers were working around the clock to have same rectified. A cross-section of the consuming public is peddling fabricated stories to the effect that the challenges being experienced in the system now are deliberate. Management of GWCL will want to assure our cherished consumers that such stories are false. It is not and cannot be deliberate and it will be appreciated if members of the general public peddling these fabricated stories put an end to it. The statement encouraged the general public to contact the GWCL call centre anytime they experienced water supply challenges in their homes and neighbourhood and also report pipe burst and leakages for prompt action. 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. Featured Video The liquidators of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation and Irish Nationwide have lost their latest legal bout in London where they've been attempting to reverse a determination by tax authorities that the two institutions weren't entitled to claim deductions made against interest expenses. The amount at stake is reputedly in the region of 20m (22.5m). As part of their calculation of profits at the two institutions between 2003 and 2007, the bank and building society had sought the deduction of interest which was shown in the accounts of their UK branches as a borrowing expense as they financed their lending business there. But Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) disallowed the deductions. The liquidators of the banks had previously argued at the UK's tax tribunal that the deductions should be permitted. They argued that HMRC had to be mindful of the double-taxation treaty that exists between Ireland and the UK, which the liquidators contested would permit the deductions. However, HMRC had successfully argued that the UK was precluded from relying on relevant legislation, resulting in the interest charges on borrowed capital incurred by the Irish institutions being disallowed as an expense. The IBRC liquidators lost their case in the UK's upper tax tribunal last autumn. Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) was previously known as Anglo Irish Bank. It was taken into public ownership in 2009 as the financial crisis deepened. The State later took control of Irish Nationwide Building Society. The State eventually invested a total of 34.7bn in the two institutions and in July 2011 the pair were merged to create IBRC. IBRC was placed in special liquidation by the government in 2013. In this appeal, the three judges hearing the case upheld the previous findings in favour of HMRC. One of the judges in the case, Rabinder Singh, stressed in his ruling that what was at issue in the IBRC case was the ability of the UK parliament to enact its own legislation. He said the contested part of the law is primary legislation and has "nothing to do with acts of HMRC". NICOSIA, Cyprus - Tensions over the search for oil and gas off ethnically divided Cyprus would fade if Greek Cypriots agreed to divvy up the countrys territorial waters and drilling rights with Turkish Cypriots, according to the man who hopes to be the next leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state. Ersin Tatar, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Cypriot state in Cyprus northern third, said such a deal should happen before theres a resumption of United Nations-facilitated talks aiming at reunification. For us, the hydrocarbons issue is a test if the two side can agree or not, Tatar told The Associated Press in an interview. I believe that if we can agree on this matter, it will act as a catalyst to ensuring regional peace, Greek-Turkish friendship, as well as to resolving the Cyprus problem. Tatars proposal is a fresh take on an older Turkish Cypriot position on the tussle over gas deposits in the east Mediterranean that has again stoked tensions between Greece and Turkey recently. However, the suggestion has been rejected as a non-starter by Cyprus internationally recognized government in the islands southern, Greek Cypriot part. It sees such a move as undermining its own territorial rights while obliquely conferring sovereign rights on an unlawful entity. Tatar said he and Turkey favour setting up a joint committee of Greek and Turkish Cypriots to mark out waters in which each side will be entitled to search and drill for gas. Turkish Cypriots cant have their rights ... kept in the freezer in the hope that one day the Greek Cypriots agree with them, he said. We must be able to claim our rights without a comprehensive settlement. Justice and the law necessitate that. Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean have escalated sharply in recent weeks as Greek warships shadowed Turkish naval vessels escorting survey and drill ships prospecting for gas in waters where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights. Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence that was made after Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup aiming at union with Greece. Cyprus internationally recognized government in the southern, Greek Cypriot part insists the rights of Turkish Cypriots to the countrys natural resources are guaranteed under existing agreements encompassed in previous rounds of peace talks. It has also proposed setting up an escrow account into which a portion of future gas proceeds earmarked for Turkish Cypriots roughly proportionate to their population size would be deposited. Turkish Cypriots could access those funds even before a peace deal is reached if Turkey recognized the borders of European Union member Cyprus exclusive economic zone. Three sizable gas fields have so far been discovered in as many blocks inside Cyprus exclusive economic zone off its southern coast where energy companies including Frances Total, Italys Eni and Exxonmobil are licensed to drill. Turkey doesnt recognize Cyprus as a state and claims 44% of its exclusive economic zone as falling within its own continental shelf. Turkish Cypriots claim another 25%. Lets sit and talk about to whom these blocks belong, Tatar said. In this way, the crisis wont get worse and everyone will know which blocks are theirs for drilling. Tatar, 60, who leads the right-wing National Unity Party, says polls show that he will edge out his main rival, leftist incumbent Mustafa Akinci, in a second round of presidential elections slated for mid-October. He said decades of failed talks to reunify Cyprus as a federation makes it necessary to consider alternative models for reunification, including a confederated partnership of two sovereign states within the European Union. If we cant agree on coming together under a federal roof, a velvet divorce is also a solution, said Tatar. Its unrealistic at this point in time to say that the only road is toward federation after all that has happened. Conversely, Akinci champions a federation of Greek and Turkish zones. Tatar said there can be no peace deal without Greek Cypriots recognizing the minority Turkish Cypriots as equals in both sovereignty and decision-making powers at all levels of government, including sharing the islands top executive post. We will have as much sovereignty as the Greek Cypriots, he said. Turkish Cypriots must take part in all decision-making mechanisms. He also rejected any notion of acceding to a Greek Cypriot demand to scrap the right to military intervention and military bases that the islands 1960 constitution accorded to Greece, Turkey and former colonial ruler Britain. Greece agrees to getting rid of intervention rights, while Britain has said it would have no objections if all sides agreed to abolish them. Tatar said its Turkeys military that has maintained the peace for nearly five decades, adding that according to opinion polls, more than 85% of Turkish Cypriots support the continuation of the effective and active Turkish guarantees. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. 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. Its a question with no easy answer. In a year already consumed by a fast-moving pandemic and an urgent reckoning on racial justice, cities nationwide are also grappling with another crisis: a surge in gun violence that experts say cant be neatly ascribed to one simple explanation. If someone says, heres the sole cause and effect, Id be very skeptical, said Tod Burke, a retired criminal justice professor for Radford University. I think there are many variables that are involved, he said. Its multi-faceted. In Roanoke, the worrying trendlines recently included three shootings in three days, two of which were fatal. The third shooting, which happened in broad daylight Aug. 21, hit two cars that were carrying people but no one was struck. Fatal shootings overall arent on the rise in the city. But shootings with injuries have roughly doubled from where they stood at this same point in 2019 or 2018. This year, by early August, the Star City had seen 30 cases of victims who were struck by gunfire but survived, according to police data. During the same period in 2019, 15 shootings with injuries were reported. In 2018, the number stood at 18. The data doesnt include incidences of accidental gunfire or self-inflicted wounds. Criminologists caution against being too quick to draw conclusions from a few months span. Variances in crime figures take time to fully understand. But the rise in gunfire adds another unnerving layer to an already fractured year. And the unprecedented circumstances a pandemic, economic insecurity and social strain are on the minds of those who work to decipher and confront the deeper causes of such conflict. I really do believe the pandemic is one of the agitators here, said Shakira Williams, a prevention specialist and chair of the citys gun violence task force. The job loss, school being out, things being closed, she said. Being cut off from some of your support systems I think that exacerbated conditions all over. The destabilizing effects of the pandemic are being explored across communities as a stressor deepening other, social epidemics. In addition to gun violence, domestic violence hotlines worldwide reported a rise in calls and the American Medical Association warned this month of climbing overdose reports in 40-plus states. It does beg the question, Why now? said Burke, adding of the confluence, Stress is certainly among the factors. That stress, he added, isnt limited to one arena. Its societal, economic and personal a commingling of countless variables and pressure points. Thats why I say its multi-faceted, he said. Its not in isolation. There are no silos here. One carries over to the other. In Roanoke, little is publicly known about what sparked most of the shootings unfolding this year. A search warrant indicated that two people were wounded in July after arranging to meet with someone to buy a car and being surprised by gunmen. The citys most recent shooting, which happened Sunday night, was set off by an argument that escalated among people who knew one another, police said. A 19-year-old was both wounded and charged with starting that gunfire. Officers continue to investigate the matter. In several cases, victims themselves werent willing to cooperate with officers, police reported, further complicating the work of unraveling what was behind the confrontations. The number of local shootings has risen amid the return of warmer weather. That alone isnt unusual or unexpected. Gun violence often peaks in the summer months when more people are out circulating and more opportunities for conflict arise. This year, the return of summer weather also overlapped with the gradual lifting of statewide stay-at-home orders. Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman also spoke to the complex mix of factors that shape gun violence. When asked about the many theories swirling nationwide, he often says the answer probably falls somewhere under: e) all of the above. One of the points investigators are digging into locally is the influence of what Roman described as gang culture. Officers are seeing warning signs of that in some instances, he said. He declined to delve into detail or link specific cases to gang activity. Investigations are ongoing and must be protected, he noted. But its among the pressure points that authorities are tracking closely and working to tackle another possible piece of the equation. It could be a part of it, Roman said. We certainly see some telltale signs. The effort to push back against gangs and gang emulation is something authorities have been working to build coalitions around. Last fall, Roanoke became one of three cities in the western half of the state to partner with federal prosecutors in an initiative targeted at gang prosecutions and prevention outreach. The city also assembled a task force with a broad cross-section of community groups and advocates to help focus work on the larger issue of gun violence and its root causes. That group, which began work last year, is approaching the issue from multiple fronts: education, community building, anti-recidivism, de-escalation and more. The police department, through its work with the task force, secured a grant to create a rapid response coordinator who can help mobilize support for neighborhoods when violence strikes and work to avoid escalation. Hiring for that position is underway now. Roman said in addition to dogged investigation the police department is closely examining the landscape to find opportunities to intercede and defuse violence. The community is an important part of that work, he said. Officers want to build on their relationships with neighborhoods and build on trust with residents. Weve got to partner with the community, Roman said. Law enforcement cannot be successful unless it has that collaborative effort with the community which it serves. That bridge-building is not only important amid the ongoing, national debate on policing, he said, but is at the core of what officers do and have done as they work to both uncover information in cases and prevent new confrontations from erupting. Burke echoed the importance of partnerships. Curbing violence takes many people and strategies, he said. This is a societal issue, he said. Weve got to come together as a society. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Sunil Kumar and his family -- wife and two children -- used to live in a south Delhi slum when their home was razed by a bulldozer during a demolition drive in December 2016. Civic authorities gave the family a few hours to pack their belongings and fend for themselves on a winters night. Kumar, a 42-year-old construction worker, and his family moved to his elder brother Anil Kumars house in a slum along the railway tracks in west Delhis Naraina Vihar where they have lived since. The family faces the risk of being displaced again after the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the removal of 48,000 slum dwellings situated along railway tracks within three months. And, to ensure compliance with its order, the top court also stopped any other court from passing a stay order on their removal. In case an order is passed, it shall have no effect on the eviction proceedings, the Supreme Court said. The top courts order comes at a time when slum dwellers are already hard pressed in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and loss of income during the subsequent 68-day lockdown. People everywhere are getting infected. So many have died, said Anil Kumar, whose family moved to the capital from Bihars Darbhanga district around 15 years ago and shifted from one slum to another until they settled in the same Naraina Vihar slum six years ago. We have hardly got any work for months now because of the lockdown. The family is struggling to survive. There is no money. Cant the court reconsider its decision, asked 47-year-old Kumar. HT on Thursday visited other slums in Azadpur, Vihar, Shakur Basti, Mayapuri and Anand Parbat -- that are all located alongside railway tracks and densely populated, with open drains and narrow alleys . Many slum dwellers lost their jobs during the nationwide lockdown that was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.Some chose to head back to their villages, and others stayed back looking out for daily-wage work, the residents said. The Supreme Courts decision came after Indian Railways informed the court that despite a special task force having been formed to remove encroachments, political interference was coming in the way of getting jhuggis (slums) alongside train tracks removed. An order for removal of all such encroachments was passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 1, 2018. The Court said: There is predominant presence of jhuggis in Delhi along with 140km route length of railway track in the region of NCT {national capital territory} of Delhi Out of this, about 70km route length of track is affected by large jhuggi-jhopri clusters existing in close vicinity of the tracks. These clusters aggregated to about 48,000 dwellings, according to the affidavit filed by the Delhi division of Northern Railways. The Supreme Court also involved the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board to prepare an action plan to enable rehabilitation of people who face eviction. A senior Delhi government official said on condition of anonymity that the Capital has around 750 slum clusters, of which around 52 prominent ones are located close to railway tracks. The precise population of these slums isnt known because surveys planned to ascertain the number are still pending. If we are rehabilitated in packed rooms with others, can the government agencies assure that none of the residents would get the coronavirus disease? In the slum, we at least have the safety of our homes. We are poor, but we can at least isolate ourselves to some extent, said Rajan Jha, resident of a slum cluster along the rail tracks near the Mayapuri industrial area. The fear of infection by the coronavirus of losing their livelihood if they are relocated are among the top concerns of the slum dwellers. Most residents here work in nearby factories, nearby streets where they set up their shops, neighbourhood localities where they work as domestic help. Work is slowly picking up pace now. Relocation shall leave us jobless and hungry again, said Kamla Devi, resident of a slum along the railway tracks in Anand Parbat. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 2,737 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of infected individuals to 182,306. Also, 19 new deaths were recorded on Thursday, taking the toll to 4,500, even as 160,114 people have so far recovered from the disease, the governments health bulletin said. To evict people from their homes during this pandemic, when they have been asked by the government to stay at home to stay safe, would greatly amplify the risk to their health and lives, said Shivani Chaudhry, executive director of Housing and Land Rights Network,which works among marginaliszed communities. The United Nations has also warned that no one should be evicted and deprived of housing during this time, as losing ones home could mean losing ones life. The government should first conduct a comprehensive and inclusive survey, and then undertake a consultative and participatory exercise to develop a human rights-based rehabilitation plan, which ensures adequate housing with basic services and security of tenure in the vicinity of where people presently live, to protect their livelihoods. Given the public health and economic emergency and the high incidence of Covid-19 cases in India, no eviction or relocation should be carried out, said Chaudhry. Sunil Kumar Aledia of the Centre for Holistic Development, a think-tank based in Delhi, said the group was seeking legal help to stop the eviction. The plan is to file a review petition soon. The Covid-19 situation is bad and the slum residents are the poor people who have been the worst hit. At this juncture, they are struggling to live. Life will be no different in another three months. An eviction at this stage is a livelihood concern and also a major health concern, Aledia said. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_635.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_635 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_635.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_635.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_635.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement On Saturday, November 16, 2019, President Donald Trump made an unexpected visit to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. That visit is among the many things that author Michael S. Schmidt discusses in the new book, Donald Trump v. the United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President. New York Times reporter Gabriel Debenedetti, discussing Schmidts book, notes that it reports 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. The vice president never had to take this step. Donald Trump Donald Trump and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Getty Images/MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Salon The fact that Trumps visit to Walter Reed in November 2019 was unannounced raised questions about the presidents health. But Dr. Sean Conley, Trumps physician, described the visit as routine that month and wrote, in a memo, that it was only kept secret because of scheduling uncertainties. And Trump described the visit as a very routine physical. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_574.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_574 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_574.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_574.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_574.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Despite some speculation, the president has not had any chest pain; nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues, Conley said in the memo. Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations. But if this is true, its not clear why, as Schmidt reported, Pence was prepared to take over the presidential duties. Other vice presidents have taken this step when the president has been temporarily incapacitated. For example, Dick Cheney stood in for George W. Bush when the then-president had to have a colonoscopy. While it wouldnt be unprecedented for such an event to take place, its perplexing why such arrangements were reportedly made for Trump and Pence in November when no clear explanation has been provided to the press. The new Isabella County Jail is being designed to not look like a jail, but more like a school. Ron Conley, of Clark Construction Co., the firm overseeing the project on behalf of the county, and Darrel DeHaan, of Integrated Architecture, updated the county board of commissioners Tuesday night on where theyre at. The current design calls for the combined jail and sheriffs office calls for offices to form an L-shape around the two-level jail facility. The jail is currently planned to have 187 beds, to include negative-pressure isolation rooms for inmates with infectious diseases, as well as cells for people with other unique needs. One reason given to build a new jail is that the current facility, built in the late 50s, doesnt have space for inmate needs mental illness or people transitioning genders among them not recognized back then. Sheriff Michael Main has said that these inmates today are placed in holding cells. ADA-compliant cells will be located on the first floor, eliminating the need to build an elevator to the second. The cells themselves are expected to come pre-fabricated to speed up construction and cut down on costs. While the number of beds currently planned surpasses the current average occupancy of the present jail, early on members of the countys ad hoc committee studying the issue favored a pod design that would allow rapid buildout of new cells and beds in case demand required it. The public-facing parts of the jail will house offices for not just jail staff but the Isabella County Sheriffs Office, much of which is expected to get relocated with the jail. Earlier plans to build facilities on site to store vehicles and patrol boats and other assets are currently on the back burner, DeHaan told commissioners. Those offices will also give the facility its distinctly non-jail appearance, a long-expressed goal of county officials. During Tuesdays presentation, County Commission Chairman George Green remarked that the proposed jail will look like a school, and reminded Vice Chairman Jim Horton that when the ad hoc committee that studied the jail issue last year toured the Midland County jail that Hortons first comment upon seeing it was that it looks like a school. At Tuesday afternoons work session, commissioners went into closed session to discuss the purchase of land. The jail project is the only property that the county is currently looking to purchase and at a previous commission meeting, Green indicated that the one they are most serious about is a 36-acre parcel of property in Union Township. The jail and law enforcement center are expected to sit on approximately 10 acres of land. While the current design was identified as 60,000 square feet, storage units for sheriffs office assets and stormwater drainage will require additional space. Early on, the county identified 30 acres as a desirable size for property, to allow the eventual reunion of the trial court with the jail for more efficient operation of the courts. It is anticipated that when the administration building ages out that a new one could get built near the jail, relocating the county offices from downtown Mt. Pleasant to a campus outside the city. Moving the sheriffs office and courts outside the county seat run up against certain provisions requiring facilities be located inside Mt. Pleasant. READ MORE: For Subscribers Senate votes to increase Partners in Education tax credit program Senators voted to increase the amount of money the Partners in Education tax credit program can give out for scholarships to private school students. Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany conducted its first Video Conference Summit of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) on 31st August 2020 to define and follow up on different joint programs that aims to advance public healthcare sector capacity and strengthen the response to COVID 19 in their countries. The MFFLI VC Summit 2020 was hosted by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg Haverkamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of E. Merck KG and the Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother and One of 100 Most Influential African (2019 & 2020) and attended by 13 African First Ladies, who are Ambassadors of Merck More than a Mother; H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe; H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Lady of Zambia; H.E. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone; H.E. AISSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, The First Lady of Niger; H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia; H.E. ISAURA FERRAO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique; H.E. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi; H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana; H. E. FATOUMATTA BAHBARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia; H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic; H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi; H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana; H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENCO, The First Lady of Angola. Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg Haverkamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of E. Merck KG and the Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees emphasized, The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been greater than many expected across the globe. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of investing in improving access to equitable and quality healthcare which is Merck foundations strategy since 2012, even before the pandemic started. Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explained, I am very proud of our valuable partnership with the African First ladies as Merck more than a Mother Ambassadors. We have always believed in the importance of building healthcare capacity through providing training to healthcare providers in many medical specialties. This has been our strategy since we stared in 2012 in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health, much before the pandemic started. As a response to COVID 19 pandemic, we adopted online medical education strategy through providing more than 350 African doctors with one-year online diploma and two-year online master degree in many specialties such as: Respiratory Medicines and Acute medicines, Diabetes, Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Sexual and Reproductive Medicines. This is in addition to more than 500 African and Asian doctors who benefited from our original clinical training programs in Diabetes & Cardiovascular, Oncology, Fertility specialists, and embryology in India, Egypt, Kenya and Malaysia which will resume after the lockdown ends. The MFFLI VC Summit, special edition aims to share experiences, discuss challenges, and define solutions to further strengthen healthcare capacity to better respond to this global pandemic in Africa. The African First Ladies shared the experiences of working closely with Merck Foundation in their respective countries with special focus on the programs to build healthcare capacity and the response to COVID -19. H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, I am very happy to see Merck Foundations strong commitment to advance the public healthcare sector across Africa. This is very critical to Zimbabwe, in the light of current pressure on our healthcare sector. More than 117 local doctors are enrolled in these training programs which will transform our healthcare sector. H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, First Lady of Zambia & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, We are proud of our partnership with Merck Foundation, which started in 2019. In a very short period, we have been able to reshape the healthcare landscape of Zambia by providing our doctors and nurses with specialty training in the fields of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Respiratory, Acute medicines, Sexual and Reproductive medicines, Fertility and Embryology. All of these fields are very critical and were lacking in our country. This will contribute to our battle against coronavirus and other diseases. H.E. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother expressed, I am extremely elated with our partnership with Merck Foundation, as together, we are making history in Sierra Leone by providing training for the First Oncologists in the country to establish the first skilled cancer care team. Also, our doctors are being trained in the fields of diabetes and fertility care. We will scale up the program to more fields together with Merck Foundation very soon. H.E. AISSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU, The First Lady of Niger & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, I am happy to be part of this prestigious platform. Since the Merck Foundation launch in 2017, together we have made a significant impact on our healthcare sector, through establishing a strong platform of Health experts in very critical fields such as; Diabetes, Oncology and Fertility care in Niger. H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother said, I am very happy to see that Merck Foundation is strongly committed to advancing the public healthcare sector across Africa. This is very critical to our countries in light of the current medical and public concerns. This is very important for Namibia as we have a very limited number of local specialists in the public sector, we are very happy to enroll 21 Namibian doctors in online diplomas in many fields, including 8 in sexual and reproductive medicines which is very important for women health. H.E. Dr. ISAURA FERRAO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother explained, Together with Merck Foundation, I am fully committed to will work closely to introduce innovative ideas that will engage different sectors to create a culture shift with the aim to break the stigma of infertility and make a great impact in a short time. H.E. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother said, I am looking forward to starting our important long term partnership with Merck Foundation. I am willing to capitalize on the valuable programs of Merck Foundation, by scaling them up nationwide to contribute to the social and economic development of Malawi. H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother elaborated, We launched the innovative programs of Merck Foundation at the beginning of 2019, to build healthcare capacity and break the infertility stigma. To share with you that since then and in a very short time we have been able to provide and enroll many of our healthcare providers with specialty training in the fields of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Respiratory, Acute medicines, Sexual and Reproductive medicines, Fertility specialists and Embryology training. H.E. FATOUMATTA BAHBARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother said, I am delighted to share the magnificent outcomes of my long term partnership with Merck Foundation. Together we have been able to empower infertile women through access to information, education, health, and change of mindset. Also, we have enrolled 25 Gambian doctors in One-year online diploma and one-year master degree in many medical specialties. H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, I am very proud to work closely with Merck Foundation to advance healthcare sector and empower infertile women in my country. We also initiated in my country, an important project Empowering Berna where we established small businesses for infertile women and train them to run their businesses so they can have income and become independent. Their lives have been transformed since then. H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother expressed, I am very happy to be appointed the Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother last week. I am excited about the work that has been done in my country so far and looking forward to taking this partnership to new heights. H.E. NEO JANE MASISI The First Lady of Botswana & Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother highlighted, Merck Foundations strategy of building healthcare capacity is more relevant now than ever. More than 34 doctors were enrolled to different specialties, I will closely work with Merck Foundation and our Ministry of Health to ensure the success of this program to be able to improve our peoples health and wellbeing. H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENCO, The First Lady of Angola expressed, I am very proud and happy to be a part of MFFLI VC Summit and look forward to a long-term partnership with Merck Foundation. We will closely work together on all their initiatives to build healthcare capacity and empower girls in education. 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 The pattern of monsoon in India could undergo a major shift by the end of this century with southern India likely to register the maximum increase in extreme rainfall compared to states in central and north India, researchers from the Indian Institute of Kharagpur in West Bengal have said. The scientists have also projected that extreme rainfall may increase in the Arabian Sea and south-Asian countries, including Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. In the worst-case scenario of climate change, rainfall could increase by 2.7 mm per day in north India with the Himalayan foothills expected to receive the heaviest rain. In south India, rainfall could increase by 18.5 mm per day with the Western Ghats expected to be battered the most, said Rajib Maity, a professor of civil engineering at IIT Kharagpur, who led the study. All these could be witnessed by the fag-end of this century, in the last three decades between 2071 and 2100. The researchers analysed data of Indian Summer Monsoon precipitation for close to five decades (1971 2017), considering the period between 1930 and 1970 as the base. The results have been published in the Scientific Reports journal brought out by the Nature publishing group. Our analysis shows a change in the direction of the southwest monsoon winds blowing towards the east over the Indian Ocean. This directional change will intensify the already observed precipitation contrast in future between South and North India, and cause more extreme precipitation events in countries like Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia Maity added. The researchers said that the Indian Ocean Dipole popularly referred to as the Indian Nino because of its similarity to its Pacific equivalent is intensifying which could lead to increase in rainfall activity throughout India. The Indian Ocean Dipole refers to the difference in sea-surface temperatures in opposite parts of the Indian Ocean which, in turn, affects rainfall pattern. As the Indian monsoon plays a crucial role in agriculture, which engages nearly half of the countrys population a possible shift in the rains, as projected by the IIT study, could have a significant impact on agriculture. South Asia, as we know, despite advances in irrigation systems, is highly dependent on the monsoons. Results of this study will be useful to the designers of water infrastructure and agricultural communities, especially in the southern parts of India and Himalayan foothills, to prompt a possible change in design criteria and agricultural practices including cropping pattern, Virendra Tewari, director, IIT Kharagpur was quoted as saying in a statement. R Krishnan, executive director, Centre for Climate Change Studies at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) said: The possibility of such change cant be ruled out but such projects need more research and analysis as the association between Indian Ocean Dipole and Monsoon is still not well defined. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sliabh Liag Distillers seeking 1.5m investment to fund expansion Irish whiskey maker Sliabh Liag Distillers is seeking a 1.5 million investment to support the next phase of its expansion, as it looks to put Donegal back on the distilling map. Sliabh Liag (pronounced "sleeve league", meaning mountain of flagstones) has opened a Crowdcube campaign, which is running until late September, to garner investment to help grow its presence - and that of Irish whiskey - on a global scale. Husband and wife team James and Moira Doherty founded Sliabh Liag, the first distillery in Donegal for more than 175 years, with the goal to reclaim the region's distilling heritage. The couple have seen international interest in their products, as demand for premium Irish whiskey grows. The distillery is preparing for a phased move to Ardara, its new headquarters and brand home, from autumn 2021. Work is underway on the site, which will increase Sliabh Liag's production capacity to 500,000 litres of alcohol per year to meet an expected increase in international demand. The site will also be a hub for whiskey tourism, with tiered levels of tours to take visitors through the distillery, the distilling process and local history and culture, including pointin making. James Doherty said: "Both my grandfathers were illicit pointin men. This is in my DNA. It is my legacy and one that I think my grandfathers would be proud of. I want to share this legacy - this opportunity to cement artisan Irish whiskey as the world's best - with those who want to come along with us on this exciting journey through Ireland's long, almost lost distilling heritage." Moira Doherty added: "The Ardara distillery is the natural next step in our journey to revive the Irish whiskey tradition, to bring it back to the communities while taking the name of Donegal to the furthest reaches we can." People who donate the the crowdfunding campaign will be eligible for rewards including having their name etched on a copper still and receiving a bespoke 'Silkie' fishing fly. The investment will also be eligible for EIS tax relief in the UK (EIIS tax relief in Ireland). To find out more, go to the Sliabh Liag Distillers website. 3 September 2020 - Bethany Whymark VINEYARD, Utah, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kizik, a Utah-based footwear company that revolutionized the easy-on-and-off shoe industry, announced it has made a donation to the Parkinson's Foundation . Kizik will collaborate with the Parkinson's Foundation to make Kizik shoes more available to those living with Parkinson's disease, fulfilling the Foundation's mission to make life better for -people with Parkinson's. "At Kizik, our mission is to make putting on and taking off shoes easier for everyone and in particular for individuals who live with conditions that make tying shoes difficult or impossible. We are honored to partner with the Parkinson's Foundation, and we believe this collaboration will enable us to make life easier for millions of people living with Parkinson's disease," said Monte Deere, Chief Executive Officer of Kizik. For people with Parkinson's disease, daily tasks can become more difficult to perform. Getting dressed may be a slower and more laborious process. Kizik's F.A.S.T. (Foot Activated Shoe Technology), functionality and design can help people with Parkinson's alleviate some of these challenges. About Kizik Based in Vineyard, Utah, KIZIK is a technology inspired footwear brand that invents fashionable handsfree footwear with modern design solutions to improve convenience in everyday life through its patented F.A.S.T. solutions. For more information, visit KIZIK.com and follow @wearKIZIK[TV4]. About the Parkinson's Foundation The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people living with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. For more information about getting dressed and adaptive clothing for people with Parkinson's, visit Parkinson.org or call the Foundation's free Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO. SOURCE Kizik Related Links http://KIZIK.com Lima, Sep 3 : Peru has approved the resumption of international flights starting from October 1, but under strict safety measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Minister of Transport and Communications Carlos Estremadoyro said. The first routes to resume include those to Mexico and Chile, which form the Pacific Alliance trade bloc with Peru and Colombia, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying on Wednesday. Brazil, the US and Spain are also among countries with which Peru is coordinating on the restart of flights. According to Estremadoyro, Peruvian authorities are discussing the details of health measures with their counterparts in other countries. He stressed that people who come to his country should undergo a coronavirus test within one week. Peru suspended international flights in March as part of lockdown measures against the pandemic. The country, one of the worst-hit in Latin America, has so far reported a total of 657,129 Covid-19 cases and 29,068 deaths. FOXBOROUGH David Andrews, Isaiah Wynn, and JC Jackson returned to a rainy Patriots practice on Thursday afternoon. All three had missed the teams last session on Tuesday. Gunner Olszewski was a noteworthy new absence, and Mohamed Sanu obviously wasnt there after being informed of his release Wednesday night. Without the two, the wide receivers group looked particularly thin. Damien Harris is still out hes reportedly dealing with a hand injury and Michael Jackson, Scoota Harris, Michael Barnett, Nick Thurman, Beau Allen, and Tashawn Bower were also missing. With final cuts looming Saturday afternoon, Bill Belichick explained that this is something of a transitional week before the team turns its attention entirely to Miami. Were moving into kind of another phase here in terms of the ending of the training camp period and the beginning of the regular season preparation week, Belichick said Monday. So, well kind of transition through that this week, and then next week well be in a full game preparation week for Miami. So, this will, like I said, be a little bit of a transition trying to clean up some loose ends, finish off some things that we need to do, then also Id say continue to work on some of the things that weve been doing that need some refinement or a little higher level of execution. So, well continue to do all the things that will be closer to game-type situations, as well as obviously continuing to work on fundamentals and basis. But, weve got to move forward so that were ready to actually play a game. Thats kind of where we are this week, and then of course at the end of the week, well have to make some decisions relative to the roster, but weve still got a few days to try to continue to sort that out. Well see how all that goes. Thats really more of an end of the week type of decision-making process. So, for the next couple of days here, at least through the middle of the week, just try to continue to build the things that we need built. Related content: Stephen Gostkowski signs with Tennessee Titans: Ex- Patriots kicker reunites with Mike Vrabel Worcesters Isaac Yiadom traded to New York Giants from Denver Broncos Seattle Seahawks sign Josh Gordon, WR expected to be reinstated from commissioners exempt list (report) Sony Michel got heavy after foot surgery but Patriots RB slimmed down and looks fresh and quick now Despite being a relatively small market, Australia is chock-full with car brands from all corners of the globe. Naturally, all the big Japanese marques have a presence here, as do most of Americas big names. Yet theres some European brands that Australians have access to that even Americans dont: Renault, Skoda, Peugeot, KTM, Citroen It didnt used to be this way. While British cars used to be incredibly common on Australian roads, a vestige of our colonial past British Leyland also manufactured vehicles here locally, like the P76, Mini and Morris Marina European cars were exceedingly uncommon and widely viewed with suspicion for most of the mid-20th century. They just werent built to withstand the tough conditions Australian roads threw at them. Did you know that FIAT stands for Fix It Again, Terry? While high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari have a long history in the Australian market, and the humble Volkswagen Beetle and Kombi were common on Australian roads (to be fair, they were common everywhere) most cars were either locally-made sedans from the likes of Holden, Ford or Chrysler, or cheap imports from Japan like Datsuns or Toyotas. It was a simpler time, when cars were dangerous but sexy. Where the average man aspired to a comfy Kingswood instead of some highly-strung piece of Germanic engineering. Just take a look at this photo of Sydneys iconic Bondi Beach in 1979 that was shared on Reddit and youll see exactly what we mean: Aside from an MG and a few VWs, most of the cars in the photo are locally made sedans and wagons. Also, notice how everyones managed to reverse park ok and theres not someone taking up two spots? The cars are in a whole array of attractive shades, too: blues, reds, greens, browns Aussies these days are far more conservative when it comes to car colour. RELATED: Why Its Time For Australians To Rethink Their New Car Colour Choices 1979 was an interesting point in time for Australian motoring history: the Holden Commodore was introduced just a year before in 1978, Toyota was locally manufacturing alongside the American brands, XW Falcon GT-HOs and Monaro GTS350s were battling it out on Mount Panorama, and good-looking cars dotted Australias shores. Compare that to 2020, which has seen Holden finally die after a slow and painful slide towards death, Ford giving up on selling passenger cars, and the Toyota HiLux continue to dominate Australias best-seller lists. These days, the carpark at Bondi Beach looks very different. Gone are the handsome sedans, wagons and coupes. Its all mostly European SUVs and crossovers, in various shades of white, black or grey Range Rovers, BMW X5s and the like. Indeed, weve contributed to the problem by parking a new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe (a beautiful beast, mind you) down at that very same waterfront. These days, youd be hard-pressed to find even a single non-hatchback or Toorak tractor down there, let alone the increasingly endangered Aussie sedan. Youd have to go to Summernats to see those types of cars now. The affordable luxury of a big Australian motor isnt something that exists any more, sadly. It increasingly feels as if you either go for a cheap Korean or Japanese hatchback, an SUV (most of which are boring), or you fork out big dollars for a European whip. Theyre at least better made these days. Volvo put their cars through a kangaroo test and manufacturers do a better job than ever of tweaking their vehicles to suit Australian conditions. Local manufacturing may be a thing of the past but were hardly starved for good cars. We just wish Bondi was a little more glamorous. Or maybe we just miss the smell of carbies and John Player Specials. Read Next Absolutely Reprehensible: US Denounces Poisoning of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny The United States on Wednesday said it was deeply troubled by news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with the chemical agent Novichok. The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today. Alexei Navalnys poisoning is completely reprehensible. Russia has used the chemical nerve agent Novichok in the past, White House National Security Council John Ullyot said in a statement. We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities. The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents, he added. (2 of 3) We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities. NSC (@WHNSC) September 2, 2020 (3 of 3) The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents. NSC Spokesman John Ullyot NSC (@WHNSC) September 2, 2020 A German military laboratory in a series of tests showed unequivocal evidence that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in an emailed statement on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The federal government will inform its partners in the EU and NATO of the results of the investigation, he added. It will discuss an appropriate joint response with the partners in the light of the Russian response. Navalny, 44, began feeling ill on a plane to Moscow on Aug. 20 after having had some tea at an airport cafe in Tomsk, Siberia. He was admitted to hospital on the same day after falling into a coma. He was airlifted to Germany on Aug. 22. He remains in a coma in intensive care at Berlins Charite hospital. The hospital said that he is connected to a ventilator, and his symptoms are continuing to improve. Recovery is likely to be lengthy. It is still too early to gauge the long-term effects which may arise in relation to this severe poisoning, the hospital said on Sept. 2. Russias Prosecutor-Generals Office said on Aug. 27 that a preliminary investigation by Russian police had so far uncovered no indications that a crime had been committed against Navalny. The police launched the investigation to establish all the circumstances of the incident after pressure from European and U.S. officials. The office added that it had no basis to open a criminal investigation, asking to cooperate with its German counterparts, and requesting copies of medical documents, research, and biological samples from German specialists regarding Navalnys case, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russias Rossiya-1 television channel on Wednesday that the German governments claims regarding Navalnys situation are part of an information campaign against Russia. She said that since Russias formal request to Germany for cooperation on the investigation, they had not yet received any formal response regarding Navalnys case. The Prosecutor-Generals Office had said in its statement that German law enforcement had replied indicating an intention to cooperate. The German government turned the microphone on and said what it said. As far as we understand, the target audience of todays statements were the European Union and NATO. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was mentioned for some reason as well. All this was done instead of what should have been done first thinga reply to the query from the Russian Prosecutor-Generals Office, she added. Berlin on Wednesday promised to inform the Russian ambassador on the latest test results and asked Moscow to clarify the circumstances of the incident. According to a statement on Wednesday night, Putin said any accusations directed at the Kremlin were premature and unfounded and voiced Russias interest in a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier on Wednesday that the use of Novichok on Nalvalny was an attempt to kill him. It is not yet clear who is responsible for the alleged poisoning. This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure, Merkel said at a news conference. Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group. Novichok, the name given to a series of chemical nerve agents, was developed by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993. Reuters contributed to this report. Mimi Nguyen Ly Reporter Follow Mimi Nguyen Ly is a reporter covering world news with a focus on U.S. news. Based in Australia, she has a background in clinical optometry. Contact Mimi at mimi.nl@epochtimes.com Fraudulent transactions worth Rs 17,394 crore happened at debt-ridden mortgage firm DHFL during FY07 to FY19, according to transaction auditor Grant Thornton. Earlier this year, the administrator of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL), appointed under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), obtained assistance from Grant Thornton to conduct investigation into the affairs of the mortgage firm. Last year, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had admitted the company for insolvency resolution. It had appointed Indian Overseas Bank's former managing director and CEO R Subramaniakumar as the company's administrator. "The preliminary estimation included in the application (filed before NCLT) places the monetary impact of the concerned transactions at approximately Rs 14,046 crore, as being the amount outstanding in the books of the company as on June 30, 2019. Also read: Microfinance body issues guidelines to member firms as RBI moratorium ends "...and additionally Rs 3,348 crore being the amount considered as due and outstanding towards notional loss to the company on account of charging lower rate of interest to certain entities referred to in the Application as the Bandra Book Entities," DHFL said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. As per the report prepared by the transaction auditor, the concerned transactions occurred during financial years 2006-2007 to 2018-19, it said. Based on the report, application has been filed with the NCLT, Mumbai against 87 respondents, including Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan, Township Developers India Ltd, Wadhawan Holdings Private Limited, Dheeraj Township Developers Private Limited, Wadhawan Consolidated Holdings Pvt Ltd and certain others entities as reported by the transaction auditor. Also read: Rebooting Economy XIV: Debt vs equity; why businesses are debt-driven Last year, the RBI sent the troubled mortgage lender DHFL for bankruptcy proceedings, making it the first financial services player to be sent to the NCLT for resolution. As of July 2019, the beleaguered home financier owed Rs 83,873 crore to banks, National Housing Board, mutual funds and bondholders/retail bondholders. Of the total, secured debt stands at Rs 74,054 crore and unsecured Rs 9,818 crore. Most banks have declared DHFL accounts as non-performing assets. At least 19 foreign nationals have been charged with voter fraud in North Carolina. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, Matthew G.T. Martin, said Wednesday that the individuals were discovered to have voted in the 2016 presidential elections. At least one of them also voted in the 2018 mid-term elections. According to an August 31 indictment in federal court, seven of the individuals were charged with falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, lying on a voter application. They are also charged with misdemeanor charges of voting in 2016. They were identified as Francisco Antonio-Aguirre, 64, of Guatemala; Roob Kaur Atar-Singh, 57, of Malaysia; Rosalva Negrete-Toledo, aka Rosalva Cortes, 65, of Mexico; Dave Delano Virgil, 57, of Tobago; Eloy Alberto Zayas-Berrier, 70, of Cuba; Emmanuel Olakunle Atoyebi, 31, of Nigeria; and Mokhtar Qaid Ahmed Gulaimid, 48, of Yemen. ABC affiliate WTVD reported that Atoyebi was also accused of making false statements in a naturalization proceeding and to a federal agent, while Gulaimid was charged with also making misleading statements in his naturalization process and in an immigration document. The seven individuals could face up six years in federal prison, a $350,000 fine, and a term of supervised release if they are found guilty. A voter casts a vote in Durham, North Carolina, on November 8, 2016, for the presidential election. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, Matthew G.T. Martin, said Wednesday that 19 foreign nationals were found to have illegally voted in the 2016 presidential elections. Non-citizens are not allowed to vote under U.S. law State election officials are expecting a larger share of voters to cast their ballots by mail this year rather than go to the polls like these voters in Cary, North Carolina in 2012 On August 13, 12 foreign nationals were charged with casting votes in the 2016 elections as non-citizens, a misdemeanor that carries up to one-year in jail, a fine that can't surpass $100,000, or both. There were identified as Ismay Prudence Kathleen James, 54, of Bermuda; Donald Christian Martyn, 44, of Sierra Leone; Chaim Pinto, 68, of Israel; John Andrew Rapsky, 54, of Canada; Baijoo Pottakulath Thomas, 58, of India; Shuqin Yin, 54, of China; Chirong Yin Billings, aka Chirong Cummings, 56, of China; Henry Alberto Araya-Vega, 52, of Costa Rica; Rufina Concho-Locklear, 82, of Mexico; Alberto Damaize-Job, aka Alberto Damaize, 73, of Nicaragua; Armando Nava-Juarez, aka Armando Nava, 51, of Mexico; and Manuel Efrain Valladares, 48, of El Salvador. Under U.S. law, non-citizens are not permitted to register to vote or to vote in a federal election. The indictments were revealed on the same day President Donald Trump visited Wilmington and said North Carolina voters should submit their upcoming presidential election votes by mail and then in person as he seeks a second term in the White House. According to the state election board, it's a felony to cast a vote twice in the state of North Carolina. A person that submits an absentee ballot is not allowed to change or cancel it, or even choose to vote in person. President Donald Trump talks to the crowd at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington, North Carolina on Wednesday. He told a reporter from WECT that voters should vote by mail and also in person Trump was asked by a reporter from WECT if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system, which he has opposed in the past. 'They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they won't be able to do that,' Trump said. 'So, let them send it in and let them go vote. 'And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously won't be able to vote [at the poll]. If it isn't tabulated, they will be able to vote.' North Carolina's attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein, said it is outrageous for the president to suggest that people 'break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election.' 'Make sure you vote, but do NOT vote twice!' Stein tweeted. 'I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November.' Attorney General William Barr, asked during a CNN interview about Trump's suggestion, said he didn't know the election laws in every state, but agreed with Trump's belief that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud. It's like 'playing with fire,' Barr said. In response, Michigan' attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, tweeted: 'Hey folks. Attorney General Nessel here-top law enforcement official in Michigan, for those keeping track. Don't try this at home. I will prosecute you. States that have relied on mail-in ballots say there is little evidence of fraudulent activity. Multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process. The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic - Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah - have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign intruders from trying to influence the vote. More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic. Barr cited a report from more than a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud. But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states such as Oregon that had sufficient safeguards. The White House defended the president, saying that he has fought hard for an election system that is fair and free from fraud and abuse. 'This idea that he is encouraging people to vote twice is yet another example of the media taking him out of context and ignoring the facts,' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News Channel on Thursday. Kazakh Officials, Family Members To Be Barred From Having Bank Accounts Abroad By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service September 02, 2020 NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan's government has announced that officials and members of their families will be barred from having bank accounts abroad amid growing public frustration over corruption following several scandals that have shed light on the enormity of their unexplained offshore wealth.. Finance Minister Erulan Zhamaubaev said on September 2 that the plan is linked to his ministry's program to fight against the shadow economy and to enhance the development of financial regulations. His announcement came a day after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said in an address to the nation that it was necessary as of 2021 to bar government officials, lawmakers, and judges from having bank accounts abroad to prevent corruption. Kazakhstan, once the poster child for economic reform in post-Soviet states, has seen its image tarnished in recent years as reports emerge of officials and their family members owning mansions and large bank accounts abroad. Earlier this year, Britain's National Crime Agency asked a grandson of former president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev to explain where he got the money to buy a multimillion-pound mansion along one of north London's most expensive streets. Though he kept the London mansion and other properties, the global media attention put the entire Nazarbaev family in an unwelcome spotlight, especially at home. "For sure, a public announcement of this kind is meant to signal to the public, that has grown wary of corruption scandals, that the government intends a serious crackdown on graft and kleptocracy," Alexander Cooley, the director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute and author of a book on corruption in Central Asia, told RFE/RL. Zhamaubaev said that all bank accounts in the country will be checked in line with a program on sharing information between member-states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD is an international group of 37 countries with market economies that cooperate with more than 70 nonmember economies to promote economic growth and sustainable development. Zhamaubaev did not specify when exactly the plan will be implemented or what would happen if officials and their family members were found to have offshore accounts. Cooley said he doubted the policy will stop Kazakh elites from holding money offshore because they rarely conduct foreign transactions in their own names. "Instead, their intermediaries use nested networks of offshore entities to conceal and store assets across multiple jurisdictions and domains," he said. Deciphering the networks would be a costly and time-consuming process made "even more challenging" by the powerful personalities being investigated, Cooley said. However, he said the new policy could potentially be a "powerful weapon" in a domestic political struggle. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-officials- family-members-to-be-barred-from-having-bank -accounts-abroad/30817457.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nyamebekyere Co-operative Vegetable Farming and Marketing Society Limited which operate in Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions, has stressed the need to strengthen the collaboration among the Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Health Service, MMDAs, and FBOs to fight faking and adulteration of pesticides in the country. According to the society, the inability of state institutions such as EPA to regulate the agrochemicals industry has led to adulteration and proliferation of harmful agrochemicals in the market which in the end have been used by innocent farmers. This has seriously led to low yield, poor market access, high level of chemical residue on vegetables, and this according to research by the society is adversely affecting over 100,000 vegetable producers within the Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions. The Public Relations Officer for the Association, Evelyn Bema Darkwa disclosed during a Stakeholders Meeting at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality in the Ahafo region. The Society is implementing an advocacy action: Elimination of Adulterated and Proliferated Harmful Agro-Chemicals in the Market project being funded by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC). BUSAC Fund is a programme set up to strengthen the advocacy capacity of private sector business groups and associations in Ghana supported by DANIDA (the lead Development Partner), USAID, DFID, and EU The Nyamebekyere Co-operative Vegetable Farming and Marketing Society Limited is made up of about 100,000 vegetable farmers in the Techiman Municipality in the Bono East Region, Sunyani Municipality in the Bono region, and Tano South and Tano North Municipalities in the Ahafo Region. Miss Darkwa noted that both organic and conventional agriculture could play a pivotal role in Ghanas public health and local economic development. However, she added that the inability of state institutions to regulate the agro-chemical industry in the targeted farming districts has led to adulteration and proliferation of harmful agrochemicals in the market which in the end have been used by innocent farmers. The lead Researcher and the Service Provider, Dr. Gabriel Gbiel Benarkuu, said resourcing state agencies especially the extension division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Environmental Protection Authority and Ghana Standard Authority will help to arrest the situation. According to him, Ghanas vegetable sub-sector offers great opportunities for growth given the steady increase of high-value domestic markets and export opportunities. The domestic market alone is growing at more than 10% per annum and the potential value for export vegetables is estimated at US$250 million, he added. Key stakeholders at the meeting stressed that enhancing the capacity of State agencies need capacity in Law enforcement. They also called for the decentralization of Environmental Protection Agency operations at district levels to make the agency more efficient and beneficial to the citizens. The Chairman of the Society, Elia Opoku Afriye, said his outfit will establish a strong collaboration between EPA and Nyamebekyere Co-Operative Vegetable Farming and Marketing Society Limited to train about 10000 members on pesticide application and usage. The Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC, the United States, will resume Consular Services on Tuesday, September 8. A statement signed by Mr Kofi Tonto, Head of Information and Public Services, Embassy of Ghana in Washington, DC, United States, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said to enforce COVID-19 safety protocols, the Embassy would no longer offer in-person visa services. It said individuals interested in acquiring visa services were required to do so through the online visa application platform. Those who wish to acquire new passports, replace lost passports or renew old passports are also required to submit their applications online and schedule in-person appointments to complete the mandatory biometric data process, the statement said. All prescribed COVID-19 protocols including; social distancing, enhanced hygiene and hand sanitising as well as mandatory wearing of face masks on the Embassy premises will be enforced for all in-person appointments. It asked that all visa and passport applications should be submitted at www.ghanaembassydc.org. Regarding Ghana travel requirements, the statement said individuals travelling to Ghana were required to strictly adhere to the following new directives as stated by the Government of Ghana in the President's 16th address to the Nation on measures taken against the spread of the Coronavirus. The Presidential Directive said all passengers arriving in Ghana must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from accredited laboratory in the country of origin and the test must have been done not more than 72 hours before the scheduled arrival in the country. It noted that all airlines had been instructed to ensure compliance with the directive for all passengers travelling to Ghana. The statement said all passengers would be required to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal upon arrival in Ghana at $150.00 to be paid by the passenger. It said children under the age of five would not be required to undergo the testing at the airport. It said passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 would be handled by health authorities for further clinical assessment and management. The statement added that passengers who tested negative would be allowed entry into the country and advised to continue to observe COVID-19 safety precautions during their stay in Ghana. It asked interested applicants to get details of the directives at website www.ghanaembassydc.org/newguidelines. ---GNA Take some strict new rules and a bunch of cooped-up teenagers. Add some anxious adults and a system already marked by systemic discrimination. Welcome to the reopening of high schools in Ontario. When Toronto students return to the classroom this fall, they will be required to wear masks indoors where social distancing cannot be maintained, subject to medical exemptions. The public health evidence is clear: social distancing and wearing masks significantly reduces the risk of transmitting COVID-19. But what will happen to students who forget? Who lower their masks, remove them, and lose them? Teens who walk the wrong way down a hallway now marked one-way, or friends caught sharing a snack? How will school officials and teachers respond when adolescents breach, as they inevitably will, the new rules and guidelines? Making mask wearing and physical distancing a condition of school attendance seems a logical extension of a rule imposed on or adopted by businesses in many jurisdictions: no mask, no service. But a no mask, no entry policy in schools raises more questions than it answers. While we have some assurances that compassion and patience will be the approach to younger elementary students, Ontarios current plans for reopening secondary schools are silent about enforcement. Will momentary or accidental failures to follow the new rules be treated differently than outright refusals? What about students who cannot comply because they lack the necessary items thermometers, masks, a lunch packed at home? In recent decades, policy-makers, courts and the public have become rather obsessed with school safety. Schools have deployed harsh discipline, zero-tolerance policies, police officers and surveillance cameras in their safety mission. But demanding punishment in the name of safety can create its own dangers. Too often, parental calls for protection of my child are invitations to neglect and subordinate other children. These concerns are amplified by what we already know about how discrimination can infect both school discipline and the policing of public health. In March and April, as COVID-19 hit Canada, many locales experimented with punitive enforcement of health-related rules. Researchers with the Policing the Pandemic project found highly inconsistent enforcement. Some people received hefty fines for breaking rules that were nearly impossible to know about, or for activities that were not in any way illegal. Authorities failed to collect data on race or income, but anecdotal reports suggest enforcement targeted working-class neighbourhoods and racialized people. Most of these punitive approaches were significantly scaled back. New public health rules will be layered on top of a school discipline system that is already unevenly deployed. The Ontario Human Rights Commission has repeatedly found that Black students, Indigenous students, students of colour, poor and working-class students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately punished, especially under strict discipline policies. Data collected in recent years by the Toronto District School Board and York University Prof. Carl James found a staggering 42 per cent of all Black students in the TDSB had been suspended at least once by the time they finished high school. A punitive approach to the new rules will only drive these numbers up. Attending to race and class is all the more urgent because neighbourhoods with significant working-class and racialized populations have been hit hardest by the pandemic. COVID-19 rates in Toronto are disproportionately high for all racialized groups except East Asians ironic, given the rise in anti-Chinese racism during the pandemic. Anxiety, fear and parental pressure might push local school administrators into heavily surveilling, scapegoating and punishing specific groups of students. We must make equitable access to quality education a priority in implementing adaptations to in-person schooling. That means ensuring that schools do not default to policing the pandemic in ways that replicate discriminatory approaches to surveillance and punishment. Harsh punishment will not end this pandemic. It will not protect adolescents or anyone else. With all eyes now on schools, perhaps we might finally acknowledge and confront the inequalities that have long defined education in so-called normal times. Every high school student deserves respect and a chance at an education in our strange new reality. All of them are learning, and they learn, in part, from how adults act. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan has exported 18,848 tons of crude petroleum oil and oil obtained from bituminous minerals worth 5.4 million euros to the Netherlands in June 2020, Eurostat official told Trend. In turn, Kazakhstans exported 92,452 tons of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals worth 51.2 million euros to the Netherlands in 1H2020. Thus, the June volume of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals from Kazakhstan to the Netherlands is 0.3 percent more than in volume compared to May 2020 (18,789 tons) and is 5.6 percent more than in Feb. 2020 (17,848 tons). No export was carried out in Jan. 2020. Junes export value is also 88.5 percent more than in May 2020 (2.8 million euros) and is 23.1 percent less than in Feb. 2020 (7.05 million euros). The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands amounted to over $1.6 billion over first four months of 2020, compared to $1.59 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to the Netherlands amounted to $1.59 billion over the period from January through April 2020 compared to $1.51 billion during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans import from the Netherlands amounted to $102.3 million over the reporting period compared to $87.5 million during the same period of 2019. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh I definitely love the policies of the JLP that are in place now and the changes that have been made over the last four years, he said. I think the country is going in the right direction. I intend on us keeping it that way. NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for over 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Regulus Resources Inc. (TSX-V: REG;OTCQX: RGLSF), a Canadian mineral exploration company with operations in Peru, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Regulus Resources Inc. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "RGLSF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com. Trading on the OTCQX Market offers companies efficient, cost-effective access to the U.S. capital markets. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. John Black, Chief Executive Officer of Regulus, commented as follows: "As Regulus continues to grow, so too does our shareholder base. We are very pleased to be trading on the OTCQX which will increase our visibility and accessibility to our current and prospective U.S. and global shareholders." B. Riley FBR acted as the Company's OTCQX sponsor. B. Riley FBR is the marketing name for B. Riley Securities, Inc., a full-service investment bank and subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc., based in Los Angeles with offices across the United States, providing corporate finance, research, sales and trading services. About Regulus Resources Inc. and the AntaKori Project Regulus Resources Inc. is an international mineral exploration company run by an experienced technical and management team. The principal project held by Regulus is the AntaKori copper-gold-silver project in northern Peru. The AntaKori project currently hosts a resource with indicated mineral resources of 250 million tonnes with a grade of 0.48 % Cu, 0.29 g/t Au and 7.5 g/t Ag and inferred mineral resources of 267 million tonnes with a grade of 0.41 % Cu, 0.26 g/t Au, and 7.8 g/t Ag (see press release dated March 1, 2019). Mineralization remains open in most directions. For further information on Regulus Resources Inc., please consult the Company website at www.regulusresources.com. 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. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected] SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc. Related Links http://www.otcmarkets.com Projected dark matter density map, created using a simulation measuring 2.4 billion light years on each side. . The intermediate square (top right) is just under a million light years across. The smallest square (bottom left) is the deepest zoom: it is only 783 light years across, equivalent to 500 times the size of the solar system. In the intermediate square(top right) the largest dark matter haloes have a mass similar to that of a rich galaxy cluster (a million trillion times the mass of the Sun). In the smallest square (bottom right) the smallest clearly visible haloes have a mass comparable to that of the Earth (0.000003 the mass of the Sun). CREDIT Dr Sownak Bose, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University Cosmologists have zoomed in on the smallest clumps of dark matter in a virtual universe - which could help us to find the real thing in space. An international team of researchers, including Durham University, UK, used supercomputers in Europe and China to focus on a typical region of a computer-generated universe. The zoom they were able to achieve is the equivalent of being able to see a flea on the surface of the Moon. This allowed them to make detailed pictures and analyses of hundreds of virtual dark matter clumps (or haloes) from the very largest to the tiniest. Dark matter particles can collide with dark matter anti-particles near the centre of haloes where, according to some theories, they are converted into a burst of energetic gamma-ray radiation. Their findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature, could mean that these very small haloes could be identified in future observations by the radiation they are thought to give out. Co-author Professor Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics at the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, UK, said: "By zooming in on these relatively tiny dark matter haloes we can calculate the amount of radiation expected to come from different sized haloes. "Most of this radiation would be emitted by dark matter haloes too small to contain stars and future gamma-ray observatories might be able to detect these emissions, making these small objects individually or collectively 'visible'. "This would confirm the hypothesised nature of the dark matter, which may not be entirely dark after all." Most of the matter in the universe is dark (apart from the gamma radiation they emit in exceptional circumstances) and completely different in nature from the matter that makes up stars, planets and people. The universe is made of approximately 27 per cent dark matter with the rest largely consisting of the equally mysterious dark energy. Normal matter, such as planets and stars, makes up a relatively small five per cent of the universe. Galaxies formed and grew when gas cooled and condensed at the centre of enormous clumps of this dark matter - so-called dark matter haloes. Astronomers can infer the structure of large dark matter haloes from the properties of the galaxies and gas within them. The biggest haloes contain huge collections of hundreds of bright galaxies, called galaxy clusters, weighing a 1,000 trillion times more than our Sun. However, scientists have no direct information about smaller dark matter haloes that are too tiny to contain a galaxy. These can only be studied by simulating the evolution of the Universe in a large supercomputer. The smallest are thought to have the same mass as the Earth according to current popular scientific theories about dark matter that underlie the new research. The simulations were carried out using the Cosmology Machine supercomputer, part of the DiRAC High-Performance Computing facility in Durham, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and computers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. By zooming-in on the virtual universe in such microscopic detail, the researchers were able to study the structure of dark matter haloes ranging in mass from that of the Earth to a big galaxy cluster. Surprisingly, they found that haloes of all sizes have a very similar internal structure and are extremely dense at the centre, becoming increasingly spread out, with smaller clumps orbiting in their outer regions. The researchers said that without a measure scale it was almost impossible to tell an image of a dark matter halo of a massive galaxy from one of a halo with a mass a fraction of the Sun's. Co-author Professor Simon White, of the Max Planck Institute of Astrophysics, Germany, said: "We expect that small dark matter haloes would be extremely numerous, containing a substantial fraction of all the dark matter in the universe, but they would remain mostly dark throughout cosmic history because stars and galaxies grow only in haloes more than a million times as massive as the Sun. "Our research sheds light on these small haloes as we seek to learn more about what dark matter is and the role it plays in the evolution of the universe." ### The research team, led by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and including Durham University, UK, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Germany, and the Center for Astrophysics in Harvard, USA, took five years to develop, test and carry out their cosmic zoom. The research was funded by the STFC, the European Research Council, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Max Planck Society and Harvard University. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a statement on the Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny case at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 2, 2020. Putin Critic Navalny Poisoned With Novichok Nerve Agent, Merkel Says BERLIN/MOSCOWKremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent in an attempt to murder him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sept. 1. She said Berlin expects Moscow to explain itself and that Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond, raising the prospect of new Western sanctions on Russia. Moscow has denied involvement in the incident. The Russian foreign ministry said Germanys assertion isnt backed by evidence and complained about the way Germany had chosen to release information about Navalny. This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure, Merkel said. Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group. This poison could be identified unequivocally in tests. Novichok is the same substance that Britain said was used against a Russian defector and his daughter in an attack in England in 2018. Navalny, 44, is an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has specialized in high-impact investigations into official corruption. He was airlifted to Germany in August after collapsing on a domestic Russian flight, after drinking a cup of tea his allies said was poisoned. The Kremlin said it wants a full exchange of information and that Germany and Russia should cooperate, but said it was unable yet to give a proper statement about the German findings. Russian authorities and doctors have previously said they could find no evidence Navalny was poisoned. Russia is already under Western sanctions after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine six years ago, and another standoff with European nations or the United States may hurt its economy further. The Russian ruble extended losses against the euro after the German government statement. Navalny in a Serious Condition Berlins Charite hospital, where Navalny is being treated, said he remained in serious condition in an intensive care unit connected to an artificial lung ventilator, even though some of his symptoms are receding. It said it couldnt rule out longterm effects from his poisoning and expects him to go through a long period of illness. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said in a tweet that the German governments identification of the Novichok poison indicates that Russian authorities were behind Navalnys poisoning. The Kremlin has rejected any suggestion that it or the Russian state was involved. Allies of Navalny echoed Linkevicius view. Leonid Volkov, a Navalny aide, said on Twitter that the use of Novichok was like leaving Putins signature at the scene of the crime. Ivan Zhdanov, another close Navalny ally, said on Twitter that Novichok could be administered only by Russias intelligence agencies. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Russia to investigate Navalnys poisoning now that clinical tests have shown he was attacked with a chemical nerve agent. This makes it all the more urgent that those responsible in Russia be identified and held accountable, Maas told reporters. We condemn this attack in the strongest terms. Novichok is a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Steffen Seibert, a German government spokesman, earlier said in an emailed statement that tests conducted at a German military laboratory had produced unequivocal evidence that Novichok had been used. Britain says Russia used Novichok to poison former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury in 2018. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack, which the Skripals survived. A British citizen, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, died after inadvertently coming into contact with the poison. By Joseph Nasr & Andrew Osborn SPRINGFIELD City Councilors Adam Gomez and Orlando Ramos are virtually assured of serving on the state Legislature after their primary victories, but both were undecided when asked Wednesday if they plan to give up their council seats. I dont know, said Gomez, who is midway through his third two-year term representing Ward 1. Were not going to answer that right now. I havent decided, said Ramos, Ward 8s councilor since 2014. I think I need to have conversations with the team and constituents and see whats best. Gomez beat five-term state Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield, in Tuesdays Democratic primary. Ramos defeated two opponents in the race to succeed retiring state Rep. Jose Tosado. With no Republicans in either race, Gomez and Ramos are like to win the Nov. 3 general election and take office in January. If either man resigns from the City Council at that time, the full council would vote on replacements to finish their terms. Normally the next-highest vote-getter in the most recent election would assume the seat, but neither Gomez nor Ramos had opponents in 2019, Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said. Gomez defeated Welch 11,433-10,361 in the primary, besting Welch decisively in Springfield while coming in behind the incumbent in West Springfield and Chicopee. The Senates Hampden District covers all of West Springfield, more than half of Springfield and part of Chicopee. Welch lives in West Springfield. Gomez is poised to become the first Springfield resident serving in the Senate since Linda Melconian chose not to seek reelection in 2004. In the 9th Hampden District House of Representatives race, Ramos received 3,284 votes while Denise Hurst, a School Committee member, received 2,732. A third candidate, Sean Mullan, received 976 votes. The district includes part of Springfield and one precinct in Chicopee. Regarding whether he will serve in both the Legislature and City Council, Gomez said he is not really thinking about that right now. But local city councilors have continued to serve after taking state office in the past. State Rep. Bud L. Williams, D-Springfield, was inaugurated in January 2017, and announced then that he would keep his City Council seat for the full year until his term expired. Williams said he was taking both salaries, but donating part of his council salary to charity. Another dual seat holder was state Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke, who was elected to the House in 2012, and remained on the Holyoke City Council to finish his term in 2013. Vega did not seek reelection this year, and is likely to be succeeded by his longtime legislative aide, Patricia Duffy. Ramos said one of his concerns about leaving the council halfway through his term is that his successor would be chosen by councilors, not the voters. I think the voters should be the only ones that choose my replacement, Ramos said. Its democracy. However, Ramos said he has not yet made up his mind. Gomez said he still faces the November election, leaving a lot of time to decide. He said he will weigh the pros and cons of staying or leaving the council in the year left on his term. He and Ramos said they spent Wednesday responding to numerous telephone calls, emails, texts and other forms of communication congratulating them on their victories. Once there is some sunshine, Gomez said he plans to have some public stand-outs to thank the voters. He also returned to work at the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts. Ramos said he met with Tosado for approximately an hour on Wednesday, saying the outgoing representative gave me some great advice. 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Women who not only never held weapons in their hands, but also belonged to the organization "Women for Peace", were illegally taken by Anna Hakobyan from Armenia to the occupied Azerbaijani lands on the same day when the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced a project to create a "people's militia on a voluntary basis. basis ". Thus, the first step in the implementation of Nikol Pashinyan's new military project was made by his wife, demonstrating what she is ready to do in order to continue the occupation of Azerbaijani regions: Anna Hakobyan mastered a Kalashnikov assault rifle and an assault rifle, learned combat tactics (according to official information from her personal website, exclusively defensive), trained in first aid to the wounded invaders. As a result of this rather propaganda than a real military action, Hakobyan's group received a "four" for training from experienced occupants of Karabakh, since only five participants of "Women for Peace" were able to demonstrate excellently the ability to kill at a speed of 15 seconds on one target. the rest received a positive rating. What assessment the wife of the Prime Minister herself received for the educational aggression against Azerbaijan, her website is silent. Commenting on the decision to start training in waging war against Azerbaijani troops, Anna Hakobyan expressed confidence that both she and "many women are ready to take up arms, but not for the sake of war, but to protect our homeland and our children." At the same time, she did not explain why she took the women to the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, if their military training could be carried out on the territory of Armenia (Karabakh, by the way, is neither the homeland of Pashinyan's wife, nor the place of residence of her children). On the one hand, the meaning of the action is clear: the Prime Minister needs a strong start to the campaign to recruit citizens into the "voluntary militia", and to show the population that he will not regret anything for the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, Nikol Pashinyan symbolically sends his wife to the contact line ... At the same time, he is not worried about the side meanings of such an action that Anna Hakobyan, in fact, stood at the head of the militia, the first to enroll in it and the first to fire shots towards the combat positions and peaceful villages of Azerbaijan, and also that the prime minister does not particularly hope for men forced to send women to war. On the other hand, the meaning of the action is rapidly lost if one tries to somehow combine it with other actions of official Yerevan, namely, statements about the desire to return to the negotiating table with Azerbaijan and settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully. And here the problem is not only that it is illogical to declare adherence to the diplomatic process and at the same time prepare the entire population of the country for hostilities (thus refuting their own peaceful intentions), but also that such ostentatious preparation of ordinary citizens for war demonstrates weakness Armenian positions, both military and negotiation. The real result of Anna Hakobyan's story about women's shooting in Karabakh, abundantly accompanied by photographs of women in military uniform with weapons in their hands, is not that every citizen of Armenia is ready to support the occupation policy of Yerevan, regardless of gender and age, but that, that the aggressor republic is running out of resources to maintain the status quo in the conflict zone. Having sent his wife to wage war in Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan admitted that he had no hope for a regular army, and so again showed weakness, speaking out loud about the strength of Armenian weapons. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government's record on aged care after the Senate formally censured Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck over his performance, with the support of every crossbencher. Labor's leader in the Senate Penny Wong formally moved the motion on Thursday to censure Senator Colbeck for "failing to take responsibility for the devastating crisis in the aged care sector, which has caused death, grief and untold trauma for vulnerable Australians and their families". The censure motion against Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck passed with the support of the entire crossbench. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "The neglect of older Australians has to stop," she told the Senate. "The country has lost confidence in this Minister. He has lost the confidence of the Parliament." The government's leader in the Senate Mathias Cormann said the government "strongly" opposed the motion. Victoria Purchase-Carter is not a fan of winter. This past February, the soon-to-be retired nurse and her husband, Roger Carter, of Corner Brook, N.L., snatched up a cute two-bedroom bungalow in a mobile home park near St. Petersburg, Fla. The cold comes, I want to be surrounded by palm trees and sunshine, says Purchase-Carter, 57. Then COVID-19 hit. Now, without having spent a single night in their new place, the couple is strongly considering putting it up for sale. Health worries surrounding the pandemic, the ongoing closure of the U.S.-Canada land border, plus the spectre of Donald Trump being re-elected, have dampened their enthusiasm for home ownership in the Sunshine State. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be even thinking about something like that when we bought, she says. We were so excited about it. As the end of summer nears, they are just two of many jittery Canadian snowbirds who are facing difficult questions: Will it be safe to go south for the winter? Do they have sufficient health insurance coverage if they contract the virus? Should they hang on to their properties or sell? Former Torontonian Brent Leathwood, a real-estate broker with Cross Border Realty in Sarasota, Fla., describes the mood among snowbirds as pretty grim, given the current level of COVID infections stateside, with no end in sight. As of the start of this week, Florida had recorded more than 600,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 11,000 deaths, though there has been a consistent downward trend over several weeks, local media reported. The fact that the pandemic is playing out against the backdrop of a bitter presidential election campaign is also weighing on peoples minds, he said. Many Canadians are shocked by the extremely polarized state of American politics, and are very uncomfortable with Trumps inflammatory rhetoric that is fuelling the daily controversy, he said. That political sniping has seeped into some of the discussions in the private Facebook group, Canadian Snowbirds in Florida. An administrator warned the groups 1,700 members to keep politics out of the conversation or you may see yourself removed from the group. One member recently wrote that she couldnt understand why people would want to go to Florida right now and expressed worry that travellers might get coronavirus and come back and give it to us. That prompted others to plead for civility. I dont think we should be judging those who feel they can go, one person wrote. Less judging in these already difficult times please, wrote another. Purchase-Carter says when her husband first suggested the idea of selling their Florida home, she wasnt so sure. Im like, No youre being too hasty. I think we should wait. But as the summer progressed her attitude changed. Im like, I dont know maybe we should sell it, she said. I work in health care. I know what can happen. I dont take this lightly. Purchase-Carter said if they do decide to sell, they dont want to wait too long in case theres a glut of snowbirds who decide to sell their homes, too. They plan to wait for the outcome of the November election before deciding. The political storm thats going on in the States right now, its a mess, she said. If November comes and (Trump) gets back in, we are seriously looking at selling the property. I just feel that leadership has no control. Theyre not the only ones considering selling. Sue Honsberger, a RE/MAX real estate agent in Sarasota who previously lived in Ottawa, says before the pandemic, her 87-year-old mother, Joan Kentish, spent the bulk of her time living in a condo in Sarasota. But since March, Kentish has been riding out the pandemic back in Ottawa uncertain when she will be able to return. Shes said shes definitely not coming this fall or this winter. With that in mind now, were contemplating does she sell her villa? Honsberger said. Shes weighing it. Its a small property. Its not costing her an awful lot on a monthly basis. But if shes not going to be able to return for, say, another 18 months it seems kind of silly. Leathwood said another reason that could drive snowbirds to sell is the fact that many of those who rent out their units during the peak winter period are seeing bookings dry up. Were getting a lot of inquiries from all over the country about seasonal rentals like we do every year, but no one is willing to commit or give a deposit, he said. So all these investors now are getting worried because theyre seeing potentially their single largest source of income, which is January, February, March and April, might not materialize this season. One thing that could deter some people from selling is a weakened U.S. dollar and an unfavourable exchange rate, Leathwood said. And theres the fact that Canadian winters are miserable and these people still want to get away if they can. Gary Banks of Stittsville, Ont., who has owned a condo near Walt Disney World for about 20 years, counts himself among those snowbirds who have no intention of selling but are in no rush to book their winter getaway. We have decided to wait until at least Jan 2021 before heading south, he wrote in an email. We are hoping to be at our condo in time to go on a cruise Jan. 20 for my wifes birthday. For me the most significant factor will be the numbers associated with the spread of the virus in FL and the US. Another factor, which is linked to the numbers, will be the Canadian Travel Advisory. We will travel when the government tells us it is safe to do so. Other snowbirds, however, have decided to take the plunge. Barbara Kenyeres of Muskoka, who is building a bungalow in Fort Myers, recently secured additional health insurance and booked a return flight for mid-October. She already flew down once in June to attend a mandatory drywall inspection. The trip down and back was uneventful but very stressful with fear of catching the virus and varying amounts of precautions in place, she said. But she said she felt relatively comfortable while in Florida. Most people were wearing masks and trying to be cautious. Other than early-morning walks on the beach, Kenyeres says she and her partner plan to stay close to home. Well have our own pool, so we can stay in and enjoy the better weather. Media coverage during this pandemic has given the public a skewed perception of things, says Montreals Nadine Hupperetz. She spoke to the Star last week from Hutchinson Island, on Floridas east coast, where she owns a condo. She admits that before going down, she feared the worst. Would the flight be packed? Would she see crazy people refusing to wear masks in stores? But the reality was different. Her plane was relatively empty. While she ran errands, all the stores were following the same, familiar precautions. Weve gone to Home Depot, Lowes, weve even gone into a Walmart, she said. What you see on the news and whats going on at least where we are its not what I expected. I feel just as safe here as I do in Montreal. Her advice to snowbirds who are sitting on the fence about travelling? Talk to people who are on the ground. If people are saying its safe out here, it is. Hupperetz recently shared her experience on the Canadian Snowbirds in Florida Facebook group. I said, OK, do I take a chance? People, theyll shame you, right? Sure enough, one member suggested she was playing Russian roulette. I didnt even answer. W e may have a long time to wait before we are treated to the intense interview scenes of Line of Duty, but luckily it seems that Netflixs Criminal is happily filling the gap. The series focuses on the intense interrogation process in police custody, and is unique in that each international version of Netflix has their own season, in their native language. Season one of the UK edition saw stars such as David Tennant and Hayley Atwell take the hot seat, as they faced questioning from Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf, among others. Now, a second season has been confirmed, promising four new cases, four new suspects and one room that changes everything. Prepare for bold stories, some surprises, and a completely innovative take on the police procedural, the teaser read. Heres everything you need to know about season two When is Criminal season 2 released on Netflix? The show won fans due to its unique premise / Netflix Weve not got long to wait at all, with the new series confirmed to be starting on Wednesday, September 16 on Netflix. While the first season dropped with three international editions, only the UK series has been renewed for the second season for the time being. However, series creator Jim Field Smith has expressed an interest in continuing the French, Spanish and German versions at a later date. Who is in the cast of Criminal season 2? Criminal marks Kit Harington's first major TV role since Game of Thrones (Netflix) As well as our returning detectives, each episode of Criminal focuses on one particular suspect who guest stars. Season two has attracted some A-Listers to take part, with Kit Harington leading the latest cohort in his first major television role since Game of Thrones. Elsewhere, Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda, The Hollow Crown), Catastrophes Sharon Horgan, and The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar will also feature. What is Criminal about? The series follows the intense interviewing process / Netflix Much like season one, season two of the Netflix hit will have the same intense focus on interrogators and suspects in the interview room. Field Smith and co-creator George Kay have previously spoken out about how the claustrophobic format of the show is designed to hold a mirror up to a viewers own prejudice. It's incredibly freeing because there's no car chase, or crime scene," Kay explained. "It's actually about everything else. How someone reacts when someone puts a photo down in front of them, or when the air conditioning in the room goes off. It becomes about the environment and the human interaction between the cops and deceives. "Normally what we've done in a crime drama would be one scene in a crime drama, but we've spun it into the whole show. The twists have to come from something other than finding a piece of evidence, it has to come from human behaviour. The rise of an eyebrow, the change in breathing. These things that seem so small, suddenly become vast in the show." Is there a trailer for Criminal season 2? The trailer for the latest series was released early in September. Scroll up to the top of this article, or watch it here. Criminal starts on Wednesday, September 16 on Netflix. An ex-IRA prisoner has said that the New IRA's political wing, Saoradh, "poses as big a threat to the British state as St Vincent de Paul". Anthony McIntyre said there was little support for either republican organisation in their own community in the wake of revelations that the dissidents had been infiltrated by alleged MI5 agent Dennis McFadden. Read More Ten people, including two women and a Palestinian doctor, are facing a range of terror charges following the sting. Mr McIntyre said that the New IRA was viewed as a pale imitation of the Provisionals. People see it as an irritant, he said. It is not a serious IRA fighting a determined guerilla war against the state. It is known for its incompetence and ineffectiveness. Read More It has inflicted no casualties on the state since 2016. Last year it killed journalist Lyra McKee when it opened fire recklessly during a riot in the Creggan, and it came close to wiping out a group of young people when it exploded a bomb on a street outside a courthouse in Derry. Mr McIntyre served 18 years in jail for the murder of a UVF man in 1976. He is a long-term critic of Sinn Feins political direction but opposes continuing any armed campaign. Expand Close Former IRA prisoner Anthony McIntyre / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Former IRA prisoner Anthony McIntyre Apart from the risk it poses to civilians primarily within its own community, the New IRA does nothing more than make a bit of noise and give the state the opportunity to continue using repressive legislation and curbing peoples civil rights, he added. Mr McIntyre challenged Saoradhs claim that last months MI5 operation was an attempt to crush the party. What I have seen is Saoradh join others and follow a few groups around Belfast city centre, and shout at them on the street on Saturday afternoons. Its actually embarrassing Anthony McIntyre Few will give any credence to the charge that this is a state attempt to close Saoradh down or wipe them out, he said. My feeling would be that Saoradh poses as much a threat to the British state as St Vincent de Paul do which is none. Mr McIntyre claimed he had not seen the party use its energy on serious and substantive issues. He said: What I have seen is Saoradh join others and follow a few groups around Belfast city centre, and shout at them on the street on Saturday afternoons. Read More Its actually embarrassing. It makes republicans look as bad as those that they claim they are challenging. Scotsman Dennis McFadden has been named in court as being the alleged MI5 agent involved in the New IRA sting. It has been claimed that he organised safe houses for the paramilitary group which were bugged by the intelligence services. Mr McIntyre said: Spying is called the second oldest profession precisely because it is not a new phenomenon. Many agents and informers penetrated the ranks of the Provisional IRA. And the IRA itself has used informers in the past. The late prison officer, John Hanna, spied on his colleagues for the IRA. So when republicans howl about spies it is only because of whose ox has been gored. If a player in any game gives the opposition a penalty kick, their adversary would be a fool not to take it. Hanna was a senior prison officer in the H-Blocks. In 1990 he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Maghaberry jail for helping the IRA murder his colleague, Brian Armour, two years earlier. Hanna had been involved in plans to stage a large-scale prison breakout. He had also given information on other colleagues during an affair with a female IRA intelligence officer. He died of cancer in 1992, aged 45. New Delhi: Seeking voluntary retirement a month after being charge-sheeted by CBI in an alleged graft case, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar has alleged that he was repeatedly told by the interrogators to implicate the CM. In his letter to Delhi chief secretary, Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer, said he has never earlier experienced the kind of such utter "disregard" for system, process, protocol, transparency, decency which he had experienced first-hand in his own case. Kumar, referring to the CBI probe in the graft case against him, alleged, "I was repeatedly told that I would be let free if I implicate chief minister Arvind Kejriwal" and added that this "may be this was the reason for the agency to go to such extraordinary length". "Not only this the CBI, just to force people to implicate me and the chief minister, has beaten up dozens of people and some of them sustained permanent major injuries," Kumar alleged. The officer, who was the principal secretary to the chief minister at the time of his arrest in July last year and subsequently suspended, claimed his troubles started soon after he was invited by Kejriwal to work with him in December 2013. Reacting to the development, Kejriwal attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "why the PM is so scared of us". "CBI raids my office, pressurises officer to implicate me. CBI raids Satyendar Jains office. Why are u so so scared of us Modi Ji? Chill (sic)," Kejriwal alleged in a tweet. CBI had last month filed a charge sheet against Kumar for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under Indian Penal Code besides provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act along with eight others and Endeavour Systems private Limited. It was alleged by CBI in the FIR that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused a loss of Rs 12 crore to the Delhi Government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015. The FIR had also claimed that the officials had taken "undue benefit" of over Rs three crore while awarding the contract. IDPs forced out of their villages in Jibia take shelter in a primary school building Residents of some border communities in Jibia local government area of Katsina state, whose villages were ransacked by bandits lately, have recounted their ordeal in the hands of marauding bandits who unleash terror in the area. On Thursday, 27, residents of Tsambaye, Zango Mai Rumbuna and Karauki villages, men women and children deserted their homes, farmlands and their belongings to take, left behind their houses, farmlands and the remnants of their belongings to take shelter in Jibia Central Primary School in order to escape adversity they suffered in the wake of banditry in their area. When Daily Trust visited the camp, some of the internally displaced people narrated how their villages were frequented by the criminals during which young women were raped by a gang, men were mercilessly beaten those who attempted resistance were murdered and how their belongings were carted away or vandalized. One of the victims of rape narrated how a man was butchered with a machete while two women were abducted, one of them a nursing mother who was taken together with her infant. Today is the third when that man was killed in our village and before then, two women were abducted, one of them recently delivered a baby, but those merciless kidnappers took them away and did not even allow her to take a piece of clothing with which to wrap her baby. Only God knows the condition of the baby now as they are still there with them she said. And elderly woman, Malama Hannatu (Not real name), said, Five men pounced on me in my room the day they invaded our village. They met me with nothing but a skirt on me. They intimidated me, harassed me and asked me to bring out whatever is in the room, searching for money. I told them I had no money but they said I was lying. They were there for over an hour because I have a lot of things in the room, but I had to comb them all thoroughly for them to see if there was money. They eventually scattered everything and left me like that. From then on, whenever the sunset, I will have no peace of mind, because if I close my eyes I saw as if they are standing over me, so I could not sleep throughout the night. A young lady, Rabi, said eight men were killed when the bandits invaded their own village, including the village head. Let me be frank with you, almost every middle-aged lady was raped in our village that night, either by one person or by a group of the bandits. They have beaten our men including even the younger ones and took our foodstuff away. What they could not take with them, they poured it down and littered everywhere with it, Rabi narrated. Another woman, who was also raped at another village, said she was gangraped on her matrimonial bed while her husband was beaten and driven out by the bandits. One of the leaders of the affected communities who didnt want his name mentioned, said his daughter was abducted, himself robbed and beaten a number of times by the bandits and all their domestic animals and poultry were carted away. We have tried to resist, but they have overpowered us and we are not getting any support from the government, as those bandits come at will, days and nights, and when you call the security agents, they will not show up, and even when you see them it is always when the bandits have concluded their operations and left. This is why we decided to vacate the area, because we cannot resist them and from the way things are going, they will finish us all if we dont leave, he said. Also a resident of Karauki village told Daily Trust that the kidnappers have visited his village on Friday at around 1:45am and attempted to abduct a watchman who looks after an antenna mast of one of the service providers. They went straight to his house and pulled him out, but he attempted to escape from them as a result of which they shot his toe with a gun. Luckily enough, the border patrol security agents were close to the village, and when they heard the gunshot, they started shooting in the air and that was how the bandits fled and left the watchman, he said. The affected people said, It is only a distance of about three kilometres to Niger Republic from our villages and we can see them living in peace with their animals and they are going about their farming activities without any harassment. They called on the governments at all levels to consider their plights, saying We are in dire situation, we cannot continue to remain here (in the school) and we cannot go back to that place if the situation remains like that, because we can no longer endure the kind of cruelty from those bandits in which our women are constantly raped in our presence and our men beaten in the presence of their families, and no one could do anything. *** Source: Daily Trust Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Esther Samboh (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3 2020 There are many things I dont know about in life, but this strikes me as the biggest puzzle today: Why are we being told to embrace the new normal when more people are dying and getting infected? Are we supposed to go out and about, put ourselves and others at risk of infection, when the government has yet to solve issues related to Indonesias healthcare system? Hospitals are filling up. A hundred doctors have died. There are only few beds left for intensive care units in hospitals across Jakarta. The COVID-19 infection rate soared to new highs for three consecutive days last week. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The case against Snow started in November 2015, when authorities arrested the businessman in Thailand, where his attorney, Michael Grace, said he had a home. Snow initially faced a multitude of charges along with four other people. Prosecutors characterized the case as a sex ring involving underage, mentally disabled girls who were being sold by their mother for $5 to $20 at a time, according to the News & Record of Greensboro. But by the time Snow entered a guilty plea in July 2018, the case had shown significant cracks. Craig Blitzer, then the Rockingham County district attorney, had resigned in connection to his involvement in an unrelated pay-scheme scandal. The criminal cases he had handled came under scrutiny. A re-evaluation of all of his cases led to either reduced or dropped charges, including in the alleged sex ring. At a sentencing hearing in July 2018, prosecutor Michelle Alcon said there was never any evidence that the defendants were co-conspirators. She also said that it remained unclear whether the victim in Snow's case was 15 or 16 at the time of the alleged offense. Blitzer, according to Alcon, pursued the charges related to having sex with a minor without any evidence. The age of consent in North Carolina is 16. People disinfect as a precaution against the coronavirus at a local market in Seoul, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. AP The number of additional new coronavirus cases fell to below 200 for the first time in more than two weeks on Thursday, but cluster infections continued to pop up across the country and critically ill patients are on the rise. The country reported 195 new COVID-19 cases, including 188 local infections, raising the total caseload to 20,644, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Thursday's daily tally marks the smallest since 197 on Aug. 17. South Korea has been posting triple-digit rises for three weeks due to cluster infections tied to a slew of churches and an anti-government rally in central Seoul on Aug. 15. On Aug. 14, the country reported more than 100 patients. The daily new infections continued to snowball to 441 last Thursday, before sliding to below 300 on Sunday. The number of new cases stayed under 300 through Wednesday. The recent infections were worrisome as a huge chunk of the new infections came from the greater Seoul area that houses half of the country's 51-million population. South Korea launched a Level 2 social distancing scheme in greater Seoul on Aug. 16 and nationwide on Aug. 23, under which indoor meetings of more than 50 people and open-air gatherings of over 100 people are banned. So-called risk-prone facilities, including karaoke rooms, clubs, PC cafes and buffets, have been ordered to shut down. But since Sunday, the country been implementing a quasi-Level 3 scheme in the Seoul metropolitan area, in which restaurants can only offer takeout after 9 p.m. Franchise coffee chains can only offer takeaway around the clock. Health authorities say they will continue to monitor the effect of the distancing scheme before deciding whether the country should move on to the highest level of three, which would ban all gatherings of 10 or more people. Health authorities said they hope that the stricter nationwide social distancing scheme will reduce the figure to below 100, which is considered a manageable level under the local medical system. He has been very vocal about wanting to cross the border and see his family in Queensland. And now Karl Stefanovic has hatched an elaborate plan to cross it, as QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk continues to keep it closed. In a segment on Today with Tasmanian senator, Jacqui Lambie and 2GB radio host Chris Smith, the 46-year-old explained that he was drawing inspiration from the classic Australian film Danny Deckchair. Ready to fly! Karl Stefanovic revealed his radical plan to 'sail on over the border' into Queensland with helium balloons in a discussion with Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie (left) and 2GB radio host Chris Smith (right) on Thursday In the 2003 film, the titular character ties helium balloons to his deckchair, which is let go and sent flying across the country. The TV host, who hails from the Sunshine state and is based in Sydney, joked that he had a 'crack' at getting across the border which remains closed. He then showed footage of his attempt, which turned out to be of David Blaine flying more than 7000 metres up into the sky using balloons. The American Illusionist held a cluster of 52 helium-filled balloons in the Arizona desert, which took place on Wednesday in the US. Inspired: The TV host, who hails from Queensland, told them he was drawing inspiration from the classic Australian film Danny Deckchair (pictured) and that he 'would sail on over the border' Karl quipped that he would: 'Just sail on over the border. What do you think about that?' 'Just over Coolangatta, beautiful little head wind and off I went all the way up to Yorkeys Knob. Good morning, Mum,' he added. The Today host asked his guests for their thoughts on his 'escape' plan. Radio presenter Chris said: 'I hope it's Queensland police who'll have the balloons above them because if we send in the Victorian police they might shoot them down.' Flying high! Karl joked that he had a 'crack' at getting across the border and showed footage, which turned out to be of American Illusionist David Blaine flying more than 7000 metres up into the sky holding a cluster of 52 helium-filled balloons in the Arizona desert Meanwhile, Jacqui joked that she needed an escape too, saying: 'I've had two weeks in parliament, mate. Beam me up, Scotty.' Karl's hilarious plan comes after the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Tuesday that they would not open to NSW in September. Any person who has been in New South Wales is restricted from travelling to Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, and may be subject to quarantine if they enter South Australia, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. A care home worker who became the first person in Britain known to have tested positive for coronavirus twice has described the last year as the hardest time of her life. Heidi Kray, 31, is one of only a handful of people worldwide reported to have caught Covid-19 more than once after first testing positive for the virus in April and then again last month. I always thought that if you develop coronavirus once then you are immune after that, but maybe Im a special case," she told The Sun. Ms Kray, a mother of two from Reading, has now had a total of five coronavirus tests in the past five months. Her positive result in April - which came after she fell ill with symptoms in late March - was followed by two negative results before it was confirmed she had coronavirus for a second time a fortnight ago. The second positive result came after Ms Kray's health improved following a bout of shortness of breath in June - which saw her tested twice for Covid-19 - and as she planned her return to work. When I caught it the first time, it was almost expected given the nature of my job. But I never expected to get it twice," she said. Ms Kray said she was left in bed for more than a week when she first contracted the disease in April. After she had self-isolated, and her symptoms had gone, she got tested again and got a negative reading. But she tested positive again as she planned to return to work, despite not having symptoms such as a fever or shortness of breath. Coronavirus in numbers: UK deaths rise to 41,514 I had no symptoms. I got the occasional headache of an evening but that is the only thing I could think of that was any different," she said. But then I found out a day later I had tested positive for the second time. I couldnt believe it." Ms Kray has taken another home test and is waiting for the results. The care worker, whose first name was changed to protect her identity, went on to describe this year as the hardest time of her life and said care home staff had been "rushed off their feet" amid the coronavirus pandemic. She said: Its an invisible killer and this has been the hardest time of my life in terms of work. We have just been non-stop, so I feel guilty I have had so much time off. But I understand I need to take time off. I need to self-isolate and do what the medical professionals have told us to do. If I dont, Im putting the people I care for at risk and I cant have that on my conscience. Coronavirus: England areas with most new cases per 100,000 people Ms Kray also urged people to follow public health guidelines in order to curtail the pandemic, encouraging others to wash their hands regularly and wear face coverings. Her case comes after the first recorded instance of Covid-19 reinfection occurred last month, when a 33-year-old man from Hong Kong who battled a coronavirus infection in April contracted the virus again. He was found to have contracted a different coronavirus strain from the one he had previously contracted and remained asymptomatic for the second infection, however. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested people can get Covid-19 more than once and said it appears that there are "credible cases" of reinfection . But he also seemed to hint that the numbers of people getting coronavirus twice may be low, that the subsequent infection may be less dangerous and not as infectious. Mr Hancock told LBC Radio: "The scientists in the department are looking very closely into it. But it does appear that these cases of reinfection are credible. "The question is how many there are and also how dangerous it is if you catch it again, and how infectious you are if you catch it again...as in do you get just a much, much smaller dose. "There is a lot of very important scientific questions that we are doing a huge amount of work into trying to understand it from the relatively few number of cases that we have seen so far." The Department of Health has meanwhile said it is aware of evidence that suggests people could be reinfected with Covid-19. A spokesman said: We have been clear we are still learning about immunity to Covid-19 and there are a range of possible reasons someone could test positive twice. Thats why it is critical everyone washes their hands regularly, wears a face covering, gets a test if they display symptoms and follows social distancing guidance wherever possible to prevent infection. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Once a fringe phenomenon, the movement known as QAnon has made its way from the "dark web" into the mainstream. As well as "deep state" conspiracy theories, the movement has variously espoused anti-vaccine rhetoric, the idea that 5G is state-sponsored surveillance and the belief that wearing a mask in a public space won't save you from infection with COVID-19 because "you can't catch a virus that doesn't exist". QAnon is one of the factors behind a swelling movement of people refusing to wear masks around Australia, particularly in defiance of public health regulations in Victoria. Some of its adherents were among groups behind an "anti-lockdown" rally outside Victoria's Parliament House in May, with another protest planned to go ahead on September 5. As the movement has morphed from espousing a singular conspiracy about supposed paedophile activity to including a grab bag of conspiracy theories, the demographic of its followers has evolved too. People actively supporting, or those just influenced by, QAnon ideas come from a wide range of religious and ethnic backgrounds and cross-generational, income group and gender lines. They might harbour a nebulous mistrust of government or be seeking an overarching plan that helps make sense of their concerns about the world. They might be attracted to one or two of ideas associated with QAnon without being aware of others or they might not know that QAnon exists at all its ideas can be presented obliquely. In the United States, the FBI has labelled QAnon "a potential domestic terror threat", while US President Donald Trump has described its followers as people who merely "love their country". So what exactly is QAnon? How did it gain traction and why? And where is it headed? A Donald Trump supporter holds up a QAnon sign at a rally in 2018. Credit:Getty Images Advertisement Where did QAnon start? QAnon's origins centre on a "user", or participant, of the controversial forum websites 4chan, 8chan and 8kun. In its earliest iterations, 4chan hosted anonymous user ("anon") discussions of fairly innocuous topics such as anime and other internet subcultures. But the site grew steadily politicised, dominated by political and activist groups such as the alt-right, the hacking group "Anonymous" and, eventually, QAnon. A user named "Q Clearance Patriot", nicknamed Q, amassed a following on the site, claiming to be a high-ranking government insider exposing a secret international bureaucracy plotting iniquitous schemes against the Trump administration and its supporters. Some followers of QAnon believe that Q is who they say they are, others believe the user to be a group of people or that Qs identity has been made up of a range of different internet personas over time. After 4chan blocked discussion of contentious conspiracy theories, Q's readership along with other fans of 4chan's former "anything goes" approach found a new site to facilitate their discussions: 8chan. This was the site on which the man responsible for the Christchurch massacre in 2019 wrote of the upcoming attack. Once Q began posting on 8chan, Q's theories could be found duplicating across other sites. One such site, the more mainstream Reddit, was quick to ban discussion of QAnon. But speculation surrounding Qs identity and the credibility of Qs intel was beginning to spread the horse had bolted. How did it go mainstream? Qs posts on 4chan came to follow a clandestine format known as "drops", or "Q drops", which would appear in coded segments. Some drops would be preceded by a teaser, which might include coded references to any number of people deemed to be members of the deep state. For example, "BC" for former US president Bill Clinton. Advertisement Soon these posts would become referenced on other online forums. As Q kept posting, followers made the transition from being anonymous "anons" to posting under their real names on mainstream social media platforms. Efforts from these platforms to thwart the spread of misinformation from QAnon supporters have so far resulted in Facebook and Twitter limiting more than 250,000 user accounts. YouTube has said that it, too, is taking steps to remove QAnon content and to promote credible news, particularly regarding public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the top of its suggested lists. But millions of people interested in QAnon are still believed to be active, particularly as locked down populations spend more time online than ever. One NBC News report found thousands of QAnon Facebook groups with millions of members. A recent analysis by social media research firm Storyful found that membership among the 10 largest QAnon Facebook groups rose 600 per cent between March and July, to about 40,000 users. A young woman wearing a QAnon shirt during protests against COVID-19 restrictions on August 29 in Berlin. Credit:Getty Images What do followers of QAnon believe? The core of QAnon lore is that the world is owned and operated by a "deep state" comprising a range of Democratic politicians and Hollywood elite. Early on, conspiracy theorists claimed the deep state included everyone from the Obamas and the Clintons, to talk show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres. In Australia, groups now claim the "deep states" membership has extended to local politicians. Advertisement Often referred to as "the cabal", the mythological deep state is said by QAnon followers to be operating a global child sex-trafficking ring while controlling all corners of government as well as the mainstream media. The story goes that Trump was enlisted by senior military officials to run for the US presidency in 2016 to combat the deep state and has been entrusted to wage a war on them and ensure that each of its leaders sees justice. Q's earlier posts purported to show how that "war" might take shape, and even gave it a name: The Storm. The phrase originates from a line delivered by Trump in October 2017, when he appeared for a photo alongside senior military staff and said, "You guys know what this represents? Maybe its the calm before the storm." When asked by one reporter what he was referring to, Trump repeated: "Could be the calm before the storm." The President evaded further follow-up questions from other reporters in the room. According to Q and their followers, Trumps words that day would form one of many coded messages related to his war on "the cabal". Existing conspiracy theories and concerns have been folded into QAnon communities around the world, in part, because the movement has been able to thread the needle of its core tenets through the local circumstances of any given country. "It's melded in with the anti-5G, anti-vax and even some anti-China stuff," says Dr Kaz Ross, a lecturer in humanities at the University of Tasmania. "They've all become glued together by this 'Q' framework: that there's a plan, that Donald Trump is following a plan, and that there is hope because, in the end, it's all determined in the plan." A QAnon supporter holds a sign during a May protest against statewide closures to contain the coronavirus in Oregon, United States. Credit:Getty Images Advertisement What does the movement look like in Australia? QAnons followers in Australia dont align with any single political figure or ideology. Other people may not even align with QAnon but might be influenced by it, knowingly or not. Social media posts are not necessarily labelled "QAnon" but contain signature hashtags such as #thegreatawakening. Unlike QAnon mythology in the US, Australia's national leader, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is believed by some adherents to be a member of the deep state rather than Australia's saviour from it as are most, if not all, politicians across all levels of government. After Melbournes stage four lockdown restrictions came into effect, QAnon followers in Australia flooded social media platforms with conspiracy theories, claiming variously that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had been arrested, that the pandemic was planned (a Plandemic) and that Victoria was not in lockdown to contain the virus but because armed forces were secretly battling for control of the state's tunnels, which QAnon-ers believe are an underground network used by the deep state to transport victims of child sex trafficking. QAnon has emerged not only as a platform to further existing anti-vaccine rhetoric but also as an entry point for those who might only have one foot in. Followers of the anti-vaccine movement, for example, as with followers of other QAnon-adjacent conspiracies such as those who believe that 5G is being used as a state surveillance tool have found a home in QAnon, which also offers a distinctive end goal. It's that end goal the "fall of the cabal" or the defeat of the deep state that is thought to differentiate QAnon from any conspiracy that precedes it. "Say, if you look at something like the 'September 11 was a false flag' conspiracy or the 'Port Arthur was a false flag so John Howard could control guns in Australia' conspiracy," Ross says, "they dont really have an end date. Advertisement Security guards monitoring returned travellers were not allowed to chase after people who tried to escape mandatory hotel quarantine. Gregory Watson, the Victorian general manager of Wilson Security, told the inquiry into the quarantine failures that security staff were instructed not to pursue anyone who managed to get outside the hotel. 'If anybody was to do a runner or abscond, we were to let them go, and then it would be advised to the police, whose job it would be then to follow up,' Mr Watson said, Herald Sun reported. Staff inside the Stamford Hotel in Melbourne are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine on June 25 Hotel staff in Melbourne unload luggage from a bus as passengers prepare to quarantine on April 26 General view of signage on the exterior of the Stamford Plaza Hotel on in Melbourne, Tuesday, July 14, which is linked to Victoria's second outbreak However Mr Watson said it was 'disappointing' that bureaucrats from the Department of Jobs, Regions and Precincts had described the company as 'difficult' and 'hard to work with'. 'I thought it was all fairly amicable and sensible,' Mr Watson said of the company's relationship with pubic service staff. 'I didnt realise that we had won the reputation of being difficult to deal with at that point in time, so it was a little bit disappointing to learn that, because what we were pointing out was fair and reasonable in relation to infection control measures and indeed the powers of a security officer.' No guards from Wilson Security were reported of contracting COVID-19 or of spreading it outside the hotels and into the community. However eight Wilson Security guards deployed to hotels were fired for either sleeping on the job, being rude, abandoning their posts and one who made an inappropriate advances towards a hotel guest, Mr Watson confirmed. The company also received a total of 23 complaints about staff and subcontractors during their time monitoring hotels - 21 of them occurred in the first fortnight. Overseas travellers get off their bus and wait to check in at the Crown Promenade Hotel in Melbourne, Sunday, March 29, 2020 Overseas travellers arrive at the Crown Promenade Hotel in Melbourne, Sunday, March 29, 2020 The revelations comes after the inquiry heard that eight security guards subcontracted by MSS Security tested positive to COVID-19 to the virus while working at the Stamford Plaza hotel in mid-June. The guards are believed to have contracted the killer disease while carpooling and working on the same floor. About 99 per cent of the state's second wave of COVID-19 can be traced back to outbreaks at those two hotels. United Risk Management's director Mina Attalah told the inquiry on Wednesday he was unsure how seven of his guards came to contract the virus. He issued a statement to the inquiry, noting that one of his guards had carpooled with a Security Hug guard on June 14 - the pair tested positive to COVID-19 around the same time. 'He wore a face mask during the car trip to work,' Mr Attalah wrote. Then the Security Hub guard was rostered to work on the same floor as two United Risk Management guards who also tested positive to COVID-19. 'I am not aware as to the circumstances in which the remaining United guards who contracted COVID-19 may have contracted it,' Mr Attalah wrote. 'However, at the conclusion of the day shift on 14 June 2020, the three guards on that floor were replaced by three night shift guards (one of whom worked for United) and to my knowledge, all three of those guards subsequently contracted COVID-19.' Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels have been identified as the source of Melbourne's coronavirus outbreaks General view of signage on the exterior of the Stamford Plaza Hotel on in Melbourne, Tuesday, July 14 MSS Security's Jamie Adams and Sam Krekelis and Unified Security's Nigel Coppick and Mo Nagi are scheduled to front the inquiry on Thursday. Genomic data released by the Andrews government reveals 90 per cent of Victoria's second wave came from breaches at the Rydges Hotel, while nine per cent came from Stamford Plaza. Of the 5,395 samples provided for genomic testing up until August 14, 3,594 were traced to the Rydges Hotel, and 110 to Stamford Plaza. From mid-July to mid-August, 1,577 samples were linked back to Rydges and 12 from Stamford. Victoria recorded a further 113 cases on Thursday with 15 deaths. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:06:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi health ministry on Thursday reported 4,755 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total nationwide infections to 247,039. It also reported 74 deaths during the day, raising the death toll to 7,275, while 3,552 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 187,757. The new cases were recorded after 23,029 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 1,670,483 tests have been carried out, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Ali al-Husseini, a member of the health crisis committee in Baghdad, said in a press release that "coexisting with the pandemic has become a reality, and the spread of the disease is no more posing a threat for the citizens." The COVID-19 has become "weaker" despite the increase of the infections, and the situation can be controlled by adhering to the health preventive measures such as wearing masks and keeping social distancing, al-Husseini said. 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 A Brisbane-based biotech company is gearing up to send millions of newly designed COVID-19 tests to the US. Digital diagnostics company Ellume has already shipped the first batch from the initial order of 900,000 test kits to the US, and will bring online in October a larger facility at Richlands that has a capacity of 15 million units a month. Ellume's CEO and founder, Sean Parsons, in the company's east Brisbane lab. The company has been developing the diagnostic platform in partnership with US company Qiagen, and was initially expecting it to be flu tests. However, Ellume's founder and CEO, Sean Parsons, said the platform they developed was easily modifiable to test for COVID-19. Bengaluru: Hit with severe resource crunch, Karnataka has decided to avail the option of `Shortfall Arising Out of GST Implementation Option' with respect to the Center's GST compensation options to the State, which would enable the State to borrow additional Rs 10,817 crore, compared to the second option. A decision with this regard was taken during the GST Council meeting on Wednesday, which is headed by Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the State has decided to convey its decision to the center soon. The Center had given two options to the States with regard to GST compensation, which included shortfall arising out of GST implementation option and shortfall arising out of GST implementation including Covid impact. The first option would make Karnataka eligible for total compensation of Rs 18289 crore, of which, Rs 6965 crore would come from the cess collected. For the remaining amount of Rs 11324 crore, State would be able to borrow through a special window with the entire burden of principal and interest repayment would be met outof compensation cess fund in the future. Further, an additional borrowing upto one per cent of GSDP, which is Rs 18036 crore would be available unconditionally and another one per cent borrowing can be done linked to certain reforms as suggested by Union Government. The additional borrowing can be carried forward to the next financial years, if necessary. However, if Karnataka went with the second option, it would be eligible for a total compensation of Rs 25508 crore, of which Rs 6965 crore would come from cess collected. For the remaining amount of Rs 18543 crore would be allowed to borrow through an issue of market debt. However, unconditional borrowing of one per cent of GSDP, which is Rs 18036 crore will not be available for the state. AS a result, net borrowing of the State would reduce substantially by Rs 10817 crore. Besides, State government has to bear the interest on the borrowing through issue of market debt, through its own resources. Joe Biden is a man of deep faith and commitment to family, decency and integrity, which will serve us all well when he is in the White House, Snyder said in a statement released after he announced his decision in a USA Today op-ed. We must elect Joe Biden in November so that we can begin the arduous but essential process of healing America and putting society back on a positive path where civility and working together help us achieve great things as a nation once again. Yesterday, in discussing the three moderators selected for the presidential debates, I described Steve Scully as probably down the middle and probably a straight shooter, as opposed to being pro-Democrat. Thats my impression of his work. However, this biography notes that while attending college, [Scully] served as an intern in the office of Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden, and later a staff assistant in Sen. Edward M. Kennedys communication office. Scully attended college in the early 1980s. Neither Scullys internship with Biden nor his work for Kennedy mean that hes pro-Biden or pro-Democrat more than three decades later, or that he wont behave fairly as a moderator. Brian Lamb, the long time head C-SPAN where Scully works, was on the staff of United Citizens for Nixon-Agnew and served as press secretary for a Republican Senator. Lamb is, for the most part, a straight shooter. Ive never seen him lean Republican or conservative in his work. However, its odd to have a presidential debate moderated by someone who once worked for one of the candidates even if he was just an intern in the distant past. Im surprised that Scully made himself a candidate for this task. Having done so, I hope he disclosed his past affiliation with Biden. If he did, and Team Trump agreed to him anyway, I suppose there can be no objection. In any event, having discussed the moderators and their possible leanings, I thought I should add this update. President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump in a recent visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin says that the violence witnessed in the city was caused by domestic violence, and not the police shooting of a Black man. Trump during his visit to the conflicted area, did not mention Jacob Blakes that was shot seven times at the back, he instead described the violence as anti-American. The President told owners of a shop destroyed in the chaos that the incident was caused by the leadership in Kenosha, Wisconsin. According to him, this was only the beginning as more will be witnessed should Democrats wins the November election. Democratic officials should be held culpable to violence witnessed, as they declined my offer in providing Federal aid that was supposed to help calm down the aggravated situation in Wisconsin. The damages were not caused by peaceful protests, but was made by domestic terror, he added. I thought about calling the victims mother, but changed my mind, after the family requested that a lawyer follow up the conversation. The whole situation is still under investigation and we commiserate with individuals that suffered losses as a result of the chaos. He warned further that should Biden emerge President of the country, that more violence would follow. HEFEI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Li Congling will soon visit the central Chinese city of Wuhan again, not to fight COVID-19 this time, but to accompany her son to the university where she secretly had a photo taken five months ago. When her son Yu Zongxi received the admission letter on Aug. 26 from the prestigious Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, Li finally showed him the mobile phone photo, taken in front of the school gate. "I kept it between myself and my husband, as I didn't want to put pressure on my son before the exam," said Li. Li, 45, is a head nurse from the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province. In mid-February, she joined other medical workers from Anhui to Wuhan, capital of Hubei that was hit hard by the epidemic back then, to help treat infected patients. "Although I was worried about my son who was preparing for gaokao, the national college entrance exam, I knew I did the right thing heading to Wuhan," she said. The annual exam is deemed the most important event for tens of millions of high school graduates, as it provides an opportunity to set the direction for their future careers. More than 10 million graduates registered for this year's exam in July, one month later than usual because of the epidemic. "My son saw me off at the hospital. He was silent when I boarded the bus, but I knew he was worried about me as well," Li recalled. She was designated to the Union Hospital affiliated to the Tongji Medical College of HUST, and initially buried herself in work. To allow people to recognize each other, all medical workers had their names written on the back of their protective suits. Next to her name, Li had a few more words -- "Yu Zongxi, you can make it in gaokao." While Li was battling the virus in Wuhan, her 18-year-old son was fighting his own battle, preparing for the exam at home. "We cheered up each other on phone calls. The best we could do for each other was do our respective parts well so that the other would be less worried," said Yu. As his mom was working at the hospital, Yu started searching for information about the university online, developing a strong interest, and putting it on his ideal college list. Under Li's watch, all 71 patients in her wards recovered and were discharged from the hospital. According to the National Health Commission, more than 42,000 medical workers nationwide were sent to Hubei in the fight against COVID-19. The medics did not start to leave until mid-March when infections had waned, and most patients had recovered there. As of Tuesday, Hubei reported a total of 68,139 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 63,627 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The disease claimed 4,512 lives in the province, according to the provincial health commission. On the day before Li returned home in March, she paid a visit to HUST, the renowned university that her son often mentioned, and had her photo taken as a special way of wishing her son good luck in the exam. Yu scored 668 points out of a full mark of 750 in gaokao, and was admitted by the School of Optical and Electronic Information of HUST. Upon hearing the good news, a couple of Li's patients in Wuhan invited her to come back again and offered to show her family around. "One of them said she would wait for us at the gate of HUST, take us to the scenic spot of the Yellow Crane Tower, and treat us with local snacks," Li said with a smile. Yu is going to register at HUST on Sept. 17, and the family of four, including his grandmother, have planned to head to Wuhan together. "I'd like to have another photo taken at the same spot with my mom, and visit the hospital where she worked day and night," said the young man. Enditem LONDON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RevLifter, the world's leading AI deals personalisation platform, has fended off competition from more than 200 innovative retail tech start-ups to be named in batch 9 of the prestigious Lafayette Plug and Play acceleration programme. Created in 2016 by Galeries Lafayette Group and Silicon Valley-based start-up accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center, the three-month initiative connects world-class start-ups with retail pioneers in order to support the next wave of innovation for online and offline commerce. Driven by collaboration between the founders and 15 industry leaders, it is regarded as Europe's ultimate retail business accelerator. UK-based RevLifter is one of 19 trailblazing start-ups that will be able to supercharge their development by working closely with decision-makers at some of the world's biggest retail and e-commerce brands. The programme closes on December 3, 2020, when each participant will pitch in front of an audience of high-level European investors and directors as part of LPnP's Winter Expo Day. "We are delighted to announce our inclusion in Lafayette Plug and Play," commented Simon Bird, CEO and Co-Founder of RevLifter. "This incredible opportunity signals a bright future for our platform as well as for data-led personalisation, a model which is primed to achieve positive outcomes for retailers and customers around the world." Global brands including New Balance, Harvey Nichols, EE, The Hut Group, and HP rely on RevLifter's AI-powered solutions to answer challenges around driving new customers, raising order values, tackling cart abandonment, and more. Its platform collects real-time data from on-site behaviour and live baskets to inform the delivery of personalised incentives that meet both the retailer's and customer's unique requirements. Despite only being founded in 2017, RevLifter has launched in seven global markets and raised 3 million in funding from investors including Coutts Bank. The company is also one of the most lauded in the e-commerce and digital marketing arenas having claimed 13 industry awards since 2018. About RevLifter RevLifter is the leader in AI deals personalisation. Its innovative platform helps over 100 brands across a number of industries to capture more customers and sales through personalised offers. Headquartered in London, RevLifter uses data-led solutions - including bespoke deal pages and intelligent on-site messaging tools - to influence more than 18 million shopping baskets daily. CONTACT: Enquiries: [email protected] Website: http://www.revlifter.com +44 (0)203 432 2313 SOURCE RevLifter COLLINGSWOOD, NJ Camden County will kick off its series of drive-thru flu shot events in Collingswood on Oct. 2 and 3, county officials announced on Thursday. It will take place in the Scottish Rite parking lot, 315 White Horse Pike, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. The county will use a series of drive-thru events this fall as it attempts to follow social distancing guidelines while battling the coronavirus and preventing the flu simultaneously. Camden County officials announced the full schedule of drive-thru flu shot clinics on Thursday, saying that limiting the spread of seasonal influenza is critical to protecting public health in Camden County this fall. Read more here: Flu Shots More Important Than Ever Amid Pandemic, Virtua Says New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. It is always important for our residents to protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated, but with our battle against COVID-19 still in full effect, it is especially important in 2020, Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Health Department, said. The flu is a dangerous illness, just like COVID-19, and patients frequently require hospitalization for treatment. A sudden surge in flu-related hospitalizations could reduce our health care systems capacity to care for COVID-19 patients and endanger folks who would otherwise be treatable. We can save lives and keep our hospital beds open by preventing and limiting the spread of the flu, and that starts with as many residents as possible receiving their flu shot. Flu shots are also recommended for people with weakened immune or cardiovascular systems, or with chronic metabolic diseases, renal dysfunction or blood disorders. Children aged nine and older must be accompanied by an adult. Children under nine require two shots, a month apart, and should be seen by a pediatrician. Parents of uninsured children can call CamCare at 856-541-9811 or the Bellmawr Health Center at 856-931-2700. Story continues Widespread vaccination dramatically reduces flu cases, protecting vulnerable residents and limiting the stress put on our health care system, Rodriguez said. If we are going to protect one another this fall, then flu shots will be as important a tool for our community as mask wearing and social distancing. Please find a flu shot site in your municipality and make plans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. For more information, contact the county Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-999-9045, or visit www.camdencounty.com. See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know This article originally appeared on the Collingswood Patch Heartbroken: Teresa Oliveira with her late fiance Thiago Cortes who was knocked down on Dublins North Wall Quay Gardai have identified the juvenile driver of the car that killed a delivery cyclist in a hit-and-run incident in Dublin. At around 10.30pm on Monday, Thiago Cortes (28) was on North Wall Quay in the city and about to finish his shift with Deliveroo and cycle home to his fiancee Teresa Oliveira, in Portobello, when he was hit by a car that failed to stop. Garda progress in the case comes as Ms Oliveira last night spoke to the Irish Independent calling for those responsible for his death to come forward. "I appeal to whoever was in the car to be brave and admit to what you did. How do you sleep at night? Thiago is not coming back. I don't sleep. His family don't sleep. His friends don't sleep. Hand yourself to gardai and serve what you have to serve," she said. Senior sources said "excellent quality" CCTV caught four occupants of the car fleeing from nearby Castleforbes Square where they abandoned the 2005 registration light-coloured Ford Focus before fleeing the scene. "Gardai have identified all four teenagers that were in the car and they are from the general Sheriff Street area," a senior source said. Ms Oliveira was joined by hundreds of people at a vigil in his memory at the Spire on Dublin's O'Connell Street yesterday. She told how she had been texting Thiago and expecting him back to their home. "It is unusual for him not to answer. And then a friend sent our WhatsApp group a message saying a Deliveroo driver had been knocked down in town. I was worried and started ringing and ringing Thiago but there was no answer," she said. "Then a garda answered and told us what happened and we went to the hospital. I thought maybe he had a broken leg or arm, but then the nurse said to me Thiago was 'still alive' and I was worried then, because it sounded serious," she added. "They let me see him, and when I saw how he was, and his face, I knew it was bad." She said he was on life support but he was "too badly injured". "The sergeant at the hospital told us it was a hit-and-run. I was shocked. I wondered how anyone could drive away and leave someone to die." The life-support machine that was keeping Mr Cortes alive was switched off at the Mater Hospital at around 9am yesterday. "There were around 70 of his friends at the hospital. That's how loved he was. And the support at the vigil was incredible too," said Ms Oliveira. "We had got engaged on my birthday in March, and we planned to get married this year in Dublin." Ms Oliveira also wept live on radio this morning to again ask the driver to please come forward, to be brave. She also thanked the crowds who turned out to a vigil for Thiago yesterday in Dublin. "It was amazing to see so many people there. It could have happened to any one of us. I was really happy to see the support from the Brazilian community, from Irish people, it's been amazing to see so much love," she said on Today with Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One. The young couple had lived in Ireland for two-and-a-half years and Ms Oliveira told how Thiago had wanted to move to Ireland to start a better life. "He proposed in March - we've been together over six years," she said. "He was the one who wanted to come to Ireland, he convinced me to come here, he said it was an amazing city. "He wasn't really happy in Brazil and he thought he might get better opportunities, so he wanted to come here to get a better life. We were getting that, we had a great life here." Ms Oliveira said her mother and sister are arriving in Dublin today from Brazil. "Thiago's family aren't coming, they are really shocked right now," She said. "My mum is arriving with my sister, so I'm going to meet them today." Ms Oliveira also described how the couple were engaged in March, saying: "He took me out for dinner on my birthday, he was really sweet, he was always really sweet, loving and caring for me." Mr Cortes's father, Celso Cortes, paid tribute to his son. "It will be impossible to forget the day they stole from me the most precious asset," he wrote on Facebook. "Today my dear son passed away. I am revolted by how death took him so unexpectedly. "It's hard to face this reality when it was about someone so young, with so many things still to live for. But life has never been fair and I will try to cling every day to the best memories so that a little peace can invade my heart. "Rest in peace my dear son, someday we will meet again." Gardai have appealed for any witnesses or anyone with any information about the incident to come forward and contact Store Street garda station. Companies that actively communicate with stakeholders, such as shareholders and employees, are more likely to survive and even emerge stronger from economic turmoil than those who run and hide from the unfolding crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and worsening US-China relations, according to a panel of governance experts. Corporate-governance scandals have proliferated across the region as companies have fallen into financial difficulties and sought a quick way out, including Chinese Starbucks' challenger Luckin Coffee that faked its financial accounts. Investors and creditors are making hard choices over which companies to back, and sound governance will be a deciding factor, the experts said. "In such an environment, stakeholder engagement is clearly very important," said Loh Boon Chye, CEO of Singapore Exchange, during a webinar this week organised by the South China Morning Post and independent think tank, the California-based Milken Institute. Singapore Exchange's CEO Loh, Boon Chye is pushing companies to communicate with shareholders during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Jonathan Wong alt=Singapore Exchange's CEO Loh, Boon Chye is pushing companies to communicate with shareholders during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Jonathan Wong While regulators and stock exchanges are enabling companies to make electronic submissions and hold online shareholder meetings, Loh stressed that companies should not just be paying lip service to disclosure. "It's about doing everything to allow shareholders [to ask] questions and answer them across multiple channels," he said. In recent years investors have been prodding companies to pay more attention to the environment, their social impact and governance, also known as ESG. This trend has created a sea change in how board members see their roles; just last year, 200 US chief executives renounced shareholder primacy in favour of taking a more balanced approach to their stakeholders. Story continues Such investor pressure is even more important in the Asia-Pacific region where a higher proportion of companies are family-owned. Such boards tend to lag behind their non-family-owned peers in terms of governance, according to a study of over a thousand publicly listed companies released on Wednesday by Swiss bank Credit Suisse. "When times are bad, companies tend to withdraw into themselves and stakeholder communications shrink, but it's precisely at this time that shareholders most appreciate very candid conversations," said Matthew Ginsburg, credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings' chairman of Asia-Pacific. Fitch has re-evaluated its portfolio of rated companies between March and July and taken negative ratings actions on about 1,500 companies and 2,500 structured-finance transactions. A deterioration in liquidity and leverage ratios triggered the ratings changes, while it made less than 100 score changes for companies related to ESG and less than 30 were specifically related to governance. That said, sound governance helps attract investors and creditors, thereby averting financial difficulties. "Governance hasn't been a major issue for reratings, but it is at the forefront of everybody's minds because it makes companies more financeable, and the ability to access to capital markets is critical," said Ginsburg, who was previously an independent director of Sino Gas Holdings and an investment banker. "We're paying a lot of attention to key-shareholder issues, above and beyond the company, because you can get a knock-on effect if a shareholder or an affiliated company is under duress, even if the actual rated company itself isn't experiencing the same," said Ginsburg. US-listed Chinese technology companies, including JD.com, are raising capital via secondary listings in Hong Kong. Photo: Xinhua alt=US-listed Chinese technology companies, including JD.com, are raising capital via secondary listings in Hong Kong. Photo: Xinhua Technology companies seem to be a blind spot for shareholders when it comes to exerting pressure over governance. Instead, they have fallen over themselves to participate in tech stocks' growth as economies around the world digitise at an accelerated rate this year. Stock markets globally are competing fiercely to attract such start-ups and are adapting the traditional one-share, one-vote standard to accommodate entrepreneurs concerned about losing control of the companies they founded. "Corporate governance is clearly important ... but it is also evolving," said Loh. "Exchanges will not compromise on governance standards as markets cannot afford to lose the trust and confidence of investors." The Monetary Authority of Singapore set up a corporate governance advisory committee in February last year, to advocate best practices among listed companies in the Lion City, underscoring the importance placed on the matter. Loh's comments chime with the views of his peer in Hong Kong, Charles Li Xiaojia, who said in a separate webinar that he had sought a way to overcome the "traditional" view of one-share, one vote to give tech founders greater voting power than common shareholders in 2018. Li, head of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, is keen to create another wave of mega stock offerings by mainland China's new-economy companies in the city by further tweaking its listing rules, so accommodation of weighted voting rights for technology entrepreneurs and corporate shareholders is likely to continue. "That means that other aspects of good corporate governance need to come through, such as independent directors," said Edwin Northover, partner and head of financial institutions in Asia at law firm Debevoise & Plimpton. Boards of multinational companies have also found themselves in a bind this year when navigating US-China tensions. "For management, the US-China geopolitical situation really warrants a [another look] at how companies organise their supply chains, regulatory risk and even how you cover your customers," said Loh. The conflict between the superpowers has prompted US companies to look at redirecting supply chains away from China, and for companies in China to look at how they can become less reliant on the US dollar system in terms of contracts and relationships with banks. "Most sensible boards would be thinking about options," said Northover. "In a worst-case scenario where there ends up being two spheres of influence, one in China and one in the US, and you have to pick one, then you should start planning," he added. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) arrives at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo on August 24, shortly before his resignation. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) arrives at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo on August 24, shortly before his resignation. Photo: EPA-EFE In Japan, the balance between stakeholders has traditionally been tipped more in favour of employees, suppliers and creditors than in the US, Britain and Australia, which has prompted criticism from shareholders about their lack of return on equity and slow decision-making. "Crises like Covid-19 have highlighted that this stakeholder model during Covid is a bit of a better fit for survival in the longer term," said TJ Kono, at private equity firm Unison Capital. Asked if prime minister Shinzoo Abe's resignation would hinder the push to gin up shareholder rights, Kono said that would be a "strong no ... higher return on equity is much needed to pay for many things." 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. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ ACRONYM and its affiliated super PAC, PACRONYM, have gotten the attention of many of the Democratic Partys wealthiest donors, some of whom have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the groups efforts, according to interviews with donors and FEC records. Their donations finance an array of initiatives under ACRONYM and PACRONYM, not just Courier Newsroom. President Vladimir Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, insisted Thursday that there is no reason to accuse the Russian state over the poisoning. He said Moscow expects Berlin to provide information that would help a Russian probe into the cause of Navalnys illness, and that Russia doctors in Siberia, where Navalny was taken after he fell ill on Aug. 20, found no evidence of poisoning. Suspected Chinese state-sponsored hackers have been accused of using World Health Organisation and Australian Medical Association branding to launch fake global COVID-19 campaigns to gather intelligence covertly. The hacker group, APT TA413, has shifted its target from the Tibetan diaspora to western economic and political organisations since February. The tool, dubbed Sepulcher, gives hackers complete control of the targeted computer if users inadvertently install the malware after being prompted by the email. Proofpoint said Chinese-state based actors were behind the latest campaign. Credit:The Age This is not putting a file on or watching keystrokes, said Proofpoints senior director of threat research and detection Sherrod DeGrippo. This is full access. They can upload and download files. A girl holds her smart phone as she updates the "PUBG Mobile" game, owned by Chinese internet giant Tencent, in Siliguri on September 2, 2020. - India on September 2 banned 118 Chinese apps as it stepped up economic hostilities over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the giant neighbours. (AFP) Beijing: Chinas commerce ministry said on Thursday it strongly opposed India banning Chinese mobile apps. Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes, commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a briefing. India has banned another 118 mostly Chinese mobile apps including Tencent Holdings Ltds popular videogame PUBG, citing data security concerns. Kentucky congressman against mandates says he has COVID-19 A young adolescent next to an older bull in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Credit: Connie Allen Old male elephants play a key role in leading all-male groups, new research suggests. Trophy hunters justify targeting older bull elephants on the grounds they are "redundant" in terms of breeding and hence species survival. But the new study, by the University of Exeter, shows the oldest bulls in all-male groups are the most likely to hold leading positions when the elephants travel, potentially helping younger, less experienced followers find food and water. The study, in collaboration with Elephants for Africa, examined the movements of male African savannah elephants (also known as bush elephants) in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. "Our results challenge the assumption that older male elephants are redundant in the population and raise concerns over the removal of old bulls that currently occurs in both legal trophy hunting and illegal poaching," said lead author Connie Allen, of Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour. "We argue that selective hunting of old bulls is not sustainable. "Past research has shown in fact that old bulls are the prime breeders (they sire the most offspring) in African elephants. Male elephants. Credit: Connie Allen "Our findings suggest that killing them could also have detrimental effects on wider elephant society through loss of leaders who help young, newly independent males navigate in unfamiliar, risky environments." Pre-adolescent male African savannah elephants live in herds led by females, but between age 10-20 they leave their natal family, spending most of their time in all-male groups. The study divided male elephants into age groups (10-15, 16-20, 21-25 and 26+) and found probability of leadershipmeasured by which elephant walked at the front of travelling groupsincreased along with age. "Research on benefits of older individuals in long-lived social mammals has largely focused on females in matrilineal societies where, for example, older female elephants are most effective at making decisions crucial to herd survival, and old post-reproductive female killer whales lead collective movements in hunting grounds," said Professor Darren Croft, of the University of Exeter. "In contrast, less is known about the role of older males as leaders in long-lived social species. Male elephants. Credit: Connie Allen "Our study suggests that bull elephants occupy a similar leadership role in male elephant society as old female matriarchs in breeding herdsand so they may require equal protection." Associate Professor Lauren Brent, of the University of Exeter, said: "This work highlights the need to examine other ways that younger males learn from experienced older males in long-lived mammals." Poaching, hunting and conflict with humans (such as killing by farmers) are the main causes of death among mature bull elephants, and their numbers are declining rapidly. Older male elephants are usually targeted by trophy hunters as they have larger tusks, and often minimum ages are implemented by hunting operators. Botswana has recently announced a decision to recommence elephant trophy hunting, and export quotas for the tusks of 400 elephants have been issued for this year. Credit: Credit: Connie Allen/University of Exeter "The intricacies of male elephant societies have often been ignored in management and conservation decisions with the underlying assumption that once they leave their herd they are solitary and independent," said Dr. Kate Evans, director of Elephants for Africa and a member of the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre. " This study furthers our understanding of male elephants and the importance of older bulls, enabling more sustainable management decisions for both male and female elephants to be made." The paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is entitled: "Importance of old bulls: Leaders and followers in collective movements of all-male groups in African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana)." More information: "Importance of old bulls: Leaders and followers in collective movements of all-male groups in African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana)" Scientific Reports (2020). Journal information: Scientific Reports "Importance of old bulls: Leaders and followers in collective movements of all-male groups in African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana)"(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70682-y (Natural News) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into reports of a man who flew with a jet pack near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Sunday, Aug. 30. The sighting was reported by two commercial pilots approaching LAX. The first report came at around 6:35 pm from the pilot of the American Airlines Flight 1997 flying from Philadelphia. Tower, American 1997 we just passed a guy in a jetpack, the pilot told the air traffic controller. A record of their exchange has been released by the LiveATC.net, an audio streaming site that shares live and archived broadcasts from air traffic control towers. The pilot reported that the man was 300 yards from the planes left flank, and was flying at around their altitude. After 30 seconds, another pilot reported seeing the man. We just saw the guy pass us by in the jet pack, said the pilot of JetBlue Flight 23. The man, who remains unidentified, was said to have flown 3,000 feet aboveground. Close aerial encounters deemed risky The sighting is now being investigated by the FBI. Agents have been sent to LAX to investigate the reports, said spokesperson Laura Eimiller. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also actively looking into the incident, spokesperson Ian Gregor told the City News Service. Gregor added that local law enforcement has been alerted to the reports. The FAA has enacted rules and restrictions regarding flying close to a plane. This move was done due to the increase of aerial vehicles, mainly drones, around airports in recent years. The organization requires people to acquire an authorization first before being able to fly in controlled airspace. Seth Young, a pilot and an aviation professor at the Ohio State University, said that flying close to an airplane is extremely dangerous, especially in the busy airspace near LAX. He added that being close to a plane could result in a collision or cause smaller objects, such as birds and camera drones, to be ingested into the planes engine. When asked if the pilots were mistaken, Young said that he would not dispute a pilots perception. He noted that pilots are trained to spot small objects in the air. (Related: Mysterious unmanned black drone spotted hovering near JFK airport.) Jet packs not commercially available Despite advances in technology, jetpacks remain unavailable for commercial or recreational use. For starters, most jetpacks are not fuel-efficient; they are not built to fly for more than a few minutes, which means they couldnt get very high in the air. The use of these devices is mostly concentrated among enthusiasts or in tourist destinations. Glenn Martin, an inventor from New Zealand, attempted to make a consumer jetpack that could reach higher altitudes. The jetpack could theoretically take a person up to 8,000 feet and contain fuel levels that could sustain the jetpack for 30 minutes. But when it was taken for a test run in 2008, Martins team was unable to fly the device for more than six feet. Martin noted that if his jetpack could fly at least three feet from the ground, then it can fly at 3,000 feet. It appears, however, that the company is now defunct. JetPack Aviation in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles claimed to have invented the worlds only jet pack. Its creators said that it can reach up to 15,000 feet in altitude and can last for 10 minutes. The companys CEO, David Mayman, flew using the jetpack around the Statue of Liberty in 2015. The company noted that the jetpack is not being sold for recreational use. It also requires people to take a three-week course to learn how to use it and operate it in controlled airspace. When asked about last Sundays sighting, Mayman commented, Honestly, we dont know whos working on a machine that would be foolish enough or reckless enough to do that. Learn more about weird aerial sightings at Unexplained.news. Sources include: LATimes.com Archive-server.LiveATC.net NYTimes.com BusinessInsider.com Big names give uplifting speech about school return By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-02 14:45 Over 1.5 million elementary and secondary school students in Shanghai welcomed their new semester on September 1. Big names have given their advice for the young students and their parents. Anti-epidemic heroes, like Zhong Nanshan (head of Chinas COVID-19 expert team) and Zhang Boli (a traditional Chinese medicine expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), delivered speeches for the First Class of School TV program aired on CCTV-1 on the evening of September 1. Most of the speakers mentioned going beyond oneself. The fun of getting knowledge is endless. I hope you can cherish the wonderful time of schooling, pursue the truth and cultivate your mind so that your inner heart will be full of hope, said infectious disease expert Dr. Zhang Wenhong in his message to the young kids. As for Zhong Nanshan, he hopes students can grow up happily and healthily in the new semester and reap results in their studies to get closer to their dreams. I hope you can go beyond yourself with your diligence and wisdom. Seizing the glorious youth, you can be a better self each day, said Zhang Boli. Facing challenges bravely, and being full of hope, you should try to surpass yourself. With passion, you can make your dreams come true. While swimming in the sea of knowledge, you can reach your goals and ideal life, said Zhang Dingyu, director of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. On the other hand, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, gave his suggestions to parents. In his opinion, it is the parents that need to be educated before a semester begins: In China, before their kids turn 18, the parents decide on the kids destiny and learning. The teacher-turned-entrepreneur has, on many occasions, mentioned that his favorite job is being a teacher. In his address, the founder of Hangzhou Yungu School said each parent should let kids become the best of themselves. They should be trained to have expectations for the future, to be always curious, to treat the future correctly, and to face up to setbacks... Not everyone will succeed, but everyone ought to and can be happy. Happiness is not about what we have. Instead, it is our attitude towards life, said Ma. Authorities focused more on the freedom of terrorists when they were released from prison rather than considering the 'overall risk' they posed, a report found today. The damning review exposed a catalogue of failures in monitoring of offenders in England and Wales following the London Bridge attack on November 29 last year. That atrocity saw convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28, who was out on licence from prison, kill Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23. Usman Khan is pictured in Stoke-on-Trent in 2010, nine years before the London Bridge attack Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt (left), 25, and Saskia Jones (right), 23, were both killed in the London Bridge terror attack on November 29 last year Authorities were criticised after an independent reviewer of terrorism legislation found gaps in the monitoring of people convicted of terror-related offences. The review by Jonathan Hall examining the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements was commissioned after the London attack and completed in May. Khan, 28, pictured in a mugshot, was out on licence from prison at the time of the attack Mr Hall said the authorities tended to 'over-focus' on the impact of restrictions on offenders upon their release instead of considering the 'overall risk' they posed. He said meetings of different agencies including the police, the prison service and probation officers were 'dominated by information exchange rather than active management' of cases. Mr Hall was also critical of the Prison and Probation Service of England and Wales for using a risk assessment tool he said 'seriously minimised' the severity of terrorism offences. The barrister called for a 'cultural shift' in how authorities share information over those convicted of terrorism, noting there was a 'surprisingly limited' local knowledge about such offenders from police. Khan was shot dead by police on London Bridge after he was held down by members of the public during the attack on November 29 last year Bystanders helped to take down Khan during the attack on London Bridge last November The report made 45 recommendations, with Home Office minister Chris Philp saying in a written ministerial statement: 'Jonathan Hall found that MAPPA is a well-established process and did not conclude that wholesale change is necessary. 'He has made a number of recommendations on how the management of terrorists can be improved and the government, police and prison and probation service have been working on changes in line with many of them.' Among the recommendations was a requirement for terrorists to undergo polygraph testing, with Mr Philp saying the Government was 'already legislating' the measure. The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill is viewed by the Government as the largest overhaul of sentencing and monitoring in decades. Floral tributes are left for the two victims of the London Bridge attack on December 2 last year It includes a minimum 14-year jail term for the most dangerous terrorist offenders, who will also have to spend up to 25 years on licence after their release. But Scotland is reportedly blocking the introduction of the polygraph measure. UK ministers have to seek a legislative consent motion giving permission from Scottish ministers to amend Scottish law, due to terrorism falling under the devolved issue of justice. Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has rejected a request from the UK Government to implement polygraph tests for terrorists because she is 'unconvinced by the policy merits' of its use in Scotland, according to The Sun. Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has started talks for a possible acquisition of the banned India unit of TikTok, two people aware of the development said. The discussions are at an early stage, and the deal will depend on factors such as valuation, government regulations etc., said the first of the two people, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. Bloomberg first reported the discussions on Thursday evening. SoftBank could tie up with other partners for the deal, the people cited above added. SoftBank declined to comment on the development. An email sent to ByteDance India, the parent of TikTok, remained unanswered till press time. According to the Bloomberg report, SoftBank had begun talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd for an investment in TikToks India operations, but these talks fizzled out. The Masayoshi Son-led investment firm owns a minority stake in TikToks parent company ByteDance. Following a deadly border clash in Ladakh, India on 29 June banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, on the grounds of national security, for sharing sensitive user data with the Chinese government. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio was being seen as a logical suitor for TikTok as it does not have any social media platform yet. Also, Jio Platforms had raised 1.52 trillion by selling a total of 33% stake to 13 strategic investors, including Facebook and Google, giving it ample firepower to make large acquisitions such as TikTok India, which is estimated to be valued at $3 billion. With little progress in its talks with the Indian government, ByteDance has been reportedly considering selling its operations in India as well as in other countries. TikTok is also facing the threat of a ban in the US unless ByteDance sells the American operations to a non-Chinese company. As of now, Oracle, Microsoft and Walmart are the top contenders for the US business. However, these talks have also stalled after China introduced new restrictions on technology exports, which requires approval from China before any Chinese company could sell its algorithm to any other non-Chinese company. Last month, TikTok global CEO Kevin Mayer resigned after US president Donald Trump threatened to shut its operations in 90 days if the company didnt sell its operations. After the ban in India, several Indian short-form video platforms like Chingari and Mitron became overnight hits, adding millions of new users within a few weeks. Many of them have raised fresh investments and are now engaging with former TikTok influencers with incentives SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Natural News) A left-wing journalist is taking aim at a transgender author who is being promoted by the fake news media to defend looting and rioting. (Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com) LGBT activist Vicky Osterweil was recently given a glowing profile by National Public Radio to argue for the destruction of the United States. She believes looting and rioting is deserved because the nation must suffer for the collective guilt of the evil white race. When I use the word looting, I mean the mass expropriation of property, mass shoplifting during a moment of upheaval or riot. Thats the thing Im defending, Osterweil told NPR. 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, Osterweil continued. Osterweil was born a biological man named Willie before transitioning into womanhood. Even before making the gender flip, Osterweil promoted the virtues of looting. Surprise, surprise! NPR interviewee Vicky Osterweil, author of "In Defense of Looting," used to be Willie Osterweil. Why are so many Antifa rioters trans? It's as if a high % of M to F trans, our new Saints of Intersectionality, tend to be nasty people.https://t.co/S9WuWtasrW pic.twitter.com/irZDmr8crU Steve Sailer (@Steve_Sailer) August 30, 2020 Osterweil made her belief known that private property is racist so it must be destroyed to achieve equality, or something. The very basis of property in the U.S. is derived through whiteness and through Black oppression, through the history of slavery and settler domination of the country. Looting strikes at the heart of property, of whiteness and of the police, said Osterweil, who wrote the book, In Defense of Looting. A business being attacked in the community is ultimately about attacking like modes of oppression that exist in the community, Osterweil added. Tracey took Osterweil to task for the trannys apologia for mass violence and senseless destruction: Here's the person NPR has chosen to explain why burning down majority-minority neighborhoods is good because it will eradicate white supremacy pic.twitter.com/riU3MhOz0v Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 29, 2020 Of course this delusionally romanticized justification of looting as "joyous and liberatory" comes from a white lady with "ACAB" in her Twitter username https://t.co/oJMwCJJtKv pic.twitter.com/kQZKLJkuo8 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 29, 2020 The hyper-privileged anarchist pro-looting author clearly did zero journalism in relation to the recent riots that she's now commenting on. Her ideological mission is to foment insurrection and bizarrely, milquetoast libs like NPR are all in favor it https://t.co/JXTdElt0e7 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 29, 2020 Big League Politics has reported on Traceys work in surveying the wreckage caused by the riots throughout the country, the aftermath of which has largely been ignored by the fake news media: Im in Minneapolis. First place I stop, most of the block is still boarded up. This grocery and tobacco store is owned by an Iranian, neighbor tells me. They took everything. Owner is deliberating whether to permanently close after the riots pic.twitter.com/RzgNrbeogv Michael Tracey (@mtracey) June 28, 2020 Somali guy who lives in this building tells me he had to spray-paint pleas on the plywood for rioters not to burn it down. (They initially tried to burn the attached pawn shop.) Says on the first night of extreme rioting, they were mostly white. On subsequent nights, mostly black pic.twitter.com/dqwO13lMky Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 1, 2020 The police eventually came, the deli owner tells me, but they were scared. (I still have not seen one police officer or patrol car in the entire five days that Ive been in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area.) Heres what his block currently looks like pic.twitter.com/hbOgNhIPhz Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 1, 2020 Tracey wrote in a Tweet that the enormity of what occurred [in Minneapolis] has not been CLOSE to adequately conveyed. Its a media scandal of epic proportions, adding that Democrats and their media allies have a clear political motive to downplay what happened here. Countless people I have met would be perfect subjects for a heartfelt 60 Minutes retrospective on The Riots of 2020. Minority immigrant business owners living The American Dream, until one day vigilante whites come to town But no such retrospectives have been forthcoming, Tracey wrote. The current political climate is such that no major media outlet would find this kind of retrospective tolerable, given their fear of internal staff revolts and helping Trump. Its wild that the most widespread riots in *at least 50+ years* have been essentially covered up, he added. It took until this week for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden to address the nationwide orgy of left-wing violence, and he basically blamed it all on Trump and his supporters. Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames, Biden said in a speech on Monday. But we must not burn. We have to build. This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it. Tracey, who formerly worked for The Young Turks, has been routinely criticizing Democrats and their media operatives as they grow more radical and unmoored from reality. Pretty embarrassing when New York Times writers can't be bothered to wait like 20 minutes for bare-minimum facts before making smug, self-assured political pronouncements pic.twitter.com/VzjA7qd97b Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 30, 2020 Notice that in the Trump Era, Dem rhetoric in the area of racial awareness has gotten exponentially more "advanced" culminating with Biden himself using the phrase "systemic racism" in his acceptance speech while in the area of foreign policy, if anything it's regressed Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 29, 2020 If you can't make a sensible argument against re-electing Trump without declaring America to be a "white nationalist fascist state" then you are amazingly politically inept, as well as an idiot Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 28, 2020 Relax people. I meant that it's absurd the Democratic nominee is yet another former Senator who voted to authorize the invasion, thus making the attack still legitimate 18 years later Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 28, 2020 Tracey may be getting ready to join the #WalkAway movement before November, as President Trump is the only alternative to civilizational suicide. Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com and NewsFakes.com. Two resident doctors who successfully defeated Covid-19 became life savers as they donated their plasma to critically-ill coronavirus patients in the city. The donors are Dr Bhanu Parkash and Dr Ashish Garg of Hero DMC Heart Institute here. Plasma therapy is a treatment where the plasma straw-coloured, liquid component of blood that acts as a transporting medium from a recovered person is injected into the body of an infected patient. It has been observed that the antibodies present in the cured persons blood neutralise the virus present in the Covid patients body. Thus, the treatment is being suggested for patients who are moderately affected by the virus. Plasma can be donated once in 14 days. According to Dr Bhanu and Dr Ashish, plasma donation is similar to blood donation and is a half-an-hour long process. A needle is placed into a vein in the arm. Plasma is collected through a process call plasmapheresis and is conducted in cycles, they added. DMCH managing society secretary Prem Kumar Gupta appreciated the noble gesture by both the doctors to save lives of Covid patients. As per medical superintendent Dr Bishav Mohan, donating plasma will not reduce your own immunity or affect your future antibody levels. Till now, many few people have come forward for plasma donation, he said, urging others to do the same for ill patients. Member Benefits Manage your personalised Watchlist. Set up an online Virtual Portfolio. Participate in Share Chat. See more trades and director dealings. Play the Fantasy Share Trading Game. Register for FREE Now British magazine Prospect has named Kerala health minister K. K Shailaja as the top thinker 2020 in the world. Prospect magazine has selected top 50 thinkers 2020 including philosophers, intellectuals, artists, scientists and writers through voting by the readers and based on the opinion of the panel of experts and editors. Interestingly, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is ranked No.2 on the list. More than 20,000 votes were cast and counted in a public ballot to finalise the list, according to the magazine. K. K Shailaja, a teacher turned politician, fondly called as Shailaja teacher is the only Indian found place in the list. So deft was her handling of a 2018 outbreak of the deadly Nipah disease that it was commemorated in a film, Virus, the magazine wrote praising the Kerala health minister. According to Prospect, Shailaja teacher was the right woman in the right place in 2020. When Covid-19 was still a China story in January, she not only accurately foresaw its inevitable arrival, but also fully grasped the implications. She rapidly got the WHOs full test, trace and isolate drill implemented in the state, and bought crucial time by getting a grip of the airports, and containing the first cases to arrive on Chinese flights, it added. K.K Shailaja attained global recognition for the states successful model of coronavirus management and flattening of virus transmission curve during the initial phase of disease outbreak. The UK newspaper The Guardian has hailed the minister as coronavirus slayer and rock star health minister in its article. The United Nations also invited Shailaja to speak at an event organised to honour the public servants who have been working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. K.K Shailaja is followed by New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern at the second position in the Prospect list. Her instinctive, bridge-building leadership after the Christchurch mosque massacre was an inspiration. And her COVID-19 strategydevised in lockstep with chief scientist Juliet Gerrardbuilt with intelligence and empathy on a foundation of unflinching honesty to achieve some of the worlds best results, the magazine wrote about Ardern. Some of the other known names in the list include French economist and Nobel prize winner Esther Duflo, writer and several time Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel and environmentalist David Attenborough. Interestingly, a majority of the names in the top 50 list are women. A total of 26 women are included in the list. The influential UK magazine has also released a list of best deserving thinkers whose names have been missed out. DP World and Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec have agreed to invest an additional $4.5 billion in their global portfolio of port terminals. The Dubai-based ports operator and Canadian pension fund manager announced the injection of the funds into their existing venture in a statement Thursday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. DP World and the Caisse agreed in 2016 to set up a platform for investing in ports around the world. An initial investment target of $3.7 billion (U.S.) has been hit, they said, with the portfolio holding ports across North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. The fresh capital will be used to develop existing locations and expand into new geographies, including Europe, as well as sectors such as logistics services, according to the statement. It will take the total amount committed to the venture, which is 55 per cent owned by DP World, to $8.2 billion since inception. We will further diversify our geographic reach and look to seize new opportunities in a sector that, even during a uniquely challenging period, is driven by long-term fundamental trends, said Emmanuel Jaclot, executive vice-president and head of infrastructure at the Caisse, in the statement. DP World is one of the worlds largest operators of marine ports and inland cargo terminals, stretching from gateways in London and Antwerp to hubs in Africa, Russia, India and the Americas. The company has been on an acquisition spree in recent years, buying assets from P&O Ferries and P&O Ferrymasters in Europe to Puertos y Logistica in Chile. In February, Dubai said it would take DP World private after a dozen years to alleviate its debt burden and avoid a repeat of the economic crisis that forced a bailout in 2009. As a pensions investor, the Caisse is attracted to infrastructure assets that offer steady, long-term returns. The group managed assets of $333 billion as of the end of June. At present, investments outside Canada and the U.S. account for a third of its portfolio, according to its website. A Hamilton councillor has told a street outreach doctor he wants to hold her liable for any deaths related to work with homeless people living in encampments. Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk says Coun. Terry Whitehead relayed this message to her in an email in response to her groups request to the city to hash out differences on the issue outside of court. Wiwcharuk is part of a coalition of doctors, lawyers and street outreach workers at odds with the citys approach to encampments. While I know that Terry Whitehead does not speak for all of city council, it is very disheartening to have a response like this from an elected city official after dedicating the past decade of my career as a physician to serving the homeless population, she told The Spectator. I should also note that I am certainly aware that numerous other city councillors are grateful for the work that our organizations do in serving this population. In his Aug. 31 email to Wiwcharuk, the Mountain councillor wrote the appropriateness of meeting with her would not be prudent. In fact, (I) will be asking our lawyers if you and your team can be held liable for any deaths that result from your actions! Whitehead said Thursday he stands by his email, saying absolutely, I think it's proper. Mayor Fred Eisenberger didnt respond to a request for clarity on councils legal position Thursday in light of Whiteheads remarks. An emailed statement from the city didnt address the question, either. We cannot provide further information due to court proceedings the city is involved with on this matter. As a group, the Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team, the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Ross & McBride LLP and Keeping Six have urged the city not to displace people unless acceptable housing options are secured for them. The focus of debate is dozens of tents pitched outside FirstOntario Centre, which was set up as a temporary mens shelter, on York Boulevard and near the Wesley Day Centre on Ferguson Avenue North. In late July, a Superior Court judge granted the group a 10-day injunction that barred the city from forcing homeless people to pack up their tents. The coalition then secured an extension until the fall. On Aug. 21, council voted 9-3 in favour of challenging the injunction after meeting in camera for a legal update. Councillors Nrinder Nann, Maureen Wilson and John-Paul Danko cast the dissenting votes. The citys legal team is working on gathering further evidence to challenge the current injunction prohibiting the city from involuntarily removing residents of encampments, the city said in a release. Paul Johnson, general manager of healthy and safe communities, has said the citys outreach team tries to set people up with housing, hotels or shelter beds but must also enforce municipal rules that prohibit pitching tents in public spaces. On Thursday, Whitehead lauded staffs efforts and characterized the email Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team and Keeping Six sent asking for mediation as an insult. He added theres no excuse for people who have pitched tents donated by the advocates to not stay in shelters and hotels the city has arranged for them during the pandemic. They choose not to, but if they choose not to, thats their issue, not ours. Wiwcharuk and her colleagues say theyd prefer not to see people living in tents, but encampments allow doctors to more easily care for patients than if theyre dispersed to outdoor sites throughout the city. Moreover, those who gather in encampments cite various reasons for not staying in shelters or hotels, including mental-health issues, addiction and concerns about theft. Whitehead and Coun. Jason Farr, who represents the downtown area, have been vocal critics of the coalitions position on encampments. Both have cited residents concerns about personal safety, public drug use and debris around the clusters of tents. I mean, theyre living through hell, Whitehead said Thursday. He also noted the city recently pulled out garbage collection staff from the area of the Ferguson Avenue North encampment after an alleged assault. This is not good stuff. Lawyer Wade Poziomka, a member of the coalition, argues Whiteheads argument is flawed. If he referred to overdose deaths, this will happen whether those individuals are in the shelter system, in a hotel room provided by the city, in their own homes, or living rough. If he meant the alleged assault on a garbage collector, thats not a reflection of the encampments, but a reflection of the mental-health issues experienced by many in Hamilton. Poziomka hopes city politicians engage in good-faith discussions to settle the dispute instead of legal posturing, inappropriate accusations, and creating connections based on questionable reasoning to cast encampments, which we all believe we need to work together to eliminate, in a negative light. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said he had an 'excellent meeting' with his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu during which he appreciated the 'steadfast support' provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Indian Embassy in Moscow, on Thursday. Photograph: Kind courtesy @rajnathsingh/Twitter Singh, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Taking to Twitter, Singh termed his one-hour meeting with Shoigu at the Russian Ministry of Defence as 'excellent'. 'Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. 'We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries,' he said in a tweet. The meeting was marked by the traditional warmth and friendship, characteristic of the special and privileged partnership between India and Russia in which military technical cooperation and military-to-military cooperation constitute an important pillar, according to a statement by the defence ministry. Shoigu conveyed his warm appreciation to Singh for his participation in the 75th anniversary of Victory Day Parade at Red Square on June 24 and his participation in the joint meeting of the SCO, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) countries. His meeting with Singh was the first meeting he was having with visiting defence ministers. In a series of tweets, the defence ministry spokesperson said the meeting covered a broad range of areas of cooperation between the two countries. It was noted that Thursday's meeting coincides with the Indra Naval Exercises to be conducted by the Indian and Russia navies off the Straits of Malacca over the next two days. Singh noted that these exercises demonstrated the common interests of both the countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. There was substantial commonality in positions with respect to challenges at the regional and international levels in the areas of peace and security. The minister 'conveyed appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia consistent with the defence and security needs of India, and in this context, particularly noted the timely manner in which the Russian had responded to requests for procurement of particular weapon systems', it said, adding that both sides would continue to maintain contacts to ensure the timely delivery. IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and members of the Indian delegation during a meeting with Defence Minister of Russian Federation General Sergey Shoigu, in Moscow on Thursday. Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter 'Singh also briefed Shoigu on the 'Make-in-India' defence programme in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Aatma Nirbhar Bharat vision,' the ministry said in another tweet. Both sides welcomed the advance stage of discussions for the establishment in India of an India-Russian Joint Venture for the production of AK203 assault rifles which are considered one of the most modern weapons available for infantry forces. 'General Shoigu reiterated commitment of the Russian side to engage actively with our MOD (Ministry of Defence) to ensure the success of 'Make-in-India' programme including substantial participation in the forthcoming Aero India Exhibition to be held in February next year,' the ministry said in separate tweets. This provides a very positive basis for further engagement of Russian defence industry in the 'Make-in-India' programme, it said. The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport -- the Russian state agency for military exports, it said. The OFB would own a majority stake of 50.5 per cent in IRRPL while the Kalashnikov Group would have a 42 per cent share. Russia's state-owned export agency, Rosoboronexport, would own the remaining 7.5 per cent, the report said. The 7.62x39 mm Russian weapon will be produced at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the report said. The cost of per rifle is expected to be around $1,100, including the cost of technology transfer and of setting up the manufacturing unit, according to the report. The INSAS, which is use since 1996, has developed some issues such as jamming and magazine cracking at higher altitudes in the Himalayas, the Sputnik report said. PTI CPS AKJ Singh also extended an invitation for Shoigu to visit India for the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission for Technical and Military Cooperation which is expected to be held towards the end of this year, it said. Earlier, officials said that Singh is also likely to request the Russian side to ensure the timely delivery of the S-400 missile defence systems to India. The delivery of the first batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India is scheduled by the end of 2021. It is 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. Singh will also attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation here on Friday which will be attended by the defence ministers of the eight member nations. They are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively. The meeting is taking place under the shadow of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of the influential bloc. The SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistan's Pervez Khattak are expected to attend the SCO meeting. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of the SCO in 2017. Andy Serkis skillfully regales the adventures of Bilbo Baggins that will excite fans new and old. Recorded Books, RBmedias flagship publishing brand, today announced a new audiobook edition of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit, read by the award-winning actor, director and author, Andy Serkis. Andy Serkis has earned acclaim from both critics and audiences for his work in a range of memorable roles. He gained legions of fans around the globe for his performance as Gollum in the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. I have such vivid memories of first reading The Hobbit, when I was on the bus going to school, aged about 9 or 10, said Andy Serkis. It was the first grown up book I remember reading, and Id often miss my stop because I was so engaged in the thrust and power of its storytelling, the beautifully drawn characters, the majesty of the epic journey. To now narrate the audiobook version of this fantastical tale of Middle-earth and its inhabitantsand to bring them to life for Tolkien fans in the U.S. and Canadais such a wonderful, full-circle opportunity! This audiobook version will be a new contemporary reading of The Hobbit to complement the classic recording narrated by Rob Inglis. The prelude to The Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins as he attempts to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. It has sold many millions of copies since its publication in 1937, establishing itself as one of the most influential books of the 20th century. More than 80 years after its original release, The Hobbit remains one of the most timeless heros journey and quest stories in all of literature, said Troy Juliar, Chief Content Officer for RBmedia. Andy Serkis skillfully regales the adventures of Bilbo Baggins that will excite fans new and old. We are honored to be the publisher that refreshes this legacy for a whole new generation. The Hobbit, read by Andy Serkis, is available for preorder now. The Recorded Books audiobook will be released in North America on September 21, 2020 for digital download on Audible, iTunes, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, and wherever digital audiobooks are sold. It will also be available on CD from various retailers. This new audiobook is the first of many new releases that are reinvigorating The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings legacies, including a new Lord of the Rings television series set for release by Amazon. ### About RBmedia RBmedia is a global leader in spoken audio content and digital media distribution technology that reaches millions of consumersat home, in the car, and wherever they take their mobile devices. RBmedia produces exclusive titles and delivers the finest digital content through its platforms, including Audiobooks.com. Headquartered in Landover, Maryland, the company is the largest producer of audiobooks in the world with a catalog of more than 45,000 exclusive titles through its content brands: Recorded Books, Tantor Media, HighBridge, Kalorama Audio, ChristianAudio, Gildan Media, GraphicAudio, W. F. Howes in the United Kingdom, and Wavesound in Australia. RBmedia is owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. Find out more at http://www.rbmediaglobal.com. About Andy Serkis ANDY SERKIS is an award-winning actor who has earned acclaim from both critics and audiences for his work in a range of memorable roles. He gained legions of fans around the globe for his performance as Gollum in the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. Serkis won an Empire Award for his role, in addition to sharing in several Outstanding Ensemble Cast Awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award. He reunited with Jackson in the directors epic retelling of King Kong, taking performance capture to another level as the title character of Kong. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: We expanded to Europe because our customers demanded access to a global renewable energy supply. They need a platform that makes it possible to enter into higher-value, lower-risk PPAs to cover their renewable energy needs, from Sweden to California," said Bryce Smith, CEO of LevelTen Energy. LevelTen Energy, a global renewable energy procurement platform, today announced the next phase of its European expansion, including the availability of more than 1,300 transactable power purchase agreement (PPA) offers in Europe, as well as the hiring of Flemming Srensen, Vice President for Europe, based in the companys new European headquarters in Madrid, Spain. With this expansion, the LevelTen Marketplace now delivers the worlds most complete collection of renewable power purchase agreements, with more than 3,800 PPA offers from over 1,100 projects under development. More than 350 international developers have uploaded projects to the Marketplace, spanning 21 countries across North America and Europe. LevelTen announced its initial expansion to Europe in October 2019, and since then has been signing up developers at more than twice the rate that it did in North America. In less than six months following LevelTens first European RFP, the LevelTen Marketplace had 100 new developers with European projects. The company has already administered multiple RFPs on behalf of experienced buyers seeking GWs of renewable energy in Europe, with more to follow soon. In addition to providing details on each PPA offer, LevelTens newly enhanced buyer interface delivers sophisticated analytics enabling buyers to instantly compare the risk and value of each PPA available, not just the price. LevelTens CFO-Ready analytics engine calculates more than a billion data points daily to provide a complete picture of how any PPA offer on the Marketplace is projected to perform under a range of potential future scenarios. This analysis reduces risk for buyers and makes it easier to overcome a key barrier in the PPA processsecuring C-suite approval. As a result, only LevelTen enables a buyer to instantly compare a solar project in Spain to a wind project in Sweden or Texas, and even design a global portfolio of PPAs matched to the companys regional consumption profile and tailored to maximize diversification benefits. With access to the best projects, the most sophisticated PPA analytics engine ever built, and LevelTens team of advisors including our new Vice President for Europe, Flemming Srensen its never been easier for organizations to find a PPA in Europe that will meet their renewable energy goals in a financially sustainable way, said Bryce Smith, Chief Executive Officer of LevelTen Energy. We expanded to Europe because our customers demanded access to a global renewable energy supply. We work with multinational corporations, load-serving entities, global sustainability advisors, and other organizations with carbon footprints in Europe. They need a platform that makes it possible to enter into higher-value, lower-risk PPAs to cover their renewable energy needs, from Sweden to California. Today LevelTen Energy also announced that it hired its first Vice President of Europe, Flemming Srensen. In this role, Flemming will be responsible for expanding LevelTens presence in Europe, working closely with LevelTens sales and developer relations teams to expand the Marketplace. Srensen brings over 20 years of experience to the position. His previous roles include PPA origination at rsted, energy sourcing at Novo Nordisk (where he successfully led its RE100 strategy), and portfolio management at Energi Danmark. With experience buying, selling and trading renewable energy, Flemming understands this industry from all sides, and is uniquely positioned to lead LevelTens regional expansion from the companys new European headquarters in Madrid. More information about Srensen is available on the LevelTen Blog. Having been a corporate buyer, I experienced first-hand how difficult it is to procure renewable energy, especially in different countries, each with their own market dynamics, said Srensen. LevelTen is making the experience dramatically better and enabling buyers to make better decisions, reducing their risk. I am excited to play a role in accelerating the renewable energy transition in Europe by introducing more buyers and sellers to the LevelTen platform. Voluntary renewable energy procurement is exploding in Europe, due in large part to corporate sustainability commitments. More than 240 companies have joined the RE100, committing to go 100% renewable. According to BloombergNEF, RE100 members alone are set to stimulate global investment in renewables worth 90 billion over the next ten years, and with 40% of RE100 members headquartered in Europe, the EU should see a significant proportion of this investment. Renewable energy buyers and sellers interested in gaining access to the LevelTen Marketplace should contact info@leveltenenergy.com for a free consultation. About LevelTen Energy LevelTen Energy provides a renewable energy procurement platform built to help modern companies achieve their sustainable energy goals faster and at less risk. Powered by the worlds largest renewable energy marketplace, with more than 3,800 offsite power purchase agreement (PPA) offers across Europe and North America, the LevelTen platform is accelerating the transition to a renewable energy grid. Only with LevelTen can renewable energy buyers leverage the industrys most advanced PPA analytics engine, running more than a billion automated calculations per day, to generate CFO-ReadyTM analytics built to identify development risk and secure leadership approval. LevelTens modern team of expert PPA advisors is also backed by a full suite of procurement tools, from RFP Automation to contract management to project Performance MonitoringTM. For more information, visit us at leveltenenergy.com Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine of stirring up trouble in neighbouring Belarus, and said Moscow saw no point in engaging with a Belarusian opposition council that has emerged amid nationwide anti-government protests. Mr Lavrov, speaking in Moscow after talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, said 200 trained Ukrainian extremists were inside Belarus trying to destabilise it. The protest erupted after an August 9 presidential election marred by allegations of election rigging. Kiev said the allegations were fictitious. "Ukraine has not conducted, is not conducting and will not conduct any subversive activities against Belarus," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. Mr Kuleba said last week that Kiev had frozen official contacts with Belarus, and joined the European Union in condemning the election as neither free nor fair. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a new election. Meanwhile, the chiefs of staff of the Russian and Belarusian armies discussed preparations for a joint military drill in Belarus this year, the Belarusian defence ministry said. Russia and Belarus are close allies. Earlier yesterday dozens of journalists gathered outside a police station in the capital of Belarus to protest against the detention of colleagues covering a demonstration against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. Several Belarusian journalists have been arrested on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration. They face fines or jail sentences of up to 15 days if charged and convicted. "We are witnessing the lawless action of law-enforcement agencies, which are muzzling journalists," said Olga Loiko, a journalist with Belarus's popular online news outlet tut.by. Washington, D.C., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, filed a reply brief shortly before midnight refuting Governor Bakers defense of his declaration of a Civil Defense Act State of Emergency to address the COVID-19 health crisis. NCLA asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to declare Governor Bakers COVID-19 orders unconstitutional. The plaintiffs, consisting of business owners, businesses, schools, and churches across the state, contend that Gov. Baker cannot define the limits of his own authority or use a pandemic to set himself up as a single-branch lawmaker. A chief executive also may not pick winners and losers by dispensing with the law to benefit certain groups and disfavor others. Further, Governor Bakers interpretation of the Civil Defense Act (CDA) disregards the Public Health Act. The Massachusetts legislature adopted the Public Health Act over a century ago to empower health authorities to control and prevent transmission of infectious diseases dangerous to public health. It never intended for the CDA to supersede it. The CDA is a 1950s-era statute designed to protect the Commonwealth from foreign invasions, armed insurrections, and civil unrest and destruction associated with natural disasters such as fires and earthquakes. In his response brief filed last week, Governor Baker asserts that the phrase other natural causes under the CDA effectively means all natural causesnot so. NCLA points out that neither the Massachusetts Constitution nor the CDA authorizes the governor to enact, amend or dispense with the law under any circumstance. His authority is limited to implementing the details of legislative policy. But many of the governors COVID-19 orders cross the lineinstead of effectuating legislative policy, he is enacting his own laws. Governor Baker offers no authority to support his assertion that a pandemic is a Civil Defense Emergency, and his assertion that he may define the limits of his own authority due to the pandemic is counter-constitutional. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court cannot defer to the Governors definition of the scope of his own authoritywhich he claims to be any and all authority over persons and property[.] NCLA released the following statement: Governor Bakers defenses offer the Justices absolutely no limiting principle as to the scope of his power. If every natural disaster and every man-made disaster justify a Civil Defense Act state of emergency, when cant the governor rule Massachusetts by decree? Its time to restore the legislatures lawmaking authority and return democracy to the Commonwealth. Michael P. DeGrandis, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group 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. ### Have you fallen for the fear and paranoia Donald Trump is selling, the truly dystopian world youd face if Joe Biden is elected president? Do not be fooled again by Americas most famous con man. He is selling that he is the law-and-order president, while the country is falling apart around him due to his inability to unite the country around truth and justice. Trump is not the first president to shade the truth, but he is the first one who has told so many untruths that news organizations feel a need to keep track of those lies. He has pardoned convicted and confessed administration cronies in an assault on the American justice system. The president tells us to fear a Biden presidency, as if we have no history of Biden being a heartbeat away from the presidency. It was just a dozen years ago that the nation chose Barack Obama, with Biden as his vice presidential sidekick, to pull the nation back from the total collapse of a financial catastrophe under Republican president George W. Bush. So, Biden has experience in handling disasters. The nation cannot continue a downward spiral headed by someone who is concerned not about you, but only about reelection. Trump has mishandled the CIVID-19 pandemic which has caused an economic collapse. The streets are on fire while Americas Nero fiddles and lies. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Now, Trump, the New York real estate huckster/businessman with a record of six corporate bankruptcies, is selling fear. He might have been worth a chance four years ago, but now he has a record and it aint pretty. Its actually pretty deadly. Get out and vote in November. Roy Lehman, Woolwich Township Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Many Nigerians on social media have called on former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, to stop online complaints about irregularities in the country if he is not willing to lead physical protests. The citizens said that they want the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party to lead a protest against the recent increase in electricity tariffs. PREMIUM TIMES reported on Tuesday that the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across the country have started the implementation of a new electricity tariff regime. This comes after the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ordered the DisCos to maintain a N4 tariff for all customers consuming less than 50kWh of energy per month. The commission said Nigerians would have to pay more to enjoy power for longer hours, an implementation that has generated furore on social media. READ ALSO: Reacting to the development on Thursday, Mr Abubakar, in a post on Twitter, said he rejected the hike, saying it was ill-timed and ill-advised I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised, he wrote. I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) September 3, 2020 Not comfortable with mere tweets, Nigerians, however, called out the former vice president to take responsibility by leading a protest to show his displeasure with the new tariff regime. See tweets below: Sir, today, you are the real definition of hypocrisy. Your penchant for president won't be realize that way. Kabiru Usman Misali (@KabiruMisali) September 3, 2020 We need you on the street to lead the protest,leave this Twitter street and come on the real street mr President! ($IRB) (@BobbyBa31022438) September 3, 2020 I second this tweet.. If our #celebactivists could do it then, what is holding them back now. We need real time and aggressive rejection of bad policy and anti human govt. Azeez Ola. Balogun (@Balokunz) September 3, 2020 Come out sir. Lead aggressive protest. Twitter protest is no more meaningful or make any difference to this awful, disgusting & harsh policy made by the terrible govt of the day.. Nigerians are suffering, No space for breathing, Nigerians have been pushed to the end of the wall. Azeez Ola. Balogun (@Balokunz) September 3, 2020 https://twitter.com/MooAkee/status/1301442249109245953?s=19 Lead a street protest, Mr Atiku. FS Yusuf, AMIIM (#TPACT) (@FS_Yusuf_) September 3, 2020 https://twitter.com/mykiechuks/status/1301444638931390464?s=19 Dear H. E. @atiku, come out and lead Nigerians in a nationwide protest! Henry Shield (@henryshield) September 3, 2020 Gbam!! Atleast DSS and Mopol won't harass or arrest a senior citizen like you and your presence would up our morale. Duke Of JOS (@signor_Wilson) September 3, 2020 After this tweet what next? Abeg second base jare!! Matt (@OgaMadam24) September 3, 2020 Enough of the press release from you and the PDP. We have read enough. Lead a nation wide protest, and see the rest of Nigeria hit the street. This is the time for action Okoro (@OdogwuDab) September 3, 2020 Let's move from twitter to the streets. APC did it when they were in opposition, you can do it NOW! What is opposition that only wail on Twitter? Blessed Beyond Measure (BBM) (@Drmuzoic) September 3, 2020 I am not even proposing a match I am proposing a shutdown of the country. Let us all move to every federal roads in the country and Sit down block it for 24hrs. No selling no buying and lay some simple yet important demands for 24hours. It would send a signal. kingCedar (@Ayotola85) September 3, 2020 Dear @atiku, this is Buhari & APC leadership when d fuel pump price was increased during GEJ administration. They didn't reject d increase on Twitter neither did they hold press conference. It was done with a street protest. U & @OfficialPDPNig leaders shld take d lead. Thanks pic.twitter.com/2shaHbTnDR Osemawe of Food Chemometrics (@BTOlawoye) September 3, 2020 Una all desame Na when Una no dey d office Una go the way out strategies. mtchew today I don buy fuel for 160 per liter and Na full tank I buy I no die God no go shame us mtchew pic.twitter.com/nESotSaaAL papi (@Cylaf1) September 3, 2020 Dear Atiku sir I urge you to come out along with CUPP members, religious, labour leaders, Civil society, suffering masses to protest this abysmally fascist & totalitarian policy of this regime. This govt is consolidating poverty & hardship Thank you!!! Bonarpatism (@noaholatunde) September 3, 2020 This is the best of time to lead the struggle. It would be great if you can use the opportunity and associate with the masses. Franklin adebayo (@Franklinbayo) September 3, 2020 Come out and condemn it Sir just as they (PMB, Fashola, Bakare, Tinubu, and the rest) when they where playing opposition. The "occupy Nigerian" is still fresh in our heart. Be a leader and lead the protest against this injustice to all Nigerian from the front. Galeedo (@galeed_okwuosa) September 3, 2020 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said demonetisation was an attack on the Indias unorganised sector and the country will have to fight it together after recognising it. He also said the decision to scrap high-value currency notes was an attack on the countrys poor, farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. Speaking on the economy in the second part of his video series on social media platforms, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes to make India a cashless economy while pointing out that the unorganised sector, which comprises the poor, farmers, labourers and small traders, works on cash. "Demonetisation was an attack on Indias poor, its farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. Demonetisation was an attack on Indias unorganised economy and we must recognise this attack. The entire country will have to fight against it together, he said. On November 8, 2016, the prime minister announced demonetisation, making old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes useless, and the entire country stood in front of banks to deposit their money and savings. Gandhi claimed that the move neither erased black money nor did the poor benefit from it. So who got the benefit? The advantage was given to Indias biggest billionaires. How? The money that you had in your pockets, that you had in your homes was taken away and used by the government to waive the debts of these people, he said, noting that this was just one of the goals. "The second goal was to wipe out cash from the system. Our informal sector, which is the sector of the unorganised economy, runs on cash. Whether it is a small shopkeeper, farmer or labourer, he or she works with cash. "The second goal of demonetisation aims to wipe out cash from the system, including from the informal or unorganised sector. The prime minister himself said he wanted a cashless India, but if there is a cashless India, the informal sector will be destroyed, the former Congress chief said. He said farmers, labourers, small shopkeepers, small and medium businesses, who were dependent on cash, have suffered due to this. The Congress has stepped up its attack on the government after the countrys economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 percent as the coronavirus-related lockdowns weighed on the already-declining consumer demand and investment. The GDP contraction in the worlds fifth-largest economy compared with a 3.1-percent growth in the preceding January-March quarter and a 5.2-percent expansion in the same period a year ago, according to official data released on Monday. Heading west along the Westpark Tollway offers a lesson in the transformation of the suburban and rural areas around Houston. A few years ago, the area past Alief featured pastures and prairies as far as the eye can see. Today that relentless flatness is dotted with shiny new Walmarts and H-E-B-anchored shopping centers. This relentless march of development reaches all the way to Fulshear, a traditional farming community that is known to barbecue fans as the home of Doziers BBQ - one of the oldest barbecue joints in the area that opened in 1957. And much like the surrounding area that is getting an upgrade and facelift in the way of new development, Doziers is also changing with the times. Recently, local businessmen Jim Cummins and Steve Baur bought Doziers from longtime owners Smedley and Scott Evans, who bought the place in 1985 from founder Ed Dozier. Over the years, Doziers offerings had become an afterthought in the Houston barbecue scene; it was known mostly as an old-school barbecue joint that missed the recent trend toward higher-quality craft barbecue. The new owners aimed to change that by bringing in a new pitmaster. They contacted Jim Buchanan, who had recently become available after closing his Galveston craft barbecue joint, Bucks, in January. Doziers BBQ 8222 Farm to Market 359, Fulshear 281-346-1411 Closed Mondays See More Collapse I didnt call them back for a couple of weeks, says Buchanan, noting that he wasnt sure if he was ready for another pitmaster job after struggling to keep the well-reviewed Bucks afloat in the notoriously finicky Galveston restaurant market. He eventually accepted an invitation to meet the new owners at Doziers, a place he knew well. As a Katy native, Buchanans family were regulars when he was growing up. The meeting sold Buchanan on the idea of transforming Doziers into a contemporary craft barbecue joint. And yet, not a total transformation. As someone whos been a fan of Doziers since I was a kid I want to honor the legacy here while bringing in modern techniques, says Buchanan. He has done just that. After taking the reins in February, Buchanan is making some of his best brisket ever by using a high-grade cut and smoking it for up to 19 hours on the restaurants decades-old and heavily-seasoned Oyler rotisserie smoker. As part of the deal in taking the job, he asked the owners to invest in a pair of Moberg-brand offset barrel smokers that he uses to cook ribs, turkey, chicken and ham. One menu item Buchanan hasnt changed are the exemplary Central Texas-style pork-and-beef garlic sausage. They are a must-order when eating in and available to take home from the attached meat market. Another part of the tradition that has stayed the same is the rural feel of the meat-market, store and dining room thats been a favorite of generations of Fulshear and Katy-area locals. Buchanan notes that many of the staff have been working there for decades, and he still works with one of the longtime pitmaster there, Sam Palomarez. Buchanan also brought in an up-and-comer, Anthony McDonald, to help out with the time-and-labor intensive Moberg offsets. So far, according to Buchanan, the upgrades have been well-received even among the establishments most loyal patrons. It is a transformation that is necessary and credit goes to the new owners for bringing in one of Houstons best pitmasters to make that change happen. Throughout Texas, historic rural barbecue joints are being transformed by default into suburban and urban establishments due to expanding development. Places like Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor and Southside Market & BBQ in Elgin have transformed from sleepy, rural meat-market operations to craft barbecue powerhouses just in the last decade as Austins growing metropolitan area has engulfed them. Unfortunately, some historic joints such as Prause Meat Market in La Grange have recently closed without making the jump to contemporary techniques. Adapt or die is a rallying cry that is more important than ever in Texas barbecue. jcreid@jcreidtx.com twitter.com/jcreidtx U.S. airlines isolated in bid to scrap change fees forever FILE PHOTO: American Airlines planes are parked at the gate during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Washington By Tracy Rucinski and Laurence Frost CHICAGO/PARIS (Reuters) - A radical bid to revive air travel demand by permanently sacrificing billions of dollars in fees to change tickets has left U.S. airlines isolated, as foreign rivals fear the tactic would undermine the higher fares paid by premium travellers. The COVID-19 crisis has weakened one of the core elements of the airline playbook: price many fares attractively low, then charge for ticket changes. And meanwhile charge a hefty premium to those wanting more flexibility: typically business passengers. "For the fee model to work, you have to have a passenger to nickel-and-dime," said John Zhang, professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Airlines may soon "walk back other fees as well," he added. Citi data shows U.S. carriers last year earned $2.8 billion or 1.1% of revenue from cancellations and change fees. American Airlines , Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have all permanently axed the charges on domestic travel in recent days, followed by Alaska Airlines. "It's a revenue loss, but the bet is that this is going to win over customers," said ICF consultant Carlos Ozores. The move comes as U.S. and European passenger traffic remains more than 80% below 2019 levels, July data from global industry body IATA shows, with Asia-Pacific down 72%. While airlines globally have suspended change fees during the pandemic, those outside the U.S. are resisting making the concessions permanent. Lufthansa has announced a waiver until year-end, while Air France-KLM has set no date for a resumption of fees and says it is unlikely to make them permanent. Low-cost carriers EasyJet and Ryanair also said there were no plans for lasting fee changes. Analysts say restoring fees could prove near-impossible through the weak northern-hemisphere winter - and will only get tougher as consumers increasingly take new terms for granted. Story continues But much could depend on an expected wave of industry consolidation, reducing competition in some markets as weaker airlines shrink or fold, Citi analyst Mark Manduca said. "Once that happens we'll be in a better place to assess the bargaining power between airline and customer," he said, adding that surviving airlines that emerge fewer and stronger may swiftly end any "free-lunch mentality". Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd dismissed suggestions that temporary concessions could stay. Axing fees would undermine the value to a corporate customer of paying more upfront for flexibility, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce told the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit. "If every airfare is going to be flexible, your revenue management system I think fundamentally breaks down," Joyce said, backed by Qatar Airways counterpart Akbar al-Baker. Some observers also question the eye-catching permanency of the U.S. fee waivers, predicting that airlines will find a way to bring them back. "It's almost impossible they won't do that once demand is higher, only it might be a 'transfer' fee instead of a 'change' fee," said Zhang. "This isn't a forever kind of thing." (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski and Laurence Frost; additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney; editing by Tim Hepher and Barbara Lewis) Seven years after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the mass surveillance of Americans' telephone records, an appeals court has found the program was unlawful - and that the US intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were not telling the truth. In a ruling handed down on Wednesday, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said the warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may well have been unconstitutional. Snowden, who fled to Russia in the aftermath of the 2013 disclosures and still faces US espionage charges, said on Twitter that the ruling was a vindication of his decision to go public with evidence of the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping operation. 'I never imagined that I would live to see our courts condemn the NSA's activities as unlawful and in the same ruling credit me for exposing them,' Snowden tweeted. Seven years after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the mass surveillance of Americans' telephone records, an appeals court has found the program was unlawful - and that the US intelligence leaders who publicly defended it were not telling the truth (file photo) Snowden, who fled to Russia in the aftermath of the 2013 disclosures and still faces US espionage charges, said on Twitter that the ruling was a vindication of his decision to go public with evidence of the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping operation Evidence that the NSA was secretly building a vast database of US telephone records - the who, the how, the when, and the where of millions of mobile calls - was the first and arguably the most explosive of the Snowden revelations published by the Guardian newspaper in 2013. Up until that moment, top intelligence officials publicly insisted the NSA never knowingly collected information on Americans at all. After the program's exposure, US officials fell back on the argument that the spying had played a crucial role in fighting domestic extremism, citing in particular the case of four San Diego residents who were accused of providing aid to religious fanatics in Somalia. US officials insisted that the four - Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Ahmed Nasir Taalil Mohamud, Mohamed Mohamud, and Issa Doreh - were convicted in 2013 thanks to the NSA's telephone record spying, but the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday that those claims were 'inconsistent with the contents of the classified record'. The ruling will not affect the convictions of Moalin and his fellow defendants; the court ruled the illegal surveillance did not taint the evidence introduced at their trial. Nevertheless, watchdog groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case to appeal, welcomed the judges' verdict on the NSA's spy program. 'Today's ruling is a victory for our privacy rights,' the ACLU said in a statement, saying it 'makes plain that the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records violated the Constitution'. Snowden reacted to the judge's ruling in a tweet on Wednesday (pictured) Watchdog groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case to appeal, welcomed the judges' verdict on the NSA's spy program The NSA discontinued its program for collecting metadata in bulk in 2015 after Congress passed the USA Freedom Act. Under that law, bulk phone records could only be accessed by investigators with a judge's permission. The NSA reportedly shut down its phone program entirely in 2018. In her ruling, Judge Martha Berzon repeatedly mentioned Snowden's role in exposing the NSA practices by sharing thousands of classified documents about US surveillance programs in 2013. It's unclear whether the ruling will influence Snowden's chances at receiving a pardon, which President Donald Trump indicated he was considering last month. 'There are many, many people - it seems to be a split decision that many people think that he should be somehow treated differently, and other people think he did very bad things,' Trump said of Snowden at a news conference on August 15. 'And I'm going to take a very good look at it.' Snowden lives in exile in Moscow and is campaigning aggressively for a pardon - which he sees as the only way to return to the US without going straight to prison. He is seen speaking at a technology event via video from Russia in April 2019 It's unclear whether the ruling will influence Snowden's chances at receiving a pardon, which President Donald Trump indicated he was considering last month But days later, Attorney General William Barr came out to say he is 'vehemently opposed' to any attempt to pardon Snowden. 'He was a traitor and the information he provided our adversaries greatly hurt the safety of the American people,' Barr told the Associated Press. 'He was peddling it around like a commercial merchant. We can't tolerate that.' Snowden remains in Russia to avoid prosecution even as the federal charges against him are pending. Last year, Snowden said his 'ultimate goal' was to return home to the US. Though he said any such return would be dependent on the US government offering him a fair trial, something he says officials have 'refused to guarantee'. 'But if I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in prison, the one bottom line demand that we have to agree to is that at least I get a fair trial.' Snowden said a fair trial won't be possible as the government won't allow him to take a public interest defense. 'I'm not asking for a parade. I'm not asking for a pardon. I'm not asking for a pass. What I'm asking for is a fair trial,' he said. Critics have repeatedly reminded him that by leaking the classified documents he broke both federal law and the oath he took when he joined the NSA. Attorney General William Barr said he is 'vehemently opposed' to a pardon for Snowden It was unclear how serious Trump was, particularly given that years earlier he had denounced Snowden as a spy deserving of execution. But Trump's distrust of his own intelligence community has been a staple of his tenure, particularly because of its conclusion that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election on his behalf, and he has at times bemoaned the broad surveillance powers that the intelligence agencies have at their disposal. Any effort to pardon Snowden would unquestionably infuriate senior intelligence officials, who say his disclosures caused extraordinary damage and will have repercussions for years to come. In a memoir published last year, Snowden wrote that his seven years working for the NSA and CIA led him to conclude that the US intelligence community had 'hacked the Constitution' and put everyone's liberty at risk and that he had no choice but to turn to journalists to reveal it to the world. 'I realized that I was crazy to have imagined that the Supreme Court, or Congress, or President Obama, seeking to distance his administration from President George W. Bush's, would ever hold the [intelligence community] legally responsible - for anything,' he wrote in his book Permanent Record. The day after its publication, the US Department of Justice filed a two-count civil lawsuit against Snowden 'alleging he had breached nondisclosure agreements signed with the U.S. federal government'. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema stopped paying rent for its Park North Shopping Center location after it went dark in mid-March. But its landlord isnt accepting the pandemic as an excuse. A company affiliated with Sterling Organization, a West Palm Beach, Fla., private equity real estate firm that owns Park North at Northwest Loop 410, last month sued Alamo Drafthouse for failing to pay more than $660,000 in rent from April to August. They cant pay rent if they have no revenue, said Atlanta attorney David Marmins, who represents the Austin-based theater chain. Theyre negotiating and theyre offering to do a lot of things short of not paying anything, but they havent been able to reach a deal with this landlord. Alamo Drafthouse is gearing up to reopen the theater later this month. It has operated for more than a decade in the shopping center, where it has eight auditoriums that seat a total of 986 patrons at least that was the seating before COVID-19 turned everything upside down. On ExpressNews.com: Bubba Gump on San Antonio River Walk expects to reopen after lockout by landlord Alamo Drafthouses failure to pay rent represents a default under its lease, the landlord alleges in its lawsuit. But the landlord is not seeking to terminate the lease and evict the cinema. The landlord just wants it to pay up. We want to see the tenant be successful we want to see the tenant operate, transact business and pay their rent, said John D. Fraser, a Plano lawyer representing the landlord. Were trying not to end the relationship. Were trying to bring them to the terms of the lease. Until late August, few owners of commercial properties resorted to lawsuits to make tenants pay back rent. But their patience may be wearing thin as the pandemic and the recession it unleashed drags on. The lawsuits are starting to pile up. Over the course of two days, the owner of the Shops at Rivercenter mall in downtown San Antonio sued 13 tenants. Among the defendants are some national tenants, including Mortons steakhouse, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Claires Stores, Francescas and Genesco Inc., which operates the footwear retailer Journeys. Most of the stores were open as of Tuesday afternoon, though Potbelly and Ghiradelli were temporarily closed, according to signs posted at their entrances. On ExpressNews.com: Dallas Fed survey: Outlook for Texas service firms, retailers improving A representative for Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., which owns Rivercenter mall, said in an emailed statement that it has worked with tenants on payment arrangements to maintain a vibrant business environment. While we have been able to work out solutions with the majority of our tenants. Unfortunately, we have not been able to establish agreements with every tenant that takes into account the impact of the pandemic felt by all stakeholders and the obligations required to maintain a best-in-class tenant and customer experience at the property, the representative said. Regrettably, a minority (less than 10%) of our tenants have been unresponsive or put forward only unsustainable resolutions. Officials at Mortons, sued for an unspecified amount of rent, were miffed. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been in constant communication with our landlords due to the uncontrollable loss of sales, coupled with the state and local government-mandated closing of our dining rooms, said Jeff Cantwell, executive vice president of development for Houston-based Landrys Inc., which operates the restaurant. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Over the past few months, we have worked out hundreds of amicable deals with landlords, he said. Here, the Shops at Rivercenter mall landlord mistakenly believes that they are above the pandemic and do not have to work with tenants. They are just wrong. We believe the landlords position is unreasonable and have been unable to arrive at a financial compromise. The mall representative replied that it has encountered some tenants during the crisis that believe the current situation provides an opportunity to waive their lease obligations. A lot of landlords have taken a wait-and-see approach. Theyre monitoring tenants prospects for a business rebound and looking to work out deals for missed rent when nonessential businesses were ordered to close their doors, said John B. Thomas, a Houston attorney who represents tenants. Hes not involved in the Shops at Rivercenter suits. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio investor Sardar Biglari takes on Cracker Barrel again In cases where tenants havent reopened, Thomas said, hes seen some landlords take them to court. The landlords got to take into consideration, do I want to sue and kick out a tenant who is going to be a long-term tenant, paying rent during the uncertain times post-pandemic? Thomas said. I think thats a business decision that a lot of the landlords are thinking about: one or two months of missed rent versus a long-term business partner in the retail space. Early in the pandemic, Mattress Firm and other national retail and restaurant chains told landlords they would withhold or slash rent payments on stores that closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported at the time. Thomas represents Mattress Firm, which closed its store in Park North during the pandemic. The landlord has since changed the locks, a sign at the entrance indicates. The retailer must pay its late rent before it can get the key, the sign said. Mattress Firm allegedly owes almost $35,000. All I can say at this point is that the parties are in discussions to finalize a resolution of the matter, Thomas said. He couldnt say whether the store would reopen. Its lease expires in March. On ExpressNews.com: General contractor sues for more than $1M on Rivercenter mall aquarium project Fraser, the Park North landlords lawyer, said it was his understanding that Mattress Firm wasnt trying to reopen there. The same landlord, meanwhile, hasnt gone as far as locking out Alamo Drafthouse. Marmins, the Alamo Drafthouse lawyer, said lawsuits against tenants have increased recently. The Alamo Drafthouse lawsuit surprised him because the theater was prohibited from operating from mid-March through April. And when Gov. Greg Abbott allowed theaters to reopen May 1, they could do so only at 25 percent capacity. Many chose to remain closed and have only recently begun to reopen. They now can operate at up to 50 percent capacity. But what really distinguishes (Alamo Drafthouse) from a lot of other retailers is that they have a real supply chain argument that a lot dont, Marmins said. They have not had new movies to show for several months because Hollywood, Atlanta the big moviemaking places are not and have not been making movies. So it has been impossible for Alamo to operate, he added. Thats why I feel strongly about their defenses over the last several months for not paying rent. On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: Conservative construction has helped keep San Antonio shopping centers full Marmins believes state law is on Alamo Drafthouses side when it comes to fighting the lawsuit. When you can prove that something beyond your control has made it impossible for you to perform on your contract, then you are absolved from doing so, he said. In this case, that would be operating or paying rent. Tenants attorneys cite various legal theories. Mattress Firm, for instance, argues it was an impossibility for it to perform under the lease. It also claims it was excused from its obligations under the lease due to an event of force majeure. Force majeure, a French term, protects parties in the event they cannot perform under a contract due to causes outside their control, such as a hurricane or earthquake. Many force majeure clauses have exceptions for rent, meaning tenants still have to pay. Fraser doesnt buy many of the defenses offered by tenants. There are a number of legal theories, and all are developing as a result of COVID-19, Fraser said. There is no codification of law right now that we have that applies to this pandemic. In this absence, its going to be on a case-by-case basis. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio developer gets green light for spa facility near Hot Wells ruins and county park The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market on San Antonios River Walk last month filed a lawsuit after its landlord locked it out of the establishment. The eatery had stopped paying rent when it shut down following state and local orders meant to slow the viruss spread. Besides citing force majeure as a defense, Bubba Gump also listed the leases casualty and condemnation/takings provisions. The spread of a virus qualifies as a casualty, the argument goes, while the government shutdown excused the restaurant from performing under the takings provision. Bubba Gump, which is part of Landrys, dropped the suit after it was allowed back in the space. San Antonio attorney Randall Pulman represented Bubba Gump but declined to comment on the dispute. He considers landlords lawsuits to collect rent paper tigers. If (the landlord doesnt) seek to terminate the lease and exclude possession, the tenant stays in the property, he said. Its just a bump in the road. On ExpressNews.com: Whataburger CEO: There are plenty of opportunities outside Texas for chain Marmins, Alamo Drafthouses lawyer, also represents landlords that he said have offered a variety of breaks to tenants to withstand the pandemic pain. That has included suspending rent payments for two, three or four months, deferring rent payments and changing rent from a fixed amount to a percentage of revenue a store brings in. Many landlords and tenants have been very empathetic with each other, said Guyla Sineni, vice president of commercial real estate firm JLL. How long landlords can keep making concessions until they start feeling the pinch depends in part on their property, Sineni said. Some own their shopping center or building outright and dont have to worry about a mortgage, while others may be contending with uncooperative or hard-to-reach lenders. The location, the type of retail space and whether its anchored by a grocery store also matter. With supermarkets deemed essential during early shutdowns and customers turning to pickup and delivery options to avoid venturing out, sales have surged. On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus slashes Texas hotels revenue more than the Great Recession did, report shows I would imagine that the higher the leverage on the property, the sooner theyre going to have to talk (about) how to clean all of this up, Sineni said. Though many stores have reopened, the retail industry is still grappling with diminished foot traffic and lost revenue from the closures. A string of struggling companies have filed for bankruptcy, and others are closing their stores. Rent rates for retail properties are expected to fall by 11.1 percent this year as a result of store closures and increasing competition from online sales, Moodys Analytics forecast. At the same time, some landlords who are dealing with dropoffs in rent payments are under pressure from their lenders. Yet, New York-based retail consultant Jan Kniffen doesnt anticipate a flurry of lawsuits over unpaid rent. There likely will be further negotiations between mall owners and retailers instead of legal action, and rent collections are improving, he said. On ExpressNews.com: 2 Lion & Rose employees sue over alleged COVID-19 firings Landlords want to keep their shopping centers full and retailers want to stay in business. Also, finding a new tenant willing to take over an empty storefront and reconfiguring the space for its needs could be time-consuming and expensive. No one wants to lose their tenants, Kniffen said. Theyre going to do anything they can to make this work. Ryan Haag, who owns the Alley on Bitters with his father, said he offered most tenants a month of free rent early in the outbreak. Some businesses the Alleys tenants include shops and restaurants have since been able to pay rent in full. Others are paying a portion or not at all. Loans that Alley retailers received through the Paycheck Protection Program provided an initial boost, but that money is long gone. Express Briefing: Get the morning headlines in your inbox Haag said they havent booted any tenants. People are hurting really bad and foot traffic is down big-time, he said. Theres never been anything close to this. (Were in) uncharted waters. Still, the father and son have property taxes, insurance, maintenance and other costs to cover. Haag estimated hes taking in about 25 percent of his typical rental income from the Alley. Im hoping and praying for things to get better, Haag said. People are resilient, and I think well get through this crisis. Its just been hard. Patrick Danner covers banking, insurance, business litigation and bankruptcies. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD Madison Iszler covers commercial and residential real estate and retail. To read more from Madison, become a subscriber. Madison.Iszler@express-news.net | Twitter: @madisoniszler Bahrain announced Thursday that it had agreed to the United Arab Emirates' request that it allow flights between the UAE and Israel to pass through its airspace. Why it matters: The move followed lobbying from the Trump administration, which is also in talks with the Bahrainis about possibly following the UAE into normalization with Israel. What they're saying: Bahrain will allow flights coming to and departing from the UAE to cross its airspace, the Bahraini official news agency reported, quoting an official from the ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications. Jared Kushner, U.S. envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, and White House official Adam Boehler raised this issue earlier this week in a meeting in Manama with the King and Crown Prince of Bahrain, a source familiar with the matter said. The Bahrainis made the decision after they saw that Saudi Arabia had taken the same step Wednesday. Worth noting: An unusual transit agreement dating to the 1970s gives Bahrain control over much of Qatar's airspace. So while the agreement is partially a goodwill gesture, it could cut flight times from Israel to the UAE by around 20 minutes. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Consider this: when your alarm goes off in the morning, you wake up on a foundation made of aggregate. After that first cup of coffee, you get in your car to head to work on a road made of aggregate. You arrive at an office building or factory made of aggregate. When the school year restarts, buses will drop off your children at a school made of aggregate. Stone, sand and gravel play a hugely important role in our day-to-day lives as the building blocks of our homes, hospitals, schools, factories, roads, and bridges. Without aggregate, there would be no cities and towns, no Ontario as we know it. Our province needs economic growth now more than ever, as we begin the road to recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. One of the avenues for recovery will be strategic investments in infrastructure, supported by both the provincial and federal governments infrastructure that cant be built without aggregates. The population in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region is expected to grow by 4 million people in the next two decades. All this growth will require stone, sand and gravel. As we continue down the path to recovery, we need to support growth rather than hinder it. The aggregates sector is one of the most heavily regulated industries in our province, subject to many federal, provincial, and municipal laws. This overlapping web of red tape has made it hard for the industry to support the demand for aggregate in our lives and driven away much-needed investment in our communities. Thats why our government is committed to modernizing the way aggregates are managed in Ontario. The Aggregate Resources of Ontario Provincial Standards have not been updated since they were created in 1997. Thats before we were using Wi-Fi or Google, and a decade before the release of the first iPhone. We know we can strike the right balance between supporting continued supply of much needed aggregate resources, protecting the environment, and managing impacts of aggregate operations on our communities. After extensive discussions with municipalities, industry, Indigenous communities, community groups and individuals, we are modernizing the regulatory requirements for pits and quarries in Ontario. These changes are intended to minimize the impacts of aggregate operations on communities, improve public participation, and streamline processes for operators. The changes we're making will ensure a fair and balanced approach to managing aggregates in Ontario a pragmatic way forward thats a credit to the robust and candid feedback we received throughout the consultation process. Based on what we heard, were improving opportunity for public engagement by requiring more time for consultation on new applications for extraction sites (from 45 to 60 days). Were also implementing a number of measures that ensure we maintain a steadfast commitment to protecting the environment and Ontarios water resources. For example, were introducing new requirements for storing scrap and recyclables; requiring additional information to protect source water; and requiring further accountability in rehabilitating aggregate sites. At the same time, were supporting our job creators and a critical industry by reducing unnecessary administrative requirements and creating opportunities for growth. For example, were simplifying the process for operators looking to make routine, low-risk changes at their approved sites. By enabling them to make changes by following standard rules rather than requiring them to submit a full application for approval, were reducing administrative burden for operators and giving them the confidence to further invest in Ontario. In striking a balance between these priorities, were paving the way for a thriving, well-managed, and environmentally conscious aggregates sector that will provide benefits to Ontario communities for many years to come. Japanese rescuers were searching on Thursday for a livestock ship with 42 crew members on board that sent a distress signal during rough weather off southern The Coast Guard safely rescued a Filipino crew member from the waters late Wednesday after Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted the man wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing up and down in the water. The crew member is able to walk and in good health, Coast Guard officials said. The 11,947-ton Gulf Livestock 1 ship was carrying 5,800 cows west of the western coast of Amami Oshima in the East China Sea when it sent the distress call in the early hours of Wednesday. The cause of the distress was not immediately known, but the weather was rough in the area due to Typhoon Maysak. The other crew include 38 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and another two from Australia. The Panamanian ship left the port of Nepier in northeastern New Zealand on Tuesday and was on its way to the port of Tangshan on China's eastern coast, Coast Guard officials said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 12:44:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chen Jian, curator of Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, sorts donated books on Jewish refugees during World War II in Shanghai, east China, Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) SHANGHAI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- When Kurt Wick returned to Shanghai last year after a long absence and saw his name carved on the wall of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, he knew he had found the ideal home for his huge book collection. Thanks to his donation of more than 8,000 books on Jewish refugees during World War II, the library has become an important part of the ever-expanding museum, which is expected to reopen within the year, said curator Chen Jian. Wick, 82, dispatched his massive consignment in late 2019, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 8,000 books arrived in Shanghai in January this year, after a complex three-month journey that started in London where he lives. Wick's family has an indissoluble bond with Shanghai. He was born in Vienna in 1937. When he was one and a half years old, his parents took him and his 4-year-old brother to Shanghai to escape the Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe. The penniless Jewish family brought only a sewing machine with them. Fortunately, the local Jewish traders in Shanghai were willing to support them with food and housing. In this relatively safe environment, away from the Holocaust, Wick's father restarted his business making handbags and belts, while Wick went to a school launched by Jewish merchants. During this period, tens of thousands of Jewish refugees moved to Shanghai to escape the Nazi atrocities, mostly settling in an area along the northern part of the Suzhou River. When the war ended, Wick's family moved to London and he inherited his parents' business. In his spare time, Wick devoted himself to collecting books on Jewish history, including many that recorded the experiences of Jewish refugees in Shanghai during WWII. In February 2019, Wick embarked on a tour of Asia with his wife, daughter and son-in-law, with Shanghai as one of their destinations. It was the first time in more than 70 years that he had seen the city that provided him with shelter as a child. He visited the museum, searching for some reference to his existence during that time. Examining the memorial wall, which contains more than 13,000 Jewish names, he was excited to see the name he had used during his stay in the city: Wick Wickelholz. His family had used the surname Wickelholz during WWII. The visit inspired him to tell Chen about his book collection, with the hope that they might be permanently stored in Shanghai, a city that was dubbed "the Noah's Ark of the Orient" during WWII. "I believe a lot of students and researchers in the universities all over China will be interested in the Jews' situation in those years, so those books related to Jewish history and the Holocaust will be useful for them," Wick told Xinhua in a phone interview. He said the donation was also an act of gratitude, thanking the people of Shanghai for saving his whole family and other Jewish people during the war. "I told Mr. Wick about our plan to expand the museum, but I didn't expect that he would voluntarily donate to us the books he had collected over many years," Chen said. It was a tough job for Wick to compile a complete list of over 8,000 books. Also, it was no easy feat to transport the books to Shanghai. With the help of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association and Shanghai Customs, the books were temporarily stored in a bonded warehouse after their arrival. The booklist was then compiled in Shanghai with the assistance of volunteers. In order to compensate Wick for his sadness at being parted from his collection, Chen asked his friends in London to present him with three gifts: a donation certificate, a bunch of flowers and a Chinese tea set. Chen said that, as the museum expands, the process of accepting and making donations had fulfilled everyone's wishes, both donors and recipients. "This is inseparable from the enthusiasm and generosity of the Jewish refugees and their descendants during World War II," he said. "It also benefits from the cooperation of all parties. We all have the same goal, which is to preserve the collective wartime memory, stand up against wars and champion peace," he added. Enditem North Korea doesnt appear to be making any more of a key material needed to expand its nuclear-weapons stockpile, according to an international monitoring report. It is almost certain that no reprocessing activity took place and that the plutonium produced in the 5 megawatt reactor during the most recent operational cycle has not been separated," the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The IAEA relied on satellite imagery to make its assessment because inspectors are barred from entering the country. They pieced together high-resolution images of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and pictures of a radiochemical laboratory to make their conclusion. Accounting for nuclear material stockpiled by countries is at the heart of the global arms-control system and plays a central role in verifying disarmament agreements. Publication of a new model last month by Janes Intelligence Review suggested that the size of North Koreas weapons stockpile is smaller than previously thought. Using North Korea as a case study, the researchers deconstructed the plutonium and highly-enriched uranium requirements for a two-stage thermonuclear weapon, which differ dramatically from simple single-stage devices modeled in most current studies. Countries with thermonuclear devices -- the likes of which Kim Jong Un is now widely suspected to possess -- have greater challenges when it comes to managing the material demands of plutonium, uranium and tritium in their weapons, according to the authors. The IAEA inspectors did observe indications that North Korea is manufacturing enriched uranium, as well as mining and milling more of the heavy metal that is the key ingredient for reactors and bombs. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics ANOTHER response that muddles a point. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines will not follow the US enforcement of a blacklist against 24 state-owned Chinese firms because we are a free country. We are not a vassal state of any foreign power and we will pursue our national interest, Roque added. The US Department of Commerce had listed 24 Chinese companies who participated in constructing artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, encroaching on the claims of others in the region. The Philippines is embarking on a major infrastructure project, a multibillion-peso airport at Sangley point in Cavite province, with state-owned Chinese firm China Communications Construction Co., one of those in the US blacklist. I will be categorical, the Sangley project will continue. All other projects involving Chinese companies that are banned in the United States can continue in the Philippines, said Roque in an online presser. Ironic that it had to be the US, which has no direct stake in the territorial dispute, who has to lead in the symbolic gesture of opposing Chinese aggression. The Philippines, direct claimant and recipient of an assault on territorial sovereignty, engages in most paradoxical terms with the aggressor. It is not that we dont do business with China. We have more to profit from a bigger economy. But it is in doing business with China on the grounds of good will that we are more interested in. Fair game, that is. To take the cue from the US blacklist is a better move, if only to send the message that the Philippines prefers the better deal; if only to convey the message in symbolic terms. The President himself admits being inutile in the face of Chinas physical settlements on the West Philippine Sea islands. How we wish the countrys leadership takes caution in hastily saying business as usual with China while the latter engages in in-your-face infringement on Philippine sovereignty. We will pursue our national interest, Roque said. That should be a good spot from which to rethink our business standpoint with China. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. commended the cities of Baguio, Valenzuela, and Paranaque for their holistic and integrated approach in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Galvez labeled the three cities as benchmarks" when it comes to best practices in mitigating the impact of the disease. Kahapon ay binisita namin ang Valenzuela City at pinakita po sa amin ni Mayor Rex Gatchalian ang kanilang Mega Contact Tracing Center na binubuo ng 160 personnel working in three shifts 24/7, Galvez told a media briefing on Thursday. Very systematic po ang approach ng Valenzuela City from prevention, contact tracing, isolation, and treatment, katulad din po ng Paranaque City," he added. [Translation: Yesterday, we visited Valenzuela City, and Mayor Rex Gatchalian showed us their Mega Contact Tracing Center comprised of 160 personnel working in three shift 24/67. Valenzuela City's approach is very systematic from prevention, contact tracing, isolation, and treatment, same as Paranaque City.] Galvez also highlighted the medical disease surveillance and contact tracing technology being employed in both Baguio and Paranaque, which further improved COVID-19 detection in the areas. He said they will soon release video infographics on the cities best practices in order to educate other local government units (LGUs). Meanwhile, Baguio City Mayor and coronavirus contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong continues to conduct physical and virtual seminars to help LGUs nationwide strengthen their contact tracing program, the NTF chief implementer said. Magalong had earlier assured "radical" changes will be made to the current contact tracing protocols used by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, which will employ the same technology used in Baguio. He said tracers will undergo a series of intensive training for cognitive interviewing, while digital data collection and analytics tools will also be employed during the process. Veteran journalist Mike Siluma will broadcast his last show on Kaya FM on Thursday, 3 September 2020. Karibu, which Siluma fronted for six years, has grown to be an instrumental platform for some of the most complex issues facing Africans in South Africa and the rest of the continent today. On his show, which formed part of Kaya FMs speciality offering, Siluma brought together notable historians, academics and compelling thinkers to engage him on a range of historical subjects with a focus on art, literature and music.Over the years,has helped propel the stations objectives of reaching a wider audience across the continent and in the diaspora. The station appreciates his efforts and contributions in upholding Kaya FMs Afropolitan values.It has been a privilege to have hosted a show such as, which created space for us as Africans to have frank and in-depth conversations about issues that affect our continent, as well as current and future generations of Africans. I hope Kaya FM grows from strength to strength, said Siluma.We are proud of the progress and success that Mike, a true Afropolitan, has achieved withinon the station. We are sad to see him go but we wish him well for the future, said Linda Reddy, Kaya FMs acting MD.The station will announce a new host for the Thursday, 8pm-11pm slot soon.For more information visit kayafm.co.za or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.Kaya FM 95.9 reflects the lives of the predominantly Black, urban listeners between the ages 25-49 living in Gauteng. The station broadcasts both music and talk. Kaya FM 95.9 broadcasts in English on the FM frequency signal 95(Dot)9, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The current listenership stands at 456,000 per average day and 774,000 per average seven days. The music format offers a diverse soulful mix of adult contemporary music to smoother sounds like R&B, world music, soul and jazz. The station was recently named Station of the Year 2019 at the Liberty Radio Awards and Station of the Year 2020 at the South African Radio Awards. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (R) presents a medal to Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil at Taiwans Presidential Office in Taipei on Sept. 3, 2020. (Taiwans Presidential Office) Taiwan President, Czech Senate President Meet to Bolster Bilateral Ties TAIPEI, TaiwanCzech Senate President Milos Vystrcil met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Sept. 3 as the two states sought to bolster ties despite opposition from China. The Chinese regime considers Taiwan a renegade province and part of its territory, despite the self-ruled island having its own democratically-elected government, military, currency, and other traits of a nation-state. Beijing opposes words or actions by foreign government officials that recognize the islands sovereignty. Vystrcil arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, leading a delegation of 89 people including business leaders, senators, and Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib, despite strong opposition from Beijing. In a speech given at the Presidential Office, Tsai said that Vystrcils remarks at Taiwans parliament two days earlierwhen he said I am a Taiwanesehad struck a chord with many Taiwanese. It was a privilege to host @Vystrcil_Milos & members of the #CzechRepublic delegation today. Your visit is a testament to #Taiwan & #Czechia's courage & persistence in pursuit of justice, freedom & democracy. These values guide our contributions to the world. pic.twitter.com/VLdCrxcnD3 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) September 3, 2020 The phrase I am a Taiwanese was an allusion to John F. Kennedys famous speech in Berlin in 1963, during which the late U.S. President said Im a Berliner to rally the isolated people of West Berlin. Vystrcil used his speech at the parliament to voice his support for Taiwans democracy and freedom. Tsai said that Vystrcils visit had deepened the ties between the two states and delivered a message to the international community that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share common beliefs in democracy and freedom. Our actions tell all of our friends in Europe and like-minded friends throughout the world that the people of both Taiwan and the Czech Republic will not bow to pressure, Tsai said. Meanwhile, Vystrcil took a moment to remember former Czech Senate President Jaroslav Kubera, who planned to visit Taiwan this year, but passed away in January. Vystrcil said he hoped that his visit would serve as a lead for other countries in the European Union. Tsai also awarded a posthumous medal to Kubera that was accepted by Vystrcil. The medal was to recognize Kuberas long-standing support for Taiwan. Vera Kuberova, Kuberas widow, in a pre-recorded video played at the meeting, thanked Tsai for the award. I wanted to support you [Taiwan] on your path to independence, democracy, and freedom, Kuberova added. After meeting with Tsai, Vystrcil held a joint press conference with Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, during which he was asked by local media about Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yis threat. While visiting Germany on Monday, Wang said Vystrcil would pay a heavy price for visiting the island. In response, Vystrcil said that he disliked such comments, and believed there was nothing wrong with his visit to Taiwan, as every country could have its own interpretation of the one-China policy. Beijing interprets it as meaning Taiwan belongs to Communist Party-ruled China, while Taiwan takes it to mean the Republic of China (formal name of Taiwan) is the legitimate government. Wangs threat against Vystrcil has drawn strong criticism from several European officials, including Slovakias President Zuzana Caputova and Norbert Roettgen, head of the German parliaments foreign affairs committee. Most recently, the White House National Security Council also took to its Twitter account to voice support for Vystrcil. It wrote: No amount of bullying will stop our partners from promoting shared #democratic values. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a tweet on Sept. 2, wrote that it stood with Vystrcil in the face of disgraceful threats by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). His powerful demonstration of solidarity & support for #Taiwan a model of freedom and democracy is an example for all, the Senate committee wrote. Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release late Thursday afternoon, detailing how the two states have enhanced their bilateral relationship. According to the press release, Vystrcil has extended an invitation to the leader of Taiwans parliament to visit the Czech Republic. There will be more exchange visits between officials from the two states parliaments. The two sides will also enhance their democratic systems by sharing their experiences on holding elections, enhancing internet security, and fighting against disinformation. More than four in five teachers and principals in Australian government schools say NAPLAN has failed to improve student outcomes and raised stress and anxiety in the classroom. With education ministers set to meet on Friday to debate overhauling NAPLAN, the Australian Education Union has released results from a survey of more than 12,000 members that found overwhelming antipathy to the standardised test. NAPLAN could be replaced by a new expanded test next year. Credit:Adam McLean Seventy-five per cent of them said NAPLAN was not an effective measure of school performance or an effective way to compare schools. The teachers' union called for NAPLAN to be dumped. Expects to Emerge from Chapter 11 in Mid-September with Strengthened Balance Sheet Operations Continuing in Normal Course PLANO, Texas, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denbury Resources Inc. (OTC Pink: DNRCQ) (Denbury or the Company) today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the Court) has confirmed its "pre-packaged" plan to restructure the Companys balance sheet and eliminate Denburys $2.1 billion of bond debt (the Plan). The Plan received the overwhelming support of the Companys stakeholders, receiving high consensus across all voting classes and unanimous acceptance from second lien and convertible noteholders. The Company expects to successfully complete its financial restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11 in mid-September. Consistent with the previously announced Restructuring Support Agreement, the Plan implements a financial restructuring of the Companys balance sheet. The Plan is specifically designed to have no impact on the Companys operations while fully satisfying all trade, customer, employee, royalty, working, and other mineral interest claims in the ordinary course. Per the Plan, the Company is authorized to and must pay trade, employee, and ordinary course claims. Chris Kendall, Denburys President and CEO, commented, We are pleased to have reached this important milestone on an expedited basis thanks to the strong support of the Companys creditors, along with our customers and business partners. Importantly, we continue to perform at a high level, remaining focused on safe, responsible and efficient operations, and we are committed to maintaining a strong balance sheet. Most of all, I want to thank our team for their continued hard work and dedication to Denbury during this restructuring process. We look forward to emerging as a stronger business with significant financial flexibility, positioning Denbury to continue building on the multiple advantages of our unique CO 2 EOR focused strategy for many years to come. Story continues Additional information is available at www.denburyrestructuring.com or by calling Denburys Restructuring Hotline at 855-917-3570 (toll-free in the U.S.) or 503-520-4467 (for calls originating outside the U.S.). Court documents and additional information about the Court-supervised process are available on a separate website administered by Denburys claims agent, Epiq, at https://dm.epiq11.com/Denbury . Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel to Denbury, Evercore Inc. is acting as financial advisor and Alvarez & Marsal is serving as restructuring advisor. ABOUT DENBURY RESOURCES Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company with operations focused in two key operating areas: the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. The Companys goal is to increase the value of its properties through a combination of exploitation, drilling and proven engineering extraction practices, with the most significant emphasis relating to carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 EOR) operations. For more information about Denbury, please visit www.denbury.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Denburys most recent Form 10-Q and its 2019 Form 10-K. These risks and uncertainties are incorporated by this reference as though fully set forth herein. These forward-looking statements include the expected timing of completion of the restructuring and emergence from Chapter 11 proceedings. There is no assurance that the goals and timing herein can or will be met. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent the Companys estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its estimates as of any future date. Denbury assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements. CONTACT: INVESTOR CONTACT: John Mayer Denbury Resources Inc., Director of Investor Relations 972.673.2383 MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Siegel / Michael Freitag / Andrew Squire Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher 212.355.4449 Gladys Berejiklian delivered an emotional response when asked whether Australians should accept that elderly people will be a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The New South Wales premier appeared lost for words after being showed a clip of ex-prime minister Tony Abbott arguing nature should be allowed to 'take its course' for more elderly victims. 'How much is a life worth? How do you decide that as a leader?,' The Project's Carrie Bickmore asked Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday. 'I think what distinguishes us from other places on the planet is how much we value human life and that's a positive thing,' Ms Berejiklian replied. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) got teary-eyed on Wednesday night as she answered an emotional question about elderly Australians and the coronavirus crisis Ms Berejiklian was interviewed by Carrie Bickmore (pictured) and opened up about valuing human life as well as revealing her biggest regret during the coronavirus pandemic 'I hope after this process, all of us take a good hard look at ourselves as to how we treat our elderly. 'I think we have to improve things across the board and value human life, value the wisdom and contribution they've made,' the teary premier explained. Ms Berejiklian also revealed 'one of the big' regrets of her coronavirus response was posting an old photo of her dressed up in a superwoman costume. The premier shared the hilarious throwback photo from her 21st birthday as part of the #MeAt20 challenge in April. She said the picture was embarrassing but agreed it was good to 'break the mould' and show Australians a different side of their politicians. Ms Berejiklian also reflected on the everyday 'battle' of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and urged Australians to think about shaping the 'post-COVID' world. The premier said she was always concerned that NSW could follow the same path as Victoria but she had learned a lot about managing the coronavirus. Ms Berejiklian shared a hilarious throwback photo of herself dressed as superwoman (pictured) as part of the #MeAt20 challenge in April and said this was her biggest regret The premier (pictured) also discussed empathising with Victorian premier Daniel Andrews 'My anxiety remains the same, if not slightly higher, because every week we have had a number of undetected or unsourced cases. 'If you look back to Melbourne, Melbourne didn't get worse because of the number of cases they had, they had undetected community transmission which then unknowingly got to a stage where it did,' she told reporters last month. Ms Berejiklian said she didn't judge premier Daniel Andrews for Victoria's explosive second wave of coronavirus and empathised with his difficult circumstances. The premier said she felt optimistic about the future and was looking forward to a Christmas bound by far less restrictions than Easter earlier this year. Ms Berejiklian (pictured) said she was hopeful about the future of the pandemic in NSW Early in the pandemic, New South Wales initially suffered the biggest number of coronavirus cases and deaths. At the heart of the crisis was the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship being granted permission to offload its passengers on Sydney Harbour. The fateful ship arrived in Sydney on March 19 and more than 2,700 disembarked the vessel with no health checks. Twenty-eight people died as a result of infections from the ship and 62 people who weren't on board contracted the virus. Ms Berejiklian has apologised 'unreservedly' for the fiasco. 'Those circumstances should and never will happen again in New South Wales. 'We have learnt so much since those horrible mistakes,' she said. NSW reported 17 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday including one in hotel quarantine, 15 linked to known clusters and one where the source is unknown. Psychologists have been overwhelmed by the increase in demand for their services during the COVD-19 lockdown, with some even booked out until next year. Since Australia when into lockdown on March 23, a total of 5,774,696 mental health services funded by Medicare were accessed, ABC reported. One million of those were in the past four weeks as Australians - particularly Victorians under very strict lockdown - struggled with the effects of enforced isolation and restrictions on nearly all public activities. Since Australia when into lockdown on March 23 due to the increase of COVID-19 cases, a total of 5,774,696 mental health services funded by Medicare were accessed (stock) Anne Galambosi (pictured) a Perth clinical psychologist, said she is fully booked until 2021 and if anyone wanted to reschedule then her wait time are at least six weeks long Anne Galambosi, a Perth clinical psychologist, said she is fully booked until 2021 and if anyone wanted to reschedule then they faced a delay of at least six weeks. 'I am worried about clients that have depression and if they have a wait time or too big of a gap between their sessions, that's not safe for them,' she said. Support Lifeline on 13 11 14 Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 Headspace on 1800 650 890 ReachOut at au.reachout.com Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) on 1800 008 774 Advertisement Ms Galambosi attempts to recommend her clients to other psychologists, however they are all in the same boat as they deal with an increase in clients. Research conducted by the Black Dog Institute found that about 80 per cent of Australians felt their mental health had been affected due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Clinical research fellow Peter Baldwin said it was a 'substantial increase' from the usual 50 per cent of Australians who feel their mental health was suffering. Mr Baldwin said health care workers were among those suffering most as their workloads soared while they were surrounded by the misery of the dying and those living in fear of the illness. Perth Psychologists founder Patrick Jones, said he has never seen appointments so high in the two decades he's worked in the industry and has had to hire more psychologists to meet the demand. 'The issue with psychology is that [people] want to be seen immediately and it's hard for an organisation to say 'no, we can't see you for three to four weeks',' he said. 'Most issues have a certain pressing time element to them, so the impact basically is that it's left unattended and potentially can escalate.' The alarming increase in appointments has seen psychologists demanding more mental health services easily accessed with Medicare. In August, Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced a further free 10 sessions for anyone subjected to further restrictions due to a second wave of COVID-19, such as those in lockdown in Melbourne (stock) With Medicare, Australians are able to claim 10 free sessions with a psychological therapy sessions in a year. In August, Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced a further free 10 sessions for anyone subjected to further restrictions due to a second wave of COVID-19, such as those in lockdown in Melbourne. 'The additional Medicare subsidised sessions will allow people in eligible areas who have used their 10 sessions to continue to receive mental health care from their psychologist, psychiatrist, GP or other eligible allied health worker,' Mr Hunt said. 'The new items will apply to people subject to public health orders restricting their movement within the state or territory issued at any time from 1 July 2020 to 31 March 2021, and to people who are required to isolate or quarantine under public health orders.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:31:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Members of the mainland nucleic acid testing team attend a welcome ceremony at Metropark Hotel Kowloon in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 3, 2020. Another 117 members of the mainland nucleic acid testing team arrived in Hong Kong Thursday for the Universal Community Testing Program (UCTP) that started on Sept. 1, bringing the total number of the team members to 427. (Xinhua/Wang Shen) HONG KONG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Another 117 members of the mainland nucleic acid testing team arrived in Hong Kong Thursday for the Universal Community Testing Program (UCTP) that started on Sept. 1, bringing the total number of the team members to 427. Among them, 207 are from Guangdong Province, 109 from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 110 from Fujian Province and there is also a team leader. Amid a resurgence of the novel coronavirus, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has sought assistance from the central government to launch a universal screening for the virus. Sophia Chan, secretary for food and health of the HKSAR government, expressed gratitude once again to the support and assistance from the central government at the welcome ceremony. She said about 820,000 residents had registered for the universal community testing program as of 8 a.m. Thursday, adding that with the support from the mainland testing team, silent carriers will be identified more quickly. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs of the HKSAR government Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said the smooth operation of the UCTP could not be realized without the efforts of the mainland team, pointing out that the HKSAR government could not possibly launch such a large-scale screening in such a short period of time without the assistance of the central government. He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, said the central government has attached great importance to Hong Kong since the third wave of the epidemic, and swiftly sent a testing team to assist COVID-19 fight. He said the testing work has been going smoothly and efficiently, which will hopefully help the HKSAR government to break the transmission chain as far as possible. Enditem It will take billions of dollars of investment to ensure the Great Lakes and related waterways remain a source of fresh water for future generations, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative says. That investment needs to become a priority for all levels of government on both sides of the border, said St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik, vice-chair of the binational coalition consisting of roughly 100 mayors and officials from municipalities along the shores of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. It is asking Canadian and U.S. governments for a commitment of at least $7 billion for the next number of years, focused on infrastructure projects that are water-resource related. That funding request, Sendzik said, is for shovel-ready projects related to water infrastructure identified by a survey conducted by the organization. Sendzik described the investment as a want verses a need. A want is something like a new library A need is clean water. A need is making sure our Great Lakes are being preserved for the freshwater resource that it is for so many communities along the Great Lakes basin. The Great Lakes contain nearly 80 per cent of all fresh surface water in North America, with 40 million people relying on it for their drinking water. In addition to creating more sustainable communities, allowing them to better cope with challenges posed by climate change while also helping ensure a source of clean, fresh water, Sendzik said the investment would provide immediate benefits. The essence of this is it creates short-term jobs around the refurbishment and construction of water infrastructure, he said. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative estimates for every new job created in the water and wastewater industry, an additional 3.68 jobs are created nationally, citing University of Massachusetts Amherst research that indicates water restoration projects are the No. 1 creators of jobs among public infrastructure projects. With almost 33 per cent of economic activity in both the U.S. and Canada concentrated around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region, the coalition expects government investment in that area to help fuel the larger national economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative publicly called on Canadian and U.S. governments to support its efforts in early July, and make its justifiable and realistic request a priority. Since then, Sendzik the proposal has been well received at least on this side of the border. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Binational mayors group calling for water restoration stimulus We have multi-party support, I think we have multi-level of government support, he said. Were hoping we get the same level of reception on the American side, because the Great Lakes are between two great nations and we want to make sure that investments on our sides are being matched. Sendzik remains hopeful U.S. governments will support the efforts. The state governments have indicated that the Great Lakes are a valuable resource. Well be looking forward to November, he said, referring to the U.S. presidential election. Nov. 3 will be circled on a lot of peoples calendars. Well see what happens. Read more about: Your Money This is why you need to get health insurance despite company cover The coronavirus pandemic has made people think about health insurance and health in the long term. However, only 4 percent of COVID-19 patients in the country filed health insurance claims so far despite growing awareness. Read here to know about the right health insurance cover for you and how to go about getting it. Novichok, the military-grade nerve agent developed by the former Soviet Union, is again at the center of a poisoning that's grown into a diplomatic row. Germany said tests showed "unequivocally" that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, hospitalized in Berlin, was poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent, dramatically escalating tensions with the Kremlin. In 2018, at least six people were sickened, one fatally, after coming into contact with the toxic chemical in Salisbury, England, with the apparent target being a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal. That attack, described as the first use of a nerve agent on European soil since World War II, led to widespread condemnation of the Russian government of Vladimir Putin, which denies involvement in both cases. Q: What is Novichok? A: The word -- pronounced novee-CHOCK -- means "the new guy" in Russian. It refers to the fourth generation of solid nerve agents developed in the former Soviet Union, chemicals manufactured from materials that remain legal under the international Chemical Weapons Convention that took effect in 1997. These so-called binary agents (meaning they become lethal only when combined) were first made as ultrafine powders but can be turned into liquids and gas. The toxins belong to a chemical family called organophosphates, and because they're related to pesticides (which are also known to have nervous-system effects), their development was sometimes cloaked as an agricultural effort. Q: Why does this point to Russia? A: The agents that make Novichok were secretly developed by the former Soviet Union during the later years of the Cold War. Vil Mirzayanov, a former Russian chemist who spent years testing and enhancing them before exposing the program in 1991 and now lives in exile in the U.S., has said only the Kremlin knows how to make Novichok and he doubts a nonstate actor could have weaponized it. There's also the choice of targets. Navalny is Russia's most prominent opposition figure, an anti-corruption investigator whose exposes have targeted Putin's inner circle. Skripal, who was poisoned along with his daughter, Yulia, sold the identities of Russian agents to Britain's MI6 and was released by Russia in a 2010 swap of ex-spies. History is also a factor: A U.K. inquiry said Russians were almost certainly behind the 2006 poisoning in London, with polonium, of Alexander Litvinenko, another ex-spy. (Russia rejects that accusation as well.) Q; How does Novichok work? A: Agents like Novichok can enter the body by being eaten or inhaled, or through the skin, and block the action of cholinesterase, an enzyme that breaks down a nervous-system protein called acetylcholine. The resulting buildup interferes with the brain's communication with muscles and glands throughout the body, resulting in what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "cholinergic syndrome": uncontrolled secretions in the lungs and mouth, diarrhea and vomiting, sweating, convulsions, delusions, racing heartbeat and generalized weakness that can progress to paralysis, suffocation and death. Children are particularly vulnerable to the poison, because they have less capacity than adults to eliminate toxins. Q: What can doctors do? A: Poisoning with organophosphates can be treated with atropine, a drug that blocks acetylcholine, although it isn't an antidote. Mirzayanov, the former chemist at Russia's State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, has said that those who are exposed could be at risk of illness for years to come. He said slight exposure could produce headaches, cognitive difficulty and problems with coordination. Q: What can the world do about Novichok? A: Not much, perhaps. Russia, like most nations of the world, is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which requires members to destroy any such weapons and the facilities that produced them. (Only Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan haven't signed the accord; Israel signed but hasn't ratified.) And Russia said in 2017 that it had destroyed all its stocks of banned chemical weapons. The pact is overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, based in The Hague. Peter Wilson, the U.K.'s representative to the group, said in 2018 that Russia "has failed, for many years, to declare chemical weapons development programs dating from the 1970s." Russia is not the only problem. The European Union and the U.S. have imposed sanctions on people and companies to try to stop the transfer of materials and substances that may have been used by President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria to manufacture chemical weapons. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Hanoi, Vietnam Thu, September 3, 2020 13:37 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4276625 2 News Vietnam,Airlines,travel,business-travelers Free Vietnam plans to restart international commercial flights to and from six Asian cities from mid-September, state media reported on Thursday, ending months of coronavirus-related suspension after easing some restrictions on foreign business travelers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is proposing resuming flights to Guangzhou, Seoul, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Taipei and Tokyo, which would mean about 5,000 travelers arriving each week, the transport ministry-run Giao Thong newspaper reported, citing CAAV deputy head, Vo Huy Cuong. Those arriving must still undergo two weeks of quarantine, according to health ministry requirements, unless the duration of their visit is under 14 days. Vietnam has not yet reopened to tourists. Vietnam is seeking to revive its economic activities, especially tourism and transport, which have been badly hit by the travel restrictions. It stopped flights from certain countries in late January before closing its borders in March to all but returning citizens and foreigners with special permission, as the coronavirus spread quickly around the world. The travel curbs together with strict quarantine, testing and contact tracing has helped Vietnam keep its infections total to just 1,046 and 34 deaths and saw it record a run of 100 days without domestic transmission. Read also: From tubs to toilets, Vietnam hotel opens with gold-plated pizzazz The move to resume flights contrasts with several of its regional neighbors, which are suffering big losses from tight restrictions on foreign tourists and business travelers, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, its unit Pacific Airlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air will conduct the flights and the number of inbound visitors will be limited, the reports said. In July, Vietnam Airlines said it would lose 50 trillion dong ($2.16 billion) in revenue this year and might liquidity issues. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) 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 Vystrcil's 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 behavior and political opportunism. Following meetings in Berlin with Wang, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country holds the European Union's 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. Story continues 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. Vystrcil's visit follows a spat last year between Beijing and Prague, the Czech Republic's 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 China's 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 Taiwan's closest partner and source of weaponry to counter China's threat to bring the island under its control by military means. Following his speech, Vystrcil told reporters that his visit was consistent with Prague's interpretation of the one-China policy" and wasn't 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 delegation's visit was an affirmation of Taiwan's continued presence on the world stage as well as a repudiation of authoritarianism. On one hand, (Vystrcil's) 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 China's comments on Vystrcil's 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. TAIPEI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Two people had tested positive for the COVID-19 shortly after leaving Taiwan, the island's epidemic monitoring agency said on Wednesday. The agency said it received notices from Vietnam and Japan about the two cases and have started to investigate. The Japan case, a Taiwan resident, had returned to Taiwan from Japan in March and went back to Japan on Aug. 31. He tested positive upon his arrival at the airport, according to the agency. The Vietnam case, a Vietnamese woman who returned to her hometown from Taiwan on Aug. 7, tested negative in the first two tests on Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 and turned positive in the third on Aug. 26. She was less likely to have contracted the virus in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that four people identified as her contacts in Taiwan tested negative for the virus. Since the first case, a Japanese college student who tested positive for the virus shortly after leaving Taiwan in June, the island has received reports of 13 similar cases. Except for two cases who were confirmed to have contracted the virus elsewhere, 11 remained unclear about the source of their infection and could not be ruled out being infected in Taiwan. The agency also announced that an Indonesian man tested positive for the virus in Taiwan on Wednesday, raising the total number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan to 489. Police in Colombia have arrested three Venezuelans who were part of a failed plot organised by a former US Green Beret to sneak across the border and oust President Nicolas Maduro, the Associated Press has learned. The three were arrested in simultaneous raids by heavily-armed security forces early on Wednesday in the capital of Bogota, a person in contact with the men at the time of their arrest told AP. The person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the continuing investigation, said the three were picked up on charges of providing military training for illicit and terrorist activities, which carries a prison penalty of 20 to 30 years. Two of the men, Major Juvenal Sequea and Captain Juven Sequea, are the older brothers of the confessed commander of the failed 3 May incursion, Captain Antonio Sequea, who is jailed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The third, Rayder Ruso, is a civilian who has long sought Mr Maduro's armed overthrow. All three lived for months in rustic camps along Colombia's Caribbean coast where Jordan Goudreau, an American war veteran, was helping organise a volunteer army for a rapid cross-border strike against Mr Maduro. But the men deserted the ragtag effort, known as Operation Gideon, prior to the beach assault one of them month before viewing it as a suicide mission that lacked the necessary support from the US. What was dubbed the Bay of Piglets after the failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by anti-communist exiles ended in a propaganda victory for Mr Maduro with the capture of dozens of would-be combatants, including two of Mr Goudreau's former special forces buddies, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who quickly pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Donald Trump OK'd my murder, I am not exaggerating, and they are trying to send a group of snipers or hire snipers in Venezuela to kill me, Mr Maduro said on Tuesday, recalling the bizarre attack. The US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido was also linked to the plot when it was revealed that two of his aides in Miami signed last fall a 42-page contract with Mr Goudreau's Florida company, Silvercorp USA, to carry out regime change. The aides said they backed out of the deal before Christmas due to a mix of differences with Mr Goudreau and a change in strategy. They said no money changed hands except $50,000 (37,590) to cover Mr Goudreau's initial expenses. A full telling of the plot and what, if anything, US officials knew in advance has been elusive despite questions from Democrats in Congress angry over the raid. There were media reports that a fourth person, Yacsy Alvarez, who served as Mr Goudreau's translator and assistant in Colombia, had also been arrested on Wednesday in Colombia for aiding the plot. AP was unable to confirm whether she had been arrested. In January, Ms Alvarez flew with the three Americans from Miami to Colombia on a plane owned by her one-time boss, Franklin Duran, a wealthy businessman with a history of close ties to Mr Maduro's predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez. Mr Duran was arrested in May on charges connected to the plot, including treason, rebellion, conspiracy with a foreign government and arms trafficking and terrorism. Ms Alvarez was also an associate of Mr Goudreau's would-be partner in arms, retired Venezuelan army General Cliver Alcala, who like Ms Alvarez had been living in Colombian city of Barranquilla after breaking with Mr Maduro and fleeing his homeland in 2018. Mr Alcala surrendered to US authorities in March on unrelated drug charges, just a few days after Colombian police seized a cache of assault rifles, tactical helmets and night vision goggles that he said belonged to the rebel cadre that he and Mr Goudreau were readying to bring down Mr Maduro. It was not clear if US officials played any role in Wednesday's arrests. But for months the FBI has been interviewing associates of Mr Goudreau as part of their own investigation into whether he violated US laws that require any US company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval. Mr Goudreau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AP The Manitoba Liberal leader is criticizing the province for delaying investment in womens health care. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba Liberal leader is criticizing the province for delaying investment in womens health care. Manitoba could have used federal funding to offer a counselling program for grieving mothers much earlier, instead of starting the process just three weeks ago, Dougald Lamont said Wednesday. On Aug. 10, a request for proposal was issued to start a provincewide pregnancy and infant loss program, aimed at offering grief counselling for families who suffered miscarriages, stillbirths and infant deaths. The public tender process closes Sept. 10. In response to Free Press inquiries, representatives for Shared Health said they couldnt answer questions about the program while the process is ongoing. The program was promised as part of a 2017 health accord with Ottawa worth $400 million over 10 years. Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen signed the agreement in March 2019. This week, the Liberals said the RFP was only issued after the party sought data about the program and learned it didnt exist. In late July, the Liberals put in a freedom of information request asking for figures on how much funding was devoted to the program and how many clients it had served, only to be told the program hadnt started. Lamont said he has been frustrated by what he described as the provincial government dragging its feet on entering into agreements with Ottawa and waiting for federal funding to flow to Manitoba. This is one example, he said, of an "ongoing issue." "Its an across-the-board problem where, for whatever reason, the federal government is standing there with chequebook in hand, offering hundreds of millions of dollars to the province of Manitoba for things that are desperately needed like mental health care for women whove experienced loss and its just not a priority," Lamont said. "Womens health has not been a priority for this government." In response to questions from the Free Press about the Liberals concerns, Friesens office issued an emailed statement. "Our government has worked hard since taking office and have made extensive changes to modernize mental health and addictions services in Manitoba. In just the past 11 months, we have announced over $40 million in mental health initiatives, many of which are aimed at helping women. This includes investing $2.4 million expanding services at Klinic Community Health Centre and Laurel Centre, including walk-in mental health services and specialized trauma counselling," the statement says Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "This is an important mental health initiative. We look forward to sharing more details of our plan following the successful conclusion of the RFP process." Meanwhile, Lamont said the government has not explained why it has not invested sooner in health-care programs when federal funding is available. "Theyve never been able to explain why theyve taken so long," he said. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay UCLA: Vickie Mays Named Special Advisor to the Chancellor on Black Life UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced that Vickie Mays, a professor of psychology and health policy and management, has been named special adviser to the UCLA chancellor on Black life. Across our nation, and indeed the world, institutions of every type are wrestling with how to vanquish structural racism and inequality, Block wrote in a letter to the UCLA community. The success of UCLAs efforts in this realm is central to the overall success of our universitys mission. Mays is a highly regarded thinker, scholar and leader, whose work has focused on understanding the physical and mental health challenges of underserved populations, guiding policy to address these challenges and developing new methodologies to enhance the physical and mental well-being of vulnerable groups, he said. ADVERTISEMENT For the past 14 years, Mays has directed UCLAs BRITE Center for Science, Research & Policy, an NIH-funded center with 60 faculty, staff, students and community partners working to eliminate physical and mental health disparities in racial/ethnic minority populations. Mays has long made vital contributions to university governance at UCLA. She previously served as assistant vice chancellor for research diversity as well as chair of UCLAs Academic Senate and chair of the Undergraduate Council. She has chaired or served on a number of Senate and administration ad hoc committees and task forces focused on subjects ranging from responsibility-centered management to data governance. Her record of academic leadership and service on campus earned her the Academic Senates Lifetime Contributions Senate Service Award this year, as well as its Lifetime Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award in 2019. For her academic work, Mays has received the American Psychological Associations Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research and Public Policy. In October, she will be awarded the American Public Health Associations Carl Taube Award for her lifetime career contributions to mental health services research. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar Polestar is a new stand-alone electric car brand from Volvo and Geely. Though the car is marketed as a separate brand, it still relies heavily on Volvo's established dealer network. Polestar cars can be serviced at participating Volvo service centers. Customers can take advantage of a complimentary pickup and drop-off service within a 150-mile radius of a participating dealership. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As more and more luxury EVs from startups you've never heard of enter the mainstream car market, you might have a few questions. How fast are they? Are they worth the money? What about reliability? How do they compare to a Tesla? But if you're seriously considering a startup EV, one question comes before any of the others: How do you even buy the thing? That was the biggest query that followed Business Insider's recent Polestar 2 first-drive review, along with: Will there be dealerships? Where? How will service work? Thus, Business Insider asked Polestar spokesperson JP Canton all you wanted to know. Polestar might sound like a startup, but it has established names behind it. It's the standalone electric-car brand from Volvo and its Chinese parent company, Geely. The result, with the Polestar 2, is a sleek and stylish EV built and supported by a tested and true system. Here's how everything will work. Where to see the cars in showrooms Yes, there will be facilities standalone, Polestar-branded facilities. Business Insider got a look at a mock-up one during the 2's media presentation last month. It's sparse, minimalist, Scandinavian. Think more of a showroom than a dealership, with no fixed operations or service on site. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar There won't be a big lot outside filled with inventory and promotional balloons flying around, either. In fact, expect no inventory at the Polestar sites, just one or two display vehicles that you can check out when you walk in. Story continues Each showroom will likely be staffed by a team of three to five people depending on foot traffic, and Canton likened the whole experience to stepping into any premium luxury store. From the showroom, you can book a test drive, see a color in person, ask a question about trade-ins, or get more information on financing options. "You will not get dragged into the back room and sold something that isn't Polestar approved," Canton said. The initial sales and distribution rollout will start in places with high EV demand and infrastructure, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the tri-state area. But by about next summer, you can add Denver, Boston, Washington, D.C., the south Florida region, and Austin to that list. Plans for Seattle and points in the midwest are still being laid out. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar But that doesn't mean that if you live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, you're out of luck if you want a Polestar. You can arrange to have the car delivered to you for a price, but getting service might be difficult. How to get your Polestar serviced Despite Polestar marketing itself away from its Volvo cousin, it's still going to rely heavily on Volvo's tried, true, and most importantly existing dealership and service-center system. Polestar, as mentioned above, will not have its own service centers. Rather, its service points are linked to participating Volvo dealerships. The key word there is "participating," because not all Volvo dealerships will be able to service your Polestar. Polestar and Volvo dealerships will exist separately, but only Volvo dealers that also own a Polestar franchise can service a Polestar. If this is confusing, it is because franchise laws in the US make it so. Obviously, it would be easiest for Polestar to set up its own service points, but Canton said current legislation does not allow for it. Anticipating the potential inconvenience this might cause what if the closest Polestar-friendly Volvo dealership is 100 miles away? the participating Volvo affiliates will offer complimentary pickup and delivery within a 150-mile radius of their location. That means depending on where you live in Connecticut, you could theoretically get your Polestar serviced at a Volvo service center in Philadelphia. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar Canton said that, demand and profitability allowing, Polestar hopes to add more service points meaning more dealers willing to sign on therefore widening the radius of location coverage. In a couple of years, Polestar aims to have more than 20 stores in its network. It hopes to keep growing its infrastructure as demand increases. Of course, this will cost dealerships extra time and money. In addition to the pickup and delivery service, they'll also need to hire and train technicians specifically for Polestar cars. This doesn't seem to be a big concern to Canton, though. He pointed out that this is one of the benefits of sharing a service center with a Volvo franchise because generally, EV ownership means less service anyway. The buying experience A Polestar is a luxury EV, but buying one could be a bit different from buying a traditional luxury car. For one, Canton said that there will be no sales pressure on the floor. In a traditional dealership, a salesperson might not have a particular color or trim in stock, so they will push you toward something they do have in stock, hoping to make a sale that day. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar At a Polestar showroom, Canton said, no one is going to push you into going home with the car that day. In fact, most of the ordering process can happen online if you want it to. You can customize your car to your specifications. It can then take between seven days or three months, depending on the specificity of your request, for the car to be delivered right to you. Canton said Polestar hopes to see less haggling at its locations, since everything can be easily priced out online. Once you get to the dealer, you can try and negotiate, but he's not sure how far you'd get considering that everyone involved knows what both ends of the transaction look like. The Polestar 2 is currently offered with six shades of exterior paint, two interior tones, and one leather interior in the color Barley only. Compared to Bentley or Mercedes cars, which offer customized color combinations and interior trims that go on longer than the human genome, this seems oddly conservative. The reason for this, as it turns out, is timing. It's all about getting the car to the customer in a reasonable timeframe, Canton said. By minimizing the amount of vanity options, it's easier to have all the materials on hand to scratch-build a car quickly to a customer's specifications. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar It also means the company can prefill its factory with cars that people are most likely to buy after seeing the take rates. Charging outside of the Tesla network Polestar's cars will use the Combined Charging System plug, which Canton affectionately referred to as the Everyone But Tesla Plug. (You can see a guide on EV plugs here.) He said home charging is the predominant charging option for buyers, admitting that Tesla has the jump in terms of public charging infrastructure. But he's confident because the rest of the charging network is catching up pretty quickly. Polestar expects that most people will have a home charger. For people like me, who live in a city and have no access to a garage, much less an outdoor outlet, ownership will be much more difficult. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar But for those with access to an outlet, charging the car is as easy as plugging it into the wall. The rate of charge comes down to your home's setup. A 110-volt outlet, good for something like a hair dryer, requires 22 hours to mostly charge the car. A 220-volt outlet, for a washer/dryer, cuts that time down by half. Or, you can buy a wall box, which costs between $500 and $1,000 and increases the rate of charge even more. Canton recommends asking an electrician about this, though. 2021 Polestar 2. Polestar It's clear, from both talking to Canton and actually driving the 2, that Polestar has a very, very solid chance at becoming the brand that converts large amounts of luxury buyers into EV owners. There's manufacturing to rely on from Volvo, a brand that has proven that it knows how to build a car and build it well. There's a slick showroom to visit, where Polestar promises you won't be hounded by a salesperson. Then there's the delivery and pickup service, which brings the cars within reach of those who might not live close enough for it to be convenient otherwise. Now, it's a matter of waiting to see how buyers respond. Read the original article on Business Insider - Kaduna state has lost a medical doctor, Clement Bakam, to Covid-19 - Bakam's death was announced in statement on Wednesday by spokesperson of the NMA in Kaduna, Abdulsalam Abdulrazak - Abdulrazak condoled with the family and friends of the late doctor PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! The novel coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has claimed the life of Clement Bakam, a medical doctor in Kaduna state. Bakam's death was announced in a statement released on Wednesday, September 2, by Abdulsalam Abdulrazak, the public relations officer of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Kaduna. The Cable reports that Abdulrazak condoled with the family and friends of the late doctor. Tragedy as medical doctor dies of COVID-19 in Kaduna. Photo credit: NCDC Source: Facebook Legit.ng gathers that until his death, Bakam was the programme manager of the Kaduna state emergency routine immunisation coordination centre (KadSERICC). Abdulrazak said: On behalf of the chairman, I regret to announce the sad demise of our brother and colleague Dr Clement Bakam following complications of COVID-19. Until his death he was the program manager, Kaduna State Emergency routine immunization Coordination Centre (KadSERICC) Our condolences go to his immediate family, friends, colleagues and ARD Kaduna. May God comfort us all. The latest data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicate that Kaduna has 2,163 confirmed cases of Covid-19, out of which 108 cases are on admission, 2,043 recoveries and 12 deaths. Also, as the world continues to struggle to survive this season of the coronavirus pandemic, the viral disease has claimed the lives of about 11 Nigerians in South Africa. This was disclosed by Adetola Olubajo, the president of Nigerian Union in South Africa. According to Olubajo, the COVID-19 deaths were for Gauteng Province alone, adding that the union was yet to get figures from eight other provinces in South Africa. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app In another report on the coronavirus pandemic, the presidency has advised Nigerians to disregard the report claiming the senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on social affairs and domestic matters, Sarki Abba, tested positive for COVID-19. The senior special assistant to the president, media and publicity, Garba Shehu in a thread of tweets on Wednesday, September 2, denied the rumour, describing it as misleading and false. Abba Kyari: Buharis chief of staff dies from coronavirus, Nigerians react | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng The administration of impeached President Donald Trump has told U.S. states to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine that will be made ready by November 1, coincidentally just two days before Election Day. So weird, huh? Could a rushed, unsafe, but much-hyped vaccine be the 'October Surprise' from Trump's campaign and administration? CDC planning documents first reported today by The New York Times encourage health officials to start deciding which groups get priority for a vaccine, start identifying which health care providers will administer the vaccine, and take other steps to prepare. "The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available," one of the documents reads. Another says limited doses of the COVID-19 vaccine doses could be available by early November, with supply increasing in the new year. It also states that initially available vaccines will either be approved by the Food and Drug Administration or authorized by the agency under its emergency powers. From the New York Times: The new C.D.C. guidance is the latest sign of an accelerating race for a vaccine to ease a pandemic that has killed more than 184,000 Americans. The documents were sent out on the same day that President Trump told the nation in his speech to the Republican National Convention that a vaccine might arrive before the end of the year. Over the past week, both Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, who heads the Food and Drug Administration, have said in interviews with news organizations that a vaccine may be available for certain groups before clinical trials have been completed, if the data is overwhelmingly positive. Public health experts agree that agencies at all levels of government should urgently prepare for what will eventually be a vast, complex effort to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans. But the possibility of a rollout in late October or early November has heightened concerns that the Trump administration is seeking to rush the distribution of a vaccine or simply to hype that one is possible before Election Day on Nov. 3. More at the NYT: C.D.C. Tells States How to Prepare for Covid-19 Vaccine by Early November CDC Director Redfield sent a letter to governors "urgently" requesting them to expedite applications for vaccine distribution facilities and waive requirements that would prevent them "from becoming fully operational" by November 1, @CBSNews confirms. First reported by @mcclatchy pic.twitter.com/nFrS7vpA3W Sara Cook (@saraecook) September 2, 2020 From AP: In a letter to governors dated Aug. 27, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said states "in the near future" will receive permit applications from McKesson Corp., which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020," Redfield wrote. He wrote that any waivers will not compromise the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine. The Associated Press obtained the letter, which was first reported by McClatchy. The CDC also sent three planning documents to some health departments that included possible timelines for when vaccines would be available. The documents are to be used to develop plans for early vaccination when the supply might be constrained, according to one of the documents, which outlined a scenario in which a vaccine could be available as soon as the end of October. More at the AP: CDC tells states: Be ready to distribute vaccines on Nov. 1 A vaccine no one takes would take one of our best weapons against COVID off the field. It would hamper us. Trump doesn't care. Hahn must understand this. At risk is not just COVID, but all the future things we need vaccines for. Andy Slavitt @ (@ASlavitt) September 3, 2020 It doesn't matter which way. If the trust in a vaccine is 80%, but effectiveness is 50%, we will add 40% to herd immunity. If a vaccine is only 50% effective, but trusted by 80%, we get the same 40%. So trust is just as important as effectiveness. Andy Slavitt @ (@ASlavitt) September 3, 2020 The CDC has told states to prepare to distribute Covid-19 vaccines as soon as late October https://t.co/PwqnJR98RX CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) September 2, 2020 One of the many crimes President Trump has committed against the country is giving a generation of Americans a test case where it will be quite reasonable to be skeptical/afraid of a vaccine. Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 2, 2020 Ehsan Khan, the younger brother of veteran actor Dilip Kumar, passed away on Wednesday at the Lilavati Hospital. The demise took place at 11 pm, the hospital said. Ehsan, 90 years old, had tested positive for Covid-19 and also had heart disease, hypertension, and Alzheimers, according to the Lilavati Hospital. On August 21, the thespians youngest brother Aslam Khan passed away at Lilavati Hospital. Eshan was about 90 years of age while Aslam Khan was a few years younger. Dilips family friend Faisal Farooqui wrote on his Twitter handle on his behalf, Dilip Saabs youngest brother Ehsan Khan, passed away few hours ago. Earlier, youngest brother, Aslam had passed away. We are from God and to Him we return. Pls pray for them. Posted by @FAISALmouthshut on behalf of #DilipKumar. Dilip Saabs youngest brother Ehsan Khan, passed away few hours ago. Earlier, youngest brother, Aslam had passed away. We are from God and to Him we return. Pls pray for them. Posted by @FAISALmouthshut on behalf of #DilipKumar Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) September 3, 2020 Aslam and Eshan Khan, were admitted to Lilavati Hospital last month. After Aslam complained of breathlessness, he was rushed to the hospital, along with Eshan. Both of them tested positive for Covid-19 and were immediately admitted at the coronavirus ward of the hospital. Their oxygen saturation had dropped below 80%. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs family was forced to sign a statement written in Marathi by Mumbai Police, says lawyer Vikas Singh Dr Jalil Parker from the hospital had earlier told Hindustan Times, They have been kept in ICU but we havent intubated them as yet. Considering their age and pre-condition health issues like diabetes and hypertension, we have to be extra careful while treating them. (With HT inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more Cape Town, Sep 3 : South Africa has launched a new smartphone app in an effort to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Health said. "Technology is key to slowing the spread of the virus and accelerating our return to everyday life," the Department was quoted by the Covid Alert SA website as saying on Wednesday, adding that contact tracing is one of the most critical aspects of combating the disease. COVID Alert South Africa is a cutting-edge mobile application that uses the Exposure Notification system created by Apple and Google in line with global best practice, reports Xinhua news agency. It uses Bluetooth technology to notify users if they have been in contact with coronavirus, including strangers in retail stores, in public transport or in any public space. "It gives everyone the chance to understand their exposure to the virus, so that we can protect every member of the community, especially those most at risk," said the website. "It is an important tool to combating the pandemic, as it can help slow the spread of the virus and save lives." President Cyril Ramaphosa also welcomed the launch of the app, saying it is "a significant milestone in our country's fight against coronavirus, and will play an important role in preventing a second wave of infections". "The more South Africans download the app, the more effective it will be in stopping a second wave of Covid-19 infection," said the president. "But even as we use the app, we must still wear cloth masks, wash or sanitise our hands regularly, maintain social distancing and take all other precautions to keep safe," he added. South Africa has so far recorded 630,595 Covid-19 cases, with 14,389 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) AG Bill Barr says 'epidemic' of cops shooting unarmed black men is a 'false narrative' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Attorney General William Barr declared that the belief that there's an epidemic of cops shooting unarmed black men in the United States is a false narrative. I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed black men is simply a false narrative and also a narrative that is based on race, the 70-year-old Barr said during an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." The fact is that its very rare for an unarmed African American to be shot by a white police officer. The attorney generals comments come as there have been months of protests, demonstrations, and riots in cities across the U.S. following the officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the shootings of African Americans Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake, among other incidents. Thousands flocked to the nations capital last Friday to call for racial justice, police reform and accountability. Demonstrators have argued that African Americans are being disproportionately killed by police officers and that such killings are some sort of sign of systemic racism in the U.S. While Barr stressed that there's not an epidemic of white police officers shooting black Americans, he admitted that there are situations within the justice system where statistics would suggest that they are treated differently. But I don't think that that's necessarily racism," Barr said. "Didn't Jesse Jackson say that when he looks behind him and he sees a group of young black males walking behind him, he's more scared than when he sees a group of white youths walking behind him," Barr added. "Does that make him a racist?" Data compiled between 2009 and 2012 by the National Institutes of Health through the National Violent Death Reporting System indicate that 52% of people who are shot by police officers are white. About 32% of people shot by police in the U.S. are black. The data also shows that 83% of people who were shot by police officers were armed. The data also indicated that a higher percentage of black people who were shot by police were unarmed (14.8%), while 9.4% of white police shooting victims and 5.8% of Hispanic victims were unarmed. The online data portal Statista reported Monday that between 2017 and 2020 at least 1,468 white people, 790 black people, and 565 Hispanic people have been shot and killed by police. Sadly, the trend of fatal police shootings in the United States seems to only be increasing, with a total 661 civilians having been shot, 123 of whom were black, as of August 30, 2020, the Statista report explains. In 2018, there were 996 fatal police shootings, and in 2019 this figure increased to 1,004. Additionally, the rate of fatal police shootings among black Americans was much higher than that for any other ethnicity, standing at 31 fatal shootings per million of the population as of August 2020. Statista also released a report on the rate of fatal police shootings in the U.S. from 2015 to August 2020. Among African Americans, the rate of fatal police shootings between 2015 and August 2020 stood at 32 per million of the population. By comparison for white Americans, the rate is about 13 fatal police shootings per million. Criminal justice advocates have long complained that there is a disproportionately high percentage of African Americans in prison in the U.S. as a result of over-policing in urban, minority communities. However, a Pew Research report citing data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics released last year suggests that the gap between white and black people in prisons has steadily narrowed over the last decade. The killing of African Americans by police officers in altercations continues to make headlines and inspire protests nationwide. Wednesday night, police in Washington, D.C., shot an 18-year-old black man named Deon Kay as they were investigating reports of a man with a gun at an apartment complex. According to police, Kay ran from police officers in Southeast Washington and pulled out a gun. During the chase, an officer shot him. On Thursday, police released nearly 11 minutes of bodycam footage from the incident. An officer can be seen yelling at Kay to stop moving several times. In the next few moments, as officers chase the assailant, who appeared to have something in his right hand, he's shot. The footage shows an officer looking around for a gun that Kay allegedly threw into a nearby playground before the weapon was found about 98 feet from the scene. In a community briefing video, police said that in a slow-motion play of the bodycam footage, Kay can be seen brandishing a firearm. Kay's death comes about a week-and-a-half after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 while he resisted arrest. Blake had a warrant out for his arrest for one felony count of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse, court records show. A woman called police to report that Blake was unlawfully at her residence and had stolen her keys. On Monday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies fatally shot 29-year-old African American Dijon Kizzee during a confrontation after stopping him for a vehicle code violation. Sheriff's Lt. Brandon Dean told media that the suspect punched a deputy in the face and dropped clothes he was carrying. After a handgun fell along with the clothes Kizzee was carrying, Dean said officers fired upon him. However, attorney Ben Crump claims Kizzee was not a threat to the officers at the time of the shooting and claims he was "executed" "in cold blood." Six months after the coronavirus arrived in Pakistan, the country appears to have dodged the worst of the pandemic, baffling health experts and dampening fears its crowded urban areas and ramshackle hospitals will be overrun. Following an initial surge, the number of infections has plummeted in recent weeks, with Covid-19 deaths hovering in the single digits each day, while neighbouring India tallies hundreds of fatalities. Pakistan has a long history of failing to contain myriad infectious diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and hepatitis, while successive governments have underfunded its healthcare sector for decades. Added to that, many Pakistanis live in crowded, multi-generational homes or packed apartment buildings that favour rampant virus transmission. "No one has been able to explain this decline... We don't have any concrete explanation," said Salman Haseeb, a doctor at Services Hospital in the eastern city of Lahore. Pakistanis have proposed numerous hypotheses for their country's seeming ability to weather the pandemic, crediting everything from the young population and the hot and humid climate to unproven claims of natural immunity. Its median age is only 22 and the coronavirus is known to disproportionately impact older people with prior health complications. In comparison, Italy, with a median age of 46.5, has recorded more than 35,000 deaths, while Pakistan's official toll is about 6,300. To date, the South Asian nation has confirmed more than 295,000 infections and currently is recording a few hundred new cases per day. Observers say that with only limited testing the true number of infections is likely considerably higher. One testing exercise in Lahore suggested as many as seven percent of the city's population had been exposed to the virus. But anecdotal evidence from hospitals across Pakistan supports the downward trend. While healthcare facilities were initially swamped, doctors across Pakistan told AFP they are now no longer seeing a coronavirus-related rush on emergency services. Story continues "Regardless of the reasons, the good thing is the first wave of the virus is almost over in Pakistan," said Khizer Hayat, a doctor at Nishtar hospital in the central city of Multan. "The situation is now under control and the number of coronavirus cases is dropping, the wards are emptying. It's hard to know why." - 'Smart' lockdowns - A flattening curve is all the more curious considering how the coronavirus has hit India, which with a median age of 26 and crowded cities has a somewhat similar demographic. Over the weekend, India set a new global record for the highest number of daily cases, with 78,761 new infections recorded in 24 hours, though Delhi is testing at a far higher rate than Islamabad. India has also reported more than 64,000 deaths -- the third-highest globally after the United States and Brazil. Since recording its first case in late February, Pakistan has responded in fits and bursts to the pandemic, rolling out loose lockdowns that were later reversed, while crowds shunned social distancing guidelines and continued to flock to markets and mosques. Still, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has been quick to bask in the progress, crediting itself with "smart" lockdown policies and other measures, even though these were often not enforced. Last month, Pakistani authorities lifted most of the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions after new cases dropped for several weeks. Restaurants and parks have reopened while people have flocked to theatres, malls, and crowded back onto public transport. Schools and universities are set to reopen later in September. Masks have become an increasingly rare sight, spurring warnings from experts for the public to remain vigilant over fears of a second wave. "People think we have defeated Covid-19 but my belief is that the chances of the second wave are still there," warned Hassan Waseem, a microbiologist based in Pakistan. However, other doctors suspect the country has experienced the peak of the pandemic. "I would reluctantly say that there won't be a second wave in Pakistan. Most urban centres in Pakistan like Lahore and Karachi have already seen the worst when it comes to coronavirus," said Waheed Uz Zaman Tariq, head of the department of virology and infectious diseases at Chughtai Lab. "People must also understand that (the virus) is not completely gone," he added. "Precautions must be taken still." str-zz-ds/wat/axn A commotion has erupted in the diamond hubs in Surat and Mumbai after Chinese authorities reportedly carried out raids following the recent arrest of a local couple on the charge of smuggling diamonds. A Gujarati diamond merchant was grilled by the Chinese authorities and released on Tuesday night, reported The Indian Express. The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Gujarat Zone, has now sought help from the government to help diamond merchants from India in Hong Kong. On August 10, a Chinese couple employed at a courier firm in Hong Kong as delivery executives were reportedly arrested by Customs Ministry officials after they failed to produce papers regarding Customs duties. Officials found 150 packets of polished diamonds on them. The diamonds were allegedly being smuggled to Shenzhen along with a small diary with names and details of the parties that had given them the diamonds and those for whom the precious stones were meant, the report added. Over 120 Chinese executives have reportedly been picked up for questioning and taken to Shenzhen after the questioning of the couple. We have come to know that Chinese officials have picked up 120 people in raids carried out at various places in different cities so far. Claiming a Gujarati trader had been questioned, he added, We request the Government to send a message to the Indian Embassy and instruct them to help the Indian diamond traders there, GJEPC Gujarat Zone Chairman Dinesh Navadia told The Indian Express. The publication further quoted a Surat diamond merchant with trading offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. He said, Through our sources, we have come to know that the Customs department of China had started a drive in mid-August and were keeping an eye on the movement of diamond parcels from Hong Kong to different cities in China. We have come to know that on Wednesday they started raiding diamond traders and jewellery manufacturing offices in eight cities in China like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou etc. We are waiting for a clearer picture. Back in January 2010, Chinese Customs officials had held 22 diamond merchants from Gujarat on similar charges, out of which, thirteen of them were brought back after then prime minister Manmohan Singh and then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi intervened. As China has emerged as a hub of manufacturing of diamond jewellery, smuggling from Hong Kong to mainland China has become a regular practice for the evasion of Customs duty of 4%. On Anant Chaturdashi, visarjan ghats in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) were sealed due to the ongoing Covid-19 threat. This prompted residents to wholeheartedly support donating to the PCMC Ganesh idol program. The Ganesh immersion turned out to be different than every year as dhol tasha pathaks and huge crowds were missing. We had requested people to not come on roads to celebrate Ganesh festival and they followed the norms so I am thankful to them. People are happily donating their Ganesha idols which is a good sign. All these idols which are collected will be immersed in water by authorities, said Shravan Hardikar, PCMC commissioner on Tuesday. Sanskar Pratisthan has been doing this work since the last 27 years in association with the PCMC. In ten days a total of 31,754 Ganesh idols were donated to us. This year due to Covid-19, the number is less. On Tuesday, we collected 11,000 idols. The immersion of the Ganesh idols till continue until Wednesday afternoon, said Mohan Gaikwad, director of Sanskar Pratisthan. Many people donated idols for the first time as ghats were sealed. I had heard about Sanskar Pratisthan a few years back, but I used to do it by on my own at Chinchwad ghat but this year me and many families from our society donated idols to them. They (Sanskar Pratisthan) have ensured proper immersion will be done by concerned authorities, added Nupur Nagpure, a resident of Chapekar Chowk. Gaikwad said, Many mandals from different parts of PCMC supported us and collected idols as we wanted to avoid rush of people and it was also a successful step taken by our organisation. New Conservative party Leader Erin OToole says he didnt issue a statement about an offensive tweet from one of his MPs because it was taken down before he saw it. MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, the partys environment critic, retweeted a video Saturday morning of Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland interviewing George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who is often the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, in 2009 when Freeland was a journalist. Canadians should be alarmed by Freeland and Soros closeness, Findlay wrote in the since-deleted post. When I found out about it, the tweet was already down and Ms. Findlay had apologized for it, OToole told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday when asked why he didnt make a statement about the incident. OToole didnt answer when asked if he had spoken to Findlay about it. But he said he did call some leaders from the Jewish community, and said Conservatives under his leadership would continue to be strong advocates against anti-Semitism. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre retweeted Findlays post Saturday, but hasnt commented publicly. Findlay apologized in a followup tweet, but didnt address her comments about Freeland and Soros. Earlier today, I thoughtlessly shared content from what I am now learning is a source that promotes hateful conspiracy theories. I have removed the tweets and apologize to anyone who thinks I would want to endorse hateful rhetoric, she wrote Saturday afternoon. On Wednesday, OToole announced his core parliamentary team, naming Manitoba MP Candice Bergen as the partys deputy leader. Bergen previously served as Conservative house leader, a pivotal role that leads the partys day-to-day duties in the House of Commons. Quebec MP Gerard Deltell will replace Bergen in that role. Meanwhile, MP Richard Martel will be OTooles political lieutenant for Quebec. OTooles house leadership team also includes MPs from Alberta and Ontario, but none from British Columbia. The new leader said his party is the government in waiting, echoing words uttered by former leader Andrew Scheer on election night in 2019, and said hes working on a new shadow cabinet and having discussions about writing a new platform. Conservatives are united and passionate to get to work, OToole said. MTN Ghana has expressed disappointment in the High Court's ruling on the suit it filed against the National Communications Authority (NCA). The company, however, did not clarify if it will seek a review or an appeal, except to say that, it will explore all available options and next steps in this process. The Commercial Division of the High Court on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, dismissed a request by MTN to secure a court order to quash its classification as a Significant Market Power (SMP) by the NCA. This was after the industry regulator had declared MTN as a Significant Market Power, and said that its dominance in the market space negatively impacted competition as it influenced consumer choice. In response to the court's decision, the telecommunications company indicated that although it respects the decision of the High Court and has full confidence in the Ghanaian judiciary, it is still unsatisfied, as their concerns remain unresolved. Having had our day in court, we will refrain from making further statements or comments on this matter at this time, while we explore all available options and next steps in this process. It further pledged to keep customers, shareholders and stakeholders abreast of any material development in this matter. How it started The Ministry of Communications in June this year, directed the National Communications Authority (NCA), to enforce provisions of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775) and the National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) to address disparities in market and revenue share in the telecommunications sector. Following the directive, the NCA was expected to start the immediate implementation of specific policies to ensure a level-playing field for all network operators within the industry, with emphasis on maximizing consumer welfare as the growing dominance of MTN has impacted negatively on competition and consumer choice, necessitating corrective action. According to NCA, MTN had a market share of 46% as at 2016, but now holds about 58% of voice and 68% of data in 2020. But in a statement issued on Friday 26th June, 2020, MTN Ghana said although there were ongoing discussions with the regulatory authority to decide the way forward, NCA has already began implementation of the specified policies, hence, its decision to finally seek redress at the law court, after it was officially notified of the decision. In the suit, MTN asked the Court to quash NCA's decision, arguing that the regulator did not give it a fair hearing before declaring it a Significant Market Power; and that such a refusal offends the NCA Act itself. MTN also wanted the High Court to prohibit NCA from further circulating or acting on the said decision. But the Court, presided over by a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Samuel Asiedu, sitting as additional High Court Judge, said unless MTN successfully proved that NCA was discharging its functions in a manner not sanctioned by law, it will not be proper for a restraint order to be issued against [NCA]. Based upon this, the Court said it was unable to stop NCA from circulating or acting on its declaration of MTN as a significant market player. The Court opined that the opportunity offered to MTN to make input by way of data fulfills the requirement of due process and procedural fairness. It however added that MTN is still permitted by law to engage NCA on the implementation. The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has in an interview with Citi Business News welcomed the High Court's ruling, saying the decision will give the NCA the opportunity to begin work on the implementation of specific measures within the telecommunications industry to provide a level-playing field for all network operators. citinewsroom New Speaker of the House Bob Cupp Sept. 2 announced the members of the newly created committee that will review House Bill 6 repeal and replacement legislation. HB 6 is the bill at the center of an alleged bribery scandal involving now-former Speaker of the House Larry Householder, R-Glenford. Householder and four others were arrested July 21 for allegedly violating the racketeering statute through honest services wire fraud, receipt of millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering. Cupp, R-Lima announced the creation of the House Select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight on Aug. 31. The committee will be led by State Rep. Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, who voted for House Bill 6 last year. The bill was signed into law in July 2019. It among other things gives North Perrys Perry Nuclear Power Plant and Ottawa Countys Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant $150 million annually between 2021 and 2027. The funds are raised through charges paid by residential, commercial and industrial electric customers. Hoops will be joined on the committee by eight Republicans and six Democrats. The members are the following: Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison (vice chair) Rep. Brian Baldridge, R-Winchester Rep. Rick Carfagna, R-Genoa Township Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton Rep. Mark Romanchuk, R-Ontario Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk Rep. Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wooster Rep. David Leland, D-Columbus (ranking member) Rep. Kristin Boggs, D-Columbus Rep. Sedrick Denson, D-Cincinnati Rep. Michael OBrien, D-Warren Rep. Kent Smith, D-Euclid Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson Baldridge, Plummer, Stein and Wiggam all voted for House Bill 6s passage last year. Stein was a co-sponsor of the legislation. All six Democrats on the committee voted against House Bill 6. OBrien is the sponsor of one of the bills introduced to repeal House Bill 6 in the wake of Householders arrest. OBrien and fellow sponsor Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, were critical of Cupp Aug. 31 for the creation of the committee, calling it an unnecessary level of bureaucracy. The pair wanted to have a repeal vote brought to the floor this week. Boggs, Carfagna, Denson, Leland, Smith and Weinstein are co-sponsors of the OBrien-Skindell bill. Carfagna, Plummer and Romanchuk are the co-sponsor of a separate repeal bill introduced by Reps. Laura Lanese, R-Grove City and Mark Romanchuk, R-Ontario. Hoops said in a statement he is looking forward to a robust and thorough discussion and review of House Bill 6. Its important to have sound energy policy that works for Ohio, Hoops said. The committee is expected to have its first hearing next week, according to a news release from Cupps office. FirstEnergy Solutions, the owner of Ohios two nuclear plants, filed for bankruptcy in March 2018 and had plans to shut down both plants by 2021 if it did not receive subsidies. FirstEnergy Solutions officials emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 27 as Energy Harbor. Turkey's crude steel production rose 7.5% year-on-year to 3.1 million tons in July, a trade association said, Anadolu agency reported. The country's steel product exports posted a decline of 1.6% to 1.9 million tons in the same period, the Turkish Steel Producers' Association (TCUD) said. The country earned $1.3 billion in revenue from steel exports in July, down 8.7% from the same month last year. However, steel imports jumped 17.4% to 1.2 million tons in the month. In terms of value, crude steel imports slipped 11.1% on an annual basis to $792 million. Citing World Steel Association data, the group said global crude steel production fell 2.5% to 153 million tons in the same period. South Jacksonville trustees are scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m. today at Village Hall, 301 Dewey Drive. Among the items on the agenda are: French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Iraq's President Barham Saleh (L) inspect an honour guard upon the former's reception in the capital Baghdad on September 2, 2020. - Macron landed in Baghdad on his first official trip to Iraq, where he hopes to help the country reassert its "sovereignty" after years of conflict. (AFP) Baghdad: French President Emmanuel Macron met Iraqi leaders Wednesday on his first visit to Baghdad, stressing the war-scarred country must assert its "sovereignty" despite being caught up in US-Iran tensions. Fresh from a two-day trip to crisis-hit Lebanon, Macron is the most prominent world leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi came to power in May. He spent just a few hours in the Iraqi capital, where he held talks Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh, Kadhemi, and an array of political figures to insist Iraq strike a path independent of regional tensions. "Iraq has been going through a challenging time for several years, with war and terrorism," Macron said. He noted that the country was still struggling to revive its economy, improve its education system and bring "military elements and militias" under state control. Iraq has recently been rocked by a spree of targeted killings of activists, nearly a year after the start of mass public protests that were met with a bloody response. "These challenges are playing out in an extraordinarily tense regional context, with very strong Iranian sway and repeated incursions by Turkey, which is increasingly intervening in Iraqi domestic affairs", Macron said at his final press conference before leaving. Ankara, which launched a cross-border assault on Kurdish rebels in the north in June, has clashed diplomatically with France over the conflict in Libya and eastern Mediterranean gas rights. 'Transparency and trust' There were few details on the much-vaunted "sovereignty" initiative, but the visit did clear a path to more diplomacy. Macron announced Kadhemi would visit Paris in the next month and Saleh said he looked forward to a longer trip to Iraq by Macron in 2021. The French leader pledged to revive a 2019 cooperation agreement signed with Kadhemi's predecessor on reconstruction, cultural projects and economic ties. He said he had even had initial discussions on a nuclear energy plant but added it would need "transparency and trust." "You have a transition to lead. France will be by your side so the international community can help," Macron said. Iraq's premier said he hoped France and Europe as a whole could help "restore stability" to the rocky region. "We do not want to be an arena for confrontations but a zone of stability and moderation", Kadhemi said. Iraq has been caught for years between its two main allies Iran and the United States -- a balancing act that has become increasingly tortured since Washington's withdrawal in 2018 from a multilateral nuclear deal with Tehran. France, one of the key remaining backers of the 2015 nuclear agreement, called for de-escalation after a US strike on Baghdad in January killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and prompted Iran to launch missiles against US troops in Iraq. France has stressed its support for Iraq in recent tumultuous months. Top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was the only minister to accompany Macron from Lebanon to Iraq, had also visited Baghdad in July and urged the leadership there to "dissociate itself from regional tensions". Unlike most foreign visitors, the French president did not stop over in Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, but instead met Kurdish president Nechirvan Barzani in Baghdad. French mediator role In the wake of the Islamic State group's territorial defeat regionally, the last contingent of French troops deployed in Iraq as part of an international coalition pulled out earlier this year. Last year, Iraq sentenced to death 11 French nationals who had joined IS. "Those who have made the free choice to go and fight" in Iraq should "be prosecuted in this state," Macron said on Wednesday. "It was like that in the past, it will be like that in the future," he added. Macron's lightning visit immediately followed intense talks in Lebanon -- his second visit to Beirut since a colossal August 4 explosion at the Lebanese capital's port killed more than 180 people. Karim Bitar, a political science professor in France and Lebanon, said the French leader was focusing on Lebanon and Iraq as he believes Paris could play a mediating role if regional tensions escalate further. "France has very good relations with Saudi Arabia and it also has pretty strong business relations with Iran," in a context where Tehran has significant influence in Beirut and Baghdad, Bitar told AFP. "Macron is definitely trying to make a push for a France-facing Middle East," he added. The Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to hundreds of school districts on Wednesday, including 11 in the Houston region, asking them to change their dress code policies to allow young men to wear their hair long. It comes on the heels of a Texas federal court decision striking down a dress code policy in Barbers Hill ISD that led to the in-school suspensions of two students who refused to cut their dreadlocks due to their familys cultural practices. The case drew national attention after cousins Kaden Bradford and DeAndre Arnold were punished for wearing their natural hair in the 6,200-student district just east of Baytown. Both Bradford and Arnold are Black, and Bradfords ACLU attorneys argued that young white men who attended their high school were allowed to wear their hair longer than the dress code permitted but were not punished. While school districts throughout the county have removed policies that were based on antiquated sex stereotypes, many school districts in Texas still have policies that treat students differently on the basis of their gender, such as requiring different hair and dress standards for male and female students, wrote Brian Klosterboer, an attorney for the ACLU of Texas. Recent court decisions, including from the U.S. Supreme Court, have found that this type of gender-based discrimination is unconstitutional. School districts need to conform to federal law and fix outdated policies that cause serious harm to students in Texas. The ACLU argues that districts with similar policies in Greater Houston and beyond could face lawsuits. Among the Houston-area districts that received the letter were Tomball, Waller, Huffman, Anahuac and Barbers Hill ISDs, along with several smaller districts in rural areas. Tomball and Waller ISD spokespeople did not return requests for comment. Arnold, who was a senior in 2019-2020, was told he could neither attend prom nor graduation unless he cut his hair, and both students were suspended. The two students wear the dread locks in honor of their familys West Indian heritage. In court hearings, Barbers Hill ISD officials argued that the dreadlocks would be allowed so long as they met the length requirements. Hans Graff, an attorney for the district, said in a hearing that the policy was not discriminatory because Black students were disciplined at the same rates as other students for hair violations. He also said the two cousins wanted to attend schools in the Mont Belvieu area because of their standards for academics and behavior. They want the standards without having to meet the standards. They want to be treated differently. Theyre saying, We want the academic excellence, we want the excellence of Barbers Hill. But we dont want to comply with what it takes to achieve that,' Graff said at a school board meeting. Shortly before a federal court ruled in favor of the students, the Board of Trustees in Barbers Hill ISD voted to reaffirm the dress code policy in late July. Bradford and Arnolds stories drew the support of Ellen Degeneres and Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and Arnold was invited to attend the Oscars. Both students ultimately transferred out of Barbers Hill ISD. shelby.webb@chron.com [September 03, 2020] Melanie McFaddin with Wiley Bros. - Aintree Capital, LLC Represents Object Partners in its Acquisition by Improving Enterprises Melanie McFaddin, Representative of Wiley Bros. - Aintree Capital, LLC, is pleased to announce its representation of Object Partners, Inc. ("OPI") in its acquisition by Improving Enterprises, Inc. ("Improving"), a Trinity Hunt portfolio company. Improving is a full-service technology consulting and training firm focused in Agile, Microsoft.NET (News - Alert) and Java technologies with an international presence comprising 11 offices across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. OPI, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN with a satellite office in Omaha, NE provides custom software development, web and mobile app development, platform engineering, modern APIs, and real-time data architecture. OPI's experience also extends to Amazon Web services as an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner, event streaming architectures and cloud solutions. The transaction will increase Improving's annualized revenue by about $45 million in 2020 and will successfully continue Improving's "Enterprise Strategy," an innovative business strategy that focuses on merging technology service companies that share a commitment to building trust, delivering excellence, and cultivating culture. "Ms. McFaddin was instrumental in marketing OPI and in advising and supporting us throughout the entire process. She approached the project not only with a strong knowledge of the industry, its players and its deal valuation and structural parameters, but also with creativity-all of which was instrumental in achieving our goals and objectives," said Chris Spurgat, President and CEO of OPI. "Her personal dedication and integrity made her a perfect partner for someone looking to achieve a successful outcome." About Melanie McFaddin and Wiley Bros. - Aintree Capital, LLC Wiley Bros. - Aintree Capital, LLC, is a 75-year-old firm located in Nashville, TN. Over the last 75 years the firm has focused on investment brokerage and underwriting municipal bonds for utility districts in the state of Tennessee. Ms. McFaddin has spent the last approximate 25 years in M&A working for entrepreneurs who own middle-market companies that provide IT staffing, consulting and solutions; management consulting; digital transformation; IT and HR MSP/BPO; professional staffing; and the software toolsets that touch these spaces. She is a licensed Series 79 investment banker who possesses both a BBA and an MBA from the Bauer College of Business at The University of Houston. Please visit www.wileybros.com or www.mcfaddinmetis.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005132/en/ [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 Trend: More than 3.8 billion manats ($2.2 billion) was paid in Azerbaijan within various types of social security from January through August 2020, which is 782.7 million manats thats $460.4 million (25.7 percent) more compared to the same period of last year, Trend reports on Sept. 3 citing to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. The State Social Protection Fund paid pensions, allowances, scholarships, and targeted social assistance to nearly 2.6 million people from January to August 2020. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on Sept. 3) PEZINOK, Slovakia After eight months of a closely watched trial, Marian Kocner once one of Slovakias most powerful and well-connected businessmen was acquitted on Thursday of ordering the murder of an investigative journalist who had threatened to expose a web of corruption involving the nations political and corporate elites and organized crime. The verdict, handed down by a special criminal court that handles the countrys most serious cases, can be appealed in Slovakias Supreme Court. It is likely to draw scrutiny, because the murder ignited outrage across Slovakia and led to calls for reform. The journalist, Jan Kuciak, 27, was shot and killed with his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, in February 2018 in his home in Velka Maca, a village outside Slovakias capital, Bratislava. Their bodies were discovered days after the murder, and as evidence mounted that Mr. Kuciak was the target of an assassination, the killings set off the largest nationwide protests since the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The protests brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets calling for a thorough investigation and condemning the systemic corruption that has long plagued the small Central European nation. Head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family members have been summoned by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police in case related to alleged siphoning off proceeds from the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories.The order comes after they were named in the FIR lodged by the EOW on a complaint by Manpreet Singh Suri of the Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL). Gurinder Singh Dhillon, wife Shabnam Dhillon, sons Gurkirat and Gurpreet and daughter-in-law Nayan Tara Dhillon are among 55 individuals and entities ordered by the Delhi High Court to pay up Rs 6,373 crore worth of dues to Singh brothers so that they can honour the $500 million order to pay Daiichi. Last week, former Ranbaxy promoter Malvinder Singh had filed a complaint against spiritual guru Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family members with the investigating agency of the Delhi Police in the multi crore fraud case. In an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court, the undertrial businessman submitted proofs of loans worth Rs 1,472.72 crore owed to him by Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family members. He alleged Dhillon and others siphoned off funds from the proceeds of the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories, and that Dhillon owed Rs 1,472.72 crore along with interest to Malvinder Singh. The affidavit filed by Singh says huge sums of money -- over Rs 500 crore -- was transferred from the accounts of Malvinder Singh to Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family members between 2006 and 2010. Also Read: Ranbaxy case: Malvinder Singh submits 'proof' of Rs 1,473 cr Dhillon family owes him In the summons dated August 26, the EOW has sought explanation from Dhillon regarding the fund transferred to him and his late wife's personal account from various entities. Dhillon has been asked regarding transaction of Rs 26 crore which were transferred to him and his wife. Shabnam Dhillon, wife of Gurinder Singh Dhillion, passed away in November last year. Dhillons have been asked to submit details by September 7. Dhillon has also been asked to produce documents to show how these financial transactions in his income tax returns. "It was a loan transaction or otherwise," the notice said. Also read: The Baba, Singh Brothers and the Squandered Rs 225,00,00,00,000 In his affidavit, Malvinder Singh alleged that around Rs 488.83 crore were advanced as loans to Gurinder Singh Dhillon and family members from the companies of 'Best Group' between 2011-2016, which weren't his subsidiaries when the loans were given and were acquired in December 2017. The Best Group comprises Best Healthcare Private Limited, Modland Wears Private Limited (JD16), Fern Healthcare Private Limited (JD17), Devera Developers Private Limited, Greenline Buildwell Private Limited and Adept Lifespace Private Limited. Also read: Fortis Healthcare to be renamed 'Parkway'; hospital's logo to change Response from Malvinder came after Dhillon via an affidavit claimed he owed no money to Malvinder. Malvinder also alleged that his brother Shivinder Singh and former associates Sunil and Sanjay Godhwani also conspired to misappropriate funds. Both Malvinder and Shivinder are in police custody in a fraud case involving their former company Ranbaxy. The Singh brothers sold Ranbaxy to Daiichi Sankyo in 2008. In 2013, Daiichi paid $500 million as felony charges in the US for selling adulterated medicines, following which it filed an arbitration case against Singh brothers. By Chitranjan Kumar By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 46 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. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz FAQs - collateral management harmonisation Scope Why is the Eurosystem harmonising collateral management processes? To enhance the safe and efficient settlement of securities and management of collateral To remove barriers and inefficiencies in a holistic, consistent and detailed manner To meet stakeholder demands for further integration of financial markets in Europe, thereby promoting the smooth implementation of monetary policy and ensuring financial stability What are the guiding principles for collateral management harmonisation? Principle 1: Harmonisation should lead to a single pan-European collateral management rulebook for the interaction of financial market infrastructures and their users, including central banks. Harmonisation should lead to a single pan-European collateral management rulebook for the interaction of financial market infrastructures and their users, including central banks. Principle 2: Harmonisation should lead to messaging based on the latest international standards. Harmonisation should lead to messaging based on the latest international standards. Principle 3: Harmonisation should lead to interoperability. Harmonisation should lead to interoperability. Principle 4: Harmonisation should lead to straight-through processing. Harmonisation should lead to straight-through processing. Principle 5: Harmonisation should remove operational impediments to availability, usage and mobility of collateral. What is the Single Collateral Rulebook for Europe? The Single Collateral Rulebook for Europe (SCoRE) is an industry-led initiative to define harmonised rules for managing collateral in Europe. The Rulebook is comprised of standards prepared by the Advisory Group on Market Infrastructures for Securities and Collateral (AMI-SeCo). What standards from the Advisory Group on Market Infrastructures for Securities and Collateral (AMI-SeCo)have already been agreed? AMI-SeCo standards detailing harmonised business processes, workflows and messaging have already been agreed in the following areas: triparty collateral management; corporate actions for debt instruments; billing processes. What topics are still being addressed? Harmonisation work is underway in the following areas (no timelines are available yet): corporate actions for non-debt instruments; taxation processes; bilateral collateral management; margin calls; cut-off times; collateral data; sourcing of collateral; non-euro-denominated collateral. For further information, take a look at the Report on Collateral Management Harmonisation. What is the ECMS and what does it have to do with the harmonisation agenda? All of the Rochester police officers involved in the fatal March arrest of Daniel Prude, who died after officers placed a hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement until he stopped breathing, have been suspended, the citys mayor announced Thursday. Their immediate suspension, ordered by Mayor Lovely Warren, comes less than one day after Prudes family released horrifying police bodycam footage of his final moments, and five months after the 41-year-olds death. Prude was left brain dead after his March 23 encounter with Rochester PD. He died seven days later when he was taken off life support. The Monroe County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. The report also listed excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors. Prudes family members have called for the seven officers involved in his arrest to be charged with murder. All of the officers have now been suspended immediately with pay, pending the outcome of an investigation conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James. I have never shied away from taking action and holding our police or anyone that fails in their duties in our community accountable, Mayor Warren told reporters Thursday. That is why I am suspending the officers in question today, against the advice of counsel. You cannot stand around and allow these types of things to happen. You have a duty,' she continued. 'Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by the police department, our mental health care system, our society, and he was failed by me.' Scroll down for video While the fatal incident occurred on March 23 weeks before George Floyd would die in Minnesota police custody in May, sparking nationwide protests Prudes death received no public attention Following an order issued by Mayor Lovely Warren, all seven officers involved in the arrest have been suspended. The move comes less than one day after Prudes family released horrifying police bodycam footage of his final moments, and five months after the 41-year-olds death. Daniel Prude was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30 after he was taken off of life support seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester Prudes brother Joe had phoned 911 for assistance on March 23, as his sibling began suffering a mental health episode. The 41-year-old, who had been visiting Rochester from his hometown of Chicago, walked out of Joes house at around 3am in frigid temperatures, wearing only underwear, a tank top and socks. As he made his way through the neighborhood, he started removing his clothes. Police claim he also smashed windows. Several other people encountered him, with at least one calling 911 to report his erratic behavior. WHO WERE THE OFFICERS INVOLVED? There were seven officers of Rochester PD present on the night Daniel Prude died in police custody. Six of them have so far been named: Officer Mark Vaughn; Officer Paul Ricotta; Officer Andrew Specksgoor; Officer Josiah Harris; Officer Troy Talladay; Sgt. Michael Magri. Advertisement Prude was then stopped by Officer Mark Vaughn from the Rochester PD. Vaughn, pointing a taser, ordered him to lay on the ground and put his hands behind his back, to which he complied. Officer Vaughn then handcuffed Prude as he lay on his stomach. The bodycam footage shows Prude sitting in the ground in handcuffs. He is heard yelling incoherently at the officers, shouting Jesus Christ and Give me your gun, I need it'. At one point, he invites officers to come and look at this big d***, to which the cops on scene respond with laughter. Officers stood around Prude in a semicircle. He began spitting at them, yelling out to the cops that he had COVID-19. Prude continued to yell at officers and at one point attempted to get to his feet. Officers were seen pushing him back over and then slamming his head into the ground. Prude demanded they remove the spit hood, saying, trying to kill me!, before making muffled, anguished sounds from under the hood. For more than two minutes, officers pinned Prude down on the cold ground. Officer Vaughn used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement, in a push-up position with his knees suspended off the ground. Another officer used his knee at one point to hold down Prudes torso, and a third held down his legs. Prude is heard screaming under the weight of the officers pinning him down, however his words are muffled as his face is pushed hard into the ground. Officers are heard urging him to stop spitting. The officers appear to become concerned when they notice water coming out of Prudes mouth. Officer Talladay is seen placing a kneww into Prude's back as he lay on the floor For nearly three minutes, officers pinned Prude down on the cold ground. One officer used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement Officer Vaughn used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement, similar to a triangle push-up Prude is heard screaming under the weight of the officers pinning him down, however his words are muffled as his face is pushed hard into the ground. Officers are heard urging him to stop spitting The 41-year-old then suddenly falls deathly silent and still, having lost consciousness under the restraint When EMTs arrive on scene, the officers unhandcuff Prude, roll him on his back and attempt chest compression after realizing he has no pulse The 41-year-old then suddenly falls deathly silent and still, having lost consciousness under the restraint. NY AG LETITIA JAMES IS INVESTIGATING PRUDE'S DEATH New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Wednesday that she would investigate Prude's death. 'The death of Daniel Prude was a tragedy, and I extend my deepest condolences to his family. I share the communitys concerns about ensuring a fair and independent investigation into his death and support their right to protest. 'Pursuant to Executive Order 147, the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit of my office is already actively investigating this incident. 'As with every investigation, we will follow the facts of this case and ensure a complete and thorough examination of all relevant parties. 'We will work tirelessly to provide the transparency and accountability that all our communities deserve,' she said. Advertisement One officer notes that hed been out, naked, in the street for some time. Another remarks, He feels pretty cold. When EMTs arrive on scene, the officers unhandcuff Prude, roll him on his back and attempt chest compression after realizing he has no pulse. The EMT tells cops not to worry since PCP causes excited delirium and says I guarantee you thats why he coded, adding, Its not your fault guys. The medics continue performing CPR on Prude before he's loaded into an ambulance, some 11 minutes after he first encountered police. He was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, where he was later pronounced brain dead. He died seven days later on March 30. While the fatal incident occurred just two months before the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which would go on to spark national and global protests against US police brutality, Prudes death received no public attention. However, that changed Wednesday when his family held a news conference to reveal disturbing police body camera footage of his final moments, along with written reports they obtained through a public records request. I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched, Prudes brother Joe said during that conference. How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground. Hes cuffed up already. Come on. How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop? Protesters gathered Wednesday outside Rochester's Public Safety Building, which also serves as its police headquarters. Demonstrators remained as night fell, demanding for the officers involved to be charged with murder. Nine people were arrested during the day, most for criminal trespass or resisting arrest, and one for also inciting a riot. One activist was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during their arrest. Daniel Prude's brother Joe, right, stands with his son, Armin, holding a photograph up of him outside their home on Thursday Activists are demanding that officers involved with Prudes death be prosecuted on murder charges and that they be removed from the department while the investigation proceeds Protesters gathered Wednesday outside Rochester's Public Safety Building, which serves as police headquarters. Demonstrators remained as night fell Demonstrators are demanding for the officers involved to be charged with murder Lakeisha Harmon, center, speaks to the crowd during a protest, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Rochester, NY, where Daniel Prude was restrained by police officers Prude, known to his big Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. Attorney Elliot Shields, who is representing Prude's family, said they plan to sue everyone who is responsible for Daniel Prudes death. Prude, of Chicago, had arrived in Rochester via Amtrack train on March 22 to stay with his brother. He was kicked off the train before it got to Rochester, in Depew, due to his unruly behavior, according to an internal affairs investigators report. Rochester police officers took Prude into custody for a mental health evaluation around 7pm that day for suicidal thoughts - about eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. But his brother said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports. Police responded again after Joe Prude called 911 at about 3am to report that his brother had left his house. The city halted its investigation into Prude's death when state Attorney General Letitia James office began its own investigation in April. Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general's office, rather than handled by local officials. James said Wednesday that investigation is continuing. I want everyone to understand that at no point in time did we feel that this was something that we wanted not to disclose, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said at a press briefing. We are precluded from getting involved in it until that agency [the AGs office] has completed their investigation. An activist stops to take a picture of a make-shift memorial for Daniel erected sometime on Wednesday evening The city halted its investigation into Prude's death when state Attorney General Letitia James office began its own investigation in April Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general's office, rather than handled by local officials A makeshift memorial is seen, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Rochester, New York During a news conference Wednesday, Shields said that the Prude family will sue everyone who is responsible for Daniel Prude's death' Warren said Thursday that Rochester Police Chief LaRon Singletary informed her on March 23 about Prude being unresponsive after the incident with police and that he may die. One week later, she said she was told by Singletary Prude had died due to an apparent overdose. She added that August 4 is when she saw the video of Prude and the officers who detained him for the first time. What I saw in that video was a man who needed help a man who need compassion, a man who needed humanity, a man who we should have respected, a man who was in crisis, Warren said. Our response to him was wrong. In future, Warren said she told the police chief he is now required to provide her video of any deaths of a persons in Rochester PD custody within 24 hours for her to review. At no time did I never know the extent, that there was any hands on with these officers until August 4th, Warren said. After that time, she said they could not disclose it because the investigation fell to the state under Gov. Andrew Cuomos 2015 executive order requiring in-custody deaths to be investigated by the State Attorney General's office. Prude, known to his big Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. He was just a bright, loving person, just family-oriented, always there for us when we needed him, she said, and never hurt or harmed anybody. Prude had been traumatized by the deaths of his mother and a brother in recent years, having lost another brother before that, Moore said. In his last months, hed been going back and forth between his Chicago home and his brother's place in Rochester because he wanted to be close with him, she said. She knew her nephew had some psychological issues. Still, when he called two days before his death, he was the normal Rell that I knew, Moore said. I didn't know what was the situation, why he was going through what he was going through that night, but I know he didn't deserve to be killed by the police, she said. Allegations of casual and structural racism within the University of Waikato have been met with resounding silence from the university's leaders, says Professor of Indigenous Education Linda Tuhiwai Smith. She is one of six academics who have written a 13-page letter to the Ministry of Education alerting it of their concerns, and demanding that racism within the university be dealt with. The allegations include Maori expertise being ignored, tokenism, lower pay for Maori staff and no meaningful commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi. Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith says its surprising no one from the university had reached out. "There are two ways that you can attend to our claim. You can go into defensive mode and scurry around and try to manage us as a crisis, and I think that's what's happening to be honest. The other way is to say, 'oh my God, there's a problem, we need to sit down and talk about it because why would senior staff speak out?' "In terms of leadership, a phone call would have been quite good or someone acknowledging that a problem has been identified and trying to talk about that. But silence is an interesting response." She says casual racism is occurring every day for Maori staff members. "For many Maori who work in the university, especially when they are on their own, casual racism can vary from comments made to people about 'you people' that might refer to something in the news, the mispronunciation of your name, all the way to examples of younger scholars having their work dismissed or being asked to contribute to the Maori part of a project but then the science that they have a PhD in is completely ignored. "Part of the structural racism is a failure to fully commit to the rhetoric that many institutions already have about their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, their commitment to equity, their commitment to vision matauranga and Maori knowledge and te reo Maori and all those things. "It's all at the surface. It hasn't really developed. It's limited in the sense that it is a very small part and we're often reminded of just how small we really are. The systemic issue is deeply imbedded in academic subject matter in the way that certain forms of knowledge are privileged." The university has publicly refuted all allegations. In a statement the University of Waikato Chancellor, Sir Anand Satyanand, says all allegations of racism are taken seriously. "The Vice-Chancellor and University Council take allegations of racism seriously and if any members of our community have concerns we encourage them to raise them through the appropriate channel, and in the context of the university's policies and codes of conduct, so that the university has an opportunity to investigate them." The Ministry of Education says it has responded to the letter, but could not add anything further. Te Aniwa Hurihanganui/RNZ. The U.S. Space Force is looking for a permanent place to land - and many Michigan officials are hoping the newest military service branch picks Southeast Michigan as Space Command headquarters. Space Force was officially created Dec. 20, 2019, and is currently headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A permanent location for U.S. Space Command Headquarters is expected to be selected early in 2021, although the department anticipates it will take about six years to complete the new facility. The department opened up the application process for communities interested in hosting the facility last May. In July, the city of Sterling Heights announced it had cleared the first round of screening and remains in the running along with dozens of cities across the country. To be eligible, applicants had to meet several criteria, including being located in a major metropolitan area with close proximity to a military base. In a July press release, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor said the regions robust defense presence, industrial base and a skilled workforce will surely set our community apart during the evaluation phase. The proposal has already earned the support of local officials and Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration now, Sen. Michael MacDonald, R-Macomb Township wants the full Senate to adopt a resolution encouraging federal officials to make Sterling Heights the Space Command headquarters. If Sterling Heights were chosen, it would be a massive and unprecedented opportunity for economic job growth for the city, the region and our entire state, MacDonald told members of the Senate Family, Seniors and Veterans Committee Wednesday afternoon. The resolution was reported to the Senate floor for further consideration. Communities in 26 states submitted bids for U.S. Space Command headquarters, according to SpaceNews. Other cities that cleared the first round of screening include San Antonio, Colorado Springs, Aurora, St. Louis and several cities in Florida. Clarke Peters, who starred alongside Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods, has said he regrets judging the late actor on the set of the film. In a recent interview on Good Morning Britain, The Wire star recalled working with Boseman, who died of colon cancer last month. I have to say with a little bit of regret that I probably wasnt the most altruistic in that environment, but hindsight teaches us a lot of things, Peters said. What Im addressing is, basically, my wife asked what Chadwick was like. I was really excited to work with him. I said, I think hes a little bit precious. And she said, Why? And I said, Because hes surrounded by people who are fawning over him. Peters explained Boseman had a Chinese practitioner massaging his back on set and a makeup artist massaging his feet, as well as having his girlfriend there holding his hand. Peters starts to cry when discussing his first impressions of Boseman on set (ITV) Im thinking maybe the Black Panther thing went to his head, said Peters. Fighting back tears, the actor added that he now understands the illness Boseman was suffering from at the time. I regret even having those thoughts because they were really looking after him, he said. Peters then began to cry, saying he was sorry. Da 5 Bloods is a war movie by Spike Lee that was released on Netflix in June. Bosemans final film, Ma Raineys Black Bottom, is expected to be released on the platform later this year. Boseman died aged 43 on Friday 28 August. He had kept his illness a secret from the public and many of his colleagues, including Letitia Wright, who played his on-screen sister in Black Panther. On Tuesday, Wright shared a moving eulogy for Boseman. I wish I got to say goodbye, she can be heard saying in the video, her voice cracking. I messaged you a couple times but I thought you were just busy. I didnt know you were dealing with so much. Members of the Association of Small Towns Water Supply Systems Ghana are appealing to the government to take immediate steps to fully pay them for the water they have supplied to the public since April this year. According to them, the government has so far paid about 30% of the bill for the month of April while the balance remains unpaid. Out of Gh.c 424, 440.69 water bill presented for April, only Gh.c 124, 809.85 was released by the government to us and even that, it was paid in August, Issah M. Ahmed, Secretary of the Association disclosed at a media encounter in Sunyani last Wednesday. While thanking the government for payments made so far, the association is appealing for the early release of the outstanding amounts for the remaining months to enable continue serving consumers in the wake of COVID-19. Free Water In March this year, the government announced the supply of water to the public for free as part of measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on people. The Associations of Small Towns Water supply Systems Ghana, which has been in existence since 2005, is responsible for the supply of potable water to several towns and communities, in almost every region of Ghana. At the Press Conference in Sunyani, the Association expressed grave concern about the imminent grounding of their work due to the inability to meet operational costs and reiterated the urgent need for the government to pay their arrears for April and the rest of the months since the free water assistance programme was introduced. They are particularly worried about the difficulty in footing the electricity bills since all their plants use pre-paid meters and further called on the government to help change all their meters to post-pay ones to ease the monetary pressure on small towns water systems. We are equal partners in the rural water sector and expect the government to recognize the selfless contributions we are making to the rural communities and accord us with the respect we deserve, Mr. Ahmed added. The National President of the Association Hamza Zakaria noted that the various small-town water systems are finding it extremely difficult to continue with their operations due the delay in the payment of the bills by the government and called for the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to help facilitate the early payment of the bills to save the systems. Reports indicate that out of the Gh.c 67,000.00 water bill presented by the Small Town Water System at Drobo, only Gh.c 16,000 has been paid while the Japekrom Water System has been paid Gh.c 7,000.00 instead of a water bill of Gh.c 33,000.00. The presidential campaign of Joe Biden released a new TV ad on Wednesday that denounces anti-police-violence protesters who engage in vandalism or looting and places the blame for violent clashes between police and demonstrators in cities such as Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon on President Trump. The sixty-second ad sums up the law-and-order message of the speech given Monday in Pittsburgh by the Democratic candidate. That hastily arranged appearance was in response to the fascistic denunciations of protesters and portrayal of Biden and the Democrats as beholden to socialist rioters and arsonists that dominated last month's Republican convention. Joe Biden gives a speech August 31, 2020 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Screen capture from live stream Youtube/Joe Biden) The ad begins with video of Biden speaking in Pittsburgh interspersed with photos of burnt-out cars and stores and video of confrontations between protesters and riot police. Biden states: I want to make it absolutely clear. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Biden goes on to say, Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire. The ad is part of a massive $45 million one-week television and digital purchase that is by far the campaigns largest to date. The ad will air nationally on cable television and in local markets in nine battleground states: Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Trump campaign has launched two new law and order ads of its own around the theme Communities not criminals. Jobs not mobs. They will air in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Biden ad comes on the eve of a quickly organized visit by Biden and his wife Jill to Kenosha, Wisconsin set for Thursday. On Tuesday, Trump visited the city, met with police and National Guard officials and reiterated his defense of killer cops and far-right vigilantes who attack crowds protesting against police violence and racism. Kenosha is a city of 100,000 that has been devastated by decades of plant closures. It has become a focal point of demonstrations against police violence that have been ongoing across the country since May, following the brutal police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests erupted in Kenosha last month after the August 23 police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, an African American worker and father of six. Officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the police force, shot the unarmed Blake point-blank seven times in the back as the victim was trying to get into his car, where three of his children were seated. Blake remains hospitalized, paralyzed from the waist down. The Democratic governor of Wisconsin has called in some 1,500 National Guard troops and the Democratic mayor of Kenosha has overseen a brutal police crackdown against overwhelmingly peaceful protesters, involving mass arrests and the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and military-grade armored vehicles. On August 25, during the Republican convention, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a Trump enthusiast and would-be cop, heeded a call by the Kenosha Guard militia group to come to the city and carry out an armed confrontation with protesters. Rittenhouse shot and killed two peaceful protesters and injured a third. Bidens ad makes no mention of the murder of two protesters by a pro-Trump vigilante in Kenosha or the open coordination between the militia members and the Kenosha police, captured on cell phone video viewed by millions around the world. In responding to the fascistic ravings of Trump and the Republicans by seeking to establish their own law-and-order credentials, Biden and the Democratic Party are following the demands of their backers on Wall Street and within the intelligence and national security apparatus, as articulated by the New York Times. On Tuesday, the Times print edition carried an op-ed piece by columnist Brett Stephens headlined Unwitting Progressives for Trump: Does Joe Biden have the nerve to stand up to the far left? The article denounced protesters in Washington DC who jostled Republican Senator Rand Paul and his wife as they were leaving the White House following Trumps acceptance speech at the Republican convention. It complained that Biden's Pittsburgh speech did not go far enough and urged him to call out far-left ugliness, visit burned-out businesses in Kenosha, and telephone the family of a right-wing activist killed last Saturday in Portland. This was followed Wednesday by a prominently placed commentary by the Times leading columnist Thomas Friedman calling Biden's looting is not protesting speech a good start, but demanding that he more forcefully denounce calls to defund the police. Friedman, among the Times most direct conduits to Wall Street and US intelligence, went on to say that Biden, if he frames it right, can be the real law and order candidate in this election. Because hes not for disbanding the police, but for improving them. The Washington Post cited Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor and senior figure in the Democratic Party, described by the Post as a Biden friend, as praising the Pittsburgh speech but warning, He has to give that message over and over. Bidens Pittsburgh speech and the new campaign ad are part of a further shift of his campaign to the right. The ad is intended to reassure the American ruling elite that he can be relied on to suppress growing social opposition intensified by the criminally incompetent and callous response of the entire political establishment to the coronavirus pandemic, and the social catastrophe that is unfolding as a result of the subordination of workers health and lives to corporate profits and Wall Street stock prices. It makes a mockery of the attempts by Biden and the Democrats to posture as allies of youth and workers confronted by police violence and racism. It points to the fact that the Democrats promotion of racial politics is aimed at dividing the working class and defending the capitalist ruling class and the state institutions, such as the police, that safeguard its wealth and power. REPEAT OFFENDER: Eddy Grant Sues Trump Over Electric Avenue Use Eddy Grant has sued the campaign of President Donald Trump over the use of his music in campaign materials. In August, Grants legal counsel, Wallace E.J. Collins sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter after Grants hit Electric Avenue was used in a video showcasing unflattering comments by Trumps opponent, Democratic hopeful Joe Biden. In his letter, Collins said: you have made an unauthorized use of our copyrighted work in connection with the political campaign of Donald Trump. He continued, as a result of your wrongful unauthorized Infringing Use in connection with your controversial political campaign, substantial damage and irreparable harm has occurred and will continue to occur to my client and his reputation as an artist when affiliated in any way with your campaign. The Trump Campaign did not comply with the cease-and-desist, and on Tuesday, Grant filed a complaint in federal court over the matter. Repeat Offender In the suit, Grant alleges two counts of copyright infringement and seeks monetary damages equal to all gains, profits and advantages derived by Defendants from their infringements of Plaintiffs copyrights or such statutory damages as to the Court shall appear just as specified in 17 U.S.C. 504(c)(1), that is not more than One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) nor less than Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($750.00) for each infringement. Grant also seeks to enjoin the President and his team from continued use of his copyrighted material. I can understand the flagrant abuse of my rights being attributed to the worst Third World nation in the world, wherever that can be found; one that does not preach democracy on every available occasion, but I fail to understand however, that such an organization dedicated to the promotion of the President of the United States, could so seriously abuse my rights as an artist, composer, arranger, producer and ultimately, the owner of these abused rights, Grant said in a statement in August. photo: Donald Trump By Michael Vadon CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons) Share on: Ann Piggott of ASTI said the extra resources are not enough Secondary schools in Dublin are facing a "chronic shortage of teachers" in the coming months due to delayed retirements, at-risk staff needing time off and young teachers choosing to work in rural areas. Unions speaking at the Covid-19 response committee yesterday painted a bleak picture as schools reopen. The committee met to hear input from teachers and parents about how the return is operating on the ground, and some significant issues were raised. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (Tui) said schools in cities will be hit hardest by staff shortages. While the Government's road map to reopening allocated 1,080 post-primary staff to schools, unions said this will not be enough. "It only works out as roughly one teacher for each school," said Ann Piggott, vice president of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (Asti). Exaggerated The Department of Education previously stated it would be making contact with 6,000 teachers registered with the Teaching Council who are currently not active. However, the committee heard this number was "exaggerated" as it includes many young teachers who went abroad to teach and kept up their registration here. John Boyle, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (Into), said younger teachers are choosing to work in rural areas where there is a lower cost of living. Anecdotal evidence showed there have been very few applicants for jobs in urban areas, and this is likely to be made worse in the context of illnesses and retirements. The committee also heard how a "large number of teachers are expecting babies" and are very concerned about returning to the workplace. Mr Boyle claimed some fem-ale teachers who are pregnant are being advised by their GPs not to return to school. This is despite HSE advice stating that evidence gathered so far shows "pregnant women are not at risk". "We don't fully know how it affects pregnant women and their babies," the advice on the agency's website states. Meanwhile, Tui general secretary Michael Gillespie said there is a serious lack of teachers for subjects including languages and science. "In a month we'll have delayed retirements hitting the system. We believe there will be a chronic shortage of teachers. Most of these will be in urban areas, in particular Dublin," he said. Education Minister Norma Foley appeared before the committee for the first time since being appointed. In response to various quer-ies from TDs, she confirmed that priority testing will be available for schools, but only in the event of an outbreak. She said a total of 547 out of 750 teachers who applied for a risk assessment have so far been declared very high-risk. The assessments have been carried out by Medmark on behalf of the Department of Education. "In a case bordering between high risk and very high risk, they will err on the side of caution," Ms Foley said. Closure In her opening statement, she said "it is important to note the response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of Covid-19 in a school is the responsibility of, and will be led and managed by, public health HSE". She said all decisions on appropriate actions following a confirmed case or outbreak will be made by public health officials. It will not be up to individual schools to decide if a closure is necessary. Ms Foley also said it will be "quite a logistical challenge" to provide transport for secondary school students, with buses set to run at 50pc capacity following advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet). She said there would be a requirement for an "additional 1,600 buses and drivers", and funding was being put in place to make that possible. However, no timeline was provided. She said the Department was not responsible for private transport services. Opera Australia is being taken to the Fair Work Commission in a dispute over the proposed axing of musicians, choristers and crew. The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance is unhappy with the premiere arts company's plans for redundancies, estimating up to 25 per cent of permanent positions will be lost under the organisational restructure flagged by the company two weeks ago. Opera Australia's Ring Cycle in Brisbane was to have been a box office blockbuster before COVID-19 shut it down. Sixteen of 50 full-time musicians had been asked to meet with management about their future employment, as had another four in the chorus, said Paul Davies, director of MEAA's Musicians section. Similar staff numbers had been targeted in technical and manufacturing departments, including props, costumes and wigs. Open for daily subscriptions to accredited investors 3iQ - The Bitcoin Fund (TSX: QBTC.U) 3iQ - The Bitcoin Fund (TSX: QBTC.U) Toronto, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: QBTC.U) 3iQ Corp. (3iQ is pleased to announce that The Bitcoin Fund has completed a round of private placements of 241,320 units approved by the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The Bitcoin Fund is currently open for daily subscriptions to accredited investors. Following a four-month holding period, investors in the private placement may elect to sell their shares on the TSX under the ticker symbol: QBTC.U. The Bitcoin Funds investment objectives are to provide holders of units with: (a) exposure to bitcoin priced in U.S. dollars, and (b) the opportunity for long-term capital appreciation. The Bitcoin Fund will acquire assets from reputable bitcoin trading platforms and OTC counterparties, in order to provide investors with a convenient, secure alternative to a direct investment in bitcoin. Gemini, a trust company licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, will act as sub-custodian of the Fund's assets. We believe an investment in bitcoin will provide investors with a low-correlated asset class which will complement traditional investment strategies. 3iQ is the investment fund manager and portfolio manager of The Bitcoin Fund. For further information regarding the Fund, please visit www.3iq.ca or email Fred Pye, President and CEO of 3iQ at fred.pye@3iQ.ca. About 3iQ Founded in 2012, 3iQ is a Canadian investment fund manager focused on providing investors with exposure to digital assets, disruptive technologies and the blockchain space. 3iQ was the first Canadian investment fund manager to agree to terms and conditions with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities to manage a public bitcoin investment fund and multi-cryptoasset fund for Canadian accredited investors. Our experienced team of financial professionals are committed to providing innovative investments of institutional quality. Digital assets are a significant new technology that seek to revolutionize both currency and application development through blockchain and distributed computing methodologies. Access to these new technologies can be daunting, costly, and inconvenient. 3iQ has worked through a stringent regulatory process to offer investors convenient and familiar investment products to gain exposure to digital assets. We have partnered with thought leaders and best-in-class service providers in this area to build secure products that aim to generate positive long-term capital gains for investors looking to hold investments in digital assets. Story continues Disclaimer Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The prospectus contains important information relating to these securities. Copies of the prospectus may be obtained from Canaccord Genuity Corp. or any of the Agents. Investors should read the prospectus before making an investment decision. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to matters disclosed in this news release and to other matters identified in public filings relating to the Fund, to the future outlook of the Fund and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the future financial performance of the Fund. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such as may, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, predict, potential, continue or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In particular, this news release includes forward-looking information relating to the anticipated completion of the Offering. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking information for a number of reasons, including the failure to close the transactions referenced in this news release on the terms and conditions currently contemplated by the Fund, or at all, as well the risk factors identified in the Funds prospectus. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, unless otherwise required by law. This news 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 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 shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons nor shall there by any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release is not for distribution in the United States newswire servicesor for dissemination in the United States. Attachment CONTACT: Fred Pye 3iQ Corp. +1(416) 639-2130 fred.pye@3iq.ca A few things go through Tim Tredwells mind when hes in the middle of an active shooter drill, leading his physical education class into the locker room at John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River, Connecticut. He thinks about which student has a special education plan, whether any of them do not handle trauma well, or if theres one hed have to carry if they had to run. He thinks of his own children. Even when Tredwell knows its only a drill, he still feels a jolt of apprehension when the principal comes by to shake his door to ensure its locked. Its been this way since the drills began shortly after the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. It kind of ended the gun control debate, Tredwell said. We saw kindergartners get killed and what changed? Its clearly going to keep happening. So the question became, what do we do when they do? He added, Its the bizarre nature of where we are as a society. Active shooter drills became one of the most common school safety measures implemented nationwide in recent years, despite widespread fears that the procedures heighten anxiety, and evidence that school shooters, like the one in Parkland, Florida, use knowledge of the drills to their advantage. Teachers unions in February called for schools to not conduct active shooter drills with students. Now, new research adds data to those concerns. A report released Thursday, obtained in advance by NBC News, found active shooter drills in schools correlated with a 42 percent increase in anxiety and stress and a 39 percent increase in depression among those in the school community, including students, teachers and parents, based on their social media posts. Image: Livingston Police Department officers, Park County Sheriff's officers, and Livingston Fire Department EMS employees conduct an active shooter drill at Park High School in Livingston, Montana, on April 27, 2018. (William Campbell / Corbis via Getty Images file) The report, released by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, relied on research from Georgia Techs Social Dynamics and Wellbeing Lab, which analyzed 27.9 million tweets and 1,454 Reddit posts that came from accounts with connections to 114 schools in 33 states that held active shooter drills in the 2018-19 academic year. The researchers examined changes in social media posts in the 90 days before and after a drill. The higher rates of anxiety and depression were evidenced by an increase in words such as afraid, struggling, nervous, therapy and suicidal. Story continues It wasnt just a short duration that everybody shakes off its having a lasting impression, Sarah Burd-Sharps, Everytowns research director, said. This methodology is known as psycholinguistic analysis, and has been used by researchers to examine peoples attitudes over time, such as on college campuses following shootings and during COVID-19 lockdowns. For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app Munmun De Choudhury, a Georgia Tech computer scientist who led the school safety research, said they identified people connected to schools based on those who followed the schools Twitter account, were geolocated within the districts boundaries or mentioned the school on Reddit. The researchers then compared the changes before and after a lockdown exercise with a control group of social media users who had no connection to the school districts. We found the levels were nowhere close to what we see in our school communities after the drills, she said. Image: Students at Forest Dale Elementary school gather during an intruder drill in Carmel, Ind., on May 6, 2016. (Michael Conroy / AP file) Practicing school lockdowns became more common following the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, and rapidly expanded as high-profile attacks took place in recent years. The portion of public schools conducting these drills grew from 40 percent in 2007 to 95 percent by 2017, as most states now require them. Theyll still be performed nationwide in the coming months for districts that are bringing children back on campus amid the coronavirus pandemic. The exercises range from drills in which students and teachers go through the motions of turning the lights off and locking doors, to high-intensity exercises that involve actors portraying gunmen and victims while the sound of gunshots plays. The Trump administrations 2018 commission report on school safety says each community should decide for itself what kind of lockdown exercises to conduct. Related: From calling them "buddy room drills" to making school psychologists available during the exercises, schools are trying to protect students physically and mentally. Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned in a policy statement that the drills can cause students psychological harm and hinder decision-making by educators. Dr. David Schonfeld, lead author of the statement, said no school should conduct a high-intensity training that simulates an actual attack. When we do fire drills, we don't pretend there is a real fire we don't play the sound of buildings crackling in flames, Schonfeld said. Image: Law enforcement officers and first responders participate in a regional active shooter training at Deering High School in Portland, Maine, on May 18, 2019. (Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images file) Critics say the drills have got out of hand in some districts, like at the Twin Lakes School Corporation in Indiana. On Jan. 4, 2019, a Twin Lakes elementary school hosted a training conducted by the White County Sheriffs Office. Deputies shot teachers at point blank range with airsoft guns during a mock execution, leaving staff bloodied and welted, according to a lawsuit filed last month against the sheriffs office by eight educators. Students were not present that day, but the suit states that the training was so traumatic that one educator retired early; another resigned; a third was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; and a fourth was so upset when the school later held a lockdown drill that she was shaking. The White County Sheriffs Office and the school district declined to comment. The Indiana Legislature passed a law last year requiring each district conduct an active shooter drill in the first 90 days of the school, which the state has not waived in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indiana State Teachers Association said it lobbied unsuccessfully to tack on a prohibition on the firing of plastic projectiles during the drills. Everytowns report included samples of social media posts about the lockdown exercises. In one, a parent describes their kindergartner being stuck in a bathroom alone during a drill, and that in a new school even, she still has to use the bathroom in the nurses office because she has ptsd from that event. In another, an educator wrote that after a drill, We were in bathrooms crying, shaking, not sleeping for months. The consensus from my friends and peers is that we were not okay. I hope at the very minimum, this shines a light on how severe some of the impact could be in the schools where these drills are implemented, De Choudhury said. Image: Forest Dale Elementary School principal Deanna Pitman, right, and Carmel Police Officer Greg DeWald welcome back students as they return to class following an intruder drill in Indiana on May 6, 2016. (Michael Conroy / AP file) The report concludes that measures such as threat assessment programs and improved access to mental health professionals would be more effective than lockdown drills to keep schools safe. However, if schools are going to do drills, the report urges against mimicking an actual incident. Parents should also have advance notice, the report states, and schools should track data about the efficacy and effects of drills. School safety consultant Tom Czyz, a former SWAT operator and homicide detective, agreed with many of the reports recommendations. He believes there should be federal rules on what kind of active shooter drills schools can conduct, and that if a school is going to include students, they should calmly walk them through the steps. Were traumatizing too many kids for the amount of shootings that go on, Czyz said. The presumption of criminality justifying fatal shootings is misleading. First, violent crime in the U.S. is at record lows, continuing a downtrend since its peak in the early 1990s. Still, for nearly a decade, fatal shootings of civilians by law enforcement remain constant at about 1,000 victims per year. Second, Black people are 1.3 times less likely to be armed than their white counterparts during police encounters. Decreasing violent crime has not resulted in a proportionate decrease in police shootings, and Black people, who are less likely to have a gun, are more likely to be shot and killed. An invention from the L.A. denim brand 69. Photo: Jessica Pettway For the Strategists first article about masks, published in late January, we consulted with three infectious-disease doctors who confirmed what we had heard from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the surgeon general, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and nearly every other qualified expert: Dont wear them. Medical-grade N95 masks worked only if properly fitted and needed to be reserved for health-care workers. By March, stocks of N95 masks were running dangerously low. Hospital staffers were forced to reuse masks, and patients were reportedly given tissues to cough into. Non-medical-grade masks were then said to be a good option. In response, amateur mask-making took off, whether it was by a group of Amish women in Pennsylvania who sewed 13,000 masks for a local medical center or by designer Christian Siriano, who shut down his clothing production and shifted to making masks for medical professionals full time. Still, no one I knew was even considering buying a mask. We were all following the advice wed been given, dutifully wiping down counters and washing our hands so often they hurt. That is, until China and South Korea released studies suggesting that 25 to 50 percent of infectious people showed no symptoms. Finally, on April 3, the CDC recommended that everyone wear face coverings in public. Surfaces were no longer the threat. Breathing was, which meant everyone around you was too. America scrambled. Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. surgeon general, put out a video showing how to make a face covering from rubber bands and fabric. If you needed a mask in early April, you bought it on Etsy, made your own, or found a friend who could sew. There were a lot of people walking around with what looked like bedsheets on their faces. Buck Mason, a menswear brand in L.A., had actually started making masks a few weeks before as a way to help essential workers and planned to donate a mask for each one sold. Wed heard no one should wear masks, but some outlier articles indicated we should be getting them to our warehouse employees, says co-founder Erik Allen Ford. In what seemed like a day, dozens of companies, from Hedley & Bennett to Diop to Rag & Bone, had joined the scrum. On a whim, we decided to publish an article surfacing decent fabric masks that I would be willing to wear. There were fewer than a dozen, most of which were from Etsy. Since anyone could make a mask, and nobody knew what it meant to make an effective one, there was no quality control. So I started ordering them. In only two days, that post had been read by more than 110,000 people. Clearly, most Etsy sellers werent expecting the attention; my editor and I scanned the story in shifts to remove items that had sold out and add new ones. A week later, when Governor Cuomo announced that New Yorkers must wear face coverings in public, traffic to the story spiked again. And its stayed spiked: Over the past four months, it has been the fifth-most-read article across all our New York Magazine sites. Meanwhile, Buck Mason quickly blew past its initial goal to make and donate 100,000 masks it sold nearly 400,000 in the first month. Smaller companies had similar results. Kiki Pedro-Hall, who, pre-pandemic, made custom clothing for Kehlani and Chance the Rapper, stopped work and began making masks in her apartment. Now, her company, Ki Collection, employs seamstresses in the Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn all people who lost their jobs in the Garment District. As our article grew, both in length and popularity, we were hearing in the comments section that some of the masks werent very good. Since anyone could make a mask, and nobody knew what it meant to make an effective one, there was no quality control. So I started ordering them. For weeks, they arrived one or two a day, until eventually there were stacks sitting by my front door waiting to be tested. Since then, Ive tried 43 myself. With the help of the rest of the Strategist team, were up to 61. Testing so many has helped me learn which types fit my face. It has also let me observe, up close, the constant shifts in mask innovation. The best have a few things in common: (1) They pass the light test, something we learned about from Dr. Scott Segal, who headed up a materials study at Wake Forest Baptist Health. He suggests holding your mask up to the sun. The more light that passes through, the less effective the mask is. (2) They fit tightly to your face. (3) They have a bendable nose strip for a more snug and if youre a glasses-wearer, fog-free fit. (4) They fasten with adjustable ear loops. Then summer came. Suddenly, the thick masks we had all gotten used to were making our faces sweat. Companies launched new designs made of lightweight cottons and moisture-wicking synthetics. But just as a sigh of relief passed through our summer-appropriate masks, new information came out upending everything we thought we knew. That moisture-wicking material? It wicks those particles right out through the front of your mask, where theyre a greater threat to others. Every day, there was a new mask. And every other day, it seemed, there was a new study. We added disclosures to our articles and kept testing. Maybe it was because the warmer weather meant everyone started hanging out outside again, but it started to matter a bit more what these masks actually looked like. Which means that, at this point, there is almost literally an option for everyone and by everyone from Collina Strada to Phillip Lim, Crayola to Devo (they also have a face shield attached to their signature dome hat). Even in such a short time, weve watched micro mask trends come and go. Batik and Ankara fabric masks were popular in the beginning, when they were cited as good choices in a study out of Wake Forest. Then came florals, bandanna prints, protest masks, and masks covered in ruffles, lace, sequins, and tassels. Stacey Abrams has a vote mask that benefits her nonprofit. There are limited-edition masks from Proenza Schouler, a $1.5 million diamond-encrusted mask by Israeli jewelry brand Yvel. And there are certain masks that more quietly signal status. For instance, the crew who work at and circle around the Lower East Side restaurant Cervos tend to wear masks from designerdrag performer Steak Diane. Teens have their own rules: Theyre customizing them with markers and Drake lyrics. In early summer, influencer Lara Eurdolian launched a line of gold mask chains. Within days, dozens, then hundreds, of sellers were producing look-alikes. Then came the ear savers, clips, and headbands, meant to make the elastic less uncomfortable. (Those too have been big business one Etsy shop, called MASKCoUS, has sold more than 10,000 ear savers in two months.) Soon there will be masks that make our clumsy, early attempts at protection look futile: ones that can stymie the virus upon contact, others that can amplify the wearers voice. But this is where we are six months in. All the Masks Weve Written About Photo: Courtesy of Giovanna/ *A version of this article appears in the August 31, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now! get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, September 4 2020 Experts have differing opinions on the National Polices decision to suspend criminal investigations into cases implicating potential or registered candidates for the Dec. 9 regional elections. The disagreement comes after a recent telegram issued by National Police chief Gen. Idham Azis that stated that the staging of smooth and peaceful elections was the core principle behind the policy. Criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hadjar of Jakarta's Trisakti University said there was no legitimate basis for the suspension of criminal investigations. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday, arguing the former vice president would bring back civility to the United States and work on bringing Americans closer together. He has shown the desire to heal a deeply divided nation; has demonstrated strong moral character and empathy; and he seems willing to listen to people who have different perspectives from his own, Snyder, a Republican, wrote in an op-ed in USA Today. Snyder, a former computer industry executive who memorably introduced himself to voters as one tough nerd during his first run for office, blasted President Donald Trump as a bully who refuses to respect opposing points of view. Being strong is standing up for your convictions. Being a bully is trying to intimidate those who are perceived to be weaker or a threat, Snyder wrote. As a proud nerd, I had to deal with bullies over many years; it is tragedy watching our world suffer from one. Biden has now received the formal backing of the Midwestern swing states three most recent governors. Snyders predecessor, Democrat Jennifer Granholm, and his successor, incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, endorsed Biden in the run-up to Michigans March presidential primary. But Snyder's endorsement could also come with scrutiny from some Democrats unwilling to embrace the former governor, who has faced significant criticism for his handling of the Flint water crisis. Bidens campaign has sought to highlight bipartisan support for his candidacy, rolling out a series of endorsements from former Trump administration officials and Republican officeholders in recent weeks. At their four-day nominating convention last month, Democrats offered speaking roles to multiple Republicans, including former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New York Rep. Susan Molinari, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and business executive Meg Whitman. Story continues Last week, the former vice presidents campaign launched Republicans for Biden, a national effort aimed at encouraging GOP voters supporting Biden to organize in their communities ahead of the November election. The announcement coincided with more than two dozen former Republican members of Congress endorsing Biden, including former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a frequent Trump critic within the GOP who opted against running for reelection in 2018. Reuters reported Thursday morning that Snyder was one of nearly 100 Republican and independent leaders expected to endorse the Democratic presidential nominee. The group, called Republicans and Independents for Biden, also includes Christine Todd Whitman and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump in the 2020 Republican primary. THE State is now facing a potential lawsuit for tortious assault and battery by a family that was tear-gassed by police while at the Queens Park Savannah in Port of Spain last Sunday. Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob has been given 28 days within which to provide specific pieces of information to attorneys representing the family or, in default, a civil claim will be filed at the High Court, the familys attorneys warned yesterday. A man has been arrested for punching a woman in the face, authorities said. Laredo police officers were dispatched to an assault report at about 11:59 a.m. Aug. 4 in the 3000 block of Juarez Avenue. Officers met with a woman who allegedly had visible injuries to her facial area and a nosebleed. Raja Singh banned from Facebook and Instagram for anti-Muslim posts, after the social media giant accused of bias. Facebook has banned a member of Indias governing Hindu nationalist party for violating its policies covering violence and hate speech, after the social media giant was accused of political bias. The company said on Thursday it had banned politician Raja Singh from Facebook and Instagram under its dangerous individuals and organizations policy. The worlds largest social media company is under fire after The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that its India policy chief Ankhi Das refused to apply the companys hate speech policies to politicians from Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups. Facebook ignored its hate speech policy and allowed anti-Muslim posts on its platform to avoid ruining the companys relationship with Indias governing party, said the report by The Wall Street Journal. Ankhi Das refused to apply the companys hate speech policies to BJP politicians, the WSJ said in a report [File: Priyanka Parashar/Mint via Getty Images] Singh, the BJPs only legislator in the southern state of Telangana, is known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric. The WSJ said the right-wing politician had demanded that Rohingya refugees be shot, called Indias Muslims traitors and threatened to demolish mosques in his Facebook posts and public speeches. On Wednesday, an Indian parliamentary committee grilled Ajit Mohan, managing director of Facebook India, after the social media giant was accused of not acting against anti-Muslim posts on its platforms. Public-relations crisis When contacted for comment, Singh sent Reuters a video message saying his followers and other party workers had set up pages using his name and that he plans to contact Facebook so that he can open an account. I want to use social media following all norms, he said. Some Facebook employees have raised questions about whether adequate procedures and content regulation practices were being followed by the India team, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters last month. On Thursday Facebook said it will also remove pages, groups and accounts set up to represent Singh and Facebook events that he is known to be participating in, but will continue to allow wider discussion of him, including praise and support. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account, the company said in a statement The Wall Street Journal reported the move earlier, saying at least five Facebook profiles dedicated to Singh, which once had more than 300,000 followers, showed a message saying This Content Isnt Available Right Now. Washington: Echoing a discredited conspiracy theory, vulnerable Republican Senator Joni Ernst is suggesting government statistics on coronavirus infections and deaths have been inflated. Ernst, who is facing an unexpectedly tough reelection fight, made the comment after a man at a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, said he believes the numbers of cases and deaths are much lower than reported. Experts refute that and new data suggests that the toll is probably significantly higher than the official count. Republican Senator Joni Ernst would like to know more about the alternative death toll she heard about. Credit:AP Ernst said she, too, is so sceptical of the official numbers. These health care providers and others are reimbursed at a higher rate if COVID is tied to it, so what do you think theyre doing? she said to the crowd on Monday, according to a report by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Sumi Sukanya dutta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A circular issued by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, a central government institute, has asked all its staffers to mandatorily get health IDs created under the National Digital Health Mission. The Union government has so far maintained that creation of digital health IDs is a voluntary exercise. The NDHM, rolled out in six Union Territories on a pilot basis for now, was launched by PM Narendra Modi on August 15. As per the draft NDHM policy, which is yet to be adopted, the objective of the mission is to create a system of digital personal and medical health records which is easily accessible to individuals and health service providers and is purely voluntary in nature, based on the consent of individuals. The circular issued last week by the PGIMER, undersigned both by the director and the medical superintendent, says otherwise. The registration for generating Health IDs is mandatory for all the citizens of our country and Chandigarh administration has also initiated the registration process on the link shared by the government and directed to: get the facility registered, all the doctors registered and all others and their family members to get registered on this application mandatorily, it says. GIMER director Dr Jagat Ram could not be reached for comments despite multiple attempts, but Indu Bhushan, CEO of the National Health Authority, which is operationalising the NDHM, told this newspaper that this is a wrong circular. We will take it up with the hospital. They cant do it, he added. Praveen Gedam, additional CEO at the NHA who is in-charge of the mission, insisted that it was a case of misunderstanding. We will get in touch with PGIMER and repeat these instructions. Amid charges that IIT Kharagpur authorities snapped internet connection in hostels of students and research scholars so that they are forced to vacate rooms, the management on Thursday said that they were repeatedly asked to leave since the end of June. While over 10,000 students had left the campus since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, about 100 are not vacating their rooms, Registrar Prof B N Singh said. An institute source said that net connection in five hostels lodging 65 research scholars and several BTech, MTech students was discontinued on September 1 after the inmates informed the authorities they cannot leave the campus till the situation normalises. One of these students said that the move of the institute was aimed at forcing them to vacate hostels, but they cannot leave the campus due to lack of adequate transport facility. Initially they had sought a little more time citing lack of travel options and to make necessary arrangements. But two months have passed since June. There is no possibility of campus activities starting this month, Singh told PTI. The institute has started online classes as the new semester began in September. We had considered their request earlier as they are our children. But this cannot go on indefinitely. The director himself had also requested them to leave. They must be aware of the pandemic situation, Singh said. He said that 12-13 people including five students staying in the campus have been tested positive for COVID-19 in less than two weeks. We cannot risk the health of our students, the registrar said. IIT Kharagpur had asked all students, who got stranded because of lockdown, to leave the campus by June 30, but a few of them remained there. The first COVID-19 case was detected in the institute when one of them tested positive on August 19. The authorities then asked all the students staying in the campus to vacate their rooms by August 23. Asked about the condition of those who have been infected with the virus, the registrar said, They had all been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata. Several of them have already recovered. A Black man died of suffocation in Rochester, N.Y., after police officers who were taking him into custody put a hood over his head and then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released by his family and local activists on Wednesday. The man, Daniel Prude, 41, died on March 30, seven days after his encounter with the police, after being removed from life support, his family said. His death occurred two months before the killing in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off protests across the United States. But it attracted widespread attention only on Wednesday when his family held a news conference to highlight disturbing video footage of the encounter taken from body cameras that the police officers wore. The New York State attorney general, Letitia James, and the Rochester police chief said they were investigating the death. The officers involved are still on the force. Amid the stand-off with China at Pangong Tso, Indian Army chief General MM Naravane began a visit to Ladakh on Thursday to take stock of the situation, defence officials said. Army chief General MM Narvane reached Ladakh on Thursday on a two-day visit. He will take stock of the situation and operational preparedness of the troops, said a Defence official. General Narvanes visit assumes significance after the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by the Chinese army to transgress into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near the southern bank of Pangong Tso in Ladakh on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. Over the weekend, Indian troops have strengthened their positions on the heights along the southern bank of Pangong Tso. The situation in eastern Ladakh remains tense and both the countries have reinforced their positions by deploying more troops and military hardware Meanwhile, Chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria of the Indian Air Force (IAF) visited frontline air bases in Eastern Air Command (EAC) on Wednesday, a defence spokesperson said. On arrival at the bases in Eastern Air Command the Chief of Air Staff was received by respective Air Officers Commanding who apprised him of the readiness state and operational preparedness of the combat units under their command. He also met and interacted with air warriors serving in these units during the course of his visit, the spokesperson said. He lauded the focused efforts by the station personnel towards maintaining proficiency in all roles envisaged and urged them to continue performing their duty with due diligence, the spokesperson said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The UK could get back to normal by Christmas if the rapid coronavirus testing being trialled by the Government is successful, Matt Hancock said today. The Health Secretary, who has announced a 500million investment in a mass on-the-spot saliva testing regime, said it was the 'best shot' at ending social distancing. Although treatments for the virus are improving, unless a vaccine is found it still cannot be cured or prevented completely. So keeping track of the bug and squashing it out of communities is the only way to prevent more people ending up in hospital and dying. When asked about ending social distancing, Mr Hancock said on BBC Radio 4 this morning: 'I hope that if this mass testing regime comes off, if the new technologies were working so hard on work, or we manage to get a vaccine between now and then which we cant rule out then I hope we can have the happy and loving Christmas that people yearn for.' However as the Health Secretary promises testing will get Britain out of its current situation, the official testing regime is rationing swabs and making some people travel more than 100 miles to get them. The tests of which around 180,000 are done each day are being used more in areas that are in local lockdowns or at risk of facing extra restrictions. As a result, people who feel unwell in less badly-affected areas of the country are struggling to access the swabs and some report being told to drive for hours to centres in other cities, counties or even countries. In a bid to speed up testing, the Department of Health today announced it was opening a new laboratory in Loughborough that will be capable of processing 50,000 tests per day. But NHS Test & Trace data today showed the system is still floundering and was last week unable to reach almost a third of people who had been in contact with an infected person. And home tests the only ones available for people being told to travel dozens of miles by the booking system are now taking an average three days to return results. One expert said Mr Hancock's drive for fast testing would be 'useless' if the contact tracing system didn't work, saying the tests needed to be part of a 'whole system'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced the Government is investing 500million in mass rapid testing for the coronavirus Testing has increased vastly from no more than 13,000 tests per day at the start of April to around 150,000 in July and 200,000 in August Britons who show Covid symptoms can apply for drive-through tests, but some have revealed they are directed to centres more than 100 miles away (Pictured: A family member administers a self-test to a child at a station in Leicester) In a day of developments in Britain's coronavirus testing strategy: NHS Test & Trace failed to reach almost a third of at-risk contacts of infected patients last week, its worst performance so far; The time taken to receive a result for a home test has stretched to three days, on average; Department of Health has announced a new 'lighthouse' national laboratory, which will be capable of processing 50,000 tests per day by the end of 2020, will open this month near Loughborough; A BBC investigation found the booking system for swab tests is directing people to swab centres dozens of miles from their homes as testing is centred around areas with rising infection rates; The British Medical Association said it was 'ludicrous' that people are struggling to book same-day tests near their homes. The Health Secretary has defended the current testing system and said: 'At the moment the system works well. Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it works well. 'And we're finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after. PEOPLE BEING DIRECTED TO TESTING STATIONS 100+ MILES AWAY IS 'LUDICROUS', DOCTORS SAY The British Medical Association today said it was 'ludicrous' that the coronavirus test booking system is directing people to centres dozens or even hundreds of miles away from their homes. People report being instructed to drive dozens of miles, some of them more than 100 miles or even from Suffolk to Scotland, to their closest available same-day test. An investigation by the BBC found that the system routinely tried to direct people to testing centres tens or hundreds of miles from their homes. London postcodes were directed to Cardiff, it found, while someone in Devon might have to travel more than 100 miles to Wales, and a postcode in the Lake District redirected to a test centre in Scotland. One hapless man, David Llewellyn, told the broadcaster he was told to go to a centre near Blackburn, near Manchester, more than 200 miles from his home in Suffolk. And a MailOnline investigation discovered testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told no slots were unavailable. A number of people in the capital needing swabs have now come forward to complain they had been told none could be taken in the city. Dr Peter English, chair of public health at the British Medical Association, said: 'Its ludicrous that people are being directed so far from their homes for testing. 'In some cases, it means driving for three hours and back which is completely inappropriate at the best of times, let alone for someone who may be ill with Covid-19 symptoms. Travelling such distances are expensive, and thats if individuals have access to a car at all.' Health Secretary acknowledged the system was facing 'operational challenges' but said it was 'working well' overall. Advertisement 'But absolutely we need to roll out more testing - we have done throughout this crisis and today's another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology.' This morning he said the rapid testing was Britain's best chance at getting back to normal. The Government has announced it is pouring 500million into trialling and manufacturing tests that can be done on the spot using people's saliva. These can give a positive or negative result in just 20 minutes, compared to the current lab-based swabs that can take days to complete. Main pilots of the portable 'lab in a van' tests will take place in Salford, Southampton in Hampshire. Mr Hancock refused to put a date on when the tests would be available more widely to people around the UK but he said it would be 'in the coming weeks and months', appearing to be planning for them to be in use by the winter. Experts say that winter is likely to bring a resurgence in cases, hospitalisations and deaths caused by Covid-19 because viruses tend to spread more effectively in colder weather and the country will also have to deal with the flu at the same time. On Radio 4 this morning the Health Secretary said: 'Short of a vaccine this is the best chance we have of reducing social distancing whilst controlling the virus, especially with winter coming with all the challenges that brings.' He said that hoped the testing would allow people to have a 'happy and loving Christmas' with their friends and family. But cautioned: 'We will of course do everything we can to keep people safe. We cant say that absolutely yet. 'But let us all try to just pull together, do the social distancing, back all these new innovative technologies that scientists are coming up with. And then, just maybe, we can have that Christmas that everybody wants to see.' The 500 million funding package will support trials of a 20-minute Covid-19 test and efforts to explore the benefits of repeatedly testing people for the virus. Money will go towards launching new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester. Existing trials in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said saliva-based testing will also be used in the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners. A select number of residents will be invited for a weekly test, with the pilot performing up to 250 tests a day. But tests on their own won't be enough to fix the problem, one scientist warned. Dr Joshua Moon, a researcher at the University of Sussex's Business School, said: 'Rapid tests are a good thing in general and, if they have the same reliability and accuracy as the PCR test, have the potential to be of real benefit to the response. 'The key, however, is to remember that these tests exist within a whole system of response rather than being the sole component. 'Having a rapid test is useless if positive cases cant or wont isolate because support and enforcement is absent or if contacts cant be identified because the tracing system is overwhelmed. 'As such, while a rapid test is a useful thing to have, it needs to be supported by a whole system of policies and strategies around contact tracing, case and contact isolation, support for those self-isolating, and evaluation of the system itself to ensure better functioning as the pandemic continues.' The initial focus of the Government project will be on high-footfall areas of Salford, such as shopping centres, public transport and places of worship. The project's aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate. 'The second use of testing,' Mr Hancock added on Radio 4 this morning, 'is to remove some of the restrictions that we currenrtly have. 'Because if you test and you test negative, you may catch the virus in a few days' time but we know that youre negative now. And if we can get to the point where regular testing is possible then you're pretty confident that you dont have it. 'At the same time we do catch those positive cases, so that allows people more freedom and it allows us to have the confidence to be able to lift some of the social distancing measures and allow people to get back to normal, get back to the things they love, confident that theyre not spreading the virus.' 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 linked to the rising number of tests However, as the Government begins its trials of tests that it hopes will become widespread, members of the public are still trying to get hold of drive-through swab tests that have been running for months. Even this service does not seem to be working well. TEST & TRACE FAILED TO REACH A THIRD OF AT-RISK CONTACTS LAST WEEK Almost a third of contacts of Covid-19 cases were not reached by the NHS Test and Trace system last week, data shows, which was the lowest since the system launched in May. A total of 31,388 people were identified as coming into close contact with someone who has tested positive between 20 August and 26 August. Only 69.4 per cent of those were reached and told to self-isolate, down from 77.1 per cent in the previous week. The report from the Department of Health and Social care said the reduction is largely due to 'non-complex cases', which have a higher proportion of contacts who are unable to be reached. Non-complex cases are those which are not related to an outbreak, and are handled by call centres or online. Just 59.8 per cent of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate when handled by those teams. In comparison, complex cases, managed predominantly by local health teams, are consistently more likely to be reached. This week, 97.3 per cent of contacts handled by local health protection teams were reached and asked to self-isolate. Figures published today also show it takes more an average of three and a half days for a home-test result to come back, which has been increasing for several weeks. The average person who takes a home test kit, which can be ordered online, won't get their result back for 86 hours, more than the 76 hours the week prior. Advertisement People report being instructed to drive dozens of miles, some of them more than 100 miles or even from Suffolk to Scotland, to their closest available same-day test. An investigation by the BBC found that the system routinely tried to direct people to testing centres tens or hundreds of miles from their homes. London postcodes were directed to Cardiff, it found, while someone in Devon might have to travel more than 100 miles to Wales, and a postcode in the Lake District redirected to a test centre in Scotland. One hapless man, David Llewellyn, told the broadcaster he was told to go to a centre near Blackburn, near Manchester, from his home in Suffolk. Mr Llewellyn said: 'I thought I'd entered my home location incorrectly so went through the booking process again, only to get the same location for testing. 'Needless to say I have subsequently ordered a home testing kit, which despite three automated email reminders to take the test has yet to arrive. I'd do the test if I had it.' A MailOnline investigation discovered testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told no slots were unavailable. A number of people in the capital needing swabs have now come forward to complain they had been told none could be taken in the city. One, who landed back in the UK from a holiday abroad on Saturday, was told she had to call 119 to organise a test after her friend tested positive. 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. Three out of the four times I was told they didn't 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 couldn't get a test, I was tested straight away without an appointment or a wait.' The British Medical Association today said it was 'ludicrous' that this was happening in the testing system. Dr Peter English, chair of public health at the union, said: 'Its ludicrous that people are being directed so far from their homes for testing. 'In some cases, it means driving for three hours and back which is completely inappropriate at the best of times, let alone for someone who may be ill with Covid-19 symptoms. Travelling such distances are expensive, and thats if individuals have access to a car at all. Twickenham's testing centre was empty despite callers being told no tests were available Heathrow's testing facility had a few cars come through but did not seem to be used fully At Greenwich there were very few visitors throughout the whole of Tuesday 'This is an issue doctors are incredibly concerned about with understandably worried patients contacting them for advice about what they can do when told to travel so far. 'Furthermore, effective testing relies on widespread take-up among the public, and being directed so far from home will be a huge disincentive to people who need to get tested. 'We understand there is limited testing capacity, but the logic of moving so much of it away from areas with low infection rates is flawed as it means the programme is less likely to identify new spikes early, allowing swift action to be taken.' JEREMY HUNT CALLS FOR MASS TESTING IN SCHOOLS Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for secondary school teachers to be regularly tested for Covid-19 to improve parent confidence that classrooms are virus-free. The Commons Health Committee chairman backed a call from epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson, whose early coronavirus mortality modelling helped influence the Government decision to instigate the lockdown in March, for 'rapid testing' in schools. His comments came as pupils returned to school for the start of the new academic year, the first time some of them had been in class since the lockdown was introduced six months ago. The ex-cabinet minister told BBC Radio 4: 'We know something now we didn't know back in January, which is that about 70 per cent of the people who transmit coronavirus don't 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. '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 weren't sending them into a zone where they might pick up the virus.' Advertisement Defending the testing system the drive-through centres still account for the majority of swabs taken Mr Hancock said it is 'working well' and urged people to keep using it. Tests are required in greater numbers in areas that are receiving special support because they have high infection rates, and more seem to be getting directed to these places. This may come at the expense of smaller, less-affected places having to wait longer to get tested. Despite this, Mr Hancock has urged people still to get tested if they're ill and said most people will not have to travel far. He said on BBC Breakfast: 'If you have symptoms, please come forward and get a test. It is straightforward, it is easy and the vast majority of people get one close to their home.' He said the issue with people arranging appointments close to home was part of the reason why the Government was investing in trials of quicker Covid-19 tests. One professor said the change should have been made over the summer when the country was 'relatively Covid-secure'. Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, told the Today programme: 'I dont think the time is right. I think the time was right to think about scaling up testing to the wider community and asymptomatic testing over the summer when we were relatively Covid-secure, knowing that autumn and winter would come. 'Ideally we would be far more advanced in our ability to handle what were already beginning to see, an increase in requirement for Covid testing and respiratory infection testing.' Results from the rapid test trials will inform how regular repeat community testing could be scaled up across the country. In Southampton, the second phase of a no-swab saliva test pilot is due to begin this week. It will see a weekly testing model trialled with more than 2,100 pupils and staff across four schools. The work is led by a partnership of the University of Southampton, Southampton City Council and the NHS. Meanwhile in Hampshire the pilot of a rapid 20-minute coronavirus test will be expanded 'to further explore the applications of mobile testing in different settings', the DHSC said. Funding will also be used to extend capacity for existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing currently being used in the UK. Scientists have welcomed the initiative that cold see rapid on-the-spot tests brought into use in Britain, but say the infrastructure around it must be improved to keep pace. Data from NHS Test & Trace today showed that the system of tracking down those at risk is still struggling. 5 RAPID TESTS ALREADY BEING EVALUATED BY PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND Rapid pregnancy-style tests for Covid-19 could be approved within weeks, according to a leading scientist. Sir John Bell, an Oxford University scientist and key Government adviser, said the cheap devices were currently being assessed by scientists at Public Health England. He claimed they could be sold on Amazon or Boots for as little as 5 if they are proven to be over 90 per cent accurate. Professor Bell said the devices, that are 'no larger than a teacup', plug into a socket in the wall and process swabs within an hour. One from the US which is currently under review is able to process a sample in the time it would take for a person to have a shower or eat their breakfast, he claimed. The UK is currently relying on PCR swab tests which take at least 24 hours to turnaround after being sent to a laboratory. Home test kits are already part of the Government's testing scheme but they still need to be sent to the laboratory. Less than seven per cent come back in the 24-hour target time. There are at least four rapid tests being trialled in hospitals and care homes. But they are clunky and not designed to be taken at home. Sir John, a regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, believes mass screening will become possible with rapid home kit tests. Advertisement Almost a third of contacts of Covid-19 cases are not being reached by the NHS Test and Trace system, data shows, the lowest since the system launched in May. A total of 31,388 people were identified as coming into close contact with someone who has tested positive between 20 August and 26 August. Only 69.4 per cent of those were reached and told to self-isolate, down from 77.1 per cent in the previous week. The report from the Department of Health and Social care said the reduction is largely due to 'non-complex cases', which have a higher proportion of contacts who are unable to be reached. Non-complex cases are those which are not related to an outbreak, and are handled by call centres or online. Just 59.8 per cent of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate when handled by those teams. In comparison, complex cases, managed predominantly by local health teams, are consistently more likely to be reached. This week, 97.3 per cent of contacts handled by local health protection teams were reached and asked to self-isolate. It follows Matt Hancock's claims that the UK is in the 'top tranche' of test and trace systems that are in place around the world. Figures published today also show it takes more an average of three and a half days for a home-test result to come back, which has been increasing for several weeks. The average person who takes a home test kit, which can be ordered online, won't get their result back for 86 hours, more than the 76 hours the week prior. Satellite test centres places like hospitals and care homes that urgently need results - also saw the median time for a result turnaround increase, from 65 hours to 76 hours. But things are finally starting to improve at regional test sites, like drive throughs. It takes 24 hours on average to get a result back. For all routes combined, 24.3 per cent of tests from all test sites were received within 24 hours of a test being taken. It's an increase on the 20 per cent the previous week, but still nothing near Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 100 per cent pledge in June. Last week the number of Covid-19 positive cases reached by the NHS dropped to the lowest level since the system was launched, of 75.2 per cent. But in the week to August 26, this bumped up to 81.4 per cent, nearing the best performance of 82.8 per cent in the week ending July 22. Figures show positive cases have increased by six per cent. Some 6,732 got a positive result in the week to August 26 compared with 6,115 and 6,656 in the weeks prior. Testing has only been expanded by one per cent, suggesting there is an increase in prevalence of the coronavirus, and not just testing. 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 Government plans COVID cash handout THAILAND: The government plans to spend B45 billion on B3,000 cash handouts to 15 million people affected by the economic fallout caused by COVID-19, which is expected to inject a cash flow of about B90bn in the economy and boost domestic consumption. CoronavirusCOVID-19economics By Bangkok Post Thursday 3 September 2020, 08:02AM Health officials conduct a drill on responses to a COVID-19 spread in Phayao province yesterday (Sept 2). Photo: Saiarun Pinaduang. Danucha Pichayanan, deputy scretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, said yesterday (Sept 2) that a meeting of the Centre for the Administration of the Economic Situation Affected by COVID-19, approved an economic stimulus measure proposed by the Finance Ministry. Under the measure, the government will give B3,000 cash handouts to people to buy consumer goods. They are required to register for the cash and the money will be transferred through the Pao Tang apps G-wallet app, similar to the Chim Shop Chai (taste-shop-spend) relief scheme, Mr Danucha said. The Finance Ministry will prepare details of the cash handouts scheme to present to the centre again and the measure is expected to be implemented from next month until the end of the year, he said. The measure is aimed at helping 15 million people. Spending under the measure will be initially capped at 100-250 per person per day, he said. For shops and businesses that want to join the programme, priority will be given to small entrepreneurs, as well as street vendors and hawkers, Mr Danucha said. The cash handouts are intended to ease the burden of rising living costs, boost domestic consumption and help more than 80,000 small entrepreneurs, street vendors and hawkers, Mr Danucha said, adding the government will subsidise 50% of their spending. The measure is expected to stimulate cash flow of about B90bn in the economy and boost the economy by 0.25%, he added. Meanwhile, the Centre for the Administration of the Economic Situation Affected by COVID-19 also approved the Labour Ministrys request for B23.47bn to hire new graduates. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin told the media his proposed project for hiring new graduates was approved by the centre. The next step will see the project sent to the National Economics and Social Development Council, which will work on the project. The B23.47bn will come from the B400bn loan borrowed by the Finance Ministry to tackle the economic effects of the pandemic. The minister said the project was the right solution to the unemployment problem faced by new graduates. Under the budget, 260,000 new graduates nationwide are expected to be hired for 12 months, from Oct 1 this year to Sept 30, 2021, with the government paying 50% of their monthly salary based on their highest education level but not exceeding B7,500 per person. Graduates qualified for the project must be Thai nationala aged under 25 years old. Those who are older than 25 years must graduate during 20192020. The second part of the project is the Thailand Job Expo 2020 job fair tentatively scheduled to take place at the end of this month. Around one million positions in the public and private sectors will be available at the event. Candidates and jobs will be matched using the platform Thai Mee Ngan Tham (Thais Have Jobs). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior has instructed all provinces to organise a walking street to promote tourism and revive the grassroots economy, while strictly complying with preventive measures imposed by the Centre for COVID-19 Administration Centre (CCSA). The event must be held at least once a month, said permanent secretary for Interior Chatchai Phromlert. The meeting also approved new ministerial regulations governing state procurement to support small-and medium-sized entrepreneurs and promote the use of domestically made materials. Filming of the new Batman film has been halted after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19, throwing production into disarray, MailOnline can reveal. Sources on the 100million blockbuster set said the cast and crew had been sent home after one of the team was struck by the virus. Now filming of the movie starring Robert Pattinson at the Warner Bros studio in Hertfordshire has ground to a halt, according to a source. Delay: Filming of the new Batman film has been halted after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19, throwing production into disarray, MailOnline can reveal An insider at the studio in Leavesden said: 'We have been sent a memo telling us that a member of the crew has had a positive Covid-19 test. 'Everyone was talking on the set about it. We do not know who has tested positive, but it has caused chaos to the schedule.' Filming of the new movie called 'The Batman' had only resumed three days ago after being shut down in early March due to the pandemic. Production crews had gathered at the studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, in August to work on sets after most had been placed on furlough. Halted: Sources on the 100million blockbuster set said the cast and crew had been sent home after one of the team was struck by the virus. The shutdown will cost Warner Bros hundreds of thousands of pounds and possibly even delay the release of the movie which is said to be a grittier take on the Marvel comic book hero. When production was halted in March, Robert, 34, had to stay in the UK along with other cast members. Others who live in Los Angeles have returned but had to stay in quarantine for two weeks before turning up on the set in accordance with Government guidance. Director Matt Reeves still has three months of filming to complete with the eagerly anticipated film due to be released to theatres in October 2021. Filming at Leavesden, where the Harry Potter movies were made, is taking place under the working title of 'Vengeance'. An insider said: 'Everyone was talking on the set about it. We do not know who has tested positive, but it has caused chaos to the schedule' (Robert pictured in October 2019) The crew member said: 'Everyone was looking forward to getting back to work and its come as a blow that production has stopped just three days after we began filming. 'We have all been told to stand down until further notice and we are not expecting to be back filming for at least two weeks.' The source said many of the crew found it ironic that the Batman movie had been stopped by coronavirus as the killer virus is thought to have originated from bats. 'There is a irony to all this in that you would think Batman would be immune seeing as it all started from bats,' said the insider. Robert, best known for his roles in the Twilight saga movies, took on the role of the caped crusader last year after Ben Affleck, who had been developing the ninth film featuring Batman, dropped out. Production: Filming of the new movie called 'The Batman' had only resumed three days ago after being shut down in early March due to the pandemic Irish star Colin Farrell plays The Penguin and his prosthetic make-up was so realistic that other castmates didn't recognise the actor when he turned up on set. Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner Gordon said on The Jess Cagle Show: 'Ive worked with that makeup artist before and its just incredible. 'Colin walked on to set one day and I walked right passed him [laughs] I was like, "OK, hey dude whats happening, wheres Colin? Are we going to shoot?" It was, its pretty remarkable.' The transformation was revealed in a teaser trailer released last week by director Reeves at a fan event in the US. Unrecognisable: Irish star Colin Farrell plays The Penguin and his prosthetic make-up was so realistic that other castmates didn't recognise the actor when he turned up on set The new film sees Batman pitted against his usual enemies with Paul Dano playing The Riddler. Zoe Kravitz stars as Catwoman and John Turturro portrays crime boss Carmine Falcone. A spokesman for Warner Bros studios has been contacted for comment. A new 24m Game of Thrones-themed attraction will be opening in the UK. Fans of the hit HBO series will be able to fully immerse themselves in its world, visiting iconic sets including the Map Room, Dragonstones Throne Room, Castle Blacks Mess Room, Cerseis Courtyard in Kings Landing, and the famous Winterfell. Plans for the forthcoming studio tour were announced in 2019, however, the project was only given the green light by local authorities this month. The highly anticipated attraction will be set inside the Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. Speaking to Northern Ireland Screen last year, Jeff Peters, HBO vice president of licensing and retail, said: Some of the most iconic scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed at Linen Mill Studios. The studio tour will be set inside Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, Northern Ireland (Credit: HBO Game of Thrones Studio Tour) Guests will be able to visit iconic sets from the hit series, including The Map Room (Credit: HBO Game of Thrones Studio Tour) He added: Our fans will soon have an opportunity to visit and see the work of the shows incredible crew in the museum setting it deserves. As well as iconic sets, the tour will also feature costumes and props from the series and guests will be able to visit the makeup and prosthetics shop. There will also be a restaurant designed to replicate the studio catering experience. The 24m project was given the green light by local authorities in August (Credit: HBO Game of Thrones Studio Tour) Guests will be able to visit iconic sets from the hit series, including The Map Room (Credit: HBO Game of Thrones Studio Tour) The attraction does not yet have a scheduled opening date. TORONTO - The higher-than-expected interest in online learning for the coming school year means Canada's largest school board will be able to keep class sizes relatively low, the organization said Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - The higher-than-expected interest in online learning for the coming school year means Canada's largest school board will be able to keep class sizes relatively low, the organization said Thursday. A spokesman for the Toronto District School Board said a recent survey of parents and guardians showed 30 per cent of respondents with elementary-age children plan to keep their kids at home, while 22 per cent of those with high schoolers plan to do the same. Ryan Bird said the strong uptake for virtual learning means all but five of the board's schools will have enough room to ensure proper physical distancing measures among students and staff. The board is currently working out how to reduce crowding in those buildings, he added, noting the board is willing to look into leasing space from the city in order to preserve physical distance. During his daily COVID-19 briefing Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford hailed the development as good news. "That's pretty good considering the size of the TDSB, and we'll help them out," Ford said. "We're ready. There will be bumps in the road as sure as I'm standing here, but I have confidence in the system." The TDSB collected its registration data as part of a survey that drew a response from 89 per cent of parents and guardians. The board said it's trying to follow up with nearly 30,000 parents or guardians who did not respond to the survey. School boards have spent recent weeks surveying parents to determine exactly how many students are opting for remote learning and how many will be returning to class over the next two weeks. West of Toronto at the Halton Catholic board, trustee Nancy Guzzo said just 15 per cent of elementary and high school students will be learning from home. Guzzo said the board will nonetheless be able to implement a new average elementary class size of 22, with a hard cap at 25 students per class. The plan will cost $6.8 million and require 52 new teachers, and may require five more portable classrooms, Guzzo said. She said just under half the funding for the plan comes from the school's reserves, while the rest is paid for by federal and provincial funding. "Nobody likes to tap into their capital reserves because it is there for a reason, but this is a very important reason to do that," said Guzzo. "(Reducing class sizes) has been a priority for everybody since Day 1." Under Ontario's back-to-school plan, two dozen boards including both the TDSB and Halton Catholic board will see high schoolers only attending class half the time so class sizes can be reduced to cohorts of 15. The province did not mandate smaller class sizes for elementary schools, a move the government continues to stand behind despite criticism from opposition parties, school boards and teachers unions. The TDSB, however, has chosen to lower class sizes in some neighbourhoods deemed at high risk of COVID-19 outbreaks by Toronto Public Health. The board took that approach after initially proposing a plan that would have reduced elementary class sizes in all schools. The province rejected that proposal because it would have required the board to reduce class time. The city's health agency said it used socio-economic factors and case rates to declare 81 schools high risk. The TDSB added 13 to that tally based on larger enrolment and concerns over physical classroom sizes. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Most of the schools designated high risk were in the city's northwest region, which includes the Etobicoke North, York Centre and York South-Weston wards. Class sizes at such schools will be capped at 15 for kindergarten students and 20 for grades 1 to 8. The board said class sizes are generally capped at 27 for kindergarten and grades 4 through 8, and 20 for grades 1 through 3. As the province's daily case numbers for COVID-19 remain in the triple digits, Bird said the board will look to Toronto Public Health for any advice moving forward. Most students at TDSB schools will return for the first day of class on Sept. 15. Elementary students will return over a staggered, three-day start from Sept. 15 to 17. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. Within the ranks of the police, there was universal approval when a South Armagh man was convicted of the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe in County Louth. His killer will be sentenced next month, but we know that he will face a minimum of 40 years for the capital murder offence - serving at least 30 behind bars. Here, in Northern Ireland, a murderer of a police officer would face a starting tariff of less than half that minimum term. The gap is stark and shocking. In the Republic of Ireland, there is a tough, no-nonsense sentencing regime for capital murder which sends an emphatic message to criminals that if they take the life of a police officer, they can expect the full weight of the law to come down upon them. We want similarly robust sentencing rules in Northern Ireland courts. Our sentencing guidelines must be overhauled and it is down to the Justice Minister, Naomi Long MLA, supported by her executive colleagues at Stormont, to herald a badly-needed shake-up. Sentencing guidelines in Northern Ireland appear weak and excessively liberal when compared to those in the UK and Republic of Ireland. They fail to take full account of the unique role of police officer in society. Police officers confront danger on behalf of society on a daily basis and more than anything else, they need assurances that there are adequate deterrents in place for those who would seek to murder them. In the case of Christine Connor, sentenced to 20 years for four counts of attempting to murder an officer and possessing explosives with intent to endanger life, her time in jail may only total eight years when time served on remand and parole are factored into consideration. In England and Wales, the statutory starting time for murdering a police officer is 30 years, but even that is insufficient. Sentencing guidelines here are woefully inadequate and its questionable if they serve as a sufficient deterrent. We continue to deal with a terrorist threat level rated 'severe' and what's needed is a set of fit-for-purpose tariff guidelines that tells the would-be murderer, that if they take the life of a police officer that their jail time will match the severity of the crime. The Department of Justice is currently reviewing sentencing following a public consultation that ended in February. It is a matter of considerable regret that the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) was not approached to make a submission as a key stakeholder. We have consistently been of the view that sentences for such crimes are too lenient and are an affront to victims and their families. It wouldn't be ideal, but as a bare minimum, Northern Ireland should follow what is already in place in England and Wales with a starting tariff of thirty years. However, if our government really wants to assist the courts, then it ought to replicate the rules in the Republic of Ireland where the minimum - yes, minimum - for the capital murder of a Garda officer is forty years and not pander to those who would seek more lenient terms for those found guilty. Mark Lindsay, Chairman, Police Federation for Northern Ireland On 8 Trill Pils Day, Crowns & Hops will be launching the 8 Trill Pils beer in partnership with BrewDog in the U.S., U.K. and Germany to benefit organizations focused on racial equity in these regions. Crowns & Hops, the LA-based, Black-owned craft beer brand, has dubbed September 8th as 8 Trill Pils Day. The day is intended to be an international day of solidarity to drive awareness around racial equity. In partnership with BrewDog, the worlds largest craft brewer, Crowns & Hops will also launch the 8 Trill Pils, beer in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. The craft beer industry provides a perfect vantage point for steps needed to create a racially equitable society based on the current lack of diversity in brewery ownership. Crowns & Hops hopes to inspire others to start conversations and take action in their respective industries to drive racial equity and to support Black entrepreneurs. The beer follows the announcement of the 8 Trill Pils Fund, a $100,000 development fund that will be distributed to help establish more Black-owned breweries. Crowns & Hops and BrewDog are calling on the craft beer community to do the following on Tuesday, September 8: Purchase: Purchase the Crowns & Hops 8 Trill Pils Pilsner in the U.S., U.K. or Germany. 100 percent of the proceeds from the beer sales of 8 Trill Pils will be donated to the following organizations in support of achieving racial equity in their respective regions: U.S. Race Forward, U.K. Kwanda, Germany Black, Brown, Berlin. More information about the selected charities is available on 8TrillPils.org. Locate the beer in your region at 8TrillPils.org. Post: Post about 8 Trill Pils on all social media platforms using #8TrillPils to drive awareness and ignite conversation around racial equity. Repost from @8TrillPils social channels. Push: Push the conversation beyond September 8 and advocate for taking actionable steps towards racial equity in your own industry by downloading and sharing tools from 8TrillPils.org. The 8 Trill Pils beer will be available for purchase starting September 8 in all locations Crowns & Hops is sold and in BrewDogs bars and online shops in all three countries. To further amplify Black voices, the label art for the 8 Trill Pils cans was designed in collaboration with three artists of color from each country the beer will be sold. Crowns & Hops partnered with Upendo in the U.S., Kingsley Nebechi in the U.K., and Baketown in Germany. More information about the artists and their label designs is available on 8TrillPils.org. Per the overarching initiative, the beer is named after a statistic from the Business Case for Racial Equitya W.K. Kellogg Foundation study, which revealed that the U.S. stands to realize a staggering $8 trillion gain in GDP by closing the racial equity gap by 2050. The report states that by closing the gap in the major pillars of productivityHealthcare, Education, Criminal Justice, Housing and Employment/Entrepreneurshipsociety can start to realize a substantial impact. Throughout the development of this initiative, we worked closely with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to identify the resources used to achieve racial equity, said Teo Hunter, Co-founder of Crowns & Hops. We want to ensure the funds raised will benefit organizations that are actively pushing to eliminate disparities in areas that affect quality of life and productivity. In April of 2018, Crowns & Hops relationship with BrewDog first began when they were recipients of the BrewDog Development Fund. BrewDogs belief in expanding the love for craft beer was equal to Hunter and Ashburns vision for driving diversity. The two brands reconnected for this very important initiative to drive awareness around racial equity and amplifying Black entrepreneurs in craft beer. James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog commented: Racial inequity is everywhere and one way for BrewDog to help make an impact is to use our voice and our channels to put a spotlight on what our friends at Crowns & Hops are doing to drive change in our industry. We know the craft beer community is strongand with the launch of the 8 Trill Pils beer, were making it easy for people to get involved by doing something they love: drinking beer. To purchase the 8 Trill Pils beer, download social assets or learn more about racial equity and how to get involved with The 8 Trill Pils Initiative, please visit 8TrillPils.org. For more information and updates check out the Crowns & Hops social media channels: @crownsandhops (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook). About Crowns & Hops In 6-years, Co-Founders Teo Hunter & Beny Ashburn have become the leaders and voice of a craft beer movement bringing much needed diversity and inclusion to the industry. Hunter & Ashburn disrupted the status quo of the craft beer industry, and built a brand that is bigger than beer. Through their global social movement #BlackPeopleLoveBeer & #BrownPeopleLoveBeer, they have been able to galvanize the voice of People of Color in craft beer. Crowns & Hops Brewery Co. will be the first Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, CA, a few short miles from the new Rams/Chargers Stadium. Their mission is to create spaces that are community centric driving diversity, racial equity, economic growth and influencing inclusion. Through curated events, content and fashion, Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. is the first ever craft beer brand that bridges lifestyle, communities of color, dope culture and craft beer. Welcome to The New Now of craft beer. Website: https://crownsandhops.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crownsandhops/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrownsAndHops Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crownsandhops About BrewDog Since 2007 BrewDog has been on a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as we are. From the Headliner series, which includes bold, uncompromising pack leaders like the flagship Punk IPA, to the Amplified range (beer, but turned up to 11), BrewDog brews beer that blows peoples minds and has kick-started a revolution. Co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie shook up the business world in 2010 with the launch of pioneering crowdfunding initiative Equity for Punks, an initiative that has seen the company raise 73m over six rounds, with their latest round open until April 2020. The funds and the community of Equity Punk shareholders (135,000) has enabled the Scottish craft brewery to scale up without selling out. With over 102 bars across the globe, export into 60 countries, and a brewery in Ohio that launched in 2017, BrewDog continues to take the craft beer revolution stratospheric, while continuing to push the boundaries, invest in people, put the beer first, and champion other small breweries in its venues. Website: https://www.brewdog.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewdogofficial/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrewDog Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brewdogofficial/ Media Contact: For more information, please contact: Press@crownsandhops.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London Thu, September 3, 2020 12:02 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4270ba0 2 Entertainment John-Boyega,Star-Wars,Disney Free British actor John Boyega has criticized the treatment of non-white characters in the latest Star Wars films, saying they were marketed as important elements in the franchise but were ultimately "pushed to the side". In an interview published by GQ magazine on Wednesday, Boyega expressed bitterness over how his role as black stormtrooper Finn faded in the latter episodes of the trilogy which concluded with "The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019. "What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It's not good. I'll say it straight up," he told the magazine. Read also: 'Rise of Skywalker' actor John Boyega: 'I left the script under my bed' He said fellow non-white actors Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran and Oscar Isaac had suffered similar fates, while Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley had taken prominence in the lead roles as Kylo Ren and Rey. "They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let's be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I'm not exposing anything," Boyega said. Boyega, who is of Nigerian origin, became a viral sensation in June when he gave a emotion-packed speech at an anti-racism demonstration in London following the death of George Floyd at the hands of American police in Minneapolis. "I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race," Boyega said of Star Wars. "Let's just leave it like that. "It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:26:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIYUAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The owner of a restaurant that partially collapsed on Aug. 29 in Xiangfen County, north China's Shanxi Province, has been put under criminal detention, local police said Thursday. The restaurant owner was suspected of committing the crime of jeopardizing public security in a dangerous manner, the police said. The accident happened at around 9:40 a.m. on Aug. 29 when relatives and fellow villagers congregated to attend a birthday banquet of an 80-year-old man. The collapse killed 29 people, leaving seven severely injured while 21 others sustained minor injuries. Enditem POTTSTOWN A Pottstown High School senior was shot and killed in Philadelphia Wednesday night. Jaheim Lamarre, 17, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. Jaheim Lamarre Another 17-year-old, Zahquesz McFadden of Philadelphia, was also killed in the incident, and two other males, ages 17 and 18, were wounded by gunfire. It happened around 8:30 p.m. on the 1800 block of Moore Street in the citys Point Breeze section, according to 6ABC News. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said three gunmen walked up on foot and started opening fire. Roughly 23 shell casings were found at the scene, Channel 6 Action News reported. No arrests have been made, but Outlaw told news outlets there is video footage of the incident and police believe one suspect may have been wearing all black clothing with a black mask. Anyone with any information is asked to call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS. Our hearts are grieving for his family and friends, Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez wrote in a social media message to district families. Jaheim had an infectious smile and was always happy to talk to you, said Pottstown High School Principal Danielle McCoy. He had many friends with whom he enjoyed spending time and joking around, said McCoy. It hurts losing a young life, said Terrence Shawell, who runs the Molding Men mentoring program at the high school. It impacts a community of kids that are already dealing with a lot, Shawell said. We are here to be of support to anyone needing an outlet. LaTanya White, the districts director of student services, said she got to know Jaheim when he spent time in the Beech Street learning center. Jaheim was very outgoing and sociable, and he was respectful and he did his work, White said. He was lively and he was very kind, she said. He was always helpful. Jaheim had returned to the high school after making progress at the learning center, said White. I spoke to his dad, who is still processing this, and he is even more upset because of how well Jaheim was doing, said White. He was making good progress. Many of our students are already aware of this through social media outlets. Counseling services are available for both students and staff as we process this terrible incident together, despite our current virtual format, Rodriguez wrote. Reaction to Rodriquezs announcement was swift and sad, with many offering prayers for Lamarres family. Never easy to hear, but when its your former student it really hurts, posted teacher Chris Petro. You spend time building rapport and you teach and support them like they are your own. My heart breaks for Jaheims family, friends and everyone who cared about him, Petro wrote. This is tragic, Allyson Beasley-Brown posted beneath the announcement. Another life taken to soon, posted Billie Jean Buckland. Gut-wrenching I am so profoundly sorry and send my prayers to his family and friends, posted Dianna Lee-Stitt. Like many U.S. cities, Philadelphia has been plagued by a wave of gun violence this year. The city has recorded 306 homicides as of Sept. 2, the second highest total in the nation, behind only Chicago. By Tsvetelia Tsolova SOFIA (Reuters) - Thousands of Bulgarians rallied in front of the parliament in Sofia on Wednesday in one of the biggest protests so far in two months of demonstrations calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Tensions rose in the late hours after some protesters threw over 100 small bombs and firecrackers at police. Officers brought a water cannon and cordoned off the square in front of the parliament. Some 60 people were arrested, police said. Protest leaders appealed for a peaceful rally and said provocateurs attacked the police. Earlier on Wednesday scuffles broke out between protesters and police, who fired pepper spray and arrested 35 people. Protesters threw eggs, apples and garbage. They also shook police vehicles, and about 100 officers were affected by pepper spray aimed at them by protesters, Sofia Police Chief Georgi Hadzhiev said. Health officials said some 45 people including police officers, were treated in hospitals. The rally took place on the first sitting of parliament after summer recess. Protesters called it the "Grand National Uprising" in response the government's plan for a new constitution. Protesters accuse three-times premier Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev of failing to fight the corruption that erodes the rule of law and benefits powerful tycoons in the European Union's poorest country. In parliament, President Rumen Radev called for the resignation of Borissov's centre-right government and appealed to deputies to dismiss plans for a new constitution. "It was not the lack of new constitution that brought the people on the streets, but the lack of morality in the leadership, the erosion of statehood and the corruption," he said. Borissov has pledged to resign if parliament approves his call for the election of a grand national assembly that would vote on a new constitution that should improve the independence of the judiciary and halve the number of deputies. [nL8N2FG2UA] Story continues Protesters and opposition parties have dismissed the proposal as a ploy aimed at keeping Borissov, 61, in office longer as the vote on whether Bulgaria should have a new constitution may take place in November at the earliest. The ruling coalition, undaunted by the protests, said it was starting debates for a new main law in the parliament, although for the time being it does not have enough votes to push ahead with its plan. (Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Grant McCool and Tom Brown) A driver wearing PPE hands a swab test to soldiers helping at a pop-up COVID-19 drive-through testing centre in Dalston, Hackney. (PA) The governments decision to prioritise coronavirus tests in parts of the country with high infection rates has sparked concern that it could lead to new spikes being missed elsewhere. Areas with fewer cases of COVID-19 have had their testing capacity reduced so that resources can be shifted to areas under so-called local lockdown. As a consequence the governments test booking service is, according to the BBC, redirecting people living in certain areas where cases are low to facilities located a long way from their homes - in some cases by up to 100 miles. The concerns come as a new 500m funding package that will support trials of a 20-minute COVID-19 test and efforts to explore the benefits of repeatedly testing people for the virus was announced by health secretary Matt Hancock. The contents of a UK government COVID-19 home test kit. (Getty) Criticism of rationing Hancock admitted there had been operational challenges in apparent rationing of tests in parts of the country with low numbers of the virus, but insisted the vast majority of people are able to get a test close to them or at home. Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told the BBC the problem could prevent early capture of localised spikes that could maybe stop more widespread infection". Susan Michie, who is a member of the non-government affiliated Independent Sage, tweeted: Coronavirus testing rationed amid outbreaks still not enough tests, people being sent 50+ miles away to get a test. Still #TestTraceIsolate system not functioning. Govt strategy been wrong from start. Dr Zoe Norris, a GP in Yorkshire, told BBC Breakfast that long journeys would be a "huge undertaking" for those with coronavirus symptoms. Others tweeted their experience of trying to get a test, including one woman who was directed to a facility that was located 363 miles away from her home. I was directed 363 miles away, in comparison 100 was reasonable BBC News - Coronavirus testing rationed amid outbreakshttps://t.co/UL0tieci0l Elizabeth Walne (@ElizabethWalne) September 3, 2020 Tried to get a test yesterday in Preston -we are still in lock-down, the nearest drive-thru centre for the next 5 days was Oldham. We had to book to go to Blackburn and walk through their centre so that we could get a result within 24-72 hours! or wait longer with a home test!! Janet Newsham (@jnewsham) September 3, 2020 Testing system working well Story continues The health secretary claimed the governments coronavirus testing system was working well despite suggestions that people are being directed to centres more than 100 miles away. At the moment the system works well. Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it works well, he said. And were finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after. But absolutely, we need to roll out more testing we have done throughout this crisis and todays another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology. Hancock told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that mass testing was the answer to having to travel for a test, as well as potentially ending some social distancing measures. He said: If we can get to the point where regular testing is possible that allows people more freedom and allows us to lift some of the social distancing measures. It's about bringing back confidence. Short of a vaccine this is the best chance we have of reducing social distancing while controlling the virus. Health secretary Matt Hancock said there were 'operational challenges' with coronavirus testing facilities. (Getty) Saliva test trials Money will go towards launching a new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester. Existing trials in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding announced by the health secretary. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said saliva-based testing will be used for the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners. Its aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early and rapidly, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate. Hancock told the Today programme: Short of a vaccine, this is the best chance we have of reducing social distancing whilst controlling the virus, especially with winter coming, with all the challenges that brings. He would not put a date on when mass testing may be rolled out nationwide, but said having a normal Christmas was dependent on it unless a vaccine was developed. But one professor believes this change should have been made over the summer when the country was relatively Covid-secure. Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, told Today: I think the time was right to think about scaling up testing to the wider community and asymptomatic testing over the summer when we were relatively Covid-secure, knowing that autumn and winter would come. Ideally we would be far more advanced in our ability to handle what were already beginning to see, an increase in requirement for Covid testing and respiratory infection testing. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Taking strong exception to Indias decision to ban 118 more Chinese apps, including the hugely popular online multiplayer game PUBG, amid a fresh stand-off between the neighbours, Chinas commerce ministry said on Thursday the Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes. India has abused the concept of national security and adopted discriminatory restrictive measures against Chinese companies," Chinese commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told an online press briefing on Thursday. China firmly opposes the measure, he said, urging India to correct its wrong practices". Beijing also implied India had imposed the ban in the face of pressure from the United States, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warning Thursday against short-sighted" participation in US restrictions against Chinese technology. The Indian government on Wednesday banned 118 mostly-Chinese mobile applications, including the popular online multiplayer game PUBG, after a fresh round of border confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. In a statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology said the apps were banned as they are engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". This is the third round of crackdown by the government on Chinese-linked applications following the Galwan Valley clashes in June in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. News18 last month had reported on the proposed ban on apps like PUBG and Ludo. Other apps banned on Wednesday include avatars of applications banned previously, like TikTok and WeChat, Youku, Baidu, Baidu Express and Ali Pay. This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," said the ministry statement. It added that it has received many complaints from various sources, including reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms, for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers located outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," it said. While the move was welcomed by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), it left several gamers upset and looking for Indian alternatives. The list of banned apps is as follows: The list of banned apps includes: 1. APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers, Smart 2. APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper, HideApps 3. APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security, Cleaner 4. APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner, Anti-Virus 5. APUS Flashlight-Free & Bright 6. Cut Cut Cut Out & Photo Background Editor 7. Baidu 8. Baidu Express Edition 9. FaceU - Inspire your Beauty 10. ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing deals 11. CamCard - Business Card Reader 12. CamCard Business 13. CamCard for Salesforce 14. CamOCR 15. InNote 16. VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing 17. Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone Booster 18. WeChat reading 19. Government WeChat 20. Small Q brush 21. Tencent Weiyun 22. Pitu 23. WeChat Work 24. Cyber Hunter 25. Cyber Hunter Lite 26. Knives Out-No rules, just fight! 27. Super Mecha Champions 28. LifeAfter 29. Dawn of Isles 30. Ludo World-Ludo Superstar 31. Chess Rush 32. PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik 33. PUBG MOBILE LITE 34. Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade 35. Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon 36. Dank Tanks 37. Warpath 38. Game of Sultans 39. Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos 40. Smart AppLock (App Protect) 41. Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault Developer Team 42. Hide App-Hide Application Icon 43. AppLock 44. AppLock Lite 45. Dual Space - Multiple Accounts & App Cloner 46. ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat & video chat online 47. ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming & video chat app 48. Music - Mp3 Player 49. Music Player - Audio Player & 10 Bands Equalizer 50. HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera 51. Cleaner - Phone Booster 52. Web Browser & Fast Explorer 53. Video Player All Format for Android 54. Photo Gallery HD & Editor 55. Photo Gallery & Album 56. Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download 57. HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters & Panorama 58. HD Camera Pro & Selfie Camera 59. Music Player - MP3 Player & 10 Bands Equalizer 60. Gallery HD 61. Web Browser - Fast, Privacy & Light Web Explorer 62. Web Browser - Secure Explorer 63. Music player - Audio Player 64. Video Player - All Format HD Video Player 65. Lamour Love All Over The World 66. Amour- video chat & call all over the world. 67. MV Master - Make Your Status Video & Community 68. MV Master - Best Video Maker & Photo Video Editor 69. APUS Message Center-Intelligent management 70. LivU Meet new people & Video chat with strangers 71. Carrom Friends : Carrom Board & Pool Game- 72. Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game & Board Games 73. Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing Games 74. Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG Game 75. Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie, Collage 76. GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji 77. U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now Translate 78. Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style 79. Tantan - Date For Real 80. MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat karen 81. Kitty Live - Live Streaming & Video Live Chat 82. Malay Social Dating App to Date & Meet Singles 83. Alipay 84. AlipayHK 85. Mobile Taobao 86. Youku 87. Road of Kings- Endless Glory 88. Sina News 89. Netease News 90. Penguin FM 91. Murderous Pursuits 92. Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology 93. Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese 94. HUYA LIVE Game Live Stream 95. Little Q Album 96. Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting Landlords 97. Hi Meitu 98. Mobile Legends: Pocket 99. VPN for TikTok 100. VPN for TikTok 101. Penguin E-sports Live assistant 102. Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special offers and low prices 103. iPick 104. Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera & Face Selfie 105. Parallel Space Lite - Dual App 106. Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC 107. MARVEL Super War NetEase Games 108. AFK Arena 109. Creative Destruction NetEase Games 110. Crusaders of Light NetEase Games 111. Mafia City Yotta Games 112. Onmyoji NetEase Games 113. Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games 114. Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully upgraded 115. Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games 116. Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games 117. Soul Hunters 118. Rules of Survival Yves here. Weve often discussed how critical government funding has been to drug development in the US. But its one thing to have a variety of general indicators that point to this conclusion, and quite another to have concrete evidence. It also appears that the authors parsed out truly new drugs from the minor reformulations to extend patent life that are also filed as new drug applications with the FDA. By Fred Ledley, Professor of Natural & Applied Sciences and Management, Bentley University and Director, Center for Integration of Science and Industry, at Bentley University; Ekaterina Cleary, Lead Data Analyst, Center for Integration of Science and Industry at Bentley University and Adjunct Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Bentley University; and Matthew Jackson, Research Fellow, Center for Integration of Science and Industry at Bentley University. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed longstanding debates about the role of the public and private sectors in drug discovery and development from questions of optimal policy to questions of life and death. On one hand, it has dramatically demonstrated the publics dependence on biopharmaceutical companies for the discovery, development, manufacture, and distribution of drugs and vaccines that may quell the pandemic. On the other hand, the billions of dollars of public funding demanded by the private sector to pursue these products vividly illustrates the industrys reliance on public funding for the development of products that address the publics most pressing needs. The escalating controversies and divisive commentaries over drug pricing and the prioritization of products that benefit from federal funding also highlight deep divides between the precepts of the public and private sectors concerning the mission of the corporation as well as the role of government in value creation and markets. These conflicts also highlight the lack of coherent policies designed to maximize the public return on taxpayer investments and ensure that the publics needs are met. Part of the problem is that the dialogue around drug discovery and development is dominated by studies of private sector investment in the biopharmaceutical industry, the economics of the industry, and the efficiency of the penultimate stages of clinical development, regulatory review, marketing, and sales. Less is known about the public sectors investment in drug discovery or development, or the role of government in promoting new drugs for treating or preventing disease. With support from the Institute for New Economic Thinking, we have recently completed a Working Paper examining the public sector investments by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that contributed to the new drugs approved by the FDA in the decade 2010-2019. This work, which builds on an earlier study of drugs approved in the first part of the decade, provides a rich dataset describing the role played by the government in promoting new drug discovery and development. The scope of the public sectors contribution to drug discovery and development identified in is study is somewhat overwhelming. Our analysis focused on identifying HIN funded research associated with the 356 drugs that were approved from 2010-2019 or their 219 distinct biological targets. We also examined the timelines of clinical development, proxy measures of their innovativeness or importance, and the patents resulting from the NIH-funded research. We identified 2.2 million published research papers related to these drugs or targets, of which 21% acknowledged funding from the NIH totaling 332 thousand fiscal years of research funding amassing more than $230 billion. This research was also cited in 22 thousand issued US patents. What does this research teach us about the role of the public sectors investment in drug discovery and development? Like the Socratic method, this analysis may be more informative from the questions is poses, rather than the answers it provides. Here are some of the questions. What Are the Goals of NIH Investments in Drug Discovery and Development? While the stated mission of the NIH is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability, our analysis identified relatively little direct investment in drug development. We identified 244 thousand publications directly related to these drugs, of which 16% acknowledged NIH funding totaling $36 billion. In contrast, we identified 2 million publications related to the biological targets for these drugs, of which 21% acknowledged NIH funding totaling $195 billion. Two thirds of the research funding we identified was for investigator-initiated Research Projects or Research Program Projects and Centers that provide research infrastructure, and less than one third was related to government-initiated and managed Cooperative Agreements of Intramural Research. This pattern of funding is consistent with the linear model of innovation that underlies federal science policy. In this model, there is a flow of fundamental knowledge from publicly funded, basic science, sometimes referred to as scientific capital, to private industry, which provides the economic capital investments and technical capabilities required for drug development, manufacture, and marketing. In our study, we found that every one of the new drugs approved from 2010-2019 was developed and distributed by companies, which are estimated to invest as much as $1.5 billion on average in each new product launched. There are, however, other goals inherent in federal funding, which are not stated in the NIH mission statement, but rather the Bayh-Dole Act, which governs the transfer of which NIH-funded research from non-profit institutions that receive NIH funding to industry. The stated objectives of the Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. 200 212) include to promote the utilization of inventions arising from federally supported research or development; .. ; to ensure that inventions made by nonprofit organizations and small business firms are used in a manner to promote free competition and enterprise; to promote the commercialization and public availability of inventions made in the United States by United States industry and labor; to ensure that the Government obtains sufficient rights in federally supported inventions to meet the needs of the Government and protect the public against nonuse or unreasonable use of Inventions. Are the Goals of Federal Funding Achieved? There was a steady increase in the number of new drugs approved through the decade 2010-2019, and we identified NIH funding for research associated with every one of these drugs or their biological targets. Forty-one percent of these products were categorized as being first in class, meaning that they were associated with a novel biological target or mechanism that was uncovered by basic research. In this context, NIH funding is associated with a robust pipeline of new drugs. Our analysis also suggests that the NIH is remarkably efficient at funding research that is utilized in the discovery or development of new drugs, commercialized, and publicly available. The $230 billion in NIH funding (2000-2019) that was directly or indirectly related to these drugs represents 40% of NIH budget allocations over this period. Furthermore, the NIH has a stated strategy of dedicating half of its research budget to basic research, and the $195 billion in NIH funding that was characterized as basic research in our study, represents more than 65% of this total. Our study does not, however, address the question of whether the NIH achieved its broader goal to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. Historically, new drugs are important drivers of improved health outcomes and longevity. Previous research has shown that new drugs approved from 1990-2009 contributed to an increase in longevity of 1.27 years by 2009, representing 70% of the total increase in longevity over that period. Nor did our work address the question of whether these government investments achieved the goals of promoting enterprise as well as United States industry and labor. Indicators suggest that the biopharmaceutical industry, which is largely enabled by government investments in basic research, is thriving. From 2000-2019, U.S. spending on pharmaceuticals increased from $253 to $345 billion. Research on drug expenditures from 1996-2013 shows that this increase was driven primarily by increased utilization of drugs (6.7% annual growth), consistent with an increase in the number of new drug approvals and the emergence of drugs for previously untreatable conditions. Increased spending on pharmaceuticals, however, also reflects increases in drug costs (3.9% annual growth) and population growth (3.1% annual growth), which have little to do with pharmaceutical innovation. The increase in pharmaceutical sales has also generated enormous profits for the pharmaceutical industry. In another study, we recently showed that from 2000 to 2018, 35 large pharmaceutical companies had cumulative revenue of $11.5 trillion and net income (earnings) of $1.9 trillion. Moreover, that study also showed that large pharmaceutical companies had median net income margins of 13.8%, significantly greater than those of other large corporations in the S&P 500 (7.7%) and similar to those of other research-driven companies. Are NIH Investments in Biomedical Science Creating Public Value? There can be no question that NIH investments in basic biomedical science are creating value in the form of new medicines for treating disease and economic activity. It is less clear that the final goal of the Bayh-Dole Act is being achieved, namely whether the Government obtains sufficient rights in federally supported inventions to meet the needs of the Government and protect the public against nonuse or unreasonable use of Inventions We have several concerns. Our first concern is whether the patents that result from NIH-funded research and structure of the Bayh-Dole Act are sufficient to achieve these goals. While we identified 22 thousand issued patents resulting from research that was directly or indirectly related to drugs approved from 2010-2019, only 567 of these patents were listed in Orange Book as contributing to the marketing exclusivity of approved products, and only 27 of the 311 study drugs included in this database[1] were protected by these patents. (Some of these patents are related to drugs approved prior to 2010.) Thus, inasmuch as the measurable economic value of the patents relates to its ability to provide marketing exclusivity, which provides greater revenue and profit for the patent holder, only a very small number of patents would be deemed to be contributing to economic value. A similar problem arises in accounting. Patents that are only indirectly related to new drugs represent intangible assets rather than tangible assets, and, thus, do not contribute to the calculated value of the corporation or its shareholders. The problem is compounded by the fact that basic research may not lead to disclosure of a subject invention, which is the trigger for application of the Bayh-Dole Act. A subject invention is defined in the Act as any invention of a contractor conceived or first actually reduced to practice in the performance of work under a funding agreement. An invention, however, requires the researcher to recognize a functional purpose or usefulness of the invention and provide information sufficient for those skilled in the art to reduce it to practice without the exercise of extensive experimentation or the exercise of inventive skill. Basic research, which is defined by the National Science Foundation as being undertaken without any particular application or use in view, may not meet this utility requirement. Furthermore, since the translation of basic scientific discoveries into successful products often requires extensive investments of time, talent, and capital, the fruits of basic research may not satisfy the enablement standards. Our concern, therefore, is that the Bayh-Dole Act may not even apply to most of the research being funded by the NIH. Without engaging in legal interpretations of the governments March-in-Rights associated with the Bayh-Dole Act and whether they can be triggered in response to high drug prices or limited availability of a drug, if the patents resulting from NIH funding are not material to a companys exclusivity, then triggering March-in-Rights to these patents may not have any effect on the companys exclusive rights exclusive rights to market a product and set its price. While the needs of the government may be met by other mechanisms, such as the Defense Production Act, if the Bayh-Dole Act does not apply, there are few other mechanisms to meet the publics need for protection against nonuse or unreasonable use of government funded research. Second, we are concerned about how the financialized biopharmaceutical industry balances creation of shareholder value and the value resulting from improving health outcomes. Studies over the past decades consistently demonstrate that increasing copayments result in lower utilization of health resources and compromise health outcomes. Thus, corporations that seek to maximize shareholder value by aggressively pricing their products will necessarily reduce the health value resulting from these products. This, in turn, reduced the health impact of the NIH funding that contributed to their discovery and development. The concept that companies have an obligation to maximize shareholder value is increasingly challenged by both the business and academic communities. There are, however, no systematic mechanisms for monitoring how companies choose to balance profits and people, either by embracing a stakeholder perspective on value maximization, creating shared value, or prioritizing social responsibility as a corporation mission. Finally, also unclear is whether the return on investment to government, as an investor of first resort in the earliest stages of biopharmaceutical innovation, is commensurate with the risk of these investments. The governments return on investment is largely indirect, and is commonly assessed by the health value created by the products (e.g. QALYs), the estimated value of the jobs created in for-profit and non-profit firms, and the economic impact of growing revenues, market capitalization, and shareholder value. Mazzucato has argued that indirect measures may be inadequate, and that more attention should be paid to assuring direct returns from the licensing of government-funded technologies to industry comparable to those of other early investors. Given the scale of the public sector investments identified in our work, there is an acute need for methods that will adequately measure these multivarious forms of value, policies that provide the public with an equitable balance of risk and reward, and a framework that equitably prioritizes alternative forms of value in response to the publics most pressing needs. In an era of both COVID and economic uncertainly, there are hard choices to make. ___________ [1] Note that the Orange Book includes only drugs approved by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, not the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and does not include biological products. Thus only 311/356 drugs in our study had entries in Orange Book. Citing a rise in coronavirus cases, Temple University said Thursday it is suspending in-person classes for the fall semester shortly after students returned to campus. The university said it made the decision to move to online courses after consulting with the Philadelphia Department of Health. Temple President Richard M. Englert and Temple Vice President and Provost JoAnne A. Epps wrote a joint letter to the campus community. A handful of essential in-person courses will be offered but Temple leaders estimate 95% of the universitys fall classes will be delivered online. Englert and Epps acknowledged the disappointment in their letter. For those students already taking a fully online course load, this will not be a major change. On the other hand, we know this is disappointing for the many students and their families who had hoped for an on-campus experience, the leaders wrote. Please know that if the data supported a decision to safely continue the fall semester experience on campus, we would have made every effort to do so. Unfortunately, the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are simply too great for our students, faculty, staff and neighboring community. The Temple leaders did not disclose the number of cases but said the university has done extensive testing since students began returning to campus a few weeks ago. Those who have tested positive have shown either no symptoms or mild to moderate flu-like symptoms, Temples leaders wrote. But the recent rise in positive cases prompted Temple to switch plans. As Englert and Epps wrote, we have concluded that the data indicate it is time to pivot to primarily online education, as we said we would be prepared to do. Students in university housing who want to return home can get reimbursed for their full housing and meal plans if they leave by Sept. 13, the university announced. Other colleges and universities are changing plans as they find more students testing positive. Earlier this week, Lock Haven University announced it was suspending in-person classes for two weeks due to COVID-19 cases. Gettysburg College went into lockdown Tuesday night, quarantining all students to their dorm rooms for at least the rest of this week. Bloomsburg University said last week it was moving to remote instruction after dozens of students tested positive. Some colleges and universities, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Dickinson College, began the year online. Some universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Drexel, announced they were delaying face-to-face instruction just days before the start of classes. Penn State University is employing a mix of in-person classes and remote instruction. More than 135,000 people across Pennsylvania have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 7,700 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. After rising in June and July, the number of new cases has generally dropped since the beginning of August. The states percentage of positive tests for COVID-19 has also been falling in recent weeks. But health officials have seen an uptick in young adults testing positive, particularly between the ages of 19 and 24. 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. More from PennLive In the COVID-19 pandemic, heres why you should hurry up and get a flu shot In the early hours of Thursday morning, a Twitter account belonging to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal website was hacked with a series of tweets asking its followers to donate to a relief fund through cryptocurrency. The account which has over 2.5 million followers is the official Twitter handle for Modis personal website as well as the Narendra Modi mobile application. Twitter in a statement to Reuters confirmed the activity with Modis website account and has taken steps to secure it. We are actively investigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted, a Twitter spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Modis office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the tweets posted on the account @narendramodi_in. The tweets, which have since been taken down, asked the followers to donate to the PM National Relief Fund through cryptocurrency. Several screenshots of the tweets, went viral and one thing stood out: The hacker identified himself as John Wick. PM Modi's Twitter account hacked. Bitcoin? John Wick? Paytm Mall?screenshots source: twitter pic.twitter.com/gj4E2Oai5z Irfan (@simplyirfan) September 2, 2020 PM Narendra Modi's personal website's twitter account @narendramodi_in has been hacked by a hacker claiming to be John Wick hckindia@tutanota.com4 tweets have been tweeted by the hacker asking to donate to PM Relief fund via crypto currency!#Hacked pic.twitter.com/zRVmPdh2d1 Tech Takneek (@TechTakneek) September 3, 2020 While John Wick the hacker is an alias like Elliot Alderson, heres who the fictional character John Wick actually is. John Wick who is a fictional character played by Keanu Reeves in a Hollywood movie of the same name, follows the story of an ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took everything from him. Part of a three series franchise, it began with the release of John Wick in 2014 followed by two sequels, John Wick: Chapter 2 in 2017, and John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum on in 2019. Further into the franchise we learn more details about the titular character, and how Wick was an orphan taken in by the Tarasov Russian Mafia and raised as an assassin. His ruthlessness earned him the nickname Baba Yaga or Boogeyman. At the beginning of the first film, Wick has been inactive for five years, having retired from the Tarasov Russian Mafia. In the third film, we even get to know his real name Jardani Jovonovich. We even see a glimpse of Wicks back tattoo which reads Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat" in Latin. This phrase, translated to say Fortune Favors the Bold," is a motto of the Marine Corps. The details on John Wicks backstory ultimately leave fans with much more knowledge about Baba Yaga and his journey to the character we see on screen by the end of the third film. While many hackers have taken up the name Elliot Alderson from Mr.Robot, played by Rami Malek who plays a hacker, John Wick isnt shown as a cyber-security expert or a hacker in any of the movies. As a strange co-incidence, the character who plays John Wick, Keanu Reeves, has his birthday today (2nd September). Happy Birthday to Mr. Wick himself, Keanu Reeves. pic.twitter.com/I9iSPmyyeb John Wick (@JohnWickMovie) September 2, 2020 PM Modis Twitter hack incident comes days after many Twitter accounts of eminent personalities were hacked in July. Unidentified hackers had broken into the Twitter accounts of technology giants, politicians, celebrities and major firms in what had been an apparent Bitcoin scam. CNN host Don Lemon is not buying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that she was "set up" by a San Francisco hair salon she visited on Monday. Surveillance footage showed a mask-less Pelosi receiving a blowout at eSalon on Union Street despite the fact that indoor haircuts are still barred by the city amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pelosi claimed it was a "set-up" during an event in Noe Valley on Wednesday, and a law firm representing Pelosi's stylist echoed Pelosi's claim, alleging that owner Erica Kious had "made several vitriolic and incendiary comments about Speaker Pelosi." Kious denied the accusations of a set-up and claimed that Pelosi's assistant is the one who booked the appointment a charge that Pelosi and the stylist have not disputed. During his show Wednesday night, Lemon said the House Speaker should have taken responsibility for the incident and zeroed in on her decision to not wear a mask. "So the Speaker of the House is blaming the salon because she didn't wear a mask indoors," Lemon said. "Tonight the salon owner is denying it is a set up. Regardless, this far into the pandemic the House Speaker should know what is safe and what isn't. We should all know. It's our responsibility. Instead of claiming a set-up, it would have been just as easy for the speaker to say, 'You know what, I messed up. I should have worn a mask indoors.'" During an appearance on Fox News a couple hours earlier, Kious further denied the set-up accusations. "I've had a camera system in there for five years," she said. "I mean I didn't go in there and turn cameras on as soon as she walked in to set her up." The stylist said Kious "took special interest" in Pelosi's appointment after learning it was scheduled. Eric Ting is an SFGATE reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI Additional charges may be coming for a Washtenaw County sheriffs deputy facing sexual assault charges for several incidents alleged to have occurred when he and another suspect tied to the case were college students. A probable cause hearing for Dangelo McWilliams was adjourned Thursday, Sept. 3, when prosecutors and McWilliams attorney, Doug Gutscher, agreed to postpone it. The defense is awaiting additional discovery from the prosecutors office and is expecting additional charges to be added to the pending sexual assault case, Gutscher said. With COVID, weve been having logistical issues receiving discovery and it has been made apparent that additional charges may be coming, Gutscher said in requesting the adjournment. McWilliams, 24, of Canton, who is currently on unpaid leave from the sheriffs office, was arraigned Aug. 5 on two felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence, court records show. He is charged as an accomplice on the two first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, the records show. The charges stem from another sexual assault case in which Dustyn Michael Durbin was arraigned on July 31 on nine counts of criminal sexual conduct associated with the sexual assaults of seven women in Ypsilanti between 2014-19. During McWilliams arraignment, prosecutors stated he and Durbin were linked to these sexual assaults that occurred while the women were Eastern Michigan University students. According to EMU officials, Durbin was enrolled at EMU from 2014-19 and graduated with a degree in criminology and criminal justice and a concentration in law enforcement. He was also a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity at EMU. McWilliams was at EMU from 2015-18, officials said, and graduated with a degree in criminology and criminal justice, as well as a minor in law enforcement. He was a member of EMUs chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. EMU taking immediate steps to look into 2018 sexual assault allegations, officials say The alleged crimes occurred prior to McWilliams being hired as a deputy. He was placed on administrative leave without pay when Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office officials became aware of the charges filed against him, officials said. He joined the sheriffs office in May 2019, according to a post on the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office Facebook page. In a statement, EMU said it will conduct a complete review of Title IX and public safety records regarding these allegations. However, its initial review indicates that no one came forward with a Title IX or public safety complaint in these instances. Both men are scheduled for their next court appearance on Sept. 17. First-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by up to life in prison. More from The Ann Arbor News: Unmet needs requests tripled in Washtenaw County in early months of coronavirus outbreak, report finds Burger joint eyes Jackson, Washtenaw County locations after success in Tecumseh Big increases in Livingston County coronavirus cases come from high school-aged kids, health officials say In an attempt to rope in the public and stakeholder groups to elicit their views on Delhis Master Plan 2041, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) held an online meeting between officials, residents and representatives of resident welfare associations (RWAs) of unauthorised colonies. The participants were asked to share their suggestions towards the registration process as well as offer ideas towards area improvement and redevelopment in unauthorised colonies. The day-long public consultation was organised by DDA and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) on an online platform in three batches from 11 am onwards. Around 120 people and RWAs attended, oficials said. The meeting was chaired by Leenu Sehgal, Commissioner (Planning), and Neeraj Bharti, Commissioner (Land Pooling) from DDA. The officers shared details of the PM-UDAY Scheme and the application process to be followed by property owners in unauthorised colonies of Delhi, officials said. The concerns highlighted by participants were mainly about lack of access to basic services of water and sanitation and other facilities in their locality. Other issues raised included legality of their properties, narrow access roads, congestion, conflicts between commercial and residential uses, quality of drinking water and water logging. A common concern shared by most participants was vulnerability and risks related to disasters such as fire, earthquakes, etc. NIUA has been asked to submit the draft MPD-2041 by December-end. The Master Plan of Delhi-2041 is a vision document for the citys development. It is expected to focus on development in all unauthorised colonies and provisioning for social infrastructure in illegal colonies. The DDA public portal is open for all residents of Delhi to share their views for the future of the city that will become part of a larger vision and strategy for MPD-2041. Information about the upcoming weekly public consultations will be available on the portal and can be accessed here Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and 14 other U.S. senators Wednesday called for the Department of Defense to continue funding Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that reports on the U.S. military. Stars and Stripes is a historically significant publication in our country. It originated during the Civil War and has been published continuously since World War II to provide independent, nonpartisan, and award winning journalism to more than 1.4 million readers among our active duty forces, veterans, civilians, and their families, the letter reads. In a tweet accompanying the letter, which was addressed to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Blumenthal called the publication indispensible. They hold the DOD accountable & keep servicemembers, their families, & the public informed. Ill keep fighting for this patriotic publications funding to be reinstated, the Democratic senator said. The Department of Defense plans to cease publication of the paper by Sept. 30 and completely dissolve the news organization by Jan. 31 as part of President Trumps budget for the next fiscal year, according to the letter. The newspaper reported on the Defense Departments plan to cut its funding back in February. In that article, the outlet quoted a tweet by Stars and Stripes ombudsman, Ernie Gates in which he defended the publications role. Stars and Stripes mission is not to communicate the DOD or command message, but to be an independent, First Amendment publication that serves the troops especially deployed troops, Gates wrote in the tweet. So we communicate misses the mission. Other senators who signed Wednesdays letter included California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, member and former chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican. The senators letter noted reporting by Stars and Stripes revealed the Department of Defense had hired public relations firms to profile journalists in an effort to steer coverage of the war in Afghanistan. It also highlighted recent coverage by the paper of schools on U.S. military bases remaining open in Japan, despite the rest of the country going into lockdown. These stories illustrate why Stars and Stripes is essential, the letter reads. They report on stories that no one else covers. Watchdog Describes Iran's 'Shocking' Rights Violations After November Protests By RFE/RL September 02, 2020 Amnesty International has accused Iran of committing "a catalogue of shocking human rights violations" against those detained in connection with the November 2019 antiestablishment protests, including children as young as 10. The violent demonstrations were sparked by a sudden hike in the price of gasoline and spread to some 100 Iranian towns and cities. The authorities responded with force, killing at least 304 protesters, according to Amnesty International, and arresting several thousand while also shutting down the Internet for several days to disrupt the free flow of information. In a report released on September 2, the London-based human rights group says Iran's police, intelligence, security forces, and prison officials have resorted with the complicity of judges and prosecutors to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment against protesters, bystanders, and others who were arrested during and after the 2019 protests. Amnesty says the report is based on interviews with 60 victims of the state crackdown or their relatives or close acquaintances, two protesters who were hiding, and 14 informed individuals. The groups says it has also received information from several hundred others inside the country while also analyzing video footage and court documents. "In the days following the mass protests, videos showing Iran's security forces deliberately killing and injuring unarmed protesters and bystanders sent shockwaves around the world," said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. "Much less visible has been the catalogue of cruelty meted out to detainees and their families by Iranian officials away from the public eye," Eltahawy added. Amnesty International says it has recorded the names and details of more than 500 protesters and others, including journalists and human rights defenders, who have been subjected to "unfair criminal proceedings" in connection with the protests. The rights group says prison terms for those convicted have ranged from one month to 10 years for vague charges, including "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security," "spreading propaganda against the system," and "insulting" Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three protesters were sentenced to death. Their cases are reportedly being reviewed following a public outcry. Amnesty International says many of those arrested were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Victims were punched, kicked, flogged, suspended or forced into holding stressful positions for prolonged periods, placed in prolonged solitary confinement, and denied medical care for injuries sustained during the protests, the watchdog said. The report quoted one victim as describing being waterboarded. "[My interrogators] would drench a towel in water and place it over my face. Then they would pour water slowly over the towel, which made me feel like I was suffocating," the victim from the northeastern Khorasan Razavi Province said. A victim from Tehran described being suspended from his hands and feet from a pole in a painful method. "The pain was excruciating. There was so much pressure and pain in my body that I would urinate on myself," the man in the Iranian capital told Amnesty International. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/watchdog-describes- iran-s-shocking-rights-violations-after -november-protests/30816283.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Newmont to continue at Anza gold projectUS$500,000 option payment receivedLONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or the "Company") (TSX:OMI)(AIM:OMI), announces that it has been informed by Newmont Colombia ... Orosur Mining Inc Newmont to continue at Anza gold project US$500,000 option payment received LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or the "Company") (TSX:OMI)(AIM:OMI), announces that it has been informed by Newmont Colombia S.A.S. ("Newmont Colombia") a subsidiary of Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM), that it intends to continue to exercise its rights and obligations with regard to the Anza gold project in Colombia (the "Anza Project") under the terms of the Exploration Agreement with Venture Option (the "Agreement") signed and announced in September 2018. Newmont Colombia has now paid the fourth and final cash payment of US$500,000 required under the Phase I earn-in arrangement to retain its option and to continue into the 3rd year of Phase 1 of the Agreement during which year it is required to spend a further US$4 million in qualifying expenditure on the Anza Project. In addition, should qualifying expenditure incurred on the Anza Project for the year ending 7th September 2020, fall short of the required US$1m under the Agreement, Newmont Colombia will be required to meet such shortfall by making a payment equal to the shortfall to the Company no later than 6th November 2020. The amount of such payment would be determined once the total of qualifying expenditure for the year ending 7th September 2020 has been accounted for. In the 3rd and 4th years of Phase 1 of the Agreement, Newmont Colombia will be required to spend a total of US$8 million in qualifying expenditure on the Anza Project to acquire a 51% ownership interest. No further cash payments are due to the Company in the remaining two years of Phase 1 of the Agreement. Story continues To view the full PDF version of this announcement, including Figures 1-3 referred to below, please click here: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8663X_1-2020-9-2.pdf About the Anza Project Anza is a gold exploration project, comprising three exploration licences, four exploration licence applications, and several small exploitation permits, totalling 207.5km2 in the prolific Mid-Cauca belt of Colombia. The Anza Project is currently wholly owned by Orosur via its subsidiary, Minera Anza S.A. The project is located 50km west of Medellin and is easily accessible by all-weather roads and boasts excellent infrastructure including water, power, communications and large exploration camp. Anza lies some 60km south along strike from the giant Buritica deposit, recently acquired by Zijin Mining for CAN$1.4 billion. Figure 1. Anza Location Map The Anza Project was acquired by Orosur in 2014, via the acquisition by Orosur of Canadian company Waymar Resources (Waymar) (TSXV:WYM). Orosur and Waymar explored the project using a variety of techniques including over 24,000m of drilling. Most drilling focussed on the APTA prospect, with a small drilling program identifying mineralisation 1.5km west at the Charrascala prospect. Geochemistry and other work identified several other targets (Jesuitas, Guaimarala and La Cejita) which have not been drill tested (Figure 2) Drilling at APTA has defined multiple zones of high-grade gold mineralisation covering a strike of approximately 1.5km, to a depth extent of over 275m, with mineralisation remaining open in all directions. (Figure 3) (Appendix I) In September 2018, the Anza project was optioned to Newmont Colombia. Figure 2. Surface Geochemistry and Target Zones Figure 3. APTA Drill Plan and Section Exploration Agreement with Venture Option The Agreement is described on SEDAR and in previous announcements made by the Company. The key points, which were announced on 10 September 2018, are as follows: The Agreement provides for a three-phase earn-in structure allowing Newmont Colombia to earn up to a 75% ownership interest in the Anza Project by spending a minimum of US$30.0 million in qualifying expenditures over twelve years to 2030, completing an NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$4.0 million over Phases 1 and 2. In Phase 1, Newmont may earn a 51% ownership interest by spending US$10.0 million in qualifying project expenditures over four years to September 2022 and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$2.0 million during the first two years of the Phase 1 earn-in period. Upon Newmont Colombia's completion of Phase 1, it may elect, in its sole discretion, to exercise its option to form a joint venture with Minera Anza S.A. In Phase 2 commencing October 2022, Newmont may elect to earn an additional 14% ownership interest in the Anza Project by sole-funding US$20.0 million in qualifying expenditures within four years, completing an NI 43-101 compliant pre-feasibility study and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$2.0 million. In Phase 3 commencing 2026, Newmont may elect to earn an additional 10% ownership interest in the Anza Project by completing an NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study within four years. Upon Newmont completing the Phase 3 earn-in, Orosur may elect for Newmont to solely fund all expenditures until the commencement of commercial production at the Anza Project. If the Company elects for Newmont to do so: Newmont's ownership interest shall increase by 5% to 80% in the Anza Project; Upon the commencement of commercial production, Orosur shall commence contributing funds for adopted programs and budgets in proportion to its ownership interest or suffer dilution of its ownership interest; and Newmont shall receive 90% of Orosur's distribution of earnings or dividends until such time as the amounts received equal the aggregate amount of expenditures incurred by Newmont on behalf of Orosur plus nominal interest. Brad George, CEO of Orosur, commented: "We have long valued Newmont as both partner and major shareholder, and we are delighted with their decision to continue to work with us on the Anza Project" Appendix I Table 1 Previously announced notable drill results from the APTA Prospect Hole Number From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) MAP_011 213.00 219.00 6.00 18.26 1.96 0.35 including 217.50 219.00 1.50 72.30 6.90 0.93 MAP_020 145.00 186.00 41.00 3.85 1.39 1.25 including 171.30 177.00 5.70 19.84 3.94 1.66 MAP_021 224.00 242.00 18.00 14.14 2.05 2.83 including 225.00 229.40 4.40 45.62 5.47 10.59 252.00 253.00 1.00 10.85 1.80 0.67 MAP_029 183.00 194.90 11.90 10.57 2.40 1.61 including 185.00 187.00 2.00 40.25 4.85 4.64 MAP_033 157.10 179.50 22.40 10.42 1.87 1.56 including 165.00 170.80 5.80 29.49 3.37 2.81 MAP_036 198.60 227.50 28.90 3.88 1.68 0.43 including 205.50 217.50 12.00 8.83 2.65 0.59 MAP_038 123.40 124.50 1.10 15.40 3.60 1.94 172.00 212.50 40.50 14.09 3.82 1.95 including 179.50 186.00 6.50 70.99 6.34 0.12 including 184.60 186.00 1.40 176.00 15.20 0.39 including 202.00 205.40 3.40 20.89 9.71 4.75 MAP_043 65.50 68.60 3.10 7.66 73.04 0.68 167.50 231.50 64.00 1.88 1.88 0.70 including 209.00 214.00 5.00 9.07 3.40 0.70 MAP_047 105.00 118.30 13.30 2.24 316.25 1.00 including 106.00 110.50 4.50 4.69 768.89 2.34 MAP_048 181.00 195.70 14.70 40.37 9.00 3.41 including 185.50 195.70 10.20 58.03 13.16 4.85 including 187.60 189.50 1.90 219.00 29.50 6.55 MAP-054 41.40 59.30 17.90 2.96 26.97 0.32 including 41.40 43.20 1.80 10.25 76.90 1.22 including 44.70 52.00 7.30 3.39 33.77 0.37 97.10 110.90 13.80 4.36 1.19 0.77 including 97.10 101.73 4.63 5.47 1.59 1.44 including 107.60 110.90 3.30 10.35 0.83 0.14 144.50 149.82 5.32 17.76 1.55 4.74 including 144.50 145.70 1.20 8.71 0.90 0.80 including 145.70 146.70 1.00 37.96 1.30 0.70 including 146.70 148.00 1.30 19.76 1.40 0.25 including 148.00 148.87 0.87 17.63 1.50 7.56 including 148.87 149.82 0.95 5.31 2.90 17.54 149.82 159.10 9.28 1.84 0.94 2.26 including 153.00 155.00 2.00 3.43 0.97 1.14 309.20 313.20 4.00 2.96 5.70 0.41 MAP_055 177.00 190.90 13.90 4.89 4.86 1.35 including 177.00 181.00 4.00 6.26 3.35 0.57 including 185.00 190.90 5.90 7.24 8.73 2.78 MAP_056 223.00 235.00 12.00 1.33 0.90 0.05 including 231.00 233.00 2.00 2.62 1.00 0.02 MAP_058 246.00 250.00 4.00 1.10 3.45 0.15 including 274.50 276.50 2.00 4.55 6.50 0.13 MAP_059 163.50 195.00 31.50 1.86 2.39 0.49 including 181.00 188.00 7.00 4.66 2.17 0.27 including 192.00 194.00 2.00 3.40 3.55 0.56 230.50 242.50 12.00 1.96 2.73 0.50 including 230.50 236.50 6.00 3.15 1.75 0.63 MAP-060 70.00 75.50 5.50 3.34 3.55 0.56 165.00 192.00 27.00 1.81 0.87 0.33 including 180.00 186.00 6.00 2.92 0.67 0.20 including 189.00 192.00 3.00 4.60 2.90 1.52 222.00 247.00 25.00 4.86 3.23 1.73 including 222.00 226.00 4.00 7.92 4.13 1.94 including 235.00 238.00 3.00 9.54 5.37 0.33 including 245.00 246.00 1.00 14.43 3.40 0.95 MAP_062 60.00 65.30 5.30 5.09 12.06 0.37 including 62.20 64.20 2.00 7.61 16.90 0.80 167.50 176.50 9.00 1.69 0.62 217.00 240.00 23.00 5.00 3.37 0.40 including 220.00 221.00 1.00 16.02 9.40 0.81 including 229.70 232.20 2.50 8.59 2.98 0.66 including 237.70 240.00 2.30 14.94 7.88 0.13 MAP_064 116.00 122.00 6.00 1.57 19.98 1.73 147.00 151.00 4.00 0.84 0.60 0.04 190.00 197.00 7.00 3.45 1.00 3.79 including 193.00 197.00 4.00 5.43 1.50 6.41 265.00 273.70 8.70 1.67 3.13 5.35 283.70 285.30 1.60 3.18 1.94 3.03 292.00 294.00 2.00 2.04 1.75 5.90 297.00 299.00 2.00 1.03 1.05 2.18 MAP_065 140.00 144.10 4.10 2.22 1.37 0.04 283.30 288.45 5.15 1.24 5.75 0.11 including 284.30 286.10 1.80 2.70 10.30 0.09 312.00 313.50 1.50 1.05 0.60 0.54 MAP_067 161.70 168.10 6.40 1.74 2.52 0.34 including 162.80 165.00 2.20 4.14 30.50 0.79 176.40 192.20 15.80 1.07 2.04 0.06 including 179.00 184.00 5.00 2.24 3.28 0.13 235.00 243.20 8.20 1.36 0.78 0.38 including 237.00 241.20 4.20 2.09 0.87 0.49 MAP_070 168.00 192.00 24.00 1.84 1.64 1.09 including 168.00 173.00 5.00 1.66 3.52 4.81 including 183.00 184.00 1.00 23.66 3.60 0.04 including 186.00 192.00 6.00 1.16 0.72 0.02 208.00 212.00 4.00 1.13 1.72 0.61 221.00 233.00 12.00 5.28 2.48 1.10 including 222.00 226.00 4.00 6.38 3.10 2.28 including 228.00 233.00 5.00 6.99 2.78 0.65 246.00 248.00 2.00 6.28 6.30 1.41 including 256.00 267.00 11.00 6.35 2.74 1.55 284.00 298.00 14.00 5.02 2.23 1.10 including 286.00 292.00 6.00 9.62 2.90 1.75 302.00 307.00 5.00 1.57 3.94 1.67 Notes: Significant intervals are chosen based on continuity of mineralization and gold grade. All intervals are reported as drilled thicknesses; true thicknesses are estimated to be 65-85% of drilled thicknesses. Gold grades have been calculated based on weighted averages For further information, please contact: Orosur Mining Inc Louis Castro, Chairman, Brad George, CEO info@orosur.ca Tel: +1 (778) 373-0100 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP - Nomad & Joint Broker Jeff Keating / Caroline Rowe Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 470 0470 The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Orosur Mining Inc. Orosur Mining Inc. (TSX: OMI; AIM: OMI) is a precious metals developer and explorer focused on identifying and advancing gold projects in South America. The Company operates in Colombia and Uruguay. Forward Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to the "safe harbour" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the exploration plans in Colombia and the funding from Newmont of those plans, Newmonts decision to continue with the Exploration and Option agreement, the ability for Loryser to continue and finalize with the remediation in Uruguay, the ability to implement the Creditors' Agreement successfully as well as continuation of the business of the Company as a going concern and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. The Company's continuance as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing, to reach profitable levels of operations and to reach a satisfactory implementation of the Creditors Agreement in Uruguay. These material uncertainties may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business and accordingly the appropriateness of the use of accounting principles applicable to a going concern. 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 forward looking statements. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties including, but not limited, those as described in Section "Risks Factors" of the MDA and the Annual Information Form. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Orosur Mining Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/604615/Orosur-Mining-Inc-Announces-Colombia-update Suite 430, Northbrook, IL 60062 -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/02/2020 -- The report "Mycotoxin Testing Market by Type (Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin, Fumonisins, Zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, Trichothecenes, Patulin), Technology (Chromatography- & Spectroscopy-Based, Immunoassay-Based), Sample (Feed & Food), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", size is projected to reach USD 1,337 million by 2025, which was estimated at USD 946 million in 2020; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2020. The market is driven by factors such as implementation of stringent regulatory compliance on mycotoxin detecton, growth in international trade that will lead to increase in testing on both souring and destination place of the goods, and increasing consumers awareness for certification of products for different toxins and food & feed born mycotoxins. Also, rising humid atmospheric condition leading to an increase in mycotoxin has been driving the growth of this market. Browse 378 market data Tables and 56 Figures spread through 374 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Mycotoxin Testing Market - Global Forecast to 2025" Download PDF Brochure The mycotoxin testing market includes major Tier I and II suppliers like SGS, Eurofins, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, ALS Limited, Neogen, AsureQuality, Microbac Labratories Inc., Romer Labs, Smbio Alliance Labrotaries, OMIC USA Inc, and Merieux Nutrascience. These serivc poviders have their facilities spread across various countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and RoW. Though COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well, there is no significant impact on the global operations of their mycotoxin testing services. The international trade barriers, closure of restaurants, hotels, and live animal markets, supply chain hindrances, consumption patterns of livestock-based products were considered to be moderately significant, which has disrupted the market for myctoxin testing. However, during this pandemic situation, coronavirus not only had a significant impact on public health worldwide but also on the various stages of the food and feed supply chain. Due to the lockdowns in various countries, closure of the international borders, shutdown of laboratories/processing plants and delay in cross border transit that has led to supply chain hindrances, the mycotoxin testing market witnessed a slight decline in first two quarters of 2020. Gradually, as the restrictions of the government measures are likely to relax, the market for mycotoxin testing would witness a slight increment in the upcoming years till 2030. Mycotoxin prevalence is a problem growing worldwide as the fungi can grow in various climatic conditions. Thus, proper testing of such contaminants at every stage of the supply chain is required to avoid foodborne diseases. Food manufacturers/growers will have to pay more attention to their food quality and food safety testing to reduce the occurrence of food-borne diseases. Moreover, the certification process will become important across the supply chain, as manufacturers require their own suppliers to be certified to benchmark standards. Also, the outbreak caused by the coronavirus in the world is projected to encourage the growth of the mycotoxin testing market due to the implementations of stringent regulatory guidelines by federal bodies for mycotoxins in food and animal feed. Therefore, mycotoxin testing services are projected to gain traction at every stage of the value chain. Post COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for food safety and hygiene practices is projected to increase significantly. It is projected that the importance of having proper food safety at every stage of the supply chain to ensure food quality and safety will rise. Moreover, regulatory pressure by governments may increase the number of tests at the manufacturing units, which is projected to drive the growth of the global mycotoxin testing market. Speak to Analyst The food mycotoxin testing segment is projected to be the largest market during the forecast period. The food segment is estimated to account for a largest market share during the forecast period, as mycotoxins cannot be destroyed by conventional food processing techniques and have toxin effects in humans after consumption such as immunosuppression, irritable skin, birth defects, and neurotoxicity. International trade mandates also call for more testing to be conducted on food products. Genotyping techniques have helped scientists in the identification of mycotoxin-producing fungi. Mycotoxins in food lead to significant economic losses and impacts the international trade as well as the health of humans. The aflatoxin segment is estimated to witness the fastest growth in the mycotoxin testing during the forecast period. Mycotoxin prevalence is a problem growing worldwide as fungi can grow in various climatic conditions. Thus, proper testing of such contaminants at every stage of the supply chain is required to avoid foodborne diseases. Aflatoxins are considered one of the most dangerous types among the group of mycotoxins present in food and feed. It is produced by the fungiAspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. This concern has lead to grow aflatoxin segment at the fastets growth rate. The mild to life-threatening disorders associated with aflatoxin contamination, birth defects among infants, chronic diarrhea, and immunosuppression. Aflatoxins are potent carcinogens and could lead to cases of liver cancer, these are the factors creating an opportunity for the growth of the aflatoxin testing market. With the introduction of stringent regulations, Europe is estimated to be the largest market during the forecast period. The mycotoxin market in Europe is driven by the introduction of stringent regulations pertaining to the mycotoxin testing in food as well as feed. According to Europa, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) collects and evaluates occurrence data on mycotoxins in food and feed. It also prepares guidance for applicants on how to conduct the safety and efficacy assessment of feed additives that help to reduce the contamination of feed by mycotoxins. Increasing awareness about the effects of myctoxin in food and feed products has lead to increased demand and concerns for certification details over products, this is projected to contribute to the market growth. This report includes a study on the marketing and development strategies, along with a study on the service portfolios of the leading companies. It includes the profiles of leading companies such as SGS (Switzerland), Bureau Veritas (France), Eurofins (Luxembourg), Intertek (UK), Merieux NutriSciences (US), ALS Limited (Australia), Neogen (US), Romer Labs (US), Symbio Laboratories (Australia), OMIC USA (US), AsureQuality (New Zealand), and Microbac (US). About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA : 1-888-600-6441 Reeling under losses due to lockdown restrictions, the owners of banquet halls on Pakhowal Road here have urged the state government to increase the gathering limit of guests in wedding events. They have asked for allowing at least 100 persons from September 21, as prescribed by the Centre in its Unlock 4.0 guidelines. The hotel and resorts association of Pakhowal Road handed over a memorandum to MLA Kuldeep Vaid on Wednesday evening in this regard. The association members rued that other states have allowed a gathering of 100 persons in a wedding event after September 21 after the Centre released the fresh guidelines, but the Punjab government in its recent order has allowed only 30 persons to such events till September 30. They said if the government did not provide any relief to the sector, they would be forced to raise an agitation. The owners claimed they were suffering losses and struggling to pay the fixed charges, besides their staff not being able to make ends meet and going jobless. Hotelier Pritam Singh said, We have been sitting idle since mid of March as restrictions have been imposed on gatherings and people are not organising events. We are facing losses and are somehow trying to retain the staff. We want the government to allow events with 50 percent capacity in banquets and hotels, but not even 100 persons can participate in the events, even when the Centre has allowed the same. We would lodge protests if no relief is given. Taranjit Singh, who runs a resort on lease, said, Many staffers have lost their jobs during the pandemic, while others are struggling to support their families. But the government is not paying heed to our problems. The business is on the brink of collapse and the owners are forced to pay hefty fixed charges, including electricity bills, even when no events are being organised at our venues. MLA Kuldeep Vaid has assured the association to the take up the matter with the state government and get help for the suffering industry. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu says the poisoning of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny is "totally unacceptable" and condemns that, speaking about the need for a thorough and impartial investigation in this case. "I firmly condemn the poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok, as officially reported today by the German Government. This totally unacceptable act requires thorough and impartial investigation and those responsible should face justice," the head of the Romanian diplomacy wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday condemned the "shocking" poisoning of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok and called on Russia to conduct a transparent investigation, AFP reports.The German Government has announced that Alexei Navalny has been the victim of an attack with the nerve agent Novichok. It is shocking and I condemn this without appeal, Stoltenberg said in a statement.The tests carried out by a German military laboratory found "unequivocal evidence" that the Russian opponent had been poisoned "with a Novichok-type neurotoxic agent." according to the German government.Novichok, a powerful Soviet-designed neurotoxic agent, was used against former double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018 in the UK. That sparked a diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow. Michigan used to have the lowest earnings gap between Black and white workers in the country in the late 1970s. But since then, its lost more ground than any other state, according to a Michigan State University Department of Economics study on racial earnings differences. The study compares earnings between 1976 and 2017, looking at differences between formerly-confederate states in the south versus other states. It compares the 18 states plus Washington D.C. with enough Black workers to make meaningful comparisons, said MSU Economics Professor Charles Ballard, one of studys authors. To see the full study, click here. The difference in earnings between white workers and Black workers used to be slimmer in northern states. But in recent decades, Black workers in the south have gained ground while Black workers elsewhere saw their earnings gap grow wider, per the study. Forty years ago, Black workers in Michigan made more than Black workers anywhere else in the world, Ballard said. The manufacturing sector was the big reason why Black workers prospered. Findings from the study arent surprising to Jamiel Robinson, economic chairman for the NAACP of Grand Rapids. (If you) went to someone in the neighborhood and asked (a Black worker) if they feel theres a racial wealth gap, theyd say of course, Robinson said. It has to do with access to opportunity. The deindustrialization of the Midwest and loss of manufacturing jobs plays a role, Robinson said. Other potential factors include generational wealth, education, globalization and workplace discrimination and biases. Black vs. white worker earnings see big changes From the 1940s to 1980s, Black workers closed much of the earnings gap to white workers in Michigan. A strong auto industry, strong labor unions, a higher relative minimum wage and a more progressive tax system helped make that possible, Ballard said. "The last 40 years, we've had widening inequality just generally, along every dimension," Ballard said. From 1976 to 1981, Black working women in Michigan actually made more than their white female counterparts. In 2017 dollars, they earned an average of $37,915, which was 115.8% of what white working women were making. Ballard chalks it up partly due to a difference in experience levels. "There was this big surge of women entering the labor force. But that was dominated by white women," Ballard said. "So you had a lot of white women who were just getting into the labor force, whereas there were a lot of Black women who had already been in the labor force." A Black woman working on a General Motors assembly line in the '70s may have had decades of experience, while many younger white women were getting entry-level jobs, Ballard said. Since then, the experience levels have evened out and the earnings ratio has flipped. Now Black female workers earn 85.4% as much as their white female counterparts, per the study. Black men working in Michigan from 1976 to 1981 made 91.4% as much as white men the top in the nation, per the study. Now, they earn 75.8% as much. That trails southern states Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina, which used to have some of the widest racial earnings gaps 40 years ago. Were the state in which the black/white ratio dropped the furthest, Ballard said. A look at how the racial earnings gap has shifted with men and women, per a study from Michigan State University. As the auto industry lost jobs in Michigan, it hurt both Black and white workers, Ballard said. But the reason white workers were less affected is because of the types of jobs replacing manufacturing jobs emphasizing education. The MSU study shows white workers average nearly one more year of education than Black workers, Ballard said. Even more telling the payoff in earnings per year of education is larger for white workers than Black workers, he said. Theres no ironclad explanation of why each year of schooling is more valuable for white workers than for Black workers, Ballard said, although he said the differences in schools in urban areas versus suburban areas likely plays a role. Potential solutions? High tech jobs are replacing manufacturing jobs in Michigan, Robinson said. To help shrink the gap again, leaders need to make an effort to teach these new skills to young people of color, he said. Coding, specifically, is like the new manufacturing, Robinson said. A few friends of his started an organization called the Midwest Tech Project to connect young people of color to tech career pathways. Ke-Shawn Smith, a 19-year-old from Grand Rapids, joined the program as a sophomore in high school. He met people of color in the tech industry, job shadowed a programmer and learned the skills that allowed him to get a information security internship at Mercantile Bank. Meeting people of color already in the industry was influential to Smith whos now a student at Davenport University. You know you can do it, but it shows people who have made it and the different things theyve done to get there, Smith said. Just to see someone with representation in that area (is huge). Its like, Oh, Im not the only one whos wanting to do it. Theres other people before me. Its programs like this that will help even the playing field, Robinson said. And it doesnt have to be college, as trade jobs are available and pay well. Employers offering opportunities where people can earn and learn at the same time are also helpful to low-income workers, who might not be able to afford going months without full-time pay while training up, Robinson said. We have a huge gap and we have a long we to go when it comes to bridging those, Robinson said. Its going to take a lot more investment than rhetoric. Racial disparities are coming more into focus in the U.S. after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota in June. Ballard said he hopes this MSU study can continue the conversation of race, inequality and finding solutions. Raising minimum wage to $11 or $12 per hour is one idea, Ballard said, as it would disproportionately help Black workers while causing only few job losses. Giving a tax credit to low-income workers can help, too. But most solutions arent overnight fixes, Ballard said. "If we started now doing everything that I think we should do, it'll take 20 years for it to show up in the data very much. But we should do it," Ballard said. "We have just a whole host of things that stack the deck against low income and minority folks." Education is increasingly becoming more important for earnings, which is why Ballard says inequality in the classroom needs to be addressed. Studies show summer break penalizes disadvantaged students more than others, since higher-income families can pay for summer camps and tutors and learning materials. Lengthening the school year and cutting down on the amount of summer vacation would help shrink the racial education gap, Ballard said. Other gap-closing ideas include putting more school funding for operating and capital expenses, having more early childhood education and increasing efforts to raise graduation rates, per the study. I used to think that we in Michigan treated African Americans better than they do in the south, Ballard said. In some ways we did, in some ways not. But our extraordinary record of segregation is in my view not anything to be proud about. RELATED STORIES: Racism declared a public health crisis in new Whitmer executive directive City review of police response to Kalamazoo Proud Boys rally finds areas for improvement Lions Tracy Walker to honor Ahmaud Arbery with helmet decal, cleats this season How a school boards Black Lives Matter resolution claiming racist housing policies divided a Michigan community Parents of Ann Arbor tennis player called racial slur seek in-person apology, social change after incident We knew that she was going to be a piece of work when she was a sophomore at Montgomery College, he said. All of 19 years old, she went to a County Council meeting and just wore out a county executive about some issue. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / World-Class Extractions Inc. (CSE:PUMP)(FRA:WCF)(OTCQB:WCEXF) (the "Company" or "World-Class"), is pleased to report the operating and financial results for its year ended April 30, 2020. Company Summary World-Class is an innovation-driven company with a principle focus on the evolving cannabis and hemp industries. Through its subsidiaries, World-Class is working on partnerships to deploy and manage custom-built extraction centres utilizing its custom systems, technology, and processes to efficiently produce high-quality cannabis and hemp concentrates and end-products. In addition, Pineapple Express Delivery ("PED"), a company in which the Company holds a controlling interest, offers compliant and secure delivery of government regulated products, including medical and recreational cannabis in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and liquor delivery in certain jurisdictions in Saskatchewan. On July 29, 2020, World-Class announced that a company in which World-Class holds a 50% equity interest, Cobra Ventures Inc. ("Cobra"), entered into an agreement to acquire a senior secured convertible debenture of HydRx Farms Ltd. operating as Scientus Pharma ("HydRx") in the principal amount of CDN$11,500,000, plus accrued and unpaid interest and charges (the "Debenture") from a leading Canadian Licensed Producer, subject to certain closing conditions. Cobra is purchasing the Debenture for CDN$5,000,000. Financial (audited) Revenue of $1,108,292 for the year ended April 30, 2020 compared to nil revenue for the year ended April 30, 2019. Gross margin for the year ended April 30, 2020 was 47%. The Company had cash as at April 30, 2020 of $5,632,160 (April 30, 2019 - $16,002,152) and current assets of $8,503,914 (April 30, 2019 - $20,957,680) to settle current liabilities of $5,493,417 (April 30, 2019 - $325,281). $3,018,134 of the current liabilities relate to convertible debt of $1,996,405 and resulting derivative liability of $1,021,729 assumed pursuant to the PED acquisition. The net loss and comprehensive loss for the year ended April 30, 2020 was $48,539,965 (as compared to April 30, 2019 of $12,354,999). The increased loss for the year is mainly attributed to the following: Due to downturn in the cannabis market and management's decision to deprioritize the development of the ultrasonic intellectual property technology, there is uncertainty in the realization of future economic benefits from this intellectual property. As a result, the Company assessed and recognized $7,773,287 in impairment charge against the value of this asset which is equivalent to 100% of its carrying amount. Due to uncertainty on the realization of future economic benefits from the ultrasonic technology the patent that relates to the technology was also impaired. As a result, the Company recognized an impairment charge of $101,367 relating to this ultrasonic patent in the statement of loss and comprehensive loss. The Company assessment of the value of the goodwill associated with the QCC acquisition amounted to $Nil and hence, an impairment loss equal to $20,450,690 was recognized in the statement of loss and comprehensive loss for the year. Impairment is attributed to a downturn in the cannabis market, declining extraction equipment sales and uncertainty of future economic benefits. The remaining goodwill relates to goodwill assumed upon acquisition of PED. In addition, the loss includes a write down of inventories of $3,406,415, depreciation and amortization expense of $2,375,327. Selling expenses totaled $1,108,292 (April 30, 2019 - $1,162,615). General and administrative expenses totaling $9,293,522 (April 30, 2019 - $3,334,014) included the following notable expenses, consulting fees of $758,880 (April 30, 2019 - $707,996); development and research expenses of $1,728,755 (April 30, 2019 - $81,026); office expenses of $182,119 (April 30, 2019 - $19,834), professional fees of $1,103,618 (April 30, 2019 - $384,859); rent of $189,331 (April 30, 2019 - $21,983), remuneration and benefits of $2,133,478 (April 30, 2019 - $Nil); and share-based payments of $2,468,231 (April 30, 2019 - $1,864,786). Rosy Mondin, CEO of World-Class stated: "World-Class has seen a 100% increase in its revenues from prior periods and we anticipate seeing triple-digit revenue growth for the rest of the year. By maximizing the capabilities of our subsidiaries we've been able to capitalize on their successes and the important role they play in supporting the growth of the Canadian cannabis industry. We are pleased with the strong growth from PED - since our acquisition of a controlling interest in PED in March 2020, PED continues to expand its service jurisdictions as well as its delivery of controlled substances, to now include wine, spirits and beer delivery in addition to recreational, medical and B2B cannabis delivery. To further support medical cannabis delivery to patients, PED partnered with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers and Spectrum Therapeutics, the medical division of Canopy Growth Corporation. The Soma team completed the commissioning of an independent mobile processing system which efficiently sorts, pelletizes, bags and oxygen-purges acres of hemp crop in hours. In addition, the Company is taking advantage of opportunities to monetize and deploy its extraction systems, and as announced in July 2020 we are purchasing a first position Debenture registered against the assets of HydRx Farms Inc." "For this year-end," Ms. Mondin continued, "we have taken a extremely conservative accounting approach resulting in the impairment of our intangible assets. World-Class' cash position provides us the flexibility to meet operational obligations, while we pursue other opportunities that may arise during this period of volatility. Management remains hyper-focused as we strategically position ourselves to capitalize on the opportunities ahead in the pursuit of shareholder value. The downturn in the cannabis and hemp industries which began in 2019, and further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly presented its challenges but our World-Class teams continue to execute on our growth strategy. We are proud of our ability to adapt and pivot to meet today's market realities. The steps taken this past year will result in a leaner and stronger company that will continue to innovate, maximize production and reduce costs and be a strong industry competitor." About World-Class World- Class is an innovation-driven company with a principle focus on the rapidly evolving cannabis and hemp industries. Through its subsidiaries Soma Labs Scientific Inc. and Greenmantle Products Inc., World-Class deploys and manages custom-built extraction centres utilizing its custom systems, technology, and processes to efficiently produce high-quality cannabis and hemp concentrates and end-products. In addition, through its subsidiary Pineapple Express Delivery Inc. the Company offers compliant and secure delivery of government regulated products, including medical and recreational cannabis in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and liquor delivery in certain jurisdictions in Saskatchewan. Investor Contact Daniel Mogil World-Class Investor Relations (437) 266-1969 ir@worldclassextractions.com https://worldclassextractions.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to the ability of Cobra to close on the acquisition of the Debenture. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited those identified and reported in the Company's public filings under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. 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 information, 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 information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. 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 unless required by law. SOURCE: World-Class Extractions Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604636/World-Class-Extractions-Reports-Operating-and-Financial-Results-for-the-Year-Ended-April-30-2020 The NATO ceremony to certify the fourth detachment of the Royal Canadian Air Force, that has arrived in Romania in view of executing the Enhanced Air Police service, took place on Thursday, at the Mihail Kogalniceanu 57th Air Base. The detachment of the Royal Canadian Air Force will execute, according to the Ministry of National Defence, together with F-16 Fighting Falcon and MiG-21 LanceR aircraft and servicemen from the Romanian Air Forces, missions of Enhanced Air Policing (eAP) under NATO command, in the next four months. The Canadian detachment is formed by 145 servicemen - pilots and technical staff -, with six CF-188 Hornet aircraft. The head of the Romanian Defence General Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, present at the ceremony, emphasized that "the air policing mission is a fundamental component of the way in which NATO offers security to member-states." "These missions represent collective defence in peacetime missions, which protect the air integrity of member-states. We are vigilant 24 hours a day, prepared and committed in protecting the Euro-Atlantic space. Allow me to hail, once more, the effort and commitment of Canada towards the security of our region and towards the general security of the Alliance," said Petrescu. The commander of the Canadian detachment, deployed for air police missions, Lieutenant Colonel David McLeod, said the pilots under his command will capitalize any opportunity they have to prove the knowledge they have. I know our pilots will take any opportunity to show the knowledge, and in equal measure, to learn from the allies. COVID-19 did not diminish the enthusiasm of this team I lead and I know their professionalism and knowledge will be evident during this mission, McLeod said. According to the MApN, this is the fourth rotation at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base of the Royal Canadian Air Force, after those completed in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Canadian servicemen had one other mission to Romania, in Campia Turzii, in 2014. The joint air police missions contribute to the development of reaction and discouragement capacity, as well as to consolidating interoperability between the Romanian Armed Forces and the Canadian Armed Forces. The deployment of the CF-188 Hornet planes to Romania is part of the implementation of the Action Plan for ensuring NATO operational capacity on the eastern flank of the Alliance, both in the north and the south areas and demonstrates the NATO unity and determination as a response to the challenges of the security environment. Not long after apologizing for targeting Hutterite people, the province lobbed another insult in their direction by declaring all Hutterite colonies in the province dangerous. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Not long after apologizing for targeting Hutterite people, the province lobbed another insult in their direction by declaring all Hutterite colonies in the province dangerous. Late last week, the Department of Education sent a letter to Manitoba school divisions advising superintendents that "they should plan to restrict teachers and staff in Hutterite schools who do not live in the community." In response, school divisions sent letters to teachers indicating "all colonies in the province are closed to non-colony staff." This builds upon the prejudice established earlier in the pandemic, when the provincial government declared outbreaks on Hutterite colonies. Through doing this, and not citing any other affected community at the time, they created the impression Hutterite colonies were breeding grounds for COVID-19. While they can be a communal living situation is ideal for any virus of this nature to spread not all communities operate the same way, and many are taking significant steps to prevent the viruss spread. Just last week, we learned about how one community discovered a case of COVID-19 in a family. Theyve been put into quarantine to prevent the spread, which by all indication at the time they were successful in doing. Last month, Paul Waldner, a minister from the CanAm Hutterite Colony, threatened to file a human rights complaint against the province for linking the virus to Hutterite communities. "Its not an idle threat," he said, according to CTV. "As soon as the government says Hutterite, people become scared of us. "Over the course of the past few days, the Colony, together with other Hutterite Colonies located throughout the Province of Manitoba, have watched with growing concern as the Province of Manitoba has publicly identified various Hutterite Colonies as the location of residence of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19." In response, the province declared it would no longer say when cases appeared in Hutterite communities, unless theres a risk to public health, thereby rightly treating them like any other community. Since that time, the province has offered more detailed accounts of where COVID-19 cases are in the province by breaking up health regions into zones, which because it was done fairly across the board was a positive step toward transparency and public awareness. Then, the ugly blanket statement by the Department of Education appeared and undid all this positive work. It might have been inspired by a good intention not wanting to put teachers in potentially dangerous situations but it comes from the ugly place of prejudice. Theyre saying all Hutterite colonies are unsafe, even those that might not even have any COVID-19 cases. But if they were to base the decision on where teachers go based solely on virus numbers, its highly unlikely Brandon would be declared safe. We understand the need to take unprecedented steps that some might perceive as an infringement on our rights mandating masks, for example but the province crosses the line when they target a specific group of people without the science or data to back it up. Its not only the Hutterite people of Manitoba who should be outraged by this, but all of us. PhotoniCare, Inc., a Champaign, Ill.-based company dedicated to providing physicians with innovative diagnostic tools, raised $7.1m in funding. This included: a $5.2m in Series A financing round led by i2E Management Company Inc., with co-investment from OSF Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, and Dreampact Ventures, and a $2.1m Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The company intends to use the funds to expand the executive team, ramp up manufacturing, execute on its sales and marketing plan, accelerate artificial intelligence development to enable real-time decision support for the TOMi Scope, and expand reimbursement activities and customer support. Founded in 2013 and led by CEO Ryan Shelton, PhotoniCare provids physicians with diagnostic tools, starting with the TOMi Scope, an otoscope providing non-invasive imaging of the middle ear using a novel application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to directly visualize and characterize fluid in the middle ear, a necessity for the diagnosis of middle ear infections. PhotoniCare has developed a patented imaging platform that provides growth opportunities beyond otology (study of the ear). In January, PhotoniCare announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted clearance for its TOMi Scope for non-invasive imaging of the middle ear. FinSMEs 03/09/2020 Ferrari "paid a very high price" for Formula 1's move to hybrid engine technology in 2014. Although highly competitive with its 2019 power unit, the Italian team has slumped this year in the wake of the engine legality scandal and subsequent secret FIA agreement. Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the team "paid a very high price" as it has clearly struggled with the ultra-complex technology. "We underestimated the complexity of the new power unit project," he told RTL. "Compared to Germany, there was no hybrid culture here in Italy." Montezemolo said the issue was then compounded by a management crisis at Ferrari, following his own departure and that of then team boss Stefano Domenicali. "The people who managed Ferrari after that had neither experience or competence in Formula 1," he insisted. "They thought you could just do it with a snap of the fingers and win quickly in Formula 1." One major management mistake, Montezemolo said, was "to let James Allison go". "I name him, but I could also name others," said the 73-year-old. "Then they made the mistake of transferring very good engineers from road car production to Formula 1. "But Formula 1 calls for completely different skills." Since Montezemolo's departure, Ferrari has notably tried to 'Italianise' its F1 workforce, but he says even team founder Enzo Ferrari wouldn't have agreed with that. "Enzo always told me that if the best driver is in Guatemala, get him. The same goes for the engineers," he said. "We have to hire the best people to improve performance. And these engineers can then help the young talent among them to develop." (GMM) Following are the latest Corporate Social Responsibility news releases and story ideas available from Business Wire. These recaps, curated by Business Wire, provide reporters and bloggers around the globe instant access to the latest news releases, providing relevant and trending content to share with their audiences. Discover more news via Business Wire's Hot Topic recaps or create a custom news feed specific to your needs here. This service is provided at no charge to members of the media and financial communities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005140/en/ RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Lenovo Announces New Ambitious Science-Based Targets, Achieves 10-year Climate Milestone Source: Lenovo RESTON, Va. -- The Internet Society Foundation Announces New Research Grants Exploring Future of the Internet Source: Internet Society Foundation BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Walmart, Sam's Club and the Walmart Foundation Announce Relief and Recovery Efforts to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Laura Source: Walmart Inc. LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix Publix Super Markets Charities Announce 2020 Hunger Relief Milestones in Recognition of Hunger Action Month Source: Publix AMSTERDAM -- Tommy Hilfiger Accelerates Sustainability Journey With Ambitious Make it Possible Program Source: Tommy Hilfiger ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Hannon Armstrong Donates $100,000 to Organizations Addressing Racial Injustice and Voting Rights Source: Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ATLANTA -- Mercedes-Benz USA and 2017 US Open Winner and Ambassador Sloane Stephens Partner for "Ace the US Open" Initiative Source: Mercedes-Benz USA JACKSON, Miss. -- Molpus Conserves Working Forest in North Idaho Source: The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC CHICAGO -- Grant Thornton launches new commitments to bolster diversity, equity and inclusion Source: Grant Thornton LLP TORONTO -- Facedrive's TraceSCAN Receives Media Coverage for COVID-19 Tracing Wearables Alternative for the Construction Industry Source: Facedrive Inc. PHILADELPHIA -- Offering a Second Chance, Urban League of Philadelphia Aramark Give Formerly Incarcerated a Path Toward Economic Social Mobility Source: Aramark and the Urban League of Philadelphia MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Prepare for a Record-Breaking Hurricane Season During COVID-19 Source: ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. TORONTO -- Facedrive's TraceSCAN selected by Riverside Natural Foods for COVID19 Solution Implementation Source: Facedrive Inc. TOKYO -- IGES: Contribution to the Online Platform for Sustainable and Resilient Recovery From COVID-19 Source: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) CHICAGO -- Equity Residential Joins CEO Action for Diversity Inclusion Source: Equity Residential JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bacardi in Jacksonville Recognized for Environmental Excellence by Wildlife Habitat Council Source: Bacardi Bottling Corporation TORONTO -- Facedrive Foods to Roll Out Services in Scarborough and Downtown Toronto Source: Facedrive Inc. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hexion to Sponsor Start Line at 2020 American Heart Association's Central Ohio Virtual Heart Walk; Columbus Associates Walk Virtually Together the Distance to San Jose, Costa Rica Source: Hexion Inc. MIDLAND, Texas -- Concho Resources Inc. Publishes Inaugural 2020 Sustainability Report Source: Concho Resources Inc. TORONTO -- Facedrive Health Launches BLE Connect App on Google Play Store and Apple Store to Pair with TraceSCAN Wearable Technology Source: Facedrive Inc. RADNOR, Pa. -- Actions Speak Louder: Lincoln Financial Group Takes Steps to Improve Lives, Communities and the Environment Source: Lincoln Financial Group TORONTO -- Facedrive Enters Into Strategic Partnership and Investment Agreement With Tally, Gamification Platform Founded by Super Bowl-Winning QB Russell Wilson Source: Facedrive Inc. About Business Wire Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in news release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Investor relations, public relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals, and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX Network. Business Wire has 18 newsrooms worldwide to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media. Learn more at www.businesswire.com. Follow us on Twitter @businesswire. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005140/en/ Contacts: Business Wire 212-752-9600 The Public Finance Ministry raised on Thursday 1.4 billion lei from banks, through two government bond issues, the National Bank of Romania announced. Thus, the Ministry raised 1.026 billion lei through a 59-month bond issue at an average yield of 3.29 ppa, and another 400 million lei through an issue of 12-month discount T-bills, at a yield of 2.60 ppa.An additional auction is scheduled for Friday for another 120 million lei raised at the yield set on Thursday.The Public Finance Ministry intends to borrow this September 4.54 bln lei from banks - of which 400 ml lei through an issue of discount T-bills, and 3.5 bln lei through eight issues of government bonds. Another 540 ml lei could add to this amount through additional non-competitive bids related to the security auctions.The raised amounts will be used to refinance the public debt and the state budget deficit. The fashion industry is reeling from the stunning blow dealt by a global pandemic that closed stores, largely ended international travel, and caused consumer demand for its products to shrivel. All paths to recovery lead through China. Driving the news: Paris men's fashion week was entirely virtual this year, and Louis Vuitton didn't show anything at all. Instead, the venerable French couture house put on a blockbuster show in Shanghai in August, featuring designer Virgil Abloh's new menswear collection alongside older pieces that were already available in stores. By the numbers: The show attracted 84,000 viewers on Vuitton's website but that number was dwarfed by the number of people who watched it live in China. It received 68 million viewers on WeBo, 18 million on Douyin, 8 million on Tencent, and millions more on other platforms. The show attracted 84,000 viewers on Vuitton's website but that number was dwarfed by the number of people who watched it live in China. It received 68 million viewers on WeBo, 18 million on Douyin, 8 million on Tencent, and millions more on other platforms. Louis Vuitton shops in Shanghai, Taiwan, China, and Korea all had their biggest sales weekend in history following the show, reports Fashion United's Kristopher Fraser. Be smart: Vuitton's Shanghai extravaganza marks a decisive shift from the fashion-week shows of 2019 and earlier, where a relative handful of influential magazine editors and department-store buyers were given an advance look at styles that wouldn't be readily available for another six months. The fashion brands of tomorrow will instead use Fashion Week shows to communicate with and sell to their customers directly, often via digital channels. What they're saying: "Department store chains are going bankrupt in the USA, and multi-brand boutiques in Europe are seeing their supplies reduced," says Bernstein luxury-goods analyst Luca Solca. The fewer middlemen involved, the less grey-market activity there is, and the more control brands have over how their goods are presented and sold. See Nike, for instance, which recently slashed the number of retailers selling its shoes. No more Jordans on Zappos. involved, the less grey-market activity there is, and the more control brands have over how their goods are presented and sold. See Nike, for instance, which recently slashed the number of retailers selling its shoes. No more Jordans on Zappos. Margins are also higher when brands sell direct to consumers something that is the norm in China, if not historically in Europe and the USA. How it works: China has become the most knowledgeable and sophisticated fashion market in the world as well as the one with the greatest sheer number of consumers. It has a dizzying proliferation of style tribes and cultures, as well as a fast-growing set of domestic brands helmed by Chinese designers trained in London or New York or Antwerp. China isn't just about mass manufacturing any more. It has become the place the fashion world goes to find the most subtle and exacting artisans, not just in clothes but also in adjacent areas like tattoos. The bottom line: Fashion industry association Altagamma now expects Chinese consumers to account for 50% of the global luxury market as soon as 2025. With international travel severely curtailed for the time being, they're going to have to do that shopping largely at home. As hundreds of protesters gathered Monday outside a condo building where the mayor lives in the upscale Pearl District of Portland, Ore., some set off fireworks, sprayed graffiti and broke windows. After someone tossed a burning object inside, police pushed the crowd away and made 19 arrests. The next day, Portland Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler sent a letter to his neighbors letting them know he planned to move out of his $840,000 condo in response to a string of protests targeting the building, the Oregonian reported. "I want to express my sincere apologies for the damage to our home and the fear that you are experiencing due to my position," he said in the letter, according to the newspaper. He said the move would be "best for me and for everyone else's safety and peace." He's not the only elected official leaving home in response to demonstrations that have increasingly targeted public officials where they live, including the Democratic mayors of Chicago, Seattle, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. St. Louis Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson has temporarily relocated from her Central West End home, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Wednesday, after her neighborhood landed in the national spotlight when two neighbors emerged in June to point weapons at protesters. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has assigned police to control access to her street to keep protesters away, citing threats she has received. Police have locked down Lightfoot's block using a local ordinance that bans even peaceful protests in residential neighborhoods. For some on the right, the Democratic mayors abandoning their homes to escape protests underscores what they argue is a failure to maintain public order. The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., reacted to the news of Krewson's move by tweeting a GIF with the caption "Nothing to see here. Please disperse." When he learned that Wheeler was leaving his condo, he simply tweeted, "Amazing." But Democratic mayors have roundly rejected the idea that protests are spiraling out of control. Days before Wheeler announced he would leave his condo, he again rejected President Trump's offer to send federal police to the city. Federal officers inflamed protests in the city in July, escalating overwhelmingly peaceful demonstrations and pulling thousands of people into Portland's streets. Wheeler has had a contentious relationship with protesters. When federal police were tear gassing protesters nightly, the mayor waded into the crowd as his detractors aggressively heckled him. Although Wheeler has said he supports the protesters' racial justice aims, he has also defended local police's use of force and painted a small number of individuals who set fires as "attempting to commit murder." Krewson described her decision to leave as an attempt to "de-escalate" the protests in St. Louis. Several demonstrations have targeted her home, but one on June 28 sparked a major controversy when two White lawyers pointed guns at protesters marching past their house in a gated community on the way to the mayor's property. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both in their 60s, were charged with felonies for unlawful use of a weapon. They have said they were defending their property. The incident has become a flash point, with the GOP embracing the couple, who spoke at the Republican National Convention last week. Krewson said she and her husband temporarily left their home in July. "We did it to de-escalate the situation, to save police resources, and importantly because our neighbors were being disturbed and threatened," Krewson said in a text message, the Post-Dispatch reported. "I ran for this job - my neighbors did not." Krewson and Wheeler's decisions to leave home come amid an ongoing offensive by Trump against Democratic mayors. On Wednesday, the president tweeted an attack on "weak mayors and lawless cities" that "let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses." His administration announced an intention to withhold federal funds from cities identified as "anarchist jurisdictions," specifically pointing to protests in Seattle, Portland, New York and Washington. Those Democratic mayors struck back at Trump Wednesday night, using the opportunity to draw attention to the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "This is the latest attempt to distract from the fact that COVID-19 has infected over 6 million Americans, killed 185,000 people, and destroyed the American economy," tweeted Seattle Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan. "The only anarchy zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House." Professor Wang Jian at Peking University and collaborators investigated the superconducting properties of two-dimensional crystalline superconducting PdTe 2 films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. They observed the experimental evidence of anomalous metallic state and detected type-II Ising superconductivity existing in centrosymmetric systems. Moreover, the superconductivity of PdTe 2 films remains almost the same for more than 20 months without any protection layer. This macro-size ambient-stable superconducting system with strong spin-orbit coupling shows great potentials in superconducting electronic and spintronic applications. The paper was published online in Nano Letters (DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01356) and selected for the Editors' Choice of Science with a title of "An unusual superconductor" (Science 369, 388 (2020)). The magnetic field is normally believed to hinder the formation of superconductivity. For most superconducting systems, strong magnetic field can break the superconducting Cooper pairs and destroy the superconductivity. Recently, a new kind of two-dimensional (2D) superconducting system survives under a large in-plane magnetic field, called Ising superconductors. Previous works suggest that the Ising superconductor requires in-plane inversion symmetry breaking. The broken in-plane inversion symmetry gives rise to Zeeman-type spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which polarizes the electron spins to the out-of-plane direction and leads to a huge in-plane critical magnetic field up to several times of the Pauli limit, normally corresponding to dozens of Tesla. The Pauli limit is defined as the magnetic field required to destroy the Cooper pairs via the spin pair breaking effect in conventional superconductors. Professor Wang Jian and collaborators ever reported the observation of Ising superconductivity in macro-size monolayer NbSe 2 films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) (Nano Lett. 17, 6802 (2017)) and the interface induced Ising superconductivity in ultrathin crystalline Pb films (Phys. Rev. X 8, 021002 (2018)) for the first time. Recently, Professor Wang Jian and Professor Lin Xi at Peking University, in collaboration with Professor Xue Qikun, Professor Wang Lili, Professor Xu Yong, Professor Yao Hong at Tsinghua University, Professor Liu Haiwen at Beijing Normal University detected a new kind of Ising superconductivity in 2D crystalline PdTe 2 films grown by MBE. The 6-monolayer (ML) (around 3 nm) PdTe 2 film exhibits a large in-plane critical field more than 7 times of the Pauli limit, which is the characteristic of Ising superconductivity. Different from the previously reported Ising superconductors, the PdTe 2 film keeps the in-plane inversion symmetry, which indicates that there exists a new mechanism of Ising superconductivity (named type-II Ising superconductivity by Professor Wang Jian in discussion with Professor Xu Yong). Band structure calculation and theoretical analysis reveal that the 3-fold rotational symmetry in the PdTe 2 films makes the effective field of SOC along the out-of-plane direction and leads to the out-of-plane spin polarization. The superconducting Cooper pairs formed by the electrons with out-of-plane spin polarization can survive under very large magnetic field parallel to the 2D system, which gives rise to the type-II Ising superconductivity with large in-plane critical field. Theoretical calculations indicate that for 2D superconducting systems with in-plane inversion symmetry, 4 and 6-fold rotational symmetry can also make the orientation of the effective SOC field along out-of-plane direction. Thus, the type-II Ising superconductivity can be generalized to various 2D systems with 3, 4 and 6-fold rotational symmetry. Therefore, the discovery of type-II Ising superconductivity is promising to stimulate a new research direction in condensed matter physics. Interestingly, under perpendicular magnetic field, the sheet resistance of PdTe 2 films drops and then saturates to a temperature-independent constant with decreasing temperature via ultralow temperature transport measurements with high-quality filters. It is the first solid experimental evidence of anomalous metallic states in high-quality 2D crystalline films grown by MBE, which further reveals that besides superconducting and insulating ground states, anomalous metallic state is another quantum ground state for 2D Bosonic systems. Moreover, most 2D superconducting systems are very sensitive to the atmosphere and easy to lose superconductivity. The superconductivity of PdTe 2 films remains almost the same for more than 20 months without any protection layer. This macro-size ambient-stable superconducting system with strong SOC shows great potentials in superconducting electronic and spintronic applications. The paper entitled "Type-II Ising superconductivity and anomalous metallic state in macro-size ambient-stable ultrathin crystalline films" was published online in Nano Letters and selected for the Editors' Choice of Science with a title of "An unusual superconductor" (Science 369, 388 (2020)). Professor Wang Jian at Peking University, Professor Wang Lili at Tsinghua University and Professor Lin Xi at Peking University are corresponding authors of this paper. Dr. Liu Yi at Peking University, Professor Xu Yong at Tsinghua University, Sun Jian at Peking University and Dr. Liu Chong at Tsinghua University contributed equally to this work. Other collaborators include Professor Xue Qikun and Professor Yao Hong at Tsinghua University, Professor Liu Haiwen at Beijing Normal University etc. This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Beijing Natural Science Foundation, the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Chip and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. Noted: Editors' Choice of Science highlights seven papers from other journals in each issue. This issue includes one paper in Physics. ### People should not fear seeking medical treatment from a Co Armagh hospital where there have been three Covid outbreaks, a health trust chief has said. Shane Devlin, chief executive of the Southern Trust, yesterday moved to reassure patients and visitors that Craigavon Area Hospital is "safe" and "fully functioning" after a series of coronavirus clusters had been identified. The latest was detected at a general medical ward - Ward 3 South - on Tuesday after a single patient and one staff member tested positive, prompting a further 11 hospital workers to self-isolate. It comes after two clusters at the hospital last week in the haematology ward and the emergency department. A total of 14 patients on the ward have tested positive for the virus, while 16 staff members are self-isolating after testing positive. The three clusters now mean over 50 staff members are in self-isolation. Meanwhile, all new admissions to the haematology ward have been suspended. Hospital visits have been suspended from yesterday, with a review to be carried out in the next week. Visits may still take place in end-of-life circumstances and partners of pregnant women giving birth. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph Mr Devlin said his message to the public is that the situation in the ED is "pretty much back to normal", urging anyone who may need medical attention to come to the hospital. Read More The chief executive said that that situation is controlled and he is "content in terms of the safety of the (haematology) ward". "Again our message to the public is that we've limited that ward and we are content in terms of the safety of that ward, and any patient which remains an in-patient remains well." He added that those patients who have tested positive are "fine" in terms of their covid symptoms, while the "vast majority" of staff cases are asymptomatic. The Trust chief added that all staff members - including office employees - across the Craigavon site are now wearing fluid-resistant face shields as an added precaution. "We are a safe hospital if people need care, there should still access care. "The message is that we are a fully functioning hospital. If you need our help, then please seek our help," he said. The mother of a Belarusian man who died after being detained by security officials is demanding a criminal inquiry into his death. Alyaksandr Vikhor, 25, died in a hospital in Homel. His mother, Svyatlana, says he took no part in protests against the reelection of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and was going to see his girlfriend when he was bundled into a vehicle. New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard Thursday said it has pressed into action its three ships and a Dornier aircraft after the Sri Lankan Navy sought assistance to control a fire onboard an oil tanker off the east coast of the island nation. In a swift sea and air coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the Coast Guard said it immediately diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang and Samudra Paheredar, besides a Dornier aircraft for the firefight on oil tanker New Diamond. Assistance sought by Sri Lanka Navy from @IndiaCoastGuard for fire and explosion onboard Oil Tanker #MTNewDiamond 37 NM east off Sri Lanka coast. ICG ships and aircraft deployed for immediate assistance, it said in a tweet, tagging the Defence Minister of India and the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. @IndiaCoastGuard in a swift Sea & Air Coordinated #SAR operation immediately diverted #ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang, Samudra Paheredar & Dornier Aircraft for firefighting on Oil Tanker #MTNewDiamond," its second tweet 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 Recognized for Its Strong Growth over the Last Three Years, FASTSIGNS Is the Only Sign, Graphics, and Print Franchisor Named to This Year's List CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, has been named to Entrepreneur magazine's first Top Growth Franchises list the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise recognized which ranked the top 150 franchises with the most consistent growth in the U.S. and Canada over the last three years. FASTSIGNS has grown aggressively throughout the U.S. and Canada, signing dozens of franchise agreements in major markets including New York City, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, and the Toronto area. "We are thrilled to be the only franchise in the sign, graphics, and print industry named a Top Growth Franchise. This recognition is a testament to the strength of the FASTSIGNS business opportunity and our position as the leader in our segment," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "Franchisees see immediate value in joining FASTSIGNS, whether they open a new center or decide to convert or co-brand their existing business." FASTSIGNS has continued to grow nationwide as an essential business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, opening 17 new locations and signing 13 franchise agreements since March 1. "As a first-time franchisee, it was important for me to invest in a brand that provided guidance to help me succeed, while allowing me to be in business for myself and FASTSIGNS provided just that," said Steve Brown, a FASTSIGNS franchisee in Newport Beach, California, who opened his center in April 2020. "I was just weeks away from opening my first location when the pandemic hit, and FASTSIGNS proved to be an invaluable partner during that time. I moved forward with opening my center amid the pandemic, having faith in one of the largest sign franchises. The support shown during these unprecedented times helped me get my FASTSIGNS center up and running." FASTSIGNS offers a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50-percent reduction on the franchise fee a savings of $24,875. FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity. In 2020, Entrepreneur magazine named FASTSIGNS the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and #55 overall on its annual Franchise 500 list, making it the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100. Additionally, Franchise Gator named FASTSIGNS to its Top 100 Franchises of 2020 list. In 2019, Entrepreneur named FASTSIGNS one of the Top Franchises for Veterans and the brand was also recognized in Franchise Business Review's Top Franchises for Veterans report, was named to America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine, and made Franchise Direct's list of the Top 100 Franchises. Franchise Business Review also has recognized FASTSIGNS as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years and its Top 50 Franchises for Women and Top Service Franchises lists in 2019. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679). About FASTSIGNS FASTSIGNS International, Inc. celebrates its 35th anniversary in business in 2020 as the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 735 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in 9 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, France and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints. FASTSIGNS has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for the past four years, a 2019 Top Franchises for Veterans by Franchise Business Review and a 2019 America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine. Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns, Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679). CONTACT: Natalie Candela Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 [email protected] SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc. Related Links http://www.fastsigns.com SPRINGFIELD The 1st Congressional District primary between winner, incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, and the challenger, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, had a turning point. But it wasnt the point some folks might think. Paul Robbins, owner of the strategic communications firm Paul Robbins Associates, said the turning point was on March 3 when Joe Biden won the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary over two progressive senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and home-state favorite Elizabeth Warren. Biden won without setting foot in the state or spending any money. Right then and there, if I was Alex Morse Id have said whoops, Robbins said Wednesday. Bidens win, and rise to be the Democratic nominee and current front runner in national polls to defeat President Donald Trump in November is fueled not by the progressive zeal behind Warren and Sanders. From the time that Alex conceived of this campaign, the world has changed, Robbins said. People are more focused on meat and potatoes. Its a desire to return to normalcy, Robbins said. And a recognition among Democratic voters that they need someone to fight for them. Morse ran almost a national campaign focused on Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. But the reality is, I think people thought Alright, we need to save Social Security and Medicare. Who am I going to have in Washington fighting for that?, Robbins said. People decided Congressman Neal. Neal is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress responsible for tax policy, tariffs and revenue raising. Matt Szafranski, editor and chief of the Western Mass Politics and Insight blog, said the race also exposes the gulf between social media Twitter and Facebook where Morse did well, and the real world of longtime relationships where Neal clearly had the edge. The real world is where the vote is. Neal defeated Morse Tuesday by 24,600 votes or about 60% of the vote to 40% of the vote: 81,485 to 56,787. I just think the district is made up of folks who are comfortable with Congressman Neal, who like the way hes doing his job and value to clout hat he wields, said Tim Vercellotti, a professor of political science and pollster at Western New England University. There just arent enough progressives to turn him out. Neal won every major population center in the district including Morse hometown of Holyoke by more than 400 votes with Morse taking liberal resort communities in southern Berkshire County and a few enclaves in Franklin and Hampshire counties. In Springfield, Neals home base and the place where he was mayor and councilman, his team was able to get out the vote. The voter turnout was 26.89% in Springfield on Tuesday, significantly higher than in recent state primaries with the addition of early voting, according to election records. There were 27,652 ballots cast out of 102,810 registered voters, when combining both early voting and Election Day voting. In the 2018 state primary, voter turnout was 13.24% and the turnout in 2016 was 12.83%. On Tuesday, Neal won Springfield 65.3% to 34.6%, or 15,861 to 8,395 votes. But some of Morses support may have resided outside the district. Vercellotti was poll worker in Northampton Tuesday, a city represented by U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, who was unopposed. Vercellotti said Northamptonites brought their Democratic ballots back to the check-in table asking where they could vote on the Neal and Morse race. It dominated the political discussion, Vercellotti said. This race was 10 points closer than Neals most recent primary challenge in 2018 where his opponent spent about a tenth as much money. Vercellotti said there is no exit polling saying what issues mattered the most to voters and there wasnt even that much predictive polling publicly released prior to the election. The Morse campaign released some internal polls showing he was within 10 points. But Vercellotti said congressional primaries in the summer are hard to poll. There is no good way to figure out who the likely voters are and its too hard to get a good sample of respondents. Add to that the confusion surrounding the pandemic. Early voting and mail -in voting meant the race might have been decided prior to a last-minute push. But its also a race with so many confounding variables that observers have a hard time picking apart which ones had what effect. The pandemic made it hard to host rallies, but easier to vote from home, jobs losses and economic turmoil put the focus on Neals work on Ways and Means. And in August, the Daily Collegian newspaper at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reported that college Democrats there complained to Morse in a letter that his communications with college students on dating apps made some members uncomfortable. Later, another college Democrat said some of the allegations may have stemmed from a desire to help Neal. Morse and his campaign said the Springfield Democratic machine was behind the letter, though Neal and his campaign have both said that he was not involved. The controversy raised Morses profile, landing him a sympathetic piece in the New York Times and helping him to raise $1 million in August. But Robbins said it hurt him in that the only way to win a campaign is to play offense, not defense. There is a lot of speculation as to whether the hotly contested Senate primary between U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III and the winner, incumbent Ed Markey, hurt Morse and helped Neal or vice versa. But John Baick, a professor of history at Western New England University said its not a question of whether a Markey voter was a Morse voter but about how the Markey campaign which was more progressive than Kennedy took up enthusiasm, volunteer hours and dollars that Morse could have used. Also, Morse more than Neal was hurt by the inability to have rallies and meeting for much of the campaign. One of Morses digs at Neal was that the congressman has not offered town hall meetings throughout his district. The way to drive that point home would be to have a half-dozen gathering a day over months. Morse had been working hard at this for a while. And he was just limited, Baick said. Neal for his part said he plans to focus on Social Security, Medicare and getting the coronavirus under control so the economy can recovery. In his victory speech Tuesday, he referred to getting legislation on the desk of President Biden. The congressional race and the UMass allegations gave Morse a national profile that might open up opportunities. Morse certainly is giving no indication he is going away anytime soon. If one thing is clear, I know that were not done yet, Morse tweeted to his supporters Wednesday. Szafranski said there is speculation that Morse wont run for mayor again in 2021. But time will tell. Baick said it is worrisome for Morse that he was beat Holyoke on Tuesday. And politicians often pay the price for taking their eyes off the job they have and paying too much attention on the job they want. (Morse has already been criticized for missing School Committee meetings.) Szafranski said redistricting after the 2020 census might make it harder for Morse. All congressional districts will be different in 2022, redrawn to reflect new population patterns. In Massachusetts that means a shift to the east where the Boston area suburbs have grown. Could Neal use his pull in the legislature to shed some left-leaning towns Morse won to the district now represented by McGovern. Then, Neal would pick up towns he once represented in the Blackstone River Valley, a part of Worcester County thats conservative enough to avoid Morse but not conservative enough to allow for a serious Republican challenger. (Natural News) Fans of Joe Rogan were horrified to learn that the prominent alternative voice has sold his soul to Spotify, which is now selectively censoring episodes of his show that contain criticism of the communist Chinese regime. The stand-up comedian, UFC announcer, and host of the Joe Rogan Experience had earlier promised that the $10 million he accepted from Spotify in exchange for platform space would not in any way impact the content of his shows. This has since, however, turned out to be a bald-faced lie. According to reports, Spotify is refusing to host episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience that feature Alex Jones, for instance, or Bitcoin enthusiast David Seaman. Episodes featuring Gavin McInnes, Milo Yiannopoulos, Stefan Molyneux, Charles C. Johnson, Sargon of Akkad, and Owen Benjamin have likewise all been scrubbed. One particular episode featuring Tommy Chong, a comedy icon and marijuana enthusiast, has also been removed for unspecified reasons, according to Shane Trejo of Big League Politics. This is not a good sign for those who were hoping that Rogan would be liberated from tech censorship with his new deal, Trejo adds. Mikhaila Peterson, the daughter of pro-Western philosopher Jordan Peterson, is also not allowed on Spotify, which is refusing to upload an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience in which she made an appearance. This is straight up censorship, she tweeted, noting that [g]etting demonetized from @youtube is one thing, but that this is COMPLETELY different. At least they didnt shut down my channel, she further wrote, explaining that @spotify is NOT uploading select @joerogan episodes including my episode. This is absolutely ridiculous. My episode with Joe is #1164. It is NOT on Spotify, along with some other episodes. Rogan fans lash out, say they are disgusted he sold out Responding to the news, many Rogan fans took to Twitter, Reddit, and other platforms to express their disgust about the situation. And no, they are not disgusted at Spotify, but with Rogan for partnering up with the platform. This goes against his we need to talk to everybody shtick, one person wrote. Im not interested in listening to curated podcasts by his employer. So disappointed, Alex did not even say anything too crazy on those episodes, wrote another. I had Spotify premium prior to Rogan but I will probably quit my subscription just out of spite now, that will show them! As it turns out, Spotify itself recently partnered with a communist Chinese firm known as Tencent Holdings whose CEO, believe it or not, is an active member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This explains why Spotify is pulling all content, including Rogans, that is critical of the regime. Anything remotely anti-CCP is getting 86d, one user wrote. Several months back when Rogan first announced that he was planning to partner with Spotify, many saw this as a good thing, recognizing his hard-hitting, no-holds-barred method of conducting interviews and sharing information. The belief was that nothing would change other than Rogan gaining a larger audience. However, now that it has become clear that Rogan is a total sellout, valuing money over values and ethics, many of his most popular fans are jumping ship and rightfully so. Sadly, it appears that the globalist establishment may have neutralized another independent voice with Spotifys takeover of the Joe Rogan Experience, Trejo concluded soberly, adding that Rogan himself promised that it will be the exact same show, which we all now know was an absolute lie. More related news about Big Tech censorship and the sellout of conservative voices can be found at Censorship.news. Sources for this article include: BigLeaguePolitics.com WSJ.com NaturalNews.com People who are vitamin D deficient are nearly 60 percent more likely to test positive for coronavirus, a new study finds. Vitamin D plays an important role in the immune system, boosting the health of T cells and macrophages, which fight infection. Previous studies have noted a link between low vitamin D levels and higher rates of other respiratory disease, such asthma, tuberculosis and viral infections that attack the lungs. While fringe theories eagerly promoted taking vitamin D as a potential preventive and even drew links between the vitamin and racial disparities, data to prove the connection has been scarce, and doctors warn that, even if it has some effect, the vitamin is not enough to protect you from coronavirus. The new study, from the University of Chicago, is the first to show higher rates of COVID-19 in people who were recently vitamin-D deficient - within the year - before getting tested for coronavirus. And those who had been vitamin D deficient, but got treated, were less likely to test positive for COVID-19 - but the study authors warn that it will take clinical trials to prove whether boosting levels of the vitamin will help prevent infection. People who had low levels of vitamin D (far left) in the year before getting tested for coronavirus were 60% more likely to test positive for the virus (dark blue) compared to those with higher levels of the vitamin (right), new University of Chicago research found To-date, more than 6.1 million Americans and 26 million worldwide have caught coronavirus. The pandemic's persistence has left the world desperate for treatments preventives, and particularly wishful for a quick fix. Vitamin D deficiency is a tempting common thread connecting several groups at high-risk for getting coronavirus and becoming severely ill: elderly and obese people, and people of color. Our primary source of vitamin D is sunlight. We absorb the vitamin from its rays through our skin. Elderly people, among whom mobility issues are common, are more likely to be home and indoors, missing out on sunlight and the vitamin D it offers. Higher levels of melanin in the skin of black and brown people make it more difficult for their bodies to absorb the vitamin. To that end, the Chicago researchers studied the link between vitamin D and COVID-19 in a predominantly (68 percent) non-white group. In total, vitamin D levels measured in blood draws within the year before undergoing a coronavirus test were 'likely deficient' in one quarter (25 percent) of the study group of nearly 500 people, according to the research, published Thursday in JAMA Network Open. Among the group who had plenty of vitamin D, 12 percent tested positive for coronavirus. Nearly 20 percent (19 percent) of those who had low levels of vitamin D tested positive. It's hardly proof that vitamin D can keep people from catching coronavirus, but the 60 percent difference in positive test rates suggests it may have some effect. The results of the Chicago study run counter to those of a UK study published last month. It found no link between vitamin D 'insufficiency' (a less dramatic decrease in vitamin D levels) and coronavirus infection. However, the blood samples used to determine that difference were taken 10-14 years before the study was conducted (and stored in the UK Biobank). Whether or not vitamin D supplements should be taken to reduce coronavirus risks is controversial, but getting enough of the 'sunshine vitamin' plays a role the immune system's ability to fight infection and keep inflammation from running getting out of control (file) In the intermeaning years, says Dr David Meltzer, co-author of the University Chicago study, those people may have been treated, and it's difficult to know whether or not they were vitamin D insufficient (or deficient) at or around the time of their coronavirus tests. In his study the link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 was 'stronoger. the more recently the vitamin D level was measured,' Dr Meltzer told DailyMail.com. 'Could it be real? I think it's possible,' he added. 'Scientifically, we would like to have a randomized trial to show whether vitamin D reduces the. risk of COVID-19 or improves outcomes, but we have to decide what to do for ourselves.' Dr Meltzer himself is doing his best to get some daily sunshine, as well as taking vitamin D supplements. Mayo Clinic experts recommend getting at least 600 IU of vitamin D a day, whether via sunshine or supplements. It's generally considered safe to take up to 2,000 IU a day, but anyone with or at risk of kidney disease should not do so, as an overload can harm kidneys, causing stones and other problems. Taking too much can also elevate calcium levels, cause a host of digestive issues and may lead to bone loss in some cases. Dr Meltzer adds that scientists still don't know what, exactly, is the optimal level of vitamin D, or how much is too much. As for the racial disparity in COVID-19 cases, Dr Meltzer says that vitamin D is not the answer, but it might well play a role, considering his study's findings and the approximately two-fold higher rates of vitamin D deficiency among black Americans compared to the general population. 'There are almost certainly many reasons why African American and Hispanic populations shoulder a heavier burden of COVID-19 including being in essential jobs' - that require them to go to work outside the home, rather than limiting exposures - 'and access to health care,' Dr Meltzer said. 'It would be a mistake to assign all the differences we're seeing [in rates of COVID-19] to a biological explanation, but it would probably also be a mistake to exclude tthe possibility that biological explanations aren't a part of it, and that interventions like vitamin D supplements might make a difference.' But that remains to be determined for certain, and trials - including some out of the University of Chicago - are underway to attempt to answer those lingering questions of vitamin D's protective power. A lot has changed since the first season of The Boys released last year. Watchmen, the comic book property with which it shares DNA, came out with a game-changing reboot. More importantly, however, the real world turned into the sort of dystopian fantasy that the show so mercilessly mocked. My capacity for the sort of nihilism that The Boys peddles is definitely waning, though. Do we really need more reminders that our planet is being consumed, even during one of the worst years in recorded history, by corporate greed? Or is it necessary to never lose sight of the evil that surrounds us, simply because weve had enough? There are no correct answers. Watch the Boys season 2 trailer here Of course, by definition, revolution implies the existence of oppression. And The Boys is a revolutionary show, about revolutionaries. Led by the brash Bill Butcher (Karl Urban, by way of Jason Statham), they took on the vile Vought Industries precisely because the corporation posed a threat to the planet. Just because we now find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic that has only broadened the wealth gap mustnt mean we reject art that dissects why such things happen. Even as the coronavirus pandemic sent the world economy into its worst slump since the Great Depression, and more than 100 million people across the globe into extreme poverty, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos became the first person ever to record a net worth of more than $200 billion. There was a time when war profiteers used to be looked at with utmost disgust. This was the central conflict that raged in Tony Starks heart in the first Iron Man film, which arrived in the shadow of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But what of pandemic profiteers? While Amazon maintained its position as one of the worlds most valuable companies, in India, the government launched a relief fund that it said doesnt come under the ambit of the Right to Information act, thereby relieving itself of the responsibility to be transparent about where the money was being spent. This irony is lost neither on me, nor showrunner Eric Kripke, who in the second season of The Boys doubles down on the themes it introduced in season one more forcefully. Thats what mass validation does for you, I suppose it gives you the courage to bite the hand that feeds. But this time, the stakes are personal while Butcher is motivated by a desire to protect his wife, Hughie and Annie are working together to bring down Vought from the inside. Season two, despite frequent bursts of action and violence, is almost like a 70s conspiracy thriller in tone and Kripke is usually successful at balancing the edgy meta-ness with the broader cultural critique. Homelander and Starlight in a still from The Boys season 2. (Amazon Studios, Prime Video) The Seven the shows corrupt version of The Avengers, or the Justice League, in case Marvel fans take offence are weaker than they have ever been. The Deep, after being outcast for his sexual misdeeds (not because Vought disapproved, but because his presence was bad PR), has found Scientology? A-Train is struggling with the fallout of season ones Compound V relapse, and Homelander is looking to consolidate his position as the leader of The Seven, now that the team is on its knees. While the first three episodes thats how many Im allowed to talk about dont quite have a set-piece as jaw-dropping as the plane sequence from season one, a tryout scene involving a blind character reinforces the idea that Homelander is, in fact, the supervillain of the show. Like Rorschach in Damon Lindelofs Watchmen reboot, Homelander also appears to have become a symbol for white power, while Stormfront, the newest member of The Seven, brings the disruptive social media savvy that proves to be a clincher in captivating the minds of middle-America. They butt heads initially both are alphas in a team desperate for leadership but realise eventually that a partnership is the only way forward. It is just one of the many (over-the-top) ways in which The Boys suggests that a merger between conservatives such as Homelander and radicals such as Stormfront is the key to power in modern-day America, and perhaps the reason behind the rise of men like Donald Trump. Also read: The Boys review: Amazons new superhero show is a slap in the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; an explosion of bad taste It takes longer for season two to kick into gear, as compared to the first season, which came out all-guns-blazing. But once Butcher makes his almost Hindi film-inspired entry, the pace picks up significantly. The second season of The Boys will premiere with three episodes on September 4, followed by a new episode every week. Its worth sticking around, if only to see just how much more ambitious the series can get in an already greenlit season three. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar T he UK is divided over its coronavirus travel policies as England, Scotland and Wales announce different quarantine measures for Portugal and Greece. People arriving in Wales and Scotland from Portugal must now self-isolate for 14 days, but government advice covering England remains unchanged. Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced on Thursday that mainland Portugal and several Greek islands would be been added to the quarantine list. Meanwhile, Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed the new Portugal measures on Thursday. Earlier this week, Scotland announced that travellers arriving from Greece would have to self-isolate. However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that there would be no changes to Englands quarantine list today. This is despite ministers facing pressure to roll out the quarantine measures for Greece for travellers returning to England. In Wales, Mr Gething said that the Azores and Madeira will remain exempt from its quarantine list while Portugal's mainland was added. Six Greek islands have been added to Wales' list / AFP via Getty Images Those returning to Wales from the Greek islands of Mykonos, Zakynthos, Lesvos, Paros, Antiparos and Crete as well as Gibraltar and French Polynesia will also have to self-isolate. The new regulations will come into force at 4am on Friday. Mr Gething said: This action is being taken as a result of a large number of cases of coronavirus have been imported into Wales from tourists returning from the Greek islands, in particular. Mr Yousaf confirmed the new Portugal measures for Scotland in a Tweet on Thursday, saying: If arriving into Scotland from Portugal or French Polynesia from 4am Sat (5th Sept) youll have to self-isolate for 14 days. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images Gibraltar high up our watch list of countries we are monitoring closely. This weeks data shows increase in test positivity & cases per 100k in Portugal. Meanwhile, the Government's decision for Portugal and Greece to remain exempt in England come after many holidaymakers booked flights home costing up to 554 to avoid a potential self-isolation. People arriving in England from countries not on the travel corridor list are required to self-isolate for 14 days. There was speculation that Portugal would lose its place due to a rise in coronavirus cases. The Government was also under pressure to reimpose quarantine rules on arrivals from Greece after Scotland and Wales introduced restrictions earlier this week. 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. There were 23.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in Portugal in the seven days to Wednesday, up from 15.3 a week earlier. A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government has considered triggering quarantine conditions. He tweeted: We continue to keep the Travel Corridor list under constant review & wont hesitate to remove countries if needed. "However, there are no English additions or removals today. Nonetheless, holidaymakers are reminded 14-day quarantine countries can & do change at very short notice. Pupils return to classroom in bubbles, with staggered break times and plenty of hand sanitiser Ben Bond, head teacher at The Clere School There have been a few tears and a lot of excitement this week, as schools prepare to open properly for the first time in nearly six months. A new normal means that things look very different now, with staggered break times, pupils grouped into bubbles and new hand sanitising stations dotted around the buildings. Schools, as we knew them, closed their doors on March 20 and for many children that was the last time they set foot in a classroom although keyworker children and vulnerable pupils were supported and some years were gradually reintroduced as lockdown restrictions were eased. Some secondary schools in the area have asked pupils to wear face coverings while in corridors and communal areas when they return this week and West Berkshire Council is recommending that they are worn on all school buses arranged by the districts education transport department. But Charlotte Wilson, headteacher at Trinity School in Newbury, said it had decided that at this stage we dont need everyone to wear face masks or visors. With around 1,000 pupils at the school, Dr Wilson acknowledged that there would be some who were anxious about a return to the classroom, but said that more pastoral care was available and staff had been in contact with some pupils over the holidays to prepare them for the new term. We are set and ready and exited to welcome our students back, she said. We have been working hard to ensure we are ready for them. At The Clere School in Burghclere, headteacher Ben Bond said in an innovative move it was creating bubbles based on buses, not year groups. It became very apparent to me that year group bubbles just wouldnt work for our school due to our uniqueness, he said. If we did year group bubbles, the work would simply be undone as soon as they got on to the buses. So we have looked to be innovative. In my school now children wont see their usual classmates for a while and that will be very different for them. With as many of his pupils living outside of immediate catchment, as in it, more than 95 per cent of children are bussed into the village secondary school every day. This led the senior leadership team to arrive at the decision that bubbles based on buses, not year groups, was the best way of keeping pupils and staff safe when school reopens on Monday. Keith Harvey, headteacher at St Nicolas Junior School in Newbury (pictured below), said his focus will be on supporting childrens physical and mental health in the coming weeks. Pupils at the Link Road school returned yesterday (Wednesday) and will be working through a recovery curriculum. We will be doing lots of short activities to build their resilience up again, Mr Harvey explained. We will be trying to do a lot of PE and we will be continuing with our daily mile. We do feel that children have not had as much opportunity to be active and it is important to get that back, as well as lots of chatting to friends, which they havent been able to do either. There will be a major focus on mental and physical health, as that is very important. Chile rescue team says it has found signs someone may still be alive beneath the rubble of a collapsed building. Beirut, Lebanon A Chilean rescue team said it detected signs of life underneath the rubble of a building that collapsed in the massive explosion that tore through Beirut one month ago. A member of the TOPOS CHILE rescue team told Al Jazeera that, using a scanning machine, it discovered signs of a pulse and breathing near the ground floor of the collapsed building. He said it most likely belonged to a child, adding that the team also found the presence of at least one body. The August 4 explosion, that killed 191 people and injured more than 6,000, destroyed much of Lebanons capital. The Chilean team had been visiting streets in the capital as part of a mission to secure buildings before the reconstruction phase when one of their search dogs ran towards a building and alerted them of human presence, Akram Nehme, member of the Achrafieh 2020 NGO that helped bring TOPOS CHILE to Beirut, told Al Jazeera. Edward Bitar, a member of NGO Live Love Lebanon working with TOPOS CHILE in Lebanon, said they had detected 18 breath cycles per minute emanating from under the rubble using the sensor. We are trying to keep hopes low. If someone is found, it would be a miracle, said Bitar. TOPOS CHILE rescue team member told Al Jazeera that they had discovered signs of a pulse and breathing near the ground floor of the collapsed building using a sensitive scanning machine [Timour Azhari/Al Jazeera] TOPOS CHILE often heads to disaster zones, including to Japans Fukushima region in 2011 when a nuclear reactor exploded. In 2010, it helped rescue a man in Haiti after he spent 27 days in the rubble caused by an earthquake. Looking for life Bitar said the owner of the building had attested to the fact that no one was inside. But a number of people on the scene said they had alerted security forces of the smell of decomposition emanating from the building in the days after the blast, adding that security forces did not search the rubble. Official search-and-rescue efforts have long-since been called off. Thursdays volunteer-led effort started in the morning and continued into Friday morning. The team removed the rubble of the building stone by stone with help from Lebanese climbers, firefighters and civil defence. 200903165918426 Rescue workers repeatedly silenced the large crowd to enable their sensor to probe for signs of life, leading an eerie silence to fall over the street. For many Lebanese, Thursdays volunteer-led efforts are just the latest example of state failure, both in the lead-up to the explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate haphazardly stored at the Beirut port for almost seven years and in the explosions aftermath. On Thursday, a month after the explosion, Lebanons army announced it found 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near the entrance to Beirut port. The military said army experts were called in for an inspection and found the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port. Honestly this is why we all walk around believing something else is gonna blow us up. Their incompetence is stunning, Lebanese activist Bissan Fakih said in a tweet, referring to the countrys political class. I Cant Breathe Chattanooga leaders Marie Mott and Cameron C-Grimey Williams expressed their displeasure with Tuesdays court appearance during Wednesday nights rally and march. We saw an egregious show of force: dozens of deputies mingling about with weapons, all for peaceful protesters, Mr. Williams said. This is the fear we put in their heart, speaking for truth and justice. Ms. Mott and Mr. Williams are both facing reckless burning and vandalism charges for burning the Sheriffs Departments flag during an earlier protest. They and a few other protesters are also facing charges for blocking the street during a May 30 protest. The status quo doesnt want us to do what were doing, Mr. Williams said, which is educating the people on what to do, organizing on those things, and then mobilizing. Ms. Mott compared how law enforcement reacted to the protesters in state court versus how law enforcement treated former CPD officer and convicted rapist Desmond Logan in federal court. As a certified rapist who worked for the CPD, he got to walk into a courtroom with no police thugging or staring him down as if he was a criminal, Ms. Mott said. And thats after he got paid with your tax dollars to pull women over in an abandoned parking lot and rape them. She also had strong words for Judge Gary Starnes, who is presiding over the protest case in General Sessions Court. She asked for him to recuse himself from the case, saying there is an image on social media of him endorsing Blue Lives Matter. The judge presiding over the case is seen tagged with his wife, he has his grandchild carrying with other children in the neighborhood a Blue Lives Matter flag, and then one of them has a gun on his shoulder. He says that is a matter of patriotism. Your job as a judge is to be impartial. And you cant side in your private life with the police, and then show up to work and then lock up innocent black and brown bodies as if you dont have a connection. Mr. Williams told the crowd that the movement is not explicitly anti-police or law enforcement. He said the leaders want more accountability from those in law enforcement. Thats why we say (expletive) 12. Not because we are against police, Mr. Williams said. We are against no accountability. We are against elected officials continuing to show a blind eye to the discrepancies, the hypocrisy, and the abuse of power these people do day after day. Following those words from the leaders, the crowd of 100 or so people began a small march through downtown. They were careful in where they stepped, making sure to stay on the sidewalks at all times. After going down Georgia, through 8th, and then back on Broad, the group found themselves back at Miller Park. After a few parting words of encouragement from Mr. Williams, the crowd quietly dispersed. The world's tallest building in Dubai lit up with the colors of the Vietnamese flag Wednesday to commemorate Vietnam's National Day. In a video posted by the official Twitter account of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, UAE, Thursday, an image of a fluttering Vietnamese flag could be seen cover the entire building at night. "In celebration of Vietnam's 75th Independence Day, #BurjKhalifa lit up in their flag. We wish the people of Vietnam growth and success," the post read. Vietnam's National Day falls on September 2. A similar video was also posted by the official Twitter account of the UAE Embassy in Vietnam later in the morning. World's tallest building lights up with Vietnamese flag World's tallest building displays Vietnam flag to commemorate National Day Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai lights up with Vietnam's national flag on the night of September 2, 2020. Video courtesy of Burj Khalifa Twitter account. As of Thursday evening, the video posted by the Burj Khalifa Twitter account had garnered around 2,200 views and 239 likes. Many expressed their happiness with and gratitude for the gesture. "Thank you, thank Dubai. I love it, I love you," wrote Anh Thu Bui, a Vietnamese. The Burj Khalifa tower, completed in 2009 and opened in 2010, is currently the tallest building in the world. It has 163 floors and a height of over 829 meters, beating the world's second tallest building, the Shanghai Tower in China, by around 197 meters. The building often uses lighting displays to commemorate significant events. The projection of national flags, including that of Vietnam, is a ritual performed by the UAE and Dubai authorities to show respect for partners they deem special, according to news website Newsbeezer. Just a day earlier, the tower also displayed the national flag of Uzbekistan in commemoration of their independence day on September 1. UAE is considered Vietnam's biggest commercial partner in the Middle East, while Vietnam is seen as the UAE's foremost gateway to access the ASEAN market. The two countries' bilateral trade turnover reached around $6 billion last year, with Vietnam having an export surplus of around $5 million. The two countries aim to increase their bilateral trade turnover to $10 billion in the coming years. cescassawin/Getty Admit it. Youve had it with America. In the last six months, youve watched COVID kill 183,000 people and sicken millions more. Youve watched police murder unarmed civilians and SWAT teams assail peaceful protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas. Youve watched poverty soar, school shootings continue, the wealth gap widen, and unemployment skyrocketwhile our leaders throw up their hands or, worse, congratulate themselves while gaslighting us with conspiracy theories. If there were ever a time to bounce, its now. And the Eastern European/Eurasian country of Georgiawhich has registered a total of just 19 COVID-related deaths since Aprilis suddenly a contender for a top spot to relocate to, thanks to a new immigration regimen. On Aug. 27, the Georgian government rolled out a visa-free entry program called Remotely From Georgia that grants year-long stays to nationals of 95 countries including the United States. In other words, you could conceivably ride out: a hypertension-inducing presidential election; an inevitably lonely, socially distanced holiday season; and a potential second wave of COVID infection from a blissfully removed distance of 6,000 miles. Zoom is free; your mental wellbeing is priceless. After all, if youre going to be working from home anyway, you might as well do it in a country that boasts three of Europes six highest peaks, outstanding food (think burst-in-your-mouth soup dumplings, spicy walnutty stews, and flame-kissed kebabs), a hauntingly beautiful polyphonic singing tradition, and enough orange kvevri wine to make you forget the year 2020 altogether. To get a sense of expat life in Georgia, I asked Paul Rimple, an American guide with Culinary Backstreets whos been living in Tbilisi since 2002, what hed tell those considering the move. Tbilisi is certainly more affordable than other [European] cities, especially if you are earning a Western salary. A kilo of tomatoes is about 50 cents, and you can get a liter of decent table wine for a buck, he said. There are drawbacks, for sure, but Georgia is on a forward trajectory, unlike the USA. Seriously, here I am in Tbilisi calling my family in California to ask, Hey, are you guys okay over there? Story continues Of course, not everyone is welcome under the new regimen. Pesky requirements include bagging a monthly salary of at least $2,000, having health insurance, and being willing to quarantine for 12 days upon arrival at your expense. One can glean from these specifications that the program is geared toward established creatives and digital nomad types as opposed to, say, refugees or the unemployed. Its raison detre is to stimulate the lagging COVID economy by incentivizing rich (or rich-ish) people to stay in Georgia longer, putting their euros or dollars or yen in locals pockets in the process (so the government doesnt have to). Georgia, after all, is desperate for cash. For over a decade, the engine of its economy has been tourism, and nowadays almost every Georgian has some connection to the sectoran uncle who runs a guesthouse, perhaps, or a sister who bartends at a Black Sea resort. But then COVID struck, and the house of cards came tumbling down. There was a 69 percent drop in visitors in the first seven months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, a gut punch to a country whose median household income was a mere $380 even before the pandemic set in. Will a sudden influx of Airpod-wearing, matcha-sipping creatives save Georgias economy? Of course not. But at a time when many Georgians are out of work and spending less in their communities, the foreign cash might be a temporary salve. How do I apply? Citizens of the U.S. and 94 other countries are eligible (the full list can be found here). Complete the short online form, which asks for basic identification data plus your business activity profile (e.g., marketing, sales, design, architecture) and proof of financial solvency and health insurance. When will I receive a response? Within 10 days, according to the Georgian National Tourism Administration. How much does it cost? Its free. What is the duration of the visa? One year, with the possibility of renewal. What health and safety measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19? Applicants who are accepted are required to provide travel history documentation and quarantine upon arrival for 12 days, followed by a PCR test. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. The Health Minister has announced plans for a second Nightingale hospital in Northern Ireland in case of a second surge of Covid-19. Speaking at an Executive briefing yesterday, Robin Swann revealed Whiteabbey Hospital will have 100 beds available to ease pressure on Covid wards in case of another "full scale assault". The first Nightingale facility at Belfast City Hospital will also remain available if required. It comes as a further two deaths and 71 new cases of the virus were confirmed in Northern Ireland yesterday. Health department data showed that the deaths were of a man and a woman aged over 80. The man from the Mid and East Antrim council area died on September 1 in hospital while the woman passed away in a Co Down care home on August 28. A total of 7,365 positive cases of coronavirus in Northern Ireland have been confirmed since the outbreak with the death toll at 562. There are 20 patients currently in hospitals with the virus, with three of those in intensive care. "This is devastating news and our thoughts are very much with their family and friends at this time," Mr Swann said. "Because this pandemic still proves to be lethal, I'm increasingly of the view that Covid-19 has the potential for another full scale assault." Warning more people would lose their lives to the pandemic, Mr Swann repeated calls for the public to do their part with social distancing measures. "That's how we protect our economy from the threat of further lockdowns. "This is going to be a tough winter, the toughest winter probably our health service has faced in its history." Mr Swann said his department was finalising a new Covid-19 surge strategy to face down winter pressures. He explained that the new Nightingale hospital in Whiteabbey would be a step down facility, providing 100 intermediate care beds to aid the flow of patients from ICU and acute care. On protecting care homes, he said his department was publishing the results of a rapid learning initiative after the first surge of the virus. "The care home sector was extremely fragile before the pandemic and the virus has exposed that," he said. He said the report will set out 24 key recommendations on how to protect residents this winter. Mr Swann primary care Covid centres had reported "significant pressures," in part due to the return of schools. "We are working hard to get through these challenges and the expansion of Covid testing capacity is still a major priority across the United Kingdom". In Northern Ireland, he said capacity was increasing but pleaded with members of the public to manage resources responsibly by only getting tested if they had symptoms. This includes a continuous cough, a temperature and loss or change in taste or smell. The Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said the two latest deaths served as a timely reminder of the dangers. He said new measures like contact tracing and the StopCovid app would be crucial in fighting the next phase of the pandemic as well as continued social distancing. "It is us that spread this virus and it is up to all of us to limit the spread of the virus and the terrible consequences that it has had." Dr McBride said the return of schools had brought a mixture of emotions for families across the country, from relief to worry of an increased spread of the pandemic. "Let me reassure you, if your child needs a test they will be tested." He said 800 calls for tests were received on Tuesday, but only 65 met the criteria to be tested while other children were referred for general advice to their GP. He also reminded parents it was not unusual for an increase in common colds and other illnesses as a new school term begins. Drug companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi are joining the race to discover a Covid-19 vaccine and starting human clinical trials this week. The pharmaceutical giants have enrolled more than 400 people for the phase one and two trial, which will assess the safety of the vaccine candidate. The UK Government signed a deal with the companies in July for 60million doses rumoured to cost 500million in the hopes that it will prove to a success. Results of the initial testing, across 11 sites in the US, are anticipated in early December, with the third phase beginning before 2020 is over. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy previously said the jab could be given to high-risk Britons as early as the first half of next year, if it passes trials. GSK and Sanofi together have the largest vaccine manufacturing capability in the world, and believe their jab has the 'potential to overcome the pandemic' which has already killed 863,000 people. The vaccine, one of 34 now in clinical trials, is based on the existing DNA-based technology used to produce Sanofi's seasonal flu vaccine. If all the vaccines pre-ordered by the UK are successful and go into production the country will have a massive stockpile of 340million jabs - enough to give every person in the country five each. French drugmaker Sanofi and British peer GSK have enrolled more than 400 people in the US for the phase one and two trial, which will assess the safety of the vaccine candidate Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines (pictured: headquarters in London), said: 'We believe that this adjuvanted vaccine candidate has the potential to play a significant role in overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic, both in the UK and around the world' Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines said: 'Moving this vaccine candidate into clinical development is an important moment in the progress towards addressing the global pandemic we are all facing. 'This builds on the confidence shown by governments already in the potential of this protein-based adjuvanted vaccine candidate, which utilises established technology from both companies, and can be produced at scale by two of the leading vaccine manufacturers globally. 'We now look forward to the data from the study, and if positive, beginning a phase three trial by the end of the year.' Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president and global head of Sanofi Pasteur, said: 'Sanofi and GSK bring proven science and technology to the fight against the global Covid-19 pandemic, with the shared objective of delivering a safe and effective vaccine. 'The initiation of our clinical study is an important step and brings us closer to a potential vaccine which could help defeat Covid-19. 'Our dedicated teams and partner continue to work around the clock as we aim to deliver the first results in early December.' The first phase of the trial, on a small group of volunteers, is to make sure the vaccine is safe. Healthy subjects 18 to 49 years of age will be vaccinated to establish the correct dose for the vaccine. The second part will assess the efficacy, making sure the vaccine actually produces an immune response in the body. It will involve older participants. When trials move into the third phase, involving hundreds to thousands more people, scientists assess whether the vaccine actually prevents people from catching the coronavirus. Oxford University is now going through the third phase of clinical trials. UK drug giant AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine, said on September 1 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. GSK and Sanofi's vaccine works in a similar way to Oxford's and both focus on recreating the viral spike found on the outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which infects human cells. The 'spike' protein is what the virus uses to bind with cells in the body to invade them and has become the focus of scientific research. The vaccines aim to prime the bodys immune system to bind to the protein and disable the virus before it takes hold in the body. The difference between the two vaccines is how the spike is created. Sanofi's vaccine is based on its commercial and world-leading DNA Recombination technology which it initially developed for influenza vaccinations. This jab has been combined with GSK's adjuvanted technology which enhances the body's immune response. An adjuvant can reduce the amount of vaccine protein required per dose, which allows more vaccine doses to be made quicker. The combination of a protein-based antigen together with an adjuvant is well-established and used in a number of vaccines, including for shingles and hepatitis B. Oxford's vaccine however, is based on a genetically tweaked version of the common cold virus that usually infects chimps. The virus was weakened and its genetic material altered so it produced spikes which are identical to those of SARS-CoV-2. Researchers hope their version will make the body recognise and develop an immune response to the spike protein - recognisable in images of the virus - that will help stop Covid-19 from entering human cells and therefore prevent infection. The 'spike' protein is what the virus uses to bind with cells in the body to invade them and has become the focus of scientific research. Pictured, the spikes are seen in an artist's colorizations of images of the coronavirus taken with a high-powered electron microscope Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines, said: 'We believe that this adjuvanted vaccine candidate has the potential to play a significant role in overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic, both in the UK and around the world.' The Government's deal with GSK and Sanofi is among a string of agreements the British Government has made to get its hands on a vaccine. Companies including Janssen Pharmaceuticals - which is owned by Johnson & Johnson - and Novavax, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Valneva have all also received orders for their jabs. Officials are taking a spread-betting approach ordering stacks of numerous types of jab in the hope that at least one of them will work. Deals for a total 340million doses have so far been announced for the nation, which has a population of around 67million people. It means the UK is set to get early access to six vaccines, which work in four different ways. Officials are hedging their bets because nobody knows which, if any, will ultimately be successful. It may even be necessary to give people more than one vaccine to get a strong immune response. And it may be the case that if a vaccine cannot stop coronavirus from spreading, it could reduce the severity of a patients symptoms to prevent deaths. Until clinical trial results appear, it is unclear whether people are likely to be given just the best-performing jab or a combination of different types. EagleView rapidly provides customers to pre- and post-event imagery, allowing them to help homeowners and businesses begin recovering and rebuilding. EagleView, the leading technology provider of aerial imagery, property data analytics and GIS solutions, has captured and continues to process ultra-high-resolution Reveal aerial imagery following Hurricane Laura, which made landfall on August 27 as a Category 4 hurricane. EagleViews pre- and post-event imagery comparisons show the extent of Hurricane Lauras destruction across Louisiana and southeastern Texas. EagleViews pilot network immediately took flight as soon as weather conditions allowed. Along with images from unmanned aerial systems (drones), EagleView is delivering the imagery to customers in local government, insurance and construction following the event. With a data library of over 1 billion images, EagleView customers can utilize pre- and post-event imagery to answer critical questions regarding properties and assets post-hurricane. Customers can access both pre- and post-event imagery on EagleViews viewing platform, CONNECTExplorer. Its incredibly important for our customers to have access to post-disaster images quickly, said EagleView COO Jay Martin. EagleView rapidly provides customers to pre- and post-event imagery, allowing them to help homeowners and businesses begin recovering and rebuilding. EagleView applies advanced machine learning technology to both pre- and post-event imagery, which identifies and classifies potential property damage in each image. This technology allows insurance carriers to analyze imagery and close claims more efficiently, resulting in reduced costs per claim and greater homeowner satisfaction. EagleViews patented machine learning technology quickly puts critical information into the hands of insurance carriers and construction contractors, which is incredibly important when responding to a massive event like Hurricane Laura, said EagleView CEO Chris Jurasek. By decreasing the amount of time spent per claim, insurance carriers are able to handle more properties and expedite rebuilding efforts in a significant manner. EagleView will continue its disaster response until all areas of interest are captured and processed for customers. For more information about EagleViews post-event image capture process following Hurricane Laura, please contact Annette Hamilton at mediarelations@eagleview.com or Susan Millerick at susan.millerick@eagleview.com. About EagleView EagleView is a leader in aerial imagery, machine learning-derived data analytics and software, helping customers in different industries use property insights for smarter planning, building and living. With more than 200 patents, EagleView pioneered the field of aerial property measurements and has the largest multi-modal image database in history, covering 98 percent of the U.S. population. Flying over 9.5 million linear miles every year, EagleViews coverage is the most extensive and up to date, enabling local government and business customers to use the most accurate data to make timely and informed decisions. For more information, call (866) 659-8439, visit http://www.eagleview.com and follow @EagleViewTech. Queenslands Wet Tropics Skyrail is one way to see wilderness areas but at a cost to wilderness quality. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) North Queensland Losing $7 Million Each Day Due to Border Closure A domestic-led recovery is possible for the tourism industry if state borders reopen Australias domestic tourism industry is suffering unnecessarily due to blanket state border closures, with North Queensland currently losing $7 million per day from domestic travellers. Queenslands border is closed during Tropical North Queenslands peak season. As a result, the region is facing significant job losses of around 11,700 in 2020, with an estimated 7,500 jobs currently being supported only by JobKeeper. Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen told The Epoch Times via a spokesperson that the region was experiencing a continued lull in bookings and arrivals. August visitor numbers are less than 30 percent of pre-COVID levels across all sectors with the marine operators running at around 10 percent of pre-COVID levels, accommodation and hire car at 30 percent, the airport running at 29 percent of pre-COVID levels and bus touring at 5 percent of pre-COVID levels, he said. The region is estimated to be losing $7 million a day in what is our peak season for domestic travellers, Olsen said. Beyond the September school holidays, forward bookings are below 10 percent of pre-COVID levels. Prior to social distancing and border controls, Australians spent $107 billion on day trips and domestic overnight trips around the country. According to Tourism Research Australia (TRA), in 2019, Australians aged 15 and older took 11 day-trips on average and 20 days of domestic overnight trips on average (pdf). In 201819 there were 666,000 people directly employed in tourism in Australia, with another 370,000 working to provide goods and services to the industry, reported TRA. Across the board, Australia has shed seven percent of jobs since the start of the pandemic. That said, TRA thinks there is potential for a domestic-led recovery for the tourism industry. This would involve a gradual resumption of domestic travel once interstate borders fully reopen and restrictions on gatherings are lifted, its report stated. To that end, federal politicians are pushing state and territory leaders to adopt a new proportionate system that they say would help get people travelling across the country again in a COVID-safe way. Theres lots of tourism businesses Im still hearing from who are really bleeding, suffering, struggling to be viable, Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC Radio Perth on Sept. 3. He also noted that internal state border restrictions have been in place longer than is necessary or justifiable for health reasons. The federal minister wants people who live in areas that havent seen a COVID-19 case for a designated period of timewhich as of yet is to be determinedto have the freedom to travel interstate to places that have done well in suppressing COVID-19, such as Queensland, Tasmania, and the ACT. The issue of state border closures is expected to be discussed at the national cabinet meeting by the prime minister with the state and territory leaders on Friday. Planned Parenthoods Texas political arm on Thursday endorsed state Rep. Sarah Davis, rebuffing abortion rights activists who had lobbied the group to deny political support for the Houston Republican. The efforts to deny Davis the endorsement had revolved around a petition circulated by Sherry Merfish, a deeply connected Democratic donor and former Planned Parenthood board member. The petition concedes that Davis may have met the minimum standards of what it means to be pro-choice, but argues that the rest of her record stands completely at odds with the cause of reproductive justice and the purported mission of Planned Parenthood. It had gathered some 450 signatures by Wednesday afternoon, including numerous Planned Parenthood donors and two board members of the groups Houston affiliate. One of the board members, Peggie Kohnert, had circulated her own petition. The lobbying effort has revealed a fracture between key members of Houstons abortion rights community and the leaders of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, a political action committee that defines itself as nonpartisan but has struggled to find Republicans like Davis to endorse. As the debate plays out, Texas Democrats desperate to capture a House majority before next years critical redistricting battle are making an all-out push to unseat Davis, whom they view as one of the most vulnerable Republican legislators in the state. Davis stances on abortion have angered members of her party but helped garner support from moderate voters. In the last two cycles, she won re-election while her partys standard-bearers, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, each failed to crack 40 percent in her district. Houston lawyer Ann Johnson, Davis Democratic opponent, argues the incumbent has worked against womens reproductive issues by opposing the Affordable Care Act and declining to vote for the laws optional expansion of Medicaid. Davis disagrees, saying she has voted against every anti-choice bill during her time in office. Some of Johnsons supporters say groups such as Planned Parenthood Texas Votes have allowed Davis to carefully curate her moderate reputation while she aligns with her party on immigration and gun policies. Merfish said the group also would paint a misleading picture of Johnson by backing Davis. By endorsing Sarah, in people's minds who may not be as familiar with Ann, it would cast doubt on whether Ann is aligned with them on these issues, Merfish said. Because, then why wouldn't they endorse both of them, or why wouldn't they stay out of it? Planned Parenthood Texas Votes announced the Davis endorsement Thursday as part of a slate of 18 new endorsements. Davis is the only Republican among the 27 candidates the group is backing this cycle. In a news release, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes said it is working to elect officials not to just defend access to sexual and reproductive health care, but to repair and expand the public health infrastructure damaged by Governor Abbott and other extremist politicians. Abbott endorsed Davis in December after previously supporting her more conservative primary opponent in 2018. Davis record Davis argues that, through her role as the lead House budget writer for health and human services, she has sought expanded funding for Texas key womens health programs. Those include family planning services, breast and cervical cancer screenings and other health services for low-income women. The largest program, called Healthy Texas Women, received a funding boost in January when the federal government restored its flow of Medicaid dollars. Obama administration officials had severed the funding, arguing that Texas violated federal law after the Legislature voted in 2011 to exclude clinics affiliated with abortion providers from a program that later became Healthy Texas Women. The provision applied to Planned Parenthood, which at the time provided services to more than 40 percent of the programs patients and did not perform abortions itself. Davis, then a freshman legislator, voted for the state budget and omnibus health care bill that included major family planning funding cuts and the Planned Parenthood ban. She later said that she stood by the latter vote due to the amount of controversy surrounding the organization. Johnson tried to unseat Davis the following year, hammering her over those votes, while Davis touted her vote against a bill requiring women to undergo ultrasounds before getting abortions. She also blasted Johnson for supporting the Affordable Care Act, and won re-election by 9 points. The following session, Davis newly appointed to the powerful House appropriations committee was credited with spearheading an effort to restore the family planning cuts. As for her opposition to Obamacare, Davis said her position has evolved and she now opposes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons challenge to the law, which the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up. Striking down the Affordable Care Act is not a solution to health care, she said. However, Johnson noted that Davis supported the anti-Obamacare lawsuit that led to the U.S. Supreme Courts 2012 decision making Medicaid expansion optional for states. Johnson also has criticized Davis for moving to table a Medicaid expansion budget amendment during the 2017 legislative session, and for missing the vote on Medicaid expansion last year. Davis said she would have supported it. She can make all the campaign promises she wants, but her record over the last decade has shown the exact opposite, Johnson said. Her biggest attack on me in 2012, her biggest way to get re-elected, was to talk about the fact that I did support the Affordable Care Act. Davis said she believes Texas should expand Medicaid next session, and explained that she moved to table the amendment in 2017 because it did not have enough votes to pass, and House leadership had instructed her not to bring it up for discussion. The endorsement Though individual endorsements rarely have the power to swing elections, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes holds more sway in House District 134 than the average political group, said Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. The district, which covers Bellaire, West University Place, Southside Place, Rice University and the Texas Medical Center, is home to some of the most affluent, educated and politically engaged voters in the state and contains what Merfish described as a trove of Planned Parenthood voters. The groups endorsement is particularly significant for Davis, Cross said, because of President Trumps struggles among suburban women. Just like the tea party helped bring her in back in 2010, the anti-Trump movement could help move her out, especially among women, Cross said. There is much at stake for Johnson too, Cross said, noting that Davis already has captured the support of the Human Rights Campaign, the nations largest LGBTQ advocacy group. The endorsement upset some supporters of Johnson, who is an out lesbian. Davis has argued that she has helped advance Planned Parenthood Texas Votes agenda by working within the Republican caucus, and that endorsing her would bolster the groups nonpartisan image. I cant speak for Planned Parenthood, but I would think you want to be viewed as a nonpartisan group, Davis said. And if you cant even bring yourself to endorse the only elected pro-choice Republican in the state, then how can you seriously tell your supporters that youre a nonpartisan organization whos focused on abortion access and womens health care? This story has been updated to include Planned Parenthood Texas Votes endorsement of Davis, which was announced Thursday morning shortly after the story published. jasper.scherer@chron.com Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meets with newly appointed head of the KGB security service Ivan Tertel, newly appointed secretary of the security council Valery Vakulchik, and acting head of the state control committee Vasily Gerasimov in Minsk, on Sep. 3, 2020. (Nikolai Petrov /BelTA/Handout via Reuters) Belarusian Leader Reshuffles Security Chiefs in Face of Mass Protests MOSCOWBelarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko promoted hardline loyalists to top posts in his security apparatus on Thursday in an effort to strengthen his grip on the former Soviet republic after weeks of mass protests and strikes. Lukashenko, facing the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule, accompanied the reshuffle with instructions to act tough in the face of what he has repeatedly alleged is foreign aggression. Belarus finds itself confronting an external aggressor one-to-one, he told the new security chiefs. This image made from video shows Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko armed with a Kalashnikov-type rifle near the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (State TV and Radio Company of Belarus via AP Photo) Therefore I ask you to take this to the people. They shouldnt condemn me for any sort of softness. Theres no softness here. The country is working, although many, especially our neighbors, would like us to collapse. Retaining the loyalty of the security forces, who have helped him crack down hard on dissent, is vital to Lukashenko as he tries to crush protests that show no sign of abating after nearly four weeks. Lukashenko removed Andrei Ravkov, head of the security council which coordinates the work of all the agencies, and replaced him with Valery Vakulchik, previously head of the KGB security police. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko armed with a Kalashnikov-type rifle as he greets riot police officers near the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (State TV and Radio Company of Belarus via AP Photo) Vakulchik was replaced by Ivan Tertel, formerly head of the state control committee which investigates economic crime. In that role, Tertel had led a criminal investigation against banker Viktor Babariko which led to the latter being banned from running against Lukashenko in last months election. Another loyalist, Vasily Gerasimov, was named acting head of the control committee, and Anatoly Sivak, the mayor of Minsk, was promoted to deputy prime minister. Torture Reports Lukashenko has provided no evidence that foreign powers are behind the protests. The opposition has denied this, and NATO has also denied his allegations that it is massing forces near the Belarusian border. Belarus is a close ally of Moscow, which sees it as a vital strategic buffer between Russia and NATO. President Vladimir Putin said last week the Kremlin had set up a reserve police force at Lukashenkos request but it would be deployed only if necessary. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speak in the stands during the closing ceremony of the 2019 European Games, in Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, on June 30, 2019. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters) Human rights experts from the United Nations said this week they had received reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings, and mistreatment of Belarusian protesters by police. The government has denied abusing detainees and has said its security forces have acted appropriately against demonstrators. Separately, two former TV presenters were arrested in the capital Minsk on Wednesday night, relatives and local media said. Demonstrators fill the streets of Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo) Broadcaster Euroradio said Denis Dudinsky was detained by uniformed officers who dragged him into a black minibus near his house. A second former TV anchor, Dmitry Kokhno, was also arrested and driven away, according to his wife Nadezhda. She wrote on Instagram that he was held in jail overnight and would appear in court on Thursday. I thank God our son didnt see it (the arrest), she said, alongside a black and white photo of her husband with the small boy. By Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has restored the official titles and military rank to his royal consort, according to a palace announcement, nearly a year after she was accused of being disloyal and disappeared from public view. The announcement comes as Thailand is roiled by anti-government protests during which demands have also been made for curbs to newly expanded powers of the king, breaking a strong taboo in a nation where conservative tradition upholds the monarch as semi-divine and above criticism. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi (35) last October had been stripped of the title Royal Noble Consort in a palace statement that called her "ungrateful" in conducting a rivalry with Queen Suthida, the monarch's wife. However, a statement published in the government's Royal Gazette yesterday said Sineenat "is untainted" and therefore entitled to the royal noble consort title and all her previous posts within the palace. "Therefore, the stripping of royal titles, official position in serving the crown in military capacity and military ranks and the recall of all declarations has never taken place," the statement said. The order is effective August 28. Sineenat disappeared after her public disgrace and her whereabouts could not be confirmed. This week, Bild newspaper reported she had arrived in Germany, where the Thai king spends much of the year. King Vajiralongkorn was officially crowned as constitutional monarch in May last year after first taking the throne following the 2016 death of his father, who reigned for 70 years. Days before his coronation, the king married the deputy head of his personal bodyguard, Suthida Tidjai (42), giving her the title of Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana. A little over two months later, he conferred the title Royal Noble Consort to Sineenat, a former nurse and his bodyguard. It was the first such appointment in almost a century, long before the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in Burlington on Thursday, Sept. 3 touring a local business, which has pivoted to produce much needed hand sanitizer. Thames River Chemical (TRC), which is located 5230 Harvester Rd., has been in Burlington for 12 years producing adhesives. That changed in March when the company retooled to start making hand sanitizer to help combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. Following a tour of the facility Ford offered his thanks to TRC staff for helping to satisfy the great need that exists for hand sanitizer in Ontario. This is another example of the true Ontario spirit, switching over a line and making pails of hand sanitizer, said Ford. This is what Im talking about when I say that everyone is pulling together in the same direction. I want to thank you and your whole team for stepping up to the plate. I always say there is nothing we cant produce here in Ontario. We have the ingenuity; we have the technology and there is no one we cant compete against. Burlington MPP Jane McKenna also praised TRC, listing it as another example of Burlington going above and beyond to fight the spread of COVID-19. TRC Co-owner Dan Wiggins said retooling may have allowed his company to help out, but it was also necessary to keep TRC going. With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic the market for adhesives dried up to the point where Wiggins faced the prospect of having to lay off some of his 50 employees. He and fellow owner Ann Wiggins choose to instead invest in the purchase and repurposing of equipment and materials that would allow for the production of hand sanitizer. It took about two weeks and around $250,000, said Wiggins. We can produce about 20,000 litres a day during an eight-hour shift. The hand sanitizer the company produces has been approved by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. TRC now supplies hospitals, nursing homes, banks, Queens Park, churches school boards and universities. Members of the public can also purchase the TRC hand sanitizer and pick it up at the curbside. It has been easy for us to sell it too, said Mena Hanna, TRC Business Manager. We went through all the right channels to make sure we have the right product and we can streamline everything as it leaves the door. Hanna said the companys priority is the local market in Ontario and the Canadian market, but noted they are looking into prospects in the U.S. market. When asked about the attention the company has received from the premier Wiggins said he was glad to receive it. Were happy he came, he said. Hes doing a great job with the pandemic and lets hope we all get through it together. For more information visit https://www.trc-corp.com/news/. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) on Thursday released the admit card for the re-examination of the Secondary Teachers' Eligibility Test (Bihar STET) 2019. The admit cards have been issued on the official website of STET which is bsebstet2019.in and candidates can also visit biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in to download the admit cards. The BSEB will conduct the re-examination of STET 2019 from September 9-21 across several districts of Bihar. The centres are in Patna, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Gaya, Chhapra, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Bhagalpur and Purnea. The STET 2019 re-examination will be conducted in three shifts from 8 am to 10.30 am, 12 pm to 2.30 pm and 4 pm to 6:30 pm. The reporting time is one hour before the examination starts and the gate will close half an hour ahead of the exam. Both the Paper I and Paper II will be for 2.30 hours. Here is how to download BSEB STET 2019 admit card: 1) Visit bsebstet2019.in, the official website 2) Click on the link of the admit card 3) Type in the registration ID and other login credentials 4) The admit card will be displayed on the screen 5) Download it and take out a print The Bihar STET examination was held on January 28, 2020, in which 2.47 lakh candidates appeared. The exam was cancelled in May after an investigation revealed large scale irregularities and malpractice. The exam, which is conducted to recruit teachers in secondary and higher secondary levels, was held in 2020 after a long gap of eight years. Jury President Cate Blanchett walks the red carpet during the 77th Venice Film Festival at on September 02, 2020 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage,) Cate Blanchett has said that she should be referred to as an actor rather than an actress. The Australian screen star made the comments in reference to the Berlin Film Festival's decision to switch to gender neutral awards in 2021. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, where she is serving as the head of the jury panel, she said: I have always referred to myself as an actor. Read more: Cate Blanchett suffered chainsaw accident in lockdown I am of the generation where the word actress was used almost always in a pejorative sense. So I claim the other space. Cate Blanchett attends the red carpet of the Opening Ceremony and the 'Lacci' screening at the Lido Venice. (P. Lehman/Barcroft Media via Getty Images) According to the AFP, she then asked Italian journalists present if there was a female version of the word 'maestro', to which she was told there wasn't. Blanchett has played male characters in the past. In the 2015 art film Manifesto, she played a homeless man for director Julian Rosefeldt, and then in Todd Haynes' 2007 movie I'm Not There, she played the musician Bob Dylan. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, then-jury president Blanchett led a silent red carpet protest with 82 other women, to highlight the lack of female directors being represented at the event. She was joined by the likes of Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux, Ava DuVernay, Jane Fonda and Salma Hayek. Read More: Cate Blanchett - Nothing prepared me for Rohingya suffering Reading a collective statement, she said: Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of our industry says otherwise. As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress. We stand together on these steps today as a symbol of our determination and progress. The stairs of our industry must be accessible to all. Lets climb. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Workers at Santa Fe-based art collective Meow Wolf including artists, operations staff and other staffers are seeking to unionize under the Communications Workers of America umbrella, a news release said. The Meow Wolf Workers Collective announced Tuesday evening that it will demand a seat at the table in matters of employment protection, diversity and inclusion, pay equity, clear paths to advancement and creativity within the company, the release said. The MWWC seeks protections from discrimination and harassment of any kind, and all other workplace matters that center around the happiness and wellbeing of Meow Wolf employees. According to the National Labor Relations Board website, workers can form a union either by a petition and election, or by their employer voluntarily recognizing based on evidence typically signed union-authorization cards that a majority of employees want it to represent them. Organizers of the Meow Wolf Workers Collective wrote in the release they hope to take the latter route. The MWWC is proud to say the majority of Meow Wolf workers are in favor of organizing, and support grows stronger every day as organizing efforts continue, the release said. Leadership at Meow Wolf is asked to stand by its radical, progressive roots and voluntarily recognize the MWWC today. Meow Wolf has faced multiple lawsuits in recent years in connection with allegations of discrimination and copyright infringement. Its also been hard hit by the pandemic, and in April announced it would be laying off 201 staff members and furloughing more than 50 others, according to earlier reports. Heres a startling statistic for you. In Mississippi, at the height of the Reconstruction era (which lasted until 1877), African-American voter registration stood at 67 percent. A century later, after America had defeated the Nazis and was being held up as a beacon of freedom, African-American voter registration in Mississippi stood at just three percent. How could that have happened? Many factors, but a key one was domestic racial terrorism. In All In: The Fight for Democracy, a powerfully timely and absorbing documentary about voter suppression and the ongoing battle against it, the author and professor Carol Anderson tells the story of Maceo Snipes, who fought the fascists during World War II and felt like hed earned some democracy for himself. He wasnt intimidated by threats against the lives of African-Americans in his native Georgia; he had just come back from a war. So in 1946, he voted and was the only Black person in Taylor County, Georgia, who dared to do so. A few days later, a three-man firing squad arrived at his door and pumped his body full of bullets. The message was clear, says Anderson. You vote, you die. There have been many good documentaries this year, but the nature of the moment were in is that the most important documentaries of 2020 may be those that confront the issue of voter suppression. Slay the Dragon, released several months ago, takes a monumental look at gerrymandering which sounds like an old and rather dusty topic, except that this is Gerrymandering 3.0, with the Republicans using digital technology to redraw voting districts in what amounts to a hostile takeover of democracy. Now, with All In, co-directors The movie has been constructed around the 2018 race for governor in Georgia, where the Democrat, Stacey Abrams, who would have been the first African-American woman elected governor in the United States, lost by a thin margin to Brian Kemp, the Republican Secretary of State. But Kemp wasnt just running for office. He was overseeing the election, and he had orchestrated any number of tactics to suppress the voting rights of minorities, including the purging of 1.4 million people from Georgias voting rolls. Had that not occurred, the chances are overwhelming that Stacey Abrams would have won. The election was essentially rigged by the states government, so Abrams refused to concede it she argued that it had, in effect, been stolen. Story continues All In uses what went on in Georgia as a prototype for what could happen in the upcoming presidential election. One of the films overwhelming themes is that voter suppression works. Abrams, who is one of the films producers as well as its most forceful voice, talks about how people in a state like Georgia are made to jump through hoops to vote. When entire communities become convinced that the process is not for them, she says, we lose their participation in our nations future. And thats dangerous to everyone. The movie offers a full-scale portrait of Abrams, including footage of her speaking as a college student at the 1993 March on Washington (whatever the politicians X Factor is, she had it even then), and theres a hardscrabble eloquence to her words, which are exhortations toward democracy. The scandal of the Georgias governors election was covered by Robert Greenwalds potent short documentary Suppressed: The Fight to Vote (2019). But Garbus and Cortes, working on a vaster scale, go back to show us how voter suppression has been a constant in American history and has, in fact, swung back and forth like some terrible pendulum. The years of Reconstruction were hopeful; almost overnight, African-Americans were elected as senators and governors. But that all came to an end by sinister design. After the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments guaranteed people of color the right to vote, the powers that be made a concerted effort to undercut that freedom. There were the poll taxes, which basically said: You can buy food and clothes for your children or you can vote. There were the literacy tests, which the Civil Rights attorney Debo Adegbile claims are misnamed, because they werent really tests of ones literacy. They were traps. They were designed to never let you answer them correctly. (We see one example where the voter is asked to name the clerk of the superior court. Could you?) And there were the so-called black codes, passed in 1890, which were rules against things like loitering, which could get someone tossed off the voter rolls. By the early 1900s, the resurgence of the Klan had taken this already borderline lawless situation and upped the ante with its own violence. Heres another startling fact: In the early 1960s, William Rehnquist, the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was on the front lines of voter suppression he was in charge of ballot security operations for the Republican Party in Maricopa County, the largest and most important country in Arizona. The plan was called Operation Eagle Eye, and it involved things like Rehnquist and others going to Democratic districts of Phoenix and asking African-American and Latinx voters if they could read the Constitution. If they couldnt do it to his satisfaction, their eligibility to vote was challenged. This is what the march from Selma to Montgomery was about, and All In records that iconic event of protest in all its existential inspiration and horror. Andrew Young, in the documentary, says, It was ruthless, and brutal, and criminal. But it was what changed the South on voting rights. When President Johnson spoke to Congress, declaring the necessity of passing the Voting Rights Act and condemning the bigotry that fueled voter suppression, he ended his speech with the words And we shall overcome. Says Young, Thats the only time I saw Martin Luther King shed a tear. To this day, many progressives believe that the passage of that law was the beginning of the end of the problem. But the most sobering revelation of All In is its coverage of how the pendulum swung backagain. On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court, in a vote of 5-4 (led by John Roberts, who was William Rehnquists protege), gutted huge sections of the Voting Rights Act. It argued that the law was an intrusion by the federal government into areas that the states had traditionally administered. To which one might say: So what? Thats true of a lot of Civil Rights law. As always, the states-rights argument is a fig leaf and an archaic one. But as soon as that ruling was handed down, the floodgates were open. Texas took the lead with the controversial Voter ID law. This was followed, in various states, by the suppression of student voters, by voter roll purges (as in Ohio, where you can be dropped from the rolls if you dont vote for six years, and dont respond to a postcard that looks like a piece of junk mail; the result of this is that 2 million voters were purged out of an electorate of 11.5 million), and by poll closings (under Brian Kemp, 214 places to vote closed in Georgia eight percent of the states polling places). The most insidious aspect of voter suppression is that the reasons for it are made to look like the law, when it truth its a violation of the law. In the film, Carol Anderson says that Barack Obama brought 50 million new voters to the polls, and that the mission of the Republican Party since Obamas election has been to stuff the genie of those voters back into the bottle. In two months, well know how well they succeeded. Until then, All In urges every American to seek out the vote, pursue it, and safeguard it for what it is: the only free ticket to power. More from Variety Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. U K coronavirus cases have risen to their highest rate since the start of June, fuelling fears of a second wave. A total of 6,732 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to August 26 the highest seven-day number since the week to June 3. It also marks a six per cent in infections on the previous week, according to the latest Test and Trace data. The figures were released after Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that a second spike in the pandemic remained possible in Britain. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on Thursday that while efforts to curb transmission are "going well", authorities remained "very worried" about a potential second wave. Since the launch of the Test and Trace programme in England in May, 270,559 close contacts of people who have tested positive for the virus have been reached and asked to self-isolate. This is 79.7 per cent out of a total of 339,635 people identified as close contacts. Some 69.4 per cent of close contacts were reached through the system in the week ending August 26, according to new figures from the Department of Health and Social Care. This is down from 77.1 per cent in the previous week, and the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began. For cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.3 per cent of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to August 26. By contrast, for those cases handled either online or by call centres, 59.8 per cent of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate. Bradford has seen the lowest number of contacts traced, either online or in call centres. Just 43 per cent of contacts have been reached in the local authority. For cases in Blackburn with Darwen 47 per cent of contacts have been reached, for Middlesbrough and Peterborough the figure is 48 per cent, and for Kirklees, Nottingham and the City of London & Hackney it is 49 per cent. These figures are just for non-complex cases cases handled online or by call centres and cover the 13 weeks of Test and Trace from May 28 to August 26. Matt Hancock: Despite 'operational challenges', the testing system 'works well' Meanwhile, Mr Hancock has insisted that the Test and Trace system is "working well". He told Sky News: At the moment the system works well. Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it works well. And were finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after. But absolutely, we need to roll out more testing we have done throughout this crisis and todays another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology. According to the new figures, 73,081 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England have had their cases transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system since its launch. Of this total, 57,368 people (78.5 per cent) were asked to provide details of recent contacts while 13,958 (19.1 per cent) were not reached at all. A further 1,755 people (2.4 per cent) could not be contacted because their communication details had not been provided. The data was released as Scotland reported its own surge in infections. The country's virus reproduction rate is now probably above one and could be as high as 1.4, the First Minister told a government briefing. The rate, which calculates the average number of people who are infected by a positive case of the virus, was believed to be below one for some months. Nicola Sturgeon said: I said recently that the R number is of slightly less concern when overall prevalence of the virus is low, and overall prevalence of the virus is still low in Scotland right now. But nevertheless this is a reminder that the virus is spreading again here, just as it is elsewhere in the UK, across Europe and indeed in the wider world, so it is a reminder of the need for us to take this seriously and do all of the right things. Responding to recent increment in price of fuel from N138 to N151 per litre, as well as the sudden increase in electricity tariff to N66 per kWh by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the act, described it as selfish, outrageous, cruel and totally unacceptable. This revelation was contained in a press statement issued by the partys National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan. PDP via the statement, called for an immediate reverse to the prices, saying that it will only make worse the present condition of living among Nigerians. The APC government since they took over has done nothing meaningful but impose high cost in prices of commodities and services. This current administration, desires nothing but to inflict pain, hardship and despair on Nigerians, which cannot be compared to PDPs administration that fuel was sold for N87 per litre and electricity tariff N30.23 per kWh, the statement read. Should they fail to reverse the price back to what it was, then they should be prepared to witness a National crisis across the Federation. Surprisingly, it was just a week ago that the party announced its support for fuel price hike. This current activities portrayed by APC, explains better that the party is nothing but a tool of economic destruction under President Muhammadu Buharis administration. This country is heading nowhere reasonable as far as APC remains at the helm of affairs. They are busy making life difficult for Nigerians, whereas leadership in other countries provides palliatives to citizens to help scale through the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. It is indeed cruel on their part to approve for increase in price of fuel, which no doubt will affect other prices of goods and services, at a time when Nigerians are as impoverished as ever before, PDP stated. We hereby challenge the Buhari Presidency, including APC to provide basis, analysis upon which the increment was arrived at, which by far surpasses the domestic pump price in Nigeria. They should further give detailed explanation of its claimed oil subsidized management. PDP stated also that APC are blocking probe into sudden increase in price of fuel, likewise the N14 trillion that was allegedly lavished by APCs leadership. We hereby urge the National Assembly to with immediacy, call APC and its leadership to order before they destroy every good the country represents and stands for, they added. As the sun dipped behind a row of 4,000-foot mountains plunging into the frothy sea, a seal peeked its head from the surf and the seaweed glowed gold. This was day ones highlight on our 24.6-mile journey up the Lost Coast, the most remote shoreline in California that we hiked in late August to escape the pandemic. And the fires. And our cellphones. And the possibility of receiving any further news of 2020. By those metrics, the trip could be considered a success. But as those familiar with this unforgiving wilderness must certainly know, for every problem the Lost Coast solves, a new and unusual one is created. Before COVID-19 ruined travel, the longest undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States lured outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. You know they were excited because they reserved their permits months in advance to camp along the most popular section of the Lost Coast Trail, the stretch between Mattole Trailhead and Black Sands Beach, in the King Range National Conservation Area. They were well aware of the challenges; arguably they preferred them. On the Lost Coast, bears and rattlesnakes are common. Storms and fog can move in without warning. The ocean is sometimes violent, with sneaker waves claiming more than a few unlucky backpackers. Intimidatingly, the trail weaves in and out of the tidal zone, where wrong timing can leave hikers trapped between sheer cliffs and an encroaching sea. For these reasons, inexperienced hikers tend to avoid the Lost Coast, or team up with more seasoned trekkers. So when Blu Graham, the owner of Lost Coast Adventure Tours, agreed to let my friend and me tag along, we accepted. The day before the trip, Grahams 16-year-old son needed stitches because he crashed into a tree while riding a motorcycle. Then one of the fryers went out at Mi Mochima, the Venezuelan restaurant that Graham owns with his wife in Shelter Cove. He considered canceling the trip, but ultimately decided it was just what he needed. We knew the feeling. Ashley Harrell Between the pandemic, the 600-plus fires that were torching California, my friend becoming unemployed and me working three jobs from a 300-square-foot in-law unit I share with my partner, tagging along with Graham as he hiked the Lost Coast sounded like exactly the right move. A beach adventure in an area so rugged it had to be bypassed by Highway 1 would be our panacea, we believed. But when the first evening came, we ate tasteless rice (having forgotten the spices) and found ourselves ruminating on what had gone wrong. Hiking north from Shelter Cove on Black Sand Beach in the afternoon heat had melted the glue on my right hiking shoe, and the sole had detached. I had placed one of my socks over the front to keep the shoe together, but eventually the sand and rocks had destroyed it. Graham a gruff veteran backpacker was not impressed. This was going to be a problem, he said. When my friend turned to face him wearing her head lamp, shining it directly in his eyes, he accused her of spraying him with hippie mace. He also advised that we move our tent, which we had set up in an uneven area. Although the campsite was tucked into a valley called Miller Flat, we couldn't find a level place for the tent. All night, strong winds swept through and shook the rain fly. On several occasions I woke up in a panic, thinking it was a bear. In the morning, my friend said that she hadnt slept at all. Then she asked if something seemed wrong with her ear, because it felt like there was liquid in it. Ashley Harrell Have you always had an ogre ear? I asked her, even though weve been friends since middle school. She hadnt. The ear was just really swollen. After considering for a moment that there would be no option for medical attention or treatment, she said: You cannot break a broken woman, Ashley." When we finally left our tent at about 9 a.m., Graham seemed disappointed that we hadnt emerged sooner. The water he boiled was getting cold, he said. After some lukewarm coffee and oatmeal, we packed up and hit the trail, and the sun was already starting to glint off a million fist-sized boulders we would need to scramble over. This was the part of the trip when it became clear that a rescue would be incredibly inconvenient, so we focused intently on our footing to avoid twisting an ankle. Grahams pace was faster than ours, and soon his figure disappeared behind a mountain. We passed the time with a game that my friend invented, titled, How would we kill my boyfriend? It involved scanning the landscape and figuring out what we'd use not only to murder my friends boyfriend, but to get away with it. My friend created this game because she is morbid, but also because she has commitment issues. Taking note of the rising tide, bear tracks, animal bones, fire-scarred forests and sheer cliffs, we had a lot of ideas. Ashley Harrell After a few miles of beach bouldering, we hiked up onto a grassy bluff and I placed a new sock over my shoe. On this section of the trail, we were surprised to encounter a few hunters along with some backpackers carrying surfboards. We also walked by some houses and yurts accessible by airstrip. The structures were grandfathered into the conservation area when it was created in 1970, Graham told us, and clearly belonged to the sorts of people who anticipated years like 2020. Soon, we stopped at a creek to filter some water, have lunch and wait for the next low tide. This was pretty much the midpoint, Graham said, so if we had a problem here, it would take as long to go back as it would to keep going. As if testing fate, my friend decided right then that she felt like swimming in the ocean, even though it was obvious that the massive waves and strong undertow were incredibly dangerous. I followed her into the icy surf where we dunked ourselves and let the waves smack us around a while. The cold water was invigorating, and there was something undeniably satisfying about being in the middle of this thing, having come so far and with so far yet to go, and saying fk it: We surrender to the sea. When we returned to the creek, Graham had stitched my hiking shoe back together with duct tape and string he always carries in a first-aid kit. He had let me walk upwards of seven miles before doing this, he told me, just to see how long I could last. Ashley Harrell That night, we hiked up from the beach to Cooskie campground, a sandy nook alongside a freshwater stream. We ate overly flavorful miso soup and watched a technicolor sunset, then unzipped the sides of our tent and gazed up at what felt like every star in the galaxy. We got up late again the next morning, drank our lukewarm coffee and walked upstream to filter some water. As we walked over a low wooden footbridge, Graham started running toward us, yelling. Rattlesnake! Rattlesnake! he said. It turned out to be a small one coiled beneath the bridge, hiding and specifically not using its rattle. And thats how we learned that Graham did feel at least somewhat responsible for keeping us alive. He took us off the usual route on that last day, through the tidal zone where parts of wrecked ships still protrude from the sand. Then we visited the Punta Gorda Lighthouse, where a bunch of massive elephant seals were rolling around in the dirt and fighting each other to establish dominance. Ashley Harrell As we neared the end of the trail, the wind picked up, blowing us back and demonstrating why most people hike this trail north to south. And because of the sloped beach, my right calf muscle ached and so did my friends right groin muscle. Still, we finished in good time and started dreaming about a hotel room that we hoped would have a hot tub. The plan was to get picked up by one of the shuttles Grahams business runs to return to our car, then to book a hotel in Shelter Cove. But when we got there, every room was taken. People had come from all over California to escape the fires, and even the local fishermens motel was fully booked. Sore and tired we drove the mountain roads through the dark toward home, certain that next time wed arrange to stay lost a whole lot longer. Ashley Harrell is an associate editor at SFGATE who covers Californias parks. Email: ashley.harrell@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AshleyHarrell3 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 18:58:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 23, 2020 shows the frontal exterior of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "This has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and China is firmly opposed to it," says the embassy. WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Wednesday urged the U.S. side to revoke its unjustified restriction on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel. "With the excuse of reciprocity, the U.S. imposed yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel," said the embassy in a statement. "This has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and China is firmly opposed to it," the embassy said. "It also runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the U.S. side. China has always supported and provided necessary facilitation for foreign diplomatic and consular personnel, including those from the U.S., to perform their official duties in China," it said. "We urge the U.S. side to correct its mistake, revoke this decision and provide support and facilitation for Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel in the U.S. to perform their duties as well," it added. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the State Department "has established a mechanism requiring approval for senior Chinese diplomats in the United States to visit university campuses and to meet with local government officials." "Cultural events with groups larger than 50 people hosted by the Chinese embassy and consular posts outside our mission properties will also require our approval," Pompeo said. The Uttar Pradesh government will begin five-day sero survey in the Taj city from Friday to ascertain the percentage of population with anti-bodies against Covid-19, said a top medical official. We have constituted 10 teams with four members each including a doctor, lab technician, ASHA worker and ANM. The teams will collect samples from 45 locations earmarked for the purpose, said Dr RC Pandey, chief medical officer, Agra. An expert team from Lucknow too will join the survey, he said. The survey is to be undertaken across 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh and was scheduled earlier but dates were extended twice. The districts where the survey will be conducted are Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Agra. Also read: Researchers look to make the best of PPE waste Initially, the plan was to collect 1,080 samples in three days but now with more days in hand 1,444 samples will be collected, Pandey added. The purpose of sero survey, as conducted in Delhi and other cities, is to find how much of the population has developed antibodies against the virus. This would help in planning an effective strategy to counter the spread of the deadly virus, said the CMO. The blood samples will be collected from the selected group of people and sent to King Georges Medical University (KGMU) laboratory in Lucknow to determine the presence of the antibodies through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Agra was the first district in the state to report Covid-19 in the month of March. Representatives from Thanks! Plain and Simple, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and guests honor the Rosies at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Real life Rosie, June Robbins, 94, stands next to the Rosie the Riveter poster. Representatives from Thanks! Plain and Simple, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and guests honor the Rosies at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Real life Rosie, June Robbins, 94, stands next to the Rosie the Riveter poster. Washington, D.C., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the Kingdom of the Netherlands commemorates the end of World War II and celebrates 75 years of freedom, the Dutch Embassy today recognized the contributions of the Rosies during a socially distanced ceremony in Washington, D.C. Seventy-five years ago, American women answered the call to duty during World War II to work as Rosies, so named after Rosie the Riveter. The Pentagon estimates that nearly 5 million civilian women served in the defense industry and the commercial sector during the war. The Rosies left high schools and homes to build tanks, planes, and ships so men could fight in the armed forces. Two Rosies attended the ceremony. June Robbins, 94, appeared in person and Mae Krier, 94, appeared via video. Dutch Ambassador Andre Haspels and Defense Attache Paul Herber hosted the ceremony. Robbins became a Rosie at the age of 17 while still in high school. She served the war effort by working at the Cramp Shipbuilding Company in Pennsylvania, where she helped convert a cargo ship into a transport ship. Mae Krier was also 17 when she left home in North Dakota for Seattle to work at the Boeing factory to help make B-17 and B-29 warplanes. The Netherlands owes a debt of gratitude to the Allied Forces who liberated the Dutch during World War II. Ladies like Mrs. Robbins and Mrs. Krier were instrumental in that mission, said Ambassador Haspels. While the Rosies did not wear a military uniform, their dedication on the American home front helped end the war in Europe. Thanks! Plain and Simple, a nonprofit organization headquartered in West Virginia, organized the event with the embassy. Led by Anne Montague, a daughter of a Rosie, Thanks! has developed projects that leave lasting records of Rosies as well as guide people to work together. In 2015, the embassy hosted the Rosies for a ceremony to plant a dogwood tree in their honor. The embassy has participated in events with the organization ever since. Story continues Rosies give us great insight into the strength of women and the effects of war. Yet, to most Rosies, the most important thing they did was to show that people will pull together to do highest-quality work for freedom. Thanks! has worked with Rosies to create many projects to unify people such as bell ringing ceremonies and tree plantings. The work being done by the embassy and the Dutch people to know Rosies and continue their legacy is a statement of unity that the world needs today, said Anne Montague. Todays ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque at that dogwood tree. It reads: Rosie the Riveter Tree. This pink dogwood tree honors the women known as Rosie the Riveter, whose invaluable contribution to the World War II effort helped liberate the Netherlands. This tree was planted simultaneously with one at the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek, the Netherlands, on VE Day, May 8, 2015. This plaque was revealed on September 3, 2020, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. A Ringing Tribute to Honor the Rosies also featured a speech by Dutch-American historian Dr. Hugo Keesing on the symbolism of the ringing of bells. Ms. Montague spoke on the significance of the pink dogwood tree to the Rosies, while Mrs. Robbins led the guests in a moment of silence to honor the Rosies who have passed away and rang a ceremonial bell to focus attention on the legacy of the Rosies. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands began commemorating 75 years of freedom last October when it announced a project to renovate the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia. Other events continued that focused on African American World War II liberators, and Remembrance Day and Liberation Day in the Netherlands. ### Attachment CONTACT: Carla Bundy Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 202-274-2632 cy.bundy@minbuza.nl Ron Linker Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 202-725-9743 ronald.linker@minbuza.nl Lavenia Jones was at the grocery store when she ran into her former college professor, the one who made her fall in love with Black studies her freshman year. Jones was six months pregnant, and she confided in Meredith Shockley-Smith that she was scared: She had been reading NPR stories about Black mothers dying and learned that infant mortality rates where she lived in Ohio were among the highest nationwide. "Black mothers are dying on the table, and I don't want to die," Jones, 32, says she told Shockley-Smith. It turned out to be a fateful encounter: Shockley-Smith had recently been hired by a local collaborative called Cradle Cincinnati to decrease infant mortality in the Ohio city and surrounding Hamilton County. Shockley-Smith was set to host a first meeting of Black mothers at her home, and Jones joined, becoming part of a 10-woman advisory board for the organization. In 2011, the county had the United States' second-highest infant mortality rate. Throughout the 2000s, about 125 infants died per year; 71, on average, were Black. Shockley-Smith asked the women what they thought contributed to Black infants' outlying mortality rates. "I don't feel seen or heard," both with prenatal care and in society, the women told Shockley-Smith. "I don't feel valued." Studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the Lancet to Ethnicity & Disease and elsewhere support the women's conclusions. Women who lived closest to the epicenter of a 2015 earthquake in Chile had significantly higher preterm birthrates than those who were further along in their pregnancies or lived farther from the epicenter. A study of pregnant women in California with Arabic names in the months after 9/11, as discrimination toward Arab Americans soared, showed that the women experienced increased preterm birth and low birth-weight rates. In its own analysis, Cradle Cincinnati found that the greatest risk factors in extreme preterm births - which are a big contributor to the infant mortality rate - were unexpected pregnancies, stress during pregnancy and implicit bias in prenatal care. To counteract those stressors, the advisory board began developing "sacred spaces" - meetings and events for Black women that came to be known as Queens Village. Cradle Cincinnati was working with medical providers and policymakers, but instead of government officials shaping the approach to Black women's maternal health, Queens Village was empowered to tell the government what pregnant Black women needed. "That doesn't happen for Black women in Cincinnati, probably nationally," says Shockley-Smith, the director for community strategies at Cradle Cincinnati and Queens Village. "People ask you and then they say, 'Oh, I'll take that under advisement,' and then they do whatever they wanted to do to begin with." Later in 2018, by the time Jones was recovering from her C-section and tending to her 3-week-old baby, Cradle Cincinnati was formalizing its commitment to listening to Black mothers. It had a $25 million plan to fight infant mortality and learn how racism can lead to extreme preterm birth and infant deaths. Cradle Cincinnati had been founded in 2012 to get the region's health professionals, parents and caregivers on similar footing about the causes of infant death. Back then, the community did not have a source of quality information on infant mortality, and the medical community had many theories. Cradle Cincinnati's executive director, Ryan Adcock, remembers a hospital administrator who had "made the common assumption that teen pregnancy was a big driver of infant death." It is not. By 2017, Cradle Cincinnati had initiated regional education efforts that utilized everything from radio spots to billboards and covered subjects such as infant sleep safety and spacing out pregnancies. Cradle Cincinnati trained providers in smoking cessation and hired four tobacco treatment specialists to work at prenatal sites. In subsequent years, local news carried splashy announcements of decreased infant mortality. But the improvement was not uniform. While the overall infant mortality rate countywide improved by 2017, dropping from 11.5 to 9 deaths per 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate for Black babies remained disproportionate. Black infants across the United States continue to die at more than two times the rate of White babies. "Black women were losing babies, no matter where they lived, no matter their educational attainment, no matter their economic attainment," says Shockley-Smith. Babies born to well-educated middle-class Black mothers are more likely to die in their first year than those born to poor White mothers with no high school diploma. "It's primarily a social issue," Adcock says, "but the medical space has all sorts of opportunity to impact this social issue." If a mother shows up for prenatal care and believes her provider is not listening to her because of her race, for example, that affects her pregnancy. Cradle Cincinnati tracks such bias, which means hospitals can now better understand their outcomes. In the past two years, leaders from some of the largest maternity systems in the county have been meeting with Black mothers for honest stories about how prenatal slights, racism and bias created stress in their pregnancies. Queens Village programs launched most intensively in pilot neighborhoods that previously had the highest rates of infant mortality. They hosted monthly events centered on Black women, with catering companies and spaces owned by Black women. There were mindfulness and yoga sessions, collaborative art projects, and quarterly brunches with quiche, scones, fresh fruit, and shrimp and grits. "It's really important to note," Shockley-Smith explains, "that the gathering space down to the food served are fit for a queen." More than half the improvement in preterm birth countywide came from these three pilot neighborhoods. By 2019, the county saw its lowest levels of infant mortality, with a Black infant mortality rate of 12.6 per 1,000 live births. Still, this meant 45 Black babies had died. Last summer, when social worker Chanel Stevens, 37, attended a Queens Village brunch about Black moms and breastfeeding, she says she found "a true sisterhood." "There's something valuable and powerful about walking into a room of beautiful brown faces, to make a real connection, feeling love," Stevens said. Stevens had postpartum anxiety after her now-4-year-old daughter was born, but back then, she did not have the same support. She has been part of a mom's group she loves, but she was also the only woman of color in that group. "There's a different kind of energy and language and connectivity that other Black women bring to your life," Stevens says. Of course, she's been aware of bias during her pregnancies. Between the births of her daughter and her son, she married her boyfriend, who was there for the delivery each time. During the first, Stevens said, she felt that she was treated differently by the medical staff because she was seen as "Black and unmarried." During their son's delivery, "we got treated differently. We got a little more respect," she says. It was not her first confrontation with bias during pregnancy. When Stevens was in graduate school in Cleveland, at 25, she miscarried at 20 weeks. She had gone to the hospital with bloody discharge and was monitored. She was told she may be experiencing preterm labor and was sent home. Three days later, when she was lying in bed at home, her water broke. It was too soon. "And my baby is not here now," Stevens said. The what-ifs can be torturous. Through learning more about infant mortality at Queens Village, Stevens is aware of how often Black women's voices are negated, as if they don't know their own bodies. "If I had pushed a little harder or been a little more assertive," she says, "had they kept me in the hospital to monitor me more, maybe my baby would be here today." After a pregnancy and a restructuring at work, Danielle Gentry took a severance package to spend some time with her "rainbow baby," following one previous stillbirth and a miscarriage. But after being at home for some time, she wanted something that took her out into the world. That's when she found Queens Village. Gentry sees it as a retreat. You leave "feeling more empowered," she says. Though she does feel she faced bias throughout her first pregnancy, she also knows her obstetrician, a Black woman, was fighting for her. She had the support she needed at home, too. Not every woman does. Thanks to a scholarship from Cradle Cincinnati, Gentry earned a community-health worker certification. She now gets to be a positive force for pregnant clients and attend appointments with them. Because of the coronavirus, pregnant mothers must come alone, without partners or other support. Gentry is there, though. She helps them navigate the new guidelines and tries to keep their additional stressors down. Despite a community commitment to combating the ways racism affects pregnant Black women, eliminating bias in a clinic is not easy. A hospital administrator's pledge and ongoing training does not mean the entire medical team welcomes feedback about observed bias. It is an issue Jones, who also trained to become a community health worker, understands well. She has gone to appointments, given emotional support, helped get bills paid. She has found herself answering the phone at 3 a.m. She sat with a mom for 12 hours after she lost her baby. She noticed that both Black and White nurses treated her White clients better than they treated the Black mothers. But when Jones would bring up issues of bias at team meetings, she would be ignored or made out to be a villain. "It became a thing of bullying and harassment," she said. The bias she was dealing with - after being hired to help spot and alleviate bias - became so stressful that her typically benign heart condition began acting up. Jones left that job; she now works for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. She still has a strong support system of moms within Queens Village. "They validated me," Jones said. "The Village definitely came through. I'm grateful to have them, you know?" During the pandemic, Queens Village has moved online, establishing a buddy check-in system and a Wellness Wednesday Facebook Live series. Its moms have organized pods for their school-aged kids by grade level and neighborhood. Two years ago, hospital systems in the Cincinnati area committed to determining how implicit bias affects infant mortality. This summer, George Floyd's killing in police custody boosted the movement, Shockley-Smith says, as those systems are among the thousands of institutions nationwide now forced to reckon with racism. Shockley-Smith does not see the trauma of this summer's violence as new. Black mothers were already worried about bringing their children into the world, Shockley-Smith says. "It's easy when you're in race work to be tired and to feel overwhelmed," she adds. But finally, there seems to be a widespread acknowledgment of systemic racism as a public health issue, and Shockley-Smith says she feels hopeful. There are some encouraging early results at home: So far this year, Hamilton County's infant mortality and extreme preterm rates are down once again. Jones's baby, now busy learning his colors and numbers, turned 2 years old in the spring. FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's Liberal leader pledged to create an incentive program for home renovations Thursday on the campaign trail, while the Green party released its platform, promising a $15 minimum wage and to lower the legal voting age to 16 years. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs talks with journalists after calling an election following a visit with Lt.-Gov Brenda Murphy at Government House in Fredericton on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's Liberal leader pledged to create an incentive program for home renovations Thursday on the campaign trail, while the Green party released its platform, promising a $15 minimum wage and to lower the legal voting age to 16 years. During a campaign stop in Oromocto, N.B., Kevin Vickers said the renovation program will focus on promoting energy efficiency to help homeowners reduce their monthly bills. "Many New Brunswickers have felt financial pressures and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic but need to make renovations to their homes," Vickers said. "The program will ... also spur economic activity throughout New Brunswick." Vickers said the program would cover up to 50 per cent of the expenses for renovations to a maximum of $2,500. The work must be completed by a licensed contractor. "These are things like heat pumps, windows, insulation anything that would reduce energy consumption, save money for our residents and kickstart the economy," he said, adding that the program could generate revenue for contractors and hardware stores across the province. The party leader said the total cost for the program would be about $12 million, assuming 5,000 homeowners qualified for the maximum refund. The funding would come from New Brunswick's $36-million share of federal carbon tax revenues. Vickers took aim at Tory Premier Blaine Higgs, saying the Progressive Conservatives have ignored economic issues. "Blaine Higgs wants you to think everything is back to normal," Vickers said. "But our businesses are still feeling the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic ... Our Liberal team will transform our economy to bring good jobs and good salaries to New Brunswickers in all regions." Meanwhile, Green Leader David Coon released his party's platform Thursday. "We have two priorities to keep New Brunswickers safe and secure in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to chart a path to recovery from COVID-19 that puts the well-being of people and communities at the heart of government decision-making, while protecting the natural environment," Coon said in a statement. Platform highlights include immediately increasing the minimum wage to $15 and requiring pay equity in the private sector by 2025. Coon said a Green government would adopt a not-for-profit model for all future nursing home developments, and ensure LGBTQ+ and reproductive health services including abortions are covered under Medicare. The Green platform promises to lower the legal voting age to 16 years, to preserve wetlands and flood plains, and to ban forest clear-cuts to buffer against heavy rains, flooding, and sea level rise. Coon said he would also create an electric vehicle incentive program to replace 20,000 gas-powered vehicles with electric cars by 2030. The party also promises to launch a public inquiry into New Brunswick's justice and policing systems to investigate systemic biases towards Indigenous peoples. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Earlier in the day, the People's Alliance party announced it would like to see the next government provide more support for seniors and home-care organizations. Leader Kris Austin issued a statement saying his party had pushed the Progressive Conservative government to increase the wages for personal-care assistants to more than $15 an hour, starting next month. Austin also said the party is promising to provide personal-care assistants with a rebate for their $2,000 training costs. The leaders of New Brunswick's six political parties were scheduled to take part in the first debate of the election campaign Thursday night, which will be broadcast live from Fredericton. The provincial election is Sept. 14. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. with files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax. Democratic nominee Joe Biden looked to shift the focus of the U.S. presidential race back to the coronavirus and President Donald Trumps handling of the pandemic during a Wednesday campaign event on safely reopening the countrys schools. The health crisis, in which more than 184,000 Americans have died, has been overshadowed in recent days by civil unrest in Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a white policeman shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back last week, triggering protests. Biden`s event was part of his campaign`s effort to make the November 3 election in part a referendum on the Trump administration`s response to the outbreak and came as millions of students are starting a new school year either virtually or under restrictive conditions. "If President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on in this crisis, American schools would be open. And theyd be open safely," Biden said after receiving a briefing from health experts in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden and his Republican opponent have offered dueling arguments over which candidate can keep the country safe. Each has accused the other of fostering the sometimes violent protests over racial injustice and police brutality that have rocked the nation for months after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody. Trump, who visited Kenosha on Tuesday, has sought to leverage the volatile climate surrounding the protests to his political benefit, casting himself as a "law-and-order" president holding the line against chaos. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows his approach has yet to boost his national standing. The poll released on Wednesday showed that most Americans do not see crime as a major problem confronting the nation and a majority remain sympathetic to anti-racism protests. By contrast, 78% of Americans said they remain "very" or "somewhat" concerned about the pandemic. The poll showed that 47% of registered voters support Biden compared with 40% who said they will vote for Trump. Biden plans to travel to Kenosha on Thursday, where he will hold a community meeting, his campaign said. Trump on Wednesday flew to North Carolina, a state which, like Wisconsin, is an election battleground. In remarks to supporters in Wilmington upon landing, he argued that the country was "rounding the turn" concerning the pandemic and stuck to his law-and-order theme. Speaking later to a group of veterans while commemorating the end of World War Two on Sept. 2, 1945, Trump said, "American warriors did not defeat fascism and oppression overseas, only to watch our freedoms be trampled by violent mobs here at home." While the event ostensibly was part of the president`s official business and not campaign-related, Trump used the occasion to take several shots at Biden. RELIEF FOR SCHOOLS Reopening schools amid the pandemic has been a top priority for Trump, who has argued it was necessary to boost the economy and give relief to working parents. His campaign on Wednesday criticized Biden for being overly cautious on the matter. "(Biden) always casts things as an either-or situation. Either we can open up or we can be safe," Trump spokesman Tim Murtaugh said. "The president disagrees with that. It can be both. For the economy and schools, we can both be open and be safe. At his event, Biden called on Trump to bring congressional leaders together to negotiate a new aid package to assist state and local governments, which have struggled to provide services for students amid an economic downturn due to coronavirus lockdowns. Congress has been in an impasse over another round of virus-related funding. "Get off Twitter and start talking to congressional leaders of both parties," Biden said. Earlier in the day, Biden`s team announced that his campaign and the Democratic National Committee had raised $364.5 million in August, shattering the record for the most money raised in a single month during a presidential campaign. The Trump campaign has yet to release its figures for the month. A man charged with 303 counts of possessing and transmitting child abuse material has told a court he feels unsafe in custody and wants to apply for bail. Nathan Begnell appeared distressed in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday bowing his head and putting his hands over his face when told he wouldn't be able to apply for bail until next week. Mr Begnell, 37, faces almost 300 charges of transmitting child pornography, plus other counts of possession and allegations he controlled and moderated an electronic service for child abuse material. Wearing a face mask and a black T-shirt featuring Star Wars character Yoda, Mr Begnell told magistrate Kieran Gilligan he wanted to apply for bail. "My anxiety ... I don't feel comfortable or safe wherever I am right now," he said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Labor Day Weekend -- usually a top getaway weekend -- will likely see fewer travelers this year thanks to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But that doesnt mean everyone will be staying at home. If youre one of the Staten Islanders who has decided to travel this weekend, heres a look at what you need to know. AIRPORTS During the extended Labor Day Weekend, from Thursday, Sept. 3, through Tuesday, Sept. 8, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey projects just 455,000 passengers throughout its four major airports, a staggering 81% reduction from the same six-day period last year. Passengers can expect significantly smaller crowds and shorter lines than in years past, as well as enhanced sanitization efforts to ensure a safe, healthy environment for all passengers and employees. Those traveling through Port Authority airport facilities are required to wear a mask or face covering at all times. Since late-April, the Port Authority has been restricting airport terminal access at John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports. Only ticketed passengers, airport employees and those who can demonstrate a need to enter the facility for airport-related business are currently permitted to enter the terminals. Port Authority police are monitoring access to the terminals and may ask prospective entrants to provide evidence of their reason for entry. Passengers may be asked to show a ticket, boarding pass, flight reservation or some comparable confirmation that they are taking a departing flight from that airport. BRIDGES AND TUNNELS For those driving in and out of the city, construction-related lane closures will be suspended on area crossings to alleviate any potential traffic that weve seen in years past. The Port Authority has announced that all construction requiring lane closures, including overnight lane closures, on the agencys six crossings -- the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing, George Washington Bridge, Holland Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel -- will be suspended from Friday morning, Sept. 4, through Tuesday morning, Sept. 8. MTA Bridges and Tunnels -- responsible for two city tunnels and seven city bridges, including the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge -- has announced that all daytime lane closures will be suspended from Thursday afternoon, Sept. 3, through Tuesday morning, Sept. 8. However, overnight closures will continue throughout the weekend on MTA crossings. MASS TRANSIT If youre not planning to leave the city, mass transit will be available, but will be running on a reduced Sunday or holiday schedule on Labor Day. New York City subways, New York City buses, Metro-North Railroad and the Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule on Monday, Sept. 7. As a reminder, some subway and bus lines do not run on weekends, and customers are advised to allow additional travel time due to weekend work. The Staten Island Ferry will operate on a holiday schedule on Labor Day. Service will be provided every 30 minutes throughout the day. The regular schedule resumes at midnight. The Staten Island Ferry schedule is available on the DOT website. Other information about the Staten Island Ferry is available via nyc.gov/siferry. VANCOUVER / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM)(NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") welcomes Mike Westerlund, a seasoned Investor Relations executive with more than 20 years' experience in the North American mining and metals industry, to its senior management team as Vice President, Investor Relations. Most recently, Mr. Westerlund served as Vice President, Investor Relations for Hecla Mining Company, a US$3 billion NYSE-listed precious metals mining company with five operating mines in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, where he directed the Investor Relations department for the past eight years. Previously, Mr. Westerlund worked with a series of mineral exploration and mining firms with development-stage and operating assets throughout North America, in both precious and base metals. "We are very pleased to have an Investor Relations executive of Mike's caliber and experience join our team," said Ron Thiessen, Northern Dynasty President and CEO. "His experience working with investors of all sizes and levels of sophistication, coupled with a deep knowledge of the North American and global mining and metals sector, are a great fit for Northern Dynasty as we complete the federal permitting process for Pebble, and initiate the next stage of detailed engineering design, final permitting and project construction." With a favourable Final Environmental Impact Statement received July 2020, and a federal Record of Decision expected this fall, the Pebble Project stands at the threshold of the next stage of its development. Once Pebble's key federal permits are in place (a critical milestone and de-risking event expected within weeks), Thiessen said Northern Dynasty has the potential to appeal to an entirely new class of growth and value-focused investors. "I'm extremely excited to bring my experience and passion for the transformative power of responsible mineral development to help a whole new class of investors understand the tremendous value and growth potential that an investment in Northern Dynasty represents," Westerlund said. "Pebble is a unique and special project that has the potential to materially reward shareholders and project stakeholders alike, especially Alaskans and, for that matter, all Americans." "It's a very exciting time to join the Northern Dynasty and Pebble Partnership teams." About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership ("PLP"), is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. PLP is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources. For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114. Review Canadian public filings at www.sedar.com and US public filings at www.sec.gov. Ronald W. Thiessen President & CEO Forward-Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding (i) the mine plan for the Pebble Project, (ii) the social integration of the Pebble Project into the Bristol Bay region and benefits for Alaska, (iii) the political and public support for the permitting process, (iv) the issuance of a positive Record of Decision by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the ability of the Pebble Project to secure state permits, (v) the right-sizing and de-risking of the Pebble Project, (vi) the design and operating parameters for the Pebble Project mine plan, (vii) exploration potential of the Pebble Project, (viii) future demand for copper and gold, (ix) the potential partnering of the Pebble Project, and (x) the ability and timetable of NDM to develop the Pebble Project and become a leading copper, gold and molybdenum producer. Although NDM believes the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way be construed as guarantees that the Pebble Project will secure all required government permits, establish the commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project or develop the Pebble Project. Assumptions used by NDM to develop forward-looking statements include the assumptions that (i) the Pebble Project will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses without undue delay, (ii) studies for the development of the Pebble Project will be positive, (iii) NDM's estimates of mineral resources will not change, (iv) NDM will be able to establish the commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project, and (v) NDM will be able to secure the financing required to develop the Pebble Project. The likelihood of future mining at the Pebble Project is subject to a large number of risks and will require achievement of a number of technical, economic and legal objectives, including (i) obtaining necessary mining and construction permits, licenses and approvals without undue delay, including without delay due to third party opposition or changes in government policies, (ii) finalization of the mine plan for the Pebble Project, (iii) the completion of feasibility studies demonstrating that any Pebble Project mineral resources that can be economically mined, (iv) completion of all necessary engineering for mining and processing facilities, (v) the inability of NMD to secure a partner for the development of the Pebble Project, and (vi) receipt by NDM of significant additional financing to fund these objectives as well as funding mine construction, which financing may not be available to NDM on acceptable terms or on any terms at all. NDM is also subject to the specific risks inherent in the mining business as well as general economic and business conditions, such as the current uncertainties with regard to COVID-19. The National Environment Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement process requires a comprehensive "alternatives assessment" be undertaken to consider a broad range of development alternatives, the final project design and operating parameters for the Pebble Project and associated infrastructure may vary significantly from that contemplated in this presentation. As a result, the Company will continue to consider various development options and no final project design has been selected at this time. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604613/Northern-Dynasty-Leadership-Team-Expands-with-Appointment-of-Senior-Mining-Industry-Executive-Mike-Westerlund-to-The-Post-of-Vice-President-Investor-Relations THE president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has called on Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar to fight to maintain the EU trade portfolio. Tim Cullinan made the call after a report that the Tanaiste had told Fine Gael he would not be surprised if Ireland lost the prestigious EU Trade Commission role, resigned by Phil Hogan last week. They have to go back to continue with that fight to try to hold on to that portfolio, Mr Cullinan told Pat Kenny on Newstalk. Read More Look at where we are as a nation we are trying to come through a larger recession than we had in 2008. Agriculture is one of the industries that continued to operate throughout that period. Everything that can be done by this government to protect our industry has to be done. Mr Cullinan added: The trade portfolio is the one we need considering we are a small island on the periphery of the EU. If the Brexit deal goes wrong, it's absolutely essential 90pc of what we produce in Ireland has to be exported out of this country. Mr Cullinan also stated he was pleased with the decision to place Fianna Fails Charlie McConalogue in the position of Minister for Agriculture. The Donegal deputy had, Mr Cullinan stated, an understanding of farmers as hed come from a farming background himself. But it was time for the agriculture ministerial portfolio to be made a stable one after Deputy McConalogue became the third to take the position since June. We need a continuation of the same minister to protect the farmers income going forward, Mr Cullinan said. Michel Barnier is concerned where we are with Brexit. We could end up with a no deal at the end of the year, which could be devastating for farmers. We need a minister out there fighting... A substantial (EU) budget would have to be directed to irish farmers. I have worked for Charlie for a number of years He comes from a farming background. He understands the problem of farmers on the ground, which is a good start for a minister. Its a difficult portfolio - there's a lot of work that hasnt been dealt with. We need a very strong voice round the cabinet table to defend farms within this government. Automated straddle carriers at the container terminal in Wilhelmshaven efficient and secure. Credit: EUROGATE Ports are critical infrastructures since disruptions and stoppages can have immense impacts. The potential security risks are multifarious, especially in digitalized container terminal operations, which are steadily gaining importance through Industrie 4.0. A new method and tool set developed by research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and its industry partners enables preventive defense against attacks on automated cyber-physical systems and helps increase security along the entire supply chain, including the IT systems landscape. At the same time, automation projects can be planned and implemented efficiently. A well-developed port infrastructure is essential to the performance of a seaport's opera-tions. With few exceptions, people still transport the containers at port terminals all over the world from point A to point B with vehicles. The Fraunhofer IFF's project partners EUROGATE, TRANSPORTWERK Magdeburger Hafen GmbH and METOP GmbH want to automate this process. Transporters' movements between ships, trucks and trains during loading and unloading will be automated in the future. This will turn them into cyber-physical systems that respond to their environment with the aid of sensors, track their location at terminals with actuators, and process given transportation orders automatically. Cyber-physical systems, which could even be forklifts or cranes, are highly complex software systems that interact with mechanical and electronic components. This exposes them to a wide range of risks, such as hacker attacks or physical tampering. Moreover, their complexity makes them susceptible to systems' intrinsic malfunctions that compromise stability. "Simply a software update on one of the vehicles can result in version conflicts and stoppages. Cyberattacks and hacker attacks are also becoming a growing threat to port operators in Germany," says Tobias Kutzler, research scientist at the Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg. In close collaboration with the project partners, he is establishing actions that increase the security of cyber-physical systems and the IT infrastructure with his team and project partner METOP GmbH in the joint AUTOSEC project (see box). They will implement them at the port terminals run by consortium coordinator EUROGATE first. They will also assess whether they can be transferred to and implemented at Magdeburg's inland port, which has significantly fewer IT resources. Digital twins increase critical infrastructures' security and resilience Automated solutions will also be introduced at the Port of Magdeburg in the future. Credit: Fraunhofer IFF Newly discovered errors or specific attacks can never be completely eliminated or prevented from the start (stability approach). The research scientists' goal is to find an approach that permits quick, automatic detection of errors or problems and increases resilience (resilience approach). The goal must be to shut down not an entire system but only malfunctioning subcomponents and additionally to make it possible to restart the complete system rapidly by enabling rapid troubleshooting and debugging. This approach can be applied to a wide array of logistical operations. "Using simulations, we build a digital twin of the port and constantly compare the real port infrastructure's operations with the digital twin. If the two do not perform identically, there is a problem," says Kutzler, explaining the idea. Three-stage plan: identify, localize, rectify The comparison is made using a specially developed method and tool set based on a three-stage plan: identify, localize, rectify. First, the software detects malfunctions by comparing monitored performance parameters or key indicators. "We detect a disruption when containers are no longer moving at the specified speed, for instance," says the engineer. In the next step, the software localizes the malfunction in the system and identifies the type of problem. Here, the software uses data mining methods to compare the parameters monitored for their progression over time with other context data to identify correlations and pinpoint the malfunction. Then it attempts to localize the cause of the malfunction in order to decide whether the entire system or just part of it (e.g. a vehicle) has to be shut down. "Since there are still no standards for the automation of container terminal operations and the monitoring of cyber-physical systems, we are basically starting from scratch," says Kutzler. "The digital twin additionally enables testing a system's startup with all 'real' IT components and simulated hardware in the simulation, going live only when it functions flawlessly. What's more, we can also use the same method to test it in real operation against the digital twin. This enables us to identify and narrow malfunctions down rapidly and shut off the affected system." The project partners are evaluating the prototype solution in initial tests at Wilhelmshaven's port terminal and Magdeburg's inland port from July through the end of September. The location, direction of travel and speed of already automated straddle carriers being developed and tested on a test site in EUROGATE'S STRADEGY project will be observed in Wilhelmshaven first. Straddle carriers are very complex vehicles that move and stack containers at terminals. "A successful hacker attack on or other tampering with the logistics system would harm more than just our partner EUROGATE. It would also affect traffic in the respective port city since the trucks being processed would back up for kilometers," says the research scientist. The urgency of the AUTOSEC project was underscored by the hacker attack on the Danish company Maersk, which ships around twenty percent of total global trade in its shipping containers, in 2017. The damage totaled several hundred million dollars. Explore further SRNL radiation detection systems operating at ports of Tacoma and NY/NJ ATLANTA, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) will host a conference call at 4:30 pm ET on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 in which Mark Begor, Chief Executive Officer, and John Gamble, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss market and business revenue trends. Related presentation materials will be published on investor.equifax.com under Events and Presentations on September 8th in advance of the call. A recording of this call will also be made available on investor.equifax.com the following day. Conference Call: US/Canada: +1 (786) 789-4797 Toll-Free: (888) 256-1007 Confirmation Code: 9339791 Please dial the appropriate number 5-10 minutes prior to the start of the call to complete registration. Name and affiliation / company are required to join the call. Have the Conference Call You: With Click to Join, there's no need to dial-in. Simply click the link above and enter your information to be connected. The link becomes active 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. 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 For more information [email protected] SOURCE Equifax Inc. Related Links http://www.equifax.com The first section of the book deals with India extending support to Sri Lanka in 1971. India sent five frigates to seal off the approach to the Colombo harbour. Also military equipment was provided ---- 5000 troops, six helicopters and 250 India troops to guard the Katunayake airport. Review of the Book of Prof. V. Suryanarayan and Dr. Ashik Bonofer By P.S. Ramachandran The authors of the book under review are acknowledged authorities on Sri Lanka. Dr.V. Suryanarayan worked for over two decades with the Centre for South and South East Asian Studieswhich he established. He was Visiting Professor in several Universities in USA, Sri Lanka and India. Winner of many international awards. He was part of an International Team that monitored the Presidential election in 1999.He is the author of seven scholarly books. On Sri Lanka Suryanarayan has few peers with his formidable knowledge and closeness with the main actors. His co-author Dr.Ashik Bonofer is an authority and teaches International Relations in Madras Christian College. He has undertaken immense research on Sri Lanka. Among the outstanding books of this year is Jairam Rameshs Intertwined LivesP.N.Haksar and Indira Gandhi. Haksar was an eminent scholar, able diplomat and administrator par excellence .He was a leading strategic thinker of his age. The authors of the book under review have used Jairam Rameshs book as the peg to hang their thesis. Haksars views on Sri Lanka were largely influenced by the thinking of a great diplomat Thomas Abraham who was our Ambassador to Sri Lanka. This book is a clear and cogent delineation of Indias Sri Lanka policy and the evolution of polity and politics. Sri Lankas treatment of the Indian Tamil minority is accurately covered and the trauma and travails they have undergone captured effectively. The response and reaction of New Delhi to these developments are depicted clearly. Haksars responses are adequately highlighted. Shri.M.Ganapathi.former Secretary,Ministry of External Affairs, in his brief Foreword has written, Haksars influence in the shaping of Indias policy vis-a-vis Sri Lanka was minimal.Jairam Ramesh also confirmed this at the book launch. There is a meaningful exchange of letters Haksar had with Thomas Abraham who was Indian Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Abraham, a great diplomat, had the interests of the safety, security and well being of the Tamils at heart and this rubbed on equally on Haksar. Haksar was largely influenced by Thomas Abraham . Abraham put an end to two odious India-Sri Lanka Agreements of 1969 and 1974 as they were contrary to Indias policy towards Indian overseas. The Agreements were terminated on October 31,1981. Prof.Suryanarayans contacts with the main dramatis personae helps in clearer understanding of how Indias Sri Lanka policy was shaped, resulting in the India-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987 and its consequences. The first section of the book deals with India extending support to Sri Lanka in 1971. India sent five frigates to seal off the approach to the Colombo harbour. Also military equipment was provided ---- 5000 troops, six helicopters and 250 India troops to guard the Katunayake airport. The next section deals with Haksars visit to Sri Lanka. Buddhist monks played a commanding and negative role in the country. One of the monks assassinated Prime Minister Bandaranaike. Sinhalese goons destroyed 200 temples. An important quote in the book is from Prof.Dharmadasa-- If we talk about the culture of Sri Lanka in its entirety....it is rooted in the Indian tradition... the deep structure of Sri Lankan culture is Indian. One section is dedicated to the ethnic conflicts plaguing the island-state. Riots were engineered and encouraged by President Jayawardene deliberately attempting to destroy the economic foundations of the Tamils in the Capital city. Indira Gandhi appointed Shri.G.Parthasarathy as a Special Envoy to Sri Lanka. New Delhi decided to provide military training to Tamil militants and supply them with arms and ammunition enabling them to defend themselves. Contingency plans were drawn up to meet any emergency. However, a firm decision was taken that under no circumstances would India intervene in the internal conflict of Sri Lanka. One section is devoted to the important role of RAW--(Research and Analysis Wing) in Sri Lankan affairs from 1983. RAW got in touch with TELO/EPRL and EROS.The LTTE is rightly described as a Frankensteins monster. The assassination of Indira Gandhi was a major setback for the on-going Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka. With the arrival of Rajiv Gandhi the scene changed and G Parthasarathy was replaced by Romesh Bhandari. Government of India did not take part in the talks held in Thimpu but senior officials were present to provide clarification and other good offices. The Thimpu talks generated more heat than light. One section discusses the role of Sri Lankan Tamils.On many issues,the Federal Party and the TULF had taken positions that harmed Indian interests. Influential Tamils supported the Government. They did not show an iota of sympathy to the suffering fishermen. The authors analyse the India Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 which was diametrically opposed to what G.Parthasarathy stood for. It did not have a Sinhalese consensus. There were sharp differences within the Sri Lankan government. The IPKF was a serious misadventure.The IPKF was fighting an unseen enemy amid an unsympathetic population. They returned from Sri Lanka without fulfilling the objective which the Rajiv Gandhi Government specified. When the soldiers returned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi refused to receive them on the plea that IPKF had killed innocent Tamils. Indias passive role in Sri Lanka after its bitter experience in active phase of the Accord and the LTTEs assassination of Rajiv Gandhi resulted in making Tamil militants persona non grata in India. This led to Indias passive support to the elimination of LTTE in the Eelam war 2009.Sans doubt the Accord was conceived in haste, drafted badly and executed poorly. An important point brought out by the writers is the need for the involvement of the Indian States in the formulation of foreign policy concerning relations with neighbouring countries. Framers of the countrys neighbourhood policy will have to bear in mind the imperative need to bring about harmony and trust between the Centre and contiguous border States. Indias relations with several of its neighbours will have an immediate impact on these States. Contending that on several occasions, interests and sensibilities of the States were not taken into consideration, the book gives two illustrations bilateral treaties of 1964 and 1974 signed with Sri Lanka to settle the issue of 9.75 lakh stateless persons of Indian origin living in that country and an accord in 1974 on the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Indias Sri Lanka policy was based on few assumptions, the prominent of which was that India was determined not to permit a military solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. Recalling how former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, as External Affairs Minister during the United Front government in 1996-97, got involved in West Bengal through Bangladesh in the successful finalisation of the Ganga Water Treaty of 1996, the book contrasts this episode with Tamil Nadu where competitive politics, according to it, vitiated the political atmosphere surrounding India-Sri Lanka ties. The book is compulsory reading for all students of South Asian politics and scholars dedicated to Indian Sri Lankan affairs. The Author is a Retired Bank Official who reviews books on Politics and international Developments A video has emerged of a scuffle between hikers queuing to reach the summit of Wales' highest mountain. The footage shows two men appearing to clash at the top of Snowdon, which stands 1,085 metres above sea level. One man wearing an orange hi-vis jacket is seen climbing to the summit, appearing skip past a queue of people waiting to take their photographs. As he does, other hikers can be heard chanting 'join the queue, join the queue.' One man wearing an orange hi-vis jacket is seen climbing to the summit, appearing skip past a queue of people waiting to take their photographs (left). As the man reaches the concrete trig point, he appears to clash with another hiker, who appears to block his way to the top (right) After the tussle, in which the man in the orange vest loses his footing, he reaches the top and they begin to talk But as the man reaches the concrete trig point, he appears to clash with another hiker, who appears to block his way to the top. The pair then grappled with each other, with the man in orange losing his footing at one point. The man then reaches the top as the pair begin to talk. The video, posted on social media over the Bank Holiday, has sparked a comical reaction from social media users. One said: 'Brilliant. What could be more British than fighting about queuing 1km up on August Bank Holiday weekend?' Another said: 'Unbelievable seeing queues to the Snowdon summit! 'The few times I've been up there I've just basically walked straight to the summit. 'The level of tourism here is huge now - that's why I stay home during peak seasons!' Another said, it's been coming for a few years now, but Snowdon really has become the Wetherspoons of the hiking world...' On Twitter user, who posted a picture on the same day as the scuffle, compared the queues at the summit to those 'in Asda'. Another added: 'So people were fighting at Snowdon summit because someone decided they wouldn't queue...' Around 360,000 walkers are said to to climb to the summit of Snowdon every year. On a clear day at the summit of the mountain, in Snowdononia National Park, north Walkes, hikers can enjoy expansive views of Britain. It takes around six to eight hours to get to the summit and back. There are six recommended paths, with the nine mile Llanberis Path the most popular among those wanting to reach the summit for the first time. Though the path is the longest route, it provides a gradual climb up to the summit. Fewer people at Thanksgiving tables is going to mean many households are looking to buy smaller turkeys. And because no one can just press a button and make smaller turkeys, the supply chain is reworking its approach. Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer has clarified exemptions to the order prohibiting travel north of the 53rd parallel especially where it pertains to the town of Churchill. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer has clarified exemptions to the order prohibiting travel north of the 53rd parallel especially where it pertains to the town of Churchill. Dr. Brent Roussin said an exemption to the travel restrictions applies to: people living in the region, or permanently moving to the region; employees of the federal or provincial governments or Crown corporations; health-care workers and Child and Family Services employees; teachers, professors or students traveling for the purposes of education; people who own, operate or work for a business who are traveling to deliver goods or operate the business. Travel is also allowed for judicial proceedings and parenting arrangements. People can travel to cottages or provincial parks, as well as hunting and fishing lodges, but must limit their use of local services. "People can also travel to Churchill if they have no symptoms of COVID-19 and limit the use of local services while they are traveling there. They must travel there as directly as possible. This means they can fly directly to Churchill, or drive or fly to another northern city and then be transported to Churchill," Roussin said Thursday. The clarification allows for travellers and tourists to take the train to Churchill (some 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg), which was left in question earlier this week, when Roussin had said only direct means of transport would be included in the Churchill travel exemption. Churchill Mayor Mike Spence said in a statement, even with the clarifications made Thursday, he and other northern Manitoba leaders still have many unanswered questions. "The top priority remains the safety of our community. Northern communities are particularly vulnerable, and it is important that governments and health officials recognize this. Information is key right now, so that informed decisions can be made, and risks mitigated," Spence said. Meanwhile, tourism companies in Churchill are gearing up for the six-week period known as "bear season," where the polar bears move from the tundra landscape out onto Hudson Bay as it freezes. The period in October and November is typically peak tourist season for the industry, that was valued by Travel Manitoba at $41.7 million. The clarification from public health officials was welcomed by John Gunter, owner of Frontiers North, one of the largest tourism companies operating in Churchill. Many of the company's prospective guests this fall were relying on train travel. Gunter said even with the exemption applying to train-in tourists, he suspects the economic prospects this year will be bleak, due to the absence of international travellers amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. "I felt this way at the beginning of summer, I feel this way now: that summer was our opportunity this year," Gunter said, explaining with the focus on Manitoban and Canadian tourists, it was the period (wrapping up last month) he believed people would be booking trips to the North. Hes not as confident, even with the travel restriction exemption, people will be coming in the same numbers this fall. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I dont have a crystal ball, I stand to be proven wrong," Gunter said. "But nobodys going to be making money this year. Were all going to be trying to lose the least amount of money as possible." Gunter said the responsibility of being one of the companies that could benefit from such an exemption weighs heavy, but so too does responsibility to his employees who count on their jobs being there each fall. "The last thing that any of us want is to introduce people into the community of Churchill with COVID," he said. While the original public health announcement stated the restrictions would come into effect Sept. 3, Roussin said it had been delayed until Sept. 4. sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca Rescue workers on Friday resumed the hunt for a possible survivor buried under rubble in Beirut, one month on from the massive explosion that destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital. Specialist equipment has detected what could be the slow pulse of someone alive underneath a destroyed home in the Gemmayze area on Thursday afternoon. Picking delicately through the mounds of unstable rubble, rescue teams restarted work in the small hours of Friday morning to try to find what the gathered crowds hope is an unlikely survivor. A volunteer Chilean team, who first discovered the potential signs of life, once again deployed their sensors to try and pinpoint the exact location of the apparent heartbeat, periodically urging all onlookers to switch off their phones and keep quiet. Volunteers helping the rescue effort told The Independent the latest test had shown that the pulse" detected had slowed to two to three beats per minute as the teams were still digging through the last 30 cm of rubble to get to where they believe a survivor or a body may be. They continued to lift heavy objects via a crane from the roof of the collapsed structure and used a machine to remove dust to improve visibility. Speaking to The Independent at the scene, Michel el-Murr, the head of the Lebanese fire departments search and rescue crew, said despite being so close, the precariousness of the building meant they could still be some time away from finding anything. The building is still very unstable, and we dont want to lose any more men than we already have, he said. We have managed to remove the larger parts of the building that had collapsed on this area, but the teams are working very slowly moving piece by piece. He said it was unlikely that anyone would have been able to survive a whole month trapped under the fallen masonry in the searing heat of summer. But as always, even if we have a 0.001 per cent chance we will keep looking, he added. Qassem Khatar from the Lebanese civil defense told The Independent the heart beat was coming from what they believe to be a body that is trapped under another body in the centre of the collapsed building. A sniffer dog belonging to the Chilean volunteer team is credited with first detecting something in the area. Thermal imaging then seemed to pick up two bodies, one slightly smaller and curled up, the latter of which was thought to be showing signs of life. Speaking on Thursday, Edward Bitar of charity Live Love Beirut said: We do believe there is a small person inside, that might be a child that is curled up. We are just making sure what is there and taking all the steps to find out. Its on the first floor, but the second and third floors have collapsed on top. We are doing everything possible, its not easy we have the problem of public safety. At any second the building could collapse. So, we need to work with a small team without heavy equipment. Rescue efforts were briefly paused overnight when the army declared the building to be too structurally unsound - and said they would have to restart in the morning as they lacked a crane. Furious at the delay, volunteers from local charity Base Camp, which has been managing much of the clean up of Beirut, ended up sourcing and paying for the crane in the middle of the night. We are a people without a government - it is us and other associations who are taking over the work of the government at the moment, said Melissa, one of the volunteers involved in getting the crane. Its unbelievable what happened last night - citizens paid for the other citizens to be rescued, she said. Time is the biggest thing against us right now, she added. The 4 August blast, which killed 191 people and injured over 6,500 others in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, is thought to have been caused by thousands of tonnes of poorly-stored ammonium nitrate catching fire at Beiruts city-centre port. It damaged tens of thousands of homes and caused billions of dollars worth of damage, with windows shattering up to 18 miles from the epicentre. Protests erupted after it emerged that the authorities, including port officials, the security forces, the president and the prime minister had been warned about the dangerous stockpile of explosive materials at the port but apparently did nothing about it. The entire cabinet resigned over the disaster, and over its mishandling of an unprecedented financial crisis that the country is also limping through. Rescue workers dig through the rubble of a badly damaged building in Lebanon's capital Beirut, in search of possible survivors from a mega-blast (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via GETTY) Also on Thursday, further concerns were raised when the Lebanese military announced it had discovered an additional stockpile of ammonium nitrate at the entrance of the port. Army experts said 4.35 tonnes of the dangerous chemical was kept in four containers, giving no further details. It said army experts were dealing with the material. French and Italian chemical experts working to help with the search and rescue operations identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals at the port. French experts, as well as the FBI, have taken part in the investigation into the blast, at the request of the Lebanese authorities. This week the little-known diplomat Mustapha Adib was chosen by the country's main political parties as the new prime minister. He has vowed major reforms and to form a new cabinet within two weeks. French President Emmanuel Macron, the only world leader to visit the neighbourhoods damaged by the blast, has said the delivery of foreign aid to Lebanon is contingent on major changes to the country's political and financial systems. Betty Jean Taylor, 95, passed away at Mission at Castle Rock on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. She died following a lengthy illness. Betty was a lifelong resident of Green River, Wyoming. She was born on March 5, 1925 in Green River, Wyoming, the daughter of Willard Ashley Dow and Rhonda Matilda Williams. Mrs. Taylor attended schools in Green River, Wyoming and was a 1943 graduate of the Green River High School. She married Donald Lee Taylor in Biloxi, Mississippi on March 7, 1944. He preceded her in death on January 20, 2012. Mrs. Taylor was employed as an accountant by Stauffer Chemical whe... After declaring 600 acres in Mumbais Aarey Colony as a reserved forest on Wednesday, the state government has still not made its stance clear on the proposed Metro Bhavan on 2.03 hectares of Aarey and is yet to take a decision on shifting the proposed Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) car shed from Aarey. Environment activists, while welcoming the decision, reiterated that the Metro Bhavan and car shed must not be a part of Aarey. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is looking at constructing a ground-plus-27 floor Metro Bhavan, a command and control centre on 2.03 hectares in Aarey. The state had invited suggestions and objections, on the change in land-use from no-development zone to Metro Bhavan and Metro Rail allied users, in August 2019. Following which, it had received 2,563 objections on the notification. AB Patil, deputy director, town planning said, We had conducted the hearings online recently. The report will soon be sent to the state government. On Wednesday, the state used sections under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, to notify 600 acres near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as a reserve forest. Milind Mhaiskar, principal secretary, revenue and forests said, The 600 acres has been drawn in such a way that it does not include the planned infrastructure projects or any other structures. The adivasis who need to be rehabilitated will be compensated accordingly. As per estimates, there are close to 2,000 tribal families in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and around 25,000 families in Aarey. For Metro-3, the state is said to be looking at options in Pahadi Goregaon but there has been no decision on it yet. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray stalled the car-shed project in November 2019. Stalin D, director, NGO Vanashakti, said, It is a welcome decision as Aarey was not recognised as a forest in the past seven years. With regards to Metro Bhavan, it is a building which can be constructed in any part of the city. They do not need to enter Aarey. Zoru Bhathena, another environment activist from the Aarey Conservation group, said, If the state is positively looking at shifting Metro-3 car shed from Aarey, it does not make sense to build a Metro Bhavan in Aarey. We will continue to fight to protect every parcel in Aarey. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio Improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle: Warrensville Center Road At 2:35 a.m. Aug. 29, police were called to the area of Warrensville Center and Conover roads on a report of gunshots fired. While on the scene, an officer saw an SUV speed away. Suspecting that the vehicle may have been involved, police followed and stopped the SUV in South Euclid, at Warrensville Center and Mayfield roads. Inside the SUV, police found a loaded gun, narcotics, more than $7,000 cash, drug paraphernalia, a half-dozen cell phones, food stamp cards, identification cards and banking paperwork, all of which were taken as evidence. The SUVs driver was a North Carolina woman, 25. Also in the vehicle was a Euclid man, 24, who is on parole. Both were arrested. Police charged the man with drug trafficking, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, possessing a weapon under disability, possession of criminal tools and possession of marijuana. The woman was charged with illegal use of food stamps or WIC program benefits, drug trafficking, possession of marijuana, possession of criminal tools, driving with a suspended license and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Both suspects were taken to the Solon jail. Assault: Cedar Road At 12:25 p.m. Aug. 24, officers were called to a residence on a report of an assault involving two tenants -- a woman, 66, and a man, 63. The man, when asked by police about the alleged assault, became irate and belligerent. The man called 911 because he was unhappy with the police response he was receiving and refused to obey police commands to hang up the phone. Police arrested the man on charges of assault and misuse of 911. OVI: South Green Road At 12:25 a.m. Aug. 25, an officer attempted to stop a car after the driver had been seen committing traffic violations. The driver, a Cleveland man, 39, didnt immediately stop his car and led police on a short pursuit. The man, it was found, was impaired and was in possession of the drug PCP. The drug was seized and the man was arrested on a charge of OVI. Grand theft: Warrensville Center Road At 6:45 p.m. Aug. 25, security at Macys, 2201 Warrensville Center Road, reported that an older man had stolen clothing and luggage worth a total value of $1,180. When security approached the man, he walked away. Police checked the area, but could not locate the suspect, who made off with the merchandise. Disorderly conduct: South Green Road At 9:50 p.m. Aug. 25, police were dispatched to the BP gas station at 2159 S. Green Road on a report of a man arguing with a clerk. The customer, a Cleveland Heights man, 41, was found to be intoxicated. Police charged the man with disorderly conduct-intoxication. Disturbing the peace: Warrensville Center Road At 11:20 p.m. Aug. 25, police were dispatched to a home on a complaint of a loud gathering. Police found several people at the residence speaking loudly. All of those present were John Carroll University students. Cited for disturbing the peace were an Amherst, N.Y., woman, 21; a Lancaster, N.Y., woman, 20; a Madison, Ohio, woman, 20; a Penfield, N.Y., woman, 21; and an East Amherst, N.Y., woman, 21. Theft from auto: East Carroll Boulevard At 7:55 a.m. Aug. 27, a woman, 31, reported that a laptop computer valued at $500 had been stolen from her unlocked car. The car had been parked overnight in the womans driveway. Theft: Warrensville Center Road At 6:55 a.m. Aug. 28, a woman reported that a Black Lives Matter sign and a Joe Biden for President sign had been stolen from her yard. The theft was captured on a doorbell camera. The detective bureau is following up on the matter. Disorderly conduct: Warrensville Center Road At 12:50 p.m. Aug. 28, police were called to McDonalds, 2224 Warrensville Center Road, for a disturbance involving two former employees. One of the suspects used mace on the other. Both parties -- a Cleveland woman, 36, and a Maple Heights woman, 46 -- were cited for disorderly conduct. Warrant arrest: Cedar Road At 4:35 p.m. Aug. 28, officers were called to the University Heights Library, 13866 Cedar Road, on a report of a man making threats to employees. Police found the man in the University Square parking garage and learned that he was wanted on multiple warrants. Police arrested the man, 34, of Cleveland, and turned him over to Cuyahoga County authorities. Grand theft: Loyola Road At 6:35 a.m. Aug. 29, it was learned that someone had stolen a 2007 Nissan Altima from a 53-year-old womans garage. The car was found abandoned on a street in South Euclid before the woman was aware that the vehicle had been stolen. The car was returned to the woman. Stolen firearm: Jackson Boulevard At 6:15 p.m. Aug. 29, a woman, 43, reported that her handgun had been stolen from inside her car sometime between Aug. 25 and 29. The gun is valued at $229. Disorderly conduct: Lansdale Road At 11:55 p.m. Aug. 29, a resident reported two men lying in her front yard. Police arrived to find one man on the lawn; the other man fled the scene. The Garrettsville man, 18, who had stayed behind was cited for disorderly conduct-intoxication and was taken to the hospital. Domestic violence: Cedar Road At 10:30 p.m. Aug. 29, police were called to Applebees restaurant, 14020 Cedar Road, where a woman, 19, of Garfield Heights, reported that she had been assaulted and had her cell phone and keys stolen by her former girlfriend, 16, of Cleveland. The detective bureau is investigating. Read more from the Sun Press.

Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi was accused of "breaching a code of conduct for courtiers and was disloyal to the king," according to a statement from the palace at the time.

In July last year, Major General Wongvajirabhakdi - who is said to be the Thai king's mistress - had become the first person to be named as a royal noble consort in almost a century.

Her titles were stripped just three months later, but an official statement dated 28 August 2020 says it should now be considered that they were never removed.

The statement said: "As Miss Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi is guiltless of any fault, therefore there is a royal command appointing Miss Sineenatra Wongvajirabhakdi to remain the rank of nobility Chao Khun Phra Sineenatra Bilasakalayani and His Majesty private military officer's position and rank, and to receive all royal decorations given."

It continues that she is now "considered as never having been stripped of the rank of nobility and His Majesty private military officer's position and rank, and all royal decorations before".

King Maha Vajiralongkorn married his fourth wife, Queen Suthida, two months before the original appointment.

Sineenatra was accused of wanting to be queen herself, and was dubbed "ambitious" in trying to obtain royal titles and "self-promoting" in her royal activities - with photos released of her handling a gun and in the cockpit of an army jet.

"She lacks the understanding of the good traditions of the royal court. She displays disobedience against the king and the queen," the palace said at the time.

Thailand enforces lese majeste - a law which makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten the monarchy, with punishment of three to 15 years in prison.

Born in 1985, Sineenatra is from northern Thailand and worked as a nurse before entering a relationship with the then crown prince Vajiralongkorn.

She trained as a pilot in Thailand and abroad, served in the king's royal bodyguard unit, and in 2019 was awarded the rank of major general.

Demonstrators confront police officers during a rally to protest President Donald Trump's acceptance of the Republican National Convention nomination at Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington on Aug. 27, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images) Black Lives Matter Protester Arrested in Washington Was Also at Riots in Portland and Kenosha A Black Lives Matter protester arrested during riots in Washington over the weekend had also attended riots in Kenosha and Portland, police said Monday, as the Justice Department announced it would be probing whether organizations are paying individuals to move across the country. Seattle-based Jeremy Vajko, 27, was arrested on Saturday night amid clashes between law enforcement officers and rioters. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, he drove recklessly near the Hay-Adams Hotel and drove into a crowd of over 100 individuals. Vajko, who reportedly worked for Microsoft until May, was released from jail on Sunday and his charges have since been dropped. He has insisted that his Snack Van is used to hand out food and water and to help transport medics. The van is just full of free water, food, and medical supplies for the homeless and protesters, Vajko tweeted Thursday. I even gave water to the people that destroyed my van. Washington Police Chief Peter Newsham said during a press briefing on Monday with Mayor Muriel Bowser that Vajkos van had been sighted previously in during clashes in both Portland, the nexus of the riots, and Kenosha. There was a van that was driving recklessly, potentially could have hit pedestrians and officers in the area, Newsham said of Saturdays incident in the nations capital, without mentioning Vajkos name. 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, he said. The police chief noted that his officers are being assisted by the federal government to investigate whether there is an organized, funded attempt to create violence in our city. 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 and then answer that question Who?and hold them accountable, Newsham said. He said that 70 percent of individuals arrested in recent days were from outside Washington, D.C. Bowser noted that weapons were brought into the capital by outside agitators to destroy property in the District. John Sherock, a Wisconsin resident who runs his own cleaning service, told me he was appalled by the recent #KenoshaRiots. I see darkness. I think its really wrong.. people are coming from other cities and destroying those cities. Those arrested were mostly all out of state. pic.twitter.com/WfGCikfhcQ Bowen Xiao (@BowenXiao_) September 2, 2020 Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Chad Wolf said late Monday that the heads of organizations believed to be behind the recent riots in the United States are being probed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). 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, without specifying which groups. Wolf said 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. 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. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Appeal against recovery of $60 mln from Ukrainian bank in favor of Moscow firm dismissed RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 13:00 03/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) Russias Supreme Court has returned a complaint of Ukrainian Prominvestbank about the recovery of a $60 million debt arising from an assignment agreement in favor of Moscow CaptialYugInvest company without consideration, according to the bodys decision. The claimant, Public Stock Company Joint-Stock Commercial Industrial and Investment Bank (Prominvestbank), petitioned to reset the time limit for submitting its complaint citing coronavirus-related restrictions and lack of familiarity with appeal procedures due to the fact it was a foreign entity; however, the Supreme Court rejected these arguments saying Prominvestbank was a participant in a case heard by Russian commercial courts and therefore was bearing non-familiarity risks. Moreover, all court decisions should have been known to the claimant via its representative at the hearings and due to the fact that all such decisions were sent to it in e-formats and were freely available on the internet, the decision reads. Prominvestbank challenged in Russias Supreme Court a decision of the Moscow Commercial Court of October 15, 2019, as well as decisions of an appeals and cassation instances. Earlier, the lower courts established that Prominvestbank failed to meet the terms of an agreement it made with CapitalYugInvest. In October of 2019, CMMB announced the planned retirement of Bruce Wilkinson, effective September 2020. The ensuing year provided ample time for a thorough and strategic search process for the organization's new CEO, Mary Beth Powers. Ms. Powers comes to CMMB with over 30 years of increasing global health and philanthropy leadership experience. After receiving her Bachelor's degree in Foreign Service at Georgetown University, she began her career with Catholic Relief Services in Pakistan. Working to support the basic health needs of Afghan refugees convinced her to study public health, leading her to earn her Master's Degree at the University of Michigan. Ms. Powers then joined Save the Children where she worked on program design and evaluation in more than 25 countries, eventually leading to the establishment of a global campaign for newborn and child survival. Her experience as CEO at SeriousFun Children's Network deepened her skills in strategic planning, programmatic and technical support in the field, managing corporate and foundation partnerships, donor engagement and network building. "Mary Beth's background in maternal and child health and extensive experience in international development work will enable her to build on a strong foundation and advance our mission to improve the healthcare services for the women, children and communities that we serve," said CMMB Board Chair, Sister Rosemary Moynihan. "We are thrilled as we embark on this new chapter in our mission of serving others." "The spread of the COVID virus has brought desperately needed attention to the needs of low-resource countries and communities," continued Sister Moynihan. "We will build off this moment of global awakening to the injustice and indignity for those living without access to basic healthcare, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene." CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) provides long-term community-based medical, preventative, and development aid to women and children who are disproportionately affected by poverty and poor health. The work focuses on improving access to proper healthcare to the most vulnerable populations in targeted parts of Zambia, Kenya, South Sudan, Peru, and Haiti. "Building health care that is accessible to all is critical for reducing the morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 which is a tremendous risk right now, but these same services are needed in the long-term for addressing the many health challenges that the communities we serve face," said Ms. Powers. With over 100 years of work on the ground, CMMB utilizes three pathways to providing care; through their Children and Mothers Partnerships (CHAMPS) program model, their Medical Donations Program (MDP), and Volunteer program. CMMB's CHAMPS program makes long-term commitments in communities, addressing the root causes that impede women and children from living healthier lives. The MDP program deployed medicines and medical supplies to over 39 countries last year alone. CMMB volunteer doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are supported with donated medical supplies to provide quality care in remote communities while building local capacity. Leveraging the strength of their relationships with private donors and corporate and foundation partners, CMMB has raised nearly $1 million as part of their urgent response to limit the spread of COVID-19. They have distributed PPE, medicines and medical supplies to help health workers and communities in the developing world. The CMMB website, CMMB.org, provides detailed information on these response efforts. SOURCE CMMB Related Links http://CMMB.org The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted approval to four agro-processing companies to import 262,000 tons of maize and corn in the bid to complement an anticipated shortfall of the commodity in the country. This was disclosed in an internal memo of the Nigeria Customs Service seen by this newspaper. The memo dated August 6, 2020, was endorsed by the deputy comptrollergeneral, T.M Isa (Tariff and Trade), which also was confirmed to this newspaper by the services public relations officer, Joseph Attah. In line with government policy on food security, sufficiency and striking a balance between food imports and local production capacities to meet anticipated shortfall, the Central Bank of Nigeria has granted approval for the underlisted companies to import maize in the quantities stated below, the memo reads. According to the memo with reference number: NCS/T&T/I&E/021/S.93/VOL, the apex bank granted approval to Wacot and Chi Farms Limited to import maize of 60,000 tons each, while Crown Flour Mills and Premier Feed Mills Company Limited will be importing maize of 22,000 and 120,000 tons respectively, within the period of these months (August, September and October). Note, approval is strictly for the four (4) companies listed above and stemmed to the months of August, September and October only, the memo said. Given the clarification, all CACs are directed to note the companies, approved quantity, duration and jerque accordingly, Please be guided, it concluded. Nigerias maize importation Data obtained from the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), which was analysed by PREMIUM TIMES shows that Nigeria imported its second-largest volume of maize in a decade in 2019, maintaining the same level it recorded the previous year, despite calls by farmers for a restriction on the importation of the cereal. The analysis shows that Nigeria imported 400,000 tons of maize in 2019, as it did in 2018, which is the second-highest volume imported by the country since 2009. The highest was recorded in 2016 when 650,000 tons of maize was imported by the country. However, Nigerias annual need for maize is estimated at 15 million metric tons while the countrys local production is 10.5 million tons. Reactions A day after the report by this newspaper, on July 14, the CBN announced the ban of maize importation in an effort to boost local production. Meanwhile, weeks after the CBN stopped the issuance of forex for the importation of maize, the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), conducted a market survey in Abuja and Akwa Ibom State. Findings from the survey showed that the prices of poultry and fish feed have increased across the country. Traders and farmers who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES attributed the hike in prices to the scarcity and sudden increase in the cost of the grain. According to the survey, a 25kg bag of poultry feed called starter, that sold for N4,000 before, had risen to N4,200, while the feed meant for older birds, called finisher, was then sold for N4,000 from the previous price of N3700. Also, a 15kg bag of Nigerian-made fish feed that sold for N7500 for 2mm, before the announcement of the policy, had increased to N8,100. Similarly, the same amount of fish feed for 3mm fish size had increased from N6,300 to N7,500, while its 9mm equivalent had increased to N5,000 from N3,900. As at 10:43 a.m Thursday, Isaac Okoroafor, the CBN spokesperson, could not be reached, as calls to his known phone number kept saying the number youve dialed is switched off repeatedly. Also, WhatsApp messages sent did not indicate the double tick delivery notification. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and CEO of the Swiss financial company UBS Sergio Ermotti have discussed the UBS group's support for infrastructure projects within the Great Construction project in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry has reported on Facebook. Our priority is the development of infrastructure and roads in Ukraine. UBS has excellent experience in financing such projects. It is also important for us that Swiss banks return to Ukraine, said Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko. Sergio Ermotti noted great interest in Ukraine. In particular, UBS monitored Ukraine's success during the transaction to the issuance of new 12-year Eurobonds and the issuance of the old ones, as UBS has traditionally invested in Ukrainian sovereign Eurobonds. "It was really a very successful transaction that aroused great interest from international investors. This is a sign of positive structural changes in Ukraine and progress in implementing reforms," said Sergio Ermotti. As Ukrinform reported, Great Construction is a joint project of the President and the Government of Ukraine, which involves the construction of roads and infrastructure throughout the country. iy Chad Parker is serving in his first year as Statesville High School's principal and looks to build on the school's graduation rate. He said they'll work with students to recover any missing credits so they can graduate on time. However, he sees the biggest challenge is getting students to buy-in when they can't form the same relationship with students as they can in person. "So much of what we are asking our teachers to do is based upon a good, solid relationship with our students. And I think that's the one thing that's lost in all of this, that kind of social-emotional part of this is there's no connection online with your student " Parker said. He said he stresses developing that when students are at school, but with some working fully remotely, it isn't easy. He said teachers have to almost double their work as they teach between two and 12 students in person while also teaching students remotely. In either form, he wants to be sure teachers are meeting the needs of their students. "We're still able to meet with our student groups, whether it be virtually or in person, it's just making a little bit more difficult, but we do have we still have everything that we used to have in place. We're just having to be creative of how can we engage," Parker said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:45:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's recent adjustment to its catalog of technologies that are subject to export bans or restrictions was in accordance with international practice and did not target any specific company, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. The update, the first since 2008, was a routine adjustment in line with the development of science and technology, as well as the need for promoting international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the ministry, told a press conference. The revised catalog, released jointly by the MOC and the Ministry of Science and Technology on Aug. 28, removed four items prohibited from export and five items subject to export restrictions. A total of 23 items subject to export restrictions were added to the catalog, while technical parameters of 21 items were revised. The two ministries had been working on the revision in recent years and solicited advice from relevant departments, trade associations and the general public in 2018, Gao said. Enditem London, Sep 3 : Workers who have been exposed to sexual harassment at their workplace were at a greater risk of suicide and attempting suicide, warn researchers. The findings published in the journal 'The BMJ' suggests that workplace interventions focusing on the social side of the work environment could help reduce suicides. The "Me Too" movement has brought a lot of attention to work-related sexual harassment in recent years and the impact it can have on businesses and society, but most importantly on individuals. While previous research has found that sexual harassment at the workplace is linked to physical health symptoms and poorer mental health such as psychological distress, depression, and anxiety, little research has been carried out on its impact on suicidal behaviour. So a team of researchers from Stockholm University in Sweden set out to determine how exposure to workplace sexual harassment is associated with suicidal behaviour in a large population of Swedish workers. The study included 85,205 men and women of working age in paid work who completed a questionnaire between 1995 and 2013 which included questions about exposure to work-related sexual harassment. Workers were asked if they had been subjected to sexual harassment at their workplace in the past 12 months either from superiors or fellow workers or from "other people", such as patients, clients, passengers and students. Any suicides or suicide attempts by these workers over an average follow up period of 13 years were identified from administrative registers. Overall, 4.8 per cent of the workers reported workplace sexual harassment during the previous 12 months: 1.9 per cent of all men and 7.5 per cent of all women. The findings showed that those exposed were more likely to be younger, single, divorced, and in low paid but high strain jobs (high demands but low control), and born outside of Europe. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, exposure to workplace sexual harassment was found to be associated with a 2.82 times greater risk of suicide and 1.59 times greater risk of attempted suicide. Sexual harassment from others was found to be more strongly associated with suicide than sexual harassment from superiors or fellow workers. "More research is needed to determine causality and risk factors for workplace sexual harassment and the mechanisms explaining the association between work-related sexual harassment and suicidal behaviour, the study authors wrote. Sohum Shah puts an end to speculations around Tummbad 2, says he's working on another project OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Automotive supplier Magna International Inc. (MG.TO, MGA) said Thursday that it has signed an agreement to buy majority ownership of Honglizhixin, a major seat supplier to Chinese automakers. Magna will also acquire a majority stake in its existing seating joint venture with Honglizhixin. Magna has signed a shareholder agreement and share purchase agreement and plans to finalize the deals by the beginning of 2021. The two companies currently operate a 50/50 joint venture formed in 2015. The current Magna- Honglizhixin joint venture includes two manufacturing plants. As per the new ownership agreement, 10 plants will be added to Magna's manufacturing footprint, adding critical mass and scale to the company's seating operations in China. The majority of Honglizhixin's plants are also vertically integrated with just-in-time seat assembly and delivery, structures, foam, and trim capabilities that enable an optimal sourcing solution for automakers versus sourcing from multiple suppliers. 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. Advertisement An ambulance on an emergency call was today caught in an Extinction Rebellion traffic jam as protesters blocked Parliament in London and tried to storm Cardiff's new BBC building. Footage shows the response vehicle stuck with its lights flashing at a roundabout on Millbank, Westminster, with no way of getting through. Demonstrators had blocked off the nearby bridges - which lead to the nearby St Thomas' Hospital - as they cranked up their disruption this afternoon. The ambulance was forced to do a U-turn around the island and head back in the opposite direction during the chaos. Journalist Tom Harwood posted video from the scene with the caption: 'This is chaos, it's had to completely U-turn and drive back away from the way to the hospital. Extinction Rebellion continue to block the bridge with glee.' It came after the eco-warriors tried to storm Cardiff's new BBC building and demonstrators glued their hands to the pavement outside Parliament on the seventh day of climate chaos - with 232 arrests so far. The eco-warriors descended on the studios in Central Square in the Welsh capital as some of the 400-strong mob tried and failed to shove past police. Earlier today fellow activists glued themselves to the ground to block entrances to Parliament in Westminster in a dramatic escalation of their two-week campaign of disruption. Protesters said they 'jumped the barriers and ran past armed police to glue (themselves) on to the floor outside the House of Lords'. The tactic, a staple of previous XR demonstrations, was accompanied by scores of others staging a sit-in elsewhere around the perimeter of the parliamentary estate, including at the Carriage Gates. Journalist Tom Harwood (pictured) posted video from the scene with the caption: 'This is chaos, it's had to completely U-turn and drive back away from the way to the hospital. Extinction Rebellion continue to block the bridge with glee' Police officers and security staff remove a man who tried to sit in front of the BBC Wales office in Central Square this afternoon The demonstrators graffiti is pictured on the new BBC building in Cardiff as it was defaced during the protests this afternoon Extinction Rebellion protesters holding a sign reading 'we act in peace' glued themselves to the cobbles outside an entrance to Parliament today A separate protest, carried out by XR ally Animal Rebellion, saw activists locked on top of a pink slaughterhouse truck parked sideways across nearby Victoria Street Police officers haul away an activist who had been blocking the road outside the Department of Health this morning A warning on a protester's hand warning it had been glued to the ground (left) and a woman being hauled away by police An Extinction Rebellion activist waves a flare as they walk along Horse Guards Road past the Treasury building this afternoon Extinction Rebellion flags flutter in the breeze amid pink smoke from flares during the protest on Horse Guards Road today Cyclists gather outside Buckingham Palace during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London. The environmental campaign group has planned events to be held at several landmarks in the capital An Extinction Rebellion protester rides a bicycle with a dog in the front basket during a climate change protest outside Buckingham Palace A protester is pulled up from the ground by police in London after attempting to block a road during protests this morning An activist wearing a face mask is hauled away by officers after a protest on Victoria Street, where the Department of Health is located An activist wearing a clown costume is showered with fake money as she lies on the floor during today's London protests Police said 'dozens' of arrests had been made by midday today. Pictured are protesters walking past the Treasury Extinction Rebellion activists often try to be arrested to divert police officers and cause maximum disruption Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police have put a cordon around the vehicle and are working to safely remove protesters, who will subsequently be arrested Police officers push away a van that protesters had used to block one of the roads leading to Parliament this morning A separate protest, carried out by XR ally Animal Rebellion, saw activists locked on top of a pink slaughterhouse truck parked sideways across nearby Victoria Street. The campaigners said they are demanding 'a plant-based food system as a means to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis and reduce the risk of future pandemics'. They have previously used fake blood in their demonstrations. Police arrested another 72 Extinction Rebellion activists yesterday as they swooped on demonstrators lying in the road to block Boris Johnson's route to Prime Ministers' Questions yesterday. It brings the total number of eco-warriors detained to 232 since they kick-started their fortnight of chaos in the capital on Friday following a coronavirus recess. Police said there had been 'dozens' more arrests today. The arrests were made for a range of offences including breaching Public Order conditions, obstructing the highway, obstructing police and assault on an emergency worker. It comes a day after they blocked Bute Terrace in both directions and caused traffic delays around the city. Around 400 people are estimated to have attended the protest, which is part of a week-long campaign across the UK. Police remove a protester from Victoria Street in London, in a scene that will be familiar to anyone who has followed the protests this week Police officers talk to a protester carrying a cardboard placard reading 'outlaw profit by ecocide' on Victoria Street today Another group of protesters staging a sit down protest at the Carriage Gates entrance to the Houses of Parliament Specialist police remove protesters who had chained themselves to the top of a slaughterhouse truck outside the Department of Health The Met confirmed that 72 people had been arrested as of 5pm on Wednesday, the majority for breaching conditions imposed on the Parliament Square demonstration XR wants the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2025, and establish a 'citizens' assembly on climate and ecological justice' A spokesman for South Wales Police said: 'Officers are currently in attendance at a protest in Central Square in Cardiff. One person has been arrested on suspicion of committing criminal damage. 'Officers are working to engage with protest organisers and attendees in order to remind them of their obligations under the current Coronavirus legislation and the overarching goal for everyone to take personal responsibility by following Welsh Government regulations to Keep Wales Safe. 'We are duty-bound to take into account all relevant legislation, and South Wales Police has strived to maintain a consistent policing style of engaging, explaining and encouraging, and enforcing as last resort where necessary, throughout this public health emergency - an approach we intend to continue.' XR spokesman Tamsin Omand, 35, from London, said that protesters wanted the Prime Minister to see and hear their action. 'The climate and ecological emergency has to be the absolute priority - how we are going to transform society into one that is fit for the crises we are already experiencing and the ones coming down the road,' she said. 'We are seeing a Parliament that has failed on every count - Boris Johnson wasn't even around for the first Cobras (of the coronavirus pandemic), so if that is the attitude he is going to take to the climate and ecological emergency we are in dire straits. 'Disruption is a core tenet of how XR works and how we have managed to achieve so much in a short period of time. 'We have been outside Downing Street blocking his route on both sides and of course he's encountering us here in the square - I think we are impossible to ignore.' In a bid to complete its annual civic works as well as to meet the financial targets, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked its employees to focus on their parent departments duties and continue with the Covid-19 relief work alongside. The civic body wants to ensure that crucial works related to roads, solid waste management, bridges, storm water drains and other departments are not hampered. Additional municipal commissioner (health) Suresh Kakani said, The monsoon period was expected to be a crucial time and the staff had to focus on Covid. Now the monsoon season is almost over and so the staff has been asked to prioritise work of their respective departments. Every year, BMC takes up massive road repair and civic works across the city post-monsoon. Since the pandemic broke out, all the civic staffers were directed to focus on Covid-19 relief work. As the fifth month of the financial year ended in August, the BMC has little time left to meet its annual targets. Also, the civic body has gradually begun to close down several Covid-19 centres, as the number of daily Covid-19 declined to less than 1,000 last month. The staff working for the centres have also been redirected to focus on their designated departments work. With around 70% Covid Care Centres (CCC) now empty, the BMC has been handing over the lodges, schools, auditoriums and hotels, which were converted as Covid-19 centres, back to their owners. Currently, Mumbai has 333 CCCs for high-risk contacts, which collectively have a bed capacity of more than 48,300. There are 176 CCCs for positive asymptomatic patients, with over 23,534 beds. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Mumbai recorded 1,562 Covid-19 cases, which took the citys total count to 150,095. The city has been reporting more than 1,100 cases in the past nine days. Civic authorities had expected a surge in cases in the last week of August in the wake of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. There were also 37 deaths reported on Thursday, following which the total toll has risen to 7, 764, according to the Maharashtra health department data. As per BMCs data, of the 37 people who died, 27 were above 60 years of age, while the other 10 were between 40 and 60 years old. The BMC data has further stated that 1, 859 patients were discharged after recovery on Thursday. A total of 120, 561 patients have been recovered in the city now and the city has reported 80% recovery rate. There are 21, 439 active Covid-19 cases in the city currently. Dharavi, Indias largest slum area, reported eight cases on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the area to 2,800. Until Wednesday, 7.92 lakh tests had been conducted in the city. As thunderstorms threatened, President Donald Trump sped through a V-J Day speech on Wednesday, trumpeting American strength and managing to squeeze in a swipe at Democratic rival Joe Biden. Trump stood before an iconic World War II-era battleship to declare the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina, a World War II Heritage City. He pointed to a bolt of lightning and said it was God saluting the event. He honored war veterans, including 97-year-old Hershel Woody Williams, the sole surviving Marine from the war to receive the Medal of Honor. The West Virginia native fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific. Hes 100 percent sharp, Trump said of Williams, who traveled to the key battleground state with the president aboard Air Force One. I know a 78-year-old whos not so sharp, Trump added, a clear allusion to Biden. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had insisted earlier this week that there was no political purpose to Trumps visit to North Carolina. But when the president landed in Wilmington, Trump lost no time in criticizing Biden. This is the most important election in the history of our country. I really believe that, because were running against people that have got some big issues, he told supporters on the airport tarmac. They have got some big, big problems. Theyre stone cold crazy. Trump also encouraged those who cast votes by mail to cast two ballots in Novembers election, one by mail and another in person as a check to see if the mailed vote was counted. Theyll go out and theyll vote and theyre going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So, let them send it in and let them go vote, Trump said in an interview with WECT-TV at the Wilmington airport. And if their systems as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. So thats the way it is, and thats what they should do. Trump made a similar appeal in remarks to supporters at the airport. You cant let them take your vote away; these people are playing dirty politics dirty politics. So if you have an absentee ballot or, as I call it, a solicited ballot ... you send it in, but I would check it, in any event, I would go and follow it and go vote, he said. Trump won North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points in 2016, but polls are showing an extremely close race taking shape in a state that generates 15 electoral votes for its winner. The presidents visit to North Carolina comes as county boards start sending absentee ballots to voters on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence will follow the president by visiting Raleigh on Thursday. Through Sept. 1, more than 591,000 ballot requests had been received, compared with approximately 36,500 through the same period in 2016, the state elections board said Wednesday. More than half of the absentee ballots, or approximately 313,000, have been requested by Democrats. Republicans have requested more than 93,000 and registered unaffiliated voters account for approximately 183,000 ballot requests. Biden released a statement in advance of the trip saying that Trump has not provided North Carolina with the roadmap and resources needed to protect businesses, schools and families from the coronavirus. Instead of honoring the sacrifice of our front-line heroes, President Trump has repeatedly ignored public health guidance for political purposes, Biden said. Wilmington has been home to the Battleship North Carolina since 1962. The ship is now a floating museum. On Sept. 2, 1945, Japans formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Congress passed a bill earlier this year that included a provision requiring the secretary of the interior to annually designate one city in the United States as an American World War II Heritage City. Wilmington is the first city to get that designation. ___ Associated Press writers Jonathan Drew in Durham, N.C., and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report. Melbourne's footpaths and streets will be transformed into open-air dining areas as part of a plan to bring businesses back from the brink of bankruptcy and lure people back into the CBD. Friday night drinks could have a very different feel, with footpaths, lanes and even some streets temporarily transformed into dining areas under a proposal modelled on New York's Open Restaurants initiative, which is credited with helping 9500 restaurants and cafes keep afloat during COVID-19 restrictions. Lord mayor Sally Capp hopes visitors will soon return to the deserted streets of Melbourne. Credit:Jason South It is understood the City of Melbourne is also discussing with the state government ways to simplify its liquor licensing scheme, to allow hospitality businesses to serve alcohol at outdoor dining areas. Lord mayor Sally Capp said that once the state government unveiled its long-awaited plan on Sunday for heading out of stage four lockdowns, the city would "press go" on initiatives designed to bring people back to the CBD. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback speaks at the Department of State in Washington on June 21, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Chinese Regime Is Leading the World in Persecution of Faith Groups: US Ambassador Sam Brownback The Chinese communist regime has been able to perfect its machinery of repression against faith groups over the years and now seeks to export its authoritarian model around the world, U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom Sam Brownback warned. The regime touts itself as a global leader, yet theyre leading the world in persecutionthe global leadership is in persecution, Brownback said in a recent interview with The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program. He said the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) successive persecution campaigns of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan Buddhists, House Christians, and most recently, Uyghur Muslims in the region of Xinjiang, have allowed it to fine-tune its methods and technologies used for surveillance and oppression. We really see the future of oppression being fewer people in concentration camps and more people controlled in a society with 24-hour surveillance systems on people and limiting what they can do in that society, he added. The ambassador said the Trump administrations recent sanctions against Chinese officials and a paramilitary construction group involved in Xinjiang human rights abuses shows the United States is serious about sending a message to Beijing. The U.S. commerce department has also blacklisted more than 30 Chinese companies and government entities over their role in aiding the repression of Uyghurs in the region. Brownback expressed concern that the CCP is looking to export its model of high-tech suppression. Theyre going to start marketing and selling these sorts of authoritarian control systems to other authoritarian regimes around the world thatseek to control their population through the use of these advanced technologies, he said. The atheist CCP has been against faith since its founding, the ambassador said. It doesnt have a space for the believing in a higher moral authority, he said. The higher moral authority is the Communist Party. Brownback said that the regime may appear to malign and persecute minority groups, but its tactics dont stop there. Thats been true throughout history. If you dont stand up to the bully, they just keep coming, he said. For instance, the world had for years turned a blind eye to allegations that the CCP was forcibly removing organs from imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners for the transplant market, Brownback said. But the circumstantial evidence was there, he said, adding that now there are credible institutions saying that state-sanctioned organ harvesting is taking place. In 2019, an independent peoples tribunal, after a yearlong investigation, concluded that forced organ harvesting had taken place in China on a significant scale, and continues to persist. The principal source of organs was from imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, it found. Think about that just mentally, that youre taking and persecuting this individual. Youre going to kill them, and then harvest their organs to sell them. This is just horrific [whats] taking place, Brownback said. Cathy He CHINA EDITOR Follow Cathy He is a New York-based reporter focusing on China-related topics. She previously worked as a government lawyer in Australia. She joined the Epoch Times in February 2018. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Geraldo Rivera has seen it all. He started out as an investigative reporter in the early 70s, became a network star on ABCs 20/20, hosted his own syndicated talk show and served as a war correspondent for Fox News. He presided over The Mystery of Al Capones Vaults, perhaps the most hyped show and biggest disappointment in live television history. He famously suffered a broken nose when a skinhead threw a chair at him during an on-air brawl in 1988. Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed an outbreak of Covid-19 at its Solihull plant - with four workers testing positive. The company has also revealed other employees who may have come into contact with the confirmed cases were now self-isolating. A whistleblower employee, who asked not to be named, claimed staff in the paint shop were among those to have tested positive. A spokeswoman for JLR said: 'We can confirm that four employees based at our Solihull manufacturing facility have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating. Jaguar Landrover has confirmed an outbreak of Covid-19 at its production plant in Solihull after four workers tested positive for the disease New figures released today showed that 41,527 people have died within 28 days of being diagnosed with Covid-19 after the government announced a change to the way the death figures were calculated. More than 1,700 lab cases of Covid 19 were confirmed in the 24 hours up to 9am today - the highest total since June 4 'Through contact tracing and working in conjunction with Public Health England, we have identified anyone who has been in close contact with those individuals at work and they are also self-isolating. 'The health of our workforce remains our primary concern and a deep clean of the area has been undertaken. We continue to follow all Government and NHS advice.' The employee claimed workers were 'dropping like flies'. They added: 'So far all the cases have been in the paint shop, but loads of other staff come and go out of there. 'The cleaners go in there, drivers, staff from other departments - anyone can just wander in and out and catch the virus.' When production began at the plant after lockdown, strict measures were put in place to protect workers' health. These included temperature checks, two metre distance markers, face visors in sections where that is not possible, introduction of one-way systems in plants, enhanced cleaning regimes and hand sanitisers. 'An extensive review of all production lines, engineering facilities, office areas and communal spaces has been undertaken,' the JLR spokeswoman said. 'This is to create robust protocol and guidelines to ensure effective social distancing, hygiene and health monitoring measures are in place as the company gradually returns to manufacturing. 'Employees' health and wellbeing are at the centre of this plan and, with the implementation of the new protocol, employees will experience a significant number of changes to their working day from the moment they enter the site. 'We continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and follow the guidance of all relevant authorities in the markets in which we operate.' The latest government figures show that a total of 6,732 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to August 26, an increase of 6 per cent in positive cases on the previous week and the highest weekly number since the week to June 3. The Government said that as of 9am on Thursday there had been a further 1,735 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus - the highest daily total since June 4. It added that a further 13 people had died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, but a new overall total was yet to be confirmed. The overall total on Wednesday was 41,514 but separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been 57,300 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The Trump administration is attempting to fast-track environmental reviews of dozens of drilling, mining and infrastructure projects, after the president claimed it was necessary during the coronavirus pandemic. The documents, seen by The Independent, reveal that the president's executive order in June led the Department of Interior to consider exemptions to key provisions of landmark environmental laws, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for more than 60 major projects. On 15 July, Assistant Interior Secretary Katherine MacGregor sent a letter to White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, with an attached list of target projects for expedited environmental reviews. Among the projects is the Jordan Cove liquid natural gas export terminal in Oregon; the Converse County Oil and Gas Project, which will allow 5,000 new wells in Wyoming, and the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline in Virginia. The list for expedited approval also features solar and wind farms, and projects for energy storage and transmission, water delivery and highway construction. The letter, obtained via a lawsuit by the Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD), contains no specifics on how the review process would be sped up, noting that projects are within the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to perform or advance. In a statement on Wednesday, CBD said that the documents revealed that "dozens of dangerous projects" risked being "rubber-stamped" without undergoing environmental review. Recommended Trump condemned after snubbing global coronavirus vaccine scheme Rushing to approve more climate-killing fossil fuel projects while ignoring environmental harms is wrong, and using Covid-19 as an excuse is despicable, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at CBD. This massive giveaway to special interests shows the Trump administration only cares about currying favour with polluters. Poisoning our air and killing endangered wildlife wont help fight the coronavirus. The Centre brought a federal lawsuit to gain access to documents related to the president's order on June 4, after an initial request under the Freedom of Information Act was denied. Ms MacGregors letter said that some projects had been placed on shorter schedules before Mr Trumps order. Some of those that were on the list were recently completed, such as last months approval of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In an email to The Independent, a spokesman for the Interior Department said: "For far too long, critically important infrastructure, energy and other economic development projects have been needlessly paralysed by federal red tape. The Trump Administration has taken significant steps to improve the federal governments decision-making process, while also ensuring that the environmental consequences of proposed projects are thoughtfully analysed." The presidents executive order in June directed federal officials to pursue emergency workarounds of NEPA and ESA, decades-old legislation that has formed the bedrock of environmental protections in the US. Mr Trump said the action was necessary because the virus had slowed down large segments of society and brought massive unemployment. The president unveiled his proposed changes to NEPA during a trip to Atlanta in July. Mr Trump has long complained that the red tape of federal legislation stifles infrastructure projects and jobs. Referencing holdups to Trump Organisation construction projects, the president said: We just completed an unprecedented, top-to-bottom overhaul of the approval process. He said that the legislation had cost America trillions of dollars and the changes will lead to more infrastructure projects. Watering down the law, which was enacted half a century ago by Richard Nixon, is one of the most profound moves of deregulation by the Trump administration. The president has made good on his promises to dismantle and rollback dozens of major environmental and climate protections during his time in office. Wires contributed to this report The rapprochement between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, only the third country in the Middle East to normalize relations with Israel, is another of the very visible and often underplayed foreign policy successes of the Trump administration. In the field of foreign policy, the president's approach has certainly led to many successes thanks in part to his brand of conservative realism, from which America has benefited greatly. Conservative realism is a term long in use, which gained prominence during Rand Paul's run for president during the 2016 election cycle. In a speech given at the Center for the National Interest's annual dinner on October 23, 2014, Senator Paul used the term in an attempt to broaden the Republican base. By outlining a strong foreign policy based on American interest and restraint in military action abroad, he advocated a union between the two great foreign policy views within the conservative movement in America: the conservative internationalist and the conservative non-interventionist. This has found its manifestation in the current Trump administration. In the field of international relations theory, realism remains among the most influential of the schools of thought that try to explain the realities of the international system. This theory, which can be traced to ancient Greece, has several core elements. The first and undoubtedly the most important is that state actors are the primary unit within the international relations system. This system is anarchic, meaning there is no power above that of the state. Third, states act in a rational way protecting their self-interests, and finally, the desire for power in the name of the preservation of the state. If one looks closely at some of the actions of the current administration, they have a lot of realist tendencies. An example is what has been dubbed the "Trump Doctrine," which means acting unilaterally outside international organizations. Trump's America First strategy puts the state front and center, using its military and economic might to pursue America's interest. Another aspect is withdrawing from certain international agreements that the administration believes do not serve America's interest, such as President Obama's Iran deal. The Trump administration's realism is also seen in the expansion of America's military power, particularly to counter the expansion of China. During past years, the Trump administration has expanded the U.S. military budget, along with the creation last December of a new branch of the armed forces called the U.S. Space Force. The expansion of a security structure is designed to contain America's enemies and maintain its role as the world's superpower. Furthermore, his at times erratic pronouncements have forced America's allies, particularly NATO and Japan, to begin taking more responsibility for their own defense by expanding their military power. These are some of the actions that can be seen through realist thinking. But there is still the conservative aspect to Trump's actions. This is seen in his use of the cardinal virtue of prudence in respect to military action. Despite the warnings made by haters of the president that his presidency would lead to more military intervention, Trump is noted for not leading a war-weary America into another major conflict. Despite a scare created by the operation to kill Qassem Soleimani, this administration has downscaled U.S. military action, particularly in the Middle East. These are signs of a conservative foreign policy based on not only prudence, as seen with the lack of notable military action, but also a clear rejection of the universalist ideas found in internationalist and liberal political philosophy that seek to extrapolate to every part of the world their ideas of rights and democracy. This rejection a clear break with past administrations, which wanted to expand America's values around the world, with a more measured policy that realizes communities have a different set of values which they prioritize. Thus, we are seeing the end of the policy of nation-building. This conservative realism being pursued by the Trump administration is a welcome development. The end of costly wars and unnecessary military and state actions are the marks of a conservative realism that seeks a stronger nation but realizes that America's best interests are not necessarily achieved by being the policeman of the world. Ojel L. Rodriguez AKC (@ojelrodriguez) is head of philosophy and ideology at the Orthodox Conservatives think-tank, a freelance writer, and a Ph.D. student at The University of Saint Andrews. Mumbai, Sep 3 : Indrajit Chakraborty, father of Rhea Chakraborty on Thursday once again deposed before the CBI's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation's officials, Indrajit arrived at the DRDO guest house, where the CBI team has been camping since its arrival in Mumbai on August 20, a day after the Supreme Court gave the nod for the federal probe. A CBI source said that Indrajit, who was questioned by SP Nupur Prasad on Wednesday for over nine hours, will be quizzed about his daughter's relations with Sushant and his family members. He will also be asked about what led to their break-up on June 8 and why she blocked his mobile number. He will have to answer about the financial investment plans, as a video clip of Sushant and Indrajit' family member has surfaced in the public domain, where the late actor is talking about quitting acting and starting some new thing in his life. The source said that Indrajit will also be quizzed about the investments plans that Sushant made with Rhea and the two companies formed by Sushant along with his daughter and son -- Rhea and Showik. The CBI team will also question him whether he knew about the medical treatment of Sushant and whether he ever visited the doctor with Sushant and his daughter. He will also be asked about the incidents that happened during last year's Europe trip. The CBI has earlier questioned Sushant's girlfriend Rhea for 34 hours over four consecutive days along with her brother Showik. The CBI team since August 30 has thrice visited the Bandra flat of Sushant, where he was found dead on June 14. Besides, making two rounds each of the Cooper hospital, where his autopsy took place and the Waterstone resort, where he had spent some time. The agency has also questioned Sushant's personal staff, Neeraj Singh and Keshav Bachne. It has also recorded the statement of Sushant's ex-manager Shruti Modi. The federal agency registered a case on the orders of the central government on August 6 following a recommendation from the Bihar government. The complaint was filed in Patna by Sushant's father K. K. Singh naming Rhea, her mother Sandhya, Indrajit, Showik, Shruti Modi, house manager Samuel Miranda, Pithani and unknown others as accused in the case. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Advertisement Washington D.C. police have released bodycam footage showing the moment officers shot dead an 18-year-old black man after he allegedly brandished a gun during a police chase - sparking further protests across the city. Deon Kay died on Wednesday after he was shot in the chest by a Metropolitan Police officer identified on Thursday as Alexander Alvarez. Authorities said Kay was one of two people who fled on Wednesday afternoon when approached by uniformed cops investigating reports of a man with a gun near the 200 block of Orange Street. Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers had seen a livestream video on social media showing the suspect with a gun and recognized him from 'previous contacts'. He said Kay was 'validated gang member' from the area and had had multiple brushes with the law in the past. During the foot pursuit, Kay pulled out a weapon, prompting the officer to open fire in response, the MPD said. Body camera footage released on Thursday has shed light on the events leading up to the fatal shooting which comes amid nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform. Body camera footage released on Thursday shows the moment a Metropolitan Police officer shot dead 18-year-old Deon Kay (pictured) in southeast Washington D.C. on Wednesday. The officer opened fire after Kay brandished a gun (left) police said In an 11-minute video, cops are seen chasing Kay near an apartment complex before cornering him with their weapons drawn. The officer then opens fire, striking the teenager in the chest once and causing him to collapse The officer is heard telling the teen, 'Don't move! Don't move!' multiple times as Kay runs towards them with a gun in his hand before tossing the weapon '98 feet away' in the grass In an 11-minute video clip, cops are seen chasing Kay near an apartment complex in southeast D.C. before encountering him with their weapons drawn. The officer can be heard telling the teen, 'Don't move! Don't move!' multiple times as Kay runs towards them with a gun in his hand. He then tossed the weapon '98 feet away', according to police. Deon Kay, 18, was shot dead by police on Wednesday afternoon. Cops say they opened fire on the teen after he 'brandished a gun' The footage shows the officer firing one round, striking Kay in the chest, causing him to collapse on the ground. The cop is then seen searching for the gun near a grassy area where it was thrown, as he explains what happened to two other cops as they arrive at the scene. It marks the first fatal police-involved shooting in D.C. since new police reform laws went into effect earlier this year. The incident is currently under investigation and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, per MPD policy. During a press conference on Thursday, Newsham said Kay was known to officers by name and had been involved in a number crime-related incidents as a juvenile. 'I know he's a validated gang member from the area and I know that he has had multiple touches with the criminal justice system,' he said. 'This is a tragedy... to have any young person killed in the District of Columbia. 'I'm pretty sure Deon Kay fell through multiple safety nets before yesterday afternoon,' Newsham added. The police chief declined to elaborate on Kay's previous offenses when asked by a reporter. He also said the other man who fled during the incident escaped from police and remains at large. Two other men, Marcyelle Smith, 19, and Deonte Brown, 18, were arrested and charged in Wednesday's incident. Smith was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and Brown was charged with no permit. Two firearms were collected as evidence, including one 'ghost gun', according to Newsham. A ghost gun is a term for an unregistered firearm that cannot be traced with serial numbers or other identifying marks. The ghost gun recovered by officers did not belong to Kay, Newsham said. In the wake of the fatal shooting, friends of Kay paid tribute to the teen on social media, sharing photos of him posing with weapons Kay had just turned 18 and had recently gotten into a high school equivalency program. He is pictured above with a friend A police statement on Wednesday included pictures of the handgun they say Kay had been carrying, as well of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested. In the wake of the fatal shooting, friends of Kay paid tribute to the teen on social media, sharing photos of him posing with weapons. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the shooting for the first time on Thursday after protesters gathered outside her home earlier this morning. 'We know how tragic any loss of life is in our city and I'd like to offer my condolences to the family of Deon Kay,' Bowser said, adding that the city is 'still gathering all the facts.' She said Kay's mother has been offered counseling support and was able to view the footage of the shooting before it was released. Earlier in the day, protesters gathered outside Bowser's Colonial Village home following a night of unrest in the District over the police-involved shooting. At least a dozen members of the Sunrise Movement DC gathered at daybreak holding signs reading, 'Defund or Resign' and 'No justice, no sleep', demanding Bowser fire Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham and defund the police department. Video shared on Twitter showed one protester speaking into a megaphone saying: 'If you don't defund the police then you shouldn't bother running for re-election.' It came hours after protesters staged a rally outside the mayor's home and the MPD's 7th District headquarters overnight. Activists from the Sunrise Movement rallied outside DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's home at daybreak on Thursday following overnight protests over the police shooting of Deon Kay At least a dozen protesters gathered outside the Colonial Village home holding signs reading, 'Defund or Resign' and 'No justice, no sleep', demanding Bowser fire MPD Chief Peter Newsham and defund the police DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (left) who has backed the BLM movement is yet to speak publicly on Wednesday's shooting. MPD Chief Peter Newsham (right) on Wednesday said it would be 'improper' to speculate on what prompted the officers to open fire, but he said two firearms were recovered from the scene. Body cam footage is expected to be released later today The demonstrators can be heard in a video posted by N2Sreports chanting: 'If we don't get no justice, you don't get no sleep.' They spent around an hour outside the property, arguing with cops who arrived at the request of a neighbor, before a larger police presence drove to the scene and they left. Police said Kay had been in possession of this gun Following the shooting, the local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, 'DC police murdered a black man today.' Earlier Kay's mother Natasha told The Washington Post: 'They took my baby, they just took my baby from me. I need my son back, I want my son back.' Kay, who had just turned 18, had recently gotten into a high school equivalency program, youth mentor Omar Jackson told the Post. He said the teen 'was trying to navigate through this chaotic situation out here' and 'get himself together.' 'I feel bad. My job is to keep him out of situations like this,' Jackson said. The shooting comes as police killings of black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform. Black Lives Matter D.C. on Wednesday tweeted: 'Don't let MPD control the narrative! Police lie! We're on our way.' Footage from the scene shows protesters confronting officers outside a police precinct. DC Council members reacted to the shooting on Twitter, demanding officials release bodycam footage to ensure 'accountability' Protesters confronted police officers outside of the 7th precinct to express their anger after Washington Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed a young black man in southeast DC The shooting prompted a late-night face-off between police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence Black Lives Matter protesters have gathered outside a police precinct in Washington DC after police shot and killed an 18-year-old black man Wednesday afternoon Washington D.C. saw violent protests in the weeks following police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota back in May, and the chaos re-erupted last Thursday, the final night of the Republican National convention, when six officers were hospitalized in demonstrations across the city. The unrest continued into Sunday night, with a group of heavily armored officers seen moving in on a hundred-strong crowd of protesters gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza shortly before midnight. Last week, a large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters also accosted white diners outside several Washington, D.C. restaurants, demanding that they raise their fists to show solidarity with the movement. Footage showing the demonstrators aggressively yelling at one woman in the Adams Morgan neighborhood went viral on social media and sparked a widespread backlash. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said of the shooting Wednesday afternoon that uniformed officers approached a vehicle, acting on information that there were weapons in a car in the area. The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence. The victim has been named Deon Kay, who just turned 18 Relatives identified the person killed as Deon Kay, who turned 18 years old last month Kay's aunt Marie McNeil, 57, said her nephew had told her he loved her when she last saw him Wednesday morning. Police had earlier tweeted: 'Preliminary information in reference to an MPD Officer Involved Shooting in the 200 blk of Orange St SE. An adult male was taken to a local hospital. A firearm has been recovered on the scene. Chief Newsham will provide an update momentarily.' The shooting comes a day after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she fears the US is 'descending into a race war'. Donald 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. It also comes in the wake of new police reform legislation in Washington, designed to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 19:18 | All, Japan The central Japan city of Sanjo registered a temperature of 40.4 C on Thursday, a national record high for September, as a wide area along the Sea of Japan coast witnessed extraordinary heat. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the intense heat in the city in Niigata Prefecture may have been caused by a Foehn wind -- a warm, dry gust periodically descending the leeward slope of a mountain. The agency also said warm air from the East China Sea blew toward Typhoon Maysak that moved north over the Sea of Japan. It was the first time that the mercury topped 40 C in Japan in September. The previous record for the month was 39.7 C registered in Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Sept. 2, 2000. Temperatures also soared Thursday in northeastern Japan cities along the coast, logging 39.1 C in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, according to the agency. Some other cities experienced temperatures over 38 C, such as Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, with 38.6 C. Many areas in prefectures including Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, Toyama and Ishikawa renewed their temperature records for September. The highest-ever temperature in Japan of 41.1 C was recorded last month in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and in Kumagaya in July 2018. The weather agency also warned that powerful Typhoon Haishen could reach waters around the Amami island chain in Japan's southwest as early as Sunday and pass through the Kyushu region. Related coverage: Heat wave poses challenge to medical system already hit by virus World faces intense heat wave amid continued coronavirus fears A former Cambridge University research fellow who worked in a top secret government laboratory has been jailed for sending fake poison to Theresa May. Christopher Doyle, 54, was today sentenced to two years and 10 months behind bars for posting the white powder to the then prime minister in 2018 and also for making indecent images of children. The package, which was addressed c/o The Nazi Party, also contained a cartoon of the Tory leader decapitated, a picture of former spy Alexander Litvinenko and a message tearing into Mrs May's Russia policy. The scientist, from Widnes, Cheshire, attempted to deliver the fake poison just a month after the Salisbury Novichok attack on Sergei Skripal, when the country was shocked by the use of chemical nerve agents on British soil. Doyle's hoax package was intercepted and the substance was later found to be harmless citric acid. But it sparked a counter-terrorism investigation that led to a raid on Doyle's house, where more than 245,000 indecent images of children were found on a laptop. Christopher Doyle, 54, (pictured) was today sentenced to two years and 10 months behind bars for posting the white powder to the then prime minister in 2018 and also for making indecent images of children The package addressed to Theresa May (pictured in 2019) was intercepted and the substance was later found to be harmless citric acid Sentencing Doyle at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Anil Murray said: 'Sergei Skripal had been poisoned just about a month before this letter was opened and so the issue of poisoning was high in the nation's consciousness. 'This was a serious offence intended by you to induce fear of danger to human life.' The mail was examined on April 5 2018 at a Swiss Post screening facility which had to be evacuated, the court heard. Specialist police said the envelope was stamped March 28 at Warrington Mail Centre and found DNA evidence on the stamp which led them to Doyle. Doyle who had a PhD in neuroscience and said he previously worked at Government facility Porton Down, denied sending the powder. The court heard he told officers he believed the powder may have been planted in the letter by MI5 or MI6. He also told police he had also written a letter to Boris Johnson criticising his attitude to Russia and a letter to then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in which he praised him. In a police interview following his arrest he claimed he had been a scientist 'with access to some of the most deadly agents on earth' in the 1990s, but had not worked since 2002. The scientist, from Widnes, Cheshire, attempted to deliver the fake poison just a month after the Salisbury Novichok attack on Sergei Skripal (right, with daughter Yulia), when the country was shocked by the use of chemical nerve agents on British soil Asked whether he put a fake toxin in the letter, he said that was 'pathetic' and he would 'rather be hung for a sheep than for a lamb', and could have included a real one. Grilled during the trial about this statement, he said: 'Yes, if I was going to do something crazy, I may as well go totally crazy.' The court heard that the scientist suffered from bipolar affective disorder and grown isolated, spending time in pro-Russian Facebook groups. The court heard that the scientist suffered from bipolar affective disorder and grown isolated, spending time in pro-Russian Facebook groups Mark Pritchard, defending, said Doyle had been living with agoraphobia since 2013 following the death of a friend. He said: 'He has gone from being a successful research fellow at Cambridge University to living in almost isolation. 'He has been in a bubble of pro-Russian Facebook groups to which he has been a member.' Judge Murray told the defendant: 'You are a highly intelligent man. You know the effects your condition has. These were not spur of the moment offences.' Joseph Allman, prosecuting, said when police raided Doyle's home in Fir Street they found more than 245,000 indecent images of children on a laptop. Doyle pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children but suggested to jurors many of them were legal and in fact 'beautiful and artistic'. Judge Murray said he did not accept Doyle's claim that he did not have them for his own sexual gratification. Doyle was also ordered to sign the sexual offenders' register and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. Doyle has a conviction for common assault in 1998, which he shrugged off as a minor scuffle when he was in 'the middle of a major breakdown'. The court today heard this assault was against his eight-year-old stepson. A holidaymaker from Wales has said he is seething that he and his family will have to quarantine upon their return from Crete and is pondering booking a hotel in England for two weeks to avoid it. While Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced there would be no changes to the countries on the quarantine exemption list in England on Thursday, the Welsh Government announced those returning to Wales from Portugal, Gibraltar and a number or Greek islands would need to isolate. Jonathan, from Cardiff, is staying with his wife and two children near Chania and was left angry by the decision of Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething and the devolved government to diverge from the UKs list. From 4am tomorrow, anyone arriving in Wales from the following Greek islands will have to self-isolate for 14 days: MykonosZante / ZakynthosLesvosParos and AntiparosCrete This is due to a rising number of coronavirus cases in these areas. pic.twitter.com/59HnlY13yE Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) September 3, 2020 He told the PA news agency: Its the lack of consistent messaging and management across the whole UK Government Im really angry about now and the fact theyve announced it at five oclock UK time, so 7pm theyve said youve got until 4am tomorrow to get home. I mean, what, am I supposed to charter a private jet to try and get me and my family home? Jonathan and his family are scheduled to fly back to London Gatwick on Tuesday with Tui. He said: Im almost at the point where Im thinking Im just going to book a Premier Inn or something in Bristol if it costs me five or six hundred pounds I dont really care, I can afford it, Ill do it and stay there and Ill just live my life as normal. Story continues Because if theres 196 people on that flight from England they can just go and live their life as normal, but because I live in Wales Vaughan Gething has said screw you, Im going to make you sit in your house for 14 days. Its a joke, an absolute joke. Jonathan believes the Government is being heavy-handed in its approach to the virus. Im more likely to die and kill my whole family in a car crash on the way home from Gatwick Airport than I am of dying from Covid, let alone infect a load of other people, he said. It is beyond sense that they are taking this approach and I am so angry at the Welsh government and the whole government at how theyre handling this pandemic because the whole country is being fed a load of rubbish in how this is being done, and Im fed up with it. A holidaymaker who spent nearly 1,000 changing her familys flights home from the Algarve to avoid having to quarantine has accused the Government of moving the goalposts left, right and centre after Portugal remained on the exempt list in England. Kelly, from Birmingham, who did not want her surname to be used, said she paid Jet2 900 to move her flights home from Faro from Saturday to Friday in anticipation of quarantine measures being reintroduced, to ensure her three children would not miss out on two weeks of school. We continue to keep the Travel Corridor list under constant review & won't hesitate to remove countries if needed. However, there are no English additions or removals today.Nonetheless, holidaymakers are reminded 14-day quarantine countries can & do change at very short notice Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 3, 2020 Kelly said the situation was absolutely disgusting, telling PA: Its cost us a lot more money and its money we didnt need to spend now. Weve lost an extra night in our villa we wont get that back weve got a hire car, so were taking that back a day early. Its the knock-on effects as well. Kelly said she and her husband took the decision to change their flights after monitoring the seven-day infection rate for Portugal, which reached 23 per 100,000 on Wednesday above the Governments stated quarantine threshold of 20. She said: The Government just change the goalposts left, right and centre at the moment. Its embarrassing. They dont make things clear enough. They say they need the rate under 20 and its gone above that this week, so why wouldnt you think it would go on the quarantine list tonight? You can guarantee if I hadnt have booked those flights on Monday, that air bridge would have been removed tonight. Mr Shapps said other factors, including the extent of testing and whether outbreaks are contained, are taken into account when considering changes to the list. 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 Unlock 4.0: Delhi hotels, restaurants, clubs can serve liquor from Sept 9; Do's and Dont's India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the national capital have been permitted to serve liquor from September 9, Delhi government said on Thursday. These establishments will have to follow COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Central government, they said. "Authorities have allowed hotels, restaurants and clubs to service liquor from September 9," a Delhi government source told PTI. The Delhi government also released a set of SoPs for people. Liquor-serving establishments will only be permitted to open in non-containment zones. While bars will finally reopen in Delhi, wearing masks will be mandatory in all such establishments. Bars and pubs will only be allowed to operate at 50 per cent seating capacity in order to ensure social distancing is maintained. The use of hand sanitizer will also be a must while availing these services. Those establishments found violating these guidelines will be sealed immediately. After a brief lull, Delhi has seen a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases over the last few days. Wednesday's 2,509 fresh cases pushed the city's tally to 1,79,569, while 19 more fatalities took the toll to 4,481, according to authorities. Asked if Delhi is heading towards a second wave of coronavirus infections, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, "You cannot say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases would have started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi. You should not stress about numbers." He said Delhi's case fatality ratio was 0.75 per cent on Wednesday, which is a good sign. "Overall, it is 2.5 per cent. Yesterday, it was less than one per cent, which is a good sign. At one time, it was 3.5 per cent," he added. Jain said the Delhi government is working to increase testing for COVID-19. Burma Myanmar President Removes Kayah State Chief Minister From Office for Misusing Funds Then-Kayah State Chief Minister L Phaung Sho delivers an address at the start of the state parliamentary session on Tuesday. He was removed from office on Thursday. / Kayah State Parliament YANGONMyanmar President U Win Myint on Thursday removed L Phaung Sho from his position as chief minister of Kayah State, two days after the states parliament voted to impeach him for misusing state funds. The now dismissed chief minister wrote on his Facebook page that the President forwarded the order to the state government on Thursday afternoon. Kayah State Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Minister U Bosco was appointed acting chief minister effective from the time the order was forwarded, L Phaung Sho said. The Kayah State parliament on Tuesday approved a motion to impeach L Phaung Sho of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), with 16 of 20 sitting lawmakers in the local legislature voting in support of the bid. According to the Myanmar Constitution, an impeachment proposal against a chief minister requires the support of at least two-thirds of state/regional parliamentarians to pass. Once it is approved, the parliaments resolution must be submitted to the countrys president, paving the way for the official removal of the chief minister. In the impeachment motion, L Phaung Sho was accused of misappropriating funds earned by the states heavy-machinery rental service and leasing a land plot that is the site of the 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. An investigation committee was formed to conduct an inquiry into the allegations. On Tuesday, the committee submitted its findings to the parliament, after which lawmakers voted on the motion. L Phaung Sho is the first chief minister to be impeached by a state parliament under constitutional procedures. I understand everything that is happening today. Those who love me will grieve for me and hateful people will applaud. But I am satisfied with the decision of my superiors. I can confidently say that I have worked hard for the development of the state since I was appointed chief minister in 2016, L Phaung Sho wrote in his farewell message. In May, Daw Lei Lei Maw, the dismissed former chief minister of Tanintharyi Region, also an NLD member, was jailed for corruption. You may also like these stories: NLD Chief Minister of Myanmars Kayah State Impeached Over 7,000 Apply to Run in Myanmars November Election Ex-Generals Still in as Myanmars Former Ruling Party Reveals Candidates for Upcoming Poll The Samsung Galaxy S20 family is going to welcome two more members any moment now. The Galaxy S20 Lite and the Galaxy S20 FE are right around the corner, as the latest set of leaks confirms. The S20 Lite moniker appeared on Samsung USA and Samsung Germany websites as part of the troubleshooting tutorial for the Gear 360 camera and its accompanying app. In the same time, the Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) has been certified at Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance with three variations - 4G and two 5G ones for Sub-6 and mmWave bands. Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite moniker Launching a Fan Edition of a popular phone is not a first for Samsung. Back in July 2017, the Korean company pushed the Note FE to its domestic market in South Korea, as a replacement for the cancelled Galaxy Note7. However, the three different versions clearly point to much wider availability this time around. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with 4G or 5G on Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance Via 1 Via 2 The Military Star card program is doubling the credit limit on its zero-interest Military Clothing Plan from $500 to $1,000 and extending the payment period from eight months to 12, according to a news release from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). It's the first time the limit has been raised since 1979. The Military Clothing Plan offers a zero-interest line of credit for active-duty soldiers, airmen and Marines, as well as Guard and Reserve members, to purchase uniforms. Sailors and Coast Guard members can get a promotional zero-interest plan under the card's standard retail credit line. Read next: The Next Major Battlefield Threat Facing US Troops May Be Undetectable "Raising the Military Clothing Plan's credit limit strengthens the Military Star card's ability to help service members responsibly build credit while giving them greater flexibility to pay for their required uniforms," Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, AAFES' senior enlisted adviser, said in a statement. The move will help soldiers purchase the new Army Green Service Uniform, which is scheduled to be available in most stateside Army Military Clothing stores by December and at overseas locations by March 2021, the release states. Approximately 474,000 soldiers, airmen and Marines worldwide are eligible for the line of credit, it adds. Uniform purchases through the Military Clothing Plan include: Defense Logistics and Troop Support (DLAT)-procured issue military clothing items and footwear. DLAT organizational clothing and individual equipment items. The Army Green Service Uniform, which is procured directly by the exchange Exchange commercial uniform clothing, undergarments, insignia and footwear to be worn with the uniform. The Military Star card can be used at all military exchanges and commissaries. Visit MyECP.com for more information. -- Bing Xiao can be reached at bingxiao2020@u.northwestern.edu. Related: Here's the Lineup of Bases Next to Get the Army Greens Uniform The mother of a Northern Ireland teenager who went abroad on holiday has told how her family have been left feeling "victimised" after police 'dressed like spacemen' arrived on her doorstep to question her son. Tara Flanagan from Enniskillen said that her son, Aidan (19), has been in quarantine since returning during the early hours of Sunday morning. Despite not flouting the rules, she insists her son and family have been subjected to an online "witch hunt" based on misinformation and false rumour. Aidan had spent a week on a popular island destination with two friends. One was from England and another from Northern Ireland, who later tested positive for Covid-19 and who was supposed to be self-isolating and had breached quarantine rules. Read More Tara, who is also self-isolating, said she has been left "traumatised" after a police officer arrived at her home around 11.30pm on Tuesday evening. The officer, accompanied by a colleague, then proceeded to question her son, who was placed under caution, she claimed. She explained that she believes the police were acting on misinformation, namely that Aidan had been out with his friend in the pub, in breach of the regulations. However, she said that Aidan urged the officer to check the CCTV of the pub which would prove he was not there. Tara said the officers then left and they have not been in touch since. There was a massive knock at the door. I went to the window and all I saw was basically a man in what I could describe as a spacesuit. It was like something out of NASA Tara Flanagan The PSNI has defended its use of PPE, including protective clothing and face masks, which had alarmed the family, insisting it has a "duty to protect its officers and the community", adding that complaints regarding the conduct of officers can be made to the Police Ombudsman. The mother of two said Aidan has been in quarantine since arriving home during the early hours of Sunday morning. She explained that he has only left once to travel in his car to a drive-thru Covid testing facility to undergo a test, remaining in his vehicle the entire time. Expand Close Aidan's mother Tara / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aidan's mother Tara The 46-year-old revealed the test result was positive, but said her son was asymptomatic. She praised her son's decision to get tested, saying he acted responsibly and in line with guidance. Currently anyone arriving into Northern Ireland from certain specified destinations overseas are required to quarantine for 14 days. Anyone who fails to comply risks a fine. On Thursday a leading doctor warned that too many people returning from holiday believe they do not have to quarantine if they are tested and receive a negative result. Recalling the police visit, Tara said: "There was a massive knock at the door. I went to the window and all I saw was basically a man in what I could describe as a spacesuit. It was like something out of NASA. Expand Close Tara's son Aidan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tara's son Aidan "There was nothing to indicate that he was a police officer. He was waving something at me and the next thing again he's banging on the door really loudly. "I was traumatised by the way they turned up the way they did. It took me a good hour to settle myself afterwards." Tara said the online backlash directed at Aidan's friend, who failed to self-isolate, was also affecting her family, insisting that some of the comments were "complete lies". "The backlash has been brutal. We feel like we've been victimised. He's done the right thing. He's a very sensible lad. He got the test off his own bat because he thought it was the right thing to do," she added. She referred to one social media comment which appeared to make physical threats. "One person had commented that they need to be pulled from their houses, the house burned and then stoned. "I think they may be referring to the other boy, but they could be extending that to us," she added. "It's just horrifying. We did the right thing. How many people come back home from holiday and don't isolate? They don't follow the rules, they don't get tested." Tara added that now she wants the PSNI to clarify the situation regarding the caution. "He's really concerned that it would go on a permanent record that he's got a caution for something that he hasn't done. "Aidan's a trainee electrician and this could affect him getting work. I want his name cleared." Fermanagh and Omagh District Commander, Superintendent Clive Beatty said: "The safety of our officers and keeping people safe is of paramount importance to us. Expand Close PSNI Supt Clive Beatty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PSNI Supt Clive Beatty "On that basis, when our officers are tasked to respond to, or deal with an issue in relation to Covid-19 we have a duty to not only protect our officers, but we also have a duty to protect the community and all those we may come into contact with. "This means that officers dealing with Covid-related issues wear appropriate PPE, which can range from a face mask and gloves to full protective equipment." SYDNEY/DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has struck a deal with Airbus SE to delay delivery of airplanes due to the pandemic-induced travel downturn but remains in talks with Boeing Co about deferrals, the airline's chief executive said on Wednesday. 'We have the ability to bring forward the deliveries if there is a rebound in air travel,' Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said of the Airbus deal at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, without providing further details. Al-Baker said the airline had not reached an agreement with Boeing SYDNEY/DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways has struck a deal with Airbus SE to delay delivery of airplanes due to the pandemic-induced travel downturn but remains in talks with Boeing Co about deferrals, the airline's chief executive said on Wednesday. "We have the ability to bring forward the deliveries if there is a rebound in air travel," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said of the Airbus deal at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, without providing further details. Al-Baker said the airline had not reached an agreement with Boeing. "As far as Boeing is concerned we are still in negotiations with them, but regardless of what they feel an aircraft manufacturer needs to oblige customers in difficult times," he said. "People who will not oblige and stand with us in this difficult time will not see us again." Qatar Airways said in June it would not take any new planes ordered from Boeing or Airbus in 2020 or 2021, adding there would be a knock-on effect to future deliveries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline has 27 A350-1000s and 50 A321neos on order, according to the Airbus website. It has also ordered 60 777X planes, five 777 freighters and 23 787-9s from Boeing, the U.S. manufacturer's website said. Qatar Airways had also ordered 737 MAX jets for its part-owned carrier Air Italy before its collapse and it is in talks with Boeing about those planes, al-Baker said. Airbus and Boeing did not respond immediately to requests for comment. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai, editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A 31-year-old British care worker is one of only five people in the world to have tested positive twice for Covid-19. The woman, who has not been identified, has been tested for Covid-19 five times over the past five months. On two occasions, she tested positive for the disease. A 31-year-old British woman is the fifth person to test positive for Covid-19 for a second time, file photograph The unnamed mother of two said she was surprised by the second diagnosis as she was not experiencing the symptoms she had during her first time with the disease. FIle photo The mother-of-two from Reading, Berkshire, told The Sun: 'I always thought that if you develop coronavirus once then you are immune after that, but maybe Im a special case. 'When I caught it the first time, it was almost expected given the nature of my job. But I never expected to get it twice.' She said she first became symptomatic in March, with a shortness of breath, high temperature and raised blood pressure. She had her first Covid-19 test in early April and was confirmed to have the disease. She was tested again a fortnight later and was negative. She became symptomatic in June and was sent to hospital where she was tested, providing a negative result. As she works in a care home, the mother was asked to remain at home until her condition improved - despite the second negative test. WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT IMMUNITY TO COVID-19? Scientists still do not know for sure whether people can catch Covid-19 more than once or if they become immune after their first infection. With some illnesses such as chickenpox, the body can remember exactly how to destroy it and becomes able to fend it off before symptoms start if it gets back into the body. But it is so far unclear if people who have had coronavirus can get it again. Tests have shown that many people who recover have antibodies - which can produce future immunity - but it is not known whether there are enough of them. However, antibodies are only one type of substance that can produce immunity. The immune system is a huge web of proteins that have different functions to protect the body against infection. Others, including white blood cells called T cells and B cells, can also help the body to fight off disease but are more difficult to discover using currently available tests. Evidence is beginning to suggest that antibodies disappear in as little as eight weeks after infection with the coronavirus, scientifically called SARS-Cov-2. On the other hand, T cells - which target and destroy cells already infected with the virus - are 'durable', Professor Altmann said. A promising study done on monkeys found that they were unable to catch Covid-19 a second time after recovering from it, which led scientists to believe the same may apply to humans. The rhesus monkeys were deliberately reinfected by scientists in China to test how their bodies reacted. Because the coronavirus has only been known to scientists for seven months there has not been enough time to study whether people develop long-term immunity. But, so far, cases of people getting infected more than once have not been numerous nor convincing. Advertisement A fortnight ago she tested Covid positive for the second time. She told The Sun: 'I really wasnt well when I contracted this disease in April. It left me in bed for over a week. Once I had successfully self-isolated and recovered, I went and got tested again. 'As I expected, I was negative and I thought that would be the end of it. I hadnt heard of anyone getting it twice. I planned to go back to work and before I did, I took another test. I had no symptoms. I got the occasional headache of an evening but that is the only thing I could think of that was any different.' She said did not have shortness of breath or have a fever. On Monday, she took a fifth test at home and is now expecting to be negative again. She said she has been self-isolating but couldn't believe that she had contracted the disease a second time. She hopes the latest test will come back negative again as she has not been able to care for her children properly since April. For the past six months she has spent most of her time corresponding with her family over Zoom. A 33-year-old man in Hong Kong became the first person to become infected by Covid-19 after he developed two different strains. Genetic analysis revealed his second infection, which he caught on a trip to Europe, was caused by a different strain of the virus. All viruses including SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the pandemic mutate over time. Analysing the DNA of pathogens can spot any changes, which can make them weaker or deadlier. Doctors warned their findings prove 're-infection can occur just a few months after recovery'. They said it was likely immunity is short-lived and that antibodies against Covid-19 fade quickly. But the unidentified man did not have symptoms of Covid-19 the second time he was only discovered through screening at an airport. This may suggest he had some level of immunity that protected him from severe disease, experts say. Covid-19 survivors can be reinfected twice, according to doctors in Hong Kong who report the first known case Hopes of long-lasting immunity have been hampered in recent months by several reports that have claimed to show people being struck down with the coronavirus twice. But until now, scientists have reiterated that cases of re-infection were more likely down to a fault with testing, or that inactive particles of the virus are still present in the body of patients months after they beat the illness. LAKEWOOD, CO / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / General Moly, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE American:GMO)(TSX:GMO), the only western-exchange listed, pure-play molybdenum mineral development company, today announced that on September 1, 2020, it entered into a binding letter of intent with Pathfinder Minerals LLC, a Nevada corporation ("Pathfinder"), for the sale by the Company of Liberty Moly LLC and all assets owned by the Company that constitute the Liberty Project. Pathfinder paid the Company $1,000,000 in cash upon execution of the letter of intent. Upon execution of a definitive Purchase Agreement and transfer of title on or before September 15, 2020, Pathfinder will make an additional payment of $1,000,000 to the Company. A further $1,000,000 will be payable on completion of commissioning of a production plant of any metal commodity on the property. The Company will retain a 3% net smelter return royalty on molybdenum production from the property. Notwithstanding this transaction, the Company still has a significant working capital deficit and there remains substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. If the Company is unable to find an additional source of funding, it will be forced to cease operations and pursue restructuring or liquidation alternatives, including the filing for bankruptcy protection, in which event the Company's common stock would likely become worthless and investors would likely lose their entire investment in the Company. In addition, holders of the Company's outstanding convertible preferred stock and senior notes would likely receive significantly less than the principal amount of their claims and possibly, no recovery at all. As of the date of this news release, the Company has no commitments for additional funding and there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining the financing required to complete the Mt. Hope Project, or in raising additional financing in the future on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all. About General Moly General Moly is a U.S.-based, molybdenum mineral exploration and development company listed on the NYSE American, recently known as the NYSE MKT and former American Stock Exchange, and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol GMO. The Company's primary asset, an 80% interest in the Mt. Hope Project located in central Nevada, is considered one of the world's largest and highest grade molybdenum deposits. General Moly's goal is to become the largest primary molybdenum producer in the world. Molybdenum is a metallic element used primarily as an alloy agent in steel manufacturing. When added to steel, molybdenum enhances steel strength, resistance to corrosion and extreme temperature performance. In the chemical and petrochemical industries, molybdenum is used in catalysts, especially for cleaner burning fuels by removing sulfur from liquid fuels, and in corrosion inhibitors, high performance lubricants and polymers. About Pathfinder Pathfinder is a private, junior exploration and development company based in Reno. Contact: Scott Roswell (303) 928-8591 info@generalmoly.com Website: www.generalmoly.com Forward-Looking Statements Statements herein that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, expected, or implied by the Company. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to availability of cash to continue ongoing operations and the possibility of seeking bankruptcy protection, that COVID-19 is having and will continue to have an effect on financing efforts to improve liquidity, availability of insurance, metals price and production volatility, global economic conditions, currency fluctuations, increased production costs and variances in ore grade or recovery rates from those assumed in mining plans, exploration risks and results, reclamation risks, political, operational and project development risks, ability to maintain required federal and state permits to continue construction, and commence production of molybdenum, copper, silver, lead or zinc, ability to identify any economic mineral reserves of copper, silver, lead or zinc; ability of the Company to obtain approval of its joint venture partner at the Mt. Hope Project in order to mine for molybdenum, copper, silver, lead or zinc, ability to raise required project financing or funding to pursue an exploration program related to potential copper, silver lead or zinc deposits at Mt. Hope, ability to respond to adverse governmental regulation and judicial outcomes, and ability to maintain and /or adjust estimates related to cost of production, capital, operating and exploration expenditures. For a detailed discussion of risks and other factors that may impact these forward looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors and other discussion contained in the Company's quarterly and annual periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K, on file with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements. SOURCE: General Moly, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604632/General-Moly-Announces-Entry-into-Letter-of-Intent-to-Sell-the-Liberty-Project Bars in the national capital region will open from September 7 after being closed for over five months as part of the coronavirus lockdown, the government announced on Thursday. The move comes in the light of Unlock 4.0, the fourth stage of gradual reopening of the Indian economy, that came into effect on September 1. The Centre had allowed the reopening of bars under the Unlock 4.0 guidelines issued on August 29. Also read: Covid-19: Home Ministry issues fresh guidelines for Unlock 4 Lieutenant General Anil Baijal approved the Delhi governments recommendations and allowed for the bars to open. The government has laid out standard operating procedures (SOPs) in this regard. SOPs to be followed: Bars in containment zones will not open. People will be allowed to enter bars only if they are wearing masks. Hand sanitisers and thermal screening procedures are a must at bar entrances. Frequent sanitisation of the premises to be carried out without fail. Social distancing norms are to be followed. Not more than 50 percent of the seating capacity of bars to be utilised. Only asymptomatic staff members and customers will be allowed to enter the bar. Proper disposal of face covers/masks to be ensured. Posters on preventive measures to be undertaken against the coronavirus crisis should be displayed prominently at the bars. In case of violation of the above SOP, the owner of the bar will be punished under Sections 51 and 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Legal action will also be taken against them under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, the guidelines issued by the government said. Burma Myanmars Military Blamed for Rakhine Civilian Deaths and Disrupting COVID-19 Quarantine Sittwe. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy Sittwe, Rakhine State A village administrator in Kyauktaw Township in war-torn Rakhine State has accused Myanmars military of disrupting COVID-19 quarantine in his village. Troops arrived at Thazi on Monday evening and detained villagers, including 18 people in COVID-19 quarantine. The troops held them for one day at a monastery in a neighboring village for questioning about a missing soldier, according to village administrator U Mya Tun. There were 18 people in quarantine in our village. We kept them at the school under instructions from the township health department. And there was a family [in which the mother] had returned from Sittwe after giving birth. On humanitarian grounds, we kept them in isolation at their house. They were also detained by the troops and the quarantine was disrupted, the village administrator told The Irrawaddy. Those in quarantine had returned from Sittwe, China, Yangon and Muse, he said. The men were quarantined at the school and women are quarantined in houses, said U Mya Tun. Daw Ma Aye Ohn, who gave birth to twins at Sittwe Township Hospital, said: I was in quarantine for around six days since I returned from Sittwe after giving birth. The troops arrived and asked us to leave our house. They didnt listen that we were in quarantine. They beat people who were reluctant to go out so we left quickly and followed them. The same day, a 40-year-old man from Kyaukgusu Village in Kyauktaw was allegedly shot dead by Myanmars military. A 27-year-old man from Shwepyi Village also died of gunshot wounds the following day with residents blaming Myanmars military. Among those who were detained were three women and three children who were in quarantine with me. The soldiers didnt listen to us. They beat those who were reluctant to leave. The soldiers beat those who were late leaving their homes. One of the women was beaten and her head was bruised, Ma Aye Khaing Hsan from Thazi Village, who was in quarantine, told The Irrawaddy. The military denied the allegations that it killed civilians and disrupted quarantine. Major General Zaw Min Tun of the military-run Tatmadaw True News Information Team said a soldier was arrested by the Arakan Army (AA) while going to a river to bathe on Monday evening. Troops searched for him in Kyaukgusu because they heard that he was taken there. [Thazi] does not have many residents. Under whose orders and supervision are they conducting quarantine? Would you believe whatever they claim and that they were in quarantine? It appears that we have to ask how many quarantine centers there are [when we visit a village], he added. As the Tatmadaw (military) searched for the soldier on Tuesday, Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun said they found a man laying landmines near Shwepyi. The troops shot at him as he ran away and an improvised mine and a grenade were seized, said the military spokesman. On Aug. 27, a male Shanywa villager and a female Apaukwa villager in Kyauktaw were allegedly shot dead by the military. The government in Naypyitaw has issued a stay-at-home order in Rakhine but northern Rakhine residents have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing clashes between Myanmars military and the AA. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Myanmars Suu Kyi Warns of Jail Terms for COVID-19 Rule Breakers Rohingya Detainee in Ayeyarwady Tests COVID-19 Positive Myanmar Civil Servants Offered COVID-19 Loans Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (28) Vedanta Resources on Wednesday (2 September) said the book value of the equity share of its Indian subsidiary as per the delisting regulations is Rs 89.38 per share. The book value has been extracted from from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Vedanta. The company's book value was reviewed by the advisors of VRL and is calculated by dividing the net worth of Vedanta's equity by its total number of outstanding equity shares. Book value signifies the intrinsic value of the company's shares as on a particular date. So the book value price sets an indicative floor price for reverse book building process. VRL said that it will, at the appropriate times, take the necessary steps to proceed with the delisting offer as required under the delisting regulations. On 12 May 2020, Vedanta Resources announced its intention to voluntary delist Vedanta in accordance with Sebi delisting regulations. In June 2020, Vedanta said it had received shareholders' nod for delisting the shares of the company. As on 30 June 2020, the promoter & promoter group held 50.14 stake in Vedanta while the remaining 49.49% stake was held by public shareholders. Vedanta, a subsidiary of VRL, is one of the world's leading diversified natural resource companies with business operations in India, South Africa, Namibia and Australia. On a consolidated basis, Vedanta reported a net loss of Rs 12,521 crore in Q4 March 2020 as against net profit of Rs 2,615 crore in Q4 March 2019. The profit was impacted by exceptional loss of Rs 17,132 crore in Q4 FY20 due to impairment of assets at oil & gas, copper and iron ore business. The scrip fell 1.14% to Rs 129.60 on the BSE. It traded in the range of 126.60 and 130.55 so far during the day. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Homeland Security Department has warned in a new intelligence bulletin Thursday that Russia is seeking to 'amplify' attacks on the nation's mail-in voting system as part of its influence campaign. News of the bulletin broke Thursday, a day when President Donald Trump once again attacked mail-in voting, as he has been doing for months. The president urged followers to vote by mail and then go to their polling place on election day and vote if their prior vote was not yet tabulated due to the 'massive number' of unsolicited and solicited ballots. The bulletin was titled: ''Russia Likely to Continue Seeking to Undermine Faith in U.S. Electoral Process.' A new Homeland Security bulletin warns that 'Russia Likely to Continue Seeking to Undermine Faith in U.S. Electoral Process' through attacks on mail-in voting 'We assess that Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote-by-mail and shifting voting process amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to undermine public trust in the electoral process,' the agency writes. It warned that 'Russian state media and proxy websites in mid-August 2020 criticized the integrity of expanded and universal vote-by-mail, claiming ineligible voters could receive ballots due to out-of-date voter rolls, leaving a vast amount of ballots unaccounted for and vulnerable to tampering.' 'These websites also alleged that vote-by-mail processes would overburden the U.S. Postal Service and local boards of election,' the bulletin warns, 'delaying vote tabulation and creating more opportunities for fraud and error.' The very topic represents a 'target for foreign malign influence operations' according to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis. The briefing was obtained by ABC News. President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting Voters drop their ballot at the drop box at Broward County Supervisor of Election Headquarters in Lauderhill, Florida, U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 Trump has attacked vote-by-mail and says it will lead to the election to be 'rigged' in favor of Democrat Joe Biden A workers prepares absentee ballots for mailing at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. North Carolina is scheduled to begin sending out more than 600,000 requested absentee ballots to voters on Friday The assessment says it was made with 'high confidence.' An August 19 article in Kremlin-backed RT site is headlined: 'How is the US election going to be any more legitimate than the rigged Belarus vote?' The op-ed article, which lambastes a series of aspects of the U.S. election system, argues: 'One way around the exit poll problem is mail-in ballots, which come with myriad opportunities for fraud that the media establishment would have Americans believe are mere figments of the presidents imagination. From ballot harvesting to ballot stuffing to mere incompetence, the risks to a fair election posed by mail-in voting are nearly as many as posed by proprietary electronic voting machines.' The agency issued the bulletin a day after the network reported that another draft bulletin on the election, 'Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,' had yet to come out after getting sent for further review immediately after being circulated. This bulletin echoed another of Trump's attacks going after rival Joe Biden's mental ability. On Wednesday, Attorney General Bill Barr told CNN he expected Russia to once again try to interfere in the U.S. elections. 'It wouldn't surprise me if Russia tries something again of the same general genre.' he said. Barr cited 'preliminary activity' and referenced both 'hack and dump' operations and social media campaigns. House Intelligence chair Rep. Adam Schiff of California issued a blistering statement after the bulletin was revealed. 'The new bulletin from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis underscores two concerning facts: First, as the Intelligence Community confirmed last month, Russia is once again seeking to interfere in our elections and sow distrust in our democratic process,' Schiff said in a statement. 'And second, among the range of measures it is pursuing, Russia is echoing destructive and false narratives around vote by mail that President Trump and his enablers, including Attorney General Barr, have been aggressively promoting,' he added. DHS held back on releasing an intelligence warning to law enforcement agencies that Russia was pushing out political attacks on Democrat Joe Biden's mental health a line that President Trump himself has promoted, it was revealed Wednesday. After receipt of the bulletin citing 'allegations about the poor mental health' of Biden, a senior aide advised to withhold its release pending review by DHS head Chad Wolf, who is serving in an acting capacity. He is now Trump's nominee to lead the agency but lacks Senate confirmation. The draft bulletin being circulated was titled: 'Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,' and was intended to alert law enforcement to keep on the lookout, according to ABC News, which obtained internal emails about the document. In the document, U.S. analysts stated their 'high confidence' that 'Russian malign influence actors are likely to continue denigrating presidential candidates through allegations of poor mental or physical health to influence the outcome of the 2020 election.' The examples they provided were about Biden and about Hillary Clinton in 2016. 'Russian state media RT and Sputnik and a Russian proxy website between September 2019 and May 2020 posted allegations about the poor mental health of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden,' the report said. 'For example, the proxy website in March 2020 refuted media claims that the candidate's gaffes are a result of a stutter, instead arguing these verbal miscues are symptoms of dementia.' Suzanne Morphew's brother is organizing his own search for the Colorado mom who's been missing since Mother's Day as he says he suspects foul play in her disappearance. Andrew Moorman held a vigil for his sister in her hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, over the weekend, where he announced his plan to recruit more than 1,000 volunteers for a five-day search. 'I've got to find my little sister, and I have to bring closure to my family,' Moorman said, according to the Herald Bulletin. 'We were quiet for a while because the investigators asked that of us, but it's time now to rally the troops and go west and find her.' Moorman enlisted the help of Profiling Evil, a team of criminal behavior and intelligence experts who have consulted on high-profile homicide and kidnapping investigations, in setting up his independent search. Suzanne, 49, was reported missing on May 10 after she went out for a bike ride near her home in Salida, Colorado, and never returned. Her brother has expressed frustration with the investigation that has failed to find his sister four months later. 'It's been rough,' Moorman said during the vigil on Saturday. 'We just can't get any closure on this thing. The investigators don't let loose of very much information. They protect a lot of it for investigative purposes, and that's been rough.' Andrew Moorman (left) is organizing his own search for his sister Suzanne Morphew (right), who went missing near her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother's Day Moorman held a vigil (pictured) for his sister in her hometown of Alexandria, Indiana, on Saturday, where he announced his plan to recruit 1,000 volunteers for a five-day search As the case drags on, Moorman said he's increasingly convinced that foul play is involved. 'Suzanne would never leave her home or her daughters, there's just no way, and she's hidden way too well,' he said. 'A robber doesn't do that, this is something other than that.' Moorman's search is tentatively scheduled to take place between September 23 and 28. Dozens of people in the Alexandria area have already signed on to help, CBS4 reported. 'We're not gonna quit looking until we find my little sister,' the brother told Chris McDonough and Mike King of Profiling Evil in an interview. 'If I have to put on the largest manhunt ever known to man, I'll do it. 'We've been quiet because we did not want to fudge up and investigation. But now, I'm telling you right now, we'll stop at nothing to find my little sister. 'I want to give her a proper burial or a homecoming, which ever it will be.' 'I've got to find my little sister, and I have to bring closure to my family,' Moorman said at the vigil. 'It's time now to rally the troops and go west and find her' Moorman is seen with his sister Suzanne in an old photo. The brother says he suspects foul play in the 49-year-old's disappearance Moorman spoke publicly about the case last week in an interview with Fox News, where he pleaded with Suzanne's husband, Barry Morphew, to cooperate with authorities leading the case. On the day that Suzanne disappeared, Barry was reportedly 150 miles away in Broomfield, a Denver suburb, working on a landscaping job for transport company RTD-Denver. He has denied any involvement in his wife's disappearance, and refutes claims that he has refused to take a polygraph test. But his brother-in-law Moorman challenged that assertion in his interview on August 24 when he said Barry should do more to help with the investigation. 'Please, Barry, if you could see this, I would really love it if you would take the time to revisit the authorities and go over everything once again ... Take a voice analysis and a lie detector test and clear yourself,' Moorman said. 'Put my mind at ease and everybody out there's mind at ease if you want to shut the rumors down. That's the way you do it. You need to find your wife. That should be your only goal is to find your wife and whatever you're asked to do by the authorities is what you should. If you're not guilty, step up to the plate.' The search for Suzanne has focused on her $1.5million home in Salida (pictured) Suzanne's husband Barry (above together) has denied any involvement in her disappearance Despite the fact that Barry was out of town when Suzanne vanished, the couple's home quickly became the focus of the police investigation, with CSI specialists seen carrying evidence bags into the property in photos taken by DailyMail.com two days later. Investigators searched the property again in July, and said at the time that they hadn't ruled anyone out as a suspect. Last week, Barry claimed that he'd given 30 hours of interviews to police and accused them of botching the initial investigation. Jeff Puckett (pictured) told DailyMail.com that he took over Barry's Holiday Inn hotel room on May 10 and found it scattered with wet towels and stinking of chlorine And on Wednesday, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that a co-worker of Barry's took over his Holiday Inn hotel room on May 10 and found it scattered with wet towels and stinking of chlorine. Jeff Puckett, 49, of Salida, said he was ordered to Denver by Barry that morning but didn't see him because he had already left 'due to a family emergency'. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Puckett told DailyMail.com: 'I got there Sunday night and the room smelled like chlorine real bad. 'It was his room and he'd taken a shower his towels were all over the floor.' A manager at the $92-a-night property confirmed to DailyMail.com that they do not use chlorine to clean guest rooms and have handed security footage from the weekend of May 9 to police. Puckett also said he discovered a pile of mail in the room including a letter about property insurance and later turned it over to the FBI. He said: 'I found some mail in the hotel room. His mail was in there and I gave it to the FBI. I thought it was kind of odd to have it there. 'Some of it was from an insurance company, like insuring your property, that kind of thing.' A manager at the Holiday Inn hotel (pictured) confirmed to DailyMail.com that they do not use chlorine to clean guest rooms DailyMail.com can also reveal Barry was granted guardianship of Suzanne in order to sell a property in their native Indiana on Tuesday after a 30-minute Zoom hearing. Despite being told the landscaping work was urgent, Puckett told DailyMail.com that he arrived to find no tools and was left to wait around the hotel for two days never actually visiting the job site. He said he returned to Salida on the Tuesday after Suzanne disappeared and has not heard from Barry since, although he was paid. As a result, he says the experience has left him suspicious. 'It's kind of weird,' he told DailyMail.com. My first thought was that this must be like an alibi. That's what it felt like.' He added: 'I hope they find her alive but it's been a long time.' All of Puckett's information has been passed to police by DailyMail.com. Suzanne and her husband Barry are pictured with their daughters, Mallory and Macy, in an old social media snap Barry released a video pleading for his wife's safe return one week after she went missing, saying: 'Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we'll do whatever it takes to bring you back. 'We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked. However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you. I want you back so bad.' Barry then avoided media interviews for three months until finally opening up to Fox29 last week and denying any involvement in her disappearance. The 52-year-old, who refused to speak on camera or be recorded, also mooted several theories about what could have happened to her, including an animal attack or a stranger abduction. The investigation is led by the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Authorities say they've received more than 600 tips about Suzanne's disappearance - which is still considered to be a missing persons case. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at (719) 312-7530. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. Its been almost six years since Thekra Al-Ghaffari has received a paycheck. As a vice principal at a secondary school in Yemens Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, Ghaffari is working to keep the school doors open despite enormous challenges. Since the countrys civil war broke out in 2015, the schools enrollment has dropped by 50%, Ghaffari said, and nearly 40% of teachers have left, as staff members have not been paid. A cholera outbreak in 2016 added to the pressure for teachers and students to stay home. Now, the global coronavirus pandemic is further dwindling their numbers. The new school year begins on Saturday amid an ongoing civil war and global pandemic. Ghaffari expects enrollment and teaching staff to drop even further. But many educators like Ghaffari, who has two children of her own, continue to return to their classrooms despite not being paid. We believe that those students, if they dont have their education, our children wont have their education too, so we have to help each other, she said. I believe that Im also responsible for the other kids. I think that theyre all my children. If I dont go and my principal doesnt go and other teachers wont go, whos going to open the school? This is my challenge. Representative image The Delhi government has allowed bars in Delhi to reopen from September 9 onward. To this effect, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on September 3 released a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Only hotels, clubs and other liquor-serving establishments outside containment zones in the city have been permitted to resume services. Bars and clubs are allowed to operate at a maximum 50 percent of the approved seating capacity, with entry limited to asymptomatic staff and customers. The guidelines note that adequate manpower should be deployed to ensure that social distancing is maintained. Moreover, all staff are required to wear gloves and face masks. It also added that no standing customer shall be served. This comes on a day when the national capital has reported 2,737 new cases of COVID-19, the biggest single-day spike in fresh infections in over two months. The highest ever single-day spike in Delhi was 3,947 cases reported on June 23. The city has recorded over 1.82 lakh cases of coronavirus infection so far, with the death toll at 4,500. In a video captured on Sunday, an African priest collapsed and died wearing a face mask in the midst of preaching the Word of God. Rev. Father Jude Had His Face Mask On During Homily He was identified as Rev. Jude and served as the spiritual director of Cameroon's Catholic Men Association. Donning the face mask, he was speaking to his parish from the pulpit when he collapsed to the floor in Cameroon in the city of Douala during Sunday's mass. He delivered his sermon to the believers' assemblage in French. Prior to his death, the priest halted for a moment. His speech gradually slowed down before he came to a long pause, seemingly having difficulty breathing. The priest's eyes droop then rolled back as he shakes on the spot. He collapsed on the altar a few seconds later with other priests seen dashing to his aid. The tragic incident transpired on 30 August when he died on the spot. Screams from the congregation ensued. Footage of Incident The video was posted on Twitter by Atty. Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission. Odinkalu captioned the clip with the message, "Rev. Fr Jude., CMA, Spiritual Director of CMA Deido, in Cameroon's commercial capital, Douala, was preaching the Homily at Mass earlier today when this happened. RIP." The trending video displayed the priest breathing heavily into the microphone before he collapsed. It was not made clear whether the African priest had pre-existing health conditions and whether the local authorities are probing into his sudden death. His fellow clergymen who rushed to his aid were also clad with face masks. Also Read: Italian Priest Who Died from Coronavirus DID NOT Give His Ventilator to Younger Patient Social Media Users React Social media users were stunned with one user writing, "Oh my God! Right at the pulpit while preaching a sermon!?" The said user wished for his soul to rest in peace and for God to grant him eternal rest, reported Daily Mail. Another user wrote that life is short and unbelievable. "That man must have left his house with the hopes of returning to a wife and children. The life is short, just live it right when you can." "Can you observe a man wiping off sweat from his face because the room was stuffy, coupled with talking with face mask on. Yes, probably with an underlying condition. That is why I will remove my face mask if I can't breathe comfortably when having it on. Life has no duplicate!" a Twitter netizen wrote, reported India Times. Coronavirus Has Taken Many Priests' Lives As of May this year, among the estimated more than 80,000 Americans and 5,000 Canadians who have died from the novel coronavirus are numerous Catholic priests, sisters, and brothers. The first reported fatality of a Catholic priest from the coronavirus was Rev. Jorge Ortiz-Garay, the pastor of St. Brigid's Church in Brooklyn, New York. He died on March 27 at the age of 49. #LifeIsShort pic.twitter.com/dDGlA5mC98 Chidi Odinkalu (@ChidiOdinkalu) August 30, 2020 Rev. Fr Jude., CMA, Spiritual Director of CMA Diedo, in Cameroon's commercial capital, Douala, was preaching the Homily at Mass earlier today when this happened. #RIP Related Article: Why Are Christians Marked With Ashes on Ash Wednesday @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inango Systems, an Israeli software company specializing in innovative solutions for communications systems, announced it has added OpenSync support to its Virtual Services solution. OpenSync is a multi-industry open source software initiative that provides a framework for open service curation, delivery, management and support. "By adding OpenSync support to our Virtual Services solution we are able to significantly extend the number of end-user services for those customers using OpenSync enabled CPEs without the need for any CPE software upgrade," said Jonathan Masel, CEO and founder of Inango. "We are excited to support this important open source initiative in the industry." Inango Virtual Services Launcher, a Service Orchestrator, allows Service Providers to add end-user services (Wi-Fi analysis, Wi-Fi management, IoT protection, SDWAN light and many more) to CPE devices without the need for any software changes on the device and in a fully automated way. The benefit is a significantly reduced time to market for new services, far better scale and maintenance procedures, resulting in huge cost savings - both up-front and on-going. Next to OpenSync, Virtual Services continues to support existing Openflow clients and its own Virtual Services client. Virtual Services, taking the complexity and cost out of deploying end-user services. About Inango Inango Systems is an Israeli company specializing in software for communications solutions. Our work spans embedded system for Residential Gateways, especially OpenWrt and RDK-B and up to server-based virtualization and SDN controllers. We are contributing members to RDK-B, Yocto and ONF. Inango's flagship product, Virtual Services, is a Service Orchestration platform that allows Service Providers to offer their subscribers a large range of end-user services with unparalleled efficiency. Based on modern virtualization technologies, it slashes time and cost in the deployment of these services, saving the Providers huge costs while offering their subscribers unmatched choice and flexibility. For more details please visit our website. About OpenSync OpenSync is a carrier-grade open-source software which covers layers from just above the drivers within a device, to the connection to the cloud within that device. It is responsible for translating Cloud management commands to the hardware driver calls and reports to the Cloud state and telemetry in a mesh multi-AP Wi-Fi network, please visit: https://www.opensync.io http://www.inango.com Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter for targeted updates and announcements Inango Press Contacts: Daniel Etman CMO [email protected] Tel:+97293730030 Jonathan Masel CEO [email protected] Tel:+97293730030 SOURCE Inango Systems Eso Won Books is one of the largest Black-owned bookstores in the U.S. In its 30-year history, the bookshop has seen a parade of prominent Black authors, including Muhammad Ali, President Barack Obama, Toni Morrison, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, come through its doors for book signings. In recent months and in the wake of unrest over police killings of unarmed Black people, co-owner James Fugate says Eso Won, which means "water over rocks" in an Ethiopian language, has seen a surge in book sales like none other in its history. Below, Fugate reflects on his journey as a Black man in America and as the co-founder of a store that has become a fixture in Los Angeles. I was born in 1954 and grew up in Detroit. I would say I had a normal childhood: two-parent family, the best cook on the block--my mom--and a neighborhood with a movie theater, a library, a school I could walk to. After the riots of 1967, the neighborhood profoundly changed. I remember that day. There was smoke, people running in the streets, looting. I didn't remember this until more recently: The Detroit riots stemmed from a young boy being shot in the back by police. The outrage laid the groundwork for what we're seeing more recently with George Floyd. My parents always told me never talk back to any adult, much less the police--and don't run from them. They'll shoot you. What the riots didn't destroy, the expressway did shortly after. It destroyed the fabric of the community. What was once a thriving neighborhood turned into a place with no stores, and people moved out. Expressways have destroyed inner cities more than anything else. By the time I hit high school, I was disenchanted with the whole school experience, mostly because of testing. I wouldn't have thought of it as a White construct at the time, but I thought that timed testing wasn't a fair measure of what people seemed to know. I remember in the fifth grade, my White history instructor told us to go home and encourage people to vote so that Wayne County Community College could be established. He said, "A lot of people don't want to see this started, because it's going to benefit your people." I thought, wow, he actually said that: The school is for Black people, and some don't want to see us educated. You could see the stress on his face when he said that. Wayne County Community College was established and I went there before transferring to the University of Michigan at Dearborn. I started working in bookstores after I graduated--I knew the most about books and music. I used to go to the library almost every week to read Publishers Weekly. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world--it tells you about all the new books coming out. I wound up managing the college bookstore at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. When I came on, the general book buyer said he was really disappointed because he couldn't get general books to sell there. I said, "I can tell you right away why. You don't have anything these students are interested in. You need more Black books." We started stocking Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Stolen Legacy, The Destruction of Black Civilization. It was just a few shelves, but it led to Florida A&M becoming more than a college bookstore--it became a very important Black resource in the community. I did something similar in the late '80s in Los Angeles for the bookstore at Compton College, a historically Black college. It was there I met two business partners who convinced me to work with them to start a bookstore. They each put in $2,000, and my broke self couldn't put in a dime. At first, it was just a weekend hobby. About a year later, we had tens of crates of books in our garages. We rented a small store and officially opened Eso Won on Slauson Avenue in 1990. We did really well that first Christmas, so I decided someone needed to do it full time, and that was me. We were pretty financially secure within about a year of my running it full time. We've had some really wonderful highlights over the years. We had Mohammad Ali in the store one Sunday afternoon. He had Parkinson's then but insisted on signing all the books. People were lined up all day to see him. I had read about this guy Barack Obama who became the president of Harvard Law Review. A year later, he published Dreams From My Father, and we did this nice little book signing with maybe 10 people where everyone sat in a circle. Eleven years later, he's a senator and publishes The Audacity of Hope. He told his publisher when it came to L.A., he wanted to come back to our store, because he liked that we had all read his book and peppered him with questions. More than 900 people came to the second one. President Clinton in '95 was an event to remember. Toni Morrison. Walter Mosley. Ta-Nehisi Coates. The real low point I remember is when we moved to Leimert Park around 2007. It was known as a Black business hub, but people didn't really like it, I think mostly because at that time the service wasn't great in a lot of the businesses here--you never knew when they'd be open. I thought we were going to go out of business. Our position was always, if the community doesn't support us, there won't be a store. Apparently, someone overheard me talking in the store one day about how we just needed people to shop with us to turn things around. Apparently, she sent an email out to every employee in the L.A. Unified School District explaining that we were in trouble. The media and politicians' offices started calling. Sales went crazy. I went to the SBA and talked with them about the problems we were having. I had been in business nearly 20 years but had never done a budget. So I started looking at how much were we spending on inventory and what we owed in bills, and it made all the difference in the world. Moving to a smaller, 1,800-square-foot store helped to lower the rent, too. We've been fortunate that we've never had to apply for government or small-business loans. I know that the inability to get capital has played a huge role in why we don't have enough Black businesses in the country. We've been lucky to always have politicians who understand us and support us. We've had these incredible book signings with prominent Black authors, which I think they want to be a part of. But I also think it's the quality of our business: If Eso Won says it will be open at a certain time, we're open. And we have a good reputation for giving fair opinions on books. I do think there are some wonderful books that have the power to change minds. I always recommend Chokehold by Paul Butler. It talks about the same thing I heard growing up--this idea that you could be killed in your interactions with police. I'm pessimistic that the police are going to change the way they interact. We need to continue to be aware of incidents like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin. And while not every police officer is a psychopath, there have been too many incidents--it's really shocking to me. The best option we have is to vote. The past three months have been unbelievable at the store--just unbelievable. Sale are up at least 50 percent. Last year we did $700,000 or $800,000 in sales. We're going to do at least double that this year. When we had the Clinton signing, we saw a surge in sales and then a backlash. I don't want people thinking we're doing so well they don't need to support us. We need you to buy here. Matt Hancock today dismissed desperate pleas for coronavirus testing at airports as he was warned that the government is overseeing the 'demise of UK aviation'. The Health Secretary rejected the idea that screening arrivals at major hubs could help revive travel and remove the need for quarantine, insisting it would only catch 7 per cent of cases. Expectations had been growing that Portugal would be added to the 'red' list, leaving thousands of Britons facing a dash to beat a potential 4am Saturday deadline to avoid self-isolating for 14 days. But it was dramatically spared from quarantine rules tonight despite high infections rates. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the weekly review was making no additions or removals to the list of countries exempted from self-isolation rules. Sources told MailOnline that although Portugal was above the 'trigger' threshold for cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period, that appeared to be because they were carrying out more tests. 'The rate of positives per test has actually gone down,' one senior source said. Officials in England are still resisting calls to follow Wales and Scotland by putting restrictions on Greece. Although the authorities in Athens declared another 233 cases in the past 24 hours, the seven-day rate per 100,000 of population has dipped to 13.8 - well below the government's trigger threshold of 20. The rate of coronavirus cases per 100,000 of population in Greece over the past seven days is just 14 - well short of the government's quarantine threshold of 20 Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured on Sky News today) dismissed the idea that screening arrivals at major hubs could help revive travel and remove the need for quarantine, insisting it would only catch 7 per cent of cases Countries on UK Government's quarantine list Spain France Croatia Malta UAE Jamaica Switzerland Belgium Czech Republic Austria Netherlands Bulgaria Canada Singapore Advertisement Derek Provan, chief executive of ASG Airports which runs Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports, said: 'The UK government is overseeing the demise of the aviation industry. 'We are seeing more job losses than we saw in the demise of the coal industry in the 1980s. 'That, surely, cannot be an accolade that any government would like to have.' The chiefs of Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport have called for 'leadership' on the testing issue, warning that huge numbers of job are on the line. But pushed on the issue of testing on BBC Breakfast this morning, Mr Hancock said: 'There's a really good reason we don't do that. 'That is that the virus incubates in you and therefore if you test on day one on return, scientists reckon you find only about 7 per cent of the total cases. 'You still have to quarantine. It doesn't clinically work.' He went on: 'In fact the countries around the world that have introduced these tests on arrival are now moving away from it and doing the testing much later.' The rate of Covid cases in Portugal has been above 20 per 100,000 for the past three days - the level at which the government considers introducing a quarantine. Yesterday the number of new cases rose to 390 from 231 the day before, suggesting the current seven-day average of 22.7 will not decrease. Meanwhile, cases in Greece are currently at a similar level to the UK. Paul Charles, boss of travel consultancy PC Agency, said the 'stable' situation in the country suggested the Scottish government's decision to put it on the red list was 'extreme'. He predicted Portugal would be added to the list but Greece and Italy would stay off it. Any changes to quarantine arrangements are now announced on Thursday nights, with the new rules being imposed at 4am on Saturdays. The previous two-week quarantine for travellers returning from Portugal was only lifted two weeks ago. Pressure is now mounting on England to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers arriving from Greece amid reports of people returning with coronavirus. Rising Covid cases prompted the Scottish Government to announce travellers from Greece would have to self-isolate for 14 days from today, while Wales began asking arrivals from the island of Zante to enter quarantine. The UK's biggest tour operator Tui has suspended its holidays to the resort of Laganas on Zante. But Greece has insisted it is doing 'everything in our power' to keep UK holidaymakers safe. There were 14.3 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Greece in the seven days to September 1, up from 14.1 a week earlier. This is a similar rate to the UK and still below the quarantine threshold. It comes as rising cases in Portugal were prompting many UK tourists to pay hundreds of pounds to fly home before Saturday. In Buckinghamshire, two groups of people have tested positive for coronavirus after returning from abroad - including a group of teenagers from the Marlow area who are reported to have been on a trip to Zante. Buckinghamshire Council said some of them were pupils at Sir William Borlase's Grammar School and all the affected households were self-isolating. Tour operator Tui also said it was aware of a 'small number' of positive Covid-19 test results following a flight from Heraklion in Crete to London Stansted on August 27. One of Lisbon's main railway stations largely deserted yesterday as holidaymakers stayed away amid a rise in cases 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 One passenger on the flight, who had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace and asked to self-isolate, complained that 'hardly anyone' on the flight had been wearing a mask. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told the PA news agency: 'Our flight was hideous, hardly anyone wore a mask and the crew didn't do anything about it. 'We raised the issue twice with the cabin crew who still didn't enforce it. My family is okay but we are having to self-isolate. 'I'm so sad for my son because he has to miss his first week back at school.' A Tui spokeswoman added: 'We can confirm that no guests tested positive for Covid-19 in our hotels and no symptoms were displayed before or during the flight home by any of the customers.' It came after Public Health Wales confirmed at least 16 cases of Covid-19 from three different parties who were on Tui flight 6215 from Zante to Cardiff on August 25. One traveller claimed that the flight was full of 'selfish 'covidiots'', with passengers not wearing their masks properly and disregarding the rules. In a statement, Tui said that cabin crew and other passengers confirmed there were multiple warnings about wearing face masks on the flight. Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that officials had not notified Wizz Airline that eight passengers on a flight back from Crete had tested positive for coronavirus. The teenagers, from Hampshire, were diagnosed after returning to London Luton airport on 25 August, it said. But the Department of Health and Social Care said that it had taken action to advise the necessary people to self-isolate and its contact tracing team had been in touch with Wizz Air. The UK's biggest tour operator Tui has suspended its holidays to the resort of Laganas on Zante after an outbreak Government is 'overseeing the demise of UK aviation': Airport and airline chiefs call for testing of arrivals to stop Britons playing 'quarantine roulette' - as industry sheds thousands of jobs By Henry Martin for MailOnline Airline industry bosses are calling for testing at airports to help save their struggling industry. Heathrow announced it may have to axe up to 1,200 frontline staff due to the pandemic's impact on air travel - while the airport's boss John Holland-Kaye warned Britons face playing 'quarantine roulette'. Tuesday saw Scotland and Wales impose restrictions on travellers from Greece although Westminster refused to follow suit. Ministers are, however, on the brink of putting Portugal back on the 'red list' just days after it was removed. Heathrow said the constantly shifting quarantine rules led to an 'unprecedented' 82 per cent drop in passenger numbers in August compared with last year. The chief executive of AGS Airports, which runs Southampton, Aberdeen and Glasgow, now says the sector is facing more job cuts than in the demise of the coal industry in the 1980s. Derek Provan told the BBC: 'That's surely not an accolade any government would like to have.' Heathrow announced it may have to axe up to 1,200 frontline staff due to the pandemic's impact on air travel (pictured: Heathrow Airport) Chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, says bringing in testing is 'essential' to reboot Britain's economy. 'Without free and fast travel with the US, we won't see a rebound of aviation and this will stall the economic recovery of the UK, which of course is already in recession,' he said. Dozens of Tory MPs, including ex-ministers, have joined calls for airport virus testing. They are requesting an urgent Commons debate to demand answers over the lack of government action on the issue. The airline industry believes that testing to slash the 14-day quarantine period is the best way to give people the confidence to travel. But ministers have been cool on the issue, with sources suggesting that reluctance to back such a scheme is down to in-fighting between departments. One senior Tory MP told the Mail: 'The Transport Secretary has urged caution on testing but I know he wants to find a solution to help the industry. The difficulty is finding one that the other departments agree with. 'The Prime Minister knows that more work needs to be done on airport testing but there is a lack of enthusiasm from senior members of Cabinet. 'They are very concerned that the proposed tests aren't accurate enough. Equally, they know the travel industry is on the brink and something will have to change sooner rather than later.' The country's coronavirus cases hit 22.7 per 100,000 people over seven days breaking the Government's quarantine threshold of 20. It also emerged that dozens of Tory MPs, including ex-ministers, have joined calls for airport virus testing (pictured, Heathrow on Tuesday) Such a move would affect an estimated 75,000 Britons, and cap off a summer of hell for the travel industry. Speaking at an Aviation Club event yesterday, Mr Holland-Kaye said: 'Few people are going to fly if they have to play 'quarantine roulette'. 'Ultimately our aim is for testing and quarantine to happen before you fly, removing the risk of quarantine on landing. 'This requires a common international standard for biosecurity, where testing that happens in one country will be accepted in another. 'The UK could be in a perfect position to lead this common international standard.' Former Tory aviation minister Theresa Villiers said: 'Airport testing could shorten quarantine times and encourage people to start travelling again. 'I hope the Government will work closely with the aviation industry to make to best use of airport testing.' A Department for Transport spokesman said quarantine decisions are based on a 'risk assessment, which is informed by a number of factors, including the continued increase of coronavirus within a country and the numbers of new cases and potential trajectory of the disease in the coming weeks'. They added: 'We keep the data for all countries under constant review, and update our exemptions list... on a regular basis to reflect the shifting international health picture.' Syracuse, NY -- The case against a Syracuse man, accused of drunkenly crashing his motorcycle and leaving his companion who was found later dead, will be headed to a grand jury. Keith Leaders lawyer, Robert Moran, strategically gave up his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday morning, paving the way for the case to be heard by a grand jury. (Leader was not present for his lawyers brief court appearance.) Waiving a preliminary hearing is standard procedure in major felony cases because nothing related to trial can happen before an indictment. And its extremely rare for someone charged with such a major crime to plead guilty before indictment because theres no chance to challenge the prosecutions evidence. The only purpose for a preliminary hearing is to determine whether there was probable cause to arrest Leader and keep him jailed. Thats a much lower burden than finding him guilty of crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. In this case, Leader, 33, is facing two felonies: vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash in the 12:26 a.m. death of Maida Brkanovic, 25. Under law, each of those crimes is punishable by up to 7 years in prison. If convicted at trial, a judge could add up those punishments at sentencing. The grand jury can also consider charges beyond what Leader was initially arrested on. Other charges often considered in fatal crash cases include manslaughter or, in the worst cases, second-degree murder (The drugged-up driver, Anthony Saccone, who killed three young people near Onondaga Community College in 2018, for example, was indicted on a murder charge. He later pleaded guilty to lesser charges.) Brkanovics friends say that the two had just met that evening in Syracuse. Leader was offering free rides to women outside the Alpine Gentlemens Club on Butternut Street. Brkanovic loved motorcycles and took a ride, they said. RELATED: Fierce loyalty, outgoing spirit: Friends recall woman killed in I-81 motorcycle crash Leader got on the interstate nearby after running two stop signs, police say. He lost control going northbound and crashed into the center median near Destiny USA, causing both him and Brkanovic to fly off the Suzuki motorcycle. Leader was stopped by police as he walked away from the crash up the Court Street on-ramp. He is accused of lying to them, saying he was riding alone, and is also accused of removing Brkanovics helmet from the scene. It wasnt until 45 minutes later that an Uber driver, going the opposite direction, saw the victim face-down on the shoulder after being thrown over the center median. RELATED: Man discovers I-81 crash victim after fleeing driver lied to Syracuse cops: It cooked my soul Assuming a grand jury indicts Leader, hell then be arraigned again in trial court. Thats when his case will begin to move forward in earnest. For now, Leader is jailed on $250,000 bail. No photo of Leader has been released under the states mug shot restrictions. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. The pandemic has reaffirmed Ankita Dasguptas faith in the power of compassion. The Dasgupta household has braved storms in the past as well. Adversity plants the seeds of kindness and you become your best version, they say. We were a regular middle-class family. We were hit with financial trouble when my dad was diagnosed with cancer I was just 11. The treatment took a toll on us, she says. Her father picked up whatever work he could and her mother also took up a teaching job at a nursery school. In her late teens, Ankita started giving tuitions to kids in the neighbourhood. My parents and teachers always taught me that no job is small, she says. Keeping tenants also helped ease the situation, but it wasnt enough. Read: Spectator by Seema Goswami: Home truths Once her younger sister completed her education and her parents settled in their relatively relaxed roles, the 31-year old PR professional moved to Mumbai to work last year. I got an apartment and enrolled for dance classes as dance is something that really makes me happy. But that was till the pandemic hit. I came back in March thinking this will all be under control in a month or two, she says. Her first reaction was to wait and gauge the situation as no one knew what was to ensue. It was her boss who encouraged her to leave well in time as the possibility of a curfew in Mumbai was very high. En route to the airport, I heard on the cab radio that curfew has been imposed. I was lucky to have my changed my plans on time, she says. Her parents were relieved upon seeing her reach home safely. But soon, even they caved under the mass hysteria. My father started worrying about the smallest of things. A task as simple as going to the bank became a war drill for us, she recalls. Ankita Dasgupta and her sister take care of strays, and also have a pet at home. Ankita continued working from home, but after about two months, as expenses kept rising, she contemplated going back to Mumbai and wrapping up her apartment. It is crazy because 3/4th of my salary goes in paying rent for an apartment I dont live in. Im also paying my maid in Mumbai. Her house-help, whom everyone calls Aaji, is a senior citizen with no steady income. Initially, Aaji was in denial about the pandemic and told me not to worry about her salary. These are self-respecting people who wouldnt take money for work they have not done. I insisted and kept paying, and would continue doing so till this pandemic ends, she says. Read: Delhiwale: The balloon hawkers smiley Ankita and her sister also used to feed and take care of stray dogs near Maitreyi College, where her sister used to study. They also have a pet at home. My sister and I have been feeding strays for about five years. What used to be a minimal amount to feed a few dogs has gone up astronomically because the dhaba that used to give them roti is shut due to the pandemic and we have to figure out dog food for them. The rotis would cost about 3,500 but the dog food comes down to about 12,000, she says. All these costs, plus the cost of running her household, have taken a toll on her. It is nobodys fault that the pandemic has hit. These are trying times, but will end soon. Kindness for all is the only way to get through this, she says. There are very limited options for alternative sources of income; Cutting down is the best way forward, she concludes. Interact with Etti Bali @TheBalinian Follow @htcity for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rewilding is not about restoring the past, but about proactively seeking solutions for a world in environmental crisis. There is something deeply heartening about an extinct native species being reintroduced to its former habitat. In the United Kingdom, there are several of those stories. The last time storks were recorded breeding in the UK was way back in 1416 on top of a cathedral in Edinburgh. This year, nests on the Knepp Estate in West Sussex produced the first wild-born chicks in 600 years. The parent birds were bred in captivity and released into the wild as part of a reintroduction project started in South East England. Another project that began 30 years ago in the Chiltern Hills in southern England is also reaping conservation rewards. In 1990, 13 red kites were flown in from Spain as part of a plan to reintroduce the species to the area after its population had all but disappeared across the UK. Today, nearly 2,000 breeding pairs almost 10 percent of the entire global population soar above virtually every English county. And in Kent, there will soon be a more distant beastly association with the British Isles wildlife past. Wild bison are set to return for the first time in 6,000 years with the release of a small number planned for 2022. The first of the endangered animals will be brought in from Poland or the Netherlands. The benefits of beavers It has been 400 years since beavers lived naturally in the wild in England. Now a group that was discovered in Devon in 2013 has been granted permission to stay after a five-year reintroduction trial showed their dam-building activities were good for wildlife. It was found that other creatures, including fish, insects, birds and water voles had benefitted from the beavers presence and that their dams had reduced the risk of flooding to some human homes. This is the most groundbreaking government decision for Englands wildlife for a generation, Peter Burgess, director of conservation at Wildlife Trust, told Reuters news agency. Beavers are natures engineers and have the unrivalled ability to breathe new life into our rivers and wetlands. There are issues of conflict, especially with farmers concerned about flooding caused by beavers. So efforts are under way to craft an acceptable management approach for an ancient species returning to a very different landscape from the one it used to live in. The same goes for the possible reintroduction of lynx and wolves. The strategy of returning apex predators clearly has to be very carefully assessed. Doubling woodlands To tackle ongoing climate and environmental catastrophes, there are calls for similar ambitious initiatives to help beef up woodland cover in England. And to do it not by planting trees, but by allowing natural regeneration. 190625074436948 Britain is one of Europes least-wooded countries, and environmental charity Rewilding Britain wants woodland cover to double in a decade, which would help absorb 10 percent of UK emissions. Our ancient woodlands are only absent because weve destroyed them and continue to work hard to prevent their return through over-cutting, over-mowing and over-grazing, said Rebecca Wrigley, Rewilding Britains chief executive. If we let them, millions of trees would plant themselves across most of Britain. Wrigley cites Norway as an example, where flourishing broadleaved forests in the coastal south once as deforested and as bare as much of Britain today demonstrate the potential of natural regeneration. From bison to birch woods, rewilding as a concept is not about restoring times past, but proactively seeking a solution for a world mired in environmental crisis. Your environment round-up 1. Amazon burning: Greenpeace has released dramatic aerial photos showing large-scale fires in the Brazilian Amazon most of them illegal and set by criminals and land grabbers. This is despite a July government decree that banned fires for 120 days. 2. Trump and the coal promise he could not keep: In 2016, Donald Trump made a promise to save the US coal industry. Despite spending $1bn in taxpayer funds and rolling back environmental rules, coal production is expected to be down 31 percent in 2020. 3. Why is a prominent African climate activist tweeting in German?: Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate talks about her mission to raise awareness about environmental justice and how she gets her message out, both locally and internationally. 4. How many crocodiles can you see?: One look at this photo of the critically endangered freshwater gharial crocodile and we can see why it was highly commended at this years Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The final word Two Italian men caught splashing about in 16th-century Rome fountain. Rome police fined two 20-year-old men for bathing in the Fountain of the Moor in Piazza Navona while their friend filmed them, reports Italian news agency Adnkronos. The pair, who were dressed in just their underwear, were caught splashing around in the historic fountain whose name comes from the statue designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The two 20-year-olds, one from Turin and the other from Rome, who were being filmed by their Roman friend, also aged 20, on his mobile phone. The pair were fined 600 after carabinieri caught them half-naked in the fountain at 03.00 in the morning. There was no damage reported to the fountain which dates to 1575. Image: Archive photo RomaToday. The logo of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project is seen on a large diameter pipe at Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant owned by ChelPipe Group in Chelyabinsk, Russia, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov /Reuters) Calls Mount for Germany to Rethink Nord Stream 2 Pipeline After Navalny Poisoning BERLINGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure on Thursday to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany, after she said Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent. Merkel said on Wednesday that Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital, was the victim of a murder attempt using the nerve agent Novichok, and demanded an explanation by Russia. Moscow has denied involvement in the incident and the Russian foreign ministry said Germanys assertion was not backed by evidence. Workers are seen at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, on June 5, 2019. (Anton Vaganov/Reuters) Western countries have condemned the attack on Navalny and many German politicians want a tough response. We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understandsthat is gas sales, Norbert Roettgen, head of Germanys parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told German radio. If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed now, it would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics, Roettgen, a member of Merkels conservatives, told German television earlier. Nord Stream 2 is set to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline in carrying gas directly from Russia to Germany. Led by Russian company Gazprom with Western partners, the project is more than 90 percent finished and due to operate from early 2021. This may complicate efforts to stop it. Workers are seen through a pipe at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, on June 5, 2019. (Anton Vaganov/Reuters) The project has divided the European Union, with some countries warning it will undermine the traditional gas transit state, Ukraine, and increase the blocs reliance on Russia for energy supplies. The United States also opposes the pipeline and has targeted some firms involved with sanctions. Merkel has been unwavering in her commitment to the project which includes Uniper Wintershall DEA, Royal Dutch Shell, Engie, and OMV. She said last week that Navalnys case should not be linked to the pipeline. Many lawmakers in her party, which is close to business, still want it to be finished. Former Social Democrat (SPD) Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a friend of Putin and lobbyist for Russian energy firms, has been involved with the pipeline and many in the SPD, which shares power with Merkels conservatives, are also committed to it. Norbert Roettgen of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) arrives at their party headquarters in Berlin on March 2, 2020. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters) If we want to send a clear message to Moscow with our partners, then economic relations must be on the agenda and that means the Nord Stream 2 project must not be left out, Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former ambassador to Washington, said. By Madeline Chambers Rachna Monga Koppikar In March, when the Coronavirus Pandemic locked us inside our homes, Sudha (name changed), a homemaker based in Thane (a Mumbai suburb) spent her afternoons in front of her brokers website. As stock prices (within the BSE Sensex) fell by 23 per cent, Sudha used the opportunity to buy stocks with her surplus. I gradually deployed more savings in shares during March and April, says Sudha. She manages her familys finances with the help of a financial planner and invests directly in stocks, by doing her own research. Sudha represents the emerging class of Indian women who not only take active interest in money management, but are also learning to deal with volatility in the financial markets. The onus of investing wisely and responsibly is much more when you manage someone elses money, she feels. Women score on decision-making To understand how women managed their finances during the Pandemic, Moneycontrol spoke to seven leading financial planners. They say, anecdotally, that women who actively invest their or their familys funds have, in the past five months, taken balanced decisions about their finances with a sharp focus on their long-term goals. 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 Amit Bivalkar, Director, Chief Executive Officer at Sapient Wealth Advisors and Brokers says that while making investment decisions, women have become more risk-conscious, as they take a slow and steady approach to investing. He cites the example of an entrepreneur who invested her lump-sum savings in stocks during March this year. Tejal Gandhi, Founder of Money Matters shares a similar story. She has a client who is a doctor, and transferred her fixed deposits to equity funds in March, despite the sharp crash in the equity markets that preceded it. Another client of hers used the contingency fund to tide over expenses during the lockdown period. Since they have been following our guideline of keeping contingency funds and investing goals in mind, they could use it at the right time, she says. Making victorious long-term purchases Neil Stewart, Professor of Behavioural Science at The Warwick Business School researched 2800 investors and found that women outperformed men in stocks by 1.8 percent points. His study revealed that women also take a more long-term perspective, trading less frequently. This possibly means women are investing more to support their financial goals, whereas men are attracted to what they see as the thrill of investing, it concluded. While there is no such empirical evidence of returns earned by women vis-a-vis men in India, Sapna Narang, Managing Partner at Capital League Private Wealth Management agreed that even under stressful circumstances, women can completely articulate their financial goals. In March, the Sensex, fell by 23 per cent. Debt fund investors were worried too, as Franklin Templeton Investments wound up a few of its debt schemes due to corporate defaults. This led to anxiety among investors about their debt fund holdings. Some financial planners say that women investors were calm and far-sighted about the impending economic impact than men. Nisha Sanghavi, Co Founder ProMore and Founder Fynomics, started calling her clients in March to understand if there was any change in their job or income status. Women were much more proactive (vis-a-vis men) to alert her about an impending job losses or salary cuts, which helped Nisha re-allocate their funds to tide over any crisis. Some women were very clear about paying off liabilities by re-allocating holiday funds, even though there was no foreseeable job risk. Gandhi of Money Matters also saw lot of her millennial clients panic and stop their systematic investments. Once they realised that they may only face a salary cut, they re-initiated their investments. Renu Maheshwari, CEO and Principal Advisor at Finscholarz Wealth Managers often received calls from women who asked for re-assurance about their capital being safe. Most women clients were worried about preserving their capital, she says, echoing Amit Bivalkars experiences with his clients. In Bangalore, Dilshad Billimoria, Director, Dilzer Consultants says a few women clients reduced their monthly expenditure during the pandemic but none of them stopped their systematic investments. A new mindset during pandemic stress Going by the experience of financial planners, women appear to have displayed financial maturity contrary to the popular perception that they arent active participants in financial matters. In times to come, women could be the ones who not only lead household budgets, but steer family investments the way Archana Raha, a working professional in her early fifties, does. A few years ago, her husband was shell-shocked to see her equity-laden portfolio outperform his fixed deposit holdings. Since then, while she has been actively investing in stocks and equity funds, she is cautious about investing her husbands savings in equity funds. As lifestyle expenses came down during the pandemic, she diverted more of their savings on expenses to equity funds. (The writer is a money coach for women. She is also a freelance personal finance writer) In launching a statewide bus tour from San Antonio on Thursday, President Donald Trumps re-election team made clear the campaign is determined to address one of its biggest challenges in Texas: wooing Latino voters, especially in Bexar County. Trump won Texas by 9 percentage points over Hillary Clinton in 2016, but he carried just 28 percent of Latinos nationwide. And he performed poorly in Bexar County, winning just 40.7 percent of the vote the worst showing for a Republican here since the 1960s. I think hes going to do better, said Mary Louise York, a member of San Antonio Republican Women. She was among nearly 200 people who greeted the bright-red Team Trump bus with a rousing ovation when it pulled into a parking lot off Loop 410 near Culebra Road. York predicted that voters will recognize Trump had the economy humming before COVID-19 struck. I think its really about the economy, she said. Bob Owen, Staff-photographer / San Antonio Express-News Brad Parscale, the former San Antonio resident who was Trumps campaign manager until he was demoted in July, said he has no doubt Trump will do better this time in San Antonio and with Latinos in particular. I think 2016 and 2020 are just different races, said Parscale, the campaigns senior adviser for data and digital operations. The president after four years has shown what he has done for the Latino population, what hes done for the San Antonio economy. Parscale cited Trumps tough line on immigration and low unemployment before the pandemic. Trump himself is not part of the bus tour through Texas. Standing in for him Thursday were Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump adviser Katrina Pierson and Parscale. The Team Trump bus made stops at businesses and restaurants before greeting GOP activists to get them fired up for the stretch drive to Nov. 3. We are absolutely, 100 percent confident that President Trump will carry Texas solidly with great Latino support, said Patrick, who scoffed at the idea that Texas is a swing state. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Patrick said that as long as the campaign executes its game plan, Trump will easily hold Texas. That plan has been in action for well over a year, as the Trump campaign has worked to train supporters in Bexar County and elsewhere to serve as the backbone of a get-out-the-vote effort this fall. On the front lines of that effort are people like York, who work the phones, walk through neighborhoods and hold meet-and-greets to keep activists and voters engaged. This is a movement because of you guys, Parscale told 200 people, most of them dressed in red and white, at a rally off Highway 281 on San Antonios North Side. He is the leader of the movement. You are the engine of the movement. You guys have got to keep on working. Wayne Vaughn, the Atascosa County GOP chairman, was among those at the rally. Its not the campaign that Im worried about, Vaughn said. Its the voters getting complacent. Vaughn said the key is to ensure that people who voted for Trump in 2016 turn out again in November and that they persuade their friends to vote as well. Bob Owen, Staff-photographer / San Antonio Express-News Despite the confidence expressed by Patrick and Parscale, polls have shown the race in Texas to be tighter than many had expected. Most recent polls have shown Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden in a virtual dead heat in the state. Texas has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried the state in defeating incumbent President Gerald R. Ford. After leaving San Antonio, the Trump bus was headed up Interstate 35 to Austin. On Friday, it was scheduled to drive to the Dallas area. Texas Democratic Party leaders say Republicans rhetoric shows they are out of touch with what is happening on the ground in Texas. Manny Garcia, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said Latino communities have been hardest hit by Trump administration policies. He said COVID-19 had exposed the failings of the health care system, particularly in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. The voters in the state are changing, and they dont know how to address it, Garcia said of the presidents re-election effort. Nowhere has that change been more evident than in the 20-some counties along I-35 from Laredo to the Oklahoma border. As recently as 2014, Republican candidates outperformed Democrats along that stretch. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News In that years U.S. Senate race, incumbent John Cornyn, a Republican, won those counties by a combined 346,000 votes. But in 2016, Clinton took the I-35 corridor by a margin of 116,000 votes. In 2018, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto ORourke won those counties by about 440,000 votes while narrowly losing the statewide vote to incumbent Ted Cruz. But new polling data gave Trump supporters some cause for optimism on Thursday. Although Biden continues to outpace Trump among Latino voters nationwide, a new Quinnipiac University poll shows that his advantage with that part of the electorate is not as large as Clintons was in 2016. Clinton took 66 percent of Latino votes nationwide. Biden is the choice of about 56 percent of Latinos, according to the Quinnipiac poll. John Austin, the Bexar County Republican Party chairman, said hes convinced Latino support for Trump is stronger than is reflected in polls. He said issues such as religious freedom and Second Amendment rights are drawing Latinos to the GOP. I think hell win Bexar County this time, Austin said. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday was unable to cite any evidence but logic that foreign governments are trying to fake ballots in the US presidential election and was unable to give even an estimate of how many people his Justice Department has prosecuted for voting fraud. Donald Trumps hand-picked top federal attorney defended the president over and over during a combative interview on CNN, saying China not Russia is the country trying the hardest to shape the outcome of Novembers election. CNNs Wolf Blitzer pressed Mr Barr on a range of topics, getting back short and clipped responses as the AG repeatedly appeared annoyed by a questions premise. At one point, Mr Barr claimed Beijing is pressing the hardest to shape the elections outcome, but he would not say which candidate the Chinese government prefers. (His finger-pointing at China comes as Democrats say Mr Trump has been too light on Russia over a number of actions, including taking bounties out on US soldiers in Afghanistan). Near the end of the contentious 30-minute interview, the CNN host asked Mr Barr for even a ballpark number of how many people Justice has brought up on voter fraud charges since he returned to the office under Mr Trump. Several, Mr Barr said, unable to produce a specific number or even a ballpark figure. Mr Blitzer also played a clip of Mr Trump recently using a Fox News interview to pressure Mr Barr and other Justice Department officials into helping his re-election chances. But the AG denied feeling any presidential nudging one way or another. I dont feel any pressure, he said when asked about Mr Trump saying he could go down as one of the greatest AGs of all time if a coming internal report shows top Obama administration officials unfairly spied on the 2016 Trump-Pence campaign. When were talking privately, he doesnt talk like that. On Democrats and minority activists claiming the United States has a culture of systemic racism that fuels black deaths at the hands of white police officers, Mr Barr dismissed such notions. To me the word systematic means that it is built into the institutions. I think our institutions have been built [with] safeguards against that, he said. I think we have to be careful about throwing the idea of racism around, saying that means one person sees someone of a different race as a lesser human being. I think there are people in the United States that feel that way, but its not as widespread as some would suggest, Mr Barr contended. I think weve made a lot of progress in the last 60 years. But when Blitzer pressed him on the widespread feeling among blacks that when interacting with police they are treated as suspects first, the attorney general backtracked a bit. I think there is some situations where statistics would suggest they are treated differently, but I dont think thats racism, he said, noting civil rights activist Jesse Jackson once admitted he feels nervous when walking in front of a group of young black men. He also dismissed many in the black community feeling like there is one justice system for white people and another for blacks. Absentee ballots are fine Meantime, Mr Barr said that coming probe of the Obama administrations 2016 actions likely would not amount to an October surprise that could shape the outcome of the November presidential election. I dont think that investigation will produce anything to be influencing the election ... I dont think anything were going to do would violate our policy, it would be consistent with our policy on influencing domestic elections. Mr Barr also was asked to respond to the president earlier in the day in North Carolina appearing to endorse people testing what he calls an ineffective and unproven mail-in voting system by trying to also cast ballots in person. Well, theyll go out and theyll go vote, and theyre going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way, because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So let them send it in, and let them go vote, the president said. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote, he added. If it isnt tabulated they wont be able to vote, so thats the way it is. And thats what they should do. Mr Barr at first shrugged off the remark, then said the president was trying to make the point that a system of mass mail-in ballots will be flawed and rife with uncounted ballots or even fraud. Repeating a distinction Mr Trump often makes, the AG, who said he has voted absentee, said voting under that system is fine. The president and other administration officials contend absentee ballots are more secure because a voter has to request a ballot, and their personal information must be verified. Slate has relationships with various online retailers. If you buy something through our links, Slate may earn an affiliate commission. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. All prices were up to date at the time of publication. I fell in love with Neil Prices comprehensive new history of the Vikings, Children of Ash and Elm, when I got to the paragraph thats just a list of bread: There were rectangular loaves baked in a form; round loaves threaded on a thin wire; oval buns; thin, soft, and foldable flatbreads made on a circular griddle panrather like a sort of Nordic tortilla to be stuffed with food; thin, circular wheels of dry, crisp flatbread with a central hole so they could be hung up for storage And thats not even the end of it! Who knew how creative the Vikings could get with carbohydrates? Advertisement The bread menu is but one detail in a book that offers delight after delight. If you, like me, have loved fictional Viking stories like that History Channel show about Ragnar Lothbrok (very good) and Linnea Hartsuykers Golden Wolf Saga (very, very good) and have always wanted to read a fuller history informed by current scholarship but wondered where to start, this book is it. Price, an English archaeologist working at Uppsala University in Sweden, has produced a single (albeit lengthy!) volume that offers a sense of chronology and hits the major high points, while also introducing nonspecialists to the major questions that those who know a lot about Vikings still consider unresolved. Vikings, Price writes at one point, are interesting to him because of their curiosity, creativity, the complexity and sophistication of their mental landscapes, and yes, their openness to new experiences and ideas. This is a set of qualities also to be found in this book, which manages to be lyrical, unnerving, specific, and passionately uncertain, all at once. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Throughout this book are glorious collections of Viking facts that are technically known yet still resist our best attempts at interpretation. Cataloging the small and large variations found in graves to make a point about the way Vikings attended to the sense of the individual while burying people, Price lists: The women buried wearing the skins of lynx, or laid out beneath heavy bear pelts; the swords stuck vertically in a grave; a shield over the face or by the waist; a coin, just one, that was already a century old and worn thin; a line of burials, in which every corpse clasps a smooth, white pebble in their hand; a horse led down into a grave, actually standing on the corpse, before being slaughtered; at the food of the same burial, inside the grave, a standing stone over which the body of a dog has been squashed down, ripping it apart Advertisement Its not just a list of finds, but of mysteriesmysteries of the kind that could prompt someone to devote their life to studying Vikings. One could fill a book with things like this, Price writes, voicing a fascinated curiosity that seems to drive him almost to despair. Advertisement Price diverges periodically from his tone of easy erudition to make conversational, enthusiastic asides. These can be pretty funny. Theres no evidence, Price writes, that the berkserkers, Viking warriors who went into trancelike hyperviolent states in battle, used drugs, despite the fact that Wikipedias entry for berserkers recommends the reader also look up Dutch Courage and, indeed, Going Postal. Recounting the stories of Viking religious ceremonies recorded by the medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen in the 11th century, Price writes, Adam also mentions that all this was accompanied by festivities so obscene it is best to pass over them in silence (damn). Damn, indeed! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Price has a talent for evoking the Vikings physical surroundings as they might have beena gift for recreation thats probably natural for an archaeologist accustomed to eking significance from the smallest bit of disturbed dirt. While dining in firelit halls, Viking warlords (textual sources tell us) wore their helmets inside; the flickering orange flames of the hearth would have animated the covering of relief pictures on their tiny press-metal plaques, Price writes. On the sites of many such long-gone halls, wafer thin rectangular golden foils, stamped with images, have been foundfoils that archaeologists believe may have been calling cards for visitors and that would have been fixed onto the posts holding up the hall. If the calling card theory holds, Price writes, those sites that yield a great variety of foils may have been the halls of renowned lords, accustomed to welcome guests from far and wide. In the fires glow, the foils, too, would have glittered, the towering roof posts appearing through the smoke as pillars of shining golden lights, Price invites us to imagine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just because the Vikings were tolerant of many types of difference doesnt mean they were kind to the powerless. Yet, although the wealthiest and most powerful Vikings trail drama and beauty down through the archaeological record, the author never forgets the grim side of all that gloriousness. Prices pages totting up the many human hours that must have gone into the production of seafaring Vikings sails and clothingpages that show how improbable it was that any Viking should ever have sailed anywhere, let alone gotten as far as they didend where they should: where the labor was done. Enslaved women labored on sails in windowless weaving huts, and the conditions within the sheds would have been horrendous, Price writes. Imagine bending over cloth all day in the dim, thinking of lost home and family, Prices prose asks us; imagine your body suffering, along with your mind: All day, tiny floating particles of wool would gradually accumulate around the work, drawn into the lungs with every breath. By evening, the air inside the huts was probably opaque and filled with the sound of coughing. Advertisement Advertisement Behind every Viking raid, usually visualized today as an arrow or place-name on a map, was the appalling trauma visited upon all people at the moment of enslavement, the disbelieving experience of passing from people to property in seconds, Price writes. A text by Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a traveler from Baghdad who encountered Scandinavians on the Volga River in 922, describes the rape of enslaved women as integral to the everyday routine of the Vikings. Even at the point of sale, Price writes, a woman was sometimes raped one last time in the presence of her purchaser. Ahman ibn Fadlans text, he adds, should be compulsory reading for anyone tempted to glorify heroic Viking warriors. Advertisement Its a testament to Prices efforts to thread discussion of slavery, violence, and oppression throughout the book that I dont even really need the summing-up paragraphs he places at the beginning and the end, directly addressing whether we should appreciate or like the Vikingswhether, in short, we should allow ourselves to admire them. But this question, Price says in opening the book, needs to be considered, because over the centuries, a great many people have eagerly pressed the Vikings into (im)moral service, and others continue to do so any meaningful twenty-first-century engagement with the Vikings must acknowledge the often deeply problematic ways in which their memory is activated in the present. The very concept of a pure Nordic bloodline, he points out, would have baffled the historical Vikings, engaged as they were in relentless and curious expansion. But as Prices own details make clear, just because the Vikings were tolerant of many types of difference doesnt mean they were kind to the powerless. Advertisement Price was one of the lead authors on the research team that confirmed by genomic analysis in 2017 that a warrior buried with utmost honorssitting up, surrounded by weapons and horsesfirst unearthed in Birka, Sweden, in 1878, was female. In a sense it does not really matter whether the person in the Birka grave was a female-bodied warrior woman or not, Price writes. This person may equally have been transgender, in our terms, or non-binary, or gender fluid. There are other possibilities, too, but the point is that they must all be recognized as possible Viking-Age identities whilecruciallynot assuming that this must be the case. (The italics are Prices.) To convey such a deep sense of scholarly indeterminacy, all while dazzling the reader with cinematic detailthis is, truly, a feat. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Thu, September 3, 2020 07:53 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c425757f 2 World US,CDC,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October, documents published by the agency showed on Wednesday. The timing of a vaccine has taken on political importance as US President Donald Trump seeks re-election in November, after committing billions of federal dollars to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, which has killed more than 180,000 Americans. "For the purpose of initial planning, CDC provided states with certain planning assumptions as they work on state specific plans for vaccine distribution, including possibly having limited quantities of vaccines in October and November," a CDC spokeswoman told Reuters. The New York Times had earlier reported that the CDC had contacted officials in all 50 states and five large cities with the planning information. The country's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci earlier on Wednesday said on MSNBC that based on the patient enrollment rate in COVID-19 vaccine trials underway, there could be enough clinical data to know by November or December that one of the vaccines is safe and effective. The documents put online by the New York Times showed the CDC is preparing for one or two vaccines for COVID-19 to be available in limited quantities as soon as late October. The vaccines would be made available free of cost first to high-risk groups including healthcare workers, national security personnel, and nursing home residents and staff, the agency said in the documents. Regulators around the world have repeatedly said development speed will not compromise vaccine safety, as quicker results would stem from conducting in parallel trials that are usually done in sequence. But such reassurances have not convinced everyone. Preliminary results of a survey conducted over the last three months in 19 countries showed that only about 70% of British and US respondents would take a COVID-19 vaccine if available, Scott Ratzan, co-leader of a group called Business Partners to Convince, told Reuters in August. Drug developers including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc are leading the race to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the respiratory illness. The CDC documents describe two vaccine candidates that must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. Those storage requirements match profiles of candidates from Pfizer and Moderna. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed that certain air routes to and from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Taiwan (China), Laos, and Cambodia be resumed on September 15. browser not support iframe. In a plan submitted to the Ministry of Transport, the CAAV suggested the route between Ho Chi Minh City and Guangzhou in China be reopened with one flight conducted each week by each side. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will be permitted to operate flights on the route using 343-seat B787 aircraft, while the Chinese side will designate one of its carriers to conduct flights. A maximum of 540 passengers are to be quarantined in HCM City each week as a result. Regarding Japan, the CAAV proposed the resumption of Hanoi - Tokyo and HCM City - Tokyo flights for both Vietnamese and Japanese airlines, with one flight a week on each route for each side. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will work together to operate the Hanoi - Tokyo route using B787 aircraft, while Vietjet Air will conduct flights on the HCM City - Tokyo route using A321 aircraft with 240 seats. A maximum of 560 passengers from Japan will therefore be placed in quarantine in Hanoi and HCM City each week. With the RoK, the aviation authority has sought permission to allow Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines to conduct one flight each week using B787 aircraft on the Hanoi - Seoul route while Vietjet Air will use A321 aircraft on the HCM City - Seoul route. A maximum of 650 passengers from the RoK will therefore be quarantined each week in the two Vietnamese cities. Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines are set to operate flights between HCM City and Taipei using B787 aircraft, while Vietjet Air will ply the Hanoi - Taipei route using A320 aircraft. Some 620 people will be quarantined in Hanoi and 700 in HCM City each week. The CAAV also suggested routes to and from Laos and Cambodia be reopened, with one flight each week operated by Vietnam Airlines. Under this plan, nearly 5,000 passengers overall are expected to arrive in Vietnam every week. To carry out the plan, the CAAV proposed that the Transport Ministry ask the Health Ministry to publicise the mandatory medical requirements for people intending to enter Vietnam, along with a list of Government-approved PCR testing facilities for partners and passengers to make the necessary arrangements./.VNA The flight with half of passengers suspected of carrying Covid-19 The policy of putting people at the highest position, ensuring safety for all Vietnamese citizens returning from the epidemic zone, has helped people believe and understand that "the fatherland never abandons us". Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash A lethal pandemic and widespread unemployment have coincided with a tense presidential campaign and nationwide unrest. For the advertising industry, that means opportunity. If history has taught us anything, its that we can get through anything and that beer sometimes helps, actor Paul Giamatti says in a Coors Light commercial. The narrator of a commercial for Firstleaf, a subscription wine club, echoes the sentiment: Were going to need a lot of wine to get through this year. Those commercials are part of an onslaught of ads promising relief in a stressful time. 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 Online advertisements for Moon Pals, a line of plush-toy animals with big, doleful eyes, promise deeper sleep, better cognitive functioning and reduced anxiety. The companys marketing materials inform potential customers that the arms of the stuffed Moon Pals creatures are specially weighted, so that they are able to give hugs that can save the world. 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 USA. 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. During a time when more than 180,000 people in the United States have died of COVID-19 and millions have been put out of work, nearly one-third of American adults have reported signs of anxiety or depression, a significant increase from a year earlier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that of the millions of workers who have faced pay cuts or layoffs, more than half blame the pandemic for damaging their mental health. Public service messages geared to a newly vulnerable population started appearing in the spring, with commercials from the Advertising Council, a non-profit group. In one campaign, entertainers including Meghan Trainor and Addison Rae encouraged teenagers to connect with friends; in another, creators on TikTok like Jaci Butler and Parker James shared tips on how to handle isolation. Those messages were followed by a flood of ads for sleep aids, mental health apps, remote therapy services, prescription drugs, potions and tinctures. Calm, a meditation and sleep app, spent an estimated $15.6 million on TV commercials from March through August, up from $3 million a year earlier, according to the research firm iSpot.TV. The companys spending on Facebook nearly tripled over the same period, according to estimates from the advertising analytics platform Pathmatics. In a Calm ad that has appeared on Instagram, actress Eva Green reads a bedtime story, The Magic Hotel, by the sleep story author Christina Yang, in her breathy alto over the gentle strains of a piano. Headspace, another meditation app, spent $27.3 million on a recent television campaign that reached viewers an estimated 1.9 billion times, according to iSpot.TV. This crisis is affecting all of us, the narrator says on one commercial. Our mental health is suffering, but most of us just dont know how to deal with it. But we can try, with tools to help look after our mind. The digital ad agency Playbook Media is testing messages for Mellow, an app in development, which shows users images of paintings as a calming device. Theres a market opportunity to capitalize on the current moment, said Bryan Karas, Playbooks chief executive. Spending on ads for antidepressant medications on traditional platforms has also gone up slightly, rising to $76.8 million from March through June from $75.6 million a year earlier, according to the research firm Kantar. Trintellix, an antidepressant medication, has eight ads on Facebook, according to Facebook Ad Library. Marketing budgets have expanded greatly for companies offering remote mental health counseling, according to data from iSpot.TV. A commercial for Talkspace, a therapy-by-text service that has faced concerns about client privacy, features swimmer Michael Phelps. Its OK to not be OK, he says, and its OK to ask for help. Ads in this area include new ones for Lemonaid Health, Plushcare and other therapy providers. The cannabis industry has also been stirring demand for products with the potential to soothe. Companies focused on CBD, or cannabidiol, spent nearly $4.3 million on ads from March through June, more than five times the $798,000 they spent a year earlier, according to Kantar. One such business, Green Roads, tells customers: These days its easy to get overwhelmed. Just take a minute. Charlottes Web CBD has noted on Instagram that feeling anxious can be an understandable response to many of the stressful events life throws at us, especially during a pandemic. Regulators have cautioned CBD companies against overpromising. The Food and Drug Administration cracked down on ads pitching CBD as a pandemic treatment that can crush corona. The Federal Trade Commission warned Patriot CBD against making misleading statements like: When your body is chronically stressed, your immune system suffers. With the spread of this potentially deadly coronavirus, stress will be high consider CBD Oil. Janelle Applequist, an associate professor of advertising and public relations at the University of South Florida, said the appeal of ads promising solace was likely to continue. Whats scary about right now is that weve been cooped up for so long, and the day-to-day has become so difficult, that its very tempting to see an ad for a drug and think that it might bring release, she said. Were talking about people feeling serious financial pressure, social anxiety, loneliness. She added, This is almost a recipe for disaster. c.2020 The New York Times Company Hospital admissions should be used as an indicator of whether tougher Covid-19 restrictions are needed in England's hotspots, not counts of new cases, a senior Tory has said. The Government leans towards looking at how infections are going up or down in each of England's local authorities in order to make decisions on 'local lockdown' rules. But Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 committee of backbench MPs, said this was a 'volatile' measure because it is heavily influenced by how much testing is being done in that area. When tests increase, so do the number of cases that are found in the community, experts say, which on the surface gives the impression Covid-19 is spreading faster. And at-risk areas are often flooded with resources to test more people - in the streets, town centres, and even door-to-door. Scientists say rising positive test results in the UK are mostly being driven by young, healthy people, who often do not show symptoms. Sir Brady, an MP from Trafford, admitted cases have nearly doubled in the Manchester borough amid a back-and-forth about whether to keep it under tighter Covid-19 measures. But he suggested the Government broaden their perspective and look at hospital admissions and deaths - a sign Covid-19 is reaching the vulnerable groups. But his comments were branded as 'shocking ignorance' and 'a basic lack of understanding' of public health by experts, who say relying on hospital data leaves it too late to stop the coronavirus spreading to at-risk people. Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West in Trafford, said using data on new cases was a 'volatile' measure because it is heavily influenced by how much testing is being done in that area Data shows that the number of cases and hospitalisations in the UK followed the same trend in the first wave of the outbreak but as cases have risen in a second phase since lockdown was lifted, hospital rates have so far stayed stubbornly low. Scientists say this is likely because the people getting infected now are young and healthy, unlike the sick older people who were picked up during the peak of the outbreak But hospital admissions have remained flat; 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 Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Brady said: 'I think the point in this, the government is using a single metric, which is this measure of positive tests, and certainly that is correct, that measure has gone up [in Trafford]. 'It was about 19 last week when the decision was made to lift restrictions and about 35/36 now, so a significant increase. 'But what I would say is that measure is quite volatile. Its still at quite low numbers, thats 36 per 100,00 people. HOW DOES TESTING AFFECT CASE NUMBERS? If more people are being tested for Covid-19, this will show up in cases data, experts say. On the surface, it may look like a spike in infections, but broadly is not something to worry about because it just means more people are being diagnosed than before, when testing was limited to those in hospital. Professor Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics, The Open University, said: 'In the early stages of the pandemic, there was far less availability of testing in most countries than there now is. So one reason there are more cases is just that people have got better at looking for and finding them.' And Dr Andrew Preston, a reader in microbial pathogenesis at University of Bath, said: Test more people, you will find more positives. 'Initially, testing was restricted to those reporting symptoms, but this has eased and it's now possible for a wider range of people to request tests.' Testing capacity has rapidly increased over the course of the pandemic in order to reach more people. And this has caused a slight increase in the number of people getting a positive result - but not to levels that suggest prevalence of the virus is soaring. 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 no that many more people testing positive compared to negative in August than in July. Other data from Public Health England reveals a similar trend over the course of the pandemic. Testing has increased vastly from no more than 13,000 tests per day at the start of April to around 150,000 in July. During the same period, positive test results in Pillar 2 - which are those outside of hospitals and care homes - went drastically down from a peak of 5.2 per cent in May to 1.4 per cent in mid-July, showing that less people were testing positive for the coronavirus despite testing reaching thousands more people. This figure has risen slightly over this month from 1.6 per cent to 2.1 per cent in the week ending August 23. But it's a small increase when comparing with the 5 per cent seen in May. Testing has shot up to almost 200,000 per day this month. Commenting on these figures, Dr Duncan Young, a professor of intensive care medicine at University of Oxford, told MailOnline: '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.' Despite this, it doesn't necessarily rule out that transmission of the disease is, indeed, climbing. Scientists admit that the evident rise in cases will be driven by more transmission in the community as a result of easing lockdown restrictions. 'But the position isnt like it was back in March and April,' Professor McConway said. 'The level of cases [in the UK] remains a very long way below what it was at the peak of the pandemic here in March and April.' Advertisement 'And its obviously influenced by the number of tests being carried out, which is increasing. So in Trafford, weve got tests centre now as well. 'My view is that it would be sensible to take a broader basket of measures in making the judgement about these things. 'And In particular the thing which it seems to me is very odd not to include, is evidence on the number of hospital admissions. Because we have seen evidence in recent months there has been bumping about in positive test results, but the number of hospital admissions has carried on falling steadily.' But many experts will disagree with Sir Brady's controversial comments, which suggest a wait-and-see approach, rather than a preventative one. Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'I do not support this. The whole point of restrictions is to stop the virus spreading to as many people as possible. 'If there is a high burden of infection amongst low-risk groups, there is a greater chance of transmission to high-risk groups. Many of these proposed modifications to the government's strategy, like that posited here, seem to bely a basic lack of understanding of public health.' He has said previously for the UK broadly, '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' - like the nationwide lockdown seen in April and May. Professor John Ashton, an ex-regional director of public health in England, said Sir Brady's comments show 'a shocking ignorance and lack of understanding of this pandemic after six months by a leading political leader'. He told MailOnline: 'If you only make decisions based on people being so sick they are coming into hospital, its like making decisions to have lifeguards or rescue boats downstream on a river and not doing anything about the people who are falling in the river upstream.' He added that using hospital data to understand the outbreak 'misses a big part of the picture'. It had become clear that during the pandemic, many Covid-19 patients were not admitted to hospital, either because they were too frightened or their GP decided against it. 'GPs took decisions not to admit some, it became controversial. They were making decisions about leaving old people at home, or care homes. They were not being counted if they were in care homes.' The aim of a local lockdown, or tighter measures moving towards it, is to control the spread of the coronavirus by containing it within a particular area and so avoid re-imposing social distancing restrictions across the whole of the country. Data on the local infection rate and concentration of cases is gathered by the NHS test and trace programme and assessed by top health chiefs with local public health teams. Then, based on this data, officials make decisions on the next steps to prevent further fuelling in cases. The aim is to prevent further spread of the coronavirus to other parts of the country and vulnerable people who made need hospital care or are at risk of death. Sir Brady's comments come amid fiery debate about the Government's U-turn on releasing Trafford and Bolton from the tougher Covid-19 measures across Manchester. They were among a bunch of areas in the North West due to see restrictions on house visits lifted on Tuesday. But inclusion of Trafford and Bolton was abandoned at the 11th hour after a furious backlash from local politicians including Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who said infection levels were still far too high. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday: 'Following a significant change in the level of infection rates over the last few days, a decision has been taken that Bolton and Trafford will now remain under existing restrictions.' Later that day, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Prime Minister Boris Johnson was 'making it up as he goes along' with 'mess after mess', referencing the series of U-turns during the pandemic. Trafford Council leader Andrew Western has also blasted the 'chaotic' way local lockdowns had been handled and accused ministers of making a 'purely political calculation' to lift the restrictions even as cases rose. Experts say a rise in cases was always expected when the country reopened and young people returned to work and social environments. Expansion of testing capacity, especially in the north-west, means infections are being found more easily than at the start of the pandemic, experts say. In the UK alone, the number of tests being carried out has increased by 20 per cent from the start of July to late August. But the number of positive results has gone up by only 0.3 per cent in the same period, suggesting new cases are a combination of more tests, and only a slight rise in infections in hotspots. In many hotspots across England, mobile testing units are rapidly being set up, and volunteers are knocking on people's doors, in order to find as many people carrying the coronavirus as possible, including those who are not showing symptoms. Testing, until recently, focused on those who develop symptoms a fever, new cough, or loss of sense of smell. Over the past month, The Mail on Sunday has learned that screening initiatives have been popping up in town centres across the UK, such as in St Helens, Slough, Sheffield, Leicester and Rotherham. These pilot schemes aim to test the healthy or at least, seemingly healthy - to find those who are not carrying symptoms and silently spreading the disease. In Pendle, where infections rates are highest in England, a council worker said there were a number of screening sites testing at least 100 people a day, the vast majority of which are not at all unwell. Professor Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics, The Open University, told MailOnline yesterday: 'In the early stages of the pandemic, there was far less availability of testing in most countries than there now is. So one reason there are more cases is just that people have got better at looking for and finding them.' Public health expert Professor Carl Heneghan, a GP and director of the University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, is sceptical about the benefit of mass Covid testing of non-symptomatic people. 'This scatter-gun strategy does not make sense,' he told Mail On Sunday. 'If you go into an area and screen, you will pick up a background level of the virus. There are about 40 pathogens we know about that can cause respiratory illness, and if you tested for these, you'd find them too. Asked if these 'hidden' cases may be necessary to stamp out to avoid a second wave, Professor Henegan said: 'This is not supported by any evidence. The focus should be on rapidly testing those who have symptoms, and tracing their close contacts.' But Professor Ashton, former president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: 'If you're doing more testing, you will see more cases. But that is not an argument for not doing it. Thats an argument for doing higher testing everywhere. 'If you're consistent about doing the high level of testing, then you know if it's getting worse or better. But if you're not consistent, you don't know.' Nelson in Pendle, Lancashire, was flagged for 'additional guidance' by the Government, owing to rising infections. Pictured: Barney Calman at a Pendle testing centre with nurses Pictured: a mobile advertising vehicle displaying a coronavirus high risk area warning in Oldham, Greater Manchester A sign shows traffic where to turn to enter a Covid-19 testing centre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, northwest England on August 20 Professor Henegan raised another problem of 'false positives' - when someone is given a positive result when they in fact do not have the coronavirus. The standard Covid-19 test used works by picking up fragments of viral RNA a kind of genetic material. 'People can go on shedding viral RNA for up to 80 days after initial infection,' explains Professor Heneghan. Studies have also suggested PCR tests are 'too sensitive' because they pick up people who have insignificant amounts of the virus in their symptoms and are not actually contagious. Up to 90 per cent of Covid-19 patients in Massachusetts, New York and Nevada in July carried barely any traces of the virus, a study published last week revealed. Scientists have repeatedly said that he increase in positive tests in the UK is not a concern because hospital admissions and deaths have not risen at the same time, and say younger people are driving infection rates. The average number of people testing positive for the virus every day has increased by 27 per cent in a week, from 1,090 to 1,400. But hospital admissions remain flat, with less than 800 Covid-19 patients in beds, and 82 on ventilators. Many scientists are not surprised or concerned by the spike in cases in the UK, and say it is no indication of a 'second wave'. 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 Lawrence Young, a virologist and oncologist at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline that although cases are on an upward trajectory, 'it is becoming increasingly clear that people are less likely to die if they get Covid-19 now compared with earlier in the pandemic, at least in Europe'. He added: 'Possible explanations include that a larger number of younger people - 15-44 year olds - are now being infected compared to the first peak in cases in April and this group are less likely to get severe disease. 'Two; there is now more effective treatment for patients with Covid-19 with far fewer needing mechanical ventilation; and three; less aggressive variants of SARS-CoV-2, particularly the D614G variant, are more prevalent these remain very infectious but are less likely to cause severe disease.' Professor Young added: 'It was not unexpected that easing of lockdown and a return to more regular activities would result in more infections.' Dr Andrew Preston, a reader in microbial pathogenesis at University of Bath, told MailOnline: 'Initially, testing was restricted to those reporting symptoms, but this has eased and it's now possible for a wider range of people to request tests.' He said: 'There has been lots of discussion on the continent about the recent "second wave" being driven primarily by the younger age groups. 'In theory, infection among the age groups should not be a major problem (a small number will suffer disease). However, the danger is spill over into those who are at risk of severe disease. Hopefully, we have learned the painful lessons of the initial outbreak.' It follows a consultant in the West Midlands saying there are barely any Covid-19 patients being admitted to hospital despite government statistics showing cases are rising. Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Dr Ron Daniels said on August 21: 'It can be argued, and its true, that testing at the moment is identifying a younger population who dont tend to become as seriously ill. 'Although, whats not true is that the young dont become seriously ill. We treated plenty during the peak. Those in intensive care are now older than they were during the peak but appear to be less seriously ill, which is interesting. 'Other explanations might be, that we might have, and this is not what I see going about my daily business, a vulnerable population, the older population and those who are shielding, continuing to to do so and theyre remaining safe. 'I see older people milling around in the shops and so forth, they are being careful, they are wearing masks, so that might be one thing. 'The other slightly more macabre thing, is the most vulnerable to this condition might have been exposed to this early on and might have already had this disease with many having sadly died.' Prosecutor launches appeal as Marian Kocner and co-defendant are cleared of murder in deaths of Jan Kuciak and fiancee. A panel of judges in Slovakia has acquitted a businessman accused of masterminding the 2018 murders of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. Judge Ruzena Sabova at the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok said on Thursday there was not enough evidence for the convictions of the businessman, Marian Kocner, and one co-defendant. A third defendant was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Thursdays judgment shocked the victims families, who left the courtroom in tears, and also drew criticism from political leaders. The prosecutor who brought the charges appealed the verdict, sending the case to the countrys Supreme Court, which can uphold the ruling or order a new trial. The only thing I can say is Im disgusted, the journalists father, Jozef Kuciak, told reporters. Kuciak was shot in the chest and Kusnirova was shot in the head at their home in the town of Velka Maca, east of Bratislava, on February 21, 2018. During Kocners trial, prosecutors told the court that the businessman had allegedly threatened the journalist following publication of a story about his business dealings. Overall, Kuciak published nine stories about Kocner. Kuciak filed a complaint over the alleged threats in 2017 and had claimed that police failed to act on it. He had been investigating possible government corruption when he was killed. Previous convictions Two other defendants previously were convicted and sentenced. Former soldier Miroslav Marcek pleaded guilty to shooting Kuciak and Kusnirova and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in April. Prosecutors said Kocner paid Marcek to carry out the killings. Another defendant who had acted as a go-between, Zoltan Andrusko, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a lesser sentence and received a 15-year prison term in December. He testified that Kocner ordered the slayings. The killings prompted large street protests unseen since the 1989 anti-Communist Velvet Revolution and a political crisis that led to the collapse of the government. For the past ten years we have been living on our reserves. The natural resources the Earth can produce in a year are already all used up around this time for 2020. Globally, the earth overshoot day is on 22 August. However, in Luxembourg, earth overshoot day was already on 16 February of this year: at this date, the Grand Duchy had already used up all of its annual natural resources, according to the American non-governmental organisation Global Footprint Network. The national Council of sustainable development was asking for a report to analyse Luxembourgs ecological footprint to the non-profit organisation Institut fir Biologesch Landwirtschaft an Agrarkultur Luxemburg (IBLA). In which areas could Luxembourgish resources be saved? Can citizens contribute effectively on an individual level? These are the questions addressed by Romain Poulles, president of the national Council of sustainable development. The biggest impact, says Poulles, is energy, "there is nothing above that. It constitutes 60% of our ecological footprint." Poulles suggests that the rest is about mobility, "the way we consume, our nutrition and housing. One thing that is clear, is that we are using more resources than they exist, which cannot work out in the long run. But what leverage should be used to save our resources? Sustainable development means that our resources have to be invested well, therefore into products that last long or can be recycled later on. Poulles is clear on action to be taken, we have to lose our mentality of everything being disposable, the linear system, where we buy products we use shortly and throw away soon after." It is not just the purchasing that is the issue but also the storage, "we stock huge amounts of products in our houses, which we might just use once or twice a year. Maybe we can rent them instead or switch them out for different ones instead of throwing them away. Everyone is capable of living their daily life in a more sustainable way by changing tiny habits. But those who concretely engage, either politically or socially, to fight for sustainable development, have a real influence. As long as we do not change the system, and I truly mean the economic system," says Poulles, "we will not solve the problem of our ecological footprint, that is very clear. This means we have to reasonably use our resources, reduce our ecological footprint, which only works if the economy participates, therefore, if economy can earn money with sustainable patters. This is why what we consume and the way we consume it has an important impact on our future. Video report in Luxembourgish: By Park Moo-jong We are living in the days of a pandemic of lies, not to speak of the global coronavirus pandemic. The problem is that it is hard to figure out who is lying, for the liars tell false statements with a straight face, especially on the floor (of the National Assembly), only for their political and personal interests. When it comes to a lie, Koreans have "three signature" lies: First, an old man's saying, "When I get gold, I must die"; second, a merchant's claim, "I am selling at a loss"; third, an old maid's complaint, "I won't get married." Nobody believes the three white lies that do not hurt others. Who's telling the truth? Who's telling lies? The battle is fierce. There are many things indeed we cannot believe these days. Many people jokingly agree: weather forecasts, women's minds and statistics. Indeed, the weather office is adding fuel to the fire in this sizzling summer for its repeated "lies," especially about the progress of the recent typhoons, Bavi and Maysak. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), a British politician and writer who twice served as prime minister, reputedly said, "There are three kinds of lies lies, damned lies and statistics." But there are people who put this kind of joke into the shade: politicians who are quite surprised to be taken at their word, since they never believe what they say, according to the late French President Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970). When it comes to lying, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be second to none, according to global media outlets. "It took President Trump 827 days to top 10,000 false and misleading claims in , an average of 12 claims a day," according to a report by The Washington Post, July 13. "But on July 9, just 440 days later, the president crossed the 20,000 mark an average of 23 claims a day over a 14-month period, which included the events leading up to Trump's impeachment trial, the worldwide pandemic that crashed the economy and the eruption of protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody." In particular, Trump has repeatedly lied about the coronavirus pandemic and the country's preparation for this once-in-a-century crisis, according to numerous news reports. For instance, he claimed on Feb. 27 that the outbreak would be temporary: How about our President Moon Jae-in? In early stages of the pandemic, he used to make similar remarks, expressing his optimistic view. Yet the pandemic is ever raging, forcing the people to stay home without fail. Our leading politicians are second to none in lying. High-ranking officials are also like them. Former President Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009) declared after his defeat to Kim Young-sam in the 1992 presidential election: "I, Kim Dae-jung, will not 'do' politics again. I will resign as a National Assemblyman." And he left for Britain in 1993 to study at Cambridge for a year. In 1997, he made a comeback, ran in the presidential election again and won against Lee Hoi-chang to become the 15th President of the Republic of Korea. Back in 1961, then Army major general Park Chung-hee seized power through the May 16 coup and promised a transfer of power to an elected government two years later. But he retired as a four-star Army general in 1963, ran in the presidential election that year and won against the previous President Yun Bo-sun. Moon was no exception. After losing to President Park Geun-hye in the 2012 showdown, he "promised" to withdraw from the political world "without regret" and would not run in the presidential poll. But he did not keep his promise and succeeded in his second bid for the presidency. The very latest example is the verbal war between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and opposition lawmakers over Choo's determination to cover up the suspected crime of her son who allegedly went AWOL in 2017 after not returning from official leave. She has been persistent in denying the allegation against many related soldiers' testimony, claiming, "That's not true. That's fiction." She is suspected of having influenced the affair as the chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The ruling camp leaders of both the administration and the party are also stirring up public rage by asserting that housing prices would go down soon, though the reality is quite different. Who is telling a lie? It is true our society used to be somewhat generous toward the lies of politicians and government officials. Few of them were punished for their false statements. Rather, the people paid the price for their deception. Now, the people, namely voters, have to change. A remark by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) comes to my mind: "I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." History shows that (politicians) losing the public trust is losing everything in the long run. No one can be free from the responsibility for their own lies. Park Moo-jong (emjei29@gmail.com) is a standing adviser of The Korea Times. He served as the president-publisher of the nation's first English daily newspaper from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 01:27:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DOHA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Qatari health ministry on Wednesday announced 212 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 119,206, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. Meanwhile, 216 more people recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 116,111, while only one death was reported, raising the fatalities to 199, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA. The ministry reiterated the need to take preventive measures, including staying home and observing social distancing. A total of 639,742 people in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far. Enditem Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described as a further attempt by the authorities to try to "suppress the truth." Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Court also banned Mosaed from conducting journalism activities and from using all communications devices for two years, the journalist tweeted on September 2. "From the judge's point of view my media activity is 'creating crisis,' 'instigating an empty-minded audience,' and 'distorting reality,'" wrote Mosaed, a freelance economic reporter who will be honored with the CPJ's 2020 International Press Freedom Award in November. Mosaed has previously received DW's Freedom of Speech Award. CPJ strongly condemns the harsh sentence handed down to Mosaed for simply informing Iranians about events of national importance, the New York based media-freedom watchdog's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement. Accusing Mosaed of creating a crisis through his reporting is just the latest in the Iranian government's hypocritical approach to journalism. Banning Mosaed from using communication devices is a farcical punishment in 2020 but reflects just how desperate the government is to suppress the truth," Mansour added. CPJ quoted a source familiar with the case as saying that Mosaed was sentenced on August 25, a week after being charged with "colluding against national security" and "spreading propaganda against the system." Mosaed and his lawyer plan to appeal the sentence, according to the source, who said the journalist was charged in connection with two past arrests. He was first detained in November last year, after he posted on Twitter during an Internet shutdown implemented by the government amid widespread protests over high gas prices. Mosaed was transferred to Evin prison, where he was held for 16 days before he was released on bail. And in February, he was arrested again and detained for several hours after he posted criticism of the government on social media, according to the CPJ. While he was in custody, authorities ordered him to delete his Telegram channel and suspended his Twitter account. CPJ will honor Mosaed and three other International Press Freedom awardees on November 19 at a virtual annual benefit gala due to the coronavirus pandemic. The other awardees who have been "arrested or faced criminal prosecution in reprisal for their reporting" are Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva, Shahidul Alam of Bangladesh, and Dapo Olorunyomi of Nigeria. A pair of Michigan law enforcement leaders co-sponsored a letter condemning what they call efforts to undermine the voting process through U.S. Postal Service interference or sending police to monitor polling booths. Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton and Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon signed on with more than 75 other leaders from nearly 30 states to criticize these attacks as both a threat to democracy and public safety, according to a statement from the organization Fair and Just Prosecution. The letter is in response to President Donald Trumps Aug. 21 statement in a Fox News interview. Trump said he would send law enforcement to make sure no fraudulent voting would occur. Were going to have sheriffs, and were going to have law enforcement, and were going to have, hopefully, US attorneys, and were going to have everybody and attorney generals, Trump said. Clayton and Siemon, both Democrats, joined the other leaders in calling for free and fair elections, which they said would be threatened by police intimidation if Trump had his way. Recent threats and intimidation tactics, including deploying law enforcement to police the polls, raises the prospect of voter intimidation, damaging bonds of trust between law enforcement and communities they serve, the group said in the statement. This is playing out at a time when the number of Americans expressing confidence in law enforcement has fallen to an all-time low. Clayton, Siemon and others questioned the legality of Trump ordering them to carry out his orders, and recalled historic racial intimidation involving sheriffs and police monitoring voters. Disturbingly, the threat to police the polls evokes the darkest chapters of American history, a shameful and devastating part of our past that still haunts us today, the group said. Law enforcement in the Jim Crow South blocked Black citizens from accessing the polls. Voter intimidation came in the form of implicit and explicit threats, violence, and lynchings. After Reconstruction, white politicians stuffed ballot boxes to favor their preferred candidate, threatened Black voters into voting for that candidate, and, when all else failed, overthrew Black elected officials by force. Fair elections must be free from even the hint of voter intimidation. Eleven of the co-signers were attorneys general. While Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was not included in the statement, but did previously comment on Trumps statement: The hell he will. Sincerely, Michigans Top Law Enforcement Official PS-Its Attorneys General, not Attorney Generals. Youd think he would know that by now since @DemocraticAGs have successfully sued him so many times. https://t.co/Tv0zCA5o3T Dana Nessel (@dananessel) August 21, 2020 Nessel is also involved in a lawsuit against the USPS over recent mailing delays. Read more: Michigan joins lawsuit against USPS over mail delays Concerns over the delays have grown nationally and in Michigan after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy implemented a series of operational changes officials worried would delay election mail. Related: Michigan lawmakers say Postal Service investigation reveals hundreds of late mail reports For these changes to be coming at the same time that we are facing not just a presidential election like any other, but a presidential election during the course of a global pandemic, we know that in states like ours were going to exponentially see an increase in absentee voting, Nessel said in a statement. This is the first presidential election where people will be able to vote no-reason absentee. Michigan voters approved no-reason absentee voting in 2018. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testified at a congressional hearing Friday, Aug. 28 that despite possible attempts to suppress voting, Michigans primary election proved a safe and secure election can be held. Earlier this month, we held a statewide primary in Michigan, which serves a blueprint for running safe, secure and accessible elections in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Benson said. Our primary success demonstrated that proactive data-driven planning and collaboration at the state and local levels supported by federal resources can result in successful elections this year. This is a good sign for November. Related: Our elections are safe, Michigan SOS says Congressional hearing on homeland security More than 2.5 million Michigan citizens voted in August, including 1.6 million before Election Day, the highest turnout that the state has ever had for a primary election. Benson said there has been zero evidence of fraud as a result of absentee voting. This dramatic increase underscores the importance of expanding absentee and early voting options to all citizens and ensuring they know exactly how to exercise those options, Benson said. Voters must have the choice to vote in person on election day without risking their health. Throughout our state, traditional polling places remained open for the August primary. Read more from MLive: To infinity and...Sterling Heights? Lawmakers want Space Force to establish headquarters in Michigan Michigan lawmakers seek changes to nursing home policies amid coronavirus pandemic Why former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is supporting Joe Biden for president KABUL: Afghan negotiators and senior officials will fly to Doha for peace talks with the Taliban after the two sides reached a compromise over the release of prisoners, diplomatic and government sources said. All but seven of the 5,000 prisoners whose release the Taliban had demanded as a precondition for negotiations have been freed, four government and diplomatic sources told Reuters. National security advisor spokesman Javid Faisal confirmed that all but a small number" of the remaining Taliban prisoners had been released, in return for the insurgent group freeing security force members in line with the governments demands. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing," he said in a tweet, referring to the final few prisoners who international partners objected to releasing. We expect direct talks to start promptly." The Taliban did not respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear when the talks would start. A government source said they could begin as soon as Saturday, but a second source subsequently said that initial plans for the government delegation to fly to Doha on Thursday had been postponed. Deadlock over the Taliban prisoners had stalled the United States-brokered negotiations for months. The release of the final batch of 400, who the government blamed for some of the worst violence committed in the country, has been debated for weeks. They included the small number whose release was objected to by Western powers due to their involvement in attacks on foreign forces. Five sources told Reuters the plan was for seven remaining prisoners to be transferred to Doha, where they would be kept under supervision. The seven were members of the Afghan National Security Forces arrested on charges of attacking troops they were stationed with, an Afghan official said, marking them as sympathisers with or covert members of the Taliban. Washington has been trying to broker peace talks to end 19 years of war since signing a troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February. 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 More than a hundred Israelis gathered in the center of London on Aug. 2, protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against state corruption and against what they considered the erosion of democratic norms in their homeland. Assembled near the Israeli Embassy on High Street Kensington, the protesters flew black flags the same black flags that have become the symbol of the anti-Netanyahu movement, raising a warning sign over the danger Israels democracy is currently facing. The demonstration was easily organized through Facebook via groups of Israeli expats and Israeli students in the United Kingdom. The London demonstration was not the first of its kind. Similar protests have taken place before in Paris, New York, San Francisco and Berlin. Evidently, over time, these demonstrations kept growing, with the Aug. 2 demonstration generating much interest both in the UK and in Israel. The reason for the increased interest was its timing Londons demonstration took place just hours after a mass anti-Netanyahu rally in Jerusalem outside Netanyahus official residence. Since then, over the weekends that followed, more and more anti-Netanyahu demonstrations were organized outside Israel. On Aug. 11, some 50 Israeli students and lecturers protested at the University of Cambridge in the UK. The protesters chanted "crime minister the slogan of the anti-Netanyahu rallies. On the same day, other Israelis protested outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, demanding that Netanyahu resign. It was the first time such a protest took place in the American capital. These overseas demonstrations reached a peak on Aug. 29, when protesters gathered simultaneously in 18 locations across the globe. Israelis came together in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Basel, Berlin, Boston, Cambridge, Chicago, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, New York, Oslo, Paris, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, DC. The demonstration chain was coordinated with activists in Israel, who staged a mass rally simultaneously on Jerusalem's Balfour Street. The 18 protests were transmitted live on Facebook and screened outside Netanyahus official residence before thousands of demonstrators. Organizers of the overseas demonstrations said this was the largest protest event ever staged by Israelis living abroad against their government. Talia De Vries, one of the organizers of the Paris demonstration, told Al-Monitor, "We, Israelis living in France, are joining the battle over democracy staged back home. Israelis living overseas are expressing unprecedented solidarity with the campaign against attempts by the Israeli government in the past few years to divide and split our society. Every day, new and delusional laws are adopted to erode the foundations of democracy in Israel. Corruption has reached record levels. The Knesset is revoking itself. Ministers attack the law enforcement system. Police brutality against citizens is growing." De Vries explains that she and her friends in France could no longer keep silent, as their homeland was being shredded apart. "Our friends, our families are collapsing under the burden of the health and economic crisis, while the prime minister, indicted over bribery, corruption and breach of trust, is busy saving his own skin. He is oblivious to the public, which cries out for another leadership. That is why we chose to stand up and show our solidarity with the Balfour protest." Indeed, Israelis demonstrating against their government outside Israel isnt an everyday event. The prevailing perception is that Israelis living abroad should support their country and government almost automatically. Israeli law enables only citizens living in the country to vote. Diplomats and official emissaries are the only exceptions to that rule. The logic behind this is that citizens who choose to live elsewhere, who do not participate in the countrys daily life, do not pay their taxes there, do not serve in the army, are not confronted with the risks of living in a country at war and are not exposed to terror attacks, should not have the right to decide who would govern. Over the years, several Israeli politicians, including Netanyahu, have tried to change that law and enable Israelis residing overseas to vote, either at a nearby embassy or by mail, but these bills never matured into laws and were never adopted by the Knesset. Yoni Charash, one of the Washington protest organizers, told the Israeli press, "Although we live, at the moment, outside of Israel, Israel is still our home, our culture. This year, I was released from my duties as an officer in the [Israel Defense Force's] reserve forces, and for me to join the protest even from here, out of my love for Israel and precisely because I care so much about it, is the best service I can do right now for Israel." De Vries says that more and more Israelis are interested in joining the Paris demonstrations. She and her friends have no intention of stopping at least as long as Israelis continue to demonstrate on Jerusalems Balfour Street. Coronavirus is able to rapidly multiply by hijacking the body and forcing it to produce more receptors it can use to enter and infect organs, a study suggests. US experts processed 2.5billion genetic combinations of Covid-19 in a super-computer to try and understand how the virus impacts the body. They believe they have cracked why Covid-19 causes a slew of bizarre symptoms and are now recommending more than 10 potential treatments for the disease. The team, from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, found the virus typically infects people through ACE-2 receptors in the nose, where they are most common. It then races through the body, invading cells in other places where ACE-2 is located, including the intestines, kidneys and heart - explaining the cardiac and kidney damage, and abdominal pains, seen in many patients. Once inside human cells, though, it tricks the body into producing more ACE-2 receptors where they are normally only present in small numbers, including in the lungs. This essentially opens the floodgates and allows Covid-19 to rapidly multiply and send armies of viral particles to infect more parts of the body in huge numbers. A byproduct of this crafty process is that it interferes with the body's ability to control levels of a chemical called bradykinin, which helps regulate blood pressure, according to the team's analysis. This leads to a catastrophic build-up of the chemical, causing a 'bradykinin storm' which makes blood vessels leaky and drives up the risk of inflammation, blood clots, strokes and brain damage - deadly symptoms observed in the sickest of patients. The Oak Ridge scientists are recommending a series of bradykinin-reducing drugs including danazol, stanozolol, and ecallantide, which are already approved in the UK and US for other conditions. The team, led by Professor Daniel Jacobson, a computational systems biologist at the lab, looked at more than 40,000 genes from 17,000 genetic samples of the coronavirus. They input the data into Summit, the second fastest super-computer in the world, which analysed 2.5 billion genetic combinations over a week. This helped the scientists to understand the genetic make-up of the virus, how that could interact with the human body and what symptoms it could cause. After analysing the results, the team believe the coronavirus interferes with the reninangiotensin system (RAS), which controls bradykinin levels. COVID-19 HAS AT LEAST 19 SYMPTOMS, EXPERT BEHIND UK SYMPTOM TRACKER APP SAYS Researchers from King's College London have developed a symptom-tracking app which has seen millions of Britons sign up and report their symptoms. The full list of symptoms, in order of how predictive they are of the disease, include: 1. Loss of smell/taste 2. Persistent cough 3. Fatigue 4. Loss of appetite 5. Skin rash 6. Hives 7. Fever 8. Severe muscle pain 9. Shortness of breath 10. Diarrhoea 11. Delirium 12. Abdominal pain 13. Chest pain 14. Hoarse voice 15. Eye soreness 16. Sore or painful throat 17. Nausea or vomiting 18. Headache 19. Dizziness or light headedness Advertisement They believe it is the 'bradykinin storm' causing the majority of the unusual symptoms, rather than a 'cytokine storm', an overreaction by the immune system which sees it attack healthy tissue, which was previously touted as the possible cause. As bradykinin accumulates in the body, it makes the protective walls around blood vessels less waterproof and more likely to leak. The researchers say this causes immune cells to leak into vital organs like the lungs, causing deadly inflammation a useful recovery process when well controlled that makes it hard to breathe. They have called their theory the 'bradykinin hypothesis'. The RAS system is also responsible for keeping the heart beating properly and controlling blood pressure. The theory would explain why a fifth of Covid-19 hospital patients suffer heart damage, despite many never having previously had cardiac troubles. And arrhythmias - irregular heart beats - and low blood pressure have also been spotted in a large proportion of patients. According to Professor Jacobson, it is leaky blood vessels that are triggering Covid-19's symptoms in the nerves and brain, which have puzzled doctors and scientists alike. Leaks in a barrier between blood vessels in the skull and brain cells is causing dizziness, seizures, delirium, and stroke - thought to affect half of all hospitalised Covid-19 patients to some degree. The blood-brain barrier acts as a filter between the organ and the rest of the body, only allowing essential nutrients to pass through and keeping out toxins and pathogens. When broken down, these cells are able to infiltrate the brain and trigger inflammation and brain damage. Professor Jacobson told the medical news website Elemental: 'It is a reasonable hypothesis that many of the neurological symptoms in Covid-19 could be due to an excess of bradykinin. 'It has been reported that bradykinin would indeed be likely to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, similar neurological symptoms have been observed in other diseases that result from an excess of bradykinin.' The scientist said Covid-19's effect on the body appears to echo nasty side effects of blood pressure-lowering drugs. Such medications, known as ACE inhibitors, are prescribed to patients with extremely high blood pressure, known as hypertension. They are known to, in some cases, cause a dry cough, fatigue and loss of taste and smell - three tell-tale signs of the coronavirus. Professor Jacobson's theory may also explain why men are disproportionately catching and dying from coronavirus. Males are dying at twice the rate of the disease in the UK and the findings are consistent worldwide. Professor Jacobson said there are a higher number of protective proteins that prevent the RAS system from going haywire located on the X chromosome. This suggests 'women have twice the levels of this protein than men' which 'could explain the lower incidence of Covid-19 induced mortality in women', he added. The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal E Life Sciences, is said to contribute to a better understanding of Covid-19' and 'add novelty to the existing literature,' according to the independent scientists who reviewed it. Professor Jacobson and his team are now recommending scientists investigate more than 10 bradykinin-blocking drugs on Covid-19 patients. Many, which have the potential to stop a bradykinin storm, include danazol, which treats endometriosis, a painful disorder affecting the womb, the anabolic steroid stanozolol and ecallantide and icatibant, which treat skin conditions. The findings which experts say point strongly to Russian state involvement added to tensions between Russia and the West Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny casting his vote at a polling station during to the Moscow city Duma election in Moscow. - Tests carried out on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny provide clear proof that he was poisoned by a chemical nerve agent, the German government said Wednesday, September 2, 2020, demanding explanations from Moscow. (AFP File) Berlin: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent used in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy, the German government said Wednesday, provoking outrage from Western leaders who demanded Moscow provide an explanation. The findings which experts say point strongly to Russian state involvement added to tensions between Russia and the West. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Navalnys poisoning attempted murder, meant to silence one of Russian President Vladimir Putins fiercest critics. The Berlin hospital treating the dissident said he remains on a ventilator though his condition is improving. It said it expects a long recovery and still cant rule out long-term effects on his health from the poisoning. The German government said that testing by a German military laboratory showed proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. British authorities identified Novichok as the poison used on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. There are very serious questions now that only the Russian government can answer, and must answer, Merkel said. The United Kingdom and Italy also called on Russia to explain what happened, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling the use of a chemical weapon outrageous. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot tweeted that it was completely reprehensible. We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, Ullyot said. The European Unions foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said any use of chemical weapons was a breach of international law. Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on Aug. 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. He was moved two days later to Berlins Charite hospital, where doctors last week said initial tests indicated Navalny had been poisoned. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the Russian ambassador was summoned to his ministry Wednesday after the latest findings. Russias deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, dismissed the finger pointing as a knee-jerk reaction. Today accusing #Russia is a must-do for any Western country, he said in a tweet. In Moscow, Russian authorities were quick to blame Germany for not sharing its findings. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian authorities are ready and interested in full cooperation and exchange of information with Germany but added that Berlin still hasnt provided any official response to formal requests from the Russian prosecutor generals office and doctors who treated Navalny. Peskov reiterated that Russian doctors didnt find any poisonous substances in Navalnys system. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged on state TV that Germany preferred public statements without providing any facts whatsoever to a thorough investigation. The German government said it would inform its partners in the European Union and NATO about the test results and would consult them on a response. Germany also will contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Shortly after the test results were announced, the Charite hospital said that Navalny is still in intensive care but continues to improve. Recovery is likely to be lengthy, it said in a statement. It is still too early to gauge the long-term effects, which may arise in relation to this severe poisoning. Andrea Sella, a professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London, said Navalnys prognosis is hard to predict. He said that very swift action is needed to stabilize patients in poisoning cases and noted the significant delay, given that Navalny was initially cared for by Russian doctors who said they had ruled out poisoning. The problem is that even if Mr Navalny were to survive there may be lingering long-term neurological issues, Sella said. Navalnys allies in Russia have insisted he was deliberately poisoned by the countrys authorities, accusations that the Kremlin has rejected as empty noise. To poison Navalny with Novichok in 2020 would be exactly the same as leaving an autograph at a crime scene, like this one, Navalnys longtime ally and strategist Leonid Volkov said in a tweet that featured a photo of Putins name and a signature next to it. It would not be the first time a prominent, outspoken Russian was targeted in such a way or the first time the Kremlin was accused of being behind it. Navalnys allies have also accused Russian authorities of delaying his transfer out of the country after the poisoning. It took much wrangling and 48 hours to move Navalny to Berlin. Local doctors at the time said he was too unstable to be transported, and the Kremlin said it would defer to the physicians. The Siberian medical team relented only after a charity that had organized a medevac plane revealed that German doctors who examined the politician said he was stable enough to be moved. The reversal came as international pressure on Moscow mounted substantially. The system has long lost its ability to operate in an optimal way. It had to choose between the scandal related to Navalnys (possible) death in Omsk and the risk of the poisoning being discovered by German doctors, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said. Novichok is a class of military-grade nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Western weapons experts believe it was only ever manufactured in Russia. After the Skripals were poisoned, Russia said the U.S., Britain and other Western countries had acquired the expertise to make the nerve agent and that the Novichok used in that attack could have come from them. Several Russian lawmakers have said Russia isnt manufacturing Novichok-type agents. Unless you are working for the military, it is impossible to be accidentally exposed, Richard Parsons, a senior lecturer in biochemical toxicology at Kings College London, said. It is unavailable from anywhere except the Russian military as far as I am aware. Britain charged two Russians alleged to be agents of the Russian military intelligence service GRU in absentia with the 2018 attack that left the Skripals in critical condition and killed a British woman. Russia has refused to extradite the men to the U.K. Access to free and convenient coronavirus testing at transportation hubs in the Bay Area and beyond may be the key to slowing high infection rates among low-income Latinos, data released Wednesday from a three-week UCSF testing initiative show. Researchers offered free, walk-up testing in August at the plaza at 24th and Mission streets in San Francisco a busy commercial location in the Mission District that includes BART and Muni stops to gauge the effectiveness of testing in a transit hub. The idea was to see if low-barrier testing in a high-traffic area, and social support for quarantining in the largely Latino neighborhood, could improve testing in difficult-to-reach communities and ultimately slow the spread of the virus, particularly among Latino essential workers. The initiative was successful and should be replicated elsewhere, researchers said. Making testing more widely available among vulnerable groups, and encouraging isolation for those who test positive, is key to halting the pandemic, the researchers said. Low-income Latinos who work essential jobs and live in crowded housing to afford skyrocketing rents remain among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, the study showed a pattern that has persisted across the U.S. throughout the pandemic. Yet testing sites are often hard to find in the Bay Areas low-income neighborhoods, according to a recent Chronicle analysis. So great was the demand at the 24th and Mission plaza last month that staff members ran out of tests, researchers said. Researchers tested an average of 100 people an hour, had Spanish-speaking staff, short wait times and required no identification or health insurance, said Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of the UCSF division of HIV, Infectious Disease and Global Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, who helped lead the study. Of the 2,622 people who were tested at the transit hub, 9% about 235 participants tested positive for the coronavirus, according to UCSF. And of that group, nearly all, about 93%, were Latino, the study found. An estimated 85% spoke Spanish as their preferred language, 87% earned less than $50,000 a year, and only 22% had sick-leave coverage, the study found. Most, 79%, also lived in a high-density home, with a median household size of six people. Researchers ensured that participants who tested positive for the virus could quarantine and protect family from the virus. Under the program, they also delivered food, protective gear and cleaning supplies. The results come as California pushes for health equity among the most vulnerable. In their new system for determining when counties can reopen businesses, state officials say they will soon include a requirement that local governments extend services to hard-hit communities. Such services will include access to testing, sufficient contact tracing, and making it possible for members of the community to safely isolate. Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle To tackle such significant health disparities, it is critically important to roll out testing sites in transit hubs, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, vice dean for population health and health equity at the UCSF School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Testing at public transportation sites, like this study does, is really at the nexus of making testing widely available, she said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Jon Jacobo, a member of the citys Latino Task Force, which helped organize the study, said that without the ability for us to be able to do this kind of research in our community, we would not truly understand the gravity of the painful reality that exists within the Latino community in respect to COVID-19. To me and many of us in the Latino Task Force, its deeply personal, its deeply painful, and its deeply frustrating to see, from April to now, that we have not been able to get a grip or a handle on something like COVID-19, he said. Researchers conducted the Mission study through Unidos en Salud, a collaboration between the Latino Task Force for COVID-19 and UCSF. The task force will partner with Carnaval San Francisco this weekend to host a job and resource fair in the Mission, which will include free COVID-19 testing. An earlier UCSF study from a mass antibody testing of nearly 4,000 people in the Mission showed a high number of previous infections among low-income Latinos who continued going to work while most people sheltered in place. That study found that Latinos were more likely to continue going to work despite the shelter-in-place order, which increased their infection rates. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez. At the weekend of Saturday 29, and Sunday 30th August, a barrage of phone-calls, whatsApp, MSM messages bombarded my handset in alarming numbers as never before in recent past. While some of the messages came through some high-profile persons including; both a sitting Nigerian governor and a former one, senators, house of representative members and presidential staffers, the others came from many ordinary Nigerian friends and colleagues whom I respect, and also share strong pan African values with. Some of these messages were debates laced in raw emotions, while others were exchanges of views on the strategic relations between Ghana and Nigeria. Crux of the matter At the centre of all the rancorous outbursts and debates was the alleged inhumane treatment meted out by Ghanaian authorities to Nigerians citizens in Ghana. The initial hullaballoo centred on the issue of Ghanaian authorities restricting non-citizens from engaging in retail businesses in the local Ghanaian markets, but I suppose from last Friday, the Ghanaian authorities now see the matter way far beyond the retail business war. I was shocked to the spine last Friday 28th August, when the Nigerias Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed signed a strong worded press release in Abuja, warning Ghanaian authorities and demanding an immediate stop to an alleged incessant harassment of Nigerian citizens in Ghana. Allegations The Nigerian Minister, catalogued about eight incidents of alleged abuses meted out to Nigerias interests in Ghana, which included; the pulling down of the Nigeria High Commissions building and the seizure of Nigerian governments property in Accra. The other alleged maltreatments included; what they described as rampant deportation of Nigerian citizens from Ghana, closing of retail shops owned by Nigerians, Ghana immigration authorities demanding exorbitant resident permits fees from Nigerians, imposition of harsh investment laws on Nigeria traders, the use of Ghanaian media to wage a campaign against Nigerians in Ghana, and finally, open bias and harsh judicial pronouncements on Nigerians standing trial in Ghana, which culminated in the jailing of 200 Nigerians in Ghana. Honestly, I am yet to figure out which stratum of good foreign policy practice supports the use of Information Ministers to warn a sister country instead of a foreign minister, who has vast array of instruments at his disposal to address the concerns. Many observers noticed that the use of the latter swayed the whole conversation into a mischievous local propaganda in Nigeria, rather than trying to address a foreign policy issue. Relations of the sister countries This open release by Nigerias Information Minister may likely to harm our relations and damage the longstanding brotherliness, because the charges churned out in the release were inappropriately targeted, and were not aimed at addressing the situation, but rather meant to incite ordinary emotions and create disaffection between citizens of these two great countries. I have a strong belief that last Fridays press release by Nigeria, will awaken the Ghanaian government to the realization of the real feelings of our brothers in Nigeria, since the Nigerians admonish that they were documenting the alleged hostilities against their citizens in Ghana. Foreign policy commentators are aware of the extraordinary good relations that exist between Ghana and Nigeria, and the two countries are deeply indebted to each other. As someone with modest understanding of international politics, I know how we exalted Nigeria among Ghanas friends and we consider her as our nations best friend. Ghana owes Nigeria a lot, and time and space here may not permit me to list all the extraordinary support Nigeria renders to our country, and our people. Its therefore repulsive for leaders of these two countries to allow sheer propaganda to supersede cordial relations built together over several decades. The truth on the ground The eight charges, except one, released by the Nigerian Information Minister against Ghana lacks width to stand and I wonder if the accomplished Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama sanctioned its release, because most of the charges are trivial and shouldnt be coming from our respected and great sister-country like Nigeria our continents superpower. I am amused, how someone, especially a diplomat can file intelligence back to his home country that a single law passed by a friendly sister nation, without any prior disagreement is targeting Nigerian citizens? Nigerias foreign ministry has one of the best research departments in the world, with efficient manpower that can match any country on this planet, however, the intelligence gathered against the Ghanaian authorities is preposterous and could be misconstrued as below standard and inefficiency in diplomatic staffing in Nigerias missions. Nigeria has a strong case against the private landowner for the criminal demolition of their property. Although the lease of the property had expired, the landowner undoubtedly made a huge gaffe by pulling down the Nigeria High Commissions building and seizing the High Commissions property in Accra. Whoever was behind that decision must be held accountable, and I am happy this is the position of the Ghanaian government. President Akufo-Addos reaction Our nations leader, Nana Akufo-Addo is an accomplished human rights lawyer and a seasoned diplomat, and would not endorse this type of brazen lawlessness. His prompt reaction to the matter by speaking directly to President Muhammadu Buhari and accepting to rebuild the High Commission for Nigeria and also assuring him of our renewed commitment to strengthen the relations between our two countries is a mark of leadership and a commitment to good neighborliness was ample evidence. Aside that, private landowners taking the law into their own hands and demolishing the High Commissions building, in clear contravention of the Vienna Convention, which President Akufo-Addo condemned and made reparations directly to the highest political echelons of Nigeria, the many other issues raised in the press release are sentimental and sought to serve other purposes apart from seeking amicable solution to the impasse. President Mahamadu Buhari and his Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeame are men of great honour and principles, known and respected globally, and both know Ghana and Nigeria are highly indebted to each other, so therefore we will not deliberately skew our laws to target Nigerians. Ghana is one of the best places for Nigerians, and we love each other. The evidences are there for verification. Therefore it is outrageous for some few people to undermine the good relations especially based on disrespecting the laws of each others country, in the name of brotherliness. The deportation of some Nigerians is highly desirable because they abuse great hospitality. The framers of our investment laws certainly had no Nigerians in mind at the promulgation of the GIPC Act. Until the laws are repealed, they would bite anyone who offends it, be they Togolese, Liberian, Ivorian, Burkinabe, Nigerian, Chinese, India or Malians. The claim by the Information Minister that our media are hostile to Nigerians, the less said about it the better. Even the president of Ghana is not spared the scrutiny of the free press, after being the one that led the process in repealing the law to free the media when he was the Attorney General of Ghana, under President Kufuor. The government certainly cannot influence the media against Nigeria, because the media space is pluralistic. My biggest headache is the indictment of Ghanas judiciary. The justice system in Ghana is one of the finest in Africa and there is free trial in our courts to the admiration of the world. Our judiciary independence is part of why Ghana is on the list of one of the best places to do business in the Africa. Recommendations Therefore, its out of place to suggest that 200 Nigerians found in various Ghanaian prisons are victims of harsh judicial pronouncements. I will personally volunteer to work and build a team that will canvass for Ghana to open our prisons, to allow a team of independent international judges to review case-by-case of Nigerians incarcerated in our prisons. Not because I am a Ghanaian who loves this great nation deeply; I know that our country is always fair and hospitable to all, and also unique within the comity of nations. It welcomes all Africans and black compatriots to come and stay here with equal rights and justice. Its imperative for all to defend the relations between Ghana and Nigeria and work to deepen it for the mutual benefit of the two countries. However, without respecting each countrys laws, these two countries will continue to have these types of challenges. I am not authorized to speak for Ghana, but I believe our country is ready to sit together with Nigeria, flanked by independent observers, at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja to resolve these small challenges. Sitting together in the ECOWAS Secretariat is better than issuing sentimental press releases and coercing independent Ghana to rewrite our laws. Ghana is not the 37th state of Nigeria; but Nigeria is our indispensable partner. Long live Ghana-Nigeria relations! The writer is a development management specialist and executive chairman of Northern Development and Democratic Institute (NDDI) Ghana, in Tamale. He also sits on the Board of four private corporate bodies and serves as the external relations advisor to the King and Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was heading to the port of Paradip in India.(Image: Twitter/@IndiaCoastGuard) New Delhi/ Colombo: A fully loaded oil tanker has caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka, which has dispatched an aircraft and two navy ships to help in the rescue, a Sri Lankan navy spokesman said on Thursday. The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was heading to the port of Paradip in India, where the state-run firm operates a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. The ship had sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, carrying Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data showed. The Sri Lankan spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast. Earlier, sources had put the vessels location off Colombo, the capital of the Indian Ocean nation. The Sri Lanka air force have scrambled an observation aircraft and the navy have sent in two ships to help with rescue efforts, Rajapaksa told Reuters. Sri Lankas Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker, which was carrying 270,000 tonnes or the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, domestic media said. An industry source said oil product tanker Helen M, on a time charter with Indias Reliance Industries, had also joined the rescue operations. The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time, added the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew. The crew wants to abandon the ship. Reuters could not immediately confirm these details independently. There was no immediate comment from IOC, Reliance Industries and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. John Johnny S. Jones, 80, of Hixson, passed away on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. John was born in Anniston, Al., to the late Sam and Kathleen Jones. He served our country in the United States Army and then served in the Army National Guard of Alabama. John was a retired salesmen from Reeves Tackle and Fishing Supplies. He was a member of Burks United Methodist Church and the Pairs and Spares Sunday School Class. John was an avid fisherman, always had a quick joke for his family and friends. He also enjoyed making and designing fishing lures and was strong supporter of his community. He was preceded in death by a brother, Tom Jones. John is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Elkins Jones, retired executive secretary at Contact of Chattanooga; his daughter, Leigh Ann Johnston; son, Clinton (Mari) Jones; grandchildren, Spencer (Lauren) Johnston and Sydney Johnston; great grandson, Anders; sisters, Carolyn (Jay) Stokley, Hilda Welch, and Linda (Tim) Kenney; brother, Gene Jones; many nieces and nephews. There will be no visitation at the funeral home and we are asking all friends to meet us at the cemetery on Tuesday, Sept. 8, around 10:45 a.m. A Celebration of Johnnys life will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Chattanooga National Cemetery with Reverend Beth Sullivan officiating. Memorial contributions may be made in Johns name to Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Drive, Chattanooga, Tn. 37416 or www.hospiceofchattanooga.org. If you arent comfortable in attending the service you may join us live for the service at https://www.facebook.com/ chattanooganorthchapel/ We respectfully request that "social distancing", wearing masks at all times, and all CDC measures be adhered to at the service and cemetery. Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tn. 37343. Please share your thoughts and memories atwww.chattanooganorthchapel.com Joe Sanderson, location unknown, circa 1975 the adventurer fictionalized in Hector Tobar's "The Last Great Road Bum." (Sanderson Family Photo Archives) If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. The first time Hector Tobar and I ate together, we discussed Joe Sanderson. This was in 2009, after Tobar returned to California from Mexico City, where hed been The Times bureau chief. Later, he and I would spend two years working together on the papers book section. Tobars fifth book, The Last Great Road Bum, circles back to that initial conversation; its a novel about Sanderson, an American from Illinois who in the 1980s fought alongside the rebels in the Salvadoran civil war. Sanderson was a prolific writer, if not a particularly skilled one, and his manuscripts and correspondence sit at the center of Tobars account. At the same time, the decision to frame his story as a work of fiction creates a set of exhilarating tensions, especially in a series of footnotes written from Sandersons perspective. (Spoiler: Hes got some issues with the book.) The Times caught up with Tobar via Zoom on a sweltering August morning. He was in Winslow, Ariz., the first stop on a cross-country road trip to bring his college-age son back East for school. How did you find out about Joe Sanderson? When I was the Mexico City bureau chief, I had this fixer-researcher in San Salvador, and one day he called to tell me he had heard about a diary in the possession of the Museum of the Revolution. It was the diary of a guy from Illinois named Joe Sanderson. He was killed fighting with the rebels in El Salvador, and he had a diary in his backpack when he died. My first impression was that it was a gringo equivalent of Ches Bolivian diary. I started to write a proposal for a nonfiction book. Had you written your L.A. novel, The Barbarian Nurseries, yet? I was halfway through. I called my agent and told him about this project. He said, Go ahead and finish the novel, which was also what I wanted to do. In fact, I ended up publishing Deep Down Dark [about trapped Chilean miners] before I got back to this. But when I started writing the proposal for this book as nonfiction, it didnt sing to me. So I had to figure out something else. Story continues Hector Tobar, author of "The Last Great Road Bum." (Patrice Normand/Opale) Had you set this story completely aside? I was continually doing small things to research the project. I went to Champaign-Urbana, where Joe was born and raised. I dont think Id ever been to a Midwestern college town. I was enchanted. It was this incredible little metropolis of stone buildings, surrounded by corn, with a beautiful river running through it and cicadas singing in the trees. I interviewed Joes father, Milt, who was 100 years old. The worlds leading expert on the June beetle, a respected entomologist. We spoke for four or five days and a lot of the emotional universe of the book was born in those conversations. How much of that emotional universe had to do with your being a father? This book coincided with the teenage years of my two sons, and with those sons going away to college. So I used that, especially in regard to Joes mother, who I never met. She died in 1986. I gave her all those little moments you have with your children as they become adults. Theres a scene when Joe returns from El Salvador and has a meal with his mother. Then he leaves again, and shes alone with the leftovers in the refrigerator. Thats a moment from my life I gave to Virginia Sanderson. When did you begin to imagine the book as a novel? I knew the miners book was going to be the big nonfiction book of my career. I started to think that if I did another nonfiction book, I might never write a novel again. So there was artistic self-interest, which is an excellent place to start. Then I thought: Oh, my God. This crazy guy Joe. Heres a guy who died trying to write a novel by living his life like a character in a novel. Maybe I should write a novel about him. Im fascinated by the decision to give Joe a voice in the footnotes. I was afraid, to be perfectly honest, that I was not going to keep a lot of readers under 40, because literature has changed since Joe tried to write. I needed to address the fact that this is not the same world he lived in. We have different ideas about the role of women and people of color and literature. I wanted the book to be true to Joes time but honest for these times, as well. So the footnotes became a way of dealing with that contradiction. How is it that I am a writer of color and writing a book about this white guy? (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) The book sits between journalism and fiction, and youre a practitioner of both. How did that double vision expand your sense of narrative? At the beginning, I saw Joe as an adventurer. Ill never forget the first time I realized that Joe had taken two journeys around the world even before he got to El Salvador. He had been to Biafra. He had been in Yemen after their civil war. He had been in South Africa during apartheid and in Vietnam after the Tet Offensive. He had gone to the DMZ. He shows up everywhere. I thought: This is an opportunity for me to circle the globe as a novelist. But as time went on, it became clear that the relationship with his mother was the anchor to the book. I had to take that seriously. I re-read Marilynne Robinsons Gilead to get a sense of that white Midwestern experience. Its an American novel in the broadest sense. Among my motivations was to bring the Salvadoran revolution into American literature. I think Joes ambition when he went to El Salvador was to write For Whom the Bell Tolls. He was going to be the American fighting the fascists. And thats what he was. I wanted the accomplishment of my novel to be that it brought the Central American aesthetic, the Central American reality, into a Midwestern home. Ulin is a former book editor and book critic of The Times. Chuck Mealing has always been quick to help others. And now, two women, who have known the lifelong Crystal Beach resident since their childhoods in the lakeside community, want to return the favour. The women have started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase a new wheelchair and scooter for Mealing. Hes pushing 60, he needs the help now, said Katie Benner-Spear, who created the campaign along with Tara Hayden. The goal is to raise $15,000, to help Mealing purchase a new wheelchair and scooter to replace his aging manual wheelchair and bike. Hes never owned an electric wheelchair, Benner-Spear said, noting use of the manual device has really taken a toll on Mealings arms and shoulders. So far, the campaign has raised $6,225, a little less than half of its target. Mealing has used a wheelchair since he was 18, when he suffered a spinal cord injury after falling from a ride at the old Crystal Beach Amusement Park on July 22, 1982. In 2008, along with three others, Mealing began a 10,000-kilometre journey across Canada from Victoria, B.C., to St. Johns, N.L., to raise money for spinal cord injuries and research. The group collectively raised $7.4 million. More recently, Mealing has helped out a number of causes, including the breakfast program at the now-closed Crystal Beach Public School, where he was involved for six years. Hayden said Mealing hasnt qualified for enough government funding to cover the cost of the mobility device. They gave him just a really small portion of what you need, she said. Now that Chuck is getting older, he can use the help. Mealing said he appreciates the efforts of the two women. It was kind of a surprise, he said. He has placed his order for a wheelchair-scooter combo and is thankful the community is coming together to help cover the cost. Its amazing to see all the people who want to help, he said. (Newser) Joe Biden told the people of Kenosha, Wisconsin, that the turmoil their city is experiencing can be part of an awakening that helps the US confront centuries of systemic racism and social discord. "We're finally now getting to the point where we're going to be addressing the original sin of this country, 400 years old slavery and all the vestiges of it," Biden said Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church, where he met with community leaders after a private, hourlong session with Jacob Blake and his family. Blake, a Black man, remains hospitalized after being shot in the back seven times by a Kenosha police officer. "I can't say if tomorrow God made me president, I can't guarantee you everything gets solved in four years, Biden said at the church, the AP reports. But "it would be a whole better, we'd get a whole lot further down the road" if President Trump isnt re-elected. story continues below Before traveling to Kenosha, Biden met in Milwaukee with Blake's family; Julia Jackson, Blake's mother, joined by phone. Blake called in "from his hospital bed," one lawyer said. Blake, 29, shared the pain he is enduring, and Biden commiserated. Biden later said Blake "talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up," per CNN. A lawyer said Blake's mother led a prayer for his recovery, and Biden treated Blake "as a person worthy of consideration and prayer." At the church, Biden heard searing comments from community members. Porsche Bennett, an organizer for Black Lives Activists Kenosha, said she's "tired" at just 31 years old. "For so many decades weve been shown we don't matter, she said. (President Trump visited the city Tuesday.) Another stunning intruder is set to be in the running for Locky Gilbert's heart on The Bachelor, and she is set to ruffle some feathers. A dramatic trailer for next Wednesday's episode of the reality series shows blonde bombshell Bec Cvilikas' arrival into the mansion. In the teaser, host Osher Gunsberg tells Locky's top nine that another girl has entered the competition via video link. 'She's frickin amazing!' Locky Gilbert is left speechless as another stunning blonde intruder makes her entrance on The Bachelor next week, but the other women are NOT happy 'She's frickin amazing!' an excited Locky gushes in a piece to camera. 'All the boxes are being ticked.' But while Bachelor Locky is thrilled about the new arrival, fellow suitress Izzy Sharman-Firth describes the newcomer as a 'kick in the d**k'. 'She's frickin amazing!' an excited Locky gushes in a piece to camera. 'All the boxes are being ticked' Last month, Daily Mail Australia published images of Bec at a rose ceremony following hometown week, which was filmed in July. Five women were pictured on the grounds of the estate:- Irena Srbinovska, Kaitlyn Hoppe, Bella Varelis, Izzy Sharman-Firth and Bec, who hasn't debuted on the show yet. Bella and Irena's place in the top five isn't surprising, as they've both been tipped as favourites for weeks. Stunner: The mystery woman is Bec Cvilikas who hails from Queensland's Sunshine Coast There she is! While Bec joins the cast in an upcoming episode, she's already sneakily featured in promotional footage for the series. The blonde appears to enjoy a single date with Locky whitewater rafting, and even shares a kiss with the former Survivor star while aboard the adventure raft Bec lives in Sydney, but hails from Queensland's Sunshine Coast. She has had a YouTube channel since 2013, and while it is void of content at the moment, it features a recent display photo. While Bec joins the cast in an upcoming episode, she's already sneakily featured in promotional footage for the series. The blonde appears to enjoy a single date with Locky whitewater rafting, and even shares a kiss with the former Survivor star while aboard the adventure raft. You are here: Tucked away in the remote mountains of western Hunan province, Shibadong is a pristine village mainly inhabited by people of the Miao ethnicity. For many years, people in the village enjoyed simple lives. They foraged for vegetables in the wild and ate smoked bacons, and celebrated with their unique songs and dances within the secluded community. The vast mountains provided the very basic subsistence for them to get by, but also formed barriers from modern prosperity. In 2013, the net income of the 939 villagers in Shibadong was only 1,668 yuan (US$241.03), only 18.75% of the national average of rural residents. Over half of the population lived below the poverty line. After three years, Shibadong officially ridded itself of poverty. In 2017, the per capita income rose to 8,313 yuan, much higher than that year's national poverty line of about 3,000 yuan. And in 2019, the per capita income in the village reached 14,668 yuan, almost nine times the level in 2013. Paradigm for targeted poverty alleviation On Nov. 3, 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Shibadong and proposed, for the first time, the idea of targeted poverty alleviation, which indicated tailored relief measures to different local conditions. Looking back, Shibadong's success depended on well-considered, quantitative, and transparent methods to ensure that appropriate resources are used in the right place at the right time effectively under strict supervision and evaluations. The first step was to identify the people in need. A working team was dispatched to Shibadong in late 2013 to sort out which households were in need, and officials were designated to the region to take charge of carrying out targeted measures. Several methods of poverty alleviation were used: industry, creating sustainable micro businesses; infrastructure, improving local facilities and rural environment; ecological compensation; and social security. In view of its local conditions, the village has decided on several major industries: rural tourism, embroidery, crop cultivation, livestock breeding, and bottling water. Kiwi fruit was a suitable crop for the local environment, but the limited arable land and the scattered distribution of the village limited business growth. So Shibadong rented land and built sprawling plantations of high-quality kiwi fruit in nearby villages and towns. Companies were set up to sell the produce they grew directly to the market. Tourism is booming in the village, thanks to its unique Miao culture, special landscapes, as well as improved facilities. Last year, the village received more than 600,000 visitors, twice the number of the year before. Some villagers are operating restaurants and running inns, while others are working as tour guides and shuttle bus drivers. The local embroidery has also become a source of income. In 2014, the village founded a cooperative to make and sell embroidery. Dozens of local women joined the team that later grew into a promising business with an average annual revenue of 600,000 yuan. The EasyJet flight is the UK's first flight to Hurghada since it had suspended flights at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak last spring Egypts Hurghada International Airport received on Wednesday the first EasyJet flight since the coronavirus outbreak coming from Londons Gatwick Airport with 131 passengers on board, Egypts civil aviation ministry said. The ministry added that necessary precautions were adopted, including sterilisation, temperature measurement, social distancing and adherence to the guidelines announced at the airport. Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Manar said Egypt wants to boost tourism, open new markets, and attract travellers from different parts of the world. The EasyJet flight is the UK's first flight to Hurghada since it had suspended flights at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak last spring. Late in August, Egypt said it received 126,000 tourists since it has resumed international flights on 1 July. More than 600 hotels have met the safety protocols necessary to reopen at a reduced occupancy rate of 50 percent. Some 415,000 Britons visited Egypt in 2018, according to British government estimates, making the UK one of the leading tourism markets in Egypt. The aviation ministry previously said that Hurghada airport will receive four weekly EasyJet trips from Londons Gatwick Airport on Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as of 2 September, while two weekly trips will be operated from Manchester on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The ministry added that two weekly EasyJet flights will be operated from Manchester to Sharm El-Sheikh on Sundays and Tuesdays and one weekly flight will be operated from Gatwick to Sharm El-Sheikh starting September. Prior to the pandemic outbreak, EasyJet resumed flights to Sharm El-Sheikh in February 2020 for the first time in over four years following the lifting by the UK government of a ban on direct flights to the popular Red Sea resort late last year. Meanwhile, travellers entering Egypt at any of four airports in the Red Sea governorate and South Sinai can take a coronavirus test upon arrival, which would exempt them from submitting previously-requested negative PCR test results taken before boarding. The four airports are the Sharm El-Sheikh and Taba airports in South Sinai, and the Hurghada and Marsa Alam airports in the Red Sea governorate. Passengers arriving at these airports as of 1 September can take the coronavirus test for $30 if they do not already have their own PCR test result. Earlier last month, the Egyptian authorities decided incoming travellers must submit negative PCR test results at their port of entry due to increasing coronavirus infections in some countries. The tests must have been taken no more than 72 hours before the date of arrival. Search Keywords: Short link: Political parties in Uttar Pradesh seem keen to rope in Dr Kafeel Khan into their fold, even though the doctor has only shown his bonding with some parties but not given any clear indication about his political leaning yet. On Thursday, a day after his release from Mathura jail on the order of the Allahabad high court, Kafeel thanked Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi for contacting him to find out about his well-being and that of his family members. During the tough time Priyanka supported me, he said on Twitter. After release from jail, Kafeel, instead of going to his home town Gorakhpur, went to Congress-ruled Rajasthan an indication about his bond with the party. Former Congress legislature party leader Pradeep Mathur, who was present at the jail gate when Kafeel was released, said, On the direction of senior party leaders, I was in regular contact with district administrations of Mathura and Aligarh to complete formalities for the release of Kafeel. I escorted him to the Rajasthan border as well. When asked about Kafeel joining Congress, Mathur said Priyanka had raised her voice in his support for the sake of humanity and to oppose the atrocities committed by the Yogi government on innocent people in Uttar Pradesh. Its for Kafeel to decide if he wishes to work for Congress. The doctor has already announced that he will visit Bihar, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to organize a health camp in the flood-hit areas, Mathur said. Another Congress leader, who did not want to be named, said Kafeel has potential to become the Muslim face of the party in the crucial 2022 UP assembly election, for which the party is working to regain the lost ground. He has a large support among his community members in Uttar Pradesh as well as in other states, he said. Meanwhile, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who has launched a political party -- Azad Samaj Party (ASP) also welcomed Kafeels release. Hitting out at the state government, Chandrashekhar said the high court has vindicated Kafeels fight for the weaker sections of society. During a Facebook live programme on Wednesday, Kafeel concluded his speech with Jai Bhim and Jai Mulnivasi, indicating his bond with the Bhim Army too that is working to spread its base in UP. Azad has already announced that ASP will contest the 2022 assembly election. A Bhim Army leader said when Kafeel was in jail, Azad not only supported him but also attacked the BJP government for slapping NSA against him, he said. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet welcoming the release of Kafeel, said all justice-loving people have welcomed the release happily and hope that soon Azam Khan (Samajwadi Party MP), too, would get justice. Injustice and atrocities by those who rule doesnt last forever. A BSP leader, who did not wished to be named, said party chief Mayawati has already called for Dalit-Muslim-Backward-Brahmin unity to defeat the BJP in the 2022 assembly election. The party has rallied in support of Kafeel after he was arrested following the oxygen tragedy in BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur in which about 70 children had died. To hide its failure, the state government was committing atrocities on Dr Kafeel, the BSP leader said. DUBLIN, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The World Mattress Industry 2020" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The world mattress industry provides a comprehensive picture of the global mattress sector, through historical series of basic data (production, consumption, imports and exports), mattress market development up to 2021, product trends, international trade flows, profiles and addresses of the leading mattress manufacturers and information on other key players, including retailers and suppliers. The aim of this study is to offer a complete overview through a comparative analysis by geographical area, by country and by key player, in order to help the user in understanding the future outlook and the global mattress market potential through an insightful analysis of the main sector's statistics. The report focuses on the 50 most important countries in the mattress sector and includes international trade of mattress data for further 10 countries, for a total of 60 considered countries. COVID-19 IMPACT: The publisher is in a continuous process of evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the world mattress sector. The first results are already taken into account in this report. Given the particular circumstances, an update of 2020/2021 mattress consumption forecasts, to be sent in October 2020, is also included in the price of the study. THE REPORT IS STRUCTURED AS FOLLOWS An introduction that reviews the most important aspects affecting the global mattress industry during the first half of 2020 and the expected impact on mattress consumption forecasts for the years 2020 and 2021. An executive summary that provides insights about the most recent developments and changes in terms of the sector's structure (highlighting the major changes in the last ten years), supply (filling materials trends, sustainability issues, bed-in-a-box trend), and retail (e-commerce and contract segments). A description of the global mattress competitive system is also provided. Part I deals with production, consumption and international trade of mattresses and includes a section of world mattress industry statistics. Part II consists of 50 country analysis sections including: Trends in production, consumption, imports and exports of mattresses to 2019 Mattress consumption forecasts 2020-2021 Origin of imports and exports destination (Trading Partners) Socio-economic indicators Mattress production by material (available for 24 countries) Number of mattresses produced (available for 30 countries) Short profiles of leading manufacturers: company name, group, brands, activity, product portfolio, type of mattresses by materials, employees range, if they sell online, website and other information. A selection of mattresses retailers (when available) Part III deals with market players providing detailed profiles of the 32 leading mattresses manufacturers: company information, financial highlights, manufacturing process, distribution system, products, sales performance. Part IV and Part V contain website addresses of selected mattress industry suppliers (Machinery, Materials -Fabrics, Latex, Polyurethane, Innersprings, Other-, Certification centers and testing laboratories, sector's associations) and full addresses of mattress manufacturing companies mentioned in the report. Overall more than 1700 companies are considered. Key Topics Covered METHODOLOGY, INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Basic data, Product trends, Destination segments PART I. CONSUMPTION, PRODUCTION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE OF MATTRESSES 1.1 Consumption and imports of mattresses Mattress consumption in major markets Import penetration and opening of major markets 1.2 Production and exports of mattresses Mattress production in major producing countries Number of units Innerspring and non-innerspring mattresses Major exporting countries. Origin and destination of mattresses 1.3 International trade of mattresses International trade of mattresses, 60 countries 1.4 Mattress consumption. Scenario Evolution of world GDP Mattress market forecasts up to 2021 1.5 World Tables: overview of the world mattress industry, international trade and outlook 2020-2021 PART II. COUNTRY ANALYSIS. For 50 countries: Argentina , Australia , Austria , Belgium , Brazil , Bulgaria , Canada , Chile , China , Croatia , Czech Republic , Denmark , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Hungary , India , Indonesia , Ireland , Italy , Japan , Kuwait , Latvia , Lithuania , Malaysia , Mexico , Netherlands , Norway , Philippines , Poland , Portugal , Romania , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Serbia, Slovakia , South Africa , South Korea , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , Taiwan ( China ), Thailand , Turkey , United Arab Emirates , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Serbia, , , , , , , ( ), , , , , , Production, exports, imports and consumption of mattresses Mattress consumption forecasts 2020-2021 Trading partners Socio economic indicators Mattress production by material (when available) Number of mattresses produced (when available) Short profiles of leading manufacturers Mattress retailers (when available) PART III. THE MAJOR MATTRESSES MANUFACTURERS WORLDWIDE Detailed Profiles of 32 leading producers of mattresses at a global level PART IV. MATTRESS INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS List and websites of over 600 suppliers of Machinery and Materials (Fabrics, Latex foam, Polyurethane foam, Innersprings, Other) for the mattress industry, Certification centres and testing laboratories, Sector's associations Companies Mentioned A.H. Beard Adova Group Aramis Invest Boydak Corsicana EON Living Eurocomfort Group Flex France Bed Holdings Harrison Spinks Hstens Sngar Healthcare (Mlily) Herval Mveis e Colches Hilding Anders Ikano Industry Kurlon Magniflex Moveis Gazin Paramount Bed Pikolin Recticel Bedding Division Serta Simmons Bedding Sheela Foam (Sleepwell) Silentnight Group Sinomax Sleep Number Corporation Tempur Sealy Xilinmen Group Yatas Yatak Zinus For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v0d6n9 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com After Kangana Ranaut's constant disrespectful comments against the Mumbai Police, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut retorted by requesting her to not come back to Mumbai to make a living in a city which is protected by the authorities she derides. Kangana latest social media stunt was to request protection from the Prime Minister's office saying that she will not accept Mumbai Police's protection as she doesn't trust them. Her reason for requesting protection: She has staked her career and life and made many statements for which she expects to be attacked by the elusive 'movie mafia'. Kangana has neither backed her statements nor registered official complaints with authorities. In response to this, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Kangana's statements are treacherous and shameful because she criticizes the Mumbai Police despite living in a city which is protected by them. "We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but insult to Mumbai police. The Home Ministry should take action over it," wrote Raut. "We request her to not come to Mumbai," has been construed as "an open threat," by Kangana. Responding to Raut, Kangana tweeted, "Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?" Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir? https://t.co/5V1VQLSxh1 Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 3, 2020 In a similar way, Kangana had distorted Karan Johar's statement when he had said that he is tired of her playing the victim card and if she feels so wronged by the film industry, she should leave it. Kangana had played this too as an open threat and an intimidation, and had even asked the Government to take away Karan Johar's Padma Shri for this. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Requests Government To Take KJo's Padma Shri Back; Says 'He Openly Intimidated Me' ALSO READ: Rhea Chakraborty Says She Thinks About Suicide; Kangana Ranaut Continues To Mock, Calls Her Vulture Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that his security forces had intercepted German calls showing that Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny's poisoning had been faked. Lukashenko told visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Minsk on Thursday that the call between Berlin and Warsaw showed that the incident was a 'falsification'. 'There was no poisoning of Navalny,' Lukashenko told a poker-faced Mishustin during their televised meeting. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (left) and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (right) pictured together on Thursday. Lukashenko has claimed that his security forces had intercepted German calls showing that Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny's poisoning had been faked Lukashenko told Mishustin in Minsk on Thursday that the call between Berlin and Warsaw showed that the incident was a 'falsification' 'There was no poisoning of Navalny,' Lukashenko told a poker-faced Mishustin during their televised meeting, pictured above 'They did it - I quote - in order to discourage (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from sticking his nose into Belarus's affairs.' Lukashenko provided no further details but said he would hand over transcripts to Russia's security services. The longtime Belarusian leader is under huge pressure from opposition protesters demanding his resignation after a disputed presidential election on August 9. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets for weeks in unprecedented protests against Lukashenko's 26-year rule. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko welcomes Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during a meeting in Minsk today The claim about Navalny could be aimed at currying favour with Moscow, which has voiced support for Lukashenko during the protests. Navalny's top aide Leonid Volkov dismissed the claim as ridiculous, accusing the Russian prime minister of being an accomplice to the 'attempted murder' by playing along in 'this circus'. The West is demanding answers from Moscow today after the 'despicable and cowardly' nerve agent attack on Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Britain said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' while NATO demanded a 'full and transparent' investigation after a German military lab found that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the Soviet-era weapon used against Sergei Skripal in 2018. Angela Merkel is now facing pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin, with questions growing about the future of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. One German lawmaker said 'toughness is the only language Putin understands' - suggesting that the Kremlin had targeted Navalny as a show of force to intimidate protesters in Belarus. Navalny remains in a coma at a Berlin hospital after he collapsed on a flight in Siberia two weeks ago, becoming the latest in a long line of Russian dissidents to be poisoned in mysterious circumstances. Russia denies involvement and said today that the West should not 'rush to judgment' on the attack, insisting there was no need for sanctions. But the Russian economy is already feeling the effects of the crisis, with the ruble and the Moscow stock market both plunging since Berlin's announcement. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - pictured, centre, shortly before he fell ill on August 20 - is in a coma at a German hospital after being poisoned with Novichok German chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) is under pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin after a military lab found evidence that Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Merkel said last night that the findings at the German military lab had raised 'some very serious questions that only Russia can and must answer'. 'It is certain that Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime,' she added. 'He was meant to be silenced and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms.' UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' and 'must tell the truth about what happened', while prime minister Boris Johnson called the attack 'outrageous'. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned a 'despicable and cowardly act', while French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the attack as 'shocking and irresponsible.' 'The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents,' said US National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg condemned the 'shocking' use of a military-grade nerve agent which, he said, made 'a full and transparent' investigation by Russia even more urgent. Italy's foreign ministry and Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also condemned Navalny's poisoning. The Western outrage has raised the prospect of new sanctions against Russia and thrown the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into fresh doubt. Construction of the 750-mile pipeline under the Baltic Sea is nearly finished but it needs to complete a final 75-mile stretch in Danish waters. Germany's best-selling newspaper, Bild, wrote in an editorial today that 'if the German government does not cancel the construction of Nord Stream 2, we will soon be financing Putin's Novichok attacks'. German lawmaker Norbert Roettgen, a member of Merkel's CDU party, called for a 'European response' said continuing with the gas pipeline would be 'maximum confirmation for Putin that his policies are right'. Going further than Merkel, Roettgen said he did not believe that Novichok could have been administered without the Kremlin's knowledge. 'We need a clear and European response. It needs toughness against Russia, because that's the only language Putin understands,' he told ZDF television. He also suggested that Navalny's poisoning had been meant to intimidate protesters in Belarus who are demanding the resignation of the Putin-backed dictator. 'This is the simultaneous intimidation of [Russia's] own population and also that in Belarus,' he said. The Kremlin has hinted at using military force to shore up Alexander Lukashenko's regime in Belarus, which has faced mass protests since a disputed election last month. Navalny being taken to an ambulance in Omsk (left) after falling ill on a plane following a trip to an airport cafe (right) where his friends suspect he could have been poisoned Navalny is in a medically induced coma at the Charite hospital in Berlin (pictured on Wednesday) Alexei Navalny's poisoners could have applied Novichok to his UNDERWEAR rather than slipping it into his tea, says man who invented the nerve agent Alexei Navalny could have had poison sprinkled in his underwear, according to the man who invented Novichok. Friends of the Putin critic have suggested his tea was spiked in an airport cafe, but former Soviet scientist Vladimir Uglev said assassins could have sprinkled a deadly toxin on his socks or underwear. Uglev, 73, said Russian secret service operatives could have broken into Navalny's hotel in Tomsk to leave a minuscule drop of poison in his luggage. He warned that 'if this was indeed novichok, then Alexei [will] have some very serious complications'. 'Most likely the central and the peripheral nervous systems will be severely damaged,' Uglev said. The scientist said Navalny may have been poisoned with a solid form of novichok known as A-242. 'If they used a liquid form, then inevitably somebody would have been hurt, people around him would have got inhalation injuries,' he said. 'This substance A-242 is safe by itself, but it acts as part of a solution applied to skin. 'It would be completely safe for other people and extremely dangerous to those who it was used against.' Another scientist involved in novichok's development, Vil Mirzayanov, said it was plausible that Navalny's tea was spiked as his friends suggest. 'This is a solid substance which can be turned into powder,' he said. 'It could have been placed into a tea bag. 'It got into the victim's digestive tract which is why Navalny could not pose any danger to people around him.' Advertisement Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former German ambassador to Washington, said gestures such as the expulsion of diplomats may not be enough. 'If we want to send a clear message to Moscow with our partners, then economic relations must be on the agenda and that means the NordStream 2 project must not be left out,' said Ischinger. Germany's Green party, which is currently second to Merkel's party in the polls, is also calling for the pipeline to be scrapped. Merkel said as recently as last week that the pipeline should go ahead and should not be linked to the Navalny case. Work on the pipeline was suspended after US sanctions were imposed in December, while Emmanuel Macron has also voiced concerns about it. But Putin says it could be launched by the end of 2020 and Merkel said last week that 'our opinion is that Nord Stream 2 should be completed'. US Republican senator Tom Cotton last night urged a halt to Nord Stream construction in order to 'hold the Russians accountable'. Cotton and two others last month threatened sanctions against the operator of a Baltic Sea port in Merkel's parliamentary constituency because of the pipeline. Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, last night accused Germany of waging an 'information campaign' against Moscow. 'If politicians start taking job away from medics, I don't know where this world may find itself,' she told the news agency Interfax. 'As soon as politicians start substituting for medical institutions and doctors, you can speak immediately about absolute unscrupulousness. 'What do politicians, what does the German Foreign Office, and what does the German leadership have to do with that?'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today said there was 'no reason' to blame Moscow and urged the West not to 'rush to judgment'. Peskov said there was no reason to discuss sanctions against Moscow after Merkel said Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond to the poisoning. Nonetheless, Berlin's announcement ruble plunging to its lowest level since the height of Russia's coronavirus epidemic, at 89 rubles to the euro. Moscow's RTS stock exchange also fell more than three per cent after the German announcement, and by Thursday morning had not recovered its losses. While Berlin stopped short of directly accusing the Kremlin of poisoning Navalny, the opposition leader's aide Ivan Zhdanov said Novichok 'can only be used by the state' - suggesting that the GRU or FSB intelligence agencies were responsible. Another Navalny ally, Leonid Volkov, said: 'To poison Navalny with Novichok in 2020 would be exactly the same as leaving an autograph at a crime scene, like this one,' attaching a picture of Putin's name and a signature. A plane carrying Navalny arrives at Berlin's Tegel Airport on August 22 after the Russian opposition leader was airlifted to Germany for specialist treatment Navalny's allies have pointed the finger at Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) after the opposition leader fell ill, but the Kremlin has dismissed the claims The nerve agent, whose name means 'newbie' or 'newcomer' in Russian, can be deployed in an ultra-fine powder, liquid or vapour. It is thought to have been smeared on the door of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the 2018 assassination attempt in Salisbury. Russia denied involvement but the poison plot sent Britain's relations with Moscow to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. The United States, EU members, NATO and other nations expelled over 150 Russian diplomats in a coordinated action against Moscow over the Skripal case, leading to tit-for-tat reactions from Moscow. British police eventually named two suspects, who were later identified by the investigative website Bellingcat as members of Russia's GRU intelligence service. Skripal and his daughter survived, but a British woman, Dawn Sturgess, later died after accidentally handling the discarded nerve agent in a perfume bottle. The EU has had sanctions targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy in place since 2014. Navalny's poisoning also comes after a daylight murder of a former Chechen rebel commander in a Berlin park in August last year, which German prosecutors believe was ordered by Russia. Merkel had also revealed in May that Russia had targeted her in hacking attacks, saying she had concrete proof of the 'outrageous' spying attempts. The two men accused of trying to assassinate Sergei Skripal with the same nerve agent were filmed on CCTV walking through Salisbury in March 2018 Navalny fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month, with aides saying they suspect he drank a cup of spiked tea at the airport. He was initially treated in a local Siberian hospital, where doctors said they were unable to find any toxic substances in his blood. He was flown to Berlin for specialist treatment on August 22, but the Kremlin has questioned the credibility of German doctors. Russia's embassy in Berlin said in a statement: 'We call on our partners to avoid any politicisation of this incident and to rely solely on credible facts, which we hope will be delivered as soon as possible.' The Charite hospital that has been treating Navalny reported improvements in his condition. But the Yale-educated anti-corruption campaigner is still in the intensive care unit and remains on a ventilator. Doctors say that over time the body can clear out the nerve agent, which disrupts communication between the brain, the main organs and muscles. 'Recovery is likely to be lengthy. It is still too early to gauge the long-term effects which may arise in relation to this severe poisoning,' added the hospital. Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilising protests. He has been repeatedly detained for organising public meetings, sued over corruption investigations and barred from running in the 2018 presidential election. The 44-year-old has also served several stints in jail in recent years for organising anti-Kremlin protests. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia's arrests and detention of Navalny in 2012 and 2014 were politically motivated. Editor's note: Freddie Reidy is a freelance writer based in London. He studied history and history of art at the University of Kent, Canterbury, specializing in Russian history and international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Anti-Fascist War. For 75 years nations have honored the dead, the wounded and those impacted well beyond 1945. With increasingly fewer veterans and people alive from that time, it is of greater importance than ever, that we remember their sacrifice and acknowledge the long-lasting consequences of total war. The signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Bay, aboard the USS Missouri marked not just the cessation of hostilities but the dawn of a new age. The preceding decades would bear witness to many ideological conflicts but also precipitated the end of colonial rule across the globe. Nowhere was this truer than in Asia. China had overthrown Japanese aggression along with her neighbors in the Korean Peninsula and South East Asia. Over the subsequent decades, colonial rule from France, the Netherlands and United Kingdom would also come to an end, giving rise to newly independent nations. The collective endeavor of allied forces in the Second World War also led to China's re-emergence on the world stage. The Cairo Conference of 1943 was a landmark occasion where Chinese representation at the highest level was made, marking a major step towards China regaining her sovereignty and having her global significance recognized. Younger generations may ask what significance the war has on today's world, and the answers are myriad. While many ideological differences were put aside to defeat a fascist axis, the allied coalition showed the true potential of collective endeavor. A valuable lesson as the world confronts similarly unifying challenges: COVID-19, global recession, and climate change. For generations living with the realities of war, homelessness, starvation, destruction of property and loss of liberty, the inner strength necessary to overcome such pain and go on to prosperity in the 1950s is a humbling feat. The Chinese troops defending Beiping rushed to Lugou Bridge to resist the Japanese aggression in July 7, 1937. /Xinhua There are also many prescient lessons from the causes of the Anti-fascist War. The ravages of the First World War had led to unrealistic punitive treaties, certain to bread decent and lead to conflict. There was a collective feeling, that the price of war was too high, and peace should be maintained by appeasement, containment, and sanctions. The world lacked an effective system of engagement and arbitration. Today, in an age of international designment, principally led by the United States, there is a similar risk the avenues of cooperation and dispute resolution are being barricaded. Vital institutions, such as the United Nations, are being diminished by a lack of engagement. "Megaphone diplomacy" and military agitation is not the language of international diplomacy and can have dire consequences as history teaches us. After the collaboration of the Anti-Fascist War, political disengagement was rapid as old differences arouse. A Cold War between the West and Soviet Union developed. This tension came close to all out war in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was not provocative rhetoric or increased military pressure that prevented war though, but political engagement at the UN. The UN, set up in the wake of the Second World War to prevent such crises arising. If nothing else, the 75th anniversary should be used as a remembrance of the past and a renewed commitment to prevent a repetition of such suffering. The subsequent decades after the war also demonstrates that our enemies of the past do not need to be our enemies of the present or future. In Europe today, Germany is at the heart of the European Union and Japan is one of the United States' leading trade partners and political allies. Overcoming the oppression of fascist dictate meant that nations had the ability to forge their own paths and not be shackled or beholden to the ways of the past. It is estimated that 70-85 million people died during the Anti-Fascist War. For those that lived, who remembers watching Imperial Japanese, German or Italian forces lay waste to their homes, families, and way of life, there was a residual hope that things would one day, return to normal. Seventy-five years ago marked the point where that long road back began. That glimmer of hope for a better future is now the responsibility of society today. Rumor mill: Are you eyeing an RTX 3070 following Nvidias reveal of its Ampere cards this week? You might consider holding back on your purchase for a while. Several online leaks, including what looks like a pretty big one from Lenovo, suggest an RTX 3070 Ti is in the works. As everyone knows, Nvidia announced the RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and RTX 3090 at its event on Tuesday, but Videcardz spotted a Lenovo listing for models of its Legion T7 desktops that included an RTX 3070 Ti. Image credit: Videocardz On the companys Product Specification Reference site, there were four entries for machines that feature the unannounced card. The page mentions that the RTX 3070 Ti comes with 16GB of GDDR6, twice that of the standard RTX 3070. Its also more than the RTX 3080s 10GB, though that card does use GDDR6X, rather than GDDR6. We can expect the RTX 3070 Ti to keep the 256-bit memory bus, too, while the RTX 3080 features a 320-bit bus. During its reveal event, Nvidia showed that that $499 RTX 3070, which has 5,888 CUDA cores and runs up to 1,730MHz boost clock, can outperform the Turing flagship RTX 2080 Ti, whose only better spec is its 11GB of GDDR6. Lenovos listings have now been removed, so its best to take this with a pinch of salt; its possible that the company was just preparing for a card thats not yet been confirmed. Elsewhere, leaker _rogamer (via PC Gamer) posted a screenshot of an MSI RTX 3070 Ti with 16GB of GDDR6 memory. No word on price but expect a RTX 3070 Ti to land somewhere between the $499 RTX 3070 and the $699 RTX 3080. PALO ALTO, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Xfund, the early-stage venture capital firm designed to back lateral thinkers, today announced the firm's newest investment vehicle, Xfund 3. This is the latest collaboration with some of the world's preeminent universities in a partnership that has spanned nearly 10 years. Xfund was launched in 2012 as an unparalleled collaboration between Harvard University and New Enterprise Associates and Breyer Capital, which house some of the world's most successful venture capitalists. Its vision is to combine the raw talent, intellectual rigor, and free-thinking of academia with the hard-nosed investment acumen of venture capital. The firm looks beyond the stereotypical technical pedigrees to seek out extraordinary people who are often systemically ignored by traditional venture capital founders who have pursued liberal arts degrees. "Some of the most consequential technology companies today were founded by people without a narrow technical background. People with liberal arts backgrounds some of the world's best problem solvers are often lulled into default prescribed paths in established industries," noted Patrick Chung and Brandon Farwell, partners at Xfund. "When Xfund intersects with their lives, we try to broaden their thinking beyond the expected, accepted alternatives and focus instead on the type of calling they want to have. By offering credible alternatives to default paths, we help to create unconventional, high potential entrepreneurs who can create a more social, intellectual, and financial impact on the world." "Xfund is a first-of-its-kind collaboration and has evolved into a remarkable resource and community for Harvard and its students," said Harry R. Lewis, Xfund's Senior Faculty Advisor and former Dean of Harvard College. "Xfund has helped countless groups here take the plunge into entrepreneurial endeavors; the first few results have been wildly successful for everyone involved. My colleagues and I are thrilled with the partnership." "We have enjoyed a long and dynamic partnership with Xfund," said Frank Doyle, Dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. "The success of the firm's latest fund is a strong testament to the singular way in which Xfund helps talented founders grow companies that matter." Debora Spar, Xfund Advisor and Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School, added: "Xfund's thesis to seek out and support founders with liberal arts backgrounds aligns beautifully with the important goal of educating the citizens and citizen-leaders who will make a difference in the world. In working toward this goal, the firm has earned an industry-leading record on investing in diverse founders who break molds." "What appeals to me about Xfund is its grander mission," said Sandy Pentland, Xfund Advisor, MIT Professor and co-creator of the MIT Media Lab. "How do we engage and channel the world's best talent to break new and innovative ground, instead of directing them to march down well-trodden career paths?" "We are very proud to have been a founding member and frequent co-investor of Xfund," said Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner of New Enterprise Associates. "The firm represents an exciting new model for a public-private partnership that benefits the partner universities, the students, and society at large." "Breyer Capital has been an enthusiastic co-founder, limited partner, and co-investor of Xfund from its very start," said Jim Breyer, CEO of Breyer Capital. "The firm's structural advantages and clearly differentiated investment thesis and strategy remain as compelling as ever." Xfund's strength lies in its foundational ties to professors and student groups like BASES at Stanford (the largest student-run entrepreneurship organization in the country), and Harvard Student Agencies (the largest student-run company in the world). These structural relationships help Xfund identify promising ideas and entrepreneurs at the earliest stages. Xfund has also forged deep institutional relationships across multiple centers of learning and research to help its portfolio companies gain access to resources and insights that might otherwise be impossible to achieve. The team has already begun to make investments from the new fund. About Xfund Xfund is the early-stage venture firm designed to back lateral thinkers. Partnering with Harvard University and others of the world's preeminent universities, Xfund looks beyond the stereotypical technical pedigrees to seek out extraordinary people who are being systemically ignored by traditional venture capital: technically-gifted liberal arts entrepreneurs. We believe it's our responsibility to help these unconventional, high potential founders align their ambition and passion with opportunity we help them create, to build the sort of ground-breaking companies that can create a better tomorrow. Xfund has offices in Palo Alto, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more about Xfund, please visit http://www.xfund.com . SOURCE Xfund Related Links https://www.xfund.com Five children have been found dead at a home in the west German city of Solingen, according to police. In a call to police, their grandmother said their 27-year-old mother had killed them, according to Bild, a German newspaper. Officers found the dead children, who were aged one, two, three, six and eight years old. The mother jumped in front of a train in Dusseldorf near Solingen in the early afternoon and survived with serious injuries, according to Bild newspaper. The newspaper reported the grandmother also told police her daughter was out of her home with a child, after claiming the 27-year-old had killed five of her other children. According to Bild, an 11-year-old child was found safe at the grandmothers house. Emergency services were called to an apartment block in the Hasseldelle area of Solingen on Thursday. The five bodies were discovered in an apartment in the city, which sits near Cologne. Police announced the discovery on Thursday. Additional reporting by agencies WINNIPEGTwo more residents of a personal care home in Manitoba have died from COVID-19, and the provinces top doctor says some front-line workers are feeling fatigued by months of strict protocols. This comes as a real reminder that we have to stay on guard, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday. The two residents, a woman in her 80s and another woman in her 90s, lived at Bethesda Place personal care home in Steinbach, about 60 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, where there has been an outbreak of the coronavirus. Two other residents of the care home died last month from the illness. Seven workers and two additional residents have also tested positive. Roussin said the initial positive case appears to have been a health-care worker who caught the virus in the community. The worker was asymptomatic and it doesnt appear there was an issue with personal protective equipment, he added. However, Roussin said many people working on the front line have been struggling with tight restrictions over long shifts. I think that over time, just like many other Manitobans, we can lose track of some of the fundamentals and some of the importance of the strictness of our rules. There are a handful of outbreaks at other personal care homes in the province, including two in Winnipeg that were announced Wednesday. Twenty new cases of COVID-19 in the province were reported Thursday, for a total of 1,264. There have been 16 deaths. Manitoba spent many months with some of the lowest levels of COVID-19 cases in the country but has seen a significant increase in infections over the last month. Travel restrictions to northern Manitoba are to be put back in place Friday. With a long weekend ahead and students heading back to class next week, Roussin said people must ensure they continue to take precautions. We have to be alert at all times. Read more about: Tel Aviv, Sep 3 : Israel's Health Ministry announced that it has filed a protective injunction at a labour court requiring laboratory workers to end a strike launched earlier this week. The court is due to hear the Ministry's request on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency. The lab workers went on strike claiming they have to deal with low wages but high workloads. The strike includes 2,000 workers in 400 labs across Israel, with staff running only life-saving urgent tests, such as tests for critically ill patients, cancer and heart patients, as well as coronavirus tests. However, the strikers give only positive results to coronavirus tests, while those who are found negative will not receive the results. The workers also threatened to stop performing coronavirus tests if their demands were not met. The Health Ministry said in its statement that despite several discussions with the workers' representatives, including proposals for higher wages and better working conditions, no agreement was reached. A man has been fined 1,000 for breaching quarantine restrictions after returning from a Spanish holiday. It is understood the penalty was imposed after he went out socialising in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland at the weekend. He later tested positive for Covid-19. The man was supposed to be self-isolating having recently returned from Spains Balearic islands. People returning from countries that are not on Northern Irelands green list for safe travel are required to quarantine for two weeks. Details of the incident in Enniskillen were first reported by the Belfast Telegraph on Thursday. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne told the Policing Board on Thursday that the fine serves as a reminder that the quarantine regulations are being policed. Earlier PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd confirmed the 1,000 fine was issued on Tuesday. The management of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020, is a matter for UK Border Force and their associated partners, he added. The police role is to respond to reports from the UK Border Force or any of their associated partners of potential breaches but police will also act on any significant concerns raised by members of the public. As always, our approach remains to engage, explain and encourage, and only where necessary enforce. Everyone needs to continue to follow the Governments guidance to help suppress the transmission of the virus and support our NHS. It is encouraging to see that to date there has been a high level of compliance since the introduction of the mandatory quarantine on travellers coming into Northern Ireland from restricted countries and I hope that continues. But Turkey has changed under Erdogan, and not just in its growing antipathy toward Israel. Today, the similarities with the ayatollahs Iran are eerie and the Trump administrations disparate treatment of the two countries is jarring. Both push radical versions of Islam at a time when moderate voices are rising in many Arab countries, such as the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Both have a backward-looking nostalgia for ancient glory, in the Ottoman and Persian empires. Both are exporting instability through proxy forces. And both delight in bashing the United States. (Natural News) The continuous abuse of public health emergency declarations has exposed power-hungry government officials and their disregard for human rights. The sweeping new powers that are being derived from pandemic propaganda have led some governors to believe they can make medical interventions mandatory for entire swaths of the population. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is essentially claiming ownership over all students in the state by imposing a mandatory flu shot for all students under the age of 30, including any child six months and older attending daycare. Governor Baker imposes vaccine violence on the people of Massachusetts I would hope people would understand this is an important part of how we continue to fight the [corona]virus here in Massachusetts, quipped Governor Baker in a State House news briefing on August 20. The more people who get the flu shot dont get the flu and dont wind up in the ER. Of course, this is the governors one-size-fits-all opinion, which isnt supported by any factual data. In fact, the CDC admits the flu shot is ineffective and causes mutations in the flu virus each year. Moreover, a study found that the flu shot increases childhood hospitalizations for flu-like illness 3-fold and can even send kids into convulsions. In regards to the coronavirus, a Department of Defense study found that the flu shot causes greater susceptibility to coronavirus infection. No matter what conclusions can be made by power-drunk officials, no one has the right to inject people against their will. By imposing his will over all students and making flu shots mandatory, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is engaging in vaccine violence, an unconscionable, unconstitutional act. Many in the state felt threatened by the governor, and just a week later, a large group gathered in protest outside the State House. A wide range of speakers came forth, concerned that their rights as individuals and as parents were being taken away, that the government was illegally practicing medicine and seizing control over peoples private medical decisions. This is about using the fear of COVID to take away a persons ability, and their human right, to make decisions for themselves and their children unnecessarily, said Allison Chapman, a member of the executive leadership team at an organization called Health Choice. The word safety is being used as a way to control people and take away their rights as human beings Arrogant governors are using both coercion and force to control peoples behavior, to take away their freedoms and force impurities into their bodies. The abuse is being carried out under the banner of keeping people safe. The most disturbing underlying principle being breached during the covid-19 pandemic messaging tyranny is government using the term safety to steal away individual liberty. The more people give up their power and comply, the more the government will seize the opportunity to claim power over peoples bodies, including their children. The Massachusetts State Department of Public Health responded to the protests by stating they have an obligation to advance policies that protect students, teachers and staff. As students return to in-person learning in the classroom, this vaccine requirement provides an additional and necessary layer of protection and safety, the statement said. The courageous men and women who protested at the State House also mentioned that vaccine companies are exempt from liabilities for any and all injuries and adverse events caused by vaccination. Because vaccine makers enjoy legal immunity and get away with injuring people en masse, no vaccine should ever be made mandatory across a population. The people of Massachusetts now have a patriotic duty to seize flu vaccine supplies and destroy them en masse, just like when the Sons of Liberty dumped tea into the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. If the men and women of Massachusetts once stood up against taxation without representation, then todays men and women should stand up and demand that their bodily autonomy and private medical decisions be kept sacred, their liberty kept intact. The government does not own the bodies of children and no governor or legislative body has the right to commit vaccine violence against families just because their kids go to public school. Sources include: BlackListedNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com ScienceDaily.com PubMed.com An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2020 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam.... The latest turmoil came less than two weeks after the Tripoli government, known as the Government of National Accord, or GNA, and the rival eastern government declared separate cease-fires. They called for a demilitarized zone in the contested city of Sirte, the resumption of oil production and a path to elections. These goals were all welcomed by the United Nations, regional neighbors and Western powers tired of the conflict in Europes backyard. But like so many moments in Libyas post-Arab Spring history, instability and violence are again on the rise. Enough is enough, Chantelle Krupka, a woman shot by Peel Regional Police on Mothers Day, told the mayors of Mississauga and Brampton during an emotionally charged meeting between several families with similar stories and both politicians in Malton on Wednesday. I want these officers off the force now, Krupka told the mayors, in a demand echoed by attendees. The mayors of both Peel-based cities were placed on the hot seat, during the face-to-face meeting at the Malton Community Centre, by the families of several people shot and killed by Peel Regional police in recent months. During the meeting, an emotional Krupka talked poignantly about the irreparable mental and physical damage caused by being shot by police. Shame, shame, the members of the audience inside the gathering chanted as representatives from several families detailed the horror of their experience and demanded answers from Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. Police were not invited to the meeting, Crombie told the press. Derek Francique, the father of Jamal Derek Jr. Francique, who was fatally shot by Peel police on Jan. 7 in Mississauga, told the mayors I need you to do something about this. Jamal died Jan. 9. Why hasnt the chief been held accountable? Derek Francique said while standing in front of the seated mayors. What have you been doing as mayors? Knia Singh, the lawyer representing Franciques family, said the families are asking for the identity of the officers accused of the shootings to be released, which he said will require sweeping changes of the Police Services Act. He characterized the meeting as blunt but also progressive. Whats really going to characterize the meeting is the response and if there is follow-up, he said. Crombie told the Star recently that trust has been fractured by a series of incidents this year in which Peel officers have shot or harmed civilians in recent months. Those cases include the death of Francique, a 28-year-old Black man who was a father of two. The other cases include Clive Mensah, a mentally ill man who died after he was Tasered by Peel police near his home last November; the shooting death of DAndre Campbell in April; the fatal shooting of 62-year-old Ejaz Choudry in June; and the Mothers Day shooting of Mississauga mother Chantelle Krupka, for which a rookie Peel officer was charged by the provinces police watchdog. During Wednesdays meeting, one of Choudrys daughters said they, like many of the other families, need the names of the officers released. She also called for them to be fired. Nobody has done anything, she said. Choudrys family called for both mayors to sign a statement publicly condemning the actions of the police, but the mayors stopped short of agreeing to such a strong statement. They also called for reforms of Ontarios police watchdog and policing in general. We will fight alongside you to get those reforms, Mayor Brown said. The deaths of Mensah, Campbell, Francique and Choudry are still before the Special Investigations Unit. Earlier this year, the officers accused of shooting Choudry and Campbell refused to participate in the respective SIU investigations. Under provisions of the Police Services Act, subject officers cannot be legally compelled to present themselves for an interview with the SIU and they do not have to submit their notes. Heading into the meeting, Crombie said for me its a listening exercise, while Brown said he was concerned about the recent tragedies in Peel. I want to do whatever I can to move forward, Crombie said. There is a lot of work to do. Both mayors said the region of 1.4 million people is grossly underfunded and lacked the necessary mental health crisis response services. Crombie underscored that there are thousands of calls for mental health-related issues in Peel annually. Peel Regional council recently voted unanimously to explore ways to reduce the police role in mental health crises when appropriate. Under the Mental Health Act, only police have the power to apprehend a person experiencing a mental health crisis and take them for treatment. The council motion also calls to increase the number of Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams operating in Peel. The teams, which were launched this year, pair specially trained officers with mental health crisis workers to act as first responders. For now, Peel police operate just two units each day, which both mayors say is insufficient. Following the meeting, protesters blocked a car carrying Crombie from leaving the parking lot of the community centre, while chanting, no justice, no peace, no racist police! She was later allowed to leave. Jason Miller is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering crime and justice in the Peel Region. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic Read more about: There is "unequivocal proof" that Russian opposition politician was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, Germany has said. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said he was a victim of attempted murder and the world would look to for answers, the BBC reported. Navalny was airlifted to Berlin in a coma after falling ill on a flight in Russia's Siberia region last month. His team says he was poisoned on President Vladimir Putin's orders. The Kremlin has dismissed the allegation. The Kremlin spokesman called on Germany for a full exchange of information and foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova complained the Novichok allegations were not backed up by evidence. "Where are the facts, where are the formulas, at least some kind of information?" she asked. A Novichok nerve agent was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018. While they survived, a British woman later died in hospital. The UK accused Russia's military intelligence of carrying out that attack. Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the latest attack as "outrageous". "The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny - we will work with partners to ensure justice is done," he tweeted. After the government in Berlin released results of toxicology tests carried out at a military laboratory, Chancellor Merkel said there were now "serious questions that only the Russian government can and must answer". "Someone tried to silence [Mr Navalny] and in the name of the whole German government I condemn that in the strongest terms." Chancellor Merkel said Germany's Nato and EU partners had been informed of the results of the investigation and they would decide on a common and appropriate response based on Russia's reaction. Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya and Russia's ambassador to Germany would also be informed of the findings, the Berlin government said. The European Union has demanded a "transparent" investigation by the Russian government. "Those responsible must be brought to justice," a statement read. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also called for an inquiry in a tweet, while the US National Security Council (NSC) said the suspected poisoning was "completely reprehensible". "We will work with allies and the community to hold those in accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities," an NSC spokesman said. --IANS rt/ (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'm a graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism and former reporter with the Missourian. Currently, I'm a working for a law firm in Dallas, Tx before beginning law school later this year. Reach me at @ByHunterGilbert on Twitter Follow this search 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 If you're missing the big screen, you can now rent out an entire theater for yourself or for your friends and family. In Texas, movie theaters are allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity under Governor Greg Abbott's "Open Texas" plan. Texas regulations require people at movie theaters to wear masks whenever it is not feasible to maintain 6 feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household. READ ALSO: Here's when the newest drive-in on the South Side is opening While most local movie theatres are open, three cinema companies are offering private screenings for their customers as another option to social distance themselves from others during the coronavirus pandemic. Scroll below on where you can rent out a private theater in the San Antonio area. A teenage girl who died after taking part in a dangerous TikTok challenge has been identified. Chloe Phillips, a 15-year-old from the US state of Oklahoma, was pronounced dead on August 21 after overdosing on an antihistamines as part of the Benadryl challenge, The Sun US reports. The Benadryl challenge, which involves ingesting large amounts of the medication in order to hallucinate, has prompted warnings from health professionals in the US and Australia, who say the TikTok game can be fatal. In July, Cook Childrens Medical Centre in Texas warned three teens had been hospitalised in one week after taking part in the online fad. Chloe Phillips died after taking part in the Benadryl challenge on TikTok. Source: Supplied The warning from the medical centre said each of the teens who had been hospitalised said they got the idea from TikTok that claimed people could get high and hallucinate. One of the teens who ended up at Cook Childrens was a 14-year-old named Rebekah. Her mother Katie told the medical centre after taking part in the challenge, Rebekah had a resting heart rate of 199 and could not form sentences properly. It was scary, she said. Amber Jewison, a nurse practitioner at the medical centre, said none of the patients were trying to harm themselves and instead were curious to try the online fad. Dont say this cant happen to you Chloes great aunt Janette Sissy Leasure also warned of the dangers of the challenge. This needs to stop taking our kids or putting them in hospital, she wrote on Facebook, according to The Sun. I dont want to see any families go through what we are going through right now. Dont ever say this cant happen to you. Kids are like, the other person was okay, so Ill be okay. Try to always know what your kids are doing or taking. The fad can cause serious health concerns, including severe drowsiness, heart problems and seizures. Source: Getty An obituary for the teen said she loved music, dancing, video games and being a social butterfly with friends. She was an extremely intelligent young woman and dreamed of one day going to college and becoming a lawyer, it said. On that journey, she looked forward to her first kiss, getting her drivers licence, and one day going to Paris. Story continues Chloes faith kept her steadfast; she always stood up for what she believed in, and she showed kindness and compassion in everything she did. Aussie kids warned of dangerous fad A poisons expert is also warning young people and parents in Australia about the dangers of the TikTok Benadryl challenge. Misuse of any cough mixture outside of health care professional advice or label instructions is really dangerous, Dr Rose Cairns from University of Sydneys School of Pharmacy told Yahoo News Australia. Effects will vary depending on the product, but it can cause really severe drowsiness or even coma, severe agitation and unpleasant, frightening hallucinations, heart problems and seizures. I would definitely not recommend this challenge or any similar. A number of teens have been hospitalised for taking part in the Benadryl challenge. Source: Getty Dr Cairns added it could be really scary and really dangerous and said it was not worth trying. When people do this they think it might be fun, but in reality the symptoms are very unpleasant and people wind up in hospital or worse. Senior specialist in poisons information at NSW Poisons Information Centre, Genevieve Adamo, told Yahoo News Australia they had received calls relating to internet challenges, as well as recreational abuse of cough mixtures. Diphenhydramine can cause significant drowsiness, delirium, seizures and cardiac arrhythmias, she said. It is illegal for a member of the public to supply it to anyone else (except parents/carers administering to people in their care). TikTok told Yahoo News Australia it became aware of the Benadryl challenge in May and had worked to remove a small amount of content from the social media platform. "The safety and wellbeing of our users is TikTok's top priority. As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury, a spokesperson said. Though we have not seen this content trend on our platform, we actively remove content that violates our guidelines and block related hashtags to further discourage participation. We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behaviour whether online or off." Anybody concerned about an overdose should contact the Poisons Information Centre on 131 126. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. By Choi Chang-won The relationship between South and North Korea must be one of the most spectacular and desperate areas that have left many Koreans with mixed emotions great expectations and great disappointment about reconciliation and peace. The Moon Jae-in administration's policy of active engagement with North Korea is facing a deadlock due to the lack of progress in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. The deadlock has shown no signs of a breakthrough despite efforts by Moon's new security and diplomatic team to improve inter-Korean ties. Considering the existing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, I must admit that the current situation is beyond the Moon government's best possible efforts to forge better ties with the North. If no significant changes are made despite the new team's efforts to bring peace to the peninsula, what else can we do? Instead of waiting and seeing if such efforts bear fruit, we need to find a new approach to set a new stage for Moon's peace initiative. Let me ask this question: "Have we treated peace on the Korean Peninsula as a Northeast Asia issue or a global issue?" Just as the international community, including the United Nations, has treated it as a global one, have we Koreans done the same? If we had tried this, could we have created a global regime for peace on the peninsula with various actors in a multilayered approach? Because we do not know a perfect answer that can promise peace in the current context, what we can do is to let the stakeholders have a sense of belonging in relation to peace in Korea. If the stakeholders have more of a common interest, they can contribute more to eventually establishing peace on the peninsula. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta noted that unlike other serious conflicts throughout the world the two Koreas have not been engaged in a direct military confrontation over the past 70 years. He said inter-Korean relations could change for the better with strong leadership in both countries. Ramos-Horta proposed that international sanctions on North Korea be lifted temporarily at least for one year to help ease the economic difficulties in the North based on humanitarian considerations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expects Korea, China and Japan to provide free COVID-19 vaccine if they create one to the least developed countries. Rep. Kim Han-jung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has insisted that the Republic of Korea as the main actor must lead the peace process, even though the armistice ending the Korean War was signed by North Korea, the U.S., and China, not South Korea. The Online Peace Talk (www.youtube.com/user/TheNUAC) was hosted by the Southern Southeast Asian Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC) and the Center for Korean Studies at the National University of East Timor on the 67th anniversary of the Korean armistice in July. I was impressed by the remarks of Ramos-Horta and Rep. Kim which drew much attention from the participants as they expressed their determination to promote the value of peace. The more influential figures in the world share the value of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the more reliable we can expect that peace to be. To establish a global regime of peace on the peninsula, I'd like to suggest three points based on my 12 years of experience as an academic in East Timor. Most of all, we must proactively work with peace-lovers from around the world. World-renowned celebrities, who can share the value of peace in Korea in the context of universality, will be crucial peace partners with South Korea. Particularly like in East Timor, which is tiny but has two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, we should invite them to work with us for peace. We should not underestimate the power of sympathy which prominent figures in East Timor can share with us on the basis of universality out of a similar history of having been victimized by powerful nations. Additionally, the policy toward the peace process must be attractively inclusive so that peace-loving global citizens can join us. Eventually, they will be the unwavering foundation for peace on the Korean Peninsula, as long as we advocate for universal values. Supportively co-working with local Korean experts must be mandatory. Local experts should have a proactive sense of public diplomacy for people including the local media. Needless to say, Korean diplomats must become key actors and support anyone who is in charge of these activities. Lastly, I'd like to emphasize the importance of Korean diplomats' communication ability with leaders and people in the nations they are dispatched to. I recall Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha saying, "Korean diplomats' English ability has been below the reputation of South Korea in the world." As I understand it, many Korean diplomats' English ability has improved drastically. If there are some Korean diplomats who are not capable of communicating in English, what kinds of proactive public diplomacy can we expect? To realize a timely public policy for peace in fact we need not only English ability but also the official language ability of the nation the diplomats are dispatched to. Korean people might think small and less developed nations not-near Korea, like East Timor, are irrelevant to influence peace on the Korean Peninsula. However, if we want to make a peace-oriented stakeholders network around the world, East Timor must not be considered just a small nation. The fundamental reason for the late President Kim Dae-jung receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is clearly rooted in his longtime activities for peace and human rights. However, if it had not been for Ramos-Horta's timely letter of recommendation, who could have guaranteed Kim's Nobel Prize? Former colonies are not just aid receiving nations. By sharing their experiences with each other, they can promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. I hope that my three suggestions will help revitalize the peace process on the peninsula. Choi Chang-won (hopeseller@gmail.com) is a professor in the Department of International Relations, the National University of East Timor. The UAE has maintained its international high-standing in this years edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) as it ranked number one in the Arab world for the fifth consecutive year and improved to 34th globally followed by Saudi Arabia at 66th place in the 2020 edition of the report, according to Ministry of Economy. The country ranked 22nd on the innovation input sub-index, a 2-rank increase from last year, and surpassing countries such as Iceland, Luxembourg, China, Spain and Russia. The UAE also improved on the innovation output sub-index, ranking 55th, a 3-rank increase from its rank in 2019. As per the GII ranking list, UAE reached number 34 of 131 countries surveyed in the Index 2020 report, while Saudi Arabia climbed to 66th place, both up two places from 2019. The UAE was also ranked third in the Northern Africa and Western Asia region, behind Israel and Cyprus. The Global Innovation Index report annually ranks countries based on their capacity to innovate. This years version of the report measured the performance of 131 countries and economies representing 99 percent of global GDP, with a focus on understanding who will finance innovation? The theme is especially relevant this year as the global depression triggered by Covid-19 has curtailed financing option for entrepreneurs and innovators. And it is precisely during such disruptive periods that society is most in need of social and technological innovations to help the economy recover and transition to a more-resilient outcome. UAE's economy ministry said the positive positioning across these indices reflects the significant improvements and high performances in pillars such as Human Capital & Research, Infrastructure, Business Sophistication, and Creative Outputs. For example, these pillars include gains in indicators such as R&D expenditures, ICT access and use indices, knowledge-intensive employment, patent families, high-tech imports, the percentage of research talent in business enterprises, and creative goods exports. Additionally, the UAE has achieved a positive position on the new Global Brand value indicator, under the creative outputs pillar, where it ranked 16th globally, stated the ministry. The GII is calculated based on detailed measures of innovation inputs and outputs consisting of 80 indicators that provide insights on the various areas of innovation. These cover seven pillars: (1) institutions, (2) human capital & research, (3) infrastructure, (4) market sophistication, (5) business sophistication, (6) knowledge & technology outputs, and (7) creative outputs. The GII is commonly used by corporate and government officials to compare countries by their level of innovation inputs and outputs. The GII is also recognized as one of several key indices under the UAE National Agendas Competitive Knowledge-based Economy pillar, which is overseen by the Ministry of Economy in partnership with several private and public entities including the Ministry of Education, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, the Ministry of Finance, the Securities and Commodities Authority, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, among others. The 33-initative package contributes to building a more flexible and innovative economic model, said Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy. "The UAE's continued improved performance in the Global Innovation Index is a result of a long-term vision adopted by the country over the past years, under the guidance of wise leadership, which resulted in concerted efforts at the federal and local level as well as close collaboration of the public, private, and academic sectors to consolidate the culture of creativity and innovation in the UAE," he noted. "This will form a basis and engine for building a society that believes in a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship and for the development of a diversified, competitive and sustainable economy based on knowledge and innovation, he added. Small and Medium Enterprises play a pivotal role in developing an innovative environment as they are the engines of sustainable and knowledge-based economic growth, remarked Dr Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises and the Minister in charge of Tourism. "The UAEs GII 2020 positive performance reflects the governments efforts to enhance the innovation ecosystem, improve intellectual property management, and increase investment in innovative projects, among other initiatives carried out in the last year," he stated. "However, in the coming phase, the Ministry of Economy and its partners will work on launching a new phase of initiatives to increase SME capabilities, enable national entrepreneurship, and encourage start-ups and businesses operating in innovation and technology related sectors," he added. "Foreign trade and investment are pivotal factors in fostering global innovation as trade of creative goods and high-tech products, investment growth in value-added projects, stated Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and the Minister responsible for retaining and attracting talent. The cross-border implementation of research and development projects all contribute to the knowledge base of the economy, consistently generating new and innovative ideas, he added. Minister of Education Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi said his ministry has implemented many initiatives and reforms to improve the education and research climate in the UAE over the years. "This has led to significant improvements in critical education indicators such as school life expectancy, graduates in science and engineering, R&D expenditures, and the prevelance of research talent in business enterprises, all of which have increased significantly in a short span," he noted. This is a textbook example, Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki wrote on Twitter, of of how immunity should work. The news spread around the world. Combined with earlier studies about dropping antibody levels, it seemed to raise questions about whether we could ever be truly protected from the virus. And this wasnt a false positive, nor a resurgence of the old virus. Scientists later compared the genetic code of the new virus with a sample theyd kept from the mans first infection. The codes were different. Hed been reinfected with a different virus. We can only imagine his shock, then, when his results came back positive. And besides, he couldnt have COVID-19. Hed already had COVID-19. He spent two weeks in hospital back in March, recovering. He was immune. The man was travel weary. He was returning home, finally, from a long trip Spain via Britain. Hong Kong airport, as with most major airports these days, has a rigorous COVID-19 screening program for anyone passing through. The man queued up to be throat-swabbed, perhaps with a little impatience. He did not feel sick. He had no fever, no cough. We think of immunity as being unable to be reinfected. But immunologists think of several different types of immunity, each with different features. Immunologists agree that almost everyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is probably immune. Heres the problem: immune means something very different to immunologists. An electron microscope image shows the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (yellow) emerging from the surface of cells (pink) cultured in a US National Institutes of Health lab. Credit:AP Do we develop immunity to COVID-19 after we are infected and, if so, what does immune really mean? Is herd immunity possible? What sort of immunity could a vaccine confer? And ultimately, what happens to COVID-19 in the long term? The case of reinfection was, in a way, one of the key missing pieces in completing our understanding of what immunity to COVID-19 looks like. Much remains to be learnt but immunologists are now ready to confidently answer several key questions. When you are infected with SARS-CoV-2, scientists suspect your body makes heaps of these nose-and-throat antibodies. About three weeks after youre infected, your nose and throat are probably covered in them. The immune system does this using a type of antibody known as immunoglobulin A. These antibodies actually coat the lining of the cells in your nose and throat, stopping a virus infecting them. For viruses that spread through the air, such as SARS-CoV-2 the virus that causes COVID-19 that means your immune system needs to have set up fortifications in the nose and throat. But this sort of immunity is hard to develop. Its easy to understand why. You dont just need armies of antibodies and immune cells ready to neutralise a virus; they also need to be in exactly the right place to stop a virus as soon as it tries to enter the body. It blocks the virus from getting in. You dont get another infection, says Associate Professor Nathan Bartlett, head of the viral immunology and respiratory disease group at the University of Newcastle. Sterilising immunity means a virus cannot infect you at all. Thats the best kind of immunity, and is what most people think of when they think about being immune. This is what the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine confers . Their antibody responses have nosedived, suggesting they are going to lose that sterilising immunity. But thats what some respiratory viruses are very good at doing, says Bartlett. If SARS-CoV-2 comes along again, your nose and throat are unprotected. The virus can get into the cells there and start replicating. Assuming what is happening in the blood is also happening in the nose, this suggests youre likely to have true sterilising immunity for only a few months after you are infected, says Bartlett transient sterilising immunity. About three weeks after you are infected, antibody levels in the blood particularly immunoglobulin A begin to decline, a pre-print study that is still under review shows . Heres the bad news: it does not appear to last. But wise countries dont stand down their entire army after the war is won, and neither does the immune system. Antibodies are an inefficient way for the body to maintain immunity because it takes a lot of energy to produce them. If you have immunity in your T cells, that can be rapidly brought back into the fight, says Dr Rob Grenfell, director of health and biosecurity at the CSIRO. After our bodies fight off an infection, they dont need antibodies any more so they are allowed to diminish. Thats what the nosedive studies are showing. The thing that persists is immunological memory, says Professor Heidi Drummer, head of viral entry research at the Burnet Institute. This sounds really bad, right? But dont panic yet. Antibodies are only one part of the picture. Scientists say this is not surprising. Many respiratory viruses, such as the coronaviruses that cause the common cold , do not leave you with long-term sterilising immunity. Thats part of the reason you can keep getting reinfected. Whats functional immunity? When we are infected with a new virus, the immune system generates vast armies of B and T cells. B cells are giant antibody factories; T cells float through the blood, hunting and killing infected cells. After a virus is beaten, the body hides some B and T cells specialised to kill that virus in the bone marrow and lymph nodes, just in case the virus comes back. This is called functional immunity. These B and T cells are able to respond to COVID-19 if it reinvades the body. They take a couple of days to kick into action the body has to activate them and grow them into a big, virus-busting army but when they are ready, they decimate SARS-CoV-2s. But its not an instantaneous thing. It takes time a couple of days to get this full-blown immunological response. So there is a bit of a window for the virus, says Drummer. This means any SARS-CoV-2 reinfection can probably get no further than the nose or throat meaning you have long-term protection from falling seriously, life-threateningly ill. This is what scientists suspect COVID-19 immunity looks like. B cells inside a lymph node. Credit:The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute / Supplied So what does this mean for us? Lets recap the likely, although not proven, scenario. In the first few months after the infection, it is likely you are totally immune. Then, your nose and throat immunity wanes, allowing the virus to get in and infect cells there. You can get reinfected. But the virus cannot get any further than your nose and throat and you are protected against serious illness. Thats probably what we saw in the infection in Hong Kong, says Professor Andreas Suhrbier, group leader of inflammation biology at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and probably explains why the man had no symptoms. That shows he wasnt protected against reinfection, but was protected against getting really sick. The first virus infection certainly did not produce sterilising immunity. Loading Will a vaccine offer complete sterilising immunity? Maybe. The evidence we have so far is mixed. In animal studies, both the Oxford vaccine that Australia purchased and the University of Queenslands vaccine both effectively stopped SARS-CoV-2 getting deep into the lungs. Thats a really good sign. If that translates to humans, it should stop you developing severe life-threatening illness. For most people, COVID-19 would be transformed from potential killer to mild disease, says Suhrbier. But in the animal studies, the virus kept replicating in the nose. It is not triggering an immune response in the nose and throat. It's not providing any protection against that infection in the [upper] airways, says Bartlett. That may indicate the vaccine, just as with the immunity you get after being infected with the virus, protects you from becoming seriously ill but does not stop you catching the virus. It seems sterilising immunity in the upper tract is hard to achieve, says Professor Trent Munro, one of the team building the University of Queenslands vaccine. Results that scientists see in animals often dont translate into results in humans. And the animals used in the studies were exposed to very high doses of the virus way higher than the average human might encounter. Possibly, a vaccine will give us enough sterilising immunity to cope with the normal doses of virus we encounter. Professor Trent Munro is heading the push to get the University of Queensland vaccine candidate through human trials to a widespread release. Credit:University of Queensland Other vaccines being developed by biotech companies Moderna, Sinovac, and NovaVax, appeared to offer protection in the nose as well as in the lungs. Were a long way from knowing whether a vaccine will provide sterilising immunity, says James Triccas, a professor of medical microbiology at the University of Sydney. I dont think we have enough evidence to say we cannot make a vaccine that will give you complete protection. And the lack of protection in the nose is not a huge setback for vaccines, scientists emphasised. Thats not the focus for the first generation of vaccines. The most urgent need at the moment is to stop people getting severely ill and dying, says Drummer. A vaccine that turns COVID-19 into a mild cold would be a huge win, and save many millions of lives. But if the virus can still replicate a little bit, and be spread, that is an opportunity for the virus to continue spreading in the community. A research associate works at the Moderna Therapeutics Inc. lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, which has had positive results for a vaccine. Credit:Bloomberg Will the vaccine stop the virus spreading? When does COVID-19 go away? Its common to think a vaccine will bring all this to an end. The virus will vanish, and we can resume our old lives. That may be wishful thinking, says Suhrbier. The vaccine may not be the total solution that everyone wants. Many people still die from influenza every year, despite a vaccination campaign. Elimination having no virus transmitting in Australia could be a plausible scenario if we get a vaccine that provides absolute, 100 per cent sterilising immunity in 100 per cent of the population. The virus will have nowhere to go. Thats possible. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine appears to provide long-term sterilising immunity; so does the polio vaccine and that disease is now on the cusp of global eradication. But scientists say a more likely scenario is a vaccine that protects against serious illness but does not provide total sterilising immunity as with the flu vaccine. We have not really got to the point where we can readily develop those vaccines. Its not something we have been good at, says Suhrbier. And SARS-CoV-2 is a particularly tricky virus to combat because it can jump so quickly from one person to another a metric known as the "latent period". The latent period for this virus can be astronomically short. You are infected, and 2 days later you can be infectious. Thats an extremely short period, says Suhrbier. Lets think about the implications of that. If the virus can replicate in the nose and mouth, it only needs to survive for a couple of days before it is ready to jump to another person. Unfortunately, it takes at least a couple of days for the bodys T and B cells to arm up. That gives it a (small) chance to spread. The virus could thus still circulate and infect people, even in a well-vaccinated population says Suhrbier. Indeed, by reducing the severity of the infection via a vaccine, you could turn everyone into asymptomatic spreaders. We basically make everyone who is vaccinated an asymptomatic spreader. Thats the worst-case scenario, says Suhrbier. It also means you can forget about herd immunity. Not possible. Herd immunity will not be possible, says Bartlett. If everyone can spread the virus, theres no way we can get there. That could pose a big problem for certain groups in our community, such as those with weakened immune systems and the elderly. We dont yet know how effective a vaccine is likely to be for them, but generally vaccines are less effective in those groups. We do know that around 1 in 10 people aged over 80 who get the virus die from it. If the virus continued to circulate, it would continue to pose a mortal risk to vulnerable groups. Consider our ongoing battle with the flu. For young, healthy people, the flu is generally not fatal. And we have a vaccine. But the virus continues to circulate. And so every year it finds its way into people who are vulnerable. Some 902 people died in Australia from the flu last year. It will be a bit like flu, where we see seasonal outbreaks, says Drummer. I think the most likely scenario for this is this virus will be around with us forever. BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will help bring more high-quality international services to China, meeting its demand to upgrade domestic consumption, a senior Chinese researcher has said. The CIFTIS, scheduled for Sept. 4-9 , will also bolster China's efforts to export its high-quality services while creating more competition at home, Li Jun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, told Xinhua in a recent interview. As one of China's three major open exhibition platforms, along with the China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as Canton Fair, and the China International Import Expo, the upcoming CIFTIS 2020, also the first major international economic and trade event held offline in China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has attracted worldwide attention. As the world's second biggest importer of services and with its large population, China has huge potential in the services industry, Li said. "The service market in China is very attractive to the global market, and is of significance to countries around the world as well as multinational corporations," Li said. The researcher pointed out that "China is constantly strengthening its domestic market, with consumption in services an important driving force." Chinese consumers used to seek high-quality services abroad when it came to education, medical treatment and medical cosmetology. However, the CIFTIS and a further opening up of the service market are making it more convenient for the Chinese people to access these services at home, Li said. The raging pandemic has hit the global services trade hard, especially traditional services such as tourism and overseas study. However, emerging sectors such as knowledge-intensive services is witnessing growth. The expert said "there will be much room for growth in sectors including digital services and 'Internet Plus' businesses after the pandemic." Countries should open their markets to each other and seize such new growth opportunities, Li added. Li also noted that China has set an example to the world by establishing international exhibition platforms such as the CIFTIS, which also demonstrates its sincerity in building a community with a shared future for humankind. Looking ahead at the upcoming CIFTIS, Li said it's hoped that countries around the world could reach a consensus through the event to uphold free trade, opening up and cooperation, as well as oppose protectionism, in a bid to create a more open and stronger global market. Election 2020 Myanmars Election Body to Decide on COVID-19 Election Delay in October State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi checks voter lists in Naypyitaw on Aug. 14. / Thiha Lwin Myanmars Union Election Commission (UEC) said any delay to the Nov. 8 general election because of COVID-19 will be announced next month. Myanmar is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. As of Thursday morning, the country has reported 1,058 cases, along with six deaths, since the first case was reported in March. A jump in cases has prompted questions about if the election will be held as scheduled and how voting can be safely conducted. U Myint Naing, the UECs spokesman, said: We will decide after reviewing the situation in October. He said the body planned to establish more polling stations than for the 2015 election, where there were over 40,000 stations. Polling stations would also be more spacious, where possible, to comply with COVID-19 health guidelines, U Myint Naing said. Anyone who arrives at a polling station by 4 pm will not lose their right to vote, as in the previous election, he added. Anyone at a polling station by 4 pm can vote, even if the time passes 4 pm. The voting window is between 6 am and 4 pm. Despite preparations, it is likely that some constituencies may not be able to allow voting due to ongoing conflicts, particularly in Rakhine and Shan states. The UEC will name the constituencies where voting will not take place in October. In the 2010 and 2015 general elections, various constituencies in Shan State, including five townships in the Wa self-administrative zone, did not take part. The UEC has so far approved 8,120 domestic observers from eight civil society groups and two international NGOs to monitor the November election. The observers registered are from the New Myanmar Foundation, Hornbill Organization, Phan Tee Eain (Creative Home), Kadu Youth Development Association, Rainmaker, Bago Observer group, Peoples Alliance for Credible Elections (Pace) and Election Education and Observation Partners, according to U Myint Naing. The UEC held a press conference on candidate registration on Wednesday in Naypyitaw. The international observers are from the Carter Center, established by the former US president Jimmy Carter, and Asian Network for Free Elections. The UEC-approved observers can monitor polling stations nationwide but COVID-19 is causing challenges for observers too. Daw Khin Lay Nge, the director of Phan Tee Eain, said the organization only had 450 observers this year, compared with 1,750 in 2015. Paces 2,900 observers were added this week. Director Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint said the group was initially rejected because it is not a registered association. It had 2,500 observers at the 2015 election and has monitored the electoral process since the voter lists were released. The group also monitored the 2017 and 2018 by-elections. Anyone who wants to observe the election must submit their forms by Oct. 15. During the 2015 election, there were 11,370 domestic observers from 53 organizations and 764 international observers from six election-monitoring groups. A total of 6,969 candidates are registered to compete for office in November. The UEC is due to announce rules for the candidates to follow during the election campaign, which starts next week. You may also like these stories: Rejected Candidate in Myanmars Rakhine State Says Hes Been Bullied off the Ballot Myanmars Ruling Party Vows to Reform Military in Election Manifesto Myanmar Archbishop Urges Citizens to Go Vote A sheep sold for a record 350,000 guineasor around $490,000 in American moneyat an auction in Scotland this week. The lamb, named Double Diamond, had generated buzz before the Scottish National Texel sale in Lanark started, according to a news release from the Texel Sheep Society. Bidding started at 10,000 guineas (about US$13,000). A bidding war drove up the price until an agreement was reached for the sheep to be shared between three farms. A sheep sold for a record 350,000 guineasor around $490,000 in American moneyat an auction in Scotland this week. (Courtesy of Catherine MacGregor/Texel Sheep Society) Its just like every other businesshorse racing or the cattle business, Jeff Aiken, one of the winning bidders, told The Guardian. Every once in a while something special comes along and yesterday an extra special Texel turned up. Everyone wanted a piece of it. Texel sheep originated in Holland and are a butcher favorite, according to the Texel Sheep Society. It is traditional for livestock to be sold in guineas at auction in the United Kingdom, and one guinea translates to about $1.40 American dollars. The previous record for one sheep was 230,000 poundsover $307,000 in U.S. moneyfor a sheep named Deveronvale Perfection in 2009. CNN Wire contributed to this report. New Delhi, Sep 3 : With the increase in cases of corona infection in the Capital, the Union government has withdrawn the order directing the reopening of all ministries' canteens which had been closed for the last four months. Withdrawing the August 28 order, the Union government has ordered all ministries to keep the canteens closed until further orders. An official of the Ministry of Personnel told IANS that the threat of corona is active in Delhi as indicated by the increase in cases. In such a situation, it has been decided to keep all canteens closed following which the August 28 order has been withdrawn. The canteens of Central government ministries and departments have been closed since April 20 amid the spread of the corona infection. The August 28 order said, "Restrictive activities are getting permission to operate slowly. Therefore, it has been decided to reopen the canteens of the various ministries in Delhi. But for this orders by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health will have to be strictly followed. All employees are required to follow all protocols and social distancing norms at the distribution and sale counters." According to the August 28 order, it was intended to open the departmental canteens from August 31. However, corona infections kept under control in Delhi for the last two months suddenly started spiking. On August 30, 2,024 cases were reported while on September 1, there were 2,312 cases of corona infection. In view of this, the Ministry of Personnel issued a new order on September 1 regarding the opening of the canteens withdrawing the earlier order of August 28. According to the order, accessed by IANS, issued by Umesh Kumar Bhatia, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, a directive has been received saying the order to reopen the canteens on August 28 is withdrawn with immediate effect. The canteens will remain closed until further orders. As the first day of school approaches, New York's poorest -- often uninsured families -- face a risky choice: send kids to school where they could contract coronavirus, or keep them home for online classes, potentially compromising their academic progress and preventing parents from working. New York, the largest school district in the United States with 1.1 million students, is the only major city nationwide to offer in-person classes. Face-to-face learning will be available one to three times a week starting September 21, a risky bet considered key to rebooting the embattled city's economy. Maria -- a Mexican domestic worker who lives in Queens, who asked for her last name not be used as she is undocumented -- decided to send her children aged seven and 14 to class, despite much uncertainty over protocol. "Are schools equipped to safely welcome children? What days will they go? They talk about classes outdoors -- what happens when it rains?" asked the 35-year-old mother during a weekly free food distribution in the borough's Corona neighborhood. - The education gap - The city's poorest families, generally black or of immigrant origin, cannot afford to hire tutors to support their online learning, as many children of wealthier families are doing. And, like Maria, most parents of modest means must leave the home to work -- if they did not lose their jobs to the pandemic, that is. Often these families deal with poor internet access, and sometimes parents cannot help their children with academic work because they lack the necessary technology, do not speak English or have not finished school themselves. Maria's eldest child took on the responsibility of helping the younger sibling when schools shut down in March and held online classes until June. Without that help, Maria says, it would have been impossible to get through. In the US -- the country worst hit by the pandemic in absolute terms, with more than 183,000 deaths and more than six million documented infections -- the issue of reopening schools was politicized ahead of the November elections. Story continues President Donald Trump, a Republican, emphatically insisted schools reopen, regardless of infection rates. Many states governed by Republicans, including Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Indiana, took that direction in August -- but virus outbreaks meant many schools had to impose quarantines or shut back down. Many cities, such as Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami, opted instead for the virtual model. New York is the only major city to offer a hybrid option, as long as the infection rate stays below three percent. Currently it is hovering at 0.9 percent, far lower than the national average. But after a dispute with a prominent teachers' union -- which called for more safety measures and threatened a strike -- in-person classes were delayed from September 10 to September 21. - 'I'd rather they lose a year' - Many low-income New York parents -- who were disproportionately hard-hit by coronavirus, suffer more from chronic diseases and often lack health insurance -- do not want to send their children to school. More than 365,000 public school students, or 37 percent, opted to take classes solely online, according to the city's government. "I know that at home they won't learn the same, but I'd rather they lose a year and stay healthy," said Marisa Machado, a 40-year-old cook who is currently unemployed, raising her three school-age children as a single mother. Both the mayor and education experts have urged children from low-income families to attend school in person, to avoid falling behind their wealthier peers. "One year of educational loss translates directly into less income," said Naomi Bardach, a professor of pediatrics and policy at the University of California, San Francisco. "It's well documented that it gives you a clear financial hit and a clear health outcome hit." But in communities hardest hit by the virus, fear still reigns. Miguel Hernandez, an unemployed New Yorker from Mexico who is married to a Polish prison guard, does not want to send his three kids to school. "The children are afraid too. We have to survive," he said. lbc/mdo/leg Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal An Albuquerque man is asking Wendys to make some high-level changes after he says he was on the receiving end of a racial epithet at one of its local restaurants. Derrick Cage, who is Black, visited the Wendys at 4800 Menaul NE in January and, while eating his meal with some business associates, noticed his receipt had the word Darkie where the customers name is usually printed. Cage filed a lawsuit against Wendys and affiliated companies in 2nd Judicial District Court last week alleging violations of the New Mexico Human Rights Act, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Rather than friendly family service, Derrick Cage was served the blatant racism of Darkie, and with it, the weight of generations of bigotry, the lawsuit states. WEN New Mexico, which operates the Menaul restaurant as a franchisee, said in a statement Tuesday that the company fully investigated this matter and determined that it was an innocent mistake by an employee. A spokesperson for the Wendys Co. said the allegations dont align with the companys values and that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding. Cage told the Journal on Tuesday that he asked the cashier, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, why she wrote the slur on the receipt. He said she told him that the keys on the register got stuck and caused a misspelling of his name, but he knew that wasnt the case because she called his name out when it was time to take his order. It wasnt a mistake, Cage said. She knew what my name was. Cage posted a photo of the receipt on Facebook and reached out to the corporate office. He said the corporation later offered him $3,000 to remove the Facebook post, but he declined. It wasnt about money to me, Cage said. It was more like, This happened to me. What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future? He said he wants the company to take responsibility and make some changes. This is a time for them to play their part and do something about it, he said. Paul Linnenburger, Cages attorney, said they would like Wendys to have a high-level executive oversee diversity and sensitivity training. A Wendys corporate spokesperson sent the Journal a statement Tuesday: The allegations do not align with our brands core values, and as we understand it, may arise out of a misunderstanding. Its also our understanding that the details in the complaint do not reflect all the facts of the situation. The franchisee involved has assured us that they have investigated the matter thoroughly, and we expect they will vigorously defend this lawsuit. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) American Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude, cannot walk free yet pending a court's resolution on the appeal filed by her family, the Department of Justice said on Thursday. The DOJ told the Bureau of Corrections, which manages all convicted detainees, to wait for the decision on the motion for reconsideration. "The MR would have to be resolved first. The BuCor cannot preempt court action on the MR by prematurely releasing Pemberton," DOJ spokesperson Markk Perete said in a message. The Bureau of Corrections said it will heed the order of DOJ, adding Pemberton will remain detained in Camp Aguinaldo. "BuCor respects the court processes and will wait for the resolution of the filed MR. The normal release process is on hold," BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclaag said The Laude family's counsel Virgie Suarez filed a motion for reconsideration on Wednesday, arguing that Pemberton should not enjoy early release without proof of his behavior or participation in rehabilitation activities while in jail. The motion for reconsideration added that Pemberton has never even joined fellow convicts at the New Bilibid Prison since he has been serving sentence solo and comfortably in Camp Aguinaldo. The U.S. soldier has been detained at the custodial center of the Armed Forces headquarters in Quezon City in line with the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement with the US. The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court's Branch 74 on September 1 said Pemberton should be released for his good behavior. He has served over five years and eight months of his 10-year maximum jail sentence. The court credited to him a good conduct time allowance of 1,548 days or more than four years. This yields an accumulated jail time of 10 years, one month, and 10 days, the court said. How Pemberton's jail time was cut short Pemberton in June filed an urgent motion for the BuCor to compute the time he served in jail by applying the good conduct time allowance law. In August, Pemberton appealed for his immediate release, claiming that the BuCor failed to give him a years worth of GCTA since it did not include in its computation his preventive imprisonment from October 22, 2014 until November 30, 2015. The Olongapo court granted Pembertons partial motion for reconsideration and ruled that he should be given GCTA during the one-year period. The court also took note that Pemberton already paid the Laude family the full amount of 4.65 million for civil damages. In October 2014, Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with Pemberton, who confessed to killing her after finding out she had male genitalia. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks, head rammed into a toilet. The high-profile case was brought back to the spotlight when President Rodrigo Duterte moved to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and United States early this year. With the abrogation, Pemberton should be transferred to the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in February. The VFA remains in effect since the Duterte government suspended the termination amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brendan J. Lyons, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. (TNS) ALBANY Antoinette T. Bacon, an associate deputy attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice, has been named acting U.S. attorney for New Yorks Northern District, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter. Bacon will become the first female U.S. attorney in the district, which encompasses 32 counties stretching from Kingston to the Canadian border and west to Syracuse. She was at the federal courthouse in Albany on Wednesday afternoon as her predecessor in the position, Grant C. Jaquith, was sworn into his new post as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims. U.S. District Chief Judge Glenn T. Suddaby swore in Jaquith during the brief ceremony. Jaquith, who led the Northern District office beginning in July 2017, will serve a 15-year term as one of the seven judges on the veterans court. President Donald J. Trump nominated Jaquith, a former Army colonel, for the judgeship a year ago. According to her professional biography, Bacon, who is from Cleveland, Ohio, is the Justice Departments national elder justice coordinator and previously served as the national white collar crime coordinator at the executive office for U.S. attorneys. She is a highly decorated prosecutor and has received special awards from the IRS, U.S. Postal Service and the Justice Department for her prosecutions of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, according to the biography. Under the Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, the first assistant to Jaquith would have become the acting U.S. attorney unless the president directed that someone else be tapped to fulfill the role in this case a senior official with the Justice Department which is apparently the circumstance of Bacons appointment. If formally nominated for the post, Bacon would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Otherwise, she could be named to the position by the U.S. Attorney General and thereafter formally appointed by a panel of judges from New Yorks Northern District. Bacon enters the U.S. attorneys office in Albany following a series of investigations targeting state government figures by the U.S. attorneys office in New Yorks Southern District. Those cases, prosecuted in Manhattan, rocked New Yorks Capitol with charges of corruption, bid-rigging or bribery leveled against former state legislative leaders, a close aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and numerous state officials and business leaders who in some cases benefited from lucrative state contracts that had been illegally steered to their companies. While the U.S. attorneys office in Albany has handled its own corruption cases involving state government, it has also endured criticism through the years for not being aggressive in political corruption investigations at the Capitol. Bacon enters Northern District post as a veteran prosecutor who gained renown for a sprawling corruption case she handled as an assistant U.S. attorney in Ohio a decade ago. In that matter known as the Cuyahoga County Corruption Case Bacon successfully prosecuted nearly 100 targets in a nine-year investigation, according to her official bio. More than 60 public officials and business executives were prosecuted including a county commissioner, a county auditor, a Cleveland City Council member, two sitting judges, nine attorneys (five of them former prosecutors), two union leaders and two senior hospital executives. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which covered the probe and subsequent court action extensively, noted that the investigation contributed to the countys switch from a commission form of government to a county executive structure. Bacon also has worked as a trial attorney in the departments antitrust division and was a law clerk for a U.S. District judge in Virginias Eastern District. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelors degree in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government from American University. Haiti - Justice : The OPC demands the arrest of individuals involved in the clashes in Bel-Air and Bas Delmas Following clashes between rival gangs in neighborhoods of Bel-Air and Bas Delmas in Port-au-Prince, which began on Saturday 29 and degenerated on Monday 31 August https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31691-icihaiti-gangs-violent-armed-clashes-many-victims.html , the Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) demands the arrest of the individuals involved in this armed conflict. The OPC recalls that this armed conflict between gangs resulted in several gunshot wounds, dozens of houses and vehicles were set on fire in the alleys of Mayard, Candio, Batherlemy and at Carrefour Pean and several scenes of looting reported, pushing dozens of families to flee their homes to take refuge in the Champ-de-Mars. The name of Jimmy Cherisier aka "Barbecue", presented as a gang leader, is cited among the architects of these clashes. The Office for the Protection of the Citizen stresses that "These repeated armed conflicts take alarming proportions" and condemns "these atrocious acts which are in violation of the Constitution and of the treaties and conventions relating to human rights ratified by Haiti." The OPC calls on the authorities concerned to pay special attention to vulnerable categories, particularly those displaced from the Bel-Air and Bas Delmas neighborhoods. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31691-icihaiti-gangs-violent-armed-clashes-many-victims.html HL/ HaitiLibre LATROBE, Pa. - President Donald Trump on Thursday honed the law and order message he intends to wield for the next two months against his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, stepping up attacks that his campaign believes are resonating with battleground state voters. Bidens plan is to appease the domestic terrorists and my plan is to arrest them and prosecute them, Trump declared at a rally in Pennsylvania a state that flipped in his favour in 2016, helping to pave his road to victory. The rally comes as Trumps campaign is claiming new signs of momentum, including in the longtime Democratic stronghold that Trump won by less than 45,000 votes in 2016. After months of trepidation, Trump campaign officials have been feeling encouraged in the last few weeks as Trump has responded to mass demonstrations against racial injustice by taking a hardline against protesters and painting Biden as weak. Trump was speaking in front of a crowd of hundreds packed into an airport hangar, where people stood closely together and few were seen wearing masks, despite the ongoing pandemic, which has now killed more than 185,000 people and infected more that 6 million nationwide. Pennsylvania currently restricts indoor gatherings to 25 people and outdoor events to 250 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But Trump has been flouting both local restrictions and his own administrations social distancing guidelines as he insists on campaigning in front of large crowds and tries to project the image that the virus is waning as he pushes to reopen the economy. Trump told the crowd that he is all for wearing masks, and urged them to be careful during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. White House and public health officials have been eyeing the date warily, concerned that it could fuel another spike in cases, like Memorial Day weekend. Theres a tendency of people to be careless, somewhat, with regard to the public health measures that we keep recommending over and over again, Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC Wednesday, pleading for diligence in adhering to safety measures going into the holiday. Fauci is the governments top infectious disease expert At the same time, Trump, who has rarely worn a mask, mocked Biden for wearing one so often. Did you ever see a man who likes a mask as much as him? he asked, proclaiming that it gives him a feeling of security. If I were a psychiatrist, right, you know Id say, This guys got some big issues. Hanging down. Hanging down, he said. The rally came the same day that Biden paid a visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid turmoil following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times. Trump mocked Biden for visiting two days after he had, claiming: There was nobody there. He was a little late. I was going to say, Hey listen, we ended that problem. Trumps campaign believes its efforts to paint Biden as weak on crime will help Trump win back suburban voters, and especially women, who supported him in 2016 but have since soured on him. That includes in Pennsylvania, where they argue the president is in a better position than he was in 2016, citing Democrats shrinking voter registration advantage. This time, they believe their get-out-the-vote operation will result in better turnout among working-class rural voters, along with improved margins among African Americans, Latinos and union supporters. At the rally, Trump announced that he had received the endorsement of the Boilermakers Local 154 in Pittsburgh. To that end, Trump and his team have been paying frequent visits to the state as they work to build enthusiasm. On Tuesday, Vice-President Mike Pence held a Workers for Trump rally at a construction company less than 15 miles from Bidens hometown, Scranton. I know were not too far from our opponents boyhood home, but its Trump country now, Pence told the crowd. Trump himself held a small rally last month outside Scranton just hours before Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. At the event, Trump insisted Biden would be the states worst nightmare if elected president. The former vice-president often spotlights his early years in the northeast Pennsylvania city as evidence of his middle-class upbringing. Between the record enthusiasm for this President, our unprecedented ground game, and trends in Republican voter registrations, the Commonwealth, once again, is ready to deliver for President Trump this November, Nick Trainer, the Trump campaigns director of battleground strategies, said in a statement. Bidens campaign remains equally confident about his prospects in the state. They have put considerable emphasis on the Pittsburgh metro area, where Democrats lost ground in 2016 but then watched Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb pull an upset in a special election. Still, Bidens path in Pennsylvania is seen as more complicated than winning back Wisconsin and Michigan, the two other blue wall states Trump won by less than 1 percentage point four years ago. In Wisconsin and Michigan, Trump benefited from then-rival Hillary Clintons poor performance in the largest, heavily Democratic cities, Milwaukee and Detroit. But Clinton did relatively well in Philadelphia and won more votes that former President Barack Obama in the Philadelphia suburbs, even in defeat. That could put even more pressure on Biden to try to blunt Trumps performance in Pennsylvanias smaller cities and in rural areas. Latrobe, the site of Trumps Thursday rally, is about an hour outside Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, which Trump won by large margins four years ago. While Democrats still hold a significant voter registration advantage in the state, the number of new Republican registrations has far outpaced the number of new Democrats registering this cycle. Many political observers believe the state, which has many white, older voters, could become even more favourable to Republicans despite having voted Democratic from 1992 until Trumps win in 2016. ___ Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. Invesco Asia Trust Plc - Result of AGM Invesco Asia Trust plc HEADLINE: Annual General Meeting Results At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 3 September 2020, shareholders approved the following resolutions on a poll: Ordinary Business Ordinary Resolutions 1. To receive and consider the Annual Financial Report for the year ended 30 April 2020; 2. To approve the Company's Dividend Payment Policy 3. To approve the Directors Remuneration Policy. 4. To approve the Annual Statement and Report on Remuneration; 5. To re-elect Owen Jonathan, a Director of the Company; 6. To re-elect Fleur Meijs, a Director of the Company; 7. To re-elect Neil Rogan, a Director of the Company; 8. To elect Vanessa Donegan, a Director of the Company; 9. To re-appoint KPMG LLP as auditor to the Company; 10. To authorise the Audit Committee to determine the remuneration of the auditor; Special Business Ordinary Resolution 11. To authorise the Directors to allot securities. Special Resolutions 12. To authorise the Directors to allot securities disapplying statutory pre-emption rights. 13. To authorise the Directors to buy back up to 14.99% of the Company's issued ordinary shares. 14. That the period of notice required for general meetings of the Company (other than AGMs) shall be not less than 14 days. All resolutions were passed on a poll. A breakdown of the poll votes registered is shown below. Resolution Votes For (including votes at the discretion of the Chairman) % Votes Against % Votes Withheld Ordinary Resolutions 1 40,366,007 100 0 0 4,321 2 40,359,519 100 0 0 10,809 3 40,262,400 99.89 42,751 0.11 65,177 4 40,272,057 99.91 37,675 0.09 60,596 5 40,339,614 99.94 25,310 0.06 5,404 6 40,339,372 99.94 22,775 0.06 8,181 7 40,327,656 99.94 25,310 0.06 17,362 8 40,342,149 99.94 22,775 0.06 5,404 9 40,329,898 99.93 26,844 0.07 13,586 10 40,357,964 99.98 8,043 0.02 4,321 11 40,341,343 99.94 24,664 0.06 4,321 Special Resolutions 12 40,291,589 99.86 54,939 0.14 23,800 13 40,332,094 99.93 26,555 0.07 11,679 14 39,970,637 99.05 384,835 0.95 14,856 The Company has 74,999,881 ordinary shares of 10p each in issue, of which 8,146,594 shares are held in Treasury. On a poll these carry one vote per share and accordingly the total voting rights are 66,853,287. The above tables represent the number of votes registered. 60% of the Company's issued share capital is represented by the voting. The poll votes lodged with the Registrar will shortly be available via the Company's website at: www.invesco.co.uk/invescoasia Board Succession The Company confirms that as already announced, Tom Maier, who had served on the Board for 11 years, retired at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting. Invesco Asset Management Limited Corporate Company Secretary 3 September 2020 Brendan Daniels said his brother Damian Lamar Daniels was never afraid to show who he was or ask for help. Surrounded by more than 50 people at a memorial for Damien Daniels on Wednesday evening, his brother said his signature smile showed was exactly who he was. He 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, Daniels said. The memorial was not far from the home Damian Daniels, 30, had purchased in the 11000 block of Liberty Field. He was killed there in a struggle with Bexar County Sheriffs deputies on Aug. 25. Robin Jerstad /Contributor 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. Rodriguez was the deputy who fired two shots at Daniels, hitting him once, according to previous reports. Although Garriffa has been with department for some time, she had only been on the patrol side of the force for 4 days. READ ALSO: Disgusting: Relatives, friend of veteran decry killing by sheriffs deputies At the memorial, neighbors, friends and local activists lined a concrete gazebo with candles and U.S. flags and displayed a photo of the Army veteran flashing his signature smile. Brendan Daniels, 32, said his brother was about to start attending classes at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His goal was to go into business with his brother buying and selling cars. Damian Daniels, who grew up in poverty-stricken Montgomery, Ala., found a happy medium in San Antonio following his discharge from the Army, his brother said. Robin Jerstad /Contributor No one in the family could pry him away from him wanting to be here, Brendan Daniels said. He started off in an apartment and worked for Lyft. At the same time, he worked to get his credit score up and decrease his debt-to-income ratio to apply for a VA loan to buy the house on Liberty Field. Brendan Daniels said his brother first started exhibiting signs of mental problems on Aug. 22, the Saturday before he was killed. OnExpressNews.com: Editorial: Tragic, painful cases underscore need for reform On the day Damian Daniels was killed, deputies called his brother for more information. Brendan Daniels said he let them know his brother was in a severe stage of paranoia and that if he did not get help soon, he could go into a state of suicidal ideation. Not to be confused with suicide, it just could lead to those thoughts, his brother said. Robin Jerstad /Contributor Brendan Daniels said his brother also had the right to refuse the help and not have deputies clear his house. He was not a suspect. He had committed no crime, he said. All he wanted to do was show San Antonio that he could make it here. On Tuesday, Lee Merritt, a national civil rights attorney, and the Daniels family met with District Attorney Joe Gonzales. In a press conference after the meeting, they said they are calling for the sheriffs office to release body camera footage. We just want the truth, Brendan Daniels said. I think we can move on after we get things going on that part. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Indonesias return to OPEC will make the cartel only stronger, Cyril Widdershoven, a Middle East geopolitical specialist and energy analyst, a partner at Dutch risk consultancy VEROCY and Global Head Strategy Risk at Berry Commodities told Trend. Indonesia is seeking to rejoin OPEC seven years after rising reliance on imports prompted the nation to withdraw from the group supplying about 40 percent of the world's oil. Its inclusion would help to bridge a gap between producer and consumer nations if its application is successful, Indonesian Energy Minister Sudirman Said said in interviews with Bloomberg in Vienna. The request is to be a full member, he said, declining to say how long the process will take. OPEC agreed to suspend Indonesias membership in September 2008 at the countrys own request, almost half a century after the nation joined. In the current situation, OPEC only will become stronger, and have the power to really change the market. If you dont want to be confronted by unknown and/or negative outcome decisions, affecting you but you have no say, than the only other option is to join. The latter was also behind the increased cooperation between Russia (and FSU) and OPEC, said the expert. Widdershoven noted that the main reason is to have a say in the ongoing oil market battle and restructuring. By being a member of OPEC again you have a say and a direct link to the other main players. When looking at the current interest of OPEC members for downstream Indonesia this link will be playing a role too. Sometimes it is better to be a member of a group than to be confronted by decisions as an outsider. Have a role in the decision-making process, be close to the main players, including when they are discussing internally investment and future strategies. For Indonesia, as it still holds interesting and vast oil and gas reserves, a direct membership will be beneficial. If no membership, you are only a follower, not a maker, he added. --- Follow the author on Twitter:@Lyaman_Zeyn He belongs to Keralas Kannur district (in the north) but has been elected several times, both to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha, from Alleppey in the south of the state. A nice Nair boy who has a masters degree in mathematics, he could have got any job he wanted. But he opted for politics. And though his Hindi is a bit wobbly, he was the general secretary dispatched to sort out the recent Congress mess in Rajasthan. At a meeting of top leaders of the party, he said what he thought of them quite bluntly, apparently secure in the confidence that Those Who Matter would back him. ... Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice Presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has assured the people of Western North Region that the next NDC government would complete all abandoned projects in the Region. She said former President John Dramani Mahama, was not contesting for the Presidency again for his personal interest, but to complete and continue all projects and policies that were abandoned. The Vice-Presidential candidate revealed that six E- blocks were sent to the now Western North Region when she was Education Minister, but all and other NDC initiated projects were abandoned. This according to her, would compel the next NDC to introduce the "big push initiative" by investing about 10 million dollars into infrastructure Development to boost the infrastructure base of the country when voted into power. Professor Opoku Agyemang said this when she addressed a community durbar at Sefwi- -Asawinso in the Waiwso constituency as part of her tour of the Western North Region. She indicated that NDC did not discriminate against anyone and the next administration would ensure peace, unity and protection for all regardless of their political affiliation, religion or ethnic background. She therefore called on Ghanaians especially women to vote for the NDC, since that was the only party to have brought development projects to the area. She stressed that for the former President to settle on her as the Vice-Presidential candidate showed the latter had faith and confidence in women. Nana Annor Kwerekye, Chief of Sefwi-Essakrom, who spoke on behalf of the traditional authorities said Asawinso "remains the strong hold of the NDC" and appealed to Professor Nana Opoku-Agyemang to consider creating a new district for Asawinso if the party wins the December polls. Prof Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by Mr Michael Aidoo, Regional chairman, Mr Sampson Ahi, Member of Parliament for Bodi, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Member of Parliament for North Tongu. She is expected to hold similar engagements at Asempaneye in the Juabeso constituency, Kwesiadukrom in the Bodi constituency, Akontombra,Aowin and Suaman Constituencies before rounding up her tour of the Western North Region. ---GNA The study found that the Peace Education Program helped participants feel empowered to face past events, gain a willingness to change, better manage their anger and avoid fighting. In many cases, their experience was very powerful and indeed life-changing, and nine out of 10 said it made a difference to them. A comprehensive new study assessed the impact of the Peace Education Program on 604 incarcerated participants across four continents, finding remarkable results. Conducted by Donald Sheppard from the ACE Insights research company, the study concluded that the program is having a very positive effect on participants, resulting in attitudinal improvements such as empowerment and a willingness to change, plus behavioral improvements such as better anger management and reduced fighting. The Peace Education Program is an innovative workshop series that has helped inmates discover their own inner resources so they can improve their self-esteem and make better choices. The program has been offered in nearly 700 correctional institutions across the world, winning praise from officials for improving behavior and reducing recidivism. The ACE Insights study evaluated the impact of the program in the U.S., U.K., Spain, Portugal, Finland, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago. Positive improvements were found in 89 percent of participants, who reported that the program helped them feel peace, hope, appreciation, and gain a new perspective. We found that these results were very similar for all demographic groups, across different countries, for males and females and different age groups, suggesting it has universal appeal, says Sheppard. In many cases, their experience was very powerful and indeed life-changing, and nine out of 10 said it made a difference to them. The study found that the Peace Education Program helped participants feel empowered to face past events, gain a willingness to change, better manage their anger, and avoid fighting. No matter how much wrong I may have done in the past, the program made me aware that there is still time for reform, said a participant at Golden Grove Prison in Trinidad and Tobago. A participant at Metro West Detention Center in the U.S. commented, I see a lot of hate in this world, and I apply the program teachings to bring peace to myself and others. The Peace Education Program workshops feature video presentations by renowned author Prem Rawat and can be offered to the incarcerated in person, virtually, or on inmate tablets by GTL and Edovo. The course is neither religious nor political, and The Prem Rawat Foundation makes the workshop materials available free of charge. In addition to correctional facilities, the program has proven effective in a variety of other settings such as schools, homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation facilities and many more. Read all of the latest research and studies about the Peace Education Program here. The Peace Education Program is just one of the ways that The Prem Rawat Foundation advances dignity, peace and prosperity by addressing fundamental human needs. Learn more about all of The Prem Rawat Foundations initiatives here. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia during the first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July 24 Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia during the first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July 24 Credit - Handout/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Getty Images At the end of August, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the Islamic New Year with aplomb. Fresh off his conversion of the monumental Haghia Sophia to a mosque, he converted another former Byzantine church, the fourth-century Chora church, one of Istanbuls oldest Byzantine structures. The day after that he announced the largest ever natural gas depository in the Black Sea. This followed another recent discovery of natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. Both of these areas are hotly contested zones of international competition between the powers around these seas. Later that week he welcomed a delegation of Hamas to Ankara, where he expressed support for Palestinians in the wake of the recent announcement of an agreement between Israel and the UAE. All of these moves project Erdogans vision of Islamist strength into the world. Standing up for Islam at home goes hand in hand with securing natural resources and imposing Turkeys power abroad. It also goes hand in hand with domestic repression. The Islamic New Year saw Erdogan further tighten his grip on social media freedom and consider pulling Turkey out of what is known, now farcically, as the 2011 Istanbul Convention, a treaty of the Council of Europe that commits countries to protecting women from domestic violence. Democratic peoples in Turkey, the Middle East, and around the world should worry. Much has been written about Erdogans attempts to resurrect the Ottoman Empire or to style himself a sultan. There is truth here. But to understand Erdogans political agenda and horizon we must be specific about which Ottoman sultan Erdogan strives to be. It is the empires ninth sultan, Selim I. Story continues Selim died 500 years ago in 1520. It was during his lifetime that the Ottoman Empire grew from a strong regional power to a gargantuan global empire. For Erdogan, this sultan from half a millennium ago serves his contemporary needs. Selim in many ways functions as Erdogans Andrew Jackson, a figure from the past of symbolic use in the present. Selim offers a template for Turkey to become a global political and economic power, with influence from Washington to Beijing, crushing foreign and domestic challengers alike. He helps Erdogan too to make his case for Islam as a cultural and political reservoir of strength, a vital component of the glories of the Ottoman past, which he seeks to emulate in contemporary Turkey against the dominant elite secularism that has reigned since its founding. We should be wary of Erdogans embrace of Selims exclusionary vision of Turkish political power. It represents a historical example of strongman politics that led to regional wars, the attempted annihilation of religious minorities, and the monopolization of global economic resources. In addition to his attempts to monopolize natural gas reserves around Turkey, today this takes the form of Erdogans foreign military ventures in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. At home, he has gone after Turkeys Shiite community, Kurds, intellectuals, Christians, journalists, women, and leftists. Erdogan cultivates his own Sunni religiosity to position Islam at the center of Turkeys domestic agenda, with the church conversions the most potent recent symbols of this. Erdogans represents a political logic of zero-sum competition that pits Turkey against Saudi Arabia and Iran for control of the region and over claims of global Islamic leadership. Sultan Selim I (1467 - 1520) in a 17th century print Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Erdogan likes Selim because he made Turkish global political power possible. From 1517 through the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire maintained the geographic shape Selim won for it, dominating the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean. In 1517, the Ottomans defeated their major rival in the region, the Mamluk Empire based in Cairo, capturing all of its territory in the Middle East and North Africa. This more than doubled the empires size. This explosion of the Ottoman Empire into the Middle East turned it into the regions foremost military and political power and one of the worlds largest states. The Ottomans now controlled the entire eastern half of the Mediterranean and thus dominated the globes most important trade routes overland between Europe and Asia and by sea through the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. The Turkish Republic inherited much of that power after the empires demise and the republics rise in 1923. While every modern Turkish ruler has distanced himself from the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, and Islam, to attempt to project a more western, secular, and modern face for the republic, Erdogan is the first who has actively embraced the Ottoman past and the empires Islamic heritage. Here too Selim proves key to Erdogans image of his rule. Selims defeat of the Mamluks made the Ottoman Empire a majority Muslim state for the first time in its history, after over two hundred years of being a state whose population was mostly Greek Orthodox. With this victory, Selim became the first Ottoman sultan to rule Mecca and Medina, Islams holiest cities, thus earning the title of caliph and cementing the empires global Islamic credentials. If Selim was the first Ottoman to be both sultan and caliph, Erdogan is the first republican leader to profess to possessing both titles. Like President Donald Trumps purposeful deployment of the symbols of Andrew Jacksonprominently displaying his portrait in the Oval Office and defending his statuesErdogan has trafficked publicly and specifically in the symbolic politics of Selim in Turkey. His most striking act was to name the recently constructed third bridge over the famous Bosphorus Strait after Selim. Erdogan has also lavished enormous resources on Selims tomb and other memorials to his rule. After winning a 2017 constitutional referendum that greatly expanded his powersa process marred by irregularitiesErdogan made his first public appearance at Selims tomb. Staged as a kind of pilgrimage, there Erdogan returned to the long-dead sovereign his kaftan and turban that had been stolen years before. This far-from-subtle first act after winning a referendum that gave him near-limitless power made clear who Erdogans role model is. Erdogan and his Islamist party colleagues regularly describe themselves as the grandchildren of the Ottomans. In this very pointed genealogy, Erdogan purposefully skips a generationthat of Turkeys republican fathers since 1923to leapfrog back in time to when the Ottomans ruled the globe with their particular brand of Turkish Sunni politics, to Selims day when wars and domestic repression led to wealth and territorial power. Recreating a political program akin to Selims is a dangerous prospect for Turkey and the Middle East and indeed the world. To make Turkey Ottoman again requires the kind of violence, censorship, and vitriol that Erdogan has indeed shown himself ready to use. The universal lesson here is that calls for returns to perceived greatness, whether in Turkey or in United States, selectively embrace controversial historical figures, mangle their history, and elevate hatred and division. Europe's Vega rocket returned to the skies on Wednesday from French Guiana in its first mission since a failed launch last year. The rocket left Earth around an hour before midnight local time after the launch was postponed numerous times, most recently due to a typhoon passing over a tracking station in South Korea. The coronavirus pandemic and persistent winds over the South American launch site also caused delays. Vega successfully deployed 53 small satellitesmost weighing less than 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds)on behalf of clients from 13 countries. "I hope these microsatellites enjoyed their ride on Europe's direct line to space!" Stephane Israel, chief executive of launch service provider Arianespace, wrote on Twitter. The Vega rocket is a crucial component of Europe's ambitions to compete in the booming aerospace market, where it faces strong competition from rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX. Its last mission in July 2019 failed around two minutes after take-off because of an apparent structural failure that caused the launcher to split in two. It was the first failed mission after 14 successful launches since it began operations in 2012. European Space Agency director general Jan Woerner said Wednesday's launch was an "extremely important project" that heralded the comeback of the Vega rocket class. Explore further Vega rocket fails after takeoff in French Guiana 2020 AFP 'They discussed the Middle East Peace Process,' an email from Johnson's office said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met U.S. President Donald Trump's senior advisor Jared Kushner in London on Thursday and discussed the Middle East peace process after dropping in on Kushner's meeting with foreign minister Dominic Raab. "The Prime Minister has dropped in on a meeting between the Foreign Secretary and White House Advisor Jared Kushner. They discussed the Middle East Peace Process," an email from Johnson's office said. Search Keywords: Short link: Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was accused of conducting a rivalry with the queen and was stripped of her titles last year. Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn restored the official titles and military rank of his royal consort, a palace announcement said on Wednesday, nearly a year after she was accused of being disloyal and disappeared from public view. The announcement comes as Thailand has been roiled by anti-government protests during which demands have also been made for curbs to the 68-year-old kings newly expanded powers taboo in a nation where conservative tradition upholds the monarch as semi-divine and above criticism. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 35, last October had been stripped of the title Royal Noble Consort in a palace statement that called her ungrateful in conducting a rivalry with Queen Suthida, the monarchs wife. However, a statement published in the governments Royal Gazette on Wednesday said Sineenat is untainted and therefore entitled to the royal noble consort title and all her previous posts within the palace. Therefore, the stripping of royal titles, official position in serving the crown in military capacity and military ranks and the recall of all declarations has never taken place, the statement said. The order is effective August 28. Sineenat disappeared after her public disgrace and her whereabouts could not be confirmed. This week, Bild newspaper reported she had arrived in Germany, where the Thai king spends much of the year. King Vajiralongkorn was officially crowned as constitutional monarch in May last year after first taking the throne following the 2016 death of his father, who reigned for 70 years. Days before his coronation, the king married the deputy head of his personal bodyguard, Suthida Tidjai, 42, giving her the title of Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana. A little over two months later, he conferred the title Royal Noble Consort to Sineenat, a former nurse and his bodyguard. It was the first such appointment in almost a century, long before the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. WASHINGTON - Confidence in the Canadian economy took a dramatic dive over the summer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic a whipsaw pivot seen around the world but sharper in Canada than any other country surveyed in a new global public opinion poll. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. WASHINGTON - Confidence in the Canadian economy took a dramatic dive over the summer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic a whipsaw pivot seen around the world but sharper in Canada than any other country surveyed in a new global public opinion poll. Sixty-one per cent of Canadians who took part in the Pew Research Center survey released Thursday described the country's current economic situation as bad, more than twice the 27 per cent who said the same thing last year. Of the 14 countries included in the poll, the 12 that were also asked the same question last year all reported double-digit reversals in sentiment, with Canada's 34 percentage-point change leading the way. "The economy had turned bleak in most of the countries we surveyed around the world, and in most places, people expect that the worst is yet to come," said Shannon Schumacher, a Pew research associate and the report's lead author. "There is also this relationship between how you think your country has handled coronavirus and how you think the economy is doing." The Canadian segment of the survey, conducted by phone with 1,037 adult respondents between June 15 and July 27, carries a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. A lease sign hangs in the window as a cyclist walks past a commercial store Monday August 31, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The spike in negative sentiment may say more about the outlook Canadians had on the economy in 2019 than they currently do, Schumacher noted. "Canada is where we saw the largest uptick in negative assessments of the economy ... but it's 27 per cent who said that they thought the current economic situation was bad in Canada in 2019," she said. "That's among the lowest of the countries we surveyed only in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden was that percentage lower last year." Of those surveyed in the U.S., 69 per cent said they believe the economy is doing poorly, compared with 30 per cent who disagreed a finding roughly in line with the 14-country median results of 68 per cent and 31 per cent. Only in Europe did a majority of respondents say their domestic economies were faring well, with Denmark and Sweden leading the way, at 74 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively. The two Scandinavian nations are notable for their dramatically different pandemic strategies: Sweden initially adopted a libertarian, herd-immunity approach, while Denmark was the second country in Europe to impose a nationwide lockdown. "But even (in Sweden), GDP is expected to contract by roughly 5 per cent in 2020, and Swedes are 11 percentage points more likely to think economic conditions in their country are poor than in 2019," the Pew report says. The report documents an unsurprisingly dismal outlook for the world's economic prospects, with Canada and the U.S. as notable outliers. Of Canadian respondents, 48 per cent said they expect the economy to improve over the next 12 months, compared with 34 per cent who expect the opposite and 17 per cent predicting no change. In the U.S., the optimism is even stronger: 52 per cent said they see a brighter future ahead, compared with 32 per cent who do not. Only Spain, Germany and Australia reported similar levels of optimism. Almost across the board, those who disapproved of how their country has handled the outbreak were more likely to describe the economy as poor. In Canada, 85 per cent of those disappointed in the government's handling of COVID-19 had a negative view of the economy, compared with 58 per cent of those who gave the feds a passing grade on the pandemic. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In the U.S., 87 per cent of those disappointed in the Trump administration's handling of the outbreak described the economy as bad, compared with 50 per cent of those who said the government has done a good job. Canada also stood out in the study for another reason: it was one of only two countries where researchers saw a correlation between income levels and a negative view of the economy. "Only in Canada and Australia were people with lower household incomes more likely than those with higher incomes to say the economic situation is bad," Schumacher said. "Only in a few countries did gender, age or income seem to have an impact. This is seemingly a universal thing, how people are thinking about the economy it doesn't seem to be impacted by demographic features in most of the countries we surveyed." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. Follow James McCarten on Twitter @CdnPressStyle A 30-year-old freelance media worker whose income has 'more than halved' since the onset of COVID-19 has offered a glimpse at her finances, and revealed how she spends her new $46,800 yearly salary. The anonymous woman told Mamamia that she now receives just $900 each week, alongside $385 a week from her investment rental property. However, she has to pay a monthly mortgage of $2,160, as well as shelling out $350 per month on the water and strata rates, and other regular financial commitments. The 30-year-old and her partner have moved in with her parents rent-free to save some money. A 30-year-old freelance media professional whose income has 'more than halved' since the onset of COVID-19 has offered a glimpse at her finances (stock image) Where does the woman spend her money each month? Mortgage: $2,160 Rental property: $350 (water rates, strata etc) Spending: $600 ($150 a week) Health insurance: $154.70 Phone: $129 Gym: $54.30 Chiropractor: $53.50 Brow appointment: $80 Advertisement When it comes to how she spends her cash, the media professional said she allows herself $150 spending money per week. She spends the rest of her monthly income on her health insurance, gym membership, mortgage, phone and rental property bills, chiropractor and beauty appointments. 'When my salary was impacted my partner took over our Netflix, Stan and Spotify accounts. He's also been covering my half of a meal service that we share for weekly lunches,' she told the publication. This means that many of her weekday meals are free. The woman said she makes savings by working from home on her laptop as much as possible, which means she buys far less cafe-bought coffee and meals. 'We go through a sh*t ton of coffee being at home, but we use the Nespresso machine instead of getting cafe coffee so it's saved us some cash there,' she said. She has also saved money by switching to a cheap gym that only costs around $13.50 per week. If she needs extra exercise, the media professional said she just embraces something free like a walk in her local area. The woman addressed how her attitude towards money has changed since the onset of the global pandemic, as she has completely changed her discretionary spending (stock image) The woman addressed how her attitude towards money has changed since the onset of the global pandemic. She said she has now 'reined in' her personal spending as much as possible, especially within the beauty treatment area. 'Given my income has been so unpredictable, I've been putting a lot of my money into savings just in case I need to dip into it in an emergency,' she said. At present, she has $20,000 in savings - and said it's the 'most she has had in a while'. 'After my experiences this year, it made me realise why it's really important to have some money set aside and not spend every single cent,' she said. The woman said she knows she is 'lucky' because she has been able to live at home and therefore survive such a huge reduction in her income. However, it has been a timely reminder to stop 'mindlessly' shopping and instead only buy herself items that bring her true joy. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as possible, The Trump administration has urged US states to get ready to distribute a potential COVID-19 vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election. The news of the November 1 distribution deadlines comes after Donald Trump's administration's recent announcement that it will not join the global cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by WHO. This is after the White House pulled USA out of WHO in early July after Trump said the United Nations health agency needed reform and was under China's influence. Image for representation/Reuters Dallas-based wholesaler McKesson Corp. has a deal with the federal government and will be requesting permits to set up distribution centres when a vaccine becomes available. US President Donald Trump seeks re-election in November, after committing billions of federal dollars to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, which has killed more than 180,000 Americans. For the purpose of initial planning, CDC provided states with certain planning assumptions as they work on state-specific plans for vaccine distribution, including possibly having limited quantities of vaccines in October and November, a CDC spokeswoman told Reuters. "The normal time required to obtain these permits presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program," Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told states in an August 27 letter. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities." Redfield asked states to consider waiving requirements that would "prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020." Image For Representation The CDC provided states with documents giving details of a vaccine rollout plan, adding that they would either be approved as licensed vaccines or under emergency use authorisation. Recipients would probably require a second "booster" dose, a few weeks after the first, according to the documents. "Vaccine and ancillary supplies will be procured and distributed by the federal government at no cost to enrolled Covid-19 vaccination providers," said the documents, which also went to New York City, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and San Antonio. Also Read: US Won't Join COVID Vaccine Hunt As It Doesn't Want To Be Constrained By 'Corrupt' WHO & China The countrys top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci earlier on Wednesday said on MSNBC that based on the patient enrollment rate in COVID-19 vaccine trials underway, there could be enough clinical data to know by November or December that one of the vaccines is safe and effective. The documents put online by the New York Times showed the CDC is preparing for one or two vaccines for COVID-19 to be available in limited quantities as soon as late October. The vaccines would be made available free of cost first to high-risk groups including healthcare workers, national security personnel, and nursing home residents and staff, the agency said in the documents. Also Read: US University Professor Apologises For Telling Students To Contract COVID-19 & 'Get It Over With' Image For Representation/Reuters Regulators around the world have repeatedly said development speed will not compromise vaccine safety, as quicker results would stem from conducting parallel trials that are usually done in sequence. Drug developers including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc are leading the race to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the respiratory illness. The CDC documents describe two vaccine candidates that must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. Those storage requirements match profiles of candidates from Pfizer and Moderna. Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine By AstraZeneca Reaches Phase 3 Clinical Trials In US, Begins Late-stage Study The US has registered more than six million Covid-19 cases -- almost a quarter of the global total -- and 185,000 deaths, according to Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University. All Inputs Reuters/AFP More than a week after the letter bomb stoked a controversy in the Working Committee meeting, where the dissenters were cornered by the loyalists, the issue has not died down as the dissenters are now speaking publicly. The on Thursday reacted and said that those still nursing a grudge could speak to The dissenters are said to be unhappy because the contents of the letter were not discussed at the meeting, and, instead, the signatories were targeted on the timing of the letter. They are demanding an introspection by the party. Reacting to the reports, Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "After has listened to all the voices of dissent and said that she is willing to take everybody along, but, still if somebody has a problem they can go and talk to the Congress President". A group of 23 Congress leaders had written a letter to the Congress President, asking her for sweeping reforms in the party and demanding elections to the CWC, which is the highest decision making body of the party. After a stormy CWC meeting last week, the Congress had said that the CWC passed a resolution that intra-party issues "cannot be deliberated" through the media or in a public forum. "The CWC urges and advises all concerned to raise such issues only in party fora in the interest of propriety and discipline," Congress leader K. C. Venugopal had said while reading out the resolution. The CWC had authorised the Congress Interim President to effect the "necessary organisational changes" that she may deem appropriate to take on the emerging challenges. "In the light of the above deliberations and conclusions, the CWC unanimously requests to continue to lead the Congress until such time as circumstances will permit an AICC session to be convened," the CWC resolution said. After the letter row, Sonia Gandhi had offered to quit the top post. However, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged her to continue as the party chief. The party resolution also said that it had taken note of the letter of the Congress chief as also a letter written earlier by certain Congress leaders to Sonia Gandhi. --IANS miz/dpb/bg (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 appointees are expected to reflect Rahul Gandhis vision of a new Congress with MP and Rahuls bench mate in the LS, KC Venugopal, expected to play an important role. Aditi Phadnis reports. New vice-presidents, a comprehensive reshuffle of general secretaries, and changes in the state-level leadership are part of the effort to create a new-look Congress after the stormy meeting of the Congress Working Committee. These changes are being made in response to a letter written by a group of 23 Congressmen, which attempted to jolt the leadership out of its inactivity, but succeeded instead in strengthening the Gandhi familys hold over the party. The outlines of the reshuffle are still being worked out and should be announced in the next few days, top party leaders said. However, given that the party constitution has no provision for the post of vice-president, this can only be an extension of a suggestion made by former president Rahul Gandhi at the meeting on Monday that a committee aid and advise the interim Congress president till the All India Congress Committee elects a new president. The appointees are expected to reflect Rahul Gandhis vision of a new Congress. MP and Rahuls bench mate in the LS, KC Venugopal, is expected to play an important role. Others who have spoken up for Rahuls ideas -- like Sushmita Dev, chief of the Congresss womens wing; Rajeev Satav, the man who stirred it all up by targeting senior leaders at an earlier party meeting; Manickam Tagore, Lok Sabha MP from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu; K Raju, who is Rahuls man for ideas on social equity; Bhanwar Jitendra Singh; and Madhu Goud Yaskhi -- are among those who could be entrusted with organisational responsibilities. A part of this exercise has already begun with the replacement of Avinash Pandey with Ajay Maken as the general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan. It is not that Rahul Gandhi has not been taking positions on party matters: Earlier this month, he addressed a video conference of party workers from Bihar, which was attended by Bihar general secretary in-charge SS Gohil and state party chief Madan Mohan Jha. For all practical purposes, Rahul reached out to the party as its president. Although there was some talk of a non-Gandhi president (the names of former defence minister AK Antony and former leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were mentioned), most leaders feel this is not realistic. They point to how Rahuls acolytes dismissed Priyanka Gandhi Vadras view that a non-Gandhi could be president, as being more than a year old, made at a different time and context and, thus, no longer valid. Preparing for the new dispensation, many leaders are now recalibrating their positions. We have never questioned the leadership of Soniaji, said Veerappa Moily, former Union minister and signatory to the letter, a day after the CWC. We do recognise the sacrifice made by Soniaji. She was reluctant (earlier to take up the post), but she gave life to Congress party. And we still treat her as our own mother and guide the destiny of the party and also destiny of the nation. But at the same time, the party needs to be rejuvenated," Moily added. Editing the genes of embryos is not yet safe for humans, according to a new report published by the world's leading experts in fertility, ethics and biology. Germline gene editing is a process where faulty, diseased, or undesirable genes in an embryo, sperm of egg are removed, altered or replaced by scientists. This system is extremely powerful and the changes made are not only permanent, but will be passed down the generations. However, this landmark report says not enough is known about the safety or precision of the process for it to be trialled in humans. Advocates of human germline genome editing are pushing for the procedure to be investigated, as it has the ability to allow babies destined to inherit life-threatening conditions to be born disease-free. The topic of gene editing embryos to 'customise' a baby has been at the forefront of science since the shock announcement in 2018 that a rogue scientist in China had used the powerful gene-editing tool Crispr on a pair of twin girls. Currently, editing the DNA of a human embryo is not allowed in the US, thanks to a 2017 ruling by the international committee of the National Academy of Sciences. Crispr-based experiments on human embryos were approved in the UK in 2016 with the stipulation they are never transplanted to create a pregnancy and must be destroyed after a week. Scroll down for video The world's leading experts in fertility, ethics and biology have published a report stating editing the genes of embryos is not yet safe for humans (stock) What is heritable human genome editing? Heritable human genome editing (HHGE) is when the DNA of a human embryo, sperm or egg is deliberately altered to influence the characteristics of a future individual. Heritable genome edits can be passed down to future generations, raising scientific and medical considerations, as well as ethical, moral, and societal issues. It could in theory be used to eradicate the risk of inherited diseases. But it could also be employed for other reasons, such as creating designer babies. For example, parents could use the technique to select for genes which will make their child smarter, taller, stronger and have blue eyes, if they wish. However, many of these traits are highly complex and controlled by more than a single gene, which muddies the waters when it comes to being able to safely negotiate what can be switched out, and what can not. The side-effects are simply unknown and could result in lifelong issues for the baby. These changes would not die with them, as they would be passed on to any offspring they have as well. Advertisement Since the invention and development of Crispr-Cas9 around 15 years ago, a prevailing problem has been a lack of understanding of how safe the procedure is in the long-term. Researchers have sought to find out if the protocol, likened to a pair of genetic scissors, is safe and focused on two major issues: if the altered genes are safe when passed down to future generations and if, by adding or swapping out a gene, the process can also accidentally introduce unwanted defects. The definitive response provided by the report is that these questions can not be safely answered and therefore it can not be approved for human use. The report has been published by the US National Academy of Medicine, US National Academy of Sciences, and the UK's Royal Society. It says the technique should not be used to create a pregnancy until it is proved that precise changes can be made without introducing undesired changes. He Jiankui was internationally condemned for gene-editing twin girl Lulu and Nana when he blatantly flouted the existing legislation. A full-length piece of research from He has never before been published or verified, but excerpts were obtained and published by MIT Technology Review. Experts who reviewed the extracts have called the work 'delusional', 'outrageous' and 'preposterous'. Researchers Haoyi Wang and Hui Yang, both well-known experts in the field of gene editing, also penned an opinion piece in the well-respected scientific journal Plos Biology, comprehensively dismantling the science behind his work. They say the procedure was not only morally reprehensible and far beyond the scope of any ethical consideration, but also that his scientific method was lax and took unnecessary risks. In the new report, the authors state that the potential side-effects and risks are simply too great in the vast majority of cases. The only case in which clinicians should currently consider the process is for serious diseases caused by a single faulty gene that significantly impact morbidity and cause premature death and make it impossible for parents to have a healthy child that is biologically related to them. Examples of these diseases include cystic fibrosis, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and Tay-Sachs disease, the report says. These fall into category A, as defined by the report, which the authors say will likely only include a 'modest' number of families worledie, likely less than 20. However, a sub-set of category B, where two parents with dominant genes which result in a single gene genetic mutation, such as Huntington's, should also be considered. In this group, there are likely thousands of families worldwide, the academics who wrote the report say. This is because the issue can be completely removed by changing just one gene. However, other conditions and diseases are caused by myriad genes, known as polygenic. Risk of obesity, cancer and diabetes, for example, are all polygenic traits, which could be changed with HHGE but would be far higher risk than the single-gene diseases. Ethical experts have also long debated if the tool would be misused to create so-called designer babies that are tailored to the desires of their parents. For example, parents could alter the genes of their unborn baby to make them taller or more muscular than they would have been naturally. Other polygenic features which could be manipulated include academic ability and eye colour. However, the report rules these firmly out of the equation. Gene editing could be used for some diseases The report describes a translational pathway for initial clinical use of HHGE for single-gene diseases such as cystic fibrosis. It identifies a number of requirements that must be met to demonstrate the embryos have been properly edited. This must be made on extensive preclinical testing and should be checked before authorisation is given to establish a pregnancy. Altered embryos should also be tested to ensure their growth and development is as expected and the editing has not inhibited their normal progression. The report also states that any embryos going through this process must have a biopsy to ensure the edit has worked properly and is found in all cells and tissues and no unintended edits have snuck in. Montorign, the experts say, is vital in order to get the procedure regulatory approval. Additionally, research should continue to evaluate the potential use of stem cells in producing functional human eggs or sperm, the report says. This technique could reduce or eliminate the need for genome editing at the time of or after fertilisation, researchers explain. However, this type of HHGE should also be carefully evaluated, as it raises its own distinct medical, ethical, and societal issues, the experts say. Advertisement It describes the few cases when HHGE might be considered. These are when, without the procedure, prospective parents at known risk of transmitting a serious monogenic disease have no option or extremely poor options for having a biologically-related child who is not genetically affected. Commission co-chairman, Richard Lifton, president of the Rockefeller University, New York City, said: 'Any initial uses of HHGE should proceed incrementally and cautiously, and provide the most favourable balance of potential benefits and harms.' The commission has created a 'responsible clinical translational pathway' from various non-human trials that will be used to if and how editing should be used on single-gene diseases. However, it said it is not possible to define responsible translational pathways from research to clinical application for other potential uses of HHGE. It adds that the uses, circumstances, and considerations differ widely, as do the technical advances that would be needed to make additional clinical uses feasible. Commission co-chairwoman, Kay Davies, professor of genetics at the MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre at the University of Oxford, said: 'Should they ever be used, it is vitally important that these technologies are used for medically justified interventions, based on a rigorous understanding of how the pathogenic variant leads to disease. 'More research is needed into the technology of genome editing in human embryos, to ensure that precise changes can be made without undesired off-target effects. 'International cooperation and open discussion of all aspects of genome editing will be essential.' Currently, there is no global legislation controlling the use of gene editing - a grey area exposed by the He Jiankui scandal. Instead, it is often a set of disjointed rules and restrictions implemented by individual countries or states, which differ internationally. The report also calls for improvements in this regard and wants an independent body to be established. These world-leading experts will be tasked with continuously assessing the state of the scientific evidence and laying out guidance accordingly. He Jiankui speaks during an interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. The Chinese scientist claims he helped make world's first genetically edited babies: Twin girls whose DNA he claims to have altered The commission which released this report was established as the world reeled from the shocking revelations of He Jiankui at the 2018 International Summit on Human Genome Editing held in Hong Kong. At the summit, a researcher from China announced that twins had been born following editing he had performed on early embryos, despite broad agreement in the scientific and clinical communities that it was premature and irresponsible to undertake heritable human genome editing. The commission's goal was to define specific criteria and standards that would be required before HHGE could be considered for clinical use and avoid a repeat of the scandal. The He Jiankui gene-edited twins scandal Dr He stunned the world when he announced the use of gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls, nicknamed 'Lulu' and 'Nana'. The disgraced researcher's justification for the experiment was to confer HIV immunity to the embryos in later life. Many reports claimed this was due to the father being HIV-positive. This is false, as the father's HIV status was neutralised using a long-established technique called sperm washing. Being HIV positive carries a significant social stigma in China and makes it almost impossible to have access to fertility treatment. Sperm washing prevents the infection from being passed on to unborn children but can often result in exclusion from fertility treatment. By targeting HIV-positive families, He may have motivated the parents to take part in the experiment despite the huge risks to their children, Jeanne O'Brien, a reproductive endocrinologist at Shady Grove Fertility told the MIT Technology Review. Dr He has since been fired from his university post and is under investigation by Chinese authorities. Scientists around the world were quick to condemn Dr He's experiments when news of them emerged. He, along with nine listed co-authors, proclaims his work as a 'success' and goes as far as to say it 'will bring new hope to millions of families seeking healthy babies free from inherited or acquired life-threatening diseases.' Dr Helen O'Neill of the University College London was present when the controversial scientists gave a speech on his widely criticised research at the 2018 International Summit on Human Genome Editing held in Hong Kong. The esteemed lecturer in reproductive and molecular genetics said the beleaguered Chinese researcher 'gave quite an impressive presentation on quite extensive and thorough research'. At the summit, Mr Jiankui also revealed that he is testing the gene-editing tool on a woman who is in the early stages of pregnancy. There has been no further news of this purported pregnancy, except for claims the gene-edited child has been born. Advertisement This graphic reveals how, theoretically, an embryo could be 'edited' using the powerful tool Crispr-Cas9 to defend humans against HIV infection The disgraced researcher used gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls nicknamed 'Lulu' and 'Nana'. Dr He's justification for the experiment was to confer HIV immunity to the embryos to avoid infection from the father, who is HIV positive. He has since been fired from his university post and is under investigation from Chinese authorities. Academics who reviewed the paper's extracts say this likely failed unwittingly inputted potentially dangerous mutations into the genomes of the twins, Lulu and Nana. The gene Dr He edited is called CCR5, and it is involved in regulating the body's immune system. He sought to disable CCR5, which forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell. Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational Trust, a charity which aims to give people suffering from infertility or genetic conditions more choice, called these heinous and reckless experiments 'lamentable, both scientifically and ethically'. She also believes the report is too stringent in its recommendations, which were made to prevent unborn children suffering a life littered with potential genetic flaws. 'The criteria the report sets out, for the first acceptable clinical use of germline genome editing in humans, are far too narrow,' she says. 'Furthermore, the report strays beyond its scientific remit. Much of the report including a third of its recommendations concerns governance, which is the focus of a separate genome editing project by the World Health Organisation. 'The World Health Organisation is still deliberating on the governance of genome editing, and should not feel constrained by this report's governance recommendations if it sees fit to deviate from them.' The Russian representative was reportedly mad at Leonid Kravchuk's principled stance on a number of issues. Head of the Russian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement, Boris Gryzlov, at the latest meeting held on September 3 was "hysterical," says Sergiy Garmash, Ukraine's delegate representing the war-torn Donetsk region. "Some questions have cleared up regarding our delegation's general policy not in words, but in deeds. Today [chief of Ukrainian delegation Leonid] Kravchuk quite harshly responded to Gryzlov his tirades assessing the Verkhovna Rada and an attempt to shut our mouths, mouths of internally displaced persons from Donbas. It turns out that besides being diplomatic, he can also be principled," Garmash wrote on Facebook. Another envoy from Donetsk region, Denys Kazansky, has confirmed that Kravchuk drove Gryzlov into "tantrums." "Leonid Kravchuk today was unrecognizable the exact opposite of the image we observe in public communication. He spoke to Gryzlov quite harshly and eventually brought the Russian delegate to tantrums. I had never seen Gryzlov in such condition he raging so much he even switched off his conference signal," Kazansky wrote on Facebook. According to Garmash, Kravchuk decided that since representatives of the occupied areas brought by the Russian side take part in the TCG meetings in all subgroups, the relevant Ukrainian delegation representing these areas should not be limited only to the political subgroup. "The hysteria of the other side began from the humanitarian subgroup, where they blocked the exchange of prisoners, citing the need to repeal the well-known resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on holding local elections [and the impossibility of holding elections in the occupied Donbas]. Dan Kazansky took the floor and started saying that the resolution had nothing to do with the swap and that one shouldn't play political games when it comes to people being held in prisons, including THEIR people. [Russia-brought representatives of Kremlin's proxy forces in Donbas] Nikanorova and Deinogo started yelling like crazy, the latter even turned off the video signal. Before that Nikanorova had always been restrained..." said Garmash. Read alsoElections in Donbas amid "leaky" border unimaginable KulebaAs Kazansky clarified, the Russian side and their envoys "communicated more or less adequately" only in the security subgroup, but the work of the humanitarian and political subgroups was blocked. Head of the Russian delegation Boris Gryzlov turned hysterical when Garmash asked to speak up at the political subgroup. "Gryzlov suddenly started interrupting me, pointing indignantly that only heads of delegations, not experts, should take part in the TCG. Then I asked which delegation members were those representatives of the occupied areas, and reminded that they were only invited by the Russian side, while [proxy authorities of] the occupied areas are not a party to the Trilateral Contact Group. Also I was outraged by the fact that Gryzlov several times stated that Russia is not a party to the conflict, but only a mediator. I said that I do not remember that Ukraine gave Russia consent to mediate in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. I'm not sure if he heard it because we were speaking over each other, and then Moscow turned off the video signal" said Garmash. He also noted that Kravchuk still insisted that he, despite Gryzlov's yelling, still be given the opportunity to speak. And he pointed out that Ukraine itself will decide whom to include in its delegation, and that all members of the delegation are equal in Ukraine. Read alsoUkrainians representing Donbas to take part in Minsk talks on a regular basis Zelensky's Office"In general, I didn't even think that Gryzlov, always such a calm, distanced, and cool man, could be so hysterical. This remains to be a subject for analysis why they were so outraged about us... Well, speaking of the official results, then humanitarian and political issues have been blocked by Russia's demand to cancel the paragraph of the parliament resolution containing a ban on holding elections in the occupied areas before Ukraine regains control of the border. At the same time, 19 demining sites have been agreed, as well as the opening in November of the two checkpoints in Luhansk region. The next TCG meeting has been scheduled for September 16," added Garmash. TCG on Donbas settlement: main results of Sept 2 meeting The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged New York resident Peter DiChiara for his role as an attorney in an alleged scheme to manipulate and illegally sell the stock of a publicly traded company, Environmental Packaging Technologies Holdings, Inc. DiChiara has agreed to settle the charges and pay a total of $57,167. The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Boston, alleges that DiChiara, working as an attorney, helped MorrieTobin and others arrange a reverse merger between a public shell company, which Tobin secretly controlled, and a private-bulk packaging company. The reverse merger allegedly left Tobin with control of nearly all of the purportedly unrestricted shares of Environmental Packaging. According to the complaint, DiChiara helped Tobin transfer his shares though a network of nominee entities to evade legal restrictions on stock sales. This enabled Tobin to sell his shares in bulk during a stock promotion, as Environmental Packaging shares more than doubled in price. The complaint also alleges that DiChiara authored false attorney opinion letters to remove restrictive legends from stock certificates held by Tobin's nominees and drafted misleading SEC filings. DiChiara is the latest of multiple defendants charged in connection with the scheme involving Environmental Packaging. On October 2, 2018, the SEC filed an emergency action and obtained an asset freeze against Roger Knox and Wintercap SA, charging them with a scheme that generated more than $165 million of illegal sales of stock in at least 50 microcap companies, including Environmental Packaging. On November 28, 2018, and August 29, 2019, the SEC charged Tobin, Milan Patel, Matthew Ledvina, Daniel Lacher, Brian Quinn, and David Skriloff with various roles in a scheme using offshore entities to hide Tobin's ownership and control over Environmental Packaging and CURE Pharmaceutical Holding Corp. The SEC's complaint charges DiChiara with violating the registration and antifraud provisions of Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(2), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933. The complaint also charges DiChiara with aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations, DiChiara consented to the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining him from future violations of the charged provisions. In addition, DiChiara has consented to a five-year penny stock bar and conduct-based injunctions that restrict his ability to prepare opinion letters and provide legal services in connection with certain unregistered offerings. DiChiara also agreed to pay a $40,000 civil penalty, $15,000 in disgorgement and $2,167 in prejudgment interest. The settlement is subject to court approval. The SEC's investigation was conducted by J. Lauchlan Wash, Trevor Donelan, Eric Forni, David Scheffler, Rebecca Israel, Jonathan Allen, Kathleen Shields, and Amy Gwiazda of the SEC's Boston Regional Office, in coordination with the Enforcement Division's Microcap Fraud Task Force. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Malta Financial Services Authority. President Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatens to cut federal funding to "lawless" cities, including Seattle, Portland, New York and Washington. "My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones," said the memo, which was released by the White House. The memo instructs Attorney General William Barr to develop a list of "anarchist jurisdictions" that "permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures" to restore order. The memo also instructs White House budget director Russell Vought to issue guidance in 30 days "to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of federal grants." New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter that Trump was trying to cut off funding that states and cities must receive to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. "He is not a king. He cannot 'defund' NYC," Cuomo said. "It's an illegal stunt." Tweet 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. Just eight weeks from election day, the White House has stopped trying to contain the coronavirus shifting instead to shielding the nations most vulnerable groups and restoring a sense of normalcy. The change is part of a concerted effort by the White House to increase public approval of President Donald Trumps pandemic response and bolster his reelection chances by sharply reducing Covid-19 case counts and the number of deaths and hospitalizations attributed to virus, according to five people familiar with the strategy. It has to do with the president wanting to shift the attention away from testing, said a Republican close to the administration who has advised elements of the response. The challenge is that they didnt want to find more cases. They didnt want the numbers to keep going up. The White House pivot amounts to a tacit admission that the administrations months-long containment effort has failed. While countries like South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand have fought to keep their number of infections near zero, the U.S. is still recording more than 40,000 new cases per day. More than 6 million Americans have gotten sick with Covid-19 and more than 185,000 have died. Publicly, top administration officials argue that the move away from widespread testing and tracing of the virus to focus on the elderly including nursing home residents and students heading back to school will ensure that tests reach the people who need them most. That is a crucial consideration as flu season approaches, raising the risk that the country could find itself battling two serious respiratory outbreaks at once. But Trump has frequently argued that the push for widespread testing has inflated the size of the U.S. outbreak a notion firmly rejected by public health experts, who blame the Trump administrations lack of a coherent strategy to fight the virus. The presidents newest medical adviser, Scott Atlas, has amplified Trumps argument in recent weeks as well. Atlas, a neuroradiologist who lacks a background in public health or infectious disease, has dismissed the need for broad testing in favor of a narrow focus on screening older Americans. Story continues Theres a big effort being made to ramp up our protection of the elderly because the point of all these things are to save lives, not to document asymptomatic people who are low risk, Atlas said on Monday. Thats not the point of public policy. FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2020, file photo Scott Atlas, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, left, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, right, arrive ahead of President Donald Trump for a news conference at the White House in Washington. Trump has announced that Dr. Scott Atlas, a frequent guest on Fox News channel, has joined the White House as a pandemic adviser.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) The timing of the switch has puzzled public health experts. Coronavirus cases are finally declining after a summer in which hot spots emerged across the country; a move away from widespread testing could allow embers to escape detection and set off new outbreaks. And the introduction late last month of a $5, 15-minute Abbott test that doesnt need to be sent to a lab could dramatically boost the countrys testing capacity. The U.S. has purchased 150 million rapid antigen tests from Abbott, which says it will produce 50 million a month by October. But the administration wants the tests to be used in schools and assisted living facilities, rather than making them available for use by the general public. Public health experts have also blasted the widespread confusion created in recent days by the administrations mixed messaging and seemingly abrupt decisions to change CDC testing guidelines and allow labs to market certain tests without first undergoing FDA review. "I think there's a goal, and the goal is reelection," said Mark Rosenberg, a former longtime senior CDC official. "And all other goals have been subverted to serve that one." The Trump administration has long resisted developing a national testing strategy, and has articulated few overarching goals for its pandemic response beyond developing an effective vaccine. Yet in recent weeks, the broad strokes of the administrations new, narrower testing approach have taken shape. Health officials are surging tests and supplies to nursing homes around the country facilities that together have accounted for more than a quarter of the nations Covid-19 deaths, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In the meantime, the administration has imposed new testing mandates aimed at ensuring that both residents and staff are regularly screened for the virus, in an attempt to catch infections early and head off deadly outbreaks. But there has been no similar all-out effort trained on the general public. Instead, the White House coronavirus task force last week helped push through changes to CDC guidelines that discourage testing for many people without symptoms, including those with high-risk exposure to an infected person. We're focusing on nursing homes, elderly and minorities because they are the most likely to be hospitalized and die, HHS testing czar Brett Giroir told reporters Tuesday. If you focus on everything, you're focusing on nothing. So we are focusing on the most high risk with the testing program. At the same time, White House officials have renewed calls for reopening schools and downplayed the threat for the young and middle-aged, effectively urging the majority of Americans to learn to live with the ever-present risk of infection. "We have to look at the data and understand that the schools are a very low-risk environment," Atlas said Monday. The White House in recent weeks has touted the recent slowdown in daily Covid-19 deaths and hospitalizations, even though the U.S. adds roughly 40,000 new cases a day almost twice the amount seen just a couple months ago. Some administration health officials have defended the testing strategy shift as a precursor to the next phase in test development, with tens of millions of rapid coronavirus tests expected to hit the market in the coming months. The federal government plans to start distributing some of the Abbott rapid tests it purchased in mid-September to assisted living facilities and home health staff. Historically Black colleges and universities will also receive some of the new supply. Mark McClellan, who led FDA and CMS under former President George W. Bush, said focusing regular testing of nursing homes, schools and workplaces where infections can quickly spread is a proven way to reduce infection rates. But the overwhelming majority of the new rapid Abbott tests are being sent to individual states, leaving it up to them to figure out how to prioritize testing of schools, daycares, critical infrastructure and first responders. Jonathan Quick, who leads the Rockefeller Foundations pandemic response, said it is critical that the rapid antigen tests are utilized properly. We need to avoid having a large chunk of these tests end up going for the worried low risk populations, Quick said. The states have a clearer idea of what are the risk communities. The government decision to send a signal there is market demand for antigen tests is a good decision, he added. More companies are expected to bring similar antigen tests to market in the coming months which Quick says will enable the Rockefeller Foundations goal of conducting 25 million rapid tests per week by the late fall. Even so, the federal government should provide more specific guidance to states and localities on how to best use the new tests, experts say. There are a lot of states that want to use testing effectively, McClellan said. These are situations where federal guidance augmenting state and private sector activity can be helpful. Yet nearly six months after Trump claimed that anyone who wants a test can get a test, the administration is effectively giving up on that goal. The idea of a world where all Americans can wake up in the morning and find out if they are infected as one not grounded in reality, Giroir told reporters on Tuesday. Its great to talk about this utopian kind of idea where everybody has a test every day and we can do that, he said. I dont live in a utopian world. I live in the real world." One senior administration official, meanwhile, recently told POLITICO it will likely be months before the FDA allows use of a true at-home test one that doesnt need to be administered by a health care provider. Public health officials say the White Houses recent testing strategy is simply the latest example of the administration allowing politics to drive its pandemic response. Obama-era CDC Director Tom Frieden earlier this week warned the overhaul of the CDC's testing guidelines represents political meddling with the response to the virus. And Democrats on the Senate's health committee have called for hearings into the decision not to recommend asymptomatic testing for many Americans. From a public health perspective, having less data is never the goal, another former HHS official told POLITICO. And the administrations mixed messaging around its testing strategy is not a way to build public trust in government health agencies when it is most needed, said Heather Pierce, regulatory counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges. Whether its testing, mask wearing, social distancing, a vaccine, if we don't have consistent understanding and and trust in the science and the process that's taking place, then we're in very very serious trouble as a country, Pierce said. On Thursday, businessman and former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg who is worth $54.9 billion, according to Forbes announced that his charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, has committed to giving $100 million to medical schools at four historically Black colleges and universities over the next four years. The funds will be used to provide up to $100,000 in scholarships for medical students currently enrolled and receiving financial aid at Meharry Medical College, Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. In an op-ed for CNN titled "To save Black lives, we need more Black doctors," Bloomberg explains that one reason Black Americans have suffered some of the highest death rates from Covid-19 is because of inequitable health care. "Black patients overall have better outcomes when they are treated by Black doctors. A wealth of data supports this, including a recent study that found Black newborns treated by Black physicians had higher rates of survival," he writes. "Currently, Black people make up about 13% of the US population but, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 5% of practicing medical doctors. And while this disparity has been growing for years especially among Black male doctors the coronavirus threatens to make it far worse." By reducing student debt burdens among these Black medical students, the billionaire says he hopes to increase the number of Black doctors, improve health outcomes among Black patients and help close the racial wealth gap. The four schools were selected in part due to their high graduation rates among Black medical students and for their "proven track records of increasing economic and social mobility." As generous as Bloomberg's latest gift may be, the total pales in comparison to some of the other charitable donations he has made to universities in the past. Since graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1964, Bloomberg has given over $3.35 billion to his alma mater, a combined total which is believed to be the largest philanthropic gift ever made to an American academic institution. Some critiqued the large gift, suggesting that it would have been better spent distributed among schools with greater needs. To be sure, Bloomberg is far from being the only famous billionaire supporting HBCUs. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 2, 2020 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Invited by Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, currently the president of the G20, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the G20 Extraordinary Foreign Ministers Meeting via videolink on September 3 in Beijing. Items to be discussed include cross-border flows of personnel and border management. CCTV: The US House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Crisis released reports obtained from the White House task force, which indicate what the administration's officials told the public are in contradiction with those reports they privately issued to states. They have been deliberately covering up the truth of the pandemic. As a result, more than 58,000 additional Americans have died since June and millions of American lives have been put at risk. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a survey that among medical workers, roughly 1 in 20 had antibody evidence of a previous COVID-19 infection, but 69% of those infections had never been diagnosed. More and more people believe that in terms of epidemic response, the US stands in stark contrast with China. Do you have any comment? Hua Chunying: I have no intention of judging the US response to COVID-19, but I recall what Dr. Fauci said, "Numbers don't lie." Yesterday, CCTV broadcast an unusual, touching program "First Class of the New Semester", during which first-hand experience was shared by frontline medical experts and researchers including Dr. Zhong Nanshan, head of the high-level expert group of the National Health Commission, who was awarded the Medal of the Republic, and Zhang Boli, Zhang Dingyu and Chen Wei, who were awarded the national honorary title of "the People's Hero". The TV program had three sections: unity, science and responsibility. These three keywords, I believe, offer a good answer to why China is able to snatch a major strategic victory over the epidemic. As Dr. Zhong Nanshan said, after the outbound traffic from Wuhan was halted on January 23, this heroic city endured 76 days and 1,814 hours of lockdown. Thanks to such efforts, the number of infections in China has been reduced by at least 700,000. This is what our country believes in: nothing is more precious than life. Human life is the most important human right. We have saved so many lives, and this best manifests our human right. The CPC and the Chinese government have been putting the people front and center in the epidemic prevention and control endeavor. We have not only protected the safety and health of the Chinese people to the largest extent, but also made important contributions to the global fight against COVID-19 and the protection of life and health of people in the world. On January 23, outbound traffic from Wuhan was suspended. Back then there was only one confirmed case in the US. On January 31, American airlines suspended direct flights between the US and China. On February 2, the US closed borders to all Chinese citizens when there were only more than 10 confirmed cases reported in the US. The timeline is clear. After China blocked the outbound transmission routes of the epidemic, why did the situation in the US see dramatic changes within just a few months? This is a question that deserves careful pondering and in-depth inquiry. We sympathize with the American people for their difficult situation. We hope they can overcome the epidemics at an early date. Macau Monthly: We noticed that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi just concluded his visits to Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany, which is seen by some media as China's engagement with Europe to break out of a diplomatic encirclement. I wonder what is your comment? Hua Chunying: What you said is not accurate. To be precise, this is very important strategic communication between China and European countries when there are increasing uncertainties in the international landscape. The world now must choose between multilateralism and unilateralism, openness and isolation, and cooperation and confrontation. This is where China and Europe share broad and essential consensus. During the visit, State Councilor Wang Yi had candid, in-depth discussions with leaders and foreign ministers of the five countries. All the five countries said they attach high importance to their relations with China, that they would like to resume exchange and cooperation with China as soon as possible, and that they are ready to enhance communication and coordination with China and handle global challenges together. They also expressed concerns of the world economy falling into deep recession due to the spreading pandemic, rising unilateralism that gravely undermines multilateralism, and escalated international competition and confrontation caused by artificial decoupling and division. The two sides reached the following three important consensuses. First, to stay committed to multilateralism and oppose unilateral practices. The strongest call of the five European countries is to firmly uphold multilateralism. They believe China and Europe need to enhance coordination, stick to multilateralism, take multilateral actions, observe multilateral agreements and strengthen multilateral institutions. Second, to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and reject division and decoupling. Both sides agree to further cooperate in fighting the epidemics and resume people-to-people exchange and practical cooperation as soon as possible, which will be a China-Europe contribution to world economic recovery and growth. Both sides also agree to jointly reject the setbacks of instigation, division, decoupling and confrontation, so that the world will not be subject to the law of the jungle again. Third, to uphold the big picture of China-Europe relations and properly manage differences. Both sides believe it is important to stick to the comprehensive strategic partnership and lead the mainstream effort to advance China-Europe relations. To resolve differences between the two sides, we must deepen mutual understanding and trust through equal-footed dialogue and candid discussion, achieve win-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation, and manage the differences through constructive means. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU. Both sides share a strong will to work together to further advance bilateral relations. In the next phase we have the following six goals. First, to prepare for and conduct China-EU high-level exchange, which will guide bilateral cooperation. Second, to conclude the negotiations on a China-EU investment agreement within this year. Third, to sign the China-EU 2025 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation as early as possible. Fourth, to foster a green partnership. Fifth, to strengthen digital economic cooperation. Sixth, to enhance support for multilateral institutions. As proven by facts, the development of China-EU relations not only brings great benefits to the two peoples, but also contributes greatly to world peace, stability and development. China is ready to continue working with the European side to advance bilateral ties and uphold multilateralism, free trade and world peace and stability. CRI: It is reported that on August 31, the Sudanese transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) which groups the armed opposition parties signed a peace agreement in Juba, capital of South Sudan, marking significant progress in the Sudan's domestic peace process. What is China's comment? Hua Chunying: As a friendly country to Sudan, China welcomes and supports the signing of the peace agreement between the transitional government of Sudan and relevant parties in Sudan. China is ready to work with the international community to continue making constructive efforts in promoting peace, stability and development of Sudan. ITV: ITV news has spoken to a doctor in Turkey who says that she was part of a population control plan run by the Communist Party in Xinjiang. Have Uyghur women there been sterilized and forced to have abortions and does that explain the drop in population among that ethnic community? Some American media say the US is going to pin the label of "genocide" to how China treats Uyghurs in Xinjiang. What's your comment? Hua Chunying: On Xinjiang, several countries and some people have created so many lies regarding Xinjiang, including those quotations they made. The truth is that they are just actors at someone else's disposal. So whenever you hear that Xinjiang is doing something to its Uyghur population, you should process what you hear through a sieve, eliminating the false and retaining the true. Since you are interested, I can offer you some information. First of all, it must be pointed out that the claim that China is persecuting the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang is a false proposition. This is a sensational headline concocted by some anti-China forces, another farce designed to smear and discredit China. There are 56 ethnic groups in China. The Uyghurs are equal members of the big family of the Chinese nation. The Chinese government always protects the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities. China's population policy has long favored ethnic minorities, including the Uyghurs. You mentioned population control. The truth is that the Uyghur population in Xinjiang has continued to grow. In 1978, the population of Uyghurs in Xinjiang was 5.55 million. But according to the latest data, by 2018, it had grown to 12.71 million, more than double the number of 40 years ago. During the 8-year span from 2010 to 2018, the population of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang had a 25% increase of 2.54 million. This increase rate is not only higher than that of the entire Xinjiang population, but also more than ten times of the growth rate of the Han population over the same period. Some media disclosed that the US is considering labeling the situation in Xinjiang as "genocide". I just said that the Uyghur population jumped from 5.55 million to 12.71 million. With such an increase in the Xinjiang Uyghur population, how come it is called "g enocide"? On the contrary, the eviction, assimilation and slaughter of American Indians in the US history caused their population to drastically drop from 5 million to 250,000. This is what "genocide" is. I must also point out that most of the materials used by the anti-China forces in some western countries to smear and discredit China's policies on Xinjiang came from Adrian Zenz, a German "scholar". The media has repeatedly disclosed that Adrian Zenz is a key member of the Xinjiang Education and Training Center Research Group set up by the US intelligence agency, making a living from fabricating rumors about Xinjiang and slandering China. He selectively used some data and staged several "actors" to play the role of "witnesses" according to his fabricated "scripts" and "lines". His rumor-mongering and deceitful behavior is contemptible and should be punished by the law. On more facts on the Uyghur population issue, the government of the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional held a special press conference. I suggest you watch it carefully. I would also like to stress that in observing and commenting on China's affairs, one should always base their observations on facts, grasp the real situation, and tell the whole truth apart from biased opinions, still less spreading falsehoods and rumors. In the meantime, we welcome those who truly care about Xinjiang to visit Xinjiang and see with their own eyes how ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, like Uyghur, Kazakh and Han people, are living together in harmony. All the rumors will collapse in the face of the truth. Xinhua News Agency: At a press conference jointly held with State Councilor Wang Yi, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany and China stressed the importance of preserving the JCPOA. Separately, a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission at the level of political directors was convened in Vienna on September 1. Could you give us more details on the progress between China and the European side on upholding the JCPOA, if any? Hua Chunying: China and the European side have all along been in close communication regarding upholding the JCPOA. As you said, parties including China, Russia, Iran, France, Germany, the UK and the EU recently held this JCPOA Joint Commission meeting. The background of this meeting is that the US wants to hijack the Security Council to take illegal actions against Iran. Principal official of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry led a delegation to the meeting. The meeting sends out an unequivocal message of upholding the JCPOA and the authority of the Security Council. All participants of the meeting stressed that when the US unilaterally announced withdrawal from the JCPOA, it forfeited its right as a JCPOA participant state and with that, the right to call for a snapback of sanctions. All parties reiterated that they would continue discussing the implementation of the deal under the framework of the Joint Commission and welcomed the consensus reached on the safeguards implementation issue between the IAEA and Iran. The Chinese side pointed out at the meeting that the US has reneged on its international legal obligations, unilaterally walked away from the JCPOA, reinstated illegal unilateral sanctions, imposed long-arm jurisdiction against Iran, and spared no effort in obstructing other parties' implementation of the deal. This is the root cause of the tensions in the Iranian nuclear situation. The US illegal attempt at the Security Council has met with extensive opposition and won't succeed. China reiterated its consistent position that all parties should remain committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation within the framework of the Joint Commission and called on all parties to support the implementation of the consensus on safeguards implementation issue between the IAEA and Iran. In the meantime, China supports the establishment of an alternative multilateral dialogue platform on the premise of firmly safeguarding the efficacy and authority of the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear issue, where all parties can forge new consensus on maintaining regional peace and stability. To sum up, China will continue working with other parties to stand on the right side of the history, firmly uphold multilateralism and make relentless efforts to advance the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue. NHK: Taiwan media report that the Taiwan authorities will have the "Taiwan" and "Taiwan passport" printed bigger on the new "passport" cover. Does China have any comment? Hua Chunying: No matter what tricks the DPP authorities play, they cannot change the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. China Daily: The Philippine presidential spokesperson on September 1 responded to a question on the US sanctioning Chinese companies for activities in the South China Sea. He said that the Philippines is an independent country. President Duterte will not halt infrastructure projects involving Chinese firms blacklisted by the United States and will continue to push forward relevant projects. What is your response? Hua Chunying: China has made clear our position on the US announcement of sanctions on Chinese companies participating in the construction activities in the South China Sea. We noted the remarks made by the spokesperson of the Philippine Presidential Palace. President Duterte has placed economic recovery and people's well-being as the Philippine government's top priority, and has pursued an independent foreign policy based on the national interests of the Philippines, which we commend as it is in line with the fundamental interests of the nation and the people. Practical cooperation between China and the Philippines has always been based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. All the projects are in accordance with the laws and regulations of the two countries. The synergy between the Belt and Road initiative and the Build, Build, Build initiative has yielded positive results and is delivering greater benefits to the two countries and peoples. We are ready to deepen bilateral cooperation with the Philippines. AFP: Do you have any comment on the Pentagon report on China's military power, specifically the claim that China is expected to double its nuclear warheads stockpile over the next decade? Hua Chunying: This latest report is just the same as the previous fact-neglecting and bias-brimming ones. China is firmly opposed to those improper comments on China's national defense and deliberate distortion of China's strategic intentions. China's strategic intentions are transparent and consistent. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China has also pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China is a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. The development of China's military power means growing strength for world peace. China's strengthening of national defense is to safeguard national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is exercising the legitimate rights and interests of a sovereign state, which is beyond reproach. As we all know, China's military power is far behind that of the US. The United States spends as much on its military as nearly the next 10 countries combined. The US is just looking for excuses to seek absolute superiority and hegemony in the military field. We urge the US side to abandon the outdated cold-war mentality and zero-sum game mindset, stop issuing irresponsible reports year after year, take an objective and rational view of China's strategic intentions and national defense building, and do more things that are conducive to China-US and military-to-military relations, rather than the other way around. Shenzhen TV: Indian foreign ministry and defense ministry issued statements saying that "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." According to the Indian side, the Chinese soldiers were backed up by military vehicles and drew close enough to engage Indian troops in verbal arguments, but there were no clashes. The Indian side mobilized and occupied the four heights on the Indian side of the LAC. I wonder if you have any response to this? Hua Chunying: The Indian side claims it "pre-empted" some activities. Like the Chinese saying "There are no 300 taels of silver buried here", which means one accidentally gives away the hidden truth in an explanation, India's statements reveal the fact that the Indian troops were the first to have illegally crossed the LAC, made provocations, changed the status quo in the border areas, and violated bilateral agreements and important consensus. Since the beginning of year, India has breached bilateral agreements and important consensus many times in the western sector of the China-India boundary, attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by force, undermined peace and stability in the border region and caused tensions. The responsibility lies entirely with the Indian side. China has kept maximum restraint to prevent potential escalation. The two sides are in communication through military and diplomatic channels. We urge India to strictly discipline its border troops, stop all provocations at once, immediately withdraw all personnel who illegally trespassed across the LAC, and stop taking any actions that may escalate tensions or complicate matters. We hope India will work with China to implement bilateral agreements and important consensus reached by leaders of the two sides, and make concrete efforts to uphold peace and tranquility in the border areas. Reuters: The Indian side said that the "Tibetan armed unit" is part and parcel of the Indian armed forces, because they have the best high-altitude combat capabilities. This unit was formed under the guidance of the CIA in the 1960s, which is part of the "strategic exchange" between the two sides. The Dalai Lama and the "Tibetan government-in-exile" support them in fighting shoulder by shoulder with India. What is China's view on "Tibetans in exile" joining the Indian army? Hua Chunying: I'm not aware of what you said about these "Tibetans in exile" in the Indian armed forces. You may ask the Indian side for this. But I noted some words you mentioned, including "the 1960s", "CIA" and "Tibetans in exile". These words prompt us to ponder over the ins and outs of the Tibet-related issues and the role the US has played in this process. China's position is very clear. We firmly oppose any country providing convenience in any form for the "Tibet independence" forces' separatist activities. I am also wondering what is the connection between so-called "Tibetans in exile" and the Indian border troops. I hope you can do some in-depth investigation. It will be great if you can share with us any further information and progress in this regard. Reuters: Has China decided to join the COVAX initiative? If so, how much does China plan to contribute? Does China hope to stabilize domestic vaccine supply by taking part in the project? Hua Chunying: At the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly, President Xi Jinping pledged that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good, which will be China's contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries. This is highly consistent with COVAX's efforts to ensure that all countries have equal access to appropriate, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. China supports COVAX and has been in communication with the WHO and other sponsors of the plan. Yesterday, competent Chinese authorities and vaccine companies held a video conference with the WHO, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to further exchange views on relevant issues and agreed once again to jointly advance the global research, development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. China's vaccine companies strictly follow scientific and regulatory rules, and they have been working tirelessly to advance research and achieved remarkable outcomes. In fact, China is leading the world in this field. Nine of China's vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials, and four of them got the approval to be subject to Phase III of clinical trials in foreign countries. During the R&D process, we attach great importance to safety and effectiveness, and we strictly observe international norms, laws and regulations. China noted the expectations placed by some countries on China with regard to vaccine R&D, manufacturing and distribution. In fact, our cooperation with some countries already began. China always honors commitments. We will continue conducting international cooperation in vaccine R&D, manufacturing and distribution, and we hope other countries that have made progress in this area will join us in enhancing the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines. Bloomberg: Can you say definitively if China will or will not join COVAX? And if you cannot say definitively, can you give me some indication as to what is holding China back on that decision? And if the decision is forthcoming, within what time frame could we expect such a decision? Hua Chunying: COVAX is meant to ensure that all countries have fair and equal access to proper, safe and effective vaccines. China has announced that once China succeeds in vaccine R&D and puts them into use, we will make the vaccines a global public good and guarantee their accessibility and affordability in developing countries. Like I said, what China is doing is in essence the same with COVAX. China supports COVAX and has been in communication with WHO and other parties. Yesterday we held a video conference in this regard. China will remain in close communication with WHO and COVAX sponsors. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Some Africans on Twitter are currently bashing BBC Africa after the new site published an article with the headline ''Coronavirus in Africa: Could poverty explain mystery of low death rate?'' The headline suggests that the low death rate from COVID-19 in Africa could be as a result of the high level of poverty in the continent. The body of the article, however, opined that the youthful population and strong immune system might have helped Africa record low COVID-19 related death. While some appreciate the body of the article, many Africans are not accepting the headline and have taken to social media to react. They claim the headline mirrors the ''hatred'' the West has for Africa since Coronavirus has not killed Africans as much has it has killed Caucasians. The enraged Twitter users insisted that a more ''respectful'' headline that would not portray Africa as a ''poor continent'' should have been used. See their tweets below 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 Jordans Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front, seems to be heading toward a boycott of the parliamentary elections slated for Nov. 10, amid a clampdown on public freedoms in the kingdom. Islamists are also concerned that government intervention in the upcoming elections will affect the integrity of the electoral race. This comes against the background of growing tensions between Islamists and the Jordanian authorities after the Court of Cassation dissolved July 15 the Muslim Brotherhoods branch in Jordan. This was followed by an arrest campaign of Brotherhood members inside the kingdoms Teachers Syndicate whose activity was suspended in August. The spokesman for the Islamic Action Front, Jordans largest opposition party, Thabet Assaf, told Al-Monitor, Many reasons push us to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections. This is mainly due to the general political conditions in the country, including recurrent attacks on unions, such as the Teachers Syndicate, and the successive crises such as the marginalization of the parliament, in reference to passing a controversial gas deal with Israel without submitting for parliament approval. Add to this unprecedented security pressure on potential candidates [of the Islamic Action Front] and anticipated manipulation of the elections. We have evidence and data on severe pressure exerted on candidates to withdraw from the electoral race. We, therefore, feel there are no guarantees of the integrity of the elections, Assaf noted. The Islamic Action Fronts Shura Council will decide whether the party will boycott the elections. Its decision will be binding. The matter has not been decided yet, but there is an inclination within the Islamic movement to opt for a boycott, Assaf added. Islamists in Jordan ended their boycott of parliamentary and municipal elections when they ran the 2016 parliamentary elections. They won 14 seats out of 130. Jordanian Islamists had boycotted the parliamentary elections in 1997 in protest against the lack of political reforms, and the one-person voting system, which did not allow the formation of electoral blocs, paving the way for candidates to win in the elections based on regional and tribal considerations. In the 2007 elections, the Islamic Action Front withdrew from the municipal elections, citing fraud. They also boycotted the parliamentary elections that took place in 2010, in addition to the 2013 elections due to what they called the absence of guarantees of integrity. Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party Saeed Thyab announced his partys participation in the elections. He told Al-Monitor, Although we are aware that the current circumstances are not favorable in light of the Defense Law being enforced and which has restricted public life and led to political arrests we believe the parliamentary elections are an important constitutional duty in political life. And we announce our participation in them. Yet Islamists are not the only ones calling for boycotting this years elections. Angry teachers joined them after a public prosecutor in Amman ordered July 25 a two-year closure of the Teachers Syndicate, its branches and offices nationwide, and the arrest of 13 of its members. This comes after a judicial complaint was filed by some teachers against the syndicates council for donating half a million Jordanian dinars ($705,000) to Himmat Watan (A Nation's Effort) fund that the government launched to collect donations for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Head of the Legal Committee of the (suspended) Teachers Syndicate Basil al-Harb told Al-Monitor, The arrest of teachers representatives in this way and the suspension of the work of the elected syndicate led to a loss of confidence in the executive and legislative authority. This will be reflected in electoral choices, especially since the parliament stood idle in the teachers' crisis. The Independent Election Commission the official body responsible for the elections believes that boycotting parliamentary elections is not in the interest of those who have pending issues or demands, and those who want change. The commissions spokesman, Jihad al-Momani, told Al-Monitor, The Islamic Action Front talks about prior security pressures on potential candidates. But the Independent Election Commission provides sure and unquestionable guarantees on the integrity of the elections. He said that these guarantees start with the voters lists in which the names of voters are listed automatically. There is no transfer of votes from one constituency to another, he noted. The other guarantees include monitoring the election process and the supervision of the vote-counting process by observers, delegates and the media. Addressing those calling for a boycott, he added, The way to bring about change is by participating in the elections and heading to the ballots. This is how representatives of the people are elected to the constitutionally recognized legislative authority. Boycott is a right, but participation is also a right and a duty. Those who boycott elections will still have someone speaking on their behalf in parliament. We do not object to the boycott, but we want everyone to participate. In regard to restoring confidence in the elections after the suspension of the work of elected councils such as the Teachers Syndicate, Momani said, We are building a new trust relationship. The presence of the commission has created confidence, but this is just the beginning. Trust is built slowly and we are keen on holding fair elections to gain this trust. We do not supervise the Teachers Syndicates elections; this is an issue between teachers and the government. The last parliamentary elections in 2016 saw a voter turnout of 36%, but questions arise as to whether the Islamists boycott will affect the turnout in the next elections. An expert on parliamentary affairs and journalist Walid Hosni believes that the Islamists boycott will not significantly affect the electoral turnout or shape of the next parliament. He told Al-Monitor, The reservoir of votes among the Muslim Brotherhoods voters was undermined by the defect of leaders and the formation of other parties. But the turnout will not be affected. He added, The next parliament may witness the absence of an opposition parliamentary bloc. I think the Muslim Brotherhoods threat to boycott the elections aims to seal a certain deal or to oblige the government to provide guarantees for the integrity of the elections. According to Rased, a Jordanian nongovernmental organization that monitors elections and government activities, 1,076 Jordanian men and women plan to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Rased noted that 42 parties will participate in the elections and six of the 48 licensed parties have yet to make up their mind. How chemists are building molecular assembly lines Part of the challenge is programming the actions of molecular machines and reducing the waste from chemical triggers that get them to work. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Another a milestone in the recovery of a Kansas City officer who was shot in the head and critically hurt on July 2 . The Kansas City Police Department announced Wednesday the officer is getting stronger and better every day and continues to build his strength and mobility. In her nine years of teaching before 2020, Liu Qianchen was always in the same classroom as her students. So it was unfamiliar for her to talk to a camera alone when COVID-19 struck. She had to move all classes online almost overnight during the Chinese New Year holiday. "At the beginning, the students didn't even have the proper equipment for online-session, like earphones," she said. And then it proved much more difficult for her to keep track of students and teach long-distance. "It's not easy, especially at first when the kids had to stay in front of a screen for so long," Liu, an English tutor with New Oriental told CGTN. "You must have noticed, we've started to play a lot more games now while teaching online. We prepare activities to grab their attention." She looks to have gotten the hang of it. In an one-hour class, she was constantly and generously doling out reward points in the teaching platform to her students, rotating and picking different students to speak. She said she found her students, many of them ten-year-old, adapting to the move online much faster than adults. Third grader Jia Yuxuan told CGTN that her online routine includes Math, Chinese and English lessons. "My dancing lessons were taught online too," Jia added. The third-grader said she missed the interaction and fun moments she got with fellow students, but otherwise liked having classes online. Some 300 million students in China have spent the past semester largely in front of a screen. But even as schools reopen this fall, many in the industry believe distance-learning will only take a greater piece of the pie. Shi Peng, general manager of online business at the New Oriental Education and Technology Group said it's an industry-wide consensus and there is no going back. "We're clear about this, there will be no more traditional teaching that only involves the classroom. For us, online and offline experiences will merge. In the future, even when we talk about offline studying in a certain place, it will be supported by online sessions," Shi told CGTN. Analytical firm Nomura China estimates the pandemic has sped up the development of online education by two to three years. And they say growth should be sustained until at least 2024, as China's smaller cities and counties warm up to distance learning. Tang Xueli, assistant dean with the TAL Education Research Institute said the group is preparing for future fast growth in the sector. "We've definitely experienced increased demand. We're doubling the number of this year's new recruits because of this trend," she said. For Liu and Little Jia, they are returning to the classroom this fall, but also meeting up regularly in front of the screen. Liu said the arrangement would allow the students to have the best of both worlds. Bengaluru, Sep 3 : Asserting that she had nothing to hide, Kannada actress Ragini Dwivedi on Thursday said she had no connection with the alleged drug links in the Sandalwood industry. "I have nothing to hide and have no connection with unlawful activity being probed by the state central crime branch (CCB) police and drug links some Kannada actors alleged to have," Ragini said in a statement here. Expressing inability to appear before the CCB on Thursday in response to its summons on Wednesday following the drug abuse claims by Kannada film producer Inderjit Lankesh, Ragini said she sought time, as she could not prepare to appear for the probe at a short notice. "As I consider it my duty to respond to the summons as a citizen, I will appear before it (CCB) on Monday (September 7) and respond to their questions," said the leading Sandalwood actress. Ragini, 30, is the first Kannada film actor to be summoned by the CCB after Lankesh on August 29 alleged a dozen actors and some musicians were involved in consuming banned drugs during shooting sessions and at rave parties organised by stakeholders. "Advocates representing Ragini appeared before our sleuths and gave her letter stating she would do join on September 7 if they permitted," a CCB official told IANS. Lankesh made startling revelations about the rampant abuse of banned drugs in the multi-crore film industry three days after the Narcotic 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 a 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 to supply 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," an NCB official earlier said. "I am grateful to the concern expressed by the public on a notice the police served on me to appear before its sleuths today (Thursday). As I respect the due process of law, my lawyers represented me before the police and sought more time to appear before them," said Ragini. Lankesh, however, came to the CCB office in the city centre for the second time on summons by the city joint commissioner of police Sandeep Patil, who is investigating the multi-crore drug scam that rocked the Kannada film sector. "I presented before the CCB for the second time on summons. But I cannot divulge details of what I presented to its officials. Let them (CCB) investigate the charges and truth will come out," asserted Lankesh. Lankesh also claimed that he had given material evidence on the alleged drug abuse among the Sandalwood actors. A miffed Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Wednesday denied that some actors had drug links and urged police to investigate claims by Lankesh on the alleged nexus between the industry and suppliers of the banned substances. "As Lankesh gave the names of a dozen Kannada actors to the CCB on August 31 and submitted some documents in support of his claims, we will take action if police proves the accused are guilty," KFCC representative Sa Ra Govindu told reporters here. Lankesh, 43, is the son of late noted editor P. Lankesh, who launched the popular "Lankesh Patrika" (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. "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. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text They circulated her description to police agencies around the country. They checked her credit reports. They even had the U.S. Department of Homeland Security look into whether she might have left the country. Yet, nearly 8 years after she disappeared, investigators from Cumberland County and the FBI have turned up not one single bit of proof that Rabihan Seiders is still alive, county Chief Detective Jonathan Mays testified Thursday afternoon. Mays gave that testimony to a county jury on the seventh day of the homicide trial of Seiders 66-year-old husband Hap. Defense attorney George Matangos, however, implied that maybe investigators just didnt try hard enough or go far enough afield in their search. He stressed that they never tried to find Rabihan in her native country of Kyrgyzstan in central Asia. Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue is contending that Hap Seiders killed his 53-year-old wife in late March 2012 and burned her body in the fireplace of the couples Silver Spring Township home. Matangos is countering that Rabihan likely disappeared of her own accord after stealing $3 million worth of her husbands property. Mays said proof of life investigations conducted over the years have failed to uncover a single trace of Rabihan. Her Pennsylvania and New Jersey drivers licenses, which both expired in 2013, were never renewed, he said. Her credit reports showed no activity after March 28, 2012, he said. That was a day after Rabihan was last filmed while shopping at a Rite Aid store. Mays said New Jersey gaming officials determined she last used her players card at an Atlantic City casino on March 20, 2012. Homeland Security had no evidence of her leaving the U.S. between March 27, 2012 and this past March, he said. He said county investigators have her Kyrgyzstan passport. Although documents seized by police included comments from Hap Seiders that he suspected she had ties to Russian mobsters, there is no evidence that is true, Mays said. Nor, he said, did Rabihan have a criminal record. Did Rabihan have any connection to organized crime? LaRue asked. None, Mays replied. On cross-examination, Mays said investigators never contacted Interpol or any other overseas law enforcement organizations in their effort to determine whether Rabihan was dead or alive. Matangos posed the prospect that she might have secured a new identity. He also asked Mays how much of the $3 million worth of property, including gold coins, that supposedly was taken from Hap Seiders has been recovered. Mays said about $1.5 million was found. Leah Tilton, Rabihans younger sister, testified that neither she nor any member of her family has heard from or seen her sibling for many years. Questioned by Matangos, Tilton said she had not spoken to Rabihan since the two had a disagreement in 2001. LaRue rested the prosecution case after Tiltons testimony. Inside Hook For many of us, the coronavirus pandemic has marked a time of significantly heightened stress and anxiety. For British school children however, it seems the pandemic might have actually helped ease anxiety. A new study of British teens from the University of Bristol found that 13- to 14-year-olds were actually less anxious during lockdown than they had been last year, per the BBC. Comparing findings from an October 2019 survey to one taken in May, researchers found both boys and girls reported lower levels of anxiety during lockdown. Last year, 54 percent of girls and 26 percent of boys reported feelings of anxiety, while just 45 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys said the same in May. (Natural News) The U.S. recorded the lowest number of daily coronavirus cases in two months, continuing a slowed trend of new infections. Data from Johns Hopkins University showed that new reported infections around the country fell below 34,000 on Aug. 31 the lowest since June 22. However, reopening schools and returning to face-to-face learning can cause COVID-19 infections to resurge. School administrators in different U.S. states, alongside the federal government, have undertaken necessary preparations to ensure a safe school opening. Meanwhile, some private educational institutions have taken appropriate measures to buy themselves to address coronavirus outbreaks at their school grounds. Schools in New York City have delayed their reopening to Sept. 21 instead of Sept. 11 as earlier planned, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. However, students will begin remotely on Sept. 16 before a face-to-face returnallowing the school district to ensure the hybrid approach of remote and in-person learning works, and to prepare for a safe reopening. Principals and teachers unions in New York City have pushed to delay face-to-face school reopening for teacher and student safety, after the state has permitted educational institutions there to open their doors. (Related: New York City to reopen schools ONLY if coronavirus test rate stays below 3 percent.) Colorado College in Colorado Springs changed its initial plans for the fall term on Sept. 1, informing students that the remaining activities for the rest of the calendar year will be done remotely. The schools classes began Aug. 24, with all students targeted to be on campus for the next block of classes due to start Sept. 21. The school had already quarantined some residence halls after allowing only freshmen on campus to start the school year. A Colorado College spokesperson said that about 800 students were living on campus a day after classes began, and 11 students staying on campus and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19 since students moved in. The school now aims to bring back the student body on Jan. 2021 with this development and has urged students who are not currently in quarantine to leave the campus by Sept. 1. California State University, Chico shifted to remote instruction for the 10 percent of classes originally slated to be in-person. It also urged students to vacate residence halls after COVID-19 cases rose there; the university said it had reported 36 cases since August started. Meanwhile, Temple University in Philadelphia paused face-to-face classes for two weeks in the hope of stemming from the virus outbreak there. Government offers aid to schools to encourage face-to-face instruction President Donald Trump has called for schools to reopen, saying that face-to-face learning was important for the well-being of both students and their parents. Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that the administration is planning to ship rapid point-of-care tests to state governors in the middle of September in line with school openings. He added that the tests made by Abbott Laboratories will be directly sent to governors, who will then decide on how these will be deployed in their respective states. Furthermore, Adm. Giroir stated that the federal government wont send the tests directly to schools. Aside from rapid tests, a new bill introduced by Senate Republicans in late July allocates $70 billion for public and private schools. Two-thirds of the $70 billion allocation will be directed to schools that have a physical reopening plan; however, this plan should first be approved by the governor after consulting with the states education department. The bill, branded as the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act by Republicans, outlined clear criteria for physical school reopening. It did not clarify if hybrid plans or partial re-opening by schools were eligible, however. The U.S. currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world with more than 6 million as of this time. More than 180,000 deaths were recorded in the country, while about 2.2 million recoveries were reported according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Find out more stories about the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic at Pandemic.news. Sources include: WSJ.com 1 WSJ.com 2 WSJ.com 3 EdWeek.org Senate.gov [PDF] Saudi Arabia has granted permission for all flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to use its airspace. The move significantly shortens the flying time between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi or Dubai, Trend reports with reference to Globes. Within minutes of the first report of the Saudi announcement by "Reuters," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video clip welcoming the development. Netanyahu said, "For years I have been working to open Israel's skies to the east. There was good news two and a half years ago when Air India received approval to fly directly to Israel. Now there is a huge new breakthrough - Israeli planes and aircraft from all countries can fly directly from Israel to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and back. This will make flights cheaper and it will shorten journeys and open up huge tourism opportunities and it will open up our economy." He added, "It will do something else - it will open up the east. When you fly to Thailand or any other place in Asia it will shave off hours and cut the price. It is massive news for you, Israeli citizens. These are the fruits of peace and genuine peace. I want to thank Jared Kushner and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for their important contribution to this today. There will be a lot more good news." This breakthrough is also important because it symbolizes the major Saudi involvement in the steps being taken by the UAE and lends support to the many hints being made about diplomatic developments and that more Arab countries will normalize their relations with Israel including Bahrain, Oman and perhaps even Saudi Arabia itself. Swiss watchdog Finma has opened so-called enforcement proceedings against Credit Suisse Switzerland's financial regulator is investigating the spying scandal at Credit Suisse. Swiss watchdog Finma opened so-called enforcement proceedings against the lender. Credit Suisse became embroiled in a spying affair last year,after it emerged that individuals at the bank had authorised private investigators to track former wealth management boss Iqbal Khan and former human resources head Peter Goerke. Credit Suisses own probe concluded the surveillance had been initiated by then-chief operating officer Pierre-Olivier Bouee. Boss Tidjane Thiam resigned in February adamant he did not know about the spying but admitting it had caused anxiety and pain. Dubai is looking to attract retirees by gearing up a program first started two years ago that's taken on greater urgency as the Middle East business hub contends with the flight of expatriates amid an economic downturn. Foreigners over the age of 55 will be eligible for a five-year renewable visa if they meet certain criteria, according to the Dubai Media Office. In its initial phase, the program will focus on residents working in the second-biggest sheikhdom in the United Arab Emirates. Built on trade and tourism in a region reliant on oil, Dubai saw its population growth slow for three straight years even before the global pandemic shook up its economy. With job losses in the UAE accelerating to the fastest on record, the emirate runs the risk of seeing more expatriates choosing to decamp to other countries or return home. Foreigners account for about 90% of Dubai's population, but their residency is tied to employment, discouraging many from setting roots, and in turn investments, in the city. The attempt to woo an older demographic marks the start of implementing a plan approved by the UAE's cabinet in September 2018. Back then, few details were divulged over how the program would be implemented. Dubai could be a pricey destination for pensioners and is likely to face stiff competition from countries like Spain, Costa Rica and Malaysia, which tend to have a lower cost of living and cheaper medical expenses. According to the announcement on Wednesday, eligible candidates should meet one of the following requirements: monthly income of $5,445 (20,000 dirhams; savings of 1 million dirhams, or own property in Dubai worth 2 million dirhams. The UAE is among Gulf economies most reliant on the employment of expatriates. It's succeeded in leveraging its oil wealth to attract millions of foreigners over recent years. With a local population of around 1 million, the UAE last year hosted more migrants than France or Canada, according to United Nations estimates. The UN projects the country's combined population will grow slightly over the coming decades, reaching 10.4 million by 2050 from just under 10 million this year. In 1950, the UAE had a total of 70,000 inhabitants. Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director general of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, said authorities believe appealing to pensioners is a way "to enhance the emirate's position as a prominent destination on the global investment map." The program "will contribute toward our tourism economy by facilitating frequent visits from families and friends of the retirees and increasing visitation from markets with a high retiree population," he was cited as saying by the Dubai Media Office. By Joaqlin Estus. Reprinted with permission from Indian Country Media. Caribou and moose hunting season opened this month in Alaska, but only locals will be hunting at a popular destination for urban Alaska hunters. The federal lands being close... Ahram Weekly reports on plans to make university students pay if they have to retake a year The cabinet last week approved draft amendments to Law 49/1972 regulating universities, one of which imposes a fee on university students who fail and have to repeat a year. Should parliament approve the changes the new regulations will apply to the coming academic year. The fees will be collected at the beginning of the repeated academic year and the extra money allocated to improving educational services at the university where the re-sit takes place. The amendments set minimum and maximum sums for the amounts that can be charges, giving university boards leeway over determining the exact figure. University boards will also be able to grant partial or full exemptions from the stipulated fee for students facing financial distress, and for those who can show a compelling reason in the event they were unable to sit their exams. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said that increasing numbers of failing students retaking a year negatively affects the enrolment of freshmen students, and reduces education quality by causing overcrowding. He underlined that the state remains committed to providing free education at universities and institutes as stipulated in the Egyptian constitution, but warned that the right to free education cannot be allowed to harm the public interest. For the state to continue to bear the costs of educating students who fail will limit the opportunities available to diligent students. The Egyptian constitution stipulates that public universities and institutions must provide free education, in accordance with international quality standards, with students paying only for books. If failing students want to pursue their studies, then they will have to offset at least some of the costs the state incurs, said Abdel-Ghaffar. The draft law sets minimum and maximum fees for different faculties. The changes propose that fees range from LE 6,000 to LE 12,000 for students at faculties of medicine and dentistry, LE 5,000 to LE 10,000 for students at faculties of engineering, information technology, pharmacy and physical therapy, LE 4,000 to LE 6,000 for students of veterinary medicine, agriculture, science and nursing, and LE 3,000 to LE 6,000 for students enrolled in other courses. Higher Education Ministry Spokesperson Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar told Al-Ahram Weekly that universities and educational institutions in Egypt enroll 2.5 million students each year of which 10 to 15 per cent fail, many with little if any excuse. It is the right of both successful and first year students not to have a failing student benefit from the same subsidies they do, said Abdel-Ghaffar. Essam Al-Fiki, secretary of parliaments Planning and Budget Committee, told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the states allocations for higher education are huge, reaching over LE 82 billion in the current fiscal year. According to Article 21 of the Egyptian constitution the state must earmark a minimum of two per cent of GDP for university education. In the Times Higher Education World University 2020 Rankings, Aswan University and Mansoura University were ranked in the tranche between 401-500, Suez Canal University was ranked between 501-600, Beni-Sueif, Cairo and Kafr Al-Sheikh universities between 601-800, while Ain Shams, the American University in Cairo, Banha University and Tanta University came in between 801 and 1000. Cabinet Spokesperson Nader Saad said that the fees were not inconsistent with free education, and the purpose of imposing them is not to collect money but rather to achieve justice and equal opportunities. He stressed the fees range from between 10 and 15 per cent of the real cost of education borne by the state. *A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: TAIPEI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In view of the continuing impact that COVID-19 is exerting on world trade and on international trade shows, the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing Pavilion Online Exhibition recently opened. One of the event's goals is to safely connect machinery manufacturers from Taiwan who cannot meet with professional buyers from Poland at ITM 2020 in person. The virtual expo focuses on showcasing the capabilities of Taiwanese machine tool industry in helping Polish industry leaders transform their supply chains with metal processing equipment and visual management interface solutions. The Corporate Synergy Development Center (CSD) organized the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing Pavilion Online Exhibition ( www.twmtinmx.com ) in response to the epidemic with the aim of strengthening trade relations between the Taiwanese and Polish smart machinery industries. The virtual event provided participants a 360-degree panoramic view of exhibits displayed at the WebVR pavilion in anticipation of demonstrating the Taiwanese machine tool industry's commitment to helping Poland quickly revive its manufacturing competitiveness with smart processing and management solutions. Taiwan's smart machinery industry has built a complete value chain ecosystem encompassing R&D, design, component processing and manufacturing, assembly, testing, marketing and after-sales services. Taiwan is the world's 7th largest manufacturer of machine tools, making up 5-6% of the global market with 80% of the machine tools produced locally being sold to overseas markets. In 2019, Taiwan was the world's 5th largest exporter of machine tools (behind Germany, Japan, mainland China and Italy), with the value of exports totaling US$3.064 billion. Taiwan's smart machinery industry has established a good reputation for its capabilities in providing highly customized services while continuing to promote its products worldwide. During the event that is scheduled to run through December 2020, the organizer will offer Amazon coupons to survey respondents in a move to boost engagement among professional buyers. The event aims to overcome obstacles created by the global epidemic via the building of an innovative business match-making platform connecting Taiwanese smart manufacturing companies with professional buyers from Poland. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1231798/CSD.jpg WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- All students operate within a network of different environmental and social conditions and fields. The domains of education, workforce, social service, health, and finance intersect to shape how students get to, through, and beyond college. A deeper understanding of targeted segments of today's post-secondary student population can improve outcomes for students in College Promise programs. To best support all students and increase equitable access to education, we need to know our students better. And then, we need to design our programs with their needs in mind. To meet the needs of the nation's 16.7 million undergraduate students, recognizing the diversity of our population and their unique learning needs is essential. Almost half of students are over 25 and work to pay basic bills. The majority of first year students live off campus. A quarter of students have children and more than 40 percent live at or near the poverty line. "Given the unique backgrounds and realities of our students' day to day experiences, the barriers to their success vary widely. The COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified the need for better targeted student support systems that increase the effectiveness of Promise programs. To bolster impact, especially now, communities must work together with greater trust and efficiencies across education, business, philanthropy, government, and non-profit organizations," said Rosye Cloud of College Promise. It is with this understanding that College Promise and Educational Testing Service (ETS) engaged in the multi-year Ecosystems of Support initiative to better understand the wrap around supports and services various student populations need to thrive in college. Five different ecosystem sub-populations were examined: Traditional Students (High School to College - predominantly First Generation); New and Returning Adult Students ; DREAMers ; Student Veterans ; and Justice-Impacted Students . Design teams composed of scholars who are subject matter experts, as well as practitioners and finance experts for each population, collaborated to produce final reports for each topic area. "This report allowed us to take a comprehensive look at some of the unique challenges that impact diverse student populations, but it also provided an opportunity for us to reimagine new opportunities to better support these students," said Catherine M. Millett, Senior Research Scientist for the ETS Policy Evaluation & Research Center. An integrated compendium of these first five Promise Ecosystem Initiative reports was presented to national research, policy, and Promise practitioner experts in Princeton, NJ in 2019. The event brought together 70 Promise leaders and cross-sector stakeholders to provide feedback to better serve these diverse Promise student populations. The Ecosystem findings were released as a formal publication in August of 2020. "We must commit to a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of our nation's students. Their day to day realities are not left at the door when entering a classroom. Now more than ever, we are prioritizing the voices of our nation's students, for all of us to listen, learn, and better meet their college and career needs. College Promise is excited to host a four-part webinar series this month for students and their supporters," said Martha Kanter, CEO of College Promise. "The virtual discussions will aim to widen attendees' understanding of the diverse needs and experiences of College Promise populations in order to help Promise leaders and their partners increase student success." About College Promise College Promise is a national, nonpartisan initiative to build broad public support for accessible, affordable, quality College Promise programs across the United States. Through partnerships with community colleges and universities, as well as leaders in education, business, nonprofit, government, and philanthropy, College Promise empowers stakeholders to enact proven solutions enable hard working students to complete a college degree or certificate with a student-centric framework that balances no-cost tuition strategies alongside meaningful student support services. www.collegepromise.org About ETS At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually including the TOEFL and TOEIC tests, the GRE tests and The Praxis Series assessments in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org A special thanks to our funders, especially the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ascendium, the Kresge Foundation, ECMC Foundation, and Strada Education Network for supporting this work. Contact Michelle Cooper 202-569-3000 [email protected] SOURCE College Promise Related Links http://www.collegepromise.org Fianna Fail activist Pat ONeill has called on the local authority to upgrade the crossings close to the roundabout at the entrance to the Ennis Road retail Park and Jetland Shopping Centre. These so-called crossings are in a very poor state. In fact, Im led to believe that they wouldnt be official crossings as there is no beacon present. I have witnessed some close scrapes on this crossing and I have received numerous calls from concerned people and motorists that on approach to these crossing and especially at night that some people dont see the crossing as there are no flashing beacons present to warn them, he explained. Mr ONeill says footfall at Jetland Shopping Centre has increased with the redevelopment of the facility, plus the cinema and new Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet on the northside. But safety for pedestrians using this area is paramount says Pat and I have called again on the council to upgrade the area before we have an accident, he concluded. Also O'Neill has called on Tesco Ireland to improve what he described as its dilapidated signage at Coonagh Cross. Mr ONeill, who lives in nearby Aylesbury, says he is concerned at the wind-damaged totem which is visible from the Clondrinagh Roundabout, and feels its not the first impression people should receive when they arrive in the city. Hes written to the retail, with the local election candidate saying they will discuss it and revert back to him. For more Limerick news click here She speaks softly but clearly, her gait a little slower these day, but Dorothy Gouin, 96, still walks with purpose across the Bonne Terre Senior Nutrition Center dining room, ready to oblige a request to see the intricate needlework of her latest honor, a beautiful, patriotic quilt given to her this spring by Quilts of Valor Foundation of St. Louis. The national organization was founded in 2003 by Blue Star mother Catherine Roberts. Its stated mission is to cover all service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. Since 2003, Quilts of Valor has bestowed more than 250,000 quilts to veterans of military action, conflicts and wars including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Beirut and Afghanistan. Isnt it pretty? Gouin said, taking a break from her nutrition center duties to show off the foundations handiwork. I wasnt expecting this. It was so nice of them. Its not the first honor bestowed on the World War II veteran. She was one of five area veterans invited to travel with the Missouri Police Corps in 2004 to visit the D-Day Memorial in New Orleans. Missouris then-Lt. Governor Peter Kinder recognized Gouin in 2012 for her volunteer work with the nutrition center, which she started doing when she moved back to Bonne Terre from Massachusetts in 1997. She was one of 34 people across Missouri to receive the Lieutenant Governors Senior Service Awards. Last year, St. Vincent De Paul food pantry hosted a celebration of Gouins 95th birthday, inviting people from the other two places where she volunteered, St. Joe Manor and the nutrition center. But perhaps none of her awards or experiences is as warm and cozy as this star-spangled, red, white and blue quilt featuring flag and constitution motifs, gold stars stitched into the background. Each textile work of art is made of three layers of symbols, according to the non-profit foundation: The quilt top is said to represent the diversity of people through the many shapes, colors and textures of fabric. The batting, the center of the quilt, represents warmth and hope that the cover brings comfort, peace and healing to its recipient. The quilts backing, supportive of the other two layers, represents the recipients strength and support of family, community and nation. Known for her work ethic and organizational skills during her voluntarism for the senior center, Gouin has credited her ability to stay on top of all the nutrition centers route sheets and she keeps a record of the people who come in to eat as a check and balance on her four years in the World War II Womens Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC). She had signed up when she was 20 years old. WAAC was the first group that allowed women to serve in the Army outside of a nurse position. During World War II, about 150,000 women served in it. I was working in an office, just like Im doing here, she said. I had to keep track of jeeps and trucks and their license numbers. Basically, I was doing similar logistics that I do here. And as one of the premier volunteers of Bonne Terre, shes finding some helpful volunteers are returning the favor lately. Gouin no longer drives, but she has a steady fleet of friends and family ready to take her marketing or banking when the need arises, and she doesnt miss a day of volunteering at the nutrition center. Im blessed to have so many looking after me, she said. God is there with me all the time and helping me out. Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at shaas@dailyjournalonline.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. South Korea said Thursday that it will present its objections to a recent British court ruling in a case over a failed takeover of Daewoo Electronics by Iran's Dayyani family. The move came after the High Court of Justice in Britain granted the Dayyani family an interim charging order against shares of Dana Petroleum, a wholly owned subsidiary of South Korea's state-run Korea National Oil Corp. South Korea will raise objections with the British court this month, an official of the Financial Services Commission said, without providing a specific time frame. The official said the South Korean government has been in talks with the Dayyani family over how to pay 730 billion won to the family behind Iranian business group Entekhab Industrial Group. The legal dispute dates back to 2010 when South Korea's state-run Korea Asset Management Corp. (KAMCO) picked Entekhab Industrial Group as the preferred bidder for a controlling stake in Daewoo Electronics. Entekhab, represented by its Singapore-based firm DA, paid 10 percent of the total value, or 57.8 billion won, after signing the deal. The deal, however, fell through as KAMCO terminated it in May 2011, citing funding uncertainties. The Dayyani family asked KAMCO to return the paid amount, but creditors of Daewoo Electronics declined, attributing the cause of the deal failure to DA. The Iranian family sought an investor-state dispute settlement against Seoul for the 57.8 billion-won payment and filed the complaint with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), demanding 93.5 billion won, including interests and other costs. In 2018, the ICSID ruled in favor of the Iranian family, ordering Seoul to pay 73 billion won in compensation, explaining that Daewoo Electronics creditors were responsible for the deal breakdown. In December, the British court rejected Seoul's request to nullify the international ruling. It was the first case the South Korean government lost against a foreign firm in an Investor-State Dispute Settlement, a system through which investors sue countries for discriminatory practices. (Yonhap) As a way to honor the son they lost shortly after his birth, a Conroe couple has started a nonprofit focused on nurturing foster children. Kenneth and Taneshu Collier started Trels Home for Children a year ago and recently received the first children in their group home. Eleven years ago, the couple was pregnant with twins and shortly after birth, one of the twins, Kentrel, passed away. On HoustonChronicle.com: Child abuse reports down in Texas since COVID-19, a trend advocates fear We wanted a way to honor him and his life, Kenneth Collier said. This is the best way we can highlight his life in a more positive light. Taneshu Collier has a Masters Degree in Human Services and has managed residential facilities for more than 20 years. She has a heart for children and is passionate about bringing an end to sex trafficking. Kenneth Collier has worked with at-risk youth in a variety of ministries for more than 10 years. As a couple, they have also worked with children and youth through church ministries. DONATIONS NEEDED: Montgomery County youth shelter turns to community for help during COVID Collier said his wifes heart for children and for wanting to make a difference lead them to where they are today. The couple moved from Illinois to Houston a year ago. In the time since, theyve worked to set up a group home here in Conroe. Collier admits the pandemic has slowed the process, but they received their first children recently. They currently have five children, and can take up to 11 children from birth to age 17. They seek to provide for the tangible, spiritual and emotional needs of disadvantaged youth in the state foster care system. Collier said there are a couple ways a child can come to their home - when the child is taken from the home and a direct family members cant be located to place the child with, or in a situation of abuse or neglect in the home the child can come to the home until a foster parent can be found or he said sometimes is doesnt work out for a child at one facility for whatever reason, then he or she is moved to another facility to get he or she on the right track. MORNING REPORT: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox The children they have now are school-aged and theyve helped get them enrolled in school and navigate virtual school and their return to campus over the past few weeks. To adjust with the transition back to school, they are currently seeking donations of school supplies. Other ongoing needs include gift cards, feminine hygiene products, donated meals, snacks and totes. Other larger items needed include bunk beds, a locking file cabinet, vacuum, twin comforters, a computer, and an xbox and games. Also as a part of the nonprofit, Collier wants to establish education programs like sex trafficking education and literacy programs. Were looking to partner with educators to see if we can provide some different skill sets for the children and help them grow, Collier said. Hed also like to establish a summer feeding program and make it a service for the community. We both grew up understanding how kids didnt have meals when school wasnt in over the summer, Collier said. For this effort, theyre looking to partner with churches or food banks in the area. For more information on Trels Home for Children visit https://www.th4c.org/. If you have items to donate to Trels Home for Children, email admin@th4c.org. shernandez@hconline.com COLUMBUS, Ohio - The former speaker of the Ohio House pleaded not guilty Thursday to a federal corruption charge tied to an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. Republican Rep. Larry Householder and four others are accused of shepherding $60 million in energy company money for personal and political use, in exchange for passing a legislative bailout of two nuclear power plants and then derailing an attempt to place a rejection of the bailout on the ballot. Four defendants pleaded not guilty earlier this month to the charge that they conspired as part of what one defendant called an unholy alliance aimed at saving the aging plants. Householder said Wednesday in his first public comments since a July indictment that he is innocent and expects to be exonerated. He entered his Thursday not guilty plea in a brief videoconference hearing before federal Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman. A judge allowed Householder to delay court appearances on Aug. 6 and Aug. 20 to allow more time to find a new attorney. Householders former attorney, Dave Thomas, dropped off the case because of a conflict of interest involving another client represented by his firm. Going forward, Householder will be represented by Cleveland attorneys Mark Marein and Steven Bradley. The pair has extensive experience in state and federal courts, cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer reported. We get hired when someone wants to go to trial, Marein told the outlet Wednesday. Thats what we are, trial lawyers. Were not plea-bargain lawyers; were trial lawyers, and thats whats going to happen here. He declined to discuss details of the case. The Lafayette city-parish government is suing the person behind satirical antifa Facebook events that authorities responded to this summer in River Ranch and at the Acadiana Mall. The lawsuit, filed Monday, says that these hoaxes have cost taxpayers a considerable amount as law enforcement investigate and respond to each. The lawsuit also points to fake antifa events in small cities across the country that, even after being debunked by local leaders, have sometimes prompted local citizens to use guns to "guard their cities." Defendant John Merrifield says the lawsuit takes social media posts out-of-context and misconstrues his motivations. Merrifield, who turns 29 next week, said he's using satire and his digital platform as a form of activism and protest. "It's to expose how out-of-order their priorities are in regards to how they protect the rich versus how they protect the poor," Merrifield said in a phone interview. "And then, more recently, it's in regards to how the city is not doing anything that matters to the people the murder, the extrajudicial killing of Trayford Pellerin that matters to people. People want answers, and the city is being very dismissive of that." Merrifield learned of the lawsuit Thursday morning when he was contacted by a reporter. He said he's seeking legal representation, but he doesn't think the lawsuit has merit. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous that they are trying to sue me over this," Merrifield said. "And let me just check my bank account real quick. OK, yeah, they can have all 300 of my dollars. I have $300 to my name, and they can have it." The city-parish government is seeking an unspecified amount from Merrifield for damages of less than $75,000. Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory mentioned the lawsuit during his Thursday morning radio show on KPEL 96.5 FM after a caller asked who was footing the bill for overtime worked by law enforcement responding to these kinds of events. "We will always take these threats seriously," Guillory said during the segment. "But we're not just going to respond and say, 'OK, thank you,' you know, 'Let us pay all this overtime from the taxpayers.' Heck no. We will stop at no cost or we will stop at no measure to recoup the cost that taxpayers have to pay for this kind of stuff." Throughout the radio segment, Guillory repeated this message: "Our community will not tolerate civil unrest." Demonstrators from Lafayette and the surrounding area have clashed with Guillory and other local officials in the aftermath of Pellerin's Aug. 21 death at the hands of Lafayette Police. Pellerin, 31, was shot by officers at a gas station along the Northwest Evangeline Thruway. Louisiana State Police investigators said Pellerin was armed with a knife and was approaching the door of the convenience store when he was shot. Officers had trailed him for a half mile after responding to a disturbance call and deploying tasers, which were ineffective, state police said. Several protests have since taken place across the city, with some of those ending in confrontation between demonstrators and law enforcement. Merrifield's first satirical event, "ANTIFA takes River Ranch," was posted to Facebook in July, before protests against police brutality and racial inequality hit so close to home. The fake event had "its intended effect" by prompting a counter protest event by the Right Side Millennial, according to the lawsuit. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "Concerned residents flooded Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government with phone calls," the lawsuit said. "The Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office were forced to investigate the event. Law enforcement and the Lafayette Mayor-President urged individuals to allow law enforcement to handle the situation." The hoax continued to be believed and spread, the lawsuit states, so the city-parish government "was forced to take responsive action" to protect people and property out of fear that armed protesters and antifa-inspired agitators would appear. Antifa, short for anti-fascists, is an umbrella description for the far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events. Merrifield created another fake event, "ANTIFA Takes Acadiana Mall," which was scheduled to happen last Saturday. The mall closed early that day, and more than 30 police units were in the parking lot at the scheduled start time for the Facebook event. The lawsuit says Merrifield "gleefully" followed the coverage of these events and "seemed to take pride in his 'trolling.'" The suit also alleges that Merrifield has "sought to profit off the havoc he created" through creating and selling an "Acadianatifa" flag, which incorporates antifa symbols into the Acadiana flag. Merrifield has denied that claim, saying the proceeds from sales of the flag and other merchandise have actually been used to compensate mall employees who reached out to him in frustration over lost wages because of Saturday's "event." Earlier this week, after the lawsuit was filed but before Merrifield learned of it, he created another satirical event, "ANTIFA Takes Laura." This time, the Facebook event's location is Lafayette City Hall. Merrifield said his end goal for these events and his work in general is to see residents of his hometown vote Guillory and members of the city and parish councils out of office during the next election. Although he's lived in New York City for about three years, Merrifield is a Lafayette native. He has a popular Facebook group for Cajun memes, along with a comedy company called Oof. "I've had my finger on the pulse of Lafayette this entire time," Merrifield said. "Most of the people I care most about and love the most are in Lafayette, Louisiana, and so the things that happen there are affecting me because they affect the people I care about." The lawsuit mentions Merrifield's own mother believed one of the hoax events was real and shared it with others in Lafayette, even after local authorities debunked it. Merrifield declined to comment on how this has affected his relationship with his mother, simply saying, "Tell them they can leave my mamma out of it." A young Gold Coast girl who was reported missing and became the subject of an Amber Alert has been found safe and well by Queensland Police. "The Queensland Police Service have located the 11-year-old girl who was reported missing from Southport safe and well," a police statement said. Eleven-year-old Gold Coast girl Laine-Ella Hyland has been found. Credit:Queensland Police Service "Police would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance. "If you have any further information please call 131 564." Bengaluru/Cincinnati, Sep 3 : Global software major Infosys on Thursday announced it has acquired US-based product design firm Kaleidoscope Innovation for $42 million (Rs 309 crore) to expand its engineering service offerings in medical devices, consumer and industrial markets across America. "Our subsidiary Infosys Nova Holdings has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent equity capital of Kaleidoscope for $42 million," said the city-based $13-billion IT major in a statement from Ohio's Cincinnati in the US midwest. The deal is expected to be completed by the month-end after regulatory approvals. The Ohio-based firm provides design and development across medical, consumer and industrial markets for making smart products. "The acquisition demonstrates our commitment to innovate for Kaleidoscope clients and make an impact on human lives by combining smart technologies and experiences to revolutionise patient care, treatment, diagnostics and consumer health the world over," the company said in the statement. Kaleidoscope designs microsurgical instruments, used in invasive surgery, drug delivery devices for ophthalmic therapies and user-centric wearables. "The acquisition strengthens our digital offerings at the intersection of new software technologies and medical devices, a sector that is expected to witness investments and consumerisation in the post-Covid-19 era," said Infosys President Ravi Kumar. Global clients of the outsourcing firm will also benefit from the combination of Kaleidoscope's offerings of product innovation and design and its stack of product engineering, validation and commercialisation services at a global scale. "Device engineering for consumer and medical industries has been a key parameter for our clients. The addition of concept design and human factors engineering, through the acquisition provides us capability and creates an engagement engine," said Infosys' global head of engineering Nitesh Bansal. Kaleidoscope co-founder and Chief Executive Matt Kornau said becoming a part of Infosys allows it to scale up fast and bring expanded offerings in AI (artificial intelligence), analytics and digital infrastructure to its clients. "Infosys provides a platform for us to extend our relationship with our business partners to address the productisation of solutions they have been asking us to deliver. We can offer them the scale needed for front-end innovation and back- end implementation and sustainability," Kaleidoscope's other co-founder Bill Taylor said in the statement. Alpha Conde, the president of Guinea, confirms a third-term bid ahead of the nations presidential elections slated for 18 October amid protests about his eligibility as a candidate. By Vatican News Guineas President Alpha Conde said on Wednesday that he will be seeking reelection for a third term as the countrys president, confirming ruling party, Rally of the Guinean People (RPG)s announcement of his candidacy via national television on Monday. 82-year-old Condes candidacy hinges on a change to the constitution that was approved by a referendum in March. Condes supporters say that the constitutional change acts as a reset button on the two-term limit, making him eligible for reelection. This latest announcement has been particularly unpopular with Condes political opposition who say that he is violating presidential term limits. The incumbents push for a change in the constitution earlier this year raised suspicions of a potential third-term bid and sparked violent protests led by his political opponents during which at least thirty people were killed and many other injured. Under the current constitution, President Conde is only allowed two five-year terms. His candidacy has sparked fresh fears of more violence, placing the West African nation's nascent democracy on the balance. Conde became Guineas president in 2010 and was re-elected to a second term in 2015. He is the first democratically-elected leader since the countrys independence from France in 1958. Before that, he was a leading opponent of Lansana Conte who ruled Guinea after coming to power in a coup in 1984. Lansana Conte died in 2008. Not the first The Guinean president is not the first to seek reelection after constitutional changes. In the past month, neighboring Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara announced his candidacy for the presidential elections slated for 31 October. Ouattara is also insisting that his first two terms did not count because the country had adopted a new constitution. Mumbai, Sep 3 : Ehsan Khan, brother of Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar, has lost his battle to Covid-19, confirmed a family friend of the actor. "Dilip Saab's brother Ehsan Khan, passed away few hours ago. Earlier, youngest brother, Aslam had passed away. We are from God and to Him we return. Pls pray for them. Posted by @FAISALmouthshut on behalf of #DilipKumar," read a tweet posted on Dilip Kumar's official handle on Thursday. Ehsan Khan died in Lilavati Hospital. He had comorbidities like hypertension and Alzheimer's and was 90 years old. Last month, Dilip Kumar's youngest brother Aslam Khan had passed away after testing Covid positive. The news was also confirmed by Faisal Farooqui, a family friend of the veteran actor, who made the announcement on Twitter. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Sir Keir Starmer of supporting Jeremy Corbyn despite his "IRA-condoning" in a fiery clash in the Commons on Wednesday. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle implored Mr Johnson to withdraw his remarks after the pair rowed over the exam results fiasco, which left thousands of pupils unhappy with their grades before a Government u-turn. Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of being "tin-eared and making it up as he goes along" over the issue. "He's fooling nobody, even his own MPs have run out of patience," he said. "It's mess after mess, his own MPs, U-turn after U-turn, it's a fundamental issue of competence, God knows what's going on, there's no grip. His own MPs are right aren't they?" Expand Close Sir Keir Starmer alongside then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (Jonathan Brady/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sir Keir Starmer alongside then Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (Jonathan Brady/PA) In response Mr Johnson shot back that Sir Keir supported remaining in the EU and Mr Corbyn as Labour leader. "This is a leader of the Opposition who backed remaining in the EU and now is totally silent on the subject, now has performed a U-turn. "He backed - in fact he still does Mr Speaker - this is a leader of the Opposition who supported an IRA-condoning politician who wanted to get out of Nato and now says absolutely nothing. "This is a leader of the Opposition who sat on the front bench whilst there was anti-Semitism...," the Prime Minister said. Mr Johnson's comments were cut off by the Speaker who called for Order. Mr Corbyn has always stressed that he does not and has never supported the IRA, citing his work for peace and human rights. Sir Lindsay asked if the Prime Minister wanted to withdraw his allegation, after Sir Keir had called for him to do so. "I am very happy to say that I think... I listened to the protestations of the right honourable gentleman and think they have would have been more in order throughout the long years in which he supported a leader of the Labour Party [Jeremey Corbyn]," Mr Johnson replied Sir Lindsay then signalled for the Prime Minister to sit down. In response, Sir Keir pointed out that he had worked in Northern Ireland with the PSNI and prosecuted terrorists during his legal career, where he rose to the position of Director of Public Prosecutions. "When the Prime Minister has worked with the intelligence and security forces prosecuting criminals and terrorists he can lecture me," he said. "I asked him to do the decent thing, but doing the decent thing and this Prime Minister don't go together." Sir Keir served in Mr Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Brexit Secretary and Shadow Minister for Immigration. During his time as Labour leader Mr Corbyn was heavily criticised over alleged links to Sinn Fein and the IRA. Expand Close Jeremy Corbyn (left) with then Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, at the House of Commons, London in 1995 (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jeremy Corbyn (left) with then Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, at the House of Commons, London in 1995 (PA) Mr Corbyn regularly met with Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams at the height of the Troubles. In October 1984, two weeks after an IRA bomb killed five people at the Tory Party conference in Brighton, Mr Corbyn invited convicted IRA volunteers Linda Quigley and Gerry MacLochlainn to the House of Commons, causing uproar the time. In 2017 Sir Keir said past comments made by Mr Corbyn about the IRA were "regrettable". "l think any remarks about the IRA are regrettable," he said. "We have to call out terrorism for what it is and I have always done that, and the Labour Party has always done that. Jeremy has been very clear that public safety is the number one priority. "I have prosecuted very serious criminals who are now serving very long jail sentences." London, Sep 3 : Negotiators from the UK and the European Union (EU) had "a useful review" of the Brexit agenda, but "major difficulties" still remained on the way to make a progress in resolving outstanding issues, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. David Frost, the UK government's chief negotiator, and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier had a "useful review of the whole agenda before our talks" during informal Brexit discussions on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency quoted the spokesman as saying on Wednesday. "But as I said, major difficulties remain and the EU's instance on progress on state aid and fisheries is an obstacle to making progress overall but we remain in close contact with the EU side and we will look forward to the next round of talks next week in London," he said. On Wednesday, Barnier said in Dublin that he was "worried and disappointed" after Frost made no concessions to end the impasse during informal talks. There will be no post-Brexit trade deal without UK-EU agreement on fisheries, Barnier said. He warned the UK against using the issue as a "bargaining chip" in stalled talks. "We did not see any change in the position of the UK," Barnier said. "This is why I express publicly that I am worried and I am disappointed. I've shown clearly openness to find compromise," he said, adding that "it is the UK's responsibility" to find a compromise and avoid crashing out of the EU. Frost and Barnier met in London on Tuesday ahead of the eighth round of formal negotiations next week. The EU negotiator reiterated that a deal must be brokered by the "strict deadline" of the end of next month ahead of the transition period on December 31. "If they don't move on the issues which are the key issues of the EU, the level playing field, fisheries and governance, the UK will take itself the risk of a no-deal," he said. The UK ended its EU membership on January 31 but is still following EU rules during a transition period until December 31 to enable a permanent future trade deal to be reached. During this period, the UK would have to pay into EU funds but have no say in laws imposed by Brussels. If both sides fail to secure a trade deal before the transitional period expires, they will trade under the World Trade Organization terms, under which new border controls and tariffs will mean extra cost for bilateral trade. A 2.3-acre parcel in the area of the bustling Hamilton Crossings strip mall soon will be home to a new shopping center. Shepherds Corner will be taking shape at the corner of Hamilton Boulevard and Krocks Court in Lower Macungie Township. It is expected to accommodate a 9,600-square-foot retail strip and a 3,000-square-foot outparcel building that will be developed for a credit union. Tim Tay Properties, a commercial real estate development company specializing in national tenants, announced Tuesday the $1.5 million purchase of three properties at 5621, 5591 and 5573 Hamilton Boulevard to make way for the project. Colliers Internationals Allentown office helped broker the deal and will handle leasing for the retail site. A groundbreaking will be scheduled shortly, Colliers representatives said. Derek Zerfass, senior vice president of Colliers Allentown office, told lehighvalleylive.com four tenants have been identified with proposals being ironed out before they can be named. Two spaces currently remain available, Zerfass said. Zerfass said he expected to publicly disclose the tenants, envisioned to be an upscale mix, by the end of the year. Demolition on current structures at the site, including the former American Candle Shop and a chiropractic office, should begin next month, Zerfass said. Site work is then expected to begin around December, with completion of the work on Shepherds Corner expected by the third quarter of 2021. Lower Macungie officials about a year ago updated the townships zoning laws to provide a road map for future development within the Hamilton Boulevard commercial zone. Site design guidelines were provided for land development process aimed at addressing growing public interest in a strong walkable community. The shopping center is being constructed in the townships newly created Wescosville Commercial Zone, which encourages pedestrian-friendly development. This also means some buildings will be required to be built close to the street with parking in the back. The new design standards also lay out recommendations for how developers should build parking lots, buffers, roofing and signs. The site is expected to include a new corner parklet plaza with benches and Wescosville, Lower Macungie community identification signage provided by the development team. Lower Macungie Board of Commissioners President Ronald W. Beitler said in a statement the team embraced the new community design standards and worked to produce a redevelopment plan that supported the goals of the township. The end result is an attractive commercial enclave that will be a welcoming and walkable community destination, Beitler stated. This is a prime example of positive private-public partnerships that supports community vision. While he acknowledged retail might be under economic stress during the coronavirus pandemic, Zerfass said the township is cultivating a special commercial corridor that will resonate with residents and its patrons. We are long-term bullish on what we have here -- and that the most exciting retailers will continue to be attracted to quality community-centered developments, he said. Hamilton Crossings is divided into two sections with North Krocks Road running between both. It includes such businesses as Costco, Target, Nordstrom Rack, Whole Foods, Anthonys Coal Fired Pizza, BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant, Chipotle, The Shelby, Smashburger and Starbucks and the nearby Movie Tavern. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 13 people in a human smuggling attempt reported northeast of Hebbronville, authorities said. On Monday evening, agents assigned to the Hebbronville Station spotted a suspicious sport utility vehicle on Texas 359. As agents pulled over the vehicle, several people attempted to flee into the nearby brush. Agents caught up to 13 people who were determined to be immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico who had crossed the border illegally. Border Patrol seized the vehicle. 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. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC), the nation's fifth largest homebuilder, today announced its August 2020 net sales orders performance and a cash paydown of approximately $187 million of senior notes, underscoring that strong demand for housing continues despite the pandemic. Following strong Q2 performance, which included the company's best sales month on record, Taylor Morrison finished August with net sales orders up 74 percent year-over-year. Average sales pace per community for August was up more than 50 percent year-over-year. Taylor Morrison will also deliver notices of redemption to the holders of all remaining 6.000% Senior Notes due 2023 and 5.875% Senior Notes due 2025 issued by its subsidiaries, which together represent an aggregate principal amount of approximately $187 million. These actions follow the partial paydown of the same set of notes in July and brings the Company's total debt reduction to approximately $335 million, or 12 percent, since the close of its acquisition of William Lyon Homes on Feb. 6, 2020. "Despite the many challenges this year has presented businesses, consumers and the economy at large, we continue to see incredible resiliency among Taylor Morrison's homebuyers who are eagerly searching for their new home," said Taylor Morrison Chairman and CEO Sheryl Palmer. "With more than 60 percent growth in our average sales pace through the first two months of the third quarter, we are encouraged by the strength in demand and even more delighted that it extends across our diverse customer groups. What's more, our strong liquidity position makes the paydown of the remaining balances of our 2023 and 2025 notes possible and represents another step in our commitment to the stewardship of our balance sheet." About Taylor Morrison Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC) is a leading national homebuilder and developer that has been recognized as the 2016-2020 America's Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona we operate under three well-established brands, Taylor Morrison, Darling Homes and William Lyon Signature. We serve a wide array of consumer groups from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury, and active adult buyers. In Texas, Darling Homes builds communities with a focus on individuality and custom detail while delivering on the Taylor Morrison standard of excellence. We also have an exclusive partnership with Christopher Todd Communities, a growing Phoenix-based developer of innovative, luxury rental communities to operate a "Build-to-Rent" homebuilding business. For more information about Taylor Morrison, Darling Homes and William Lyon Signature, please visit www.taylormorrison.com or www.darlinghomes.com. CONTACT: Investor Relations Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (480) 734-2060 [email protected] SOURCE Taylor Morrison Related Links www.taylormorrison.com When Facebook said that it had removed a Wisconsin militia group and an event page associated with the organization following a deadly shooting, the companys explanation wasnt entirely accurate. While Facebook did remove the Kenosha Guard group from its platform, the event that asked gun owners to demonstrate against the protestors wasnt actually deleted by the company, BuzzFeed News now reports. According to internal posts on company forums, the Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property, event was removed by its creators before Facebook took down the Kenosha Guard group. Facebook didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The company told BuzzFeed News that its initial statement was an error. Facebook had said at the time that it removed both the group and the event page. The company has been widely criticized for not taking action against the Kenosha Guard group and its event prior to the shooting, despite reports from hundreds of users. Facebook responded to those reports by saying the event didnt violate its rules. Facebook later admitted that it did. Mark Zuckerberg told employees it was an operational mistake, and suggested that the error was because the reports went to reviewers who didnt have the appropriate training. Facebook had only recently implemented a new rule that banned militia groups from discussing violence. It is largely an operational mistake, Zuckerberg said. The team that enforces our policy against dangerous orgs is a specialized team the contractors and reviewers who the initial complaints were funneled to didnt pick this up. BuzzFeed News reports that the event page contained multiple disturbing and violent comments, including one person who said I fully plan to kill looters and rioters tonight. Some of these comments were also reported by users. Update 9/3 6:03pm ET: In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the event page had been removed by its organizers, not by the company. When we responded to questions about our initial investigation into what happened in Kenosha, we believed we'd removed the Event Page for violating our policies, the spokesperson said. Our investigation found that while we did remove the Kenosha Guard Page, the event page was removed by the organizer. We apologize for the error." A Sydney mother who was trapped in an African city dubbed the 'rape capital of the world' has opened up on her nightmare - and why she flew there during the global coronavirus pandemic. Melissa Inkster, 44, returned to Sydney on Wednesday night, almost six months after she arrived to the Democratic Republic of Congo for what was meant to be a two-week humanitarian trip. She was stranded there after the country closed its borders due the pandemic, unable to get back to her two young children at home on Sydney's northern beaches. Ms Inkster drained her entire life savings, suffered a miscarriage, was robbed and threatened at knifepoint during the six-month ordeal in the world's fourth dangerous country. Melissa Inkster (pictured) is glad to be back in Sydney after almost six months in Congo The nightmare began when the DRC shut its borders eight days after Ms Inkster arrived. 'It was meant to be a two-week humanitarian trip, we didn't expect or had any idea we would be there for so long,' Ms Inkster told Daily Mail Australia from her quarantine hotel in Sydney. 'There were no coronavirus cases over there but they closed the borders anyway as the healthcare facilities are inadequate.' While the Congo has had 10,114 cases and 259 deaths, Ms Inkster said no cases were recorded in the region of Kisangani, where they were based. Melissa Inkster and fiancee Joe Bagala (pictured doing humantrian work in Congo) founded One World United Ms Inkster is grateful for the support she's received from the public but is shocked at the social media backlash, with some criticising her for going to the Congo in the first place. 'I think I just rise above that they have no idea what we have been through. And I just feel it's Australian mentality to try and people bring people down,' she said. Relieved to be finally back in Australia, Ms Inkster was dealt another cruel blow when her landlord threatened to evict from her Curl Curl home on Thursday. 'I'm screwed. I've never been in a worse situation in my life before,' Ms Inkster told Daily Mail Australia. 'I've given six days to pay up or they will serve me with an eviction notice. I'm trying to get hold of my early release super, which I couldn't do from overseas. 'I also need to apply for JobKeeper and get a job.' Melissa Inkster (pictured on her way home) is now in quarantine in a Sydney hotel Melissa Inkster (pictured) She's also desperately trying to scrape together funds to bring home fiance, Joseph Bagala, who is still stranded in the Congo. 'I am worried about not being with Joe,' Ms Inkster said. 'He's there on his own now where as for the last six months, we had each other. The Congo is not a safe place to be on your own.' She flew to the Congo to help her fiance set up charity One World United, which aims to improve facilities in the impoverished Tshopo province in the country's east. Mr Bagala, who works in the construction industry, was appointed as the chief of the village they have worked to lift out of poverty. Projects include repairing bridges and building new schools and hospitals. 'We're trying to do good work over there,' Ms Inkster said. 'We have cleared roads in the forest, helped with rehabilitation of schools and clinics, the bridge at lobeye in Opala, food donations, medicines for clinics, clothes donations, assisted with the local orphanage with food donations and completed agriculture projects.' Melissa Inkster, 44, was stuck in the Democratic Republic of Congo for six months, unable to get a flight home to her two children Ms Inkster flew to the capital Kinshasa in early August after the DRC's government lifted international border restrictions. The week prior to her leaving the regional city of Kisangani, she fainted and suffered a miscarriage. 'I had a dodgy curette producedure. I fainted in the street a week later and was rushed to hospital, where they discovered I had suffered an infection from the procedure,' Ms Inkster said. 'It was a priority to get out of there.' She was also robbed of her purse as she went shopping and was then confronted by a man with a knife when she got home. The man pulled a large blade on them and had attempted to corner Ms Inkster before her fiance jumped in front of her to scare the attacker away. Ms Inkster pictured with her children Tomas, nine, and Max, six, who are currently living her ex-husband who's their father. She misses not being able to hug her children Ms Inkster was 'dumbfounded' why the Australian government were leaving her to languish in a country as dangerous as the DRC - which is ranked 179th in the world in the Human Development Index. The Department of Foreign Affairs finally provided assistance after her plight made headlines in the media. After several unsuccessful attempts to get on a plane, Ms Inkster finally boarded the first of four flights home at Kinshasa International Airport on Sunday after friends and family helped raised the $15,000 business class airfare to get her back to Australia. Melissa Inkster (pictured) tragically suffered a miscarriage while still in DRC in early August 'OMG I AM HOME,' she posted on Facebook shortly after touching down. Ms Inkster uploaded a video filmed on the flight home, where she emotionally thanked her friends, family and the Australian public for their support and help in getting her home. 'The good thing is I can't wait to see my kids Max and Tomas and just hug them,' she says in the video. 'I just don't know when I'll let them go. I think they're going to fight me on that one. 'I love you all, thank you so much. I still can't believe this is happening.' But it will be another two weeks before she's reunited with her sons as she undergoes mandatory hotel quarantine. Ms Inkster has spoken to her sons on Skype almost every day since March but hasn't into detail about her situation. Ms Inkster and her partner Joseph travelled to Africa via Europe in March for business. They have together set up a charity to help impoverished people in the DRC's capital Ms Inkster doesn't know when her fiance Joe will be able to return to Australia 'I just want to hug my kids and not let them out of my sight. I want to hear their storied and what they've been up too,' she told Daily Mail Australia. Unlike many returned travellers, Ms Inkster has no complaints about hotel quarantine so far and is enjoying the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from her room. She described the vast majority of the Congolese as beautiful people. 'They are really struggling and need our help,' she said. 'They beautiful people but but don't mind taking a buck here or there.' 'We're so lucky here in Australia. We have JobKeeper and superannuation. The Congolese people don't get that support, which is why there's so much theft. 'I should write a book about what has happened, we were here to do good for a few weeks and now we're stuck here,' Ms Inkster said She has no plans to return to Congo anytime soon. 'I have learned to be adaptable, having survived almost six months there,' she said. 'We want to keep the foundation alive there so Joe will be doing that with a few other people but I certainly won't be going back. 'Being in that country was too much for me. 'I can't rule out never returning but I won't be going back there in a hurry.' RTHK: Backlash over US sanctions on top ICC prosecutor The European Union will defend the International Criminal Court (ICC) against attempts to undermine it, a spokesman for the bloc said on Thursday after the United States slapped sanctions on the Hague-based tribunal's top prosecutor. "We are standing by the ICC and we are not happy to see steps which are going against the activities of the ICC," EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters in Brussels. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Fatou Bensouda and another senior ICC official, Phakiso Mochochoko, after earlier visa bans on Bensouda and others failed to head off the court's war crimes probe into US military personnel in Afghanistan. "Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly," Pompeo said. The ICC quickly fired back. "These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," it said in a statement. The sanctions freeze the US assets of the two officials, and bar any US individuals from doing business with them. US President Donald Trump had authorised sanctions on the ICC on June 11 over its investigation of US troops. Pompeo at the time referred to the ICC as a "kangaroo court" and warned that if US soldiers were targeted, those of US allies in Afghanistan risked the same treatment. Despite the new sanctions, the ICC appeared to give no ground on the issue, saying it "continues to stand firmly by its personnel and its mission of fighting impunity for the world's most serious crimes." (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Switzerland has frozen $900 million held in accounts belonging to a top Angolan businessman as part of a money-laundering investigation, according to court documents seen by Reuters, one of the largest personal asset freezes in Swiss history. Carlos Manuel de Sao Vicente was a key figure in Angolas oil industry, heading a group of companies which sold insurance and reinsurance contracts to state oil company Sonangol. Prosecutors said they froze $1.25 billion in accounts associated with de Sao Vicente, his family and companies late last year after Swiss banks flagged transfers to them as suspicious. They released most of the accounts in April 2019, save for two, which were in de Sao Vicentes name. The public prosecutor opened, on December 4, 2018, a criminal procedure for money laundering against (Carlos Manuel de Sao Vicente) and also ordered the same day the freezing, with a view toward confiscation or of restitution to any injured parties, of targeted bank accounts, according to the document. The existence of the case was first reported by Swiss judicial blog Gotham City. Angola-based De Sao Vicente, the court documents say, described the transfers between 2012 to 2019 as legitimate reimbursement for loans he had paid earlier and had appealed against the freeze. My client strongly refutes the charges against himself, Clara Poglia of the Geneva-based law firm Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd. representing De Sao Vicente told Reuters in a statement. He confirms that he has always acted according to the law as it will be demonstrated in the frame of the criminal proceedings, she added. The appeal to have the two accounts unblocked was rejected by the Geneva court on July 9. Switzerlands federal tribunal told Reuters on Wednesday that they had yet to receive a fresh appeal from de Sao Vicente in relation to the frozen funds, for which he is eligible until a deadline later this month. De Sao Vicentes wife, whose name along with those of other family members are attached to bank accounts originally blocked and then released by the Swiss prosecutors, is Irene Neto, a former deputy minister from Angolas ruling party and daughter of Angolas former president. An Angolan political foundation headed by Neto did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. CORRUPTION PROBES Swiss prosecutors allege that under de Sao Vicentes leadership the AAA Seguros company held a monopoly over insurance and reinsurance of the countrys state-run oil industry between 2000 and 2016. A presidential decree in 2016 revoked AAAs insurance role over the oil industry citing its allegedly non-transparent management and the companys authorization to operate in Angola was revoked earlier this year and it was dissolved. Sonangol did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Angola, which draws a third of state revenues from oil, is seeking to defy decades of perceived corruption and nepotism as it seeks to attract foreign investment to its flagging economy. Despite being rich in diamonds and Africas number two oil exporter, Angolas debt to GDP ratio is expected to hit 132% this year, according to the IMF. Earlier this year it said it was seeking other countries help to recover state funds lost because of corruption. Prosecutors in Angola launched a corruption probe late in 2019 into Isabel Dos Santos, daughter of another ex-president, alleging that she improperly profited from her chairmanship of Sonangol from 2016 to 2017. Her brother Jose Filomeno de dos Santos, the former head of Angolas $5 billion sovereign wealth fund, was found guilty by an Angolan court this year of an illegal money transfer to a London bank. The Dos Santos family denies the charges. (Additional reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva. Editing by Carmel Crimmins) Topics Energy Oil Gas Kanye West makes his first presidential campaign appearance, in North Charleston, S.C., on July 19, 2020. (Lauren Petracca Ipetracca/The Post And Courier via AP) Lawsuits Seek to Bar Kanye West from Arizona, Virginia Ballots Billionaire rap artist/music producer and long shot White House hopeful Kanye West is being sued to keep his name off the Nov. 3 ballots in Arizona and Virginia, according to reports. An Arizona resident sued to have West barred from appearing on the states ballot, accusing him of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate because hes a registered Republican. In Virginia, a law firm with ties to prominent Democrats filed a lawsuit on Sept. 1 on behalf of two people who say they were tricked into pledging their support for Wests candidacy. Part of the states requirement for a candidate to appear on the ballot is for 13 electors to provide their backing, The Associated Press reported. The lawsuit filed in Arizona on behalf of the plaintiff, Rasean Clayton, claims that if West is included on the ballot, the harm is done; including an unqualified candidate on the printed ballot will confuse voters and infringes on the core constitutional right to vote for qualified candidates, 12news reported. Some have claimed Wests candidacy is a bid to siphon black votes from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. A top Democrat recently claimed theres no question his run for the White House is meant to undercut support for Biden. Attorney Tim LaSota, who represents West in the Arizona challenge, dismissed claims that West is trying to be a spoiler aimed at hurting Bidens chances in Arizona. Thats just political hyperbole, LaSota said. I dont want to get into the politics of it. But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president. LaSota described the lawsuit as a last-ditch effort on the eve of the [signature filing deadline] to deprive voters of a choice. West, who once backed President Donald Trump, announced in July that he had broken with Trump and would launch his own presidential bid. Hes made it on the ballots in a number of states, including Arkansas, Minnesota, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont. Last month, West released a 10-point presidential platform, punctuated by biblical references, incorporating America-first themes, and centered on Creating a Culture of Life. Wests platform, unveiled on his official campaign website, features a photo of his 2020 vision board. It prominently displays an image of Jesus Christ, a dove representing peace, and two eagles suggestive of U.S. patriotism, along with the number 46. An electoral victory would make him the 46th president of the United States. His plan mirrors some of Trumps policy aims, such as restoring the national economy and ending U.S. involvement in endless foreign wars. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Saudi Arabian company Zamil Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Services (Zamil CoolCare) has signed a distribution agreement with Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning. Under the agreement, Zamil CoolCare will offer split units and cassette units across the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as the ducted and VRF range of Hitachi air conditioning products. The deal includes after-sales and engineering operations. Established in 2001 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Zamil Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Services operates nine branches, subsidiaries and associated companies. Horse Racing New Brunswick will host a superb Saturday afternoon (Sept. 5) card at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, N.B., as the coveted Milton Downey Memorial for two-year-olds will take centre stage. Named in honour of Saint John businessman and racing pioneer Milton Downey, the stakes will feature a total of three divisions -- two for colts and one for fillies -- and will boast a combined purse of close to $20,000. The first division (Race 3) will feature a colt that is part-owned by Saint John interests Gary Mott and Robert Tilley. Steel Reefer, a two-time winner this season for Saint John Hall of Fame trainer/driver Gilles Barrieau, has drawn Post 1. In six lifetime starts, the son of Steelhead Hanover has notched two wins, three seconds and close to $17,000 in the bank. He has a record this season of 1:57.2 that was taken at Summerside Raceway. Wayne MacRae of Nova Scotia also owns a share of the colt. Steel Reefer will be tested by Post 4 starter Woodmere Alvin, who will host talented reinsman Redmond Doucet in the bike. Woodmere Alvin has shown consistency with five on-the-board finishes from seven starts, including a 1:59.1 victory. It appears as though the second colt division will be a battle of two more Steelhead Hanover colts and a colt by State Treasurer. Jason Hughes is set to pilot Justcallmedoc, who has a charted line of 1:55.4 two starts back. Barrieau will start from Post 2 with Dustylanegoliath, who was second to sensational Woodmere Stealdeal in his last mile, charted in 1:56.4. Rounding out the big three in the second division will be Saltwater Savage, who has been a force to be reckoned with all season. He has four wins from five starts, including a record of 1:56.4. Mark Bradley is set to pilot the top contender. In the lone filly division, Need To Know, who is set to start from outside Post 5, will have the red-hot Jason Hughes in the bike. The filly brings a solid resume to Saint John, having posted three wins and three seconds from six starts. The daughter of Warrawee Needy has a lifetime speed badge of 1:59. Tobins Brownie, who is another one to watch from the Jonah Moase stable, has a victory to her credit this year in 1:58.4. Woodmere Stella, who will start from Post 1, has the second highest earnings this season in the race. The Earl Smith pupil will have Gilles Barrieau in the sulky. Saturday's big card also features the Roddy Goguen Memorial Pace, which has been slated as the afternoon's finale. Gold Cup and Saucer finalist and local entry Father Ofthe Year is the morning line favourite and has paced both of his last two miles in the 1:53 range. Horse Racing New Brunswick would like to extend its gratitude to all of the horsemen and women that are shipping in for the afternoon of racing, and welcome fans back to the track after a brief hiatus to allow local entries to take part in other cards in the Maritimes. Post time will be at 1:00 p.m. at the Saint John oval. Wagering will be available in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton and through HPIBet on-line. To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at EPR, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Exhibition Park Raceway. (HRNB) From his melodrama characters to action scenes, Jung Hae In's next acting project is in Netflix's original series "Deserter Pursuit", or "D.P." The story is based on the original webtoon remake of writer Kim Bo Tong, whose number of views reached 10 million, as it depicts the struggles of the military soldiers who became deserters. "DP" revolves around the story of Ahn Joon Ho, who served in the military. He then got chosen by the head in charge to join a special unit. He became a member of an arrest squad who goes after for deserter soldiers. Ahn Joon Ho is a reserved young man but his extraordinary skills in the service brought him a place to the special arrest unit. Jung Hae In will play as Ahn Joon Ho, a soldier who goes into places and meets certain struggles to find military servants in loose contact from the government. This will bring a new role to the actor after being known for his melodrama shows, such as "A Piece of Your Mind", "Something in the Rain", and many more. He did a role, though, in drama "Prison Playbook" as a cold hearted military officer who was falsely imprisoned for killing a team member. But it wasn't as intense in this coming drama series "D.P." ALSO READ: Korean Drama Dialogues That Will Make Your Heart Go "Aww" He will work with actor Kim Sung Kyun, in character as Park Bum Goo, the Sergeant officer of the D.P. squad. Goo Kyo Hwan, who will be in close contact with Jung Hae In throughout the series, will play the character of Han Ho Yeol, the helpful unit leader of the team. Son Suk Goo will give more challenges to the whole squad unit since he only cares for good results without consideration. In character as Im Ji Seob, he is a cold-hearted executive military police. Netizens are excited to see Jung Hae In in another genre that he will offer to his fans. This will raise expectations as he eventually carries mature roles and gets new challenges as an actor. Netflix's "D.P." will bring Jung Hae In's career heights to another level, since this will be expected to be released to over 190 countries around the world. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Fans Created An Imaginary Boy Group With These Korean Actors as Members By Joseph S. Nye, Jr. CAMBRIDGE As the United States enters the home stretch of the 2020 presidential election campaign, and with neither party's nominating convention featuring much discussion of foreign policy, the contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden apparently will be waged mainly on the battleground of domestic issues. In the long run, however, historians will ask whether Trump's presidency was a major turning point in America's role in the world, or just a minor historical accident. At this stage, the answer is unknowable, because we do not know if Trump will be re-elected. My book Do Morals Matter? rates the 14 presidents since 1945 and gives Trump a formal grade of "incomplete," but for now he ranks in the bottom quartile. Top-quartile presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the mistakes of America's isolationism in the 1930s and created a liberal international order after 1945. A turning point was Harry S. Truman's post-war decisions that led to permanent alliances that have lasted to this day. The U.S. invested heavily in the Marshall Plan in 1948, created NATO in 1949, and led a United Nations coalition that fought in Korea in 1950. In 1960, during the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. signed a new security treaty with Japan. Over the years, Americans have had bitter divisions among themselves and with other countries over military intervention in developing countries like Vietnam and Iraq. But the liberal institutional order continued to enjoy broad support until the 2016 election, when Trump became the first nominee of a major party to attack it. Trump was also a skeptic about foreign intervention, and while he has increased the defense budget, he has used force relatively sparingly. Trump's anti-interventionism is relatively popular, but his narrow, transactional definition of U.S. interests, and his skepticism about alliances and multilateral institutions, is not reflective of majority opinion. Since 1974, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has asked the public whether America should take an active part or stay out of world affairs. Roughly a third of the American public has been consistently isolationist, reaching a high point of 41 percent in 2014. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, 64 percent favored active involvement by the time of the 2016 election, and that number rose to a high of 70 percent by 2018. Trump's election and his populist appeal rested on the economic dislocations that were accentuated by the 2008 Great Recession, but even more on polarizing cultural changes related to race, the role of women, and gender identity. While he didn't win the popular vote in 2016, Trump successfully linked white resentment over the increasing visibility and influence of racial and ethnic minorities to foreign policy by blaming economic insecurity and wage stagnation on bad trade deals and immigration. As president, however, according to former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump had little strategy, and his foreign policy was driven primarily by domestic politics and personal interests. Just before Trump took office, Martin Wolf of The Financial Times described the moment as "the end of both an economic period that of Western led globalization and a geopolitical one, the post-cold war 'unipolar moment' of a U.S.-led global order." In that case, Trump may prove to be a turning point in American and world history, particularly if he is re-elected. His electoral appeal may turn on domestic politics, but his effect on world politics could be transformational. The current debate over Trump revives a longstanding question: Are major historical outcomes the product of political leaders' choices, or are they largely the result of social and economic forces beyond anyone's control? Sometimes, history seems like a rushing river whose course is shaped by precipitation and topography, and leaders are simply ants clinging to a log in the current. In my view, they are more like white-water rafters trying to steer and fend off rocks, occasionally overturning and sometimes succeeding in steering to a desired destination. For example, Roosevelt was unable to bring the U.S. into World War II until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but his moral framing of the threat posed by Hitler, and his preparations to confront that threat, proved crucial. After World War II, the U.S. response to Soviet ambitions might have been very different had Henry Wallace (who was replaced as vice president on the Roosevelt ticket for the 1944 election), not Truman, been president. After the 1952 election, an isolationist Robert Taft administration or an assertive Douglas MacArthur presidency might have disrupted the relatively smooth consolidation of Truman's containment strategy, over which Eisenhower presided. John F. Kennedy was crucial in averting a nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis and then signing the first nuclear arms control agreement. But he and Lyndon B. Johnson mired the country in the unnecessary fiasco of the Vietnam War. In the century's last decades, economic forces caused the erosion of the Soviet Union and Mikhail Gorbachev's actions accelerated the Soviet bloc's collapse. But Ronald Reagan's defense buildup and negotiating skill, and George H.W. Bush's skill in managing crises, played a significant role in bringing about a peaceful end to the Cold War, with a reunified Germany in NATO. In other words, leaders and their skills matter which also means that Trump cannot be easily dismissed. More important than his tweets are his weakening of institutions, alliances, and America's soft power of attraction, which polls show has declined since 2016. Machiavellian and organizational skills are essential for successful U.S. presidents, but so is emotional intelligence, which leads to self-awareness, self-control, and contextual insight, none of which is evident with Trump. His successor, whether in 2021 or 2025, will confront a changed world, partly because of Trump's idiosyncratic personality and policies. How great that change will be depends on whether Trump is a one-term or two-term president. We will know after Nov. 3 whether we are at a historical turning point or at the end of an historical accident. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is a professor at Harvard University and author, most recently, of "Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump." This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). The California Towns Where Blacks Feared Sundown In the Aug. 16 premiere of the HBO show Lovecraft Country, created by Misha Green and based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, the main characters drive past a sign that reads [N-word]s, dont let the sun set on you here. Understand? Towns that banned African Americans in the mid-20th century would, either formally or informally, put up intimidating signs like that at the town limits to remind Blacks passing through that they were not welcome. These places, known commonly as sundown towns, existed across the nation. Many of them were here in California, too. The memory of sundown towns re-entered our collective cultural conscience recently as incidents of police brutality have pushed people to speak out against racism. The book Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, written by sociologist James W. Loewen, was originally published in 2005. In the preface of the re-printed 2018 edition, Loewen noted that while sundown towns are on the decline, some former sundown towns have shifted from overt to systemic racism through policies such as Driving While Black policing. He cites the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., as an example. ADVERTISEMENT There is widespread misconception that sundown towns were mostly concentrated in the Deep South and Midwest, as depicted in Lovecraft Countrys first episode of the series, which was set along the highway route from Chicago to Massachusetts. But similar numbers of sundown towns existed in the West as well, including in California up until the mid-20th century. The national sundown town database on Loewens website lists 112 possible sundown towns in California. These towns are categorized on the website as either possible, probable, or surely, as it is difficult to categorize sundown towns because of varying degrees of explicitness in their approaches to discouraging African Americans and other non-White visitors. California cities classified as surely sundown towns on Loewens website include Brea, Chico, Culver City, El Segundo, Fresno, Glendale, Hawthorne, La Jolla, Palmdale, San Marino and Taft. Cities that are now majority Black and Brown, including Compton and Inglewood in Southern California, previously barred Black residents. The list also includes some entire counties as surely sundown in the past. Evidence listed on Loewens website includes census records and anecdotes submitted by citizens or discovered through research. The anecdotes listed include alleged cross burnings and other threats towards Black homeowners, and alleged expulsions of entire ethnic groups. Though many sundown towns have strong oral histories, with residents and locals confirming their existence, sundown ordinances were usually not part of a citys records. Loewen wrote, I read at least 300 local histories some of them elaborate coffee table books about towns whose sundown histories I had confirmed via detailed oral histories, but only about 1 percent of these mentioned their towns racial policies. In conversation, however, the authors of these commemorative histories were often more forthcoming, showing that they knew about the policy but didnt care to disclose it in print. In her book Wandering in Strange Lands, author Morgan Jerkins spoke with a woman named Rachelle, who shared her memories of sundown towns in Los Angeles County. I can remember when a black person had better not go to Glendale or Culver City and be there after five oclock. ADVERTISEMENT In addition to African Americans, other ethnic groups were also excluded from cities. In 1885, about 320 Chinese Americans were expelled from Eureka, Calif., after a Chinese man accidentally shot a city councilman. According to an article in the North Coast Journal, multiple towns around Eureka followed suit, and Chinese Americans were expelled from an estimated 40 communities in Northern California in 1885 and 1886. According to the Chapter 14 of Loewens book, Sundown Towns Today, California has integrated its communities more than other states with historic sundown towns, with many cities eliminating discriminatory laws and removing warning signs. In 2017, the National League of Cities (NLC) announced a collaboration with the Center for Social Inclusion to help local government officials advance racial equity in their cities. The mission of NLCs Race Equity and Leadership Initiative is to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of local elected officials to eliminate racial disparities, heal racial tensions and build more equitable communities, according to their website. However, racial animosity still exists as shown by the multiple Black Lives Matter protests that have occurred in the state since May. In a time of civil unrest and calls for revolution, history is revealing and asserting itself. Sundown towns have never gone away, wrote Jerkins in a recent article. As long as Black people have stories of what has happened to them or others for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as long as White people terrorize Black people who move into their neighborhoods, or create laws to restrict them from living there in the first place, sundown towns will always be a part of the fabric of American culture. TOKYO and CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sosei Group Corporation ("the Company") (TSE: 4565) today announces the appointment of Hironoshin Nomura, as Senior Vice President Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy. Mr. Nomura, who will lead the Sosei Heptares IR team in Japan and report to the Chief Financial Officer, joins from Mizuho Securities, where he was Senior Analyst covering the Biotechnology Sector. Mr Nomura has over 10 years' experience in investment research and analysis on, as well as consulting to, the pharma and biotech sectors. At Mizuho Securities, where he worked since 2015, Mr. Nomura was rated consistently as the leading analyst covering the Japan Biotechnology Sector - according to Thomson Reuters 2016, Nikkei Veritas 2020 and Institutional Investor 2020 rankings. During his time at Mizuho Securities, he has also provided support to a number of Japan's government departments to help them formulate policies to nurture and grow the bioindustry in Japan as well as the standing of the biotech sector and the analysts who cover it. Prior to joining Mizuho Securities, Mr. Nomura worked at the Mitsubishi Research Institute from 2009 to 2014 as a Consultant in the Strategy Consulting Group. In this position, he conducted multiple consulting projects for companies in the healthcare sector as well as for a range of government institutions. Mr. Nomura received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Pharmacy from Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Shinichi Tamura, Chairman, President and CEO of Sosei Heptares, commented: "I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of Nomura's calibre and experience to join Sosei Heptares in this senior IR and Corporate Strategy role. I am sure that his investor network, both in Japan and internationally, and his strategic insights will enable him to make a significant contribution to our future success. We are currently actively assessing both organic and inorganic growth options, including a potentially transformative acquisition, to achieve our goal of building a profitable, global company that generates multiple novel drug candidates to treat serious disease and delivers significant value to its shareholders." Hironoshin Nomura, added: "Sosei Heptares is establishing itself as one of the most exciting companies in the biopharmaceutical sector based on an impressive track record of scientific achievements, drug discovery and partnering deals with leading global pharma companies. I am delighted to join the company as it embarks on the next phase of its growth and development." About Sosei Heptares We are an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery and early development of new medicines originating from our proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities. We are advancing a broad and deep pipeline of novel medicines across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, gastroenterology and inflammatory diseases. We have established partnerships with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech (Roche), Novartis, Pfizer and Takeda; and additionally with multiple emerging technology companies. Sosei Heptares is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with corporate offices and R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK. "Sosei Heptares" is the corporate brand and trademark of Sosei Group Corporation, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). Sosei name, Heptares name, the logo and StaR are trademarks of Sosei Group companies. For more information, please visit https://www.soseiheptares.com/ LinkedIn: @soseiheptaresco | Twitter: @soseiheptaresco | YouTube: @soseiheptaresco Enquiries: Sosei Heptares Shinichiro Nishishita VP Investor Relations Head of Regulatory Disclosures +81-(0)3-5210-3399 IR@SoseiHeptares.com Citigate Dewe Rogerson Yas Fukuda Japanese Media +81-(0)3-4360-9234 Yas.Fukuda@citigatedewerogerson.com Mark Swallow David Dible International Media +44-(0)20-7638-9571 SoseiHeptares@citigatedewerogerson.com Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Sosei Group Corporation's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New Delhi: The national capital on Thursday (September 3) recorded the highest single-day spike in 67 days with 2,737 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to over 1.82 lakh, according to Delhi's health department bulletin. With 19 more fatalities in the city, the death toll mounted to 4,500, it said. This is the third successive day in September in which over 2,000 new cases have been reported. The number of active cases currently stands at 17,692, and the same on Wednesday was 16,502, the bulletin said. On June 28, Delhi had recorded 2,889 new cases of the infection, its highest single-day spike before September 3, while the fresh COVID-19 cases count stood at 2,312 on September 1. On June 23, the national capital had reported its highest single-day spike so far of 3,947 new cases. The positivity rate on Thursday stood at 8.3 per cent, while the recovery rate was over 87 per cent, said the bulletin. Also, the number of containment zones have jumped to 922 from 894 on Wednesday, according to the bulletin. Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of cases in the last several days. On August 1, the city recorded 1,118 fresh cases, while for the next three days, the number of new infections reported in a single day stayed below the 1,000-mark. From August 5 to August 9, the number of fresh COVID-19 cases reported in a single day again stayed above the 1,000-mark, only to come down to 707 on August 10. Since August 18, the daily count of new cases has again started going up again. According to the bulletin, out of the total number of beds in COVID hospitals in the city, 9,663 are vacant. Notably, 3,005 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who have returned via the Vande Bharat Mission and the bubble flights, it said. The bulletin also informed that 1,60,114 patients have recovered, been discharged, or migrated so far, while the number of people in home isolation stands at 9,135. The number of Rapid Antigen Tests conducted today stands at 24,512, while that of RT-PCR, CBNAAT, and True NAAT combined at 8,322, adding up to 32,834 tests in total, according to the bulletin. The total number of tests done to date in Delhi stands at 16,69,352, and the number of tests done per million, as on Thursday, was 87,861, it said. On the highest single-day spike in nearly two months, Delhi's Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that people "should not stress about numbers". The minister said the Delhi government is increasing the testing for COVID-19 and it wants that there should be no positive case in the city. Speaking to reporters, Jain said, "You cannot say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases would have started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi. You should not stress about numbers." Last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that his government will double COVID-19 tests from 20,000 to 40,000. On Wednesday, a total of 28,835 tests were conducted, the maximum since March. Notably, the Delhi Metro will resume services in three stages between September 7 and 12, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Trains will be available from 7-11 AM and 4-8 PM, it said. Meanwhile, Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today held a meeting to discuss the pandemic situation in Delhi. Baijal approved the Aam Aadmi Party government's suggestion for reopening bars in the national capital from 9th September. Delhi government sources, however, said that the owners of hotels, restaurants and clubs will have to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Central government. Members of the City Youth Organisation hold posters with logos of Chinese apps in support of the Indian government for banning the wildly popular video-sharing TikTok app, in Hyderabad, India, on June 30, 2020. (Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images) India Announces Additional Ban of More Than 100 Mostly Chinese Apps India has now banned more than 200 mostly Chinese mobile apps, citing the apps collection of user data as a national security risk. Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the latest ban on Sept. 2, identifying a total of 118 mobile apps, according to a government press release. Its the third list of banned apps issued since June. The 118 apps engaged in activities which [are] prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state, and public order, the ministry said. Among the banned apps are two apps by Chinese search giant Baidu; online payment app Alipay and shopping app Mobile Taobao, both developed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba; a news app by Chinese technology firm Sina; video conferencing app VooV Meeting by Chinese tech giant Tencent; and an e-commerce app called ShareSave developed by Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi. Many more on the list are mobile games developed by Chinese tech giants or companies owned by them, including Arena of Valor and PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds (owned by Tencent), and Cyber Hunter (developed by NetEase). The ministry said it had received credible inputs that these apps collect and share data in a surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users, based on certain embedded functions within these apps, user permission requests, and information shared on these apps. The ban was issued after a strong call by the public sector as well as concerns expressed by Indian officials across the political spectrum, according to the ministry. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace, the ministry stated. The ban comes at a time of heightening tensions between India and China. In mid-June, a deadly clash in the disputed border region of Galwan Valley left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unknown number of Chinese casualties. Tensions elevated again recently when India and China blamed each other for violating border agreements in the area near Pangong Tso Lake in the Ladakh region. Popular video-sharing app TikTok and messaging app WeChat were among the 59 Chinese apps banned in Indias first blacklist, issued on June 29. In late July, 47 additional Chinese apps were banned, most of which were clones and variants of apps banned in June, such as TikTok Lite. Chinas hawkish state-run Global Times reacted angrily to the latest Indian ban. In an article published on Sept. 2, it accused India of ill intentions behind the move in order to stir up tension between the two countries. The U.S. government has voiced support for India in its border conflict with China. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, while speaking at the U.S.India Strategic Partnership Forum on Aug. 31, said that the U.S. strategy was to push back against China in virtually every domain. Were doing it in terms of outsized demands to claim sovereign territory, whether its in the Galwan Valley of India on the IndiaChinese border, or whether its in the South Pacific, Biegun said. The Trump administration has sought to address threats posed by Chinese apps. On Aug. 6, President Donald Trump issued orders banning U.S. transactions with TikTok and WeChat and their parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent, respectively. On Aug. 14, Trump issued another order, giving ByteDance 90 days to sell off its TikTok business in the United States. On Aug. 31, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told Fox Business that more Chinese apps could be banned. It is critical that this country not use apps that are made in China, or that can take our data and go to servers in China, he said. Figures show that around 25% of people who have been given appointments for a Covid-19 test are failing to appear. HSE officials have issued pleas to the public to ensure they attend appointments as it is becoming an issue at swabbing sites across the country. HSE chief operations officer Anne OConnor said: On a daily basis you can have 3,000 or 4,000 appointments, so if a quarter of those arent turning up that is a significant number of appointments. Its challenging as we have to have (testing) capacity for schools. As these appointments are automatically scheduled we are finding there are sites where people are not availing and that means its an appointment someone else could have used. We want to put out a plea to people to please attend. Advertisement Paul Reid, head of the HSE, said however there has been a significant increase in the number of close contacts attending their day zero test but the number drops from 80% attendance to around 50% for the seven-day test. Mr Reid said that around 8% of close contacts test positive. While we have low positivity rate of 1.5% in overall tests, 8% of contacts test positive and if you are symptomatic its closer to 20%, he added. Dr Sarah Doyle, specialist in public health medicine, said that one in five of close contacts who are symptomatic will be positive for Covid-19. We would really urge people who are close contacts to make sure they turn up for the appointment, she added. Ms OConnor added: Its not an option to pursue people but we would ask people to work with us and while we cant police the population we can encourage them to attend. Mr Reid said the turnaround time for a test is now 2.2 days over the last week. He also urged the public to ensure they provide the correct contact details for their close contacts. Mr Reid said that serial testing in direct provision centres is expected to start next week with around 7,500 residents and some 500 staff to be tested. Advertisement It is expected to take around two weeks to complete the testing. Mr Reid also said that their key concern is also other health services outside of Covid-19. We are very conscious that our hospitals are beginning to see people coming through in relation to, it might be issues in terms of the lockdown, whether its mental health issues or anxiety issues across younger people and older people, or indeed other services, he added. We equally need to have a focus on the wider health services. Ms OConnor also said that there has been a significant increase in people requiring key mental health services. We would see that increasing more as children return to school, she added. New cases off Covid-19 has been trending upwards over the past four weeks, Mr Reid added. Figures show that the average number of new cases over the past seven days is 120 per day, up from 104 from the previous week. The number of ICU patients remains stable at six confirmed cases in our hospitals, and the number of confirmed cases in our hospitals overall has been trending upwards over the past four weeks, its still reasonably stable at a total of 39, Mr Reid added. Actor Jim Caviezel laments apathy toward Christian persecution Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (25) Theres growing pressure both within Government and from vintners groups to allow so-called wet pubs to reopen almost six months after they were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, new laws giving gardai powers to temporarily close pubs that breach Covid-19 regulations are in the process of being passed by the Oireachtas. A: Wet pubs are those that dont also serve food and there are around 3,500 in that category. All pubs were closed the weekend before St Patricks Day as the number of Covid-19 cases in Ireland began to rise. A widely shared social media video that emerged in the days preceding this, one that showed revellers in a packed Dublin pub singing Sweet Caroline and the lyrics "reaching out, touching me, touching you didnt help. Pubs that serve food specifically a substantial meal costing more than 9 were allowed to reopen at the end of June as the number of Covid-19 cases dropped. Time limits and social distancing also applied in those premises but wet pubs many of which are in rural Ireland had to stay shut. Read More Q: Whats happened since? A: There have been two false starts in the reopening of wet pubs. There were plans for them to open on August 10. However, five days before this, the Government announced this would not happen. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said at the time he knew the decision came as a blow to publicans but blamed the pandemic, saying: This virus is taking away their ability to earn a living. A new date for a potential reopening was set for last Monday, August 31, but that also didnt happen. Last week Tanaiste Leo Varadkar acknowledged that Ireland is the only country in Europe with wet pubs fully closed and he said the Government was working with public health advisers to come up with protocols to allow them to reopen. He said the Government couldnt put a date on when wet pubs would reopen as he announced 16m in new financial supports. Q: Were publicans happy with this? A: In a word, no. The Licensed Vintners Association and the Vintners Federation of Ireland reacted saying "we asked for support not sympathy and the Government has given us crumbs". Q: What about the crackdown on pubs that are open? A: The Dail is this week working on passing a new law that will give gardai the power to temporarily close pubs that breach Covid-19 restrictions. Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that pubs flouting the regulations are risking the health and lives of their customers and the wider public, though she said most were in compliance . Expand Close The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. Photo: Julien Behal / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. Photo: Julien Behal Under the legislation a Garda superintendent can make an immediate closure order for the remainder of the day if a pub fails to comply with an officers instruction. Gardai can also apply to the district court for closure orders of three, seven or 30 days if there are repeated failures by the business to comply with directions. There are provisions for publicans to appeal the orders. Q: What has the response been? A: The bill overwhelmingly passed second stage in the Dail with just ten TDs voting against it. Rural independent TDs are among those who were vehemently opposed, describing the new law as absolutely scandalous, an attempt at a police state and draconian. Kerry independent Danny Healy-Rae spoke out about it again today claiming Ireland is becoming "like the dictatorships in Russia and other places". Q: What does the Government say? A: Government ministers and TDs have argued that giving gardai these new powers can pave the way for the eventual reopening of wet pubs. During todays Dail debate Richard Bruton said: "My view is a framework under which we can start to open pubs and to have the lifting of some of the restrictions that have been very difficult to manage in a safe way." Expand Close Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. Photo: Steve Humphreys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. Photo: Steve Humphreys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo He said it was being portrayed as a means to ensure the pubs stay closed when it's "quite the opposite". Mr Varadkar, meanwhile, told a Fine Gael meeting that publicans should be given a chance to show they can reopen safely. Mr Martin today suggested that guidance on the reopening of all pubs will be forthcoming soon, but has not said when customers will be allowed in again. Q: What do the public health authorities make of all this? A: The HSEs clinical director Dr Colm Henry said today that now is not the right time to reopen pubs. He said the combination of alcohol, congregated settings and being indoors in a pub represented a Covid-19 risk. The reopening of schools and a rise in spread of the virus, with a 14-day incidence of 33 per 100,000, as well as an increase in infections in older people means that now is not the time to reopen pubs, he added. Q: So when will wet pubs reopen? A: That, for now, remains an open question. The next iteration of Tricare will give some military families and retirees the option to choose a health network other than the two selected to manage the Tricare East and West regions, according to a report delivered by the Pentagon to Congress in August. The new contracts, known as T-5, will require the winning contractors to partner with local health plans or networks in their regions to provide health services to Tricare beneficiaries -- a test of the "multiple provider network" concept to determine how effectively the expanded opportunities might work. Read Next: Millions of VA Appointments Canceled During Pandemic Have Not Been Rescheduled The Defense Health Agency will also implement a separate pilot program to test the concept in certain areas, issuing contracts directly to provider networks so they can accept Tricare beneficiaries, according to the report sent Aug. 14 to leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We believe this approach, which will allow local and regional contracted health plans and providers to focus solely on delivering health care services rather than these back office activities unique to Tricare, will lead to more plans and providers competing for Tricare business," defense officials wrote. The fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act required the DoD to make significant changes to the military health system and to Tricare, the department's program for managing private health services for military beneficiaries and retirees. The law also required the DoD to report on the structure of its managed care contracts and explain how it plans to comply with previous legislation requiring the department to give patients more health care choices, part of an effort to improve access and quality and lower costs. In the report, the DoD said it plans to offer broader selection in phases, first as demonstration or pilot projects before "rolling them out program-wide." "This demonstration will require education of beneficiaries on new options, assessment of the cost structure and other requirements of the innovations to ensure they improve care, quality and access, and analysis and evaluation to understand what could work," the report states. To understand how the new system may work, Tricare beneficiaries can look to Atlanta, where Tricare East Region contractor Humana Military has partnered with Kaiser Permanente, the not-for-profit health care company, to offer Tricare Prime to area residents. Under the agreement, which runs through 2023, Kaiser Permanente is to provide "value-based care" to retirees and military family members, defined as a health program that rewards providers based on performance, quality and value, as defined by the DoD. The pilot, according to Humana Military, is a test as to whether Kaiser Permanente's version of managed care "can improve health care quality and reduce health care costs for Tricare beneficiaries." The Pentagon released a draft request for proposal last week for the two T-5 contracts, which could be worth up to $58 billion. Currently, Humana Military Healthcare Services holds the contract for Tricare East, while Health Net Federal Services manages the Tricare West contract. Responses to the draft RFP from interested bidders are due Sept. 18. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime. Related: DoD Mental Health Care Programs Leave Thousands of Families in Need, IG Finds Youve likely heard that it is the year for the census - the time once every ten years when the US gets an official count of people living in the United States and its territories. If you have already submitted your census document, thank you! This is a super important and easy step to help keep our communities well represented and appropriately funded. If you havent done that yet, theres still a small window of time. The census deadline is soon - Sept. 30. Like I mentioned earlier, an accurate census count is very important but Id like to tell you a little bit more about why. When the State and Federal governments determine where taxpayer funds should be sent, they look at census data to see where people live. Many funds are based on population, and are further broken down by sex, age, race and other indicators. Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020 (6:00 PM Hong Kong) -- Deep Longevity, Inc (DLI), a leader in artificial intelligence for aging and longevity research announced that it had entered into the agreement to be acquired by Regent Pacific to create the integrated global platform for longevity biotechnology and aging research. The announcement was made during the 7th Annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery, the world's largest conference dedicated to aging research and drug discovery co-organized by Deep Longevity. "We are very happy to collaborate with Regent team, Jim Mellon, and Dr. Wei-Wu He to attempt to create an integrated ecosystem for scientists, medical doctors, medical centers, and insurance companies to extend human productive longevity and improve performance using artificial intelligence", said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder, and CEO of Deep Longevity. The scientists in the combined company intend to develop a global end-to-end longevity ecosystem through its "longevity cloud" - a large set of universal and application-specific deep biomarkers of aging dubbed "deep aging clocks" developed using the latest advances in artificial intelligence and aging research. The platform will serve researchers, medical doctors, and enthusiasts worldwide by providing a novel way to track and analyze aging at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, organism, and even psychological levels. Deep Longevity scientists are the original inventors of the "deep aging clocks", multimodal biomarkers of aging developed using deep learning techniques with multiple granted patents. They recently published deep hematological aging clocks, deep transcriptomic and proteomic aging clocks, deep microbiomic aging clocks, and contributed to the development of the photographic aging clocks. Jamie Gibson, Chief Executive Officer of Regent Pacific, said, "Our long-term vision is to transform Regent Pacific into a global end-to-end longevity and wellness biotechnology company dedicated to extending healthy productive lives of billions of people worldwide by developing a longevity ecosystem. It is only logical to start executing on this vision via the acquisition of the most sophisticated artificial intelligence system designed to track the rate of human aging and evaluate the effectiveness of longevity interventions. This system can be used by the longevity and performance clinics, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and large employers that deeply care about their workforce." ### About Deep Longevity Deep Longevity is developing explainable artificial intelligence systems to track the rate of aging at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, physiological, and psychological levels. It is also developing systems for the emerging field of longevity medicine enabling physicians to make better decisions on the interventions that may slow down, or reverse the aging processes. Deep Longevity developed Longevity as a Service (LaaS) solution to integrate multiple deep biomarkers of aging dubbed "deep aging clocks" to provide a universal multifactorial measure of human biological age. Originally incubated by Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity started its independent journey in 2020 after securing a round of funding from the most credible venture capitalists specializing in biotechnology, longevity, and artificial intelligence. ETP Ventures, Human Longevity and Performance Impact Venture Fund, BOLD Capital Partners, Longevity Vision Fund, LongeVC, co-founder of Oculus, Michael Antonov, and other experts AI and biotechnology investors supported the company. Deep Longevity established a research partnership with one of the most prominent longevity organizations, Human Longevity, Inc. to provide a range of aging clocks to the network of advanced physicians and researchers. https://deeplongevity.com About Regent Pacific Regent Pacific is a diversified investment group based in Hong Kong currently holding various corporate and strategic investments focusing on the healthcare, wellness and life sciences sectors. The Group has a strong track record of investments and has returned approximately US$298 million to shareholders in the 21 years of financial reporting since its initial public offering. In her statement to the Mumbai Police, psychotherapist Susan Walker said that Sushant Singh Rajput was suffering from bipolar disorder, and that his girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, had told her that hed been having suicidal thoughts. The statement was accessed by India Today. Walker had treated both Sushant and Rhea. The psychotherapist said that in October 2019, she received a message from Sushants manager Shruti Modi, saying that the actor was suffering from severe anxiety and needed immediate assistance. An appointment was made for November 4, but Shruti cancelled it the same day. The psychotherapist said that Sushant was taking medication for his illness, but would routinely stop taking the medicines whenever he showed signs of improvement. According to her, the actors condition had worsened to a point that he felt treatment was not going to work for him. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs family lawyer says sister got SSR a prescription for anxiety medication, legally On November 7, the psychotherapist received a message from Rhea, asking for another appointment. Asked if Sushant was having suicidal thoughts, Rhea replied in the affirmative. Walker said in her statement, I felt that Mr Sushant Singhs condition is extremely serious and he needs immediate treatment, hence I asked him to come on the date 07/11/2019 at 4:45 pm. After that I gave her my clinic address and asked her to inform about the treatment going on to Mr. Sushant Singh. After that, at approximately 4:45 pm, Miss Rhea Chakraborty and Mr Sushant Singh Rajput came to me. On that day, I had met him for the first time. I asked Rhea Chakraborty to stand outside and had a clinical discussion with Mr Sushant Singh Rajput. After the consultation, she came to the conclusion that Sushants anxiety, on a scale of one to 10, was at a nine. His speech and behaviour were completely irrelevant and very fast. On that, I was sure that Sushant Singh Rajput is suffering from bipolar disorder, she said. The psychotherapist also added that Sushant was aware of his condition, and had been experiencing symptoms since he was a child. Hed had previous episodes in 2013-14. Based on her conversations with Rhea, the psychotherapist said that she felt Rhea was taking great care of Sushant, but that he was negligent about his illness. She said that in June, Rhea had reached out to her to tell her that Sushant had once again stopped taking medicines, and that his mental health was deteriorating. Sushant died on June 14. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs chat with sister shows she knew about his mental health, advised him about medicines: report As for my opinion, Mr Sushant Singh had bipolar disorder and he had studied a lot about this disease. I had told him again and again that he would get cured of this disease but he thought that it is not true. Hence, he was continuously feeling that he would not recover from this disease. Overall, I feel that thinking that his family members should not suffer in the future due to this disease, instead of living with the said disease, he might have taken the decision to die by suicide, as a final resort, she said. Sushants family has so far hesitated to accept that the actor was suffering from any kind of mental health issues, and continues to allege that he was driven to suicide because Rhea drugged him, isolated him, and stole his money. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With exactly two months to go until Election Day, the Coalition for American Veterans issued the following statement: "Last month, both the Republicans and Democrats held their national conventions. Along with millions of Americans, we watched both conventions. Our main concern? Which party, and which candidate, will stand up for America's veterans? "The Democratic convention was quite disappointing. It was a bland and boring affair, with too many personal attacks on the President and too little attention to issues of concern to Veterans and all Americans. If the Biden-Harris ticket is elected, we fear that it would mark a return to the Obama-Biden policies of neglect, disrespect, and mistreatment of America's Veterans. "In contrast, the Republican convention featured many ordinary American citizens - Veterans, working people, farmers, small business owners, and families concerned about the increasing wave of looting, rioting, crime, and violence. Indeed, it was surreal to watch Biden, Harris, and the Democrats totally ignore this issue during their convention. "Over the next 60 days, the American people will consider the alternatives, and they will make their choice in November. We at the Coalition for American Veterans are motivated by a desire to advance and protect the interests of our Veterans, America's heroes. We strongly believe there are many, many reasons to 'Say NO! to Joe' on November 3rd, and to reject the Biden-Harris ticket. But the decision is in the hands of the voters." Between now and Election Day, the Coalition for American Veterans is conducting a grassroots outreach effort to stand up for Veterans' issues via videos, rallies, telephone town hall meetings, social media, phone calls, mailings, text messages, email alerts, and literature distribution. SOURCE Coalition for American Veterans Flamboyant Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has reiterated how wealthy he is. In a video circulating on social media, the NPP Chairman is seen showcasing the numerous gold bars he owns on Wontumi TV. Screaming 'solid money' while removing the gold bars one by one from a bag, Chairman Wontumi said the bars attest to the fact that he is very wealthy. The outspoken politician, has said in the past that, he was making $1 million at a point when he was doing small scale mining. His mining firm, Hansol Company Ltd, according to him, was one of the successful and top mining companies with footprints mainly in the Western region. Watch the video below: Benghazi aka Chairman Wontumi pka Bernard Antwi Boasiako too much money pic.twitter.com/aAP4S8HaZE JB (@jackson_baah) September 2, 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:49:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- While COVID-19 keeps causing economic fallout worldwide, digital technologies and services supported by the cooperation between China and Latin America have been creeping into the daily life of the people and providing momentum to economic growth in the region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the DiDi Delivery service has helped a number of small- and medium-sized enterprises that run bricks-and-mortar stores, which were forced to shut down due to local lockdown measures, to meet their urgent needs to resume operation. "DiDi Delivery has not only helped me finish all my orders, but also largely shortened the delivery time from several days to within 24 hours," said Andrea Wilkendorf, a Chilean entrepreneur who created "Pez Madera." "The rapid delivery has promoted the brand's reputation and greatly increased our sales," she noted, adding that the service is now a must for her business. Since this year, from contact-free infrared thermal imaging devices to COVID-19 diagnostic techniques assisted by artificial intelligence, from telecommuting to online courses and even faster online transactions, digital technologies and services have supported Latin America's economy to grow. "Because of the pandemic, traditional trade and people-to-people exchanges have been blocked. People were forced to choose online communication and transactions," said Zhou Mi, deputy director of the Institute of American and Oceanian Study at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. There are always some opportunities in a crisis, Zhou stressed, saying "digital economy is becoming a highly potential field for service trade between the two sides." Thanks to the "internet plus" services upgrade between China and Latin America, small enterprise owners in Chile managed to keep her business. "In Latin America, the epidemic has caused a surge in demand for online medical inquiries, telecommuting and online education, putting great pressure on the networks of all countries," noted Wu Xiaoliang, vice president of Public and Government Affairs Department of Chinese tech giant Huawei. "Facing this situation, Huawei and local operators in Latin America responded actively to ensure the normal operation of the current network," Wu said. In the eyes of Zhou, China and Latin America have a promising future for bilateral cooperation in the field of e-commerce, with increasing support in such fields as communications, logistics, big data and cloud computing. "While geographical distance is a key constraint to the development of economic and trade cooperation between China and Latin America, service trade, which eliminates the problems caused by long distance, serves as a good way to promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation," Zhou said. Brazil is the top market among the 200-plus sales countries and regions worldwide of AliExpress, an international online shopping platform under Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. However, its business was hit hard when the pandemic broke out at the beginning of the year, when the capacity of international logistics was largely reduced and the exchange rate adversely affected. To solve the problem, AliExpress has launched new services in Brazil including charter flights and centralized transportation, allowing cross-store orders to be shipped altogether and orders over 30 U.S. dollars enjoying free shipping. According to data compiled by AliExpress, the centralized transportation service has become the second most popular logistics service in Brazil within six months. And as the Chinese online retail service further lowered in August the threshold of free shipping to 15 dollars, the volume of centralized transportation rose by another 50 percent. Zhou said that cross-border e-commerce has not only enabled Latin Americans to enjoy made-in-China products online, but also allowed high-quality Latin American agri-products into Chinese homes, bringing benefits to both sides. China and Latin America have also deepened cooperation in public health this year with the help of new technologies. During the pandemic, Huawei joined hands with China's Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Lanwon technology to develop an auxiliary diagnosis and treatment system for COVID-19. The system, which integrates cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies, was then deployed in many hospitals in Latin American countries such as Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Panama and so on. "The worldwide spread of the pandemic has hit the traditional trade and services hard. But in emerging service industries, especially knowledge-intensive services which are digitally-deliverable, growth has been achieved to a certain extent amid depression," said Li Jun, director of the Institute of International Trade in Service at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. Many enterprises and business associations from Latin America will show up in the China International Fair for Trade in Services, scheduled for Sept. 4-9 in Beijing. Looking ahead, Zhou believed that while some countries choose beggar-thy-neighbor polices to protect their own interests, China and Latin America will firmly support free trade because it will help both sides achieve better development and survive the crisis. Enditem In time, and due to their increase, intensity and the horde of new more multi-symptomatic versions of illness and disease that are to come, we will ask Esoteric Medicine to help explain what it has been saying for thousands of years. We will then know in full what causes them. It is sad, if not very unfortunate, so to speak, that the spirit impulsed human being, under the Pranic Consciousness that it most conveniently chooses as its way and form of thinking, has to endure great suffering and or gigantic calamity before it will stop and ponder the depth and thoroughness of the questions it avoids asking -- well before the calamity or suffering occurs. Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations Volume I, ed 1, p 721 In 2006, a small audience of 150 or so in a small part of the world was introduced publicly to a new nomenclature for the future of Medicine: The Multi-Symptomatic Man. In hindsight, this was not a new concept, yet a future foreseen by Serge Benhayon in 1999 should the consistent trend of human illness and disease continue. Even at this time of writing, what is truly meant by the term is not fully understood or widely known in the global pool of information through the worldwide Internet and the institutional hierarchy of academia. Over the past four hundred years, humanity has experienced a resurgence of scientific and medical revolution that will continue for another millennium. Derived from the awareness that our bodies are made of different cells, and run by electrical impulses, we are increasingly fragmented by medicine into ever smaller parts of molecules, proteins and genes that will be modified to treat specific human disorders. The era of Re-Creating the Creation of a human being is not far away as we move from cell transplants to customised recipient-specific organ parts and gene programming. Likewise, the ability to harness the power that powers the Sun rather than the traditional reliance on fossil fuels is palpably within the grasp of our technological advances. In the days of Classical Medicine, in lifelong dedication the village healer, then the trusted family doctor, heard the ailments of humanity and dispensed the necessity of treatment. Over the past hundred years alone, billions now have the access to the Conventional Medicine as the supply and demand of pharmacopeia extends globally. Medical knowledge is no longer limited by the physical borders of a country or a county: what is known in the very best hospitals of the advanced nations can be accessed in the remotest part of the Indian subcontinent or Papua New Guinea, if the supply chain can reach the people in need. In this time of unlimited abundance, humanity is confronted by a paradox of an avoidable future that is already being felt by the learned observer within and outside Medicine. Human ills are increasingly complex, diverse and atypical, with their symptoms that are no longer single, double or triple, but multiple. One or more chronic diseases are the norm, and more specialised drugs are used to treat multiple symptoms and multiple disorders. Colours have changed but intensity has not changed when 1 in 2 men have prostate cancer after the age of 50 If we belong to evolution, what have we done to evolve and how have we evolved? We cant have in our current situation; we casually have in the window display of pharmacy that 1 in 2 men have prostate cancer after the age of 55. Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Medicine Series #8, circa 2010 There are more specialists and subspecialists as the disciplines of Medicine continue to expand. The so-called Undifferentiated Doctor at the end of medical school is true: in fact, two or more decades will be spent to differentiate a junior doctor into his or her art of mastering a specific discipline. For those exceptional gifted individuals who are fortunate to master at least two or more disciplines, they are forever at the mercy of other disciplines not yet mastered. One in four Americans has multiple chronic conditions: that number rises to three in four Americans aged 65 and older. [1] CDC, circa 2018 Behind these words, we far underestimate the true extent of the global human epidemic behind The Seen world of images and numbers. What about the young? What about the women? What about the 2.6 billion in the developing world? Furthermore, what is most alarming, thought provoking and challenging through Serges prophetic words is not the confirmation of what is already occurring and seen in the world of conventional Medicine. In fact, and by the undeniable principles in the Universal Law of Energy and Quantum Physics, Benhayon is alerting us of the extent of The Unseen world of illness and disease before the visible ills, there is the unseen and unfelt that is leading to the illness and disease. The extent of Asymptomatic is far underestimated in Medicine, or in society in general as our human senses focus on the visible. After all, what and how we see is already filtered by the brain under the inundating influence of the worldly elements. Hence, our inability to feel the beginnings of a tumour and its early growth within our organs, or the early phase of autoimmune attack on the endocrine system that ultimately leads to the multi-systemic illness of lupus, or the early wear-and-tear of our joints before the constant grinding and crepitations of an inflamed arthritic joint. The list of asymptomatic is endless when we begin to feel the human body again in our Absolute Honesty in addition to the technologies of PET scans and advanced genetic screening. Everything is energy, and everything is because of energy. That is, if I stand here, I say to you I have cancer, there is energy of cancer in my body, and there is a way I have been living energetically that has allowed my body to manifest the energy that is called cancer, therefore there is a Way of Living or Being I have been living. Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Medicine Series #8, circa 2010 The Multi-Symptomatic Man will be the norm when the society only seeks to make the human life more bearable rather than reawaken itself with courage to a greater level of Responsibility: that there is a Way of Living, an Energetic Way of Being that is declining in the human being as a species in a few generations. The Purpose of Medicine must see that everything and anything we complain about the Wrong in our body must be about the energy of how the human being is lived. Ultimately, Medicine is Universal when every discipline masters the Unseen, and reclaims the Multi-Symptomatic Man as a museum piece for the future student of Medicine as The Way it was. References [1] National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Multiple Chronic Conditions (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington DC, 14 August 2018) Filed under Medical treatment, Mental health, Responsibility, Disease, Health conditions, Human body, Lifestyle diseases, Medicine With the two new schools, Egypt will be operating 43 Japanese schools in 24 governorates Egypts education ministry said on Thursday two new Japanese schools will open in New Valley and South Sinai governorates this academic year, according to a statement by the Egyptian-Japanese schools unit, an affiliate of the education ministry. With the two new schools, Egypt will be operating 43 Japanese schools in 24 governorates. The project was agreed during Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's visit to Japan in February 2016. Under a cooperation protocol signed between Egypt and Japan in 2017, Japan is providing the necessary technical support for the project. The state has an ambitious plan to build 100 Japanese-style state schools all over the country. The two new schools are located in the New Valley's Al-Kharga city and South Sinai's Sharm El-Sheikh. The ministry said registration for kindergarten and first grade will open online as of Friday for 15 days on https://ejs4students.moe.gov.eg The beginning of the new school year in Egypt was pushed back to 17 October on the back of the coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese schools are a promising experience. They focus on building pupils' characters in line with the Japanese style, the statement quoted education minister Tarek Shawki as saying. He added the experience also takes heed to the activities part, as well as building high-quality premises, equipping laboratories and training teachers. The Japanese schools teach the same Arabic-language curriculum as other state schools, while adopting the Japanese "whole child education" system known as Tokkatsu. Tokkatsu's course is meant to achieve a balanced development of intellect, virtue and body by ensuring academic competence, rich emotions and healthy physical development. The fees of Japanese schools are set at EGP 10,800 ($680) per year, according to the education ministrys website. Search Keywords: Short link: Same All Over - Four Full Days Getting Kids Into Your Car Travel with children According to a SEAT study, parents in Spain, Germany and England spend on average 96 hours a year getting their children into the car Fastening them securely in child seats and loading up the vehicle with the essentials are two aspects that delay setting off Many parents arrive late to work at least once a week for this reason Martorell, 03/09/2020. Last-minute trips to the bathroom, endless pleading to get them to put on their shoes and coats, deciding which toy they want to take to school every day... Getting out of the house is just one part of the challenge that families with children face every day. And then it becomes even more difficult: convincing them to get into the car, fastening them in their car seats and loading everything they need into the boot. This ordeal requires parents to dedicate a total of 96 hours a year, exactly four full days, according to a study carried out by SEAT in Spain, Germany and the UK. Delays. The survey concludes that parents tend to lengthen their routines by an average of 20 minutes to compensate delays caused by putting their children in the car. This is common in all three survey countries, although 10% of Spaniards and 6% of Germans say they must add at least 40 minutes to their routines in case it takes longer. The terrible twos: Theres a reason its called that at this age. And the moment of leaving home and getting into the car is no less terrible. 41% of the parents surveyed say that this routine is more difficult with toddlers between the ages of two and three. The bad part. British, German and Spanish parents agree that the most time consuming thing is getting their children to put on their shoes and coats to go out. In addition, the time it takes to put them in child restraint systems and fasten seat belts or the last minute trips to the bathroom are parents other major concerns in terms of tardiness. Late once a week. The time wasted on this daily routine sometimes makes parents late for work. In Spain, this is where it happens the most, with more than half of parents (55%) late to work at least once a week. Of these, 45% of the time they are late more than once a week and 21% admit to being late every day. Of the total, only 19% of those surveyed are never late. Furthermore, one third of British people admit to being late to work at least once a week. This contrasts with the figures for Germany, where 41% of parents say they are never late and only 23% admit to being late for work at least once a week. That dreaded moment. Interestingly, the study shows that more than 70% of Spanish parents dread the routine of bundling their kids in the car, 15% of them to a large extent, while in Germany the anxiety drops to 58% and only 4% express intense fear. Faced with these stressful situations, in Spain more than half of parents admit that they sometimes curse out loud or under their breath in the midst of the chore, and 15% often do so. On the other hand, only 42% of Germans curse from time to time when they put their children in the car. Millenia-old techniques. To make the process of getting in the car as fast and smooth as possible, many parents play the age-old rewards game. Listening to their favorite music, promising something when they arrive at their destination, letting them use the tablet to watch their favorite shows, or offering them sweets and treats are among the most popular techniques. Spain is the country where rewards are most widespread, with almost three quarters of parents using them. In Germany, on the other hand, 60% admit to resorting to these tactics, whereas only a little more than 25% do so in the United Kingdom. The good part. Despite the inconvenience this daily routine can cause for parents, when it comes down to it, 96% admit that they enjoy travelling with their children by car. Many point out that what they like most about family trips is being able to chat with them, sing songs out loud together and listen to their innocent and peculiar observations about the world. In short, the hassle, the rushing and the cursing are worth it in the end when you hear their laughter. SEAT Tarraco, comfort for the whole family. Its difficult enough to get the kids out of the house, so SEATs largest SUV features family-friendly elements to make this routine more comfortable and family travel even more enjoyable: YEREVAN, 3 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 3 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.19 drams to 487.48 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.16 drams to 576.35 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.12 drams to 6.47 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 3.98 drams to 647.23 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price down by 384.48 drams to 30515.81 drams. Silver price down by 18.31 drams to 434.22 drams. Platinum price down by 558.38 drams to 14419.02 drams. 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More than 17,000 companies will attend the upcoming event, organizers said. It will feature 190 online and offline forums and business negotiation sessions. The fair will also release applications of various new technologies and services, including financial security, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and distance education. China is the world's second biggest importer of services and it has huge potential in the services industry with its large population. What is the Special Frontier Force also known as Establishment 22 and Vikas Battalion Comprehensive Story oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: There are reports that the Special Frontier Force (SFF) referred to as the Vikas Battalion had been instrumental in occupying some key heights along the Line of Actual Control. The action was taken to prevent any occupation by the Chinese troops. The SFF is a special force that was created on November 14 1962 and the main goal was to conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in the event of another Indo-China war. Formation: It was on the advise of Intelligence Bureau Chief Bhola Nath Mullik that the SFF was formed. SFF is also referred to as Establishment 22 or 22 because its first Inspector General, Major General Sujan Singh Uban had commanded the 22nd Mountain Division in Europe during World War II. A new name: Subsequently the force was re-named as the Special Frontier Force and it now falls under the purview of the Cabinet Secretariat. It is headed by an Inspector General, who is an Army officer in the rank of Major General. It may be recalled that former Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh had held that office at one point during his service. The units that comprise the SFF are known as Vikas Battalions. Highly trained personnel: The SFF units are not part of the Army, but function under the operational command of the Indian Army. The units have their own rank structures, which have an equivalent status with the Army ranks. The personnel are highly trained and can undertake various tasks which are normally performed by any special forces unit. Women soldiers are also part of the SFF and perform specialised tasks. The SFF has its own training establishment, where the recruits are trained. The 1971 operation: In the 1971 war, the SFF operated along the Chittagong hill tracts in East Pakistan, which went to become Bangladesh. The SFF was posted to neutralise the army positions of Pakistan. This helped the Indian Army advance ahead. The operation was code named, 'Operation Eagle.' The forces were airlifted into operational areas and infiltrated behind enemy lines to destroy the communication lines of the Pakistan Army. The force also played a major part in preventing the escape of the Pakistan army personnel from Bangladesh into Burma. In this operation, estimates suggest that 3,000 personnel of the Special Frontier Force were used in the covert operations. Other operations: There are many other major operations that the SFF has carried out. The force took part in Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The force was also part of the Kargil War. While these are some of the known operations, there are many more counter insurgency operations that the SFF had participated in, which remain classified. Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the SFF was briefly used for VIP security around the Prime Minister. This role was later handed over to the Special Protection Group (SPG). In the year 1975 a new rule was issued that prohibited the SFF from being deployed within 10 kilometres of the India-China border unless under explicit instructions. By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan has taken an important step to create a mechanism for agricultural insurance. Thus, for the first time in the country, a specialized joint insurance company Joint Agrarian Insurance Company has been established. The company will enter into contracts with policyholders, receive complaints about the incidents and manage the system as a whole. Moreover, the Joint Agrarian Insurance Company was established by seven companies working in the field of insurance, except life insurance in the country. Thus, the founders of the joint venture are Pasha Insurance, Qala Insurance, Mega Insurance, Azerbaijan Industrial Insurance, Xalq Insurance, AZSIGORTA and Baku Insurance. The authorized capital of the company is set at AZN 2.1 million ($1.2M). The share of each founder is envisaged at the rate of AZN 312,500 ($183,823). Likewise, the founding companies will act as insurance intermediary companies in the agriculture insurance system. Additionally, after establishment of "Joint Agrarian Insurance Company", the final application will be submitted to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan for obtaining a license for insurance activities. It should be noted that the Agrarian Insurance Fund states that other companies engaged in insurance activities in the country, except life insurance, may also participate in the activities of "Joint Agrarian Insurance Company". --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz More than 70 businesses at Heathrow Airport have launched a legal battle after being forced to pay business rates during the coronavirus lockdown. The businesses have brought a group action against tax authorities in a bid to secure business rates reductions and are expected to discuss a settlement next week. Cargo, freight and baggage handling firms are among companies in the airport who have continued to face significant rates despite a dive in passenger numbers. It comes after it was claimed the airport could axe up to 1,200 jobs, around a quarter of its frontline roles, yesterday as a result of a downturn in the industry. Businesses providing handling services at airports are liable for full rates in England and Wales, while in Scotland they have been handed a 100 per cent rates holiday. More than 70 businesses at Heathrow Airport (pictured as passengers arrive from a flight from Croatia on August 22) have launched a legal battle after being forced to pay business rates during the coronavirus lockdown Baggage handling firms are among those to bring group action against the tax authorities on business rates The companies based at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, have now launched the proceedings seeking 'substantial and prolonged reductions' in the property tax. It comes a day after Heathrow airport itself said it has started consulting with unions over pay cuts in a process which could lead to job losses due to low traffic numbers. It is understood that real estate adviser Altus Group is advising the group of companies, having lodged two separate 'group pre-challenge review' requests with the Valuation Office Agency arm of HMRC. Settlement discussions are set to start on Monday September 7 regarding the first request, which relates to those operating on the periphery of the airport such as freight and cargo services. John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow Airport, has previously called the Government to match support for retailers with rate holidays with similar support for airports A second request has been made which relates to airline services let out at the airport such as passenger lounges, baggage handling services and engineering bases. If a settlement is not reached, the cases could move forward to an independent valuation tribunal. Robert Hayton, head of business rates at Altus Group, said: 'The requests are directly related to the substantial physical impact upon the property and its overall physical environment of numerous legislative, policy and associated matters introduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic both within the United Kingdom and wider. 'The impact that coronavirus has had on airports, as well as those businesses operating in and around the sites, are already obvious and grounds exist to support a substantial and prolonged reduction through the business rates system.' John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow Airport, has previously called the Government to match support for retailers with rate holidays with similar support for airports. He recently told the Aviation Club: 'Most countries get this But once again it seems that our government has taken the opposite approach to the rest of the world. 'There has been no support for the aviation sector beyond the job retention scheme. 'While Tesco and Sainsbury's have had their business rates waived for a year, airports have had no relief.' HMRC has been contacted for a comment. Yesterday, Heathrow informed union officials that it was triggering a 45-day consultation period about proposed cuts to 1,200 jobs, Sky News said, citing unidentified sources. Insiders told Sky that a deal is still possible if unions could agree revised terms but that if an agreement wasn't reached, approximately one-fifth of Heathrow's total workforce of about 5,700 people could be put at risk, the insider said. The airport's plan involves cutting around half of workers' salaries by up to 20 per cent. If no agreement is reached, then job cuts could be implemented. Heathrow informed union officials that it was triggering a 45-day consultation period about proposed cuts to 1,200 jobs. Pictured: Passengers wear face masks as they arrive with their luugage at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport Heathrow has seen passenger numbers drop dramatically during the last six months, with July's traffic reportedly down 95% year-on-year. Just 867,000 people travelling through the west London airport last month, compared with 7.7million in July 2019. The airport is hoping to find a deal that would cut employee pay and change benefits. It said in a statement: 'Covid-19 has decimated the aviation industry, which has led to an unprecedented drop in passenger numbers at Heathrow, costing the airport over 1billion since the start of March. Last month Ryanair slashed flight capacity by a fifth over a drop in the number of passenger bookings, while Easyjet announced it was closing bases in Stansted, Southend and Newcastle, which currently have 670 members of staff 'Provisional traffic figures for August show passenger numbers remain 82% down on last year and we must urgently adapt to this new reality. 'Discussions with our unions have taken place over four months and our final offer is informed by feedback we have received from them. 'But with air travel showing little sign of recovery, these discussions cannot go on indefinitely and we must act now to prevent our situation from worsening. 'We have now started a period of formal consultation with our unions on our offer, which still guarantees a job at the airport for anyone who wishes to stay with our business.' (Bloomberg) -- SoftBank Group Corp. led a $100 million investment in Biofourmis Pte, nearly tripling the valuation of a software startup that predicts problems for patients with heart conditions. SoftBanks financing came from the Vision Fund 2, a successor to the Japanese giants initial $100 billion fund. Existing backers EDBI of Singapore, MassMutual Ventures, Openspace Ventures and Sequoia Capital also joined the Series C round. The investment round valued the company at more than $700 million, up from about $250 million previously, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the information is private. A company spokesman declined to comment on its valuation. Biofourmis, which was founded in Singapore before relocating its base to Boston, uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized care. It plans to use the capital to develop digital solutions across cardiology, respiratory, oncology and pain management for patients in the U.S., China and Japan, Chief Executive Officer Kuldeep Singh Rajput said in an interview. We believe Biofourmis is a leader in using AI and machine learning-based solutions to advance digital therapeutics, said Greg Moon, Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers. Rajput, who turns 29 this month, said he wasnt planning to raise capital after closing a $35 million Series B round in May 2019. But SoftBank contacted him after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic really fast-forwarded the need for virtual monitoring of patients remotely at home, and we were able to customize our platform to monitor patients with Covid-19 in five countries, Rajput said in a separate interview with Bloomberg TVs Haidi Lun and Sophie Kamaruddin Thursday. SoftBank had been following this, and in May and June we met up with them and they opened up multiple opportunities. (Updates with the firms valuation from the first paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. A $30 matte lipstick loved by Kylie Jenner has been crowned the best shade in Australia after thousands of beauty fans voted for their favourite formula. MAC's best-selling 'Velvet Teddy' has earned a cult status with its universally flattering nude shade that suits many skin tones all over the world. And it's no surprise the iconic product has been voted the winner after taking out the 'best lipstick' category in the coveted Mecca Beauty Election 2020 awards. MAC's 'Velvet Teddy' has has been crowned the 'best lipstick' in Australia in the coveted Mecca Beauty Election 2020 awards (picture of Sammy Robinson wearing Velvet Teddy) The popular lipstick has earned a cult status with its universally flattering nude shade that suits many skin tones all over the world With a deep 'beige-meets-rosy' undertone, the fan-favourite shade offers long lasting colour with 'comfortable all-day wear'. The lipstick contains vitamin E to ensure the colour 'glides onto lips smoothly without causing skin dehydration'. More than 600 fans have left glowing 4.7 star ratings on the Mecca website, with many describing it as the 'perfect nude shade'. 'Hands down the best lipstick. It's beautiful - nice scent and a gorgeous velvety texture with a stunning matte finish,' one fan said. Another woman said: 'There is a reason the Velvet Teddy is time and time again the most popular colour in the Mac range. It is the perfect well defined nude needed in every girls kit. Just buy it - you will not be disappointed.' One single woman described the shade as the 'best lipstick wingman ever'. 'I recently bought this amazing shade to celebrate heading back in to the dating world. It has survived two out of two dates without the amazingly rich pigment fading let alone slipping, bleeding, sliding or gravitating to my teeth,' she said. 'Even when making out (both dates were great kissers, thanks for asking), this incredible lipstick was reliable. Best lipstick wingman EVER.' With a deep 'beige-meets-rosy' undertone, the fan-favourite shade offers long lasting colour with 'comfortable all-day wear' One fan said the lipstick lived up to its expectations, saying 'The reviews were right, Velvet Teddy is a great product! The colour is a totally appealing, in-between kind of shade that just works. No strong taste or smell. A winner.' Another woman agreed, saying: 'I wanted to see what the hype was about with Velvet Teddy and happy to say it lived up to the hype completely. 'I have medium olive skin and Velvet Teddy works really well for a deep-tone nude on my lips. It is really sophisticated and I adore how it wears as well.' Others revealed they have been buying the same shade for years, with one woman saying: 'I have used this as my go-to for years - by far my personal favourite and lasts all day.' The runners-up in the lipstick category includes $30 Mecca Cosmetica tinted lip de-luscious with SPF 25, $46 Too Faced lip injection extreme, $42 Nars lipstick and $18 Mecca Max gloss boss lip gloss. Zurich UK announced that Tim Bailey, who is currently group chief operating officer for EMEA, will take on the role of UK CEO subject to board and regulatory approvals. He will succeed the current UK CEO Tulsi Naidu who will join the Zurich group executive committee to take over as regional CEO of the Asia Pacific region from Jan. 1, 2021. Naidu has led the UK business since 2016. During her tenure, she reshaped and simplified the business, improved technical and digital capabilities and strengthened the team, resulting in Zurichs UK business returning to strong growth with improved profitability, said Zurich UK in a statement. Bailey has over 20 years experience in the insurance sector and has worked in several key roles across the Zurich Group. Previous roles he has held include: CEO of Life and Investments (Australia), chief risk officer and head of Strategy for the Global Life business. Bailey has been spearheading the companys approach in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region on major issues such as COVID-19. Bailey has also been involved in Zurichs response to Brexit, the company affirmed. This announcement from the UK forms a major part of Zurich Groups progress in ramping up its global business, the company said. Zurich Group is launching a new unit to expand digital services worldwide, called the Global Business Platforms unit, which will be headed up by current APAC CEO Jack Howell. A signpost of the secessionist group, Western Togoland, has mysteriously been mounted in Akorley, a community in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region. An inscription; Welcome to Western Togoland, Stay Safe is embossed on the signpost. A journalist in the area, Bennet Yawvi said the signpost was mounted around 9 pm last night but had been removed on orders of the Municipal Chief Executive of the area. It has been handed over to the police. The journalist said apart from Akorley similar signposts had been erected in Akuse. Bennet Yawvi said all those signposts had been removed but no arrests had been made yet. The Police Service has begun investigations into the development. The group has made a number of attempts to push for the secession of the Volta Region from Ghana for the creation of a Western Togoland. The group first made calls for the secession in May 2019. Over 80 members of the separatist group were subsequently arrested for assembling for a protest over the arrest of seven leaders of the Homeland Study Group Foundation. But the Attorney General in July 2019 withdrew all charges b rought against members of Homeland Study Group Foundation. In March 2020, a supposed flag of the group was seen flying at full mast at the premises of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council. The development triggered questions about the effectiveness of security agencies in the region. citinewsroom Scientists discover a warped disc "torn apart by stars" in a triple Tatooine-like system Pioneering new research has revealed the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted rings. An international team of experts, led by astronomers at the University of Exeter, has identified a stellar system where planet formation might take place in inclined dust and gas rings within a warped circumstellar disc around multiple stars. A view from a potential planet around this system will give the observer a stunning view of a tilted, multiple stellar constellation - similar to Star Wars' Tatooine. The results were made possible thanks to observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), Georgia State University's Center for High-Angular Resolution Astronomy telescope array (CHARA), and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The research is the first output of a large programme on young stellar system that uses a pioneering infrared imager, called MIRC-X, that combines the light from all six telescopes of the CHARA telescope array. MIRC-X has been built by the Universities of Michigan and Exeter as part of a European Research Council-funded research project. The instrument has been designed to give new insights into how star and planet formation is taking place within the rotating, circumstellar discs of dense dust and gas surrounding young stars. Our Solar System is remarkably flat, with the planets all orbiting in the same plane. However, this is not always the case, especially for planet-forming discs around multiple stars, like the object of the new study: GW Orionis. This system, located just 1,200 light-years away in the constellation of Orion, has three stars and a deformed, broken-apart disc surrounding them. Stefan Kraus, professor of astrophysics at the University of Exeter, who led the research published today in Science, said: "We're really excited that our new MIRC-X imager has provided the sharpest view yet of this intriguing system and revealed the gravitational dance of the three stars in the system. Normally, planets form around a flat disc of swirling dust and gas- yet our images reveal an extreme case where the disc is not flat at all.", said Stefan Kraus, "Instead it is warped and has a misaligned ring that has broken away from the disc. The misaligned ring is located in the inner part of the disc, close to the three stars. The effect is that the view of a potential planet within this ring looks remarkably like that of Tatooine, of Star Wars fame." The team observed the system with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's VLT and with ALMA, and were able to image the inner ring and confirm its misalignment. The team observed shadows that this ring casts on the rest of the disc. This helped them figure out the 3D shape of the rings and overall disc geometry. The new research reveals that this inner ring contains 30 Earth masses of dust, which could be enough to form planets. Alexander Kreplin of the University of Exeter, said: "Any planets formed within the misaligned ring will orbit the star on highly oblique orbits and we predict that many planets on oblique, wide-separation orbits will be discovered in future planet imaging surveys. "Since more than half of stars in the sky are born with one or more companions, this raises an exciting prospect: there could be an unknown population of exoplanets that orbit their stars on very inclined and distant orbits." To reach these conclusions, the team observed GW Orionis for over 11 years and mapped the orbit of the stars with unprecedented precision. Alison Young, a member of the team from the Universities of Exeter and Leicester, said: "We found that the three stars do not orbit in the same plane, but their orbits are misaligned with respect to each other and with respect to the disc." The international team, with researchers from the UK, Belgium, Chile, France and the US, then combined their exhaustive observations with computer simulations to understand what had happened to the system. For the first time, they were able to clearly link the observed misalignments to the theoretical 'disc-tearing effect', which suggests that the conflicting gravitational pull of stars in different planes can warp and break their surrounding disc. "We conducted simulations that show that the misalignment in the orbits of the three stars could cause the disc around them to break into distinct rings. This is what we see in the observations.", said Matthew Bate, professor of theoretical astrophysics at Exeter, who carried out some of the computer simulations on the system. "The observed shape of the inner ring also matches predictions on how the disc would tear." ### The research was presented in the paper "A triple star system with a misaligned and warped circumstellar disk shaped by disk tearing" that is published in the journal, Science. This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Market Intelligence announced today that investment research from Citigroup (Citi), consistently ranked among the top 3 research firms in the world, will be available exclusively on an embargoed basis to S&P Global Market Intelligence financial and professional services clients. With more than 250 research analysts, Citigroup covers over 3,500 companies around the globe and across all sectors. "Citi has been an important research partner with us for many years," said JP O'Sullivan, Managing Director, Financial Institutions, S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Our Aftermarket Research offering is central to our commitment of delivering high quality, value-add insights to our clients through our desktop workflows and analytics. This exclusive agreement reinforces our commitment by providing our clients with Citi's leading investment research to stay on top of rapidly evolving market dynamics." "When investors want to make sense of an increasingly complex landscape across sectors, asset classes and economies, they turn to Citi's top-ranked analysts for valuable insight," said Gavin Skinner, Chief Operating Officer of Research at Citi. "We are pleased to expand our global research offerings to S&P Global clients through this exclusive aftermarket collaboration." Citi adds considerable value to the S&P Global Market Intelligence Aftermarket Research offering, which contains 25 million reports from more than 1,800 investment banks and independent research providers. Citi joins a list of leading global and regional investment banks in the S&P Global Market Intelligence Aftermarket Research offering, including J.P. Morgan, UBS, Barclays, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank. While Citi reports have been available to Aftermarket Research clients on a pay-per-basis previously, now Citi research will be accessible to S&P Global Market Intelligence clients as part of their Aftermarket Research subscription. Citi Research is ranked among the top 3 investment research providers globally by Institutional Investor magazine and the Extel Survey, and Citi is highly rated in analyst coverage of Banks, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Consumer, ESG, Industrials, REITs, Technology/Media, and Transportation. To learn more about S&P Global Market Intelligence's Aftermarket Research, please visit: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/campaigns/investment-research. About S&P Global Market Intelligence At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we understand the importance of accurate, deep and insightful information. We integrate financial and industry data, research and news into tools that help track performance, generate alpha, identify investment ideas, perform valuations and assess credit risk. Investment professionals, government agencies, corporations and universities around the world use this essential intelligence to make business and financial decisions with conviction. S&P Global Market Intelligence is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the global capital and commodity markets, offering ESG solutions, deep data and insights on critical business factors. S&P Global has been providing essential intelligence that unlocks opportunity, fosters growth and accelerates progress for more than 160 years. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence. Media Contact: Farhan Husain +1 212 438 3271 [email protected] SOURCE S&P Global Related Links http://www.spglobal.com In a startling claim, Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut has accused Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut of threatening her. Kangana posted a tweet saying that Raut is openly threatening her to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in Mumbai Police. Kangana also added that Mumbai now looks like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to her. "Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?," Kangna tweeted. Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir? https://t.co/5V1VQLSxh1 Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 3, 2020 Earlier, Sanjay Raut had slammed Kangana in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana saying that her "treachery" was shameful as she raised fingers over Mumbai police despite living in the city. He had written, "We kindly request her not to come in Mumbai. This is nothing but insult to Mumbai police. The Home Ministry should take action over it. It is to be noted that Kangana is very vocal about actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case and she had raised questions over the functioning of Mumbai Police in the past too. Shortly after Sushant'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 Swachh Bharat mission cleanses the gutter called Bullywood," she had tweeted. FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive at the Endeavour Fund Awards in London By Estelle Shirbon and Jill Serjeant LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry and his American-born wife Meghan have signed an exclusive multiyear production deal with Netflix Inc, a major step in their plan to make a living for themselves outside the royal family. Under the deal, whose value was not disclosed, the couple will produce films and series ranging from children's shows to scripted content, the streaming platform said on Wednesday. The couple moved to Southern California with their infant son Archie this year after stepping back from royal duties in January and announcing plans to be more financially independent. They said they will produce content on issues that resonate with them and that their nonprofit Archewell is focused on. "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope, the couple said in a statement on Wednesday. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us. Meghan, a former star of the USA Network television show "Suits," has no plans to return to acting under the deal. The couple have no previous experience as producers, but Netflix said they already have several projects in development, including a nature documentary series and an animated series that celebrates inspiring women. They said they plan to highlight diversity in front of and behind the camera. "We're incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home," Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. The Netflix deal follows a similar pact in 2018 with former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. The New York Times said Harry and Meghan had been speaking with other Hollywood companies, including Walt Disney Co and Apple Inc. Variety reported earlier this month that they had met with Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal. Netflix last month released Rising Phoenix, a documentary about the Paralympic Games, in which Harry, who founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans, makes a brief appearance. Story continues Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth, had previously teamed up with the Apple TV+ streaming service to make a documentary with Oprah Winfrey about mental health. The documentary, which was in the works before the couple stepped back from their royal duties, has yet to be aired. In June, the couple signed with the Harry Walker Agency in New York, which serves as an agent for lectures by clients such as former U.S. Presidents Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as Oprah Winfrey. Harry and Meghan are expected to speak together and individually on issues such as racial justice, gender equity, the environment, and mental health. The couple recently bought a mansion in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, north of Los Angeles, that is more sheltered from media attention. Since arriving in California in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, they have undertaken some low-profile charity work, handing out supplies to families in need. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London and Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Jonathan Oatis) Distinguished graduate faculty award winners show excellence in research, graduate teaching Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 MANHATTAN Internationally recognized researchers in integrated pest management and biofuels are being recognized as the 2020-2021 Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award recipients at Kansas State University. This year's winners are Tom Phillips, professor of entomology, and Donghai Wang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering. The award, supported by the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Commerce Bancshares Foundation and coordinated by the K-State Graduate School, honors current members of the graduate faculty who are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding scholarly achievements and their contributions to graduate education at the university. Award recipients receive an honorarium and will deliver public lectures on their research to the campus community. "Drs. Phillips and Wang exemplify why Commerce Bank and the W.T. Kemper Foundation have long supported this award to recognize Kansas State University's most outstanding graduate faculty," said Shawn Drew, market president and CEO of Commerce Bank, Manhattan. "Both are world-class researchers and teachers and we are honored to recognize them for their outstanding work." As a world leader in research and applications of integrated management of stored product pests, Phillips' expertise in chemical ecology and insect behavior have contributed to his success in designing monitoring and mating disruption systems for insects. Insects account for more than half of human food that is lost postharvest in developing countries. Phillips' development of holistic management systems addresses this critical issue related to food security. Phillips' research has been supported by more than $9 million in grants and has led to the publication of 164 journal articles and 15 books or book chapters. He has given numerous research presentations, including approximately 80 invited talks. Among Phillips' significant contributions to graduate education at K-State include advising or co-advising 13 master's and 15 doctoral students who have been successfully employed in academia and industry, with many now national or international leaders in their fields. Phillips promotes graduate student professional development, encouraging students to participate in professional conferences and outreach activities as well as to seek funding and engage in networking activities. Phillips earned his doctorate in biology with a concentration in entomology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He joined K-State's entomology department in 2007. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Certificate of Merit, Wendell E. Burkholder Award for Excellence in Stored Product Protection and the New Product Development Award from the Entomological Society of America. He was named the Donald Wilbur Sr. endowed professor for stored product protection at K-State. Wang has established an internationally known research program on bioconversion of renewable materials into biofuels and chemicals. He has conducted fundamental and applied research to overcome technical barriers for cost-effective production of biofuels from both starch-based feedstocks such as corn, sorghum and millets, and cellulosic biomass such as grass, crop residues and woody biomass. Wang also collaborates with materials scientists to develop biodegradable protein-based adhesives and oil-based resins. Wang has served as principal investigator on more than 40 projects and co-principal investigator for more than 30 projects. This funded work has exceeded $23 million, with about $5.5 million in direct support of his research. He has authored or co-authored 199 peer-reviewed journal articles and 15 book chapters and holds three U.S. patents. Among Wang's contributions to graduate education at K-State include advising or co-advising 11 master's and 21 doctoral students. Eight of his previous doctoral students are employed as faculty at universities or as research scientists or engineers at large industries. Since 2002, Wang also has contributed to graduate education through his service on the biological and agricultural engineering graduate committee. Wang earned his doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University. He joined K-State's Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in 2001. Wang's research has earned several national and international awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; U.S. Department of Agriculture Certificate of Appreciation Award; and the Frankenhoff Outstanding Research Award from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at K-State. Public lectures for Phillips and Wang to present their research will be announced at a later date. Laying off thousands wont eliminate federal deficit Re: Tough times ahead: what is Trudeau prepared to cut? Aug. 29 Predictably, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is raising alarm bells about the federal deficit. To believe Aaron Wudrick, only huge cuts in public spending can help Ottawa avoid falling into a persistent structural deficit now that were on our way out of the COVID-19 lockdowns. But what do Mr. Wudricks proposals amount to and what do they ignore? For one, his call to save taxpayers $14 billion a year by axing the federal civil service is, in effect, a $14-billion wage cut to Canadian workers. Taxpayers may very well pay the public sectors salaries, but those salaries are re-circulated into the economy in the form of consumer spending at local businesses. Laying off thousands of workers in a time of mass unemployment is hardly a recipe for a sustainable economic recovery. Mr. Wudricks pleas to the contrary, there are alternatives to wage cuts. A fairer tax system is the most obvious and pressing. Last year, studies by the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Canada Revenue Agency found corporate tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes cost the federal treasury $51 billion a year. The COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored the urgent need for tax fairness. In the two months from March 16 to May 16, the five richest billionaires in Canada saw their net wealth explode by more than US$5 billion, rising to over US$64 billion, while millions of regular Canadians were thrown out of work. If we really want to tackle the deficit, lets start by taxing corporations and billionaires. Matt Corbeil, PhDSt. Catharines Saddened by death of longtime councillor Re: Former NOTL councillor Dennis Dick dies of lymphoma, Aug. 25 I was saddened by news of Dennis Dicks passing, all the more so because yesterday I was calling Dennis phone number, unaware he was ill. He had my vote for council in every election he contested. When I, as a new resident to Niagara-on-the-Lake 14 years ago, was given his name to call for help, I did so. Dennis was there to help. He did so often. He helped as a neighbourly way of living. I offer my condolences to his family and friends. Kaspar PoldNiagara-on-the-Lake Penner was a greater danger to himself Re: Police cleared in New Years Eve shooting death of St. Catharines Fred Penner, Aug. 20 Last Dec. 31, 56-year old Fred Penner from St. Catharines was shot and killed by police because he was walking around with a large kitchen knife. He was threatening to the public, and police felt they, too, were in danger. The Special Investigations Unit cleared the officers of wrongdoing because the force used by police was justifiable. Police at times do have to make split decisions. However, Im wondering if Penner would be alive today if police had taken a different approach. At close range, couldnt the police have aimed and shot at Penners arm, shoulder or leg. Oh well, Penner never got that second chance; police felt justified pumping nine bullets into a person in mental crisis. I believe Penner was more of a danger to himself because it cost him his life, and the health system failed him. Lou CesarSt. Catharines Endicott needs traffic lights, too Re: New traffic lights installed at busy Welland intersection, Aug. 25 Interesting, this expenditure was warranted but lights at Endicott Terrace are not, with no explanation. Endicott is still a speedway that has yet to be addressed by Mayor Frank Campion and the two ward councillors. Why are you ignoring the safety of local taxpayers? Don SmithWelland Letters welcome We welcome letters from our readers. Send them to letters@niagaradailies.com or mail to 55 King St., Suite 600, St. Catharines, Ont., L2H 3HR. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Read more about: As the spread of coronavirus continues to increase around the world, voices from the international community are rising to stop religious oppression occurring in South Korea, known as an exemplary case for Covid-19 quarantine. On August 17th, the Coalition of Caribbean Leaders for Peace (CCLP) consisting of the former and current leaders in the Caribbean including the former president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sent a joint letter to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. In the letter, they said the governments, even in response to the urgency of the pandemic, must take responsibility for the protection of human rights regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status and expressed concern about ongoing oppression against Shincheonji Church, a South Korea-based Christian denomination that suffered from the unexpected mass infection at the beginning of this year. Ahead of this joint letter, 11 NGOs including the European Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted the annual report for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the inappropriately targeted discrimination against Shincheonji Church to the UN Secretary-General. The annual report was titled Scapegoating Members of Shincheonji for COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. The letter briefly pointed out the facts surrounding Shincheonji and Covid-19 as follows; Covid-19 was introduced to South Korea from China. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus was already prevalent in the city of Daegu before the confirmation of (Shincheonji) the Patient 31 (in Daegu). The governments refusal to close the border to China contributed heavily to the outbreak. In the face of growing public discontent that the government did not impose a travel restriction on China, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered the prosecution to investigate Shincheonji. Vice Minister of Health confirmed that the list of private identification information gathered was not much different than that collected and checked by the government. Prosecutors have arrested the officials of Shincheonji on the grounds that the list of congregation members submitted by Shincheonji was not complete. By referring to the report Factsheet on the global response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact on religious practice and religious freedom by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the joint letter reiterated that South Korea provides a vivid example of how public health emergencies can increase the risk to marginalized religious groups. They pointed out that the South Korean government's silence about the current situation would set a dangerous global precedent for allowing similar persecution, violence, and harassment against other religious minorities, and strongly urged the Korean government to step forward to an end to this discrimination. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International travel stalled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, data from travel insurance aggregator, Squaremouth , shows that 65% of trips for 2021 booked this year, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, are to international destinations. Travelers Planning International Adventures In 2021 A pent up desire to travel abroad has led the majority of Americans to plan international trips for the beginning of 2021. International destinations account for 86% of all planned trips in January and February 2021 . Travel Restrictions Play a Role in International Destination Selection Most international trips are booked to destinations that are already accessible to Americans. Mexico is the most popular international destination in the new year, replacing the US as the top destination for the first time since COVID-19 began. is the most popular international destination in the new year, replacing the US as the top destination for the first time since COVID-19 began. Caribbean countries make up the remaining top 5 international destinations - The Bahamas , US Virgin Islands, Aruba , and Jamaica . Methodology: Data is based on all travel insurance policies purchased through Squaremouth.com between March 12 - August 15, 2020, for travel in 2021. KEY CURRENT RESOURCE: Squaremouth.com created the Coronavirus Pandemic Current Event Center which is updated daily with available travel insurance coverage and answers to FAQs as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH SQUAREMOUTH compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare travel insurance policies side-by-side . More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com. Available Topic Expert: Kasara Barto [email protected] SOURCE Squaremouth Related Links https://www.squaremouth.com Madonna grew tremendously here behind these walls, April Harris, who is incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, wrote on the site. . . . The thing that sticks with me the most is her attitude. She wasnt afraid. Of nothing or no one. She lived out loud. So many women have yet to find their roar. Madonna was born with hers. Indrajit Chakraborty, father of Rhea Chakraborty on Thursday once again deposed before the CBI's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation's officials, Indrajit arrived at the DRDO guest house, where the CBI team has been camping since its arrival in Mumbai on August 20, a day after the Supreme Court gave the nod for the federal probe. A CBI source said that Indrajit, who was questioned by SP Nupur Prasad on Wednesday for over nine hours, will be quizzed about his daughter's relations with Sushant and his family members. He will also be asked about what led to their break-up on June 8 and why she blocked his mobile number. He will have to answer about the financial investment plans, as a video clip of Sushant and Indrajit' family member has surfaced in the public domain, where the late actor is talking about quitting acting and starting some new thing in his life. The source said that Indrajit will also be quizzed about the investments plans that Sushant made with Rhea and the two companies formed by Sushant along with his daughter and son -- Rhea and Showik. The CBI team will also question him whether he knew about the medical treatment of Sushant and whether he ever visited the doctor with Sushant and his daughter. He will also be asked about the incidents that happened during last year's Europe trip. The CBI has earlier questioned Sushant's girlfriend Rhea for 34 hours over four consecutive days along with her brother Showik. The CBI team since August 30 has thrice visited the Bandra flat of Sushant, where he was found dead on June 14. Besides, making two rounds each of the Cooper hospital, where his autopsy took place and the Waterstone resort, where he had spent some time. The agency has also questioned Sushant's personal staff, Neeraj Singh and Keshav Bachne. It has also recorded the statement of Sushant's ex-manager Shruti Modi. The federal agency registered a case on the orders of the central government on August 6 following a recommendation from the Bihar government. The complaint was filed in Patna by Sushant's father K. K. Singh naming Rhea, her mother Sandhya, Indrajit, Showik, Shruti Modi, house manager Samuel Miranda, Pithani and unknown others as accused in the case. U.S. Attorney General William Barr listens during a Department of Justice African American History Month Observance Program at the Department of Justice February 26, 2019 in Washington, DC Alex Wong/Getty Images Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that "logic" dictates that foreign countries could try to manipulate the mail-in voting process in the 2020 election. But Barr refused to elaborate on his stance and admitted to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer that he has seen no evidence to back up his claim. Barr and President Donald Trump have repeatedly pushed the false theory that increased mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to widespread voter fraud. Insider previously reported that it is highly unlikely for hostile foreign powers to meddle in the election by mass producing counterfeit ballots. The US intelligence community has also seen no evidence of this. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Attorney General William Barr repeated the false claim on Wednesday that foreign countries could manipulate mail-in ballots during the 2020 election and create widespread voter fraud. Barr refused to cite any evidence when asked to back up his claims. "You've said you're worried a foreign country could send thousands of fake ballots" to US voters, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said to Barr. "What are you basing that on?" "As I've said repeatedly, I'm basing that on logic," the attorney general replied. "Pardon?" Blitzer asked. "Logic," Barr said. "But have you seen any evidence?" Blitzer pressed. "No," Barr responded. This isn't the first time the attorney general has floated the theory that hostile foreign powers could interfere in the election by mass producing counterfeit ballots. In a June interview with The New York Times magazine, Barr said the idea was "one of the issues that I'm real worried about." He added, "There are a number of foreign countries that could easily make counterfeit ballots, put names on them, send them in," and that "it'd be very hard to sort out what's happening." Story continues But as Insider's Grace Panetta reported, it's very unlikely that foreign countries could interfere with the mail-in voting process for several reasons. Election administration in the US is not centralized, meaning there is no single national ballot that a foreign state could replicate and send to voters. Moreover, as Panetta wrote, most ballots and the envelopes they're mailed in are difficult to mimic because they contain specific information about barcodes, precincts, and voter ID numbers. Last week, senior government officials said the US intelligence community has found no evidence of foreign interference with mail ballots. "We have no information or intelligence that any nation or state actor is engaging in any kind of activity to undermine any part of the mail-in vote or ballots," a senior federal official told reporters at a Wednesday briefing, according to The Washington Post. Nonpartisan experts and multiple studies have seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and millions of Americans vote by mail every year. Trump and many of his top staff and family members have voted by mail or tried to in recent years. And the president's campaign and Republican officials are also quietly encouraging absentee and mail-in voting amid fears that the president's claims will hurt Republicans by depressing turnout among his own voters. Read the original article on Business Insider BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Jeyhun Alakbarov Trend: An agreement was signed with McKinsey & Company, one of the world's leading companies, on May 21, 2020, to develop the 2030 Corporate Strategy of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC told Trend on Sept. 3. The implementation of the project in this sphere is underway. The representatives of the board of the Azerbaijan Railways company and the aforementioned company took part in the video conference. During the video conference, the representatives of McKinsey & Company provided detailed information on the implementation of the project, as well as discussed the strategic goals of the Azerbaijan Railways company and other issues. While speaking about the latest political and economic events in the country and the region, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Javid Gurbanov stressed their possible impact on the activity of the Azerbaijan Railways company. The chairman emphasized the strategic importance of the targeted and efficient investments in railways, optimizing operating costs, and increasing profitability, in particular, transit corridors. The importance of investing in this sphere to maintain the proper level of infrastructure services, as in most countries was stressed. Then while talking to the representatives of the Azerbaijan Railways company, international experts in the railway sector of McKinsey & Company cited the examples of the most successful railways in the world and made recommendations on the development of strategic goals of the Azerbaijan Railways company. LONDON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Britain's health minister on Thursday said Australian former Prime Minister Tony Abbott would bring huge expertise to a role advising the British government on trade despite his comments that men might be better adapted to authority. "I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love whoever that is, as you know," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky when asked if he supported the appointment of a man cast by the reporter as a misogynist and homophobe. "But you know we need to have the best experts in the world working in their field and as the former prime minister of Australia, obviously Mr Abbott has a huge amount of experience," Hancock said. Abbott rejects accusations of misogyny. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Alistair Smout) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- According to an Advance report, Councilwoman Debi Rose is the only Staten Island politician not to sign a letter penned to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office on Tuesday. The political delegation had asked in the correspondence for an official start date to indoor dining. The North Shore holdout issued a statement at that time explaining, 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. Casey David Crowther, 35, is facing up to 30 years in federal prison for allegedly using coronavirus relief funds to buy a $700,000 40-foot boat A Florida roofer, 35, is facing up to 30 years in federal prison for allegedly using coronavirus relief funds to buy a $700,000 40-foot boat. Casey David Crowther, of North Fort Myers, was arrested and charged with making false and misleading statements to a lending institution on behalf of his company, Target Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc., according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. Crowther applied for and received over $2 million from the Payroll Protection Program which was set up by the federal government to help small businesses keep paying their workers and bills during the pandemic. Within days of receiving the funds, the businessman allegedly blew $689,417 on a 40-foot catamaran which he registered in his name. US Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez on Wednesday announced the charges against Crowther for submitting a loan application that included false and misleading statements concerning what the PPP funds would be used for. The application - submitted on or around April 13 - claimed the money would only be used for business purposes - to retain workers, maintain payroll or make mortgage payments, lease payments, and utilities payments, the complaint states. A total of $2,098,700 in PPP funds was approved and deposited into Crowther's business checking account on April 14, the complaint says. The account was allegedly only opened on or around April 10 - just three days before the application was made - and the only money deposited into it was the coronavirus relief funds. The Florida roofer (pictured) was arrested and charged with making false and misleading statements to a lending institution on behalf of his company, Target Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc., according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday Crowther applied for and received over $2 million from the Payroll Protection Program which was set up by the federal government to help small businesses keep paying their workers and bills during the pandemic. Pictured his business that he applied for the loan for The criminal complaint says $126,000 of the money was first transferred to one of Crowther's other business checking accounts on April 16. It was listed on Crowther's bank statement as 'loan from casey'. On April 21, another $100,000 was wired to a bank account of a former company stakeholder who had resigned from the firm back on December 31. The next day $3,300 was transferred to a joint checking account Crowther shared with his wife. A total of $689,417 was then wired on April 24 to a bank in Sarasota for the purchase of the catamaran from a boat seller. The remaining balance of $1,179,963 was moved to another business account owned by Crowther on May 7, according to the complaint. The account the funds had first been deposited into was then closed, it states. Crowther pictured on what is believed to be the boat he allegedly purchased using the PPP loan, just days after funds entered his account A total of $689,417 was wired on April 24 to a bank in Sarasota for the purchase of the catamaran from a boat seller Crowther has resigned from his position as a board member for Builders Care, a non-profit that provides emergency construction services for free to elderly and disabled homeowners. Builders Care said in a statement that 'Crowther did not have access to, and was not responsible for, the organizations finances'. Crowther was released from the Charlotte County Jail on $100,000 bond Wednesday. The case is being investigated by the Secret Service. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. The PPP was created by Congress and designed to loan money to small businesses with 500 employees or less to help them survive the economic downturn during the coronavirus crisis, ensuring they can still pay their employees and bills, and avoid mass layoffs. Companies that use the money to avoid layoffs will not have to pay the money back as long as 75 percent of the funds are used to pay staff. The criminal complaint. Another $100,000 was wired to a bank account of a former company stakeholder who had resigned back on December 31, it states The scheme has been plagued with issues from the get-go with several multi-million dollar public companies with thousands of employees exploiting legal loopholes to access funds before smaller, eligible firms in desperate need could get a dime. After being publicly shamed and slammed for such moves, many big businesses paid back their funds. Others have been exposed for trying to con money out of the scheme for personal gain. Two Florida neighbors Latoya Stanley, 38, and Johnny Philus, 33, are facing federal charges for allegedly inventing farms they claimed to run out of yards in the middle of Miami to obtain $1.1million in funds. Stanley and Philus were arrested and charged with wire fraud and making false statements last month. Questions are also being asked over the ethical downfalls of the program after a small gas station in California was approved for a loan ranging between $150,000 and $350,000 and then paid for six Make America Great Again campaign billboards along a highway in early August. LAS VEGAS, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight has launched a new report 'Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Market Insight, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast -2030' in its pharma market research report portfolio. Key Highlights The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market is anticipated to increase owing to rising ARDS incidence, tremendous opportunities due to a few marketed therapies, and an influx of pharma players developing novel compounds to tackle ARDS. The United States ARDS Market Share was estimated to be the largest, contributing to 69.60% of the total ARDS Market Size. Share was estimated to be the largest, contributing to 69.60% of the total ARDS Market Size. Key companies propelling ARDS Market Size are Faron Pharmaceuticals , BioMarck Pharmaceuticals , Athersys , Apeptico Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH , Alexion Pharmaceuticals , and PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals shall further create a positive impact on the market. , , , , , and shall further create a positive impact on the market. 1% to 4% of the total COVID-19 critically-ill patients constituted the potential pool for ARDS. Request for Sample Pages of the Report: https://www.delveinsight.com/sample-request/acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome-ards-market Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a rapidly progressive condition resulting in an excess buildup of fluid in the lungs. The condition leads to insufficient supply oxygen in the body leading to breathing difficulties, dysfunction of organs such as kidney, brain. ARDS, if not diagnosed and treated timely, can be life-threatening. Acute respiratory distress syndrome incidence varies depending on demographic and environmental risks. As per DelveInsight's estimates, the total ARDS incident population in the 7MM was 799,872 in 2017. in 2017. The USA accounted for the maximum ARDS incidence in the 7MM. accounted for the maximum ARDS incidence in the 7MM. Germany topped the charts among the EU5 geographies. topped the charts among the EU5 geographies. Japan recorded the least Acute respiratory distress syndrome incidence in the 7MM. recorded the least Acute respiratory distress syndrome incidence in the 7MM. Acute respiratory distress syndrome has an equal preponderance in males and females. As per DelveInsight's ARDS epidemiological analysis, the risk factors associated with the highest ARDS incidence were pneumonia in the 7MM; however, the trend was a bit different for the UK, where the Sepsis was the primary risk factor for ARDS. The Acute respiratory distress syndrome market report proffers in-depth epidemiological segmentation analysis for the study period 2017-30: Total Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Incident Population Total Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Incident Population By Risk Factors Total Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Incident Population By Severity Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market Acute respiratory distress syndrome market offers supportive treatments including supplemental oxygen, prone positioning, paralytics, fluid management, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). These treatment approaches are bundled with medications such as antibiotics to help patients fight lung infection. Also, supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluid or food, are given to patients. ?2 agonists, Statins, Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) are some of the other treatment approaches used to address ARDS. However, their use remains controversial. Pancuronium and Vecuronium are the most commonly used NMBAs for the management of ARDS. Despite the presence of several treatment options, the mortality rate in ARDS is very high. The treatment options available in the Acute respiratory distress syndrome market are generally supportive and restricted to mechanical ventilation. Poor disease understanding, as well as poor diagnosis, are other roadblocks present in the ARDS market size growth. The market has also experienced hidden snags in the form of failure of the trials and global pandemic COVID-19 that have slowed the market size growth. However, the launch of emerging therapies shall transform the ARDS market landscape positively. Premium-price agents such as stem cell therapies and other ARDS pipeline therapies with a better clinical profile are expected to dominate the ARDS market. Several pharma companies are running trials and evaluating various novel molecules to strengthen the pipeline. With the ARD pipeline therapies such as Traumakine (Faron Pharmaceuticals) Bio11006 (BioMarck Pharmaceuticals), MultiStem (Athersys), Solnatide (Apeptico Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH), PB1046 (PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals), and others shall further create a positive impact on the market. Some of the pipeline therapies to be launched in the forecast period 2020-30 are: ARDS Pipeline Therapies Traumakine: Faron Pharmaceuticals Bio-11006: BioMarck Pharmaceuticals MultiStem: Athersys Solnatide (AP301): APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz): Alexion Pharma Soliris (eculizumab): Alexion Pharma PB1046 (PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals) As per DelveInsight's analysis, the Acute respiratory distress syndrome market is anticipated to grow in the forecast period 2020-30 owing to the launch of pipeline therapies, increasing cases of the disease, better awareness among people and prominent research ongoing in the field. At present, there is no approved therapy available in the ARDS treatment market; hence it offers great opportunities to pharma and biotech players worldwide to grab the market chunk. It is expected that the ARDS market size of the currently available supportive therapies shall experience steady growth throughout the study period [2017-2030]. The increasing disease awareness, ARDS incidence, and heightened R&D in the domain are other driving factors expediting the ARDS market growth. Identify Key Trends of ARDS Market Report: https://www.delveinsight.com/report-store/acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome-ards-market Scope of the Report Geography Covered : The United States , EU5 ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan . : , EU5 ( , , , , and the ), and . Study Period : 3-year historical and 11-year forecasted analysis (2017-2030). : 3-year historical and 11-year forecasted analysis (2017-2030). Markets Segmentation : By Geographies, By Therapies. : By Geographies, By Therapies. Companies Covered : Faron Pharmaceuticals, BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, Athersys, Apeptico Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, and others. : Faron Pharmaceuticals, BioMarck Pharmaceuticals, Athersys, Apeptico Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, and others. Analysis : Comparative and conjoint analysis of emerging therapies, Attribute Analysis, : Comparative and conjoint analysis of emerging therapies, Attribute Analysis, Case Studies KOL's Views Analyst's View Reason to purchase Bespoke primary and secondary research 24*7 post-sale customer support Option for customizing and personalizing research reports as per needs Table of Contents 1 Key Insights 2 Executive Summary of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) 3 Competitive Intelligence Analysis for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome 4 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market Overview at a Glance 5 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Disease Background and Overview 6 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patient Journey 7 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Epidemiology and Patient Population 8 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Treatment Algorithm, Current Treatment, and Medical Practices 9 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Unmet Needs 10 Key Endpoints of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Treatment 11 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Marketed Products 12 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Emerging Therapies 13 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome 7 Major Market Analysis 14 Attribute analysis 15 7MM: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market Outlook 16 Access and Reimbursement Overview of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome 17 KOL Views 18 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market Drivers 19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Market Barriers 20 Appendix 21 DelveInsight Capabilities 22 Disclaimer 23 About DelveInsight Request a WebEx Walkthrough of the Report: https://www.delveinsight.com/report-store/acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome-ards-market Related Reports Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)- Market Insight, Epidemiology and Market Forecast -2030 DelveInsight's "Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast-2030" report delivers an in-depth understanding of the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), historical and forecasted epidemiology as well as the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) market trends in the United States, EU5 (Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and United Kingdom) and Japan. The recently launched report by DelveInsight covers detailed analysis of 50+ companies working for the development of drugs and vaccines as well as diagnostics companies are working on developing test kits. About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant, and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports Pharma companies by providing end to end comprehensive solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve. Contact Us: Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +1(919)321-6187 www.delveinsight.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082265/DelveInsight_Logo.jpg Advertisement The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that daily COVID-19 cases are currently spiking in some Midwest and Southern states as national infections start to plateau and deaths continue to slowly decline. The United States, which has now surpassed 6.1 million infections, has been averaging about 41,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for the past week. Cases are now plateauing following an initial sharp decline in late July after surges in Sunbelt states saw average daily rates of 66,000. Despite the current plateau, 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 about 860 fatalities per day - the lowest since late July. The United States, which has now surpassed 6.1 million infections, has been averaging about 41,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for the past week Deaths have slowly been declining and are currently averaging at about 860 fatalities per day - the lowest since late July More than 185,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19. 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. Despite cases continuing to decline across the country, the CDC warned on Tuesday that daily infections were starting to rise in some states Despite cases continuing to decline across the country, the CDC warned on Tuesday that daily infections were starting to rise in some states, particularly in the upper Great Plains, Midwest and South. The CDC urged Americans to wear masks and continue to social distance. The warning comes ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. Cases have spiked across the US following previous holidays, including Memorial Day and July 4. States where COVID-19 cases are currently rising include Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska and Minnesota. In the South, there has been an uptick of daily infections in West Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama. The CDC warned on Tuesday that daily infections were starting to rise in some states, particularly in the upper Great Plains, Midwest and South. The agency warned Americans to wear masks and continue to social distance South Dakota has seen a spike in infection in recent weeks. Some cases have stemmed from South Dakota's annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew more than 365,000 people from across the country from August 7 to 16 Many of the new cases being reported 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 Dr Anthony Fauci has warned seven Midwestern states to be alert over Labor Day given the recent uptick in cases. 'There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,' Fauci told Bloomberg. 'Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there's going to be a problem. 'If we're careless about it, then we could wind up with a surge following Labor Day. It really depends on how we behave as a country.' In Iowa, some of the rises can be linked to the reopening of colleges. Others have stemmed from South Dakota's annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew more than 365,000 people from across the country from August 7 to 16. 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. Cases have been spiking to record highs in North Dakota in the last week with 374 cases reported on August 29. The state's total is currently at more than 12,200 Minnesota has also reported record single day highs of new cases in recent days with more than 1,100 cases on August 27. The state currently has more than 77,000 cases Meanwhile, Arkansas reported its largest single-day increase in deaths while the number of cases at the University of Arkansas' Fayetteville campus increased to nearly 400. The Department of Health reported 27 new deaths Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 841. The University of Arkansas has been conducting testing on its campus through Thursday, which Dr. Jose Romero, the state's health secretary, has said will give the state a better sense of the prevalence of the outbreak there. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he expected more than 1,000 test results from college students to come in over the next week. The state reported 615 new confirmed cases, bringing its total to 62,112. 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. President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered the government to draft and submit to the Verkhovna Rada bills aimed at developing the IT industry in Ukraine. The relevant decree, No.371/2020, has been published on the presidents website. According to the document, the Cabinet of Ministers, MPs and representatives of state bodies, business associations, independent experts must develop within three months and submit to Parliament bills aimed at stimulating the implementation of economic activities in the IT industry. In particular, some temporal aspects of taxation of salaries of IT specialists, who are in labor relations with IT companies, should be determined at the legislative level in order to establish an effective level of tax burden. This will promote de-shadowing of the salary in the IT sphere and increase the competitiveness of domestic IT companies on the foreign market. In addition, the government should improve the procedures for obtaining an immigration permit for IT specialists who are foreigners or stateless persons and immigrating to Ukraine, as well as a work permit for foreigners and stateless persons. The Cabinet of Ministers should also contribute to the development of education in the IT sphere and the integration of the best world practices into the system of training IT specialists to increase their competitiveness in the labor market etc. iy TDT | Manama The freedom of practising religious rituals is protected by the constitution and the law, Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said yesterday. The Interior Minister added that the ministry is dedicated to ensuring that those freedoms are not exploited to break the law or traditions, as it continues to provide the appropriate services for the success of all religious occasions. The Interior Minister was speaking as he held a virtual meeting yesterday with Jaafari Endowments Council chairman Yousif Saleh Al Saleh. The meetingjoined by members of General Authority of Hussaini Processions, Heads of Mattams (Community Centres), the Public Security chief and governorswas held on the occasion of the success of Ashura season, which was marked in the midst of precautionary measures to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Interior Minister pointed out that the meeting was in line with the wise approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to ensure the safety and comfort of citizens, citing the royal care and support to Ashura season and keenness to mark it in the appropriate way, commensurate with its values. The Interior Minister hailed the efforts of the government, led by His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, to combat COVID-19. He asserted that the success of Ashura season and the commitment to health and safety guidelines reflect public awareness and national responsibility. He also hailed the commitment and cooperation of community centres heads, as well as that of officials and members of the General Authority of Hussaini Processions. He also thanked the chairman and members of the council for their cooperation. The Interior Minister expressed thanks and appreciation to governors for their efforts, follow-up, and coordination to provide the required services. He also thanked the Public Security chief, officers, commissioned officers, and personnel, especially the community partnership personnel. He said that this years Ashura season had witnessed a commitment to religious discourse and social distancing as part of the awareness and sense of national responsibility of the people. The minister listened to the statements of some community centres heads about efforts to ensure the success of Ashura rituals. Meanwhile, the Jaffari Endowments Council chairman extended his gratitude to HM the King for the keynote speech he had delivered marking the end of Ashura season. He also paid tribute to the Interior Ministry for its efforts to protect security and stability, as well as ensuring the safety of people while marking religious occasions. The interior minister in Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord was reinstated on Thursday after a week-long suspension and an inquiry on violent incidents during demonstrations last month. The GNA, on its Facebook page, said prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj had "lifted the temporary suspension" of Fathi Bashagha, who would return to his post the same day. It did not mention the inquiry or its conclusions, but social media posts showed Bashagha entering government offices in Tripoli earlier the same day under police escort for a closed-door hearing. The minister had demanded a public hearing "to expose the facts". His return to office comes after hundreds of Libyans late last month staged several days of demonstrations in the capital over poor living conditions and public services. Among a string of incidents, they came under attack by gunmen firing live rounds, leaving several people wounded. Bashagha said last week that gunmen also kidnapped demonstrators, "sowing panic among the population and threatening security and public order". He vowed to "protect unarmed civilians from the brutality of a gang of thugs". Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The country's main military fault line is between the Libya National Army (LNA) lead by strongman Khalifa Haftar and the forces that back the GNA. * This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez through her social media update informed fans that two her crew members from a brand shoot which she was supposed to start soon have tested coronavirus positive. The Sri Lankan beauty put up her Instagram story and revealed that thankfully she has tested negative for the deadly novel COVID-19 but two persons from the crew of her upcoming brand shoot tested positive and are self-isolating. They are being treated for the same, she informed. Here's her post: The deadly novel coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc in the world. As many as 26,048,163 cases are affected by the pandemic and 863,488 deaths globally reported according to John Hopkins University data. Currently, the country is in Unlock 4.0 phase where maximum restrictions are being eased. Therefore, now is the time when everyone needs to be more careful and follow social distancing. This weekend, the Battle in Bama custom car show will bring hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people to the first major event at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. Organizer Craig Rowley said the epidemic has shaped the fifth annual event in a variety of ways -- even aside from the fact that it forced a postponement from its original May dates. On the one hand, he said, its part of the first wave of major public events taking place after months of near-total shutdown. Ive gotten a lot of interest from people just looking for something to do, Rowley said. On the other hand, the epidemic brings new aspects to planning, such as the need to encourage social distancing and to comply with a state health order on mask use. It also affects peoples willingness to come out and their ability to travel. We actually have registered vehicles out of Canada, but they cant get across the border, said Rowley. That problem hints at this relatively young events reputation and drawing power. Rowley said he moved to Mobile in 2011 and quickly saw potential. I noticed the car culture was really good around here, but there werent any really big shows other than Cruisin the Coast, he said. (That event, which brings fleets of vintage and custom cars to the Mississippi Coast, will open its 24th year on Oct. 4.) Battle in Bama started with a bang. Street Trucks magazine picked the inaugural 2016 show as its rookie of the year event. A year later, Truck Trend, a part of the Motor Trend network of publications, reported that the show had doubled in size to more than 700 registered cars and 4,000 visitors. Rowley said its not unusual to have visitors from other countries, and that industry news sites have come to love the show for the unique backdrops that Battleship Park gives its photographers to work with. Obviously the battleship is where its at, he said. You cant beat the venue. He said that if not for the epidemic, this years show might have had 1,500 registered vehicles and 7,000 to 10,000 visitors. Now, If we get 3,500 to 4,000, thatd be great, he said. Even at that reduced level, he said, the shows participants have booked up some area hotels and RV parks. Battle in Bama isnt a vintage car show: You might see a few classic vehicles restored to their original specifications, but theyll be surrounded by hot rods with engines, bodywork, paint and interiors limited only by their builders imagination and skill. Billed as a hot rod, truck and bike show, the Battle showcases a range of subcultures. Thats by design. Our goal in the five years weve been doing this, we want to bring every part of the custom car culture together, Rowley said. Visitors will find a major show-within-a-show thanks to C/10s of the South, an event focusing on several generations of pickups that Chevrolet built from 1960 through the 80s. Its really the big thing right now, Rowley said of the level of interest in tricked-out Chevy pickups. Attractions include Million Dollar Row, a showcase for some of the most elaborate custom trucks in the world. Its the best of the best sitting in one place, Rowley said. Thanks to the sheer acreage of Battleship Memorial Park, the car show can coexist with the regular traffic of Labor Day weekend, which Rhonda Davis, the parks director of sales and marketing, described as traditionally the close of the tourist season. All the parks attractions, including the battleship, the submarine Drum and the aircraft pavilion, are open. While tours of the ship and sub inevitably involve enclosed spaces, Davis said that because the tours are self-guided, they can tour at their own pace and comfort level. The visitor parking lot has been reserved for guests, with parking and display areas for the car show set up elsewhere on the grounds, she said. Admission to Battle in Bama is free for children 12 and under, $10 for a day pass, $15 for a weekend pass. The show opens at noon Friday and continues Saturday and Sunday. In a recent Facebook live session Rowley reminded participants that rowdy behavior wouldnt be tolerated, be it of a personal or vehicular nature. Anyone who decided to get stupid would be escorted out, he said. Its very family friendly, very family oriented, he said. Davis said she expects the show to help Battleship Park close out its busy season on a positive note. Given the history of Battle in Bama, we think its going to be a well-attended event, she said. For more information on Battleship Park, visit www.ussalabama.com. For more on Battle in Bama, visit www.battleinbama.net. According to the military, army experts were called in for an inspection and found 4.35 tons of the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port. There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner. The find comes almost exactly a month after nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at Beiruts port for six years detonated, wreaking death and destruction. Along with 191 people killed, more than 6,000 were injured and entire neighbourhoods were devastated. The blast left nearly 300,000 people homeless and caused damage worth billions of pounds. The military statement said that customs officials had called in the army to inspect containers at a facility near the port, where they found 4.35 tons of ammonium nitrate. It said army experts were dealing with the material, an apparent reference that it was being destroyed. Advertisement Days after the August 4 blast, French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals. The army later said that these containers were moved and stored safely in locations away from the port. French experts as well as the FBI have taken part in the investigation into the August 4 blast, at the request of Lebanese authorities. Their findings have yet to be released. So far, authorities have detained 25 people over last months explosion, most of them port and customs officials. In just about every election season for decades, US presidential candidates have promised to move the embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Donald Trump actually did it in May 2018. With the embassy came the ambassador. Even before his appointment, Ambassador David Friedman had an apartment in Jerusalems well-to-do Talbieh neighborhood and usually spent his holidays there. With the relocation of the embassy, it became his official residence. The move left the ambassador's previous residence in the seaside town of Herzliya Pituach suddenly empty. The house, which is thought to be the most expensive home in Israel, was put on the market with a price tag of 300 million shekels ($100 million). Tal Schneider and Shai Shalev of the financial newspaper Globes report that the main candidate to purchase the property is Sheldon Adelson. The American Jewish billionaire is very involved in Israeli politics and is a particularly avid supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Back in the United States, he is also a top donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. The report claims that Adelson offered the full price of 300 million shekels for the property, which would be the highest price ever paid for any residential property in Israel. Negotiations moved quickly to get the deal signed, not least so that it will be completed before the upcoming US election. The report also says that the current US administration considers it important for the sale to be completed before November to underscore the idea that the relocation of the embassy to Jerusalem is a done deal that cannot be walked back. If Joe Biden is elected, he will likely try to undo at least some of Trumps foreign policy decisions. One thing he wont be able to revert is the decision to move the embassy. The house on Galei Techelet Street in Herzliya sits atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It occupies 1,000 square meters on a five-dunam property (about 1.25 acres). It was built by the US State Department in the 1960s and registered as the property of the US government. Why Adelson? The billionaire is one of very few businessmen active in Israel who can afford such a property, even after suffering enormous losses because of the coronavirus and the ensuing financial crisis. His company, Las Vegas Sands, which owns casinos in Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau, reported just $98 million in earnings in this years second quarter, a sharp decline from $3.3 billion in the same quarter last year. His net losses were close to $1 billion, but Edelson still has more than enough money to buy the property. He appears in the 28th slot in the Forbes list of international billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $32.8 billion. But why him and not some other businessman? For one thing, Adelson is very involved in Israeli and US politics. He has been one of the biggest donors to the Republican Party and its presidential candidates for several years now. He also funded the campaign against then-President Barack Obamas Israel policy, with its demand that Israel withdraw from the settlements. In 2016, he donated over $20 million to the Trump campaign, making him the biggest private donor apart from Trump himself, who poured in $66 million of his personal fortune. He is one of the major supporters of Birthright Israel, a project that brings young Jews to the country for an educational experience. He also pours huge sums into the settlements. He contributed $25 million to build the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine named for him and his wife at the University of Ariel in the West Bank. Adelson has maintained a close relationship with Netanyahu for many years now. He acquired and operated the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom, which supports Netanyahu and his policies almost unquestioningly. More recently, their relationship received something of a jolt, when news was first released about Case 2000. Netanyahu was eventually indicted along with the publisher and owner of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Arnon Mozes. According to the charges, Mozes approached Netanyahu about interfering with the distribution of Israel Hayom, which had become his papers chief competitor, surpassing it in distribution. Adelson himself was interrogated about it. Once he learned that Netanyahu was allegedly willing to interfere with his newspaper, Adelson was so furious that he informed his interrogators that he would never meet with Netanyahu again. Adelson continues to support his newspaper, no matter how much money it loses, and maintains his influence on the Israeli public opinion. His possible purchase of the most expensive residential property in Israel is in line with his political positions, particularly his desire to ensure that the US Embassy remains in Jerusalem. His purchase will directly support the two politicians with whom he identifies most closely: Trump and Netanyahu. An official source in the Jerusalem embassy told Al-Monitor that the sale has yet to be finalized and so it is premature to comment. A very strange light was spotted last night moving over the Sydney skyline during Seven News. Viewers on social media took to social media to speculate if it may have been a meteor. Mark Ferguson today told Sunrise, We replayed it and had a good look and we couldnt believe it; what a shock! "We couldn't believe it!"@7NEWSSydney presenter Mark Ferguson calls in after a mysterious streak of light appeared in the camera behind his bulletin last night. More on this story: https://t.co/f9qzdtMj9v pic.twitter.com/GZhauyV6kY Sunrise (@sunriseon7) September 3, 2020 Canberra Times also reports a number of Canberrans reported seeing the bright green fireball flying over the city about 6.45pm on Wednesday. Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker from Australian National University later confirmed to Sunrise: This was a meteor. It was probably about half a metre to 1m in size. It travelled all the way down towards the NSW / Victoria border, and there are reports that it exploded around Jindabyne. Tucker said the space rock would have burned up when it entered the atmosphere, causing small fragments to fall to the ground. So there is someone waking up in southern NSW or northern Victoria that has some meteorites in their backyard or paddock, and theyre theirs to keep. The official data for August on the number of fires in Brazil's Amazon has been miscalculated and will likely show that the blazes have increased from 2019, meaning they are at the highest levels in a decade. Alberto Setzer, the scientist responsible for the official fire figures, told Reuters that the reporting of finalised data had been delayed by an error with a NASA satellite. Brazilian media has reported that fires in Brazils section of the Amazon rainforest fell by 5 per cent in August, citing data currently on the website of the government space research agency, Inpe, that has not been corrected. But once that issue is corrected, it will likely show that fires increased by between 1- 2 per cent in August 2020 compared to the same month a year ago, Dr Setzer said. That would mean it is the worst spate of fires for the month since August 2010. Its going to be up. The number of fires, fire pixels, will increase. Maybe up to 1 or 2%, I would guess, Dr Setzer told Reuters, referring to spots of heat registered on satellite images. He also cautioned that a shift of 1-2 per cent is within the margin of error, according to the news agency. Inpe did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent. The press office for President Jair Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment by The Independent. Mr Bolsonaro's office declined to comment to Reuters, directing questions to the office of Vice President Hamilton Mourao, who has been placed in charge of Amazon affairs. Mr Mouraos office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A surge in fires in August 2019 to a nine-year high provoked outcry from global leaders and the public that Brazil was not doing enough to protect the worlds largest rainforest, with Mr Bolsonaro trading barbs with French President Emmanuel Macron. Recommended New footage shows record number of fires in Amazon Environmental advocates and scientists say that Mr Bolsonaro is to blame for weakening environmental protections and calling for the development of the Amazon. He has been an enthusiastic ring-leader to miners, cattle ranchers and illegal loggers pushing into one of the planet's richest regions of biodiversity, and the home of thousands of indigenous peoples. Mr Bolsonaro, a climate denier, insisted last month that there are no fires in the Amazon rainforest, calling evidence produced by his own government showing thousands of blazes a lie. In July, the Brazilian government instituted a three-month "moratorium" on fires in the Amazon following the deployment of troops earlier in the year to prevent blazes being started. The moves appear to have ineffective. The Amazon absorbs vast amounts of carbon dioxide and scientists say its protection is vital to curbing the climate crisis. Inpe published a note on its website on 19 August that said there had been a problem with NASAs Aqua satellite that generates the fire data and as a consequence the data had been incomplete since 16 August. NASA has similarly published notices on its website warning of issues with the satellite. Dr Setzer said Inpe has been looking for alternative data sources in order to correct the problem, estimating that it may take one to two weeks for the final data to be published. Once correcting for the data that is almost entirely missing for the Amazon for 16 August, along with smaller differences generated by missing data for the northern Amazon since then, the final number should show a slight rise, he said. Reuters contributed to this report Thanks in part to its groundbreaking expertise in dealing with mosquito-borne viruses, Brisbane's Griffith University has been added to a prestigious international group of vaccine researchers working on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The university has been named as a Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence, joining a global coalition of researchers sharing expertise on vaccine development. Griffith University is hunting for a COVID-19 vaccine as it joins an international vaccine research coalition. Credit:Peter Braig Professor Suresh Mahalingam is the leader of the Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics (EVIT) group at Menzies Health Institute Queensland based at Griffith. Professor Mahalingam said the university was added to the Global Virus Network mostly because of its work on vaccines against viruses such as dengue fever and Zika. (Natural News) A natural plant compound may hold the secret to eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, suggested a study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. Researchers from the United Kingdom and Germany said that an antioxidant in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), helps restore the effectivity of medications used to treat bacterial infections. EGCG is a plant compound that is linked to a lot of health benefits including weight loss and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. It belongs to the group of compounds known as polyphenols, which are antioxidants that are naturally found in fruits such as berries. Although EGCG is also found in other foods, it is best known as the major active compound in green tea. Green tea antioxidant helps kill resistant bacteria Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest health crises facing the world today. In the United States alone, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur every year, with more than 35,000 people dying as a result. A 2019 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed 18 known antibiotic-resistant bacteria, one of which is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This pathogen mainly affects people with a weakened immune system and patients with chronic lung diseases. It is multidrug-resistant, having developed resistance to many major classes of antibiotics in recent years. A combination of antibiotics is currently used to treat P. aeruginosa, although infections caused by the bacteria is becoming increasingly difficult to treat. In the present study, the researchers tested a novel combination treatment for eliminating P. aeruginosa which pairs an existing drug with EGCG. They conducted tests in a lab dish to examine how these two medicinal agents, separately and paired, interacted with the bacteria. Results show that combining EGCG and the drug was more effective at reducing the number of P. aeruginosa than either agent alone. The team confirmed this finding by conducting a separate experiment, this time testing in vivo on Galleria mellonella, a species of moth. Those who were treated with both agents had higher survival rates than those treated with either agent alone. They also observed that the novel treatment had little to no toxic effect on human skin cells and the moths. According to the researchers, EGCG might have boosted the absorption of the drug by making the bacteria more permeable. Its also possible that EGCG disrupted a biochemical pathway; recent research suggested that interfering with this pathway increases the susceptibility of resistant bacteria to antibiotics. While more research is needed, the studys findings add to the evidence that naturally occurring medicines may hold the key to eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We have shown that we can successfully eliminate such threats with the use of natural products, in combination with antibiotics already in use, said Roberto La Ragione of the University of Surrey in England. (Related: Scientists examine essential oils for combating antibiotic resistance.) Natural antibiotics that fight resistant bacteria There are several natural antibiotics aside from green tea. Honey was traditionally used to treat wounds and prevent and draw out infection. Its use medicinally continues today, with healthcare professionals finding it effective for treating chronic wounds, ulcers, burns, skin grafts and bedsores. Research also shows that honey dressings can help heal wounds. One study found that honey effectively treats wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen that is resistant to the antibiotic methicillin. The study also reported that manuka honey can suppress about 60 kinds of bacteria. Aside from its antibacterial properties, honey can also promote wound healing by providing a protective coating that fosters a moist environment. Another natural antibiotic, echinacea, is a group of flowering plants that is commonly called coneflowers. Native Americans used echinacea to treat infections and wounds for hundreds of years. And modern research is beginning to pick up on its antibacterial properties; one study reported that the extract of Echinacea purpurea, a species of echinacea, can destroy several kinds of bacteria including Streptococcus pyogenes, which is responsible for strep throat, toxic shock syndrome and flesh-eating disease. (Related: The Chinese ground orchid discovered to be a powerful antibiotic.) There are various natural antibiotics that offer an effective and safe alternative to current medications. As more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotic drugs, humanitys last and best defense will have to come from nature. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com Healthline.com CDC.gov MedicalNewsToday.com Aligned with its mission, Boys & Girls Clubs are stepping up to address the continuation of urgent needs and leading the way to help youth and communities overcome the long-term impacts of the crisis. Through a continued COVID-19 fundraising effort, Boys & Girls Clubs will help overcome the prolonged effects of the crisis on youth safety and well-being , learning loss , and racial and social equity , while continuing to tackle the urgent needs that emerged at the onset of the crisis -- meals, childcare and virtual programming. "Now more than ever, kids, families, and communities need Boys & Girls Clubs to support them during this pivotal time in our history. Under a sustained time of uncertainty, as the nation continues to navigate these times, Clubs are doing whatever it takes to create equity for all kids by providing access to services that promote wellbeing and academic programs to prevent learning loss," said Julie Teer, chief development and public affairs officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Galvanizing new support and rallying our stakeholders has never been more critical, because together our nation must do more to create a just, equitable, and inclusive future for our kids. It's our moral and ethical responsibility to build a better future for the next generation and we must start now." Following the launch of the Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 Relief Fund in April, targeted to bringing critical meals, childcare and virtual programs to youth and families most in need, Boys & Girls Clubs of America seeks to galvanize continued support from the public and private sectors as the crisis continues and effects of the pandemic become even further reaching with concerning cumulative effects on youth health, education and equity in the long-term. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has joined Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help lead this fundraising effort. A partner with Boys & Girls Clubs since 1980, Bank of America has recently awarded a $1 million grant over two years to support a Boys & Girls Clubs of America tutoring program for youth ages 6 to 18 in select cities across the U.S. The initiative is an extension of Project Learn, a program that reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Clubs. "As education in America becomes increasingly challenged by the impacts of coronavirus, it is important to support organizations that can inspire educational gains among students who need them most," said Cynthia Bowman, chief diversity and inclusion and talent acquisition officer at Bank of America, and a member of the board of trustees for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Midwest region). "We hope that this grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of America can further support the essential work they are doing to help level the playing field for kids, families and communities across the country." Bank of America joins an impressive cadre of more than 22 corporate partners who supported initial relief efforts, commencing with a gift from The Coca-Cola Foundation. Recent partner commitments include Bridgestone, Grubhub, Papa John's, The Rite Aid Foundation, Red Nose Day, goPuff, Wells Fargo, The James M. Cox Foundation, Robert Half, Lenovo, SQ Medical Supplies, Michaels and FRThankYou.com. These organizations have helped to open Club doors, provide technology to support virtual school and fund programs that are supporting workforce readiness for teens. As the nation continues to grapple with the crisis, more than 3,800 Boys & Girls Clubs are ramping up programming and services to tackle three main long-term impacts of the crisis. Supporting emotional well-being of youth and helping them overcome trauma Economic disparities for families in communities around the country have left some of the country's most vulnerable youth populations even more imperiled. Three out of five children live in low-income families and almost half (45%) have experienced at least one potentially traumatic event in their lives. The impact of COVID-19 exacerbates existing gaps in opportunities for young people, especially those in communities grappling with systemic inequity. Lack of access to technology, positive mentors and guidance, food accessibility and other critical factors are impacting kids in ways that could cause long-term setbacks and trauma for millions of young people. Since the pandemic first impacted the United States in March, Boys & Girls Clubs worked to support the needs of kids, families and communities. Thousands of Clubs served youth and families of essential workers and other local Club members. Clubs also supported with in-person and virtual programming and nearly 1,800 Club's provided meal programs critical for food security. Boys & Girls Clubs are now more critical for kids, families and communities than ever before. When young people attend high-quality youth development programs like Boys & Girls Clubs, they become resilient, build life skills and live healthy lifestyles. Club youth develop perseverance so they can face life's challenges. About 90% of Club members report that if something is hard, they keep working at it. Stemming learning loss from prolonged out-of-school time and providing enrichment programs to keep kids on track Each summer in America, an estimated 43 million children in the U.S. miss out on expanded learning opportunities that could prevent them from falling behind. For example, during summer, most youth lose about two months' worth of math skills. Low-income youth also lose more than two months' worth of reading skills, while their middle-class peers make slight gains. COVID-19 has likely and most certainly increased these numbers for kids and teens around the country. More than half of the achievement gap between lower and higher income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities With many schools offering hybrid schedules, or mostly virtual classes, Clubs role in supporting learning has never been more critical. Now and as school continues to return in communities around the country, Clubs will be open during school hours, and offering additional assistance and support, especially for those in need of a safe environment. Other Clubs will be assisting youth online in a virtual Club setting with homework help and social-emotional support. This continuous support from a caring Club staff is critical for millions of youth this fall, many without a parent at home during the day or a positive adult mentor in their lives. Boys & Girls Clubs are also adapting their service models to support communities by meeting the most critical needs of kids and communities. Clubs are providing school supplies, activity kits, feeding programs; learning loss prevention and intervention programs; increased virtual integration; enhancement programs; as well as other assistance. Clubs are providing families with critical resources during the sustained period of uncertainty. Advocating for Racial Equity to Diminish the Inequality Divide Boys & Girls Clubs of America stands against racism and any type of discrimination. With 60% of Boys & Girls Club members identifying as Black, Latino, Asian, Native or other, the organization is committed to leveling the playing field because every young person, no matter who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances which surround them, should have equal access to opportunities and experiences that give them every opportunity to be successful in life. Through the pandemic, and the elevation of systemic racism and calls for social justice, Clubs are at the forefront of providing opportunities for engagement, critical conversations and support for communities. Clubs are engaging and listening actively to ensure local Club staff and boards are well-trained in practices that address anti-racism, social justice and equity. Impacting youth around the country, 87% of Club youth report that they can stand up for what they think is right. Local Clubs with Boys & Girls Clubs of America are now continuing to co-create inclusive and culturally relevant programs and resources that help close the opportunity gap while nurturing and elevating youth voice. In addition, Boys & Girls Clubs are developing policies and partner engagement that uphold principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. To create significant and sustained change to realize racial equity, Boys & Girls Clubs are committed to speaking out and continuing to take action. How You Can Help Boys & Girls Clubs of America is asking for your support. Donating to Boys & Girls Clubs of America directly supports local impact by bolstering our work to build strong local Clubs and communities, increase the quality of every kid's Club experience, reach and serve more young people, and to advocate for America's youth at the local, state, and federal levels. Please go to BGCA.org to donate or to learn how you can partner. Join us now in doing whatever it takes for America's kids. About Boys & Girls Clubs of America For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America ( BGCA.org ) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,700 Clubs serve 4.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54% said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter . SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America Related Links http://www.bgca.org BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Jeyhun Alakbarov Trend: "Baku" street opened in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, after reconstruction and expansion work, Trend reports on Sept. 3. The representative of the municipality of Podgorica, Ivan Vukovic, members of the municipality, employees of the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan in Montenegro, members of the parliament of Montenegro, and public representatives of the country attended the opening ceremony of the street. After the conducted work, the length of Baku street was increased up to 595 meters, it joins two important city avenues - Mihailo Lalic and Cetinjski Put avenues. The latter is the main avenue at the entrance to the city. Baku street opened in 2013. The monument to outstanding Azerbaijani poet and playwright, Huseyn Javid was also erected in the Royal Park of Podgorica in 2013. Stating that no political interference can come in the way of clearing encroachments, the Supreme Court has ordered for removal of around 48,000 slum dwellings across the railway tracks in Delhi within three months. In its order on August 31, which has been released now, the top court made it clear that the removal of these encroachments along 140km of tracks will have to be carried out in a phased manner and that no other court in the country will issue any order stopping this. The encroachments which are there in the safety zones should be removed within a period of three months and no interference, political or otherwise, should be there and no Court shall grant any stay with respect to removal of the encroachments in the area, stated the order. It added that if any interim order is granted by any other court with respect to encroachments along with railway tracks, such an order shall not be effective. The bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, was dealing with the issue of piling up waste, heaps of plastic bags and garbage, lying along the railway tracks in the national capital. It had in February asked the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA), Delhi government, and various Municipal Corporations to make a concrete plan for removal of the plastic bags, garbage and other waste materials lying on both the sides of railway lines. Subsequently EPCA submitted its report, pointing out heaps of solid wastes lying along the tracks while Railways still had to comply with the waste management rules and come up with a concrete plan on removal. On his part, Ashwani Kumar Yadav, Additional Divisional Railway Manager in Delhi Division, Northern Railways, also filed his affidavit highlighting encroachments in the form of around 48,000 jhuggies in Delhi along 140 km route length of track. The officers affidavit added the Special Task Force for removal of encroachments from the Railway Property has also been constituted but no major action could be taken owing to political interventions and pressure. At this, the bench recorded in its order: The picture painted in the Report of the EPCA as well as in the reply filed by the Railways indicates that nothing has been done so far and waste is being piled up and at the same time, there is human habitation which has come in the same area unauthorisedly, which are required to be taken care of. It then issued a judicial order to ensure all encroachments could be removed by the Railways in three months without any external pressure. The court also gave three months to Railways, Delhi government and the municipal authorities to clear all waste materials along the tracks, and to further ensure no contractor or other entity dumps the garbage there in future. 70% of the requisite amount shall be borne by the Railways and 30% by the State Government. The manpower will be provided by the SDMC, Railways and agencies available with the Government, free of cost, and they will not charge it from each other, said the bench, directing all authorities to submit the action taken report after a month. A man who killed his brother with a samurai sword under the grip of delusions about time travel, the Ku Klux Klan and aliens has been found not guilty of murder. Jonathan Dick became one of Australia's most wanted fugitives when he went on the run after slashing his brother David to death with a knife and samurai sword at Melbourne's Westfield Doncaster shopping centre car park in February 2017. He remerged in August the following year to try to kill his long-time friend David Cammarata with a pick hammer outside the man's Keilor home, telling him 'you had this coming'. Jonathan Dick (left) became one of Australia's most wanted fugitives when he went on the run after slashing his brother David (right) to death with a knife and samurai sword at Melbourne's Westfield Doncaster shopping centre car park in February 2017 A man believed to be Dick was caught on CCTV heading into an elevator at the Westfield where his brother was murdered Dick went back on the run and was caught a year later while stalking Mr Cammarata in a CBD car park. Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry on Thursday found the 42-year-old not guilty of murdering David Dick, and attempting to murder and stalking David Cammarata, by way of mental impairment. Dick has paranoid schizophrenia and was convinced he was pre-destined to kill his brother under instructions from their father, the court was previously told. The killer feared he and others would be seriously harmed, or even die, if he didn't go through with it and also believed he'd be transported to the future afterwards so he could avoid jail. Dick's mental illness meant he developed a series of false memories from his childhood, including that his brother and then-classmate Mr Cammarata had been part of a schoolyard attack on him linked to the Ku Klux Klan and Hells Angels bikie group. He also had delusions about aliens, hip hop records and September 11. Dick's mental state improved significantly in custody with medication and he no longer believed the delusions, forensic psychiatrist Rajan Darjee told the court. Dick (pictured) went back on the run and was caught a year later while stalking Mr Cammarata in a CBD car park 'He was also quite confused because for quite a period of years, these kind of bizarre memories had been as much memories to him as his true biographical memories,' Dr Darjee said on Tuesday. Justice Lasry accepted Dick's mental state at the time of the murder, attempted murder and stalking meant he did not know what he was doing was wrong. The killer remains in custody in a mental health unit and will return to court at a later date. 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 in court on Monday. MORE than 500 swimmers took part in the rescheduled Club to Pub swim. The event is usually held in July and participants swim downstream from Henley Rowing Club to the Angel on the Bridge but this was not possible this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they set off from Temple Island Meadows and headed downstream for 1.6km towards Hambleden Lock on Friday. The participants queued up on the bank prior to starting, while adhering to social distancing guidelines, and set off in waves. They were told to sanitise their hands and only allowed to enter the water two at a time via ladders. A total of 502 swimmers took part in the afternoon and evening during intermittent showers. The fastest man home was Paul Hare in a time of 19 minutes 32 seconds, while the fastest woman was Lucy Iball, a rower from Putney, in 21 minutes and 15 seconds. Actor Jason Flemyng, who starred in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was among the participants. Peta Bowyer, of Brook Street, Benson, was taking part in the event for the first time because she wanted to make her 70th birthday a memorable one. She and her daughter, Kate Sherwood, from Kent, finished in exactly the same time of 35 minutes and 11 seconds. Mrs Bowyer, a retired technical author and the rear commodore at Henley Sailing Club, said: I wanted to do the event because it was my birthday and I couldnt do anything else, so I thought it would make it a bit more memorable. I only decided to do it last week. I have done a little swimming in the past but nothing recently. The conditions werent too bad, even though it was raining. The rain was actually quite nice. When I got to Temple Island, I thought it was the finish line and then it just went on and on and I thought, Oh, how much longer is it going to be? but it wasn't bad at all. Matilda Brock, 22, from Sonning Common, was also taking part for the first time. She was representing Henley Open Water Swimming Club and finished in 28 minutes and 25 seconds. She said: The river was flowing quite fast, so it was actually a lot of fun. I was very happy with my time but I didnt really plan for a particular time and was just happy to finish. Miss Brock, a former pupil at Queen Annes School in Caversham, was the 14th fastest swimmer in the non-wetsuit category, which had a total of 121 entrants. Ailsa Higgs, 21, of Chazey Road, Caversham, finished in 26 minutes and 50 seconds and was the 38th fastest female out of 268. She said: I have swum quite a lot over the summer and I have enjoyed it since I was young. I got into open-water swimming about five years ago but Ive not done it in the last two years. Because of lockdown it was quite a nice thing to be able to do. I only found out about the event a couple of months ago and then I was on a waiting list and I found out I was in three weeks ago. It was nice to have something to look forward to because it marks the end of the open-water season so it is good to celebrate the end of all the training. She was cheered on by her parents, Lynn and Russell, boyfriend Dan and the family dog, Polly. Will Spriggs, of Fair Mile, Henley, achieved a time of 28 minutes and 11 seconds. The 41-year-old was taking part in his fourth event and waited at the finish line for his friend Adam Cotton. Mr Spriggs said: This is definitely the weirdest version of the Club to Pub Ive done. It was more segregated than normal but it worked very well. It was more spaced out so there was a lot less banging into people. After the year weve had, any sporting event or anything competitive is good news for me. I just swim locally in the river with some friends twice a week but Club to Pub is the only event I do. Mr Cotton, 42, of Gallowstree Road, Peppard, finished in 30 minutes and 15 seconds and was greeted by his daughter Sienna, seven, at the finish. He added: I quite enjoyed it. It was quite nice because the spectators were able to walk along the bank and follow. You cant normally do that, so that made it quite special. It was a bit different to normal. When you do the other route, you can see the finish from quite a long way out but with this one you just kept going round and round the bend. Rower Ella Hollaway, from Henley, was taking part with Miss Iball, a friend, and finished in 27 minutes and 17 seconds. She said: We usually do Henley Womens Regatta and Lucy does Henley Royal Regatta. We got into swimming because of lockdown because its something we can do outdoors. El Etherington, from Caversham, took part with her friend Julia Vivian, from London, and finished in 31 minutes and 51 seconds. She said: When it was originally meant to be in July, it was meant to be my 40th birthday celebration but it was cancelled so I thought I would do it anyway. My 41st is going to be epic. James Waite, from Henley, recorded a time of 24 minutes and 51 seconds. He said: Ive done it before its good to support a local business and events when they are trying to put stuff back on. I missed out on getting my entry in originally but luckily got a slot as someone pulled out. Its nice to swim a different stretch of the river. Its not quite Club to Pub but you appreciate the difficulties and its just nice to see its on. Jude Coleman, Sarah Barron and Bekki Wedd, all from Henley, took part together. Mrs Coleman said: We have all been doing quite a lot of swimming through lockdown and lots more open water. Its really nice to have the event back on in a different format and to support it. Henley Open Water Swimming Club members Elizabeth Hanna, from High Wycombe, Victoria Jackson, from Medmenham, and Kate Goodman, from Henley, swam together. Mrs Goodman is now entering her third year of undertaking an open water swim every day. She started the challenge to overcome a fear of water in August 2018 initially for a year but has carried on. She said: I had a think about whether stopping would add anything to my life and the answer was no and continuing made more sense. Its really good for your mental health as it clears your mind and you always feel great afterwards. I have agreed to do a Channel crossing next year so I dont see myself stopping anytime soon. Mrs Goodman said she enjoyed the event adding: It was nice doing it with friends. Restaurant owners in New York City have filed a $2 billion lawsuit against city and state officials as the hard-hit industry continues to call on lawmakers for a timeline and plan to reopen for indoor dining amid the pandemic. PHOTO: People walk by a closed restaurant in New York, May 18, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The class-action suit filed Friday in Manhattan's Supreme Court, led by Il Bacco in Queens, alleges that the state is violating the constitutional rights of the owners of over 150,000 New York City restaurants, ABC News New York City station WABC reported. Devastated by pandemic, NYC restaurant owners call on government for indoor dining As other neighboring counties, cities and states have began allowing restaurants to welcome diners back inside, industry leaders like Andrew Rigie at the New York City Hospitality Alliance have demanded answers from government and said that legal action was not out of the question for his organization. "Its been nearly six months since New York City restaurants were mandated to shutdown indoor dining, and Mayor de Blasio still does not have a reopening plan, even though the rest of the state has been dining indoors since June," Rigie told ABC News in a statement. PHOTO: Customers wearing protective face masks dine at King Umberto Restaurant in Elmont, New York, Aug. 05, 2020. (Mike Pont/Getty Images) Hundreds of restaurants have joined the three-story Italian restaurant -- which is located just under two blocks from the Nassau County border where customers can be seated indoors at 50% capacity -- in the suit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the office of the attorney general for "irreparable harm" to the food and beverage industry across the five boroughs. As of Monday, 350 additional restaurant owners joined the lawsuit according to attorney James Mermigis, Gothamist reported. "If a restaurant patron travels five hundred feet east or one city block east from [Il Bacco], patrons are in Nassau County and can enjoy indoor dining in an air conditioned room, the suit states. According to Governor Cuomo, it is dangerous to eat at [Il Bacco] in Little Neck, Queens, but it is safe to dine indoors a few hundred feet east. Story continues New York City is currently the only city in the entire state without any form of indoor dining. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced earlier this week that restaurants will resume indoor service at 25% capacity on Friday with other COVID-19 safety measures, like facial coverings and social distancing in place. PHOTO: A restaurant employee picks up a plastic partition while cleaning up after the rain in New York, Aug. 25, 2020. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images) Other concerns cited in the suit included "the small footprint many of these city restaurants occupy, and fears that authorities won't be able to enforce capacity limits," WABC said. In a press conference on Wednesday, de Blasio offered only a vague idea that an announcement could come this month. "I think it's our responsibility to give them as clear an answer in the month of September as possible, of where we are going," the mayor said. "If there can be a timeline, if there can be a set of standards for reopening, we need to decide that in the next few weeks and announce it, whether it is good news or bad news." Cuomo said that there can't be a timetable to reopen indoor dining without the ability to enforce rules. "My opinion is restaurants should open. The question is how?" he said Thursday. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson issued a statement in support of restaurants to resume indoor dining with proper safety precautions. "It's time to allow indoor dining in New York City with reduced capacity and clear guidance to ensure social distancing and safety," he said. "This is crucial for restaurant owners, who have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and the resulting drop in tourism. Summer is winding down, and they need to begin planning for the colder months." PHOTO: People wear protective face masks at an outdoor restaurant in the Flatiron District of New York, July 26, 2020. (Noam Galai/Getty Images) Johnson also said the city will continue to monitor COVID-19 rates adding that the health and well-being of the industry's workers "are imperative to our city." "The rest of the state has been allowed to reopen their restaurants for indoor dining, and New Jersey is allowing indoor dining come Friday. Now is the time to allow it in New York City. Our restaurants and our City's economy can't wait," he said. Cuomo said he plans to speak with Johnson about the needs in order to allow indoor dining. "If New York City can say this many police can be put on a task force to monitor the compliance, that's something we can discuss. I'm going to say to the restaurant association, tell me how we are going to enforce it and how we are going to monitor compliance because the facts on how we will monitor bars are damning," Cuomo said. "The plan is only as good as your ability to enforce. Right now, we have no ability to enforce it." New York City restaurants file $2 billion lawsuit amid growing calls for indoor dining plans originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com South Africa: Law enforcement probes COVID-19 relief fund management Law enforcement agencies are working together to probe the breaches of the COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS). The benefit scheme was established to provide much needed relief to employees, who have been laid-off work or unable to earn an income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first special audit report on the scheme, the Auditor General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, identified numerous gaps, risks and inadequate controls and verification processes. This has resulted in illegal payments, amongst others, to recipients of other State grants, students receiving National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) payments, public servants, and even inmates, deceased persons and minors. There is also evidence of overpayments and underpayments, as well as inflated claims. I take these breaches very seriously, the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, said on Wednesday. Nxesi was briefing media on the findings of the AG report in relation to the COVID-19 TERS Relief Fund audit. The AG has recommended that in each instance, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the department collaborate with other State organs and law enforcement to investigate every illegal action and risk identified. In terms of COVID-19 TERS benefits, R41.6 billion has been disbursed in 9.5 million payments to laid-off workers, representing 822 000 employers. These benefits have supported millions of laid-off workers and their families, and injected cash into local economies," said Nxesi. The AGs report noted that R37 billion had been disbursed by the end of June. During the State of Disaster, normal UIF payments of R5.9 billion went out to over one million claimants. The Minister said the COVID-19 TERS benefit payments represented a massive increase in the mandate and upscaling of the operations of the UIF. Fusion Centre On 24 August 2020, the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) launched a rapid forensic audit into the AGs findings on the UIF, with a view of recovering monies illegally paid and charging the perpetrators. The department and UIF have worked through the Fusion Centre with other government departments, agencies and databases to close gaps and eliminate risks. The Fusion Centre is a combination of law enforcement agencies, which is intended to speed up investigations and prosecution of COVID-19 related fraud and corruption cases, the Minister said. It consists of the Financial Intelligence Centre, Independent Police Investigation Directorate, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Special Investigative Unit and the State Security Agency. This allows all the forces to work together speedily in resolving the cases. The UIF cases are handled in the Fusion Centre and they are dealt with speedily. We have requested National Treasury to deploy technical resources to the UIF to urgently implement the recommendations of the AG and to develop system solutions for identified gaps and risks, the Minister said. In addition, National Treasury is assisting the Director-General of the Labour Department to identify service providers to conduct a forensic investigation into the overall workings of the UIF. We will also be looking into the workings of the Compensation Fund. Some 38 court cases have been opened, and charges laid against perpetrators drawing on evidence from the AGs findings, as well as from suspicious transactions picked up by the UIFs own Risk Management Unit, the Minister said. Some of these cases are already before the courts, and the perpetrators are in jail. Suspension of UIF Commissioner I await the outcomes of these various processes, before announcing further action against individuals and entities. The Auditor-General has now released publicly the final first special audit report into COVID-19 government expenditure including UIF Covid19 TERS transactions indicating serious risks and violations. In light of this, and because this occurred on his watch, this morning, I suspended the UIF Commissioner [Teboho Maruping], the Minister said. The Director-General of the Department of Employment and Labour has also suspended UIF senior management: the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Supply Chain. These moves allow for the SIU to conclude its forensic investigation, completely unfettered. This is not the end of the matter. The complete audit of all COVID-19 TERS benefit payments, as agreed with all social partners at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), commences this month. Beyond that, the AG will have a second bite in terms of the annual statutory audit for 2020/21. I assure you that I will not rest until every payment is accounted for, and every wrong-doer made to account, the Minister said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Tensions were high late into the protests against the police shooting of Jacob Blake two days earlier. Gunshots from other weapons were heard immediately before and after the shots that killed Rosenbaum. Whether you think Rittenhouse is a hero for helping guard against a repeat of the vandalism the night before, or if you think hes a reckless wannabe cop who had no business in Kenosha, youve got to concede that, at that moment, he was probably terrified. Dauphin County has an unusually high number of registered sex offenders for a county its size. According to data collected through Megans Law, Dauphin County has nearly 900 registered offenders a number much higher than neighboring counties and large for its population base. New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized nearly 2,500 kilogram of marijuana from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in two separate raids. In Patna, DRI officials got tip off that marijuana had been loaded in a truck at the Nagaland-Assam border. On Tuesday night, DRI officials seized 1817 kg of cannabis from a truck coming from Assam and arrested three persons. In the second raid, DRI officials seized a consignment of 690 kgs of cannabis from Gorakhpur on Wednesday. The truck was coming from Northeast. Three persons were arrested by the officials. Further investigation is going on into the matter. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A long awaited family reunion and a delightful Onam sadya to relish! On Onam, the festival of harmony, actor Malaika Arora posted a picture of her mom Joyce Polycarp, a Malayali Catholic and her sister Amrita Arora on Instagram. Finally after over five months, we all together at my parents home on this very auspicious day of Onam, wrote Arora. The beautiful festival transcends the boundaries of religion, caste and creed. This is the India we love! Onam, a 10-day festival, marks the end of a harvest year in Kerala and also celebrates the arrival of a New Year for Malayali Hindus. India has often been recognized as a country of unique and distinct culture. With many languages, religions, music, dance, foods, architecture which differ from state to state, the Indian culture is an amalgamation of several cultures. Keeping this spirit alive, Malaika, daughter of Anil Arora, a Punjabi and Joyce Polycarp, who hails from Kerala, celebrates all festivals with aplomb. Every year, Joyce, a culinary expert serves a scrumptious spread with the traditional meal, Thiruvonam Nakshathram and many friends come over but this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, no guests were called and it was quite an intimate affair. An Onam spread on a banana leaf (Insta/@malaikaaroraofficial) India is a diverse country, people speak in different languages, dress differently, worship different gods, eat varied food but essentially everyone is the same. So whether it is a joyous occasion or a moment of grief, people participate whole-heartedly, feeling the happiness or pain. A festival or a celebration is never constrained to a family or a home, the whole community or neighbourhood is involved in bringing liveliness to an occasion except this time. But soon, all of us will be able to celebrate all occasions together. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A deputy in South Carolina has been fired and charged with assault after body camera footage showed him yanking a woman to the ground by her hair inside a sheriff's office. Kyle Oliver, 29, faces misdemeanor charges of assault and battery in the third degree following the January 7 incident in Columbia. Officers had been called to reports of domestic violence at a property along the Broad River Road area. Kyle Oliver, a Richland County sheriff's deputy, has been fired and charged with assault The incident happened inside Richland County sheriff's office on January 7 Oliver was caught on camera grabbing the woman by her hair and yanking her to the floor A woman was taken to the region four substation of Richland County sheriff's office, on Beatty Road. She was handcuffed behind her back and placed her on a bench. Leon Lott, sheriff of Richland County said the woman was 'highly agitated' and was hitting the back of her head on the wall, which eventually put a hole through the wall. Oliver then ran up, grabbed her by her hair and yanked her forward to the ground, the body camera footage showed. Oliver is seen shoving the woman, wearing a blue jacket, to the ground inside the office But the footage was not reviewed until now. Oliver reported using force in his official write-up, but what he wrote in his report did not match the footage from another officer's body camera, Lott said at a news conference. Lott said he reviewed the camera footage on Monday after receiving a tip. He said the woman never reported the excessive force. Lott decided to fire Oliver and after prosecutors reviewed the footage, they charged him with misdemeanor third-degree assault. 'His actions are unacceptable, and I will not have it from any of my deputies,' Lott said. 'I hold my deputies to a much higher standard.' The sheriff promised to put in place new rules requiring supervisors to match such written reports with available video. 'We work everyday doing good things out there,' Lott said. 'But it only takes one time, like you just saw, to create mistrust in the community.' A member of the Al-Shabaab militant group who claimed to have participated in the battle of El Adde has surrendered. According to various media sources, Kenyan authorities said they are holding Khalif Abdinoor Mohamed who has been working with Somalia based Al-Shabaab terror group since 2013. Police said the suspect communicated with Burahale Station police boss, who facilitated his travel to Mandera County, where he surrendered to the authorities. Reportedly, detectives attached to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit in Mandera interrogated the terror suspect Tuesday to establish his motive amid plans to transport him to Nairobi, where he is set to be grilled further on his role in the militant groups activities. It is claimed that Mohamed ran away from Al Shabaab on August 30, 2020 at around 6 pm. Police said at 9 pm, he reached Borehole 11 and was able to communicate with the OCPD Burahale who then facilitated his movement. The suspect also surrendered an AK47 Butt Number 20 and three magazines with 92 rounds of ammunition. Detectives said that Mohamed was born in Bura at the Kenyan-Somalia border in a family of eight. During his interrogation, the suspect said he trained with Alshabaab at Saakow at the Saretha Kulmiye training school in Somalia. He also told police that he went through a nine-month extensive training in Buale where he received GPS training, how to use Motorola and how to carry out recon on camps and conduct assassinations. The militant also told detectives that he was part of Al-Shabaab fighters who were deployed along the Kenya- Somalia border in Elram and Khorof Harar where a mast was recently brought down. Mohamed is said to be among jihadists who have been carrying out a series of attacks along the Kenya-Somalia border where several Safaricom masts have been brought down to interfere with communication. They operate in small groups of twelve that are part of a larger group of between 30-36 operatives. They always spend three nights only in one location before moving to another area, police said. The terrorists also use motorbikes to access difficult terrain and according to Mohammed, they only use hand-held Motorolas for communicating while combat radios are only available in the militant groups headquarters at Kukumo, Somalia. He also disclosed that militants were planning a major attack on Elram Camp in Mandera County. The El Adde raid is one of the deadliest attacks on Kenyan troops; a band of about 300 militants staged a dawn attack on the Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of El Adde, Gedo, Somalia on January 15, 2016, killing over 150 Kenyan troops. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Fidan Babayeva Trend: Public-private partnership is essential to expand innovative applications in Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, Ulvi Mehdiyev said. Mehdiyev made the remarks at the meeting with heads of the technology companies belonging to the Azerbaijan Innovations Export Consortium (AZINNEX), Trend reports. "The private sector will play an important role in the widespread use of e-government and the development of the innovative economy in the country," the chairman added. As a result, a decision was made to regularly hold such meetings between the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations and AZINNEX. "The companies that are part of AZINNEX, created on the initiative of the State Agency, export their innovative products and services to more than 20 countries," the chairman said. A memorandum of cooperation was signed in Baku on July 7, 2017, among 10 specialized companies in the field of innovations within the creation of AZINNEX. --- Follow the author on Twitter: Fidan_Babaeva Premier Brian Pallister speaks to the Free Press in his office at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Wednesday. Want this delivered to your inbox each morning? Sign up here. Mike Bloomberg donates $100 million to Black medical students The former New York City mayor today plans to announce a large donation to four historically Black medical schools, in an effort to improve the health and wealth of Black communities, particularly during the pandemic. The immediate goal is to ease the financial burden on about 800 medical students, who will each receive grants of up to $100,000. The donation to four institutions Charles R. Drew University of Science and Medicine, in Los Angeles; Howard University College of Medicine, in Washington; Meharry Medical College, in Nashville; and Morehouse School of Medicine, in Atlanta is one of the biggest by a single donor to historically Black schools. It follows other pledges to historically Black institutions by Reed Hastings of Netflix and his wife, Patty Quillin, and MacKenzie Scott. Mr. Bloombergs gift is the first major donation from the Greenwood Initiative, a racial justice program he started in the waning days of his presidential campaign. Its broader aim is to increase the number of Black doctors in the U.S. The data-driven Mr. Bloomberg and his team were convinced by statistics showing that Black doctors help provide better health outcomes for Black patients and are more likely to work in underserved communities. That became even more of a concern amid the pandemics disproportionate impact on Black people. By increasing the number of Black doctors, we hope the gift will help to save more Black lives and reduce the health problems that limit economic opportunity in Black communities, Mr. Bloomberg told DealBook. With help from a special grant, Meals on Wheels Montgomery County has been able to expand its services at a time when families may need food the most. Meals on Wheels Montgomery County typically delivers meals to the countys seniors. But through a grant from United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation, organizers have been able to provide meals for the Deerwood community in East Montgomery County and to children in the Family Promise of Montgomery County program. The agency also continues its service to the countys seniors. This money is specifically earmarked for food for families and individuals impacted by COVID-19, said Summer Day, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels Montgomery County. Its been a really big help to families who have been furloughed or theyre still working but they have children at home during the day. She said nonprofit agencies were allowed to apply for relief funding for special needs like nutrition. Meals on Wheels Montgomery County applied and received $40,000 the first time and when they applied a second time received $200,000. Meals on Wheels Chef John Alton prepares the food at the Meals on Wheels kitchen and then the food is delivered to the Deerwood Community Center on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Deerwood Coalition volunteers package the meals and distribute them in a drive-thru at the community center. President of the Deerwood Community Center Coalition Gaby Gonzalez said 200 meals are distributed on Tuesday and Wednesday. She said its a way of helping the community including the elderly and the children in the community. The first food drive took place on Aug. 11 and the they are expected to continue through the end of September. Gonzalez said they are looking at other options to continue the food drive after the grant ends. We want to continue providing food to the community. We know they are in need right now, she said. The Deerwood Coalition has also hosted drive-through food distributions on some Saturdays during the summer. This is a project of the Texas Familias Council with Maria Banos Jordan and DiMare Fresh food distribution. Upcoming food distributions will take place on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12 starting at 11 a.m. at the Deerwood Community Center. The grant has also allowed Meals on Wheels to bring hot lunch meals to children in the Family Promise of Montgomery County center. The children in the program are doing their online school at the center and there is not a kitchen at the facility thus limiting their meal options. Family Promise is beyond grateful to partner with Meals On Wheels to provide nutritious meals for our families with children while they are not attending school in person. It has been challenging for our families who depend on school lunches with virtual learning, said Marilyn Kasmiersky, executive director of Family Promise of Montgomery County. Our parents have asked if there is a was a way we could help with meals for their children due to being at work, so I reached out to Summer Day, at Meals on Wheels per the CARES Act funding to see if it was a good fit. The plan came together beautifully. We are all working together to serve the most vulnerable population in our community. Through efforts from our faith community partners help we were provided sack lunches throughout the summer and now Meals on Wheels for a daily hot meal. Our families are appreciative and look forward to their daily meal delivery, she said. The project also offers some vital information about the community. It peels back layers to show where there are unmet needs in our community, Day said. This might have a lasting impact on how we get funding to these under served populations. For more about the Deerwood Community Center Coalition visit https://www.facebook.com/deerwoodcommunitycentercoalition/. For more about Meals on Wheels Montgomery County visit mowmc.org. For more on Family Promise, visit familypromiseofmc.org. shernandez@hcnonline.com Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell discussed a number of issues, including bilateral cooperation and regional topics, at a meeting in Cairo on Thursday, the presidents spokesman said. Also present for the meeting were Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and EU Ambassador to Egypt Christian Berger, Bassam Rady said. Rady said that El-Sisi welcomed Borrells visit in the context of the depth and durability of the complex relations between Egypt and the EU and the strong ties that unite the two sides in light of the common challenges they face on the two shores of the Mediterranean, in addition to the fact that the EU is Egypts largest commercial and investment partner. According to Rady, Borrell praised the historic relations between the EU and Egypt, especially in light of the political weight that Egypt enjoys internationally and regionally. In addition, Egypts role as a pivot for security and stability in the region, which is currently in a critical phase of severe turmoil, makes it an important strategic partner for the EU, he said. Rady said that the meeting tackled aspects of cooperation and dialogue between Egypt and the EU in the political, economic and security fields. The meeting also covered coordination efforts between Egypt and the EU on various important regional and international issues, especially developments in Libya. El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's steadfast stance in supporting a political solution to the Libyan crisis that avoids foreign interference and armed militias, and said that Cairo welcomes any positive and constructive steps that lead to peaceful settlement, construction and development. The president moreover confirmed Egypt's support for the relevant international efforts on the crisis, including the Berlin conference and the Cairo Declaration, the statement read. The Cairo Declaration is a Libyan-Libyan political initiative jointly announced by El-Sisi, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, and Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, in Cairo in June, which aims to resolve the crisis and end the armed conflict in the country. Borrell, who is the EUs high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and the vice president of the European Commission, emphasised the importance that the EU attaches to Egypt's pivotal role, which achieves balance in the Libyan issue. He said he appreciated the Egyptian efforts on various challenges in the region which affect security and stability in Mediterranean countries, especially hosting millions of refugees in Egypt and preventing illegal immigration, combating terrorism and extremist ideology, and also working towards establishing peace in the Middle East. The statement added that it was agreed during the meeting on the need to push collective international action towards the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides with the aim of a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue in accordance with international references. El-Sisi and Borrell also exchanged views on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis. The president affirmed Egypt's adherence to its water rights by reaching a balanced and legally binding agreement on the mega-dam that guarantees clear rules on its filling and operation and achieves the common interests of all parties. Egypt and Sudan are in talks with Ethiopia to reach an agreement on the issue. At the last round of the African Union-sponsored negotiations on Friday, the three countries' technical and legal committees were scheduled to come up with a unified draft of their three proposals for an agreement to be submitted to current AU head, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. They failed to reach a consensus, however, and agreed instead to send individual letters to Ramaphosa expressing their visions for the next stage of talks. Shoukry and Borrells press conference Borrell said during a press conference with Shoukry after the meeting on Thursday that the EU fully backs Egypts stance and shares its worries over the GERD problem, according to Egypts MENA news agency. Shoukry said during the press conference that his talks with Borrell also covered the Palestinian cause, the situation in Libya and Syria, and means to restore regional stability. Talks also touched upon the situation in some countries in the Sahara and the Sahel, the minister added. He also asserted the depth of the ties binding Egypt and the EU in various domains. Borrell said the EU and Egypt are working together on enhancing cooperation in various spheres, including the environment, energy, migration, water and health, and economic fields. Meeting with defence minister Borrell also met on Thursday with Defence and Military Production Minister Mohamed Zaki for a discussion about joint cooperation in the defence field, the Egyptian armed forces said. According to the militarys statement on the meeting, Zaki expressed his appreciation of the relations between Egypt and the EU, describing the link as a strategic relationship based on cooperation between partners to achieve stability and security for the region. He also stated his appreciation of the political, military and economic importance of the relationship between Egypt and the EUs member countries. According to the statement, Borrell asserted the importance of continuing the EUs joint coordination and cooperation with Egypt in order to achieve stability and security for all people living in the Mediterranean region. Search Keywords: Short link: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan has exported 290,808 tons of crude petroleum oil and oil obtained from bituminous minerals worth 73.6 million euros to Italy in June 2020, Eurostat official told Trend. In turn, Kazakhstan exported 2.3 million tons of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals worth 682.05 million euros to Italy in 1H2020. Thus, the June volume of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals from Kazakhstan to the Italy is 11.8 percent more than in volume compared to May 2020 (18,789 tons) and is 46.6 percent less than in Jan. 2020 (401,614 tons). Junes export value is also 91.7 percent more than in May 2020 (38.4 million euros) and is 70.6 percent less than in Jan. 2020 (250.8 million euros). The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Italy amounted to $4.3 billion over 1H2020, compared to $5.01 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Italy amounted to $3.9 billion over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $4.2 billion during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Italy stood at about $422.4 million over the reporting period, compared to $771.1 million during the same period of 2019. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh New Delhi: The nine-year-old son of an aspiring film producer, who was in the process of producing a film on Akhilesh Yadav, allegedly consumed poison in New Delhi on Wednesday as he was apparently upset over the recent developments in the Samajwadi Party. The incident occurred in southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar area following which the boy was rushed to a hospital where he was stated to be out of danger. Muneer, a class IV student and a resident of Shaheen Bagh, was apparently a fan of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the policies he had implemented, his father Azhar Dilshad Khan said.Describing Muneer as a "brilliant" student, he said while children of his age usually spent time playing, he used to discuss the political scenario of Uttar Pradesh with his mother. Khan added that he was in the process of producing a film on Akhilesh and had stalled the project after the family feud in the SP surfaced. "Muneer was supposed to play the role of a young boy in the film who is in awe of the chief minister. We could not foresee that it would turn out to be a case of the real imitating the reel," Khan said, adding that the boy "grew up" watching YouTube clips of Akhilesh. All the members of the family, which hailed from Meerut, were fans of Akhilesh, Khan said. Meanwhile, police said that even though the family members told them that Muneer was a fan of Akhilesh and was upset over the recent developments in the SP, in writing they maintained that the boy had "accidentally" consumed an unknown poisonous substance. He was admitted to Alshifa Hospital, said a senior police officer."The boy is now fit to give statement and is out of danger. His father has given in writing that his son had accidentally consumed some poisonous substance and he does not want any legal action. His mother has said that her son was a fan of Akhilesh Yadav and had consumed rat poison by mistake and that she does not suspect any other person's involvement in the matter," he added. By Eva Hill hilleva@grinnell.edu President Anne Harris announced on Wednesday that Alexander McLean, the founder and director general of international nonprofit organization Justice Defenders, has won the 2020 Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize. The prize, Harris wrote in the announcement email, honors individuals who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and who show creativity, commitment, and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change. McLean started Justice Defenders (then called the African Prisons Project) in 2007 after realizing the level of mistreatment of prisoners in a Ugandan maximum security prison that was sending patients to the hospital where he worked. I realized there are people whose lives are judged to have no value by their community or government, McLean wrote in a statement on Justice Defenders website. This left me furious and heartbroken, yet motivated to bring dignity to those deemed worthless. The U.K.-based organization began as an effort to improve prison conditions, creating health clinics and education programs for prisoners. But in 2017, the groups goals shifted from improving prisons to increasing access to justice, and the African Prisons Project relaunched in 2020 with its current name, Justice Defenders. Today, Justice Defenders is a multinational organization with offices in the U.K., Uganda, Kenya and the U.S. thats run by lawyers, prisoners, prison administrators, judges, and supporters of the groups mission. It aims to provide legal and paralegal training to communities that lack the necessary education resources, as well as free legal advice to prisoners and people in underserved communities. Prisoners, ex-prisoners, and prison staff offer unique perspectives on legal systems. Yet their experiences are rarely acknowledged, McLean wrote. Bringing them together with prosecutors, the police, judges, experienced lawyers, and academics creates remarkable possibilities for good. Inequality and mistreatment in the criminal justice system has been a hot-button issue at Grinnell in recent years. The College uses prison labor to produce dorm furnishings, a practice that was heavily protested by the Grinnell chapter of activist coalition Million Hoodies during a prison-divestment campaign that started in the spring of 2019. As of now, the College has made no indication that it will move away from its ties to Iowas prison industry. UC San Diego Health will be part of a second, massive clinical trial to assess the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of a vaccine designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Like the Moderna clinical trial, which launched in late-July, the Phase III national AstraZeneca study will recruit up to 30,000 participants at multiple sites across the country. The trial arm at UC San Diego will involve an estimated 1,600 participants, with particular outreach intended for underserved communities. The UC San Diego trial is slated to begin September 8, 2020. UC San Diego researchers are collaborating with El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) in the Imperial Valley, which has been hard-hit by the pandemic, to create a subsite of the trial. The virus has dealt a devastating blow to both the medical and financial well-being of the region. A successful vaccine trial - our target is more than 1,000 participants -; will give hope as we stop the spread of this disease in such a vulnerable community." Chris Tomaszewski, MD, Chief Medical Officer at ECRMC The UC San Diego trial will also deploy a specially equipped bus to bring vaccine testing to communities in San Diego County disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and historically under-represented in medical research. Two other vehicles will serve as mobile clinics for participants who develop COVID-19 during the study. "The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the United States," said Susan Little, MD, professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and principal investigator of the UC San Diego trial. "These vehicles will help our research team bring vaccine trial opportunities to high-burden communities that might otherwise be underserved." The trial is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) and is part of Operation Warp Speed, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with a goal to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by end of year or early 2021. Currently, Operation Warp Speed has now committed a reported $8 billion to development and/or purchase of different vaccines under investigation by AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech SE, NovaVax, Merck and Sanofi/GSK, the last a European-based partnership. The latest vaccine, known as AZD1222, is a collaboration between the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University, both based in the United Kingdom. It is made from a weakened version of an adenovirus (which causes the common cold) derived from chimpanzees and modified so it cannot replicate in humans. Little said the approach is similar to the strategy used safely in previous human vaccine trials for prevention of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, a coronavirus closely related to COVID-19. The virus contains the full-length structural surface glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 that gives the novel coronavirus its characteristic spikes. These spikes are used by the virus to fuse with host cell membranes. When the adenovirus binds to host cells, the SARS-CoV-2 genetic material it contains prompts an immune response and ideally, the development of neutralizing antibodies. Neutralizing antibodies are part of the body's adaptive immune system. By interfering with how pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and microbial toxins, interact with host cells, the antibodies can render pathogens non-infectious. In data published in The Lancet, researchers found that the vaccine was generally well tolerated in Phase I/II trials, with the most common adverse effects being temporary pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, chills, fatigue or malaise. These effects were less frequent after the second dose and less frequent in trial participants who were pre-treated with Tylenol. Preliminary findings found that study participants receiving two vaccines 28 days apart developed fewer vaccine side effects (than those receiving one vaccine) and all developed SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibody responses. Additionally, AZD1222 vaccines have generated production of immune cells called T cells, which are important for long-lived immunity. Participation protocol The Phase III AZD1222 trial will be randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled -; the gold standard for clinical trials. Up to 30,000 participants will be recruited, spread across 81 sites. Two-thirds of the participants will receive the test vaccine, given as two injections with the second shot 28 days after the first. The other third will receive two injections of a saline placebo on the same timetable. Qualifying participants must be 18 or older and be in reasonably good health. They must be at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to where they live (higher community spread of the virus) or personal circumstances, such as working in essential jobs like first responders, health care, maintenance, construction, grocery stores or assisted living facilities. The study is scheduled to last for two years, with seven scheduled study visits to monitor participants' health and well-being. Participants will be asked to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, shortness of breath, cough, headache and loss of sense of taste. Participants are asked to contact study coordinators immediately if they develop symptom(s) suggestive of COVID-19 that persist for a day or more -; at which time they will be tested for SARS-CoV-2. Participants who develop COVID-19 while on study will wear an armband device that measures temperature, blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and heart rate to assess their well-being for up to 28 days. They will provide blood and nasal samples during the scheduled study visits. AP/Shutterstock Filipino crewmember of a Panamanian cargo ship is rescued by Japanese Coast Guard members in the waters off the Amami Oshima, Japan Dozens of people aboard a cargo ship have gone missing off the coast of Japan during Typhoon Maysak and only one sailor has been discovered alive so far. The ship, which was carrying thousands of cattle from New Zealand to China, was caught in the typhoon on Wednesday, CNN reported. A distress signal was sent from the Panama-registered Gulf Livestock 1 early Wednesday morning, when it was about 115 miles off the coast of Japan's Amami Oshima island, according to the outlet. Aboard the ship were 43 people and 5,800 cows. Two of the crew members were from New Zealand, two were from Australia and 39 were from the Philippines, CNN reported. The lone survivor so far, identified by The New York Times as Sareno Edvardo of the Philippines, told the Japanese Coast Guard that the 456-foot ship capsized in the storm. RELATED: Girl, 5, and Her 4-Year-Old Brother Found Dead After Being Swept Away in N.C. Flash Flood "When it was capsizing, an onboard announcement instructed us to wear a life jacket," Edvardo said, according to the NYT. "So I wore a life jacket and jumped into the sea." Edvardo was reportedly rescued late Wednesday night and was in good condition after being taken to a hospital on Amami Oshima. Among the missing sailors is 25-year-old Australian Lukas Orda, 7News.com reported Thursday. Orda, from Queensland, is reportedly dad to a 6-month-old son. Rescue efforts were scheduled to continue into Thursday. RELATED: Nearly Half of La. Deaths Linked to Hurricane Laura Caused By Generators Including Family of 4 Typhoon Maysak reached its peak on Tuesday with winds reaching 145 miles per hour, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. The storm has since made landfall in South Korea. Animal rights activists say the missing ship exemplifies reasons why livestock should not be transported by sea. "These cows should never have been at sea. To make matters worse theyre likely all pregnant," said Marianne Macdonald, the campaigns manager for SAFE New Zealand, in a statement Wednesday. "This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue," Macdonald's statement continued. "This is a high-risk trade that puts the lives of animals at risk which is why the export of live animals must be banned." (Photo : Alex Haney/Unsplash) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Scolded Employees for Discussing Highly Charged Topics in Company Forum (Photo : Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, 33, was called to testify after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign. (Photo : REUTERS/Brendan McDermid) An incendiary device goes off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. August 25, 2020. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently refereed between employees who went into a heated debate about racial bias in the company forum. The feud started after an employee shared a post on Workplace, Facebook's internal messaging board on Aug. 28 disputing the role of race in policing. He also defended good law enforcers who have been persecuted by "society's conformity to a lie." Soon enough, Facebook employees have been commenting on the post, which triggered debates over such a loaded topic. The author even deleted some comments, which he deemed "unproductive and overwhelming." The Workplace discussion reached such a level that prompted Zuckerberg to intervene. The CEO said that the company's communications policy is designed "to allow people to discuss very different viewpoints." However, Zuckerberg said that he is concerned about some people who ignore how their words impact the Black community within the company. The staff shared the post days after the incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin where police fired multiple shots at the back of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, which left him paralyzed. He said, "My heart goes out to the Blake family." According to The Daily Beast, the employee reportedly continued to argue that the criminal justice system does not result in racial biases while police shootings are not due to racism as victims of these incidents either disobeyed officers' orders or they are under the influence of drugs. The publication also alleged that Facebook would start filtering controversial topics on the Workplace by creating subchannels for them. Zuckerberg said that employees can no longer "discuss highly charged content" in open groups and forums, although the company values their open discussion and opinion. "I don't believe people working here should have to be confronted with divisive conversations while they're trying to work," he added. Facebook slammed for ignoring the warning about Kenosha militia groups While Zuckerberg promoted his social media platform as a place for free speech, Facebook has faced increasing pressures from within the company and outside to strengthen its monitoring on the platform against hate speech and calls for violence. Facebook has long banned explicit content calls for violence, but a new policy targeted militia groups that "celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them." The recent update also covers groups that have followers with violent behavior patterns. However, the company faces much pressured amid the Kenosha shootings as Facebook reportedly ignored multiple warnings from users that a Kenosha militia group created an event where users planned to bring weapons in protest and challenge the demonstrators. While Zuckerberg told employees that it was "an operational mistake," employees slammed the CEO's comment. One employee even questioned when the company would "take responsibility for enabling hate-filled bile to spread across our services." Meanwhile, Business Insider reported that a Facebook spokesperson said that the warnings came a bit late before Facebook's moderators who handle militia-related content could handle it. However, BuzzFeed News reported that the company had been repeatedly warned 455 times while it only removed the contents after the shootings. Read also: "Bully Billionaire" Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Allegedly Puts Neighbor in Jail for Shouting at Security Guards Blocking Fire Hydrant This is owned by Tech Times Written by CJ Robles 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 5 | India should get 500 million doses by July 2021 to vaccinate 25-30 crore people, says Harsh Vardhan: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on November 19 said that while the government will not be able to provide vaccination against COVID-19 to the entire population of India together, by June or July 2021, "we should have 400-500 million doses". "So we should be able to inoculate 25-30 crore people," Vardhan said. From China offering its experimental coronavirus vaccine candidates to aviation industry workers and early results of a Novavax candidate showing promise to Sanofi and its British peer GSK starting a clinical trial for a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, here are all the updates on COVID-19 vaccine and its development from around the world. China offers coronavirus vaccine candidates to aviation industry workers - notice China has offered experimental coronavirus vaccines to aviation industry workers, according to news agency Reuters, in a push to inoculate high-risk groups to prevent a possible resurgence as economies reopen. China, which has four COVID-19 vaccines in the final stage of human trials, launched the emergency use vaccine programme in July, hoping to boost the immunity of groups such as border inspectors or medical industry workers. Frontline workers at Chinese airlines, airports, China National Aviation Fuel Group and TravelSky Technology will be provided a candidate vaccine on a voluntary basis, the notice from China's aviation regulator shows. 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 Sanofi, GSK launch trial for COVID-19 protein-based vaccine French drugmaker Sanofi and its British peer GSK have started a clinical trial for a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate, as pharmaceutical companies race to develop treatments against the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanofi and GSK said on Thursday that they had started the "Phase 1/2" trial for their adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine, which they hope to make available across the world. This vaccine candidate uses the same recombinant protein-based technology as one of Sanofi's seasonal influenza vaccines with GSK's established pandemic adjuvant technology. Vaccine group says 76 rich countries now committed to 'COVAX' access plan Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project's co-lead said. Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccine alliance, said the coordinated plan, known as COVAX, now has Japan, Germany, Norway and more than 70 other nations signed up, agreeing in principle to procure COVID-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations. "We have, as of right now, 76 upper middle income and high income countries that have submitted confirmations of intent to participate - and we expect that number to go up," Berkley told news agency Reuters in an interview. US CDC tells states to prep for COVID-19 vaccine distribution as soon as late October The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October, documents published by the agency have shown. "For the purpose of initial planning, CDC provided states with certain planning assumptions as they work on state specific plans for vaccine distribution, including possibly having limited quantities of vaccines in October and November," a CDC spokeswoman told news agency Reuters. The country's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci had earlier said on MSNBC that based on the patient enrollment rate in COVID-19 vaccine trials underway, there could be enough clinical data to know by November or December that one of the vaccines is safe and effective. Meanwhile, according to a report by The New York Times, the CDC is preparing for two COVID-19 vaccines, referred to simply as Vaccine A and Vaccine B. Early Novavax vaccine results show no major safety issue: Report According to an Associated Press report, early results from an experimental vaccine have shown no major safety problems and have also spurred the desired immune system responses. The US government has awarded Novavax, a company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, $1.6 billion to help develop and make the vaccine, which is given as two shots, three weeks apart. It includes a protein from the coronavirus to prompt the immune system to make antibodies to fight infection. The R&B star, who boasts two multi-platinum albums, told a news conference August 31 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. 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. "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. CSafe Global, the innovation leader in temperature-controlled container solutions for the transport of life-enhancing pharmaceuticals, has once again expanded their global reach and local presence with the opening of a new hub operation in Taipei, Taiwan. This new addition to CSafes worldwide container operations facilities ensures Taiwans thriving biotech and pharmaceutical sectors have consistent, easy access for to the cold chain industrys top performing containers. Weve been supplying containers to Taipei for some time now from our Hong Kong facility, explained Tom Weir, chief operating officer for CSafe Global. As the demand has consistently increased over time, we felt it important to invest in a local hub where we can inspect and service incoming containers so they can be released for usage by local organizations. To do this efficiently, weve partnered with C.H. Robinson in Taipei to make units available at their Taiwan International Global Forwarding facility. CSafe will have access to 2,500 square-feet of space to store CSafe RKN and RAP. CSafe continues expanding its presence in Asia by investing in best-in-class facilities to provide the best service possible to customers in their local area. Eliza Reign Seraphin is gearing upon to take Future back to court after a judge ruled he pay her $3,200 a month in child support for their one-year-old daughter Reign, well short of the $53,000 she had asked for. 'We are very hopeful that once we get all the documentation from him, his banking info, his credit card info, that the final child support number would be substantially higher,' Seraphin's lawyer Brandon Rotbart told The Shade Room on Tuesday. Seraphin and her legal team said they disagreed with the 36-year-old rapper's estimate he only makes $30,000 a month. The latest: Eliza Reign Seraphin is gearing upon to take Future, 36, back to court after a judge ruled her pay $3,200 a month in child support for their one-year-old daughter Reign, well short of the $53 she had asked for 'We had some other evidence that was contradictory,' Rotbart told the outlet. 'Its only just begun.' Future and Seraphin were involved between 2016 and 2018; he previously took her to court alleging she was defaming him with lies, but the case was mostly tossed. Forbes magazine last year toted the 2019 income for The rap artist, whose real name is Nayvadius Wilburn, at $19.5 million. Earlier this year, TMZ reported that the rapper was telling people that Seraphin purposely got pregnant to set herself up monetarily, and that she calls the child the 'check baby.' Future and Seraphin were involved between 2016 and 2018; he previously took her to court alleging she was defaming him with lies, but the case was mostly tossed Sticking point: Seraphin and her legal team said they disagreed with the rapper's estimate he only makes $30,000 a month Earlier this summer, she passed on his proposal of $1,000 monthly and health insurance for the child under the condition she no longer publicly speak about him or the ongoing legal matter, Bossip reported. 'I have discussed your proposed order with my client, and we are NOT in agreement,' Seraphin's lawyer Brandon Rotbart told Future's attorney Ramona Liberty via email, the outlet reported. 'Should you have a reasonable child support amount to offer, I am happy to discuss it with my client.' Earner: The rapper, snapped in Miami in 2018, made $19.5 million last year, Forbes reported Beauties: The proud mom took to social media to show off her young daughter last year Rotbart also told People that the Mask Off artist's proposal was little more than a gambit so he could say he paid something to support his child. The Atlanta native has six children, three boys and three girls, as he's father to sons Future Zahir (with Ciara), Prince and Jakobi, and daughters Londyn and Hendrix from past relationships. He was recently dating socialite Lori Harvey, but they have since parted ways. The transfer window is hotting up with just over a month to go to seal the deals for the 2020-21 season. The window for international registrations closes at 11pm on Monday October 5 and there is an agreement in place between the Premier League and EFL clubs for an extended two-week domestic only window, which will close at 5pm on Friday October 16. Here, Sportsmail's Jack Kinnersley will provide live updates from Premier League and European clubs as they continue to negotiate, complete signings and loans during the summer transfer window. The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of instituting systems to rig the upcoming 2020 elections. The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia made this claim while addressing the press at the partys headquarters on Thursday, September 3, 2020. Mr. Nketia said the NPP plans to use violence and other undemocratic intimidation tactics to rig the elections. He indicated that the NPPs grand scheme is contained in an alleged leaked tape of a Deputy Regional Minister for Bono East, Martin Oti Gyarko instructing some members of the NPPs invincible forces to cause mayhem in the just-ended voters registration exercise. In this leaked audiotape, the Deputy Regional Minister Hon. Oti Gyaaka popularly known as Homeboy was caught giving explicit instructions to the NPP Vigilante team to among other things, maim and commit murder where necessary with the promise of state protection and reward instead of prosecution. Again on the leaked tape, the minister claimed that the media and all the state institution such as EC, the Judiciary and security agencies are fully behind the NPP in prosecuting this diabolic agenda and that it has been agreed that immediately any crime is committed by them, the NPP will rush to the press feigning to be victims and accuse the NDC of all such crimes, he said. Mr. Nketia called on the international community to clamp down on plans by the NPP to cause violence during the 2020 elections. Let me use this opportunity to invite the International Community to impress upon Nana Akufo-Addo's Government and the relevant state institutions mentioned in the leaked tape to take immediate steps to abandon any grand agenda of collusion with the NPP to perpetrate violence, intimidation and injustice on the people of this country. This is not the first time the party has expressed concerns over the possibility of the upcoming polls being rigged by the governing NPP by the Electoral Commission. The party has on several occasions raised concerns over the neutrality of the leadership of the EC ahead of the 2020 polls. Coming on the back of tensions between the NDC and the EC, former President John Mahama had earlier said: We have our doubts that they can be neutral and fair the current posture and the way they are conducting things makes us doubt that they will be neutral and fair in 2020. But speaking during a tour, the EC chairperson insisted that because of the checks and systems at the commission it is practically impossible to interfere with the process for the purpose of securing the desired outcome. citinewsroom The intra-Palestinian meeting was held to discuss ways to prevent Israeli annexation plans in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for a comprehensive national dialogue, and said the Fatah and Hamas movements must initiate a dialogue to endorse ways to end the division according to the principle of one people and one political system. During a video conference on Thursday with heads of the Palestinian groups in Ramallah and Beirut, Abbas said: From now on, no one is authorised to speak on our behalf. We only speak for our cause. The intra-Palestinian meeting was held to discuss ways to prevent Israeli annexation plans in the occupied West Bank. It also came at a time when the UAE has announced a normalisation agreement with Israel. Abbas stressed that the Palestinian Authority rejects the US role to be the only mediator in any negotiations with Israel. He also called for an international peace conference under the supervision of the UN based on the Arab peace initiative. In his speech, Hamass political chief Ismail Haniya said the USs Middle East plan aims to create a regional coalition that will allow Israel to penetrate into the Arab countries by way of normalisation. We are going through a period that contains unprecedented risks and strategic threats to our Palestinian cause and to the region, Haniya said. He also called for establishing a political programme that ends the agreements of the Oslo Accords and to regain the Palestinian unity. On August 13, the UAE and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement to normalise their relations, including opening embassies in each others territory. The Palestinian Authority and resistance factions have denounced the UAE-Israel deal, saying it does not serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians. Bill Barr U.S. Attorney General William Barr speaks about the Justice Department's Russia investigation into the 2016 presidential campaign, during the Wall Street Journal's annual CEO Council meeting, at the Four Seasons Hotel on December 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images In a new interview with CNN on Wednesday, Attorney General Bill Barr showed stunning levels of arrogance, partisanship, and contempt falling short of even the extremely low expectations he has already earned. Host Wolf Blitzer started off the interview, rightly so, by challenging Barr to explain whether President Donald Trump's recent comments about the Justice Department's investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation were appropriate. Trump recently said: "Bill Barr can go down as the greatest attorney general in the history of our country, or he can go down as just another guy. It depends." He also said: "I hope they're not going to be politically correct, and I hope they do what, because the fact is this was President Obama knew everything, Vice President Biden, as dumb as he may be, he knew everything, and everybody else knew everything. They spied on my campaign, which is treason, they spied both before and after I won." Barr smirked when these comments were played for him, suggesting there was nothing inappropriate about it and that he felt no pressure from the president. He said the president didn't talk that way to him in private. But of course, as Barr is well aware, Trump fired the previous attorney general precisely because he didn't follow his orders to protect him and go after his enemies orders that were often stated in public and in tweets. The attorney general also noted that he has held a press conference confirming that neither Obama nor Biden are under investigation. But that doesn't change the appropriateness of Trump's comments, which clearly do place pressure on Barr even if he resists to take action against Biden and Obama. Story continues Blitzer continued to press: "Is it appropriate for a president to be urging you to launch criminal investigations against his political opponents?" Absurdly, Barr said Trump wasn't urging a criminal investigation just that he is "interested in the results" of the "Russiagate thing" a derisive term the attorney general has used to refer to the Russia investigation. Then, showing his true partisan instincts, Barr abruptly changed the subject, denouncing Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (whose name he mispronounced) for calling for charges against officers in the case of the Jacob Blake, "before all the facts are in." "That's very unfair," Barr said. Blitzer pointed out that Trump is accusing Biden and Obama of committing treason. Barr said he didn't think Trump meant "treason" in the legal sense, but colloquially. This is another ridiculous dodge from Barr, and it's just factually bogus. Trump has called the made-up treason "the single biggest political crime in the history of our country," and has said that he hopes the prosecutor reviewing the Russia investigation "is not going to be politically correct and just get a couple of the lower guys." Undoubtedly, this is much more egregious than Biden and Harris's calls for prosecutions in the case of the Blake shooting. Some might argue that political candidates should never call for charges, but in the case of Blake, the actions occurred on video. Harris herself is a former prosecutor. And neither Biden nor Harris actually have authority over the people making the decisions. Arguably, their calls for charges reflect their political position of how the law should operate, rather than inappropriate political influence on criminal investigations. In Trump's case, he does have authority over Barr. He's calling for the prosecution of his personal and political enemies, not simply figures in a widely discussed incident. And he doesn't have any clear evidence of the allegation he's making indeed, it's clear the charge is wholly fabricated. It's a much more egregious abuse that what Biden and Harris did, even if one agrees that their comments were inappropriate. Barr's decision to pivot toward criticizing them while excusing Trump displays exactly the kind of crass partisan attitude that makes the president's attempts to influence criminal cases so deeply troubling. And Barr has previously admitted that Trump's comments on ongoing cases were inappropriate, saying that the president's tweets about the Roger Stone case made it "impossible for me to do my job." Now, he's apparently backing off that form of criticism, making it clear that the president is able to successfully pressure Barr and change his behavior. When Blitzer asked Barr about the Justice Department policies designed to avoid taking overt investigative steps that might influence an election, Barr became ever more slippery. Blitzer asked about whether he planned to honor that policy. Barr's answers seemed to suggest he was committing to do so, but his answer were precisely circumscribed to avoid being pinned down. Asked what the guidance was, Barr said that "people shouldn't do things for political reasons." This form of such a policy leaves wide open any number of actions from the DOJ that will in fact affect the 2020 election. It's true, as Barr claimed, that this is how the policy has been written in the past. But other DOJ officials have explained that there was an understanding in the department about the need to avoid even the appearance of interfering in the campaign 60 days before an election. But Barr's explanation suggests that he wouldn't hesitate to take steps that would influence the result of an election. To defend himself, he would just say that his intent wasn't to influence the election, which would technically free him from the bounds of the DOJ's policies. Of course, it would be quite difficult to prove his claims about his own intentions wrong and the damage would already be done. There's good reason to doubt his intentions, though, because in addition to demonstrating the blatant partisanship discussed above he has already consistently politicized the investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is reviewing the Russia investigation. Barr has discussed the probe frequently and in great depth, drawing sweeping conclusions without ever providing any evidence. (He also told Blitzer that he does not believe the results of the Durham investigation will impact the 2020 election.) This is blatantly against the DOJ policy against commenting on ongoing investigations. The reason for this violation, though, is quite obviously that he thinks it's to the president's benefit to discredit the Russia investigation. The fact that he is operating on such clearly partisan motivations further undermines his role as attorney general. Later, Barr claimed that the shooting of Jacob Blake was different from the killing of George Floyd, in part, because Blake was armed. But Blitzer pointed out that his family says Blake was not armed and no evidence indicates he was, though reports say there was a knife in his car. When this was pointed out, Barr refused to concede he was wrong and just moved on. https://twitter.com/American_Bridge/status/1301272066885332994 Barr also went on a tirade dismissing the "American left" and its view of racism in the United States, arguing that it plays a minimal role in police work. And he refused to acknowledge that there is systemic racism in the American justice system, saying the idea that discrimination is "widespread" is "simply wrong." Of course, he has fed into the narrative of a vast conspiracy against Trump from within the Obama administration, a story for which there's almost no evidence compared to the vast amount of data showing racial injustice. At one point, he blew up at Blitzer over a discussion about mail-in voting. But the nature of his blow-up was particularly revealing. He had been arguing that advocates of mail-in voting for the November election are risking the vote's security because it's never been done before. But Blitzer pointed out that five states, including Republican-majority states like Utah, have done universal mail-in voting for years without any major problems. As Blitzer tried to get the explanation out, though, Barr burst with rage. "Wolf, this is playing with fire! This is playing with fire," he said, becoming increasingly incensed. "We're a very closely divided country here. And if people have to have confidence in the results of the election and the legitimacy of the election. And people trying to change the rules to this methodology, which as a matter of logic is very open to fraud and coercion is reckless and dangerous. And people are playing with fire." This outburst, though, only served to distract from the fact that he had no counterargument to Blitzer's point that universal mail-in voting in a well-established practice in this country. His claim that the methodology is flawed a matter of "logic" is essentially an admission that he has no evidence to support his view. And his pleas of concern about confidence in the election ring hollow when the president is undermining faith in the results on a nearly daily basis. Even in this very interview, Barr was bringing up concerns about foreign interference via fraudulent ballots undermining trust in the election by floating a possibility that is completely unsubstantiated. In fact, on Wednesday, Trump openly encouraged voters to commit voter fraud supposedly to test the system's defenses. This is open encouragement of a federal crime. When Blitzer asked Barr about these comments, the attorney general first tried to shrug them off. But when Blitzer tried to explain why they were serious, Barr dismissively said: "If you know what he was saying, why are you asking me what he's saying?" The answer is obvious: Because the attorney general should have something to say about the president encouraging crimes. Related Articles In recent months, the pro-Maduro Supreme Court has stripped the heads of Venezuelas three main opposition parties of their leadership titles and replaced them with more compliant politicians, whose fealties were allegedly bought with bribes. Maduro controls the electoral commission that in the past has validated election results despite evidence of fraud. And he did not pardon all of his opponents; most prominently, he excluded Leopoldo Lopez, Guaidos mentor, who has sought sanctuary in the Spanish Embassy since last year. Two members resigned from a Portland police oversight panel this week, one criticizing the citys failed response to ongoing protests and the other citing lack of city accountability for bad policing decisions. A third member also resigned because shes moving to Seattle. Its disappointing to lose valuable help at this time,' said Candace Avalos, the chair of the Portland Citizen Review Committee, a 11-member volunteer group that hears appeals of police findings on complaints made against officers. Avalos read the members resignation letters to other committee members at the start of the groups meeting Wednesday night. Hillary Houck, who joined in 2018, stepped down because she said she felt the mayor and police chief had undermined police accountability. Houck cited Mayor Ted Wheelers position at a May 2019 meeting, when he didnt agree with the committee that police had retaliated against a woman who was taking officers photos by citing her for jaywalking. Danielle Outlaw was chief at the time that case was heard. I was dismayed by the Mayors reaction and the ultimate consequence for the officer involved in a case our committee and the rest of City Council saw as clear retaliation, she wrote. Mayor Wheeler questioned why we would even have a citizen committee that could overturn decisions made by the Chief of Police. Adam Green, who has been on the committee for one year, said he was fed up with the past weekends violent clashes on the streets of Portland, calling them a tipping point in his decision to step down. We continue to witness excessive force used by officers on the streets. Members of the media continue to be threatened. Armed Trump supporters are allowed to parade through downtown Portland while pointing guns at people that arent wearing Trump gear. These are just a few examples of a failed system with failed leadership, he wrote in his resignation letter. I can no longer support this system in any way. Green didnt reference the fatal shooting of a 39-year-old man, Aaron S. Danielson, who was killed on Southwest Third Avenue near Alder Street on Saturday when another man opened fire shortly after a pro-Trump caravan of cars had left the citys downtown area. Police have made no arrest. Video and photos taken of people in the caravan showed some shooting paintball guns and mace or pepper spray at people on the street. Some on the street threw objects at the line of trucks and cars. Fistfights broke out along the route as traffic crawled downtown and people tried to block the caravan. It was the third straight weekend that competing groups have faced off in the citys core. A third committee member, Carol Johnson, is moving to Seattle, according to Avalos. The citizen panel has struggled with high turnover for many years, and the changes come as a ballot measure heads to voters in November that would overhaul the police oversight system. A lot is up in the air,' said Ross Caldwell, director of the citys Independent Police Review office, the intake office for complaints made against officers. When pressed if the city will work to recruit new members, Caldwell said he didnt know. The citizen committees former chair, Kristin Malone, resigned out of frustration in January. She said she was frustrated by the lack of response from both the mayors office and the City Council to many of the committees proposed changes that would have given the group more power to challenge police findings. Wheeler said in June that he wanted to overhaul Portlands civilian oversight of police, plainly acknowledging that the confusing system doesnt have any real teeth. The structure we have right now isnt pleasing anybody, isnt doing what we want and it doesnt have the publics trust,' he said then. Wheeler added the oversight system to his reform list as a wave of widespread public support for police accountability washes over the city and the nation after the killing of George Floyd, spurring a sudden resolve to fix what in the past have seemed like intractable problems mired in political opposition or inertia. Last week, Wheeler bemoaned the lack of real time accountability, for police, saying it takes months or longer for him to see the result of internal investigations into alleged misconduct by officers. Portland residents will vote this fall whether to revamp the citys police oversight system in a way that proponents say will lead to more accountability and transparency in investigations of officer misconduct, though the details of that system would still have to be ironed out. The Portland City Council voted unanimously in July to refer the proposal to the Nov. 3 ballot, despite objections from City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero, who oversees the existing Independent Police Review, and the Portland Police Association union, which represents the majority of the citys officers. If the measure passes, the City Council would have to form a commission to address how the new oversight system would work. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Global technology giant Apple plans to invest in renewable energy projects in Australia as part of its worldwide push to eliminate its carbon footprint by 2030. Lisa Jackson, vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives at Apple, said in an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that the next decade will be critical for companies and policymakers in the global fight against climate change. "These next ten years are absolutely crucial in terms of winning this battle and being able to say to our children and grandchildren that we did everything we could to stop catastrophic climate change," she said. "We want to continue to meet the expectations of our customers I know we're planning to invest in some more renewable energy in Australia in the very near future". Apple's senior vice-president Lisa Jackson wants to reduce the company's carbon footprint in Australia. Credit:Ben VanderVeen Apple, which is currently valued at $US2 trillion ($2.75 trillion), declined to provide further details about the Australian renewables investments. In July the company announced a commitment to become carbon neutral across its entire business and supply chain by 2030. It is already carbon neutral for its global corporate operations, which are 100 per cent powered by renewables. Ms Jackson, who is appearing at the Herald's Sustainability Summit next week said the iPhone-maker would now focus on ensuring its external suppliers minimise their emissions, in part through knowledge transfer. "It's really about our supply chain which is worldwide...because if we want to be carbon neutral we also need our customers to use clean energy when they charge our devices," she said. "You're talking about companies, some big, some small, some medium. Their primary business is not getting clean energy for their company, their primary business is to manufacture, produce, design. And so what we're able to do is bring in engineers who say 'Hey, let me show you how we did it at Apple'." Ms Jackson was the head of the United States' Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama and said while multinationals such as Apple were important in driving environmental change, governments also needed to play their part. "We cannot solve climate change or any environmental problem on our own because business can lead, but without the benefit of government setting the standards we're not going to be anywhere," she said. "I think more and more what we're seeing especially from some of our customers is they expect Apple to do the right thing and more than that to show others what's possible." She said companies do not need to choose between running a successful business and taking care of the planet. As schools across the country start the school year via distanced learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, some students are without the item they need most: a computer. More than two dozen schools and districts in 15 different states are facing significant delays on laptop orders due to surging demand, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. MORE: Students face laptop shortage as virtual schooling begins The alarming need -- which can lead to students starting the school year at a disadvantage -- has led everyday citizens to step up and try to fill the shortage. Darla Purce, a mom of two in Houston, Texas, has refurbished more than two dozen laptops and counting for students in her area. It all started when a neighbor asked if her 12-year-old son would like his old desktop computer for the school year. Purce said her son did not need it, but she took the computer, refurbished it and posted it on the NextDoor neighborhood app to give it away. PHOTO: Darla Purce, of Houston, Texas, works to refurbish a laptop for a student doing distance learning. (Courtesy Darla Purce) "After getting so many responses, I said to myself, 'Well clearly there's a need here,'" said Purce, who taught herself how to fix computers more than a decade ago when she was a single mom to a young daughter and her own computer needed a repair. "I thought, 'My skills are old but hopefully they can be useful.'" Purce, who is now in college full-time, has turned her home into a computer repair shop -- and the effort has become a family affair. Her son helps with the repairs and her mom covers the financial costs of her volunteer work, which she sees as giving each student an equal shot at life. "If we're talking about true equality, we're talking about education, and education these days is access to technology," she said. "If we really want things to be equal for all the children coming up now, we need to make sure everybody has access to this technology." MORE: Teacher makes clear masks so students with hearing loss can read lips In North Carolina, more than 300 students have computers for the new school year thanks to the work of Brittany Cleckley, the founder of a Greensboro, North Carolina, dance studio iAlign Dance Company. Story continues "When schools shut down back in March, a lot of my students were gravely affected," Cleckley told "GMA." "They didn't have computers or laptops or any way to get in touch with their teachers." "I was able to find a few laptops and get those refurbished and hand them out to my students," she said. "They then told a friend and told a friend and the need and demand grew." PHOTO: Brittany Cleckley, founder of iAlign Dance Company in Greensboro, North Carolina, started a laptop collection drive for students doing distance learning. (Courtesy Brittany Cleckley) In the school district where Cleckley's studio is based, she said as many as 10% of students never finished the school year when schools switched to virtual learning. "We still have more requests than we do the laptops and computers to hand out to students," said Cleckley, who early on found a technology company that would refurbish the laptops for her. She is now hoping to find companies that can donate laptops and computers they may be no longer be using -- as employees also switched to virtual working. "A lot of companies updated and increased a lot of their laptops and computers and technology for their employees," said Cleckley. "I'm not sure what they did with their old resources, but I'm really urging them to reach out to us and we will take the computers." "We're just trying to give as many students as possible a chance to learn," she said. Women collect, refurbish old computers so students can use for virtual learning originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com New Zealanders are able to get permanent residency in Australia due to little-known immigration loophole. Kiwis who came to Australia on a New Zealand passport before September 1, 1994 can get the Resident Return Visa (RRV) for just $405. Travellers who visited Australia before that date were automatically given permanent residency, which allows them to apply for their residence status again. Kiwis who came to Australia on a New Zealand passport before September 1, 1994 can get the Resident Return Visa (RRV) for just $405 The RRV is an online option for Kiwis who then came back to Australia after February 26, 2001 They can then apply to become Australian citizens without forgoing their New Zealand passport. They will be able to legally vote and access the National Disability Insurance Scheme and benefits if they are unemployed. The RRV is an online option for Kiwis who then came back to Australia after February 26, 2001. New Zealanders who have earned less than $53,900 for all four income years can apply for permanent residency, which is necessary if they want to become citizens. Nerang Neighbourhood Co-ordinator and Kiwi campaigner Vicky Rose has been contacted by hundreds of Kiwis in Australia who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't know if they were eligible for emergency subsidies. 'It's (RRV) not a well-known visa but one that will enable New Zealanders who don't qualify under any other visa, a window of opportunity to become an Australian permanent resident and then have a pathway to Australian citizenship,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin. Ms Rose warned that the application process is complicated, but there is help available online. Kiwi campaigner Vicky Rose has been contacted by hundreds of Kiwis in Australia who lost their jobs during COVID-19 and didn't know if they were eligible for emergency subsidies Applicants are asked to give details of home ownership, family and business connections in Australia. They must also provide 'compelling' reasons as to why they returned to New Zealand, including divorce, deaths, marriage or no work opportunities. Ms Rose said she joined the Australian Labor Party to fight for ways to make it easier for New Zealand migrants to become Australian citizens. 'I will be actively aiming to get a commitment from the ALP to a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand migrants,' she said. State Level Police Recruitment Board, Assam will release Assam Police SI (UB) admit card for the written exam today. Candidates who registered for the same can download their admit cards from the official websites. Assams State Level Police Recrutiment Baord will release the official admit cards today. Candidates may download them at the official website. The notification for the recruitment of Assam Police Sub-inspectors (UB) was released on April 11, 2018 and an addendum or notice was issued relating to the recruitment on November 6, 2020. The written test is scheduled to be held on September 20th, 2020. All the relevant and important information relating to exam centres, roll numbers, etc. will be provided on the admit cards. Also read: JEE Mains 2020: COVID-19 guidelines followed at JEE centres on Day 2 Also read: Twitter flooded with memes as JEE-Mains Aspirants appear for entrance exam The official wesbite slprbassam.in , will have the cards available for download from from September 3, 2020, to September 16, 2020. After the given duration, no admit card can be downloaded. The written exam will be of 100 marks, and will have a total time of 3 hours. The paper will be divided into three parts (i) Logical reasoning, aptitude, comprehension (ii) Matters relating to History and Culture of Assam and India and (iii) General Knowledge.There will be 100 questions and each question will carry 1 mark, there will be negative marking of mark for each wrong answer. The phone number 6913649611 or WhatsApp at 7636071991, will be available for any candidates having difficulty in downloading the admit cards. Candidates must carry the admit card at the exam centres mentioned in their respective admit card. Also, they must report at the center on time as mentioned in the admit card. Also read: DU Exams: Delhi HC asks Railways to try availing seats for people with disabilities in emergency quota China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page The teachers, staff and school administrators who serve our children face unprecedented pressure. Not only are they adapting to virtual learning or social distancing classroom teaching, but they also must accommodate students who are either new to learning from home, often in a crowded environment wrought with distractions or, conversely, in an empty home where one or more parents hold essential jobs. As if school staff werent already underpaid and undervalued for their incredible work, they are now expected to successfully navigate uncharted territory for which they were never trained. Standing silently on the sidelines during this difficult time would be to neglect our biblical calling to love our neighbor and care for those in need. Teachers, school administrators and parents face great expectations with few resources; with insufficient help, they lack the adequate support they need to help our children thrive. What can we do about it? In addition to prayer and financial support of school districts, churches can be the hands and feet of Jesus in several practical ways. For one, churches can open up their buildings to host free or heavily discounted care options, using safety precautions such as masks, social distancing and strict cleaning protocols. Many churches already have a host of staff and volunteers with clean background checks who provide child care during Sunday services, so why not try to make that available during the week for everyone in the community, not just members? Frontline and essential workers do not have the luxury of working from home, but many day cares are still shut down or require enormous tuition that doesnt reflect current economic suffering. For parents like these, knowing that they can leave their children with trained, trustworthy staff for even just one day a week would relieve an enormous burden. Additionally, for students who are virtually learning from home, churches can open their spaces to let students come work in a safe environment, utilizing church technology. For the majority of parents working from home, the ability to provide the necessary attention to assist their children in their school work while focusing on the needs of the job is difficult. And, for parents who must still be physically present in their workplace, churches can make sure these individuals do not have to choose between doing their job and leaving their children home alone all day. Several United Methodist churches in Houston are offering this already through our Sanctuary of Learning program, which is working to help up to 1,000 children citywide utilize church facilities for virtual learning during the day. Not only are they providing the space and technology needed for students to complete their school work, but lunch and breakfast will be provided as well in cooperation with Houston ISD. Simple partnerships like these can make a significant difference for parents who can feel good about leaving their kids in a safe environment during the day. Finally, churches can come alongside schools by doing supply drives. Too often, teachers pull from their own pockets to purchase supplies, something the church can ensure doesnt have to happen again. Whether it is dropping off pencils and backpacks for kids, purchasing restaurant gift cards for teachers or buying the supplies they need to make their classrooms personable and engaging for the kids, churches can utilize their budgets to serve schools and the students therein. As the body of Christ, we should seek to make an impact during such a time as this. Through our help, frontline and essential workers with school-age children can safely and effectively carry on their critical work. We have a responsibility to rise to the occasion by making working and learning possible for all. Jones is the resident bishop of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Taiwan government released a new design Wednesday for its passport cover, and the island's popularly known name "Taiwan" is noticeably amplified in a bold font to avoid a connection to China, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. In a reduced size, the islands official name -- "the Republic of China" -- remains on the cover, which observers say helps de-escalate tensions with China. The official name, R.O.C., has made it difficult for its people to travel overseas since the start of the pandemic in January, as Taiwanese often are mistaken for Chinese, according to Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu. The government pushed the legislature to pass a motion in July, requesting that the Cabinet redesign the country's passport cover and the insignia of China Airlines, Taiwan's national carrier, to be more Taiwan-centric. Taiwan-Centric Passport Acting on the legislative motion, Wu said the new design puts Taiwan front and center on the cover while making only minimal changes. "On the passport cover, the word Taiwan is enlarged and placed right above the word passport, which stresses explicitly it's a Taiwan passport. It's now crystal clear," Wu told a press briefing Wednesday to introduce the new design. Another change involves the island's official name, which is largely downsized on the cover, but printed three times inside the ring circling the national emblem. Taiwan first added its alternative name to the passport cover in 2003 when the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party swept into power, which was widely seen as a part of the party's hidden agenda to push Taiwan toward de jure independence. Confrontations Avoided The re-designed passport cover suggests another step forward, although the DPP government apparently has made concessions by retaining the official name to avoid being engaged in ideological confrontations, said opposition KMT legislator Charles Chen. "I think the hidden agenda is no more hidden. But this step is rather small, a very tiny step. So, there's a strong compromise in this design. If it really takes off the term, Republic of China, from the cover, wow, that's [will be] a significant step," Chen told VOA by phone. That could provoke China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province but so far, China's response toward the new passport design appears to be measured. DPP's Tricks "Whatever tricks the DPP government is pulling, Taiwan remains an integral part of China a fact that will never change," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a media briefing when asked to respond to Taiwan's new passport design. Domestically, the KMT's Chen said the new design only serves the purpose of the DPP government to please its supporters since it won't affect the way airport customs around the world handle Taiwan's passport holders. There had been reports, however, that Taiwanese passport holders were barred from entering countries such as Indonesia, which refused entry of the Chinese people to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, a poll in March released by the New Power Party showed that nearly 75 percent of Taiwanese supported the idea of removing "Republic of China" from the country's passports to draw a clear distinction between Taiwanese and Chinese. Genuine Desire NPP creative media director Jerry Liu said the government's move to highlight "Taiwan" on the passport cover is positively welcomed, but not enough. "If they just put the 'Republic of China' inside the passport, like the very first page of the passport, and on the cover, only show, then it will be just much better. And I'm sure the majority of Taiwanese people will appreciate that way," Liu told VOA by phone. Liu also urged the government to find ways to modify the island's national emblem as it bears a striking resemblance to the KMT's party emblem. According to Liu, the party has kick-started a new passport cover design contest in the past few months. It says it has received more than 120 designs, which show mostly only "Taiwan" and images about Taiwan, such as a butterfly, a Taiwan deer or a Taiwan blue magpie on their proposed passport cover designs. This underscores how much the local people desire to be identified as Taiwanese, instead of Chinese, Liu added. Recent polls show that a record 83 percent of local people identified themselves as Taiwanese. Now Open 3 September 2020 The new Zleep Hotel in Lyngby, Denmark, opened on 1 September. Alongside its 78 rooms, the hotel represents a first for this young Scandinavian economy brand in that it also includes 34 apartments. These have been specially developed to allow for longer stays. The "Zleep Living" concept is particularly appealing to business travellers. The apartments are 50 percent larger than a normal room and also house a kitchenette in which guests are able to do their own cooking. In accordance with the Zleep Standard, all rooms are bright and spacious as well as having an inimitable Scandinavian touch. The Zleep Hotel Lyngby is located only around 500 metres from the Technical University of Denmark, and the Danish capital city of Copenhagen is also easily accessible for Lyngby-based commuters. Welcome to "Zleep Living" "Zleep Living is based on the Zleep values of quality, service and design," said Peter Haaber, CEO of Zleep Hotels. "This concept will fire the enthusiasm of future guests by providing the ideal conditions for a longer-term stay. Lyngby is the perfect place to launch a concept such as Zleep Living. The town is home to many specialist workers and project staff. Thanks to the fabulous infrastructure which is in place, the hotel provides a convenient option for business travellers visiting Copenhagen and the surrounding area." The hotel also boasts a generously proportioned communal space complete with a lounge and bar and a Scandinavian-design reception and breakfast area. Parking is free of charge, and public transport services and Lyngby town centre are both close at hand. A branch of the Danish gym chain Fitness World is situated in the hotel basement. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Francesco Guarascio (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium Thu, September 3, 2020 10:00 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4265271 2 World EU,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-quarantine,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free The European Union is warning governments not to reduce the 14-day quarantine for people infected with COVID-19 as some develop the infection even after two weeks, the head of the bloc's health agency said, signaling a new surge in cases in Europe. Germany, the EU's largest country, informed EU authorities that it planned shortening the quarantine length, following similar moves by the Netherlands and Norway, minutes of a late-August meeting show. "We are looking to provide some evidence to decision makers on what kind of risks they would take if quarantine was shorter," Andrea Ammon, head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), told EU lawmakers in a regular hearing on Wednesday. She cautioned that in 3-4% of cases, infections emerge only after 14 days, which is currently the standard length of the COVID-19 quarantine. Last week, Germany decided that from October people returning from high-risk regions abroad will have to quarantine for five days. The partial loosening of COVID-19 preventive measures comes as Europe is experiencing a new increase in cases. "The virus has not been sleeping over the summer. It did not take vacation," Ammon told lawmakers. She said this week's data showed that across Europe there were 46 cases per 100,000 people. "We are almost back to numbers that we have seen in March", Ammon said, referring to the beginning of the peak phase in Europe. Infections in March in Europe began growing steadily to about 40 per 100,000 people at the end of the month, according to ECDC data, and kept increasing to around 70 per 100,000 by the end of April. The current increase in cases was due in part to more testing. New cases also concern largely younger people, she said, a new pattern that had resulted in stable hospitalization numbers, as the illness is more serious for older people who were hit hard in March and April. However, Ammon said hospitalizations were now growing again, signaling spikes in cases also among the elderly. The data, which concern the 27 EU countries, Britain, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, varied greatly between states from 2 to 176 per 100,000 people, Ammon said without citing specific countries. Walmart China claimed on Wednesday it has no plan to sell its China business when responding to the rumor that it will sell the hypermarket business in China, saying it never comments on market rumors. Walmart China's website shows the company is full of confidence about China's economy and market, and commits itself to long-term investment and development in China. Walmart entered the Chinese market and opened its first hypermarket and Sam's Club in Shenzhen in 1996. To date, Walmart has been operating in China for 20 years with about 100,000 employees. As per the website, Walmart operates a number of formats and banners in China, including hypermarket, Sam's Club and Walmart supermarket. Walmart operates over 400 retail units covering more than 180 cities nationwide, as well as running some 20 distribution centers. Walmart has served seven billion people times since entering China. Walmart China has established partnerships with more than 700 suppliers in China. Over 95 percent of the merchandise in its stores in China is sourced locally. The company said on its website that 99.9 percent of Walmart China employees are Chinese nationals and all of its China store managers are Chinese. Walmart China announced during its annual developer meeting on Nov 21, 2019, it will open another 500 stores and cloud warehouses, covering hypermarkets, Sam's Clubs and Walmart supermarkets. Maya Wiley, the attorney and political commentator, has formed a campaign committee and is raising money to run for mayor of New York City and rarely has a potential candidacy gotten the citys political community talking so much. After all, Wiley is an instantly credible female candidate in a city that has never been led by a woman, and she is a Black candidate with some police reform credentials in a moment when thats a top issue. Here are five things to know about Wiley, the 56-year-old former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio. Linked to de Blasio Wiley had never met de Blasio before he asked her to become his top lawyer soon after being elected in 2013. She served as counsel to the mayor for 2 1/2 years, an influential role that means her fingerprints were on nearly everything coming out of City Hall in those early years. That may be her biggest liability, since her opponents could connect her with particular scandals from the relatively unpopular de Blasio tenure. Among them: the mayors unsuccessful attempt to hide conversations with outside advisers from public disclosure. The agents of the city classification was her invention. Wiley has occasionally criticized the de Blasio administration since leaving, most recently in calling for the resignation of the mayors appointed police commissioner, Dermot Shea. But her potential campaign is filled with supporters with de Blasio ties none closer than campaign adviser Jon Paul Lupo, who worked for de Blasio in City Hall and even advised his presidential campaign last year. With voters in 2021 presumably looking for an alternative to de Blasio, her campaign is already trying to deemphasize the connection, with Lupo tweeting that her 30-year legal career shouldnt be reduced to her more than two years in the de Blasio administration. And Wiley is preemptively creating distance between herself and any potential agents of the city she has said she wont take campaign contributions from registered lobbyists as well as real estate developers. She has experience in police accountability and racial justice Wiley has yet to release a mayoral platform, but real police accountability is likely to be a key part of it, focusing on her one year as chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board. De Blasio appointed her to the unpaid part-time position overseeing misconduct complaints about the New York City Police Department after she left his office. Critics say the board is weak and hamstrung by NYPD leadership that isnt interested in disciplining cops, so her time there is likely to be scrutinized. But the job lends her credibility when she discusses the thorny issue of how to hold police accountable. She said she left the board in 2017 to focus on her full-time job as a professor and senior vice president for social justice at The New School a position she still holds today. Before joining the de Blasio administration, Wiley used her law degree from Columbia University for racial justice work. She was a co-founder and the president of the Center for Social Inclusion, a group devoted to ending racial inequities; a senior adviser at George Soros Open Society Institute (now the Open Society Foundations), and a staff attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. She was also an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, working in the civil division. She comes from a political family Her father, George Wiley, was a chemistry professor who got heavily involved in fighting for civil rights in the 1960s with the Congress of Racial Equality and founded the National Welfare Rights Organization. An under-recognized leader of the civil rights movement, Wiley, who was Black, died in 1973 after falling off of a boat in Maryland in front of his then-9-year-old daughter Maya. Maya Wiley was born in Syracuse and briefly lived in Manhattan as a baby, before being raised in the Washington, D.C., area. Her mother, Wretha Wittle Wiley, who was white, was an art gallery director, but was also an active member of the short-lived left-wing Citizens Party, and even appeared on some presidential ballots as the partys vice presidential nominee in 1980. She died in 2013 and was at one time married to Bruce Hanson, Maya Wileys late stepfather, who was also a civil rights organizer. Wileys brother Dan is also deeply involved in politics, serving as district director for Rep. Nydia Velazquez. Wiley is married to Harlan Mandel, CEO of the Media Development Investment Fund, which funds independent news organizations in countries where the press is under threat, such as Myanmar. They live with their two daughters and four cats in a large single-family home in Prospect Park South, Brooklyn. Shes a cable news star After years of occasional guest appearances, Wiley became a paid legal and political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC in August 2018, where she has built a devoted fanbase among the networks engaged, mostly Democratic viewers. She stepped down from the role in July to explore a run for mayor, but she has continued making unpaid appearances in August. Cable news personalities have a mixed record in recent New York elections. Fellow MSNBC legal analyst Mimi Rocah just beat incumbent Westchester District Attorney Anthony Scarpino in the Democratic primary. But former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera didnt pose much of a challenge in her 2020 Democratic primary bid against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan came in third place in a crowded 2018 Democratic congressional primary in the North Country. She has kept a foot in local politics While Wiley has mostly focused on national politics in her TV appearances, shes never abandoned New York City completely. She endorsed Assembly Member Michael Blakes unsuccessful run for public advocate in the 2019 special election and publicly backed Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou and Rep. Yvette Clarke in their reelection bids this year. Wiley also served on the steering committee of Rank the Vote NYC, which advocated for ranked-choice voting, which will be enacted for the first time in the city in 2021. Wiley has been rumored to be interested in running for mayor for more than a year now, but she has been conspicuous about meeting with local power brokers like Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Manhattan Democratic Party boss Keith Wright and City Council Member Justin Brannan in recent weeks. She also attended a neighborhood community policing meeting in August. Wiley also co-chaired the citys School Diversity Advisory Group, which released a report in 2019 that called for, among other changes, eliminating gifted and talented programs. Correction: Wiley has four cats, not one. We cat believe we made this error and were feline really bad about it. Advertisement Protests have erupted in upstate New York after a newly surfaced video revealed how a 41-year-old handcuffed black man died of asphyxiation in March after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the ground until he stopped breathing. Daniel Prude, 41, was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30 when he was taken off of life support seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. His brother had phoned for assistance because he was suffering a mental health episode. Prude had walked out of his brother's house at around 3am in frigid temperatures, wearing only long underwear, a tank top and socks. As he made his way through the neighborhood, he started removing his clothes. Police claim he also smashed windows. Several other people encountered him, with at least one calling 911 to report his erratic behavior. Prude was then stopped by Officer Mark Vaughn from the Rochester PD. Vaughn, pointing a taser, ordered him to lay on the ground and put his hands behind his back, to which he complied. Officer Vaughn then handcuffed Prude as he lay on his stomach. Prude spat, yelled and told the cops that he had COVID-19. They put a hood over his head then laughed at him while he screamed profanities at them. After the hood was placed over his head, Prude became more agitated. He flipped onto his side and yelled 'give me that gun!'. Then, three of the cops pushed him into the cold ground and held him down for more than three minutes while he screamed. The cops only became worried when they noticed fluid seeping out of his mouth. By then, he was unconscious. Prude was taken to the hospital and placed on life support but he died seven days later. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, excited delirium [and] acute phencyclidine [PCP] intoxication. While the fatal incident occurred on March 23 weeks before George Floyd would die in Minnesota police custody in May, sparking nationwide protests Prudes death received no public attention. Both the Mayor and the police chief said it was down to the Attorney General - who is investigating Prude's death - to reveal it. On Wednesday, Prude's family held a news conference to reveal disturbing police body camera footage of his final moments, along with written reports they obtained through a public records request. I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched, Prudes brother Joe said at a news conference Wednesday. Scroll down for video While the fatal incident occurred on March 23 weeks before George Floyd would die in Minnesota police custody in May, sparking nationwide protests Prudes death received no public attention Daniel Prude was left brain dead after the incident and later died on March 30 after he was taken off of life support seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground. Hes cuffed up already. Come on. How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop? Protesters gathered Wednesday outside Rochester's Public Safety Building, which also serves as its police headquarters. Demonstrators remained as night fell, demanding for the officers involved to be charged with murder. WHEC reported that nine people were arrested during the day, most for criminal trespass or resisting arrest, and one for also inciting a riot. One activist was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during their arrest. It came as; N ew York Attorney General Letitia James called his death a 'tragedy' and said her office had been investigating it before it became public The Rochester Police Department and Mayor shrugged responsibility for disclosing the incident publicly, saying it was down to the AG's office Prude's family weighed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department There were growing calls for the six cops involved - Officer Mark Vaughn, Officer Paul Ricotta, Officer Andrew Specksgoor, Officer Josiah Harris, Officer Troy Talladay and Sgt. Michael Magri - to be fired at the least and face charges at most The six cops remain on duty The bodycam footage shows Prude sitting in the ground in handcuffs. I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched, Joe Prude He is heard yelling incoherently at the officers, shouting Jesus Christ and Give me your gun, I need it'. At one point, he invites officers to come and look at this big d***, to which the cops on scene respond with laughter. Officers stood around Prude in a semicircle, body camera footage shows. Prude continued to yell at officers and at one point attempted to get to his feet. Officers were seen pushing him back over and then slamming his head into the ground. Prude demanded they remove the spit hood, saying, trying to kill me!, before making muffled, anguished sounds from under the hood. For more than two minutes, officers pinned Prude down on the cold ground. Officer Vaughn used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement, in a push-up position with his knees suspended off the ground. Another officer used his knee at one point to hold down Prudes torso, and a third held down his legs. Prude is heard screaming under the weight of the officers pinning him down, however his words are muffled as his face is pushed hard into the ground. Officers are heard urging him to stop spitting. The officers appear to become concerned when they notice water coming out of Prudes mouth. Officer Talladay is seen placing a kneww into Prude's back as he lay on the floor For nearly three minutes, officers pinned Prude down on the cold ground. One officer used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement Officer Vaughn used both hands to push the side of Prudes head into the pavement, similar to a triangle push-up Prude is heard screaming under the weight of the officers pinning him down, however his words are muffled as his face is pushed hard into the ground. Officers are heard urging him to stop spitting The 41-year-old then suddenly falls deathly silent and still, having lost consciousness under the restraint When EMTs arrive on scene, the officers unhandcuff Prude, roll him on his back and attempt chest compression after realizing he has no pulse The 41-year-old then suddenly falls deathly silent and still, having lost consciousness under the restraint. One officer notes that hes been out, naked, in the street for some time. Another remarks, He feels pretty cold. NY AG LETITIA JAMES IS INVESTIGATING PRUDE'S DEATH New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Wednesday that she would investigate Prude's death. 'The death of Daniel Prude was a tragedy, and I extend my deepest condolences to his family. I share the communitys concerns about ensuring a fair and independent investigation into his death and support their right to protest. 'Pursuant to Executive Order 147, the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit of my office is already actively investigating this incident. 'As with every investigation, we will follow the facts of this case and ensure a complete and thorough examination of all relevant parties. 'We will work tirelessly to provide the transparency and accountability that all our communities deserve,' she said. Advertisement When EMTs arrive on scene, the officers unhandcuff Prude, roll him on his back and attempt chest compression after realizing he has no pulse. The EMT tells cops not to worry since PCP causes excited delirium and says I guarantee you thats why he coded, adding, Its not your fault guys. The medics continue performing CPR on Prude before he's loaded into an ambulance, some 11 minutes after he first encountered police. He was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, where he was later pronounced brain dead. He died seven days later on March 30. Attorney Elliot Shields, who is representing Prude's family, said he obtained 80 minutes of body camera footage from an open-records request filed with the city of Rochester. Shields said none of the officers, as far as hes aware, have been disciplined in relation to Prudes death. During a news conference Wednesday, Shields said that the Prude family will sue everyone who is responsible for Daniel Prude's death. Prude, of Chicago, had arrived in Rochester via Amtrack train on March 22 to stay with his brother. He was kicked off the train before it got to Rochester, in Depew, due to his unruly behavior, according to an internal affairs investigators report. Rochester police officers took Prude into custody for a mental health evaluation around 7pm that day for suicidal thoughts - about eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. But his brother said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports. Police responded again after Joe Prude called 911 at about 3am to report that his brother had left his house. The city halted its investigation into Prude's death when state Attorney General Letitia James office began its own investigation in April. Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general's office, rather than handled by local officials. Daniel Prude's brother Joe, right, stands with his son, Armin, holding a photograph up of him outside their home on Thursday Activists are demanding that officers involved with Prudes death be prosecuted on murder charges and that they be removed from the department while the investigation proceeds Protesters gathered Wednesday outside Rochester's Public Safety Building, which serves as police headquarters. Demonstrators remained as night fell Demonstrators are demanding for the officers involved to be charged with murder Lakeisha Harmon, center, speaks to the crowd during a protest, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Rochester, NY, where Daniel Prude was restrained by police officers Prude, known to his big Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. James said Wednesday that investigation is continuing. I want everyone to understand that at no point in time did we feel that this was something that we wanted not to disclose, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said at a press briefing. We are precluded from getting involved in it until that agency [the AGs office] has completed their investigation. Activists are demanding that officers involved with Prudes death be prosecuted on murder charges and that they be removed from the department while the investigation proceeds. The police have shown us over and over again that they are not equipped to handle individuals with mental health concerns. These officers are trained to kill, and not to de-escalate. These officers are trained to ridicule, instead of supporting Mr. Daniel Prude, Ashley Gantt of Free the People ROC said at the news conference with Prude's family. Protesters gathered Wednesday outside Rochester's Public Safety Building, which serves as police headquarters. Demonstrators remained as night fell. Three activists were arrested inside the building on Wednesday afternoon. One person was reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries received during the arrest. The extent of their injuries is not currently known. An activist stops to take a picture of a make-shift memorial for Daniel erected sometime on Wednesday evening The city halted its investigation into Prude's death when state Attorney General Letitia James office began its own investigation in April Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general's office, rather than handled by local officials A makeshift memorial is seen, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Rochester, New York During a news conference Wednesday, Shields said that the Prude family will sue everyone who is responsible for Daniel Prude's death' They were released on appearance tickets, said Iman Abid, regional director of the NYCLU, who was among those taken into custody. WHO WERE THE OFFICERS INVOLVED? There were six officers of Rochester PD present on the night Daniel Prude died in police custody. Their names are: Officer Mark Vaughn; Officer Paul Ricotta; Officer Andrew Specksgoor; Officer Josiah Harris; Officer Troy Talladay; Sgt. Michael Magri. Advertisement Demonstrators and police later clashed outside of the building, with officers deploying pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Prude, known to his big Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five adult children and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. He was just a bright, loving person, just family-oriented, always there for us when we needed him, she said, and never hurt or harmed anybody. Prude had been traumatized by the deaths of his mother and a brother in recent years, having lost another brother before that, Moore said. In his last months, hed been going back and forth between his Chicago home and his brother's place in Rochester because he wanted to be close with him, she said. She knew her nephew had some psychological issues. Still, when he called two days before his death, he was the normal Rell that I knew, Moore said. I didn't know what was the situation, why he was going through what he was going through that night, but I know he didn't deserve to be killed by the police, she said. Black Lives Matter protesters also gathered outside a police precinct in Washington DC after police shot and killed 18-year-old Deon Kay, who is black, on Wednesday afternoon. The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence. Washington DC saw violent protests in the weeks following police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota back in May, and the chaos re-erupted last Thursday, the final night of the Republican National convention, when six officers were hospitalized in demonstrations across the city. The unrest continued into Sunday night, with a group of heavily armored officers seen moving in on a hundred-strong crowd of protesters gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza shortly before midnight. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said of the shooting Wednesday afternoon that uniformed officers approached a vehicle, acting on information that there were weapons in a car in the area. As they approached the vehicle, Newsham said, two passengers fled on foot. Kay was shot and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In a press conference Newsham said: 'Uniformed police officers had information that there were guys in the neighborhood with guns, specifically. That's what they were looking for and evidently that's what they found.' Newsham said it would be 'improper' to speculate on what prompted the officers to open fire, but he said two firearms were recovered from the scene. 'We believe the suspect had a gun at the time,' Newsham told reporters during an impromptu news conference. Members of the community on the scene disputed that contention. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests Wednesday night outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, 'DC police murdered a Black man today.' WASHINGTON DC: Black Lives Matter protesters also gathered outside a police precinct in Washington DC after police shot and killed 18-year-old Deon Kay, who is black, on Wednesday afternoon WASHINGTON DC: The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence Tourists to get unlimited 30-day extensions to stay after visa amnesty ends PHUKET: Foreigners staying in the country on any form of tourist visa will be allowed to repeatedly renew their permits to stay with immigration for periods of 30 days at a time after the visa amnesty ends on Sept 26, the Immigration Bureau announced today (Sept 3). immigrationtourismCOVID-19Coronaviruseconomics By The Phuket News Thursday 3 September 2020, 05:00PM Immigration Deputy Commander Maj Gen Pornchai Khuntee announced the news at a press conference held at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok todat (Sept 3). Screenshot: Immigration Bureau / Facebook Immigration Deputy Commander Maj Gen Pornchai Khuntee announced the news at a press conference held at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok, saying that the Cabinet had approved the move. Gen Pornchai explained that any tourists unable to return home after Sept 26 due to illness are to apply for an extension to stay by applying at an Immigration office and presenting a medical certificate to prove they are unfit to fly. However, those who are unable to return home due to lack of flights or other circumstances in their home country must present a letter from their home countrys embassy or consulate in Thailand requesting that the foreign be allowed to continue to temporarily stay in the Kingdom, Gen Pornchai added. Foreigners will be granted 30 days stay each time, Gen Pornchai said. However, if the tourists circumstances have not changed within the 30 days, they can apply for another 30 days stay, he added. Gen Pornchai did not confirm whether a new letter from the foreigners embassy will be required with every application for an extension to stay from the same foreigner. Gen Pornchai did warn that the visa amnesty for all visa types will end on Sept 26. All long-term visa holders whose permits to stay expired after Mar 26 also must submit an application for an extension to stay from now until September 26, 2020, he said. Please contact a local immigration office as soon as possible, in order to avoid congestion [at imigration offices] in the last few days, Gen Pornchai urged. Gen Pornchai made no comments about special provisions being made for expats living and working in the country. Many expats on long-term permits-to-stay have families in Thailand, but due to the economic crisis brought on by the governments policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are not able to satisfy the Immigration Bureaus income requirement in ordered to be approved a one-year permit-to-stay. At this stage, such long-term expats are set to face being granted only a maximum of 90 days stay, after which they will be forced to leave the country. Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Lt Col Udom Thongchin on Tuesday (Sept 1) urged any foreigners caught out by the income requirement to delay filing their applications to renew their one-year permits-to-stay until Sept 15. Lt Col Udom said he expected Immigration Bureau superiors in Bangkok to make an announcement by then. NDP leader Andrea Horwath is speaking out on behalf of parents and educators to advocate for smaller, safer class sizes. Horwath was joined in Oshawa on Monday by local NDP MPP Jennifer French and local parents to voice their concern for the back-to-school plan and what they call the inadequate measures the province has taken to keep children and teachers safe from COVID-19. Its really clear that [Ontario Premier] Mr. [Doug] Fords plan is not a plan that is one that sits comfortably with educators, with parents, with public health, and other experts in the health field, says Horwath. For some time, parents have been doing the super-human juggling act, looking after little ones at home and supporting school aged kids with their distance learning, and many of them are working at home as well themselves. Its been a tough go, but theyve done a really, really great job, she continues, noting all anybody wanted to make sure is that when September came kids could go back to school five days a week and they could go back to school safely. Oshawa resident Kristy Micklewright, a single parent to a five-year-old daughter heading into Senior Kindergarten in September, says her daughter and the community deserves better than the return-to-school plan that has been laid out. I want my daughter to return to a school so she sees the faces of her friends in real life, and so she can be learning from great educators, says Micklewright, noting when she read the directives parents were emailed at the end of July, she was left startled that her daughter and peers would be receiving the least amount of measures to protect them against contracting and spreading the virus. As it stands right now, her Kindergarten class will be underequipped for proper COVID-19 protocols and theres one week before school starts, she continues. With one week before school starts, Mickleright says she still doesnt know how many students will be in her daughters class, what the classroom will look like in terms of shared resources and surfaces, how a play-based model of education will be carried out while keeping COVID-19 hygiene protocols in place, what lunchtime and outdoor play will look like, or how to ensure her five-year-old will be able to properly wear, change and dispose of masks properly. These are little children and theyre not equipped to self-regulate complicated hygiene practices on their own, she says. Mickleright says she expected to see an innovative plan with smart ideas that put value on the safety of children, but instead got one that made subtle changes that came in with no time to spare. Its frightening and it feels like a gamble and these are not feelings I want to associate with my daughters well-being or education, she says. Oshawa resident Gabrielle Edey, a Kindergarten teacher and mom of two, echoes Micklerights concerns, noting she doesnt want to have to choose between in-school education and the safety of her own children. As a Kindergarten teacher, I want to be able to offer your children a safe learning environment. Instead, Ive been given a last-minute plan which is experimenting with the health of our kids, she says. She notes shes faced with no choice but to send her children back to school into a classroom that is at its cap, which will make it impossible for children and teachers to maintain health and safety protocols. Kids are not careless, kids are carefree, she says. This is why it will be impossible to follow infection control standards and it is exponentially worse because our students will not be required to wear a mask. Edey explains a Kindergarten classroom is all about sharing and exploration, which she says is essential for growth and development, however teachers are being asked to teach their students in an isolated manner. Education has become an equity issue who can afford to keep their kids safe and who cant. I want to do better. I believe that we can. Theres still an opportunity to make change, she says. We know this is a challenging time but this is why its more important than ever to really work together. For Horwath, the back-to-school plan is cutting corners from one end of the province to the other and she says the premier is leaving it in the hands of educators and educational workers, teachers and children to ensure schools are going to be safe. I would have been making sure that we had a safe return to school by investing in a safe return to school. I wouldnt be crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, she says, adding she would be stepping up to the plate to make sure school safety is number one and kids, families, parents and educators all feel comfortable with the back-to-school plan. Its really clear for a safe back to school, children are going to need caring adults around them to help learn and maintain proper protocols around the pandemic and its really clear from these moms that theyre just not feeling comfortable the government has done everything they can to make sure their kids are going back to school in a safe manner, and thats just not good enough, says Horwath. She notes this is where investment needs to go. We need to invest in the safe return of school for ours kids, one that gives peace of mind to the educators and the educational workers, assistants and custodians, and peace of mind to families and caregivers, she says. And, it also gives a sense of security to the kids themselves. This reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Read more about: The Government has begun engagements with civil society organizations (CSOs) and other relevant stakeholders over its intentions to activate relevant portions of the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, 2018, (Act 978). The consultation was borne out of Government's desire to provide clarity and understanding to Ghanaians, in order to disabuse the minds of anybody who might have been misled to suspect wrongdoing in the Agyapa Royalties Limited deal. Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, a Deputy Minister of Information, told journalists at a media briefing in Accra on Thursday that government officials including; Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, engaged some CSOs on Wednesday, September 2, to provide further explanations on the transaction. Last Week, Finance Minister also held a news conference to clarify some concerns raised by the Minority NDC and CSOs regarding the Agyapa Royalties deal. The Minister explained that the transaction was intended to maximise the country's mineral wealth and create more value along the gold value chain. The Agyapa transaction, the Minister indicated that, it would turn the gold royalties into multiple revenue streams for the country by virtue of listing on the London Stock Exchange and the Ghana Stock Exchange to raise funds upfront for infrastructural development. Parliament approved five agreements to 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 Act. The Act allows the country to use a Special Purpose Vehicle, Agyapa Royalties Limited, as a conduit for securing about one billion dollars to finance the country's infrastructural projects. In line with that, Agyapa, which would operate as an independent private sector entity, would be able to raise funds from the capital market, both locally and internationally, as an alternative to the conventional debt capital market transactions. A Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Charles Adu Boahen, in a presentation at the news conference, explained that Agyapa Royalties Limited was a wholly-Ghanaian company with Ghana government owning 100 per cent stakeholding, but incorporated in Jersey in Channel Islands. He explained that after the Initial Public Offer of Agyapa Royalties, Ghana government would still hold 51 percent of the shares. He said 75.6 per cent of the country's mineral royalties equity interests would be given to Agyapa Royalties Limited whilst the rest of the royalties would be distributed to the Minerals Development Fund, traditional authorities and district assemblies in percentage terms as outlined in the law. Funds from the Agyapa agreement would be invested in road infrastructure in the mining communities, housing, health and education facilities across the country. GNA (Alliance News) - PPHE Hotel Group Ltd on Thursday reported a loss in the first half as the hotel operator faced "unprecedented challenges unlike anything the hospitality industry has seen before". For the six months to June 30, PPHE swung to a pretax loss of GBP40.7 million from a profit of GBP4.3 million the year before, as revenue fell 60% to GBP61.9 million from GBP155.3 million last year. PPHE Hotel Group said trading was significantly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak from March which resulted in reduced customer demand and property closures, but noted it outperformed the market in January and February. Revenue per available room - a key metric in the hospitality industry - declined by 58% to GBP38.9 from GBP93.4, with occupancy declining to 35% compared with 77% in the first half of 2019. As a result, room revenue dropped 64% year on year to GBP39.5 million, with average room rate at GBP112.0 from GBP121.7. PPHE said it is currently operating 84% of its 45 properties across Europe, and boasted its flagship properties in London and Amsterdam are "outperforming the market". "The first half of the year has brought unprecedented challenges unlike anything the hospitality industry has seen before. In the face of these difficulties, the Group has shown its ability to adapt to the new environment, supported by the high quality of our portfolio, our flexible owner operator model and broad customer appeal," Chief Executive Boris Ivesha said. Ivesha continued: "I am delighted that the majority of our properties are safely welcoming customers once again, and I am encouraged by the strong leisure demand and resulting market outperformance we have seen in our flagship properties in London and Amsterdam. Looking ahead, we are focused on maintaining this positive momentum and ensuring that the group is well-positioned to navigate the ever-evolving trading environment and to capitalise on future opportunities in line with our growth strategy." PPHE is not proposing an interim dividend, given the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. The hotel operator said its ongoing restructuring programme will "ensure" its operational structure is "fit for purpose and is aligned with guest demand for the short and medium term" PPHE said. Since reopening, PPHE noted that the first segment to return is domestic leisure travel or travel from surrounding countries, with strong weekend demand experienced in Amsterdam and London in particular with its flagship hotels reaching occupancy levels of 80%-90% on weekends. The company was unable to offer any "meaningful" guidance for the current financial year. Ivesha added: "Looking ahead, we are focused on maintaining this positive momentum and ensuring that the group is well-positioned to navigate the ever-evolving trading environment and to capitalise on future opportunities in line with our growth strategy." Shares in PPHE Hotel Group were 2.3% higher in London on Thursday morning at 1,074.00 pence each. By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Pentagon Says Parts of China's PLA Have Overtaken US Military 2020-09-02 -- China has strengthened and modernized its military capabilities in recent years to the point where its People's Liberation Army (PLA) is "already ahead of the United States" in some areas, the Pentagon said in a report to Congress published on Wednesday. China now has the world's largest navy, with an overall battle force of around 350 ships and submarines compared with the U.S.' 293 ships, the report said. Its ruling Chinese Communist Party now commands 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.' arsenal contains GLBM with ranges of up to 300 kilometers and no GLCMs, it said. China also boasts one of the world's biggest advanced long range surface-to-air defense systems, the report found. But it said recent improvements in the PLA's ability to conduct joint operations, its combat readiness, and its overseas reach were "more striking than the PLA's staggering amounts of new military hardware." China under Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping also looks set to embark on a further three decades of PLA modernization and reform, it said. The report was in stark contrast to a similar report in 2000, which found China's armed forces to be "a sizable but mostly archaic military that was poorly suited to [Beijing's] long-term ambitions." The report warned that China's foreign policy seeks to change the rules-based international order and mold it into something closer to its ideology, and that the PLA looks set to be an effective tool with which to achieve those aims. "It is likely that China will aim to develop a military by mid-century that is equal toor in some cases superior tothe U.S. military, or that of any other great power that China views as a threat to its sovereignty, security, and development interests," the report said. It said the PLA is developing capabilities to provide options for China to dissuade, deter, or, if ordered, defeat third-party intervention during a large-scale, theater campaign such as a Taiwan contingency, the report said. China has said Taiwan, a democratic island that has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party nor formed part of the People's Republic of China, must "unify" with China or face a potential invasion by the PLA. "For the U.S. to come out with a report like this means that it is letting the rest of the East Asia region know that it is watching what the PLA does very closely and ... and that if they cooperate with the U.S., they will have nothing to worry about," Taiwan military analyst Lee Cheng-hsiu told RFA. "They also want to send the message to China that the U.S. military stands ready [in the Asia Pacific region], and isn't going anywhere," he said. A growing nuclear power China is also a growing nuclear power, according to the report. "The number of warheads on ... land-based ICBMs capable of threatening the United States is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years," the report said. "China's nuclear forces will significantly evolve over the next decade as it modernizes, diversifies, and increases the number of its land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear delivery platforms," it said. A Chinese military commentator, who gave the pseudonym Li Feng, said the estimates likely stemmed from traceable, international transactions involving materials needed for the production of nuclear weapons. "There are many clues, especially from the declaration, supervision, and verification mechanisms under the International Atomic Energy Agency," Li said. "China has participated in those processes, so it's possible to form a scientific estimate of the amount of weapons-grade nuclear material China can produce." He said any significant expansion of the country's nuclear arsenal would also become apparent to the international community. "There will be many clues to expansion that cannot be covered up," Li said. Once China increases its nuclear weapons, it will become more isolated internationally Surge in production Li said a recent comment by Global Times editor Hu Xijin on social media to the effect that China should expand its nuclear arsenal to 1,000 warheads to curb U.S. strategic ambitions had likely made the job of Chinese negotiators at forthcoming strategic arms reduction talks with the U.S. far more difficult. "The question is, what will the international community think of you if you suddenly produce 400 additional nuclear warheads, while claiming to want to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether?" According to estimates by the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has around 4,300 warheads, followed by the United States with 3,800, and China with about 320. Lee Cheng-hsiu said given that China has a no-first-strike nuclear weapons policy, any future conflict with the U.S. will likely be limited to conventional warfare. "If a war breaks out in East Asia, the most important thing will still be comparative conventional capabilities," Lee said. "That's why the U.S. [report] made a point of mentioning China's more than 1,000 conventional ballistic missiles, because they are capable of hitting Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea." "Japan and South Korea are in a military alliance with the U.S., while the U.S. military also regards Taiwan as being of great strategic importance." The U.S. report said the PLA, which already has a major military base in Djibouti, is likely planning to expand its overseas network of bases and logistics facilities. Future locations could include Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan, it said. "A global PLA military logistics network could interfere with U.S. military operations and provide flexibility to support offensive operations against the United States," the report said. 'Civilian-Military Fusion' Meanwhile, at home, the ruling Chinese Communist Party is pursuing increased militarization of the whole of Chinese society, and of the economy, under its "civilian-military fusion" policy that has previously been deployed in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where more than one million ethnic minority Muslims have been incarcerated in prisons and "re-education" camps, the report found. The policy includes mixed military and civilian manufacturing facilities, technology resources and know-how, as well as building military requirements into civilian infrastructure and using it for military as well as civilian purposes. "[This] means there is not a clear line between [China's] civilian and military economies, raising due diligence costs for U.S. and global entities that do not desire to contribute to the PRC's military modernization," the report said. China's defense ministry hit out at the report on Wednesday, calling it "utterly wrong" and a misinterpretation of Beijing's policy and military strategy. The report "defamed China's military modernization, defense expenditure, nuclear policy and other issues", the ministry said in a statement. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The COVID-19 pandemic tends to conceal other important health issues. One of these is the global target for reducing HIV infections and increasing access to treatment. Progress is well under way . In 2019, 67% of those living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 85% of pregnant women with HIV were receiving medication to prevent transmission to their babies. But these interventions depend on diagnostic laboratory testing for their success. Regular determination of the HIV viral load is necessary to monitor patients receiving ART. This means measuring the concentration of HIV nucleic acid (viral genome) in the patient's blood. In optimally treated patients, the viral load becomes and remains undetectable. When a patient has a suppressed viral load it means that their treatment is working and they are non-infectious. This is one of the benefits of universal ART. Theoretically, HIV can be eradicated if everyone who is infected becomes non-infectious due to treatment. Infants who are exposed to HIV need the earliest possible diagnosis. The sooner ART is started, the better the clinical outcome . Called early infant diagnosis of HIV, this requires qualitative testing for the virus itself by detecting HIV genomes. This is because infants born to mothers with HIV infection have maternal antibodies for a year or longer, making antibody tests useless. Both quantitative and qualitative HIV genome tests require sophisticated instruments. Except where relatively expensive near-patient systems are available, HIV genome tests are mostly done on massive, largely automated high-throughput platforms in specialised laboratory facilities by highly qualified staff. This makes these tests expensive and therefore many people on the continent still struggle to access such testing. But there is good news. Though numbers of patients needing viral load and early infant diagnosis testing are increasing and will remain high, infant HIV infections and ART failures are becoming rarer because the interventions are so successful . This is opening opportunities for pooled testing. Pooled testing, also known as pooling or group testing, has been used for decades to efficiently diagnose relatively rare conditions, such as infection in blood donors. In a recent paper , we highlight its potential role for universal early infant HIV diagnosis and viral load coverage. Pooled testing Pooled testing means performing a laboratory test on several different samples mixed together. If the test result for the pool is negative, all individual samples contained in this pool can get a negative result straightaway. So together they would have used just one test. But if a pool tests positive, the samples it contains need to be re-tested individually (de-convolution or resolution). The trick is to pool test samples from patients with a low probability of being positive. This could be done by using information available from request forms. For example people on ART with previously undetectable viral load, or babies born to mothers stable on ART, would have a low probability of being positive. If most pools have negative results, fewer tests are needed and costs are saved. But if a pool tests positive, the necessary de-convolution negates any saving. The prevalence of the condition to be identified and the pool size determine whether pooling makes sense. Pooling is only beneficial if what the test seeks is relatively rare. We propose risk stratification by excluding patient samples with a high probability of being positive from pooling. For example, infants whose mothers did not receive ART (their infection risk may be as high as 25% ) or patients who were not doing well on ART. Read more: The desperate global need for medical diagnostics Larger pool sizes seem tempting after all, the more samples share one test, the greater the potential saving. But the more samples in a pool, the higher the chance of a positive result. Other factors to consider when determining pool sizes are ensuring sufficient sensitivity and the acceptable turn-around time for laboratory results. Pooling and deconvolution add to staff workload, which may introduce clerical errors. We suggest pipetting robots that, if well programmed, could automate these procedures while minimising the risk of mistakes. These robots are widely used in high-income countries, but still rare in low resource settings. They are sophisticated but so are the testing platforms, and the additional investment can help to get maximum leverage out of those. Future use Pooling offers an option for African countries to increase access to early infant diagnosis and viral load testing, two tests listed by the World Health Organisation as essential. It does not address all challenges but may optimise the use of centralised laboratory facilities. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide the stimulus needed to conduct large-scale pilot studies. At first, studies could use pooling in parallel to individual testing to demonstrate that it is not inferior in real-life use. At a later stage, pooling could be introduced where there is poor availability of early infant diagnosis and routine virological monitoring. Prof. Wolfgang Preiser has received funding directly and indirectly from SA MRC, NRF, PRF, DFG, the Wellcome Trust and other research funding organisations. Gert van Zyl previously received funding for research on HIV viral load pooling from the National Health Laboratory Services Trust and Poliomyelitis Research Foundation By Prof. Wolfgang Preiser, Head: Division of Medical Virology, Stellenbosch University And Gert van Zyl, Pathologist / Consultant Virologist, Stellenbosch University NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Second Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial Summary Net sales decreased 20% from last year to $391 million with stores open about 70% of days with stores open about 70% of days Robust 144% e-commerce growth Generated $74 million of operating cash flow Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) today reported a GAAP loss from continuing operations per diluted share of ($1.33) for the three months ended August 1, 2020, compared to earnings from continuing operations per diluted share of $0.05 in the second quarter last year. Adjusted for the excluded items in both periods, the Company reported a second quarter loss from continuing operations per diluted share of ($1.23), compared to earnings from continuing operations per diluted share of $0.15 last year. Mimi E. Vaughn, Genesco Board Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The second quarter began with consumers enthusiastically returning to our physical locations as we began reopening stores and continuing to actively engage and shop with us online. The speed and executional excellence our teams demonstrated in getting our stores open and operational was a huge advantage as we often opened on the first day permitted by local authorities. Despite our stores being open for about 70% of the days in the second quarter, total net revenue decreased only 20% as the drop in store volume was partially offset by a notable 144% increase in e-commerce sales as we pivoted to digital. Equally encouraging was our ability to reduce expenses and inventories in line with sales and to generate cash during the quarter. Journeys generated a positive operating income for the quarter, but gross margin headwinds especially at Johnston & Murphy and Schuh led to a consolidated operating loss. "Towards the end of the second quarter and to begin the third quarter, our business in North America was significantly impacted by the changes in back-to-school timing brought on by the pandemic. This includes schools in several areas of the country starting later than last year and many others not returning to in-person learning. As such we believe the back-to-school selling season will extend deeper into the third quarter which has limited visibility as we head into the back half. I am incredibly proud of how our teams have responded to the unprecedented challenges we've faced thus far in Fiscal 2021. This, along with the strong strategic positioning of our businesses and current liquidity, gives me confidence that we will successfully weather this storm and emerge strong to take advantage of the many opportunities on the other side." Store Re-Opening Update Currently, the Company is operating in 96% of its locations, including approximately 1,130 Journeys, 160 Johnston & Murphy, and 125 Schuh locations. All store locations are operating under enhanced measures to ensure the health and safety of employees and customers. Genesco will continue its phased approach to reopen stores when: state and local governments have allowed stores to operate, the Company believes it can operate safely under its enhanced health and safety measures, and the Company believes that it can ensure the safety of its employees and customers. Second Quarter Review Net sales for the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 decreased 20% to $391 million from $487 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. This sales decrease was driven by store closures, a later start to back-to-school, lower store comps and lower wholesale sales, partially offset by digital comp growth of 144%. As a result of the store closures and gradual reopening of stores in response to COVID-19, the Company has not included second quarter Fiscal 2021 comparable sales, except for comparable direct sales, as it believes that overall sales is a more meaningful metric during this period. Comparable Sales Comparable Same Store and Direct Sales: 2QFY21 2QFY20 Journeys Group NA 4% Schuh Group NA 0% Johnston & Murphy Group NA 1% Total Genesco Comparable Sales NA 3% Same Store Sales NA 1% Comparable Direct Sales 144% 20% Overall sales were down 12% for Journeys, 22% at Schuh, and 64% at J&M while sales were up 62% at Licensed Brands due to the Togast acquisition. Second quarter gross margin this year was 42.7%, down 590 basis points, compared with 48.6% last year. The decrease as a percentage of sales is due primarily to higher shipping and warehouse expense in all divisions driven by the increase in penetration of e-commerce, significant inventory reserves taken at Johnston & Murphy, and increased promotional activity at Schuh. Adjusted selling and administrative expense for the second quarter this year increased 40 basis points as a percentage of net sales due to lower sales as a result of COVID-19. On a dollar basis, expenses decreased 19% compared to the same period last year driven by disciplined expense management, including: reduced selling salaries, occupancy, and compensation expense along with lower travel, advertising and bonus expenses. Genesco's GAAP operating loss for the second quarter was $(22.0) million, or (5.6)% of sales this year compared with operating income of $3.0 million, or 0.6% of sales last year. Adjusted for the excluded items in both periods, the operating loss for the second quarter was $(20.9) million this year compared with operating income of $4.7 million last year. Adjusted operating margin was (5.3)% of sales in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 and 1.0% last year. The effective tax rate for the quarter was 20.3% in Fiscal 2021 compared to 70.7% last year. The adjusted tax rate, reflecting excluded items, was 23.0% in Fiscal 2021 compared to 45.2% last year. The lower adjusted tax rate for this year primarily reflects the inability to recognize a tax benefit for certain foreign losses. The GAAP loss from continuing operations was $(18.9) million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021, compared to earnings from continuing operations of $0.8 million in the second quarter last year. Adjusted for the excluded items in both periods, the second quarter loss from continuing operations was $(17.4) million, or ($1.23) loss per share in Fiscal 2021, compared to earnings from continuing operations of $2.5 million, or $0.15 earnings per share last year. Cash, Borrowings and Inventory Cash and cash equivalents at August 1, 2020, were $299.1 million, compared with $58.0 million at August 3, 2019. Cash increased $60.6 million during the second quarter driven primarily by operating activities generating $74.4 million, partially offset by a use of cash in financing activities of $12.0 million, capital expenditures and other activities. Total debt at the end of the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 was $210.9 million compared with $75.1 million at the end of last year's second quarter. Total unused availability as of August 1, 2020 was $63.4 million. Inventories decreased 18% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 on a year-over-year basis. Capital Expenditures and Store Activity For the second quarter, capital expenditures were $4 million, primarily related to digital and omni-channel initiatives and store projects already in progress. Depreciation and amortization was $12 million. During the quarter, the Company opened three new stores and closed six stores. The Company ended the quarter with 1,476 stores compared with 1,494 stores at the end of the second quarter last year, or a decrease of 1%. Square footage was down 1% on a year-over-year basis. Share Repurchases The Company did not repurchase any shares during the second quarter of Fiscal 2021. Fiscal 2021 Outlook Due to the continued uncertainty in the overall economy driven by COVID-19, the Company is not providing guidance at this time. Conference Call, Management Commentary and Investor Presentation The Company has posted detailed financial commentary and a supplemental financial presentation of second quarter results on its website, www.genesco.com, in the investor relations section. The Company's live conference call on September 3, 2020, at 7:30 a.m. (Central time), may be accessed through the Company's website, www.genesco.com. To listen live, please go to the website at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary software. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding the performance outlook for the Company and its individual businesses (including, without limitation, those regarding back-to-school and holiday selling seasons and its ability to keep stores open, operate the stores safely and ensure the safety of customers and employees) and all other statements not addressing solely historical facts or present conditions. Actual results could vary materially from the expectations reflected in these statements. A number of factors could cause differences. These include adjustments to estimates and projections reflected in forward-looking statements, including as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on the Company's business including whether there are periods of increases in the number of COVID-19 cases in locations in which the Company operates, further closures of stores due to COVID-19, weakness in store and shopping mall traffic, restrictions on operations imposed by government entities and landlords, changes in public safety and health requirements, the Company's ability to adequately staff stores, limitations on the Company's ability to provide adequate personal protective equipment to employees, and the Company's ability to maintain social distancing requirements; stores closures and effects on the business as a result of civil disturbances; the level and timing of promotional activity necessary to maintain inventories at appropriate levels; the imposition of tariffs on products imported by the Company or its vendors as well as the ability and costs to move production of products in response to tariffs; the Company's ability to obtain from suppliers products that are in-demand on a timely basis and effectively manage disruptions in product supply or distribution, including disruptions as a result of COVID-19; unfavorable trends in fuel costs, foreign exchange rates, foreign labor and material costs, and other factors affecting the cost of products; the effects of the British decision to exit the European Union and other sources of weakness in the U.K. market; the effectiveness of the Company's omnichannel initiatives; costs associated with changes in minimum wage and overtime requirements; wage pressure in the U.S. and the U.K.; weakness in the consumer economy and retail industry; competition and fashion trends in the Company's markets; risks related to the potential for terrorist events; risks related to public health and safety events, including for example, the COVID-19 coronavirus; changes in buying patterns by significant wholesale customers; retained liabilities associated with divestitures of businesses including potential liabilities under leases as the prior tenant or as a guarantor of certain leases; and changes in the timing of holidays or in the onset of seasonal weather affecting period-to-period sales comparisons. Additional factors that could cause differences from expectations include the ability to renew leases in existing stores and control or lower occupancy costs, and to conduct required remodeling or refurbishment on schedule and at expected expense levels; the Company's ability to eliminate stranded costs associated with dispositions, including the sale of the Lids Sport Group business; the Company's ability to realize anticipated cost savings, including rent savings; deterioration in the performance of individual businesses or of the Company's market value relative to its book value, resulting in impairments of fixed assets, operating lease right of use assets or intangible assets or other adverse financial consequences and the timing and amount of such impairments or other consequences; unexpected changes to the market for the Company's shares or for the retail sector in general; costs and reputational harm as a result of disruptions in the Company's business or information technology systems either by security breaches and incidents or by potential problems associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems; and the cost and outcome of litigation, investigations and environmental matters involving the Company. Additional factors are cited in the "Risk Factors," "Legal Proceedings" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of, and elsewhere in, the Company's SEC filings, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC website, www.sec.gov, or by contacting the investor relations department of Genesco via the Company's website, www.genesco.com. Many of the factors that will determine the outcome of the subject matter of this release are beyond Genesco's ability to control or predict. Genesco undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Forward-looking statements reflect the expectations of the Company at the time they are made. The Company disclaims any obligation to update such statements. About Genesco Inc. Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retailer, sells footwear and accessories in more than 1,475 retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, principally under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Little Burgundy, Johnston & Murphy, and on internet websites www.journeys.com, www.journeyskidz.com, www.journeys.ca, www.littleburgundyshoes.com, www.schuh.co.uk, www.johnstonmurphy.com, www.johnstonmurphy.ca, and www.dockersshoes.com. In addition, Genesco sells wholesale footwear under its Johnston & Murphy brand, the licensed Dockers brand, the licensed Levi's brand, the licensed Bass brand, and other brands. For more information on Genesco and its operating divisions, please visit www.genesco.com. ______________________ 1 Excludes retail store asset impairment charges and a change in vacation policy, net of tax effect in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 ("Excluded Items"). A reconciliation of earnings/loss and earnings/loss per share from continuing operations in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") with the adjusted earnings/loss and earnings/loss per share numbers is set forth on Schedule B to this press release. The Company believes that disclosure of earnings and earnings per share from continuing operations adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results. GENESCO INC. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Quarter 2 Quarter 2 Aug. 1, % of Aug. 3, % of 2020 Net Sales 2019 Net Sales Net sales $ 391,217 100.0% $ 486,573 100.0% Cost of sales 224,217 57.3% 250,040 51.4% Gross margin 167,000 42.7% 236,533 48.6% Selling and administrative expenses 187,261 47.9% 231,796 47.6% Asset impairments and other, net 1,733 0.4% 1,775 0.4% Operating income (loss) (21,994) -5.6% 2,962 0.6% Other components of net periodic benefit cost (182) 0.0% (93) 0.0% Interest expense, net 1,918 0.5% 347 0.1% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (23,730) -6.1% 2,708 0.6% Income tax expense (benefit) (4,806) -1.2% 1,915 0.4% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations (18,924) -4.8% 793 0.2% Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (112) 0.0% (216) 0.0% Net Earnings (Loss) $ (19,036) -4.9% $ 577 0.1% Basic earnings (loss) per share: Before discontinued operations $ (1.33) $ 0.05 Net earnings (loss) $ (1.34) $ 0.04 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Before discontinued operations $ (1.33) $ 0.05 Net earnings (loss) $ (1.34) $ 0.04 Weighted-average shares outstanding: Basic 14,179 15,959 Diluted 14,179 16,028 GENESCO INC. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited) Six Months Ended Six Months Ended Aug. 1, % of Aug. 3, % of 2020 Net Sales 2019 Net Sales Net sales $ 670,449 100.0% $ 982,224 100.0% Cost of sales 383,305 57.2% 500,783 51.0% Gross margin 287,144 42.8% 481,441 49.0% Selling and administrative expenses 376,303 56.1% 468,351 47.7% Goodwill impairment 79,259 11.8% - 0.0% Asset impairments and other, net 9,594 1.4% 1,044 0.1% Operating income (loss) (178,012) -26.6% 12,046 1.2% Other components of net periodic benefit cost (306) 0.0% (179) 0.0% Interest expense, net 2,774 0.4% 181 0.0% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (180,480) -26.9% 12,044 1.2% Income tax expense (benefit) (26,932) -4.0% 4,781 0.5% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations (153,548) -22.9% 7,263 0.7% Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (265) 0.0% (340) 0.0% Net Earnings (Loss) $ (153,813) -22.9% $ 6,923 0.7% Basic earnings (loss) per share: Before discontinued operations $ (10.86) $ 0.43 Net earnings (loss) $ (10.87) $ 0.41 Diluted earnings (loss) per share: Before discontinued operations $ (10.86) $ 0.43 Net earnings (loss) $ (10.87) $ 0.41 Weighted-average shares outstanding: Basic 14,145 16,802 Diluted 14,145 16,939 GENESCO INC. Sales/Earnings Summary by Segment (in thousands) (Unaudited) Quarter 2 Quarter 2 Aug. 1, % of Aug. 3, % of 2020 Net Sales 2019 Net Sales Sales: Journeys Group $ 276,631 70.7% $ 315,175 64.8% Schuh Group 71,732 18.3% 92,476 19.0% Johnston & Murphy Group 24,097 6.2% 67,267 13.8% Licensed Brands 18,757 4.8% 11,583 2.4% Corporate and Other - 0.0% 72 0.0% Net Sales $ 391,217 100.0% $ 486,573 100.0% Operating Income (Loss): Journeys Group $ 10,160 3.7% $ 11,329 3.6% Schuh Group (6,838) -9.5% 39 0.0% Johnston & Murphy Group (18,243) -75.7% 1,518 2.3% Licensed Brands (1,222) -6.5% (251) -2.2% Corporate and Other(1) (5,851) -1.5% (9,673) -2.0% Operating income (loss) (21,994) -5.6% 2,962 0.6% Other components of net periodic benefit cost (182) 0.0% (93) 0.0% Interest, net 1,918 0.5% 347 0.1% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (23,730) -6.1% 2,708 0.6% Income tax expense (benefit) (4,806) -1.2% 1,915 0.4% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations (18,924) -4.8% 793 0.2% Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (112) 0.0% (216) 0.0% Net Earnings (Loss) $ (19,036) -4.9% $ 577 0.1% (1)Includes a $1.7 million charge in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 for retail store asset impairments. Includes a $1.7 million charge in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020 which includes $1.0 million for lease terminations and $0.7 million for retail store asset impairments. GENESCO INC. Sales/Earnings Summary by Segment (in thousands) (Unaudited) Six Months Ended Six Months Ended Aug. 1, % of Aug. 3, % of 2020 Net Sales 2019 Net Sales Sales: Journeys Group $ 445,556 66.5% $ 639,147 65.1% Schuh Group 118,897 17.7% 169,320 17.2% Johnston & Murphy Group 62,946 9.4% 142,001 14.5% Licensed Brands 43,050 6.4% 31,666 3.2% Corporate and Other - 0.0% 90 0.0% Net Sales $ 670,449 100.0% $ 982,224 100.0% Operating Income (Loss): Journeys Group $ (26,923) -6.0% $ 30,305 4.7% Schuh Group (21,924) -18.4% (5,389) -3.2% Johnston & Murphy Group (27,827) -44.2% 6,624 4.7% Licensed Brands (3,723) -8.6% 178 0.6% Corporate and Other(1) (18,356) -2.7% (19,672) -2.0% Goodwill Impairment (79,259) -11.8% - 0.0% Operating income (loss) (178,012) -26.6% 12,046 1.2% Other components of net periodic benefit cost (306) 0.0% (179) 0.0% Interest, net 2,774 0.4% 181 0.0% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (180,480) -26.9% 12,044 1.2% Income tax expense (benefit) (26,932) -4.0% 4,781 0.5% Earnings (loss) from continuing operations (153,548) -22.9% 7,263 0.7% Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax (265) 0.0% (340) 0.0% Net Earnings (Loss) $ (153,813) -22.9% $ 6,923 0.7% (1)Includes a $9.6 million charge in the first six months of Fiscal 2021 which includes a $5.3 million charge for trademark impairment and a $4.7 million charge for retail store asset impairments, partially offset by a $(0.4) million gain for the release of an earnout related to the Togast acquisition. Includes a $1.0 million charge in the first six months of Fiscal 2020 for retail store asset impairments. GENESCO INC. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) (Unaudited) Aug. 1, 2020 Aug. 3, 2019 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 299,144 $ 57,965 Accounts receivable 54,793 26,626 Inventories 365,267 444,706 Other current assets 58,454 45,040 Total current assets 777,658 574,337 Property and equipment 220,458 261,924 Operating lease right of use assets 670,323 754,537 Goodwill and other intangibles 67,939 116,685 Other non-current assets 33,650 48,044 Total Assets $ 1,770,028 $ 1,755,527 Liabilities and Equity Accounts payable $ 178,541 $ 157,822 Current portion long-term debt 24,860 14,896 Current portion operating lease liabilities 199,392 141,233 Other current liabilities 88,047 87,511 Total current liabilities 490,840 401,462 Long-term debt 186,049 60,244 Long-term operating lease liabilities 593,723 671,047 Other long-term liabilities 38,552 38,153 Equity 460,864 584,621 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 1,770,028 $ 1,755,527 GENESCO INC. Store Count Activity Balance Balance Balance 02/02/19 Open Close 02/01/20 Open Close 08/01/20 Journeys Group 1,193 8 30 1,171 3 5 1,169 Schuh Group 136 1 8 129 1 3 127 Johnston & Murphy Group 183 3 6 180 2 2 180 Total Retail Units 1,512 12 44 1,480 6 10 1,476 GENESCO INC. Store Count Activity Balance Balance 05/02/20 Open Close 08/01/20 Journeys Group 1,171 2 4 1,169 Schuh Group 127 1 1 127 Johnston & Murphy Group 181 0 1 180 Total Retail Units 1,479 3 6 1,476 GENESCO INC. Comparable Sales Quarter 2 Six Months Aug. 1, Aug. 3, Aug. 1, Aug. 3, 2020(1) 2019 2020(1) 2019 Journeys Group NA 4% NA 5% Schuh Group NA 0% NA 1% Johnston & Murphy Group NA 1% NA 0% Total Comparable Sales NA 3% NA 4% Same Store Sales NA 1% NA 3% Comparable Direct Sales 144% 20% 105% 17% (1) As a result of store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has not included second quarter or year to date Fiscal 2021 comparable sales, except for comparable direct sales, as it believes that overall net sales is a more meaningful metric during this period. GENESCO INC. COVID-19 Related Adjustments (in thousands) (Unaudited) Quarter 2 Six Months Aug. 1, 2020 Aug. 1, 2020 Goodwill impairment $ - $ 79,259 Incremental retail store asset impairment(1) 1,002 3,736 Trademark impairment(1) - 5,260 Release of Togast earnout(1) - (441) Excess inventory(2) 2,469 4,277 Non-productive compensation(3) and (4) 1,443 4,688 UK property tax relief(3) (3,934) (5,489) Incremental bad debt reserve(3) 643 3,065 Other(3) and (5) 1,092 894 Total COVID-19 related adjustments $ 2,715 $ 95,249 (1)Included in asset impairments and other, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. (2)Included in cost of sales on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. (3)Included in selling and administrative expenses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. (4)Certain compensation paid to furloughed workers and commission based associates, net of the CARES Act, UK and Canadian government relief. (5)Includes primarily severance and increased cleaning and personal protective equipment expenses in the second quarter and first six months of Fiscal 2021 and is partially offset by the reversal of percentage rent for the first six months of Fiscal 2021. Schedule B Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations Three Months Ended August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019 The Company believes that disclosure of earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations and operating income (loss) adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results. Quarter 2 August 1, 2020 August 3, 2019 Net of Per Share Net of Per Share In Thousands (except per share amounts) Pretax Tax Amounts Pretax Tax Amounts Earnings (loss) from continuing operations, as reported $ (18,924) ($1.33) $ 793 $0.05 Asset impairments and other adjustments: Retail store asset impairment charges $ 1,733 1,313 0.09 $ 731 451 0.03 Loss on lease terminations - - 0.00 1,044 717 0.04 Change in vacation policy (616) (463) (0.03) - - 0.00 Gain on Hurricane Maria - - 0.00 - 2 0.00 Total asset impairments and other adjustments $ 1,117 850 0.06 $ 1,775 1,170 0.07 Income tax expense adjustments: Tax impact share based awards 1,129 0.08 (54) 0.00 Other tax items (471) (0.04) 547 0.03 Total income tax expense adjustments 658 0.04 493 0.03 Adjusted earnings (loss) from continuing operations(1)and(2) $ (17,416) ($1.23) $ 2,456 $0.15 (1)The adjusted tax rate for the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 and 2020 is 23.0% and 45.2%, respectively. (2)EPS reflects 14.2 million and 16.0 million share count for the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 and 2020, respectively, which excludes common stock equivalents in the second quarter of Fiscal 2021 due to the loss from continuing operations and includes common stock equivalents in the second quarter of Fiscal 2020. Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Operating Income (Loss) Three Months Ended August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019 Quarter 2 - August 1, 2020 Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss) Journeys Group $ 10,160 $ (263) $ 9,897 Schuh Group (6,838) - (6,838) Johnston & Murphy Group (18,243) (96) (18,339) Licensed Brands (1,222) (39) (1,261) Corporate and Other (5,851) 1,515 (4,336) Total Operating Loss $ (21,994) $ 1,117 $ (20,877) % of sales -5.6% -5.3% Quarter 2 - August 3, 2019 Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss) Journeys Group $ 11,329 $ - $ 11,329 Schuh Group 39 - 39 Johnston & Murphy Group 1,518 - 1,518 Licensed Brands (251) - (251) Corporate and Other (9,673) 1,775 (7,898) Total Operating Income $ 2,962 $ 1,775 $ 4,737 % of sales 0.6% 1.0% Schedule B Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations Six Months Ended August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019 The Company believes that disclosure of earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations and operating income (loss) adjusted for the items not reflected in the previously announced expectations will be meaningful to investors, especially in light of the impact of such items on the results. Six Months August 1, 2020 August 3, 2019 Net of Per Share Net of Per Share In Thousands (except per share amounts) Pretax Tax Amounts Pretax Tax Amounts Earnings (loss) from continuing operations, as reported $ (153,548) ($10.86) $ 7,263 $0.43 Asset impairments and other adjustments: Retail store asset impairment charges $ 4,775 3,541 0.25 $ 1,038 663 0.04 Trademark impairment 5,260 5,153 0.36 - - 0.00 Goodwill impairment 79,259 79,259 5.60 - - 0.00 Loss on lease terminations - - 0.00 44 28 0.00 Release Togast earnout (441) (323) (0.02) - - 0.00 Change in vacation policy (1,232) (914) (0.06) - - 0.00 Gain on Hurricane Maria - - 0.00 (38) (24) 0.00 Total asset impairments and other adjustments $ 87,621 86,716 6.13 $ 1,044 667 0.04 Income tax expense adjustments: Tax impact share based awards 1,129 0.08 (54) 0.00 Other tax items (3,161) (0.22) 489 0.02 Total income tax expense adjustments (2,032) (0.14) 435 0.02 Adjusted earnings (loss) from continuing operations(1)and(2) $ (68,864) ($4.87) $ 8,365 $0.49 (1)The adjusted tax rate for the first six months of Fiscal 2021 and 2020 is 25.8% and 36.1%, respectively. (2)EPS reflects 14.1 million and 16.9 million share count for the first six months of Fiscal 2021 and 2020, respectively, which excludes common stock equivalents in the first six months of Fiscal 2021 due to the loss from continuing operations and includes common stock equivalents in the first six months of Fiscal 2020. Genesco Inc. Adjustments to Reported Operating Income (Loss) Six Months Ended August 1, 2020 and August 3, 2019 Six Months - August 1, 2020 Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss) Journeys Group $ (26,923) $ (526) $ (27,449) Schuh Group (21,924) - (21,924) Johnston & Murphy Group (27,827) (192) (28,019) Licensed Brands (3,723) (78) (3,801) Corporate and Other (97,615) 88,417 (9,198) Total Operating Loss $ (178,012) $ 87,621 $ (90,391) % of sales -26.6% -13.5% Six Months - August 3, 2019 Operating Asset Impair Adj Operating In Thousands Income (Loss) & Other Adj Income (Loss) Journeys Group $ 30,305 $ - $ 30,305 Schuh Group (5,389) - (5,389) Johnston & Murphy Group 6,624 - 6,624 Licensed Brands 178 - 178 Corporate and Other (19,672) 1,044 (18,628) Total Operating Income $ 12,046 $ 1,044 $ 13,090 % of sales 1.2% 1.3% SOURCE Genesco Inc. Related Links http://www.genesco.com French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged support for a sovereign Iraq free of inference from foreign actors and Islamic State militants. It was Macron's first official visit to Baghdad since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi formed a new government in May. "We are here for and will continue to support Iraq," Macron said at a news conference in Baghdad Wednesday alongside his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih. "Any foreign intervention may undermine the efforts exerted by you as a government." Macron had earlier said he was heading to Baghdad "to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty". The visit of the French president was the first by a Western leader to Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office in May. Kadhimi took over following a chaotic 10-week period marked by unrest in a country exhausted by war with Islamist militants, corruption and economic decay. He has been tasked with organising an early election for June 2021. Terror threat Iraqi officials should continue to share the vision of restoring "Iraq's sovereignty," Macron insisted, while admitting that foreign interference and the threat of Islamic State posed major challenges. "The war against Islamic State isn't finished...we will continue to act alongside you in the framework of the anti-Islamic State coalition," Macron said. The armed terror group, which once occupied a third of Iraq's territory, has been largely defeated there but continues to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings. Paris is worried that Islamic State militants could exploit Iraq's political uncertainty and the clashing regional interests of its two major allies, the United States and Iran, to regain a foothold. Delicate balance "The second challenge is...the multiple foreign interferences that have been going on for several years," Macron noted. Baghdad's delicate balancing act between Iran and the United States has become increasingly tortured since Washington's withdrawal in 2018 from a multilateral nuclear deal with Tehran. France is among European nations that remain key backers of the 2015 agreement. Macron shared some of these concerns with Prime Minister al-Kadhimi whom he met later on Wednesday during his day-long trip. "We do not want to be an arena for confrontations but a zone of stability and moderation," al-Kadhimi said at their joint news conference, adding that France and Iraq would sign energy agreements in the future and deepen military cooperation. Not giving up "We talked about a future project, using nuclear energy to produce electricity and peaceful projects, which will be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will create jobs and address electricity shortages," he said. Macron also pledged French support for building a metro railway in Baghdad. Speaking ahead of his visit on Friday, he stressed the importance for the Iraqi people "not give in to the fate of domination by regional powers and by Islamist terrorism". "There are leaders and a people who are aware of this and who want to take their destiny in hand. France's role is to help them do so," he said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky did not meet with Hryhoriy and Ihor Surkis on September 2, before the decision of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv to collect $350 million from PrivatBank in favor of offshore companies, as he was on regional working trips. "This meeting was impossible either theoretically or physically. The president was in Poltava region on Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning, without returning to Kyiv, he flew to Kharkv region by helicopter," Adviser to the President's Office head Mykhailo Podoliak told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday, commenting on the information disseminated in the media about such a meeting. Podoliak also believes that it is time "to end with speculations based on false story." "The story of PrivatBank and Surkis brothers is only the story of the courts, as well as of those who a few years ago made all this up with their unreasoned and legally incorrect steps towards nationalization, and should, in theory, now pay off their debts with their money," he said. Its a strange time for restaurant tipping, a vague American custom that has only gotten vaguer with the extreme conditions of the pandemic. You might not know whats OK anymore as far as a tip goes, but you likely feel very guilty about it regardless. Many readers have written to me expressing anxiety over the appropriate percentage to leave and waffling over how best to support the restaurants they love. Restaurant workers have also testified to their own tip generosity stemming from a sense of solidarity with their colleagues in the industry. And other diners are indignant about consumers having to float small businesses and staff that deserve financial support from the government. That last one is a good point. Somehow, the rest of the world has figured out how to maintain their own restaurant industries without the expectation that tips from diners would make up the bulk of front-of-house workers wages. The United States is the exception, and most states (California excluded) allow employers to pay tipped workers a base rate thats lower than minimum wage. These workers are expected to essentially gamble for a good paycheck, when people in other industries generally know how much theyll be paid from week to week. Tipped workers in California must make minimum wage before tips are applied, though the amount is hardly a match for the high living expenses in the Bay Area. While that fact has historically created a significant pay gap between front-of-house workers like servers and back-of-house workers like cooks, the legalization of tip pooling in California in 2018 has enabled all nonmanagerial employees to collect tips through pooling. The vast majority of restaurant staff still depends on tips to earn something close to a living wage, an issue thats become even more urgent as more restaurants close for good or severely cut down on staff hours to survive. In an ideal world, everyone would get paid enough to live, and we wouldnt have to worry about tips, but thats outside the scope of this guide. Furthermore, as of now, only a tiny handful of Bay Area restaurants, notably Zazie in San Francisco, have eliminated tipping entirely and managed to stick with it. So what should you tip? For takeout and delivery Start at 20% in all cases. Though traditionally, getting takeout used to merit paying a smaller tip (if anything), takeout is sometimes the only thing a restaurant is able to offer right now. Pay as if you were dining in. Curbside pickup, where you can wait in your car while a staff member delivers your takeout order to keep you from having to enter the building, is an additional courtesy provided by the restaurant, so tip in those cases as well. Some places use a digital interface with three options for gratuity percentages; for example, you might be prompted to choose between 15%, 18% or 20% when you pay your bill on a Square tablet. Each business can set its own range, but you should feel free to ask the cashier to input another number if the percentage you actually want to give isnt displayed. On the third-party apps like Postmates and DoorDash, youll be given a multiple choice option for your tip. Be advised that the third-party delivery apps have faced criticism in the past for essentially commandeering tips and having them go to the companies rather than directly to drivers. Feel free to tip in (sanitized) cash, or ask your driver if you can send them money through an online payment app like Venmo or Cash. When ordering online or through an app, look for an option on the menu that says buy the kitchen a drink, or something similar. Those are usually a roundabout way of ensuring that the restaurant staff actually gets a tip, since delivery tips go only to the couriers. For example, Rich Table allows patrons to order a $5 tip for restaurant staff on Caviar. Make sure you add that to your cart. Another thing to keep in mind for ordering online is that every interface is different, and you may end up accidentally finishing the transaction without tipping at all if you miss the prompt. Double-check before you pay. For dining at an outdoor restaurant In cases where you have to order at a counter and fetch your own food, tip a minimum of 20%. If youre able to sit and be served by a person in protective gear, go higher. Tip at least 30%. Be aware that, due to the requirements of social distancing, servers cant interact as intimately with tables as they did before. Read that behavior in good faith and dont penalize aloof service with a lower tip. Many restaurants have opted to add 18% to 20% service charges on their final bills. You dont have to tip on top of that, though youre entitled to do so if you wish. No hard feelings if you dont. Other cases At bars, you cant currently order any drinks without ordering food in California, so tip on the whole bill as you would in a restaurant. At coffee shops, throw in $1 per drink. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Treat this as a starting point if this pandemic has instilled anything in the populace, its a greater appreciation for the people who make food happen. In fact, tips are generally up in the Bay Area. Square, a company that provides point-of-sale systems to many local food businesses, found that average tips at full-service restaurants increased slightly to 18.9% in April of this year. Quick-service restaurants, the kinds of spots where you traditionally order at a counter, saw greater increases between those same periods: 16.8% in 2019 to 20.7% this year. That doesnt account for transactions on third-party delivery apps like DoorDash or Postmates, which have become even more popular as even fine-dining restaurants offer takeout and delivery. If 20% is your baseline for tipping on a normal restaurant dinner in pre-pandemic times, perhaps that baseline should be higher now that workers job descriptions have changed so drastically. At Fish in Sausalito, staff members have been tasked with sanitizing public areas of the restaurant on top of their regular cleaning protocols, and the menu has been streamlined to make work easier for masked cooks working in a hot kitchen. And Palette Tea House, a popular dim sum restaurant in Fishermans Wharf, has staff clean tables and chairs three times after each party leaves. Generally, the more normal service feels, the more work it takes on the staffs end to achieve that vibe. Perhaps above all else, peace of mind the assurance that youll be safe and cared for in their hands is an essential part of what restaurants offer, and its the reason why so many diners have been aching to go back. But the psychological and financial cost of producing that sense of normalcy, is much higher than it was before. Restaurant staff have to find alternative, more costly methods of getting to work if they want to avoid mass transit, they have to launder their clothing more frequently to disinfect it, and they potentially have to confront patrons who dont wear masks. Theyre also largely doing it without hazard pay. Even below-average service could be tempered with an understanding that no one is having a very good time right now. It would make sense that having people put themselves in harms way at your pleasure should, at the very least, net some extra gratitude on your part beyond a super-enthusiastic Thank you. Of course, because tipping is a broken system, choosing what to tip isnt a clean endeavor. Tips on delivery apps only go to drivers or couriers. Though they also deserve a tip, the situation means restaurant staff dont get any slice of that pie. As of now, theres no official way to tip both the restaurant staff and the driver, which is why some restaurants offer a choice to buy the kitchen a drink. Another complication is that, unless youre Jeff Bezos, youre probably not making more money now than you did before the pandemic. So if you dont have the means to tip appropriately and have the means to feed yourself, just cook at home. Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will hold a new round of talks with the United States on a trade deal next week, trade department minister Greg Hands said on Thursday, adding that the government talks to both sides of the U.S. political divide before this year's election. Britain has prioritised striking a trade deal with the United States as it seeks to carve out new business relationships around the world following its exit from the European Union, and with it all EU-negotiated trade deals. "I can announce today that the next round (of talks) will start next Tuesday, the 8th of September," Hands told parliament. The prospect of a U.S. deal is clouded by a November presidential election and the possibility that a new administration with new priorities might take over. However, Hands sought to downplay that risk. "In terms of the U.S., clearly ... we talk with all parts of the U.S. political system. We make sure that senators, members of Congress, governors from both parties right the way across the United States ... buy into a future UK-U.S. free trade agreement." Britain's top five targets for post-Brexit trade deals are the U.S., Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the EU. Ministers said that a deal with Japan was expected to be finalised in the next few weeks, having already missed an end of August target. The department also said the next round of trade talks with Australia will begin on Sept. 21. (The story is refiled to fixe typo in headline) (Reporting by William James, writing by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Alistair Smout) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 00:09:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of Europe-bound freight trains departing from the city of Yiwu in east China's Zhejiang Province reached 529 this year as of Wednesday, surpassing the total number of last year, according to the train operator. Dubbed Yixin'ou in Chinese (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe), the cargo line is 13,052 km long, connecting China's major small commodity hub with Europe. A train loaded with 100 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of daily necessities, Christmas articles, and other goods departed from Yiwu on Wednesday afternoon, heading for the Belarussian capital of Minsk. It was the 529th China-Europe freight train to leave the city since Jan. 1. Statistics from the train service operator Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. show that China-Europe freight trains departing from Yiwu have delivered a total of 43,802 TEUs of cargo this year, a year-on-year increase of 186.5 percent. Feng Xubin, chairman of the company, said the Yixin'ou freight trains offer stable and safe transportation of imported and exported cargo, which ensures the smooth flow of logistics and stable supply of anti-epidemic, production, and living materials along the route. Enditem Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 (3:26 pm) - Score 814 A new project commissioned by the Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) looks set to result in 83 GP surgeries across West Essex and East Hertfordshire in England being upgraded to support broadband or fibre optic Ethernet connections with speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabit per second). The network will be delivered via Openreach (BT), which is itself working in partnership with Capita, Updata and Redcentric. The project is being supported by a public investment of 1.7m under the UK Governments (DCMS) Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme. According to UKAuthority, the new network to all 83 sites should be completed by March 2021 and thats an impressively short time-scale, particularly given that theyve only just begun the detailed planning. Most of the GP surgeries are in Broxbourne, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow and the Uttlesford districts. Councillor Lesley Wagland, Essex County Council, said: This project is a great step in improving the digital experience and opportunities for those that use and deliver our health services and to realising the significant benefits from full fibre broadband connectivity for our residents. Health and care services with digital services based around the patient and our local communities will be a key component of this. Full fibre broadband will help those providing the services to do so closer to where people want them but also to work better, more efficiently and in a joined up way. The move follows last years announcement by the Governments Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, who pledged to upgrade the National Health Service (NHS) with better digital connectivity, not least by ensuring that all GPs and Hospitals are connected to Gigabit capable full fibre connections (here). The Minister has also previously encouraged Openreach to help, so its no surprise to see them involved. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday warned his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal against trying to exploit the Covid-19 crisis to instigate the people in Punjab villages, which have witnessed a spurt of fake news and provocative videos. An Aam Aadmi Part (AAP) worker by the name of Amrinder Singh has been arrested and is being questioned to ascertain as to who motivated him to circulate a post of a dead body to mislead the people of Punjab into believing that organs of dead Corona patients were being removed by the state Health Department. The Chief Minister said the video or post propagated by the AAP worker was seen to be exhorting and provoking people not to cooperate with health authorities, thus endangering the health and safety of the citizens of the state. Such rumours are provoking a section of the community to resist proper medical care which needs to be provided to all Covid-19 affected citizens, which is a clear case of a deadly criminal conspiracy against the people of the state who are already suffering due to the pandemic, said the Chief Minister in a statement. There were enough indications of a massive plot by elements inimical to the interests of Punjab, he said, disclosing that the police on Thursday morning registered another case in Patiala on a complaint by a local journalist, who was offered $100 for making and circulating a false video on Covid-19. Amarinder Singh said Kejriwal's announcement in the midst of the shocking viral campaign, asking AAP workers to go around villages and streets of Punjab with oxymeters to check people's oxygen levels, raised serious questions on the role of his party in the conspiracy to undermine the Punjab government's efforts to keep the pandemic under check and save the lives of the people of the state. The Delhi Chief Minister's decision could have grave repercussions for Punjab's security and integrity, said Amarinder Singh, warning Kejriwal against playing into the hands of anti-India forces from across the border, who are trying to use the pandemic to foment fresh trouble for the state. Amarinder Singh asked Kejriwal to stay out of Punjab and focus on managing the Covid-19 scenario in his own state, where the situation was worsening by the day with more than 2,500 new cases being reported on Wednesday and hospitals reportedly running out of ICU beds again. "We don't need your oxymeters. We just need you to rein in your workers in Punjab, where they are trying to incite my people into not going to hospitals to get themselves tested and treated for Covid," said Amarinder Singh. AAP worker Amrinder Singh of Mishriwala village in Ferozepore district has been arrested by the Punjab Police for circulation of false and misleading posts on social media platforms. Photographs and videos claiming that doctors were removing vital organs of Covid-19 patients had been traced to 31-year-old Amrinder, who was actively operating from Moga. The posts and videos reportedly exhorted and provoked people not to cooperate with health authorities besides spreading false rumours about removal of body organs of dead Corona patients by the Health Department. It is learnt that Amrinder Singh is an active AAP worker and an aspirant for the MLA ticket from the Ferozepore Assembly segment. He has been actively participating in protests and agitations on behalf of AAP. _SHOW_MID_AD__ avid_creative/Getty Images Vallejo police are investigating two separate homicides that occurred late Wednesday within hours of each other. Police responded to sounds of gunshots in a residential area near the intersection of Maine and Sacramento streets at 8:18 p.m. Wednesday, where they found a man lying on a sidewalk. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. A date has been set for the trial of a Russian citizen suspected in killing of a Georgian national and former Chechen rebel commander in Berlin in last year. Berlin's regional court said on September 2 that it will start the trial on October 7 against 55-year-old Vadim Krasikov, who is charged with killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili. . Khangoshvili was shot twice in the head in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten park on August 23, 2019. Khangoshvili had previously fought alongside separatists in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya and later resided in Georgia. Years later, he moved to Germany with his family, where he had been seeking asylum. German prosecutors have accused Russia of ordering the killing, which Kremlin has denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will mark his 68th birthday on the day when Krasikov's trial starts, has publicly called Khangoshvili "a militant, involved in killings of dozens of people during the military conflict in Chechnya." The investigative website Bellingcat has said that Krasikov was a contract killer who grew up in Kazakhstan. With reporting by Deutsche Welle SENATOR Timmy Dooley has apologised to the former chairperson of Shannon Group Rose Hynes after comments he said "may have been viewed as totally unjustified criticism" of her. Mr Dooley's apology, reported by 'The Clare Echo' came after a report in the same publication about how he wrote to Taoiseach Micheal Martin calling for a change of leadership at the company that runs Shannon Airport. It reported that Mr Dooley was concerned at indications that Ms Hynes may seek an extension to her tenure as chairperson. In the letter to Mr Martin as well as Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, Mr Dooley called for the Government to begin a process to find a new candidate to chair the Group. He reportedly claimed there is an "urgent need" for a new approach and vision at the Group and "this cannot come without a leadership change at the top." Ms Hynes tenure as chairperson ended last week and Shannon PLC paid tribute to her on her departure. Today 'The Clare Echo' published an apology by Mr Dooley for comments included in the report. Mr Dooley said: "Comments attributed to me as reported on in The Clare Echo on or about 30th July 2020 may have been viewed as totally unjustified criticism of Ms Rose Hynes in her capacity as Chairperson of Shannon Group plc. "This was not my intention. "While we may have differences on issues of policy and strategy, I hold Ms Hynes in the highest regard as a businessperson, as a Chairperson and member of many boards in Ireland and as an individual. "I unreservedly retract any suggestion to the contrary and apologise to Ms Hynes for any embarrassment my statement may have caused to her and her family," he added. Mr Dooley declined to comment on the apology. Ms Hynes did not immediately respond to attempts to contact her through Shannon PLC. Mr Dooley - who was caught up in the 'Vote-gate' controversy - lost his Dail seat in the last General Election. He was suspended from the Fianna Fail frontbench last year for his involvement in irregular voting in the Dail. It came after the Irish Independent revealed that Mr Dooleys vote was recorded six times despite his absence from the chamber. Limerick TD Niall Collins later admitted he had pressed Mr Dooleys voting button in the mistaken belief Mr Dooley was still present. Both TDs later apologised and Dail voting procedures are being overhauled. Mr Dooley was appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach in June. New Delhi, Sep 3 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday directed banks to roll out resolution schemes for Covid-related stress by September 15. During her interaction with the heads of scheduled commercial banks and NBFCs through a video conference, Sitharaman focused on lenders immediately putting in place board-approved policy for resolution, identifying eligible borrowers and reaching out to them, said an official statement. She also called for quick implementation of a sustained resolution plan by lenders for revival of every viable business. Sitharaman told the lenders that as and when moratorium on loan repayments is lifted, borrowers must be given support and Covid-19 related distress must not impact the lenders' assessment of their credit-worthiness. Further, she also called for a sustained media campaign to create awareness among the borrowers for the resolution scheme. She advised lenders to ensure that regularly updated FAQs on the resolution framework are uploaded on their websites in Hindi, English and regional languages, and also circulated to their offices and branches. "The lenders assured that they are ready with their resolution policies, and have started the process of identifying and reaching out to eligible borrowers, and that they will comply with the timelines stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)," said the Finance Ministry statement. The ministry said that it has also been engaging with the RBI to ensure that the lenders are assisted by the central bank in the resolution process. As the pandemic has led to severe economic stress across sectors, the RBI in August announced to provide a resolution framework to enable the lenders to implement a resolution plan, in respect of eligible corporate borrowers without change in ownership while continuing the account status as standard, subject to specified conditions. During the virtual meet on Thursday, the Finance Minister also reviewed the progress made by various lenders under ECLGS, PCGS 2.0 and subordinate debt schemes announced as part of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan', and advised lenders to try and extend the maximum possible relief to borrowers before the festive season. As per the government, an amount of Rs 1.58 lakh crore has been sanctioned as on August 31, under ECLGS, out of which more than Rs 1.11 lakh crore has been disbursed. Under PCGS 2.0, bonds or commercial papers of Rs 25,055.5 crore have been approved for purchase by public sector banks so far, out of which Rs 13,318.5 crore amounting to more than 53 per cent of the portfolio pertains to bonds or commercial papers rated below 'AA-'. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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WALLDORF, Germany, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Microsoft Germany Management Board Chairwoman Sabine Bendiek has been appointed to join the SAP Executive Board as chief people officer and labor director in early 2021. In this role, Bendiek will lead the Human Resources organization and people strategy for SAP. This includes attracting the best talent in the industry, providing a growth and learning environment for employees, and ensuring a consistent leadership culture to enable inclusion, accountability and agility. "In Sabine Bendiek, we have found an exceptional executive who not only can drive a business-centric Human Resources function as the heart of our ongoing transformation, but also has deep operational experience," said Professor Hasso Plattner, chairman of the Supervisory Board of SAP SE. "On behalf of the SAP Supervisory Board I welcome Sabine and wish her a very successful and smooth start to her SAP career." To quickly adapt to changing needs of customers and allow for future growth, an organization's people and processes must work together seamlessly. Tapping into her broad business perspective, Bendiek will assume additional responsibility as chief operating officer in mid-2021, becoming SAP's first chief people and operating officer. "A successful digital transformation extends far beyond technology and processes, it is a business-wide culture change that starts and ends with people," said Christian Klein, chief executive officer, chief operating officer and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. "Sabine's track record leading transformations at various companies, combined with her passion for people and leadership, makes her a natural choice to lead the complementary pillars of people and processes that are key to driving SAP's ongoing success." At Microsoft Germany, Bendiek oversaw an increase in cloud growth of 50 percent in 2020. She also drove the move of the business to the cloud, which significantly contributed to Microsoft's strong position in Germany and the enterprise's overall transformation. Prior to Microsoft, she held various roles at industry-leading companies including Nixdorf, Siemens Nixdorf, McKinsey, Earlybird Venture Capital, Dell and EMC. Bendiek is a member of the supervisory board at Schaeffler. Bendiek said, "SAP is recognized throughout the industry as a growth company and its people are crucial to its ongoing success. In any successful organization, business growth and the people strategy must work hand in hand. I thank the SAP Supervisory Board and Executive Board for putting their full trust in me to lead the people and operations functions that are the heart of SAP's ongoing transformation." Bendiek, 54, has a graduate degree in management science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a business administration degree from University of Mannheim. She will be based in Walldorf and has been appointed to the Executive Board for a three-year term. Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews. About SAP SAP's strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As the market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world's transaction revenue touches an SAP system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people's lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. 2020 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. For customers interested in learning more about SAP products: Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24 United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727) Please consider our privacy policy. If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact [email protected] and write Unsubscribe in the subject line. SOURCE SAP SE Related Links https://www.sap.com/ In Indianas first week of statewide COVID-19 ratings, DeKalb County was one of just seven counties to fall into the orange, indicating moderate to high spread of the virus. Other counties in the region were colored yellow, showing moderate spread. The map is available under the County Metrics tab at coronavirus.in.gov. The recovery in China's service sector activity extended into a fourth straight month in August, an industry survey showed on Thursday, with companies hiring more people for the first time since January. The Caixin/Markit services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped to 54.0 from July's 54.1, dipping for the second month after June's decade high, but staying above the 50-mark that separates monthly growth from contraction. The services sector, which accounts for about 60% of the economy and half of urban jobs, had been slower to return to growth initially than large manufacturers, but the recovery has gathered pace in recent months as COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings lifted. Firms started to hire more in August after six months of layoffs, indicating some recovery in a labour market that has been hit hard by sharp falls in demand and epidemic restrictions earlier in the year. Also read: US strategy is to push back against China in every domain: top diplomat Domestic demand drove new orders, with the Caixin survey showing new export businesses received by Chinese services firms contracting again in August, albeit at a slower pace. However, the growth in new orders was the weakest in four months and dropped below the long-term average. "The ongoing resumption of work and normalisation of market demand continued to promote the post-epidemic economic recovery," said Wang Zhe, Senior Economist at Caixin Insight Group. Service firms remained optimistic about business prospects as the economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 lockdowns, although a sub-index for confidence in the year dipped from July's multi-year high. Also read: Foreign companies rush to register in India to meet new 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' rules China returned to growth in the second quarter after a deep slump at the start of the year, but unexpected weakness in domestic consumption underscored the need for more policy support to bolster the recovery. Many analysts expect the country to be the only major economy to mark positive annual growth in 2020. MILFORD The family of Derby homicide victim Nicholas Eisele said his death could have been prevented. Speaking outside Superior Court in Milford on Thursday, where Peter Manfredonia appeared on murder, kidnapping and other charges, John Eisele said the former University of Connecticut student knew what he was doing when he allegedly killed his son. It was well planned, John Eisele said, comparing Manfredonia to Adam Lanza, the mass shooter who killed 26 students and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Videos posted online apparently show the inside of Manfredonias former apartment with messages referencing Lanza on a bedroom wall. Manfredonia was a sophomore at Newtown High School when Lanza, who lived six houses down from him on Yogananda Street, killed his mother inside the home the morning of Dec. 14, 2012 before driving to the Sandy Hook school. Manfredonia, who played football and track and field, graduated from Newtown High in 2015 and received the schools Outstanding Male Athlete Award. He posted on social media in support of Sandy Hook-related causes. But authorities said Manfredonia would go on to commit chilling crimes over Memorial Day weekend slashing a Willington man to death with a samurai sword before killing Eisele in Derby and kidnapping the mans girlfriend, according to arrest warrants. Another case of Adam Lanza is what it is, John Eisele said Thursday. Grew up a few houses away. He should have learned from it. He didnt learn from it. He didnt. And the signs were there and nobody did anything. And here we are. John Eisele said the pain has only grown since Nicholas was killed on May 24. Were the victims here and we just want everyone to know that were still hurting. Were hurting, he said. Its going to take a long time. Eiseles aunt, Vanessa McKeon, said her nephew died a hero who was trying to protect his girlfriend. Nicholas John was a hero. Dont ever forget that, McKeon said. We dont want Manfredonia glorified. The name and the face that should be remembered is Nicholas John Eisele. He went out as a hero. That kid had a life before him and it was taken short for no reason. There were other ways to handle things and he chose to take a young mans life who had everything before him. When this all happened in Sandy Hook, we escaped it, McKeon added. But obviously you cant escape evil. And it hit us hard. It hit us real hard. Manfredonia waived a probable cause hearing during a brief court appearance Thursday in Milford. Judge Maureen Dennis continued the case to Oct. 29. States Attorney Margaret Kelley said she still has to turn over substantial disclosure from a number of law enforcement agencies. Michael Dolan, Manfredonias attorney, said after the hearing he will need to review the evidence before deciding on a strategy. Were reviewing a number of different avenues and not limiting ourselves regarding any defenses, he said, declining to indicate whether he will pursue a mental health defense. Dolan said the decision to waive the probable cause hearing was routine based on the allegations and what we understand the evidence to be. Manfredonia is due in state Superior Court in Tolland on Oct. 2 to answer charges related to crimes hes accused of committing in Willington. Police said Manfredonia started his crime spree by killing one man and severely injuring another in Willington on May 22. The next day, police said he broke into a Willington home, holding a man hostage before taking guns and several other items. Police said Manfredonia left in the mans truck that he drove to Derby. Police said Manfredonia was apparently trying to find a hiding spot in Osbornedale State Park in Derby when he crashed the stolen truck and changed his plans, walking to Eiseles nearby home. Eiseles girlfriend told police she had met Manfredonia once, a few months before the incident, when he bought marijuana from her boyfriend, according to an arrest warrant. She said they had locked all the doors of the house and Eisele blocked Manfredonia on social media when they heard he was wanted for the Willington homicide. But the woman said she woke up around 6 a.m. May 24 and Manfredonia was inside the Roosevelt Drive home, arguing in the other room with Eisele, she told police. Eisele told his girlfriend to call 911, but Manfredonia ran into the bedroom and ripped the phone out of her hands and started tussling with Eisele, the arrest warrant stated. Moments later, the woman heard gunshots and saw Eisele motionless on the floor. After killing Eisele, Manfredonia stole about $2,000 in cash that was on a table and put it into a duffel bag, the woman told police, according to the warrant. Police said Manfredonia then kidnapped Eiseles girlfriend and fled the state in her vehicle. The woman was found unharmed a few hours later in western New Jersey. After a six-day manhunt spanning four states, law enforcement spotted Manfredonia outside a Maryland truck stop on May 27 and took him into custody without incident. He returned to Connecticut June 12. Reaching natural gas production of one billion cubic meters per day (bcm/d) has been one of the three core hydrocarbons resource strategies of Iran since the Islamic Republic began to seriously develop the supergiant South Pars non-associated natural gas field in 1990, alongside producing 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil and building out a world-class petrochemicals sector. Over the past week or so, Iran has announced a number of initiatives aimed at increasing gas output from South Pars in order to significantly surpass this 1 bcm/d figure as quickly as possible with the corollary boost in export revenues. With an estimated 14.2 trillion cubic meters (tcm) of gas reserves in place plus 18 billion barrels of gas condensate, South Pars already accounts for around 40 percent of Irans total estimated 33.8 tcm of gas reserves and about 60 percent of its gas production. This is set for an immediate boost, with a statement last week from Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) Phase 13 director, Payam Motamed, that this Phase of South Pars has just completed the standard stages of commissioning and the start of rich gas recovery from its third platform (13C). Following the opening of the wells of 13C and the lighting of its flare stack, after stabilizing the production process, 11.4 mcm of gas to the onshore refinery of Phase 13 came in the first instance from the Platform on 21 August, he said. He added that the 13C satellite platform was connected to the 13A main platform through an 18-inch pipeline and that, in turn, the gas from the 13A platform facilities is sent to the Phase 13 refinery in Kangan through a 32-inch pipeline that extends for over 100 kilometers. Motamed highlighted that the current capacity of rich gas recovery from the offshore Phase 13 platforms alone is 43 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d), with 28.5 mcm/d of this amount provided by the Platforms B and D from the first phase of the project, which came on stream in March 2018, and the remainder coming from Platform C. At around the same time, the head of POGCs offshore section of South Pars Phases 22-24, Mehrdad Kazemi, said that three new wells had become operational in Phase 22 alone, adding an immediate 6 mcm/d to its gas output. In addition, despite the highly publicized withdrawal of Frances Total from Phase 11, and the then on and off involvement of China National Petroleum Corporation in the Phase, Irans Petroleum Minister, Bijan Zanganeh, added that the recent installation of a US$25 million 11B platform jacket in Phase 11 will make it possible to drill 12 more wells on top of the five currently being drilled. With the installation of this jacket and the drilling of five wells, it will be possible to recover an extra 14 million cubic meters per day from this Phase within in the next 14 months, he added. Related: The Difference Between Green Energy And Greenwashed Energy With most of the work on most of the other original 24 phases close to completion - just a handful do not have a 95+ percent completion rating - another relatively under-developed site, Phase 14, is now in focus. The POGCs director of Phase 14, Mohammad Tavasolipour, said recently that the third offshore topside of the project was installed in the middle of 2019 and became fully operational at the end of last year. In conjunction with this, plans are being devised to bring Phase 14s onshore refinery to full production by next June. According to Tavasolipour, the engineering, procurement, and construction section of the Phase 14 refinery has reached more than 83 percent completion, with the first train of the refinery likely to come on-stream by the end of the current Iranian calendar year on 20 March 2021. This refinery will be the last onshore processing facility of the huge gas reservoir that Iran shares with Qatar. As it stands, said Tavasolipour, the offshore section of Phase 14 is now fully operational with 56.8 mcm/d of production capacity, following the last platform coming online in March, it having 14.2 mcm/d of gas production capacity. Thus augmented the other 3 platforms (2 satellite and two main), each with 14.2 mcm/d of gas production capacity. Overall, then, in addition to this natural gas production, Phase 14 is also fully set to produce 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) of gas condensate and 400 tons per day of sulfur, 1 million tons per year (mtpy) of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and 1 mtpy of ethane to be fed to petrochemical plants. In tandem with this, according to a comment just over a week ago from the POGCs deputy director of Phase 19, Seyed Hossein Azimi, a single point mooring (SPM) loading system with a capacity of 7,000 square meters per hour of loading capacity recently arrived in Assaluyeh that would augment gas condensate loading capacity of the field. This SPM will allow for the handling of liquid cargo, such as petroleum products, for tanker ships. There will be a few more of these installed in the south, in the Gulf of Oman, in the coming months, as they are very useful in areas where a dedicated facility for loading or unloading liquid cargo is not available, a senior source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com. These SPMs will be located many kilometers away from the onshore facilities, connected to them by a series of sub-sea pipelines, and able to handle the biggest of VLCCs. Related: Oil Price Rally Stalls As U.S. Fuel Demand Falters All of this is aimed, of course, at boosting Irans much-pressed finances, with Zanganeh last week stating that currently the country exports around 16 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) of natural gas. In addition to the ongoing gas exports to neighboring Iraq, he underlined that Iran currently exports significant quantities of natural gas to Armenia and wants to begin sending gas to Pakistan as well as soon as possible. In addition, according to the chief executive officer of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Hassan Montazer Torbati, last week, Iran is in the process of considering gas trading in earnest with its neighbors again. We have witnessed increasing gas production in recent years, notably from South Pars, and the NIGC has built over 5,000 kilometers of pipelines in the last seven years, which has provided a rich infrastructure for gas distribution, he said. The issue of gas exports to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey is on the table, we have prepared the ground, and fortunately there is enough capacity for gas swaps...this means that we can receive gas in the northeast and transit and swap it wherever necessary, with the infrastructure now ready, he underlined. Given the relatively recent resumption of Iranian gas exports to Turkey following the halt on 31 March, Zanganeh outlined that - despite some predictions to the contrary in light of a recent gas discovery by Turkey the demand outlook from Turkey for gas will remain significant for the foreseeable future. What was announced was that this reserve holds 320 billion cubic meters of gas but if this 320 billion cubic meters of gas is in place, its extractable gas will be about 220 to 230 billion cubic meters and if you divide this number by 20 years and 20 years by 365 days then 30 to 35 mcm of gas will be produced per day from the reserve, he highlighted. If these figures are accurate then 30 million cubic meters of gas can be produced daily, which is still important for Turkey, but according to the information we have, Turkeys daily gas demand is 130 million cubic meters, which is mostly imported in the scale of 2.5 to 1 from Russia and Iran, and a small amount from the Republic of Azerbaijan, he underlined. Little mention was made by Zanganeh of China, but it should not be forgotten that just after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on 16 January 2016, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) through its Deputy Director of International Affairs for Marketing and Crude Oil Operation, Safar-Ali Karamati stated that Iran planned to double its LPG production in the post-sanctions era. Already one of the biggest and most reliable suppliers of LPG in the world at that time, Iran had lost almost none of its LPG market share under the previous U.S.-led sanctions on its nuclear program and was then producing around eight million tons of LPG annually. Karamati added at that time that when all of the Phases of South Pars came fully online Iran would see at least a doubling of this LPG output figure, allowing it to capture at least 40 percent of the Middle East LPG exports market. Despite U.S.-led sanctions, China was conservatively importing half a million tons of LPG from Iran each month in the first quarter of this year, before the COVID-19 outbreak, generating at least US$200 million per month of revenues for Iran from this product alone. Indeed, if the past is any guide, the worse the trade war becomes, the better for Irans LPG exports to China. Before China placed tariffs on U.S. LPG, it sourced around 20 percent of its total imports from the U.S. After the tariffs were imposed, Chinese buyers turned to Iran principally to make up the difference, so that by last year China accounted for at least 80 percent of all Irans LPG exports. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A man whose mentally ill daughter leaped to her death after walking away from a San Francisco hospital supervisor who had let his attention lapse cannot claim damages from the city, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Haneefah Nuriddin, 36, was being held at San Franciscos Mental Health Rehabilitation Center in April 2015 for treatment seeking to restore her competency to face charges of criminal battery. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and other disorders, she was reported to be showing signs of improvement and was sent to a doctors office outside the hospital, under a staffers supervision, to help determine if she could be transferred to an unlocked facility. The staff member, James Terry, a mental health specialist, said he got a phone call at the receptionists desk while they were waiting at the doctors office and looked away from Nuriddin for a few seconds, and when he looked back she was gone. He said he found her outside, asked her to come back, then chased her for a block and a half before returning to the mental health facility on the San Francisco General Hospital campus and reporting her disappearance. Nuriddins body was found about 17 hours later at a construction site in Lower Pacific Heights, 3 miles away. The medical examiner said she had jumped off a building. The lawsuit by her father, Ben Porter, accused Terry and the city, his employer, of causing her death by failing to supervise her properly. Porter said Terry had failed to understand that Nuriddin posed a flight risk, should have reported her disappearance immediately and might have been able to respond more quickly if he had brought his cell phone to the doctors office. But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said that while some of Terrys actions were perhaps negligent, there was no evidence that he had been deliberately indifferent to Nuriddin, the standard for holding government employees responsible in such cases. 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. Nuriddin had not been identified as a known flight risk, and Terry pursued her and then reported that she was missing, the court said in a 2-1 ruling upholding a federal judges dismissal of the suit. Judges Susan Graber and Daniel Bress signed the majority opinion. In dissent, Robert Dawson, a federal judge from Arkansas temporarily assigned to the appeals court, said Nuriddins mental condition made her particularly vulnerable and a jury should decide whether Terry, the sole witness to her disappearance, had violated her rights. Porters lawyer, John Burris, said the ruling was disappointing. Nuriddin was in the custody of the hospital, he said. We thought they had an obligation to protect her. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko An electric vehicle battery supplier backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Volkswagen is the newest automotive company to announce plans to go public through a special purpose acquisition company. QuantumScape, a developer of what are known as solid-state batteries, said Thursday it has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with blank check SPAC Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. to become a publicly traded company in the fourth quarter. It's the latest SPAC deal for an automotive company following electric vehicle company Nikola's IPO in early June. Shares of Kensington were up more than 50% during trading Thursday morning to more than $15. The implied value of the combined company, which will list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker QS, is $3.3 billion. QuantumScape is expected to receive more than $1 billion in cash and funding commitments, led by Volkswagen and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, as part of the transaction. In 2018, Volkswagen and QuantumScape announced the formation of a joint manufacturing venture to prepare for the mass production of solid-state batteries. KYIV, Ukraine - Belarus authoritarian leader reshuffled his top government lieutenants Thursday in an apparent attempt to strengthen his position amid weeks of protests pushing for him to resign after 26 years in office. President Alexander Lukashenko promoted Valery Vakulchik, who led the state security agency that still goes under the Soviet-era name of KGB, to be the secretary of the presidential Security Council. He replaced Vakulchik with Ivan Tertel, who previously served as head of the State Control Committee. Lukashenko is the target of protests challenging his reelection to a sixth term in office. Opponents say the Aug. 9 election in which he was given 80% of the vote was rigged. Observers saw Thursdays appointments as an attempt by the president to further tighten control. Its part of a clear trend toward the strengthening of the police state, said Alexander Klaskousky, an independent Minsk-based political analyst. The repressions will escalate. During the first few days of post-election protests, police detained nearly 7,000 people and beat hundreds, drawing international outrage and causing demonstrations to swell. The government has since switched tactics and tried to halt the protests with threats, selective detention of protesters and prosecution of activists. The Interior Ministry said 24 people were detained Wednesday on charges of taking part in unsanctioned protests. They could receive fines or jail sentences of up to 15 days if convicted. Targeting the protest leaders, Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal probe of the Coordination Council that opposition activists 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 last week, and a court in Minsk handed them new 15-day sentences Thursday. It looks like a mockery,. The authorities have stopped paying attention to the law, said Valiantsin Stefanovich of the Viasna human rights centre in Belarus. Another council member detained earlier this week on tax evasion charges faces up to seven years in prison, if convicted. As they try to stifle dissent, authorities also have revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists and deported some foreign 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. Several Belarusian journalists were detained earlier this week and charged with taking part in unsanctioned protests. Late Wednesday, police detained two popular TV anchors who resigned from state TV in solidarity with the protesters. The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 presidential election as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition, a demand Lukashenko has dismissed. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was asked by reporters after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Thursday about his countrys proposals to facilitate dialogue between the Belarusian government and the opposition. Lofven said the offer was made because Sweden assumes the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ext year. We thought it was an idea to offer an organization in which Belarus is a member as a forum for dialogue, he said. We need to find a way to have a dialogue between the opposition and the leaders. So that was the offer. Its still open. But its up to Belarus of course to take the decision. Lukashenko has sought to secure support from 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 was no need for that yet. On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin travelled to the Belarusian capital to discuss conditions for Belarus to refinance a Russian loan. During a meeting with Lukashenko, Mishustin noted progress in strengthening the two countries union agreement. In a gesture of political support for Russia as it contends with Western criticism over the alleged poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Lukashenko said Belarusian intelligence had eavesdropped on a phone call allegedly indicating that the poisoning was a sham. Navalny is being treated in Germany, where doctors said Wednesday tests indicated the dissident was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent, Novichok. We intercepted an interesting call, which clearly showed that it was a falsification, Lukashenko said, adding that the conversation involved interlocutors in Warsaw and Berlin whom he didnt name. There was no poisoning of Navalny. He charged that the call signalled that an unidentified group of experts prepared information on the case for German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a goal to make Putin lose interest in sticking his nose into Belarus affairs. See the Jesuitic way in which those people act? Lukashenko said, adding that Belarusian authorities would share the recording with Russia. ___ Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs coverage of the political crisis in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus Read more about: Security Council support 'in action' for Libya, crucial for its future, declares UN mission chief 2 September 2020 - The top UN official in Libya urged the Security Council on Wednesday to press for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and a return to negotiations, following the call from rival political leaders for a ceasefire on 21 August. Stephanie Williams said that the simultaneous yet separate appeals made by Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads the Presidency Council and is Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Aguila Saleh Issa, President of the House of Representatives in eastern Libya - featured "many points of convergence" that create a chance to move forward on intra-Libyan dialogue. Their statements met with overwhelming expressions of support from Libyans of all political affiliations, as well as international partners, said Williams, acting head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Another critical juncture "It is becoming a regrettable cliche to appear before you and warn that Libya is at a critical juncture, but yet I am compelled to pronounce these same words again," she told Council members via video-teleconference. "Libya is indeed at a decisive turning point. Your support not only in words, but most importantly in action will help determine whether the country descends into new depths of fragmentation and chaos or progresses towards a more prosperous future." Updating the situation since Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed the Council on Libya in early July, Ms. Williams said that an uneasy standoff continues around the city of Sirte, imperilling the lives of its 130,000 inhabitants as well as the country's vital oil infrastructure. While the frontlines have remained relatively quiet since June, foreign sponsors are continuing to deliver advanced weaponry and equipment in violation of a UN arms embargo - to the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), or Libyan Arab Armed Forces, led by General Khalifa Haftar, and forces controlled by the internationally recognized GNA. 'Mercenaries and operatives' "The Mission continues to receive reports of large-scale presence of foreign mercenaries and operatives, further complicating local dynamics and chances of a future settlement", she said, adding that reports of imminent offensives often through social media "exacerbate the rate of miscalculation". Reckless actions like the firing of Grad rockets by General Haftar's forces into GNA-occupied areas on 26 August and 1 September, despite an agreed ceasefire in June caused no damage or casualties, but they risk igniting a bigger confrontation. Now is the time for restraint "It is imperative that you use your influence to impress on all sides that now is the time for restraint," she urged Council members. Adding to the sense of instability are worsening socio-economic conditions that are fuelling popular unrest notably in the capital Tripoli - and threating the fragile calm required to move political and security talks forward, she added. "The surge in the use of hate speech and incitement to violence occasionally stirred through foreign-based media outlets and electronic armies appears designed to further divide Libyans". COVID cases double The COVID-19 pandemic meanwhile appears to be spiralling out of control in Libya, with the number of confirmed cases more than doubling in the past two weeks, with 15,156 cases and 250 recorded deaths as of Tuesday. "Nearing full collapse after more than nine years of conflict, the health care system is unable to respond to the additional weight placed by COVID-19 patients along with maintaining normal health services," she said. While the UN and its partners are providing medical supplies and increase public awareness of the coronavirus, the Libyan authorities must "cooperate transparently" in a joint fight to control the outbreak, she added. Migrant and refugee deaths continue Underscoring humanitarian challenges, she emphasized that migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers "at great risk to their lives" are still trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, including 45 people who perished on 18 August when their boat sank off Libya's east coast. With more than 7,000 migrants and refugees attempting the crossing this year, and more than 300 dying whilst doing so, she said European countries should consider "a more humane and predictable disembarkation mechanism" in line with their international human rights and search and rescue obligations. "Libya cannot be considered as a safe port for disembarkation," she said, noting that almost 2,400 migrants and refugees are in official detention centres in Libya where their human rights are routinely violated. Many more are in unofficial sites that the UN cannot access, she added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young's advice was to wait for two incubation periods, or 28 days, of no community transmission before allowing free travel between the states. "Yesterday [Wednesday], they had one case, so they are getting there," Dr Young said. "Now, if they were to have 28 days of no community transmission that is the current definition to open the border then that would occur. "We know the highest risk of bringing the virus into this state is from areas that have higher amounts of community transmission." LNP leader Deb Frecklington has backed Queensland's border closure. Credit:Hit105 Queensland Opposition leader Deb Frecklington agreed on Thursday "we need strong border controls and we need to make sure that the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders is at the forefront". It is a U-turn for the LNP leader who earlier this year "demanded" borders were opened on July 1, against the advice of Dr Young. Ms Frecklington's rhetoric change follows a recent Newspoll that revealed 84 per cent of Queenslanders back locking down borders to arrivals from Victoria and NSW. Ms Frecklington backed the move as long as restrictions remained based on health advice. "If that is the health advice then of course I would support that," she said. Loading Dr Young has been the state's top doctor since 2005 and has advised four premiers through six epidemics, including MERS, swine flu and the 2009 dengue outbreak. She said the tough border stance had saved thousands of lives with early modelling predicting the death of 30,000 Queenslanders from the virus. "They have saved us, you cannot believe what closing the border has done for Queensland's health outcomes," she said. "We could not be where we are today without them." While Ms Frecklington backs strong border controls, she has been critical of Dr Young's decision to allow AFL officials and their families into the state for the grand final on October 24. Loading "Queenslanders rightfully want to know why AFL officials and celebrities from Melbourne get exemptions from hotel quarantine, but sick kids and other workers cant," she said. "What makes this more galling is that Queenslanders are being denied exemptions when they travel home from NSW after lifesaving surgery." Former LNP premier Campbell Newman, who relied on Dr Young's advice during his three years as leader, blasted the exemptions for AFL officials. "Nothing demonstrates more starkly the politically cynical and elitist reality of Annastacia Palaszczuk and Dr Young's restrictions," he posted on Twitter. Dr Young, who is responsible for granting exemptions to cross the border, rejected claims the state had a double standard. "No, it is the one standard, it is done by a team that I manage, and the standard is that we keep Queenslanders safe. "We know that the highest risk of bringing the virus into the state is from areas that have higher amounts of community transmission." Dr Young said exemptions were granted for the families of AFL officials, players and their families "because those people are supporting the people who are putting this event on". Loading Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said it did not make "health sense or political sense" to attack Queensland's border closures and he was becoming "frustrated" by ongoing criticism from the LNP. "What has frustrated me the most actually was Frydenberg's statement's yesterday about the economy because he knows full well those gross state demand figures show New South Wales and Victoria are what is dragging the country down," he said. "It is Queensland and the other states and territories with their borders closed that have sustained the economy. "So we are making him look good and then he goes out there and bags us for it - that frustrates me." Mr Miles said it was no secret Queensland's ability to keep widespread community transmission at bay would be a key focus of their election campaign. "We will be campaigning on health, that will be part of our election strategy," he said. "We have always said this election would be about health and jobs; that is pretty clear." "I think people will remember how many times Deb Frecklington and her candidates called on us to open the borders in July and if we had we would be dealing with a much bigger outbreak now." Appointment 3 September 2020 Four Seasons veteran Adrian Messerli has been named Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Madrid, scheduled to open on September 25, 2020. The company's first hotel in Spain opens following a seven-year restoration of seven historic buildings in the heart of the capital, debuting a new open-air rooftop restaurant by celebrated Spanish Chef Dani Garcia, as well a spectacular four-level spa retreat. Swiss born and educated, the multi-lingual Messerli has a Bachelor's Degree in international Hospitality Management from Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne following his training as a chef, and it's no surprise that he's particularly excited to work with Dani Garcia and his team at Dani, as well as the Hotel's additional outlets Isa and El Patio. Having been recruited by Four Seasons in 2005, he's travelled the world, increasing his responsibilities in assignments from the United States to the Caribbean and South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, where he earned his first General Manager position at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles before moving to Shanghai, China. He is now returning to Europe to open the company's first property in Spain. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sharon Bernstein (Reuters) California, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 07:04 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4255bd8 2 Environment wildfire,california,united-states,Big-Basin-Redwoods-State-Park Free The lightning-sparked wildfire that ravaged Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's oldest state park, has left it too dangerous for visitors, officials said Tuesday during a tour of the burned area by Governor Gavin Newsom. Numerous blazes that grew together near Santa Cruz and razed the visitor center, lodge and nature museum also charred redwood, fir and oak trees, leaving many weakened or dead and likely to fall, parks district Superintendent Chris Spohrer said, according to a pool report provided to news organizations. It will take a year or more to find and remove all of the trees that pose a danger of falling, Spohrer said. "If this is not a gut punch, then you're truly not conscious as a human being," Newsom, a Democrat, said after the tour of the park established in 1902. One tree still smoldered as Newsom and two massive ancient redwoods, dubbed the Mother and Father of the forest. Read also: California seeks help as wildfires threaten communities Another tree, famous for having an opening in its massive trunk large enough for an automobile, suffered moderate to extensive damage during the fire but remains standing. Newsom walked inside, expressing awe at its apparent survival. The fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains where the park is located broke out Aug. 17 after an hours-long lightning storm that grew into one of more than two dozen major conflagrations that destroyed homes and forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate in different parts of California. Nearly 14,00 lightning strikes, mostly in central and northern California, have ignited hundreds of individual fires since Aug. 15. Those fires have collectively charred more than 1.48 million acres - a landscape larger than the state of Delaware, according to CalFire. Seven fatalities have been confirmed, and nearly 2,500 homes and other structures have been reduced to ruin. Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday arrested a 42-year-old small businessman of Odisha from a village of Cuttack district over several charges including sedition for allegedly posting threatening content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Adityanath on social media. Police in Cuttack district said a team from police in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh arrested 42-year-old Sayyed Hassan Ahmed from Kushambi village under Salepur police limits. In-charge of Salepur police station, inspector Nihar Mohanty said a police team from Singhbali police station in UPs Baghpat district arrested Ahmed after booking him. The man had allegedly posted derogatory and threatening content on social media against Prime Minister and UP chief minister Adityanath and a case was lodged in UP. Accordingly a team from UP police had arrived here today. The person runs a small electronics shop in Salepur. He would be put up before a local magistrate for grant of transit remand, said the inspector. Police did not reveal any other details of the threatening message. BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 3 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Russia has increased the export of seamless pipes from ferrous metals to Turkmenistan by 4 times in 1H2020, Trend reports, citing statistics from the Eurasian Economic Commission. According to statistics, Russia exported 15,220 tons of seamless pipes made of ferrous metals to Turkmenistan for the total amount of $18.6 million, which also exceeds the number of exports of seamless pipes made of ferrous metals from Russia to Turkmenistan in the same period last year by 3.6 times. Also, Russia exported 10,359 tons of welded pipes made of ferrous metals to Turkmenistan, which is an increase of 7.4 times compared to the same period last year. Thus, the number of exports of the above-mentioned products from Russia to Turkmenistan increased by 6.9 times compared to the same period in 2019, amounting to $6.5 million. During this period, Russia also exported more than 70,000 tons of welded pipes made of ferrous metals to Turkmenistan with a diameter of more than 406.4 millimeters, for a total of $96.3 million. Also, 50 tons of pipe fittings made of ferrous metals were exported from Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan, totaling $201,896 in 1H2020. Thus, the share of Kazakhstan in the above-mentioned exports is $53,098, and the share of Russia is 148,797. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Ganeshotsav is a ten-day-long festival which is celebrated with much gusto and fervour across the nation. The festival begins with Ganesh Chaturthi which this year was on August 22 and culminates on Anant Chaturdashi which was on September 1, 2020. One of the most loved sitcoms on television, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, welcomed Bappa to Gokuldham society with open arms and celebrated the festival with aplomb. In the Ganeshotsav special episodes, residents of Gokuldhaam Society are seen gearing up for their performances in the Rangarang programme. Ganeshotsav 2020 in Gokuldhaam Society is going to be as exciting as it is every year but with a little twist. In light of the pandemic, Tapu Sena has ingeniously offered a solution to all residents to perform and watch each others performances on TV. By installing cameras in and around the Ganapati pandal, everything will be streamed directly into everyones homes and for the first time in Gokuldhaam Society, the Ganeshotsav will be celebrated virtually. This year too we are as excited, if not more, to welcome Bappa to Gokuldhaam Society. We seek his blessings for removing the suffering that the world is going through. Bappa has his ways and we are sure that sooner than later, we will see one of his miracles and everyone will go back to their lives with more strength and perseverance than before. But the thing that I am especially excited about is our performance for Gokuldhaam Societys Rangarang Karyakram. Komal bhabhi and I have decided to go full-on Lavani style for our dance performance. We are practicing real hard and I am sure everyone will enjoy watching it, said Sonalika Joshi, who plays the role of Madhavi in the show. One of the highlights of Komal and Madhavis performance is going to be their stupendous entries on motorcycles. Meanwhile, Dr Haathi decides to partake in the performance that Tapu Sena has planned for him and Bhide has decided to perform a surprise solo performance. Meanwhile, Anjali and Taarak Mehta too decide to go solo with individual performances. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this. I am so looking forward to making a grand impression in front of everyone in the Society. I am practising really hard and I am confined that itll be great! I have given Taarak a break this year and he will do what he loves doing the most. He too has been working hard on thinking and writing poems. We both are performing separately but this strategy will win more hearts, said Sunayana Fozdar, who has stepped in to play the role of Anjali Mehta after Neha's exit. Bappa is welcomed during Ganeshotsav and then bid a tearful goodbye by immersing the idol in water, with a promise of him returning again next year with happiness and blessings. Ganpati Bappa Morya Pudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya! An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates Court, sitting in Ibadan, has remanded one Sunday Shodipe, 19, at Abolongo Correctional Centre over the alleged killing of one Funmilayo Oladeji in Akinyele, Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Shodipe, a resident of Akinyele area, Ibadan, was charged with one count charge of murder. The Senior Magistrate, Patricia Adetuyibi, who did not take his plea, ordered him to be remanded at the correctional centre, pending advice from the state ministry of justice. She adjourned the case till Oct. 26, for mention. The Prosecutor, Salewa Ahmed, told the court that Mr Shodipe on Aug. 13, at about 2:30 p.m in Moniya area of Akinyele Local Government Area(LGA), allegedly caused the death of Oladeji, 45, by allegedly hitting her with a plank on her forehead. Mr Ahmed said that the offence contravenes section 316 and is punishable under section 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol.II, Laws of Oyo State 2000. Mr Shodipe had earlier confessed to the killing of five persons, including Barakat, a student of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, The accused was apprehended with others and remanded at a police station where he escaped from custody and to cause the death of the woman on the same day of his escape before he was re-arrested and re-arraigned. The number of elephant carcasses mysteriously found near a major game park in Zimbabwe has doubled to 22. It is believed that the elephants were killed by a bacterial infection after 11 carcasses were initially discovered on Friday in Pandamasue Forest, between wildlife sanctuary Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls. The mysterious deaths are being investigated after the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has already ruled out poaching, as the dead elephants were found with the tusks still on their bodies. Cyanide poisoning has also been ruled out as a cause of the deaths following testing. Eleven more elephant carcasses have been found on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Pandamasue Forest, Zimbabwe. Pictured, a dead elephant in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, on August 29 Zimparks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the latest elephant carcasses were found on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most of the animals were young, with the oldest being 18 years. Farawo said: 'We suspect it is the same causes as the first group and we are also looking at taking samples to other independent laboratories so that we can broaden our investigations.' He added that it would be a while before a final report on the causes of the deaths is ready. Younger elephants can't reach higher tree branches and 'end up eating everything and some of the vegetation that they eat might be poisonous', Farawo said. He said due to food being scarce, the problem could persist through the dry season. Zimbabwe has been facing successive climate-induced droughts in recent years, leaving animals with less water and vegetation for food. Farawo added that apart from possible bacterial infection, some of the animals could be dying due to the stress of walking long distances for food and water. Animal welfare groups, such as the African Wildlife Foundation, have expressed 'concern' at the mysterious deaths of elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It is believed that 22 elephants were killed by a bacterial infection between wildlife sanctuary Hwange National Park (pictured above) and Victoria Falls The African Wildlife Foundation vice president of Species Conservation and Science Philip Muruthi said park rangers should remove and destroy the carcasses that are in close proximity to human settlements. Muruthi, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, said the elephants should be moved 'to prevent any potential transfer of pathogens as a precautionary measure'. Investigations will also try to establish if there is a link between the deaths and those reported in neighbouring Botswana. But Farawo said that so far 'there is no evidence to link the Botswana incident and what is happening in Zimbabwe'. In July, a wildlife official in Botswana said preliminary tests pointed to a naturally occurring toxin as a probable cause of its elephants's deaths. 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. Zimparks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the mysterious deaths are being investigated but that it would be a while before a final report on the cause of the deaths is ready Zimparks officials say the biggest threat to Zimbabwe's elephant herd is overpopulation. They added that lower rainfall this year could leave the animals facing starvation, after at least 200 died in 2019 from a lack of water and food. Zimbabwe argues that it should be allowed to sell some of its elephants to foreign zoos to ease congestion and also raise more money for conservation, especially with COVID-19 induced lockdowns preventing visits of tourists from rich countries. Zimbabwe is home to some 80,000 elephants, around a fifth of Africa's total, conservationists estimate. The overall population has declined rapidly in recent years, mostly due to a combination of poaching, illegal hunting and drought. Africa was home to 1.3million elephants in the 1970s but today only around 500,000 remain. Prince Edward with a TV camera at Alton Towers Theme Park in preparation for the filming of the Its a Royal Knockout Tournament (PA) The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not the first members of the royal family to turn their hand to producing films and television programmes. With Harry and Meghan signing a major Netflix deal, estimated by some to be worth 100 million or even as much as 250 million US dollars, here is a look at how some of the other Windsors have fared behind the camera. The Earl of Wessex Edward, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburghs youngest son, masterminded and organised a royal version of Its A Knockout in 1987. He persuaded the Princess Royal and Duke and Duchess of York to dress up in medieval costumes and perform slapstick feats for the TV game show. The programme, staged at Alton Towers, attracted 18.3 million viewers and raised more than 1 million for charity, but was seen as an embarrassment to the royal family. Expand Close Edward preparing for the Grand Knockout tournament (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Edward preparing for the Grand Knockout tournament (PA) After its finale, Edward stormed out of a press conference after journalists showed little enthusiasm for the pageant. He joined Andrew Lloyd Webbers Really Useful Theatre Company as a production assistant, working behind the scenes, handling paperwork on musicals such as Cats and Starlight Express. He established a production company The Theatre Division staging plays but it collapsed in 1991. Video of the Day Edward then set up a film company, Ardent Productions, in 1993, putting his own money into the project. His business card styled him Edward Windsor, Television Producer and he said the name Ardent represented ambition, motivation and strength. But he was accused of cashing in on his royal status after making programmes about the royal family including the Windsor Castle restoration, the abdicated Duke of Windsor and a historical documentary Crown And Country. Edward also sparked a bitter row with his brother the Prince of Wales when an Ardent crew was found filming at St Andrews University shortly after Prince William began studying there in 2001. Charles was said to be incandescent with rage after discovering the team was from his brothers firm. The crew was accused of continuing to film despite being warned they risked breaching a media agreement to allow the student prince his privacy. Expand Close Prince William arriving at St. Andrews University accompanied by his father in 2001 (Toby Melville/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prince William arriving at St. Andrews University accompanied by his father in 2001 (Toby Melville/PA) Ardent was making an A-Z of Royalty show for an American cable company. The events sparked a royal crisis with the Queens senior advisers stepping in, ending in Ardent having to hand over their master tapes to Buckingham Palace. Edward later vowed to stop making TV programmes about the royal family. Ardent made substantial losses most years. Edward eventually stepped down from commercial work in 2002 following controversy over the Wessexes dual roles, and Ardent was voluntarily dissolved in 2009 with assets of just 40. Sarah, Duchess of York The former royal, Sarah, Duchess of York, was one of the executive producers of the 2009 film, The Young Victoria, which starred Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend. It was the duchesss idea to make a film about Victorias early years and her romance with Prince Albert. The ex-wife of the Duke of York previously wrote a book about the long-reigning monarch, entitled Travels with Queen Victoria. Expand Close Actresses Miranda Richardson and Emily Blunt with Sarah, Duchess of York at the world premiere of The Young Victoria in 2009 (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actresses Miranda Richardson and Emily Blunt with Sarah, Duchess of York at the world premiere of The Young Victoria in 2009 (Yui Mok/PA) Her eldest daughter Princess Beatrice was given a non-speaking role as an extra, and the movie drew mostly favourable reviews and won Baftas for costume design and make up. Following the coronavirus outbreak, the duchess launched a Storytime With Fergie And Friends YouTube channel. She has been reading a daily childrens book to entertain youngsters, particularly during lockdown. The duchess on-screen appearances in documentaries have caused controversy. In 2009, she went undercover with Princess Eugenie for an investigation into homes for abandoned children in Turkey, which enraged the countrys authorities, sparking legal problems after she was accused of breaking strict privacy laws. In another programme, Sarah spent time on a Manchester housing estate in a show aimed at bringing back community spirit but which angered some locals who claimed it painted the wrong image of their area. The Prince of Wales Heir to the throne Charles has appeared in numerous documentaries, but he also once guest edited Countryfile. He approached the BBC himself to ask if he could take on the role to mark the shows 25th anniversary in 2013. Expand Close The Prince of Wales during a National Hedgelaying Championships (David McHugh/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Prince of Wales during a National Hedgelaying Championships (David McHugh/PA) Presenter Julia Bradbury told how the prince, a champion of organic and sustainable farming, accidentally whipped her across the face with a stray branch during filming, but was very apologetic. Lagos State Government on Thursday clampdown on an illegal abattoir at Oke Rube area of Alimosho Local Government, arrested 10 butchers and confiscated two live cows. The government had last week said it would begin clampdown on illegal abattoirs in the State. The onslaught was carried out by men of the re-inaugurated Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance Team of the State Ministry of Agriculture in furtherance of the sanitization of the red meat value chain. Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya explained that the exercise was coming on the heel of repeated warnings to the operators of these illegal slaughter slabs and the menace of their activities. This dislodgement exercise is necessary especially as the State is particular about the production of wholesome and healthy meat for its residents while simultaneously ensuring that the streets are free of stray animals. We will also strictly enforce meat transportation using only the designated vehicles and stray animals control which has lately become more rampant in the State, she said. She said the state government re-inaugurated the Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance Team last week Friday and charged it with the responsibilities of dislodging illegal abattoirs, controlling and enforcing issues relating to the transportation and sale of meat as only the Eko Refrigerated Meat Vans and Eko Live Animals Transport were the permitted means of transporting meat from one place to the another. According to her, the team is also charged with the responsibility of confiscating stray animals on Lagos streets as they could easily spread zoonotic diseases to human being hence they pose an environmental and safety threat to the people. The Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance Team will monitor and effect zero-tolerance to the existence of illegal slaughter slabs statewide and ensure proper regulation of veterinary activities statewide in conjunction with Lagos State Private Veterinary Premises Registration Authority. In addition, all aspects of veterinary premises regulations, veterinary standards/compliance monitoring and enforcement would be covered by the Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance team, Olusanya stated. According to her, these illegal abattoirs were constituting hazard to the businesses of legal operators who were doing everything possible to ensure that only healthy and wholesome meat were produced for the populace. The acting Commissioner further stated that the MEC Team would also monitor the standards of operations of all the approved slaughter houses statewide in order to ensure compliance with professional best practices. Olusanya stated that the confiscated carcass had since been donated to the Juvenile Remand Home at Oregun, Ikeja after due inspection by members of the veterinary team in order to ensure the safety of the meat while the live cows would be deposited at the Oko-Oba abattoir at Agege for their owners to claim them within 48hours or risk being similarly donated to charity. She added that the arrested butchers would be prosecuted at the Lagos State Task Force Mobile Court. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates 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. Maintaining Voting Rights Registering Is No Longer Easy Millions of renters across the country can now breathe a sigh of relief. On Tuesday, the Trump administration imposed a nationwide ban on evictions, under the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.Renters who earn less than $99,000 per year (or $198,000 for couples who file joint income taxes) cant be evicted for failure to pay rent, as long as they attest they would become homeless or have to live with more people in close quarters. The restriction will be in place until the end of the year.I want to make it unmistakably clear that Im protecting people from evictions, Trump said.Up to 43 percent of renters, or 40 million people, were potentially facing eviction by the end of the year, according to an estimate from the Aspen Institute . They will still have to come up with the money for back rent eventually, barring some massive rent-relief measure.Averting widespread homelessness during a pandemic has been a widely shared policy goal. Trumps action followed closely behind state efforts to keep people in their homes. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill giving California residents who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic another five months before they can be evicted. That same day, Gov. Steve Sisolak extended Nevadas moratorium, which was set to expire the next day, for another 45 days, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended his states moratorium until Oct. 1.Having millions of people potentially turned out of their homes right before an election could have contributed to problems with voting, especially given dramatic increases in voting by mail. Evictions represented one more catastrophe that could prevent many Americans from voting this fall: an upcoming wave of evictions, the liberal magazine Mother Jones warned last week.That potential catastrophe has now been averted, but the scenario nevertheless highlighted the hurdles that people who are experiencing homelessness or are having to crash with relatives or friends face when it comes to voting. One recent study found that foreclosures dampen voter turnout.Disenfranchisement of people experiencing homelessness is a problem, says Tristia Bauman, a senior attorney with the National Homelessness Law Center. Voting by mail is really not an option, unless someone has regular access to mail. There are some states that require a permanent address in order to cast a vote.In every state, individuals who are homeless retain the right to vote. Its a misconception that a lot of people who are experiencing homelessness dont vote, says Eric Samuels, president of the Texas Homeless Network. They do, but they have issues with things like registering. If you move frequently, you have to keep up with registration.In some states, voters are not required to provide a permanent address or any address. They can simply list a landmark, such as an intersection. If they spend every night sleeping under the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge in Bangor, they can register to vote in that precinct, says Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. We cannot turn down voter registration from those people because they dont have a fixed address.Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia allow same-day registration, meaning people can register as late as Election Day, but Ohio voters must register 30 days ahead of an election. If they move during that last month, or start sleeping on someone elses couch, their registration is no longer valid.If you move within that 30-day window prior to the actual election, you get into a more gray area, says Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. Technically, you should vote at the address where you registered. If youre in limbo, the only thing you can do legally is cast a provisional ballot.Ohio is one of the states that occasionally sends out pieces of mail to voters to make sure their mailing address is current. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court gave its blessing to the states system of purging voters who fail to respond to such mailings. In Georgia, tens of thousands of voters will be removed from the rolls this fall because absentee ballots mailed to them for the primary election in the spring were undeliverable.Most people dont think about updating their voter registration information until theres an election, Dunlap says not at the time when they move. For those who have lost their homes, its likely to be a secondary concern.When youre in that unstable and sometimes dangerous situation, voting it not always very high on your priority list, says Samuels.While millions of Americans are requesting absentee ballot requests by mail (or receiving them automatically), that's not an option for individuals who lack access to mail. Many people who are homeless use shelters as their mailing address, but around the country, some shelters have been shut since March.Due to the pandemic, voter registration is down all over the country. In Kentucky, a net total of 21,548 new voters were added to the rolls between June 24 and July 31. Last year, 167,044 voters registered in June and July. In Virginia, voting registration declined by 40 percent in June, compared with June 2016.Its a difficult time to do voter registration work, says Brian Miller, executive director of Nonprofit VOTE, which collaborates with nonprofits and social service agencies to promote voter participation. Field programs are on hold, DMVs are shuttered, what voter registration is happening is happening online.Online programs may not be as effective as standing outside a supermarket with a clipboard, or behind a card table on campus. A lot of people rely on deputy voting registrars to help them register to vote, says Louis Bedford IV, an election protection fellow at the Texas Civil Rights Project, a progressive advocacy group. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, were not able to have people out in the field.People experiencing homelessness may not have Internet access, or may not be tuned into registration campaigns. Lack of housing typically means concentrating more on the day to day, or hour by hour, demands of seeking shelter and a meal than participating in civic obligations.Its already devastating to be evicted, says Claire Tran, an organizer with Right to the City Alliance, a housing coalition. All of your stuff might be thrown out, including important documents. Some states require proof of homelessness to get an ID card you need an ID to get an ID.But if being homeless also means facing barriers to voting, that doesnt mean everyone gives up. Experiencing homelessness means having to be resourceful, including navigating bureaucratic systems.In Seattle, the Recovery Cafe provides meals and classes to homeless individuals. Its hours and offerings have been cut due to the pandemic, but its now holding monthly resource days, handing out food and hygiene kits, administering COVID tests and providing information about health care, employment and housing opportunities.Voter registration is all part of the service.For us, it was definitely a success in having people interested in getting registered, says Jean Adler Stean, Recovery Cafes community engagement manager. Well try to keep having that book ready for people to register up until the November election. Russia's ambassador to Egypt says his country is looking forward to providing the Egyptian market with a Covid-19 vaccine in cooperation with the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation Chairman of the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) Abdel Moneim Altras has said Egypt is looking into producing the anticipated Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, which has been under human trials, once the necessary tests are completed. Altras's remarks were made during a meeting held Thursday with Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko and chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority and for the Procurement of Medical Supplies and Technology Bahaa El-Din Zidan. The meeting tackled the AOI's vision on deepening local manufacturing, transferring and localising technology in many different fields of industry, according to a statement released by the AOI following the meeting. The AOI chairman said producing the Russian vaccine and making it available in the Egyptian pharmaceutical market is under consideration pending clinical trials necessary to guarantee the safety of the vaccine. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as yet there is no approved vaccine for the novel coronavirus, which has killed over 860,000 and infected around 26 million people globally. During Thursday's meeting, Altras referred to directives issued by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on localising the technology in the medical and pharmaceutical industries in cooperation with international partners. "The organisation is working on making use of all available technological and human capabilities to transfer and localise advanced technologies from friendly countries, particularly Russian companies, to develop Egyptian industry's methods and systems as well as train human cadres in accordance with the systems of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Altras was quoted as saying. Borisenko, for his part, said his country is looking forward to providing the Egyptian market with the vaccine in cooperation with the AOI, according to the statement. Russia earlier confirmed that volunteers who took part in clinical trials for the new vaccine have not shown any side effects or caught coronavirus since they were vaccinated. The third stage of clinical trials of the vaccine, which is concerned with testing the efficacy and safety of the vaccine before it is licensed, is set to be carried out soon on over 2,000 people in Russia and other states, according to Russian media reports. The Russian ambassador praised the "huge" capabilities of the AOI that encourage Russian corporations to cooperate and exchange expertise. "Egypt is a historical and strategic partner to Russia," he stressed. Borisenko said Russian companies are looking forward to setting up new partnerships with the AOI in all fields of industry and training. Egypt has so far reported a total of 99,280 coronavirus cases since the outbreak hit the country in February, including 5,461 deaths and 74,626 recoveries. Last month, the Egyptian government said that the state will be ready to purchase any coronavirus vaccine once one is available. Egypts Health Minister Hala Zayed in July said Egypt has secured 30 million doses of a promising English vaccine developed by Oxford University. The Oxford vaccine is still subject to trials, but it has reached advanced stages in many countries and has reached the last phase of trials in Brazil. Search Keywords: Short link: By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq said on Wednesday it remained fully committed to the OPEC+ oil supply cut agreement, denying earlier media report that it was seeking an exemption from the reduction pact during the first quarter of 2021, Iraq's oil ministry spokesman said. "The Ministry of Oil would like to categorically deny this baseless statement, and affirm that, to the contrary, Iraq remains fully committed to the April OPEC+ Declaration of Cooperation, and the compensation mechanism agreed to in June," the spokesman said in a statement. Iraq's ... Colleges across America struggled to control coronavirus outbreaks on campus, even as Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Wednesday that sending students home after an outbreak is "the worst thing you could do." Universities continue to be hit with alarming infection rates, and many have already switched to online learning, the Washington Post reported. In some instances, students have been told to move out of their dorms and return home, the newspaper said. But Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, told NBC's "Today" show that it was important to ensure that infected students are placed in isolation, "but don't have them go home, because they could be spreading it in their home state." Along with shutting down in-person instruction, many universities are cracking down on student activities that fuel the spread of COVID-19, the Post reported. At the University of Illinois, where more than 700 students have tested positive in less than two weeks, administrators instituted a ban on "gathering in small or large groups under any circumstances." In what is the equivalent of stay-at-home orders, students will not be allowed to leave their dorm rooms for anything besides essential activitiesattending class, buying groceries, solo outdoor exercise, religious services and medical visits. The college also plans to aggressively crack down on parties, the Post reported. "We have been encouraged that the vast majority of our students have been compliant, and we believe this effort will require noncompliant students to make the choice to either comply or leave campus," Chancellor Robert Jones said in a statement, the Post reported. Antibody study suggests lasting COVID immunity In a finding that should encourage scientists who are racing to develop coronavirus vaccines, a new study out of Iceland suggests that immunity to the disease may not be as fleeting as first thought. Among 30,000 Icelandic residents who were tested for antibodies to COVID-19, researchers discovered the antibodies stayed in people's systems for at least four months, the study found. Of those who tested positive for the coronavirus, 487 had received multiple antibody tests. In the first two months after a patient was diagnosed, the antibodies that can confer immunity rose significantly. For the next two months, antibody levels remained stable, according to the study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a commentary that accompanied the study, scientists from Harvard University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health noted that while the Icelandic research focused on a largely homogeneous population, "this study provides hope that host immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting and may be similar to that elicited by most other viral infections." Earlier research on coronavirus antibodies had indicated that immunity might be short-lived, leaving people vulnerable to reinfection. But the Icelandic study offers hope that a vaccine that triggers a strong immune response will have a longer-lasting effect than some had believed. The Icelandic researchers also found that women, nonsmokers and older patients had higher levels of antibodies, as did those who had suffered more severe infections, the newspaper said. Also on Tuesday, the Trump administration announced 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. More than 170 countries are discussing participating in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) Facility, which aims to speed vaccine development, secure doses for all countries and distribute them to the most high-risk segment of each population, the Post reported. The plan, which is co-led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the vaccine alliance known as Gavi, is backed by traditional U.S. allies, including Japan, Germany and the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, the Post reported. In recent months, President Donald Trump has criticized the WHO over what he described as its "China-centric" response to the pandemic. Cases keep mounting By Thursday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 6.1 million as the death toll passed 185,600, according to a New York Times tally. According to the same tally, the top five states in coronavirus cases as of Thursday were: California with nearly 722,000; Texas with nearly 650,000; Florida with over 633,000; New York with nearly 441,000; and Georgia with over 258,000. Curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the rest of the world remains challenging. India has now surpassed Mexico in the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus. The nation of 1.3 billion people now has the world's third-highest death toll at more than 67,000, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. It is behind only Brazil and the United States. As of Thursday, more than 3.8 million coronavirus cases have been reported in that country. Brazil is also a hotspot in the coronavirus pandemic, with over 3.9 million confirmed infections by Thursday, according to the Hopkins tally. It has the second-highest number of cases, behind only the United States. Cases are also spiking in Russia: On Wednesday, the country's coronavirus case count passed 1 million, the Times reported. Cases continue to rise by about 5,000 per day despite an official declaration in early August that the country had a vaccine. As of Thursday, the death toll in Russia was 17,479. When President Vladimir Putin announced the vaccine, health officials said mass vaccination would start in October. But the country's health ministry has pushed back that timeline to November or December, the Times reported. Worldwide, the number of reported infections passed 25 million on Thursday, with over 863,000 deaths, according to the Hopkins tally. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved. BEDFORD, Ohio - A Bedford man is facing charges that accuse him of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. David Marek, 38 is charged with gross sexual imposition. His bond is set at $1 million. Marek could face additional charges after a Cuyahoga County grand jury considers the case. The 11-year-old sent a message to her friend who lives in Canada stating she needed help from police for abuse in the household. Officers responded to a welfare check called in by Niagara Regional Police Department in Canada. When officers spoke to the girl, she told them that this had been an ongoing issue since 2018, police said. Investigators discovered that Marek had been molesting molested the girl between Aug. 25, 2019 to Feb. 29, 2020, police said. The investigation also revealed that Marek secretly recorded the girl with a camera he placed in the bathroom, according to a police report. Police obtained a warrant Aug. 31 to search the residence home on Regina Drive, west of Broadway Avenue, where they seized a Samsung tablet. Officers then went to Metro Lexus in Brook Park where Marek worked, arrested him, and then took him to the Bedford Jail. According to a police report, Marek admitted to molesting the girl and taking explicit photos of her, according to a police report. Until the beginning of June, Vietnams exports of kitchen furniture and parts rose by 58 and 17 per cent, respectively Junma Phu Tho Co., Ltd., a fully Chinese-owned business in Vietnam, is under investigation for tax avoidance, dumping, and countervailing duties by the US Department of Commerce (DoC). The investigation started in earlier in April as the US Coalition for Fair Trade of Hardwood Plywood asked the DOC to investigate whether the company would evade anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties applied to Chinese products, which caused some Chinese manufacturers to ship parts of their products to Vietnam for assembly before exporting them to the US. In a statement to VIR, Junmas representative Cu Duc Hoang Tai said that his company is currently completing all necessary documents to prove that we source our input materials from Vietnam, adding that if the company manages to explain everything well, the investigation would not affect Junma much. Nevertheless, the company considers hiring a lawyer to support its defence as explaining the origin of plywood from Vietnam is challenging. Failure to provide a simple explanation has already cost Junma an additional anti-dumping tax of 10.55 per cent until the end of September in another case with the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance. Junma currently holds about 30 per cent market share for Vietnamese plywood exports into the US. In addition to the current investigation, Tai also worries about further import restrictions by the US if the pandemic continues to develop more severely. Its impact has already narrowed Junmas exports from the previous 450 containers per month to a mere 200. US President Donald Trumps trade policies aim to reduce the nations trade deficit and protect domestic producers, which directly impacts the Chinese wood industry to a level that creates a large surplus of goods. In addition, Trumps policies spurred a wave of investment into Vietnams wood industry, leading to new fundings, the increase of capital to expand the countrys production, and capital contributions through share purchases. In 2018, US Customs and Border Protection initiated an investigation of Fine Wood Vietnam, another Chinese-owned company operating in Vietnam that imports plywood from China. The company allegedly changed the origin and address labels to Vietnam before exporting its goods to the US. Tran Le Huy, vice chairman of the Forest Product Association of Binh Dinh said, It is not easy to know which Vietnamese plywood materials are in fact sourced here, while some signs point towards commercial wrongdoing. One just needs to connect the sudden increase of Chinese investment into this sector with the rapid expansion of plywood supplies from this country to come up with such an idea. According to Huy, the volume of Chinese plywood imports into Vietnam has increased sharply since 2018 and reached up to 500,000 cubic metres per year, equivalent to nearly $200 million and roughly 90 per cent of Vietnams total plywood imports. Meanwhile, Chinese capital flows into Vietnams wood sector surged, reaching 29 projects from 2015 to late June, which accounted for 69 per cent of total Chinese projects into Vietnam. However, most of these projects are small in size and only reach an investment of about $1-3 million per project. Recently, the US government has been paying more attention towards plywood products imported into the country, since the DoCs officially imposed anti-dumping taxes on Chinese kitchen cabinets. Meanwhile, Vietnamese exports of products classified as kitchen furniture or parts thereof surged dramatically. Data from a report of non-profit organisation Forest Trends and several local timber associations showed that in 2019, the exports of these two items increased by 34 per cent on-year. The US imported nearly $220 million worth of kitchen furniture and parts, accounting for 59 per cent of all Vietnamese exports in these two segments. In the same year, the US imported a total of $635 million of wood products from Vietnam, covering 81 per cent of the countrys total export turnover. In the first five months of this year, Vietnamese exports of kitchen furniture and parts to the US increased by 124 and 22 per cent respectively, while these two export segments overall rose 58 and 17 per cent respectively. Exports of products such as bedroom and office furniture saw a huge drop due to the impact of the pandemic. While Vietnams export turnover of kitchen furniture and parts climbed to the US, imports of these products into Vietnam also increased. According to analysts, this may be a response of exporting manufacturers to the increasing US demand and Chinas oversupply due to these countries trade tensions. Another possibility is that Chinese enterprises aim towards evading tax duties by using Vietnam as a channel for exports to the US. Moreover, policy gaps may have a negative impact on local businesses competitiveness in both the domestic and US markets. Nguyen Liem, general director of wood exporter Lam Viet JSC, argued that Chinese enterprises are using these gaps to their advantage and raising their presence in Vietnam to not only produce here but also label their products as if they were entirely from this country. Meanwhile, the issuance of certificates of origin for wood products of foreign-invested enterprises seems to lack oversight. For instance, as a rule, enterprises can acquire these certificates for products with at least 30 per cent added value. However, how the level of added value is classified remains difficult to control. On the bright side, imports of wood products into Vietnam are strictly classified by local customs. The overall import value of such products also increased sharply in 2019, reaching nearly $125 million, up 136 per cent compared to 2018. Meanwhile, import values for furniture parts from 2018 to 2019 even increased by 312 per cent, and in the first five months of 2020 showed an up of 187 per cent compared to the same period in 2019. As there are currently risks for Vietnamese plywood exports to the US and other markets like South Korea and Turkey, analysts recommend that regulators should find and implement mechanisms to reduce risks for companies involved either directly in the plywood supply chain or in products chains that use plywood as an input material. (Natural News) With no extra money to spare, the state of California is still choosing to bypass the pressing needs of its own citizens with the creation of a new reparations task force, which will decide how much taxpayer cash to hand out for free to people with black skin whose ancestors may have been slaves. In a bipartisan 33-3 vote, the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to create a study group, presumably led by blacks, to determine how much money needs to be stolen from white people and redistributed in order to achieve social justice throughout California, a state where black people have never even been enslaved. Lets be clear: Chattel slavery, both in California and across our nation, birthed a legacy of racial harm and inequity that continues to impact the conditions of black life in California, stated Democrat Sen. Holly Mitchell, a black woman who currently receives paychecks from taxpayers while holding public office. The move comes just two weeks after Duke University economist William Darity Jr. and wife Kirsten Mullen released a report they co-authored that suggests $12 trillion in reparations be handed out to people with dark skin. If enacted, the plan, written for The Roosevelt Institute, would distribute upwards of $800,000 to every black household in America. The final total, it further explains, would amount to somewhere between $10-$12 trillion, all of which would come from American taxpayers, many of whom have light skin. [The] U.S. government the culpable party must pay the debt, the report insists. Ultimately, respect for black Americans as people and as citizens and acknowledgment, redress, and closure for the history and financial hardship they have endured requires monetary compensation. Fake black Kamala Harris says reparations are needed for blacks to heal from undiagnosed and untreated trauma Vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, an Indian woman who is pretending to be black, and whose ancestors owned slaves, is fully on board with the reparations plan. During a recent interview, Kamala explained that reparations are a necessary gesture to help black people heal from the undiagnosed and untreated trauma that they have had to endure as a result of Americas dark history. We can discuss what that is, but look, were looking at more than 200 years of slavery, Kamala has stated, failing to mention that her own ancestors became filthy rich on the backs of slaves who worked her familys sugar plantations in Jamaica. Were looking at almost a hundred years of Jim Crow. Were looking at legalized segregation and, in fact, segregation on so many levels that exists today, based on race. And there has not been any kind of intervention done understanding the harm and the damage that occurred to correct course, and so we are seeing the effects of all those years play out still today. Kamala has given numerous interviews in which she indicated that blacks deserve some type of reparations, though she is usually vague on the details. However, she seems to fully support the notion that black people are not all living on equal ground in terms of opportunity for success, and that the only solution is to rob whites and give their hard-earned money to blacks. No slaves are living (so) no money due, wrote one Breitbart News commenter. Integrate into America or depart it and return to your homeland where a black (put African country here) sold you into slavery. Their tactic is to overwhelm the system until it all crashes down, wrote another. For more related news about how America is collapsing in large part due to black pandering, visit Collapse.news and Collapsifornia.com. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Breitbart.com Amitabh Bachchan has shared a glimpse of his midnight snack session on Instagram. The 77-year-old posted a picture of a crushed food wrapper after he binged on chocolates at night. Putting out the proof on Instagram, he wrote, Raat ko 12 baje jo is khaane ka maza hai, wo kahin aur nahi (there is nothing more fun than snacking at midnight). His industry colleagues also reacted to the post which received more than 150,000 likes within a few hours. Kriti Sanon reacted, My favvvvvvvv. Ranveer Singh wrote, Oh Bachchan sahabbbbbb!!! Uff yeh kya kar rahe ho aap!! (Wow, what are you doing). Amitabhs Brahmastra co-star Mouni Roy also dropped some drooling face emojis in the comments section. The Sholay actor however, did not stay awake any longer after enjoying his midnight snack and went to bed to wake up early for work. After wishing his fans who had their birthdays on that day, he wrote on his blog in brief, Ok .. Good night .. working tomorrow .. so need the early bed .. The actor has started filming the 12th season of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) with proper protection amid the coronavirus pandemic. After recovering from Covid-19 last month, he visited a set for the first time a few weeks later since the coronavirus-induced lockdown in March forced shut film and television shoots. The 77-year-old actor on his blog shared his experience of shooting with a minimal crew, all wearing PPE kits. It has begun. The chair, the atmosphere... KBC 12. Started year 2000, today year 2020. Unimaginable that the years have passed, that the show has lasted, that the nerves are back. Its a sea of limited blue on set. Quiet, conscious, each delegated work routine, precautions, systems, distanced masks, sanitised and the apprehensions of not just what shall happen to the show... but what shall the World look like after this dread COVID-19, Bachchan wrote. Also read: Happy birthday Vivek Oberoi: Did you know he was considered too good-looking for Company, stayed in slums to convince Ram Gopal Varma? The veteran actor observed a loss of camaraderie on set as no one spoke to each other, unless it was work related. Its like a laboratory where some rather deep scientific experiments abound. This was never expected, never the time to see such visuals, but there it is, he wrote. (With PTI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON TEHRAN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani celebrated on Wednesday the Iranian diplomacy's "historic" success against the U.S. efforts at the UN Security Council to restore UN sanctions on Iran. "I don't know of any case in history where the U.S. submitted a draft resolution in the UN Security Council (UNSC) and only obtained one vote," Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting broadcast by official IRNA news agency. The Iranian president derided as "childish" the U.S. attempts to use a mechanism in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to reinstate UN sanctions, after Washington "completely" abandoned the agreement in 2018. Referring to his recent phone conversation with the sitting president of the UNSC, Indonesia's Permanent Representative Dian Triansyah Djani, Rouhani said the UNSC chief also believed Washington has no right to use the mechanism. Referring to the JCPOA Joint Commission meeting in Vienna on Tuesday, Rouhani said all P4+1 members explicitly shared Iran's view on the matter. The United States not only has pulled out of JCPOA, but even threatened to punish any state committed to respect the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 issued after the JCPOA agreement, he added. According to the Iranian government's predictions, Rouhani said, the non-oil sector of Iran's economy will be growing again next year, after two years of contraction caused by the U.S. sanctions. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 13:47:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic suffered a surprise defeat to France's Caroline Garcia in the second round of the US Open on Wednesday. Garcia looked untouchable in the first set and for much of the second, blasting 30 winners and breaking Pliskova's serve three times en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory. "It's top players, so if you wait for the mistake it's never going to happen," Garcia said. "If you let Pliskova breeze and take your serve, you're never going to make a return, and then it's 6-4, 6-4 and you're done in one hour." "So you have to make her in trouble. That's what I like and it was a great challenge for me today. I did well in this challenge and I can take the happiness for it, and now I'm after another one." "I was really focused each game and each point. Especially against top players, one point can make the difference. So I had to stay very calm and keep going," the world number 50 added. The victory sends Garcia into the third round, equaling her best US Open result after finishing at that stage every year from 2016 to 2018. Garcia now faces No. 28 seed Jennifer Brady of the United States as she looks to reach the round of 16 for the first time. Enditem A bizarre rant about the dangers of soup cans by US president Donald Trump has sent the internet into meltdown. Speaking to national police groups, Mr Trump expounded on how soup cans are lethal projectiles for violent protesters during the social unrest that continues to grip a handful of US cities. The president has sought to cast his Democratic opponents in the November election as apologists for radical left-wing anarchists who, he says, are using soup cans to sow their destruction. In cities across the nation, weve also seen police officers assaulted with bricks, rocks, bats, Molotov cocktails, frozen bottles of water, Mr Trump said, while speaking to Mick McHale, the President of the National Associate of Police Organisations. And then they have cans of soup. Soup. And they throw the cans of soup. Thats better than a brick because you cant throw a brick; its too heavy. But a can of soup, you can really put some power into that, right? To which Mr McHale replied, yes sir. And then, when they get caught, they say, No, this is soup for my family. Theyre so innocent. This is soup for my family. Its incredible, Mr Trump continued. The exchange happened on July 31, but has set the internet alight after it was posted online by US journalist Christopher Ingraham this week. Sharing the clip online, a group of anti-Trump Republicans known as The Lincoln Project said the president was seriously unravelling. TSA agent: Whatcha got there? Anarchist, trying to stuff duffle bag full of Campbells Chunky into airport scanner: This is just soup for my family Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) September 1, 2020 The former director of the US Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, labelled the exchange delusional stuff. It's worth listening to this bonkers rant about bags of soup being the weapon of choice of a mysterious strike force that, according to another Trump rant ... travels in planes wearing black uniforms. This is the level of governance in America right now. Delusional stuff, he tweeted. Story continues After the clip was posted online, the internet went to work spoofing the moment. OMG did the Internet do it or did the Internet do it ....the inevitable Trump/Seinfeld Soup Nazi mashup Via IG:benstonium pic.twitter.com/yXw2UTbGig Icculus The Brave (@FirenzeMike) September 2, 2020 DONALD TRUMP HAS DECLARED WAR ON SOUP! pic.twitter.com/5lJYSI6Vkd J-L Cauvin (@JLCauvin) September 1, 2020 Biden: Trump ignores pandemic, stokes unrest, solves neither Joe Biden is calling the struggle to reopen US schools amid the coronavirus a national emergency and accusing President Donald Trump of turning his back to stoke passions instead about unrest in Americas cities. The Democratic presidential nominees broadsides came a day ahead of his own trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Biden said he wants to help heal a city reeling from another police shooting of a Black man. The wounding of Jacob Blake and subsequent demonstrations have made the political battleground state a focal point for debate over police and protest violence, as well as the actions of vigilante militias. Trump makes a speech at the USS Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday. Source: Getty Mr Biden assailed Trump for his vilifying of protesters as well as his handling of the pandemic that has killed nearly 190,000 Americans and crippled the national economy, leaving millions out of work, schools straining to deal with students in classrooms or at home and parents struggling to keep up. Where is the president? Why isnt he working on this?, Mr Biden asked. We need emergency support funding for our schools and we need it now. Mr. President, that is your job. Thats what you should be focused on getting our kids back to school. Not whipping up fear and division not inciting violence in our streets. Mr Trump answered almost immediately with his own event in North Carolina, where he continued casting the protests generally as violent mobs here at home that must be met with a strong show of force. These people know one thing: strength, he said. with AP Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is asking US states to remove barriers to distributing a coronavirus vaccine The Trump administration has urged US states to get ready to distribute a potential Covid-19 vaccine by November 1, in the latest sign of the accelerating race to deliver a vaccine by year's end. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities," read an August 27 letter from Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dallas-based wholesaler McKesson Corp. has a deal with the federal government to set up centers to distribute a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. The CDC, "if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by Nov. 1, 2020," two days before the US presidential election, said the letter. The US Food and Drug Administration has raised the possibility that a vaccine might be given emergency approval before the end of trials designed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. A request for such extraordinary approval would have to come from the vaccine developer, FDA chief Stephen Hahn told the Financial Times in an interview published Sunday. The CDC provided states with documents giving details of a vaccine rollout plan, adding that vaccines would either be approved as licensed vaccines or under emergency use authorization. Recipients would probably require a second "booster" dose, according to the documents. "Vaccine and ancillary supplies will be procured and distributed by the federal government at no cost to enrolled Covid-19 vaccination providers," the documents say. Newmont to continue at Anza gold project US$500,000 option payment received LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Orosur Mining Inc. ("Orosur" or the "Company") (TSX:OMI)(AIM:OMI), announces that it has been informed by Newmont Colombia S.A.S. ("Newmont Colombia") a subsidiary of Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM), that it intends to continue to exercise its rights and obligations with regard to the Anza gold project in Colombia (the "Anza Project") under the terms of the Exploration Agreement with Venture Option (the "Agreement") signed and announced in September 2018. Newmont Colombia has now paid the fourth and final cash payment of US$500,000 required under the Phase I earn-in arrangement to retain its option and to continue into the 3rd year of Phase 1 of the Agreement during which year it is required to spend a further US$4 million in qualifying expenditure on the Anza Project. In addition, should qualifying expenditure incurred on the Anza Project for the year ending 7th September 2020, fall short of the required US$1m under the Agreement, Newmont Colombia will be required to meet such shortfall by making a payment equal to the shortfall to the Company no later than 6th November 2020. The amount of such payment would be determined once the total of qualifying expenditure for the year ending 7th September 2020 has been accounted for. In the 3rd and 4th years of Phase 1 of the Agreement, Newmont Colombia will be required to spend a total of US$8 million in qualifying expenditure on the Anza Project to acquire a 51% ownership interest. No further cash payments are due to the Company in the remaining two years of Phase 1 of the Agreement. To view the full PDF version of this announcement, including Figures 1-3 referred to below, please click here: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8663X_1-2020-9-2.pdf About the Anza Project Anza is a gold exploration project, comprising three exploration licences, four exploration licence applications, and several small exploitation permits, totalling 207.5km2 in the prolific Mid-Cauca belt of Colombia. The Anza Project is currently wholly owned by Orosur via its subsidiary, Minera Anza S.A. The project is located 50km west of Medellin and is easily accessible by all-weather roads and boasts excellent infrastructure including water, power, communications and large exploration camp. Anza lies some 60km south along strike from the giant Buritica deposit, recently acquired by Zijin Mining for CAN$1.4 billion. Figure 1. Anza Location Map The Anza Project was acquired by Orosur in 2014, via the acquisition by Orosur of Canadian company Waymar Resources (Waymar) (TSXV:WYM). Orosur and Waymar explored the project using a variety of techniques including over 24,000m of drilling. Most drilling focussed on the APTA prospect, with a small drilling program identifying mineralisation 1.5km west at the Charrascala prospect. Geochemistry and other work identified several other targets (Jesuitas, Guaimarala and La Cejita) which have not been drill tested (Figure 2) Drilling at APTA has defined multiple zones of high-grade gold mineralisation covering a strike of approximately 1.5km, to a depth extent of over 275m, with mineralisation remaining open in all directions. (Figure 3) (Appendix I) In September 2018, the Anza project was optioned to Newmont Colombia. Figure 2. Surface Geochemistry and Target Zones Figure 3. APTA Drill Plan and Section Exploration Agreement with Venture Option The Agreement is described on SEDAR and in previous announcements made by the Company. The key points, which were announced on 10 September 2018, are as follows: The Agreement provides for a three-phase earn-in structure allowing Newmont Colombia to earn up to a 75% ownership interest in the Anza Project by spending a minimum of US$30.0 million in qualifying expenditures over twelve years to 2030, completing an NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$4.0 million over Phases 1 and 2. In Phase 1, Newmont may earn a 51% ownership interest by spending US$10.0 million in qualifying project expenditures over four years to September 2022 and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$2.0 million during the first two years of the Phase 1 earn-in period. Upon Newmont Colombia's completion of Phase 1, it may elect, in its sole discretion, to exercise its option to form a joint venture with Minera Anza S.A. In Phase 2 commencing October 2022, Newmont may elect to earn an additional 14% ownership interest in the Anza Project by sole-funding US$20.0 million in qualifying expenditures within four years, completing an NI 43-101 compliant pre-feasibility study and making total cash payments to Orosur of US$2.0 million. In Phase 3 commencing 2026, Newmont may elect to earn an additional 10% ownership interest in the Anza Project by completing an NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study within four years. Upon Newmont completing the Phase 3 earn-in, Orosur may elect for Newmont to solely fund all expenditures until the commencement of commercial production at the Anza Project. If the Company elects for Newmont to do so: Newmont's ownership interest shall increase by 5% to 80% in the Anza Project; Upon the commencement of commercial production, Orosur shall commence contributing funds for adopted programs and budgets in proportion to its ownership interest or suffer dilution of its ownership interest; and Newmont shall receive 90% of Orosur's distribution of earnings or dividends until such time as the amounts received equal the aggregate amount of expenditures incurred by Newmont on behalf of Orosur plus nominal interest. Brad George, CEO of Orosur, commented: "We have long valued Newmont as both partner and major shareholder, and we are delighted with their decision to continue to work with us on the Anza Project" Appendix I Table 1 Previously announced notable drill results from the APTA Prospect Hole Number From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) MAP_011 213.00 219.00 6.00 18.26 1.96 0.35 including 217.50 219.00 1.50 72.30 6.90 0.93 MAP_020 145.00 186.00 41.00 3.85 1.39 1.25 including 171.30 177.00 5.70 19.84 3.94 1.66 MAP_021 224.00 242.00 18.00 14.14 2.05 2.83 including 225.00 229.40 4.40 45.62 5.47 10.59 252.00 253.00 1.00 10.85 1.80 0.67 MAP_029 183.00 194.90 11.90 10.57 2.40 1.61 including 185.00 187.00 2.00 40.25 4.85 4.64 MAP_033 157.10 179.50 22.40 10.42 1.87 1.56 including 165.00 170.80 5.80 29.49 3.37 2.81 MAP_036 198.60 227.50 28.90 3.88 1.68 0.43 including 205.50 217.50 12.00 8.83 2.65 0.59 MAP_038 123.40 124.50 1.10 15.40 3.60 1.94 172.00 212.50 40.50 14.09 3.82 1.95 including 179.50 186.00 6.50 70.99 6.34 0.12 including 184.60 186.00 1.40 176.00 15.20 0.39 including 202.00 205.40 3.40 20.89 9.71 4.75 MAP_043 65.50 68.60 3.10 7.66 73.04 0.68 167.50 231.50 64.00 1.88 1.88 0.70 including 209.00 214.00 5.00 9.07 3.40 0.70 MAP_047 105.00 118.30 13.30 2.24 316.25 1.00 including 106.00 110.50 4.50 4.69 768.89 2.34 MAP_048 181.00 195.70 14.70 40.37 9.00 3.41 including 185.50 195.70 10.20 58.03 13.16 4.85 including 187.60 189.50 1.90 219.00 29.50 6.55 MAP-054 41.40 59.30 17.90 2.96 26.97 0.32 including 41.40 43.20 1.80 10.25 76.90 1.22 including 44.70 52.00 7.30 3.39 33.77 0.37 97.10 110.90 13.80 4.36 1.19 0.77 including 97.10 101.73 4.63 5.47 1.59 1.44 including 107.60 110.90 3.30 10.35 0.83 0.14 144.50 149.82 5.32 17.76 1.55 4.74 including 144.50 145.70 1.20 8.71 0.90 0.80 including 145.70 146.70 1.00 37.96 1.30 0.70 including 146.70 148.00 1.30 19.76 1.40 0.25 including 148.00 148.87 0.87 17.63 1.50 7.56 including 148.87 149.82 0.95 5.31 2.90 17.54 149.82 159.10 9.28 1.84 0.94 2.26 including 153.00 155.00 2.00 3.43 0.97 1.14 309.20 313.20 4.00 2.96 5.70 0.41 MAP_055 177.00 190.90 13.90 4.89 4.86 1.35 including 177.00 181.00 4.00 6.26 3.35 0.57 including 185.00 190.90 5.90 7.24 8.73 2.78 MAP_056 223.00 235.00 12.00 1.33 0.90 0.05 including 231.00 233.00 2.00 2.62 1.00 0.02 MAP_058 246.00 250.00 4.00 1.10 3.45 0.15 including 274.50 276.50 2.00 4.55 6.50 0.13 MAP_059 163.50 195.00 31.50 1.86 2.39 0.49 including 181.00 188.00 7.00 4.66 2.17 0.27 including 192.00 194.00 2.00 3.40 3.55 0.56 230.50 242.50 12.00 1.96 2.73 0.50 including 230.50 236.50 6.00 3.15 1.75 0.63 MAP-060 70.00 75.50 5.50 3.34 3.55 0.56 165.00 192.00 27.00 1.81 0.87 0.33 including 180.00 186.00 6.00 2.92 0.67 0.20 including 189.00 192.00 3.00 4.60 2.90 1.52 222.00 247.00 25.00 4.86 3.23 1.73 including 222.00 226.00 4.00 7.92 4.13 1.94 including 235.00 238.00 3.00 9.54 5.37 0.33 including 245.00 246.00 1.00 14.43 3.40 0.95 MAP_062 60.00 65.30 5.30 5.09 12.06 0.37 including 62.20 64.20 2.00 7.61 16.90 0.80 167.50 176.50 9.00 1.69 0.62 217.00 240.00 23.00 5.00 3.37 0.40 including 220.00 221.00 1.00 16.02 9.40 0.81 including 229.70 232.20 2.50 8.59 2.98 0.66 including 237.70 240.00 2.30 14.94 7.88 0.13 MAP_064 116.00 122.00 6.00 1.57 19.98 1.73 147.00 151.00 4.00 0.84 0.60 0.04 190.00 197.00 7.00 3.45 1.00 3.79 including 193.00 197.00 4.00 5.43 1.50 6.41 265.00 273.70 8.70 1.67 3.13 5.35 283.70 285.30 1.60 3.18 1.94 3.03 292.00 294.00 2.00 2.04 1.75 5.90 297.00 299.00 2.00 1.03 1.05 2.18 MAP_065 140.00 144.10 4.10 2.22 1.37 0.04 283.30 288.45 5.15 1.24 5.75 0.11 including 284.30 286.10 1.80 2.70 10.30 0.09 312.00 313.50 1.50 1.05 0.60 0.54 MAP_067 161.70 168.10 6.40 1.74 2.52 0.34 including 162.80 165.00 2.20 4.14 30.50 0.79 176.40 192.20 15.80 1.07 2.04 0.06 including 179.00 184.00 5.00 2.24 3.28 0.13 235.00 243.20 8.20 1.36 0.78 0.38 including 237.00 241.20 4.20 2.09 0.87 0.49 MAP_070 168.00 192.00 24.00 1.84 1.64 1.09 including 168.00 173.00 5.00 1.66 3.52 4.81 including 183.00 184.00 1.00 23.66 3.60 0.04 including 186.00 192.00 6.00 1.16 0.72 0.02 208.00 212.00 4.00 1.13 1.72 0.61 221.00 233.00 12.00 5.28 2.48 1.10 including 222.00 226.00 4.00 6.38 3.10 2.28 including 228.00 233.00 5.00 6.99 2.78 0.65 246.00 248.00 2.00 6.28 6.30 1.41 including 256.00 267.00 11.00 6.35 2.74 1.55 284.00 298.00 14.00 5.02 2.23 1.10 including 286.00 292.00 6.00 9.62 2.90 1.75 302.00 307.00 5.00 1.57 3.94 1.67 Notes: Significant intervals are chosen based on continuity of mineralization and gold grade. All intervals are reported as drilled thicknesses; true thicknesses are estimated to be 65-85% of drilled thicknesses. Gold grades have been calculated based on weighted averages For further information, please contact: Orosur Mining Inc Louis Castro, Chairman, Brad George, CEO info@orosur.ca Tel: +1 (778) 373-0100 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP - Nomad & Joint Broker Jeff Keating / Caroline Rowe Tel: +44 (0) 20 3 470 0470 The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. About Orosur Mining Inc. Orosur Mining Inc. (TSX: OMI; AIM: OMI) is a precious metals developer and explorer focused on identifying and advancing gold projects in South America. The Company operates in Colombia and Uruguay. Forward Looking Statements All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including but not limited to the "safe harbour" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the exploration plans in Colombia and the funding from Newmont of those plans, Newmont's decision to continue with the Exploration and Option agreement, the ability for Loryser to continue and finalize with the remediation in Uruguay, the ability to implement the Creditors' Agreement successfully as well as continuation of the business of the Company as a going concern and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. The Company's continuance as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing, to reach profitable levels of operations and to reach a satisfactory implementation of the Creditor's Agreement in Uruguay. These material uncertainties may cast significant doubt upon the Company's ability to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business and accordingly the appropriateness of the use of accounting principles applicable to a going concern. 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 forward looking statements. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties including, but not limited, those as described in Section "Risks Factors" of the MDA and the Annual Information Form. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Orosur Mining Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604615/Orosur-Mining-Inc-Announces-Colombia-update Houston: Microsoft founder Bill Gates charity foundation has invested USD 140 million in the development of HIV-preventing drug implants. These implants could revolutionise the treatment of the life-threatening infection. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is providing this funding for the groundbreaking new technology which could revolutionise HIV prevention. Currently prevention drugs are available in the form of a pill that, if taken daily, can reduce a persons chances of being infected with HIV. The drugs are recommended by the World Health Organisation for use by at-risk groups including men who have sex with men but are only effective if the pills are taken consistently. There are hopes that implant technology, similar to systems available for birth control, could be used to deliver a consistent supply of drugs, aiding people vulnerable to HIV. According to The Wall Street Journal, their latest investment has placed their backing firmly behind a biopharmaceutical company located in Boston. They believe that this company could yield one of the largest revelations in HIV treatment yet. This treatment takes the form of a pump that was initially designed for type two diabetes patients. It works by continuously delivering medication throughout the body. The pump is reportedly capable of administering drugs throughout the body for as long as 12 months. It could also be easily filled by a clinician annually or bi-annually. Researchers believe that the pump could work similarly, for HIV prevention, in healthy patients. Delivering treatment such as PreP continuously and, therefore, working to prevent HIV and AIDS. PreP is a daily drug that has been critical in preventing HIV infections in sexually active adults. The Gates invested USD 50 million in equity stakes at Intarcia Therapeutics, the company responsible for the pump. They then provided a further USD 90 million in company grants towards the goal of developing the HIV preventing device. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has rebuked President Donald Trump over his threat to pull federal funding from 'lawless' U.S. cities, and issued a chilling warning that the president would need 'an army' to set foot in New York City. 'He can't have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City,' Cuomo said at an emergency press conference on Wednesday night. 'Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he's going to walk down the streets in New York.' 'He is persona non grata in New York City, and I think he knows that, and he'll never come back to New York, because New Yorkers will never forget how gratuitously mean he has been,' Cuomo said. It follows Trump's move on Wednesday to pull federal funding from New York City, Seattle, Washington DC, and Portland, Oregon, in a presidential memo saying 'My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones.' New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (above) has rebuked President Donald Trump over his threat to pull federal funding from 'lawless' U.S. cities Trump threatened on Wednesday to pull federal funding from 'anarchist' cities in a presidential memo saying 'My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones' Cuomo responded in a tweet by calling the move 'an illegal stunt,' saying of Trump: 'He is not a king. He cannot 'defund' NYC.' 'As far as this statement he's going to stop funding for New York City - he's not a king. He thinks he's a king but he's not,' Cuomo said at the press conference. 'The statutes contain the conditions [for funding] and he can't override the law. I suspect it's more of a political statement that he's making than anything else, but it's also illegal what he's talking about,' Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chimed in with a tweet calling Trump's moves 'unconstitutional, political threats against us.' 'Mr. President, well see you in court. Weve beaten you there before and well do it again,' de Blasio said. It followed Trump's threat to pull federal funding from cities he says are descending into 'anarchy'. 'My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. We're putting them on notice today,' Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chimed in with a tweet calling Trump's moves 'unconstitutional, political threats against us' Trump on Wednesday signed a five-page memo ordering all federal agencies to send reports to the White House Office of Management and Budget on federal funds going to four cities that can be redirected, according to the New York Post, which first reported the memo. In addition to New York, the memo names Seattle, Washington DC and Portland, Oregon as potential targets for revocation of federal funds. 'To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government's promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities,' the memo states. Federal agencies must detail 'all Federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, D.C.' All four cities have seen either surging crime over the summer or protests over racial injustice that have spilled into violence and riots. Simultaneously, Trump ordered Attorney General Bill Barr to develop a list within 14 days of 'anarchist jurisdictions' that 'permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures' to restore order. The order does not name the cities that Barr should investigate, giving the attorney general discretion as to which cities to designate. Demonstrators raise their fists as a fire burns in the streets of Seattle in June after clashes with law enforcement near the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct The memo also instructs White House budget director Russ Vought to issue guidance in 30 days from Wednesday 'to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants.' The amount of funding in question could be massive, with federal grants making up $3.7 billion of DC's annual budget, and a whopping $7 billion in New York. Many of those funds are devoted to Medicare and social services programs, however it was not immediately clear which types of funds would be affected by the order. 'Violence has surged' in New York City In the memo, Trump detailed allegations of local mismanagement against each of the cities named, saying that New York was included because violent crime has skyrocketed even as Mayor Bill de Blasio moved to defund the NYPD. Shootings in New York soared 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, and murder rose 47 percent, according to NYPD statistics released on Wednesday. Shootings in New York City were up 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, according to police crime statistics released Wednesday Protesters with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement march through Manhattan and confront NYPD officers on August 24 Trump's memo says that 'in New York City, city officials have allowed violence to spike.' 'In light of this unconscionable rise in violence, I have offered to provide Federal law enforcement assistance, but both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have rejected my offer,' Trump says in the memo. NYC crime wave: Shootings up 166% Shootings in New York City were up 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, according to police crime statistics released Wednesday. The Big Apple has seen a troubling spike in crime and violence this year, and new data shows there were 242 shootings recorded last month. In August 2019 there were just 91 shootings recorded. The number of shootings rose in all boroughs except Staten Island. The number of murders is also up citywide, increasing from 36 in August 2019 to 53 last month, marking a 47 percent rise. Advertisement 'While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted. In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, [New York City] arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019,' the memo says. 'Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, including by cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers.' The memo also cites NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea's decision in June to disband the plainclothes anti-crime units, which had been responsible for targeting illegal guns and drugs on the streets. 'Police officials have cited this decision as a factor contributing to the rise in violence,' the memo says. Seattle allowed lawless CHAZ to fester, memo says The memo targets Seattle largely for allowing the 'CHAZ' protest zone to occupy several city blocks for nearly a month. In early June, Black Lives Matter protesters forced the Seattle Police Department to abandon the city's East Precinct building and commandeered the facility, establishing the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone', or CHAZ, in the surrounding blocks. The comandeered Seattle Police East Precinct is seen within the CHAZ in June Protesters in Seattle's CHAZ remove a man after he attempted to preach a Christian message on the street in June. The memo names the CHAZ as a reason for defunding Seattle Protesters manned barricades and barred city workers from entering the zone, but the area descended into lawlessness when three separate shootings occurred on June 20, 21, and 23. 'On July 1, Seattle declared the protest zone dismantled,' Trump's memo says. 'But such failed leadership continues to harm the people of Seattle as, in recent weeks, rioters have engaged in violence and destruction of property across Seattle, resulting in at least 59 police officers being injured and multiple businesses and vehicles vandalized.' Portland is targeted for 'allowing 99 days of violent unrest' The memo targets Portland for federal defunding for allowing weeks of nightly protests, where fires have been set and clashes with police are frequent. Earlier this week, protesters who broke windows and set a fire to a business in the upscale apartment building where Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler lives. Portland's police chief denounced the incident, labeling the events an escalation in the street violence that Oregon's largest city has endured for months. The demonstration began late Monday and stretched into the predawn hours of Tuesday, targeting Wheeler, who is also police commissioner and has been criticized for heading up a police force that has repeatedly used tear gas against the demonstrators. Protests are seen earlier this week in Portland, which has seen 99 nights of unrest Portland police officers fires less lethal rounds through smoke while dispersing a crowd of about 150 people from Portland City Hall on August 25, 2020 in Portland, Oregon Police make an arrest on Thursday after about two hundred activists protesting police brutality sprayed graffiti and started fires at the Portland Police Union building on Thursday The fire was set with a bundle of newspapers in a store housed on the ground floor of Wheeler's building. There were no reports of major damage or injuries. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the demonstrators also wound up targeting other people who live in Wheeler's building and have had nothing to do with the protests. Previously, the demonstrators have almost always clashed with police outside symbols of authority - police buildings and courthouses. 'The families that live inside have done absolutely nothing to provoke a threat to their lives. As I've stated repeatedly, the nightly violence is coming at increased cost,' he said. 'This is impacting the safety of our entire city and urgent action is needed.' Washington DC 'allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence' Trump's memo says that in Washington DC, 'Mayor Muriel Bowser allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence and destruction in late May and early June, requiring me to call in the National Guard to maintain law and order in the Nation's Capital.' The memo, which has reportedly been in the works for weeks, does not mention the crowds of activists who aggressively confronted attendees at the Republican National Convention last week as they returned to their hotels. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House after listening to Trump accept his party's nomination for re-election. Washington DC Police clear protesters out of Black Lives Matter Plaza on Saturday. Police attempted to disperse the crowd after a group of protesters had marched in the area Republican Senator Rand Paul (center rear) on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House Paul and his wife (center and left above) said they feel certain they would have been violently assaulted if police had not rushed to their protection Paul told Fox News Channel he believes the group chanting his name and pushing against his impromptu police escort was paid to incite a riot. He did not say who he believes financially backed them or offer any evidence for his contention. 'I believe there are going to be people who were involved with the attack on us that actually were paid to come here and are not from Washington, D.C., and are sort of paid to be anarchists,' Paul said. 'The FBI needs to investigate but the only way you can do it is you have to arrest people.' From the promise of a grand bargain to a betrayal of trust, Indias bumpy three-year-long journey toward an integrated Goods and Services Tax (GST) has hit a serious roadblock. The current fracas over the promised compensation at a guaranteed rate of revenue of 14% by the Centre to states for losses associated with GST implementation risks undermining not only an important economic reform but more crucially, Indias already precarious fiscal federal consensus. Regardless of how the impasse is resolved, the Centre, by refusing to pay states their constitutionally-promised dues and seeking to transfer the onus of revenue loss on to states has delivered a severe blow to cooperative federalism. The significance of the controversy is best understood by locating the GST compensation debate within Indias fiscal federal architecture. Constitutionally, Indias fiscal federal arrangement has several centralising features. Over the decades, New Delhi drew on these powers to encroach on expenditures that are firmly in the purview of states. States, from the Sarkaria commission report in the 1980s to the controversy over the terms of reference for the 15th Finance Commission, routinely complained against this centralisation. Greater fiscal decentralisation was a regular demand from chief ministers. But this never translated into meaningful reforms. Indeed, the impulse of successive central governments was to deepen centralisation even reneging on a commitment to compensate states in full while phasing out the central sales tax resulting in a breakdown of trust in Centre-state fiscal relations. Against this backdrop of distrust, the compromise struck under the GST was remarkable. States voluntarily gave up fiscal autonomy in favour of long-term economic efficiency, paving the way for the articulation of a framework of co-operative fiscal federalism. GSTs institutional backbone, the GST Council, comprising finance ministers from the Centre and states, became a widely celebrated poster child for cooperative federalism. At the heart of the GST compromise lay the promise of Acche Din (good days; also a campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the election). GST, the Centre assured, would result in revenue buoyancy and committed to a guaranteed growth rate of 14%. States drove a hard bargain. For fiscally-strapped states, the promise of generous compensation overrode concerns of fiscal autonomy. The Centre on its part, perhaps blinded by the promise of acche din and its own centralising impulse, took on an unrealistic revenue risk. These compromises came at the cost of a carefully-designed GST. Dont forget that even before Covid-19, GST had run into serious challenges ranging from a complex rate structure to the tyranny of the e-way bill system, which contributed to the growth slowdown and associated revenue shortfalls. Rather than a shining example of cooperative federalism, GST, in its current form, is an imperfect compromise and a work in progress. Regardless of its flaws, the compensation guarantee was critical to bridging the existing trust deficit in Centre-state relations and formed the basis of the GST federal bargain. Since its launch, the centralising impulse has over-ridden the co-operative expectation of GST. Revenue transfers and compensation payments have been repeatedly delayed. States have little recourse, except to write letters and complain. The current stand-off, when state revenues are at an all-time low, breaks the foundations of the agreement. What makes the Centres actions even more egregious is that its refusal to honour its GST commitment comes on the back of another failed promise of cooperative federalism increased tax devolution. The 14th Finance Commission sought to deepen fiscal decentralisation by mandating that the states share in the divisible pool of taxes be enhanced from 32% to 42%. Having accepted, indeed welcomed this recommendation as a watershed for cooperative federalism, the Centre has carefully avoided fulfilling it. Actual transfers to states as a share of gross tax revenue have been in the range of 33%-35%. In addition, since the early days of the Covid-19 necessitated lockdown, states have repeatedly appealed to the Centre to fulfil its sovereign duty by deploying its financial powers to provide additional resources. These appeals have fallen on deaf ears. The result, a deep trust deficit. What now? States ruled by non-BJP parties have rejected the Centres proposals that seek to place the burden of borrowing on them, suggesting quite rightly, that it is the Centres responsibility and well within its capacity (in light of Indias centralised fiscal architecture) to borrow to meet its commitments. Not only is this in line with the Centres constitutional obligation, it also makes macro-economic sense. In addition, the Centre should devise a formula-based Covid-19 grant to states to ensure they have access to much-needed additional resources. There are many innovative proposals on finding the money. It is the Centres commitment that is the hurdle. Several interlocutors, including Arvind Subramanian, a key framer of the original GST compromise, have suggested states meet the Centre halfway by settling for a more realistic compensation. But against the backdrop of the yawning trust deficit, this is a hard ask. Importantly, the debate has now taken a political colour with the BJP-ruled states choosing between silence and abiding by the Centres line, thus pitting themselves against other states. This closes the space for a genuine compromise. The Centre must live up to its constitutionally-struck bargain. The future of fiscal federal relations is at stake. Yamini Aiyar is president and chief executive of Centre for Policy Research The views expressed are personal Imagery from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite highlights the burn scars from the Elkhorn Fire in northern California on Sep. 01, 2020. This false-color image of the firescape made by using the reflective solar bands on Suomi NPP highlights those areas which have been burned. Suomi NPP's corrected reflectance solar bands (Bands M11-I2-I1) are most useful for distinguishing burn scars from naturally low vegetation or bare soil. In addition, these reflectance bands are able to show the following: "Burned areas or fire-affected areas are characterized by deposits of charcoal and ash, removal of vegetation and/or the alteration of vegetation structure. When bare soil becomes exposed, the brightness in Band I1 may increase, but that may be offset by the presence of black carbon residue; the near infrared (Band I2) will become darker, and Band M11 becomes more reflective. When assigned to red in the image, Band M11 will show burn scars as deep or bright red, depending on the type of vegetation burned, the amount of residue, or the completeness of the burn." This information is from the Worldview application website where the images in this story were downloaded. Another interesting point to note is that in this image, the fire line can be seen about a third of the way down the image. At this point the smoke is the heaviest and there is a demarcation line marking where the fires have burned and also where the fires are heading. Using the reflective bands on Suomi NPP vegetation shows up as a bright green color. All of this information is very valuable to both firefighters and scientists in finding out the line of the fire and where that fire is heading. Lastly, this second image taken by the true-color image bands of Suomi NPP's satellite of the same exact area show huge smoke plumes pouring off the fire. This image is of natural-looking land surface, oceanic and atmospheric features. The Elkhorn Fire began on Aug. 17, 2020 with a lightning strike that occurred during the very aggressive storms that hit northern California on that weekend (Aug. 15-17). At present the Elkhorn Fire is 40,495 acres which will continue to threaten communities to the north east. Personnel will continue to plan and implement evacuation plans as needed. The Elkhorn Fire is currently 42% contained. Crews continue to engage with the fire on the northwest, west, south west, and south flanks of the fire. 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). Caption: Lynn Jenner with information from Worldview and Inciweb. ### R ussia has accused Germany of providing no evidence about the condition of Alexei Navalny. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday brushed off accusations that it was involved in poisoning the Russian dissident. Mr Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on August 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city Omsk. He has been in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital after being flown from Siberia to Germany for treatment more than a week ago. A file photo of Vladimir Putin / AP German authorities said on Wednesday that tests showed proof without doubt that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. British authorities identified the Soviet-era Novichok as the poison used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. But Mr Peskov insisted on Thursday that Russian authorities had still not received any evidence from Germany to back up their allegation. We havent received any information so far, Mr Peskov said. We hope that it will happen soon and will help figure out what caused the condition the patient is in right now. Mr Peskov reiterated that Russian specialists in Omsk tested Mr Navalny for poisonous substances and did not find any in his system. A portable isolation unit used to transport Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny / Getty Images He said Russian investigators conducting a preliminary inquiry into Mr Navalnys illness should know what our German colleagues found and established. Following his stay in Omsk, Mr Navalny was moved two days later to Berlins Charite hospital after German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally offered the countrys assistance in treating him. He is now in a stable condition, but doctors expect a long recovery and have not ruled out that the 44-year-old could face long-term effects on his health. Mrs Merkel on Wednesday called Mr Navalnys poisoning an attempted murder that aimed to silence one of Mr Putins fiercest critics and called for a full investigation. There are very serious questions now that only the Russian government can answer, and must answer, Mrs Merkel said. German police officers stand guard outside Berlin's Charite hospital where Alexei Navalny is treated after his medical evacuation to Germany / AFP via Getty Images Asked about Mr Peskovs comments on Thursday, Mrs Merkel said, Naturally I am aware of what is being said now but refused to comment further. I made a comprehensive statement yesterday about what we will do now and in the coming days, she told reporters at the chancellery after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. And of course a lot depends on the respective reactions by the Russian government. But I dont want to add anything further. Germanys Justice Ministry has confirmed it has received Russias request for information, but would not provide details on the response. A medical worker speaks to police officers outside the City Clinical Emergency Hospital Number 1 where Navalny was admitted in Omsk in Russia / REUTERS Leonid Volkov, Mr Navalnys longtime ally and campaign strategist, told the German RTL broadcaster that an independent investigation in Russia is unlikely and put the blame on the Kremlin. An attack of such level and of such co-ordination couldnt be not authorised by Mr Putin, Mr Volkov said. He said he did not know what the legal consequences should be for what happened to Mr Navalny. But I know for sure what I want to have as an outcome, and this is the political or a moral, ethical consequence: I really want that no foreign leader ever would shake hands with Mr Putin, he said. Mr Lofven, joining a chorus of other world leaders, called for Russia to investigate and punish those involved. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny airlifted to Germany We need to respond, he said. Something happened on an aircraft within Russia, within Russian jurisdiction, so I think its fair to say the ball is in your corner now to investigate. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, described the situation with Navalny as an anti-Russian plot. Its a planned action against Russia in order to impose new sanctions and try to impede the development of our country, Mr Volodin said in a statement. In addition to receiving blow back from Moscow, the German government has come under growing pressure to use a joint German-Russian pipeline project as leverage in getting Russia to provide answers on Mr Navalny. When asked about the issue on Thursday, Mrs Merkel declined to comment. Germanys opposition Greens party urged her to end to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which would deliver Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic when completed, bypassing Ukraine. The apparent attempted murder by the mafia-like structures of the Kremlin can no longer just give us cause for concern, it must have real consequences, Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt said. The Greens have long opposed the pipeline. Mrs Merkel has steadily resisted pressure from the United States to end the project, which Washington says will endanger European security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas. Nord Stream 2 is also opposed by Ukraine and Poland, which will be bypassed by the pipeline under the Baltic sea, as well as some other European nations. With the findings about Mr Navalny, even Norbert Roettgen, a leading politician in Mrs Merkels party, said diplomatic rituals are no longer enough. After the poisoning we need a strong European answer, which #Putin understands Mr Roettgen tweeted. The EU should jointly decide to stop #NordStream2. Mr Peskov dismissed the calls to abandon Nord Stream 2 as emotional statements not based on facts. He called the pipeline an international commercial project that is in the interests of Russia, Germany and the entire European continent. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters Intense scrutiny of the United States Postal Service and its likely role in Novembers election is calling new attention to the chairman of the organizations board of governors, who has deep ties to influential Republicans including the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. Related: Exclusive: Trump's postal chief ousted brother to win control of family firm, court files allege The postal services smooth running is seen as key to the success of mail-in voting in 2020, with tens of millions of voters expected to use postal votes instead of going to polling stations, out of health fears due to the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats have raised concerns that Republicans are seeking to disrupt the agencys operations in ways that could hinder mail-in voting. The USPS board of governors chairman, Robert M Duncan, is partially the target of a request by the House oversight committee. The committee, chaired by Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, is asking for documents related to how the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, was selected for his position. Through a spokesman for the USPS board of governors, Duncan declined a request by the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer to provide more information on the appointment of DeJoy, a major Republican donor. The 11-member USPS board of governors oversees the policies and expenditures of the postal service. The board can also fire the postmaster general. To at least one former member of the board of governors, having a sitting member, much less a chair like Duncan, with such extensive political ties that could be a conflict of interest is unprecedented. We never had that type of situation come up, said the former Nevada congressman James Bilbray, who served on the board in different capacities for a decade. I dont think we would have hired anybody or picked anybody that had a conflict. The reason is it just would not be the right thing to do, at least on my part. But Alan Kessler, another former board chairman, said it is not unusual to have board members with political backgrounds or connections on the panel. Story continues DeJoy has overseen and proposed major changes to the mail service. He has said that those changes are meant to streamline the organization. Aspects of the overhaul, though, have slowed down mail delivery and limited access for some Americans. Those changes, conspicuously, came a few months before the presidential election as Donald Trump has falsely warned that voting by mail is especially susceptible to voter fraud. Trump has also expressed support for withholding funding to the postal service as a way to restrict voting by mail. For months, McConnell has been blocking a $25bn fundraising bill for the postal service. Democrats argue that the mail changes are meant to help Trump and Republicans by hindering voting by mail across the country. Congressional Democrats have been holding hearings and investigating aspects of the USPS and ties of the services leadership to the Republican party. Duncan, who did not reply to an inquiry from the Guardian, has deep ties to major Republican political organizations and top Republican lawmakers. Duncan continues to serve in some of those leadership roles. According to new filings with the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission on Monday, Duncan retains a post as a director of the Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican Super Pac focused on the Senate. Duncan is also listed as a director of American Crossroads, another major Republican Super Pac. Duncan is also a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. He served in that role from 2007 to 2009, overlapping the end of George W Bushs second term as president. He is still listed as a Republican national committeeman in Kentucky. Robert M Duncan Jr, Duncans son, currently serves as the United States attorney for the eastern district of Kentucky. The younger Duncan was appointed to that position by Trump. His appointment was announced by McConnell. McConnell and the Kentucky senator Rand Paul, together, recommended Duncan Jr to Trump for his district attorney job. The postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, a major Republican donor, faces questioning during a House oversight committee hearing last month. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock Duncan is a longtime donor to Republican politicians. In the last few months he has donated $11,200 to the Trump campaign. He has donated to Paul as well. In local Kentucky press Duncan is described as a longtime fundraiser for and ally of McConnell. McConnell himself called him a good friend and valued partner. McConnells office declined to respond to questions sent by the Guardian on Tuesday. But in August, the Louisville Courier Journal reported a statement from McConnells office saying the two have known each other for a long time. McConnell recommended Duncan to the president for a position on the board of governors. McConnell, in a public hearing for Duncans confirmation, called him an outstanding choice to help oversee the postal service. Karl Rove, the longtime Republican strategist, told the Guardian that members of the board for the Super Pacs are in charge of helping oversee the staff, set the policies, etc. Phil Cox, a fellow director for SLF, described him as an exceptional guy. In September 2018, Duncan posted a picture of him with Donald Trump Jr on Facebook. Duncans longstanding ties to Republican political infrastructure have irked Democrats. The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren has urged members of of the USPS board to publicize any potential financial conflicts of interest. Warren wrote in a 24 August letter to the members that your role in appointing a Postmaster General with significant financial conflicts of interest, and who has been engaged in an effort to undermine the mission of the agency and your failure to address and counter this sabotage of the Postal Service raise questions about whether you are meeting those responsibilities. Warren has also suggested members such as Duncan should resign if they dont fire DeJoy. The @USPS Board of Governors has a responsibility to serve the public interest. That means delivering the mail on time not acting as accomplices for the Postmaster Generals partisan sabotage. If the Board wont fire Louis DeJoy and reverse the damage, they should resign too. https://t.co/7lA3mlyRw3 Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) August 22, 2020 But there is no sign that the support DeJoy has among the board of governors has cracked. In the past, said Bilbray, Duncan would not have got appointed to his post on the board of governors. Before Ward could answer, Trump broke in to say there were only "some bad apples" among police, of which "I have the endorsement of so many, maybe everybody." As the election gets closer and closer, Trump appears to be getting further and further from reality. Tuesday's stagecraft in Kenosha was Trump's most audacious attempt to rearrange reality since ... well, since the night before. On Monday, he informed Fox News's Laura Ingraham that Joe Biden is the victim of mind control by "people that you've never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows." They are, he said, the same "people that are controlling the streets." Trump further reported the existence of a plane, "almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms." He said they "were on the plane to do big damage." New Delhi: Assembly elections in the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8 in what will be the first major test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gamble on demonetisation. While polling will be spread over seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, it will be a one-day affair in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa, and a two-day exercise in Manipur. Counting of votes will be taken up together in all the states on March 11, the Election Commission announced on Wednesday setting in process the mega political exercise in the new year. Announcing the schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said the Commission will keep a watch on the use of black money, which is expected to come down due to demonetisation. Steps will be taken up to ensure that other illegal inducements are not used to influence voters, he said. In Uttar Pradesh, which has a 403-member House, polls will be held on February 11 (73 constituencies), February 15 (67 constituencies), February 19 (69), February 23 (53), February 27 (52), March 3 (49) and March 8 (40). Full Coverage: Uttar Pradesh Elections 2017 Unlike last elections, Manipur, which recently witnessed violence raising questions whether elections would be possible now, will have a two-day polling on March 4 (38 constituencies) and March 8 (22 seats). Here, the Congress seeks to retain power. Polling will be held in Punjab and Goa together on February 4 and in Uttarakhand it will be held on February 15. The whole electoral process will begin with the issue of notification for polls in Punjab and Goa on January 11. The family feud and the split in ruling Samajwadi Party have injected a new dimension in the politics in Uttar Pradesh where BJP hopes to capture power after 14 years on the back of a sweep in Lok Sabha elections in 2014. BSP and Congress, the other main challengers, hope to make it a quadrangular fight but for some alliances being made. Punjab, which a 117-member assembly, promises to be an essentially three-way fight between the ruling SAD-BJP combine, Congress and the new entrant AAP. Full Coverage: Punjab Assembly Elections 2017 After sensational political developments in Uttarakhand in 2016, where Congress was temporarily dislodged from power due to defections, the party and BJP are set for a virtual direct fight on 70 seats. In Goa, where BJP seeks to retain most of the 40 assembly seats to remain in power, AAP is being seen as a new player which plans to topple the applecart of national parties Congress and BJP. Over 16 crore people will participate in these polls for 690 constituencies in five states, for which the Commission has set up 1.85 lakh polling stations, up 15 per cent from the number during the 2012 polls. Full Coverage: Goa Assembly Elections 2017 "The Model Code of Conduct will come into immediate effect and will apply on political parties and state governments concerned, besides the Central government in terms of announcements in these states," Zaidi said. The CEC said candidates will have to open a bank account for all election expenditures and expenses above Rs 20,000 will be made through cheques from the new accounts. He added that donations above Rs 20,000 will also be accepted through cheques. The maximum limit for expenses for each candidates in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand is Rs 28 lakh, while that in Goa and Manipur is Rs 20 lakh, he said. Responding to a question on poll funding, the CEC said the Commission has already asked the government to cut down to Rs 2,000 the present Rs 20,000 limit on anonymous donations to parties. He said as part of reforms, the candidates will have to submit a 'No-Demand Certificate' from agencies providing amenities and government accommodation. The certificate will come from agencies dealing with electricity, water, telephone and also the rent certificate of the government accommodation which these candidates may have occupied in past 10 years. Defence personnel posted away from their homes constituencies can cast vote through one-way electronic transmission of ballot in the polls. But the facility may not be available in all the constituencies this time and could be extended in a select seats. The Commission had first experimented the initiative in a Puducherry bypoll recently. Asked about suggestions that the Commission 'waited' for Prime Minister Modi's Lucknow rally before announcing the poll schedule, Zaidi said the poll panel "has its own mind." "It does not make its schedule according to the request of political parties," he said. The Commission will issue photo voter slips to voters ahead of polls and will, for the first time, also distribute a colourful booklet that will guide the voters on date and time of polls and location of polling stations, besides Dos and Don'ts for them. As it happened: EC announces dates of polling in 5 states To encourage more participation of women in election management process, the EC will also have some all-woman polling stations this time around, besides making all polling stations friendly for differently-able persons. The tenure of Punjab, Goa and Manipur assemblies are ending on March 18, while that of Uttarakhand's on March 26 and Uttar Pradesh Assembly on May 27. Of the total 690 constituencies going to polls in these five states, 133 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 23 for Scheduled Tribe. To ensure full secrecy of a voter and that facial expressions don't indicate their choice of candidate, the EC had decided to increase the height of the shield that covers the EVM to 30 inches. Full Coverage: Assembly Elections 2017 Important poll dates in Videos For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:28:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Thursday called on the international community to "show seriousness and exert more efforts for pushing the peace process in Libya." In a press conference with the visiting European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Shoukry said that "consultations continue with European partners to maintain the sovereignty of the war-torn country and to boost the rights of the Libyan people in facing terrorism, military and foreign interventions." He highlighted the fixed Egyptian vision that supports reaching a consensus political solution among the Libyan conflicted parties, and stressed Egypt's keenness to continue coordination with the EU partners to finalize a political solution. Shoukry said that Egypt backs reaching such a solution that preserves the unity and territorial integrity of Libya and restores the role of state institutions, hailing the efforts at the economic level that aim to better manage and distribute wealth in a fair manner. Borrell's visit to Cairo came one day after he concluded a visit to Libya, where he reiterated the EU's unwavering support for the resolution of the conflict and the need for concrete actions to follow the recently announced cease-fire. On Aug. 21, UN-backed Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al-Serraj and Speaker of the eastern-based House of Representatives Aguila Saleh called for cease-fire in the country, presidential and parliamentary elections, and resumption of oil exports. "Cairo supports any step to reach a truce and a political settlement in Libya that achieves security and stability for the Libyan people," Shoukry added. Libya has been locked in a civil war since the ouster and killing of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces, namely the UN-backed government based in the capital Tripoli, and the other in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar. Enditem The upcoming Google Pixel 5 may cost the same as the first-gen Pixel smartphone. This information comes from a German outlet, which listed prices for both the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. The source actually lists European price tags for both phones, and a separate US price tag for the Pixel 5. Lets talk about the Pixel 5 first, though. According to Nils Ahrensmeier who provided this information for TechnikNewsNET, the Google Pixel 5 will cost 629 in Europe, with 16-percent VAT. The phone will be available in Black and Green color options. Advertisement The Google Pixel 5 to cost the same as the original Pixel handset Its price in the US will be $649, which is the same price tag the original Google Pixel offered. That is a really affordable price tag if you compare it to other flagship prices, but the Pixel 5 wont exactly be a flagship phone. It will be the most powerful smartphone Google will release this year, most probably, but it will include a mid-range processor. So, in a way, it is a flagship, but also not at the same time. In any case, this price tag is certainly more bearable than a $1,000+ price point that flagship phones usually go for these days. On the flip side, the OnePlus Nord which comes with the same SoC (Snapdragon 765G), costs a lot less. Advertisement In terms of the Google Pixel 4 5G, the source says it will cost 499 in Europe. The phones US price tag was not mentioned, though. What got mentioned is the color variants for Europe, the phone is expected to be available in Black and White options. Now, some of you may not know this source, but Nils Ahrensmeier was spot on with his leaks for a number of Samsung products, and the same goes for the Pixel 4 info last year. Both phones may end up being announced later this month The Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are expected to arrive in the near future. Both phones may become official at the end of this month, and ship in October, at least according to rumors. Advertisement Google still did not confirm anything, though, so well have to wait for more information. Both of these phones may end up being made out of plastic, at least according to leaks. The Pixel 4a 5G will be for sure, while the Pixel 5 was also spotted in a plastic shell. Both phones will offer a rear-facing fingerprint scanner, while well get three cameras on the back, most probably. The Pixel 4a 5G will be quite similar to the Pixel 4a in terms of specs, but it will be larger. The Pixel 5 will be more powerful. The phone is expected to offer a 6.01-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and 8GB of RAM. A 12.2-megapixel main camera will once again sit on the back of the phone, but an ultra-wide unit will be a part of the package this time around. Read more about the phone in our Pixel 5 preview. PLANO, Texas, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Technologies USA's SVP of Public Affairs, Joy Tan, will join The Information's 2020 WTF Summit to lead a breakout session. Hosted virtually on September 9-10, The Information's WTF Summit is an intimate summit for women from the tech, media and finance industries that provides attendees with the opportunity to learn from one another and build connections between New York and Silicon Valley. Tan will join a group of high-powered female speakers who will lead discussions around driving global innovation and social change during unprecedented times. Speakers include, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, and founder of Leanin.org and OptionB.org, Maria Renz, EVP and Group Business Unit Leader at SoFi and former VP of Global Delivery Experience for Amazon, Linda Yaccarino, Chairman of Advertising & Client Partnerships for NBCUniversal, and Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder of Emerson Collective, among others. The breakout session, titled, "The Tech Reset: The tension between the tech industry and government," will take place on Thursday, September 10 at 1:45 p.m. ET. The discussion will focus on how technology companies and governments can work together to establish standards, best practices and regulations that benefit everyone. Over the past few years, everything from ride sharing and social media to 5G and AI has been closely scrutinized, breeding increasing tension between the technology industry and governments. Geopolitical conflicts have only exacerbated these tensions, which have destabilized the global supply chain and impacted tens of thousands of workers and their families. As a result, we're headed towards a tech reset, which provides a significant opportunity for technology companies and governments to collaborate on effective policies. Together, this can bring out the best of what the technology industry has to offer: breakthrough innovation, good paying jobs, and solutions to some of the most challenging problems. For more information and to register for "The Tech Reset: The tension between the tech industry and government," visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-informations-2020-wtf-summit-tickets-71706787933 About Huawei Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes. At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 188,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees. For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei http://www.twitter.com/Huawei http://www.facebook.com/Huawei http://www.youtube.com/Huawei Contact: Kimberlee Bradshaw Archibald / [email protected] SOURCE Huawei Technologies USA Related Links http://www.huawei.com You finished this trip several weeks ago, but is there any image that has stuck with you? It is a visit to one family. Its a girl, shes eating soup that was made by her dad, and shes 11 years old. She has ADHD. She is raised by a dad whose husband died. The dad was in the military. A gay man during the time of Dont Ask, Dont Tell. He adopted this girl from a family member. Now hes in his 60s, and she is approaching young womanhood. They are eating pasta shells that he sauteed up in a pan with a can of tomato soup and a can of diced tomatoes. And that was what he calls cheap soup. There was nothing in that photo that belies anything that I told you as a back story, including the urn that he had next to his bookcase, with the rainbow flag over it, that contains his husband. I left there feeling that I wanted her voice to be heard. I believe I felt that way because I didnt see the pathway for that to happen. Sometimes being well-adjusted is not what you want. You dont want to be comfortable with scarcity. So, the feeling that I had with that family was bittersweet. I love the fact that they had each other, and they werent complaining about it, and they formed a family. Yet I hoped that her voice could be heard so that she is the new face of our future. How did your upbringing inform how you approached this project? I would say that has fully formed the human being that I am. And so Im able to approach a lot of situations in life with experience that allows me to just receive whoever is gracious enough to invite me into their life. That is much more important than any kind of knowledge of photography. Being human, being rich in lived experience, enables you to sit down at a table, literally and figuratively, and be present in an unconditionally loving, nonjudgmental way. There is a focus on children in this project. Why did you gravitate toward kids? When kids are there, they steal the show. I do love me some old people though. The beginning and the end of the life spectrum. But I think when you look at kids, you definitely see what were investing in. What those kids are eating, how theyre living, it is a real indicator of the future. You can see red or blue states, or left or right, but I dont think anyone doesnt come together in agreement that we all want to take care of our kids. Food insecurity is a topic of national conversation. What is the subtext that you know to be true when you see those headlines? Theres this idea that people have to deserve being fed, to earn their right to eat. In Covid, that has been laid aside and you have people from across the political spectrum showing up at food lines. Theres a moratorium on the shame and your virtue being tied to feeding yourself. When I see those headlines, I want to keep it in the forefront of our collective consciousness that just like the Great Depression the people who are going to be the hardest hit by struggle have always been struggling. There has been a landscape of insecurity and economic inequity that has only been widening over the past decade. By PTI NEW DELHI: CPM MP PR Natarajan has written to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is the chairman of the parliamentary panel on information and technology, demanding criminal investigation into Facebook's alleged links with the BJP. Natarajan, an MP from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, took note of the notice that the committee had served to the social media company for its alleged questionable practices in India and promoting hate. The committee has summoned representatives of Facebook and will hear their views "on the subject of safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms, including special emphasis on women security in the digital space," according to the agenda of the meeting. "The conduct of Facebook is serious in nature and has far-reaching implications on our right to unbiased information," Natarajan said in the letter. READ| Have had serious concerns about Facebook's role during 2014, 2019 elections: TMC writes to Mark Zuckerberg "The matter concerns the rights of citizens to information free from biases which the social media platform has violated. We need to take clear measures given the perilous state of democracy in India today. We face a growth in authoritarianism, diminished institutional independence and curbs on fundamental rights," the Lok Sabha MP said. Natarajan underscored that the role of social media platforms like Facebook, and even WhatsApp, which "also till recently was controlled by the same public policy team", should be to support democratic values rather than undermining them. He pointed out to a UN fact-finding report that found Facebook playing a central role on the "genocide" in Myanmar. Natarajan alleged that the manner in which Facebook had intervened to influence voters in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party was an interference in the Indian electoral process by a foreign corporate house. "This also brings into question the use of such a dubious company, which has a poor track record globally, by the ruling party to further its own electoral interests, while subverting Indian democracy. "It is equally worrisome that many government bodies, institutions and departments have worked in close cooperation with FB, which has possibly compromised India's interests," he said. The CPM leader stressed that was imperative that a criminal investigation be launched to establish the nature of the relationship between the BJP and FB, and its access to the government and constitutional bodies. "Pending such an inquiry, FB should not be allowed to operate with any government department or constitutional body," he added. MBABANE The COVID-19 pandemic is really biting hard on businesses and institutions and it is showing; the EswatiniBank being one of those that has been hit hard by the pandemic. The bank has recorded a loss of E64.191 million in the financial year ended March 31, 2020 and it attributes this slump mainly to COVID-19 related impairments. According to the banks abridged financial statements, the impairments amount to E102.373 million and they comprise COVID-19 relief of E30.418 million, GDP contraction impact of E55.607 million and normal loan impairments totalling E16.348 million. This represents a loss of 214.5 per cent compared to the previous year (ended March 31, 2019) where the bank recorded a profit of E56.083 million, which had also been preceded by a profit of E42.873 million during the financial year ended March 31, 2018. A significant component of the impairments is in respect of the likely effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown and reduced business activity have impacted on a number of customers and sectors of the economy, the bank said in its statement released yesterday. Repayment holidays factor EswatiniBank said as part of its response initiatives, it provided repayment holidays to a number of customers with loans totalling E136 million. The bank had to raise impairments for the respective loans, over and above the normal impairments, the statement further reads. The bank has stated that the largest impact, however, came from the projected contraction of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as announced by the Central Bank in March 2020. For reporting purposes, the bank had to factor the GDP projections into the IFRS 9 model, and this resulted in significant impairments. The bank expects to write these impairments back, should there be an improvement in economic activity, the statement states. The bank anticipates a reversal of these impairments, subject to the improvement of economic conditions. The IFRS 9 (International Financial Reporting Standards 9) requires firms to take account of future expected credit losses (ECLs) to calculate provisions for their financial instruments, investment portfolios, loan books, and trade receivables. This change requires the use of forward-looking analytics. EswatiniBank said due to its lending book having been significantly impacted, it had to raise impairments in line with the forward-looking IFRS 9. The projected contraction in GDP and the specific COVID-19 relief measures extended to customers are some of the factors that have contributed to the adverse year-end performance, said the bank. Meanwhile, the bank said gross loans and advances increased by 9.3 per cent (E147.405 million) from E1.580 billion in the previous year to E1.728 billion in the current year. Portfolios that contributed to the loan books growth have been listed as corporate business, housing, agriculture, asset finance, personal loans and SMME. Loan provisions (impairments) increased by 46.1 per cent due mainly to the likely impact of COVID-19. As a result, the net loan book increased by 4.3 per cent. The bank continues to monitor the loan book performance closely, the bank said. Funding balances (customer balances and long-term borrowings), are reported to stand at E1.568 billion after experiencing a decrease of 7.3 per cent (E122.570 million) during the year. Outflows were experienced in both borrowings (normal facility repayments) and customer deposits (normal customer withdrawals), said the bank. Gross income up E19.75m Gross income generated during the year is reported to have amounted to E376.110 million, reflecting an increase of E19.750 million from the E356.360 million realised in the previous year. The growth is mainly driven by interest income, in line with the growth in the gross loan book, the bank further stated. The bank said it had generated net interest income amounting to E145.091 million, which reflects an increase of 4.4 per cent from E138.720 million generated in the previous year. Net interest income is a financial performance measure that reflects the difference between the revenue generated from a banks interest-bearing assets and expenses associated with paying on its interest-bearing liabilities. A typical banks assets consist of all forms of personal and commercial loans, mortgages and securities. The liabilities are interest-bearing customer deposits; the excess revenue that is generated from the interest earned on assets over the interest paid out on deposits is the net interest income. The growth is in line with the growth in the gross lending book, and has been partly offset by a reduction in investment income. Interest expense increased by 8.3 per cent and is a reflection of the high cost of funds, stated the bank. Non-interest revenue generated during the year is reported to amount to E135.494 million, an increase of 4.7 per cent from the previous years E129.431 million. The bank reported total operating expenses of E252.539 million, an increase of 13.4 per cent from the E222.675 million incurred the previous year. Major increases have been listed as IT licences and support fees, digital support banking fees and once-off data clean-up costs following a system upgrade. In terms of future outlook, the bank said it had put in place a number of strategies to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and was looking forward to a turnaround in economic activity and in the institutions own performance in the coming year. The bank said it had upgraded its core banking system and also enhanced the digital banking platform. It said a number of digital banking projects were being completed and would be rolled out before the close of the calendar year, something that is expected to help enhance customer service. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) Antonio Sanchez, the convicted former mayor of Calauan, Laguna has tested negative for the coronavirus disease but remains confined at the New Bilibid Prison due to various illnesses. Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag told CNN Philippines in a text message on Thursday that Sanchezs swab test came back negative. Sanchez was diagnosed with moderate-risk community acquired pneumonia, Chaclag said. While the detainees acute gastroenteritis has been resolved, he has other illnesses such as chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and benign prostatic hypertrophy. Sanchez is now in stable condition without dextrose, Chaclag said. BuCor reported Sanchezs confinement on Tuesday. He was referred to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa, but there was no available room for him. In 1995, Sanchez and his henchmen were sentenced to seven terms of reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment for the 1993 rape and murder of Mary Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, students of the University of the Philippines Los Banos in Laguna. Last year, reports of Sanchez's possible early release from prison drew public outrage, prompting the revision of 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. Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent, the German government has said. Toxicology tests had shown "unequivocal proof" of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group, it said. Mr Navalny was airlifted to Berlin for treatment after falling ill during a flight in Russia's Siberia region last month. He has been in a coma since. His team say he was poisoned on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has dismissed the allegation. The German government said it condemned the attack in the strongest terms and called for Russia to urgently provide an explanation. "It is a disturbing development that Alexei Navalny was the victim of a chemical nerve agent in Russia," it said. Chancellor Angela Merkel has met senior ministers to discuss the next steps, the statement said. The Kremlin said it had not received any information from Germany that Mr Navalny had been poisoned using a Novichok nerve agent, Russia's Tass news agency reported. The German government said it would inform the EU and Nato military alliance of its findings. "[The federal government] will discuss an appropriate joint response with the partners in the light of the Russian response," it said. Mr Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya and Russia's ambassador to Germany would also be informed of the findings, the statement said. What happened to Navalny? Mr Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. His supporters suspect poison was placed in a cup of tea at Tomsk airport. The flight of the prominent Putin critic was diverted to Omsk, where doctors treated him for three days before he was transferred to the Charite hospital in Berlin. The Kremlin says Russian doctors administered atropine - which can be used to treat the effects of nerve agents - but found no evidence of poisoning. Mrs Navalnaya said she feared Russian doctors had delayed his transfer as authorities were trying to wait for evidence of any chemical substance to disappear. Doctors at Charite hospital have said his condition is serious but not life-threatening. What is Novichok? The name Novichok means "newcomer" in Russian, and applies to a group of advanced nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Novichok agents have similar effects to other nerve agents - they act by blocking messages from the nerves to the muscles, causing a collapse of many bodily functions. While some Novichok agents are liquids, others are thought to exist in solid form. This means they can be dispersed as an ultra-fine powder. Novichoks were designed to be more toxic than other chemical weapons, so some versions begin to take effect rapidly - in the order of 30 seconds to two minutes. In 2018 an ex-Russian spy, his daughter and a couple were poisoned with a Novichok agent in the British city of Salisbury. Russian suspects identified in the case are alleged to have smeared the nerve agent on the door handle of Sergei Skripal's home. What is the Salisbury poisoning's legacy? The attack left Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia critically ill. Dawn Sturgess, 44, was later exposed to the same nerve agent and died in hospital. Who is Navalny? Mr Navalny is an anti-corruption campaigner who has led nationwide protests against the Russian authorities. He has called Mr Putin's party a place of "crooks and thieves" that is "sucking the blood out of Russia". However, he has been banned from standing against Mr Putin in elections because of a conviction for embezzlement. He denies the crime, saying his legal troubles are Kremlin reprisals for his fierce criticism. There have been a number of previous attacks on high-profile critics or opponents of President Putin, including politicians, intelligence officers and journalists. The Kremlin has always denied involvement. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As for his statement on the special status for Donbas, there are also nuances that should be taken into account, says Garmash. Journalist Sergiy Garmash, who has been part of the Ukrainian delegation in Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement, believes deputy degelation chief Vitold Fokin does stand for pardon to be applied to those who committed certain crimes in Donbas, but not terrorists whose "arms are soaked in blood up to their elbows." The journalist says Fokin's statement on the issue has been distorted in the final text of the interview published by Strana.ua in an act of manipulation of public opinion, Ukraine 24 reports. Read alsoRussia's Gryzlov throws tantrums at latest TCG talks Ukraine delegate"We've been talking so much about Fokin. Today [September 2] I talked to him, which was his own initiative... He is very emotional about pressure he's been subjected to. He just showed me the text of the interview, which had been agreed [with the outlet]. There are big differences there from what we all eventually saw. That is, he talks about pardon, but there is also a reservation there, which I believe is missing from the final text of the interview, namely: 'except for those who have their hands soaked in blood up to their elbows.' This is an important clarification," the journalist says. As for the special status of Donbas, there are also clarifications that should be noted in this context, Garmash said. Perhaps, if you excuse me, the old man was simply used "He speaks of a special status, but here it may not be the journalists' fault but his own perception of that special status. When we started talking, [I asked] who will bring investments here if the region is divided? That is, a special status for him is a preferential tax regime, of which he spoke before, and [Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG Leonid] Kravchuk spoke, too. I think there is a certain misunderstanding here. Perhaps, if you excuse me, the old man was simply used. Let's lower the tensions, we need to figure things out," the journalist said. Fokin's infamous statement: background In a statement on Wednesday the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has in a phone thanked Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis as the U.S. protecting power in Iran and assistance in repatriating imprisoned U.S. citizens from Iran. "Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Cassis for Switzerlands continued and constructive role as our protecting power in Iran and for its assistance in caring for and repatriating U.S. citizens wrongly imprisoned by the Iranian regime," the statement said. Pompeo himself described the call "terrific" in a tweet and said he had discussed "deepening economic ties and partnership to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment" with his Swiss counterpart. The Swiss Foreign Minister is scheduled to make a three-day official visit to Tehran on September 5 to mark the centenary of Swiss-Iranian diplomatic relations. Switzerland currently holds protecting power mandates to mediate between Iran and the US, Canada and Saudi Arabia. According to a statement released by the Federal Council of Switzerland, Ignazio who is also a federal councillor will meet with President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif, and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani. Discussions will focus on bilateral relations and Switzerland's protecting power mandates, the statement said. Switzerland has represented U.S. interest in Iran since January 1980 after diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States came to an end with the U.S. embassy takeover and hostage-taking. Since 2017 Switzerland has also assumed protecting power mandates for Iran in Saudi Arabia and for Saudi Arabia in Iran and in 2019 it also came represent Iranian interests in Canada. In her statement with Barkha Dutt, Susan claimed that Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder that led him to experience depression and hypomania. She also backed Rhea and said that she did everything to support the late actor. Take a look at the video below. The investigation of Sushant Singh Rajputs demise has been surrounded by controversies since the very first day. In latest developments surrounding the case,was snapped at the DRDO guest house, where the CBI team is carrying its investigation. Jacob Rees-Mogg played Rule, Britannia! on his phone in the House of Commons to celebrate the BBC reversing its decision about the Last Night Of The Proms. The Commons Leader held his mobile phone close to the microphone near the despatch box and played the song, ensuring MPs heard the words: When Britain first, at heavens command. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to joke that Rees-Mogg had broken the values of the House, and teased: How dare he. Read more: Have your say: Is BBC comedy too left wing? Members of the audience react during the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London.(PA) Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory will now be sung at the concert, following weeks of debate, it was announced on Thursday. The BBC previously said the pieces would feature without lyrics, following controversy over their perceived historical links with colonialism and slavery, but they will now be performed by a select group of vocalists. The BBC announced the U-turn one day after Tim Davie took over as director-general. Read more: Stand-up Geoff Norcott defends plan for more right-wing comedy on BBC Jacob Rees Mogg, leade of the House of Commons. (Getty) Rees-Mogg told the Speaker: I, of course, apologise for any offence I may have given the House, but when Britain first, at heavens command, arose from out the azure main, this was the anthem of the land and guardian angels sang this strain. Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves, and Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. And let us hope the BBC will recognise the virtues of Britannia in this land of hope and glory. Rees-Mogg was replying to Conservative colleague, who suggested the BBC had used a smokescreen set of excuses for its original decision to mask yet another virtue-signalling capitulation to political correctness. On Wednesday, Boris Johnson claimed the country is going through an orgy of national embarrassment about its traditions and history. After Rees-Mogg played the tune, Labour MP Kevin Brennan quipped during business questions: I was very disappointed with little musical stunt with his mobile phone earlier on a clear case I thought of Britannia waives the rules. Story continues New BBC director-general Davie reportedly told staff on Thursday he would be clamping down on staff being partisan on social media. Davies new regime appears to be seeking to double down on the impartiality of the corporation. It was recently reported Davie wanted less left-leaning comedy in programming. In his speech, he said: If you want to be an opinionated columnist, or a partisan campaigner on social media, then that is a valid choice but you should not be working at the BBC. He added: To be clear, this is not about abandoning democratic values such as championing fair debate or an abhorrence of racism. How many people use their celebrity to try to make lives better for others? When most people achieve any sort of celebrity status, it's rare for them to immediately put the newfound fame and respect they've earned into a means of helping others, whether at the individual level or at the cultural level. For most, they simply rest on their laurels and try to take advantage of their celebrity for whatever personal gain they can achieve. Manisha Dass, a star on Netflix's Indian Matchmaking, has not only used her celebrity to try to make lives better for those around her, but she is working to effect broad change in the way entire cultures perceive love and marriage. Manisha explains how her celebrity journey began, In September of 2018, my cousin who is also one of my best friends came across a casting call post on Instagram for Indian Matchmaking. He managed to pretty easily convince me to send in an application - given that we had basically tried everything to find me a partner, but this. We had nothing to lose, and possibly everything to gain. Due to a lot of personal grief and loss I had gone through earlier that year, I was seeking change and positivity. We created my first ever biodata and this was followed by several interviews with the show's production team. In April of 2019, I was informed that I was selected for the show. I met with Sima Taparia from Mumbai (the matchmaker) via FaceTime, and before I knew it was flying to Austin to meet my match. The process of becoming a star for Indian Matchmaking has been life-changing for Manisha, and she hopes to encourage people from all over the world to cultivate hope and take risks, even when they feel bound and trapped by cultural norms and expectations surrounding love and marriage. Manisha could have easily declined the offer to become part of the show and sunk back to cultural traditions that dictate when and how a woman should find love, but she didnt. Manisha wants to dismantle long-held assumptions about these things, especially in the South Asian world, and help people to pursue their dreams, whether relationships or otherwise, at any age. She explains to WUNC in North Carolina (her home state), Change really is only going to happen if we can talk about the issues, and it's nice to see that this show has, you know, kind of sparked a lot of these conversations. For so long, it's been easier to kind of brush it under the carpet as a cultural sort of habit and not really talk about it, and it's really great to see that people are coming forward and having conversations about it. While its been life-changing for her, being a part of Indian Matchmaking is just a tiny part of who Manisha is. She holds a Masters in Public Administration and a Masters in Occupational Therapy. She currently works in the public health sphere, aiming to blend humanitarian work and science. She regularly volunteers, tutoring Spanish to local high-schoolers and also works with the homeless and refugee community in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Not to mention, shes fluent in four languages! Manisha is what everyone who finds fame and celebrity should aspire to become: passionate about serving those in need, dedicated to helping dismantle cultural stigmas that can hold others back, and finding ways to make the world a better place. If only more celebrities followed her example! This is a featured content. Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE:STNG) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 8th of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 29th of September. Scorpio Tankers's next dividend payment will be US$0.10 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.40 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Scorpio Tankers stock has a trailing yield of around 3.6% on the current share price of $11.13. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. See our latest analysis for Scorpio Tankers If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Scorpio Tankers paid out just 14% of its profit last year, which we think is conservatively low and leaves plenty of margin for unexpected circumstances. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Scorpio Tankers generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Luckily it paid out just 6.0% of its free cash flow last year. It's positive to see that Scorpio Tankers's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Scorpio Tankers's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. Story continues Scorpio Tankers also issued more than 5% of its market cap in new stock during the past year, which we feel is likely to hurt its dividend prospects in the long run. It's hard to grow dividends per share when a company keeps creating new shares. The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Scorpio Tankers's dividend payments per share have declined at 36% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. Final Takeaway From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Scorpio Tankers? Earnings per share have been flat, although at least the company is paying out a low and conservative percentage of both its earnings and cash flow. It's definitely not great to see earnings falling, but at least there may be some buffer before the dividend gets cut. Overall, it's hard to get excited about Scorpio Tankers from a dividend perspective. So while Scorpio Tankers looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. For example, Scorpio Tankers has 5 warning signs (and 2 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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. SOMERVILLE, MA Somerville is launching a community wastewater testing program to monitor for the coronavirus and provide earlier detection of increased spread of COVID-19, Mayor Joseph Curtatone announced Thursday. City officials said they believe the program is the first of its kind in Massachusetts. The city partnered with Asst. Professor Ameet Pinto of Northeastern University's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Stantec, the city's on-call engineering firm for sewer work and design. The program is designed to reveal COVID-19 hotspots up to one to two weeks earlier than current individual testing. "Adding wastewater testing to our COVID-19 interventions is like adding a smoke alarm to your house. It provides a warning before the problem gets out of control," Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement. "This new tool will greatly enhance our ability to detect and contain COVID-19 clusters in Somerville as they emerge. We all know now that widespread testing and contact tracing is critical to controlling the spread of the virus, and the earlier and the more comprehensive the testing is, the better we can reduce virus spread. This program will give us a head start." In collaboration with the city's emergency response leadership, the initiative was led by the Infrastructure and Asset Management team, which is typically concerned with building and maintaining the city's sewers. The project will also sequence the genes of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which tends to accumulate mutations over time and may provide useful information on the origin of COVID-19 clusters. This data will be shared with researchers and the CDC wastewater testing program. The MWRA is conducting wastewater testing on a regional level as well. "We are all hands on deck here. The Mayor asked my team to reach out to companies doing wastewater testing for the coronavirus this spring, but the sampling logistics were restrictive, and the costs were prohibitive," Rich Raiche, director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, said in a statement. "So we began looking at other options and fortunately connected with Professor Pinto, who has the lab equipment and capability to do this testing affordably via resources at Northeastern University. Meanwhile, Stantec is already working on improvements to our sewers, and they were eager to step up and support the testing by managing the sampling effort." Story continues Testing is expected to begin this week. Each week, up to ten samples will be collected and locations will vary. Areas expected to be initially prioritized include the Tufts University neighborhood, areas with high concentrations of vulnerable residents or high density, and public schools once on-site classes begin. The approach is expected to evolve over time. "By applying our in-depth knowledge of Somervilles sewer system, were able to help public health officials connect the dots between the lab results and the neighborhoods contributing to these outcomes," David VanHoven, senior principal with Stantec, said in a statement. "This detection tool will identify neighborhood trends to support the citys mission in mitigating the risk of COVID-19 in the community." By nature, wastewater testing results are anonymous. The testing is not able to identify individuals as sources. All privacy protocols and measures similar to those for handling individual test results reported to the Somerville Board of Health by the Commonwealth will also be adhered to. Wastewater testing is the latest addition to Somervilles COVID-19 Mitigation Plan. Among other initiatives in collaboration with a range of partners, Somerville announced communitywide free COVID-19 testing for residents in April, joined Revere and other cities to offer safe quarantine and isolation options, launched a free mobile testing unit in June, distributed 100,000 free face masks to community members, and instituted face-covering requirements before the statewide order. This article originally appeared on the Somerville Patch Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The lawyer of the family of slain transgender woman Jennifer Laude on Thursday questioned a local court's order to prematurely release US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton on the basis of exemplary behavior. The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court's Branch 74 on September 1 said Pemberton should walk free for his good behavior. He has served over five years and eight months of his 10-year maximum jail sentence. The court credited to him a good conduct time allowance of 1,548 days or more than four years. This yields an accumulated jail time of 10 years, one month, and 10 days, the court said. But the Laude family's counsel, Virgie Suarez, said the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law was applied to Pemberton's case without clear proof that he was well-behaved and participated in rehabilitation activities while in jail, adding it did not comply with the provisions of the law. "What was presented was a mere certification that he has a good conduct. That certification even came from the US guards," she told CNN Philippines. In the implementing rules of the Republic Act 10592, inmates who display "good behavior and [have] no record of breach of discipline or violation of prison rules and regulations" are eligible for GCTA. The lawyer said some steps were skipped in the computation. She said there was no recommendation from the management, screening, and evaluating committee, which should be the basis for the decision of the time allowance supervisor who forwards the computation to the court. "What was considered was the computation made by Pemberton, that is another clear injustice... [The court should] order Pemberton to continue serving his sentence because (of) lack of material basis for application of GCTA law " she stressed. Suarez said the release order cannot be carried out yet because she filed a motion for reconsideration on Wednesday, which has yet to be resolved. She added that, if it can be proven the Pemberton showed good conduct while in detention, he still has to serve 10 months with the proper calculation of the law. Pemberton's counsel, Rowena Garcia Flores, is unfazed by the motion for reconsideration filed by the Laude camp. She believes the American Marine will be released from a special military facility in Camp Aguinaldo soon as the motion filed is a "mere scrap of paper." She said that once Pemberton is a free man, he will return to the United States and continue his studies. How Pemberton's jail time was cut short Pemberton in June filed an urgent motion for the Bureau of Corrections to compute the time he served in jail by applying the good conduct time allowance law. In August, Pemberton appealed for his immediate release, claiming that the BuCor failed to give him a years worth of GCTA since it did not include in its computation his preventive imprisonment from October 22, 2014 until November 30, 2015. The Olongapo court granted Pembertons partial motion for reconsideration and ruled that he should be given GCTA during the one-year period. The court also took note that Pemberton already paid the Laude family the full amount of 4.65 million in civil damages. In October 2014, Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with Pemberton, who confessed to killing her after finding out she had male genitalia. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks, her head rammed into a toilet. The high-profile case was brought back to the spotlight when President Rodrigo Duterte moved to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and United States early this year. With the abrogation, Pemberton should be transferred to the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in February. The VFA remains in effect since the Duterte government suspended the termination amid the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN Philippines' Eimor Santos contributed to this report. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 13:45 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4277604 1 Health pregnancy,pregnant,COVID-19,health,coronavirus,pandemic Free The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to spend more time at home, limiting couples access to birth control. As a result, Indonesia is expecting to see a COVID-fueled baby boom next year. Whether its planned or unplanned, the journey of becoming a mother is not a walk in the park, especially in the time of COVID-19. According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expectant mothers might be at an increased risk of COVID-1. Pregnant women with COVID-19 are said to also have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth. Obstetrician-gynecologist Jesurun Bangun Daud Hutabarat from medical clinic chain ZAP Premier in Medan, North Sumatra, has a different view, though. He said it was fine to get pregnant during the pandemic as long as the pregnancy is properly maintained. For those trying to conceive, Jesurun recommended a preconception checkup, which would help them discover various health issues, including the mothers nutritional and medical status. Couples can also go for a rapid test, he said during a virtual media gathering hosted by ZAP. Jesurun encouraged couples to avoid rushing to have children. If you feel that your body is not ready [to carry a baby], dont get pregnant now. Read also: Negative COVID-19 but positive pregnancy: Best to delay new baby As for pregnant women, Jesurun emphasized the importance of prenatal medical checkups, saying they help expecting parents to check the stages of the pregnancy. Prenatal visits usually include 2D, 3D or 4D ultrasound scans, which check the babys organ development as well as help determine the placenta position and the amniotic sacs condition. Furthermore, pregnant women are recommended to take vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and iron supplements. Prepare your vitamins and medicines for one month. Therefore, you dont need to go out often, he said, adding that pregnant women need to follow health and safety protocols, such as practicing physical distancing, washing their hands frequently and wearing face masks when going outside. Moreover, expectant mothers are suggested to keep their stress levels low to prevent problems for the baby, such as premature birth and low-birth weight. There are protocols for births during the pandemic, he said, adding that expecting mothers would need to do rapid tests followed by swab tests if there was a risk of contracting COVID-19. (wng) New Delhi, Sep 3 : The Supreme Court on Friday will take up a plea by six ministers of opposition-ruled states -- West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand -- who jointly filed a review petition, challenging the court's August 17 order declining to entertain petitions seeking postponement of NEET-JEE exams slated in September against the backdrop of Covid-19. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari will take up the plea in-chamber. The petition, filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes, contends the petitioners have moved the top court to "secure the safety, security and right to life of the students -candidates appearing for the NEET/JEE exams". The petition argues that the top court has ignored the logistical difficulties in conducting the examinations at the proposed dates. "Failed to balance the competing but equally important aspects of conducting the examination and securing safety of the student. Fails to ensure that mandatory safeguards are put in place during the conduct of the examinations," said the petition challenging the August 17 order. "The advice of 'Life Must Go On' may have very sound philosophical underpinnings but cannot be a substitute for valid legal reasoning and logical analysis of the various aspects involved in the conduct of the NEET UG and JEE exams," the petitioners argued. They said the apex court failed to appreciate that the Centre had adequate time to establish at least one centre for every district for NEET (UG) and JEE (Mains) rather than having several centres in one district. "Having at least one centre per district would have minimised the inter-district, long travel of the students and thereby reduced the chances of Covid-19 spread," they argued. The petitioners contended that if the August 17 order is not reviewed, then grave and irreparable harm and injury would befall the student community of the country and it will impact health, welfare and safety of the students/candidates appearing for the NEET/JEE examinations. Petitioner number one is West Bengal Labour and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak, number two is Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, the third is Rajasthan Health and Family Welfare Minister Raghu Sharma, the fourth petitioner is Chhattisgarh's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Amarjeet Bhagat, the fifth is Punjab's Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, and the sixth is Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Ravindra Samant. "With regards to the second reason of losing a year, it is most respectfully submitted that this would be tantamount to putting the cart before the horse, as the submissions hereinabove have revealed. The review petitioners too do not desire for the students to lose an academic year, but wish to balance their health, safety and security and that of their family with not losing the current academic year," said the petition. The aggregator of affiliate programs from multiple networks will offer new opportunities for advertisers and publishers HEILBRONN, Germany, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Admitad announced the launch of Admitad Affiliate Marketplace - an aggregator of affiliate programs from multiple networks. The platform provides advertisers of the connected CPA networks with access to the traffic of Admitad publishers worldwide, taking care of the publisher engagement and accounting. When developing the platform, the Admitad team drew on experience of AdGoal company acquired in 2019, or rather its subnetwork business model. More than 35,000 advertisers are currently connected to the Marketplace through 60 partner networks. Their total turnover through the marketplace amounted to 1.3 bn in just under three quarters of 2020. What advertiser problems are addressed by Affiliate Marketplace? There used to be three main problems in subnetworks: advertisers could not see exact traffic sources, could not choose publishers and types of advertising, and sometimes shut down the whole affiliate program due to violations of just one publisher. You had to contact subnetworks personally to deal with such issues, which increased the amount of administrative work. For advertisers, it was difficult to work with subnetworks. In the new Admitad Marketplace, they have solved these problems and improved the quality of service: advertisers from integrated affiliate networks will now be able to moderate partners independently as well as choose traffic sources and disable specific publishers for violations. "Highly transparent operations, advanced tools, user-friendly interface are the features implemented in the new Admitad Affiliate Marketplace," - Admitad Founder & CEO Alexander Bachmann comments on the platform launch. How can other market players benefit from Admitad Marketplace? Affiliate Marketplace is a product that lets all marketers build long-term mutually beneficial relationships. It is a new level of trust. Firstly, it is important for Admitad to be a high-quality service provider for affiliate networks, facilitating expansion of their presence and significantly increasing the number of active publishers. It includes instant access to dozens of thousands of vloggers, social media and messenger channel owners, loyalty programs and cashback services, discount sites and exclusive technology partners. Secondly, the marketplace will become a single entry point for publishers to make money on the Internet. There are more than a thousand affiliate networks in the world, and it is simply impractical to create an account for each one. Instead, Admitad offers publishers one personal account, a single API for accessing all the tools, and a single service for receiving payments. If you are interested in using the Admitad Affiliate Marketplace services, feel free to leave a request . About Admitad Founded by Alexander Bachmann in 2010 as a stand-alone cost-per-action network, in just 10 years Admitad became a multi-vector ecosystem - a service provider for advertisers, publishers and other affiliate networks. In 2019, it had 1500 advertisers, including Booking, Asos, AliExpress, Lenovo, etc. and delivered a total of $5bn in advertisers' revenue. Admitad is a subsidiary of AB Capital Group, along with a cluster of IT start-ups, a venture investment fund and interest in multiple affiliate marketing businesses. The company is headquartered in Heilbronn, Germany. Its primary markets are the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Brazil, India and CIS countries. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247724/Admitad_Alexander_Bachmann.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1215121/Admitad_Logo.jpg The Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA) has announced that 11 Nigerians have so far died of COVID-19 in that country. Its President, Mr. Adetola Olubajo, said in a statement from Pretoria on Wednesday that the COVID-19 deaths were for Gauteng Province alone, adding that it was yet to get figures from eight other provinces in South Africa. At the last count, 11 Nigerians have died from COVID-19 in Gauteng Province alone. I have attended the funeral of some of them, he said. According to Olubajo, the disease is real and has devastated several countries of the world. He said the biggest challenge was the belief by some Nigerians in South Africa that the disease was not real. Many people believe that COVID-19 pandemic is political and fake and that they are just seeing figures. On the contrary, we have seen quite a number of our people that have died from the disease in South Africa. Another challenge we have is stigmatisation and refusal of infected people to disclose their status. We have provided a channel through which the identities of infected people will be protected and we give them the much-needed support. For instance, in case someone cant get an ambulance, as soon as we get such a call, we ensure the person gets the ambulance, he said. He added that the union was encouraging Nigerians to adopt all precautionary and safety measures put in place by the South African government for their safety. Olubajo also said the union is working with a team of Nigerian and South African health professionals in the frontline of various hospitals to assist Nigerians with information. We have put in place a mechanism to reach out to many Nigerians in South Africa with information with the assistance of our health professionals, he said. He said the union had provided COVID-19 palliatives to Nigerians but preference was being given to vulnerable people like single mothers, students, petty traders and artisans, who earn daily living on the streets. Novichok is a series of nerve agent weapons developed as part of a secret Soviet program and continued once the Soviet Union collapsed. A Novichok nerve agent was used to poison the former Russian double agent Sergey Skripal in the English town of Salisbury in 2018, making the weapon a household name. So when Germany's government announced Wednesday the Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny had been poisoned with a nerve agent from the "Novichok group" it was seen as an explosive development solidifying evidence that Navalny's poisoning was carried out by Russian security agencies. PHOTO: In this Aug. 3, 2018, file photo, people in hazmat suits wait for decontamination after securing a tent over a bench in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill by exposure to Novichok. (Andrew Matthews/Press Association via AP, FILE) Russia's government has always denied the "Novichok" weapons' existence, despite its own state media running interviews with the scientists involved in their creation. Most of what is known about them comes from accounts from a handful of Russian scientists, in particular Zil Mirzayanov, who in the 1990s went public about them giving interviews to Russian and foreign journalists. Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent, German government says "Novichok" translates as "New boy" from Russian and the name was given because the nerve agents were a new type known as "binaries." Unlike more common nerve agents such as VX and sarin, binaries consist of two substances that have to be combined in order to activate them, making it easier to transport them and also to conceal from weapons inspectors. PHOTO: Novichok nerve agent (TNS via Newscom, FILE) The weapons were developed under a program known as "Foliant," according to Mirzayanov. In the 1990s, he had been tasked with ensuring the secrecy of Russia's chemical weapons program, but he decided to go public because he believed the program violated the country's commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention that it had signed along with the United States. Accounts from scientists involved in creating the Novichok nerve agents have described them as extraordinarily dangerous, a tiny amount of which is enough to cause serious long-term health problems and if not treated with an antidote, death. Story continues Andrei Zheleznyakov, a scientist working on a Novichok nerve agent described being accidentally exposed in a lab in 1987, in an interview from a Soviet newspaper found by The Guardian in 2018. In the interview with the newspaper Novoye Vremya, he said a malfunction with hood ventilation released a small amount of the nerve agent, known as "Novichok-5" into the air. Zheleznyakov, who was given an antidote, died within a year suffering from cirrhosis, toxic hepatitis, nerve damage and epilepsy. The nerve agents are made from organophosphates, the basis of which can be relatively common fertilizers. The agents harm victims in the same way as most nerve agents: by attacking the nervous system, causing a person to lose control of bodily functions, prompting cardiac arrest and shutting down the respiratory system. "The ones that we know about are working very much the same way as other nerve agents such VX, sarin. So they affect the ability of the body to communicate with itself and slowly strangle it with a lack of oxygen and you end up with a cardiac arrest or a pulmonary arrest -- you go into a heart attack and you can't breathe anymore," Gwynn Winfield, a chemical weapons expert with the publication CBRNe World, told ABC News after the Skripal poisoning. PHOTO: In this illustration, the skeletal formula for the Novichok agent A-234 molecule, chemical structure as proposed by Hoenig and Ellison is shown. (Molekuul/Science Photo Library via Newscom, FILE) In an academic article published in 1995 by the Stimson Center, Mirzayanov wrote that Novichok-5 was five to eight times more lethal than VX gas. The German government suggested that the nerve agent used to poison Navalny may be somewhat different than the one used against Skripal. Russian denial of secret nerve agent program seemingly contradicted by own state media Some experts have wondered why no one else around Navalny was sickened by the poison. In the Salisbury poisoning, not only Skripal's daughter Yulia but also a responding police officer and a local couple who found the container carrying the poison were hospitalised. One of the couple, Dawn Sturgess, died. In the case of the Skripals, British police said the nerve agent had been brought into the U.K. in a perfume bottle by two agents from Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, and had been sprayed on the door handle of Sergey Skripal's house in Salisbury. He and his daughter had likely then absorbed the poison through their skin. Mirzayanov though has said Novichok nerve agents can also take the form of powder and can be released through the air. The Skripals spent weeks in the hospital and remain under British government protection. Navalny has been in an induced coma for almost three weeks and is still connected to a ventilator in the intensive care unit, according to Berlin's the Charite hospital where he was evacuated from Russia at the demand of his family. FILE PHOTO: In this Feb. 29, 2020, file photo, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny takes part in a rally in Moscow. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters, FILE) Most chemical weapons experts have said only a handful of government labs in the world could produce a Novichok nerve agent and its use would strongly suggest Russia's state must have been involved in Navalny's poisoning. Germany's chancellor on Wednesday said Russia must provide an explanation of its position around the case and said depending on the Russian response Germany and its allies in NATO and the European Union would reply with an "adequate response". It raises "very serious questions," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Wednesday. "Which only the Russian government can and must answer." What is Novichok, the nerve agent used to poison Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Social security payment rates reduced for three months PHUKET: Social Security Fund contributions paid by employers and employees has been reduced from 5% to 2% for three months in order to help employers and workers affected by COVID-19 crisis. COVID-19economics By The Phuket News Thursday 3 September 2020, 09:06AM Deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek announced the reduced rates yesterday (Sept 2). Photo: NNT Deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek announced yesterday (Sept 2) that the Cabinet had approved to reduce the rate for paying contributions from September through November, reports state news agency NNT. Under the reductions, the monthly payments of employees covered under Section 33 of the Social Security Act will be reduced from 5% of the set wage base maximum B15,000 to 2%, effectively reducing the maximum monthly payments per employee from B750 to B300 a month. Also, people paying into the fund under Section 39 of the act (people no longer working but who keep paying into the fund) will pay only B96 instead of B432 per month. The reductions over three months will save each person registered under Section 33 and Section 39 of the act around B1,022 and B1,008 respectively, Ms Ratchada said. Ms Ratchada pointed out that the reduced Social Security Fund contributions would apply to some 12.79 million individuals and about 487,000 employers, who would save B13 billion and B11bn respectively by not having to make the full payments. Hence, the Cabinet estimated that the reductions would release B24bn to be injected into the economy, Ms Ratchada said. The job of a school leader can be an isolating onenow more so than ever. In this recurring Education Week advice column, two experienced former principalsTamara McWilliams and Sharif El-Mekkitake turns sharing their decades of expertise with their colleagues. Have a question? Send it in to AskAPrincipal@educationweek.org and check back to see if it appears in an upcoming column. I have to self-quarantine for the next two weeks, which means trying to run a whole school from a tiny room in my house. Ive worked hard to be a source of strength for my teachers these last few months so that they can be strong for their students, but where can I turn to for strength myself? I want to know how other principals are staying sane right now! Tamara McWilliams: How do we stay sane? How do we stay centered? First of all, thank you for your dedication and focus on providing for your staff needs and for their strength. I didnt know when I became a principal how much responsibility I would feel for not just the safety and the daily logistical needs of the staff and students but also for meeting their social-emotional needs. So how do we have enough left over for ourselves? Self-care is a huge topic, but Ill narrow it down to a few suggestions that have worked for me: daily quiet time, connection with other administrators, and a tiny bit of exercise. Several years ago, I began to wake up 30 minutes early so that I could spend time every morning with my own thoughts and concerns before the world interrupted me. Our world as a school administrator is very loud with many details, not to mention the unexpected twists and turns that each day brings. I wake up early so I have time to check in with my concerns, be master of my thoughts, and take time to sort out my concerns for my family, my community, and my job. I have a daily journal that has mediations to guide my writing. It amazes me how often I am able to put into words my concerns. When I realize how much concern I am carrying on my shoulders each day, I can set those burdens down for a bit to put them in perspective. If your faith tradition encourages prayer or if you practice meditation, this gives you time to engage in those activities before the demands of the day steal self-care time away from you. As you quarantine and work in your tiny room, take time for you." Another tool that I have for keeping my balance is to be in touch with other administrators each day through a group text or email. We check in with each other often and can share concerns. Keeping our balance is key for educators. Its like the oxygen mask on the plane: Yours has to be in place before you can help others. As you quarantine and work in your tiny room, take time for you. Remember that the school will continue to run, and people can feel supported through a text, a phone call, and an email. Find the self-care practice that gives you your center each day and give yourself the gift of that time. As my school district is establishing lessons for teachers to address the civil unrest and trauma around the country, it seems like protecting the feelings of our (almost all-white) staff remains the priority. But Ive been meeting with young people this summer and know that they are not going to wait for teachers to be ready. Ive heard a real sense of urgency among students for their schools and classrooms to actively be anti-racist. How can I prepare my staff? Thank you for asking us to discuss a difficult topic. Educators love children, and we want them to be respected and affirmed by our schools; acknowledging that they do not feel respected and affirmed is a difficult reality. Culturally responsive classrooms cannot be created in a single professional-development session or even a long faculty meeting. They are the result of a process and continuous work by staff, students, and school communitiesbut we will never get there if we do not start. Begin at the beginning. We ask students to do things outside of their comfort zone in education quite often, including speaking in front of their peers, competing in an event, or reading out loud in class. Culturally responsive teaching may be outside of the comfort zone of your staff, so thats where to begin the conversation and the work to build a school that honors students of color: Acknowledge that the process is difficult, uncomfortable, and necessary. Work to put a plan in place that is focused, intentional, and has a clear timeline. There are many resources to help you work with your staff and students to put your plan together. The end-result transformation will not be evident instantly, but the evidence that the work has begun will be. Do you have any advice on communicating with my staff during whats looking like remote instruction for the long haul in my district? Staff meetings over video chat dont have the same collaborative feel as in-person meetings, and I dont want to feel like communication only flows one way. Educators are in the people business! We are educators because we know that relationships come before rigor. Most of us are not experts at remote working yet, but growth mindset will prevail in the 2020-21 school year. How can we get better at remote staff meetings and collaborations? How can we make them not a one-way flow of communication? We can begin to think differently about the structure and agenda of our meetings. Perhaps some of our meetings can occur in smaller breakout groups so that there is the ability to have more engagement among staff. We may need to pull heavily on our professional-learning-community practices to get our teachers working in virtual collaborative groups, so that the professional learning and relationships continue to grow. As a principal, I would often have staff members present a teacher tip at faculty meetings to share professional practices. We could do this in virtual meetings as well. Principals know the amazing, innovative things that are happening in our virtual classrooms. Let your meetings reflect that knowledge by having teachers contribute to the learning community. Ask your teachers what they need from your staff meetings. Structure your agendas to meet their needs in this new environment. Let them know that you are working to meet their needs and that, as we get better at operating virtually, we will continue to adjust our meeting practices. We cant be afraid to think creatively about all aspects of our world. Education doesnt look like it did a year ago, and we are in a learning curve like the world has never seen. The virtual environment will not stop educators from collaborating, building relationships, and sharing ideas in the effort to give our students the very best we have to offer. In a joint effort between Eldorado Scioto Downs, Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, and the Ohio Harness Horsemens Association, Scioto Downs is extending its race meet one week. Instead of closing the weekend before Labour Day, closing night will now be on Saturday, September 12. "Scioto agreeing to host what would have been our opening week will allow us to keep our purses close to 2019 levels," explained Jason Bluhm, Dayton's director of racing. "We look forward to starting our race season on September 13 as we host the Montgomery County Fair at 1 p.m." "We're happy to host our horsemen for an additional week of racing," said Jason Roth, Scioto's director of racing. "The purses will continue to follow the Scioto purse structure. We've had a very good meet, considering everything that has happened in 2020, that allows us to work with Dayton and extend our racing season." The schedule for the last two weeks of racing is Tuesday-Friday (Sept. 1-4), Sunday, September 6 and Wednesday-Saturday (Sept. 9-12), all with a 6:15 p.m. first post. 'Super Night,' featuring the eight Ohio Sire Stakes finals for $300,000 each and the $100,000 #SendItIn Invitational Pace, will be held Sunday, September 6. The box for Super Night will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 2) with a live draw to be held during the Wednesday evening races for the Ohio Sires Stakes Finals and the #SendItIn Invitational Pace. Due to the health and safety of Scioto's guests and team members, Ohio Super Night will be open to the public but, will have limited capacity for spectators to comply with the Ohio Department of Health order to limit/prohibit mass gatherings in the state of Ohio. The box schedule for the additional week of racing is as follows: Race Day (Box Closes) Wednesday, Sept 9 (3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept 5) Thursday, Sept 10 (10 a.m. on Monday, Sept 7) Friday & Saturday, Sept 11 & 12 (double draw 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept 8) (Scioto Downs) Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) began testing their experimental Covid-19 shot on the first patients on Thursday and aim to start late-stage trials before the year's end. The drugmakers, who both operate large facilities in Waterford, started human studies at 11 sites across the US. The trial which compresses the early and middle stages of clinical tests will assess 440 healthy patients in two age groups: 18 to 49, and over 50. Sanofi and GSK aim to have results by December, allowing the final stage to begin. There are over 175 Covid-19 vaccines currently in development, according to the World Health Organisation, and 33 in human trials. A handful have ambitions to secure emergency use authorizations. Im not concerned that were a few months behind some of the other vaccine candidates, John Shiver, senior vice president of global vaccine research and development, said in an interview. Sanofis expertise in conducting trials and experience with very similar viruses will allow it to gain back time on its peers, he said, and ultimately, multiple shots will be needed. Sanofi shares rose 0.9% early Thursday in Paris, with GSK up 0.6% in London. The Sanofi partnership is one of seven vaccine collaborations GSK is involved in after the company decided to use its adjuvant system to work with multiple candidates. The British drugmaker has also partnered with Chinese biotechnology company Clover Biopharmaceuticals and Canadas Medicago Inc. The vaccine candidate relies on technology Sanofi uses to make influenza shots and GSK's adjuvants, which enhance the bodys immune response. Sanofi also has a messenger RNA vaccine in development. Shiver said both candidates reported compelling data in pre-clinical studies. They showed very, very high levels of neutralising antibodies in monkeys that are comparable to levels in humans who recovered from the Covid-19 infection, Shiver said of the pre-clinical studies, which are to be published in medical journals later this year. That data gave Sanofi confidence as it moves to the next stage, he said. As Sanofi turns its attention to phase 1/2 trial enrollment, it is focused on recruiting a diverse cohort that reflects different geographies, races, ethnicities, genders, and ages. Older people, unfortunately, people like me over the age of 50, tend not to respond as well to vaccines, Shiver said. Sanofi is targeting the enrollment of 140 people over 50 to identify a vaccine formulation that is best suited for them, he said. The Sanofi-GSK vaccine will likely require a two-dose regimen. The Trump administrations Operation Warp Speed effort is providing as much as $2.1bn to Sanofi and GSK to fast-track its shot. If successful with regulatory approval in the first half of 2021, the companies plan to make 1bn doses next year. Bloomberg WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Betsy DeVos may have violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits political campaigning on the part of government officials, when she criticized Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Fox News, according to some experts in the law. In the interview, DeVos was asked about Biden's opposition to her school choice agenda, airing a clip in which he promises to reverse her policies if elected. DeVos replied by noting that Biden had spoken in favor of school choice in 1997. "Today he's turned his back on the kids that we're talking about and he's turned his face in favor of the teachers union and what they have to say and what they have to demand and it's really shameful," she said. The interview aired Wednesday. Later that day, the Education Department included a link to the video in an email distributed with the subject "Important Updates from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos." The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, bars the mixing of government employment with partisan politics. Several high-profile members of the Trump administration have been accused of violating it. Political appointees often have multiple roles, and it's not always clear whether somebody has gone too far. A DeVos spokeswoman said her comments were not a violation because she did not advocate for the election or defeat of any candidate. But some experts expressed alarm because she was appearing on Fox News in her official capacity. Richard Painter, who was chief White House ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007 under President George W. Bush, said that DeVos is allowed to defend her policies but that she crossed a line when she called Biden "shameful." "That is excessive," Painter said. "That is campaign rhetoric. That's not the way a secretary of education articulates a position. It's the way a campaign articulates a position." Daniel Jacobson, who served in the White House Counsel's Office under President Barack Obama, agreed. "In the interview she's obviously talking about the campaign even though she's appearing in her capacity as secretary," he said. But a third expert, another Obama appointee, said DeVos was on safe territory because she did not advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate. "If she said 'and that's why Biden shouldn't be president' . . . she would have clearly crossed the line. But she didn't go there," said Nick Schwellenbach, former communication director at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a small agency that enforces the Hatch Act. Education Department spokeswoman Angela Morabito made the same point. "The Hatch Act and agency ethics guidance specifically allow for answering policy questions and setting the record straight," she said. Michael Petrilli, president of the right-leaning Fordham Institute and an occasional DeVos critic, said he was concerned as soon as he received the email, partly because unlike the interview, it was "premeditated." "It surely involved having career civil servants prep the email and send it," he said. A number of Trump administration officials have been accused of violating the Hatch Act, most recently in appearances at the Republican National Convention last month. Watchdog groups lodged objections to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for giving a convention speech from an official trip to Israel and to acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf for leading a naturalization ceremony. The Office of Special Counsel issued 134 letters to federal employees warning them of improper behavior during the first three years of the Trump administration, according to an agency report to Congress. An additional 46 federal workers were disciplined, and 31 more were told to withdraw from political races or leave the government to pursue them. Special Counsel Henry Kerner, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, has cited at least nine high-level Trump appointees for abusing their government roles to further the president's reelection or disparage his rivals. Kerner found repeated violations on the part of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who disparaged Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity in television interviews and on social media. Kerner recommended firing her, but Trump declined to take any action. She recently left the White House for unrelated reasons. "Blah blah blah," Conway said last year. "Let me know when the jail sentence starts." A Massachusetts appeals court has ruled in favor of an online newspaper in a defamation case, holding that the statute of limitations and fair report privilege apply to articles the newspaper published regarding two incidents of domestic violence. This comes after plaintiff Robert Wolsfelt brought claims against Gloucester Times, based in Gloucester, Mass., for publishing alleged defamatory articles regarding two separate incidents of domestic violence, each of which resulted in Wolsfelts arrest. The First Article The first incident occurred on November 30, 2011. The Gloucester Police Department received a 911 call from Wolsfelt, claiming he was injured after his fiancee pushed him down the stairs. As police were traveling to the scene, they were notified Wolsfelts fiancee also called to state she had locked herself in the bathroom in fear of Wolsfelt, according to the appeals court opinion document. After officers arrived, Wolsfelts fiancee explained that although she told Wolsfelt not to return home after he called her from a bar where he had been drinking, he did return home while intoxicated and began searching through her pocketbook. When she told him to stop, she claimed he grabbed her by the throat. She then pushed him, causing him to fall down the stairs. Wolsfelt was transported to a hospital where he told a different story, stating that while retrieving his computer, his fiancee pushed him down the stairs. Officers noticed that the fiancee had red marks on her neck, however. When asked about them, Wolsfelt claimed the marks could have been left when the fiancee was wrestling with her children. After Wolsfelt was released from the hospital, he was arrested and charged with domestic assault and battery. On the same day, Gloucester Times published an article online about the incident, reporting on the facts outlined in the police report. On February 17, 2012, a general continuance with a no abuse order was entered in Wolsfelts criminal case. Gloucester Times updated the article on its website, which appeared above the full original article, according to the appeals court opinion. The Second Article The second incident occurred less than one year later. The Gloucester Police Department received a 911 call from the fiancee, alleging Wolsfelt was attempting to harm her and that knives were present. While on the way to the scene, officers received a call from Wolsfelt. They told him to remain outside. When officers arrived, Wolsfelt was sitting outside of the residence, apparently intoxicated. He claimed that he had an argument with his fiancee, and when she called the police, he tried to take the telephone from her and admitted to pushing her. His fiancee was also interviewed by the officers and reiterated Wolsfelts account, providing a few more details. Wolsfelt was arrested and charged with domestic assault and battery. On June 8, 2012, Gloucester Times published a second article online regarding this incident, once again outlining the facts in the police report. In February of 2013, Wolsfelt admitted to sufficient facts, and a continuance without a finding was entered. Gloucester Times posted an update, which appeared at the top of the webpage above article two, the appeals court opinion stated. Defamation Claim After Wolsfelt applied for a job in February 2013, he claimed he first learned about the two Gloucester Times articles and their respective updates. As a result, in June 2015, he brought an action against Gloucester Times for defamation and injunctive relief, seeking removal of the two articles and updates. This is because he claimed the articles contained untrue, incomplete, misleading[,] and damaging assertions, resulting in loss of reputation and potential employment. Under Massachusetts law, an action for defamation must be brought within three years after the date of publication of the defamatory statement, according to the appeals court opinion document. The filing date of Wolsfelts complaint, however, was more than three years after article one, the article one update, and article two first were posted online. That said, it was less than three years after the publication of the article two update. Appeals Court Decision Despite the statute of limitations, Wolsfelt argued that each time a third party accessed the website where the articles and updates were posted counts as a new communication in which the statute of limitations starts over. The appeals court rejected Wolsfelts argument, citing the single publication rule, in which a statement made to a crowd, broadcast by television or radio or printed in a newspaper or book is considered one publication even though it is received by multiple third parties or consists of many copies that are widely distributed. Permitting a separate cause of action for each hit or viewing of defamatory statement by a third party on the Internet would implicate an even greater potential for endless retriggering of the statute of limitations, multiplicity of suits and harassment of defendants,' Associate Justice Dalila Wendlandt wrote in her appeals court opinion. Inevitably, there would be a serious inhibitory effect on the open, pervasive dissemination of information and ideas over the Internet, which is, of course, its greatest beneficial promise.' Additionally, Wendlandt wrote in her opinion that the single publication rule allows a plaintiff to recover all damages stemming from a defamatory statement in one suit instead of filing separate suits each time a third party accesses the defamatory content. Wolsfelt then pointed to the discovery rule as something that would override the statue of limitations in this case, as he claims he was not aware of the articles and updates until February 2013 when he applied for a job. The discovery rule states that certain causes of action do not begin until the plaintiff learns, or reasonably should have learned, that he has been harmed by the defendants conduct, according to the appeals court opinion document. However, the appeals court in this case found that where an alleged defamatory publication is broadly circulated to the public and did not involve concealment or confidential communications, the discovery rule does not apply. Wolsfelt also argued that article two, which was published on June 8, 2012, and was updated on February 19, 2013, qualifies for the republication exception to the single publication rule, alleging the single publication rule only applies to the first release of a defamatory statement. That said, the appeals court found that the statements in article two fall within the fair report privilege, which protects statements and actions that are reported fairly and accurately. Wolsfelt did not dispute that he was arrested as reported by article two. However, he claims that the omission of certain details strips the article of protections established by the fair report privilege. The appeals court disagreed. Article two tracks almost precisely the police report of Wolsfelts arrest, Wendlandt wrote in her opinion. Wolsfelt complains only that it left out the detail that his lip was bleeding, that the fiancee later accused him not only of shoving her but also of choking her, and that Gloucester Times did not interview him to obtain his side for the publication. None of these affect the application of the privilege; the gist and sting of article two is the same without these details. For these reasons, the appeals court ruled in favor of Gloucester Times that the statute of limitations applies to article one and that article two is protected by the fair report privilege. The case is Robert Wolsfelt vs. Gloucester Times. Topics Legislation Law Enforcement Massachusetts A Florida man has been charged with assault on a law enforcement officer who was protecting Senator Rand Paul when he was mobbed by protesters as he left the White House following Donald Trump's address to the RNC. Paul and his wife were encircled by a crowd of protesters as they headed to their Washington DC hotel following Trump's address, and said they feared for their lives amid the 'crazed mob' of protesters. On Wednesday the Department of Justice announced that a man had been arrested following an attack on an officer. Brennen Sermon, 27, of Orlando, Florida, was charged on August 28 - the day after Trump's speech. Paul tweeted Wednesday night: 'One of the brave DC cops who likely saved Kelley and me was assaulted by one of the violent mob. The attacker was arrested and charged with assault, then released. (If youre looking for him, maybe try Kenosha).' Rand Paul and his wife were confronted by protesters as they left the White House August 27 Paul, senator for Kentucky, said he feared for his life amid the 'attack' by the 'crazed mob' Paul tweeted on Wednesday night that Sermon had injured one of the police guarding him Police claim that, shortly after midnight, a Metropolitan Police Department officer was holding a police line at 14 and F Street NW when a protester kicked his bicycle and fled. The officer pursued, and police allege that Sermon punched the officer in the face, leaving him with a deep cut and a severe swelling above his left eye. The officer was taken to hospital, and received stitches. A Department of Justice statement said that a preliminary review of body worn camera showed that the individual kicking the bicycle and the individual throwing the punch appear to be wearing different color shirts. Sermon is currently only charged over the punching allegation, the DoJ said. Paul and his wife were encircled by a crowd of protesters as they headed to their Washington DC hotel Crowds of people tussled with law enforcement, and one officer had to go to hospital If Sermon is convicted, he could face up to 180 days in prison. He could also face a fine of up to $1,000. Paul said the demonstrators - who had gathered around the White House in an attempt to drown out Trump's speech - were shouting threats to kill at him and wife Kelley as police tried to protect them. Describing the moment, Paul told Fox News: 'They would have killed us had the police not been there.' 'The threats were to f you up, to you know, to kill you. The threats were if they could get ahold of you, and I truly believe with every fiber of my being, had they gotten at us, they would have gotten us to the ground. 'We might not have been killed. We might just have been injured by being kicked in the head or kicked in the stomach until we were senseless. Youve seen the pictures. Most of the networks will not show the pictures of this. This is happening in all of our cities. It's got to stop and thank God for the police. 'Had we not gotten to the police, I truly believe that the police saved our lives, and we would not be here today, or wed be in a hospital today had the police not been there.' Video shows the couple being surrounded by dozens of activists who began shouting at the pair as they tried to reach their hotel. At one point an officer holding a bicycle to shield the couple from the demonstrators was shoved backwards, stumbling into Paul and almost knocking the Kentucky senator to the ground. It is not yet known if this is the same incident which led to Sermon's arrest. At one point a protester pushed a police officer carrying a bicycle (front right) who stumbled backwards into Paul (centre left), almost causing the Senator to fall to the ground Police officers surrounded Rand and his wife and escorted them out of the crowd after people started to push Rand Paul told Fox News that protesters 'wanted to kill us' and that, if it hadn't been for police, he fears he and his wife would have been knocked to the ground and beaten senseless Video shows Paul and wife Kelley being surrounded by dozens of activists and aggressively accosted as they leave the Republican National Convention, where Trump had just accepted the party's nomination, as police officers try to hold the crowd back. Elsewhere that night, video showed activists aggressively harassing people including one man who was punched in the back of the head and knocked down, leaving him bloody. Raucous protesters accosted Republican National Convention guests leaving the White House Thursday evening, hurling expletives and calling them racist When Trump started his speech dissidents set off firecrackers and amplified their chants in unison, all of which was audible from the South Lawn. Some horns were also audible in his televised speech broadcast 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. Describing how the incident came about, Paul said he and his wife had left the convention - held at the White House after being moved from North Carolina due to coronavirus - when they saw a large group of demonstrators blocking the route back to their hotel. The couple boarded a bus taking them to the nearby Trump hotel, before deciding to turn back and reach the place they had originally agreed to stay. It was on the way back that protesters happened to spot Paul, and descended on him, he claims. 'They all of a sudden saw me, right as we got to a policeman fortunately or I dont think we would have survived,' he explained. 'We got to the policeman, and the policeman I dont think recognized me and as they came closer they were shouting my name and the crowd doubled to 60 and then it doubled again to 120. 'As they were surrounding us and it got closer and closer and everybody kept pushing back, the policemen were forming a barricade with their bodies and I whispered, they know who I am youve got to get reinforcements its going to get worse.' Paul said the protesters were also shouting the name Breonna Taylor at him, an EMT who was shot dead in his state of Kentucky after police raided her apartment using a no-knock warrant. Describing the protesters as 'idiots', Paul said he has introduced legislation called the Justice for Breonna Taylor act that would ban the use of such warrants across the US. Paul also questioned whether the demonstrators had been brought in from out of state, and said he fears the whole of the US will become like Portland - where protesters set up an autonomous zone before Rand was just one of many guests accosted by protesters as they left the White House. Activists carried banners depicting Trump as Hitler, while some set up mock guillotines on the streets of the Capitol Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered near the White House for a party aimed at drowning out Trump's speech, but scenes turned progressively ugly as the night wore on As guests dressed in suits and dresses left the convention, they were bombarded by protesters in the streets who booed them, shouting 'You racist a**' and 'Jacob Blake'. The heckled guests kept walking even as demonstrators gave them the middle finger and insulted them. Earlier in the evening protesters blared bullhorns, rang bells, and chanted 'No justice, no peace!' and 'Black Lives Matter' when Ivanka Trump introduced her father shortly before 10.30pm. When Trump started his speech, dissidents set off firecrackers and amplified their chants in unison, all of which was audible from the South Lawn. Blow horns could be heard in the televised broadcast of Trump's speech. 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. School districts worldwide have some significant cyber security shortcomings, according to Joshua Motta, (pictured), CEO of Coalition, a technology-enabled cyber insurance and security firm servicing the US and Canadian markets. Schools often lack the dedicated funding and the skilled personnel that most for-profit businesses or larger organizations have to continuously vet and improve their defenses. As a result, many schools have made basic security errors, according to Motta, or theyre using outdated technology with unpatched vulnerabilities, thus propping the door open for hackers and scammers. When you factor in the COVID-19 pandemic, now all of a sudden schools are opening up remote access into these networks, Motta commented. The road has been paved for the hacker from the internet into these networks that were already maybe not in the best state [before they were opened for remote access]. So, the coronavirus pandemic is really going to have major cybersecurity implications around the world for educational institutions. With back to school, we expect a significant uptick in claims for our education policyholders. That's something that we've been working on diligently at Coalition over the past couple of weeks - to really do a deep dive into all of our policyholders who are in the education sector, scanning their security, going through things, reaching out to them when we're seeing issues, and just making sure that they're prepared, because we absolutely expect an uptick in claims to correspond with going back to school. Read next: Coalition's cyber insurance admitted in Florida The types of issues Motta expects are nothing out of the ordinary if youve got a finger on the pulse of cyber security trends. There will likely be an uptick in tailored phishing attacks and scams preying on the fear, uncertainty and behavioral changes that teachers, parents and students are going through as a result of the pandemic. The stakes are also higher than ever for ransomware attacks, according to Motta. He explained: Pre-pandemic, there wasnt always a significant need for a schools network to be open across the internet. Maybe they werent entirely secure inside of the network, but it was a local network with physical access, so the risk wasnt so severe. But with the pandemic making remote network access a requirement, its these remote desktop protocols or these remote access configurations that I believe the vast majority of ransomware attacks will exploit. We definitely expect to see an uptick in ransomware targeting schools. When it comes to mitigating cyber risk in schools, theres no single comprehensive source of advice for what they should do. According to Motta, its best to start with basic cyber risk mitigation that applies to all organizations, whether theyre for-profit, non-profit, education or otherwise. That includes things like segmenting the network so that only the parts necessary for remote learning are accessible over the internet, and making sure that remote access is properly secured and that appropriate controls are in place. Read more: Office email services used to scam nearly 6,600 firms so far this year One of the best ways to secure educational institutions, as it turns out, is more education, Motta told Insurance Business. We need to educate teachers, parents and students especially younger students on how remote learning is going to work, and how the school is going to communicate. We need to make schools aware of the potential threats to students, whether its phishing scams or even the Zoom bombing that we saw emerge in the US a couple of months ago. Its just providing more education so that people can be vigilant, they can be on the lookout for suspicious emails. One point Motta was keen to stress is that its barely realistic to expect educational institutions to overhaul their entire cybersecurity in the space of a few months, especially in the middle of a global pandemic. To be realistic, and acknowledging that a cyber incident could occur, one of the most practical things that educational organizations can do is make sure they have back-ups, so they can restore their functions in case something does go wrong. Beyond the back-ups part, they need to focus on how to limit the potential breach or compromise of student data, the Coalition CEO added. Again, now that these networks are connected to the internet, that's more of a concern. So, going through and making sure that they're only storing data thats absolutely necessary, and doing what they can to limit permissions in their network and limit access to sensitive student data is going to be important. Finally, they need to assess their vendors. One of the ways in which educational institutions are scrambling to make remote learning work is by relying on third-party vendors. They're relying on technology providers to get these services, and if they're not diligent about the platforms they're choosing, they could inadvertently be exposing their students to more risk, even though they may feel like they're solving the core issue, which is how to how to pull off a hybrid education scheme. Google on Thursday explained in a blog post how Covid-19 has forced it to rethink how it predicts driving conditions, like traffic, for people who use Google Maps. For the past 13 years, when you started a route in Google Maps, Google provided an estimated time of arrival based on years a combination of live traffic data and historical traffic patterns that were accurate for over 97% of trips worldwide. Now Google is partnering with DeepMind to make their ETAs even more accurate. Pre-coronavirus, your morning commute may have been about an hour, taking into condition years of information that Google knew about weather, potential accidents and roads along your route. But, Google found global traffic dropped 50% after lockdowns started earlier this year, so that method doesn't work anymore. Since Covid-19 broke out, Google said it had to deprioritize older traffic data and has changed its models to first prioritize traffic patterns from the last two to four weeks. That means it should continue to be reliable through the pandemic, especially if areas start to open up gradually over time. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Thursday said there could be likely disruption of production in the short term, with established supply chains getting affected, because of COVID- 19 pandemic. Though also expressed fears that downsizing of the defence budget and risk of economic recession can lead to difficulty in working capital availability, it hoped that strong push from the government through the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' is expected to favourably impact operations of the company. "The company's business is mainly concentrated in Defence services, major negative impact on the demand side of the business due to the pandemic in the long term is not anticipated currently, as the defence contracts reflect long term requirements of national interest," CMD R Madhavan said. He, however, said the company is highly technology intensive with the product spectrum including both Transfer of Technology (ToT) as well as indigenous platforms that contain systems/ subsystems/ raw materials of foreign origin. "Since the pandemic has caused world-wide lockdown, suppliers in general are financially stressed due to cash flow and liquidity problems, possible production hold up in suppliers' facilities and restriction on movement of goods through international freights can lead to disruption of established supply chains and hence there could be likely disruption of production in the short term at HAL," he said. However, through all out efforts the company is confident of tiding over such aberrations with resilience, Madhavan further said, in the company's annual report. Noting that the past one decade has seen consistent growth of the military and commercial sectors of the A&D industry, both in the international as well as the domestic market, the CMD said, during the past decade HAL has reported an impressive growth with an increase in sales of the order of 62 per cent and efforts are in place to maintain the growth momentum. However, the last quarter of the financial year saw the COVID-19 pandemic engulfing countries world over, disrupting normal operations of industries due to the lockdown. While the pandemic has impacted all major industry sectors, in the A&D sector it has put severe supply and demand challenges for the commercial aviation sector, worldover, he added. Stating that defence projects, policies and funding of the Central government play a crucial role in the growth of A&D industry in India and in-turn HAL, because of the major dependence on the Defence sector, Madhavan said, hence, downsizing of defence budget and risk of economic recession can lead to difficulty in the working capital availability. However, on a positive note, there is a strong push from the government through the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan', the policy formulations and reforms post-COVID which places significant impetus to self-reliance and local production, and this is expected to favourably impact the operations of the company, he said. "The Defence services are looking for more indigenous options as compared to import and your company is expected to greatly benefit from this as there are a slew of indigenous products like LCA Tejas and its variants, LCH, LUH, HTT-40, etc. During the year 2019-20, HAL has produced 31 new aircraft and helicopters, covering Su-30 MKI, LCA Tejas, Dornier Do228, ALH Dhruv, Cheetal Helicopter and Chetak helicopter. Additionally, it produced 117 new engines and accessories. Madhavan said the futuristic programmes on the anvil such as Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), LCA Mk II, the advance version of LCA Tejas, Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter, the twin engine naval version of LCA, 12 tonne class Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH), aero engine development, etc will ensure the technological lead of HAL in the years to come. Collaborative initiatives such as the tripartite MoU between HAL, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Dynamatic Technologies Ltd (DTL) for UAV segment, lease agreement with airline operators for Do-228 civil operations etc are expected to add new business streams to the company portfolio, 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.) A Metro Bank customer lost 26,000 after a fraudster took advantage of compromised card details to scam him twice in what the bank described as a sophisticated social engineering scam. The man from Bedford, who did not wish to be named, said he was left checking his online banking 'every five minutes' after fraudsters accessed his account and stole thousands of pounds. To make matters worse, the new payees set up to move money out of the account by the scammers remained there for an entire week after the scam until the bank deleted them, while he said Metro Bank initially told him to sit tight and wait for a call from their fraud team. A Metro Bank customer lost 26,000 after compromised card details were used to scam him twice He said this gave him serious concern and anxiety, as he believed his account was still compromised. After being contacted by This is Money, Metro Bank refunded both an initial 6,048 fraudulent card purchase used to set up the scam, and the 20,000 stolen from his account, and apologised for the way they initially handled his case. The Metro Bank customer, who works in HR, contacted This is Money four days after he fell victim to the scam in mid-July, having read about a similar case we reported on in June 2019. He was called just before midday on the bank's number by someone claiming to be from its 'fraud prevention team', who said his account was unsafe and compromised following a suspicious transaction of 6,048, made to a hamper company, which they said had appeared on his online banking. In a bid to access his account, the fraudster took him through some common security questions, including asking him to confirm the month of his birthday, although the man said he never gave away his password. Metro Bank requires a 12-digit customer number or username, three digits from an eight-digit security number, and a password to log into online banking. He claims the fraudster 'asked the right questions' and 'knew the bank's systems inside out'. Coupled with the fact they knew the last seven transactions on his account, 'I saw no reason why he wasn't for real', the man told This is Money. A 'scam on a scam' The victim from Bedford was hit by two scams, the fraudulent debit card purchase for 6,048, followed by the unauthorised transfer of 20,000, which known as remote banking fraud. Remote banking fraud was responsible for 150million of losses last year, according to trade body UK Finance, 111.8million of which was done through online banking. Meanwhile 470.2million was lost to so-called 'remote purchase fraud', where fraudsters use stolen card details to make purchases, although this was down on the 506million lost in 2018. With the 6,048 card payment pending on his account, he believes the same scammer knew his details already and used the suspicious payment to rope him into a 'scam on a scam'. 'They called me to alert me on suspicious activity on my card and used that event to extract more money', he said, 'I was convinced that my account was significantly compromised'. Having provided enough account details to pass through security, the fraudster set up new payees on the customer's account while they were on the phone to him, validating them using text message codes sent to his phone. Metro Bank requires these text message codes and characters from a customer's 16-digit card number to be entered when setting up a new payee, further indicating the customer's details were compromised. Some 20,000 was subsequently transferred from his business account to the Metro Bank account of a 'Cristian Stefan', while two other payees, 'Manoj Maddipati' and 'S B Nanneti', were also set up. At this point, while still on the phone to the fraudster, our reader asked his daughter to call Metro Bank customer services, having seen the new payees now set up on his online banking and realising he had been caught in a scam, asking them to freeze all his outgoing payments. He then rushed to his local branch in Milton Keynes, where he was told by the manager 'not to do anything or cancel anything' until the fraud and prevention team contacted him. When he first contacted This is Money five days after the fraud occurred, the bank had not yet done so, despite his account being compromised by a fraudster who was able to steal thousands of pounds from it. The man from Bedford believed his account was significantly compromised when he was tricked by the scammer On top of that, he found he was unable to delete the fraudulent payees set up on his online banking, which remained on his account for a whole week after the scam until Metro Bank deleted them. He told This is Money the continued presence of the fraudulently set up payees, one of which had received 20,000 of his money, was giving him 'serious concern and anxiety', and that he was checking his online banking 'every five minutes' as a result. And when he tried pushing the issue with Metro Bank himself rather than waiting to be contacted by the fraud team, he was told there were 'no notes' on his account, and that they didn't know what had happened. After This is Money contacted Metro Bank with details of his case, he was refunded the 20,000 lost in the transfer scam at the end of July. He was refunded the fraudulent card purchase a few days later, although still knows little about the transaction, beyond the fact it went to a hamper seller. Metro Bank said in a statement: 'We understand and appreciate the stress caused by becoming a victim of fraud and are very sorry to hear about this case. 'Further to our investigation, we've offered a full refund to the customer and also apologised that our initial interaction with the customer was not up to the usual standard that we pride ourselves on providing. 'We take our customers' security extremely seriously and we have a range of safeguards in place to help defend them against fraud, which we constantly review and update in light of increasingly sophisticated tactics from fraudsters. 'We also continue to work closely with other stakeholders including banks, network operators and law enforcement agencies to protect customers from these crimes.' The victim subsequently told This is Money he would be looking to move away from the bank after the scam. It is heartbreaking to know that in the middle of this unprecedented pandemic where all hands are on deck in an attempt to possibly stem the flow of the virus and have it defeated absolutely, we have some ill-mannered persons and groups of people engaged in all kinds of abominable activities including stigmatization, discrimination, scapegoating, targeting and even persecuting others for the cause of an outbreak and spread of the disease which amounts to wanton violation of international human rights law. Since the pandemic broke in the city of Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, weve heard about worrying reports chronicling varying degrees of atrocities being perpetrated by some superior groups against some minority groups in many parts of the world which has received wide condemnation from many people including activists, journalists, CSOs, NGOs, regional and international organizations globally. Undeniably, there are indications of happenings in many parts of the world that human rights violations are under attack during this period of COVID-19 outbreak. These signs highlighted a surge in the acts and displays of sinophobia as well as prejudice, xenophobia, discrimination, violence and racism against people. From Asia to Europe, Africa to America including other continents, discrimination rages against people from these hotspots has been reported. In the midst of these developments there are also fear and misunderstanding stoking hatred worldwide which is hampering efforts in the fight against the pandemic. As a journalist and a human rights defender, my greatest interest always lies in digging hard to know the hardcore facts of happenings around the world so I can continue to inform the citizenry as well as help amplify their voices, stand up for the vulnerable and the minority groups whose rights are being violated on daily basis, as duty demands. As an avid reader too, I never joke at all with reading books, newspapers, magazines including online publications I lay my hands on particularly those ones which sheds light on human rights issues which has become an integral part of me at all times. Recently, during one of my normal routines of scouting through the pages of a famous International online magazine, I chanced upon an article which sent shivers down my spine. In fact what I saw was an eyesore as I became completely puzzled just after reading the headline and few lines of the lead story. At first, I found it difficult to believe the story but later, it dawned on me that the facts are correct after Ive cross checked with some credible online news sources. To my greatest surprise, I was thrown into shock and utter disbelief to find out that an 89-year-old South Korean and his church are in the hot waters for a crime which sounds stupid to me from all angles. What was the crime? According to media reports, the old frail man has been scapegoated for alleged involvement in withholding information from the South Korean Government and authorities about church members which they claimed is harming the fighting against the pandemic. Mr. Lee Man-hee, the founder and leader of Shincheonji Church, a minority religious group in South Korea, is the man in the centre of the whole controversy who is currently facing acute discrimination, and persecution in the wake of COVID-19. The move which violates his human rights and dignity. He was subsequently arrested and detained at an unknown location to allow investigations to continue. What kind of investigation is that? The BBC news portal reported it this way: Mr Lee was arrested early on Saturday, following an investigation. A judge said there were signs that evidence related to the case was being destroyed, August 1. What is even more worrying is that the old man in the centre of the hullabaloo was not the only one who found himself in this difficult situation. Shockingly, there are over 220,000 members of Shincheonji believers around the world who are equally being harassed by the South Korean Government. In addition, over 5,500 cases of human rights violations including coercive conversion have been reported since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in South Korea. This was confirmed by media reports across the globe. Also, a peace organization (not-for-profit) founded by Mr Lee called the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) has also come under threat of dissolution on same funny grounds for contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. Currently, the organization is on the verge of having its legal entity withdrawn by the South Korean authorities, alleging that it is acting as a missionary group. So sad. When nefarious attacks of this nature are turned into discrimination against the freedom of religion, it can only be described as a national and human shame for that matter. These issues and more were vividly documented in a statement made to the United Nations Human Rights Council on June 18, 2020, A/HRC/44/NGO/23. As a truth seeker, I tried to dig deeper into many archives which I could lay my hands on and finally managed to pick up evidence on the stark realities surrounding the happenings of outbreak of COVID-19, its spread and the unjust persecutions which are meted out to the innocent people living within the East Asia nation. These mind-blowing revelations which Ill be sharing with you here in a bit were equally corroborated by my sources in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. So have no doubt at all. Well, its obvious, we live in a world where the truth is always hidden from us, not because it does not exist but simply because many people wouldnt like to be told which our bane is. This has been my observation growing up as a little kid in a small town called Keta located in the southern part of the Volta Region in Ghana, West Africa. In fact, I call it a word of wisdom. South Korea has been trending and dominating news headlines across the world for the wrong reason since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in February 2020. The whole saga of South Korean Government versus the Shincheonji Church began in February 2020, at Daegu Church of Shincheonji, where Mr Lee also serves as the Chairman when one of the church members tested positive for COVID-19. After the news broke, HWPL and Shincheonji have been under the threat of dissolution on the grounds that they have spread the epidemic and obstructed the efforts to contain the virus. As a result, HWPL is on the verge of having its legal entity revoked for allegedly being a missionary organization in disguise, and on August 1, an arrest warrant for Chairman Lee was issued. The warrant from the court is not a guilty verdict, and efforts are being made to reveal the truth in the upcoming trials. Ill be very delighted to convey this to you as soon as possible, hopefully in my next article as your humble servant of truth will always do. Now lets get the facts here once and now, In the middle of the whole saga lies the conservative fundamentalist brands of the Protestant Church in Korea, which have been wielding both political and social influence as the mainstream churches, classified Shincheonji as a cult to keep in check the rapid growth of Shincheonji. While hiding behind the parents and siblings of Shincheonji believers, the fundamentalists masterminded the kidnapping and assaulting of Shincheonji members for coercive conversion. They even accumulated wealth from carrying out such illegal acts. Furthermore, they persistently opposed peace work by hampering HWPL whenever the NGO tried to book venues to hold peace events and shouting into megaphones to cause commotions on site. Rather than restoring and practicing love for humanity as they preach, they have no qualms about solidifying their power by colluding with certain political forces to their benefits. The fundamentalists shift the blame for the outbreak and the spread of COVID-19 to Shincheonji, but their claims are false. Shincheonji has actively cooperated with the South Korean government and the authorities measures to combat COVID-19. Also, Shincheonji is a victim of the epidemic and had no intention to abet the virus spreading. When the government requested personal information (names, addresses, contact numbers, and resident registration numbers) of all members home and abroad, totalling over 200,000, Chairman Lee simply expressed his concern as the leader of the church for submitting sensitive personal information without the individuals consent. Mr. Lee did not order omitting names from the list. (Ultimately, the list was leaked to the public, causing members of Shincheonji residing in Korea to become an easy target of hate and discrimination in all aspects of life. Consequently, there are over 5,510 cases of human rights infringement as of August 2020. Among the victims were two members, who lost their lives due to persecution at home. Indeed, the entire humiliating case at hand has attracted unwarranted attention and wide condemnation across the whole world from various International and Regional Organizations, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations including the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), a Ghanaian based NGO. It pushed the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who responded and expressed its concern for the breach of religious liberty in South Korea and recommended the government to condemn scapegoating and to respect religious freedom in responding to the outbreak. Furthermore, over 387 International leaders, religious and human rights NGOs put together have equally intensified calls to officially submit to the UN Human Rights Council a statement calling to stop scapegoating Shincheonji for the COVID-19 crisis. In United Kingdom, Chairman of International Human Rights Committee, Iftikhar Ayaz said: The brutal persecution of the members of the Shincheonji church in Korea and the inhumane denial of unregistering their corporation is a horrible negligence of State Responsibility which must treat all citizens equally without any discrimination whatsoever. He added, The South Korean Government must honor in practice the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which emphasizes the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), said that the recent attack on Shincheonji can be viewed as an attempt by the fundamentalist Protestant groups in South Korea to weaken and destroy the competitor in the religious market. Also on August 10, 155 youth-led organizations with one million members from 62 countries around the world equally signed a joint letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN affiliates, including the UN Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and requested that the discrimination against Shincheonji Church, its leader, Mr Lee Man-hee and his peace organization be halted. In July 2020, eleven (11) NGOs including European Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted a report for annual report for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the UN Secretary General at the 44th session in the UN Assembly Human Rights Council. The report titled: scapegoating members of Shincheonji for COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. This report equally condemned the unlawful acts in uncertain terms. In support of calls for quick action, scholars in the field of religious studies and heads of human rights organizations have also published research and white papers based on findings of objective studies to make known what is true. But despite all these calls for action, the South Korean Government is yet to react with any critical decision on the matter to back down on its nefarious activities against Mr Lee Man-hee and the over 220,000 members of Shincheonji Church who are being harassed indiscriminately and unduly. What an embarrassment? That a country which prides itself with freedom of religion and where freedom of religion is enshrined in its constitution, its government can allow its constitution to be violated, whereas it clearly states in Article 20, Clauses 1 and 2 that, All citizens will enjoy freedom of religion" and "religion and state will be separated." This is highly barbaric and uncalled for and does not promote peace and religious freedom in any way at all. The question is, what is religious freedom and why is it so pivotal? According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), religion is the right of people everywhere to heed the call of conscience in matters of religion and belief, living out its dictates openly, peacefully, and without fear. The bedrock premise behind religious freedom is clear: no individual or entity has the right to force others to act against their conscience or prevent them from answering its call in a peaceful manner. In line with these standards, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed alarm at the clampdown on freedom of expression during COVID-19. She particularly took notice of a disregard in upholding international principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and precaution over the service of a legitimate, least intrusive public health objective. The reality of these statements cannot be more evident in the case of Shincheonji Church. According to USCIRF, Shincheonji is facing harassment from the South Korean government and society. Due to the unexpected group infection, Shincheonji Church may have been dealt with poorly. However, the lawsuits and excessive investigations currently conducted in the Shincheonji Church are clearly religious oppression. Persecution during times of a pandemic is not new. Throughout history, minority religious groups have been blamed and scapegoated for the spread of pandemics. Jews were blamed during Black Death epidemics in Europe in the 14th century. In 1545, religious dissidents in Geneva were blamed for an outbreak of plague. In India, over 3000 members of the Tablighi Jamaat subsequently spent more than 40 days in quarantine with government authorities refusing to discharge them. The Indian government levelled charges of culpable homicide at Tablighi Jamaat chief Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi when at least six of the group died of the infection after attending an event in March, before the countrywide lockdown. However, Africa as a continent is not left out of the picture; got its fair share of the damning cake. With stigmatization, discrimination and violence dominating the picture in proportions thwarting efforts at winning the battle against the pandemic which particularly women being the hardest hit. In Cameroon, there have been reports of poor government response to the COVID-19 situation which give rise to stigmatization. People are scared of being tested. Quarantined persons bribe their way out of health centres they are kept in, imagine the consequences, a Cameroonian woman was heard complaining bitterly. Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt and Mali among other African countries have equally encountered similar problems which remains a major blow in the fight against the pandemic. The question is, isnt it prudent for the South Korean Government and authorities to concentrate its attention and be committed to the fight against the deadly pandemic rather than engaged in fight with a common church and its leader? Similarly, it is much better for the good people of this world to unite against a pandemic which is wreaking so much havoc and claiming numerous lives globally rather than shifting attention on attacking each other which leaves much power in the hands of the virus to strike even more. To ensure violation of freedom of religion cease and peace prevails in the East Asian country, I humbly called on the South Korean President, Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the United Nations to take action to protect minority religious groups and the principles of freedom of religion and to respect the UNHRC Statement, document A/HRC/44/NGO/23. I also called for Mr. Lee to be freed while proper investigation is initiated to put the issue to rest. I humbly appeal to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres to use his good office to ensure discrimination against Shincheonji Church, its leader, Mr Lee Man-hee and his peace organization cease. I believe human rights dimensions must be taken into consideration if we are to successfully combat the coronavirus. Lets rise up and speak up against the culture of oppression and tyranny being perpetrated by the South Korean Government against the good people of Shincheonji church and its leader Mr Lee and his peace organization, the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Lets ensure that similar actions taking place in South Korea to promote peace be replicated in other parts of the world where these unlawful acts are rearing their ugly heads which violates the freedom and fundamental human rights of people and limits their dignity as humans. The world deserves to be a better place for all of us to live in and not a war zone where we will be hunting down each one another over trivialities. We all have a responsibility to promote and ensure the protection of human rights at all times, even during this time of crisis It is our collective responsibility to make this happen. Lets face it and be responsible citizens. Author: Joseph Kobla Wemakor The writer is a human rights defender, Youth leader and Founder/ Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG). Influencer Arielle Charnas is under fire yet again after she was the cover star of Cosmopolitan Mexico's September 2020 issue. A number of people took issue with the magazine for placing a white woman on its cover. E! reporter Lilliana Vazquez called the decision "problematic" and said, "It's the biggest issue of the year from an ad revenue standpoint, but it's also the issue that kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month." Vazquez explained, "A magazine that is supposed to reflect, and beautifully reflect, the nuance [of] how different we all are within our borders of Mexico and the Latinx community was choosing to give that opportunity to somebody that had no discernible connection to the Latinx community." Charnas, 32, has blocked dissenters on social media, including Vazquez after she asked the Something Navy blogger to explain why she believed she was "deserving" of being the cover star. Charnas is no stranger to controversy, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Buzzfeed has called her "the face of privilege in the age of the coronavirus" She spoke out in April after fans criticized her for using her connections to get a coronavirus test, with some even suggesting she faked the result. She and her family then fled to the Hamptons with her nanny after testing positive. Charnas firmly denied she faked her results and wrote on Instagram, "I've been accused of falsifying my own test results which is unequivocally untrue." She added, "I am not writing this to make excuses and I am not searching for validation." And last year, she feuded with Mean Girls actress Amanda Seyfried on Instagram, after she posted a bikini picture that was deemed "tone-deaf" by commenters, including the actress and one of her friends. Cosmopolitan Mexico has since released a statement: "We appreciate (from our heart) the comments that you have left. Without a doubt, they are of GREAT value/help for us to consider the kind of content that might be of interest to you. We're proud to be able to count on all of you and know that you are here to share your thoughts. Honestly, thank you very much." Qualified Industrial Zones allow for duty-free entry into the US of products manufactured in designated geographic locations and that satisfy a 10.5 percent quota of Israeli content Egypts exports to the US increased by 31 percent in 2019 to reach $2.1 billion, up from $1.6 billion in 2018, Minister of Trade and Industry Niven Gamea has revealed. Gamea made her comments during a panel organised by the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) Unit held Thursday on the occasion of the engagement of 34 new companies to the QIZ agreement. Gamea added that the ministry is keen on increasing Egyptian exports to the US market, which is one of the most important markets that receives Egyptian products globally, stating out that the ministry supports all exporters to tap both preferential and free trade agreements signed between Egypt and other markets and global economic blocs. The Covid-19 outbreak represents a significant challenge to Egyptian exports to access external markets, including the US market. Yet, such challenges create real opportunities for Egyptian export companies, especially with the competitive advantages that Egyptian products enjoy and that are favourites to American consumers, said Gamea. Head of the QIZ Unit Ashraf El-Rabie revealed that the 34 newly engaged companies investments amount to EGP 1 billion, including foreign direct investment operating in the Egyptian market from India, China, Lebanon and Turkey, in addition to a number of joint Egyptian-foreign investments. These companies work in the garments, textiles, food and leather products sectors, according to El-Rabie. He disclosed that Egypts exports to the US market under the QIZ agreement recorded $12 billion from 2005 to 2019 and that Egypt ranks 20th among the largest exporter countries to the US in the ready-garments sector, with total exports worth $1.15 billion in 2019, adding that ready-garments and textiles exports account for 98 percent of total exports headed from QIZ zones. The QIZ concept was introduced by the US in 1996 with the aim of reinforcing peace in the Middle East through regional economic partnerships that benefit both Arab countries and Israel. In 2004, the Egyptian government signed the QIZ Protocol with the US and Israel that allows for duty-free entry into the US for products manufactured by qualified companies operating within designated geographic locations in Egypt and which satisfy the currently agreed upon Israeli content of 10.5 percent. Search Keywords: Short link: The son of a World War II veteran has released photographs secretly taken at a Japanese surrender ceremony nine days after Japan formally surrendered to allies marking the end of years of devastation. One of three pictures shows the Japanese arriving on a boat. A second shows an officer signing surrender papers to Australia and a third shows him handing over his sword. Dave Reyes first stumbled across the black-and-white images in a scrapbook when he was seven years old and his father Filbert Reyes, who was a U.S. Navy sailor on a destroyer that was part of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship group, revealed how he took the snaps despite a ban. Filbert Reyes died in 1998 and the original images were destroyed in a flood but his daughter had taken photographs of them. Dave Reyes released the images on Wednesday. Scroll down for videos The son of a World War II veteran on Wednesday released images secretly taken at a Japanese surrender ceremony on September 11, 1945. This image shows an officer signing papers on an Australian ship Left, one of three pictures shows the Japanese arriving on a boat. The image on the right shows a Japanese officer handing over his sword Filbert Reyes, who was a U.S. Navy sailor on a destroyer that was part of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship group, took the snaps despite a ban. He returned to California, got married and never spoke about the war again He originally believed they were from the formal September 2, 1945 surrender ceremony. However he has since learned it was from nine days later on September 11 - one of the many ceremonies that took place in the days following. That took place on HMAS Kapunda, according to the Naval Historical Society of Australia. Several Royal Australian Navy Ships were employed following the Cessation of Hostilities on August 15, 1945. The ceremonies weren't held until September to allow time for representatives for all major allies to arrive. Members of allied countries were invited to witness the ceremonies. 'They picked so many people from each crew, and he and his three buddies that went there was an officer, and three of them decided they were going to take a camera on board,' Reyes told Hawaii News Now. 'They chanced it, took the pictures. Took the film out and threw the camera overboard.' The ceremonies weren't held until September to allow time for representatives for all major allies to arrive. Pictured is a sword handover on HMAS Kapunda Dave Reyes first stumbled across the black-and-white 1945 images, showing Japan surrendering to Australia, in a scrapbook when he was seven years old Several Royal Australian Navy Ships were employed following the Cessation of Hostilities on August 15, 1945 Surrender Ceremony aboard the HMAS Burdekin (Australia) on September 8, 1945 conducted between Major General EJ Milford, General Officer Commanding 7th Australian Division, and Vice Admiral Mitchishi Kamada of Japan Pictured is the layout for a surrender ceremony The Japanese surrender was signed on board HMAS Kapunda at Kuching. After the surrender HMAS Bundaberg participated in the landing of occupation forces and in the evacuation of prisoners of war from that port to Labuan. Major General Yamamura signed the instrument of surrender for Japanese forces in East Borneo. The surrender instrument was signed in the presence of Brigadier Eastlick, AIF. On return to Australia Bundaberg was paid off. Reyes said that there are more pictures as part of the collection as several others took home snaps. 'There's 12 photos on the roll of film. There were four of them, they each got three pictures,' he explained to Hawaii News Now. His father refused to speak about the war when he got back to California and wed. But Reyes is hoping others with knowledge of the existing snaps come forward to complete the collection. 'That would be great. That would be kinda cool,' Dave Reyes said. Mark Foley was considered a front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat, but that campaign ended soon after he was outed as a gay man in 2003 Democratic businessman Tim Mahoney won the congressional seat in 2006 before being forced to admit to 'multiple affairs' In the fall of 2012, conservative firebrand Allen West was cruising to an apparent victory when accusations of misogyny started plaguing him Congressman Brian Mast was accused last week of making inappropriate Facebook comments about sex with 15-year-old girls It is a highly competitive district where expeditious political moves have thrust flawed individuals into office, both Democrat and Republican Florida's 18th District has been the playground of politicians involved in illicit sex scandals and violence for two decades Republican Congressman Brian Mast, who was accused last week of making inappropriate Facebook comments about sex with 15-year-old girls, is just the latest in a long line of congressmen and candidates of both parties in Florida's 18th U.S. House District t entangled in scandalous behavior. There's more than one reason the 18th, where both Democrats and Republicans have successfully vied for office, is known as a 'swing district.' The 18th District, which stretches along the Atlantic Ocean coastline from the northern party of affluent Palm Beach County to impoverished Fort Pierce 70 miles north, has been the playground of politicians who've had more on their minds than bettering the lives of constituents for two decades. 'The district tends to invite people who are not from the area to run for office,' said Rick Asnani, a West Palm Beach political consultant. 'It's a highly competitive district, a Republican district where Democrats believe they can pick up a seat. 'It's often one of the most expensive races in the country, so both parties try to line up what they believe is the right talent.' Sometimes, however, expeditious political moves have thrust flawed individuals into office. Florida's 18th District has been the playground of politicians involved in illicit sex scandals and violence for two decades. It stretches along the Atlantic Ocean coastline from the northern part of affluent Palm Beach County to impoverished Fort Pierce 70 miles north Brian Mast, a Florida congressman, made comments about rape and sex with children on Facebook that were exposed last week The comment, made in 2009 on his campaign manager's photo, has now been deleted Last week, the 40-year Michigan-born Mast was accused of making grossly inappropriate comments on Facebook that could come back to haunt him as he heads into a heated November election against Democratic candidate Pam Keith, a black woman who, like Mast, is a military veteran. Father-of-four Mast's posts date back to 2009 and 2011, before he entered politics as he served in the U.S. Army. Rick Asnani, a West Palm Beach political consultant, said it is a highly competitive district where expeditious political moves have thrust flawed individuals into office, both Democrat and Republican They appeared on the Facebook page of Rocco LeDonni, a long-time friend who became Mast's trusted campaign advisor. In February 2009, the spelling-challenged Mast commented as LeDonni was headed for a trip to South Africa: 'I'm so proud of you ... i hope you hook up with at least fifteen 15 year olds over there ... its legel there right.' LeDonni asked in a May 20, 2011, post: 'Anyone have any good pick up lines for this weekend considering according to the crazy christian radio guy the world may end on sunday?' From his bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he recovered from an explosion that blew up his legs in Afghanistan, Mast responded: 'How about don't turn this rape into a murder.' The posts were visible earlier last week but taken down after news reporters began questioning Mast's campaign team about them. A rising star in the Republican party who often boasts moderate opinions on the environment while supporting President Donald Trump's agenda, Mast apologized for the posts and partly blamed them on the dark times in his life. 'A decade ago, when I was in the Army, and following my injury, I made disgusting and inappropriate jokes that I am embarrassed to have associated with my name today,' he said. 'I am sorry about that part of who I was, and I strive every day to be a better example for my kids.' The 2011 comments were made while he recovered from losing both his legs in an explosion. The 2009 comments about South Africa came more than a year before Mast was injured in Kandahar. Mast, a strong supporter of the president, is pictured with Donald Trump on Air Force One. He lost both his legs after stepping on a roadside bomb while serving in the military He was on patrol on September 19, 2010, when he inadvertently stepped on a roadside bomb while crossing a bridge. Critics, however, often point out Mast has capitalized on voters' sympathy factor for his handicap. Mast appears at public functions wearing shorts underneath a coat-and-tie that emphasize two impressive black prosthetics. Mast has defended his wardrobe choices, saying he chose shorts because the sharp edges on the prosthetics cut through long pants when he falls. But political consultant Asnani thinks Mast's Facebook comment, even if they were made in jest years ago, could hurt Mast's chances to win a third term. 'With everything that's been happening, the #metoo movement and social unrest, voters have become very sensitive,' said Asnani, who specializes in municipal elections is not involved currently with federal elections. 'Brian has a strong hold on the district, but voters might not be as tolerant and forgiving as they once were.' The 18th District sex curse, however, started long before Mast won his first term in the 2016 election. Mark Foley was considered a front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat, but that campaign ended soon after he was outed as a gay man in 2003 In 2006 it was revealed he had sent sexual messages to teenage male interns. Foley (right) is pictured with Rep Jim McCrery It started with Mark Foley. Revered by many of the district's 750,000 affluent mostly white voters, the impeccably dressed 65-year-old Republican served in Washington through five terms starting in 1995. Flawless when it came to constituent services, the moderate Republican found accomplices in the mainstream media to hide the fact he was gay and living with a man through most of his time in D.C. At one point, Foley was considered a front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat, but that campaign ended soon after the South Florida alternative weekly New Times outed him in 2003. Foley continued to push legislation pertaining to child porn and sexual offenses. He advocated abstinence as an alternative to abortion. On September 28, 2006, however, ABC News first reported Foley,took to emailing inappropriate sexual messages to teenage male interns - at times while on the floor of the House of Representatives - who worked for the House as couriers or gofers. One email from his AOL account asked a page to send Foley a photo of himself. Hours after the story broke, another page claimed Foley had sent him sexually explicit instant messages about penises and a sex act. Eventually, more pages came out of the woodwork to claim Foley's inappropriate conduct started soon after he was first elected while House leaders ignored their complaints. Foley resigned under pressure from the then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, another Republican who eventually was accused of abusing high school boys. But Foley denied having sex with anyone underage and declared he was not a pedophile. He then checked into an in-patient rehab center after saying that he was drunk when he wrote many of the offending emails, came out as gay and said he'd been abused by a priest when he was an altar boy. The pages' allegations led to a two-year investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that was closed in September 2008 without criminal charges against Foley. Investigators said their probe was stymied by Foley's refusal that they conduct forensic analysis of the computers he used as a congressman. Foley is now a successful real estate investor struggling with prostate cancer who had reappeared on the local political landscape to very few complaints. Democratic businessman Tim Mahoney (right) won the congressional seat in 2006 before being forced to admit to 'multiple affairs' His platform mentioned faith, family and personal responsibility, but he failed to mention his mistress problem which ended his marriage after 23 years Democratic businessman Tim Mahoney won the congressional seat vacated by Foley in 2006 with a clear mandate to regain the trust of constituents. His platform mentioned faith, family and personal responsibility. The very married Mahoney, however, turned out to have a mistress problem. As he cruised to an easy election victory for a second term, Mahoney was forced to admit to 'multiple affairs' with women as his wife of 23 years filed for divorce. One paramour was identified as a congressional staffer who was fired and threatened to sue Mahoney for sexual harassment. Mahoney eventually agreed to pay her $121,000 to stop her from filing after then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago Democrat who went on to become President Barack Obama's chief of staff then mayor of Chicago, confronted Mahoney about the rumor. What Emanuel likely didn't know is that Mahoney was also having an affair with a legislative liaison employed by Martin County, one of the district's three counties that depended on Mahoney for federal funding for things like hurricane cleanup. The woman was suspended for three days without pay by the county's administration for failing to report she was dating Mahoney, thus creating a conflict of interest. Voters, meanwhile, punished Mahoney weeks later by handing Republican Tom Rooney, a grandson of legendary Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., a come-from-behind victory. In the fall of 2012, conservative firebrand Allen West was cruising to an apparent victory when accusations of misogyny started plaguing him In the fall of 2012, Conservative firebrand Allen West was cruising to an apparent victory in the 18th District against little-known Democrat Patrick Murphy when accusations of misogyny started plaguing West. A retired Army battalion commander once accused of overseeing the beating of a policeman in Iraq during an interrogation session, West was then a rookie congressman serving a district in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. But as he prepared for battle in the 18th District, which he saw as friendlier to him, West tangled horns with then-Democratic Party leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz, once calling her 'vile and despicable' and adding: 'You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!' West tangled horns with then-Democratic Party leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz, once calling her 'vile and despicable And this was after West accused 'Planned Parenthood women' of 'neutering' American males. His lack of respect for his own wife Angela, however, is believed to have turned some District 18 voters against West just weeks before the election when a letter he hand-wrote to her from Iraq ended up published online. In the letter, West told Angela Graham-West, a doctor in education who was then on the board of trustees of Florida Atlantic University, that he expected sex acts with a body part not necessarily designed for sex as soon as he got back from the war, and that the acts would be 'the standard and it is non-negotiable.' 'Angela, I need to know, are you committed to being my porn star?' West wrote in his letter in one of the cleaner passages. 'I do not want to hear 'no' or 'we'll see about that.' I want my fantasies to be with you. God has authorized you and you only as my partner for intimacy and that is what I want.' That November, West lost the election by just 2,429 votes, and bowed out of politics. 'The district seems to attract some strange candidates,' said Lynn Aronberg, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader who was political director of the losing campaign of multi-millionaire Democrat businessman Randy Perkins against Mast in 2016. 'Voters know the seat is extremely important and some may be OK voting in people like Tim Mahoney for as long as their party wins.' 'I worked against Mast and I know personally some members of his crew, and I can say it seems like they've had a frat house atmosphere in that campaign.' Not only did Mast advisor Rocco LeDonni participate in the offending social media exchanges and didn't think about erasing them, but Mast's current deputy chief of staff has his own interesting history in the district. Before he became a political appointee, Stephen Leighton was a Martin County Sheriff's deputy who moonlighted as a model in nearby Miami. Leighton also appeared to have a liking for the ladies in Sewall's Point, an enclave for the ultra-rich. Before he became a political appointee, Stephen Leighton (pictured) was a Martin County Sheriff's deputy who moonlighted as a model in nearby Miami and was caught in a domestic situation in 2006 According to a 2006 police report obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, Leighton was once caught in a domestic situation when a husband came home in the middle of the night and found Leighton in bed with his wife. According to the report, the husband told police he came home early and first noticed a silver Impala he didn't recognize in the driveway. Once inside, he told cops he found a pair of pants on the floor and started walking through the house to find who they belonged to until he saw that the French doors leading to the balcony were wide open. Police were called when the husband's search turned into an argument with the wife. In time, the husband returned Leighton's green uniform pants and cell phone to the sheriff's office. Leighton, according to the police report, also lost his sheriff ID and keys in his exit. Police resolved the situation that night by convincing the wife to spend the night at a friend's house until the husband cooled down. But the irony of the story didn't escape Lynn Aronberg. 'These guys are actually in charge of a congressional office,' Aronberg said. 'I'm a Republican and I support Donald Trump. But even I wouldn't vote for Brian after this.' This fishing report, provided by Dustin Berg of Go Unlimited (supporting disabled anglers) and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities. 2020-2021 New Mexico fishing licenses are on sale, valid April 1 to March 31. A MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH The department is continuing to adapt our ways of working to conserve wildlife for all New Mexicans. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, department biologists and conservation officers continue to conduct wildlife surveys, contact anglers and OHV recreationists and stock fish in open waters throughout the state. Our teams are wearing personal protective equipment for everyones safety while working in small groups for maximum social distancing. We ask for your help to keep everyone safe and healthy by following the NMDOH public health emergency order by wearing PPE while staying at least six feet away from staff and equipment. IN THIS WEEKS REPORT A young angler shares information about his favorite fishing spots and offers up a few fly fishing tips. Fishing with Jude Fletcher and his father Seth Jude and his father Seth are from Artesia, but their family ties bring them north to fish some of New Mexicos pristine rivers and streams. This week, Jude wants to share his love for fishing with his fellow New Mexico anglers and a couple of tips that help him find success. Jude, now five-years-old, is proud to call himself a genuine diehard fisherman. He started fishing in ponds on his familys property when he was just three. He fell in love with catching bass first and then, soon after, trout. Jude prides himself on his ability to name all the different species of trout in New Mexico. With certainty, he says, brown, rainbow, cutthroat, Gila and brook. Jude got his first fly rod on his fifth birthday, and he quickly developed a passion for fly fishing. He says, Ive caught bass, chub and trout on my fly rod, so far. His favorite fly is the Woolly Bugger because the fly has a fair amount of weight to it that helps him with his casting. He also likes midge pattern flies because he and his family have caught a lot of fish using various patterns. He and his family like to fish the Rio Penasco, Rio Hondo and Rio Bonita (close to Ruidoso). Jude also loves trolling the banks looking for stoneflies, nymphs and other larva so he can try to match the hatch using a fly that looks like the insects present where he is fishing. The Red River is an extra special spot for the Fletcher family. The family has fished up there for many years, going back to the 1950s when Seth Fletchers great-grandfather started fishing on the Red. Fletcher says, its kind of a rite of passage in our family for a boy to go fish the Red River below the Questa hatchery with his father. Jude is very excited and usually wants to spend his evenings in the front yard practicing his fly cast. When the weekend comes, he is up at 5:30 a.m. and ready to hit the water. Jude says, Im very excited because next year I get to go fish with my dad and grandpa on the Rio Costilla and Red River! I think every kid should try fly fishing! Any anglers willing to share their stories, experiences, techniques or tackle, please contribute by emailing Berg at funfishingnm@gmail.com Closure Information The department reminds anglers it is their responsibility to be aware of closures and contact land managers for properties of interest when restrictions are lifted. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) U.S. Forest Service (USFS) New Mexico State Lands New Mexico State Parks New Mexico Open Gate Properties New Mexico Wildlife Management Areas U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Consult local government websites for information regarding specific city and town fishing access. JAMA published that paper and three related studies, along with an editorial describing the research as an important step. International clinical trials published Wednesday confirm the hope that cheap, widely available steroid drugs can help seriously ill patients survive COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Based on the new evidence, the World Health Organisation issued new treatment guidance, strongly recommending steroids to treat severely and critically ill patients, but not to those with mild disease. Clearly, now steroids are the standard of care, said Dr Howard C Bauchner, the editor-in-chief of JAMA, which published five papers about the treatment. The new studies include an analysis that pooled data from seven randomised clinical trials evaluating three steroids in more than 1,700 patients. The study concluded that each of the three drugs reduced the risk of death. JAMA published that paper and three related studies, along with an editorial describing the research as an important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Corticosteroids should now be the first-line treatment for critically ill patients, the authors said. The only other drug shown to be effective in seriously ill patients, and only modestly at that, is remdesivir. Steroids such as dexamethasone, hydrocortisone and methylprednisolone are often used by doctors to tamp down the bodys immune system, alleviating inflammation, swelling and pain. Many COVID-19 patients die not of the virus but of the bodys overreaction to the infection. In June, researchers at Oxford University discovered that dexamethasone improved survival rates in severely ill patients. Researchers had hoped that other inexpensive steroids might help these patients. The evidence had been lacking: After the Oxford researchers made their announcement, some clinical trials of steroids were halted, as doctors were loathe to withhold what appeared to be an effective treatment from study participants. Steroids can have harmful side effects, especially in elderly patients, who make up the majority of very ill coronavirus patients. The drugs may leave patients vulnerable to other infections, may raise blood glucose levels, and may cause confusion and delirium. In the clinical trials, only the sickest patients were treated with steroids, and it is not certain that those who are less ill will benefit or be harmed. The optimal doses and duration of treatment also need to be identified. But overall, the scientists said, the new studies appeared to confirm the promise of this class of drugs for patients severely ill with COVID-19. The studies are like the second punch of a one-two punch, said Dr Derek C. Angus, chair of the department of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, who co-authored one of the new studies and the analysis. I had a big smile on my face when I saw the results, Angus added. This is a case of a question asked, a question answered, and thats so rare. The analysis of pooled data found that steroids were linked with a one-third reduction in deaths among critically ill COVID-19 patients. Dexamethasone produced a 36 percent drop in deaths in 1,282 patients treated in three separate trials. Hydrocortisone, tested in 374 patients in three trials, appeared to reduce deaths by 31 percent, and a small trial of methylprednisolone in 47 patients resulted in a 9 percent drop in deaths. The analysis was carried out by a WHO working group that is making efforts to rapidly evaluate COVID-19 therapies. Taken together, the new studies will bolster confidence in the use of steroids and address any lingering hesitancy on the part of some physicians, said Dr Todd Rice, an associate professor of medicine and critical care physician at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In new guidance, the WHO warned against indiscriminate use of steroids, emphasising that patients who are not severely ill are unlikely to benefit and may suffer side effects. Unwarranted use could deplete global supplies, depriving patients who genuinely need the medications. The health organisation started work on its guidance in June, shortly after Oxford University published a preliminary report of its findings, partnering with investigators of seven clinical trials in order to conduct a meta-analysis and provide additional evidence in the most expeditious manner, WHO officials said. They characterised the quality of the evidence in favour of steroid treatment for severely ill patients as one of moderate certainty. Among the other studies published Wednesday was a Brazilian trial of 299 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome that compared dexamethasone treatment with regular care. The steroid significantly improved outcomes, increasing the number of days patients were alive and free of mechanical ventilation. Another study in France evaluated low doses of another steroid, hydrocortisone, in 148 patients. Those receiving the drug were more likely to survive, but the results were not statistically significant because the trial was stopped early. A third study tested varying hydrocortisone regimens in 400 seriously ill COVID-19 patients in eight countries. It was also stopped prematurely, but the researchers concluded there was a strong probability that the treatment improved outcomes. When the Oxford results were announced in June, physicians worldwide started using dexamethasone. I think there was some uncertainty about whether the effect was real, said Rice, who co-authored an editorial accompanying the new papers in JAMA. This shows us steroids are clearly beneficial in this population and should clearly be given, unless you absolutely cant for some reason, which needs to be a pretty rare occasion. The drug remdesivir modestly shortens time to recovery in critically ill COVID-19 patients, he noted, but has not been shown to reduce fatalities. People are dying from this disease, and we want treatment that we are confident will decrease mortality and save peoples lives, Rice said. Roni Caryn Rabin c.2020 The New York Times Company Calling Gov. Steve Bullocks August directive permitting counties to hold the Nov. 3 election via mail ballot illegal, President Donald Trumps campaign and three other Republican groups sued Bullock on Wednesday seeking to overturn it. The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Helena by Trumps campaign, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Montana Republican State Central Committee also names Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, a Republican. The Governors power grab under the cover of COVID-19 is particularly egregious. The Governor is running for U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Party and his race is one of the most competitive in the country. So he is using his current position to force a brand-new election system on Montanans that, according to his own party, will sway the election in his favor. This action cannot stand, reads the suit. Bullock responded, in a statement, that "this template lawsuit appears to be part of a pattern of lawsuits across the country by Republican party operatives to limit access to voting during the pandemic. Voting by mail in Montana is safe, secure, and was requested by a bipartisan coalition of Montana election officials seeking to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and keep Montanans safe and healthy. This is the same directive that the Republican President of the Senate and Republican Speaker of the House said was the right thing to do for the June primary. Today, we have many more active cases of COVID-19 than we did back in June. Bullock is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines in a race deemed a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The suit was filed the same day Daines campaign spokeswoman Julia Doyle sent an email with a vigorous objection to an anti-Daines ad featuring an Iraq war veteran saying, "I can't understand why Senator Steve Daines won't stand up to those that are trying to sabotage vote by mail in Montana." Political analyst and University of Montana journalism professor Lee Banville said the suit puts Montana Republicans in a difficult position. Daines has positioned himself as being in lockstep with Trump; now the presidents re-election campaign as well as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, working to see Daines re-elected is suing the state of Montana. What will be interesting to watch is, does Daines come out in opposition to the lawsuit or does he stay mum about it and let what seems like conflicting messages float around? said Banville. Doyle's email termed the ad, funded by a political action committee called VoteVets Action Fund, blatantly false and highlighted Daines concerns over recent U.S. Postal Service changes that could affect mail service. Her email included a letter from an attorney for Daines campaign asking that station managers withdraw the ad. One station already was forced to pull an ad for running falsehoods about the Senator, Doyle wrote, saying other stations were urged to follow suit. She later identified the station as KXLO in Lewistown, but station manager Phyllis Hall said the decision not to run the ad had nothing to do with any complaints; in fact, she said the station had received nothing from Daines campaign. I was a little uncomfortable with the message they (the PAC) were giving, Hall said. A similar ad targeting Bullock would have gotten the same response, she said. In 2016, VoteVets was the highest-spending liberal nonprofit active in federal elections, according to the nonpartisan OpenSecrets.org. Asked for comment about the senator's reaction to the suit, Doyle said that "the senator strongly supports giving Montanans the option to vote by mail" which is what Bullock's directive does. She said Daines supports the lawsuit because Bullock did not work with the Legislature, repeating the lawsuit's contention that the directive is an overreach of power. Stapleton's office did not reply to a request for comment. Similar lawsuits have been filed by the same national Republican groups in other states, including Nevada, Illinois and New Jersey. Democratic groups have likewise filed a flurry of suits around the country, many aimed at perceived barriers to voting. Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor who tracks such suits, listed 228 cases in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico as of Aug. 31, in his most recent update on Election Law Blog. Bullocks August directive on mail ballots followed a request from county clerks across Montana. Counties have until Friday to decide whether to use mail ballots or go with traditional polling places; roughly 40 have already opted for mail ballots. The governor's directive requires counties to also make in-person voting available. "I dont know how wed switch gears right now. It would very difficult. I don't know how it would be possible," said Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg, a former head of the Montana Association of Clerks and Recorders. A key reason so many counties opted for mail ballots was because of the difficulty of staffing poll locations, she said. Election judges tend to be older people who are in a high-risk category for the novel coronavirus. "I know there are so many counties out there that don't have enough trained people," Plettenberg said. Ravalli County's ballots have already gone to a printer, and absentee ballots to members of the military serving overseas are scheduled to go out Sept. 18. "I'm just going to move forward," even with the possibility the ballots might have to be reprinted, she said. All 56 counties used mail ballots in the June 2 primary election, which saw a 41% turnout rate, the highest in a midterm primary since the 47% who voted in 1994 during Democratic President Bill Clintons first term. Most Montana voters 73% in the 2018 midterms already use absentee ballots that are mailed to them, and can either be returned by mail or dropped off in person, options also available with mail ballots. The suit terms Bullocks directive a violation of both the U.S. and Montana Constitutions, calling it a usurpation of the Legislatures power, and seeks an injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing the directive. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 4 Sad 0 Angry 24 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In this photo released by the 10th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters, a Filipino crewmember of a Panamanian cargo ship is rescued by Japanese Coast Guard members in the waters off the Amami Oshima, Japan Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. (The 10th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters via AP) Two Aussies on Capsized Ship After Typhoon There are grave fears for two Australians who were on board a livestock ship that has capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea. The pair, understood to be a vet and a stockhandler, were among 43 crew on board the Jordanian vessel Gulf Livestock 1 which was en route to China from New Zealand. Lukas Orda, who previously worked at Gold Coast Equine Clinic and studied at James Cook University in Townsville, has been identified as the vet in several media reports. Only one seaman, a Filipino, has so far been rescued. The Department of Foreign and Affairs is assisting the families of the Australians. The Australian government is providing consular assistance to the families of two Australian crew members on board a cargo vessel reported missing in Japanese waters, DFAT said on Sept. 3. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment. The ship sent a distress call from west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Sept. 2 as the region experienced strong winds, heavy seas and drenching rains from Typhoon Maysak as it headed towards the Korean peninsula. An industry source told AAP the shipment was a New Zealand consignment which would fall under their regulatory authorities. The shipment is believed to have been put together by Australasian Global Exports, a Melbourne-based exporter which operates across Australia and New Zealand. Its understood the company has been contacting the families of the Australians. Australasian Global Exports executive procurement director Graeme Turner declined to comment. The exporter is believed to be responsible for employing stockhandlers and vets, with the shipping company employing the crew. Japans coastguard said it rescued 45-year-old chief officer Sareno Edvarodo on Sept. 2 night while searching for the ship. According to Edvarodo, the vessel lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on life jackets. Edvarodo said he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew before he was rescued. The vessel departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 and was bound for the Chinese port of Jingtang, carrying 5867 cattle. Its journey was expected to take about 17 days. Japans coastguard said the 43 people on board also included 39 from the Philippines and two from New Zealand. New Zealands foreign ministry is providing consular assistance to the families of the New Zealanders. By Michael Ramsey MEXICO CITY - As Mexico struggles to pay a water debt to the United States, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday he might personally appeal to President Donald Trump for clemency, or invite United Nations experts to audit water payments. Mexico has fallen behind in the amount of water it must send north from its dams under a 1944 treaty, and time is running out to make up the shortfall by the Oct. 24 deadline. But farmers in the northern state of Chihuahua want the water for their own crops. The water treaty has become a burning political issue in northern Mexico, with conspiracy theories and violent protests springing up. Lopez Obrador has advocated paying the debt, noting that Mexico receives four times more water under the treaty from the Colorado River than it contributes in the Rio Grande area. He claims Mexico has enough water in dams to supply local farmers and repay the debt, which built up over a number of years. I am asking people to help us and trust us, Lopez Obrador said. If there is a problem of a lack of water, I will go to Chihuahua immediately and speak to the U.S. president and seek, as I have done in other cases, understanding of our situation. Given that conspiracy theories have sprung up in Chihuahua that the United States may have overstated it water payments, or paid with infrastructure improvements instead of water, Lopez Obrador said he would be open to a review by outside experts. On whether the accounting is bad and whether we are in agreement with the U.N. verifying whether things are being done correctly, of course we are willing to accept that, but we do not want these to be dilatory practices, legal manoeuvrs that would delay us fulfilling our commitement, Lopez Obrador said. The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, the bilateral body that oversees treaty issues, said it has not received any proposals from our Mexican counterparts to have the UN come in to audit water deliveries. Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico owes the United States almost 345,600 acre-feet (426 million cubic meters) this year that must be paid by Oct. 24. Payment is made by releasing water from dams in Mexico. Mexico has fallen badly behind in payments from previous years and now has to quickly catch up on water transfers. In mid-July, the U.S. Commissioner of the water commission, Jayne Harkins, said they need to increase their water releases to the United States immediately, adding Mexico has failed to implement releases promised earlier and continuing to delay increases the risk of Mexico failing to meet its delivery obligation. The issue is a difficult one for Lopez Obrador, who said he fears the U.S. government could impose tariffs on Mexican products or close borders in retaliation. Imagine that, for failing to comply, they close the border on us, the president said. A danger lies also in the series of angry protests the issue has sparked. In late July, demonstrators in Chihuahua burned several government vehicles, blocked railway tracks and set afire a government office and highway tollbooths to protest the release of water from local dams to pay the U.S. Lopez Obrador has said the protests are being fanned by opposition politicians for their own motives. The expansion of water-hungry crops has meant that Mexico has used 71% of the northward-flowing Conchos River, while under the treaty it should use only 62% of the water, letting the rest of it flow into the Rio Bravo, also known as the Rio Grande, on the border. In the past, Mexico has delayed payments, hoping that periodic tropical storms from the Gulf would create occasional windfalls of water. But while Hanna made landfall in Texas in July, the storms rains did not reach far enough inland to fill dams in Chihuahua. Read more about: Virgin Atlantic is set to axe another 1,000 jobs as it struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The British airline, based in Crawley, West Sussex, will reportedly announce the huge cull as early as tomorrow. It comes just hours after Sir Richard Branson's firm had a 1.2billion rescue package approved by the High Court. And it is less than four months after Virgin Atlantic said it would close its headquarters at Gatwick and axed 3,150 jobs. The news means the airline's workforce would have nearly halved - from 10,000 - since before Covid-19 struck. The British airline, based in Crawley, West Sussex, will reportedly announce the huge cull as early as tomorrow It comes just hours after Sir Richard Branson's (pictured) firm had a 1.2billion rescue package approved by creditors Virgin Atlantic has not released figures for the number of employees facing the boot, but a source told Sky News it would be over 1,000. The company, which was founded in 1984 by Sir Richard, has been battered by the lack of international travel since countries brought in lockdowns earlier this year. How did Richard Branson make his money? Richard Branson is the founder and chairman of Virgin Group, which started with Virgin Records in 1972 and now employs more than 70,000 people across 35 countries. His empire has included airlines, radio stations, nightclubs, a Formula One team and health clubs - and the tycoon is estimated to be worth more than $4 billion. Branson started out at age 16 in the 1960s with the magazine called Student - which sold nearly $8,000 worth of advertising in its first issue - with the ambitious young businessman dropping out of school to focus on the publication. He then started his record business in 1969, moving on to launch Virgin Mail Order Records, using the profits to found the Virgin Records music label in 1972, according to Investopedia. His success was in part due to his willingness to sign artists who were controversial at the time, including the Sex Pistols, with other popular performers including Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones. In 1979 Branson bought Necker Island for $180,000, and went on to start one of his most iconic companies, Virgin Atlantic, in 1984, with the airline achieving success due to its creative in-flight comforts. After selling Virgin Records for $1 billion to keep Virgin Atlantic going, Branson went on to be knighted in 2000 and has remained one of Britain's most well-known entrepreneurs. Advertisement Last week, the airline's creditors voted to approve a rescue package, which the firm said was a 'significant milestone in safeguarding its future'. At a remote High Court hearing yesterday, Mr Justice Snowden sanctioned the restructuring plan, a step of the process for Virgin Atlantic to implement the deal. The judge said this will allow the airline to make the plan effective by Friday. The 1.2billion rescue deal, announced in July, involves only private funds. It also includes a cash injection of 200million from founder Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. David Allison QC, for Virgin Atlantic, told the court four creditor meetings were held last week, with 100 per cent attendance and 100 per cent approval at three of them. The fourth saw the deal approved by the vast majority of those present and voting. Allison said it was 'in the best interests of all stakeholders' to reach an agreement. A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said in a statement: 'Achieving this significant milestone puts Virgin Atlantic in a position to rebuild its balance sheet, restore customer confidence and welcome passengers back to the skies, safely, as soon as they are ready to travel.' A US procedural hearing is expected to follow today. In April Sir Richard asked the Government for a 500million loan and offered to mortgage Necker Island, his private Caribbean retreat believed to be worth 80million. Virgin Atlantic has been approached for comment on the job cuts. Earlier today Costa said 1,650 staff are at risk of redundancy as it looks to cut costs amid continued uncertainty over when trade will fully recover. It told staff on Thursday it has started consultations which could impact more than a 10th of roles. The move comes a week after rival Pret A Manger revealed it was slashing 2,800 roles as part of a restructure of its UK business. Costa closed nearly all of its 2,700 UK stores for six weeks during the pandemic but had now reopened around 2,400 sites. The Coca Cola-owned chain said trade is 'returning' after being boosted by the Government's VAT reduction on food and non-alcoholic drinks and the recent Eat Out to Help Out scheme. But it said the proposed job cuts had been driven by 'high levels of uncertainty as to when trade will recover to pre-Covid levels'. Cafe chain Costa has said 1,650 staff are at risk of redundancy as it looks to cut costs amid continued uncertainty over when trade will fully recover following the pandemic Neil Lake, managing director for Costa Coffee UK and Ireland, said: 'Today's announcement to our store teams was an extremely difficult decision to make. 'Our baristas are the heart of the Costa business and I am truly sorry that many now face uncertainty following today's news. 'We have had to make these difficult decisions to protect the business and ensure we safeguard as many jobs as possible for our 16,000 team members, whilst emerging stronger ready for future growth. 'As a proud member of the UK high street, we remain committed to the role Costa plays in supporting the economic recovery of the country, but today I want to say a huge thank you to all of our team members that are affected by this announcement and we will be supporting you throughout this process.' The company said when reviewing roles within stores, a number of options were reviewed prior to making the difficult decision to launch a consultation. It said Costa had made the difficult decision to freeze all pay increases within the Support Centre and cut all non-essential expenditure. It added that Costa will seek to find those at-risk alternative roles within the business where possible, and for those leaving the business, support will be provided to help with the transition to new employment. Coffee and sandwich chain Pret a Manger confirmed it has axed 2,800 roles from its shops Around 6% of the Britain's workforce switched jobs in the three months after the pandemic hit, new figures show Around six per cent of the UK working population changed occupations in the three months after the pandemic hit, government figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 6.1 per cent of workers changed to a new occupation in the period from April to June, against the previous quarter. Statisticians said that most people who changed jobs in the quarter after the pandemic hit also changed their industry, as large parts of the economy shut down temporarily. The figures revealed that the proportion of people switching occupation was slightly ahead of the same period last year, when 5.7 per cent of people changed roles. The ONS said the 'limited' rise in occupational changes is 'likely to reflect the effect of the Government's job retention schemes'. In the report, the ONS said: 'Occupational switching might therefore become more prevalent as employment support unwinds. 'As the picture continues to develop, it will be possible to further understand how occupational movements have affected the labour market.' The new figures revealed that 52.5 per cent of workers changing occupations also altered their main industry, switching to roles in completely different sectors. It said that associate professional and technical roles - which include a raft of scientific, teaching and administrative jobs - saw the greatest increase, with 21.2 per cent of people who changed occupations moving into this area. Earlier this month, the ONS also said that around 730,000 UK workers have been removed from the payrolls of British companies since March when the coronavirus lockdown began. Advertisement Last week, coffee and sandwich chain Pret a Manger axed 2,800 roles from its shops. In a statement, chief executive Pano Christou said the coronavirus pandemic 'has taken away almost a decade of growth at Pret'. He added that the popular cafe franchise had 'managed to protect many jobs' but is 'gutted that we've had to lose so many colleagues'. Mr Christou said: 'Although we're now starting to see a steady but slow recovery, the pandemic has taken away almost a decade of growth at Pret. 'We've managed to protect many jobs by making changes to the way we run our shops and the hours we ask team members to work. A report by the CBI found the employment balance, which measures the number of retailers laying off and hiring staff over the past year, had dropped to minus 45 per cent in August from minus 20 per cent in May. The figures, which are the lowest level the country has seen since February 2009, also revealed an unexpected slump in retail sales in August with its balance falling to minus 6 per cent from 4 per cent in July. It was revealed that the retail bloodbath has claimed or put under threat at least 41,391 UK jobs since the lockdown was introduced in late March. It follows mounting warnings of mass unemployment when the Government's worker furlough scheme comes to an end in October. The retail sector is among those which have leaned heavily on the scheme since lockdown forced vast swathes of the high street to shut. Non-essential shops have been able to re-open since June, but many retailers have had to close shops and cut staff as shoppers continue to shun the high street. Marks & Spencer added to the pain in the retail sector, announcing 7,000 job losses last week. The London-based retail giant revealed the bulk of the cuts would be made across its stores, hitting around 12 per cent of its 60,000 shop-based staff, as well as a smaller number of support centre and regional management workers. M&S, which employs 85,000 people worldwide, said it expected a 'significant' number of roles would be cut through voluntary departures and early retirement. Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the CBI, said: 'The furlough scheme has proved effective at insulating workers and businesses in some of the worst-hit sectors during the pandemic, but these findings reinforce fears that many job losses have been delayed rather than avoided.' He added: 'Trading conditions for the retail sector remain tough, even against the backdrop of business slowly returning. 'Firms will be wary of deteriorating household incomes and the risk of further local lockdowns potentially hitting them in the pocket for a second time.' Footfall across all retail locations is at 68 per cent of its level this time last year. This is compared to around 10 per cent at the start of April The survey also found that retailers polled for the report expect job losses to fall further, with a balance of minus 52 per cent for the next quarter. They also showed that retailers expect sales to fall further in September, with a balance of minus 17 per cent. But official figures offered some good news for the embattled retail sector last week, revealing total retail sales volumes in July rose 3.6 per cent compared with June and are now 3 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. More than 187,000 people across a range of industries now face redundancy, or have already been laid off, in recent months as the pandemic puts a huge dent in the nation's economy. Last month it was revealed that Debenhams was set to axe 2,500 jobs across its stores and warehouses in an attempt to cut costs after sales plummeted during the coronavirus lockdown. It was also revealed that around 14,000 jobs could also be on the brink at Debenhams, with plans to liquidate the business being drawn up in case other options for saving the company such as selling it fall through. The department store is scrapping the roles of sales manager, visual merchandise manager and selling support manager as part of a management restructuring process. The move, which was first reported by RetailWeek, comes four months after Debenhams collapsed into administration. This month it was revealed Debenhams was set to axe 2,500 jobs across its stores and warehouses Meanwhile it was reported that 1,300 jobs at the British retail giant John Lewis had been affected this month after eight retail sites announced in July they were at risk of closure. The retailer said the affected stores were 'already financially challenged prior to the pandemic and a number of contributing factors, including the shift towards online shopping which Covid-19 has accelerated, meant these shops would not be commercially viable in the future'. In a statement, the business said: 'This is a very sad occasion and one we never thought was imaginable when we first opened these shops. 'Our expectation was that we would trade in these locations for many years to come, but they were financially challenged before the pandemic and we have not been able to find a way that would allow us to turn that around. 'We are grateful to those who have expressed their support since announcing the proposed closure last month, and for the incredible professionalism our partners have shown - they remain our absolute priority and will be fully supported over the coming weeks.' Earlier this year more than 1,800 jobs were lost at Oasis and Warehouse after administrators said they were unable to rescue the company behind the brands. In a statement the Joint administrator at Deloitte, Rob Harding, blamed coronavirus for the stores' demise and said: 'Covid-19 has presented extraordinary challenges which have devastated the retail industry. 'It is with great sadness that we have to announce a sale of the business has not been possible and that we are announcing so many redundancies today.' Earlier this year administrators of Oasis and Warehouse blamed coronavirus for woes of chains It comes as the Office for National Statistics said 730,000 people have been taken off payrolls since the beginning of the crisis in March, and predicted some 6.5 million jobs in total will go in the UK because of the disaster. Government figures also reveal 6.1 cent of the UK working population have changed occupations in the three months after the pandemic hit. Statisticians said that most people who changed jobs in the quarter after the pandemic hit also changed their industry, as large parts of the economy shut down temporarily. The Government's furlough scheme for workers comes to an end in October and while it has launched the back to work bonus, offering firms 1,000 for every furloughed staff member a business retains, there are fears there will still be thousands more retail jobs axed. Three years after the Tubbs Fire ripped through Sonoma County, destroying 5,600 homes, many of the neighborhoods hardest hit are springing back to life. In Santa Rosas Coffey Park, 95% of the 1,300 homes destroyed are either completely rebuilt or under construction. Every week more families move in, and next month a park thats the centerpiece of the neighborhood will reopen after a $5 million renovation. Santa Rosa chief building official Jesse Oswald called the Santa Rosa rebuild a model for what is possible after a devastating wildfire. But with a web of wildfires once again fouling the skies across Northern California, destroying 2,400 homes and scorching 1.6 million acres, experts are questioning whether the new homes that have popped up in Sonoma County, and elsewhere in the fire-ravaged state, are any safer than the ones lost in recent years. Chris Dicus, a Cal Poly professor of wildland fire and fuels management, said he visited Santa Rosa to look at the rebuild and was shocked that most houses in Coffey Park seemed to be as vulnerable to wildfire as their predecessors. They are putting wooden decks connected to wooden houses on top of wooden mulch, he said. I was blown away to see that things are being built back to the old standards of what was burned down previously. He said, There will be another fire in Santa Rosa, and he fears it will not go well. Its just heartbreaking, because Ive seen the death and destruction of wildfire all over the world, he said. The question of whether housing should be rebuilt and what level of fireproofing is needed is complicated by local regulations, cost, insurance payouts and what materials local builders are willing to use. Throughout Santa Rosa, where 3,000 homes were lost to wildfire, 1,400 have been rebuilt, 840 are under construction and 150 are under review, according to city records. About 400 property owners have not filed an application to rebuild. Overall in Sonoma County, about 85% of the 5,600 homes destroyed in the Tubbs Fire are either rebuilt or are in some stage of the permitting or construction process. Coffey Park is an outlier in some ways. Its one of the most suburban neighborhoods hit by recent wildfires, which means it was rebuilt with fewer fire-hardening regulations than Santa Rosa neighborhoods like Fountaingrove, which are more rural. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Fountaingrove and other rural areas in California that are most vulnerable to wildfire dubbed wildland-urban interface zones are state-regulated and have a higher standard of fireproofing than others elsewhere. These houses require that the exterior be ignition-resistant and able to prevent flying embers from entering. Windows and doors must have a 20-minute fire-resistance rating, among other requirements. Decks, porches, balconies and stairs within 10 feet of the building must be constructed of noncombustible, fire-retardant treated or heavy-timber construction. Homes must have a 30-foot buffer from grass, trees, shrubs or any wildland area. But experts say most homes rebuilt in the rural areas with these precautions are still unlikely to survive the sort of wildfires California has seen in recent years. The rules give firefighters a bit more time to defend against approaching flames, but these mostly wood-frame homes still succumb to the flames, according to Alexandra Syphard, who teaches at San Diego State University and is chief scientist at Vertus Wildfire, an insurance company. Syphard recently published an analysis of 40,000 structures destroyed in California wildfires. The study found that it wasnt clear that newer homes built to current state code with defensible space and fire-resistant building materials had a better chance of survival than older homes without those protections. She said that families living in new homes that built to current code should not be fooled by a false sense of security. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Many of the newest homes in recent fires have been destroyed, she said. Those claiming that these new houses that are being rebuilt wont burn are overly optimistic. She added that the most important risk factor for a house burning is that its in the path of the fire. Oswald, the Santa Rosa building chief, said the city has not seen a significant number of property owners install elaborate exterior sprinkler systems or build with steel, concrete or other fireproof materials. There are some folks who had the means to go that extra mile and build something that is more like a bunker than a typical home, he said. But we havent seen much of that. But in a state with a housing affordability crisis, just meeting state code is as much as most people can afford. While a concrete-and-steel house thats truly fire-resistant will end up costing about $550 a square foot, the typical Coffey Park insurance payout covers $250 to $300 a square foot, according to resident Jeff Okrepkie, who lost his house in the Tubbs Fire. Okrepkie said that he feels the new Coffey Park is safer than the old one. Current local building codes require sprinkler systems and smoke alarms, which many of the old houses didnt have. The new houses have Hardie Board siding, which, while not considered fireproof, is fire-resistant, with a one-hour fire rating, meaning it can resist exposure to fire for one hour. The current fire standards call for the removal of nearly all combustible materials from exterior surfaces, as well as tempered windows, small vents to help keep out embers and screens on gutters. In addition, Cal Fire has doubled the number of fire cameras and has become more aggressive in ordering evacuations, he said. Everything is just a little more resistant than it was before, Okrepkie said. You take all of those things and put it together and it logically feels safer. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen PUBLICANS are gathering in Dublin today to protest to open their doors, as they fear for their livelihoods after almost six months of closure. The publicans from Monaghan are taking their protest to the Dail and to parliamentary offices to highlight the plight of publicans. Patrick Boylan said there was a lot of anger that Irish publicans felt they were the only industry in Europe that had been left closed. Most pubs are open over Europe, Mr Boylan told Claire Byrne on RTE Radio 1s Today. Read More We have reached the end of the line. We need a decision - pubs need to open. Mr Boylan said it was particularly difficult watching as his customers went to pubs only a couple of kilometres away over the border. The protest is aimed to get the message out to the Government, Mr Boylan said. We have reached the end of the line, he said. We take heart from (Leo Varadkars support) but its getting to be too little too late. We have been treated very unfairly Its six months since opening. I have a house to keep along with the pub and you're expected to do that on 350 a week and (we are waiting on) a payment from the Government that hasn't been received. Paul Moynihan, the incoming president of the Vinteners Federation of Ireland, stated the message Government had been sending out recently, including the provision of further garda powers to monitor regulations, had given us a little bit of hope. Our staff and families listened to it, Mr Moynihan added. Give us a roadmap but words aren't needed - its action that's needed now for a roadmap to reopen. Geriatrician Professor Ronan Collins is in support of pubs reopening. He told Claire Byrne it was too easy to highlight images of people in Killarney or Temple Bar. Prof Collins added that smaller communities relied on pubs for a vital place to socialise. Its where people meet, exchange a greeting, support each other, Prof Collins said. We are facing into winter. We have to learn to live with this virus. All our views have matured. We have lost as a society the skills to live as a pandemic. We had four in the 1900s, in the last five years we had five threatened. This was always coming. We lost our skills on how to cope. Despite a report that there had been an increase in cases in people over 70, Prof Ronan added: Most of us in hospitals aren't seeing this big surge. If you swab more people, youll find more cases of people showing positivity. Theres a danger the good of society won't be served by an ultra conservative approach. Everybody needs to be afraid, its a serious infection and gets worse as you get older, but age is not the greatest risk factor - Its underlying illnesses But we have to understand that as a society we have to move on. There's not a vaccine in a month, two months - there may not be in a year. He added that people needed to realise they had to become accustomed to living with the virus. OGA Offers 113 Licenses in Latest Round This article was first published on Rigzone here The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) announced Thursday that it has offered for award 113 license areas over 259 blocks, or part-blocks, to 65 companies as part of the 32nd Offshore Licensing Round. The round offered blocks in mature, producing areas close to existing infrastructure, the OGA highlighted. The majority of the licenses will enter the initial term and 16 of the awards are for licenses that will proceed straight to second term, either for potential developments or re-developments of fields where production had ceased and the acreage had been relinquished, the OGA noted. In support of the latest licensing round, the OGA said it provided a suite of new data and analyses, prospect and discovery reports and well and seismic data. Following this round, the OGA confirmed that it is taking a temporary pause from annual license round activity and said it will not run a license round in what would have been the 2020/21 period. This will allow relinquishments to take place so more coherent areas may be reoffered in the future, the OGA noted. Industry is encouraged to use the pause to acquire data and carry out studies in preparation for the next round, the OGA said in a statement posted on its website. Take control of your future. Search THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Rigzone.com Search Now >> The OGA will engage with industry on the timing and nature of the next offshore licensing round, the OGA added. The 32nd offshore licensing round officially opened on July 11, 2019, and applications were accepted up to November 12, 2019, through the LARRY system on the energy portal. According to its website, the OGAs role is to regulate, influence and promote the UK oil and gas industry in order to maximize the economic recovery of the UKs oil and gas resources. Headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, the OGA is largely funded by an industry levy. Story continues A full list of the awards and maps can be viewed here. To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform: >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on Rigzone.com << Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. In an ongoing effort to contain COVID-19, local and state governments have extended or reissued orders for nonessential businesses and establishments to close their doors. These orders, combined with the lack of consumers making their way into physical stores, are having a major impact on small businesses across the country. Many brick-and-mortar small businesses have determined the only way to remain open and serve customers is to transition operations to online ecommerce, which is something several businesses are doing for the first time. For brick-and-mortar businesses struggling to figure out how to bring their stores online during this unprecedented time, there are several key considerations. Here are seven steps that can be taken to quickly establish an ecommerce presence and continue reaching customers. 1. Set up an online platform The first step for any business owner considering ecommerce is to research the platforms available to determine which best fits the needs of your business and your budget. There are a number of cost-efficient ecommerce providers that allow small businesses to get up and running in a matter of minutes. A full list of the ecommerce providers Avalara works with can be found here. When evaluating ecommerce platforms, there are a number of factors to consider, including multiplatform operations, shipping and fulfillment features, security measures, and compliance capabilities. If your business is transitioning to online for the first time, simplicity in functionality both on the back end and customer-facing features will likely be top of mind. Most ecommerce platform providers have several different plans designed to best fit your business. When deciding which plan is best for you, keep the following in mind: How many products do you plan on selling? If youre not planning to sell a lot of products, a simpler plan with lower rates may be suitable. There is no product limit for many providers main plans. If youre not planning to sell a lot of products, a simpler plan with lower rates may be suitable. There is no product limit for many providers main plans. What features do you need? If youre looking to have a site that enables customers to view your products and make purchases, a simpler plan is likely the best fit. However, many businesses find its beneficial to include additional features that contribute to positive customer experiences, like customer loyalty plans, abandoned cart recovery, and more. Note that during this time, your business may not have the luxury of conducting extensive research on multiple platforms, and instead may need to rely on something that works now. Fortunately, there are providers that offer out-of-the-box functionality that will enable you to get your basic store up and running quickly. "For business owners who have invested their energy into building lasting physical storefronts, the process of moving online doesnt have to be intimidating, even when the future of your brand relies on your ability to launch and drive online sales. Ecommerce platforms, like BigCommerce, are designed with out-of-the-box functionality and application integrations to ensure that even the most novice sellers can get their stores online quickly, and offer the tools to help their business grow now and for years to come. In these uncertain times, having an online presence is an essential way to stay connected to your customers and continue driving revenue. While it may feel overwhelming to move online so quickly, this is an easy business decision that will pay long-lasting dividends." Meghan Stabler, VP of Product Marketing and Communications, BigCommerce Once youve identified a platform that works best for you, the next step is to register your domain name and get your account set up all of which can be done from any connected device. Once youre in, its time to start customizing the features of your website, which begins in step #2. 2. Determine which products youll sell online Given the necessary timeliness of your efforts to transition store functions to ecommerce, its important to prioritize which products youll be selling online, so your most profitable and in-demand products are available for purchase as you launch your website. It can feel like you need to have every product in your store available immediately, but by prioritizing the most popular products first, you can get your online operations up and running then begin fulfilling orders while adding additional inventory. 3. Diversify your payment methods Setting up your accepted payment methods is a crucial part of converting a browser into a buyer. Consider which payment methods are the most commonly used and accommodate for the largest number of customers. Fortunately, most ecommerce providers offer integrations with the most common payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, and more. If youre still unsure of which payment methods youll need to accept, a good rule of thumb is to incorporate the same payment methods you offer through your in-store point-of-sale system. 4. Set up your shipping and returns functions Once youve outlined your products and set up payment methods, the next step is to ensure you can get products to customers. Shipping, fulfillment, and returns can be a major roadblock for many small businesses making the transition from brick-and-mortar to online. A key feature that should be included in your ecommerce platform capabilities is shipping options, including drop shipping, printable shipping labels, and pre-setup shipping providers. If youre fulfilling orders yourself, consider using a shipping app like ShipStation, which helps automate shipping for merchants of all sizes, and offers small businesses discounted shipping rates with USPS, UPS, and FedEx. If youre concerned about how to fulfill orders or that your current warehouse might be unable to fulfill orders, consider using an outsourced provider, like ShipBob, which processes orders for thousands of ecommerce brands. Its also worth pointing out that your storefront can serve as a temporary fulfillment center during this time: It serves the dual benefit of getting products to your customers quickly while simultaneously ensuring all that in-store inventory doesnt go to waste. This is a model that works quite successfully for big-box retailers like Target. Shipping costs are often something brick-and-mortar retailers havent had to consider when it comes to pricing, so be mindful of a products shipping cost and be sure its clearly displayed in the shopping cart. Be transparent about shipping costs throughout the shopping experience and avoid the risk of having customers abandon their cart if they discover a shipping cost gotcha at checkout. 5. Consider how youll manage sales tax compliance Most states now require online sellers to register then collect and remit sales tax once their sales in the state surpass a certain economic nexus threshold (e.g., $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions annually). Therefore, online sellers need an ecommerce platform that applies the correct sales tax rate to every transaction and supports timely filing and remittance. Many ecommerce platforms rely on tax rate tables. Yet rate tables often align rates to ZIP codes, and ZIP codes dont map to sales tax jurisdictions. Furthermore, frequent changes to rates and product taxability rules can quickly render rate tables obsolete: In 2019 alone, there were more than 34,000 tax rate and taxability changes in the U.S., along with 115,000 sales tax holiday rule updates. After calculating and collecting sales tax, online sellers need to file returns and remit payments on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. Companies with sales tax obligations in multiple states typically have to manage multiple deadlines, multiple forms, and a host of filing rules and requirements. It's possible to look up sales tax rates based on a street address, but when tackled manually, sales tax collection, remittance, and filing is both time consuming and error prone. Implementing a seamless solution that pulls transaction data from a POS or accounting system is more efficient and more accurate. And its more necessary now that 43 states and the District of Columbia enforce economic nexus. Online sellers must monitor sales into all economic nexus states to know how close they are to meeting the economic nexus threshold: Some states require remote sellers to register for a sales tax permit and start collecting sales tax as soon as the threshold is crossed (i.e., on the very next invoice). When evaluating an ecommerce platform, choose one that supports real-time sales tax rate and product taxability updates, seamless filing and remittance, and reporting capabilities that can track sales and monitor economic nexus thresholds. 6. Plan your online marketing strategy with social media Perhaps one of the most important steps in this transition is communicating how your business will now be selling. This is where social media posts and advertising come into play to be certain that customers are in the know about your online strategy. On the upside, most brick-and-mortar shops are already using social media to market to their customers. However, its critical that businesses over-communicate the change in operations to ensure regular customers are aware of the new selling channel, and to capitalize on the expanded customer audience you can now reach. Social media can be used to promote your new online presence and as a platform to advocate for your businesss distinguishing factors and unique value-add. Use this opportunity to tell your story and highlight the characteristics that make your small business stand out to consumers. Not only are consumers turning to social media to learn where they can continue making regular purchases during this time, but theyre especially inclined to support small businesses. Another option, when using social media, is to go beyond your marketing efforts and consider using social selling platforms as a complement to your newly formed online store. In todays social network-driven society, social media platforms are no longer just an avenue to increase brand awareness, but an opportunity to connect with customers and make sales in the social threads customers are already sifting through. Comment selling platforms, like CommentSold, are blending content and commerce to convert social media comments into sales and automatically invoice shoppers from their social media timelines. By leveraging this method of headless commerce, or separating the front end and back end of an ecommerce application, businesses can easily combine their social media marketing and online selling for quick sales conversions and limited friction throughout the browsing and shopping experience. Through social selling capabilities, businesses can save customers time they would otherwise have to spend sifting through websites to find the items that best fit their wants and needs. Captivating shoppers online can be increasingly difficult as more businesses turn to online during this time, so reaching customers where they are is more important than ever before. Social selling platforms allow retailers to connect directly with customers via live video and product content on Facebook and Instagram. Creative tools, like instant comment purchasing and real-time live sales events, can help retailers grab and keep their online customers attention. Andy Smith, COO, CommentSold 7. Preview, test, and publish your store Left: Drone-acquired orthoimage of the site showing major features discussed in the paper. Right: Thermal images mosaic collected from 11:15 pm-12:15 am. (Images from Figure 6 of the study). Credit: by Jesse Casana, Elise Jakoby Laugier, and Austin Chad Hill. A Dartmouth-led study using multisensor drones has revealed a large circular earthwork at what may be Etzanoa, an archaeological site near Wichita, Kansas. Archaeologists speculate that the site was visited by a Spanish expedition, led by Juan de Onate, a controversial conquistador, in 1601. The earthwork may be the remains of a so-called "council circle," as it is similar to several other circular earthworks in the region, according to the study's findings published in American Antiquity. "Our findings demonstrate that undiscovered monumental earthworks may still exist in the Great Plains. You just need a different archeological approach to recognize them," explained lead author, Jesse J. Casana, a professor and chair of the department of anthropology at Dartmouth. "Our results are promising in suggesting that there may be many other impressive archaeological features that have not yet been documented, if we look hard enough," he added. Archaeological features have various thermal effects. After the ground cools at nighttime, things below the ground cool and emit heat at different rates, enabling researchers to identify features based on thermal infrared radiation. The researchers obtained thermal and multispectral imagery of the site using drones. The 18-hectare area of the site where the drone survey was conducted is currently home to a ranch property in the lower Walnut River valley, which has been used as a pasture. Topographically, the area is flat with no visible archaeological features. Yet, imagery shows that underground there is an ancient, circular shaped ditch measuring 50 meters wide and approximately 2 meters thick that has been infilled. As the soil erodes, it fills up the ditch with a different type of soil than was there before, and therefore retains water differently giving it unique thermal properties. The water retention levels also impact vegetation. Using near-infrared imagery, the researchers were able to identify areas that had been infilled because grass growth was more vigorous. As the study reports, the results provide evidence for what may have been a "single, sprawling population center" back in its day. Aerial view of the site. Image is from Figure 3 of the study. Credit: Jesse Casana. To confirm that the findings were not an anomaly, the team collected a time series of aerial and satellite images of the area from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies. They found that the circular feature was "faintly visible in June 2015 and July 2017 but not in June 2012 or February 2017." The debate is widespread as to what council circles were used for, whether they were astronomical in nature or made for ceremonial, political and/or defense purposes. Casana added, "While we may never know what the council circles were used for or their significance, new archaeological methods allow us to see that people made these earthworks." Explore further How aerial thermal imagery is revolutionizing archaeology More information: Jesse Casana et al, A Council Circle at Etzanoa? Multi-sensor Drone Survey at an Ancestral Wichita Settlement in Southeastern Kansas, American Antiquity (2020). Journal information: American Antiquity Jesse Casana et al, A Council Circle at Etzanoa? Multi-sensor Drone Survey at an Ancestral Wichita Settlement in Southeastern Kansas,(2020). DOI: 10.1017/aaq.2020.49 CTO Alex Popp and CEO Veronika Riederle Demodesk, a Munich, Germany-based online sales and customer meeting startup, raised $8m in funding. The round which broguth the total raised to date to $10.3m since 2017 was led by Balderton Capital with participation from Target Global and Funders Club. The company intends to use the funds to further develop its technology, scale its operations and hire new talent. Led by CEO Veronika Riederle and CTO Alex Popp, Demodesk has built an intelligent online meeting tool for inside sales and customer service teams to automate scheduling and CRM logging and access to analytics. The tool offers a web-based virtual display entirely independent from the presenters local desktop. It works with any device, without lag, and requires no downloads or regular software updates to operate. Anyone on the call can interact with the website or software being shared on this virtual display, as if the page was on their own screen. For sales teams, Demodesk automatically loads the right slides and websites ahead of the meeting, provides real-time conversational guidance along with playbooks all designed to help sales reps be as efficient and effective as possible. For customer service teams, the tool enables reps to instantly share mouse and keyboard control and collaboratively work with customers. The company has more than 150 customers across Europe and the US including Treatwell, Personio, and Forto. The team is located in offices in Munich and San Francisco, plus remote workers. Demodesk was a member of the Y Combinator Winter 2019 cohort and previous investors include GFC, FundersClub, Kleiner Perkins and angel investors. FinSMEs 03/09/2020 SpaceX deploys 60 Starlink satellites in orbit. SpaceX SpaceX gave an update on early tests of its Starlink satellite internet network, which showed speeds capable of playing online video games and streaming movies. Starlink is the ambitious plan by Elon Musk's company to build an interconnected network of about 12,000 small satellites in low Earth orbit. To date, SpaceX has launched about 650 of its version 1.0 satellites and is currently building a system of ground stations and user terminals to connect consumers directly to its network. The company confirmed during the webcast of its latest launch on Monday that employees have been testing Starlink's latency and download speeds, key measures for an internet service provider. SpaceX senior certification engineer Kate Tice said that the initial results of those tests "have been good." "They show super low latency and download speeds greater than 100 [megabits] per second. That means our latency is low enough to play the fastest online video games and our download speeds are fast enough to stream multiple HD movies at once," Tice said. She acknowledged that the network is "very much a work in progress," with SpaceX hoping to further "unlock the full capability" of the Starlink network as it continues to launch satellites. The company told the FCC in July that SpaceX is building 120 satellites per month, as well as thousands of the small terminals that consumers will use to connect to the network. SpaceX said that it has "invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Starlink to date." A Starlink user terminal, which would connect consumers to the company's satellite internet service. SpaceX SpaceX this summer said that Starlink is already seeing "extraordinary demand" from potential customers, with "nearly 700,000 individuals" across the United States indicating they are interested in the company's coming service. Space lasers test FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq said on Wednesday it remained fully committed to the OPEC+ oil supply cut agreement, denying earlier media report that it was seeking an exemption from the reduction pact during the first quarter of 2021, Iraq's oil ministry spokesman said. "The Ministry of Oil would like to categorically deny this baseless statement, and affirm that, to the contrary, Iraq remains fully committed to the April OPEC+ Declaration of Cooperation, and the compensation mechanism agreed to in June," the spokesman said in a statement. Iraq's compliance with the current oil cuts was above 100% in August, and the Arab OPEC oil producer "will continue to perform at this elevated level, while compensating in August and September for the previous overproduction of 850,000 barrels per day", according to the OPEC+ agreement, the spokesman said. Earlier on Wednesday, Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar was quoted as saying that he has spoken about the exemption to key OPEC oil ministers in three separate meetings, according to a local newspaper in comments reported by state news agency INA. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, a grouping known as OPEC+, are currently cutting output by 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd) until December to support prices as the coronavirus crisis hammers demand. Abdul Jabbar said last month that Iraq would cut its oil production by an additional 400,000 bpd in both August and September to compensate for its overproduction in the three previous months. On Wednesday, the Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said that if the full compensation volumes cannot be made by the end of September, Iraq will ask "for an extension of the compensation period to the end of November." A key OPEC+ ministerial panel, known as the JMMC, which monitors compliance with the cuts and advises the OPEC+ group, meets next on Sept. 17. (Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Franklin Paul and Lisa Shumaker) A curfew that was in place in Kenosha for more than a week after the police shooting of Jacob Blake was lifted on Wednesday, another sign of increasing calm in the southeastern city that has been the epicentre of the latest eruption over racial injustice. The move came a day after the curfew was targeted as unconstitutional in a federal lawsuit and the day before former Vice President planned to visit, marking his first campaign stop in in nearly two years. The curfew was enacted after Blake, a Black man, was shot by a police officer on August 23. Jacob Blake Sr. on Wednesday told WGN America's "NewsNation that his son is out of a hospital intensive care unit. The shooting of Blake, captured on cellphone video, sparked protests that resulted in buildings being burned and vandalised and in the shootings of three demonstrators, two of whom died. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse has been charged in the August 25 slayings; his attorney says it was self defense. Biden said on Wednesday that the officer who shot Blake should be charged, a sharp contrast to Trump's support-the-police message when he visited Kenosha a day earlier. The president met with law enforcement, toured some of the damage and called the violence domestic terrorism, and made almost no mention of Blake. Biden also plans to meet with members of Blake's family, something Trump did not do, and hold a community meeting. Protests have been peaceful for more than a week, other than a few minor skirmishes during Trump's visit. The last several nights have been relatively peaceful in the community, and in the judgment of law enforcement, it is appropriate to remove the curfew, Mayor John Antaramian said. However, he held out the possibility that the curfew may return, saying criminal activity will not be tolerated. The about-face came after four people who were arrested during the protests filed a federal lawsuit alleging that local law enforcement arrested only those protesting against police brutality, not pro-police protesters and militia who were armed with rifles. In Kenosha, there are two sets of laws one that applies to those who protest police brutality and racism, and another for those who support the police, the lawsuit said. Sam Hall, attorney for Kenosha County, said the county will seek immediate dismissal. He said the sheriff's department has worked tirelessly to bring order back to the community and has been careful to protect the rights of all citizens throughout that process. North Carolina civil rights lawyer Kimberly Motely, who is representing those arrested, said she thought the lawsuit definitely played a role in the decision to lift the curfew. There are no immediate plans to drop the suit, which also seeks damages for those arrested, Motley said. She also represents Gaige Grosskreutz, who prosecutors say was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse. ittenhouse's attorney John Pierce tweeted a video of him Tuesday speaking by phone with Rittenhouse from jail in Illinois, where he was arrested. I just want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the underlining support, it's just amazing, Rittenhouse said from the phone held up by Pierce. I want to thank all of you for the mail I've been receiving. It's been really helpful. I just want to let you all know that I'm going to be out of here soon and stay strong. And I hope to see you guys soon. On Monday, Trump defended Rittenhouse. BuzzFeed News, citing since deleted social media, reported that Rittenhouse sat in the front row at a Trump rally in Des Moines in January and a TikTok bio page of his included the slogan Trump 2020. During his visit to Kenosha, Trump highlighted a camera shop that was destroyed during protests. But the shop's owner, Tom Gram, said the president used his store for political gain by appearing with a former owner of the business. Gram said he bought Rode's Camera Shop from the Rode family eight years ago, though John Rode still owns the property. Gram said he rejected an offer to join the president on his tour, and that Trump's references to Rode as the owner of the business were deceptive. I think everything he (Trump) does turns into a circus and I just didn't want to be involved in it, Gram told Milwaukee station WTMJ-TV. The White House noted Wednesday that Rode and his family founded and built Rode's Camera Shop before World War II and still own the building that houses the shop. Trump didn't visit the site of the shop, but Rode met with him a few blocks away and appeared at a roundtable later in the day. I just appreciate President Trump coming today, everybody here does, Rode said. We're so thankful we got the federal troops here. Once they got here things did calm down quite a bit. A day earlier we would have saved your store," Trump responded. "One day earlier. Governor Tony Evers deployed the National Guard to Kenosha to quell demonstrations. Trump has sought to take credit, although Evers activated them a day before Trump demanded they be used. (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 PTI MUMBAI: The NCP on Thursday accused the BJP of using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament to "hide its failures" on multiple fronts. The NCP also called for using other electronic means to let parliamentarians question the Centre. "The BJP is using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the monsoon session of Parliament to hide its failures on multiple fronts," NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged. "The BJP should use other electronic media to enable the MPs to question the government," he added. Another NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto took a dig at the NDA constituent through his cartoon. In the cartoon, a man with the BJP's poll symbol 'lotus' in place of his head can be seen running away from a question mark. "No Question Hour in Parliament. You can run. You can't hide," reads the caption of the cartoon. According to the notifications issued by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats, there will be no Question Hour and private members' bills will not be taken up in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, while the Zero Hour will be restricted. There will also be no breaks during the session, which will be held from September 14 to October 1, and both Houses will function on Saturdays and Sundays as well, they said. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the session will be held in two shifts- 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 7 pm. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 2, 2020) - Crest Resources Inc. (CSE: CRES) ("Crest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its founding investment in Exploits Gold Corp. ("Exploits") will be exchanged for 5,000,000 common shares of Mariner Resources Corp. ("Mariner", CSE: RNR) on a one-for-one basis, following Mariner's acquisition of 100% interest in Exploits Gold Corp. Crest is the largest shareholder in Mariner, who has now become the largest mineral landholder in Newfoundland. President and CEO Michael Collins comments, "Crest has been working with a top notch team of local geologists and prospectors to assemble the Exploits Gold projects. We are pleased to see the project going public with Mariner whose Newfoundland assets complement those of Exploits. We expect that 2020-21 will be a busy and exciting time of discovery in the Exploits Subzone". On the close of this transaction, Mariner will control a strategic land position in the Exploits Subzone, with its core mineral land holdings predating the 2019 New Found Gold Corp. discovery. The two projects held by Exploits are known as the Mt. Peyton and Jonathan's Pond gold projects. The Mt. Peyton and Jonathan's Pond properties are located two and twenty-five kilometers west and northeast respectively of New Found Gold's Queensway Discovery. Both projects are easily accessible via the Trans Canada Highway and together consist of 939 mineral claims encompassing a land area totalling 234.75 km in the Exploits Subzone Camp. Acquisition Highlights The addition of Exploits' key holdings now makes Mariner the largest landholder in Newfoundland with 1,760 km of gold exploration ground. The Jonathan's Pond project hosts visible gold bearing quartz veins up to 3m wide, with a current strike length of 450m, open in all directions with grab samples from outcrop of up to 28.82 g/t Au (Exploits Gold Corp., 2020). The Mt. Peyton project is situated on a 15 km strike length airborne magnetic anomaly, coincident with the anomalous historical float grab samples of up to 25.8 g/t Au and elevated lake sediment samples of 1010 ppm As (Tallman, 1990). Story continues Mariner believes the Exploits Subzone, which runs 200 km from Dog Bay southwest to Bay d'Espoir, has been neglected since the last major exploration campaigns in the 1980's. Over the last 40 years there have been incremental advancements in the understanding of gold mineralization in the camp. The sum of this knowledge is now coming together in a cohesive and effective exploration model which the Company believes will drive a major discovery. Mariner intends to leverage this shift in understanding and become one of the most extensive explorers in the Exploits Subzone. Exploits Subzone District Map To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6341/63075_bbd4dc829402abcc_001full.jpg Transaction Outlined Under the terms of the agreement, Mariner will acquire all of the 18,810,752 issued and outstanding common shares in the capital of Exploits for consideration of an equivalent number of Mariner common shares. The Mariner common shares will be restricted from trading with releases of one-third at six months, one-third at 12 months and one-third at 18 months. An additional 600,000 Exploits stock options will be exchanged for 600,000 Mariner stock options exercisable at a price of $0.15 per common share until July 6, 2022. Crest Resources holds 26.6% of Exploits and will receive 5,000,000 shares of Mariner in the proposed transaction. Following the sale of Exploits and completion of Mariner's proposed financing, the Company will own and control 13,602,500 common shares of Mariner representing approximately 25.5% of the then issued and outstanding common shares based on an estimated total of 53,294,052 common shares outstanding. Crest together with its joint actors will own and control 14,630,000 common shares representing approximately 27.45% of the pro-forma issued and outstanding common shares of Mariner. Michael Collins will receive 175,000 shares of Mariner in the transaction. The sale by Crest of its shares in Exploits to Mariner will be a "related party transaction" as defined in MI 61-101. Crest and Mariner are relying on exemptions to the valuation and shareholders' approval requirements under sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101. Michael Collins, who is the President, CEO and a director of Crest and the CEO and a director of Exploits, will be appointed the President, CEO and a director of Mariner. The Company has entered into a strategic consulting, management and operations agreement with Exploits to provide such services to Exploits for consideration of $25,000 per month effective July 1, 2020 for a three year term. Quality Control & Quality Assurance Samples taken by Exploits Gold Corp. in 2020 were catalogued, prepared for shipment and analytical submission by a qualified field team. Each sample was placed in a 6-mil polyethylene bag with a Tyvek identification tag and an additional identification tag written on orange flagging tape in permanent marker. All bags were sealed with electrical tape and the sample identification written on the bag's exterior in permanent marker before samples were taken to Eastern Analytical Ltd. of Springdale Newfoundland and were analysed using Au (Fire Assay) @ 30g + ICP-34. NI 43-101 Disclosure The technical portion of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Nicholas Rodway, P.Geo., VP Corporate Development and a shareholder of Crest, a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. For more information about the proposed transactions, refer to the news release of Mariner Resources Corp. dated September 2, 2020. About Mariner Resources Corp. Mariner Resources Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects in Newfoundland, Canada. On the close of this transaction the Company will hold the Middle Ridge, True Grit, Great Bend, Mt. Peyton, Jonathan's Pond, and Gazeebow projects, which cumulatively cover an area of 1,760 km. All projects within Mariner's portfolio lie within the Exploits Subzone and Gander River Ultramafic Belt (GRUB) of the Dunnage Zone, which contain the majority of Newfoundland's gold mineral occurrences and exploration efforts, including New Found Gold's 2019 discovery of 92.86 g/t Au over 19.0 meters near surface. The Exploits Subzone and GRUB regions have been the focus of major staking and financing throughout 2020, with increased exploration activities forecasted in the area moving into 2021. About Crest Resources Inc. Crest Resources Inc. is a British Columbia company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "CRES". The Company's principal business activity is the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of mineral property assets in Canada, Australia and Peru and the investment in mineral exploration companies and related mining technologies of merit. Crest is committed to creating significant shareholder value through advancing a high-quality blended portfolio of resource development and discrete technology plays that build on corporate knowledge and relationships and drive value outside of the mining cycle, as well as direct investment in undervalued exploration plays at an early stage. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Collins President and CEO Crest Resources Inc. Telephone: 604-681-3170 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63075 Detroit General Motors and Honda are moving toward an alliance in North America to share vehicle development and technology costs as the industry moves toward electric and autonomous vehicles. The nonbinding memorandum of understanding was announced Thursday, and the companies say they plan to share vehicle underpinnings as well as engines and transmissions. It's another sign of increasing consolidation in the automotive business as companies face huge capital outlays to develop current products as well as battery-powered and self-driving vehicles. "The auto industry has a long history of being pressured by costs and lower (profit) margins," said Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau. "They're trying to get to the other side here on an expensive vehicle development process, and being able to do that as efficiently as possible." No details were given on what vehicles would be developed jointly, but the companies said in a statement that planning work will start immediately and include vehicles powered by both electricity and internal combustion engines. Engineering work would begin early next year. They also will cooperate on manufacturing, parts purchasing, research and connected services. Earlier this year, crosstown rival Ford finalized a similar deal with Germany's Volkswagen, while Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler is heading toward a merger with France's PSA Peugeot early in 2021. In the GM-Honda deal, the companies say they'll collaborate on a "range of vehicles sold under each company's distinct brands." The announcement builds on work the companies have been doing jointly on electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as an autonomous vehicle. In April the companies announced they would jointly develop two electric vehicles for Honda based on GM's global electric vehicle platform. Windau said the fuel cell work started in 2013, so it's no surprise that the cooperation would be broadened. "The alliance will help both companies accelerate investment in future mobility innovation by freeing up additional resources," GM President Mark Reuss said Thursday in a statement. He said the companies would get "significant synergies" in developing vehicles. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "We can achieve substantial cost efficiencies in North America that will enable us to invest in future mobility technology, while maintaining our own distinct and competitive product offerings," Honda Executive Vice President Seiji Kuraishi said in the statement. The alliance would be governed by a joint committee of senior executives from both companies, the statement said. Windau said the alliance could extend to one company making vehicles for the other at one of its factories in the U.S., where GM has excess manufacturing capacity. It would be relatively simple to build a Honda on a GM assembly line if the vehicles were built on the same platform and had the same powertrains, he said. Differentiating between Honda and GM vehicles built on the same underpinnings could be a problem, although Windau expects GM to focus on trucks and larger vehicles and Honda on vehicles built off of car platforms. Windau says he doesn't see the alliance evolving into a full merger between the U.S. and Japanese automakers. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series, the best-selling book series in history. Forbes named her the worlds first billionaire author, but later reported that she lost this status by giving away so much of her earnings to charity. Her Wikipedia article lists six honorary degrees, including one from Harvard University, along with 28 other awards or recognitions. However, she made the news recently for something she is giving back. Rowling received the Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization last year. Past recipients include former President Barack Obama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. However, the organizations President, Kerry Kennedy, recently stated that views expressed by Rowling have diminished the identity of trans and non-binary people, undermining the validity and integrity of the entire transgender community. At issue is Rowlings concern about the impact of transgender ideology on medical care, safety, and opportunities for women. She has also noted that some in the transgender-rights movement are treating those who disagree with them in highly offensive ways. In response to Kennedys criticisms, Rowling stated: I feel I have no option but to return the Ripple of Hope Award bestowed upon me last year. I am deeply saddened that RFKHR has felt compelled to adopt this stance, but no award or honor, no matter my admiration for the person for whom it was named, means so much to me that I would forfeit the right to follow the dictates of my own conscience. 3 'buckets' for Scripture? My purpose today is not to discuss transgender issues themselves. (For a survey of this topic, see my paper The Transgender Debate: Civil rights or religious rights? and chapter four in my book How Does God See America?) Rather, I would like to use this controversy to explore a biblical response to those who criticize biblical morality. If you state publicly that God created us male and female (Genesis 1:27), so that sex is assigned at birth and binary, you can expect to be accused of bigotry, oppression, and hatred. Even J.K. Rowling, who describes herself as a longstanding donor to LGBT charities, says she has been called names I wont repeat here. Critics have burned her books and accused her of literally killing trans people with her hate. One option when we are confronted by those who reject biblical morality is to decide that the Bible is wrong or outdated on the issue. A way of doing this has been suggested by Adam Hamilton, pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas (the largest United Methodist congregation in the world). He sparked controversy a few years ago with his claim that biblical passages can be assigned to one of three buckets: Scriptures that express Gods heart, character, and timeless will for human beings. Scriptures that expressed Gods will in a particular time but are no longer binding. Scriptures that never fully expressed the heart, character, or will of God. In his view, biblical passages that forbid same-sex sexual relationships fall into either bucket two or bucket three. (Of course, his approach begs the question as to who has the right and authority to determine what parts of Gods word are wrong or outdated.) I still remember hearing a bishop declare years ago that we are not bound by Pauls statements about homosexuality since we now know that Paul was a homophobe. Some interpreters have similarly claimed that we are misinterpreting the Bible on same-sex relations, alleging that the Scriptures forbid forced sexual relations but not monogamous, consensual relationships. (They are wrong on the merits, as I note here.) How to 'stand firm in the faith' Of course, if buckets two and three are appropriate categories for some biblical texts, the Bible is wrong about itself. It claims to be breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and living and active still today (Hebrews 4:12). We are told that every word of God proves true (Proverbs 30:5) and was written by those who were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). While the grass withers and the flower fades, we are promised that the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). A more biblical approach consists of three steps. First, choose to believe that Gods word is inspired by Gods Spirit and thus completely and unchangingly true and authoritative. Rather than judging Scripture through the lens of ever-changing culture, judge culture through the lens of Gods timeless truth. Second, decide to pay a personal price to speak biblical truth. It would have been far easier and safer for the apostles to bow to the Sanhedrin, but they risked their lives to say, We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Pray now for the courage to stand firm in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13), then determine that you will declare and defend biblical truth at any cost (1 Peter 3:15). Third, seek to share biblical truth with biblical grace. Paul warned us, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). See those who object to biblical morality not as your enemies but as people who need what you have been given. 2 eternal questions Ralph Waldo Emerson resolved, Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. Rather than seeing ourselves as victims of our post-Christian culture, lets view ourselves as ambassadors of the King of kings assigned to this foreign land (2 Corinthians 5:20). And lets remember that when we return home one day, what will count most will not be the debates we won but the souls we brought with us. For whom will you be eternally grateful? Who will be eternally grateful for you? Originally published at the Denison Forum Following the swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term on May 29, 2019, 43 ministers were appointed to oversee different federal and state ministries. Hadi Sirika was appointed as the Minister of Aviation by the president, after rounding off his tenure as the state minister of aviation under Rotimi Amaechi, who was the Minister of Transportation and Aviation, during the Presidents first term in office. His emergence as the aviation minister was no surprise to all the major players in the aviation industry, given his experience and track record in the aviation sector. During his inauguration on August 21, 2019, aviation unions welcomed the minister and expressed their confidence in him to uplift the aviation sector and ensure its growth. While reeling out his promises to the sector, Mr Sirika assured the implementation of the Nigerian Aviation roadmap and the moving of the industry to an enviable height. Promises The minister promised to work with the aviation unions to position the sector to be able to solve its challenges. Mr Sirika also assured that there would be an understanding between him and the key players of the industry, including the unions, to drive growth and advancement in the sector. There were four key promises that stood out in the roadmap of the minister for the aviation sector. These are; the establishment of a National Carrier, the concession of four international airports, the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) centre and lastly, the establishment of Aviation Leasing Company (Aircraft leasing programme) Subsequently, the minister promised the development of Cargo Terminals, the development of Aerotropolis (Airport City) with the latest promise in 2019 being the delivery of the 10bn Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu upgrade by April 2020. According to Mr Sirika, all of the promises are targeted towards ushering a new dawn in the aviation sector. Most of the projects are, however, private-sector-driven as they are capital intensive. The actualisation of the major projects is dependent on partnership with the private sector and investments from local and foreign investors. Achievements The delivery of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport upgrade is a key area the minister has been scored high by players in the aviation industry. The federal government on August 24, 2019 shut down the Enugu airport for rehabilitation and N10 billion was subsequently approved for its upgrade. After 370 days of closure the Akanu Ibiam International Airport comes alive with an aircraft conveying the Hon. Minister of Aviation; @hadisirika /entourage landing on the new runway. [PHOTO CREDIT: @FAAN_Official] After 370 days of closure the Akanu Ibiam International Airport comes alive with an aircraft conveying the Hon. Minister of Aviation; @hadisirika /entourage landing on the new runway. [PHOTO CREDIT: @FAAN_Official] The minister of aviation earlier promised the delivery of the airport latest by Christmas, December 2019, but was unable to attain completion at the promised date. Mr Sirika, thereafter moved the delivery date to Easter, April 2020. Although plans were ongoing to deliver the N10 billion Enugu airport upgrade by April 2020, the coronavirus pandemic, which had a significant toll on the aviation sector and other sectors of the economy, rendered the delivery date unachievable. Mr Sirika later moved the delivery to August 30. The federal government on August 30 reopened the Enugu airport, with domestic flight scheduled to commence immediately while international flights would start on September 5. The progress being made in the concession of the four international airports is another area Mr Sirika has been applauded. Although there are several controversies around the concession, the minister received outline business case certificate of compliance from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) for the concession of the airports in June 2020. Plans are ongoing towards the concession of the airports, which will result in revenue generation and creation of more jobs in Nigeria. Failures Despite the launch of the national carrier in London in 2018, the project met its Waterloo as the minister declared its indefinite suspension. Mr Sirika earlier announced that the national carrier is still a priority for the government. The national carrier, which is to replace the defunct Nigerian airways, is yet to come through. The failure was tied to lack of investors and technical partners. Meanwhile, the minister announced that the Nigeria Air project is still on the aviation road-map, regardless of its indefinite suspension. The minister said the establishment of the national carrier will be executed. The establishment of aviation leasing company which has been in incubation since the first term of Mr Buhari is yet to be established. In February 2020, the spokesperson of the ministry of aviation said in a statement that Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air and a consortium of A.J Walters/ Glovesly have been shortlisted as bidders for the proposed leasing company and the MRO facility. Advertisements The minister had in 2017, secured N1.5bn approval for the execution of five projects in the aviation sector, part of which was the establishment of an aviation leasing company. Following the shortlisting of the three companies, a bidders conference took place during which a consortium of A. J. Walters/Glovesly/Egypt Air was shortlisted for the Aviation Leasing Company. At the same bidders conference, two companies; A.J. Walters/Glovesly/ Egypt Air and Ethiopian Airlines were shortlisted to handle the MRO facility. Identifying the need for an MRO, the ministry said the centre will aid major aircraft maintenance and technological knowledge transfer which will create more employment. Despite the promise to establish an MRO centre, the minister is yet to deliver on this promise. Performance Scorecard Two experts in the aviation industry, while speaking on the performance of Mr Sirika in his one year in office, scored him above average. John Ojikutu, a retired captain and a former Military Commandant of Muritala Muhammed Airport told PREMIUM TIMES that the ministers performance is above average and he will score him as high as 75 per cent. One of the areas I commend him for is the Abuja airport runway and the upgrade of Enugu airport. All these were completed within six months. If you know what is happening in Enugu, what he did now was what they should have done way back in 2013. He took over and they started, even though he said he was going to deliver it in April, I said it cant be opened in April because I know (the) work there. These are some of the major things he has done for the nation. These are the areas I will give him a high mark. I will give him a minimum of 75 per cent. Most of the runways are ready within a short period, he said. But most of the tasks he put forward, they are not tasks the government alone can do without the private sectors contribution, because they are majorly private sector driven. Talk of the national carrier, concession, and others, they are privately driven, Mr Ojikutu said. As far as I know, the national carrier is still on course, all that is required now is for the participants to be out. Everything is on course. Since it is going to be privately driven, we now need to identify those that will be there. Mr Ojikutu said the ministry is at the moment looking for credible Nigerians that will invest in the national carrier, people who are not of questionable characters. He added that the project requires a lot of transparency and the ministry is experiencing a bottleneck in getting people that will have a stake in the national carrier and this is causing a delay. Speaking about the concession of the four international airports, Mr Ojikutu said there is a change of language from the concession of airports to the concession of terminals. They started initially by saying they want to concession the airports, but they got to a bottleneck somewhere; especially with an airport like Lagos, there will be a bottleneck because almost all the parts of MMA are already concessioned. Lately, they are trying to rebuild their language from airport concession to terminal airports, but Lagos is going to a problem. MM2 is like a flagship of private participation in terminals, it is privately owned, he said. On the establishment of an MRO centre, Mr Ojikutu said it is not a government affair. I dont think the government should get involved directly with that. It is not something that should be done exclusively by the government. What the government should do is to create an enabling environment for foreign companies to establish centres here with support from credible Nigerians. An (Aviation) Economist, Soji Amusan, told PREMIUM TIMES that the minister has performed above average despite that there are some projects he has not been able to execute. I will say his performance is definitely not below average. Thats my personal opinion. The minister is working on the national carrier, the deal has not been finalised yet but at least, they have decided to have a national carrier. He made an effort the last time he went to a forum and launched the National carrier in the UK. Although that launching in the UK was not nice, it shows he is doing something on it. He is determined to do it and he is working on it, Mr Amusan said. He added that the concession of the airports is in process and the minister is listening to experts opinions, most of which are premised on the transparency of the project. Speaking on the establishment of an MRO centre, Mr Amusan said it is not what the aviation ministry can do. When the government promise on what is better in private hands, it becomes difficult to do. I dont see him do much on the establishment of the MRO. It is a private affair really; the government cannot do much, he said. The board of VIP Industries agreed to dispose of the land and building of the Haridwar factory in Uttarakhand on 'as-is-where- is' basis to Fresh PET for about Rs 25-30 crore. The operations at the said Haridwar factory of the company were suspended since March 2020 due to Covid-19 Pandemic. Turnover of Haridwar factory during the FY20 was Rs 246.60 crore (14.39% of the total turnover of the company for the FY20). Contribution made by Haridwar factory in net worth during the FY20) was Rs 27.11 crore (15.98% of the net profit before exceptional item and tax of the company for the FY20). The company is disposing of the land and building of Haridwar factory in pieces and hence it is not a slump sale. The company signed the sale agreement with Fresh PET on 2 September 2020. The sale is expected to complete in 4-6 months. The announcement was made post trading hours yesterday, 2 September 2020. Fresh PET offers packaging solutions for various types of packaging industries, particularly catering to FMCG, pharma, liquor and food & beverages processing companies. Its factory is located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. VIP Industries reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 51.32 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 35.08 crore in Q1 June 2019. Net sales tanked 92.9% to Rs 40.33 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. Shares of VIP Industries rose 0.19% to Rs 294.30 on BSE. VIP Industries manufactures hard luggage and markets soft luggage imported from Bangladesh and China. VIP is the largest player in the luggage industry in India. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amanda Collin plays Mother, an android raising human children on another planet, in the HBO Max series "Raised by Wolves." (Coco Van Oppens) "Raised by Wolves," premiering Thursday on HBO Max, returns executive producer Ridley Scott, who also directed the first two episodes, to the thematic ground of "Blade Runner," namely the self-consciousness of artificial intelligence and what it means, for better or worse, to be human. With a lot of other stuff thrown in. Once again in the expanding universe of speculative fiction, humans, having made a toilet of Earth, have set out to colonize outer space. Their target: Kepler 22-b, an actual identified planet a convenient 600 light-years from here. Exclusively inhabiting the "ark" built to take them there are members of a sun-worshiping religion, Mithraism, which is based on a real, if little-understood, Roman mystery cult that coexisted with early Christianity. Mithraism has in this telling become the dominant Western religion, an alternative timeline that spares screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski ("The Red Road") from the potential nightmare of making the explorers Judeo-Christian they are not exactly sympathetic though the resemblance is close enough. There may be some Romulus and Remus analogy ahead, as well founded Rome, raised by wolves but from the six episodes I've seen, out of 10, it is too soon to say, and perhaps I am overthinking this. Anyway! On Earth, 100 years and change from now, these fundamentalists are at war with Atheists it seems worth capitalizing, contextually who still dream of a world based on fact and reason, and are seemingly doomed to die with that dream and the battle-scarred planet. When this premise was made explicit, I must admit I laughed out loud, so baldly was it stated. It felt like something a precocious middle schooler might cook up for a creative writing assignment. That is not to say it is without real-world relevance. Amanda Collin as Mother, left, Winta McGrath as Campion and Abubakar Salim as Father have a family meeting in "Raised by Wolves," from Ridley Scott and HBO Max. (Coco Van Oppens) However! Though the Mithraic find it sinful to put children in the care of artificial life forms, which they regard as soulless, one canny Atheist manages to reprogram a pair of androids as Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim) and pack them off in an interstellar hot rod with human embryos to populate Kepler-22 in advance of the ark's arrival. (It's very Jor-El in the last days of Krypton.) Story continues Father, as Mother settles in on their new planet for her several-at-once surrogate pregnancy: "Umbilicals in place." Mother: "Activate." They are as smooth and physically sexless as Barbie and Ken, with comparably excellent posture. He has been programmed to produce dad jokes ("What did the male magnet say to the female magnet? When I saw your backside I was repelled, however seeing you from the front I now find you very attractive."). She is every inch a mother, once the kids come along, fiercely, even fatally protective, and also a little Victorian: "We will engage in polite conversation," she says at dinner. "No jokes! Polite conversation." And she stays impeccably on mission: "Belief in the unreal can comfort the human mind, but it also weakens it," she instructs her charges. "The civilization you're seeding here will be built on humanity's belief in itself, not an imagined deity. We are atheists, peaceful, technocratic. It is the only path to progress." The flatness of their delivery seems too obvious a choice, at first, but it gives them room to move, so that when they heat up, or "act human," it registers; and Collin especially is good. More than anything, this is Mother's story; she's the one you most root and feel for, even when she's wreaking havoc. To be sure, artificial life forms are almost always sympathetic when you get to know them, perhaps because, ultimately, none of it is their fault. (To paraphrase Jessica Rabbit, they're not bad, they're just programmed that way.) And dramatically speaking, all robots and artificial life forms are sentient, whether they look like a little trash can or a movie star. Travis Fimmel is an officer in an extraterrestrial colonizing army in HBO Max's "Raised by Wolves." (Coco Van Oppens) Conversely, the Mithraic, who are human, are either unlikable or anonymous, and when one bites the dust there are action scenes, of a video-game sort the viewer feels a shiver of satisfaction or nothing much at all. The exceptions are Marcus (Travis Fimmel) and wife Sue (Niamh Algar), who are stowaways, passing for Mithraic; they occupy the series' other main thread. Sue, the show's second or third most sympathetic character, is an echo of Mother. Both have motherhood thrust upon them, and take it seriously. Like much science fiction it helps not to think too much about the science part, though to be sure the genre has turned out at times to be predictive, or to create the inspiration for its own fulfillment. "Raised by Wolves" is "technological" there are spaceships and androids and gadgets and gizmos but its science is basically magic, and the story does have a fairy-tale quality. (Mother is a "necromancer" model android and does have some special powers.) There is a seeming supernatural element a ghost figure peeks in but there may be some sort of "scientific" explanation yet to come, an electromagnetic resonance created by the planet itself, or telepathic mind projection. You could make up a million reasons for it. And as with many tales of extraterrestrial homesteading "We were the first, the pioneers," remembers very special child Campion, played by Winta McGrath, briefly narrating it's also a sort of western, or a colonial drama, Mother and Father and the kids peacefully living off the land before the settlers arrive, with their big ship, their religion and their guns. And where the Mithraic believe only humans have souls, Campion is prepared to believe everything does: androids, animals, the trees ("the big ones anyway"). Of course the metaphors aren't exact or consistent, and I am holding back some spoilers, but the analogies seem entirely intentional. It's also a portrait of an arranged marriage, with domestic discord and cooperation and different approaches to child-rearing. "Limited as it may be," Father says to Mother, "you know full well that I devote every ounce of my processing power to the well-being of this family, and and to trying to make you happy." It's a line out of the sci-fi novel John Updike never wrote: "Robot, Run." Whether that line is supposed to be funny, a little bit funny or not funny at all is hard to say, and there are times when the show's seriousness shades into dopiness, when its intentions are laid out like bullet points. (Notwithstanding Father's jokes, there is little outright humor.) But Scott's initial direction sets an elegant tone, and he conjures up some memorable visuals, especially in scenes involving Mother in a weaponized mode. (She takes a Christlike pose when she flies she can fly and like much else in "Raised by Wolves," the resemblance feels very much a reference.) Apart from whatever satisfaction you might derive from chewing on questions of reality and consciousness, religion and freedom from religion, "Raised by Wolves" is a pretty good watch, just on a these-guys-versus-those-guys basis if you can manage not to let what's depressing on Kepler 22-b get you too down about the state of things on Earth 2020. As a story of humans acting all too human, carrying their arguments into the cosmos, rewriting their wrongs onto a fresh canvas, it can feel a little bleak at a moment in history when we need to be better than we are, lest we wind up like ... these people. Perhaps there's a message there too. China's commerce ministry said on Thursday it strongly opposed India banning Chinese mobile apps. "Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes," commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a briefing. India has banned another 118 mostly Chinese mobile apps including Tencent Holdings Ltd's popular videogame PUBG, citing data security concerns. The Local Government Service has warned the public against an advertisement circulating on social media inviting applications from suitable qualified Ghanaians to fill vacant positions in some Regions. The Service noted that the said recruitment is fake. In a statement signed by Joseph A. Ankamah, Head, Public Affairs, of the Service and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the Local Government did not author the said recruitment advert. The statement said it had also not contracted any institution or individual to do so on its behalf. The service therefore urges all to disregard the said advert and treat it as scam, it said. The service further assured the public that when such opportunities turn up in future due processes and procedures would be followed and the public would be informed accordingly through the appropriate channels. ---GNA Kenosha: US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden put himself squarely in the middle of ongoing national tumult over racial injustice and police brutality on Thursday (Friday AEST), meeting with residents of strife-torn Kenosha, Wisconsin, and speaking by phone with the black man shot there by police. Democratic presidential candidate former vice-president Joe Biden bows his head in prayer at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Credit:AP Biden's trip to Kenosha, the site of sometimes violent protests since Jacob Blake was shot in the back several times by a white police officer on August 23, came two days after US President Donald Trump travelled to the city. The two visits had starkly different tones. Biden met privately with Blake's family on the grounds of the Milwaukee airport, and the former vice-president also spoke with Blake, who is hospitalised, on the phone for about 15 minutes. Trump's visit on Tuesday, by contrast, was intended to convey support for police and local businesses, and the President did not meet with Blake or his relatives. Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that people should attempt to vote twice to test the electoral systems integrity, enraging observers already disturbed by his repeated attacks on the legitimacy of the upcoming election. The same anger greeted attorney general Bill Barr later in the day when he told CNNs Wolf Blitzer that he was unaware if what Trump was suggesting was illegal. Mr Trump made his comments at a campaign stop in North Carolina as part of a rambling answer about mail-in balloting, which he has been railing against for months despite voting by mail himself. So let them send it in, and let them go vote, he said. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously wont be able to vote. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. So thats the way it is. The implication of his instructions that if someone who has voted by mail presents themselves at a polling station and is not stopped from voting should do so was immediately seized upon by critics who pointed out that for voters to use their vote twice would be a crime. Brookings Institution fellow Benjamin Wittes addressed voters directly: The president is urging you to commit a felonyone for which you, though not he, could actually get prosecuted. Be careful whom you listen to for advice about how to conduct yourself during this election. Legal scholar Rick Hasen pointed out that Mr Trumps direction to voters may have been criminal in itself. Writing on the Election Law Blog, he cited a North Carolina law holding that it is a crime for any person with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, or to induce another to do so, in the same primary or election, or to vote illegally at any primary or election. The Lincoln Projects Ryan Wiggins put it more pithily: Another day, another felony for our Conman in Chief. The furore was well underway by the time Mr Trumps attorney general, Bill Barr, was interviewed that evening by CNNs Wolf Blitzer. Mr Barr declined to be drawn on the detail of Mr Trumps advice to voters, instead paraphrasing it based on his own interpretation and claiming not to know whether attempting to vote twice is illegal in North Carolina. Like Mr Trump, he was immediately slated for his remarks. Barr claims not to know its illegal to vote twice. Whos he think hes fooling? wrote Harvard Law Schools Lawrence Tribe. Democratic congressman Ted Lieu pointed out a major flaw in the administrations logic. Dear anyone at @TheJusticeDept: Can you please educate Bill Barr that it is illegal to vote twice. And its really, really easy to get caught since you are giving the evidence directly to the state. After the president gave his advice, the Trump campaign put out a statement to try and narrow the implications of what he said. The president is now drawing attention to the reckless election law tampering Democrats are doing in states across the country, creating the very real opportunity for people to vote twice, President Trump encourages supporters to vote absentee-by-mail early, and then show up in person at the polls or local registrar to verify their vote has already been counted. Its amazing that the media can go from insisting that voter fraud doesnt exist to screaming about it when president Trump points out the giant holes in the Democrats voting schemes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya and Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 09:35 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4260d53 1 National COVID-19,Jokowi,anies-baswedan,policy,lockdown,PSBB Free As Indonesia enters its sixth month since COVID-19 first reached it shores, the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo continues to struggle to get on top of the public health crisis, as indicated by the resurgence of spikes in new cases, while other countries in the region, like Thailand and the Philippines, have been able to claim success in their handling of the pandemic. Indonesia reported 3,075 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the country's overall tally to 180,646, data from the Health Ministrys website show. The country witnessed 111 more deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of fatalities to 7,616, the highest death toll in Southeast Asia. Read also: Indonesia's latest official COVID-19 figures Thailand, on the other hand, has reported zero cases of local transmission for 100 days in a row, joining a small group of places like Taiwan where the pathogen has been virtually eliminated. Thailand has not recorded a single case of community transmission since May 26, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, based on data from the countrys health ministry. The Philippines health ministry, meanwhile, recorded 2,218 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, the country's lowest daily increase in cases in five weeks, and 27 additional deaths. Public health experts and epidemiologists have blamed the worsening situation in Indonesia on what they call a "business-as-usual approach taken by the central government and regional administrations, some of which have decided to relax social restrictions while case numbers have been continuing to rise. Yudi Fajar, a senior researcher at the SMERU Research Institute, said that despite the severity of the public health crisis, coordination and policy implementation were mostly relegated to ministries and other government institutions, much like how the bureaucracy worked prior to the pandemic. A jumble of policies and actions has been the result, creating confusion among the public, Yudi said. Such indecisiveness has been one of the main reasons there is a heightened sense of false security among the public, which has in turn worsened the situation. This is a vicious cycle, he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. To effectively handle the crisis, Yudi said the government needed to strengthen its institutions and improve its workflow and coordination. In recent weeks, more and more municipalities and regencies have been classified as high-risk red zones, where new infection clusters have been detected, while the country as a whole has seen consecutive record daily highs in new confirmed cases. Data from the nations COVID-19 task force show that on Aug. 16 only slightly above 5 percent of the archipelago was classified as red zones. By Aug. 30, that percentage had nearly tripled. Epidemiologists have also raised concerns the rate of infection could overwhelm the countrys health facilities, putting health care workers at greater risk. As of Wednesday, at least 102 doctors had died from COVID-19. The deaths of many more nurses, midwives and other health workers are not fully accounted for. Despite the grim picture, many people are continuing to live their lives like normal, ignoring basic safety measures, like wearing a mask in public. The central and local governments have also yet to impose strict measures to ban large gatherings and restrict mobility to curb the virus. Read also: Patients crowd hospitals as Indonesia loses 183 'priceless' medical workers Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) chairman Hariadi Wibisono said the governments promotion of the idea of a "new normal" was to blame for the rising infections, a concept popularized as authorities sought to jumpstart the flagging economy. The governments policies have been ambivalent, as they permit the reopening of public places, allowing people to gather. So, people have the perception that they can adapt to a new life now that the war on COVID-19 is over. But the virus is still here with us, Hariadi said. President Jokowis administration has faced criticism since the early days of the pandemic for its lackluster efforts to contain the transmission of the virus. The President insisted that a complete lockdown was not the right approach for the country, and chose instead to implement a partial lockdown through so-called large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) on March 31, almost a month after Indonesia confirmed its first cases on March 2. The President also attracted public criticism following his call to peacefully coexist with COVID-19 on May 7, as the country stepped up preparations for the introduction of new normal protocols as a prerequisite for the easing of PSBB measures. Until an effective vaccine is discovered, we have to peacefully coexist with COVID-19 for a certain period going forward. And we are lucky, as at the beginning we chose to implement PSBB measures, not a lockdown. The PSBB measures involved restrictions on activities in public spaces, Jokowi said in June. Jokowi also previously told his ministers that Indonesia needed to flatten the curve at all costs, setting a goal to bring transmission under control by July. On Monday, Jokowi was quoted by Reuters as saying that the pandemic would reach its peak in Indonesia in September and that it would begin to taper off soon after. In its most recent new-normal policy, the government has allowed more schools to open, both in moderate-risk yellow zones and in low-risk green zones. Read also: Curfews will do little to stop COVID-19 surge in Greater Jakarta, say experts In Jakarta, Governor Anies Baswedan recently decided that cinemas would soon be allowed to reopen, despite the fact the capital recently recorded its highest daily increase in infections. We will prepare the complete regulation soon, which will cover all aspects pertaining to the implementation of health protocols, following the [COVID-19] task forces recommendations, Anies said On Sunday, four days after Anies made the announcement, Jakarta recorded 1,114 new cases, the highest daily spike so far, as the capital city returned to being the countrys epicenter of the outbreak, surpassing East Java. Laura Navika Yamani, an epidemiologist from the Surabaya-based Airlangga University, said the fact Indonesia had not reached its peak of the outbreak even after six months was a clear indication that measures to control the spread of the virus had failed. Laura said the government could rectify the situation by putting the economy on the backburner and beginning to follow the guidelines made by epidemiologists. There is no other way other than implementing health protocols in these circumstances," Laura said. Nana was downgraded to a tropical storm on Thursday as it hit Guatemala, several hours after making landfall in Belize as a hurricane. "Nana has weakened to a tropical depression, moving westwards," said David de Leon, the spokesman for Guatemala's Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED.) De Leon said winds had reduced to a maximum 55 kilometers per hour. "Continued weakening is expected, and Nana is expected to degenerate to a remnant low pressure area on Friday," said the US National Hurricane Center (NHC.) However, it warned that the storm could produce up to eight inches of rainfall in Guatemala and Mexico. "These rainfall amounts may produce life threatening flash floods and mudslides." CONRED reported trees falling and the collapse of a home in the northeastern town of Morales. In Belize, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported heavy rainfall and strong winds in Stann Creek district and other regions. It said there had been electricity blackouts and warned that the storm "could also produce rainfall of 4-8 inches with isolated amounts of 10 inches over southern and central Belize which could lead to flash flooding and possible landslides." But the emergency organization urged people not to forget about containment measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which it described as "the bigger threat." - Precautionary measures - Soon after it was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane, Nana made landfall between Dangriga and Placencia, towards the middle of Belize's coastline, about 60 kilometers south of Belize City, just after midnight Belize time (0600 GMT). It was traveling west at 25 kilometres (16 miles) per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph (75 mph), according to the NHC. The strong wind and rains had already furiously shaken the Honduran tourist attraction of Islas de la Bahia, causing floods there and elsewhere in the country. Story continues Civil protection organizations in Guatemala, El Salvador and parts of Honduras initiated precautionary measures as the storm threatened to cause severe damage. The Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras (COPECO), which had declared a "green alert" in seven of the 18 departments of the country, extended the list to 11 regions on Wednesday afternoon, including Francisco Morazan, where the capital Tegucigalpa is located. The 2020 hurricane season, which runs from June to November, has been more active than average, with meteorologists forecasting between 19 and 25 tropical storms, of which seven to 11 will turn into hurricanes. In typical years, only a couple of named storms would have formed by August, with an average season producing a total of 12 named storms. bur-leg-bc/mdl Rory Pope was last seen Wednesday afternoon near West Nordic Drive and North Arena Avenue in the Legacy Subdivision. (Ada County Sheriff's Office) 2-Year-Old Boy Disappears From Idaho Neighborhood, Massive Search Underway Idaho police are searching for a 2-year-old boy who disappeared and went missing in Ada County earlier this week. The Ada County Sheriffs Office said Rory Pope was last seen at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday in Eagle, Idaho, near West Nordic Drive and North Arena Ave. Search teams have combed the area, along with various waterways, to try and locate the boy but to no avail, officials said. Crews have been doing extensive searching all day, including dive teams on several ponds in the neighborhood; police using drones to fly overhead; officers, K9 dogs and others doing comprehensive ground search by foot; and investigators getting Ring camera footage from neighbors, sheriffs officials said on Facebook. There are no signs of foul play associated with the search for the missing 2-year-old boy in Eagle. Situation does not meet criteria or idea for an Amber Alert. Multiple searches are happening right now to find the boy. Ada County Sheriff (@AdaCoSheriff) September 3, 2020 Rory is white with curly blonde hair and was last seen wearing a lime green shirt, officials said. There is no evidence of any kind of foul play associated with Rorys disappearance, so the search for Rory does not meet the criteria or the idea for an Amber Alert, the office wrote. Neighbors told KTVB that the child was from out of state, adding that his family was visiting his grandparents in Eagle when he disappeared. Anyone with information should call 911, officials said. After Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the United Arab Emirates of "betraying" Muslims, Arab nations and Palestine by establishing diplomatic ties with Israel, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday that the world should "reject and condemn" Khamenei's "ideology of hatred." 'The children of Abraham - Muslims, Christians, and Jews - rejoice at the prospect of peace, while Khamenei calls for more violence," Pompeo added. "The U.S. stands with the UAE and all those seeking a brighter future." In a U.S-brokered deal on August 29, the UAE formally ended its boycott of Israel and normalized its relations with the Jewish state, with and direct flights now established between the two countries. On Tuesday, Khamenei publicly reacted to the deal for the first time, writing that the UAE has "opened the door of the region to the Zionists," but its betrayal of its Muslim and Arab neighbors "won't last long." Khamenei has long vowed that Israel, Iran's archenemy among other world powers, "will be annihilated". In an additional tweet directed at Khamenei, Pompeo cited Iran's silence towards China's systematic violence against its Uyghur Muslims, writing, "And if youre looking for those betraying Islam, China is seeking to destroy the Uyghurs. Looking forward to your public callout for the CCPs horrific treatment of those Muslims." Ali Motahari, an outspoken Iranian lawmaker, claimed on August 5 that the Iranian government has continued to ignore China's suppression of its Muslim population, mainly ethnic Uyghurs, because of the country's economic dependence on China, with Motahari citing a conversation with a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official. Hardliners, however, responded that Uyghurs, who they claimed were "Wahabi Takfiris" a hardline brand of Saudi-backed Islam could become a problem for Iran, due to the threat ot ISIS spreading through the nation. As a result, they claimed, the Chinese government was actually serving Islam, which in their view is Shiism, the official sect of Islam in of Iran. Pope Francis, leader of the worlds one billion Roman Catholics and frequent bestselling author, will offer an inspiring, yet pragmatic, response to the deadly sweep of the Covid pandemic in a new book Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, publisher Simon & Schuster announced Wednesday. Its drawn from conversations in English and Spanish between Pope Francis and his biographer, Austen Ivereigh (The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope, Holt, 2014), in the weeks following the coronavirus lockdown. The book, due out December 1, will be published in both languages in hardcover and audio formats in the U.S. and by S&Ss international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the U.K. Consulting publisher Steve Rubin and v-p and executive editor Eamon Dolan acquired world rights, first serial rights and audio rights from the agent, William Barry. Any wisdom the Pope had to offer would be extremely valuable now, Dolan said in a statement. But what made me believe Let Us Dream might actually change the world is how clear and practical his guidance is, and how deeply comforting is the voice with which he delivers it. Here the Pope sounds closer to usand even kinderthan weve ever heard him before. Still, the publisher promises, Francis doesnt hold back. The pope launches a "brilliant, scathing critique of the systems and ideologies that conspired to produce the current crisis, from a global economy obsessed with profit and heedless of the people and environment it harms, to politicians who foment their peoples fear and use it to increase their own power at their peoples expense. He reminds us that Christians first duty is to serve others, especially the poor and the marginalized, just as Jesus did. Francis will suggest that the path out of crisis is to build a better world for all humanity by putting the poor and the planet at the heart of new thinking. For this plan, he draws not only on sacred sources, but also on the latest findings from renowned scientists, economists, activists, and other thinkers. Pope Francis has a second book coming out this fall, Christ in the Storm: An Extraordinary Blessing for the Suffering World ). It centers on the special apostolic blessing he preached to an empty St. Peters square at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Italy. It includes a foreward by journalist John Allen, an introduction University of Notre Dame theology professor, and special features on the history and origins of the prayers and religious artifacts. In a recent press release, a local New Mexico reporter alleges that the state government ordered N-95 medical grade respirator masks from Bionet in late March and were instead delivered "counterfeit" KN-95 masks on April 4th 2020. Upon review of the story released by the local reporter much of the evidence presented is altered and the events which occurred are misrepresented or taken out of context according to Bionet. SANTA FE, NM / ACCESSWIRE / Sepetember 3, 2020 / When the relationship began between Bionet and the state in late March 2020, the state did originally request N-95 masks along with PPE items from Bionet and other approved vendors. Bionet discovered these masks were in extreme global demand and simply not available through any existing supply chain. When this was made clear to the state, the alternative became KN-95 masks, which were also difficult to find. Based upon immediate availability in the USA, the original masks ordered by the state were the available KN-95 masks, not the unavailable N-95 masks as represented by the slanderous press release. "This initial order of KN-95 masks was a collaborative and transparent effort between Bionet and the state agencies involved." One of the exhibits posted on the reporter's website is falsely shown as evidence that the initial April 4th delivery was supposed to be N-95 masks, not the KN-95 masks which were ordered and delivered on time according to actual records. The reporter displays a government email requesting N-95 masks, but omits the date and who it was addressed to. The email displayed as "evidence", was in fact written by a state agent to address a potential new third party supplier of N-95 masks in Louisiana, introduced to the state in early April by Bionet. Records show that this written request for N-95 masks was not sent by the state to Bionet until April 5th, 2020 - the day after the KN-95 masks (ordered in late March) were delivered, inspected and purchased by the state. Mr. Bethel explains, "These were two completely different orders from two completely different suppliers, made over a week apart, not misrepresented or "counterfeit" goods from the same order as erroneously portrayed in the local press release." According to Bionet, in the initial phone conversation, the KN-95 third party supplier was asking for $4.70 per mask because the cargo was readily available in Los Angeles. Because the third party supplier's asking price was above the state's budgeted price for KN-95 masks, Bionet facilitated a three way conversation with both the third party supplier and the state on the telephone wherein the price was negotiated down to the state's pre budgeted price of $4.00 coming directly from the supplier to the state. The three parties agreed to this price and therefore Bionet agreed to make nothing on the transaction and pass these much needed goods directly to the state. Mr. Bethel explained that Bionet would not make any profit on this deal because it was priced at the state limit. In a late March press release, the public had just been informed that the federal PPE reserves for the state were depleted and the state government reserves were nearly depleted. It was more important to everyone involved to get these supplies delivered despite the cost while exploring further options for the future. A total of 112,000 KN-95 masks were delivered because 8,000 of the initial 120,000 ordered were deemed damaged during the supplier's inspection in Los Angeles and therefore not shipped to New Mexico. This is a fact misrepresented in the local reporter's story. The entire $448,000 paid by the state in this transaction was the amount charged by the third party supplier to Bionet with zero profit added in for Bionet. The local reporter fails to mention this important detail in his story and instead blames Bionet for delivering over-priced "counterfeit" PPE. The KN-95 masks delivered to the state on April 4th were delivered as specified by Bionet's supplier to the state prior to the order. An FDA/CDC issued an explanation of the difference between KN-95 masks and N-95 masks was also delivered to the state prior to the order, so the state would be fully aware of the difference between these products before the masks were shipped from Los Angeles. Yet another relevant detail omitted by the local reporter. Based on protocols, the state requested and previewed specifications of the goods prior to every order, from every state vendor, and only chose to purchase goods based upon these specifications. Upon delivery of each order a full inspection by the NM DOH and other agencies was conducted prior to any agreement to accept each order or issue payment to the vendor delivering the order. The state retained the right to reject any order and enforced this right on a number of occasions with a number of vendors as it saw fit to do so. Mr. Bethel explained, "We did our best to vet each supplier and the goods they offered and only chose to engage suppliers with real credentials but these companies that were reputable in other commodity markets were often brand new to PPE so you never knew if they could really perform or not until you ordered from them. Many of them didn't perform unfortunately. Though the Los Angeles supplier was higher priced than other options they repeatedly performed as promised on every delivery. This reliability was valuable to both Bionet and the state. I feel the local news story grossly misrepresented this aspect of the government's perspective during these critical initial weeks when little to nothing else was arriving from other suppliers." None of the goods that were actually delivered by Bionet were misrepresented or "counterfeit" and all of the goods purchased by the state were inspected by their experts prior to acceptance of these goods or payment made to Bionet. Contact Information Paul Kennedy info@kennedyhernandez.com (505)842-8662 SOURCE: Bionet View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604683/Gabriel-Bethel-Responds-to-Media-Allegations-of-Counterfeit-Masks-as-Baseless-False GE Renewable Energy announced that it has secured two 30 MW contracts to supply a total of 12 units of GEs 5MW-158 Cypress wind turbines to support construction of the Quoc Vinh Soc Trang and Lac Hoa Soc Trang wind farms in Vietnam. PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation will provide full Engineering, Procurement and Construction services for the projects. The Cypress onshore wind platform enables significant Annual Energy Production (AEP) improvements, increased efficiency in serviceability, improved logistics and siting potential, and ultimately more value for customers. The two-piece blade design enables better transportation option improving logistics to drive costs down and offer more siting options in locations that were previously inaccessible. Each wind farm is expected to contribute in excess of 100 million kWh of electricity annually to the national grid after once the project is fully operational by third quarter of 2021. This is the first partnership in Vietnam with PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation, a long-term global EPC partner of GE. This partnership signifies the successful collaboration of the two companies in EPC projects bringing innovative and challenging renewable projects to advance wind energy in Vietnam and across the globe. GE continues to support Vietnams energy transition by bringing the best technology since the first wind farm in the Mekong Delta, the Bac Lieu project. These two new wind projects further expand GEs leadership role in Vietnam providing technological support for a variety of power generation projects throughout the country. GE Vietnam has more than 1600 employees and is the only wind OEM with a manufacturing footprint in country. TradeArabia News Service A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth. Credit: M. PallmannSMNS/Pallmann A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth. The newly identified species belongs to the genus Phallocryptus of which only four species were previously known from different arid and semiarid regions. Dr. Hossein Rajaei from the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History and Dr. Alexander V Rudov from Tehran University made the discovery during an expedition of Lut to better understand the desert's ecology, biodiversity, geomorphology and paleontology. Further scientific examinations of the specimens by co-author Dr. Martin Schwentner, Crustacea specialist from the Natural History Museum of Vienna, stated that they belong to a new species of freshwater Crustacea. Publishing their findings in Zoology in the Middle East, the biologists name the new species Phallocryptus fahimii, in honor of the Iranian conservation biologist, Hadi Fahimi, who took part in the 2017 expedition and sadly died in an airplane crash in 2018. Dr. Rajaei, an entomologist from State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, who actually found the species in a small seasonal lake in southern part of the desert says the discovery is "sensational." "During an expedition to such an extreme place you are always on alert, in particular when finding water. Discovering crustaceans in this otherwise hot and dry environment was really sensational." The team's study explains how Phallocryptus fahimii differs in its overall morphology and its genetics from all other known Phallocryptus species. Dr. Schwentner, who has worked with similar crustaceans from the Australian deserts in the past, adds: "These Crustaceans are able to survive for decades in the dried-out sediment and will hatch in an upcoming wet season, when the aquatic habitat refills. They are perfectly adapted to live in deserts environments. Their ability to survive even in the Lut desert highlights their resilience." The Lut desertalso known as Dasht-e Lutis the second largest desert in Iran. Located between 33 and 28 parallels and with its 51,800 km2 larger than Switzerland, this desert holds the current record for the highest ever-recorded surface temperature. Based on 2006 satellite measurements, the NASA reported a record surface temperature of 70.7C, which more recently has been increased to even 80.3C. Dark pebbles that heat up are one of the causes of these record temperatures. Mean daily temperatures range from -2.6C in winter to 50.4C in summer with annual precipitation not exceeding 30 mm per year. Almost deprived of vegetation, the Lut desert harbors a diverse animal life, but no permanent aquatic biotops (such as ponds). After rain falls, non-permanent astatic water bodies are filled including the Rud-e-Shur river from north-western Lut. Here a diverse community of Archaea has been described but aquatic life in the Lut remains highly limited, which makes this find particularly rare. Explore further New species of Ichthyosaur discovered in museum collection More information: Martin Schwentner et al, Some like it hot: Phallocryptus fahimii sp. n. (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) from the Lut desert, the hottest place on Earth, Zoology in the Middle East (2020). Martin Schwentner et al, Some like it hot: Phallocryptus fahimii sp. n. (Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) from the Lut desert, the hottest place on Earth,(2020). DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2020.1805139 The mayor of Rochester, N.Y. has suspended the police officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died of suffocation in March after police reportedly placed a spit hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes. I am suspending the officers in question today against councils advice, and I urge the attorney general to complete her investigation, Mayor Lovely Warren said during a Thursday news conference. I understand that the union may sue the city for this, they shall feel free to do so I have been sued before. Seven police officers will be suspended with pay in connection with the March 23 incident. Prude had been running through the streets naked in apparent mental distress when police detained him. The 41-year-old died a week later after being taken off life support. Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by our police department, our mental health care system, our society and, he was failed by me, Warren said, according to WROC. Daniel Prudes death has proven yet again that many of the challenges that we faced in the past are the same challenges that we face today. The suspension came hours after members of the City Council sent a letter to the mayor, calling for the officers to be placed on administrative leave. Other demands included the dismissal of all charges against demonstrators arrested Wednesday, a financial commitment to mental health services and a less aggressive police response to protests. The office of New York Attorney General Letitia G James (D) began an investigation into Prudes death in April, but video footage of the incident released by Prudes family brought renewed attention to the situation on Wednesday. I know that I must do better as a leader in this community, Warren said. The buck stops today with me, here, at City Hall. We must as a society, a city, a community face the truth. Institutional and structural racism led to Daniel Prudes death. Story continues In a remote press conference on Thursday, Prudes 18-year-old daughter blamed racist police for her fathers death. A racist police officer saw a Black man in need and decided that he just didnt deserve to live, Tashyrah Prude said. I dont understand how anybody could say or feel like he was a threat to the police when he complied with all orders. Theres nothing that anyone could say that could convince me that he was a threat to the police officers. More from National Review The coronavirus testing system is facing strain due to growing demand for swabs - prompting the Government to start rationing testing slots. Britons who show Covid symptoms can apply for drive-through tests, but some have revealed they are directed to centres more than 100 miles away. The Government says parts of the country that have seen fewer cases have had their capacity to carry out tests reduced in order to better manage outbreaks, but public health experts claim this could lead to overlooking new spikes, the BBC reports. It comes following a MailOnline investigation that revealed claims of callers to the 119 service being told no postal swabs or drive-through spots were available. One said she was told the nearest available test was in Bradford in West Yorkshire, some 200 miles away from the capital. Now Britons have revealed long journeys assigned to them by the Government's testing website, including Devon to Carmarthen, 109 miles away, Cumbria to Dumfries (50 miles), and south London to Newport (73 miles). Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now defended the coronavirus testing regime as working 'well' despite some people being directed to centres more than 100 miles away. He told Sky News the issue was part of the reason why the Government was investing in trials of 20-minute Covid-19 tests. Britons who show Covid symptoms can apply for drive-through tests, but some have revealed they are directed to centres more than 100 miles away (pictured: A family member administers a self-test to a child at a station in Leicester) Mr Hancock said: 'At the moment the system works well. Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it works well. 'And we're finding a higher and higher proportion of people in the country who have coronavirus and getting them tests so they can be looked after. 'But absolutely we need to roll out more testing - we have done throughout this crisis and today's another step in solving some of those problems with the existing technology.' He said a decision on whether travellers would need to quarantine when arriving from Portugal would be made on Friday. Mr Hancock was unable to say whether someone could travel to Portugal on Friday without needing to quarantine on their return, when pressed. 'The simpler answer is that we follow the data and we make these announcements in an organised way on a Friday lunchtime,' he said. 'We are going to publish a further decision tomorrow having looked at the data and I'm not going to pre-judge that.' Chief medical adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, now says he thinks the winter will bring additional challenges for managing the virus, with any potential mass return to work holding the potential for even more testing demand. Now the Health Secretary has announced a new 500 million funding package will support trials of a 20-minute Covid-19 test and efforts to explore the benefits of repeatedly testing people for the virus. Money will go towards launching a new community-wide repeat population testing trial in Salford, Greater Manchester. Twickenham's testing centre was empty despite callers being told no tests were available Existing trials in Southampton and Hampshire, using a no-swab saliva test and a rapid 20-minute test, will also be expanded through the new funding. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'Testing is a vital line of defence in combating this pandemic. 'Over the past six months we have built almost from scratch one of the biggest testing systems in the world. 'We need to use every new innovation at our disposal to expand the use of testing, and build the mass testing capability that can help suppress the virus and enable more of the things that make life worth living. 'We are backing innovative new tests that are fast, accurate and easier to use will maximise the impact and scale of testing, helping us to get back to a more normal way of life.' The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said saliva-based testing will be used for the pilot in Salford, which will involve the city council and other local partners. A select number of residents will be invited for a weekly test, with the pilot performing up to 250 tests a day. The initial focus will be on high footfall areas of Salford, such as retail areas, public services, transport and faith spaces. Its aim is to identify positive coronavirus cases early, including for those with no or minor symptoms, so people can self-isolate. At Greenwich there were very few visitors throughout the whole of Tuesday Results will inform how regular repeat community testing could be scaled up across the country. In Southampton, the second phase of a no-swab saliva test pilot is due to begin this week. It will see a weekly testing model trialled with more than 2,100 pupils and staff across four schools. The work is led by a partnership of the University of Southampton, Southampton City Council and the NHS. Meanwhile in Hampshire the pilot of a rapid 20-minute coronavirus test will be expanded 'to further explore the applications of mobile testing in different settings', the DHSC said. Funding will also be used to extend capacity for existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing currently being used in the UK. Baroness Dido Harding, interim executive chairwoman of the National Institute for Health Protection, the body replacing Public Health England, said: 'New testing technologies and methods are vital to keep the system evolving and improving, especially as we assess how routine testing could help pick up cases of the virus earlier. 'We will continue to scale up our testing capacity by expanding our network of testing sites and investing in new technologies to reach even more people through NHS Test and Trace.' The Department of Health and Social Care 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'. Heathrow's testing facility had a few cars come through but did not seem to be used fully 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 A MailOnline investigation discovered the testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told none were unavailable. A number of people in the capital needing swabs have now come 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. 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. 'Three out of the four times I was told they didn't 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 couldn't get a test, I was tested straight away without an appointment or a wait.' Every day on every news channel, two teen siblings watched the sacrifices of medical workers around the world who risk their physical and mental health on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. In the spirit of their religious faiths core principle of selfless service, San Francisco Bay area teens Prabhleen and Mantej Lamba launched an initiative they called Cards 4 COVID Heroes to let health care workers know how much theyre appreciated. Siblings (L) Mantej Singh Lamba, 17, and Prabhleen Singh Lamba, 15, collect thank-you cards from community members in Fremont, Calif., on May 26, 2020. (Taranjit Singh Lamba via AP) We were really moved by this [pandemic], and we knew that we had to involve our community and take action, said Prabhleen, 15. In just two months, theyve collected more than 250 thank-you cards from members of the community, mailed to their home in the suburban city of Fremont. Then theyve sent them to workers at four hospitalseach along with a US$10 VISA gift card. The handwritten cards are often decorated with hearts, flowers, and stars. One had a drawing of a hospital with the phrase, Heroes work here. Another card had a message from Girl Scout Troop 31164: Thank you for going to work every day and being there when we need it the most. The teens also created an e-card option that lets people go online and fill out a Google form. They then print out the message submitted there on a template that the siblings created. One of the cards shows doctors and nurses donning capes and an image of Spider-Man with a stethoscope. During these times of darkness and uncertainty, we just wanted to try to shine some light on the fact that we do have true heroes working on the front lines who are trying their hardest to save peoples lives, said Mantej, 17. Health care workers hold thank-you cards from the Cards 4 COVID Heroes initiative at Los Angeles Community Hospital in Los Angeles on June 30, 2020. (Keith Levy via AP) So far, Prabhleen and Mantej have sent cards to the UC Davis Medical Center, the Los Angeles Community Hospital, the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the Chandler Regional Medical Center in Arizona. For the first two weeks, they drew on friends and family for support, but then they started a GoFundMe page to collect donations and buy more cards. The feedback has been rewarding. Health care workers hold thank-you cards at Los Angeles Community Hospital in Los Angeles on June 30, 2020. (Keith Levy via AP) We received pictures from the health care workers, and we can just see from their faces that a small nod of encouragement with a small $10 gift card can go a long way to encourage them and to help them get through the difficult days, Prabhleen said. They know that, OK, were not alone. And there are people who do support us and care for us, she said. By Luis Andres Henao. Epoch Times Staff contributed to this story. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring will seek a third four-year term in the post and has decided to forgo a run for governor in 2021. The office of Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk, who also is running for attorney general, confirmed the news. So did the office of House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria. Mark Herring's decision, which he shared in calls with influential Virginia Democrats on Wednesday, leaves state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax as the announced Democratic candidates for governor in 2021. Terry McAuliffe, Virginias governor from 2014 to 2018, has filed paperwork to set up a campaign committee for another run, but has not yet made a formal announcement. Herring would face competition for the attorney general nomination next year. In addition to Jones, Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor is considering a bid. Herring is the first Democrat to serve as attorney general since 1994. If he were to win and complete a third term he would be Virginia's longest-serving attorney general since Abram Penn Staples, who held the post from March 1934 to October 1947. Herring was among Virginias top three statewide officials beset by scandal in February 2019. The attorney general apologized for having worn blackface once as a college student at the University of Virginia. Four days after Herring called on Gov. Ralph Northam to resign over a racist photo on Northams medical school yearbook page, the attorney general disclosed in a meeting with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, and then in a public statement, that he wore blackface in 1980 at a college party and had felt shame about it for decades. An aide said late that month that Herring still planned to run for governor in 2021. Herring, 58, was elected in 2017 to a second consecutive term as attorney general. He topped Republican John Adams after campaigning, in part, on his efforts to eliminate a backlog in testing of rape kits and to reduce sexual and domestic violence. Herring was town attorney in Lovettsville, in Loudoun County, from 1992 to 1999, then served on the county Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2003. He won a special election for the state Senate in February 2006 to succeed Republican Bill Mims, who had been named chief deputy attorney general. Mims now serves on the state Supreme Court. In 2013, Herring beat Fairfax for the Democratic nomination for attorney general by about 4,500 votes. In the general election, Herring edged state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, by 165 votes in a contest that went to a recount. Just 13 days into his first term as the states 48th attorney general, Herring sparked controversy on a national stage when he announced that he deemed Virginias 2006 ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. He said he wanted Virginia to be on the right side of history. (As a state senator, he had supported the states ban on gay marriage.) A month later, in Norfolk, U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled that the states ban violated the equal protection clause under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In January 2016, McAuliffe and GOP leaders in the General Assembly announced a bipartisan deal on gun policy that effectively reversed Herrings move to sever concealed carry reciprocity agreements with over two dozen states. There has to be a better way to plan for the future. Thats what I was thinking when I visited my office. Since the start of the pandemic, D2Ls Kitchener office has been deserted. And while we have a plan to return, realistically we know that COVID-19 may have plans of its own. None of us can say for certain when we will be back. And that uncertainty is exhausting. The funny thing is, D2L is an education technology company and our product, BrightSpace, is an online learning platform. Weve been working around the clock from our own homes trying to help schools and learners go online. And, while there are plans to open schools, no one can say for certain how long theyll stay open. Just last week the Texas Tribune reported that even though the number of tests was dropping statewide, the number of positive results was climbing. So, taken together, the low number of tests and the large percentage of positive results suggest inadequacies in the states public health surveillance effort at a time when school reopenings are certain to increase viral spread. In other words, just like in Australia, Israel and Hong Kong, Texas schools will probably close almost as soon as they open again. And yet, the plans are to reopen schools across North America. In some ways, the short-term thinking behind a lot of school reopenings is a symbol of how the world has been dealing with COVID-19 these past six months. Its like weve all been walking through a fog, only able to see a few feet in front of ourselves. We hope that in a few more steps, the fog will miraculously lift, things will go back to normal, and well see clearly into the future. But what if normalcy never returns? Are we prepared to accept a new normal where only kids of white-collar parents who can telecommute are able to learn from home? Are we going to allow a socio-economic gap that already exists to become wider or even worse intergenerational? And what if our offices never open? Or international business travel never bounces back? All of these issues are vital to solve and they are all connected but right now we are all focused on the most immediate and most obvious challenge, which is the start of school. And yet the push to reopen schools in September is, ultimately, not an educational issue. Its an economic issue disguised as an educational issue that, if we are not careful, may quickly become a public-health issue. So instead of continuing to lurch from issue to issue in the fog, what we really need to do is take a 30,000-foot view of the entire landscape. If we can accept that a return to normalcy is uncertain at best, we have to ask ourselves what steps we can take to create a society that is more resilient in the face of that uncertainty. For example, how do we make it possible for kids to go back to school and back home again when necessary with a minimal disruption to their education? How do we make sure that parents who work in the trades or in retail can know their kids are safe and learning when theyre away at work? How can we make sure that parents who are working from home can stay productive even when their kids are learning from home? Look, I dont want my offices to be empty. I dont want our schools to be empty, either. On the other hand, I want the ICUs in my hospital to be totally empty. And if thats what were trying to achieve and I hope it is then we have to do better than week-to-week planning. We have to build resilient systems and supports that allow us to surf the successive waves of COVID-19, rather than being drowned in them. Technology can help in this, but it also cant be the only answer. Deciding what a resilient, pandemic-proof society looks like and how we achieve it has to be our collective priority in the months ahead. Because stumbling through the fog is not working for anyone. Joe Biden speaks about the protests and violence in Kenosha, Wis., at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday. (Associated Press) To the editor: I am a lifelong Democrat who fears what will happen to this country if President Trump wins another four years in the White House. His campaign of fear resonates not only with his base, but also with many undecided voters. ("Biden hits Trump on urban unrest: 'Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames,'" Aug. 31) Many of these undecided voters are buying into Trump's charges that former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democrats are not coming out strongly enough against the riots taking place all over the country, and those voters are correct. It's not enough for Biden to just say he is against rioting and looting. The Democrats need to make a strong statement that all violent protesters should be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. They need to start a very strong offense right now. Time is running out. Bob Bergman, Newbury Park .. To the editor: I think it is time for us to stop thinking of ourselves as liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans or whatever else we call ourselves. It just leads to name-calling, fighting and hatred. How about calling ourselves "human beings" with strengths and weaknesses? How about recognizing that we all have dreams, hopes for our future and a shared need to survive on our fragile planet? Is it too late? Can we learn to see behind the rhetoric? The assumptions? The claims? The denials? I hope so. Diana Wolff, Rancho Palos Verdes .. To the editor: During the recent unrest, when businesses were looted and burned, Trump offered to send federal law enforcement officers into those areas to help stop the unrest. How is that Trump "fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames," as Biden said? It seems to me that Trump is doing just the opposite. He is offering a solution to squelch the flames. Gregory Sirbu, Redondo Beach .. To the editor: Trump said he would not talk to the family of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., because they wanted lawyers present. Well, good for the Blake family. Story continues I wonder if the president might wonder why the family wanted lawyers present. The answer to that question might be because anything the president would say to the Blake family would be among the thousands of lies and misrepresentations he has uttered in his nearly four years as president. Further, is anyone on the planet surprised that after the president said he had talked to the Blake family pastor, Blake's father said on CNN that the family does not have a pastor? Can you hear the lie counter clicking in the background? Glenn A. Goodwin, Claremont .. To the editor: So Trump is essentially saying that none of this street violence would have happened if Trump was the president? Dan Schechter, Los Alamitos For the record: 9:07 AM, Sep. 03, 2020: A Sept. 3 letter to the editor correctly noted that after President Trump said he contacted the pastor for Jacob Blakes family, Blakes father said the family did not have a pastor. However, the letter did not mention that the familys lawyers later said that the president reached out to the pastor of Blakes mother. The China theatrical release for the repeatedly delayed Disney live-action remake of "Mulan" has finally been set for Sept. 11. Poster advertising the release of "Mulan." [Image courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios] The film is an adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated classic of the same name. According to folk legend, Hua Mulan lived more than 1,400 years ago during a tumultuous era in Chinese history. She disguised herself as a man to serve in the army and fight for her country in place of her elderly father. "Mulan," directed by Niki Caro, is one of a few large-scale releases from a major Hollywood studio that features an entirely Asian cast. The title role is played by Chinese actress Liu Yifei, and other Chinese stars, such as Gong Li, Donnie Yen and Jet Li also make appearances. According to Walt Disney Studios, the Chinese version of "Mulan" will be dubbed with the true voices of Liu Yifei, Gong Li and Jet Li speaking Chinese. Executive producer Bill Kong said "Mulan" is a timeless tale that still resonates with audiences despite being an ancient Chinese legend. Kong, the man behind "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," was hired to oversee the Chinese-set production, and the studio communicated with Chinese cultural consultants and its own China-based team to ensure that the details in "Mulan" were authentically Chinese. Originally scheduled for release on March 27, "Mulan" reportedly cost $200 million to make. However, the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Disney's plans. In early August, after Chinese theaters had just reopened and the pandemic had worsened in the United States, Disney's CEO Bob Chapek decided to forgo a theatrical release of "Mulan" in the American market, disappointing many theater managers who hoped such blockbuster films could help them revive the cinema businesses. American audiences will be able to pay $29.99 to watch the film on Disney Plus on Sept. 4, a streaming platform that currently has 60.5 million global subscribers, along with audiences in Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Disneys CEO said that "Mulan" is a lone experiment. It will test the entirely new early video-on-demand (VOD) model. New Zealands justice minister says his country is being bombarded by an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks targeting entities such as banks and its stock market in what intelligence officials suspect is part of a global campaign. Andrew Little said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that tracking down the perpetrators of the intrusions in recent weeks would be extremely difficult as the distributed denial of service attacks are being routed through thousands of computers. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The attacks stopped share trading for up to several hours at a time over four days last week. Private company NZX, which hosts the stock market, said it halted trading to maintain market integrity because the attacks prevented it from publishing market announcements. Little said the attackers had found vulnerabilities in the stock market's operations. That motivated them to continue the attack, and they picked on other organizations as well, he said. One of those was the bank TSB, which was hit Tuesday. Chief Executive Donna Cooper said the attack disrupted some of its services but it had a plan in place and the bank remained sound. Another bank, Westpac, said it successfully repelled an attack two weeks ago and hadn't been hit again since. News organizations Stuff and RNZ reported they had repelled attacks over the weekend. The weather organization MetService was also hit this week, switching its website to a stripped-down version in order to stay online. YOUR SMALL BUSINESS COULD EASILY BE WIPED OUT BY A CYBERATTACK, HERE ARE 5 STEPS TO TAKE Little said he's been told the sheer volume of data used by the attackers is unprecedented. New Zealand's foreign spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau, is helping with the investigation and working to protect companies targeted in what it says appears to be part of a global campaign. One line of investigation is the emails sent to people in some of the targeted organizations demanding a ransom in exchange for stopping the attacks, Little said. The official advice is to never, ever pay a ransom. Story continues NZX said despite more attacks on its website, so far this week it has been able to trade uninterrupted. NZX has been advised by independent cyber specialists that the attacks last week are among the largest, most well-resourced and sophisticated they have ever seen in New Zealand," Chief Executive Mark Peterson said in a statement. Little said the attacks were a wake-up call to all organizations with customer-facing websites. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Only a few organizations seem to have been targeted at any one time and most have been able to repel the attacks, giving him confidence the country can move past them. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Related Articles Kit Harington as Jon Snow, left, and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in a scene from Game of Thrones. Photo: HBO via AP A major Game of Thrones attraction which is tipped to draw upto 600,000 visitors a year is on its way after plans backed by studio HBO got the go-ahead. Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge hosted some filming of the cult fantasy TV series, adapted fromthe books by George RR Martin. Now its plan for a studio tour have been approved by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Linen Mill Studios estimates the venue would generate 400m a year in tourism revenue. It would add a third big tourist attraction to NI's offer, alongside Titanic Belfast and The Giant's Causeway. Pakistani PM says Israel-Palestine issue will not be resolved unless there is a just settlement for the Palestinians. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says the Israel-Palestine issue will not be resolved unless there is a just settlement for the Palestinians, even if more countries decide to recognise Israel. Any one-sided settlement which is going to be imposed on the Palestinians is not going to work, Khan said after he was asked about the recent normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. In a wide-ranging interview with Talk to Al Jazeera, the Pakistani prime minister said Israel must recognise this: that if they do not allow the Palestinians to have a just settlement, a viable state, this issue will not die down. Even if other countries recognise it, it will not die down, the issue will continue to fester. It is in Israels interest that there should be a just settlement, Khan added. Last month, in a local TV interview, Khan said Pakistan would not recognise Israel until there is a Palestinian state acceptable to the Palestinian people. Khan said if Pakistan accepted Israel and ignored the oppression of the Palestinians, we will have to give up Kashmir as well then, adding that this was not something Pakistan could do. Last year India stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its limited autonomy, angering Pakistan, which claims the Muslim-majority Himalayan region in full but administers it in part. The UAE on August 13 became the first Gulf Arab country and third in the Middle East after Egypt and Jordan to reach a deal on normalising relations with Israel, capping years of discreet contacts between the two countries in commerce and technology. On Monday, high-level delegations from Israel and the US arrived in UAE, via the first-ever direct flight between the Middle Eastern nations, to put final touches on the controversial pact. 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. Turkey threatened to suspend relations with the UAE after normalisation was announced. On Wednesday, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told US President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that Doha remained committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative; in the initiative Arab nations offered Israel normalised ties in return for a statehood deal with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East War. CANTON, Ohio A Canton couple is accused of keeping a 7-year-old girl, who weighed only 28 pounds, in a dog cage in the basement of their home, according to police and court records. Lillian Cottrell, 29, and her boyfriend, Derek Mayle, 30, were arrested Tuesday at their home by a U.S. Marshals task force after a grand jury indicted them on charges of endangering children. The child stayed with a relative for about two weeks in the summer of 2019, according to Assistant Prosecutor Dan Petricini. When the relative was preparing to drop off the child, thats when the child said, but I dont want to go back to [Cottrells] house because I have to sleep in the cage, Petricini said. The relative called Canton police and Stark County Child Protective Services, and the investigation began. Petricini said the child weighed about 28 pounds, placing her in the lowest percentile for body weight among girls her age, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The relative has had full legal custody of the girl since then, Petricini said. The charges were part of a secret indictment, which alleges that Cottrell and Mayle did torture and cruelly abuse the child from Jan. 1, 2019 to July 30, 2019. A Canton police spokesman said the girl was kept in the dog cage as a form of punishment, and that it was locked with a pad lock. Since the case is on-going, Petricini declined to provide details about the accusations, including how often the girl was in the cage, or other instances of abuse or neglect. Two older children lived in the home, but their custody has changed and they are living with a relative, Petricini said. Detectives dont believe the other children were abused or neglected in the same way as the girl, according to police. A judge on Thursday set bond for Cottrell and Mayle at $1 million, court records show. They are scheduled to appear in court Friday for a hearing. Chinese President Xi Jinping is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tighten his government's totalitarian control and is exporting the technology to other countries across the world, according to a report. Xi wants to build an all-seeing digital system of social control, patrolled by precog algorithms that could identify potential dissenters in real-time. Chinese President Xi Jinping is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tighten his governments totalitarian control and is exporting the technology to other countries across the world, according to a report. Xi wants to build an all-seeing digital system of social control, patrolled by precog algorithms that could identify potential dissenters in real-time. While China has already installed hundreds of millions of cameras in place, the Chinese government hopes to soon achieve the full video coverage of key public areas, writes Ross Andersen, a deputy editor of The Atlantic. Every person who enters a public space in the future can be instantly identified by AI, matching them with their personal data, including their every text communication, and their bodys one-of-a-kind protein-construction schema. In time, algorithms will be able to string together data points from a broad range of sources travel records, friends and associates, reading habits, purchases to predict political resistance before it happens, Andersen added. With Xi keen to see his country achieve AI supremacy by 2030, the Chinese government could soon gain an unprecedented political stranglehold on over a billion people. Also Read: No Indian troops killed in recent border clash: China China has been adopting surveillance measures in the past. Ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Chinese security services achieved a new level of control over the countrys internet. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Xi government was dependant on private firms in possession of sensitive personal data. Any emergency data-sharing arrangements made behind close doors during the crisis could become permanent, says Andersen. Chinese citizens were subjected to a form of risk scoring during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, where every people were assigned a colour code green, yellow and red as per an algorithm, which also determined their ability to take transit or visit building in megacities. However, in a sophisticated digital system of digital control, these codes could be used to score a persons perceived political pliancy. A crude version of this system is already present in Chinas Xinjiang in the northwestern part of the country. Once Xi makes this system perfect, no technological limitations will pin him down from extending AI surveillance across China. With AI, Xi can build historys most oppressive authoritarian apparatus, without the manpower Mao needed to keep information about dissent flowing to a single, centralized node. In Chinas most prominent AI start-ups SenseTime, CloudWalk, Megvii, Hikvision, iFlytek, Meiya Pico Xi has found willing commercial partners. And in Xinjiangs Muslim minority, he has found his test population, Andersen wrote in the article. Also Read: China taking advantage of Covid-19 outbreak, India one such example: US Diplomat Uyghurs, who install VPN would likely lead to an investigation so they cannot download WhatsApp or any other prohibited encrypted-chat software. Purchasing prayer rugs online, storing digital copies of Islamic books and downloading sermons are all considered risky activities. Also, authorities may take note if an Uyghur person wants to use WeChats payment system to make a donation to a mosque. Some Uyghurs buried their mobile phones containing religious materials or even froze their data cards into dumplings for safekeeping amid the cultural crackdown by the Xi government. Police have forced them to install nanny applications on their new phones, according to the anthropologist Darren Byler. These apps use algorithms to hunt for ideological viruses day and night. They can also scan chat histories for Quran verses, Arabic script in memes and other image files, Byler said. These nanny apps work with the police, who inspect phones at checkpoints and scrolling through call logs and texts. Staying off from social media because digital inactivity itself can raise suspicions. Police are required to note when Uyghurs deviate from their normal behaviour patterns. Their database wants to know if the ethnic community members can leave their home through back door instead of front, and it they spend less time interacting with their neighbours. Also Read: PM Modi to address US-India Strategic & Partnership Forum today China uses predatory lending to sell telecommunications equipment at a significant discount to developing countries, which then puts China in a position to control those networks and their data, Michael Kratsios, Americas CTO, told The Atlantic. When countries want to refinance the loan terms, China can make the network access part of the deal just like the way its military gets base rights at foreign ports financed by it. If you give (China) unfettered access to data networks around the world, that could be a serious problem, Kratsios said. CloudWalk Technology, a Guangzhou-based start-up, signed a deal with the Zimbabwean government in 2018 for setting up a surveillance network. According to the terms, Zimbabwe is required to send images of its inhabitants, a rich data set, back to CloudWalks Chinese offices, allowing the firm to fine-tune its software ability to recognise dark-skinned faces, which have proved tricky for its algorithms previously. Chinese telecom titan ZTE sold Ethiopia a wireless network with built-in backdoor access for the government. However, dissents were rounded up as part of the crackdown for brutal interrogations, during which they were played audio from recent phone calls they had made. Other countries like Kenya, Uganda and Mauritius are installing Chinese-made surveillance networks in their cities. Also Read: France backs India, other G4 nations for UNSC reforms Moreover, the Zambian government has agreed to purchase over USD 1 billion in telecom equipment from China, including internet-monitoring technology. In South Asia, Beijing has supplied surveillance equipment to Sri Lanka and Chinese company Dahua is installing AI-assisted surveillance cameras in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Farther west, in Serbia, Chinese telecom giant Huawei is helping to set up a safe-city system, having facial-recognition cameras and joint patrols carried out by Serbian and Chinese Police aimed at helping Chinese tourists to feel safe and secure. In Latin America, which the Chinese government describes the region as a core economic interest, Beijing financed Ecuadors USD 240 million purchase of a surveillance camera system. Bolivia has bought surveillance equipment with a loan assistance from China. Recently, Venezuela introduced a new national identity card system that logs citizens political affiliations in a database built by ZTE. (ANI) Also Read: US police shoots 1 man dead in Washington Chadwick Bosemans legacy extends beyond Hollywood. His dying of colon cancer has started conversations about the health of ones gut. Per the American Cancer Society, African Americans are 20 per cent more likely to get colorectal cancer and 40 per cent more likely to die from it than other groups (with Black men having the highest incidence). Medical professionals are advocating for more screenings in communities of colour. The Tribune spoke to Dr. Karen Kim, professor of medicine, director of the Center for Asian Health Equity and a gastroenterologist of more than 20 years working at UChicago Medicine. I would say all communities of colour either suffer from lower screening or higher mortality, Kim said. But particularly African American men, they get colon cancer much more so than any other population and die from it. From any stage late stage, early stage, middle stage they dont do as well, in general, compared to any other population, and we certainly need to understand why. Kim said screening has to start earlier if polyps (abnormal tissue growth) in the colon are to be caught before they turn cancerous. We think we usually have about a 15-year period before a polyp becomes a cancer, she said. The one thing we know is the only way colon screening works is by giving people choices. And that choice is not just colonoscopy. Theres lots of choices, and it really depends on what kind of insurance you have, what kind of access you have, and what your personal preferences are. Depending on your lifestyle, one choice may be better than another, Kim said. Here are some alternatives to the traditional colonoscopy. The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is a colon cancer screening test that can be done at home using a kit from your doctor. Theres no prep involved with this stool test. All you do is mail your sample to a lab. A FIT test typically costs $15 and can be co-ordinated with your primary physician annually, Kim said. The cheapest route, Kim said medical professionals like to link FIT tests to the flu shot. Because people are pretty good about getting annual flu shots, we do a flu/FIT: Get a flu shot, and then pick up your FIT kit at the same time, so you remember around the fall to do it. Cologuard is another stool-based test that can be taken in the privacy of your home. This test looks for genetic mutations in the stool. Kim says its a great test that has to be taken every three years. This test ranges from $500 to $700, but is covered by Medicare and most insurances, she says. These are great. These tests look for blood in the stool. It takes no time whatsoever. These tests are really great options for people who are scared about having a colonoscopy, Kim said. A CT colonography is a CT scan of the large intestine a virtual colonoscopy, Kim said. These have to be ordered through your primary care physician or nurse practitioner, to make sure the results are tracked. A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure in which a scope is inserted into a persons rectum and lower colon. Its like a colonoscopy, but it only goes through a third of your colon, Kim said. The reason it may be appealing to some is because you dont have to have a GI doctor or surgeon to do the exam. In some rural areas or places, they might try to use that modality. During a traditional colonoscopy, a long, flexible scope with a video camera is inserted into the rectum, and air is pumped through the tube into the colon to get a better view of its lining. The patient is under sedation. According to the Mayo Clinic, the procedure takes about 30-60 minutes. According to Kim, if a person opts for a traditional colonoscopy and anything looks abnormal during the procedure, it gets taken care of there and then. But if any of the earlier modalities yield positive findings, a colonoscopy will be required anyway. Sometimes when I tell my patients this, theyre like: If the final road is colonoscopy, Id rather do that if I can, she said. The colonoscopy is every 10 years unless you find a polyp, and then it may be three or five years depending on what the results are and what your personal risks are sometimes you have to do them much more frequently. I think the downside about the colonoscopy is you have to take time off work, you have to do bowel prep, and you need someone to take you home after the procedure. Some organizations recommend colorectal screenings begin at age 50, while the American Cancer Society suggests they start at age 45. But Kim says that regardless of what these groups say, paying attention to symptoms is incredibly important in younger adults, who dont fit into the age groups for screenings. If all of a sudden youre getting constipated, you see a change in the way your stools look, if youre bleeding, if you have sudden new abdominal pain or unexplained weight loss, talk to your physician. Pay attention and talk to your family, Kim said. Who has cancer? And not just colon cancer ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, endometrial cancer. Those all put you at risk. First generation relatives, those are the most important, but if you have multiple people with cancer spanning generations, then that sets a pattern that makes this at risk. We talk about breast and cervical cancer, we talk even about prostate cancer, but people feel very uncomfortable about talking about colon cancer, and we just need to get over it because, unlike all those other cancers, this one is preventable, beatable and treatable. Kim, the principal investigator for the Illinois Colorectal Cancer Alliance to Reduce Mortality and Enhance Screening (IL-CARES), said screenings for colon cancer have gone down about 85 per cent during the pandemic. Shes concerned that the populations being affected the most by COVID-19 arent getting back into preventive care and getting their screenings. She hopes IL-CARES will help increase colorectal cancer screenings among underserved and rural communities in Illinois. A spokesperson from the American Cancer Society said page views to the groups colorectal cancer signs and symptoms page went from 985 (Aug. 21-23) to over 80,488 the weekend of Bosemans death. And during Aug. 21-23, the ACS site had 73 visits to colon-related pages, but the weekend of Bosemans death, the site had 42,870 visits to those pages. With something as tragic as Chadwick Boseman dying, theres a period of time when people are open they feel like they want to learn, Kim said. He was such a powerful person and a role model. I think a lot of people are coming to the table wanting to know more. But this is a long game, you have to stay on it for a long time. By PTI KOLKATA: In a fresh salvo against the Mamata Banerjee government, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday called for a "time-bound high level judicial probe" into the purchase of equipment of Rs two thousand crore to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. He alleged that "tainted purchases" were made to fight the pandemic and stressed on the need to get to the root of it. Dhankhar, who has had several face offs with the Trinamool Congress government since he assumed office in July 2019, had earlier flayed the state's handling of coronavirus patients. He had also urged the state to bring out a white paper on expenses at the annual Global Business Summit in Bengal and alleged misappropriation of cyclone Amphan relief money by ruling party members in his tweets. On Thursday the governor posted on his official Twitter handle, "Have urged @MamataOfficial to vindicate stance on transparency & accountability & order a time-bound high judicial probe in the over two thousand crore pandemic purchase." Alleging that "thousands of crores of tainted purchases" were made in the name of purchasing equipment to fight the pandemic, Dhankhar said "Need to get to the root of this multi-crore pandemic purchase by tracking ill-gotten gains of reported blatant favouritism." "Defaulters & beneficiaries of patronage must be visited with exemplary consequences," he said. Referring to the setting up of a panel by the Mamata Banerjee government to probe the alleged corruption in the purchase of medical equipment, Dhankhar said "Committee carries no credibility and its work will be sham, eye wash and post facto ratification." "It defies reason as to how decision-makers of these tainted purchases of thousands of crores of rupees could themselves be in judgmental mode ex facie gross violation of acclaimed principle nemo judex in causa sua [no one is judge in his own cause)," the governor said. "Such sordid saga while all were battling pandemic is worrisome," he added. Dhankhar also attached his letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which raised the same issues. The TMC government had ordered a probe into the allegations of corruption in purchasing of medical equipment to fight Covid-19 pandemic in the state. A three-member committee headed by the state home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay is looking into the allegations and will submit its report to the chief secretary. An angry mob surrounds Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and his wife in Washington on Aug. 28, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters) Florida Man Charged With Attacking Officer Escorting Sen. Rand Paul Through Mob A Florida resident was charged with assault for allegedly attacking one of the police officers who was guarding Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and three women through an angry mob in Washington last week. Brennen Sermon, 27, was charged with one count of assaulting a law enforcement officer. A police officer who was actively holding a police line at 14th and F Street NW said that Sermon came up to the line and kicked his bicycle into his chest, causing the officers body camera to break, according to an affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court. The defendant then fled, chased by the officer. But when the officer caught up and tried arresting him, a group of people surrounded him and Sermon punched him in his face, according to the court filing. A supplemental filing noted that the man who kicked the bike and the one who threw the punch were wearing different color shirts, so Sermon was ultimately just charged with respect to the punching allegation. The officer saw the man running away, so he called out to other officers nearby, Thats him in the blue shirt. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) (C) and three women are escorted by police officers through a crowd in Washington on Aug. 28, 2020. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo) Sermon was taken into custody. The officer sustained laceration and severe swelling above his left eye, requiring treatment at a hospital. Sermon faces up to 180 days in prison if convicted, as well as a fine of up to $1,000. A court-appointed lawyer didnt respond to a message. Paul took to social media to write: One of the brave D.C. cops who likely saved Kelley and me was assaulted by one of the violent mob. The attacker was arrested and charged with assault, then released. Sermon was released on his own recognizance, according to data from the court. He pleaded not guilty. Paul, his wife, and two others were surrounded by the mob after leaving the White House early Aug. 28. President Donald Trump had just delivered a speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination. Video footage showed the group standing in place for at least 5 minutes until more officers arrived. The officers then helped fend off the crowd and escorted Paul and the others several blocks to a hotel. Paul said he was attacked by an angry mob and thanked police officers for literally saving our lives from a crazed mob. People who accosted him were shouting threats, the senator later said. The threats were if they could get a hold of youand I truly believe with every fiber of my being, had they gotten at us, they would have gotten us to the ground, he said during an appearance on Fox & Friends. We might not have been killed. We might just have been injured by being kicked in the head or kicked in the stomach until we were senseless. Youve seen the pictures. Most of the networks will not show the pictures of this. This is happening in all of our cities. Its got to stop, and thank God for the police. Sermon was one of eight people arrested. Four others were arrested on assault of a police officer charges while the rest were booked on simple assault or resisting arrest charges. Charging information was available for three of the others arrested. Olivia Margullis of Tacoma, Washington, was charged with assaulting another person, named as John Doe. Emanuel De Sousa of San Leandro, California, was charged with resisting arrest. Officers said he interfered with attempts to arrest another person. And Jonathan Gartrelle of Miami, Florida, was charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:52:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), addresses a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2020. The symposium was held by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the CMC at the Great Hall of the People. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed carrying forward in the new era the great spirit of resisting aggression and striving to achieve national rejuvenation. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), delivered an important speech at a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Addressing the symposium held by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the CMC, Xi said the Chinese people demonstrated to the world their patriotism, national character, heroism and a strong will to win during the war. The great spirit of resisting aggression bred during the war is an invaluable source of inspiration, and will always motivate the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive to achieve national rejuvenation, said Xi. He said that 75 years ago on Sept. 3, the people of China, together with the rest of humanity, finally won a total victory against fascism through unbreakable will and a brave fight. It was a great victory over the evil, darkness and reaction. That day also marked a great victory for the unyielding Chinese people who had fought tenaciously for 14 years and finally defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors, said Xi. He added that the war is the Chinese people's longest and largest fight against foreign aggression in modern times, which came with the greatest sacrifice but led to Chinese people's first complete victory in national liberation. The great victory was a historic turning point at which the Chinese nation rose from severe crisis in modern times and embarked on a journey toward great rejuvenation, Xi said, adding that it was also an integral part of the world's triumph over fascism. The victory belonged to the Chinese people, and also to all people across the world, he said, adding it will go down in the history of the Chinese nation as well as in the history of humanity's fight for justice. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the National People's Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the CMC, Xi saluted war veterans and patriots who fought in the war, as well as Chinese people at home and abroad who made contributions to the final victory. He expressed heartfelt appreciation to foreign governments and friends around the world for their support and help for China in the war against Japanese aggression. He also offered deep condolences to martyrs who laid down their lives for the final victory, and to victims who were brutally slaughtered by aggressors. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:04:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Buildings are seen at the La Defense business area near Paris, France, Sept. 3, 2020. The French government aims to mobilize 100 billion euros (118 billion U.S. dollars) in a recovery plan "of historic size" to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic crisis, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday. Ecological transition, competitiveness and social cohesion were identified as the three pillars of the plan dubbed "France Relaunch," which Castex said was "the most massive announced to date among major European countries." (Xinhua/Gao Jing) PARIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The French government aims to mobilize 100 billion euros (118 billion U.S. dollars) in a recovery plan "of historic size" to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic crisis, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday. Ecological transition, competitiveness and social cohesion were identified as the three pillars of the plan dubbed "France Relaunch," which Castex said was "the most massive announced to date among major European countries." GREEN PILLAR Over 30 billion euros will be assigned to ecological transition, or the "green pillar." This bracket will include 6.7 billion euros for the energy renovation of buildings, 11 billion euros for developing low-emission transport -- in particular the rail network of national operator SNCF -- and seven billion euros to be invested by 2030 to "make France a country at the forefront of hydrogen innovation." "We will make hydrogen one of the key elements of this strategy to be independent in the production of green hydrogen, as will be other European nations, such as Germany," said Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery Bruno Le Maire at a joint press conference with other cabinet members. Significant tax cuts and subsidies for relocation, especially in 11 key sectors such as healthcare, are planned to boost France's competitiveness. "We will lower production taxes by 10 billion euros," said Le Maire. "We want to turn the tide: relocate. (...) We have started and we will continue to do so. We will invest one billion euros in calls for projects to support any industrial company that would like to improve its production and build new lines," he said. Some 11 billion euros have been set aside for "investment for the future." "France has been resting on its laurels for 20 years, with very good sectors -- agri-food, health, luxury, etc. -- but without opening up new industrial sectors. It is time to move on," said Le Maire. "In quantum computing, in the treatment of water and waste, France must be the European leader and the world leader," he said. Some 15 billion euros have been earmarked to support employment, including a 6.7-billion-euro "plan for the youth" and an "anti-layoff shield" worth 7.6 billion euros. Castex reiterated that fighting unemployment is the plan's absolute top priority. "I hope that the relaunch plan will create 160,000 jobs in 2021 -- that is our aim," he told broadcaster RTL earlier in the day. EU TO CHIP IN Of the 100 billion euros that France plans to spend, 40 billion would come from the European Union (EU), said Clement Beaune, Minister of State for European Affairs, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The EU voted in July to mobilize some 750 billion euros, including 390 billion euros in subsidies, to finance member countries' national recovery plans. Each of these plans must be assessed by the European Commission and then validated by a qualified majority of the 27 member states. France will present its national recovery plan to its European partners "probably in October," said Beaune. "The first payment will be made in early 2021. We are fighting for that," he said. The rest will be covered by the national budget and Castex promised "no tax hike" while safeguarding the sustainability of public debt, expected to hit over 120 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year. "If the plan achieves its objective of relaunching activity, its impact on our debt ratio will be almost entirely absorbed from 2025," he told the press conference. France has seen its GDP shrink by a record 13.8 percent in the second quarter of 2020, after a contraction of 5.9 percent in the first quarter and 0.2 percent in the last quarter of 2019. "This is the strongest recession since 1929," said Castex before unveiling the massive recovery plan. "France holds on but is undoubtedly weakened." He stressed that everything must be done to avoid a second epidemic wave that would allow a better implementation of the recovery plan. However, the coronavirus has resurged in recent weeks across the country, forcing the authorities to reimpose some of the sanitary restrictions. THUNDER BAY, ON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: AIR) (OTCQB: CLRMF) is pleased to announce that its common shares commenced trading recently on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace, a US trading platform that is operated by the OTC Markets Group in New York. The Company's common shares now trade on the OTCQB under the symbol "CLRMF", and will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AIR". The Company also announces the appointment of Renmark Financial Communications Inc. ("Renmark"), of Montreal and Toronto, to assist with its investor and media relations activities. In consideration for the services to be provided, Clean Air Metals will incur up to $8,000 in monthly fees, starting September 1st, 2020 for a period of six months ending on February 28th, 2021 and monthly thereafter. Renmark will not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in Clean Air Metals or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. "We are very pleased with the appointment of Renmark to help reinforce Clean Air Metals' profile in the North American financial community. I know from personal experience how effective the Renmark team are and look forward to working with them once again" noted Abraham Drost, CEO of Clean Air Metals. The Company also announces a new research partnership with the Lakehead University geology department to investigate the mineralized intrusions of the Thunder Bay North Intrusive Complex, part of the Midcontinent Rift of North America. Dr. Peter Hollings, Chairman of the Geology Department, in conjunction with Dr. Derek Wilton of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, their students and Clean Air Metals' personnel will jointly examine the local portion of the nearly 3,000-kilometre-long rift in the earth's surface that forms the north shore of the Lake Superior Basin. The research will complement the Company's exploration work at its Escape Lake and Thunder Bay North deposits. "This project will contribute significantly to our understanding of the processes that form high-grade zones within magmatic nickel, copper and platinum systems and develop tools that can be applied by Canadian companies to aid in generating future discoveries," Dr. Hollings added. Clear Air Metals CEO Abraham Drost said that "having a Thunder Bay field office helps us to tap into the knowledge base at Lakehead University and hire its high quality geology graduates. To the extent that the upcoming research program could contribute to new, economic discoveries at the Thunder Bay North property, the company's cash investment of $150,000 over 3 years plus in-kind contributions, multiplied by the federal government's NSERC contribution of $300,000 is a vote of confidence in the mineral potential of the area." About Clean Air Metals Inc. Clean Air's flagship asset is the 100% owned, high grade Thunder Bay North Project, a platinum, palladium, copper, nickel advanced exploration project located just north of Lake Superior near the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lac des Iles Mine owned by Impala Platinum. The Clean Air Metals project hosts the Current Lake magma conduit and is actively exploring the Escape Lake magma conduit, a twin structure to Current Lake as previously reported on August 20, 2020 at https://cleanairmetals.ca/news-media/news-releases/clean-air-metals-announces-new-step-out-drill-resu-122506/. The mineralized magma conduits are part of the Thunder Bay North Intrusive Complex wholly contained on Clean Air's 30,000ha exploration concessions. Executive Chairman Jim Gallagher and CEO Abraham Drost lead an experienced team of explorers, researchers and engineers who are using the Norilsk magma conduit stratigraphic and mineral deposit model to guide ongoing exploration and development studies. As the former CEO of North American Palladium Ltd. which owned the Lac des Iles Mine prior to the sale to Impala Platinum in December, 2019, Jim Gallagher is credited with the mine turnaround and creation of significant value for shareholders. Qualified Person Mr. Allan MacTavish, P.Geo. a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and VP-Project Manager of the Company, has reviewed and approved all technical information in this press release. First Nation Relations Clean Air Metals Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. acknowledge that the Thunder Bay North Project is on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation, Red Rock First Nation and Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishnabek, signatories to the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850. Clean Air's wholly-owned subsidiary Panoramic PGMs (Canada) Ltd. is a signatory to a Communication Protocol between the parties. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Abraham Drost" Abraham Drost, Chief Executive Officer of Clean Air Metals Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. SOURCE Clean Air Metals Inc. Pharmapacks, LLC, a NYC-based ecommerce enablement platform and retail seller for brands across major ecommerce marketplaces, closed a $40m bridge financing round. The round, which follows a growth financing of $150m with GPI Capital and JPMorgan Chase Bank announced in July 2020, was led by Reckitt Benckiser, The Craftory, The Straus Group, The Emerson Group, and Sawaya Capital Partners. Led by CEO Andrew Vagenas, Pharmapacks provides a proprietary technology platform that gives brands a complete logistics, fulfillment, marketing and sales solution, enabling them to focus on product research and development. The company has 850 employees connecting consumers to their favorite brands on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart, Google, eBay and Facebook. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is acting as Sole Placement Agent on the financing. FinSMEs 03/09/2020 He wrote nearly all of the programs rules, shaped it based on his own personal philosophical views, and guided it with an iron hand. He helped create false backgrounds, arranged secret weddings, oversaw funerals. He personally persuaded corporate executives to hire a mafia hit man as a delivery route driver, once arranged for the wife of a Los Angeles killer to have breast enlargement surgery to keep her husband happy, and got the government to pay for a penile implant for one mobster turned witness after he became depressed. A day after Bryan Fogels documentary The Dissident about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi found a buyer and released a trailer, Showtime has released a trailer for its own Khashoggi documentary, Kingdom of Silence. Showtime has also set a release date for Kingdom of Silence on October 2, the second anniversary of Khashoggis death. Kingdom of Silence is directed by Dirty Wars and 16 Shots director Rick Rowley and is executive produced by Alex Gibney and author Lawrence Wright, and while it too examines the details surrounding Khashoggis death at the hands of the Saudi Arabia regime, this film focuses more on the complicated relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Also Read: Jamal Khashoggi Doc 'The Dissident' Acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment, Set for Late 2020 Release The film explores the decades of diplomacy and politicking that led up to President Trumps interactions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammaed bin Salman. In the process it shines a light on Khasoggis journey from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the halls of power in Riyadh and Washington and just how much he knew. To what extent was the Saudi government entangled with Al Qaeda? Is there a person in the world who knows more than Jamal Khashoggi, an expert posits in the trailer. You are in the war, and you cant give up. You cant disappear. Those were the last words I said to him, another adds. Kingdom of Silence is produced by Samuel Black and Trevor Davidoski at Gibneys Jigsaw Productions. Gibney, Wright, Stacey Offman and Richard Perello serve as executive producers. Kingdom of Silence will air on Showtime on Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Check out the first trailer above. Read original story Kingdom of Silence Trailer: Showtimes Jamal Khashoggi Doc Scrutinizes US-Saudi Relations (Video) At TheWrap He's currently experiencing a second wave of fame due to his season of Married At First Sight currently airing in the United Kingdom. And on Wednesday, Nasser Sultan looked furious as she shouted down the phone during a lengthy call in Sydney. The 52-year-old reality star gestured wildly during a break filming his vlog series, Drab or Fab!, and didn't seem bothered by other people around him. EXCLUSIVE! On Wednesday, former Married At First Sight star Nasser Sultan (pictured) looked tense when he was spotted talking on the phone in Sydney At one point, Nasser was seen shaking his head and had his hands on his hips during the tense call. Nasser was casually dressed in a grey long-sleeve sweater and an off-black pair of jeans. He finished his monochromatic ensemble with an oversized pair of sunglasses to shield him from prying eyes, and a simple pair of black sneakers with a white stripe. Is everything okay? At one point, Nasser was seen shaking his head and had his hands on his hips during the tense call Ring ring! The 52-year-old reality star gestured wildly during a break filming his vlog series, Drab or Fab!, and didn't seem bothered by other people around him Comfortable: Nasser was casually dressed in a grey long-sleeve sweater and an off-black pair of jeans. He finished his monochromatic ensemble with an oversized pair of sunglasses to shield him from prying eyes, and a simple pair of black sneakers with a white stripe The sighting comes after it was revealed Nasser recently landed a new television gig which will see the controversial reality star host his own talk show, Drab or Fab! While it's unclear if the show will be picked up by any Australian television networks, Nasser previously told Daily Mail Australia his show 'will air in Belgium, Italy and the UK'. 'It's raw and no scripted stuff,' Nasser explained. Coming soon! The sighting comes after it was revealed Nasser recently landed a new television gig which will see the controversial reality star host his own talk show, Drab or Fab! Nasser will join two co-hosts each week as they discuss and debate trending topics. The TV personality rose to fame on the 2018 season of Married At First Sight, which is currently being aired in the United Kingdom on E4. He 'wed' Gabrielle Bartlett, but they called it quits before the finale episode. Despite $1.5 Billion Deficit, San Francisco Officials Make Huge Salaries San Franciscos London Breed is Americas highest-paid mayorbeing paid a $342,974 salary, plus $109,447 in perks, for a grand total of $452,421but her city set an all-time record in 2019 with nearly 31,000 reports of human waste on the streets and sidewalks. Breed is far from the exception among the City by the Bays workforce, as nearly 19,000 of her colleagues get total compensation of $150,000 or more annually, according to public records compiled by Open the Books. Open the Books is a Burr Ridge, Illinois, nonprofit government watchdog that has compiled and posted on the internet compensation data for 64 million public employees in America. San Francisco is home to Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. City voters havent elected a Republican mayor since Mayor George Christopher left office in 1964. Other notables among San Franciscos highly paid city workforce, according to Open the Books, include the following: Former city public works director Mohammed Nuruthe self-proclaimed Mr. Clean of city politicsreceived $380,000 annually before resigning in February following his arrest by the FBI on fraud charges linked to a porta-potty contract. His former department is responsible for removing human feces and used hypodermic needles from city streets and sidewalks. 31 members of Breeds mayoral staff receive at least $200,000 annually. Police Chief William Scott was paid $434,613, while four of his assistant chiefs received between $346,528 and $445,539 annually (one is paid more than Scott due to greater seniority). San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto received $357,570. (San Francisco is both a city and a county and thus has police and sheriffs departments.) Homeless Services and Supportive Housing Director Jeff Kosinsky is paid $238,182 annually. Those figures come at a time when San Franciscos city government has a $1.5 billion deficit. Even so, Open the Books President Adam Andrzejewski said Sept. 1 in announcing the data, that the deficit isnt stopping 18,759 highly compensated employees from each bringing home pay packages worth $150,000 (or more) annually. We found truck drivers loaded up with $262,898 salaries; city painters making $270,190; firefighters earning $316,306; and plumbing supervisors cleaning up $348,291 every year. One deputy sheriff earned $574,595 last yearincluding $315,896 in overtime, Andrzejewski said. On average, the citys 44,526 employees received pay and perks costing taxpayers $131,335 apiece. Four out of 1018,749 city workersreceived a compensation package exceeding $150,000 per year. The pay package includes retirement, health, overtime, pension, and other benefits on top of base salary. More than 39,000 of the citys workers are represented by municipal unions. The total value of compensation paid to union members exceeds $5 billion annually. The largest of the unions is Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents more than 17,000 city workers, followed by the Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21 with more than 6,400. San Francisco isnt unique among the United States largest cities in paying extremely lucrative pay packages to employees. The highest-paid city employee in the United States in 2018, according to Open the Books data, was San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley, who received $574,594. Next came New York City Office of Payroll Administration administrative staff analyst Lyndelle Phillips, with an even $500,000 in compensation in 2019. Closely following Phillips and working as a teacher in the same office is Elizabeth Rodriquez, drawing annual compensation of $498,865. Others include: Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax at $410,692. Houston Emergency Physician Director David Persse at $403,230. Then-Chicago Commissioner of Aviation Ginger Evans at $400,000. Los Angeles chief legislative analyst Sharon Tso at $375,464. New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza at $357,973. Taxpayers in these urban areas are being milked like dairy cows. Its a legalized money laundering scheme whereby politicians are elected by powerful public employee unions, Andrzejewski told The Epoch Times on Sept. 3. Then, big pay and pension packages are awarded, but never fully funded. The bargain is corrupt but legal. No wonder Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs a $1 trillion bailout of state and local governments. Urban areas like San Francisco need your money to keep their party going. Andrzejewski was referring to demands by congressional Democrats that Congress approve as part of a new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus economic recovery package of $1 trillion in funds to help states and cities with huge deficits. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc FILER TWP. The newly published Filer Township Master Plan reveals areas where the community is being challenged as well as plans to create greater strengths and respond to feedback from residents on what matters to them. But those topics are not only reflective of the township; they also show what Manistee County is working toward and the scope of broader issues within the community. One shortcoming highlighted in the plan is broadband, where the area only scored about 48% on an assessment several years ago compared to a perfect score. The only metric of broadband it scored well on was mobile broadband. The remaining aspects of basic availability, platform dependency, high speed availability and competition all ranked four out of 10 points total per category. The plan emphasized the importance of having better speeds, more competitive pricing for residents and specific steps the township could take to help people in the area who rely on the resource for livelihoods and other reasons. That topic is especially important this year as many have relied on broadband more frequently during the pandemic. Manistee County as a whole had slower speeds and few providers. Access to technology and the ability to use it is a key determinant of economic success in the 21st century, and largely drives a communitys ability to connect with distant locations, reads part of the plan. According to the document, the Filer Township Downtown Development Authority plans to improve broadband access particularly in its commercial corridor. This would create an environment suitable for high-tech, medical and engineering businesses. According to the document, a rate of 25-35 megabits per second is listed as sufficient to support most commercial activities. EAST AND WEST But an overwhelming majority of the county fell under this level in the plans section that features county maps of broadband availability, providers, growth and speeds through Connected Nation Michigan. Vast areas of populations in the central and eastern parts of the county were considered households unserved by broadband providers lacking advertised speeds of at least 10 mbps download and 1 mbps upload. But in the rural or partly rural areas, the plan lists challenges to internet providers like higher costs due to lower population densities, and lack of distribution potential between a centralized node and a new market. Along Manistee Countys coastal areas like Arcadia, Onekama and Manistee most fell into the cable broadband category of advertised speeds of at least 25 mbps download and 3 mbps upload for fixed non-mobile service. But while these area fared better for rates of speed, Manistee was singled out as having an average download speed that is still 11.5% slower than the average across Michigan and 37% slower than the national average. To top it off, the provider list is short and leaves much to be desired for competitive pricing. Spectrum Business was the sole private entity supplying service of over 25 megabits per second to businesses throughout the community, and monthly pricing ranged between $50.99 to $109, reads part of the master plan document that cited information from the Community Technology Action Plan Manistee County Michigan. NOW WHAT? There were also recommendations within the plan that focused on steps such as: Validate demand for broadband service in underserved areas and perform a build-out analysis; Making a community-based technology awareness group; Create a digital equity initiative; Start a technology mentorship program; Implement cyber security training; and Next generation 911 upgrades (allows for digital in place of analog, as well as video and data sharing with responders). The key to economic development would be to improve competition and speeds throughout the community, the plan says. Another step could be to form partnerships. Public-private partnerships can help address economic challenges to broadband in rural areas by sharing capital costs of deployment and enhancing private providers revenue by finding anchor tenants and aggregating demand throughout the community, reads the plan. Although these programs transfer some of the risks and costs to the public sector, they can be instrumental in broadband deployment and economic development. Filer Township Master Plan's section on broadband in Manistee County at a glance: Overall, the county scored 24/50 points in an assessment; It lacks broadband provider competition; A rate of 25-35 megabits per second is listed as sufficient to support most commercial activities; But only one private provider gives access to 25 megabits per second; Most of Manistee County fell under the 10 mbps level, especially in the central and western portion of the county; Manistees zipcode shows residents have 11.5% slower than the average across the state, and 37% slower than the national average; and Monthly pricing ranged between $50.99 to $109. More highlights of how last month's Filer Township master plan reflects ongoing issues and actions in Manistee County can be found in upcoming editions of the News Advocate. MOUNT LAUREL, New Jersey, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 4-9, 2020, the American Neurological Association, for the first time in its 145-year history, is moving from a traditional meeting format to an interactive, virtual meeting experience. As always, the meeting will explore the latest advances in translational neuroscience, neurobiology of disease and academic neurology. In addition, ANA has announced that it is giving back to the neurological community by providing members with complimentary registration for ANA2020 and significantly reduced registration rates for non-members. "We recognize that these are unprecedented times, and we are committed to providing meeting access to neurologists and neuroscientists around the world," explained ANA's Executive Director Nadine Goldberg, PhD, MS. "For over 100 years, we have brought together the best researchers and educators in this field, and this year will be no different in that respect, as we transition to an interactive, virtual event." She noted that it is important that all attendees register for the meeting in advance. Many sessions held during the meeting will be pre-recorded, with live, interactive Q&A sessions following. This year's symposia dives into the science behind recent breakthroughs in our understanding and treatment of neurological disorders across a broad etiological spectrum and will feature talks and poster presentations with latest advances in translational neuroscience, neurobiology of disease, and academic neurology. The four plenary sessions are: Presidential Symposium: Leveraging Digital Technologies Targeting Glia for Therapy: Mediators of Neuroinflammation, Degeneration and Repair Genomics of Personalized Medicine Microenvironment Control of Brain Tumor Pathogenesis Also, on the schedule are 18 Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions, including Global Neurology, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Neurogenetics. New this year is the Emerging Scholar Lecture series, which is focused on providing junior investigators a platform to discuss their work. In addition, the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium will feature presentations from the 2020 Derek Denny-Brown awardees, the Wolfe Neuropathy Research Prize and the Grass Foundation-ANA Award in Neuroscience recipients. ANA Social Justice Symposium to Address Inclusion and Diversity The ANA is challenging itself to become a champion of 21st century academic neurology and neuroscience. Given that its past was marred by systemic racism, the ANA is working hard to find new ways to rectify these exclusionary practices. To meet these challenges, ANA is redoubling its efforts around inclusion and diversity through educating the neurological community and implementing organizational changes. In line with these efforts, the ANA is hosting its inaugural Social Justice Symposium prior to ANA2020. During this symposium attendees will learn about topics ranging from the impact of social determinants of health on adverse health outcomes for people of color, health policy, and will participate in interactive breakout sessions designed to develop actionable steps to address inequity within academic neurology and neuroscience. A detailed Advance Program is online at https://2020.myana.org Follow the meeting live using ANA2020 on Twitter @TheNewANA1, on Facebook @AmericanNeurologicalAssociation, or on Instagram @ananeurology. ABOUT THE ANA The American Neurological Association is a professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to advancing the goals of academic neurology; to training and educating neurologists and other physicians in the neurologic sciences; and to expanding both our understanding of diseases of the nervous system and our ability to treat them. For more information, visit www.myana.org or follow @TheNewANA1 on Twitter, @AmericanNeurologicalAssociation on Facebook, or @ananeurology on Instagram. A Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra ordered the removal of 48,000 slum dwellings around 140 km of railways tracks in Delhi, according to Live Law. The removal has to be completed within three months. The apex court also directed that no court should grant a stay in the matter. The order pertains to the M C Mehta case, related to pollution in and around Delhi. The top court has been passing directions in the case from time to time since 1985. "The encroachments which are there in the safety zones should be removed within a period of three months and no ... Darryl Hutchinson, facing camera, is hugged by a fellow relative during a funeral service for Lydia Nunez, who was Hutchinson's cousin, Tuesday, July 21, 2020, at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Nunez died from COVID-19. Read more Over 175,000 Americans have died as a result of the coronavirus, and every day that number continues to increase. It is estimated that every death from the virus will leave nine family members to mourn, according to new research by Pennsylvania State University. All of these grievers deserve paid time off from their job to grieve their loss. Bereavement leave is not federally mandated in the United States, but it should be. At some point, all of us will experience grief. For me, it started 10 summers ago, when my mother told me that she had ALS on the weekend I graduated from law school. I moved back into my parents house and helped my dad care for her until she died the following summer. Less than a year and a half later, my father was diagnosed with cancer. He completed chemotherapy successfully, but the cancer came back and he passed away four years after my mother, on her birthday. The decision of whether an employee gets paid time off to grieve is at the discretion of an employer. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, including attending a funeral. READ MORE: As we grieve whats been lost to coronavirus, 12 experts share ways we can cope together | Perspective The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides employees 12 workweeks of unpaid leave to care for an immediate family member who has a serious health condition, but not to mourn them. Similarly, a newly passed coronavirus law provides some workers with paid time off if they are too ill to work or need to care for loved ones, but does not offer time to care for themselves after the death of a family member. Despite the lack of initiative by the federal government, some states and companies have begun to offer more generous bereavement leave. Oregon grants up to two weeks paid bereavement leave per employee. In California, full-time state employees are granted up to three days of paid bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member. In 2017, Facebook established up to 20 days paid bereavement leave allowance for the death of an immediate family member not long after Sheryl Sandbergs husband suddenly passed away. Some other companies have followed its lead, such as Microsoft, Survey Monkey, and Mastercard. While these few states and companies have acted in the best interests of their employees, they unfortunately remain the exception, not the rule. Bereavement leave cannot take away grief. But paid time away from work can enable individuals to begin to sort through the administrative tasks and emotional toll without having to also worry about their job security. Katie Reilly According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 60% of full-time workers took paid funeral leave in the private sector in 2012. This number does not account for public sector and freelance workers, nor undocumented immigrants. And of the employees who are lucky enough to benefit from bereavement leave, it is generally only one to four days, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. After each of my parents died, there was a body to identify in the morgue, ashes to pick up, a Mass and service to plan, flowers to order, a eulogy to write, clothes and jewelry to sort through, a house to clean out and put on the market, relatives and colleagues to notify, and a will to review, among many other responsibilities. The administrative tasks alone could have easily filled four days. On top of a long to-do list, my mental health was the worst it ever has been. I experienced intense sadness, heightened anxiety, and frequent nightmares, which led to insufficient sleep. The mental health issues I faced are not uncommon after a loss. The unexpected death of a loved one may be a traumatic experience and is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders. Grief tends to lessen with time, but mourners can also suffer from complicated grief, defined by the Mayo Clinic as painful emotions that are so long-lasting and severe that you have trouble recovering from the loss and resuming your own life. READ MORE: How to talk to your child about grief during the coronavirus pandemic Because of the conditions surrounding coronavirus deaths, bereaved family members are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress. Many individuals with extreme cases of the coronavirus will die, or have died, in an ICU. According to one study, 52% of relatives experienced complicated grief and over 43% of relatives presented symptoms of PTSD six months after the loss of an adult family member in the ICU. Due to new hospital restrictions, family members may not be able to say goodbye to a loved one who passed away during the pandemic in person. One study found that the inability to say goodbye to a loved one was a variable associated with both complicated grief and PTSD. Whether the relative was present and whether the patient was intubated at the time of death were additional variables two common conditions of family members who have lost someone to the coronavirus. Bereavement leave cannot take away grief. But paid time away from work can enable individuals to begin to sort through the administrative tasks and emotional toll without also having to worry about their job security. Losing a loved one is hard. Many years after my parents death, I still grieve them. We are currently facing an economic recession and job unemployment is at a high, but we are also a grieving nation. The government must legislate paid bereavement leave so that employees are guaranteed the time they deserve to begin to mourn. Katie C. Reilly is a writer and attorney. Her writing primarily focuses on grief, womens health and social justice issues. September 2 is no ordinary day on the Vietnamese calendar, and this year especially so. Rewind 75 years to September 2, 1945, which is forever etched into the memory of every single Vietnamese. This is our Independence Day. Many around the country will have stories to tell. The older generation witnessed first-hand the remarkable events of that special day. Those younger will speak of their ancestors, who proudly played a part in shaping Vietnams future. Pham Gia Doc, on the other hand, was right in the thick of it. He remembers clearly the events of that day because of the important role he played. ON DUTY: Pham Gia Doc was assigned to protect the podium where President Ho Chi Minh declared independence. VNS Photo Ly Ly Cao As a member of the first police department, he was in charge of protecting the podium where President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945. At that time, though, he didnt know exactly who he was protecting. After we had seized power from the French colonialists and the Japanese Imperial Army, I was mobilised to the Department of Northern Police, Doc said. Two days before the event, the director ordered me to protect the podium. I was worried. I had no idea what the podium looked like, what I had to do, or who was to address the crowd. Everything was confidential at the time, so we didnt know anything. We just knew there would be a podium, but didnt know that the President was to proclaim independence. As a policeman, however, Doc followed orders. At the podium that day, I just stood straight, kept my eyes ahead, and didnt move, the 97-year-old veteran said. From looking ahead, we could see who was coming in and who was going out, because there was only one way to the podium. Returning to the past once more, he remembered the atmosphere of that day, when people heard President Ho read the Declaration of Independence. The huge square was full of people, Doc said. Everyone stood silently listening, and after President Ho Chi Minh finished his speech there was happiness all around. People cheered and chanted slogans supporting the new Government and the independence of Vietnam. Their voices echoed everywhere and everyone was excited and happy. Few people at the time knew exactly who Ho Chi Minh was. All most knew was that Nguyen Ai Quoc was the leader of the revolution. But in fact Ho Chi Minh was Nguyen Ai Quoc. DAY OF DAYS: Independence was declared on Sunday September 2, 1945. VNA/VNS Photo When they introduced President Ho Chi Minh, I felt strange, Doc remembered. Why was Ho Chi Minh speaking, when it was supposed to be Nguyen Ai Quoc? During the revolution we knew of Nguyen Ai Quoc, who was to become President, but then Ho Chi Minh appeared. I wondered where this man Ho Chi Minh had come from. But I only thought it, and said nothing. We all stood next to each other, but no one said a word. So when we were back at the Department of Northern Police, we asked who Ho Chi Minh was, and when we found out it was Nguyen Ai Quoc we finally felt at ease. Seventy-five years have since passed, but the glory of that day never fades and will stay in the heart of this old veteran and every Vietnamese citizen today, tomorrow, and the future. VNS Ly Ly Cao & Minh Phuong Reflections on a revolution At the age of 94, Le Duc Van is no longer at his best, with a hunched back and deteriorating health. "I hope she will respond positively to that," Ms Berejiklian said, adding that she did not get the sense Queensland would relax its border measures anytime soon. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "My job is to make sure I protect the health and wellbeing of our citizens. That is not happening to the extent I would like it to, and that's a concern. "I worry when some towns are not getting doctors for weeks on end or at all because the Queensland government won't acknowledge that when they return to Queensland they should not have to serve that quarantine [period] when they are providing vital health services," she said. Ms Berejiklian said the guideline set by the Queensland government as to when it would reopen their border was "a pretty tall order". Loading "I don't know anywhere on the planet where a society can function openly and productively during a pandemic and give an assurance that you are going to have zero cases of community transmission for a prolonged period," she said. The national cabinet is next due to meet on Friday. Its discussion concerning border measures will be "very sobering", Ms Berejiklian said. She urged her counterparts to trust in their health systems. "If you have confidence in your health system, if you have confidence that contact tracing is something you can deal with in your state there shouldn't be a reason for you to keep your border closed given the low rates of community transmission currently in NSW," she said. "Everyone wants certainty, everyone wants to be able to plan ahead whether its businesses or reuniting with family," she said, qualifying that she did not include Victoria in that same situation given their current transmission rates. Asked about end of year school events, Ms Berejiklian said the government's intention was to provide a COVID-safe way for schools to hold those events. "The health advice regarding term 3 was based purely on the fact that we don't want students stressing about their exams being cancelled or their schools shutting down in close proximity to the HSC. The more certainty we can give our students the less stress therell be," she said. The health advice will be updated for term 4, the Premier said. Loading There is only one criteria for reopening the interstate border, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday morning, and that is almost a month without coronavirus community transmission in NSW. "At this point in time, the trigger to open the border into NSW is when they have had two incubation periods [14 days each] of no community transmission," Dr Young told reporters on Thursday. "Yesterday [Wednesday], they had one case, so they are getting there. "Now, if they were to have 28 days of no community transmission that is the current definition to open the border then that would occur. "We know the highest risk of bringing the virus into this state is from areas that have higher amounts of community transmission." A border bubble exists to help those communities on either side of the Queensland-NSW border still be able to access essential services, such as medical appointments. It encompasses the Tweed Heads Shire Council area and Gold Coast City Council boundaries, with included residents allowed to move within those two areas, but no further. Meanwhile, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant indicated the health advice concerning aged care facilities would soon be updated, Ms Berejiklian said. Last Friday, NSW Health urged people living and working in greater Sydney and the Central Coast to avoid aged care facilities over concerns that the Sydney CBD cluster had spread to several other suburbs. Ms Berejiklian hoped NSW Heath would be able to update the community about any changes on Thursday or Friday. Furthermore, NSW Health issued a number of alerts for Sydney locations on Thursday. Anyone who attended a church service at Life in the Spirit Ministry at Prestons, in Sydney's south-west, on Sunday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, is considered a close contact of a case and must get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days. People who attended the following venues at these times are casual contacts of cases. This means they should be particularly alert in looking for symptoms and get tested if even the most minor symptom such as a runny nose, fever or a scratchy throat develops. C ovid-19 restrictions are allowing ministers to have a pathetically easy time in the Commons, Conservative MP David Davis has warned. The former cabinet minister was among a raft of Tory MPs who criticised a Government motion to continue virtual proceedings in the chamber until November 3. Mr Davis insisted that a full and properly functioning House is needed by October. It comes ahead of key decisions on the Covid-19 response, the economy and Brexit. Attendance in the Commons chamber has been limited to 50 MPs at any one time in line with social distancing requirements. Other MPs are able to contribute via Zoom to parts of proceedings but not all. Conservative MP David Davis takes part in the launch of a proposed UK-EU free trade agreement / AFP via Getty Images Lists are drawn up of who can speak in questions sessions and debates, and Westminster Hall debates are not expected to restart until October. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg insisted ministers are being scrutinised and he is very keen for more MPs to be in the chamber, with the motion allowing remote participation for those who cannot attend. He added any change in Public Health England advice could see social distancing rules in the chamber relaxed before November. Mr Davis, who was first elected in 1987, told the debate: This is the weakest House of Commons I have ever seen. It does not do its job. The House of Commons at its best is far greater than the sum of its parts, its an organic entity that actually reflects our constituents interests and pushes the Government to do better, to govern better, to make the right decisions first time out not after several, er, preliminary attempts. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg insisted ministers are being scrutinised / Getty Images Im being as delicate as I can about what others would perhaps call U-turns. It gives ministers a pathetically easy time. Now that is actually not a benefit to ministers having to come and stand at the despatch box and defend your case, think through before you arrive all of the weaknesses that might be in it is actually a way that our Government improves its case. Mr Davis said he was not concerned about the Houses performance in September as he does not expect it to be doing many very important things. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images He added: But the House and the Government and the country face three massive sets of decisions on the recovery of the economy, which will be critical before the end of October thats when the various funding schemes broadly run out, and thats when the brick wall in our economic future faces us. We have Brexit still coming, and frankly October is going to be the key month ahead. Covid-19 running into winter, so again October is going to be the key time. Mr Davis later suggested testing MPs daily for Covid-19 to allow it to fully return. Conservative Sir Robert Syms (Poole) expressed disappointment that more MPs were not allowed in the chamber, adding: Were here to lead. Were expecting schools to go back, universities to go back, people to go back to work, and were 650 MPs and only 50 allowed in the chamber that inevitably restricts the ability of members to represent their constituents. Conservative former minister Sir Christopher Chope said it was over the top to extend the arrangements until November. For the Government, Mr Rees-Mogg said the Commons is not the same at the moment but insisted having 50 MPs in at any one time can make a difference. He added: It doesnt mean there is no holding to account, it doesnt mean there is no representation of our constituents. Conservative former minister Steve Brine stressed the importance of Westminster Hall to keeping ministers honest, adding: We are living a lie to the public at the moment weve never worked harder, but were not working hard here in SW1. Mr Rees-Mogg insisted the Commons is getting back to the normal pattern with Westminster Hall debates returning within weeks, adding: We are back at work in this place. He encouraged MPs to ensure they have two members of staff in their Westminster offices, in line with guidance from Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, adding: We are back at work in SW1, and the opportunities for holding to account are there. Mr Rees-Mogg suggested the opportunity for virtual contributions are expected to continue until were confident there wont be further local lockdowns. Two more patients at the Assiniboine Centre at the Brandon Regional Health Centre have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the provinces daily update on Tuesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Two more patients at the Assiniboine Centre at the Brandon Regional Health Centre have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the provinces daily update on Tuesday. It was announced on Monday that two health-care workers and a patient had tested positive and that case investigations were ongoing. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said it is believed that the first patient to contract the virus acquired it while at the hospital. Those cases were part of 18 new cases discovered as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Manitoba. Seven of those cases were in the Prairie Mountain Health region. The province also announced a change in its mask policy for K-12 students busing to school. All students regardless of grade will now be required to wear non-medical masks while on school buses along with employees and any other passengers. Previously it had been announced that only Grade 4 and older students would need to wear masks. The City of Brandon also announced via email on Monday that two of its employees recently tested positive for the virus. One of the employees works for Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and was likely exposed by a family member. This employee has been self-isolating, has not had contact with the general public since Aug. 22 and has not worked since Aug. 19. They were tested on Aug. 25 and are still self-isolating according to public health guidelines. The second employee works for Brandon Transit but was taking scheduled vacation time and has not been at work since Aug. 6. The two infected employees are not believed to have been in contact with one another. These are the second and third cases discovered among city employees after a worker at the Eastview Landfill contracted a case in early August. Extra health measures such as mandatory hand washing or sanitizing and mandatory use of face coverings continue to be in place for municipal facilities. The province is also warning of possible exposure to the virus at two Brandon businesses. Exposure may have occurred at Warlock Tattoo at 2325 Park Ave. on Aug. 19 from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Aug. 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Aug. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Aug. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. and Aug. 28 from 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other possible exposure was at the Brandon East Side Marios restaurant on Aug. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Other possible exposures not mentioned in the provinces COVID-19 news releases but included on its online list were at the Corral Centre Dairy Queen location on Aug. 21 from noon to 5 p.m. and on Aug. 23 from noon to 5 p.m. On its Facebook page, Twin Valley Co-op in Birtle announced Monday morning that its food store was being temporarily closed from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. that day for deep cleaning after the business found out that someone with a confirmed case had visited on Aug. 31 from 3:18 to 3:24 p.m. A complete list of possible exposures to the virus announced by the province can be found at gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html#event. With Dr. Roussin having talked in recent weeks about cases connected to "communal living," the Sun asked Manitoba Health if it could provide a definition of what it considers to be communal living situations. Public perception has largely been that it refers to Hutterite colonies and the question was asked if there were any other living situations that apply. In response, a government spokesperson wrote: "The definition of communal living can vary depending on the setting." Pressed for a more detailed response, the reply was: "This is what I am able to provide. The definition varies depending on the setting." In Manitoba, there are 459 active cases. There are currently 165 active cases in Brandon and 246 active cases in Prairie Mountain Health. Hospitalization numbers were not immediately available due to a technical error. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark Abu Dhabi has completed a $5 billion multi-tranche bond offering, the longest term for a bond issued by a GCC sovereign issuer, which underscores Abu Dhabis robust credit fundamentals and the investors trust in the emirates economic prospects. Underpinned by strong investor appetite, the bonds are priced at historic low yields. The issuance comprises three tranches: a $2 billion 3-year tranche, a $1.5 billion long 10-year tranche, and a $1.5 billion 50-year tranche, reported Emirates News Agency WAM. As the only AA-rated sovereign issuer by all three rating agencies in the GCC region, Abu Dhabis proactive medium-term debt management strategy optimizes the capital structure of the emirate and taps into diverse funding sources, while maintaining the current credit ratings. The bond issuance was 4.8 times oversubscribed (at peak orderbook), with orders coming from over 60 new accounts and an orderbook which peaked at $24 billion. The 50-year bonds were particularly well received by international investors, who accounted for 95% of the final geographical allocation, showcasing trust in Abu Dhabis ability to deliver sustained, long-term economic growth. Commenting on the offering, Jassem Mohammed Buatabh Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, said: "The success of this bond issuance, in the midst of the Covid-19 global crisis, demonstrates the robust credit fundamentals and more broadly the strength of Abu Dhabis economy. The 50-year tranche is a first for not just Abu Dhabi but also for the GCC, and a reflection of formidable investor confidence in our economy, credit strength and long-term outlook." "Abu Dhabi has proven its resilience throughout a global challenging economic period. As the UAE prepares for the next 50 years, through its 2020: Towards the next 50 initiative, we are committed to supporting the wise leaderships national strategy by instilling a culture of fiscal sustainability, he added. The proceeds of the bond issuance will allow Abu Dhabi to focus on sustaining pronounced non-hydrocarbon sector expansion as the emirate continues to diversify its sources of funding and optimize the deployment of government resources to provide continued and sustainable growth. The tranches achieved unprecedented pricing at 0.83% for 3-year bonds, 1.732% for 10-year bonds, and at 2.7% the 50-year notes. Citi, Deutsche Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Standard Chartered were Joint Lead Managers and Joint Bookrunners GE Renewable Energy will supply Cypress wind turbines to two power projects in Vietnam The Cypress onshore wind platform enables significant annual energy production improvements, increased efficiency in serviceability, improved logistics and siting potential, and ultimately more value for customers. The two-piece blade design enables better transportation option improving logistics to drive costs down and offer more siting options in locations that were previously inaccessible. Each wind farm is expected to contribute in excess of 100 million kWh of electricity annually to the national grid after the project is fully operational by the third quarter of 2021. This is the first partnership in Vietnam with PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation, a long-term global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) partner of GE. This partnership signifies the successful collaboration of the two companies in EPC projects bringing innovative and challenging renewable projects to advance wind energy in Vietnam and across the globe. Gilan Sabatier, regional leader for GE Renewable Energys Onshore Wind Business in South Asia and ASEAN, said, "We are extremely delighted to announce these two new deals in Vietnam with PowerChina reiterating their confidence in our capabilities. Growing this partnership reinforces the escalating importance of renewable energy in Vietnam and our commitment to serving the energy needs of the country. Id also like to thank Quoc Vinh Soc Trang Wind Power Co., Ltd. and Vinh Chau Renewable Energy JSC for their trust. These commitments reinforce the leading position of our Cypress turbine platform in delivering best levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for our customers in Vietnam. We are delighted to collaborate with GE in this endeavour as we aim to contribute to the countrys cleaner sources of energy, said PowerChina. We are anxious to start the project and expect to complete it by the end of 2021. Le Anh Tung, chairman of the Board, Quoc Vinh Soc Trang Wind Power Co., Ltd., the owner of Quoc Vinh Soc Trang wind farm said, We have full faith in the two most experienced international EPC companies GE and PowerChina and the worlds leading manufacturer of wind turbines will bring success to our Quoc Vinh Soc Trang Wind Energy project. Hoang Minh Chau, chairman of Vinh Chau Renewable Energy JSC-TDC, the owner of phase one of Lac Hoa wind farm said, We are excited to select PowerChina and GE as an EPC and wind turbine supplier for Lac Hoa wind farm. GE is one of the worlds leading turbine manufacturers and Ive every confidence that the collaboration between GE and PowerChina would bring us a highly efficient and a superior quality wind farm meeting our expectations. GE continues to support Vietnams energy transition by bringing the best technology since the first wind farm in the Mekong Delta, the Bac Lieu project. These two new wind projects further expand GEs leadership role in Vietnam, providing technological support for a variety of power generation projects throughout the country. GE Vietnam has more than 1,600 employees and is the only wind original equipment manufacturer with a manufacturing footprint in the country. (Left to right, top to bottom) Carlos Vasquez, Malcom Baptista, Jose Vargas, Luis Luna, Erving Keith Colon, Richard Chester, Carlos Chicon, and Luis Cabrera 7 Rhode Island Men Arrested for Rape of 16-Year-Old Girl: Police Rhode Island police have arrested seven men and are searching for another in connection to the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl, a video of which was reportedly posted on social media. The girl was allegedly lured to a party in December 2019 and plied with alcohol and drugs before they forced themselves on her, said Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. in a news conference Wednesday. Keith Erving Colon, 24; Jose Vargas, 18; Carlos Chacon, 19; Richard Tarell Chester, 19; Malcolm Baptista, 18; Luis A. Cabrera, 18; and Luis Luna, 19, were arrested, officials said. They were charged with intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy. Police are searching for another suspect, Carlos Vasquez. Weve had some real difficult cases over the years, but this is right up there, Clements said, according to Providence Journal. The incident was horrifying, devastating, disturbing on so many levels to this young girl, to her family and to this community, he said. Shortly after the alleged incident took place, a video was posted on Facebook showing what happened, he said. The video was more than enough to see the crime and identify the culprits, Providence Police Major David Lapatin told the Boston Globe. It is sickening to see it. It was tough on the investigators. They did a really good job. Clements said the suspects could face up to 20 years in prison. He said that the men who were arrested are known to police for their involvement in other criminal activities. We always urge people to come forward, but thats a personal choice, and I commend her, I commend her family, he added. Individuals who do this should be held accountable. For both India and China, the most likely option -- and the most challenging -- appears to be a freezing of the status quo Ajai Shukla reports. IMAGE: An Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter flies over Ladakh. Photograph: PTI Photo Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat became the first senior military commander to state that if dialogue does not persuade Beijing to withdraw its troops from Indian territory in Ladakh, a military option remained on the table. Both the prime minister and the defence minister have indicated this before. Yet, General Rawat's blunt statement constitutes a clear military warning that India was ready for armed conflict if the People's Liberation Army did not withdraw to the positions of April 2020. If the Indian military were left with no choice but to make good General Rawat's threat, it would have three broad options. Either, as the army appears to be preparing for at present, Indian units would occupy blocking positions opposite the Chinese (with an agreed 'buffer zone' separating troops in some areas) and wait out the intruders through a winter deployment. The second option would be to capture un-held, or lightly held, Chinese territory that could be exchanged at the negotiating table for Indian territory occupied by the Chinese. The third, and most provocative, course of action would be to frontally attack PLA positions on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control and physically evict the intruders. The Indian military knows that the inaction of the preceding three months has given the PLA the time needed to build strong defences, bring forward supporting weaponry such as artillery guns and tanks, stockpile ammunition and ready reinforcements and reserves for the eventuality of all-out fighting. In a similar situation in 1999, in Kargil, when Pakistani soldiers occupied Indian territory, India attacked without undue delay. In Ladakh, however, the government's denials of any loss of territory have prevented resolute decision-making. Indian military planners also know that in Kargil, Pakistan had to distance itself from the intruders, who had violated the Simla Agreement and a mutually agreed Line of Control. In Ladakh, however, Beijing is operating in a grey zone and a frontier that has never been delineated. It has claimed full ownership of the territory and would treat Indian attacks as acts of war. It can be expected to react with sharply escalated violence, occupy additional areas on the Indian side and, possibly, induce Pakistan to heat up the LoC and the insurgency in Kashmir. That is reason to rule out the frontal attack option. In case China chooses further aggression, planners are examining the army's deployment deficiencies and how to compensate for them. A key weakness stems from India's deployment philosophy since 1986, which is based on blocking large-scale Chinese invasions into Central and Southern Ladakh by occupying dominating defensive positions on the Ladakh and Kailash ranges. Two brigades occupy strong positions here, while a third defends the Daulat Beg Oldi sector. However, the area ahead of this defensive line, up to the LAC (which varies between 10 and 60 km), is lightly held. This is mostly the responsibility of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which sends out patrols from its forward bases to the LAC to assert Indian ownership. The army has observed that this forward zone is vulnerable to Chinese encroachment. Another three army brigades -- about 15,000 soldiers -- would be needed to add steel to the forward zone. Furthermore, India's deployment needs an offensive component to deter the PLA. While troops from three-four Indian divisions have already beefed up defences in Ladakh, another three armoured brigades are quickly needed to counter the PLA build-up of about 35,000 troops on the LAC and to create a real threat of an Indian offensive into Aksai Chin against the strategic Tibet-Xinjiang G-219 highway -- a major PLA sensitivity. The tactic of forcing a Chinese withdrawal from one LAC sector by creating an intrusion into another was effectively demonstrated in the summer of 2013, when Indian troops forced the pull-back of a Chinese intrusion in Depsang by an Indian counter-intrusion in the Chumar sector. This makes the second option potentially attractive. Central to achieving this are Special Forces, para-commandos and high-altitude scouts -- shock troops that undertake special operations on the Chinese flanks or in their rear, while regular infantry mans the defensive line. India has five battalions of Ladakh Scouts. New Delhi would also weigh the employment of seven battalions of the Special Frontier Force, paratroopers recruited from the Tibetan refugee community in India. Trained and equipped for operations behind Chinese lines, these troops, once inside Tibet, would live off the land, dependent for food and shelter on a restive Tibetan populace that is intensely hostile to the Chinese. Any stirring up of the Kashmir insurgency by China, or by Pakistan at its behest, would see the Special Frontier Force being launched into action immediately. For both India and China, the most likely option -- and the most challenging -- appears to be a freezing of the status quo, with troops from both sides remaining deployed through the winter in a hostile LAC, very different from what is conceived in the Peace and Tranquillity Agreement of 1993 and the Confidence Building Measures of 1996. This would be to China's advantage, since it can commit many more troops and border guards to an active LAC than India can, which already has six-seven divisions manning a hyper-active LoC with Pakistan. Besides that, much of India's theatre and central reserve would be sucked into this deployment, creating the requirement for even more personnel in a military that is already grappling with the need to cut down on manpower costs. An active LAC would also add to the already heavy load on the army's logistics establishment, which is hard pressed every year to complete 'winter stocking', or the air-dropping of food, ammunition and supplies to forward posts before they get cut off by weather and snowfall. The additional troops deployed in Ladakh since May have already increased demands; a full-scale winter deployment would add to that. On the Chinese side, in contrast, the network of roads and tracks creates far less demand for air supply and replenishment. Even so, the Chinese have less experience in manning high-altitude pickets than the Indian Army and would go through a potentially painful learning curve, with costs in men and material. The walls around Graceland, Elvis Presleys estate in Memphis, Tennessee, were covered with anti-racism graffiti on Monday night, local media reported. While driving past the property on Tuesday, September 1, Dannielle Griffin recorded footage of the graffiti, where lines such as Do u see us? and Defund the police can be seen. Griffin wrote on Instagram that she did not think the vandalism was done by anti-racism protesters. AINT NO #blacklivesmatters DID THAT, Griffin wrote. WE DONT NEED THE MADNESS WE GOT ENOUGH PROBLEMS, she added. Calling the vandalism totally uncalled for, Presleys stepbrother Bill Stanley told WMC-TV that this was, one of the saddest days of my life. I mean, besides the day that Elvis passed away, this right here is right up next to it. The graffiti phrases were found Tuesday morning outside Graceland, the Levitt Shell Amphitheater in Overton Park, and the I Heart Memphis mural in midtown Memphis, news outlets reported. Graceland sees more than 500,000 visitors in a typical year and is one of the five most visited house museums in the United States, according to local media. Storyful has asked Memphis police for a comment on the incident. Credit: Dannielle Griffin via Storyful Product and content search must be unified and tailored to the industry/vertical, persona, and use case/application of the individual to be truly effective. Bloomreach, the leader in commerce experience, today announced Content Search, a new add-on for the Search module of the Bloomreach Experience Platform (brX). The new 'Content Search feature applies the intelligent ranking capabilities found in Product Search to brX for a unified search experience and an integrated commerce experience. Bloomreach brings its market-leading expertise in products and commerce to build a holistic customer journey. Content Search provide B2B and B2C manufacturers, distributors, brands and retailers with the ability to deliver an exceptional content and commerce experience and the ability to: Personalize content search to attract, educate and convert online customers Increase online customer engagement by helping online customers to find what they are looking for in a matter of seconds Lead online customers to a SKU number and prevent shoppers from getting lost to competitive products along the way Retain online customers and build brand loyalty as an online destination where visitors can explore and learn Product and content search must be unified and tailored to the industry/vertical, persona, and use case/application of the individual to be truly effective," said Arje Cahn, Chief Product Officer, Bloomreach. And because merchandisers and site optimizers simply cannot scale to tens of thousands of products and millions of queries, content search functionality is crucial to helping users to discover content that is based on their online behavior. Bloomreach applies artificial intelligence (AI) to the search ranking via user behavior data that leverages the Bloomreach Pixel. It complements the Bloomreach Relevance by Segment feature by giving Bloomreach customers a way to personalize site content to attract, educate and convert online customers. Content Search can be purchased as an add-on for both Bloomreach Search & Content. For technical documentation on Content Search, visit here. Bloomreach Content Search and Product Search functionality are both available in 33 languages, including the newly added support for Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages. About Bloomreach Bloomreach is the leader in commerce experience. Its flagship product, brX, is the only digital experience platform built specifically for brands, retailers and B2B companies who want to grow their revenue online while delivering each of their customers a premium, personalized experience. brX combines content management capabilities with market-leading, commerce-specific, AI-driven search, merchandising and personalization in one flexible, API-first next generation platform. Bloomreach serves over 500 global brands including Albertsons, Staples, Bosch, Puma, FC Bayern Munchen and Marks & Spencer. Bloomreach has a global ecosystem of certified partners and market-leading commerce platforms, including Accenture Interactive, BORN, commercetools, EPAM, IBM iX, Salesforce, SAP, valtech, and Wunderman Thompson Commerce. For more information, visit Bloomreach.com, follow us on Twitter @Bloomreach_tm, on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomreach and register today for Bloomreach Connect 2020 Global Online Summit on October 6, 2020. Sebastian Vettel was never a troublemaker at Ferrari, the team's former president Luca di Montezemolo insists. Although he was ousted in 2014, 73-year-old Montezemolo's final major act was to sign Vettel for the following season. Five years on, the quadruple world champion has also been ousted for 2021 - and Montezemolo says the way it happened wasn't fair on the German. "I didn't like the timing and the way we split up with Seb at all," he told RTL. "There are always changes in life, but it's about the way they happen." Montezemolo said any perception that Vettel is to blame for the broken relationship is wrong. "No, absolutely no," he insisted. "Sebastian never caused trouble, he always worked as a team. He won victories that others would not have won in a car that was not always competitive." He suggests that the tension that characterised the end of Vettel's Ferrari tenure is the fault of the Maranello based team. "Sebastian - like Michael Schumacher - has to feel at home. He has to feel - like Michael - an environment that supports him, that defends him and above all that protects him," said the Italian. "That was the case with Michael with Jean Todt and I had that in my early days with Niki Lauda." (GMM) Big Basin Redwoods State Park Headquarters & Visitor Center was one of the structures lost to the blaze. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Visitors will not be permitted in Big Basin Redwoods State Park for at least 12 months, as park officials assess the damage from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. Most redwoods survived the blaze, but the dried out soil poses the danger of flooding as the winter brings more rain. Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the park with other state officials on Tuesday. "If this is not a gut punch, then you're not truly conscious as a human being," he said. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California will be closed to visitors for at least a year after the park incurred major damage from the wildfires that blazed through the state in August, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Tuesday. Last week, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned through the park, destroying hundreds of redwoods in its path and leaving charred rubble covering the forest floor. CZU Lightning Complex fires tore through Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Most of the redwood trees, some of them as old as 2,000 years, survived. Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, an environmental organization focused on protecting redwoods, told the Associated Press that she is hopeful about the recovery of the park. "It will regrow. Every old growth redwood I've ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They've been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this," McLendon told the AP. But the fires left the area full of hazards, Chris Spohrer, a state parks district superintendent, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Another concern for park officials is the soil, dried out from the wildfires. Unable to retain moisture, the soil covering Big Basin poses a much higher risk for floods when rains arrive in winter. "My heart really does break," Spohrer told the San Francisco Chronicle. "The memories here. The generational commitment ... this is a really meaningful place to all of us." Story continues A structure and car near the Big Basin Park is burned down. Randy Vazquez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News/Getty Image The public will not be safe at the state park for at least one year in part because park officials need time to determine which trees must be removed and which can stay, Spohrer said. Earlier this week, Spohrer told the AP that the state's parks department has only inspected buildings in the state park so far. Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the park with other state officials, including FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor, on Tuesday. "If this is not a gut punch, then you're not truly conscious as a human being," Newsom said, according to the Chronicle. Read the original article on Insider President Donald Trump waves from the top of the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Wednesday, Sept. 2. AP-Yonhap By Do Je-hae The U.S. presidential election has emerged as a primary concern for Korean policymakers dealing with foreign affairs and national security. Above all, the increasingly complex bilateral challenges have highlighted the need for Seoul to establish strategies best suited for maximizing the nation's interests and advancing its alliance with the U.S. in the post-election period. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a taskforce team to prepare for the results of the race between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. New First Vice Minister Choe Jong-kun leads the team consisting of officials from relevant departments in the ministry, including the Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and the Bilateral Economic Affairs Bureau, according to the ministry, Thursday. The ministry explained that the team was formed to identify the presidential election pledges and policy positions of the two candidates and analyze their possible impacts on diplomacy, security and economy. As a key presidential aide, Choe was one of the pivotal figures in organizing the summitry between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. He spoke on the phone with U.S. Ambassador Harry Harris and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun this week to discuss key alliance issues. Choe Jong-kun, right, first vice minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, greets U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris during a meeting at the ministry headquarters in central Seoul, Aug. 31. Yonhap A primary reason for Korea's keen interest in the U.S. election has to do with the North Korea issue. The Moon administration wants to advance relations with North Korea, but knows also there are limitations under the U.S. sanctions campaign against Pyongyang and the deadlocked U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks. Experts contacted Thursday by The Korea Times said that both candidates present opportunities and risks for Korea's diplomacy and national security. "If President Trump wins reelection, we can expect continued volatility in the U.S.-South Korea alliance. Trump and his officials will likely continue to have a chaotic, unstrategic approach to many regional problems. This presents both opportunities and risks," said Mason Richey, professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. "In particular Seoul will find it hard to navigate between Washington and Beijing. If Biden wins the presidency, I expect he will attempt very quickly to patch up rough alliance relations, including those with the Moon administration. On the other hand, his North Korea policy will likely revert to something like strategic patience 2.0, which would not provide the Moon administration with much opportunity to advance inter-Korean reconciliation." Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, about school reopenings. AP-Yonhap US Attorney General William Barr claimed in an interview that Jacob Blake was "committing a felony and armed" when Kenosha police officers shot him in the back seven times. Mr Barr made the comment during a CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer. He appeared on the show a day after visiting Kenosha , where protests have raged in the wake of the shooting that left Mr Blake paralysed and recovering in hospital. The attorney general attempted to draw distinctions between the police killings of George Floyd and Mr Blake. "What's different?" Blitzer asked. That's when Mr Barr suggested Mr Blake had a weapon. Recommended Biden says officers in Blake and Taylor cases should be charged "Floyd was already subdued, incapacitated in handcuffs and was not armed," Mr Barr said. "In the Jacob case, he was in the midst of committing a felony and he was armed. So that's a big difference." Though Mr Blake did have a knife in his car, there is no evidence available that supports the claim that he was armed or suggests that his intention was to grab his knife and use it against police officers. During the interview, Blitzer told Mr Barr that, according to Mr Blake's family, the man was unarmed at the time of the shooting. "I stated what I believe to be the difference," Mr Barr said, not acknowledging his inaccurate statement. Attorney Benjamin Crump who is representing both Mr Blake and Mr Floyd's family and the rest of Mr Blake's legal team issued a statement pushing back on Mr Barr's assessment. "Attorney General Barr is misinformed. The police officers were the aggressors from start to finish, based on video and witness accounts," they said. The attorneys said not only did the police use unwarranted force, but they also put the lives of onlookers at risk. "There was never any point in time when there was justification for deadly force. In fact, there were innocent bystanders in the line of fire when he shot seven times into Jacob's back. At all material times, Jacob's back was to the officers and he never posed an imminent threat," they said. "This was never a life or death situation for the officers." Mr Blake's shooting is the latest instance of extreme violence used by police officers against unarmed black people. Despite the numerous incidents in which police kill or harm black people who pose no threat to them, Mr Barr told Mr Blitzer that he does not believe racism is a systemic problem in the US. He did not deny that there was a problem, but did imply that racial bias in policing wasn't widespread enough to warrant action. "There appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African Americans feel that they're treated, when they're stopped by police frequently, as suspects before they're treated as citizens," Mr Barr said. "I don't think that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism in police departments or most officers." He said that racism couldn't be systemic because "there are built-in protections against racists in police departments". Mr Barr's comments come on the same week that a sheriff in Arkansas resigned after being recorded using the n-word nine times in five minutes after a woman he was with talked to a black grocery store clerk, and the same week that nearly two dozen deputies in Compton and East Los Angeles had to be fired or suspended for alleged involvement in deputy gangs accused of terrorising other deputies and city residents. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 11:23:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close THE HAGUE, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- International Criminal Court (ICC) condemns the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on the court's prosecutor and a member of her Office, ICC said on Wednesday in a press release. "These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the Court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," said the ICC. The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and a senior staff member in her office for continuing to investigate war crimes allegations against Americans. The sanctions include a freeze on assets held in the United States or subject to U.S. law, according to foreign media. O-Gon Kwon, president of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, also condemned the sanctions, saying that he strongly rejects "such unprecedented and unacceptable measures against a treaty-based international organization." "They only serve to weaken our common endeavor to fight impunity for mass atrocities," he added. Enditem Intelligence Shows China, Not Russia, Is Top US Election Security Threat: Barr The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), not Russia, poses the biggest threat to U.S. election security leading up to voting in November, Attorney General William Barr said. In a Sept. 2 interview on CNN, Barr was asked about election security and who is the most assertive or aggressive nation. I believe its China, Barr said. China more than Russia right now. Asked about why he made that assessment, Barr said he has seen the intelligence suggesting the CCP is a greater threat than Moscow. Thats what I concluded, he said, adding that he couldnt elaborate more on what is classified information. But he stressed that he wouldnt be surprised if Russia or another foreign state actor tries to meddle in the election just as Russia and other adversaries did during the 2016 election. Influence, basically, is two kinds of things. Its hack and dump. You get into someones mail system and then try to disclose embarrassing documents. It wouldnt surprise me if they try something like that, or any other country tries that. The other way is social media and putting things out on social media, Barr said. In July, William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), which is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, found that China, Russia, and Iran are seeking to undermine the 2020 U.S. elections. A security officer wearing a face mask stand guard in front of the entrance to the Forbidden City, while the closing of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference takes place in Beijing on May 27, 2020. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Evanina said the Chinese regime is on the top of its list, saying Beijing has escalated its influence efforts to shape U.S. policy, pressure politicians, and tamp down criticism of the CCP. In response, the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Beijing, including closing the Chinese consulate in Houston as well as efforts on trade, among other measures. Meanwhile, Evanina said last month that the Chinese regime would prefer that Democratic nominee Joe Biden win the 2020 election instead of President Donald Trump. For example, it has harshly criticized the administrations statements and actions on Hong Kong, TikTok, the legal status of the South China Sea, and Chinas efforts to dominate the 5G market. Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race, he said. Mirroring Barrs comments, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the single greatest to the United States of America from a foreign power emanates from the Chinese Communist Party. Its not, frankly, a close call. The Chinese Communist Party is building out its military, it has infiltrated the United States in ways that Russia has not, and its economic might has been used through state-owned enterprises and subsidizing companies to destroy tens of thousands of jobs all across the heartland of America, he said in an interview with Fox News. Its unacceptable behavior. Boris Johnson today ordered Government departments to get their civil servants back into the office 'as soon as possible' as he demanded they set an example to the country after lifting working from home restrictions. Mandarins appear to still be avoiding going into work - with roads in Westminster looking quiet and congestion data for London today only marginally up on yesterday. Union bosses have slammed the Prime Minister's 'insulting' language after he told people to get 'back to work' - and it seems city centres are unlikely to get back to normal for some time with some companies expected to wait months before bringing staff back in. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said today that government staff have been ordered to return to offices 'as soon as possible', telling the Evening Standard: 'Secretaries of State have been asked to ensure all Government offices are open so staff can return to normal working patterns as soon as possible. That is also being communicated to permanent secretaries. Obviously, all employers should continue to follow the guidance to ensure a safe return for all workers.' Minutes after the PM's announcement yesterday, the Cabinet Office emailed staff to say they were expected to start coming back in, and other departments are expected to do so today, according to The Times. But Government sources also pointed out that there were no proposals for targets on getting staff back in or how many days a week they would expected to do so. It comes as business leaders urged the Government to encourage Britons to start commuting again by introducing a limited period of train fare discounts and launch a marketing campaign to remind people of the benefits of working in cities including London. The wife of a police officer who nearly died after investigating the Salisbury poisonings said 'actions speak louder than words' in response to a tweet by the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson joined world leaders in demanding answers from Russia amid claims Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned using Novichok - which was also used in the 2018 attack in Wiltshire that left one woman dead. Today Downing street warned there will be 'severe consequences' for the people behind the alleged Novichok poisoning. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson described the use of the deadly nerve agent as 'outrageous', adding: 'We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK. 'The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny - we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done.' The tweet was shared by Sarah Bailey, the wife of Wiltshire Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey who almost died after he was exposed to the substance while responding to the 2018 attack. Boris Johnson joined world leaders in demanding answers from Russia amid claims Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned using Novichok Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is pictured at a rally in Moscow, February 29 Mr Johnson described the use of the deadly nerve agent as 'outrageous', adding: 'We have seen first-hand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK' Sharing the tweet on Wednesday evening, she wrote: 'Justice would be nice. Actions speak louder than words.' Her husband also shared the Prime Minister's tweet, with a short message which read: 'I have so much that I want to say about this tweet. But I can't, and I won't.' He has spoken previously of 'still trying to pick up the pieces' of his life after becoming seriously ill from the poisoning, and losing his family home and possessions due to contamination fears. Det Sgt Bailey was the first person to enter the home of Sergei Skripal after the Russian former double agent and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned on a park bench in Salisbury. The tweet was shared by Sarah Bailey, the wife of Wiltshire Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey (both pictured) who almost died after he was exposed to the substance while responding to the 2018 attack Sharing the tweet on Wednesday evening, she wrote: 'Justice would be nice. Actions speak louder than words' He recovered after a two-week stay in intensive care, during which his wife and two daughters feared he would die. He made a third attempt to return to work in June this year, describing how he 'couldn't deal with being in a police environment' after efforts to return in September 2018 and in January 2019. The Skripals also recovered, but local woman Dawn Sturgess, 44, died months after the incident, having picked up the discarded perfume bottle used by Russian agents to hold the Novichok in nearby town Amesbury. Alexei Navalny's poisoners could have applied Novichok to his UNDERWEAR rather than slipping it into his tea, says man who invented the nerve agent Alexei Navalny could have had poison sprinkled in his underwear, according to the man who invented Novichok. Friends of the Putin critic have suggested his tea was spiked in an airport cafe, but former Soviet scientist Vladimir Uglev said assassins could have sprinkled a deadly toxin on his socks or underwear. Uglev, 73, said Russian secret service operatives could have broken into Navalny's hotel in Tomsk to leave a minuscule drop of poison in his luggage. He warned that 'if this was indeed novichok, then Alexei [will] have some very serious complications'. 'Most likely the central and the peripheral nervous systems will be severely damaged,' Uglev said. The scientist said Navalny may have been poisoned with a solid form of novichok known as A-242. 'If they used a liquid form, then inevitably somebody would have been hurt, people around him would have got inhalation injuries,' he said. 'This substance A-242 is safe by itself, but it acts as part of a solution applied to skin. 'It would be completely safe for other people and extremely dangerous to those who it was used against.' Another scientist involved in novichok's development, Vil Mirzayanov, said it was plausible that Navalny's tea was spiked as his friends suggest. 'This is a solid substance which can be turned into powder,' he said. 'It could have been placed into a tea bag. 'It got into the victim's digestive tract which is why Navalny could not pose any danger to people around him.' Advertisement The Soviet-era chemical weapon made headlines again this week after it was revealed Mr Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20. He was transferred to Berlin for treatment, with the German government saying testing at one of their military laboratories showed 'proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group'. The 44-year-old remains on a ventilator in intensive care. Britain has now said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' while NATO demanded a 'full and transparent' investigation after a German military lab found that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok. Angela Merkel is now facing pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin, with questions growing about the future of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. One German lawmaker said 'toughness is the only language Putin understands' - suggesting that the Kremlin had targeted Navalny as a show of force to intimidate protesters in Belarus. Navalny remains in a coma at a Berlin hospital after he collapsed on a flight in Siberia two weeks ago, becoming the latest in a long line of Russian dissidents to be poisoned in mysterious circumstances. Russia denies involvement and accused German politicians of 'taking the job away from medics' with 'absolute unscrupulousness' last night. Merkel said last night that the findings at the German military lab had raised 'some very serious questions that only Russia can and must answer'. 'It is certain that Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime,' she added. 'He was meant to be silenced and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms.' UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' and 'must tell the truth about what happened', while prime minister Boris Johnson called the attack 'outrageous'. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's official spokesman today said Mr Raab would meet German foreign minister Heiko Maas as the UK works with international allies to form a response. 'We are committed to working with Germany, allies and international partners to demonstrate that there are severe consequences to the use of banned chemical weapons,' the spokesman said. Pressed on whether sanctions could be imposed on Russia or diplomats expelled, the spokesman did not explicitly blame Moscow and said he would not 'pre-empt what might happen next'. The spokesperson said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons would play a key role in investigating what he described as an 'attempted murder' and said the UK had offered support to the German investigation. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned a 'despicable and cowardly act', while French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the attack as 'shocking and irresponsible.' 'The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents,' said US National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - pictured, centre, shortly before he fell ill on August 20 - is in a coma at a German hospital after being poisoned with Novichok German chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) is under pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin after a military lab found evidence that Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Navalny being taken to an ambulance in Omsk (left) after falling ill on a plane following a trip to an airport cafe (right) where his friends suspect he could have been poisoned NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg condemned the 'shocking' use of a military-grade nerve agent which, he said, made 'a full and transparent' investigation by Russia even more urgent. Italy's foreign ministry and Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also condemned Navalny's poisoning. The Western outrage has raised the prospect of new sanctions against Russia and thrown the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into fresh doubt. Construction of the 750-mile pipeline under the Baltic Sea is nearly finished but it needs to complete a final 75-mile stretch in Danish waters. Germany's best-selling newspaper, Bild, wrote in an editorial today that 'if the German government does not cancel the construction of Nord Stream 2, we will soon be financing Putin's Novichok attacks'. Navalny is in a medically induced coma at the Charite hospital in Berlin (pictured on Wednesday) A plane carrying Navalny arrives at Berlin's Tegel Airport on August 22 after the Russian opposition leader was airlifted to Germany for specialist treatment Navalny's allies have pointed the finger at Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) after the opposition leader fell ill, but the Kremlin has dismissed the claims The two men accused of trying to assassinate Sergei Skripal with the same nerve agent were filmed on CCTV walking through Salisbury in March 2018 German lawmaker Norbert Roettgen, a member of Merkel's CDU party, called for a 'European response' said continuing with the gas pipeline would be 'maximum confirmation for Putin that his policies are right'. Going further than Merkel, Roettgen said he did not believe that Novichok could have been administered without the Kremlin's knowledge. 'We need a clear and European response. It needs toughness against Russia, because that's the only language Putin understands,' he told ZDF television. He also suggested that Navalny's poisoning had been meant to intimidate protesters in Belarus who are demanding the resignation of the Putin-backed dictator. 'This is the simultaneous intimidation of [Russia's] own population and also that in Belarus,' he said. The Kremlin has hinted at using military force to shore up Alexander Lukashenko's regime in Belarus, which has faced mass protests since a disputed election last month. Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former German ambassador to Washington, said gestures such as the expulsion of diplomats may not be enough. 'If we want to send a clear message to Moscow with our partners, then economic relations must be on the agenda and that means the NordStream 2 project must not be left out,' said Ischinger. Germany's Green party, which is currently second to Merkel's party in the polls, is also calling for the pipeline to be scrapped. A version of this story appears at The Tyee, an independent Canadian news site. WHEN OIL GIANT Total SA announced a write-down of $7 billion in Canadian oil sands assets this summer, the French company said long-term development of those projects wouldnt be in line with its climate commitments. That rationale was reflected in press coverage of the companys move. However, when Canadas national newspaper the Globe and Mail interviewed the head of the countrys largest heavy crude oil producer following Totals announcement, the resulting article quoted Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. president Tim McKay as blaming oil sands divestments on the stigma attached to such projects. Left unmentioned in the Globe piece was the fact Total seemed less concerned with the climate stigma and more concerned that demand for its Canadian reserves would likely shrivel up. That worry is well founded, with the International Energy Agency forecasting that efforts to address a warming planet would sharply cut the worlds demand for crude from almost ninety-seven million barrels per day in 2018 to just over fifty million barrels per day in thirty years time. But the Canadian press barely seems to mention this industry contraction when reporting on some of its most powerful players. When I examined how many of the countrys English-language newspapers covered Canadas so-called Big Five oil companies during a two-month period earlier this year, I found 295 pieces referencing Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor Energy Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., or Husky Energy Inc. After eliminating stories that named the Big Five but werent directly about the fossil fuel businesssuch as unrelated stock market updates or a report about traffic lights being installed near one of their propertiesI counted 173 pieces, just 15 of which explicitly mentioned there could be less future oil demand. One even quoted Suncors president and chief executive officer, Mark Little, saying, We dont think thats a solution, in reaction to demands to cut carbon emissions by curtailing production. That statement was newsworthy enough to top a story in the National Post, a competitor to the Globe. Three days later, Little said during a fourth-quarter earnings call, I think people are concerned about lots of companies talking about growing oil production forever. We know that cant happen. However, his quote appears to have gone unreported by the news media. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Thats one of many shortfalls I found in how Canadian newspapers have covered some of the worlds most climate-wrecking companies. At a time when financiers are figuring out that doing business with oil companies might be bad business, that realization doesnt yet appear to have reached the journalists covering the Big Five. The result is a journalistic failure that contributes to the climate crisis, rather than soberly assessing it. CNN PUBLIC EDITOR: The only question in news is Will it rate? The Big Five are so named because, according to the Canadian government, they are responsible for over half of the crude oil production in the country, which is the worlds fourth-largest exporter of that commodity. Three of the Big FiveCanadian Natural Resources, Husky, and Suncorare also among the hundred companies linked to 71 percent of industrial greenhouse gas emissions released between 1988 and 2015. I examined how Canadas mainstream media covered the Big Five from January 9 to March 11a period that ended with the novel coronavirus being declared a pandemic. During that two-month period, Cenovus announced its ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the worlds largest investment manager warned the climate crisis would cause a significant reallocation of capital, CNBCs Jim Cramer compared fossil fuel stocks to tobacco companies, and the Financial Times estimated aggressive action to restrict global heating would result in $900 billion in stranded fossil fuel assets. During the same period, Jason Kenney, the conservative premier of Alberta, where most of Canadas oil sands are located, also acknowledged there would be a gradual shift away from fossil fuelssomething one prominent local columnist described as a crucial change of tone for Kenneys government, which is cultishly committed to the oil and gas industry. Combined with a controversial and now shelved proposal to build a huge new oil sands mine in Alberta, Canadian newspapers had at least six major opportunities to cover the intersection between the climate crisis and the Big Five during this period. But what I found instead were missed opportunities. The 173 pieces I analyzed included briefs, news reports, columns, editorials, op-eds, and advertorials; they reported directly on Big Five companies, recommended investing in them, or else referenced them as part of covering the oil and gas sector. Most were written by journalists at the Globe and Mail (31 percent), the Canadian Press wire service (20 percent), the National Post (11 percent), and the Calgary Herald (8 percent). Forty-four percent of those articles journalistic bylines came from Calgary, the Albertan city where the Big Five are headquartered, while 35 percent came from Toronto. So, despite the importance of the Big Five and other parts of the fossil industry, newspapers in other parts of the country didnt pay them much attention. In part, thats likely because decades of cutbacks, layoffs, and mismanagement have emptied local newsrooms in Canada, just as they have in the US and the rest of the world, gutting the breadth and depth of their reporting. But its also because business beat reporters and columnists were among the few newspaper journalists who seemed interested in covering, commenting on, or even just mentioning the Big Five. They accounted for 77 percent of the journalistic bylines above the 173 articles examined, even though the impact of the Big Five reaches far beyond their oil fields and into many other beats. That said, climate change was a routine part of coverage: 34 percent of the articles mentioned terms associated with that phenomenon. But just nine articles featured an interview with an environmentalist. And only seven included information about the environmental impact of the climate crisis, which was usually limited to how much the worlds temperature could increase. At the same time, Postmedia, the countrys largest newspaper chain, continues to publish commentary boosting fossil fuels and blasting climate action. Lots more oil still to come, read the headline over one such column in the articles I analyzed. Another favorably quoted Kenney urging Canadians to take concrete emission reduction measures instead of shutting down modernity. And an op-ed by a senior fellow from the free-market Fraser Institute stated that many people, including experts, sincerely disagree that human-caused climate change is analogous to a ship heading for an iceberg. At least some Postmedia journalists must know how wrongheaded those statements are. After all, when Total announced its oil sands write-down, the National Post published a video that wondered, Is the end-game near for oil? In answering that question, the video stated stringent climate change policies will dampen long-term oil demand. Similarly, the Globe published an article on the same day that mentioned forecasts that the world may have already hit peak oil demand. Nevertheless, this wider environmental and economic context too often seems lost when Canadian newspapers narrow their coverage to individual oil companies, specifically the Big Five. I found little evidence of journalists pressing the Big Fives presidents and chief executive officers about their own dim future and their responsibility for forcing such a future on everyone else. Canadian newspapers, and the news media as a whole, must do better. Journalists across Canada, regardless of their beats and irrespective of the size of their outlets, should be asking more and harder questions about what those companies are doing to avert climate disaster. The consequence of not doing so is that the Big Fives chairs, board members, and executives continue being even more insulated from the growing global pressure against the oil and gas industry than they already are in Alberta, the heart of climate denialism in Canada. Journalists are often said to be responsible for the first draft of history. Canadian newspapers need to get on the right side of it. COVERING CLIMATE NOW: The sitting president has no climate plan. Why isnt that headline news? Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Sean Holman covered BC politics for 10 years and is now a journalism professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Zoe Lee Buhler was taken away from her house in handcuffs Australian police have been criticised after they arrested and charged a pregnant woman in her home over a social media post. Zoe Lee Buhler, 28, was arrested in her Ballarat home after she created a freedom day event on Facebook encouraging people to protest against lockdowns in the town in Victoria state on Saturday. Her husband streamed the arrest live on Facebook, and the footage has now been watched more than 1.2 million times. "My two kids are here - I have an ultrasound in an hour," she says. "This is ridiculous... I didn't realise I was doing anything wrong." She was charged for incitement, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $99,132 (55,000). Victorian Bar president, Wendy Harris QC, said the enforcement action of the police appeared disproportionate to the threat she presented. Ms Buhler told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she did not know she had broken any law and would have taken the post down if police had contacted her about it. I didnt realise that I wasnt allowed to The police could have given me a phone call and say, look, you need to take down your event or you could be charged with a crime and I would have done that. It could have been as simple as that, she said. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius told a media conference he had been briefed on the arrest on Thursday morning and was absolutely satisfied the officers acted appropriately. He admitted the arrest was a terrible look, and that police had stuffed the optics, but that Ms Buhler had been charged with a serious offence. Were absolutely satisfied the members behaved appropriately and in accordance with our policy, he said. Ms Buhlers brother Jordon Buhler established a crowdfunding page to help pay her fine and legal fees. Tom Reel /Staff file photo Since Aug. 27, H-E-B has reported four new coronavirus cases in San Antonio employees, according to the grocery store chain's website. In August, the grocer said 30 area employees tested positive for COVID-19, which is a dramatic decrease from the 108 employees who tested positive for in July. More than 120 employees contracted the virus in June, according to H-E-B. NEW DELHI : TVS Motor Company has invested an additional 30 crore in electric vehicle start-up Ultraviolette Automotive Pvt Ltd. The Chennai-based firm's fresh investment is part of Ultraviolette Automotive's latest round (Series B) of funding, TVS Motor Co said in a regulatory filing. In 2018, TVS had invested 6 crore in Ultraviolette Automotive. Commenting on the additional investment, TVS Motor Co Vice President (Future Mobility & Dealer Transformation) Manu Saxena said: "Ultraviolette Automotive (UV) continues to demonstrate excellent engineering and technological capabilities and innovativeness in developing high-performance electric motorcycles." He further said: "TVS Motor is excited to see the progress and developments made by the UV team and we are confident that these actions will go a long way towards establishing a greener future for India." Ultraviolette Automotive Founder and CEO Narayan Subramaniam said: "TVS Motor Company has always shared our passion for building globally competitive and futuristic mobility solutions, and we are excited about our continued partnership with them." Three years back Ultraviolette Automotive announced plans for developing a high-performance electric motorcycle the F77. Last year in November, it unveiled the pre-production version of the electric bike. "We unveiled the motorcycle less than a year ago, and since then, we have achieved significant strides in making the F77 production-ready," Subramaniam said. The Ultraviolette F77 will first be rolled out next year with expanding national availability planned in phases, the company said. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:09:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Ministry of National Food Security and Research said Thursday that anti-locust spraying operations have been carried out on around 1.1 million hectares of land across the country over the last six months to eradicate the pests and save agriculture land from their harmful impacts. The National Locust Control Center of Pakistan surveyed around 185,839 hectares of land during the past 24 hours, said a statement released by the ministry, adding that during the survey, no locust was found in eastern Punjab and northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. However, one district each of the country's southern Sindh and southwest Balochistan provinces witnessed the presence of locusts, said the statement. According to the ministry, local locust control teams have sprayed 40 hectares of land in Tharparkar district of Sindh province and 280 hectares of land in Lasbela district of Balochistan province. Earlier in August, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations lauded Pakistan's all-out efforts to control the migration of desert locusts to summer breeding areas of the country. The organization said in its report that an increase in the number of locusts in Pakistan was feared during August with more hatching and band formation which may lead to a second generation of egg-laying from early September onwards, but the timely action taken by the Pakistani government has helped in controlling the further migration of the pests to other areas. Enditem MIKE SEGAR/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesBy CONOR FINNEGAN, ABC News (WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended his decision to address the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem while on official travel, saying that the department's lawyers cleared his appearance. Watchdog groups have said the top U.S. diplomat may have broken the law with his unprecedented speech, which House Democrats announced last week they are investigating. "All I can say in my role as Secretary of State -- I did this in my personal capacity -- all I can say in my role as Secretary of State is the State Department reviewed this, it was lawful, and I personally felt it was important that the world hear the message of what this administration has accomplished," he told reporters during a press conference Wednesday. But whether an official of his stature even has a "personal" capacity is questionable -- with Richard Haass, a senior adviser to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, saying there's no such thing, particularly given that Pompeo's speech discussed U.S. foreign policy. Pompeo has "absolutely put himself at risk for civil or criminal violations of the Hatch Act, and we need to know a little bit more about just how much he was screened into his 'personal capacity' for his speech," Austin Evers, executive director of the left-leaning watchdog group American Oversight, told ABC News last week. The Hatch Act forbids federal employees from engaging in political activities unless they're off duty, outside a federal facility and not using federal property. An RNC official told ABC News that the party paid for the speech and "all costs associated," while a State Department spokesperson said no department resources or staff were involved in the speech. But some staff, like Diplomatic Security agents, are with the secretary at virtually all times. Even the use of department lawyers to clear his appearance could become an issue. The oversight subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced last Tuesday that it is investigating those issues and more. Its chair, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, sent a letter to Pompeo's deputy Stephen Biegun, requesting the legal authorization provided by the department, among other documents, and a briefing for lawmakers. That's not likely to happen, with House Democrats and Pompeo at war over other investigations into his actions, including him getting the department's inspector general fired. In addition to laws, the speech violated Pompeo's own, more stringent policy for department employees. In a December 2019 memo, his legal adviser told all political appointees that they were prohibited from "engag(ing) in political activity in concert with a partisan candidate, political party, or partisan political group," and specifically said that "Senate-confirmed presidential appointees," like Pompeo, "may not even attend a political party convention or convention-related event." Pompeo himself reiterated that policy just last month in a cable to all U.S. missions overseas. Pointing specifically to that December memo, he said, "It is important that the department's employees do not improperly engage the Department of State in the political process, and that they adhere to the Hatch Act and Department policies in their own political activities." Asked what message it sent to his employees that he didn't abide by those rules, Pompeo didn't answer, saying only that department lawyers signed off on it. "He absolutely violated the very rules he put his signature to. If hypocrisy were a crime in Washington, DC, we'd absolutely be chanting 'Lock him up!'" said Evers, whose group is filing a Freedom of Information Act request for department records related to Pompeo's speech. ABC News' Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. In line with the Trump administrations escalating anti-China offensive, the Liberal-National government this week announced a federal parliamentary inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Australian universities. Immediately backed by the Labor Party opposition, the inquiry is another direct threat to free speech and also international academic collaboration, which is one of the life-bloods of global research and the development of human knowledge. It signals a further intensification of the anti-China witch-hunt that has been underway for several years, spearheaded by the US-integrated intelligence apparatus and the corporate media. The move came just days after Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government announcedalso with Labors bipartisan supportan unprecedented Foreign Relations Bill, essentially designed to tear up or prohibit all agreements with Chinese entities by universities, as well as state, territory and municipal governments. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton last Sunday outlined the terms of reference for McCarthyite-style parliamentary hearings into foreign interference in the university sector in a letter to the chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Liberal Party MP Andrew Hastie. Dutton commissioned the committee to examine the nature and extent to which foreign actors are interfering in Australian universities, including staff and student bodies, publicly funded research agencies and competitive research grant agencies. Alongside foreign actors, the inquirys targets include university managements and workers. Dutton said the inquiry will examine whether the current oversight and reporting requirements in response to these issues are appropriate. Hastie, a US-connected former military commander, earlier wrote to Morrison publicly requesting such an inquiry. The deputy chair of the committee, Labors Anthony Byrne, supported Hasties call. Byrne told the Murdoch medias Australian: It would appear that Australian universities have turned a blind eye to their own academics selling their knowledge to a foreign power through a program that the FBI have identified as a national and economic espionage threat. According to the Australian, which has played a key role in fomenting the anti-China hysteria, the inquiry, will examine how other countries such as the US are dealing with the threat of foreign interference. And it is expected to hear testimony from senior figures in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and security analysts. Last week, an investigation by the Australian set out to blacken the names of 30 Australian academics who had supposedly participated in a Chinese government Thousand Talents plan to share research activities with Chinese universities. The real source of this investigation was indicated when the newspaper reported: In the US, the FBI has launched more than 1,000 investigations into the actual or attempted theft of American technology by foreign powers. Among the recent cases was said to be a scientist with access to NASAs secrets who was a participant in Chinas Talent programs. The inquiry comes on top of a web of investigations, guidelines and legislation in which university managements are already working hand-in-glove with the spy agencies and federal police, monitoring academics. The Australian said the Morrison government has already launched an investigation into some cases exposed by the newspaper, with Education Minister Dan Tehan saying the matters were now operational. It added: ASIO has repeatedly briefed universities about the potential risk of programs like the Thousand Talents plan this year. While expressing concern, university employers pledged to cooperate with the inquiry. Vicki Thomson, the chief executive of the Group of Eight wealthiest public universities, said her universities looked forward to appearing before the inquiry to defend their research partnerships. Since last August, the university managements have been members of the governments University Foreign Interference Taskforce, which is working to identify and analyse emerging threats and ensure research integrity and cyber security. The taskforce steering group is led by National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator Chris Teal, along with a senior ASIO officer, backed by representatives from the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Signals Directorate (the electronic surveillance agency), the Office of National Intelligence, the Australian Geospatial Intelligence Organisation (the satellite spy agency) and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, which monitors financial transactions. The deputy chair is RMIT University Vice-Chancellor Martin Bean, and the members include his counterparts from La Trobe, Newcastle and Queensland universities, plus Thomson and Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson. This taskforce produced 47-page foreign interference guidelines for universities last November. The guidelines require universities to pursue due diligence activities and ensure engagement with relevant Commonwealth agencies on legislative compliance and foreign interference. Among the questions posed to universities by the guidelines are: Does the activity or partnership proposed need to be registered under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme? and Do contracts provide for the primacy of Australian laws? These guidelines raise the spectre of prosecutions. Some activities are covered by specific legislation, regulation and codes of conduct such as the DTCA [the Defence Trade Controls Act] and Autonomous Sanctions legislation and the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 [FITS Act], the guidelines state. The DTCA, legislated by the last Greens-backed Labor government in 2012, specifically outlaws any publication or sharing of research findings that could affect the US military alliance. People face up to 10 years imprisonment for publishing or otherwise disseminating research that relates to items covered by the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty (DTCT) between Australia and the US. The FITS Act is part of the foreign interference legislation introduced in 2018, also with Labors support, particularly to target any political activity regarded as pro-Chinese. Under the deliberately vague wording of the FITS Act, anyone who supposedly cooperates with a foreign group, including international organisations, must register with the government. For failing to register, a person can be charged with an offence under the parallel Espionage and Foreign Interference Act, punishable by up to 20 years jail, for covertly collaborating with an overseas organisation or individual. Behind the sensationalised claims of Chinese interference, Australian universities are centrally involved in Washington and Canberras military and ideological preparations for war against China. In 2007, the United States Studies Centre was established at the University of Sydney with US and Australian government funding. Its explicit purpose is to overcome the widespread post-Iraq War opposition to Australian involvement in US-led invasions and military preparations. Many other universities host think tanks and dialogues which work closely with representatives of Australian and US military and intelligence forces. In 2016, for example, Lockheed Martin, the biggest US arms contractor, with close ties to the US government, established a new Australian government-sponsored research centre at the University of Melbourne to develop advanced military technologies. By 2018, 32 universities were partners in the Defence Science Partnerships program, launched by the Department of Defence in 2014 to promote and fund university military research projects. The latest inquiry marks another step to integrating the universities into the war drive and silencing opposition to Australias increasing involvement in the US confrontation with China. As a result of the bipartisan Liberal-National and Labor commitment to Washingtons anti-China offensive, Australias people have been placed in the frontlines of the conflict with Beijing. But concerns remain in Washington about deep anti-war sentiment, and the dependence of sections of Australias wealthy elite on exports to China. That is why the witch-hunt is being ratcheted up. As in the US too, the nationalist agitation against Chinese and other foreigners is an attempt to divert the rising unrest being generated by the disastrous, corporate profit-driven response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the soaring levels of unemployment and social inequality. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Two large-scale genetic studies have identified the bulk of genetic variation that influences medically-important characteristics of our blood cells. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues from 101 research institutions world-wide, have studied hundreds of thousands of participants and identified over 7,000 regions of the human genome that control blood cell characteristics, such as the numbers of red and white cells. The studies, published today in Cell, also show for the first time how a person's genetic make-up contributes to them developing blood diseases. This knowledge brings us one step closer to using genetic scoring in the clinic to predict personal risk of developing blood disorders. Blood cells play an essential role in human health, including in our immune response, transporting oxygen around our body and clotting to prevent blood loss from injuries. Blood disorders such as anaemia, haemophilia and blood cancers are a significant global health burden. Many of these disorders can be viewed as extremes of normal biological states, such as in anaemia, where having too few red blood cells results in inadequate oxygen supply to the body. These extremes can occur as a result of small variations in our DNA, some of which increase our risk of developing a disease. By comparing the DNA sequences of large numbers of individuals, it is possible to investigate how genetic variations translate into physical characteristics or 'traits', including the chance of developing common diseases such as asthma, heart disease and haemophilia. In these studies, anonymised genomic and healthcare data from the UK Biobank and other studies from the Blood Cell Consortium (BCX) were analysed, which included study participants of European, East Asian and African American ancestry. The authors discovered 7,193 distinct genetic regions associated with 29 blood cell measurements, which represents the largest set of correlated genetic regions identified to date. The researchers also assessed the potential for predicting blood cell traits based on polygenic scores, which are used to predict one person's risk of disease compared to another's based on the combined differences in their DNA. They found that polygenic scores could predict predisposition to complex diseases, including blood disorders. Dr. Dragana Vuckovic, a first author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the NIHR Blood and Transfusion Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics at the University of Cambridge, said: "In this study, we have been able to show how a person's genetic predisposition to certain blood-related measurements, as indicated by their polygenic score, can predispose them to blood disease. If a person is more genetically predisposed to low haemoglobin, for example, then they are more likely to develop anaemia." As well as variations in DNA, environmental and other factors are involved in complex diseases such as asthma or haemophilia. Analyses conducted in this study improved the performance of polygenic scores, increasing their potential as a powerful tool to help predict personal risk. Parsa Akbari, a first author of the study from the University of Cambridge, said: "The construction of polygenic scores requires the analysis of large amounts of data. Our study shows that the performance of polygenic scores for predicting blood cell traits is improved by careful selection of a smaller set of genetic associations determined by deeper statistical analyses of the available data. This finding disrupts a common assumption that including a greater number of genetic associations will result in a better predictive polygenic score." Professor Nicole Soranzo, lead author of the study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge, said: "This study indicates that polygenic scores could be used routinely in personalised medicine in future, following further research. The DNA of every human being contains millions of variations that make us unique and which influence what is 'normal' for each of us. Genetics now helps us to benchmark what is 'normal' from birth, and allows us for the first time to monitor for deviations from this baseline that might indicate an increased risk of disease during our lifetime." Explore further Gene variations at birth reveal origins of inflammation and immune disease Doosan Infracore has defeated its foreign rivals to win an order from a Saudi Arabian builder for 10 of its 50-ton excavators. / Courtesy of Doosan Infracore By Park Jae-hyuk Korea Development Bank (KDB) and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) have decided to extend the due date of the 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) loan they offered to Doosan on condition it fulfills its self-rescue plan, according to sources familiar with the issue, Thursday. Allowing the conglomerate more time, the creditors are expected to urge the company to accelerate its efforts to sell Doosan Infracore, which is yet to attract any potential buyers. According to the state-run banks, the loan they gave to Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction was supposed to mature at the end of September. But the rollover has become more feasible since the creditors have acknowledged Doosan's attempts to sell its assets and carry out restructuring to improve its financial structure, according to an Eximbank official. A KDB spokesman also said the bank's decision-makers have a positive view on the rollover. Doosan has completed selling its country club in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, and investment company Neoplux. It is in talks with potential buyers for Doosan Tower, Doosan Solus, Doosan Corporation Mottrol and Doosan Engineering & Construction. During the second quarter, Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won and Doosan Infracore Chairman Park Yong-maan gave up 62.4 percent and 74.6 percent of their first-quarter salaries, respectively. The government-controlled creditors have also praised Doosan Heavy's efforts to switch to eco-friendly renewable energy businesses from coal and nuclear power generation, as the transition has coincided with the Moon Jae-in administration's Green New Deal initiative. The only problem remaining for Doosan is the sale of Doosan Infracore, whose market cap is around 1 trillion won. The conglomerate needs to sell the nation's leading construction equipment manufacturer to succeed in raising 3 trillion won. Although it hired Credit Suisse as the lead underwriter for the deal in July and sent investment teaser letters to potential buyers, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha both of which were mentioned as the strongest candidates for the takeover they have denied rumors about their acquisition. This has been attributed to a possible spinoff of the lucrative Doosan Bobcat from Doosan Infracore. Doosan Bobcat's earnings account for nearly half of Doosan Infracore's total earnings. Doosan has therefore sought to split Doosan Infracore into a manufacturer and an investment company holding a stake in Doosan Bobcat, so as to sell the manufacturer only. Some analysts, however, remain skeptical about the plan. "Except for Doosan Heavy, all of Doosan's affiliates can be put on the market," HI Investment & Securities analyst Choi Kwang-shik said. "There could be a priority in the sale of Doosan's affiliates, but it is still possible that Doosan sells both Doosan Infracore and Doosan Bobcat." In an apparent attempt to attract potential buyers amid the ongoing concerns, Doosan Infracore said Thursday it had defeated its foreign rivals in a recent bid to win an order from a Saudi Arabian builder for 10 of its 50-ton excavators. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The main papers for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains that decide admissions to premier engineering institutes in the country started on Wednesday.This was despite the furore over holding them in the middle of a pandemic. The exams started with B Arch and B Plannning exams on Tuesday, but the major lot of students were to arrive from Wednesday when the BE/BTech papers started. It was a relief for students who decided to answer the examination, despite all odds. Abhiram M, a student of Delhi Public School (Bangalore south) found his JEE exams on Wednesday to have gone well. Whatever fear and anxiety the students had prior to the exams was unnecessary. The safety measures were better than expected, said Abhiram, who wrote his exam at the AMC college, Bannerghatta. Harish Gumnur from Deeksha school, who is looking forward to get into IIT for computer science or electronic engineering was also surprised that the examination went smoothly. I think it wouldve caused more anxiety if this was postponed. The hype around the postponement was uncalled for as masks and hand sanitizers were provided. Some students even wore gloves, he told TNIE. Postpone final sem exams: students Bengaluru: Although Karnataka has been at the forefront of trailblazing measures to conduct examinations in the State, students are appealing to their university heads to postpone final year examinations by at least 20 days. Students under the aegis of All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) wrote to Bengaluru Central University (now called Bengaluru City University) about their plight, and reminded him of the assurance of offline classes for one month before the examinations. ENS Kishore Biyani and his family members are not allowed to re-enter the retail segment for the coming 15 years as part of a non-compete clause after Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries recently acquired Future Group's retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing businesses. The cap is both on the online and offline sectors. However, Biyani may operate the home retailing sector through HomeTown stores. Biyani owns Praxis Retail that runs about 48 HomeTown stores. The entity clocked in a revenue of Rs 702 crore in the last fiscal year. "As per the deal contours, neither Biyani nor his immediate family members can operate in any retail segment. There is, however, an exception, of home retailing, where Reliance has no presence so far. The deal is applicable for all existing retail businesses both online and offline," The Economic Times reported citing an unidentified source. Meanwhile, Reliance Industries last Saturday announced acquisition of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore to boost its retail business. "Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), subsidiary of Reliance Industries, will acquire the retail and wholesale business and the logistics and warehousing business from the Future Group as going concerns on a slump sale basis for lumpsum aggregate consideration of Rs 24,713 crore," the company had said in a statement. Through the deal, Reliance will acquire Future Retail that owns the BigBazaar that sells everything from groceries to cosmetics and apparel, and Future Lifestyle Fashions that operates fashion discount chain Brand Factory. While Reliance will takeover Future Consumer, which sells food, home and personal care products, Future Group's financial and insurance business is not part of the deal. Also read: Competition Commission nod biggest challenge in Reliance-Future deal Also read: Mukesh Ambani on shopping binge; Reliance buys into 23 firms in 3 years A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday urged the US State Department to immediately withdraw its decision to impose tighter limitations on Chinese diplomats. "We urge the US State Department to immediately revoke the wrong move, stop obstructing normal exchanges between the two peoples and sabotaging bilateral ties," said spokesperson Hua Chunying when responding to a query about the issue at a daily press briefing held Thursday. China will make a justified and necessary response in light of the situation, she said. Hua's remarks came after the US State Department announced Wednesday that senior Chinese diplomats will be required to seek approval to visit US university campuses and meet with local government officials. Chinese diplomats will also have to get permission to host cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people outside mission properties. The US State Department has ramped up restrictions on Chinese embassy and consulates and their staff performing duties in the United States since October, said Hua. "Such moves severely violate international laws and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously interfere with as well as the normal exchanges between the two sides." China has always provided facilitation for US diplomatic and consular personnel to perform their duties in China according to laws and regulations, while the US State Department twice required Chinese diplomats to notify them of plans for activities in October and this June, and even restricted them from carrying out private and social exchanges with local US officials, according to Hua. "This shows that the anti-China forces in the United States have lost their sensibility and confidence and developed anti-China paranoia, which will definitely be met with denunciation and opposition from people with insight," Hua said. Stressing that China-US ties are important to the two countries as well as the world, Hua suggested that both sides maintain a smooth channel of communication at all times. The Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States will continue to maintain normal exchanges with people from all sectors of US society, said Hua, adding that China will continue to support normal exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 10:29:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kim Tok Hun, premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korean (DPRK), made a field survey on the recovery from flood damage in Kimhwa and Phyonggang counties of Kangwon Province, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday. Kim, also a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, made rounds of houses under construction in the township and the site in Choso Co-op Farm of Kimhwa County where a recovery campaign is underway, the report said. He stressed the need for local officials to provide people with stable living conditions, solve difficulties of the inhabitants in the flood-affected areas, as well as work hard and carefully to eradicate the flood damage as early as possible. The premier also urged the officials to accelerate the rehabilitation projects, including the army-civilian joint operation to build houses and repair roads. Over the past two month, the DPRK has suffered from heavy rains, powerful typhoons and severe floods in some parts of the country, which has caused damage to houses and farmland. Typhoon Bavi landed at the country last week, causing flooding and destruction in many areas. With Typhoon Maysak heading toward the Korean Peninsula, the government has taken urgent measures to prevent the possible damage. The typhoon is expected to hit the country later on Thursday, the KCNA said in an earlier report. "A warning has been issued in the country that Typhoon No. 9 (Maysak), coming from the Philippines, is likely to affect the country. As such, we are taking active measures to prevent damage in the country's eastern regions," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling party, said in a report on Wednesday. Enditem (Bloomberg) -- China is planning a sweeping set of new government policies to develop its domestic semiconductor industry and counter Trump administration restrictions, conferring the same kind of priority on the effort it accorded to building its atomic capability, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Beijing is preparing broad support for so-called third-generation semiconductors for the five years through 2025, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing government deliberations. A suite of measures to bolster research, education and financing for the industry has been added to a draft of the countrys 14th five-year plan, which will be presented to the countrys top leaders in October, the people said. Chinas top leaders will gather next month to lay out their economic strategy for the next half decade, including efforts to ramp up domestic consumption and make critical technology at home. President Xi Jinping has pledged an estimated $1.4 trillion through 2025 for technologies ranging from wireless networks to artificial intelligence. Semiconductors are fundamental to virtually every component of Chinas technology ambitions -- and an increasingly aggressive Trump administration threatens to cut off their supply from abroad. The Chinese leadership realizes that semiconductors underpin all advanced technologies, and that it can no longer dependably rely on American supplies, said Dan Wang, technology analyst at research firm Gavekal Dragonomics. In the face of stricter U.S. restrictions on chip access, Chinas response can only be to keep pushing its own industry to develop. Shares in several major Chinese chipmakers gained. Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group Co. finished 4.3% higher in Hong Kong. On mainland bourses, Will Semiconductor Ltd. -- the second most valuable listed Chinese chip firm -- rose almost 10%. Xiamen Changelight Co. closed 14% up while Focus Lightings Tech Co. jumped 5.6%. Story continues The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for drafting the tech-related goals, did not reply to a request for comment. China Still Buying $300 Billion of Chips From U.S., Elsewhere China imports more than $300 billion worth of integrated circuits each year and its semiconductor developers rely on U.S.-made chip design tools and patents, as well as critical manufacturing technologies from U.S. allies. But deteriorating ties between Beijing and Washington have made it increasingly difficult for Chinese companies to source components and chipmaking technologies from overseas. The U.S. government has blacklisted dozens of Chinas tech companies so they cant buy American parts, and slapped bans on ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok and Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat. In the case of technology giant Huawei Technologies Co., the Trump administration sanctioned the company and pressed allies to ban the companys equipment from their telecom networks. This month, Huawei, the countrys largest handset maker, will even lose access to chips from the likes of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. under new American regulations that prohibit suppliers anywhere in the world from working with the company if those suppliers use American equipment. The tighter rules have raised the urgency of building domestic alternatives in Beijing. Third-generation semiconductors are mainly chipsets made of materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. They can operate at high frequency and in higher power and temperature environments, and are widely used in fifth-generation radio frequency chips, military-grade radars and electric vehicles. Read more: Chinas Chip Executives Worry Theyre Next on U.S. Hit List Since no single country now dominates the fledgling, third-generation technology, Chinas gamble is its corporations can compete if they accelerate research into the field now. Global leaders such as U.S.-based CREE Inc. and Japans Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. are just beginning to grow this business, while Chinese tech giants such as Sanan Optoelectronics Co. Ltd. and state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corp. have made inroads on third-generation chipsets. The countrys other chipmakers, which include Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., Will Semiconductor Ltd. and National Silicon Industry Group Co., may benefit more broadly from the state support. This is a sector about to see explosive growth, Alan Zhou, managing partner of Fujian-based chip investment fund An Xin Capital Co., told an industry forum last week. Because of Chinas increasing demand and investment, this is an area that could create a world-class Chinese chip giant. (Updates with closing share action in the fifth paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In his new book, Unbelievers, British historian Alec Ryrie observes that the only moral standard people agree on these days is dont be like Nazi Germany. Since firms such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, and Bayer used forced labor from concentration camps during World War II, that should mean we could all agree that forced labor is bad. Tragically, at least if it involves new laptops in time for the new school year, it doesnt. Recently, the Intercept reported that Lenovo, the worlds largest manufacturer of laptops, has imported an estimated 258,000 laptops built by a certain Chinese manufacturer named Hefei Bitland. Through this manufacturer, Lenovo participates in a Chinese government program that provides factories with cheap labor from persecuted Uighurs. Cheap labor, in this case, means forced labor. The Uighurs providing the labor are concentration camp inmates who cannot refuse the work assignment. The U.S. government has singled out Hefei Bitland for violating human rights. Still, even after Hefei Bitland was placed on a government list restricting trade, some of the computers reached American consumers. Lenovo removed a portion of the laptops from distribution, but others were still shipped. Its tempting to rationalize using products from forced labor. According to The Associated Press, there is a significant shortage of laptops for American students this school year. Companies like HP, Dell, and, of course, Lenovo blame U.S. sanctions on Chinese suppliers for the shortfall. Some school administrators have adopted a less-rigorous approach to human rights. One administrator described the situation as a tough one. Im not condoning child slave labor for computers, he said, but can we not hurt more children in the process? Is going without a computer for a few months the moral equivalent of child slave labor? Of course, a shortage of laptops, especially during pandemic-caused education at home, creates serious problems. However, as the Intercept pointed out, this one of many moral pitfalls caused by Chinas role in the global supply chain, given their use of forced labor. Global dependence on Chinese manufacturers creates powerful incentives to overlook Chinas abysmal treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Uighurs. One million Uighurs have been put into concentration camps, separated from their children, prevented from exercising their religion, and subjected to political indoctrination. Some have also been forcibly sterilized ... [and] made to use intrusive birth control methods. More recently, there have been reports of forced abortions and even infanticide, something members of the American press rightly decried, despite the 600,000-plus babies killed each year here in our country are considered womens rights. The Chinese campaign against the Uighurs meets the criteria of Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. But, as in the 1930s and 40s, the temptation for companies and consumers to rationalize doing business with the perpetrators of genocide is proving too great to resist. The only real way to avoid global complicity in Chinas atrocities is to reduce global dependence on China just as Japan and India are doing and corporations like Apple are doing. Dont be like Nazi Germany is good advice, but it is not a firm enough foundation to ground human rights, especially when the atrocities are hidden behind accounting and business practices. Human rights can only be safely grounded in the Christian idea of the imago dei, which teaches us that we are indeed our brothers keeper, even if our laptop delivery is delayed. Originally published at BreakPoint A happy and relieved Samantha Armytage has revealed her father Mac is out of hospital after he suffered a stroke last month. On Thursday, the 43-year-old Sunrise host shared a video of her dad walking out of St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, assisted by a walking stick. 'Here we go! Done. Look who's walking out of rehab... Good day, huh?' the TV host could be heard excitedly saying from behind the camera. Doing better: A happy and relieved Samantha Armytage has revealed her dad, Mac, is out of hospital after suffering a stroke recently Stopping to talk to his daughter, Mac responded: 'Done. Beauty... It's not a bad day, yeah.' Her beloved father seemed to be in high spirits, despite his recent health scare, and wore a pale blue disposable face mask. 'So, THIS just happened... After a stroke and four weeks in rehab,' she captioned the video, adding a clapping hands emoji. Heading home: In a post on Instagram Stories on Thursday, the 43-year-old Sunrise host shared a video of her dad walking out of hospital in Sydney, assisted by a walking stick Sam also thanked the staff who had looked after him at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital. 'I cannot send enough emoji love heart eyes to all the wonderful nurses, physios & OT's at @stvincentshospitalsydney,' she added in a second post. Sam revealed both her parents were in hospital, dealing with different ailments, in a heartbreaking Instagram post last month. Health problems: She said her mum Libby had been hospitalised with heart failure, while her dad, Mac, had recently suffered a stroke. Pictured with her parents She said her mum Libby had been hospitalised with heart failure, while her dad had recently suffered a stroke. 'As some of you may know, my mum Libby has been gravely ill for a while (she has an autoimmune disease which has resulted in heart failure) & on his way to visit her in hospital ten days ago, my dad Mac collapsed after having a stroke,' she wrote on Instagram on August 11. The breakfast show host included a photo of herself with her family, including her parents, in happier times. All at once: In a post on Instagram last month, Sam revealed both her parents were in hospital at the same time, dealing with different ailments. Pictured with her family Speaking about her father, Sam labelled him 'a tough old buggar' and said she was confident he'd make a full recovery. 'Luckily he wasn't out the back of Wagga in a paddock as he probably wouldn't be here to tell the tale,' she continued. 'He's a tough old buggar & he's in rehab, frustrated but determined. And giving plenty of cheek to his long-suffering, wonderful nurses.' A natural tanning water that 'airbrushes' the face with a radiant glow is giving women the confidence to go make-up free after years of wearing heavy cosmetics. Created by Australian skincare brand Eco Tan, a few drops of 'Face Tan Water' promise to 'filter' the complexion with a healthy, sun-kissed tint using organic ingredients like aloe vera, rose oil, hyaluronic acid and orange peel. The $34.95 liquid - which should be applied with the fingers before bed and left to develop while you sleep - is making waves in beauty groups on social media, with many claiming they haven't worn foundation since discovering it. Scroll down for video A customer compares the difference between her bare face (left) and complexion after applying Eco Tan's $34.95 Face Tan Water and leaving it to develop overnight (right) The liquid (pictured) should be applied with the fingers before bed and left to develop while you sleep What's in Face Tan Water? * Orange peel oil: Nourishes dry, irritated and acne-prone skin * Rose oil: Hydrates skin and reduces redness, scarring and signs of ageing * Hyaluronic acid: Reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles and accelerates the healing of spots * Aloe Vera: Calms inflammation and soothes irritated skin Advertisement A product overview describes the water as a 'real life organic filter' that 'camouflages blemishes and reduces the appearance of redness' across the face, neck and chest. Hundreds of five-star reviews stand testament to the magic of the tanning water online, where customers have praised it for giving their skin a new lease of life. 'I have worn cover up all through my twenties and now because of face tan water, I can actually just let my bare skin take on the day, no cover up!' one woman said. 'I have never had such a glow before in my life. Not even pregnancy with my two babies made me glow like face tan water does! I could not be without it now and hope I never have to be.' Another described the water as her holy grail beauty product that she would choose above anything else. 'This is a fantastic product, I have never been a fan of heavy make up and was never that great at applying it, but Eco Face Tan Water there is absolutely no need for anything else, this goes on evenly and the colour is so natural looking,' she said. 'It's worth every cent and then some. Just love it.' A product overview describes the water (seen on a customer) as a 'real life organic filter' that 'camouflages blemishes and reduces the appearance of redness' across the face and neck Many women say they haven't worn foundation since discovering the product (inset), which coats the face with a natural glow, reduces redness and conceals blemishes Eco Tan was born in 2010 when Gold Coast founder Sonya Driver set out to make a product that allowed people to tan without exposing themselves to chemicals or harmful ultra-violet rays. Shunning all manner of chemicals typically used in self-tanners, Ms Driver experimented with samples of cacao, flower essence, chamomile and all things natural, mixing batches in the kitchen of her Currumbin home. The result is what is now one of Australia's most popular natural skincare brands, one that's won over 50 coveted awards for its clever organic formulations. Eco Tan made history in 2011 when it became the first and only tanning manufacturer to be certified organic by the Australian government's Organic Food Chain. Eight years later in 2019, the brand's Eye Compost a $49 all-natural eye cream - hit headlines after women on social media raved about its ability to lighten dark circles and banish fine lines after just one week of use. A new all natural eye cream is making waves across Australia for its ability to lighten dark circles and banish fine lines in just one week Developed by Australian brand Eco Tan, Eye Compost promises to leave the eye area 'bright and smooth' using a range of powerful ingredients including Vitamin C and Kakadu Plum What's in Eye Compost? * Vitamin C and Kakadu Plum: Help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles * Hyaluronic acid: Naturally boosts moisture for instantly plump healthier looking skin * Spirulina: Brightens and reduces the appearance of dark circles * A jade stone: Increases circulation, resulting in a fuller, more youthful appearance Advertisement The cream promises to leave the eye area 'bright and smooth' with a blend of powerful ingredients like vitamin C, spirulina and Kakadu Plum, a fruit grown in Australia's Northern Territory. Described as 'supercharged luxe eye cream', the piercing blue formula proved wildly popular with hundreds reporting noticeable improvements after one application. 'These ingredients brighten, plump and help reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles,' the product description reads. 'Kakadu Plum with Vitamin C improves skin luminosity and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 'Pure hyaluronic naturally boosts the moisture in your skin for instant visibly smoother healthier looking skin and Spirulina brightens to help reduce the appearance of dark circles.' The cream is laced with aloe vera, known to calm inflammation and soothe irritated skin, and comes with a jade stone applicator which claims to 'tighten and tone' pores. Online, customers confirmed the benefits in a string of gushing reviews. 'This little blue pot of magic did brighten my under eyes, reduced wrinkles and just make my under eye so much more moisturised! So in love,' one customer wrote This woman saw a significant change in her dark circles and lines after three weeks of use on one of her eyes 'Eye cream that actually works! I have used and tried so many products on the market, and lately been trying to go as natural with my skincare as possible and find that without real technology behind the skincare, they do nothing,' one woman wrote. Another said: 'This little blue pot of magic did brighten my under eyes, reduced wrinkles and just make my under eye so much more moisturised! So in love!' Others agreed, with one skincare enthusiast declaring she noticed a difference seconds after applying the cream. 'It instantly de-puffed my eyes and decreased dark circles and lines,' she said. 'I love using the jade roller to glide over the eyes as you use the product, this has a great cooling effect. I had another product I considered a great eye cream, but this is now my holy grail.' jane-fonda-what-can-i-do Credit - Amanda EdwardsaGetty Images Jane Fonda wants to teach you about climate change. In the fall of 2019, Fonda regularly convened with fellow climate activistsand some of her Hollywood friendson the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building to call for a Green New Deal and other government action on climate change. The protests, which she called Fire Drill Fridays, deliberately ended in arrest. Now, Fonda has written a new book about the experience. What Can I Do?: My Path from Climate Despair to Action, to be published Sept. 8, recounts stories from her time on the frontlines advocating for climate solutions. The book is presented as a guide for those who are concerned about the issue but unsure of how to help, offering both the science behind climate change and ways to take action. Fonda spoke to TIME about the stakes of the movement, being inspired by young climate activists and her response to apathetic voters. TIME: What do you hope readers will learn from the book? Fonda: The climate crisis affects so many parts of our lives: our health, our jobs, the economy, national security. A lot of people havent really thought about the crisis in those terms. Theres a lot in the book that the majority of people dont knowand should know. Related: Jane Fonda and others signed a letter to defund the police You write that older women play a critical role in the movement. What do you mean by that? First and foremost, older women generally tend to get braver, less afraid of being up front in expressing their anger. Studies show that women care more about the climate crisis. Theyre willing to do something about it. But women sometimes feel insecure about the science; I wanted to give the science so they could be more secure in that. Do you think your book will get older voters to think about climate change and affect the way they vote? Theyre already thinking about it! The young climate strikers globally have had a lot to do with that. Im targeting the people who notice the climate crisis and dont know what to do about it. Im teaching them more and then giving people things to do Civil disobedience has to become the new norm. No matter who is elected in November. Story continues Because of climate or everything else going on in the world? Because of everythingand out of everything, what looms is the climate crisis. If we dont cut our fossil fuel emissions in half by 2030, everything will not only become much, much harder, but a lot of thingsequality, democracy, stability in our societywill become impossible. What I want to tell voters who say, I cant decide who to vote for. I dont really believe in Joe Biden, is, Hey, Id rather push a moderate than fight a fascist. You note that you wanted the blessing of fellow climate activists before getting involved. Why was that? Imagine a movie star comes popping into D.C. and starts holding these rallies every Friday, without ever talking to the people who have been there for a year. We met with all the major environmental groups and the young activists, asking for their participation and their blessing. And we got along great. What was it like working together? Did you see parts of your younger activist self in them? Oh my God. Theyre so much better than I was! Im blown away. They are really smart. Theyre also very depressedthese young people are carrying grief. How has your approach to activism evolved over the years? Often in my younger years, because I went pretty quickly from being Barbarella to being an activist, I was kind of lost and confused, so I was using other peoples narratives. Now, its my narrative that Ive metabolized. Its part of me and my body. How are the stakes different this time? Its all-consuming. This climate crisis is an existential issue that has to be dealt with if anything else is going to be achieved. There were issues that mattered to me before, but they werent life-or-deathnothing else is going to matter if this isnt solvedlike the climate crisis is. How do you keep up the momentum? Well, [Fire Drill Fridays] was going to end because of Grace and Frankie, but my production was going to give me time to do it online. Then COVID hit and I had to do it online. And people kept showing up. People are yearning for community. They want to know what to do, how they can make a difference. A 25-year-old man living in Reno, Nevada, who first tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April, became sick again with the virus in late May. He appears to be the first confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection in the U.S. Questions about immunity to the coronavirus, antibodies and reinfection have loomed since the beginning of the pandemic. Even President Trump has wondered whether he might be "immune" after contracting the virus earlier this month. Most people want to know: Does contracting the coronavirus prevent you from getting it again, and if so, for how long? In mid-August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that immunity to the virus could last at least three months, but much is still unknown. So far, there have been at least four documented cases of reinfection, which means we can confirm the phenomenon is possible but little else, experts say. "As a starting point, many of us wanted to be optimistic that (reinfection) would not be something we'd see so early on," Dr. Howard Forman, a professor in Yale's School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, told TODAY in September. "But the fact that it happened is not completely surprising." As researchers wade through the available data on reinfection, experts are stressing to the public that the reports of reinfection are neither a reason to panic nor to let your guard down. Here's why. What do these recent cases of reinfection mean? So far, there have been at least four documented cases of COVID-19 reinfection, meaning an individual was infected with the coronavirus, recovered and became infected again with the same virus. Genome sequencing is used to detect these cases because it assesses whether the virus in the second infection is identical to the first; if it's slightly different, as viruses mutate over time, it's a case of reinfection. The first case was in Hong Kong, where the patient was sick and hospitalized from late March to early April and tested positive again on Aug. 15. The second time, he was asymptomatic. Europe has seen two cases of reinfection, one in an older, Dutch person with a weakened immune system and another in Belgium. Story continues In the U.S., a 25-year-old man in Reno, Nevada, tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April and became sick again in late May. The genomic evidence showed it was a true case of reinfection. This man was sicker with his second infection, requiring hospitalization. Pending more data, this report could dash theories that reinfection will be less severe due to antibodies. While these cases suggest reinfection does happen, it's still not clear how widespread it is. "We don't know if these people are outliers or if they're representative of something that's going to be more common but we're only just starting to notice it," Dr. Krystina Woods, hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai West in New York City, told TODAY in September. "I don't think we're at a place where we can make any generalizations just yet." The four cases' range of illness, from asymptomatic to severe, is also worth noting. Woods said there could be asymptomatic cases that have gone unnoticed. "We see a spectrum of disease with the first infection, and potentially we may see a spectrum of disease with the reinfection, but we just don't know that yet," Woods said, stressing that four cases are a "teeny tiny" proportion of the millions of people who've been infected. Another important but unanswered question the recent research brings up is whether reinfected people can transmit the virus to others, according to Forman. "A lot of people are talking about herd immunity at this point," he explained. "If it were the case that a second infection was always symptomless and you couldn't transmit it, that could contribute to herd immunity combined with a vaccination program. But if it turns out that you're able to transmit your reinfection, then there might be no effective herd immunity from the infection (until a vaccine becomes available)." That said, Forman is optimistic about current reinfection reports. "Inside the six-month window that we're dealing with, the fact that we've seen very few reinfections with symptoms should be comforting," he said. What do reinfection reports tell us about COVID-19 immunity? While research on previous coronaviruses, like SARS and MERS, has found that immunity after a first infection usually lasts between one and three years, it's too early to come to the same conclusion about COVID-19. A recent study found that COVID-19 antibodies may last for four months, but it's still unclear what level of antibodies could protect against reinfection or lead to a less severe, second infection, and for how long. "There are probably a lot of variables that go into when somebody might be susceptible again," Woods said, referencing the reinfection case in the patient with the weakened immune system. "Some of it might have to do with their own immune system and how their body reacted to the first infection," she continued. "There might be some individual-specific traits ... With four cases, it's impossible to figure that out." There's still a lot to "tease out" about immunity at this stage, Dr. Allison Agwu, an infectious disease physician at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, told TODAY in September. "We have been challenged in finding hard-and-fast rules (for COVID-19) ... In some diseases, we can say definitely we know this equals that. We don't have those for this disease." Still, there are few enough reinfection reports at this stage that Forman believes "there is some durable immunity of some type that prevents people from getting sick," he said. What should the public do? Forman, Woods and Agwu all stressed that these reinfection reports reiterate the importance of taking precautions to prevent spread of the coronavirus, even if you've been infected recently. For example, Forman said the data suggests infected people should get tested again after a certain interval because its possible to be reinfected. If youre a family member showing up to a nursing home facility and you had COVID five months ago, thats no longer a definitive way of saying you dont have to worry about this person anymore, he added. Woods, meanwhile, sees reinfection reports as "another opportunity to reinforce the things that we know work, which are hand-washing, distancing and masking ... It doesn't materially change what we're doing." Agwu added that reinfection reports confirmed the medical community's suspicion and should not be cause for panic. "With panic, there may be some futile behavior that comes out, 'I might as well not wear my mask' ... or 'I'll keep trying to get infected so I can build immunity.' None of that makes sense," she said. "We think (immunity) is probably in short order, but it's variable ... It's not a pass to stop wearing a mask ... and it's definitely not a pass on getting a vaccine when it becomes available." This story was updated on Oct. 6 to include President Trump's comments about immunity and the coronavirus. A US media company has decided to take down their billboards demanding justice in the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The company, as per an e-mail conversation shared by Sushants sister Shweta Singh Kirti, believes that the campaign is trying malign the woman associated with Sushant. Shweta took to Twitter and Instagram to share screenshots of the e-mails. She said it is a PR exercise to derail the campaign. It seems the paid PR has its reach everywhere. Hollywood Billboard company reached out telling they will not keep the Billboard any longer! The wordings on the billboard only demanded fair trial and justice! #Report4SSR #JusticeForSushantSinghRajputt #Warriors4SSR, she wrote. It seems the paid PR has its reach everywhere. Hollywood Billboard company reached out telling they will not keep the Billboard any longer! The wordings on the billboard only demanded fair trial and justice! #Report4SSR #JusticeForSushantSinghRajputt #Warriors4SSR pic.twitter.com/YrMrLH3eIX shweta singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) September 3, 2020 ALSO WATCH | Sushants life insurance policy reports: Family lawyer rejects claims In the e-mail, the company wrote, The team had not done their research on what the campaign was regarding. It is their interpretation that this is a smear campaign of the woman that is associated with Sushant. (Company name redacted) is choosing to cut ties with any involvement of the campaign. You will be given a refund for the days remaining. Thank you. It is not known if the conversation is between Shweta and the company or a fan of Sushants who organised funds for the billboards. Also read: Happy birthday Vivek Oberoi: Did you know he was considered too good-looking for Company, stayed in slums to convince Ram Gopal Varma? The reply to the companys mail read, Okay In that case, I will be expecting a full reimbursement for the week of September 1-6. Additionally, I assume you are willing to go on record with this statement. as I will be required to share it with my donors as an explanation for why the billboard is no longer up. Thanks. Shweta has been posting pictures of billboards from New Jersey, Mississippi and Chicago, featuring Sushants pictures and demanding justice for him. The billboards were put up by Sushants fan accounts on social media. Sushant was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14. On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) to investigate the case related to the actors death. Sushants father had filed an FIR in Patna against actors girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and five others for abetment to suicide. The case is currently also being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chu Thanh Trung, deputy director of the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Anti-dumping investigations have increased over Vietnamese products in recent times. Why do you think this is? Such investigations have indeed been more frequent recently, especially for metal products, and there are several reasons. Firstly, national production capacity is growing day-by-day and export markets are becoming more diverse, and have a rapid growth in turnover. Secondly, with economic integration, the tariff barriers on Vietnams export goods have been increasingly removed, which also puts pressure on overseas enterprises to compete with Vietnamese products. This forces them to turn to legitimate trade policy tools to protect their interests. Thirdly, anti-dumping measures are frequently used by countries in international trade, and metal products have the highest frequency of incurring such measures. As part of that, the steel sector has witnessed a rise in anti-dumping lawsuits with an average of one in cases relating to these items. Businesses will face a number of limitations when being investigated because in many countries the law on remedies and anti-dumping measures have been applied for a long time. Others are beset by a lack of resources and language barriers, as well as lack of time to provide sufficient information for any investigation. In the context of this trend and the ongoing pandemic, what should corporate leaders be concerned with to protect their businesses? Before the COVID-19 outbreak, global trade witnessed significant structural changes as some governments imposed more restrictive measures due to trade tensions and slowing growth. For now, due to the global economic situation and the unpredictable developments of a health crisis that has not been controlled completely, trade protection might continue to increase. Businesses should carefully prepare for each plan, even gloomy prospects, and gain knowledge on trade remedies and laws, especially for the main export markets of the businesses. Building export strategies in order to avoid relying on one market, improving quality, and preparing all resources for anti-dumping in case of an investigation are all main tasks businesses should take into consideration. In the case of encountering anti-dumping investigation requests from investigating agencies, businesses should actively participate in the process to ensure the provision of legal evidence benefiting the business, and thereby partly avoiding heavy fines from local authorities. What solutions has your authority taken to protect businesses and avoid anti-dumping suits? Our authority maintains communication channels with many countries trade defence investigation agencies, associations, and the business community to promote and update cases, and build an early warning system for many industries and products that are at high risk of being tangled up in such issues. In addition, in the spirit of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of producers and exporters, the authority always closely monitors and supports them to express their views against unsubstantiated arguments, violating World Trade Organization rules of the petitioner or foreign investigation agencies, and providing all documents for investigation. Being aware of the complexities of the global trading environment in the new situation, the authority has identified three key tasks. First is to support and accompany producers and exporters to respond to foreign defence investigations, which focus on markets such as the United States, the European Union, India, Canada, Australia, Turkey, and in Southeast Asia. Next, we will focus resources on investigative activities and apply measures to protect the interests of the domestic manufacturing industry on the basis of the proposal of the local damaged producers due to the sharp increase in the volume of imports. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President Xi Jinping extended a congratulatory message to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, while Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Li Zhanshu sent messages of congratulations to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, respectively. The Chinese leaders spoke highly of Vietnams recent achievements and expressed their belief that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people will fulfill the targets set by the 12th National Party Congress, towards the 13th National Party Congress. They affirmed that China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations and stays ready to join hands with Vietnam to promote the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a stable, healthy and sustainable manner. General Secretary of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President Bounnhang Vorachith, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Laos Pany Yathotou sent a message of congratulations to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. In the message, the Lao leaders warmly congratulated Vietnam on its great achievements in the process of national construction and protection over the past 75 years, saying these successes are a source of encouragement to Laos. They expressed their profound gratitude to the fraternal Vietnamese Party, State and people for their huge, valuable and timely assistance to the revolutionary cause of the Lao people. The Lao leaders affirmed that despite changes in the world and regional situation, the great relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam will be always treasured and preserved and perpetually exist together with the two nations, becoming a invaluable common asset, a rule of survival and development and a decisive factor of the revolution in each country. The Cambodian King and CPP highly evaluated the development of the traditional solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the two countries and affirmed the determination to consolidate and strengthen the bilateral relationship with the motto good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability. First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee Raul Castro Ruz sent a congratulatory message to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, while President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez extended congratulatory messages to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong and PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and PM Manuel Marrero Cruz sent a message of congratulations to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Cuban leaders said they are proud of the historical solidarity which was nurtured and enhanced during the common struggle for national independence, freedom and development, and expressed their wish to further promote the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin extended a congratulatory message to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong. PM Mikhail Mishustin sent a message of congratulations to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc while Chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin extended congratulations to NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. The Russian leaders congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in socio-economic development and its high role and prestige in the international community. They believed that the two countries will join hands to further deepen the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, thus meeting their interests and for prosperous development, stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah sent a letter of congratulations to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, while PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sent a letter of congratulations to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Malaysian leaders said they are delighted at the positive development of the bilateral strategic partnership and affirmed that Vietnam has become one of the closest economic and strategic partners of Malaysia. They express their wish to closely coordinate with Vietnam in its capacity as Chair of ASEAN 2020 to promote peace, security and prosperity in the region. King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn sent a congratulatory message to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong, and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha cabled a message of congratulations to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The Thai leaders promised to join hands with Vietnam to expand cooperation in all spheres, including the settlement of adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter of congratulations addressed to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong reiterated his commitment to support Vietnam successfully takes over the ASEAN Chairmanship 2020. He spoke highly of Vietnams efforts in strengthening ASEANs centrality and cohesion, and promoting cooperation within the bloc and with outside partners to cope with and mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee said he was pleased with the dynamic development of the Singapore-Vietnam strategic partnership over the recent past and expressed his wish to expand and further deepen the bilateral multifaceted cooperation. President of Myanmar U Win Myint sent a letter of congratulations to General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sent a congratulatory letter to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, while Vice Presidents U Myint Swe and Henry Van Thio extended congratulations to Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. The Myanmar leaders hoped that the two nations will enhance trade and investment ties and people-to-people exchange, and both Myanmar and Vietnam will overcome the medical and socio-economic challenges caused by COVID-19. They believed that the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership will see breakthrough development steps in the coming years. On this occasion, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is Chairman of the Steering Committee for China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation; Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith; Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Hussein; Thai Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai; and Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin sent messages and letters of congratulations to Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh. Chairman of the LPRP Central Committees Commission for External Relations Sunthon Saynhachac also cabled a congratulatory message to Chairman of the CPV Central Committees Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan. Democratic senators are urging the U.S. Treasury Department to impose sanctions on Russian organizations and individuals for interfering in the 2020 presidential election, saying such a "direct message" to Russian President Vladimir Putin is long overdue. Eleven senators sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on September 3, asking him to "immediately" place sanctions on a range of Russians. The letter says the Treasury Department should identify those to be targeted by the sanctions and include people within the government of Russia if they are found to be responsible for election interference. They say U.S. intelligence reports show Moscow is seeking to damage former Vice President Joe Biden's candidacy. Led by Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat-Oregon), the senators asked Mnuchin to work with U.S. intelligence to identify Russians involved in election meddling. "There is virtually no national security threat more serious than that posed by those who would undermine confidence in, and the effective operation of, our democratic elections," the letter says. The letter cites a U.S. counterintelligence statement on August 7 describing the activities of "Kremlin-linked" actors who are using a "range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment.'" The August 7 statement provides ample basis for imposing sanctions, the Senators said in their letter. The call for sanctions came the same day that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a memo to election officials warning that Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote-by-mail and shifting voting processes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to undermine public trust in the electoral process. ABC News, which obtained the memo, reported DHSs intelligence arm concluded Russian state media and proxies will likely "promote allegations of corruption, system failure, and foreign malign interference to sow distrust in democratic institutions and election outcomes." As in 2016, the Russians are often amplifying sentiments already present in U.S. politics. Ahead of the November 3 election, President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against mail-in voting as prone to fraud. Multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud and in the vote-by-mail process. Political scientists say greater voter turnout and extensive use of mail-in voting could hurt Trump at the polls. Democrats have expressed frustration that the Trump administration has taken little action to address intelligence reports, which have also indicated China and Iran would prefer to undermine Trump. They are alarmed in part because previous assessments by U.S. intelligence organizations showed that Russian interference benefited Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. Democrats also have expressed outrage over a decision by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe not to provide briefings to members of the House Intelligence Committee on election meddling. Ratcliffe, who cited leaks as the reason, said written summaries would replace the briefings. Democrats also were angered to learn that the DHS decided in July to withhold the circulation of an intelligence report warning that Russia was trying to portray candidate Biden as mentally unstable. DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist defended the decision on September 2, saying the agency held up the memo because it lacked necessary context and evidence. The draft bulletin dated July 7 and obtained by ABC News said Russian state media RT, Sputnik, and a Russian proxy website between September 2019 and May 2020 posted allegations about what they described as Bidens "poor mental health. With reporting by AFP and ABC News Hyderabad, Sep 3 : The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to global pharma major Mylan Laboratories Ltd for significant deviations from Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) for making active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) at its plant in Telangana. The drug regulator expressed concerns about Mylan's lack of cleaning records and inadequate quality control for certain manufacturing and storage equipment at its Unit 7 at Pashamylaram, Patancheru in Sangareddy district. The FDA alleged in its letter dated September 1 that Mylan did not do a sufficient job testing all incoming raw materials to ensure they are suitable for the manufacturing process and didn't have adequate procedures for detecting impurities. It observed that this coupled with using non-dedicated equipment, created the risk of contaminating the ingredients that go into Mylan's medicines. The federal agency stated that its investigators during the inspections of the facility between February 24 and 28 this year found lapses in the plant as there were no adequate cleaning procedures to prevent contamination or carry-over of a material that would alter the quality of the API. "In addition to your lack of cleaning records, your cleaning validation and verification programme for non-dedicated manufacturing and storage equipment are inadequate," the FDA said. This is the second warning letter by FDA to Mylan for similar issues in less than a year. The drug-maker was issued a warning letter in November last year for another unit in Andhra Pradesh. The warning was issued for Unit 8 for failure to have adequate written procedures for receipt, identification, testing, and handling of raw materials and a failure to clean equipment and utensils to prevent contamination or carry-over of material. "We observed similar deficiencies related to inadequate storage and handling of recovered solvents utilised at your Unit 7 API manufacturing operations. These repeated failures at multiple sites manufacturing API demonstrate that your company's oversight and control over the manufacture of drugs is inadequate. You should immediately and comprehensively assess your company's global manufacturing operations to ensure that systems and processes, and ultimately, the products manufactured, conform to FDA requirements at all your sites," reads the FDA letter. "Until you correct all deviations completely and we confirm your compliance with CGMP, FDA may withhold approval of any new drug applications or supplements listing your firm as a drug manufacturer," it added. Mylan, however, said it does not anticipate any interruption in manufacturing and distribution at the site. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Warning Letter to Mylan's API manufacturer, Mylan Laboratories Ltd - Unit 7, in which no interruption in manufacturing and distribution is anticipated at the site, no significant commercial impact is expected and no significant launches are planned for Unit 7 in 2020," Mylan said in a statement. It said several months prior to the inspection, it put additional controls, corrective actions and improvements in place at the facility to mitigate any perceived risk of product contamination with patient safety as its primary focus. "Importantly, extensive testing of APIs manufactured and distributed by the site was performed for the presence of nitrosamine impurities and no evidence of cross contamination was identified," said Mylan which is incorporated in the Netherlands but has corporate headquarters in the US. Mylan said it will submit its response to the letter within the required time period of 15 working days. "Mylan is committed to maintaining the highest quality manufacturing standards at all of its facilities around the world. We have an industry-leading track record in global quality management, and we take very seriously our continued and comprehensive oversight of Mylan's entire manufacturing network," it added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) A town in Oriental Mindoro will hold its traditional pageant this year while helping frontliners fight the pandemic. Naujan mayor Mark Marcos said Thursday the town will push through with its Pista ng San Nicolas De Tolentino on September 10 with a "mask-querade" pageant. This is to promote the creations of local designers while also following COVID-19 safety guidelines. The masks would then be auctioned off after the event and the earnings will go to the purchase of protective gear and other needs for frontliners, the mayor said. "Pagkatapos nito 'yung ating face mask-querade, 'yung aming mga face mask iau-auction natin ito at 'yung proceeds ating ibibili ng mga gamit ng ating mga frontliners," he told CNN Philippines' News Night. [Translation: After the face mask-querade, we will auction the face masks and the proceeds will be used to buy materials for frontliners] Marcos said the masks were created with symbols in mind, such as the water lily and the tamaraw which can be found in the province. The designs were made from organic materials and by local talents in the 14 municipalities of Oriental Mindoro, the mayor said. Stringer Ron Lozano contributed to this report. Members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) hold hands during a press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Seoul, Thursday. The Supreme Court annulled a decision by the former Park Geun-hye government to outlaw the progressive teachers' union for refusing to disallow membership to a handful of fired teachers. Yonhap The Supreme Court overturned Thursday an appellate court ruling that had outlawed a progressive teachers' union for refusing to annul the membership of a handful of teachers who had been fired, opening the way for the organization to regain its legal status. The former Park Geun-hye government had previously banned the union for allowing the dismissed teachers to remain as members. The full bench of the highest court accepted by a majority an appeal by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) to regain its status, sending the case back to a lower court for a re-hearing. The Supreme Court said denying dismissed teachers the right to be members of a union was unconstitutional and against international standards. It also said it was excessive to deprive the KTU of its legal status just because it had members who were not currently holding a teaching position. Delivering the verdict, Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su said the previous rulings on the case were "not valid," and "infringed on labor's three primary rights." He also said outlawing the union was tantamount to "denying its existence." In October 2013, the conservative Park administration banned the union, founded in 1989, saying that having nine dismissed teachers as its members violated the law on teachers' unions that stated only incumbent teachers were recognized as members. But the KTU argued that the nine's membership did not compromise its autonomy in collective action and bargaining power, and that the government's outlawing of it was an excessive interpretation of the law. Since then, the KTU, one of the country's biggest teachers' unions with some 60,000 members, has been engaged in a series of legal disputes with the government. While a district court and an appellate court sided with the administration, the KTU has repeatedly asked for a court injunction to suspend the decision. Depending on different court rulings, it alternated between being legal and illegal for three years. The union appealed to the Supreme Court in February 2016, and the case had been pending since then. At that time, it also requested a court injunction to suspend the ban. While the full bench of the highest court accepted the appeal by the KTU, it dismissed its request to issue an injunction in a separate ruling, leaving the matter to be resolved in the re-hearing. Later in the day, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said it will start a process to cancel the annulment "as soon as possible," in line with the highest court's decision. The labor minister has the authority to restore the union's legal status, even before a lower court ruling is delivered. When this happens, the KTU can exercise its rights to collective bargaining, to call for government mediation in labor disputes and to report unfair labor practices. "The victory was only possible because of people who have strenuously supported the union," the KTU said, "We promise to return the support by teaching sincerely." (Yonhap) 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) US Blacklists ICC Prosecutor Over Efforts to Investigate Americans Without US Consent WASHINGTONThe United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda over her investigation into whether Taliban, Afghan, and American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. The United States is not a party state to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Today, the United States is taking action to protect Americans from unjust and illegitimate investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which threatens our sovereignty and poses a danger to the United States and our allies, Pompeo said in a statement. The United States is a strong advocate for justice around the world but is not a party to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, nor have we ever accepted its jurisdiction over our personnel. Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly, Pompeo told reporters. Pompeo also said that individuals and entities that continue to materially support Bensouda and Mochochoko would risk exposure to sanctions as well. The State Department also restricted the issuance of visas for individuals Pompeo said were involved in the courts efforts to investigate U.S. personnel. He did not name those affected. Pompeo also said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICCs Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorized by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was concerned by Pompeos announcement. Bensouda was given the go-ahead by the ICC in March to investigate whether war crimes were committed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, Afghan military, U.S. forces and the CIA. The United States revoked Bensoudas entry visa last year over the possible Afghanistan inquiry. But under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, she was still able to regularly travel to New York to brief the U.N. Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. Rights groups immediately condemned the U.S. designations. Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch international justice director, said it was a stunning perversion of U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration has twisted these sanctions to obstruct justice, not only for certain war crimes victims, but for atrocity victims anywhere looking to the International Criminal Court for justice, he said. Pompeo said that while not a party to the ICCs investigations, the United States has consistently sought to uphold good and punish evil under international law. We will continue to do so, he said. Americans are proud to stand for truth and justice. We have no intention of letting the ICCs illegitimate activities become a barrier to that pursuit. By Daphne Psaledakis, Michelle Nichols, Susan Heavey, and David Brunnstrom. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:16:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The third Hebei International Industrial Design Week is expected to open in Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province on Sept. 17, according to a press conference about the event on Thursday. Design teams from countries including Italy, Britain, Germany, Turkey, and Japan will come to the seven-day event with their innovative works and ideas, said Xu Kehua, deputy head of the Industry and Information Technology Department of Hebei Province. With Italy as the guest country of honor, the event will focus on cutting-edge topics of industrial design, such as design strategy, green design, and service design. Those who cannot come to the site can experience the design week on the cloud by watching live streaming shows, and commenting and trading online, said Wu Haijun, an official of the Xiong'an New Area. China announced plans to establish the Xiong'an New Area on April 1, 2017, to relieve Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as China's capital. Enditem Senior Chinese diplomats based in the US will now be required to seek permission before meeting with local government officials or visiting university campuses, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday, the latest back-and-forth retaliatory action between the State Department and China's foreign ministry amid worsening US-China relations. "These new requirements on PRC [People's Republic of China] diplomats are a direct response to the excessive restraints already placed on our diplomats by the PRC, and they aim to provide further transparency on the practices of the PRC government," Pompeo said. "Should the PRC eliminate the restrictions imposed on US diplomats, we stand ready to reciprocate." Last October, the State Department implemented a requirement that Chinese diplomats must inform the State Department of their meetings with colleges or local officials. They were not required to seek permission first, however - a barrier that Pompeo said unfairly burdened American diplomats in China. "PRC authorities implement a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American diplomats from conducting regular business and connecting with the Chinese people," Pompeo said. "US diplomats' attempts to host cultural events, secure official meetings, and visit university campuses are regularly obstructed," he added. The new rules announced on Wednesday also require China's embassy and consulates to seek permission before hosting "cultural events" outside their properties with an audience larger than 50 people. The announcement comes just weeks after the US shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston, which was followed by China's closure of the American consulate in Chengdu. The Trump administration has described the Houston consulate as a hub for Chinese spying operations in the US - an accusation China called "malicious slander". Pompeo on Wednesday also called out Chinese diplomats' communications with Americans via social media. Story continues He said the State Department would "take action to help ensure" that social media accounts tied to China's embassy and consulates were properly identified as Chinese government accounts. He added that they would do so because the US embassy in China "is denied unfettered access to PRC social media" and "PRC citizens are blocked from using Twitter and Facebook, amongst other social media platforms". Twitter, which is banned in China but used by numerous Chinese foreign ministry officials to communicate directly with an American audience, began labelling some government-affiliated accounts (including the US government) early last month. Though Wednesday's rule changes were framed as a matter of fairness and reciprocation, the State Department has expressed concern about Chinese government contact with state and local governments in the US. In February, Pompeo spoke to the National Governors Association and warned state leaders not to be naive when dealing with China. "The Chinese government has been methodical in the way it's analysed our system, our very open system, one that we're deeply proud of," Pompeo said at the time. "It's assessed our vulnerabilities, and it's decided to exploit our freedoms to gain advantage over us at the federal level, the state level and the local level." In his own speech last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping encouraged Chinese outreach to local governments across the US. "For all countries, regions and businesses that are willing to work with us, including American states, local councils and businesses, we must undertake cooperation proactively," Xi said. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. David Stilwell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, told reporters on Wednesday that the US-China relationship, as it stands now, is "clearly way out of balance". "We asked the Chinese diplomats to notify us about their travels to all of these locations to see governors, mayors, school boards, all these other things that we know they're doing," he said. "And we did that in an effort not to reduce the relationship, the interaction, but to get them to understand that we are going to insist on getting this relationship back in balance." Turning to another topic critical of the Chinese government, Stilwell also addressed concerns over Hong Kong's citywide coronavirus testing regime. "I think the Hong Kong people are rightly concerned", he said. "I would point you back to before we had the so-called vocational training centres - the Uygur internment camps - we had mass genetic testing," he said, referring to the estimated 1 million Uygurs and other Muslims put into camps in northwestern China. "It was portrayed as health checks for Uygurs", he said. "They were collecting DNA on Uygurs under the guise of doing health checks". 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. D enmarks left-leaning political parties have agreed to amend the countrys sexual violence laws to allow sex without explicit consent to be prosecuted as rape. The parties represent a majority of politicians in parliament. No date for a formal vote was announced but the legal change is expected to be adopted by the end of 2020. Under a deal reached by Denmarks minority Social Democratic government and the left-wing parties, Danish law would specify that sexual consent must be given voluntarily and as an expression of an individuals free will through words or action. This is one of the most important battles for gender equality in Denmark that has taken place for a very long time, justice minister Nick Haekkerup said after the agreement was announced. We must have changed societys understanding of what rape is, and a new consent-based rape provision is a milestone in that effort. Women's groups have welcomed the planned legal change. The Federation of Danish women hailed a "historic victory for legality and the right to take sexual decisions". The move will bring Denmark in line with Britain, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden, all of which already define rape as sex without consent. Rape conviction rates in Sweden have risen 75 per cent in two years since it changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent. Microsoft has now blocked the May 2020 update from rolling out to particular devices and is working on a fix. Microsofts Windows 10 May 2020 update has a serious flaw thanks to which users are losing their internet connectivity. Microsoft has admitted to the issue and has now blocked the May 2020 update from being delivered to devices which use certain LTE modems. This comes in after multiple reports of the upgrade causing the mobile internet connection to stop working, according to Neowin reports. A fix for this is on the way. Microsoft has acknowledged the bug in a support document and has explained that the issue seems to happen after a laptop wakes from sleep or hibernation. Microsoft wrote that to safeguard the update experience they have applied a compatibility hold on Windows 10 Devices with affected WWAN LTE modem drivers installed from getting Windows 10, version 2004 (May 2020 update) until the issue is fixed. Microsoft is currently working on a fix and this should arrive as a patch later this month. The company has also warned users should not try to work around the block and manually install the May 2020 update if they are running one of these LTE modems. If you have already installed the update and are facing issues, there is a quick fix. You need to turn Airplane Mode on and then off to temporarily fix the issue. This is not the first time Windows 10 has faced issues with LTE modems and internet connectivity thanks to the May 2020 update. With so many people working from home right now, these bugs and issues with internet connectivity is not good news for Microsoft. The coronavirus pandemic cannot stop Keanu Reeves from celebrating and surprising his fans on his birthday. Before the dreaded virus barged into people's lives, Reeves has already planned to treat his fans with his new films. However, just like any other film out there, some of his movies got postponed due to the health crisis -- including the shooting of "The Matrix 4." But after putting it on hold for five months, cameras have been turned on again for the upcoming installment, and Reeves continued to film during his birthday! In the early hours of September 2, Zoomin TV reported that the now 56-year-old star had a very German birthday celebration in Berlin. It also marked the fifth month when Deadline first revealed in March that Warner Bros and Village Roadshow paused the production of the flick in the German city due to the alarming and heightened number of COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, in an exclusive video he recorded for Associated Press last month, Reeves confirmed that the filming is already underway. "Everyone loves the project and if you're ever going to get in a situation that needs to be figured out...show business people are the best," Reeves said. "We're scrappy, we know how to get stuff done, we're inventive, we think on our feet. It's a great honor and I'm grateful to be working." Although the number of cases in the city still has not dwindled, the actor assured that the studio is taking effective COVID-19 safety measures to safeguard all the staff and stars while creating the movie. Furthermore, he applauded everyone's hard work and organization that made the "rhythm of filmmaking" not interrupted or impacted. Initially, Warner Bros. announced that "The Matrix 4" took over the slot for "Akira," which they formerly set to hit cinemas on May 21, 2021 -- the same day Lionsgate will be releasing the fourth installment of the "John Wick" movie franchise. After the delay, Warner Bros moved the film to April 1, 2022. Nonetheless, some fans are still expecting Lionsgate to move the premiere of Reeves' film since they assume that "The Matrix" franchise will be more successful than "John Wick." The first Matrix trilogy earned more than $1.6 billion worldwide, which was more than half a million difference compared to the "John Wick" flicks. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has not yet confirmed if the new Matrix film will be "a direct sequel." But it is worth noting that "The Matrix 4" will finally come 17 years after the release of the third film. Aside from Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith are all returning on the big screen. The original cast will be joined by newcomers, including Ellen Hollman, Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Toby Onwumere, Brian J. Smith, Erendira Ibarra, Andrew Caldwell and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. For now, fans need to wait until Keanu Reeves conquer the cinemas again! READ MORE: Bill and Ted Face the Music: Keanu Reeves Makes Massive Return! And, All of a sudden I was the biggest (expletive) to ever walk the face of the earth, he said about his unsuccessful Congressional campaign this spring. I think my (expletive) political career is over. Its why Im doing a (expletive) podcast. Im just going to be honest and tell people whats going on. And Im going to piss people off. Samastipur: Brother of a JD(U) MLA, along with two others, was named in an FIR on Wednesday lodged in connection with the alleged murder of journalist Braj Kumar Singh at Salkhani village here in the district. The FIR has been registered against Lal Babu Singh, brother of JD(U) MLA from Bibhutipur Ram Balak Singh, Kamal Kishore Kamal, elder brother of the the slain journalist and his sister-in-law Kiran Kumari, Officer in-charge of Bibhutipur police station Sanjeet Kumar said. Besides the trio, the FIR, filed by Shyam Kishore, the eldest brother of Singh, mentions five unidentified persons in the gruesome gunning down of the journalist late last evening, the OC added. Bihar: Hindi Daily reporter shot dead in Samastipur Singh was the youngest of the three brothers, Kumar said. Preliminary investigation suggests that the murder is a fallout of a property dispute, he added. Meanwhile, the body, after post-mortem, was handed over to the slain journalists family members today for the last rites to be performed at his native Salkhani village. Around five-six unidentified persons opened fire at Singh, killing him on the spot. Singh was associated with a prominent Hindi daily. He also ran a brick kiln where he was shot dead by the gunmen. The murder has drawn widespread anger. Last year in November, Dharmendra Singh, a journalist of a prominent vernacular daily, was shot dead in Rohtas district, apparently over his articles on illegal stone chip units. Hindi daily Hindustans Siwan bureau chief Rajdeo Ranjan was shot dead in Siwan district in May, 2016. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 Trend: An informal online meeting of the leadership (Bureau) of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) was held on September 2, Trend reports. During the meeting, extensive discussions took place on a number of areas of the assemblys activities. A report by OSCE PA President Georgy Tsereteli on events in the OSCE region was presented. Secretary General of the organization Roberto Montella spoke about the possible contribution of the OSCE PA to improving the efficiency of the organization's structures and the work that should be done by the assembly by December 2020. OSCE PA Vice-President, Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA Azay Guliyev commented on the agenda of the meeting. Noting the provocation carried out by Armenia in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, the illegal resettlement of Lebanese Armenians to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the fact of arming Armenia by Russia, Guliyev brought to the attention of the Bureau members that such events contradict the norms and principles of international law. Guliyev said that the initiative of OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella on "Operations of Lazarus" could be useful in systematizing the ideas and proposals collected and put forward by the OSCE PA over the years, in order to achieve certain results in strengthening the OSCE's activities and ensuring its effectiveness. The vice-president brought to the attention of the meeting participants his views on the steps to be taken on security issues, which are the main focus of the OSCE. "Firstly, as is known, a fact-finding mission was sent to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in 2005 under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. The final report of the mission reflected a number of violations of international law, including the illegal settlement of people on the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia," said Guliyev. Unfortunately, the OSCE Minsk Group didnt take concrete steps to resolve any issues raised in the mission's report, and this shows that the co-chairs arent interested in the soonest achievement of a just and peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, he noted. "Armenia continues the process of illegal resettlement of Armenians from the Middle East to the occupied Azerbaijani territories. At present, Armenia, using the recent explosion in Beirut, is carrying out the process of illegal settlement of its people in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts," said the vice-president. In this regard, I sent a letter to President Tsereteli, and I hope that the OSCE PA and other international organizations will condemn these illegal actions of Armenia, which contradict a number of international documents, including the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute. Illegal settlement of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh under the pretext of "repatriation" and "humanitarian aid" is part of the policy of annexation of Armenia, Guliyev said. The second issue is the lack of real cooperation between the OSCE PA and the Minsk Group. For some unknown reason, the co-chairs have not yet submitted a report on the activities of the Minsk Group, despite our repeated proposals and invitations from the Azerbaijani side, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation said. The current situation shows that not all the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are committed to achieving a common goal - the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict through negotiations. On the contrary, the arming of Armenia by one of the co-chairs, Russia, causes concern and contradicts the mediation mandate of this country in the Minsk Group, as well as its obligations reflected in a number of international documents on arms control and regional security, said Guliyev. The atmosphere of impunity and the lack of an adequate response to the illegal actions of Armenia create favorable conditions for the aggravation of the situation. As an example, I can point to the provocative attacks of Armenia on July 12-16, 2020, the shelling of our military and civilian facilities located on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district. As a result of the provocation, servicemen and civilians, including a 76-year-old resident of Tovuz district, were killed. The attacks by Armenia created an existential threat to oil and gas pipelines and other strategic economic infrastructure in the region, the vice-president emphasized. The third important issue is the need for the OSCE PA to establish institutional relations with the OSCE Minsk Group and close cooperation with it to build peacec he said. The OSCE PA can facilitate the convening of the Minsk Conference with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group members, at least within the OSCE PA we can hold a meeting with the participation of the Minsk Group member states. During the meeting, it is necessary to find an answer to one question - Why the co-chairs have not yet been able to find a solution to the problem, while Armenia still does not comply with the UN Security Council resolutions and other international documents? I believe that the intervention of the OSCE PA can be useful for identifying obstacles and failures in the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as achieving certain progress in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Guliyev said. The vice-president also said that for almost 30 years Armenia has been ignoring documents of international organizations, including four resolutions of the UN Security Council, OSCE and OSCE PA resolutions, requiring the unconditional withdrawal of the armed forces of the occupying country from internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Therefore, we must always remember about the tools and mechanisms offered by the OSCE, an organization uniting 57 countries, for resolving the conflict, about the mandate of this organization, and must ensure the implementation of the above resolutions requiring the withdrawal of armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. I believe that all these issues will be reflected in the proposals and action plan that will be presented to the OSCE, noted Guliyev. Several members of the Bureau who spoke further at the meeting supported Guliyev's proposals that the OSCE PA should be more active in connection with the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The creation of ACC 1 marks the birth of a major player in battery production in Europe. Yann Vincent has been appointed Chief Executive and Ghislain Lescuyer Chairman of the Board of the joint venture. This ambitious project, announced in January 2020 pools the expertise of each partner to develop and produce batteries with the highest level of performance worldwide. ACC benefits from the support of the French and German authorities, as well as the European institutions, to accompany the energy transition of mobility. Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005656/en/ Groupe PSA/Opel (Paris:UG) and Total/Saft have signed an agreement for the creation of the joint venture ACC. Yann Vincent has been appointed Chief Executive in order to implement and develop it. Ghislain Lescuyerhas been appointed Chairman of the Board. With this partnership, the parties are setting up a world-class player in the development and manufacture of high-performance batteries for the automotive industry from 2023. Total/Saft will contribute its expertise in R&D and industrialization, and Groupe PSA its knowledge of the automotive market and its experience in production. The R&D centre in Bordeaux and the pilot site in Nersac (France) have already started in order to develop the new high-performance lithium-ion technologies. At the end of this R&D phase, production is planned to be launched in two "gigafactories", in Douvrin (France) and Kaiserslautern (Germany). This project aims to: Respond to the challenges of the energy transition by reducing the environmental footprint of vehicles throughout the value chain in a desire to offer clean and affordable mobility to citizens. Produce batteries for electric vehicles that will be at the highest technological level in terms of energy performance, autonomy, recharging time and carbon footprint. Develop production capacity, essential to accompany the growth demand for electric vehicles in a European market estimated at 400 GWh by 2030, i.e. 15 times the current market. Ensure industrial independence in Europe for the conception and manufacture of batteries, with an initial capacity of 8 GWh, reaching a cumulative capacity of 48 GWh on both sites by 2030. It will represent 1 million electric vehicles produced per year, i.e. more than 10% of the European market. Position ACC as a major competitive player in supplying electric vehicle manufacturers. This project benefits from the financial support of French and German public authorities representing 1.3 billion. It received the European institutions agreement through an IPCEI project that testifies to the strategic importance of mobility for the energy transition. The whole project will mobilize an investment more than 5 billion investment. Carlos Tavares, Chairman of Groupe PSA: The construction of the European battery consortium that we wished for is now a reality. I would like to pay special tribute to the commitment of the Total/Saft and Groupe PSA/Opel teams who have made this project come true. This new step is consistent with our central purpose: "to offer citizens clean, safe and affordable mobility" and gives Groupe PSA a competitive advantage in the context of growing sales of electric vehicles. ACC takes Groupe PSA further along the road to carbon neutrality Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman of Total comments: The creation of ACC illustrates Total's commitment to meet the challenge of climate change and to develop as a broad energy company, a major player in the energy transition, by continuing to provide affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy. Our ambition is to leverage the recognized expertise of our subsidiary SAFT in batteries and the industrial know-how of our partner PSA to meet the strong growth of electric vehicles in Europe. I would like to offer my encouragement to the teams who will be joining ACC to make this adventure a real European technological and industrial success Ghislain Lescuyer, Chairman of the Board said: ACC is the result of a vision and a shared desire between industrial companies and European and national authorities to build the European battery leader. In Europe, we have the essential skills to develop the best technologies and differentiate ourselves from Asian competitors. ACC will thus promote the transition to an efficient, safe and sustainable electric mobility. Yann Vincent, Chief Executive comments: This is a great opportunity for me to implement this strategic project on behalf of both companies. I am convinced that the combination of know-how and the desire to succeed will bring the ACC team to the highest level of technological and economic competitiveness in the years to come. About Groupe PSA Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions to meet all customer expectations. The Group has five car brands, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall and provides a wide array of mobility and smart services under the Free2Move brand. Its 'Push to Pass' strategic plan represents a first step towards the achievement of the Group's vision to be "a global carmaker with cutting-edge efficiency and a leading mobility provider sustaining lifetime customer relationships". An early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, Groupe PSA is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia.. Media library: medialibrary.groupe-psa.com @GroupePSA_EN About Total Total is a major energy player that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major. About Saft Saft specializes in advanced technology battery solutions for industry, from design and development to production, customization and service provision. For 100 years, Saft's longer-lasting batteries and systems have provided critical safety applications, back-up power and propulsion for our customers. Our innovative, safe and reliable technology delivers high performance on land, at sea, in the air and in space. Saft is powering industry and smarter cities, while providing critical back-up functionality in remote and harsh environments from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert. Saft is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Total, a major energy player that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. https://twitter.com/Saft_batteries https://www.linkedin.com/company/165813/ https://www.youtube.com/c/Saft_DesignedforIndustry https://www.instagram.com/saftbatteries/ Cautionary note This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TOTAL SE. directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TOTAL SE. has no liability for their acts or omissions. In this document, the terms "Total", "Total Group" and Group are sometimes used for convenience. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TOTAL SE. nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 1 ACC: Automotive Cells Company Communications Department www.groupe-psa.com/en +33 6 61 93 29 36 @GroupePSA View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005656/en/ Contacts: Media contacts: Groupe PSA: Claudia Raynaud +33 6 61 64 03 83 - claudia.lefevre@mpsa.com Alain le Gouguec +33 6 42 59 27 84 - alain.legouguec@mpsa.com Saft: Media relation +33 1 58 63 16 60 karen.hollington@saftbatteries.com Total: Press relation +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 presse@total.com @TotalPress Investors relation +44 (0)207 719 7962 ir@total.com Illustration of contact tracing app on top of a street map Credit: Shutterstock The latest research findings from a team of modelers and epidemiologists at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Medicine and Google Research suggest digital contact tracing, such as that based on Google and Apple's Exposure Notification System (ENS), can help to control the epidemic at low levels of app uptake. The latest research models the potential contribution of Exposure Notifications towards reducing infections, hospitalisations, deaths, and the number of people in quarantine in Washington State's three largest counties King, Pierce and Snohomish. The study highlights that the more people use Exposure Notification Systems, the greater the reduction in COVID-19 transmissions, and the greater the opportunity to ease restrictive quarantine measures. Professor Christophe Fraser, co-lead author, scientific advisor to the UK Government Test & Trace Program and Group Leader in Pathogen Dynamics at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Medicine, says: "We've been exploring different digital contact tracing uptake levels for some time in the UK. We see that all levels of exposure notification uptake levels in the UK and the U.S. have the potential to meaningfully reduce the number of coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths across the population. For example, we estimate that in Washington State, a well-staffed manual contact tracing workforce combined with 15% uptake of an exposure notification system could reduce infections by 15% and deaths by 11%." To help us understand the potential impact that digital contact tracing systems could have, the research teams used Oxford's epidemiological model OpenABM-COVID19 with the latest real-world data from Washington state on both the epidemic, and on patterns of human mobility and social interactions that occur in homes, workplaces, schools, social gatherings and transportation. With the primary aim of reducing the risk of further waves of COVID-19, the results include different scenarios and outcomes which enable policy makers to consider phased reopening and easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and so enable as many people as possible to return to more normal activities whilst maintaining control of the epidemic. Matthew Abueg, co-lead author at Google Research, says: "The analyses show that the simultaneous or independent deployment of both manual and digital tracing can help control the epidemic in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, and should support local authorities to meet the key incidence metrics defined by the Safe Start Washington plan before December, 2020." Dr. David Bonsall, scientific advisor to the UK government's Test & Trace Program, clinician and senior researcher at Oxford University' Nuffield Department of Medicine, says: "COVID-19 infects others before we develop symptoms, and some people transmit with only mild or no symptoms at all. Lockdowns and travel restrictions are damaging to society so we need smarter, more efficient systems that notify only the people at risk and keep the rest of us moving freely. Privacy-preserving digital exposure notification systems are an important part of the global response to this pandemic. They will save more lives and reduce increasingly more infections as people gain trust in the systems." Professor Christophe Fraser says: "The research results build on our previous findings in the UK and suggest a contact tracing app is not a stand-alone intervention, it should be integrated and continually updated alongside other existing and new infection control measures, such as social distancing and restricted travel, until COVID-19 transmission is fully and sustainably under control." Shawn O'Banion, at Google Research, says: "In order to prevent COVID-19 transmission, we should consider targeted or phased reopening strategies, such as identifying specific occupation sectors or schools, based on less affected industries or age groups, or perhaps more stringent social distancing guidance in places that are permitted to reopen. Our simulations should help public health authorities to strike the balance between protecting people from infection and reducing the social and economic impact of prolonged or repeated lockdowns." This study also begins to explore factors relating to cross-border collaboration and contact tracing interoperability by quantifying the effectiveness and resource utilization between coordinated and uncoordinated deployments. Dr. Robert Hinch, senior researcher at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Medicine, says: "We'd like to gather further evidence to assess to what extent coordinated deployments of digital exposure notification applications and public health policies result in the more effective COVID-19 infection control, and continue to find ways to ensure the maximum impact for often limited testing, tracing and isolation resources." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Matthew Abueg et al. Modeling the combined effect of digital exposure notification and non-pharmaceutical interventions on the COVID-19 epidemic in Washington state, (2020). Matthew Abueg et al. Modeling the combined effect of digital exposure notification and non-pharmaceutical interventions on the COVID-19 epidemic in Washington state,(2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.29.20184135 BEIRUT - People throughout Lebanon observed a moment of silence Friday to mark one month since the devastating Beirut explosion, while rescuers dug through the rubble of a building destroyed in the blast, hoping to find a survivor. The split-screen images reflected the pain and anguish that persists one month after the Aug. 4 blast that killed 191 people, injured 6,000 others and traumatized Lebanon, which already was suffering under a severe economic crisis and financial collapse. The search operation in the historic Mar Mikhail district on a street once filled with crowded bars and restaurants has gripped the nation for the past 24 hours. The possibility, however unlikely, that a survivor could be found after one month gave hope to people who followed the live images on television, wishing for a miracle. The operation began Thursday after a dog used by the Chilean search-and-rescue team TOPOS detected something as it toured Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhail streets and rushed toward the rubble. Rescue workers used cranes, shovels and their bare hands in a meticulous search after a pulsing signal was detected. Images of the black-and-white 5-year-old dog named Flash, wearing red shoes to protect its paws, circulated on social media and was trending on Twitter in Lebanon. People thanked the dog and said it cared more about the Lebanese people than their own government. Across from Mar Mikhail, near the wreckage of Beiruts port, a commemoration was held for the victims of the blast in the presence of some of their relatives. Soldiers fired a salute, then laid a white rose for each of the 191 victims at a memorial. The crowd fell silent at 6:08 p.m., the moment of the most destructive explosion in Lebanons violent history. Church bells tolled, mosques made a call for prayers and ambulances blared their sirens simultaneously. Some people wept silently. Others held ropes tied as nooses -- a sign of the grief and raw anger toward officials that persists in the country. The blast was caused by nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port for years. In addition to the dead and injured, thousands of homes were damaged by the blast, which smashed windows and doors for miles and was felt on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It still isnt clear what caused the fire that ignited the ammonium nitrate. The public blames the corruption and negligence of Lebanons politicians, security and judicial officials, many of whom knew about the storage of the chemicals and did nothing. We will hold you accountable, one banner read. A firefighting force drove from headquarters in the direction of the port, marking the route that 10 of their colleagues took when they rushed to put out the fire but were killed instead. The state still has failed to provide any answers as to how such a thing could happen, the investigation has been slow and ineffective, and no senior official has been detained, although many of them knew the dangers and did not act for six years. I know rationally its been one month, but at a very visceral level it all just feels like one long bad day, that moment stretches out for what feels like forever, posted Carmen Geha, an activist and university professor. I cannot rest, we cannot rest with bodies still under rubble. We need accountability like air. At the Mar Mikhail search site, rescue workers slowly removed debris from the building. The more they dug, the more careful the work became to protect anyone buried there. Later, a 360-degree camera at the end of a long pole was pushed into a hole in the building. Images did not turn up any trace of humans in that particular section. On Thursday, the team used audio equipment to try to hear signals or a heartbeat and detected what could be a pulse of 18 to 19 beats per minute. The origin of the pulsing sound was not immediately known but it was enough to set off the frantic search. On Friday morning, the beats dropped to seven per minute, according to a Chilean volunteer who spoke to local TV station Al Jadeed. The head of the Chilean team, Francisco Lermanda, said he could not confirm or deny the presence of a person dead or alive under the rubble and that the work would continue. The Chilean group has been part of multiple international rescue efforts, including the earthquakes in 2010 in Chile and in 2017 in Mexico. It is credited with rescuing 14 people found after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, one of them 28 days after it struck. As far as I can understand from my Chilean colleagues, the search area is quite narrow, said a French civil engineer who identified himself only as Emmanuel. He added that the search area is not very deep and is just above the vault of the ground floor. What we are searching for at the moment is likely one person not under much material, he said. The anger on the street was palpable, especially when the search was suspended briefly before midnight Thursday, apparently to find a crane. Outraged protesters at the site claimed the Lebanese army had asked the Chileans to stop the search. In a reflection of the staggering distrust of the authorities, some protesters donned helmets and started searching, while others tried to arrange for a crane. Wheres your conscience? Theres life under this building and you want to stop the work until tomorrow? one woman screamed at a soldier. Members of Lebanons Civil Defence team returned after midnight and resumed work. The army issued a statement Friday in response to the criticism, saying the Chilean team stopped work at 11:30 p.m. because it feared a wall might collapse. It added that army experts inspected the site and two cranes were brought in to remove the wall, after which the search resumed. Recent weeks have been extremely hot in Lebanon, with high humidity. The Chilean team occasionally called for people on the streets, including a group of journalists, to turn off their mobile phones and be quiet for five minutes to avoid interfering with their instruments. Two days after the explosion, a French rescue team and Lebanese civil defence volunteers had searched the same building, which had a bar on the ground floor. At the time, they had no reason to believe there was anyone still at the site. ___ Associated Press writer Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile and Hussein Malla and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed reporting. Inundated buildings and vehicles after heavy rain caused flooding in Shexian county, Huangshan city, in eastern China's Anhui Province on July 7, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Chinese Authorities Mismanagement Led to Severe Flooding: Citizen Lujiang County, Anhui Province was recently submerged in 8-meter-deep (about 26.25 feet) floods after heavy rainfall. While local authorities and state media said a local dike broke due to the torrential rains, causing the flooding, some citizens said they believe authorities intentionally damaged it to divert stormwater to the county in the name of protecting urban areas. Since historic rainfall befell much of China this summer, local authorities have employed this strategy of sacrificing rural areas when managing stormwater overflows. Local residents in Lujiang said that for 40 days, they were trapped with little food or supplies. The Situation Chen Liang (alias), a resident of Tongda town, Lujiang county, told The Epoch Times: The water has not receded. Theres still about 2 meters (6.5 feet) of water in our house, and the first floor is still underwaterNow, the government is saying theyll drain it [with pumps]. As for when it will be gone completely, who knows? Two villages, Shidaxu and Niuguangxu, about 30 kilometers (about 18.6 miles) apart, were also immersed in floods, Chen said. Tens of thousands of people in Shidaxu were displaced from their homes and forced to stay at rentals outside the village for the time being. Chen has been living in a rental for more than 40 days. So far, authorities provided a bag of rice and a bottle of cooking oil, but nothing more. He, his wife, and two children are living in a 20 square-meter (about 215 square feet) apartment, with rent at 500 yuan ($73) a month. He said it has been difficult providing for the family while having to support his parents and grandfather. Chen is a small business owner with two stores, but one of them was completely flooded. He estimated that he suffered about four to five million yuan ($586,555-$733,193) in losses. I spent most of my life savings on the store. There are also debts and loansus ordinary people have unspeakable hardships, he said. He is also worried about the damage to his house, which he built. The water hasnt receded. A few days ago, when he tried to go home and pick up something, he saw that it was in terrible condition. Nothing can be used anymore. The house smells so bad. Its terrible, you cant go in. The clothes are all flooded, and nothing can be used, he said. Authorities Evacuation Chen recalled that on the night before the flooding on July 22, local authorities asked residents to evacuate, but residents were not allowed to take anything with them. According to Chinese media 21st Century News, on July 22, the water level at the local Chaohu Lake had soared from 8.80 meters before the rainy season to a maximum of 13.43 meters, setting a historical record. The lakes water volume increased by nearly 3.6 billion cubic meters, which is double its normal water capacity. Under normal conditions, the lake water would diverge into the Yangtze River. But due to flooding, the lake overflowed. At around 8 a.m. on July 22, local media reported that the dike close to the lake had collapsed. Chen suspects that authorities broke the dike on purposesince they knew to evacuate residents before the flooding began. Its hard to swallowWhy didnt the government admit that the water was released, but talked about a dike collapse? Why? We have made such a big sacrifice. Dont we deserve an explanation? Chen said. He added that there were about 100,000 mu (16,474 acres) of fertile land in the two villages, which are now submerged. The local economy relies mainly on growing rice and fisheries, he said. OPCW issues warning amid growing rift between Western powers and Moscow over poisoning of Kremlin critic. In a statement regarding the case of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, the global chemical weapons agency has said the poisoning of any individual with a toxic nerve agent would be considered use of a banned chemical weapon. Any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of chemical weapons. Such an allegation is a matter of grave concern, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Thursday. Novichok was banned this year by the OPCW. Meanwhile, Russia rejected accusations that Moscow was to blame for the poisoning of opposition leader Navalny, saying it saw no grounds for sanctions to be imposed against it over the case. The Kremlins denial came on Thursday, a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejected any suggestion that Russia was responsible and warned other countries against jumping to hasty conclusions. He said there was no reason to discuss measures against Moscow after Merkel said Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond to the poisoning. The Charite hospital in Berlin, where Navalny is lying in intensive care, has reported some improvement in his condition, but he remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. In a statement on Wednesday, Merkels spokesman Steffen Seibert said testing by a special German military laboratory had shown proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group, as he described Navalny as the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent in Russia. Merkel later told a news conference: This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Moscow to investigate the poisoning, and said the Russian ambassador had been summoned to explain the evidence. This makes it all the more urgent that those responsible in Russia be identified and held accountable, Maas told reporters. We condemn this attack in the strongest terms. Novichok a military-grade nerve agent was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the United Kingdom. European response Navalny, 44, a politician and anti-corruption crusader who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putins fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. He was later transferred to Charite hospital, where doctors last week said there were indications he had been poisoned. The Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia have repeatedly contested the German hospitals conclusion, saying they ruled out poisoning as a diagnosis and their tests for poisonous substances came back negative. Al Jazeeras Aleksandra Stoyanovich-Godfroid, reporting from Moscow, said Russias response was so far cautious and restrained. The Russian doctors released Navalny with a metabolic disorder diagnosis. Two labs in Russia didnt find anything suspicious and a pre-investigation didnt find anything leading to foul play, she said. On the other hand, the opposition is saying, We knew [it was Novichok] all the symptoms are there.' Novichok is a cholinesterase inhibitor, part of the class of substances that doctors at the Charite initially identified in Navalny. Navalnys allies said the German governments identification of the poison used against him suggested the Russian state had been behind the attack. Only the state [FSB, GRU] can use Novichok. This is beyond any reasonable doubt, Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on Twitter, referring to the FSB internal security and GRU military intelligence services. Meanwhile, Norbert Roettgen, head of Germanys parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told Deutschlandfunk radio on Thursday that there must be a European response when asked whether work on the NordStream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany should stop in the wake of Navalnys poisoning. We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language [Russian President Vladimir] Putin understands that is gas sales, said Roettgen, a member of Merkels ruling conservatives. NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus today announced it will participate in a National Day of Prayer and Fasting to End Racism on Sept. 9, the Feast of St. Peter Claver, a 16th century Catholic saint revered for his ministry to slaves. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, called for a day of fasting and prayer in response to the violence and unrest that has taken place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and other cities across the U.S. Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, "We are proud to join our bishops and all Catholics in this important day of prayer and penance. As men of faith, we are committed to defending the dignity of every personregardless of race, color, ethnicity or ability. I urge all Knights to draw upon our principles of unity and fraternity to help guide our nation through this time of racial unrest through prayer and fasting." In June, the Knights of Columbus called for a Novena for National Unity & An End to Racism. At that time, Anderson stressed that injustice to a Black person is injustice to all as all are made in the likeness of God. He also called for people to express "their anger and cries for justice" peacefully, following the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the teachings of Pope Francis. The upcoming National Day of Prayer and Fasting offers such an opportunity. Anderson also addressed the issue of racism in his report to the Knights' annual convention in August: "Many of our fellow citizens are still treated differently because of the color of their skin," said Anderson. "Whenever and wherever this happens, it is wrong. And it must be righted. Where others tear down, let us build up with charity. Where others seek to divide, let us promote unity. And where racism festers, let us build fraternity." Racial Equality Supreme Knight Carl Anderson served on the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights in the 1990s. The Knights of Columbus has worked with Black churches and clergy to speak out against racism and violence. The Knights of Columbus financially supports the work of the USCCB's Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and Carl Anderson serves as a consultant to that committee. About the Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus is one of the world's leading fraternal and service organizations with 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based councils. During the past year, Knights around the world donated more than 77 million service hours and $187 million for worthy causes in their communities. The organization also provides financial services to groups and individuals, resulting in more than $112 billion of life insurance in force, and through its money management firm, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, it invests in accord with Catholic social teachings. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable insurance products to its members, the Knights of Columbus has supported families and communities for more than 138 years. SOURCE Knights of Columbus Related Links www.kofc.org Fon Forchesiri III of Bamendakwe Archives Fon Forchesiri III is the new traditional ruler of Bamendankwe, a village in Bamenda I Subdivision, Mezam Division of Cameroons North West region. The 26th Fon of Bamendankwe was presented to the public Wednesday, September 2, 2020. The official, yet traditional, ceremony at the esplanade of the Fons palace unfolded under the watchful eyes of the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Mezam, Simon Emile Mooh, among other administrative, traditional and municipal authorities. Fon Forchesiri III succeeds his father, Fon Forsuh Nforngwa II, who ruled Bamendakwe for over three decades. The disappearance of Fon Forsuh Nforngwa II was announced early Wednesday morning. The announcement was followed by the expression of grief from the Bamendakwe people who had converged on the palace from far and near. The high point of the event was when the new Fon was brought out to the arena to be symbolically stoned before being taken back into the inner chambers of the palace, said Bamendakwe elite, Solomon Mforgham Tembang. This, according to the customs and tradition of the Bamendankwe people, is symbolic in that it empowers the Fon and indicates that the entire population of Bamendankwe has given him absolute power and authority over the village. It also means henceforth the Fon would have to be respected without question and becomes the custodian of the Bamendankwe tradition and the link between his subjects and their ancestors. The villagers went to nearby streams where they took off their sackcloth and ashes. They later returned to the Bamendakwe palace where they celebrated the appearance of their new Fon. Christened Amah George Nforgwa at birth, Fon Forchesiri III holds a BA in Banking and Finance. He is currently a student at the Advanced School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM. Following yesterdays enthronement, The Guardian Post quotes Tantoh Emmanuel, president of the Bamendankwe Cultural and Development Association, BAMEDCA, as saying: It has been a very successful event. We started here in the morning and we saw men and women come almost naked. Men were putting on their shorts and the women were completely if not half naked. This has come to show that the culture of the Bamendankwe man is still alive and with the coming of our new Fon you can see that there is total happiness and unity amongst the Bamendankwe people. The turnout was so wonderful. As the BAMEDCA president, I am so impressed. Looking at the turnout, I believe that the development of these people is going to follow, from the way things are beginning to change. In a nutshell I think we have better days ahead. I want to encourage and call on my brothers and sisters that lets together join hands and give our new Fon the respect that he deserves so that together we can build a wonderful Fondom. I pray that the Lord Almighty will grant our new Fon, HRH Forchesiri III, the wisdom that he deserves in order to accomplish the great mission that has been assigned to him by his village. I think everybody leaving here, including the SDO, is happy and everybody who was here has witnessed a wonderful occasion. Bamendankwe is bordered to the North by Awing and Santa, South West by Nkwen, South East by Akum, West by Bambili, Babanki Tungoh, Balikumbat and Banjah. The village is headed by a Fon. It has 36 quarters headed by quarter heads. These quarter heads and a traditional council assist the Fon in administering the village. Bamendankwe is the village that hosted the administrative headquarters of the former Bamenda division and currently hosts that of the North West region. In this regard, the importance of Bamendankwe dates back from the time of the German administration of the Western Grassland plateau in the year 1902, Tembang says. (Jamie Sholberg Los Angeles Times / Getty) Garth Follett of Novato, Calif., planned to travel to the Philippines in March. When he bought his ticket in January, the novel coronavirus was lurking but not yet menacing every country in the world. What happened to Follett and, more specifically, Folletts money has happened to thousands of others as airlines struggle to stay afloat financially. For many people, that meant they did not receive refunds even when they were entitled to them by law. How many? The Air Consumer Travel Report for May tells a story: The U.S. Department of Transportation received 21,914 complaints about airline service, up 1,509.9% from the previous May. Of those 21,914 complaints, only 999 were not about airline refunds. Here is Folletts tale: In January, he bought a ticket to the Philippines for March 29. He paid the $1,127 fare with a debit card. In February, the world began to understand that the virus was an imminent threat. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, and on March 13, the United States declared a national health emergency. In March, Follett began trying to get through to Philippine Airlines, or PAL, to find out the status of his trip. Unable to reach PAL by phone, he packed his bag and went to San Francisco International Airport on March 29 in case the flight was departing as planned. It wasnt, and he was told he would have to call PAL for a refund. He was entitled to that refund because PAL, not Follett, canceled the flight. The DOT has jurisdiction over foreign airlines if they do business in the United States. If you look at the Air Consumer Travel Report for May, youll see more than 10,000 complaints about foreign airlines. PAL isnt the worst. Air Canada, which weve written about because of its churlishness in providing a refund, led the pack in total complaints with more than 1,700. During April, May and most of June, Follett tried repeatedly to contact PAL to ask for a refund. In late June, he finally got through but was told he had to wait three billing cycles for his money to be credited to his bank account. Story continues Almost 60 days after that call, he called again and was told he would get his money back, except for $349 in taxes. This week, he filed a complaint with the DOT. PAL did not respond to our three requests for a response to Follets predicament. But the DOT did respond to our questions about Folletts best course of action. Airlines have an obligation to provide a refund to a ticketed passenger when the carrier cancels or significantly changes the passengers flight and the passenger chooses not to accept an alternative offered by the carrier, a DOT spokesman told me. The departments refund regulation requires that airlines provide prompt refunds where ticket refunds are due. It defines prompt as being within seven business days if a passenger paid by credit card and within 20 days if a passenger paid by cash or check. Because of the overwhelming number of refund requests, the DOT isnt holding airlines feet to the fire with the same rigor if those carriers are making good faith efforts to provide refunds in a timely manner, a May FAQ from the DOT said. It's not known whether what happened to Follett registers as a good faith effort, but the DOT also noted that he could file a complaint with the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection at bit.ly/DOTAviationComplaintForm. The DOT said the airline must acknowledge the consumer within 30 days of receiving the complaint and respond within 60 days. And what about that $349 that PAL wants to withhold for taxes? Nope, the DOT said. Thats part of the price of the ticket, so it must be returned to the customer as well. If all goes as the DOT timeline suggests, Follett should hear back from PAL by the end of October, 121 days since he was able to get through to the airline to request a refund. Whether he will get his $349 in taxes refunded also appears to be a question in PALs mind, although not the DOTs. Id love to share some sage advice with you to ensure that you never get entangled in such a mess, but these are extraordinary times, cubed. Its always better to pay with a credit card instead of a debit card, but even if Follett had, by the time he found out his flight wasnt taking off, the 60-day window for disputing a charge under the Fair Credit Billing Act would have expired. (You do not have to pay the disputed part of your bill while the investigation is pending.) Could he have contacted PAL sooner than June 29? Perhaps, if he had wanted to make a career out of calling a number that he said was always busy. Should he have called back after PAL said yes to a refund? Unknowable. At least he now realizes that hes also due a refund for the $349 in taxes, despite what PAL said. Heres what Winston Churchill said in fall 1941, just a few months after the end of Germanys blitz against Britain killed 43,000 and injured 139,000: Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. The size of Folletts tussle is minuscule by comparison, but the sentiment suggests a course for those who believe every company should do whats right and fair. Have a problem, dilemma or issue thats travel-related? Write to catharine@catharinehamm.com and include your name and city of residence. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday slammed the Department of Homeland Security for not releasing a draft intelligence bulletin that warned of a Russian plan to promote "allegations about the poor mental health" of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. ABC News first reported that the bulletin was written in July by the DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis. After the chief of staff to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf raised concerns over its contents, ABC News says, the bulletin was never sent to federal, state, and local law enforcement. Schiff said he found the decision to withhold the bulletin "alarming," adding that the U.S. needs its intelligence agencies "to speak truth to power, and if information is going to be withheld like this, it means they're not doing their job." Schiff said the House Intelligence Committee will investigate the matter to determine if DHS is "being interfered with politically." ABC News obtained a copy of the report, titled "Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of U.S. Candidates to Influence 2020 Election," and it stated that analysts had "high confidence" Russia would try to get people to believe Biden is in poor health. The bulletin also included Chinese and Iranian plans to amplify concerns about President Trump's mental health. A Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News the draft bulletin "lacked the necessary context and evidence for broader dissemination," and that's why it didn't go outside of the intelligence office. Wolf told Fox News the report was "very poorly written," and claimed officials in the office "also had questions about it. They're hard at work on rewriting that report, putting it in better context. I hope to see that record out soon." More stories from theweek.com John Bolton 'didn't hear' Trump's reported comments disparaging troops but says they're not out of character Why Trump's 'losers' and 'suckers' slurs cut especially deep for Marines Rose McGowan vows to 'expose' Alexander Payne after he denies misconduct allegations Elliott Stubblefield wants to change the narrative surrounding organ donation. As Indiana Donor Networks new director of multicultural engagement, hell have the chance to work with members of underrepresented communities to explain the need, dispel myths and start conversations among families regarding end-of-life wishes. With years of management work under his belt for various organizations, Stubblefield, 47, said his new position appealed to him because of his mothers openness about organ donation. By the time he was 13, Stubblefield and his siblings knew exactly what their mother wanted to happen after her death. Im just a little boy from Gary, Indiana, and my mother was very blunt about her intentions, Stubblefield said with a laugh. She let us know, I want to give the gift of life to as many people as I can. Stubblefield knows he has a large task ahead of him. There are a lot of myths surrounding organ donation, particularly in the Black community, where mistrust of medical professionals is not uncommon. I dont concentrate heavily on the negative side and misinformation, said Stubblefield, who is more focused on changing perceptions and getting more people to sign up to be organ donors, particularly in the Black and Latinx communities. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, 60% of Americans currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant are from communities of color. However, only 34% of donors in 2019 were from the same groups. For Hoosiers, those numbers are 37% and 17% respectively. Stubblefield said working with people and partners from within the Indianapolis community, a large responsibility in his new position, will hopefully be able to make a big difference. Were trying to get our name out there and get exposure for what we do, Stubblefield said of working with the community. We want to be a partner not just trying to get a brand out there, but to be a service to our community. Those who know Stubblefield can attest to his ability to engage with the community and put people first. Corye Franklin, principal of Arsenal Tech High School and Stubblefields brother in Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, said Stubblefield has what it takes to rally a community together. Hes very transparent. He leads with his head and with his heart, Franklin, who has worked with Stubblefield on several committees, said. Hes very inquisitive, asks a lot of questions and hes very pensive when hes doing something that needs to be done. Hes just a great person, very humble, and outgoing. One of Stubblefields biggest goals for his new position is to start conversations among families about end-of-life plans and organ donation. As a father, he understands no one wants to discuss their death, especially not with their children. But, you dont want them to not know [your wishes] and have another external source of stress, he said. Taking a page out of his mothers book, Stubblefield began talking to his daughter who is currently a sophomore at Indiana University about organ donation when she was young. She asked me so many questions, and I just made sure I was open, Stubblefield said. Shes an organ donor. I think shes more interested because she wants to be a doctor. Stubblefield said the key to starting these conversations is doing research beforehand. Research is everything. Finding out what the donation process is like I know that decision is tough, I completely understand people dont want to talk about it, Stubblefield said. But you have to put that past you make it dinner time conversation or look on the internet. Theres a lot of different resources. Indiana Donor Network offers coloring books and child-friendly videos to explain organ donation and to help parents start the conversation with their children. Start at Google, Stubblefield said. Find out what its about, and its an easier way to discuss those things. Although he officially started his job at the beginning of August, COVID-19 has made it difficult for Stubblefield to get out in the community, something he said hes looking forward to the most. Im so excited about doing what I do best, which is getting out in the community, Stubblefield said. I love talking to people, thats my passion and I want to get the word out. If me putting myself out of my comfort zone saves a life, I know Ive done my job. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Give the gift of life! To learn more about organ donation and register to be a donor, visit indianadonornetwork.org. Elliot Stubblefield The Delhi Metro will resume services in the national Capital from September 7 after a hiatus of 169 days. However, travelling in the Metro will not be the same as before. With Covid-19 infections still on the rise, passengers will only be allowed with masks on after a thorough screening. Social distancing will be mandatory inside stations and trains. Heres a look at the new rules that passengers will need to follow from September 7. 1. Masks will be mandatory for entry into all Metro stations and passengers will have to wear one inside stations and in trains at all times. Kiosks will be set up outside stations where masks will be available for purchase. Also Read: Delhi Metro to resume services in phased manner from Sept 7, stations to be closely monitored: SOP 2. Entry and exit from Metro stations will be restricted. Depending on the size and footfall at a station, one or two gates in each station will initially remain open for passenger movement. Stations in containment zones will remain closed and trains will not halt there. 3. All passengers entering the station will be thermally scanned. It is at the discretion of the security agency, the CISF, to stop any passenger who is found to be symptomatic. Passengers are also advised to carry smaller luggage, so that screening can be quick and there is no crowding at station gates. Also Read: Commuters caught in two minds over Delhi Metro reopening plan 4. Tokens will not be allowed as they could be carriers of the virus. Passengers with smart cards will also have to use digital options for top-ups. 5. The Delhi Metro has marked spots across the station and platform premises where passengers will be allowed to stand. Inside the trains, alternate seats can be occupied. 6. All stations will be monitored through a centralised control room using CCTV cameras. If any passenger is found to violate social distancing rules, drivers will be directed to skip the said station. DMRC can also stop people from entering a station at any time if the crowd inside grows over the deemed capacity of the station. 7. Only three passengers will be allowed inside lifts and on escalators. Also Read: Masks not enough, crowds a concern: Experts divided over Delhi Metro reopening Nearly 800 Delhi Metro officials will man operations at all times. The train and station premises will be sanitised regularly, because of which the frequency of trains could initially be affected. Trains will also stop for longer at stations so that passengers can take their time to board and deboard without crowding the train gates. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (CNN) The Chinese science fiction trilogy "The Three-Body Problem" has won awards around the world and been heralded by fans including Barack Obama and sci-fi giant George R. R. Martin. Now, the creators of HBO's "Game of Thrones" are bringing the series to Netflix in an English-language adaptation. The Netflix version will cover all three books written by Liu Cixin, formally named the "Remembrance of Earth's Past," though commonly known by readers and fans as the "Three-Body Problem" series, which tell the story of an alternative Chinese history involving alien invasions, technological battles and power struggles. The project will be a collaboration between United States and Chinese production teams. "The first time I read The Three-Body Problem trilogy (Remembrance of Earth's Past), it changed what science fiction meant to me forever," said Peter Friedlander, vice president of Netflix's original series drama team, in a statement on Tuesday. "This story felt singular, special -- and eminently relatable." It's a star-studded project; the adaptation will be written and executive-produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss of "Game of Thrones" fame, and Alexander Woo, who wrote for HBO's "True Blood." Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman, the duo behind "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and "Knives Out," have also signed on as executive producers. "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," said Benioff and Weiss in a joint statement. "We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world." The production will be the first from Benioff and Weiss for Netflix since the showrunners signed a deal with the streaming giant last year, reportedly worth $200 million. Liu Cixin and Ken Liu, who translated the books into English in 2014, will both work as consulting producers on the series to "help ensure that the spirit of the books remains intact," said Friedlander in the statement. The list of executive producers also includes representatives from the Yoozoo Group and The Three-Body Universe, the Chinese groups that hold the rights to the franchise. "I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences," said Liu Cixin in the Netflix statement. "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." The adaptation marked a "great honor as an author," he added. The first work in the trilogy, "The Three-Body Problem," was serialized in 2006 then published as a book in 2008. The next two books, "The Dark Forest" and "Death's End," were published in 2008 and 2010 respectively. The series received critical acclaim in China, with fans praising its blend of meticulous mathematics and physics, science fiction theory, and philosophical elements against the bloody backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution. It won the Galaxy Award, China's most prestigious science fiction prize, in 2006. After Ken Liu's English version was published, he and Liu Cixin jointly won the international Hugo Award for Best Novel, marking the first time an Asian novel had ever won the prize. The translation helped propel the series to global fame; Martin, who wrote the novels that were adapted into HBO's "Game of Thrones," praised it as "a breakthrough book" and "a worthy nominee" of the Hugo Award. And former US President Obama told the New York Times in 2017 that the series was "just wildly imaginative, really interesting." "The scope of it was immense," he said. "So that was fun to read, partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty -- not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade." There have been previous attempts to adapt the books for the big screen; a Chinese 3-D film began production in 2015, but has since been postponed. And last summer, there were reports of the novels being adapted into an animated television series. This story was first published on CNN.com Game of Thrones producers to adapt Chinese sci-fi 'The Three-Body Problem' for Netflix Ashley Roberts looked a vision in blue as she made a stylish exit from work at Heart FM in London's Global Studios on Thursday. The radio presenter, 38, donned a chic blue silk shirt and jogging bottoms in a darker hue as she made her way home after hosting her breakfast show. Her outing came days after she returned home from a sun-soaked break in Turkey. Looking good: Ashley Roberts looked a vision in blue as she made a stylish exit from work at Heart FM in London's Global Studios on Thursday Ashley oozed confidence as she strutted down the street in her eye-catching ensemble by Serena Bute London. She finished her look with a pair of white Gucci trainers, while she carried her essentials in a blue Kurt Geiger handbag. The Pussycat Doll left her blonde tresses loose for the occasion, while she enhanced her features with a minimal make-up palette. The previous day, Ashley reunited with her pal and co-host Amanda Holden, 49. Fashionista: The radio presenter, 38, donned a chic blue silk shirt and jogging bottoms in a darker hue as she made her way home after hosting her breakfast show Ashley posed for a slew of photos with Amanda after reuniting following their summer breaks. She captioned the post: 'Girls are back in town'. It comes after Ashley took to Instagram on Sunday evening to share a scenic bikini-clad snap by the sea in Turkey. The Don't Cha hitmaker looked phenomenal as she drank in her surroundings while donning a barely-there red two-piece. Work it: Ashley oozed confidence as she strutted down the street in her eye-catching ensemble by Serena Bute London Street style: She finished her look with a pair of white Gucci trainers, while she carried her essentials in a blue Kurt Geiger handbag She added a caption on the duo of snaps reading: 'She holy hunni. How beautiful?! Heres to looking and hoping for a brighter rest of 2020 #wecanhope #adventure #motherearth #grateful'. Ashley revealed last month she is open to the idea of adopting a child in the future. Speaking in an interview with Fabulous magazine, she said: 'I'm definitely open to the idea of adoption. 'You just never know what the future is going to bring and the most important thing is to be happy and, whether my body naturally has kids or not, we'll see what life brings. I'm definitely open to that.' Fabulous: The Pussycat Doll left her blonde tresses loose for the occasion, while she enhanced her features with a minimal make-up palette Reunited: The previous day, Ashley reunited with her pal and co-host Amanda Holden, 49, with the duo posing for a slew of snaps Ashley also reflected on dating following her split from Italian Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, 29. The couple called time on their year-long romance in January after meeting during Ashley's stint on the BBC One dance competition in late 2018. She said: 'I'm good on my own, though. I'm pretty independent. It's nice to have that connection with someone, but at the moment lockdown is still [effectively] here, so "me" is where it is.' She said about dating in lockdown: 'You can get to know someone a bit more before other "things" can happen perhaps that's something that's positive. We'll see.' Company Presentation Perth, Sep 3, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd ( ASX:WMX ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) is a developing gold mining company listed on the ASX that controls 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation located at the northern end of the Western Australian Goldfields.Four gold systems have been defined on the Company's 1,600 km2 tenure to date with substantial production growth and discovery potential;Exploring for discoveries "Under the Headframe" and regionally; discoveries located near existing development and infrastructure; and Currently producing circa 60k oz pa gold dore; targeting a two staged production profile of 120k oz pa of gold in Stage 1 (September 2021), increasing to +250k oz pa gold and gold dore in Stage 2 (planned December 2023).To view the presentation, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential. By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany, after she said Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent. Merkel said on Wednesday that Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital, was the victim of a murder attempt using the nerve agent Novichok, and demanded an explanation by Russia. Moscow has denied involvement and said the West should not leap to hasty conclusions. Western countries have condemned the attack and many German politicians want a tough response. "We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands - that is gas sales," Norbert Roettgen, the conservative head of Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said on Thursday. Late on Wednesday he had said completion of Nord Stream 2 "would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics". Nord Stream 2 will double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany. Led by Russia's Gazprom with Western partners, the project is more than 90% completed and scheduled to operate from early 2021, which could make it hard to stop. The project has split the European Union, with some members saying it will undermine the traditional gas transit state, Ukraine and increase the bloc's energy reliance on Russia. The United States, keen to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales to Europe, also opposes the pipeline and has targeted some companies involved with sanctions. It is not clear Merkel, who has been unwavering in her support for the project, will bow to pressure. Showing she was in no hurry to act, she said on Thursday any response depended on Russia's behaviour. She said last week the Navalny case should not be linked to the pipeline, which is backed by Uniper, Wintershall DEA, Royal Dutch Shell, Engie and OMV. Story continues Many in Merkel's pro-business conservative party want it to be finished. A spokesman for Uniper, which has said it will lend up to 950 million euros to the project, said 2,300 km of the 2,460 km of the twin pipelines that make up Nord Stream 2 had been laid and Europe needed them. "The pipeline and LNG infrastructure are both urgently needed to ensure secure, flexible and low-cost gas supply in Europe in the future," he said. Former Social Democrat (SPD) Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a friend of Putin and lobbyist for Russian energy firms, has been involved with the pipeline. Many in the SPD, which shares power with Merkel's conservatives, also back it but the head of the SPD parliamentary party said all options must be considered. Prominent security analysts are also making the case for a tough stance. "If we want to send a clear message to Moscow with our partners, then economic relations must be on the agenda and that means the Nord Stream 2 project must not be left out," Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former ambassador to Washington, said. (Additional reporting by Thomas Seythal and Vera Eckert, Editing by Gareth Jones, Timothy Heritage and Barbara Lewis) Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny takes part in a rally to mark the 5th anniversary of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov's murder and to protest against proposed amendments to the country's constitution, in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2020. (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters) Kremlin Tells West Not to Rush to Judge It on Navalny as Sanctions Talk Starts MOSCOW/BERLINRussia said on Thursday the West should not rush to judge it over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and that there were no grounds to accuse it of the crime, as talk in the West of punishing Moscow intensified. The Kremlin was speaking a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him and that she would consult NATO allies about how to respond. Navalny, 44, is an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has specialized in high-impact investigations into official corruption. He was airlifted to Germany last month after collapsing on a domestic Russian flight after drinking a cup of tea that his allies said was poisoned. Berlins Charite hospital, which is treating Navalny, has said he remains in a serious condition in an intensive care unit connected to an artificial lung ventilator even though some of his symptoms are receding. Novichok is the same substance that Britain said was used against a Russian double agent and his daughter in an attack in England in 2018. The deadly group of nerve agents was developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listens during Russian President Vladimir Putins annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2019. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejected any suggestion that Russia had been behind the attack on Navalny and warned other countries against jumping to conclusions without knowing the full facts. There are no grounds to accuse the Russian state. And we are not inclined to accept any accusations in this respect, Peskov told reporters. Of course we would not want our partners in Germany and other European countries to hurry with their assessments. Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russias SVR foreign intelligence agency, said Moscow could not rule out Western intelligence agencies had orchestrated the poisoning to stir up trouble, the RIA news agency reported. Russian prosecutors have said they see no reason to launch a criminal investigation because they say they have found no sign a crime was committed, though pre-investigation checks are continuing. Peskov said Russia was eager to know what had happened to Navalny, but couldnt do so without receiving information from Germany about the tests that had led to Berlins conclusions about Novichok. Sanctions Pressure OPCW, the global chemical weapons agency, said the poisoning of any individual with a toxic nerve agent would be considered use of a banned chemical weapon. The European Commission said the bloc could only slap new sanctions on Russia after an investigation revealed who was responsible for Navalnys poisoning. Lithuania said it would ask EU leaders to discuss the poisoning at their next summit. Merkel said that any German or European response would depend on whether Russia helped clear up the case. German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media during a statement about the latest developments in the case of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at the chancellery in Berlin on Sept. 2, 2020. (Markus Schreiber/Reuters) After her strong statement on Wednesday, she is under pressure at home to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany. We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language [Russian President Vladimir] Putin understandsthat is gas sales, Norbert Roettgen, head of Germanys parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told German radio. If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed now, it would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics, Roettgen, a member of Merkels conservatives, told German television separately. Nord Stream 2 is set to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline in carrying gas directly from Russia to Germany. Led by Russian company Gazprom with Western partners, the project is more than 90 percent finished and due to operate from early 2021. This may complicate efforts to stop it. It is fiercely opposed by Washington and has divided the European Union, with some countries warning it will undermine the traditional gas transit state, Ukraine, and increase the blocs reliance on Russia. Peskov said the Kremlin regarded talk of trying to thwart Nord Stream 2 as being based on emotions. He said the project was a commercial one which benefited Russia, Germany, and Europe. We dont understand what the reason for any sanctions could be, said Peskov. By Andrew Osborn and Madeline Chambers KABUL: Afghan negotiators and senior officials will fly to Doha for peace talks with the Taliban after the two sides reached a compromise over the release of prisoners, diplomatic and government sources said. All but seven of the 5,000 prisoners whose release the Taliban had demanded as a precondition for negotiations have been freed, four government and diplomatic sources told Reuters. National security advisor spokesman Javid Faisal confirmed that all but a small number" of the remaining Taliban prisoners had been released, in return for the insurgent group freeing security force members in line with the governments demands. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing," he said in a tweet, referring to the final few prisoners who international partners objected to releasing. We expect direct talks to start promptly." The Taliban did not respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear when the talks would start. A government source said they could begin as soon as Saturday, but a second source subsequently said that initial plans for the government delegation to fly to Doha on Thursday had been postponed. The coming days will hopefully bring the formal launch of intra-Afghan negotiations," U.N. Afghanistan envoy Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. This is truly a historic moment But lets be clear: This will be a long and challenging process." Deadlock over the Taliban prisoners had stalled the United States-brokered negotiations for months. The release of the final batch of 400, who the government blamed for some of the worst violence committed in the country, has been debated for weeks. They included the small number whose release was objected to by Western powers due to their involvement in attacks on foreign forces. Five sources told Reuters the plan was for seven remaining prisoners to be transferred to Doha, where they would be kept under supervision. The seven were members of the Afghan National Security Forces arrested on charges of attacking troops they were stationed with, an Afghan official said, marking them as sympathisers with or covert members of the Taliban. Washington has been trying to broker peace talks to end 19 years of war since signing a troop withdrawal deal with the Taliban in February. 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 Christa Kacer-Reynolds teaches on the GoGoKid platform from her home in Iowa in early September. (Courtesy of Christa Kacer-Reynolds) Christa Kacer-Reynolds wakes up in darkness at her home in northeast Iowa most mornings, setting her alarm for 3:30 so she has time to prep for class. A little before 5, she opens her laptop, signs onto a service called GoGoKid, and waits for her first student of the day to log on from their home on the other side of the world. For the next three hours, she teaches young children in China how to speak English, playing and singing with them through the computer screen. The youngest students learn the basics: colors, foods, mom and dad. The older kids her oldest regular student is 8, though students into their teens use the platform learn geography and feelings, stringing together simple conversations. Kacer-Reynolds has a civil engineering degree, but she stumbled into online ESL (English as a second language) teaching nearly a year ago, when she was looking for a way to work while also home-schooling her children. "I didnt realize how much I would love my job and fall in love with my students," she said. One student started with Kacer-Reynolds right after turning 3, and the teacher has spent more than 100 early-morning sessions with the girl in just the last year. "Its neat to get to watch them grow and learn." The money helps, too. "Financially, its a big chunk," Kacer-Reynolds said. "Weve been really working on using the money to pay down debt, and we have it budgeted that Im going to be working this fall." Christa Kacer-Reynolds teaches young children in China how to speak English, playing and singing with them through the computer screen. (Courtesy of Christa Kacer-Reynolds) Now, that's uncertain. An August declaration by the Trump administration could outlaw Kacer-Reynolds' nascent career and those of thousands of English teachers like her across the U.S. starting later this month. An executive order targeting the popular video-sharing app TikTok made doing business with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, illegal starting on Sept. 20. The order sparked a flurry of speculation: on the legality of the action, on the legitimacy of its claims that TikTok posed a national security threat, and over which U.S. company might try to buy the app and save its tens of millions of users from oblivion. Story continues For teachers on GoGoKid, which is also owned by ByteDance, it raised more urgent questions. When the first executive order hit, there was just mass hysteria, said SarahRuth Owens, a teacher in Georgia who helps run the largest Facebook group for GoGoKid teachers. A screenshot of the GoGoKid interface, as SarahRuth Owens teaches a student in China in early September. (GoGoKid) Like Kacer-Reynolds, Owens says she has built her life around the income she gets from teaching on the platform, which allows her to teach for a few hours in the early morning before home-schooling her kids and running another child-care business during the day. I make at least 85% of our income; I pay all of our bills, Owens said. If GoGoKid is swept up in the ByteDance ban, she added, my family will be screwed. Teachers on Owens' Facebook group have been poring over the language of the executive order, which experts say leaves much latitude for interpretation. Unlike the executive order targeting WeChat, which only mentions its Chinese parent company Tencent in passing, the ByteDance executive order is worded more broadly to potentially ban all business with the company and its subsidiaries once it goes into effect in late September. GoGoKid hires teachers in both the U.S. and Canada, but in a statement to The Times it said that more than 90% of its over 4,000 teachers were based in the United States. The Department of Commerce, which is tasked with defining the scope of the executive order, did not respond to a Times request for clarity. A number of major U.S. companies, such as Walmart, Microsoft and Oracle, have been discussing bids to acquire TikTok from ByteDance, which would allow the app to continue operating in the U.S. under local ownership. But the Chinese government changed its export laws in late August, throwing up a roadblock to any sale. No report on the negotiations has mentioned GoGoKid. GoGoKid says that it is pursuing all possible avenues to ensure it can keep running. We recognize the economic value this program brings to teachers and the unmatched educational experience for students, a GoGoKid spokesperson said in a statement. We have every intention to continue forward with GoGoKid just as our teachers and students know and love it. But the companys actions in late August point to uncertainty at the corporate level. The ByteDance ban is set to go into effect on Sept. 20. Typically, GoGoKid pays teachers on a monthly cycle, meaning they wouldnt be paid for hours logged teaching in September until October. The prospect of having their paychecks outlawed pushed some teachers to stop offering any new classes for September. Teachers on GoGoKid are independent contractors, and can choose which time slots to make available to students. "I've put so much into teaching and really found something that I actually feel like I'm good at," said Christa Kacer-Reynolds, who teaches on the GoGoKid platform. (Courtesy of Christa Kacer-Reynolds) My biggest worry is being fined, said Kacer-Reynolds. The executive order gives the government the power to levy a $300,000 fine or pursue criminal charges for violations of the ban on doing business with ByteDance. That scares me much more than not getting paid my biggest concern is breaking the law, Kacer-Reynolds said. In late August, GoGoKid seemed to acknowledge the looming threat by changing its payment system. In an email to teachers, the company said it would deliver payments for the hours worked in the first week of September by Sept. 15 and pay for hours worked in the second week by Sept. 19, giving teachers an extra week to work before butting up against the unknown. Before the coronavirus pandemic led to widespread shutdowns and job losses in March, GoGoKid teachers might have been able to shift to a rival service. Owens started out in 2016 working with the largest competitor in the market, the Tencent-owned VIPKid, but shifted to GoGoKid after it launched in 2018, both for better pay and a more flexible curriculum that let her have more fun with her students. Now the market is flooded with new un- or underemployed teachers looking to work from home during the pandemic, who only need to pass an interview and have some experience with child care to qualify for teaching slots. Even though Owens has kept her account open on VIPKid, she doesn't think she would be able to jump back in and teach the 35 hours per week she needs to keep her family afloat. The successful containment of the coronavirus in China also means that students are returning to in-person schooling soon, which will further cut the demand for online English tutoring. Money aside, Kacer-Reynolds says she hopes she doesnt have to lose a rare job that she enjoys or her connection with the kids shes grown to know through her computer screen. Ive put so much into teaching and really found something that I actually feel like Im good at, Kacer-Reynolds said. I dont typically have a lot of confidence, but Ive found I really have a niche with 3- to 8-year-olds. Its really rewarding. Id be very sad to have to stop. BOSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bare Tree Media, a leader in the design and creation of branded augmented reality (AR) experiences within mobile messaging platforms, has expanded its partnership with TikTok. The two companies will work together under the company's recently announced TikTok for Business Marketing Partner Program to connect advertisers with trusted creative and technology providers who can help scale success on the TikTok platform. Bare Tree Media will be creating branded 2D and 3D AR effects for clients of TikTok, as well as introducing new clients to the TikTok platform. "Throughout 2020 Bare Tree Media has been strongly positioned to leverage its leadership position of helping brands engage consumers through creative and interactive experiences at any time and from anywhere," said Robert Ferrari, CEO of Bare Tree Media. "We are excited to broaden our partnership with TikTok as their creative technology partner, and to bring our clients added value through marketing opportunities within the TikTok platform." "With the launch of the TikTok For Business Marketing Partner Program, we're building new opportunities for marketers to be creative storytellers and meaningfully engage with the TikTok community," said Melissa Yang, Head of Ecosystem Partnerships, TikTok. "We're thrilled to collaborate with some of the most strategic and trusted leaders in the advertising industry and continue giving marketers access to more tools to successfully create, measure and optimize ad campaigns on TikTok. We can't wait to collaborate with partners to bring a creative and joyful experience to our brand partners and the broader TikTok community." About Bare Tree Media Bare Tree Media offers creative services and technology enabling brands to market and engage consumers through augmented reality (AR), Twitter emojis, messaging stickers, and GIFs. We have earned the trust of clients and partners, such as: ABC Television, Baidu, Disney, Duracell, EA, Facebook, Giphy, Instagram, King Features, Life is Good, LINE Corp, Lionsgate, Mars-Wrigley, NBC Universal, New England Patriots, Snapchat, Snap-On Tools, SONY Television Pictures, Tenor, TikTok, Twitter, Viacom, Warner Bros, Wimpy Kid, and many more. Brands interested in offering their own mobile messaging apps, stickers and augmented reality can go to www.baretreemedia.com or contact Bare Tree Media at [email protected] . About TikTok TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, Mountain View, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com . Contact: Robert Ferrari 6178993347 [email protected] SOURCE Bare Tree Media Related Links http://www.baretreemedia.com Mumbai, Sep 3 : DJ-producer GURBAX looks forward to performing at the virtual edition of Burning Man music festival. He will be the first Indian trap artiste to debut at The Mushroom stage at the virtual edition, held from August 30 to September 6. "Burning Man is a culture. It's a movement. It's an event of free-spirited art and self-expression and my set is going to be reflective of exactly that. I've been hard at work in the studio for the past five months and wanted to come out with an exclusive live-stream set only when I felt like the moment was right and it obviously doesn't get much bigger than this," GURBAX said. "The virtual desert will allow attendees to get the most authentic experience the digital realm can possibly provide. 2020 is all about being radically inclusive. Don't forget to come through on the 6th of September," added GURBAX, who has shared the stage with several international artistes like Steve Aoki, Marshmello, Wiz Khalifa and Troyboi. With two stages at The Mushroom, the festival line-up include names like Diplo, Clozee, Claude VonStroke, Paul Stamets, Beats Antique, Lee Foss, Stephen Brooks, and Reggie Watts. OsakaWayne Studios/Moment, Getty Images A growing number of studies suggest many COVID-19 survivors experience some type of heart damage, even if they didn't have underlying heart disease and weren't sick enough to be hospitalized. This latest twist has health care experts worried about a potential increase in heart failure. "Very early into the pandemic, it was clear that many patients who were hospitalized were showing evidence of cardiac injury," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, chief of the division of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "More recently, there is recognition that even some of those COVID-19 patients not hospitalized are experiencing cardiac injury. This raises concerns that there may be individuals who get through the initial infection, but are left with cardiovascular damage and complications." Fonarow said these complications, such as myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, could lead to an increase in heart failure down the road. He's also concerned about people with pre-existing heart disease who don't have COVID-19 but who avoid coming into the hospital with heart problems out of fear of being exposed to the virus. "The late consequences of that could be an increase in heart failure," he said. "It is much safer if having symptoms that could represent heart attack or stroke, to come into the emergency department than to try to ride it out at home." Nearly one-fourth of those hospitalized with COVID-19 have been diagnosed with cardiovascular complications, which have been shown to contribute to roughly 40% of all COVID-19-related deaths. But two recent studies suggest heart damage among those infected may be more widespread. In JAMA Cardiology, an analysis of autopsies done on 39 COVID-19 patients identified infections in the hearts of patients who had not been diagnosed with cardiovascular issues while they were ill. Another JAMA Cardiology study used cardiac MRIs on 100 people who had recovered from COVID-19 within the past two to three months. Researchers found abnormalities in the hearts of 78% recovered patients and "ongoing myocardial inflammation" in 60%. The same study found high levels of the blood enzyme troponin, an indicator of heart damage, in 76% of patients tested, although heart function appeared to be generally preserved. Most patients in the study had not required hospitalization. "There's a group of people who seem to be more affected from the cardiac point of view," said Dr. Mina Chung, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. But, she said, it can be difficult to identify who is at risk, or for those recovering from the virus to know if they're having heart problems. "A lot of people end up feeling exhausted for a while. They can't get up to the exertion level they were at before. But it's difficult to tease out whether or not it's the lungs taking a little more time to heal or whether it's a cardiac issue," said Chung, who is leading the coordination of more than a dozen ongoing COVID-19 research studies funded by the American Heart Association. "If things continue to get better with time, that's a good sign," she said. "It's not unexpected that if you have not been active for a while, you get deconditioned and may have shortness of breath if you push yourself." Whether screenings to detect cardiovascular damage should become a routine part of follow-up care for COVID-19 patients remains unclear. "The bottom line is, we don't know," said Fonarow, who co-authored an editorial accompanying the two JAMA Cardiology studies. "Before any recommendations are made for routine cardiac imaging, we need additional studies that help identify the frequency of this occurring and what the risk factors are." Chung and Fonarow advise those recovering from COVID-19 to watch for the following symptomsand to consult their physician or a cardiologist if they experience them: increasing or extreme shortness of breath with exertion, chest pain, swelling of the ankles, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, not being able to lie flat without shortness of breath, waking up at night short of breath, lightheadedness or dizzy spells. "But for someone who has had COVID-19 and recovered with no symptoms of heart trouble," Fonarow said, "it's unknown whether there is a reason to have additional screenings. If there are concerns, they should discuss this with their physicians." It's also possible that some of the cardiovascular damage researchers are seeing could heal itself, he said. "We've seen with other viruses where there is inflammation of the heart, there are individuals for whom there is spontaneous recovery," Fonarow said. "And in some people, we can treat this effectively with medication. The question becomes specifically with COVID-19, what is that frequency and does it differ from other viruses that infect the heart." Explore further What athletes should know about COVID-19, heart damage and working out American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. We love the website and feel thankful to have found Witmer Group! We recommend them with full confidence. Witmer Group, a Dallas Digital Marketing Agency serving the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Atlanta markets, is pleased to announce their completion of a vibrant new website for Dallas Heritage Village. The robust new site includes interactive forms, online payment features, and a calendar event management system built on the WordPress platform. Dallas Heritage Village and the land on which it sits has a long and storied connection with Dallas history. A historic site of many firsts, this piece of land became Dallas first city park in 1876. At that time, it was simply called City Park. Nowadays, it serves as an educational resource and historic reminder of the pioneers who laid the foundations of this unique and amazing city. Sydney Abdo, and Sarah Hambric worked closely with Witmer Group President Kristina Witmer and her talented team members to tell a story by creating a kaleidoscope of history-meets-modern-day. Sydney: We recently worked with Kristina and her team to create our brand-new museum website. Its fantastic, and we loved working with them. They were communicative, attentive, and made sure that we were kept in the loop and well-informed. Our new site offers far more value to our visitors and has made our daily jobs much easier. Sarah: Witmer Group worked very closely with us to create a website that closely mirrored our vision, and were very impressed with it! We love the website and feel thankful to have found Witmer Group! We recommend them with full confidence. About Witmer Group Witmer Group is a Dallas based digital marketing team made up of a diverse group of talented individuals with a broad range of experience in advertising, marketing, data science, content creation, social media, and project management. Our process is a well-planned collaboration with our clients and our internal teams to create integrated marketing strategies that support our clients digital marketing and branding efforts. Our approach is the ultimate combination of inventive, flexible, and functional. About Dallas Heritage Village The mission of Dallas Heritage Village is to collect, preserve, and teach the history of Dallas and North Central Texas. Located in historic Old City Park, the museum uses its collections of historic buildings and furnishings, representing the period 1840-1910, to sponsor research, publications, and exhibits, and to present educational programs and special events for diverse audiences of children, families, and adults. Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Lockheed Martin, a US-based global aerospace, security and technology leader, have signed a MoU to collaborate on research and academic initiatives that will help advance technology and human capital development in the UAE. It is the first of several planned formal agreements between Lockheed Martin and Khalifa University to increase the pipeline of highly skilled aerospace, defense, technology and security engineers in the region. Under this agreement, Lockheed Martin and Khalifa University will explore opportunities for co-operation, led by the universitys faculty, in areas including machine intelligence, autonomy, microelectronics, structural and thermal materials and air vehicle research. The publication of research, along with development and assessment of academic course material, will also add to knowledge sharing through the MoU, stated Dr Steven H Walker, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Lockheed Martin, after inking the deal with Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University. "At Lockheed Martin, we are committed to working together with colleges and universities to advance the strategic priorities of our customers," remarked Dr Walker, who recently joined the Khalifa University Board of Trustees, succeeding Lockheed Martins Executive Chairman Marillyn A. Hewson. "As a well-respected research institution and a leading contributor to the UAEs vision to shape a knowledge-based economy, Khalifa University is an obvious partner. We are confident that our collaboration will help advance STEM careers, evolve the countrys research ecosystem and provide unique opportunities for research and development activities," he added. Lockheed Martin works with leading universities worldwide to sponsor research and perform collaborative research for government customers. The companys Center for Innovation and Security Solutions, CISS, based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, has hosted merit-based summer internship programs for top-performing UAE engineering students every year since 2017. This summer, 16 talented students from leading institutions, including Khalifa University, are interning virtually at the CISS to comply with distance learning measures aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19. Dr Al Hammadi said: "As a research-intensive educational institution that seeks to produce world leaders and critical thinkers in applied science and engineering, Khalifa University is delighted to partner with Lockheed Martin to focus more on advanced research areas." "The MoU with a globally leading aerospace and advanced technologies company will not only help develop talent locally through STEM collaborations, but also offer us access to Lockheed Martins technological capabilities," he noted. "We believe equipping the youth in the UAE and building new capacities in areas including aerospace will benefit the country, contributing to catalyzing the growth of the rapidly developing knowledge-economy of Abu Dhabi and the UAE," he added. With 19 research centers focusing on various economic sectors that are considered strategic to the UAE, Khalifa University drives innovation and scientific exploration in advanced technology areas such as aerospace, nuclear engineering, advanced materials, oil and gas, and clean energy. Each year, the University adds a sizable number of patents to the intellectual property basket of the UAE. At present, Khalifa University has 126 issued patents, with 343 patent applications pending, and more than 400 invention disclosures.-TradeArabia News Service As school begins in earnest, districts are struggling to get their arms around an elusive but potentially costly challenge: risk management in the age of coronavirus. Most if not all districts buy general liability insurance, either self-insurance through a traditional insurance company, or through a pooled plan open-managed by representatives of participating districts. Even before COVID-19, some of these liability policies excluded communicable diseases from coverages. In other cases, insurers have notified districts just in the past few months that they will not cover claims stemming from the pandemicsometimes because they too could not secure reinsurance to cover potential claims. That means that many districts are potentially on their own to cover legal costs and damages stemming from a civil lawsuit from a parent or student alleging that they contracted COVID-19, due to a districts failure to protect them against exposure to infection. There is little existing guidance about how districts should prepare. Thats making some districts chief financial officers worry they could be one liability lawsuit away from bankruptcy. Im extremely worried, said Sharie Lewis, the director of business and operations at the Parkrose public schools in Portland, Ore. When someone dies, you cant in any way soothe their pain, but historically, one way people have tried to soothe their pain is through financial recourse, and that is lawsuits. School districts arent prepared anywhere in the country to handle that kind of loss. Though largely missing from mainstream news coverage, liability remains an issue of significant uncertainty for school districts thats certain to factor into their decisions about whether or not to reopen for in-person learning, even on a partial basis. It is unchartered territory. Nobody knows what the full amount of risk is, noted Chris Thomas, the general counsel for the Arizona School Boards Association. Despite the uncertainties, there are some key insights emerging about school districts liability in the pandemic and how to protect themselves. Here are seven things to know: 1. The main challenge: The standard of care continues to shift. The basic issue about COVID-19 liability turns on whether districts have met their duty to provide a standard of carethe steps districts are reasonably expected to take to ensure the health and safety of students and others who enter school grounds. Failure to meet that standard means a district could be sued for being negligent or even reckless. The problem, said Thomas of the Arizona School Boards Association, is that what constitutes the standard of care regarding COVID-19 keeps shifting as research and public health recommendations evolve. Weve learned so much over the course of the last five months of how the virus is transmitted and whats effective in terms of avoiding transmission, and the guidance has changed over time, he said. What may seem today like due diligence to make sure its as safe as it can be, by the time it gets to a jury, the standard may be different. 2. Civil claims related to COVID-19 will probably be hard to prove. But they could still be expensive. Legal experts say that actually proving that a student contracted COVID-19 at school due to a schools negligence or failure to ensure proper health protocols will probably pose significant challenges given COVID-19s community spread. In the realm of suing a district because your child contracts coronavirus, its going to be difficult to prove those claims, said Morgan M. Masters, an associate at Albeit Weiker LLP, a Columbus, Ohio-based law firm that offers comprehensive legal services to students and educators. Because youre going to have to show causation and proving where your child contracted it may not be easy. But thats not where most costs are likely to come from. Districts will have to pay the legal fees associated with defending lawsuitseven those unlikely to succeedif their general liability insurance refuses to cover pandemic-related claims. 3. States already offer some immunity defenses for districts. But its not clear how they apply to COVID-19 claims. By the mid-20th century, most, if not all, states had passed laws defining when an individual can sue a government entity and when the government can claim immunity from those lawsuits. Some of those laws could cover COVID-19-related civil claims. The Oklahoma State School Boards Association, for example, points to an exemption in its state laws that prevents liability claims against public employees due to acts or omissions done in conformance with then current recognized standards. Those standards could be interpreted to include local and national health guidelines, said Julie Miller, the general counsel for the association. As long as our schools and other entities are following CDC guidelines and best practices, they should still be protected, she said. A minority of states have laws that appear to offer significant protection to districts. Thats the case in Illinois, which offers immunity from most cases of ordinary negligence unless a district employee engaged in willful and wanton misconduct. The line dividing ordinary negligence from recklessness in a pandemic, though, is not always clear, and has not yet been tested extensively in civil courts. In addition, some states immunity laws arent as specific as others. Arizonas statutes, for example, offer fewer exemptions for local governments than the laws in Oklahoma and Illinois. In the spring, Arizona lawmakers considered a bill that would have restricted COVID-19 civil claims only to instances of gross negligence and raised the burden of proof to clear and convincing evidence from the less-stringent standard of a preponderance of the evidence, but it was not signed into law. 4. Some new liability policies are emerging but are untested. Insurers are starting to respond to some of the liability concerns, and some of them are offering additional policies or riders to extend liability coverage for coronavirus-related claims. In early August, for example, the Arizona School Risk Retention Trusta self-insured pool governed by the nearly 250 Arizona school districts that participateannounced that it would offer an additional policy related to COVID-19 claims . The policy does set limits on the coverage, however, of $10,000 per claimant, $1 million per occurrence, and $2 million annual aggregate per district. Theres also a $25 million total cap for all members in the pool who elect the coverage. In addition to a new premium and deductible, districts that add the Trusts coverage must implement a school reopening plan that aligns with the guidelines issued by the state education department or (for community college districts) CDC guidelines. For on-site students, they must also ask parents to sign either acknowledgement and disclosure forms, or a liability waiver. (See no. 5.) 5. Liability waivers may not be enforceable. Most parents are familiar with the kind of liability waivers that they must sign for their child to participate in field trips, extracurriculars that take place off campus, and school sports. Those activities are offered in exchange for a promise not to sue the district. Now, some districts are asking parents to sign similar waivers as a condition of attending in-person classes. But it remains an open question whether these contracts are legally enforceable. Unlike sports, chemistry labs, or field trips, K-12 attendance is compulsory, noted Masters, the lawyer who represents plaintiffs who sue school districts. I think theres a good legal argument that its against public policy to compel students to go to school and compel them to waive liability in order to comply with the law, she said. Where things get murkier is if a district relegates children whose families refuse to sign such a waiver to remote learning. Not all families have the technology or broadband access to be able to meaningfully participate in remote learning, raising questions about whether they truly are offered a choice about whether to sign a waiver. 6. Additional state and federal liability protections may not be forthcoming. While national education groups universally agree that schools should receive additional funding to respond to the pandemic, they have split over whether school districts should receive additional liability protection. The National School Boards Association; AASA, The School Superintendents Association; the Association of Educational Service Associations; and the Association of School Business Officials International are lobbying federal lawmakers to include targeted liability coverage in a second COVID-19 stimulus bill. Without a narrow targeted safe harbor for schools that follow applicable guidelines, the fear and very real threat of boundless liability is likely to impede our countrys social and economic recovery, the groups wrote in a July letter . But the two national teachers unions and other labor organizations worry that increased liability protections for districts would, in effect, reduce the pressure on districts to be vigilant about health protocols, and would give muscle to politicians who have pushed to keep schools open in some states despite surging infections. Without universal occupational safety standards for schools, the unions wrote in an Aug. 6, letter , liability shields could encourage some state and local governments to cut corners and reopen offices without implementing the proper protocols, undermining worker safety. In more than half the states, lawmakers have introduced proposals or signed executive orders to extend liability protection. Some of those new rules appear to cover only businesses or health providers, however. New laws in Tennessee and Ohio do specifically mention schools. Ohio, for instance, bars COVID-19 tort claims unless a district or other entity has acted recklessly, intentionally, or with wanton misconduct. 7. The best defense is a good offense. In the end, the legal experts say, there is no surefire way to avoid a liability claim due to COVID-19, but there are some general steps districts can take now to minimize the chances of a successful claim. Most of them are based on common sense and careful documentation that they are following all applicable health guidelines and have established clear procedures for responding to an outbreak. For one, they should be in regular contact with their local health agencies to adjust their standard of care in line with what those groups recommend, and in response to the most up-to-date information on transmission rates in their community. Weve told them to work very, very closely with their county health department, build an amazing relationship with those folks, and get the best information to make sure that when or if you need to do contact tracing, or you need to close suddenly, everything is done in a protective and safe manner, Miller of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association said. In the Tolleson Union High School District west of Phoenix, Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Calles has developed an interactive spreadsheet that shows down to the school level how much personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer, social-distancing signage, and other supplies are available. And just as many public agencies make public their protocols, districts should create similar ones relating to the procedures for contact tracing and quarantining they will take if any student or employee is diagnosed with or shows symptoms of the virus. Separately, they need to know the CDC guidelines inside and out, and create written policies that are designed not only to put their students and staff on notice, but anyone who wants to file public records requests on notice about what their policies are, Masters said. 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. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Areas of freezing rain possible. Low 26F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Areas of freezing rain possible. Low 26F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. A new report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Telangana, T Raja, has been banned from Facebook, following an uproar over his comments that amount to hate speech. An earlier report from the WSJ had alleged that the social media giant had shown preferential treatment for the ruling party members by not taking action against them for posting content that violates the rules of hate speech. It also alleged that Facebooks Public Policy executive Ankhi Das had shown support for the BJP. We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account, said a Facebook spokesperson. The Goshamahal legislator could not be reached for comment. BJPs IT cell head Amit Malviya did not comment on the specific case of banning Raja from the platform, but said determination of hate speech has to be done in keeping with rules and laws of the land. What constitutes hate speech in India will be decided by our constitutional framework and extant rules. It must be applied fairly to all irrespective of their political affiliation. Sonia Gandhi, whose divisive speech streamed live on Facebook, which led to wide-scale rioting, death, and destruction in Delhi recently, is equally guilty as is someone else. We cant have double standards, Malviya said. The Congress and the left parties have alleged that social media platforms show a positive bias towards the BJP and have cited the WSJ report to buttress their claim. The Congress wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg twice complaining of a bias and asking him to specify the steps being taken to investigate the charges against its India unit. The opposition party also threatened to pursue legislative and judicial actions to ensure that a foreign company does not create social disharmony in India. The Trinamool Congress also shot off a letter to Facebook alleging there is enough evidence in the public domain to substantiate the charge of Facebooks bias towards the BJP. Earlier this week, union minister for Information and Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a strongly worded letter to Zukerberg, alleged that the platform is the latest tool being used to create internal divisions and social disturbances by vested groups. The minister said, I have been informed that in the run-up to 2019 general elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook Indian management to not just delete pages or substantially reduce 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. The BJP has lashed out at its critics for making allegations against it and has also insinuated that there are efforts being made by some FB employees to discredit the democratic process of the country. Shaping public discourse cant be the exclusive purview of the Left, who have since lost their monopoly and public support. Social media has democratised discourse and that is something they havent come to terms with, Malviya said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON These are the facts that everyone agrees on. On June 12, 1962, an Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary guard on his morning rounds noticed three inmates had not woken from their slumber. When he pushed at the sleeping frame of one man, his head rolled off the bed. It was a dummy. Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin three career criminals with prior prison break attempts to their names had escaped sometime during the night of June 11. It was a plan months in the making. Scheming began when the men were assigned adjacent cells in December 1961, and took full advantage of Alcatrazs aging facilities and lax security. Over six months, they built an inflatable raft and life vests out of pilfered raincoats. To seal the seams, they pressed the coats against hot steam pipes. They made paddles to row with, dummy heads to buy them time, and they dug and dug. During the daily hour when inmates were allowed to play instruments and sing, the men used the cover of that cacophony to scrape through the backs of their cells. Once through, they had access to an unguarded utility corridor. From there, all they had to do was climb to the roof, remove the bolts from a ventilation shaft, and crawl to freedom. About 10 p.m., authorities believe that the men disembarked from Alcatrazs northeast shore. Together, they paddled out into the dark, cold night. From this point, there are very few facts anyone agrees on. For nearly 60 years, it has remained Alcatrazs greatest mystery. No bodies surfaced, but neither did any sightings that led to arrests. To this day, the U.S. Marshal Service keeps an open file on the escapees. It will be closed only when they each turn 99. If alive today, Morris would be 93, John Anglin 90 and Clarence Anglin 89. Two SFGATE writers with wildly different views on the infamous night, give their takes on what happened next. First, Andrew the romantic, followed by Katie the cynic ... Bettmann/Bettmann Archive Heres why the inmates absolutely survived their escape from Alcatraz and now live in Brazil drinking pina coladas on a termite farm Im not claiming that I could swim from Alcatraz to dry land, but I definitely could. A woman who sells warranties in a car dealership in Burlingame has done it 1,000 times. A 9-year-old swam to the island and back again in 2016. In fact, after our three escapees definitely did it in 1962, another inmate, John Paul Scott, successfully made the swim in December that year, naked, without a raft, in much colder temperatures, only to be found on the beach in San Francisco (before being returned to the island). Even without the adrenaline boost of guard rifles aimed at your back, thousands of people have swum from Alcatraz safely to land. And our inmates, all in their early 30s, could swim. As kids, John and Clarence Anglin became strong swimmers in the frigid waters of Lake Michigan, where they spent every summer picking cherries. Frank Morris was smart enough to physically ready himself for the one-mile swim over the six months or more he spent preparing for his bid for freedom. The idea that the swim is impossible or that youll get eaten by sharks was merely a myth concocted by the prison officials to dissuade inmates from attempting it. They may not have even needed to swim anyway they had a fully inflated three-man raft to sail away on. Built over months with 50 raincoats meticulously glued together in their secret workshop. They also had oars, which they probably didnt even need, according to this incredible modeling of the currents that night from PBS, highlighting the likely trajectory of the raft. If they let the water take them, they would have ended up at the Marin Headlands (as it did when the Mythbusters guys successfully re-created the attempt in 2003), or under the bridge, where they could have jumped out for a short paddle to Horseshoe Bay. It also shows how the currents move back around toward Angel Island, which explains why their raft did end up there (despite the FBIs initial claims, more on that later). Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers were probably cracking beers under the moonlight as they drifted toward freedom that night, thinking this would make a great movie one day. So why do some people (ahem, in this newsroom) insist that they drowned, when there is zero proof of death? Two in three bodies from suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge are recovered. In fact, that number is probably higher the Bridge Rail Association estimates that 1,600 people have jumped to their death from the bridge over the years and 1,400 bodies have been recovered, yet none of our three inmates corpses was ever found. From the prison cleaners to the guards to Warden Olin G. Blackwell (who was on vacation at Lake Berryessa at the time), it was in everyones interest at Alcatraz to spread the word that the three men surely drowned. They couldnt possibly have escaped the inescapable maximum security island. If word spread that three men had successfully gotten away, it would almost certainly lead to closure of the expensive, controversial penitentiary. As soon as the jail break was revealed in the media, stories circulated that this could spell the end for the prison island, and the FBI needed to quell that narrative. The brothers Anglin and Frank Morris are not the kind of chaps youd want your sisters to marry, San Francisco Examiner columnist Bob Considine wrote as the manhunt was underway, But if their escape hastened the day when the cells and dungeons of Alcatraz are uprooted and transplanted somewhere else the bloodhounds should be called off, and the men permitted to join Edward M. Gilbert in Brazil. The journalists words were uncannily prophetic. Not only would the prison be closed shortly after the incident, two of the escapees would make it to Brazil (more on that later). Evidence of a long-presumed FBI cover-up was confirmed in a National Geographic documentary in 2012. A U.S. Marshal reveals that, contrary to the original version of events, a previously unseen FBI report stated that the escapees raft was found on Angel Island, and a car was stolen in Marin County a blue 1955 Chevy. Coincidentally, a police report revealed that a blue Chevy with three men in it ran another car off the road in Stockton later that night. Frank Morris was smart (with a tested IQ of 133), too smart to brag about the escape afterward. The Anglin brothers, however, were maybe more liable to let their whereabouts slip. In 2015, a photo emerged of the brothers standing next to a termite mound outside Rio de Janeiro, taken by a family friend in 1975. History Channel A History Channel documentary revealed how the U.S. Marshals service hired an expert to compare physical features and measurements shown in the photo to what they knew about the Anglins in 1962. They concluded that the photo was taken in 1975, and that there was a high likelihood that the men photographed were, in fact, Clarence and John Anglin. It doesnt take an expert to see the likeness, particularly in the features around John Anglins mouth on the right. The FBI had long suspected Brazil as a destination for the escapees. As far back as 1965, they investigated a rumor that Clarence Anglin was living there. It was considered so significant that bureau agents went to South America to find him. The documentary also exhibited Christmas cards with handwriting matching that of the Anglin brothers sent to their family in 1965, and a deathbed confession from a sibling, stating that the brothers had remained in contact from 1963 until 1987. More for you 7 true crime documentaries that aren't on Netflix And finally, just two years ago, KPIX got their hands on a letter originally sent to the SFPD in 2013. The letter, reportedly written by John Anglin (who was 83 at the time), stated that Morris and the brothers barely made it to shore on the night of their escape. It also went on to explain that Morris died in 2008 and Clarence in 2011. The letter read, in part: My name is John Anglin. I escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. Im 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely! An FBI examination of the letter and handwriting led to an inconclusive result. Even if the letter, the Christmas cards and the Brazil photo are all false (but really, look at that photo people), to assume that the inmates drowned in the same mile of water a 9-year-old can swim, based on a false FBI cover-up and not much else, would be foolish. The inmates escaped Alcatraz, but you cant escape the facts, Katie. Andrew Chamings Sorry, pal, the Alcatraz escapees didnt make it It is a romantic notion: three Alcatraz inmates, buoyed by their wits and determination, making a prison break against all odds. Although the popular imagination may side with their survival, the evidence does not. Through the years, experts have studied the San Francisco Bays tidal patterns for clues. The most complete study in recent memory was done by scientists at Delft University who used computer modeling to replicate the currents the men would have experienced that night in 1962. They found that there was only one window between when the rushing tide would have sucked them toward the Golden Gate Bridge and the moment that tide started pushing back into the bay that was viable for survival. That time was just around midnight. With all evidence suggesting the men paddled off Alcatraz about 10 p.m., that small window gets even smaller. Experts at the time also agreed. Edward Schultz, a hydraulic engineer who was then the director of the Bay Model, told newspapers the most likely possibility was that they would have been carried out the Golden Gate. Struggling with a makeshift raft would have further complicated their battle against rushing tides and icy water, all done in the disorienting pitch black of night. The Delft model proposed that any debris from the escape would likely have washed up on Angel Island. This is exactly what happened. In the coming days, a paddle and a rubber packet were found off the islands shores. Inside the packet there were photographs of the Anglins and their friends and family, along with a list of names and addresses. Its hard to believe that they would leave their only keepsakes treasured enough to carefully seal into a waterproof bag behind willingly. Assuming the escapees did drown, there is then the question: Why did no bodies ever wash up? FBI files show the agency consulted with CHP and the Marin County coroner, who handled suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge. CHP statistics from 1960-62 recorded 30 suicide jumps from the bridge. Only 17 bodies were ever located. An additional 12 suicides were suspected but no bodies were ever found in those cases either. CHP told the FBI that with an outgoing tide, like on the night of the mens escape, suicide jumpers were rarely recovered. As grim as it is to consider, a shocking number of bodies are never relinquished by the bay. Some are simply swept out into the Pacific, a needle in a giant watery haystack. Others become entangled in debris and sink. Bay Area coroners told the FBI that the bays cold water sometimes prevented bodies from bloating and floating to the surface. Then, there is the final, perhaps most compelling, reason to suggest the men died: Theyve never resurfaced. These men were career criminals. Since their early teens, theyd been in and out of prison. It seems unlikely they suddenly and seamlessly integrated into a world that had, for their entire lives, marginalized and incarcerated them. In order to pull off an escape at all, they would have had to rob someone or something once they made it to land. They left Alcatraz with little more than the highly conspicuous prison clothes on their backs. An inmate accomplice told authorities they planned to break into a store in Marin to steal street clothes; no such robbery was ever reported. Although its been suggested the men stole a blue Chevy in Marin, that evidence is circumstantial. Marin police werent sure when the car was stolen it could have been days before the escape. A sighting that night of a blue Chevy, occupied by three men, angrily driving a car off the road in Modesto was investigated, too. But the license plate was never confirmed to be the same vehicle and, if you were three of the most famous escaped convicts in America, would you start a road rage incident to draw attention to yourself? The Anglins and Morris had their faces in every newspaper in America and possessed a relatively small circle of known contacts. Their hometowns were watched for decades by law enforcement. They waited for phone calls on birthdays and interviewed family members repeatedly. Every name and address on the Anglins list was investigated. The Brazil photo is hardly definitive, especially considering it came from an ex-con whose own family said theyd never heard of his connection to the Alcatraz escapees. Even if the men had gone home, it doesnt sound like they were particularly welcome. When the Examiner interviewed the Anglin parents after the escape, Mrs. Anglin said she hoped her sons were caught and pointed out that at least 10 of her other children turned out good. In order to disappear, you must abandon every vestige of your former life forever. Friends, families, hobbies, haunts. You must live every minute looking over your shoulder. You cant let up for a moment. If John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris managed to pull off that for nearly five decades, then they truly earned their freedom. Katie Dowd Andrew Chamings and Katie Dowd are editors at SFGATE. Contact them at andrew.chamings@sfgate.com and katie.dowd@sfgate.com. (Bloomberg) -- After years biding its time, Rogers Communications Inc. is hoping Altice USA Inc.s $7.8 billion hostile bid for Cogeco Inc. will help it land the long-coveted, family-controlled telecom prize -- but it wont be easy. Investors have long speculated that Rogers is interested in Montreal-based Cogeco. The Toronto-based telecom giant has held a minority position in much-smaller Cogeco for decades, instigated by its late founder, Ted Rogers. If his intention was to work toward a takeover, those plans have been thwarted by the founding Audet family, whose holding company controls the voting shares and hasnt wanted to sell. A bid by Altice USA to buy Cogeco, and then sell the Canadian assets to Rogers, could offer a way to break the impasse. For C$4.9 billion ($3.8 billion), Rogers would gain instant scale to Cogecos highly profitable broadband business, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst John Butler, while Altice would gain U.S. customers. The real rationale for the deal is acquiring over 800,000 broadband subscribers because of all communications businesses, broadband is one of the most profitable, Butler said. That revenue will help Rogers offset rising programming costs on the paid television side of its business, he added. Hurdles Ahead The Audets, though, say theyre not interested. The family holding company, Gestion Audem, doesnt support the proposal and doesnt intend to sell its shares, it said in a statement Wednesday. Gestion Audem holds 69% of the voting rights at holding company Cogeco, while Rogers has control over 13% of the votes. For Cogeco Communications, Gestion holds 83% of the votes and Rogers has 6%. As Cogecos largest long-term shareholder with deep roots in Quebec, Rogers supports the value being created for all shareholders with the significant premium in the Altice USA offer, Rogers spokesperson Sarah Schmidt said in an email, adding that it expects Cogecos board will act in the best interest of all shareholders. Story continues In a statement released late Wednesday, Cogeco and Cogeco Communications said independent members of their boards have rejected the offer. That followed meetings of both boards and discussions with members of the Audet family to review the unsolicited proposal, they said. Quebecs nationalist government, concerned about hollowing out of the corporate sector, isnt convinced the deal is good for the province. We are in discussion with the Audet family to ensure the headquarters will stay in Quebec, Mathieu St-Amand, director of communications for Quebecs economy and innovation ministry, said in an email. It is important for our government that its headquarters arent moved to Ontario or the United States. Federal antitrust issues are a lesser risk, Desjardins analyst Maher Yaghi said in a report. While Quebecor Inc. may not want Rogers to own cable assets in Quebec, he doesnt expect significant pushback from Canadas Competition Bureau or the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. We believe the convergence of wireless and wireline networks, as well as possible lower regulatory scrutiny in Canada post-pandemic, could create a favorable environment for the potential acquisition. However, we see meaningful deal risk at this point, Yaghi said. Its not the first time Rogers has been part of a hostile play to gain a foothold in Quebec. In 2000, the company failed in a bid to acquire Quebec-based cable operator Videotron Ltd. Cogeco is a homegrown success story in French-speaking Quebec, founded in 1957 by Henri Audet from a single television station in Trois-Rivieres, which lies midway between Montreal and Quebec cities. Next Move And then theres the price. The offer seemed to be about 8.5 times price-to-operating cash flow, thats not exactly a rich valuation for taking out prime assets, John Zechner, founder of J. Zechner Associates, which manages C$1.2 billion in assets including shares of Rogers and Cogeco, said by phone. A more attractive evaluation could be somewhere between 8.5-12 times price-to-operating cash flow, but even that might not be enticing enough for the Audet family to let go of their controlling assets, he said. When Cogeco has fielded investor questions in the past regarding any intention to sell, the message has been clear. Their response has been consistent and transparent: that Cogeco is a buyer and a builder but not a seller, BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Casey said in a report. No one can definitively assert that the family will stay the course and reject any follow-on (i.e., premium) offers, but it should not be discounted. If no agreement can be reached, both Casey and Desjardins Yaghi said Rogers may decide to sell its equity stake in Cogeco. It now remains to be seen if Altice and Rogers will gain traction with their gambit, that may prove just an opening foray that might require further discussions around price and structure given that the Audet Family may not necessarily wish to receive proceeds entirely in cash, Adam Shine, an analyst at National Bank of Canada, wrote in a note. (Updates to include Cogeco boards rejection of deal in eighth paragraph. Adds more analyst comments from BMO in the Next Move section.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Supreme Court yesterday (September 2, 2020) dismissed the SLP filed by Netflix, challenging the order dated 28.08.2020 passed by a Civil Court in Araria, Bihar, restraining the OTT platform and its producers, directors, employees, officers and associates, etc., from releasing, transmitting, distributing, exhibiting, performing or communicating to the public, the promo and the documentary series, Bad Boy Billionaires, by any means or technology. Netflix has also filed a transfer petition, however, no immediate relief in the transfer petition could be granted. The Supreme Court only issued notice in the TP. A Sahara Group Entity and a Sector Manager of Sahara in Bihar had filed an injunction suit for restraining Netflix from releasing the said series against their Chairman and business entities, which was not only defamatory but also offending to the privacy and trademarks of their company. Sahara has also filed a criminal complaint against Netflix and its directors Abhishek Nag, Reginald Shawn Thompson, Neha Sinha and producers Nick Read, Reva Sharma and Iqbal Kidwai, for committing various criminal offences under Information Technology Act 2000, Indian Penal Code and the Trademarks Act. The Magistrate took cognizance of the offenses on their complaint and recorded evidence of witnesses. It is likely that the Magistrate may issue summons to the officials of Netflix on the said complaint. More than a third of Republicans believe the QAnon conspiracy that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against a shadowy cabal of paedophile cannibals is "mostly true", according to a new poll released on Wednesday. The increased support of QAnon comes less than two weeks after Mr Trump appeared to endorse the theory at a White House press conference, saying he appreciates the movement's enthusiasm for his presidency. The Daily Kos/Civiqs poll found more than half of Republican voters believe the theory is either mostly (33 per cent) or partly (23 per cent) true, with only 13 per cent believing there is no truth to it at all. Among Democrats, 72 per cent say there is no truth to the idea, which stems from an anonymous figure known as "Q" leaving cryptic but supposedly prophetic messages about a mysterious satanic cult on websites such as 4chan. Adherents believe "Q", either a former intelligence officer, a group of people or even the president himself, is secretly working to expose this deep state of paedophiles and cannibals. Well I havent heard that, but is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? You know, if I can help save the world from some problems, Im willing to do it, Im willing to put myself out there, Mr Trump said when asked about the theory in August. And we are actually, were saving the world from a radical left philosophy that will destroy this country, and when this country is gone the rest of the world would follow. Mainstream recognition of the QAnaon has increased during Mr Trump's presidency, with several Republican candidates identifying support for the theory. According to the latest poll, awareness has grown significantly since July 2019 when 35 per cent of Americans had never heard of QAnon. That number has fallen by more than half to 14 per cent. The number of Republicans who believe that the theory is either partly or mostly true grew from 46 per cent to 56 per cent during the same period. QAnon is linked to the notorious Pizzagate conspiracy, which claimed that Hillary Clinton and others were running a paedophile ring from the basement of a DC restaurant. In 2016 a heavily armed North Carolina man drove to the restaurant to free the children he believed were trapped there and opened fire. However, the restaurant had no basement and there were no children. The gunman, Edgar Maddison Welch, was sentenced to four years in jail. He apologised for his actions and said he had made an "incredibly ill-advised decision". The September 2020 Daily Kos/Civiqs Poll polled 1,368 adults. What she finds is often confusing or conflicting: There are reports like the one from the YMCA of the USA, which noted in June that it had cared for tens of thousands of children between the ages of 1 and 14 since March and experienced no coronavirus outbreaks, according to NPR. But the following month, there was a widely circulated story about a YMCA sleepaway camp in Georgia where hundreds of campers and staff members quickly became infected. Numerous news stories have indicated that severe illness in very young children is rare, but one recent study showed that children younger than 5 with mild or moderate symptoms also have much higher levels of virus in the nose, raising new concerns about their ability to spread the illness. LOS ANGELES - A grainy video shows a Black man stopped while riding a bicycle struggling with a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. But it doesnt confirm whether he reached toward a dropped gun before being shot and killed, as authorities contend. Monday afternoons killing of Dijon Kizzee, 29, in South Los Angeles follows several other shootings of Black men that have sparked protests around the nation. They include the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was left paralyzed last month in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the Blake familys lawyer, announced Wednesday that he also is representing Kizzees relatives and called the shooting a despicable and tragic killing. When officers shoot first and ask questions later, precious lives are lost and police lose credibility and trust from those they are sworn to protect, Crump said in a statement. Kizzee was riding a bicycle when sheriffs deputies tried to stop him for an unspecified traffic violation, according to an account from the Sheriffs Department. Kizzee dropped the bike and ran before deputies caught up to him. The Sheriffs Department account said he punched a deputy in the face. A 41-second video obtained by the Los Angeles Times shows a police SUV stop in a street. A deputy gets out, runs around a parked car and appears to try to grab Kizzee as he walks down the sidewalk. They tussle, standing, and move down the street together for several seconds. Kizzee appears to throw a punch, although the view is too unclear to confirm whether he struck the deputy. The video then shows Kizzee breaking free, stumbling and falling to the ground. A second deputy arrives. Within about 2 seconds, they repeatedly open fire. Sheriffs officials have said a gun fell out when Kizzee dropped a jacket as he fell to the ground and he made a motion for the weapon prompting the shooting. But on the video, a fence obstructs the view at that period in the sequence of events. The Sheriffs Department provided no new information about the case on Wednesday. Authorities havent said how many times Kizzee was shot. The video had no audio. However, the Times said another video from a front-door camera that didnt show the shooting recorded the sound of 15 gunshots over a 10-second period. There isnt any body camera footage because deputies in the nations largest sheriffs department arent equipped with them. The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved funding, and the first group of deputies will be equipped with cameras next month. Kizzees relatives have described him as devoted to his late mother and 18-year-old brother. They said he was an energetic man who loved go-karts, cars and music and that he was working toward becoming a plumber. Sheriff Alex Villanueva offered his condolences to Kizzees relatives on Tuesday, who he said includes a cousin who is a Sheriffs Department member. Residents on bicycles in communities of colour are regularly stopped for supposed vehicle violations, said Donny Joubert, vice-president of the Watts Gang Task Force group in Los Angeles that was created to reduce gang violence and improve community relations with police. White cyclists in wealthy neighbourhoods rarely face the same treatment, Joubert said. Theyll pull you over on a skateboard, Joubert said. It means our kids cant even ride a bike in their community without being blamed for something or being accused of something. The office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the district where Kizzee was shot, has not received complaints alleging police harassment of Black bicyclists. But Ridley-Thomas said he heard similar accounts anecdotally following Kizzees death. It is not something with which those who are involved in criminal justice reform and representing clients are unfamiliar, he said. Statistics nationwide show that biking while Black can result in disproportionate citations for people of colour. A 2015 Tampa Bay Times investigation revealing that eight out of 10 bicyclists ticketed by Tampa police were Black prompted a federal probe. A Chicago Tribune review in 2017 found that more than twice as many citations were written in African-American communities than in white or Latino areas. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department did not provide statistics regarding bicycle stops and citations on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Police Departments figures do not break down vehicle stops by category. P ressure is mounting for England to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers returning to England from Greece. It comes amid reports of people arriving from the country with coronavirus. On Wednesday, Scotland introduced quarantine rules on those arrive from Greece but the Government is yet to make an announcement for England. However, Greece has insisted it is doing everything in our power to keep UK holidaymakers safe. Buckinghamshire Council confirmed there were two groups of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from abroad. One group from the Marlow area is understood to have been on a trip to the Greek island of Zante. Meanwhile, a passenger on a flight back from Heraklion in Crete has said she was asked to self-isolate after it was believed someone on the plane had tested positive for the virus. The Government is facing mounting pressure to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers returning to England from Greece / AFP via Getty Images The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had received a text from NHS Test and Trace saying she was in contact with someone on August 27. But she said that the only place she was in contact with anyone where someone would have her contact details was the Tui flight back to London Stansted. She added: Our flight was hideous, hardly anyone wore a mask and the crew didnt do anything about it. We raised the issue twice with the cabin crew who still didnt enforce it. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images My family is OK but we are having to self-isolate. Im so sad for my son because he has to miss his first week back at school. A Tui spokeswoman said it was aware of a small number of positive Covid-19 test results following flight TOM5449 returning from Heraklion to Stansted on August 27. She added: We can confirm that no guests tested positive for Covid-19 in our hotels and no symptoms were displayed before or during the flight home by any of the customers. In a statement, Buckinghamshire Council said a group of young people and some family members in the Marlow area had tested positive for the virus. Passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport (file photo) / Getty Images Cabinet member for education and skills Anita Cranmer said some of them were pupils at Sir William Borlases Grammar School and all the affected households were self-isolating. She added: These cases are all linked and were acquired abroad during the school holidays. All households are now self-isolating having been contacted by test and trace staff. Public Health England are actively investigating these cases and have traced contacts to ensure that they are aware of the need to self-isolate. It comes after around 60 students allegedly visited Zante in August, with several teenagers returning home with the illness, a parent told the Bucks Free Press. Travellers arrive at Heathrow (file photo) / PA The council also confirmed that another group of young people and their families, some of whom attend Chesham Grammar in Chesham, had also tested positive for Covid-19 and were self-isolating. It added: These cases are all linked and the majority of them were acquired abroad during the school holidays. Rising coronavirus cases prompted the Scottish Government to announce travellers from Greece would have to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday, while Wales began asking arrivals from the island of Zante to enter quarantine. Public Health Wales has confirmed at least 16 cases of Covid-19 from three different parties who were on Tui flight 6215 from Zante to Cardiff on August 25. Cases have been increasing in Greece / REUTERS One traveller claimed that the flight was full of selfish covidiots, with passengers not wearing their masks properly and disregarding the rules. In a statement, Tui said that cabin crew and other passengers confirmed there were multiple warnings about wearing face masks on the flight. Tui is suspending its holidays in the resort of Laganas on Zante. There were 14.3 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Greece in the seven days to September 1, up from 14.1 a week earlier and a similar rate to the UK. A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government has considered triggering quarantine conditions. The Department for Transport (DfT) has said no change to its rules for England had been made, but Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said he would be pressing the UK Government for an urgent meeting to consider the potential risk in Greece. But Greeces tourism minister Harry Theoharis told BBC Radio 4s Today programme earlier on Wednesday: Were doing everything in our power to ensure that every person that comes from the UK is kept safe in Greece. Were taking specific targeted measures where we see specific concentrations of cases. Measures that have been successful and have been working in the past few days. Elsewhere, rising cases in Portugal are prompting many UK tourists to pay hundreds of pounds to fly home before Saturday. In recent weeks the DfT has announced changes to its quarantine exemption list on Thursday nights, with the new rules being imposed on Saturdays at 4am. In Portugal, the seven-day coronavirus cases rate is 22.7, compared with 14.2 for the previous week. Holidaymakers hoping to avoid quarantine face limited options and expensive fares, despite airlines operating additional flights. Figures have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. He said he believed the arrest is part of an "overzealous police response" to the pandemic. I think we need to recognise the need to limit certain individual rights in relation to the pandemic, but the state of emergency doesnt mean individual rights disappear altogether." Liberty Victoria also expressed "deep concern", saying pressing charges to prevent a peaceful protest was a "disturbing development, irrespective of the current state of emergency". "To describe this approach by police as heavy-handed is a gross understatement," said Liberty Victoria senior vice-president Sam Norton. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said police were doing what they were required to do to stop protests and he was satisfied the treatment of Ms Buhler was appropriate in the circumstances. "It's never going to look good, the optics of arresting someone who's pregnant is terrible," he said, adding that the use of handcuffs was guided by a risk assessment process which had been correctly followed. "This wasn't some casual encounter. This was our members attending a premises to execute a search warrant. "I've seen the footage and in my assessment, the members have conducted themselves entirely reasonably, they've been polite and professional." Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said he had watched the video of Ms Buhler's arrest from start to finish and couldn't point to "a single thing any one of my members have done incorrectly". "They've announced themselves, they explained themselves, they have de-escalated any form of conflict and they've done that quite well. They have cautioned and given the person their rights and indeed they have used handcuffs in a manner we would expect ordinarily to occur for their safety and the safety of the person who is under arrest." Ms Neville said she fully backed the response of police to breaches of coronavirus restrictions. Ms Buhler, who said she plans to fight the charges, said she had organised the protest as she believes Victoria's lockdowns are too harsh and should be eased. "I thought in Ballarat we are in stage three lockdown and I suppose I had a bit of a bimbo moment and I actually didnt realise it wasnt OK," Ms Buhler told radio station 3AW on Thursday. "Im not a criminal person and [my arrest] was very extreme," she said. "I didn't realise I was doing something wrong." Mr Cornelius said you would "have to have been on Mars" not to know that protesting is currently not allowed. Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said the treatment of Ms Buhler had "deeply concerned" Victorians and contrasted it with the handling of the Black Lives Matter and construction union protests. "Daniel Andrews must now answer why it is one set of rules for left-wing and union protesters and another set for anyone critical of his government." Loading Mr Andrews said he had not seen the video of the arrest and how it was handled was a matter for Victoria Police. "Protests are not smart, they're not safe, and they're not lawful. And that's been my consistent view, regardless of what you're protesting about. And I'm not making a comment about the worth or otherwise or whatever someone is protesting about." Mr Cornelius said police have been visiting people of interest and have sent official warnings to more than 80 people who are "at risk" of attending the "Freedom Day" protest planned for Melbourne's CBD Saturday. The decision to promote the Shrine of Remembrance as a location for the proposed protest was "completely inappropriate", he said. kali9/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News The family of a Black man who died after Rochester, New York, police arrested him during a mental health emergency earlier this year is calling for charges after body camera footage showed officers pinning Daniel Prude on the ground and placing a bag over his head before he lost consciousness. Officers responded to a 911 call made by Prude's family on March 23 after they said he was going through a mental health issue. The body camera footage first obtained by the Democrat and Chronicle on Wednesday showed several officers approach Prude, 41, who was naked and kneeling on the cold street. Prude appears in the video to comply with the officers' orders and questions as they placed him in handcuffs. He began to shout and spit at the officers who then placed a spit bag over his head, the video showed. Three officers are then seen pushing Prude into the ground and pinning him while he continues to shout and spit and eventually vomit, according to the video and police report. Prude appears to go lifeless minutes later. An ambulance is later seen arriving and a paramedic attempts to do CPR before Prude is put on a stretcher and driven away. Prude died a week later and the Monroe County medical examiner declared his death a homicide due to "complications of asphyxia," according to the preliminary autopsy report. Joe Prude, Daniel's brother, called the incident "a full-fledged, ongoing cold-blooded murder," during a news conference Wednesday and called for the officers to be charged for his death. "I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched," he said. Joe Prude said that his brother was visiting from Chicago and was going through a mental health crisis. The police report said Joe Prude told officers his brother "was using drugs and was suicidal." Joe Prude said he admitted his brother to a hospital for help hours before the incident, but Daniel Prude was released after a short time. Joe Prude added he told officers that his brother was not a threat to anyone but himself and asked them not to kill him. "They knew the mental distress he was in," he told reporters. During an earlier news conference, Rochester Police Chief LaRon Singletary said Wednesday that the officers involved in the incident have not been suspended and denied allegations that his office was trying to cover it up. "We took the investigation seriously since day one," Singletary told reporters. "When the incident occurred on March 23 around 3 a.m. on Jefferson Avenue, that morning I ordered a criminal investigation and internal investigation." He said the investigation was transferred to the state attorney general's office, which is the protocol in New York anytime a person is killed while in custody. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren called the video "disturbing" and said they are still waiting for Attorney General Letitia James' office to give a report. "I know they are working on it and I know that our law and police department have been working with them to move this along," Warren said at the news conference. James said in a statement that her office is actively investigating the incident. "As with every investigation, we will follow the facts of this case and ensure a complete and thorough examination of all relevant parties. We will work tirelessly to provide the transparency and accountability that all our communities deserve," she said in the statement. Protesters demanded justice outside the Rochester police station Wednesday for Daniel Prude, who was killed two months before George Floyd died similarly during a filmed arrest in Minneapolis. "Who do you serve, who do you protect?" the protesters shouted at the police. Elliot Shields, the attorney representing the Prude family, said they intend to sue "everyone responsible for Daniel's death." "I watched the video with them and it was one of the most difficult experiences of my life watching the family react to seeing their brother and son murdered by RPD while other officers, paramedics and EMTs and no one granted him any basic humanity," he said at a news conference. ABC News' Rachel Katz and Cheryl Gendron contributed to this report. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. MINSK -- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin held talks in Belarus on September 3 as authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka pivots to Moscow to overcome weeks of protests and international isolation over an election widely viewed as rigged. Unprecedented daily protests against Lukashenka since the August 9 vote are being closely watched in Russia, which for years has pushed for closer economic and political integration between the two ex-Soviet countries despite finding an often difficult and resistant partner in the Belarusian leader. The protests and associated crackdown have also upended Lukashenkas nascent rapprochement with the West, which the Belarusian president had used to balance ties with its much larger eastern neighbor. Mishustin's one-day visit to Minsk focused on economic and energy issues, the two sides said. During a meeting with Lukashenka, Mishustin noted progress in strengthening the two countries' union agreement envisaging close political, economic, and military ties. The visit paves the way for a planned meeting between Lukashenka and Russian President Vladimir Putin within the next two weeks, officials have said. Separately, Belarus's Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin will visit Russia on September 4. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets across Belarus to protest the "rigged" results that gave Lukashenka more than 80 percent of the vote. The protesters are calling on Lukashenka to step down after 26 years in power, release all political prisoners, and hold free and fair elections. In response, Lukashenka has intensified a crackdown on protesters and mobilized the army, claiming NATO members are plotting a "color revolution" to topple him and planning to use Belarus as a geopolitical launching pad to undermine Russia. "The country is working, although many, especially our neighbors, would like us to collapse," Lukashenka said after meeting with the Russian prime minister, referring to the European Union states bordering Belarus and ongoing protests. "This lesson should incentivize the two brotherly countries, Belarus and Russia, to draw relevant conclusions," he said. "And to reach agreements on many issues on which we previously could not agree. Analysts say Putin is struggling with the difficult balancing act of calculating whether Russia can extract demands from an increasingly weak Lukashenka with its interest in not isolating a Belarusian public and opposition that is so far not hostile to Russia. Putin last week raised the possibility of sending military support if Belarus "starts to get out of control and extremist elements in Belarus cross the line and begin acts of looting. George Kent, U.S. deputy assistant secretary overseeing policy toward Belarus at the State Department, said at a conference in Washington on September 2 that the United States and its allies would have a tough response if Russia intervenes in Belarus. He said that if Moscow thinks relations with the West the last few years have been bad, "it can get worse." Lukashenka's government has "lost all legitimacy in the eyes" of the Belarusian people and it would be "catastrophic" for Russia's image in Belarus to intervene militarily on his behalf, he said. In response to Mishustins visit, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-exiled presidential candidate who has become an unlikely leader of the Belarusian opposition, suggested any agreements between Lukashenka and Russia would be void. Sovereignty cannot be the subject of negotiations or bargaining. I doubt that any decisions and agreements that can be signed by Lukashenka will be recognized by the new government. The reason for this is known: the people have refused to trust Lukashenka, she said via her Telegram channel. Tsikhanouskaya, who claims to have won 60 to 70 percent of the vote, has previously told RFE/RL that the Belarusian opposition has no issues with Russia and would like every country to respect its sovereignty and the will of the people. Earlier on September 3, the official BelTa news agency reported that Lukashenka has appointed new heads for the countrys KGB security service, the Security Council, and the State Control Committee. Retaining the loyalty of the security forces, who have helped him crack down hard on dissent, is vital to Lukashenka maintaining control of the situation. Thousands of people have been detained during protests after the election. UN human rights investigators said on they had received reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings, and mistreatment. Meanwhile, another 10 people were detained at peaceful protests on September 3, the Vyasna human right center said. As authorities try to stifle the spread of information, they have revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists and deported some foreign journalists. Several Belarusian journalists were detained earlier this week and charged with taking part in unsanctioned protests. Two popular TV anchors who resigned from state TV in solidarity with the protesters have also been detained. One, BT TV presenter Dzmitry Kakhno, was sentenced on September 3 to 10 days of administrative arrest for participating in an unauthorized rally. On the evening of September 3, about 70 journalists demonstrated outside the Interior Ministry's headquarters in Minsk, calling for the detained journalists to be released. News also emerged that two members of the opposition Coordinating Councils presidium will be tried again for allegedly violating the law on organizing mass events. Volha Kovalkova and Syarhey Dyleuski, who is also a strike organizer, were to be released from detention on September 3 after serving 10 days in jail on a similar charge. The Coordination Council said another detained member of its presidium, Lilia Vlasova, had been charged with tax evasion, according to Interfax. The authorities also have launched a case against Viktar Kuvshinau, a manager of software company PandaDoc in Minsk, for alleged financial crimes, his wife said. Kuvshinau had helped teachers who were members of the election commission and witnessed instances of fraud to file complaints to law enforcement agencies. He also assisted those who had lost their job with finding a new post. PandaDoc CEO Mikita Mikado has launched an initiative to help law enforcement officers who will leave the service. With reporting by AFP, TASS, Interfax, AP, Reuters, and dpa When US companies were ordered to stop working with Huawei, one of the apps that were dearly missed was Google Maps with its effortless navigation and mapping solutions. Today, the Chinese smartphone company finally has a viable alternative - TomTom released its own navigation app on Huawei AppGallery. TomTom GO Navigation app It will be free for the first 30 days but then you have to pay either 1.99/month or 12.99/year if you want to continue using it after that. TomTom signed a deal with Huawei back in January, and after a conversation with Huawei representatives, they confirmed the Dutch location technology company is working mainly on location and mapping tools and services. It wasnt ready to provide an alternative to Google Maps in time for the March release of Huawei P40 family but it was clear both companies were working hard to offer a more personalized experience for non-GMS phones. TomTom GO Navigation app Starting the application for the first time requires downloading some maps for offline use. It also allows you to add Home and Work addresses, as well as other points of interest - something Google Maps cannot do on Huawei smartphones without GMS. While TomTom Go does not bring integration with public services like mass transport or personalized recommendations for various activities, it has a more detailed map for navigation and is the often a better way to get yourself from Point A to Point B. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Grand Alliance (GA) are the major formations face to face in the forthcoming Bihar assembly election 2020, efforts to give shape to a third front has also quietly picked up momentum adding some zing to the election, otherwise seen as a direct NDA vs GA fight. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the United Democratic Alliance and some other political parties are aiming to provide an alternative to voters in Bihar. UDA, headed by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, is reportedly in talks with AAP. Last year AAP had offered Sinha a seat to contest Lok Sabha elections from New Delhi but it did not materialize then. However, Sinhas proximity with AAP is well known. In May this year, Sinha, who has been consistently critical of the Narendra Modi government, had sat on joint dharna at Rajghat in New Delhi with AAP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, demanding proper arrangements for migrant workers to get back home. They were later detained. Defying his 80-plus age, Sinha has been criss-crossing the state for the last few weeks after announcing his return to active politics in June. He says he is in the Bihar assembly elections fray to change the stage-managed narrative of 15 years versus 15 years and provide an alternative that people could believe in, despite being aware that it will take no less than a miracle to create any room considering the present caste-based poll arithmetic in the state. We have formed UDA, which includes 16 smaller parties and senior leaders bound by a common ideology, to give Bihar an alternative it is yearning for. I have covered almost two-thirds of the state and the remaining one-third will be completed soon. Everyone knows what we are here for. Even AAP knows it, said Sinha, adding UDA would keep away from anyone with corruption and criminal taint. Also Read: With hundreds of Oximeter centres, AAP gets closer to people in Bihar UDA includes former Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar, five-time MP from Jhanjharpur Devendra Prasad Yadav, former union minister Nagmani, former Bihar ministers Narendra Singh and Renu Kushwaha and several others. The moment ticket distribution starts, we know many more will be interested in joining us after getting discarded by their own parties, but we have our benchmark, said a senior leader of the new alliance. Sources in the UDA said that Sinha and AAP getting closer was a possibility considering their compatibility. However, they ruled out any truck with former MP Pappu Yadavs party. Bihar AAP chief Sushil Singh said that the partys Bihar incharge Sanjay Singh might be talking to Sinha. It is all up to the senior leaders. AAP, in the meanwhile, is working on the ground to ascertain its poll strategy and decide the number of seats it should contest. Good people are always welcome, he added. Also Read:NDA gets a boost in poll-bound Bihar as Jitan Manjhis party joins it A senior AAP leader said that even Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) could join the emerging third front if the GA did not treat it properly during seat sharing. We can see the discomfort Upendra Kushwaha is in. If he wants, he can join our fight. We are open to people with a clean image, he added. RLSP principal general secretary Madhav Anand said talks for seat sharing were underway within the GA. At present, there is no move to leave GA, as we hope things will work out during the talks. A normal seat sharing formula could be arrived on the basis of Lok Sabha seats contested. We had contested five seats and that converts into around 30 assembly seats. With new allies joining the GA, we know all constituents will be required to make some adjustments, but it has to be reasonable and proportionate. We hope the GA will decide it amicably, he added. Imagine that in some other country, young girls are being kidnapped, abused and even killed. Its been going on for centuries in one way or another and no one except women seems to care not police, not the government, not even the church. All, in fact, may have played a role in creating the problem. Thats just how it is, and in that country, they dont much like anyone especially women challenging the order of things. Finally, though, a group of women, angry and demanding respect, has the nerve to declare the obvious that young girls lives matter. When an onlooker, safe in his own life, counters that all lives matter, he is plainly missing the point and maybe missing it on purpose. Of course all lives matter, but not all lives are at equal risk. Or, to make it even simpler, imagine that the movements name is Black Lives Matter, Too. Its really nothing more controversial than that, but some critics cant or wont acknowledge that Black Americans are calling attention to real issues. Some of that resistance may arise from simple ignorance, grounded in a life with no relevant experience or the willingness to see things from someone elses point of view. Numerous wind-driven fires erupted across Eastern Montana Wednesday, including a blaze that has forced evacuations southeast of Roundup. Two rounds of evacuations were announced by Musselshell County Disaster and Emergency Services officials Wednesday: An area that includes Bobcat Lane, Bear Road, Lazy R Way, Deer Lane, Cobie Lane, Johnny's Coal Road, Lennick Road, Beard Road, Crocus Road, Elk, Lane, Smith Road, Outlaw Trail, and Wilson Road. An area that includes Turkey Trot Drive, Bruner Mountain Road, Pine Cone Lane, Lookout Lane, Taylor Mesa Lane, Spring Hollow Lane, Otter Trail and everyone in the Hidden Springs subdivision and along South Fattig Creek Road between the mine and 1035 South Fattig Creek Road or the old Brown Ranch. At about 8:30 p.m., DES officials posted on their Facebook page a plea to residents to not call overwhelmed dispatchers to check on fires. Fire crews are working hard to get this fire shut down. The terrible winds have not helped in their efforts, officials posted. Currently, the fire is still headed to the south and has jumped Fattig Creek Road in the area close to the (Signal Peak coal) mine. Crews are trying to contain the fire in that area. DES officials earlier in the evening said multiple fires were burning all over the county. Another blaze near Melstone off High Five Road drew fire crews and air support. Four airplanes from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation assisted with battling the blaze. Officials said fire crews would work through the night. The county fairgrounds was opened to house horses and other animals if needed, and donations like water and food could be taken to St. Benedict's Church. The Montana Red Cross set up a shelter at the Roundup Community Center at 700 Third Street West. Some Musselshell County residents knew exactly what to do when the evacuation order came. Leslie Clark packed items into her vehicle at their home along Old Divide Road. This ain't our first rodeo, Mark Clark said. The family has lived on the property for more than 40 years. Sue and Everett Engelhardt also live along Old Divide Road, but weren't planning on evacuating yet. Obviously we wont get no sleep tonight, Sue Engelhardt said. In Rosebud County, officials ordered evacuations near Ashland because of an approaching fire, including the areas of Beaver Creek Road and Tongue River Road North and South up to the Ashland border, according to the local sheriff's department Facebook page. At around 8 p.m., county officials ordered the evacuation of Ashland, and the nearby Red Shale area. The Red Cross and officials from Powder River County assisted with the evacuations. The county has several other fires burning, the sheriff's office said, including a fire that crossed the Tongue River near Snider Creek Road and has burned into Custer County and a fire near Ingomar. A fire sparked Wednesday afternoon at about 1:30 p.m. on the northeast corner Crow Indian Reservation grew to an estimated 10,000 acres, or about 15 square miles, in seven hours, said Jon Kohn, spokesperson for the Crow Agency BIA Fire & Aviation. The fire spread into portions of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation over the border near upper Sarpy Creek north of Highway 212, driven by 52 mph gusts, 94 degree temperatures, and very dry 10% relative humidity, according to a press release from Tracy Spang, acting fire management officer. Homes were not threatened Wednesday night, but the fire may still threaten ranches or homes Thursday, Spang said. Spang likened the fire to the Sarpy Complex eight years ago in the same area. That fire burned more than 85,000 acres, or 133 square miles, in a day, and also headed south overnight to US 212 where it burned a trailer home and threatened other homes, according to the release. "Plans tonight include positioning resources where they can do the most good protecting structures, and trying to head off this fire before it approaches buildings," according to the release. "Engines cannot go in front of a fire in high wind." Highway 212 was closed at Lame Deer and Busby, except to area residents and fire personnel, according to the Northern Cheyenne BIA Forestry and Wildfire Management. The closure is mostly because of smoke. Drivers were asked to seek an alternative route, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. Parts of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation were evacuated as of about 6:30 p.m. An evacuation order was put into place from Iron Bridge, the Rosebud subdivision, to the Crow-Northern Cheyenne reservation line. A wind shift at about 6 p.m. began to push the fire south toward Highway 212, he said. The fire was an estimated 5 miles south of the highway. There are several houses along the the highway, said Randy Pretty on Top with Crow Bureau of Indian Affairs Wildfire and Land Management. "That's our concern right now," he said. BIA firefighters with both Crow and Northern Cheyenne, Bureau of Land Management, Big Horn County firefighters and local ranchers were all helping to fight the fire, he said. High and changeable winds made the fire particularly difficult and dangerous to fight, he said. Rosebud County also has several fires burning, according to the local sheriff's department Facebook page. Those include a fire that crossed the Tongue River near Snider Creek Road and has burned into Custer County, a blaze near an Amish community on Beaver Creek Road, and a fire near Ingomar. Two large fires were reported earlier in Judith Basin County, with smoke filtering down into Judith Gap and the Shawmut area, according to the Wheatland County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. A fire was also reported in Wheatland County, but few details were available. "We also have a fire here in (Harlowton) we are currently working on so please be patient as dispatch is very busy so our conversations have to be brief in nature," according to a post on the Wheatland County's Facebook page. Photos: September brings wildfires and smoke to Central and Eastern Montana Photos: A year later, Wyoming families are still recovering from a destructive wildfire Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Sun Peak Metals Corp (the "Company" or "Sun Peak", TSXV:PEAK) is pleased to provide an outlook for planned diamond drilling exploration activities for the remainder of 2020 at the Company's gold and base metal Shire Project, located in Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia. The program will consist of approximately 8,000 meters of diamond drilling, utilizing three drills scheduled to begin October 2020. One drill will focus on the Meli VMS project, located about 40 km southwest of the town of Shire. This drilling will target the extension of the gold and copper VMS style mineralization at the Meli Eastern gossan that was drill tested with 7 shallow holes in March of this year, as well as other targets in the immediate vicinity. The drill highlights from these 7 drill holes (see website - reported by the Company June 18, 2020) are: ML-001 - 15.30 meters averaging 3.18 g/t gold, 25.0 g/t silver, 2.2% copper, and 1.4% zinc ML-002 - 37.23 meters averaging 2.45 g/t gold, 29.4 g/t silver, 2.4% copper, and 1.3% zinc ML-003 - 35.43 meters averaging 2.52 g/t gold, 22.3 g/t silver, 1.8% copper, and 1.5% zinc In addition, two drills will be testing key gold and base metal VMS targets, developed during exploration work previously conducted by the Company on the Terer and Nefasit exploration licenses, located 40 km north of the town of Shire. "For almost 20 years, our team has been refining our exploration techniques for VMS deposits in the Arabian-Nubian Shield. That work is culminating in our next Shire Project drill program," states Greg Davis, Sun Peak President and C.E.O. "Over the final months of 2020 we will drill test several of the high priority gold and copper targets that have been developed over the last several of years." Figure 1: Shire Project - Exploration License Map with Key Targets scheduled to be drilled in 2020 labeled. Additional details on each target will be provided by the Company upon the commencement of drilling. Meli Exploration License The drill program at Meli will expand on the gold and copper mineralization previously intercepted by the 7 shallow diamond drill holes completed at the beginning of March this year. The drill program was suspended in March by the Company due to measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from Sun Peak's initial program demonstrated the Meli primary sulfide zones are copper and gold rich VMS style mineralization. The higher gold grades could indicate the mineralization is near a VMS vent (or vents) and the potential of massive sulfide mineralized layers near to these vents. Drilling will focus on expanding this zone along strike and to depth. Drilling at Meli will also test mineralized zones in the immediate vicinity. These targets were defined by exploration work conducted by the Company over the last two years and include detailed gravity anomalies and VTEM conductors. Figure 2: Meli VMS Target Map showing VTEM Results Terer and Nefasit Exploration Licenses Two diamond drills will be assigned to a series of high priority gold and base metal VMS targets located on the Terer and Nefasit Exploration Licenses. These targets have been developed over the previous two years and are defined by soil and stream geochemistry, ground gravity, airborne VTEM surveys, and detailed geological and structural mapping. Figure 3: Key Targets to be tested on Terer and Nefasit Exploration Licences with VTEM Results Drill targets from north to south include Hamlo, Terer, Angoda North, Angoda, and Meda. Hamlo VMS Target: Prominent VMS gossan outcrops mapped over 800 meters along strike and up to 80 meters wide. Grab samples from the gossans returned gold values of up to 2 g/t. The Hamlo VMS gossans are also defined by coincident VTEM conductors and a gravity high anomaly. Terer VMS Target: Located approximately 2 km south of the Hamlo target and defined by 1 km long gossan outcrops with soil geochemistry anomalies of precious and base metals, gravity high anomaly, and strong VTEM conductors. Angoda North VMS Target: Defined by a strong soil geochemistry anomaly, detailed ground gravity high anomalies, VTEM conductor, and 800 meters long gossan outcrops. The gossan outcrops were defined in recent geological mapping work which was following up on the anomalies identified by the geophysical and geochemistry surveys. Angoda VMS Target: Defined by a greater than 1.5 kilometer long mineralized zone of gossans and hydrothermal alteration horizons, that plunges to the east and increase in size. The target is identified by a copper and zinc soil geochemistry anomaly and a gravity high coincident with a VTEM conductor. Meda VMS Target: Defined for over a 1 kilometer long by a gold, silver, copper, and zinc soil geochemistry anomaly, several gossan outcrops, and a gravity high anomaly. A single historic vertical RC hole was drilled in 2004 into the gossan which assayed 18 meters of 2.77 g/t gold from surface. Sun Peak is well funded with approximately C$11.5M cash. Drilling activities planned to begin in October, and for the remainder of the year 2020, have taken Covid19 measures into account, including new travel rules and restrictions. The Company will provide further updates and details before drilling begins. Qualified Person David Daoud, P. Geo, Vice President Exploration is a Qualified Person overseeing Sun Peak's exploration projects in Ethiopia and has reviewed the information in the release and approved this press release. About Sun Peak Metals Corp. Sun Peak Metals Corp. is exploring the district-scale Shire Project in the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. The Shire Project is comprised of four exploration licenses: Nefasit, Adi Dairo, Terer & Meli, and covers approximately 900 square kilometers in the prospective Arabian Nubian Shield. The licenses are in the same geological environment as both the Bisha Mine and the Asmara Projects to the north in Eritrea and Newmont's Project, also in northern Ethiopia, to the south. The Sun Peak team have worked together in East Africa for almost two decades and the Company's strategy is to apply exploration techniques that have worked successfully in the region before in significant discoveries, to build assets through major discoveries. Sun Peak Metals Corp. Greg Davis President, CEO, and Director Contact Information gdavis@sunpeakmetals.com Direct: +1 (604) 999-1099 Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain information and statements in this news release may be considered forward-looking information or forward-looking statements for purposes of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), which reflect the expectations of management regarding its disclosure and amendments thereto. Forward-looking statements consist of information or statements that are not purely historical, including any information or statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information or statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the planned timing and scope of the exploration programs on the Shire Projects and the extent that COVID-19 may impact the timing or execution of these plans. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. 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 Sun Peak will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including without limitation: the risk that the results of the planned exploration programs at the Shire Project to not meet expected results. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable securities laws, Sun Peak assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional information about these and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties are set out in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section in the Prospectus filed with Canadian security regulators. SOURCE: Sun Peak Metals Corp View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604611/Sun-Peak-Metals-Corp-Outlook-on-Drilling-Activities-Planned-on-Shire-Project Heres a sign that the troubled Windows on Snapdragon platform isnt going away anytime soon: Qualcomm is announcing today its new made-for-PC processor based on ARM design. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 follows up 2018s Snapdragon 8cx, and back then the company said the x in the name stood for extreme power. This years model offers better AI performance and support for newer standards of WiFi and Bluetooth, but doesnt appear to run any faster than before. Acer and HP both also announced today that theyll be offering laptops with the new chipset, with Acers Spin 7 being the first to use it. HPs product will be a business-centric notebook, and the company said more information will be shared later this year. Instead of comparing the latest chipset to the previous generation, Qualcomm said the new 8cx delivers more than 50 percent greater systemwide performance and battery life versus competing solutions. In a briefing video, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said the first generation 8cx outperformed competition like an Intel Core i5 chip while using a fraction of the power, while the new 8cx offers 18 percent better system performance than a tenth-generation Intel Core i5. Thats all similar to the earlier generation, and there dont seem to be actual performance improvements in terms of clock speeds here. Amon pointed out the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2s image signal processor (ISP) as a means to help webcams deliver better quality. The Spectra ISP here will support sensors up to 32-megapixels sharp, as well as up to 4K HDR recording. It will also enable HDR streaming and playback. Like the previous generation, the new 8cx can output to two 4K monitors, but this time around it supports 4K at a higher 60 fps framerate via a single cable. Qualcomm also uses its Aqstic echo-cancellation and noise suppresion tech here to make your voice sound clearer on calls amid noisy surroundings. The 8cx Gen 2s AI engine will also enable faster processing of things like an eye contact feature that was also available (albeit experimentally) on the Surface Pro X with the earlier chipset. With this, when your computer can tell youre not looking at your webcam during a video conference, it will prompt you to make faux eye contact instead of staring at your screen. Qualcomm also announced features like a Loom.AI-powered avatar that can replace you in a call and match your facial expressions in real time, just in case you were all Zoomed out and wanted a digital character in your place. Story continues Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 As for one of the greatest draws of a Snapdragon PC connectivity like the first-generation 8cx, this chipset is compatible with 5G but wont actually have an integrated radio for it. To support 5G, laptop makers will also have to add the Snapdragon X55 modem in their products, or an X24 if they only want to enable LTE. Qualcomm said that while the X55 doesnt come standard, it expects most 8cx Gen 2 machines will have 5G. Microsoft commits to taking responsibility for app compatibility One of the biggest challenges plaguing the Windows on Snapdragon platform is app compatibility. While Microsoft has made improvements on enabling 64-bit app support for ARM and a native emulator for 32-bit apps, there still isnt widespread compatibility for the mobile-friendly platform. Microsofts chief product officer Panos Panay joined Amon in Qualcomms video to tease some information coming about its App Assure program for Windows on ARM. Were now moving the App Assure program to all our customers using Snapdragon, Panay said. Desktop App Assure was launched in 2018 to help developers make their Windows 7 apps compatible with Windows 10. It allowed people who come across app compatibility issues to work with Microsoft engineers until their problems are resolved. With support for Windows 7 having ended in 2020, it was crucial to enable a smooth shift to Windows 10. Panay said the Snapdragon offering of App Assure would similarly have Microsoft engineers engage with developers at no cost and get those apps to work across all of Windows. He didnt have many more details to share, saying more information was coming in a couple of weeks, but he did explain that Microsoft was putting a lot of energy into this. There's a lot of momentum. While the actual performance promises of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 dont seem like a great leap forward, Microsofts update certainly injects some hope. Well have to wait till the Acer and HP laptops are available before we can determine if Snapdragon PCs will finally be reliable machines or if theyll continue to disappoint. Update: This article has been edited to clarify that manufacturers will need to use the X24 radio to enable LTE, not the X20 as previously stated. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn] Beijing slams zero-sum mentality after US warns of planned warheads boost In its first public estimate of China's nuclear capacity, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that within a decade Beijing would double the number of warheads in the country's stockpilea figure it now puts "in the low 200s". China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday rejected the Pentagon report that Beijing would double the number of its nuclear warheads. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news conference that the report is filled with bias, urging the US to abandon the zero-sum game and do more for the benefit of the two countries and their militaries, rather than the other way around. The Chinese Defense Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, said the report is full of the zero-sum Cold War mentality and the so-called China military threat. The report distorts China's national defense policy and military strategy, smears the Chinese army modernization and nuclear policy, and stirs up tensions across the Taiwan Straits, it said. "This is extremely wrong and China firmly opposes to that. We will make further appropriate response," the statement said. But even with the projected increase in China's warheads, that number is "far smaller" than those for the stockpiles of the United States and Russiarespectively, 3,800 and 4,300and should serve to discourage Washington from dragging Beijing into the trilateral arms control negotiations, several US experts said. The Pentagon's estimate has made headlines in the US and beyond as relations between the world's top two economies have plummeted to their lowest point in decades due to tensions building up on multiple fronts, including trade, technology and the South China Sea. US President Donald Trump's administration has been urging China to join the US and Russia in negotiating a three-way deal to limit strategic nuclear arms, but China has declined. Beijing has repeatedly said that it has no intention of participating in the negotiations. By pressing China to join in such talks, the Trump administration has created a pretext for walking away from the existing US-Russia arms treaty known as New START, The Associated Press said. That deal is due to expire in February but could be renewed for up to five years if Moscow and Washington agree. The annual report, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China", was first issued in 2000 when the Pentagon assessed that China's military "was slowly and unevenly adapting to the trends in modern warfare". Now, the 200-page report claims, China's objective is to have a "world class" military by the end of 2049, though it noted that the Chinese military strategy remains based on the concept of "active defense". "Even if the Department of Defense is correct and China doubles its arsenal by 2030 to 400-500 warheads, China's arsenal will remain far smaller and less capable than that of the US and Russia," Kingston Reif, director of disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, said in a Twitter post. "The foolishness of throwing away an extension of New START due to concerns about China can't be overstated," he wrote. Taking wind out of sails Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, tweeted: "Perhaps the most surprising (thing) about the 'low-200s' warhead estimate is that it takes some of the wind out of the sail of the Trump administration's push to get China into nuclear arms control." In addition to its stockpile of 3,800 warheads, the US has a further 2,000 that are "retired" (still intact but awaiting dismantlement), according to an analysis Kristensen and his colleague Matt Korda posted on the federation's website on Tuesday. The timing of the report's release is not necessarily political, but the Pentagon's assessment of Chinese military achievements will likely raise alarm bells in Washington and probably be picked up on the US presidential campaign trail, according to Jon Taylor, chair of the department of political science and geography at the University of Texas in San Antonio. In the report, the Pentagon also said that pursuit of a constructive results-oriented relationship with China is an important part of US strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Although the US and China agreed at the January 2020 Defense Policy Consultative Talks on a series of military contact events to occur this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated delaying or canceling events, according to the report. Taylor said military-to-military and security relations, marked by stability and open communication, is the key to avoiding any "unfortunate and avoidable problems". Cui Haipei in Beijing and agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story. Another group of Republicans is endorsing Democrat Joe Biden on Thursday, this one made up of nearly 100 former governors and lawmakers. The "Republicans and Independents for Biden" group is headed by former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman who already endorsed Biden at the Democratic National Convention and its members include former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld and, more surprisingly, former two-term Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), who left office in 2019. About a fifth of the group is Michigan Republicans, including former congressmen Joe Schwarz and Dave Trott. "Having worked with Joe Biden and Donald Trump when I was governor, I believe Biden is the clear choice to put our country back on a positive path," Snyder told Reuters. He elaborated in a USA Today op-ed, explaining that Trump "lacks a moral compass" and governs like "a bully," and "being a bully and being strong are not the same thing." The economy once the president's ace card has been strong under Trump, but "it reminds me of the old expression that it is better to be lucky than smart," Snyder said. "Some regulatory reforms have been helpful. But his tax reform was a failure." And despite "some good agreements" in foreign policy, he added, "overall, our nation is no longer respected as a leader on world affairs." Snyder assured his party that "while I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state, and federal level." "Republicans and Independents for Biden" is affiliated with the Lincoln Project, a group of GOP operatives working to defeat Trump. Other anti-Trump GOP groups include 43 Alumni for Biden, made up of hundreds of officials who worked for George W. Bush, and Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told Reuters that Trump has unprecedented support among "real Republican voters." More stories from theweek.com Authentic outlasts Tiz the Law to win Kentuky Derby Fox News journalist Trump wants fired over reports on his alleged U.S. troops insults: 'My sources are unimpeachable' Drug makers reportedly to pledge they won't cut corners on coronavirus vaccine The Spanish Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 8,581 new cases of the coronavirus in Spain, 3,663 of which were detected in the previous 24 hours. Although the epidemic continues to spread quickly through the country, the weekly incidence figures 47,423 diagnoses and those for the last 14 days 99,621 have fallen slightly thanks to an improvement of the situation in Madrid, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Aragon. These falls, however, are far from being a downward trend. Only Aragon has presented a consistent descent in infections, while in Catalonia they have stabilized. But the data from the Balearics and Madrid could be an oasis in the midst of what appears to be an unstoppable rise, especially in the case of the latter region, which accounts for nearly a third of the cases in all of Spain. Health authorities and experts alike are particularly concerned as to what is happening in the capital, given that, as a transportation hub, it has the capacity to spread the virus to the rest of the country. Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia account for nearly half of all of Covid-19 patients in the country Also particularly affected are the neighboring regions Castilla y Leon and Castilla-La Mancha, which held a meeting on Wednesday evening with the Health Ministry and representatives from Madrid in order to agree on joint action in the face of the ongoing rise in cases. According to sources present at the meeting, the epidemiological situation in these regions was examined and an agreement was reached to hold periodic meetings to coordinate actions to combat the virus. The meeting was aimed at sharing and preventing future scenarios and coordinating actions between the three regions if necessary. Madrid continues to present the highest incidence of cases over 14 days, with 466 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the Basque Country (363) and La Rioja (361). The rest of Spains regions are all below 300 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, although this rate is far higher than in neighboring countries. Only Asturias, with 46, is below 100. Health authorities and experts alike are particularly concerned as to what is happening in the capital The pressure on hospitals is still gradually rising, although the rhythm has also slowed somewhat according to yesterdays figures with respect to previous days. Currently there are 6,924 patients being treated for Covid-19, which is 6% of the total beds in Spain, a percentage that is slowly rising. Of these, 874 patients are in intensive care units (ICUs). Madrid is also the region with the highest percentage of coronavirus patients in its hospitals, with 15%. This figure has been rising since August 20, when the Health Ministry began to offer the data point for the first time. At that time it was at 9.5%, but in recent days the percentage has held steady. Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia account for nearly half of all of Covid-19 patients in the country, but it should be noted that they are also the regions with the highest population levels in the country. The Health Ministry report includes 42 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the official total to 29,194. This figure is, however, most likely well below the real death toll, given that thousands of people in Spain have died after contracting the coronavirus but were not given a PCR test to confirm the infection. Calculations by EL PAIS published at the end of June put the real total at nearly 45,000 victims. English version by Simon Hunter. The first female Prime Minister of Barbados has claimed that women make better leaders than men, because they run their country 'like a household'. Barbadian politician Mia Mottley, 54, appeared on Good Morning Britain today with former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt and the former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard to debate whether women make better leaders. She claimed that females are more 'caring' than males, and consider more the impact their decisions will have on people's feelings, meaning it's easier to change people's behaviour. This comes after a study comparing countries of a similar size with comparable populations showed that at the start of the pandemic, women reacted faster, locked their countries down sooner, and had less deaths overall than those run by their male counterparts. The first female Prime Minister of Barbados, pictured last year, has said women make better leaders than men, because they run their country 'like a household' Barbadian politician Mia Mottley, 54, appeared on Good Morning Britain today claimed that women are more 'caring' than men, and consider more the impact their decisions will have on people's feelings 'I think the issue is more really how women operate in terms of caring,' said Mia. 'And in many instances we treat issues how we would treat the household and the family. 'Not in a negative way, in a way that recognises unless you drill down to things and see where you are in respect to how people are operating, and recognise how people are feeling and listening to you, you cannot change behaviour. 'In this circumstance, it's behaviour that can contain the virus, these things tend to reflect more because we will pause and not just look at it academically, but think how will it impact the people who are hurting.' After being quizzed on whether she felt her views were sexist, she told that she simply wants 'the attributes women bring to public office' celebrated. She was joined by the former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt (bottom right) and the former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard (bottom left) to debate whether women make better leaders 'I don't think [it is sexist]. I think in households women negotiate in everything we do everyday. 'Women also have to cooperate with men and we get that, so it gives us a complete picture, and I try not to use the sexist prism. But I want us to understand the attributes women bring to public office do make a difference.' Meanwhile Helle, 53, claimed that male leaders such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have 'failed' during the crisis, because they didn't have a 'good cocktail of decision making' - saying that Theresa May would have done a 'better job' than Johnson. 'On this question of whether female leaders have done better in the crisis,' said Helle, 'I don't know if that is true. Helle, 53, claimed that male leaders such as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have 'failed' during the crisis, as they didn't have a 'good cocktail of decision making' Julia, 58, believed that while male and female brains are not 'inherently different', the genders are socialized differently - meaning women tend to have more empathetic traits 'But what I do know when we see the strong men like Trump and to some extent Johnson and we see why they failed. That is because they didnt have a good cocktail of decision making.' She added: 'I actually think Theresa may would have handled it better than Boris Johnson, but it's not too hard to handle something better than him - I think anyone could have done it.' Julia, 58, believed that while male and female brains are not 'inherently different', the genders are socialised differently - meaning women tend to have more empathetic traits, which need to be combined with strength in a female leader. She said: 'I do think we have to be a little bit careful about baking sexism in, I don't believe there is an inherent difference in men and women's brain - but we are socialised differently. 'We let women lead if they manage to combine strength and empathy and people do want strength and empathy from their leaders and this is where those types of qualities come to the forefront.' Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine candidate prevented severe illness in a small group of hamsters, the drugmaker said on Thursday. In the pre-clinical study, vaccinated animals lost less weight and had less virus in their lungs and other organs than unvaccinated animals. Hamsters that received the vaccine, called Ad26-S.PP, produced neutralizing antibodies, which health experts believe is vital to build immunity against COVID-19. What's more, none of the inoculated hamsters experienced severe outcomes such as pneumonia or death. It comes as the White House fervently denied that anyone from the Trump administration is putting political pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve a vaccine before the November 3 presidential election. Johnson & Johnson tested its coronavirus vaccine candidate, called Ad26-S.PP, on Syrian golden hamsters. Pictured: A lab technician fills a test tube during research on coronavirus, at Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutical in Beerse, Belgium, June 2020 Vaccinated Syrian golden hamsters lost less weight and had less virus in their lungs and other organs than unvaccinated hamsters and didn't experience severe outcomes such as pneumonia or death (file image) On Thursday, White House Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said there is no pressure on the FDA from Trump to approve a vaccine before the election. Pictured: McEnany holds a news briefing at the White House, Thursday The company began early-stage human trials in the US and Belgium in July after details of a study in monkeys showed its best-performing vaccine candidate offered strong protection in a single dose. 'This pre-clinical study further validates our confidence in our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate,' Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer for J&J, said in a statement, according to CNBC. 'With our Phase 3 trials planned to start this month, we remain committed to expanding our manufacturing and distribution capabilities to enable global access to our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate should it prove to be safe and effective in humans.' In the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, Syrian golden hamsters, which are more susceptible to diseases than monkeys, were vaccinated and then exposed to the coronavirus after four weeks. The researchers found low levels of antibodies that can neutralize the virus were tied to high levels of weight loss. Additionally, viral loads decreased from day two of infection to day seven. 'Our data demonstrate that a single immunization of Ad26-S.PP provides robust protection against severe clinical disease after high-dose SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters,' the authors wrote. Depending on data from the early-stage human trial, J&J plans to begin phase III testing in the second half of September in more than 60,000 people. The late-stage trial will be conducted at 180 locations in the US and at least eight other countries including Brazil, Chile, the Philippines and South Africa. In the US, locations will be in 28 states such as California, Florida, Texas, the states with the most overall cases and among the highest transmission rates. J&J's vaccine combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus - which causes the common cold - to induce an immune response. It is the same technology the company used to make an experimental Ebola vaccine for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2019. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 170 vaccines in various stages of development with about 30 in human trials. None have been authorized yet except for one in Russia, but this was done before large-scale trials were conducted. On Thursday, White House Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said there is no political pressure on the FDA to quickly approve a coronavirus immunization. This is after it was revealed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested a jab could be ready just ahead of the November presidential election. 'No one is pressuring the FDA to do anything. his is again a bizarre theory spun up by CNN among others,' McEnany said. She said President Donald Trump wants to push through regulatory barriers as quickly as possible, but not at the cost of safety. 'But he will not in any way sacrifice safety and making sure that is 100 percent airtight for the American people to receive it,' McEnany said. 'So, the priority here is saving lives, safety, and there will be a safe and effective vaccine in the works.' Rating Action: Moody's affirms Bank of Hawaii's ratings (A2 long-term issuer); changes outlook to negative from stable Global Credit Research - 02 Sep 2020 New York, September 02, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has affirmed the ratings of Bank of Hawaii Corporation and its bank subsidiary Bank of Hawaii (collectively referred to as "BOH") and affirmed Bank of Hawaii's a1 standalone Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA). Bank of Hawaii Corporation has a senior unsecured medium term note program rating of (P)A2. Bank of Hawaii has long-term/short-term deposit ratings of Aa2/Prime-1 and a long-term issuer rating of A2. Moody's has also changed the outlook on Bank of Hawaii to negative from stable. While the ratings affirmation reflects Moody's unchanged view of the bank's standalone credit profile, the outlook change to negative from stable reflects Moody's assessment that the bank's asset quality, capitalization and profitability will be under increased pressure due to the contraction in the Hawaiian economy in 2020, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Moody's expects the economic downturn will be more pronounced in the State of Hawaii (Aa2 stable) than in the US mainland because its economy is heavily reliant on tourism, which has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Moody's regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under its environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. Affirmations: ..Issuer: Bank of Hawaii Corporation ....Senior Unsecured Medium-Term Note Program, Affirmed (P)A2 ..Issuer: Bank of Hawaii .... Adjusted Baseline Credit Assessment, Affirmed a1 .... Baseline Credit Assessment, Affirmed a1 ....LT Counterparty Risk Assessment, Affirmed Aa3(cr) ....ST Counterparty Risk Assessment, Affirmed P-1(cr) ....LT Counterparty Risk Rating (Local Currency), Affirmed A1 Story continues ....LT Counterparty Risk Rating (Foreign Currency), Affirmed A1 ....ST Counterparty Risk Rating (Local Currency), Affirmed P-1 ....ST Counterparty Risk Rating (Foreign Currency), Affirmed P-1 ....LT Issuer Rating, Affirmed A2, Negative from Stable ....LT Bank Deposits, Affirmed Aa2, Negative from Stable ....ST Bank Deposits, Affirmed P-1 Outlook Actions: ..Issuer: Bank of Hawaii ....Outlook, Changed To Negative From Stable RATINGS RATIONALE The affirmation of Bank of Hawaii's a1 BCA, which is two notches higher than the a3 median of rated US banks, and the ratings for BOH, reflects BOH's strong financial profile, supported by a leading market position in Hawaii and a conservative credit culture that has resulted in historically strong credit quality. The bank's liquidity is robust, with a large core deposit base, limited refinancing risk owing to a low reliance on confidence-sensitive market funding, and sizeable holdings of liquid resources, making the bank resilient to market shocks. A risk-averse strategy has sustained its strong asset quality. Its strong and stable profitability has been the result of contained credit costs, along with its low deposit costs and good operational efficiency. BOH's long-established Hawaiian banking franchise, while a credit strength, also presents a geographic concentration risk in that operating in one small economy makes the bank's risk profile more vulnerable to localized economic downturns. Approximately 91% of its loan portfolio was based in Hawaii as of 30 June 2020, with the remaining portion based in Guam (5%) and the US mainland (3%). In prior economic downturns, BOH outperformed most US peers as a result of its solid pre-provision earnings, underpinned by its conservative credit culture, and the stability of the Hawaiian economy relative to many US states, which contributes to BOH's a1 BCA being positioned two notches above the current a3 median of US banks. Specifically, its BCA has incorporated Moody's expectation of better than peer capital resilience in stress scenarios. However, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the state and its tourism industry are likely to result in a more severe economic decline than the remainder of the US, where the weakened tourism sector is not as large of a concentration risk in the local economies. The top employment sectors in the state of Hawaii are leisure and hospitality services and government, each accounting for about 19% of state employment at the end of 2019. As a result of the disruption in visitor arrivals and the efforts to stem the outbreak, Moody's believes BOH's above-median ratings and its performance are more at risk relative to most US banks, which also face difficult operating conditions. Moody's regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under its ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. Today's action reflects the impact of the breadth and severity of the shock, and the deterioration in credit quality it has triggered. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS Given the negative rating outlook, upward ratings movement is unlikely over the next 12 to 18 months. The outlook could return to stable if BOH's asset quality and profitability show continued resilience to the economic effects of the coronavirus in the form of better than peer performance, and if it maintains a stronger level of capitalization relative to its lower rated peers. Sustained decrease in profitability because of elevated credit costs, a decline in capitalization or a decline in liquid resources as a percentage of tangible banking assets would also lead to downward rating pressure. A downgrade of the BCA and the ratings could also result from expansion initiatives, which would not complement Bank of Hawaii's island-based regional banking franchise and that could in turn result in a worsening of asset quality. The principal methodology used in these ratings was Banks Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1147865. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity. The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure. These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Rita Sahu, CFA 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 M. 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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Hearing On Counter Terrorism Measures In North Africa Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) listens to testimony during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Dec. 6, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Credit - Drew AngererGetty Images Connecticut Senator Chris Murphys new book, The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy, offers a nuanced exploration of the history of violence in America, the driving forces behind the countrys fascination with firearms and why so many American citizens are impacted by gun violence. In the book, Murphya Democrat who was elected to the U.S. Senate just a month before the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.shares his personal journey in understanding just how deep-rooted violence is in America, and considers what can be done to right past wrongs as well as heal fresh wounds. Though written before the deaths of Black Americans including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the books release coincides with widespread unrest, violence and self-reflection in America in the wake of these killingsalong with a sharp increase in gun violence across the country. Speaking with TIME, Sen. Murphy discusses the current crises, the impact of President Trumps often incendiary rhetoric and why centering the voices of people, and communities, affected by gun violence is key to reform. TIME: The Violence Inside Us balances a history of Americas relationship with violence and guns with your own personal history, specifically your work on gun control legislation after Sandy Hook. What went into your decision to together weave the personal and the politics? Sen. Murphy: My hope is that my story, and my awakening to the epidemic of gun violence in America over the last seven years, is an invitation to readers to go through some kind of that same awakening. What we need in this country is more activists, people who are willing to go to the mat and become part of this movement. [In the book], Im very honest about my embarrassment that I didnt work on this issue before 2012. Im trying to make up for lost time. I hope that others realize its never too late to step up. Story continues Similarly, the book balances discussion of Americas gun laws and gun crime with what you describe as a near-instinctual predisposition to violence. Do you see these two issues as intrinsically linked? I think a lot of people are asking bigger questions today. People want to know why this level of violence happens in the United States and almost nowhere else to the same degree. Read more: My Son Was Killed at Sandy Hook. I Cant Go Back in Time, But I Can Try to Change the Future And the answer is not simply our gun laws. The answer is that we are a violent species to begin with; this country has been bathed in violence, organized by violence since our very founding. The case I make is that America is likely destined to be a more violent place than other nations, but we choose to throw gasoline on a smoldering fire by having the worlds loosest gun laws. The U.S. has witnessed a summer of violence and protests largely spurred by gun violence and the killing of Black Americans. How does this fit into your books thesis, and what do you think of how law enforcement has responded to such widespread unrest? I wrote this book a year ago, before the events of this summer [but] in the book, I tell the story of the Newark riots in the late 1960s and how the public impression was that that violence was committed by African Americans. In fact, most was committed by law enforcement. Black demonstrators face armed federal soldiers in Newark on July 17, 1967 during riots that erupted in the city. AFP/Getty Images In the aftermath of those riots, the conclusion [of a commission established by President Lyndon Johnson] was that a system of white oppression of African-Americans led to that summer of unrest in Newark. If you read that commissions report, youll be saddened to come to the realization that very little has changed. Too many African-Americans are still living in poverty, too many people of color are being pushed into pathways of violence because they have no other means of economic advancement and law enforcement comes down violently on the backs of these same communities. If we dont get our hands wrapped around the legitimate complaints and grievances of communities of color then nothing is going to change. We shouldnt be excusing violence, no matter who commits it, but we should be spending our time listening to what these protesters are asking for and doing something about it. They didnt do that in the late 1960s. We should learn from their mistakes today. During his visit to Kenosha, Wis., on Monday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, President Trump put law and order rhetoric front and center. How do you think his words and actions have impacted violence in this country? [Trumps] campaign and his presidency have been soaked in images of violence and celebrations of violence. Hes refused over and over again to condemn violenceit stands to reason that his refusal to condemn violence has encouraged it. Read more: Trumps Divisive Instincts Helped Him Win the White House. Where Will They Take America Now? People listen to the President of the United States. When hes not willing to condemn a young man with an assault weapon who murdered two people in the middle of a protest, others pick up on that cue and come to the conclusion that vigilante justice is okay. I cant tell you whether [his] actions and words have directly led to incidences of police brutality but what I do know is that, in general, this president has done nothing to tamp down violence. He has done everything to incentivize it. His policies are also making it much more likely that violence increases. My book makes the case that violence most closely tracks income and poverty. You are more likely to be the victim of a homicide, youre more likely to be killed by your husband, youre more likely to kill yourself if you are poor. Trumps inability to effectively combat COVID-19 and his unwillingness to try to attack the wealth gap in this country is going to lead to more violence. You write about how direct investment in communities leads to less violence, which sounds similar to some arguments proposed by those in support of defunding police departments. Would you support an idea like that? Its not a coincidence that the most violent neighborhoods in the country are the poorest. If we dont start recognizing that and doing something about it, then theres no set of gun laws that can save us. I came out with an initiative a month ago to end the federal funding of police in our schools and shift that money towards the hiring of social workers and guidance counselors and school psychologists. Thats the kind of reorientation of funding that we need. How can those in your position realistically create legislation to protect and support these communities, which have long been disenfranchised? The first thing we should do is listen to what people in the communities are telling us: theyre not telling us that they need more police, theyre telling us they need less police. Theyre not necessarily telling us they need a new community center, theyre telling us that they need jobs. Theyre telling us they want an education; to get their kids into college. We need to be listening to these communities that have seen spikes in gun violence and respond. But it also needs to be about an economic agenda that empowers families. I also hope that, as we try to climb out of this massive depression that were in, we can rebuild our economy on a better platform and that it gives people living in these neighborhoods hope that they can actually break the cycle of poverty, which will also break the cycle of violence. Are you still hopeful that we can have real changelegislative or societalin terms of gun violence in this country? I am. I make some concessions in this book; Im willing to make concessions [to] find areas of compromise. It will surprise some people that I make the argument in this book that there is a constitutional right for people to own a firearmthough the Constitution, I argue, allows for that right to be heavily regulated. Read more: Guns Have Divided America. Heres What Happens When 245 People Try to Meet in the Middle Nearly every week Im talking to my Republican colleagues about how we come together. There are more Republicans today than ever before who are willing to vote for anti-gun violence measuresin part because the NRA is weaker and the anti-gun violence movement is stronger, but also because our arguments are becoming more persuasive. I hope that this book educates people to the point where theyre willing to become more active members of the anti-gun violence movement. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Christian Guernelli, a fashion designer and Culver City resident, created virtual models named Mia, shown above, Jada and Bella Hueman. (Christian Guernelli) Step aside Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber. Mia, Jada and Bella Hueman are blazing a fresh path in the fashion industry. Teenage Mia always strikes the perfect pose, aiming her gaze at the camera as her turquoise bob swings in the air. A few years older, Jada commands attention with her shaved head and makeup-free look. Bella designs flowing kimono-style jackets and elegant one-sleeved jumpsuits for her line called Unhueman. A video of her new sustainable collection is scheduled to premiere at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia as part of its Sept. 6 digital exhibition for young talent. The up-and-comers could be called larger than life. That would be if they were real. Mias Instagram bio alerts fans that shes a nonhuman fashion model between fantasy and reality. Theyre all computer-generated 3-D models created by fashion designer Christian Guernelli, who also built the eight digital outfits that will be featured at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. The fashion industry needs a revolution, Guernelli said recently in the backyard of his Midcentury Modern home in Culver City. Fashion designer Christian Guernelli at his Culver City home. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) With experience designing for Woolrich, John Varvatos, Eva Franco and other labels in his native Italy and the U.S., the 46-year-old asserts that mixing technology with fashion can transform a designers job. Its kind of like you can see the same things around, and I think designers are never inspired anymore, he said. I dont think this technology will be a substitute. Real-life models will keep going to work. We will see fashion shows again like a real fashion show. But I think this is an extra tool that can help designers create something new. Wearing a blue T-shirt, black shorts and knitted sneakers, Guernelli is soft-spoken with a low-key nature that contrasts with that of his slick models, who reveal one alternate version for fashion. Specifically, its a future freed from real-life problems such as COVID-19, travel restrictions and weak apparel sales. Story continues Its a route that is practical, said New York-based fashion historian Darnell-Jamal Lisby, because its cheaper. Its accessible, and it reaches a larger audience. Jada is an Unhueman virtual model. (Christian Guernelli) He added that the technology could liberate the fashion industry from decades-old beauty and sizing standards that exclude certain people. The CGI model in a way, to some degree, helps kind of amplify that message to making fashion a little more inclusive of more groups, he said. Jada, Mia and Bella are following in the footsteps of virtual influencers Shudu, Lil Miquela and Liam Nikuro, who despite their lack of corporeality, have partnered with Balmain, Ugg and the NBAs Washington Wizards, respectively. Moreover, designer Anifa Mvuemba used an invisible 3-D avatar to model for her label Hanifas Instagram fashion show in May. Unlike Unhuemans collection, Mvuembas designs are being manufactured to sell to real people. Guernelli began constructing his CGI coterie after reading an article in January about Shudu. He didnt base his models on living people. Using Daz software, I started to build through different experiments and found the face that I liked, he said. Several followers of Bella and Mia on Instagram also liked them. Some people asked me if I am real. They told me, Youre beautiful. I kind of worry; like people at some point will see Im a bearded guy, bald, he said, laughing. Bella is an Unhueman virtual model. (Christian Guernelli) For Unhuemans virtual fashion, Guernelli started with the same process he has used to design actual clothes. He pinned images of prints and colors to an oversize corkboard in a small bedroom converted into a studio. He subscribed to a 3-D fashion design software called Clo. Frustrated with the 18 hours it took to render one model on his MacBook Pro, he shelled out $2,000 for a CyberPowerPC gaming computer with a special graphics card to trim the time by 80%. He downloaded the eerie soundtrack disrupted by desolate drums for his 2-minute video from a royalty-free music site called Videvo. Challenges in this virtual world abound. Saisangeeth Daswani, who oversees fashion and beauty projects for corporate clients at the London-based trend research firm Stylus, identified two of them. One is that technical know-how and having that capability of doing [design] the same way so it looks like high fashion, she said. The second is figuring out how you can replicate that touch-and-feel aspect of things that is so important when you think about materials and movement. Guernelli conceded that one cant touch anything virtual. However, he said, if you do a close-up, you can see really the texture of the fabric. Guernelli's digital work looked convincing enough to have generated inquiries from three companies. The Paris-based creative agency RHK Studio also represents Bella, Mia and Jada for modeling jobs. Guernelli and his models haven't booked a client yet. Brands say, Theyre pretty, but how can I work with them? Guernelli said. My dream is to go do [a fashion shoot in] some Vogue pages. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Ahead of Myanmars elections scheduled for 8 November, the countrys leading Catholic churchman is urging his fellow citizens to vote for parties and servant leaders who honestly work for peace, empower the voiceless through democracy, and ensure economic and environmental justice in the nation plagued by conflicts. By Robin Gomes The 2020 elections in Myanmar, scheduled for Nov. 8, will be the nation's second democratic elections since the end of almost half a century of strict military rule in 2011. Democracy, the only hope In an appeal, Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon reminds his fellow citizens about their sacred right and duty to vote, saying it is crucial for any democracy. The flowering of a robust democracy is the only hope for curing this nation, bleeding with fraternal conflict, says the Cardinal, who is also president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences. At the start of his appeal released on September, Cardinal Bo clarifies that he was addressing them not as a politician but as a religious person who desires only the common good and the welfare of the whole community of Myanmar. He thus offers a 10-point guideline to help the Myanmar people make responsible choices for the common good and the prosperity of all, especially the poor. The environment, the poor Arguing that all religions affirm there is no peace without justice, the Cardinal urges people to vote for peace. Peace in this bleeding nation, he warns, will not arrive until the resources of this country are kept at the service of all, especially for the poor and marginal communities. Judge your candidates, avoid those looters and cronies who ravaged all our resources and made us poor, he exhorts. Thieves cannot represent us, says the Cardinal, who also serves as co-president of Religions for Peace International. The outspoken churchman denounces the supporters of foreign mafias who, he says, are helping foreign elements to loot the country. He urges voters to watch out against many of these "unpatriotic persons" who are standing for elections. Hatemongers The 71-year old archbishop comes down heavily on the the merchants of hatred who resort to communal hatred and scapegoating to gain votes. These merchants of hatred who masquerade as protectors of religion and race, he says, have been aided by Facebook. He adds that they are in collusion with the looters of our nation, not guardians, the Cardinal warns, urging voters to identify them and consign them to the garbage of history. Human development Underscoring the importance of human development, Cardinal Bo regrets that previous regimes have sadistically denied the development of the people, reducing the once-rich country into a low developed country. Hence, he urges his fellow citizens to elect candidates who have a clear plan for human development. Servant leaders The country, he says, is in need of intelligent leaders animated by a sense of servant leadership, with great values of honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency. Power comes from service, the Cardinal says, adding the country needs servant leaders and warriors who can fight its multiple pandemics, such as hunger, conflict, displacement, unsafe migration and low-quality education. The Archbishop of Yangon concludes urging for a true political and economic federalism, saying General Aung San, who was instrumental in securing Burmas independence from Great Britain, lived and died for this dream. Critical moment The November elections are seen as crucial since Myanmar is passing through a transitional phase to democracy, after emerging from 5 decades of brutal military rule. Despite the National League for Democracy (NLD) party of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyis winning a landslide victory at the 2015 election, the military still retains significant power. The 2008 constitution drafted by the army mandates that a quarter of all parliamentary seats must be reserved for the military. It also gives them control of the three key portfolios of home affairs, defence and border security, as well as the power to suspend the constitution at will. Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden boards a plane at New Castle County Airport for his trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in New Castle, Del., on Sept. 3, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Curfew Ends in Wisconsin City Ahead of Visit From Joe Biden KENOSHA, Wis.A curfew that was in place in Kenosha for more than a week after the police shooting of Jacob Blake was lifted Wednesday, another sign of increasing calm in the southeastern Wisconsin city that has been the epicenter of the latest eruption over racial injustice. The move came a day after the curfew was targeted as unconstitutional in a federal lawsuit and the day before former Vice President Joe Biden planned to visit, marking his first campaign stop in Wisconsin in nearly 2 years. The curfew was enacted after Blake, a black man, was shot by a police officer on Aug. 23. Jacob Blake Sr. on Wednesday told WGN Americas NewsNation that his son is out of a hospital intensive care unit. The shooting of Blake, captured on cellphone video, sparked protests that resulted in buildings being burned and vandalized and in the shootings of three demonstrators, two of whom died. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse has been charged in the Aug. 25 slayings; his attorney says it was self defense. Biden said Wednesday that the officer who shot Blake should be charged, a sharp contrast to President Donald Trumps support-the-police message when he visited Kenosha a day earlier. The president met with law enforcement, toured some of the damage, and called the violence domestic terrorism. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, with his wife Dr. Jill Biden (R), waves as he boards his plane in New Castle, Del., on Sept. 3, 2020. (Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images) Biden also plans to meet with members of Blakes family and hold a community meeting. Protests have been peaceful for more than a week, other than a few minor skirmishes during Trumps visit. The last several nights have been relatively peaceful in the community, and in the judgment of law enforcement, it is appropriate to remove the curfew, Mayor John Antaramian said. However, he held out the possibility that the curfew may return, saying criminal activity will not be tolerated. The about-face came after four people who were arrested during the protests filed a federal lawsuit alleging that local law enforcement arrested only those protesting against police brutality, not pro-police protesters and militia who were armed with rifles. A man on a bike rides past a city truck on fire outside the Kenosha County Courthouse during riots 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) In Kenosha, there are two sets of lawsone that applies to those who protest police brutality and racism, and another for those who support the police, the lawsuit said. Sam Hall, attorney for Kenosha County, said the county will seek immediate dismissal. He said the sheriffs department has worked tirelessly to bring order back to the community and has been careful to protect the rights of all citizens throughout that process. North Carolina civil rights lawyer Kimberly Motely, who is representing those arrested, said she thought the lawsuit definitely played a role in the decision to lift the curfew. There are no immediate plans to drop the suit, which also seeks damages for those arrested, Motley said. She also represents Gaige Grosskreutz, who prosecutors say was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse. Rittenhouses attorney John Pierce tweeted a video of him Tuesday speaking by phone with Rittenhouse from jail in Illinois, where he was arrested. I just want to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the underlining support, its just amazing, Rittenhouse said from the phone held up by Pierce. I want to thank all of you for the mail Ive been receiving. Its been really helpful. I just want to let you all know that Im going to be out of here soon and stay strong. And I hope to see you guys soon. By Michael Tarm and Scott Bauer The St. Louis Police Department is mourning the loss of Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon, who was killed in the line of duty last Saturday evening. Bohannon, who had been responding to a distress call for a reported shooting victim, was shot in the head. The gunman was finally detained after holding off police for an additional 12 hours, though his information was not released. A beloved officer of four years, and father of three children, was mourned by the department as well as by many public officials. The Mayor of St. Louis said this about Bohannon, "I am heartbroken over the line of duty death of Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. I've had the privilege of spending some time with his family under these extraordinarily challenging circumstances... They're wonderful people and immensely proud of the way he selflessly served and protected our community with distinction and honor for more than three years." The Governor of Missouri also expressed his condolences, tweeting out "Teresa and I are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of one of our @SLMPD Officers... An arrest has been made. Officers across Missouri protect us every day without hesitation and they and their families deserve our support. #BacktheBlue." The death of Bohannon has also inspired an outcry on social media as well, especially amongst the BLM movement. Journalist Miranda Devin posted a tweet saying "Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon was a father of three. His black life didn't matter to BLM-Antifa. They want all cops to suffer the same fate -ambushed and shot in the head. BLM is a terrorist outfit in league with Antifa. Stop funding their war on America." The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested 20-year-old Bandra resident Zaid Vilatra in connection with the ongoing probe into the drug angle in connection with the death of 34-year-old Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Vilatra was arrested late on Wednesday night, and was produced before a metropolitan magistrates court on Thursday noon. He was remanded to NCBs custody till September 9. Also read: CBI calls Rhea Chakrabortys father for questioning again In its application before the court, NCB claimed that Vilatra has revealed so many names with whom he was dealing in drugs and for that purpose, his custody was needed. The NCB is investigating drug angle in Sushant Singh Rajput case and therefore is highly substantive and needs to be investigated thoroughly so as to uproot drug citadel in Mumbai especially in Bollywood (sic), reads application filed by NCB seeking Vilatras custody. On August 28, NCB had arrested Abbas Ali Lakhani (21) a resident of Bandra with 46 grams of ganja. On the basis of information given by Lakhani, his supplier Karn Arora was arrested from Powai with 13 grams of ganja. Later, on the information provided by the two arrested, NCB had arrested Vilatra. The agency recovered 9.55 lakhs, 2,081 US dollars, 180 UK Pound and 15 Dirhams. In his statement, Vilatra has reportedly said that the seized amount was sale proceeds of contraband and that he had supplied marijuana to many persons, claimed NCB. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Key facts SEK chooses FIS to digitize and modernize its commercial lending platform. FIS platform will provide a single, end to end credit life cycle solution to enable a streamlined process for deal structuring, risk assessment and execution. The Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK), which finances Swedish exporters, their subsidiaries, and foreign customers, has chosen financial technology leader FIS (NYSE: FIS) to digitize and modernize its commercial lending platform to enhance service to its clients and streamline costs. Owned and operated by the government of Sweden, SEK is chartered with enhancing the competitiveness of the country's export industry by ensuring access to sustainable credit alternatives. As part of a broader technology modernization initiative, SEK was looking to integrate disparate loan origination systems and processes into a single, modern platform for use by its internal stakeholders in servicing exporter clients. SEK will be utilizing the FIS Commercial Loan Origination (CLO) and FIS Ambit Optimist solutions, which are part of the FIS Commercial Lending suite, to digitize the full life cycle of the credit lending process from loan origination and risk assessment, through credit approval, presentation and ongoing loan servicing. "The commercial loan origination process is changing quickly, and FIS is committed to helping our clients stay ahead of the changes and be successful," said Nasser Khodri, SVP of Sell-side, Capital Markets at FIS. "At a time when businesses need rapid access to capital more than ever, digitizing the credit and lending process can provide a competitive edge while reducing costs and providing a superior customer experience." The FIS solution will provide SEK analysts and service representatives a single, integrated view of customer information, status of credit requests, and other workflow all accessible via an easy-to-use user interface. SEK team members will be able to tap into an up-to-date, centralized repository of deal information and documentation, enhancing decision-making. About FIS FIS is a leading provider of technology solutions for merchants, banks and capital markets firms globally. Our more than 55,000 people are dedicated to advancing the way the world pays, banks and invests by applying our scale, deep expertise and data-driven insights. We help our clients use technology in innovative ways to solve business-critical challenges and deliver superior experiences for their customers. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, FIS is a Fortune 500 company and is a member of Standard Poor's 500 Index. To learn more, visit www.fisglobal.com. Follow FIS on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (@FISGlobal). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005056/en/ Contacts: Kim Snider, 904.438.6278 Senior Vice President FIS Global Marketing and Communications kim.snider@fisglobal.com OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's quarterly public spending exceeded the government's overall income for the first time in 25 years during the three months from April to June, Statistics Norway (SSB) said on Wednesday. The unusual deficit, amounting to 83 billion Norwegian crowns ($9.5 billion), came as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp fall in tax revenue and in the price of crude oil, Norway's top export, while spending rose to protect the economy. "Dividends from the sovereign wealth fund and state-owned enterprises (also) fell, and in addition the government's income from ownership stakes in the petroleum industry sharply declined," SSB said in a statement. "The public sector has shielded the private sector from much of the decline in income," the agency wrote. ($1 = 8.7670 Norwegian crowns) (Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche) Ethiopia's government says it is ``thankful'' to Saudi Arabia for accepting Ethiopian migrants entering the country, but it is barely commenting on the squalid conditions they face in some Saudi detention centers, after a media report showed migrants crowded in bare rooms pleading for assistance. The statement Thursday is Ethiopia's first public comment after a report in a British newspaper, The Sunday Telegraph, sparked outrage among some governments and human rights groups. The report, with photos showing dozens of African migrants sprawled close together in the desert heat, said hundreds are locked up. Most are Ethiopian men, it said. Hundreds of thousands of people from Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa countries have made the dangerous journey through Yemen into Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf countries seeking employment. Many are sent home. In response to the report, Saudi Arabia said it is looking into the facilities. Its statement, cited by The Telegraph in a later story, added that ``sadly, the Ethiopian authorities have refused (the migrants') re-entry under the claim of not being able to provide adequate quarantine facilities upon their arrival.'' Ethiopia's foreign ministry said in its statement it has ``never refused to receive its citizens from any country'' and that it has repatriated more than 400,000 citizens from Saudi Arabia between May 2017 and May of this year. But that slowed with the coronavirus pandemic. Some 3,500 were repatriated between April and July, amid concerns among some in Ethiopia that returning migrants might bring the virus. Another 2,000 citizens will be repatriated starting on Sept. 8, Ethiopia said. Meanwhile, it said it has established five new border checkpoints to slow the outward flow of migrants and plans at least 27 new posts overall. ``Horrific stories are the center of trafficked migrants, these are things that we need to take into account in the process of detention, repatriation and integration,'' Ethiopia's statement said, without giving specifics. It added that it is ``not doing enough'' to fight human trafficking. ``The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is always collaborative in establishing a safe and dignified repatriation process,'' the statement said. Ethiopia said it is working closely with Saudi Arabia after Saudi officials ``raised concerns'' about the number of migrants crossing its border. ``The number is escalating and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is accepting them despite their increasing number. The government of Ethiopia is always thankful to that,'' the statement said. Search Keywords: Short link: Imee: Fill up 178k vacant gov't posts, end 'ENDO' now Senator Imee Marcos has castigated the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for abetting high unemployment amid the Covid-19 pandemic by failing to certify applicants eligible for thousands of government jobs that have been left vacant for years. Marcos, who will sponsor the CSC budget for 2021, said more than 269,000 permanent government positions were left unfilled in 2019, with almost 178,000 still vacant at the end of August this year. "When government positions are left unfilled, the unused budget for hiring personnel are later declared as yearend savings. These suspicious savings become bonuses divvied up among agency officials," she explained. Marcos cited that some Php7.6 billion from the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund (MPBF) in the 2020 budget remains unused to hire new personnel in various government agencies. Internal wrangling among CSC board members and a passive attitude in taking government agencies to task were complicating the delay in filling up vacant government posts, Marcos added. "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Ceasefire and work, serbisyo muna (service first)," Marcos said. "The CSC will have difficulty justifying its proposed budget for next year if no initiatives are made for better housekeeping," Marcos warned. Marcos recommended that the CSC fast-track a policy that makes contractual employees eligible for government jobs that they have performed for years but from which they could not claim commission-certified salaries and benefits. "The government must stop being the biggest promoter of end-of-contract employment. Let's stop treating contractuals as mere supplies whose salaries are taken from funds for miscellaneous and other operating expenses," Marcos said. Marcos added that idle funds for government posts that continue to remain vacant should be removed from proposed agency budgets and instead be used to increase funding for the government's pandemic response measures. Sonu Soods innumerable good deeds during this Coronavirus lockdown have earned him love and appreciation from all over the country. Besides, the 47-year-old actor had also requested the government to postpone the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), given the COVID-19 global health crisis and the risks involved for the students as well as their family members. Now, it looks like Sonu Sood will soon make a big announcement for students himself. The actor took to Twitter to give people a hint at a major announcement in the field of education. Subsequently, students, teachers, and others are now waiting for the announcement with bated breath to be made soon. In fact, the actor has already shared the posters of his initiative on his official Twitter handle. He shared the post on Twitter with the caption that read, Coming soon. Going by the poster in the tweet, it seems that Sood is coming up with something for the higher education sector or it could be related to NEET and JEE as well. We just have to wait and watch. Did you know this is not the first time the actor has come up to help and support students? A few days ago, Sonu Sood reached out to the students of Haryana to help them attend online classes by sending them smartphones. Students of Morni village, Haryana received smartphones after Sood came across a news story of students travelling miles to access a smartphone to attend the online class in the village. A wonderful beginning to my day watching all the students get their smartphones to attend their online classes. @Karan_Gilhotra n thanks to @HinaRohtaki for bringing this need for the students to our notice. https://t.co/6Pn9QH0o4H sonu sood (@SonuSood) August 26, 2020 The actor has also extended his support to help aspirants of JEE, NEET examination to travel to their exam centres on exam days. In his tweet, he has asked students to connect with him in case they are stuck anywhere and to provide him with the details of the areas of travel in order for him to help. Sonu Sood was quite vocal about the fact that JEE, NEET exams should be postponed for a few months considering the pandemic. He said in his tweet, This is not an examination only for students. Its an examination for the Government too. Govt. has an opportunity to excel by postponing #JEE_NEET for 60 days. Make it happen and bring those smiles back. Students & Govt. can prepare in this time window. #PostponeJEE_NEET (sic) However, the exams have not been postponed and are set to be conducted as per the schedule released by the NTA. A global Phase 2/3 study in up to 270 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, and a U.S. Phase 2 study in up to 40 patients, are ongoing with opaganib, a novel, orally-administered, sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor with dual anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties Opaganib has been selected for a grant from Pennsylvania's COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments and Therapies Program, which supports the rapid advancement of promising novel COVID-19 therapies TEL AVIV, Israel and RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 03, 2020) ("RedHill" or the "Company"), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the selection of opaganib1, a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered, sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of severe COVID-19 pneumonia, to receive a $300,000 grant from the State of Pennsylvania's COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments and Therapies (CV-VTT) Program, which is designed to support rapid advancement of novel COVID-19 therapies. The grant was awarded to RedHill's partner, Apogee Biotechnology Corporation, from whom RedHill licensed opaganib, who will conduct the research being supported by the grant. "We are pleased that the State of Pennsylvania has recognized the promising potential of our Phase 2/3-stage drug candidate opaganib as a much-needed therapeutic option for patients with COVID-19," said Reza Fathi, PhD., RedHill's Senior VP, R&D. "This grant will help accelerate and expand the development of opaganib toward our goal of generating a robust data package to potentially support emergency use applications for COVID-19." The CV-VTT grant from the State of Pennsylvania will cover key preclinical mechanistic research to further elucidate opaganib's potential role in suppressing the extent and/or duration of COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). To date, the global Phase 2/3 study evaluating opaganib for the treatment of COVID-19 has been approved in the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, and Mexico, with patient enrollment ongoing and further expansion planned. The multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 study) is set to enroll up to 270 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring hospitalization and treatment with supplemental oxygen. The U.S. Phase 2 clinical study with opaganib, running in parallel to the global Phase 2/3 study, is more than 50% enrolled, with enrollment set to be completed in the coming weeks. Recently, a pre-scheduled independent Safety Monitoring Committee recommended that the study continue without change. The next pre-scheduled safety review is scheduled to take place once 24 patients complete seven days of treatment. The study, which is not powered for statistical significance, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study), set to enroll up to 40 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring hospitalization and supplemental oxygen. About Opaganib (ABC294640, Yeliva) Opaganib, a new chemical entity, is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered, sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities, targeting multiple oncology, viral, inflammatory, and gastrointestinal indications. By inhibiting SK2, opaganib impacts multiple cellular pathways which are associated with cancer growth, viral replication, and pathological inflammation. Opaganib was originally developed by U.S.-based Apogee Biotechnology Corp. and completed multiple successful preclinical studies in oncology, inflammation, GI, and radioprotection models, as well as a Phase 1 clinical study in cancer patients with advanced solid tumors. Opaganib received Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. FDA for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 2a study in advanced cholangiocarcinoma and in a Phase 2 study in prostate cancer. Opaganib is also being evaluated in a Phase 2/3 program for the treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). Results from the treatment of the first patients with severe COVID-19 with opaganib have recently been published2. Analysis of treatment outcomes in five patients with severe COVID-19 showed substantial benefit to patients treated with opaganib under compassionate use in both clinical outcomes and inflammatory markers as compared to a retrospective matched case-control group from the same hospital. All patients in the opaganib-treated group were discharged from hospital without requiring mechanical ventilation, whereas 33% of the matched case-control group required mechanical ventilation. Median time to weaning from high-flow nasal cannula was reduced to 10 days in the opaganib-treated group, as compared to 15 days in the matched case-control group. Preclinical data have demonstrated both anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activities of opaganib, with the potential to reduce lung inflammatory disorders, such as pneumonia, and mitigate pulmonary fibrotic damage. Several prior preclinical studies support the potential role of SK2 in the replication-transcription complex of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, similar to coronavirus, and its inhibition may potentially inhibit viral replication. Preclinical in vivo studies2 have demonstrated that opaganib decreased fatality rates from influenza virus infection and ameliorated Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced lung injury by reducing the levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. The development of opaganib has been supported by grants and contracts from U.S. federal and state government agencies awarded to Apogee Biotechnology Corp., including from the NCI, BARDA, the U.S. Department of Defense and the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development. About RedHill Biopharma RedHill Biopharma Ltd.) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on gastrointestinal diseases. RedHill promotes the gastrointestinal drugs, Movantik for opioid-induced constipation in adults3, Taliciafor the treatment of Helicobacter pylori. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and cannot be predicted or quantified, and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risk of a delay in receiving data to support applying for emergency use applications; the risk that the U.S. Phase 2 clinical study evaluating opaganib will not be successful and the risk that completion of enrollment for this clinical study will be delayed; the risk that the Company will not initiate the Phase 2/3 study in certain geographies, will not expand this study in additional countries and that it will not be successful; the risk that other COVID-19 patients treated with opaganib will not show any clinical improvement; the risk that clinical trials with opaganib in Israel, the U.S., Italy, Russia, the UK, Mexico or elsewhere for the treatment of COVID-19, if conducted at all, will not show any improvement in patients; the risk of a delay in applying for emergency use authorizations; the development risks of early-stage discovery efforts for a disease that is still little understood, including difficulty in assessing the efficacy of opaganib for the treatment of COVID-19, if at all; intense competition from other companies developing potential treatments and vaccines for COVID-19; the effect of a potential occurrence of patients suffering serious adverse events using opaganib under compassionate use programs, as well as risks and uncertainties associated with (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of the Company's research, manufacturing, preclinical studies, clinical trials, and other therapeutic candidate development efforts, and the timing of the commercial launch of its commercial products and ones it may acquire or develop in the future; (ii) the Company's ability to advance its therapeutic candidates into clinical trials or to successfully complete its preclinical studies or clinical trials or the development of a commercial companion diagnostic for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP); (iii) the extent and number and type of additional studies that the Company may be required to conduct and the Company's receipt of regulatory approvals for its therapeutic candidates, and the timing of other regulatory filings, approvals and feedback; (iv) the manufacturing, clinical development, commercialization, and market acceptance of the Company's therapeutic candidates and Talicia; (v) the Company's ability to successfully commercialize and promote Movantik, Talicia and Aemcolo; (vi) the Company's ability to establish and maintain corporate collaborations; (vii) the Company's ability to acquire products approved for marketing in the U.S. that achieve commercial success and build and sustain its own marketing and commercialization capabilities; (viii) the interpretation of the properties and characteristics of the Company's therapeutic candidates and the results obtained with its therapeutic candidates in research, preclinical studies or clinical trials; (ix) the implementation of the Company's business model, strategic plans for its business and therapeutic candidates; (x) the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its therapeutic candidates and commercial products and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; (xi) parties from whom the Company licenses its intellectual property defaulting in their obligations to the Company; (xii) estimates of the Company's expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; (xiii) the effect of patients suffering adverse experiences using investigative drugs under the Company's Expanded Access Program; and (xiv) competition from other companies and technologies within the Company's industry. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 4, 2020. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. Company contact: Adi Frish Senior VP Business Development & Licensing RedHill Biopharma +972-54-6543-112 adi@redhillbio.com (mailto:adi@redhillbio.com) IR contact (U.S.): Timothy McCarthy, CFA, MBA Managing Director, Relationship Manager LifeSci Advisors, LLC +1-212-915-2564 tim@lifesciadvisors.com (mailto:tim@lifesciadvisors.com) _________ 1 Opaganib. 4 Full prescribing information for Talicia. 5 Full prescribing information for Aemcolo. This has been the most interesting and rewarding 20 years of my life", Mr. Michaels said." We have adapted to the needs of the market, grown our product line to meet the demand, and never stopped innovating. HairMax has reached a historic milestone as the company celebrates 20 years of delivering breakthrough laser hair growth devices and thinning hair care formulas. Through its innovative solutions HairMax has helped hair loss sufferers, regrow their hair, regain their confidence and enrich their lives. These achievements have led the HairMax brand to become the worldwide leader in laser hair growth technology. The company, Lexington International, LLC., originated in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, created a new category in laser hair growth. Led by the original Founder and Managing Director, Mr. David Michaels, it has continued its privately-held ownership throughout its history, allowing full control to innovate the product line, maintain a robust growth strategy, make business decisions quickly, and ensure a consistent focus on customers. A sharp focus on innovation has enabled the company to meet and exceed both industry and customers evolving needs, expectations, and market demands. For an in-depth interview with Mr. David Michaels and celebratory video footage. Visit: https://hairmax.com/blogs/news/hairmax-celebrates-20th-anniversary Today, HairMax is available direct to consumers, through retail partners such as Costco and Bed Bath & Beyond, International Distributors, Hair Salons and Physician Offices. HairMax is also offered via TV shopping channels worldwide and has been nominated for 8 QVC customer choice awards. David Michaels, reflects on the companys 20th anniversary, This has been the most interesting and rewarding 20 years of my life. We have adapted to the needs of the market, grown our product line to meet the demand, and never stopped innovating. Mr. Michaels further stated: We started out by identifying an unmet need in the marketplace, listening to our customers, and delivering the highest quality product at price points for every budget. Our founding belief is We Care and this remains our guiding philosophy today. A big thank you to the millions of valued customers and partners around the world. Since its inception in 2000, HairMax has conducted 7 clinical studies, with results published in 6 peer reviewed articles, has received 8 FDA Clearances, and has been granted 14 medical device licenses. There are now 1.8+ million devices worldwide. HairMax: Evolution and Milestones: 2000 - HairMax is founded in Sydney, Australia and relocates to Boca Raton, Florida. 2007 - HairMax LaserComb receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for marketing as an OTC Class II medical device for the treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) and promotion of hair growth in males. 2009 First cordless LaserComb model receives FDA Clearance. 2009/2010 - Three additional clinical studies completed on males and females with AGA. 2011 Clinical research studies program on HairMax for the treatment of AGA completed with 460 male and females subjects. FDA Clearance for marketing granted for the HairMax Advanced 7 LaserComb and Professional 12 LaserComb for AGA in females. 2014 Landmark clinical study with 4 LaserComb models and 225 male and female subjects published in the peer review journal, The American Journal of Clinical Practice April 2014, Volume 15, Issue 2, pp115-127, 2015 Introduction of the FIRST LaserBand device, with 82 medical grade lasers, fastest treatment time on the market and unique band design. 2016 Introduction of the HairMax LaserBand 41 ComfortFlex, with unique flexible band design 2018 The first HairMax Laser Cap is introduced, incorporating 272 medical grade lasers, and engineered to surpass all other laser caps on the market in comfort, flexibility, electronic quality and usability. HairMax launches Density Bio-Active Hair Therapy with proprietary NRG8-pLEX and Liposome Delivery System. 2020 New LaserBand 82 Flex and 2 new Laser Cap models soon to be introduced! About HairMax Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Lexington Int'l is the pioneer in laser hair growth technology for home use. HairMax is the FIRST laser light device on the market to receive FDA clearance as a medical device to treat hair loss and stimulate hair growth. HairMax Laser Devices have been the subject of 7 clinical studies proving both efficacy and safety with an over 90% success rate. HairMax Laser Devices hold 8 FDA clearances and 14 medical device licenses world-wide. Visit http://www.hairmax.com for further information. Media Contact: Francesca Dubsky, Director of Marketing fd@hairmax.com By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON A wooden barrier was blocking the street, and a policeman was standing beside his patrol car. Accident? Arrest? Nope, "protests," the cop told me. A few blocks toward the center of the capital, more police cars cut off main avenues. Over the radio came word that demonstrators were near the White House shouting slogans. The spirit of protest is not only alive and well but getting louder as the days wind down toward the most controversial, divisive election in memory. While President Donald Trump denounces his foe, Joe Biden, as "a socialist" on the side of vandals and rioters, Biden blames Trump for fueling the unrest, encouraging the rightists, holding him responsible for the violence wracking American cities. It's easy for both sides to accuse the other. They all cite numerous examples beginning with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a veteran policeman. Then there was Jacob Blake, paralyzed by seven shots fired by a policeman, and two men shot and killed by a 17-year-old kid. All in the same city in Wisconsin. Radicals and anarchists even the score somewhat with the killing of a rightist by a gun-crazed antifa, "anti-fascist," in Portland. Those rank among the publicized cases. The list goes on and on while Trump praises the cops and Biden calls for an end to violence. In this contest between the law-and-order president and his reformist contender, extremists blur the middle ground while both sides bob and weave for political advantage. Trump gives every impression of loving it. He's counting on the revulsion of an uncertain electorate. Reports of looting of shops, of police departments set ablaze, of rioters exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement burn into the psyche of millions glued to screens shocked by all they're seeing. Biden, ahead in the polls, is nonetheless waging what may be an uphill campaign. He has to position himself as an ardent foe of the violence but also as a crusader committed to fighting the evil of a president on the side of all that's wrong. For Biden, the challenge is to be anti-protest but anti-Trump. Trump counts on winning votes from the protests against him. In one intense conversation, I find myself caught between two anti-Trumpeters with different views on what Biden should do. One says Biden has the middle-of-the road moderates on his side and now should appeal to the leftists, the socialists who see him as too willing to cave in to demands in the quest for compromise. The other says the leftists, with nowhere else to turn, will be for him anyway and he has to win the votes of the masses in between. For Trump, the course is clear. Cops are good, maybe a few bad apples among them, but they're great. In a back-handed way, he even defends the policeman who kept on firing into the man whose offense was to have resisted arrest, and he says the video of the 17-year-old who killed two people leaves open the question of whether the kid was justified in firing. These arguments appeal to a lot of people who are not going to go on TV and say, Trump is right. You get a sense of the mood watching cable TV, pro-Trump conservative Fox versus the moderately liberal CNN versus MSNBC, definitely liberal if not leftist. They pick and choose quotes, interviews and scenes to reflect quite differing perspectives. Trump doesn't have to go far to find enemies to pillory for failing to defend law and order. The morning after I saw police cars at key intersections here in Washington, he was tweeting and talking about the inability of D.C.'s mayor, Muriel Bowser, to hold the trouble-makers in check, to provide the security needed to fend off the anarchists who would love to take over the capital. The attack on the mayor appeared a little unfair considering the police presence I'd seen, but she's playing right into Trump's hands thanks to the recommendations of a committee she formed that's charged with renaming D.C. monuments, parks, schools and much else. Among other names the committee doesn't like are the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial, two beloved icons that symbolize the founding of the country. True, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, gentlemen from across the Potomac River in Virginia, owned slaves before and even after gaining independence for the new nation, but Trump is having no problem winning votes by denouncing her for betraying the legacy of the American revolution. Donald Kirk ( www.donaldkirk.com ) writes from Seoul as well as Washington. Virgin Media presenter Ciara Doherty has said that shes not going to try and emulate Ivan Yates when she takes the hot seat for the first time hosting The Tonight Show. It will be the stars first time hosting a news show after spending five years at Ireland AM and not only will she have to switch her routine from an early riser to a night owl, it will be a change of tone from the usual lightheartedness of a morning show to holding politicians to account. But she told Independent.ie that shes not looking to be like her predecessors, Ivan Yates or Vincent Browne. Im not trying to emulate them in any way, I have to be true to myself. Expand Close Ciara Doherty, who will replace Ivan Yates on The Tonight Show on Virgin, with her new co-host Matt Cooper / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ciara Doherty, who will replace Ivan Yates on The Tonight Show on Virgin, with her new co-host Matt Cooper I believe in fairness and respecting people and giving people the opportunity to explain themselves. At the same time, I know my responsibility is to hold people to account and to get honest answers out of people and try and cut through spin, she said. Read More I probably do have a different style to Ivan and to Vincent and perhaps even to Matt, but you know, my bosses know that and they feel that it will work nonetheless on a programme like The Tonight Show. She added that she will bring a different audience to The Tonight Show having spent many years presenting Ireland AM. I hope that I can bring a different audience to the programme, because perhaps my style will be a little bit different, she said. When asked if shell be banging her hand on the table like Ivan did when interviewing Michael Healy Rae, she laughed: I wont be banging my hand off any table unless Im very frustrated. Video of the Day I dont believe in making interviewees uncomfortable if theyre trying to avoid a question or avoid giving a straight answer, but I dont believe in making the viewers at home uncomfortable is a good thing. I think female journalists are very good at holding people to account without having to raise their voice. But Ciara maintained that political journalism, especially on TV and radio, is well represented by both genders. I think you have to look at the programmes at the moment - you have me now on The Tonight Show, you have Colette on the 5.30 news, you have Claire Byrne, Sarah McInerney, then Ciara Kelly, Andra Gilligan, Miriam OCallaghan. I think women have been pretty well represented when it comes to news and current affairs programmes, maybe its different when you look at the pol corrs but certainly in broadcasting you have Aine Lawlor, Mary Wilson, Carol Coleman, theres literally dozens of names. Those are the names I would look at and listen to and I dont think theres huge under-representation to be honest, she said. While the current affairs programme will be a big change for the presenter whos used to more lighthearted coverage on the morning show, Ciara said that it will be a challenge that she will enjoy. I havent [binge watched] the show at all, I was familiar with the programme and I would be more likely to watch it in the afternoon, a repeat of the night before, or if I had heard that there was a particularly strong interview. I think its more important for me to stay across the news agenda, and Ive really been enjoying that over the last number of days, thats probably been the only change in that youre just staying across the news 24/7. I find that you cant switch off in a way I could before on Ireland AM. But Im okay with that, Im comfortable with that, its a challenge and thats the bit Ill probably enjoy and its an adrenaline rush. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 08:39 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c425c64f 1 Editorial RCTI,MNC-group,TV-industry,new-media,YouTube,Instagram,Live,live-streaming Free The Constitutional Court is hearing a judicial review motion filed by two private TV channels affiliated with media conglomeration MNC Group, RCTI and INews, against the Broadcasting Law that aims to uphold the principle of equality before the law in terms of supervision, which the petitioners say over-the-top (OTT) digital content and service providers have eluded. The legal move comes amid the disruptions caused to the broadcasting industry by rapid developments in information and communication technology. The impact was evident in the Nielsen report last year, which found that while the TV industry still enjoyed the lions share of advertisements, its growth was slowing. At the same time, online services posted an increase in ad revenue growth. But more worryingly, new media is now closing in on, if not outstripping, the TV industry in terms of audience size. For advertisers, audience size matters most. They favor new media as they can convey their messages to as many people as possible at a lower price than running ads on TV. In their petition, RCTI and INews insist that Article 1 of the Broadcasting Law which defines broadcasting as the transmission of information via a radio frequency through the air, cable and other media discriminates against broadcast media, as OTT companies that distribute digital content and services via the internet remain relatively unregulated. The petitioners, therefore, demand a redefinition of broadcast media so that digital content and service providers fall under the same law. If granted by the Constitutional Court, the judicial review motion will have overarching impacts, not only on those involved in digital content and services, but also the public at large. The level playing field RCTI and INews are demanding will require content creators, YouTubers, Instagram and Facebook users and many other creative industry players to obtain licenses to broadcast their creative products. If the principle of equality before the law is implemented, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) will be busy monitoring all pieces of content, not in their thousands but in their millions, and enforcing the law against offenders. Logically, many, except the TV industry, will be able to meet the KPI standards. These regulatory restrictions, if they come to be, will in turn discourage creativity and worse, stifle freedom of speech and expression, which is protected under the Constitution. They will also limit audiences freedom to choose the information and digital products they like. Legal uncertainty would be another consequence of a Constitutional Court decision in favor of the petitioners. While the broadcast industry is subject to the Broadcasting Law, OTT companies and content creators belong 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. Instead of denying the disruption, the national TV industry should double its efforts to remain relevant to its audience, which will expect and demand more. Perhaps if the court rejects the petition, innovation will receive a boost. For private TV stations, keeping pace and adapting to technological changes should be the focus. Social media firms are only taking down 2 per cent of reported posts spreading misinformation about vaccines, a new report has suggested. Research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Restless Development found that posts claiming that vaccines are poisonous, cause cancer and even change peoples DNA were allowed to remain online. Others asserted that the coronavirus pandemic had been faked to enforce mandatory vaccinations, or that flu jabs made people more susceptible to the virus. Some were tied into wider conspiracy theories relating to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, 5G technology, and US medical official Dr Anthony Fauci. In replies to some of the posts left online, social media users had threatened violence and murder against the figures, as well as the media, politicians and big pharma. A report released on Thursday said that of 912 false posts from anti-vaccine sources reported to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, just 5 per cent were acted on. In total, 2.3 per cent of the posts were removed, 0.3 per cent of the accounts were taken down, and 2.3 per cent of the posts were flagged as false but stayed online. The CCDH warned that the audience of anti-vaxx pages on Facebook, Twitter and Google appeared to be growing rapidly during the pandemic. It said there was evidence of misinformation being deliberately targeted at black and ethnic minority audiences, who have been shown to be more at risk from coronavirus in the UK. Some of the theories highlighted in the report were voiced by protesters who gathered in Londons Trafalgar Square on Saturday to oppose lockdown restrictions, vaccines, 5G and supposed establishment plots. Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the CCDH, said: A coronavirus vaccine is our best hope of a return to normality. It would be a tragedy if it was unsuccessful in eradicating this disease because of lies told to people on social media. How does the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine work? While we have made enormous sacrifices to keep our society safe, social media companies are undermining their effort by failing to enforce their own policies and claims to act on dangerous misinformation. Big tech has proven that they do not care, they will not act, and they only listen when their profits are on the line. The government must urgently legislate to ensure these platforms take down hate and misinformation that puts lives at risk. A group of doctors and campaigners have written to the culture, health and home secretaries calling for legislation to prevent dangerous lies about health and medicine being spread to millions. They called for the governments repeatedly delayed Online Harms Bill, which includes proposals on social media regulation, to be brought before parliament at the earliest possible opportunity. The letter pointed to research warning that anti-vaxx propaganda was being viewed by more people as trials for a coronavirus vaccine progress. It is clear that social media companies cannot be relied upon to fix this issue themselves, it added. The warning came after the EUs Counter-Terrorism Coordinator said that new forms of terrorism rooted in conspiracy theories could emerge after the coronavirus pandemic. Gilles de Kerchove said beliefs that 5G technology was harmful had already caused a spate of vandalism, and that given the amount of disinformation online, we could see more serious examples of this in the future. A spokesperson for Facebook said the company had taken aggressive steps to limit the spread of misinformation about the virus, removing more than 7 million posts between April and June and putting warning labels on 98 million others. He added: Additionally, we reduce vaccine misinformation visibility across our platforms, we dont show it in search results or recommend it on Facebook or Instagram and we dont allow it in any ads. Twitter said it had introduced measures such as a search prompt that directed users to credible vaccine information from the NHS but could not take action on every tweet. We're prioritising the removal of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm, it said in a statement. As we've said previously, we will not take enforcement action on every Tweet that contains incomplete or disputed information about COVID-19. Since introducing these new policies on March 18 and as weve doubled down on tech, our automated systems have challenged millions of accounts which were targeting discussions around COVID-19 with spammy or manipulative behaviours. 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. A Pakistani official says a roadside explosion in the northwestern South Waziristan tribal district has left three soldiers dead and another wounded. District police officer Shaukat Ali told RFE/RL that the soldiers were on a routine patrol on September 2 when the explosion hit the vehicle they were traveling in. Ali said four soldiers were initially injured but three of the them later died in hospital, including a lieutenant. The fourth wounded soldier was in critical condition, according to the police officer. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. On August 31, four soldiers were killed and another four wounded in an ambush in the Ladha area of South Waziristan. That attack was claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. On August 31, the militant group claimed an ambush in the Ladha area of South Waziristan in which four soldiers were killed and another four wounded. South Waziristan, located near the Afghan border, had served as a militant base until recent years until Pakistan said operations there had cleared the area of the Taliban and other militant groups. The move will mean that the buildings are no longer subject to public service rules Egypt is set to transfer the ownership of seven public buildings and their land to the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, according to a decree by President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi published in the official gazette on Thursday. The buildings transferred include the Mogamma building in Tahrir Square and its land, which extends over 3 acres; the old administrative headquarters of the interior ministry and its land, which extends over 4.6 acres; the 3.9 acres of land of the former National Democratic Party building, which was partially damaged during the 25 January Revolution; and four other buildings located in the governorates of Cairo and Gharbiya. The move will mean that the buildings are no longer subject to public service rules. In addition, Planning Minister Hala El-Said, Housing Minister Assem El-Gazzar, and Sovereign Fund of Egypt CEO Ayman Soliman discussed on Thursday the avenues of collaboration regarding the modernisation of Downtown Cairo, as well as sanitation and water desalination projects. During the meeting, El-Said said that the cooperation with the housing ministry aims at tapping the potential of state-owned assets to increase the states financial resources, adding that the fund would be the general developer of these assets, with collaborations with domestic and foreign investors. Regarding the transfer decree, El-Gazzar said that the seven buildings and their plots will be used according to the requirements of the areas where they are located. Soliman said that the wealth fund is about to finish the proposals for repurposing the Mogamma, which will determine its best uses, in the lead-up to inviting developers specialising in hotels, administrative and commercial activity to contribute, along with domestic and foreign investors. Regarding water desalination, Soliman said that the wealth fund and its sub-fund for utilities and water desalination are expected to contribute to the first phase of the water desalination project, which includes desalinating 1.4 million cubic metres of water with total investments of EGP 30 billion, in collaboration with local and foreign investors. The housing ministrys strategic plan aims at expanding water desalination stations in order to desalinate 6.4 million cubic metres of water, with total investments of EGP 134.2 billion. El-Said, the chair of the wealth fund, issued a decree to establish a sub-fund for financial and digital transformation services, with a registered capital of EGP 30 billion and an issued capital of EGP 500 million. According to the decree, which was published in the official gazette on Thursday, the sub-fund is expected to function for 99 years, with the possibility of renewal, and has financial and administrative independence. The sub-fund also has the right to buy, sell and rent fixed and transferred state-owned assets, in addition to having the right to borrow, to obtain credit facilities, and to issue bonds, financial sukuk and other sorts of debt instruments. The main wealth fund has recently launched five sub-funds focused on different sectors including health care and tourism. Search Keywords: Short link: When it comes to fitness trackers, consumers are spoiled for choice. Between devices from Fitbit, Garmin and now even Amazon, there's probably a device out there suited for everyone, no matter their specific needs. But that same amount of choice can make it difficult for some trackers to stand out. Samsung's Galaxy Fit is the perfect example. It's a capable device that does a lot right, but it doesn't have any features that make it more compelling than any other fitness tracker you can buy. For the Galaxy Fit 2, Samsung may have found a way to get consumers to notice the wearable. Announced today at IFA Berlin, the highlight of the device is battery life. In normal circumstances, Samsung says you can get 15 days of use out of the wearable on a single charge. You can extend that amount to 21 days using specific settings. By comparison, you could get a week of battery life from the Galaxy Fit. That's about what you can expect from most other fitness trackers too. Otherwise, the Galaxy Fit 2 is about what you would expect from a wearable in 2020. It can track your steps, heart rate and sleep, providing a score when you wake up in the morning. Samsung says you can also customize the Galaxy Fit 2's display with 70 different face options. We don't know how much the tracker will cost yet, but Samsung told us it will make its way to the US. The Galaxy Fit was $100, so we expect the Galaxy Fit 2 will cost about the same. Besides the Galaxy Fit 2, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab A7 and Galaxy A42 5G on Wednesday. The latter will likely end up the company's most affordable 5G-capable phone to date. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:59:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Police in Afghanistan have arrested 12 allegedly drug traffickers, authorities said Thursday. "Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) and detective security organizations arrested 12 suspects, linked to 12 cases of transportation or keeping of narcotics from various provinces within the past seven days," Counter Narcotics Justice Centre of Afghanistan (CNJC) said in a statement. The CNPA seized an amount of narcotics from the suspects, said the statement. After initial investigations, the CNPA handed over the cases to the Central Narcotics Tribunal or CNT, a special court for jurisdiction of major drug cases in Afghanistan, according to the statement. Within the same period, seven people have been sentenced to up to five years in jail for being involved in seven drug trafficking cases, the statement said. Enditem Felix Hufeld, president of Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images Felix Hufeld, president of Germanys Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), said he will not resign from his role, despite harsh criticism that the countrys top financial watchdog should have caught the fraud at payments company Wirecard long before its balance sheet scandal came to light. "If you are president of BaFin, you have to endure it or look for another job," said Hufeld at a conference in Frankfurt on Wednesday. The full extent of the fraud at the bankrupt payments company began to unfold in June this year, when auditor EY refused to sign off on Wirecards 2019 accounts as 1.9bn (1.69bn, $2.27bn) was missing from its balance sheets. BaFin has been in the hot seat since the scandal broke in June. At the time, Hufeld described it as a complete disaster. We were not blind, but we may have relied for too long on the formally correct procedures, Hufeld said in Frankfurt today. We didn't see the wood for the trees. READ MORE: German lawmakers to launch parliamentary probe into Wirecard scandal The BaFin boss said that the regulator did take a very close look at Wirecard, and filed a large number of criminal charges against the Wirecard company with the public prosecutor. He added that BaFin is not a police authority and that Wirecard AG was not a bank, we supervised the Wirecard Bank. Wirecard AG was a technology company. German opposition lawmakers from the Greens, the Left and the pro-business Free Democrats jointly reached enough votes to demand a parliamentary enquiry into the fraud scandal on Tuesday (1 September). The probe could investigate, among other things, how many red flags the government and BaFin had had about Wirecard, and whether they ignored warning signs about the companys behaviour. Hufeld said BaFin would aid any inquiries. It goes without saying, he said. "We'll do our part to set out every crumb, adding that everything needs to be relentlessly examined and oversight rules and regulations may need to be changed to stop such a situation from happening in the future. Story continues READ MORE: Former Wirecard COO put on Interpols most-wanted list The Wirecard scandal has turned into a major embarrassment for the government in Berlin, not only because it dents the solid, reliable business reputation of Germany, but also because Wirecard had been feted as one of the countrys super-star tech companies. Insolvency administrators are in the process of selling off the companys assets to try and recoup some of the billions owed to its creditors. They laid off 730 of Wirecards 1,300 staff in Germany in August, including the remaining members of the management board. Former Wirecard chief executive Markus Braun is currently in custody in Munich, which former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is at large, with an Interpol warrant out for his arrest. PLANO, Texas, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- European Wax Center , a leading personal care franchise brand that offers expert wax services from certified specialists, to ensure that every guest who walks through the door leaves feeling confident was recently ranked in Entrepreneur magazine's first Top Growth Franchises list. This list recognizes the 150 companies with the greatest positive franchise unit growth in North America over a three year period, based on data submitted for Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 ranking. Thanks to its exceptional growth, European Wax Center was ranked #49. "We are thrilled to be recognized as not only a top growth franchise, but also as the only wax-focused company in this highly competitive ranking. It is an honor that signifies continued growth being not only the first to market, but still the market leader," said European Wax Center CEO, David Berg. While COVID-19 impacted our 2020 plans and activations due to the closure of all of our centers for several months, we persevered and focused on the continued transformation of our technology foundation in preparation to accelerate growth in the years to come. "We are proud to have overcome significant business challenges this year, facing them head on and growing from them," said Berg. "By maintaining steady, sustained growth over several years, these franchises have demonstrated that they have the systems in place to support their franchisees and help them become successful," says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur's editor-in-chief. "Now as these and other companies around the country face unprecedented challenges, they may see their growth slow, but that record of success could prove more important than ever." To determine the 2020 Top Growth Franchises ranking, Entrepreneur looked at each company's U.S. and Canadian franchise numbers over a three-year period (from July 2016 to July 2019; given the rapid changes, COVID-19 impacts weren't taken into account). In order to qualify, companies had to have positive growth of at least five units each year. They were ranked based on a formula that considers their total positive U.S. and Canadian franchise growth over the three years as well as factors that negatively affect growth, such as terminations, nonrenewals, and other closures. To view European Wax Center in the full ranking, visit entrepreneur.com/franchises/topgrowth . Results can also be seen in the September issue of Entrepreneur, on sale September 1st. About European Wax Center European Wax Center (EWC) is a leading personal care franchise brand founded in 2004. They offer expert wax services from certified Wax Specialists, ensuring that every guest who walks through the door leaves feeling confidentin EWC and themselves. EWC provides guests with a first class, professional waxing experience by the most highly trained estheticians in the industry, within the privacy of clean, individual waxing suites. They're so certain everyone will love the EWC experience, European Wax Center offers a free complimentary wax to each new guest. EWC continues to revolutionize the waxing category with their innovative, signature Comfort Wax. This proprietary blend is formulated with the highest quality ingredients to leave skin feeling smooth and make waxing a more pleasant, virtually painless experience. To help enhance and extend waxing services after leaving the center, EWC offers a full collection of proprietary products in the skincare, body, and brow categories. European Wax Center is the #1 wax specialty personal care brand in the United States, and its network now includes over 750 centers nationwide. For more information including how to receive your first wax free, please visit: www.waxcenter.com. SOURCE European Wax Center Related Links www.waxcenter.com Members of the Philadelphia Tenants Union lock arms to block one of the entrances to Philadelphia Municipal Court. The protesters are against the reopening of landlord-tenant courts during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more A federal order will take effect Friday halting most evictions in Philadelphia for people who cant pay rent due to financial hardship amid the pandemic, but municipal court opened Thursday for eviction proceedings, prompting a demonstration by activists who blocked the entrances for hours. Philadelphia police detained and cited 17 anti-eviction protesters who stood in front of Municipal Court and the District Attorneys Office, which doesnt execute evictions but shares a building with the court. The protesters were among more than 60 demonstrators who blocked entrances to the building with the goal of halting eviction cases that were initiated before March and, once the pandemic closures started, rescheduled to Thursday. The demonstrators, organized by the Philadelphia Tenants Union, said their message is no evictions during a pandemic. The group tied the demonstration to the Black Lives Matter movement, saying evictions disproportionately impact Black women and children, and one organizer said the group considers evictions which may be carried out by the Sheriffs Office a form of police brutality. The protest ended about 1 p.m. after dozens of police officers, some with bicycles and others in tactical gear from the counter-terrorism unit, swept the area. Mayor Jim Kenney said during a news conference that while his administration supports the right to protest, blocking a courtroom from people getting in or getting out is something thats not part of your First Amendment right. Judges postponed some landlord-tenant cases, while others occurred in person for those who could make it into court or by phone for those who could not. Thursdays action was another demonstration tied to housing justice in Philadelphia, considered the poorest big city in America and where advocates say to expect an eviction wave for tenants unable to pay rent due to loss of income or employment. Some activists who took part in Thursdays demonstration have for months supported two protest encampments of people experiencing homelessness, and negotiations between the organizers and city officials to end those camps have largely been fruitless. The city told those living at the encampments they have until Wednesday to clear out. READ MORE: Pennsylvania residents prepare for the statewide eviction moratorium to end Activists said they were determined to stop landlord-tenant court proceedings Thursday because the new federal order regarding evictions doesnt take effect until Friday. On Tuesday, the day after Pennsylvanias statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium ended, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it was implementing its own conditional nationwide eviction moratorium with the goal of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. To take advantage of the moratorium, eligible tenants must sign a document saying they meet the criteria and give it to their landlords. The order prevents the eviction of tenants who earn $99,000 or less per year or were eligible for a pandemic stimulus check; have tried to get rent assistance from the government; have lost income or must pay high medical expenses; and would end up homeless or in cramped living quarters if they were evicted. Eligible tenants must be trying to pay as much of their rent as they can. The order does not waive late fees, and it makes clear that tenants are responsible for coming up with the money to pay their rent. While the CDC order is in effect, eviction cases over nonpayment of rent cannot move forward in the courts, and landlords cannot submit new eviction filings, according to guidance from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Landlords, who interpret the federal moratorium to apply only to the act of evicting tenants, are expected to challenge the order. Evictions for reasons other than nonpayment of rent can continue, and advocates fear landlords will use minor lease violations as a pretext to evict. Victor Pinckney, first vice president of the Philadelphia landlords association HAPCO, said property owners still need a way to bring in income if they cant evict and turn over units to tenants who can pay. He renewed the call for more rental assistance to help property owners. Its not that we want tenants to be put out, especially during a pandemic, Pinckney said. All were asking for is to help us offset our costs... allow us to pay our bills, feed our families also. READ MORE: Federal order protects many Pa. renters from eviction, though legal challenges may arise City Councilmember Helen Gym said at least 2,000 Philadelphia renters have pending eviction cases. She said the citys pandemic protections for tenants that waive late fees, extend repayment periods, and force landlord-tenant mediation help renters as the city implements the CDCs order. Even with the federal order, local and state governments still must act to protect tenants, she said. We have a reprieve. It only matters if we take action during this time, Gym said. We cannot afford to wait. We need to use this time right now to make plans for after the federal eviction moratorium ends Dec. 31. Stephanie Dorenbosch, an attorney with the Tenant Union Representative Network (TURN), stood outside the court Thursday handing copies of the CDCs declaration to tenants facing eviction. She said she wasnt part of the protest, but TURN agrees with the demonstrators: Courts, especially those conducting eviction proceedings, should remain closed during the pandemic, she said. Landlords are saying, We need to be able to evict people, she said. Theyve given us good reason to be scared of mass evictions. Staff writer Sean Collins Walsh contributed to this article. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CarePredict, the leading digital health company for senior care, announced the installation of its AI-Powered technology at Tradition Senior Living's second premier senior living community in Houston, The Tradition-Woodway. This stunning, new 24-story community joins Tradition-Buffalo Speedway in utilizing CarePredict for improved resident outcomes, safety, comfort, and staff engagement. The Tradition-Woodway is the second Tradition Senior Living community in Houston after The Tradition-Buffalo Speedway to choose CarePredict's AI-Powered Solution CarePredict is the first-to-market senior care technology that autonomously observes a resident's daily activity and behavior patterns for changes that precede health declines. This ability to detect the early signs of concerns allows the facility staff to intervene in a timely manner, enabling preventive care, and improving the residents' overall well-being. CarePredict's system uses a smart wearable, Tempo, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated gesture recognition to observe residents' activity and behaviors continuously. "CarePredict has delivered phenomenal results to residents at our Tradition-Buffalo Speedway community, proving to be a true senior care technology leader," said Jonathan Perlman, CEO, Tradition Senior Living. "We are thrilled to extend this technological advantage and market differentiation to our newest community in the area, The Tradition-Woodway." CarePredict's precise indoor location technology provides insights that facilitate faster staff response times, improved care coordination, and enhance workforce distribution. These location insights are at the core of CarePredict PinPoint, the industry benchmark for automatic digital contact tracing. A new research study showed that in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, the use of this digital system, versus conventional interventions, could result in up to 52% fewer cases spreading through a senior care facility. Using PinPoint, communities can instantly generate a digitized list of all residents, staff, and visitors who have come in contact with a person under investigation, classified by exposure risk. This distinction enables facilities to keep their residents safe without compromising their social, mental, and emotional well-being. "Tradition Senior Living has had a rich history of exceptional resident care and satisfaction," said Satish Movva, CEO and founder of CarePredict. "Realizing their high standards for excellence, we're pleased to help power their continued growth in Houston." To learn about CarePredict's market-leading digital health products for your senior living, visit www.carepredict.com, or email [email protected]. About CarePredict Created by caregivers for caregivers, CarePredict empowers better senior care. Since 2013 we have created solutions that offer peace of mind and improve seniors' quality of life both at home and within senior living facilities. Our award-winning Tempo AI-powered wearable alerts caregivers to activity changes in seniors that are precursors to health declines, enabling early intervention and preventive care. Furthermore, our PinPoint digital contact tracing solution utilizes precise indoor location technology to stop the spread of infections in facilities and keep seniors safe without compromising their physical, social, and emotional well-being. www.carepredict.com Media Contact: Subhashree Sukhu Marketing Director CarePredict [email protected] 1-800-608-7188 ext 526 SOURCE CarePredict Related Links http://www.carepredict.com Some of Australia's largest clean energy investors are warning power grid limitations and policy uncertainty threaten to stunt the next wave of wind and solar projects needed to replace retiring coal generators. As federal government statistics suggest the uptake of new renewable energy capacity for 2020 is on course to match last year's record-breaking 6.3 gigawatts, institutional investors including Macquarie Capital, John Laing, RWE Renewables and Lighthouse Infrastructure have renewed warnings about deteriorating investment conditions. According to the investors, the worsening conditions risk imperilling the pipeline of projects required in the future. Investors in 49 Australian large-scale clean energy projects say reforms are needed to keep capital flowing. Credit:Janie Barrett These range from issues around inadequate network infrastructure supporting new projects coming on line, and rules crimping revenue received for power generated in certain parts of the grid. "If you have significant uncertainty around the level of revenues that you're going to achieve for a project moving forward, that really does have an impact on your investment decisions," the newly appointed chair of the Clean Energy Investor Group, Simon Corbell, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Orocobre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Prime Planet Energy Solutions (PPES) for the long-term supply of battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide, the Australia-based lithium miner said on Friday August 28. The MOU entails the supply of as much as 30,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), starting from 2021, for use in PPES battery production supply chain. PPES is a joint venture between Japanese giants Toyota and Panasonic to make batteries for the automotive industry. The majority of the LCE supplied will be in the form of lithium hydroxide from a conversion plant at Naraha and future expansion of this asset. The Naraha plant in eastern Japan, north of Tokyo, will process lithium carbonate feedstock from the Olaroz lithium facility in north-west Argentina, Orocobre said. A pricing framework has yet to be established and was expected to be finalized over the next 12 months in a Binding Supply Agreement, Orocobre added. This MOU is a major development for Orocobre, chief executive officer Martin Perez de Solay said, and will underpin the current expansion of the Olaroz lithium facility. The brine-based Olaroz asset is in the Jujuy province of northern Argentina and is managed through operating company Sales de Jujuy, in which Orocobre owns a majority stake. Stage 2 expansion of the Olaroz mine will increase capacity by 25,000 tonnes per year of industrial-grade LCE, with total capacity expected to reach 40,000-42,500 tpy of LCE. The expansion works were more than 40% complete but have been temporarily slowed as a result of Covid-19-related restrictions. Weak lithium market In its operational and financial results for the 2020 financial year, released last week, Orocobre said that the operational restrictions imposed because of Covid-19 had affected production costs and volumes, and had a knock-on effect on the stage-2 expansion at Olaroz. Orocobre expected that its operational and financial performance in the third quarter of 2020 would be affected by a scheduled three-week outage and by weaker realized lithium pricing resulting from pandemic-related disruptions along the lithium supply chain and the release of inventory into the spot market. Lithium prices have shown a steady downward trend since 2019, and the outbreak of Covid-19 this year has reduced both supply and demand in this already low-priced environment. Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price range, exw domestic China was 37,000-41,000 yuan ($5,416-6,001) per tonne on September 3. This was unchanged since July 9 but down from 45,000-51,000 yuan per tonne at the start of 2020 and 75,000-83,000 yuan per tonne at the start of 2019. Bottles of e-liquid from the USA. Credit: Hanno Erythropel Flavourings combine with solvents in e-cigarettes to produce new toxic chemicals that irritate the airways, triggering reactions that can lead to breathing and heart and blood vessel problems, according to new research presented at the 'virtual' European Respiratory Society International Congress. Sven-Eric Jordt, associate professor of anaesthesiology, pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University School of Medicine (North Carolina, U.S.) told the meeting that manufacturers claim that e-cigarettes are safe as they vaporise a defined set of chemicals that are chemically stable. "Our co-author and analytical chemist Dr. Hanno Erythropel and colleagues at Yale University found new chemicals in e-liquids and revealed that they are formed when components are mixed by manufacturers. We became concerned about the high levels of these new compounds that had not been studied in the past, and decided to conduct toxicological tests," said Prof Jordt. In lab experiments, the researchers looked at what happened when cells that line the bronchi (the main airways from the trachea to the lungs) were exposed to flavouring chemicals, such as vanillin and ethyl-vanillin (responsible for vanilla and other sweet flavours), benzaldehyde (berry or fruit flavour) and cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon flavour). They also looked at the effect of the new chemicals that formed as a result of mixing the flavouring chemicals with the solvents propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG), which are the main solvents in e-cigarette liquids. "The bronchi are exposed to e-cigarette vapour when the user inhales them into the lungs," said Prof Jordt. "We consistently observed that the new chemicals formed from the flavours and e-liquid solvents were more toxic than either of their parent compounds. The new chemicals derived from benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde were more toxic than the vanillin-derived compounds." The new chemicals also activated sensory irritant receptors in nerve endings in the bronchi called TRPV1 and TRPA1, which are responsible for a range of inflammatory responses. Prof Jordt said: "Activation of sensory irritant receptors can increase the heart rate and, in predisposed people, can lead to an irregular heartbeat and higher blood pressure. It can also increase secretions in the nasal passages and throughout the lungs and airways, leading to coughing and breathing difficulties." The researchers showed for the first time that even low concentrations of the newly-formed chemicals caused the cells lining the bronchi to die. "This is the first demonstration that these new chemicals formed in e-liquids can damage and kill lung cells and probably do this by damaging their metabolism. Although, in some cases, more than 40% of flavour chemicals are converted into new chemicals in e-cigarettes, almost nothing was known about their toxicity until now," he said. Analysis of structures in the cells called mitochondria (the cells' "batteries") and of the mechanisms involved in converting glucose to energy, showed that the newly-formed chemicals suppressed both the ability of mitochondria to consume oxygen and the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a chemical that provides energy to drive many cellular processes. The researchers were surprised by their findings. "We actually expected that the observed chemical reactions would inactivate benzaldehyde and other flavouring chemicals, making the products less toxic. However, we observed the opposite, finding the newly formed compounds to be more irritating and toxic," said Prof Jordt. He said that manufacturers should list all the chemicals on their e-cigarette productsnot only the original chemicals, but also those formed when the flavouring chemicals mix with the solvents and when the liquid is stored for any length of time. "Our findings suggest that e-cigarettes release unstable chemical mixtures containing a large variety of chemical products with unexpected toxicological properties. Regulators need to be made aware that these compounds can form so that toxicology studies can be initiated to evaluate their safety. They should conduct or fund additional research on the fate of chemicals in e-liquids, and especially their toxicology. Once toxicity levels are known, regulators can assess the level of risk to health from e-cigarettes and issue recommendations to manufacturers to reduce concentrations to mitigate risks to acceptable levels," he concluded. In a second presentation in the same session, Dr. Erythropel reported that he and his colleagues had analysed mint, vanilla and mango e-liquids in the leading US e-cigarette brand, Juul, and compared the results with Juul products sold in Canada, the UK, France, Germany and Italy where Juul was introduced during the second half of 2018 and early 2019. They wanted to determine how the chemicals providing the main flavour and the nicotine content varied in the versions available in each country. "While the composition of Juul e-liquids was identical in the US and Canada, it differed from the e-liquids available in Europe," he said. "Juul e-liquids sold in the US and Canada contain up to 59 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre, comprising about 5% of the liquid, but EU regulations limit nicotine content to approximately a third of that amount at 20 mg/mL, about 1.7%, which the company adhered to, based on our results. "We found that along with lower nicotine content, the European products also contained lower amounts of flavouring agents compared to the US and Canadian products, with one exception: the reduced amount of menthol in European mint e-liquid was replaced with a synthetic coolant called WS-3, not present in US or Canadian products. WS-3 produces a cooling effect similar to menthol but without the distinctive 'minty' smell. The safety of inhaling WS-3 in e-cigarettes is unknown and so we believe that any legislation targeting menthol in tobacco products should be extended to synthetic coolants, as for example Germany has implemented for tobacco cigarettes." Jrgen Vestbo, who was not involved in either studies, is Chair of the European Respiratory Advocacy Council and Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester, UK. He said: "These studies show that the liquid for e-cigarettes has been made available to consumers without adequate understanding and safety tests of not only the main chemicals in the vaping liquid but also how they combine to form new, potentially toxic compounds. These findings underline the fact that e-cigarettes cannot be considered a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Regulators need to take action to initiate further research into the constituent components of e-liquids and their combinations so that adequate measures can be put in place to reduce the risks as much as possible." Explore further Juul users are inhaling chemicals not listed on the label More information: Abstract no: OA4384, "Flavor-solvent reaction products in electronic cigarette liquids activate respiratory irritant receptors and elicit cytotoxic metabolic responses in airway epithelial cell", by Sven-Eric Jordt et al; Presented in session, "From tobacco and vaping health effects to tobacco cessation" at 10:40 hrs CEST, Tuesday 8 September 2020: Abstract no: OA4384, "Flavor-solvent reaction products in electronic cigarette liquids activate respiratory irritant receptors and elicit cytotoxic metabolic responses in airway epithelial cell", by Sven-Eric Jordt et al; Presented in session, "From tobacco and vaping health effects to tobacco cessation" at 10:40 hrs CEST, Tuesday 8 September 2020: k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Pr ?e=259&session=12386 Abstract no: OA4382, "Differences in flavorant levels and synthetic coolant use between USA, EU and Canadian Juul products,", by Hanno Erythropel et al; Presented in session, "From tobacco and vaping health effects to tobacco cessation" at 10:40 hrs CEST, Tuesday 8 September 2020: k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Front/Pr ?e=259&session=12386 Press Release September 3, 2020 Tolentino bats for Army Aviation Regiment's involvement in rescue, relief ops Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino declared that he envisions the Army Aviation Regiment at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to become an integral part in rescue and relief operations during disasters. Tolentino made this manifestation during the confirmation hearing of AFP chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay before the Commission on Appointments on Wednesday. "Pangarap ko rin naman dumating iyong pagkakataon na kapag nagkaroon tayo ng disasters, iyong mga air assets ng Coast Guards, Air Force, Navy and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be joined by the Army Aviation Regiment in distributing relief items to our distressed countrymen," said Tolentino. Gapay said the development of the Army Aviation Regiment into a force of the Philippine Army that can be deployed anywhere and with an aviation unit backing it is now in full swing. "As the battlefield becomes more complicated and intricate, the more that we need capabilities such as an aviation unit for the Philippine Army," said Gapay According to Gapay, there is an ongoing training for rotary wing pilots in preparation for the delivery of the modern equipment coming from the AFP modernization. Also, Tolentino said the AFP is set to receive from the United States 4 Black Hawk helicopters and 4 Cobra helicopters that will help augment the Army Aviation Regiment's air defense capability. Tolentino also urged Gapay to pursue during his term as AFP chief the establishment of airstrips for the Army Aviation Regiment in Kalayaan Island and near Fuga Island. "The AFP is identifying airstrips all over the country where we could put detachments not only for the Army but for the Philippine Air Force as well," said Gapay. "Usually, when it comes to airstrips there will be dual use some would be civilian and military use but there are also a few dedicated for military use only just like the one in Lumbia where it used to be a civilian-military use, now its purely military administered by the Air Force," he added. Meanwhile, Tolentino expressed support for the confirmation of Gapay as AFP chief along with other 29 officers. "I congratulate you in advance. I repeat again this will not be a piece of cake," said Tolentino. Weve tried to engage, and we get told theres a plan in the works. But we have yet to see it, and school starts next week with students, Johnson said. And its very frustrating. What we would like is more cadres, more stability and (to) receive adequate information. As a sub, how can you join a classroom that is connected to Google Classroom and tied to a teachers login? Wed like to be able to talk through and support a plan for our members, and were running out of time to go through training and make sure theyre supported. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 13:47:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's service sector expanded in August, indicating "improved domestic demand as the country's economic recovery continues to gather pace," said the Financial Times in a recent report. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 55.2 in August, up from 54.2 in July, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday. A reading above 50 indicates expansion while a reading below it reflects contraction. The non-manufacturing PMI has remained above 50 for six months in a row, data from the NBS showed. The improving service sector suggests that China's economic recovery is "feeding through into businesses that were hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent measures to contain its spread," said the report. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on July 14 that travel agencies and online tourism companies were allowed to resume their trans-provincial group tours gradually, which unleashed domestic travel demand. The resumption could stimulate more spending on services, Iris Pang, chief economist for greater China at Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation ING, was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "There will be more jobs in the service sector because of this travel recovery, (and) with more jobs people will be more confident to spend," she said. "I think this is sustainable." Enditem Latin America continues to be a hot spot for COVID-19. The region has just 8 percent of the worlds population, yet it accounts for 43 percent of the deaths worldwide. At the end of the year, the first cause of death in Latin America will be COVID-19, said Rafael Lozano, director of Health Systems at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Lozano presented his findings during the online conference COVID-19 in the Americas: Policies and Perspectives, sponsored by the University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. He was joined by University President Julio Frenk, a medical doctor and global public health expert who was the former minister of health of Mexico, and Felicia Knaul, health economist and professor at the Miller School of Medicine and director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas. Michael Touchton, associate professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences, moderated the discussion. The University of Miami was leveraging its unique geographical advantage to forge research, education, academic exchange, and innovation-driven partnerships throughout the Americas, according to Frenk. Latin America has become a global hot spot for COVID-19 with more than 5 million confirmed cases, he added. Beyond the suffering caused by the pandemic itself, long-standing disparities based on poverty, ethnicity, sex, and gender have been laid bare by the pandemic. In addition to that, health systems in the region face a host of exacerbated challenges including shortages of medicine and staff. Knaul gave an overview of findings from the COVID-19 Observatory, an interactive platform that the institute established that has analyzed national and subnational policies in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Bolivia. One of the challenges in looking at the region is that every country has reacted to the pandemic in different ways, the experts agreed. Even within countries, individual towns and regions have reacted differently. While Mexico and Brazil continue to be the global hot spots in the pandemic, countries such as Chile are handling the pandemic well, said Knaul. Chile is the example to follow, Knaul pointed out. Colombia is also beginning to level the curve as well. The policies toward the mandatory use of masks in the different countries is also measured by the observatory. Although Mexico and Brazil lag in this area, all countries in the region, as of April, began some kind of policy requiring the use of masks. Colombias condition that masks be worn has been clear from the very beginning of the pandemic, and that may have played a role in its declining numbers. It isnt enough for the country to say that you have to use a mask, but you have to say when, how it fits, and so on, Knaul said. Most of the deaths forecasted by Lozano toward the end of this year is expected to take place in Mexico and Brazil, two countries that have not had sound national policies on how to respond to the virus. Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro first mocked the pandemic and often appeared publicly without a mask. Mexican president Manuel Lopez Obrador has not issued any public policies to contain the pandemic, even as his country surpassed 17,000 deaths. Pandemics should not be politicized, said Knaul. It is inappropriate to politicize an issue of public health. An Iranian migrant who arrived in the United Kingdom as an unaccompanied child and who is facing a rape charge in Belfast was refused bail on Thursday. Marko Mahdi Dalir (21) is accused of raping a woman in an alleyway in the city centre in November 2018. During today's bail application, it emerged that Dalir travelled to Belfast to undertake the theory part of his driving test, which at the time hosted one of the very few centres to offer the test in Farsi. It was during this brief period in Belfast that Dalir is accused of raping a woman in an alleyway near Little May Street. His barrister Sean O'Hare said: "He disputes the circumstances of the alleged rape and maintains that any contact was consensual." The application was heard by Judge Neil Rafferty QC at Belfast Crown Court. Dalir, with an address at Sandringham Drive in Leeds, appeared at the hearing via a videolink with Hydebank. Crown barrister Rosemary Walsh told Judge Rafferty that bail was opposed and said that since being granted High Court bail in December 2018, Dalir had recently breached several conditions. Dalir was released on bail to an address in Leeds where he was being supervised by social services. However, Ms Walsh said that on June 26, his key worker reported that he had 'been missing' since June 17. During this period Dalir breached his bail by failing to sign at a police station. Ms Walsh said that in the intervening period, Dalir was stopped at Heathrow by officials. He didn't have any money, a passport or travel documents and told officials it was his intention to travel to Austria where he has family. He was again stopped by Immigration Services in Dublin after getting off a ferry from Holyhead, and was detained in Northern Ireland on July 13 where he again said he intended to go to Austria. Saying there were "significant concerns that this defendant is seeking and will seek to flee the jurisdiction", Ms Walsh highlighted several breaches of bail between June 17 and July 13. Dalir's barrister Sean O'Hare said his client first arrived in the UK five years ago as an 'unaccompanied minor', and that he lived in care and foster accommodation in Leeds, with the support of social services. Mr O'Hare said Dalir has "no connections whatsoever" to Belfast, and at the time of the alleged rape his client was only here to undertake part of his driving test. Saying Dalir was disputing the rape allegation, Mr O'Hare said the trial had been listed to start earlier this year, but due to Covid-19 and the lockdown, this didn't happen. This delay, Mr O'Hare said, added stress and pressure to his client who then tried to travel to Belfast "in order to try and advance the trial himself." Instead, he was stopped by the authorities in Dublin, with Mr O'Hare adding: "This naive idea that he could sort the case out himself speaks for his lack of guile." Mr O'Hare also revealed that after being returned to Hydebank in July, Dalir has been subjected to attacks by other inmates and is currently in isolation. After listening to submissions from both the Crown and defence, Judge Rafferty said he was refusing bail for two reasons. Pointing out Dalir breached a previously imposed High Court order by failing to sign with police, Judge Rafferty also expressed concerns over a flight risk as he has "confessed or shown an intent or wish to travel to Austria." Judge Rafferty refused bail but said he will "draw this case to the attention" of his fellow Crown Court judges, and expressed the hope the trial will be given "some prioritisation." NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Chinese are surreptitiously" encircling the Indian sub-continent, and India must keep a close watch on developments in Sri Lanka and Nepal. He had invited former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd) for interaction with NCP MPs Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Amol Kolhe and Vandana Chavan against the background of the stand-off in eastern Ladakh, Pawar tweeted. The former defence minister said that during the meeting he expressed his concerns over a larger strategic and political thinking in China that aims to halt Indias economic growth. I highlighted the fact that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and also expressed my concern over their presence in the South China Sea," Pawar said in another tweet. I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general," he added. Vijay Gokhale spoke about the history of Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes. The former foreign secretary shared his views on the current situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Pawar said. Air Marshal Gokhale emphasized that India must take into consideration the new era of parallel warfare that includes cyber war, information war, perception creation and war on economic fronts, the NCP president added. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicos 14-day quarantine mandate for most incoming travelers, one of the strictest orders of its kind in the nation, is getting a facelift. Under a revised order issued by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that takes effect Friday, most individuals entering New Mexico from 36 different states including Arizona and Texas and all foreign countries will still be subject to a revised travel quarantine order. But the mandate is being lifted for those arriving from the remaining lower-risk states including Colorado that have recorded lower COVID-19 case spread in recent weeks. In addition, anyone arriving in New Mexico who can show proof of a negative coronavirus test within three days before or after arriving in the state will be exempt from the revised quarantine order. In order to strike a balance between public health and ensuring New Mexicans can live and move safely in a COVID-positive world until the arrival of an effective and widely available vaccine, we have to make tough, strategic and data-driven decisions, the governor said in a Thursday statement. She also said the changes were aimed at keeping New Mexicans safe while also trying to ease restrictions to address a burgeoning economic crisis. The travel quarantine mandate has come under criticism in some quarters for its impact on New Mexicos tourism and hospitality industries, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce on Thursday blasted the Democratic governor for taking belated action and using arbitrary measures to determine whether visitors from certain states would be required to self-quarantine upon arrival in New Mexico. This biased treatment based on her science is shutting out visitors from particular parts of the nation, Pearce said in a statement. Under the revised travel quarantine order, states that have an average COVID-19 case rate of more than 8 people infected out of every 100,000 or an overall test positivity rate of 5% or higher will be subject to the travel quarantine order. The list of states that meet that criteria will be updated weekly, Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki said. Quarantine modifications The change to the travel quarantine order was not the only visitor-oriented policy shift announced Thursday, as state Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel also increased maximum hotel occupancy limits in a separate public health order. Starting Friday, hotels that receive state approval will be able to operate at 75% of maximum occupancy up from the current limit of 50%. With the state meeting its virus control benchmarks, the changes mark the latest loosening of New Mexico business restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Lujan Grishams administration last week allowed restaurants to resume indoor dining at limited capacity and raised the size of allowable public gatherings from 5 to 10 people, among other changes. Randy Randall, executive director of Tourism Santa Fe, said the changes could help local businesses salvage whats left of the busy summer tourism season. Clearly anything thats done to relax the restrictions will help, Randall told the Journal. Its almost been impossible for our hotels to gain any momentum. In addition, he said the fact visitors from Colorado will be exempt from the quarantine order will be economically significant, as Denver is currently Santa Fes biggest market for out-of-state visitors. Since being enacted in March, New Mexicos travel quarantine order has not been strictly enforced, as state officials have said its intended to function as more of a deterrent. Tourism officials say it has been successful in that regard by discouraging many but not all would-be visitors from coming to New Mexico. The governor last month added new exemptions under the order for those who leave the state to obtain medical care and for residents who travel outside New Mexico for less than 24 hours due to parental responsibilities. Other exemptions allowed under the travel quarantine order include military personnel, health care workers and those traveling for business purposes. Declining averages The changes announced Thursday came as high case counts in several southern New Mexico counties boosted the states number of new COVID-19 cases to its highest level in more than a week. Specifically, state health officials reported 202 new cases on Thursday. Of those cases, 80 were located in three counties Eddy, Lea and Dona Ana that have emerged as potential trouble spots in recent weeks. However, the states average of new coronavirus cases remains far lower than it was a month ago, according to a Journal analysis. As of Thursday, the states rolling seven-day average of new coronavirus cases was at 128 down from an average of 234 new cases as of a month ago. Meanwhile, state officials also reported one additional death attributable to the virus a woman in her 70s from Dona Ana County. That brought the states death total to 791 since mid-March, though many of the victims have had underlying health conditions. Statewide hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have both declined since their mid-May peak. There were 75 people hospitalized due to the disease on Thursday, a figure that could include out-of-state patients transferred to New Mexico for treatment. At a glance Here are the 13 states that will not be subject at least for now to New Mexicos travel quarantine order: Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. The list will be updated weekly and can be found online at: cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations/ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tom Hals (Reuters) Delaware, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 10:30 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4269ff0 2 Entertainment Harvey-Weinstein,Sexual-assault,sexual-misconduct,Court,settlement,film Free Lawyers for Harvey Weinstein's bankrupt film studio on Wednesday presented a revised proposal to settle sexual misconduct claims against the disgraced former producer, but an attorney for accusers pledged to oppose the plan. The $35.2 million proposal filed on Tuesday in the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware was financed by insurers and includes $17 million to settle sexual misconduct claims in various courts as well as a lawsuit by New York's attorney general. Weinstein, 68, is serving a 23-year prison term in New York state following his Feb. 24 conviction for sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping an actress. He has appealed the conviction. The latest plan provides less to accusers than the $18.9 million in the prior plan, which was rejected in July by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan, who is overseeing a class action against Weinstein. The remaining funds will settle business debts and defense costs for former representatives of The Weinstein Co. It removed legal fees for Weinstein, a part of the prior plan that Hellerstein called "obnoxious". Read also: Six Harvey Weinstein accusers call $18.9 million New York settlement a 'cruel hoax' Attorney Paul Zumbro for The Weinstein Co told Judge Mary Walrath in Wilmington at Wednesday's hearing that the settlement pool was reduced because it no longer resolves claims that pre-date The Weinstein Co. The plan provides accusers a proposed payment; if they accept, it settles their claim against Weinstein. Alternatively, accusers can accept 25 percent of the proposed payment and continue to pursue Weinstein in the courts. Scott Leonhardt, an attorney representing two accusers, called the plan "fundamentally deficient" and said his clients opposed it. Walrath said the plan appeared to prevent an accuser who opted to pursue Weinstein in court and who won a judgment from collecting against Weinstein's insurers. An attorney for The Weinstein Co said the plan would be clarified and did not shield insurers in that situation. (Newser) Nancy Pelosi isn't apologizing for her visit to a shuttered San Francisco hair salon, but the House speaker is accepting responsibility ... for falling for what she calls a setup. "I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that Ive been to over the years many times, and when they said, Were able to accommodate people one person at a time. I trusted that," Pelosi told reporters Wednesday during what the San Francisco Chronicle calls "a combative exchange." Pelosi added, "I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up." Pelosi, who splits her time between San Francisco and Washington, DC, was not asked why she was unaware of local rules prohibiting salons from offering indoor treatments, even to a single customer at a time, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Her visit made headlines after the salon owner outed her, saying she had no control over a stylist who rents a chair bringing Pelosi in. story continues below As for why her mask wasn't covering her face in the surveillance video that caused the uproar, Pelosi said, "I dont wear a mask when Im washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when youre washing your hair? I always wear a mask." Her spokesperson says that Pelosi typically gets her hair done at her home, but her normal stylist was unavailable Monday, so she decided to go into eSalon when she was told it was OK. San Francisco Mayor London Breed's take? "We have our speaker working day and night against the challenges we have at the White House. Its unfortunate this conversation has blown up in the way it has and distracted us from the real issue." The White House's take? "Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask - despite constantly lecturing everyone else," the president tweeted. "We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!" CNN's take? "Nancy Pelosi just handed Trump a campaign gift." (Read more Nancy Pelosi stories.) The tug of war over public statues keeps exposing our blind spots not just our blinkered view of history, but of democracy in all its complexity. Sir John A. Macdonald is merely the latest historical figure to be pulled down and covered up, his head lopped off or layered with painted graffiti. Protestors in Montreal toppled our founding prime minister last weekend, and Macdonalds visage is visible no more at Queens Park protected and padlocked in a massive wooden shell after demonstrators hurled paint at his statue this summer. Unpopular statues, like unpopular governments, ought not to be toppled in a democracy just put in their place, placed in context, or put in storage. Controversies over politicians of the past like those of the present are as old as history itself, and rarely as simple as they appear on protest placards. How we deal with them, how we heal over them, also matters in the crusade to right historical wrongs. Sometimes the decision is obvious like removing Confederate statues that celebrate those who lost the civil war but still succeeded in keeping Blacks down. More often its complicated. Shall we remove the monument to Mahatma Gandhi at Carleton University, given latter-day criticisms of the Indian independence leader for harbouring anti-Black views? What about the monument in Torontos Riverdale Park to Sun Yat-sen, the revered leader who brought China into the modern era? Other monuments, such as to Sir Winston Churchill, to Sun Yat-sen, have also been called into question, Wayne Reeves, chief curator of Torontos culture division, told the citys Aboriginal affairs advisory committee last month. Which raises the question of who decides. Protestors deserve to be heard but not automatically heeded. A representative democracy defined by pluralism, mindful of minority rights and majority sentiments, requires consultation and conciliation, debate and deliberation. A statue of Edward Cornwallis, founder of Halifax was a festering sore given his infamous Scalping Proclamation of 1749 offering a bounty for any Mikmaq adult or child. Ultimately, the statue was removed when elected representatives took a vote in 2018 (they voted again last month to erase his name from city streets and relocate the statue in a new museum of Mikmaq history). That may not be as satisfying as spray painting, or as gratifying as graffiti. But the decision is more enduring. The controversy over Macdonald is complicated and in many ways intertwined with the debate over Egerton Ryerson, whose statue at Ryerson University was covered in pink paint by the same protestors this summer. As one scholar looking into Ryersons relationship with residential schools noted, his name is incorrectly linked to the architect label; instead, wrote Sean Carleton, Macdonald must be understood as its architect. (Full disclosure: as a visiting practitioner at Ryersons Faculty of Arts, I walk by his statue on campus; I see his visage again inside the legislature when I walk by the Ryerson bust perched just outside NDP Leader Andrea Horwaths office). Perhaps thats why Ryerson University added a plaque in 2018 introducing more context: As Chief Superintendent of Education, Ryersons recommendations were instrumental in the design and implementation of the Indian Residential School System, it reads. That he also pioneered the modernization of Ontarios educational system remains beyond dispute. The question is how to reconcile conflicting legacies for people like Ryerson, Macdonald, Churchill, Gandhi, and others. At Queens Park, Macdonald lies boarded up. Whats interesting is that few other statues, such as one honouring Queen Victoria who presided over so much of our complicated colonial history get much attention. A few steps away, a monument honours the memory of the officers and men who fell on the battlefields of the North-West in 1885, which surely invites historical context and Indigenous input. The previous speaker of the legislature, Dave Levac, campaigned for years to erect a new to monument to the Metis leader Louis Riel, who led the Northwest Rebellion and was later executed during Macdonalds time as PM. Surely the answer to our complicated historical record is to clarify and contextualize it, rather than censor it which is why the recent addition of anonymous historical plaques adding context to some of Torontos most problematic landmarks and street names is so interesting and educational. Far better to fill in the gaps of history rather than create new historical vacuums in a country where few of us have taken the time to learn it. The problem I have with the overall approach to tearing down statues and buildings is that its counterproductive, said Sen. Murray Sinclair, who headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigating the Residential Schools disaster. We are trying to create more balance in the relationship. Thats similar to the approach taken by Nelson Mandela, who launched a pioneering truth and reconciliation commission when he became the first president of post-apartheid South Africa. As president, he avoided reflexively razing the statues of his racist predecessors, opting for a more deliberative approach (some came down, others remained). Mandela, like Gandhi, understood the frailty and flaws of all humans, not least our leaders. Let he who is without sin cast the first bronze. New Delhi: Actress Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik Chakraborty was in constant touch with a few drug peddlers across Mumbai, sources revealed on Thursday. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested two dealers - Zaid Vilatra and Basit Parihar - in connection with the drugs trafficking case linked to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death and during the interrogation, the duo claimed that Showik used to contact peddlers regularly. Moreover, if sources are to believed, Showik also used to help other people in drug supply. He has been under NCB scanner for his alleged links with the drug peddlers and is likely to be summoned by the agency soon. The NCB has also accessed a WhatsApp chat which has revealed that Showik had shared the contact details of Zaid and other drug peddlers with his friends to help them purchase substance. As per sources, Showik used to contact Zaid, and the other peddlers have been identified as Shane Fletcher, Karmjeet and Raj. Basit and a person named Suryadeep had introduced Showik to these drug peddlers. Not only weed, sources say that many other types of substances were supplied. Meanwhile, the NCB is likely to produce Zaid Vilatra and Basit Parihar in the court today while Showik and Sushant's aide Samuel Miranda might get summoned by the agency soon. Samuel Miranda has also been linked to the drug conspiracy. A WhatsApp chat accessed by the NCB revealed that he knew Basit Parihar and Zaid Vilatra. In fact, they had also met each other in Mumbai's Bandra and purchased a packet of drugs for Rs 10,000. ALSO READ: Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik introduced Sushant Singh Rajput's aide Samuel Miranda to arrested peddler for drugs, says sources As per sources, Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik Chakraborty was friends with Basit and he had introduced Samuel to him for drugs supply. The NCB has already registered a criminal case against Rhea, Showik, her talent manager Jaya Saha and a Goa-based hotelier Gaurav Arya under several sections of the NDPS Act. Rhea and Gaurav Arya allegedly exchanged messages about drug consumption. Her deleted WhatsApp chats hinted at a possible drug conspiracy in Sushant's case. Gaurav Arya had appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier this week. He has claimed he had never met Sushant but said that he had met Rhea once in 2017. He also stated that he has no connection with the Sushant case. William Douglas Hurt III, 50, was called by God to eternal life on September 3, 2020. He was born on Dec. 18, 1969, to William Douglas Hurt, Jr. and the late Odessa Hurt. William, known as Billie, was a graduate of Tyner High School Class of 1988. He served in the U.S. Navy for eight years. He attended CSCC and worked for Piccadilly Cafeteria and Books a Million. He was baptized at the early age of nine years old by Rev. Paul A. McDaniel of Second Missionary Baptist Church and was a member of Family Ministry Four. William spent the last 10 years of his life at Woodland Terrace Nursing Home. He was preceded in death by his sister, Dawn Mechele Hurt. Survivors include his father, William Douglas Hurt, Jr. and stepmother, Roslyn V. Hurt; devoted aunt and daughter, Mattie Foster McKenzie and Carol McKenzie; aunts, Nellie Brown, Gussie (Robert) Carlyle, Irene (Harold) Heard, Rosa Hurt, Eva Hawes; uncles, Henry E. Foster, Richard Hurt, Sr., Arthur Hurt, John Michael (Pam) Hurt; nephews, John W. Nolan, Terrell Borders, Jermaine Borders; a host of cousins, extended family and friends. Public viewing will be held from 9 a.m.1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the funeral home, followed by a 2 p.m. graveside service at Chattanooga National Cemetery. Arrangements are by John P. Franklin Funeral Home, 1101 Dodds Ave., 622-9995. When American Eagles new Snapchat dance challenge drops, which will be at any moment now, it will mark the first branded, sponsored campaign using Snaps new 2-D full body-tracking technology. The challenge directs Snapchatters to physically match the moves set out in a visual overlay, and the phones camera reads their poses and takes selfies, which can then be shared in the app. Creators on the platform have been playing with the tool, but American Eagle is the first brand to partner with Snap on a sponsored campaign. Technology and innovation have always been at the core of AEs brand DNA, and its with great pride to be the first to partner with Snapchat on their new body-tracking feature, Lens Studio 3.1, said Chad Kessler, global brand president at American Eagle. Gen Z loves music and dance as an output for self-expression, so we look forward to bringing those passions into this new campaign as the backdrop to test out Snapchats new technology. For Snap, it was the chance to show what the tool can do. The company worked closely with American Eagle on the development of this first sponsored-use case, and built a high-quality, creative Lens thats a lot of fun to play with, Carolina Arguelles Navas, Snaps global product marketing manager for augmented reality, told WWD. Its more than just a chance to entertain consumers. With the back-to-school season under way, the retailer also included a Shop Now button, so users can browse AEs products and make purchases directly from AE. The technology that makes this challenge possible arrived in the latest update for Lens Studio, a set of tools that allow third parties to create Snapchats augmented reality Lenses. In August, Snap added a 2-D full body-tracking Lens template that can track 18 points, building on a previous tool that tracked eight joints in the upper body only. Its another step in what Snap believes is an evolving computing paradigm, going from screens acting as dividers between people to open lenses on the world that allow us to digitally enhance, entertain or help us live our lives, explained Arguelles Navas. Story continues Its not just the buildings and objects in front of you, but the people, she added. This technology enhancement allows creators and artists to reimagine the world whether thats adding an animated effect to your avant-garde outfit or creating a masterpiece by bringing digital art to dance and we will continue to invest in this technology over time. Snap has plenty of motivation to keep it up. In the U.S. alone, the app reaches more than 100 million people, and by the companys count, more than 180 million users engage with AR daily on average. Its worth noting that Snapchats 2-D body tracking isnt necessarily a gateway to virtual fashion try-ons, as trying clothes on digitally relies more on 3-D technology. But this development does point to Snaps interest in immersive experiences, and the company is uniquely interested in pursuing apparel try-ons. What AEs dance challenge may represent, perhaps more than anything else, is the broader social media landscapes answer to TikTok. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ordered TikToks parent company, Beijing-based Bytedance, to divest from the app or pull it out of the American market by mid-November. In the meantime, it still enjoys massive popularity among Gen Z users in the U.S., as well as abroad. Dance and lip-sync videos have been key to this traction, and that fact has not only set off a race among brands to learn how to leverage the app, but also rival features from social media competitors like Instagram. The Facebook-owned platform debuted Instagram Reels for short-form videos backed by music in early August, the same month Snap launched its body-tracking tool, which is tailor-made for dance challenges. Meanwhile, TikTok itself has been courting the fashion sector. It also appeared to go after Snap, in particular, with its own AR-driven ad format called Brand Scan. That makes some sense, considering Snapchat reached more 13- to 34-year-olds in the U.S. than Facebook or Instagram in the first quarter of 2020, according to Snaps figures. With that, 2020 is shaping up to be an intense Battle Royale in social media. TikToks fate is still undetermined, and with online shopping surging during the coronavirus pandemic, the peak shopping periods of back-to-school and the holidays loom larger than ever. According to a back-to-school study conducted by Snap, 27 percent of college Snapchatters plan to spend more than $700, and U.S. families with one high-school user are projected to spend more than $8.5 billion. The winners in the fight for social ad dollars and e-commerce may be determined by how well the platforms and brands leverage technology, especially the smartphone camera. The use and proliferation of cameras isnt a passing trend, but the cornerstone of how consumer behavior will evolve over the next decade, said Arguelles Navas. Brands, like American Eagle, that invest in AR content early and often will be set up to meet their customers where they are spending time and paying attention the camera. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Originari di Francofonte, sono stati ordinati lei nel 2008, ed e diventata suora di clausura, lui nel 2010 ed e l'attuale guida della comunita parrocchiale della basilica di SantAntonio Abate nella sua citta di nascita Will the firebrand JNUSU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar campaign for the Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar? With the three major Left parties the CPI, CPI(M) and CPI-ML all set to join the Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, speculation is rife that Kanhaiya Kumar may be the star campaigner in a bid to topple the electoral strategy of the NDA. CPI sources said Kanhaiya is certain to canvas support for the Left parties and also for the Congress and RJD if he is invited to do so. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, efforts were made by the RJD-Congress combine to have an electoral understanding with the Left parties but it did not fructify as the RJD had fielded Tanveer Hassan from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat against Kanhaiya Kumar. Eventually, Kanhaiya finished third behind BJP candidate Giriraj Singh and the RJD in a triangular fight. As the talks failed, the CPI, CPI(M), CPI-ML, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party had decided to run in all the constituencies on a joint ticket to provide an alternative platform. The CPI had contested on 91 seats, while the CPI-ML fought on 78 seats and the CPI(M) on 38 seats. However, the CPI-ML reached an understanding with the RJD on the Arrah Lok Sabha seat against Union minister RK Singh. In quid pro quo, the RJD left the Arrah seat for the CPI-ML, which did not field any candidate from the Patliputra seat from where Lalu Prasads daughter Misa Bharti fought unsuccessfully against former Union minister of state Ram Kripal Yadav. The main reason behind the break-up of alliance between the Left parties and the RJD-Congress was the popularity of Kanhaiya Kumar in the aftermath of the JNU controversy. It is understood that Kanhaiya was then perceived as a potential threat to the rise of Tejashwi Yadav. But this time, the Left parties have broadly conceded Tejashwi Yadav as their chief ministerial candidate. On the flip side, Kanhaiya has been made the national council member of the CPI. He has no stakes as such in the race for the chief ministers post. Instead, he is maintaining a low profile at the moment after the Delhi government sanctioned prosecution against him in the sedition case. According to a broad understanding, the RJD will accommodate the CPI-ML and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) headed by Bollywood set designer-turned-politician Mukesh Sahani. The Congress will accommodate the CPI, CPI(M) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Samata Party (RLSP), led by former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha. Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), has already announced to join the NDA. Notably, Manjhi had on August 20 severed his ties with the Grand Alliance after spending two-and-a-half years in the opposition coalition. The number of seats to be fought by each partner will be decided later during the seat-sharing talks, but the Left parties have become more relevant for the Grand Alliance this time than the caste-based political outfits in Bihar. The appeal of political parties having a single-caste base is fast waning as it tends to alienate other castes. The Left parties work at the grassroots level, cutting across caste lines and have support of all castes, said a senior RJD leader. The Left parties have come under the spotlight after a long time to prevent the division of the anti-NDA votes. The NDA had assumed political power with a clear victory for the JD(U)-BJP alliance in October-November assembly polls in 2005. The division among the secular democratic parties and the poor administrative record of the previous RJD-led government had triggered popular discontent which was gainfully exploited by the JD(U)-BJP alliance. The reasons for the setback to secular parties in a state which had never given a mandate for an alliance that includes the BJP must be gone into so that appropriate lessons are drawn. Now, the Left parties will have a bigger role to play in the secular democratic alliance, said Santosh Sahar of the CPI-ML. Though the Left parties have never assumed power in Bihar, they have been at the centre-stage of states politics since the first democratic elections in 1952. Their legislative journey had been full of ups and downs as they gained relatively small number of seats in the 1951-52, 1957 and 1962 elections compared to the Congress, but each time it was enough for them to be the principal opposition party. In the first assembly elections in 1952, the Forward Bloc (Marxist Group) had contested 34 out of the 330 assembly seats, but it could only win one seat. The Congress had garnered over 72 percent seats followed by the Socialist outfits and the Jharkhand Party. The CPI made its presence felt in the 1957 assembly elections by winning seven out of the 60 seats it contested. In the 1962 assembly elections, the CPI contested 84 seats and won 12 seats. In 1967 assembly elections, the CPI won 24 seats, while the CPI(M) won four seats. The political turmoil led to elections just after two years in 1969 in which the CPI won 25 seats and CPI(M) three seats. It had emerged as the main opposition party against the Congress in the Bihar assembly in the 1972 assembly elections with 35 seats, leaving the Socialist outfits behind in terms of legislators tally. In 1977, the CPI won 21 seats and the CPI(M) four seats. In 1980 and 1985 elections, the CPI won 23 and 12 seats, and the CPI(M) won six and one seat, respectively. The 1990 assembly elections saw the emergence of two diametrically opposite political streams in Bihars politics the advent of Lalu Prasad Yadav and participation of the hitherto underground Naxal group CPI-ML in the elections for the first time with its over-ground outfit called the Indian Peoples Front (IPF). While Lalus arrival heralded the beginning of caste-based politics, the IPF represented the extreme Left philosophy of annihilation of the class enemy. The IPF won seven seats, especially in central Bihar, while the CPI and CPI(M) won 23 and six seats, respectively. Another Leftist outfit, the Marxist Coordination Committee, won two seats. In 1995, the CPI and CPI(M) won 26 and six seats, respectively, while the IPF started contesting elections in the name of CPI-ML and won six seats. The CPI-ML still has stronghold in Bhojpur and Magadh region and has considerable presence among the Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) votes and the Dalit community. At present, the CPI-ML is the only Left party having presence in the Bihar assembly with three MLAs representing Darauli, Tarari and Balrampur. Some parliamentary and associated legislative seats like Motihari, Madhubani, Begusarai, Munger, Hazaribagh, Ara, and Patna were considered the bastion of the CPI, CPI(M) and the CPI-ML. From late 60s to early 90s, the Left parties particularly the ultra-Left outfits have played a crucial role in several successful political movements, bringing changes in the socio-political milieu of Bihar. But the Left politics gradually sunk into the vortex of social justice politics after the emergence of Lalu Prasad Yadav on the political firmament of Bihar. Now, the Left parties are making efforts to sail with the tide riding the RJD bandwagon to restore their electoral presence. San Francisco, Sep 3 : Google has announced a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) institute research that will support work on interaction between people and AI - like speech, written language, visuals and gestures - and how to make these interactions more effective. The National AI Research Institute for Human-AI Interaction and Collaboration has been formed in partnership with the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Google will provide $5 million in funding to support the institute. "We will also offer AI expertise, research collaborations, and Cloud support for Institute researchers and educators as they advance knowledge and progress in the field of AI," the tech giant said in a statement on Wednesday. The research, tools and techniques from the institute will be developed with human-centered principles in mind: social benefit, inclusive design, safety and robustness, privacy, and high standards of scientific excellence, consistent with the Google AI Principles. Google said that research projects will engage a diverse set of experts, educate the next generation and promote workforce development, and broaden participation from underrepresented groups and institutions across the country. All research outcomes will be published to advance knowledge and progress in the field. Google has been working in this area over the last several years. Studies have shown that humans and AI systems operating together can make smarter decisions than either acting alone. "In the past few years we've seen the increasing use of AI to support people and their decision making in sectors like medicine, education, transportation and agriculture," Google said. "People and AI systems shape each other, and in order to realize the full potential of AI for social benefit, positive and productive human-AI interaction and collaboration is critical". A former high-ranking official within the National Rifle Association is breaking ranks with the powerful gun lobby, publishing a book that accuses its leaders of decades worth of mismanagement and fraud that he says has left the organization in a state of financial and moral disarray. In an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Joshua Powell, who formerly served as chief of staff to longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, said the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James seeking to dissolve the NRA for an array of "illegal conduct" merely scratches the surface of a much deeper culture of corruption. "I think the NRA faces a massive threat," Powell said. "I think that the attorney general is really at the tip of the iceberg in understanding what's gone on at the [NRA] for 30 years." Powell, one of four top NRA executives named in the lawsuit, is now seeking to distance himself from the organization he once helped lead. He not only decried the alleged mismanagement of millions of dollars in charitable donations for the personal use of the organization's top executives but also denounced the organization's posture on the issue of gun violence, particularly in the wake of school shootings, as self-serving and dangerous. "Gun owners across America," Powell said, "should be horrified by what I saw inside of the NRA." In response to detailed questions from ABC News, an NRA spokesperson provided a statement that questioned Powell's motives for speaking out. "This is a fictional account of the NRA, period," said Andrew Arulanandam, the managing director of NRA Public Affairs. "Mr. Powell was effusive in his praise of NRA leadership and the Association's mission -- right up until the day he was fired. He has now reversed course on every position he ever took during his time with the NRA. The facts are, Mr. Powell was replaced as an officer in December 2018, relieved of all of his professional obligations in fall 2019, and, thereafter, terminated in January of this year for misappropriation of funds. Those facts tell you all you need to know about the veracity of the book and Mr. Powell's motivations." Story continues PHOTO: Joshua Powell, who formerly served as chief of staff to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, is releasing a new book critical of the NRA and its leadership. (ABC News) See more of ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas' exclusive interview with Joshua Powell on "World News Tonight" on Friday, Sept. 4, and on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on Sunday, Sept. 6, and on "Good Morning America" on Monday, Sept. 7. Powell described himself as a "huge Second Amendment supporter" with a sizable gun collection and a lifelong passion for hunting and shooting. As the NRA's "No. 2 guy," he said he "worked side by side" with LaPierre over several years. An NRA spokesperson, in a statement, said that Powell "had zero input or influence on the NRA's political or legislative strategy," but Powell says he was involved in "every single important conversation that went on in the NRA." But he became disillusioned with the organization and LaPierre's leadership, he said, as LaPierre's alleged misuse of members' money came into focus. Powell says his work became "soul-sucking," and he now considers it a "low point in [his] life." In his forthcoming book "Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia Within the Most Powerful Political Group in America," Powell's portrayal of LaPierre, who Powell says he once "look[ed] up to," is particularly stark. He accused LaPierre of cynically manipulating the public dialogue on guns for fundraising purposes and "stoking a toxic debate" for the purposes of "keeping those donation dollars coming." "I think the biggest transgression of the NRA under Wayne was that he turned the NRA into an organization of 'No,' in response to any effort to quell gun violence. He helped to create and fuel the toxicity of the gun debate over the years, until it became outright explosive," Powell writes. "Wayne in essence bowed to the most militant and extreme faction of the NRA's five million members. Whenever the organization fell short in its funding drives, Wayne would 'pour gasoline on the fire' to ignite donations. And that strategy worked, time and again." And he condemned the hypocrisy that he said funded LaPierre's lifestyle. "In spite of Wayne's attempts to paint the other side as the 'Elites,' he himself was the epitome of elitism," Powell writes, "robbing every $45-dues-paying member to cover the costs of his own extravagance and his shameful mismanagement of a multi-hundred-million-dollar association." PHOTO: Joshua Powell, who previously served as the chief of staff for longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, has written a tell-all book called 'Inside the NRA.' (Twelve Books ) MORE: NY Attorney General lawsuit seeks to dissolve National Rifle Association But his criticism is complicated by the fact that Powell himself is one of three NRA executives named alongside LaPierre as codefendants in the New York attorney general's headline-making lawsuit against the NRA, directly linking him to the malfeasance he says he is trying to expose. Attorney General James has alleged that LaPierre, Powell, Wilson "Woody" Philips and John Frazer "failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA, and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel." The lawsuit singled out LaPierre, in particular, for allegedly enabling a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight at the NRA, often for his personal benefit, but noted that he was not without his own alleged enablers. "With the assistance of Phillips, Powell and Frazer, LaPierre abused his position as a fiduciary to the NRA to obtain millions of dollars in personal benefits in the form of undisclosed, excessive compensation," the lawsuit said, "which includes in-kind benefits and reimbursements from the NRA and its vendors." According to the lawsuit, Powell's salary tripled to more than $800,000 just two years into the job despite "numerous complaints of abusive behavior," including two allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied, and "evidence of illegal conduct and inappropriate spending" for which he was ultimately fired. Both the NRA and LaPierre have dismissed the allegations in the lawsuit as a baseless and politically motivated attack. "The NYAG's actions are an affront to democracy and freedom," LaPierre said in a statement in August. "This is an unconstitutional, premeditated attack aiming to dismantle and destroy the NRA a the fiercest defender of America's freedom at the ballot box for decades. The NRA is well governed, financially solvent, and committed to good governance. We're ready for the fight. Bring it on." In his interview with ABC News, Powell declined to address any of the specific allegations against him but signaled his willingness to cooperate with investigators. "I can't speak too much that," Powell said. "My attorneys are talking with the attorney general's office on it. I will tell you, I'm very comfortable with the facts of the truth." In a statement provided to ABC News, Powell's attorney accused the NRA of retaliating against his client. Powell "was fired by Wayne LaPierre and the NRA's lawyers for his efforts to correct much of the misconduct cited in the attorney general's complaint," Powell's attorney said, adding that "allegations directed at him in this lawsuit will be shown to be the result of false accusations made by Wayne LaPierre and others." PHOTO: In this file photo taken on April 26, 2019, Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the NRA at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, FILE) MORE: NRA infighting spills into public view with anonymous leak of documents Powell, however, insists that his rift with the NRA is an ethical one, sparked by a kind of moral awakening. "The NRA is an absolutely horrible steward of members' money," Powell said. "Nobody puts their money into that association to see it mismanaged the way that it was. It is an abomination." Arulanandam countered, "The NRA is in great financial shape, enjoying record support, and moving on from the cloud of this individual and a handful of other fiduciaries who took advantage of the trust placed in them." Powell now supports universal background checks, red flag laws and other measures designed to address gun violence that have been vehemently opposed by the NRA. "When you're standing in the middle of America and you're saying, 'No way are we going to allow any changes to this country as it relates to guns,' and you're not a culture of solutions in solving gun crime and gun crime is a problem, then you are the problem," Powell said. "The NRA has blood all over its hands." He expects to be attacked as a turncoat, someone spinning a story to sell books, but he believes someone needs to "expose the NRA for what they are" and "expose Wayne [LaPierre] for what he is." And as for lawsuit that threatens the very existence of the NRA -- ensnaring him in the process -- Powell suggests there is much more for Attorney General James to uncover. "Her suit, frankly, doesn't go nearly far enough," he said. ABC News' Nadine Shubailat, Teri Whitcraft, Ely Brown and Jack Date contributed to this report. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional comment from the NRA. Ex-NRA insider speaks out: Gun owners should be 'horrified' by what I saw originally appeared on abcnews.go.com For the first time in his life, 82-year-old Bishop Amfilohije voted in an election. His example led record numbers of citizens in Montenegro to do the same this past Sunday. Spurred by what he perceived as government attacks on his beloved Serbian Orthodox Church, he launched an anybody but them campaign against the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which held power in the Eastern European country for the last 30 years. [Vote] for the saints, and against the lawless, said Amfilohije one week before the August 30 election, according to Balkan Insight. Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic is accused of running a corrupt government. Preliminary results indicate a razor-thin victory for the bishop. The opposition coalition won 41 out of 81 seats in parliament. The DPS claimed the largest solo share with 30, but will find itself out of power for the first time in Montenegros 14-year history if all coalitions hold. This is the freedom that so many have long been longing for, pastor Sinisa Nadazdin told CT. His Gospel of Jesus Christ Church is located in the capital city of Podgorica, and is one of the nations five registered evangelical churches. The myth of Djukanovics invincibility is finally broken. Montenegro is the sixth-least evangelical country in Europe, according to the Joshua Project. Believers were not united behind any particular party, but many welcomed the democratic message. This is an opportunity to get some new blood into the system, to decrease corruption and cronyism, said Stanisa Surbatovich, pastor of a small church in the nations second-largest city of Niksic. I personally do not consider the results a victory or loss, he told CT. But many Serbian Orthodox Christians are celebrating. Turnout was 77 percent, with many motivated to vote by the same controversial religious freedom law that primarily animated the bishop. CT reported last February how Montenegros parliament passed a bill guaranteeing the right to change ones religion. But it also required churches to provide evidence of ownership for all churches and monasteries built prior to 1918, lest they be constituted as part of the state-owned cultural heritage. Orthodox roots run deep in the Balkan nation roughly the size of Connecticut. Its first diocese in what is now modern-day Montenegro was established in 1219. Three-quarters of the countrys population of 620,000 identify as Orthodox Christians; 70 percent of these belong to the traditional Serbian church. The government has repeatedly denied an intention to seize church property, but Amfilohije fears politicians will remove Serbian Orthodox jurisdiction in favor of the recently created Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which claims 30 percent of local Orthodox believers. But within Montenegros population, roughly equal to that of Vermont, only 3 in 10 are ethnic Serbs. And when parliament passed the religion law by a tally of 450, lawmakers in the Serb-led Democratic Front boycotted the vote. The church does not have its own electoral list, Amfilohije said, but rejoices in those who are against this lawless law. Since February, Serbian Orthodox church leaders have led massive protests, stopped only by the COVID-19 pandemic. But they resumed in advance of elections, drawing the ire of politicians. The Serbian Orthodox Church is not a religious but a para-political organization, said DPS official Caslav Vesovic, according to Balkan Insight. The church is interfering in the electoral process as it told believers how to vote. Prime Minister Dusko Markovic raised the stakes, predicting an election victory. After elections, the church and its priests will return to churches, he said. They will no longer be at political rallies, where they curse our forefathers, us, and our children. But President Djukanovic called it an existential crisis. A former Yugoslav communist official prior to Montenegrin independence in 2006, he is currently serving his eighth term in office. But he now seeks the nations membership in the European Union (EU), having joined NATO in 2017. These elections are the most important in the history of Montenegro, Djukanovic said. We must choose whether Montenegro should continue its EU integration, or become a theocratic state. Djukanovic intended the religion law to cement the nations unique civic and cultural identity. United with Yugoslavia and then Serbia for 88 years, many Montenegrins simply considered themselves Orthodox Slavs. The president accuses church leaders, including Amfilohije, of undermining national independence, in favor of Serbian and Russian alignment. Although Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, was willing to recently grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a tomos (decree) of spiritual independence from Moscow, he does not recognize the Montenegrin split from its Serbian patriarchate. Any church seizures would be illegitimate expropriation. Through hundreds of years of Ottoman (Muslim Turkish) occupation, the Serbian Orthodox Churchand its Metropolitanate of Montenegrokept the flame of Christianity alive in the Western Balkans, Vladimir Leposavic, the Montenegrin churchs legal counsel, told CT. This inheritance, and our identity, should not be sacrificed to satisfy a presidents desire for a national church. But some evangelicals believe that the local Serbian Orthodox church is sacrificing Montenegrin identity. The ethnic Montenegrin Orthodox church believes it was independent during the Ottoman Empire, said Surbatovich, the only ethnic Montenegrin evangelical pastor in the nation. He believes the president aims to treat all churches equally. But the Serbian Orthodox want a privileged position, even though so few regularly practice their faith. In Niksics population of 35,000, he estimates his 25-member congregation represents 10 percent of Sunday worshipers. It is not appropriate for the church to be political, Surbatovich said. I would love for them to speak of the gospel, and not of politics. But while Nadazdin, the evangelical pastor in the capital, is pleased, he would like the majority Orthodox church to rally the faithful beyond elections. They should have been far more vocal about family matters, abortion, and other social issues that the churches all over the world get mobilized about, he said. My objection to the churchs behavior is that it should be more active in social matters, not less. Surbatovich hopes the evangelical community can move in this directionespecially against the idea that secular is good. Nothing hinders the church from speaking in the public square, he said, except limited resources. For now, believers will watch as the coalitions come together. Surbatovich notes that in order to govern, the Serb-led parties will need to include pro-Montenegrin and pro-European parties. There is not likely to be a radical departure from the overall course of the nation. The winners have called for reconciliation, to join hands with the DPS. Djukanovic pledged to respect the election results. But Nadazdin is not so sure. Rumors suggest radical elements in the ruling party may try to provoke violence and undermine the winning coalition. Either way, both evangelical leaders in Montenegro offer the same advice. We cried for justice, said Nadazdin. Now we have to pray hard for this country. SoftBank Group Corp. is exploring assembling a group of bidders for TikToks India assets and has been actively looking for local partners, according to people familiar with the matter. Over the past month, the Japanese conglomerate, which owns a stake in TikToks Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd., has held talks with the heads of Indias Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd., the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are private. While discussions have fizzled since, SoftBank is still exploring options, according to the people. Representatives for SoftBank, ByteDance, Reliance and Bharti Airtel declined to comment. TikTok is considering selling its operations in several countries after local governments shut out the app, citing fears that sensitive user data was passing into the hands of the Chinese state. India, a long-time regional rival, has taken a particularly tough stance, banning 59 of Chinas largest internet services in July, including TikTok. The move came less than a month after 20 Indian soldiers died in border clashes amid heightening nationalism stoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India was one of TikTok's largest markets, with more than 200 million users. In the US, President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok and then ordered ByteDance to sell its assets in the country because of national security concerns. Despite holding only a minor stake in ByteDance, SoftBank has played a particularly active role in negotiations. In the U.S., the Japanese company brought in Walmart Inc. as the main investor in a group of bidders that also included Google parent Alphabet Inc. But the consortium fell apart after the Trump administration insisted a U.S. tech company lead the investments, one of the people said. Google said it is no longer interested, while Walmart joined a bid led by Microsoft Corp. Its unclear which group SoftBank is currently working with in the country. Centricus Asset Management Ltd., which is also a frequent adviser to SoftBank, teamed up with Triller Inc. in a bid for TikToks operations in the U.S. and several other countries for $20 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has a long history of investing in India and a deep network of local business connections. Local startups backed by Son include e-commerce provider Snapdeal.com, ride-hailing service Ola Cabs and hotel-booking app Oyo Rooms. In December, SoftBank poured $275 million into eye-care provider Lenskart, minting Indias latest unicorn. The company is also part of a solar power joint venture with Bharti Enterprises Pvt. and Taiwans Foxconn Technology Co. Son helped pave the way for Walmarts entry into the country by selling its stake in Flipkart Online Services Pvt Ltd. in 2018. Son has been on a $42 billion asset selling spree, offloading stakes in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., T-Mobile US Inc. and SoftBanks domestic telecom unit, SoftBank Corp. Son is also looking to sell or list Arm Ltd., the chip design firm that he bought four years ago for $32 billion. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Midland County recorded 10 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the pandemic total to 344 cases, 94 probable cases and 11 deaths, according to the state report. However, the Midland County Health Department, in its weekly report Thursday, showed 347 confirmed cases, 95 probable cases and 11 deaths. Case numbers can change or fluctuate depending on when various laboratory results are received or recorded. "It is impossible to present real time data during this constantly changing event," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Department of Public Health director/health officer. The health department's Thursday report listed 308 recoveries 24 since a week ago and 31 hospitalizations, two since last week. The age groups in the health department's weekly report that saw the highest case additions were 50-59, with 11 cases, confirmed and probable, and 20-29, with nine cases and 0-19, with seven cases. The 70-79 age group had six cases added, and the 60-69 age group had four cases added, while the 30-39 added three cases and 40-49 added one case and the 80+ added no cases. People younger than 50 make up 64.8% of total Midland County cases, confirmed and probable, as of Thursday, Sept. 3. In the Central Michigan University outbreak, the Central Michigan District Health Department has identified 247 cases (232 confirmed and 15 probable) related to 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. The state on Thursday reported 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. Thursday, Sept. 3 daily numbers Bay County: 14 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 761 cases, 89 probable, 42 deaths. Gladwin County: One case was added; pandemic total stands at 72 cases, eight probable, two deaths. Isabella County: 13 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 488 cases, 56 probable, 10 deaths. Saginaw County: 28 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 2,411 cases, 173 probable, 129 deaths and three probable deaths. The state on Thursday added 685 new cases and 10 deaths. Overall, Michigan is at 104,395 cases and 6,519 deaths. Testing The state report shows as of Thursday, Sept. 3, Midland County has performed 11,294 diagnostic tests and 771 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 12,065 tests. Gladwin County is listed as having administered 4,281 diagnostic tests and 131 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 4,412 tests. Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Aug. 31 was listed at 3.2%, and medium risk of spread. Gladwin County was listed at 0.4% and low risk. The Saginaw region, which includes 12 counties, including Midland, Gladwin, Bay and Saginaw counties, was listed at 2.5% and low risk and Michigan at 3%, a medium risk. A positivity rate of less than 3% indicates a lack of community spread, according to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, 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 Sept. 2, 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. 26, 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 Sept. 3, the Midland County health department website lists 308 recovered cases and 31 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 55.4% of total Midland County cases, confirmed and probable, as of Sept. 3. Of Midland Countys 442 confirmed and probable cases, 20.9% cases are in 0-19 age range; 20% in 20-29 age range; 14.5% in 30-39 age range; 13.4% in 40-49 age range; 15.5% in 50-59 age range; 6.6% in 60-69 age range; 5.9% in 70-79 age range, and 3.2% in 80+ age range, as of Sept. 3. 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 Sept. 3, 81% of cases have fallen within the 48640 and 48642 (mostly Midland) zip codes. Next highest were 48657 (Sanford) with 6.8% of cases and 48618 (Coleman) with 5.9% of cases. Cases by race, as of Sept. 3: 86.3% were listed as caucasian; 2.4% as Black; 3.3% as Asian; 0.9% listed as two or more races; and 6.4% were unknown. MidMichigan Health statistics Patient census: MidMichigan Health system is listed as having 13 COVID-19 patients, including one COVID-19 patient in ICU, and 57.70% bed occupancy, as of Sept. 3. PPE days on hand as of Sept. 3: 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 7-14 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. Protesters wave flags and hold signs during a Juneteenth rally and march at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on June 19, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) California to Mandate High School Course That Focuses on Racial Justice A piece of legislation, which would require all high school students in California to take an ethnic studies course promoting racial justice activism, is heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom after clearing both houses of the state legislature. The bill, known as AB 331, passed Californias Assembly floor on Monday in a 62-12 vote. It was shelved in August 2019 after backlash over a proposed model curriculum, on which the ethnic studies course would be based. A new draft model curriculum was put forward last month, leading to the revival of AB 331 amid nationwide protests and riots. The latest version of the ethnic studies model curriculum, which was posted to the California Department of Education website on Aug. 13 for a 30-day public review period, says the course should teach students about the interlocking systems of oppression and privilege that impact all people of color. The revised curriculum still focuses heavily on political activism, as one of its outlines says students are expected to acquire tools to become positive actors in their communities to address a contemporary issue and present findings in a public forum. Protesters pose in front of a Black Lives Matter sign near the White House following the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody, in Washington on June 6, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) The curriculum provides a collection of sample lessons, which dedicates a considerable portion to exploring the Black Lives Matter movement. In a sample lesson titled #BlackLivesMatter and Social Change, students are expected to develop an understanding and analyze the effectiveness of the Black Lives Matter movement, and be able to identify how African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by racial profiling and police brutality. According to the lesson plan, the teacher will start with a discussion of a local or national incident involving racial profiling or police brutality against an African American, and link this incident to the broader Black Lives Matter movement. After completing the reading and discussion, students will identify key incidents and victims, define key terms such as anti-blackness and state sanctioned violence, and learn about tactics of resistance used by activists and organizers within the movement. As part of the second component of the lesson, students are encouraged to explore the possible actions of advocacy for social justice and social change and will be given another week to produce their own social change projects, whether it be drawing a protest poster or drafting a plan to organize a direct action. Critics of the curriculum, citing political indoctrination concerns, compare it with New York Times 1619 Project. Aiming to reframe American history, the 1619 Project argues, among many other controversial claims, that the United States is fundamentally racist, with the Revolutionary War primarily about seeking to preserve slavery. Last month, Newsom signed into law a similar bill, AB 1460, which adds an ethnic studies course to the graduation requirements in the California State University system. Joshua Powell, pictured being interview by ABC, is breaking ranks with the NRA to support claims made by New York's AG that leaders misused funds A former NRA insider who is being sued along with others with misappropriating funds has spoken openly of how its leaders are corrupt to promote his new book. Josh Powell has been accused along with Wayne LaPierre, the association's president, of allegedly misusing funds from donors to support their lavish lifestyles. New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, filed the lawsuit earlier this month, vowing to bring an end to 'decades' of abuse. The NRA claims it is a politically-motivated move to try to cripple Trump's election chances and starve the Republican party of funds. Powell is, at the same time, releasing a book to accuse LaPierre and others in charge at the NRA of misconduct. He was LaPierre's chief of staff but has broken ranks with the association and is now speaking out in an attempt to expose executives' wrongdoings. In an interview with ABC News, he said: 'I think the NRA faces a massive threat. I think that the attorney general is really at the tip of the iceberg in understanding what's gone on at the [NRA] for 30 years. 'Gun owners across America should be horrified by what I saw inside of the NRA.' He did not speak about the allegations against him in the James' lawsuit. 'I can't speak too much that. My attorneys are talking with the attorney generals office on it. I will tell you, I'm very comfortable with the facts of the truth,' he said, adding that James was right in her pursuit of the other defendants. 'Her suit, frankly, doesn't go nearly far enough. 'The NRA is an absolutely horrible steward of members money. Nobody puts their money into that association to see it mismanaged the way that it was. It is an abomination. NRA president Wayna LaPierre. He has denied all the accusations against him and the association He has now shifted his opinion to support stronger checks on gunowners. 'When you're standing in the middle of America and you're saying, "No way are we going to allow any changes to this country as it relates to guns," and you're not a culture of solutions in solving gun crime and gun crime is a problem, then you are the problem. 'The NRA has blood all over its hands.' New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit against the NRA earlier this month Powell worked for LaPierre directly and said he once 'looked up to him' but that he is deliberately stoking a national debate to fuel donations. 'I think the biggest transgression of the NRA under Wayne was that he turned the NRA into an organization of No, in response to any effort to quell gun violence. 'He helped to create and fuel the toxicity of the gun debate over the years, until it became outright explosive. 'Wayne in essence bowed to the most militant and extreme faction of the NRAs five million members. 'Whenever the organization fell short in its funding drives, Wayne would pour gasoline on the fire to ignite donations. And that strategy worked, time and again,' he wrote in his book. His book supports James' claims. 'In spite of Waynes attempts to paint the other side as the Elites, he himself was the epitome of elitism, robbing every $45-dues-paying member to cover the costs of his own extravagance and his shameful mismanagement of a multi-hundred-million-dollar association,' he writes. The NRA and LaPierre deny the allegations in the lawsuit. They counter-sued, claiming the entire debacle is a political stunt. In a statement responding to Powell's allegations, Andrew Arulanandam, managing director, NRA Public Affairs said: 'This is a fictional account of the NRA, period. 'Mr. Powell was effusive in his praise of NRA leadership and the Associations mission right up until the day he was fired. He has now reversed course on every position he ever took during his time with the NRA. 'The facts are, Mr. Powell was replaced as an officer in December 2018, relieved of all of his professional obligations in fall 2019, and, thereafter, terminated in January of this year for misappropriation of funds. 'Those facts tell you all you need to know about the veracity of the book and Mr. Powells motivations. 'Powell had zero input or influence on the NRAs political or legislative strategy. He would desperately try to insert himself into important meetings but was always rebuffed. 'He was never invited to the meetings or a part of the conversations that really mattered.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti and Ardilla Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 20:01 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c428ef74 1 National COVID-19,Indonesia,US,united-states,COVID-19-death-toll,COVID-19-children,COVID-19-children-deaths Free Indonesia is reportedly among the countries with the highest COVID-19 death rate among children, surpassing the United States, the world's worst-hit country by the pandemic. KawalCOVID-19, a volunteer group that independently records virus case numbers and deaths in Indonesia, recorded a case fatality rate (CFR) among children, or people aged 17 years and younger, was currently at 0.9 percent, or 45 times higher than in the United States, which was at 0.02 percent. The CFR is defined as the proportion of infections resulting in death. KawalCOVID-19 co-founder Ainun Najib said that, according to national COVID-19 task force data, the CFR among Indonesian children aged 0-17 years was 0.9 percent. That means that 145 of 16,007 infected children of the age group have died, Ainun told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. Read also: COVID-19 infections among children overshadow plans to reopen schools In comparison, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday that 0.02 percent of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death, or 82 children had died from a total of 355,123 COVID-19 cases in children aged 0-17 years in the US. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the US is still the world's coronavirus epicenter with more than 6.1 million cases and 185,000 deaths, while Indonesia recorded more than 184,000 cases and 7,700 deaths. In a separate statement issued on Monday, the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) noted that the countrys rate was higher than the rates in China and Italy, each of which stood below 0.1 percent, as well as Europe, where the rate was 0.3 percent. The percentage of child deaths per total COVID-19 deaths is also high in Indonesia. Children accounted for 1.9 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in which victims age were provided, which exceeded 7,000 on Thursday, official data show. Child deaths in the US, meanwhile, only accounted for 0.06 percent of 136,683 COVID-19 deaths, the CDC reported. IDAI chairman Aman Bhakti Pulungan said most of the child deaths in the country occurred because of late treatment and comorbidity factors. Aman said that, because COVID-19 symptoms may resemble those of other illnesses common among children, like diarrhea and pneumonia, and because of a lack of awareness, among other factors, such cases ended up being treated like other diseases. Read also: Grim picture as Indonesia enters sixth month of COVID-19 outbreak Given the high share of children among COVID-19 fatalities in the country, concerns have been raised over the governments plan to allow more schools in low-risk areas to reopen. [The situation] is not yet safe for children to go back to school. Many schools are not ready with the health protocol, not to mention that many people are still not complying with the health protocol, said Ainun. According to a Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) survey published in June, around 53.4 percent of schools in 34 provinces across the country say they are not ready to resume face-to-face teaching due to a lack of infrastructure and funds. For the reopening, the Education and Culture Ministry requires that schools have clean toilets, handwashing facilities, disinfectant, infrared thermometers and access to health facilities. Schools are furthermore required to limit the number of students per classroom to 18, or roughly 50 percent of the normal capacity. Meanwhile, students have to adhere to physical distancing measures and wear masks. We just have to do the things the right way, DAgostino said. At the end of the day everyone is going through the same thing. It is just a matter of trying to be the safest that you possibly can and operate the business and make everyone feel comfortable. Bengaluru, Sep 4 : A six-member central team would visit Karnataka on September 7 for three days to survey the flood-hit districts for assessing damage caused by heavy rains and granting relief aid, a minister said on Thursday. "The team, led by Union Ministry of Home Affairs joint secretary K.V. Pratap will survey the 5 flood-hit districts in the southern, coastal and northwest regions of the state on September 7 to assess the losses for compensation," state Revenue Minister R. Ashoka told reporters here. The worst-hit districts are Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Vijayapura. The state government has compiled a report on the havoc wreaked by incessant rains and flash floods in dozen districts across the southern state. "The loss is estimated to be about Rs 4,800 crore due to damage to houses, buildings, roads, bridges and state highways by rains and floods in July and August, as the southwest monsoon was active and widespread," said Ashoka. "The team will also hold talks with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on September 7 after surveying the affected districts," said Ashoka. On September 8, the team will also visit headquarters of the affected districts for spot assessment of the damage with the officials. "On September 9, the team will discuss the situation with me and the revenue secretary and other officials for a first-hand account of the assessment," he said. About 20 people died in heavy rains and flood-related incidents, displaced about 4,000 people and damaged over 7,000 houses, while 1.4 lakh hectares of agricultural land suffered crop loss. The central government released Rs 395 crore in August for rescue and relief works in the affected districts. Taking stock of the grim situation in the affected districts, the Chief Minister said at Belagavi on August 25 that he would seek more central funds for relief works and aid to the affected people. As governance and administrative work has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March, the chief minister said the state government would spend on relief works from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) till the Centre releases additional funds to the southern state. Belagavi is about 500 kms northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state. Though timely southwest monsoon since June with heavy and widespread rains across the state filled reservoirs and water bodies, release of excess water and discharges from rain-hit Maharashtra dams in the Krishna river led to flooding of villages in low-lying areas, damage to farmland, roads, bridges and houses in the state's northwest districts in July-August. We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief Viral Video: People forced to quarantine in metal boxes as China enforces zero Covid policy Changed posture, dominance at Demchok, Chumar, how India is countering the Chinese India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: Following the meeting of the high powered committee, it was firmly decided that India will continue to match the enhancement of troops by the Chinese PLA. India's top priority is to secure the border and this is a complete shift from the border management policy. The posture of the Indian Army has been shaped in such a way that it would pre-empt any Chinese transgressions in the areas of Ladakh. Sources tell OneIndia that this is also aimed at forcing China to completely pull back. Further the source cited above also said that it would be helpful in resolving the border crisis when talks are taking place both on the diplomatic and military front. Five days back, the PLA had tried to grab Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso, but this was countered and the Indian troops now occupy the key heights on the southern bank. Further the Special Frontier Force had also played a vital role in countering the PLA. This was a force that was raised after the 1962 war to counter China. In order to have a clear line sight of the Lhasa-Kashgar (219) highway, which is a crucial artery for the PLA logistics supply, India has dominated the Demchok and Chumar areas. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh who left for Russia on Wednesday had on Tuesday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in Eastern Ladakh. Singh headed a high powered meeting of the China Study Group to review the situation. What is the Special Frontier Force also known as Establishment 22 and Vikas Battalion During the meeting it was decided that the Indian Army would continue to maintain aggressive posturing to deal with any misadventure by China. The Indian Army has also bolstered its presence around the southern bank area of Pangong Tso. The meeting was also attended by External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M M Naravane. While additional troops have been deployed, it was also decided to bring in more weaponry like anti-tank guided missiles and tanks. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 12:04 [IST] WASHINGTON (AP) A line of elephants trundles across a dusty landscape in northern Botswana, ears flapping and trunks occasionally brushing the ground. As they pass a motion-activated camera hidden in low shrubbery, photos record the presence of each elephant. Whats special about this group? Its only males. Female elephants are known to form tight family groups led by experienced matriarchs. Males were long assumed to be loners, because they leave their mothers herd when they reach 10 to 20 years of age. A new study shows that teenage males aren't anti-social after all. Younger male elephants were seen tagging along behind older males as they travel from place to place. It's more evidence in an emerging body of research that shows older males like their female counterparts play an important role in elephants' complex society. For the study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed photos of 1,264 sightings of male African savannah elephants traveling toward the Boteti River in 2017 and 2018. They found that younger males seldom traveled alone and older males most often led groups of mixed ages. Mature male elephants often take a position at the front of the line when they are leading the group" to streams or seasonal grazing grounds, said Diana Reiss, director of the Animal Behavior and Conservation Program at Hunter College, who was not involved in the new study. In human societies, grandparents are valued because they make really important contributions helping with childcare and passing down knowledge gained over decades, she said. Were now learning this pattern is also true for some other long-lived mammals, including dolphins, whales and elephants. This is the first such study of African savannah elephants. A 2019 paper used motion-activated cameras to describe similar male group dynamics among Asian elephants. Scientists have long known more about breeding herds of female elephants, said Connie Allen, a biologist at the University of Exeter and a co-author of the new paper. But males also have multifaceted social lives, and their groupings arent only shaped by kinship ties," she said. Story continues When several young orphaned male elephants were introduced into a park in Pilanesberg, South Africa, in the mid-1990s, the young males were extremely aggressive and killed 40 white rhinoceros. But their behavior was moderated after six older male elephants were added to the park. In some way, the older males created order, and all that pandemonium was quelled, said Carl Safina, an ecologist at Stony Brook University, who was not involved in the new study. Were still learning about how male elephants acquire their cultural understanding of how to act, whom to defer to, and where resources like food and water sources are located. Because of their larger size and longer tusks, mature male elephants are most often targeted by poachers and legal trophy hunters in Africa. But future conservation strategies should take into account the mentorship role that older males play, said Allen, the study co-author. Males are more enigmatic. But it turns out they arent such loners, she said. ___ Follow Christina Larson on twitter: @larsonchristina ___ 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. Hyderabad, Sep 3 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday said that his government is ready to discuss and debate threadbare all the issues pertaining to people in the state legislature session, beginning next week. He said the government was also ready to discuss all the issues proposed by the political parties, even if it meant conducting the session for more number of days. He directed the ministers to be prepared to place all the facts so that they would be known to the people. KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, on Thursday discussed with ministers and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders in both the Assembly and the Council the strategy to be adopted during the session, beginning September 7. It was decided at the meeting to discuss and debate matters pertaining to containment of coronavirus, treatment of patients, expansion of medical services, crop loss due to heavy rains, the fire accident in Srisailam Hydel Project, the achievements made in the power sector, the new Revenue Act, the illegal construction of project by Andhra Pradesh government under the name of Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, and irrigation sector issues. Issues like injustices being meted out to the state in GST implementation, financial and economic losses due to the policies of the Central government, lukewarm response of the Centre to the resolutions made by the state on the reservations, agriculture sector, regulatory cultivation method, organisation of P.V Narasimha Rao's birth centenary celebrations and others will be discussed. KCR, who is also the TRS chief, asked the ministers to get them equipped with all the information on the issues that would come up for discussions during the session. He also stressed that there should be healthy debates in both the Houses. "Legislative session will not mean disturbances, heaping of abuses, curses, unruly behaviour or utter pandemonium. It should not be a place to level accusations against one another or give vent to one's impatience. There should be a change in this attitude and the changes should be qualitative in nature. There should be healthy debates, which should be inspiring and enlightening. The debates and discussion should analyse the implementation of Budget and Acts. The discussions should be high in quality and should be based on facts. The members should speak in such a way that it should be of some help to people," he said. Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the running-mate to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, has reiterated the need to ensure peace in the forthcoming December polls. She said a peaceful environment was the only sure way the country could achieve immense success in terms of development. Prof Opoku-Agyemang said this when she paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Sefwi-Bekwai Traditional Area, Oyeadieyie Kwadwo Armah Basape III, as part of her three-day campaign tour of the Western North Region. "Healthy competition is essential to democracy and that must not lead to bloodshed," she said. While asking the traditional rulers to pray for guidance and blessings, Prof Opoku-Agyemang called on the elderly in society to set good examples for the youth to emulate as they are the backbone of the nation's future. She advised the people of Sefwi-Bekwai to eschew politics of insults and vote massively for the NDC in the December polls to enhance their livelihoods and the country's economy. The vision of NDC was to create jobs for the youth, she said, and urged them to support the Party to realise its vision. "We are a congress hence we include all, no discrimination what so ever," she said. Oyeadieye Basepe II, thanked the NDCs running-mate for recognising traditional authorities as partners in development and assured her of their prayers and support. He appealed to her to help Sefwi-Bekwai get a separate district from the Bibiani Municipality when the Party was voted into power so as to enhance development of the area. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IonQ, the leader in quantum computing, today announced that both Professor Jungsang Kim, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, and Professor Christopher Monroe, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, have been named to the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). Created by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Committee's goal is to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science (QIS). The appointment is a recognition of Kim and Monroe's pioneering work in the quantum computing field and comes at a time when investing in quantum computing technology is more important than ever. IonQ's trapped-ion quantum computers have demonstrated unmatched ability, demonstrating performance benchmarks that no other quantum computer has been able to match. IonQ is the only entity with more than one representative on the committee. "Quantum technology is rapidly advancing across industry and academia, with exciting new developments happening almost weekly," said Kim. "I am humbled to serve on the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. Together, we will push quantum technology forward to realize the near and long-term impact of quantum computing." "I look forward to continuing to counsel the US government on a national approach to quantum computing," said Monroe. "The field has come a long way since we demonstrated the first successful quantum logic gate in the 1990's and I am excited about what's just over the horizon." "Having both of IonQ's co-founders on the Committee is validation of the deep technical and academic expertise our firm possesses," said IonQ CEO and President Peter Chapman. "Chris and Jungsang are two of quantum's foremost experts and will provide unmatched counsel to the US government at this inflection point for quantum computing." This announcement follows the recent general availability announcement of IonQ's systems on the AWS Braket quantum cloud. IonQ is also the only quantum provider also available on the Microsoft Azure Quantum cloud. The firm recently raised additional Series B funding , bringing total funding to date to $84M. IonQ's investors include Amazon, NEA, GV, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Mubadala Capital, Airbus, HPE, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), Lockheed Martin, Cambium and more. About IonQ IonQ is the leader in quantum computing. By making our quantum hardware accessible through the cloud, we're empowering millions of organizations and developers to build new applications to solve the world's most complex problems in business, and across society. IonQ's unique approach to quantum computing is to start with nature: using individual atoms as the heart of our quantum processing units. We levitate them in space with electric potentials applied to semiconductor-defined electrodes on a chip, and then use lasers to do everything from initial preparation to final readout and the quantum gate operations in between. It requires atomic physics, precision optical and mechanical engineering, and fine-grained firmware control over a variety of components. Leveraging this approach, IonQ provides both a viable technological roadmap to scale and the flexibility necessary to explore a wide range of application spaces in the near term. IonQ was founded in 2015 by Jungsang Kim and Christopher Monroe and their systems are based on foundational research at The University of Maryland and Duke University. SOURCE IonQ THURSDAY, Sept. 3, 2020 (Healthday News) -- Colleges across America struggled to control coronavirus outbreaks on campus, even as Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Wednesday that sending students home after an outbreak is "the worst thing you could do." Universities continue to be hit with alarming infection rates, and many have already switched to online learning, the Washington Post reported. In some instances, students have been told to move out of their dorms and return home, the newspaper said. But Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, told NBC's "Today" show that it was important to ensure that infected students are placed in isolation, "but don't have them go home, because they could be spreading it in their home state." Along with shutting down in-person instruction, many universities are cracking down on student activities that fuel the spread of COVID-19, the Post reported. At the University of Illinois, where more than 700 students have tested positive in less than two weeks, administrators instituted a ban on "gathering in small or large groups under any circumstances." In what is the equivalent of stay-at-home orders, students will not be allowed to leave their dorm rooms for anything besides essential activities -- attending class, buying groceries, solo outdoor exercise, religious services and medical visits. The college also plans to aggressively crack down on parties, the Post reported. "We have been encouraged that the vast majority of our students have been compliant, and we believe this effort will require noncompliant students to make the choice to either comply or leave campus," Chancellor Robert Jones said in a statement, the Post reported. Antibody study suggests lasting COVID immunity In a finding that should encourage scientists who are racing to develop coronavirus vaccines, a new study out of Iceland suggests that immunity to the disease may not be as fleeting as first thought. Among 30,000 Icelandic residents who were tested for antibodies to COVID-19, researchers discovered the antibodies stayed in people's systems for at least four months, the study found. Of those who tested positive for the coronavirus, 487 had received multiple antibody tests. In the first two months after a patient was diagnosed, the antibodies that can confer immunity rose significantly. For the next two months, antibody levels remained stable, according to the study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. In a commentary that accompanied the study, scientists from Harvard University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health noted that while the Icelandic research focused on a largely homogeneous population, "this study provides hope that host immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting and may be similar to that elicited by most other viral infections." Earlier research on coronavirus antibodies had indicated that immunity might be short-lived, leaving people vulnerable to reinfection. But the Icelandic study offers hope that a vaccine that triggers a strong immune response will have a longer-lasting effect than some had believed. The Icelandic researchers also found that women, nonsmokers and older patients had higher levels of antibodies, as did those who had suffered more severe infections, the newspaper said. Also on Tuesday, the Trump administration announced 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. More than 170 countries are discussing participating in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) Facility, which aims to speed vaccine development, secure doses for all countries and distribute them to the most high-risk segment of each population, the Post reported. The plan, which is co-led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the vaccine alliance known as Gavi, is backed by traditional U.S. allies, including Japan, Germany and the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, the Post reported. In recent months, President Donald Trump has criticized the WHO over what he described as its "China-centric" response to the pandemic. Cases keep mounting By Thursday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 6.1 million as the death toll passed 185,600, according to a New York Times tally. According to the same tally, the top five states in coronavirus cases as of Thursday were: California with nearly 722,000; Texas with nearly 650,000; Florida with over 633,000; New York with nearly 441,000; and Georgia with over 258,000. Curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the rest of the world remains challenging. India has now surpassed Mexico in the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus. The nation of 1.3 billion people now has the world's third-highest death toll at more than 67,000, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. It is behind only Brazil and the United States. As of Thursday, more than 3.8 million coronavirus cases have been reported in that country. Brazil is also a hotspot in the coronavirus pandemic, with over 3.9 million confirmed infections by Thursday, according to the Hopkins tally. It has the second-highest number of cases, behind only the United States. Cases are also spiking in Russia: On Wednesday, the country's coronavirus case count passed 1 million, the Times reported. Cases continue to rise by about 5,000 per day despite an official declaration in early August that the country had a vaccine. As of Thursday, the death toll in Russia was 17,479. When President Vladimir Putin announced the vaccine, health officials said mass vaccination would start in October. But the country's health ministry has pushed back that timeline to November or December, the Times reported. Worldwide, the number of reported infections passed 25 million on Thursday, with over 863,000 deaths, according to the Hopkins tally. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread across the world with alarming speed, infecting tens of millions and bringing economic activity to a near-standstill as countries imposed tight restrictions on movement to halt the spread of the virus. As the health and human toll grows over 26 million infected and 863,000 lives lost, the economic damage is already evident. Many people are at a high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease, including those who are immunocompromised, those with underlying medical conditions, and the elderly, among others. High-risk people may require admission to the hospital or intensive care unit due to severe symptoms. Now, a prospective meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials published in the journal JAMA showed that the widely available steroid drugs could help seriously ill patients survive COVID-19. The study Effective therapies for patients with COVID-19 are essential to reduce the risk of severe illness and death. The team conducted the study to estimate the link between corticosteroids and the 28-day all-cause mortality. To arrive at the findings of the study, the team pooled data from the seven randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of corticosteroids on critically ill patients with COVID-19. The trials spanned 12 countries between February and June, and the date of the final follow-up was in July. The study involved more than 1,700 patients, and the team has found that steroids such as dexamethasone helped reduce mortality or death in seriously ill patients. In the results, the team has revealed that five of the trials reported mortality at 28 days, 1 trial at 21 days, and 1 trial at 30 days. Among all the patients, there were 222 deaths among the 678 patients who received corticosteroids, and 425 deaths among the 1,025 patients randomized to usual care or placebo. In this prospective meta-analysis of clinical trials of critically ill patients with COVID-19, administration of systemic corticosteroids, compared with usual care or placebo, was associated with lower 28-day all-cause mortality, the team concluded in the study. New WHO guidelines The World Health Organization (WHO) also released interim guidance, strongly recommending steroids to be used as a treatment for critically ill patients. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, corticosteroids have received worldwide attention as a potentially effective COVID-19 treatment. In June, preliminary results of the RECOVERY trial, published in a peer-reviewed paper, were released. The finding showed that corticosteroids might help reduce the risk of death among patients with severe COVID-19. The panel of health experts released two recommendations the intravenous or oral corticosteroid therapy for seven to 10 days in patients with severe and critical COVID-19. Further, the WHO also recommended not to use the treatment in patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Given the moderate certainty evidence of an important reduction in the risk of death, the panel concluded that all or almost all fully informed patients with severe or critical COVID-19 would choose treatment with systemic corticosteroids, the WHO said. Moreover, the panel believed that other perspectives (i.e., costs, equity, the feasibility of implementation), and patient values and preferences would not alter decisions. In contrast, the panel concluded that fully informed patients with non-severe COVID-19 would mostly not choose to receive this treatment given that current data indicated they would not likely derive benefit and may derive harm, it added. The WHO clarified that using corticosteroids in severely ill patients is recommended because if those with mild to moderate symptoms will use the drug, it will significantly deplete worldwide resources and deprive patients who may need the drug more. Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that lowers inflammation in the body as well as reduce the immune systems activity. The coronavirus disease is still actively spreading across the globe, with the number of cases skyrocketing. The United States remains as the nation with the highest number of cases, reaching 6.11 million, followed by Brazil, with more than 3.99 million cases. India and Russia report high case tolls, with more than 3.85 million and 1 million cases, respectively. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Last week, Lorain County had 51 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents, which the federal government says is too high, and it had nine outpatient hospital visits, which is an early indicator of outbreak. However, on Thursday, not only did Lorain County escape the Level 3 or red color on the newly released Ohio Public Health Advisory map, it went down two spaces to Level 1, or yellow. Frankly we asked what was going on in Lorain, said Gov. Mike DeWine, announcing the map during his briefing. Local health officials told him more residents are wearing masks, making sure they follow health protocols. Residents are also using caution when planning gatherings or taking the health departments recommended protocols into consideration when making these plans, he said. Seven counties were red in the newest map: Lucas, Putnam, Mercer, Butler, Montgomery, Preble and Wayne. DeWine described the infections spread in the following counties: -Putnam: Has the highest case rate per 100,000 residents: 268. The county continues to have new cases. -Montgomery: There have been 1,191 new cases in the past two weeks this is 19.3% of all the countys cases since the pandemic began. Theres an increase of outpatient visits of people with COVID-19-like symptoms from 36 on Aug. 24 to 46.3. -Butler: 19% of its total cases have occurred last two weeks. The increase outpatient visits of people with coronavirus-like illness went from 58 on Aug. 21 to 78 on Sept. 1. Miami University students have returned to classes. Theyve had outbreaks associated with students attending house parties, DeWine said. -Mercer: Has reported 72 new cases, which is almost 9% of the total cases in the county. Community spread continues and DeWine asked residents there to wear masks and socially distance to keep each other safe. -Preble: The county meets the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threshold, with 122 cases per 100,000 residents. It has had 50 new cases in the past two weeks, out of 358 total since the beginning of the pandemic. Thats a 14% increase.There have been outbreaks in a group home and officials have worked hard to control outbreaks in a long-term care facility. -Lucas: The county has 112 cases per 100,000 residents. There have been 481 new cases in the past two weeks. There have been several long-term care facility outbreaks. -Wayne County: The first time its been red. There were 5.5 cases a day on Aug. 15, now there are 12.1 cases a day. The county has had 104 cases in the past two weeks. The number of outpatient visits have doubled recently. The outbreaks have been at churches and businesses and a long-term care facility. Other coverage: 1,345 newly reported coronavirus cases for Ohio, six months since first closure: Thursday update Gov. Mike DeWine gives Thursdays coronavirus briefing ahead of holiday weekend: Watch live On prompting of White House, Gov. Mike DeWine reminds Ohioans to take coronavirus precautions over Labor Day weekend Ohio issues public health alert for CBD products from Avon company New bar association serving increasing numbers of Ohio Arab attorneys, law students Ohio has 1,157 newly reported coronavirus cases: Wednesday update Ohio Medicaid to seeks to make expanded telehealth permanent Gov. Mike DeWine decries deadly July on Ohio highways, pushes lawmakers to pass distracted driving bill 78% of organizations are accelerating cloud usage 18% had 1+ server outage in past 12 months 12% increase in DRaaS usage within 2 years #1 Driver for change is backup reliability 203 government agencies were surveyed on data management challenges and successes, including the impact 2020 had on IT. Learn how governments and IT leaders addressed these issues from shared insights:Download the Data Protection Report 2021 to find out more. Read more here! Got a question or tip? Contact us at bizmojoidaho@gmail.com. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fortuna Silver Mines, Inc. (NYSE: FSM) (TSX: FVI) is pleased to announce the start of irrigation and leaching of ore placed on the heap leach pad at the Lindero gold Project, located in the Province of Salta, Argentina. First gold pour is expected in early October 2020. Jorge A. Ganoza, President, CEO and Director, commented, In spite of all the restrictions and challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are managing to successfully advance Lindero in a safe and secure manner for our personnel and neighbours. Mr. Ganoza continued, With the start of irrigation, we achieved one more key milestone in the pre-production phase as we prepare for what follows, the first gold pour at our third producing mine. Construction and commissioning activities at Lindero are advancing according to the plan outlined in the Companys news release dated May 8, 2020 . Ramp-up and pre-production highlights: Night shift operations at the primary and secondary crushing circuits began in mid-August; at months end, daily throughput peaked at 17,400 tpd or 93% of design capacity of 18,750 tpd 277,000 tonnes 1 of ore averaging 0.87 g/t Au 1 containing an estimated 7,750 ounces of gold have been placed on the leach pad as of August 31, 2020 of ore averaging 0.87 g/t Au containing an estimated 7,750 ounces of gold have been placed on the leach pad as of August 31, 2020 Irrigation and leaching of ore on the leach pad commenced on September 1, 2020 Pre-commissioning of the ADR plant is 80% complete First gold pour is expected in early October 2020 Note: Tonnes and grades are estimated using grade control sampling of blast holes Crushing circuit, ore irrigation, and ADR plant The ramp-up phase of the primary and secondary crushing circuits is advancing according to plan. The operations team is engaged in addressing operational-related adjustments and fine tuning the process and equipment. Night shift operations started at Lindero in mid-August, ahead of schedule. Irrigation of ore on the heap leach pad commenced on September 1, according to plan. As of the end of August, a total of 277,000 tonnes have been placed on the leach pad averaging 0.87 g/t Au, containing an estimated 7,750 ounces of gold. Pre-commissioning of the ADR plant is progressing according to schedule. Testing of the plant circuits with water, carbon preparation, and commissioning of the main equipment is expected to begin in the coming days. First gold pour is planned in early October. Quality Assurance & Quality Control Grade control estimates are based on blast hole chip samples submitted to Linderos on-site laboratory for preparation and assaying for gold, using fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. The QA-QC program includes the blind insertion of certified reference standards and assay blanks at a frequency of approximately 1 per 20 normal samples as well as the submission of duplicate samples for verification of sampling and assay precision levels by an ISO 9001:2000 certified umpire laboratory. ALS Global Laboratory in Mendoza, Argentina prepared the samples for assaying and then forwarded the samples to ALS Global Laboratory in Lima, Peru for assay by standard fire assay methods. Qualified Person Amri Sinuhaji is the Technical Services Director Mine Planning for the Company, a Professional Engineer registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia (#48305) and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Sinuhaji has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release and has verified the underlying data. About the Lindero gold Project, Argentina In September 2017, the commencement of construction at Lindero was officially launched (refer to Fortuna news releases dated September 21, 2017 and December 21, 2017 ). Lindero has been designed as an 18,750 tonnes per day owner operated open pit mine with a pit life of 13 years based on current Mineral Reserves. Crushed ore will be placed on a leach pad with the pregnant solution pumped to SART and ADR plants prior to electrowinning and refining where gold will be poured to dore bars. Management expects total construction capital expenditures of between $314.0 million and $320.0 million as per the updated construction and commissioning schedule (refer to Fortunas news release dated May 8, 2020 ). This represents an increase of 28 percent from the September 2017 feasibility estimate. The technical report of the Lindero Project is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.fortunasilver.com . About Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Fortuna is a growth oriented, precious metals producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma silver Mine in southern Peru, the San Jose silver-gold Mine in Mexico and the Lindero gold Project, currently under construction, in Argentina. The Company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Jorge A. Ganoza President, CEO and Director Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Trading symbols: NYSE: FSM | TSX: FVI Investor Relations: Carlos Baca T (Peru): +51.1.616.6060, ext. 0 Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, Forward-looking Statements). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements. The Forward-looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the timing of construction, commissioning, ramp-up activities, first dore pour and production at the Lindero Project which are subject to COVID-19 related constraints, the modified construction and production timeline, the total funding requirements, the estimated metallurgical recovery rates, the estimated production at Lindero; the average head grades and stripping ratios; the amount of contained ounces of gold from ore placed on the leach pad. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as estimated, potential, open, future, assumed, projected, scheduled, used, detailed, has been, gain, planned, reflecting, will, containing, remaining, to be, or statements that events, could or should occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. 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 results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the worldwide economic and social impact of COVID-19, the duration and extent of COVID-19, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the re-imposition of government restrictions on business related to COVID-19; any positive cases of COVID-19 at the Project site or in the area which may cause a reduction or suspension in operations and activities and which may ultimately affect and delay the modified construction and production timeline; changes in prices for silver and other metals; the amount of contained ounces of gold from ore placed on the leach pad; the timing of the first gold pour; technological and operational hazards in Fortunas mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; changes to current estimates of mineral reserves and resources; changes to production estimates; governmental and other approvals; changes in government, political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Information Form. 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to the management of the worldwide economic and social impact of COVID-19, that the duration and extent of COVID-19 is minimized and not long-term, the expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Companys current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Companys activities will be in accordance with the Companys public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting construction, activities and operations at Lindero, there will be no changes in laws or regulations which may affect the Companys operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any Forward-looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that that these Forward-looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward-looking Statements. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:34:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The last COVID-19 patient in Laos has only experienced light symptoms, according to a Lao health official. The last COVID-19 patient in Laos, who is treated in Mittaphab Hospital, has light symptoms or no noticeable at all, Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under Lao Ministry of Health, Latsamy Vongkhamsao, told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday. The patient is a 25-year-old woman, who returned to Laos from the United States and is treated in Mittaphab Hospital since August 14. The Lao government has warned the public and relevant authorities not to neglect containment and preventive measures, even as the country reported no new case of COVID-19 for 20 days. On Wednesday, a total of 2,021 people entered Laos through international border checkpoints. The temperature of each person entering Laos was checked and no one showed signs of fever. The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced that it has been monitoring 2,796 people at 42 accommodation centers across the country. Enditem California Legislature Passes Bill to Require Diversity on Corporate Boards This week, the California Legislature passed a bill that requires diversity on corporate boards in California. The legislation, AB 979, is joint authored by Assemblymembers Chris Holden, Cristina Garcia, and David Chiu, with Eloise Gomez Reyes as principal co-author. The bill requires publicly held corporations headquartered in California to have at least one director from an underrepresented community by the close of 2021. Today, the legislature showed that we can bring solutions to create equity in society, said Assemblymember Chris Holden. Soon after the social unrest following the killing of George Floyd, many corporations publicly stated their support for diversity and Black lives. Critics, however, have pointed out that this public support for social justice movements often does not lead to long-term structural change in hiring and retention policies of a diverse staff and leadership. The current statistics are quite stark. The Harvard Law School Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards found that out of 1,222 new board members of Fortune 100 companies, 77% were White. ADVERTISEMENT The lack of diversity on Californias boards and upper level corporate positions is a challenge we urged corporations to address on their own during our time in the Legislature. However, it is clear we can no longer wait for corporations to figure it out on their own. By ensuring diversity on their boards, we know the corporations are more likely to both create opportunities for people of color and give them the support to thrive within that corporation, said Assemblymember Cristina Garcia. In addition to the 2021 benchmark, AB 979 also requires corporate boards to include two members from underrepresented communities for corporations with more than four members, while corporations with more than nine must have a minimum of three by 2022. The bill defines a director from an underrepresented community as an individual who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native, or who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Corporations have money, power, and influence, continued Holden. If we are going to address racial injustice and inequity in our society, its imperative that corporate boards reflect the diversity of our state. One great benefit of this action corporations with ethnically diverse boards have shown to outperform those that lack diversity. The flagbearer and leader of the NDC John Mahama has assured Chiefs and People of Wa that the Wa Airport will see a major boost if he wins the December 7 general election. We built the Wa Airstrip years ago and in our last administration, we upgraded it to the Wa Airport providing facilities for arrival and departure. I wish to assure the Wa Na that well continue to upgrade facilities at the Wa Airport so that it becomes a major destination for air travel in this country, Mr Mahama said at the forecourt of the Wa Naas Palace as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region. The former President also promised to provide seed capital to the new Upper West Regional hospital to enable the facility function effectively and improve quality healthcare delivery. Mr Mahama indicated that he will upgrade the abandoned Wa Municipal Hospital and construct polyclinics across vantage communities to help reduce the congestion at the facility. Mr Mahama said he will dualize the road from Bamahu to the Wa Airport which forms part of the trans-ECOWAS trunk of road connecting the region to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali. I will provide 250,000 jobs to the youth spanning from agribusiness, Forestry, construction and artisans among others, he stated. The Overlord of Waala traditional Kingdom Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo said the era of juicy promises delivered in flowery language and enhanced by ridiculous token gifts in electioneering is fast becoming a thing of the past and is being replaced by evidenced-based campaigns. Naa Seidu Pelpuo said Ghanaians are now discerning and will make informed decisions based on the track records of the various political parties and politicians. He noted that the people of Wa Central acknowledge the developmental projects his administration brought to the constituency during his tenure in office as President. Source: kasapafmonline.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 Official statistics from Met Eireann have confirmed what we knew - parts of Leinster saw the least sun and the most rain in many a year. There are no weather stations in Co Kildare so we have to rely on readings in stations in Dublin, Meath and Carlow to give an indication of prevailing conditions. Data from Dublin Airport said it was the dullest August for 78 years which would bring you back to the war years - the Second World War in fact in 1942. A dull day is defined as a day with less than 30 minutes of sunshine. The weather station at Casement Aerodrome - close to many parts of Kildare, saw nearly double its average monthly rainfall for August which amounted to 219.7 mm. The information is contained in Met Eireann's monthly Weather Statement. The number of wet days (1mm or more) ranged from 13 days at Oak Park Co Carlow to 20 days at Belmullet, Co Mayo. The number of very wet days (10mm or more) ranged from two days at Dunsany, Co Meath to six days at other stations. Unusually for August, Kildare was battered by two named storms for two weeks in a row - Storm Ellen which brought widespread gales and heavy rain or showers and Storm Francis, brought very heavy falls of rain and gales across the country late on the 24th and into the 25th. In a summary, Met Eireann forecasters said: "August 2020 was warm, humid and cloudy with two named storms in the final third of the month. "The first week saw a mostly west or south-westerly airflow with high pressure to the south and low pressure to the north bringing bands of rain or showers, especially between the 3th and 5th. "The second week saw a slack, mostly easterly airflow over the country, with high pressure to the northeast over Scandinavia. This brought a few dry, sunny days, but as the week wore on, heavy thundery pulses of rain pushed up from the southeast to affect the southern half of the country, especially on the 13th and 15th. "Atlantic low-pressure systems dominated most of the remainder of the month with coastal, river and flash flooding causing disruption in some areas. "Slow moving weather fronts gave heavy falls of rain in places on the 17th and 18th before Storm Ellen, a record breaking deep Atlantic low pressure system, which contained the remnants of Tropical Storm Kyle, brought widespread gales and heavy rain or showers, sometimes thundery, across the country between the 19th and 21st. "After a brief respite, another deep Atlantic low-pressure system, Storm Francis, brought very heavy falls of rain and gales across the country late on the 24th and into the 25th. Yet another Atlantic low-pressure system brought more bands of rain or showers, sometimes thundery on the 27th and 28th before a cool North Atlantic high-pressure system settled it down for the final few days of the month." The Odisha government on Wednesday passed a resolution requesting the Centre to accord classical status to Odissi music, calling it different from Hindustani and Carnatic music. The Odisha Heritage Cabinet in its second meeting today adopted a slew of seven proposals, including the demand to give classical music status to Odissi like Hindustani and Carnatic. Minister for tourism, Odia Literature, language & culture, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi said while Odissi dance was recognised by Centre as a classical dance in 1964 and Odia language as a classical language in 2014, the music form is yet to find the same recognition. Incidentally, Odisha had recognised Odissi as a classical form of music in 2008. Odissi music, like Odissi dance, is not only very ancient but has its own characteristic features for being reckoned as a classical form. It has its own tradition, texts, ragas, talas, gita and classical style of recital. As Odissi dance has got classical status, the Odissi music should also get the same tag as the dance is based on music, said Panigrahi. State culture department officials said Odissi music has a rich legacy dating back to 2nd century BC when king Kharvela, the ruler of Kalinga, patronised Odissi music and dance. There is historical evidence in the form of musical instruments, singing and dancing postures of damsels in the Ranigumpha Cave in Khandagiri and Udayagiri at Bhubaneswar. Odissi music has codified grammar. It also has a distinctive rendition style. While tabla and mridangam are the musical instruments of Hindustani and Carnatic music, respectively, mardal is the musical instrument of Odissi. It has also its own text like Gita Govinda of Sri Jayadeva, Sangita Sara of Hari Nayak, Gita Prakash of Krushna Das Badajena Mohapatra, Sangitarnava Chandrika of Nilakantha, Sangita Muktabali of Harichandana, Natya Manorama of Raghunath Rath and Sangita Narayan of Purusottam Mishra and many others. Odissi music gives great importance to the lyric where words are sung without fragmentation or distortion. All songs have specific raagas and ;taalas, said an official. The classical status to Odissi music would enable setting up a centre of excellence in Bhubaneswar for promotion of the music. The Heritage Cabinet also gave its approval to a proposal for holistic development of the birthplace of Pandit Gopabandhu Dash at Suando in Puri district through a project involving a budget of approximately 11 crore. It also approved development of Odisha State Museum and Ananda Bhawan Museum into virtual entities with digitization. The cabinet resolution also increased the amounts for the Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Samman, Dharmapada Samman, and Byasakabi Fakir Mohan Samman be increased from 1 lakh to 5 lakh. Similarly, the amounts for awards to the various academies shall be increased from 50,000 to 2 lakh and the amount of felicitations of various Academies would be increased to 1 lakh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A factory warehouse was found hoarding around 200 metric tons of industrial solid waste without proof of origin in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai this week. Economic police officers in Bien Hoa City, the capital of Dong Nai, caught a truck unloading goods into the warehouse of Trung Nam Production Co. Ltd., located in Trang Dai Ward, at around 10:00 am on Tuesday. On closer inspection, the truck was found to carry roughly 1.5 metric tons of industrial solid waste, mainly disintegrated rubber soles. The truck driver, 35-year-old Ngo Van Cuong, could not provide any document showing the origin of the waste. Police continued to inspect the 13,000-square-meter warehouse and detected approximately 200 metric tons of industrial solid waste including waste paper, plastics, nylon, scrap metal, rubber soles, and around ten metric tons of scrap plastics stored outdoors against regulations on the storage of such materials. The companys managing owner, 36-year-old Ngo Manh Cuong, could not provide any authentic documents to prove the wastes origin. Cuong also failed to produce his business registration license and other papers related to environmental procedures. Bien Hoa Citys police department has booked the case and seized the truck as well as all the industrial waste for further investigation as per regulations. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Trainer Bob Baffert talks with jockey Florent Geroux at Churchill Downs on Thursday. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press) Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Wayne Lukas have saddled 81 horses between them in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert has won the race five times, Lukas four. Theyve known each other for almost four decades, starting when they were quarter-horse trainers. So, it was no surprise that as soon as Baffert had watched his two entrants in this years race Authentic and Thousand Words plod over the wet Churchill Downs track on Wednesday that he sought out Lukas at his nearby barn. The pair, with Bafferts face-covering bandana resting around his neck and Lukas constantly pulling the omnipresent light-blue mask over his nose, played a game of who was the better trainer, each claiming the other was the best. Lukas, 85, stayed seated, having just recovered from COVID-19, something he cautions people from taking lightly. Lukas wont be running a horse in Saturdays Kentucky Derby, instead he is playing assistant trainer for Todd Pletchers Money Moves. Pletcher chose to stay the week in New York, where he has his main stable. It doesnt take long on the backstretch for talk to turn to the big what if and will it be the same that has been part of the chatter, especially with the place being essentially empty. If they had run the damn thing in the spring you would have gotten your sixth [win], Lukas said. That Im sure of. Baffert, 67, didnt disagree. I was looking good, but were still here. The cast of horses would be very different in May than it is now in September. Baffert would have had Nadal and Charlatan, both of whom were injured in the weeks after the Arkansas Derby, which was run on the first Saturday in May. And, as it turns out, Saturdays Derby will have the same acoustics and fan energy as it would have if it had been held on May 2, which means none. Its sort of weird, Baffert said. What weve been going through in California, is you just sit there we cant even take a win picture then they run and we just sit there. Story continues Trainer Wayne Lukas has won the Kentucky Derby four times. (Julie Jacobson / Associated Press) Its one of those things that makes the Derby a great event is when 150,000 people show up. Now, its like youre running on a Wednesday afternoon at Belmont. Its not the same when you dont have people watching and cheering you on. Thats what makes the Derby so great. I think it will be better on television than being here. Baffert is not alone in there being an attitudinal change about this years Kentucky Derby. It feels like its more about winning the money ($3-million purse) rather than the pageantry of the Derby, said Dale Romans, who will saddle Attachment Rate. It may sound shallow but thats the way it is. Ive never thought about winning purse money in the Derby before. Its about winning the Kentucky Derby. This one feels a little different. It feels like a big race, not the big race. Besides the date, there are a few other things out of the normal for this Derby. This will be the first time since 2003 that 20 horses havent been entered in the race, exclusive of scratches. This year there are 17 with Thursdays scratch of King Guillermo because of a fever. Its the first year for the new 20-stall starting gate, which eliminates the gap between the 14 and 15 and allows the horse on the rail to start from where was normally the three. And, all the top jockeys are not running in it. Because of quarantine restrictions either in Kentucky or home territories, jockeys such as Flavien Prat, last years winner, Joel Rosario and Irad Ortiz, Jr., have elected to stay and ride at Del Mar and Saratoga. Mike Smith is the only Southern California jockey in the race, aboard second-favorite Honor A.P. The feeling of things being different is also evident for first-time Derby trainer Greg Foley, who has Major Fed. It doesn't feel like the Derby, especially when it's moved from May to September, and [there are] no people, Foley said. You get that buzz in the spring ... [now.] It's quiet. They've got it locked down pretty hard. It's definitely different, and that takes something away from it. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen tries to put a positive spin on all of this. He will send Max Player, his 21st Kentucky Derby entrant. Asmussen is still looking for his first win. Were undefeated in September in the Derby, and we hope we can keep it that way, he said. Cherwa reported from Orlando, Fla. Its good to see the Canadian government standing with Australia in confronting Facebook and, by extension, the other big tech giants that dominate so much of our lives. Governments are finally pushing back against Big Tech, and its important that the companies know they cant just pick off one country after the other. The more governments support each other, the more effective they will be. So good on Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault for denouncing the threats directed at the Australian government as it pushes ahead with plans to make Facebook and Google compensate news outlets for news items they post on their platforms. Facebook has taken the lead in attacking Australias move on this front, threatening to pull Australian news off its platform and from Instagram, which it also owns. The company is behaving like a global bully that simply doesnt care what petty local authorities do. No government should bow to that kind of pressure. All this makes it even more important for Ottawa to follow through with its promise to bring in legislation this fall to deal with the challenge of the foreign-owned digital giants that up to now have been taking a lot more from Canada than they contribute. Its not clear exactly what Guilbeault has in mind when he talks about bringing in a made in Canada solution. But he does say he has been closely following the examples of Australia and France, where regulators are pressing the social-media companies to pay for the news they post. And Guilbeaults words are promising. It is about levelling the playing field, he says. Those who benefit from the Canadian ecosystem must also contribute to it, through the Canadian broadcasting sector or the fair remuneration for the use of news content... That includes making sure that Canadian news organizations continue to inform and empower our communities. Thats a very welcome change from the way the Trudeau government approached the issue until a year or so ago essentially standing on the sidelines while other countries pushed back against Big Tech. Guilbeault has sounded a new note, one more in line with the approach set out in January by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by the government itself. It proposed a series of recommendations designed to make sure the digital giants contribute a lot more to the system they profit from so generously. They included ways the government could help to foster a strong, financially stable news sector by, among other things, ensuring that news creators are compensated for the use of their original content by online platform providers. Thats the basic direction Australia is going. The government there at first proposed a voluntary code to govern the relationship between the news industry and digital companies. But when that didnt work out it asked its competition regulator to develop a mandatory code. Google and Facebook will have to negotiate deals with news companies to pay for content, or face penalties. The digital giants, no surprise, argue that all this is unfair and say they benefit the news industry as much as it benefits them. And with the threat of government action in the background, theyve introduced various programs to help struggling news organizations keep producing local journalism. But the amount and quality of information available to citizens shouldnt depend on the largesse of Google, Facebook and the like. The digital platforms have been making billions of dollars off the back of original content producers, in the words of an open letter to the Trudeau government issued in May by Canadas major newspaper publishers (including, full disclosure, the company that owns the Toronto Star). The government, through Guilbeault, has promised action this fall to tame the power of the digital giants. The threats issued by Facebook & Co. against its counterpart in Australia should not deter it. On the contrary, they should stiffen the governments resolve to act. Read more about: Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com? Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Amaero International (ASX:3DA) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves. Check out our latest analysis for Amaero International Does Amaero International Have A Long Cash Runway? A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. As at June 2020, Amaero International had cash of AU$4.0m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$7.9m. That means it had a cash runway of around 6 months as of June 2020. That's quite a short cash runway, indicating the company must either reduce its annual cash burn or replenish its cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. How Is Amaero International's Cash Burn Changing Over Time? In our view, Amaero International doesn't yet produce significant amounts of operating revenue, since it reported just AU$117k in the last twelve months. Therefore, for the purposes of this analysis we'll focus on how the cash burn is tracking. Remarkably, it actually increased its cash burn by 383% in the last year. Given that sharp increase in spending, the company's cash runway will shrink rapidly as it depletes its cash reserves. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Amaero International due to its lack of significant operating revenues. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow. Story continues Can Amaero International Raise More Cash Easily? Since its cash burn is moving in the wrong direction, Amaero International shareholders may wish to think ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations. Amaero International has a market capitalisation of AU$56m and burnt through AU$7.9m last year, which is 14% of the company's market value. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted. How Risky Is Amaero International's Cash Burn Situation? Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Amaero International's cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Considering all the measures mentioned in this report, we reckon that its cash burn is fairly risky, and if we held shares we'd be watching like a hawk for any deterioration. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 5 warning signs for Amaero International (of which 3 can't be ignored!) you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow. 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. Kolkata, Sep 3 : A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was allegedly beaten to death inside a police lock-up in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district. The incident took place late on Wednesday night when the police arrested Anup Roy, a resident of Nandan village. He was picked up in connection with a robbery case. "We picked him up in connection with a robbery case that took place on August 28. After interrogating the robbery gang, we came to know about Anup. After we took him to the police station, he suddenly fell ill in the police lock-up. We took him to the nearest hospital where he died," said North Dinajpur police superintendent Sumit Kumar. The family members of the deceased, however, claimed that the officers at the Raiganj police station had left the body of Roy at the Baroborua area quite late at night. The post-mortem was also conducted in a hurried manner in the night. Reacting angrily to the incident, the district BJP unit called for a protest outside the Raiganj police station on Friday. It was also alleged by the BJP that Roy was beaten to death by the police during interrogation while in custody. Roy was taken to the Raiganj hospital on Wednesday night where he was declared brought dead. The police, however, claimed that the BJP worker had suffered a heart attack in the lock-up and hence was taken to the hospital for necessary treatment. "It was completely illegal. He was picked by the police without any valid basis. No one in his Roy's family was informed about the arrest. We have protested against the police atrocities and demanded a fresh post-mortem," said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh. Local sources said that Roy was a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supporter before he joined the BJP about seven months ago. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island was the only borough of New York City with fewer shootings than the year prior for the month of August, according to the NYPD. After a turbulent spree from June through July, Staten Island saw a dramatic dip in gun-related assaults in August. The city overall experienced a whopping 166% increase in the number of shootings with 242 incidents last month compared to 91 in August 2019, according to a news release from the NYPD. Homicides in the city were up 47% citywide last month, with 53 deaths compared to 36 in August 2019, according to the news release. Staten Island had one shooting incident (compared to three in August last year) and no murders through Aug. 30, according to the NYPDs CompStat crime-tracking website. A spike in gunplay occurred from mid-June through the end of July, when there were 13 shooting incidents reported. So far this year, shooting incidents on the Island have doubled, with 26 from the start of the year through Aug. 30 vs. 13 in the same time frame in 2019. There have been 10 murders on Staten Island so far this year, vs. nine in the first eight months of 2019. The statistics do not yet include a non-fatal shooting of a 19-year-old woman on the night of Aug. 31 in the West Brighton Houses. Officers responded to the shooting at 1075 Castleton Ave. just around 11:10 p.m., according to an NYPD spokesman. The victim, who was shot in the left leg, was transported to Richmond University Center in West Brighton in stable condition. No arrests have been made, according to police. A broad-daylight shooting in Mariners Harbor on Aug. 10 left an 18-year-old man seriously injured. Hilton Tucker, 19, of Roxbury Street in Mariners Harbor, and Gerome Jackson, 20, of John Street in Port Richmond, face attempted murder and other charges in connection with the shooting around 3:30 p.m. on Grandview Avenue. Youre no Bob Vila, but part of being a homeowner or renter is knowing how to tackle common home repair projects on your own. We're talking about tasks that fall somewhere between changing a lightbulb and hardwiring a light fixture. These projects aren't exactly no-brainers, but they also won't put you at risk of electrocution. But in the age of COVID-19, perhaps the biggest reason to improve your DIY skills is to reduce the number of folks who enter your homeand that includes repairmen and maintenance workers. So if you can master basic home repair skills, you can be self-reliant and stay safe. There is never a bad time to improve DIY skills, but keep in mind that projects can range in difficulty, says Hunter Macfarlane, a project expert at Lowes. Before starting any project, be sure to look through all of the instructions and ensure you have the tools you need. Dont take a hammer to the wall just yet. Strap on your tool belt, and start out with these no-nonsense DIY home repairs. Patch a hole with spackle Hanging a picture can be an exercise in trial and error that often yields unwanted holes in your drywall. Clean up those holes by patching them with spackle. It can be completed within minutesall youll need is spackle and a taping knife, says Macfarlane. Once you scrape away loose debris, cover the hole with fast-drying spackle and leave it to dry 24 hours. For holes larger than a typical nail hole, use a mesh patch to level the surface and evenly apply spackle. You can also use sanding sheets to smooth the area when youre finished. Replace a thermostat Photo by Nest Every 10 to 15 years, old thermostats might need to be replaced with a more upgraded model, like a smart thermostat, says Marla Mock, vice president of operations at Aire Serv. A smart, programmable thermostat with Wi-Fi can allow you to create a schedule to adjust temperatures, saving you the expense of heating and cooling an empty home. Just how much can you expect to save? Mock says 10% to 20% annually on heating and cooling bills. Installing a thermostat requires general tools such as a screwdriver, wood or drywall screws, masking tape, and power drill, as well as a basic knowledge of carpentry. To begin, turn off the power to your heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system, carefully remove the existing thermostat from the wall, disconnect the wires from the back of the thermostat, and carefully label which wire is which. Connect the new thermostat to the wires protruding from the wall. Mount the thermostat to the wall using the included hardware. Power on your new thermostat, and set accordingly, Mock says. Repair tile grout Tile grout is porous and can allow dirt, moisture, and other particles to get trapped, causing discoloration or mold, says Macfarlane. Luckily, repairing tile grout is easy and inexpensive and can give bathroom or kitchen tile a fresh look. Start by cleaning the broken grout area with a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water, then use a grout saw to remove loose or damaged grout, says Macfarlane. Remove any debris from between the lines, then dampen the tile and wipe up any excess water. Use a grout float, held at an angle, to fill the joints with new grout. Let the grout set firmly, and remove any excess with a damp sponge. After the grout dries completely, apply a sealant to protect it from future cracking and mold. Paint a wall Photo by Alder and Tweed Design Co. Ready to switch it up? If your walls are in dire need of a fresh coat of paint, this is a simple project that can be tackled in a weekend. Macfarlane says prep work is needed to keep the space clean and the finishing looking fresh. Use a plastic dropcloth or an old sheet to protect furniture, and dont forget to grab painter's tape to cover door handles and electrical outlets, says Macfarlane. Youll also need a few 5-gallon buckets for your paint, as well as rollers, trays, and angled brushes. He says DIYers can use Lowes online paint calculator to get the right amount of paint and stay within budget. Spot-treat your carpet Being indoors so much means your carpet has seen better days, so a good DIY carpet clean is in order. Make a detergent solution by mixing one teaspoonful of a colorless, mild detergent or dishwashing liquid in a cup of lukewarm water, says Jack White, director of special projects at Rainbow International Restoration. Blot the mixture into the carpet, and avoid rubbing the stained area since it can drive the stain deeper and possibly damage your carpet. White cautions not to soak or overwet the area. Rinse with water, and blot until dry with a white cotton towel. If the stain remains, you can attempt to remove it with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Replace a toilet flapper A likely culprit for a toilet that won't stop running is a faulty flappera small piece of rubber that acts as a stopper, separating the tank from the bowl, says Aaron Mulder, co-owner and operations manager for Mr. Rooter Plumbing of San Antonio, TX. A good way to test for a leaking flapper is to add a few drops of food coloring to the top of the tank where the flapper and flush valve are. Check to see if the water inside the bowl is turning the color of the food coloring you added. If it is, you know you have a leaking/passing flapper, says Mulder. He says replacing a toilet flapper is simple and inexpensive for a homeowner to do, and that flappers need to be replaced every two to three years. First, turn off the water supply behind the toilet, remove the lid from the tank, and then flush the toilet to drain the tank. Remove the old flapper from inside the tank. Then, place the new flapper in the tank and attach the new flapper's chain to the trip lever, making sure to leave enough slack so that the flapper can fully close, covering the flush valve seat. Turn the toilet's water supply back on, and do a test flush. If it's silent after the tank refills, that means it worked. The post DIY Home Repairs Everyone Should Know How To Do in the Age of COVID-19 appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. A civilian navy engineer has been charged with stealing government documents on military weapons systems and selling them to a California company who then resold the information to domestic and international clients. Mark Fitting, 53, who works at a US Navy facility in Philadelphia, was among four people charged on Wednesday on federal charges of stealing government-owned technical information. Prosecutors allege that Fitting downloaded technical drawings and manuals related to US military weapons systems and sold them to Newport Aeronautical Sales Corporation - a company in Newport Beach, California that sells technical aircraft data. Newport Aeronautical Sales in Newport Beach, California is pictured above. Mark Fitting, 53, who works at a US Navy facility in Philadelphia, was among four people charged on Wednesday on federal charges of stealing government-owned technical information. Prosecutors allege that Fitting downloaded technical drawings and manuals related to US military weapons systems and sold them to Newport Aeronautical Sales Corporation Melony Erice, 54, who used to live with Fitting, has also been charged, as well as two employees at the company George Posey IV, 36, and Dean Mirabal, 52. Fitting and Erice are accused of selling at least 5,000 government documents between September 2012 and June last year. The Navy engineer was allowed access to military computer systems after promising to safeguard controlled data, the complaint says. Prosecutors say military investigators started investigating Fitting over claims he 'was interfering with the quality assurance process for aircraft canopies intended for use in US military aircraft'. The agents found two dozen emails sent from Fitting's Navy email account to Erice's Gmail. Those emails contained government-controlled technical drawings or manuals related to various military weapons systems, including aircraft, the complaint says. '[S]ome of those drawings and manuals were specifically labeled with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) distribution warnings related to export control and destruction, as well as DOD contractor proprietary markings,' the affidavit alleges. Investigators say Fitting had access to Erice's Gmail account, which allowed them both to sell the documents to the Newport company. Over that same seven year period, prosecutors say the company wrote out 150 checks in Erice's name that totaled $509,845. The complaint alleges that Fitting and Erice shared the proceeds given they had access to the same bank accounts and credit cards. Prosecutors say they have a lengthy email between Fitting and Erice that outlined how the engineer was entitled to 75 percent of the profits. In some cases, Fitting downloaded specific documents requested by the Newport company. The complaint says that Posey and Mirabal, the employees, knew it was illegal to secure the documents but still paid for them anyway. The felony offense of theft of government property carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Dogs are considered one of the loyal animals. Owners of dogs get attached with their pets so much that they soon start behaving with them as a family member. There have been so many stories about dogs doing extraordinary things for their owners. In one such incident, a dog travelled more than 10,000 miles to rejoin with its owners. As the COVID-19 outbreak forced many countries to adopt strict lockdown measures, the dogs owners, who were on their round-the-world sailing trip, had to return to their home country Australia. They were at that time in South Carolina, reported CNN Travel. The dog named Pipsqueak could not be taken along with its owners because of Australias tough pet import rules. Owing to this, the family which owned the dog, asked a friend named Lynn Williams to look after it. They thought they would meet him shortly. But things did not go as planned. As Lynn already had two dogs, she could not keep the third one for very long. So, she advertised for someone to take the responsibility of Pipsqueak. Three people responded to the advertisement and one among them was Ellen Steinberg. The deal was that Pip would decide who she would go to live with. We (her and her dog Frankly) won the shootout, and Pip came a few days later," Steinberg tells CNN Travel. Meanwhile, Zoe, the original owner of the dog, would wake up at 4 am to get the paper work done for importing Pip from the US to Australia. But, things were getting difficult because of COVID-19 restrictions and it became clear that Zoe and her family would not be able to travel to the US to take Pip. The only option was that the dog had to make the long journey to Australia alone. Fortunately, the dog finally reached its owners on August 11, five months after getting separated from them. Market Update - Box Hill Project Sydney, Sep 3, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Ventus Aqua Limited (Ventus Aqua or Company) ( NSX:VAQ ) provides the below operational update for its engagement in respect of the Panorama Box Hill Apartment Project (Box Hill Project).The Company has secured a 3-year lease for a warehouse and operational facility in Clayton South to service the Box Hill Project, which is entering its supply and installation phase in mid to late September 2020. In line with the Company's expansion plan outlined in its IPO prospectus, this facility will be the headquarters for the Company's operations in Victoria.Ventus Aqua's Managing Director, Mr Sunny Chi said: "The current Stage 4 restrictions in response to the COVID-19 situation in Victoria has caused the Box Hill Project construction site to operate with no more than 25% of the usual workforce and this has delayed our progress in the project by several weeks. We are hopeful that state-wide restrictions will ease in the coming weeks as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to decrease."Keeping in line with its expansion into the Victorian market, the Company has established a facade division, aimed at providing design and glass supply solutions for structural building facades in the residential and commercial market.The Company also proposes to change its name to "Australia Sunny Glass Group Limited". This change of name will require approval of shareholders at a general meeting. Details of the name change are set out in the Notice of General Meeting released on 24 August 2020.About Australia Sunny Glass Group Ltd Australia Sunny Glass Group Limited (NSX:AG1) seeks to establish itself as a supplier of premium treated glass products to the construction industry in Australia, including in the residential and commercial building markets. A Russian combat vehicle collided with a U.S. armored vehicle in Syria on Aug. 25, reportedly injuring at least four American service members. It was clear from recently surfaced video that this was no accident, as the Russian vehicles appear to be recklessly and intentionally harassing the U.S. combat vehicles. Many Americans will want to reflexively push back against Russia. The course of action that best safeguards Americas interests and security, however, is to end our pointless presence in Syria. We cant let them intimidate us! the thinking goes. If the United States were to withdraw our troops from Syria, the Russians would fill the void and we would be in a weaker position. While such views may seem logical, the reality on the ground and an assessment of the strategic environment in which these events have occurred demands a different response. President Barack Obama first sent U.S. troops into Syria in October 2015 to aid in the fight against Islamic State. It was always of questionable value to send American troops into a sovereign country in the middle of a civil war, but even if we accept the original premise, the ostensible military mission justifying the U.S. presence in Syria ended long ago. The so-called ISIS caliphate was destroyed in late 2017 when we supported Syrian Democratic Forces in the liberation of ISIS capital, Raqqa. Splintered, the caliphate was wiped off the map in March 2019 when the ISIS adherents lost the final holdout of Baghuz in Syria. There has been no valid military mission since. The longer we delay in withdrawing our troops from the region, the longer and greater will be our risk of eventually stumbling into an unnecessary war. Last weeks clash with Russian troops is the latest incident, but far from the only one, that could have sparked a wider conflict. In July, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, said American and Russian troops in Syria have some type of contact almost every day. The majority of the contacts are uneventful but not all, as last weeks collision demonstrated. Less than three weeks ago, U.S. and Syrian troops engaged in an armed clash that left a Syrian soldier dead. Iranian militia leaders vowed revenge on U.S. troops in the region for the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January. Any of these adversary forces or the multitude of other violent jihadist organizations operating in Syria could attack and kill American troops. There is no justification to continue asking our uniformed service members to risk their lives in the daily conduct of an operation without an attainable objective. Remember, too, that President Donald Trump toyed with the idea three times between 2017 and 2019 of withdrawing all U.S. troops from Syria. Had he carried through with his boasts of withdrawal, this clash would never have happened, and we would not be saddled with the routine cost in blood and treasure required to support this unnecessary mission. Keeping our troops in Syria for the defense of civilian oil companies only the latest in a long line of excuses for staying in Syria is an egregious misuse of our troops. There is one other important point worth highlighting: we need to get out of our heads the fallacious idea that winning Syria is some sort of prize to be coveted. It is not. Having American troops stationed there does nothing to safeguard our security, recklessly increases our chances of getting sucked into the conflicts of other nations or groups and weakens our own security by dissipating our troops ability to prepare for potential great power conflicts which may arise in the future. Remember also that if we withdraw from Syria, Russia wont be filling any void: theyve had relations with Syria for decades, including airfields and seaports. But there is one other, significant fact on the ground to understand. Our armed presence in Syria with the SDF means that Damascus and Moscow dont have to worry about securing thousands of square miles of Syrian territory. If we left, Syrian and Russian troops would have to take on a greater security burden, costing both nations considerable sums of money and spreading thin their already weak troops. Withdrawing from Syria is not a sign of weakness. It would not be capitulating to our adversaries. It would be the most wise, intelligent and beneficial course of action for the United States. As Trump himself once tweeted (a paraphrase of Sun Tzu): He who defends everywhere, defends nowhere. There is another nugget of military wisdom the president should consider: Dont risk losing a war by fighting an unnecessary battle. Daniel L. Davis is a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who retired in 2015 after 21 years, including four combat deployments. THE CAIPLIE CAVES By Karen Solie We love the things we love for what they are, Robert Frost declares at the end of Hyla Brook. But as Frost knew, thats only half the truth. We also love the things we love because of how they make us feel about ourselves, which is itself often a function of how we think they make us appear to others. Or so roughly 97 percent of social media postings, particularly those involving boats, would suggest. This fact has a special relevance for poets, because while our culture generally has little interest in poems as such, there is still cachet in being seen as a Person Who Reads Poetry. A writer who aspires to recognition beyond the thorny borders of the poetry world accordingly faces two countervailing challenges: On one hand, shell need to produce something that looks like poetry to the audience she hopes for (usually readers of literary fiction); on the other hand, what looks like poetry to that audience is partly defined by its unfamiliarity. In order to satisfy, then, the work must somehow be both readily identifiable and mystifying. This peculiar phenomenon helps explain the oddity of Karen Solies new book, The Caiplie Caves. This is Solies fifth collection of new work; her previous efforts have won an array of honors and awards, including Canadas lucrative Griffin Prize (Solie is from Saskatchewan). Indeed, Solie is now considered one of Canadas best poets, according to the back of her 2009 collection Pigeon. Her American debut, The Road In Is Not the Same Road Out, appeared in 2015; on its cover the critic Michael Hofmann declared, Solies work should be read wherever English is read high praise for sure, even if that should seems a little poignant. So Solie has reached the point at which, as a poet, you begin to notice youre being noticed, and to wonder if the attention means you should try something different. The Caiplie Caves is certainly that. For one thing, its Solies first project book. In the poetry world, this vague-sounding description has a very specific meaning; it refers to collections in which many or all of the poems, rather than being about the usual variety of poetic stimuli (trees, exes, dead relatives), instead relate to a unitary subject, which will typically be a hefty political or historical matter rather than, for instance, laundry or houseplants. The advantage to the project book is that its contents are easy to describe (readily identifiable) even if the individual poems are filled with airy poeticisms (mystifying). If it sounds as if project books are usually tedious, thats not the case some are quite good. But in an era in which poets often need to produce collections in order to remain employed, its reasonable to look skeptically on a form that can resemble a paint-by-numbers kit. Preparing the Next Generation to Lead in Uncertain Times Program Builds Next Gen Leaders with Focus on a "New Leadership Profile" ZURICH, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jordan Topoleski , 20, from the United States has been named as the Global CEO for One Month to work alongside Alain Dehaze, CEO, the Adecco Group , 20, from has been named as the Global CEO for One Month to work alongside Alain Dehaze, CEO, the Adecco Group Adecco Group CEO for One Month program builds next generation leaders, with a focus on the new profile of leadership required in a post-pandemic world of work The pandemic has demanded a new set of required leadership competencies and these expectations will accelerate the reinvention of the modern-day leader. Jordan Topoleski, 20, from the United States was today named the Adecco Group's 2020 Global CEO for One Month. For the first time, the program was performed fully online. The CEO for One Month program is designed to build the next generation of leaders, informed by Adecco Group research that shows the emergence of a new profile of skills and qualities needed for future leaders to succeed in an increasingly uncertain world. Following an eight-month selection process involving more than 200,000 applications from 34 countries, Jordan was chosen to spend one month serving alongside the Adecco Group CEO, Alain Dehaze. He will contribute to the day-to-day running of the world's leading HR solutions company and help shape the future world of work. Beginning in February, this year's CEO for One Month selection process adapted quickly to COVID-19 requirements and used the situation to help young people to think about what it means to lead in challenging times. The process began when 34 talented young leaders of tomorrow were chosen to shadow the Adecco Group's respective country CEOs. Ten finalists were then chosen to take part in the 'virtual global bootcamp' this week, which took them through a series of assessments and exercises to test their abilities and develop their leadership potential. At the close of the bootcamp, Jordan was selected as the Global CEO for One Month. This year's program comes at a time when sweeping workplace changes are coming in a post-pandemic world of work especially around the expectations of leaders and what it takes to succeed. The command and control approach of the past is quickly shifting toward more distributed leadership models. Being a 'high EQ leader' is crucial, with empathy, trust and a focus on wellbeing and culture-building critical. Research from the Adecco Group shows that the pandemic has demanded a new set of leadership competencies and that these expectations will accelerate a reinvention of the modern-day leader: 74% of employees want their managers to demonstrate a leadership style focussed on empathy and a supportive attitude 70% of employees say that support for their mental wellbeing will be important to them after the pandemic. A further study commissioned by the Adecco Group which assessed 'Gen Z' leaders of tomorrow, found that many young people already possess many of the attributes needed to succeed. The report found that in many areas, including deductive reasoning and how world views are processed and applied to a strategic problem, the 'Gen Z' group showed stronger leadership traits than many current business leaders. Commenting on today's announcement, Adecco Group CEO, Alain Dehaze, said: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome Jordan to the Adecco Group and I am looking forward to working alongside him and learning from his insights on the future of work and leadership. This year's CEO for One Month announcement comes at a pivotal time, with the world of work likely to never return to the "normal" we knew before the pandemic. In particular, the sudden and dramatic change in the workplace landscape has accelerated the demand for a new leadership profile. Modern day leaders will need to reinvent themselves with a focus on emotional intelligence, and soft skills development will be critical. Now in its tenth year, the CEO for One Month program is an excellent opportunity to identify, develop, and learn from, the leaders of tomorrow, as they prepare to lead in an uncertain future." The Global CEO for One Month 2020, Jordan Topoleski said: "I am beyond happy to be the next CEO for One Month, especially in a company that is at the forefront of the current shifts taking place across the world of work. It is a historic and deeply challenging time to be a leader and I really look forward to further honing my own skills and helping shape the future of work." About CEO for One Month The 'CEO for One Month' program began as a local initiative in Norway in 2011 and went global in 2014, since growing to become a flagship initiative for the Adecco Group. It supports high potential young people increase their employability and career prospects through highly effective work-based learning. It operates under the Adecco Group Foundation which aims to improve work readiness of young people and other underserved populations. Applications for the 2020 programme exceeded 200,000. Website: www.ceofor1month.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ceofor1month Twitter: https://twitter.com/CEOfor1Month Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceofor1month/ About the Adecco Group The Adecco Group is the world's leading HR solutions company. We believe in making the future work for everyone, and every day enable more than 3.5 million careers. We skill, develop, and hire talent in 60 countries, enabling organisations to embrace the future of work. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we lead by example, creating shared value that fuels economies and builds better societies. Our culture of inclusivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork empowers our 35,000 employees. We are proud to have been consistently ranked one of the 'World's Best Workplaces' by Great Place to Work. The Adecco Group AG is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN) and powered by nine global brands: Adecco, Adia, Badenoch + Clark, General Assembly, Lee Hecht Harrison, Modis, Pontoon, Spring Professional and Vettery. For further information please contact: The Adecco Group Press Office: [email protected] or +41 (0) 44 878 87 87 Website: www.adeccogroup.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theadeccogroup Twitter: @AdeccoGroup Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197818/The_Adecco_Group_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Adecco Group Holloway is also involved in activism and protests in Eugene. While he faces some backlash from other veterans, Holloway believes he can bring new perspectives to his activism because of his military experience. Marcus Holloway, also known as m5 vibe, is a musician and poet based in Eugene, Oregon. (Will Geschke/Emerald) PORTLAND, Ore. Portlands police chief has denounced protesters who broke windows and set a fire to a business in the upscale apartment building where Mayor Ted Wheeler lives, labeling the events an escalation in the street violence that Oregons largest city has endured for months. The demonstration began late Monday and stretched into the predawn hours of Tuesday, targeting Wheeler, who is also police commissioner and has been criticized for heading up a police force that has repeatedly used tear gas against the demonstrators. The fire was set with a bundle of newspapers in a store housed on the ground floor of Wheelers building. There were no reports of major damage or injuries. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the demonstrators also wound up targeting other people who live in Wheelers building and have had nothing to do with the protests. Previously, the demonstrators have almost always clashed with police outside symbols of authority police buildings and courthouses. The families that live inside have done absolutely nothing to provoke a threat to their lives. As Ive stated repeatedly, the nightly violence is coming at increased cost, he said. This is impacting the safety of our entire city and urgent action is needed. Portland has endured nearly 100 days of nightly unrest following the police killing of George Floyd, including two weeks in July when thousands of protesters clashed with U.S. agents sent to protect the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Local police have arrested hundreds of people since Floyds death. A supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer was killed Saturday amid clashes between dueling groups of protesters. A caravan of Trump supporters, estimated at about 600 cars, encountered Black Lives Matter protesters as they drove through the downtown and street fights broke out. Police have not announced an arrest in the slaying of Aaron J. Danielson, 39, of Portland, and have disclosed no details about what led up the shooting. Wheeler said on his Facebook page that the vandalism hurt a minority-owned business. Arson and terrorizing families with children does nothing except steal, and distract from, the important message of the racial justice movement. Organizations in the community who encouraged or condoned these actions are complicit, he said. Wheeler added: The community must rise up and say `enough is enough and hold all of us accountable. We cannot truly move on together and make the positive changes we want to see until this violence is stopped. All violence. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Digital skills are crucial for the success of tomorrow's female entrepreneurs. Through a series of 20 workshops, young women will be inspired to develop their entrepreneurial and digital competences and learn how they can improve their skills to better engage and succeed in the tech and digital sectors," said Ray Murray, General Manager of Certiport. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) inspires and engages 500 young women from Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Romania and Spain to consider careers in innovation, entrepreneurship and technology by organizing a series of entrepreneurial and digital skills workshops. These efforts are managed by Certiports European consortium of partners, including Certipro, Aristotle Certification, Training and Assessment - ACTA, OpenEDG, Certiadria, and Fundacion Esplai (on behalf of PUE). According to the European Commission, the EU is facing an unparalleled shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals. Women account for 52% of the European population yet hold only 15% of ICT-related jobs. Only 1 in 6 ICT specialists is a woman in the EU, and only 1 in 3 STEM graduates is a woman. Increasing women's visibility and empowerment in the digital economy will drive economic growth and wider social progress, especially in countries with higher unemployment . The EITs Entrepreneurial and Digital Skills workshops project is part of the Digital Education Action Plan adopted by the European Commission, which supports the development of digital competences in education across Europe. More specifically, it delivers on the Training in Digital and Entrepreneurial Skills for Girls action, focused on promoting positive role models and enhancing digital and entrepreneurship skills to tackle the gender gap and boost female participation in science, technology and business. We are excited about this new opportunity, said Ray Murray, General Manager of Certiport. Through a series of 20 workshops, young women will be inspired to develop their entrepreneurial and digital competences and learn how they can improve their skills to better engage and succeed in the tech and digital sectors. Utilizing Certiports IC3 digital literacy certification and Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification, these young women will also have an opportunity to validate their newly acquired skills with an industry-recognized credential. Using virtual tools, project based learning and online collaboration, the EIT workshops will also give attendees access to strong role models who will be sharing inspirational stories and providing real-world insight into achieving successful tech and entrepreneurship careers. We are proud to help empower the next generation of female entrepreneurs. To ensure inclusiveness, the project consortium partners decidedly engaged participants who have not yet been exposed to digital and entrepreneurship education, are from geographically isolated areas, and/or are from areas with higher unemployment rates across the participating five countries. Background and Contacts EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology The EIT was created in 2008 to drive Europes ability to innovate. The EIT is a unique EU initiative, the only one to fully integrate business, education and research in Europes largest innovation network. The Institute supports the development of dynamic pan-European partnerships among leading universities, research labs and companies. These are called Innovation Communities and each tackles a specific global challenge. Together with their leading partners, they offer a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship activities across Europe. This includes education courses that combine technical and entrepreneurial skills, business creation and acceleration services and innovation driven research projects. For more information visit eit.europa.eu & follow the EIT on Twitter @EITeu EIT media contact: press@eit.europa.eu, +36 307 889 875 About Certiport Certiport is the leading provider of learning curriculum, practice tests, and performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners. Certiport provides certification development, delivery and program management services through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers in 148 countries. More than 3 million Certiport exams are delivered in 26 languages across 148 countries each year throughout the academic, workforce, and corporate technology markets. Certiport is a Pearson VUE business, and is part of the worlds leading learning company, Pearson. To learn more, go to certiport.pearsonvue.com (http://certiport.pearsonvue.com). Media Contact: Alexander Wessendorff, Global PR & Communications Manager, alexander.wessendorff@pearson.com +44 7824 527814 The European Union will defend the International Criminal Court against attempts to undermine it, a spokesman for the bloc said Thursday after Washington slapped sanctions on the Hague-based tribunals top prosecutor. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday announced sanctions against ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and another senior court official, Phakiso Mochochoko, over a war crimes probe into US military personnel in Afghanistan. Washington has long rejected the ICCs jurisdiction over US citizens, but the courts investigation into allegations of atrocities in Afghanistan has seen President Donald Trumps administration turn low-level opposition into a concerted campaign against the institution. The International Criminal Court is facing persistent external challenges and the European Union stands firm against all attempts to undermine the international system of criminal justice by hindering the work of its core institutions, Peter Stano, spokesman for EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, told reporters. We are committed to strengthen our suport to the ICC because this is key factor in fighting against impunity. We are standing by the ICC and we are not happy to see steps which are going against the activities of the ICC. Pompeo has dismissed the ICC as a kangaroo court and the US insists it has its own procedures for investigating allegations against its troops. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Hacienda Apartments, at 1029 Summit Ave. E., sold for just under $8 million, according to King County records. The seller was a partnership related to a Canadian family, which had owned the property for 51 years. . . . Study is the most comprehensive analysis of its kind since 2009 Aviation has been calculated to be 3.5 per cent of all human activities that drive climate change, new research shows. A new international study provides unprecedented calculations of the impact of aviation on the climate from 2000 to 2018 to produce the most comprehensive insight to date. The findings show that two-thirds of the impact from aviation is attributed to non-carbon dioxide emissions and the rest from CO 2 . The research was led by the UK's Manchester Metropolitan University, in collaboration with numerous academic and research institutions across the globe, over the past five years The analysis - published in the journal Atmospheric Environment - is the first of its kind since 2009 and will be of significant use to stakeholders such as policymakers, industry bodies and non-government organisations. Researchers evaluated all of the aviation industry's contributing factors to climate change including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, and the effect of contrails and contrail cirrus - clouds of ice crystals created by aircraft jet engines at high altitude. This was analysed alongside the water vapour, soot, and aerosol and sulfate aerosol gases - fine particles suspended in the air - found in the exhaust plumes emitted by aircraft engines. The study is unique because it is the complete first set of calculations for aviation that uses a new metric introduced in 2013 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This metric is called 'effective radiative forcing' (ERF) and represents the increase or decrease since pre-industrialisation times in the balance between the energy coming from the sun and the energy emitted from the earth, known as the earth-atmosphere radiation budget. Using the new ERF metric, the team found that contrail cirrus' impact is less than half than that estimated previously but still the sector's largest contribution to global warming, by reflecting and trapping escaping heat from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide emissions represent the second largest contribution but unlike the effects of contrail cirrus, CO 2 's effect on climate lasts for many centuries. Lead author Professor David Lee, Professor of Atmospheric Science at Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of its Centre for Aviation, Transport, and the Environment research group, said: "Given the dependence of aviation on burning fossil fuel, its significant CO 2 and non-CO 2 effects, and the projected fleet growth, it is vital to understand the scale of aviation's impact on present day climate change, especially in view of the requirements of the Paris Agreement to reach 'net zero' CO 2 emissions by around 2050. "But estimating aviation's non-CO 2 effects on atmospheric chemistry and clouds is a complex challenge for contemporary atmospheric modeling systems. "It is difficult to calculate the contributions caused by a range of atmospheric physical processes, including how air moves, chemical transformations, microphysics, radiation, and transport." The scientists undertook a comprehensive analysis of individual aviation ERFs to provide an overall ERF for global aviation for the first time. Similar studies were conducted in 1999, 2005 and 2009 but this is the most current and most extensive, with lots of the details in the science having changed and matured. Professor Lee added: "The new study means that aviation's impact on climate change can be compared with other sectors such as maritime shipping, ground transportation and energy generation as it has a consistent set of ERF measurements." Dr Laura Wilcox, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading and NCAS, contributed the assessment of water vapour impact to the study. She said: "There are many different components of aviation's large impact on climate change, but the positive side of that is it provides us with many ways we can make changes to mitigate it. "This massive assessment demonstrates the magnitude of the climate change impact of aviation, and confirms that urgent action is needed to reduce the environmental impact of all travel to avoid very serious impacts to our way of life in the future." Professor Lee and his team calculated that the cumulative CO 2 emissions of global aviation throughout the course of the industry's entire history - defined as between 1940 and 2018 - were 32.6 billion tonnes. Approximately half the total cumulative emissions of CO 2 were generated in the last 20 years alone, attributed largely to the expansion of the number of flights, number of routes and fleet sizes, particularly in Asia, though partially offset by improvements in aircraft and jet engine technology, larger average aircraft sizes and increasing efficiency in the use of aircraft capacity to fit more passengers in the same space. The research team estimated the figure of 32.6 billion tonnes accounted for 1.5 per cent of total CO 2 emissions ever at that point. And when the non-CO 2 impacts were factored in, aviation's was calculated to be 3.5 per cent of all human activities that drive climate change. The researchers noted that while the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change does include domestic aviation in individual country's reduction targets, it does not address international aviation, which accounts for 64 per cent of air traffic. Unlike direct emissions of non-CO 2 greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and methane from sources such as the agricultural sector, aviation's non-CO 2 effects are not covered by the former Kyoto Protocol. Professor Lee added: "It is unclear whether future developments of the Paris Agreement or International Civil Aviation Organization negotiations to mitigate climate change, in general, will include short-lived indirect greenhouse gases like nitrogen oxides, contrail cirrus, aerosol-cloud effects, or other aviation non-CO 2 effects. "Aviation is not mentioned explicitly in the text of the Paris Agreement, which says total global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced rapidly to achieve a balance between man-made emissions and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century. "As the COVID-19 pandemic changes, aviation traffic is likely to recover to meet projected rates on varying timescales, with continued growth, further increasing CO 2 emissions and, of course, historical emissions of CO 2 take many centuries to be removed. "Therefore, reducing CO 2 aviation emissions will remain a continued focus in reducing future man-made climate change, along with aviation's non-CO 2 contribution." The study suggests solutions that include re-routing flights to avoid creating contrail cirrus but the trade-off is a longer flight path and more fuel burnt, producing more greenhouse gas emissions. The team also noted how changes to combustion technology to reduce NOx emissions can increase CO 2 emissions. Co-author David Fahey, Director of the Earth System Research Laboratories at the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a Visiting Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: "This study is a great example of an international collaboration to clarify how human activities cause climate change. "Our assessment has strengthened the scientific foundation of the role of aviation in the climate system and established a framework for future assessments. "Our assessment will aid decision makers and the industry in pursuing any future mitigation actions while protecting this important sector from any inaccurate assertions concerning its role in the climate system." ### Capt Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal Chandigarh: Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday warned his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal against trying to exploit the Covid crisis to instigate people in Punjabs villages, which have witnessed a spurt of fake news and provocative videos, at least one of which was found to have emanated from abroad, most likely Pakistan, and propagated here by an active worker of Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Arvind Kejriwal and Capt Amarinder Advertisement AAPs Amrinder Singh has been arrested and is being questioned to ascertain who motivated him to circulate the outrageous post of a dead body to mislead the people of Punjab into believing that organs of dead Corona patients were being removed by the Punjab Health Department. The Chief Minister said the video/post propagated by the AAP worker was seen to be exhorting and provoking people not to cooperate with health authorities, thus endangering the health and safety of the citizens of the State. Such rumours are provoking a section of the community to resist proper medical care which needs to be provided to all Covid affected citizens, which is a clear case of a deadly criminal conspiracy against the people of the State who are already suffering due to the pandemic, said Captain Amarinder. Advertisement Capt Amarinder There were enough indications of a massive plot by elements inimical to the interests of Punjab, he said, disclosing that the police had on Thursday morning registered another case (FIR No. 238) at PS Civil Lines, Patiala, on a complaint by a local medical journalist, who was offered 100 dollars for making and circulating a false video on Covid scare. Captain Amarinder said Kejriwals announcement in the midst of the shocking viral campaign, asking AAP workers to go around villages and streets of Punjab with Oxymeters to check peoples oxygen levels, raised serious questions on the role of his party in the conspiracy to undermine the Punjab governments efforts to keep the pandemic under check and save the lives of the people of the state. Advertisement The Delhi Chief Ministers decision could have grave repercussions for Punjabs security and integrity, said Captain Amarinder, warning Kejriwal against playing into the hands of anti-India forces from across the border, who are trying to use the Covid pandemic to foment fresh trouble for the state. Captain Amarinder asked the Delhi Chief Minister to stay out of Punjab and focus on managing Covid in his own state, where the situation was worsening by the day with more than 2500 new cases being reported yesterday and hospitals reportedly running out of ICU beds again. Captain Amarinder Singh Advertisement We dont need your Oxymeters. We just need you to rein in your workers in Punjab, where they are trying to incite my people into not going to hospitals to get themselves tested and treated for Covid, said Captain Amarinder to Kejriwal. AAP worker Amrinder Singh of village Mishriwala, Naju Shah, PS Kulgarhi, Ferozepur, has been arrested by Punjab Police in a case u/s 66 IT Act, 54 DMA and 153 IPC for circulation of false and misleading posts on social media platforms. Photographs and videos claiming that doctors were removing vital organs of Covid patients had been traced to 31-year-old Amrinder, who was actively operating from Moga. The posts/videos were exhorting and provoking people not to cooperate with health authorities and spreading false rumours about removal of body organs of dead corona patients by the Health department, thus endangering the health and safety of the citizens of the State. Capt Amarinder SinghIt is learnt that Amrinder Singh is an active worker of AAP and was an aspirant for the MLA ticket from Ferozepur Assembly segment from AAP party. He has been actively involved in political activities on behalf of AAP and participates in protests and agitations on behalf of the party. Meanwhile, Captain Amarinder has asked DGP Dinkar Gupta to thoroughly investigate the complaint of journalist Taruni Gandhi about being offered money to spread fake videos on the Covid crisis. The Chief Minister has asked the DGP to ensure strict action against all those endangering the lives of Punjabs people by launching such an atrocious campaign. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The economy on COVID-19 Im worried Brandon is going to end up bankrupt. We depend on money from tourism. If Pallister and the Manitoba government hadnt eased the travel restrictions we might have recuperated some sort of income this year. But now Id be surprised if next year isnt going to suffer the same fate. Im all for saving lives, but if people start losing their homes, there wont be anywhere safe to distance ourselves from the rest of the world. Essential workers In this small backwards town, COVID-19 has hit hard. Im an essential worker and I see this all first-hand. People need to stay home. I myself am getting tired of seeing the same faces risking getting themselves and others infected over a small amount of goods or service. Now dont get me wrong, I dont wanna see people hoarding everything but, in general I see people who are selfish and ignorant. The ones reading this that know me know Im saying the truth. Im an essential worker and get treated bad daily for doing my job. Treat essential workers kindly. Dauphin doctor I cannot believe a highly trained physician believes masks are not necessary. Common sense will lead to the conclusion that spray emitted from people talking, sneezing and coughing, at least some will be blocked by a mask. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading expert in infectious diseases, states that based on current research, masks are effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Even if masks were totally ineffective, wearing a mask is such a simple, easy and low-cost barrier against the virus. Thanks a bunch Many thanks to the inconsiderate shopper at Sobeys on 18th Street on Tuesday afternoon about 2:10. The winds were terrible and as I was leaving the parking lot and stopped for another vehicle, the cart you left sitting in a parking spot was caught by the wind gusts and caused considerable damage to my car. The cart corrals are there for a reason use them! I am now left with the deductible to pay all because of your laziness. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Social media has forever changed our society and how people do business. A 2013 report by J.D. Power found nearly two-thirds of customers have used a company's social media site to connect with customer service. New research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research finds businesses that use Twitter as a social care channel are seeing a 19% increase in customer satisfaction. The study, "The Voice of the Customer: Managing Customer Care on Twitter," looks at data from Twitter service accounts for the four big telecommunications firms in the United States. The two that rise to the top among online customer care are AT&T and Verizon compared to Sprint and T-Mobile. "It's clear more customers than ever use social media to seek help from businesses. We strive to determine an optimal strategy to manage digital customer care such as Twitter," said Vijay Mookerjee of the University of Texas at Dallas. Mookerjee alongside Reza Mousavi and Monica Johar of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte conducted the study. They found that responding to customer queries on social media has profound impacts on customer sentiment as well as the appearance of service quality. "The top two firms, AT&T and Verizon, do better in terms of the effectiveness of care support over Sprint and T-Mobile," continued Mookerjee, a professor of information systems at UT Dallas. "Good digital care consists not merely of responding to tweets, but effort-intensive activity in which customer tweets need to be carefully examined and adequately addressed." Customers also expect better quality of care from firms that charge more money for similar cellular plans. "This type of quality care may require designing some sort of ticket generation system that would detect the tweets that require follow up. Then put in place a good customer service team that would be able to resolve the issues. Simply sending out automated tweets is not sufficient for achieving good quality care," said Mookerjee. Meanwhile, an event that is perceived positive by customers would lower their expectations of care quality. But the researchers say an event that is perceived as negative by the customer, such as a price hike, would increase customers' expectations of care quality. One way around negative events is tailoring response efforts in anticipation of potentially influential events, such as marketing campaigns, a new product release or even a data security breach. Explore further Looking for better customer engagement value? Be more strategic on social media More information: Reza Mousavi et al. The Voice of the Customer: Managing Customer Care in Twitter, Information Systems Research (2020). Journal information: Information Systems Research Reza Mousavi et al. The Voice of the Customer: Managing Customer Care in Twitter,(2020). DOI: 10.1287/isre.2019.0889 A tragic incident occurred around the palace of the Shehu of Borno in Shehuri north local government area (LGA) of Borno state on Tuesday September 1, as a 9-year-old boy identified as Abdu Tijjani was killed after a soldier opened fire. The soldier has been identified as Bukar Mustapha Limanti of the Operation Lafia Dole and it was further learnt that two other children sustained gunshot injuries. The two children who sustained injuries were taken to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unit of the Borno state specialist hospital in Maiduguri for treatment, while the culprit fled the scene. An eyewitness told TheCable; The recent incident of reckless shooting may not be unconnected to the murder of the innocent man. Bukar Mustapha Limanti is the son of the driver of the current chief imam of Borno state and he is serving at Chabbal IDP camp, along Maiduguri-Gubio road. He goes every morning to his duty post but comes back to town at night where he terrorises innocent people during the night with an AK-47. Two weeks ago, he shot a dog and a goat at Shehuri. This forced Digima Zubairu, the ward head of Shehuri north, to warn him, but he refused to listen and continued with the reckless shooting unabated. It was also alleged that an unidentified soldier had shot a deaf man selling kolanuts in same area two months ago. Greenwich is not the only community hit hard by car thefts, with about 70 stolen vehicles this year in town. And those thefts are just a part of the wave of car thefts that has been rollling through the region. In nearby Westchester County, N.Y., car thefts have also been rising dramatically, as inattentive vehicle owners have been leaving keys inside unlocked cars, according to law enforcement authorities. In Rye Brook, which abuts Greenwichs northwestern border, 13 cars have been stolen this year. In 2019, only one car was stolen in that community, according to Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. Speaking at a press conference Thursday in White Plains, N.Y., Scarpino displayed data from local law enforcement agencies that showed a year-over-year increase from 2019 to 2020 of 60 percent through the end of August across Westchester. While we do know of groups of professional thieves from New Jersey stealing luxury vehicles and exporting them for the overseas black market, a majority of thefts in the suburbs are carried out mostly by teens and young people from Connecticuts urban areas who are coming into Westchester, stealing cars which are left unlocked and with a fob/key left in the car, he said. A total of 540 cars have been reported stolen in Westchester through Aug. 31, compared to 338 in the same time period last year. Thats more than the 519 cars reported stolen in all of 2019, the D.A. said. The theft is bad enough, but these vehicles are being used to commit other crimes and endangering the lives of others. Some have been involved in police pursuits resulting in accidents. If you leave your car unlocked, you are helping criminals and putting others in danger, the Westchester D.A. said. The village of Scarsdale has seen a huge spike in stolen cars, with 21 cars stolen this year, after only one last year, he said. Southern Connecticut communities including Darien and New Canaan have also been reporting a large number of car thefts in recent months, police have said. Hondas accounted for the greatest number of thefts in Westchester, followed by Ford automobiles, Scarpino said. The numbers are staggering, he said. As auto thefts and grab-and-go crimes continue to plague the County along with the pandemic, I urge residents to be careful to lock their vehicles. These are crimes of opportunity. Yonkers led the list, with 157 stolen cars, followed by Mount Vernon, with 81 vehicle thefts. In nearby municipalities, 28 cars were stolen in White Plains, 23 in Rye and 19 in Harrison. Greenwich police spokesman Capt. Mark Zuccerella noted that officers working the overnight shift have been especially busy in recent weeks, looking to deter car thieves. The officers are out there when we are all asleep, doing their best disrupting crime, catching those who steal, responding to medical emergencies and whatever else is thrown at them, he said in a recent post on social media. Greenwich police have been reminding residents to keep their cars locked at all times. Cars stolen in Greenwich have been involved in a number of other crimes, some endangering the lives of other motorists and police officers, police said. The PDP said that the incident has exposed the 'hollow claims' that political leaders are free people in the Union Territory The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the Jammu and Kashmir administration had stopped senior party leaders, who are under home detention, from attending the party's first official meeting since Article 370 was abrogated last year, reports said. The party members sought to attend the meeting, scheduled at the Srinagar office, but the police didn't allow them to move out. The police cited orders preventing them from leaving their houses, The Indian Express reported. "PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura had convened a meeting of PDP leaders today but the authorities did not allow the leaders who are still under illegal detention to leave their homes," PDP spokesman Suhail Bukhari said. He said this has exposed the "hollow claims" that political leaders were free people in the Union Territory. "The lies have been exposed. This proves that they have lied before institutions like the Supreme Court on India," he added. The party had written to various government authorities like the Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, IGP Security, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, SSP Srinagar and SSP security, informing them about the meeting, The Indian Express report added. However, party leaders were quoted as saying that there was no response to the letter. Meanwhile, CPM leader MY Tarigami condemned the police action to disallow PDP leaders from moving out of their houses for the party meeting. It has once again exposed the hollow claims of the BJP government about normalcy in Kashmir, he said. "It is highly astonishing that the BJP government is even afraid of allowing a political party to hold a meeting. For more than one year, the BJP government has been lying about normalcy in Kashmir. If that is the case (that there is normalcy), then why were senior leaders of a political party placed under house arrest and not allowed to meet?" he asked. "The fact is that the only thing the revocation of Article 370 has achieved so far is a complete abrogation of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and an unconscionable suppression of civil and democratic rights," he added. Tarigami said the government must release all party leaders, including PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, without any further delay. China urged India on Wednesday to immediately stop all provocations and withdraw its troops that illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control in the western sector of the China-India boundary. Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that India had several times this year breached agreements and the important consensus reached by the two sides, unilaterally altered the status quo with force and undermined peace and security in the border areas. "Responsibility for recent tensions in border regions was utterly on the Indian side, and China has exercised great restraint to prevent further escalation," Hua said. She said that a statement by Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava, which mentioned the "timely defensive action" of the Indian side, fully demonstrated that the latest incident was provoked by Indian troops. On Monday, Indian troops illegally crossed the LAC at the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Mountain Pass. Both sides are currently maintaining communication through military and diplomatic channels, Hua said, urging the Indian side to strictly control its front-line troops and refrain from any moves that may escalate tensions or complicate matters. "We hope that India will meet China halfway and implement bilateral agreements and the important consensus to safeguard peace and stability in the border areas with concrete efforts," she added. Since the border clash was caused by India's trespass into the Chinese side of the LAC at the Galwan Valley, China and India have conducted multiple talks at various levels to try to address border issues in a peaceful manner. TROY Joel Abelove's trial for allegedly lying to a grand jury about the April 2016 fatal police shooting of unarmed drunken driving suspect Edson Thevenin in Troy will begin on Sept. 14 and the former Rensselaer County district attorney wants a judge, not a jury, to decide his fate. The judge who will handle the case, state Supreme Court Justice Jonathan D. Nichols of Columbia County, sided with Abelove when Abelove initially asked the judge to throw out charges a grand jury filed against him after the state Attorney General's office investigated how Abelove and police handled the Thevenin probe. It is the right of defendants in criminal cases to ask a judge rather than a jury to decide the verdict. A defendant can also make a request for a jury up until the start of the trial. Abelove's decision was anticipated by local legal observers, who called it Abelove's best option given Nichols has ruled in his favor previously. They also speculated that news coverage of Abelove's prosecution, the Thevenin case and Abelove's election loss to District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly could remain factors in the minds of would-be jurors. Last year, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court decided Nichols wrongly ruled in 2018 that the Attorney General's office lacked the authority to prosecute Abelove for perjury and "erred in granting defendant's motion to dismiss the indictment." After the reversal, Abelove asked the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, to take on his case, but they declined to hear an appeal, sending the case back to Nichols for trial. The criminal case pending against Abelove grew out of the April 17, 2016, confrontation in which Troy police Sgt. Randall French fatally shot Thevenin during a DWI stop. French died in late April 2020 after contracting COVID-19. Former Attorney General Eric Schneidermans office sent Abelove a letter two days after the shooting to determine if the attorney general had jurisdiction over the case. A 2015 executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo named the attorney general as the special prosecutor in cases where an unarmed civilian is killed by police and there is a "significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his or her death." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Abelove contended the Thevenin case did not fit the criteria, saying Thevenin's use of a vehicle to allegedly threaten the officer did not make him unarmed. Abelove presented the case to a county grand jury on April 22, 2016 which declined to file charges against the sergeant. Abelove allowed French to testify with immunity, eliminating the possibility the Attorney General's office could charge him in Thevenin's death. Abelove was indicted in a case that probed his controversial decision to rush the shooting case before a grand jury less than a week after Thevenin was shot. Abelove was charged with felony perjury and two misdemeanor counts of official misconduct. The perjury charge alleges that Abelove lied in front of the state grand jury investigating his conduct when he testified that another Troy police officer was given immunity when that officer testified in front of a grand jury in an unrelated fatal police shooting. Abelove, a Republican, served a four-year term before losing to Donnelly. MANILA, Philippines (AP) A Philippine court has ordered the early release for good conduct of a U.S. Marine convicted in the 2014 killing of a transgender Filipino which sparked anger in the former American colony. The Regional Trial Court Branch 74s order on Tuesday for the release of Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton drew protests from the family and lawyers of Jennifer Laude, who was found dead in a motel room in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila, after they met at a disco bar in October 2014. Pemberton has been held six years of a maximum 10-year jail term, mostly in a compound jointly guarded by Philippine and American security personnel at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila. The place of detention was agreed to under the terms of the treaty allies Visiting Forces Agreement, although Laudes family had demanded that Pemberton be held in an ordinary jail. I deplore the short period of imprisonment meted on Pemberton, who killed a Filipino under the most gruesome manner," said presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who once served as the Laude familys lawyer. Laudes death personifies the death of Philippine sovereignty. The light penalty imposed on Pemberton proves that despite the presidents independent foreign policy, Americans continue to have the status of conquering colonials in our country, Roque said. Pembertons lawyer, Rowena Garcia Flores, said his detention was shortened by authorities under a Philippine law that also applies to Filipinos. If all of Pembertons good-conduct merits in jail were applied, hes already overstaying, she said by phone. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said the military will help Bureau of Corrections jail personnel release Pemberton once it receives the court order. In December 2015, a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors sought. The Olongapo court judge said at the time that she downgraded the charge because factors such as cruelty and treachery had not been proven. Story continues Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of thousands of American and Philippine military personnel who participated in joint exercises in the country in 2014. He and a group of other Marines were on leave after the exercises and met Laude and her friends at a bar in Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife outside Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base. Laude was later found dead, her head slumped in a toilet bowl in a motel room, where witnesses said she and Pemberton had checked in. A witness told investigators that Pemberton said he choked Laude after discovering she was transgender. The killing reignited calls from left-wing groups and nationalists for an end to Americas military presence in the Philippines at a time when the U.S. was reasserting its role in Asia, and Manila had turned to Washington for support amid an escalating territorial dispute with China. The initiative exclusively and now we know, by design targets District residents of color via specific police districts, Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who chairs the councils judiciary committee and has opposed the program, said in a statement. It is one more policy defaulting to harsh penalties on Black residents whose neighborhoods have historically been underinvested in and overpoliced. We must end this policy. It is taking us in the wrong direction. Australian writer Yang Hengjun is vowing to "fight to the end" after seeing his lawyers for the first time since the Chinese government detained him more than 18 months ago. In his first comments since April last year, Yang said he would "never confess to something I haven't done" after authorities isolated and allegedly tortured him in an attempt to extract a confession on unspecified claims of espionage. Australian writer Yang Hengjun, left, was was detained 18 months ago and charged with espionage. Credit:AP The show of defiance from the Chinese-born Australian citizen comes amid the most politically charged atmosphere between Australia and China in decades and days after it was revealed Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei was being held by Chinese authorities on unknown claims. Yang, who finished his PhD at Sydney's University of Technology in 2009, was detained in January last year on suspicion of endangering Chinese national security. A federal appeals court on Thursday permanently blocked the Trump administration's rules preventing doctors and other medical providers who receive government funding from referring patients for abortion services. In its divided ruling, which applies statewide in Maryland, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the administration "failed to recognize and address the ethical concerns of literally every major medical organization in the country, and it arbitrarily estimated the cost" associated with the new regulations. At issue in the case is the federal family planning program known as Title X. Baltimore's mayor and City Council challenged the restrictions in April 2019, saying the provisions jeopardized the relationship between physicians and their patients by limiting the information doctors could provide even when a patient had stated her intention to terminate a pregnancy. Under the rule issued last year, the Department of Health and Human Services banned health centers that provide abortions - or refer patients for abortions - from receiving any money from the 50-year-old program, which primarily serves low-income women. Physicians can offer a list of primary health-care providers, including some who provide abortions, for instance, but cannot indicate which ones provide abortions. The rule "requires health care providers to hide the ball from their patients by giving them a list of providers without telling them which ones actually perform abortions," Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote for the majority. "Considering the time-sensitive nature of pregnancy and access to legal abortion, this attempt to hoodwink patients creates 'unreasonable barriers' to 'appropriate medical care,' and 'impedes timely access' to health care services." The decision Thursday from the 4th Circuit is at odds with a ruling from the California-based Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which allowed the policy to take effect throughout the country. The opposing decisions suggest that the Supreme Court could have to settle the disagreement. In a dissent, Judge Julius Richardson said that the rule "falls well within" the agency's authority and that "the record shows that it was the product of reasoned decision-making." The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to similar 1988 regulations, he noted, and found that the rules fell within the scope of Title X's broad mandate. "The majority not only thumbs its nose at the Supreme Court but substitutes its own judgment for that of an executive agency accountable to the elected President," wrote Richardson, who was nominated by President Donald Trump and was joined in dissenting by Judges Harvie Wilkinson, Paul Niemeyer, Steven Agee, Marvin Quattlebaum and Allison Jones Rushing. The Maryland case is one of several nationwide challenging the administration's family planning rules. Planned Parenthood, the largest recipient of money from the $286 million Title X program, withdrew from the program as a result of the regulations. Maryland also backed out of the program. Clare Coleman, president of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, said in a statement that the decision will "continue to prevent this terrible rule from further harming family planning providers and their patients across the state of Maryland." But, she added, "our fight endures to restore the integrity of our nation's family planning program for the millions of people across the U.S. most in need of high-quality family planning care." The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As part of the Maryland lawsuit, health officials in Baltimore told the court that 1 in 3 women in the city rely on publicly funded health care to obtain contraception. In 2017, government-backed clinics served more than 16,000 patients in more than 22,000 clinical visits, including for pregnancy tests and counseling, according to court filings. The federal government has never allowed local programs to use Title X money to perform or subsidize abortions. But the new rules go further. In addition to referral restrictions, programs receiving money are required to be physically and financially separate from abortion providers. The Justice Department told the court that the rules previously upheld by the Supreme Court were "virtually identical, if not more restrictive," than the Trump administration's new rules. But the majority said the government had failed to sufficiently show how the rules addressed ethical concerns of the medical community about 30 years after the high court's decision. Preventing a doctor from referring a patient "to a physician who performs abortions when the patient has requested as much, and instead, referring her for prenatal care, is far from neutral," wrote Thacker, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama. Judge Albert Diaz, who also was appointed by Obama, agreed in a separate concurrence. He said the new rule must be blocked because it violates provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which forbids regulations that "interfere with communications between doctors and their patients." The Department of Justice could file antitrust charges against Google in the coming weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr set a deadline to wrap up work on the case by the end of September. Career lawyers said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the world's most wealthy companies but their requests were shot down by Justice Department officials, according to the New York Times. Some of the 40-odd lawyers working on the investigation into Google's parent company Alphabet have voiced concern that the case is being pushed through before November so that it will be regarded as a win for the Trump administration. The Times reports that some lawyers said they would not sign the complaint if it was filed before a full investigation could be completed, while others left the case over the summer. Attorney General Bill Barr set an end of September deadline for lawyers to wrap up work on the federal inquiry into Google despite their protestations that more time is needed The federal government and nearly all state attorneys general have opened investigations into allegations that Google has broken antitrust laws in a bipartisan show of strength against the internet giant. They have been gearing up to file lawsuits for months, alleging Google has abused its dominance of online search and advertising to stifle competition and boost its profits. The federal probe focuses on search bias, advertising and management of Googles Android operating system. Three lawyers told the Times the inquiry had already amassed powerful evidence of anti-competitive practices. The investigation has been split into two groups, one focusing on dominance in online search and the other on control over advertising. Yet other lawmakers have called for the investigation to be widened to include Google's alleged viewpoint bias. Trump has previously claimed the company is bias against him. The Justice Department opened its inquiry into Alphabet in June 2019 but disagreement on how broad the complaint should be and how quickly the investigation should close up have caused tensions. Both Democrats and Republicans support the antitrust investigation into Google, but the state attorneys general conducting their own inquiries have been left split on whether or not to join the federal lawsuit or to file their own. Republicans believe Democrats are slowing the case down so Trump's rival Joe Biden could take the credit if he wins the presidency, while Democrats believe the Republicans want to push it through in case of a Trump loss. The divide could leave the federal case without the bipartisan support it would otherwise have. The federal government and nearly all state attorneys general have opened investigations into allegations that Google broke antitrust laws. A federal suit may now be filed in a few weeks Fifteen lawyers who spoke to the Times also said they believed that a deadline on completing the inquiry could give Google the upper hand. Tensions have also arisen from some appointments to the inquiry made by Barr. Jeffrey A. Rosen, the deputy attorney general, was placed in charge of the investigation, whose office would not typically oversee an antitrust case. He hired Ryan Shores, a veteran antitrust lawyer, to lead the review. However Barr also had a counselor from his own office, Lauren Willard, join the team as his liaison. Barr was later forced to step in an clarify that Shores was in charge as debates over how to move forward continued. Google is the bigger of the two online ad giants, thanks mostly to a search engine that has become synonymous with looking things up. It currently controls about 90 percent of web searches globally. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has been criticized by some of the lawyers in the case for rushing the inquiry with his deadline The company also owns the leading web browser in Chrome, the world's largest mobile operating system in Android, the top video site in YouTube and the most popular digital mapping system. Google consistently maintains that its services face ample competition from rivals, and have unleashed innovations that help people manage their lives. Most of the services are offered for free in exchange for personal information that helps Google sell its ads. It currently captures about one-third of every dollar spent on online advertising, according to the New York Times. Antitrust regulators in Europe have attempted to crack down on Google by imposing multi-billion dollar fines and ordering changes to its practices. But the company's critics say those penalties haven't been severe enough and contend more extreme measures will be required to for Google to change its ways. Those might include a government attempt to force Google to spin off its various services into separate businesses, an effort the company would be likely to fiercely oppose. This isn't the first time Google has been thrust under the microscope of antitrust in the U.S. The Federal Trade Commission closed an extensive investigation into Google's alleged abuses in 2013 without taking any action because it concluded the Mountain View, California, company wasn't hurting consumers. Since then, Google has grown even more powerful under the umbrella of the corporate parent, Alphabet, that it spawned five years ago. When the FTC closed its case, Google was generating annual revenue of $50billion. Last year, Alphabet raked in $162billion in revenue. Google consistently maintains that its services face ample competition from rivals, and have unleashed innovations that help people manage their lives despite the ongoing inquiries Most of the money comes from a digital ad market that Google dominates along with social networking rival Facebook - another potential target of antitrust regulators. Also on Thursday, four Republican state attorneys general backed President Trump's push to narrow the ability of social media companies to remove objectionable content and require new transparency rules. Texas, Louisiana, Indiana and Missouri's state attorneys general said in joint comments made public on Thursday that new rules are needed. They argue social media platforms cannot be truly free 'unless the participants understand the rules of the forum, and competition is able to provide alternatives when speech restrictions go too far'. The attorneys general added that the 'examples are legion of online platforms downplaying, editing, or even suppressing political speech that bears no relationship to the traditionally regulated categories of speech'. On Wednesday, a group representing major internet companies including Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a petition filed by the Trump administration, saying it was 'misguided, lacks grounding in law, and poses serious public policy concerns.' FCC Chairman Ajit Pai dismissed calls from the two Democrats on the agency's five-member commission to reject the petition without public comment. He has declined to comment on the petition's merits. The Republican president directed the Commerce Department to file the petition after Twitter Inc in May warned readers to fact-check his posts about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting. The Republican attorneys general cited Twitter's decision to flag earlier Trump's tweet. 'Twitter claimed the tweet was supported by "no evidence" despite the fact that many experts - including signatories to this letter - can validate that claim,' they wrote. Twitter on Thursday flagged two more tweets from Trump for violating its rules on civic and election integrity by urging voters to cast ballots twice, via mail and in person. The petition asks the FCC to limit protections for social media companies under Section 230, a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act that shields social media companies from liability for content posted by their users and allows them to remove lawful but objectionable posts. Deschutes County is fighting a Land Use Board of Appeals decision that ruled the county cant stop marijuana production near youth activity centers because the term is too ambiguous. Earlier this month, the Land Use Board of Appeals, also known as LUBA, said the county must approve two applications for marijuana production facilities that were denied for being within 1,000 feet of youth activity centers. LUBA decided the factors the county used to reject the applications are not in the code and dont fit with the states land use law. But the county says LUBAs requirement is not supported by previous case law, and hopes the Oregon Court of Appeals will see things differently. The Court of Appeals tends to be broad minded, said Commission Chair Patti Adair. Deschutes County seems to ask for things, and we dont always get them but we always have the right to ask. Adair said fighting to keep the youth activity center standard is important to help protect children from being exposed to drugs even if that exposure is a field of marijuana plants. There are definitely issues with kids and drugs, and whatever we can do to protect our children is important, Adair said. The decision to appeal the rulings throws two marijuana growing outfits back into limbo, years after being initially approved by county staff. One of those applications was Tommy Nehmzows, who wants to build an 1,800-square-foot indoor marijuana facility. The County Commission denied Nehmzows application, arguing that it would be too close to Sundance Meadows Ranch, which the county deemed a youth activity center. The ranch is a timeshare facility that includes a campground, horse stable and other features. LUBA also this month sided with Waveseer of Oregon, a company that seeks to build a 36,000-square-foot facility to grow and process marijuana. The county commission denied the application because it was near facilities that host youth oriented equestrian activities and 4-H agricultural activities. This marks the second time LUBA has sided with Waveseer of Oregon. Last fall, Waveseer won a similar case, but the decision was sent back to Deschutes County instead of being reversed because there were other factors that could have disqualified the company from getting approved. That means the county got a chance to improve the definition of youth activity center to be less vague. Adam Smith, an attorney with Deschutes County, said the county plans to challenge LUBAs decision to reverse rather than remand the second decision. Smith said in the first Waveseer decision, LUBA recognized the term youth activity center but disagreed with the countys interpretation. In the latest decision, Smith said, LUBA is basically suggesting that no interpretation the county could come up with would make the term legitimate. Smith argues that if the term itself was the issue, and not just how it was interpreted, then why did LUBA bring that up in the first Waveseer appeal? If the term was the issue, it should have been brought up in the first appeal, Smith said. The fact that it was remanded originally shows it can be remanded again, Smith said. Smith also disputes the idea that the term is vague. After LUBA sent back the Waveseer case the first time, commissioners came up with a list of 10 factors to consider when deciding what was and wasnt a youth activity center, Smith said. Some of those factors include asking how often children are present at a location, and whether an applicant can look up land use history at a neighboring site to see if the property has any ties to child-related uses. We really put in the work of coming up with a robust interpretation to end the ongoing debate of what is or isnt a (youth activity center), Smith said. David Rosen, of Waveseer of Oregon, said he is disheartened by the fact his application to grow and process marijuana has stretched into a two-year legal battle, but ultimately feels that LUBA has made a strong statement by determining the youth activity term is too vague in three different cases. I think the countys position is weak, Rosen said. But I respect their ability to appeal. Michael Hughes, the attorney representing Nehmzow, said it is irritating that his client has to end up in the Court of Appeals to decide whether he can farm on his land that is designated for farming. Hughes also called out the county for using staff resources to fight this legal battle at a time when local governments are facing budget shortfalls. It seems like a lot of effort for a fairly small facility, Hughes said. --Brenna Visser/The Bulletin The national coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Sani Aliyu, has explained how the third phase of the gradual easing of lockdown will be implemented. Mr Aliyu, while speaking at the bi-weekly briefing of the task force, on Thursday, said the new guidelines will be effective from Friday, September 4. Nigeria imposed its first round of lockdown in March. Mr Buhari on April 27 announced the gradual easing of the five-week lockdown in FCT, Lagos and Ogun State. The lockdown was eased to a nationwide night curfew (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) from May 4 to May 17. The curfew was later amended by many state governments to commence from 10:00 p.m. The first phase of the relaxed lockdown was extended by two weeks and elapsed midnight June 1. The second phase which commenced on June 2 and elapsed on June 29 was extended by four weeks. The additional four weeks elapsed midnight July 29 but was extended by one week due to the Sallah celebrations and elapsed midnight, August 6. It was further extended by four weeks and elapses midnight today, September 3. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, had announced that the third phase of the gradual easing of the lockdown in the country will commence on September 4. Mr Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the task force, said this phase will last for four weeks as approved by President Buhari. Nationwide curfew Mr Aliyu said the existing nationwide curfew of 10 p.m to 4 a.m imposed by President Buhari to further limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus has been reviewed. He said the curfew would henceforth be from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. daily. We are modifying the curfew to commence from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. nationwide, effective from 12:00 tonight. This does not apply to people on essential services and international travellers that might be returning from abroad, he said. READ ALSO: Mr Aliyu earlier said the purpose of the curfew is to limit social interactions and, therefore, reduce the risk of transmission of the virus. Schools, restaurants, hotels He said hotels will continue to remain open while observing necessary preventive measures. Amusement parks, gyms and cinemas can open but at half capacity. Event centres that provide outdoor service spaces can open but not indoors event centres. Eateries and restaurants can only open for outdoor services and we will make sure this is complied with. Bars and night clubs will remain closed till further notice, he said. International flights He said the Nigerian international travel portal will be activated today, September 3. It is mandatory for persons coming into the country to have valid negative COVID PCR test results before boarding and this needs to be valid within 96 hours from accredited laboratories, preferably 72 hours before boarding, he said. NYSC He said the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is to consolidate on safety measures currently being put in place and start preparing for reopening of orientation camps when educational institutions reopen. We are in the process of developing a strict guideline to ensure that there is no outbreak of COVID-19 when orientation camps reopen, he said. A spike in COVID-19 infections in India, reaching an average of more than 70,000 cases per day over the past week, has raised questions about reopening the economy, which contracted by 24 per cent of GDP as a result of a drastic national lockdown imposed in March to stop the virus from spreading. India has the third highest total COVID-19 caseload after the US and Brazil but has the highest confirmed daily cases for over a week including a new record high of 79,457 on Sunday. A single-day spike of 78,357 cases on 1st September has pushed the total number of cases in India to 3,769,523, according to Health Ministry data, with the death count standing at 66,333. However, the numbers are expected to further rise as the economy is being gradually reopened to allow businesses and supply chains to revive and restore lost jobs. According to Krishan Kumar Aggarwal, president of the Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania, a point has been reached where government efforts can no longer prevent the case numbers from rising. If the current trend continues, India will overtake Brazil and the US in the number of cases and deaths by mid-October." Krishan Kumar Aggarwal, President of Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania "Opening up the economy will almost certainly lead to a surge in cases but the lockdowns have had the effect of training people to protect themselves. What now remains is for the government to concentrate on reducing mortality by providing timely medical care," Aggarwal tells SciDev.Net. Samiran Panda, who heads the Department of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), attributes the rise in the number of cases to improved testing. He also says it is largely confined to some states where there is an "intermixing of the susceptible populations with people who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases. There is also some complacency among people in following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour". The western state of Maharashtra has been hit the hardest by the pandemic, with 808,306 cases, including 24,903 deaths. Maharashtra is followed by the three southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. India's minister for health, Harsh Vardhan, says he does not see respite in the rising number of cases before Deepavali, India's biggest festival falling on 14 November, after which it would begin to decline. "COVID-19 will significantly come under control by Deepavali this year," Vardhan, a medical doctor, said in a statement. Already the pandemic has taken a toll on the economy. On Monday, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation published data showing that India's Gross Domestic Product growth rate had contracted by 23.9 per cent for the April to June quarter a period that corresponds roughly to a complete national lockdown from 24 March to 17 May. This is the first instance of negative growth in GDP rates since 1996, when the country began publishing quarterly GDP data. It is also the steepest fall in economic growth among the world's major economies. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, more than 121 million people lost their jobs in April thanks to situation caused by COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the unemployment rate to a record 23 per cent, although the situation has since improved steadily. On Tuesday, India's chief economic advisor, Krishnamurthy Subramaniam acknowledged that it may be months before the economy revives fully, but the government would continue providing support packages. "We do recognise that the fight against COVID-19 may not just be for a few months, and therefore we are actually coming up with calibrated response and will continue to do so." The government has begun implementing cash transfer schemes worth US$266 billion for the poor that was announced in May. But economists had criticised that package as insufficient to stimulate growth and that any benefits would only be short-term and temporary. India will need to spend more on public health to be able to deal with the rising number of COVID-19 cases. According to WHO, in 2016, India spent US$63 per person on health care for its 1.3 billion people. In comparison, China spent US$398 for each of its 1.4 billion people in the same year. Health minister Harsh Vardhan acknowledges that India's GDP expenditure on healthcare is lower than in many other countries. "Yet we have been able to keep the number of COVID-19 deaths low by putting in place the world's biggest, severest lockdown on 25th March." At least seven schools in England have sent pupils home to self-isolate due to students catching coronavirus within days of the start of term. Primary and secondary schools in Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Lancashire and Buckinghamshire have all been stricken by the virus - seven sending pupils home and another delaying the start of term. Notable among them is Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, Bucks, which delayed yesterday's start of term after 20 pupils tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a party holiday to the Greek island of Zante. One of the grammar school's pupils caused outrage last night after a TikTok video emerged of him joking about the group's lack of social distancing and mask wearing on the trip. The King David High School in Crumspall, Greater Manchester (pictured), which has spent 21,000 on implementing the requisite provisions and technology to allow for social distancing and self-isolating One of Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's pupils caused outrage last night after a TikTok video emerged of him joking about the group's lack of social distancing and mask wearing on the trip Today it emerged that another seven schools which unlike Sir William Borlase's had already started term have asked pupils to go home, some after just hours back in the classroom. What happens if there is an outbreak at my child's school? A coronavirus outbreak at a school is defined as two or more confirmed cases within 14 days - or if there is a spike in the numbers off school with symptoms. The school must work with local health officials as a result. If the outbreak is confirmed an NHS mobile testing unit could be dispatched. Testing will start with the infected pupil's class and the entire school may be swabbed if necessary. In some instances, a large group such as an entire class or set will be asked to self-isolate. The Government says that closing schools will 'not generally be necessary.' If a pupil is self-isolating, schools are supposed to have made provisions so that they can learn at home. Advertisement Thousands of pupils in England and Wales have begun returning to classrooms this week, with the remainder due to open their doors next week. Among them, the King David High School in Crumspall, Greater Manchester, which has spent 21,000 on implementing the requisite provisions and technology to allow for social distancing and self-isolating. The secondary school resumed teaching for sixth-formers and the new Year 7 intake last Friday. But one of the older pupils began feeling unwell and developed a temperature that very evening and he tested positive on Sunday. Three pupils who were within two metres of the child are now having to self-isolate for 14 days. Dixons Trinity Academy, a middle school, and Dixons King's Academy, the secondary school, in Bradford have asked some pupils and staff to self-isolate, The Daily Mirror reported. It comes after two members of staff and one pupil tested positive for the virus since the academies restarted last Tuesday. The Ridgeway Primary Academy in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, went back last Friday but it was discovered over the weekend that one pupil aged between five and seven had tested positive for the virus. As a result that pupil has been asked to self-isolate for 10 days and several others who came into close contact with the child have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days. An unnamed school in Whitworth, Lancashire, was also said to have sent pupils back home to self-isolate on Thursday. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, was set to welcome back pupils on Wednesday but will now return on September 10 Councillor Alyson Barnes told the local paper: 'Parents of all local children concerned have been notified and will be self-isolating and seeking a test.' A second school in Buckinghamshire, the Chesham Grammar School, which only went back to class today has also sent some of its pupils home to self-isolate. It is not clear whether this outbreak is related to Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Buckinghamshire, from which the Zante group were returning to. It comes as England's top children's doctor warned today that hugging and kissing grandchildren who have come back from school mat not be 'the most sensible thing to do.' Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and a member of Sage, has urged caution against the scale of physical contact between older adults and children who are back at school. Addressing a Royal Society of Medicine webinar, Professor Viner said: 'I think if there are highly vulnerable clinically shielding grandparents and others, that actually full-on hugging and kissing your grandchildren after they come back from school may not be the most sensible way to behave. 'We don't believe in cutting off all physical contact between children and grandparents, but actually a lot of kissing and that kind of thing might not be the most sensible thing to do.' Dixons King's Academy (pictured) in Bradford has asked some pupils and staff to self-isolate Ridgeway Primary Academy in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, went back last Friday but it was discovered over the weekend that one pupil aged between five and seven had tested positive for the virus. The Dixons Trinity Academy in Bradford has asked some pupils and staff to self-isolate due to coronavirus He added: 'Keeping children seeing grandparents is important, making sure they wash their hands etc when they come out of school. Being sensible, being relatively secure, I think is the way forward.' When asked about the risks of children returning from school and then seeing their grandparents, Professor Viner said: 'I very much understand the anxiety and particularly from families where grandparents or parents are clinically vulnerable and they have been shielding. 'This is also a particular issue I know for lots of multi-generational families from the BAME heritage.' Professor Viner added: 'Clearly children can be asymptomatic, children can be infectious, clearly they can carry risk for adults, there is no pretence that they do not. The truth is that appears to be one of the least common ways that adults get infected.' Speaking at the same event, Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of Ofsted, called on schools to prioritise exercise for children as it can boost young people's mental health. She said: 'People seem to be paying far more attention to mental health than to physical which I find quite odd, given the importance of physical activity for children's well-being. 'I have noticed very little talk about recovering children's physical health compared to the amount I have seen about recovering their mental health. 'I'd like to do what I can from where I sit to keep reminding people that the physical is important.' She added: 'I am hoping that lots of schools will feel positively enthusiastic about getting children outside to exercise as much as possible.' Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'It is so encouraging to see schools opening their gates for the new term and I'm delighted that children are being reunited with their classmates and teachers.' He added: 'More schools will continue to open to all pupils next week, following teacher training days and inductions for new year groups. 'It's vital that time is taken to fully settle into new routines and I am confident we have the right contingency plans to deal with any challenges.' The Trump administration gave struggling renters a much-needed reprieve on Tuesday when it announced a sweeping new eviction moratorium that could keep millions of Americans in their homes during the coming months as the coronavirus and mass unemployment linger on. One thing the announcement kind of glossed over: This wont cancel any evictions, only delay them. As many tenant advocates have warned, the administrations plan is a temporary solution to the countrys bubbling housing challenges, one that wont necessarily save every family in distress, even during the short term. It is a stopgap measure. It will not be totally effective. People will definitely fall through the cracks, David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, told me. The bigger problem is that it simply kicks the can down the road and doesnt solve the core problem, which is that millions of Americans cant pay their rent, and havent been paying their rent, and when this moratorium ends, there will still be mass evictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To its credit, the White House is at least punting the can vigorously. The new order will bar any landlords from booting out tenants who are facing financial trouble until the end of the year. To be protected, renters must declare that they cant pay their full rent because theyve suffered a substantial loss of income and that, if they were evicted, they would likely become homeless or have to move into someone elses house where theyd share close quarters (which, of course, could help spread COVID). This freeze should cover many more people than the one Congress included in the CARES Act, which expired in July, and only shielded renters if they lived in a property with a federally backed mortgage, or if their landlord received money from a federal housing assistance program, such as Section 8 vouchers. Advertisement Advertisement Its also a legally creative maneuver. The moratorium was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using a statute that gives the government authority to quarantine Americans in order to prevent the spread of disease. It seems likely that landlords will challenge the order in court, much as they have sued to overturn state-level eviction pauses. But so far, judges have rejected those efforts, and it seems plausible they will give the federal government some latitude here as well. Advertisement Assuming it survives any legal attacks, the moratorium should buy distressed renters some much-needed time at a moment when many are facing deep financial strain. States are only slowly starting to dole out the extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits the Trump administration has temporarily made available (just six have actually begun paying it), and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project has estimated that up to 1 in 5 Americans living in rentals could eventually be at risk of losing their housing. While a number of states, such as Massachusetts and Washington, have left eviction pauses and significant renter protections in place, many others, including Texas, have virtually none at the moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are several reasons to worry, however, that some renters will slip through the moratoriums holes. For starters, it puts the burden on tenants to defend themselvesthey have to sign a document certifying theyre eligible for protection, then give it to their landlordand some might not know its an option. Others could get nervous about the paperworks fine print, which states that renters who lie on their certification about whether they qualify could face fines or prison time. (The order threatens landlords with the same punishment if they wrongfully evict anyone.) That might not seem like giant hurdle. But many tenants facing eviction dont have a lawyer to represent them, and some of the certification language is ambiguous. (I mean, do you know exactly what counts as a substantial loss of income, or close quarters?) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lot of people are going to be left trying to interpret this on their own, Eric Dunn, director of litigation at the National Housing Law Project, told me. And especially with the order being very clear about the kinds of penalties that people could face if they make a false statement, a lot of people will be erring on the side of caution. I do think these kinds of things will deter people from being able to take advantage of it, which is unfortunate. But ultimately, the moratoriums design isnt the thing that most tenant rights groups are worried about. Organizations likes the National Low Income Housing Coalition are welcoming it as a short-term solution that offers some immediate legal shelter to millions who might otherwise be forced onto the street, forced into a homeless shelter, or left couch surfing. The concern is that, if Congress doesnt pass significant aid for renters in its next relief package (assuming there is a next relief package), well only be delaying the crisis. The administrations new order doesnt cancel rent, after all. Landlords can continue charging it, along with interest and penalties for late payments. If theres no new aid for renters come January, when the pause ends and all that back rent effectively comes due, evictions could spike. In the meantime, smaller landlords who cant collect rent until the new year might find themselves unable to pay their mortgages, and in danger of default. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Democrats in the House passed the HEROES Act back in May, they included $100 billion in emergency rental aid. If this moratorium serves as a short bridge to the point where Congress actually provides that sort of aid, then it could be helpful. But if not, we may just be putting off the inevitable. What we learned from the moratorium in the CARES Act is that if you dont fund rental assistance, its not going to be enough. Thats why were here now, Dworkin said. We dont want to be doubling down on the mistake we made last time. Estate agents say stamp duty cuts are fuelling the UK property market. Photo: PA Britains property market is dangerously close to bubble territory as sales and prices soar, housing industry figures have warned. A flurry of news this week alone underlines the mini-boom in the market, with activity off the Richter scale, as one estate and letting agent put it. But Britains economy has been plunged into a deep recession by the coronavirus. A combination of greater demand for moves post-lockdown and government measures, from furlough and mortgage support to stamp duty cuts, are fuelling the market. Neither will last forever, and sales and price growth are widely expected to slow, if not go into reverse, in the not-too-distant future. Lenders are also increasingly tightening borrowing rules. Two words: reality check, said Andrew Montlake, managing director of mortgage broker Coreco. As strong as the property market is right now, it will not last. A mini-boom in UK property New data from leading lender Nationwide on Wednesday morning provided some of the starkest evidence yet of the mini-boom in UK property. Mortgage data showed average prices hit a record high of 224,123 ($299,82) in August. It marked a 2% jump from the 220,935 average price in July, the biggest monthly rise in 16 years. The news sent housebuilding stocks soaring, with Barratt Developments (BDEV.L), Taylor Wimpey (TW.L), and Persimmon (PSN.L) among the top five biggest daily risers on Londons FTSE 100 (^FTSE) on Wednesday. Official data later on Wednesday bore out this picture of rising prices despite the pandemic, though they cover an earlier period. HM Land Registry said prices rose 0.3% month-on-month between April and May, even during a stricter period of national lockdown. UK house price growth year-on-year, with a rebound clear. Chart: Nationwide English estate agents only reopened their doors halfway through May and they remained closed throughout the month in Scotland. But even while running at reduced capacity, the property market still delivered a respectable rate of price growth, said Jonathan Hopper, CEO of Garrington Property Finders. Story continues Jeremy Leaf, a north London estate agent, said the figures underline the resilience of the market, suggesting buyers had been determined to complete even at prices agreed pre-lockdown. READ MORE: UK house prices at record high after biggest jump in 16 years The latest corporate results from Barratt further underscored the sectors revival. The company spoke of its cautious optimism as it starts a new financial year. While its full-year pre-tax profits almost halved, they also showed customers had recently been flocking back to showrooms, noted Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdowne. Short-term stamp duty holiday boost Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said months of lockdown had left both pent-up demand for moves and also new interest in moving home. Many in the UK are reassessing their housing needs and preferences as a result of life under lockdown, he said. But analysts are in little doubt that a temporary stamp duty holiday, announced by UK chancellor Rishi Sunak, is another major factor fuelling current demand. The tax cuts mean buyers can avoid a levy on the first 500,000 of a purchase in England or Northern Ireland. Yet such a one-off surge in post-lockdown demand is likely to dwindle over time, and the stamp duty holiday only lasts until 31 March next year. READ MORE: Stamp duty cuts risk artificial spike then fall in property prices Once it comes to an end, the demand and therefore asking prices could fall considerably, said David Hannah, founder of property tax specialists Cornerstone. Stamp duty has always been a poor tool for dictating long-term market behaviours and this is likely to be the case again." The holiday is the latest in a string of reforms to the tax by UK chancellors over the past decade, with mixed consequences for the market. George Osborne introduced new rates and thresholds, and added higher rates for second-home and buy-to-let properties, which was widely seen to curb market growth in the late 2010s, on top of Brexit uncertainty. His successor Phillip Hammond announced a new tax on non-resident buyers, but also introduced a relief that helped first-time buyers. The tax has been devolved in Scotland and Wales. Economic storm clouds gathering The latest figures suggest buyers appear determined to move irrespective of the potential economic storm clouds gathering, said Leaf. The rebound could hit a wall even before the stamp duty holiday runs out, given the state of the UK economy and the wave of job losses and pay cuts hitting the headlines. The real question is how long will this [boom] last, given that the UK is still reeling from a brutal 20.4% economic contraction between April and June, said Russ Mould, AJ Bell investment director. Leading forecasters expect Britains GDP to shrink by 10% this year, according to analysis of independent predictions by the government. Their August estimates marked a deterioration on the previous month, when the estimated decline averaged 9.2%. Meanwhile the official unemployment rate is expected to hit 8.3% in the final three months of the year, having stood near record lows before the crisis hit. The figure stood at 3.8% in February. READ MORE: HSBC limits 10% deposit mortgages for first-time buyers Most property analysts expect the gradual wind-down of the furlough scheme, which has kept millions of workers in jobs during the crisis, to spill over into the housing market later this year. No-one quite knows what that will mean, added Mould. Rising joblessness could hit consumer confidence and would-be buyers ability to meet mortgage payments, he noted. Zoopla has said it expects prices to hold firm this year. But Montlake expects a reversal in price growth trends at least in the final few months of 2020, as the true impact of COVID-19 on the economy shows through. Other storm clouds on the horizon An expected rise in unemployment, the lapse of the stamp duty holiday and natural slowing in post-lockdown demand are not the only headwinds facing the market, however. Guy Harrington, CEO of residential lender Glenhawk, noted a second spike of COVID-19 could heavily curb activity, with the market brought to a near-standstill during the first wave earlier this year. READ MORE: UK households take on more debt after months of repayments Streeter noted mortgage holidays and a ban on evictions are also both being unwound this year. One in six homeowners with a mortgage had deferred payments in June. The full scale of borrowers financial troubles remains to be seen as blanket three-month holidays come to an end. The UK governments Help to Buy support for new homes, which has fuelled significant activity over the past decade, is being tapered off too from next March. Barratt staff told investors and analysts almost half its completions through the scheme last year would not be eligible under the new terms, according to Mould. Tighter bank lending HSBC UK tightened mortgage lending. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivias/AFP via Getty Images The bleak economic climate is already weighing on mortgage lending, as lenders concerns grow about whether existing and potential borrowers can repay their loans. Average household incomes have taken a significant hit, and evidence is mounting of widespread financial troubles. A survey by Citizens Advice found one in nine people have already reported falling behind on their bills, and the number could grow if unemployment keeps rising. Meanwhile new data shows households borrowing more than they paid off on credit cards and overdrafts in July, after several months where lockdown curbed borrowing. Surveys suggest household debt hit a record high last year even before the crisis, alarming campaigners. READ MORE: UK households take on more debt after months of repayments UK banks have set aside billions to cover potential bad loans, including mortgages. Mortgage approvals jumped in July, but a recent tightening of lending rules by many banks may cap them and further constrain the market. Data from Moneyfacts.co.uk shows only around 60 loans with 10% deposits are now available, compared to more than 700 in early March. Average deposit requirements for first-time buyers rose to 20% in the wake of the global financial crisis. UK banks are seen to have entered this crisis in a stronger position, but many lenders have still limited low-deposit deals, limiting many first-time buyers ability to get on the ladder. HSBC announced it would no longer offer loans to buyers with a deposit below 15% on Wednesday, other than existing customers switching rates. But some banks describe stricter conditions as only a temporary measure, and a result of prioritising other demands on their staff, such as handling existing customers moves and mortgage holidays. READ MORE: UK mortgage approvals soar 66% as stamp duty slashed There are few signs of the property boom losing steam yet, but Harrington said a slowdown now looked inevitable. The speed of the markets recovery is almost jaw-dropping, with the recent stamp duty holiday and whimsical consumer behaviour seemingly turbo-charging a market that looks increasingly disconnected from economic reality. The market looks dangerously close to bubble territory; its a matter of if, not when, it bursts. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_ff1 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement The Air Force recently tested a new next-generation fragmentation bomb on the F-16 Fighting Falcon meant to be an alternative to cluster munitions that diminishes the risk of unexploded ordnance, according to a news release. Through a series of flights held in July, the 28th and 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadrons measured battle damage from the BLU-136 Next Generation Area Attack Weapon at the Nevada Test and Training Range, according to Air Combat Command. The operational tests were designed to gather data to determine the operational performance of the BLU-136, specifically in the areas of blast and fragmentation damage, Lt. Col. Daniel Lambert, 28th TES Global Strike division chief, said in the release. This data will help decision makers determine if the BLU-136 is a viable substitute for the Air Forces fleet of cluster bombs. The 2,000-pound bomb is intended for light vehicles, light structures and personnel, the release said. When paired with a joint direct attack munition (JDAM) GPS-guided tail kit, the BLU-136 becomes the GBU-31v11 bomb; and because its compatible with the JDAM kit, it will be ready for operations if and when fielded, Lambert said. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_44f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_44f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_44f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_44f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_44f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } This also means that the delivery of the GBU-31v11 from any other aircraft will likely require little to no changes in loading or delivery tactics, he added. During the test, personnel drew several rings 75, 150 and 225 feet in radius around the intended target, explained 1st Lt. Savanah Bray, spokeswoman for the 53rd Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. After the test, they found fragments exceeding 225 feet from the center of the target, she told Military.com on Wednesday. Within 150 feet, severe damage is likely to occur, she said. But the fragments themselves are non-explosive, making it a less-hazardous alternative to cluster munitions, the release said. The Pentagon for decades has used cluster bombs, which, when broken apart, disperse smaller bomblets or submunitions through their target. Cluster bombs are not without controversy: The New York Times in 2017 reported that the weapons dud rate often approaches 20% when deployed in combat situations, meaning they frequently fail to detonate when theyre supposed to and thus can make the environment extremely dangerous to friendly forces and civilians. That same year, the Pentagon reversed its plan to ban cluster munitions and kept its stockpiles, citing threats from North Korea as the reason to keep the munitions. Then-Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that developing a replacement for cluster bombs would take too long when faced with the North Korean threat, so the Pentagon looked to its available capability. The Pentagon was tasked by President George W. Bushs administration to bring cluster bombs failure rate under 1% or find an alternative. However, the Defense Department said the U.S. militarys efforts to develop more reliable, and thus safer, cluster munitions that have a failure rate of 1% or less were unsuccessful, the Associated Press reported at the time. Nonetheless, Shanahan signed a directive that December to end a 2008 policy approved by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, which had stipulated the Pentagon would no longer use cluster munitions which, after arming, result in more than one percent unexploded ordnance by the end of 2018. Youre probably familiar with the fact that weve been working on a technology to eliminate the danger of cluster munitions, Shanahan said. But the timing of that technology to eliminate the danger, and the need to backfill the shortfall in munitions, did not line up. Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Kenosha mayor seeks $30M in aid to rebuild businesses, property destroyed by riots Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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." Lauren Burnham said she and husband Arie Luyendyk Jr. have been 'trying for a couple of months' to conceive after suffering a miscarriage three months ago. The Bachelor Nation beauty, 28, addressed the topic as she answered questions from fans on her Instagram Stories Wednesday while she had some downtime traveling. A fan told the designer that she had 'recently had a miscarriage,' and Burnham's story was inspirational, then asked her if she was trying again after she and Luyendyk, 38, announced they'd suffered a miscarriage. The latest: Lauren Burnham, 28, said she and husband Arie Luyendyk Jr., 38, have been 'trying for a couple of months' to conceive after suffering a miscarriage three months ago 'We have been trying for a couple of months,' Burnham said. 'I know its not been long yet, but since our miscarriage weve wanted another baby so bad.' The Virginia native, who's mom to daughter Alessi, one, with Luyendyk, said she's been 'sad & discouraged the last couple of months' because 'of it,' but is 'trying to stay positive.' Burnham took a longview approach toward the life issue, saying that 'it will happen when its our time.' Burnham opened up to Us last month about their focus on conceiving, saying that she and the race car driver were in their second month of trying. Parenthood: The Virginia native, who's mom to daughter Alessi, one, with Luyendyk. The couple was snapped in NYC in 2018 Happy pair: The Bachelor duo was seen relaxing earlier this year on a livestream She said, 'I was always afraid that it wouldnt work. I think thats kind of a valid fear if youve gone through something like that or just a fear of having to go through it again.' She told the publication that she was 'honestly scared' but didn't let it deter her from trying to expand her family. 'Sometimes Im like, "OK, yes, we can do this. Its going to be great. Alessi needs a playmate,"' she said. 'And then other times, Im sitting there, like, "Oh my gosh, how am I ever going to manage doing everything Im doing now with another baby?" 'So I think I just have to jump in head first!' Burnham, who exchanged vows with Luyendyk in January of 2019, told the outlet that she thinks she's 'in a place of peace with it' as she moves forward with optimism. 'I feel positive about the future, and I always want to be open with everyone and I think that by doing that, you can help a lot of people,' Burnham said. 'And I dont think its something that should be taboo and people should be afraid to talk about. So I always try and make an effort to talk about the uncomfortable thing.' DUBAI, U.A.E., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market study by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global shunt reactor market is forecasted to witness substantial growth in terms of value between 2016 and 2026. The growth of the shunt reactor market is primarily driven to the growth of the surging demand for energy across the world. A shunt reactor is majorly used for absorbing reactive power in electrical power grid systems to ensure a safe power supply by maintaining optimal levels of voltage transmission. As the need for electric energy continues to increase in both residential and industrial sectors, shunt reactors will find remarkable adoption. Consumption of primary energy, which stood at 395 exajoules in 2000, rose to 576 exajoules in 2019 and is expected to proliferate in the years to come. The rising energy consumption is directly shaping the growth of the shunt reactor market, driving the demand for the products. Rising awareness regarding alarming levels of carbon footprint has been a major attribute to the shift in the energy sector towards renewable sources. This is expected to positively influence the growth of the market as manufacturers customize products based on the source. "Owing to the plummet in the energy consumption in the industrial sector due to Covid-19, manufactures are redirecting their efforts to the residential sector to sail through the pandemic period" opines FMI analyst. For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-609 Shunt Reactor Market - Key Takeaways The global shunt reactor market is forecasted to progress at an impressive CAGR of 8.6% between 2016 to 2026. Among products, air-core dry reactors are expected to remain highly sought-out owing to sprouting adoption in research institutions and electrical test laboratories. Based on the phase, the three-phase segment will account for the majority of the market value, while the single phase shunt reactor segment will rise in value at a CAGR of 8.9% through the forecast period. On the basis of application, industrial applications will continue to channel the majority of revenue with the residential sector poised for robust growth. Shunt Reactor Market - Key Trends Owing to mounting production and component expenses, market players are now focusing on developing affordable yet effective products to transmute the restrain into growth opportunities. Growing demand for modern transmission and distribution networks coupled with enhancements in energy infrastructure are bestowing lucrative opportunities to market players. Shunt Reactor Market - Regional Analysis North America accounted for 32.6% of the market share in 2016 and will remain at the forefront of market growth during the forecast period owing to the growing consumption of primary energy. accounted for 32.6% of the market share in 2016 and will remain at the forefront of market growth during the forecast period owing to the growing consumption of primary energy. Asia Pacific , being one of the most densely populated regions, is also a prominent regional market for shunt reactors. , being one of the most densely populated regions, is also a prominent regional market for shunt reactors. Asia Pacific is poised to register stupendous growth in the forthcoming years backed by the presence of a flourishing industrial sector. Shunt Reactor Market - Competitive Landscape Some of the major players operating in the market include ABB Ltd., Fuji Electronic Co., Ltd., General Electric, Hyosung Corporation, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Zaporozhtransformator PJSC, Siemens AG, and Toshiba Corporation. Market players are focusing on launching innovative products to stay afloat amid competition. In March 2015 , ABB developed a new kind of capacitor device with high efficiency and minimal thermal losses. For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-609 Shunt Reactor Market - Taxonomy Product: Air-core dry Type Oil Immersed Phase: Single Phase Three Phase Rating: Fixed Shunt Reactor Variable Shunt Reactor Application: Residential Industrial Regions: North America Latin America Western Europe Eastern Europe APEJ Japan MEA Buy Now@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/609 Get Valuable Insights into the Shunt Reactor Market Future Market Insights, in its new offering, provides an unbiased analysis of the global shunt reactor market, presenting historical demand data and forecast statistics for the period from 2016-2026. The study divulges compelling insights on the shunt reactor market, allowing readers to glean qualitative and quantitative information which will enable them to make informed market decisions in the upcoming forecast period. Explore Extensive Coverage on FMI's Industrial Automation Market Landscape Power Tools Market : FMI's compelling study on the power tools market sheds light on the prominent dynamics influencing the growth trajectory for the upcoming forecast period 2020-2030 through detailed segmental and regional analyses. Power Tool Gears Market : The power tool gears market report offers a 360-degree analysis, bringing to the fore insights that can help stakeholders identify key challenges and opportunities across the upcoming decade's growth trajectory. Automated Sortation System Market The automated sortation system 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. Contact Mr. Abhishek Budholiya Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/shunt-reactor-market Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/shunt-reactor-market Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1197648/FMI_Logo.jpg Ratings of Bank of Hawaii Corporation BOH along with its banking subsidiary have been affirmed by Moody's Investors Service. Notably, the rating outlook on the group has been downgraded to negative from stable. Bank of Hawaii's standalone baseline credit assessment (BCA) has been affirmed at a1. Long-term/short-term deposit ratings of Aa2/Prime-1 and a long-term issuer rating of A2 have also been reiterated. Also, the parent company has a senior unsecured medium-term note program rating of (P)A2. Reasons for Ratings Affirmation The BCA has been affirmed on account of the banks strong financial profile, supported by a leading market position in Hawaii and a conservative credit culture that has resulted in a record of strong credit quality. Also, the ratings agency finds the liquidity position to be robust, with a large core deposit base, low refinancing risk, given the lesser dependency on confidence-sensitive market funding, and sizeable holdings of liquid resources. Further, the companys efforts to control credit costs and good operational efficiency resulted in strong and stable profitability. However, it faces a geographic concentration risk as it operates in one small economy, making the bank's risk profile more vulnerable to localized economic downturns. BCA also incorporates Moody's expectation of better than peer capital resilience in stress scenarios. However, the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on Hawaii and its tourism industry are likely to result in a more severe economic decline than the rest of the United States. Reasons for Outlook Downgrade Moodys changed the companys outlook to negative from stable on its assessment that the bank's asset quality, capitalization and profitability will be under increased pressure due to the contraction in the Hawaiian economy in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, the ratings agency regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under its environmental, social and governance framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. Story continues Factors Leading to an Upgrade or Downgrade of Ratings Owing to the negative rating outlook, upward movement is unlikely in the near term. The outlook could return to stable if the companys asset quality and profitability show continued resilience to the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak in the form of better than peer performance and if it maintains a stronger level of capitalization relative to its lower-rated peers. However, a decrease in profitability because of elevated credit costs, a decline in capitalization or a dip in liquid resources as a percentage of tangible banking assets would also lead to downward rating pressure. A downgrade of the BCA and the ratings could also result from expansion initiatives, which would not complement Bank of Hawaii's island-based regional banking franchise and that could, in turn, result in the worsening of asset quality. Shares of the company have lost 27.7% over the past six months compared with the 6.8% decline of the industry it belongs to. Currently, Bank of Hawaii carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. In August, Moodys Investors Service downgraded the outlook for U.S. Bancorp USB due to its assessment that the lenders balance sheet strength and profitability gap with its US peers could narrow due to the coronavirus pandemic. Whereas, the ratings agency upgraded the outlook for TCF Financial TCF, reflecting Moody's view that the integration with Chemical Financial has been well-executed despite the large size of the transaction. Outlook for SLM Corporation SLM has been kept as stable. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report U.S. Bancorp (USB) : Free Stock Analysis Report SLM Corporation (SLM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bank of Hawaii Corporation (BOH) : Free Stock Analysis Report TCF Financial Corporation (TCF) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research US Budget Deficit for fiscal year 2020 will hit $3.3 trillion, said nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday. This shocking increase in the US budget deficit is due to the government's huge spending in the fight against the coronavirus. An additional $2 trillion to prop up the economy also added to the factors at play, said the CBO. According to the Associated Press, this spike in the US budget deficit will be greater than the gross domestic product (GDP) next year. This milestone could put the US where it was at the end of World War II, when debt went above the size of the economy. Bloomberg noted that the deficit for this year equated to 16% of the GDP. It is up 4.6% from 2019. The $3.3 trillion figure is also three times more than the shortfall seen in 2019. It is also double the levels the country has experienced after the market meltdown and the Great Recession of 2008-09. Coronavirus response measures are at $6.6 trillion of government spending. The price tag is up by over $2 trillion compared to 2019. So far this year, more than $3 trillion in emergency aid has been signed into law. Deficits are likely to fall to $1.8 trillion in the fiscal year starting October 1, said the CBO, and will sum up to $13 trillion over ten years. In a Reuters report, Peter G. Peterson Foundation Chief Executive Michael Peterson said the report showed who rapidly the country's "unsustainable fiscal challenges" have gone. Possible Coronavirus Aid Not Included The CBO forecast did not include a possible new round of coronavirus aid that Congress might consider. The projected value of the assistance is expected to exceed $1 trillion. Market Watch reported that the government's fiscal deficit had been an irreversible action that people just had to accept or fait accompli. Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the pandemic is "tragic on so many fronts." She added that "massive borrowing" was the cost of dealing with the current economic pains. "The warning bells this report contains should not cause a premature end to borrowing, but a commitment to dealing with the debt at the appropriate time," she said. Tax Revenues Drop The rise in the US budget deficit also caused a drop in tax revenues, but changes are not as striking as seen on the spending side. Individual income tax collections are only running 11% behind last year. On the other hand, corporate tax collections are down 34%. Most economists aren't troubled by the huge borrowing as the economy is in peril. It was barely a concern when a $2 trillion relief bill was passed almost unanimously in March. The scope of a fifth virus relief bill has been in heat lately, though. Lawmakers and the White House are quarreling over its size and scope. Republicans are on edge about the enormous cost of fighting the economic impacts of the pandemic. CBO also released a report looking at the health of government trust funds. It concluded three of the trust funds wouldn't be able to pay out the amounts required even within the next decade. Highway Trust Fund will hit exhaustion by 2021, Medicare's hospital insurance portion will hit it in 2024, and Social Security's Disability insurance will do so 2026. Check these out! Mnuchin to Congress: Pass Stand-Alone Coronavirus Relief Bill to Repurpose PPP Funds Could You Get EIP Cards Instead of Stimulus Checks? Here's What You Need to Know Meadows Blames Pelosi for Impasse on Coronavirus Relief Talks LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- One could argue that literally and figuratively telling a peoples story is the mission of the Lakewood Public Library. Thats exactly what the main branch has in mind in presenting its new exhibit Telling A Peoples Story, which is devoted to the art found within the pages of African-American childrens picture books. The touring exhibits arrival in Lakewood is quite timely, considering theres perhaps no greater story to be told during this summer of racial inequality and Black Lives Matter protests. In troubling times, the public library remains a place where all people are welcome, ideas and opinions are openly expressed, and every voice is heard, Lakewood Public Library Director James Crawford said. This display is a serious and intelligent response to the issues every community -- including Lakewood -- is facing, he said. On loan from the Miami University Art Museum in Oxford, Ohio, the 130-work Telling A Peoples Story includes paintings, pastels, drawings and mixed-media works from more than 30 artists found in 95 books and spanning nearly 50 years of creativity. The exhibition emphasizes the strength of the illustrations as visual narrative representations of the African-American experience through a lens intended for children and young readers. On display through Oct. 15, Telling A Peoples Story is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the main branchs second-floor gallery. Initially, Lakewood Public Library Childrens and Youth Services Manager Julie Strunk was trying to bring the exhibit to Lakewood as part of this years Black History Month celebration at the library; however, the popularity of the exhibit, which debuted in 2018, meant a summertime visit. Its appropriate with whats going on with social justice and the world right now, Strunk said. Its a beautiful exhibit arranged in 12 very tall, big panels with picture book art on each one of them to allow a better understanding of the cultural, historical and social makeup of African-American identity. It represents social justice, but also some of the illustrations illustrate everyday life. Topics range from slavery, emancipation and segregation to the Harlem Renaissance, historical figures, politics, music and sports. Strunk said Northeast Ohios largest book club, One Community Reads, will be hosting events around the exhibition. I hope visitors come away with a very positive attitude and the idea of getting along with everyone, Strunk said. Peace on earth, right? If nothing else, they should have hopefully more of an understanding about what Black Americans vs. what white Americans go through. At the library, we include everybody. So, we hope that by offering our patrons a view into other peoples lives they will have more of an understanding of each other and more respect for each other. Read more news from the Sun Post Herald. The report doesnt go into detail about how contextualizing would work, but there have been recent recommendations that plaques be added to the monuments to Jefferson and Washington, explaining that their namesakes owned enslaved people. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - International port operator DP World reached a deal Thursday with one of Canadas biggest pension-fund managers to pour an additional US$4.5 billion into their joint venture of ports and terminals. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2009 file photo, cranes off load containers at the Jebel Ali Port, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. International port operator DP World reached a deal Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, with one of Canada's biggest pension-fund managers to pour an additional $4.5 billion into their joint venture of ports and terminals. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - International port operator DP World reached a deal Thursday with one of Canadas biggest pension-fund managers to pour an additional US$4.5 billion into their joint venture of ports and terminals. The new capital signals a major push to expand and brings the total amount invested by one of the world's largest port operators and Canadian infrastructure investor Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec to US$8.2 billion. It also comes as DP World, grappling with an economic downturn worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, delists itself from trading to become a fully private, government-owned firm. DP World and CDPQ agreed in 2016 to invest in 10 port terminals across the world. DP World said the new agreement would broaden its footprint in areas where it already operates and allow it to shop for ports and terminals in Europe and Asia Pacific. DP World has a 55 per cent share in the fund, with CDPQ holding the remaining 45 per cent. DP World runs operations as far east as Brisbane, Australia, and as far west as Prince Rupert, Canada. The company has expanded aggressively into East Africa, helping the Emirati government wield influence farther afield. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting borders and disrupting global supply chains, DP World's profits fell 56% during the first half of the year. Months before, DP World started delisting from the Dubai stock exchange, returning the company to full state-ownership to help the Dubai governments investment company repay more than US$5 billion to banks. DP World ultimately will be held by a wholly owned subsidiary of Dubai World, a government investment company. As countries around the world reopen for business, representatives from DP World and CDPQ said they remain cautiously optimistic about the venture. Even during a uniquely challenging period ... the ports sector has demonstrated a fair degree of resilience," said Emmanuel Jaclot, CDPQs executive vice-president and head of infrastructure ___ Follow Isabel DeBre on Twitter at www.twitter.com/isabeldebre. "It makes no sense whatsoever when we're in the deepest, most damaging recession of our lifetime, with a million unemployed and rising, for the Treasurer's only plan to be to cut JobKeeper, cut JobSeeker, cut wages, freeze pensions, cut superannuation, shift the blame and point the finger," the shadow treasurer said. That sentence was a work of political art: a big picture filled with small decorations. But it also stretched the truth to the point of ripping the canvas. Labor's strongest attack line is on the JobKeeper rate. This is a worrying cut for more than 4 million recipients who will see their payments fall from $1500 to $1200 a fortnight for full-timers from the first week of October. Of course, Labor backed the idea of "tapering" the payment only weeks ago. It is not the first time an opposition has made itself a moving target in the search of political opportunity. Chalmers was not so effective with his other attacks. Labor is trying to blame the government for withdrawing fiscal support when there is still a flood of cash going into the economy. There is no freeze on pensions, for instance Morrison has signalled a bonus payment in the October budget after cash grants to pensioners in recent months. The "cut" to superannuation is conjecture, not fact. Loading The details matter. The sheer volume of money makes confusion easy to achieve. Labor claimed on Thursday, for instance, that only $85 billion of the $314 billion in economic support had been delivered so far. In fact, the numbers are higher on both counts. Federal government spending on economic measures has now reached $180 billion. This includes JobKeeper, cash payments to households and grants to employers. Separate to this, the Reserve Bank has increased its lending program to $200 billion. The Australian Office of Financial Management has also offered $15 billion in finance. One other component, the government's $20 billion loan guarantee to small business, adds to the total but looks like a dud. Few employers want to take on more debt. This means total economic support has swollen to about $415 billion. That is the money on offer, but not necessarily spent or lent. Of this, the RBA has financed $52 billion and the government has spent $85 billion. Loading So the support has been worth $137 billion so far, with an enormous amount of money still to come. If the September quarter is worse than expected, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will bear the blame for his economic shutdown. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will bear the blame for her border ban. In one of the more shameless examples of blame-shifting in this pandemic, Palaszczuk complained on Thursday that tourism companies would have to cope with lower JobKeeper rates. Has she forgotten who is starving them of customers from safe states? Frydenberg talks of a road out of the recession. "This is the JobMaker plan," he told Parliament on Wednesday. The problem is that JobMaker is just a word a brand that means something to those inside the bubble but very little to those beyond. Loading By the government's own account, the JobMaker name covers everything from education to infrastructure. It includes the $2 billion in spending on skills and training announced in May, as well as the university fee changes before Parliament. It includes manufacturing and defence investment, such as the $1 billion employment program announced last week. On infrastructure, the government released $1.8 billion for local councils to bring forward construction projects, but that was in May, so it feels like ancient history. It has been a long wait for a more visionary plan. On industrial relations, Attorney-General Christian Porter is seeking agreements with unions and employers on five areas for reform. The word from inside the working groups is that progress is slow and major reform is unlikely. The Supreme Court will hear on Friday a review petition filed against its order allowing the central government to hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in September. Six opposition-ruled states -- West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan --approached the top court on August 28 seeking a postponement of the examinations in view of the coronavirus crisis. A crucial year of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on, Supreme Court had said in an earlier order in which it dismissed students petition to postpone the exams. On August 26, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had called for a joint opposition meet which was attended by Uddhav Thackeray, Amarinder Singh, Hemant Soren, Bhupesh Baghel and V Narayanasamy. During the virtual meeting, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had suggested approaching the Supreme Court for postponing the exams owing to the prevailing Covid-19 situation. JEE, which was scheduled from September 1 to 6, is underway and NEET will be conducted on September 13. Media Streaming Engineer Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Software and Services Summary Posted: Sep 2, 2020 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200189210 Apple's Interactive Media Group (IMG) is looking for a creative and dedicated engineer to join our streaming media playback team. This technology powers the streaming media experiences on all of Apple's platforms (iPhones/iPads, Apple TV, Apple Watch and macOS) by building on core technologies and frameworks such as Core Media, AVFoundation. Key Qualifications Knowledge of streaming media protocols: HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), DASH, RTMP, RTSP, etc Experience in developing AR/VR and immersive video Excellent analytical, programming (C or C++), and debugging skills and strong proficiency in multi-threaded development Strong understanding of HTTP networking (protocol, cookies, authentication, cache, security, and performance) Familiarity with CDN architectures (caches, origin servers, proxies, etc) Solid understanding of media codecs, formats, transports and container protocols, such as, AVC, HEVC, VP9, AAC, AC3, MP4, TS, etc Strong communication and collaboration skills Description As a media streaming engineer in this role, you will be responsible for developing features, contributing to media systems design, analyzing performance, and tuning algorithms for streaming media playback. This individual should have development experience at multiple layers of the OS network stack and have experience building network delivery systems for media content. Education & Experience BS or MS in CS/CE or equivalent, with demonstrated ability China's trade sanctions on Australia for daring to speak out about coronavirus are starting to really hurt - with rural export volumes suffering the biggest plunge in 37 years. In May, Australia's biggest trading partner slapped 80 per cent tariffs on barley, in retaliation at Prime Minister Scott Morrison's call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Just two months later, Australia suffered a 38 per cent plunge in cereal and grain exports, official trade data released on Thursday showed. China's trade sanctions on Australia for daring to speak out about coronavirus are starting to really hurt - with rural export volumes suffering the biggest plunge in 37 years. Cereal and grain exports in July plummeted by 38 per cent Overall rural exports plunged by 15.1 per cent in July - the biggest monthly decline since January 1983 when Australia was also in recession. Poll Should Australia scale back trade ties with China? Yes No Don't know Should Australia scale back trade ties with China? Yes 768 votes No 58 votes Don't know 14 votes Now share your opinion CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman said China's economic trade sanctions against Australia were beginning to show. 'Could the escalating political spat between Australia and China be starting to bite?,' he said. 'Not good news for our farmers hit by bushfires, drought and COVID-19 restrictions.' Rory Treadwell, an economist with BIS Oxford Economics, said rural goods were set to suffer. 'Trade tensions with China continue to cloud the export outlook, particularly for some rural goods,' he said. Australia's trade surplus plunged by 43 per cent in July to $4.6billion, from $8.1billion in June. This marked the 31st successive monthly trade surplus despite China's trade retaliation, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. In April, China's ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye threatened boycotts of wine, beef and university education as punishment for Australia speaking out on COVID-19 in Wuhan Communist China has now banned a major grain exporter, CBH in Western Australia, from sending barley there, claiming there were pests in the produce. Australia's biggest exports to China Iron ore: $65billion Education: $40billion Business services: $28billion Tourism: $26billion Liquefied natural gas: $18billion Metallurgical coal: $10billion Thermal coal: $7billion Source: A Westpac analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences data for 2019 Advertisement China last week also suspended beef imports from a fifth abattoir in Queensland after Mr Morrison threatened to tear up Victoria's Belt and Road deal with Beijing. China's customs authority claims it found the banned drug chloramphenicol in beef from the family-owned business John Dee Warwick. Nonetheless, Australia's annual exports to China during the last financial year hit a new record high of $151billion - with the Communist nation buying 34 per cent of all Australian exports. Like two-thirds of nations, Australia has China has its biggest trading partner. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the Communist power used coercion to bully smaller nations politically, adding this style of wolf warrior diplomacy was set to worsen. 'China is the largest trading partner for nearly two-thirds of the world's countries, and its global economic importance gives it significant leverage,' it said in a report by Fergus Hanson, Emilia Currey and Tracy Beattie. 'The impacts of coercive diplomacy are exacerbated by the growing dependency of foreign governments and companies on the Chinese market.' In April, China's ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye threatened boycotts of wine, beef and university education as punishment for Australia speaking out on COVID-19 in Wuhan. Despite China's threats former Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb (pictured right with former prime minister Tony Abbott and China's minister of commerce Gao Hucheng), the architect of a China-Australia free trade deal in 2015, insisted trade fundamentals were the best ever Despite that former Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb, the architect of a China-Australia free trade deal in 2015, insisted trade fundamentals were the best ever. 'Our relationship at a political level has become difficult but the relationship at a commercial level has never been better,' he told Daily Mail Australia on August 28. He runs a lucrative consultancy advising Chinese firms on how to do business in Australia. 'The relationship has never been better because of the free trade agreement,' he said. 'We, in the world, need a working relationship with China coming out the other end of the pandemic because we, including China, will struggle to restore the prosperity that all the world, that many parts of the world was experiencing.' File image: General Bipin Rawat India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in "best suitable ways", Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said on September 3, remarks that came against the backdrop of China's attempts to change the status quo in certain areas in eastern Ladakh. In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Gen Rawat said India's policy of engagement, if not backed by credible military power and regional influence, would imply acknowledging China's preeminence in the region. The former Chief of Army Staff said India faces the most complex threats and challenges spanning a full spectrum of possible conflict from nuclear to sub-conventional but asserted that the armed forces are ready to deal with them. "Of late, India has been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these in the best suitable ways," Gen Rawat said at the online event. In a warning to Pakistan, he said the country will suffer "heavy losses" if it attempts any misadventure against India taking advantage of the border row with China. The Chief of Defence Staff spoke extensively about how Pakistan has been engaged in a proxy war against India and pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, attempted to spread terrorism in other parts of the country. He also touched upon a host of other issues including India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region, importance of defence and security ties with the US and the government's focus on self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Business leaders and executives are often portrayed as stoic individuals who keep their emotions hidden, solely focusing on the task at hand. However, a new style of leader is emerging, one that prioritizes emotional vulnerability and openness. I recently connected with multiple executives on why, especially amid Covid-19, it's becoming crucial to lead with strength and emotion. Here's what I learned: 1. Accept that to be emotional is to be human "Emotional vulnerability is one of the most important qualities one can have as a leader," Jason Tan, CEO of fraud prevention company Sift, told me. Tan was raised to keep the emotional parts of himself closed off from others, and as a result, often doubted himself as a leader. "Our jobs make up a large portion of our lives, and to turn off your emotions for eight hours every day invites emotional disconnectedness in all aspects of life, and undermines self-confidence," he said. Scott Galit, CEO of payment company Payoneer, agrees. "I'm a firm believer that we should not seek perfection in employees, but rather provide an environment where your team can be their best selves," he explained. "Empowering employees to be their true selves -- emotions included -- is a fundamental way to build trust." Sometimes this means being honest about shortcomings, or simply being flexible for employees who may be struggling. ?2. Lead by example to invite openness With millions of employees working from home, it's become more important than ever to lead transparently. "It's important to lead by example and encourage your teams to explore and prioritize their emotional well-being, especially while trying to balance working from home and their personal lives," said Tan. Martha Angle, VP of global talent acquisition, diversity, and inclusion at performance management company OneStream, shared similar thoughts. "A society that has long been focused on growth and bottom lines is now reprioritizing mental and physical health ahead of professional goals," she said. "With that in mind, leaders must follow suit and ensure they effectively demonstrate and communicate that the impacts of these crises are felt personally, not just professionally." By prioritizing emotional vulnerability, leaders show they understand that the line between work and life is now blurred, and they've adjusted their style of leadership to accommodate that. 3. Use emotional vulnerability as a method of connection Being open with emotions allows leaders to connect with their workforce on a personal level, especially in times of uncertainty. "People need each other right now, and it's every leader's responsibility to make themselves available," said Angle. "Those who fail to connect with their workforce during these draining times will find themselves without a bottom line to analyze when the dust settles." Steven Auerbach, CEO of consumer-direct health care technology provider Alegeus, agrees. "Times like these show us what we're made of. As a leader, you need to be compassionate, invest in your people, and stay out in front of the impact," he said. "Set aside time to check in with your teams and ask what they need. Be willing to think beyond traditional support." By using emotion in your leadership style, you are forming a shared bond with employees that will result in a happier, more transparent team. 4. Embrace your struggles Kevin Hrusovsky, CEO of biomarker and disease detection technology company Quanterix, says that leaders don't always have the answers. "It's unsettling, but you can't let that stop you from asking the questions," he said. "Once we embrace emotional vulnerability, we can acknowledge areas for improvement, surround ourselves with complementary people who will help us achieve it, and empower our employees to be the best they can be." Hrusovsky is no stranger to using discomfort to his advantage. "In biotech, we rely on science and hard data, and we know well the dangers of sticking our heads in the sand," he said. "Consequently, we don't shy away from the unknown or unsatisfactory. Rather, we see it as a chance to reset, innovate, and improve." The cost of per rifle is expected to be around $1,100, including the cost of technology transfer India and have finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's ongoing visit to Moscow, the official Russian media reported on Thursday. The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle. The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India, Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency said. The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo- Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport -- the Russian state agency for military exports, it said. The OFB would own a majority stake of 50.5 per cent in IRRPL while the Kalashnikov Group would have a 42 per cent share. Russia's state-owned export agency, Rosoboronexport, would own the remaining 7.5 per cent, the report said. The 7.6239 mm Russian weapon will be produced at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the report said. The cost of per rifle is expected to be around $1,100, including the cost of technology transfer and of setting up the manufacturing unit, according to the report. The INSAS, which is use since 1996, has developed some issues such as jamming and magazine cracking at higher altitudes in the Himalayas, the Sputnik report 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.) It was possible, Rink said, given the expertise of German chemists, that they copied the Russian nerve agent and poisoned Navalny after he had arrived in Germany. In that scenario, Navalny was either poisoned first with another substance in Russia or, again, poisoned himself as part of the ruse, Rink said. Loading "Somebody is sitting at a table now celebrating a successful operation," he concluded. Another familiar participant in the media circus, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Russia Today, expressed a wide-eyed uncertainty about the case, suggesting that there was no way to form an impartial view. "I don't know who poisoned Navalny and if he was poisoned at all," she wrote in a Twitter post on Thursday. "In the absence of hard facts, a person always chooses who to believe, based exclusively on personal sympathy and preference." In 2014, President Vladimir Putin denied that men in unmarked uniforms turning up on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea were Russian soldiers, saying they were local militia or members of a motorcycle gang. Some time later, he coyly conceded that they were Russian soldiers, the vanguard of Russia's military seizure of the territory. Loading That same year, Russia denied backing a separatist insurgency in an area of eastern Ukraine called Donbass, and denied supplying the rebels with the anti-aircraft missile system that shot down a Malaysia Airlines plane, killing 298 people despite ample evidence to the contrary and the conclusions of Western governments. The Kremlin and state media floated an array of alternative explanations and conspiracy theories about the flight for example, that the Ukrainian military had shot it down. Russian state television broadcast a theory that the Central Intelligence Agency had downed a plane filled with corpses to justify the imposition of economic sanctions. After the former double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with Novichok in Britain in 2018, the British government identified two Russian military intelligence officers as the attackers. The pair went on Russia Today to deny being spies and say they had visited the English city where Skripal lived just to see the spire of Salisbury Cathedral. Simonyan, who conducted the interview, did not mention glaring weaknesses in their story and suggested Western governments might be homophobic for raising suspicions about young men travelling together. Other Russian media reports suggested that the British had poisoned Skripal. In the case of Navalny's illness, the formal Russian government response has been to ask Germany for additional evidence. "We are hoping it's possible to establish the cause of what happened," Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told journalists on Thursday. "We are interested in this, we want this, and for this we need information from Germany." The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement essentially accusing Germany of making reckless claims. "Yet again, we become witnesses of a situation where in place of careful work, based on facts and evidence and cooperation between law enforcement organs and medical institutions, our partners prefer loud, public announcements," the statement said. The Germans had not produced "any facts at all," the statement said. Loading Within a few hours of the German revelation, more elaborate responses came from commentators on Russian media. Rink said the German statement was untrue because Navalny could not have survived a Novichok poisoning, despite documented cases of such survival. "The comrade would be resting in a different place now," he said. Olga Skabeeva, a state television talk show host, noting that Navalny first took ill on an airline flight, questioned in a post on social media why, if such a dangerous poison were used, no other passengers and none of the doctors who treated him were sickened. "Novichok, they told us after Salisbury, is very dangerous." Navalny's family and supporters have surmised that the poison was dropped into some tea he bought in the airport in Novosibirsk in Siberia the only thing he consumed that morning. He was flown to Germany for treatment two days later. On Thursday, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who has been currying favour with the Russian government to win support against street protesters, contributed his own theory. He told the visiting Russian prime minister that his security service had intercepted a telephone call of Merkel admitting the poisoning was falsified. "We caught an interesting conversation," he said in comments carried by the Tass news agency. "It speaks about this falsification. There was no poisoning of Navalny." Russian doctors have suggested that Navalny lapsed into a coma because of low blood sugar. The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison has disclosed that over 2,980,000 pupils in 8,683 public basic schools are currently benefiting from the Ghana School Feeding Programme, with one hot and nutritious meal for each school going day. At the Meet the Press session in Accra on Wednesday, the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister said the programme has built the capacity of 9,178 caterers and cooks in 11 regions in an innovative nutrition training, which has improved the quality of meals served to pupils. Training on meal planner softer has been undertaken for desk and nutrition officers in 11 regions. Also, registration of pupils in School Feeding Schools on the National Health Insurance Scheme has been relaunched. The minister further added that Farmer Based Organisations in Volta and Oti Regions have been profiled. This, she said, will help facilitate the linkage of caterers and farmers in the value chain as far as the acquisition of foodstuffs are concerned. The Ghana School Feeding Programme has reviewed a National and District Operational manual with key stakeholders within the middle and southern belt of Ghana to enable the programme deliver on its services effectively and efficiently, she said. The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) was initiated in 2005 under the John Agyekum Kufuor led NPP government as a social protection intervention on the context of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Pillar III. The programme has so far impacted positively on enrolment, attendance and retention of children in some beneficiary Basic Schools in the country. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As copies of Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump by Michael Cohen make their way to stores and online outlets ahead of the September 8 pub date, Skyhorse Publishing publisher Tony Lyons said he believes the book could be the bestselling title in the company's 14-year historyand that it will certainly be one of the biggest books for the fall. Lyons said he is somewhat surprised to find himself as the publisher of Disloyal, telling PW he was shocked that the bigger New York houses couldn't work out a deal with Cohen. "[Cohen] has so much to say. This book will make an impact," Lyons said. "it is also a really terrific read." The history of how Cohen wrote the book is well known. Authorities returned Cohen to prison from home confinement in an effort, a judge agreed, to prevent him from finishing the book, a violation of his First Amendment rights. Lyons said he contacted Cohen when he learned he was planning to self-publish the title. "I had to talk him out of it," he said. Lyons declined to disclose the size of the advance, but did say that he agreed to a "nontraditional contract" with Cohen. One of the stipulations Cohen had was for Lyons and Skyhorse editorial director Mark Gompertz to read the manuscript in front of him in order to avoid leaks. We have been really, really careful about keeping the manuscript under our control, Lyons said. In addition to wanting a quick turnaround, Cohen also wanted to oversee and control the rollout of the marketing campaign. And when the book hits shelves, the author is scheduled for a quick media strike. Cohen is set for a Today Show interview with Lester Holt on September 8, and will appear that night with Holt on the NBC Nightly News. He will also appear on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC the same night. A September 9 CNN interview is planned with Don Lemon, followed by a Late Night interview with Seth Myers on September 10. A September 14 trip to the View is also planned. Lyons said there are plenty of bombshell revelations in the book that could generate some controversy. At present, Lyons said he has not been contacted by the White House or other Trump associates to try to stop publication of the book, as had happened in the cases of books from John Bolton and Mary J. Trump. Preparations for shipping the book, though, did cause a dust-up last week among independent booksellers, as reports spread that Amazon was getting the full first printing of the book. Lyons denied those reports and said he has no idea where they came from. He did allow that getting the book printed has had its challenges. There is no printer capacity in this country now, he said. Lyons said Skyhorse has plenty of experience doing quick turnarounds, but this has been different: We had the Mueller Report printed on Easter Sunday, but nothing like that can happen now. Still, Lyons is confident all accounts will get a healthy shipment before pub date. His goal is for the entire 500,000-copy first printing to be in the market within two weeks of the books release. Cohen sees the publication of Disloyal as in keeping with his philosophy of being what he calls a free speech publisher. We publish books on both sides of an issue. To illustrate his point, Lyons pointed to the July release of The Case Against Masks and the forthcoming The Case for Masks. In March, Lyons acquired Woody Allens memoir after it had been dropped by Hachette Book Group, following protests by scores of HBG employees and some authors who were upset the publisher had signed the book, given the accusations that the comedian and film director had sexually assault his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow. (Allen has denied those allegations.) Publishing this type of controversial book, Lyons said, is a role that an independent publisher is in a good position to fill: We can make quick decisions and not get caught up in corporate bureaucracy. He acknowledged that not all Skyhorse employees agree with every book the company publishers, but they understand what we are trying to do." He added that "it seems odd that in the United States you need to defend yourself for standing up for free speech. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_1ef.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_1ef .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_1ef.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_1ef.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_1ef.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Says Ogonis Should Not Lose Sight of Founding Fathers Vision The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has urged the Ogoni people not to lose sight of the visions and intentions of the founding fathers of the struggle and particularly the drive to achieve meaningful development for the Ogoni. President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke made the call yesterday while addressing MOSOP faithfuls in Bera, Gokana Kingdom of Ogoni. Nsuke said it was important that as a people, we strongly push forward the dream of the founding fathers to achieve development for Ogoni /* custom css */ .tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_f7f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } The MOSOP leader called on the government to facilitate and encourage the resolution of the Ogoni conflict by exonerating the innocent Ogonis killed on November 10, 1995 to heal the deep wounds the Ogoni people have suffered and support the desire of the Ogoni people for practical development. Let us not deceive ourselves, Ken Saro-Wiwas name must be cleared because he was innocent and it is fundamental that as a people, we move our struggle towards a direction that resolves all legacy issues stalling Ogoni development Nsuke said. The MOSOP president further called on the Nigerian Government to help end the genocide against the Ogoni people and support the Ogoni to recover their lives. Nsuke who was represented by a chieftain of the movement, one of the few living friends of Ken Saro-Wiwa and former president of the National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) Chief Emmanuel Nkala, said the Ogoni have been severely battered by their experiences in Nigeria and needs to be encouraged to recover from the dark years. The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) have been strongly pushing for the eoneration of the Ogoni 9 murdered by the Nigerian government on November 10, 1995. MOSOP holds that the exoneration will build goodwill and promote reconciliation between the parties to the Ogoni conflict. FBI agents raided two nursing homes in Pennsylvania on Thursday, including one facility that was already under investigation for criminal neglect after it suffered the worst coronavirus outbreak in the state. The FBI executed search warrants this morning at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, as well as Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Allegheny County, the Justice Department confirmed. U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said agents from the FBI, the office of inspector general for Health and Human Services, the IRS Criminal Investigation unit and the state attorney general's office were on the scene. In a news release on Thursday, Brady urged anyone with information on 'suspected fraud' or 'abuse' related to long-term care facilities and the pandemic to report it to the COVID-19 Fraud Task Force. A federal agent was seen heading into Brighton rehab center, which had the worst coronavirus outbreak in the state. The facility was also already under investigation by state officials for criminal neglect Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County was one of two nursing homes searched by the FBI on Thursday Further information on the search was not released. An FBI spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that the bureau's Pittsburgh unit was conducting law enforcement activity at the two locations but did not provide additional details on the operation. The search comes weeks after state officials launched a criminal investigation into the for-profit Brighton Rehab center which had the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the state. More than 300 residents and staff members tested positive for the virus and 73 patients died since the end of March, according to WPXI. Meanwhile, the Mount Lebanon site made headlines earlier this summer after it was accused of stealing coronavirus stimulus checks from its patients, KDKA reported. One resident's son told the news station the facility told him they had planned to use his father's stimulus check to pay his balance and other expenses. Agents were seen carrying out a search operation in Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center as well. The nursing home made headlines earlier this summer after it was accused of stealing residents' stimulus checks Brighton was also the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit filed in July by the family of Elizabeth Wiles, a housekeeping employee who was contracted to work at the home State Attorney General Josh Shapiro last month also confirmed Brighton Rehab was one of a handful of age care facilities being investigated for criminal neglect related to their pandemic response. Rep. Conor Lamb had also called for a probe after Brighton allegedly failed to use personal protective equipment and began treating patients with hydroxychloroquine without the approval of the health department, KDKA reported. Hydroxychloroquine, which has long been used to treat malaria and some inflammatory conditions, has been at the center of contentious and highly politicized debates as a possible treatment for coronavirus. In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency-use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 after several studies cast doubt on its effectiveness. Brighton was also the subject in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in July by the family of Elizabeth Wiles, a housekeeping employee who was contracted to work at the home. Pictured: Mt Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Allegheny County. Authorities did not release further information on the nature of the search Wiles died May 10, apparently from Covid-19. Her family alleges the virus 'spread through the Brighton unchecked, infecting and killing numerous residents and workers at the facility, including plaintiff's decedent Elizabeth Wiles.' Officials were also due to conduct an audit at the facility earlier this year, but were unable to do after managers refused to cooperate, according to the news station. In a statement released last month, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said their goal was to ensure Medicaid patients were receiving the services for which the state is billed by direct care providers. 'I'd still like to audit Brighton and Im very disappointed that they did not comply, but my audit team will not undertake this review while a state investigation is ongoing.' In May, the situation at Brighton grew so dire that the National Guard was sent in to help assist in medical care and cleaning. No matter what types of games you play Razer has a solution for you with the new Naga Pro a wireless version of its modular do-it-all gaming mouse. The Naga Pro is the evolution of the Naga Trinity, bringing in the wireless factor just like past iterations of the Naga series have evolved in the same way. Wireless isnt the only new addition though as this new version of the Naga comes with other improvements. It also still comes with the magnetic side plates that you can swap out based on what type of game youre playing. Whether its the 12-button layout for MMOs, the 6-button layout for MOBAs and battle royale games, or the 2-button layout for FPS games. Advertisement The Razer Naga Pro comes with a new 6-button side plate Wireless capabilities are definitely the biggest improvement here over the Naga Trinity. But wireless isnt the only improvement. The Naga Pro includes a new 6-button side plate design that has an adjusted placement of the buttons. Where the Trinity has them in a circular setup, kind of like the older Naga Hex mouse, The Naga Pro has them double up in a stack on top of each other in an arc. Advertisement This change in placement looks like it seeks to make things more comfortable when using this plate. As the buttons now follow the same curve as the no slip grip. This should make for a more recognizable and comfortable place to rest your thumbs. Play games for up to 150 hours Razers Naga Pro is powered by the companys patented HyperSpeed wireless technology which boasts lower power draws. Than in turn leads to a longer-lasting battery. Which means you can play for longer before the mouse needs a recharge. With the Naga Pro, Razer is claiming you can use it for up to 150 hours when the mouse is connected though Bluetooth. It can also connect through 2.4GHz, though that will drop the battery life down to 100 hours. Advertisement Thats still quite a long time though. And compared to Razers last wireless Naga, the Epic Chroma model from five years ago, thats a decent improvement. In more ways than one in fact. As the technology for its optical sensors and click tech have advanced quite a bit since then. If youve been waiting for another Naga mouse that didnt require you to be tethered to a braided cable, here it is. The do-it-all gaming mouse that can adapt to any type of game you play. And still look phenomenal while doing it. You can pick up the Naga Pro now for $149.99 on Amazon as well as on Razer.com, and likely other retail partners. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov talked to a delegation led by World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus via videoconference, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy told Trend on Sept. 3. While congratulating World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael on her new appointment, Jabbarov expressed confidence that the mutual cooperation will be successful. Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the relations with the World Bank. Currently, four credit projects and 18 technical assistance projects are being implemented in Azerbaijan. The support which is rendered by the World Bank to minimize the problems caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the socio-economic impact of the pandemic is greatly assessed. During the meeting held in July 2020 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Vice President of the World Bank for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde discussed the expansion of cooperation in a number of spheres. While sharing his vision of the country's development priorities in the short and medium term, Jabbarov informed the meeting participants about the economic reforms and structural changes, the measures to diversify the economy, develop the non-oil sector and improve competitiveness. In turn, Molineus stressed that the reforms which are carried out in Azerbaijan are supported by the bank, and he is ready to exchange experience in a number of spheres. The spheres for developing the cooperation with the World Bank and the issues of supporting the reforms were also discussed at the meeting. The Attorney General also suggested that China poses more of a threat to election security than Russia, even though that was not the conclusion of an official intelligence assessment last month Washinton: As the 2020 presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden heats up, Attorney General William Barr warned of the potential of substantial fraud in voting by mail but he omitted necessary context, and states that rely on the process say there is little evidence of such activity. He also suggested that China poses more of a threat to election security than Russia, even though that was not the conclusion of an official intelligence assessment last month. Here's a look at the claims, made in a Wednesday evening interview with CNN: Barr on fraud in the vote-by-mail process: Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion. THE FACTS: Multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process. The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Utah have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign actors from co-opting the vote. More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic. The attorney general cited a report from more than a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud. But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states like Oregon that had sufficient safeguards. Barr also said he was based on logic his concern that a hostile foreign actor could produce bogus ballots for the election. But senior US officials said on a conference call with reporters last week that they had no intelligence to suggest that was happening. Barr on Russian, China, Iran interference: Barr, on the question of whether Russia, China, or Iran, has been most assertive in interfering in the election: I believe it's China. THE FACTS: Barrs assessment does not line up with last month's formal statement from the government's counterintelligence chief, William Evanina. The statement directly implicated Russia in 2020 election interference by saying it was actively working to denigrate Biden. Its characterisation of Chinas activities was considerably more nebulous, however, saying it regards Trump as unpredictable and prefers that he not win. The statement said intelligence officials believed China has been expanding its influence efforts to shape the policy environment ahead of the November election and will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action. But they did not specifically place China as a more serious threat or allege that Beijing was directly interfering in the election. Barr said he had reviewed intelligence to inform his assessment on China, which lines up with recent comments from national intelligence director John Ratcliffe and is in keeping with the Trump administration's position that Beijing presents significant national security concerns for the US, particularly when it comes to espionage and the theft of intellectual property from American universities and businesses. Less than a week before the school year starts, families have been handed a lengthy list of reading materials to study up on pandemic learning protocols. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Less than a week before the school year starts, families have been handed a lengthy list of reading materials to study up on pandemic learning protocols. Manitoba Education released a back-to-school information package Wednesday containing a COVID-19 screening checklist, updated guidance on mask use and a breakdown of what will happen if the virus is detected in a school community. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. "Everyone is working to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Manitoba, but we will see cases linked to schools," Dr. Brent Roussin wrote in a letter penned to parents across the province earlier this week. Roussin said that within 24 hours of a case being confirmed, a public health investigation will begin to contact individuals who might have been exposed. Public health is expected to provide instructions for self-isolation and potential testing and follow up with people when they can return to school. Contract tracers will inform school administrators if an individual visited school during an infectious period. In the event officials find a large number of cases within a school or identify high risk of community transmission, they may order a closure. Everyone is working to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Manitoba, but we will see cases linked to schools. Dr. Brent Roussin in a letter to Manitoba parents School leaders will be required to co-ordinate with local officials about informing the wider community. The province will also include details about cases identified in schools in its daily COVID-19 update. "My belief is that we should be providing as much information as we can when it comes to particulars in schools," Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen said during a Wednesday press conference. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Education minister Kelvin Goertzen speaks to the media about the opening of schools next week at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Brenda Brazeau, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils, said parents deserve the same type of notices that go out about lice cases in schools when it comes to COVID-19. "We dont want to take our kids going to school for granted and we definitely dont want to take their health for granted," Brazeau said. "We want to know." In order to prevent cases altogether, the provinces new resources explain how and when non-medical masks should be worn. All students will now be required to sport face coverings on school buses, but only students in Grade 4 and up, as well as staff members, have to wear a mask inside school buildings. The youngest students in Grade 3-4 split classes are asked to wear masks where physical distancing is not possible. My belief is that we should be providing as much information as we can when it comes to particulars in schools. Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen The province asks individuals to wash their hands before putting on and taking off masks and to not dangle them or move them below the nose or mouth. Mask-wearing exceptions will apply to community members who are under age two, are experiencing breathing difficulties or are unable to remove a mask without assistance due to age, ability or developmental status. Medical notes will not be required. K-8 students will return to school full time next week, while most high schoolers will start the school year with blended learning. But if the provinces new colour-coded alert level currently yellow changes, so could learning models. If the COVID-19 situation improves to green, in-person classes will resume full time for all. If it slips to orange, stricter occupancy rules will be imposed and Grade 9-12 students will pivot to full-time remote learning. A red status could prompt school closures for all except children of essential workers, teachers included. Its a bit reminiscent of the time I woke up on the morning that a term paper was due, and tried to write it before class. NDP Leader Wab Kinew Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Goertzen said Wednesday his hope is the new details will alleviate anxieties about the upcoming school year. Opposition leaders, however, were quick to call out the province for its tardiness in releasing plans so close to Tuesday's resumption of classes. "Its a bit reminiscent of the time I woke up on the morning that a term paper was due, and tried to write it before class," said NDP Leader Wab Kinew, who criticized the government for failing to invest in smaller class sizes and hiring more school clinicians. Parents, Brazeau included, continue to call on the province to provide a universal online learning option. When asked about the matter Wednesday, Goertzen stood by the provinces current plans. "The best place for a child's learning is in the classroom," he said, adding home-schooling remains an option for families. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie The Supreme Court of India on Thursday passed an interim order saying that the accounts not declared as non-performing asset (NPA) as on 31 August shall not be declared as NPAs till further notice. The apex court on Thursday heard a batch of petitions seeking interest waiver on loan moratorium granted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, the central bank of India allowed the lenders to grant a loan moratorium for for three months of EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments), falling due between 1 st March 2020 and 31 st May 2020. Later, RBI extended it for further three month till 31 st August. The aim was to help the common man who faced loss of jobs or pay cut during a global pandemic. The interim order was passed by the headed by Justices Ashok Bhushan and comprising R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah while hearing about the bunch of petitions demanding waiver of interest, or waiver of interest on interest on the suspended EMIs during moratorium period. The Supreme Court will continue the hearing of the case on 10 September. While arguing whether banks should charge interest on moratorium period, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court, "The idea of the moratorium was to defer repayment to ease the burden caused by COVID and lockdown so that business can manage working capital. The idea was not to waive off interest. The effort is that those who are affected by COVID and facing distress get the benefit and those who are defaulters are not able to take benefit." "The expert committee will come up with sector specific guidelines on September 6," Mehta told the apex court. Expert panel will decide on the sector-wise relief to ease stress caused by the pandemic, Mehta added. NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) is not required to step in at this stage, Solicitor General added. "Question is about the demands of compound interest in the meantime. Moratorium and penal interest cannot go together. RBI will have to clarify," said Justice Reddy, according to legal news website Bar & Bench. The Centre and RBI on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the moratorium period on repayment of loans amid the COVID-19 pandemic is extendable" by two years. "We are in the process of identifying the distressed sectors to vary benefits as per the (COVID-19) impact of hit they have taken," Mehta said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday asked bankers to roll out loan resolution schemes by September 15. COVID-19 related distress must not impact their assessment of borrowers' creditworthiness, Sitharaman added. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. By Trend Azerbaijan pursues independent policy based on its national interests, unlike Armenia, Spokesperson for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva made the remark commenting on the statements of Armenian Foreign Ministry made on September 2, Trend reports. "Recently, in the statements of Armenia at the level of the foreign minister, we see attempts to resume negotiations on a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict. Desire to link these attempts with the statements made during the official visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Russia is obvious," she noted. "Apparently, the Armenian side listened attentively to the speech of the Azerbaijani minister during the briefing at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow," the spokesperson added. As Abdullayeva reminded, at the briefing the Azerbaijani minister stressed that Azerbaijan's position on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is based on the norms and principles of international law, documents and resolutions of international organizations, primarily on the UN Security Council resolutions. Within the framework of a peaceful solution to the conflict, it is necessary to liberate Azerbaijani territories from occupation and return the internally displaced persons to their homes. This position of Azerbaijan is unchangeable and the basis of any negotiations held to resolve the conflict should be elimination of the consequences of Armenias occupation policy, she said. According to her, if the occupation forces of Armenia are withdrawn from the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding district, strengthening of the ceasefire regime and investigation of the reasons of armed incidents on the line of contact wont be needed. It's obvious that Armenia is double-dealing again. On the one hand, Armenia is talking about the peace process, on the other, following the provocation in the Tovuz direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, it tried to commit an act of sabotage on the line of contact, threatened to bombard Azerbaijani cities and continues the policy of illegal settlement of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Abdullayeva pointed out. Moreover, the conditions put forward by Armenias prime minister and foreign minister during the negotiation process and their statements, having neither legal nor political justifications, are aimed at disrupting the negotiations, she also noted. As for the statements of the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry about the official position of Azerbaijan in connection with the weapons supplied to Armenia by Russia and the diplomatic potential of Azerbaijan, I can say that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan pursues an independent policy, relying on its national interests, and Azerbaijani diplomats adequately implement this policy, the spokesperson said. Armenia has historically been a tool in the foreign policy of other states and for 29 years of independence it has not yet understood how to implement its independent policy," she concluded. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Figure 1 Sunrise Project: ML1770 with outline of the Ni/Co/Sc laterite deposit Sunrise Project: ML1770 with outline of the Ni/Co/Sc laterite deposit Figure 2 Pt Cut-off grade shells (g/t) across Sunrise Ni/Co laterite deposit Pt Cut-off grade shells (g/t) across Sunrise Ni/Co laterite deposit Figure 3 Plan view of historic drill hole locations with significant Pt intersections within the Phoenix Platinum Zone Plan view of historic drill hole locations with significant Pt intersections within the Phoenix Platinum Zone Figure 4 Cross Section illustrating some historic intercepts relative to the 0.15g/t Pt Laterite envelope (vertical exaggeration x 1.5) Cross Section illustrating some historic intercepts relative to the 0.15g/t Pt Laterite envelope (vertical exaggeration x 1.5) Figure 5 Proposed drill hole locations to test the geological interpretation of the dunite pipe structures Proposed drill hole locations to test the geological interpretation of the dunite pipe structures New high-grade Phoenix Platinum Zone outlined as part of existing 1,000,000 oz Pt resource at Sunrise Significant historic downhole intersections into bedrock have yet to be tested Drilling program to commence in coming weeks Highlights: An area of high-grade platinum mineralisation has been defined within the Sunrise laterite resource, forming a newly-classified Phoenix Platinum Zone. Significant downhole intersections from earlier drilling campaigns include1: - 12m (from 8m) @ 8.0g/t Pt, 0.55% Ni, 0.08% Co and 23ppm Sc, for 96.3 g.m2 Pt (SRC0680) - 13m (from 9m) @ 7.1g/t Pt, for 92.2 g.m Pt (SRC1262) - 6m (from 32m) @ 15.1g/t Pt, 0.95% Ni, 0.16% Co and 170ppm Sc, for 90.3 g.m Pt (SRC0308) - 4m (from surface) @ 18.1g/t Pt, 0.05% Ni, 0.01% Co and 27ppm Sc, for 72.4 g.m Pt (SRC0351) - 14m (from 20m) @ 4.4g/t Pt, 0.73% Ni, 0.02% Co and 75ppm Sc, for 61.7 g.m Pt (SRC0871) - 4m (from 16m) @ 10.1g/t Pt, 0.98% Ni, 0.27% Co and 26ppm Sc, for 40.6 g.m Pt (SRC1447) - 2m (from 20m) @ 18.9g/t Pt, 1.1% Ni and 0.07% Co, for 37.8 g.m Pt (SAC152) - 1m (from 19m) @ 35.3g/t Pt, for 35.3g.m pt (SRC1256) - 7m (from 23m) @ 4.7g/t Pt, 0.74% Ni, 0.02% Co and 82ppm Sc, for 32.7 g.m Pt (SCW7) These holes were drilled with a mix of reverse circulation, air core and calweld rigs, and with few exceptions, have not been assayed for other PGEs, such as palladium. Despite extensive drilling over previous decades, only a handful of holes have been drilled beneath the Sunrise laterite. Of these, significant historic downhole intersections include3: - 4m (from 119m) @ 7.4g/t Pt, 0.13% Ni and 0.01% Co, for 29.4 g.m Pt (SRC1257) - 1m (from 127m) @ 6.5g/t Pt, 0.15% Ni and 0.01% Co, for 6.5 g.m Pt (SRC1253) - 1m (from 23m) @ 4.2g/t Pt, 0.15% Ni and 0.01% Co, for 4.2 g.m Pt (SRC1261) All holes were drilled using reverse circulation rigs and no assays were undertaken for other PGEs in these drill samples. Story continues Given the high platinum grades near surface and historic intercepts beneath the laterite, a program of work has commenced to test the structural geology of the Tout Intrusive Complex and to establish a platinum resource that will either integrate with the development of the Sunrise nickel-cobalt-scandium mine, or be developed as a stand-alone operation. MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland, and CEO, Sam Riggall, of Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (Clean TeQ or Company) (ASX/TSX:CLQ; OTCQX:CTEQF) provide the following update on the Companys platinum development activities at the Companys wholly owned Sunrise Project in NSW, Australia. EXISTING PLATINUM RESOURCE OVER 1Moz DEFINED The Sunrise Project is located approximately 5km northwest of Fifield, at the eastern end of an intrusion known as the Tout Intrusive Complex. The core of the intrusive body is a dunitic, olivine-rich igneous rock of ultramafic composition, exhibiting a coarse-grained texture and surrounded by pyroxenite and gabbro. The surface expression of this magmatic system is a nickel-cobalt-scandium bearing laterite that forms the ore reserve4 for the Sunrise Project. The laterite is the product of weathering and decomposition of one or more dunite pipes, resulting in the gradual concentration of metals near surface. The Sunrise laterite hosts a significant resource of 103.1 Mt @ 0.33 g/t Pt for 1,076,170 ounces of platinum, using a 0.15 g/t Pt cut-off grade, making it one of the largest platinum resources in Australia. Of this total resource, approximately 90% (metal content) is in the measured and indicated categories. As shown by the drill intersections cited above, while the average grade over the global resource is relatively low, areas of significantly higher-grade platinum mineralisation exist within the resource envelope. Current interpretations of platinum distributions across the laterite suggest that the higher-grade accumulations have formed above one or more primary platinum sources within the underlying dunite. This has resulted in two zones of higher-grade accumulation one in the east and one in the west separated by a paleochannel, assumed to be comprised of mostly barren sediment. In the late 19th century Fifield was the worlds largest source of platinum and the site of the only primary platinum mine in Australia. In more recent years, small scale platinum mining took place in alluvial leads and gravels. Within the Fifield Platinum Province approximately 20,000 oz of platinum, with accessory gold, has been mined from three buried channels radiating out from the Fifield township. A number of studies over previous decades have proposed that the alluvial leads within the Fifield area may have originated from the platinum within the Sunrise intrusive. The Fifield Platinum Province contains mineralisation that appears analogous to Alaskan-type ultramafic systems, often hosting extensive platinum group element (PGE) mineralization, including platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), rhodium (Rh) and ruthenium (Ru). These include deposits located at Nizhny-Tagil in Russia and the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. South Africa, Russia and Zimbabwe currently account for 85 per cent of global PGE production. PHOENIX PLATINUM ZONE As indicated in the drilling results above, exploration programs undertaken by Black Range Minerals and Ivanplats in the 1990s and 2000s intersected encouraging platinum mineralisation under the laterite. However, the handful of deep holes only reached a maximum depth of 140m from surface, with almost no assays undertaken for PGEs other than platinum. Geophysical work on the system needs geochemical calibration, to better understand the underlying rock types and structures that generated the mineralisation at surface. To address these gaps in knowledge, Clean TeQ commenced a review of existing geophysical data covering the project. As a result of this work, several targets were identified for further investigation. These targets suggest good alignment between the two major NE-NW structural orientations of the platinum mineralisation and interpretations of the potential structures. The two structures underlying the areas of high-grade mineralisation have an interpreted diameter of approximately 800m and are separated by the paleochannel. Part of the upcoming work program is to test whether these are in fact discrete systems, or whether the paleochannel represents a deeper fault structure dividing one larger system. Mr Friedland noted, As Ive said for years, despite being an incredibly valuable base metals resource, Sunrise is one of the best walk-up precious metal drill targets on the planet. It is astounding what little work has been done to test geological interpretations under the blanket of this laterite, despite very encouraging results from historic drilling. It is pleasing to see a small renaissance of PGE interest in Australia, with Chalice Golds recent exploration success in Western Australia and now with work commencing on the east coast at Sunrise. In defining the Phoenix Platinum Zone we are now starting to pull together a work program that addresses the gaps in our knowledge. In an era resigned to monetary debasement and a search for safe-haven asset classes, platinum has a bright future. PHOENIX PROPOSED WORK PROGRAM Future work to better define the Phoenix Platinum Zone includes: Diamond core drilling - a six hole drill program is planned for the second half of CY 2020. The program is aiming to intersect the dunite structures at depth (targeting 400-600m below surface). Geophysics re-processing and interpretation of aeromagnetic and sub-audio magnetic (SAM) geophysical surveys over the Sunrise deposit is complete and has delineated local scale structures, magnetic zonation and pipe formations. The diamond program will aim to further calibrate and refine the current geophysical model. Metallurgy the platinum in the Sunrise laterite reports predominantly as an isoferroplatinum, whose separation and recovery via simple gravity circuits can often be impeded by grain size and deportment of the platinum. The Sunrise hydrometallurgical process route (to extract nickel, cobalt and scandium) provides an opportunity to test the deportment characteristics of platinum in a system where iron is chemically altered (from goethite to hematite) via a pressure acid leach process. For more information, please contact: Ben Stockdale, CFO and Investor Relations +61 3 9797 6700 This announcement is authorised for release to the market by the Board of Directors of Clean TeQ Holdings Limited. About Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX/TSX: CLQ) Based in Melbourne, Australia, Clean TeQ is a global leader in metals recovery and industrial water treatment through the application of its proprietary Clean-iX continuous ion exchange technology. For more information about Clean TeQ please visit the Companys website www.cleanteq.com. About the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project Clean TeQ is the 100% owner of the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project, located in New South Wales. Clean TeQ Sunrise is one of the largest cobalt deposits outside of Africa, and one of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium ever discovered. About Clean TeQ Water Through its wholly owned subsidiary Clean TeQ Water, Clean TeQ is also providing innovative wastewater treatment solutions for removing hardness, desalination, nutrient removal and zero liquid discharge. The sectors of focus include municipal wastewater, surface water, industrial waste water and mining waste water. For more information about Clean TeQ Water please visit www.cleanteqwater.com. COMPETENT PERSONS STATEMENT The information in this report that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Mr John Winterbottom, a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr Winterbottom is a full-time employee of Clean TeQ Sunrise Pty Ltd. Mr Winterbottom is a fulltime employee of Clean TeQ and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit and to the activity which they are undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Winterbottom consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company 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 Companys current expectations regarding future events, performance and results, and speak only as of the date of this new release. Statements in this news release that constitute forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the potential for discovery of minerals and mineral resources at the Companys mining tenements. Readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from those presented. All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Clean TeQs management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, or delays in the development of infrastructure, and the failure of exploration programs or other studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements also include those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form available under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. 1 For full details see the ASX announcement dated 9 October 2017 2 g.m = gram metres: Pt assayed grams per tonne x metres of intersection 3 Drilling undertaken by previous owner Ivanplats in 2005/06 with assays undertaken by ALS in Orange, NSW. Data is as per the drilling data records provided by Ivanplats to the Company. This historical data is relevant and material in the context of the deeper drilling program detailed herein. Although the Company and the Competent Person is confident the drill data is accurate, the information is based on historic drilling and records and therefore does not conform to JORC 2012 standards. 4 For full details see the ASX announcement dated 25 June 2018: Clean TeQ Sunrise Definitive Feasibility Study Completed Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3353dd4a-b2d4-405e-ab34-88cab1e6eed0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8bd1eac1-1aa3-4f25-85a3-7d24fc0c8088 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/07c9eeea-86ab-4748-9d9a-3c19d7654b60 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6262311-9c8a-46c9-ba6f-052e699b7c81 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/de348a27-293e-44fd-868f-c6735f096bcd In a week when Torontos medical officer of health called for indoor dining to be banned and people to make only essential trips outside their home, data shows the overall risk of encountering someone infected with COVID-19 in Toronto in groups of 50 has increased. The chance of coming into contact with the new coronavirus in that sized group was more than 25 per cent one in four in 16 of Torontos 140 neighbourhoods and reached nearly 60 per cent in one area of the city. The chance of encountering someone with the virus in groups of 100 was 25 per cent or more in 66 neighbourhoods. Overall in Toronto, the risk of encountering someone with COVID-19 in a group of 50 is 16.2 per cent, six percentage points above what it was last week. For groups of 100 in Toronto as a whole, your chance of encountering someone with the virus is 29.8 per cent, compared to 22 per cent last week. In a group of 500, the risk increases to 82.9 per cent; in a group of 1,000, the risk is 97.1 per cent. Theres pretty much a guarantee that at least one child from a school of 1,000 students has COVID-19. Hopefully that student is self-isolating and it is one of the cases that we catch, said Ryan Imgrund, a biostatistician with Southlake Regional Health Centre who did the risk calculations. With the stay-home symptom list getting shorter, this will be more difficult to keep these definite cases out of schools. Imgrund, who is also a high school science teacher and has worked for the Public Health Agency of Canada, added that people should ask themselves whether it is truly necessary for them to leave their homes. If it is, he says, ask yourself how you can do so safely. If its possible to reduce the size of your group going to a grocery store, do it. Dr. Eileen de Villa echoed those concerns on Friday in a letter to Ontarios chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, asking the province to enact restaurant and outing restrictions, as well as discontinue indoor gym classes and team sports, and require large venues to submit plans to public health to demonstrate they are following preventative measures. Toronto has been a hot spot for the virus in recent weeks with a seven-day rolling average of 236 cases on Sept. 29, according to Toronto Public Health, a nearly sixfold increase since the beginning of September. The government didnt impose de Villas restrictions but did announce new rollbacks Friday that included extending the mandatory mask policy province-wide for shoppers or employees who cant physical distance. Premier Doug Ford also said restaurants, bars and nightclubs would be limited to 100 people in Peel and Ottawa with no more than six people per table. In Toronto, the maximum is 75, a limit imposed by de Villa. The size limits for social gatherings, changed last month, still stand at a maximum of 10 people inside and 25 outside. Imgrund has been posting daily updates on Twitter showing the viruss daily reproduction number in the province, as well as a slew of other data, and says he started calculating risk as a way to give some context to the daily case numbers that weve been inundated with since the start of the pandemic. What this tool does is gives you a perspective of the risk in your neighbourhood, said Imgrund. It will allow parents to decide, based on the numbers in their neighbourhood right now, Is the risk of my child encountering COVID-19 acceptable? Am I comfortable with them returning to school knowing the risk of COVID-19 in my neighbourhood? Weve become almost immune to those numbers, he said. I started doing a risk analysis because I thought it was more important to give context to (them). Dionne Aleman, an associate professor at the University of Toronto and an expert in pandemic modelling, says the presence of the virus in the community could have an impact on what happens in schools. So much is unknown about how COVID is transmitted among kids and from kids to adults, she said. But she said there are no borders on neighbourhoods and the presence of the virus anywhere in the city, even in the Greater Toronto Area, is a concern. Any city is sufficiently interconnected that people frequently interact with others from other neighbourhoods, said Aleman. For example, say the Annex has zero cases and Koreatown (which is adjacent to the Annex) has 200 cases; it would be madness to say that schools are safe to open in the Annex. To calculate the risk percentages, Imgrund uses case data by postal code released by the city of Toronto every week. He assumes that the virus is transmissible for a period of 12 days and takes into account the fact that people can transmit COVID-19 before and after the onset of symptoms. He also accounts for the population of each neighbourhood and uses seroprevalence figures from Public Health Ontario, which is testing for antibodies specific to COVID-19 in blood samples to determine the proportion of the population that has been infected. What Im looking at here is the cases that are able to be transmitted to other people, he said. There are some fancy math tricks that need to be done to account for data cleaning, reporting lags and also future growth of cases, but theyre just really fancy math tricks that are utilizing the data that is already out there that Toronto releases. Imgrund noted that his risk calculations represent a snapshot in time going back 12 days. That means neighbourhoods in which people have higher odds of encountering someone with COVID-19 this week may not be the same next week. Chris Bauch, a professor of applied mathematics at the University of Waterloo, points out that, although the data calculates the probability that someone could encounter a person with COVID-19 in their neighbourhood, it is not a transmission model and it doesnt show a persons chances of becoming infected through that encounter. He said that in neighbourhoods where the risk of an encounter is higher according to Imgrunds calculations, individuals can reduce their chance of transmission if they are diligent about mask use, physical distancing, handwashing and remaining in small (social) bubbles that dont have members who are also parts of other bubbles. The smaller the bubble, the better, Bauch said. But he cautioned, If cases start to climb (as they will), the chances of encountering someone, even in smaller groups, will start to increase. Kenyon Wallace is a Toronto-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @KenyonWallace or reach him via email: kwallace@thestar.ca In this article F Metromile CEO Dan Preston Winni Wintermeyer Ford is giving new car buyers a way to save money on insurance now that millions of Americans are working from home and driving less than they were before the coronavirus hit the U.S. The automaker said Thursday it is partnering with start-up insurer Metromile to give drivers easier access to the company's pay-per-mile insurance offering. When drivers sign up on Metromile's app or website, the odometer on their new Ford will immediately connect to Metromile's software, which will start tracking miles. Car insurers have faced controversy in the six months since Covid-19 forced offices around the country to close and put an end to live events and group gatherings. Major insurers said in April that they would start providing refunds, credits or rate cuts to customers because of the plunge in drive time, but a number of class-action lawsuits have been filed by consumers who said they should have been given bigger discounts. "Having a product that helps people save money in a time like this is really important," said Metromile CEO Dan Preston. We "build products catered to specific individuals as opposed to insurance products built for classes of drivers." The announcement comes a day after Ford said it's looking to slash at least 1,400 jobs, as it cuts staff in underperforming areas while investing in new technologies. Targeting infrequent drivers Founded in 2011, Metromile allows anyone to sign up for its product online, regardless of what kind of car they drive. Preston said the company targets the two-thirds of people who drive less than 12,000 miles per year, which he calls the break-even point. In other words, anyone who drives less than that should save money with Metromile versus traditional insurers. Thursday's announcement said eligible Ford owners can save $741 a year on average, based on a recent survey of Metromile customers. Preston said Ford is the "most forward-looking" of the major manufacturers in baking the product into its cars, but he expects other partnerships to emerge. The company says the number of Teslas insured by the company has grown 191% in the last two years. To date, Metromile has tracked the number of miles driven through a separate device that plugs into the car's diagnostics port. The new embedded Metromile offering is available only on new Ford cars that have connected systems open to outside developers. That includes most Fords from the 2020 and 2021 model years, the companies said. Metromile Pulse and mobile app Metromile Metromile, based in San Francisco, is generating over $100 million in annual revenue, Preston said. Sales plunged in the early days of the coronavirus because driving went way down. However, in the subsequent months many people went back to work and chose to drive instead of taking public transportation. Metromile also attracted new customers who were driving less and looking for cheaper insurance than they were getting from Allstate, Geico and Progressive. "A lot of changes are very likely not temporary," Preston said. Metromile has raised about $300 million in private capital, including from insurers Tokio Marine Holdings and Intact Financial, and venture firms NEA and Index Ventures. Insurance-technology companies are still trying to prove that they can employ software, algorithms and an upgraded user experiences to bring down costs for consumers while also generating a profit in a low-margin industry. In July, insurance-tech company Lemonade, which offers insurance to renters and homeowners, held its stock market debut. The company has a $3 billion market cap. Revenue more than doubled in the second quarter to $29.2 million, but Lemonade still reported a net loss of $21 million. WATCH: Lemonade CEO Daniel Schreiber on the company's outlook and earnings OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives are asking the official languages commissioner to investigate the government's choice of WE Charity to run a student grant program, saying the move showed contempt for francophones. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Conservative MP Richard Martel asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. The federal Conservatives are asking the official languages commissioner to investigate the government's choice of WE Charity to run a student grant program, saying the move showed contempt toward francophones. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives are asking the official languages commissioner to investigate the government's choice of WE Charity to run a student grant program, saying the move showed contempt for francophones. Conservative MP Richard Martel alleges in a letter to commissioner Raymond Theberge that the youth group did not have the ability to deliver the multimillion-dollar Canada Student Service Grant program in both of Canada's official languages. Martel, who made the letter public Thursday, wrote that the Official Languages Act clearly states the government is obliged to ensure any organization carrying out services on its behalf must do so in English and French. Opposition MPs have been grilling the government for months over the now-abandoned program because of WE Charity's close connections to the families of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau, the recently departed finance minister. The Liberals have consistently said it was federal public servants who recommended the program be administered by the youth group to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parliament has been prorogued until Sept. 23, shutting down at least temporarily several House of Commons investigations of the controversy, including one planned by the official-languages committee. The finance and ethics committees were in the midst of investigations when Trudeau prorogued Parliament and the government operations committee had been planning to launch another. The Conservatives have sought probes of the deal by the lobbying commissioner, the ethics commissioner and the RCMP, none of whose tasks are interrupted by the prorogation. Questions about the charity's ability to deliver the program in French arose after it was revealed it had hired National Public Relations to help conduct outreach to not-for-profit and student organizations in Quebec and to help with French content development. The disclosure cast doubt on the government's contention that WE Charity was the only organization capable of delivering the program across the country. In his letter to the commissioner, Martel pointed to documents released by the federal government showing that Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos raised concerns about WE's ability to deliver the student grant program in French-speaking parts of the country. Duclos wrote that he didn't see "a single word or page in French" on the charity's website and saw few signs that it "has a strong anchor" in Quebec. The documents also show that Duclos was advised that WE Charity has a separate French website, a fact Martel did not mention in his letter. WE officials have insisted the charity has offices and employees in Quebec, where it offers French-language programs and has worked in the past with hundreds of schools and groups. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The student program was meant to give young people who couldn't find work due to the COVID-19 pandemic an incentive to volunteer, with payments of up to $5,000 toward education expenses if they worked 500 hours. It was initially announced as a $912-million plan. WE was to be paid up to $43.5 million to administer the program. The charity withdrew from the deal at the beginning of July, but not before the government paid it $30 million for its services. WE announced Thursday that it has now paid back all of that money to the government. As well, it said it has waived its right to be reimbursed the roughly $5 million it spent to launch the program, which has since been abandoned. The program became almost immediately mired in controversy over WE's ties to the Trudeau family. Justin Trudeau's mother, wife and brother have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses for participating in WE events and projects over the years. Trudeau and Morneau, who also has family ties to WE, have both apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision to have WE administer the student program. Both men are under investigation by the federal ethics watchdog over the matter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. Editor's note : Keith Lamb is a University of Oxford graduate with an MSc degree in Contemporary Chinese Studies. His primary research interests are international relations of China and China's "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics." The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN. The recently published 2020 U.S. annual report to Congress regarding the China Military Power Report further casts China's development as a threat that needs to be addressed. It says: "What is certain is that the CCP has a strategic end state that it is working towards, which if achieved and its accompanying military modernization left unaddressed, will have serious implications for U.S. national interests and the security of the international rules-based order." The report bolsters its China threat thesis by declaring that China now has the largest navy with 350 ships while the U.S. has 293 ships and China has the largest ground force which is now modern and mobile compared to what it was in 2000. Furthermore, it claims China aims to double its nuclear warhead stockpile which the U.S. estimates sits in the low-200s. The growth of China's military, though, seems entirely commensurate with its size. China has one of the largest landmasses of all countries and the world's largest population. This fact alone would be enough to justify a sizable military. However, China sits in a neighborhood with far more complexity than just about anywhere else in the world. It has a long meandering coastline surrounded by island states, many of whom have territorial disputes in the seas with China. With China being the factory of the world, it relies on the sea for imports and exports more than any other country. Added to this, China can't ignore regular naval drills the U.S. and its allies hold near the Strait of Malacca, acting as a threat to potentially close off this chokepoint which is one of China's vital economic lifelines. Thus, China is within its rights to have a large navy. However, to be clear, China's navy may possibly have more ships, but its power is still lagging behind America's large blue naval fleets. There is no Chinese armada roaming around the Caribbean terrorizing the U.S. administration and populace. Here the report at least is honest in recognizing that China's naval force is mainly composed of advanced anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine weapons and sensors. In other words, China's navy is geared up for defense rather than attack. PLA Navy soldiers search for pirates after rescuing 19 sailors from the OS35 ship, April 9, 2017. /VCG China's geographical location and demographic situation simply make having a military for the purpose of attack unwise to the extreme. The U.S. has found to its detriment that even engaging in hostile activities against the technological backward Taliban cannot lead to long-term gains. If anything, China is an astute student of history and has been happy to learn from such hegemonic recklessness. The U.S. on the other hand has been slow to learn this lesson, in part, due to its geographical isolation where its invasions have not had an immediate impact, of any significance, on its borders and populace. China has not been in a hot war since 1979. But, the U.S. has been at constant war across the globe. The fact is that Chinese political thought is averse to outright military conflict. China's foreign policy emphasizes the importance of a democratic multipolar world order and the political-economic rights of all sovereign states to choose their own development. China's history is one largely of following defensive and non-belligerent strategies. Sun Tzu's famous "Art of War" regards attacking an enemy as the least desirable option. The Confucian philosopher Xunzi, when looking at international orders, sees a hegemonic one as being chaotic. Instead, an order based on "true kinship" is desired. This is where the stronger state does not control the international system through invasions, but instead sets a moral example which is then voluntarily followed by others. Such a world order is clearly desired by China. Its development model and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are rapidly gaining traction around the world. The U.S. report sees the augmenting of China's economic power, through channels like the BRI, as a threat because of the theory that economic power can buttress military power. However, this fear of developing economic capacities, which may lead to stronger militaries that in turn are built on infrastructure capacities is clearly not shared by China. The BRI, after all, helps states' development not only on China's borders but around the world. These states will then have greater military capabilities. A world where states can defend themselves is a world where one strong hegemon can no longer enforce its own dominance through military engagement, and instead must seek dialogue. This certainly would be a world based on true kingship. It is certainly more desirable than a hegemonic international order where international peace is broken by illegal wars and where development is characterized as a threat to be countered. France led criticism of US sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Thursday, saying Washington had launched a serious attack on the global body. The ICC, a special multilateral court set up to try genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity cases, has become the latest issue to split Europe and United States under President Donald Trump. Since its creation, the US has never recognised the courts authority, but the Trump adminstration took the unprecedented step of sanctioning its chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on Wednesday along with another senior ICC official. The measures announced on September 2 amount to a serious attack on the court and signatory states of the Treaty of Rome and, beyond this, a challenge to multilateralism and the independence of the judiciary, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday. A total of 120 states signed up to the Treaty of Rome in 1998 which laid the basis for the creation of the ICC four years later. The US was not among them, unlike its Western partners, putting it alongside a handful of states such as Russia, China and Israel which refused the ICCs authority. Reacting to the US sanctions on Thursday, the European Union said it would defend the court against attempts to undermine it. The International Criminal Court is facing persistent external challenges and the European Union stands firm against all attempts to undermine the international system of criminal justice by hindering the work of its core institutions, Peter Stano, spokesman for EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, told reporters. Human Rights Watch said that the Trump administrations action showed an egregious disregard for victims of the worlds worst crimes. Afghanistan probe At the heart of the dispute are efforts by prosecutor Bensouda to pursue an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan, which could implicate US soldiers. Afghanistan is a signatory to the ICC which has the power to investigate the most serious human rights abuses when member countries are unable or unwilling to bring perpetrators to justice themselves. Trump had authorised sanctions on the ICC on June 11. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called the institution a kangaroo court at the time, announced that the sanctions in the form of asset freezes would be enacted. The court, which has been criticised for concentrating its efforts on African countries in the past, has opened investigations into alleged atrocities in 12 countries, including Myanmar and Afghanistan more recently. It has also angered Israel by mooting an investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories. In a statement on Wednesday, the ICC slammed the US sanctions as coercive acts which it said were an attack on international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally. In 2002, the US Congress passed the so-called Hague Invasion Act allowing the US president to authorise military force to free any US personnel held by the ICC, in theory making an invasion of the Dutch city that is home to the ICC a possibility. Trumps America First nationalism and opposition to multilateral institutions have led to tensions with the European Union on a host of issues from trade to the Iran nuclear programme, climate change, and the role of the NATO defence alliance. When is the last time that you saw a phone that had something really different? I don't mean a funky colour or a stylus built in, but something fundamentally different to what anything else offers? Folding phones count here, to be sure. But they cost upwards of 1,500. What's innovative for those of us who must make do with affordable flagships? Asus' new ZenFone 7 Pro makes a compelling case to be considered the most interesting cameraphone of 2020. It doesn't have the longest telephoto lens, or the biggest sensor for the absolute best low light performance. But it does something that nothing else does -- it flips the rear cameras around to the front. This is literally done via a motorised hinge that whirrs into action as soon as you tap the camera selfie button. And for certain types of gadget fans, it's a deeply satisfying little mechanised reaction. When I first got my hands on it, I impulsively did what I'll bet 90pc of others do right away -- I repetitively whirred the cameras back and forth like a dazzled toddler. Those cameras, by the way, are pretty high-end. They consist of a main 64-megapixel 1x wide lens, a 12-megapixel 0.5x ultrawide lens and an 8-megapixel 3x optical zoom lens. The shots from the main 1x lens, in particular, are very strong with excellent detail and great colour contrast. The phone has other camera features you'd expect, such a decent night mode. Because the three cameras flip over to the front in selfie-mode, there's no need for a separate selfie camera. On an aesthetic level, this has the benefit of keeping the entire front display uninterrupted by any notch or 'hole-punched' selfie camera gap. But there is an actual quality benefit, too -- the selfies you'll produce with this are far, far higher quality from almost any other phone on the market. It's not just the flexibility of being able to take an ultra wide angled selfie shot (which one or two other smartphones can do) -- it's the actual picture quality. A 64-megapixel f1.8 rear lens beats the pants off almost any selfie camera I've ever tested. And while I'm not quite sure why you'd want to optically zoom in for a selfie shot, it's quite something when you do. This is the first phone I've ever used that has given me real angle options for video calls. Given that the flip camera is mechanized, will it break or wear out? Asus claims that it's good for 200,000 flips. So even if you constantly fidgeted with it like a clicky biro or a classic Nokia Matrix phone, the maths suggests that you could flip it 274 times every day for two full years before it might threaten to quit. That is if you're not doing it in the rain as this phone doesn't have the kind of water or dust resistance that most rivals now have. All of this has to be put in context, of course. How important is a selfie camera to you? Even for video calls? If the answer is somewhere between 'a little' and 'not much', the ZenFone 7 Pro's flip camera may not be a killer feature for you, no matter how unique it is. To be fair, the phone makes some good additional claims. One is its stupendously long lasting battery. Asus has taken the view that the only real way to have long battery life is to have a big battery. So the ZenFone 7 Pro has a relatively massive 5,000mAh battery tucked inside the hood. To put this in context, even Samsung's just-released huge 7.6-inch Galaxy Z Fold 2 tops out with a 4,500mAh battery. The net effect is that you'll almost never run out of power between nightly charges on the ZenFone 7 Pro, even if you hammer it with intensive use during the day. There is a price to be paid for this long life battery, and that is weight. This is between 10pc and 20pc heavier than other similarly-sized, similarly priced flagship phones. Much of this comes from the additional battery size. But it may well be worth it. Aside from the phone's endurance, it also has a high 90hz refresh rate on its gorgeous 6.7-inch screen. High refresh rates eat up more battery, but the trade-off is often worth it given the lovely smooth scrolling you get. Battery isn't the only non-flip strong point, though. When it comes to power and storage, this offers specifications normally only seen in 1,000-plus devices. That includes a Snapdragon 865+ chip, which even Samsung's (way more expensive) S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra don't have. It also includes 256GB of storage, 5G connectivity and a more standard 8GB of Ram memory. This is very powerful with just about the top specifications you can currently get. Lastly, there's a fingerprint reader on the side power button instead of underneath the screen. There are two potentially interested buyers for this phone. The first is someone who, for some reason, needs the absolute best quality, most flexible, front facing cameras you can get on a smartphone. That might be someone who needs extra quality on a Zoom call, a vlogger or someone else who semi-professionally uses their phone's cameras. The other potential user is someone who wants the top available smartphone specifications at a relatively reasonable price and who also likes gadgets. Either should be happy enough with the ZenFone 7 Pro. It's available to buy, Sim free, in outlets such as DID Electrical. Incidentally, Ireland is one of a handful of European countries where Asus is launching this phone (the UK is oddly not included in the launch). The version available here comes in 'aurora black', while a white version is available in some other territories. From DID Electrical Rating: 4/5 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 18:12 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c428c36d 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,COVID-19-in-East-Java,doni-monardo,covid-19-task-force Free Recent research has shown that many members of the public in Jakarta and East Java assume they are immune to COVID-19 or even doubt there is a pandemic at all, COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo has said. Doni, who also chairs the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the study was carried out in five provinces, with Jakarta claiming the number one spot and East Java number two in terms of public denial regarding the coronavirus outbreak. So, if we look at todays high numbers of cases in Jakarta and East Java, perhaps the data collected may be quite accurate, Doni said in a meeting with the House of Representatives on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com. Doni, however, did not reveal the details of the study that he referred to. The other three provinces they collected the data from were West Java, Central Java and South Kalimantan, where many residents also assumed they were immune to COVID-19, he said. Those three provinces have also been hit hard by the pandemic. He went on to say that the task force would deploy a joint team to educate the people in those provinces. As of Thursday, Indonesia had recorded 184,268 cases, with 132,055 recoveries and 7,750 deaths. The country has logged several record-high numbers in the past week, with the highest daily toll of 3,622 new cases recorded on Thursday. Jakarta has accounted for 22 percent of the total cases, with 42,041 cases and 1,246 as of Thursday, when 1,359 new cases were added. Following Jakarta is East Java, with 34,278 cases and 2,459 deaths -- the highest number of deaths in the country. It is followed by Central Java with 14,428 cases, South Sulawesi with 12,194 cases, West Java with 11,481 cases and South Kalimantan with 8,416 cases. (syk) The U.S. government rolled out a new online tool Wednesday designed to give the public insight into where and who is testing automated vehicle technology throughout the country. The official name of the online tool Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative tracking tool is a jargony mess of a word salad. Fortunately, its mechanics are straightforward. The online tool gives users the ability to find information about on-road testing of automated vehicles in 17 cities throughout the United States. The public can find out information about a company's on-road testing and safety performance, the number of vehicles in its fleet as well as AV-related legislation or policy in specific states. The AV tracking tool is part of the Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative, called AV TEST for short, that was announced in June. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is overseeing the AV TEST Initiative. The online tool is hardly comprehensive, but it's a start, and continues to expand. The tool currently shows data in 17 cities, including Austin, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The data might include testing activity as well as dates, frequency, vehicle counts and routes, NHTSA said. The information on the interactive web page is based on information that companies have volunteered. In other words, companies testing automated vehicle technology are not required by the federal government to provide data. However, a growing number of AV founders and engineers understand that public education and acceptance will be necessary if they ever hope to commercially deploy their technology. Ten companies and nine states have already signed on as participants in the voluntary web pilot. The participating companies, to date, are Beep, Cruise, EasyMile, FCA, LM Industries, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Waymo and Uber Advanced Technologies Group. The online tool also contains voluntarily submitted safety reports from Aurora, Ike, Kodiak, Lyft, TuSimple and Zoox. NHTSA has limited the number of companies submitting data during the pilot phase, Dr. Joseph M. Kolly, the agency's chief safety scientist said during a briefing earlier Wednesday. "The more information the public has about the on-road testing of automated driving systems, the more they will understand the development of this promising technology," NHTSA Deputy Administrator James Owens said in a statement. "Automated driving systems are not yet available for sale to the public, and the AV TEST Initiative will help improve public understanding of the technology's potential and limitations as it continues to develop." The arm wrestling in Libyas Government of National Accord (GNA), which boiled over with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarrajs suspension of the powerful Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, has brought into question Turkeys role in the power struggle among its allies in Libya. Some believe the row is an unwelcome development for Turkey, while others see it as a sign that Ankara has opted to back Bashagha, its No. 1 man in Libya, against Sarraj. The circumstances surrounding Bashaghas suspension and other reshuffles last week gave rise to speculation that Sarraj pulled off a preemptive coup against a coup plot by Bashagha, who was in Ankara at the time of his removal. Yet Libyan sources believe that Turkey is unlikely to undermine a government with which it signed critical accords on maritime demarcation and military cooperation in November 2019. The coup speculation stemmed from a series of developments that preceded the showdown in Tripoli. On Aug. 21, Sarraj and Aguila Saleh, head of the House of Representatives the political arm of the eastern forces fighting Tripoli issued simultaneous cease-fire appeals. Some terms of the cease-fire initiative, shaped through German and US mediation, were not to Ankaras liking. Above all, Ankara wanted that Khalifa Hifters eastern forces cede the control of the strategically significant Sirte and al-Jufra to the Tripoli government, but Sarraj and Saleh proposed a joint force to police the region. Also, they called for the pullout of all foreign forces and the disbanding of militia a point that is of direct concern to Ankara, which has brought in thousands of fighters from Syria and is seeking permanent bases in Libya. In another converging point, Sarraj and Saleh proposed that oil revenues be kept at the Libyan Foreign Bank, while Ankara favored the countrys central bank. Ankara has had an extraordinary relationship with Libyas central bank since 2011, as evidenced by the cooperation accord that the latter signed with Turkeys central bank Aug. 31 amid the political jitters in Tripoli. Despite a widespread conviction that Sarraj would not act independently from Ankara after all the military support he received from Turkey against Hifter, the announcement of cease-fire terms that irk Ankara raises questions. Turkey was already annoyed by revelations in July that Sarraj had grudgingly signed the maritime deal with Ankara. According to officials in Tripoli, Sarraj resisted relentless pressure from Turkey for over a year because he felt that, as a transitional premier, he lacked the authority to sign international agreements and worried that the deal would face European rejection. Eventually, he acquiesced to the deal as Hifter threatened to seize Tripoli and Islamists inside his administration weighed in in favor of Ankara. Besides, many in Tripoli have come to believe that too many concessions have been given to Turkey, while its military support has fallen short of securing control of all of Libya. Turkey's Syrian mercenaries are becoming another irritant. Another move that irked Ankara after the cease-fire call was Sarrajs acceptance of French President Emmanuel Macrons invitation to visit Paris. To top it all, street protests erupted against the Tripoli government. A shortcut conclusion that some observers draw from all this is that Bashagha had an eye on Sarrajs post and, trying to take advantage of the popular protests, jumped secretly on a private jet to enlist Ankaras support. Sarraj, however, was bold enough to suspend Bashagha, which resonated as a move against Ankara. A Libyan civil society leader, who requested anonymity, was rather cautious on conclusions about a Turkish role in the showdown. He said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is indeed irked by some of Sarrajs moves including his plans to visit France and asked the prime minister to change his advisers, but saw little Turkish influence in the power struggle in Tripoli. Bashagha is using the Turkish government to stay in power; Sarraj is doing the same. And because Sarraj has a greater authority, he removed Bashagha, the source told Al-Monitor. Sarraj cannot act independently from Turkey. Bashaghas courting to France, Italy and Egypt in a bid to be a prime minister have irked the Turks and Americans. The Muslim Brotherhood-led anti-Sarraj faction within the government exploited the protests to lobby for a new government under Bashaghas leadership, the source added, noting that Turkey was also annoyed by Bashaghas alleged involvement in the French intellectual Bernard-Henry Levys visit to Libya, whom Ankara deems as an adversary. Jalel Harchaoui, a researcher specializing in Libya at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, noted that during Hifters 14-month offensive on Tripoli, Bashagha, who was already close to Ankara, was one of the key figures who worked well with Turkey, but that does not necessarily mean that Ankara has an incentive to undermine Sarraj unless it serves its own strategic interests. Independent of considerations about his competence as interior minister, Bashagha happens to be a brazenly ambitious politician. He wants more than just being interior minister. This has been interpreted by some Libyans as a desire to become prime minister, Harchaoui told Al-Monitor. The expert argued that Turkey would not want to rock the boat too much right now since Sarraj is the only entity that signed the two agreements [in November], and that piece of paper has not yet been ratified by the parliament. He cautioned that too many changes could make Turkey's position more fragile and that Ankara has a long way to go to achieve its goals in Libya. Many have to do with the maritime accord. Being far from the finish line, [Ankara] is not in a rush to put all of its chips on one Libyan politician, Harchaoui said. Turkey prioritizes the stability of the government and the United States tends to think along similar lines, Harchaoui stressed. He added, Several foreign states like the technocratic effectiveness of Bashagha, but that doesn't mean his aspirations must be fulfilled. What we may now hear from the Sarraj camp is, 'OK, now that the suspension episode has hurt you, hopefully you will go back to work and tone down your political ambition a few notches.' What will actually happen in practice is a separate question. Maybe all these forces and factions will find a new equilibrium, or maybe Bashagha and his rivals' personal ambitions will continue weakening the GNA. In any case, Sarraj needs Turkeys support. And it was the Sarraj-led government that sealed critical accords with Turkey, no matter that Ankaras Libya strategy has relied mainly on Misratans of Turkish descent and Muslim Brotherhood affiliates. Undermining Sarraj or siding with Bashagha could add new predicaments to Turkeys Libya policy. By taking sides, Ankara would risk fueling rifts between the governments Muslim Brotherhood and nationalist blocs as well as enmities between rival militia in Tripoli and between the Misrata and Tripoli forces, the only beneficiary of which would be Hifter and his backers. The danger of taking sides in Libyas internal rows was evident from how rogue militia rejoiced at Bashaghas suspension. The militia have resisted also moves that enjoy international support such as the Aug. 17 Turkish-Qatari deal with Sarrajs government on institution-building, including the integration of armed groups into a regular army. In such a volatile climate, imposing a certain figure or a clique on others would risk to undo the existing fragile unity. Meanwhile, objections are growing more vocal against both Hifter and the Tripoli government as well as foreign interventions, as seen in the Ihya Libya movements appeal to the United Nations. Others pin hope on Saif al-Islam Gadhafi to restore the old regime, a trend that worsens the minefield facing Turkeys Libya venture. Aaron Jay Danielson planned to head out of town and into the woods last weekend for an early celebration of his 40th birthday but decided instead to take part in a pro-Trump demonstration with friends. He had gone to a pro-police demonstration in Camas on Friday night and then joined a car caravan Saturday organized by an Idaho supporter of President Donald Trump. WAUKESHA, WIS. Police have arrested a man for setting a woman on fire in Waukesha as she walked her dog and for hitting an elderly man with his vehicle and setting another fire at his property. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday directed banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to roll out their resolution schemes for stressed borrowers by September 15 post-moratorium period, but asked them to factor in Covid-19 related distress to assess creditworthiness of the borrowers, an official statement said. Businesses, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), want the moratorium period on loan repayment to be extended. The moratorium period ended on August 31 as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not extend it. Experts said this is not the time to initiate the resolution process as MSMEs are the worst sufferers of the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown. Micro and Small enterprises have not yet been out of stress. They want the moratorium to be extended beyond August 31 as businesses have not yet returned to normal, said Vinod Kumar, president at the India SME Forum. Mint reported on August 29 that the RBI decided against extending the moratorium period beyond August as it was concerned about changes in credit behaviour that could induce among borrowers and increase the risk of loan defaults. The report quoting RBI governor Shatikanta Das said the moratorium on loans was a temporary solution in the context of the lockdown, while a resolution framework would provide durable relief to borrowers facing Covid-related stress. The RBI had announced the loan moratorium to provide relief to pandemic-stressed borrowers in March 2020 initially for the three months till May 31, which was later extended till August end. As and when the moratorium on loan repayments is lifted, borrowers must be given support and Covid-19 related distress must not impact the lenders assessment of their creditworthiness, a finance ministry statement quoting Sitharaman said. The finance minister held the review meeting on Thursday with banks through a video conference to assess their state of preparedness for implementation of the loans resolution framework for Covid-19 related stress. The finance minister told banks and financial institutions to immediately put in place a board-approved policy for resolution while identifying eligible borrowers and reaching out to them. She also asked them for a quick implementation of a sustained resolution plan to revive every viable business, the statement said. She asked the lenders to launch a sustained media campaign to create awareness for borrowers after rolling out their resolution plans by September 15. She advised them to ensure that regularly updated frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the resolution framework are uploaded on their websites in Hindi, English and regional languages, and also circulated to their offices and branches. The lenders assured the FM that they were ready with their resolution policies. Lenders told her that they had started the process of identifying and reaching out to eligible borrowers, and they would comply with the timelines stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The central bank is assisting in the resolution process, the statement said. Kumar, who is quoted earlier, said, If banks start the resolution process, most of the smaller units will turn out to be stressed as they are not in a position to start paying debt. Those that are, have not taken the moratorium or have started paying already. According to him, many small units have not yet attained normal business. Despite the Centre having announced Unlock 4.0, it is not implemented at State and local levels and workers as well as supply chains have not resumed fully. This is not the time to initiate resolution processes. This is the time to extend a moratorium for survival of businesses, he said. Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder and managing partner at consulting firm DVS Advisors LLP said, The review meeting of the finance minister with the lenders is an indication that the moratorium may not be extended. STOCKHOLM, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galicia, the first of three ships in the E-Flexer class ordered by Brittany Ferries was delivered on September 3. The vessel is the third E-Flexer of nine ordered by Stena RoRo from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Galicia will be chartered by Brittany Ferries on a long-term basis and has been especially adapted to the wishes of the French ferry company. Construction of the E-Flexers is based on a standard developed for flexibility, and each vessel is tailored to customer needs. An example of an adaptation made in accordance with the wishes of Brittany Ferries is that the basic model car deck on deck 7 has been converted to cabins. This, in combination with the deckhouse having been extended on both decks 7 and 8, has enabled the number of cabins to be increased from 175 to 343. In addition, the Galicia has two scrubbers, one for each main engine, and two extra lifeboats added due to the ferry's increased passenger capacity. The interior has been designed by Richard Nilsson at Figura Architects, with whom Stena RoRo has been collaborating for quite some time. The public spaces on decks 7 and 8 have been partially given over to other functions compared to the basic model, but largely follow the E-Flexer standard. The design of the public spaces and the color scheme, however, are entirely unique and draw inspiration from Spain and the region after which the ship is named. "The Galicia is special because she is the first in the E-Flexer series to be delivered to an external customer," says Per Westling, CEO for Stena RoRo. "The design has been adapted to Brittany Ferries' special requirements and the yard has been able to deliver according to schedule despite the ongoing pandemic, which we are very happy about." "This is a significant milestone in our fleet renewal planning and we are delighted that we will shortly be welcoming Galicia to the Brittany Ferries family. The E-flexer class of ships are well suited to our long-haul routes. I am convinced that passengers will be as thrilled to travel on them as we are to take delivery of Galicia today", says Christophe Mathieu CEO Brittany Ferries. Stena RoRo has an agreement with Brittany Ferries for long-term charters of two more vessels in the Stena E-Flexer series. Both will be powered by LNG, are under construction and will be delivered in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Donation Brittany Ferries and Stena RoRo are also taking the opportunity to jointly make a donation to The Mission to Seafarers' Flying Angel Campaign supporting seafarers needs as a result of Covid-19. About Stena E-Flexer The Stena E-Flexer vessels combine cargo and passenger capabilities, and are substantially larger than today's standard ferries. The Stena E-Flexer class is at the forefront in terms of sustainability and sets a new standard in terms of emissions, cost and energy efficiency, as well as performance. About the Galicia Length: 214.5 Draught: 6.4 m Breadth: 27.8 m Capacity: 3,100 meters in length, 1,100 persons (passengers & crew) Specification of Stena E-Flexer order at CMI Jinling (Weihai), China: 1.Stena Line (in service between Holyhead and Dublin, delivered in 2019) 2.Stena Line (in service between Belfast and Liverpool, delivered in 2020) 3.Brittany Ferries (long-term charter agreement, entering service in the autumn of 2020) 4.Stena Line (in service between Belfast and Liverpool in 2021) 5. DFDS (long-term charter agreement for service in the English Channel, delivery 2021) 6.Brittany Ferries with LNG operation (long-term charter agreement, in service 2022) 7.Stena Line (extended version, delivery 2022) 8.Stena Line (extended version, delivery 2022) 9.Brittany Ferries with LNG operation (long-term charter agreement, delivery 2023) For more information, please contact: Per Westling, CEO, Stena RoRo AB Tel: +46 31 855154 Email: per.westling@stena.com Since 1977, Stena RoRo has led the development of new marine RoRo, cargo and passenger concepts. We specialize in custom-built vessels, as well as standardized RoRo and RoPax vessels. The company leases about fifteen vessels to operators worldwide, both to other Stena companies and third parties. Stena RoRo specializes above all in applying its technical expertise to the design and production of new ships and the conversion of existing ships for delivering tailored transport solutions to its customers. We call this "Stenability". Since 2013, we have been responsible for the design and completion of Mercy Ships' new hospital vessel the Global Mercy - the world's largest civilian hospital ship. www.stenaroro.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/stena-roro/r/stena-roro-s-e-flexer-galicia-delivered-to-brittany-ferries--with-higher-passenger-capacity-thanks-t,c3188610 The following files are available for download: 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. There is little anyone can do at the moment to relieve the anger, frustration and disappointment that created such a volatile environment where civil disobedience has been allowed to flourish. Fixing all the problems that have left people feeling ignored and underserved for so long will take decades, if it can be repaired at all. NASA's Terra satellite's visible image of Typhoon Haishen revealed a small "pinhole" eye surrounded by several hundred miles of thunderstorms spiraling around it as it continued moving north though the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. NASA Satellite View: Haishen's Organization The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Typhoon Haishen on Sept. 3 at 0145 UTC (Sept. 2 at 9:45 p.m. EDT). Satellite imagery shows deep convection and spiral banding of thunderstorms wrapping tightly around the 10 nautical-mile wide eye and into a low-level circulation center. Satellite imagery was created using NASA's Worldview product at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Haishen on Sept. 1 At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Sept. 3, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii noted that Typhoon Haishen was located about 646 nautical miles east-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Island, Japan. It was centered near latitude 20.7 degrees north and longitude 137.7 degrees east. Haishen was moving to the northwest with maximum sustained winds of 95 knots (109 mph/176 kph). Haishen is forecast to turn northwest while intensifying to 130 knots (150 mph/241 kph) within the next two days. The storm will pass west of Kyushu, Japan to make landfall in South Korea after 4 days. ### About NASA's Worldview and Terra Satellite 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's Terra satellite is one in a fleet of NASA satellites that provide data for hurricane research. Tropical cyclones/hurricanes are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting. For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov By Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier, chartered by Indian Oil Corp, that was carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, is seen after a fire broke out off east coast of Sri Lanka, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Courtesy Sri Lankan Airforce media/Handout via Reuters) Blaze Breaks Out Again on Supertanker Off Sri Lanka, Cargo Area Intact COLOMBO/NEW DELHIA new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka, spokesmen for the countrys navy said on Thursday, adding that one of its 23 crew was missing and another injured. Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said flames had spread to the bridge of the New Diamond, and that two Russian warships in Sri Lankas Hambantota harbor had left to assist in the firefighting. He had earlier said navy personnel at the scene had reported the fire was under control. We will need an international effort, de Silva said, adding that there was still no damage to the ships cargo area. There were 23 crew on board. We are bringing one injured crew member to Sri Lanka onboard one of our vessels. The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was fully loaded with the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier chartered by Indian Oil Corp, that was carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, is seen after a fire broke out off east coast of Sri Lanka, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Courtesy Sri Lankan Airforce media/Handout via Reuters) Photographs taken by Sri Lankas air force showed extensive damage to the tankers funnel, and thick black smoke and flames coming from the bridge, that sits just behind the cargo area. Another spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka and that the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to assist. One of its 23 crew was missing, Rajapaksa told Reuters. On Twitter, Indias coast guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help fight the fire. The ship sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. It was headed for the Indian port of Paradip, where state-run IOC has a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Sri Lankas Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker. An injured crew member of the New Diamond, a very large crude carrier chartered by Indian Oil Corp, is seen being taken to an ambulance by navy officials, in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Stringer/Reuters) Such a spill could cause an environmental disaster, warned Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore. No double-hull VLCC has spilled oil to date, but [it] depends on the damage to the ship, he added. Thursdays incident came a little more than a month after a state of environmental emergency triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tons of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. De Silva said some of the New Diamonds crew were rescued by oil product tanker Helen M. In a statement, the vessels insurer, West of England, said: We can confirm that these two vessels are entered in the West of England. The Club is liaising closely with our members and the relevant authorities and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. The second vessel referred to was the Gulf Livestock 1, sailing to China from New Zealand with 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that sank off Japan on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from IOC, Reliance Industries, and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. By Arjuna Ranawana and Nidhi Verma Haiti - FLASH : The Dominican President unveils his position towards the Haitians If many expected from the newly elected Dominican President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, positive changes for Haitians in the Dominican Republic they will be disappointed. Like President Trump and his "America First" slogan, President Abinader in an interview with CNN Spain on Tuesday was crystal clear: Dominicans first. Asked by the host Camilo Egana on what the Dominican Government intended to do with the Haitian nationals on its territory he declared "my commitment is for the Dominicans, it is for them that I must have objectives to improve their quality of life" and not solve the problems of Haitians residing in Dominican territory. For Abinader the question of immigration finds its solution in the strict respect of the application of the law "What we are going to do, is to enforce the law on immigration, like any country, like the United States, as in any organized society." Regarding temporary Haitian workers, see the day laborers who come to work in the Dominican Republic, Abinader specifies "Haitians who come to the Dominican Republic must come with a work permit and comply with the law and after completing this work they must return to their home. country." Wilfredo Lozano, the Director of the Dominican National Institute for Migration, agrees with President Abinader, adding that during his mandate he would strengthen the general law on migration, recalling in particular that the Dominican law provides only "the formal entry of temporary workers" adding moreover, that all Haitians entering Dominican territory must have official identification papers from the Haitian authorities. Regarding relations with Haiti, Luis Abinader extended his hand to the Haitian authorities, suggesting that the two Nations must work together to resolve certain common problems at the border, but that working together must not make us forget that it is are two distinct Nations living on the same island. SL/ HaitiLibre Since the reopening of the economy which began in June, the market sentiment seems to have improved as evident from the sharp rise in benchmark indices in recent months. This, along with cheap valuations and ample liquidity cajoled many listed companies into fundraising via QIPs and rights issues, but not many companies have gone public during the same time. So far in calendar 2020, only three companies have come out with an initial public offer. In March, SBI Cards & Payment Services came out with a public issue worth 10,000 crore followed by Rossari Biotech's Rs 500 crore issue and Mindspace Business Parks REIT which raised Rs 4,500 core in July. In comparison, 11 companies came out with a public issue last calendar during the same timeframe. These included Metropolis Healthcare, Neogen Chemicals, Polycab India, Sterling & Wilson, Affle India and IndiaMart InterMesh, launched their IPOs successfully. But the tide may about to turn soon suggest experts who are looking at the Rs 702-crore public issue of Happiest Minds as the opener to the IPO season. At least six more companies are expected to launch their IPOs before the year's which may bring between Rs 10,000-28,000 crore money in the primary market, experts said. Route Mobile (around Rs 600 crore IPO), CAMS backed by NSE (around Rs 1,500-2,000 crore), Chemcon Speciality Chemicals (around Rs 350 crore), UTI AMC (around Rs 3,000 crore), Angel Broking (around Rs 600 crore), IRFC (around Rs 4,000 crore), Equitas Small Finance Bank (around Rs 1,000 crore), National Stock Exchange (around Rs 10,000 crore), Gland Pharma (Rs 5,000-6,000 crore) are some of the public issues we may see before the year's end, said two persons familiar with the primary market segment told Moneycontrol. "We are expecting a strong momentum in the primary market," Astha Jain, Senior Research Analyst at Hem Securities told Moneycontrol. "We are expecting companies like Route Mobile, Happiest Minds Technologies, Angel Broking, CAMS, Chemcon Speciality Chemicals, UTI Asset Management, Gland Pharma etc to come out with their primary market offerings soon," she said. Gaurav Garg, Head of Research at CapitalVia Global Research also said, "IPO's attraction might continue to allure investors in the primary market after successful IPO subscription in recent time. Sentiments have improved after COVID-19 economy disruption; however, markets are stable and have discounted impacts on the economy which in turn set the mood for midcap and smallcap stocks." Angel Broking with IPO size of around Rs 600 crore and CAMS with an IPO size of around Rs 1,500 crore, might come out in September only, which will be an excellent opportunity for primary market participants, he feels. "UTI AMC, another IPO we expect in September, may be worth investing for listing gains and for long-term holding as well," he said. As per industry reports, nearly 30-34 companies have received approvals for initial public offerings (IPOs) totalling around Rs 33,500 crore. Prashanth Tapse, AVP Research, Mehta Equities also feels a revival in primary market is on cards as investors' confidence is building up. "The first half of 2020 we have witnessed a COVID backed underperformance in not only the broader market but also in the primary market, but H2 FY20 looks better than first half. If the broader markets continue to remain buoyant or even stay stable, we will see a steady flow of IPOs in coming months," he reasoned. "New and emerging investment themes, especially in the space of Retail, IT, Pharma, Speciality Chemical, fintech and consumer tech segments, and proven profitable business model backed by strong financials & brand would gain adequate demand at the right price and valuations and it is important to see the issuers leaves enough on the table for fresh investors," he added. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. The Ohio Harness Horsemens Association will host 'Super Sunday at Scioto,' presented by the Galbreath Equine Center at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center on September 6, from Eldorado Scioto Downs on Facebook live. Post time will be at 6:00 p.m. The live-stream event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include coverage of the Ohio Sires Stakes Finals and the #SendItIn Invitationals. Hosted by OHHA Brand Ambassador Roger Huston and harness racing expert Allison Conte, Super Sunday at Scioto will include live coverage of the eight divisions of the Ohio Sire Stakes Finals, two divisions of the #SendItIn Invitational and two open pacing events. The purses for the entire Sunday night card at Eldorado Scioto Downs will be $2,782,000. Super Sunday at Scioto Downs will include interviews with drivers, trainers, and owners as well as analysis of the races. Super Sunday at Scioto Downs is sponsored by Big Dees Tack and Vet Supply, Cool Winds Farms, Kim Hill Real Estate and Midland Acres. As part of Super Sunday at Scioto, race fans can compete against Roger 'The Voice' Huston and Pacey 'The Wiz' Mindlin in picking the winners of the eight sires stakes races and the #SendItIn Invitationals. For more information, fans can visit the OHHA Facebook page for entry details. OHHA Outreach and Public Relations Coordinator Frank Fraas says this the third major racing Facebook live presentation by the Ohio Harness Horsemens Association. This is another event that allows us to feature racing in Ohio. We are continuing to find ways to deliver our racing product to fans that might not feel comfortable attending races in person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Large events like this and our continued coverage of racing from the county fairs gives us the opportunity to highlight racing in the Buckeye state and reach new fans. (Ohio Harness Horsemens Association) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 16:32:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will leverage its participation at the upcoming China International Fair for Trade in Services to boost a post-COVID-19 recovery through increased exports of goods and services to the Asian nation, a government official said here on Wednesday. Wilfred Marube, chief executive officer of the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency, said participation at the services trade fair, scheduled for Sept. 4-9, will revitalize commercial ties and hasten economic recovery after the coronavirus-induced downturn. "Trade in services is critical in increasing international trade as well as enhance the growth of trade in goods. Trade in services makes an important contribution to the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises also," Marube told Xinhua in an interview. "This is a strategic event for Kenyan service providers to participate, especially those in the fields of transport and logistics, financial services, education and health," he added. Kenyan officials and investors will attend the international trade fair in China to showcase the East African nation's potential as an attractive investment destination, according to the official. "The vibrancy and its internal market dynamics make China a potential market for Kenya's exports. We can tap the potential for trade growth of both countries, to raise the quality and level of bilateral trade," he said. Marube said China's trade fair will also provide an opportunity for Kenya to increase its export portfolio to China amid the pandemic. According to Marube, Kenya will utilize the trade fair to help boost market access for key products like tea, avocados, vegetables and cut flowers. The fair, he added, will provide a platform to bolster trade in key services like health, information and communications technology, logistics, banking and insurance. Marube said that China has become one of the leading consumers of tourism products in Kenya, adding that the trade fair will present an opportunity to showcase the country's scenic attractions. He said that Nairobi will strengthen compliance with international health protocols to ensure that exports to China minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission. According to Marube, Kenya will comply with "the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements" to boost the export of fresh produce to China and develop an online portal to showcase its products and services. Nairobi also wants to harness opportunities provided by China's major e-commerce platforms to increase exports to the Asian Nation, he added. "China is a future market for Kenya and therefore we continue doing business as we grow our key exports to the market," he said. Enditem The latest conflict along the border between India and China is keeping Indian startup founders on the tenterhooks. . On June 29, India had banned 59 Chinese apps, including video-making startup TikTok, citing concerns around sovereignty and security of the country. Soon after that, it banned another 47. The latest ban on 118 Chinese apps, including popular gaming app PUBG, shows the governments resolution to take tough choices . On June 29, India had banned 59 Chinese apps, including video-making startup TikTok, citing concerns around sovereignty and security of the country. Soon after that, it banned another 47. The big question doing the rounds now is whether the next round of government scrutiny will be on startups with large Chinese shareholding. If so, there could be multiple repercussions like increased auditing of systems, slowing down of deal clearances and scrutiny of data sharing and storage for these startups, say industry insiders.Startups wary of Chinese investments Startups would be careful about getting money from Chinese investors now and are also looking to reduce the stake of such investors, said a founder of an early-stage startup. There could be problems to these companies with regards to access to regulated businesses, like digital payments, insurance, lending and others. The Reserve Bank of India, and the insurance and market regulators could get wary of giving licences to entities with large shareholding of Chinese VCs, he said. The government should also look into companies which have Chinese investments and use Chinese tech in their products, and how they are safeguarding the data of Indian citizens, said Sumit Ghosh, co-founder, Chingari. Chingari is a social media platform which works in the same space as TikTok. May be the government could take a closer look at startups with more than 25 percent Chinese shareholding and encourage large companies to look for an alternate set of investors. Players like Paytm, Zomato, Ola all count Chinese investors in their cap table. Problem is around data safety, not services However, legal experts believe that the ban is a move to rein in consumer and utility apps, which typically capture a lot of user data. The problem is around how this data is being collected and shared, not about the services these players are providing. Overall, the government will not make a move which can hurt business prospects of Indian startups at the end of the day. The government move, pursuant to the last three notifications, is not really against Indian startups but against the transfer of data which is prejudicial to the interests of the country and puts its sovereignty at stake, said Dipti Lavya Swain, Partner, HSA Advocates. Swain said that companies which have been singled out were using their apps as their sole business. The government is not against Indian startups with Chinese investments. App bans not as worrisome as FDI restrictions Another segment of industry experts believe that these app bans are not as important as the restrictions on capital from China. Moreover, they believe that if the relationship between the two countries improves, a lot of restrictions would be relaxed. Also, most of the ban and FDI restriction looks like temporary measures taken to address current market crisis. Needless to say, once these digital companies comply with security and privacy requirements under Indian laws and there is enough evidence to prove that there is no data leak, the ban will obviously be lifted, said Rishabh Mastaram, founder of legal firm RGM Legal. While experts suggest that this phase will be over soon and things between the two Asian giants will normalise, startup founders continue to be wary.The latest case in point is that of food-delivery major Zomato, which had to reach out to other investors in the wake of additional money from Ant Financial reportedly getting stuck in regulatory clearances. Large Indian startups will surely be looking towards alternative sources for capital, given the overall situation in the border areas. Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday proposed the industry to create a pool of capital to nurture new-age ideas, support new businesses and encourage entrepreneurship. Addressing the industry at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) through video conference, Goyal said top Indian business leaders can engage with youth and mentor them to encourage entrepreneurship. The government will help the CII in creating a global platform that may include like-minded countries such as the US, Japan, European Union (EU), Singapore, Canada, South Africa and Brazil to work collectively towards the development of potential new businesses across the globe, he said. Goyal, on Thursday, launched the CIIs new initiative - Indias Future Business Group (FBG). The FBG has been constituted to support the emergence of new-age businesses, attract global investment in new businesses in India and to foster government-industry cooperation to help develop new policies to support the innovative businesses, a CII spokesperson said. The theme of the group is Nurturing the existing new businesses and fast-tracking the entry and growth of new businesses in India, he said. Also read: Supreme Court to hear review petition seeking postponement of JEE, NEET on Friday Sanjiv Bajaj, vice president of the CII and chairman of Bajaj Finserv Ltd said, Disruption is the new normal. The whole process of developing disruptive technologies and business models will be accelerated by the CIIs Future Business Group. India has played a key role in digital technologies in the last 10 years, now the time is ripe for the country to make the next big leap. The initiative will send a powerful message to all entrepreneurs of present and future about our efforts to encourage and incubate the businesses of future, Manoj Kohli country head, SoftBank India said. He is also the chairman of the group. Chandrajit Banerjee, director-general of the CII, proposed to Goyal to consider forming a joint working group of the industry and the government to formulate the national strategy and focus on sector-wise reforms. The minister accepted the proposal, the spokesperson said. The FBG will dedicate itself to encourage the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. It will guide and steer the newcomers to rise to the unicorn, he said. The CII would soon launch the global unicorn series under the auspices of SoftBank India with the participation of unicorns from the US, the EU, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Israel and South Korea to share their journey to glory, he added. 02 September 2020, Berlin: Elon Musk (r) leaves the executive board meeting of the CDU/CSU, where he presented the party with an RNA Printer, a device used to produce vaccine candidates. The RNA Printer is a joint development of the biopharmaceutical company CureVac and Tesla Grohmann Automation. Photo: Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images Tesla (TSLA) chief executive Elon Musk met lawmakers from Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon on the sidelines of their parliamentary group meeting. Musk met health minister Jens Spahn, CDU faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus, and economy minister Peter Altmaier. He did not meet Merkel, who was also at the caucus day. Altmaier told the electric-car pioneer that the German government will help in whatever way needed to get Tesla's Berlin plant up and running. We are very proud of your car plant in Brandenburg and we wish you good luck with that, Altmaier told Musk. Youll have every assistance you need. Tesla is currently building a huge Gigafactory car plant in Grunheide in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds the capital Berlin. German politicians broadly feted Musks decision last year to pick Germany for the location of the first Tesla Gigafactory in Europe. READ MORE: German biotech CureVac confirms Elon Musk visit this week Germanys small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) commissioner Thomas Barei said last month that the speed and scale of Tesla project sends a positive signal about Germany as a place to get large projects done. The plant, which Tesla is aiming to have ready by mid-2021, will aim to produce 500,000 vehicles a year at full capacity, and it has said it will create around 10,000 jobs. Musk arrived in Germany on Tuesday (1 September) and made a visit to biotech company CureVac (CVAC), which is currently working on a potential vaccine for COVID-10. Musk tweeted on Sunday 30 August that: Tesla, as a side project, is building RNA microfactories for CureVac & possibly others. Teslas German subsidiary Grohmann is reportedly developing an RNA printer for faster vaccine production. Speaking about the cooperation between Grohmann and CureVac in Berlin today, CDU faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus said: "International networking is important." CureVac boss Franz-Werner Haas told Reuters that it would not have been possible to move forward without the automation technology from Tesla Grohmann. Can it be entirely accidental that the protagonists of "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" - another cinematic Rubik's Cube from writer-director Charlie Kaufman ("Anomalisa") - are played by actors with almost the same first name: Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons? Perhaps not, in this adaptation of a 2016 novel by Iain Reid that is full of tricks and head games and narrative slippage involving identity and time. The film opens with a 20-minute conversation in a car ride as a woman (Buckley) is traveling with her new boyfriend to meet his oddball parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) for the first time on their farm. It's a slow and philosophical opener, and a third of it takes place inside the head of the woman, who, over the course of the film, is described as being a painter, poet and waitress - as well as a graduate student in quantum physics, gerontology and some field of biology. Things will get weirder and more scary as this psychological horror story unfolds, like origami (and arguably more annoying, depending on your taste for Kaufman's brand of heady, dreamlike storytelling). But for those who have acquired that taste, this portrait of a fragmenting psyche is beautiful, and sure to haunt your own dreams. TV-MA. Available on Netflix. Contains strong language, some disturbing images and brief nudity. 134 minutes. - - - The documentary "#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump" states its thesis, unambiguously, in its title: That the current occupant of the White House is not fit for office, because, as argued by the film's subjects, his malignant narcissism and other disqualifying psychological disorders. The talking heads include, chiefly, psychologist John Gartner of A Duty to Warn and attorney George Conway of the Lincoln Project, two anti-Trump groups. (Conway recently announced that he was stepping back from the Lincoln Project.) Directed by filmmaker Dan Partland, "#Unfit" is lively and often as funny as it is frightening, as it attempts to do a few things: Explain to the viewer how we got here, why it's a dangerous place to be and how we can extricate ourselves from this morass. That last part is also encapsulated in a single word: Vote. Unrated. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains some strong language. 84 minutes. - - - ALSO STREAMING: After a man and a woman have an unresolved argument at a party, the still-fuming couple (Dan Fogler and Emma Bell) decide to restage the entire event - complete with other guests - to determine who was in the right in the comedy "The Argument." Unrated. Available on various streaming platforms. 81 minutes. - - - Based on an actual case, "Conviction" is a French legal thriller about a man who is on trial - for the second time - for the murder of his wife nine years ago. Although the film "doesn't dish out as many twists as one hopes," according to the Hollywood Reporter, "it does deliver a captivating portrayal of how French murder trials work." Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In French with subtitles. 111 minutes. - - - In the German superhero film "Freaks: You're One of Us," a mild-mannered short-order cook discovers that she possesses superpowers. TV-MA. Available on Netflix. In German with subtitles. 92 minutes. - - - Alexandra Daddario ("Baywatch") stars in "Lost Girls and Love Hotels," a drama about an American in Tokyo who is trying to forget her painful past in the arms of a mysterious Yakuza (Takehiro Hira). The film is based on Catherine Hanrahan's 2006 novel. R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains strong sexuality, nudity and coarse language. 97 minutes. - - - In the romantic comedy "Love, Guaranteed," a lonely lawyer (Rachael Leigh Cook) agrees to represent a handsome single man (Damon Wayans Jr.) who, after 900-some unsuccessful dates, decides to sue a dating website that promises that its clients will find love. TV-PG. Available on Netflix. 90 minutes. - - - Hugo Weaving plays a Melbourne crime boss in the Australian film "Measure for Measure," a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's tale of disguised lovers set against a background of racial tension, amphetamines and gang culture. Screen Daily says the film feels "more knotty than surprising, even for those unfamiliar with the source material and despite adding some twists." Unrated. Available on various streaming platforms. 107 minutes. File image Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently in isolation at home, the staff of the 83-year-old media tycoon said on September 2. Alberto Zangrillo, Berlusconi's personal physician at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, told Adnkronos news agency the former premier had no symptoms but had decided to test for COVID-19 because of his recent stay in Sardinia. Berlusconi recently returned home from a holiday in Sardinia, which saw a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in August as tourists from all over the country descended on the Mediterranean island. Berlusconi will continue working from his house in Arcore, near Milan, and to support the campaigns of candidates from his centre-right Forza Italia party at local elections scheduled for September, a statement by his staff said. Italy, which has suffered one of Europe's worst outbreaks of COVID-19 with over 270,000 confirmed cases and some 35,500 deaths, has managed to contain the contagion since a peak in fatalities and infections in March and April. 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 However, the country recorded a steady increase in new cases in August, with experts blaming gatherings of people associated with holidays and nightlife. Politicians across the political spectrum sent support messages to Berlusconi, a four-time prime minister. "I want to wish Silvio Berlusconi a speedy recovery on behalf of our members. He will fight this new battle forcefully," centre-left Democratic Party leader Nicola Zingaretti, who also recovered from COVID-19, wrote on Twitter. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT One person was wounded after being shot during a robbery in the city early Thursday morning, according to police. Officers responded to Bridgeport Hospital around 3:30 a.m. for a report of a male victim who had been shot. Officials ruled out the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Singh and Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the SCO event. Moscow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday arrived here on a three-day visit to Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral defence cooperation. The defence ministers of all eight SCO member nations are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively here on Friday, officials said. "Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh reached Moscow on a three-day visit to Russia. He was received by Ambassador (D. B. Venkatesh Varma) and Major General Bukhteev Yury Nikolaevich at the airport," the Indian embassy tweeted. He "will be attending Joint Meeting of Defence Ministers of SCO, CIS and CSTO member states," it said. The meeting is taking place under the shadow of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of the influential bloc. "Reached Moscow this evening. Looking forward to my bilateral meeting with the Russian Counterpart General Sergey Shoygu tomorrow," Defence Minister Singh tweeted. The SCO comprises eight member states India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistan's Pervez Khattak are 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, officials said there is no such plan. Before departure, Singh in a tweet said that issues of mutual interest will figure in his talks with Shoigu. "India and Russia are privileged Strategic Partners. Looking forward to further this partnership during my visit," he said. In his meeting with Shoigu, Singh will press for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier, officials said. In the talks, both sides are expected to officially finalise a long-pending proposal to produce AK 203 rifles in India. The officials said Singh is also likely to request the Russian side to ensure the timely delivery of the S-400 missile defence systems to India. The delivery of the first batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India is scheduled by the end of 2021. It is Singh's second visit to Moscow since June. He had represented India at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on 24 June that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 percent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of the SCO in 2017. Leaks on the internet suggest that Sony is planning a PS5 event on September 9. The event is speculated to show gamers a teardown of the PS5. We may also get to see some gameplay of the launch window PS5 games. If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then Sony will hold a PS5 event on September 9 to show off some crucial details of the PS5 including the price and the release date for the console. According to postings on 4chan, we could get to see a teardown of the PS5 hardware along with gameplay for some launch window games for the console. When Lead System Architect for the PS5, Mark Cerny spoke about the PS5 hardware, he did mention a teardown of the console and it looks like we could get to see this as soon as next week. If nothing else, we could get a look at the back of the console which will house the connectivity options and possibly the expansion slot for storage. According to the 4chan post, we could also get a look at the UI of the console and the ever-important launch date and price. To put things into perspective, while we don't know the price of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft has confirmed it will launch in November and leaks have suggested a release date of November 6 for the Series X. Coming back to the 4chan post, it reads, Full PlayStation 5 reveal, including hardware, features, UI system, launch date and price. PlayStation Now is coming for more countries and with new marketing approach. Gameplay of 1st party titles already revealed: Spider-Man MM, Ratchet and Clank, GT 7, Demons Souls, Godfall and Returnal. All these coming on the console launch. Call of Duty Cold War multiplayer reveal. New trailers of Horizon 2 Forbidden West and games already announced in June event. Big horror game is coming exclusively for PlayStation 5 from Japan Studio. Partnership announcement of 3rd party games, including content of multiplayer and timed exclusive. From the above, it is quite clear that this could be the showstopper PS5 event weve been waiting for. While we have seen gameplay for games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, other first-party games like Spider-Man Miles Morales are yet to show off gameplay. The rumoured horror game from Japan Studios has been making rounds online for some time and speculations have suggested it could be Silent Hill reboot. A lot of information circulating the internet suggests that Sony is hard at work with third-party developers for either timed exclusives or exclusive games for the PS5. According to the 4Chan leak, we could get to see some of these third-party exclusive games. The biggest question is about price and availability. Both Microsoft and Sony have been patiently waiting for the other to blink first and it looks like Sony could be confident with their offering. Rumours have pegged the PS5 at $499 and $399 for the disc and all digital versions respectively, and so far, the gaming community seems ok with this price. However, it remains to be seen what Sony will share officially, as far as the price is concerned, and how Microsoft reacts to it. Till then, as always, you can check out our spec comparison between the PS5 and Xbox Series X here and our comparison of the design of the 2 consoles here. 03.09.2020 LISTEN If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn't have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am, Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley). The quote above by one of the world's greatest and legendary musicians Bob Marley ever exemplifies the need and essence of the past. Ones embodiment is a complexity of multifaceted experiences that shapes the person's thought. A serious predicament of this Generation especially Africans, is their neglect of the past. The past is the mirror for the future but this generation lacks the historical reflection which is an indication and a determinant for the future. In the last couple of days there's been a "wild" ethnocentric comment which has been credited to some well meaning Ghanaians of National status which sought to describe the Akyem Ethnic group as "Sakawa," a Ghanaian created jargon which means fraudulent or a scammer. The statement continues to brand the Akyem people as "Mafia" which has a negative connotation of a criminal syndicate. The achievements and exploits of some AKYEM personalities will settle the score and dispute this erroneous impression and misconception that has been carved out overtime by some "ignorant" people in our society. To my teeming Akyem Youth who are down spirited and heartbroken, I want you to take a cup of water from the beautiful Birim river sip and start jubilating because your Past and Contemporary ancestors left you a legacy and has been solidified by your living Kinsmen. You should be proud and beat your chest out to be associated with the brand Akyem. This is not meant to elevate Akyems above any ethnic group but it is important that we recount the pedestals of their kinsmen (Grandpas) which will serve as a catalyst for the younger generation to strive for perfection. As a matter of emphasis, this piece will concentrate on the achievements of Descendants of Akyem Abuakwa and in my subsequent release Akyem Bosome, and Kotoku will be recounted in detail. Can sakawa boys and mafia boys achieve this feat? It will interest you to know that Nana Sir Ofori Atta l (King of Akyem Abuakwa ) who ruled from November ,1912 to August 1943 affectionately known as "Amantiremanmienu" was the first African Traditional ruler to be Knighted , conferred the Title of a "Sir" at the Buckingham palace in 1928. An educated King with impeccable knowledge and was the first African ruler to be honored with a red carpet reception by the Monarch of England. He was subsequently appointed a member of the legislative Council in 1916 and was made the first Chairman of the finance committee of the Legislative Council. Nana Sir Ofori Atta I received 700-ode tributes during his final funeral rites and popular amongst it written by Jonnie Rubbs of the Spectator bestowed on him the title of The Gold Coast Man and it reads The late Nana Sir Ofori I was the Gold Coast Man. He stood in the name of the country in many matters of grave importance affecting it An astute Nationalist whose efforts cannot be deprecated in Gold Coast Politics is Joseph Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah who is known as the "Doyen of Ghana politics". He is a founding member of the UGCC, the first Political party to lead the way for political Emancipation and independence for the Gold Coast people and The United Party. J.B Danquah was as an academician par excellence and was the first African to hold a PhD from a British University. His research in African historical studies led to the adoption of the name Ghana which he likened the Gold Coast to a powerful medieval Kingdom that existed in the Western Sudan. The Change he felt was necessary because, after independence, the Colonial name "Gold Gold Coast" was just a geographical description of an area but rather it was important to have a name with originality and historical connection..J.B Danquah was part of the famous Big Six. To my Disgruntled Akyem Youth, do not be dismayed by such comments. We can emulate Uncle J.B and achieve more for our elves and our Motherland. One of our greatest sons is William Ofori Atta. A Nationalist, Academician and also one of the founders of the first Political party thus The UGCC. He was a Minister of education in the second Republic and Also Minister in Charge of Foreign Foreign affairs and a member of the historically christened famous Big Six. Prof.Kofi Amoah Oduro who hails from The head of the Adonten Division in Akyem Abuakwa ,thus Kukurantumi was the First fully qualified Anesthetist in Ghana. Akyem women have stood tall and also made strides. Dr. Susan Ofori Atta was the first Girls' Prefect of Achimota College and subsequently progressed academically to be acclaimed the first ever Ghanaian woman to qualify as a Medical Doctor. A sakawa girl can never achieve such an enviable feat. Another Great woman was Grace Amoakoaa Ofori Atta.she was the first female tutor at Abuakwa state College and the first female professionally trained Librarian in Ghana. In the Security Services Akyem women still made their relevance. Margaret Darkwaah who hails from Akyem Pramkese which is in Odau divison of Akyem Abuakwa was the first ever Assistant Commissioner of Police in Ghana in 1962 and the first police woman in charge of Procurement in Ghana. Abena Frempomaa Daagye Oduro from Kukurantumi holds an enviable record from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for her outstanding performance in Geography in 1982. The exploits of Akyem in the security services cannot be neglected. The security service is one of discipline and integrity.Robert Dokyi Ampaw was the first Ghanaian Inspector of Police with a Bachelors Degree and was an astute lawyer as well.Sakawa Boys can never be IGPs. S S.Omane from Akyem Pramkese was awarded Okyeman Kanea (The highest Award in Okyeman) in 2017.He emerged the best student abroad in his further studies in Britain. As a police officer, he rose through the Ranks to become an Inspector General of Police in 1983. Akyems have again distinguished themselves in the Religious space. Most Reverend Asante Antwi was once a presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana. Again, Very Rev.Anthony Antwi Beeko was once a Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana which is the highest rank in the Presbyterian Church. Still on Religious affairs, Rt.Rev. Kwadwo Sintim Misa was the first Graduate Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and he served two terms as a moderator. The first Black person to be appointed to the British Cabinet and Chief Secretary to treasury, Rt. Hon.Paul Boateng is a proud Descendant from Akyem Tafo The First Ghanaian to establish a private insurance firm in Ghana which has been in existence and chalked several achievements till date, Nana Awuah-Darko Ampem, Founder of Vanguard Assurance is from the Head of the Benkum division in Akyem Abuakwa, Begoro. The First Ghanaian to head the Alternate Executive Director position at the world Bank is Kwaku Gyasi-Twum from Akyem Abompe and Osino. Prof.Yaw Asirifi became the first Ghanaian to head the pediatrics Department at Korle Bu teaching hospital and he is a proud son of Okyeman. Prof.Kankam Twum Barima rose to become a Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is An Akyem Indigene. Professor Addo -Fennig a historian extra ordinaire and an authority in Akyem Abuakwa history comes from Akyem Osino. Professor E. Bamfo-Kwakye an academician rose to become the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from 1974 to 1983. He is a son of Okyeman and comes from Akyem Apinamang. My Dear Akyem People, never be dismayed by the comments that sought to denigrate our heritage. We are a people with a remarkable achievement from Politics, Academia, Sports, Science, Religion, Security Services etc. Let the exploits of your fore and contemporary fathers motivate you to achieve better than what they have done. This is just a fragment of personalities from the Akyem Abuakwa Kingdom. Akyem is an institution of Education, Intellectualism, Enlightenment and Progression. Sakawa and Mafia boys are too busy with their laptops seeking spiritual help. Our Forebears made use of the pen and paper to achieve this feat. And to all those whose works I consulted, I am extremely grateful especially Kwasi Amfo Kwakye. Let us jealousy guard the volatile peace we have in Ghana for there is only one Ghana. #Ubuntu.Let's Build together Okyeman te ase. Daniel Obeng Acquah (Boxxy) (Secretary Okyeman Youth for Development) 0549855599, email:[email protected] Nana Yaw O.A Asem. (Convener, Okyeman Youth For Development) 0554547843 [email protected] . Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible, Trump tweeted Thursday. On Election Day, or Early Voting, go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizens right to do). A US Marine who killed a woman in the Philippines after discovering she was transgender will be released from prison early due to his 'good-conduct', a court rules. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton strangled Jennifer Laude, 26, before holding her head in a toilet bowl after flying into a rage in a motel room in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila in 2014. On Tuesday, a Philipine court ordered Pemberton's early release, drawing protests from the family and lawyers of Ms Laude. Pemberton has served less than six years of a maximum 10-year jail term, mostly in a compound jointly guarded by Philippine and American security personnel at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila. The place of detention was agreed to under the terms of the treaty allies' Visiting Forces Agreement, although Laude's family had demanded that Pemberton be held in an ordinary jail. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton (right) strangled Jennifer Laude, 26, (left) before holding her head in a toilet bowl after flying into a rage in a motel room in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila in 2014 Pemberton (pictured arriving in court in 2015) has served less than six years of a maximum 10-year jail term, mostly in a compound jointly guarded by Philippine and American security personnel at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila Pemberton will remain in prison while the victim's lawyer seeks to overturn the ruling, presidential spokesman, who once served as the Laude family's lawyer, Harry Roque said. Mr Roque said on Wednesday: 'I deplore the short period of imprisonment meted on Pemberton, who killed a Filipino under the most gruesome manner. 'Laude's death personifies the death of Philippine sovereignty.' 'The light penalty imposed on Pemberton proves that despite the president's independent foreign policy, Americans continue to have the status of conquering colonials in our country,' Roque said. He told a media briefing Philippine prison officials will not process Pemberton's release until the local court decides on an appeal filed by the victim's lawyer questioning the early release on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a Philipine court ordered Pemberton's early release, drawing protests (pictured at the Department of Justice in Manila on Thursday) Pemberton's lawyer, Rowena Garcia Flores, said his detention was shortened by authorities under a Philippine law that also applies to Filipinos. If all of Pemberton's good-conduct merits in jail were applied, 'he's already overstaying,' she said by phone. Military spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo said the military will help Bureau of Corrections jail personnel release Pemberton once it receives the court order. In December 2015, a judge convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors sought. The Olongapo court judge said at the time that she downgraded the charge because factors such as cruelty and treachery had not been proven. Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of thousands of American and Philippine military personnel who participated in joint exercises in the country in 2014. He and a group of other Marines were on leave after the exercises and met Laude and her friends at a bar in Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife outside Subic Bay, a former US Navy base. A person holds a placard during a protest at the Department of Justice in Manila, Philippines Laude was later found dead, her head slumped in a toilet bowl in a motel room, where witnesses said she and Pemberton had checked in. A witness told investigators that Pemberton said he choked Laude after discovering she was transgender. The killing reignited calls from left-wing groups and nationalists for an end to America's military presence in the Philippines at a time when the US was reasserting its role in Asia, and Manila had turned to Washington for support amid an escalating territorial dispute with China. Human rights activists on Thursday slammed what they called 'a travesty of justice' after the court ruling. Pictured: A protest at the Department of Justice in Manila Human rights activists on Thursday slammed what they called 'a travesty of justice' after the court ruling. 'We feel this decision indicates that there is double standard of justice in the Philippines,' Cristina Palabay, Secretary General of human rights group Karapatan, told Reuters. 'This goes to show how favoured still US interests are in the country.' The U.S. military formerly had two huge military bases in the Philippines but was evicted from them in 1992 before the two countries revived close ties from 2000 with war games, frequent diplomatic visits and cooperation against communist and Muslim insurgents. But the relationship has soured under Duterte, who says the U.S. military presence makes his country a target for conflict, especially if tensions escalate between the Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea. California High-Density Housing Bill Shelved for Now A proposed housing bill that would abolish zoning for single-family homes in many California cities passed the Assembly on Aug. 31, but failed to make it through the Senate before the legislative session ended at midnight, a deadline set in the state Constitution. The Senate is expected to vote on it early next year. Senate Bill 1120 (SB 1120) would allow developers to bypass local government restrictions to split single-family housing lots and make way for duplexes and other high-density housing. Proponents say its a way to create much-needed affordable housing, and it also offers owners of the single-family homes the option of creating units for rent. Opponents say the housing wont be affordable and that the bill benefits developers more than the people in need of housing. The bill is also controversial, in part, because it would affect some neighborhoods that are predominantly black and Latino. Peggy Huang, a Republican Yorba Linda city councilmember and vocal critic of SB 1120, told The Epoch Times that people in neighborhoods that could be affected say SB 1120 is about gentrification. In the Ladera Park and Baldwin Hills neighborhoods of Los Angeles, some residents have told Huang that the bill could disproportionately affect black and Latino neighborhoods, as it would allow developers to come into [a] working-class neighborhood or middle-class neighborhood, buy the homes at whatever price [they] want and then completely build and gentrify the neighborhood. Huang said developers usually offer homeowners fair market value, or more, for their houses. But she agrees it will change the character of these neighborhoods. She said splitting lots to increase housing density wont bring truly affordable housing to metro areas, because developers will increase the rates of local rent to earn returns on their investments. SB 1120 is the child of a bigger bill that was defeated in January, Senate Bill 50 (SB 50), authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). SB 50 sought to replace single family homes with high-density housing near public transit hubs and job centers regardless of zoning. When SB 50 failed, Huang said Democrats broke up the bill into smaller bite-sized pieces of legislation that could be more easily passed through the Legislature. SB 1120, authored by Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), would not prohibit single-family dwellings, but would force local governments to permit homeowners to convert single-family homes into two-family duplexes, or to demolish a single-family home, replacing it with a duplex or two single-family homes. But Huang warned that SB 1120 would allow more than just duplexes. Combined with recently passed legislation allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) known as granny flats, SB 1120 would allow four-story duplexes with eight housing units built on the same lot where a single-family home would have been, she said. As a city councilmember and a Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) regional council member, Huang contends the state should leave zoning and planning issues up to local governments. This is the state saying, Yeah, thats nice you have your general plan. You plan to have a residential area, commercial area, whatever. We dont care. Citizen groups have sprung up both in support and opposition of SB 1120 and the other bills spawned by SB 50. Livable California and Nix the Nine are in opposition. California Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) is in support. On Aug. 31, Assemblyman Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) presented the bill on the Assembly Floor on behalf of Atkins. We all know, there is no silver bullet. There is no easy solution to solve our states housing crisis. We need to be hitting this problem from multiple angles, and clearly, we need to be creative, Rivas said. Every day more and more people in our state are pushed into homelessness. The bill builds on our successful approach to Accessory Dwelling Units, which has led to the permitting of thousands of naturally affordable units statewide, he said. Terner Center [for Housing Innovation at University of California] Berkeley has recently found that if just 5 percent of eligible parcels created a duplex, it would result in 600,000 new homes. Thats almost a quarter of the states housing construction goal over the next eight years. Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who was feeding her newborn baby when the bill came up, rushed to the floor, her baby in her arms, and said: I strongly believe we need to pass this bill. We are 3.5 million homes shy of where we need to be right now in the state. Its the simplest way we can have density that still adheres to neighborhood character. Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) strongly opposed the bill, saying it would compromise the character of neighborhoods and limit local control over land use. I strongly believe that we need to build more housing. Yes, supply is important. Yes, density works in many areas. But we continue to put forward these bills and we say that we need affordable housing, and were living in a state where we actually have been duped into thinking that affordable is paying $12 for a cup of coffee and a doughnut. That is not affordable, she said. The state is becoming increasingly unaffordable, and so rather than creating a dynamic where you set up essentially an invasion into small communities by developers and speculators, we should actually be having serious conversations about how to develop non-market, price-guaranteed housing, because those are the kinds of units that our teachers, our students, our grocery workers, our cashiers, our working class families, and Californians deservenot this bill, Kamlager said. Quite frankly, the kinds of folks that would be able to purchase the land and create these duplexes and quads are more likely than not going to be multinational or international investors, changing the character of our communities. This isnt saying lets have owner-builders she said. And what happens when you have developers calling your phone every day asking if youd be willing to sell your property and then having appraisers come in and undervalue your property so that folks can get it at the cheap? she asked. Kamlager said black Americans have fought and worked hard for generations to own land, and now black communities are facing gentrification and displacement. I dont think we should be asking for an invasion by developers and into communities across the state because were too lazy, quite frankly, to have more meaningful conversations about how were protecting communities and finding ways to build housing that people truly can afford, she said. A car drives by a building advertising apartment leases in San Francisco, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) supported the bill, citing the states massive housing shortage. Everybody knows that, he said. Every single person in this room today sitting here knows we have a housing shortage. So, we are either serious about solving that problem or we are not. If we are serious about solving that, then we will make good use of existing resources. Well let people divide lots. We will let people build ADUs to move their grandparent in next door to them. Those are common sense things we can do to make existing use of resources. And we should do that. If nothing is done to create affordable housing in the state, its going to be unaffordable for the next generation. Totally unaffordable. And, we all know it, he said. Assemblyman Devon Mathis (R-Visalia) voted against the bill, but said everyone agrees California needs more homes and affordable housing. In my community, we have a lot of communities of color. We have a lot of communities that are very poor and disenfranchised, where were going to have investors come in and offer them money and do things to chase them out so they can split up these homes, he said. Assemblyman Jay Olbernolte (R-Hesperia) voted against the bill, arguing that taking away local control over zoning, defeats the purpose of having local planning laws. I struggled with this bill because generally my philosophy is libertarian, and I figure if someone wants to subdivide their lot, if someone wants to build a duplex, why should they not be allowed to do that? But heres the problem with that thinking, if you subscribe to that philosophy: Why do we do land use planning at all? he said. Sewage, parking, and other infrastructure concerns could arise in neighborhoods not designed for a high volume of residents, some opponents of the bill have said. Olbernolte said the bill needs more baking and chided Assembly members for trying ram it through so close to the end of the legislative session. The problem with this bill is its a huge change to land use policy in California. Little that weve done in the last six years that Ive been in the Legislature has had the potential to affect land use planning to the extent that this one does, and were here debating it at 11:30 p.m. SB 1120 passed the Assembly just a few minutes before midnight with a 4418 vote. The Legislature reconvenes Dec. 7, and the Senate is expected to have another chance to vote on the bill. Sen. Wiener tweeted on Sept. 3, Lets be straight up: California failed on housing this year. Various factors came into playsome NIMBY [Not In My Back Yard], some petty, some legit& good bills died. We cant give up this fight. Well be back with a strong 2021 housing agenda. Because our housing crisis is untenable. A drunk driver has admitted to killing four young children when he ploughed into seven cousins on their way to buy ice cream. Samuel William Davidson, 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter and three other charges on Thursday over the crash in Oatlands, in Sydney's north. Davidson was drunk and speeding at up to 130km/h along a suburban road when he lost control of his 4WD and mowed down the group in February. Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique, 10, died instantly, and a fifth cousin, Charbel Kassas, spent months in hospital. Samuel William Davidson (pictured), 29, is due before the Parramatta Local Court on Thursday where he is charged with 20 offences over a tragic drink driving crash at Oatlands, in Sydney's north, on February 1 Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, (all left) and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 10, (right) were allegedly mowed down by a drunk Davidson as they walked to get ice cream on a 40C day Davidson was three times over the blood alcohol limit and tests found ecstasy and cocaine in his system. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing grievous bodily harm and one of aggravated dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while under the influence of drugs. The rest of the 34 charges he was facing will be dropped and Davidson will return to court on October 22 to be committed for sentence. Grieving parents Danny and Leila Abdallah were not present for the hearing in Parramatta Local Court. They said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia instead of attending Davidson's court hearing, they would spend the time with their surviving children. In a statement issued on behalf of his wife and the Sakr family, Mr Abdallah said they had full faith that justice would be carried out by the courts. 'Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we have made a conscious decision not to attend the hearing,' he said. Danny and Leila Abdallah lost three of their children in the tragedy, but vowed to forgive the man charged with killing their kids In the days and weeks that followed the accident, thousands of floral tributes were left at the scene on Bettington Road 'We're determined to spend time with our children who are still with us and remain in constant prayer for the strength we need to see us through this time. 'Our trust is in our Australian judicial system, and expect the outcome will be in accordance with true justice by the governing laws of this nation which we love. 'We also have fervent faith in our Heavenly Father, with the knowledge that our children are in his loving arms. We will be reunited with our children one day soon and we encourage all those who are supporting us to keep this truth in mind. 'Furthermore we have not changed our position of total forgiveness to the driver of the incident.' Davidson - a truck driver - allegedly spent the 40C day drinking at his home in Oatlands, before driving to a service station with a friend to get cash from an ATM. By the time he got behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi ute he allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.150 - three times the legal limit. Police allege Davidson had spent the day drinking at his rental apartment (left) near the crash scene before driving to a nearby Caltex petrol (right) station that evening When police arrived at the scene they found both Davidson (pictured) and his passenger both shirtless, just wearing shorts Police allege that as he drove along Bettington Road - a 60km/h zone - on his return from the petrol station he reached speeds of between 100km/h and 130km/h. Just before 8pm he lost control of his vehicle and veered off the road, slamming into the group of children. Four were killed instantly while two months on their cousin Charbel Kassas remains in hospital with serious injuries. Locals in the area told how after hearing the desperate screams of the surviving kids they ran to the scene, only to be confronted by devastation. In the days and weeks that followed the tragedy there was an outpouring of grief as the scene of the crash was turned into a makeshift shrine. Thousands of well-wishers flocked to the scene to join Danny and Leila Abdallah, and Bridget and Bob Sakr in mourning the loss of their four children. The morning after the crash Mr Abdallah bravely fronted the media and spoke of his love for his three children Bridget Sakr (in blue dress) is supported by her partner Craig MacKenzie, and Danny and Leila Abdallah (end left and right) whose children were killed in the same accident at Oatlands Mr Abdallah told Daily Mail Australia that despite being a drinker himself, he believed it was time to reduce the blood alcohol limit for drivers to zero. 'I'm a drinker, but I think the alcohol limit should be zero,' Mr Abdallah said. 'I think you should just know that you can't have any, that you can only have water, so the temptation isn't there. 'People think 'I'll just have one more, I'll be all right' because they don't want to get a taxi or an Uber, or they've spent all their money on the night out. 'We have to do something.' Despite losing three children in seemingly avoidable circumstances, Mrs Abdallah vowed in the days after the crash to forgive Davidson. The deeply religious family said while they could not bare to confront the man, they would 'The guy, I know he was (allegedly) drunk, driving on this street. Right now I can't hate him. I don't want to see him, (but) I don't hate him, 'I think in my heart, I forgive him, but I want the court to be fair. It's all about fairness. I'm not going to hate him, because that's not who we are.' The death has occurred of Deirdre (Dee) McCANN Pairc Mhuire, Newbridge, Kildare McCANN Deirdre (Dee) Pairc Mhuire, Newbridge, Co. Kildare - 30th August 2020 (peacefully) in Naas Hospital. Sadly missed by her loving son Shane, sister Nuala, brother Richard, sister-in-law, nephews, grand-nephews, grand-niece, extended family, relatives and friends. May Dee Rest in Peace A private family funeral will take place, due to government guidelines. Reposing at Anderson & Leahy Funeral Home, Newbridge, on Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm with prayers at 7.30pm.Removal on Thursday morning at 9.30am to arrive at Cill Mhuire Church, Ballymany, Newbridge, for 10 o'clock Mass. Funeral afterwards to Mount Jerome Crematorium. Family flowers only please. For those who cannot attend due to the current restrictions,please leave a condolence message below. The family would like to thank you for your co-operation, understanding and support during this sensitive time. The death has occurred of Patricia (Patty) McDonald (nee Keavey) Straffan Gate, Straffan, Kildare / Ballyfermot, Dublin McDonald (nee Keavey), Patricia (Patty), Straffan Gate, Straffan, Co. Kildare & late of Ballyfermot, Dublin, September 2nd 2020, peacefully, at Tallaght Hospital. Deeply regretted by her loving husband Pat, sons Declan & Pat, daughters Carol & Sandra, sons in law Frank & Stephen, daughters in law Ruth & Mary, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brother Fergus, sisters Paula, extended family and friends. Rest In Peace In line with Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Removal on Saturday morning to arrive at St. Brigid's Church, Straffan, for funeral Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in Straffan Cemetery. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below. The death has occurred of Patrick Mulcahy formerly Pairc Mhuire, Newbridge, Kildare / Dublin Patrick Mulcahy, West Virginia, formerly of Pairc Mhuire, Newbridge & Dublin, passed away suddenly on the 1st of September 2020 in America. X Flight Sergeant Supply Squadron, Baldonnel. Son of the late James & Peggy Mulcahy. Funeral will take place in America with burial of ashes at a later date in Newbridge. May Patrick Rest In Peace Sadly missed by his loving children Laura & James, and their mother Marian, his brothers & sisters, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives & friends. The death has occurred of Ben (Bernard) DALTON Dublin Road, Naas, Kildare / Ballymurphy, Carlow Late of Larchfield Park Nursing Home, Naas and the Dublin Road, Naas. Formerly of Headfield, Ballymurphy, Borris, Co. Carlow. Predeceased by his parents, brothers and sister. Sadly missed by his nephews and nieces, his good friend Donie, relatives and a wide circle of friends. "May He Rest In Peace" In accordance with government directives and in the interest of public health a private family funeral will take place. Those who would like to attend the funeral but cannot due to the current restrictions on gatherings are invited to leave a message on the condolence page below. The death has occurred of Teresa Heffernan (nee Farrell) New Road, Allenwood North, Allenwood, Kildare Peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family. Sadly missed by her loving husband Tom, daughters Bridget, Denise and Linda, sons John, Thomas, Patrick, Jim and David, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends. May Teresa Rest In Peace In line with Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Removal on Thursday morning to arrive at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Allenwood for Requiem Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in Allen Cemetery. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below. Livestream of Teresa's Funeral Mass can be viewed on the Allen Parish Facebook page. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to "St Brigids Hospice, The Curragh." The death has occurred of Geraldine Harrison McKeown (nee Mc Keown) Old Grange Wood, Monasterevin, Kildare Beloved partner of Willie and much loved mother of Aishling, Dylan, Breffney and Debbie. Deeply regretted by her loving family, her mother Eileen and father Michael, son in law Brendan, grandchildren, brothers, sister, nephews, extended family, relatives and friends. May She Rest In Peace A private family funeral will take place, due to current government guidelines. Removal from her home on Wednesday at 10.15am to arrive for 11am requiem Mass in St Peter and Paul's Church, Monasterevin, followed by cremation in Newlands Cross Crematorium. The requiem Mass can be viewed on http://monasterevinparish.ie/ webcam. Please feel free to use the condolence book below or send messages by the traditional manner. The death has occurred of Micheal Johnson Straffan Station, Ardclough, Kildare Johnson, Micheal, Straffan Station, Ardclough, Co. Kildare, August 29th 2020, peacefully at St. Brigid's Hospice, The Curragh, beloved husband of the late Pauline, deeply regretted by his loving sisters Breda, Eleonore, Phil, Bernie, Marguerite, Noelle, Patricia & Katrina, brother Tom, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunt Mary, nieces, nephews, relatives & friends. Rest in Peace Due to current Government restrictions regarding Covid 19 those wishing to send their condolences to Micheal's family may do so via the condolence section of RIP.ie. Those wishing to view Micheal's Funeral service via a live streaming feed may do so at https://youtu.be/wf_WK0i8IdA at 11am on Wednesday, 2nd September. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to http://friendsofstbrigidshospice.ie/donate/ Israel has killed 15 Palestinians, nearly all of them militants, in the Gaza Strip, dealing its deadliest blow to Hamas in more than a year in raids that followed a peace mission by US President George W Bush. A volunteer from Ecuador, working on an Israeli kibbutz, or farming community, bordering the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, was killed by a Palestinian sniper near the frontier fence. Hamas claimed responsibility for shooting the man. The violence, four days after Bush ended a visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank, resulted in the highest number of Palestinians killed in a single day since late 2006. Israel said it mounted the operation to curb rocket attacks from Gaza. Local medical workers and Hamas said 15 Palestinians - 12 Hamas men, one other militant and two civilians - were killed in fighting with Israeli forces in the northern part of the territory and east of Gaza City. Beijing Rejects US Report That China is Expected to Double Nuclear Warheads as 'Biased' Sputnik News 07:37 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 12:54 GMT 02.09.2020) The day before, the US Defence Department issued a report suggesting that China is pursuing a 'nuclear triad' by developing land, sea, and air-based nuclear weapons systems. The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected on Wednesday the recent report by the US Defence Department that Beijing was expected to double the number of its nuclear warheads. The ministry's spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, stated that the report is filled with bias. "This Pentagon report mainly repeats what had been said in previous similar reports, they are full of biases, they criticize China's defence development, they deliberately distort China's strategic goals, the Chinese side strongly opposes this," Hua said. The diplomat added that China's strategic plans had always been transparent and consistent. "The strengthening of China's defence buildup is aimed at protecting state sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence," Hua noted, adding that this is every country's right and China does not deserve such criticism. The spokeswoman went on to say that China's military power was far from that of the United States. "We call on the United States to stop publishing such irresponsible reports every year, to take an objective look at China's development and strategic goals, to make more efforts to promote relations between the armed forces of the two countries, and not the other way around," Hua stressed. The Tuesday report suggested that China is moving its strategic nuclear arsenal to a more rapid launch footing. According to the Defence Department, Beijing is expanding its inventory of the multi-role DF-26, a mobile, ground-launched intermediate-range ballistic missile system capable of rapidly swapping conventional and nuclear warheads. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BOSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A young man who graduated from Harvard, Columbia and Cambridge Universities, despite having studied with kerosene lanterns in rural Ghana, walking several miles to school every day, and faced many odds https://tinyurl.com/y4ykdgtt, has a launched a platform https://edacme.org to give back and to provide a support system to help young people, especially those in Africa, realize their potential: in education, in entrepreneurship, in their careers. Harvard graduation Speaking about what motivated him to launch the platform, Mac Sarbah said, "I am one of many kids from rural Ghana and Africa, who studied with kerosene lanterns, walked miles and faced many odds, but because of the support I received from God, teachers and professors, class and school mates, coworkers and managers, family and friends, I found myself at Legon, Columbia, Cambridge, and Harvard. Many other kids, from similar backgrounds, have been successful, because of effective support systems." "My journey has taken me to about 24 countries on 4 continents. Along the journey, I have met many young people who have gone wayward. Many bemoaned the support system they lacked. This is why I set up https://edacme.org," he concluded. The platform's https://edacme.org support system for African youth is even more important now that Africa is projected to have over a billion young people under the age of 25 years by 2050. Experts fear a time bomb, describing it as a looming major humanitarian crisis, because of massive youth unemployment, as governments in Africa struggle to provide jobs for young people. There are fears of violence, and exacerbated mass migrations across the Mediterranean and the West for greener pastures. Media contact: Mac Sarbah [email protected] 917-400-4426 SOURCE Mac Sarbah Doubtless, many of the countrys civil servants have delighted in the perpetual look of bewilderment on the face of Jim Hacker on the British comedy show Yes, Minister, a fictional politician given to having rings run around him by a merry band of bureaucrats with stiff upper lips. After the serial ran on Doordarshan in the 1980s, it was half-jokingly whispered of as a training module" for young officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Those days are long gone, the so-called steel frame of our bureaucracy has turned rusty, and, ever since economic liberalization, there has been a near consensus in the countryat least outside IAS circlesthat our system of policy implementation needs an overhaul. The Union cabinets approval on Wednesday of Mission Karmayogi, its name taken from a traditional archetype of a person dedicated to selfless duty, thus, has raised the hope of a national bureaucracy that is adequately responsive to the countrys needs. At its core, this is an upskilling initiative for government officials that aims to fix and galvanize Indias administration. Inadequate state capacity has long held the country back. If it succeeds, every citizen would probably be grateful. The aims of the mission are ambitious, made all the more so by the sloth and venality that the government officials have acquired a reputation for. Indeed, the systems focus needs to be role- rather than rule-specific, coordination should prevail over battles for turf control, and IAS officers ought to be enablers instead of red-tape wrappers. Importantly, IAS cadres need to be held accountable for their work. All of this and more is on the reform agenda. As envisaged, the Karmayogi training mechanism will cover an estimated 4.6 million officials at all levels. This is a gargantuan exercise, which may explain the elaborate multi-tier command structure expected to be put in place for it. At its apex would be a Human Resource Council, headed by the Prime Minister, which shall approve and monitor various skill-enhancing programmes, as well as review the performance of employees routinely. This council will have some state chief ministers, cabinet ministers and experts from various disciplines. There will also be a commission at the cabinet secretariat level, and a special purpose vehicle in the form of an organization designed to manage the digital resources of the entire set-up and even create a market platform for training modules, should the demand and supply of such packages need a place to converge. Given the way our bureaucracy has operated for decades, Mission Karmayogi is likely to prove disruptive. While few bureaucrats can deny the need to stay abreast of new developments in the field of governance, given the dizzying pace of change around us, the idea of being subject to continuous evaluation by a central authority could unsettle some officers. There has been some disquiet within IAS ranks over the Centres lateral induction of people for senior roles that involve the nitty-gritty of policy formulation. Some bureaucrats have chafed at being labelled generalists" in a world that seems to prize specialists. Perhaps the new mission will resolve such disgruntlement. Yet, centralized supervision of such large numbers does not promise to be easy. Globally, centralization has been observed to militate against diversity of thought. And thats vital to the governance of a country like India. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Under the terms of the transaction, GridLiance subsidiary GridLiance High Plains acquired a 65% ownership stake in the city's 69 kV transmission system and related-substation equipment. Winfield will retain a 35% ownership stake in the facilities and will continue to maintain and service them. Winfield will also retain ownership of its electric distribution assets and continue to provide retail electric service. The city also will receive a franchise fee and economic development and community support funds from GridLiance. "The successful closing of this transaction is an important step in bringing improved transmission reliability to Winfield customers and the region. It is another example of our long-term commitment to invest in the electric grid and ensure the fair treatment of all transmission consumers," said GridLiance President and CEO Calvin Crowder. "In addition to funding transmission improvements, we are excited to invest in the local community and will be providing financial support to Winfield's community fund." In anticipation of closing the transaction, GridLiance and Winfield have already begun work moving transmission lines that were damaged due to years of flooding on the Walnut River. The relocation, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will improve reliability and enhance the quality of life for the local community and throughout the region. "The City of Winfield has provided reliable electric service to our community for over 100 years and joining forces with GridLiance will ensure we will continue to do so for the long term. We also will continue to provide operations and maintenance services and protect our local utility jobs," said Winfield Mayor Phil Jarvis. "We are already seeing the benefits of our collaboration with GridLiance as work progresses on several important transmission improvement projects in Winfield." The Winfield transaction marks GridLiance's first co-ownership of transmission assets with a municipal utility under a development agreement with Kansas Power Pool (KPP), a municipal energy agency that provides energy and transmission services to Winfield and 30 other municipalities in Kansas. "When we initially partnered with GridLiance, our goal was to address our member communities' transmission issues, while ensuring local control and protecting local jobs. We are pleased to see this is exactly what is happening with the Winfield transmission improvements," said Mark Chesney, CEO and general manager of KPP. "We look forward to working with GridLiance to identify additional opportunities to help our members meet their future energy needs." The acquisition expands GridLiance's footprint into Kansas and marks the company's second completed acquisition this year. About GridLiance GridLiance is an independent electric transmission utility holding company. GridLiance collaborates with rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, joint action agencies and others to plan for the future of the grid, invest in necessary electric infrastructure and implement strategies to improve system reliability and resiliency and reduce overall costs to customers. Based in Dallas, GridLiance operates more than 700 miles of transmission lines and related substation facilities in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Oklahoma. GridLiance is a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), a leading energy infrastructure investor. For more information about GridLiance, visit gridliance.com. SOURCE GridLiance Related Links http://gridliance.com A North Korean flag flutters on top of the 160-metre tall tower at North Korea's propaganda village of Gijungdong, in this picture taken from Tae Sung freedom village near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), inside the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, September 30, 2019. North Korean authorities, who recently vilified a man who returned to the North in July after three years living in South Korea as a potential coronavirus carrier, are now using him in a propaganda campaign extolling the benevolence of leader Kim Jong Un, sources in country told RFA Wednesday. The refugee, identified by South Korean authorities as a 24-year-old man from the Kaesong area surnamed Kim, had swum across the inter-Korean border in 2017, only to swim back across on July 19. North Korean authorities are now walking back their initial claim that he was showing COVID-19 symptoms. On August 25, the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers Party] gave notice to the provincial party committee and law enforcement agencies here in North Hamgyong province, confirming the ex-refugee had not been infected with the coronavirus, a North Hamgyong official, who requested anonymity to speak freely, told RFAs Korean Service. The notice says the escapee, who returned to Kaesong, tested negative for coronavirus. The notice was distributed to local party committees and law enforcement agencies simultaneously, the source said. Shortly after his return, authorities declared a national maximum emergency, placing Kaesong on lockdown and banning travel between provinces. South Korean authorities at that time said it was unlikely that Kim had contracted the virus. The South has a robust COVID-19 contact tracing system in place and Kim was never tested, was not known to have had contact with anyone infected with the virus, and two people he had frequent contact with had tested negative. North Korea nevertheless used the returning refugee as a prop in a campaign to discredit refugees and defectors in the South. In the previous month, after groups based in South Korea floated anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border on balloons citizens were made to participate in rallied that denounced escapees as treasonous defectors. But now the ex-refugee Kim has been personally forgiven by Kim Jong Un, according to the Central Committees notice. The Central Committee decided to forgive the young man who had fallen into the clutches of our enemies and returned to the open arms of his homeland, the source said. This decision was based on the Highest Dignitys course of action that the party should forgive and take care of those who repent and reflect on their past wrongdoings, the source said, using an honorific term for Kim Jong Un. Even though the government is no longer scapegoating him as the cause of the national emergency, authorities ordered everyone not to let up their guard. The directive also says that although the coronavirus was not found in the young man, all agencies and units should continue to stay alert in order fully prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the source said. When the escapee first returned to Kaesong, the authorities accused him of being a suspected coronavirus carrier and labeled him a traitor who put his country in danger. Now they are using him to promote the great generosity and greatness of the Highest Dignity, the source added. A resident of Ryanggang province told RFA that authorities there were using the story of the returning refugee to actively promote Kim Jong Uns mercy in lectures to the citizens. On the 27th, a lecture was held in the city of Hyesan regarding the escapee who returned to North Korea. During the lecture they said [he] was not infected with the coronavirus, said the second source, who requested anonymity for security reasons. Authorities confirmed the returnee was neither a coronavirus patient nor a spy, with the lecturer explaining he was closely investigated by the Ministry of State Security while living in isolation in Kaesong, the second source said. According to the lecture, the returning refugee would have been put to death under normal circumstances. The lecturer explained why the [authorities] should have killed the man who returned home after experiencing the decadence of rotten and diseased capitalism. But thanks to the generosity of the Supreme Leader, they are now showing him love and care without blaming him for his wrongdoings and are helping him to find work where he wants, the second source said. Authorities were accusing him of being a suspected coronavirus infectee, and used him as an excuse to completely lock up Kaesong and the border [with China], but now that the international community and the citizens know of his existence, they seem to have turned to using him to promote the regime instead of punishing him, the second source added. But the Ryanggang resident said the North Korean leaders benevolence has its limits. The authorities are not just going to leave him alone. He has already enjoyed the rich taste of capitalism. I dont know how long they are going to use him to promote the regime, but if one day he fades away from [our] attention, they will make up a reason to punish him. The leader of Washington-based rights group shared this concern, citing Pyongyangs recent anti-refugee rhetoric. The Kim regime is putting pressure on North Korean escapees. It has even persuaded the [South Korean] government to ban leaflet balloon launches and put pressure on North Korean human rights defenders and activists, Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) told RFA. This particular escapee will be used and abused for propaganda purposes. Once the world has forgotten about him, he will be punished for his trespasses. North Korea still has not confirmed a single case of the coronavirus, even though it has taken extensive measures against its spread, including firing the leaders of its national coronavirus response team in July for their failures to contain COVID-19. Pyongyang reported to the WHO that as of Aug. 20, 2,767 people were tested for the virus, all with negative results. North Korea has not yet made an official statement on the returned refugee. Though it is not clear why the refugee Kim chose to return to North Korea, The New York Times reported that, a police department in South Korea said July 27 that a warrant had been issued for his arrest on a rape accusation prior to his escape to the North. Reported by Sewon Kim and Jeongeun Ji for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. "These days, everyone keeps saying that a 25th film is special in an actors journey. But I never realised that it will be so special in my case, Nani laughs, referring to everything that has happened in 2020 owing to the coronavirus outbreak. His latest film, V, directed by Indraganti Mohana Krishna, was slated for release in late March. However, it was soon postponed when theatres were shut down and the nation went into a lockdown. More than five months later, V has turned out to be one of the biggest Telugu films, so far, to opt for a direct digital release on Amazon Prime Video India. Nani admits that it was a tough decision to make for the team. Ive always looked forward to witnessing the first-day, first-show experience in a cinema hall. And I sincerely feel that V would have been a great watch in a cinema hall, but we missed it. But getting a direct release on an OTT is a unique experience for me and the rest of the team. I guess I now have a story to tell years later about what happened when my 25th film was about to release, he says. The film also stars Sudheer Babu, Nivetha Thomas, and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles. Incidentally, all of them have worked with Indraganti Mohana Krishna in the past. For Nani, V is his third film with the filmmaker, who introduced him as an actor with Ashta Chamma back in 2008. Both of us have grown so much over the years, Nani says, He has evolved as a filmmaker, and with each film, the director and writer in him keeps getting even more polished. I have changed as an actor too. But off screen, nothing has changed. He messages me whenever he sees my films, and I do the same with him. Our relationship has been the same, and it feels like we tend to collaborate with each other after every five-six films, and then we move on to other projects. So far, all we know is that V is the story between a successful cop and his arch nemesis, who throws a big challenge at him. Nani clarifies that he is not the villain in the film. I might come across as a negative character from Sudheers point of view in the film, but the audience will root for me. Its got that interesting element going on throughout. What I really loved about this character is that he will always keep you guessing about what hes going to do next. He leaves you with an eerie feeling, and its definitely the most brutal and wacky character I have played so far. But the biggest surprise is that its all coming from Indraganti Mohana Krishna, Nani smiles. When he pitched the story to me, I knew I wanted to play the bad guy. There are a lot of films which are modelled like a cat-and-mouse game with lots of twists and turns. V falls in a similar space, but more importantly, I think we have achieved to make an emotional impact in the end. Prior to his debut as an actor, Nani had worked as an assistant director, and later as an RJ for some time. It was a TV commercial, that Nandini Reddy had directed, that got his acting skills noticed, and there has been no looking back for him. I had written the script for the ad, and on the day of the shoot, I ended up being the replacement for another actor who was supposed to play that part. Incidentally, Mohana Krishna Indraganti and producer Ram Mohan happened to watch the ad while it was being edited. And thats how they convinced me to come onboard Ashta Chamma. Initially, they offered the role of Anand (which was later played by Srinivas Avasarala), but then one day, Ram Mohan convinced Mohana Krishna to visualise me as Rambabu based on my body language while I was walking down the road, Nani laughs while recounting this story. Talking about the experience of shooting V, Nani said that it was both gratifying and tiresome at the same time. Theres so much action and we had to travel quite a bit to shoot the film. It was really tiresome. At the same time, I was really excited about it at the same time. If I take Jersey for example, within the first three days, I know all about Arjun. The whole film is in my head, and I knew that I cant cross the line while playing that character. But V isnt like that. Because the character is so unpredictable, my approach to the role had to be a lot more dynamic. The character has to keep people guessing and create a sense of anticipation about what he is going to do next. That was exciting. Mohana Krishna and cinematographer PG Vinda have outdone themselves. I cant wait to see how people will react to our film, Nani says. For the past few years, Nani has been working on at least two to three films at any given time, and the beginning of 2020 was no different. He had begun shooting for Tuck Jagadish, and had three other projects lined up before the lockdown was announced due to COVID-19 outbreak. But the break from work has also been a blessing in disguise. I have been quite busy as an actor for the past few years, and I used to feel terrible that I couldnt spend more time with my son (Arjun). I wanted to see him grow, walk, learn new things, and be there for him as a father. Thankfully, this long break from work has helped me do all that. I feel fully recharged and energised to get back to work now, he says. The pandemic has changed the lives of people across the spectrum, and Nani is no different. But that change, he reveals, does not have anything to do with films. As an actor, right from the beginning, all I wanted to do was find something that wont make me feel too comfortable. I want to challenge myself, but at the same time, I dont overthink about the stories we tell or the kind of films we ought to make. I know what Ive to do in my next few films, and thats not going to change, he says. Beyond his work, however, a lot has changed. If theres an important lesson that Ive learnt because of this pandemic and how our lives have changed, its that we have to focus on today. Thats all we have in our hands. We keep planning so much about what we are going to do next. But no one knows whats going to happen tomorrow. Its important that we have fun, talk to people whom you want to, and if you want to do something, do it today. Because, who knows whats going to happen tomorrow, Nani signs off. V will release on Amazon Prime Video on 5 September. New Delhi: Amid a raging controversy over Facebooks alleged political bias and interference in Indias democratic process, the social media giant has told the Congress that it is non-partisan, denounces hate and bigotry in all forms and strives to ensure that its platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. Responding to concerns raised by the opposition Congress, Facebooks Public Policy, Trust and Safety Director Neil Potts has said that it has taken the partys allegation of bias very seriously and will ensure that it remains non-partisan and is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity. The Congress accused Facebook of interfering in Indias democratic process and social harmony and being soft on members of the ruling BJP while applying its hate-speech rules. The Congress had written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after reports by the Wall Street Journal and the Time magazine about the conduct of Facebook and WhatsApp Indias leadership team flagged bias and proximity with the ruling BJP. We take seriously the concerns and recommendations you raised on behalf of the Indian National Congress First and foremost, we want to take this opportunity to state that we are non-partisan and strive to ensure that our platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias seriously and want to make clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in all forms," Potts said in the letter, dated September 1. In his letter to AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who had written to Zuckerberg twice, Potts said, On the question of hateful content by public figures, we want to assure you that our Community Standards prohibit attacks against people based on their protected characteristics, including religion, caste, ethnicity, and national origin. In line with our hate speech policy, we have removed and will continue to remove hateful content by public figures in India on our platforms." Facebook is at the centre of a raging political debate in the country with both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress accusing it of colluding and influencing opinion. The BJP has accused the social media giants employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and abusing" Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. In a three-page letter to Zuckerberg, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad flagged the social media platforms alleged bias and inaction" by individuals in the Facebook India team on complaints by people supportive of right-of-centre ideology. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology had also called representatives of Facebook to hear their views on the subject of safeguarding citizens rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space". Facebooks India head Ajit Mohan appeared before the panel on Wednesday. In his letter to the Congress, Facebooks Potts said, To reiterate, we are committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity in the way we operate and in fostering an environment of free and safe expression on our platforms." The Facebook official said as part of its policy development process, it consults a community of external voices, including civil society organizations, academics, and subject experts, besides also relying extensively on inputs from a broad cross-section of internal teams who understand both local and global contexts in the enforcement of our policies on hate speech and dangerous organizations and individuals. Facebook said it has a team with deep expertise on terrorism and organized hate, who pay attention to global and regional trends and advise on these matters. These decisions are not made unilaterally by any one person; rather, they are inclusive of different views from teams around the company, a process that is critical to making sure we consider, understand, and account for both the local and global contexts," the company said. Congresss Data Analytics department head Praveen Chakravarty said Facebook has acknowledged and responded to concerns of the Congress about interference in Indias affairs and has promised corrective measures, but awaits further concrete measures. He said this was not a political issue and it was about Indias democracy and use of digital weapons to disrupt Indias social order by a foreign company, at the behest of certain individuals in their leadership team. The Congress party will await further concrete action from the global leadership of Facebook and demonstration of specific corrective measures being undertaken in Facebook and WhatsApp India. It must be reiterated that the media revelations on this issue were based on solid documentary evidence of internal communication and are hence incontrovertible," Chakravarty said in a statement. Earlier, the Congress had demanded a joint parliamentary party (JPC) probe into Facebook Indias role in interfering with the countrys democratic process and a criminal investigation against Facebook Indias leadership. 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 am proud of our commitment to the environment, to the security of our clients, and the safety of our employees. We continue to innovate and execute with precision, earning our customers confidence. DMD Systems Recovery Inc. (DMD) was recognized as one of Americas 5000 fastest growing private companies in 2020 by Inc. Magazine. The annual Inc. 5000 list features the private companies who generated the greatest revenue percentage growth. DMD secured a spot on the exclusive list with three-year revenue growth of 95%, while growing its employee base 88% during that time. DMD provides IT Asset Disposition solutions, ITAD, to organizations who value data security, regulatory compliance, and the environment. DMD works with hundreds of companies and public entities to securely destroy their data, decommission assets, and redeploy or remarket the equipment across IT categories including Data Center, End User Compute, and Mobility. The entire team at DMD has put forth the effort, with integrity, to generate continued growth, said Aaron Zeper, CEO. I am proud of our commitment to the environment, to the security of our clients, and the safety of our employees. We continue to innovate and execute with precision, earning our customers confidence. Recognized for the fourth time in six years demonstrates the evolution of DMD. Founded 25 years ago with the goal of eliminating electronic waste (e-waste) DMD grew its range of services while adding industry-leading certifications for data destruction, materials handling, and safety, including SERI R2, NAID AAA, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. DMD maintains its strong emphasis on philanthropy making frequent donations. DMD Systems was one of only 107 companies listed from the state of Arizona and is the only provider of IT Asset Disposition recognized for growth this year. Inc. 5000 has recognized some of the largest names in industry such as Microsoft, Dell, Under Armour, Zillow and more. Companies from this list are the upcoming leaders in their prospective fields. 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. 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. About DMD DMD Systems Recovery, Inc. (DMD) provides IT Asset Disposition solutions, ITAD, adhering to the most rigorous environmental and security standards to deliver confidence for companies who value our world and their reputation. DMD works with hundreds of companies and public entities to securely destroy their data, decommission assets, and redeploy or remarket the equipment across IT categories including Data Center, End User Compute, and Mobility. For more information, please visit: http://www.dmdsystems.com. 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. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com. For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An inexpensive, widely available class of drug called corticosteroids reduces the risk of death among critically ill COVID-19 patients by 20%, an analysis of seven trials published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has found. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today it is updating its COVID-19 treatment guidance as a result of the findings. The meta-analysis of seven international trials, co-ordinated by the WHO and with analyses by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) at the University of Bristol, assessed mortality over a 28-day period after the start of treatment. The review found that treatment of the most severely ill patientsthose in an ICUwith dexamethasone or hydrocortisone reduced mortality from 40% to 32%, a relative reduction of 20%. Corticosteroids are a class of drug that lowers inflammation and reduces immune system activity. The analysis is the result of collaboration between study teams, guideline developers and journals in response to the global pandemic. This meant results could be shared between research teams and with guideline developers before they were published. "Even beyond the clear evidence of benefit for an inexpensive and widely available medication, the process of this workpooling data across seven trials conducted over a period of only three monthshighlights the willingness of researchers around the world to share data in a new research model that can bring reliable evidence rapidly to improve the care of patients with COVID-19," says Dr. John Marshall, senior scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto, and co-chair of the WHO Working Group on Clinical Characterization and Management. The team behind the review includes the lead researchers from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Spain, the UK and the U.S.. The work is part of the WHO Rapid Evidence Appraisal for COVID-19 Therapies (REACT) initiative. The researchers reviewed data from seven randomized control trials that had recruited 1,703 critically ill patients in total. These trials spanned five continents and included some of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19. They also included critically ill patients from the RECOVERY trial, which reported its findings in June 2020, and patients from the REMAP-CAP trial, the Canadian arm of which was led by Dr. John Marshall of St. Michael's Hospital. Unity Health Toronto's Arthur S. Slutsky, a scientist at St. Michael's Hospital, was also an author on the review paper. Data from three of the seven trials in the meta-analysis, including the REMAP-CAP trial, were also published today in JAMA. The mortality results were consistent across the seven trials with two types of corticosteroid, dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, giving similar effects. Too few patients were included in trials of methylprednisolone to allow its effect to be estimated with precision. There was evidence of benefit from corticosteroids regardless of whether patients were receiving invasive mechanical ventilation at the time they started treatment. The benefit appeared greater among patients who were not so sick that they needed medicine to support their blood pressure, although the results were not definitive in this regard. The effect of corticosteroids appeared similar regardless of age, sex or how long patients had been ill. "Our review is good news in the effort to treat COVID-19, and provides important new information that builds on the findings of the RECOVERY trial," says Jonathan Sterne, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Bristol and Deputy Director of the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center (NIHR Bristol BRC). "Steroids are a cheap and readily available medication, and our analysis has confirmed that they are effective in reducing deaths amongst the people most severely affected by COVID-19. The results were consistent across the trials and show benefit regardless of age or sex." Janet Diaz, lead, clinical response for COVID-19, WHO Emergency Program added: "WHO is committed to transforming science to policy in order to save lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us to work faster, but not to sacrifice quality and standards. The WHO Rapid Evidence Appraisal for COVID-19 Therapies (REACT) Working Group demonstrates how, in solidarity, science and public health can come together quickly for a common cause. The milestone of pooling of trial data before publication, using that data to inform clinical guidance development and then simultaneous publication of the evidence, evidence synthesis and guidance is unprecedented. I am privileged to have been part of this tremendous collaboration." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: undefined undefined et al. Association Between Administration of Systemic Corticosteroids and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19, JAMA (2020). Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association undefined undefined et al. Association Between Administration of Systemic Corticosteroids and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19,(2020). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.17023 Group rallies to gather signatures for petition to recall KC Mayor Lucas from office KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Protesters rallied Wednesday, calling for the recall of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. They've filed the necessary paperwork with the city clerk and are now hoping to gather the necessary 10,000 signatures that, if certified, could lead to a recall vote. We're noticing some interesting trolls and push back against this group of people near Liberty, MO who are too afraid to push back againstRead more: Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: The Mizoram government has asked the Assam Rifles, which is the countrys oldest paramilitary force, to shift its base from state capital Aizawl to Zokhawsang, some 15 km away. At a meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Zoramthanga had told Assam Rifles Director General Lt Gen Sukhdeep Sangwan that the relocation of the Assam Rifles battalion base, straddled across Aizawls Treasury and Zodin Squares, was necessitated as the spread-out installation was hampering the work of smart city project. ALSO READ | COVID-19: Assam Rifles, Mizoram government clash over restricted 'operational movement' of troopers The meeting comes amidst a cold war between the state government and the Assam Rifles over alleged violation of Covid-19 guidelines by the troops and the forces boycott of Independence Day celebration. Last month, a group of 15 personnel had allegedly barged into the state without undergoing the mandatory Covid-19 test. As nearly 40% of the Covid-19 cases in the state have been reported from the Central Armed Police Forces, there is a feeling among locals that the troops are spreading the disease. Earlier, the state government had written to the Centre seeking curbs on the entry and movement of the personnel. Last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked the Assam Rifles to relocate from Aizawl. ALSO READ | 22 Assam Rifles personnel among 23 fresh COVID-19 cases in Mizoram The meeting between Zoramthanga and the Assam Rifles boss was convened, ostensibly to ease out the standoff. Zoramthanga is learnt to have stressed on the need for healthy cooperation. He also wanted the force to help check the trafficking of drugs along the India-Myanmar border. Drugs and gold, smuggled from the neighbouring country, make their way into various states in India as well as Bangladesh. Mizoram shares a 404 km long border with Myanmar. Lt Gen Sangwan also had a meeting with Mizorams Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo who had petitioned the MHA on August 24 complaining about alleged violation of Covid-19 guidelines and boycott of the Independence Day celebration by the Assam Rifles. L.A. County Board Funds Body-Worn Cameras for Sheriffs Deputies The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to transfer $25.5 million to the Sheriffs Department to fund the roll-out of body-worn cameras to patrol deputies over the next year. The board had set aside $35 million for the cameras without releasing that money to the department. Supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger co- authored a motion calling for a transfer of funds sufficient to cover the first year of operations. Body-worn cameras are an important tool for transparency and I have been advocating to get them to our sheriffs deputies since Sheriff Jim McDonnell was in office, Hahn said. The videos these cameras capture will give us a clearer understanding of what actually happens in the interactions between our deputies and members of the public. ADVERTISEMENT In fact, the first pilot of body cameras by the Sheriffs Department in 2014 predated Hahns election to the board, as well as Sheriff Alex Villanuevas tenure. The sheriff has blamed his predecessor and the board for spending too much time reviewing the problem and potential solutions, while board members have pointed out that the sheriff has had control of the procurement and implementation process. It is just one of many public disagreements between Villaneuva and the board. Hahn said the transfer would allow the department to move forward without any extra red tape. The value of video footage couldnt be clearer at a time when protesters nationwide have been enraged into action by the images of George Floyd, a 45-year-old Black man, fighting to breathe while held down by the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer now charged with murder. Multiple supervisors noted that the presence of cameras doesnt necessarily prevent violence. These body-worn cameras, they dont solve everything, but they put a lot of things in perspective, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. ADVERTISEMENT Hahn said cameras need to be accompanied by real accountability, real reform and real reflection. Earlier this month, the department finalized an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. to equip more than 5,200 deputies and security officers with cameras. Villanueva said in a statement on the LASD website that the full roll- out would take 18 months and begin in October, with equipment going first to deputies at the Lancaster, Century, Lakewood, Industry and West Hollywood stations. Compton, East Los Angeles and another eight stations will follow beginning in January, according to Hahn. Body worn cameras will provide increased opportunity to review our performance following critical incidents, reduce force and complaints, reduce allegations of misconduct, showcase exemplary work and provide additional evidence in criminal matters, the sheriff said in his statement. Unions have also been part of the process, ratifying a policy for gathering and using the footage. A copy of that policy, marked pending, is available on the LASD website, but the Office of Inspector General and Civilian Oversight Commission have recommended changes. The LASD policy largely mirrors that of the Los Angeles Police Department, which rolled body cameras five years ago, according to a June report by Inspector General Max Huntsman. However, where it diverges, it favors deputies, Huntsman said. There are concerns that the policy grants supervisors and deputies too much discretion in deciding when to turn on or off a body-worn camera and that there is no real accountability for a deputy failing to activate the body- worn camera, according to the OIG report. Routine audits to identify misconduct are prohibited by the policy. It also encourages deputies to review video footage before writing reports, leading the OIG to point to grave concerns by the public defender and alternate public defender about deputies fabricating details about what happened. Questions about when and how to release recordings to deputies and the public, as well as how to pay for storing and managing extensive amounts of data, were responsible at least in part for the delay in getting cameras in operation. The LAPD struggled through the same issues. Though the LAPD initially kept recordings for internal use, the department revised its policy in March 2018 to require public release of video from critical incidents, such as police shootings, within 45 days. In high-profile cases, the LAPD has acted more quickly. For example, in the 2018 shootout at a Trader Joes in Silver Lake where store assistant manager Melyda Corado was killed by an LAPD bullet during an exchange of gunfire between police and a man suspected of shooting two other people LAPD Chief Michel Moore released bodycam video three days later. The sheriffs departments posted policy states it will release video in response to a public records act request unless it would interfere with an investigation, in which case the release may be delayed for up to 45 days. In the event that the department decides at the end of that period that it would still substantially interfere with an active investigation, the sheriff could hold the footage for up to a year, or even longer if clear and convincing evidence of such potential interference remains. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Vodafone Idea share price surged 9 percent intraday on September 3 after reports indicated that US wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc and Amazon may invest more than $4 billion for a stake in India's Vodafone Idea Ltd. Vodafone Idea's stake-sale talks had been paused pending the outcome of a court hearing in India, which created uncertainty and could have threatened Vodafone Idea's survival, Mint reported, citing two unnamed people aware of the negotiations. Verizon Communications Inc and Amazon.com Inc may invest more than $4 billion for a stake in India's Vodafone Idea Ltd, the Mint newspaper reported on September 3. Heavily indebted Vodafone Idea - a joint venture between Britain's Vodafone Group Plc and India's Idea Cellular - had previously said its ability to continue as a going concern rested on a positive outcome of the hearing. It has paid the Indian government 78.5 billion rupees ($1.1 billion) in telecoms dues, according to regulatory filings, but still owes roughly 500 billion rupees ($6.8 billion) more. Also Read: Vodafone, Airtel may hike tariffs to stay afloat, say experts Vodafone Idea said its board will meet on September 4 to discuss the fundraising proposals. The board will assess capital raising measures such as public issue, preferential allotment, private placement, including a qualified institutions placement, by way of issuing equity shares of other instruments. The company has been under immense pressure related to the AGR dues. On September 1, the Supreme Court allowed telecom players a 10-year timeline to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. The apex court also asked the companies to make an upfront payment of 10 percent of the outstanding amount. The stock was trading at Rs 10.79, up Rs 0.88, or 8.88 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 11.25 and an intraday low of Rs 10.45. It witnessed a spurt in volume by more than 1.06 times. HRPro/BenePro is proud to be recognized as a cool place to work for the third year in a row. Being ranked #3 makes us especially proud as it validates what we already know, that having a great culture and making your employees feel appreciated and valued is a top priority in an organization August 17, 2020 HRPro/BenePro was named as one of the 2020 Cool Places to Work in Michigan, as recognized by Crains Detroit Business and Best Companies Group. This award marks the third year HRPro/BenePro has ranked in the top 10 companies in Michigan and have made the list the last five. This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Michigan, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses. The 2020 Cool Places to Work in Michigan list is made up of 100 companies in three size categories: small (15-49 U.S. employees), medium (50-249 U.S. employees) and large (250+ U.S. employees). Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the Cool Places to Work in Michigan. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Michigan, analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings. HRPro/BenePro is proud to be recognized as a cool place to work for the third year in a row. Being ranked #3 makes us especially proud as it validates what we already know, that having a great culture and making your employees feel appreciated and valued is a top priority in an organization. We help other companies increase their employees engagement and help them create an empowering, creative culture. This award shows that we utilize these same practices in our own organization, and they work. said HRPro/BenePro President and CEO, Kristopher Powell. A look behind the culture: HRPro/BenePro was founded with an essential mission; to help organizations take better care of their people. To achieve this, they practice what they preach. They understand the importance of keeping their employees engaged and happy. Here at HRPro/BenePro we believe that great company culture is critical in delivering great customer care. We want our employees to take great care of our clients. We know for that to happen, we must take great care of our employees. says Powell. Among perks such as alternating Fridays off in the summer, a comprehensive EAP program, flexible hours, wellness reimbursement programs, telemedicine, Christmas bonuses, company field trips to the ice cream parlor and company outings such as Tiger games and picnics, the true value of working at HRPro/BenePro is the feeling of family and camaraderie thats encouraged every day. About HRPro/BenePro HRPro/BenePro, The People Pros are one of Michigan's top HR and benefit advisory and administration firms, offering a integrated people solution for small to mid-sized companies. HRPro/BenePro strives to create a fun, collaborative culture that puts an emphasis on customer relationships and personalized service. With over 30 years experience, they are constantly working to stay ahead of latest trends and needs in the industry. Their mission is to work closely with organizations to understand and help them achieve their human capital goals. For more information visit the companys website at http://www.hrpro.com/hrpro_benepro/ HRPro/BenePro was recognized on August 17, 2020 in a special publication by Crains Detroit Business. For more information on the Cool Places to Work in Michigan program, visit http://www.CoolPlacestoWorkMI.com. The Speakers of the Ghanaian Parliament and the Nigerian House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye and Rt. Hon. Olufemi Gbajabiamila are in talks to find solutions to the challenges brought about as a result of Ghanas implementation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act 2013, Act 865. Discussions so far have been on how the implementation of Act 865 can be implemented in a manner that will not render Nigerian traders in Ghana jobless since most of them have had their shops closed and some fines levied at them in accordance with the provisions of Act 865. Ghanas sovereignty and national interest in the matter has been at the front burner in all the discussions held so far. Participants in the discussions have included the twelve member delegation from Nigeria, Ghanas Trade Minister, the Minister for National Security, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, the Chairman and Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Clerk to Parliament, and some key Parliamentary staff. Speaker Olufemi Gbajabiamila, in his submissions at a round table discussion in Parliament on Wednesday 02/09/2020, referred to the economic, social and political ties that bind Ghana and Nigeria together and urged that the two countries to use legislative diplomacy to resolve the issues confronting them. This he said, is most appropriate, since he and Speaker Oquaye, had on previous occasions, worked together, using the same tools to resolve economic issues not only between the two countries but in the sub region. Ghanas Trade Minister, Alan Kyeremanteng explained the context of the GIPC Act and its implementation and said that it was not targeted at any particular nationals and definitely not Nigerians. He outlined ways by which the two countries can have mutual trade relations with the requisite benefits. Speaker Oquaye while assuring Nigeria of Ghanas good intentions also pointed out that reports on the matter may have escalated tensions and cautioned that private or commercial arrangements between individuals and organizations of the two countries should not be confused with governments engagements. He also encouraged the use of diplomacy in the resolutions. Both countries are keen on finding a lasting solution to the matter. Source: Emmanuel Akorli/ Peace FM Parliamentary Correspondent 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 Majority Democrats in the General Assembly on Thursday bowed to a weeks worth of Republican complaints, and will hold a meeting Friday to discuss Gov. Ned Lamonts plans to extend his emergency COVID-19 powers until Feb. 9. It may end up becoming an argument between conservative-Republicans who want to reopen the state, versus Democrats who support the governors public health and science philosophy on slowing the spread of the virus, which has resulted in 4,468 deaths since March. The 8 a.m. meeting of 10 top Republican and Democratic leaders, including the four heads of the legislative Public Health Committee, isnt likely to overturn Lamonts desire to retain the power to act quickly and unilaterally in the pandemic. Democrats dominate the group 6-4. Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said late Thursday afternoon that he wants the platform to express his concerns. We are asking to be involved in the process as our state works to protect the public and recover from the pandemic, Fasano said. There needs to be a level of review and collaboration to bring checks and balances back to government. Connecticut's decisions should always be driven by science, and they also should include input from the public, from advocates, from health care experts, from workers and from the people we represent. Connecticut Republicans care deeply about protecting the people of our state. The issue roiled in controversy during the week, culminating Thursday in a rally of ultra-conservatives outside the Capitol who claim that Connecticut is reopening too slowly. Lamont, during his daily news conference Thursday afternoon said that much of reopening arguments seem to be parroting political criticism originating in the White House. Look, this is happening in 50 states and everybodys got the same flags and the same rhetoric, Lamont said. I dont think its helpful. Im not closing down the state. COVID closed it down and COVID is giving people concerns about how fast they want to get back into business. Lamont describes himelf as pushing for an imminent return to in-classroom learning. Democratic leaders, in announcing the agreement to meet, said they have no intention of voting against the governor, who can only be stopped by a majority vote of the 10 lawmakers. To be clear though, we give no credence to their reversal in position that now rejects out of hand the necessity of extending emergency orders at a time when we are clearly still facing an unprecedented public health crisis, the Democrats said, charging that conservative Republicans seem tainted by anti-scientific dogma. By allowing the meeting, the Democrats may take away a potential election-campaign issue from Republicans, who have 22-14 and 91-60 minorities in the House and Senate. Sen. Mary Daughtery Abrams, D-Meriden, co-chairman of the Public Health Committee, said that while the states infection rate remains less than 1 percent, the pandemic still presents a threat. "Certainly, we have seen positive results, but we are not out of the woods, Abrams said Thursday afternoon. It would be to our detriment to pretend that the crisis is over or that we understand how to combat this virus based on information that is constantly changing, Abrams said. We need to be able to take swift, deliberate action whenever necessary, in the interest of public health, and the executive branch is best-equipped to do just that. For me, this is not political. This vote is about protecting the health and safety of the people of our state." The four top Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, however, took swipes at conservative lawmakers. "Despite being given the opportunity to weigh in on the executive orders every step of the way, we now see that House Republican leaders want things such as the need for face mask coverings that prevent the spread of COVID, and even whether the Department of Public Health should be in charge of making public health decisions, to be left up to politics, the Democrats said. While the public wants science and metrics to determine how best to continue to protect residents and safely further open our economy while keeping infection rates the lowest in the country, Republicans apparently think such decisions should be determined in the political arena, the statement continued. A group of conservative Republican lawmakers is suing the state over Lamonts executive orders. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT A Twitter account linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal website was purportedly compromised early on Thursday, with a series of tweets sent out by an individual or a group identifying themselves as John Wick who later told HT that the hack was meant to clear their name in a separate breach involving a popular e-commerce website. Also Read: Twitter confirms PM Modis website page hacked, says investigating A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that the page -- @narendramodi_in associated with the PMs website narendramodi.in was compromised. Shortly after 3am, several posts were made, including some urging people to donate to a cryptocurrency wallet that the hackers said was linked to the PM National Relief Fund. There is no other intention to hack this account. Recently fake news of our name saying PayTM mall [was] hacked by us. So we have sent email to all news publishers in India [that] its not us, no one replied, so we decided to post something, said a person who responded from the email address that was posted in one of the tweets after the hack. The tweets have since been taken down. To a query from Hindustan Times, a spokesperson from Twitter in an email said, Were aware of this activity and have taken steps to secure the compromised account. We are actively investigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted. An official of the Prime Ministers Office, requesting anonymity, said the hack had nothing to do with the PMs Twitter handle, but only with his website. The website is managed by the BJP, but anyway, except to secure the password of the account, a user cant do much with his/her own Twitter handle, he said. Also Read: Elon Musk, Bill Gates: List of other Twitter accounts hacked before PM Modi incident The hackers did not respond to questions on how they carried out the hack and whether it was a compromise of the Twitter account itself, but identifiers seen on screenshots suggested the tweets were made using a tool titled narendramodi_tweets_apps. The hacker suggested that this was done by breaking into the website narendramodi.in, and not the Twitter account. Yes, 100% not secured, said this person, when asked if they exploited something called an API, which allows people to access and send out tweets without accessing an account through Twitter.com. They have to increase the security and invest in people like us, the hacker said. On August 30, cyber security firm Cyble reported that a hacking group identifying itself as John Wick was able to gain unrestricted access to the entire databases of PayTM Mall, an online retail venture of the popular payments app PayTM. PayTM later issued a statement saying it was investigating the breach and assured that user data was safe. A person aware of the preliminary analysis at Twitter, who asked not to be named, said there was no indication or evidence at this stage of any correlation between this account compromise and the incident that took place in July. The reference was to the breach of Twitters internal systems through which hackers similarly solicited payments in digital currency by making posts from the accounts of US presidential candidate Joe Biden and former US president Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk. The page @narendramodi_in is followed by 2.5 million users and is a platform for disseminating news about the PMs activities, his statements and addresses. It was not immediately clear if any money was sent into the cryptocurrency account posted in the hacked tweets. Russian prosecutors demand Navalny's medical records from Germany Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 8:17 AM Russian prosecutors have asked Germany to provide the medical records of opposition figure Alexi Navalny, who is in coma in a German hospital, for a comparative study of his condition. Navalny, 44, who had drunk a cup of tea at the airport prior to a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to the Russian capital of Moscow last month, collapsed on the flight and his plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Omsk due to a sudden deterioration in his health. Navalny's team claimed that the drink had been poisoned, accusing Moscow of poisoning the opposition figure and ordering a ban on transporting him in "an attempt on his life." But he was soon airlifted to Germany for treatment. German doctors at Berlin's Charite Hospital, where Navalny was admitted to, said clinical findings indicated he had been poisoned with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. They said the specific substance was unknown. The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office requested the preliminary diagnosis from the German hospital for a comparative study, Russia's TASS news agency on Wednesday cited RBC newspaper as reporting. The office demanded medical documents and research by German specialists both during Navalny's transportation from Russia to Germany and in the course of his stay in the clinic. "We request to collect Navalny's biomaterial for comparative study (blood, urine, saliva, hair, profiles of nail plate, and buccal epithelium)," the request read. Before he was taken to Germany, Navalny had been taken to a hospital in Omsk. Doctors at that hospital said tests on his blood samples for poisoning came back negative. Navalny's case has prompted Western countries to call for a criminal investigation. But Russia has said there is not enough evidence yet to warrant such an investigation. Moscow has also denied allegations that it has poisoned Navalny. In 2018, the UK accused Russia of having poisoned Sergei Skripal, a former double spy, and his daughter in Salisbury in southern England. Russia repeatedly denied any involvement in that incident. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. Events take place online unless otherwise noted: SATURDAY No on Prop. 16: A car rally in opposition to Proposition 16, the Nov. 3 state ballot measure that would reinstate affirmative action in public university admissions and government contracting and hiring. Hosted by StopProp16.org. 10 a.m. Gather at the North Berkeley BART station, 1721 Acton St. More information is here. Anti-Trump protest: A rally and march against President Trump. Organized by Refuse Fascism Bay Area. Noon. Gather at Market and Steuart streets in San Francisco and march to City Hall. More information is here. TUESDAY Erin Brockovich: Activist discusses how people and communities can take collective action to safeguard the environment. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 9:30 a.m. More information is here. John Bolton: President Trumps former national security adviser talks about the administration and his new book, The Room Where It Happened. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 10:30 a.m. More information is here. Populism and nationalism: How right-wing populism boosts once-marginalized threats like white supremacy and anti-immigration fervor. A discussion with Lawrence Rosenthal, founder of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies, and Arlie Hochschild, UC Berkeley professor emerita and author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. Hosted by the Commomwealth Club. 12:30 p.m. More information is here. Sen. Chris Murphy: Connecticut Democrat discusses his book The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 5 p.m. More information is here. THURSDAY Atomic bombings legacy: Former Gov. Jerry Brown and Lesley Blume, author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, discuss the legacy of the U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here. Charles Munger Jr.: Activist on political reforms that work. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 12:30 p.m. More information is here. Brian Stelter: CNN chief media correspondent on his new book, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth, in conversation with Mother Jones editor in chief Clara Jeffery. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 3:30 p.m. More information is here. S.F. D7 candidates: Candidates for San Francisco supervisor in District Seven Emily Murase, Joel Engardio, Myrna Melgar and Vilaska Nguyen in a debate hosted by sf.citi. 5 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 10 Niki Solis on Kamala Harris: San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis on Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Solis was a manager in the public defenders office when Harris was San Francisco district attorney. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 10 a.m. More information is here. Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Former White House press secretary and author of Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House, in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here. SEPT. 12 No on Prop. 16: A car rally in opposition to Proposition 16, the Nov. 3 state ballot measure that would reinstate affirmative action in public university admissions and government contracting and hiring. Hosted by StopProp16.org. 1:30 p.m. Gather at the Milpitas Community Center, 457 East Calaveras Road, Milpitas. More information is here. Flipping Texas: A Zoom event in support of Democratic candidates for the Texas state House, Sharon Hirsch and Akilah Bacy. Sponsored by Sister District CA Peninsula. 6 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 15 Peter Strzok: Former FBI agent and author of Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump, in a conversation hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 12:30 p.m. More information is here. To list an event, please email Chronicle politics editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com Case against media tycoon dates back to 2017 and is not related to his arrest under China-imposed national security law. A court in Hong Kong has declared media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai not guilty of criminal intimidation, ending one of several cases against him after his high-profile arrest under a new national security law. Thursdays verdict was for a case that dates back to 2017 and was unrelated to his arrest last month. Lai, who is a key critic of Beijing, had used foul language when confronting a reporter from Oriental Daily News, a major competitor to Lais tabloid Apple Daily. Police, however, only charged him in February this year. The mainland-born media magnate had pleaded not guilty. He smiled after the verdict was read out and shook hands with supporters who filled the courtroom. Lais case comes after he was arrested for suspected collusion with foreign forces on August 10, making him the highest-profile person to be arrested under the Beijing-imposed law. The 71-year-old had been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he met officials including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a traitor. After Lais August arrest about 200 police officers searched the offices of his newspaper, Apple Daily. The national security law punishes any act China considers subversion, seccession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged anti-China, pro-democracy protests last year. Lais Apple Daily has vied with pro-Beijing Oriental Daily for readership in the special administrative region. In 2014 the Oriental Daily published a fake obituary of Lai, claiming that he had died of AIDS and many types of cancer. Prosecutors in the case said Lai had intimidated the Oriental Daily reporter. Lais lawyers said Lai had been followed by reporters for three years and his comments were not intended to harm the reporter but expressed his exasperation. Lai is also facing separate court cases for illegal assembly relating to anti-government protests last year. Biden seeks to soothe city on edge after speaking with Jacob Blake Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden visited protest-ravaged Kenosha Wisconsin where he spoke by phone with Jacob Blake, a black man shot in the back by police, and sought to soothe a community on edge Joe Biden called out the "underlying racism" in America Thursday as he sought to soothe the protest-scarred Midwestern city of Kenosha, where the presidential hopeful spoke with a black father shot in the back by a white policeman. Biden sat down for a private talk with Jacob Blake's father and other relatives, and revealed later that he had spoken for about 15 minutes by telephone with Blake as the 29-year-old was recovering in hospital. "He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up," Biden said of Blake, whose lawyers say he is likely paralyzed from the waist down. Describing himself repeatedly as an optimist, Biden -- speaking through a face mask -- told a small community gathering in Kenosha that the majority of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement for racial equality. But he also warned that President Donald Trump has fueled the racial animus which has roiled the nation in recent months. "Not all his fault," but Trump's heated and racially charged language "legitimizes the dark side of human nature," Biden said at Grace Lutheran Church, where a crowd of mostly-masked supporters gathered outside. The president's rhetoric has exposed "the underlying racism that is institutionalized in the United States, and still exists, and has existed for 400 years," he added. "I promise you, win or lose... I'm going to go down fighting the good fight for racial equality," Biden said, adding: "We're not going to go down." The optics in Wisconsin offered a contrast from two days earlier when Biden's Republican rival brought his law-and-order message to Kenosha, where he survey damage and met law enforcement and business owners. Unlike Biden, Trump did not speak with Blake or his family, and he visited in defiance of pleas by the mayor and state governor, both Democrats, who feared that his presence would stoke tensions. Story continues During Trump's meeting with police, he equated the demonstrations demanding racial justice with "domestic terror" by violent mobs. - Campaign turning point - Biden's visit, his first major trip since June due to months of coronavirus-driven lockdown and restrictions, marks an intensification of his presidential campaign two months before the US election. The campaign has announced Biden trips to battlegrounds Michigan next Wednesday and Pennsylvania on September 11. As the Democrat emerges more from his Wilmington, Delaware home, Trump is already barnstorming across battleground states, warning voters that a Biden administration would leave them less safe and repeating his baseless attacks on the integrity of mail-in voting. In recent weeks Trump has visited Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, New Hampshire and North Carolina, with a rally scheduled for Thursday evening in Pennsylvania. Trump mocked Biden's foray into Wisconsin, pushing a new nickname for the challenger that presumably refers to lower recent profile on the campaign trail. Until now Biden has hesitated to hit the road, rigorously adhering to local pandemic health guidelines and campaigning through webcasts, advertising and television. "Joe Hiden' gets off his airplane, grabs and shakes a rather stunned mans hand (like in the old days), then touches his (Joe's) face and mask with the same hand," the president tweeted. "No crowd, no enthusiasm for Joe today. Law & Order!" Biden leads Trump in national polling but the gap is closer in swing states including Wisconsin, which Trump narrowly flipped from Democrats in his improbable 2016 election victory. He is no doubt using security fears to hammer home his law-and-order message. Demonstrations in Kenosha began peacefully the night Blake was shot, but descended into violence for several nights running. It culminated August 25 when two people were shot dead. A 17-year-old white Trump supporter has been arrested and charged with murder. The president has refused to condemn the killings or the growing presence of armed vigilantes at protests, and during his visit he equated the demonstrations demanding racial justice with "domestic terror" by violent mobs. Community leader Tim Mahone, who moderated the roundtable, applauded Biden for presenting a more optimistic vision. "We're hurting right now," he told Biden. "Your leadership is important, in Kenosha and in our country." mlm/ft The short play has carried the torch for Australian theatre in 2020. In an ordinary year, the form doesnt get much of a look-in outside the Short+Sweet Festival a competition for 10-minute pieces with a talent quest vibe but it has assumed new importance during these months of disruption. Come To Where I Am roves from the Top End to Tasmania, in a series of short theatrical works streamed online. This project stands alongside Playwriting Australias Dear Australia as a theatrical snapshot of, and eventually a time capsule for, our countrys experience of the pandemic. Its guiding idea upends the notion of a touring production. Teaming with UK company Paines Plough, Critical Stages has produced a selection of works written from and about life in far-flung locales, viewable from your loungeroom. One virtue of the virtual turn provoked by COVID-19 is that it provides easy access to voices from outside the major capital cities which in normal times tend to dominate our stages. That is no bad thing, especially when the pandemic has made life a more local affair. In Tessa Roses A Little Bit of Territory, we get a taste of the impact of recent events on the Indigenous community of Palmerston, near Darwin. Some experiences the confusion and boredom of children, the frustration of those coming of age are broadly relatable; others are deeply rooted in local culture and country (Rose celebrated the end of lockdown, and her 51st birthday, with fire-roasted turtle on the beach). Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden will visit Michigan on Wednesday, Sept. 9, according to his campaign. No other details were immediately available, although the campaign noted more would be coming soon. Biden has stayed largely off the campaign trail amid the coronavirus pandemic, but recently has shifted to make in-person appearances in battleground Midwest states. He was in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Wednesday and spoke in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania earlier this week. It is not yet known where in Michigan Biden will visit. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Biden did visit Michigan, most recently in March when he rallied supporters in Detroit on the eve of Michigans primary election. His campaign has also led virtual events in the state. Related: Joe Biden preaches unity at lively Detroit rally before Michigans Democratic primary His rival for the nations highest office, incumbent President Donald Trump, has made in-person appearances nationally as well. Most recently in Michigan, Vice President Mike Pence rallied supporters at an event in Traverse City last week. Michigan is considered a hotly contested state after Trump won it narrowly by just under 11,000 votes in 2016. A polling average from Real Clear Politics gives Biden a 2.6% lead in the state, but Democrats have been careful not to take the state for granted. The election takes place Nov. 3. Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Bidens visit takes place on a Wednesday. Related stories: Dont trust the polls, Democrats warn Biden campaign about lead in Michigan Michigan women lead online Biden rally featuring shark week jokes and urgent call to beat Trump Mike Pence says Trump will lead recovery after COVID recession at Michigan campaign rally Commissioners Approve Tourism, Economic Development Agreement The Hill County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with the Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce last week that will create a county-wide effort to promote tourism and economic development. Earlier in the month, Chamber Director Wendy Ellis and Charles Eaton, chair of the chamber's board of directors, made a presentation to the court about a proposed partnership that would allow the chamber to manage a portion of the county's special budgets for tourism and economic development. The two budgets are separate from the county's general fund and are designated to promote unincorporated areas of the county. The county's tourism budget, which is funded from hotel occupancy taxes, can only be used to promote tourism. The economic development fund can be used for anything commissioners deem to be an economic development activity in unincorporated areas. The tourism budget has a projected beginning balance of $80,000, with revenue estimated at $22,350 in the coming year. The economic development fund is projected to begin the fiscal year with $147,400, with $200,000 in anticipated revenue projected. After reviewing plans, the court approved the partnership and created a program director position in the county. Ellis will fill the position, with the chamber responsible for her salary and the county offering benefits through funds already allocated to the program. Some of the goals identified for the program include a county-wide retail study to build a recruitment and retention program, maintenance and expansion of the county's current tourism website, a county-wide tourism magazine publication, the establishment of a social media program and collaboration with other chambers of commerce and organizations in the county. For year one of the project, the proposed budget is between $39,000 and $50,000 to get the effort started without tapping into the reserves in the accounts. The agreement also calls for the chamber to provide quarterly progress reports, accounting documentation and create an annual budget for the county's approval. County Judge Justin Lewis said that the agreement contains an opt-out clause in the event that Ellis vacates the position. The agreement would allow both the chamber and county to reevaluate whether to continue the program under a new director. Lewis said that he is excited about the program. "I think this is beyond past due for us," the judge said. "We have the funds dedicated, and we have the ability to see if this works. Commissioners heard from U.S. Capital Advisors, which was the third company to make a presentation to the court regarding financial advising services. The court is preparing to refund bonds that are callable this year and will create a savings for the county. The discussion about restructuring the county's debt led to conversation about plans to address the county's need for more space and security as Hill County's population continues to grow. The construction of a justice center to house the county's courts has been identified as one way to address the issue. Lewis explained that with multiple judges sharing limited courtroom space, it is difficult to arrange schedules. Commissioner Martin Lake pointed to feedback the county has received indicating that action needs to be taken to enhance security at the courthouse. The county is limited by the state as to how much work can be performed on the historic building, which creates issues with enhancing security. "We can pour millions of dollars into this building and still have great limitations as to what we can do," Lewis said. The judge added that the courthouse is a good office building, but it is not functioning to meet the needs of today's courts. "It was designed for the needs of 1890s Texas," Lewis said. "It was not designed for the needs of today." Discussions with attorneys and judges have made it clear that the county needs to make plans for the future, Lewis said. He explained that part of that process is adjusting debt to avoid raising the tax rate while building the facilities needed for future growth. The current effort that is underway to create a secure records storage facility at the former Waco Street jail is helping the county achieve one goal, which is to divest itself of multiple unneeded properties downtown. In other business, an updated agreement with ICE Construction was approved outlining work to be performed on the county annex on Franklin Street. Early proposals to replace the building's facade came in over the county's budget for the project, which was intended to address basic maintenance issues and repair leaks. The latest proposal came in at $55,018.87, which was more in line with the anticipated budget for the work. The court also approved annual contracts and interagency agreements for the Hill County Juvenile Probation Department. The agreements allow the department to work with service providers for residential and non-residential services for juvenile offenders in the county. In a budget workshop, District Clerk Marchel Eubank told the court that new jury software from Tyler Technologies could be a project to consider during next year's budget discussions. Eubank explained that its implementation would provide a number of benefits for jurors and staff and would eliminate much of the manual work that goes into coordinating jury trials. It would also keep a current list of potential jurors updated in real time and would create cost savings for the county on postage, personnel and other costs. The court was expected to meet again Tuesday, September 1. See the Monday, September 7, edition of The Reporter Newspaper for details on that meeting. Mental health treatments startup Bionomics is hoping to execute a company turnaround and validate its treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder after securing funding from high profile biotech investors. The ASX-listed company has secured a subscription agreement worth up to $22 million with German financier and psychedelic treatments advocate Christian Angermayer, through his family office Apeiron Investment Group. Apeiron has also engaged other investors through this process and a group including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and former hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz will also come on board as investors. Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel is one of the company's high-profile investors. Credit:Bloomberg The agreement involves the issue of $5.4 million of shares across two tranches, with Apeiron set to underwrite future capital raisings. Mr Angermayer is a serial entrepreneur known for his advocacy of research into the use of psychedelics for treatment of mental health. His startups include medtech firm ATAI Life Sciences, and he was a seed investor in Compass Pathways, the startup founded develop therapies using psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Compass, which is also backed by Mr Thiel, is preparing for a public listing in the US. Pig sector groups have held 'constructive talks' with Zac Goldsmith on the possibility of a farrowing crate ban in the UK. The National Pig Association (NPA) and Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) spoke with the Defra minister during a 45-minute video conference. Defra has indicated that it wishes to phase the farrowing crate system, which is widely used across the UK pig sector. The new Pig Welfare code expresses an aspiration to move towards a future where farrowing crates are no longer necessary. While there is government support for a ban, pig producers have raised fears over the costly transition, which could force many out of business. The primary purpose of the farrowing crate is to prevent the sow from rolling on and crushing her piglets. The crate also enables stockpersons to work easily and safely around the sow and her piglets, during a time when sows can be particularly aggressive. Lord Goldsmith has in the past supported a campaign to ban farrowing crates and other forms of confinement on farms. However, since becoming a Defra minister, he has also agreed that any change needs to be done in a way that not only protects both the sow and her piglets, but in a way that is sustainable for the industry. The meeting was therefore an opportunity for the NPA and PVS to set out the industrys position and to discuss the challenges associated with moving to alternative systems. The likely increase in piglet mortality and lack of research and advice available for those wishing to make the move was highlighted by the two groups. Prior to the meeting, the NPA sent Mr Goldsmith a briefing setting out its position and the challenges any change would bring. NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said the meeting was 'very encouraging': He appeared genuinely interested in understanding the issues and working with the industry on finding solutions. "He asked a lot of questions and wanted to hear our views about the various options, the barriers that would need to be overcome and how government could help. The meeting discussed the need for the demonstration of successful systems and how the sector could learn from those pioneers already using alternative systems. Mr Goldsmith was also invited on the farm so he could see the challenges: The pig sector has always been forward-thinking and positive and I am sure he appreciated our constructive approach," Ms Davies added. "Whilst we must ensure that all of our concerns are properly addressed and we have the necessary time and support to explore what is possible, we are optimistic that we can work together and develop a plan for the future. Search resumes for missing Isla Mujeres swimmer Isla Mujeres, Q.R. Rescue authorities will continue with the search for a swimmer who was swept out to sea Wednesday off an Isla Mujeres beach. Personnel from the Mexican Navy, Civil Protection and Municipal Police searched, without success, for the body of one of the three beachgoers who went swimming off Media Luna beach. The missing swimmer was reported around 5:30 p.m. by two others who were also swimming in the area, but managed to get themselves back to shore. The search and rescue attempt was called off once nighttime hit. According to the director of Civil Protection Merced Ortiz Maya, they resumed their search for the third swimmer at 6:30 a.m. this morning. Ortiz Maya acknowledged that their search had not had positive results and that at this point, it is likely to be a recovery mission, since survival is unlikely. The missing man has been identified as 20-year-old Angel Lorenzo N from New York. Danger signs prohibiting swimming are clearly placed along the beach Permanent signs placed in the sand at Playa Media Luna warn of its constant dangers and is marked as a beach not suitable for swimming. All beaches around Isla Mujeres currently remain closed due to the epidemic. A coalition party in Holland is calling for paid sex to be banned in a move which could leave the future of Amsterdam's famous red light district uncertain. The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) have revived the debate to make paying for sex a punishable offence after presenting a proposal to cabinet. The proposal, submitted by CDA MP Anne Kuik, is being debated today in Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, Dutch News reported. Ban of paid sex will be debated by cabinet in Netherlands today after Christian Democratic Appeal called for it to become a punishable offence (pictured, Amsterdam's red light district) CDA MP Anne Kuik submitted a proposal to cabinet to ban paid sex, which is being debated today in Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament Kuik told AD newspaper: 'Most prostitutes would not actually want to have sex with the man in front of them. But it still happens, because it is paid. 'So consent is bought, the woman is a product. That is no longer possible in these modern times.' MPs will also discuss an initiative from Christian youth movement Exxpose to curb prostitution, which has more than 50,000 signatures. ONE OF EUROPE'S BIGGEST BROTHELS GOES BUST One of Europe's biggest brothels has filed for bankruptcy after being unable to operate for months due to coronavirus restrictions. German daily Express reported that the Pascha brothel in Cologne had used up all of its financial reserves paying for the upkeep of its 10-storey building and 60 staff. As part of a wide range of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, where Cologne is located, banned prostitution five months ago. Organisations representing sex workers have warned that the closure of brothels is likely to force prostitution underground, where women are at greater risk of exploitation. Advertisement Kuik said she hopes to tackle female inequality by banning legal prostitution as she cares about the 'protection of mostly women who are treated unequally'. She said: 'Ask anyone if they would want their daughter to be a sex worker and they'll say no. But we're allowing young women from Europe's poorer countries do the job without compunction. That is hypocritical.' She claimed that 95 per cent of women who work in Amsterdam's red light district are from poorer Eastern European countries, according to the NL Times. Kuik wants to see the Netherlands implement a legal model similar to Sweden, which criminalised paid sex back in 1999. Under the Swedish Government's laws, the buyer is prosecuted but prostitutes are not. Kuik argues that while it is impossible to eradicate prostitution, the Government should try to prevent it from happening. She also claimed that the legalisation of prostitution has not stopped abuse on sex workers, which 'continues to exist'. She added: 'And make no mistake, a lot is already happening in the Netherlands in illegality.' The CDA's coalition partners D66 and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) are reportedly opposed to the ban, saying it will only drive prostitution underground. It has been claimed that the chance of criminalising paid sex in the Netherlands is extremely low due to this opposition. But the motion is expected to be supported by other government parties, including the SGP and ChristenUnie. The two parties have rallied for the ban of paid sex for years and are supporting the revival of the debate. Govt blocks 118 mobile apps over data theft, anti-state activities The government on Wednesday said it has decided to block 118 mobile apps that are engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of the country, defence of India, security of state and public order. The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeIT), invoked its powers under section 69A of the Information Technology Act and provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking f Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 in view of the emergent nature of threats, a ministry release stated. MeIT said it has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports, about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures, the release stated. The ministry said the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, of the ministry of home affairs has also recommended blocking these malicious apps. There have also been bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India. There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against Apps that harm Indias sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens, it added. On the basis of these and upon receiving of recent credible inputs that information posted, permissions sought, functionality embedded as well as data harvesting practices of above stated Apps raise serious concerns that these Apps collect and share data in surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to security of the state, MeIT stated. Accordingly, Government of India has decided to block the usage of certain Apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet enabled devices. This move will safeguard the interests of millions of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. List of blocked Apps: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and state officials on Thursday threatened to sue the Trump administration if it moves forward with plans to cut federal funding from a number of Democrat-run cities. President Donald Trump sent a memo Wednesday to Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Attorney General Bill Barr that directs them to review and cut federal funding to "lawless" cities, including Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; New York and Washington, D.C. De Blasio criticized the Trump administration's response and admonished the president for threatening to withhold funding as local officials respond to the ongoing pandemic. "You failed us, and now you want to punish us," de Blasio said at a news briefing. "If you persist in trying to deny the funding that's keeping New York City going in the middle of this crisis, we will see you in court and, once again, we will beat you in court." De Blasio issued a joint statement with the mayors of Portland, Seattle and Washington, saying they aren't "President Trump's political pawns." All of the mayors are Democrats. "President Trump needs to wake up to the reality facing our cities and our entire country and realize he is not above the law," the mayors wrote. De Blasio on Thursday called the Trump administration's move a "political stunt" that pushes the limits of power of the office. Separately, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, called Trump a bully during a press call Thursday. He added that Barr is the president's "puppet." New York SAttorney General Letitia James said the state is ready "to take immediate legal action" if Trump withholds funding for New York City, calling the memo "a desperate, last ditch election strategy by a president too weak to lead us through these national crises." "Time after time, we have beat the president in court and we have no doubt we will beat him again, if necessary," James said in a statement Thursday. Trump's memo accuses state and local officials in some cities, all controlled by Democrats, of contributing to violence. "To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government's promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities," Trump wrote. A number of cities across the country have seen a recent surge in violent crimes, including homicides, that outpaces the historical jump in violent crime expected every summer, The New York Times reported. The New York Police Department separately said shootings across the city jumped 166% in August over the same month last year. At news briefings, Trump has increasingly spent more time speaking about violence in American cities instead of the coronavirus outbreak that has now infected more than 6.1 million people in the U.S., killing at least 185,700 people in the country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has reported more confirmed cases of the coronavirus and deaths caused by Covid-19 than any other country in the world, accounting for more than 21% of all Covid-19 deaths worldwide. "The Federal Government provides States and localities with hundreds of billions of dollars every year, which fund a wide array of programs, such as housing, public transportation, job training, and social services," Trump's memo says. "My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones." The memo gives Barr 14 days to identify "anarchist jurisdictions" where officials have "permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist." The memo directs Barr to update the list at least every six months. The memo also gives Vought 30 days to instruct federal agencies to restrict federal grants to such cities. Trump names de Blasio twice in the memo, Cuomo once and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser once. The amount of funding that could be withheld from cities besieged by the coronavirus is potentially tremendous. In 2017, for example, New York City received nearly $8 billion in federal categorical grants, accounting for about 9% of the city budget. U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke, a Democrat whose district encompasses much of Brooklyn, said that in the upcoming federal budget, New York City has asked for close to $12 billion, "so that we can make sure the city of New York is made whole." The Oregon Employment Department erroneously paid about $100,000 in unemployment benefits to 155 eastern Oregon school district staff who were furloughed last spring, according to the Baker School District. Now, the state wants the money back. The district learned about the problem last week, said Michelle Glover, the schools business manager. She said the overpayments amounted to between $630 and $730 per employee. The state isnt demanding that workers repay it now, according to Glover. But if they dont fork it over, the state will deduct the funds from any future unemployment claims those staffers make. This is going to be a hardship on our staff, Glover wrote in an email Thursday. The employment department has struggled to administer its benefits program throughout the pandemic. It declined to address this latest issue, saying state law prevents it from discussing unemployment claims at any organization even school districts and other public entities that are normally subject to public records disclosure. The origin of the issue in Baker City is extremely complex. The Baker City schools, like other districts around the state, furloughed employees for one day a week when the pandemic hit last spring to save money in anticipation of a fall budget crunch. The Baker School District and many other Oregon school districts tapped into the states Work Share program to compensate employees for the lost wages. (In many cases, employees actually got a raise during their furloughs thanks to the $600 weekly unemployment bonus Congress authorized in March.) Work Share requires that participating employers furlough their employees for at least 20% of their work week, with a 40-hour limit on the work week. The Baker School District, though, usually operates on a four-day-a-week schedule no school on Fridays. And because of a quirk of the calendar, the district didnt meet that 20% threshold for the week in May that included Memorial Day. The school district said it wasnt aware of the 40-hour-week maximum, and the employment department overlooked it, too. Glover said the department has acknowledged that this was, at least partially, the states mistake. Now, though, she said the burden falls on employees. Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, raised the Baker City issue Thursday at a legislative hearing on the crisis at the employment department. Oregon owes backlogged jobless benefits to tens of thousands of laid-off workers and tens of thousands more went for long periods without benefits early in the pandemic as the employment department struggled to cope with the unprecedented volume of claims. On Thursday, Findley said the Baker City issue is indicative of broader problems at the department. The state leadership has failed to provide oversight with adequate followup with this agency, Findley said. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine on Wednesday of fomenting trouble in neighbouring Belarus, and said Moscow saw no point in engaging with a Belarusian opposition council that has emerged amid nationwide anti-government protests. Lavrov, speaking in Moscow after talks with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, said 200 trained Ukrainian extremists were inside Belarus trying to destabilise it. The protest erupted after an Aug. 9 presidential election marred by allegations of election rigging. Russia is a close ally of Belarus. Kyiv said the allegations were fictitious. "Ukraine has not conducted, is not conducting and will not conduct any subversive activities against Belarus," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Facebook. Kuleba said last week that Kyiv had frozen official contacts with Belarus, and joined the European Union in condemning the election as neither free nor fair. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a new election. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Maria Kiselyova; additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Wednesday that the police officer who shot Jacob Blake should be charged. I think we should let the judicial system work its way, Biden said at a press conference in Wilmington, Del. on Wednesday. I do think at a minimum they need to be charged. Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisc. on Sunday in an incident that has sparked outrage against police and ignited riots in the area. Video footage of the incident shows Blake walking away from police officers, who have their guns drawn on him, and starting to get into an SUV with his children ages 3, 5, and 8 inside before police shoot him multiple times in the back. A knife was recovered on the floorboard of Blakes SUV and police claim they tazered him twice before resorting to lethal force. A woman who had previously accused Blake of sexual assault had called the police on him to report that he was refusing to leave her residence and had taken her keys. A warrant had been issued for Blakes arrest after he violated a restraining order taken out by the women he allegedly assaulted. Blake is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down since the shooting. Biden is scheduled for a Thursday visit to Kenosha, where rioting and unrest have erupted since Blakes shooting. Biden also called for the police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor in her apartment during a failed drug raid to be charged, and said an investigation should be launched into the fatal shooting of a Trump supporter during clashes between demonstrators in Portland over the weekend. They should be investigated and it should follow through on what needs to be done, the former vice president said. Let the judicial system work. Lets make sure justice is done. Biden added that he believes that the vast majority of law enforcement as well as the community want to straighten things out, not inflame things and blamed President Trump for throwing gasoline on the fire. Story continues The vast majority of police officers are good, decent, honorable women and men. They pin on that shield every morning and they have a right to go home that night safely, Biden said. Theyre the ones that want to get rid of the bad cops more than anyone else does, because it reflects on them. More from National Review Jeff Brazier compared a photo of son Freddie starting his final year of secondary school alongside a picture of him on his first day on Instagram on Thursday. And Jeff, 41, has shared some sage words of advice with other parents as he reflected on how his youngest son, 15, has changed over the years. TV star Jeff, who is also dad Bobby, 17, from his relationship with the late Jade Goody, said 'Stop stressing, putting all of that unnecessary, unhelpful pressure on yourself to make your kids into something youre picturing in your head. 'Shocking how fast they grow': Jeff Brazier compared photos of son Freddie starting his final, (left) and first, (right) years of secondary school on Instagram on Thursday Wise words: Jeff advised parents to stop 'putting all of that unnecessary, unhelpful pressure' on their kids in a heartfelt post 'We give them the tools, they ultimately decide what to do with them. He continued: 'Focus on being a great example, they notice everything you do but if you do, a mistake for you can be a valuable education for them so its ok!' Jeff then told parents he has found it can be beneficial to give kids freedom to plan their own schedules. 'Hardest thing to do is watch your children making mistakes': Jeff has clearly learned a lot being a parent to his two young boys He wrote: 'The ability to set targets, plan next steps and take ownership of what they do, why they do it and how long they do it for is exactly what we do as adults so lets give them some of that responsibility/trust now.' Finally, he said it is important for children to sometimes make mistakes. 'Its so inevitable they will mess up.. Be there to ensure the lesson was caught but dont clean the mess up for them or no responsibility will be taken in future. 'We can make things too easy when maybe the experience were aiming to create should be fair and realistic to what lie ahead.' All grown up: Jeff has previously said he is 'hugely proud' of Freddie and Bobby, who have grown into 'wonderful young men' Last year Jeff Brazier opened up about the decade since his ex-wife Jade Goody's death, admitting that things at times had been 'tremendously difficult'. In the same interview, with Barrow-in-Furness based paper The Mail, he went on to say that his sons were 'coming of age' and 'have grown into wonderful young men' adding that he's 'hugely proud of them.' Jeff has been married to PR director Kate Dwyer since 2018, with the two of them raising Freddie and Bobby together. Happy couple: Jeff has been married to PR director Kate Dwyer since 2018, with the two of them raising Freddie and Bobby together What just happened? In what appears to be a case of someone abusing their position, a former chief information security officer has been sentenced to two years in prison after ordering expensive networking equipment for the county government and selling it on eBay. Terry Shawn Petrill, 48, of Myrtle Beach was the IT Security Director for Horry County in South Carolina, where he worked for more than 12 years. According to court documents, he ordered forty-one Cisco 3850 switches between June 11, 2015, and August 23, 2018, that were supposed to be installed on the Horry County network. Once the switches arrived and Petrill accepted the deliveries, he told other IT staff members that he would take care of installation himself. But instead of adding the devices to the network, he sold them to third parties and kept the money. Network switches arent cheap, with some Cisco brands priced over $20,000. Agents say that Petrill auctioned nine of them off on eBay and other websites, but dont know what happened to the rest. One of Cisco's 3850 switches from the company's website Petrills actions werent discovered until an inventory audit in December 2018, a month after he left the government. An FBI investigation led back to the former IT Security Director, who pleaded guilty to stealing the 41 switches back in November 2019. The crime cost Horry County government $345,266, which Petrill must repay. Petrill this week was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. Those who steal from our local governments are raiding the South Carolina taxpayers, said US Attorney Peter McCoy Jr. This is unacceptable, and as this case shows we will seek prison time and restitution against those who engage in such theft. I appreciate the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners and government officials in Horry County who provided critical assistance in this case. Main image credit: Anucha Cheechang Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:52:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Liu ChenLiu, a member of the Chinese medical team, applies traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) therapy to a local patient at LEKMA hospital, in Accra, capital of Ghana, Sept. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) By Xu Zheng and Francis Tandoh ACCRA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The life of middle-aged Sandra Ashong, a doctor at the LEKMA Hospital located in Ghana's capital city Accra, has been a hard struggle since she has to carry on with her duties despite suffering from a long-time back pain. "I wake up in the morning with severe back pain around my waist. It also pained me a lot while I'm working," said Ashong. Backache is common in the West African country, which is normally caused by overwork and obesity. The figure from health authorities shows that almost six out of every 10 people are suffering from the condition. Being aware of the curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy on the illness, Ashong turned to her Chinese counterparts in the LEKMA Hospital, where the Chinese medical team sent by the Chinese government is based. With two small tubes filled with burning traditional Chinese herbs in her hands, Liu Chenliu, a member of the Chinese medical team, patiently applied the therapy to her patient. After a while, Ashong felt an intense heatwave over her back with the whole body relaxed and backache relieved. "I don't want to take pain killers, so I usually prefer to do the therapy, because if you do it, it is able to sustain you for a very long time and I don't really feel the pain," Ashong said. "The whole process normally lasts between 20 and 30 minutes," Liu explained. "The traditional Chinese medicine herbs in that tube contain many kinds of variables and materials and when they burn, the released heat helps relieve the pain, and helps them get better." According to Liu, TCM therapy has gained more popularity in Ghana as more and more local patients recovered with the help of Chinese medical professionals in the country. Despite the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic here, the number of local patients lining up in front of the Chinese doctors' consulting room shows no signs of abating. In the meantime, the Chinese doctors have continued with their work irrespective of the challenges posed by the pandemic. According to Shi Yongyong, chief of the Chinese medical team in Ghana, the team has been committed to sharing experience with their Ghanaian counterparts and supporting the hospital with medical supplies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been in the West African country for some eight months now, Shi said despite the difficulties such as occasional power outage and water supply shortage in the hospital, he and his colleagues would never stop fulfilling their duties here. Commending Chinese doctors' hard work and superb expertise, the hospital's head of clinical services Doreen Atta-Fynn said the nine batches of Chinese doctors dispatched by the Chinese government so far have contributed a lot to healthcare delivery in the country. "They fit the spaces that we need," She said. WATERLOO REGION Almost half of youth in Waterloo Region experienced discrimination in the past year due to characteristics such as physical appearance, ethnicity and sexual orientation, according to a new child and youth well-being survey. That was eye-opening to me to see that, said Alison Pearson, the regions manager of community engagement and planning. The Region of Waterloo is part of the Children and Youth Planning Table, a collective of organizations serving youth and families in the region that developed the Youth Impact Survey in partnership with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing at the University of Waterloo, UNICEF Canada and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. More than 300 people aged nine to 18 were asked questions in July related to various aspects of well-being, and also to provide feedback on the new tool itself. The survey found 44.5 per cent of local youth felt discriminated against for a variety of reasons: physical appearance, sex, age, ethnicity or culture, race or colour, religion, sexual orientation, a disability, gender identity and language. It gives us more insight into what the discrimination looks like for them, Pearson said. Two out of five respondents (37.6 per cent) reported their mental health as very good or excellent considerably lower than the 58.1 per cent reporting their physical health as very good or excellent. Were surveying young people at a very difficult time, Pearson acknowledged. That also makes it a bit difficult to compare the results from this summer to national data gathered by UNICEF Canada before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the plan is to survey local youth again next spring to see how theyre doing then. Preliminary survey results were released on Thursday, and more will be shared in coming weeks. While its not uncommon for local youth to be struggling with challenges such as a mental-health disorder and regular loneliness, the majority also reported a strong sense of belonging and that they felt supported and heard by friends and family, and that teachers accepted them as they are. The respondents also said they were grateful for being asked about their well-being. This fall, the plan is to talk more in-depth with local youth to hear about their lived experiences. Youth want their voices to be heard, Pearson said. She said the survey results is a chance to learn directly from children and youth, giving organizations more information for when making decisions about services and programs. The results also offer a glimpse into the life of young people for the community in general, and can help parents start conversations with their children. Its insight into how young people in our community are doing, Pearson said. Prosafe and Shell U.K. Limited ('Shell') have agreed to defer and amend the contract for the Safe Zephyrus to provide accommodation services in support of the Shearwater platform turnaround. The revised firm duration of the contract of 115 days commences in March 2021 although Shell has the option of adding either 30 or 45 days to the front end resulting in an earlier commencement date. Shell retains the option to extend the contract after the firm duration by up to 30 days. As part of the agreement, Shell will compensate Prosafe through a fee considering the 10 month mobilization deferment. Additionally, Shell and Prosafe will strategically work closely for 2022 and 2023, maximizing opportunity to benefit both parties. Jesper Kragh Andresen, CEO of Prosafe says: "Shell has been, and will continue to be, one of our most valued customers. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the industry hard - operator and contractor alike - and it has been encouraging to work with Shell to solve the mutual challenges in a way which resulted in an agreement for the 2021 Shearwater turnaround, and a stronger strategic collaboration thereafter." Prosafe is a leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker code PRS. For more information, please refer to www.prosafe.com Stavanger, 3 September 2020 Prosafe SE For further information, please contact: Jesper K. Andresen, CEO Phone: +47 51 65 24 30 / +47 907 65 155 Stig Harry Christiansen, Deputy CEO and CFO Phone: +47 51 64 25 17 / +47 478 07 813 This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act Wang Yijun, a 12-year-old girl from Quzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, was overjoyed and surprised when she found she had received a letter of reply from the renowned Chinese respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan, who has made distinguished contributions to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic. (Photo/Qianjiang Evening News) Wang shared her excitement with her classmates on Sept.1: "I didn't expect Grandpa Zhong Nanshan to reply to my letter. I really didn't expect it..." In the letter, Zhong wrote: The students are young and in their prime, hoping to devote themselves to the cause of medicine and prove themselves through action. In February this year, when COVID-19 was still raging nationwide, news related to Zhong Nanshan was frequently reported in various major media outlets. Wang was "moved to tears every day" at the reports. Wang's teacher assigned a composition homework with the theme of paying homage to the medical staff. She wrote conscientiously, dividing the content into two parts, the first paying tribute to academician Zhong Nanshan, the other telling of her determination to study hard and become a doctor in the future. Wang transcribed the composition neatly twice, handing one copy to the teacher and sending the other to Zhong Nanshan at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health. Wang Yijun (first from right) (Photo/Qianjiang Evening News) The composition was given high marks by the teacher, but there was no reply to the letter sent. "I never thought Grandpa Zhong Nanshan would reply to me; I only wrote to express my respect." On Aug.28, the management office of Wang's school received a letter of reply from Zhong Nanshan to the little girl. The teacher at the office was both surprised and excited. "I was surprised because I could not believe that Zhong Nanshan would ever reply to the letter. I was afraid that it was fake, but after reading the envelope with Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health printed on it, I was sure it was true, and then I was excited," said a teacher from the school management office. "Grandpa Zhong has inspired me to study hard and devote myself to medicine," Wang pointed out. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:30:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. - - - - BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi health ministry on Thursday reported 4,755 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, bringing the total nationwide infections to 247,039. It also reported 74 deaths during the day, raising the death toll to 7,275, while 3,552 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 187,757. - - - - WASHINGTON -- The number of initial jobless claims in the United States last week fell to 881,000, after staying above the 1 million mark for two consecutive weeks, indicating improvement in a labor market ravaged by the COVID-19 crisis. In the week ending Aug. 29, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits decreased by 130,000 from a revised level of 1 million, the Labor Department said in a report released on Thursday, making it the second time in the past 24 weeks that the figure has come in below 1 million. - - - - DUBAI -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday announced 614 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 72,154. At the same time, 639 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 62,668, UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said. - - - - MINSK -- Belarus reported 161 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking its total to 72,302, according to the country's health ministry. There have been 305 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 71,205, the ministry added. - - - - NAIROBI-- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that donors and industry should allocate sufficient resources to ensure that African countries have access to a safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccine. Richard Mihigo, Program Area Manager of Immunization and Vaccine Development of WHO, said the needs and aspirations of African countries should be at the heart of the ongoing global efforts to develop vaccines against the pandemic. - - - - HARARE -- Zimbabwe has fully reopened its tourism sector after five months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu announced the development at a press conference Thursday. - - - - MAPUTO -- The Sichuan Provincial Government of China through its health commission donated a batch of medical supplies on Thursday to Maputo Central Hospital, the largest hospital in Mozambique, to support the country's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. The supplies include 20,000 surgical masks, 5,000 N95 masks, 500 protective overalls and 300 face shields. - - - - VIENNA -- Austria on Thursday reported 403 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily spike since April 3. With 3,466 active cases at present, the total number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 28,372 as of Thursday morning, according to the Health Ministry. Enditem Labour plunged back into civil war today as an ally of Keir Starmer urged the party's Scottish leader Richard Leonard to 'consider his position'. Shadow minister Rachel Reeves said opinion polls north of the border were 'pretty dire' for Labour, with crucial Holyrood elections looming next May. But Mr Leonard hit back that Ms Reeves was not even a member of the party in Scotland, and insisted the 'best chance' was to unite behind him. The row escalated out the day after four MSPs James Kelly, Jenny Marra, Daniel Johnson and Mark Griffin publicly called on Mr Leonard to go. Mr Leonard, who was closely aligned with Jeremy Corbyn and took the leadership in 2017, branded them 'disgruntled'. Labour plunged back into civil war today as an ally of Keir Starmer urged the party's Scottish leader Richard Leonard (pictured) to 'consider his position' Shadow minister Rachel Reeves told Sky News (pictured) that opinion polls north of the border were 'pretty dire' for Labour, with crucial Holyrood elections looming next May But Ms Reeves, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told Sky News: 'I think that Richard Leonard needs to think about his position. 'The opinion polls in Scotland are pretty dire for Labour, we've got important elections next year.' Holyrood elections are due in May, with Scottish Labour currently third in the opinion polls, well behind Nicola Sturgeon's SNP. Meanwhile, the party lost all but one of its seats in Scotland in the general election last December. While Ms Reeves stressed the decision is for Scottish Labour to make, she added Mr Leonard should 'consider his position and do what he thinks is right for Scotland and for Scottish Labour'. Mr Leonard hit back, saying: 'Rachel Reeves is not a member of the Scottish Labour Party and I am elected by members of the Scottish Labour Party that is who I am accountable to. 'They elected me back in 2017 to lead the Scottish Labour Party into the May 2021 Scottish Parliament elections; that is what I am on course to doing.' Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said he had received a 'huge number of messages of support from right across the party, the trade unions'. And he added: 'I am confident I have got the backing of the members of the Scottish Labour Party, who elected me just under three years ago.' Mr Leonard insisted Labour's 'best chance' in next May's Holyrood elections is to unite behind his leadership. And he added he is confident that, as polling day approaches, 'more and more' people will turn to his party. He said: 'I think the political environment is changing because of the pandemic, I think people are re-evaluating their priorities, and I am sure as people get nearer to the election next year they will understand that the next five years, the next Scottish Government, the next Scottish Parliament's priorities will need to be on recovering the economy, tackling the jobs crisis and investing in public services like our National Health Service. Keir Starmer (pictured at PMQs yesterday) has been trying to revive Labour's fortunes after the disastrous tenure of Jeremy Corbyn 'They're the priorities the people have got, they're the priorities of the Scottish Labour Party; that is why I am determined that, as the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, we remain outward-looking.' He continued: 'The best chance we've got is to unite behind me, to go forward on that policy agenda I set out. 'I don't under-estimate the scale of the challenge we face, but I have got faith in the Labour Party, I've got faith in the values we stand for, I have got faith in the policy ideas we will offer the people. 'I am convinced that, when we get closer to the election, as the policy agenda is defined, the choices that people face are defined, I think that more and more of them will turn to the Scottish Labour Party.' Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty Nancy Pelosi tried so hard to shield Joe Biden from Donald Trumps expected skullduggery on the debate stage that she enabled a bit of it elsewhere. The top Democrat in the House said during a press briefing on Aug. 27 that the former vice president should refuse to go one-on-one with the president in the fall because, in her evaluation, Trump will likely just belittle what the debates are supposed to be about. Theyre not to be about skullduggery on the part of somebody who has no respect for the office he holds, she said from the Capitol. But regardless of intention, Pelosis words sharpened a weapon the Trump campaign has already started to use against Biden: claiming, contrary to evidence, that he may try to avoid facing Trump live on stage. With an official government transcript and video footage at their disposal, Pelosi gifted her Republican opponents days of quotable material to turn against the Democratic nominee just as the race started to tighten up. Biden was saddled with the question in television interviews that took place in the hours after her remarks, and was still repeating the same answersthat yes, he will happily debate Trumpnearly one week later. Im looking forward to debating the president, and Im going to lay out as clearly as I can what I think we have to do to bring this country back and build it back better, Biden said to a reporters question following a speech in Delaware on Wednesday. And Im looking forward to the debate. (The Biden campaign brushed off Pelosis difference of opinion saying that they agree on her views of the presidents behavior.) On Sunday, the Trump campaign circulated a letter signed by the presidents personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to the Commission of Presidential Debates urging that they require Biden to give written assurance that he will show up to wrangle. Earlier last month, they petitioned the group to bump up the planned schedule, a request they vetoed. Story continues Pelosi the master strategist didnt screw up, a senior Trump campaign official theorized. Shes clearly laying the groundwork for Joe Biden to withdraw from the debates. When asked about the Trump campaigns use of Pelosis stance to put pressure on Biden, the speakers spokesperson pointed to an interview she gave after her press conference, during which she clarified her statement was intended solely as a reflection on Trump. Why I said he shouldnt debate him has nothing to do with Joe Biden. Joe Biden will be great, Pelosi said on MSNBCs The Beat with Ari Melber. My concern was that the president has not shown any respect for the office that he holds, and I dont expect that he will have any respect for the debates for that office as he has not shown any respect for giving people the right to vote without intimidation. Forget Biden vs. Trump, Its Biden vs. Himself at Fall Debates To observers of Pelosi on the Hill, that explanation checked out, and most say she genuinely believes that Trump is an unworthy sparring partner for Biden. Some allies also concede that she might have been trying to safeguard him from the presidents unpredictable nature. But in interviews, some Democrats winced at her remark and suggested that in the moment, Pelosiconsidered even by her critics to be a ruthlessly strategic operatormay have followed her disdain for the president straight into a misstep. Its not strategic, said one Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, of the crack. She hates that motherfucker. In the past, Pelosi has strongly objected to the insinuation that she despises Trump, adamantly telling a reporter in December: I dont hate anybody. We dont hate anybody. Not anybody in the world. Dont accuse me. Despite her attempt at better public relations, its conventional wisdom that the two leaders have perhaps the most abysmal relationship between a president and a House speaker in recent memory. Pelosi and Trump have not directly spoken since October 2019, when she and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walked out of a White House meeting with the president, claiming hed had a meltdown. Before the Trump-Ukraine revelations forced her hand, Pelosi suggested that Trumps behavior didnt merit the weighty, solemn rebuke of impeachment. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I dont think we should go down that path, because it divides the country, she said in March 2019. And hes just not worth it. More than a few Democrats heard echoes of the impeachment saga in Pelosis misgivings about Trumps worthiness for something so important as a presidential debate. She thinks Biden shouldnt even grace the stage with that guy, said the Democratic congressional aide. At least one member of the Democratic caucus wholeheartedly endorsed her position that Trump had not earned the right to appear in the matchup. Right now, you just cant have a serious presidential debate with this guy, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) told The Daily Beast, referring to Trump. Itd be a food fight. And hes gonna be the one throwing all the food. It would serve to legitimize this guy who, a long time ago, stopped telling the truth and just bet everything on these alternate facts, conspiracy theories, and lies that he repeats over and over everywhere he goes, he said. Other Hill Democrats defended Pelosi, arguing instead that she may have actually helped Biden manage expectations. Another Democratic staffer posited that it seems possible that she wants to help the Trump campaign bungle the expectations game, just as they did before the conventions, when they led people to believe Biden would be a yammering, senile old man incapable of speaking in coherent sentences, a description which wound up applying much better to Trumps convention appearances. It wasnt an error, said a third former senior Democratic Hill staffer well versed in both chambers. The only thing thats going on here is that she has so little regard for the president that part of her doesnt want to have Biden go through with this. Hes just going to spend his whole time going in the gutter, the source said. It is what it is. Despite Bidens insistence that he will debate, top Trump allies made it clear they were not ready to let it go. And for good reason, Ed Rollins, the chair of the pro-Trump Great America PAC, explained. Her comments reinforced the message that weve been pushing that hes not capable of being out on the campaign trail, he said. I think it may have helped that premise. On a call with reporters on Wednesday morning, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaigns communications director, noted that the recent chatter about Biden possibly forgoing the televised event did not originate from inside their campaign, but from the speaker of the House, the highest ranking Democrat in this nation. The first debate, which is scheduled for Sept. 29 in Cleveland, Ohio, is expected to be a major momentum-grabbing moment for Democrats. Fox News host Chris Wallace will moderate, the debate commission announced. And some outside Democratic groups have indicated they are open to pitching in with messaging. We may certainly consider increasing [our] spend online as people are watching, Guy Cecil, chairman of the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA, told The Daily Beast. In particular online, so that we can drive our targeted universe to, for example, apply for their ballot. Biden, too, revealed that he has already started getting ready. Ive begun to prepare by going over what the president has said, multiple lies hes told, he said following his address in Wilmington. What Id love to have is a crawler at the bottom of the screen, a fact-checker when we speak. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: IBS Software, an software company headquartered in the city, donated 500 food kits to fishermen residing in the corporation. The donation was made to the Theerathinu Oru Kaithangu programme initiated by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation which aims to distribute food kits worth `1,000 to members of the fisherman community most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Mathew Joshua, head-executive, relations of IBS Software, handed over the cheque for `5 lakh to Mayor K Sreekumar, on Wednesday. The contribution is part of the companys corporate social responsibility activities. It is commendable that a corporate firm with proven credentials is recognising the needs of society and pledging support to the deserving in such troubled times. I would like to thank the management of IBS Software and its employees for this noble gesture, said the Mayor. The Audet family says it does not support a $10.3 billion bid by Altice USA (ATUS) for Cogeco Inc and Cogeco Communications, that would see Altice sell Canadian assets to Rogers Communications (RCI) (RCI-A.TO). The non-binding proposal is a cash offer to buy the Montreal-based company, with the Rogers side deal valued at $4.9 billion. An analyst says it is unusual for companies to announce a bid without getting controlling shareholders on board, and comes across as a hostile takeover. The non-binding proposal of Altice USA and Rogers Communications Inc., which was pre-emptively announced today by Altice and Rogers, has been reviewed by Gestion Audem Inc., a company controlled by the members of the Audet family holding 69 per cent of all voting rights of CGO which in turn controls 82.9 per cent of all voting rights of CCA, Cogeco said in a release. The release also said the bid will be submitted to and reviewed by [Cogeco and Cogeco Communications] boards of directors today. Gestion Audem Inc. has already indicated that it does not intend to sell its shares and will not support the proposal. The Altice offer included $800 million for ownership of interests and voting shares held by Louis Audet, the executive chairman of Cogeco and his family. The deal would give Altice all of the U.S. assets of Cogeco including Atlantic Broadband, a cable operator that provides services in 11 U.S. states. Dave Heger, an analyst at Raymond James, said in an interview that the announcement from the Audet family rejecting the bid indicates its a hostile takeover of sorts. Usually a hostile takeover is when there isnt a controlling shareholder like this, youre just trying to get all the different shareholders on board with your offer. In this case, if you have a controlling shareholder typically you try to get them on board before you go public and have a deal offer. This is a little unusual, especially because the controlling shareholder has not bought into it. Story continues Heger added that in this situation Altice and Rogers would have at least tried to get the buy-in of the controlling shareholders before going public with the deal. Maybe they thought that if they went public with it, maybe the public shareholders would feel the pressure of selling, he said. The release from Altice indicated that family support is necessary for the controlling shareholder to complete the transaction. We greatly respect and appreciate the legacy the Audet family has created with Cogeco, building an iconic company across Canada and the U.S. that is driven by superior customer service and continues investments in technology, Dexter Goei, CEO of Altice, said in a release. We are pleased to present this very attractive offer for Cogeco, and are confident that Mr. Audet and the Cogeco boards will act in the best interest of all shareholders and fairly evaluate this offer. A TD report expects the owners will not be willing to sell, but that if they do, Rogers will see a material accretion to its pre-existing ownership stake, as well as above normal cost synergy prospects for a cable industry deal. Given the existing coattail provisions, we see very low odds of this deal being consummated under the existing terms, the note said. A note from Canaccord Genuity also indicated that the Audet family is in no rush to sell the company and could look to negotiate further before selling on a transaction. We believe both Altice and Rogers would be willing to go higher to acquire the companys assets, given that the U.S. valuation is largely in line with current peers... and that the Canadian business is highly synergistic with Rogers assets, the note read. Canaccord added that if the deal went through Rogers would have a significant potential for cross-selling of its other products. In an interview with radio station FM93, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said that he spoke to Louis Audet this morning, and that they will do whatever possible to keep the companys headquarters in Quebec. With files from Canadian Press Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. This screencapture from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website shows the top of a posting regarding comorbidity data among COVID-19 deaths. The data set and the statement that For 6% of deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned was widely circulated across social media with the incorrect interpretation that only 6% of patients actually died from the coronavirus. Mr Swann reassured the public about the availability of testing (Andrew Milligan/PA) Stormont ministers have written to the Chancellor to urge him to extend the furlough scheme. Ministers around the table backed the proposal by Finance Minister Conor Murphy to press the Treasury for an extension to the job retention scheme just weeks before it is due to end. Around 200,000 employees in Northern Ireland benefit from the initiative. Joint Head of Government @moneillsf backs an extension to the furlough scheme to protect workers and families in the coming weeks and months. #FurloughExtension pic.twitter.com/5m8I6n6AQ4 Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) September 3, 2020 Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill said the region is going to hit our cliff edge very shortly. Thousands of people are going to be without employment and what we need as an Executive is to be able to support those people in what is going to be a very challenging winter, she said. Were rehearsing our argument to the Treasury that this Executive needs support to be able to support people and the furlough scheme is the way to do that. During a lengthy Executive meeting on Thursday, ministers also agreed an indicative date of September 14 for the reopening of soft play areas. However, no date has been agreed for the reopening of so-called wet pubs, serving alcohol without food. Ms ONeill also referred to a lot more work to be done ahead of the reopening of wet pubs. Speaking separately, First Minister Arlene Foster said ministers will intensely engage with the hospitality sector over the coming days. She said they also want to speak to the entertainment sector as many small bands have also been struggling during lockdown. I very much hope that we can give an indicative date to those wet pubs in the coming days, she said. Expand Close First Minister Arlene Foster. (Rebecca Black/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp First Minister Arlene Foster. (Rebecca Black/PA) Ms Foster said the other areas to make a decision over an indicative date include theatres. We hope that that will come next week as well, she said. Ms Foster also expressed concerns over the latest estimate of the R-number in Northern Ireland being 1.3. What were trying to do is open the economy but at the same time do it in a safe way because we were told today that the R number is about 1.3, we need to get it below one again, she said. It is the younger population that seems to be affected now, in the previous iteration of Covid-19 in March/April it was the older population. Whilst that may not mean more hospital admissions, we are concerned that the younger people may take it home to older or vulnerable people and that gives us some concern. Ms ONeill and First Minister Arlene Foster have not resumed joint media appearances after the row over the Sinn Fein womans attendance among crowds at the funeral of veteran republican Bobby Storey. dFM @moneillsf insists her and FM @DUPleader are still delivering the same message on Covid-19 response, even if they aren't delivering it jointly. "We're both on-message, we're both delivering the same message." pic.twitter.com/2f6f6v74wv David Young (@DavidYoungPA) September 3, 2020 Ms ONeill said of that: Were both on-message, were both delivering the same message. Ms Foster said she wants to see acknowledgement from Ms ONeill and Sinn Fein of damage to messaging over coronavirus caused by her attendance at the funeral. If that acknowledgement was there, I think we could then move forward and try to give the message out again. But at the moment there isnt that acknowledgement that confidence was dented and the messaging was damaged, she said. A group of local environmental and social justice activists is calling for sweeping reforms at CPS Energy that could allow voters next May to put Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the City Council in charge of the city-owned electric and gas utility. The coalition, called Our Power Political Action Committee, launched the Recall CPS petition last week to overhaul the organization that activists say has long lacked transparency and public accountability. Were lucky... that we have public utilities supplied by a city-owned utility, so the people of the city should get the benefits and should be able to have some input in calling the shots, said Terry Burns, chair of the Sierra Clubs Alamo Group and a member of the petition group. We have a representative government, but we also have these board structures that act as interference basically. Our Power PAC organizers want CPS Energy to close its Spruce coal-fired power plant by 2030 and remove coal entirely from the utilitys energy generation mix. The group is also asking the utility to drop fossil fuels, including natural gas, by 2040. CPS Energy is governed by a five-member board of trustees who appoint their own replacements. (The City Council later confirms the appointments.) Four of the trustees represent quadrants of the utilitys service area, and the San Antonio mayor holds the fifth seat. A board made up of elected officials instead of appointed members would be more responsive to the public, activists said. CPS Energy officials said the utility has made strides incorporating wind and solar energy into its mix. Earlier this summer, the utility announced it was issuing a request for information on energy projects to create 900 megawatts of solar and 50 megawatts of new battery storage capacity. On ExpressNews.com: CPS Energy moves forward with sweeping clean energy plan The utility in 2018 closed its J.T. Deely coal-fired power plant and adopted its Flexible Path plan to reduce the utilitys emissions by 80 percent by 2040. We are committed to partner and collaborate, to potentially accelerate these deadlines by remaining flexible and adaptable, CPS Energy spokeswoman Nora Castro said in a statement. We welcome feedback from ALL community stakeholders and continually seek a balance in both being responsive and ensuring our energy services are consistent and effective for everyone in San Antonio, day after day and year after year. Environmental activists, however, say the utility hasnt publicly disclosed the estimated costs of closing its remaining coal plant earlier than planned. Weve been asking to talk with CPS for over two years during the entire climate plan process about the economics of closing down (the Spruce power plant), and they have refused to even talk to us about it at all, Burns said. Previously, CPS Energy officials have said it would be difficult to close the Spruce plant, which went online in 2010, before closing some of the utilitys older natural gas plants. CPS Energy hasnt raised rates since 2013 and has maintained that generating energy from a number of sources allows the utility to keep rates stable. Greater reliance on renewable energy or the absence of electricity generated from coal could mean bigger electricity bills for ratepayers. The petition calls on CPS Energy to set higher rates for residential and commercial customers who use more power. Consumers who use less power would pay lower rates. The activists are also looking to establish an advisory commission of residents from each City Council district to review new generation plants, types of fuel used and the utilitys rate structure. The group would meet monthly and report to the council. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio Water System board approves raise for CEO but no $100,000 bonus More than 70 percent of electricity customers in the U.S. get their power from privately owned utility companies. Large city-owned utilities such as CPS Energy are more commonly run by independent boards of directors than elected officials. A board made up of elected officials who have to answer to voters could be more sensitive to public pressure. On the other hand, elected officials typically lack expertise in power generation thats needed to manage a large utility, said David Eaton, a professor of natural resource policy studies at the University of Texas at Austin. If you were to look, a robust portion (of public utilities) are managed by independent boards because political leadership wants to have people who they can rely on to make smart decisions about these very complex technical issues, Eaton said. But this is what democracy is about you can change governance structures. Organizers of the Recall CPS petition said the pandemic has created challenges around disseminating it. But Burns expects the group to secure 20,000 signatures by the end of this year. If they do, he said, the measure would go to voters in May. These petitions are not about the mayor or independent CEOs or board members, Burns said. This is about governance and about climate action. diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net By Joseph Nasr and Andrew Osborn BERLIN/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. She said Berlin now expected Moscow to explain itself and that Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond, raising the prospect of new Western sanctions on Russia, sending Russian asset prices tumbling. Moscow has denied involvement in the incident and the Russian foreign ministry said Germany's assertion was not backed by evidence, complaining about the way Germany had chosen to release information about Navalny. "This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure," Merkel told a news conference. "Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group." Novichok is the same substance that Britain said was used against a Russian double agent and his daughter in an attack in England in 2018. The deadly group of nerve agents was developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Navalny, 44, is an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has specialised in high-impact investigations into official corruption. He was airlifted to Germany last month after collapsing on a domestic Russian flight after drinking a cup of tea that his allies said was poisoned. The White House said the use of Novichok was "completely reprehensible," with the U.S. National Security Council saying on Twitter that Washington would work with allies "to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities." A U.S. government source familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting and analysis said the use of the Novichok family of nerve agents showed Putin was willing to be "bold" in targeting individuals he found threatening or irritating. Story continues He described the attack as an assertion by the Russian leader that he is the boss and what he says goes. The Kremlin, which has rejected any suggestion that it or the Russian state was involved, said it wanted a full exchange of information and that Germany and Russia should cooperate. But it added it was unable yet to give a proper statement about the German findings. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, told state TV that the German move looked like another fact-free information campaign against Russia. Russian authorities and doctors have said previously they could find no evidence Navalny was poisoned. Russia is already under Western sanctions after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine six years ago. Another standoff with European nations or the United States may further hurt its economy further. Britain and France joined in condemning the use of Novichok, along with the European Union, which said those responsible must be brought to justice. NAVALNY IN SERIOUS CONDITION Berlin's Charite hospital, which is treating Navalny, said he remained in a serious condition in an intensive care unit connected to an artificial lung ventilator even though some of his symptoms were receding. It said it could not rule out long-term consequences from his poisoning and that it expected him to go through a long period of illness. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said in a tweet that the German government's identification of the Novichok poison indicated Russian authorities were behind Navalny's poisoning. Allies of Navalny echoed Linkevicius' view. Leonid Volkov, a Navalny aide, said on Twitter that the use of Novichok was like leaving Putin's signature at the scene of the crime. Ivan Zhdanov, another close Navalny ally, said on Twitter that Novichok could be administered only by Russia's intelligence agencies. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Russia to investigate Navalny's poisoning now that clinical tests had shown he had been attacked with a chemical nerve agent. "This makes it all the more urgent that those responsible in Russia be identified and held accountable," Maas told reporters. "We condemn this attack in the strongest terms." Steffen Seibert, a German government spokesman, said earlier in an emailed statement that tests conducted at a German military laboratory had produced "unequivocal evidence" that Novichok had been used. Britain says Russia used Novichok to poison former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury in 2018. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack, which the Skripals survived. A member of the public, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, was killed. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr and Andrew Osborn; Additional reporting by Paul Carrel and Michael Nienaber in Berlin, Andrius Sytas in Vilnius, Maria Vasilyeva, Vladimir Soldatkin and Tom Balmforth in Moscow, Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Landay in Washington and William James in London; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Timothy Heritage and Peter Cooney) Live Q&A: Child psychiatrist helps us get ready for an uncertain school year Live: Were talking to Dr. Geoffrey Hopkins, a child psychiatrist and head of the psychiatry department at St. Josephs Health in Syracuse. Ask him your questions in the comments. Posted by syracuse.com on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Child psychiatrist Dr. Geoffrey Hopkins, in a live chat Wednesday with Syracuse.com, offered some practical advice to parents preparing for the unusual school year ahead, as schools take precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Hopkins, head of the psychiatry department at St. Josephs Health, said the kids he talks to are both excited to see their teachers and peers, and also a bit nervous about going back to school while the pandemic is still going on. For most people, its a complicated mix of emotions, he said. Children who have been at home for nearly six months may be anxious to be separated from their parents, and also worried that their parents wont be at school to keep them safe. Now that were asking each other to venture back out into the world, its normal for us to have some anxieties, he said. Hopkins advised parents to remind children that they have been able to navigate the transition from home to school in the past. To ease back-to-school jitters, he suggested parents read up on their schools reopening plans. Then go through it with your child, step by step, explaining in terms the child understands what will be different about going to school this year. Here are some other takeaways from our conversation: On establishing a healthy sleep schedule: What time does your child need to wake up in order get ready for in-person or remote school? Back up eight hours from there for bedtime. If your child has been going to bed late and sleeping late during the long layoff, Hopkins suggests waking them up 20 to 30 minutes earlier each day from now until school starts, to reset their bedtime naturally. Thats easier than trying to force them to go to sleep earlier. It may help to set aside electronic devices before turning in. On setting a remote schooling routine: Try to wake up at approximately the same time of day that you would if you were going to school, and set up expected work times for attending to your education. For most people, theyll find if they can set up a predictable schedule, they will have less anxiety and greater effort, because they will be able to focus on school. On setting reasonable academic expectations: Parents may have to supervise their childrens academic work in ways they havent before, Hopkins said. Parents should try to familiarize themselves with the units, concepts and skills their student is expected to master, and be ready to reach out the teacher at the first sign of trouble. On leveling with kids about the possibility school could close again: Kids know more than you think. I always ask them point blank: What do you think the chances are of being able to stay in school all year is? And most children are able to understand and express that its really uncertain. We really dont know if its going to work out or not. Being open and honest with children about this is actually validating, because theyve already come to this conclusion. They are already good thinkers, logicians, problem-solvers. They can look and see that this happened before. This could happen again. What to do if youre struggling: Parents are under tremendous stress at home, at work and because of whats going on in society at large, Hopkins said. Adults need to know that they need to support each other. If they reach out and support each other, it will allow us to survive and take care of our children. People also can seek help from clergy, or from mental health professionals if they are depressed, anxious or overusing substances like alcohol. Call 211 to be connected with resources and people who can help, Hopkins said. On having hope: As a species, we are very resilient. We faced pandemics for thousands of years and have emerged on the other side. Weve faced catastrophes and even man-made disasters, like war and famine. Its important that people dont feel some existential risk of annihilation thats not there. As human beings, were able to overcome these things, and survive and prosper. Have a question or a story to share about how youre handling school, family and work in the time of coronavirus? We want to hear from you. Contact Educating CNY reporter Marie Morelli: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6472 MORE STORIES ON EDUCATING CNY Rise in coronavirus transmission inevitable when schools reopen, Cuomo says 11 takeaways as New York closes in on fall high school sports guidelines How do you bus kids to school in the middle of a pandemic? A look inside one districts plans How many CNY parents are sending kids back to school, how many keeping them home? Reopening schools will test kids, families, teachers, community. Well get through it together. The President of the National House of Chiefs and Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV has joined the national debate on the Agyapa Royalties deal. He has subsequently questioned the decision to set up the deal in a tax haven of Jersey. To him, "Tax havens typically serve two purposes, helping you to avoid tax or ensure secrecy. "I don't see why a national transaction should be shrouded in secrecy in the first place." And if we are trying to avoid tax or minimize tax, whom are we denying tax payments to. "If it is incorporated in Ghana, tax will accrue to Ghana, which will be paid by this company, that is owned, supposedly, majority by Ghana, so I do not see why we should do an investment but more important for me is the attempt to use my name and the National House of Chiefs to grant legitimacy to this transaction," Togbe Afede said. He made the comments at the meeting of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. He was reacting to some publications that had suggested that he had earlier commented on the deal and also condemned former President John Dramani Mahama for endorsing and sharing a Facebook post by the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo that some said was ethnocentric. Togbe Afede called on the public to disregard publications using his name in an attempt to legitimize the Agyapa deal. Below is a copy of the post by Isaac Adongo shared by gormer President Mahama on Monday, August 31, 2020. An interesting piece from Hon. Isaac Adongo on the Agyapa Deal. Agyapa Royalties fraud is the last straw: The Akyem... Posted by John Dramani Mahama on Monday, August 31, 2020 Togbe Afede's reactionFollowing this, some publications suggested that the National House of Chiefs and its President, Togbe Afede XIV had commented on the issue in a press statement.Addressing the Volta Regional House of Chiefs on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, Togbe Afede said he has not commented on the deal and urged the public to disregard publications associating his name with the deal and the subsequent comments.Togbe Afede who is the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, said the publication which made rounds on Tuesday was extremely mischievous, untrue and must be disregarded."I, in particular, I'm very much hurt by the attempt to use my name to grant legitimacy to a transaction that has been very widely condemned for its secrecy and for the fact that the company involved, Agyapa was incorporated in a tax haven.""I do not see why desperation will lead anybody who is associated with that transaction to want to use the name of innocent Togbe Afede XIV. I have never commented on this transaction and I decided not to comment for good reason, that show disapproval of this transaction."Tax havens typically serve two purposes, helping you to avoid tax or ensure secrecy, I don't see why a national transaction should be shrouded in secrecy in the first place."Togbe Afede subsequently condemned the publications.He said there were three publications in total - two of which were in the name of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and the third one in the name of the National House of Chiefs.In the first publication, he said the Volta Regional House of Chiefs was alleged to have blasted the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and alleged that the House had said that it was tired of the NDC.The second one, he said was labelled Announcement to all Voltarians, which was supposedly from Volta Regional House of Chiefs to the effect that, since 1992 the Volta Region has supported the NDC because of former President Jerry John Rawlings and had not received anything from the support.I have issued a press statement in the name of the Asogli State to disassociate myself from those publications because some of them came with my picture so we have written to deny that any such statement was issued by Chiefs of the Volta region, he added.On the Agyapa royalties controversy, Togbe Afede noted that neither the House of Chiefs nor himself has made any comments on it. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko. Credit: Conrad Hoskin, Author provided Action came too late for the Christmas Island forest skink, despite early warnings of significant declines. It was lost from the wild before it was officially listed as "threatened," and the few individuals brought into captivity died soon after. Australia is home to about 10% of all known reptile speciesthe largest number of any country in the world. But many of our reptiles are at risk of the same fate as the Christmas Island forest skink: extinction. In new research published today, we identified the 20 terrestrial snakes and lizards (collectively known as "squamates") at greatest risk of extinction in the next two decades, assuming no changes to current conservation management. While all 20 species meet international criteria to be officially listed as "threatened," only half are protected under Australian environmental legislation the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. This needs urgent review. Many of these reptiles receive little conservation action, but most of their threats can be ameliorated. By identifying the species at greatest risk of extinction, we can better prioritize our recovery effortswe know now what will be lost if we don't act. Six species more likely than not to go extinct Our research teamincluding 27 reptile experts from universities, zoos, museums and government organizations across the countryidentified six species with greater than 50% likelihood of extinction by 2040. Preventing extinctions of Australian lizards and snakes. This includes two dragons, one blind snake and three skinks. Experts rated many others as having a 30-50% likelihood of extinction over the next 20 years. More than half (55%) of the 20 species at greatest risk occur in Queensland. Three live on islands: two on Christmas Island and one on Lancelin Island off the Western Australian coast. Two more species are found in Western Australia, while the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and New South Wales each have one species. Each of the 20 species at greatest risk occur in a relatively small area, which partly explains the Queensland clustermany species in that state naturally have very small distributions. Most of the top 20 occupy a total range of fewer than 20 square kilometers, so could be lost to a single catastrophic event, such as a large bushfire. The approximate locations of the 20 terrestrial snakes and lizards at greatest risk of extinction. Author provided So why are they dying out? Reptile species are declining on a global scale, and this is likely exacerbated by climate change. In Australia, where more than 90% of our species occur nowhere else in the world, the most threatened reptiles are at risk for two main reasons: they have very small distributions, and ongoing, unmitigated threats. The Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko meets this brief perfectly. This large and spectacular species was only discovered in 2013, on a remote mountain range on Cape York. It's threatened by virtue of its very small distribution and population size, and by climate change warming and drying its upland habitat. Habitat loss is also a major threat for the top 20 species. Australia's most imperiled reptile, the Victoria grassland earless dragon, used to be relatively common in grasslands in and around Melbourne. But the grasslands this little dragon once called home have been extensively cleared for agriculture and urban development, and now cover less than 1% of their original extent. The Arnhem Land gorges skink is considered more likely than not to become extinct by 2040. Threats include changes to food resources and habitat quality, feral cats, and possibly poisoning by cane toads. Credit: Chris Jolly Little conservation attention For most reptile species, there has been less conservation work to address the declines, partly because reptiles have historically received less scientific attention than birds or mammals. We also still don't fully understand just how many species there are in Australia. New reptile species are being scientifically described at an average rate of 15 per year (a higher rate than for other vertebrate groups) and many new reptiles are already vulnerable to extinction at the time of discovery. To make matters worse, few reptiles in Australia are well-monitored. Without adequate monitoring, we have a poor understanding of population trends and the impacts of threats. This means species could slip into extinction unnoticed. Reptiles also lack the public and political profile that helps generate recovery support for other, (arguably) more charismatic Australian threatened animalssuch as koalas and swift parrotsleading to little resourcing for conservation. The Mount Surprise slider is threatened by invasive plant species and cattle compacting sandy soils. Credit: Stephen Zozaya, Author provided Habitat loss and degradation due to agriculture is a major threat to the Roma earless dragon. It has not been listed under Australian legislation. Credit: A. OGrady Museums Victoria, Author provided Lessons from the past Only one Australian reptile, the Christmas Island forest skink, is officially listed as extinct, but we have most probably lost others before knowing they exist. Without increased resourcing and management intervention, many more Australian reptiles could follow the same trajectory. But it's not all bad news. The pygmy bluetongue skink was once thought to be extinct until a chance discovery kick-started a long conservation and research program. Animals are now being taken from the wild and relocated to new areas to establish more populations, signifying that positive outcomes are possible when informed by good science. And the very restricted distributions of most of the species identified here should allow for targeted and effective recovery efforts. By identifying the species at greatest risk, we hope to give governments, conservation groups and the community time to act to prevent further extinctions before it's too late. Neglect should no longer be the default response for our fabulous reptile fauna. Explore further Scientists name 20 Australian snakes and lizards on path to extinction This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Looking at the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic and its spread across the world, it is almost certain by now that post-coronavirus, the industry will have to plan their future to face the new normal. But one of the industries that has really worked hard during the pandemic is the healthcare industry. Many of them operated during the pandemic by taking all precautionary measures to serve the public under difficult circumstances. Many doctors who had paused their practice to follow social distancing are now slowly coming back by following the rules laid down by the Indian Medical Council. Also read: Bayer join hands with Zydus to form Bayer Zydus Pharma We will see some significant change in this industry as we head to a new normal. Doctors who have now started practicing are leveraging digital technology. Telemedicine and consultation over phone and online have already started with many medical practitioners. As in the case of the rest of the industry, it will be a long while before normalcy is restored in the pharma industry, but some of the companies are moving at lightning speed and adapting to the news norms by using digital technology and planning well. Some of the pharma brands are deeply involved with developing the Covid vaccine while the others are also busy innovating their new drugs during this time and also meeting the general demands of the patients. To understand how pharma companies are coping with new challenges and looking at the future, Adgully spoke to O.P. Singh, President - Sales & Marketing, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. We all have to live with the COVID for some time. So, one needs to find new and innovative ways to engage with doctors. What brand strategy are you deploying to stay connected with your key stakeholders like doctors and chemists? Faster adoption of change is the key to success. We are seeing an unforeseen shift in the mind-set of the global community. The healthcare practitioners and consumers are keen on consuming information through digital platforms. The product marketing team, the sales force, and the customers everyone wants to move to digital platforms. The sales force wants to explore more opportunities for engaging the customers and the customers are really receptive when they are reached online. The pharmaceutical industry is an industry that has always been focused more on the traditional methods to reach the customer, but now we must become digital-savvy. This pandemic has provided an opportunity to all the pharma organisations to switch to digital for their activities. With our steps focussed towards digitalisation, we want to accelerate the digital revolution in the organisation and lead the way in the industry when it comes to digital marketing. Our teams are now exploring more avenues for increased knowledge exchange to connect with customers. One of the biggest shifts would be how we engage the customers moving forward. Marketing of products in pharma has mostly been science-based, but with movement towards digital, the teams would now have to blend science with storytelling. The power of digital is immense and the current environment will require us to embrace this. The field force now cannot visit doctors. So how are you encountering this challenge to ensure that your brand is top of mind with the doctors? Only the smart brands will become the most recalled brands in the coming era. Brands that adapt to the changing environment can stay committed to their business goal and survive in the market. Currently, there are two primary aspects that we have been focusing on, one engaging healthcare providers through the process of knowledge exchange and second, focus on bringing together the doctor community in order to fight the pandemic. In todays world, the dissemination of information has become easier. Since it has no limitation whatsoever, knowledge sharing has become a powerful tool. With the help of this tool, we are engaging the doctors virtually. Doctors, as a community, thrive on peer-to-peer learning. Since the pandemic, this learning has taken a backseat as doctors are fighting the virus on the front or operating from homes. We started by focusing on ensuring that the community-building activities continue. We wanted to give them this opportunity again by facilitating the knowledge exchange virtually. One of the other ethos that we live by is providing innovative healthcare solutions to all. And even during the pandemic, we continued innovating and kept bringing out new products. We started with the digital launch of Sepsivac, an innovation in the management of Sepsis which significantly reduces the mortality rate and reduces the hospital stay. Sepsivac, builds innate immunity, has also shown promising results in the fight against COVID-19. We also launched 4 biosimilars in the last 2 months and have done all the launches virtually. We invited doctors and other professionals to be a part of these launches to help them understand what innovations we are bringing with this product. This encourages conversation between the doctors and the brand. Will tele-consultation be the new norm? Do you think this will work for patients? Will it also bring down the prescription numbers? Yes, yes and yes. Due to the pandemic, the number of tele-consultations has risen. It is easier for the patients to consult their doctors online, rather than putting their lives at risk. This works exceptionally well in places where the doctors are not available readily. This is especially true in speciality cases where neurologists, gastroenterologists, oncologists are required, but they can only be found in bigger cities. Tele-consultation gives a chance to the residents in remote areas to get access to quality consultation. Virtual clinics are a newer concept that is taking shape in this pandemic. Virtually, doctors can meet with their patients, book appointments and write a prescription. This eliminates the necessity of meeting up with the doctor increasing the risk of spreading infections. This is one step further to tele consultation. Training and drawing strategy for each quarter with your field force is now hampered. How are you engaged with your field force so that they are updated on a regular basis? During this period of lockdown, our core focus was the scaling up of our knowledge exchange. We ensured our field force could develop themselves into professionals of tomorrow. In the past 2 months, we conducted more than 50 sessions by engaging 30+ trainers and providing 100+ hours of training through video conferencing. Through this, we have ensured that all our products in 2020 got launched digitally right from Sepsivac to our latest range of biosimilar products. We have also ensured that our teams are geared up for the future. Our teams have adopted various channels of communication to reach our customers. They used various digital marketing channels to connect with our customers. This was an initiative to strengthen the skills of our salesforce in the digital space so as to upskill them and prepare them for the dynamic future. This way we ensured the field force could stay connected to the organisation and we could help them in their personal development. Has the supply chain situation improved? How are you managing to reach your products to the end customer? Being a part of the essential services, we have always been functional. However, the safety of our employees is the biggest concern for us. So we started working in multiple shifts, be it corporate office or the plant while following social distancing and other safety precautions. Hence we were able to manage the supply of all our products. Additionally, the govt. of India had always permitted transportation of essential items such as medicines across state borders. This again didnt act as a barrier to our products to reach on time to the customers. The next challenge was to ensure that the doctors were aware of the availability of the products so that their patients dont suffer. To enable this, our field force was constantly in touch with them and the chemists/ stockists to ensure there is no shortage and everyone has access to the required medicines. We are essentially in the business of serving the country. When the need for the medicines increased, how could we reduce the supply? We increased the touchpoints to engage with our doctors by collaborating with medical apps that helped these doctors reach their patients virtually. We helped around 50,000 doctors set up their clinics virtually enabling them to continue consulting their patients. We will not see the medical conferences and Doctor meets happening for some time. So, what are the alternative pharma brands are looking at to bridge that gap and communicate to the medical world? The world has always adapted itself to the changing environment. When the country was undergoing demonetisation, the businesses were struggling. However, they adapted and turned to digital payments which provided additional business opportunities to digital payment portals. So even if one route closes, the business world adapts and finds a way around. Similarly, in this pandemic, the pharma world is struggling with various business operations but we are, albeit slowly, but definitely moving towards digitalisation. Since the COVID-19, we are seeing a large number of conferences going virtual. With the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, the conferences give you an almost live experience where one can network with colleagues, display their brands and attend sessions. This all can be done from the comforts of your home! Virtual conferences also give the opportunity to attend international conferences which otherwise they couldnt have attended. Doctors and experts from around the world can now come together virtually and discuss on a bigger platform. One of our very own innovation conclave, Iamicon, is going digital this year. We plan to reach around 1,000 doctors across 150 cities through this conclave. With experts from across the country, it will truly be one of its kind conclaves to be held digitally. Doctors have been interested in the innovations happening in the healthcare world so that they can help their patients better. With Sepsivac showing promising results in developing innate immunity in patients, doctors have been in talks with our teams to understand how the drug works against the cytokine storms. Innovative products and newer technologies capture the interest of doctors and hence communicating with them become easier. Will digital be your new mantra? What strategy is being planned to leverage digital both with doctors and your end customers? The pharma industry falls under the category of late majority when it comes to adaptation to technology. The pharma industry is still finding its ground in digital marketing. The onset of the pandemic has fast-forwarded this journey to make digital initiatives more mainstream. Digital is the way forward for any industry as it gives newer platforms to connect with customers and end consumers. We have already started leveraging the digital platforms by conducting learning and development sessions for all our employees. The doctors are being provided with platforms to participate in knowledge exchange with experts and other digital initiatives are being implemented by our marketing teams to increase the conversations between doctors and our field force. For our end consumers, we are have been focusing on knowledge sharing and transparency. At Cadila, we strongly believe in the ethos of care. Be it for our end consumers or our employees, we ensure that the care continues. Our strategy focuses on sharing more human and innovations of Cadila such as Sepsivac, Rabeloc, Polycap, etc. through different digital platforms about what we are doing currently. This increases the conversation among our stakeholders. Being a pharmaceutical organization it is important for us that our customers and our consumers trust us. Being an organisation that has been in the industry since 1951, for us the trust of our customers comes first. We have been focussed on quality and affordable medicines. And this trust can only be developed through increased conversations in the new normal. People intuitively understand the importance of good eyesight; we use it almost every moment of our awake hours to navigate our environment and to absorb information. But for school-age children in most public and private schools, good vision is one of the key fundamentals to learning children with vision problems might not absorb information the teacher is writing on a chalkboard or, in our new COVID-19 world, displaying on a screen. This fall, many children throughout the region and the country will not be returning to a traditional in-school setting, a fact already creating stress and difficulties for parents and households everywhere. This past spring and summer, everyones screen time significantly increased, and we are now looking at a potentially longer stretch with remote learning continuing through at least November, as is the case for the School District of Philadelphia. In this digital learning environment, children will be even more attached to technology. As parents and caregivers prepare for these difficult and very new challenges, they must remember that having the best vision a child can have, corrected where necessary with glasses or visual aids, is essential and an important first step for any student. In past years, the School District addressed this need by mandating yearly vision screenings conducted by nurses in every school. Any child who did not pass a screening was advised to seek vision care from an eye doctor or other medical professional. This year, however, at least in the fall, most children attending public schools through remote learning will not receive an eye screen at school. Unfortunately, this means that parents or caregivers have yet another important responsibility to shoulder. They must carefully observe their children as they begin remote learning to look for any possible vision issues that should be promptly evaluated. Indications of vision problems can include headaches, blurred vision, muscle strain, eye rubbing, excessive tearing, pupils that arent aligned, a wandering or shaky eye, or a pupil that can appear milky or clear in a photo. Uncorrected vision issues can have an emotional impact as well, by creating feelings of anxiety or isolation and behavioral changes and depression. Everyone is dealing with a lot, but as we go through this together, its important to fix what we can. READ MORE: What all that screen time could be doing to children l Expert Opinion Some simple, easy measures to start: If youre a parent, make sure your children take breaks away from their screen, have good lighting, remember to blink, and put down the devices at least one hour before bedtime, so screen time doesnt disrupt their bodys internal clock, and they can get much-needed sleep. The rule of thumb is 20-20-20: Look up from the screen every 20 minutes and focus at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It lets the eyes relax and reset. If you think your child or children may be having vision issues, get in touch with your doctor, who can then refer you to an eye care specialist. At Wills Eye Hospital, we are seeing many children coming in for a checkup. Parents and caregivers can call and set up an appointment with our pediatric clinic if they suspect their child needs vision care or new glasses. Even if your child received a prescription a few years ago, vision can change over time, especially as children grow, so what worked last year might no longer be fully corrective. Weve seen many children through the years come in for blurry vision, which, at first might seem like a need for glasses. Then on further examination, our vision specialists identify another, sometimes more serious, condition. We know that when it comes to young eyes, there is an important window of opportunity when certain vision conditions can be more easily corrected while children are still growing and developing. These are exceptionally difficult times in many ways. Learning in this new remote environment may become only more difficult for our children if undetected, but easy to solve, vision problems are not resolved. Please keep an eye on your childrens eyes so that they can start the new school year with the best chance of success. Melanie Snitzer is a licensed pediatric social worker at Wills Eye Hospital. Barry N. Wasserman is a pediatric ophthalmic surgeon and associate professor of ophthalmology at Wills Eye. Almost 50 years ago, in what would become the turning point in the Watergate investigation, Tennessee Republican Sen. Howard Baker uttered the phrase, What did the president know, and when did he know it? While the challenge today of having a free and fair election is far different from the matter faced by Baker, any foreign interference in our elections packs an equally powerful punch to our democracy. This leads Americans to ponder: What should the voters know and when should they know it? Months before the 2016 presidential election, John O. Brennan, then the CIA director, briefed the bipartisan congressional leadership on Russias involvement in the campaign. According to media reports, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell objected to informing the public of this unprecedented foreign effort to influence the outcome of an election. As a result, the information was never disclosed to the public before they voted. Eventually, all of this was officially confirmed years later in the Mueller report as well as in the findings of the recently released bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report. Both investigations found that multiple campaign officials for Donald Trump including campaign chairman Paul Manafort were willing recipients of the Russian help, met with Russian intelligence officers and attempted to cover it up. Most of the Trump campaign officials involved in this traitorous activity have been convicted of committing a variety of felonies. Now comes John Ratcliffe, the newly Trump-installed director of the Office of National Intelligence, announcing he will be limiting congressional briefings on foreign interference in the election to only written documents. This means our representatives in Congress will not be able to ask questions to seek a more complete picture of what is happening. Its not unlike having a trial without calling witnesses. This congressional gag order on asking questions of the briefers seems unnecessary since intelligence agencies have recently issued public statements that Russia, China and Iran are already attempting to influence this years election through a variety of methods and strategies. One might reasonably conclude Ratcliffe is pulling the questions at the behest of Trump, who still fumes about media reports on Russias 2016 interference. Equally important to the what and when voters should know is who should tell them. Who are the individuals in the federal, state or local government who should decide what information relevant to foreign involvement the public has a right to know about before voting? The same goes for the timing of its release. This year, because of their concerns of exposure to the coronavirus, millions of American voters will soon begin casting their ballots through in-person early voting as well as absentee voting by mail. Time is of the essence. Voters must receive the answers to these questions immediately. Hopefully, this year well not be at the mercy of McConnell to decide what and when the public has a right to know or to a Trump loyalist who wants to avoid upsetting the boss. Ratcliffe should immediately withdraw his gag order on questions, and the public should be fully informed of the influence and direction of foreign interests. This can be done without compromising sources and methods. In the meantime, Facebook, on a tip from the FBI, has identified renewed efforts by the Russian intelligence agency to use the Facebook platform to distribute misinformation in order to influence the outcome of this years election. Facebook publicly announced the activity and took it down. Its more than the director of the Office of National Intelligence has done for Congress. Leaving voters with inadequate information about foreign interference in the election they are voting in is not only a disservice to the public, its a serious threat to our democracy. Tom Coleman is a former Republican member of Congress from Missouri (1976-1993) and has served as an adjunct professor at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and at American University. He is an adviser to Protect Democracy. In an effort to achieve a robust digital economy, the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) is set to establish a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Nigeria (CFAIR). The DG NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, said the proposed state-of-the-art facility is for emerging technologies in the areas of networking, research development, information, and communication security The NITDA boss made the disclosure while receiving Vice-Chancellor, Nile University Abuja, Professor Osman Nuri Aras and Vice-Chancellor, Sule Lamido University, Dutse, Lawal Sani Taura, on separate visits to the headquarters of the agency in Abuja. He said, We need to look at the educational sector and focus more on skills and research that can be used to develop the economy. People should not see education as the end but means to the end. We need to look for ways to disabuse peoples mind on paper qualification and inculcate in them those skills required for the imminent industrial revolution and also focus more on science and technology. While citing some scholarly research from Microsoft, Mr Abdullahi noted that according to the research, by 2030, 800 million jobs would be lost unless people up-skill and re-skill and 149 million new jobs would be created through Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. Mr Abdullahi stated that the agency offers scholarships in areas that have direct impacts on the industry. He said: It is important to strengthen the existing relationship with the higher institutions in the country so that there can be custom made courses to prepare us for future work. Our focus is not to just have an MSc or PhD but to add value to the industry. We must prepare Nigerians especially students for the fourth industrial revolution. READ ALSO: COVID 19 is fast-forwarding the industrial revolution, it has become imperative to increase our level of preparedness and develop capacity in emerging technology. Embedding relevant skills will better prepare the workforce to actively participate in the fourth industrial revolution. While commending Nigerian institutions that are gradually transiting from physical learning to virtual learning due to the lockdown, he encouraged other higher institutions to adopt the method of virtual education. In his remarks, Osman Nuri Aras of Nile University said that his institution is prepared to work with NITDA to ensure it produces students that are future proof as it has a speciality in machine learning, where 85% of its Msc and PhD computer science students have their specialities in machinery and Artificial Intelligence. Also in his remarks, Lawal Sani Taura of Sule Lamidi University noted the partnership of NITDA with the Jigawa state government on digital transformation and smart initiatives. He, therefore, commended the agency for its interventions in capacity building programmes, especially on ICT. Ning Xianhua is suing the US web services company. He took part in the pro-democracy protest in Tiananmen in 1989. He was arrested and convicted of subversion after Yahoo provided his emails to Chinese prosecutors. In a 2007 case, the internet giant favoured the arrest of a Chinese journalist. On that occasion, a US congressman called the company moral pygmies. Beijing (AsiaNews) A Chinese dissident who fled to the United States accuses Yahoo of helping the Chinese government prosecute and imprison him. Ning Xianhua yesterday filed a lawsuit against Verizon, the US telecommunications giant that owns the web services company. The complaint, filed in a California court, alleges that Yahoo handed over private data from Nings e-mail account to Chinese authorities. Ning, 69, took part in the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen in 1989, which were crushed by the government. He claims that he was subjected to violence and torture for years due to personal information provided by Yahoo. Under US law, foreign nationals can ask for restitution for human rights abuses suffered abroad with the assistance of US entities. The labour rights activist was convicted in 2004 of subverting state power, and spent seven years in prison before seeking asylum in the United States in 2016. To support his allegations against Yahoo, Ning included a memorandum his lawyers say was used against him in the Chinese court that tried him. The document contains numerous emails that were allegedly used to indict and then convict him. This is not the first time Yahoo has been accused of collaborating with China in cracking down against dissent in exchange for the right to operate in Chinas huge market. In a well-known 2007 case, a group of Chinese activists took the US company to court for helping Chinese authorities arrest Chinese journalist Shi Tao, who was later sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. Thanks to Yahoo, the Chinese authorities obtained an email that Shi had sent to foreign humanitarian organisations. On that occasion, the company ended up in the crosshairs of the US Congress. While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies, said Tom Lantos, a Democratic US representative from California, during a hearing. The relationship between big web companies and China has always been uneasy. Facebook is banned in China, but through its Instagram photo application it can reach 3.7 million users in China. Like Facebook, Apple and Amazon, Google has recently aligned itself with the Trump administration's "nationalist" policy. However, the company was criticised in 2017 for opening an artificial intelligence laboratory in Beijing. By Melissa Fares and Nivedita Balu (Reuters) - Macy's Inc will drastically change how it does business this holiday season, executives said on Wednesday, placing a sharper focus on online sales and promoting more beauty and home items to shoppers opting to stay home due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Shares of the largest U.S. department store operator rose as much as 11% after it reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss and beat sales estimates as shoppers bought more activewear, shoes and handbags on its app and website during the pandemic. They were up about 4% in late morning trading. "Our immediate priority is successfully executing Holiday 2020," Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gennette said. The holiday season accounts for a huge chunk of annual sales for retailers. This year, retailers are rolling out their earliest-ever holiday deals and promotions. Gennette said nearly half of the company's total gift assortment will be new, led by items in beauty and home, with products at every price point. Macy's will also reimagine iconic events including the Thanksgiving Day Parade, local tree lightings and holiday window displays, the company said. Recently announced holiday surcharges will lead to higher delivery expenses that will weigh on the holiday quarter, the company said. To cope with the closure of malls and stores due to coronavirus-related lockdowns, Macy's has focused on its online business, giving shoppers the option to buy online and pick up purchases from stores. Though Macy's sold more merchandise online, with digital sales surging 53% for the second quarter ended Aug. 1, it was not enough to make up for lost in-person sales. Macy's, along with its department store rivals, depends heavily on tourists - particularly those traveling from overseas - to drive sales, especially at stores like its flagship Herald Square location in New York City. "Macy's second quarter may have exceeded consensus estimates, but the bar was set so low you could step over it," said Craig Johnson, president at retail consultancy Customer Growth Partners. "The challenge is to size the going-forward company commensurately with demand, trimming the fleet even further, so that store productivity can be rebuilt." The company said it will open a number of smaller-format Macy's stores away from malls over the next two years. That comes as the retailer moves to shut hundreds of underperforming stores due to lack of mall traffic. The retailer said it would also test smaller Bloomingdale's standalone stores. Story continues Net sales fell 35.8% to $3.56 billion, but beat analysts' estimates of $3.48 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. On an adjusted basis, the company lost 81 cents per share, compared with estimates of a loss of $1.77 per share. Net loss for the quarter was $431 million, or $1.39 per share, compared with a profit of $86 million, or 28 cents per share, a year earlier. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru and Melissa Fares in New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Bill Berkrot) Potential Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AHT) shareholders may wish to note that the Independent Director, Benjamin Ansell, recently bought US$146k worth of stock, paying US$2.92 for each share. That certainly has us anticipating the best, especially since they thusly increased their own holding by 81%, potentially signalling some real optimism. See our latest analysis for Ashford Hospitality Trust Ashford Hospitality Trust Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In fact, the recent purchase by Benjamin Ansell was the biggest purchase of Ashford Hospitality Trust shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$3.08. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. Benjamin Ansell was the only individual insider to buy during the last year. Benjamin Ansell purchased 55.00k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$3.11. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insider Ownership of Ashford Hospitality Trust Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 16% of Ashford Hospitality Trust shares, worth about US$6.4m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues So What Do The Ashford Hospitality Trust Insider Transactions Indicate? The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. However, we note that the company didn't make a profit over the last twelve months, which makes us cautious. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Ashford Hospitality Trust we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of Ashford Hospitality Trust. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Romania is to hold parliamentary elections on December 6, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced Thursday, with the vote set to determine whether the country turns the page on recent political instability. The polls, which Orban's pro-EU National Liberal Party (PNL) are tipped by analysts to win, are set to go ahead despite the risks of coronavirus. "Given our legislation, the only date available to hold the election is December 6," Orban, the 57-year-old head of PNL, said at the start of a government meeting on Thursday. Relatively unscathed at the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, Romania has suffered a spike in infections recently to around 1,200 new cases a day on average, with pollsters unsure about how the disease will impact voting in December. The economy of one of the poorest members of the European Union contracted by 12.3 percent in the second quarter of the year due to the impact of Covid-19 on business and consumption. The historically dominant Social Democratic Party (PSD) won the 2016 parliamentary election with a landslide -- but its government was thrown out last year after being tarnished by corruption allegations and mass street protests over controversial judicial reforms. A south-east Queensland aged-care home staff member is one of two new coronavirus cases in the state on Thursday, with all staff and residents at the facility to undergo testing. The employee works for Karinya Place facility in the Lockyer Valley town of Laidley, about 63 kilometres south-west of Brisbane. Staff and residents at Carinity's Karinya Place aged-care home will undergo coronavirus testing as a precaution. Credit:Google Maps The new patients are a man and woman aged 30-39. They live together and are believed to have contracted the virus after coming into contact with another case. In a statement on Thursday, the facility's parent company, Carinity, said the employee was in home quarantine and "did not work while experiencing any symptoms". Renowned Pakistani poet Fahmida Riazs daughter has declined the presidential award that the Pakistani government had announced for her late mother in protest against abduction and torture of journalists and writers by the state. This is the second national award that has been turned down this year. Earlier, Saeen Taj Joyo, the father of missing Sindhi teacher and activist Sarang Joyo, had also declined the Presidents Pride of Performance (Nisan-e-Pakistan) award on account of the disappearance of his son. Sarang Joyo was recently traced and claimed to have been tortured in captivity. In a social media post, Fahmida Riazs daughter Veerta Ali Ujan said that accepting an award from the Imran Khan government on her mothers behalf would be an insult to her struggle for justice and equality. She added, Harassers [are] being awarded. Karachi left to rot in sewage. She said had her mother been alive today, she would have also refused to accept the award from the government. Born in Meerut in pre-partition India in 1946, Fahmida Riaz was among the leading Urdu poets. She was also an unrelenting social critic and had been active in several human rights movements. She was among the writers, who had campaigned against General Zia-ul Haqs military rule and the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She had to suffer the wrath of the Pakistani authorities and also spent a period of self-exile in India. Riaz had died on November 21, 2018. She was 72. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Central African Gold Inc. (TSXV: CAGR) (FSE: BC2) (OTCQB: NDENF) (the "Corporation" or "Central African") announces the grant of 2,000,000 incentive stock options (the "Stock Options") to certain of its directors, officers, consultants and employees pursuant to the Corporation's Stock Option Plan. The options are exercisable for a period of five years at a price of CAD$0.40 per share. About Central African Gold Inc. Central African is a natural resource company with a primary focus on the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of mineral projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"). Central African currently holds rights to nine mineral projects strategically located in the southern DRC CopperBelt. Central African has the intention to acquire interests in additional concessions or relinquish concessions in the normal course of business. Central African has an experienced management team currently located in the southern CopperBelt of the DRC. For further information, please contact: Stephen Barley, Chairman & CEO Phone: (604-834-2968) Email: info@centralafricangold.com Website: www.centralafricangold.com Reader Advisory Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws including, but not limited to, statements relating to the Corporation's change of name or change of trading symbol. Although the Corporation believes, considering the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as the Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Corporation its securities, or its financial or operating results. Story continues Wire Service Contact NetworkWire (NW) New York, New York www.NetworkWire.com 212.418.1217 Office Editor@NetworkWire.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62965 Passengers arriving in Scotland from Portugal or French Polynesia will have to self-isolate for two weeks as of Saturday, the Scottish Justice Secretary has confirmed. Humza Yousaf revealed the measures around an hour after the Welsh Government announced a 14-day quarantine rule for travellers from the European country and a number of Greek islands. It follows an increase in positive coronavirus test results for Portugal, with cases rising and staying above 20 per 100,000. If arriving into Scotland from Portugal or French Polynesia from 4am Sat (5th Sept) you'll have to self-isolate for 14 days. Gibraltar high up our watch list of countries we are monitoring closely. This week's data shows increase in test positivity & cases per 100k in Portugal. Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) September 3, 2020 Mr 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 is a significant risk to public health. I am also concerned by the level of infections in Gibraltar and we will be monitoring the situation there very carefully. Regular discussions continue with the other three governments in the UK. We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and base the decisions we make on the scientific evidence available. The rules come into effect as of 4am on Saturday. Pressure has been mounting on England to remove Portugal from the UK Governments quarantine exemption list after its coronavirus case rate worsened. There were 23.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the country in the seven days to Wednesday, up from 15.3 a week earlier. The Scottish Government also required travellers from Greece to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday. In Greece, the seven-day coronavirus case rate is 13.8. It is 15.3 in Ireland and 14.7 in the UK. Discovered in Val Aurina, South Tyrol (Italy) and now in the laboratory of Eurac Research's mummy experts, the remains will be studied in order to improve the conservation techniques of mummies around the world In mummified specimens, DNA has often degraded and is present only in minimal amounts. In fact, faced with a new discovery, the first question experts encounter is how to examine the mummy while continuing to preserve it, without damaging its ancient DNA. Every action has irreversible consequences on DNA fragments, which makes experimenting with new techniques on human finds impossible. Contrastingly, an intact animal mummy is a perfect simulant for research - especially if its conditions are similar to those of the world's other ice mummies, of which ?tzi and the Inca girl Juanita are among the most famous. "Thanks to our previous studies we know the optimal physical and chemical parameters for preservation from a microbiological point of view. In the laboratory we will bring the chamois to those conditions and focus on their effects on DNA. With repeated in-depth analysis we will verify what alterations the DNA undergoes when external conditions change," explains Marco Samadelli, conservation expert at Eurac Research. "Our goal is to use scientific data to develop a globally valid conservation protocol for ice mummies. This is the first time an animal mummy has been used in this way," adds Albert Zink, Director of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research. Upon encountering the chamois, Hermann Oberlechner soon realised the importance of the find. "Only half of the animal's body was exposed from the snow. The skin looked like leather, completely hairless; I had never seen anything like it. I immediately took a photo and sent it to the park ranger, together we then notified the Department of Cultural Heritage". The discovery site, at 3200 m MSL, is impassable and can only be reached by a six-hour hike. For this reason, following their initial inspection, the researchers decided to ask for the support of the Alpine Army Corps in the recovery of the animal. "The request from Eurac Research came during a training phase of our military mountain rescue team. We plan regular exercises not only in order to always be ready to intervene and protect our personnel in high-altitude missions, but also if we are requested for civil protection too." commented Mario Bisica, Alpine Army Corps Head of Public Information and Communication. The helicopter flight was organised in collaboration with the army's specialised aviation corps, who have their own regiment in Bolzano, with pilots specifically trained to operate at high altitude. Thanks to the group effort, Eurac Research experts were able to reach the glacier and, with the help of the troops, carry out the scientific operation needed to recover the mummy. The chamois was then wrapped in an inert material casing made to measure by conservationist Marco Samadelli. The remains are now being kept at the Eurac Research Conservation Laboratory at NOI Techpark in refrigerated cell at - 5 C, ready to be studied. Glacier melt is leading to the increasingly frequent discovery of finds, including biological ones. Under the supervision of Eurac Research anthropologist Alice Paladin, the blanket of fresh snow and thick layer of ice covering the chamois mummy, were removed using various archaeological excavation tools. The precise operation required everyone's collaboration and commitment to avoid any kind of risk, minimise contamination and ensure the find's preservation. ### Engineer creates 'AI Clone of Jesus' that recites Bible Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A New York-based engineer has created an artificial intelligence algorithm that's been programmed with passages of Scripture and named AI Jesus. Through the use of a natural-language processing system, engineer George Durendal programmed the AI to read the King James Bible "and nothing else," he said. "I like to describe this A.I. as locking a baby in a room with nothing but a Bible for 15 years. You then open up the room 15 years later and find that it's learned to read, speak, and write using nothing but the Bible," the engineer wrote in an Aug. 25 post on Medium. "In these days of trials and tribulations many have turned to religion. But what religion is left for those who have averted their gaze from the fables of old to the shiny metal toys of today? I present to you A.I. Jesus. An artificial intelligence of my invention created from the King James Bible and nothing else." Durendal explained in an email to The Christian Post on Wednesday that he's not a particularly religious person but did attend a Catholic university, "which has made me a bit more cognizant of the influence of Christianity on Western philosophy." He wrote some of the code for the project three years ago. "With those snippets of code included it took me about two weeks from when I first had the idea. The actual A.I. takes a few hours to train and [it] reads the Bible tens of thousands of times," he explained, adding that in light of the Bible's influence on modern ways of thinking, he thought it was only natural that an A.I. system should learn it. Durendal instructed the artificial intelligence program to write about "the plague," "Caesar," and "The End of Days." "The A.I. is an Boltzmannian natural-language processing model," named after Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann, an Austrian physicist famous for his contributions in the field of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics. This particular model "tries to replicate the style of the King James Bible without quite copying it. But that description doesnt quite have as much cachet as A.I. Jesus," Durendal explained on Medium. Durendal set up a Twitter account for the AI described as "A.I. Generated Clone of Jesus." He also provided a link where people can read "the full corpus written by A.I. Jesus (approx. 60,000 words)." The AI algorithm has been making up its own prophetic utterances, some of which sound foreboding and ominous because of technological glitches. O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; When they saw the angel of the Lord above all the brethren which were in the wilderness and the soldiers of the prophets shall be ashamed of men, one portion reads. Another portion declares: that thou shouldest take him a great multitude of people and the spoil of the wicked shall be the same things that are in the midst of the sea and the sea shall be the father of the devils. Durendal added: "Whether or not God created man or man created God might be a topic of eternal debate. But what surely cannot be debated is mans creation of A.I. Jesus. Perhaps many thousands of years from now people and robots alike will pour over these texts as they do holy books today." (Bloomberg) -- E-cigarette giant Juul Labs Inc. could cut more than half its workforce, according to a person familiar with the companys plans, while it weighs exiting more European and Asian markets, further signs of the once high-flying companys deteriorating fortunes. Juul aims to reduce its workforce to about 1,000 employees, down from the current 2,200, the person said. A Juul spokesman said no final decisions have been made and that the company will continue to evaluate its options. The company announced plans to lay off more employees in a message to employees from Chief Executive Officer K.C. Crosthwaite on Wednesday. The email, seen by Bloomberg News, said Juul is still in the exploratory phase and didnt detail how many employees will be cut or how many countries it may exit. Juul has already cut its workforce by about 40% and halted global expansion. The Wall Street Journal first reported news of the changes. A health crisis surrounding vaping that was later linked to faulty cannabis products sent the already embattled Juul into a tailspin last year. U.S. regulators blamed an epidemic of teen vaping on the company. Juul has since tried reorienting itself, shuffling its executive ranks, eliminating sweeter flavors critics said targeted younger customers, and focusing on a crucial regulatory review that will determine whether its products can stay in the U.S. market. Crosthwaite said in his email that Juul will exit markets that dont generate sufficient returns and will meet with key stakeholders before entering a country in the future. The company has been pursuing that approach in Japan, where it hired a former pharmaceutical executive to lead its efforts. The company will use its resources to develop new technologies and focus on its core markets, Crosthwaite said. In July, Juul filed an application to keep selling its e-cigarettes with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is now being reviewed. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. HOUSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Robert A. Welch Foundation announced yesterday a $100 million gift to Rice University to establish The Welch Institute, a sweeping strategic partnership focused on world-leading advanced materials research. The Welch Institute, which will be located on the Rice University campus, will combine fundamental research in chemistry and materials science with the latest in machine learning and artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery, design and manufacture of the next generation of materials with applications to new energy systems, sustainable water, space systems, telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation, security and more. The goal of The Welch Institute is to attract top researchers from around the world to collaborate with Rice University's internationally renowned faculty and scientific resources, making the Institute a center of intellectual discovery, innovation and transformation in advanced materials. The Institute will be governed by an independent Board of Directors and advised by a Scientific Advisory Board. "The Welch Institute will focus on the development of advanced materials for the good of society and to advance the vision of Robert A. Welch, who believed in basic chemical research as a powerful force for transformative breakthroughs and improving the quality of life," said Welch Foundation Chair and Director Carin Barth. "It will bring together top minds across all disciplines to catalyze innovation and center leadership in the field right here in the Houston area." Why is advanced materials research so important? The major milestones of civilization have been defined by new materials. The Bronze Age. The Iron Age. Even the present Information Age was enabled by the development of advanced materials that resulted in the semiconductor. Until recently, new materials were often discovered by serendipity. Recent examples include Kevlar, solar panels, lithium batteries, the quantum dots that enabled HDTV and the composites used in knee and hip replacement. But collaboration across disciplines has enabled more intentional discoveries. Although the theoretical and computational sciences have played an ever-expanding role in the discovery process, recent advances in data mining, computational chemistry and quantum theory have produced breakthroughs in creating "materials by design" with predictable properties -- new, de novo, from-the-molecules-up materials that can help usher in a new era of progress on humanity's major challenges. The Welch Institute will be the first such effort in which the goals, the scientific strategy, the scientific team, and the facilities and equipment are constituted at the outset to utilize basic research to drive the design of advanced materials. Researchers at the institute might, for example, explicitly design materials that would be rigid or flexible, to conduct heat, to emit light or to advance quantum computation. In the not-too-distant future developments such as these could lead to solar cells that cheaply and efficiently provide abundant clean energy. Other devices stemming from the Institute's research might compute at the speed of light or exploit the quantum properties of matter, solving problems that are impossible to overcome on today's computers. "Rice University is an ideal foundry for the next generation of advanced materials because of our strengths in both materials and computational sciences," said Rice University President David Leebron. "The Welch Institute will foster an ecosystem of exploration, drawing from diverse disciplines to drive a new materials-based era to advance human welfare and progress, a multi-faceted successor to previous eras defined by stone, iron, bronze and silicon." For The Welch Foundation, the new institute represents a logical next step, building on its established programs, which have had a significant impact on the scientific community. For the past 65 years, the Foundation has supported basic research in chemistry and related fields in Texas colleges and research universities. The Foundation also bestows two annual awards: The Welch Award in Chemistry recognizes substantial achievements in chemical research, and the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research recognizes the accomplishments of scientists early in their careers. Those programs will continue full force. "The Foundation has contributed more than $1 billion, endowing 48 chairs at 21 Texas universities and supporting the work of hundreds of world-class research chemists," said Peter Dervan, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of The Welch Foundation and Bren Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). "We want to develop the Institute while maintaining all of our legacy grant programs and awards, which have served Texas scientists so well over the years." The Foundation considered funding a dedicated research institute several times in the past. The opportunity to partner with Rice University played an important role in the decision to move forward now. The Rice faculty is world-renowned, and collaboration between disciplines has been integral to the school's culture since its inception. That collaboration was fundamental to the 1985 discovery of buckminsterfullerene (a new form of carbon) at Rice, which won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 and laid the foundation for nanotechnology. "As a member of The Welch Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board, I am thrilled the Foundation is investing in such a meaningful way in a field of research that holds so much promise for solving the world's problems," said Catherine Murphy, Larry R. Faulkner Endowed Chair in Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sixty-five years ago, Robert A. Welch said, "I have long been impressed with the great possibilities for the betterment of mankind that lay in the field of research in the domain of chemistry." A half century earlier, Rice University's first President, Edgar Odell Lovett, proclaimed that there should "be no upper limit" to the ambitions of this Rice University. Those two visions unite as one in the new institute. "The establishment of The Welch Institute represents a new benchmark in the realization of their ambitions, a boon to Houston, and by intention a great benefit to mankind," added Barth. About the Welch Foundation The Welch Foundation, based in Houston, is one of the nation's largest private funding sources for fundamental chemical research. Since 1954, the organization has contributed more than $1 billion to the advancement of chemistry through research grants, departmental grants, endowed chairs and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.welch1.org. About Rice University Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. SOURCE The Welch Foundation Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:18:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Another three of the 118 former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) senior members, banned from politics in late 2017, were allowed to return to politics on Thursday, according to royal decrees. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni signed three separate royal decrees to restore their political rights, a week after they requested Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen through the Ministry of Interior. The trio are former CNRP Permanent Committee member Son Chhay, and former members of the Board of Directors Tav Kimchhon and Va Samon, according to the royal decrees. Under the kingdom's law on political parties, the king can pardon banned politicians at the request of the prime minister. To date, 12 of the 118 have had their banned political rights lifted after filing requests, while one has died. In November 2017, the Supreme Court barred 118 former CNRP senior members from politics for five years after it dissolved the party following the arrest of party president Kem Sokha on "treason" charges. Sokha, 67, has been freed on bail since November last year, awaiting trial. Enditem Manchester United have become favourites to land Real Madrid's Sergio Reguilon after putting an offer on the table for the highly sought after 23-year-old, according to reports. Reguilon is likely to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer as Ferland Mendy and Marcelo have established themselves as Zinedine Zidane's first-choice defenders. Reguilon has been tempted by the Red Devils offer as he has been assured of a starting place at Old Trafford, according to AS. Manchester United have become the favourites to land Real Madrid left back Sergio Reguilon Having played a crucial role on loan at Sevilla for the past campaign - helping them achieve a fourth-placed finish in the league and qualify for the Champions League - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes Reguilon will strengthen United's left back position. Last season the spot was occupied by Luke Shaw - who was withdrawn from their Europa League campaign due to an ankle injury - and 20-year-old academy product, Brandon Williams. Despite having his heart set on returning to Real Madrid, Zidane has added Reguilon to his list of players he is hoping to sell, to raise 180million in funds this summer to help deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Spain Under 21 international is likely to cost United around 25m with Real Madrid adding a buy-back clause in the contract. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to add strength to the left back position ahead of new season The 23-year-old had impressed during a season-long loan with LaLiga side Sevilla last season Reguilon will also have the opportunity to prove himself on the European stage as United are in the Champions League. Although Sevilla have been hopeful of keeping Reguilon for another season, United reportedly hold the upper hand in negotiations as they are able to offer him a long-term deal. Having already bought Oscar Rodriguez from Madrid this summer, Sevilla would be looking for another loan agreement without an option to buy. The name of Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, has been taken off the list of directors and shareholders of a company which got a controversial N3.6 billion vehicle supply contract in a fraudulent filing which backdated processes, PREMIUM TIMES investigation shows. This newspaper first exposed Mr Mohammeds involvement with Adda Nigeria Limited, a company he co-owns with a close friend of his, Abdullahi Yari, in a series of stories published in February. The stories caused ripples and condemnation, with lawyers and activists questioning legality and morality of the action, which contravenes Nigerian laws. SEE ALSO: A spokesperson for Mr Mohammed at the time denied any wrongdoing and a government statement later claimed the Bauchi governor was not the Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir listed as director and shareholder of the company. Months of fresh investigations and search at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the government agency responsible for licensing and regulating companies in Nigeria, reveal a surreptitious operation leading to the removal of Mr Mohammeds name from the company. Previous Allegation Prior to his election as governor last year, Mr Mohammed was standing trial for alleged corrupt activities during his stay as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The anti-corruption agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), first filed 6-count charges against Mr Mohammed on October 10, 2017. He was accused of abuse of office and land racketeering. In April 2019, weeks after his election as governor, the agency slammed an amended charge on Mr Mohammed before the FCT High Court, accusing him, among other things, of receiving a house valued at N550 million in gratification. He was also accused of failing to disclose the ownership of some of his properties. But with his inauguration as governor on May 29, the EFCC had to halt his prosecution, in deference to the constitutional immunity from prosecution enjoyed by holders of a similar position of his in Nigeria. Mr Mohammed and Adda Nigeria Ltd Adda Nigeria Limited, first incorporated in October 1996 with a share capital of 500,000, has four directors. The major nominal shareholder named Abdullahi Salihu Bawa holds 200,000 share capital while Mr Mohammed and two other persons, who appear to be Mr Bawas children, maintained 100,000 share capital each. Mr Bawa, more commonly known as Abdullahi Yari, is a close ally of Mr Mohammed. The latter name was used in nominating Mr Bawa as the Company Secretary of Adda Nigeria Limited on August 1, 2019, two months after Mr Mohammed was sworn in as the state governor. Records obtained by this newspaper from the CAC in January show that Mr Mohammed was in 2006 reappointed as a director of the company. The company documents, however, did not indicate the purpose of the reappointment; whether it was a result of re-entry after exit or renewal of the mandate. How the contract was awarded The earliest trace of the controversial contract available to PREMIUM TIMES is a memo from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development dated July 9, 2019. The memo addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government provided purported quotations from three companies for the supply of 105 vehicles. The memo, signed by one Muhammed Sabo Abdullahi on behalf of the permanent secretary of the Finance and Economic Development ministry, prayed the governor to approve the purchase from Adda Nigeria Limited, which put the cost at N3,602,000,000. Two other companies, according to the correspondence, quoted N3,740,000,000 and N3,911,000,000 respectively. To perfect the process, on September 9, 2019, the governor inked his approval on the memo, directing the Secretary to the State Government to table the memo before the executive council for ratification. Official cover-up for unapproved expenditure In a February 26 story, PREMIUM TIMES established how top civil servants lied to cover up for the sham process and excluded the contract from vetting and listing by the states procurement agency as provided by law. In his July 9 memo, Mr Abdullahi claimed that the states 2019 budget provides for N3.5 billion for the purpose under the budget of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. Advertisements [T]here is adequate budgetary provision in the 2019 Budget of the Ministry under Code 2310165-03101 with N3.5 billion to cater for the expenditure, the official wrote as part of the 2-page memo. Scrutiny of the 2019 budget of the ministry by our reporter shows no such provision. The budget code is also non-existent in the budget document. Also, the contract awarded to Adda Nigeria Limited alone is worth more than 200 per cent of the total capital expenditure for the Finance ministry. The ministrys capital provision for the year stands at N1,111,500,000 with N1 billion earmarked for purchase of motor vehicles. The Finance Ministry had, from May to September 2019, awarded five vehicles procurement contracts costing N881,537,000, thereby exhausting almost 90 per cent of the budgeted amount. The states entire budget for official vehicles for the three arms of government is also short of N3.6 billion, the value of the controversial contract. Illegalities In addition to breaching Nigerias Code of Conduct Law, the award of the contract also conflicted with Section 25 Bauchi Procurement Law which forbids officials involved in the procurement process from partaking in contract bidding or corporate with bidders. The Code of Conduct Law, in sections 5 and 6 , bars public officers from putting themselves in positions of conflict of interest and disallows them from partaking in any business other than farming. Aside from distortions to give room for the contract approval, PREMIUM TIMES also noticed that the contract is missing from the list of government contracts for the year 2019. A document obtained from the website of the Bauchi State Public Procurement, Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Agency left out the huge supply contract among awarded projects for the year. The exclusion of the procurement agency from the contract award process contravenes Section 14 and 16 of the Bauchi State Public Procurement, Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Agency Law (2017). Cover-up? In what appears to be a move to cover the tracks from possible criminal proceedings, the name of Mr Mohammed is now replaced in a back-dated filing at the CAC. Sources and documentary evidence obtained by PREMIUM TIMES show connivance between promoters of the company and the Registrar General of the CAC, Garba Abubakar, in removing Mr Mohammeds name through fraudulent means. Interestingly, Mr Abubakar hails from Mr Mohammeds state of Bauchi. A top source familiar with the deal told PREMIUM TIMES the Registrar General was deeply involved in the process. This newspaper gathered that after the stories were published, Mr Abubakar recalled the Adda Nigeria Ltd file to his office where it has remained under close guard, even after completing the changes. A request put forward to search for the file, as is the wont for lawyers conducting a routine search, returned no result a number of times. When a request was filed on March 2 asking for the file of the company the lawyer was told that it was not on the shelf. On submitting the request for the second time on March 4, it came back with a note: File in RCs office. Months later, the CAC was not forthcoming with letting out the file for the usual scrutiny by lawyers requesting information. But a copy of new documents in the file obtained by this newspaper on August 13 shows that Mr Mohammed was replaced as a director of the company in May 2019. The documents show that the filing was purportedly done on August 1, 2019. This could not, however, be true as search done in January by this newspaper showed otherwise. In place of Mr Mohammed the company now appoints Abdullahi Mujahid Yari as a shareholder and director of the company. The filing again confirmed Mr Mohammeds address which in February was established by this newspaper as the governors family house at Gombe Road, Bauchi. Lawyer Confirms Backdated Filing The lawyer who handled the filing for Adda Nigeria Limited, Bala Abdullahi, told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday that the filing was done this year. I did not change the names. I only filed for them, he said. Reminded that the filing was done this year although the documents were backdated, the lawyer confirmed that he filed the documents this year. On being reminded the documents carried a retrospective date, Mr Abdullahi said I am not disputing that. CAC wont comment The spokesperson for the CAC, Laraba Shuaibu, said she would not comment on the issue when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. Honestly, I dont know what you are talking about, she told our reporter. When the reporter requested that she listen to the explanation for her response, Mrs Shuaibu remained unyielding. Even if you explain to me on the phone, since I have not seen the file, the fact of the matter is not before me, I will not be in a position to comment on it. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Majid Al Futtaim holding company has been diligently planning its entry into Uzbekistan for many years, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Retail Hani Weiss told Trend in an interview. "As the exclusive franchisee to operate the Carrefour brand in over 30 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Majid Al Futtaim currently operates over 300 Carrefour stores, serving more than 750,000 customers daily and employing over 37,000 colleagues," stated Weiss. According to CEO, several countries from the CIS region, including Uzbekistan, are included within this franchise agreement. "The advantages of cooperation with Carrefour in Uzbekistan are plentiful, as we seek to bring many benefits to the economy, society, local communities, and talent pool. Uzbekistan currently lacks the presence of an international grocery retailer," stressed Weiss. He added that this gap in the market, coupled with the projection that the Tashkent food market alone is expected to reach $5 billion by 2023, marks an opportunity for Majid Al Futtaim, as it aims to boost the countrys economy further while raising modern retail standards. "Carrefours arrival will also support the rising of living standards in each of the areas where it operates. As an international retail brand with decades of experience in best practice retail, Carrefour is well-positioned to support Uzbekistan on its development journey, while satisfying the consumers demand for new products and services. The broader benefits to the local economy include direct and indirect employment opportunities, in a wide array of specialties," said Weiss. Carrefour seeks to work with more than 600 local suppliers, manufacturers, producers and farmers across Uzbekistan, and Carrefours operations will introduce international standards in-market, while delivering a range of up to 40,000 products once fully operational, he added. Carrefour operates more than 12,000 stores and e-commerce sites in more than 30 countries. It is a multi-local and multi-format retail group that employs over 360, 000 people worldwide. The company generated 84.9 billion euros sales in 2018. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini Fastcase 7 is one of the worlds most popular and powerful legal research services. And were continuing to innovate. Starting today, our team begins work on Fastcase 8, with Judicata as its backbone. Fastcase today announced the acquisition of the legal technology assets of Judicata, a California legal research solution provider widely recognized as an innovator in the legal space. The Judicata team has joined Fastcase effective today with the mission of extending Judicatas leading California research and analytics tools nationwide in the Fastcase and Docket Alarm platforms. After graduating from Columbia Law School, working at Jones Day, and working at Google building Google Scholar, Itai Gurari founded Judicata in 2012 with Adam Hahn and Blake Masters. The team started the company to map the legal genome, spending the last decade building out industry-leading research, analysis, and workflow tools for California law. Now, with Judicata Chief Technology Officer Ben Pedrick, Gurari and the Judicata team will join Fastcase to scale those solutions nationwide. Weve long admired Judicatas creative and beautiful product development, with tools such as high quality search results, advanced filters, its citator, and its Clerk brief analyzer its one of the reasons we named Itai as a 2013 Fastcase 50 honoree, said Fastcase CEO Ed Walters. Judicata is a generation ahead of even the largest legal research platforms, and their technology will be the core of the next generation of Fastcase tools. This is a blockbuster deal for the 900,000 lawyers who have access to Fastcase. Fastcase has a history of supporting innovators and democratizing the law, said Gurari. Spend any time with this amazingly talented team, and you see their passion and commitment. Its exciting to see that our work at Judicata will scale as part of the Fastcase program. Pedrick added, Together, we are going to transform the market. This combination is going to be a leap forward for the legal information industry. Fastcase 7 is one of the worlds most popular and powerful legal research services, said Walters. And were continuing to innovate. Starting today, our team begins work on Fastcase 8, with Judicata as its backbone. About Fastcase Fastcase is a leading legal publisher that democratizes the law, making it more accessible to more people. Fastcase is a comprehensive research suite of primary law, treatises, legal blogs, analytics, workflow tools, and legal news. Founded in 1999, the service has more than 900,000 subscribers from around the world. Fastcase is an American company based in Washington, D.C. For more information, follow Fastcase on Twitter at @Fastcase or visit fastcase.com. About Judicata Judicata is the leading developer of advanced technologies for California lawyers and publishers. Founded in 2012, Judicata's next-generation technology is powered by the most detailed map of California law ever made, giving its customers the most effective, data-driven, and precise tools possible. "SECO20 will provide the sense of connection and community that SECO always has been known to provide. Its taken some doing, but we are confident that the collaboration for attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, and presenters will be closer in feel to an in-person event than anyone anticipates. The SECO National Conference of Community Owners has released its schedule and speaker lineup for Sept. 28-Oct 2., with a recently added BONUS Day of content for manufactured housing professionals. SECO, in its 10th year, was organized for community owners by community owners with an annual conference in the Atlanta area that has grown to a national event representing all aspects of manufactured home community operations, with an emphasis on small to midsize communities. A New-Look SECO In 2020, the SECO Conference will be held on a new virtual platform. The online venue covers three virtual floors including spaces for seminars, networking lounges, exhibit booths, meeting spaces, and a virtual home show. The first-ever virtual SECO is a unique partnership between the organizers of SECO and MHVillage, the premier online marketplace for manufactured housing. For months, COVID-19 and associated protocols have kept people at home, or in as limited circulation as possible. However, the manufactured housing industry is essential and work must continue in the safest way possible. "SECO20 will provide the sense of connection and community that SECO always has been known to provide," SECO Co-Founder and organizer Spencer Roane said. "Its taken some doing, but we are confident that the collaboration for attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, and presenters will be closer in feel to an in-person event than anyone anticipates. Register for the Sept. 28-Oct. 2 virtual SECO Conference, and take advantage of unique sponsorship and advertising opportunities while availability remains. SECO organizers have finalized and released the event agenda and speaker lineup for the event, with topics that range from general sessions to topics designed for industry newcomers, as well as others interested in sales, management, and home and community finance as well as marketing topics. The event also includes less formal fireside chats, and abundant networking opportunities. Each session will conclude with a Q&A session between presenters-moderators and attendees. SECO20 Virtual Conference Schedule Overview Manager Monday (NEW in 2020!) - Monday, Sept. 28 For just three of the six presentations on Manager Monday, Maria Horton of Newport Pacific will talk about Finding the Humanity During the Insanity of COVID-19, Ken Corbin of CallKenCorbin.com will provide attendees with Insanely Fun Changes That I Need to Make Now, and Rent Managers Lindsey Urs will present Kick Back and Relax with Receivables Automation from. SECO Day 1 - Tuesday, Sept, 29 The first full day of SECO20 will include 19 presentations and roundtable discussions including a talk on How to Acquire Your First Community by M2K Partners Eketerina Stepanova, a presentation from Dave Reynolds of IMPACT Communities on Community Acquisitions and Turnaround, and Case Study: The Rental Home Model with Steve Case of Military Homes and Ayal Dreifuss from UMH Properties. SECO Day 2 - Wednesday, Sept, 30 The SECO National Conference of Community Owners resumes Wednesday morning with Shawn Fuller of Integrity Homes providing an overview of Delivery and Installation in 2020, Buyer Trends with Justin DeSpain of Clayton Homes, and a series of Mini TED Presentations among the 15 manufactured housing industry topics to choose. SECO Day 3 - Thursday, Oct. 1 SECO20 is in full swing on Oct. 1, with a State of the Industry presentation from George Allen of EducateMHC, as well as CEO Dr. Lesli Gooch and President Mark Bowersox, both of MHI. The day also provides the aptly named One-Minute Moneymakers, as well as a talk on how to Take Control of Your Online Reputation with MHVillage/Datacomp Co-President and Chief Business Development Officer Darren Krolewski. Virtual SECO BONUS Day - Friday, Oct. 2 Lucky you, theres more to choose from, and perhaps you have something to say? As the SECO Conference planning team and its partners continue to program the fifth and final day of this annual event, reach out to us on sponsorship, advertising, and speaking engagement opportunities. SECO20 attendees can choose from more than 50 sessions throughout the 5-day conference. And each of the approximately 500 participants will have an opportunity to interact one-on-one and in small groups with each other, a hallmark of SECOs effort to initiate conversations that heighten industry awareness and image. Participate in 2020 SECO National Conference of Community Owners Take a look at all the details regarding the SECO20 National Conference of Community Owners event schedule and educational presentation topics. The cost for event registration at SECO20 ranges from $49 to $299, depending on the track and number of presentations desired. Manager Monday attendance requires a separate registration fee. For more information on the 2020 SECO National Conference of Community Owners, visit secoconference.com. About SECO National Conference of Community Owners The SECO National Conference of Community Owners was founded a decade ago by a small group of committed manufactured housing professionals and has been held each year near Atlanta. The gathering is dedicated to building an industry environment and culture that looks to share best practices and help form new ideas. SECO was created for community owners, by community owners. It also is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds go toward planning and programming for the next years national gathering. Any excess revenue supports the Veterans Assistance Fund founded by SECO organizers in 2018. The court was hearing a plea filed by eight former IPS officers who claimed that certain news channels were trying to influence the course of the investigation and airing false propaganda against Mumbai Police with regard to Sushant Singh Rajput's death case The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it expects media organisations to exercise restraint while publishing or reporting any details about investigation in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. A division bench of Justices AA Sayed and SP Tavade said the media should report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation. The court was hearing two petitions which claimed a "media trial" was going on in the case of Rajput's death and sought for it to be stopped. One of the petitions was filed by eight former IPS officers against the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against Mumbai Police. The petitioners include former director generals of police MN Singh, PS Pasricha, K Subramanyam, D Sivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal and Satish Mathur, former additional DGP KP Raghuvanshi and former Mumbai police commissioner DN Jadhav. The other petition was filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha and two others who claim to be social activists, seeking direction to media organisations not to sensationalise reportage in the case. "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint before publishing or reporting on details of the investigation, and report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation," the court said. The bench said before hearing the matter further, it would like to first see what the Union government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, have to say in response to the pleas. The high court posted the petitions for further hearing on 10 September. The court also said Navlakha shall once again serve copies of his petition to news media channels that are respondents in the petition. Navlakha's advocate Devadatt Kamat told the court that they are not demanding a prohibition on reporting in the case, but only seeking the media to adhere to journalistic standards and ethics. The plea filed by the retired IPS officers said a section of TV channels has been trying to influence the course of an investigation being carried out by central agencies like the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and is running a false propaganda against the Mumbai Police. Senior counsel Milind Sathe, appearing for the retired police officers, on Thursday argued that the media was running a "parallel investigation and the reporting is completely defamatory towards the city police". "We (petitioners) are not concerned about which agency is probing the case or who the accused persons are...we are only concerned about the media trial being conducted," Sathe said. The retired IPS officers have sought a direction to news media organisations to refrain from publishing or circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments which may jeopardise the reputation of the city police. Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra on 14 June after which the Mumbai Police registered an Accidental Death Report and recorded statements of over 50 people, including some of his family members and Bollywood personalities. The late actor's father on25 July lodged a complaint with Patna Police, accusing Rajput's girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court last month upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the CBI, which is currently probing the case. Besides, the ED is probing allegations of money laundering against Chakraborty and her family, while the NCB is probing a drugs trafficking case linked to the case of Rajput's death. * Home Search ICH Where will all these war games lead? By Patrick Buchanan September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - In northeast Syria last week, a U.S. military vehicle collided with a Russian armored vehicle, injuring four American soldiers. Both the Americans and Russians blame each other for failing to follow established rules of the road. Had an American been killed, we could have had a crisis on our hands. Query: With the ISIS caliphate dead and buried, why are 500 U.S. troops still in Syria a year after Donald Trump said we would be pulling them out? What are they doing there to justify risking a clash with Russian troops who are in Syria as the invited allies of the Damascus regime of Bashar Assad, whether we approve of his regime or not? Nor was this the only U.S.-Russian faceoff last week. Over the Black Sea, two Russian military jets swept past the nose of an American B-52, one of the bombers on which the airborne leg of our strategic deterrent depends. The Russian Su-27s flew so close to the B-52 that their afterburners shook the eight-engine bomber. What was a nuclear-capable B-52 doing over the Black Sea, which is to Russia what the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are to us? That B-52 overflight of the Black Sea was part of an exercise in which six U.S. B-52s overflew all 30 NATO nations in one day -- from the U.S. and Canada to Spain and the Balkans and to the eastern Baltic Sea -- in a military exercise to test Russian air defenses. At the end of August, the Russian navy conducted its own war games near Alaska, involving dozens of ships and aircraft, the largest such drill in these northern seas since Soviet times. Russia's navy chief, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, said 50 warships and 40 aircraft took part in the Bering Sea exercise, which involved multiple practice missile launches. Said the admiral: "We are holding such massive drills there for the first time ever." As Trump rebuilt the U.S. military, Vladimir Putin reciprocated. And, last week, Putin had a pointed warning for any nation that meddles in Belarus. With Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian autocrat facing huge and hostile demonstrations demanding he resign, Putin put out word that outside intervention to effect Lukashenko's removal could cause Russian special forces to intervene. The fall of Lukashenko from power, after 25 years ruling Belarus, could lead to a crisis as NATO allies Lithuania and Poland both border on the former Soviet republic of 9.5 million people. Also in late August, on the other side of the world, China conducted a huge naval exercise in the South and East China seas and Taiwan Strait. After an American U-2 overflew its ships during the exercise, Beijing denounced the "naked provocation" and test-fired four ballistic missiles into the South China Sea. Two of those missiles have been described as "carrier killers." They are said to have been developed to attack aircraft carriers such as the 100,000-ton vessels that serve as the backbone of the fleets the U.S. Navy deploys in these same waters. The U.S. has been sending its own warships into what an angry China claims are its territorial waters around the atolls and reefs it has fortified and converted into air and naval bases in the Paracel and Spratly islands. What exactly is our ultimate goal here? China has also been ramping up pressure on Taiwan by having military planes and warships circumnavigate the island and by sending aircraft across midpoint in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan recently purchased 66 US F-16s for delivery over the next 10 years. Yet, its armed forces are no match for Beijing's. And China has put the world on notice that any move by Taiwan toward independence would cross a red line and be crushed by Beijing. Is America prepared to fight China over fortified rocks and reefs in the South China Sea to which we have no territorial claim? Are we prepared to fight China to prevent the gradual absorption of Taiwan, which Richard Nixon conceded in 1972 we do not deny is a part of China? In its confrontation with Iran, the U.S. seems about to suffer a setback in the Security Council. Our attempt to effect a "snapback" of U.N. sanctions on Iran, for violating the 2015 nuclear deal, seems certain to be rejected by our three principal NATO allies, as well as Russia and China. How would Tehran's victory in the U.N. over the U.S., which would open the door to sales and purchases of weapons by the ayatollah's regime, be received? Potential collisions between the U.S., Russia or China are not even back-burner issues this election year. Meanwhile, we are consumed by the coronavirus, the crashed economy, racial divisions and riots that have ripped apart cities like Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis and Kenosha since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Still, Leon Trotsky had a point when he said, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." Patrick Joseph Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was an assistant and special consultant to U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan - " Source " - 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 Philip Giraldi : Lets Talk U.S. Foreign Policy: It Is the Root Cause of Many Evils 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 09:47:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's Ministry of Health has invested 42 billion pesos (about 565 million U.S. dollars) since March to bolster the healthcare system to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said Wednesday. The investment made it possible to expand healthcare infrastructure and provide more than 4,000 ventilators, among other things, Arnaldo Medina, the secretary of Healthcare Quality, said at a press conference. The number of intensive-care beds increased threefold from 3,929 to 12,450, he said. The government's strategies in tackling the pandemic included building new hospitals in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, and providing special training for healthcare workers in conjunction with the Argentine Society of Intensive Care and the Argentine Society of Medicine. Argentina detected its first case of COVID-19 on March 3, and has reported 439,172 infections and 9,118 deaths from the disease by Wednesday. Enditem FILE PHOTO: The PayPal logo is seen at an office building in Berlin By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Shares in Australia's Afterpay Ltd and its smaller consumer lender rivals tumbled for a second day on Wednesday, as the entry of U.S. giant PayPal into the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) sector sent investors scrambling to re-price its frothy stocks. Afterpay fell as much as 12.4%, before paring losses, and has shed about A$2.5 billion (1.38 billion pounds) in market value in the two trading sessions since PayPal Holdings Inc said it would offer small, short-term interest-free loans to U.S. customers. Rivals also tumbled, with Zip Co Ltd dropping as much as 17.8% and Sezzle Inc 15.5% before both trimmed losses. They have each shed roughly 20% in two days. Openpay Group Ltd slid 10% and Splitit Ltd fell 4.6%. The broader market <.AXJO> ended 1.8% higher. "Having such a large customer base already in the U.S., PayPal certainly throws a spanner in the works for their expansion plans," said James Tao, a market analyst at CommSec in Sydney. These alternative credit firms, which offer small instalment loans to shoppers and make money by charging merchants a commission, are riding an online shopping boom sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. A near 10-fold rally in Afterpay's share price since March has catapulted the company into Australia's top 20 largest listed firms, even though it has never turned a profit. The United States is seen as the sector's largest growth market and is a key focus for most of the Australia-listed companies. PayPal's offering is for purchases between $30 and $600, repayable in four instalments over six weeks and is broadly similar to Afterpay's product. The companies have sought to reassure investors and downplayed the potential impact of PayPal on their prospects. Afterpay co-founder Anthony Eisen said in a statement that competition "from traditional and newer players" would not change the company's strategy "or diminish our global opportunity". Story continues The chief executives of Zip Co, Sezzle and Splitit, in separate statements, said they were broadly prepared for competition in the sector and that PayPal's entry underscored its relevance and potential. Openpay's CEO Michael Eidel said "happy is maybe not exactly the right term but we welcome it," adding that the entry will help grow the sector "into people's minds and into people's wallets and that's good news for us." Michael Smith, director of Kauri Asset Management in Sydney, which owns Afterpay stock, said the sector had already survived last year's entry of Visa Inc and was well placed. Kauri has a small allocation in next week's listing of yet another BNPL company, Laybuy Group Holdings Ltd . "It's still the hottest sector of our market at the moment and that's probably not going to change any time soon." (Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Singapore and Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman & Shri Navaratnam) FLINT, MI -- A lawsuit filed against Genesee County and two deputies alleges a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab in the jail. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District by the Royal Oak-based Rasor Law Firm on behalf of Cora Cave of Detroit. Cave was pulled over in her vehicle in December 2018 by Michigan State Police while in Genesee County. She was arrested on an outstanding warrant and transported to the Genesee County Jail, all the time wearing a hijab, a Muslim head covering. The lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $75,000 states that, for Cave, a headscarf cannot be removed in public places and in accordance with her sincerely held religious beliefs as a devout Muslim, men may not see more than her face, hands, and feet. Its alleged in the lawsuit that two deputies in the jails booking area demanded Cave removed the hijab. Cave told the deputies she could not remove the hijab in public places, specifically when doing so means she will be seen by males. She was made to remove the hijab by the deputies. Wearing a headscarf is a constant reminder of her faith and her religious obligations, and to have her hair and neck uncovered in public is a serious breach of faith and religious practice, and a deeply humiliating and defiling experience that substantially burdens her religious practice, reads the lawsuit. Cave was released the following day, but she was not allowed to put the hijab back on until after exiting the jail. The counts in the lawsuit include First Amendment violation, violation of the equal protection clause, violation of religious land use and institutionalized persons act, and municipal liability inadequate policies/procedures/customs, failure to train, ratification/acquiesence. While the county has not yet been served the lawsuit, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said based on media accounts and things he has been told: We would take something like this very seriously. We respect all religions and all religious customs and traditions, he told MLive-The Flint Journal. Its difficult for me to respond to the facts as set forth in the complaint as I have not seen it. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson could not immediately be reached for comment. More on MLive: 1 dead, 3 in custody after shooting at Flint Township mobile home park Flint Township supervisor works from Ohio hospital after head-on crash Woman dies, husband critically injured after plane crashes into mid-Michigan farm field Family of coronavirus victim sues Lapeer nursing home Can it be entirely accidental that the protagonists of Im Thinking of Ending Things another cinematic Rubiks Cube from writer-director Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa) are played by actors with almost the same first name: Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons? Perhaps not, in this adaptation of a 2016 novel by Iain Reid that is full of tricks and head games and narrative slippage involving identity and time. The film opens with a 20-minute conversation in a car ride as a woman (Buckley) is traveling with her new boyfriend to meet his oddball parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) for the first time on their farm. Its a slow and philosophical opener, and a third of it takes place inside the head of the woman, who, over the course of the film, is described as being a painter, poet and waitress as well as a graduate student in quantum physics, gerontology and some field of biology. Things will get weirder and more scary as this psychological horror story unfolds, like origami (and arguably more annoying, depending on your taste for Kaufmans brand of heady, dreamlike storytelling). But for those who have acquired that taste, this portrait of a fragmenting psyche is beautiful, and sure to haunt your own dreams. TV-MA. Available on Netflix. Contains strong language, some disturbing images and brief nudity. 134 minutes. El Al Israel Airlines said on Thursday it would operate the first cargo flight to Dubai by an Israeli carrier on Sept. 16. The first flight, using a Boeing 747 jet, will travel to Belgium and from there to Dubai, carrying agricultural and high tech products. It will later become a weekly flight, leaving Israel every Wednesday and returning to Israel on Fridays. El Al, Israel's flag carrier, said the new route will be an "import and export" link to Dubai and further east. An Israeli delegation visited Abu Dhabi on a historic trip earlier this week to finalise a pact to open up relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). El Al flew the delegation and received permission from Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, to cross over its territory en route to the UAE's capital of Abu Dhabi. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli airliners will be allowed to fly directly to the UAE, shortly after Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to all flights to and from the UAE. Israeli officials have played up the economic benefits of the accord, which once formalised would include agreements on tourism, technology, energy, healthcare and security, among other areas. El Al has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and is in advanced negotiations for a government bailout to avoid bankruptcy. It has reported losses for two years running and racked up debt to renew its fleet, suspended flights when Israel closed its borders and furloughed most of its employees. Israeli-Russian businessman David Sapir this week offered to buy joint control of El Al, one of three offers currently on the table, while the airline is in talks with the government on a bailout package. Search Keywords: Short link: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's ban on exercises with the United States in the South China Sea is without doubt a blow to Washington and its relationship with its hitherto ally. In July, the U.S., Australia and Japan conducted joint drills in the region as the U.S. military continued to step up its excursions into the South China Sea with warplanes and warships. Washington sent military aircraft to the region more than 2,000 times in the first half of 2020. The U.S. is also seeking to drive a wedge between China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, and disrupt the consultation process of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. What's behind U.S. attempts to make waves in the South China Sea? The bully U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed his criticism against China on the South China Sea issue on July 31, accusing Beijing of "coercion" without offering evidence. While trying to portray China as a coercer in the South China Sea, the United States is in fact becoming a global bully itself. By sowing seeds of distrust, Washington is seeking to stir up conflicts among Southeast Asian neighbors and disrupt the growing cooperation between China and the ASEAN countries. "The U.S. is seeking to drive a wedge between China and ASEAN countries, and disrupt the consultation process of the Code of Conduct," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, calling on all regional countries to "be vigilant, and prevent this region's hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged by the U.S." The escapist Pompeo also claimed that America's policy of engagement with China is a mistake and has failed, and called for the formation of an anti-China alliance. As the country with highest COVID-19 death toll in the world by far, the U.S. move seems like an attempt to distract from the Trump administration's mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak. "The U.S. hyped up the South China Sea arbitration for its own political agenda," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news briefing in July. The amnesiac Meanwhile, the U.S. seems to be sleepwalking into the fact that China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea were established throughout a long course of history. Zhao said China has exercised effective jurisdiction over relevant islands, reefs, and waters in the South China Sea for thousands of years, and as early as 1948, the Chinese government announced the dotted line in the South China Sea. "This was under no doubt from any country for a long time," the spokesperson said, adding that China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have sufficient historical and legal basis, which is consistent with relevant international laws and practices. China doesn't strive to build an "empire" in the South China Sea, always treats countries surrounding the South China Sea as equals, and always maintains the utmost restraint in safeguarding the sovereignty, rights, and interests of the South China Sea, he underlined. The meddler On top of its meddling in the South China Sea, the United States, citing groundless claims, has interfered in China's internal affairs related to Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan over recent years. On July 9, the United States imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials in Xinjiang, saying that they were "ineligible for entry into the United States." The U.S. State Department approved the recertification of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles for Taiwan the same day, at an estimated cost of 620 million U.S. dollars. On July 15, Trump signed the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" into law, and issued an executive order to "begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions under United States laws that give Hong Kong differential treatment in relation to China." After a weekend of crowler sales and nearly two months of sneak peaks, Atlanta-based Monday Night Brewing is finally ready to open its Birmingham location. Monday Night Social Club Brewery + Kitchen opens Thursday, Sept. 3 (today) in downtown Birminghams Parkside District, across from the Denham Building. The new brewpub announced it will open its doors with more than 20 beers on tap, including vintage barrel-aged sours and stouts, small-batch Hop Hut IPAs (for those who dont know, the Hop Hut is Monday Night Brewings eight-tap IPA bar based inside of its midtown Atlanta location), collaborations, and a full range of wines and cocktails, including Bushwackers made with Monday Night Brewings Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale. Monday Night Social Clubs menu will also be ready with a range of tacos, house-made guacamole, and tortilla chips. So far, the brewpubs initial hours are Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. The Parkside watering hole plans to announce its extended hours and menu in the coming days. Its been an eventful road to Birmingham for the Atlanta-based Monday Night Brewing. The founders initially hoped to open the brewery in May, but COVID-19 impacted the brewpubs construction process and timeline. Mid-summer was the final sprint of the opening process as the brewpubs team painted walls, set up furniture, and hired more staff. All the while, they offered fans peeks at their progress on social media as they started the brewing process and decked out the 10,000-square-foot metal outparcel building with 80s and Back to the Future-inspired art. We pulled out the drone to show off our rad murals. Yeah, we're feeling fancy. Plus, we have a big announcement coming soon. Stay tuned! #itsradtohaveyou Posted by Monday Night Brewing on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 Last weekend, Monday Night Social Club kicked off orders for crowlers with a selection of the brewerys seasonal, small-batch, and year-round beers. Monday Night Social Club will be the brewerys first taproom outside of Atlanta. Monday Night Brewing has two locations in Atlanta-- its flagship location in midtown on Howell Mill Road and The Garage, its barrel-aging and sour brewery located in the citys historic West End. Details: Monday Night Social Club Brewery + Kitchen| 14 12th Street S, Birmingham, AL| A missing Utah woman's mom was hoping for her rescue but circumstances were bleaker than expected. She said the longer it took to find her daughter, the bigger the chances that she might be slain by her killers. According to the reports, the Utah woman just disappeared without a trace. There were signs of abduction that were apparent but there are no clues or hints where she was. In the end, she was killed by those who kidnapped her, reported Meaww. Stevie Shay Wilkerson was discovered cold and dead on August 23. Prior to finding her corpse, she was gone for two weeks without a trace. The murder and kidnapping ended in in Iron County. Despite the attempt to locate the missing woman, her mother must have had grim premonitions. She gave the statement that she would not see Stevie alive again. News reports relate that the 26-year-old slain victim was last seen at a motel, the Claridge Inn, located on the South Bluff Street in St. George. Last August 10, her mother identified as Vawna Wilkerson posted a plea to assist in locating her missing daughter. She expressed dismay at her disappearance and sought more help online. The specific contents of her Facebook post mentioned that the missing person was last seen with two people who held her by force. The accused kidnappers are Joey and a woman called Jose, according to the information which marks the Red Roof Motel on Bluff St., St. George Utah. Description of the vehicle is a 2018 Colorado, color white. Also read: Trucker Tortured to Death With Metal Pipe in Posterior Due to Two Girl's Lie Further information in the post said she was gone since Sunday, August 9 at exactly 2 p.m.. Her mother added that both are armed and may kill her daughter. Despite the searches that never yielded her remains, it was found by accident in a part of the west of Iron County. According to authorities, the corpse was there for quite a while, mentioned the Sheriff in Iron County. With no proof or leads of the guilty parties, no arrests or suspects have been found, The Knewz. The authorities label it as a homicide. There are no extra details added to the report. Information is asked from the public that will be used to go after the murderers. No one expected the victim to end that way cruelly. One of the last posts of the victim was last June 26 when she was searching for an apartment where she will stay with her boyfriend and dog. But her death at the hands of her murderers made that impossible to happen. Her cousin, Angie Golish, described her as an animal lover and a kind person to everyone she meet. She added that her aunt did not expect such a grim end to happen. Overall, she was really kindhearted and a good person, cited Deseret News. So far, there aren't new developments that will point to the criminals, so justice can be dealt out. Her mom was correct in saying that the victim would be slain, but leads may come to bring closure. Related article: Hartford Man Decapitates Roommate With Samurai Sword Over Heated Argument @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tucson City Council marks the first step in developing a 10-year plan to take specific action to help reverse global warming. Tucson is the third-fastest warming city in the United States, and August was the citys hottest month on record. A woman assaulted a 12-year-old boy on Monday Boulder, Colo. over a Trump yard sign he was carrying, according to police. Boulder police are investigating a report of the assault, which occurred at 3 p.m. in north Boulder. Police have not made any arrests or citations so far. According to police, the boy was riding his bicycle with the Trump sign when the suspect, described as a white female in her 20s or 30s riding a moped, stopped and made a U-turn. The woman drove up to confront the boy, saying something like, you want something to look at and began assaulting him because of his political banner, police said. The woman allegedly hit the boy with a closed fist on his arms and the back of his head four or five times and scratched him. The boy told police the woman attempted unsuccessfully to steal the Trump sign before leaving. I was just shocked about why she did that, the boy said. She probably didnt know that I was a 12-year-old. But either way, whatever age I am, they shouldnt be doing that. The woman was described as having blondish-brown hair, wearing a tan jacket, blue shirt and blue jeans, and riding a blue or gray moped. My sons a very patriotic person. He appreciates what the presidents doing for our country, said the boys father, who expressed that he wants to press charges. More from National Review Netflix has delighted fans after releasing a new trailer for its latest romantic comedy series, which stars Lily Collins as an American marketing executive who moves to Paris for work. Emily in Paris, which airs 2nd October on the streaming service, has already drawn comparisons to Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, and the Devil Wears Prada thanks to the stunning looks sported by Lily in the trailer, which Netflix released this week. The show stars Lily, 31, as Emily, an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, who unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company. But Lily's gorgeous looks including couture little black dresses, designer coats, an array of berets and many mini-skirts has caught the attention of fans. 'I'm getting major Devil Wears Prada vibes and I love it' wrote one fan. Once in Paris, Emily is tasked with revamping the company's social media strategy, but her new life is filled with intoxicating adventures and surprising challenges as she juggles winning over her work colleagues, making friends, and navigating new romances. The trailer teases at many classic romcom tropes, including Emily being wooed by many handsome suitors. The series is the brainchild of US producer Darren Star, best known for Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City and Younger, and was filmed in 2019 on location in Paris. While the wardrobe has been headed up by Patricia Field, who created the famous looks for Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada. Emily in Paris, which airs 2nd October on Netflix has already drawn comparisons to Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, and the Devil Wears Prada thanks to the stunning looks sported by Lily in the trailer, which Netflix released this week. Emily (Lily Collins) is pictured at a party in front of the Eiffel Tower The show stars Lily, 31, as Emily, an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company. Pictured: Lily as Emily and Ashely Park and Mindy Chen The trailer for the ten episode series dropped earlier this week, fans were quick to compare it to other shows about glamorous young women working in fashion. 'Why does this look like she is living Blair Waldorf's dream job?' asked one, referring to Gossip Girl's protagonist. 'So basically the show Carrie wanted to pitch to her editor when she was moving to Paris, " An American girl in Paris " I am in' said another, referring to Sarah Jessica Parker's Sex and the City character. The trailer for the ten episode series dropped earlier this week, fans were quick to compare it to other shows about glamorous young women working in fashion. Emily (Lily Collins) is pictured with Luke played by Samuel Arnold The series is the brainchild of US producer Darren Star, best known for Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City and Younger, and was filmed in 2019 on location in Paris. Emily (Lily Collins) is pictured with Samuel Arnold's character Luke 'Lily Collins, fashion and a Paris setting?! From the creator of SATC and Younger? This checks all of my boxes,' said another. 'I will watch ANYTHING Lily Collins does,' a third added. The trailer opens with an delighted Emily opening her curtains to a classically beautiful Parisian street stating , 'Oh my god. I feel like Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.' The wardrobe has been headed up by Patricia Field, who created the famous looks for Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, meaning Lily stars in gorgeous looks such as this one Once in Paris, Emily (Lily Collins, front in green coat) new life in Paris is filled with intoxicating adventures and surprising challenges as she juggles winning over her work colleagues, making friends, and navigating new romances Alongside Lily, left, who also worked as a producer on the show is Camille Razat as Camille, one of the friends she makes in Paris It then teases her speaking to various different men and even locking lips with some. 'There's so many possibilities,' in 'this city filled with passion in love' she says as she stuns in an array of gorgeous outfits. Posting on Twitter last week Lily shared her excitement at the new project writing: 'Here we go! Im beyond thrilled to finally announce Emily in Paris officially launches October 2, only on @netflix! Left to right: William Abadie as Antoine, Lily Collins as Emily, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu as Sylvie and Samuel Arnold as Luke In Episode 1, fans have been wowed by the gorgeous fashion of the episode Emily (Lily Collins) is pictured in front of the Seine in a beautiful blue patterned skirt and snakeskin mini-skirt, one of her many jaw-dropping outfits in the show 'I hope you guys fall in love with this story, the character and the city just like I did. Cant. F******. Wait. Pardon my French Alongside Lily, who also worked as a producer on the show, Ashley Park (Mean Girls on Broadway, Tales of the City) plays her best friend. While Philippine Leroy Beaulieu (Call My Agent!), Lucas Bravo (Smart Ass), Samuel Arnold (Antony & Cleopatra), Camille Razat (The 15:17 to Paris) and Bruno Gouery (Doc Martin) also star as regulars. Senior High Schools with recorded cases of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) disease in the last two weeks will not be allowed to close immediately after the completion of the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on Friday, September 4. This was disclosed by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye during a press conference at the Ministry of Information in Accra on Thursday morning. After staying home for close to four months as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, final year SHS students returned to school in July to prepare for their final exams. Candidates sitting for the 2020 WASSCE will soon finish writing their final paper tomorrow. As part of measures to ensure that students return home to their families with negative Covid-19 status, the Ghana Health Service has decided to conduct assessments in schools that have recorded positive cases in the last couple of weeks. By Friday the WASSCE will be over and we are happy that they have been able to successfully go through the exams without any major disruptions. We are expecting that any school that did not experience any case, they can vacate, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye told journalists. He added that, secondly, any school that has not reported any case in the last two weeks prior to the closure can also all go on [with the vacation]. However, if there is any school where they recorded any positive case, we will do some assessment of contacts and those contacts will have their vacations delayed. Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service is urging completing students to ensure that when they go back home they serve as worthy ambassadors and continue to observe the Covid-19 protocols. In the same vein, the general public has been charged to continue to adhere to all safety protocols to help kick out covid-19. Haiti - Politic : CASEC women stigmatized and discriminated Audain Fils Bernadel the Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities recently took part in the first talk with local elected officials. Several dozen women Councilors of Administration of Communal Sections (CASEC) were the Minister's main interlocutors alongside technicians from the Department of Territorial Communities of the Ministry In the presence of Paul Andre, President of the National Federation of Casec, these women took the opportunity to inform the Minister of the main grievances of their communal sections. They also spoke of the stigmatization they face on a daily basis in their work, linked to the issue of gender, which considerably reduces their performance. They denounced being too often discriminated or even oppressed by men CASECs and the later in majority. In this sense, they plead for more equity and positive discrimination in their favor. Minister Bernadel is delighted that these CASECs have decided to make their voice heard and is committed to working to make women more present in politics at the level of communal sections. In addition, he urged the technicians of his Ministry to guarantee the same access and offer the same attention and treatment to CASEC women, as to men CASEC, which controls more than 480 Cartel coordinator positions, against 38 for women. HL/ HaitiLibre VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Auryn Resources Inc. (TSX:AUG)(NYSE American:AUG) ("Auryn" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the purchase of six Sombrero copper-gold concessions in southern Peru that had been optioned in 2016 from Alturas Minerals S.A. ("Alturas") (TSX-V: ALT, LMA: ALT) (Figure 1). The final option payment of US$5,000,000 due to Alturas was reduced to approximately US$3,000,000 in consideration of early exercise of the option. Payment will be made through the issuance of 1,100,000 Auryn common shares negotiated at C$2.90 and US$621,466 in cash. The shares are subject to a 4-month resale restricted period in Canada and will not be registered in the United States. A Message from Ivan Bebek, Executive Chairman & Director of Auryn: "We view Sombrero as a district-scale exploration opportunity and are pleased to exercise the Alturas option agreement with a discount to the final payment. "Cleaning up our ownership will streamline the process of obtaining the remaining permits needed for drilling, which we anticipate in the first quarter of 2021. "We are also working toward permitting the Nioc and Good Lucky targets within the Sombrero district to create a pipeline of drill-ready targets that can be advanced consecutively, avoiding further work delays due to permitting. Results from ongoing surface work programs and updates on permitting advancements can be expected in September and October." Figure 1: Illustrates the location of the Alturas concessions on the Sombrero North property in relation to Auryn's exploration targets. About the Sombrero Project: The Sombrero property is located in southern Peru, approximately 345 kilometers southeast of Lima. It comprises over 130,000 hectares of which the Alturas option was 4,600 ha. Auryn believes Sombrero is hosted within a northwestern extension of the Andahualylas-Yauri copper-gold porphyry and skarn belt, which hosts the Las Bambas, Haquira, Los Chancas, Cotambambas, Constancia, Antapaccay and Tintaya deposits. Michael Henrichsen P. Geol. is the Qualified person who has reviewed the technical contents of this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AURYN RESOURCES INC. Ivan Bebek Executive Chairman For further information on Auryn Resources Inc., please contact Natasha Frakes, Manager of Corporate Communications at (778) 729-0600 or info@aurynresources.com. About Auryn Auryn Resources is a technically-driven, well-financed junior exploration company focused on finding and advancing globally significant precious and base metal deposits. The company built a portfolio of six projects in Canada and Peru containing gold, silver and copper resources and exploration targets. On July 29, 2020, Auryn announced its intention to spin out its Peruvian assets into two new companies and acquire Eastmain Resources, creating a Canadian gold-focused exploration and development company to be renamed as Fury Gold Mines. The Company's two flagship Canadian properties are the Committee Bay gold project in Nunavut and Homestake gold project in British Columbia for which an amended preliminary economic assessment was filed effective June 24, 2020. Upon closing of the spinout and acquisition transactions, expected in October 2020, Fury Gold's three core assets will comprise of Eau Claire in Quebec, Committee Bay and Homestake Ridge. Auryn shareholders, invested prior to the completion of the transactions, will become shareholders of Fury and will also receive shares in the two new Canadian spin out companies, one holding the Sombrero copper-gold project, and the other holding both the Curibaya silver-gold project and Huilacollo gold project. Auryn's technical and management teams have an impressive track-record of successfully monetizing assets for all stakeholders and local communities in which it operates. Auryn conducts itself to the highest standards of corporate governance and sustainability. For more information on the company and the transactions, please visit www.aurynresources.com. Forward Looking Information and Additional Cautionary Language This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking information is information that includes implied future performance and/or forecast information including information relating to or associated with the acquisition and title to mineral concessions or the determination of the possible geological settings of such concessions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different (either positively or negatively) from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company's Annual Information Form and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2019 and subsequent continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and the Company's registration statement on Form 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Auryn Resources Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604538/Auryn-Accelerates-Purchase-of-Sombrero-Concessions-from-Alturas The Countess of Wessex was all smiles as she boarded a helicopter when marking the 21st anniversary of Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA). Mother-of-two Sophie, 55, is the patron of the TVAA and toured an airfield in Berkshire, meeting a crew and being shown advanced medical equipment on board their chopper today. The charity is of great significance to Sophie - who lost her first baby in December 2001 - because she was airlifted to hospital by a Thames Valley helicopter following her potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. The Countess of Wessex was all smiles as she boarded a helicopter when marking the 21st anniversary of Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA) (pictured) Mother-of-two Sophie, 55, is the patron of the TVAA and toured an airfield in Berkshire, meeting a crew (pictured) and being shown advanced medical equipment on board their chopper today Discovering the baby had developed outside the womb, the royal underwent a two-and-a-half-hour operation, during which surgeons removed the foetus from her Fallopian tube. Sophie, who had been some six weeks pregnant, was said to be tearful and 'unbelievably sad' at the time. Her husband Prince Edward remained at her beside in the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers in London. The royal couple, who have been married since June 1999, are parents to Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James Viscount Severn, 12. The charity is of great significance to Sophie (pictured) - who lost her first baby in December 2001 - because she was airlifted to hospital by a Thames Valley helicopter following her potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy Discovering the baby had developed outside the womb, the royal (pictured talking to crew members) underwent a two-and-a-half-hour operation, during which surgeons removed the foetus from her Fallopian tube Sophie (pictured), who had been some six weeks pregnant, was said to be tearful and 'unbelievably sad' at the time TVAA is dedicating the anniversary of 21 years of service to its former patients and families, with its Patients At Heart campaign launching this month. Sophie also spent time talking to past air ambulance patients who shared their life-changing experiences about the care they received. Looking the epitome of professional, Sophie sported a navy suit with a floral shirt and black heeled sandals for the engagement. Sophie (pictured talking to crew members) and her husband Prince Edward, who have been married since June 1999, are parents to Lady Louise Windsor, 16, and James Viscount Severn, 12 The countess's visit to White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead (pictured) came ahead of National Air Ambulance Week, which begins on Monday The countess's visit to White Waltham Airfield near Maidenhead came ahead of National Air Ambulance Week, which begins on Monday. She was appointed TVAA's patron in January last year following her longstanding involvement with the service, which is also a charity. In April, Sophie joined one of the organisation's weekly crew video calls to hear how its paramedics and doctors were responding to the pandemic during lockdown. The Pakistan International Airlines : air crash in June that killed 97 people and the circumstances causing it beg a closer look. It is widely believed that the pilots of the ill-fated PIA aircraft were fake, who in all likelihood cheated in exams to secure a Civil Pilot Licence or perhaps went a step further and had imposters sit in their places. It is reported that around 260 commercial pilots of Pakistani origin have been grounded across multiple airlines to set things in order! The upshot of this incident is that Europe has taken an unprecedented step of banning PIA flights for six months! But then, this should not be a surprise for those well versed with Pakistan's history of cheating. The birth of Pakistan in itself was in every way a stillborn idea. The annulling of the landslide victory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League of East Pakistan in 1970 General Elections by President (General) Yahya Khan of West Pakistan, and the consequent call for self determination by East Pakistan ended in the mindless murder of three million Bengalis. These events which precipitated the vivisection of Pakistan into Bangladesh in December 1971 bear a fitting testimony to the bankruptcy of the founding principles of Pakistan. And yet the country continues to peddle the belief that faith is the glue that keeps it going and that the serious socio-economic-security problems facing the country are the work of a 'hidden hand' - India. Hussain Haqqani, a prolific academic and a former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, in his seminal book 'Reimagining Pakistan - Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear State' argues that Pakistan 'was a premature, feeble offspring at birth and although it survived critical infancy, it never gained the strength necessary to combat its inborn ailments'. In my opinion, the inborn ailments are the severe drought of selfless, visionary leaders, conspiracy thinking, inferiority complex, falsification of history, obsession or paranoia about India and internecine power struggles that often throw up a corrupt military dictator. The consequence of these 'inborn ailments' is widespread cultural and moral decadence of the Pakistani society. Surprisingly though, the Pakistani elite comprising mostly its Army generals and some politicians still manage to project a strong but misplaced notion of national pride built around superiority of its race, military, and nuclear weapons leaving millions of innocent Pakistanis in grinding poverty. It is instructive to mention that Pakistan is home to the world's third largest illiterate population; there are only 15 countries in the world with a lower literacy rate than Pakistan. Corruption, fraud and cheating form the very lifeblood of this dysfunctional state as substantiated in the following part of this article. Fake websites have been created to promote fake global rankings listing Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as the world's best intelligence service and the former Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif as the world's best commander! A ridiculous proposition. ISI is anything but a professional agency that intimidates the common man through hired thugs and mercenaries. As for the venerable General Raheel Sharif, his military acumen and leadership remain to be tested in a worth-mentioning military operation. On the contrary, Raheel Sharif is a symbol of corruption and nepotism. He has managed to milk his position (Army Chief from 2013 -2016) to grab hundreds of acres of land worth billions of rupees, without consent of the civilian government! In June 2020, it was reported that Pakistan enhanced military spending by 12 per cent to a whopping Rs 1,700 billion (including pension bill) as against a total development budget of Rs 650 billion, even as barely literate and unemployed youth continue to bulge at an alarming rate. As per the latest Economic Survey, the current allocation for defence is harebrained and unsustainable as Pakistan is heading towards massive joblessness, around 19 million, which would further accentuate the deplorable social conditions that Pakistanis are already reeling under. According to one estimate, just one-fifth of Pakistan's defence budget would be sufficient to finance universal primary education in the country, which currently remains abysmally poor. The increased defence spending is justified by creating anti-India hysteria supported by a massive misinformation campaign and fraudulent propaganda. It is widely known that the beneficiaries of such disproportionately high defence budgets have mostly been the high-ranking military officers (mostly Army generals to the exclusion of Admirals and Air Marshals!). As per a news report in April 2016, former Army Chief (1998-2007) and former President of Pakistan (2001-2008) General Pervez Musharraf was in possession of Rs 2,156 million in net cash in an offshore account in addition to immovable property worth several millions. Also, former Army Chief (2007-2013) and head of Inter-Services Intelligence (2004-07) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is known to possess a multi-million dollar Swiss bank account. He was also accused by a fellow officer of being involved in a major land scam in a Defence Housing Scheme. Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, like most other national achievements, has a nefarious past. It is common knowledge that Abdul Qadeer Khan (born in Bhopal, India), the so called 'father of Pakistan's nuclear weapon programme' built the technology from a stolen design and sourced material from a network of grey markets to try and destroy his country of birth! He is also instrumental in the secret proliferation of this technology to rogue countries like Libya and North Korea. So much fuss about Pakistan's nuclear weapons being the most important 'pillar of national pride'! In December 2019, a reputed international news agency carried a report that more than 600 young Pakistani girls, mostly from the minority communities, were fraudulently sold in marriage to the Chinese with the tacit approval of the state; sadly most would end up in prostitution. In May 2020, a massive scam amounting to $630 million was reported in a power project linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Chinese companies involved made windfall profits to the tune of 70 per cent by swindling Pakistani customers. It is widely acknowledged that Prime Minister Imran Khan can do little to rescue the common man as a retired Army Commander, General Asim Saleem Bajwa, who wields immense powers as the head of CPEC Authority would not dare antagonise the Chinese firms. In many ways, paranoia, denial, fraud and cheating have begun to define Pakistan's national character, crushing the well-meaning but voiceless average Pakistanis under its weight. In the aftermath of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's statement powerfully summarises the arguments made thus far:- "Pakistan has everything that gives you an international migraine. It has nuclear weapons, it has terrorism, extremism, corruption... it is very poor ... it is in a location that's really, really important." In 73 years of its existence, Pakistan has nothing that even a marginally successful country can talk about. In order to find solutions to overcome the overwhelming socio-economic-security problems, Pakistan needs to acknowledge that its faulty founding principles (hate, falsification of facts, conspiracy thinking) and inborn ailments (paranoia about/obsession with India, inferiority complex, corruption, fraud and cheating) are the root cause of its present state of mess. But the country continues to behave like a sick ostrich on a sleepy march, metamorphosing from an 'international migraine' into a giant 'cancerous tumour' well on its path to self-destruction. (Binay Kumar Singh is a columnist and researcher. He writes on national security issues) An employee of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands was arrested Tuesday, accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl last week at his home. Ronald Montgomery See, 53, of Willis, is being charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. See is a 14-year IT employee of St. Anthony of Padua and has been suspended without pay, according to the church on Thursday. He is being held on a $150,000 bond at the Montgomery County Jail, according to jail records. In statement, St. Anthony of Padua said the alleged victim was neither a student at their school or involved in the parish. Sees responsibilities did not include working with minors. He submitted to three criminal background checks by the parish as an employee, with the most recent in 2018, the statement read. We have contacted the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office and have assured them of our complete cooperation in its investigation and prosecution of this matter. The church went on to ask anyone with information on the case to call the sheriffs office special victims unit at 936-538-3502. The case came to light when a sibling of the girl told their mother on Sunday that the 13-year-old had shared a bed with See, a close family friend, when the two children stayed overnight Saturday at his home, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday by a Montgomery County Sheriffs detective. When the mother confronted See, he contradicted himself, so she took the girls cell phone where she found a messaging app she was unfamiliar with. Searching through the device, she found the password in the phones notes app, according to the affidavit. In the app, she found messages between See and her daughter of a very disturbing nature, the affidavit stated. The girl told her mother See made sexual contact with her on Saturday night in his bedroom. After receiving materials for evidence from the mother, officers advised her to take the girl to undergo a Sexual Assault Nurse Exam at CHI St. Lukes Health-The Woodlands Hospital, according to court records. The following morning, the girl was interviewed at the child advocacy group Childrens Safe Harbor. She told the interviewer, in the presence of a Montgomery County Sheriffs detective, that she and her sibling were at Sees for a movie night. Once she was asleep in the living room, she said See took her into his bedroom, according to court documents. Investigators determined the girl was sent multiple screenshots from Sees phones photo gallery which were of the girl , according to the court documents. In addition, investigators found on the app photos of very expensive wedding rings and conversations about marriage. One message discussed Texas law allowing marriage of a 14-year-old with permission from a parent. Another image found in the thread of messages were of the girl being picked up at school by See, according to court records. In July 2002, See was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. They were lowered to assault threat bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor, after he pleaded guilty later that year, public records show. Montgomery County authorities are already investigating an Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston priest charged with five counts of indecency with a child allegations at Conroes Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The priest, Manuel De La Rosa-Lopez, is slated to go to trial in January after several delays due to the pandemic. jose.gonzalez@chron.com The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is engaging the government to come out with a plan on how to reduce government's indebtedness to the central bank. The 2017 Auditor-General's report presented to Parliament revealed that the government's debt stock at the central bank, which stood at GH12.3 billion as of 2016, had not been redeemed. However, when officials of the BoG appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank, Dr Maxwell Opoku Afari, said prudent steps would be taken to clear the debt stock. He explained although the Bank of Ghana (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 918) made provisions for the central bank to use profit in the end of year financial statements to reduce the debt stock, that window had not been used because the bank incurred losses. Nagging issues Dr Afari explained that per Act 918, there was a distribution hierarchy for profit in the annual financial statement such that if after the distribution, there was still profit, it went into reducing the government's indebtedness to the central bank. Despite that lifeline to reduce the debt stock, he said the bank suffered impairments from its liquidity support to financial institutions. "In 2017 and 2018, the Bank of Ghana made losses because of the impairments as a result of liquidity support we gave to the financial institutions prior to 2017. It is this year that the Bank made profit, but in 2017 and 2018, we made losses; meaning that we cannot use that provision in the Act to reduce the debt stock because the 2019 distribution of profit did not get to the point where we could use it to deplete the stock," he explained. Responding to a question put to him by the Chairman of the PAC, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, on which other measure the central bank would adopt to clear the debt stock, he said "there could be other ways when the Bank of Ghana engages with the central government". Dr Afari, however, said there was a window of opportunity in the delay on the part of the government to clear the debt stock. "We know that these stocks are interest-bearing so it means that it also strengthens the balance sheet of the Bank of Ghana because the interests are being paid by the government," he said. Amendment The Deputy Bank of Ghana Governor also said the bank had activated internal processes for an amendment of certain portions of Act 918 to help improve the liquidity of the central bank. The Act came into effect in 2016 and it has been over three years of implementing it. We have constituted a team to document some of the implementation issues, especially those that are of material effect and will constitute the need to engage the Ministry of Finance to consider the need for a proposal to amend certain aspects of it, he said. COCOBOD Three other state institutions the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), and Venture Capital Trust Fund also turned up to respond to infractions cited against them in the 2017 Auditor-General's report. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, and the Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr Emmanuel Ray Ankrah, intermittently responded to issues raised by the Auditor-General in the 2017 report. One of the issues had to do with how the state institution incurred a loss of GH216 million in 2015 when its revenue went up by 21.3 per cent to hit GH7.5 billion. A Member of PAC and Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA), Mr Samuel Atta-Mills, sought to know why there was a huge loss despite the high revenue. Mr Ankrah explained that a multiplicity of factors including a drop in the gross profit percentage, high export duties, and increase in producer price of cocoa was the cause. For instance, he said, the producer price of the economic crop increased from GH5,600 per tonne to GH6,800, adding that the more you increase producer price, you incur related costs, notably evacuation cost. The distribution expenses jumped because we paid the government a lot of money in export duties on the production of cocoa beans. The figure increased from GH88 million in 2014-15 to GH364 million in 2016, representing over 200 per cent, he added. Mr Ankrah also said the COCOBOD management had put in place effective credit control system to recover debts for the company. We chase our customers on regular basis; we take them to court if need be because these are public monies and we will take serious steps to retrieve them, he said. He added that the current management of COCOBOD was enforcing the laws to recover the debts owed the company. Venture Capital The CEO for Venture Capital Trust Fund, Mr Yaw Owusu Berempong, disclosed that the former CEO of the Trust, Mr Daniel Duku, and two others have started refunding GH17.69 million they allegedly stole from the fund. He said the three accused persons started paying the money after admitting to giving loans to themselves using other companies. Mr Berempong added that per an arrangement they had with the State, Mr Duku was to refund over GH15 million, while his Executive Assistant, Mrs Irene Anti Mensah, and her husband, Mr Frank Aboagye Mensah, were both paying over GH2 million. He briefed the committee that between 2012 and 2015, 205 loans were granted to companies, and about 90 per cent of those loans were fraudulently processed and disbursed. And the total principal amount involved was 14.7million and interest had accrued on those loans to an amount of 42 million. For over two years we worked with both EOCO and BNI and the matter was eventually taken to court; six people were charged: Daniel Duku; former Board Member and Former MP for Keta, Richard Larsen; Irene Anti Mensah; Frank Aboagye Mensah; Charity Opoku, an Accountant; and Kofi Sarpong, an Investment Officer, he said. He added that two months ago, three out of the six, that is, Mr Duku and Mr and Mrs Mensah decided to go under the Section 35 of the Courts Acts [Act 459] which I understand allow them to negotiate settlement and compensation with the AG and plead guilty at Court. The Acting CEO of the PPA, Mr Frank Mantey, led the team from the authority to PAC to respond to audit queries in the 2017 Auditor Generals report. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An oil tanker chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka where an aircraft and two navy ships have been deployed to help in the rescue effort, navy representative Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa and sources said on Thursday. The fully loaded New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was heading to the port of Paradip in India where state-run IOC operates a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. It had sailed from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data showed. Rajapaksa said the VLCC is ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka. Sources had earlier said that the fire-hit vessel was off Colombo. "The Sri Lanka air force have scrambled an observation aircraft and the navy have sent in two ships to help with rescue efforts," Rajapaksa told Reuters. Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority said steps will be taken to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker which is carrying 270,000 tonnes of oil, local media reported. No immediate comment was available from IOC or Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Also read: State refiners stop oil imports from Chinese companies United States President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, will be traveling to Pennsylvania on Friday to begin her campaign, supporting her father's re-election and continued presidency. Ivanka is Trump's eldest daughter and is a senior adviser in the White House. She will be joining a fireside chat set to be conducted in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, this coming Friday afternoon. Trump's continued campaign The president's daughter said that Pennsylvania represented the heart of America and expressed her gratitude to be able to visit the iconic state once again. According to Fox News, Ivanka said that Pennsylvania citizens knew that Trump has continuously fought in support of their state for the last three years and has since delivered on his promises, which include the USMCA, tax cuts, and providing security for essential manufacturing jobs. Ivanka added that Trump would continue to support his programs and fight for them to ensure that Americans have access to better opportunities for the next four years if he gets re-elected. A Trump campaign official said that the event was political in nature and was not intended to raise funds. Last month, the personnel also said that Ivanka had successfully raised $7 million for her father's campaign by conducting two fundraisers. The events were hosted on Zoom and a Wyoming fireside chat. The campaign official told reporters that Trump planned to make stops on the campaign trail between now and when elections will be held. Ivanka's visit to the state of Pennsylvania comes after her address, which was made on the last night of the Republican National Convention (RNC), which was held last week. The senior adviser proudly considered her father as the president of the people who were not concerned with pleasing "Beltway elites." Also Read: Trump Points to 'Radical Ideology' as Reason for Political Violence in Kenosha Ally of American workers The president's daughter also called her father the "champion of the American worker" who, as the country's leader, defended common sense and was the voice of men and women of the nation that have been forgotten by others, as reported by MSN. The senior adviser later went on to address her father's personality, which she said was filled with strong convictions and that he was honest with what he believes and always expressed what was on his mind. Ivanka noted that whether someone was a supporter of Trump or another presidential candidate, no one can deny that he always expresses himself clearly and consistently shows his plans and intentions. The president's daughter said that her father's way of communicating is not taken well by everyone and that his social media posts are unfiltered. Despite the disagreements, she said that Trump's results speak for themselves. She continued to say that Trump has been unapologetic of his beliefs and methods and had her and the American people what the United States and its citizens stand for. During her speech, Ivanka also said that she and several others want to bring a future where children can continue to believe in American greatness. Related Article: Trump Pushes for Nationwide Eviction Moratorium Through 2020 to Keep Americans Off The Streets @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Rawai Mayor to ban dogs on Nai Harn Beach PHUKET: Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos will ban people from walking their dogs along Nai Harn Beach, enforced by a fine of up to B2,000 for whoever violates the ban. animalsSafetytourism By The Phuket News Thursday 3 September 2020, 11:03AM People will be banned from bringing their own dogs onto Nai Harn Beach, but the strays will stay. Photo: Phuket Lifeguard Service The move follows a report that one visitor to the beach was set upon by two dogs that another visitor had brought to the beach, but allowed the dogs to roam free. We will post signs to explain that dogs are not allowed to be brought onto the beach. They will not be allowed on the sand, but they will be allowed on the grass area near the beach from 7am to 7pm every day, Mayor Aroon told The Phuket News. The sign will also show that whoever violates the rule will be fined up to B2,000, he added. We [Rawai Municipality officials] will discuss this rule and the fine together this week, Mayor Aroon added. Mayor Aroon added that the number of stray dogs at the beach was also a concern. However, he added that he had never received a report that anyone at the beach had been attacked by the stray dogs there. I have been informed that many stray dogs are in the area, and some of these dogs have scared some visitors at the beach, but I have not heard of anyone being bitten or attacked by these dogs. I think they are not aggressive and have not tried to bite anyone, he said. If a dog does attack any visitor, I will send officers there to have the dog removed, he added. Mayor Aroon noted that many of the stray dogs at the beach tend to be well cared for. Some people take food to give to them at the beach, while others give them food at the temple [nearby]. The dogs do not get food from trash at the beach, as the trash is cleared from Nai Harn beach every day, he said. Three University of Arizona engineers are involved in the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, part of a $625 million federal program to foster quantum innovation in the United States Three University of Arizona engineers are part of the newly established $115 million Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab. The center aims to build a quantum computer and develop quantum sensors that could lead to discoveries about dark matter and other elusive subatomic particles. "The SQMS Center will combine the theoretical and experimental expertise of individual research groups to advance long-term success of quantum technologies," said Bane Vasi?, professor of electrical and computer engineering and mathematics and a member of the university's BIO5 Institute. The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center is part of a $625 million federal program to foster quantum innovation in the United States. Total planned Department of Energy funding for the center is $115 million over five years, with $15 million in fiscal year 2020 and future funding contingent on congressional appropriations. Center partners are contributing an additional $8 million in matching funds over five years. The center includes 20 partner institutions worldwide across academia, government and industry, and more than 80 experts in fields such as superconducting technologies, atomic physics and quantum information science. University of Arizona researchers are working on quantum error correction and quantum sensor networks. Vasi?, a pioneer in classical error correction and fault-tolerant decoders, is adapting his algorithms to ensure information processed in a quantum computer remains intact. "It has been widely recognized that not only quantum computers but communications systems and networks fundamentally hinge upon quantum error correction, or QEC," said Vasi?. "Designing good QEC codes and decoders is arguably the most important theoretical challenge facing scalable practical realizations of quantum-enabled information processing systems." Zheshen Zhang, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and optical sciences, and Quntao Zhuang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and optical sciences, are focused on increasing the precision of quantum sensing for applications including GPS systems, astronomy laboratories, biomedical imaging and fundamental physics. "The University of Arizona has both theoretical and experimental expertise, and we have three very complementary roles for this sensing effort," Zhang said. Power of Quantum for the Greater Good Information in classical computers is stored in bits - units of information that exist as either 0 or 1. What makes quantum computing exponentially more powerful is that its information is stored in qubits, which can exist as 0 and 1 simultaneously. However, qubits are extremely fragile and prone to collapsing, or decoherence. In fact, many of today's highest performing qubits maintain information for only milliseconds at a time. Researchers at the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center plan to design and fabricate qubits that maintain coherence thousands of times longer. "Unless we address and overcome the issue of quantum system decoherence, we will not be able to build quantum computers that solve new complex and important problems. The same applies to quantum sensors with the range of sensitivity needed to address long-standing questions in many fields of science," said Anna Grassellino of Fermilab, the director of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center. "Overcoming this crucial limitation would allow us to have a great impact in the life sciences, biology, medicine, national security and enable measurements of incomparable precision and sensitivity in basic science." UArizona Team Spearheads Sensing Efforts The university's contributions are critical to mitigating qubit decoherence and developing quantum sensing applications, including for the observation of dark matter and gravitational waves. "Error correction in sensing is fundamentally different from in computing," Zhuang said. "We developed codes particularly for sensing to allow the sensing advantage from entanglement and other quantum effects to survive even when there's loss or environmental imperfections." This announcement about the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center comes on the heels of news that the University of Arizona is leading a $26 million National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center called the Center for Quantum Networks. Vasi?, Zhang and Zhuang are all involved in the Center for Quantum Networks, which is helping lay the foundation for a quantum internet. "It's an exciting time in the College of Engineering, as teams of our researchers work on efforts to revolutionize the way we compute, communicate and sense," said David W. Hahn, Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. "SQMS is focused on addressing some of the most fundamental barriers to quantum computing, and I know the expertise of Bane, Zheshen and Quntao will prove invaluable." The centers are also dedicated to inspiring and training students. In tandem with the research being done at the Center for Quantum Networks and the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, the university is developing a graduate program in quantum information science and engineering. "Quantum computing is going to completely transform our current technology and become a driver for the economy," Zhang said. "We expect the centers will play a major role in changing the next generation of our workforce." ### In addition to the University of Arizona, Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center institutions include the Department of Energy Ames Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Goldman Sachs, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Janis Research, Johns Hopkins University, Lockheed Martin, the NASA Ames Research Center, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Northwestern University, Rigetti Computing, Stanford University, Temple University, Unitary Fund, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the University of Padova, Italy. Read more at the DOE: energy.gov/articles/white-house-office-technology-policy-national-science-foundation-and-department-energy The government says its doors are still open for more engagement with all stakeholders in the minerals sector, in a bid to activate applicable portions of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) ACT, 2018 as part of the implementation process of the Agyapa Royalties deal. The Agyapa Royalties deal has engaged a public debate with the Minority in Parliament and civil society organisations saying the deal is not in the best interest of Ghana The minority at a press conference addressed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, on Wednesday September 2, 2020 stated that the deal among other things has several short-comings in terms of constitutional requirements and reeks of corruption, an allegation government has refuted. Addressing a media briefing on Thursday, September 3, 2020, the Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, negated the claims by the minority and stressed that the government will not engage in any practice that will come at a loss to the nation. According to Mr. Hadzide, the governments swift action to addressing the concerns of Ghanaians regarding the Agyapa Royalties deal is a clear testament of a listening government. It is noteworthy that governments engagement with CSOs may have helped clarify some misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding the deal, Mr. Hadzide noted. Mr. Hadzide further stated that government is keen on bringing all citizens of this nation along with it, as it embarks on the exciting and novel journey of adding value to the countrys numerous natural resources and leverage the countrys assets for a better tomorrow, thats in keeping with the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda. Government has the welfare of Ghanaians gravely at heart and all its efforts are directed towards securing the future of the people.Government shall continue to work in the best interest of the Ghanaian people, use our nations resources to leverage our assets for tomorrow, and that government continues to keep its eyes on the ball, Mr. Hadzide stressed. Agyapa deal in Ghanas interest Finance Minister The government has maintained that the approval of five agreements to allow a special purpose vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties Limited, to leverage Ghanas mineral royalties to secure about $1 billion is in the best interest of Ghana. The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, has explained that the deal would allow the government to leverage Ghanas mineral royalties to finance large infrastructural projects, especially in mining communities. The minister has subsequently dispelled some public assertions that the deal was shrouded in secrecy and raised conflict of interest issues. He has stressed that due procedure was followed in enacting the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, 2018 (Act 978) and the subsequent approval of the five agreements that paved the way for Agyapa Royalties to own the rights to mineral royalties in the country. This deal is not hasty, it is not rushed and not shrouded in any secrecy because we have been working at it since 2018. We are confident that Agyapa is going to be the largest company in Africa in the mineral royalty space and it is in the best interest of this country, the Minister stressed. The agreement On Friday, August 14, 2020, Parliament approved five agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetise its mineral income accruing to the state in a sustainable and responsible manner. That would be by allowing the MIIF, created by Act 978 of 2018, to incorporate a subsidiary/subsidiaries and use them as SPVs to engage in pure commercial private sector transactions to maximise the mineral royalties from the 12 gold mines, with four penciled to come on stream in the medium term. The approval covered the Minerals Royalties Agreement, the Amended and Restated Minerals Royalties Investment Agreement and the relationship agreement among the government, the MIIF, Agyapa Royalties Limited and ARG Royalties Ghana. The rest are the assignment agreement between the MIIF and Agyapa Royalties for the assignment of the right of the fund to Agyapa to receive the royalty value due from ARG under the investment agreement for the acquisition of the allocated minerals royalties from the fund in consideration for shares to be issued by Agyapa to the fund at an agreed price of $1 billion. The approval was to enable the country to use Agyapa Royalties as an SPV to secure about $1 billion and leverage to finance mines in Ghana and across Africa. The yields accruing could also be used to finance large infrastructural projects by the MIIF. By that agreement, 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, which are expected to be raised from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) through initial public offers (IPOs), will be a long-term capital, without a corresponding increase in Ghanas total debt stock, and hence without a public debt repayment obligation. Brouhaha However, following the approval of those agreements, some groups, including the Minority in Parliament, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some civil society organisations (CSOs), have raised concerns that the agreements were opaque and amounted to the mortgaging of the future of Ghana. The opposition NDC raised concerns that the deal was shrouded in secrecy, with its flag bearer, Mr John Mahama, serving notice that he would cancel the deal if he won power. Additionally, a coalition of 15 CSOs called the Alliance of CSOs working on Extractive, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, is demanding the immediate suspension of the implementation of the controversial SPV, Agyapa Royalties Limited. The coalition said until there was full disclosure on the beneficial ownership of Agyapa Royalties, the implementation of the deal should be deferred. Agyapa Royalties goes public - Listing on Ghana, London stock exchanges by December The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) is racing to float shares of its special purpose vehicle (SPV) on the Ghana and the London stock exchanges before the end of the year. The main subsidiary of the MIIF and holding company, Agyapa Royalties Investment Ltd, will be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), while its subsidiary, ARG Royalties Ltd, will be quoted on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), both through initial public offers (IPOs). 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 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 Dont meddle in border dispute with India, China tells US India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: China on Thursday accused the US of meddling in the border standoff with India, saying Beijing and New Delhi have the ability to resolve their disputes bilaterally. "China and India have the ability to resolve their border disputes bilaterally. We don't accept countries outside the region pointing fingers, let alone meddling or making instigation, which will only endanger the regional peace and stability," said Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong. Ji said China favours a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through peaceful and friendly consultations". The two sides have been in talks at various levels to seek a peaceful settlement of the boundary issue, she said. "The Chinese side firmly opposes it. We urge the US side to respect facts and truth, stop smearing and spreading rumours," Ji said. "China has always insisted on resolving territorial and maritime disputes with neighboring countries through consultations and negotiations on the basis of respecting historical facts, to maintain regional peace and stability," it said. Brigadier level talks between India-China over Pangong Tso remain inconclusive After China carried out provocative military movements in Ladakh in August-end, US Diplomat David Stilwell stated that China is trying to take advantage of the coronavirus outbreak and India 'is one of those examples'. "What we have seen since the corona outbreak from Wuhan is it seems the PRC (People's Republic of China) is trying to take advantage of the situation, and India, I think, is one of those examples of that. So to our friends in Beijing, I would ask them to follow their commitment to resolve these things through peaceful means and dialogue," David Stilwell said at a press briefing. The Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs also reiterated Secretary Pompeo's remarks that the United States hopes for a peaceful resolution to the border standoff between India and China. The US diplomat's remark comes after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Army's attempt on the night of August 29 and 30 to transgress into areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso. Further talking about China's engagement in other areas, Stilwell said, "...many conflicts that are going on in China's periphery right now. You mentioned Tibet. Xinjiang - very concerned still about what they're doing there. Hong Kong activities, South China Sea - I could go on and on." Earlier, Pompeo had slammed the Chinese Communist Party for engaging in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 22:50 [IST] Actor Kangana Ranaut has once again kicked up a controversy after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Ranauts comment was in response to a remark by Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, asking her not to come back to the city after she claimed she felt unsafe here. In a tweet, Ranaut said: Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai, after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir? The Sena MP had recently slammed Ranaut in an article in Saamana, the party mouthpiece, in which he condemned her for being critical of the Mumbai Police. He asked her not to come back to Mumbai given her opinions of the city. The Sena was first to condemn Ranaut, accusing her of demeaning the city and its police force. If everything about the city is horrible then why does she want to return to the city? remarked Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A month before he ended his first stint as Japans prime minister in 2007, Shinzo Abe addressed the Indian Parliament in New Delhi. Quoting the Mughal scholar-prince Dara Shikoh, Abe spoke of the confluence of the two seas the Indian and Pacific Oceans that were undergoing a dynamic coupling as seas of freedom and of prosperity. India and Japan, said Abe, shared an interest in and responsibility for securing these seas by joining forces with like-minded countries. In the years since, it has become commonplace to speak of the Indo-Pacific. Abes vision, as expressed then, is now integral to how diplomats and politicians across Asia, Oceania and beyond have begun to think. No leader in recent memory has so completely and profoundly transformed strategic thinking in Asia. This point should not be lost now that Abe is stepping down from a second spell as prime minister, the longest in Japans history. However sweeping the changes he instituted at home, his successors are likely to continue most of his domestic policies. Where Abes absence will be felt most keenly is in the region he transformed just as dramatically. Asian democracies will have to hope that Japan continues down the path Abe laid out, for several reasons. First, they need the Japanese government to push its powerful corporations to think strategically about investing in countries such as India. Such jawboning makes a difference, especially during crises like the one the region is suffering at the moment. As one researcher puts it, the government in Tokyo can nudge its companies into uncharacteristically rapid decisions when it comes to overseas investment. Japans pandemic stimulus package didnt only include a subsidy for companies that considered reshoring their production; it earmarked a fraction of that money for those who wished to shift production from China to Southeast Asia. Such policy markers have an impact that dwarfs the actual sums of money involved. Story continues Second, the countries of the Indo-Pacific need a self-confident Japan to continue to promote its values overseas. This is partly a question of sustaining a positive, liberal narrative that continues to stress the importance of open seas and open markets. But its also about hard cash: Under the Abe model, Japan has invested strongly in the regions infrastructure, both directly and through the Asian Development Bank. Many growth-hungry countries in Asia are struggling to attract Western finance and are concerned about the strings attached to Chinese investment. Japans huge pool of investible savings is central to their aspirations for development. Finally, the Indo-Pacific needs Abes central project to continue. Japan must see itself as a sensible and reliable participant in military partnerships aimed at deterring and managing Chinas regional ambitions. Neighbors might respect Japans deep-rooted concerns about militarism. But Asia cannot afford a Japan that turns inward again. I recognize that each of these questions deeply implicates Japans self-image and therefore might take a generation to change. Getting conservative corporations to look outward and tolerate greater risk is quite a challenge when even creative young entrepreneurs in Japan rarely think about overseas markets for their innovations. Efforts to rebrand Japans external presence and its diplomatic image are complicated by bureaucratic indifference and troubled histories. Many of Abes policies both abroad and at home may have been responses to the specific circumstances in which Japan found itself. Faced with a graying population, an undependable U.S. and a rising China, the country doesnt have too many options other than to seek out regional allies. Yet I for one still worry that the energy Abe brought to the difficult task of making over Japans role in the world will be lost now that hes left the scene. That would be a disaster for the regions democracies. Abes reference to like-minded countries in his 2007 speech seems prescient today, given the global slide towards illiberalism, including within our own polities. The day Abe returned to office in 2012, he wrote a column that pushed his notion of the Indo-Pacific even further, specifying that the regions democracies needed to commit themselves to preserving the common good. This was a prime minister who, for better or worse, seemed to see himself first of all as a convener of and evangelizer to the democracies of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Today, as India confronts Chinese troops in the high Himalaya, Australia wrestles with Beijings influence within its borders and the U.S. seems consumed by internal divides, Abes very Japanese form of assertiveness seems more irreplaceable than ever. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Mihir Sharma is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was a columnist for the Indian Express and the Business Standard, and he is the author of Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy. 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 festival will present self-guided exterior tours and online explorations of buildings and urban spaces in more than 20 city neighborhoods, as well as the neighboring suburbs of Evanston and Oak Park. The neighborhoods will include 10 areas on the South and West Sides that are the focus of Mayor Lori Lightfoots Invest South/West program, which seeks to revive struggling business districts. Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has recognized five Intermountain Healthcare hospitals as equity leaders for their caregiver's dedication to LGBTQ+ inclusion. The honor by The Human Rights Campaign highlights Intermountain's commitment to equity, inclusion, and a commitment to ensuring that everyone in the community feels welcome and safe when receiving care. The HRC envisions a world where every member of the LGBTQ+ family has the freedom to live their truth without fear, and with equality under the law. The five Intermountain hospitals earning HRC recognition this year received the highest score of 100. They include: "We are proud of Intermountain's leadership teams, Office of Diversity, LGBTQ+ Caregiver Resource Group, and caregivers who have demonstrated our commitment to more just and equitable healthcare," said Kevan Mabbutt, executive sponsor of LGBTQ+ caregiver resource group at Intermountain. "This recognition does not signal a victory but is a call to action to truly embody what it means to be a leader in LGBTQ+ healthcareand we are certainly up to the task." The HRC uses a scoring system called the Healthcare Equality Index which looks at four categories including: patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policy, along with patient and community engagement. Intermountain recognizes a person's sexual orientation and gender identity is an important part of their overall health picture. Intermountain knows those in the LGBTQ+ community face some health issues at a higher rate but may be less likely to seek care. This past year, Intermountain teamed with the Utah Pride Center for a "Take Pride in Your Health" campaign, that educated and urged members of the LGBTQ+ community to focus on their mental and physical well-being, while ensuring they know Intermountain is a welcoming resource and safe environment or their healthcare. This is the first time Intermountain applied for the HRC consideration. HRC President Alphonso David said providing inclusive care for everyone in the community has been vital, especially in during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The health care facilities participating in the HRC Foundation's Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) are not only on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also making it clear from their participation in the HEI that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients," David said. For more information on Intermountain's LGBTQ+ programs click here. For more information on the HRC rankings click here. Story continues ### About Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainhealthcare.org. Attachment CONTACT: Glen Beeby Intermountain Healthcare (801) 507-2011 glen.beeby@imail.org Dhaka, Sep 4 : 617 metric tons of fish worth Tk 12 crore died in ponds and water bodies of Rajshahi due to lack of oxygen because of scorching heat, said District Fisheries official. Rajshahi District Fisheries Officer Alak Kumar told IANS, "Around 617 metric tons of fish died in the district after the weather suddenly turned bad on Tuesday. The sky was covered with thick clouds and there was no wind which caused lack of oxygen in the ponds and canals that caused death of the fish." The District Fisheries Officer said that the fish traders will have to bear a loss of Tk 11.73 crore but the traders said that the loss will be much more than this. The farmers said Ruhi Katla fish, which weighs around three to seven kg, was sold for only Tk 50-90. A lot of traders didn't even bring dead fish to the market while some of them buried them in the ground. Manirul Islam, a fish trader from Naohata area of Paba Upazila, said, "Fish weighing four to five ounce died on Tuesday night due to lack of oxygen as the sky was cloudy for the whole day. On Wednesday, we sold some less rotten fish to the people at only Tk 50 per kg, however, some better fish were sold at Tk 90 per kg but still we suffered a heavy loss." Another fish trader from Kachari Kowalpara, a village in Bagmara Upazila, Abdul Majid said, "I suffered a loss of Tk 6 lakh as fish in my pond spread in six bigha died due to lack of oxygen. I buried all of them in the ground." Huzur Ali, a fish trader from Maria village, said that all the fish in his two ponds spread in 20 bigha died. "Katla weighing seven kg and Rui weighing 2.5 kg were taken to the market but were not sold due to which I suffered a loss of Tk 20 lakh," he said. Tofzuddin Ahmed, Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department of Rajshahi Division, said, "Reports of deaths of fish were received from all the districts of Rajshahi division. However, exact statistics are still not available." A lot of ponds had big fish for sale but due to corona traders were not selling them. Fish in ponds with much higher concentration and oxygen making machines didn't died. "Please call me Barack," the president-elect said to designer Michael S. Smith when they met in the Obamas' Chicago home in 2008, right after Barack Obama was voted into office. "This was the first and last time I did for nearly the next decade," Smith writes in his new book, "Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House," which he wrote with Margaret Russell, former editor in chief of Architectural Digest. Using the president's first name, Smith says, just didn't seem to show enough respect. The book - Smith's sixth - explores his work creating a home for the Obamas at the mansion. Smith, 56, shares how he planned and executed this once-in-a-lifetime design job, which included the private quarters, Oval Office and many other parts of the White House. White House decorator is an unofficial position that focuses on preserving national antiques and art and designing rooms that are a backdrop for history. But it goes beyond that. "White House decorators are tasked with creating a comfortable home for the first family, practically overnight," Russell says. They should be design problem-solvers and troubleshooters, she says, and they work with "intense logistical restraints within what is essentially an iconic yet timeworn museum." For Smith, creating personal spaces for the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, and Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was the most important aspect of the job. "Immediately, he understood that we were a young family with two little girls who preferred Crate & Barrel over antique credenzas," writes Michelle Obama in the introduction of the book. "The residence became a true refuge where our family could simply be a family, where our girls could grow into young women with voices of their own." Shortly after the election, the newly named White House social secretary, Desiree Rogers, brought Smith to the Obamas' attention. Rogers was a neighbor of one of Smith's Chicago clients. A native of California, Smith launched his own design firm in 1990 and built a reputation for mixing modern with antiques and making even the most formal rooms comfortable. His list of clients includes Cindy Crawford, Rupert Murdoch and Michelle Pfeiffer. His job lasted all eight years of Obama's presidency and included a range of projects. Smith helped the Obamas select art by noted contemporary artists such as Alma Thomas, Josef Albers and Robert Rauschenberg. Those pieces were mixed with antiques in a redo of the Old Family Dining Room. He also made thoughtful changes to bring the house graciously into the modern age. In Sasha's and Malia's rooms, for example, he added cool Anthropologie rugs and replaced formal Georgian-style crystal chandeliers with rainbow-colored dangling fixtures made by Magpie Art Collective, a South African craft studio. Smith gracefully upgraded ancient lighting systems throughout the house, adding recessed lighting and dimmers and making sure the museum masterpieces hanging on the walls were properly illuminated. He advised Michelle Obama on the particular Pantone blue color that best represented the bluish-green waters of Hawaii, to be used on the official Obama state china service. And he helped her select Bennington Potters stoneware made in Vermont to add to the family kitchen. He took a hint from Michelle Obama's penchant for mixing high and low. She was known for acts such as tossing a J.Crew cardigan over a dress by one of her favorite designers. Similarly, Smith would take a fancy room and add elements and fabrics to make it feel less formal. In the first lady's dressing room and private office, he arranged cozy throws and club chairs. In the Obamas' bedroom, done in soft blues and neutrals, a 19th-century mahogany bed from the White House collection provided, he writes, "a real sanctuary in a room, a retreat within a retreat." He added contemporary swing-arm lamps within the bed curtains to provide light for late-night reading. In the Oval Office, Smith writes, he designed "a no-drama room for a no-drama president," going with a neutral palette that warmly accented the 19th-century Resolute desk. He installed a custom rug ringed with favorite Obama quotes from John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and others, and he added an American Shaker bowl - always filled with apples - atop a table made of walnut and mica. The result artfully mixes the past with modern details. The book includes photos of a number of rooms in the private quarters that were never shared with the public, such as Sasha's and Malia's bedrooms. Smith says keeping all of his White House projects under wraps "was a little like playing Twister." He was ordering fabrics and wallpapers from vendors using a secret code: BOB. "We have a code for every client. You can't just say they are for the White House," Smith says. Smith made dozens of trips to Washington from Los Angeles at his own expense as he, like most presidential decorators, donated his services. (The Obamas paid for the decoration of their family quarters themselves.) He stayed at the Hay-Adams hotel in a room overlooking the White House. "I wanted to be able to see it from the window," he says. "I never got over the excitement of working there." Smith recalls that, on the days he had meetings at the White House, he would avoid putting on his suit until the last minute. "I'm from California, and the idea of wearing a suit was like, 'Oh no,' " Smith says. "I would then walk across Lafayette Square and wait to get cleared in. For some reason, there was always some delay and it was always raining, and I would show up with my suit soaking wet." He sometimes ran over to Georgetown to shop for furnishings at John Rosselli or Pottery Barn. Regrets? Smith doesn't have many, except maybe that he didn't have time to design for Camp David, the Maryland presidential mountain retreat where foreign dignitaries are often hosted. Near the end of Obama's second term, Smith was asked to refresh Aspen Lodge, the president's cabin at Camp David, and he and his partner, James Costos, a former HBO executive who was then the U.S. ambassador to Spain, were invited to visit. (A photo of the invitation is included in the book and reads: "This card entitles Mr. Michael Smith & Ambassador James Costos to a fun-filled weekend at Camp David.") It didn't look exactly as he imagined. "I had this fantasy movie vision of Camp David in my head that it looked like an Adirondack camp. It really isn't like that," Smith says. "It's just a bunch of really clean and comfortable bungalows." He shared a few suggestions for paint colors and furniture arrangements. He spoke to a friend at Ralph Lauren about ideas for a new all-American look. Then he ran out of time. "We wanted to do so much," Smith says. "But then you see the end is coming and - this happens in every administration - you do what you can to finish strong." Now that we can go back to the movies, should we? Here's what the rules, and science, says. Read more Movie theaters in Philadelphia and New Jersey are opening back up, which means were allowed to go back to something that was popular in the before times: a night at the movies. Indoor movie theaters in Philadelphia are allowed to reopen on Sept. 8, as city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley announced last month. And New Jersey movie theaters can reopen on Friday, Sept. 4, as Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. (Movie theaters in the Philadelphia suburbs have been open since late June, when Southeastern Pennsylvania moved into the green phase.) READ MORE: How to do everything better right now, a collection of our most useful stories But just because movie theaters are allowed to reopen, does that mean its safe to go? Here is a breakdown of the rules theaters must follow, what epidemiologists think, and how you can keep yourself a little safer if you decide to go: What do movie theaters have to do? First, theaters have to limit their capacity. In Philadelphia, theaters can only have 25 people in a single screening room, and they cannot exceed 50% of their total occupancy, according to reopening guidance from the city. Movie theaters in New Jersey are limited to 25% capacity or 150 people per showing, whichever is smaller. Social distancing is required. In Philadelphia, that means staying six feet apart while buying tickets, and rows and seats will be blocked off to keep six feet between people other than family groups. New Jersey allows groups that buy tickets together to sit together, though they must be six feet apart from others. You should also expect increased cleaning. That means hand-washing or sanitizing stations throughout the building, and frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces like railings and armrests. Theaters are also supposed to increase ventilation by opening windows or doors on opposite sides of the building, though how much a difference that may make in an enclosed theater isnt clear. Some movie theater chains like AMC and Landmark Theatres have also signed onto a voluntary program called CinemaSafe, developed by the National Association of Theater Owners. The program calls for additional precautions for hand hygiene, PPE, increased HVAC ventilation, and disinfection. Do I have to wear a mask in a movie theater? Yes. City guidelines require all staff and visitors wear masks while on site, while New Jersey requires masks to be worn unless attendees are removing them to eat or drink concessions, according to a release from the state. So in N.J. theaters, people may take off their masks while they eat. In Philly, you are required to wear a mask the entire time you are in the theater. Philadelphia theaters cannot serve food or drink. So, should I go to a movie right now? It depends. Ultimately, says Seth Welles, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexels Dornsife School of Public Health, choosing to go to a movie theater is an individual choice. Its really up to the individual as to how much risk theyre willing to take, Welles says. How do you reduce risk, and is it enough to you? If you leave the movie theater and live in terror for five days after, is it worth it? I dont think so. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, being in a movie theater is considered a higher-risk activity. This, Welles says, is because its a congregate activity that involves being around crowds in an enclosed space. That could pose a risk of transmission from aerosols especially if people take their masks off after the lights go down as aerosols can stay in the air for a long time, and move well beyond the six to eight feet around you, he adds. You hope they are bringing in fresh air, and have good ventilation and air exchange, Welles says. Transmission occurs because of a certain critical number of particles. If you can reduce the number of particles, you can reduce the probability that youll get infected. Safety really depends on the individual movie theater, says Henry F. Raymond, epidemiologist and associate professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health. It comes down to a variety of factors, he says, such as capacity limits, a high-functioning HVAC system, and enforcement of social distancing and mask use. If done right, he says, going to a movie could be done relatively safely. However, its worth mentioning that neither epidemiologist said they would be going to a movie theater right now. How can I lower my risk? If you decide to go, there are some ways to lower your risk of getting or spreading COVID-19. Raymond recommends calling your theater and asking about their coronavirus precautions. Welles suggests scoping out the theater and crowd before going in to make sure both moviegoers and employees are following mask and social distancing rules. And, if you decide you arent comfortable, and dont feel safe, leave. You could also go to a weekday matinee, which is generally less busy, Raymond says. And, of course, practice social distancing and wear your mask, or supplement it with a face shield, as Welles recommends. That may be hard in a theater, it may not be as pleasurable, Welles says. But if you dont mind a face shield, wear one, and dont care about what other people think. As an extra precaution, you could also bring sanitizing wipes with you to wipe down your seat before the show begins, though, as Welles notes, there is little evidence that the coronavirus can be picked up from surfaces. You have to be almost aggressively mindful about this stuff, Welles says. Remember: masks and gloves, they reduce risk, but they dont totally eliminate risk. There is still some risk; you have to ask yourself whether you are willing to do it or not. Are there safer options? In a word, yes. Staying at home and streaming a new release is, obviously, a totally safe alternative to going out to a theater, Welles says. Whats nice is you can comment and talk to everyone in your house and not bother other people, Welles says. Its not quite as communal of an activity, which is attractive to people, but this is a time where we have to put off doing these things so we can reduce the amount of transmission and defuse this pandemic. Drive-in movie theaters are another safer option, and there is no shortage in the area. Last month, the Philadelphia Film Society even started drive-in showings at the Navy Yard. Or, you could even set up your own backyard movie night with relative ease, provided you have the space. However, in the end, going out to the movies right now is a personal choice, and every persons situation is slightly different. People have to take their own risk into account while bearing in mind the potential effects on other people, Raymond says. Is it worth the risk to my friends and family when I can watch Mulan on Disney+? I get that it is a different experience in the theater. And we all need a break. Enforcement action has been taken against a care home in Derry after a string of failings were uncovered by Northern Irelands health watchdog. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) carried out an inspection last month at Rectory Field care home on Limavady Road in the Waterside area of Derry. The inspection highlighted a number of issues with the care being provided by the home which is run by the Western Trust. A Trust spokesperson yesterday told the Derry News that they had taken 'immediate action' to carry out the improvements needed at the local home. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic the Western Trust decided to maximise the use of residential homes to reduce pressure on hospital services. Rectory Field was re-purposed as a dedicated step-down facility for non-Covid patients to enable them to exit hospital quickly and continue on their rehabilitation journey towards home. There was one permanent resident at the start of the pandemic and this resident was asked to locate to another residential home which they were willing to do. The Waterside home is registered with RQIA for 20 bridging beds and 15 residential beds. However, during the surge planning, RQIA were informed that the Trust would be using the home to provide 30 step-down beds. Among the failings highlighted by the recent RQIA inspection on August 11 was the fact that residents transferred from hospital to the home were not isolated in line with the current COVID-19 guidance. RQIA officials also discovered that staff in the home were not wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE). A report stated that a staff member who greeted the inspector was not wearing PPE and a care assistant was observed entering the kitchen without the correct PPE. The inspectors temperature was not checked on arrival, the report added. As a result of the issues discovered, the health watchdog subsequently issued six 'Failure to Comply Notices' to Rectory Field residential care home on August 21. These related to the home's registration status, care, record keeping, medicines management, infection prevention/control, staffing and the fitness of the premises. Amongst other failings highlighted in the report, it said senior care assistants were administering medications on occasions, and completing monthly drug orders instead of registered nurses on duty. Falls risk assessments were not completed on admission to the home and there was no evidence that accident and incident records were appropriately maintained. The inspector noted that the treatment room door was left open and the lid of the medication disposal bin and sharp boxes were open which presented a potential risk to residents. In addition, the inspector stated: A serious medication incident involving a controlled drug, which was reported to the Consultant Pharmacist on June 18, 2020, was not reported to RQIA. There was no evidence available to confirm that staff medicine competencies has been reviewed following the incident, the report added. In response to the enforcement action, a Western Trust spokesperson said the Trust has taken immediate action where areas of improvement required were highlighted. The Trust is currently taking forward an action plan in order to implement any recommendations made as part of the RQIA report. The spokesperson added: Western Trust staff have acted promptly in relation to the issues raised as a result of the RQIA inspection which is reflective of the Trusts willingness to learn from these experiences and address them, to ensure the provision of high quality safe services for patients in a clean environment. It is important that we learn from other organisations such as RQIA who assess our services. This helps us to continually improve what we do to help ensure we provide responsive care and support. Sushant Singh Rajput's death has left his family, friends and fans in shock. What's even more sad is that the actor's work is being appreciated after death. Also, many people, who are not even associated with the actor, are talking about him, mostly to gain publicity! The late actor's ex gymmate Angad Hasija feels the same. Angad feels that people are leveraging his death for their own publicity, and suddenly Sushant has become everyone's favourite. Angad was quoted by ETimes in Chandigarh as saying, "I feel people are leveraging his death for their own publicity. How weird is it that when a person dies, they are forming fan clubs after him, naming places in his memory, people are appreciating him and his talent is being recognised and saying all possible nice things about him. But if they liked him so much, why didn't they appreciate him when he was alive? What's the point of saying nice things about him now when he's gone?" Angad was Sushant's gymmate in Mumbai. The duo became friends during the making of Zara Nachke Dikha. The actor said that although he was equally shocked like other actors when he heard about Sushant's news, he didn't talk about him initially. The Bidaai actor concluded by saying, "I didn't give any interviews then about Sushant because I feel one who is gone to God should be sent off with good vibes, not with all this drama that is going on. I find it so strange, that suddenly he has become everyone's favourite!" Also Read: Sharad Malhotra On Sushant's Death Case: Saddening To See Very Few People Spoke About Justice Teresa Shahin and Oscar Hechter, high school seniors working together on laptops on the deck at the Westport Public Library, described the start of classes next week as organized chaos and controlled chaos and they werent talking about the friction in places such as West Haven and New Haven. No, for them and just about everyone across the state, the school reopening means chaos everywhere as Connecticut goes back to classes in a new, weird and fractured way. Looking across the state, theres some good chaos and some tense chaos as the 170 or so school districts find their way without a state template, each with parents and students who want answers they cant have, each with teachers who want COVID-19 protections that schools cant guarantee. Its the big stuff such as clear plans for distancing and creative schedules which are driving working parents bonkers but its also the little stuff, like Hechter insisting hes going to eat lunch outdoors at Staples High School, for added safety. No, Shahin taunts him, he wont be allowed to do that. What if you have math on the third floor, youre going to go out in the courtyard? And all of that is before we start to see active COVID cases in the schools which inevitably will happen. Superintendents say theyre ready for that. Shahin, who is staying home for her classes (Im a little bit nervous about it being a disadvantage) and Hechter, both 17, are skeptical. They predict everyone will be back home in a couple of weeks. I ultimately dont think its going to work out that well, Shahin said on a late afternoon Tuesday that, fittingly, turned from hot and sunny to cool and cloudy as if to signal the end of summer as we spoke. She added, Theyre doing their best. Teacher backlash In West Haven, the school board faced dozens of upset teachers at an August meeting. The American Federation of Teachers union, which represents 15,000 teachers and non-certified school staff statewide, filed a labor complaint with the state over what it calls inadequate safety. The superintendent is not working with the unions, AFT Connecticut President Jan Hochadel said. We cant make people safe but you can help people feel safe. That superintendent, Neil Cavallaro, rebuffs the charges, saying the school system is working to address all legitimate concerns and has done it well. I talk to a lot of teachers every day who say We cant wait to get back, he told me Wednesday. In this particular case I dont believe the union is speaking for the majority of the teachers...Theres that union stalwart group, theyre taking it to the max. Cavallaro and his board have taken a harder line than some districts, not allowing the roughly 20 teachers with medical reasons to stay home, to work remotely. They must take sick leave or some other form of time off, as allowed by law, but he said he simply doesnt have regular work to offer them from home. We needed to do what we needed to do in order to open school and okay the unions upset, but you know what, at the end of the day were going to place teachers where we need to place them, he said. Thats partly because West Haven has opted for all students to return to classes all five days of the week, in shortened, 4 1/2-hour school days. They will receive boxed lunches, and breakfast for the next morning, at the end of the curtailed day. Making matters more complex, neighboring New Haven opting for at least 10 weeks of at-home schooling (raise your hand if you think theyll be back for Week 11), has added about 70 to 80 students to West Haven High School, some of whom returned because their regional magnet schools in New Haven wont reopen live and in-person. In all, about 17 percent of students, or just over one in six, opted to stay home, Cavallaro said. There really are no experts in this because no ones done it, Cavallaro said. We could have the greatest plan in the world but until the kids walk in the door, were going to say Gee, we thought wed thought of everything. Not enough for at-risk teachers Thats pretty much what were seeing across the state: Everyone returning to a system that we just cant predict. The chaos, large and small, is inevitable. In Shelton, parent Louise Casinelli Ryon has followed the changes this summer but still has questions as her son starts 10th grade worried about riding the bus. What about the first day of school, when half the kids arent physically present? What about siblings with different last names, who may be assigned to different days? And speaking of the bus, Casinelli Ryon said late Monday, We still do not have a bus schedule with school starting a week from now. As for teacher safety, not a small detail, Donald E. Williams, executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teacher union, said most districts have engaged with teachers over safety conditions. But he said, I can tell you that its the majority of districts that are not providing accommodations for teachers who are at-risk. Williams, a former state Senate president pro-tem, declined to name the most flagrant districts. And he said the chaotic issues of tweaking and changes are not the result of bad planning, but rather reflect how we should expect a vast national reopening of schools to unfold. For people who need clear answers, Williams said, a world gripped by pandemic is not your kind of place. He and Hochadel, at AFT, both said their unions are not considering the sorts of job actions were seeing in some parts of the country let alone strikes. But Hochadel said amid the back-and-forth, Theres chaos that could have been prevented. Last week AFT, CEA and other unions representing some 60,000 teachers and other school employees issued a 13-point set of demands, or guidelines, designed to keep everyone safe. No. 1 on the list is creation of a labor-management council to work together. Some districts have that, others dont. The real issue seems to be full and open communication. Emotions will be involved The true test will come when COVID-19 cases arise. Connecticut is among the states with the smallest number of new infections, about two or three per 100,000 people per day compared with a national average hovering above 15. Even at the states low rate, that translates to a likely handful of cases in the semester, maybe more, for most districts. We have run tabletop scenarios, we have worked through the different protocols, said Bryan Luizzi, superintendent of schools in New Canaan and a board member of the statewide superintendents group. When it actually happens, the emotions will be involved as well. But we have worked so hard on our plans that were confident...we will make the best decisions. That means keeping students in separate groups, or cohorts, so that infections dont spread. But of course, it leaves many questions unanswered. Were trying to do something thats never been done before and were doing it instantly at scale. In trying to that, we have done our best to anticipate challenges and problems, Luizzi said. For example, the Westport seniors, Teresa Shahin and Oscar Hechter, are physically close now, and very careful. She declined to hug an old friend who came by, excitedly. Will Shahin and Hechter have to keep their distance after he returns to classes? Theyre figuring that out. New Canaan schools opened this week and problems have been few, with some tweaking. On Wednesday, Luizzi had an uplifting exchange. A fourth-grader stopped me and said, If we have to wear masks and be separated to come to school then I dont mind doing it, he recounted. Once we get kids in the classrooms, a lot of it feels like it always does. The interactions between students and teachers, thats what its all about. dhaar@hearstmediact.com San Antonio personal-injury lawyer Thomas J. Henrys longtime partner Azteca Henry wants a court to sanction him for disclosing personal information about her in their divorce case. Thomas Henry included 12 years of Azteca Henrys tax returns which werent redacted and exposed her and their two childrens Social Security numbers as exhibits attached to his Aug. 7 motion seeking to seal court records and to close the divorce proceedings to the public. Thomas, 58, disclosed the sensitive information purely for spiteful purposes and exposes the hypocrisy of his effort to censor information about his own misbehavior, Azteca, 43, said in a court document. The release of the personal info shows Thomas apparently is motivated to coerce an agreement to seal the file, Azteca added in the filing. Neither his lawyer, Jeffrey Anderson, nor hers, Jo Chris Lopez, responded to a request for comment. Azteca filed for divorce Nov. 21 in state District Court in San Antonio. Although she has said she opposes Thomas desire for secrecy, she used their initials but in reverse rather than their names in the divorce petition. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio lawyer Thomas J. Henrys divorce case hinges on whether hes even married The two wed in 1999 but divorced in 2005. Azteca, however, said they continued to live together from the time of the divorce until last summer when he moved out of the Boerne home they shared. Azteca said he left the household because of a public extramarital relationship. Thomas has chronicled his relationship with new flame Evelin Crossland, 30, on social media. Crosslands estranged husband has alleged Thomas is bankrolling a lawsuit she has against an oil field services company the Crosslands own. Azteca and Thomas consented to being married without the formality of obtaining a marriage license what is known as a common law or informal marriage after their 2005 divorce, she has said. Texas is one of eight states that allow common law marriages. Thomas has disputed the existence of a common law marriage. A judge granted his motion for a separate trial on the issue of an informal marriage before the matter of the divorce is addressed, according to Thomas Aug. 7 motion. Thomas has argued that closing the divorce proceedings to the public is necessary to protect him and his business interests as a result of Aztecas purported illegal conduct. He has accused her of taking documents from his law firm, where she has been employed. Any open proceedings in this cause will result in a serious and imminent damage to him, his reputation and his businesses, his court papers stated. On ExpressNews.com: How Thomas J. Henrys mixed up in fight over San Antonio oil field services company In his latest motion, Thomas elaborated on the need for secrecy. He said he can demonstrate that he will lose the confidentiality of his marketing strategies and trial strategies, and his confidential communications with his staff and his clients if the records in this case are not sealed, a confidentiality order is not entered, and the proceedings in this case are not sealed. Thomas law firm is known for its ubiquitous advertisements through television, radio, print and billboards touting huge awards obtained for clients. The online news site San Antonio Report has opposed the requests to seal records and close the court proceedings. Thomas countered he has a constitutionally protected zone of privacy in certain matters such as marital relationships and family relationships. There is no logical nexus between the private facts of this case and any general matter of public concern, he added in a response. In her Aug. 26 court filing, Azteca alleged that disclosure of the Social Security numbers violated court rules. The rules generally require that sensitive data not be filed with the court unless the information is redacted. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Azteca also objected to Thomas providing in his motion the details of a criminal case involving her father, Mark Crawford. Thomas firm defended Crawford. She said disclosing the details was done solely to attempt to embarrass (her) and retaliate for her opposition to (Thomas) motion to maintain the secrecy of these proceedings. Thomas own actions, which violate the principles he proclaims in support of his motion to seal and close proceedings, disqualifies him from receiving the relief he requests, because he has demonstrated an utter disregard for the law upon which he professes to rely, Azteca said in her motion for sanctions. Thomas should be required to redact the sensitive information, she added. He also should be admonished for not complying with redaction guidelines. Patrick Danner Patrick Danner covers banking, insurance, business litigation and bankruptcies. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD AUSTIN - Tony Gonzales, the Republican candidate in Texas 23rd Congressional District, enlisted a volunteer to dress as a U.S. Border Patrol agent in campaign ads during his primary race a move some experts called unethical and possibly illegal. In two videos circulated by the Gonzales campaign as recently as mid-July, and one in June sponsored by U.S. Rep. Will Hurds political action committee, Gonzales was shown walking along the Texas-Mexico border with a man in what appears to be the agencys familiar green uniform, complete with regulation ball cap and U.S. Border Patrol legible on a shoulder patch. The pair shake hands. In one ad, the scenes played as Gonzales pledged to secure our borders, finish the wall and end sanctuary city policies. They were designed to appeal to Republican voters in a hard-fought primary and subsequent runoff in the race to replace Hurd, R-San Antonio, who did not seek another term. Gonzales faces Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones in the Nov. 3 election. The website for the Border Patrols parent agency notes that a federal law bans the use of any symbols, emblems, seals or badges associated with it in connection with any advertisement where such use could reasonably be interpreted as conveying the false impression that such advertisement, solicitation, business activity, or product is in any manner approved, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by, or associated with, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Supreme Court has created broad protections for political speech, so any attempt to enforce this provision against the Gonzales ad would face a high hurdle. Gonzales campaign officials, for their part, say the provision applies only to commercial speech. Questioning the ads as problematic rests on a statute prohibiting people from using government emblems and symbols to sell goods and services, Gonzales campaign counsel Chris Gober said in an email. It does not, however, prohibit the use of government emblems and symbols for political debate a fact supported by Supreme Court precedents which is why the campaign remains confident that its advertisement complies with all legal and ethical standards. Legal or not, experts say the imagery in the ad wrongly implied that the agency supports Gonzales candidacy. Any time you make an agency appear to be an arm of one party or another, it makes it harder for that agency to do their job, said Peter Loge, the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University. Gonzales campaign officials said a volunteer played the part of the officer. They pointed to other candidates who have featured law enforcement officials in political ads. On ExpressNews.com: Garcia: District 23 GOP runoff waged on a virtual battlefield A 2010 John McCain ad shows the late U.S. senator walking along the Arizona-Mexico border with a sheriff, and a 2006 ad from former Gov. Rick Perry depicts him touring the Rio Grande with local law enforcement officers. Loge said Gonzales appearance with the fake officer is obviously something he shouldnt have done. Such ads can politicize public servants, he said, and can give voters the wrong impression that an agency has a political affiliation. Similar appearances have likely landed in political ads before, Loge said, especially as lines between politics and public office continue to blur under President Donald Trumps administration. Trumps use of the White House as a setting to accept the Republican Partys nomination for another term as president prompted criticism last week. Trump has also run at least one political ad featuring Border Patrol officers, though the clips in that 2019 video feature real agents. The officers participated in a public event with the president in 2018, when he inspected prototypes for U.S.-Mexico border barriers in San Diego. The words Customs and Border Protection do not appear in the Gonzales videos, but the Border Patrol patch on the actors shoulder is similar to one that real CBP agents wear. It certainly appears to be an official uniform, but even creating the impression is, from an ethical viewpoint, highly problematic for Gonzales, said Cris Feldman, a longtime political attorney based in Houston who represents the Harris County Democratic Party. This appears to be an attempt to unlawfully use CBP as a prop in a campaign ad, and both the agency and the Federal Elections Commission should examine it, he added. Austin attorney Roger Borgelt, a former vice chair of the Travis County Republican Party, said the Gonzales campaign is trying to imply some kind of approval by the Border Patrol by having him shaking hands with this guy in his official uniform. Any potential violation would have to be enforced by the federal agency, he said, adding, It looks like the Border Patrol could go after that. Shortly after Hearst Newspapers asked the campaign about the ads, the videos were no longer available on Gonzales official campaign website, and the YouTube account housing them was closed. The advertisements are still accessible on the candidates Facebook page and on other YouTube channels. Matt Mackowiak, Gonzales campaign spokesman, said the campaign has not taken the ads down and said he is not sure what is going on with YouTube. CBP officials did not respond to a requests for comment beginning Monday but said its legal team was reviewing the matter. The FEC declined to comment, citing a federal provision requiring confidentiality in light of the possibility that this issue may come before the agency in an enforcement capacity. Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday Conservatives on social media have also called out Gonzales use of the faux border agent in political ads. In February, El Conservador asked whether the portrayal was deceptive or illegal and called on Gonzales to explain the incident. Gonzales Republican primary opponent, Raul Reyes, also questioned the ads in a short campaign video. Mr. Gonzales wants you to believe he has some leverage with Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol when he truly does not, Reyes said in the ad. Folks, Mr. Gonzales is staging the impersonation of a federal officer. This is a serious crime. Gonzales, who was endorsed by Trump, narrowly beat Reyes in the July runoff. Reyes lost by roughly 40 votes and paid for a recount, but called it off in mid-August after seeing his opponents lead hold. A competitive district not dominated by either party rare among U.S. House seats the 23rd Congressional District stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and covers 800 miles of the border. Hurds PAC, the Future Leaders Fund, featured a screenshot of the fake agent in an ad promoting Gonzales. After over three years of running for Congress, the voters in Texas 23rd District are still looking for any kind of image that shows Gina Jones and the radical left are willing to stop illegal immigration and secure our border, which is what Tony Gonzales is displaying in this public image, said Justin Hollis, the PACs executive director. Jones campaign deferred comment to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, whose spokesman Avery Jaffe said the use of the fake border patrol agent isnt surprising. Jaffe pointed to another run-in Gonzales had with federal law last year when he refunded two corporate donations to his campaign. (Campaigns are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations.) Hell do anything to embrace President Trump and his wasteful, ineffective border wall that is stealing private land from families and raiding money from Texas military bases, Jaffe said in an email. cayla.harris@hearst.com MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Police on Thursday (September 3, 2020) arrested a builder day after a five-story building collapsed in the Raigad district killing over a dozen people on August 24. The man arrested by the police has been identified as Farooq Qazi. He is a builder by profession. Farooq had submitted a petition for interim bail in a local sessions court in connection with the case. Today, when he deposed before the sessions court, the court handed him over to the police for questioning. The Raigad police are likely to seek his custody from the court during a hearing in the case on Saturday, sources said. The Maharashtra Police had earlier arrested a man in connection with the building collapse case. The police had arrested RCC roof consultant Bahubali Dhamane in the building from the Navi Mumbai area. He was later sent to police custody for five days. The police had registered a case against five people in this case. The FIR was filed under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life) and 34 (acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The building was constructed around 5-6 years ago and there were around 40 flats in the building. At least 16 people had died in the tragic incident. By Jarrett Banks Traffic from Mumbai to Pune is a notorious slog of about five hours. Yet it is necessary for business, much like Los Angeles to San Francisco. Blade India is bringing a bit of Silicon Valley magic by allowing customers to book individual seats on its helicopters like an Uber ride share. In an interview with IPO Edge, Managing Director Amit Dutta said Blade India is uniquely positioned to capture market share with an affluent customer base spread across several cities. The full interview is below: IPO Edge: For those who are familiar with Blade in the U.S., how does the experience compare? Is the phone App the same and does the experience have the same feel? For people familiar with Blade in the US, booking Blade in India is similar. The website and mobile app are built from the same template. Post booking, the Blade experience is very similar to the US experience with customers interacting with Blade hostesses at the Blade lounges designed as per Blade brand standards before their flight. The quality of the Blade flights from a safety and customer experience angle are as per Blade US safety and brand guidelines. IPO Edge: What makes India well suited for intercity helicopter travel? Globally, India is one of the most congested urban spaces, with annul urban congestion costs amounting to a whopping $22 billion. Indias economic growth rates necessitate an urgent solution to its urban air mobility needs. In our pilot launch, we fly between Mumbai and Pune, both commercial hotspots in India. And the road travel time of approximately five hours is cut down significantly to approximately a 40-minute Blade flight. In addition to business travel, leisure travel and religious pilgrimages in far-flung terrains provide excellent opportunities for air mobility. Given the convenience that short haul air mobility provides, social acceptance is inevitable. India has emerged as tourism powerhouse over the recent years with Foreign Tourist Arrivals crossing the 10 million milestone in 2017. The growth trend is expected to continue over the coming years. Short-haul air mobility would provide immense convenience to tourists looking to visit the abundant attractions in India. India has emerged as one of the fastest growing business travel markets with a business travel spend of $37 billion in 2017, a figure likely to touch $46 billion in 2019 at an annual growth rate of 11.5%. Annual growth for business travel spend in India has been the highest for business travel markets globally. While India is the seventh largest business travel market globally, it is projected to be the top five markets by 2022. The premium that business travelers attach to time saving, especially given the adverse urban congestion in India facilitates the rapid acceptance of short haul air mobility. Story continues IPO Edge: Do you find that customers come back for additional trips after trying the service? The customer response to the pilot launch has been excellent. More than two-thirds of our passengers have chosen to fly with us for additional trips within the first 100 days. Based on feedback from passengers, we have introduced a booklet of 30 tickets which our frequent fliers find very convenient. IPO Edge: Helicopter rides are usually reserved for the wealthy in the U.S. Are there enough possible passengers in India to keep helicopters full? While ticket pricing for Blade in India reflects the cost of convenience and time saving, the affordability today is within range for the top 3 million affluent customer base in India. As an example, our ticket price for Mumbai to Pune (a 37-minute journey) is approximately $200. India has a significant affluent customer base spread across diverse cities. As we move forward, we would be deploying craft with larger seating capacity which would further help improve the affordability of tickets. The technological changes over the next few years, with the introduction of e-VTOLs is expected to disrupt ticket fares. In a densely populated country, poised for high economic growth rates, the constraint of severe road congestion can be effectively tackled by short haul urban air mobility solutions. IPO Edge: What is the average ticket price and how does it compare to other countries? A 37-minute helicopter ride between Mumbai to Pune is priced at $200. We are introducing a Bounce product (airport to city center) in a new geography. This would reduce a three-hour road travel time to a 20-minute helicopter journey, estimated ticket price at $100. The prices in US are higher. In India, we have the benefit of lower overhead costs and a significantly larger passenger base. IPO Edge: Can you tell us about your fundraising so far and what valuation the company has? Are there future fundraising plans? Currently, the venture has been funded by the promotors, Blade US and Hunch Ventures. Our growth plan in India and the subcontinent are very aggressive. Top line revenues at the end of Year 4 is estimated at $200mn+. The growth strategy envisages an aggressive roll-out in India, fully leveraging the benefits of the first mover advantage. This would also need establishing a network of lounges and heliports across the country. Our business model continues to be asset light, we would be leasing crafts from operators for a committed number of flying hours per month. We are currently in the process of raising a bridge round prior to a larger institutional raise. IPO Edge: Do you plan to expand to more cities? Below is the four-year geographical roll-out plan: By end of Year 4, we plan to have heliports in 180 locations across 160 cities in India and subcontinent. IPO Edge: Are there other potential needs for helicopter travel besides business such as holiday transportation? In India, visits to pilgrimage centers, which are typically situated in far flung areas, and mountainous terrain is very popular with a large segment of our population. The elderly and the infirm, for whom pilgrimage visits are a ritual, have to undertake tedious and long hours of road travel. As an example, the shrine at Tirupati has close to 100,000 pilgrims visiting every day. Helicopter travel at affordable price points would be a huge boon for this segment. India has a large number of tourist spots and heritage sites (for example the Taj Mahal at Agra) which are very popular with both domestic and international tourists. A large number of these attractions involve arduous and time-consuming road travel. Local state governments are very keen to work with Blade in promoting heli-tourism in their markets, promising a huge boost to tourism revenue. IPO Edge: What does the competitive landscape look like in India? Are there other similar services? Blade is pioneering by-the-seat urban air mobility. Currently in India, helicopters are primarily used for oil and gas commercial flying and a small segment is owned by HNIs for personal/commercial usage. There are a few operators who focus on charters of the full craft to political parties, industrialists and governments. Jarrett Banks Editor-at-Large IPO Edge www.IPO-Edge.com jb@capmarketsmedia.com Twitter: @IPOEdge Instagram: @IPOEdge As part of its broader plan to provide premium and diversified educational resources for its customers, eXcentral announces the addition of three more languages to its weekly live webinar series. Besides English, eXcentral customers are granted the option to attend webinars in Italian, German, and Spanish. All of eXcentrals webinars are hosted by its trading expert, Michalis Efthymiou. Customers now have the option to gain insights into the evolving investment landscape, get more in-depth perspectives and learn more about trading, and of course, enjoy the support provided by Michalis Efthymiou, an already-established professional in the field of finance. With a strong reputation in the brokerage industry, eXcentral is providing services to customers based in the European Economic Area and Switzerland. One of the brands main ambitions is related to trading education, and eXcentral customers are benefited from access to interactive courses, trading eBooks, trading video tutorials, live market summaries, market news, and chart analysis. Thanks to eXcentrals weekly multilingual webinars, customers can better understand the topic of each webinar, as these are now tailor-made to their preferred language. This confirms eXcentals commitment to continuously updating its product offering as well as strengthening its ongoing obligation to its customers, by providing them with new incentives for better, and responsible trading experience. Due to increased market uncertainty and volatility, traders need personalized trading offers and eXcentral wants to be one step ahead in anticipating this growing need. By including webinars in four different languages, eXcentrals trading expert Michalis Efthymiou, has the ability to share his knowledge and at the same time communicate with traders in their native language. This feature is part of the companys goal to provide the ultimate trading experience, adding up to the 24/7 customer support, account managers, and 1-on-1 sessions. Fitted training & guidance is what retail traders need at a time when market uncertainty is elevated and the world needs to deal with a global pandemic. eXcentral stands firm by its values and wants to contribute to the long-term traders education, providing most of the resources free of charge to registered clients. About eXcentral eXcentral is a brand name of Mount Nico Corp Ltd, a Cyprus-based investment firm, authorized and regulated by CySEC with CIF license number 226/14. As a brokerage house working for European-based customers, it is allowed to provide its services on a cross border basis to the EU & Switzerland, thus ensuring the highest trading standards and regulatory compliance. Traders working with eXcentral have access to 160+ CFDs based on forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, benefiting from both retail and professional trading conditions, based on their qualifications. Innovative and trusted trading software, popular funding methods, and transparency are some of the most important qualities when it comes to the trading services provided. The broker promotes healthy trading by offering high professional services and a broad range of educational resources, so clients can learn how to deal with the markets responsibly. It constantly trains its teams throughout all the stages of their professional development, so clients will be able to work with the best-prepared personnel. Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72.42% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. ### The Bachelor viewers have slammed Channel 10 after a psychic made Locky Gilbert's frontrunner Bella Varelis think her grandfather had died on Wednesday night's episode. Things quickly took a heartbreaking turn when psychic medium Alison Maiden dropped by the mansion and informed Bella that she was sensing the spirit of an older man with cancer. In the scene, which has been blasted as 'cruel' and 'exploitative' by fans, the 25-year-old broke down into tears as she revealed her grandfather has been diagnosed with lung cancer before she left for the show. Scroll down for video 'Cruel and exploitative!' The Bachelor viewers have blasted Channel 10 after a psychic made Locky Gilbert's frontrunner Bella Varelis [pictured] think her grandfather had passed away The excitable buzz of finding out their future fates was short-lived as psychic Alison focused on Bella. 'I have an older man in the spirit world here. I'm getting a feeling it's someone with cancer - he's telling me,' she told the brunette. The look on Bella's face quickly crumbled, as she responded: 'My grandfather, he has cancer... I'm not sure if he's passed. He had lung cancer before I left [to film for the show].' Speaking to the producers, a crushed Bella said: 'The way Alison spoke about my grandfather made me think that he may have passed while I been in here, and I kind of just started to tear up.' 'He's telling me has cancer': Psychic medium Alison Maiden dropped by the mansion on Wednesday's episode, where things took a heartbreaking turn as she informed Bella that she was sensing the spirit of an older man with cancer Upsetting: The 25-year-old broke down into tears as she revealed her grandfather has been diagnosed with lung cancer before she left for the show The scene cut back to the psychic reading where a teary-eyed Bella was comforted by Locky and the fellow girls. Bella then told cameras: 'I think something has happened, and I may need to go home. I need to call mum. I need to find out if my grandfather is okay.' Following the phone call, Bella learnt that her grandfather was very much alive and doing just fine. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 representatives for further comment. Viewers at home were furious left with the 'shocking' scene, and blasted producers for 'looking for drama.' One said: 'Eww at the producers for having Bella's grandad be a "is he alive or not" storyline on the show! So f***ed up even if he is alive #TheBachelorAU.' Another added: Nahhh it's gross that they're exploiting Bella's anxiety and worries about her grandad's health #TheBachelorAU.' Someone else echoed: 'Tonight's Bella & the "Psychic" storyline shows just how damaging psychics can be on people emotionally, and shows they can cause more grief and fear than they help mend through their b******t. Shocking that someone thought this should make it to air. #BachelorAU.' Speaking to the producers, a crushed Bella said: 'The way Alison spoke about my grandfather made me think that he may have passed while I been in here, and I kind of just started to tear up' All is okay: Bella later learnt that her grandfather was very much alive and doing just fine 'Exploiting Bella's anxiety and worries': The scene was labelled 'cruel' and 'exploitative' by fans An onslaught of similar comments also expressed their horror at the scene: 'Why did we watch 10 mins of finding out if Bellas grandad is alive?? Like she would have been told...producers really looking for drama.....#TheBachelorAU.' 'Okay, now that weve established that Bellas grandad is okay, Im turning the TV off until this psychic s*** is over. If he actually had died we would be done for good, #TheBachelorAU 'That whole scene seemed really cruel - and also showed us the psychic sucked.' 'Bellas grandfather is still not dead, despite the best attempts of our channel 10 psychic #TheBachelorAU.' 'The psychic using Bella's ill grandfather for storyline fodder just then was pretty tasteless...#TheBachelorAU.' 'Tasteless!' Viewers at home were none too pleased with the 'shocking' scene and blasted producers for 'looking for drama' This comes just a few days after Bella admitted she was on the verge of dumping Locky due to her grandfather's health, who had been diagnosed with dementia and lung cancer shortly before she went onto the dating show. Recalling how she was willing to give up on finding lasting love, Bella told New Idea: 'He had been given a while to live, but it was in the back on my mind knowing that he could pass at any time.' The stunner added: 'Although [my grandfather] gave me his blessing to go on the show, family means a lot tome, so I would have wanted to be there for them.' Bella revealed that Locky was aware of her family circumstances, and supported her decision to quit the show, even if that meant he was left brokenhearted. The Bachelor continues on Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10. EDWARDSVILLE The Scott Credit Union family is mourning the loss this week of former long-term board chair Betty Renth. Renth, who retired from the SCU Board of Directors in 2016, passed away this week. She had volunteered as a director and chairman of the board for over 60 years. It is with great sadness that we are mourning the loss of someone who played a major role in our success for six decades, said Scott Credit Union President & CEO Frank Padak. Its hard to put into words the impact that Betty had on Scott Credit Union over her years of volunteer service. Renth, who had lived in New Baden and had served on the SCU Board from 1955 through 2016, was a driving force in Scott Credit Unions growth and development over that time, according to Padak. Renth had served as SCUs Board Chair since 1971. When she retired, we elected Betty as an Emeritus Director, Padak added. Betty was truly an inspiration, a mentor and friend to many people over the years here at Scott Credit Union. Renth was presented with a lifetime achievement award upon her retirement to mark her years of service as a leader. Bettys service to Scott Credit Union set a standard of excellence and dedication that will likely be unmatched, Padak said. Betty truly defined the greatness we want Scott Credit Union to achieve each and every day. Bettys service to Scott Credit Union is synonymous with excellence. We were extremely fortunate to have Betty as a leader in our organization. Renth received national and state recognition for her dedication and service to SCU and the credit union industry. Starting in 1988, she served two three-year terms on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Credit Union Chairmen. In 1997, Betty was awarded the Spirit of Service Award and named Volunteer of the Year by the Illinois Credit Union System. She was inducted into the Illinois Credit Union Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2005, Betty was honored during the national annual convention of the National Center for Credit Unions as a second runner up for the Director of the Year Award. The award was a national contest to acknowledge the work of the top three credit union directors in the nation, Padak noted. In 2006, Betty was inducted into the Defense Credit Union Council Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor was established to acknowledging individuals whose exceptional contributions over the years have made a significant difference in the defense credit union community. In 2008, Renth was inducted into Whos Who in Americas Credit Unions. She was honored among the top leaders for her accomplishments and service in the credit union industry. Whos Who in Americas Credit Unions annually recognizes those who have contributed most to the nations credit union movement. In 2012, Scott Credit Unions state-of-the-art Home Office building was named the Betty Renth Building, Padak added. By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - United Airlines said on Wednesday it is preparing to furlough 16,370 workers when federal aid expires on Oct. 1 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the airline industry, though one union said many more people will be without pay. United's cuts include 6,920 flight attendants, but the union representing them said 14,000 will not have a paycheck in October unless Congress acts to extend $25 billion in aid. This is because many have opted for leaves that will provide healthcare but no money, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson said. "United's furlough announcement does not tell the full story," she said. Airlines have been lobbying Washington for a second stimulus package to protect jobs through March while the industry awaits a recovery. The first $25 billion, which covered airline payrolls, expires this month, but talks have stalled as Congress has struggled to reach agreement on a broader coronavirus assistance package. Chicago-based United had over 90,000 employees before the pandemic brought the industry to a near standstill in March. It warned in July that 36,000 jobs were at risk of involuntary furloughs as demand remained weak. U.S. passenger airlines are still collectively losing more than $5 billion a month as 30% of planes remain parked. Passenger travel demand is down about 70% and, on average, planes that are flying are half-full. Some 7,400 United employees have opted to take early retirement or departure packages and the company is working through several other voluntary temporary leave programs to further reduce the number of furloughs, United officials said, without providing specific numbers. The leaves would give the company flexibility to call back staff once travel returns, they said. United's furloughs will also affect around 2,850 pilots, 2,010 mechanics and 1,400 management and administrative positions, among others, though negotiations continue with pilots to reduce the final number. Story continues Rival American Airlines last week said it would lay off 19,000 workers without federal aid. Including voluntary departures or leaves, its 140,000 pre-pandemic workforce will shrink by 30%. Delta Air Lines plans to lay off nearly 2,000 pilots, but has not yet numbered potential cuts for its other workers. President Donald Trump has said his administration would help U.S. airlines but has not given any details. Congress also approved another $25 billion in loans for airlines under the first stimulus package, but not all of them are tapping the funds. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Richard Chang and Matthew Lewis) President Nana Akufo-Addo, in his 16th update on COVID-19 situation in Ghana, announced that Junior High and Senior High Form 1 students as well as Primary and Kindergaten pupils will stay home till next year. "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," the President said. Already, both public and private school teaching and non-teaching staff as well as the school children have been home for six months since the schools were closed in March this year. The new directive means they will have to wait for another four months in hope that the schools will be reopened. Although public schools will be affected by this decision, private schools are most affected because unlike the public school teachers who will be remunerated while they are at home, a lot of the private teachers will forfeit their salaries for months. It is in view of this challenge that the Central Regional Minister is calling on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to make available a relief package for the private schools and their teaching staff. Speaking on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM, Kwamena Duncan appealed to the Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa to have a meeting with the Education Ministry and devise ways to financially support the private teachers in these difficult times. "There could be a way to support the private schools because whether you like it or not, they have a major role to play in the educational sector," he said. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By Lee Min-hyung AXA Group will exclude Kyobo AXA Investment Managers from its pullout plan from Korea, as the asset management arm generates solid earnings and is a joint venture firm with Seoul-based Kyobo Life Insurance. Earlier, expectations were AXA would sell off all of its businesses here including AXA General Insurance and Kyobo AXA Investment Managers amid a worsening outlook for growth in the nation's insurance industry. AXA holds a 99.71 percent stake in AXA General Insurance whose estimated sales value is somewhere between 160 billion won and 240 billion won. The French insurance firm is moving to sell AXA General Insurance and is known to have named Samjong KPMG recently as a lead manager for the plan. But market observers predict AXA would let the asset manager continue to operate its business here. In 2019, AXA General Insurance reported a net loss of 36.9 billion won, while Kyobo AXA Investment Managers chalked up 9.8 billion won in net profit during the same period. AXA's investment arm, AXA Investment Managers, holds a 50 percent stake in the joint venture which was established in 2008 in partnership with Kyobo Life. But industry watchers expect AXA not to pull out the asset management arm, judging that the company is not incurring losses for now, and is not a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA. AXA is seeking to sell off its Korean operation to rebuild its business portfolio in Asia ahead of the introduction of IFRS 17 in 2023. Under the new accounting standards, insurers here and abroad need to pile up more cash and enhance their financial soundness. AXA's planned sale of its business units in Korea comes against the same backdrop. The French insurance company is also planning to sell core businesses in other Asian countries such as Singapore and Indonesia to minimize risks amid weak profitability. But AXA appears to have made a decision to keep running the joint venture here, as the company will not be able to get its asking price for its stake in the mid-tier asset manager. "Regardless of the issue surrounding sales of AXA General Insurance, Kyobo AXA will continue to operate its business without any changes in its current equity structure," an official at Kyobo AXA said. "AXA Investment Managers, one of the two mother firms of Kyobo AXA, has not notified us of any plans to sell its stake in the company," the official said. "As far as I know, AXA's pullout plan is only centered on the general insurance arm." Potential bidders for the acquisition of AXA General Insurance remain up in the air. KB and Shinhan, two of the nation's largest financial holding firms, and other private equity firms are cited as possible candidates for a takeover. "The possible sale of AXA General Insurance can be interpreted as the French firm's judgment that the car insurance market in Korea has no more potential for growth amid fierce rivalry among existing players," an insurance industry source said. Unitd Nations, Sep 3 : The UN Security Council (UNSC) has been urged to press for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and a return to negotiations in Libya, following the August 21 ceasefire call by rival political leaders. "It is becoming a regrettable cliche to appear before you and warn that Libya is at a critical juncture, but yet I am compelled to pronounce these same words again," Xinhua news agency quoted Stephanie Williams, the deputy head of the UN Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, told Council members via video-teleconference on Wednesday. "Libya is indeed at a decisive turning point. Your support - not only in words, but most importantly in action - will help determine whether the country descends into new depths of fragmentation and chaos or progresses towards a more prosperous future," she added. Updating the situation since Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed the Council on Libya in early July, Williams said that an uneasy standoff continues around the city of Sirte, imperiling the lives of its 130,000 inhabitants as well as the country's vital oil infrastructure. While the frontlines have remained relatively quiet since June, foreign sponsors are continuing to deliver advanced weaponry and equipment - in violation of a UN arms embargo - to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar, and forces controlled by the internationally recognized Government of National Aaccord (GNA). Adding to the sense of instability are worsening socio-economic conditions that are fueling popular unrest and threatning the fragile calm required to move political and security talks forward, Williams added. "The surge in the use of hate speech and incitement to violence - occasionally stirred through foreign-based media outlets and electronic armies - appears designed to further divide Libyans." The Covid-19 pandemic meanwhile appears to be spiraling out of control in Libya, with the number of confirmed cases more than doubling in the past two weeks, with 15,156 cases and 250 recorded deaths as of now. "Nearing full collapse after more than nine years of conflict, the health care system is unable to respond to the additional weight placed by Covid-19 patients along with maintaining normal health services," she said. Underscoring humanitarian challenges, Williams emphasized that migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers are still trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe,. With more than 7,000 migrants and refugees attempting the crossing this year, and more than 300 killed whilst doing so, she said European countries should consider "a more humane and predictable disembarkation mechanism" in line with their international human rights and search and rescue obligations. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Listening to Crown Resorts former head of VIP operations Jason OConnor tie himself in knots, as he attempted to define what constitutes an office, was an uncomfortable affair at the NSW gaming inquiry hearings on Thursday. The backdrop to this seemingly odd line of questioning from counsel assisting the inquiry, Adam Bell, harks back to 2016 the time when the Chinese government arrested 19 Crown staff working in China for gaming offences. Crown Resorts' former head of VIP operations, Jason O'Connor, was imprisoned in China for 10 months. Crown did not have a licence to market its Australian gaming venues to Chinese gamblers at the time and it didnt bother applying for one because, as OConnor testified, it didnt believe it would be successful. OConnor also contended Crown didnt need an office to carry on its operations in China because staff could work from home. However, Crown did ultimately rent a residential flat where staff, according to OConnor, could store paperwork, and visa applications and which housed computers. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 4) Filipino nurses and medical technologists receive the lowest salary in the Southeast Asian region, a study revealed. Data aggregator iPrice Group made the research after recording the salaries of mid-level frontliners in six Southeast Asian countries via Economic Research Institute-powered company, Salary Expert. The research revealed that experienced Filipino registered nurses only earn around 40,381 per month. This is 57 percent less than the next lowest paid registered nurses in Vietnam at approximately 63,200 per month. On the other hand, Filipino medical technologists have an average monthly salary of more or less 29,444. This amount is 51 percent less than the lower paid medical technologists in Vietnam who receive around 57,000 per month. Singaporean nurses and medical technologists are the highest paid according to the study, earning an average of 236,000 and 210,000 a month respectively. In his press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque admitted he had not seen the study yet. But he reiterated the national governments commitment to protect the welfare of nurses and other health workers, who are at the forefront of the countrys battle against COVID-19. What we did through the Bayanihan 2 is we gave an additional hazard allowance to our frontliners. We also provided them with free lodging, life insurance, and tests, Roque assured. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Wednesday medical frontliners who will contract mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms will receive 15,000 from the government once the "Bayanihan 2" or Bayanihan to Recover as One Bill is signed into law. Under "Bayanihan 1" or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law, only those who died from the disease or became critically ill received cash benefits. Vergeire added the financial assistance for those who have severe COVID-19 cases will remain at 100,000. Around 1 million will be given to the kin of the frontliner who died of the viral disease. Based on the Department of Budget and Managements Memorandum Circular 2020-4 released last July, the entry-level pay for a government nurse or Nurse 1 was increased to 32,053, equivalent to Salary Grade 15 under the Salary Standardization Law. The previous minimum salary for entry-level government nurses was only at Salary Grade 11 or equivalent to 22,316. The Palace also hopes that private sector nurses be well compensated. Now that many nurses want to leave the country, we hope that private hospitals will provide them a higher salary so that our nurses will be enticed to stay here in the Philippines, Roque added. In a resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases on August 20, the government has allowed those who have secured contracts and overseas employment certificates before March 8 to leave the country for work. The order was made after concerned sectors reacted on the IATF-MEIDs resolution on August 17 which suspended the overseas deployment of all medical and allied health workers, without any exemptions. Other Filipino frontliners the lowest paid in Southeast Asia The iPrice Group research also noted that four other pandemic frontliner groups in the Philippines earned the lowest among their Southeast Asian peers. Delivery truck driver helpers in the country earn approximately 23,300 per month, while supermarket stock clerks have an average monthly salary of 13,300. Also included in the study are Filipino security guards who earned around 15,400 per month and warehouse workers who receive a monthly salary of more or less 14,500. Singapore also paid the highest salaries to these four frontliner groups according to the study. Other nations included in the report are Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. A group of international and local human rights organizations have called on Yemens warring parties to reveal the whereabouts of scores of civilians forcibly disappeared, as well as to immediately release all who are arbitrarily detained in official and unofficial prisons. Wrongfully held detainees are an important issue that touches the lives of thousands of Yemeni families who are left to their own devices in fighting for truth and justice for their loved ones, organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Yemen-based Mothers of Abductees Association and the independent Yemeni group Mwatana for Human Rights wrote in an open letter published today. The eight organizations urged parties to the conflict to create prison registries, allow independent monitors to visit the detention centers and give prisoners access to their families and lawyers. The war between the Houthi rebels, who overran the capital in 2014, and the Saudi and Emirati-led military coalition, which intervened the following year to restore the internationally recognized government, has created what the United Nations describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The protracted conflict has killed tens of thousands and left roughly 80% of the country reliant on humanitarian aid. The Houthis and pro-government forces agreed to release thousands of prisoners as part of United Nations-brokered peace talks in Stockholm in 2018. But prisoner exchanges so far have prioritized military detainees over civilians, the rights organizations said. In a report released in June, Mwatana documented a total of 1,605 cases of arbitrary detention and 770 cases of enforced disappearance since 2016 by all of Yemens warring parties, including the Yemeni government, the Houthis, the United Arab Emirates and Emirati-backed forces. In one high-profile case, a court in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa in April sentenced four journalists to death for treason and espionage. A number of other journalists remain missing, including Waheed al-Sufi, who was abducted more than five years ago. Imprisoned Yemenis are also at risk from unlawful attacks on their detention centers. In August 2019, coalition airstrikes hit a Houthi-run prison site in the city of Dhamar and killed nearly 170 people, according to Mwatana. The need to reveal the fate of the arbitrarily detained and the forcibly disappeared is ever more pressing, the rights groups said, writing that COVID-19 is spreading unchecked throughout Yemen and detainees living in unsanitary, overcrowded prisons are especially vulnerable. Poorly maintained detention facilities are also at risk of collapsing due to the recent flash flooding that killed hundreds, displaced thousands of families and damaged infrastructure across Yemen. 'You crossed the line,' Chinese Foreign Minister warns Czech official's visit to Taiwan island Global Times By Chen Qingqing and Shan Jie Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/2 0:44:03 Ignoring opposition of China and the Czech government, Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil insisted on visiting the island of Taiwan, instigating secessionist forces, a blatant provocation that "crossed the line," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. The visit is an act that severely interferes in China's internal affairs, and China has to take a necessary response, Wang said. There is only one China in the world and the island of Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is the shared consensus of the international community, Wang noted. "China has to tell the Czech senate president: 'You crossed the line,'" Wang said. Such an act of supporting Taiwan secessionism and instigating other countries to follow is a blatant provocation, he noted. China has summoned the Czech ambassador to China to protest the Czech senate speaker's visit to Taiwan, while Wang 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 incur a heavy price, observers say. Shortly after the Chinese foreign minister said on Monday that anyone who challenges the one-China principle over the Taiwan question would make an enemy of 1.4 billion Chinese people and is a violation of international trust and conduct, he reiterated that insisting on the one-China principle is the political foundation of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Czech Republic, a political commitment that local officials must follow. Wang has delivered severe condemnations on Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan two days in a row. Vystrcil's visit is a public harm to China's core interests. It obviously went against most countries who agree with the one-China principle and common consensus of the international society, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. The visit would bring a very bad result, as some anti-China forces in Western countries might follow Vystrcil's example to seize for their political gain and some innocent people would be misled, Li said. But Vystrcil has overrated his power. The relations between China and European countries will only be strengthened. China-Europe ties have their own rhythm which would not be affected by a speculator, Li said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Britain may be closer to herd immunity against Covid-19 than previously thought because surveillance studies are inherently flawed, top scientists said today. According to research looking at antibody test results, just seven per cent of Britons and 17 per cent of Londoners have been infected and recovered from the disease. Experts made these estimates by testing random swathes of people for coronavirus antibodies in their blood, produced by the body in response to the illness. It's thought that at least 60 per cent of a population need to have caught the virus for the group to reach herd immunity, which is when a disease runs out of room and can no longer spread because too many people are immune to it. In an editorial in the British Medical Journal today, scientists would not say how wrong estimates might be but cautioned surveillance studies could be 'dramatically underestimating' infection rates. This, they say, is because the studies do not test for all forms of antibodies, including those found in saliva which may signal mild or asymptomatic cases. Most research into past infection has looked for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies, the most common types, which are found in the blood and protect against viral infections. Another type of antibody - called IgA - is not being routinely tested for. IgA is found in mucous and saliva in the mouth, nose and respiratory tract - the main sites Covid-19 uses to enter the body. Those with these types of antibodies likely fended off the infection in its earliest stages, before it was able to burrow deep into lungs and spread through the blood. In Luxembourg, IgA were found in 11 per cent of people compared with 2 per cent who tested positive using more conventional tests. Britain may be much closer to herd immunity against Covid-19 than previously thought because surveillance studies that test for antibodies in the blood are inherently flawed, top scientist said today (file) Another survey of residents in Ischgl, Austria, used a combination of IgG and IgA antibody testing and found 42 per cent tested positive. Dipender Gill, a clinician at St George's Hospital in London, who co-wrote the editorial, said: 'Current seroprevalence surveys may be dramatically underestimating the proportion of people that have been infected by the virus. World is NOWHERE near reaching herd immunity against the coronavirus, the WHO warns The world is nowhere near achieving herd immunity against coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Dr Michael Ryan, the no-nonsense Irish epidemiologist in charge of the WHO's health emergencies programme, told people to stop pinning their hopes on the theory as a Covid fix-all. Scientists believe at least 70 per cent of people need to have caught and recovered from the virus to reach herd immunity when a disease runs out of room and can no longer spread because enough of the population have been exposed to it. More optimistic experts estimate community protection could be established if 40 per cent of people had antibodies against Covid-19. But studies suggest only about 10 to 20 per cent of the people living in badly-hit countries such as the UK have the disease-fighting proteins. Dr Ryan dismissed the controversial strategy of herd immunity as a viable policy at a press briefing today in Geneva, Switzerland, where the WHO is headquartered. He said: 'As a global population, we are nowhere close to the levels of immunity required to stop this disease transmitting. This is not a solution and not a solution we should be looking to.' Advertisement 'Further work is required to determine the optimal survey strategy and appropriately revise these figures.' The scientists admitted they could not put a figure on how far out the estimates were. But Stephen Burgess, from the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit at Cambridge University, said initially calibrating tests using hospital patients who had been more severely ill almost guaranteed that asymptomatic infections are being missed. He added: 'There's lots of different ways you can measure antibodies and there's lots of different antibody classes. 'It's possible that somebody could have antibodies present in their saliva but not in their blood and it's possible that somebody could have one class of antibody but not another class of antibodies. 'This might explain why, in cities such as London, we have seen the breakdown of widespread social distancing but infection rates have still not increased sharply,' he said. Mark Ponsford, a clinical immunologist at the University Hospital of Wales, said: 'The immune response to the virus is more complex than a simple "yes" or "no" to the presence of a single antibody type in the blood. 'It's important that future surveys take this into account, and that we begin to standardise our approach to testing. 'This will help us to improve accuracy and allow more valid comparisons of the results from different surveys.' But while Professor Rupert Beale, of the Francis Crick Institute, who was not involved in the editorial, said it was correct that antibody tests were 'skewed towards more severe infections' he did not think that it was such a 'big concern'. He added: 'Entirely asymptomatic cases do mount detectable antibody responses however, so I do not think this is such a big concern. 'It's possible that serosurveys slightly underestimate true seroprevalence.' The true size of the pandemic is a mystery because millions of infected people were not tested during the height of the crisis, either because of a lack of Covid-19 swabs or because they never had any of the tell-tale symptoms. Counting how many people who have coronavirus antibodies through blood tests is, therefore, considered the most accurate way of calculating how much of the population has already been infected. Herd immunity could be closer than scientists first thought and as little as 10 per cent may need to be infected for the virus to fizzle out. Pictured are estimates given by different teams, and how many antibodies the UK population is thought to have now But research has suggested that antibodies decline three months after infection meaning only a fraction of true cases during the peak of the crisis may have been spotted and exactly how much immunity the world has developed is unknown. And scientists say immunity in the UK is likely to be far higher than what Government antibody testing shows because it doesn't account for T-cells. Top immunologists have said the infection-fighting cells are typically more durable and long lasting than antibodies. WHAT IS HERD IMMUNITY? Herd immunity is a situation in which a population of people is protected from a disease because so many of them are unaffected by it - because they've already had it or have been vaccinated - that it cannot spread. To cause an outbreak a disease-causing bacteria or virus must have a continuous supply of potential victims who are not immune to it. Immunity is when your body knows exactly how to fight off a certain type of infection because it has encountered it before, either by having the illness in the past or through a vaccine. When a virus or bacteria enters the body the immune system creates substances called antibodies, which are designed to destroy one specific type of bug. When these have been created once, some of them remain in the body and the body also remembers how to make them again. Antibodies - alongside T cells - provide long-term protection, or immunity, against an illness. If nobody is immune to an illness as was the case at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak it can spread like wildfire. However, if, for example, half of people have developed immunity from a past infection or a vaccine there are only half as many people the illness can spread to. As more and more people become immune the bug finds it harder and harder to spread until its pool of victims becomes so small it can no longer spread at all. The threshold for herd immunity is different for various illnesses, depending on how contagious they are for measles, around 95 per cent of people must be vaccinated to it spreading. For polio, which is less contagious, the threshold is about 80-85 per cent, according to the Oxford Vaccine Group. Advertisement There is no indication that any country in the world has developed herd immunity yet, based on antibody studies. But in places severely battered by the disease, infectious disease specialists have speculated that there is some level of protection. Professor Paul Hunter, at the University of East Anglia, said India - with the third most infections globally - didn't look far off herd immunity. Studies have shown up to a quarter of people living in Delhi, which is home to almost 19million, have antibodies. He told MailOnline: 'They do look like they are running up until the point they are achieving herd immunity. 'Given they are running somewhere in the order of two and five times the incidence in the UK, it means we are way behind that [in terms of herd immunity].' Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told the New York Times: 'I'm quite prepared to believe that there are pockets in New York City and London which have substantial immunity. 'The reason people think it might be lower is that it's not the case that everyone is equally likely to be infected by a transmissible disease,' he told DailyMail.com. 'If you go through the naturally infectious process, you are going to generate immunity in the people most likely to be exposed, by definition.' In other words, groups like essential workers and people living in multi-generational homes are most likely to have been outside of their homes early in the pandemic, making them most likely to have already been infected and to have developed immunity. What remains to be seen is how much those groups - which represent a larger proportion of metropolitan areas - will provide a shield for their larger communities. Dr Hanage said: 'What happens this winter will reflect that. The question of what it means for the population as a whole, however, is much more fraught.' His comments follow the research of Professor Sunetra Gupta, a theoretical epidemiologist at Oxford University, who also believes London and New York may already have reached herd immunity. A controversial study at Oxford University led by Professor Gupta claimed that up to half of the UK population may already have had Covid-19, and therefore herd immunity. Modelling by the group indicated that Covid-19 reached the UK by mid-January - weeks before the first case was diagnosed. But antibody testing conducted by Public Health England suggests just 5.7 per cent of the country had antibodies at the beginning of August, but the figure was as high as 8 per cent in London. Professor Gupta said in an interview with Reaction: 'I think very few people would agree that exposure rates in London are less than 20 per cent.' She believes herd immunity may have been reached partially because previous infection with other human coronaviruses, such as the common cold, may offer protection against the new one - SARS-CoV-2. 'That could be the explanation for why you don't see a resurgence in places like New York,' she said. But the theory of cross-protection has only been explored by a few studies and are unable to give conclusive answers. A high court in Pakistan on Thursday directed the federal government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav as it adjourned hearing for a month. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the case of appointment of lawyer for Jadhav to hear the review of the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan told the court that to comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan granted consular access to India, however, it has not replied to Pakistans offer to appoint a lawyer for him. The IHC, after hearing the arguments, ordered the government to send its order on Jadhav to India and adjourned the hearing until October 3 when the case would be heard again. Pakistan has introduced a special law to allow Jadhav to get his sentence reviewed as asked by the ICJ. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. The Department of Health today revealed it is investing 500million in getting rapid on-the-spot coronavirus tests into public use in its battle against Covid-19. 'Lab in a van' mobile testing will allow anyone, even those who don't feel ill, to get tested quickly at any time and receive their results within minutes, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. But first the tests must be proven to work. Although officials say they appear to be on par with the current swab tests, they have not yet been used en masse. Trials in Salford, Southampton and Hampshire will blaze the trail for the tests, which could change the way people live with coronavirus. Mr Hancock suggested that if regular, mass testing can come as a result of these devices, it would be the country's 'best shot' at spelling the end of social distancing rules in the absence of a vaccine. Tests made by the companies Oxford Nanopore (LamPORE technology), Optigene and DNANudge are all being trialled by the British Government on members of the public. Meanwhile, NHS hospitals are using a swab test-processing machine called the SAMBA II and Public Health England is evaluating kits made in the style of pregnancy tests which could become available in the future. MailOnline takes a look at some of the tech that could be used in the UK: LamPORE saliva sample testing in 90 minutes The small LamPORE test could be deployed in airports, offices, schools, pubs and restaurants bringing testing to the bulk of the population Sample type: Saliva or nasal swab Turnaround time: 90 minutes Tests per day: 2,000 (small); 15,000 (large) Accuracy: 99% (claimed) Price: Unknown (UK has bought at least 450,000) 1) Biotech company Oxford Nanopore has developed portable swab-recording devices which use the firm's LamPORE tests and can determine whether a user has Covid in the space of an hour-and-a-half. The larger device is more suitable for hospitals and airports The machines take 90 minutes to give a result and can process up to 15,000 samples a day. It involves taking a sample of saliva, unlike existing methods which require invasive and difficult nose and throat swabs. The LamPORE device, which also comes in a desktop version which is about the size of a printer, uses electronic means to record and analyse the samples. Each test is given a barcode which is individually assessed before returning back with the result. This must be done in a laboratory but the labs can be mobile and put into vans or pop-up test sites. WHICH TESTS ARE THE GOVERNMENT USING IN THE NEW TRIALS? Optigene: The Optigene testing kit, which can use nasal swabs or saliva samples, is being used in pilots in Southampton and Salford, Greater Manchester. A study done during a trial in a Hampshire hospital trust found the tests to be 97% accurate. LamPORE: The LamPORE technology has been bought in a batch of 450,000 kits by the UK Government and they will be used in the Salford and Southampton trials, and on 2,100 people in schools in the port city. DNANudge: Officials have bought 5.8million DNANudge tests to be used in 5,000 machines, at a cost of 161million. They will be used in NHS hospitals to analyse nose swabs at speed. Advertisement The portable version of the LamPORE device is the same size as a CD player. Ministers have ordered 450,000 of the tests, which are now being trialled in Salford and Southampton. Millions more are due to be rolled out later in the year if they prove to be effective. The Salford trial will invite people in the community to come for weekly tests using a new saliva Covid-19 test that produces results in under an hour and a half. The pilot will begin with a select number of participants and up to 250 tests a day, to be scaled to the whole area. Initially, the pilot will focus on specific high footfall locations in the city, which includes retail, public services, transport and faith spaces. Phase two of the no-swab saliva test pilot in Southampton will also start this week. The second phase of the pilot will trial the weekly testing model in educational settings, with participation from staff and students at the University of Southampton and four Southampton schools. Over 2,100 pupils and staff across four schools will be invited to have a test as part of the pilot, which is led by a partnership of the University of Southampton, Southampton City Council and the NHS. The makers of the test have not revealed how accurate it is, and the Government has refused to divulge that information, too. Mr Hancock said of the tests: 'Oxford Nanopores new rapid LamPORE tests will benefit thousands of people with fast and accurate test results, removing uncertainty and breaking chains of transmission quickly and safely. 'I am hugely grateful for the fantastic work Oxford Nanopore have done to push forward this important innovation in coronavirus testing.' OptiGene swab results in 20 minutes Sussex-based biomedical company OptiGene has created a nasal and throat swab test that takes just 20 minutes to diagnose people Sample type: Nasal & throat swab, or saliva Turnaround time: 20 minutes Tests per day: 300 per hour Accuracy: 97% Price: Unknown Sussex-based biomedical company OptiGene has created a nasal and throat swab test that takes just 20 minutes to diagnose people. Once swabs have been collected from patients, the samples are loaded into the devices, known as the Genie HT, which look for tiny traces of the virus in their DNA. The machines amplify the DNA billions of times chemically so they can detect the virus with extreme sensitivity. They can also be used with saliva samples. The device has proven to be just as accurate as PCR swabs, which take days to give results, in clinical trials by Public Health England. In contrast to the widely used PCR tests, which need be processed at different temperatures, the Genie HT does not require a change in temperature to detect results. It is currently being trialled by the Government on thousands in A&E departments, GP coronavirus testing hubs and care homes across Hampshire, and will be rolled out in the new testing programmes in Salford and Southampton. Four thousand people of all ages have been involved in the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust trial. A study done during that trial Hampshire have found the test to be 97 per cent sensitive, meaning it can find 97 out of 100 positive cases, and 99 per cent specific, meaning only one in 100 people would get a false positive result. DNANudge 75 minutes to a result from a nostril swab One of the new test kits, made by London-based DNANudge, scours DNA in nose swabs and takes just 75 minute Sample type: Nostril Turnaround time: 75 minutes Tests per day: 15 Accuracy: 98% Price: 28 each on average (UK paid 161million for 5.8m tests including 5,000 machines) The DNANudge test can detect the virus from just a nostril sample - much less invasive than some throat swabs. Once a swab is taken, it's inserted into a handheld reader that provides results within just 75 minutes. The DnaNudge has a sensitivity of over 98 per cent - meaning it can pick up on mild and asymptomatic cases - and specificity of 100 per cent. The 100 per cent specificity means it can tell the difference between a person who doesn't have the disease at all and a sample which wasn't taken properly, meaning there aren't any false negatives. After successful trials on 500 patients in London hospitals, the 'lab in a cartridge' device was approved for clinical use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) at the end of April. The Government has purchased at least 5,000 of the DNANudge machines, which can process up to 15 tests a day, to provide six million tests in the coming months. The test, developed by Imperial College London's Chris Toumazou, is based on the design of a DNA test and can give a result in just over an hour, significantly cutting down on the 48-hour wait for a laboratory diagnosis. Matt Hancock has previously said about the machines: 'By quickly detecting whether the virus is present in an individual, this new test is an important step forward in point of care testing which means that positive cases can be identified and contained quickly and safely. 'I am hugely grateful to DnaNudge and their incredible work to innovate coronavirus testing, which will mean we can test millions more people in the coming months.' SAMBA II 30-a-go swab analyser is 99% accurate The SAMBA II was created by University of Cambridge spin-off company Diagnostics for the Real World Sample type: Nose and throat swab Turnaround time: 90 minutes Tests per day: 15 Accuracy: 99% Price: 30 per test The SAMBA II has shown to be almost 99 per cent accurate at analysing swabs and can give a result in just 90 minutes. The portable machine can diagnose Covid-19 in less than 90 minutes, but only has the capacity to process 15 tests a day. It was developed by University of Cambridge spin-off company Diagnostics for the Real World. It scours DNA in throat and nose swabs to detect the virus. Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge has been trialling the device since April. They have shown to be so effective that the hospital switched nearly all of its coronavirus testing from standard lab tests to the Samba machines in May. A Samba test, costing approximately 30 per sample, would outweigh the cost of each additional bed day at around 200 'many times over', the team said. The tests have been validated at the Public Health England, Cambridge in 102 patient samples and shown to have 98.7 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity. The machines are already used to diagnose other blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. Randox portable swab tester saves on lab time Randox's portable antigen test, called the Vivalytic, can process five swabs an hour Sample type: Nose and throat swab Turnaround time: 12 minutes Tests per day: Five per hour Accuracy: Unknown Price: Unknown The Government partnered with Northern Irish firm Randox in April to ramp up testing in the nation. Randox's portable antigen test, called the Vivalytic, can process five swabs an hour. These are likely to be the same type of swabs currently used that go in the nose and mouth but processed at speed. It has been scaled up across multiple hospitals in Northern Ireland. The device is also used at the point of care and operated by a healthcare professional. Randox says its device works by 'identifying SARS-CoV-2 and differentiating it from nine other respiratory infections with similar symptoms, including influenza and all known coronaviruses'. The devices are still being trialled. In July, 750,000 swabs were recalled after they failed to meet the required safety standards. Randox said the issue was with one of its suppliers of its swabs. The machines which process the swabs have not been deemed unsafe. Pregnancy test-style kits home tests for 5 being checked by PHE Sir John Bell, an Oxford University scientist and key Government adviser, said cheap pregnancy-style tests devices were currently being assessed by scientists at Public Health England Rapid tests for Covid-19 which give a diagnosis in minutes could be approved within weeks, according to a leading scientist. Sir John Bell, an Oxford University scientist and key Government adviser, said the cheap devices were currently being assessed by scientists at Public Health England. He did not reveal which tests have been selected for inspection by officials, but mentioned a 'lovely test from the US' being brought in. He claimed they could be sold on Amazon or Boots for as little as 5 if they are proven to be over 90 per cent accurate. Professor Bell said the devices, that are 'no larger than a teacup', plug into a socket in the wall and process swabs within an hour. One from the US which is currently under review is able to process a sample in the time it would take for a person to have a shower or eat their breakfast, he claimed. Sir John said scientists at Porton Down - government run laboratories in Salisbury, Wiltshire, are currently assessing rapid antigen tests. Intelligent Fingerprinting experimental kit that uses sweat The rapid test scours sweat for the virus and takes just 10 minutes This sweat-testing kit is not a confirmed part of the UK Government's considerations but has potential as a simple alternative to swab testing. British diagnostics firm Intelligent Fingerprinting and Imperial College London joined forces to develop a rapid test that scours sweat for the virus. The test is said to take just 10 minutes to produce a diagnosis. It works by collecting fingerprint sweat onto a small test cartridge for analysis. The sample is then analysed by a portable DSR-Plus analysis unit. The machine uses sensitive lateral flow technology and fluorescence measurement methods. Its makes say the test is more hygienic and has less chance of being done wrong because it utilises sweat samples rather than a throat or mouth swab. It's unclear how accurate the test is or whether UK ministers are looking into it. Crowded classrooms, dubious ventilation, terrified bus drivers, fearful teachers, outraged unions, government in denial, parents and kids caught in the middle. If this is the best back to school plan in Canada, I hate to think what the worst one looks like. Maybe it would be like something out of Lord of the Flies, with maskless students running amok, banging each other on the head with COVID infected conch shells. Or Apocalypse Now, where an unhinged Board administrator ignores social distancing and allows isolated student cohorts to play together at recess. As the mad dash toward Labour Day continues, one thing is clear: Back To School 2020 will be like no year in recent memory. And if youre the parent of a child with special needs in a system that considers exceptionalities an afterthought, things are only going to become more intense. The fact school boards and entire schools are still scrambling less than a week away to put together a plan is mind boggling, marvels Arisa Alexanian, whose 14-year-old son with Down syndrome heads back to school next week. That tells me theyre not ready. Theres too much bickering, agrees Waterloos Barb Watson, whose 16-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy will also be returning to in-class learning. Theyre not working together. If you believe half the stuff you read on Twitter, youll be a pothead before the day is out. And if you dont laugh, youll cry. These are common refrains among parents whose lives are being turned upside down by daily reboots, revisions and rewrites to a plan touted as the best in the country, end of story, but has many wondering if there is, in fact, any plan at all. How can it be the best in the country if it doesnt even exist? muses Lisa Kahn, parent of two kids with autism, one in the public system, who describes the dramatic back and forth as COVID safety theatrics. Its a jumble of information that keeps changing. We literally have no idea what were walking into. That is terrifying. I cant prep my child when I know nothing. No one, to be clear, blames teachers, doing their best in a chaotic situation over which they have little control. The culprit, parents agree, is the provincial government which, with classic Orwellian doublespeak, pats itself on the back for having the safest and most cautious back-to-school plan in the country while ignoring the one recommendation experts agree is crucial: reduced class sizes. But some are also upset with teacher unions who challenge every government dictum with Pavlovian efficiency and school boards that, reeling from Ministry directives, adjust their plans on a seemingly ad hoc basis. There are too many blanks waiting to be filled in, insists Waterloos Jennifer Beckett, who decided the best way to support her autistic son was to keep him at home. The government has failed ALL children, those with and without special needs. By failing to plan, they have planned to fail. She sighs: What did they do all these months? Structure and routine, of course, are important for kids of any age. But if you have a child with complex learning challenges, whose brain processes change in a different way, you can multiply the stress level by a factor of 10. No, wait make it 100. Kids with special needs are the last to be considered in the grand scheme of things, laments Alexanian. Such a sad state of affairs. They still matter! agrees Watson. They still count. Theyre always on the back burner. Alexanian: Will they be protected? Will they be supported? The plan keeps changing by the minute. Its funny that she said this, because shortly after expressing concerns about misaligned school board schedules, she emailed to tell me the Catholic board had changed the start date for high school students attending classes in-person. The same thing happened a few days earlier when a parent complained that despite a government promise for a full-time schooling for kids with challenges, her autistic son would be sent home every day at 10:45 a.m., which would place both his education and her job in jeopardy. Minutes after I contacted the Catholic school board, she emailed to tell me they had remedied the situation and her son would now be attending school full-time as promised. While its nice to see theyre so responsive, its this constant resetting of priorities a willy nilly, seat-of-the-pants pandemic flexibility that has stoked skepticism among parents. What if someone complains that full-time hours for special needs kids doesnt suit their schedule? Will the plan change again tomorrow? What if the three and four-year-olds entering Junior kindergarten decide to ignore Board mask directives and try to stuff them down the toilet? My problem is with the upper echelons, insists Watson, who jokes Well all be wearing haz-mat suits by next week. The left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing. Why cant they sit down and get this done? Parents are losing patience. We need to have a plan ready to go for Day 1! insists Kahn of her autistic daughter. Otherwise were setting her up to fail. She would qualify for a mask exemption but we have no idea how to apply. Will she be bullied/harassed for not wearing one all the time? What chemicals are they using to clean with? Will the smells cause a sensory reaction for her? Nobody knows. After she hangs up, two more government provocations cross my desk: 1) An announcement that while enrolment is dropping as some students opt for virtual learning, in-person class sizes due to rigid provincial funding formulas will not only not decrease, as experts have recommended, but might actually increase. 2) a clued-out Ministry of Education tweet in response to a parental inquiry about the school-sanctioned Individual Education Plans (IEP) that outline supports for special needs students: Good morning, can you please clarify what IEP means? You see the problem here? I expect another barrage of outraged emails any minute. Coup 53 is an engrossing documentary about British and American skulduggery in Iran in the 1950s, which was aimed at protecting their lucrative oil and geostrategic interests in the region and preventing the Soviet Union from gaining influence. Co-written, produced and directed by Iranian-born Taghi Amirani, the documentary is co-written and edited by Walter Murch, renowned for his work on such films as The Godfather, The Conversation, Julia, Apocalypse Now, The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Coup 53 Coup 53 recounts the role of MI6, Britains international spy agency, in the 1953 Anglo-American coup that ousted Irans nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and ushered in 26 years of a murderous dictatorship under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. For decades, the Shah, along with Israel and Saudi Arabia, policed the working class and the oppressed in the oil-rich region in the service of US imperialism. While it is well known that America was the leading force behind the coup that removed Mosaddegha leading proponent of nationalizing the oil industryand restored the Shah, the extent of Britains role is less fully understood. In a virtual question-and-answer session following his films premier, Amirani explained that he wanted to tell the truth and clear the air about Britains role. It was the most critical experience with regard to relations with West in the history of Iran and remains a persistent irritant in Tehran-London relations. Coup 53 provides a devastating picture of Britains colonial arrogance, racism and blatant disregard for basic democratic rights and norms as it sought to preserve its most valuable overseas asset. The film focuses on the role of Norman Darbyshire, a MI6 operative, making use of the transcript of an interview he gave to researchers for Granada TVs 14-part series End of Empire, of which the events surrounding the coup formed one episode screened in 1985. Aged about 30 at the time of the coup, Darbyshire (who died in 1993) was a fluent Farsi speaker and had served with the Special Operations Executive in Iran during World War II before joining MI6. The actor Ralph Fiennes speaks his words. Ralph Fiennes as Norman Darbyshire in Coup 53 (Credit: Chris Morphet) The Granada film, while revealing MI6s role, did not film or show the interview with Darbyshire or the interview with his CIA counterpart, Stephen Meade. Coup 53s makers believe this was the result of MI6 pressure and censorship since key parts of the transcripts were missing. Amirani eventually obtained the transcript from the British Film Institutes archive where the End of Empires research papers were stored. It is now available online. The work involved was immense, expanding from the expected six months to four years, in part because of lack of funding, as no official organizations would touch the film. Murch had to edit 532 hours, more than double what I handled on Apocalypse Now, down to two hours. Amiranis film and Darbyshires evidence demonstrate the degree to which bribery, planting propaganda pieces in newspapers, incitement, assassinations and coups were and remain Britains modus operandi. However, while the film provides details of the coup, it is less clear about the economic context, the Cold War and the political line of the various political movements in Iran. By 1950, Britain was under pressure from Iran to emulate the 50/50 profit sharing deal Aramco, the US oil company, had signed with the Saudi government. The rapacious 1933 Agreement had created a cash cow for Britains oil companythe largely state-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), now known as BPwith the UK government receiving about 116 million (4.2 billion in todays terms) in the years 194850. Iran saw little benefit from its oil, which fed into mass popular opposition to Britains decades-long imperialist domination of the country. As the film details, despite Britains extensive payouts to ensure a sympathetic Majlis (Parliament) that would agree a minor amendment to the 1933 agreement, and to newspapers to discredit its opponents, Mohammad Mosaddeghs National Front, which was opposed to the deal, won several seats in the 1950 elections. Coup 53 Poster Mosaddegh had the support of the Tudeh Party (Party of the Masses of Iran), the successor to the Communist Party of Persia and Irans first mass political party. Tudeh had tens of thousands of members, led the Central Council of Federated Trade Unions (CCFTU), with more than 275,000 members, and had strong influence, including in the British-occupied south and Abadan, the centre of AIOCs operations. Despite being banned by the Shah in 1949, it was a powerful political force, shaking Irans political elite by leading a general strike in Khuzistan and sympathy strikes in other cities. The Tudeh Party followed the Stalinist line of the two-stage revolutionthat Iran as a semi-colonial and economically backward country was not yet ripe for a socialist revolution and therefore the working class could not fight for political power. It never put forward an independent perspective for the Iranian working class, but tied the latter to the coattails of Mosaddegh and the national bourgeoisie, which opposed popular demands for land reform and the abolition of the monarchy. As Coup 53 explains, Britain refused to consider any proposals for profit sharing amid growing demands for AIOCs nationalization, until a leading cleric issued a fatwa against government officials who had given away the countrys assets. But this minor shift in policy was too late. In the tumult that followed the assassination of the pro-British prime minister, Haj Ali Razmara, Mosaddegh issued a call for AIOCs nationalization that was to lead to his own ascendency to power. Britain only abandoned plans to launch a military invasion to seize AIOCs oil refinery in Abadan when faced with opposition from the Truman administration in the US, which feared this would jeopardise American oil interests in Saudi Arabia and play into the hands of the Soviet Union. The film relates how in June 1951, following Irans seizure of AIOCs main office near Abadan, Britain began blockading the port city, preventing oil tankers from leaving the refinery, leading to the shutdown of the oil industry and immense economic dislocation and hardship. In October, the Mosaddegh government expelled AIOCs Abadan staff from Iran. Facing similar opposition to its interests in Egypt and the Suez Canal, the incoming Conservative government under Winston Churchill began to consider the military operation against the Mosaddegh government in Iran that is the subject of Coup 53. Darbyshire insisted that MI6 wanted to get rid of Mosaddegh because it believed that even if his government, which included a member of the Tudeh Party, signed an agreement favourable to the British, it would ultimately come under Soviet influence. He said, Eventually they [the US and Britain] would have been forced to have considered getting rid of him to prevent a Russian takeover. I am convinced that was on the cards. But while Mosaddegh used Tudeh support to pressure the Shah and the British, this bourgeois politician from a large landowning family was acutely aware of the potential threat from the left. Mohammad Mosaddegh and Shah Pahlavi, Coup 53 Darbyshire described an early attempt in 1952 to oust Mosaddegh, explaining, My brief was very simple. Go out there, dont inform the ambassador, and use the intelligence service for any money you might need to secure the overthrow of Mosaddegh by legal or quasi-legal means. He had to abandon his plans and decamp to Cyprus when Mosaddegh got wind of the plot and expelled Britains diplomats and officials in October 1952. The US only became interested in a coup following Egypts CIA-backed Free Officer coup in 1952. President Dwight Eisenhower appointed John Foster Dulles as his secretary of state in 1953. Dulles, a keen advocate of push back against the Soviet Union and the Communist parties around the world, initially took a dim view of Britains colonial arrogance that played into the hands of the nationalists and Stalinists. However, the increasing turmoil within Iran convinced the US that whichever anti-British faction won, Washington would face an ever more intransigent regime and the growing influence of the Tudeh Party whose demonstration on July 21, as Darbyshire said, was far larger than the nationalist. He began working with the CIA team under Kermit Kim Roosevelt Jr. (the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt) in May 1953, with the coup signed off by both governments in July. After a false start that led to the Shah fleeing to Rome and crowds of protesters under the Tudeh Partys leadership taking to the streets in opposition to the attempted coup, Mosaddegh called in the pro-Shah army, which turned on Mosaddegh, arrested him and installed General Fazlollah Zahedi as prime minister on August 19. The coup consolidated the power of the Shah, ushering in one of the cruelest regimes on the face of the earth. Mosaddegh was put on trial and kept under house arrest until his death in 1967. Members of the Tudeh party and other oppositionists suffered terrible persecution for their support of the deposed premier, the man who had set the army on them. Many were executed. For Britain, it was a hollow victory as AIOC was forced to join a new consortium with five American companies, leaving it with only a 40 percent stake, less than the 50/50 deal that might have averted the conflict. But that did not stop Britain from attempting other coups and assassinations, including several attempts to assassinate Egyptian President Nasser, the 1956 invasion of Egypt to seize the Suez Canal, overthrow Nasser and install a more pliant regime and an abortive attempt to overthrow the Syrian government in 1957. The Iranian coup became the blueprint for a succession of CIA plots, some with MI6 support, to foment coups and destabilize governments around the world during the Cold War, while the boycott of Irans oil became the template for modern-day sanctions. The Iranian events, including the role of Mosaddegh and the Tudeh Party, confirmed that the only viable basis for opposing imperialism is the revolutionary mobilization of the workers and toilers of Iran and the Middle East, based on an appeal to their democratic and social strivings and orientated to the working class in the US and the other imperialist centres. Information for showings of Coup 53 in the UK is available here on the film's web site. For showings in other countries click on the Watch Now link on the menu bar. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 Trend: Azerbaijan pursues independent policy based on its national interests, unlike Armenia, Spokesperson for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Abdullayeva made the remark commenting on the statements of Armenian Foreign Ministry made on September 2, Trend reports. "Recently, in the statements of Armenia at the level of the foreign minister, we see attempts to resume negotiations on a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict. Desire to link these attempts with the statements made during the official visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to Russia is obvious," she noted. "Apparently, the Armenian side listened attentively to the speech of the Azerbaijani minister during the briefing at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow," the spokesperson added. As Abdullayeva reminded, at the briefing the Azerbaijani minister stressed that Azerbaijan's position on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is based on the norms and principles of international law, documents and resolutions of international organizations, primarily on the UN Security Council resolutions. Within the framework of a peaceful solution to the conflict, it is necessary to liberate Azerbaijani territories from occupation and return the internally displaced persons to their homes. This position of Azerbaijan is unchangeable and the basis of any negotiations held to resolve the conflict should be elimination of the consequences of Armenias occupation policy, she said. According to her, if the occupation forces of Armenia are withdrawn from the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding district, strengthening of the ceasefire regime and investigation of the reasons of armed incidents on the line of contact wont be needed. It's obvious that Armenia is double-dealing again. On the one hand, Armenia is talking about the peace process, on the other, following the provocation in the Tovuz direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, it tried to commit an act of sabotage on the line of contact, threatened to bombard Azerbaijani cities and continues the policy of illegal settlement of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Abdullayeva pointed out. Moreover, the conditions put forward by Armenias prime minister and foreign minister during the negotiation process and their statements, having neither legal nor political justifications, are aimed at disrupting the negotiations, she also noted. As for the statements of the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry about the official position of Azerbaijan in connection with the weapons supplied to Armenia by Russia and the diplomatic potential of Azerbaijan, I can say that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan pursues an independent policy, relying on its national interests, and Azerbaijani diplomats adequately implement this policy, the spokesperson said. Armenia has historically been a tool in the foreign policy of other states and for 29 years of independence it has not yet understood how to implement its independent policy," she concluded. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. The Bombay high court on Thursday said it expects media organisations to exercise restraint while publishing or reporting any details about investigation in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. A division bench of Justices A A Sayed and S P Tavade said the media should report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation. The court was hearing two petitions which claimed a 'media trial' was going on in the case of Rajput's death and sought for it to be stopped. One of the petitions was filed by eight former Indian Police Service officers against the 'unfair, malicious and false media campaign' against Mumbai Police. The petitioners include former director generals of police M N Singh, P S Pasricha, K Subramanyam, D Sivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal and Satish Mathur, former additional Director General of Police K P Raghuvanshi and former Mumbai police commissioner D N Jadhav. The other petition was filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha and two others who claim to be social activists, seeking direction to media organisations not to sensationalise reportage in the case. "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint before publishing or reporting on details of the investigation, and report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation," the court said. The bench said before hearing the matter further, it would like to first see what the Union government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, have to say in response to the pleas. The high court posted the petitions for further hearing on September 10. The court also said Navlakha shall once again serve copies of his petition to news media channels that are respondents in the petition. Navlakha's advocate Devadatt Kamat told the court that they are not demanding a prohibition on reporting in the case, but only seeking the media to adhere to journalistic standards and ethics. The plea filed by the retired IPS officers said a section of TV channels has been trying to influence the course of investigation being carried out by central agencies like the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and is running a false propaganda against the Mumbai Police. Senior counsel Milind Sathe, appearing for the retired police officers, on Thursday argued that the media was running a 'parallel investigation and the reporting is completely defamatory towards the city police'. "We (petitioners) are not concerned about which agency is probing the case or who the accused persons are...we are only concerned about the media trial being conducted," Sathe said. The retired IPS officers have sought a direction to news media organisations to refrain from publishing or circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments which may jeopardise the reputation of the city police. Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 following which the Mumbai Police e registered an Accidental Death Report and recorded statements of over 50 people, including some of his family members and Bollywood personalities. The late actor's father on July 25 lodged a complaint with Patna Police, accusing Rajput's girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court last month upheld the transfer of the first information report lodged in Patna to the CBI, which is currently probing the case. Besides, the ED is probing allegations of money laundering against Chakraborty and her family, while the NCB is probing a drugs trafficking case linked to the case of Rajput's death. "I am Taiwanese," said Milos Vystrcil, who has been visiting the island since 30 August. The two countries united by a common history of struggle against communism. The Taiwanese president gives a posthumous honour to the predecessor of the Czech politician, who was recently threatened by the Chinese. European chancelleries critical of China. Taipei (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen today met with the Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, in an encounter that will undoubtedly rekindle the controversy with China. U The Beijing regime has roundly opposed the Czech politicians visit, as it represents an indirect recognition of what they regard as a rebellious province. Vystrcil arrived in Taipei on August 30, leading a delegation of 89 people. He attended the signing of a series of trade agreements between the two countries, and delivered a tough speech against Communist China in the local parliament. Paraphrasing the famous words used in Berlin in 1963 by US President John F. Kennedy, Vystrcil concluded his speech by saying in Mandarin "I am Taiwanese!". During the meeting with the Czech representative, Tsai recalled that Taiwan and the Czech Republic have a common history of fighting an authoritarian regime for the triumph of democracy. The Taiwanese leader then delivered to Vystrcil a posthumous honour for Jaroslav Kubera, his predecessor in the Prague Senate. Kubera died in February, just days before making an official visit to Taipei. His wife, Vera Kuberova, later stated that the Beijing attacks contributed to his death. According to Czech press reports, the Chinese embassy in Prague had sent a letter to local authorities threatening consequences in economic relations between the two countries if Kubera did not give up on his trip to Taiwan. The Chinese leadership spared no threats against Vystrcil either. On August 31, at the end of a meeting in Paris with his French counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the Czech politician would "pay dearly" for his trip to the island, seen by Beijing as a violation of "the One China" principle. Wang's words against Vystrcil have infuriated several European chancelleries. On September 1, during a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas condemned the words of the Beijing envoy, demanding respect for European leaders. New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat will sit on a one-day hunger strike on Thursday to protest against the Centres neglect of the hill state. Soon after the announcement of Assembly election dates in five states by the Election Commission on Wednesday, Rawat arrived in the national capital ahead of his planned protest. Earlier, he had announced his plans to stage protests against the rejection of the Uttarakhand governments masterplan on Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone. Rawat, whose government was briefly dismissed last year, has frequently been at loggerheads with the Centre. Former Family Food Fight star Fanos Panayides has been arrested in Melbourne as police crackdown ahead of protests this weekend over the city's stage 4 lockdown. On Wednesday, The Age identified the 38-year-old as one of two men charged this week with incitement for allegedly encouraging others to take part in a prohibited anti-lockdown protest in the CBD. Panayides is a leader of an online group called 99 Unite, who are spreading dangerous conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic and are urging followers to reject COVID-19 tests. Charged: Former Family Food Fight star Fanos Panayides has been arrested and charged in Melbourne as police crackdown ahead of protests over the city's stage 4 lockdown He has also been heavily promoting Saturday's 'Freedom Day' event, encouraging his followers to march at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance in opposition to the stage four lockdown laws following a surge in coronavirus cases. Following his arrest, Panayides and a 28-year-old Coburg man were later released on bail to appear in court in February. The former reality star was also detained by police in May, after an anti-lockdown protest outside of Parliament House. Protest: Panayides has been heavily promoting Saturday's 'Freedom Day' event on social media (pictured), encouraging his followers to march at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance in opposition to the city's stage four lockdown laws following a surge in coronavirus cases Panayides often goes live on social media to share his dangerous and misleading theories. Last month, he shared a video where he attempted to teach 'muppets facts' about the flu and coronavirus. 'I'm going to make this live... as a lot of people think I am just rambling,' he said. Rant: He often goes live on social media to share his dangerous and misleading theories. Last month, he shared a video where he attempted to teach 'muppets facts' about the flu and coronavirus, before claiming the flu was 'more deadly' 'I'm going to run some facts by all the muppets out there who think they are doing the right thing and the government is taking care of them,' he added, before claiming the flu was more deadly then COVID-19. Panayides rose to fame who was part of a 'hot-headed' Greek family that placed third on the low-rating 2017 cooking show on Channel Nine. He starred alongside his father George, brother Con and sister Soulla. Even if Americans are planning to hit the road for the Labor Day weekend, far fewer of them are planning to stay at a hotel than they were a year ago. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, hotel bookings for next week are down 65% from what they were in 2019. As of Aug. 21, only 14% of hotel rooms were booked for the Labor Day holiday itself, compared to 41% last year, according to Amadeus Demand, which makes software for hotel reservation sales and tracking. AHLA also found that only 16% of those polled planned a trip around the holiday. Looking ahead, the numbers for Thanksgiving (25%) and Christmas (29%) aren't too encouraging, either. The coronavirus pandemic has battered the hotel industry, according to the industry group's report on its impact. Four in 10 hotel employees are out of work, and nearly two-thirds of hotels are at or below 50% capacity, the break-even point for most of them. A prolonged downturn could result in the permanent closure of thousands of hotels, said Chip Rogers, the group's president and CEO. "While hotels have seen an uptick in demand during the summer compared to where we were in April, occupancy rates are nowhere near where they were a year ago," Rogers said in a statement. "Thousands of hotels cant afford to pay their mortgages and are facing the possibility of foreclosure and closing their doors permanently." Hotels and airlines are urging Congress to extend the Paycheck Protection Act, which would backstop employee salaries. The American Hotel and Lodging Association found that only a third of Americans have taken leisure trips this year and 65% of hotels are below 50% occupancy, which is the break-even point for most establishments. Usually, 70% of Americans take a vacation in any given year, according to the hotel group's report. But this year, only a third of Americans have traveled for leisure since March, and only 38% plan to do so before the end of the year. Fewer Americans are planning to travel for upcoming holidays. Only 16% of Americans plan to travel for Labor Day, 25% for Thanksgiving, and 29% for Christmas, according to a Morning Consult survey commissioned by the hotel group. Story continues Further, vacationers are opting for destinations closer to home, and outdoor spaces such as beaches and parks. Though nationally, hotel occupancy is about 50%, hotels in urban centers and near airports are at 38% and 45%, respectively. Those properties rely on business travel, groups and meetings, none of which are expected to rebound until next year, the report says. Vacation rentals are bouncing back faster than hotels: Travelers are flocking to Airbnb, Vrbo more than hotels during COVID-19 pandemic. But why? The markets with the lowest hotel occupancy are Oahu, Hawaii, at 20%, and Orlando, Florida, at 29%. Last year, those locations saw occupancy rates of 89% and 75%, respectively. Other markets with hotel occupancy rates well below 50% include Boston, Miami, Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Anaheim/Santa Ana, California. Nationwide, hotel occupancy hit a low of 24.5% in April. In August, it had recovered to 48.8%. The low booking rates for Labor Day travel don't mean travelers didn't consider a holiday weekend trip, though. According to analysis by travel booking site Priceline, its users researched trips to mostly warm-weather or waterfront cities and beach towns within half a day's drive of cities like New York and Washington, D.C. The top 10 searched locations were: Las Vegas San Diego Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Orlando, Florida Atlanta Chicago Atlantic City, New Jersey Ocean City, Maryland Virginia Beach, Virginia San Antonio, Texas State-by-state quarantine guide: These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 test This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Labor Day weekend hotel bookings down 65% from 2019 due to COVID-19 SULPHUR, La. The mayor of Sulphur couldnt sleep. It was March, just when the novel coronavirus picked up and businesses shut down. He was home after another long day of getting reports about a crisis he couldnt stop and couldnt slow his brain down. His mind wandered over the months ahead as he lay in bed, and he thought: God, please dont let there be a hurricane. There was. And it was historic. Hurricane Laura tore through Southwestern Louisiana and parts of Southeast Texas on Aug. 27, killing at least 18 people and wrecking buildings. Most people in its path evacuated. Sulphur, La., is a town of just under 24,000 people formally established in 1914, taking its name from sulphur mines. The mining industry was replaced by refineries; those were replaced by petrochemicals. Mike Danahay was elected mayor in 2018 and has lived in the area his whole 62 years. During the eye of the storm, Danahay came out of the boarded-up City Hall and brought in a blue street sign that had been banging against the wall of the building. He tried to sleep on the air mattress hed set up in his office. On HoustonChronicle.com: A day of picking up what Hurricane Laura threw down Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Five days after the storm, the trees and power lines had (mostly) been lifted off the roads. The mayors desk was covered in Post-it notes and printed permits. He juggled two cellphones and was thinking about trash. People were flooding in to look at their homes he wishes they wouldnt and were finding the contents of their refrigerators turned rotten. And on top of that, theres storm debris. Recovery will take months. None of it will be glamorous. All of it will be expensive, with damages for Texas and Louisiana estimated at $12 billion. Most of it will be mundane. And the majority of the groups that poured in to help at the beginning will be long gone. Thats one of the things in these events, Danahay said into one of his cellphones, talking to the mayor of Slidell, La. The hand that wasnt holding the phone held his glasses in place; the temple had snapped off one side, and he couldnt find his spares. You usually find the initial response is great, its overwhelming, its like drinking out of a fire hose, but as you get into it, were still sitting without power two, three weeks out and we dont have the resources here anymore. On HoustonChronicle.com: Scars of Hurricane Laura evident as Louisiana residents assess storm damage Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Something about a gas leak In the days after the storm, the employees who evacuated trickled back into the one-story brick building and set up at what theyve nicknamed Camp City Hall. They traded chairs for air mattresses and left extra toiletries on a folding table in the hall. One staffer has his wife and two sons in the conference room. The window of the human resources office is smashed: Only HR staffers have the key, and they were evacuated for the hurricane. The people left in City Hall needed to preserve power. Erica Martin, the communications director, had evacuated to Longview and stayed up all night watching the storm, terrified about what shed find. Part of her house had fallen off. Karen Herard, an IT employee, leaned against a wall and cried: She felt so guilty, eating hot food and working in generator-powered air conditioning while her husband sat at home with rheumatoid arthritis in the heat. Excuse me, said Cory Murnane, the supervisor at the wastewater plant, hovering at the mayors door, a computer clutched in his right hand. Sorry to interrupt. Do you have a contact for the sheriffs department? I need to know why the road to our plant is closed. They said something about a gas leak Ha. Thats beautiful. Just beautiful. He made some calls. It was just a traffic issue. The phone buzzed again; Danahay gave it a look of disgust. Its like you solve one problem and three more pop up, I swear, he said, scrolling through the text. It was a parish official, asking about a dump site location that had already been decided yesterday. Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer On HoustonChronicle.com: With children and pets in tow, two families in Winnie flee Hurricane Laura, expecting the worst He silenced the buzzing from his family group text someone had sent a picture of his 93-year-old father, a World War II veteran who insisted on riding out the storm and was now beginning his own home repairs. The sheriffs department called back. The issue around the wastewater plant wasnt traffic. It was a gas leak. Danahay had seen Hurricane Rita in 2005 and had grown up hearing tales of children ripped from their parents arms during 1957s Hurricane Audrey, which killed 416 people. Theyre better prepared now: The forecasts are more accurate, they had contracts in place for cleanup, theres already a contracted firm sorting through their FEMA paperwork. His team, he said, is the best. Im just spending money like a drunken sailor, he quipped to his finance director. The small strike team to guide recovery costs $1 million on its own. She shrugged. Well, our sales tax revenues will go up. He laughed. A drive through town The Sulphur mayor is largely a patient man until he gets behind the wheel, where he likes to drive in the left lane and then decide quickly on a right turn without always using his turn signal. That Tuesday, he was not happy: The Salvation Army truck backed up traffic all the way down the main city roads. He had to call the sheriff to get it moved. He drove through the city in the hours before his afternoon meetings, swinging through a gated community that had lost its gate but been spared the worst (I dont know what these people do for a living but I missed the boat somewhere) and the older part of town where more low-income families live. He paused in front of a house where a man was picking up his yard and rolled down his window. You doin all right? Yeah, so far so good. The homes carport had fallen down entirely. We gotta move some of those trees. Be careful with that. The mayor pointed to the twisted metal. And that. The wind folded it I gotta find a blue tarp somewhere. Look, go to McMurry Park the National Guards giving out tarps. You may have to stand in line for a bit, but youll get you a tarp. Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer He drove on, slowly. Some of the homes would cost more to fix than to just demolish altogether. His own home was spared: The trees fell on his neighbors house. On HoustonChronicle.com: As Hurricane Laura moves in, heads of Texas residential facilities decide: Stay or go? A number called from Florida. He ignored it. How had so many people gotten his personal cell? Everyone came in wanting to help; when they didnt know where to go, they called him. Some of the help has been invaluable: food, the local charity thats distributing donations and letting the National Guard sleep inside. Others come in with chainsaws and no experience, hoping to help clear the streets, not ready to sit through the heat without power. He fielded more calls, one from the public relations director of an energy firm wanting a press conference (Could they use the pavilion? Would there be enough electrical damage for a good photo opp? They could go to Lake Charles if not, but footage from there was just so overdone), one from the National Guard (Could they move the COVID-19 testing site away from the food distribution site? In retrospect, it had been a bad idea to put them together. Everyone had been good about masks up until the storm. Then it stopped being a priority). Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer He ticked off what he had to do next: three meetings, one in Lake Charles. He wondered how hed make it back and forth with the traffic. Martin suggested a police escort to clear the way through the building traffic. He strode down the hallway to the kitchen where plates of barbecue from a man in the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office had drawn most of the staff. He had seven minutes to eat before he had to be back to work. If a Canadian election is sprung on us this fall, it will be vastly overshadowed by the American one on Nov. 3. Lets face it: We are transfixed by the desperate shenanigans down there, especially the profound denial of truth and fact in the Republican campaign. That tactic is called gaslighting, after the 1944 movie in which a devious man convinces his wife she isnt living in reality, whereas she really is. The performances the Republican convention, which was arrogantly staged without masks on the White House lawn, were for me, surreal. Example: Advisor Kellyanne Conway, who first uttered the wretched words alternative facts, left her role after the convention when her 15-year-old daughter sent out a distress call on social media saying her mother was ruining her life. Surreal. I have a sense of disbelief that American public life has been so corrupted. Up is down and down is up, if they say so. Its not a trivial matter, because the fate of that country and indeed the welfare of all on the globe, is at stake. Do we Canadians live on the same planet? The same continent? Can the Republican party spin the infection and death numbers of COVID- 19 for their faithful base and for the undecided voter, so that they believe the pandemic is over, or not so bad, or well-handled? Can the legitimate, nation-wide protests against the killing of Black people by police be dismissed as violent, communist-inspired disorder? Can Democratic candidate Joe Biden, a moderate politician of 47 years experience, be realistically called socialist? Can the NBA, of which the Toronto Raptors are impassioned leaders who refuse to just shut up and dribble, be called disloyal, or un-American? How do advertisers continue to support the rabid rantings of Tucker Carlson and crew on Fox News? How can a prominent Catholic bishop open this charade of a convention with a prayer, and a Catholic nun in long black habit describe Donald Trump as the most pro-life president in history? Its crazy-making. But In any human situation, no matter how unpromising, there are the redemptive moments. Humour flows quickly from intelligent sources. Here is a good one: When your convention features 12 speakers, and six have the same last name as the leader, we are moving into North Korean territory. Then theres the joke referring to Canadas invasion of the States in 1814. We can always be asked to step in and save her. I resonate with the moral outrage of CNN commentator Van Jones, who is an articulate Black man fearing for his son. He finds words to communicate his anguish. Then, because he is a seasoned debater, he flashes a wide, ironic smile. Other hopeful signs include the sweet civility of Mark Shields and David Brooks (born Toronto, 1961) on NPR, Fridays; the calm clarity of CNN correspondent Abby Phillips, and the feisty delivery of Canadas own Daniel Dale, once of the Toronto Star, telling us in rapid-fire delivery that Trump has told 15,000 public lies in three and a half years in office, more than 20 in the speech on Thursday night at the convention. Dale gives us chapter and verse of the lies. He may well influence the election outcome in profound ways. Hold on to your hats. If you are a praying person, do that. Keep the border closed past Sept. 21. Be alert for signs that these Republican strategies may take hold in our politics. Watch Erin OToole particularly. He courts the far right in order to take the Conservative leadership vote, but now is beholden to them. Talk politics reasonably with others at every chance. Dont abandon it. Its all we got. Believing as I do in the promise of America, and going way out on a limb, I predict a healthy Democratic win Nov. 3. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Hackers are at it more than ever. Major companies, governments, and organizations all over the world are hit by thieves looking for a big payday. It's not enough to have real-world thieves to READ THE REST A 60-year-old retired schoolteacher showed up to Kenosha's Civic Center Park on Thursday to serve as a one woman cheering squad for Joe Biden as he arrived in town - two days after President Trump's visit drew hundreds of supporters and protesters to the same downtown park. 'Maybe I'm in the wrong spot, I don't know,' Michelle Stauder told DailyMail.com just before a few Biden supporters walked over to join her. 'I hope to get it started.' She waved a Biden-Harris sign and sported a red, white and blue cowboy hat, blue hair, flags and Joe buttons she crafted for the occasion, saying: 'I made my signs and buttons, I'm really excited.' The former educator stood by herself just down the street from where 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, shot and killed two protesters and injured a third during a period of civil unrest after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer. Biden's welcoming committee was noticeably smaller than the hundreds of supporters and protesters that Trump drew when he visited the violence-ravaged town on Tuesday. Michelle Stauder, 60, a retired schoolteacher, served as a one woman cheering squad for Joe Biden as he arrived in Kenosha on Thursday Biden and his wife Jill met with Jacob Blake's family members as soon as they were on the ground in Wisconsin, holding the meeting at a building at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport Biden's welcoming committee was noticeably smaller than the hundreds of supporters and protesters Trump drew when he visited the violence-ravaged town on Tuesday (pictured) 'Maybe Trump gets more people out for action and disruption,' Stauder said. 'I guess I'd rather have it this way,' peaceful. I'm glad he's coming here to talk to people and promote peace.' Pictured: Trump supporters on Tuesday in Kenosha 'Maybe Trump gets more people out for action and disruption,' Stauder said. 'I guess I'd rather have it this way,' peaceful,' she continued. 'I'm glad he's coming here to talk to people and promote peace.' Stauder added: 'I just want to support Joe and let him know he's doing the right thing - telling people to wear masks and that it's not right to shoot people and settle things with violence. It's the opposite of Trump.' Cheryl Strockis, 53, an Alabama resident in town visiting family, soon joined Stauder, sans sign. 'I'd like to see him and show him my support and wave,' Strockis said. 'I'm not disappointed there's no crowd. Biden's side is peaceful.' She explained she was messaging her out of town friends to tell them about the event. 'They know I'm down here In Civic Center Park basically alone and they're like, 'be careful',' she said. 'I'm good. I'm a big girl.' Biden and his wife Jill met with Blake's family members as soon as they were on the ground in Wisconsin, holding the meeting at a building at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. Strauder waved a Biden-Harris sign and sported a red, white and blue cowboy hat, blue hair, flags and Joe buttons she crafted for the occasion, saying: 'I made my signs and buttons, I'm really excited' The city of Kenosha is in a period of civil unrest after Jacob Blake (pictured) was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in front of three of his young children The former educator stood by herself just down the street from where 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse (pictured), armed with a semi-automatic rifle, shot and killed two protesters and injured a third Before meeting with Blake's family, Biden was caught shaking hands with aide Brian McPartlin as he got off the private plane, which has been a no-no in the coronavirus era. Reporters were kept outside the meeting, but the campaign said the Democratic nominee and his wife would meet with Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., his sisters Letetra Widman and Zietha Blake, his brother Myron Jackson, and lawyers Patrick Salvi Sr. and B'Ivory LaMarr. The shooting victim's mother Julia Jackson and attorney Ben Crump, would join the meeting by phone. The Bidens then headed to Kenosha, Wisconsin where they are slated to hold a 'healing' town hall. Biden's trip to Wisconsin marks the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has gone to the state since the 2012 cycle. Biden's Wisconsin visit comes two days after Trump visited Kenosha, during which he called rioters 'domestic terrorists' and praised police, who he argued shouldn't be demonized for 'choking.' President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday after Democratic leaders told him not to come. He toured wreckage from the riots that broke out after Blake's shooting and held a roundtable event with law enforcement and other community leaders Trump supporters and Trump protesters watch as the motorcade carrying President Donald Trump passes by on September 1, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kenosha is recovering from several days of unrest and demonstrations following the shooting of Jacob Blake Trump did not meet with members of Blake's family, nor did he say Blake's name during his remarks. On the ground in Kenosha, the president dismissed the idea that most of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that occurred after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd - and more recently the shooting of Blake - have been peaceful. 'I keep hearing about peaceful protests ... and then I come to an area like this and the town is burned down,' Trump said. 'By and large this is not peaceful protesting,' he repeated later. State and local officials, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Kenosha's Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, said they didn't want Trump to come, but the president insisted. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_5ea.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_5ea .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_5ea.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_5ea.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_5ea.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Suspected robbers in the early hours of on Wednesday raided the Lagos mansion of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Three robbers were said to have assessed the Toyin Street Crescent residence of the late politician through a canal and jumped over the high fence into the compound. It was gathered that one of Abiolas wives and two daughters were fast asleep when the robbers came, carting away undisclosed amounts of cash and jewelleries. They were said to have left the same way they came, with neither the guards nor domestic workers raising any alarm until several hours later. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_aff.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_aff .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_aff.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_aff.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_aff.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Seven suspects, including domestic workers, are in custody, it was learnt. Our correspondent was not allowed into the residence on Wednesday. I cannot let you inside. I have an order to not let journalists in. There is even no one for you to talk to. Mama is not around and no one is inside. I cannot speak on anything, too, a guard said. A statement by the family signed by Tundun Abiola said the robbers ransacked the home, stole cash and other valuables, adding that the police have been notified and investigation ongoing. Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu confirmed the incident, adding that some suspects were in custody. He said: Yes, robbers went there and carted away unspecified amounts of jewelleries and some money. I was there personally and I spoke with Mama. There was no physical assault on her or the two daughters who were home. I know that some suspects are in custody but I have not been fully briefed on the number of people arrested. Some of the domestic staff were also arrested. The security on the ground did not alert the police or any security agency when the incident was going on. They said they noticed unusual movement within the compound at the time but did not inform us. The police were only told several hours after the robbery. A heartbroken mother who fought to hold her terminally ill son's hand in a Melbourne hospital has revealed he died on Wednesday, separated from his family and surrounded by machines. Ben Stylo's devastated mum said the tragedy pushed her to try to take her own life, after being banned from being by his side in his final moments. The 28-year-old was born with chronic granulomatous disease - a genetic condition that stopped his immune system from fighting an extremely rare fungal infection he contracted in September 2019. He died surrounded by wires in the intensive care unit at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne early on Wednesday morning, having become brain dead as he lay in bed alone. After battling for weeks to get an exemption from the Victorian government, his family were finally allowed a brief visit - but by then, Ben was being kept alive by machines. 'He would have known I was holding his hand if I was allowed to be there,' Ms Cassar told Daily Mail Australia in an exclusive interview. 'By the time I got there, he didn't know who I was. I can't live with that. I don't know how to live knowing he died without me holding his hand.' Ben Stylo (pictured with his mother Rose Cassar) died alone and surrounded by machines in the intensive care unit at The Alfred Hospital Pictured: Ben with his siblings and cousins. Left to right: cousin Dani, Ben's brother Noah, Ben, his brother Adam, and cousin Alicia After months battling the ultra rare contagion, that has infected only five people in the world, the former cafe owner came close to death a number of times from August 1 when it turned septic and spread to his stomach and spleen. Despite his dire condition, his devastated family were blocked from seeing him for weeks at a time due to strict limits on visitors as COVID-19 spread through the state of Victoria. Mr Stylo's shattered mother Rose Cassar endured unimaginable heartache knowing that her sick son was scared and alone in his final moments. 'When I took him to hospital on Saturday, I knew in my heart it would be the last time I saw him,' she said. Unable to cope with her son's fate, Ms Cassar attempted to take her own life and was admitted to a mental facility. The 28-year-old (pictured) was born with chronic granulomatous disease - an ultra rare genetic condition that stopped his immune system from fighting infection Ben Stylo (pictured in hospital) died surrounded by wires in the intensive care unit at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne early on Wednesday morning 'It was where I needed to be because I was literally going out of mind knowing my son would die without his family by his side,' she said. 'I'm lucky someone found me, but part of me still wishes I had gone so I don't have to endure the pain of knowing my son died without being surrounded by love of his family.' What is chronic granulomatous disease? CGD is an inherited disorder that occurs when a type of white blood cell that usually helps your body fight infections doesn't work properly. As a result, the phagocytes can't protect the body from bacterial and fungal infections. People with the disease may develop infections in their lungs, skin, lymph nodes, liver, stomach and intestines. Symptoms usually first appear in childhood, although some do not show symptoms until later in life. Advertisement The mother-of-three explained that Mr Stylo's condition began to deteriorate on Friday when he started having problems with his vision and breathing became difficult. Having been in and out of hospital all his life due to his weakened immune system, Mr Stylo suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was frightened at the prospect of being placed in a ward with no loved ones around. As a result, he would not tell the nurses he was having trouble breathing - something his mother claims wouldn't have happened in a coronavirus-free world. 'Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have hesitated to talk about his breathing issues or go to hospital,' she said. 'But he was just so scared that he told the nurses he was struggling to breath because of his COVID-19 face mask.' Mr Stylo was sent home the same day, only to return to hospital on Saturday when his health took a rapid decline. 'He wanted to wait, but in the end I looked up a couple of symptoms and I told him: 'I think we need to go to the hospital'. As she wasn't allowed to see him after his hospital admission, she called the nurses repeatedly on Sunday to ensure he was eating enough. Ben Stylo (pictured) in hospital earlier in August as he battled with a rare fungal infection Ben Stylo (pictured, centre) is seen with his mother Rose Cassar and father Donald Borg in hospital Mr Stylo's family lived in terror as he went from having hours to live, to sitting up in bed, to going back on life support (pictured: Mr Stylo with his stepfather Russell) She went as far as giving the nurses her credit card details so he would be able to eat something from the cafeteria - a request that was denied because he was in a ward with COVID-19 patients. Frustrated and scared, the mother tried to organise a video call with her son to see how he was going, but the nurses phones rang out every time she called. When explaining how being cut off from her dying son felt, Ms Cassar broke down. 'I just felt at that point that we were broken off,' she said. 'There was no support. No way of accessing them. I had no way of knowing what was going on and an extreme sense of isolation, knowing in my heart that I would not see him alive again.' Ms Cassar told Daily Mail Australia that she understands the need for strict rules around visitors By the time Mr Stylo's family were eventually allowed to see him in a Melbourne hospital, he was brain dead (pictured, before entering hospital) Mr Stylo continued to fade as the week went on, but the hospital insisted on denying the family a few precious minutes to say goodbye. Hospitals in Melbourne allow family members to visit their loved ones under special circumstances - including when they're close to death. As the infection moved to his brain, Mr Stylo was able to respond to nurses who told him to squeeze their hand. Ms Cassar said the restrictions placed on hospital ICU patients and their loved ones are 'cruel' and penned a petition to sent to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. 'We would wear PPE suits and we would do a COVID-19 test, but we were shut down at every turn.' Pictured: Ben Stylo with his grandparents earlier in 2020. Before he died, Mr Stylo was able to respond to nurses who told him to squeeze their hand Pictured: Ben Stylo with a box of baked good sent from his grandmother earlier in 2020 'Even a-symptomatic people return positive test results - I didn't have COVID-19 and neither did Ben, but we were prepared to wear PPE suits - we would have done anything, but we were shut down at every turn.' Ms Cassar's battle with health authorities began when her son was first admitted to hospital during the pandemic on August 1. While she was allowed to ride in the ambulance with him, she was forced to leave his side when they arrived at the hospital. 'As soon as I got to the hospital, they said you can't be with him.' Over the following days, Mr Stylo's family were terrified as he went from having hours to live, to sitting up in bed, to going back on life support. At one point, Ms Cassar received a phone call from the hospital informing her that her son's life was fading. Ben Stylo is pictured when he was discharged from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne on August 16 Pictured, left to right: His stepfather Russell, mother Rose, Ben, stepmother Virgina, and his father, Don The distraught mother 'begged and pleaded' to see her son, but was continually rejected. She tried scheduling video calls but his condition changes so quickly that the opportunities are always postponed. Mr Stylo was transferred between the intensive care unit and general wards frequently as he drifted between life and death - feeling energised one day and chronically lethargic the next. During his last bout in the general ward, his mother was granted a visit from the hospital and grew concerned because 'he didn't look so good'. 'He looked sick and he was sitting in his own soil - there was no dignity - and he looked at me and said, "mum, all I want is a shower. I just want to feel clean again".' Mr Stylo was often asleep when lunch came, or when the nurses were ready to shower him or let him go for a walk - as a result, he often missed out. Ms Cassar told Daily Mail Australia that she understands the need for strict rules around visitor. Pictured, left to right: Ben Stylo, his brothers Noah and Adam, and mother Rose) When Ms Cassar was allowed to take him home on August 16, his condition improved until the infection spread terminally 'The nurses have so many patients and are run off their feet - I don't blame them at all, but he needed someone to love and care for him, and all he wanted was to go home.' As soon as she was allowed to take him home on August 16, his condition improved until the infection spread terminally. The family, who are originally from Sydney, hope to take My Stylo back to New South Wales for the funeral so loved ones can say goodbye. A spokesperson for Alfred Health previously said visiting restrictions are in place to protect patients and staff from coronavirus. 'As visitors are only permitted under special circumstances, our staff are working hard to maintain the connection between patients and loved ones,' they said. Melbourne has been forced into strict lockdown after record-high numbers of coronavirus continue to plague the city. Residents are only allowed outside for essential purposes, including to buy food and care for sick relatives. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2020 / BlueBird Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV:BATT)(OTC PINK:BBBMF) (the "Company" or "BlueBird") announces that further to its news release of August 28, 2020, it has increased its financing by $3,000,000 for a total of $5,000,000. Subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance, the Company will now issue a total of 25,000,000 post-consolidated units at a price of $0.20 per post-consolidated unit. Each unit will consist of one post-consolidated common share and one transferable share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), each Warrant exercisable into one additional post-consolidated common share for a period of three years from the date of issue at a price of $0.35 per share. Bluebird confirms that $2,000,000 of the total $5,000,000 is designated as a "part and parcel" private placement, the majority of proceeds being allocated to acquisition and exploration costs on the Baxter Spring project recently optioned by the Company. The additional $3,000,000 proceeds of the placement will be used for exploration on the Company's Canegrass property, Australia, extinguishment of debt and general working capital. Please refer to our news releases of April 30 and June 1, 2020, which describe the drill program to be conducted on the Canegrass property. Finders' fees may be payable in whole or on part on the placement, subject to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued under the placement will be subject to hold periods expiring four months and one day from the date of issue. On Behalf of the Board of BlueBird Battery Metals Inc. Peter Dickie President and Chief Executive Officer For more information, please contact 1-855-584-0160 or info@bluebirdbatterymetals.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange nor their Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This press release may contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Certain forward looking information should also be considered future-oriented financial information ("FOFI") as that term is defined in NI 51-102. The purpose of disclosing FOFI is to provide a general overview of management's expectations regarding the anticipated results of operations and capital expenditures and readers are cautioned that FOFI may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, discussion of the purchase of a 100% interest in the Baxter Spring Property; the completion of, receipt of regulatory approvals for the name change, Consolidation, and the terms of and use of proceeds of the Placement. Although the Company believes that such information as set out in this press release is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and estimates will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the Company may be unable to obtain the regulatory approvals required for the name change, Consolidation, Placement or the purchase of a 100% interest in the Baxter Spring Property, or such transactions may not be successfully completed; the Company may be unsuccessful in marketing the Placement; the Company or Liberty may be unable to satisfy the closing conditions to the purchase of the 100% interest in the Baxter Spring Property; the state of the financial markets for the Company's common shares; the state of the market for gold or other minerals that may be produced generally; and the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies and other risks associated with the exploration and development of mineral properties. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. SOURCE: BlueBird Battery Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604606/BlueBird-Increases-Financing iStock/simon2579 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- In an effort to develop an effective vaccine against COVID-19, 172 countries have partnered up for a global effort. However, the U.S. and China announced that they will not be a part of the partnership. President Donald Trump's administration announced Wednesday that America will not join the coalition, dubbed COVAX, due to objections that it was organized by the World Health Organization. The Trump administration outwardly blames the WHO for the novel coronavirus outbreak. Health officials and world leaders have advised against the move, saying the decision jeopardizes America's position in the global vaccine alliance, saying by opting out of the effort, it means the country risks not being able to access a vaccine should another country develop it first. Stefan Lofven, Sweden's prime minister, is decried the United State's decision to not join the alliance, saying "This cannot be a race with a few winners, and the COVAX Facility is an important part of the solution -- making sure all countries can benefit from access to the world's largest portfolio of candidates and fair and equitable distribution of vaccine doses." COVAX's goal is to have two billion vaccine doses available on a global scale by the end of next year. However, the goal is considered a lofty one considering the costs needed to ramp up production. With the U.S. and China both rejecting the alliance, the WHO says greater coordination and more financial contributions will be needed. Of the global effort, 80 countries signed up as "potentially self-financing" while 92 middle and low-income countries stated they may require support. Outdoor ballot boxes The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for all Wisconsin citizens to exercise their right to vote and have their ballot counted. The requests for absentee ballots have increased greatly as citizens elect not to gather in crowds or enter buildings unnecessarily. Racine County citizens work long and hard hours, and at all times of the day. Our postal service is under duress. One service that can help make sure your ballot is counted is to have secure outside drop boxes for ballots. They provide the convenience of a 24-hour drop-off and are also safer for municipal employees as it reduces the number of in office visits. As of this writing, no such box exists in the City of Burlington, or throughout almost all of Racine County. There are funds available via the Wisconsin Election Commission and the states Route to Recovery program to offset costs. The County of Kenosha has 10 such boxes and they are installed in many locations throughout the state, and in fact much of the U.S. I encourage all citizens to contact your local officials to request these be installed to assure that your vote is counted and that you can exercise your sacred right to vote in a safe manner. Joel Jacobsen, Burlington Autocrats at the gate What do presidents Viktor Orban of Hungary, Andrzej Duda of Poland, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayep Erdogan of Turkey, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Donald Trump of the United States have in common? They are all autocrats whose policies have shifted their countries from democratic to authoritarian states. They all have replaced competent heads of institutions within their countries with political hacks, vilified the press and in some cases, like Hungary, nationalized the press and all media. Many have used conspiracy theories to blame their opponents for imagined offenses or crimes against the state. For example, Orban in Hungary blamed George Soros, a Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust, for financing the migration of thousands of immigrants from Syria for settlement in Hungary. These immigrants passed through Hungary, and did not settle there. Genetic purity is encouraged by paying married couples for each child born. In the United States, Trump used birtherism, stating that former president Barack Obama and now vice-presidential pick Kamala Harris were not United States citizens and therefore could not run for the highest offices in the land. Trump often retweets conspiracy theories such as the Clinton and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations are involved in child sex trafficking. The western world, including the United States, is at an inflection point. The autocrats are at the gate. Democracies are in retreat. We can do our part in reversing this trend by ousting Trump on Nov. 3. Joseph Kiemen, Racine Contradicting parties Type your letter listening to the speakers at the Democratic Convention, youd hardly know they voted for the Patriot Act; the various wars the U.S. is embroiled in; all that defense spending (more than 50% of your federal tax dollars); only two articles of impeachment (when rootsaction.org was proposing 25 at least Nixon had three); that many democrats support fracking which amounts to drill, baby, drill; that greenpeace gave the Democratic Party climate platform only a C+ on climate; that the democrats will not unite behind Medicare-for-All, letting their fall-back be so-called Obamacare, a plan invented by Republicans as then-governor Mitt Romney instituted it in Massachusetts. More locally, Governor Evers signed an ALEC-inspired bill to criminalize protest, area Democrats voted for enriching Foxconn with the destruction of wetlands thrown in, and so forth. Of course, I can well imagine that listening to the Republican Convention speakers will be quite beyond nauseating. Republicans, the GEP Greater-Evil Party. Then there is Gore Vidals assessment: The U.S. is run by the Property Party and its two right wings. Right and righter. Mark Giese, Mount Pleasant Education during Covid We are now facing perhaps the most heart-wrenching aspect of the pandemic. We have to decide when and how to send our beloved children back to school. To quote my teacher/daughter, In March the school buildings closed. Education did not stop. All this while, staff has been working on online solutions and decisions based on what is best for students and families. No one was prepared for this abrupt closure. And no one is really happy about the current situation. These are uncharted times, and no one has definitive answers. Plans may work and they may not. The health of students, families and staff must be of primary concern. We all know that the children need to return to classrooms, but it must be done safely. Whatever your family is doing for your childs education, please fully support it. There are no right or wrong solutions here. Every family must do what they feel is best for their situations. Children are looking to us to develop their attitudes and feelings. Please be positive and accepting of change. Please be a cheerleader for education. Hopefully, we can see this as an opportunity to learn what works best from each other, and we can look forward to innovative education for all children. Mary Siuta, Racine Re: The Democratic agenda Anyone can make accusations, unsubstantiated by fact, as is evident in your letter, Aug. 24, to The Journal Times. If you wish to be helpful, please give concrete examples to verify your observations. Alice Pittz, Racine Presidential debates Robin Vos has gotten his knickers in a twist, again. According to an article in the Sunday paper written by Mr. Adam Rogan, Mr. Vos expressed a fear that the early voting law in Wisconsin would allow citizens to exercise their franchise before the first debate between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump took place. Apparently, he and the president of the state senate dashed off a letter to the commission on presidential debates, requesting that the schedule be moved forward to take place prior to the onset of early voting. Mr. Vos said since Wisconsin voters will be some of the first to cast a ballot for the presidential election, it is imperative that we hear from both presidents. Mr. Vos must have failed eighth-grade civics. For any who are confused, the United States does not have two presidents. It has one incumbent and one challenger. Instead of mucking up the debate schedule, Mr. Vos could make much better use of his time taking a course in American government. Gordon Ammon, Mount Pleasant Reply to Wernick commentary The commentary by Jeffrey Wernick and Amy Peikoff in the Aug. 24 issue begs clarification. Jeffrey Wernick is identified as Parler COO and Amy Peikoff as Parler Chief Policy Officer. For those unfamiliar with Parler, Wikipedia identifies Parler as a microblogging and social networking service [with] a significant user base of Trump supporters, conservatives and Saudi nationals. Posts on the website often contain far-right content, antisemitism and conspiracy theories. While I have no objections per-se to conservative commentary, the absence in this case of contextualized attribution is concerning. Worse yet, the commentarys reference to an honest form of money based on consent and trust (like Bitcoin or a gold-backed currency impervious to debasement) turns out to be a thinly veiled platform for promoting the financial interest(s) of Jeffrey Wernick, who has invested in bitcoin technology (Breitbart News). In addition, the commentarys arguments about COVID-19 and the Federal Reserve fall largely under the category of conspiracy theory. The lack of credibility, appropriate attribution and authors qualifications that characterize the commentary ultimately also reflect on the journalistic ethics of The Journal Times. I am disappointed, as a reader and subscriber, by the editorial boards lack of judgment and due diligence. Siegfried Christoph, Racine Questions on the Democratic vision I am replying to the Questions on the Democratic vision letter to the editor sent in by Mike Iwon published on Aug. 24. Mr. Iwon asked two questions about the funding of the Democratic vision. The main funding that was outlined by Joe Biden was to have the large (huge) corporations, who are paying zero or near zero dollars, to pay their fair share. Also, the millionaires/billionaires, who received the big tax cut by President Trump, should have that rescinded. If all those would pay their fair share and not put the burden on the rest of us, this country would have a lot more funding for all the necessary programs to keep the country going. Instead of plans to take away funding for social security and Medicare, why arent the politicians crying out for the large corporations to pay what they owe? Could campaign donations have something to do with this silence? Marcia Pfost, Racine Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Bengaluru drug case: Actor Ragini Dwivedi summoned by CCB India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bengaluru, Sep 03: Kannada film actor Ragini Dwivedi has been summoned by the Bengaluru police for questioning in connection with the drug abuse case. She along with her friend, who is a government employee have been asked to appear at the Central Crime Branch headquarters in Chamrajpet on Thursday. The summons were issued after filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh submitted a list of celebrities to the police, claiming that they are users of synthetic drugs. Lankesh has been summoned by the CCB for the second time on Thursday. The CCB has been conducting surprise checks on vehicles. The CCB according to a report in The New Indian Express suspects an inter-state drug racket. Hawala dealer Naresh Jain in ED net is wanted in six countries Joint Commissioner of Police, Sandeep Patil said that the drug paddlers who were arrested allegedly confessed that the drugs were being brought into the city in buses and trains late in the night to avoid detection. On Wednesday, members of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce met and its president, K Jayaraj said that if any actor or member of the industry is proven guilty of having consumed drugs or sold them, then action would be initiated. He however said that it was wrong to blame the entire industry for the same. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 9:56 [IST] Blazing star: The coffin of Amy Connor is carried to her final resting place at Ballywillan Cemetery, Portrush The funeral of 23-year-old Amy Connor, who died suddenly while on holiday in Ibiza last month, has heard her described as "a blazing star, which travelled ever so briefly across the horizons of our lives". The mother-of-one from Coleraine was found in her room in the Ibiza Rocks Hotel in the party resort of San Antonio at midday on August 20. Around 100 people gathered yesterday afternoon to pay their respects as her pink coffin, bearing the word Princess along the side, made its way to Ballywillan Cemetery at Portrush for burial after a service in her mother Carol McKibbin's home at Glebe Crescent in Castlerock. The service was conducted by Rev Bert Ritchie from Church of Christ in Coleraine who told mourners that like them, he had "lost a wee girl who won my heart from a very early age" as he recalled her journey from a mischievous child to a fun loving, mature young woman. Read More Amy's older sister, Toni, was part of the group of holidaymakers when tragedy struck. Speaking ahead of the funeral, she described Amy as "one of a kind" and pledged to give her "the best send-off possible". Expand Close Amy Connor / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Amy Connor Amy leaves behind her three-year-old daughter Kaliyah, parents Arthur Connor and Carol, her stepdad Campbell Kennedy and siblings, Aaron John, Jean and Toni. Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the recent hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and electricity tariff as evidence of an administration that is working in the interest of all Nigerians. The party in a statement issued in response to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)s stance on the fuel hike, on Wednesday, blamed the latters 16 years rule for the countrys current woes. The main opposition party, the PDP, in an earlier statement, had joined some Nigerians on social media to reject the N151.56 new price per litre. Our party asserts that by increasing the price of fuel from the N87 per litre it sold under the PDP to an excruciating N151 while at the same time allowing the hike in electricity tariff from N30.23 per kwh to over N66, the APC has left no one in doubt that its agenda is to inflict pain and hardship on Nigerians to satisfy their selfish interests, Kola Ologbodinyan, the PDPs spokesperson, had said, challenging the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to publish the parameters used to arrive at the current price given the prevailing values in the international market. The APC, in a statement issued on Wednesday night, advised the PDP to account for the alleged looted subsidy funds during its administration. The statement did not address the concerns raised by the PDP. For successive PDP governments that foisted on the country a corruption-tainted fuel subsidy regime, we call on the PDP to surprise itself and indeed Nigerians by cajoling its cronies who ran the subsidy rackets many of them in hiding abroad to return our stolen commonwealth in their possession, the APC deputy national spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, said while stating Mr Buharis achievements in the oil and gas sector. Under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. The tortuous fuel queues as a result of biting scarcities are gone. The reviewed petroleum products pricing template has resulted in a more transparent, efficient and realistic pricing system for petroleum products and also resulted in constant availability of fuel nationwide. The pricing template now reflects competitive and market-driven components which is supported by the citizenry. In an effort by this administration to put an end to estimated and arbitrary billing for electricity, President Buhari recently directed a nationwide mass metering programme for electricity consumers in the country, he added as while calling on the PDP to wake up to the new Nigeria were the government works for the citizens not a few interests. As one of the most highly-anticipated events in the world of cinema, the Venice Film Festival never fails to draw the biggest names from the silver screen and beyond. Over the years, stars among the likes of Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, Zoe Kravitz and Cate Blanchett have showcased breathtaking gowns by luxury fashion designers on the red carpet. Last year, Lady Gaga's princess-esque baby pink Valentino gown which she wore for the premiere of her eight-time Oscar-nominated film A Star Is Born proved one of the highlights of the entire occasion. Meanwhile, in 2012 actor Kate Hudson made a bold appearance on the red carpet in a dazzling gold embellished gown by Italian fashion house Versace. Click through the gallery above to take a look at 23 of the most memorable dresses stars have worn on the Venice Film Festival red carpet. The 76th Venice Film Festival is currently in full swing, and has already seen famous faces including Kristen Stewart, Scarlett Johansson and Liv Tyler pose for photographers on the red carpet. Stewart and Johansson opted for red ensembles, both completing their looks with dramatic smokey eye makeup. Meanwhile, fashion model Iman debuted one of the most striking designs of the event so far, donning a colourful bird and floral patterned creation by Valentino, complete with an exuberant display of feathers. With the film festival due to come to a close on Saturday 7 September, cinephiles will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a plethora of eye-catching red-carpet looks as the event runs its course. To see all the best-dressed stars at this year's Venice Film Festival, click here. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events For all the latest news on the oldest film festival in the world, click here. A Lifetime of Violence In addition to interviews with The Times, the more than 30 pages of personal statements submitted by Ms. Gentili and Ms. Walker as part of the lawsuit paint a harrowing picture of the systemic discrimination trans people face when trying to access health care. Both women are prominent activists in the L.G.B.T.Q. community. Ms. Walker, an Army veteran, is the co-founder of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group, or NYTAG, and Ms. Gentili, is a consultant helping businesses with transgender sensitivity and inclusion issues. She has also appeared in a few episodes of the award-winning TV series Pose. Over their lifetimes, they have had consistently negative experiences at the hands of medical professionals. Both have been told that their gender identity was a psychological condition that could be treated (Ms. Walker was even given medication for schizophrenia), both have been misgendered, both have been called by the names assigned to them at birth rather than the ones they have chosen, and they have endured being mocked and denied care all of which, they said, had made them wary of seeking health care. Trans people, because of all of our past experiences, do not go and access medical services when we need it, Ms. Gentili explained in the interview. The dangers of that are amplified during a pandemic, she added. My best friend, who is also trans, just died of Covid-19. She was sick for more than a week, and she chose not to go and see a doctor. Not many birds can call themselves Beyonce's competition, but Chico the Parrot might be the exception. The nine-year-old Yellow Crowned Amazon who resides at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in the United Kingdom is now a fan favorite, after he was captured on video singing (yes, singing) the lyrics to the Houston native's Billboard hit single, "If I Were A Boy." Steve Nichols, the park's Chief Executive Officer, says Chico learned the lyrics by listening to the local radio in the U.K. "If I were a boyyyyy, I think I could understand," he sings loudly in a tone that not even I could master, awing park visitors in the background. PREDICTIVE PETS: How llamas and cats might save us from COVID, based on an analysis The Facebook and Instagram posts have garnered more than 10,000 shares and views, a feeling CEO Nichols says brings him pure joy. "It is amazing and hopefully will bring awareness to our non profit charitable organization that cares for animals." In an interview on This Morning with Phillip and Holly, Nichols said Chico was pretty quiet when the park wasn't taking visitors due to COVID-19, but once he got an audience, he put on his best performance. And once Chico starts, he doesn't shut up, according to Nichols. After more than 25 years working with these amazing birds, they still never cease to amaze me," Nichols told Fox News. "Whod have ever thought that a parrot would cause social distancing problems due to being so popular?" Nichols told Chron.com that Chico also knows the lyrics to "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, "Fireworks" by Katy Perry and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. Oh, and he's singing a little Freddie Mercury now, too! Catch him in action on his "now booming" Instagram page. Hopefully Bey sees it too! Even as Sahara India Parivar chief Subrata Roy and Satyam Computers founder Byrraju Ramalinga Raju have managed to get an injunction on the release of Netflixs latest documentary series, Bad Boy Billionaires, former liquor baron Vijay Mallya and diamond merchant Nirav Modi , two others who feature in the four-part series, will not be able to challenge the broadcast of series, according to the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act, 2018. Section 14 of the FEO Act says that any person or company, who has been declared fugitive economic offender, may be disallowed from putting forward or defending any civil claim by any court or tribunal in India. Both Mallya and Modi were declared Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEOs) in January and December 2019 respectively for fraud and money laundering. While a local court in Bihars Araria last week gave relief to Subrata Roy by ordering Netflix not to use his name in the series, a Hyderabad civil court on Tuesday restrained Netflix from releasing it on a plea filed by Raju. The Supreme Court has refused to give any relief to the company when it was approached concerning the Araria courts order. Even though Netflix series doesnt have a special episode on fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, accused in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, he approached the Delhi High Court last week seeking a preview of the series for himself before it is released arguing that it could prejudice the trial against him. The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeiTY) opposed Choksis plea saying it does not regulate the content on over-the-top platforms unless that interferes with national security. Choksis lawyer Vijay Aggarwal said: Article 21 is available even to non citizens and if legal proceedings are pending then media cannot give their own versions and can only report facts. Netflix is calling its documentary to be investigative so this parallel investigation and conclusion is bound to breach right to fair trial under Article 21 of Constitution of India. My client (Mehul Choksi) has a presumption of innocence in his favour, Aggarwal added. The high court junked Choksis plea but allowed him to go to a civil court. Sherbir Panag, a legal expert on white collar crimes said: The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, provides that on declaration as a fugitive economic offender, any civil claim put forward or defended by such person may be disallowed by the concerned court. While this doesnt take away the right to file a civil claim, it does leave ample discretion with the court on whether or not to allow such claim being put forward. This position is contentious from a procedural fairness perspective, but shall hopefully be balanced by conscientious judicial interpretation. Zulfiquar Memon, international extradition expert, said: On account of Modi and Mallya being declared as FEO, they may have limited rights to approach the Courts, but their purpose seems to have been solved by the fact that the airing of the docu-series on Netflix has currently been stayed by different Courts. According to me, this matter is likely to go to the Supreme Court and until such time, the stay may remain in force. This is the second time within a month when Netflix is embroiled in a legal tussle after a movie on the life of Indian Air Force (IAF) female pilot Gunjan Saxena, which the Centre has challenged saying it shows Indian armed forces in bad light. Netflix is tightlipped about the developments even as it plans to move the Bihar high court against the Araria court order and the appropriate court against the Hyderabad court order. The docu-series was supposed to be released on Wednesday. Company representatives declined comment on the matter. Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, who represents Netflix, said: We have not tried to defame anyone. Its an investigative docu-series based on interviews as well as the facts which are available in public domain. Experts say government has powers to regulate OTT content: Irrespective of particular show or OTT platform, experts feel that the government should take a proactive approach in regulating the content over the digital platforms. Pavan Duggal, top cyber expert said : OTT is a unique platform which has not been effectively regulated globally as well as India. However, as OTTs are available on communication devices and mobiles, they are already covered under the Indian cyberlaw. OTTs are intermediaries under section 2 (1) (w) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Under section 79 (2) (c) of the act, these OTT players are mandated to exercise due diligence while they discharge their obligations as intermediaries. Some generic provisions of due diligence have been given under the IT Rules 2011 but these are not specifically designed for OTT platforms. The government of India has not yet come up with specific rules, guidelines, and parameters concerning OTTs but it doesnt mean it cannot regulate such platforms. Under Section 87 of the IT Act, government has the powers to come up with rules and regulations for OTT players. Duggal added that India needs to revise its legal position and come up with a framework to govern OTTs because these platforms cannot exist in a legal and policy vacuum. If they are allowed to so exist, it will start prejudicially impacting the cyber sovereignty of India as well Indian security and integrity. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A high court in on Thursday directed the federal government to give India another opportunity to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner as it adjourned hearing for a month. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the case of appointment of lawyer for Jadhav to hear the review of the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017. Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan told the court that to comply with the orders of the Court of Justice (ICJ), granted consular access to India, however, it has not replied to Pakistan's offer to appoint a lawyer for him. According to the short order issued after the hearing, Khan told the court that Jadhav was informed about the judgment of the ICJ and his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations as well as IHC orders on the appointment of his defence counsel. The Attorney General told the court that he was informed by the officials of the Government of that Jadhav has reiterated his earlier stance and has preferred to pursue the remedy of clemency instead of invoking his right under the Ordinance of 2020. Khan told the court that India was duly informed of the proceedings of the court held on August 3, but its response is awaited, according to the order. The court raised questions about the efficacy of the case and judgment if India or Jadhav were not ready to avail the opportunity of review. The court observed that in order to remove any further doubt, India should be given another opportunity to appoint a lawyer. In order to remove any doubt, and to fulfill the requirements of a fair trial, we feel that another opportunity ought to be extended to the Government of India to consider taking appropriate measures so as to ensure effective compliance with the judgment of the Court... We, therefore, yet again restrain ourselves from proceeding in the matter in hand, according to the order. The court also ordered that to ensure an effective review and reconsideration so as to give effect to the judgment of the ICJ, the Attorney General shall ensure that a copy of this order is provided to Jadhav. The Government of Pakistan shall once again convey the orders passed in this petition to the Government of India to enable the latter to consider taking appropriate measures in order to ensure compliance with the judgment of the Court, it said. The court adjourned hearing and directed the Registrar to fix the proceedings at 02:00 PM on October 6. On August 4, the IHC named three senior lawyers as amici curiae in the case of Jadhav as it had ordered the Pakistan government to give "another chance" to India to appoint a counsel for the death-row prisoner. Amicus Curiae is a lawyer appointed by a court to assist in any matter or case. On July 16, Pakistan provided consular access to Jadhav, but the Indian government said the access was "neither meaningful nor credible" and he appeared visibly under stress. The Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistan is not only in violation of the judgment of ICJ, but also of its own ordinance. Pakistan has introduced a special law to allow Jadhav to get his sentence reviewed as asked by the ICJ. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. (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.) After Hurricane Laura struck Louisiana in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 27, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) and Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) teamed up to help the aftermath for local residents. With the help of a local Sonic restaurant, the SBTC and Louisiana SBDR started serving meals and chainsaw work over the weekend for those in need. Some residents won't have power for weeks, if not months according to Philp May, president and CEO of Entergy, a power company in Louisiana. "Customers should expect extended power outages lasting weeks," said Phillip. Phillip expects the recovery process to be extremely difficult because the damage caused by the hurricane is extraordinary. "We expect the recovery to be as difficult and challenging as we have ever faced in the past," said Phillip. Residents of the affected area lost access to clean, running water due to the hurricane. City Administrator John Cardone said there is a possibility of broken pipes all over the city, causing the water problem. "If they got the water lines on the private property, we'd need to go there and locate it. If people are evacuated, we don't know where the leaks are," said Cardone. "We understand the criticalness of getting water to our citizens. We are bringing in engineers and generators to work on this. We just took a massive hit with this storm," Cardone added. "The tree damage from Hurricane Laura is horrific. It is the most widespread tree damage I have ever seen," said Steve Masters. The students who volunteered were one of the first collegiate SBDR teams in the nation, who also gathered in 2006 Hurricane Katrina to help out the community. The Baptist Press reported that "with trained leaders, and equipment, they cut up trees and hauled debris to the street at nine homes." According to the Baptist Press, "in the near future, SBDR volunteers from multiple states plan to travel to southwest Lousiana to cook meals and continue with the recovery and rebuilding effort." To donate to Hurricane Laura Southern Baptist relief effort please visit sendrelief.org/Laura Veer Kunwar University, Arrah; Amrendra Narayan Any intervention to rectify malfunctioning in university is likely to receive a violent pushback as experienced by Amrendra Narayan Jean Dreze What is probably a rarity at IIT is a common practice at universities like the Veer Kunwar Singh. Dishonesty in research and teaching is rampant. The practice perpetuates from one generation to another. Any intervention to rectify the malfunctioning is likely to receive a violent pushback as experienced by Amrendra Narayan. Campus violence is also not uncommon. From carrying the feudal-casteist disputes from the rural hinterland to academic campuses, clashes between student groups more for asserting their dominance than for any ideological reasons, giving vent to their frustration against any attempt to discipline them by indulging in vandalism have been common incidences. Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi closing down sine die after campus violence was an expected annual event before the University decided to ban students union elections. This January we have seen masked gang going on rampage in JNU campus. A rowdy group forcibly entered the Gargi College in Delhi in February and molested girl students in a shameful act. Most of our institutions of higher learning have no pretensions of being the ideal centres of learning and scholarship. In spite of high numbers involved in higher education India has a poor record in research. It is no surprise that no scholar working in an Indian institution has received a Nobel prize till date. The quality of research also reflects in the economy. The manufacturing in India is highly dependent on foreign designs and imported materials and products. China has infiltrated the Indian market to such an extent that in spite of our wish to boycott Chinese goods because of its infringement of Indian territory were unable to do so. The Prime Minister may dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the fact is we cannot do without external help, whether of finance or technology. A recent trend is even governments hire foreign consultants to advise them on matters of domestic policy. It is quite clear that India has not taken its education seriously. Education is a ritual to be completed for upward social and economic mobility. The ultimate objective is to possess a degree irrespective of any capability acquired through the process of education. The more smart among the educated use their knowledge or skills to make money for themselves, legally or illegally. Corruption in India is a product of the educated. Education is disconnected from social reality and does not even attempt to solve the real problems of our country. Corruption, violence and mediocrity are endemic to Indian education system. The system is deeply entrenched intertwined with powerful vested interests. However, if the policy makers want an overhaul of the education system, as is desired in the recently released New Education Policy, the reality would have to be confronted. Some people will have to stem the rot. This will definitely involve risks as Amrendras example has shown. But the wider society and at least the intellectual academic community will have to support persons who attempt to reform the system and not abandon them. --- *Peehu Pardeshi is Assistant Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay award winning social activist, is Vice President, Socialist Party (India) Erudite economist Jean Dreze accused IIT Kanpur Associate Professor in Economics, Somesh Kumar Mathur, of having completely copied one of his articles published in "Economic and Political Weekly" when Mathur was a PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mathur just added a section to Drezes article and published it in another journal in his name. In spite of charges of plagiarism in other works, Mathur continues to serve the IIT Kanpur.What is probably a rarity at IIT is a common practice at universities like the Veer Kunwar Singh. Dishonesty in research and teaching is rampant. The practice perpetuates from one generation to another. Any intervention to rectify the malfunctioning is likely to receive a violent pushback as experienced by Amrendra Narayan.Campus violence is also not uncommon. From carrying the feudal-casteist disputes from the rural hinterland to academic campuses, clashes between student groups more for asserting their dominance than for any ideological reasons, giving vent to their frustration against any attempt to discipline them by indulging in vandalism have been common incidences.Banaras Hindu University at Varanasi closing down sine die after campus violence was an expected annual event before the University decided to ban students union elections. This January we have seen masked gang going on rampage in JNU campus. A rowdy group forcibly entered the Gargi College in Delhi in February and molested girl students in a shameful act.Most of our institutions of higher learning have no pretensions of being the ideal centres of learning and scholarship. In spite of high numbers involved in higher education India has a poor record in research. It is no surprise that no scholar working in an Indian institution has received a Nobel prize till date. The quality of research also reflects in the economy. The manufacturing in India is highly dependent on foreign designs and imported materials and products.China has infiltrated the Indian market to such an extent that in spite of our wish to boycott Chinese goods because of its infringement of Indian territory were unable to do so. The Prime Minister may dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the fact is we cannot do without external help, whether of finance or technology. A recent trend is even governments hire foreign consultants to advise them on matters of domestic policy.It is quite clear that India has not taken its education seriously. Education is a ritual to be completed for upward social and economic mobility. The ultimate objective is to possess a degree irrespective of any capability acquired through the process of education. The more smart among the educated use their knowledge or skills to make money for themselves, legally or illegally.Corruption in India is a product of the educated. Education is disconnected from social reality and does not even attempt to solve the real problems of our country. Corruption, violence and mediocrity are endemic to Indian education system. The system is deeply entrenched intertwined with powerful vested interests.However, if the policy makers want an overhaul of the education system, as is desired in the recently released New Education Policy, the reality would have to be confronted. Some people will have to stem the rot. This will definitely involve risks as Amrendras example has shown. But the wider society and at least the intellectual academic community will have to support persons who attempt to reform the system and not abandon them.--- It is unusual for a bright young scholar like Amrendra Narayan, with a PhD in Nuclear Physics from Mississippi State University, preceded and followed by research stints at Indian Institutes of Technology at Kanpur and Mumbai, respectively, to go and work at a relatively little known Veer Kunwar Singh University in a small town Arrah of Bihar near his native place.His own family and friends would have probably dissuaded him from going to Arrah and for good reasons. After working there for three years he was physically assaulted on campus on August 13, 2020, by one Vivek Kumar alias Jitendra Pandey, who hangs around in the University without any formal affiliation there.It appears that a section of people with the University were not happy with the reforms that Amrendra was trying to bring about in the prevalent academic culture there. Using his technological capabilities, the University created a Computer Centre facility for computerized result preparation saving crores of rupees and freeing it from the clutches of private agencies and from external and internal manipulation.His biggest attack was on plagiarism. He introduced software to detect plagiarism which made it difficult to obtain an easy PhD from the University. In his attempt to rid the system of higher education of the malpractices and corruption by strictly implementing the University Grants Commission norms, he shook the entire set up.The Vice Chancellor was supportive of his efforts in the beginning because of which Amrendra was able to accomplish a number of things. But after the assault incident, the VC has decided to go mum.The scenario at University in Arrah is not an exception. To a lesser and greater extent all the malpractices here can be found in any academic institution in other places too. Using unfair means in examinations is very common and is a collaborative exercise in many places with students, parents, teachers, and management of school or college, education department officials, administrative officers and peoples representatives all colluding.It is an important factor responsible for fall in quality of education activity at educational institutions. Students of renowned institutions like King George Medical University, Lucknow, and IIT, Banaras Hindu Univeristy, have been caught impersonating for candidates in respective entrance examinations in exchange for money. Incidents of plagiarism have been reported at very reputed institutions too. KENOSHA, Wis. A citywide curfew and the threat of arrest had been in place several days here when the inflammatory state of politics and protest in Kenosha began to reveal itself. Take, for instance, the sword-wielding white woman who arrived in the heart of the protest zone alone on Monday, joining about a dozen stragglers. She banged her two swords against the steel gates encircling the Kenosha County Courthouse. She chatted with a white man in fatigues with a chest-length beard and a holstered gun. She took swigs from a bottle of Jack Daniel's and banged her swords against a nearby lamppost, creating a kind of carillon past curfew. The National Guard and local police descended in armored vehicles and SUVs a few moments later, and a team wrestled her into an unmarked van. The man in fatigues began to applaud her arrest and then to heckle Black Lives Matter and its aims. Fast-forward a few days, and a version of delicate calm has descended on Kenosha now. Most protesters are inside each night before the city's 7 o'clock curfew. A small but assorted mix of people defy it. That is the situation into which Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will arrive Thursday. Biden comes to Kenosha against the suggestion of the local NAACP president, Anthony Davis, who said he conveyed a similar message to President Donald Trump, who visited Tuesday. "I said that Kenosha would welcome them any other time," Davis said. "But things here are fragile. And we, in this community, really need to put our energy into healing ourselves, sitting down and speaking in detail only the way that locals can." Image: BLM protest (Morry Gash / AP) Biden told reporters Wednesday that he will arrive with his mind set on progress and unification. "We've got to heal. We've got to put things together and bring people together," Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware. "So my purpose in going will be to do just that be a positive influence on what's going on, talk about what needs to be done and try to see if there's a beginning of a mechanism to bring the folks together." Story continues During his visit, Trump met primarily with law enforcement officials and did not visit the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer more than a week ago, setting off protests and sporadic violence. Biden will spend time with the Blake family and others. Davis is not alone in feeling that the city remains somewhere near the boiling point, part of a country where only the surface of the waters is calm. "I just hope there's no trouble. I didn't want any trouble. ... You know, they clash," Judy Bohaczek, a white Kenosha resident, said about Trump's visit, Biden's visit and the men's supporters. "But I was glad that nothing was done." Trump, she said, "was in and out quick, and Biden will probably do the same, hopefully." Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts Justin Blake, Jacob Blake's uncle, said Tuesday that the family welcomes a conversation with Biden but will expect far more than the right words or displays of empathy. "If Vice President Biden and Sister Harris would like to come and talk, we are ready to talk," Blake said, referring to vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. "But I'm not looking for anybody to come here and say nice things. I'm looking for legislative promises, commitments and, if they are elected, swift action." Clair Rasmussen, a white woman who lives in Kenosha, described Biden's visit as less worrying than Trump's. "Well, he's not such an antagonist," Rasmussen said. "So I'm glad the other side is coming, because it just shows Kenosha there's support." For every Clair Rasmussen, there's a Kelly Ingram. He welcomed Trump's visit and hopes for a second Trump term. "I feel better with Trump leading," said Ingram, who is white. "Because look around: Everything is booming, business is going. And who brought that to my attention was my 15-, 16-year-old kids. They said: 'Dad, look at our neighborhood. All these little storefronts are opening. It ain't the ghetto no more.' I live in the burbs of the ghetto." Trump won Kenosha County by 255 votes in 2016. The very notion of worrying about a high-profile politician's visit is a reflection of all that has happened here, of how grave and dramatic things have become. Image: Protests in Kenosha (Scott Olson / Getty Images file) The shooting that paralyzed Blake was followed by protests and fires that destroyed some businesses. Then a 17-year-old Trump fan was charged with murder in connection with the shooting deaths of two protesters. He came to Kenosha and joined forces with a vigilante or militia group that assigned itself the task of "protecting" businesses. Far-right militia members and other armed people have been spotted at least 55 times at Black Lives Matter protests around the country this year, according to data gathered by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate and extremist groups. The Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, which also researches hate and extremism while working to combat bigotry, has gathered data pointing to 136 such incidents this year. Law enforcement officials in Kenosha have been widely criticized by protesters and some civic leaders for demonstrating something between friendly appreciation and indifference to militias in the city. However, among the few pieces of data police have released this week was confirmation that nearly 60 percent of those arrested during protests in recent days on curfew violation or other counts listed addresses outside Kenosha. As Biden prepared to visit Kenosha, both Bohaczek and Rasmussen described themselves as ready for a end to the anxiety produced by an influx of visitors, protesters and militia members. "You know, if we could calm down and get back to normal that way," it would be good, Rasmussen said. "But I think it's going to take a long time for the healing." Janell Ross and Shaquille Brewster reported from Kenosha. Doha Madani reported from New York. (Natural News) A researcher from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has been arrested after he allegedly threw away a damaged hard drive in the middle of an investigation by the FBI into his transfer of sensitive U.S. data to the National University of Defense Technology in China. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 29-year-old Guan Lei falsely denied he was associated with the Chinese military in interviews with federal law enforcement. He has since admitted to participating in Chinese military training. One of his faculty advisors in China served in the Chinese military as well, authorities say. Guan attended Chinas National University of Defense Technology, which is overseen by the Chinese military, and underwent some military training there. Guan is currently facing a felony count of destruction of evidence. This carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. According to the Los Angeles Times, the FBI started investigating him in July after suspecting he committed visa fraud and may have transferred sensitive technical data or software from UCLA to high-ranking Chinese military officials. Guan was studying machine learning algorithms at the universitys math department. He had been working on an optimization algorithm that could be applied to machine learning since 2018 and had access to a graphics processing unit that had potential military applications. FBI agents staking out his Irvine apartment saw him take a crushed computer hard drive out of his sock and throw it in a trash bin, according to an affidavit. This happened just days after he was interviewed by investigators and tried to board a flight back to China; customs agents stopped him from leaving the country. When agents returned with a search warrant a few days after retrieving the hard drive Guan threw away, he saw them arrive while doing laundry across the street and quickly walked away. The agents were unable to find him and search him that day, according to the affidavit. Crackdown on researchers at American universities sharing sensitive data with China This arrest comes just days after a professor from Texas A&M University was arrested for his ties to China. The professor, Zhengdong Cheng, was also a NASA researcher and had access to resources such as the International Space Station. He was arrested for false statements, wire fraud and conspiracy after he intentionally obscured his affiliation with a Chinese university and a Chinese-owned company. His research grant banned him from any collaboration with Chinese entities. Visiting Chinese scientists at three top research institutions in the state of California UC Davis, UC San Francisco and Stanford have been arrested and detained recently. The FBI has uncovered a campaign that is being carried out by Chinese officials to place clandestine military scientists in American universities. UC San Francisco researcher Xin Wang was arrested in June. Wang served as a major in Chinas Peoples Liberation Army and was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport when attempting to board a flight to China. He reportedly admitted to federal authorities that he had been stealing secrets from UCSF medical researchers and sending them to a Chinese military lab. He entered the U.S. on a fake passport in 2019 and posed as a medical researcher who wished to work at the university in order to gain access to medical research. Court documents reveal that he was part of a plot involving observing the UCSF labs layout and instructing China on how it can be replicated. Since Wangs arrest, Chinese authorities have been instructing military officers who are studying at American colleges to destroy evidence and trying to help them get out of the country, according to court filings by prosecutors. Its clear these arrests are sending a strong message, but they also illustrate just how far China is willing to go to steal American research. Sources for this article include: CampusReform.org LATimes.com CampusReform.org The administration has so far brought back over 3.89 lakh residents of the Union Territory who were stranded in different parts of the country due to COVID-19restrictions, according to official data. In total, 134 special trains arrived at the Jammu and Udhampur railway stations from different parts of India with about 1,17,115 passengers, it said. Data showed that till date, 2,72,098 people arrived in by road, the data showed. As many as 1,072 passengers reached Jammu from Delhi on Thursday. A total of 101,419 stranded passengers belonging to different districts have reached Jammu in these 113 special trains, while 15,696 passengers have reached Udhampur in 21 special trains. (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 Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) has announced in its new Investment Highlights Summer 2020 report that 506 new international companies were granted investor licenses during the first half (H1) of the year. The figures came after 20% year-on-year growth in Q1 was followed by a 47% year-on-year decline in the second quarter of the year (Q2) as the global economy was severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in April and May. However, the number of investor licences accelerated in June with the month accounting for nearly half of all licences issued in the quarter and the number of licences issued 23% higher than in June 2019. Other recent data also pointed to an increase in economic activity towards the end of Q2 suggesting that the economy may be experiencing significant catch-up growth as the Kingdom cautiously lifts some lockdown measures. The report notes that figures from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority highlighted that point of sale transactions saw a positive 78.5% year-on-year jump in June to a record level of $9.9 billion, following sharp declines in May and April. Likewise, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Minerals Resources showed that investments by newly licensed industrial factories amounted to $581 million in June, following a sharp slowdown in April and May. Saudi Arabias new mining law will bring the regulatory environment of the mining sector in line with international standards, helping to unlock a market which has an estimated $1.3 trillion in untapped minerals. Khalid Al Falih, Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia, said: We are encouraged by the resilience demonstrated by the Saudi economy in the first half of 2020. This has undoubtedly been a year of unprecedented challenges and the path of the economy in the near term will depend on the virus. However, we have seen clearly that the governments decisive response to the pandemic has helped to support investors through this difficult time. Furthermore, the positive economic data for June give us confidence that the Saudi economy is rebounding from the impact of COVID-19 and that growth in foreign investment will begin to regain the strong momentum we have seen in recent years. The opportunity in Saudi Arabia has not changed this is still a G20 economy that is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Todays report highlights a number of tangible examples of how the widespread reforms being undertaken as part of Vision 2030 are unlocking significant opportunities. We look forward to welcoming more investors to share these opportunities as the situation normalises, he added. Major sources of new foreign investment at the beginning of 2020 continued to represent a diverse range of global markets and sectors. As in 2019, growth in the first half came from long-standing strategic partners such as the US and the UK (with 54 US companies and 47 UK companies awarded licenses in H1 2020) and leading growth markets such as India (with 49 companies) MISAs Emerging Sectors, which include entrepreneurship, education, financial services, and housing, continued to see the highest number of new foreign investment projects in Q2, followed by the industrial and manufacturing and ICT sectors. TradeArabia News Service Black ink smeared on the Falun Gong information boards on Soy Street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong on Aug. 21, 2020. (The Epoch Times) Falun Gong Materials Vandalized at Various Sites in Hong Kong Recently, many Falun Gong informational displays such as banners, flags, and boards have been defaced with paint or ink in Hong Kong. In one incident, passersby helped to stop a perpetrator and called the police. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual meditation practice based on moral teachings of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. On July 20, 1999, former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin ordered an all-out suppression of Falun Gong, fearing that the number of adherentsabout 100 million people, according to state estimatessurpassing the countrys Party membership meant a threat to his rule. The persecution continues to this day, and any information on Falun Gong has been blocked and distorted by the CCP in the mainland. Man Defaces Falun Gong Slogans Citing National Security Law Ms. Shi is a Falun Gong practitioner who, after retiring, moved to Mong Kok district five years ago to help with activities exposing the Chinese regimes brutal persecution of Falun Gong on Soy Street, a Hong Kong tourist site. On the morning of Aug. 21, Ms. Shi went to the site as usual. When she returned after a restroom break, she found the banners and flags smeared with black ink. On the following day, as she was handing out newspapers containing news about the persecution of Falun Gong, a man sprayed ink onto the banners and then immediately ran away. On Aug. 24, the same person sprayed the ink and again ran away. Ms. Shi ran after him and yelled, Help me catch him. Two young men rushed over and stopped the man, and called the police. According to Ms. Shi, the man was wearing a cap and a mask. He looked to be in his 50s, slim and tanned, with disheveled hair and scruffy clothing. The man threatened Ms. Shi, saying, The national security law is enacted, yet you dare to show these [Falun Gong materials]? Okay, I also want the police to come wait for the police to come see who the police will arrest, you or me? The national security law, which went into effect on July 1, gives the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sweeping powers to punish any acts it deems as secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Offenses carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A security agency under the direct control of Beijing was set up in Hong Kong to enforce the law. Man Charged With Criminal Vandalism When the police arrived, several male officers questioned the man and a female police officer asked Ms. Shi to describe the damage. Ms. Shi and another female Falun Gong adherent went to the Mong Kok Police Station to report the incidents. The police asked the women if they wanted to press charges or to let him go after he pays for the damages. Ms. Shi replied: Of course we must charge him. The police said that they would charge him with criminal vandalism. The next day, more than a dozen people showed up at the Falun Gong site on Soy Street and cursed at the adherents there. For several days, multiple activity sites of Falun Gong adherents in Hong Kong have reportedly been attacked by unknown individuals. The site on Argyle Street in Mong Kok was defaced by ink on many occasions, and Falun Gong practitioners had to protect the banners by wrapping them in plastic bags. The slogans displayed in Causeway Bay were torn down. Hong Kong, which was promised a high degree of autonomy upon its transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China in 1997, guarantees freedom of belief and other freedoms not granted in the mainland. Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioners freely held public activities, though in recent years, were subject to harassment and attacks by local pro-Beijing groups. With the national security laws enactment, local Falun Gong adherents expressed concern that it could threaten religious freedom in the territory. In an interview on The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program, human rights activist and founder of UK-based nonprofit Hong Kong Watch Benedict Rogers said that the new security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing crushes the citys freedom of belief. U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo wrote on Twitter: The CCPs draconian national security law ends free Hong Kong and exposes the Partys greatest fear: the free will and free thinking of its own people. On July 2, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, imposing sanctions on CCP officials who threatened and undermined Hong Kongs autonomy, as well as the banks and companies with which they do business. Earlier, U.S. senators from both parties jointly introduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, which would provide asylum for Hongkongers fleeing political persecution. Abstain From the CCP Falun Gong has reportedly spread to more than 100 countries and regions in the world. The practice and its founder have received numerous awards, proposals, and letters of support from the international community. On the occasion of World Falun Dafa Day on May 13 this year, Falun Gong practitioners received letters from more than 200 politicians in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other places around the world congratulating Falun Gong on spreading to the world. In July, over 600 current and former lawmakers from 30 countries signed a joint statement calling on the CCP to immediately stop the systematic and brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Shi said she felt sorry for those who hold pro-Beijing views. The Communist Party does not represent China. The Communist Party has done so many bad things. Only by staying away from the CCP can we ensure peace. Ms. Shi is in her 70s and has practiced Falun Gong for 23 years. On the streets of Hong Kong at the Falun Gong information sites, she often explains to people how the practice helps to improve ones mental and physical health and raises awareness about the CCPs persecution campaign. Ms. Shi said that many mainland Chinese immigrants have come to the Falun Gong sites to state that they withdrew from the CCP. According to the Chinese language Epoch Times website that records Chinese who withdraw from the CCP and its associated organizations, more than 360 million people have registered on the site and declared their withdrawal. The movement to renounce, withdraw from, or quit the CCP, called Tuidang in Chinese, began in late 2004, soon after The Epoch Times published the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, an editorial series that explores the nature and history of the CCP. Family members gathered in Montebello on Aug. 24 for a vigil for Francisco Aguilar, a Los Angeles firefighter who disappeared from his condo in Rosarito, Mexico, last month. (KTLA-TV) Nearly two weeks after a Los Angeles firefighter went missing in Mexico, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced during a news briefing Wednesday that "we learned from Mexican authorities" that Francisco Aguilar may have been violently kidnapped in Baja California. However, the spokesman for the Baja California state prosecutor's office told The Times that he could not confirm that investigators believe Aguilar was the victim of a kidnapping. "The matter is under investigation," spokesman Raul Gutierrez said Wednesday night. "There is no definite hypothesis yet of what happened." Aguilar, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, disappeared from his condo in Mexico last month, according to family members. Garcetti said at his media briefing that the city "would work tirelessly" to ensure Aguilar's safe return. He later clarified at the briefing that he had only read a news report that said Aguilar had possibly been kidnapped and had no additional information. Alex Comisar, spokesman for Garcetti, said the mayor's office has been in contact with both U.S. and Mexican authorities about the case. Baja California authorities said they have deployed a significant number of agents from the states missing persons team to find Aguilar, who disappeared two weeks ago. According to a complaint filed with the Baja California attorney generals office, Aguilar was last heard from at 8:44 p.m. Aug. 20, when he sent his family members his location via WhatsApp. The next day, after they didnt hear from him, several of his relatives went to look for him at his home. When they didnt find him, they contacted authorities for help. Mexican investigators, who are working with U.S. authorities on the case, searched Aguilar's home, interviewed possible witnesses and contacted area hospitals, but still have no clear leads, officials said. Aguilar's family members said they went to check on him after he stopped communicating with them and found his vehicle missing and the condo ransacked, KCAL-TV reported . During a recent vigil at the familys home in Montebello, relatives said Aguilar, 48, frequently visited his condo in Rosarito, a resort town south of Tijuana, the TV station reported. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said last week the agency has offered assistance in the search for Aguilar but is not leading the investigation. This article, Google proposes new campus billed as a 'neighborhood' with homes, shops and parks, originally appeared on CNET.com. Google wants to build a new corporate campus in Mountain View, California, aiming to develop a 40-acre site with a mix of office buildings, housing, shops and public spaces. The plan, unveiled Tuesday, would expand the company's presence in its hometown, where its sprawling Googleplex headquarters is already located, about 40 miles south of San Francisco. Google said the new site would include more than 1 million square feet of office space, 30,000 square feet of retail and active use space, and up to 1,850 residential units. The search giant is working with the Australia-based developer Lendlease on the design. The Mountain View Voice earlier reported the news. The announcement comes more than a year after Google pledged $1 billion to help build a total of 20,000 homes in the region over the next 10 years. The company promised to repurpose $750 million worth of its land, which is currently zoned for commercial and office space, to build 15,000 residential homes. That includes housing for mid- and lower-income people. "We really see this proposal as taking another step forward with our housing commitment, and we look forward to working with the City and community on next steps." Michael Tymoff, Google's Mountain View development director, said in a statement about the new campus on Wednesday. The focus on housing, though, comes as Google and other tech giants face criticism for contributing to higher rents in the Bay Area. The company has major real estate developments underway in nearby San Francisco, San Jose and Sunnyvale. For the Mountain View expansion, almost a quarter of the land will be designated as residential, while almost 30% will be office space, according to the project's pitch deck. The planned site includes a plaza full of shops, a walkway to a light rail track, and a handful of parks, including Maude Park, described in the proposal as "the heart of a new neighborhood." The plan is in its early stages, Google said. At the moment, the company doesn't have much use for office space. Google, like many of its rivals in the tech industry, has sent most of its employees to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company's workers aren't due back in their offices until at least July 2021. Flash U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States would impose sanctions on senior officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their investigations into U.S. persons. Pompeo said that the United States would designate ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division of ICC, as "the ICC continues to target Americans." "Individuals and entities that continue to materially support those individuals risk exposure to sanctions as well," he said, adding that the U.S. Department of State had restricted visas for individuals involved in the ICC efforts to investigate U.S. personnel. Pompeo said that Washington has not ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC and "will not tolerate its illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction." The ICC in March authorized an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan, including those that may have been committed by the U.S. military and the CIA, which could lead to the indictment of U.S. military and intelligence personnel. U.S. President Donald Trump in June authorized economic sanctions against ICC officials engaged in an investigation into U.S. personnel, which drew opposition from the international community and some of U.S. allies. The ICC was established when the Rome Statute took effect in 2002. It prosecutes crimes of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. America has been one of the few countries in the world that can boast about the peaceful transition of power for 220 years. Even Obama left the White House peacefully, although it turned out that he'd weaponized the administrative state to undermine his successor's ability to govern. With this next election, though, Democrats and their militant front groups Antifa and BLM are laying the groundwork for a violent post-election period, something that will destroy the American political compact laid out in our Constitution. As always, things make more sense with a little context. In 2000, Democrats questioned whether Florida had voted for George W. Bush or Al Gore. The eventual recounts (plural), followed by appeals to both the Florida court system and the United States Supreme Court, finally ended on December 13, when Gore conceded the election to Bush. It was a tremendous period of disruption and uncertainty caused by just one state. In 2016, as you all recall, President Trump looked at the rules under the Constitution for winning the presidency and embarked upon an innovative election strategy that saw him working on getting more Electoral College votes than popular votes. Unlike Hillary Clinton, he understood that the presidency is not a popularity contest across the entire nation. Instead, to ensure that a presidential candidate has to court all the states, not just the populous ones, our election is really 50 separate state elections (plus the territories and D.C.). Hillary still can't get over the fact that her arrogance caused her to ignore the constitutional rules. Although she's finally figured out that the Electoral College controls the election, she did an interview that sees her projecting Democrat dirty tricks onto Republicans: With the conventions out of the way and the election only 65 days away, 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton has some advice for Joe Biden: Dont concede in a close race. She tells @jmpalmieri why Dems need to stay vigilant about GOP strategy come November: pic.twitter.com/vepiMWXsWh The Recount (@therecount) August 30, 2020 Hillary recounted the dirty tricks that "Republicans" are going to do. She also conflated absentee ballots, which have a long and stable history, with mass mailing elections, which are so vulnerable to fraud that there is no election integrity at all. But it's Hillary's wrap-up that counts: Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out and, eventually, I do believe he will win, if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is. Everyone who heard Hillary understood that this was the opening salvo in a plan to attack the integrity of the 2020 election. On Wednesday, Axios reported on the next phase in destabilizing the American elections. The threat Hillary first sounded now comes from a group called Hawkfish, a Michael Bloombergfunded group. Hawkfish also works for the Democrat National Committee and some pro-Biden super-PACs. Keep in mind as you read the Axios scenario what happened in Florida in 2000 during a traditional election. Then multiply that to 50 states, D.C., and the territories in an election that the Democrats have already positioned for fraud via mail-in voting: A top Democratic data and analytics firm told "Axios on HBO" it's highly likely that President Trump will appear to have won potentially in a landslide on election night, even if he ultimately loses when all the votes are counted. Why this matters: Way more Democrats will vote by mail than Republicans, due to fears of the coronavirus, and it will take days if not weeks to tally these. This means Trump, thanks to Republicans doing almost all of their voting in person, could hold big electoral college and popular vote leads on election night. We've just been given a preview of coming attractions. Republicans, who have listened to Democrat hysteria about the post office, will vote in person, and their votes will be counted promptly. Democrats, who purported to be in a panic about the post office, will nevertheless vote mostly by mail. Once the in-person ballots are counted, they will have an exact tally of the number of mail-in ballots needed in each state to flip the outcome. The Democrats, however, will need to create a lot of ballots. I do not see how anyone can look at this video and deny, given the enthusiasm all over America for Trump, that the only way Biden can win is through vote fraud: As matters now stand, the election will be Florida on steroids, times 50 (plus D.C. and the territories). This is the kind of threat to election integrity that can, in one fell swoop, destroy the political system and lead to civil war and I'm not even exaggerating when I say that. Image: Vote! By Robert Stinnett; CC BY 2.0. Coalition to focus on creating a benchmark for how local businesses work, travel and convene in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic This is the third of several regional coalitions that Aon will be rolling out globally SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 4 September 2020 - Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions, today announced the formation of a coalition of leading Singapore companies to strengthen communities and move toward societal and economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition, which recently held its virtual kickoff meeting, consists of key employers from a broad set of sectors focused on re-introducing fundamental aspects of society and the economy: working, traveling and convening. These top Singapore organisations will collaborate to outline a set of guidelines for businesses and communities to help restart the economy safely. Aon has launched similar coalitions in Chicago and New York and plans to conduct similar efforts in other cities, including London and Tokyo. "We are deeply committed to the communities we operate in and are excited to bring this important work to Singapore," said Greg Case, Aon CEO. "We have helped our clients maintain their operations and mitigate risk during the pandemic and believe that we have a responsibility to play a larger role in helping organisations return to the workplace and rebuild economies with confidence and certainty." Convened and led by Aon, the coalition will focus on Work, Travel and Convene efforts across leading businesses. Na Boon Chong, Managing Director & Partner, Human Capital Solutions, Southeast Asia, Aon said, "There is much to gain from a united approach, and we welcome the partnership and sharing of expertise among Singapore companies in navigating the pandemic. We are confident that with our collaborative efforts, we can help local business leaders make better decisions about protecting communities in the short term and rebuilding how we work, travel and convene over the long term." Story continues Alexis Saussinan, Global Head of Strategic Workforce Planning and Analytics, Merck said, "Bringing together companies across sectors and top leaders across functions in Singapore is a great opportunity to share experiences and co-create new approaches to operate and compete. I look forward to sharing how Merck is shaping our future ways of working and learn from best practices in other companies." The coalition will share insights and learnings from its ongoing efforts across industries, sectors and geographies as well as discuss issues related to the current pandemic. This collective knowledge will then be used to create a first-of-its-kind benchmark to develop recommendations and guidelines to build a path forward. Aon expects to publish an initial assessment report in November 2020. About Aon Aon plc (NYSE: AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. Follow Aon on Twitter and LinkedIn Stay up to date by visiting the Aon Newsroom and hear from Aon's expert advisors in The One Brief. Sign up for News Alerts here Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:16:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- UNIFIL Chief Stefano Del Col expressed concerns about tensions along the Blue Line especially after the increase in hostilities between Lebanon and Israel on July 27 and Aug. 25, a statement by the UNIFIL reported on Thursday. "Actions along the Blue Line should be prioritized towards reducing tension and de-escalation by availing of our tried and tested liaison and coordination arrangements and avoiding unilateral actions," he said during a special tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces at a UN position in Ras Al Naqoura. Del Col updated the parties on the status of UNIFIL's ongoing investigations into the incidents, and called for urgent steps to prevent their recurrence. He also briefed the delegations on the adoption of resolution 2539 by the UN Security Council, renewing UNIFIL's mandate for one more year. "It is important now that we work together with renewed energy towards the mandated objectives," he added. Enditem US Admiral Davidson Calls China 'Strategic Threat' in WWII Victory Anniversary Address Sputnik News 23:18 GMT 02.09.2020 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Indo-Pacific fleet Commander Admiral Philip Davidson during the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Hawaii accused China of attempting to undermine the international order and characterized the country as being "a strategic threat". "An emboldened Communist party of China seeks to change the world to one in which Chinese national power is more important than international law. [China is trying] to coerce, to corrupt and to contest the rules-based international order", Davidson said on Wednesday. Davidson delivered his speech aboard the battleship USS Missouri, where Japan signed an unconditional surrender in 1945 to allied nations, including China. The ship is moored in Pearl Harbor. "Today, as we address the strategic threat of China and the other security challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific region, the memory of our greatest generation leaves on, it leaves on in our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, marines and our coast guardsmen today", Davidson said. Americans remember their World War II heroes and pay tribute to them by continuing to defend the values of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and keeping the United States, its allies and partners free from tyranny while defending our shared values, Davidson added. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said during the ceremony that strengthening the existing alliances and forging new ones is a centerpiece of the United States' strategy in the Indo-Pacific. "From our alliances with Japan, South Korea and Australia to our long collaboration with ASEAN countries, India, New Zealand and the Pacific island countries", Esper said. "Growing, deepening and unifying this network must remain central to our collective strategy to ensure peace and prosperity for another 75 years and beyond". The United States embraces "the importance of what President Ronald Reagan called 'peace through strength' and builds a military and alliance structure to match that imperative", Esper added. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At least six more immovable properties of Mafioso-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, a former MP, will be attached soon. A team of police and administrative officials carried out a survey and evaluated these properties on Wednesday. Earlier, the police had attached seven immovable assets in Ahmeds name in different areas of Prayagraj, including a commercial tower in Civil Lines area. The properties that are now set to be attached include two in Kareli and four in Khuldabad. The revenue department team on Wednesday surveyed these properties, Superintendent of Police (city) Dinesh Kumar Singh said. After the attachment of seven properties, the administration approved attaching six more properties under the Gangster Act, the SP added. Also read: Hacked PM Modis Twitter account to make a point on PayTM Mall breach - Hackers Joint teams of police and administration are continuously engaged in identifying properties of Atiq Ahmed and his gang members. Earlier, under a crackdown by a team of police, Nagar Nigam, Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) and district administration, officials attached seven immovable properties belonging to Amed who is presently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. These properties include his house at Chakia besides assets in Dhumanganj, Kareli, Rajruppur and Civil Lines areas of Prayagraj. The officials have also put up boards outside the attached properties mentioning all the details of the order under which they have been attached. Till now, the officials have identified around 37 properties belonging to Ahmed and his aides which include many houses, offices and agricultural lands in different areas of the district. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has since 2019 rescued, supported and given care to over 611 victims of Human Trafficking, whiles the adult shelter in the period under review received 63 survivors of human trafficking. The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison said out of this number, 200 were children and 411 were adults. The Minister made this known at this weeks Meet the Press engagement at the Ministry of Information on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Mrs Morrison said Ghana is currently on a Tier 2 ranking with the US Department of Labour (DOL) tier ranking. She said this shows that Ghana is making a significant effort to fight human trafficking. Government has released one million Ghana cedis into the Human Trafficking Fund to effectively combat the menace with the operationalization of two (2) government shelters to give care to rescued victims of Human Trafficking," she said. According to the minister, the ministry has so far trained 45 law enforcement officers with the aim of building their capacity to better help with the fight against Human Trafficking in Ghana. On the issue of public education, the minister said her outfit undertook series of community dialogues and sensitisations in efforts to increase awareness and education on Human Trafficking and irregular migration issues. She said this ultimately improved in reducing the rate of human trafficking and its related activities in the country. As part of the Blue Day, the Ministry embarked on a Social Media Awareness raising campaign on Human Trafficking. Ghana joined the world to commemorate this year's World Day against Trafficking in Persons (Blue Day). This was to intensify our prevention mechanisms through awareness raising campaigns. Mrs Morrison said the Ministry has organised a durbar for 75 traditional leaders from all the regions of Ghana to sensitise them on the dangers associated with Human Trafficking. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Washington/Seoul, Sep 3 : The US has renewed its call on North Korea to return to the negotiating table, saying it cannot remain isolated and that there was a brighter future for the country and its people, the media reported on Thursday. "This administration has gone far further than any other in taking strong actions to let North Korea know that they are going to have to negotiate," the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency quoted David Stilwell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as saying on Wednesday. "They can't just sit back and threaten and launch (missiles) and all things they have been doing," he told a press conference when asked about the nature of an industry advisory against dealing with North Korea. In the advisory, jointly issued by the State, treasury and Commerce Departments, the US said that North Korea continues to procure materials and equipment for its nuclear and weapons development programs through any "deceptive" means possible, and that those engaged in such transactions with the North must be aware of consequences. Stilwell's remarks come amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump has held two bilateral summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- in June 2018 and February 2019 -- but their talks too have stalled since their latest summit ended without a deal. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, on Wednesday, handed over 800 weighing scales to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to be distributed to Senior High Schools (SHS) nationwide under the Government's Free SHS programme to address issues of imbalance. This follows complaints from some schools over receiving less supplies than what is charged for payment by the providers. The measure was, therefore, undertaken in collaboration with the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to ensure fairness. There are 722 schools, while each scale costs about $800. Dr Prempeh said it was unfortunate that the procurement of scales for the schools delayed for three years. If something could collapse the free SHS Policy, the Minister said, it would have been the feeding of the students. When the schools were complaining of the quantity of food supplies they were receiving, we thought that why don't we get them scales that have been standardised by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to weigh all the supplies to ensure that the quantity is accurate, he said. It was, therefore, necessary, he said, to take appropriate measures to efficiently execute food supply activities to satisfy the schools. He thanked the NAFCO for working hard to enable government to realise the vision, adding that, government was prepared to collaborate with them to supply schools with quality foods. Mr Hanan Abdul-Wahab, NAFCO Chief Executive Officer, said each scale was valued at more than $800.00. The Food Safety Department of the NAFCO, he said, would join forces with the GSA to supervise the proper maintenance of the scales. Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, GES Director-General, cautioned schools and suppliers against the misuse of the scales, saying that: We will keep an eye on them to ensure that they are put to good use. The scales would make it easier for the GES to facilitate the payment of suppliers of the food items, he said, and advised heads of schools to always ensure that suppliers delivered the right quantities of food items. ---GNA Many negative things ravaged the world this 2020, but it didn't stop several countries on this list from hitting the spot in being some of the world's happiest countries. Earlier this March, the United Nations published a report called 2020 World Happiness - an annual study that assesses the correlation between happiness and development in every country that is a member of the UN; in honor of the International Day of Happiness. Political rights, economic quality, corruption rate, public services, and access to the outdoors are the factors used to rank the countries. Norway This year Norway held the 5th spot, and since 2017, it has always been on the ranking of the happiest countries. The nation's overall happiness comes from the well-integrated government welfare system, a thriving economy, people's trust in the government, and concrete social support for its people, which means very few, if any, are left behind. Iceland Iceland reached the 4th spot on the list. The competitive edge of this country is its people. Many citizens from Iceland said they felt like they can always count on their fellow citizens in times of trouble. Icelanders are unfazed when their country and fellow citizens are in danger. In Iceland, most of its people have access to good-quality health care, the infant mortality rate is the lowest, and citizens have one of the highest life expectancies. All of these show a country that prioritizes its health care, and the system is outstanding compared to other countries. Also Read: Keep Yourself Fit and Healthy With These Simply No-Equipment Home Workouts Switzerland On the third spot sits Switzerland. Direct democracy is where the people vote for everything from how many vacation days a worker should have to how many immigrants are allowed in their country. This system enables Swiss citizens to participate in their country's evolution and continuous development. Denmark For two consecutive years, Denmark takes the 2nd spot on the list. Referencing the top rates in all the United Nations' metrics from its data geeks, it is no coincidence that the country makes it to the top of the world's list of happiest countries. Life expectancy, social support, and camaraderie of people are only some of the factors that make this nation great. This year, experts classified Denmark into different categories - work-life balance, trust in the government, economic support, freedom, people's participation, and low crime rates were the ones that Denmark topped. Finland Finland made it to the number one spot for three years in a row. This country is the number one nation when it comes to happiness. Their consistency for the past three years has proven that with outstanding leadership and extraordinary service to its people, the result will be phenomenal. One of Finland's pride and joy is its world-class education system that tops other countries, including South Korea, Singapore, and Japan. These countries are achievers because their people participate in their countries' success and a governing body that focuses on rights and fairness. Every state can be a happy and contented country with its people and its government's joined effort, and if they will serve one common goal - to be a happy country. It is easier said than done, but it is possible. Let the happiest countries on the list be the inspiration to help your country be as prosperous as possible. Related Article: Try Out These 5 Easy-to-Make Desserts That Will Lighten Up Your Mood @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Whirlpool EMEA chooses WPP as communications partner Whirlpool Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has appointed WPP as its strategic communications partner across 29 EMEA countries, effective January 2021. WPP will support Whirlpool MDA business objectives with an international, integrated team based in Milan, Italy. Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Naresh Jain under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with an ongoing PMLA investigation into his role in money laundering and international hawala transactions. New Delhi [India], September 3 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Naresh Jain under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with an ongoing PMLA investigation into his role in money laundering and international hawala transactions. The ED has secured 9 days custodial remand of Naresh Jain. The ED had begun investigations under PMLA on the basis of FIR filed by Economic Offences Wing (EOW), and others. The investigations so far revealed that Jain along with his accomplices allegedly hatched a criminal conspiracy to forge/ fabricate documents in order to cause loss to the government exchequer by indulging in illegal foreign exchange transactions. Also read: India bans PUBG, WeChat, 118 other Chinese mobile apps Also read: India gains advantage over China, forces capture key heights near S Pangong lake Documents like identity proof, birth and education certificates, voter IDs, PAN cards and signatures were forged or fabricated to incorporate entities, operating bank accounts, facilitating bogus/over-invoiced/under-invoiced import and export transactions and rotation of the funds through a web of shell companies to cause undue benefit to the parties involved and loss to the government exchequer, according to a press release by ED. It also claimed that Jain allegedly facilitated Hawala operation of Rs 11,800 crores approximately in 114 foreign bank account. It has also been revealed that 450 shell companies have been used to rotate funds to the tune of approximately Rs 96,000 crores for providing accommodation entries of approximately Rs. 18,680 crores to more than 970 beneficiaries. He was brought to the ED office for custodial interrogation on Wednesday. Further investigation is underway. Also read: Outrage over no question hour move, Oppn calls it an excuse to murder democracy Eight fingerprints were lifted from a window at a Malaysian jungle villa where Irish-French teenager Nora Anne Quoirin is believed to have exited and disappeared last year, the inquest into her death has been told. The 15 year old's disappearance from her family's cottage at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on August 4 last year, a day after her family arrived for their holiday, sparked a massive search operation. Police believe Nora climbed out of a window on her own, and the post-mortem showed she succumbed to intestinal bleeding due to starvation and stress. Her Belfast-born mother and French father, Meabh and Sebastien, say Nora was kidnapped, as she could not have wandered off on her own due to her mental and physical disabilities. Read More On Thursday, Assistant Commissioner Wan Rukman Wan Hassan, a former state Criminal Investigations Department chief, said the eight fingerprints were lifted after a missing persons report was lodged by the resort owner and Nora's family, on the day of her disappearance Wan Rukman, who previously headed the Negri Sembilan Criminal Investigation Department, said police made the findings after dusting the window at Sora House located within The Dusun resort for fingerprints. "We managed to obtain eight fingerprints from the window frame and 20 samples taken from family members, workers, former workers and workers in an adjacent resort for our comparisons. "The results which I was informed of on August 6 on the eight samples were as followed; four of them had inadequate features while four more were in suitable condition," he said. "Of the four that we compared with the 20 samples we obtained, only one matched the mother of the missing person while the remaining three were unknown." When asked what he meant by inadequate features, he said the fingerprints could mean partial or side prints which rendered them unsuitable for analysis. Read More As for the three unknown fingerprints and whether Nora's could be one of them, Wak Rukman said that it may also belong to the previous tenants before affirming that the authorities had managed to obtain her fingerprints with the help of Interpol. "At that time when we lacked a sample, we did manage to obtain a fingerprint sample later from her home country through Interpol but it was her middle finger. That too was incomplete and we couldn't make our comparison. "Even after she was found and a sample taken, there was no positive result as her prints have shrivelled due to her body's exposure to the environment," he said. The Coroner's Court also heard that multiple police search dogs failed to detect Nora's scent throughout the major search-and-rescue (SAR) operation. K-9 Unit handler Sergeant S. Simon said his German Shepherd dog failed to pick up a scent on the first day of his assignment on August 6. "On arriving at the scene, I was led to the house where the girl was staying and asked a family member if they could provide anything for the dog to smell because we had no clue as to where to start," he said. "I was then provided some white attire, presumably worn by the missing girl, and I allowed the dog to sniff it to obtain a scent to begin tracking, and we started by searching the surrounding area at random. "The search lasted about two hours and there was no positive indication (of the victim's scent) whatsoever," he added. "I would say it (the four day operation) was done very thoroughly because most of the work was performed by the dog and we covered a lot of ground. Simon also affirmed that the dog did not show any positive indication of a scent when brought to the window through which Nora was said to have left the house where she was staying. The inquest continues. Taking its agitation against the demolition of two mosques and a temple in the Secretariat to the next level, the Congress leaders staged a symbolic dharna before the office of Telangana State Wakf Board at Haj House. Hyderabad, September 3: Taking its agitation against the demolition of two mosques and a temple in the Secretariat to the next level, the Congress leaders staged a symbolic dharna before the office of Telangana State Wakf Board at Haj House, Nampally on Thursday and later lodged a police complaint against Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem and other members of the Board. Led by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, senior leaders including Hyderabad City Congress President M. Anjan Kumar Yadav, TPCC Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin, Hyderabad Minorities Dept Chairman Sameer Waliullah, Nampally Incharge Feroz Khan and others staged a symbolic dharna at the Haj House. They were holding placards with slogans condemning the demolition of Secretariat mosques and inaction by the Wakf Board. They also raised slogans against TRS Government and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao holding them responsible for the demolition. Later, they lodged a complaint at the Abids Police Station seeking action against Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem and Board Members Syed Akber Nizamuddin Hussain, Malik Motasim Khan, Dr. Syed Nisar Hussain, Adv Waheed Ahmed and others. The Secretariat mosques are notified under the Gazette of Andhra Pradesh on 01-07-1982, in Sl. No.158. Thereby the custodian of the mosques is the Telangana State Wakf Board represented by its chairman Mohammed Saleem. Therefore, the Wakf Board Chairman and other members are collectively responsible for the demolitions. By doing so, they indulged in creating improbability, criminal negligence, criminal conspiracy, hurting religious feelings, inciting communal hatred and violence against the Muslim community, Abdullah Sohail said in the complaint lodged with the police. Also read: Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 38L mark with highest single-day spike of 83k+ cases Also read: Rahul Gandhi criticizes Modi govt, calls demonetisation an attack on the unorganised sector Speaking to media persons later, Abdullah Sohail said that Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Wakf Board Chairman Saleem should be the prime accused in the case as both colluded to demolish the two mosques in the Secretariat Dafatir-e-Mohammedi adjacent to C Block and Masjid-e-Hashmi, situated nearby D Block. He said that both the mosques were built during the Nizams Era. While the Chief Secretary is responsible for not following the due procedure in the demolition of Secretariat, the Wakf Board Chairman and its members failed to protect the mosques in violation of the Central Waqf Act. The mosques, which were under the care and custody of Telangana Waqf Board, were intentionally demolished by the Chief Secretary and encroached upon the land of the Masaajid with an intention to reconstruct the Secretariat Building, he alleged. Neither the State Government nor the Waqf Board has given any explanation to the general public of sudden demolition of Masaajid. The Waqf Board so far has neither instituted any proceedings before the Waqf Tribunal or challenging the illegitimate authority of the government without initiating any lawful proceedings for acquiring the land of the demolished Masaajid, though the acts of the government is arbitrator illegal and acted in collusion with Telangana State Wakf Board and its chairman, he said in the complaint lodged with the police. They are not coming forward with any suitable explanations to satisfy the Muslim community. The attitude and silence of the board and its members reveals a lot of untold stories of their cannibalism, he said. Abdullah Sohail also pointed out that the demolition of mosques and a temple in the Secretariat was a violation of Places of Worship Act. He also pointed out that the Chief Minister issued a statement on 10-07-2020 confirming the demolition of places of worship. The Chief Minister gave an assurance on their reconstruction, but did not specify the place where the two mosques and a temple would be re-constructed. While the demolition of mosques and temple was illegal, it will be another crime to shift their locations, he said. By carrying out demolition of mosques and a temple, CM KCR tried to create disturbance and unrest in the minority community. The acts of the Waqf Board Chairman and other members are criminal in nature as they failed to protect the sanctity of mosques, its infrastructure and movables i.e., prayers rugs, Arabic literature and Holy Quran which were in a lot of numbers. Their acts also amount to cheating the Muslim Community, creating unrest and nuisance in the community, hurting the religious feelings dividing the society and damaging the status of State Waqf Board and confidence of the Muslim Community, he said. Therefore, the Congress leader urged the police to register cases against the Wakf Board Chairman and other members and take up the investigation. Also read: PM Modi to address US-India Strategic & Partnership Forum today The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the streaming of Netflix movie Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl starring Janhvi Kapoor. The film is based on India Air Force Pilot Gunjan Saxena- India's first woman combat pilot. Justice Rajiv Shakdher during the high court hearing in Delhi, refused to pass an interim injunction order at this stage. He stated that the plea should have been filed sooner as the film has already been released. The court has sought responses from Dharma Productions and Netflix on Center's plea, and posted the matter for further hearing on September 18. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain (ASG) argued that the movie was never shown to a preview committee that had been set up in accordance with the Ministry of Defence's 2013 guidelines. "In the Air Force we give highest regard to women. We have been made a subject of ridicule even for countries with whom we are not having friendly relations. IAF's image has been dented." Centre's Plea Stated The Film Depicted IAF As Gender Biased In response, senior advocate Harish Salve, representing the producers, said the centre's plea lacked particulars and was based only on a few scenes from the film. "There is no organisation which does not have gender issues. Anything said in criticism is not slander. Haven't we seen it (gender bias) in our profession? You can't pick four scenes and say slander," he said. The Court Has Asked Gunjan Saxena To Be Made Party In The Suit Meanwhile, Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, who was representing the streaming platform Netflix, shared with the court that the script had been shared with the IAF in 2018 and the film was shown in February. Gunjan Saxena Released On August 12 On Netflix The court also said that the former flight lieutenant Gunjan Saxena should also be made a party to the suit and issued notice to her, seeking her response. The court also suggested that the government could take this forward on its own, and asked IAF to be removed from the list of parties. Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil Girl was released on Netflix on August 12, 2020. Apart from Janhvi Kapoor the film also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Vineet Kumar Singh and others. Gunjan Saxena Responds To Criticism Of Her Biopic; 'I Have More Of An Iron Will Than What's Shown' Gunjan Saxena Says The Intention Of The Biopic Was To Inspire People To Chase Their Dreams Since the election of President Trump, China has climbed to the top of the mountain. While the US has made a mockery of collaboration, insulting and alienating former allies, causing dangerous divisions among US voters, and instilling a sense of distrust and confusion in leaders around the world, China has done the opposite. by John Perkins The United States has been praised as the world leader and unifier for seventy years. During World War II, the US performed a miracle by rapidly building a military that helped end the war and then showed compassion and foresight by spearheading reconstruction of its war-torn former enemies, as well as its allies. That leadership role continued for the next seven decades. As a former economic hit man (EHM), I am only too aware of the dark side of US foreign policy. However, I am also aware that every president since the 1940s has made concerted efforts to bring countries together and to form partnerships. US leadership was a driving force behind the creation of many unifying institutions, including the United Nations and NATO. While we were often resented for our attempts to exploit resources and control governments, we were also seen as a builder of bridges between nations. In that capacity, we outmaneuvered and ended the Soviet Union. We were King of the Mountain. Until 2016. Since the election of President Trump, China has climbed to the top of the mountain. While the US has made a mockery of collaboration, insulting and alienating former allies, causing dangerous divisions among US voters, and instilling a sense of distrust and confusion in leaders around the world, China has done the opposite. Beijing has dedicated itself to expanding its power by forging alliances with countries on every continent. Principle among Chinas strategies is the Belt and Road Initiative (better known as the New Silk Road). During the past three decades, Ive spent a lot of time in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. I first learned about the ideas that would evolve into the New Silk Road while teaching at an MBA program in Shanghai, China in 2009. However, it wasnt until 2017 that I began to really appreciate the world-changing implications of the meaning of the Belt and the Road. In June 2017, I was a speaker at the St Petersburg (Russia) International Economic Forum (SPIEF 17), that was attended by world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and CEOs from some of the USs and the worlds most influential corporations. I was deeply impressed by the spirit of cooperation expressed by people from many different countries and backgrounds. At the same time, I was constantly reminded by other speakers of the damage caused by President Trumps words and actions. Just one of numerous examples: In his June 7 speech at SPIEF 17, President Putin emphasized the need to build bridges between countries in order to deal with the crises around climate change. Although Putin is a dictator who has committed atrocious acts, his statement that there is a high risk that instead of joint efforts to address environmental and climate issues, we will run into attempts to use this issue for unfair competition (1) created an impression that contrasted sharply with President Trumps Im not a believer in man-made global warming. (2). Trumps diatribes against multi-national attempts to end climate change and his announcement that the US would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement sent a message to the world that the US government was not going to participate with nearly every other country in ending the terrible pollution that is smothering our planet. (3) It was during SPIEF 17 that I learned that the Belt refers to the huge network of land transportation systems being built to connect China with commercial centers throughout Asia, India, Russia, Europe and Africa while the Road describes the ocean waterways, ports and infrastructure that are extending those connections to Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and other island states. In other words, the New Silk Road will span the entire globe. I flew from St Petersburg to speak at the Astana (Kazakhstan) Economic Forum along with many other SPIEF 17 participants, once again including President Putin, Secretary General Guterres, and many other country and corporate leaders. I dined at the Akorda Presidential Palace with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and I met, sat on panels, and was included in roundtable talks with many of the other people who were discussing or leading the development of the New Silk Road, including Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Francois Fillon of France (2007-2012), Prime Minister Marek Belka of Poland (2004-2005), Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev of Kyrgyzstan (2014-2015), Nobel Prize laureates Sviatoslav Timashev and Raekwon Chung, and President Putins Economic Adviser Sergey Glazyev. Many of the country leaders had long histories of imposing their authoritarian control through extreme violence and brutality and now I was hearing their plans for global commercial collaboration and domination. During the many discussions some formal, some held at informal receptions and over tea or cocktails it became obvious that the New Silk Road had already become a reality and was rapidly growing into a trans-continental economic force. The image of that game my friends and I used to play in fifth grade, King of the Mountain, often came to mind. China was rushing the sand pile and was about to push the US off the top; Beijing was determined to replace Washington as King. In the three years since my visits to Russia and Kazakhstan, Ive spent time in Austria, the Bahamas, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, and Poland. Everywhere I go, I see the influence of the New Silk Road. I hear leaders of countries saying things like, We learned the hard way that the United States will overthrow or assassinate leaders, build military bases on sovereign foreign soil, and try to dictate the way other countries are run. When we accept loans from the US, the World Bank or one of the other Washington-managed institutions, we are entrapped. China has not done that. When I add, So far, the response is almost always a condescending good try smile and weve leaned since your last election, that the US cant be trusted to honor promises, treaties, and agreements, and that your president constantly lies. History tells us that China has expanded its influence through trade, more than by military intervention, since long before Europeans colonized the Americas with the unfortunate exception of regions China claims as part of its territory, including Tibet and Taiwan. China appears to be taking that policy to global levels with the New Silk Road. As President Putins Economic Adviser Sergey Glazyev told me, It appears that China has learned from the mistakes and successes of Russians and Americans. Armies generate resentment. Economic hit men are better than generals as agents of expansion. Statements by President Trump have reinforced distrust in the United States. For example, when during a bipartisan meeting in January 2018 he asked "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" in reference to African and Latin American/Caribbean nations (4), he generated outrage around the world. Outbursts like that play into Chinas hands. Can the US retain its position as King of the Mountain? Can it regain the worlds trust or at least do better than China? The answer depends on our willingness and ability as a nation to reestablish our leadership role as a unifier. What can YOU do? Vote for representatives from local school boards to the US president who commit to collaborating with other countries to reverse climate change, income and racial inequality, human rights abuses, and social injustice; Speak out in every way possible (to neighbors, local media, and through social networking) to promote a Life Economy that cleans up pollution, regenerates destroyed environments, and creates technologies that renew, rather than ravage, resources; Join or start social networking consumer movements to pressure the corporations that serve you to take actions that create a Life Economy; Help spread the message that people around the world regardless of politics, religion, or ideology need to come together in ways that will pass on to future generations a world they will want to inherit. References; (1) http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/60707 (2) https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/08/politics/trump-global-warming/index.html (3) https://www.cfr.org/timeline/trumps-foreign-policy-moments (4) https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-shit-hole-countries-are-worth-466-billion-trade-america-779324 A North Carolina man accused of stalking a coworker shot the woman to death on her porch before turning the gun on himself. Brooklyn Williams, 23, and Andre Cousiamono, 27, both died of gunshot wounds to the head on Tuesday afternoon in High Point, according to local police. Officers were called to a home in the 1400 block of East Avenue at around 2.10pm after someone reported seeing two bodies on the porch, the High Point Police Department said in a statement. Scroll down for video Police in North Carolina say Andre Cousiamono, 27 (left), shot and killed his former co-worker Brooklyn Williams, 23 (right), and then himself after stalking her Both man and woman were found dead from gunshot wounds on this porch in High Point, North Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon Police found binoculars in Cousiamono's car near the scene of the apparent murder-suicide Both Williams and Cousiamono were pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots in the area after 9am that day, reported MyFox8. A handgun was found beside Cousiamono and binoculars were discovered in his car near the scene Tuesday, according to police. Investigators said the suspect and victim were not dating and were described as former friends and coworkers, even though Cousiamono claimed on Facebook that he was in a relationship with Williams. Williams listed him as a friend on the social media platform and tagged him in a post featuring a video of a man dancing in late January. Cousiamono was arrested on August 21 and released on $15,000 bond on outstanding warrants for felony stalking and cyberstalking targeting Williams, records showed. Investigators said the pair were not dating and were described as former friends and coworkers. Cousiamono claimed on Facebook he was in a relationship with Williams He also had pending charges of misdemeanor stalking, communicating threats and harassing phone calls from January incidents involving the 23-year-old woman. A man named Tyrone who knew the victim and her mother described Williams as very friendly and said that Cousiamono had misinterpreted her friendliness and had fallen in love with her. He said although Cousiamono had threatened to kill Williams on two separate occasions, local law enforcement failed to take action. 'The police told her that if he didn't do nothing physically to her, or to their property, he could communicate all the threats he want and there was nothing law can do to help her,' Tyrone claimed. Facebook is trying just two months before the US election to better police political misinformation on its platform, a tacit acknowledgement that the social network is rife with falsehoods that could sway the vote. The company said it will restrict new political ads in the week before the election and remove posts that convey misinformation about COVID-19 and voting. It will also attach links with official results to posts by candidates and campaigns that prematurely declare victory. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the election was not going to be "business as usual". Credit:AP "This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Thursday, local time. "That means helping people register and vote, clearing up confusion about how this election will work, and taking steps to reduce the chances of violence and unrest." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 04:30:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Iraqi President Barham Salih(L) talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Baghdad, Iraq on Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua Photo) France is seeking to boost cooperation with Iraq in all fields, including military and reconstruction, says French President Emmanuel Macron in his visit to capital Baghdad. BAGHDAD, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France is seeking to boost cooperation with Iraq in all fields such as military and reconstruction. He made the remarks in a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, saying that France also supports the building of a metro railway in Iraqi capital Baghdad. As for military cooperation, Macron told the conference that France is abiding by supporting Iraq in the fight against Islamic State (IS) group, asserting the need to boost the military cooperation with Iraq in the war against the extremist group. French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua Photo) He also said that Iraq is an "effective" country in the region, and France and the international community are supporting Iraq, which is facing major challenges, including security. For his part, al-Kadhimi told the reporters that Iraq is "grateful for the French support in reconstructing the liberated areas, which were destroyed by IS militants." He said that Macron's visit "comes in sensitive circumstances, given the difficulties the world is going through due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the collapse of oil prices, and the economic situation, as well as the tensions in the region." Al-Kadhimi also said that he talked with Macron about "a future project," using nuclear energy to generate electricity and other peaceful projects, which will be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "We discussed with Macron means to support the Iraqi government in its efforts to protect sovereignty," al-Kadhimi said. "We do not want to be an arena for confrontations but a zone of stability and moderation." Macron also met with Nichervan Barzani, head of Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. "We had a constructive meeting in Baghdad today. I am grateful to France for its continuous support (for Kurdistan) and for its strong relations with the people of Kurdistan region," Barzani tweeted. Iraqi President Barham Salih (R) and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron attend a joint press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua Photo) Earlier in the day, Macron arrived in Baghdad for an official visit and met with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih. Salih said eliminating terrorism "requires the support of friends and the international community, and we still have a lot to do in this regard." This is Macron's first official trip to Iraq. He is also the first presidential-level official to visit Iraq since al-Kadhimi took office in May. France is part of a U.S.-led international coalition tasked with helping the Iraqi security forces fight against the IS militants by carrying out airstrikes against their positions in Iraq and Syria as well as providing military equipment and training to Iraqi forces. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 08:20:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that he is ready to work with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to join efforts with the international community to resolutely safeguard the victory of the Second World War (WWII) as well as international fairness and justice. In an exchange of messages with Putin to celebrate the 75th anniversary of WWII victory, Xi recalled that on the same day 75 years ago, the victories of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Union's war against Japan marked the final victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. In that war, which spread across Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, more than 100 million troops and civilians in all countries involved were injured or killed, paying the most painful price in human history, Xi said. China and Russia, respectively the main battlefield in Asia and Europe, endured great national sacrifices for and made indelible historic contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, he added. The Chinese and Russian peoples fought side by side and forged an unbreakable great friendship with blood, laying a solid foundation for the high-level development of bilateral relations, he said. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, Xi stressed, China and Russia both shoulder important responsibilities for the cause of world peace and development. He said he is ready to work with Putin to take the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War as an opportunity to lead their countries towards deeper comprehensive strategic coordination. He also suggested that the two sides make concerted efforts with the international community to actively uphold and practice multilateralism, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, so as to allow future generations to enjoy a world featuring lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. Enditem September 03, 2020 With the worldwide CBD market predicted by some to reach $23.6 billion in annual sales by 2025, it should come as no surprise that entrepreneurs all over the world are jumping in and launching CBD brands of their own. When you begin researching the CBD industry, youre going to find that its surprisingly easy to start a CBD brand even if you have no specialized knowledge or connections whatsoever. Thats because there are several companies that are happy to manufacture finished CBD products for you. Theyll even provide third-party test results verifying the purity and potency of the products. All that you need to do is put your label on the products and start selling. If youre an experienced entrepreneur, though, you know that nothing in business is quite that simple. Even if youre not the one making the product, building a successful brand is an extremely difficult proposition. Thats especially true when youre dealing with stiff competition, and the CBD industry has no shortage of that. These are a few of the biggest challenges that youll face if you want to run a successful CBD brand. Product Differentiation Can Make a CBD Brand Stand Out Have you ever searched for CBD online and taken a good look at the various results? There are hundreds upon hundreds and quite possibly thousands of different CBD brands in the United States alone. If you study those websites, youre going to find that at least three quarters of them look virtually the same as one another. Their product selections are identical, and its likely that they get almost no business at all. Lack of differentiation is a huge problem within the CBD industry. There are dozens of brands, but most of those brands have done almost nothing to help consumers tell them apart. If youre thinking about launching a CBD brand, you should have a clear idea of how youre going to differentiate that brand before you even get started. There are three primary ways in which you can differentiate a CBD brand. You can develop products that arent available elsewhere. Crescent Canna, for example, put itself on the map by developing the strongest CBD oil on the market. You can create a unique marketing message. If you look at most CBD brands websites, youll find that many of them use virtually the same language when describing their products. There are many things that you cant say when marketing a CBD brand, and that means youll need to have a little creativity here. Come up with a story thats truly your own. You can build a website that doesnt look like every other brands site. E-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce have made it incredibly easy for people to sell products online even if they have no web development experience. The consequence, though, is that many of the websites using those two platforms look the same as one another. If you develop a website that doesnt look like the rest, youll have a much easier time standing out. The Easiest CBD Supply Chains Arent Always the Best Ones As mentioned above, its quite easy to obtain finished CBD products that are ready to sell. There are several major hemp processing companies that can help you build an entire CBD product line ranging from oral tinctures and gummies to topical lotions and gels. These companies make it possible for you to customize the potency of your products and can even infuse your products with custom flavors and terpene blends. The best part of getting your CBD products from a white-label manufacturer is that the minimum order quantities are often quite low, which means that you can launch your brand on a shoestring budget. The problem, though, is that there are dozens of other CBD brands that have already done the same thing. Product differentiation becomes an even greater concern when your products are fundamentally the same as everyone elses. Full vertical integration in the CBD industry starting your own hemp farm and processing the hemp yourself is probably unreasonable at this point. Getting the proper permits for an industrial hemp farm, learning how to grow hemp for its CBD content and ramping up production until youre growing a significant volume of material can take years not to mention a huge monetary investment. By the time you really ramp things up, your opportunity to claim a large share of the industry will probably be over. You can, however, strike up a relationship with a hemp farm and secure your own supply of material. Thats a good step in ensuring that you arent selling the same product as everyone else. Theres No Easy Way to Market a CBD Brand One of the most important things to know about running a CBD brand is that many traditional online marketing avenues arent available to companies in the CBD industry. Popular advertising networks such as Facebook (News - Alert) and Google AdWords treat CBD and marijuana as if theyre the same thing and do not accept advertisements from CBD companies. In addition, influencer marketing on social media is being watched more closely than ever by agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. The main avenues for advertising in the CBD industry are paid display ads, content marketing and relationship marketing with other website owners. Before you launch a CBD brand, you must familiarize yourself with those three forms of marketing and set aside an appropriate budget for pursuing them. There is a great deal of competition in the CBD industry, and breaking through the static wont be easy or cheap. Legal Compliance Is a Constant Concern in the CBD Industry The final thing that you need to know about running a CBD brand is that legal compliance will be one of your greatest concerns as long as youre in this industry. Having an attorney with experience in cannabis-related matters is a must if you want to make sure that youre not running afoul of any regulations. These are just two of the compliance issues that youll face in the CBD industry. RTHK: AG Barr says China threatens integrity of US polls US Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday raised the spectre of a foreign government counterfeiting US ballots, although he said he had seen no evidence of such an effort. Barr said he believes China is more of a threat than Russia when it comes to interfering in the November 3 presidential election. "I've seen intelligence. That's what I've concluded," he said, without offering details. But Barr said there was "some preliminary activity that suggests" Russia might try to interfere again in the election. "It wouldn't surprise me if Russia tries something again," he said. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia used a campaign of propaganda and hacking to boost Trump's candidacy in the 2016 election. Barr also said that mail-in ballots for the election could be vulnerable to fraud, echoing an argument US President Donald Trump has made to denounce the use of voting by mail. "People trying to change the rules to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion. It's reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire," Barr said in an interview with CNN. Voting by mail is not new in the United States nearly one in four voters cast presidential ballots in 2016 that way. Experts say voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare in the United States. Barr cited a 2005 report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, which concluded that absentee ballots are the largest source of potential voter fraud. "Since that time, there have been in the newspapers, in networks, academic studies, saying it is open to fraud and coercion," Barr said. "The only time the narrative changed is after this administration came in." He said there are a number of ongoing investigations into voter fraud, "some very big ones in states." (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has announced the cancellation of the 10 p.m. curfew imposed on the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Makinde, who doubles as the head of the COVID-19 task force in the state, announced the cancellation of the curfew on Thursday. Taiwo Adisa, chief press secretary to the governor, in a statement made available to Premium Times, said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the task force held on August 31, 2020, which was presided over by the governor. He added that the task force has warned operators of night clubs to desist from accommodating persons in closed areas within their premises, adding that research has confirmed that the virus spreads faster when people cluster in closed venues. SEE ALSO: According to the statement, an advisory would be sent to night clubs owners by the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) arm of the task force, to warn operators not to allow guests into their enclosed areas. The statement further indicated that the task force issued another warning to residents of the state to continue to follow the Own Your Action initiative of the states COVID-19 task force, as, according to the task force, the state is not completely out of the woods with regard to COVID-19. It explained that the decision by the Makinde-led task force to abolish the curfew was premised on the need to reduce the burden on business owners in the state, whom, it said, has been affected by the curfew, especially since the COVID-19 situation has begun to improve in the state. According to the task force, though it appeared that COVID-19 cases are coming down in the state, the confidence interval could not be determined yet. It warned residents of the state not to jettison the guidelines on the prevention of the virus, including washing of hands, social distancing, and the use of masks. The statement also said that Mr Makinde has directed the EOC not to relent in data gathering and analysis in order to appropriately situate the context of the virus within the state. Mr Adisa, who spoke further, added that the governor has also approved the conversion of the Aawe isolation centre to a Level 3 Primary Health Care Centre (PHC), directing that the facility should be decontaminated and handed over to the Hospital Management Board. Similarly, the statement confirmed that the task force has approved that, except for the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, Ibadan, other isolation centres in the state could be converted to Level 3 PHCs. It, however, stated that whenever a spike in COVID-19 cases is noticed in the location where any of the facilities are situated, such a facility would be re-converted to an isolation centre or a part of it will be utilised as an isolation centre. The statement also indicated that the task force has directed the Oyo State Hospital Management Board to identify a primary health care centre around the Olodo axis of Ibadan, which would be upgraded to take care of residents in that axis, as there are no designated government hospital facilities around the Iwo Road-Olodo axis. While briefing the task force meeting, former chief medical director of the University College Hospital (UCH) and coordinator of the Oyo State Isolation Centres, Professor Temitope Alonge, maintained that because of the decline in the number of COVID-19 patients on admission at the isolation centres, the staff strength of the healthcare workers should be reduced to a tenth of the current size. He added that healthcare workers in the Oyo State service have been adequately trained to manage the reduced cases of infection, saying that health workers from the UCH would be put on the reserve list, to be called upon whenever the need arises. In its briefing at the meeting, the EOC reported that it has, in collaboration with the Information Communication Centre of the state, developed a portal for the registration of NCDC-licensed private laboratories for the conduct of COVID-19 tests. In all, the task force noted that a total of 15,700 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, with 3,118 confirmed cases and 37 fatalities. The special adviser to the governor on health, Dr Funmi Salami, also hinted that there has been a spike in the cases of stroke among the elderly in the state, largely due to being confined to their various homes in order to avoid COVID-19 infections. The task force, therefore, approved that advisory messages on how to avoid stroke should be rolled out through designated media outlets. The statement further said that the state is already designing an advisory guideline on voluntary compliance with COVID-19 protocols, while the commissioner for education, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, reiterated that concerted efforts have been made to ensure that schools complied with COVID-19 safety protocols upon resumption. The statement concluded that so far, the state has received donations in cash, agricultural goods and health equipment to the tune of N1.273 billion since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state, while the governor appreciated everyone who supported the state in different ways during the pandemic. Minister of Defense Nicolae Ciuca had an official talk, in video-conferencing system, on Thursday with Admiral Robert P. Burke, Commander of Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples. During the talks, the two officials addressed issues related to the security situation in the Black Sea region, to our country's contribution to the North Atlantic Alliance, with emphasis on the achievements in the field of security and defense, as well as the importance given by Romania to allied operations, missions and activities in which our country constantly participates, informs the Ministry of National Defense, in a press release sent to AGERPRES. According to the quoted source, the Minister of Defense reiterated Romania's determination to actively contribute to consolidating NATO's deterrence and defense position in the region, by implementing measures and projects subsumed under the tailored Forward Presence - tFP in all areas. Nicolae Ciuca also stressed "the importance of strengthening the allied presence on the national territory, in order to counter the threats and stabilize the volatile security situation in the Black Sea area". The Minister of Defense thanked Admiral Burke for the continued support provided by JFC Naples in the process of operationalizing the Headquarters Multinational Division South - East (HQ MND-SE), as well as in the establishment of the Headquarters Multinational Corps South-East (HQ MNC-SE), which will be based in Sibiu, the release states. The official discussions took place on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the the HQ Multinational Division South - East, one of the allied multinational structures established in Romania, with a role in strengthening the command and control capacity of NATO's regional architecture, the press release further shows. A powerful typhoon drenched both Koreas on Thursday, killing at least one person in the South and inundating streets across a port in the North as it churned its way up the peninsula. Typhoon Maysak -- named after a Cambodian word for a type of tree -- made landfall in Busan on the southern coast, packing gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour (87 miles per hour), knocking down traffic lights and trees and flooding streets. A woman was killed after a strong gust shattered her apartment window in the city, while more than 2,200 people were evacuated to temporary shelters and around 120,000 homes were left without power across southern parts of the peninsula and on Jeju Island. Another victim of the typhoon was a statue at a park in Ulsan of a brachiosaurus -- a huge plant-eating dinosaur -- which was pictured with its neck broken by strong gusts of wind. The storm later made its way northwards, passing into the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in Korea, before making a second landfall around 0200 GMT at Kimchaek in North Korea. Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact in the North due to its creaking infrastructure, and the country is vulnerable to flooding as many mountains and hills have long been deforested. The typhoon brought heavy downpours across the North, with total rainfall in the 15 hours to 0300 GMT Thursday reaching 385 millimetres in the port town of Wonsan on its east coast. Pyongyang's state media have been on high alert, carrying live broadcasts of the situation, with one showing a reporter standing in a street inundated with water in the port town. But authorities lifted their typhoon warning as the storm weakened and moved towards China. "The typhoon will pass through Musan and leave our country," a meteorological officer told Korean Central Television. "I don't expect any effects." In Japan, rescuers were searching for a cargo ship with 43 people on board and reportedly carrying 5,800 cows. Story continues The Gulf Livestock 1 issued a distress call on Tuesday night as strong winds and heavy rain from Maysak lashed the East China Sea. Japan's coast guard said one person had so far been found during the search, which involved four vessels and several planes. Maysak is the second typhoon in a week to hit the Korean peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week visited a farming region hit by Typhoon Bavi and expressed relief the damage was "smaller than expected". Meteorologists say another typhoon -- Typhoon Haishen -- is approaching and will make landfall on the peninsula Monday morning with strong gusts of 144 kilometres per hour (89 miles per hour). sh/slb/axn The Election 2020 Campaign Manager for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu says the party is adopting what he calls a retail campaign ahead of the December polls. The strategy he says is to visit homes, churches and mosques to sell the achievements of President Akufo-Addo to Ghanaians. Peter Mac Manu was speaking at a forum in Accra when the remarks were made. We must go and look for everyone in their homes, in the markets, schools, in the drinking bars and what have you. This is what the retail campaign is all about. Nana Akufo-Addo and his NPP administration say they have built a solid foundation which must be maintained and expanded after the 2020 election. The President says Ghanaians are already eager to see the NPP get a second term in office . Ahead of the general elections in December 2020, a number of the NPP bigwigs have said an extension of its mandate will be in the right direction because they have been able to improve the country's ailing economy in less than four years. Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2016 elections, beat then-President John Mahama by polling 5,716,026 million votes, representing 53.85%, while John Mahama polled 4,713,277 million votes representing 44.40% votes, the worse so far for an incumbent President. citinewsroom What just happened? With tensions between China and India showing no signs of abating, the latter has banned another 118 mobile apps with links to China. The list includes PUBG Mobile, which is incredibly popular in India, along with messaging app WeChat. The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology claims the apps "are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of state and public order." The agency goes on to say that it has received complaints from "various sources," alleging that the Chinese apps are "stealing and surreptitiously transmitting" users' data to servers outside of India. In addition to PUBG and WeChat, Baidu, AliPay, and Sina News are also on the ban list. Government Blocks 118 Mobile Apps Which are Prejudicial to Sovereignty and Integrity of India, Defence of India, Security of State and Public Order. Press Release issued by @GoI_MeitY regarding blocking of 118 mobile apps https://t.co/VyahsHR5f0 Ministry of Electronics & IT (@GoI_MeitY) September 2, 2020 This isn't the first instance of India taking such action. Back in June, 58 Chinese-made apps were banned in the country, including TikTok. The video-sharing social network, which has courted controversy in the US, was the most-downloaded app in India, where it had over 200 million usersits largest market outside of China. The bans are a response to the tensions between the countries rising from a disputed Himalayan border, where fighting between the nations has left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead and seen an unknown number of Chinese casualties. TikTok is also facing problems in the US. President Trump last month signed a pair of executive orders prohibiting US transactions with TikTok and WeChat, a move that TikTok is challenging in court. We recently heard that Microsoft is working with Walmart to acquire the app's US business arm from ByteDance. Image credit: Ritesh Ranjan Sett (Newser) A Black man who had run naked through the streets of a western New York city died of asphyxiation after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released Wednesday by the man's family, the AP reports. Daniel Prude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with Rochester police. His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family released police body camera video and public reports they obtained through a public records request. "How did you see him and not directly say, 'The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground. He's cuffed up already. Come on,'" said Prude's brother, Joe Prude, at a news conference Wednesday. story continues below The videos show Prude, who had taken off his clothes, complying when police ask him to get on the ground. Prude is agitated and shouting as officers let him writhe as he sits on the pavement in handcuffs for a few moments as a light snow falls. Then, they put a white "spit hood" over his head, a device intended to protect officers from a detainee's saliva. Prude demands they remove it. Then the officers slam Prude's head into the street and one says "stop spitting" as Prudes shouts turn to whimpers and grunts. The officers appear to become concerned when they notice water coming out of Prudes mouth. Prude stops moving and falls silent. A medical examiner concluded that Prude's death was a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint." (Read more police brutality stories.) One IT company believes "reshoring" bringing the manufacturing of technology hardware back will revitalize the economy. PlanetMagpie is a 20-year-old IT consultancy operating in Silicon Valley and Dallas-Fort Worth. Robert Douglas, the company's Owner and President, saw opportunity in the problems the lockdown caused the IT world. "What America needs right now is a 'big goal.' Something to drive action in our economy, spur job growth, and put us back on track. We have an opportunity like that in front of us." -Robert Douglas, PlanetMagpie To prove it, the company published, "A Call to America: Let's Return Tech Manufacturing to the U.S." a report with evidence to support a nationwide reshoring effort. They published this report on their website, and sent copies to government officials & tech influencers. Reshoring is not a new topic. The nonprofit Reshoring Initiative (reshorenow.org) has advocated this for 10 years. Others have joined them on manufacturing industries, like Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz recently sponsored the BEAT CHINA Act to return manufacturing of critical pharmaceuticals to the U.S. after the pandemic disrupted supplies from China. PlanetMagpie seeks to add computers & network equipment to the list. "Thanks to COVID-19 and the worldwide supply shock it created, we can see how over-dependent the U.S. economy has become on Chinese goods. We don't have to be, though. We can take this opportunity to repair our economy, and make America stronger and more secure. "How? By returning tech manufacturing to the U.S." -From the report, "A Call to America: Let's Return Tech Manufacturing to the U.S." The report includes: 7 ways to make "Reshoring" affordable, more efficient, and welcomed by the public 10 direct economic benefits, from local to national levels Proof that outsourcing to China hurts American citizens hurts American citizens 6 action steps everyone can take to encourage the reshoring process You can download the "Call to Reshore" report at: PlanetMagpie.com/BringBackUSTech FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Doreyne Douglas, Vice President PlanetMagpie 510-344-1202 [email protected] SOURCE PlanetMagpie Related Links http://planetmagpie.com BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan exported 2.1 million tons of crude oil worth $915.8 million to France in 1H2020, a source in the oil and gas market of Kazakhstan told Trend. The volume of the exported crude oil was 46 percent less than in 1H2019 (3.9 million tons), whereas the value of the exported crude oil also was 51.5 percent less than in 1H2019 ($1.8 billion). During the reporting period of 2020 Kazakhstan did not export petroleum products to France. Kazakhstans overall export of crude stood at 33.3 million tons worth $15.08 billion in 1H2020 which is compared to 34.6 million tons worth $16.4 billion in 1H2019. Kazakhstans overall export of petroleum products stood at 364,459 tons of products worth $1.04 million in 1H2020 which is compared to 574,297 tons worth $1.6 million in 1H2019. 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. Emmanuel Macrons government unveiled the long-awaited 100 billion-euro ($118 billion) stimulus plan the French president is betting on to transform the economy and his political fortunes with less than two years to go until elections. The plan, dubbed France Relaunch, includes wage subsidies, tax cuts for businesses and funding for environmental projects. It aims to shift away from the emergency spending of the Covid crisis to addressing longer term problems of weak investment and job creation in the euro areas largest economy. The fiscal reboot -- much of which was announced over the summer -- will be spread over two years and is split in roughly equal parts between competitiveness, jobs and social policies, and financing the transition to a greener economy. Its a high-stakes political move for Macron. The French economy was among the worst hit in Europe by lockdowns, and the initial rebound appears to be tapering off. Furlough measures have helped contain unemployment for now, but it could rise sharply in the coming months. Looming over the grim outlook are presidential elections in April 2022, leaving Macron no time for another shot at a defining policy transformation before he faces voters. Governments across Europe are planning additional stimulus as the coronavirus continues to hammer economies. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling bloc on Tuesday backed plans allowing for extraordinary deficit spending next year. But many countries have already stretched their finances. In Frances case, emergency spending has pushed the debt burden to around 120% of output -- a level the central bank has warned the government should not exceed. Already, France will rely on European financing for up to 40 billion euros of the stimulus plan. Around 15 billion euros will be spent on employment, including 7.6 billion euros on a long-term furlough combined with training for idled workers, and bonuses for hiring young people, officials said. Green spending will focus on low-emission transport -- particularly rail -- and renovations to make buildings more energy efficient. The industrial part of the plan is made up mainly of a cut to taxes on production, at a cost of 10 billion euros a year. Its a wise mix of short-term boosts to demand via job protection and longer-term supply via investment, said Allianz Chief Economist Ludovic Subran. But its very French in the way it aims to resolve everything in one plan. There are no contingencies for supporting businesses and households in response to a changing pandemic. The government estimates that France Relaunch will return economic output to 2019 levels in 2022, according to officials at the prime ministers office, while also having a lasting impact that will raise potential growth by one percentage point 10 years from now. Around half of the 400,000 jobs the government expects to be created in 2020 and 2021 will be attributable to the stimulus plan. Another 300,000 will be saved by a combination of emergency and long-term furlough mechanisms. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Police then spoke to the man from the other room, who gave officers conflicting stories. Initially, he told officers he did not leave the hostel the night before or know anyone there, the police report stated. But then he told them he knew the victim and was with him the night before. (CNN) The coronavirus pandemic has officially pushed Australia into its first recession in nearly three decades. The country's GDP contracted 7% in the second quarter compared to the prior one, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said Wednesday. It marks the second straight quarter of declines for Australia GDP shrank 0.3% in the first quarter and the largest drop since records began in 1959. It was also worse than the estimated 5.9% drop expected in a poll of analysts by Refinitiv. Authorities attributed the fall to the pandemic and shutdown measures the country has taken to contain it, though Australia had already been wrangling with issues before then. The country was ravaged earlier this year by the worst wildfires it had seen in decades, which hampered consumer spending and tourism, according to the Australian Tourism Export Council. In the most recent quarter, the closures of hotels, restaurants and other services because of the pandemic clearly took a hit: Household consumption plunged more than 12%, while spending on services cratered nearly 18%. "We have done everything possible to cushion the blow for the Australian community from Covid-19," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in Canberra on Wednesday. "Our priority has and will continue to be saving lives and ensuring that Australia's healthcare system has the capacity to test and to trace and to treat coronavirus cases." There's likely more pain to come. The Reserve Bank of Australia has said the pace of recovery beyond the most recent quarter is uncertain depending on how long the outbreak persists. And the state of Victoria Australia's second-most populated and home to the city of Melbourne is now enduring the harshest restrictions felt by Australians through the pandemic, after a brutal second wave of the virus. "This is something that will weigh heavily on the September quarter numbers," Frydenberg added. The recession is a remarkable turn for Australia's economy, which had enjoyed a 29-year run of economic growth. The streak was partly fueled by China's voracious appetite for commodities, such as iron ore and coal, as that country rose to become the world's second largest economy. (Notably, that relationship has worsened lately: Tensions between China and Australia have spilled over into beef, barely and wine after the latter country called for an investigation into the origins of the pandemic.) The recession will keep pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to consider additional measures to keep the economy afloat, according to Marcel Thieliant, senior Australia & New Zealand economist for Capital Economics. The central bank has already reduced its cash rate to an all-time low to help businesses and households weather the downturn. The pandemic has crippled many world powers. All of the top developed economies Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have seen their economies shrink dramatically in the first half of 2020. This story was first published on CNN.com Australia's economy had its worst quarter on record. Now it's in a historic recession The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) says its assessment of the COVID-19 testing process at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has established that it was highly reliable and appropriate. It said the Antigen testing regime had a high specificity and sensitivity rate when it was double assessed using the PCR testing regime [polymerise chain reaction]. CoronaLife Web Series Polymerise Chain Reaction (PCR) and antibody testing are the dominant ways that global healthcare systems are testing citizens for COVID-19. Both techniques have their caveats, and as the crisis unfolds researchers are looking into alternative ways to screen for the deadly disease. What is PCR testing? Majority of the current COVID-19 tests globally are using PCR. PCR tests are used to directly detect the presence of an antigen, rather than the presence of the bodys immune response, or antibodies. By detecting viral RNA, which will be present in the body before antibodies form or symptoms of the disease are present, the tests can tell whether or not someone has the virus very early on. PCR according to experts gives a good indication of who is infected for them to be isolated and get in contact with people theyve been in touch with so they can be quarantined too, just in case. Noguchi's clarification Speaking at a national COVID-19 briefing in Accra on Thursday [September 3, 2020], the Head of Virology at the NMIMR, Professor William Ampofo, said the testing process at the airport had a specificity rate of 100 and a sensitivity rate of above 90, reports Graphic Online's Doreen Andoh on the health desk. He said although it was not Rapid Diagnostic Testing, its turnaround time was faster than the PCR and that was why it was adopted. He said it has high accuracy characteristics coupled with the fact that it was being used to validate PCR negative results of all arriving passengers. This, Prof Ampofo said was to help curtail the importation of the virus into Ghana. Prof Ampofos clarification followed a claim by a Senior Research Fellow at the NMIMR, Dr Kofi Bonney, that the COVID-19 testing device being used at the airport was not reliable. Dr Bonney in a radio interview with Accra-based Joy FM on Tuesday [September 2, 2020] claimed that about half of the test to be conducted at the airport might be inaccurate because the test being conducted was not a PCR test but an antigen test which was less sensitive. But a statement released Tuesday and signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Delese Mimi Darko, said Dr Bonneys claims were inaccurate and unscientific. Airport reopening The Kotoka International Airport (KIA) reopened for commercial and international passenger flights, five months after it closed its gates to the world as part of the restrictions on movement to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the country. As part of measures for the reopening, and to control the spread of the Coronavirus all arriving passengers are to be tested for the disease. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (This is the final post in a two-part series. You can see Part One here .) The new question-of-the-week is: What specific changes are you making in your teaching this year as a result of what you have learned from the killing of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests? In Part One , Keturah Proctor, Erika Niles, Dr. Theresa Capra, and Mark Holt shared their plans and suggestions. Today, Keisha Rembert, Ann Stiltner, Tracy Sangare, and Dr. Jennifer Davis Bowman contribute their commentaries. Changing teaching in light of George Floyd Keisha Rembert is an 8th grade English and U.S. history teacher at Clifford Crone Middle School in Naperville, Ill. Keisha feeds her love of learning by continually refining her craft and has been the recipient of several grants affording her the opportunity to take courses at some of the worlds most renowned universities. She was named Illinois History Teacher of the Year for 2019: In light of the racial reawakening sparked by the deaths of Black men and women across the nation and the subsequent protest, this year, and in all subsequent years, it is imperative that I teach for liberation and humanize learning by making space for students to express their joy and process their trauma, I must integrate civics and rhetorical analysis into instruction every day and I must include texts, resources, and discussions that center Black joy as resistance. And I encourage you to do all these and more. Teaching for Liberation According to Barbara Love, a liberation worker is one committed to changing systems and institutions characterized by oppression to create greater equity and social justice. My goal this year is to be an educational liberation worker developing the liberatory consciousness of students and myself while working together to dismantle the oppressive systems we encounter in and out of school. Freedom from the repressive and oppressive systems students face is the ultimate goal and one Ill share with them at the beginning of this school year. Humanizing Learning As society continues to dehumanize BIPOCBlack, Indigenous, and People of Colorand anti-Blackness pervades, my instruction must actively be a space where BIPOC culture and identities are more than bodies on asphalt and all students, especially BIPOC students, have agency. This means recognizing that students are human first, and they cant receive the fullness of my lessons until I acknowledge and provide space for their joy and pain occurring inside and/or outside the classroom. My celebration and mourning with students cannot be an optional aside. It is pivotal to our collective growth. In this way, I will respect their stories and experiences and make these the building blocks of learning, acknowledging that our classroom exists not as a fishbowl but instead exists as the world itself. Civics and Rhetoric Every Day Because I want students to know and exercise their rights, civics education is more important than ever before. I realize it must be part of my instruction every day. As students watch police bullets riddle the backs of Black men and women or police officers knees choke the life out of them, students naturally question the rights of the victims and their own rights. These questions and answers permeate their thoughts, and our classroom must be the place to explore these answers and teach students to civically engage and act. Our classroom must also be a place to examine, understand, discuss, and dissect rhetoric. After horrendous incidents of Black death, students are often bombarded with rhetorical messages that challenge their very humanity. Ive heard the internalization of these messages and their damning effects. To not teach students how to read this rhetoric, even at a young age, leaves them with no way to analyze the message and hold it to the light of truth. Black Joy as Resistance In the twirls of Copeland, the beats of hip hop, the power serve of Serena, LeBrons dribble, the prose and poetry of Jason, Angie, Nic, Kwame, Renee and Ibi, there is both joy and resistance. These are the mentors of the present I intend to use as everyday guides for students, as well as the joy of Baldwin, Angelou, Hughes, Giovanni, Hurston, Nina Simone, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and so many more. Its necessary to bring in the soul, creativity, courage, agency, and self love of these Black folks and others who bring us joy through their transformative work. It is my hope that students find themselves in the myriad brilliance of Black folks, always. I need to challenge my white friends Ann Stiltner is a high school special education teacher in Connecticut. She writes the blog from Room A212 .Follow her on Twitter @fromrooma212: I have worked for 15 years as a white teacher in a school where the majority of students are students of color. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and numerous others, plus the Black Lives Matter protests, confirmed what my students of color had told me for years. These current events push me to reflect on the biases that prevented me from hearing them, to change my mindset and to alter the ways I teach. Read More There has been a plethora of books outlining our nations history of white supremacy. I have made use of my summer vacation to read several of these books . Robyn DeAngelos White Fragility was a wake-up call for me, but change did not happen all at once. It took me a while to sit with the ideas in order to identify my defensiveness. There is plenty more for me to read and process as I continue to challenge my biases, develop humility, and open myself to learning the lived experiences of others. Reflect More Reading alone does nothing unless I let the ideas sink in, understand them, and allow them to change me. I find structuring time for reflection useful. The meditation practices outlined in Ruth Kings book Mindful of Race is one way to make time for self-reflection. Talking with colleagues, attending webinars, and following teachers of color on social media provide structured time to reflect on the ideas I have read. But this is not easy work. I am learning to get comfortable with discomfort and understand that discomfort is a necessary good to make things better. As Ijeoma Oluo says in her book So You Want to Talk About Race, You have to get over the fear of facing the worst in yourself. You should instead fear unexamined racism. Fear the thought that right now, you could be contributing to the oppression of others and you dont know it. But do not fear those who bring that oppression to light. Do not fear the opportunity to do better. Hear More Many times my students of color shared their mistrust and mistreatment at the hands of police. But I did not hear it. It was only after the too-long-list of people of color murdered that I finally got what they were talking about. I am ashamed that people had to lose their lives for me to finally hear what my students had been saying. I now give the lived experience of my students of color primacy. I also take into account all their identities and how they intersect to create the young people they are. I attempt to define my students beyond the identities I see or assume are most important to them. I listen to what they are saying and trust it. I need to remember to stay quiet, let others speak, and focus not on listening but hearing what they are saying. Plan More Our school curriculums are places of systemic racism. As an English teacher, I have the chance to address this by including more authors of color, by providing more contemporary writers, and letting my students choose the texts we read. I follow what Christopher Erdmin calls reality pedagogy: about reaching students where they really are, making sure that their lives and backgrounds are reflected in the curriculum and in classroom conversations. This applies to all my students in light of all the unique and varied ways they identity themself. Challenge More My goal is not to just care about the Black and Brown students but to change the systems that continue to oppress and marginalize them. As Bettina Love writes, So, the question is not: Do you love all children? The question is: Will you fight for justice for Black and Brown children? And how will you fight? I need to challenge my white friends and teachers when they share racist ideas, question systems that continue to perpetuate racism, and engage all my students in discussions that explore assumptions and biases. I know this is not going to be easy work for me, nor for many of us teachers. Well make mistakes. But that is a risk worth taking. I swore to myself that I would take action Tracy Sangare is a national-board-certified teacher entering her 24th year of teaching. She teaches English/language learners in upstate New York. Tracy longs to live in a world where we no longer have to worry about the trauma, fear, and oppression of our students. Until then, she promises to dedicate herself to love-filled liberation: Of the many things I learned through the national-board-certification process, the most impactful was the importance of being intentional in everything I do in the classroom. I took Dr. Rudine Sims Bishops Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors very seriously when planning curriculum. I was intentionally, as Dr. Ibram Kendi teaches us, anti-racist in my planning and interactions. I took Cornelius Minors advice to make my classroom the social-justice classroom I wanted it to be and to build my professional community from there. I was making mistakes, I was constantly learning, but I was feeling good about what I was doing in my classroom and my community of educators who were committed to change. And then we watched a police officer kneel on George Floyds neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. We watched Mr. Floyd plead for his life as three other officers did nothing to stop his murder. How do we explain this to our students? I was feeling so inadequate at making any sense of our world and so unable to make anything better. Over the past few years, I have leaned heavily on Val Brown and the Clear The Air community to learn and be a better educator and I leaned on them again to try and make sense of what I need to do in my classroom. I reread Ibram Kendi and Cornelius Minor and Bettina Love and Sara Ahmed and so many others who have taught me that I can be better. And I swore to myself that I would take action. I am starting the year with two changes I am making in what I do in my community. The first is I am explicitly talking about systematic racism and trying to draw the connections of how it works in our country. We cannot talk about equity in education without talking about why we dont have equity now. Educators need to understand that this is not a broken system; it is a system created to uphold an American caste system that is multilayered but first and foremost, it is based on racism. Educators need to be able to make the connection between redlining and underfunding schools while still paying for school resource officers and how this fuels the school-to-prison pipeline. We need to understand that this is not about kids not having enough grit or families not valuing education. Without understanding how systematic racism works, we will always look at some of our students and families through a deficit framework. Nothing good ever comes from a deficit framework. After all, not only are we responsible for providing an equitable education, we are the people who teach future police officers that every person in our classroom has worth and value. My second change is making a commitment to what educators shea martin and Elizabeth Fortin call Love-filled Liberation. They build on Paulo Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed and his belief that we maintain the status quo by limiting possibilities for our students by controlling their imagination. Elizabeth Fortin and shea martin believe that teaching our students how to radically dream is an act of resistance. Radical dreaming is so much more than telling students they can do anything. As shea martin says, White supremacy is explicit in its oppression and in the effects of that oppression and so our dreams have to be as explicit as the systems we are dreaming beyond. And so, I will be explicitly working on radically dreaming with my students. We will work on looking at our world and imagine all the ways it should be different. I will constantly be reminding all of us that we do not need to accept anyones limitations on what we can do. We will be making action plans on how our dreams can become a reality. We will talk about our own responsibilities when our goal is love-filled liberation. My hope is that when my students and I finish our time together, we will all approach problems with our radical dreams and challenge others to do the same. And maybe, just maybe, some day, the belief in the dignity of all will not be viewed as radical anymore. 4 Dos and Donts for Raising Funds & Social-Justice Awareness Dr. Jennifer Davis Bowman is an educator with a terminal degree in special education, a license in school counseling, and years of experience as a college academic coach. She has written about her instructional insights in Teaching Tolerance, Edutopia, and Teach Thought. In 2020, her research on African American child and adolescent help-seeking was published in The Education and Urban Society Journal. In the same year, Jennifer established the George Floyd Social Justice Scholarship for students at Cincinnati State College, in Ohio. For updates on educational research and classroom resources, follow her on Twitter @DrJDavisBowman: Dont wait for other people to be loving, giving, compassionate, grateful, forgiving, generous, or friendly...lead the way! -Steve Maraboli How have police shootings of African Americans (George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, etc.) influenced teacher leadership? For me, they inspire action. Instead of waiting for change in policing behavior or legal policies... as an educator, I was inspired to lead a social-justice fundraising project. The goal was to raise money to provide student scholarships. In order to be eligible to apply, students were required to respond to one of the following prompts: What does social-justice leadership look like? How can you be a part of a meaningful social change? During my fundraising journey, I learned a few lessons along the way. Here are 4 Dos (and Donts) for raising funds for a social-justice project. 1. Do examine resources for fundraising Utilize websites such as philantropy.com , fundraisingcoach.com and fundraiserhelp.com . Find examples of what to say when you ask for donations. Review online templates that highlight specific words to use and phrases to avoid. The templates should provide information on follow-up dialogue and ways to say thank you. Find examples of organizations that have provided donations previously. Lastly, find examples of reasons individuals and businesses/organizations may decline a donation request. Dont simply begin asking friends and family for money. 2. Do engage with the potential individual or business before and after a donation request. After making students and parents aware of scholarship opportunities in the past, it was easy to approach the same parents for assistance in building a funding base for a new scholarship. After frequenting a local business regularly, I learned that it was not difficult to talk to the business supervisor about contributing to the social-justice fundraiser. Determine a follow-up strategy. For my project, I emailed updates (and sent text messages). Further, donors received a thank you in the mail about a week after donating, and I provided updates every 3-4 weeks. I admit, it took some time to learn how to make the follow-up messaging engaging. In time, I learned that posing questions in my update email subject lines (such as Is our social- justice scholarship too political?) and thanking donors individually for specific tasks (such as help with organizing our virtual raffle or sharing fundraiser information on social media) was effective. Dont rely on limited or isolated interactions to translate into meeting your donation goals. 3. Do determine if organizations have an interest in social-justice causes before requesting a donation. Research the organizations you intend to contact. Examine the organizations website. Look closely in sections labeled community, giving back, or about us to see if there is information related to social responsibility. Pay close attention to see evidence of the organizations commitment to community or social change. For example, in visiting the J Crew website, there is information about the store closing on Election Day to provide ample time for employees to participate in the voting process. Or in visiting the Deweys Pizza website, there is a listing of community staff (including a director of community operations and a community assistant. Also, in the current social climate, many organizations have posted Black Lives Matter verbiage on their website. Dont randomly approach organizations with no knowledge of their position on issues related to social justice. 4. Do track all donation-related activity. Document frequency of contact attempts. When contacting businesses, note the names, titles, and email addresses of the key individuals (such as managers and human-resource supervisors) you speak with. Log individuals who have yet to respond to your contact attempts. Monitor progress by identifying fundraising milestones. For my project, our ultimate goal was to raise $10,000, thus I used 10 milestones of $1,000 each. Maintain a running total of the number of supporters and the number of businesses/organizations that have expressed interest in making a donation. When individuals or businesses decline to provide a donation, inquire why and document this in order to prepare for speaking with disinterested donors in the future. Dont neglect donation data maintenance. Thanks to Keisha, Ann, Tracy, and Jennifer for their contributions! Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post. Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if its selected or if youd prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind. You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo . Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. Its titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching . Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesnt include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the answers category found in the sidebar. All Classroom Q&A Posts on the Coronavirus Crisis This Years Most Popular Q&A Posts Race & Gender Challenges Classroom-Management Advice Best Ways to Begin the School Year Best Ways to End the School Year Implementing the Common Core Student Motivation & Social-Emotional Learning Teaching Social Studies Cooperative & Collaborative Learning Using Tech in the Classroom Parent Engagement in Schools Teaching English-Language Learners Reading Instruction Writing Instruction Education Policy Issues Assessment Differentiating Instruction Math Instruction Science Instruction Advice for New Teachers Author Interviews Entering the Teaching Profession The Inclusive Classroom Learning & the Brain Administrator Leadership Teacher Leadership Relationships in Schools Professional Development Instructional Strategies Best of Classroom Q&A Professional Collaboration Classroom Organization Mistakes in Education Project-Based Learning I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column Mumbai: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut hit out at Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh for allegedly liking a derogatory tweet against her, accusing him of encouraging public teasing and bullying of those who were fighting for Sushant Singh Rajput. Tagging the official Twitter handle of the Prime Ministers Office in one of her tweets, she also raised questions on her safety. Taking to Twitter and sharing screenshots which showed the senior officer liking the said tweet, Kangana wrote, Liking derogatory tweets about people who are fighting against the murderers of Sushant, instead of condemning public teasing and bullying like this @CPMumbaiPolice is encouraging it, @MumbaiPolice has hit all time low ... SHAME !! When @CPMumbaiPolice is openly intimidating me like this, encouraging bullying and crime against me, will I be safe in Mumbai ? Who is responsible for my safety? @PMOIndia, she added. The Mumbai police however denied the accusations stating that the commissioner had never liked such a tweet. An action has also been initiated to check the authenticity of the screenshots shared by Kangana. This tweet has never been liked by @CPMumbaiPolice- the cyber police station has been asked to examine the screenshot, said the Mumbai police. Responding to their claim, she further tweeted, You are a big sham in the name of police force, dont you forget not just me all the people tagged got notifications of @CPMumbaiPolice liking the derogatory tweet, trying to prove victim a criminal seems your old dhandha, dont you dare to lie @MumbaiPolice, dont you dare. Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Kerim Veliyev met with a delegation headed by First Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Ruslan Tsalikov, who is on a working visit to Azerbaijan on September 3, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. First, the guests expressed respect to Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev by laying flowers at his monument erected in front of the headquarters of the Azerbaijani Navy. While welcoming the guests, the Azerbaijani deputy minister stressed that the presidents of the two countries played an important role in the establishment of the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia and this cooperation is developing based on mutual trust. The parties also discussed the issues of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia in the military and military-technical spheres, stressing the importance of further strengthening. Referring to the military-political situation, Lieutenant-General Veliyev stressed that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains the biggest threat to stability in the region. It is important to resolve this conflict within Azerbaijans territorial integrity on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, Veliyev added. In turn, Tsalikov stressed that Russia and Azerbaijan, connected by historical roots, are strategic partners. Such meetings also play an important role in the development of the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. The parties also stressed the importance of the Sea Cup competition which is being held in Azerbaijan within the International Army Games 2020. At the end of the meeting, Tsalikov thanked the Azerbaijani leadership for the high level of organization of the Sea Cup competition and hospitality. LONDON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The introduction of sophisticated technology has made trading in Forex (FX) and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) such as energy and precious metals far more accessible. And now, Roberto d'Ambrosio, CEO of Axiory - one of the world's leading online trading providers - has been named Best CEO in the Forex (FX) Brokerage Industry' in the 2020 Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards for his outstanding work in the area. The Awards seek to identify and honor the Most Respected C-level executives across the globe from a variety of different sectors. The awards themselves do not focus on a company's success, as many do, but the spotlight is on the success of individuals who make the corporations tick- namely senior executives such as CEOs, Managing Directors, Directors and senior-level management. The intention is to give a worthy individual the recognition he/she deserves as well as to use their example to inspire other companies and business leaders to achieve similar success. Axiory is based in Belize and has an authorised representative office in Dubai. The leading Forex broker is different because its commitment to ethical trading puts people first, delivering exceptional results in the process. Since its establishment in 2012, Axiory has become recognised globally with a unique business model which places its' clients at the very centre of its whole strategy. Roberto d'Ambrosio's leadership style is one of openness, transparency and ethics, and has enabled the company to flourish even during the turbulent times of COVID-19. The ability to respond quickly to unforeseen circumstances is a key factor in the markets, and Axiory is rising to the fore by delivering a "business as usual" service to clients during the pandemic. Flexible working has played an important part in this - something that Roberto has already championed. "Axiory we've always welcomed a flexible working environment as part of our people centric culture. Therefore, we were able to immediately respond to the challenge incorporating new contingency measures to ensure continuity and leveraging on our personnel being ready and used to fully remote working to comply with this. Our focus has centred on three main areas - operational stability, protecting our clients' assets and the deployment of remote working, and I'm proud of the fact that through providing care for our community and clients, these objectives have been fulfilled," he told Business Worldwide Magazine. To read more about Axiory visit https://www.axiory.com/ An article on the can be found on the BWM website: https://www.bwmonline.com/2020/08/17/axiory-challenging-the-status-quo-in-the-brokering-world/ Further information about the Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards 2020 visit https://www.bwmonline.com/awards/ceo-awards-2020-winners/ About Business Worldwide Magazine Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few. Contact David Jones Awards Department E: david@bwmonline.com W: http://www.bwmonline.com The Indian Army has changed its posture from border management to securing the border on the 1,597 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh after Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) aggression in the Chushul sector followed by additional induction of troops and support elements, people familiar with the matter said. The PLA Air Force activity has gone up in the occupied Aksai Chin area with positions being militarily strengthened. The Indian Army is now in a secure border mode to pre-empt any Chinese PLA transgressions in vulnerable areas of Ladakh. The repositioning of Indian forces has been done to take the Chinese aggression into account in the area and to ensure that all positions are defended, said a senior official. The Indian Army has also matched the PLAs pumping of troops into the sector by deploying additional specialised forces such as the Special Frontier Force that was raised to counter China after the 1962 war. SFF soldiers had played a lead role in preempting the Chinese PLA, which tried to grab Indian territory five days ago on the southern bank of Pangong Tso. Indian soldiers since then occupy key heights on the southern bank. ALSO WATCH | Explained: India bans PUBG, 117 more Chinese apps amid fresh border tussle The Indian Army has paid special focus by deploying a combat group (a mix of armoured and mechanised elements) at Depsang Plains to match a PLA mechanised brigade and another combat group at Chumar to signal to PLA that it means business and will not allow an inch of Indian land to be taken. India dominates the Demchok and Chumar area, giving soldiers a clear line of sight to the Lhasa-Kashgar (219) highway, a critical artery for PLA logistics supply. The Indian posture at Chushul clearly indicates that any further PLA perfidy will receive a matching response, a military commander said. While the PLA, under General Secretary Xi Jinping, is blaming the Indian Army domestically for aggravating the border situation, the Chinese are making no effort to sort out the border row diplomatically or militarily by just restoring status quo ante. It is a dead-end posturing as this will not yield any results for PLA as neither side can deploy troops all along the 3,488 km LAC round the clock throughout the year, said a senior official. Although the military and diplomatic parleys are on, the Indian Army troopers are leaving nothing to chance and are prepared for the worst case scenario with the decisions taken on the spot not by the headquarters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 3 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: As many as 1,994 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, 129 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,702 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 3.3 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 380,700 people have been infected, and 21,926 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 328,500 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain 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. POINT ROBERTS, Wash. - The Port of Bellingham is increasing temporary ferry service to the isolated enclave of Point Roberts, Washington. That community was largely cut off from the U.S. mainland when Canada and the U.S. closed their land border this spring to nonessential crossings to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Northwest News Network. Beginning last week, the Port of Bellingham chartered a commercial eco-tour boat to offer once per week passenger-only service connecting Point Roberts to the border town of Blaine. Demand for seats from people marooned on the peninsula has far outstripped supply, said port executive director Rob Fix. Weve done two sailings now for the past two Tuesdays and they were both full, Fix said in an interview. We had about 500 inquiries that were interested in those sailings over those two weeks. Those five hundred people were competing for 40 reserved seats available each week. So now, Fix said the port will sponsor twice per week service using a tour boat that is roughly twice as big. Space is still limited, so reservations are required on the Tuesday and Friday service schedule. Fix said riders are using the service to accomplish all kinds of errands from doctors visits to Costco runs, plus eating out at restaurants. The port is footing the full cost of the ferry of $3,500 per day by not charging fares. Fix said no decisions have been made for how long to operate the maritime escape route for Point Roberts residents. It is not financially feasible to do this long term, Fix said. It was not in our outlook at all for the year, but we see the need so were going to fill it. The border needs to open back up, he concluded. Border crossing restrictions went into effect on March 21 and have been extended monthly. The prevalence of COVID-19 infections is far higher in the U.S. than in Canada. The U.S. reported 39,670 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, slightly below the previous seven-day average, but continuing a plateau seen over the past week, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The seven-day average of daily new cases rose by at least 5% in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to a CNBC analysis of Hopkins data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is instructing states to be ready to distribute a potential vaccine by Nov. 1. Here are some of the day's important headlines: Data released by Amnesty International revealed that Mexico leads the world in COVID-19 deaths among its health care workers. The study found that Mexico has reported 1,320 confirmed health care worker deaths from the coronavirus, surpassing the United States at 1,077. The United Kingdom has registered 649 and Brazil has reported 634. The report is likely to revive debate about Mexico's extremely low coronavirus testing rate, with fewer than one in 100 Mexicans tested despite assurances from the government that all health care workers have gotten one test, insufficient for people who face daily exposure over months. Health professionals in Mexico have also held many protests over a lack of adequate personal protective equipment. Mexico is fourth in the world with 65,816 deaths and 610,957 confirmed cases, as of Thursday. File image from May 30, 2020 shows Mexico City paramedic coordinator Oscar Becerril decontaminating fellow paramedic Cesar Avila after picking up a COVID-19 patient. Amnesty International said in a new report Wednesday that Mexico has the highest COVID-19 death toll among health workers in the world, with 1,320 confirmed deaths surpassing the United States A grave digger walks in the COVID-19 section of the cemetery of San Lorenzo Tezonco Iztapalapa on the outskirts of Mexico City. Mexico is fourth in the world with 65,816 deaths and 610,957 confirmed cases, as of Thursday Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice at Amnesty International, called the worldwide death toll of more than 7,000 health workers 'a crisis on a staggering scale.' 'Every health worker has the right to be safe at work, and it is a scandal that so many are paying the ultimate price,' he said. Cockburn urged an international cooperative effort to ensure that every health care worker has adequate protective equipment. According to figures released last week, 97,632 nurses, doctors and other hospital employees in Mexico have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began - about 17 percent of all the country's cases at that point. Mexico's health sector statistics are normally announced on Tuesdays, but there hasn't been a report this week updating the figures. Nurses accounted for 42 percent of those infected, doctors made up 27 percent and other hospital employees such as technicians, aides and maintenance and cleaning staff were 31 percent. The government has claimed since March that hospital workers have had all the protective gear they need, but on several occasions hospital employees have blocked streets in Mexico City displaying what they said was ill-fitting, insufficient or substandard gear. A healthcare worker in Mexico City administers a COVID-19 test at Lazaro Cardenas Park. An Amnesty International report that was released Wednesday showed that Mexico has the highest COVID-19 death toll among health workers in the world, with 1,320 confirmed deaths, surpassing the United States File image from August 13, 2020 shows healthcare workers navigating a canal to provide COVID-19 tests in Xochimilco, one of the highly contagious zones on the outskirts of Mexico City Death statistics vary, depending on who each country classifies as a health care worker, how deaths are considered confirmed, and how they are reported. The PanAmerican Health Organization, for example, lists 2,506 COVID-19 deaths among health workers in the Americas, including the same 1,320 deaths for Mexico but only 240 for Brazil and 660 for the United States. Carissa F. Etienne, director of the agency, said Wednesday that the Americas has 'the highest number of health care workers infected in the world.' 'In the U.S. and Mexico - which have some of the highest case counts in the world - health workers represent one in every seventh case,' Etienne said. 'Countries must ensure that health workers can do their jobs safely.' She said that means providing sufficient protective equipment for the workers and adequate training for them in effective infection control. Such advice doesn't seem to have been followed in Mexico, where early in the pandemic there were at least two confirmed outbreaks at hospitals that sickened dozens of health care professionals. File image from August 18, 2020 shows a doctor in Monterrey, Mexico, using a robot to hold consultations with patients infected with the coronavirus. Healthcare workers in Mexico have been impacted with the deadly virus, as 97,632 nurses, doctors and other hospital employees in Mexico have tested positive for the ravaging virus since the pandemic began A Mexican healthcare worker (photographed August 13, 2020) administers a COVID-19 exam in Xochimilco, one of the highly contagious zones, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico In April, a public hospital in the northern steel town of Monclova became the center of a coronavirus outbreak that sickened at least 26 members of the medical staff and killed one of its doctors. According to one hospital employee, a patient came to the emergency room at the Monclova hospital March 15 with acute respiratory distress. Once an intensive care doctor diagnosed it as a probable coronavirus infection, emergency room staff requested personal protection equipment, but it was not provided. During the week the patient was treated in the emergency room, three shifts of medical staff were exposed to him. The patient eventually died. Hospital workers began falling ill soon afterward. The Amnesty report also notes that 'there have been reports that hospital cleaners in Mexico are especially vulnerable to infection. Many cleaners in health settings in Mexico are outsourced, which means they have less protection.' In addition, there have been several confirmed cases of infectious medical waste piling up at Mexican hospitals or being illegally dumped elsewhere. The controversial quarantine policy has been marred by inconsistencies and Whitehall infighting since it began. The policy may have wrecked thousands of family holidays, and driven the aviation industry to the brink, but remarkably, no one single Government minister or department is fully accountable for it. The Department for Transport, the Foreign Office, The Department of Health and the Home Office all had a hand in its creation and continue to play a part in its operation. At the same time, the secretive Joint Biosecurity Centre which reports to Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty also plays a central role. The Department for Transport, the Foreign Office, The Department of Health and the Home Office all had a hand in the Government's controversial quarantine policy. Pictured: Passengers wear face masks as they arrive with their luggage at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport in west London Decisions on which countries to add to the quarantine list are taken by the Cabinets coronavirus operations committee, with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove as chairman Boris Johnson does not attend. Graphic shows: The impact of Covid-19 on the UK travel industry Decisions on which countries to add to the quarantine list are taken by the Cabinets coronavirus operations committee, with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove as chairman Boris Johnson does not attend. As a result, the process for making decisions, on which both holidays and jobs depend, is as transparent as a breeze block. At its farcical peak, quarantine was reimposed on Spain while the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was on holiday there. The decision was driven through by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the day Mr Shapps arrived, although sources insist the Transport Secretary accepted it was the right call. The secretive Joint Biosecurity Centre which reports to Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty (pictured) also plays a central role in quarantine policy operation Adding to the chaos, devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can go their own way. The confused lines of responsibility have led to frequent changes of direction. Officials asked about why a decision has been taken often roll their eyes and point towards another department. The policy was born out of the UKs bitter experience in February when, experts now concede, the coronavirus was seeded in Britain by holidaymakers returning from breaks in Italy and Spain. Few would now argue against the need to restrict travel from countries where the virus is running rife. As one No 10 insider put it: What would people say if, having got case numbers right down, we allowed it to be imported from abroad? But back in February, ministers and their scientific advisers dismissed the need to quarantine arrivals from countries with infection hot spots. As it became clear that imported cases had fuelled the disaster, the Home Secretary Priti Patel pushed to close Britains borders to the worst affected countries, although it still took weeks. By the time the policy was finally introduced on June 8, cases were in steep decline and the airlines were in uproar. Mr Shapps, under intense pressure from the aviation industry, successfully championed the introduction of quarantine-free travel corridors, despite opposition from Miss Patel and Mr Hancock, and scepticism from the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Miss Patel had pushed instead for the introduction of testing at airports. But the policy was resisted by Professor Whitty who said it would not be effective. Miss Patel is said to have largely lost interest in the quarantine policy, leaving testing at airports to be championed by Mr Shapps. But despite promises of further talks, there is no sign of progress. The decision to reimpose quarantine on Spain was driven through by Health Secretary Matt Hancock Home Secretary Priti Patel resisted the idea of quarantine-free travel corridors had pushed instead for the introduction of testing at airports Whitehall sources insist the policy has been looked at and remains under review. However, testing capacity constraints suggest it will not change any time soon. There might be a case for testing after eight or ten days, but should that be a priority for the testing capacity we have got? asked one source. In the meantime, the aviation sector is bleeding to death and feels that its proposals for a workable testing regime that could ease the quarantine nightmare are being ignored. To rub salt in the wound, it is not clear who, if anyone, has got a grip on the system that threatens to smother the dream of creating a new Global Britain before it has even materialised. She turned 54 years young this week and is still every bit the ageless beauty she was when she first came on the scene in Nineties films such as Desperado. And Salma Hayek continued to reflect back on her earlier years on Thursday when she shared a funny throwback to a magazine shoot she participated in way back in 1996. It was for Los Angeles Magazine's restaurant issue, and for the cover the Frida star posed in nothing but whipped cream... and 'a cherry on my head'. Remember when: Salma Hayek reflected back on her earlier years on Thursday, when she shared a funny and enticing throwback to a magazine shoot she participated in back in 1996 Hayek looked like a confection in the image, as she brought one cream-covered finger to her lips while holding a whisk in her other hand. 'In August 1996 I was on the cover of Los Angeles Magazine,' the Oscar nominee explained in one slide of the gallery. 'They were paying homage to Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass album "Whipped Cream & Other Delights" for the Restaurant Issue, so they dressed me up in whipped cream, and even added a cherry on my head.' Flawless: Salma turned 54 years young this week and is still every bit the ageless beauty she was when she first came on the scene in Nineties films such as Desperado In the throwback gallery: Hayek explained that the image was for Los Angeles Magazine's restaurant issue, and for the cover the Frida star posed in nothing but whipped cream In the next slide, however, Hayek pointed out a glaring omission from the cover of the issue. 'Too bad they didn't even mention my name on the cover...' she wrote, next to another image of herself in the whipped cream getup. And sure enough, while the cover mentions Julia Child, Mario Puzo and 'The biggest movie ever! Starring Bruce, Sly & Arnold', there is no reference whatsoever to the talented actress who graces the page. To mark the occasion of her actual birthday: Salma posed in a glorious yellow swimsuit and skirt combo in front of a seaside view of Greece on her Instagram on Wednesday But the day prior, on her actual birthday, there was nothing but positivity and joy on the Fools Rush In star's Instagram. To mark the occasion, Salma posed in a glorious yellow swimsuit and skirt combo in front of a seaside view of Greece. 'I am very grateful and proud for every single one of my 54 years,' the From Dusk Till Dawn actress wrote in the caption. 'Thank you for all the birthday wishes, especially to my fans who made a special account for my birthday. What a gift! @salmahappybirthday ' As for film work: Salma is set to appear in next year's The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, in which she'll reprise her role from 2017's The Hitman's Bodyguard The fan account to which she referred had prepared its feed to present various tribute to the half-Mexican, half-Lebanese American film star from various fans. And as for film work, Salma is next slated to appear opposite Angelina Jolie in the net big Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, The Eternals, which is due in theaters next February. She's also set to appear in next year's The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, in which she'll reprise her role of Sonia Kincaid opposite Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson from 2017's The Hitman's Bodyguard. President Donald Trump tweeted to his followers Thursday that they should sign and send in mail ballots 'as EARLY as possible' then go to polling places on Election Day to make sure it was received. His pitch, made in a series of linked tweets, came a day after he told supporters in North Carolina to vote twice, once by mail and then in person as a way to see if the system is working. 'Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible,' Trump wrote. 'On Election Day, or Early Voting,' he continued, 'go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen's right to do),' Trump advised. 'If your Mail In Ballot arrives ... after you Vote, which it should not, that Ballot will not be used or counted in that your vote has already been cast & tabulated. YOU ARE NOW ASSURED THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED, it hasn't been 'lost, thrown out, or in any way destroyed'. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!' The online guidance from the president to his millions of followers came a day after Trump floated an idea to supporters Wednesday that they vote twice - once by mail and once by person - to see if mail-in balloting is working. President Trump on a trip to Wilmington Wednesday told supporters they should vote once by mail and once in person 'So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote,' Trump suggested to a crowd gathered at the airport in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he had traveled to pay tribute to the city's World War II history. It would be considered voter fraud for people to knowingly vote twice in an election. Attorney General Bill Barr got asked about the statement in a CNN interview Wednesday night. I don't know exactly what he was saying,' Barr said. He said Trump was 'trying to make the point' that the ability to monitor the system is not good. 'I don't know what the law in the particular state says,' Barr said 'It may be you can change your vote up to a particular time. I don't know what the law is' in various states, said Barr. Karen Brinson Bell, the head of the North Carolina State Board of Elections issued a statement with a message to state voters Thursday following Trump's statements on voting. 'It is illegal to vote twice in an election,' she wrote. She provided the state law citation which 'makes it a Class 1 felony for a voter, 'with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote a more than one precinct or more than one time in the same primary or election.' The statement says absentee ballots should be counted by Election Day. Absentee ballots that are not received 'are not counted until after the election, and this prevents double voting,' she said.' 'If someone tries to get around the system, their ballot can be retrieved and not counted, so it will not affect the outcome of the election.' The North Carolina Board of Elections issue d a statement saying it is a felony to attempt to vote twice in an election or solicit someone to vote twice Trump urged his followers to vote by mail, then go to their polling place to see if their vote was tabulated, and if not to vote again President Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters on the tarmac in Wilmington, North Carolina, saying he expected to again win the state and South Carolina, Georgia and New Hampshire while he believed Michigan and also Minnesota were in reach Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted Trump was not encouraging anyone to break the law. 'The president is not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful,' McEnany told Fox News. 'What he said very clearly there is make sure your [mail-in] vote is tabulated, and if it is not, then vote,' she said. Trump's comments were the latest the president has made to sow confusion about the mail-in voting process, something he previously confessed could give Democrats an edge. Democrats have been pushing for more mail-in voting options due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump arrived in Wilmington Wednesday and twice talked to hundreds of supporters who had awaited his arrival. They packed in behind metal fences and very few wore masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Trump called the election the most important ever. 'Because we're running against people that have some big issues, 'he said. 'They've got some big, big problems. They're stone-cold crazy. As you know Joe Biden, he doesn't have a clue, we can't let it happen to our country,' the president said. Out of earshot from the White House pool, Trump engaged with a local journalist who had informed him that 600,000 voters in North Carolina could vote absentee. 'I don't like that,' Trump said, according to NBC News. 'If it's as good as they say it is then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. So that's the way it is. And that's what they should do,' Trump also told the crowd. North Carolina is a key swing state that helped Trump win the White House over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. He predicted to the crowd that it would happen again. So we're going to win North Carolina, we're going to win South Carolina, we're going to win Georgia, we're going to win New Hampshire,' Trump said. He won all the southern states in 2016, but came up short in New Hampshire despite winning there in the GOP primary. 'We just got a great poll from Michigan,' Trump added. Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, were the three states that Trump surprisingly won to win the White House. 'Minnesota looks like it's really good, it hasn't been won since 1972 by a Republican,' the president added. Minnesota remained blue in the last election but has become a target for the Trump campaign especially in light of the unrest in Minneapolis following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Trump has been campaigning hard against the riots caused when 'Black Lives Matter' protests have gotten out of control, basing his 2020 campaign around the theme of 'law and order.' COVID-19 prevention and control measures were in place at pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City as droves of worshippers observed a Buddhist festival on Wednesday. Vu Lan, a festival honoring deceased ancestors and filial piety, is observed by Buddhist followers every year on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which fell on Wednesday this year. It is an occasion for many Vietnamese to make offerings to their ancestors and pay homage to their parents by visiting pagodas on this day. This year, due to the risks of infection amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in Vietnam, worshippers were asked to conform to disease prevention regulations when visiting pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the observations of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters. People line up at a hand sanitizer dispenser before entering Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Vu Lan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2, 2020. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre In previous years, my whole family would go to the pagoda very early [on Vu Lan day], eat vegetarian food and take part in the ceremonies, said Ngoc Thom, a resident in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City. This year, since the festival occurs amid the ongoing pandemic, we are concerned about lingering at crowded places so were just dropping by for a quick visit before heading home." A number of pagodas throughout Ho Chi Minh City such as Vinh Nghiem in District 3 or Viet Nam Quoc Tu in District 10 were equipped with hand sanitizer dispensers and body temperature monitoring devices. Most visitors to these pagodas conformed to the disease prevention measures while some were spotted without a face mask on despite it being mandatory in public places. Visitors are handed free face masks when entering Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Vu Lan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2, 2020. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre People have their body temperature checked before entering Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Vu Lan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2, 2020. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre People line up at a hand sanitizer dispenser at Viet Nam Quoc Tu Pagoda amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Vu Lan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2, 2020. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre People pray while wearing face masks amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Vu Lan Festival at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2, 2020. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Health Minister Nelu Tataru declared on Thursday, in Ploiesti, that Romania will receive approximately 1,290,000 doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine from the first batch, which will benefit the vulnerable persons and professional categories. "We asked the European Commission for about half of Romania's population and we went up to 10,700,000 citizens who should get this vaccine. At the level of the European Commission, contracts have been concluded with several companies. (...) Romania, from the first batch of 30 million doses, will receive 4%, around 1,290,000 doses," Tataru stated.Asked who will benefit from these doses, the minister mentioned the vulnerable and professional categories, respectively the medical ones and the teachers.On Thursday, Nelu Tataru paid a visit to Prahova County and went to the County Ambulance Service and to the County Emergency Hospital, given that, recently, the doctors from the Emergency Reception Unit have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the unit is overcrowded, the staff is insufficient and so is the equipment used. Harris Countys newly revamped system for processing arrestees on minor offenses is working well, according to the first official report: It is preventing needless jailing of poor people without risking more crime. The monitors 76-page report released Thursday found that while fewer people were jailed and more were released on cash-free bonds, incidents of recidivism remained low. The new bail system also nearly obliterated racial disparities in pretrial detention a key goal of the 2016 lawsuit that placed the countrys second largest urban jail in the spotlight on a major civil rights issue. Brandon L. Garrett, a Duke University law professor leading the oversight team for the seven-year federal consent decree, framed what he saw in the first six months reviewing court outcomes as a promising and exciting start. Early data shows that overhauling the bail system in Harris County is working, Garrett said. Gone are the days when a poor person would be locked up solely due to an inability to pay. He said thousands are being released in low-level cases. Peoples jail stays are far shorter. Hearings are far more robust and fair. And we see no change in repeat offending. Garrett was chosen by the parties in a 2016 federal civil rights lawsuit to monitor bail practices along with deputy monitor Sandra Guerra Thompson of University of Houston Law Center and a team at Texas A&M Universitys Public Policy Research Institute and at the Duke Center for Science and Justice, a community working group of law enforcement, community and business leaders. Future biannual assessments will evaluate the countys open hours courts, multilingual court access, electronic notification system for court dates and the effectiveness of pretrial supervision. The team will also analyze the efficiency and thoroughness of court procedures. Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorneys Office, said, As they note in their report, they lack adequate data to examine the effectiveness of supervision of individuals released on bond, and that they intend to return to this in their next report on their ongoing analysis. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the report confirmed common-sense criminal justice solutions that have been successful in New Jersey and California can also work in Harris County. Commissioner Adrian Garcia, a former sheriff, concurred that data indicated those serving up scare tactics against criminal justice reform are wrong. So far we have not seen any sort of uptick in recidivism from people who previously were kept in jail only because they are poor. But Harris County County Commissioner Steve Radack, a former police officer who voted against the settlement in the bail case, said it is too soon to judge if the system is working. The report was far from conclusive, he said, adding, there are things that are supposed to be contained in this report. The reality is this is a seven-year project. Ray Hunt, executive director of the Houston Police Union Officers Union, scoffed at the findings, saying they dont reflect the reality on the ground, where dozens of people on bond have been charged with murder. A handful of these were released on misdemeanors. Maybe this Duke professor needs to spend a few weekends out here on the Houston streets, he said. Elizabeth Rossi, who attorney for the indigent plaintiffs from Civil Rights Corps said, We havent seen the catastrophic increase in crime that the bail industry purported to predict. She said the report was promising. Even at this preliminary stage of the implementation process were already seeing the benefits of a system that doesnt rely on money. Judge Darrell Jordan, who took the stand in the case and became a major voice for dismantling the old two-tiered system: Ive taken a lot of hits the past four years for fighting for bail reform but this evidence brings a measure of vindication. He said the findings showed indisputable evidence that bail reform has made Harris County safer, and ended discriminatory practices in our courts. Others on the bench shared that sentiment, according to Allan Van Fleet, who represents the misdemeanor judges: The bugaboos weve been hearing for the past couple years from people like the Attorney General just are not backed up by the data. Evidence in the lawsuit revealed that pretrial release minimizes the disruption to defendants lives and livelihoods whereas even a short jail stay is likelier to result in future criminality. The landmark 2019 settlement and consent decree requires a public defender be present at initial magistrate hearings. Most misdemeanor defendants are sent home on personal bonds. The remainder, who face higher risk offenses, must be given a substantive hearing where a prosecutor must offer clear and convincing evidence to support any pretrial conditions. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the bail system in its early phases demonstrated bail reform is not only the right thing to do, but its keeping our communities safe and building a judicial system that works fairly for everyone. Race disparities are shrinking, fewer non-violent offenders are being pointlessly warehoused in our jail at taxpayer expense, and more defendants are being provided public defenders, she said. County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said he was encouraged by the early results. This system took decades to build, and it will not be dismantled overnight, he said. Samantha Ketterer contributed. gabrielle.banks@chron.com Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked effortlessly chic in all white as she attended a charity project in Rotterdam today. The royal's appearance at Thuis West Community Center comes a week after she and King Willem-Alexander were forced to issue a personal apology when they faced citicism for not social distancing during their holiday in Greece. Despite the backlash, the mother of three smiled widely and looked incredibly elegant as she entered the building. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands stunned in an effortlessly chic all white outfit as she attended a charity project in Rotterdam today The royal wore a pair of flared white trousers and a high-neck ruched white blouse with a striking gold and pearl brooche on her right shoulder Smiling widely, the Queen entered the community centre in Rotterham wearing a pair of pointed nude heels, carrying a matching nude clutch bag The Queen, 49, wore a pair of white flared trousers which hung just below her ankle to reveal a flash of the nude heels she paired them with. Adding to the all-white look she opted for a ruched high neck blouse - adding a decorative gold and pearl brooch close to her right shoulder. Keeping things low key, the royal wore a pair of round, chunky earrings with a large pearl in the centre, to match her other accessory. To tie the items together she wore a thin belt around her waist, creating a beautiful silhouette. The Queen, 49, posed for pictures wearing earrings that matched her brooche. Last week she and her husband King Willem-Alexander were forced to apologise to the public for not following social distancing guidelines on holiday The day the Queen arrive the pavement outside the community centre had been dug up - with the filthy, dirt-covered street slabs contrasting against her crisp, white look She chatted with people at the community centre, which aims to reduce loneliness for elderly people in the area, and sipped on a hot drink And to finish off the look and shield herself from the chillier, wet weather in Rotterdam she wore a white shawl over the top. She opted for a natural make-up look, with a slight smokey eye, and she wore her blonde hair, which had been straightened for the occasion, down in a middle parting. While at the community centre, Queen Maxima spoke to people about the charity and its aim to combat loneliness among the elderly in the neighborhood. She sat down with some of the volunteers, chatting and laughing with them, while sipping on a hot drink. Opting for a simple makeup look, with a subtle smokey eye, the Queen stunned as she sat and discussed the workings of the community project The mother of three wore her blonde hair, which had been straightened for the occasion, down in a middle parting To create the perfect hourglass silhouette, the royal wore a thin belt around her waist. As well s enjoying a hot drink and a chat, she spoke to people in the kitchen Earlier this week the Queen and her husband faced criticism when they were pictured ignoring social distancing rules during their holiday on the Greek Island of Milos in Greece. A picture emerged on social media of the couple, who were holidaying with their daughters Princess Amalia, 16, Princess Alexia, 15, and Princess Ariane, 13, posing alongside an unidentified restaurant employee, less than one metre apart. They took to Twitter to apologise for not practicing the 1.5 metres apart guideline imposed by The Netherlands, in addition to not wearing face masks. The family had been on holiday for a few weeks and they were praised for their swift action in apologising for their lapse in judgement. The Queen was quick to get stuck in, egg washing the delicious treats that had been prepared by people in the kitchen prior to her visit Earlier this week the Queen and her husband faced criticism when they were pictured ignoring social distancing rules during their holiday The royal couple were forced to apologise to the public via Twitter after a picture of them posing with a restaurant employee while not wearing masks emerged on social media The royal is an international financier by training, was married to Willem-Alexander in 2002 in Amsterdam. She was born in Argentina before she married into the Dutch royal family, three years after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville, Spain. Willem-Alexander became king after his mother, Beatrix, abdicated in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch. Queen Maxima has reportedly said that she had no inkling Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when they first met. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Chinese Communist officials raid church-run elementary school camp, arrest pastor's wife Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Communist authorities in Chinas Henan province raided an elementary school summer camp hosted by a house church and arrested the pastors wife after accusing the Christians there of conducting illegal religious activities. According to persecution watchdog China Aid, some 30 authorities with Xinyang City Gushi County Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Public Security Bureau, and the Joint Chengguan (urban management force) Task Force raided a house church near Gushi Third Middle School North Campus on Aug. 23. The leader of the church, Wang Guangming, told China Aid that the church was hosting summer camp on the day of the raid. Though students were learning piano, guitar, and music theory, authorities accused leaders of conducting religious activities and arrested the pastors wife. I was not present at the church that day, Wang told China Aid. They came and said that we were gathering illegally, and confiscated my personal property, including projector, desks, chairs, fans, and speaker. They have not brought them back as of today. Another member told China Aid that officials from the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau claimed they had received a tip from residents about an illegal house church which sparked the raid. Claiming to be law enforcement, the authorities began videotaping and taking photos. Henan is one of the provinces in China that has the highest number of Christians, with an estimated 5 million to 6 million believers. International Christian Concern notes that the Xinyang City Gushi County Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau previously said that from Aug. 20 to Sept. 20, it would conduct a monthlong investigation to crack down on illegal religious activities. President Xi Jinping has ordered that all religions must "Sinicize" to ensure loyalty to the atheistic party. As a result, the Chinese Communist Party has attempted to curb the spread of Christianity through its legal framework, Sinicization, closure or demolition of churches or places of worship, arresting of Christians, and social pressure. Chinese authorities have also attempted to prevent Christians from transmitting their faith to the next generation. In its 2020 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noted the Chinese Communist Party has banned youth younger than 18 from participating in religious services. Additionally, Christian leaders are forbidden from organizing any activities with young people or encourage them to consider ministerial vocations. Earlier this year, authorities forcibly removed adopted children from their Christian parents, claiming the adoption papers were no longer valid because their children were trapped by an evil religion. In addition to seizing children from their Christian parents, the CCP also threatened to send Christian children to government re-education camps and ordered parents to refrain from enrolling their children in church schools. In Shangrao, an area of Jiangxi, more than 40 churches have hung a slogan that reads: Non-locals are prohibited from preaching; no underage people allowed in church." Aaron Ma, an Asia-based researcher for Open Doors International, told World Watch Monitor that Christians are an enigma to the government. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) believes the Church is a destabilizing force, but not because it is bad; in fact, local communities and authorities tend to believe Christians are good people," Ma explained. Some suggest that because Christians allegiance is first and foremost to God and not the Communist Party, there is a conflict of interests that the party believes can potentially hinder the process of unification. Others are more concerned by what they perceive as potential chaos arising from the huge number of Christians. China has also been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern for continuing to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom. Regional Teenage gang rape victim dies in Manipur Correspondent IMPHAL, Sep 3 | Publish Date: 9/3/2020 12:49:33 PM IST A 16-year-old girl who abandoned after she was allegedly raped died at the ICU ward of a hospital in Imphal around 2 pm on Thursday where she battled for her life. Shocked and angry relatives of the victim stormed the chief ministers secretariat demanding befitting action against the culprit(s). The teenage girl was admitted at the ICU ward of RIMS hospital on Wednesday morning after she was picked by a team of Mayang Imphal police station of Imphal West from a roadside pond at Yengdoupat village. She was first found by morning walkers who saw her lying there. Police suspect the girl was sexually assaulted before she was left to die. Police investigating the case have arrested her boyfriend identified as Md Arish alias Maja Khan (19) of Heibongmakhong village late yesterday evening and are searching for five others who were still at large. The girl went missing after she came out of her home on Tuesday afternoon as reported by her family who filed a missing report with the police. Soon after news of her death spread, her relatives and people from her village turned up and stormed the chief ministers secretariat where they engaged in a brief struggle with police who blocked them from entering the secretariat complex. At the gate, they shouted various slogans demanding immediate booking of other culprits involved in the case and award them befitting punishment demanding that the culprits be hanged to death. The angry mob also partially damaged the house of the suspect after intervention by police. In their bid to control the mob, police fired tear gas shells and mock bombs. With tension running high in the area, a large number of armed police personnel have been deployed at the area to prevent any further untoward incident. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday did not allow several Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders to leave their homes for attending a party meeting here, its spokesman said. It was for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year that the PDP had called the meeting of its senior office bearers and leaders at its party headquarters here . Many senior leaders, including PDP general secretary GN Hanjura, former education minister Naeem Akhtar, former legislator Ajaz Mir and former MLC Khurshi Alam were not allowed to move out of their homes by the police. Despite being free on paper and in government submissions in high court and Supreme Court, PDP leadership continues to be under illegal detention, without any official orders. I wasnt allowed to attend the PDP meeting nor were any of my colleagues, Akhtar wrote on Twitter, while sharing a video of how he was stopped by the police. Show us some order ... Or at least allow me to go on foot, he pleads in the video to the policemen who respond saying there is no permission. PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said they had to cancel the meeting when most of their leaders were not allowed to move out of their homes. They did not allow around 20 of our leaders and members to move out of homes saying that we are under house arrest. We told them to show us some orders or give us something in writing because recently they told the court that no one is under detention in Kashmir, Hanjura said. He said they had written a letter to divisional commissioner and police top brass about four days ago informing about the meeting and seeking permission, however, they got no response from the authorities. These are double standards of the government. In the high court and Supreme Court they said that nobody is under detention but on ground they are targeting a particular political party, he said. The twitter handle of incarcerated PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, handled by her daughter Iltija Mufti, tweeted a number of videos showing the leaders being stopped from leaving their residences. Shameful that J&K administration along with police physically prevented PDP leaders from leaving their homes in Srinagar. They shamelessly lie to courts that these people are free to move and then have the audacity to detain them illegally at home, Iltija wrote on Twitter. BJP & other parties are allowed to hold meetings. But for some reason, the same freedom isnt given to PDP. GOIs claims of setting all political leaders in J&K free is as fake as their narrative of normalcy, she tweeted. Calls to Kashmir divisional commissioner Pandurang K Pole and inspector general of police Vijay Kumar did not elicit any response. Political parties lash out at govt The government should come clean on whether someone is detained or not. This heralds the new struggle. Struggle to get the government to agree that a person is detained, said Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone said. CPIM leader MY Tarigami condemned the police action to disallow PDP leaders from moving out of their houses for the party meeting. It has once again exposed the hollow claims of the BJP government about normalcy in Kashmir, he said. Not allowing political leaders to attend their party meetings will have debilitating effects on democratic process and amounts to further squeezing of democratic space, he said. Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader Mohammad Dilawar Mir termed the police action as highly condemnable and undemocratic. Rather than imposing autocratic decisions the government should facilitate an early resumption of the political process in J&K which has already received a huge dent since last year, Mir said. JUNEAU, Alaska - A recount of ballots Wednesday affirmed a narrow loss by Republican state Sen. John Coghill in his party primary in Alaska last month. Results of the recount, released by the state Division of Elections, showed Robert Myers Jr. with 1,739 votes and Coghill with 1,725. That is unchanged from the result that previously had been certified. Coghill, a longtime lawmaker from North Pole who has served in the House and Senate, said Wednesday that the division does pretty good. But you just have to review and recount to make sure when its that close, he said. The voters have spoken. So I will congratulate the person who won and wish them the best and be glad that I served Alaska for as long as I did. Myers faces two non-affiliated candidates in the November general election: Evan Eads and Marna Sanford, who serves on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. Cuties director Maimouna Doucoure says she received death threats after Netflix released a tone-deaf poster for her film. Doucoure discussed the polemic in a recent interview with Deadline. I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hypersexualisation of children, she told the website. I also received numerous death threats. Cuties, released in France under the title Mignonnes, will start streaming on Netflix on 9 September. Fathia Youssouf, Medina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, and Ilanah Cami-Goursolas in 'Cuties'. (Courtesy of Netflix) Ahead of that release, Netflix released a poster different from the French one which was widely deemed not to reflect the substance of the movie. Cuties tells the story of Amy, an 11-year-old girl who joins a dancing group. It tackles themes such as the difficulties of growing up, especially in a culture that hypersexualises girls. Netflix ended up removing it and issuing an apology for the inappropriate artwork. Doucoure told Deadline she received a private apology from Ted Sarandos, Netflixs co-CEO, after the incident. We had several discussions back and forth after this happened. Netflix apologised publicly, and also personally to me, she said. Many spoke out in defence of Cuties after the Netflix poster was released, insisting that it did the movie a disservice. Among them was actor Tessa Thompson, who tweeted: #CUTIES is a beautiful film. It gutted me at [the Sundance Festival, where it had its premiere in January]. It introduces a fresh voice at the helm. Shes a French Senegalese Black woman mining her experiences. The film comments on the hyper-sexualisation of preadolescent girls. Disappointed to see the current discourse. A member of the Qatari royal family has accused an art gallery of selling two mosaics worth almost 300,000 which later allegedly turned out to be fakes. His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani is locked in a High Court dispute with Ariadne Galleries over the two sales which date back to December 2013 and July 2014. Legal papers lodged reveal the art firm which has galleries in Mayfair and New York is being sued for alleged breach of contract and misrepresentation over the sales. The claim concerns the sale of mosaics named Cupids At The Grape Harvest and Eros Hunting With A Stag. The writ states: Both mosaics are inauthentic and/or forgeries. They were purchased for $200,000 and $150,000 respectively, equating to a total purchase price of $350,000. The sheikh, a cousin of the Emir of Qatar, is a prodigious art collector and chief executive of the Qatar Investment and Projects Development Holding Company (Qipco). His familys base in London is Dudley House in Park Lane, where they have played host to the Queen and Prince Charles. The sheikh has spoken in the past of lovingly restoring the 200 million home over six years with antiques and artworks, while the Al Thani Collection boasts more than 6,000 works of art which go on show at major museums and galleries around the world. The Queen has allowed Sheikh Hamads company, which he founded with his five brothers in 1999, to be the first commercial sponsor of Royal Ascot in the events history. The legal challenge to Ariadne Galleries is being brought primarily by Qipco, with the sheikh as a second claimant. The legal claim, originally filed last December and amended in April, is for repayment of $350,000 (280,000) from the gallery group, as well as interest and costs. Paperwork has been made public by the High Court, but a full explanation of the claim has not yet been lodged. Ariadne Galleries Inc, which is based in New York, and lawyers for the sheikh have both been contacted for comment. Investigators probing the Kerala gold smuggling case have found strong links with a drug bust in Bengaluru on August 28 and have approached the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for details, a senior officer who is part of the investigating team said Thursday. The key accused in the drug case Anoop Mohammad was in constant touch with K T Ramees, an accused in the gold smuggling case and we suspect both had connections with the international drug cartel. We found Ramees had made several trips to Africa, the official said. He was also the main link between smugglers, drug cartel and subversive elements. He said officials had initially suspected a link between gold smuggling and the drug syndicate and the latest incidents show their suspicion was justified. The National Investigation Agency which is heading the gold smuggling probe will question Mohammad soon. Anoop Mohammad, a native of Kochi, was arrested along with two others when the NCB busted a major drug racket in Bengaluru. In his statement to the NCB, which was later leaked to the media, he mentioned the name of Bineesh Kodiyeri, second son of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, and said he helped him a lot in his business venture. Bineesh Kodiyeri later acknowledged that he knew Anoop Mohammad since 2013 but he had no idea about his drug dealings. I was really shocked after his arrest. I know him very well and funded him setting up a hotel. I never knew about his involvement in drugs, he said. He claimed his name was dragged due to political reasons. There are also reports Mohammad took names of many film personalities in Kochi whom he regularly supplied some ecstasy pills nicknamed Acid and Molly. The NCB said Mohammad was active in drug business since 2015. The opposition Congress and BJP also said the gold smuggling and drug seizure were closely linked. Anoop Mohammad is just a proxy of Bineesh Kodiyeri. Many other names including that of some film artists will surface soon, said BJP president K Surendran. Kodiyeri on his part said he was ready for any investigation. Meanwhile the BJP has raised another allegation against the Left Front government saying an imposter had signed some files when chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan went to the United States for treatment in September 2018. BJP spokesman Sandeep Warrier said it was not a digital signature and asked the CM to reveal who signed important files in his absence. Vijayan yet to react to the latest allegation. At least 20 people have been arrested so far in tehgold smuggling case after the racket was detected on July 5 following the seizure of 30 kg of the yellow metal from a consignment came in the name of an employee of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Dr. Russell Dyer has been selected as a Superintendent to Watch for 2020 as announced in an official announcement released Wednesday by the National School Public Relations Association. Each year, this NSPRA program recognizes up to 25 school district leaders for "demonstrating dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core." NSPRA specifically lauded Dr. Dyers use of communication technology in innovative and effective ways to engage and inform the school community. Officials said, "Under Dr. Dyers leadership, Cleveland City Schools has launched multiple initiatives that have required extensive communication with the Cleveland community. From the Blended Learning and Digital Enhancement (BLADE) Project that provided student technology devices to the rezoning efforts required due to the opening of Candys Creek Cherokee Elementary School, communication has been a cornerstone of all projects during his tenure as Director of Cleveland City Schools. Even with these accomplishments, Dr. Dyer continues to push Cleveland City Schools forward by making communication one of four key areas in Cleveland City Schools recently adopted strategic plan. "Dr. Dyers belief in strong communication has never been more evident than during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Cleveland City Schools has expanded its use of social media to include extensive use of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and has upgraded the district websites as a way to enhance communication with all stakeholders." NSPRA noted this continual effort to promote two-way communication and community outreach across the district as a major reason why Dr. Dyer was selected as a Superintendent to Watch for 2020. NSPRA will highlight Dr. Dyer and his accomplishments in an upcoming issue of NSPRA This Week, and he will be recognized at the September meeting of the Cleveland City Schools Board of Education, and at the NSPRA National Conference being held in July 2021 for this honor. It underlines the often bizarre nature of this year of COVID-19 that my state of Queensland will host the AFL grand final in October while this traditional rugby league state is repeatedly rebuffed by the NRL in its bid to stage the biggest match of the league season. But it was perverse, rather than bizarre, to witness a legion of 400 Aussie Rules officials and their families fly into the Sunshine State this week and ensconce themselves in the AFL hub on the Gold Coast. Perverse because it followed a series of heartbreaking medical emergencies south of the Tweed where patients abandoned their attempts to cross the border to use Queensland hospitals. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's proclamation that Queensland's hospitals were for our people led to a Ballina womans 16-hour delay and long trip to Sydney. Her unborn twin died. The normal two-hour trip north to medical facilities in Queensland could only have helped the situation. AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan with the premiership trophy at the news conference announcing the grand final move to Queensland on Wednesday. Credit:Getty Images Another northern NSW woman had her cancer treatment delayed because of repeated rejections of her bid to use the Royal Brisbane Hospital. Concerns have been raised over plans to move Northern Ireland's transfer test back to January next year. The further postponements were agreed following extensive discussions involving Education Minister Peter Weir, a High Court judge was told yesterday. The development brought an end to legal challenges mounted by the parents of two children due to sit the tests. They claimed an initial decision to delay this year's exams by at least two weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic would further discriminate against disadvantaged families. Justin McCamphill from Northern Ireland's largest teaching union, NASUWT, said there was still doubts on whether the test should proceed at all. "There's a real danger that there could be a second wave but we don't know when. It may be we can't hold the test in January either," he said. "So maybe we should be getting an alternative mechanism in place to manage the transfer of children into post-primary." He added that a number of families were also worried about the disruption to the Christmas holidays. "We're aware that some parents are concerned that this will have a detrimental impact on the Christmas break, which will be more important than ever for the mental health and well-being of parents and young people this year." Following the hearing, the Association for Quality Education (AQE) said its exams would take place on January, 9, 16 and 23, with applications to enter to be received by October 9. Results will be posted on March 6. Each test will be an additional 10 minutes long. AQE said this was to reassure children they had "sufficient time to finish the paper". The Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) confirmed its entrance assessment would take place on Saturday, January, 30. A supplementary entrance assessment will be held on Saturday, February 6. "This new date will provide all pupils with an additional eight weeks' preparation time before they sit their assessment," the PPTC said. "It is planned that entrance assessment results will be posted to parents on Friday, March 5." The mother of one of the children said her family is "delighted with the result we achieved today". "We hope that this will go some way to address the educational disadvantages experienced by some children during lockdown," she added. "We are both frustrated and disappointed that it took to the very last minute for this decision to be made and that we had to take legal action in the first place. "This decision demonstrates that those involved could have taken action on this sooner and showing that all children are at the heart of the decisions made." Ciaran Moynagh, partner of Phoenix Law, said the case was not about the merits of academic selection but giving disadvantaged children more time to prepare. But Children's Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma said the move was not enough to alleviate anxiety, and that exam preparation should not distract from well-being and educational recovery. The Department of Education said its focus was on delivering exams in a "timely fashion" for every pupil. It added that as tests were set by private organisations they did not have control over the timing, "but need to ensure the process of transfer is deliverable". VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 03, 2020 / Ximen Mining Corp. (TSXV:XIM)(FRA:1XMA)(OTCQB:XXMMF) (the "Company" or "Ximen") is pleased to provide the following update on progress at the Kenville Gold Mine project in the Nelson mining camp in southern British Columbia. Work on the 257 portal continues with excavation of the 257 Portal completed and fabrication of new steel sets that will be installed underground prior to placement of the new steel culvert outside of the underground workings. When everything is installed, we will be ready to start breaking rock. Photo of new steel sets being installed in Kenville 257 Portal to replace original timbers. Entrance to Kenville 257 Mine Level Photo of new steel stets with new timber Further progress Photo of new steel stets with new timber Update on New Decline The Company received written notice from the regulators identifying items required for the Environmental Management Act Waste Discharge Application for the Kenville Mine Site Advanced Exploration Project. In addition to information already assembled, requirements include a Technical Assessment Report summarizing environmental aspects, public notification, engagement with selected First Nations groups, agency referrals, a notification and engagement report, and completion of Declarations of Competency and signed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements by qualified professionals. Ximen is initiating these final steps required for the new decline permit. The notification process has started, and the Company is working with its consultants to complete the remaining items within two weeks. Dr. Mathew Ball, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Ximen Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, approved the technical information contained in this News Release. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Christopher R. Anderson" Christopher R. Anderson, President, CEO and Director 604 488-3900 Investor Relations: Sophy Cesar, 604-488-3900, ir@XimenMiningCorp.com About Ximen Mining Corp. Ximen Mining Corp. owns 100% interest in three of its precious metal projects located in southern BC. Ximen's two Gold projects The Amelia Gold Mine and The Brett Epithermal Gold Project. Ximen also owns the Treasure Mountain Silver Project adjacent to the past producing Huldra Silver Mine. Currently, the Treasure Mountain Silver Project is under a option agreement. The option partner is making annual staged cash and stocks payments as well as funding the development of the project. The company has recently acquired control of the Kenville Gold mine near Nelson British Columbia which comes with surface and underground rights, buildings and equipment. Ximen is a publicly listed company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XIM, in the USA under the symbol XXMMF, and in Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Stock Exchanges in Germany under the symbol 1XMA and WKN with the number as A2JBKL. This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval and the exercise of the Option by Ximen. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the possibility that the TSX Venture Exchange may not accept the proposed transaction in a timely manner, if at all. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state in the United States in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. 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: Ximen Mining Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604602/Ximen-Working-on-New-Installation-for-Kenville-257-Portal Were ready: Community conversation outlines what to expect this fall at W&M What to expect: William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe and other members of the university community spoke about the upcoming fall semester during a virtual community conversation Wednesday. Photo by Nathan Warters Photo - of - Hide Caption While there is no doubt that Fall 2020 at William & Mary will be different, the university is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment as in-person undergraduate classes begin Sept. 8. That was the message of W&M President Katherine A. Rowes virtual community conversation Wednesday, where she invited guests to speak about what students should expect as they resume classes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and a national crisis of racial and social unrest. {{youtube:medium:right|ToCv4mUs9q8, Community Conversation}} While Williamsburg and our campus are here to receive you and create spaces where we want you to enjoy it, its going to occur in a different way, Dean of Students Marjorie Thomas said. Different doesnt mean bad. It just means different right now so we can be our most healthy and our most safe. Protecting the safety and health of the university and surrounding communities is a top goal at William & Mary, as students and employees are required to wear masks and maintain proper physical distancing as outlined in the Healthy Together Community Commitment. The university also has a plan to manage and mitigate the impacts of any positive cases. Prevalence testing of students and employees began August 25 and results are posted daily to W&Ms public dashboard. Were actually in a good place at this moment, Rowe said. I say this very cautiously knowing how tenuous that could be but also with some optimism. We have taken a different path than many others and will continue to learn from our peers from around the country. That different path included a phased return to campus, with new students arriving in mid-August and the rest of the student body set to return over the Labor Day weekend. The university is accentuating the outdoor spaces of its scenic campus to encourage students to be outside, although at an appropriate physical distance. Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement & Leadership Drew Stelljes spoke of the many ways the William & Mary campus has been transformed to accommodate students during this time where health and wellness are of utmost importance. From campfires to live performances at night in newly lit areas on campus, the university is creating new experiences to appeal to students. And an assortment of virtual events will be available throughout the fall semester for students on campus and those who will be learning remotely. I want to let everyone know that were ready, Stelljes said. We are ready for students to return to campus, and were ready to support student engagement online away from campus. We have been working really hard the last four or five months to get ready and we are so committed to creating a safe and engaging learning environment for every student, whether you are here on campus or youre learning remotely. Rowe said approximately 25% of the student population will attend all classes remotely this fall, while the rest will attend in-person or blended classes in some capacity. Students and employees on campus are required to abide by all COVID-19 safety protocols set forth by the university. This is new and its evolving, so were still learning, said Assistant Director for Health Promotion T. Davis, who produced the I Can I Will COVID-19 training program to provide people intervention tools when they see potentially unhealthy behaviors. But we do know that wearing a mask and being physically distant and washing your hands can slow the spread, so its going to be imperative that were mindful and we have to be intentional about distancing and keeping our masks on. Current community concerns arent limited to only COVID-19. National protests, outrage and dialogue around issues of racial inequality and police brutality are firmly on the minds of W&M students, faculty and staff as well. Thats why the W&M Student Assembly, led by President Anthony AJ Joseph, released a plan to tackle systemic injustice. It entails a lot of actions that we are going to take with the community and with students to really synthesize and develop ways that are going to make us safe, Joseph said. Joseph and student leadership have been meeting regularly with W&M Police Chief Deb Cheesebro over the summer. Plans include a student advisory group to work with police and discuss ways to rebuild trust within the community, he said. This includes a community reconciliation initiative to create opportunities where police dont have to look like police and students can come and take part and have the ability to humanize one another and say, This is how it feels when you come into my community. Cheesebro said her department is focused on being an integral part of the university community. She said she plans to have a monthly open meeting, starting virtually during the pandemic, where she can discuss concerns and questions with students and employees. The department recently released its 2020-21 action plan and has committed to sharing data and other information with the public. Last week, the William & Mary Police Department addressed the use of unmarked police cars and casual attire for officers by the department during party patrols in campus neighborhoods. "My hope for the softer look (Department police polo shirts instead of full police uniforms) was to reduce anxiety but it did not translate that way for some students and for that I am sorry, Cheesebro said in the post. On Wednesday, Cheesebro reiterated the benefits of regular meetings with the community as opportunities for feedback. I think the most important part of those monthly open meetings will be the fact that I get a chance to listen, she said. And that I can hear, While you came out with the best of intention trying to do something, it wasnt interpreted the way you may have thought. And so, heres some suggestions on how we could do it even better next time. Thomas said that these weekend patrols, which include Student Affairs personnel alongside WMPD officers handing out gift cards and snacks while thanking people for abiding by the universitys Healthy Together standards, have been generally well received. Students were giving us air high-fives and telling us so much how they appreciated it doing shout outs like, Is that the party patrol? just saying thank you because when we do this all together, it can make a difference in how we experience campus this academic year, said Thomas. Cheesebro also highlighted opportunities police officers, especially those working at institutions of higher education, have in effecting change. Its something she considers when hiring. I need police officers who will go out there every single day and try to help, she said. Theyre going to say, What can I do today to help a student? What can I do today to help a faculty member? And theyre not going to be afraid to stand up for whats right, and theyre going to make decisions based on the values of integrity and professionalism and community engagement and fair and impartial policing. And theyre going to know they can stand up and they can say, You matter to us. Black lives matter. They facilitate the voice of the students. Its not just about enforcement. Thats a very small piece of what we do. What we do is support this entire community. We may not always get it right, but thats why its important to partner with the student body and the rest of the community. A felon has admitted that his girlfriend who visited him in prison every weekend for the past five years is 'borderline obsessive,' and he's worried about what their relationship will be like now that he is out of prison. Dylan, 30, from Chicago, Illinois, finally reunites with his girlfriend Heather on Friday night's episode of the We TV reality series Love After Lockup, and while the two can't keep their hands off each other, he is concerned she is a little too committed to him. 'Heather and I, we haven't spent that much time together before I had gotten locked up. Minimal interaction,' he explains in a preview clip from the episode. At last: Dylan, 30, from Chicago, Illinois, finally reunites with his girlfriend Heather on Friday night's episode of the We TV reality series Love After Lockup Reunion: Heather can't keep her hands of Dylan, who spent the past five years behind bars Dylan met Heather at a party at his apartment just a few weeks before he got caught selling 100 pills of ecstasy to an undercover cop and was sentenced to five years in prison. 'I've always been an entrepreneurial individual. When I was 18, I was modeling and in the clubs and I started selling drugs,' he explains in his testimonial. I've been arrested for at least 34 times, and I did five years on this one. 'I've never really added it up like that,' he admits. 'It's crazy.' Dylan's shocking arrest record didn't deter Heather from pursuing a relationship with the man she said made her feel like a 'goddess' when he was behind bars. The two never even had sex before he was locked up, but she faithfully stuck by his side for his entire sentence. She even went out of her way to prove her devotion to him and scared him a bit in the process. Missed connection: Heather and Dylan have never had sex because he was arrested just a few weeks after they had met Trouble: Dylan was arrested for selling ecstasy to an undercover cop and was sentenced to five years in prison. Heather visited him every weekend of his sentence Surprise! Dylan has been arrested at least 34 times since he started selling drugs at age 18 'After a few weeks, she came to come visit me, and she had my name tattooed on her. "I'm always yours Dylan" on her stomach, and then my name in Chinese on the back of her thighs. My name in Arabic on her collarbone,' he recalls. 'That's a commitment. You know, that's a forever thing right there and borderline obsessive. So I'm a little worried what the chemistry is gonna be like and how things are gonna work now that we're face to face 24 hours a day.' In the preview clip, the couple looks like they're about to tear each other's clothes off in the parking lot outside of the prison. 'It feels surreal coming home. I can't even believe that I am outside these gates right now,' he says. 'You know, I thought there'd be some metal gates clanking and it'd be a scary process coming out. Committed? Shortly after his arrest, Heather shocked him when she revealed she had gotten his name tattooed all over her body Stunned: In his testimonial, Dylan admits they had 'minimal interaction' before he went to jail, and he thought the tattoos were 'borderline obsessive' 'You're leaving from [being] around a bunch of killers, but you know what? There's a beautiful sunny day. I got my beautiful girl coming to pick me up, and we got a beautiful life ahead of us.' Heather can't stop kissing him, and at one point, she pushes her backside into him saying: 'Touch my a**.' She tells him she has sex toys in the back of her trunk, and she encourages him to change outside. Heather tries to excite Dylan even further by telling him they can role play later on, with him being a 'naughty prisoner' who doesn't want to go back to jail. 'Got some handcuffs?' he asks. 'Yeah,' she replies. Despite his reservations about their relationship, he is clearly excited to see her when he is released from prison Excited: The couple looks like they are ready to have sex in the parking lot Change of heart? 'I don't know if I could have made it through this without her,' he tells the camera during their happy reunion Heather goes wild when he takes off his shirt, and she starts spraying his body with the cologne she bought him. She can't resist licking his chest before he finishes changing. 'We've had in-person visits but, I mean, we sit across from each other. That's the first time I've ever touched her a**,' he notes. 'I've just seen it in pictures before.' In his testimonial, he is admittedly wary of their relationship, but he never gives his girlfriend any reason for alarm during their reunion. 'Heather's been amazing. One of the things that guys struggle with the most going through this experience is that they have a lot of instability on the outside,' he explains. 'Heather's been there for me. She's been reliable. She's come to see me every week since I've been here, when I was seven hours away. I don't know if I could have made it through this without her.' Mumbai, Sep 3 : In an unprecedented gesture, eight retired IPS officers have rallied together on behalf of the Mumbai Police to save its reputation being maligned in the ongoing high-profile probe into late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case and the subsequent "media trial". The eight former officers -- who held top positions in the Maharashtra Police -- have filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court seeking directions to halt the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against the Mumbai Police in the matter. The petitioners are: M.N. Singh, P.S. Pasricha, D.N. Jadhav, D. Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, K. Subramaniam, S.C. Mathur and K.P. Raghuvanshi -- all Directors-General level at the time of their retirement and enjoying an envious reputation. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh lauded the move by the retired IPS officers on Thursday. "Maharashtra and Mumbai Police have a reputation. They are compared to the Scotland Yard... The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in the (Sushant) case, I welcome the PIL," Deshmukh told mediapersons. Filed through a prominent law firm, Crawford, Bayley & Company's Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, the PIL has named the Union and State Governments, Press Council of India and News Broadcasters Association, and is expected to come up for hearing shortly. Among other things, the petitioners have sought guidelines or instructions for the media houses, whether print, electronic, radio, Internet or television or any other form, to refrain from publishing and circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments, social media posts, news stories, etc, that could jeopardise the police's reputation and may cause the people to lose faith in the system and the police administration, or hinder the cause of administration of justice. They have also urged for instructions on "ethical reporting" and responsible journalism, constant monitoring by the relevant authorities, and action in case any media house violates the same. The PIL referred to some TV channels attempting to influence the course of investigations carried out by the Central agencies through their biased reporting and false propaganda, which has created "an air of suspicion" in the minds of the people both on the facts of the (Sushant) case and also about the Mumbai Police, the health services and other support services in the state. They pointed out that Mumbai Police is one of the oldest forces in India which has always enjoyed "a very high reputation for professional competence and public service" and any malicious or irresponsible attempts to run it down are not in the public interest. While the PIL fully supported the role of freedom of press, speech and expression as an important ingredient of democracy and rule of law, they expressed grave concern over the trend in media reporting, especially TV channels and felt it needed to be checked through suitable court directives or comprehensive guidelines. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text While fans won't get to enjoy the show in person, Farm Aid 2020 will happen with a 'virtual at-home' event, with the line-up announced on Wednesday. Willie Nelson and The Boys will headline the festival, which will also include Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Black Pumas, Bonnie Raitt and Boz Skaggs, Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton. The festival will be streaming online at FarmAid.org on Saturday, September 26 from 8 PM ET to 11 PM ET. Lineup: While fans won't get to enjoy the show in person, Farm Aid 2020 will happen with a 'virtual at-home' event, with the line-up announced on Wednesday 'This virtual at-home festival experience is going to be incredible and will allow more viewers than ever before to take part in our annual festival!' read the caption from the FarmAid Instagram. 'For Farm Aid 2020, and our 35th anniversary, we'll showcase the diversity and strength of family farmers with stories from across the country,' the statement added. The 'star-studded lineup' will also include Edie Brickell with Charlie Sexton, Jack Johnson, Jamey Johnson and Jon Batiste. Willie headlines: Willie Nelson and The Boys will headline the festival, which will also include Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Black Pumas, Bonnie Raitt and Boz Skaggs, Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton Streaming: The festival will be streaming online at FarmAid.org on Saturday, September 26 from 8 PM ET to 11 PM ET The lineup also includes Kelsey Waldon, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff and Particle Kid. The final acts announced on Wednesday include The Record Company, Valerie June and The War and Treaty, with the Instagram teasing, 'more to be announced soon.' The FarmAid website also revealed that fans who donate $75 or more to the organization will receive the official 2020 FarmAid logo t-shirt. Donate: The FarmAid website also revealed that fans who donate $75 or more to the organization will receive the official 2020 FarmAid logo t-shirt 'This pandemic and so many other challenges have revealed how essential family farmers and ranchers are to the future of our planet,' said Willie Nelson in a statement. 'Farm Aid 2020 is going to give the whole country a chance to learn about the important work of farmers and how theyre contributing to our well-being, beyond bringing us good food,' he added. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Farm Aid, which was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp. Co-founder: This year marks the 35th anniversary of Farm Aid, which was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young (above)and John Mellencamp Farm Aid was created for one sole mission: keeping family farmers on the land. The all-day festival that brings together incredible music, good food and hands-on activities to get folks in touch with the roots of our food. Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised $60 million to help family farmers thrive all over the country while inspiring millions of people to take part in the Good Food Movement. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque questioned a local court's decision to reduce United States Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pembertons prison time through good conduct time allowance (GCTA) credits even if the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) did not recommend it. Roque, who had been the private legal counsel of victim Jennifer Laudes family, told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that the move by the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court raises legal questions. Our laws provide that the allowance for good conduct must be recommended by the BuCor and even jail warden, he said. The BuCor did not recommend any allowance for good conduct, so why did [the court] consider it when the rules are very clear? The GCTA law slashes jail time for convicted prisoners if they exhibit good behavior while in detention. Roque further questioned the applicability of the GCTA, considering that Pemberton was detained at Camp Aguinaldo pursuant to provisions of the Visiting Forces Agreement, and guarded by U.S. guards. Why should they be entitled to a privilege bestowed on anyone by the state, when the state really has limited role in seeing to it that you have reformed your ways while in detention? he said. He also denied the claim of Pembertons lawyer Atty. Rowena Flores that he was present in a 2017 meeting at the House of Representatives, wherein Laudes mother, Julita Cabillan, had agreed to release Pemberton on parole. If we agreed, why is it that Pemberton is only being released now three years after allegedly we agreed? Roque said, calling Floress claim a blatant lie." He added that he considers filing a disciplinary action against the lawyer. In 2015, the Court of Appeals initially sentenced Pemberton to up to 12 years of imprisonment for killing Laude in October 2014, upon learning that she is a transgender. Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with Pemberton her neck blackened with strangulation marks, her head rammed into a toilet. The U.S. Marine's sentence was later reduced to a maximum of 10 years. According to the Olongapo court, Pemberton is now entitled to be released as he already served over five years and ten months in prison, while his GCTA credits amount to over four years and two months, yielding an accumulated jail time of 10 years. Several lawmakers and human rights groups have denounced the decision, with a number of groups also pointing out that the GCTA remains suspended, raising questions why it has been applied in the first place. The temporary suspension has been ordered by the Justice Department in August 2019, after the controversial possible release of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez hounded the law. Bexar County leaders said theyll reconsider a proposal to eliminate 38 of 69 deputy constable positions countywide, after listening to pleas from the constables in a budget work session Thursday. All four constables aired concerns about cuts in services such as handling of warrants and civil process documents, and security in justice of the peace courts, that they said could be needed because the pandemic and its economic downturn is not over. Let them surprise you by the work they will do for Bexar County, Precinct 1 Constable Ruben Tejeda said. Please be compassionate. Were asking, dont take these jobs away. He and the other elected constables questioned the county staffs projections of a 15 percent decrease in overall workload in the constables offices, as well as a projected savings of $2.7 million from the proposed cuts. As part of a proposed $1.78 billion budget for fiscal 2021, the county is considering eliminating 12 deputy constable positions in Precinct 1; 11 in Precinct 2; six in Precinct 3; and nine in Precinct 4. Another work session is set for Sept. 10 before a final budget is considered for adoption by county commissioners Sept. 15. Tejeda said the deputies are being punished due to the pandemic, even though they assist the Texas attorney generals office in serving civil processes and generate revenue for the county. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County commissioners get first look at draft 2021 budget Precinct 2 Constable Leticia Vazquez urged commissioners not to rush into a decision. She offered to meet with the county auditors office to iron out differences in the way figures regarding workload and revenues are interpreted and calculated. Although the county has proposed fast-tracking those deputies into filling some of the more than 200 detention vacancies at the Bexar County Jail, the constables balked at the idea. Not just anybody from my office, unless theyre young and fit, will be able to make it through the detention academy run by the Sheriffs Office, Vazquez said. If I knew that any of my officers were going to leave the constables office and was promised a job for sure, it wouldnt be so hard for us to let go of of these people. But I want everybody to take into consideration that these peoples lives will be turned upside down, she said. Our community will suffer in every precinct, because theyre not going to get the service, she added. Bexar County Judge Nelson directed County Manager David Smith and his budget staff to keep working with each constables office and try to reconcile the numbers theyre giving you and what theyre saying. Commissioner Tommy Calvert was strongly opposed to cutting the constable positions. He said hes troubled by signs of an impending wave of need for their services, and about evictions in the fall creating a huge backlog of problems for residents and small businesses. Commissioners should hold off until the need to reduce deputy constables emerges as something we really have to do, Calvert said. On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County constable begins house-cleaning on day one Their presence in the community makes a difference in terms of reducing crime and making folks feel that theres some control in their areas, he said. Commissioner Justin Rodriguez suggested the county consider a gradual reduction in the constable workforce over two or three years. But Commissioner Kevin Wolff said the county had been down this road before, approving a downsizing before political pressure was enough to get this body to rescind that. He said the county needs to establish a uniform funding template for all four constables offices, and eventually work through an overlap in authority delegated to the Sheriffs Office, constables and licensed law enforcement officers in the District Attorneys Office, all of which are statutorily able to enforce state law anywhere they want to. Having that amount of redundancy is inefficient, Commissioner Wolff said. Sheriff Javier Salazar did not speak at the work session, but has said he also has concerns about elimination of nine vacant courtroom security positions and part-time, temporary security, projected to save a total of nearly $1.2 million. The county staff is proposing commissioners adopt the existing property tax rate of 30.1 cents per $100 valuation to support the budget. But theyve cautioned that they wont know until mid-spring how well tax collections are going. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA Chinas largest state-held oil firms have recently announced plans to reduce emissions, with the biggest oil and gas producer PetroChina even pledging net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the first such goal announced by an Asian national oil company. Chinese companies have started to announce some green initiatives, but analysts say that these will not be either the scale and shift to broader energy companies the way some of Europes majors such as BP and Eni have pledged. PetroChina, alongside the worlds top oil refiner Sinopec and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), have announced in recent weeks various plans to become more involved in cleaner energy initiatives, representatives from the companies have told Reuters. PetroChina unveiled the most ambitious plan, targeting net-zero emissions by 2050. The biggest oil and gas producer in China and in Asia also aims to increase fivefold its investment in power generation, wind, solar, geothermal, and hydrogen projects to up to US$1.5 billion per year by 2025, according to Reuters. Sinopec is looking to become a major player in the hydrogen industry and build hydrogen highway corridors along Chinas coast. According to Chinese media, as many as 12 state firms, including Sinopec and PetroChinas parent China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), are drafting hydrogen plans believing the cleaner fuel will become a vital sector in the long run. CNOOC, for its part, is taking its offshore oil and gas experience to offshore wind with several projects off Chinas coasts. Commenting on PetroChinas net-zero emissions plan, Max Petrov, Principal Analyst, Corporate Research at Wood Mackenzie, said: Some will label this greenwashing. I just dont see PetroChina ready to embark on the kind of transformation that the likes of BP and Eni have announced. The companys mandate remains firmly in oil and gas; E&P will continue to dominate the portfolio. Is PetroChina ready to transform its existing profitable businesses? Highly unlikely. But a lot can change in 30 years. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Robert Pattinson has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, forcing filming on The Batman to be halted. Sources told Vanity Fair that the actor, 34, has contracted the deadly virus just days after production resumed on the big-budget film. It comes after MailOnline revealed that filming of the new Batman film has been paused after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19. Shock: Robert Pattinson, 34, has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, forcing filming on The Batman to be halted (pictured in November 2019) In a statement Warner Bros. told the publication: 'A member of The Batman production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused.' Further sources then claimed that the person in question was Robert, meaning he will have to quarantine for two weeks before work on the film can continue. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Robert Pattinson and Warner Bros. for further comment. Worrying: Sources claimed that the actor has contracted the deadly virus just days after production resumed on the big-budget film (pictured in character as Bruce Wayne) It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that production on The Batman had been thrown into chaos after a member of the team tested positive for coronavirus. Sources on the 100 million blockbuster set said the cast and crew had been sent home after one of the team was struck by the virus. An insider at the studio in Leavesden said: 'We have been sent a memo telling us that a member of the crew has had a positive Covid-19 test. 'Everyone was talking on the set about it. We do not know who has tested positive, but it has caused chaos to the schedule.' Delay: It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that production on The Batman had been thrown into chaos after a member of the team tested positive for coronavirus Filming of The Batman had only resumed three days ago after being shut down in early March due to the pandemic. Production crews had gathered at the studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, in August to work on sets after most had been placed on furlough. The shutdown will cost Warner Bros hundreds of thousands of pounds and possibly even delay the release of the movie which is said to be a grittier take on the DC comic book hero. Halted: Sources on the 100 million blockbuster set said the cast and crew had been sent home after one of the team was struck by the virus. When production was halted in March, Robert had to stay in the UK along with other cast members. Others who live in Los Angeles have returned but had to stay in quarantine for two weeks before turning up on the set in accordance with Government guidance. Director Matt Reeves still has three months of filming to complete with the eagerly anticipated film due to be released to theatres in October 2021. Filming at Leavesden, where the Harry Potter movies were made, is taking place under the working title of 'Vengeance'. Back in business: Production crews had gathered at the studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, in August (pictured) to work on sets after most had been placed on furlough An insider said: 'Everyone was talking on the set about it. We do not know who has tested positive, but it has caused chaos to the schedule' (Robert pictured in October 2019) The crew member said: 'Everyone was looking forward to getting back to work and its come as a blow that production has stopped just three days after we began filming. 'We have all been told to stand down until further notice and we are not expecting to be back filming for at least two weeks.' The source said many of the crew found it ironic that the Batman movie had been stopped by coronavirus as the killer virus is thought to have originated from bats. 'There is a irony to all this in that you would think Batman would be immune seeing as it all started from bats,' said the insider. Robert, best known for his roles in the Twilight saga movies, took on the role of the caped crusader last year after Ben Affleck, who had been developing the ninth film featuring Batman, dropped out. Production: Filming of the new movie called 'The Batman' had only resumed three days ago after being shut down in early March due to the pandemic Irish star Colin Farrell plays The Penguin and his prosthetic make-up was so realistic that other castmates didn't recognise the actor when he turned up on set. Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner Gordon said on The Jess Cagle Show: 'Ive worked with that makeup artist before and its just incredible. 'Colin walked on to set one day and I walked right passed him [laughs] I was like, "OK, hey dude whats happening, wheres Colin? Are we going to shoot?" It was, its pretty remarkable.' The transformation was revealed in a teaser trailer released last week by director Reeves at a fan event in the US. The new film sees Batman pitted against his usual enemies with Paul Dano playing The Riddler. Zoe Kravitz stars as Catwoman and John Turturro portrays crime boss Carmine Falcone. A spokesman for Warner Bros studios was contacted for comment at the time. Vietnamese embassies and representative agencies around the world have held activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2). The Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela laid flowers at President Ho Chi Minhs statue in Simon Bolivar Boulevard and the Monument and tomb of national hero Simon Bolivar in Caracas on September 1 on the occasion of Vietnam's 75th National Day (September 2). Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Le Viet Duyen said that the date of September 2, 1945 opened up a new era for Vietnam, an era of national independence and socialism. From an unknown nation, Vietnam has become an active, positive and responsible member of the international community, with diplomatic relations with 189 countries, and a rising position in the world. The diplomat said that Vietnam and Venezuela have shared a close traditional friendship. The Government and people of Vietnam always treasure the ties with Venezuela and are willing to support the Government and people of Venezuela in their struggle to protect national independence, sovereignty as well as in national development, said Duyen. During an online interview granted to Buena Vibra programme of the National Television of Venezuela, Duyen introduced the history of Vietnam and major milestones of the country, as well as achievements that Vietnam has gained over the past 35 years of implementing the Doi Moi (renewal) policy. He also highlighted the outcomes of the Vietnam-Venezuela partnership over the past 30 years. On the occasion, local newspapers Correo del Orinoco and Aporrea ran Duyens article, which reviews the 75-year development path of Vietnam and the countrys future orientations. Also on September 1, addressing a celebration held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile, Chilean Foreign Minister Andres Allamand lauded the long-lasting friendship between Vietnam and Chile. He held that the two countries share common interests in trade facilitation, sustainable growth and cooperate in different issues, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Allamand said the two countries have shown a model of coordination at multilateral forums such as APEC and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). Both nations are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP), so that they can promote two-way trade for the direct interests of both countries, he said. On the occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Pham Thi Kim Hoa wrote an article on Vietnams 75-year development from a divided nation to a united country, and from a war-torn state to a nation with new face and position in the world arena. The ambassador underlined that with the giant steps in the 75-year path, Vietnam is becoming closer to the goal of prosperous people, strong country, democracy, equality and civilisation. Despite adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has maintained its stability with GDP in the first half of 2020 reaching nearly 2 percent and trade surplus of nearly 11 billion USD. So far, Vietnam has managed to control the pandemic effectively, she noted, adding that the Vietnamese Government is focusing on performing the role of driving development and reform, sustainable economic restructuring, self-reliance and transformation into digital economy, considering the satisfaction of businesses and people as the criteria for assessment of its efficiency. According to the ambassador, Vietnam has showing strong performance as ASEAN Chair 2020, President of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with many activities and important initiatives. So far, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 189 out of 193 member states of the UN, while sharing stable and long-term partnerships with 30 strategic and comprehensive partners, creating a firm foundation for the country to work with partners to lift up cooperation for benefit of each country and for the sake of peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world./. National Day marked in Thailand, Myanmar Overseas Vietnamese in Thailands Udon Thani province on September 2 hold a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (Photo: VNA) Overseas Vietnamese in Thailands Udon Thani province on September 2 held a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and an incense offering ceremony to commemorate late President Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh relic site in Nong On hamlet in Chiang Phin commune. Addressing the event, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani Luong Xuan Hoa recalled Vietnams important milestones and achievements since President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. President Ho Chi Minh came to Nong On hamlet to build a revolutionary movement in the Vietnamese community here 92 years ago, he said, affirming that generations of Vietnamese expatriates in the province always remember the teachings of the late President, and have made contributions to the Vietnam-Thailand relations. The community will always unite and help each other, as well as preserve cultural identity of the country, thus contributing to Thailands development and further strengthening the bilateral cooperation and friendship. On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in Myamar also hosted a virtual ceremony to mark Vietnam's National Day. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Ly Quoc Tuan briefed participants on Vietnams achievements across fields during its Doi moi (renewal) process. He also emphasised Vietnams increasing important role and position in the international arena, as well as the countrys contributions to maintaining peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, especially as Vietnam is undertaking the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020 and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Soe Han congratulated Vietnam on its outstanding socio-economic achievements, saying that the country is a model for other developing countries to learn from. He highlighted the long-lasting relations between the two countries, affirming that Vietnam has always been a trusted friend of Myanmar. U Tint Swai, Chairman of the Myanmar-Vietnam Friendship Association highly appreciated the friendly and traditional close relationship between the two countries, and affirmed that he would do his best to promote people-to-people exchange activities in the time to come. Activities mark Vietnam's National Day in Europe Vietnamese embassies and representative agencies around the world have held activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2). In Switzerland, the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva held a ceremony to mark the special day. Addressing the event, Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the mission, reviewed the progress of Vietnam over the past 75 years to the goal of prosperious people, strong nation, democracy, equality and civilisation. She noted that Vietnam has been maintaining high economic growth, improving peoples living conditions, ensuring socio-political stability and defence-security, and completing legal institutions, while expanding external relations and making contributions to regional peace and cooperation. Mai said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on August 27 lauded Vietnams contributions since the country joined the UN in 1977, while clarifying that Vietnam has taken the lead in completing the UN development goals and showed active engagement in protecting peace and security. She said that the mission has worked to realise Vietnams foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, active and positive international integration and being friend and trust-worthy partner and responsible member of the international community. The mission has also implemented the policy of promoting cooperation with countries on the foundation of respecting each others independence, sovereignty as well as equality, mutual interest, and the settlement of differences through peaceful measures in line with international law, Mai stated. In the Czech Republic, the Vietnamese Embassy in Prague held a ceremony to mark the 75th National Day, which drew the participation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republics Parliament Vojtech Filip, Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Tlapa, and other officials of the host country, as well as the ambassadors of ASEAN countries in the Czech Republic and the Vietnamese community in the country. Addressing the event, Deputy Ambassador Tran Thanh Huong said that Vietnam has risen from a war-torn country to a middle-income nation, with GDP growth staying at 6-7 percent and the growth rate in 2019 was eight times higher than that in 1986. Vietnam is now one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. In 2020, despite a wide range of difficulties resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has worked to complete the double target of preventing the spread of the pandemic and maintan economic growth. The countrys GDP growth is projected at 3-4 percent in 2020 and the economy is forecast to recover in 2021. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect from August 1, 2020, is expected to help promote economic ties between Vietnam and the EU and the Czech Republic in particular, she said. The 100-million-strong market of Vietnam is a favourable destination for Czech firms, the diplomat added. She also highlighted the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, stressing that Vietnam highly valued the Czech Republic's support to its national construction and defence. The bilateral relationship have become deeper with regular visits by leaders of both sides, she said, adding that Vietnam expects the visit by Prime Minister Andrej Babis this year on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. For his part, PM Andrej Babis showed his pleasure at the development of the bilateral partnership in various fields such as defence, security, trade, culture, as well as cooperation in opening a direct air route between Prague and Hanoi, which will make his visit to Vietnam easier. He highly valued coordination between the Czech Republic and Vietnam when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, while lauding the Vietnamese sides efforts to repatriate its citizens. The PM also hailed the endeavours of the Vietnamese community in the European country in fighting the pandemic through providing financial support to hospitals and medical staff. He held that the EVFTA will help strengthen trade between the Czech Republic and Vietnam. Speaking to Vietnamese correspondents in the Czech Republic, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republics Parliament Vojtech Filip said that the Czech Republic-Vietnam long-lasting strategic partnership has expanded despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. He held that not only the leaders of both sides but the two business communities have paid attention to the development of bilateral ties, which enables both countries to overcome consequences caused by the pandemic. Participants at the event had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese dishes and photos on Vietnam and the Vietnam-Czech relations. Also on September 1, the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium-Luxembourg and the Vietnamese mission to the EU held a get-together to mark Vietnam's National Day. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Vu Anh Minh said that the National Day of Vietnam is celebrated in an unprecedented circumstance when the COVID-19 pandemic is causing great losses in health, human lives and socio-economy as well as international relations. In this context, Vietnam is well performing the role as ASEAN Chair, President of the 41st General Assembly of AIPA and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said, adding that the country has put forth important initiatives. On the occasion, the website of the Vietnamese Trade Office in Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU made it debut at http://vn-eu-tradehub.com, aiming to better support businesses of both sides. The same day, representatives of the Vietnamese community in the UK gathered in London for National Day celebrations. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An reviewed socio-economic achievements of Vietnam over the years as well as the countrys contributions to peace and cooperation in the region and the world. An lauded the progress of the Vietnam-UK ties, expressing belief that the partnership will continue to thrive in the future./ Vietnam's National Day celebrated in Egypt, South Africa The Vietnamese Embassy in Cairo held an event on September 1 to introduce the culture and image of Vietnamese people to local friends on the occasion of the 75th National Day of Vietnam. During the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Tran Thanh Cong also met the local media to introduce the Vietnamese culture and cuisine, as well as socio-economic achievements of the country and important milestones in Vietnam-Egypt relations. He underlined that the 75th National Day of Vietnam coincides with the 57th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Egypt diplomatic relations, while recalling the historical visit to Vietnam by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in 2017, during which more than 20 cooperation deals were signed, including those in economy, education and collaboration among localities. Recently, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held phone talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to discuss cooperation measures amidst the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and seek new development orientations for the bilateral partnership, the ambassador said. The diplomat held that in the future, the two sides will enjoy more fruitful cooperation thanks to the implementation of commitments they made in 2017 and 2018. Also on September 1, at a ceremony held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Pretoria, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi said that the date of September 2, 1945 opened a new chapter for Vietnam with numerous achievements during the cause of national defence and construction. He affirmed the increasing role and position of Vietnam in the world arena as well as the countrys positive and effective contributions to the maintenance of peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, especially in 2020 when Vietnam takes over its roles as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Chair of ASEAN and President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). He held that since the beginning of 2020, the world has faced great challenges, especially those brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the determination of the whole people and the political system, Vietnam has implemented the double goals of preventing the spread of the pandemic and boosting economic growth. The GDP growth in the first six months of this year reached 1.81 percent, which is likely to reach 2.8 percent for the whole year. Foreign direct investment in the first seven months reached 3.15 billion USD, up 79.8 percent year on year, while trade surplus was 7.5 billion USD. Loi also expressed pleasure at the development of Vietnam-South Africa relations over the years. Despite the complicated developments of the pandemic, the two countries maintained their exchange through flexible forms, he said. On September 1, South Africas Diplomatic Society online newspaper ran a story by its Editor-in-Chief Kirtan Bhana, highlighting major milestones during Vietnams national construction and defence over the past 75 years. According to the author, since September 2, 1945 when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, the Southeast Asian nation has risen to become one of the most dynamic newly-emerged economies in the world. The Doi Moi (renewal) policy with the wide and in-depth vision of the Communist Party of Vietnam have shown efficiency over the past 35 years, noted the author, adding that the countrys economy has maintain reasonable and stable growth with stable macro-economy, benefiting the region. Vietnamese products have been sold in more than 200 countries and territories, while the nation has integrating deeper and more comprehensive into the regional and world economies, he wrote. Laos holds meeting to celebrate Vietnams 75th National Day A meeting was held in Vientiane, Laos, on September 2 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day. The event was jointly held by the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, the Government and National Assembly of Laos, the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee, the Party Organisation and administration of Vientiane in collaboration with the Central Committee of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association. It saw the attendance of Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou; Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung; leaders and former leaders of the Party, NA, LFNC, ministries, sectors, organisations of Laos; and Vietnamese expats in Vientiane. Addressing the meeting, Lao NA Chairwoman Pany Yathotou recalled the glorious history of national construction and defence of the Vietnamese people over the past 75 years. She noted that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese people have overcome difficulties and challenges to gain great achievements in national construction and defence, especially in the 35 years of the Doi moi (Renewal) cause. Vietnams successes have been a source of encouragement for nations that are struggling for national independence, democracy and social progress, she said. The top legislator underlined the solidarity between the Vietnamese and Lao people in the struggle for independence of Laos and the combat alliance of the two nations in decades, which laid the foundation for the Laos-Vietnam great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation initiated by President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Ho Chi Minh. This has become an invaluable asset of the two nations, a rule of survival and development of both countries, and one of the decisive factors of the success of the revolution in each country, she said. The Lao people are always aware that their successes and achievements are closely linked with the great assistance, and timely and effectively support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, the Chairwoman said. The victory of Vietnams August Revolution in 1945 created a favourable chance for the Lao people to rise up and gain independence on October 12, 1945, while the success of the Spring Uprising of Vietnam in 1975 resulted in a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity for the Lao people to regain the whole administration and establish the Peoples Republic Democratic of Laos on December 2, 1975, she stressed. The Chairwoman expressed great gratitude and sincere thanks to the Party, State and people of Vietnam for their whole-hearted, timely and efficient support to Laos during the past struggle for national liberation and the current cause of national construction, defence and development of Laos. The Party, Government and people of Laos once again affirm that we will do our best and continue to work with the fraternal Party, Government and people of Vietnam to maintain and develop the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation, which are rare in international relations, keeping them evergreen, and pass on to younger generations, thus being deserve to the great sacrifice of leaders, soldiers and people of both countries for todays life. For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and give top priority to special ties with Laos throughout the history and in the future. At present and in the future, although the world and the Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asian regions have faced unprecedented, complicated an unexpected challenges, and both countries have seen changes, Vietnam and Laos will surely stand side by side, share difficulties and successes, together reinforce their special ties and comprehensive cooperation, and make them more fruitful and lasting forever, he stressed. Activities held in Laos & Brunei to mark National Day More than 130 photos on the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and close, comprehensive cooperation between the Vietnamese and Lao Parties, States, and people are on display at the Lao National Cultural Hall in Vientiane. Jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the exhibition marks the 75th anniversary of Vietnams National Day (September 2). Speaking at the opening ceremony on September 1, Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Buangean Saphouvong said the exhibition gives insight into milestones in bilateral ties as well as the achievements posted by the two countries over recent decades, which contributed to enhancing and tightening their relationship. The exhibition will last until September 3. Meanwhile, Vietnams National Day was also observed by the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei on August 30, with various cultural, arts, and sporting activities held that drew the participation of representatives from several Brunei ministries and foreign embassies in the country. Vietnam and Brunei set up a comprehensive partnership in 2019, and are working to raise bilateral trade to 500 million USD in 2022. Vietnams National Day observed in Mexico The Embassy of Vietnam in Mexico has organised an event marking the 75th National Day (September 2), with the participation of the Vietnamese community in the country. Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Hoai Duong underlined the major achievements of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in national construction and defence, especially the remarkable successes seen in the more than three decades of doi moi (renovation). He also affirmed Vietnams increasing position in the international arena, contributing to maintaining peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. Vietnam is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the Chair of ASEAN and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). 2020 also marks the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Mexico diplomatic relations (May 19, 1975 - 2020). The two countries friendship and cooperation have been further strengthened through political consultations, the joint committee on economic, trade and investment cooperation, and cooperation agreements on culture, education, and science and technology, he added. Claudia Franco Hijuelos, Director General for Asia-Pacific at the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the friendship with Vietnam - a young and dynamic Southeast Asian nation. The two countries have remained side-by-side in handling global challenges and supported each other at multilateral forums since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, she added. Vietnam is currently Mexicos 14th-largest trade partner globally and the eighth-largest in the Asia-Pacific, with trade value hitting 6 billion USD last year. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is expected to further bolster bilateral economic, trade, and investment relations, she noted. She also voiced her hope that the Mexico-Vietnam friendship and cooperation will be enhanced in the time to come for the sake of the people of both countries. Videos featuring Vietnams achievements in economics and trade along with its landscapes, people, and cuisine were also screened for Mexican and international friends. VNA Teaching unions raise fears that schools in Italy will be understaffed. Italian schools face being understaffed when the academic year begins across Italy on 14 September, trade unions representing teachers have claimed. Many teachers and teaching assistants in Italy have already filed medical certificates amid covid-19 concerns, with issues set to "explode" by 14 September, unions told Italian news agency ANSA. Teaching unions cite a climate of "fear" due to the "uncertainty of communications" from the government, particularly in relation to so-called "fragile workers" - who suffer from chronic illness or medical conditions - reports ANSA. These concerns are heightened by the fact that the average age of Italy's teachers is among the highest in Europe, with 40-45 per cent aged over 55, including 171,000 teachers aged over 62. Admitting that "it will be a tough year," education minister Lucia Azzolina stated recently that Italy has "a great historic responsibility," assuring teachers that the country "will have the resources from Europe with which to build the school of tomorrow." Italy's schools reopened on 1 September for catch-up lessons after a nationwide closure of six months due to the covid-19 pandemic. Students will not be required to wear masks at their desks, so long as they maintain interpersonal distance of one metre, however masks are obligatory for all children over the age of six when they move around the school building, except for gym class, eating in canteens and answering a teacher. School buses and public transport carrying students must operate at a maximum of 80 per cent capacity, with additional seats and a reduction of standing places. Although the official school opening date is 14 September, several Italian regions will reopen their schools on different dates: in the northern Alto Adige region schools are set to open on 7 September, in Sardinia they reopen on 22 September, and in the southern region of Puglia the reopening date is 24 September. The President, National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), Nma Okoroji, has said coconuts can help generate over $400 billion for the Nigerian economy annually. Mrs Okoroji disclosed this while delivering her opening remarks at the 2020 World Coconut Day celebration held in Abuja on Wednesday. The World Coconut Day was established in 2009. It is observed on September 2 of every year to commemorate the formation day of Asia and Pacific Coconut Community which functions under the aegis of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). According to her, coconut is a very important cash crop that can make Nigeria generate 400 billion USD annually. Our economy of production has proven that the coconut sub-sector can contribute over 400 billion USD to Nigerian economy annually, she said. How much is the cost of crude as compared to that of coconut? It is times three higher and the demand for coconut products is increasing every day. Between 265 tons of coconut are produced in Nigeria presently and 70 per cent of it is produced by Lagos State and 30 per cent is produced by the other states in Nigeria. But, as the national president, the association cannot promote what we dont have. We dont have enough coconuts in Nigeria presently; 80 per cent of the coconuts that are used in this country is imported and the cost of importation is getting higher and higher every day, she said. She urged Nigerians to invest in coconut production. Investing into coconut production will really help the country economy, she said. For instance, one hectare of coconut plantation takes 200 trees and these trees with this present variety we are promoting in NACOPPMAN you are getting nothing less than 100 nuts from each tree after three years. If you are to sell it at the cost of N100 each, you will be getting two million (naira) annually. Theres no better business than that, and it can thrive on its own and keep producing till the next 80 years. Members of the National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN) with the Secretary General of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Dogodaji Nuhu. So that is why we are advocating for over 10,000 hectares in this first phase to be planted in 32 coconut viable states in the country and when this is done, we can now have what is called coconut sufficiency in Nigeria, she said. World coconut day The world coconut day is observed to highlight the importance and uses of coconuts, she added. It is an occasion to interpret policies and express the plan of action in the sector with an intention to create awareness about the importance of the coconut across the world, she said. Planting of coconut by the Secretary General of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Dogodaji Nuhu and National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN) in commemoration of the World Coconut day. Also speaking at the event, the assistant director of the commodities and export department of the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Dipo Adegoke said, we need to grow the agricultural sector and get millions of Nigerians employed. The role of the industry is to ensure the development of the value chain of most of these agric commodities including coconut, he said. The potential of the coconut sub-sector in creating jobs and income for the average coconut farmers is very high. Breaking of a Coconut by one of the members of the National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN) to celebrate the World coconut day. Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Federation of Agricultural Association Commodity of Nigeria (FACAN), Dogodaji Nuhu, said the world coconut day should be celebrated despite the economic effect of COVID-19 on the association. New Delhi: In the latest development in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's case, prime suspect Rhea Chakraborty's father Indrajit Chakraborty has been called for interrogation for the third day in a row after the officials found inconsistencies in the statements of the family. The Chakrabortys - Rhea, her brother Showik and parents Indrajit and Sandhya - have been grilled by the CBI multiple times, but as per the officials, their statements do not match with each other. Hence, Indrajit Chakraborty has been called for a fresh round of questioning today. Meanwhile, Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani and his househelps Neeraj and Dipesh Sawant will also be grilled today. The trio has been interrogated by the CBI almost everyday since the top probe agency took over the case from Mumbai Police in August. On the other hand, Rhea's ex-manager Shruti Modi has also received a summon from the CBI. Shruti has informed the agency about Rhea's endorsements, payments and her earnings. She has told the officials that the actress used to spend most of her income on herself. Rhea's brother Showik, whose alleged drug link was exposed on Wednesday, has been called at the DRDO guest house, where the CBI officials are stationed. He is, however, yet to receive a summon from the ED in the drug conspiracy link. Rhea and her family members are accused of abetting the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, who was found hanging in his flat on June 14. His father filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea and family of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the central agency. Warnings to get a flu shot are about to get loud, even as we brace for the expected fall and winter surge of COVID-19 cases. No, flu shots cant prevent COVID-19. In June, the Pew Charitable Trusts Stateline published an article summarizing studies showing how a wide spectrum of racial inequities impacts public health. On Wednesday, Goodwin raised the issue with Sara Bana, a victims advocate. Bana is not a mental health professional but works extensively with the poor and minorities. She said racism affects public health because its so destructive to the mental health development and the overall development of our children and of our youth, particularly those who have a deep understanding of the generational and historical context in which this country was founded. Last spring, a Pittman bill on maternal deaths rates for black women sparked fierce denials of racism from her mostly white, mostly male colleagues. Wednesdays pronouncements, however, passed without comment, perhaps because the hearing did not appear widely attended. Racism was not the only subject covered, with Pittman and others commenting on the unusual stresses of 2020. We have had a lot of things go on in 2020 that have affected so many peoples lives and so many peoples mental health, said Pittman. Another group of Republican and independent leaders is backing Joe Biden, with former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and former GOP 2020 primary candidate Bill Weld joining the Democrat's ranks. The latest group, 'Republicans and Independents for Biden,' is headed by former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, who has become one of President Donald Trump's fiercest critics and who spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention in support of Biden. The group launched Thursday with nearly 100 Republican and independent leaders on board. Another group of Republicans and independents endorsed Democrat Joe Biden today with former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (left) and former Massachusetts governor and ex-2020 GOP hopeful Bill Weld (right) among their ranks On Thursday, the group 'Republicans and Independents for Biden' launched, with nearly 100 Republican and independent leaders announceing their support for Democratic nominee Joe Biden (pictured) It plans to campaign, buy advertisements and place opinion pieces in state and national media in support of Biden. 'Donald Trump's daily assaults on our nation's founding principles pose an existential threat to the future of the Republic,' the group declared. Snyder decried what he called Trump's divisive and bullying tactics, adding: 'Having worked with Joe Biden and Donald Trump when I was Governor, I believe Biden is the clear choice to put our country back on a positive path.' Snyder was a two-term governor in Michigan, leaving office in 2019. Michigan is a key battleground state, as its transition from blue to red in 2016 helped Trump clinch his Electoral College win. Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts, briefly and unsuccessfully challenged Trump in the 2020 Republican nominating contest. Whitman called Biden a 'decent man' in an interview with Reuters. 'He's a steady man,' she said. 'Trump is trying to paint the world of Joe Biden as horrific - but that's Trump's America now.' She accused Trump of betraying conservative values by undermining the rule of law and national security, lying, dividing Americans along racial lines, and failing the country in his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Whitman, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under Republican President George W. Bush, said the group will target voters in a handful of battleground states, particularly suburban women and voters who do not like Trump but still hesitate to back Biden. The impact of this unprecedented campaign by members of a political party to oppose one of their own running for re-election as president remains to be seen. Polls show that Trump still enjoys nearly 90 percent approval among the Republican rank and file. Other anti-Trump groups include 43 Alumni for Biden, comprised of hundreds of officials who worked for Bush, the 43rd president; Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden; and The Lincoln Project, founded by Republican political operatives. Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's campaign, said the president has unprecedented support among 'real Republican voters.' 'Joe Biden has been a failure in the Washington Swamp for a half century, so no one should be surprised when Swamp creatures gather to protect one of their own,' he added. Biden's campaign has been trying to build a broad coalition of liberals, moderate Republicans and independents. When he accepted the Democratic nomination at the convention in August, Biden said if elected he would be a president for all Americans, not just for the Democratic base. Whitman's group is affiliated with and will be funded by The Lincoln Project, which by the end of June had raised nearly $20 million, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Its members come from around the country but about a fifth are from Michigan, which Trump won by less than a percentage point in 2016. They include former U.S. Republican congressmen Joe Schwarz and Dave Trott, and former Republican state representatives Doug Hart and David Maturen. U.S. Demands End To Violence In Belarus As Dozens More Face Charges Over Protests By RFE/RL September 02, 2020 WASHINGTON/MINSK-- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is demanding an immediate end to the violent crackdown by Belarus's government on opposition supporters after a disputed election on August 9 that gave longtime authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a new six-year term. Pompeo, speaking at a news conference on September 2, also said that the United States, in consultation with its transatlantic partners, was reviewing significant targeted sanctions on anyone involved in human rights abuses in Belarus. George Kent, who serves as deputy assistant secretary overseeing policy towards Belarus, said the United States will continue to talk to allies to coordinate on possible sanctions against those responsible for the beatings and election manipulation. Kent, speaking at a conference in Washington, said the United States and its allies would have a tough response if Russia intervenes in Belarus, adding that if Moscow thinks relations with the West in the last few years have been tough, "it can get worse." Lukashenka's government has "lost all legitimacy in the eyes" of the Belarusian people, he said. Thus it would be "catastrophic" for Russia's image in Belarus to intervene militarily on his behalf. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets across Belarus to protest the "rigged" results that gave Lukashenka more than 80 percent of the vote. The protesters are calling on the 66-year-old Lukashenka to step down, release all political prisoners, and hold free and fair elections. Many countries around the world have rejected the election results and criticized Lukashenka's crackdown on protesters and opposition members both before and after the vote. Anti-government demonstrations have continued in Belarus, a day after more than 120 people were detained for taking part in unsanctioned rallies against longtime authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka. A total of 128 people were held across Belarus on September 1 amid a crackdown on a weekslong protest movement, the Interior Ministry said on September 2. In Minsk, a total of 95 people, including more than 30 students, are accused of legal violations for attending unauthorized protests the previous day, the ministry said, adding that 39 of them will remain in custody until courts hear their cases. Meanwhile, several dozen journalists gathered outside a police station in the capital in support for six of their colleagues from Belarusian news outlets who were detained while covering the protest. Elsewhere, more than 100 students of the Minsk State Linguistics University formed a human chain to protest the detentions of students and professors. At least eight participants were detained, according to the Vyasna human rights center. The authorities raided the Minsk office of software company PandaDoc and detained its director in a move the company's chief executive said was politically motivated. PandaDoc CEO Mikita Mikado, who has launched an initiative to help law enforcement officers who will leave the service, said that the homes of employees had also been searched. Much of Europe, as well as the United States and other countries, have rejected the election results and criticized Lukashenka's crackdown on protesters and opposition members both before and after the vote. Amid growing Western pressure, Lukashenka has vowed to cement ties with neighboring Russia. During a visit to Moscow on September 2, Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey thanked Russia for supporting the Belarusian government in the face of what he described as protests orchestrated from abroad. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, appearing alongside Makey, criticized "destructive" Western criticism of the Belarusian authorities and made an unsubstantiated claim that "some 200 extremists trained on Ukrainian territory are now in the Republic of Belarus." He said Moscow would respond "firmly and with dignity" to any attempts to destabilize Belarus or loosen its strong ties to Russia. Lavrov also said the chiefs of staff of the Russian and Belarusian armies discussed preparations for a joint military drill in Belarus this year ahead of a visit on September 4 of the Belarusian defense minister to Moscow. Belarusian Defense Minister Major General Viktar Khrenin is to attend meetings of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is set to visit Belarus on September 3. The next day in Moscow, Belarusian Defense Minister Major General Viktar Khrenin is to attend meetings of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, AFP, and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30817217.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address B.C.s hotel sector has faced serious complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. In early August, provincial Labour Minister Harry Bains initiated an independent review of layoff and recall rights in the unionized hotel sector. Labour lawyer Sandra Banister conducted the review and shared her findings in a report. Ms. Banister did a good job of addressing what is a serious and complex issue taking place against the backdrop of conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the likes of which we have never seen before, said Bains. In a very short time, she received and reviewed submissions from representatives of hotels and trade unions, as well as employers and labour organizations. The report is thorough and informative, and I am grateful for her work. Ms. Banisters analysis leaves no doubt that the current situation is serious and unprecedented for both workers and employers. The reporter outlines how thousands of workers have been out of work for the last six months and do not know when they will be able to return. This is particularly difficult for hotels that rely on international and business travel. I have met with some of these workers and understand where they are coming from, said Bains. Its not easy to live with this kind of uncertainty as to the future of your job when you have a family to support and bills to pay. Our government understands, as outlined in Ms. Banisters report, the devastating impact this pandemic has had on the hotel industry. Bains said he advocate that any government economic recovery package, especially for the tourism and hotel industry, contain a pledge for employers to offer a right of first refusal meaning that existing employees will be offered jobs first when work resumes, before new hires are considered. He will also advocate that workers impacted by tourism closures get access to public sector jobs, in cases where their skills are transferable. But Bains said he will not interfere in the collective bargaining process. After careful consideration of all the facts and in light of the complex collective bargaining landscape outlined in the report, I have decided the best course of action is to refrain from interfering in the collective bargaining process. I have always been clear that the best resolution for all parties is negotiated at the bargaining table, he said. Government will not be overriding existing collective agreements and the bargaining now under way in the hotel sector. I am hopeful all parties involved can come to mutual resolution at the bargaining table, and I urge both sides to get together as soon as possible to work out a voluntary resolution to this important issue. Banisters report is available online. This reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Read more about: Delhi on Tuesday conducted 28,835 Covid-19 tests, the highest so far. The testing has been ramped up following a rise in Covid-19 cases since mid-August after Delhi became the first major region to register a sustained fall in the infections. The spike in cases prompted chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to hold an emergency meeting on August 26, where it was decided that the rate of testing will be doubled from 18,000-20,000 daily to nearly 40,000 weekly. Also read: In biggest one-day jump, India records nearly 84,000 fresh Covid-19 cases, tally goes past 3.85 million Accordingly, daily testing was increased from Monday when 24,198 tests were conducted. Here is a look at how the testing is being ramped up: 1. 40,000 testing daily would be done in a gradual manner and is likely to be achieved in a week. It is a multi-pronged approach under which testing is being increased at various levels, the chief ministers office said. 2. To ramp up testing, the timings of all state-run dispensaries and seed PUHCs (Primary Urban Health Centres) have now been extended by two hours. The Delhi government has 265 dispensaries and clinics in addition to major hospitals where Covid-19 testing is available for free. This is where we expect the testing numbers to go up mainly. All Delhi government dispensaries and seed PUHCs are now testing patients between 9 am and 2 pm for five hours instead of three hours, a government spokesperson said. 3. On Wednesday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority decided to set up testing camps at all inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs), railway stations and also at major construction sites within a week. The idea is to test migrant workers returning to Delhi in search of jobs. A testing centre is already functioning at the Anand Vihar ISBT since August 13 to screen migrants back in the Capital, where 3,381 people had undergone rapid antigen tests till Wednesday, of which only 19 were diagnosed Covid-19. 4. Lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday directed officials to simultaneously draft a policy to introduce a test-on-demand programme, wherein people could call a helpline and fix an appointment at the nearest Covid-19 testing centre without having to wait. 5. Health minister Satyendar Jain has asked his department to also explore ways through which some select mohalla clinics may be shut for general medical diagnosis and converted into temporary Covid-19 testing centres. Delhi has over 450 operational mohalla clinics as of now. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON CPP Stalwart, James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called Kabila has taken a swipe at the Minority members of Parliament over their position on the Agyapa Royalties deal. The minerals royalties deal is to see Ghana float its shares on the Ghana Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange to reap benefits to a tune of about $1 billion. Agyapa Royalties Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle, has been charged to operate as an independent private sector entity and raise the funds for the nation. The money is to be used to improve the country's infrastructure as well as maximize the minerals sector. Nonetheless, the Minority in Parliament walked out while the deal was discussed on the floor of the House in protest against the deal. They claim there is a conflict of interest and also raised issues with the terms of the deal. Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, September 1, said; "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." But Kabila has asked the Minority to take the government to court if they so believe the deal is shrouded in corruption. According to him, Parliament is not the best authority when it comes to judicial arbitration and so to prove they indeed have a genuine case, they should take the matter to the Highest Court of the land saying "corrupt means cannot be used to fight corruption . . . The Parliament of our country is not above the dictates of the Supreme Court''. "If the Minority so strongly believe that their position is right, why are they not resorting to the law?" he questioned on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Natural gas futures eased to Rs 182.10 per mmBtu on September 3 as participants increased their short positions. Prices slipped 1.6 percent on September 2 on the NYMEX. The restart of production in the Gulf of Mexico after storm activity has put pressure on natural gas prices. Market participants are likely to take further cues from weekly natural gas data to be released by the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) later in the day. In the futures market, natural gas for September delivery touched an intraday high of Rs 185.20 and a low of Rs 180.70 per mmBtu on the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX). So far in the current series, natural gas has touched a low of Rs 131.30 and a high of Rs 203. Natural gas futures for September delivery slipped Rs 0.6, or 0.33 percent, to Rs 182.10 per mmBtu at 14:51 hours IST on a business turnover of 11,227 lots. The same for October delivery was down Rs 0.9, or 0.42 percent, at Rs 214.70 per mmBtu on a business volume of 2,102 lots. The value of September and Octobers contracts traded so far is Rs 1,104.34 crore and Rs 62.23 crore, respectively. "Natural gas has corrected 11 percent from its recent highs and may remain choppy ahead of the inventory report. We expect buying to emerge at lower levels as smaller stock build-up may support prices," said Kotak Securities. At 09:24 (GMT), natural gas was down 0.68 percent at $2.46 per mmBtu in New York. The Twitter account of Narendra Modis personal website and mobile app was hacked this morning. The account was hacked with a series of tweets asking its followers to donate money to a relief fund through cryptocurrency. The hacked account has over 2.5 million followers and is also the official Twitter handle for Modis personal website as well as a mobile application. PM Modi's Twitter account hacked. Bitcoin? John Wick? Paytm Mall? screenshots source: twitter pic.twitter.com/gj4E2Oai5z Irfan (@simplyirfan) September 2, 2020 However, Twitter in a statement to Reuters said that they are taking steps to secure the account. A Twitter spokesperson said, "We are actively investigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted. Now, the tweet has been taken down but several screenshots of the original tweet have gone viral on the internet and one thing that caught everyones eye was that the hacker identified himself as John Wick. PM Narendra Modi's personal website's twitter account @narendramodi_in has been hacked by a hacker claiming to be John Wick hckindia@tutanota.com 4 tweets have been tweeted by the hacker asking to donate to PM Relief fund via crypto currency!#Hacked pic.twitter.com/zRVmPdh2d1 Tech Takneek (@TechTakneek) September 3, 2020 John Wick is the name of the fictional character played by Keanu Reeves in a Hollywood film by the same name. The story of the film revolves around an ex-hitman who gives up his retirement just to track down a gang of gangsters who killed his dog and also took away everything from him. The movie was a part of a three series franchise that came in the year 2014 and later came up with two sequels in 2017 and 2019. Since the incident has taken place, Twitter is flooded with memes and jokes and heres what people on the internet have to say about the whole incident- #Hacked Narendra modi Twitter got hacked Meanwhile : pic.twitter.com/5XV7F5V9RP Ankit Pandey (@thesarcstictale) September 3, 2020 Pm modi's personal twitter account hacked #Hacked Hacker's to modiji :- pic.twitter.com/dEA7cJEU8P Rahul Sharma (@RahulSharama22) September 3, 2020 1. 1M dislike on Mann ki baat 2. #Hacked website account *Meanwhile modiji to indians: pic.twitter.com/wDILHG9r7L Kota wali chai (@Kotawalichai) September 3, 2020 People also think this is karma for banning PUBG and have flooded the micro-blogging platform with memes. SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Jadestone Energy Inc. (AIM:JSE) ("Jadestone", or the "Company"), an independent oil and gas production company focused on the Asia Pacific region, announces new offtake arrangements for its Stag oilfield. Jadestone's 100% owned and operated Stag oilfield produces crude oil via a fixed leg, central processing facility platform, which, since the field's original development, has been offloaded to a floating storage and offloading vessel ("FSO"), the Dampier Spirit, which is moored to a catenary anchor leg mooring buoy. In May 2020, the owner of the Dampier Spirit advised the Company of its intention to retire the Dampier Spirit later in 2020, and, as required under the terms of their agreement with Jadestone, they have been unable to provide a suitable replacement vessel. As a consequence, the Company has developed a new operating strategy, utilising offtake tankers to directly offload Stag crude oil, in place of the existing long term leased FSO. To implement this strategy Jadestone has awarded a contract to a respected international tanker provider who will supply modern double hulled tankers, operated to the highest safety and environmental standards. This new operating model has significant environmental risk mitigants over the existing model, by eliminating the need for ship to ship oil transfers in field. These arrangements are expected to realise annual savings of approximately 20% over the current FSO operation. The first offtake tanker is scheduled to arrive in the field coincident with the Dampier Spirit departure in mid September 2020. Ultimately multiple offtake tankers will rotate through the field on a schedule that optimises production continuity. The new model has also required a change to the regulatory structure that was in place for the FSO. Jadestone has worked with Australian regulators, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority ("AMSA"), to ensure the model complies with all relevant laws and regulations and to obtain their acceptance. This includes both the requisite updates to the Company's safety case for the Stag asset, and agreement that the vessels should be regulated by AMSA. Paul Blakeley, President and CEO commented: "I'm delighted with the new offtake arrangements that are being implemented for Stag, which will realise annual savings of approximately 20% over the current FSO operation, and which in turn will enhance the value of our booked reserves. At the same time, we are always mindful of our safety and environmental obligations and have arrived at a more efficient cost-effective solution that significantly reduces environmental risk." - Ends - Enquiries Jadestone Energy Inc. +65 6324 0359 (Singapore) Paul Blakeley, President and CEO +44 7392 940 495 (UK) Dan Young, CFO Robin Martin, Investor Relations Manager ir@jadestone-energy.com Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Nomad, Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 (UK) Callum Stewart Simon Mensley Ashton Clanfield BMO Capital Markets Limited (Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7236 1010 (UK) Thomas Rider Jeremy Low Thomas Hughes Camarco (Public Relations Advisor) +44 (0) 203 757 4980 (UK) Georgia Edmonds jadestone@camarco.co.uk Billy Clegg James Crothers About Jadestone Energy Inc. Jadestone Energy Inc. is an independent oil and gas company focused on the Asia Pacific region. It has a balanced, low risk, full cycle portfolio of development, production and exploration assets in Australia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Company has a 100% operated working interest in the Stag oilfield and the Montara project, both offshore Australia. Both the Stag and Montara assets include oil producing fields, with further development and exploration potential. The Company has a 100% operated working interest in two gas development blocks in Southwest Vietnam and is partnered with Total in the Philippines where it holds a 25% working interest in the SC56 exploration block. In addition, the Company has executed a sale and purchase agreement to acquire an operated 69% interest in the Maari Project, shallow water offshore New Zealand, and anticipates completing the transaction in H2 2020, upon receipt of customary approvals. The Company has recently executed an agreement to acquire an operated 90% interest in the Lemang PSC, onshore Sumatra, Indonesia, and anticipates completing the transaction in Q1 2021, upon receipt of customary approvals. The block includes the Akatara gas field. Led by an experienced management team with a track record of delivery, who were core to the successful growth of Talisman's business in Asia, the Company is pursuing an acquisition strategy focused on growth and creating value through identifying, acquiring, developing and operating assets in the Asia Pacific region. Jadestone Energy Inc. is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company is headquartered in Singapore. For further information on Jadestone please visit www.jadestone-energy.com. Cautionary statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements and information (collectively "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, as well as other applicable international securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are forward-looking and not historical facts. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by statements that express, or involve discussions as to expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "will continue", "is anticipated", "is targeting", "estimated", "intend", "plan", "guidance", "objective", "projection", "aim", "goals", "target", "schedules", and "outlook"). In particular, forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding anticipated cost savings as a result of the new Stag offtake arrangements, and the timing to implement these changes. Because actual results or outcomes could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements, investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Some of these risks, uncertainties and other factors are similar to those faced by other oil and gas companies and some are unique to Jadestone. The forward-looking information contained in this news release speaks only as of the date hereof. The Company does not assume any obligation to publicly update the information, except as may be required pursuant to applicable laws. The information contained within this announcement is considered to be inside information prior to its release, as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014, and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of those Regulations. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Jadestone Energy Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604646/Jadestone-Energy-Inc-Announces-New-Stag-Offtake-Arrangements At some point in the next two months, we are going to have to decide whether to absolve the American people if they re-elect Donald Trump. There was a time in 2016 although Michael Moore was already describing the candidate as a wretched, ignorant, dangerous part-time clown and full-time sociopath when we might have excused the US electorate if it turned out that they had made a mistake the first time around. Even Democrats were still braying stupidly after the election that perhaps Trump would become presidential. But those excuses are no longer available. For some nations, it doesnt matter. Ask the Arabs. Its an odd phenomenon that when Arabs are forced to vote for their local tyrant in totally fraudulent elections, we forgive them for their choice on the grounds that the polls are a farce or that they have no alternative, or because let us speak frankly they are only the Arab masses and we westerners far prefer to deal with their masters on the basis of whether those dictators do what we want them to do. Its even more bizarre that the higher the fake election percentage dreamed up by the autocrats and the more they are onside the more we acknowledge their power, and go along with what they say. When it comes to excellent in-state spots for fall color, Michiganders have seemingly endless drives and destinations to choose from. But this might be the year to explore a lesser-known beauty: Benzie County, which boasts all the stunning scenery of Northwest Lower Michigan, yet with a quieter vibe than its neighbors to the north in Leelanau and Grand Traverse. Dont let the peaceful pace fool you, though, as theres much to see and do here. Picture miles of Lake Michigan coastline, inland lakes and rivers, parks and preserves, historic sites and scenic small towns with plenty of places to shop, eat, and imbibe. To help you plan your trip, weve gathered five fall highlights in Benzie County, ranging from one of the countrys most incredible fall drives to . Read on for more: M-22 is regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the state, and it's especially beautiful in the fall. | MLive file photo 1. When it comes to breathtaking fall drives, the winding, shoreline-hugging M-22 is not only one of the best in the state, its considered one of the best in the nation. There are so many highlights along this 116-mile roadway that it makes a great anchor for a fall trip through any or all of the scenic counties it spins through (Manistee, Benzie, and Leelanau). Highlights along the Benzie portion of M-22 include the sweet towns of Elberta and Frankfort, epic views at Inspiration Point, the historic Point Betsie Lighthouse, beautiful Crystal Lake, and one of Michigans crown jewels, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. More information on M-22 trip planning can be found at traversecity.com/benzie-county/ Courtesy Traverse City Tourism 2. Tucked away on 30 wooded acres beside Crystal Mountain resort, Michigan Legacy Art Park turns a beautiful and serene hardwood forest into an open-air art gallery. The park offers two miles of walking trails that wind through the trees to showcase 49 sculptures, 31 poetry stones, and, of course, the always-lovely Michigan outdoors. The park is operated as a non-profit and is open from dawn until dusk every day of the year, with occasional events and workshops. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children. More information can be found on the parks website here. Courtesy Traverse City Tourism 3. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore straddles two counties: Leelanau and Benzie. If youve only ever experienced the parks more popular attractions -- like the Dune Climb, Pyramid Point, and Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, all of which are located in Leelanau County -- then its time to check out the lakeshores quieter southern portion. Fall is a great time to explore the treasures in this part of the park, including Point Betsie Lighthouse and the scenic Platte River. Or, take a hike to see fall color on foot: the Platte Plains Trail system offers 15 miles of looping, forested trails and the Old Indian trail has two roughly 2.5-mile loops. Both trail systems offer spectacular woods and water views over Lake Michigan. More information can be found on Sleeping Bear Dunes website. Courtesy Traverse City Tourism 4. If youd like to level up your leaf peeping, check out Crystal Mountains fall color chair lift rides. Visitors can ride the resorts Crystal Clipper chairlift to the top of the mountain, enjoying panoramic views of three counties during peak fall color season. And if you cant make it in person -- or you want to take a peek at how far along the fall color may be -- you can check out the local scenery via the resorts webcams. Crystal Mountains 2020 fall chair lift rides will be held on Sundays, October 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Find the fall chairlift ride schedule and more details here. The stunning Elberta Bluffs sit along Lake Michigan in Benzie County. | Photo courtesy Traverse City Tourism 5. For a scenic detour, swing by the historic Elberta Life Saving Station (restored and now a stunning events venue) for views of the surrounding autumn-hued hills. Then take a quick jaunt up Bye Road to the Elberta Bluffs, which overlook Lake Michigan and offer peeks at Sleeping Bear Dunes to the north and Manistee to the south. For more regional travel information and trip-planning assistance, check out traversecity.com/benzie-county/ RELATED: Bigger brewery, beachfront treks make Frankfort a great escape Ready for a fall vacation? Check out these Up North rentals How a photographers darkroom hobby became one of the best breweries in Michigan Why this Michigan resort-town restaurant used to be crammed full of cabbages Government appears to have softened its stance on the controversial Agyapa Royalties agreement. This is the outcome of a meeting between the Finance Ministry and some civil society organisations in the country where the government is said to have expressed its willingness to engage stakeholders to inform its decision regarding the transaction. This comes on the back of agitation by the Minority in Parliament who have demanded the withdrawal of the contract with Agyapa Mineral Royalties Limited over what it believes is an opaque attempt by the NPP-led administration to syphon public funds for their parochial interest. The new agreement is expected to enable the country to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties Limited, to secure about $1 billion to finance infrastructural projects. The NDC has among other concerns maintained that the mineral royalties have been undervalued in the agreement and called for an independent probe. Some 15 CSOs at a press conference on August 25 was also concerned about what they describe as a lack of openness and transparency that has characterised the transaction a position which the government has vehemently justified over the past few weeks. But in an interview with JoyNews after the meeting on September 2, energy analyst Samuel Bekoe said the Finance Minister clarified some of the technicalities surrounding the transaction which must be studied to inform the CSOs next directive. He [Finance Minister] said the initial valuation was as a requirement of company registration which auditors would require from you. So it wont be an independent tender that when you are registering a company you can put any figure there. So it was a matter of international standards that they had followed. They were hoping that when gold prices continued to remain the same and they go to the market, there will be some roadshows where they will hear more about the willingness of buyers to be able to know what the company is actually worth, the energy analyst told Evans Mensah. He however revealed that the Finance Minister is ready to consult a wider range of stakeholders to arrive at a conclusion that may be in the interest of all Ghanaians. The Minister had also indicated that this he believes that is the best window due to the gold prices and therefore he is now torn between further consultations and that opportunity that it had been presented by the gold prices, Mr Bekoe said. He added that they are open to assisting government if need be. The funds from the deal, which are expected to be raised from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE), will be a long-term capital, without a corresponding increase in Ghanas total debt stock. Source: myjoyonline.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 Elephants can 'catch a yawn' from humans they know well, according to a new study that found they responded to both faked and actual human yawns. Researcher Zoe Rossman from the University of New Mexico has been working with a herd of captive elephants at the Knysna elephant park in South Africa. Handlers yawned in front of African elephants and found they were more likely to yawn if they saw a human do so than any other type of human mouth movement. This is the first time a species not closely related or linked to humans such as dogs and chimpanzees have been seen 'catching a yawn' from a human. Researcher Zoe Rossman from the University of New Mexico has been working with a herd of captive elephants at the Knysna elephant park in South Africa Spontaneous yawning is common across all vertebrate classes, contagious yawning is less common and has been observed only in a few species of animal. Rossman and colleagues worked with handlers at the Knysna elephant park where they take in orphaned and rescued elephants and give them a safe space to live. She said elephants have a long and complex history with humans despite not being domesticated and so they were a logical next step to see if they could catch a yawn. To see if her theory that elephants, as highly intelligent creatures, could catch a yawn, Rossman watched how they reacted to their handlers. The move to investigate whether elephants can catch a yawn from a human came off the back of a 2017 study by Rossman of the same herd of elephants. In the earlier study she found the first evidence that the large mammals could catch a yawn from one another. Ten captive African elephants, most of whom had been previously studied, were observed over 13 nights for evidence of contagious yawning from humans. Keepers performed a series of staged yawns, gapes without yawning, real yawns and no mouth movements at all - finding elephants were more likely to break into a yawn if their handler yawned or even fake yawned. Rossman said that finding out elephants can catch a yawn from humans further proves the need for a specialist approach to their conservation. 'We care about animals that are like us, that we observe human qualities in,' she explained in an interview with The Times. 'It should not ideally be like that, but this study shows that elephants are closer to us than we appreciated and perhaps this will highlight the detrimental effect that the crude management of their societies has.' This is the first time a species not closely related or linked to humans such as dogs and chimpanzees have been seen 'catching a yawn' from a human She said the handlers were surprisingly good at faking a yawn but were dubious about the study until they saw the first elephant 'catch a yawn' then they 'went wild'. Rossman believes that elephants can 'catch a yawn' in nature because it produces 'brain arousal and activation'. Yawning by an arousing elephant, leading to a contagious yawn from elephants already awake, or another simultaneously arousing elephant, could facilitate a state of higher awareness and arousal throughout the herd. 'Although our data are on captive elephants, these elephants are a well-integrated herd with group dynamics similar to wild elephants where it would be advantageous for an aroused state to quickly spread through a herd in response to an external stimulus that caused the arousal of some individuals,' Rossman said. Drugmakers made big promises for a quick turnaround on coronavirus vaccines. The moment of truth for the front-runners is coming as soon as this month. The first results showing whether a vaccine can stop people from getting the virus could come by mid-September from AstraZeneca Plc, according to Airfinity Ltd., an analytics company that tracks drug trials. The drugmaker has pledged as many as 30 million doses to the U.K. by the end of the month. Also read: Canada abandons clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine after China blocks shipment Two other contenders -- the USs Moderna Inc. and the US-German partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE -- may also have initial data before a key Food and Drug Administration meeting on virus vaccines scheduled for Oct. 22, Airfinity said. The federal government has told states to prepare for a vaccine by Nov. 1. A fourth candidate, Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd., could have preliminary results shortly after the FDA meeting. These early results will be far from the full picture. Theyre whats known as interim readouts -- snapshots taken before a study is complete, with only a fraction of the data. The World Health Organization on Monday cautioned against approving a vaccine before its full risks and benefits are clear. But with the virus resurgent in Europe and continuing to spread in India and the Americas, the initial numbers will be an important early indicator. The first results should be enough to give us a very good idea of where were heading, Airfinity Chief Executive Officer Rasmus Bech Hansen said. They are moving faster than one could have anticipated. Airfinitys projections are based on publicly available data on trial enrollment and design, together with infection rates in places where patients are enrolled. Also read: US states told be ready to distribute Covid-19 vaccine by November 1 Each of these experimental vaccines has already shown promise in smaller trials designed to flag any serious safety concerns and show whether candidates can spur some response from the immune system. Early safety data is key; unlike drugs, vaccines are typically given to relatively healthy people and shouldnt create severe risks. The real proving ground, though, is a study big enough to show with a high degree of certainty whether a vaccine candidate can work in the real world. This requires tens of thousands of participants, compared to the few hundred people who took the vaccines in early-stage trials. Drugmakers would usually wait for final results before requesting regulatory approval, and the trio of front-runners are on track to get that full data by the end of the year, Airfinity says. In the US, that might not be fast enough. Overwhelmingly positive interim results could lead to studies being stopped early and the vaccines being rushed to the public, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week. Political pressure will be high to approve a vaccine if even the initial snapshot of data from these trials is promising. President Donald Trump has said a vaccine is possible by the Nov. 3 election and accused the FDA of trying to slow the approval process. Commissioner Stephen Hahn said last week hes open to clearing a vaccine under an emergency use authorization, which is based on more limited data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked states in a letter to prepare for vaccine distribution sites to be fully operational by Nov. 1. The agency declined to comment on the letter. Russia and China, meanwhile, have already cleared experimental vaccines for limited use before testing was complete. Also read: Confident that Covid-19 vaccine will be developed by end of 2020: Health minister Harsh Vardhan Pfizer has said its on track to have enough data for an authorization as early as October. Based on how quickly and where its currently recruiting people for its 30,000-person trial, it will probably be the first US drugmaker with interim data -- by Oct. 15 -- but wont have full results until Nov. 17, Airfinity projects. A Pfizer spokeswoman declined to comment on how many virus cases it will need to see in order to get results in the trial. Companies testing vaccines in the US, where the virus has spread more quickly than in Europe for the past several months, may have an advantage in potential volunteers and infections. AstraZeneca said it expects results later this year, depending on the rate of infection in the communities where its running trials. J&J said it still plans to start its late-stage test this month, with first batches of vaccine available for potential emergency use in early 2021, pending the study results. Sinovac declined to comment. Moderna declined to comment on the time-frame for its data readouts. The drugmakers have already made deals to supply hundreds of millions of doses to governments around the world. The WHO has said any vaccine should be shown to be effective in at least half the people who get it to gain clearance. It will be important to follow participants in the trials long enough to see whether serious side effects emerge, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Monday. A premature approval would make it hard to continue studying the vaccine in randomized trials, she said. The agency counts 176 Covid-19 vaccines in development, of which 33 have entered human trials. Whats going to be really important, I think, is to make decisions based on science, Swaminathan said, warning that an inadequately studied vaccine could present either safety problems or low efficacy, thereby not doing the job of bringing an end to this pandemic. Cosmic rays prove it: the universe hosts astrophysically elusive "monsters" that continuously and efficiently accelerate elementary particles at extreme energies. These high-energy photons and neutrinos are the key to ultimately decipher the mystery of cosmic rays. In 2017, an important discovery was made in this field: a neutrino emission was recorded from the direction of the gamma-ray emitting blazar TXS 0506+056, from the center of which a black hole shoots particle streams into the universe with unimaginable energy. Blazars are peculiar galaxy nuclei that emit much more radiation than the entire galaxy itself - such radiation has been proven not to come from stars. Many open questions about blazars Since then, gamma-ray blazars have been suspected to be neutrino sources, and potential cosmic-ray accelerators. "To date, however, there is still neither a consistent picture for the physical mechanism nor a theoretical framework capable of convincingly explain the full set of multimessenger observations available," says junior professor Sara Buson from Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg in Bavaria, Germany. The observations suggest that in blazars, the neutrino and electromagnetic emissions may be related. The key to decipher such mistery remains elusive. The astrophysicist from Wurzburg has now set herself an ambitious goal: She wants to carry out the first systematic multimessenger study for blazars. "In contrast to all previous experiments, I will tackle the challenge on a large sample, both from the observational and physical point of view," explains the JMU researcher. Award for promising talents For this project she receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC). The ERC supports Sara Buson with an ERC Starting Grant - an award worth 1.5 million euros that is given to promising young research talents. The primary goal of Sara Buson's ERC project is to confirm blazars as the most important extragalactic neutrino sources. She approaches her study with great confidence: "This project has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the blazar astrophysical framework, place the base for future discoveries and serve as guidance for the next-generation of multimessenger observatories". From Italy to the USA to Wurzburg Sara Buson, born in 1979, studied astrophysics at the University of Padua in Italy, where she also obtained her doctorate. In 2015, she was awarded a NASA postdoctoral fellowship. She moved to the USA where she joined the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. In 2018, she moved from NASA to JMU, where she holds a junior professorship for high-energy astrophysics at the Chair of Astronomy. Her research aims to improve our understanding of the physical processes that take place in black holes and other extremely energetic environments in the Universe. ### ASU President Michael Crow was instrumental in bringing together the interdisciplinary group and recruiting Ehsan Zaffar , a senior advisor on civil rights and civil liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to launch and lead the initiative beginning in January 2021. Collaboration throughout the university is critical for the success of this initiative because social, political and economic inequality is systemic and affects society as a whole. "The U.S. Constitution's aspirations of the right to equal justice, the right to pursue happiness and the right to individual liberty, are, in fact, unfairly and inequitably distributed across our society," Crow said. "With systemic racism, economic disparities and many more issues of injustice and inequality we are facing, ASU must do more to make a practical and meaningful impact. Our deans, faculty and students across ASU made a commitment earlier this year to outline new programs that we can initiate with our own resources and then pursue additional partners in creating and deploying new solutions to transform social justice. The creation of this initiative is one of these new concepts." Zaffar envisions the initiative as an applied center that will leverage cross-functional proficiencies at ASU to create classes, comprehensive private-sector partnerships, and tangible "products" to help students learn, help faculty broaden their areas of expertise, and provide affected communities with the tools to diminish structural inequality. These products would range from educational tools for use inside and outside the classroom, to indexes and maps for non-profit and government organizations, and to smartphone apps that can be shared widely throughout impacted communities. "Reducing inequality will rely on all of ASU's fundamental strengths: an openness to innovation, a community of amazing students and faculty, and the involvement of a network of supporters, alumni and citizens who are passionate about eliminating unfair systems," Zaffar said. "The COVID-19 pandemic and protests against police brutality make it even clearer why we must re-build equitable systems and I am grateful to President Crow for the opportunity to realize this vision at ASU. It is my hope that 50 years from now, students who join this initiative will help create a world where people don't feel like they have to join protests to obtain basic, fundamental rights." A civil rights attorney, educator and advocate, Zaffar began serving during President Barack Obama's administration as a "peacemaker" for community and faith-based conflicts arising from actual or alleged discrimination at the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. He continues to provide leadership on these issues as a board member at Team Rubicon and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Zaffar joined government service as a well-known expert in the areas of civil rights, inequality and social justice, having taught courses on these subjects at George Washington University and George Mason University. Prior to his work at DHS, he served at the Los Angeles County's Office of the Public Defender where he represented juvenile defendants in Compton, California, and also founded the Los Angeles Mobile Legal Aid Clinic (LAMLAC) a "law firm on wheels" that helped to pioneer the delivery of legal care to vulnerable populations in California and abroad. His latest book "Understanding Homeland Security" (2019) helps students understand the role of the homeland security enterprise on American communities and his podcast "UnfairNation" features interviews with leaders working to make the U.S. a fairer place for all. If you are interested in participating in, or contributing to, the initiative, please contact Terri Burkel at [email protected]. About Arizona State University Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American Research University, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it. Contact: Karen Sung [email protected] 480-727-9052 SOURCE Arizona State University Related Links https://www.asu.edu US presidential hopeful Joe Biden's Irish roots run deep, and his Mayo relatives say 'gentleman Joe' is exactly what the world needs now. Ballina-based plumber Joe Blewitt, a third cousin of Biden's, gathered traction on social media this week when he emblazoned his work van with the message: "Joe Biden for the White House and Joe Blewitt for Your House". The former vice president, who is currently favourite to win the US presidential election, is five-eighths Irish. His connections run through both his mother's and father's side. On his paternal side, Biden's great-great-grandfather emigrated from Knockmore, Co Mayo in the 19th Century at the age of 18. His mother's maiden name is Catherine "Kitty" Jean Finnegan and that side of the family was traced back to Biden's great-great-grandfather who emigrated from the Cooley peninsula in Co Louth in 1850. Read More Biden previously visited Ireland on a five-day trip in his official capacity as US vice president in June 2016. He was accompanied by his children and grandchildren and met with Irish leaders as well as reconnecting with his Irish ancestry. He spent several days becoming acquainted with the Blewitts, who remain in regular contact with Mr Biden and his family. "I'd know him quite well. Joe is my dad's third cousin and we have spent a fair bit of time with them over the years," explained Mr Blewitt. "My sister Laurita and I visited him in the White House in 2016 when he got the Medal of Freedom. "He had been over here before when he visited Ballina to connect with his Irish family. And then he came back again in 2017, off his own bat, to turn the sod on the Mayo Roscommon Hospice." Mr Blewitt says Mr Biden settled in well on his visits to Ireland and was always a welcome host in Washington. "He is a very nice man. We would be fairly regularly in contact with them. "He is just a lovely man and he could walk into your kitchen and he would sit there and have the craic and tell you stories. He's just a really nice man, down the earth." On one occasion the Blewitts even caught him off-guard. "My favourite memory of him was in the White House and we had been invited over as a kind of a surprise. He didn't know we were coming. "During the meal, he looked down at us and just lifted his eyes and said: 'What are you guys doing here?' "When it was over he came straight down to us. It was lovely. The kids couldn't go over because they were very small - but they made cards for him, and he loved them." Me Blewitt says Mr Biden's roots on this side of the Atlantic mean a lot to the presidential candidate. "He really values the Irish connection and we certainly think the world of him." During his first visit to Mayo, Mr Biden made a promise to Laurita Blewitt that he would support the fundraising efforts for Mayo Roscommon Hospice, where she works. Mr Biden returned to Mayo at his own expense to turn the sod on a new hospice unit. Speaking to The Mayo News at the time, Ms Blewitt said: "His mother died of cancer and used palliative-care services, and his son Beau died from brain cancer in 2015." Mr Biden's first visit to Ireland was chronicled by Ancestry.com who followed the then-vice president as he explored his family history on what he described as "an extremely meaningful, personal journey". "I've been to a lot of places," Mr Biden wrote. "I've travelled all around the world - more than a million miles on Air Force Two alone. I've been honoured to have held a lot of titles. But I have always been and will always be the son of Kitty Finnegan." Pharma giant Pfizer is likely to give update on its Covid-19 vaccine by October-end on whether a COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) it is developing is successful, and will submit it for approval immediately if that is the case, according to reports. Pfizer has enrolled 23,000 patients in vaccine tests as of Wednesday, its Chief Executive Albert Bourla said in an online briefing sponsored by drug industry group International Federation of Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers & Association, reported Reuters. Pfizer has said its on track to have enough data for an authorization as early as October. Based on how quickly and where its currently recruiting people for its 30,000-person trial, it will probably be the first US drugmaker with interim data, by October 15, but wont have full results until November 17, Airfinity projects, according to Bloomberg reports. The drug company has already manufactured hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine candidate, including at a plant in Belgium, Bourla added. It is in the race to come up with a vaccine with its partner, Germany's BioNTech. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October, documents published by the agency showed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, companies testing vaccines in the U.S., where the virus has spread more quickly than in Europe for the past several months, may have an advantage in potential volunteers and infections. AstraZeneca said it expects results later this year, depending on the rate of infection in the communities where its running trials. J&J said it still plans to start its late-stage trial this month, with first batches of vaccine available for potential emergency use in early 2021, pending the study results. Sinovac declined to comment. Moderna declined to comment on the time-frame for its data readouts. The drugmakers have already made deals to supply hundreds of millions of doses to governments around the world. The WHO has said any vaccine should be shown to be effective in at least half the people who get it to gain clearance. It will be important to follow participants in the trials long enough to see whether serious side effects emerge, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Monday. A premature approval would make it hard to continue studying the vaccine in randomized trials, she said. The agency counts 176 Covid-19 vaccines in development, of which 33 have entered human trials. With agency inputs Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics 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. Ukraine is ready to take tough steps if unfriendly actions of Belarus continue and the risks grow, even further than calling the Ukrainian ambassador for consultations, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Gazeta.ua. "I summoned the ambassador to carefully analyze the prospects of relations with Belarus in the new reality, to make specific proposals to the state leadership on how to further build relations with the neighboring state in the short and medium term. I do not rule out that he will return to Minsk. But if unfriendly actions of Belarus continue and the risks grow, we are ready to take tough steps. Even tougher than calling the ambassador for consultations," Kuleba said in an interview published on Thursday. The Foreign Minister stressed that the purpose of summoning the ambassador for consultations is to politically demonstrate Ukraine's dissatisfaction with the decision of Belarus on handing over Wagner members to Russia and groundless accusations against Kyiv of interference in internal affairs. Kuleba also pointed out that any weakening of the sovereignty of Belarus negatively affects the security of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian-Belarusian border "should not turn into a place for a carefree walk for the Russian special services or the army." "2014 taught us that everything can happen. Any weakening of the sovereignty of Belarus negatively affects the security of Ukraine. Any strengthening of Russia's position in Belarus is an increase in threats for us. These are economic risks when it is possible to influence the supply of industrial goods in Ukraine. And the use of the Belarusian border for operations is security risks. The huge border of Ukraine with Belarus should not turn into a place for a carefree walk for the Russian special services or the army," the Foreign Minister noted. While speculation continues about whether drilling activity in the U.S. oil patch has hit rock bottom yet, some analysts believe that the industry is already on the path to recovery. Reuters analyst John Kemp expects drilling rates to start picking up in September and October, with production beginning to recover in the second quarter of 2021. Kemp states that over the last 30 years, changes in futures prices have typically been followed by changes in drilling with an average delay of 4-5 months, while changes in output usually materialized after 9-12 months. Given the run up in WTI crude prices during the months of May and June, some drillers are now beginning to bring back shut-in production and are already preparing new drilling programs for this fall. According to data from Rystad Energy, the pace of reactivation of curtailments has accelerated since July, with most operators planning to bring back all shuttered production in September. Large U.S. shale firms such as EOG Resources and Parsley Energy are not just looking to bring back production from shuttered wells, but are also planning to accelerate production in the second half of 2020. Early indicators for drilling activity, such as the Baker Hughes rig count and Primary Visions frac spread (a more direct indicator of hydraulic fracturing fleets in the field), are reflecting a cautious uptick in drilling activity during the last two weeks of August. According to Kemp, the U.S. rig count is poised to recover during Q3 and Q4 of this year as drillers begin to react to improving prices which have brought a period of relative stability and low volatility to oil markets. Related: Two Major Shale Drillers Plan Layoffs Oil production, however, will continue to plunge during the next couple of months, impacted by the still low drilling rate and the 50-60 percent annual decline rate seen in many shale wells. Its tough to say exactly when production will turn around. $40 WTI might not be enough to fuel the next shale boom, but $50+ oil could entice a large number of companies to expand drilling activity. The global crude demand recovery and the course of oil prices in Q3 and Q4 will play a major role in the decision-making process of U.S. drilling firms, and a lot will depend on the cash-flow outlook of individual wells. While even the EIA remains negative on the prospect of a quick rebound in U.S. production, more positive analysts generally expect the inflection point to be somewhere at the end of Q1 2021. With both OPEC+ and U.S. producers bringing production back to the market, it remains unclear whether theres demand for these additional barrels or if a new wave of crude will result in yet another price meltdown. By Tom Kool of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Donna Brazile attends the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) DNC Refutes Years-Old Brazile Claim About Email Hack Timeline The Democratic National Committee last month denied a claim made by its former chairwoman, Donna Brazile, about the timeline of the hacking of the committees computer systems, the latest of many contradictions related to the crucial days when thousands of emails were allegedly stolen from the partys mail server. In her 2018 book, Brazile wrote that after learning that alleged Russian hackers were inside its systems, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) asked CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm it hired to defend against the hack, to wait one month before kicking out the intruders. Midway through the month-long wait, the hackers are said to have stolen the 40,000 emails that would eventually be published by WikiLeaks. Braziles claim gained renewed significance last month with the release of the final Russia report by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). The report (pdf) stated that the DNC was aware that the hackers had already stolen files from its systems before the postponement request described by Brazile. No one asked anyone to wait, a senior DNC official told The Epoch Times. There was a period of time between when we discovered the breach and fully remediated, but that is incredibly fast and everyone was working around the clock to get ready to totally flip our system as fast as possible. CrowdStrike spokeswoman Ilina Cashiola told The Epoch Times that the company wouldnt comment on a clients remediation strategy. Brazile didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The former DNC chairwoman wrote in her book that the committee requested the one-month delay in May 2016 because staff needed their computers during state primaries. In May, when CrowdStrike recommended that we take down our system and rebuild it, the DNC told them to wait a month, because the state primaries for the presidential election were still underway, and the party and the staff needed to be at their computers to manage these efforts. For a whole month, CrowdStrike watched Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear operating, Brazile wrote, referring to the codenames that CrowdStrike assigned to the two intruders discovered on the DNC network. Brazile became the interim chair of the DNC on July 24, 2016, less than two days after WikiLeaks published 19,252 emails and 8,034 attachments as part of the first installment of material taken from the committee. After taking over, Brazile was deeply involved in the committees cybersecurity efforts and worked directly with CrowdStrike, the FBI, and a group of more than two dozen Silicon Valley cybersecurity experts who volunteered to protect the DNCs network, according to her book. Despite her direct involvement in the aftermath of the hack, Brazile wasnt the head of the DNC during the six-week period in May and June 2016 when CrowdStrike was first engaged and the emails were taken. She didnt specify from whom she learned about the request to delay the remediation. The three most-detailed timelines of the hack and the remediationby CrowdStrike, the SSCI, and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabemake no mention of Braziles claim. CrowdStrike carried out the remediation of the DNC systems over the weekend on June 1013, 2016. If Braziles claim is true, the DNC made the request for a one-month delay on or around May 10. The date is significant because then-DNC Chief Executive Amy Dacey learned days earlier that the alleged Russian hackers had already stolen a few files from the DNC related to Trump research. The contradiction between the committee and its chairwoman is among a number of conflicting accounts about the emails that were taken from the DNC, the crime at the origin of the FBIs investigation of the Trump campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the FBI probe of the Trump campaign in May 2017, and CrowdStrike are at odds about whether the DNCs mail server was hacked and if emails were taken. Mueller alleged that Russian hackers breached the DNCs Microsoft Exchange Server between May 25 and June 1, 2016, and stole thousands of emails from the work accounts of DNC employees. CrowdStrike claims that no hack had occurred on any DNC system protected by its software. During the May 25 to June 1 hack timeframe alleged by Mueller, CrowdStrike had an armada of forensic tools deployed at the DNC, including at least 200 sensors to monitor the network, the Falcon software to defend committee systems, and the Forensic Collector software to detect historical suspicious activity. While Mueller alleged that the Russians stole thousands of emails, Shawn Henry, who led CrowdStrikes DNC remediation, told Congress that the company did not have concrete evidence that data was exfiltrated but had indicators that it was exfiltrated. With both the breach and the theft in question, the SSCIs final volume on the Russia investigation promised to provide some answers about how the DNC emails were taken. The 966-page volume, released last month, instead offered one vague sentence. Henry testified that CrowdStrike was able to see some exfiltration and the types of files that had been touched but not the content of those files. Two teenage friends turned a summer of uncertainty and fear into inspiration and hope. While many high-schoolers tried to enjoy their vacations in a new normal during a pandemic, Surya Thurumella and Arin Aggarwal, both of West Windsor, sprang to action after seeing the effects the coronavirus crisis was having on the homeless population nationwide. Thurumella felt he couldnt just sit around and do nothing as shelters faced a demand for services and supplies. I live in a community with a lot of privilege and Im thankful my family doesnt have to worry about financial stability, said Thurumella, 15, whos entering his sophomore year at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. But when the virus hit, I noticed that we took away too much focus from the homeless and I wanted to do something about it. Thurumella said he was touched by an article he read about a young man in Texas who strived to do the same deed with the homeless community and ended up raising over $9,000 for supplies. Many of us are neglecting the tremendous struggle homeless shelters are facing right now, Thurumella reflected. I wanted to make a change. Surya Thurumella says he was inspired by a Texas teen who raised funds for a homeless shelter there. Thurumella and Aggarwal brainstormed to create the Trenton Resource Project to help raise funds to purchase essential supplies like socks, underwear and hygiene products. The duo set out to initially raise $2,500 on their GoFundMe page and so far have raised more than $1,350. Thurumella reached out to Rescue Mission of Trenton to facilitate the distribution of those funds and said he was motivated by the grateful messages he received from officials at the shelter. Wed like to expand beyond this shelter and help out the less fortunate, Thurumella said. The Rescue Mission agreed with the teenagers assessments of the growing situation as unemployment and lockdowns have battered New Jerseys economy as well as around the nation. And they were thankful for their efforts and compassion. Arin and Surya decided that they needed to do something to have a positive impact in this world, said Rescue Mission Chief Operating Officer Barrett Young. Then, on their own, they chose The Mission because they wanted to help those who are hungry and homeless. Thurumella said he isnt looking for fame but feels the pandemic offers a window for empathy and charity as many continue to struggle. Surya Thurumella and Arin Aggarwal, both of West Windsor, are raising funds to help Mercer County's homeless shelters. During these tough times during the pandemic and the equality movement in our nation right now, this is the best time to make a change and give a second chance to the less fortunate, Thurumella said. It didnt take supplies or money to get started it was just about putting an idea down and getting to work. Working with young people like Surya Thurumella and Arin Aggarwal gives me great hope for the future generations in this county and country, Young said. And we look forward to continuing to work with them on future projects. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. I havent had a latte since March 12th. Im not complaining, merely stating a fact of my coronavirus life. Pre-pandemic, I purchased one every day. Most mornings, it was at Cole Valleys Wooden Coffeehouse. Id sit in a window seat, earning my keep in cold LaCroixs, talking with the owner, Steve Wickwire, about his squawking parakeet in the corner or complimenting Ivett Martinez on her latest T-shirt, as she handed me a ceramic cup brimming with a leaf-shaped swirl, before I could even order. A latte in San Francisco costs $6 or so, including tip, and you have to tip. For fun one day, my fifth-grader calculated that I had been spending $2,184 a year on coffee. Appalling, yes, but thats also $2,184 cafes are collectively losing from me alone. Ive been making coffee at home. Ive also been cooking at home. Morning, noon and night, seven days a week for my family of four. Much of my San Francisco life like much of San Francisco life itself had revolved around restaurants, until they were whisked away faster than an empty cocktail glass at Che Fico. I wasnt so much a regular at any particular restaurant as I was a regular of restaurants. Still, I had my go-tos, and from writing a column for this newspaper about regulars, I know for many people, myself included a restaurant is more than just a source of food. What Izhar Buendia, 30, appreciated most about Hayes Valleys Rich Table wasnt only the sardine chips but dropping by with his girlfriend after work, scoring two seats at the bar and sipping whatever whiskey-based cocktail was available that week. Since Nopa opened on Divisadero in 2006, George McCalman, my collaborator on the regulars column, and I have laughed and cried and closed it down like its our living room. Hovering for a seat at the bar is an Olympic sport! Ive met a couple of boyfriends sitting at the bar, says McCalman. Ive been spoiled for the experience. How can takeout compare? Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle In those first weeks, bombarded by GoFundMe and Insta-pleas, choosing who to financially support felt overwhelming, like facing a desert filled with friends who were dehydrated and now lost without a compass. Almost six months later with businesses desperately propping up parklets and slinging pizza kits it still does. As restaurant regulars, who do we save first? Can we even save anyone? A lot of diners are trying to making donations and picking up picnic packs and pimping their posts. Recently, instead of making my 163rd lunch in a row, I decided to pick up sandwiches. Standing inside the small space waiting for my order, I almost had a panic attack. There were too many customers too close for comfort. Two of them chortling 2 inches from me, noses exposed over their masks. Its not a busy counter staffs responsibility to police its customers. Then again, a small business no matter how beloved cant expect unconditional support from its COVID-conscious customers if they dont. Still, most restaurants are following the rules, working their butts off and doing their best. In turn, some diners are doubling-down and ordering out with intention. Amy Dumas, a retired wrestler and vegan, considers takeout as a way to help San Francisco. I dont want to see this city become a shell of what it was! Currently, cravings arent what dictate dinner in her house. Its Where do we want our dollars to go? Who are we going to support tonight? She skips the delivery apps, with fees that cut deep into a restaurants bottom line, and instead zips around on her Vespa, picking up pizza at Beretta; dumplings from Golden Era in the Tenderloin; mushroom skewers from her friends at the Kebabery across the Bay Bridge. It gets me out of my bubble and makes me feel connected to the community, she says. Living in a city is about contributing to your surroundings. Smiling at your neighbor. Ordering curry. Even without their beloved dining spaces, regulars are rising to the occasion. Buendia gave to Rich Tables employee fund and has ordered from its to-go menu. Its my small way of saying I believe in this community, he says. He also believes in Oaklands Tacos la San Marquena and 36-year-old Pho84, and orders from both weekly. Saramanda Swigart, who teaches writing at City College, spent $300 on meat loaf and mac n cheese at the Missions long-running Blue Plate one night because of a special that gave all profits to furloughed employees. My sister and I drove around like DoorDash, dropping food off for friends, saying hi from a distance, she says. Theyve done the same from fellow favorites like Shakewell and Shanghai Dumpling King, La Ciccia, China Live. In the absence of an economic system that takes care of people, its up to those of us who still have a salary to support, she says. Swigart, who used to work at Alices Restaurant in Woodside, also gave to a bunch of GoFundMe accounts, including 50 bucks to Mister Jius even though shes never been. I could never get in! she says, laughing. Maybe, one day, theyll be able to save me a table. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Not all the kinship of being a regular has been lost to the coronavirus. For years, Kim Caldwell and her daughter would get cute and go to Flavas Jamaican Grill once a week. Leroy makes sure everyone feels welcome, she says. In this moment, it feels especially imperative, she says, to support Black-owned restaurants. Since COVID, just picking up ackee and saltfish on a Saturday night feels like a celebration. Ill run into people and say, Hey, I saw you last week and well nod, like, Were not cooking! It feels like a night out but in. To me, cooking is what feels most right, and yet, it also feels wrong. I feel both guilty for not supporting the industry I care so much about, and good for not contributing to the endangerment of the industry I care so much about. In an effort to limit interactions, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises, I can count on two hands how many times Ive ordered takeout since the lockdown. As for eating out, outside or inside a plastic dome designed to separate the haves from the have-nots? Not once. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle But if COVID and wildfires have taught us anything, its that nothing is permanent. Not our 1,000-year-old redwoods, not our 100-old restaurants, and certainly not us. I know my occasional takeout wont save the day. Still, the other night I ordered one roast chicken for two (for four) and a Caesar salad from Zuni. My family and I sat around our kitchen table, again. Without the copper bar and expert bussers and Bob at the piano and the only worthwhile white tablecloths left in this world, it wasnt the same. Not even close. But it was still Zuni. I felt a hint of hope. Maybe, together, its the regulars who will see this through. Rachel Levin is a freelance writer who writes The Chronicles The Usual column and is a former restaurant critic. Email: food@sfchronicle.com A progressive US veterans group has hammered Donald Trump in an election ad aimed at his treatment of US service members, endangered by president's refusal to intervene in the Russian bounty scandal, according to the ad. Political action committee VoteVets, counting 700,000 veterans and their families and supporters among its members, said that the president is "panicking" and "finding any excuse to show up in military communities" following alleged threats among Russian-backed militia in Afghanistan to target US troops, as well as "unconstitutional" attempts to deploy service members into cities against other Americans. "He knows if elections were held today he'd lost the military vote in a landslide," according to the ad, quoting a recent Military Times poll that found 60 per cent of active-duty officers disapprove of his term in office. The poll, released this week, was performed before Republican and Democratic presidential nominating conventions. In a survey of 1,000 active-duty troops, nearly half had an unfavourable view of the president. Among all participants, 42 per cent said they "strongly" disapprove of the president. That same poll found that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has 41 per cent support among active-duty service members. Only 37 per cent would re-elect the incumbent. "Favourable" views of the president in Military Times polls have slipped from 46 per cent at the beginning of his presidency to 42 per cent last year. The 2020 poll reveals that only 38 per cent of respondents have a favourable view. The VoteVets ad follows another military-focussed ad from Republican Voters Against Trump, which featured several Republican veterans speaking out against the president in support of his opponent. The ad aired on Fox News during the week of the Republican National Convention. Dozens of national security officials who worked in four Republican administrations also have supported the former vice president in a platform released by Republican Voters Against Trump. "Our troops are in more danger today because of Donald Trump's betrayals," the VoteVets ad says, claiming that the president "abandoned" Kurdish allies in Syria, "playing right into Russia's hand." He "wouldn't stand up" against Russian president Vladimir Putin following the bounty controversy, igniting violent and tense confrontations between US and Russian troops, according to the ad. "His weakness emboldens the enemy," the ad says. "Now Russia is directly engaging US troops." The group has previously targeted the president's reinstatement of a ban on transgender service members and opposed the administration's move to tap military funding for construction of a US-Mexico border wall. It also was among groups demanding the administration rename military bases bearing the name of former Confederate officers. "Trump's refusal to defend America's national security is dangerous," the ad says. "His refusal to stand up for our troops is humiliating. His threat to deploy active-duty troops against American citizens is unconstitutional. So when it comes to the military vote for the next commander in chief, Trump's not leading; he's losing." Tiffany Trump has returned to New York City with her boyfriend Michael Boulos after speaking at the Republican National Convention in Washington, D.C. last week. The 26-year-old law school graduate was seen out and about with her 23-year-old beau on Tuesday before her mother Marla Maples joined them outside what appeared to be Michael's apartment building. President Donald Trump's youngest daughter and the heir to the multibillion-dollar Nigerian conglomerate Boulos Enterprises both wore masks as they made their way through the crowded streets, but 56-year-old Marla did not. Out and about: Tiffany Trump, 26, and her boyfriend Michael Boulos, 23, were seen walking in New York City wearing protective face masks on Tuesday Risking it: Tiffany's mother Marla Maples, 56, was laster seen walking to meet them sans mask, despite the crowded sidewalk Tiffany beat the heat in a navy and white patterned wrap top and a matching navy midi skirt, which she paired with white leather loafers. Unlike her older sister Ivanka, who has a tendency to match her protective face masks to her outfit, Tiffany wore a cheerful pink mask. While the president has had a wavering stance on masks, both his daughters have been seen faithfully wearing them whenever they are in public. Tiffany's mask appeared to be connected to a neck strap to ensure she doesn't lose it when she has to pull it down. The lawyer-to-be topped off her look with a pair of pink sunglasses and handbag slung over her shoulder. She also carried a small white shopping bag. Michael, meanwhile, was dressed casually in a slate gray T-shirt, khaki shorts, and black sneakers. His face mask was a basic black. Outfit of the day: Tiffany beat the heat in a navy and white patterned wrap top and a matching navy midi skirt, which she paired with white leather loafers The couple was seen leaving Tiffany's New York apartment and walking to what seemed to be Michael's place in the city. Marla was later seen walking to the building by herself sans mask, despite the number of people on the crowded sidewalk. The mother of one was dressed in a gray tank top, lilac purple leggings, and white sneakers. Her long blonde hair was in loose waves, and she had a pair of aviator sunglasses sitting on top of her head. She topped off the sporty look with an aqua backpack purse and a silver necklace with a crystal charm. Marla carried her cellphone in her hand and was looking at it as she made her way to the apartment building, where she met Michael outside. She was seen talking to Michael underneath the building's green awning as he used his T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. Strolling: Tiffany carried a small white shopping bag as she walked alongside Michael, who was dressed casually in a slate gray T-shirt, khaki shorts, and black sneakers Catching up: Michael was later seen talking to Tiffany's mother underneath the awning of what appeared to be his apartment building in New York Timeline: Marla took to Instagram to share a selfie she took in Central Park, though it's unclear if she snapped the photo before or after meeting her daughter and her boyfriend Marla later took to Instagram to share a selfie she took in Central Park, though it's unclear if she snapped the photo before or after meeting her daughter and her boyfriend. 'On my bike ride home yesterday I had to stop for a moment and appreciate one of my favorite sites in the city, "The Angel of the Waters." Created by Emma Stebbins, the first woman to receive a public art commission in NYC,' she captioned the image. 'I pray angels bless this city and bring healing just as at the Pool of Bethesda. I pray healing for hearts, minds and souls, and for those in physical distress ... May Gods perfect light embrace you and embrace all of us and inspire us to walk in peace together like never before.' It seems that Tiffany has been in New York City for the entire week, and on Sunday, Marla posted a photo of herself cuddling with her daughter's rescue cat Petals. The image appeared to have been taken in Tiffany's high-rise apartment. Tiffany and Michael have had a long-distance relationship for the past three years as she attended law school at Georgetown University. Sunset: It seems that Tiffany has been in New York City for the entire week, and on Sunday, Marla posted a photo of herself cuddling with her daughter's rescue cat Petals All together: Marla and Michael were both in Washington, D.C. to support Tiffany on the day of her speech at the Republican National Convention last week All smiles: Marla posted photos of them together to celebrate Michael's 23rd birthday on August 27 Michael, who grew up in Nigeria, was previously based in London, and it's unclear if he always had this apartment or recently acquired it after Tiffany graduated this spring. For the most part, Tiffany has kept her private life private throughout her father's presidency, and while she mentioned job-hunting in her RNC speech, she has yet to reveal where she plans on living or working now that she is done with school. Tiffany can stay in New York with her mother and older half-brothers Don Jr. and Eric or live in D.C., where she will be close to her father, stepmother Melania, half-brother Barron, and half-sister Ivanka. She would likely be welcome to join the family business as all three of her older siblings have done, with Ivanka later leaving the Trump Organization to work as a White House senior adviser. Her father, who was impeached in late 2019, joked at the time of her law school graduation that a lawyer in the family is 'just what I need.' Tiffany has yet to disclose whether she plans on taking the bar exam, but her speech at the RNC suggests that she may take on a more prominent role in her father's presidential campaign. Words: In her speech, Tiffany railed against the media, the tech giants, and the education system, suggesting they keep the American people 'mentally enslaved' Taking a stance: On Monday, Tiffany slammed her father's opponent Joe Biden after the Democrat said the president was 'poisoning our very democracy' Getting political: Tiffany told the Democratic hopeful to 'stop lying' in the rare political tweet It was a rare appearance for his youngest daughter, who gave a well-received speech four years ago at the convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where she talked about her father in personal terms, showing a different side to the GOP nominee. This time around, she took a cue from her father and older siblings and railed against the media, the tech giants, and the education system, suggesting they keep the American people 'mentally enslaved.' 'People must recognize that our thoughts, opinions, and even the choice of who we vote for are being manipulated and invisibly coerced by the media and tech giants,' the Georgetown Law graduate said. Likely speaking from experience, she said that in the academic arena, students with opposing viewpoints are 'too afraid to speak,' while the system promotes 'groupthink.' Both Marla and Michael were in D.C. to support Tiffany as she took the stage, and her mother later shared a photo of them together to celebrate Michael's 23rd birthday on August 27. Up until this week, Tiffany has largely avoided sharing political messages and attacks on her personal social media pages, but on Monday she slammed her father's opponent Joe Biden after the Democrat accused the president of 'poisoning our very democracy.' Taking to Twitter, she wrote: 'Please stop lying Joe. You may think we are too ignorant to see through the lies but God knows the truth.' Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, speaks during a press conference in the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) AFL-CIO to File Complaints Against Mexico Under New Trade Pact WASHINGTONThe largest federation of unions in the United States, the AFL-CIO, will file two complaints under the new U.S.MexicoCanada Agreement this month to enforce labor rights in Mexico, which may result in additional tariffs or other import restrictions on Mexican factories. We have tremendous concerns with Mexicos ability to enforce federal laws, Richard Trumka, president of AFL-CIO, told reporters on Sept. 3 at a virtual roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. He said that within the next 30 days, the labor federation would file two cases to prevent labor violations in Mexico, which would include using USMCAs rapid response labor mechanism. The mechanism provides a new enforcement tool that tasks an independent panel to investigate alleged violations. If a violation is found and is not remedied, the United States could impose penalties or block imports from Mexican plants involved in labor violations. If were able to block products from coming in, it will get their attention real fast, Trumka said. And they will understand theyre going to have to change and comply with the law or their products wont get to come into the country. USMCA, which replaced the NAFTA agreement, entered into force on July 1, opening a fresh era in North America free trade. Known as T-MEC in Mexico, the accord has strong labor provisions and promotes investment in the North American supply chain. Labor provisions of the new agreement hold Mexico accountable for improving workers rights, and the agreement gives the United States new enforcement authorities. Mexico passed a labor reform measure that guarantees collective bargaining and freedom of association for labor. However, the problem arises in Mexico as some companies block the implementation of reform at the state level, according to Trumka. Old protectionist unions are working closely with employers to try to prevent it, he said. This creates a challenge for Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to implement the reforms nationwide. Prominent labor lawyer Susana Prieto was arrested for three weeks in June by the State of Tamaulipas in Mexico. And two labor advocates were also kidnapped and tortured, Trumka said. Thats a clear violation of the agreement, he added. He said the labor group is in the process of working together with the U.S. Trade Representative to monitor and garner facts for those two cases. The USMCA comes at a crucial time, since it may encourage U.S. companies to bring their production closer to home and advance economic decoupling from China. The pandemic has further accelerated the need to reshore supply lines to the United States, or nearshore to Mexico and Canada, according to trade experts. This agreement is a great option to produce, create jobs, and foster trade without having to go so far away from our homes, cities, states, and nations, Lopez Obrador said during his visit to the White House in July. He pitched Mexico, saying his country has an extremely valuable asset, which is its very young, creative, and responsible labor force. The agreement contains new rules of origin on autos, which incentivize production in North America. It also promotes the use of high-wage labor, which is expected to make U.S. and Canadian workers more competitive vis-a-vis Mexican workers. Speaking at the event, Trumka also said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is doing well in the labor-strong states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In May, Trumka announced that AFL-CIO endorsed Biden for president, and he said that the labor group would focus on attracting voters to the former vice president in those three states, which were key to Trumps 2016 win. IAF chopper crash: Rajnath Singh likely to be apprised of probe team's findings in next couple of days India capable of handling Chinese aggressions in best suitable ways: CDS Bipin Rawat India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: Amid ongoing tensions at the LAC, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Thursday said the country's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in "best suitable ways". "Of late, India has been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these in the best suitable ways," Rawat was quoted as saying by PTI at an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. Rawat's remarks come after the Ministry of External Affairs said the situation witnessed in the border areas in eastern Ladakh over the past four months is a "direct result" of actions taken by China aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region. Brigadier level talks between India-China over Pangong Tso remain inconclusive In a warning to Pakistan, Rawat said the country will suffer "heavy losses" if it attempts any misadventure against India taking advantage of the border row with China. "If any threat develops around our northern borders, Pakistan could take advantage of that and create some trouble for us. Therefore, we have taken adequate precautions to ensure that any such misadventure by Pakistan is thwarted and they are not able to succeed in their mission. In fact, they may suffer heavy losses should they attempt any misadventure," Rawat said, addressing a webinar organised by an American think-tank. The Chief of Defence Staff also attacked Pakistan for its proxy war against India and "pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, attempted to spread terrorism in other parts of the country". 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. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. The support from Ukraine's international partners gives us energy for fruitful work, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said after meeting with the ambassadors of the G7 countries. Meetings with the ambassadors of the G7 countries are especially important for me because the support from stalwart friends of Ukraine energizes for fruitful work. I am grateful to our partners for constructive dialogue and exchange of views on topical issues, Shmyhal wrote on Twitter on September 3. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas previously said that the ambassadors of the G7 countries at a meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal discussed the issues of PrivatBank court cases, legal situation around anti-corruption bodies, energy market and other topical issues. On September 2, Kyivs Pechersk District Court ruled that PrivatBank must pay $350 million to the companies owned by Surkis brothers. The Finance Ministry of Ukraine has stated it does not agree with the courts ruling and will continue to protect the interests of the state and the bank. ish The seventh Tibet Work Forum was held in Beijing on August 28 and 29. Delhi should be deeply concerned at a time India faces a precarious situation in Ladakh, because the TWF defines China's western border policies, observes Claude Arpi. IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 28, 2020. Photograph: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters An important event took place on August 28 and 29. The seventh Tibet Work Forum (TWF) was held in Beijing. While the previous one (the sixth), organised on August 24 and 25, 2015, completely escaped the Indian (and the world) media, this one got immediate coverage; indeed, it is a crucial event not only as far it concerns the fate of the Roof of the World, but also for the presently-tense Indian frontiers. What exactly is a Work Forum on Tibet? A Tibet Work Forum usually decides the fate of Tibet for the next five to 10 years. Delhi should be deeply concerned at a time India faces a precarious situation in Ladakh, because the TWF also defines China's western border policies. The fifth Forum was held in Beijing in January 2010; the four previous ones were organised in 1980, 1984, 1994 and 2001. A Work Forum (or Conference) is attended by 200 to 300 officials, including the entire politburo (with the standing committee standing on the dais), the People's Liberation Army (including the all-powerful members of the Central Military Commission), party secretaries of at least five provinces, representatives from different ministries, as well as local satraps posted in Tibet. The seventh TWF has been given large publicity; the TV report lasted more than 14 minutes, mostly quoting the 'People's Leader' Xi Jinping and showing the large 'masked' attendance (including the chief of the PLA Navy!); a detailed report (in Communist jargon) was immediately issued. The select attendance shows Tibet's extreme importance for the Communist Party. The sixth TWF, presided over by Xi, pleaded for more efforts to promote economic growth and bring about an inclusive social progress for Tibet and the Tibetan-inhabited areas; in 2015, Xi vowed to implement sustainable measures and continue preferential policies for the mountainous region which "has entered a critical stage toward fulfilling the country's [China] goal of building a moderately prosperous society in a comprehensive way." Note that the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan-inhabited areas of four provinces (Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan) were clubbed together as far as Beijing's policies for Tibet were concerned. IMAGE: Tibetan Buddhist monks look at a giant Thangka displayed at the Tashilhunpo monastery in Shigatse, Tibetan Autonomous Region, China, July 17, 2019. Photograph: He Penglei/CNS/Reuters The timing of the Forum The TWF comes two months before the fifth plenum of the Communist party of China, which will have to take difficult decisions for the Middle Kingdom's shaky economy and also at a time Beijing is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the creation of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), which has never really been autonomous; additionally, a tense situation prevails on the border with India. The fifth TWF resulted in poverty alleviation schemes and the construction of hundreds of 'moderately-well-off' villages ('ghettos', say the Tibetans), particularly close to the border with India. There is no doubt that it is easier to control the masses when they are sedentary and settled in well-connected villages (via WiFi); when the whereabouts and actions of the villagers can be controlled through their mobile phones. In 2015, Xi mentioned his well-known theory about the 'border areas': 'Governing border areas is the key for governing a country, and stabilising Tibet'; since the month of May, we understand better why China wants to stabilise and control its borders with India. Xi's language was not very different this time. IMAGE: Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama, appointed by the Chinese government. Photograph: cnsphoto/Reuters No Monks, Not many Tibetans But looking at the TV report, one is struck by a few images. First, no monk attended the Forum. For a society which has traditionally been based on the 'Harmonious Blend of Religion and Politics', it is strange to say the least. Even Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese selected Panchen Lama, a favourite of the Chinese media, was nowhere to be seen. He is probably too young (and unsafe) for the Communist hierarchy. His predecessor, the tenth Panchen Lama, first a stooge of the Communists, had revolted and became one of the most ardent Tibetan patriots when he was released from jail in early 1980. It is not only the lamas who were missing in action, but as far one can recognise the masked faces (only members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo were exempted from wearing masks), hardly any Tibetans were present; although all the speeches (and the TWF itself) were around the welfare of the 'masses of all ethnic groups' in Tibet. 'All ethnic groups in Tibet' is a way to mention the large migration of Hans on the plateau. The Ten Musts In his speech, Xi Jinping emphasised The Ten Musts to 'fully implement the party's strategy of governing Tibet in the new era'; he went through ten areas or 'musts'. The objective, he observed, was to build a new socialist modern Tibet that is 'united, prosperous, civilised, harmonious and beautiful.' Xi elaborated on 'forging a sense of the community of the Chinese nation, improving the quality of development, ensuring and improving people's livelihood, promoting the construction of ecological civilisation, strengthening the party's organisation and regime building, ensuring national security and long-term stability, ensuring the continuous improvement of people's living standards, ensuring a good ecological environment, and ensuring the consolidation of border defence and security, and finally striving to build a new socialist modern Tibet.' That is the Ten-Point Programme. The Communist party's general secretary pointed out: 'Practice has fully proved that the Party Central Committee's policies on Tibet work are completely correct, and that Tibet's sustained, stable and rapid development is an important contribution to the overall work of the party and the country.' He congratulated the comrades struggling on the 'snowy plateau', especially the cadres who serve on the frontline (read, the border with India). IMAGE: His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Photograph: TT News Agency/Johan Nilsson/Reuters Follow the Party The new great helmsman further explained: 'To do a good job in Tibet, we must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy.' Although Xi loves to speak about regional autonomy, it is clear that the Tibetans do not have much say in the matter. Why, for example, 70 years after the so-called 'liberation' of Tibet, hasn't any ethnic Tibetan been made party secretary in Tibet? No Tibetan has ever made it to the politburo? The reason is that the Han still do not trust the Tibetans. One can only wonder where does the Dalai Lama's Middle Path fit in all this? Xi continued his long speech (qualified as 'important' by the Chinese propaganda): 'We must adhere to the strategic thinking that governing the country must govern the borders and stabilise Tibet before governing. It is necessary to maintain the unity of the motherland and strengthen national unity as Tibet's work.' He went on in the same vein, speaking of 'enriching the people and rejuvenating Tibet, uniting people's hearts, and consolidating the foundation.' It is clear that the hearts of the Tibetans have not so far been 'unified with the motherland'; this will be probably what Xi and his colleagues try to achieve during the coming years, by building more infrastructure, bringing more tourists and assimilating in different ways the recalcitrant Tibetans into the Chinese nation (by integrating them into the PLA, for example). A copper wall and iron wall Xi Jinping pointed out that it was necessary to 'extensively mobilise the masses to participate in the struggle against separatism, and form a copper wall and iron wall for maintaining stability.' 'It is necessary to carry out in-depth education on the history of the party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialist development, and the history of the relationship between Tibet and the motherland.' In other words, indoctrination of the Tibetan masses and the fight against the Dalai Lama and his followers, are the need of the day for Beijing. Buddhism has an important place in the scheme, but the Communist party strives to 'actively guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to the socialist society and promote the Sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism.' One could call it 'Buddhism with Marxist characteristics'. Infrastructure Development Worrying for India is the large-scale development of infrastructure on the plateau; Xi spoke of promoting 'the construction of a number of major infrastructure and public service facilities around the Sichuan-Tibet railway construction and other projects, and build more solidarity lines and happiness roads.' Other projects could be a railway line from Tibet to Xinjiang across Aksai Chin and a new route between Tibet and Xinjiang (the G216 highway). Xi added: 'It is necessary to strengthen the construction of border areas and adopt special support policies to help border residents improve their production and living conditions and solve their worries.' One wishes India would make the same resolution and help its own border populations. The Old Spirit? Like five years ago, Xi mentioned the 'Old Tibet Spirit', referring to the first Communist cadres who went to Tibet in the early 1950s: 'They (present cadres) should not lack the spirit, even if they lack oxygen, they should not be afraid of hardship, or the higher altitude.' 'They should continue to enhance their sense of responsibility and mission' and he added: 'It is necessary to care for Tibetan cadres and workers, improve and implement various supporting policies such as wage income, housing, medical treatment, children's schooling, and retirement placement, so as to solve their worries.'; The Tibetans still are at the centre of the scheme, though they are hardly asked about their aspirations or their opinion. In any case, all this does bode not well for the Tibetans in India (who will soon face a general election for a new 'president') and for the Indian border areas, whether in Ladakh or elsewhere on the northern frontier, which need more attention from the Indian government. Claude Arpi is a regular contributor to Rediff.com. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/ Rediff.com MIAMI: Colombias police chief is calling on a former U.S. Green Beret behind a plot to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro to answer for his crimes in the South American country. Gen. Oscar Atehorta made the announcement a day after police arrested four Venezuelans tied to clandestine camps where he said American war veteran Jordan Goudreau helped arm and train a small cadre of volunteers to carry out the cross-border incursion. They were planning from Colombia territory, destabilizing actions with the goal of undermining our institutions, Atehorta said at a news conference alongside President Ivn Duque. He said the FBI and U.S. National Security Council assisted in the five-month investigation. The Associated Press on May 1 revealed the existence of the secret camps and Goudreaus involvement in the bizarre plot. Two days later, despite being exposed, a small contingent went ahead anyway and were quickly stopped by Maduros security forces, which claims to have killed eight of the mercenaries and arrested dozens of others, including two of Goudreaus special forces buddies, Luke Denman and Airan Berry. Goudreau in interviews the day of the raid from Florida took responsibility for the battlefield defeat but blamed Venezuelas opposition, which he said recruited him to spur regime change and then got cold feet. Maduro, in a propaganda coup, blamed the Trump administration, which has denied playing any role in the endeavor. Of the four arrested Wednesday, two are brothers of Capt. Antonio Sequea, who commanded the failed beach raid and is now imprisoned in Venezuela. Also detained in Colombia is Rayder Ruso, a civilian whom Maduro has implicated in a 2018 assassination attempt at a military parade using a explosives-laden drone. But Atehorta saved his harshest words for the fourth suspect, Yacsy lvarez, who he said worked with Goudreau and retired Venezuelan Gen. Cliver lcala to procure weapons using illicit funds from abroad and instructing the volunteers in close quarter combat techniques. He said a cache of assault rifles, sniper telescopes and night vision goggles seized by police on March 23 was destined for the camps along Colombias Caribbean coast. Three days later, a New York federal court indicted lcala on unrelated narcotics charges. Before surrendering, he claimed ownership of the weapons, saying they belonged to the Venezuelan people." ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman 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 Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, the Commander of the Russian Airborne troops, poses for a group photo with the best shooters of the Chinese team. (Photo by Shuai Shaopeng) By Lai Yuhong,Shuai Shaopeng and Liu Kuizhao MOSCOW, Sept. 3 -- Recently, with the International Army Games 2020 (IAG 2020) coming to an end, the results of various competitions have been released one after another. In the "Airborne Platoon" and "Open Water" contests that have ended, the Chinese teams have achieved good results. The closing ceremony of the Airborne Platoon contest of IAG 2020 was held at the Zavelichye shooting range in Pskov Region, Russia, on September 1, local time. After eight days of fierce competition, the total score of the Chinese team ranked third among the 11 participating countries. In the airborne assembly and 10km rapid march contest during the first stage, Chinese platoon won the first place, as well as the Combat Spirit Award for the first time. As the performance of all crew members was outstanding, the Chinese team as a whole has won the Best Team Award. Since the debut in IAG 2015, the Chinese air-borne troops have taken part in six consecutive competitions. As for this year, most of the 32 team members are green hands in IAG contests. On the morning of September 2, the finals of the Open Water contest was held on the Oka River in Murom of Russia. Under difficult conditions such as unfamiliar equipment and unfamiliar venues, the Chinese participants competed with their Russian counterparts and finally won the second place in the overall evaluation, as well as two best winner prizes on subjects including engineering reconnaissance patrol, etc. As Donald Trump continues to insist the November election will be stolen from him, former president Bill Clinton has mockingly said the incumbent will still be refusing to leave the White House on Joe Bidens inauguration day. During an Instagram interview with American Urban Radios April Ryan, Mr Clinton and his wife made it clear they expected Mr Trump to put up a fight even after he lost. I was just thinking he probably wont even come to Bidens inauguration. Hell be stacking sandbags in front of the White House, joked the former president. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, warned that the Democrats should not underestimate what the Trump campaign will do to win. Do not concede under any circumstances. Because I believe the other side is going to cheat and sneak and do everything they can were going to be resolved, and were going to be strong, and were going to be on that front line, and were going to get our country back. Mr Trump, who is polling behind Joe Biden both nationally and in many crucial swing states, he has many times declined to promise he will accept the result of the election if he loses, although there is nothing to indicate he will reject the result if he wins. As the polls have refused to shift in his direction over the summer, the president has ramped up his claims the election is going to be the most inaccurate or most corrupt in American history, citing the massive expansion in the use of mail-in ballots without any evidence of widespread fraud. (He votes by mail himself.) Mr Trump at one point said he had considered delaying the election, which does not fall within the presidents authority. Yesterday, he went so far as to say voters in North Carolina should submit mail ballots and then attempt to vote in person as well, a suggestion that many critics point out may have violated a North Carolina law making it a felony to induce others to vote fraudulently. The presidents persistent assault on the elections integrity joined in by many of his allies has been vigorously rejected by Democrats, who have mounted an all-fronts effort to support mail-in voting, including by bringing the CEO of the US Postal Service up for questioning before a House of Representatives Committee. Mr Biden, meanwhile, has warned Mr Trump that should he refuse to leave power after losing, he will be removed by the army if necessary. You have so many rank and file military personnel saying, well, were not a military state, this is not who we are, Mr Biden told The Daily Show in June. I promise you, Im absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch. The state human rights watchdog has given the foreign ministry a recommendation of measures with regard to a sexual abuse case involving a South Korean diplomat once stationed in New Zealand, officials said Thursday. Ministry officials said they would take "necessary steps" in response to the National Human Rights Commission's nonbinding recommendation, but they refused to reveal details of the recommendation, citing the sensitivity of the issue and its internal assessment of the recommendation. A former local employee at Korea's Embassy in Wellington has accused the senior diplomat of groping him on three occasions in 2017, a case that resurfaced after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in July phone talks with President Moon Jae-in. "The ministry received the commission's recommendation and will take necessary steps after thoroughly poring over related content," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. A government institution is supposed to hand in its implementation plan within 90 days of its receipt of the commission's recommendation, though it is not legally binding. The diplomat in question was moved to a new post in the Philippines in 2018 and was disciplined with a reduction in salary for a month. He recently came back home at the ministry's order after the case resurfaced. (Yonhap) Amid a raging controversy over Facebook's alleged political bias and interference in India's democratic process, the social media giant has told the Congress that it is non-partisan, denounces hate and bigotry in all forms and strives to ensure that its platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. IMAGE: Mark Zuckerberg during his visit to Taj Mahal in Agra. Photograph: PTI Photo Responding to concerns raised by the opposition Congress, Facebook's Public Policy, Trust and Safety Director Neil Potts has said that it has taken the party's allegation of bias very seriously and will ensure that it remains non-partisan and is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity. The Congress accused Facebook of interfering in India's democratic process and social harmony and being soft on members of the ruling BJP on applying its hate-speech rules. The Congress had written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg following reports by the Wall Street Journal and the Time magazine about the conduct of Facebook and WhatsApp India's leadership team, alleging bias and proximity with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "We take seriously the concerns and recommendations you raised on behalf of the Indian National Congress... First and foremost, we want to take this opportunity to state that we are non-partisan and strive to ensure that our platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias seriously and want to make clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in all forms," Potts said in the letter, dated September 1. In his letter to All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, who had written to Zuckerberg twice, Potts said, "On the question of hateful content by public figures, we want to assure you that our Community Standards prohibit attacks against people based on their protected characteristics, including religion, caste, ethnicity, and national origin. In line with our hate speech policy, we have removed and will continue to remove hateful content by public figures in India on our platforms." Facebook is at the centre of a raging political debate in the country with both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress accusing it of colluding and influencing opinion. The BJP has accused the social media giant's employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and "abusing" Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. In a three-page letter to Zuckerberg, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad flagged the social media platform's alleged "bias and inaction" by individuals in the Facebook India team on complaints by people supportive of right-of-centre ideology. Veterans able to find jobs in an economy devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic will face the continuing problem of "underemployment" in positions unsuited to their skills, according to a new study. The underemployment issue is particularly concerning for former enlisted troops from fields such as the infantry who lack a college degree, said Thomas Mahnken, author of the report for the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Read Next: Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor for Iraq Hostage Rescue Service members transitioning out of the military tend to "enter the workforce a step behind their civilian counterparts" in terms of familiarity with the language, requirements and responsibilities of the corporate world, Mahnken said Wednesday. Much of the report, titled "Addressing Veteran Unemployment: A Case Study," went over the well-trod groundwork of other studies on veteran employment, such as the difficulty in adapting to the civilian workplace after committing to the military's hierarchical structure and team-oriented mission. One of the partial solutions to the underemployment issue is a corporate mentorship program in which civilian business leaders would advise a veteran once a month for a year on navigating the job market, Mahnken said in a webinar co-hosted with retired Gen. Jack Keane, a Silver Star recipient in Vietnam and former Army vice chief of staff. The 17-page report singled out the program at American Corporate Partners (ACP), which calls on executives to assist in mentoring transitioning service members once a month for a year. ACP mentors assist veterans on how to "translate military skills into workplace attributes," Mahnken said, and also how to engage with colleagues and advocate for themselves. About 17,000 veterans have gone through the program nationwide, he said. In 2019, more than 1,900 veterans who participated said they had obtained what they called "meaningful" employment, according to the report. Keane said he was stating the obvious in noting that there is "a much more significant challenge for our veterans going forward" in an economy with double-digit unemployment rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACP program can contribute in preparing veterans for the challenge while also having the side effect of having the corporate leaders "become a catalyst within their own companies" for appreciating what veterans have to offer to their businesses. "They've got enormous personal attributes" and can make a difference "if given a chance," Keane said of the veterans. "There has to be some empathy, some appreciation" for their service, he added. "There has to be some willingness to understand and trust who this person is and how they can contribute." Apply for the ACP mentorship program was on its website here. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: As Veterans Battle Pandemic Isolation, Organizations Adapt to Meet Their Needs Tokyo, Sep 4 : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, explained his decision to resign due to health issues, the country's Foreign Ministry said. According to the ministry, in the conversation lasted for 20 minutes, Abe emphasized the importance for Japan to work and cooperate with international organisations in the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. Guterres expressed his wish for Japan to continue its collaborative approach in combating the pandemic, the ministry said. Abe announced his decision last week to step down owing to an intestinal disease. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text After three years working abroad, Sam, 25, will be starting graduate school in September, and he is looking for something serious. However, Date Lab did not seem very promising, either: I was terrified about this happening, he said. My name and picture are going to be searchable, and people are going to know about this. He called his friends and mom for advice on how to approach his very public first date. Their advice: Just be yourself. So he dressed nicely, but not too nice, settling on a white shirt and jeans and lots of hair gel Im from New Jersey, he explained with a list of questions open on his laptop in case things turned awkward. He also enjoyed some rock and rye liquor, whiskey that he and his dad distill in a cask with rock candy and grapefruit. Its a bit of a family tradition, he said. Eleven people were injured Wednesday afternoon following a four-vehicle chain reaction crash on Route 1 in Woodbridge, police said. The crash happened at 12:03 p.m. when a Toyota Tundra was stopped at a traffic light on Route 1 north at the highways intersection with Randolph Avenue and was rear-ended by a Lexus ES 330, Woodbridge Police Sgt. Phil Agosta told NJ Advance Media. The Lexus then hit a Chevy Trailblazer and the Toyota struck a Subaru Outback, Agosta said. The driver of the Lexus was flown to University Hospital in Newark with a serious leg injury, and the other six passengers, which included five juveniles, were taken by ambulance to the same hospital with moderate injuries, he said. Three men in the Tundra and another man in the Trailblazer were also taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said. The driver of the Subaru was not injured and was able to drive away once police cleared the scene. The highway was closed for nearly four hours while police investigated the crash. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Two teens were killed and two others were injured in a quadruple shooting on South Philadelphia Wednesday night. The shooting occurred around 8:15 p.m. on the 1800 block of Moore Street. One 17-year-old was shot multiple times, and another 17-year-old was shot in the chin, chest and right arm, NBC 10 is reporting. Both were rushed to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead within minutes of each other. Another 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were injured in the shooting, and both are in stable condition, reports indicate. Philadelphia police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said three gunmen walked up to the group and opened fire, leaving 23 shell casings at the scene, Action News 6 ABC is reporting. Outlaw told reporters she and others are feeling outraged, sad and disheartened at the violence. Each and every time, it appears as though our victims are getting younger and younger, Outlaw told NBC 10. Its very difficult to wrap our head around. She added this is yet another person that doesnt have an opportunity to leave their legacy, reports indicate. More than 300 people have been killed so far this year in Philadelphia, which is a 31 percent increase from last year and the most since 2007, reports indicate. 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 Delhi court has rejected the bail plea of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) student Asif Iqbal Tanha, who was arrested under a stringent anti-terror law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a case related to the communal violence in north-east Delhi in February that left 53 people dead. The court, while rejecting the bail, said the statements of the protected witnesses in the case reflected the role of many suspects, including Tanha, regarding the protest sites and how everything was planned. The statements clearly point out the role of the accused, Asif lqbal Tanha, as also other co-accused persons and various actions taken by them in pursuance of the conspiracy. He was part of a conspiracy for doing chakka-jam, leading to the riots. His name comes out in statements of witnesses as one of the main coordinators in the entire conspiracy, additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat said in his order dated September 2. considering the statement of such witnesses regarding the role of Tanha and other accused persons, I have no hesitation to hold that there are reasonable ground for believing that accusations against the accused are prima facie true..., the judge said in his order. Tanha, a BA third-year student in Persian, was arrested in May in connection with the north-east Delhi riots. Tanha, who is in judicial custody, had been earlier arrested in connection with the violence outside Jamia Millia university during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December last year. The 24-year old student was arrested for the second time on May 19 . Dismissing his bail plea, the court said the freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution of India granted Tanha the power to oppose any legislation and peacefully protest and it was subject to reasonable restrictions. Thus, what has to be seen is the context, manner of expressing the dissent and various acts associated with it. It has to be some acts in pursuance of a conspiracy by various means, it said. Appearing for Tanha, advocates Siddharth Aggarwal and Sowjhanya Shankaran, said he was falsely implicated in the case. They said the invocation of UAPA against him was bad in law as there was no unlawful association or terrorist organisation with which he was associated. They said Tanha was not a member of Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) WhatsApp group till February 24, and therefore, the messages on February 23 regarding the alleged planning of riots were not relevant to him. There has been no recovery of the money trail and no payment has been ascribed to him from any objectionable source, Tanhas lawyers said. Police say members of the JCC, a group of Jamia students and alumnus formed in December 2019, planned the riots. The group has denied the allegations. Tanha said his premises were not searched and no evidence was collected against him. No incriminating material or arms or ammunition was recovered from him, he said. Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing for Delhi police, opposed the bail plea, saying Tanha was one of the conspirators and involved with other accused persons and that there was sufficient material for establishing a prima facie case against him. The public prosecutor said there was a conspiracy hatched to cause communal riots in Delhi and it was multi-layered and deep-rooted. Communal riots had broken out in north-east Delhi in February this year, leaving 53 dead and over 400 injured. The Delhi Police in their reports before the court have said that the riots were planned at the Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest sites by some student leaders, activists, and local politicians. The arrested suspects have accused police of targeting anti-government voices. Andersen Global continues to extend its reach through a Collaboration Agreement with Haitian consulting firm GECA, continuing the organization's rapid expansion in the Caribbean market. Founded in 2012, GECA, specializing in management, financial studies, and accounting, has continued to expand its scope to include tax and legal services and is one of the few firms in the country with global reach. Led by Managing Partner Johann Alexis Bounouni as well as three other Haitian women, the firm operates with a team of over 40 certified experts, widely recognized both nationally and internationally, providing fully integrated solutions. "Our collaboration with Andersen Global strengthens our firm's foundation and demonstrates our commitment to stewardship and best-in-class service," Johann said. "Our goal is to be the leading firm in our market, and this collaboration combines Andersen Global's expertise and global reach with our firm's experience and multidisciplinary skills, which will allow us to scale and continue to meet the complex needs of our clients." "Johann and her team have shown their dedication to independence and transparency through their client interactions over the years," Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO Mark Vorsatz said. "GECA has a platform that is complementary to other collaborating firms in the area, which strengthens the synergistic approach critical to our success. We've established a growing presence in the region, and this collaboration is another strategic addition to our expansion in the Caribbean market." Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 6,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 195 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005083/en/ Contacts: Megan Tsuei Andersen Global 415-764-2700 Vedanta Resources said on Wednesday that the book value of the equity share of its Indian subsidiary as per the delisting regulations is Rs 89.38 per share. The book value of the company's (Indian) flagship arm Vedanta Ltd (VEDL) was reviewed by the company's advisors and is calculated by dividing the net worth of VEDL's equity by its total number of outstanding equity shares. Net worth also comprises reserves and surplus. Also Read: Anil Agarwal announces plans to delist Vedanta from BSE, NSE Vedanta Resources had in May announced its plans to voluntarily delist the equity shares of VEDL. "As an additional disclosure, we would like to inform that the book value of VEDL's (Vedanta Ltd) equity shares as per delisting regulations (Book Value), for the year ended March 31, 2020, is Rs 89.38 per share, as extracted from the audited consolidated financial statements of VEDL," Vedanta Resources said in a statement on Wednesday. Book value signifies the intrinsic value of the company's shares as on a particular date. So, the book value price sets an indicative floor price for the reverse book building process. Vedanta has already received shareholders' nod for delisting of the company. Xiaomi launched its new budget handset the Redmi Note 9 last month in the country. The new smartphone is now the third handset alongside the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max under the companys Redmi Note 9 series. The highlight features of the phone include a quad-camera setup at the back, a large 5,020mAh battery and it is also the first handset in India to introduce the MediaTek Helio G85 processor. The Redmi Note 9 is priced at Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant while the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant comes with a price tag of Rs 14,999. There is also a 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant but the pricing has not been revealed. The handset will go on sale via Amazon and Mi.com starting at 12PM noon. Sale offers include a 5-percent instant discount on HSBC Cashback cards, a 5-percent cashback for Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit card users with Prime subscription, and a 3-percent cashback for the same non-Prime cardholders. Apart from that, there is the option of no-cost EMIs for select cards. The Redmi Note 9 features a 6.53-inch Dot Display which means it comes with a hole-punch design. However, unlike the Note 9 Pro series, it has the hole sitting on the top left corner. The display offers 19.5:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The handset is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 processor with up to 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of storage with the option of expansion using a microSD card of up to 512GB. The quad-camera setup at the back features a 48-megapixel Samsung GM1 sensor with an f/1.79 lens. There is also an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.4 lens. At the front, there is a 13-megapixel camera sensor for selfies. Other features include 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C port, an infrared blaster and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a fingerprint sensor at the back along with P2i hydrophobic nano-coating. The 5,020mAh battery 22.5W fast charging along with 9W reverse charging. Xiaomi is also bundling the fast 22.5W charger in the box. The phone will be offered in three colours- Aqua Green, Arctic White, and Pebble Grey. Years ago, and I mean years, I had a friend who was mentoring a journalism student. I wont say which journalism school, because this is embarrassing. We were out for dinner one night and she was hanging on his every word as he was regaling her and two other students with stories about the good ol days. Suddenly, she said: Youre making this up. Im what? he said. Youre making this up. There are no places in the world named Flin Flon. Or Moose Jaw. After recovering from surprise shock, actually, this young woman was in university, remember he explained to her that they were towns in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The next time I saw her, I gave her an atlas. Read up on Canada, I said. If you want to write about this country for newspapers or be a producer on The National (just about all the journalism students Ive talked to recently want jobs on The National), it might be a good idea to know the geography of the place. Unfortunately, she isnt the only one. Canadians, as a whole, dont really know their country. I can say that without doubt. This starts with the politicians, who fly everywhere. They go here, there and everywhere in Canada, but they look down on most of it. I guarantee that a railroad engineer or a cross-country bus driver or a long-distance trucker is going to know more about the country than a cabinet minister. And ordinary Canadians I hate that phrase; what is ordinary about anybody? arent any better. Often, its not their fault. When I was young and we went on vacation, my dad had two weeks off and we always drove to Nova Scotia because hed been a kid there and still had family. It wasnt till Id started in the newspaper business and was in my 20s that I made it west of Ontario. Yes, Canadians might know where Ottawa is, and Fredericton, and Edmonton and, yes, Flin Flon, but that doesnt mean they really know anything about those places. But the expression, every cloud has a silver lining, couldnt be truer than when applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whats that, you say? Theres something good to say about COVID-19? Well, yes. Kind of. The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine, Roxane Barry, who works in automotive. After we got the business out of the way, I asked her how she was dealing with the pandemic. I went on vacation, she laughed. My partner and I got on Air Canada and we flew to Calgary and we rented an RV and we explored Alberta. It was wonderful. The RV had been disinfected and it was our home. We felt very comfortable and safe. And, Norris, there was nobody at the airport; it was empty. But those who were there wore masks. There were people cleaning everything, over and over. They took our temperature several times. The plane was the same so very clean. I can honestly tell you that I felt safer at the airport and on the plane than I do when I go out for groceries. But then, Roxane who is a planner, product communications, for Nissan Canada got serious. Usually, when I have vacation, I go home to France. I am so glad that I couldnt this time. Because of COVID-19, you cant really go outside the country and so we had to go somewhere in Canada and I am so thankful that it happened this way. I would never have realized what a beautiful country we have if I hadnt been forced to stay here. I enjoyed what she said about the RV. I wrote a month or so ago that the best way to go on vacation this summer would be by motorhome and more and more people have opted to go that route. And she and her partner loved it. It was so wonderful to park the RV and to go walking on the trails, she said. The Rockies are magnificent and when you go walking, like we did, you feel so close to nature. We saw a bear; it didnt pay us any attention because it was eating its berries. The park ranger told us if we saw a bear to stop and then slowly move away, which we did. We often forget how beautiful the planet is and we should really take care of it. To have what we have in Canada, I feel so privileged. It took a pandemic for this woman and her partner to discover the wonders of just one province other than their own. And she was so enthusiastic about it that she got me excited and Im already thinking about my next road trip. You? When wildfire season starts in California, Danielle Allen thinks of her cousin, Michael Allen Alexander, who was a firefighter while incarcerated at California Rehabilitation Center, a state prison in Riverside County. It brings my cousin his best self into my spirit, Allen said, choking back tears during our phone conversation last week. Its a paradox. The fires are a terrible, terrible thing, but they give me my cousin in various ways. In Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A., Allens 2016 memoir, she writes that firefighting gave Alexander, who grew up in desolate South Central Los Angeles, a purpose. State law barred Alexander from making a living as a firefighter immediately after he was released. Sentenced to prison as a teenager, he was found shot to death in the passenger seat of a car in Los Angeles before turning 30. Its this weird mixture of despair that comes from the dawning realization that you dont get to build on what youve done, said Allen, a professor and political theorist at Harvard University. Every year, several thousand California prisoners volunteer to help the state fight wildfires, but they cant get a full-time firefighting job upon release. That could soon change. On Monday, state legislators passed AB2147, a bill that would make it easier for formerly incarcerated people to become firefighters. Right now, criminal records prevent them from becoming emergency medical technicians, a required certification for firefighters. The bill, authored 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. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign the legislation. We say that we believe in second chances, we believe in redemption, yet ... these young people and many of them are very young, who made stupid mistakes, they were sentenced and they served their time, Reyes told me. But in the end, it becomes a life sentence. Reyes bill is about so much more than firefighting, because it symbolizes much larger issues: the carceral nature of this country, and the punitive barriers that impede reintegration into society. Because of licensing, firefighting is just one of many out-of-reach professions for the formerly incarcerated. The problem with the firefighting program is that it is predicated on mass incarceration, whereas we should flip the equation, Allen told me. Firefighting was great for Michael, but what we need is a system responding to offenses that relies, in the first instance, on that kind of work-release program and not on incarceration. In the United States, more than 2 million men, women and children are incarcerated, by far the most in the world. Thats because the U.S. locks up people at a higher rate than any other country. In 2018, about 830 people per 100,000 adults were in custody, according to a report released last month by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Thats lower than the high of 1,000 per 100,000 in 2008. While the number of Black prisoners has steadily declined, Black men are still imprisoned at a rate almost 6 times that of white men. In California, the imprisonment rate for Black men is 10 times the rate for white men, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. In 1994, California passed the three strikes law, which significantly increased the punishment for felony convictions. The law was supposed to be a deterrent for repeat offenders. Driven by fear of rising crime, California prosecutors charged juveniles as adults, and judges sent them to jails and prisons. Thats what happened to Alexander, who committed three robberies and an attempted carjacking in a three-day period in September 1995. He was 15, and sentenced to 12 years and eight months. He was released at 26. Every problem we have in society, were trying to solve through the criminal justice system, which no one else does, said Nora Demleitner, a Washington and Lee University law professor, pointing out that countries such as Germany have low incarceration rates because, in Germanys case, it instead directs offenders to work-release and service programs. I think were forgetting how much money is in our criminal justice system. Its almost like its too big to fail at this point. 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 Prison Policy Initiative estimates that incarceration costs $182 billion a year. Sonja Tonnesen, deputy director of programs for Root & Rebound, an Oakland nonprofit that advocates for families and communities harmed by mass incarceration, said many clients want to enter helping professions. They want to become nurses, doctors, public defenders and social workers. We see these licensing barriers preventing people whove actually had personal impact from the system and understand the harm of poverty and racism and incarceration from them giving back to communities who would so profoundly benefit from their wisdom and lived experience, she said. Because of climate change, wildfires are now an annual concern. Already this summer, the state has had a shortage of firefighters to battle the fires that have scorched almost 2 million acres, burned more than 3,000 homes and other structures and killed seven people. There are people, including the recently released, seeking an opportunity to work. I think people underestimate how much energy formerly incarcerated people and their families pour into trying to navigate this maze of impossibilities and difficulties, Allen said. So you start feeling like a kind of laboratory animal in a maze thats designed to have no exit. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Mondays and Thursdays. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr Deciding on the punishment is the job of the courts and a state government cannot assume that responsibility. The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the charges under National Security Act against Dr Kafeel Khan to be dropped and released him from the preventive custody. While ordering the release, the court based its reasoning on the traditional understanding of our Constitution as a limitation on the functions of the State. This means that the constitutional rights cant be violated by the governments, irrespective of the fact which politician or political party is in power. The court argued: The system of governance is to promote fraternity with assurance to maintain the dignity of every individual as well as unity and integrity of the nation. The strong and valuable fabric of our nation is well designed with support of fundamental rights given in Part-III of the Constitution. These rights are golden thread in the fabric, which is further illuminated by extending protection of life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The court has argued here that the idea of the nation as dictated by our Constitution cant be without the essential ingredients of fraternity and protection of fundamental rights. Interestingly, the court has relied on the intent of the government more to arrive at the conclusion, rather than mere facts. It has agreed with the fact that the speech, in certain parts by, Khan is problematic but how the State machinery reacted to it, was not right either. The court has explicitly pointed out that the speech was made on 12 December, 2019, but Khan was only charged under NSA on 13 February, 2020, and later taken into preventive custody. This was done because he was released by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court on the very same day, but the state government acted with a mala fide intent and was taken into custody again. Preventive detention as a concept, where a person is apprehended solely because the authorities have a "hunch" that something could go wrong even before an actual crime is committed, should be rarely used by democratic governments. In Khans case, he was charged under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, for which he was given bail by the CJM court in Aligarh on 10 February, 2020. However, the Uttar Pradesh government didnt release him. The second release order, which was issued on 13 February, was respected, but he was taken into preventive custody soon after. The series of events are enough to argue that the mala fide intentions of the Uttar Pradesh government are writ large here. Such arbitrary behaviour by any government is unsustainable under any constitutional order and the system of rule of law. It goes against the Constitution as well as the judiciary. The mere wish of a state government to keep a person in detention will never be enough to divest someone of their personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21. There can be no contesting the fact that the proceedings against Dr Khan under Section 153A could be legitimate. But deciding on the punishment is the job of the courts and a state government cannot assume that responsibility. Thus, if the court had ordered his release, the mandate should have been respected in February itself. The system of rule of law provides that the behaviour of the governments should be predictable and consistent under similar circumstances. This also includes a principle of proportionality of State response, which means the State can only accord proportional punishment to the wrongs of individual. If this is not the case, the courts are bound to intervene. It is more important for a conservative to respect the mandate of the courts and the Constitution. This is because the courts are the most conservative institutions in any country. It is so because they function on the basis of precedents and seek to conserve what has happened before, and make sure that it should happen again. One can see lawyers arguing by quoting previous cases to substantiate their arguments because of this reason. Constitutional conservatism, therefore, is necessary to preserve order in a society, much more than preventive detentions. In fact, as argued earlier, the principle of constitutional conservatism should be used by the protesters rallying against the CAA and NRC to approach the court and not settle the constitutionality on streets. This argument is also ironically, premised on the fact that the mandate of the court should be respected by everyone, irrespective of ideologies and political positions. The judicial institution provides a mechanism for redressal in the form of appeals. Apart from that, personal attacks against the members of judiciary, as well as governments not willing to comply the orders are equally reprehensible. The author is an assistant professor of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai Facebook says it will block campaigns from submitting new ads in the week leading up to the Nov. 3 election, preventing candidates from posting uncontested messages ahead of the vote. It removes dozens of accounts and pages each month for what it calls coordinated inauthentic behavior, including on its Instagram platform, and has begun removing (or labeling) deepfakes and other deceptively altered or fabricated media. But while Facebook has a fact-checking program aimed at labeling fake news, it has declined to subject political advertising to such scrutiny, on free-speech grounds. Microsoft Corp. is releasing new technology to fight deepfakes by analyzing videos and photos and providing a score indicating the chance that theyre manipulated. As for Twitter, it introduced a new policy earlier this year on synthetic and manipulated media and now flags content it believes to be significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated. Facebook and Twitter have created various tools to help protect candidates from impostors, such as badges that can be added to their verified accounts. FALLS TOWNSHIP >> In an effort to be fiscally responsible while ridding Falls Township Community Park of Canada geese, the Falls Township Supervisors approved a multi-faceted, year-long geese mitigation plan at a one percent savings over 2021. Stepped up geese management efforts began in 2015 and have significantly reduced the number of geese at the park, Falls Township Parks and Recreation... A person looks inside the closed doors of the Pasadena Community Job Center during the CCP virus pandemic in Pasadena, Calif., on May 7, 2020. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo) Economy Tops CCP Virus as Main Concern for Voters: Poll More voters said the economy is the issue most important to their vote in the upcoming election, according to a new Epoch Times/Big Data poll. Out of 2,169 respondents, just over 28 percent ranked the economy and jobs as their top concern. Another 26.3 percent chose the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. About 15 percent named healthcare as the most important issue, followed by policing and crime (9.3 percent), the environment/climate change (6.2 percent), immigration (5.5 percent), terrorism/national security (5.2 percent), and education (4 percent). A plurality of white respondents chose the economy while more black likely voters, and Hispanic likely voters, named the virus as their top concern. The favored issue among Republican respondents was the economy, while Democrats by a 19 percent margin chose the CCP virus. Independents/something else narrowly chose the economy and jobs over the virus. The economy and jobs was the most important issue for those with postgraduate, undergraduate, or some education past high school, while those with just a high school diploma or less ranked the virus as their top concern. A customer walks past a now hiring sign at an eatery in Richardson, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2020. (LM Otero/AP Photo) Both suburban and rural groups of respondents opted for the economy and jobs as their top concern, while people living in urban areas were tied between the economy and the pandemic. The economy is typically a top concern among voters even in normal times, Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Buffalo, told The Epoch Times. The CCP virus situation is a new concern and taking peoples attention from issues that they cared about before the pandemic, he said. As far as whether another issue will emerge as a top concern for so many people, that doesnt appear likely at this time. It would take something of that magnitude to really shake things up, according to Neiheisel. The Epoch Times National Poll was conducted by Big Data Poll and interviewed 2,169 likely voters nationwide sourced via voter file-verified online survey panels from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30. The sampling error is 2.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence interval projecting the electorate at 145 million. The results were weighted based on gender, age, race, education, and region. The partisan affiliation breakdown was 36 percent Democrat, 32 percent Republican, and 32 percent Independent/Something else, mirroring the Aristotle National Voter File Database. Read: AAPOR Transparency Initiative Checklist (pdf) Read: Full Survey Results (pdf) A man accused of 'preparation of terrorist acts' has applied for a bail condition - an internet ban - to be lifted to enable him to watch church services online. Robert James Templeton (34), with an address listed as Kintyre Park in Ballymena, but formerly of Cladytown Road in nearby Glarryford, is currently banned from having any device capable of accessing the internet as part of his bail conditions. He is also accused of storing swords, axes and knives alongside explosives and ammunition at his County Antrim home A defence lawyer told Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday that the internet ban was put in place because the defendant had bought a number of items mentioned in the charges he faces over the internet. The lawyer said if the internet ban was lifted a smartphone could be used to view church services and could be in the possession of Templeton's wife Natasha (32), who had worked as a classroom assistant and is a co-accused in the case. The solicitor said the couple could then view online religious services "from the church which they both belong to which is 'Green Pastures'". The lawyer said the church, at Galgorm, has not fully re-opened since the Covid lockdown, but the services are on the internet. The solicitor said there had been a "break" in the Templeton's relationship because of the "pressures of these charges" and when Natasha Templeton was living with a family member she was allowed to access the online church services. However, since her return to live with her husband they have not been allowed to view the services on the internet. The lawyer said Robert Templeton would only look at the phone in connection with his "religious practices" and the search history of the device could be checked by police. A detective constable objected to the bail variation saying the alleged offences essentially were "enabled by the internet, things were bought from the internet". He said it was "nigh on impossible" to "police" use of internet by checking history. The officer said Natasha Templeton had been allowed to view the internet when she was not with Robert, but when she moved back in with her husband she agreed to gave up access to the internet. The policeman said last year police had checked with 'Green Pastures' and were told the couple had not attended services or been on their "books" for a period of time. District Judge Nigel Broderick asked if it would be possible if Robert Templeton could view the church footage with any other person - like a relative - who could act as a surety. The judge adjourned the case for information to be brought back to see if that would be possible. Expand Close The Templetons had lived at this house on Cladytown Road, near Glarryford / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Templetons had lived at this house on Cladytown Road, near Glarryford Judge Broderick said would mean the defendant could "maintain his religious beliefs and practice" and it would also mean his internet viewing could be monitored. Judge Broderick said in such circumstances a relative would have to act as a surety and "police" Robert Templeton viewing the religious services and then the device would have to be turned off. Robert Templeton faces a number of charges relating to July last year when items were found at Cladytown Road, Glarryford. The charges include possession of "explosive substances, namely, component parts of multiple Improvised Explosive Devices, a quantity of various types of initiators, a quantity of various types and sizes of fill/shrapnel, a quantity of various types of pre-cursor chemicals for use in the manufacture of homemade explosives, a wireless firework firing system and a quantity of blank cartridges, with intent by means thereof to endanger life or cause serious injury to property". Despite previous claims in court that the couple were allegedly stockpiling food for an "end times" scenario, a prosecutor later told another court last year: "It's now accepted there doesn't appear to be any sinister background to it. "The press had described it as a doomsday-type scenario where they gathered together all these items for the possibility of shortages," the prosecutor previously said. The case was adjourned to next week. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The extradition trial of absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who was booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month on charges of money laundering, is set to begin on September 11. He is due to appear at London's Westminster Court next week, The Times of India reported. The fugitive arms dealer was released on conditional bail following his appearance at the London court on July 15. The ED had reportedly filed a case against Bhandari late in July, in connection with a Rs 6,744 crore-deal with ONGC. The fugitive arms consultant's company Santech International allegedly received kickbacks of around Rs 22 crore from South Korean major Samsung Engineering (SECL). The case filed by the ED was based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that named former senior manager of SECL Hong Namkoong, UK-based company FosterWheeler Energy, and unknown officials of ONGC and ONGC Petrol Additions (OPaL) along with Sanjay Bhandari. This is the second money laundering case against Bhandari, who was also booked by the ED in February 2017 for alleged possession of undisclosed assets abroad, among other charges. He left the country in 2016 even as a lookout circular had been issued against him following a case under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). The CBI had also booked Bhandari, unidentified officials of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the defence ministry and Switzerland-based Pilatus Aircraft in the money laundering case pertaining to the purchase of Pilatus aircraft for the IAF in 2009. A giant snowman erected on the bank of Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of Northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province, has drawn much attention online. Around 2,000 cubic meters of snow was used to create the 18.5-meter-tall figure dressed in a red hat and scarf. Since December, ice and snow sculptures featuring Winter Olympics and Lunar New Year elements have popped up across the city famed for its ice festivals, drawing many visitors Jan 20, 2022 06:19 PM Lee Seung-gun, CEO of Toss' operator Viva Republica, speaks at a press conference at the company's headquarters in southern Seoul, March 28, 2019. / Yonhap By Kim Bo-eun Competition is intensifying between Korea's top fintech firms to attract talented personnel, as they expand their businesses. Kakao Bank, established in July 2017, has been solidifying its position as its profit grows. The internet bank posted 45.3 billion won in net profit in the first half of the year, a 372 percent surge from earnings from the same period of 2019. Toss, which started as a mobile money transfer app in 2015, has also shown remarkable growth. Toss is now a financial services platform offering more than 40 services. It is also in the process of setting up multiple affiliates in online payment, insurance sales, brokerage and online banking services. Toss recorded its first surplus in the second quarter of this year, posting an operating profit of 1.7 billion won. Yet, despite Toss' growth, there is still a sizeable gap with Kakao Bank. Kakao Bank CEO Yun Ho-young speaks as the former head of the task-force launching the internet lender, at a business briefing in the Korea Federation of Banks building in central Seoul, Nov. 30, 2015. / Yonhap Two University of Texas at Arlington architecture educators recently won 2020 Honor Awards from the Texas Society of Architects. Bradley Bell, associate professor and director of the School of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, won the award for Outstanding Educational Contributions in Honor of Edward J. Romieniec. Kathryn Holliday, professor and founding director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture, won the award for Excellence in the Promotion of Architecture through the Media in Honor of John G. Flowers. Holliday is an award-winning architectural historian, researcher and teacher who is focused on the built environment. She has written numerous articles and essays, as well as her acclaimed book "The Open-Ended City: David Dillon on Texas Architecture," published in 2019 by the University of Texas Press. "This award is welcome recognition for the work of the Dillon Center and its mission to connect the University to the community through research about architecture and urbanism," Holliday said. "Writing and storytelling are deeply important to the health and identity of neighborhoods and the people who make them." Holliday serves on the editorial board for and frequently contributes to the American Institute of Architects' AIA Dallas' Columns Magazine. She is a member of the board of directors for Historic Fort Worth, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the value of historic preservation. In the past, she served on the state board of review for the Texas Historical Commission's National Register programs and was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Architectural Education. Bell directs the school's Digital Architecture Research Consortium and is the founder and co-director of TEX-FAB. Through his own work and research, and through the work of his students and collaborators, Bell promotes the advancement of technological practices within architecture. He uses his position at UTA and his extensive technological research to educate not only his students, but also the broader community of architects. "I'm honored to have received this educational award," Bell said. "We try to bring the best educational practices so that our students will be well-prepared when they hit the workplace." CAPPA Dean Adrian Parr said the college is extremely proud of both colleagues. "These awards honor and recognize exceptional members, firms, individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in support of the Texas Society of Architects' mission," Parr said. "They have contributed greatly to the profession, the built environment and the quality of life of society. "But Brad Bell and Kate Holliday have done more than that. Their hard work has touched students, colleagues and the public in immeasurable ways." ### As the United States withdraws from membership in the World Health Organization, the Trump administration will redirect $62 million still owed for this years dues to other health-related causes also under United Nations auspices, State Department officials announced on Wednesday. Most of the redirected money will go to childrens immunization and influenza surveillance, officials said. But the United States Agency for International Development will continue with plans to give $68 million to the W.H.O. to support its work in Libya and Syria, and on polio eradication in Pakistan and Afghanistan. American government employees working as technical advisers to the W.H.O. will be withdrawn, the officials said. The W.H.O. declined to comment, other than to refer reporters to statements made when the administration announced its intent to withdraw. At the time, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the W.H.O., said the agency regretted Mr. Trumps decision. The United States of America has been a longstanding and generous friend to the W.H.O., and we hope it will continue to be so, he said. FARMINGTON The investigation into a July 13 riot at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center has yielded criminal charges against 11 inmates who allegedly attacked jail staff, started fires and made makeshift weapons. Area law enforcement and first responders were dispatched the morning of July 13 to the county jail on reports of a riot in which 35 inmates reportedly revolted for reasons including not receiving COVID-19 test results and getting only cold sack meals. One detainee was transported from the scene for minor injuries. Captain Kevin Burns of the San Juan County Sheriffs Office told The Daily Times detectives are still evaluating information and video from the riot, and said additional charges could be filed in the future. The charging documents allege inmates attacked jail staff, including Adult Detention Center Administrator Daniel Webb, started fires, damaging more than $16,000 worth of jail property, and created makeshift clubs. Kevin Sanchez, 28, of Farmington and Juan Medrano, 38, are both accused of battering Webb, according to court documents. Sanchez and Medrano are facing three counts of battery on a peace officer. Webb addressed those housed in pod B6 the morning of July 13 in an attempt to calm the outraged inmates before the riot occurred. A stun gun was used on Medrano due to his threatening behavior and resistance, according to court documents. After Medrano was tased, a fight broke out involving jail staff and inmates, during which Sanchez allegedly punched Webb in the face. There are no details of Medranos battery of Webb in his arrest warrant affidavit. Both men are accused of battering two other members of the jail staff. Hyram Cayaditto, 30, has the most charges, with five felony counts, including possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner, two counts of battery upon a peace officer and criminal damage to property. About $16,200 worth of property was reportedly damaged in Pod B6 during the riot. Cayaditto allegedly did about $6,400 damage, including breaking 13 fire sprinklers and four porcelain sinks, pieces of which were allegedly thrown by inmates during the riot. He is also accused of using metal piping and sheets to create a makeshift club used to break light fixtures. Damian Werito and Charles Wilson, both 32, of Farmington, also allegedly made makeshift clubs. The two men are accused of possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner and conspiracy to commit possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner. Werito is also accused of setting a trash can on fire. Bingo Smith, 33, of Bloomfield, and Harry Johnhat, 35, of Fruitland, face felony arson and conspiracy to commit arson charges. They are accused of setting fire to 65 blankets, worth about $640. Isiaih Cayaditto, 23, of Farmington, is facing a felony count of negligent arson and a petty misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property. He reportedly broke five fire sprinklers, and set towels and bedsheets on fire. Erickson Matchers, 31, of Fruitland, is charged with felony counts of criminal damage to property and conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property. Matchers allegedly damaged about $7,300 worth of property, including a security door worth about $5,300. He is also accused of breaking five fire sprinklers. Daniel Yarborough and Jeremaine Cayaditto were also charged with petty misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property, according to a San Juan County Sheriffs Office news release. Nine of the men remained incarcerated at the county jail as of Sept. 1. Wilson and Isiaih were released before they were charged in connection with the riot. For years, Wall Street enthused about the merits of shifting manufacturing out of the United States. Globalists on Wall Street advocated a simplistic worldview: It doesnt matter where things are made cheaper is better. But they overlooked the impact this would have on Americas future economic and national security. And now, 20 years later, the United States has lost almost 90,000 factories, nearly 5 million manufacturing jobs, and a wide array of essential supply chains. This industrial loss has largely been Chinas gain. In 2000, for example, the U.S. enjoyed a $5 billion annual trade surplus in advanced technology products. By 2019, however, that had shifted to a $133 billion annual deficit. Pharmaceutical production has been eviscerated, too. 90 percent of the generic medications that Americans use each day are now imported. And even the raw materials for manufacturing overwhelmingly come from imports. China is the dominant supplier for 23 of the 35 metals and minerals deemed critical for U.S. national security. Chinas manufacturing boom has come on the back of horrific environmental and labor practices that have been conveniently ignored for too long. Each year, a massive brown cloud of soot and debris drifts east from mainland China. And Chinese factories spew an estimated 40,000 tons of ozone-depleting carbon tetrachloride into the atmosphere annually in violation of international agreement. China also employs forced labor, including more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other minority groups driven into a vast network of indoctrination camps. Its impossible to excuse these wanton practices, and even free-trade advocates are waking up to Chinas ugly behavior. Such lawlessness has allowed China to gradually surpass Americas high-tech lead and has finally prompted congressional action. Recently, a bipartisan group of senators introduced bills to aid U.S. semiconductor producers and microelectronics manufacturers that compete with China. These are important efforts. But will they come in time? Beijing is intent on global dominance and has already launched a Made in China 2025 campaign to overtake key industries like information technology, robotics, aerospace, electric vehicles, and medical devices. Wireless networks and renewable energy systems will likely be a key part of Chinas growth strategy. And that leaves the United States in a particularly poor position. Beijing already holds a major advantage in the production and processing of raw materials for high-tech industries. That gives them preferential access to the building blocks of everything from lithium-ion batteries to solar panels. And every iPhone that Americans purchase helps to fund irresponsible mining projects like the Bayan-Obo, a Chinese rare earths site that has dumped toxic sludge into a waste pond three times the size of Central Park. Despite possessing an estimated $6.2 trillion in mineral reserves, the U.S. still imports nearly $7 billion worth of metals and minerals each year. This is especially relevant for rare earth metals like neodymium, dysprosium, and lanthanum that are used to manufacture electric vehicles, wind turbines, and smartphones. In fact, China supplies roughly 80 percent of the rare earths imported by the United States. If Congress is serious about bolstering our national and economic security, it must prioritize the rebuilding of key industries. A bipartisan senate bill introduced in May would allocate $10 billion to establish regional technology hubs. Thats a helpful start, but far more is needed. The U.S. must aim for greater industrial self-sufficiency and start producing more of the raw materials like lithium, graphite, nickel, and rare earths needed for 21st Century technologies. To reduce strategic vulnerabilities and lessen global environmental harm, Congress should speed the domestic production of key metals and minerals. The U.S. already adheres to the worlds strictest mining safety and environmental standards. It makes no sense to tolerate Chinas continued stranglehold over these key commodities. Its time for Congress to pursue a comprehensive, bipartisan strategy to win the global competition for good jobs and industries. Michael Stumo is CEO of the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA). Follow him @michael_stumo. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 16:35 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4287e21 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19-Jakarta,coronavirus Free Indonesia saw another daily record in confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities on Thursday, recording 3,622 new infections and 134 deaths linked to the disease. The increase brings the countrys tally to 184,268 COVID-19 cases, with 7,750 fatalities and 132,055 recoveries. Jakarta, the hardest-hit region and the epicenter of the disease, recorded the highest number of new infections with 1,359, a new daily record spike and a jump from 1,053 cases announced the previous day. East Java followed with 377 new confirmed cases, then Central Java with 242, West Java with 238 and Bali with 174 cases. Indonesia now has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, which has recorded 228,403 infections as of Thursday, according to worldometers.info. Indonesia currently ranks 23rd out of 215 countries worldwide. East Java recorded the highest number of deaths linked to COVID-19 with 34 patients dying on Thursday, followed by East Kalimantan with 27, Central Java with 18 and Jakarta with 15 deaths. The latest figures continue the upward COVID-19 trend in the archipelago. Last week, the country broke transmission records three days in a row, exceeding the spike observed in early August as health authorities confirmed thousands of new cases every day. The capital logs in the highest daily increase, with 1,114 new infections recorded on Sunday following two long weekends. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, however, assured on Monday that COVID-19 transmission in the capital was under control, attributing the spike to aggressive testing and recent consecutive holidays that caused an increase in mobility. Editor's note: Paragraph six of this article has been edited. New Delhi: Debt-ridden IL&FS has proposed to initiate bankruptcy proceedings for two of its offshore firms - ITNL Infrastructure Developers LLC (IIDL) and ITNL International DMCC (IIDMCC) - in the courts of the UAE. IL&FS had request the Mumbai-bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take on record its proposal to initiate the bankruptcy proceedings before the Dubai Courts under UAE Federal Decree. The tribunal consented with the decision of the newly constituted board of the IL&FS and observed that the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings was the best option for the two firms. After hearing both the sides and on perusal of records, this bench is of the view that the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings is the best option in the given scenario. The same is recorded as prayed for. In the circumstances, the proposal of the applicant for initiation of insolvency proceedings of IIDL and IIDMCC is taken on record," the NCLT said. The tribunal also observed that the Regional Director (WR), MCA, Mumbai representing the government has also no objection. There is no objection from the Petitioner (MCA) for the proposal of the Applicant," it said. Justice D K Jain, who is supervising the assets, has already accorded his approval for initiation of bankruptcy proceedings for both - IIDMCC and IIDL - in May this year. Under the roadmap for IL&FS, the offshore entities of the group have been exempted from the resolution framework by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) through its order on February 11, 2019. The IL&FS board decides on the resolution of the offshore entities under the supervision of Justice D K Jain, appointed by the NCLAT to conduct the asset resolution of the company. It has to inform the NCLT only about the actions taken for the resolution of offshore IL&FS Group Entities which places it in on the record, unlike the domestic entities, whose sale has to be approved by the tribunal. IIDMCC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITNL International Pte Limited (IIPL), which is a step-down firm of IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd (ITNL). IL&FS holds around 73 per cent in ITNL. IIPL holds 49 per cent shareholding in IIDL and the balance 51 per cent is held by one MAK Holdings LLC. IIDL was incorporated for implementing Transport Infrastructure Projects in UAE on public private partnership (PPP), including a car park project. IIDMCC was incorporated for providing support services to ITNL offices globally and for implementing transport infrastructure PPP projects in the Middle East/Africa. IL&FS had earlier recommended divestment of IIPLs stake in IIDL, however, the said proposal could not be carried out successfully and the negotiations with the investors failed. Moreover, on account of default on the part of IIDL to discharge its financial obligations, the Dubai Courts had on October 7, 2019, issued the default notice to IIDL. The outstanding liabilities of IIDL as on December 31, 2019, stands 59.60 lakh AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham), which mostly comprise of unpaid salaries of employees, service benefits and vendors payments. The liability of IIDMCC is 30.08 lakh AED and has virtually no assets. Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor Police are appealing for information after the statue of Queen Victoria outside Sydney's Queen Victoria Building was defaced on Wednesday. A man was seen painting graffiti on the statute about 3.50pm on Wednesday, police said. Police released the image of this man who they believe may be able to assist with their inquiries. Credit:NSW Police Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command have released an image of a man who may be able to assist with their inquiries into the incident. The man is of Caucasian appearance, about 180 centimetres tall, of a slim build, and aged in his mid-20s. The prisoner exchange agreed between the US and the Taliban stipulated that Kabul should release a total of 5,000 militants in return for the insurgents freeing 1,000 Afghan troops The Afghan government said Thursday it had released 400 Taliban prisoners under an exchange deal with the militants, except for "a few" opposed by foreign nations, and expected peace negotiations to start soon. The two warring sides have grown closer this week to launching direct talks in Qatar, wrapping up a contentious and months-long prisoner exchange. Kabul has already sent a logistical team to Doha where the Taliban's political office is based, with the negotiators expected to depart soon. "The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received our commandos held hostage by Taliban, after which the Gov't released the remaining 400 convicts, except the few for which our partners have reservations," National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said on Twitter. "Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We expect direct talks to start promptly." Two Taliban officials confirmed the prisoners had been freed but that those opposed by France and Australia were still in government custody. Paris and Canberra objected to the release of the militants because of their links to the murders of French and Australian civilians and troops in Afghanistan. "Australia and France have some considerations about them," one Taliban official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The Kabul administration will send them to Qatar where they will be in custody during the intra-Afghan talks." A Western diplomatic source, however, said Kabul had still not taken a decision. A date for the resumption of talks has not yet been set. - Talks on horizon - Negotiations were initially supposed to begin in March as agreed in a deal between the Taliban and Washington in February, from which Kabul had been excluded. But repeated squabbles over the prisoner exchange delayed the negotiations, including the Taliban's demand that 400 prisoners accused of serious crimes be among those freed. The prisoner swap agreed between the US and the Taliban stipulated that Kabul should release a total of 5,000 militants in return for the insurgents freeing 1,000 Afghan troops. Story continues The Taliban have said they are willing to begin negotiations "within a week" of the exchange being completed and blamed Kabul for delaying the negotiations. President Ashraf Ghani said on Wednesday that a "critical stage of peace" had been reached and that the talks would help reduce violence and finalise a permanent ceasefire. On Thursday, Najia Anwari, spokeswoman for the State Ministry for Peace Affairs, said the government had "removed all the obstacles for the direct talks to start". "The negotiation team of the Islamic republic is now in full preparation to attend the talks," she said. Fraidoon Khwazoon, spokesman for Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, which is leading the overall peace process, said they would leave Thursday. But late in the day, two government officials told AFP that the Kabul-backed team had still not left for Doha. us-eb-jds/sst 'People (from the Brahmin community) feel that if they belonged to some other community, their matters would've been resolved more easily.' 'It is because of the government's mistreatment and ill-will that this feeling has got into the community' IMAGE: Congress leader Jitin Prasada being greeted by party workers. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JitinPrasada/Twitter Congress leader and former Union minister Jitin Prasada is working towards 'uniting all Brahmins' in Uttar Pradesh through his Brahman Chetna Parishad, a programme that, he says, was launched in 2017 but has gathered pace over the past few months. Prasada says the Brahmin community is at the receiving end of the 'dismal' law and order situation in UP and no one is paying attention to their plight. There is a feeling among a section of Brahmins in the state that the government, headed by Yogi Adityanath -- born Ajay Singh Bisht, a Thakur -- is targeting the community, which has strengthened after the police encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey, a Brahmin. Political parties are quick to seize the opportunity, with the Samajwadi Party promising a 108-feet statue of Parshuram -- the legendary warrior-saint whom the Brahmins hold in high regard -- to Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati promising to build hospitals and guest houses in the name of the saint. Prasada has also demanded that the UP government restore Parshuram Jayanti as a state holiday. He had also written an open letter to all Congress MLAs in UP, asking them to effectively raise the issue of Brahmins's security during the monsoon session of the assembly. Facing criticism from liberal circles for his Brahman Chetna Parishad initiative, from which the state unit of the Congress had dissociated itself, Prasada makes it clear he only intends to work for the community on a personal level and that his party has nothing to do with it. "Brahmin Chetna Parishad is an independent organisation. And being from the Congress doesn't mean I cannot work for the community," Prasada tells Rediff.com's Utkarsh Mishra. The Brahmin Chetna Parishad says it aims to highlight atrocities against Brahmins and help the community fight government apathy. What kind of help does the organisation provide to the community? Brahmin Chetna Parishad was established in 2017 when I held Brahmin Sammelans. Then I took Chetna Yatras against the denial of justice to victims of violent incidents across the state in which mostly Brahmins were killed. We took out yatras in Basti, Amethi, Jhansi, Meerut, Mainpuri where Brahmin victims are struggling for justice and criminals are protected by the system. After the lockdown was imposed, we decided to hold a Brahma Chetna Samvad online, which was meant to be a platform for the community to air their grievances and a way to find out why the community is being targeted... Is it because of the government's malaise? And why is the community feeling insecure? Critics are questioning the timing of your initiative, especially after the encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey. But this was going on from much earlier. Could we've predicted that Vikas Dubey will be killed in an encounter? And even in his case see how questions were raised on the encounter itself. It was the court's job to punish him, but instead the government did. It was also said that a lot of secrets were buried with his killing. The encounter is now being probed, but the behaviour to which his son and other family members were subjected to was there for everyone to see. Where does it happen, that you treat the minor son of an offender like a criminal? The widow of Dubey's accomplice, who was married only nine days ago, was also arrested. All these things put a question mark over the government's conduct. It also makes the community suspicious that they are being treated unjustly. Do you think Brahmins in UP are being targeted only for being Brahmins? A lot of people in a lot of places told me this. Right from registering a report with the police to other matters, there's a feeling among the people that if they belonged to some other community, they would have been heard and their matters would have been resolved more easily. So is it because of the government's apathy or are they being targeted by another community? I told you it is because of the government's mistreatment and ill-will that this feeling has got into the community that no one is there for them. Is this the case only in UP or is the condition of Brahmins bad in the rest of the country as well? I'm only talking of Uttar Pradesh. It is being alleged that this initiative is an attempt by the Congress to woo Brahmin votes. What do you say about that? Brahmin Chetna Parishad is an independent organisation. And being from the Congress doesn't mean I cannot work for the community. I will raise the voice and issues of people. This is social work. No elections are happening right now to do this for votes. If people are being murdered and the government is not helping them in getting justice and we're raising their voices, where's the question of votes? Is it a crime to call it out where a wrong has been committed? The UP Congress chief has disassociated the party from this initiative. Why couldn't the party stand with you? Because this has nothing to do with the Congress party? Why would they associate with this? He is the president of the UP Congress Committee, not of the Brahman committee. Does it go against the secularist image of the Congress party to support this initiative? Please ask the critics to meet the families of victims who have been killed and who are denied justice by this government while the criminals are being protected at their behest. I felt it right to raise the voices of such people. What's wrong in it? Does it in any way threaten your position in the party? What I'm doing is for the people and for the community. I'm doing it on a personal level. The party has nothing to do with this. We're not opposing anyone. We're only asking for our rights. Parties like the SP or the BSP, who have been your allies against the Bharatiya Janata Party, are most likely to not welcome this initiative. Ask them about it. I can't speak for them. Analysing the 2014 electoral loss of the Congress, the A K Antony Committee said that the party lost Hindu votes as it was seen as only serving the interests of Muslims. Does this initiative wish to counter that image in any way? Have you seen the report? Has anyone seen such a report? Then how can you say this? Tell me who saw this report? I can't comment on fabricated stories. President Donald Trump's Kenosha visit on September 1 went well as he announced his administration's plan to give financial aid to the police and local business owners. This because their businesses were damaged by the rioting, looting, and fires from protests due to the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake. Trump said that his administration would be giving an emergency fund of $1 million to law enforcement of Kenosha, Wisconsin and a $4 million financial aid to owners of local businesses that were damaged by riots and fires. According to a report on The Washington Post, the President, who publicly denounced the violence, also announced that his administration would be handing out $42 million to support public safety in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was one of the states wherein Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016. The funding will be taken from the Justice Department's various funds and the federal Economic Development Administration's COVID-19 relief fund. Trump's Kenosha visit pushed through despite discouragement from the local officials as they were afraid it might increase the tension in the city. According to Trump, who is running for a second term, his visit might increase enthusiasm, love, and respect for the country. The White House reported that the President visited buildings and business establishments damaged during citywide unrest, said a report on the USA today. Trump described the violence as a domestic terror and not acts of a peaceful protest. The President also met with business owners of a camera shop, a furniture store, and a candle factory and also visited the National Guard Command Center at the Bradford High School. Trump's Kenosha visit also included a roundtable discussion focused on community safety with local officials, business representatives, and the police. He vowed that he would stand by the law enforcement as anti-Americans and anti-police riots ravage Kenosha. He blamed politicians whom he described as far-left and reckless for the violence as they continue to promote the message that law enforcement in the country is oppressive and racist. During Trump's Kenosha visit, the President added that he does not believe that systemic racism exists in law enforcement. The President said he thinks that the police are doing an incredible job but that there are just some "bad apples" among them. As for those protesting for a structural change, Trump said that some people want change but are not joining protests. He added that the change they want is law and order. Accompanying Trump in his visit was Attorney General William Barr, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis, and acting Homeland Security Chief Chad Wolf. Trump's Kenosha visit, however, did not include a talk with Blake's family. According to an ABC report, the Blake family had wanted to bring with them a lawyer, but Trump did not think that was right. Trump did say that he had spoken to the pastor of Blake's mother and that they had a great conversation. Check these out: Trump Defends Supporters Involve in Deadly Street Clashes Stimulus Funds Mailed to Dead People Recovered by Treasury U.S. COVID-19 Deaths: 94 Percent of People Who Died had Contributing Conditions, CDC Reports Despite an expansive testing program and models that predicted how many COVID-19 cases would pop up on campus, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is confronting a grim reality shared by other colleges attempting to stay open: Partying among undergraduate students is leading to hundreds of more infections than anticipated, jeopardizing the in-person experience for everyone. "Australia has been very successful in using international student revenues to boost research output. In turn, the boosted research output has helped push them up the rankings," he said. "That already is in significant decline due to fewer international students. It will start falling from this year." Curtin University this week flagged mass redundancies as it looked to slash $41 million in salary costs. Murdoch University quickly followed suit, yesterday announcing it would have to cut a further $25 million in salary costs from 2021, on top of $30 million savings flagged this year, due to "many economic, geographical and political drivers outside of our control". Murdoch found itself at the centre of a recent storm over the removal of its prestigious mathematics and statistics major. Academic staff feared the shake-up to the mathematics department, which had already led to its head professor leaving to work at Curtin, would diminish its research capabilities. Loading The university denied at the time that the department had in any way been compromised, yet the drop in ranking would indicate its overall research output wasn't as great as when it was at its peak in 2013, when it was among the top 301-350 universities in the world. Murdoch has been contacted for comment. Professor Norton said Australian universities would still be concerned about maintaining their rankings, which were regarded as the most influential in higher education and a key driver of overseas student enrolments, in the hope international enrolments recover. Times Higher Education's chief knowledge officer Phil Baty said becoming smaller universities would not necessarily hurt rankings so long as they maintained research impact. "Where theres a worry, of course, is losing talent. If you have fewer star academics, fewer researchers, that will be a risk," he said. "The most significant thing will be losing income if there's a longer-term reduction in international students. That funding pays for superstar researchers, doing quality research and driving up rankings." Nine of the country's 12 top-ranked universities managed to improve their position, which Mr Baty said demonstrated Australia's "extraordinary success" in attracting international talent. "But what we can reasonably assume is this is very vulnerable success [because] it is dependent on international students," he said. He said geopolitical tensions with China could also become "very painful" for Australia if students were discouraged from coming here. However, Australia could find an advantage over the United States and United Kingdom, which it competes with for student enrolments, because of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. "Australia and New Zealand have come out quite well despite the recent upsurge perceptions of safety might advantage [them]," Mr Baty said. Loading While Australia's top Group of Eight universities, which included UWA, consolidated their global rankings, overall Australian success came from newer universities like the University of Technology Sydney, which climbed the most in the top 200, and Macquarie University, which made its top 200 debut. Standard Chartered Bank Ghana has rewarded its clients who have subscribed and used the banks digital banking platform SC Mobile App, with free three months premium subscription on Boomplay Music and shopping vouchers on Jumia. The winners were part of a promotion where customers were encouraged to open accounts on SC Mobile and enjoy the power of seamless, convenient and secure banking. The partnership between Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, Boomplay Music and Jumia was as a response to the recent surge in the consumption of social and digital media by many Ghanaians who are staying more at home to protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic. Star actress and Standard Chartered SC Mobile ambassador Joselyn Dumas shared how simple and easy their lives have become with the usage of the app as they presented the awards to the winners. Commenting on the initiative, Head Products & Segments, Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Bossman Kwapong, said: We recognize that digital lifestyles and e-commerce are the new normal. These rewards represent just a fraction of the goodness that comes with using SC Mobile. We continue to encourage all Ghanaians to sign up to experience real digital banking. SC Mobile was launched in 2019 to fulfill the banks determination to provide the best digital lifestyle for clients. It has been designed with continuous feedback from clients, incorporating innovative technology to allow clients to execute all banking activities from a mobile device. A year after its launch, SC Mobile has recorded remarkable growth nationwide, due to its many functionalities that allow users to bank on the go, transact cardless cash transfers, perform local and international fund transfers, pay bills and send money while gaining access to a functional service request center. 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 By PTI MUMBAI: The CBI questioned late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's psychiatrist Susan Walker for the first time on Thursday in connection with the film star's death, an official said. The probe agency also questioned actress Rhea Chakraborty's father for the third consecutive day, he said. "Rajput's psychiatrist Susan Walker reached the DRDO guest house in suburban Kalina, where the probe team is stationed, around 1 pm and left the place around 8 pm. She was questioned for the first time," the official said. According to the official, Rhea Chakraborty's father Indrajeet Chakraborty arrived at the guest house around 10.30 am in a car escorted by a police vehicle. "It was his third day of questioning, which lasted for around five hours. He left the place around 3.30 pm," he added. Rhea Chakraborty and her family members are accused of abetting the suicide of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14. In the last two days, the 28-year-old actress's father was questioned for over 18 hours by the CBI. The actress, who was earlier questioned for around 35 hours over four days, and her brother Showik Chakraborty, who was also grilled by the CBI, were not questioned on Thursday. However, the probe team quizzed Rajput's flatmate Siddharth Pithani and domestic help Deepesh Sawant during the day, the official said. After Rajput's demise, the Mumbai Police registered a case of accidental death and recorded statements of over 50 people. The late actor's father subsequently filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court last month upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the CBI. On Wednesday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said it has arrested two alleged contraband dealers in connection with the drugs trafficking case linked to the case of Rajput's death. The role of Rhea Chakraborty's brother and his purported links with people nabbed by NCB are under the scanner of the agency and he is expected to be summoned for questioning soon, officials said. SPRINGFIELD The Police Department is asking for help to identify a suspect who threatened two Walmart employees with a knife two weeks ago. The man pulled a knife on the two employees at about 7 a.m., Aug. 17, at the Walmart on 1105 Boston Road. No one was injured in the crime, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman. Anyone who can identify the suspect who was caught on camera or has any information about the crime is asked to call the detective bureau at 413-787-6355 or anonymously Text-A-Tip, by texting CRIMES, or 2-7-4-6-3-7, and type Solve and then the information, Walsh said. Related content: In this May 4, 2020 photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, receives an injection. Pfizer's potential vaccine is one of three backed by the U.S. that's currently in late-stage testing. The U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant has been working alongside German drugmaker BioNTech. The companies' experimental vaccine contains genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA. In July, the company released promising data from its early-stage trial. U.S. health officials have previously said results from late-stage vaccine trials could come in November or sooner. "We expect by the end of October, we should have enough ... to say whether the product works or not," he said. The pharmaceutical company has already enrolled 23,000 volunteers in the phase three trial that began in late July, Bourla said during a Q&A with the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, a trade group. It hopes to enroll at least 30,000 participants, he said. The phase three trial is expected to include up to 30,000 participants between the ages of 18 and 85 across 120 sites globally, including 39 U.S. states, the company has said. If it is successful, they expect to submit it for final regulatory review as early as October. They plan to supply up to 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and approximately 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. In July, the U.S. government announced it would pay Pfizer and BioNTech $1.95 billion to produce and deliver 100 million doses of their vaccine if it proves safe and effective. The deal was signed as part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's effort to accelerate development and production of vaccines and treatments to fight the coronavirus. The CEO's remark comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking state governors and local health departments to prepare to distribute a vaccine as soon as November. The deadline is raising concerns among public health experts and scientists that approval of a vaccine will be politically motivated and the White House may be pressuring regulators to get a vaccine to the market ahead of the presidential election on Nov. 3. Drug company executives, including from Pfizer, have previously insisted they aren't cutting corners in fast-tracking development of potential vaccines. They have said the Food and Drug Administration hasn't eased its requirements for proving their vaccines are safe and effective. While the vaccine may be safe, the executives have said it is "understandable" the public would be concerned, adding they will need to work to gain that trust. "Vaccine hesitancy is probably one of the greatest challenges for public health that America faces," John Young, Pfizer's chief business officer, told Congress on July 21. "All of us need to play a role, should we be successful in this mission, that there's confidence in the safety and effectiveness of our vaccines based on data, based on confidence the FDA will only approve a vaccine if it's safe and effective." Bourla said Thursday that the company "would never" submit any vaccine for authorization before "we feel it is safe and effective." "We will not cut corners," he said. "Our phase three study will be the only one that will allow us to say if we have a safe and effective vaccine. If we don't have results from a phase three study, we would not submit." Governor B S Koshyari has given permission to students to appear for the final year examinations online from home, state Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant said on Thursday. He said the state government will request the University Grants Commission (UGC) to extend the existing deadline for conducting the examinations from September end to October end, and added that the toughness of the will also be reduced. The Supreme Court had last week upheld the UGC guidelines and said that no state and university can promote students in the final year/terminal semester without conducting examinations. The court also ruled that the UGC's directives to universities and colleges to hold final-year by September 30 was well within its domain. "Governor B S Koshyari has given permission to the final year students to appear for online. They can give exams from their home," Samant said. "We are also planning to bring the results out by October 31 to save the students' academic year," he added. Samant along with junior minister in the department Prajakt Tanpure had met Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday to discuss the issue of conducting exams in light of the Supreme Court verdict. The minister said he held a meeting with 13 vice chancellors of public universities on how to conduct the final year examinations as directed by the apex court. "We are planning to conduct the practical examinations in September itself. All the papers and their evaluation will be completed before October 31 and the result will be out by that time," he said. "The practical exams could be held from September 15 onwards. We are also trying to hold these exams online instead of making the students visit colleges," he said. "We are also going to request the UGC to extend the existing deadline of conducting examinations from September end to October end. We will bring down the toughness of the exams as well," he said. In its order, the SC had said that if any state or Union Territory, in exercise of its jurisdiction under the Disaster Management Act, has decided that it is not possible to conduct the examination by September 30, then they can make an application to the UGC for extending the deadline. (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.) Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said that stablecoins should meet the standards expected of existing commercial bank money. Photo: PA Digital currencies such as Facebooks (FB) Libra raise fundamental questions about the role of central banks in ensuring the stability of money and payment systems, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said on Thursday. In a speech to the Brookings Institution, Bailey questioned the extent to which central banks should be involved in the underlying payments infrastructure of digital currencies. Central banks currently play a crucial role in ensuring confidence in the monetary system, through issuing currencies and maintaining price stability, he said. Policymakers are particularly uneasy about the introduction of privately operated digital currencies with global ambitions. In part because the value of so-called stablecoins such as Libra would be tied to other assets, central banks fear that they could replace traditional currencies and upend financial systems in the process. READ MORE: Bank of England to assess potential for digital central bank currencies Critics such as French economy minister Bruno Le Maire have issued stark warnings about stablecoins, arguing that they could result in a loss of sovereignty for nation states. If stablecoins are to be widely used as a means of payment, they must have equivalent standards to those that are in place today for other forms of payment types and the forms of money transferred through them, Bailey said on Thursday. Referencing a report by the Bank of Englands financial policy committee, Bailey said that stablecoins should meet the standards expected of commercial bank money: stability of value, robustness of legal claim, and the ability to convert their holdings at par value to fiat, or government-issued, currency. Some major stablecoin proposals do not appear at present to meet this expectation, Bailey warned, without directly referencing Libra. While this might be acceptable for speculative investment purposes, it would not be for payments widely relied upon by households and businesses, he said. Story continues Noting that a global stablecoin would be a cross-border phenomenon, the governor said that there should be minimum international standards for stablecoins. Bailey also raised the prospect of central bank-backed digital currencies (CBDC), which are currently being considered by a Bank for International Settlements grouping that includes the Bank of England. Offering them, Bailey said, would allow broad access to central bank money in a digital form. READ MORE: UK services sector sees sharpest increase in activity since 2015 But they would also raise profound questions about the shape of the financial system and the implications for monetary and financial stability and the role of the central bank, he said. Others have noted that central-bank backed currencies would virtually wipe out the attraction of private sector stablecoin proposals such as Libra, since people would instead flock to those guaranteed by institutions like the European Central Bank and Bank of England. Drawing a distinction between stablecoins and other cryptocurrency innovations, Bailey said that crypto-assets such as Bitcoin (BTC-USD) had no connection at all to money. They may have extrinsic value you may like to collect them for instance, and as such they are a highly risky investment opportunity, he said. Their value can fluctuate quite wildly, unsurprisingly. They strike me as unsuited to the world of payments, where certainty of value matters. Section 1 Content From Ethiopia to Puerto Rico to California, higher education institutions recognize that although internationalization may look different during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is as important as ever to be strategic about their efforts. To that end, 10 universities from both the United States and abroad are participating in the 2020-2022 Cohort of the ACE Internationalization Laboratory, which provides customized guidance and insight to help colleges and universities achieve their internationalization goals. The members of the cohort are: Albizu University (PR) Ball State University (IN) Baylor University (TX) California Lutheran University Fort Valley State University (GA) Jigjiga University (Ethiopia) Pratt Institute (NY) San Diego State University (CA) Southern Illinois University University of Kansas Over the 18 years that the Internationalization Lab has operated, one of our key strengths has been customizing the process to each participants unique situation, said Kara Godwin, director for internationalization at ACE. This year, we took that to a new level as we adapted the whole program to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic, from holding meetings online to emphasizing building resilience and agility into institutional strategies. New this year, ACE will provide learning modules with asynchronous activities for participants on ACE Engage, ACEs online learning platform, as well as conducting synchronous meetings. Campus site visits will be conducted virtually until it is safe to travel in-person. Nevertheless, networking within and beyond the cohort will still be a core component of the Lab. Content will focus on crisis response and a future positive innovation framework to help institutions bounce back stronger than before after COVID-19 disrupted international mobility around the world. Learn more by reading Internationalization Beyond COVID-19: Seven Steps to Take Now on Engage. The members of Cohort 18 had the opportunity to get to know each other during a virtual Meet and Greet this week. Next they will begin their asynchronous work, develop their campus committees, and hold discussions with their advisors leading up to the next virtual meeting in late October. With November approaching, I am becoming ever more nervous about the US presidential election. While my American friends focus on Joe Biden's lead over current president Donald Trump in opinion polls, believing deeply in US democracy's capacity for self-renewal, my own perspective as a British citizen and think-tank director has me worried. As a Briton, I can remember watching a 20-point polling lead for 'Remain' become a victory for 'Leave' in the Brexit referendum four years ago. And as a think-tank director, I work closely with scholars who study how authoritarian leaders manipulate democratic systems to stay in power, as has happened in Turkey, Russia, Hungary, and Poland. In fact, it often seems as though Trump has studied the tactics pioneered by other aspiring strongmen more closely than anyone. Based on recent conversations with experts on each of these countries, I have compiled the following catalogue of dirty tricks that Trump seems to borrowing. The first is the weaponisation of history. Populist leaders promote their political platforms through polarisation and social division. They do not mind alienating and insulting some voters if doing so will energize their own base. By posturing as the champions of national greatness, they want to determine who counts as authentic citizens and who does not. This practice inevitably brings history to the fore. Whether it is Russian president Vladimir Putin invoking the Soviet victory in World War II, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan harking back to the Ottoman Empire, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban fixating on the Treaty of Trianon, or British Pm Boris Johnson looking back to Pax Britannica, each leader has advanced a highly partisan historical narrative. Another, related approach is what might be called post-truth politics. These leaders prefer direct communication with voters through professional propaganda videos and social media, because this allows them to dismiss inconvenient facts offered by experts. In this media ecosystem, fact-checking has little purchase, because the people who need to hear it are not listening, or refuse to believe anything the 'liberal' media says. In many democracies, fake news is now most common at the local level, where political operatives have filled the vacuum left by the decline of traditional city and regional outlets. A third tactic is to run against ones own government. The term 'deep state' is said to have originated in Turkey in the 1990s, but now features prominently in the lexicon for Trump, Orban, Erdogan, Johnson, and Polands de facto ruler, Jarosaw Kaczynski. By blaming nameless shadowy, faceless characters behind the curtain and shadowy cabals, all these leaders have a ready excuse for all of their own failures. A fourth element in the playbook is voter suppression. Like Erdogans constant attempts to disempower Kurdish voters, Trump and the Republican Party are desperate to disenfranchise African-Americans. For an incumbent would-be strongman, the need to tip the electoral scales opens the door to all kinds of attacks on democratic processes. Hence, before Polands general election in May, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party tried to limit all voting to mail-in ballots, effectively transferring control of the election from the independent National Electoral Commission to the PiS-controlled postal service. Though this plan ultimately ran into resistance, it showed that there are countless ways for authoritarians to meddle in or subvert the process. Not surprisingly, mail-in voting and the politicization of the US Postal Service have become major issues in the US election, too. Another related device is 'political technology,' a term for the dirty tricks commonly associated with post-Soviet politics. Such methods include Russia's covert backing of third-party candidates like Jill Stein in the 2016 US presidential election; Kompromat, or compromising material (epitomized by the search for dirt on Biden in Ukraine); and simply declaring victory before the votes are counted. In the case of the US, if Trump declares victory before all postal mail-in ballots have arrived, Republican-controlled legislatures in key states could end the counting early to lock in that outcome. An incumbent authoritarian can also engage in various forms of 'lawfare', using law enforcement or compliant courts to facilitate gerrymandering, voter suppression, cover-ups, and other violations of the democratic process. Here, one of the biggest advantages is the ability to control the timing of events or the release of politically damaging information. Many people still believe that then-FBI director James Comeys announcement of a new probe into Hillary Clinton just days before the 2016 election tipped the outcome in Trumps favour. Now, the Department of Justice is run by Attorney General William Barr, a man who has shown no compunction about politicising independent law-enforcement agencies on Trumps behalf. Another common authoritarian tactic is to play the 'law-and-order' card. By tarring the Black Lives Matter protests as an outpouring of violent 'urban' hooliganism, Trump is reprising the racial politics used by former Republican presidents since Richard Nixon, but by Erdogan more recently, during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The problem for the Democrats in the US, and democrats everywhere, is that all these techniques tend to become more effective the more they are called out. Fact-checking fake news can inadvertently spread misinformation more widely. Warnings about voter suppression can become self-fulfilling prophecies if enough people conclude that the process is rigged and not worth participating in. Challenging violations through the courts creates the impression of an end-run around democracy. To avoid these effects, the project of corrupting democracy needs to be clearly identified, named, and analyzed through a new lens. There is a world of difference between the political subterfuge outlined above and the outright falsification of election results, as happened last month in Belarus. Nicu Popescu, a former Moldovan foreign minister who is now at the European Council on Foreign Relations, contends that autocracy is not the right term to describe the phenomenon. Rather, it is the degradation, corrosion, and deconsolidation of democracy". In any case, if Trump were Moldovas president, one assumes that the European Union would be calling him out for his dirty tricks. Any such criticism from abroad would almost certainly be counterproductive. But it may help to put the current American experience in a wider context, so that democratic forces can see Trump more clearly. Ultimately, the only way to defeat Trump is through politics. The task for the Democrats is to remind Americans what democracy is for and, one hopes, to counter Trumps tactics effectively. Mark Leonard is Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations Lee Spirits Company a leading distiller of pre-prohibition American dry gin, flavored gins, fine liqueurs, whiskey, vodka and canned cocktails, is pleased to announce the 2020 New York International Spirit Competition named the organization the distillery of the year in Colorado for its ready to drink (RTD) canned cocktails. We launched our canned cocktails in February and are very grateful for the amazing reception they have received from consumers across Colorado and Nebraska, said Ian Lee, Co-founder. To be named top ready to drink distillery along with additional individual awards for our two canned flavor profiles by the NY international spirit competition truly highlights the hard work our team put in during product development. I want to acknowledge our entire team including our head distiller Cole Chapman and Philip Taylor who heads-up Lee Spirits R&D for their incredible work in making these products some of the finest in the country. Last week Forbes Magazine highlighted the entire competition and its results. In addition to being named the top RTD distillery in Colorado, both of Lee Spirits canned flavors garnered awards: strawberry ginger gin lemonade earned a gold medal and its lavender gin lemonade earned a bronze award. Known across the nation for its many vintage and innovative product offerings, Lee Spirits Lavender Gin Lemonade canned cocktail features the organizations popular Lavender Gin and is balanced perfectly with refreshing lemonade and can be served over ice or is equally delicious if consumed right from the can. The companys Strawberry Gin Lemonade canned cocktail contains Lee Spirits unique Strawberry Ginger Gin and is blended with the sweet tang of lemonade and is equally as quenching over ice or right from the can. About Lee Spirits Company: Lee Spirits Company is an award-winning Colorado-based distillery whose mission is to create the finest products to empower spirit-lovers to make authentic pre-prohibition classic cocktails. Lee Spirits products can be found across Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and now Nebraska. To connect with Lee Spirits, visit their website or social media page. MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Saina Health today announced the launch of a powerful, interactive health data management tool called InstaHealth. Eliminating inefficient, antiquated technologies such as fax and legacy EMR systems, InstaHealth provides peace of mind and convenience by freeing patients from cumbersome health record collection processes. It allows physicians to gain instant access to complete patient histories with all underlying conditions, making it the perfect tool during the pandemic, at a time when emergency rooms see unprecedented numbers of patients and there has never been greater need for efficiency. Sign up now for InstaHealth at https://sainahealth.com/account/sign-up. The full suite of InstaHealth services is currently being offered to COVID-19 infected subscribers for free. "InstaHealth is an easy-to-navigate graphic summary and health timeline that can be shared with physicians for a regular office visit, or a second opinion, telemedicine, or consultation," explains Amin Mobasher, CEO of Saina Health. "Currently, patients in California, Arizona, and Texas can subscribe for InstaHealth with a full roll-out expected over next month with the addition of new features and benefits." The first such tool of its kind, patients can quickly and easily sign up, select the clinical locations they have visited, and authorize release of their records. No follow-ups or wait times are needed, since Saina Health does all the groundwork. "Comprehensive access to personal health records should be an assumed right," says Sameer Sood, Saina Health Medical advisor and a primary care physician who has treated patients in the ER, clinic and over telemedicine. "Understanding risk factors and sharing of health data in this new age of COVID-19 and telemedicine is more important now than ever." The company's essential services are free for all, while premium services range from $11.99-$25.99 a month for additional features and multiple family members. About Saina Health Digital healthcare company Saina Health is committed to making exceptional care effortless and easier for patients with InstaHealth services, a powerful, interactive health data management tool for patients. The company prides itself on putting patients and their family members first at every interaction, placing every member at the center and in control of their own health. Contact Information Jason Bernard Jr Chief Partnership & Strategy Officer [email protected] https://www.sainahealth.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp-bVAofTio LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/sainahealth SOURCE Saina Health, Inc Related Links https://www.sainahealth.com The Chinese capital is opening up to international travel after a gap of six months following the Covid-19 pandemic with an official announcement saying that flights from eight countries, including its all-weather ally Pakistan, would be permitted from Thursday. Beijing, which banned all international flights from March 23, on Wednesday announced plans to resume direct international flights beginning Thursday, signalling that the pandemic has been contained in the city. Flights connecting Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan in Asia; Greece, Denmark, Austria and Sweden in Europe and Canada in North America -- countries with relatively small numbers of imported cases -- will resume. The first direct international flight to Beijing will depart from Cambodias capital Phnom Penh on Thursday which will be operated by Air China. Meanwhile, India operated its fourth Vande Bharat flight to China on Wednesday. The flight carried several Indian expats to Shanghai from Delhi and carried a large number of stranded Indians who wanted to go back home. India has so far operated four Vande Bharat flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou besides three earlier to Wuhan to airlift Indians, mostly students, stranded in the city when the virus was at its peak in February. China is gradually permitting flights from different countries, including the US to Shanghai and other cities mainly to bring back its stranded citizens abroad. After a break since late March, Beijing airports will open again to welcome passengers from eight countries directly into the city, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said. Since March, all international flights bound for Beijing have been rerouted to other Chinese cities, in a bid to prevent the imported cases of coronavirus. All international passengers entering Beijing like other cities in China would undergo 14-day collective quarantine periods for medical observations and take nucleic acid tests twice, Beijing health authority spokesman Gao Xiaojun told a press conference on Wednesday. Beijing reported no new case for 26 consecutive days as of Wednesday, according to local health authorities. It does not mean, however, that Beijing -- or other cities in the country -- could relax their prevention and control measures, as China has been seeing growing numbers of imported cases in recent months, according to some experts. With the experience of dealing with resurgent outbreaks in cities like Beijing and Dalian of northeast Chinas Liaoning province, China is increasingly capable of handling imported cases, and Covid-19 prevention and control has become a regular task, Zeng Guang, former chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times. Madam Marian Mensah, the Director of Social Welfare and Community Development of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has urged girls to report any form of violence against them to her Department or the Police for necessary action to be taken. Madam Marian Mensah, the Director of Social Welfare and Community Development of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has urged girls to report any form of violence against them to her Department or the Police for necessary action to be taken. She gave the advice at a mentorship programme in Accra organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Government. The programme was to empower adolescent girls on Sexual Reproductive Health Right (SRHR) and Sexual/Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Some of the girls who attended the event were drawn from communities such as Mamprobi, Chorkor, Jamestown, Korle Gonno, and Kaneshie and were taken through topics like reproductive health, abstinence and cervical cancer. Madam Mensah said: We are bringing social work to your doorsteps; we will escort you to the police station to report any of violence against anybody and this is to help keep evidence so do not hesitate to report. You can also report any lady who tries to sexually harass you. She gave the assurance that her Department would endeavour to continue to monitor every child below the age of 18 years and to engage them so they do not become promiscuous but responsible and beneficial to society. Madam Matilda Banfro, the Acting Greater Accra Regional Director of Gender, said; Young people have the right to lead healthy lives, and society has the responsibility to prepare them by providing them with the education that will enable them to make healthy decisions. She said there was the need to reorient and educate adolescent girls on SRHR and SGBV to ensure that the girls were healthy, socially empowered and free from violence and discrimination. "Currently women empowerment discourse has underscored the importance of Girl Child Education as a panacea to behavioural change, empower future women and promote sustainable development in the long term, Madam Banfro said. She said currently, there was some level of parity between boys and girls at the basic school level, adding that; The picture, however, is not very encouraging as girls progress from basic to Senior High School and tertiary levels (Ghanas MDG Report, 2015). Madam Banfro said among the factors that impede girl-child education and the realisation of their goals were teenage pregnancy, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), child marriage and the lack of comprehensive knowledge on their sexuality, reproductive health and rights. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video (Bloomberg Opinion) -- If you believe the message from the Kremlin, Russia currently has no plans to send police or military forces into neighboring Belarus. But it has sent in some reinforcements to the news media, as part of a strategy that should stand as a warning to democracies around the world. Of course, President Vladimir Putin mused last week, Russia may eventually need to intervene in Belarus militarily. But as his spokesman put it this week: At present we see that the situation is under control. Putin is trying to convey the impression that he is just a concerned neighbor in a crisis that has exploded in national unrest since Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in a stolen election last month. Russia, Putin wants the world to believe, is holding back. This perception is deceiving. In reality, Russia is waging a kind of stealth intervention in Belarus, the first part of which is taking place in the media. Belarusian state television has replaced Belarusian journalists with those from the Kremlin-financed RT network, which Lukashenko confirmed this week in an interview. You understand how important you were to us during this difficult period, he told an RT correspondent. And what you demonstrated technically, your IT specialists, and journalists, and correspondents, and so on ... and your manager. This is worth a lot. An early warning about the Russian takeover of Belarusian state television came from George Barros, who works for the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. Barros wrote on Aug. 20 about new montage videos that depicted the U.S. and NATO as fomenting unrest in Belarus, as well as slick propaganda videos being released through Belarus interior ministry. State TV was engaged in an effort to humanize Belarusian officials, he told me in an interview, while portraying protesters as threatening the families and lives of security personnel. This is the opposite of what was happening in Belarus. The state began arresting thousands of protesters indiscriminately after the disputed election last month. The BBC has reported that some of those detained said they were tortured in jail. Story continues Russias assistance to Lukashenko did not end there, either. Barros and his colleague Mason Clark have also tracked three flights in mid-August of government-owned passenger jets from Moscow to Minsk. The first such plane, they say, belonged to the FSB, the Russian Federal Security Service. There is no direct evidence that FSB officers were on those flights. But Barros says there is circumstantial evidence that the FSB is advising Lukashenko on how to disperse the protests. After that first flight on Aug. 18, for example, the Belarusian security services ended a policy of mass arrests, which fueled unrest, and began a strategy of targeted detentions of organizers and opposition leaders. In an interview with reporters this week, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said there was little doubt that Russia was exercising some level of influence in Belarus, and said that publicly available flight tracking data showed that elite aircraft from the FSB intelligence service has flown into Minsk on more than a couple of occasions. What all this means for the future of Belarus is not good. If Lukashenko is able to retain power, he will have to reverse any policies or stances that sought or promoted greater independence from Moscow. What will happen to his opposition to an economic and political union between Belarus and Russia? Will he still tout his anti-Russian bonafides, as he did during the presidential campaign, when Belarusian law enforcement agencies arrested 33 Russian mercenaries? More broadly, Putins offensive in Belarus is yet more evidence that Russia considers the media landscape a battlefield for its own brand of hybrid warfare. Sometimes, the war requires actual troops, as in 2014 in Ukraine. Other times, the goal is to sow chaos and mistrust in democracy. This time, in Belarus, it appears that Russia is trying to quell a democratic uprising without firing a single shot. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. PRESS RELEASE : REGULATED INFORMATION 3 September 2020, 07:00 CEST BIOCARTIS ANNOUNCES H1 2020 RESULTS Mechelen, Belgium, 3 September 2020 Biocartis Group NV (the Company or Biocartis), an innovative molecular diagnostics company (Euronext Brussels: BCART), today announces its business highlights and financial results for the first half of 2020, prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the European Union. Furthermore, the Company reinstates its outlook for the full year 2020. Commenting on the H1 2020 results, Herman Verrelst, Chief Executive Officer of Biocartis, reacted: The global pandemic definitely left its marks, but we nevertheless delivered a 12% growth of overall commercial cartridge volumes in H1 2020. Supported by a loyal customer base and a swift recovery towards the end of Q2 2020, the net impact from COVID-19 was limited in Europe: growth of European cartridge volumes remained robust and is now back in line with our pre-pandemic expectations. After a strong Q1 2020, the recovery was less pronounced in the US. Here, we saw new instrument placements stalling as lockdown measures prevented all new customer prospection during the entire Q2 2020. As such, we expect a prolonged effect of the pandemic into H2 2020 in the US. RoW1 volumes were most impacted in H1 2020 and timing of recovery is still uncertain. However, the need for high quality, rapid and easy diagnostic testing for every patient is more obvious than ever. In oncology, we managed to stabilize our business and return to growth in Europe and the US mainly thanks to Idyllas fully automated testing which has shown to be very useful in times where all lab resources are focused on priority pandemic testing. Next to that, we now see complimentary opportunity in infectious diseases and we have developed an Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test for which we expect strong demand in H2 2020, particularly in the US. Comforted by the resilience of our oncology business, most notably in Europe, and the expected demand for the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test, we look ahead with confidence and reinstate our full guidance for 2020. Story continues KEY MESSAGES Commercial cartridge volume: Nearly 80k cartridges sold in H1 2020, a year-over-year increase of 12%, despite the COVID-19 pandemic; After a strong 68% year-over-year growth in Q1 2020, Q2 2020 volumes came in 20% lower than last year; Europe: Strong continued growth in Q1 2020 and recovery by the end of Q2 2020, offsetting the impact of the pandemic in early Q2 2020; US: Strong volume growth in Q1 2020, but recovery in Q2 2020 less pronounced, as COVID-19 cases remain high in many States. Prolonged impact of the pandemic expected into H2 2020; RoW: After a strong Q1 2020, RoW volumes were most impacted with limited visibility on recovery. Installed base: 101 new Idylla instruments placed versus 156 in H1 2019; Total installed base of 1,411 end H1 2020; 50% of the new placements in Europe. Pace of new placements in the US and RoW slowed down due to highly restricted access to customers. New Idylla pandemic response test menu in H2 2020: Submission of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the US FDA; Commercialization rights in Europe and RoW for the CE-marked IVD test SeptiCyte RAPID 2 on Idylla from Immunexpress Pty Ltd 3 ('Immunexpress'). Expanded oncology partnerships: Partnership with AstraZeneca expanded with a study on liquid biopsy testing using the Idylla ctEGFR Mutation Assay (RUO 4 ); New project with Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) aimed at pursuing the registration of the Idylla MSI Test as a companion diagnostic 5 (CDx) test in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in China. Financials: Total operating income of EUR 17.6m (H1 2019: EUR 17.3m), including EUR 11.4m product income (H1 2019: EUR 10.0m); Cash and cash equivalents of EUR 150m as per end H1 2020. COVID-19 impact and 2020 outlook Despite the lingering impact of the pandemic, particularly in the US and the RoW, we expect continued cartridge volume growth with strong demand for the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test, offsetting a temporary slowdown in the Idylla core oncology business. Furthermore, the unique combined offering of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test and the SeptiCyte RAPID (CE-IVD) test on Idylla should fuel additional demand for Idylla instruments in the hospital intensive care units6 (ICUs). Provided that (a) normal business activities will resume in the course of H2 2020 and no new widespread lock-down measures will be imposed, and (b) the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test is granted US FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), Biocartis is reinstating its initial guidance for 2020: Targeting a year-over-year commercial cartridge volume growth in the range of 30%, representing a volume of Idylla cartridges in the range of 228k; Targeting an installed base growth in the range of 300-350 new instrument placements; and Targeting a cash position in the range of EUR 110m by year-end 2020. Biocartis will host a conference call with live webcast presentation today at 15:00 CET / 14:00 BST (UK) / 09:00 EDT (US) to discuss the H1 2020 results. Click here to access the live webcast. To participate in the questions and answers session, please dial 5-10 minutes prior to the start time the number +44 8445718892 (standard international), followed by the confirmation code 6661855. The conference call and webcast will be conducted in English. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Biocartis investors website shortly after. Commercial highlights Global In H1 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial cartridge volume amounted to nearly 80k cartridges, a year-over-year increase of 12%. After a strong Q1 2020, commercial cartridge volumes in Q2 2020 were 20% lower than last year as a direct consequence of the pandemic, which also limited new Idylla instrument placements to 101 in H1 2020. Europe Cartridge volumes continued to grow in Europe that also accounted for half of the new Idylla instruments placements. The negative impact of the pandemic was most notable at the start of Q2 2020, but the strength of the European customer base lead to swift recovery with volumes and growth now tracking to initial pre-pandemic expectations. Slower than expected cartridge growth in the more affected Southern European countries was offset by robust demand in the rest of Europe. The recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases across Europe may slow down the growth in H2 2020. US Cartridge volume growth was strong in the US in Q1 2020, but the recovery in Q2 2020 was less pronounced than in Europe as many States are still battling with a high number of COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, COVID-19 measures did not allow new customer prospection to labs, which stalled the growth of both Idylla installed base expansion and commercial cartridge volume in these markets. The pandemic is expected to have a prolonged effect into the second half of 2020. RoW RoW cartridge growth was most impacted, with a COVID-19 peak that is still not reached in many regions. Latin America was particularly affected. Nevertheless, new market authorizations were obtained for the Idylla MSI Test in Colombia, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore, and for the Idylla EGFR Mutation Test in Argentina. Japan Continued progress in the in vitro diagnostic (IVD) registration preparations for the Idylla assays are paving the way to commercialization with Nichirei Biosciences in Japan, with first test registrations to be expected earliest by end 2021. China In China, the joint venture (China JV) with Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Co., Ltd7 took further steps towards establishing local manufacturing capabilities. Concerning the registration of products, a first CDx partnership was announced on 5 March 2020 with Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS), aimed at pursuing the registration in China of the Idylla MSI Test as a companion diagnostic (CDx) test in metastatic colorectal cancer8 (mCRC) (see below). First product registrations in China to be expected earliest by end 2021. Menu and partnership highlights Partnership AstraZeneca On 22 January 2020, Biocartis announced that it entered into a master collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca, a global science-led biopharmaceutical company (LON/STO/NYSE: AZN), to enable collaborative development and commercialization projects between Biocartis and AstraZeneca, such as but not limited to, CDx development projects that may cover any type of indication or biomarker. The first project in that context is a study focused on evaluating if liquid biopsy testing using the Idylla ctEGFR Mutation Assay (RUO) could provide further benefits to tissue-based EGFR molecular testing. New BMS Immuno-Oncology MSI Project in China On 5 March 2020, Biocartis announced a new project under its existing collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY), a global biopharmaceutical company. While the existing collaboration is aimed at the registration in the US of the Idylla MSI Test as a CDx test in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), under the new project, both partners will now also pursue the registration of the Idylla MSI test as a CDx test in mCRC 9 in the Peoples Republic of China. Expansion Immunexpress partnership On 26 March 2020, Biocartis announced the co-commercialization agreement with its partner Immunexpress of the newly CE-marked IVD SeptiCyte RAPID 10 test on Idylla, in which Biocartis will lead commercialization in Europe as exclusive distributor of the SeptiCyte RAPID test, while Immunexpress will lead commercialization in the US. On 16 June 2020, Immunexpress announced to have been awarded a grant from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority 11 (BARDA) 12 for the SeptiCyte RAPID 13 test on Idylla. Partnership Exact Sciences COVID-19 led to the suspension of the Idylla IVD Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test project. Consequently, the project plan is under evaluation and timing is under review. No launch is to be expected in 2020. Idylla publications, abstracts & posters During H1 2020, 20 new Idylla publications, abstracts and posters14 were issued, all demonstrating strong data of Idylla tests. The studies included, amongst others, a new US multicenter study15 published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology which showed that, compared to current standard-of-care testing methods, the Idylla platform can substantially improve turnaround time of the results of mutation testing, independent of the size of the laboratory. The study is one of the largest studies performed involving Idylla, with 20 laboratories of different types and sizes included throughout the US and Puerto Rico, and data from almost 800 colorectal cancer samples. Furthermore, during the virtual annual ASCO16, five Idylla abstracts and posters17 were published by key oncology opinion leaders, including first Idylla data from China where amongst others the Idylla EGFR Mutation Assay (RUO) showed excellent concordance with other methods. Organizational and operational highlights Appointment new CFO On 23 April 2020, Biocartis announced the appointment of Jean-Marc Roelandt as the new CFO of the Company with immediate effect. Jean-Marc Roelandt is a senior executive with an established track record of more than 25 years as CFO in globally active publicly listed companies. With a focus on M&A, capital market transactions and the implementation of adequate financial management infrastructure in dynamic and fast growing companies, he built up a solid expertise in various industries. Prior to joining Biocartis, he was CFO of MDxHealth, a healthcare company that provides actionable genomic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Progress on ML2 Further progress was made on the transfer of Idylla assays to the second cartridge manufacturing line (ML2). After the transfer of the Idylla KRAS Mutation Test (CE-IVD), during H1 2020, the Idylla NRAS Mutation Test (CE-IVD) and the Idylla MSI Test (CE-IVD) were successfully transferred to ML2. The transfer of the EGFR Mutation Test (CE-IVD) is ongoing. The Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test will initially be manufactured on the first manufacturing line ML1, but the transfer to ML2 is planned towards end 2020. Post-period events The following events took place since 30 June 2020: US FDA EUA submission Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test On 10 August 2020, Biocartis notified US FDA of the intent to commercialize the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test and applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The test is intended to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from nasopharyngeal swabs in viral transport medium. The Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test is targeted to help healthcare providers manage the COVID-19 pandemic through rapid and easy testing of individuals with flu-like symptoms. In addition, the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test may be used in combination with the recently CE-marked IVD SeptiCyte RAPID 18 test on Idylla to facilitate management of patients within the hospital intensive care unit (ICU). When used together, this combined testing solution on Idylla has the unique potential to identify patients with severe disease, as recent data 19 indicate that sepsis is the most frequently observed complication in COVID-19 20 . The US FDA regulatory process of the SeptiCyte RAPID test on Idylla is ongoing. The development and roll-out of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test is supported by multiple undisclosed partners as part of a joint commitment to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobilizing resources for the development of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test required certain other projects to be delayed, as described in the menu outlook below. Emergency Use Authorization (US) and CE-marking (Europe) of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test is pending. Expansion collaboration LifeArc On 1 September 2020, Biocartis announced the expansion of its collaboration with LifeArc, a UK based independent medical research charity. The new licence and development agreement is an extension of the existing partnership21 between LifeArc and Biocartis. Under the new agreement, LifeArc obtains a non-exclusive licence to use the Idylla platform for the development of Idylla assays in the area of infectious and immune related diseases, aimed at supporting patient stratification and treatment monitoring of patients with, amongst others, bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Financial highlights Total operating income Total operating income amounted to EUR 17.6m compared to EUR 17.3m last year. Product revenues increased 14% from EUR 10m in H1 2019 to EUR 11.4m in H1 2020. Within product sales, cartridge sales revenues increased 28% on the back of 12% higher volumes and an increasing average selling price. Idylla instrument sales revenues decreased by 26% as new placements were hampered by the global COVID-19 measures. Following delays of several partner projects, collaboration revenues of EUR 4.7m decreased by EUR 2.1m year-on-year. H1 2019 also included a licensing fee of EUR 2.5m. Gross profit The cost of goods sold increased from EUR 8.7m to EUR 9.2m, but the gross margin on product sales improved from 12% to 19% as increased cartridge volumes lowered the manufacturing cost per cartridge. OPEX Total operating expenses (including cost of sales) of EUR 44m remained level with last year. Net cash flow and cash position The net cash outflow from operating and investing activities amounted to EUR 25.6m in H1 2020 compared to EUR 33.6m in H1 2019. The reduced outflow is attributable to a lower investment in net working capital and lower capital expenditure resulting from a lower number of Idylla instruments placed under reagent rental agreements. The cash and cash equivalents at 30 June 2020 amounted to EUR 150m. Key figures for H1 2020 The tables below show an overview of the key figures and a breakdown of operating income for H1 2020 and H1 2019. Consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are included in Biocartis half-year 2020 report that is available here on the Companys website. Key figures (EUR 1,000) H1 2020 H1 2019 % Change Total operating income 17,606 17,298 2% Cost of sales -9,233 -8,742 6% Research and development expenses -20,303 -20,031 1% Sales and marketing expenses -7,931 -8,811 -10% General and administrative expenses -6,491 -6,399 1% Operating expenses -43,958 -43,983 0% Operating result -26,352 -26,685 -1% Net financial result -5,129 -2,822 82% Share in the result of associated companies -195 -181 8% Income tax 118 18 556% Net result -31,558 -29,670 6% Cash flow from operating activities -24,526 -28,357 -14% Cash flow from investing activities -1,028 -5,267 -80% Cash flow from financing activities -3,456 179,465 -102% Net cash flow 1 -29,010 145,841 -120% Cash and cash equivalents2 149,674 209,200 -28% Financial debt 165,258 166,578 -1% 1 Excludes the effect of exchange rate differences on the cash balances held in foreign currencies 2 Including EUR 1.2m of restricted cash in H1 2020 and H1 2019 Operating income (EUR 1,000) H1 2020 H1 2019 % Change Collaboration revenue 4,746 6,816 -30% Idylla system sales 1,837 2,499 -26% Idylla cartridge sales 9,584 7,481 28% Product sales revenue 11,421 9,980 14% Service revenue 530 351 51% Total revenue 16,697 17,147 -3% Grants and other income 909 151 502% Total operating income 17,606 17,298 2% Product sales revenue (EUR 1,000) H1 2020 H1 2019 % Change Commercial revenue 10,491 9,551 10% Research & development revenue 930 429 117% Total product sales revenue 11,421 9,980 14% Outlook Commercial cartridge volume: Targeting a year-over-year commercial volume growth in the range of 30%, representing a volume of Idylla cartridges in the range of 228k. Idylla installed base: Targeting an installed base growth in the range of 300-350 new Idylla instruments placements. Idylla test menu outlook: COVID-19 impacted and delayed various partner projects. Furthermore, mobilizing resources for the development of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test affected the planning of certain other projects. The revised test menu outlook is now as follows: ONCOLOGY MENU: * Colorectal cancer menu Subject to further feedback from US FDA interaction, US FDA 510(k) submission of the Idylla MSI Test is expected in Q4 2020 and US FDA submission of PMA (Pre-Market Approval) application for the Idylla RAS tests is now expected in H1 2021 (instead of end 2020 initially); * Lung cancer menu Minor delay of the RUO launch of the Idylla GeneFusion Assay to Q1 2021 (instead of end 2020 initially); * Breast cancer menu The plan for the Idylla IVD Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test is under evaluation and timing is under review. No launch to be expected in 2020. o INFECTIOUS DISEASE PARTNER MENU: * The CE-IVD market release of the SeptiCyte RAPID test on Idylla is expected in Q3 2020 and the US FDA regulatory process is ongoing; * Emergency Use Authorization ('EUA) (US) and CE-marking (Europe) of the Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test is pending. Financial calendar 2020 12 November 2020 Q3 2020 Business Update 12 November 2020 Capital Markets Day 2020 (virtual or physical event, depending on Belgian COVID-19 guidelines) 25 February 2021 2020 full year results 1 April 2021 Publication 2020 annual report Auditor Statement The condensed consolidated financial statements for the six-months period ended 30 June 2020 have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the European Union. They do not include all the information required for the full annual financial statements and should therefore be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. The condensed consolidated financial statements are presented in thousands of Euros (unless stated otherwise). The condensed consolidated financial statements have been approved for issue by the Board of Directors. The statutory auditor, Deloitte Bedrijfsrevisoren/Reviseurs dEntreprises, represented by Nico Houthaeve, has performed a review, which did not reveal any significant adjustments to the condensed consolidated financial statements. The interim financial report 2020 and the review opinion of the auditor are available on www.biocartis.com. --- END --- More information: Renate Degrave Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Biocartis e-mail rdegrave@biocartis.com tel +32 15 631 729 mobile +32 471 53 60 64 About Biocartis Biocartis (Euronext Brussels: BCART) is an innovative molecular diagnostics (MDx) company providing next generation diagnostic solutions aimed at improving clinical practice for the benefit of patients, clinicians, payers and industry. Biocartis' proprietary MDx Idylla platform is a fully automated sample-to-result, real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) system that offers accurate, highly reliable molecular information from virtually any biological sample in virtually any setting. Biocartis is developing and marketing a continuously expanding test menu addressing key unmet clinical needs, with a focus in oncology, which represents the fastest growing segment of the MDx market worldwide. Today, Biocartis offers tests supporting melanoma, colorectal and lung cancer. More information: www.biocartis.com . Follow us on Twitter: @Biocartis_. Biocartis and Idylla are registered trademarks in Europe, the United States and other countries. The Biocartis and Idylla trademark and logo are used trademarks owned by Biocartis. This press release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Any persons reading this press release should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. Biocartis takes no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person. Please refer to the product labeling for applicable intended uses for each individual Biocartis product. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities in any jurisdiction. No securities of Biocartis may be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' or managements' current expectations and projections concerning future events such as the Company's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities are not guarantees of future performance and should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. In addition, even if actual results or developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. No representations and warranties are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. 1 RoW = Rest of the World. RoW is defined as the world excluding European direct markets, US, China and Japan 2 Developed in collaboration with Immunexpress. More info here 3 Immunexpress is a molecular diagnostic company focused on improving outcomes for suspected sepsis patients 4 RUO = Research Use Only, not for use in diagnostic procedures 5 An IVD companion diagnostic device is an in vitro diagnostic device that provides information that is essential for the safe and effective use of a corresponding therapeutic product. Source: US FDA, last consulted on 6 August 2020 6 The Idylla SARS-CoV-2 Test and the SeptiCyte RAPID (CE-IVD) test on Idylla are intended for use in microbiology labs 7 Wondfo, SHE: 300482, a fast growing diagnostics leader in China 8 More info on https://investors.biocartis.com/sites/default/files/press-releases/2020/200304_pr_bms_china_eng_final.pdf 9 mCRC = metastatic colorectal cancer 10 The SeptiCyte RAPID test is a rapid, host-response test that distinguishes sepsis from non-infectious SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) and is expected to provide actionable results in about one hour. Host-response based tests focus on measuring biomarkers that are indicative of the response of a patients immune system to an infection rather than measuring pathogens that are the cause of the infection. Moreover, the SeptiCyte RAPID test not only discriminates sepsis from SIRS but also correlates with viral sepsis infection, versus procalcitonin (PCT) which increases with severity of bacterial but not viral infection and is also a non-specific marker of inflammation 11 Part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). More info here 12 More info here 13 The SeptiCyte RAPID test is a rapid, host-response test that distinguishes sepsis from non-infectious SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) and is expected to provide actionable results in about one hour. Host-response based tests focus on measuring biomarkers that are indicative of the response of a patients immune system to an infection rather than measuring pathogens that are the cause of the infection. Moreover, the SeptiCyte RAPID test not only discriminates sepsis from SIRS but also correlates with viral sepsis infection, versus procalcitonin (PCT) which increases with severity of bacterial but not viral infection and is also a non-specific marker of inflammation 14 Including e-publications ahead of print. Sources: (1) Merlin MS et al. Rapid fully-automated assay for routine molecular diagnosis of BRAF mutations for personalized therapy of low grade gliomas. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2020 Feb;37(1):29-40; (2) De Luca C et al. Rapid On-site Molecular Evaluation in thyroid cytopathology: A same-day cytological and molecular diagnosis. Diagn Cytopathol. 2020 Apr;48(4):300-30. Epub 2020 Jan 6; (3) Lee et al. Reduced sensitivity for EGFR T790M mutations using the Idylla EGFR Mutation Test. J Clin Path. May 2020; (4) Lassalle et al. Targeted Assessment of the EGFR Status as Reflex Testing in Treatment-Naive Non-Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma Patients: A Single Laboratory Experience (LPCE, Nice, France). Cancers 2020, 12, 955. April 2020; (5) Delgado-Garcia et al. Clinical performance evaluation of the Idylla EGFR Mutation Test on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue of non-small cell lung cancer. BMC Cancer volume 20, Article number: 275, April 2020. Epub ahead of print; (6) Al-Turkmani et al. Rapid EGFR mutation testing in lung cancer tissue samples using a fully automated system and single-use cartridge. Practical Laboratory Medicine 20 (2020); (7) Boureille A et al. Rapid detection of EGFR mutations in decalcified lung cancer bone metastasis. Bone Oncol. 2020 Jan Epub ahead of print; (8) Chevalier L et al. EGFR molecular characterization in non-small cell bronchic cancer: comparative prospective study by NGS and Idylla platform technologies. Annales de Pathologie. Feb 2020; (9) Bocciarelli C. et al. Evaluation of the Idylla system to detect the EGFRT790M mutation using extracted DNA. Pathol Res Pract. 2020 Jan;216 (1); (10) Sousa et al. Detection of rare and novel EGFR mutations in NSCLC patients: Implications for treatment-decision. Lung Cancer. 2020 Jan;139: 35-40; (11) Gralewski J et al. Detection of EGFR Exons 18-21 Hotspot Mutations Using a Fully-Automated, Cartridge-Based Platform with Ultra-Rapid Turnaround Time: A Comparison Study with Conventional Next Generation Sequencing. USCAP 2020; (12) Gadde R et al. Validation of the Idylla EGFR Assay for Rapid Assessment of EGFR Mutation Status in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. USCAP 2020; (13) Matthews P et al. The impact of in-house biomarker testing on NSCLS patients. USCAP 2020; (14) Pecriaux et al. Detection of Microsatellite Instability in a Panel of Solid Tumours With the Idylla MSI Test Using Extracted DNA. J Clin Pathol 2020 June; (15) Yaziji H et al. Validation of a Rapid PCR Assay for Microsatellite Instability Testing in Colorectal Cancer. USCAP 2020; (16) Dagenborg et al. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Is Associated With a Transient Increase of Intratumoral T-cell Density in Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Liver Metastases. Cancer Biol Ther . 2020 May 3;21(5):432-440; (17) Zwaenepoel K et al. Clinical Performance of the Idylla MSI Test for a Rapid Assessment of the DNA Microsatellite Status in Human Colorectal Cancer. J Mol Diagn. March 2020; 22 (3): 386-395. Epub ahead of Print Dec 2019; (18) Vessies et al. Performance of Four Platforms for KRAS Mutation Detection in Plasma Cell-Free DNA: ddPCR, Idylla, COBAS z480 and BEAMing. Sci Rep. 2020 May 15;10(1):8122; (19) Franczak C et al. Evaluation of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF mutations detection in plasma using an automated system for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. PLoS One. 2020 Jan 15; (20) Tsongalis et al., Comparison of Tissue Molecular Biomarker Testing Turnaround Times and Concordance Between Standard of Care and the Biocartis Idylla Platform in Patients With Colorectal Cancer, Am J Clin Pathol. 2020 Jun 11;aqaa044. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqaa044. Online ahead of print. See also www.biocartis.com/publications 15 Led by researchers from Dartmouths and Dartmouth-Hitchcocks Norris Cotton Cancer Center (Lebanon, New Hampshire, US). Tsongalis et al., Comparison of Tissue Molecular Biomarker Testing Turnaround Times and Concordance Between Standard of Care and the Biocartis Idylla Platform in Patients With Colorectal Cancer , Am J Clin Pathol. 2020 Jun 11;aqaa044. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqaa044. Online ahead of print 16 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, took place between 8-10 August 2020 17 R. Gadde et al., Validation of the Idylla EGFR Assay for Rapid Assessment of EGFR Mutation Status in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH; H Yaziji et al., Validation of a Rapid PCR Assay for Microsatellite Instability Testing in Colorectal Cancer, Vitro Molecular Laboratories, Miami, FL; J Gralewski et al., Detection of EGFR Exons 18-21 Hotspot Mutations Using a Fully-Automated, Cartridge-Based Platform with Ultra-Rapid Turnaround Time: A Comparison Study with Conventional Next Generation Sequencing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; P. Matthews et al., Clinical Impact of Rapid Biomarker Testing in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Community Setting, William Osler Health System, Brampton, ON, Canada 18 Developed in collaboration with Immunexpress. More info here 19 Zhou et al., Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study, published online 9 March 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3 20 Sepsis developed at a median of 9 days (713) after illness onset among all patients, followed by ARDS (12 days [815]), acute cardiac injury (15 days [1017]), acute kidney injury (15 days [1319.5]), and secondary infection (17 days [139]) 21 In June 2017, Biocartis announced a partnership with LifeArc to develop selected molecular diagnostic tests for use on the Idylla platform. For each selected test, LifeArc will act as a development contractor, whereas Biocartis will be responsible for the commercialization of the tests under its own label. More info on www.biocartis.com/partners . On 15 June 2017, MRC Technology changed its name to LifeArc. LifeArc has been involved in helping deliver a number of therapies including Keytruda (pembrolizumab, marketed by Merck) which is an important immunotherapy treatment for various cancers. The collaboration between Biocartis and LifeArc today is focused on the development and the commercialization of the Idylla ABC (Advanced Breast Cancer) assay. This assay is positioned to target a multi-gene panel of predictive and resistance-inducing mutations based on a FFPE sample type IF YOU GO An event commemorating the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is scheduled to begin at 9:50 a.m. Saturday at Historic Union Cemetery, 720 Potomac St. in east Bakersfield. According to Marc Sandall, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day coordinator, guests who attend this public ceremony will be given a special commemorative button and a biodegradable balloon to release. Music and ceremonial traditions will be included, along with a motorcycle procession. Military vehicles and a giant American flag will be on display. At least one Pearl Harbor survivor's widow is expected to be in attendance along with a very special guest. Saudi Arabias Capital Market Authority has issued a resolution allowing residents and non-residents foreigners to invest directly in listed and non-listed debt instruments. This comes as part of CMA's strategic goals to develop the capital market "Financial Leadership Program" and in line with "Financial Sector Development Program" one of the main programs to achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. This resolution comes as a continuation of the CMA's endeavour to develop the debt instruments market by aligning its regulatory requirements with international best practices. In addition to that, the continuity of the approach of opening up the Saudi financial market to the world and enhancing the investment environment attractive for foreign investors, thus contributing to raising the efficiency of the market and increasing its competitiveness regionally and internationally. This resolution will also contribute to deepening the financial market, enhancing its role in capital formation, and diversifying investment products for foreign investor segments. The CMA Board resolution included the following: a) All foreign legal and natural persons may invest directly in debt instruments. b) A non-resident foreign person may not invest in the market as a direct investor in listed debt instruments and as a qualified foreign investor or an ultimate beneficiary in swap agreements at the same time. c) A foreign person who invests directly in debt instruments may not convert such instruments into shares listed in the Main Market, unless such person is among the categories of investors who are allowed to invest directly in the shares listed in the Main Market, or becomes an ultimate beneficiary in a swap agreement in accordance with the provisions of the Authority's instructions on swap agreements. TradeArabia News Service CEDAR RAPIDS -- Layer upon layer of issues coronavirus pandemic, unemployment, housing and food insecurity, mental health and a derecho that have challenged Iowans over the past six months also have created an urgency among Cedar Rapids safety net organizations. These two disasters have stretched the safety net as thin as it can be stretched, Les Garner of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation told Iowa Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst on Wednesday during a meeting with area nonprofits. Like the people they serve, many nonprofits suffered damage in the Aug. 10 hurricane-force winds that, in some cases, challenges their ability to continue serving, he said. All of these organizations have been working valiantly to maintain their existing operations before the derecho, Garner said, and now go beyond that to expand. The need for support to sustain the nonprofit organizations as they help lead us through this crisis is extraordinary. Ernst and Grassley heard about specific needs during the hourlong meeting at the The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, some they hope can be incorporated into the next pandemic relief package. However, Grassley said the needs presented by nonprofits probably wont be what holds up agreement. Its probably not the things they talked about here that are very controversial, he said. Its things like the enhanced federal unemployment that would go along with state unemployment insurance and aid to state and local communities like we did in the first (CARES Act). Those tend to be the two things that are holding up everything. Others should be easier to address, Ernst said, referring to Alejandro Pino of YPN, who said YPN has distributed 150,000 diapers in the past three week. In the previous year, the parents network distributed 164,000 diapers. Ernst has introduced legislation with a Democratic colleague to support diaper banks for needy families. So thats something that I can double-down on, she said. There are a lot of issues that we can be working on in regard to the next care package. The list of needs was long, ranging from USDA Forestry Service strike teams of arborists to small businesses and entrepreneurs to child care resources to addressing climate change. Repeatedly, Garner and others brought up sustainability. All of these agencies were struggling because of pandemic, Sofia Mehaffey of Horizons said. The need for services had escalated because people are out of work and have lost their incomes. The impact of COVID-19 has been compounded by the derecho that left people without electricity for a week or more and some still without internet connectivity, added Lisa Gavin of Iowa Legal Aid. That means theyve lost their ability to work from home, and they are worried their employers are not going to be patient. The needs have escalated tremendously ... but we are crippled in ability to respond, Mehaffey said, because many nonprofits have lost their funding because of the pandemic. What has been missing from the response, said Tamara Marcus of Advocates for Social Justice, is recognition that what the pandemic and derecho has made apparent has been real in underserved communities and communities of color before the current crises. She also called on the senators to address climate change that, Marcus said, is the cause of a record number of derechos this year. We need to ask ourselves, Why is it that each time we have a disaster or pandemic, the most-vulnerable are the worst impacted, particularly communities of color? Pino said. The conditions they were living in before the crises were unacceptable. The derecho has created a sense of urgency among the good, hardworking, blue-collar folks of Cedar Rapids, Clint Twedt-Ball of Matthew 25 said. Theyre at a breaking point. They have so many expenses, so many things piled on top of them, they dont know where to turn. It leaves people feeling as if Washington has abandoned them, Twedt-Ball said, in encouraging Grassley and Ernst to find ways to compromise, find ways to come together. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka, spokesmen for the country's navy said on Thursday, adding that one of its 23 crew was missing and another injured. New Diamond Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said flames had spread to the bridge of the New Diamond, and that two Russian warships in Sri Lanka's Hambantota harbour had left to assist in the firefighting. He had earlier said navy personnel at the scene had reported the fire was under control. "We will need an international effort," de Silva said, adding that there was still no damage to the ship's cargo area. "There were 23 crew on board. We are bringing one injured crew member to Sri Lanka on board one of our vessels." The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) , was fully loaded with the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. Photographs taken by Sri Lanka's air force showed extensive damage to the tanker's funnel, and thick black smoke and flames coming from the bridge, that sits just behind the cargo area. Another spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka and that the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to assist. One of its 23 crew was missing, Rajapaksa told Reuters. On Twitter, India's coast guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help fight the fire. The ship sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. It was headed for the Indian port of Paradip, where state-run IOC has a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker. Such a spill could cause an "environmental disaster", warned Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore. "No double-hull VLCC has spilt oil to date, but (it) depends on the damage to the ship," he added. Thursday's incident came a little more than a month after a state of "environmental emergency" triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. Silva said some of the New Diamond's crew were rescued by oil product tanker Helen M, which an industry source said was on a time charter with India's Reliance Industries . "The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew." In a statement, the vessel's insurer, West of England, said: "We can confirm that these two vessels are entered in the West of England. The Club is liaising closely with our members and the relevant authorities and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time." The second vessel referred to was the Gulf Livestock 1, sailing to China from New Zealand with 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that sank off Japan on Thursday. was no immediate comment from IOC, Reliance Industries and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Courtesy: Reuters Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) One of the 39 Filipino crew members of the missing Panamanian-flagged livestock ship off Japan's waters in the East China Sea has already been rescued, the Department of Affairs said Thursday. The DFA made the confirmation, in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka. "One Fil crewmember was found adrift at sea but alive. He is Chief Officer Edwardo Sareno," Beth Estrada, a labor official at the Philippine Consulate in Osaka, reported. "The Japanese Coast Guard continues to search for other missing crew using 4 rescue patrol boats, 2 airplanes and divers from the Haneda Airbase Special Rescue Team." DFA also confirmed that the vessel Gulf Livestock 1 made a distress signal early Wednesday morning from Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture before it had gone missing. It added that the Consulate General in Osaka is still monitoring the situation, and will continue its search and rescue mission prior to worsening threats brought by Typhoon Maysak. Four other foreign crew members were on board the ship, so 42 remain missing. The other crew members include two New Zealanders, one Australian and one Singaporean, Estrada added. The DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Osaka are also closely coordinating with local manning agency Korpil Ship Management and Manning Corp., in charge of the employment of the Filipino seafarers. A sister of one of the Filipino crew, who refused to be named, told CNN Philippines that she was still speaking to her brother over the phone at around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday until they lost communication. After losing contact, she said she could not reach the other Filipino seamen onboard, until the manning agency confirmed the incident that occurred amid strong winds in the area due to Typhoon Maysak. Some foreign news outfits earlier reported that Gulf Livestock 1 was carrying 5,800 head of cattle en route to China from New Zealand. This is a developing story and will be updated. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to publish a July 9 intelligence document that warns of Russian attempts to denigrate Joseph R. Biden Jr.s mental health, prompting new scrutiny of political influence at the department. The intelligence bulletin, titled Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of U.S. Candidates to Influence 2020 Election, was drafted to inform state and local law enforcement officials that Russian state media agencies were posting allegations about the poor mental health of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, ABC News first reported on Wednesday. But before the bulletin was distributed, senior Homeland Security officials intervened to halt publication, department officials confirmed. Officials from the Office of Intelligence and Analysis briefed Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, on the document sometime this summer, the department said in a statement. But in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Mr. Wolf said he and other career officials at the intelligence office had questioned the quality of the very poorly written report. Prince Harry and Meghan pledged to promote diversity behind the camera as their production company gets off the ground Six months after detangling their work lives from the British royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have signed a multiyear deal to produce nature series, documentaries, and childrens programming for the streamer, according to a statement Wednesday. The two, who recently relocated to Santa Barbara, California, plan to focus on stories and issues that elevate diverse voices and other issues close to their hearts. Several projects are already in development, including a nature docu-series and a series focused on women who inspire. Our lives, both independent of each other and as a couple, have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection, the pair said in the joint statement. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. The couple also pledged to promote diversity behind the camera as their production company gets off the ground. Meghan has said she will not return to acting. She has done some voice work since the couple left the UK with baby Archie in search of their financial independence. The prince worked closely with the filmmakers of the documentary Rising Phoenix, in which he also appears. It premiered last week on Netflix. Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer for Netflix, said in the statement that the decamped royals have inspired millions of people all around the world with their authenticity, optimism, and leadership. He said the company is proud they have made Netflix their creative home and looks forward to telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere. Netflix also airs its award-winning series The Crown, following the reign of Harrys grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. News of the Sussex production deal comes after Netflix teased the fourth season of the popular drama, scheduled for release on 15 November. The new season picks up in the late 1970s, with Emma Corrin playing Harrys mother, Princess Diana. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is waiting for a mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the near term and that the funds from the IMF will arrive in the country by the end of 2020, NBU Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko has said. "The main assumption of our forecast is further cooperation with the IMF... We expect an IMF mission in the near future and plan to receive more money from the IMF by the end of the year," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Thursday. By ANI NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) clarified on Thursday that the OPD (Outpatient Department) services would continue as usual, after it temporarily stopped routine OPD admissions on Tuesday. "Reference circular on, "Temporary suspension of routine OPD admission" dated September 1; this is to clarify that OPD services at AIIMS, New Delhi will continue as usual," the statement said. The reason for the reconsideration was not mentioned. Earlier on Tuesday, AIIMS had decided to temporarily stop its routine OPD admissions for two weeks in view of the need to optimise usage of available inpatient beds for hospitalisation. "In view of the 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 to general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS Hospital and all Centres with immediate effect for a period of two weeks which will be reviewed after that," said the hospital in a statement. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during his weekly briefing at the State Department in Washington. (AFP) Washington: The United States said on Wednesday it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. Washington cast the move as a response to Beijings restrictions on American diplomats in China. It comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage. The State Department said it would also take action to help ensure all Chinese embassy and consular social media accounts were properly identified. Were simply demanding reciprocity, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and todays steps will move us substantially in that direction. It was the latest U.S. step to curb Chinese activity in the United States in the run-up to the November presidential election, in which President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy platform. Chinas Washington embassy called the move yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel that runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the U.S. side. Pompeo also said the State Department had written recently to the governing boards of U.S. universities alerting them to threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. These threats can come in the form of illicit funding for research, intellectual property theft, intimidation of foreign students and opaque talent recruitment efforts, Pompeo said. He said universities could help ensure they had clean investments and endowment funds by disclosing Chinese firms in such funds and dropping those connected to human rights abuses. On Tuesday, Pompeo said he was hopeful the dozens of Chinese-government funded Confucius Institute cultural centers on U.S. campuses, which he accused of working to recruit spies and collaborators, would all be shut by the year end. On Wednesday, the Washington-based Confucius Institute U.S. Center, which was required last month to register as a foreign mission after Pompeo accused it of advancing Beijings malign influence, said it had been mischaracterized by the State Department as a headquarters for Confucius Institutes. Contrary to what people have heard from the State Department, CI programs in the U.S. are independent of each other, set up and run by the schools that choose to set up Chinese language education, and staffed by people hired and supervised by those schools, it said in a statement. Pompeo said he planned to discuss China and other regional issues with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Indo-Pacific countries in virtual meetings next week. The State Department said Pompeo would participate in an East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers meeting and another with his ASEAN counterparts on Sept. 9. It said that on Sept. 11, he would launch a cooperation partnership with Mekong River partner countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, aimed at strengthening their autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable development. Also that day, he will participate in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a 27-nation grouping bringing ASEAN together with dialogue partners from around the world. Wednesdays U.S. move goes further than one last October requiring Chinese diplomats to give notice of meetings with state and local officials and at educational and research institutions. The State Department has also required Chinese media outlets to register as foreign missions and announced in March it was cutting the number of journalists allowed to work at U.S. offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160. A casino in Phu Quoc. The Ministry of Finance has proposed amendments to the decree about casino businesses. - Photo tuoitre.vn The regulation for the eligibility to run casino business, including minimum capital of US$2 billion for a casino project and the disbursed capital of $1 billion or higher, was proposed to be kept the same. However, for regions like Van Don Economic Zone in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the ministry proposed that for investors who poured money in other projects in the region, the disbursed capital in these projects would be calculated as the disbursed capital for the eligibility of running a casino business but not higher than 25 per cent of the total investment of the casino project. The proposal, if passed, would facilitate the investment of Sun Group into a casino complex project in Van Don as the developers disbursed capital at Van Don International Airport and Van Don Ha Long Mong Cai Expressway would be calculated as part of the disbursement for the casino business. The Van Don International Airport had a total investment of VND7.5 trillion ($322 million) and went into operation in December 2018. The 60km Ha Long-Van Don Expressway had a total investment of VND12 trillion and the construction of Van Don-Mong Cai Expressway is expected to be complete in 2021. Sun Group in a document of Quang Ninh Province People Committee in April 2017 was confirmed as the only investor selected by the provincial authority for the casino complex project in Van Don to propose to the Prime Minister for consideration. The Van Don casino complex project would have a total investment of around $2 billion and be developed on an area of 445ha in Van Yen Commune, Van Don District. Sun Group has asked for an extension of the project's life to 70 years from 50 years. Construction of the project is expected to run from this year until 2029. The province planned to announce the official investor of the project in the second quarter of this year and to date, no name had been announced. The Politburo previously approved the pilot implementation of allowing Vietnamese to gamble at casinos in Van Don and Phu Quoc. Vingroups Corona Resort and Casino in Phu Quoc was the first casino in Viet Nam to open to Vietnamese on January 19, 2019. The casino in Phu Quoc received around 47,400 Vietnamese in 2019, or 45 per cent of its customers, according to the finance ministry. The ministry also proposed casino investors would be allowed to transfer their capital at casino projects after five years of being granted licences. Twelve casino projects have been granted licences in Viet Nam and eight of them are operational. The ministrys statistics showed total revenue of these eight casinos around doubled in the past three years, from VND1.19 trillion in 2017 to VND2.5 trillion in 2019. The contribution to the State budget rose from VND645 billion to VND1.34 trillion. A lot of things will change on Tuesday when my 13-year-old daughter starts eighth grade. Shell be attending class in her bedroom, not at Williamsburg Middle School. Shell be staring at a computer, not sitting in a classroom. And shell be making her own lunch in our kitchen, not buying lunch in the cafeteria. But one thing sure wont change: Her school still starts at the foolishly early hour of 7:50 a.m. Advertisement Thats right, shell still need to drag her ass out of bed right around sunrise, way earlier than her teenage brain is ready to wake up. Shell still need to eat breakfast alone in a silent kitchen and take a shower and collect her things while the morning dew is still on the ground. Shell moan and groan about it, and rightly so. Because it didnt have to be this way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Administrators in our school district in Arlington, Virginia, spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how to transform the school experience for a very difficult year. But they didnt transform local middle schools early start times. I had hoped that the experimentation and flexibility the coronavirus crisis has required of educators would mean our kids schools would seize the opportunity to make this simple change to the schedule, probably the easiest way to instantly improve student outcomes. When the announcement came that bell schedules would remain exactly the same for remote learning as they have always been for in-person learning, I was annoyedand I wanted to know why. Advertisement Advertisement Its not as if other schools havent made changes for the better. I asked readers in the Slate Parenting Facebook group whether their kids were starting school later in 2020, and received a flood of responses. In Wickliffe, Ohio, middle school used to start at 7:30; this year students are asked to be online at 8:30. The Salem-Keizer school district in Oregon moved start times for middle and high school about an hour later, to 9. In Alamance County, North Carolina, middle school now starts at 8:30 and high school at 9, a shift of as much as 50 minutes. Even the next county over from us, Marylands Montgomery County, has moved all students to an 8:45 a.m. start time. My 6th and 9th graders feel like it is the one real benefit of virtual learning! wrote a Montgomery County parent. Advertisement Advertisement When I spoke to Arlingtons assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, Bridget Loft, she told me that the bell-schedule decision was made based on the fact that, when planning the fall, the district remained hopeful that some students could return to physical school as early as October. Once kids are traveling to actual schools on actual school buses, the same transportation logjams that, she says, mandate early school starts in the first place come back into play. And so, for consistencys sake, administrators decided not to institute a different schedule that might have to be changed just weeks into the school year. Advertisement Advertisement Of course, just a few months after those decisions were made, it now seems depressingly unlikely that anyone will be returning to school as soon as October. Loft suggested that if things change, the district is open to rethinking the bell schedule. We want to be flexible, she said. If we determine that its going to be some time before these health metrics mean were going to be able to move kids into hybrid learning, then that gives us the luxury of time to reconsider moving start times later. Advertisement Advertisement I told Loft it was disappointing that the district didnt take this opportunity to change, and asked if schools were just too overwhelmed trying to keep up with shifting demands to really experiment effectively. Its too early to tell, she said. In the spring, we were building the plane while flying it, introducing distance learning midsemester, which allowed teachers and administrators some leeway. Now, she said, Were trying to ease back into some reflection of what last fall looked like. Advertisement Advertisement But of course it wont look like last fall, and maintaining the worst parts of last falllike a too-early start timehardly makes up for the loss of all the best parts of last fall, like friends, clubs, band, and sports. The notion that an online school day must hew to the shape and schedule of an analog school day is in itself a fallacy, one that ignores all the ways online learning differs from in-person learning. (Dont get me started on schools that are giving kids four-minute breaks between classes because thats how much time they got to go to their lockers in the Before Times.) Advertisement Parents in the Facebook group who were also teachers pointed to some other possible rationales for sticking with an early schedule. In some districts, school schedules are written into the teacher contracts and are difficult to change. And bell schedules affect teachersnot only their workdays but their child care situation as well. One teacher pointed out that when the district where she works moved bell schedules later, she suddenly faced increased day care costs for her own kids. Advertisement And many made the same case as Loft, essentially: that when kids inevitably go back to school, it will be a big hassle to change the schedules all over again. I remain unconvinced on that front. When kids do start returning to school, its going to be an enormous, chaotic clusterfuck that messes up everyones lives. Adding the inconvenience of a changing bell schedule to that disaster, in exchange for making the next one, two, or six months of school way better for kids, seems like a pretty fair trade. Loft even mentioned that in Arlington, the return to school could introduce bus delays so profound that schools might be forced to delay the first bell. So why not just start now?!? Advertisement Montgomery County, right across the border in Maryland, also doesnt know what school will look like whenever kids return and they have to figure out all new schedules, but that didnt stop them from seizing this chance, said Gboyinde Onijala, a spokeswoman for MCPS: Budgetary impediments have meant we could never really fully implement what parents have been asking for for many, many years, which was later start times. But this new virtual world opened up an opportunity. I know that I sound churlish, just another parent complaining about how their kids school isnt accommodating their wishes. But the science is so crystal clear on this issue: Teenagers should start school later. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and highschool students should not begin school until 8:30 a.m., but as of 2014, CDC research shows, the vast majority of U.S. schools started earlier than that. As a result, teenagers, with their stay-up-late circadian rhythms, dont get enough sleep and are at greater risk for depression and other poor health outcomes. And letting kids go to school just a little later has such an instant, salutary effect on their educational experience: In a 2018 study, students at two Seattle-area high schools whose starting bell was moved back from 7:50 to 8:45 a.m. decreased tardiness and absences, and improved their final grades by 4.5 percent. Public schools are facing enormousessentially impossiblechallenges this fall. Ill do my best to remember that when things go wrong, and I hope Ill be forgiving of the stumbles schools are sure to make along the way. But every morning at 7:50, when my half-asleep 13-year-old logs on, Ill remain bitter that my local schools could have made one simple choice that would have made everything easier for just about everyoneand they didnt. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Labor Day weekend is right around the corner which signals the end of summer travel. Before consumers everywhere start trading in trips to the beach for walks around an apple orchard, CheapOair has picked their top end-of-summer destinations for a last-minute Labor Day vacation. "Even amid COVID-19, our data shows that Labor Day weekend is proving to be one the most popular travel weekends of the year with people everywhere eager for some adventure. There are many getaways that not only offer affordable cheap flights but are also smart and safe to visit," remarked Sam S. Jain, Founder and CEO of Fareportal, owner of travel brands CheapOair and OneTravel. Portland, Maine This gem of a town is located in southern Maine and has everything from breathtaking ocean views, amazing seafood, and a wide array of shopping and beachy recreation options that'll keep even the most restless traveler busy. Additionally, as Maine is known as "Vacationland," Portland makes an excellent stop on any New England road trip. Travel Advisory: The state of Maine has implemented a policy that gives out-of-state visitors three options. If traveling to Maine one must either have tested negative for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours, comply with a 14-day mandatory quarantine, or be on the list of exempted states that includes Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Updates can be found here. Burlington, Vermont Vermont offers so much more than its ski slopes; the Green Mountain State truly has something for anyone looking for adventure and fresh air. With the greenest forests for camping, lovely lakes, and a plethora of farmers markets, wine tastings, and cheese tours to excite any pallet. Travel Advisory: Any out-of-state travelers are asked to quarantine for 14-days when visiting but there is a growing list of exempt states that are eligible for "quarantine free leisure travel." States and territories on this list include Delaware, Maryland, New England, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Click here for the latest updates. Cape Cod, Massachusetts A New England summertime staple! The perfect destination for one last (socially distanced) beach weekend getaway. Cape Cod has taken numerous steps to better ensure the safety of beachgoers with several distancing guidelines and procedures so beachgoers can soak in the sun safely. Travel Advisory: Out-of-state travelers are required to self-quarantine for 14-days. States exempt from this restriction include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia. Please check here for the latest updates and exemptions. About CheapOair CheapOair is an online travel agency that specializes in providing cheap flights and great last-minute flight deals for travelers worldwide. Consumers can book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone (1-646-738-4820) or live chat. Part of Fareportal's family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with certified travel agents available to help find discount flight tickets to global destinations on over 600 airlines, a million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to learn how to travel the world for less. SOURCE CheapOair Related Links http://www.cheapoair.com Of all 50 states, New York, as much as any, got a crash course in adapting to COVID-19.When statewide infections jumped from dozens of cases on March 10 to more than 75,000 in three weeks, businesses and offices closed, hospitals were strained, and people needed information constantly and immediately. For the Office of Information Technology Services and the Department of Financial Services, that meant recruiting private-sector partners for an all-hands-on-deck project the likes of which the state and perhaps any state had never quite mounted before.They called it the COVID-19 Technology SWAT Partnership , which completed 40 projects over the past three months, from informational websites to screening applications to training workshops. The intention was to mobilize as many talents and resources as possible to bolster the states response to unprecedented need for data, digital services, announcements, guidance.The result facilitated 49 million interactions between state government and citizens, and it saved taxpayers as much as $14 million through 25,000 hours of volunteer support from employees in the private sector, according to ITS.ITS spokesperson Scott Reif toldthat two-way conversations with tech groups started in March, followed by a formal process of reaching out and asking businesses for assistance. He said his department had no particular model or precedent to follow, but it didnt hurt to have prior relationships with companies that were eager to pitch in.We had had some initial conversations with companies that reached out and said, How can we help? Thats how the idea sort of sprung, he said. We talked a bit to the governors office about it, and (interim CIO) Jeremy Goldberg was told, Go for it, so we put out solicitation, he utilized his contacts, as others did here, and called out for assistance.Reif said they got more offers than they could use. According to a news release on the states website, the Tech SWAT effort recruited 7,300 volunteers from 3,500 different organizations. What followed was a combination of planning ahead and adapting as they went, forming volunteer teams of industry professionals and state staff, mostly from ITS, working in 30- to 90-day sprints to help the state with operations, analytics and other technological applications to deliver citizen and COVID-related services. Out of 40 technology projects, 19 were delivered pro-bono from private partners, and the other 21 entirely by ITS, the Digital and Media Services office and other internal staff.Pro-bono projects included work with Microsoft on a statewide COVID-19 screening platform so residents could self-screen for symptoms, schedule a COVID-19 test and receive results from one of the states testing sites; work with Google and Castlight to create and update a comprehensive map of more than 750 COVID-19 and antibody testing sites across the state; and partnering with Microsoft, Mastercard, Square and Codecademy for a series of training workshops for state employees in ITS, the NY Digital Service team and other agencies to improve digital services and boost engagement while working remotely.ITS staff-led projects included, for example, redesigning cloud-hosted, mobile-accessible applications for unemployment insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance; a statewide data dashboard to report COVID-19 cases, locations, recoveries and other data points by demographics and other key factors; and the New York Forward website, which offers guidance to businesses for reopening, and to citizens for tracking regional reopening announcements.Many of these are detailed in an 11-page progress report on the states website.One of the first and most central projects was an informational website, coronavirus.health.ny.gov , which the SaaS Web content management company Acquia helped the state set up in three days. Joshua Smith, an account manager for public sector at Acquia, said in an email that one of the things the state did right was minimize bureaucratic red tape for making tweaks and improvements where necessary.New York also benefited from having already invested in (an) enterprise-scale, yet adaptable platform for consolidated management of its website properties, he said. Setting the solid foundation in advance helped New York be ready to respond in its moment of urgency.Smith said Acquia also worked with ITS to rearchitect the most-used parts of the Department of Labor website to achieve faster page loads and quicker content updates, helping to accommodate a 200 percent increase in traffic to those sites.For other governments that may want or need to mount a similarly massive public-private collaboration in the future, the state of New York published a 14-page playbook , a how-to of guidelines and recommendations. It breaks down the states process, from identifying critical projects to drafting agreements, communications, metrics and project templates, but distills the thinking behind it to one golden rule:" prioritize easing the burden on front-line workers above all else.Reif said one way for governments to do that is to avail themselves of public-private partnerships when possible.There was such a need to have a surge of expertise, of resources, so we were glad to have those companies available to do that, and willing to do that, he said. Weve done a lot of after-the-fact thinking and certainly we would like to go back to these companies if there is a second wave, if we were to need additional assistance. I think everybody hopes not to have to do that. Backpackers who were forced to work seven days a week for just $111 in oppressive conditions have opened up about the seedy underbelly of farm work in Australia. The federal Government requires young travellers who want to extend their Working Holiday Visa for an extra year to spend 88 days working in regional areas. They are frequently exploited by farmers and contractors looking for cheap labour and made to endure harsh conditions just to qualify for an extra year in Australia. Many backpackers like American Kiah Fowler lost their hospitality jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and moved to do their regional work. The tourist told the ABC, she looked for work in Bundaberg, in the Wide Bay region, after losing her hospitality job in Airlie Beach due to coronavirus restrictions. Ms Fowler said she saw the 'underbelly' of the industry as she tried to find enough work to pay for food and rent. The Fair Work Ombudsman has identified the horticulture sector in Queensland's Wide Bay region as 'high risk' for underpaying staff and breaching workplace laws. American backpacker, Kiah Fowler, looked for work in Bundaberg, in the Wide Bay region, after losing her hospitality job in Airlie Beach due to coronavirus restrictions Workers report being paid $19 an hour when the minimum wage for a casual in Australia is $19.84 plus at least 25 per cent loading (stock image) Ms Fowler described how she saw two sides of the industry whilst working as a backpacker. 'I've met some really lovely farmers who pay the legal wage and do their best to give good working conditions and then you have this flipside which is the underbelly of the industry,' she said. Ms Fowler contacted a labour hire company offering share accommodation and work planting strawberries but had to leave as she was earning less than her rent. She was paid just $19 an hour when the minimum wage for a casual in Australia is $19.84 plus at least 25 per cent loading. 'I was very frustrated when I found out that they were intentionally underpaying people,' she said. Backpackers received pay slips that stated they had been paid 9.5 per cent superannuation which was not true Netherlands backpacker, Merlee Quuak, 24, had a similar experience when she arrived in Bundaberg. 'I worked seven days a week the most I made in one week was $111,' she said. With only three months left on her visa, Ms Quaak said she picked tomatoes and any other jobs she could find - but the pay did not cover her hostel rent. 'I didn't have any time to complain or wait for a good job, I just needed to get my days done so I had to accept whatever I was getting.' She found hourly work in a packing shed but uncovered another dirty practice with pay slips saying she receiving 9.5 per cent superannuation that was never paid. Farmers often pay seasonal workers per row of fruit, per basket or per hour. Ms Quaak's payslips did not specify and listed her job as 'covering'. 'Covering is working in the field, which I didn't do,' she said. Fair Work Australia has confirmed it is looking into employers in the region which is highly dominated by the horticultural and agricultural sector. It comes after a national review in 2018, the Harvest Trail Inquiry, which revealed workers had been underpaid more than $1million dollars. At the time, 638 businesses were investigated and half were found to be in breach of labour laws and were underpaying staff and falsifying records. In August, Fair Work inspectors revisited businesses that were identified in the report - and also conducted investigations into employers in Wide Bay and Moreton Bay. At least 38 businesses were in breach of labour laws. The regulator said improving conditions remains a priority and it will continue to work with employers, relevant unions, grower bodies and national supermarkets to improve conditions for workers. Recall that in the press reporting on laffaire Meng, CalPERS in its spin to the press was remarkably open how it intended to bury the matter and not inform the board that its highest-paid officer might have violated the California Political Reform Act.1 From Bloomberg on August 8: But she [Frost} planned to discipline him either by cutting his incentive pay or possibly by placing a formal letter into his file. Institutional Investor confirmed that Meng also believed that his case had been settled before the press uproarand recall again that since the board had not been informed, it almost certainly implies that the plan was to bury the problem. From Institutional Investor: It was actually in April that the disclosure issues first came to light internally at CalPERS, when a compliance team flagged a violation: a $70,000 investment in shares of Blackstone Group, which Meng owned at the same time the pension fund made new investments in the firm, according to a Bloomberg report. A former colleague of Mengs tells Institutional Investor that the then-CIO told this person at the time that an internal investigation had been done and that the issue was resolved. Needless to say, keeping the board in the dark is a well-established pattern at CalPERS. While CalPERS does give quarterly compliance reports to the Risk & Audit Committee, if you look at the document, you can see, as the table below illustrates, they are entirely about process and keep the board in the dark about the substance and seriousness of allegations. This example comes from a 2019 report, but if you look at more recent quarterly compliance reports, they all follow the same format: Note that in the footnote, CalPERS staff directs the boards attention to the number of complaints, which gives you no clue about that the matters are or more important, there severity. And highlighting that most alerts are about benefits fraud has the effect of flattering the staff, since it implies that most abuses are outside parties trying to take advantage of CalPERS, and not problems within CalPERS. The board would have no way of knowing it there had been an allegation of something as serious as embezzlement, kickbacks, or a rape from this report. A final, and obvious problem is the unseriousness of the complaints hotline. A basic rule of compliance is that you dont design an oversight process to report to people who may be part of the problem. Inherently deficient processes like that lead to JP Morgan London Whale and Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal type outcomes. No one interested in career advancement who had an ounce of common sense would ever report a serious violation to this sort of complaint line unless they were afraid they were going to be scapegoated. If CalPERS actually cared about having an effective complaint process, the hotline, erm, helpline would go to the board, say via an outside consultant engaged by a law firm in case CalPERS might feel the need to take legal action. Instead, if you go to the Ethics Helpline page, even the name makes clear that its compliance theater. Ethics help? Like helping called redefine their ethics so they dont see misconduct as a problem? Or like Im from the IT Department and Im here to help, which a client of mine, a top Chief Information Officer2 put in the same category as Of course Ill love you in the morning. Yes, theres an outside consultant, EthicsPoint, Inc., who handles the abuse alerts, but since it reports to staff, who is CalPERS trying to kid? Moreover, CalPERS makes clear that it might not be such a good idea to complain, with its Think twice warning: And no assurance anything will happen: The proof here is that no one at CalPERS reported Mengs conflicts even though they were evident as of when he filed his starting office Form 700 on January 31, 2019. One of the reasons for failures to report, in addition to well-warranted cynicism, is despite all the handwaving about the measures EthicsPoint takes to keep reports confidential, any serious allegations of financial impropriety could be made with enough detail to be taking seriously only by individuals with access to information, meaning it wouldnt be hard to make an informed guess as to who the filing party was. In case you had any doubt, the compliance reports and the obviously defective complaints process offer further proof that CalPERS board isnt interested in doing its job of minding a $400 billion store. _____ 1 Meng did not fall afoul of Government Code 1090, which is a criminal conflict of interest, due to his income being so high that he fell into the exemption in 1091.5: 1091.5. (a) An officer or employee shall not be deemed to be interested in a contract if his or her interest is any of the following: (1) The ownership of less than 3 percent of the shares of a corporation for profit, provided that the total annual income to him or her from dividends, including the value of stock dividends, from the corporation does not exceed 5 percent of his or her total annual income, and any other payments made to him or her by the corporation do not exceed 5 percent of his or her total annual income. 2 This is not an exaggeration. This client at the time was running the largest network in the world except for the Internet itself. Wilson, one of the plaintiffs, testified Thursday via Zoom. He said he was riding his bike on Aug. 11 when three people flagged him down and asked him to sign up to be in a pool of state electors. Wilson testified that no one mentioned West and that he had no intention to sign up as an elector for West. Under questioning by Wests lawyer, Wilson said he should have more carefully read the document he signed, which referred to an independent third-party candidate. As Thursdays hearing began, the judge denied a motion by the lawyer for Wests campaign, who asked for a delay in the proceedings of a day or two. The judge said, Were inside of a window where it is imperative for registrars to get the ballots printed. The judge did not take up a motion by Kowalczuk, the lawyer for Wests campaign, asserting that Attorney General Mark Herring should recuse himself from the case. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio surprised many when he announced he would delay his plan to lay off 22,000 city employees to balance the citys budget that has been decimated by the coronavirus crisis. But that still leaves the city on the hook for $1 billion in unspecified savings that were meant to come about through negotiations with labor unions and layoffs are still on the table. While de Blasio has previously said layoffs will be necessary without federal aid or increased borrowing authority from the state, fiscal experts and labor advocates argue there are still other ways to close the budget gap. Back in June, as details emerged about the citys pared-down budget and the cuts that came with it, de Blasio announced that an additional $1 billion in savings would be found by working with labor unions, after the budget passed. He repeated on numerous occasions that layoffs would be a last resort if that number could not be met through other means. Some of the employees on the chopping block would include essential and frontline workers, such as EMTs and sanitation workers, who risked their personal safety to keep the city running at the height of COVID-19 pandemic. De Blasio has been pushing hard for Albany to increase the citys borrowing capacity to help fill a projected multibillion dollar budget deficits in coming years. He has asked for the ability to borrow $7 billion. Other city officials, including Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Comptroller Scott Stringer (as a potential part of a comprehensive cost-saving plan), as well as union leaders, have signed on to support additional borrowing capacity, although they have been met with resistance from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The state Legislature has not passed a bill to authorize the borrowing, which would be necessary. De Blasio reiterated on Monday when he delayed the layoffs that without borrowing layoffs would be inevitable. But Maria Doulis, vice president of strategy, operations and communications at the Citizens Budget Commission, said the mayor created a false dichotomy and that other options exist besides layoffs and borrowing, both of which she believes should be avoided. She argued that borrowing would simply push the problem down the road and saddle future generations with debt. Doulis said that now that the unions have been called back to the negotiating table, there is still more they can offer that would avoid major layoffs. In every fiscal crisis since the 1970s, the labor unions have come to the table to negotiate, Doulis said. The labor unions have understood they are key stakeholders and they come to the table with some concessions. Doulis said that health care costs is the major area to find savings, and that the city could ask union members and perhaps retirees as well to pay a portion of their health care premiums. She pointed out that the city has already been working for years with the unions through their umbrella group, the Municipal Labor Council, to find health care savings. That council is also handling the current negotiations to find additional savings. Spreading the cost out throughout the entire workforce is obviously preferable to laying off 22,000 workers and their families, Doulis said. Jonathan Rosenberg, director of budget review at the citys Independent Budget Office, agreed that asking public employees to pay part of their health care premiums is one of two major options available to find enough savings to avoid layoffs. He said that while a lot of the low-hanging fruit in health care savings have been found through previous negotiations, he suggested that the city could potentially look for more, like increasing co-pays or decreasing certain services. Rosenberg said the other big savings option is some form of payroll reduction or delays in scheduled raises. The precedent has been set in the past, Rosenberg said. According to Politico, the city had originally asked unions to figure out cost-saving methods including furloughs and deferred raises. Teamster Local 831 President Harry Nespoli told the outlet it was like extortion. During the 1975 financial crisis, which the current one is often compared to, public union leaders agreed to a wage freeze, and even a 20% reduction in the workforce, though that too was met with resistance from labor leaders. New York City Council Member I. Daneek Miller, chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor, agreed that alternatives to layoffs are still possible, although he said that the budget should not be balanced on the back of city workers by asking them to accept pay reductions or to contribute to their health care premiums. What gives this city its inherent value is its public servants, the often-maligned public servants, Miller said. Miller added that the city still has other avenues available, such as finding additional agency savings that dont require workforce reduction and other negotiations around health care for cutting costs that could be explored before resorting to asking for workers to contribute more. Miller said city agencies must get creative after many have seen significant budget increases over the past several years to figure out how to do more with less and to assess which services should take priority. Stringer has also called for a serious, agency-by-agency savings program to find inefficiencies and waste before the city considers long-term borrowing or layoffs. Doulis agreed that the de Blasio administration could be doing more to find additional agency savings, in addition to ongoing negotiations with labor unions. Rosenberg, however, counters that some money-saving measures could lead to worse social outcomes and end up increasing government costs through unintended consequences. Miller is a strong proponent of authorizing long-term borrowing by the city. It would only be fair to allow that the city be allowed long-term borrowing opportunities, just as the state has, Miller said. We are in a much better position than we were the last time we did (it) after 9/11, Miller added, referring to the strength of the citys economy in recent years prior to the pandemic and the fact it has proven its financial responsibility in part by paying back that past loan. Public sector unions, through the Municipal Labor Council and including the Teamsters and District Council 37, have been pushing hard for that borrowing ability, and are planning to lobby Albany even harder now in the wake of the layoff delays. However, the Legislature currently has no plans to reconvene in the coming weeks or months, and meeting again is no guarantee they would authorize borrowing. Unions are also pushing for an early retirement package to help decrease the workforce and increase the numbers lost through attrition. That, like borrowing, would require state legislative approval. The mayor said that early retirement would be a helpful piece, but said it alone would not be enough to fill the citys deficit. Like borrowing, early retirement incentives may generate higher costs down the road. One of the problems that typically befalls these things is you're paying people who already can retire, to retire, you're just paying them more to do it, Doulis said of early retirement incentives. She said it may lead to some short-term savings as some workers retire a bit earlier, but more generous pension benefits lead to more spending in the long run. But Miller said an early retirement package would be a great option for the city and unions to consider, disagreeing that it would incur significant long-term costs. District Council 37 President Henry Garrido previously predicted the incentives could save $900 million a year. Miller said that they could reduce the costs associated with the top earners with the most benefits, and open up more opportunities for younger workers to enter civil service, who would make lower wages initially and hopefully better represent the citys diversity. In order for us to attain the level of service and diversity in the delivery of the service that (we want to see), we're going to have to have entry into some of these agencies, Miller said. And you only open up opportunities when other people, who've been around for 25 years, 30 years decide that they're going to leave. The de Blasio administration and the Municipal Labor Council were set to meet on Tuesday to begin negotiations anew, but that meeting was canceled, so little is known now about how they might find savings. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. To The Eagle: Imagine during the pandemic there is a total collapse in our economy and criminal gangs start roaming the streets, breaking into homes, robbing and killing people. Imagine that your wife or your husband gets killed, and that you are left to take care of your 13-year old son and 8-year old daughter by yourself. And that after your spouses death your son is told that unless he joins one of the gangs he will be killed, and that the gang leader wants his help in selling his sister for sex. Afraid for your childrens safety, you decide then and there to leave America and drive up to Canada for refuge. You heard that Canadians have a long history of being compassionate people, and so you take a chance. At the border, Canadian officials tell you that Americans are not welcome in Canada. Youre told that their newly elected prime minister says that Americans are uneducated people who have disease, and would be a burden on Canadas health care system if they were allowed to immigrate. Not deterred, you and your family cross over the border into Canada and you ask for asylum. You are immediately arrested, and your son and daughter are taken from you and put in cages. After being fingerprinted and photographed youre put on a bus and deported back to America. Youre told that your children will stay in Canada. After your deportation, you try to find your children, but are told that there is no record of your kids ever being in Canadian custody, and no one knows who they are or where they might be. In dispair you lower your head and cry and pray. For thousands of Central American migrants that are desperately trying to escape the terror, crime and violence in their home countries this story is real. The only fiction is the countries named. Canada would never be callous toward Americans, as America has been toward Central American migrants over the last four years. We can and we must do better. Lets make America Good Again. Frederick Lehr Grays River The upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which will be held between September 14 and October 1 amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, will have many firsts. Also read: Written questions get nod at monsoon session These include shorter hours, doing away with a set format of proceedings and many other such improvisations to ensure the safety of the Members of Parliament (MPs), the staff and media persons, who will cover the daily functioning of the session. The last parliamentary session was cut short on March 25 following the viral outbreak and the day the nationwide lockdown restrictions were enforced for the next 68 days to contain the spread of the pandemic. Usually, though the monsoon session begins in July, it had to be pushed back to mid-September this year owing to the contagion. This session will see the House work for a shorter duration on a daily basis. However, there will be no break on weekends. Normally, after winding down business with the Private Members Bills on Friday, both the Houses used to reconvene on Monday after a two-day weekend break. As per the revised schedule, the Rajya Sabha (RS) will meet between 9 am and 1 pm and the Lok Sabha (LS) between 3 pm and 7 pm. On September 14, on the first day of the session, the LS proceedings will take place only in the first half of the day. The government has decided to do away with the Question Hour, an hour-long slot that is given to lawmakers to raise questions about issues related to various ministries. The Union ministries will provide only written replies to questions put forth by the MPs instead of ministers giving replies on the floor of the House. While the Opposition parties have objected to this decision and dubbed it as the murder of democracy, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has defended the move on the grounds that the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have led to shorter work hours. The BJP has also pointed out that the Question Hour has been dispensed with in several state assemblies, including Andhra Pradesh (AP), Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Maharashtra, because of the pandemic. Coverage of parliamentary proceedings by the media, too, will be restricted. Only a select number of media personnel will be allowed access to the gallery to record the daily proceedings. RS Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday held discussions with Union secretaries of Home Affairs, Health & Family Welfare, Defence Research and director-general, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) on ensuring safety of MPs. Naidu suggested that MPs should undergo Covid-19 tests in their own interest. MPs will be allowed to wear masks inside the House and a frequent tab will be kept on ventillation to keep the viral infection at bay. Covid-19 awareness video clips will also be shown to MPs. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) authorities will provide a host of sanitisation services. Jeannine Cook owner of Harriett's Bookshop in Fishtown received racist emails. Several Black-owned businesses in the city received racist and threatening emails. Read more Racist emails spewing threats of violence and bigoted taunts began appearing in the inboxes of some Philadelphia small business owners Tuesday night. The only thing the recipients had in common is that they are Black. And now, they are concerned, angry, and speaking out about the incidents. Ive never received anything quite like this before, or anything remotely close. So, when I did receive it, honestly, my heart dropped, because I realized that it was something that was pretty serious said Khoran Horn, 37, owner of Strippd Cold Pressed Juice, an Old City establishment on Third Street near Vine Street that he has owned since 2015. Police and prosecutors on Thursday encouraged victims to come forward with details of the threats. An executive of the states Human Relations Commission called the wave of messages cyber racism. About 10 business owners received the emails, which differed in wording but not in sentiment, according to the recipients. All you [N-words] gonna burn and die, read the headline on one of the emails. The author threatened to burn down businesses and rape women, and questioned the intelligence of Blacks. We should probly just reenslave all of you bc u have too many stupid kids and were so much smarter and better, wrote the author, whose identity remains unknown. Initially, Horn said he suspected that the email sender was looking for attention, which he did not want to give by acknowledging the message. But the next day he changed his mind, and his wife posted it on Facebook and contacted the FBI, said Horn, who also planned to contact Philadelphia police. While the threats are troubling, Horn said, they will not stop him from running his business. We are taking measures to make sure that we are protected, he said. On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Philadelphia police said none of the targeted business owners had reported the troubling messages. He urged them to do so. We would advise anyone receiving threatening emails to make a report in reference to harassment by communication, Eric McLaurin said. Chad Dion Lassiter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, said the menacing nature of the emails warranted a coordinated response from the U.S. Justice Department, the FBI, and Philadelphia police. This is more than cyber bullying, its cyber racism, Lassiter said. He said the public and law enforcement officials should be on high alert amid growing racial tension and protests against police brutality that have divided the nation. The threats, he said, should be considered against the backdrop of what he described as the anthology of police brutality and white supremacy where we will shoot a Jacob Blake seven times and then we will let Kyle Rittenhouse walk by after killing two people. Like Philadelphia police, District Attorney Larry Krasners office encouraged those who received the threatening emails to contact law enforcement. Krasners spokesperson, Jane Roh, said anyone who did not want to call police could contact the DAs Special Investigations Unit at 215-686-9608, DAO_SIU@phila.gov or https://twitter.com/philadao_siu. Jeannine A. Cook, owner of Harrietts Bookshop on Girard Avenue in Fishtown, said she was shaken by the hate-filled missive, but decided not to contact law enforcement authorities about the email she received Tuesday night. She said that choice was shaped by incidents including the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky. and, closer to home, civil unrest in Fishtown, where she saw officers in seeming solidarity with bat-wielding white men. I cant see calling them to my defense, said Cook, whose store opened in February and who has been operating from the sidewalk due to the Covid-19 shutdown. She plans to reopen the store on Sept. 26. Customers and community members have been supportive, she said. Im not on my own. There are a lot of people out here who want to support us, said Cook, adding that she remains frightened and wary. Still, Im concerned about whether somebody is really going to react and do what they said theyre going to do in that email, she said. I think I would be silly if I was not at least cautious. People may not appreciate the value of peace until they count the cost of crisis. In March 2010, against the background of the rancorous build-up to the 2011 general elections, I wrote a short piece titled *_Nigeria needs a National Integration Minister_*. More than ten years after, not much has changed with regard to the socio-political realities which necessitated that call. If anything, the call has now become a national imperative. At an Inter-Faith Peace Forum which I had the privilege of convening with the support of Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace in Ibadan last February, the highpoint of the recommendations made by the religious leaders was the need for the Federal Government to establish a Ministry for National Integration (https://newnigeriannewspaper.com/2020/02/21/establish-ministry-for-national-integration-religious-stakeholders-tell-fg/). Also, at a National Workshop on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) which was organised by the Institute of Church and Society (Christian Council of Nigeria) in Ibadan last July, stakeholders from the three main faith traditions (Islam, Christianity and African Traditional Religion) called for the establishment of a Ministry of Religious Affairs. Similar calls for a national agency that would attend to peace-building efforts in Nigeria have been made by a number of religious and other non-governmental organisations in recent time. Several socio-political realities have continually brought to the fore the weak foundations on which the nation rests. Elections into political positions, appointments into public offices and rights of citizens/social inclusion (especially the indigene/settler issue), rank top among the issues that raise the tempo of division among Nigerians. These realities are anchored on three core factors of division, namely: religion, ethnicity and geopolitics. How well can we then forge a nation on a sound and sustainable foundation when the level of mistrust among the citizens across religious, regional and ethnic divides is high? One of the problems with Nigeria is the proclivity of our leaders for ad-hoc approach to issues of significant importance. It is beyond doubt that Nigeria is neither the most plural nor the most complex nation in the world. However, the poor management of her religious, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity has exacerbated the underdeveloped state of the nation. Up till now, efforts at national integration have been tentative and desultory. What shared values can one point to that can evoke genuine sense of patriotism among Nigerian citizens? It is strange that while Nigeria has a framework and institutions to manage the fallouts of crises, she is yet to properly develop a sustainable framework and build permanent institutions for peace building and national integration. For instance, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs that was created in 2019 manages such post-crisis intervention agencies as the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and the North East Development Commission. Besides, some agencies of government whose mandates partly touch on the subject of national integration are not managed in a coherent fashion. For instance, National Youth Service Corps and National Orientation Agency fall under different Ministries. Inexplicably, there is no dedicated agency of government at the federal level with the mandate to monitor early warning signals, broker peace in situations of crisis and follow through with the plethora of recommendations that emerge from conferences and forums on peace-building across the country. For lack of political will, the outcome of the work of the Oputa Panel on Human Rights Violations, the most ambitious, most promising, most intensive and most extensive effort aimed at national reconciliation in the post-military era in Nigeria is as good as forgotten. Scholars and analysts both from within and outside the country agree that Nigeria, as presently constituted, is a fragile state. It is disconcerting that the Federal Government, over the years, has not done enough to address the underlying factors that precipitate this fragility. In several recent global development indices that focus on peace and national stability, Nigerias performance is nothing to cheer about. For instance, according to the Fragile State Index 2019, Nigeria ranked 14th from the bottom among the 178 countries that were assessed by The Fund for Peace. In the Global Peace Index 2019, Nigeria ranked 148th out of 163 countries that were surveyed by the Institute for Economics and Peace. This is worrisome. It is unarguable that the level of peace obtainable in a country is largely dependent on how well integrated the diverse people of the nation are. Prevailing situation in a country determines national priorities and the attendant policy direction. For instance, the establishment of the Department (Ministry) of Homeland Security after the September 11 attacks in the United States of America, the Brexit Department (Ministry) after the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom (though understandably short-lived) as well as the Ministries of Niger Delta, Communication and Digital Economy and Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria are examples of how nations, in a dynamic way, respond to shifting or expanding national priorities. In the past, at the advent of the Fourth Republic, the Obasanjo Presidency established the Ministry of Regional Integration as a response to the then deafening patriotic call for regional integration in Africa. Indeed, every ministry, department or agency of government was a response to the prevailing situation at the time of its creation. The ad-hoc peace efforts by the government have become far inadequate. In order to develop sustainable peace in Nigeria, the Federal and State Governments need to work together to make peace-building and national integration national priorities. They need to summon the political will to build peace infrastructure in the country. Among other things, the Federal Government needs to develop a National Integration and Peace Framework or Policy and establish a Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation that will articulate and manage the nations policies and programmes on national unity and peace. In the alternative, the Federal Government may expand the mandate of an existing relevant Ministry to cover national integration and peace-building. In addition to other specialised bodies that may come under the proposed Ministry, the Federal Government may establish a National Peace Commission or expand the mandate of an existing relevant agency to accommodate this responsibility (eg National Orientation Agency). This Commission would, among others, coordinate the implementation of the governments peace-building programmes, promote peace education across the country, establish and manage National Mediation Centres and manage a National Peace Fund to support peace studies and practice. In the same vein, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) may be restructured and refocused as an agency of government with broader mandate to promote freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and facilitate inter-religious harmony in the country. Top of the proposed national peace-building and integration architecture is the National Peace Council that would comprise respected elder statesmen and stateswomen. In the alternative, the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee, though a private initiative, may be transformed to serve this purpose. The ultimate goal of this proposal is a Nigeria where genuine peace exists and a country that would be a net exporter of peace to other nations. Nigeria, the largest black nation in the world, has the capacity to occupy a place of pride in global peace-building efforts. Alabede,a public affairs analyst and development advocate, can be reached at: [email protected] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 01:46:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday underscored the efforts exerted to fight corruption in the war-torn country. In a speech addressing the new government, the president said that what has been achieved in the fight against corruption is "very important." He, however, acknowledged that such efforts are not enough and that "we still have a long road because corruption is rampant." Regarding the Western sanctions and economic siege, Assad said the best way to confront the siege is to support production in the country. He said that agricultural production comes first because "the Syrian society is an agricultural one for thousands of years" and the country has accumulated experiences in agriculture. Agricultural production can also create plenty of job opportunities and achieve food security, which is the "most important factor of steadfastness," he added. The new Syrian government was sworn in front of the president on Wednesday amid popular hopes that the new government could help in enhancing the livelihood of the Syrians, who are struggling with skyrocketing prices and tough economic situation. Enditem Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment There are two types of sleep: BC and AD. Before Children and After Death. God does not take naps, but you might need one. Far too many pastors do not get a proper cycle of rest. In the fourth commandment, God set up a pattern of work and rest. This pattern goes back to the creation account in which God rested on the seventh day. Notice the connection between rest and salvation in Psalm 62: I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. True rest is found only in Gods salvation. In the Old Testament, we have the promise of rest from God. In the New Testament, we learn how to enter this restonly through Jesus. You cannot properly point people to eternal rest in Christ if you are not rested spiritually and physically. Generally, Americans are restless. In the 1940s, the average American got right at eight hours of sleep per night. Today, the average is under seven hours. We are burnt out, worn out, tired, sleepy, and cooked. Our first two movements in the morning are to stop the alarm clock and look at the cell phone. Everyone needs rest. Taking a sabbath is important. Taking a vacation is important. Pastors should model proper behavior. Part of leadership is showing the way. It is hypocritical to teach about spiritual health if youre not accounting for your own physical health. A fat slob of a preacher will never effectively communicate spiritual disciplines. A workaholic pastor cannot possibly communicate moderation honestly. Pastors are not the heroes of their churches. You need this reminder. Your church needs this reminder. If you lead well, then you will equip enough people to serve while you take a quick breather. Entire ministries are built around the charisma of a talented leader. Clearly, this model is wrong and completely unsustainable. However, its just as wrong to believe your church cannot possibly operate for a Sunday or two in your absence. Both modelsthe charismatic hero and the worker bee heroare misguided. Your family needs more of your time. Rare is the pastor who is dedicating too much time to family. Most pastors have created idols of their churches at the expense of their families. Idol worship is always destructive and never beneficial. Take a vacation and kill your idols. Creativity needs to be recharged. Like a battery, creative energy often needs a recharge. You can operate on low power for quite some time. You can lead through weariness, but creativity almost always suffers. Take a vacation and come back a more energized and creative leader. God created fun. Neglecting fun is neglecting a part of God. Go and have fun with your family. We dont need any more curmudgeon pastors. Physical rest is good for the soul. There are those who believe the answer to their unrest is simply working harder, doing more, and justifying themselves. The harder you work to find rest apart from God, the more restless you become. True rest comes when you trust in Christs work, not your own. Thats the point of the atonementChrists work on our behalf. If youre not resting regularly, then youre relying on your own efforts, not those of Jesus. Originally published at Church Answers UK Children Back to School! Covid-19 Bubbles, Masks and Hand Sanitisers the New Normal - Sheffield Finally Britain's school children are finding their way back into the classrooms of Britains, Junior and Secondary schools! Though this should have happened in Mid June! Sill better late than never as by the end of this week at least 94% of Britains' school children will be back in school full time. Let's hope the teachers unions do not subvert the education of Britain's school children by following through with their threats of Covid fear driven strike action, that's the last thing Britain's school kids need after being abandoned by the education establishment for the past 6 months! Here 6 year old Eliza goes to school for the first time in 6 months (Dobcroft, Sheffield), on return from which explains what her first day in School was like in terms of Covid-19 measures adopted such as bubbles, hand sanitisers and masks. By N Walayat http://www.walayatfamily.com Copyright 2005-2020 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. A police officer and five others were on Wednesday killed in Kagara town following a bank robbery in Rafi local government area of Niger State. Kagara is the council headquarters of Rafi local government area. Wednesdays attack is the third in a year, the gunmen struck twice in a month, residents said. Six people, including a mobile police officer, were killed in the latest attack, according to residents of the area. The state government, in a press statement, confirmed the incident, calling for calm, saying the government is deploying all resources at its disposal to ensure the protection of lives and property. Residents said gunmen numbering about 100 stormed the town on motorcycles, wielding sophisticated weapons. They said the assailants rode straight to a First Bank branch and engaged armed security personnel in a fire fight. In the process, one police officer was shot dead and many others residents injured. However, the gunmen were unable to loot the bank but they broke into the ATMs and carted away money, many residents said. The gunmen also abducted many residents during the attack, a source said, asking not to be named for security reasons. The gunmen launched the attack around 6pm with the intent of robbing the bank, and operated unchallenged for hours, despite the efforts of residents to notify the relevant security agencies about the attack, sources said. A resident of Madaka community, on the outskirts of Kagara town, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen passed through their village before reaching Kagara town. The resident said security agencies were informed about the movement of the bandits; however, no action was taken to prevent the attack. Wasiu Abiodun, the police spokesperson in Niger State, did not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking comment. The Rafi council area in Niger State shares a border with the restive Birnin Gwari local government area in Kaduna state. Banditry has been a long-running scourge for residents of the area. In Niger State, between 2011 and June 2020, over 582 people were killed in attacks within that period. In its statement, the state government through the state governors press secretary, Mary Noel-Berje, appealed to residents of the area to remain calm and maintain peace. This appeal is coming against the backdrop of bandits attack on the town and the panic elicited by a social media video, in which the residents of the area were seen running helter skelter and calling for intervention from the state government and the army, the statement read. The state governor also expressed condolence to the victims of the attack, maintaining that no responsible government would sit idle and allow its citizens to be mauled down The governor commiserates with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack, and prayed for speedy recovery for the injured victims. The governor also acknowledged the enormity of the security challenges facing the state, but assured the people of the state and its security agencies remain undaunted in its war against criminal elements He solicited the cooperation of the people for their useful information to the security agencies, assuring them that their identity will be kept confidential, the statement ended. US Claims North Korea Trying to Skirt Economic Sanctions, Seeks Items For Missile Program Sputnik News 20:32 GMT 02.09.2020 A recent report by several US government departments has warned that Pyongyang is still trying to get around international economic sanctions and buy materials for its missile program. On Tuesday, the US State, Commerce and Treasury Departments issued an advisory identifying "key North Korean procurement entities and deceptive techniques employed in the operation and support of the regime's ballistic missile program." According to the document, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "uses an extensive overseas network of procurement agents, including officials who operate from North Korean diplomatic missions or trade offices, as well as third country nationals and foreign companies." "It is critical that private sector companies and individuals be aware of key items sought by the North Korean weapons programs, North Korean procurement tactics and techniques, the risks of involvement in North Korea's ballistic missile-related procurements and the potential consequences they face," the advisory said. While the US has long limited trade with the socialist nation, with which it is still technically at war, extensive sanctions targeting the DPRK's ballistic missile programs were imposed by the US and United Nations after the detonation of the DPRK's first nuclear device in 2006. However, the list of industries, materials and technologies that could potentially be implicated in such a program is so vast that it's not just missile tubes and engines that are restricted, but a great many things that have numerous applications in civilian life. Sputnik has reported how technologies such as uranium purification, usage of high voltage cables, precision machine tools, carbon composites, laser and plasmonics research, biological research and cybersecurity are all sectors with civilian uses restricted in the DPRK by international sanctions. Some of the items warned about in the Tuesday report include chassis and other parts for heavy-duty trucks, tape-wrapping machines, hydrochloric acid, various electronic relays, gyroscopes and materials such as aluminum and steel. Meanwhile, diplomats from South Korea and the US who focus on relations with the DPRK held phone talks on Wednesday about resuming negotiations with Pyongyang toward a lasting peace settlement. The DPRK has been at war with the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the United States since 1950, when the Korean War broke out and the US led an international coalition to stop the disintegration of the capitalist South. The three-year conflict ended in a ceasefire that established a demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, but the powers never signed a permanent peace treaty and re-established normal diplomatic relations. However, Seoul and Pyongyang did sign an end-of-war declaration in 2018, the biggest step toward peace in 67 years. According to Xinhua News Agency, South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do Hoon and US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun agreed to more closely communicate and cooperate on restarting denuclearization talks with the DPRK. After several rounds of negotiations, the rapprochement ended in February 2019 when the US refused to lift some economic sanctions in exchange for the destruction of some of the DPRK's weapons facilities. However, after the November 2020 election in the US, policy toward Pyongyang could change. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, has indicated her support for partial sanctions relief for the DPRK in exchange for partial denuclearization. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed his call for supporters to try to vote twice on November 3, claiming that only this way can they be sure their ballot is counted. Trump said Americans should first try to vote by mail, if that option is offered in their state, then also go to the polling station on election day to check that their ballot has been counted -- and, if not, vote again. YOU ARE NOW ASSURED THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED, he said in a Twitter thread It was the latest assault by Trump on the credibility of mail-in voting, which is being rapidly expanded across the country in response to fears of Covid-19 contagion for voters going in person to polling stations. Despite Trumps relentless challenges, the mail-in practice is already widespread and largely trouble free in the United States. He himself uses the absentee mail-in option to vote in Florida while living in the White House. While Trump says that increased mail-in voting will generally allow ballot tampering and rigging of the result, elections experts say there is no evidence of significant danger. Polls show Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to vote by mail. Also read: Joe Biden meets family of black Kenosha man shot by police Trump first aired the idea of casting a precautionary second vote on Wednesday during a trip to North Carolina. If you get the unsolicited ballots, send it in, and then go -- make sure it counted. And if it doesnt tabulate, you vote, he said. So, send it in early, and then go and vote. The recommendation prompted the election board in the state, which Democrat Joe Biden hopes to snatch from Trump, to issue a statement pointing out: It is illegal to vote twice in an election. Soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law, the boards director, Karen Brinson Bell, added. Polls currently show Biden on course to defeat Trump. However, experts warn that the country faces a confusing and potentially tense aftermath of the voting on November 3, due to the unusual circumstances. Given the larger than ordinary number of mailed-in ballots, few expect there will be a clear-cut result that evening. Under one scenario, Trump could be shown to have won on the basis of ballots cast during the day, but mail-in ballots, once counted days later, would then put Biden over the top. Trump has repeatedly refused to declare he will accept the results. A 12-year-old boy carrying a Donald Trump sign said he was punched in the back of the head and scratched by a woman on a moped, and police are now searching for the assailant. The boy said he was riding his bike with a yard sign supporting Trump on Monday around 3pm at Folsom Street and Glenwood Drive in Boulder, Colorado when he was attacked. A woman riding a moped passed by and saw the sign and turned back around to confront him, Boulder police said. The suspect drove up to the boy and said something to the effect of 'you want something to look at'. A 12-year-old boy carrying a Donald Trump sign said he was punched in the back of the head and scratched by a woman on a moped on Monday in Boulder, Colorado A woman riding a moped passed by and saw the sign and turned back around to confront him, Boulder police said. She said something to the effect of 'you want something to look at' She then punched him in the back of the head and arms four to five times and scratched him, according to police spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh. She tried to snatch the sign but was unsuccessful and left the scene, according to the Denver Post. The suspect is described as a white female in her 20s or 30s wearing a tan jacket, a blue shirt and blue jeans. She was riding a gray or blue moped. The case is under investigation and no arrests or citations have been made. The boy said it wasnt the first time hes been attacked for showing support for Trump, but its the first time he had been attacked by an adult, according to the Denver Channel. The incident took place on Monday around 3pm at Folsom Street and Glenwood Drive in Boulder The boy said he's now apprehensive to show his support for Trump. He said: 'Just dont attack people cause what she did to me thats not okay' He said he was holding the sign between his arms as he was riding his bike and the woman 'just looked at me and laughed' when she initially passed him. 'I like showing what I believe in. I didnt want any conflict I just wanted to show what I believe in,' the boy said. The boy said hes now apprehensive to show his support for Trump. 'Just dont attack people cause what she did to me thats not okay.' If you know anything about this alleged assault, you are asked to contact the Boulder Police Department at (303) 441-3333. A 35-year-old casual labourer was on Monday stoned to death for allegedly attempting to defile a three-year-old girl at Kambe market area in Tinganga location of Kiambu Sub-county, Kenya. The victim, Michael Karimi Kai, died at the scene following the beating by members of the public who responded to a distress call from the mother of the minor. Armed with crude weapons including logs, sticks and stones, the public descended on the suspect who was caught red-handed with the child in his house at about 9am. An eyewitness told KNA that the mother of the child after realizing that her child was not with her playmates started looking for her in the neighbours houses. With assistance from her neighbours and friends, they knocked on the door of the suspect and found the child seated on the bed in the single-roomed rented house. They raised alarm and curious members of the public responded and entered the house upon which they started beating him up after he failed to give a satisfactory explanation of what the minor was doing in his house while others were playing outside. Tinganga Assistant County Commissioner Caleb Nyongesa confirmed to KNA that the suspect had been beaten up following the allegations. He, however, warned the public against taking the law in their hands by punishing suspects without involving law enforcement officers, saying this was unlawful. Unfortunately, it is true, the man was beaten up and he succumbed to the injuries before the assistant chief could reach the scene otherwise we could have saved him and handed him over to the police to carry out their investigations, Mr. Nyongesa told KNA on phone. The mans body was taken to Kiambu Level V Hospital as investigations into the incident continue. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The gift is the first major donation by the Greenwood Initiative, which is named after the Tulsa district where hundreds of Black Oklahomans were massacred in 1921. Mr. Bloomberg introduced the initiative as part of his presidential campaign, during which he was forced to apologize for policies he instituted as mayor, most notably the aggressive stop-and-frisk policing strategy that disproportionately disadvantaged Black and Hispanic New Yorkers. Leaders of the four institutions Charles R. Drew University of Science and Medicine, in Los Angeles; Howard University College of Medicine, in Washington; Meharry Medical College, in Nashville; and Morehouse School of Medicine, in Atlanta say the donation is one of the biggest by a single donor to historically Black schools. They hope that it highlights the importance of their institutions to the well-being of Black communities. Mr. Bloombergs donation follows others to historically Black colleges, like the $120 million pledge by the Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, and a series of multimillion-dollar gifts from MacKenzie Scott, the author and philanthropist who was once married to the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In 2013, Mr. Bloomberg gave $1.1 billion to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, with a key focus on its public health school. After Mr. Bloomberg abandoned his electoral ambitions, he began canvassing for ways to lift up Black communities. One concern that emerged as the coronavirus spread was the disproportionate devastation in Black communities. The data is clear: Black patients over all have better outcomes when they get treatment from Black doctors, the famously data-driven Mr. Bloomberg wrote in an email. By increasing the number of Black doctors, we hope the gift will help to save more Black lives and reduce the health problems that limit economic opportunity in Black communities. Fifteen more students at the University of Connecticut have tested positive for COVID-19 across four of the schools campuses since Wednesday including the first case reported at the schools campus in Hartford. The new cases include five more residential students at the UConn Storrs campus, which has seen the largest outbreak of coronavirus infections since students returned to campus in mid-August. Currently, 67 residential students at Storrs are in isolation for the illness. Thirty-seven other students have made a recovery. Out of 5,000 resident students, the campus holds a 1.34 percent positivity rate for the virus, according to the universitys data. Are you a Connecticut student going to college during the COVID-19 pandemic? We want to hear about your experience. Email us at tips@ctnews.com An additional 7 commuter students also tested positive since the day before, bringing the total number of Storrs commuter cases to 25 out of a population of 5,311 students who commute rather than live on campus. Cases among faculty and staff remain at two, according to the schools data. One student who commutes to the schools Hartford campus has also tested positive, the first case recorded on that campus. The remaining two new cases since the day before were both students who commuted to the schools campus in Stamford, according to the schools data. UConns Avery Point campus has reported no cases of COVID-19. As colleges see more cases of the virus crop up among students, federal infectious disease experts have urged students who catch the disease to stay at their school to recover rather than returning home and potentially putting older family members at risk. Dr. Anthony Fauci called students returning home the worst thing (they) could do during an appearance on NBCs Today show, Wednesday, and said students could carry the virus back to their home state. Some schools have taken more extreme measures on contact tracing. In Michigan, Albion College required students to download a location tracking app that was synced to their COVID-19 test results before students could return to school, the New York Post reported Wednesday. Several other Connecticut colleges and universities are reporting cases of COVID-19. Connecticut College in New London reported two new cases of the disease on Thursday, for a total of three active cases all among students. Yale University in New Haven has reported 11 cases since the beginning of August, with no new infections on Tuesday, the most recent testing data available. Central Connecticut State University in New Britain is reporting two cases among commuter students and two cases among residential students, according to its tracker. Eight residential students have been quarantined. Oji Holdings to Invest USD 37.5 Million in New Corrugated Container Plant in Southern Malaysia Oji's new corrugated container plant will have an approximate production capacity of 7 million m2 per month. Sept. 3, 2020 - Oji Holdings Corporation recently announced that it will invest USD 37.5 million (JPY 4 billion) to establish a new corrugated container plant in Johor in southern Malaysia. The plant will have an approximate production capacity of 7 million m2 per month. Oji Holdings said the "expansion of overseas business" has been set as "one of the major pillars to strive towards the realization of an innovative value-creating company." In Malaysia, Oji Holdings is currently operating eight corrugated container plants 3 in North, 3 in Central, and 2 in South. In 2019, the company doubled its production capacity of two production plants in Central Malaysia. Oji noted that it expects increasing demand for corrugated packaging in southern Malaysia and that new plant will help the company meet that demand. The new plant will be Oji Group's 26th corrugated container plant in South East Asia and India. Start-up of the new plant is planned for January 2022. Oji Holdings Corporation is involved in a wide range of industrial markets. The group of companies produce containerboard and corrugated containers, boxboard and folding cartons, packaging papers, tissue papers, specialty papers, newsprint and communication papers, along with pulp, energy, and lumber processing. To learn more, visit: www.ojiholdings.co.jp . SOURCE: Oji Holdings Corporation The company intends to use the new funds to accelerate its strategy of making early, growth, and later-stage investments in the worlds leading education technology companies across the education spectrum, including PreK-12, higher education, and future of work FREMONT, CA: Owl Ventures, a San Francisco, CA-based education technology venture capital firm, raised two new funds totaling $585m. The firm raised: $415m for its fourth fund, and $170m for its first Opportunity Fund. Investors are global Limited Partners consisting of college & university endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, strategic education institutions, and family offices from across the US, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and South America. The company intends to use the new funds to accelerate its strategy of making early, growth, and later-stage investments in the worlds leading education technology companies across the education spectrum, including PreK-12, higher education, and future of work. Led by Tom Costin, Amit Patel, Ian Chiu, and Tory Patterson, Managing Directors, Owl Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on the education technology market with more than $1.2 billion in assets under management. The firm invests in the worlds leading education technology companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education, and future of work. Owl is usually the lead investor in the vast majority of its deals and joins the board of each of its companies. This hands-on approach helps companies across several functions, including fundraising distribution, talent, partnerships, and outcomes measurement. The firm has also built a 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. Since founding in 2014, Owl has been a major investor in many fastest-growing companies in the global Edtech market, including US companies Accelerate Learning (acquired by Carlyle Group), Noodle Partners, Degreed, DreamBox Learning (acquired by TPG Rise), Sanjieke, Hazel Health, MasterClass, Newsela, Quizlet, Remind and international companies such as BYJUs, Labster, LeleKetang, and WhiteHat Jr. (acquired by BYJUs). Litigation over the Meiras Estate, the Franco familys summer residence in Galicia, has been going on for years. Galicias Junta Pro Devolucion del Pazo de Meiras [Platform for the Return of the Meiras Estate], which represents the La Coruna County government, 40 local councils and historical memory groups and societies have never given up their struggle to get the Franco family to return a property which they believe was seized from the people. At last now a judge has ruled in their favour in a lawsuit where the Spanish State appeared as a plaintiff, too. The ruling, however, is not final and the Franco familys legal team led by Luis Felipe Utrera-Molina can appeal against it before La Corunas Provincial Court. Judge Marta Canales, who sits on the bench of La Corunas Court 1, has urged the dictators grandchildren to return the Meiras property because she has ruled that the State is its rightful owner. The judge has determined that the alleged purchase of 24 May 1941, which led to the dictator registering the property to his name, was simulated and, therefore, the purchase is null and void. Canales argues that the estate became part of Francos numerous private assets in a fraudulent manner, a fraud which is proven by the fact that no money changed hands in the purchase: Francisco Franco accepts the Meiras Estate as a donation to the Head of State and then is issued a title deeds, on 24 May, with the sole purpose of registering the property in his name with the Property Registry Office and without paying a price. Furthermore, the judge emphasises that the lawsuit that aimed to return the Meiras Estate to public ownership is the result of a significant historical survey and a social consensus built over many years. The ruling also states that, after enjoying the property for decades, now the Franco family must relinquish their summer residence whose walls are covered in hunting trophies without any compensation for the upkeep expenses which they have presumably incurred during all this time. A secluded fortress Until recently the Meiras Estate remained a secluded fortress. The building was not listed until 2008 and it was only first opened to visitors in 2011. Located in the municipality of Sada, it was Galician nationalist mayor Abel Lopez Soto who fought to get the dictators former summer home opened to the public. When Lopez first became mayor in 2003, he found a portrait of the dictator in the mayoral office. The Franco family always put up a fight. Prior to the summer of 2018 they never used to open the estate to visitors one morning per week, as they were supposed to do. In August 2017, the BNG and several societies and groups decided to take some radical action. About 40 people sneaked into the building, climbed up one of the towers and put up a banner demanding that the property be returned to the public. They took the matter to the UN and the European Parliament. Eventually, the Franco family had no choice but to open up the Estate to the public and visitors were allowed back from 22 September 2018, albeit under management by the Francisco Franco Foundation. The dictators fat, relentless ego In the property there is no trace left of Emilia Pardo Bazan (1851-1921), the Galician poet and essayist who owned the Estate until the Franco family seized it. The dictators ego meant that Pardo Bazans presence was completely erased. Pardo Bazan was an intellectual who had the Meiras Estate built as a writing and reading retreat. She used to have artists and intellectuals over and would gather her strength there to face a world that prevented women from entering academic institutions. She had the Muses displayed on a wall, only to be replaced by Francos coat of arms. At present the walls are dotted with vacant-eyed hunting trophies: there are over fifty of them, some bearing the date and place where they were hunted. There are also many portraits of Franco in uniform, looking poised to begin his conquest. The picture of the dictators wife, Carmen Polo, is ubiquitous. She appears wearing a lot of jewellery and looking all stern, as if she was about to scold someone. A 36-year-old man has been jailed for life for murdering two women whose bodies were found inside a freezer in his flat in Canning Town. Zahid Younis was convicted on Thursday at Southwark Crown Court of murdering Hungarian national Henriett Szucs, 34, and mother-of-three Mihrican "Jan" Mustafa, 38. He was later sentenced to a minimum of 38 years in jail. Younis, known as "Boxer", admitted putting the women in the freezer and pleaded guilty to two counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body. He denied two counts of murder but was found guilty of both charges by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday after 16 hours and six minutes of deliberations. Henriett Szucs (left) and Mihrican "Jan" Mustafa / PA Younis showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out while members of Ms Mustafas large family, who attended every day of the three-week trial, said yes in the public gallery. Her older sister, Mel Mustafa, said: "Thank you God, thank you." Ms Szucs had last been seen in August 2016 and Ms Mustafa in May 2018. Their bodies were found in a padlocked freezer with flies swarming around it at Youniss flat in Vandome Close, Canning Town, in April 2019. The grim discovery was made by a uniformed police officer who had only gone to the flat in search of Younis after he had been reported as missing. Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "Zahid Younis is a particularly dangerous and what I would describe as a repugnant individual who preys on vulnerable women in particular and abuses them, brings them into his control and causes them significant injury. DCI Harding said the freezer was forced open by one of the officers on an old-fashioned police hunch" about what was inside it. He broke open the freezer and discovered what could only be seen, at the time, as only one body," he said. "It actually took the freezer being taken away and X-rayed for it to be seen there was another body underneath that. It was a gruesome discovery for the officers." The "horrendous scenes" faced by his team, who are trained for their jobs, is nothing compared to the bravery of the victims families whose ordeal has spanned, not just their loved ones disappearance and killing but now also this court case, he said. DCI Harding added: "It is incomprehensible to imagine what the families are going through. They have been incredibly brave throughout this entire ordeal. "It is an ordeal in court listening to his lies. It is hard to listen if you are a family member to hear what he is saying about your daughter, sister or mum." The family of Ms Mustafa said her death has "changed our family forever". "She was a gentle being, who still had her whole life ahead of her, to live and watch her children grow," a statement said. "My heart deeply goes out to her children, who are the strongest people that I know. The grief that they are going through compares to no other pain. Our family have lost a precious jewel; my Aunt Mary Jane Mustafa was an incredible aunt, mother, sister and daughter to her family." The family described Ms Mustafa as "a fantastic mother" who "adored her children". "She loved to dance. She was artistic. She was creative. She was beautiful," the statement said. Mihrican Mustafa / Met Police "She was friends with everybody and very funny. She celebrated life. She was optimistic. She never said anything bad about anybody. She would give her last penny to someone in need. She was an angel. She is an angel." DCI Harding described Ms Szucs as someone who had been in abusive relationships before and was then preyed upon by Younis. She moved in with him and Younis denied having a long-term relationship with her but "we have shown that she was really in love with him in her own way," DCI Harding said. "She wrote him letters that we found. Unfortunately to him, she did not mean anything. She was just another person that he was abusing physically and mentally, resulting in her death 10 months after she met him." A statement issued on behalf of Maria, Henriett's mother, said the loss of her daughter had been "unimaginable". Maria, Henrietts mother, has been hugely overwhelmed by the death of her daughter," the statement said. "Not only because she was murdered but because it happened in another country. A country where she doesnt know the law or know the police investigation and court processes. "Maria lost touch with Henriett when she came to the UK but that only exacerbates her grief. The fact that Henriett lay deceased in a freezer for two and a half years with no-one looking for her or realising she was missing, torments Maria on a daily basis. "The inner turmoil she suffers is as you would expect for a mother mourning the death of her child and to make matters worse, she hasnt been able to see her or lay her to rest. This is most unimaginable for any family member but particularly a mother." Younis waited a year before he told anybody including the police or prosecution exactly what his defence was. He waited until all the evidence had been served. Then he came up with his "story" which included blaming someone as having helped him put the bodies in the freezer even though they were in prison at the time, DCI Harding noted. Henriett Szucs / Met Police The court heard that Younis has several previous convictions for assaulting partners. When he was 17, Younis was controlling, violent and overbearing towards his then-girlfriend, including waiting outside her house and escorting her everywhere. In 2004 he married a 14-year-old in an Islamic ceremony at a mosque in Walthamstow, east London. He was eventually jailed for 30 months for assaulting the teenager and unlawful sexual activity with a child and was put on the sex offenders register. The prosecution said that in 2007, following his release from prison, Younis got into a relationship with a 17-year-old girl whose father had recently died. The jury heard the violence began with slaps, before escalating into punches and kicks, leaving the teenager with large bruises. The girls family eventually tricked Younis into allowing her to leave the home they shared, following an assault that fractured her arm in three places. Loading.... He was later sentenced to four years and 11 months for two counts of wounding and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Additional reporting by the Press Association Pentagon report shows China's nuke strength key deterrence Global Times By Yang Sheng Source: Global Times Published: 2020/9/2 22:58:40 US DOD speculation 'groundless', old trick to ask for bigger budget The latest Pentagon report on the Chinese military development shows that China's nuclear strength is key to deterring US hegemonic activities, Chinese military experts said on Wednesday. The Chinese national defense ministry also criticized the report for stigmatizing China's military modernization, and groundlessly hyping the "China military threat theory." The US Department of Defense has always used the annual report on China's military development to persuade US Congress to authorize a greater defense budget, so it will continue to misinterpret China's strategic intention to make its demand appear more reasonable, analysts said, adding that this year, the Pentagon has specifically speculated on the number of China's nuclear warheads. This proves that US military policymakers are extremely concerned about the number amid rising tensions between the two countries. China's Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday in a statement that the Pentagon report released on Tuesday is "full of zero-sum game and cold war mentality," and apart from stigmatizing China's national defense expenditure and nuclear policy, it's also creating tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, which is a terrible mistake, and China expresses firm opposition to it. "We will response based on the situation," the statement said. The Pentagon report said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force "develops and fields a wide variety of conventional mobile ground-launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles." China is "developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that will significantly improve its nuclear-capable missile forces. The number of warheads on the PRC's (People's Republic of China) land-based ICBMs capable of threatening the United States is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years." "Over the next decade, China's nuclear warhead stockpile currently estimated to be in the low-200s is projected to at least double in size, as China expands and modernizes its nuclear forces," the report said. A Beijing-based military expert on Chinese nuclear strategy who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Pentagon's speculation is "totally groundless" because even in the PLA Rocket Force, the vast majority of officers don't know the exact number of warheads. "So how could US military get the information?" "What the Pentagon wants is to use the speculation to elicit a response from China, and help it to get more accurate intelligence. This proves that China's nuclear strength is a significant concern to the US. The effective deterrence has prevented the US from launching overbearing hegemonic aggressions against China," the expert said. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert on nuclear strategy, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the US will be concerned more about China's nuclear strength than its conventional one, and China will continue to develop its nuclear arsenal to ensure its national security. "Doubling the current size" is probably not the final goal because the international strategic situation has changed. "In the past, China didn't need too many warheads. But since the US is labeling China its top strategic competitor, if China doesn't have enough nuclear deterrence, the US will be more aggressive to harm China's interests," Song noted. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Year Book 2020 says the US has at least 1,750 deployed warheads, 4,050 other warheads and 5,800 in its inventory. The US has withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, and Chinese experts said Washington is trying to boost its military hegemony against China, Russia and other countries by quitting the international arms control and disarmament treaty. The US has no right to accuse other countries on military issues, as it has created the greatest uncertainties in recent years to global security, and has damaged the power balance between major powers, the anonymous expert said. The US nuclear arsenal is much bigger than China's, and the Pentagon is still trying to peddle the China military threat theory to Congress for a larger defense budget. It will exaggerate the "achievements" of China's military development, Song said. "Although China's nuclear arsenal is not as big as the US', it has provided effective deterrence. Whether China will increase its nuclear warheads depends on the extent of threat the US poses to China's national security. China will make its nuclear arsenal enough for mutual assured destruction with the US in a nuclear war. Some ignorant and arrogant US politicians with strong hostility toward China might have no idea how powerful China is. But those at the Pentagon will remind them to be careful," the anonymous expert noted. Bigger budget Apart from nuclear strength, the Pentagon's report also made a comprehensive assessment of China's naval, air defense and missile development. The report said "the PRC has numerically the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines, including more than 130 major surface combatants." Chinese military analysts said this is a typical example of an exaggeration because "the numerically largest navy" doesn't mean "the most advanced and powerful," as many Chinese naval vessels are smaller than the ones in the US Navy. So in terms of major combat vessels, the US Navy still has an advantage. The report also said"China is already ahead of the United States in certain areas," such as "shipbuilding," "land-based conventional ballistic and cruise missiles," and "integrated air defense systems." Song said it seems like the Pentagon acknowledged China's military achievements in some areas, and proved that China's military reform in recent years has been successful. Still, it's an old trick to ask for a big budget, because when Congress learns that "China is doing better than the US, they will get nervous and pass the budget easily." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 2021 INFINITI QX80 The INFINITI QX80 is a full-size luxury SUV the flagship of the INFINITI range. It combines bold proportions and a commanding exterior design with a spacious, high quality cabin with room for seven or eight passengers. Effortless performance, advanced drive-assist technologies and taut yet refined dynamics allow for a relaxing and confidence-inspiring drive. The INFINITI QX80 is a full-size luxury SUV the flagship of the INFINITI range. It combines bold proportions and a commanding exterior design with a spacious, high quality cabin with room for seven or eight passengers. Effortless performance, advanced drive-assist technologies and taut yet refined dynamics allow for a relaxing and confidence-inspiring drive. In a release issued under the same headline on Thursday, September 3rd by INFINITI USA, please note that in the last bullet and first paragraph, the price information should be $69,050 and $72,150, not $66,750 and $67,850. The corrected release follows: New SENSORY, PREMIUM SELECT and LUXE grades New Smart Rearview Mirror (SRVM) system offers improved high-definition clarity and a wider screen size for enhanced visibility MSRP for the 2021 QX80 starts at $69,050 for 2WD and $72,150 with INFINITI All-Mode 4WD NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the 2021 model year, the INFINITI QX80 full-size SUV offered in the United States has been improved with added equipment, innovative new technologies and stylish features befitting its luxury status. INFINITI has announced the MSRP for the new 2021 QX80 full-size luxury SUV, which has been updated to push boundaries with distinct exterior and interior features. The 2WD QX80 will start at $69,050 and the All-Mode 4WD will be $72,150. A new SENSORY grade sits at the top of the revised QX80 line-up. Occupants will experience a sumptuous cabin featuring quilted semi-aniline leather-appointed seats, Charcoal Burl trim and a new graphite tricot headliner for a handcrafted, tailored feel. The exterior features stylish 22-inch forged alloy wheels and chrome mirror caps, both of which add to the QX80s elegant appearance. INFINITIs Hydraulic Body Motion Control System is also included for enhanced cornering stability and a smoother ride at all speeds. The new PREMIUM SELECT grade brings a series of exterior trim enhancements first seen on the limited-run 2020 QX80 Edition 30. Dark chrome and black highlights the QX80s front grille, fender vents, door mirror caps and rear tailgate strip. The commanding stance is heightened with the fitment of dark chrome 22-inch forged alloy wheels. Three stylish interior trim colors are also available; including Graphite and new Truffle Brown and Sahara Stone with a revised Matte Brown accent trim. Story continues The QX80s entry-level LUXE grade features a range of standard driver-assist technologies available as standard. Blind Spot Intervention (BSI), Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Distance Control Assist (DCA), a Rear Seat Belt Reminder and an updated Intelligent Cruise Control system are all included, while Android Auto and Apple CarPlay continue to bring enhanced connectivity across the QX80 range. All grades now feature the second generation of INFINITIs innovative Smart Rearview Mirror (SRVM) system. SRVM, which first appeared on the QX80 with the models last major update in 2018, switches between a regular mirror and an LCD monitor to display a high-definition image from a rear-mounted camera. It enables drivers to see clearly when passengers, cargo or lighting conditions obstruct the drivers rear view. A wider 9.6-inch diameter display, high resolution camera and LED Flicker Mitigation Technology ensure enhanced visibility for added confidence behind the wheel. INFINITI QX80 in summary The INFINITI QX80 is a full-size luxury SUV the flagship of the INFINITI range. It combines bold proportions and a commanding exterior design with a spacious, high quality cabin with room for seven or eight passengers. Effortless performance, advanced drive-assist technologies and taut yet refined dynamics allow for a relaxing and confidence-inspiring drive. With a powerful 5.6-liter V8 engine driving the rear or both axles, the QX80 is a consummate performer in all driving conditions. A smooth-shifting seven-speed automatic transmission seamlessly channels the engines ample power and torque reserves for an assured feeling of control behind the wheel. From travelling on the highway, towing a heavy load or traversing tough off road passes, the QX80 brings hand-crafted luxury, utility and sophistication for up to eight passengers. Produced in Kyushu, Japan, INFINITI sold more than 23,000 QX80s in 2019, with top-selling regions including North America (20,260 units), the Middle East (1,650) and Eastern Europe (1,216). The 2021 QX80 will be available from INFINITI showrooms across the United States in fall 2020. Full details can be found at www.INFINITI.com . About INFINITI INFINITI Motor Company is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan with operations around the world including regional offices based in the Americas, China and INFINITI International Markets based in Dubai. The INFINITI brand of premium automobiles are assembled in manufacturing facilities in Japan, North America and China. INFINITI design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing. More information about INFINITI and its industry leading technologies can be found at www.INFINITI.com . You can also follow INFINITI on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube . Contact INFINITI Communications Aileen Clarke Manager, INFINITI U.S.A. Product Communications (949) 359-1112 aileen.clarke@infiniti.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c4760d1-9e86-47b3-8398-4107d75ebf14 A Georgia congregation has officially left the United Methodist Church in support of LGBTQ rights, deciding instead to be an independent nondenominational church. The move by Asbury Memorial Church in Savannah comes a year and a half after the UMC the second-largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. voted to strengthen its bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings. "Our LGBTQ community is vital to the thriving congregation we have today," the Rev. Billy Hester said. "We have always tried to be an all-inclusive environment, and we're excited about our future." IMAGE: Asbury Memorial Church in Savannah, Ga. (Google Maps) Asbury Memorial, which Hester said is lovingly called the "island of misfit toys" by its members, voted to part ways with the UMC last September by a vote of 309 to 7. It then had to wait nearly a year for official approval from the UMC's South Georgia Conference, which it received in a virtual meeting last month. The disaffiliation became final on Thursday. "We're kind of different than most churches," Hester said in an interview. "I've got to thank the people in the southern leadership for letting us out, because I don't think some other conferences have made that path so easy." Hester said his church is the first in Georgia to officially disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. A spokesperson for UMC's South Georgia Conference said Asbury Memorial is not the first to do so in the United States. The official did not immediately answer additional questions. Earlier this year, the UMC had been expected to vote to break up over differences on gay marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ pastors, but the vote was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, potentially leaving its factions in limbo until next year. The revival of a 'slowly dying' church Hester, 61, said Asbury Memorial Church was "slowly dying" in 1993, when he returned to his hometown, Savannah, after 12 years in New York. Story continues "Aside from me and my wife, the youngest member was 66," Hester said. To breathe new life into the congregation, the young couple used their theater background to host musicals. "We held open auditions, built our own sets and stages and performed in our very own sanctuary," he said, adding that the church eventually brought in people from all walks of life, including LGBTQ people, who found a safe haven in the revived religious community. Today, he said, LGBTQ people make up about 35 percent of his congregation. "Some of the earliest supporters of Asbury were LGBT folks," he added. "They were just as integral to this community that we built from the ground up." And as LGBTQ members supported Hester, he supported them. In February 2016 with same-sex marriage newly legal across the U.S. but still not permitted at UMC churches Hester announced that he would discontinue all weddings at Asbury Memorial. "If we're not allowed to marry all people in our church, then we are not going to let any people marry in our church," he said, adding that he had hoped the decision would draw attention to the issue and put pressure on the UMC to change course. Hester said not even his own daughter, who got married this year, was allowed to tie the knot in Asbury Memorial, the church she grew up in. "Many elderly members who supported LGBT folks waited, but they never saw change from the Methodist Church," Hester said. He wants his legacy to be Asbury Memorial an "homage to those who never got to see LGBT issues brought to the light of day," he said. And as for resuming weddings? After 4 years, he said, he's tired of telling people Asbury Memorial no longer hosts such celebrations. "I think the denomination will get there one day," he said of the UMC, "but in the meantime, we're going to celebrate at the end of this month by hosting a virtual vow renewal ceremony for couples both LGBT and straight couples who have waited a long, long time." Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3, 2020 - Especially in settings where personal protective equipment, or PPE, is in short supply, intubation -- inserting a breathing tube down a patient's throat -- poses a major risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure for doctors and nurses as viral particles are released into the air. Researchers from UPMC and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory (CCDC-ARL) created an individual biocontainment unit, or IBU, to keep front line health care workers safe while they provide life-saving care. The device is described in a study published today in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Earlier attempts to minimize exposure to health care workers involved placing a plexiglass intubation box over a patient's head and shoulders. Clinicians slip their hands through two large holes in the box to intubate the patient inside. While such a device may contain the worst of the splatter, it can't keep aerosols from leaking out. The IBU is designed to suck contaminated air out of the box with a vacuum and trap infectious particles in a filter before they seep into the room. Simulating a COVID-19 patient, the researchers placed a mannequin inside the IBU as well as in a commercially available intubation box. Near its mouth, they piped in an oil-based aerosol which formed tiny droplets in the air, similar in size to the SARS-CoV-2 particles in breath that spread COVID-19. The IBU trapped more than 99.99% of the simulated virus-sized aerosols and prevented them from escaping into the environment. In contrast, outside of the passive intubation box, maximum aerosol concentrations were observed to be more than three times higher than inside the box. "Having a form of protection that doesn't work is more dangerous than not having anything, because it could create a false sense of security," said study co-lead author David Turer, M.D., M.S., a plastic surgeon who recently completed his residency at UPMC. Because of concerns about the potential of airborne viruses to leak from the plexiglass boxes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently revoked their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for these enclosures. Several months ago, Turer and colleagues submitted an EUA application for the IBU and are preparing to manufacture the devices for distribution. "It intentionally incorporates parts from outside the medical world," said Turer, who now is at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "So, unlike other forms of PPE, demand is unlikely to outstrip supply during COVID-19 surge periods." Besides protecting providers during intubation, the IBU also can provide negative pressure isolation of awake COVID-19 patients, supplying an alternative to scarce negative pressure hospital isolation rooms, as well as helping isolate patients on military vessels. "The ability to isolate COVID-19 patients at the bedside is key to stopping viral spread in medical facilities and onboard military ships and aircraft," said study co-lead author Cameron Good, Ph.D., a research scientist at the CCDC-ARL. Devices similar to IBUs were first used in practice by military personnel in the Javits Center field hospital in New York City when local hospitals were overrun with COVID-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic. Once the EUA is granted, hospitals and military units will be able to use the IBU to protect health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients. ### Additional authors on the study include Benjamin Schilling, M.S., and Heng Ban, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh; Robert Turer, M.D., M.S.E., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nicholas Karlowsky, of Filtech; and Lucas Dvoracek, M.D., Jason Chang, M.D., and J. Peter Rubin, M.D., of UPMC. This work is supported by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation (grant F_309-2020-Turer). To read this release online or share it, visit https://www.upmc.com/media/news/090320-turer-IBU-AEM [when embargo lifts]. About UPMC A $21 billion health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates more than 90,000 employees, 40 hospitals, 700 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, and a 3.9 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. In the most recent fiscal year, UPMC contributed $1.4 billion in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution, and paid more than $800 million in federal, state, and local taxes. Working in close collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC shares its clinical, managerial, and technological skills worldwide through its innovation and commercialization arm, UPMC Enterprises, and through UPMC International. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside among the nation's best hospitals in many specialties and ranks UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America's Best Children's Hospitals. For more information, go to UPMC.com. About CCDC-ARL 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 U.S. Army Futures Command. http://www.upmc.com/media WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wireless Innovation Forum (WInnForum) today announced a free three-day online event: "Spectrum Sharing Past, Present and Future". The event is September 22-24, 8 am to noon PDT daily. The first day features keynotes by the FCC's Ira Keltz, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of Engineering and Technology, and Scott Patrick, Executive Director of the NTIA's Office of Spectrum Management. Updates will be provided on CBRS, 6 GHz, C Band, 3.1 to 3.55 and mmWave by Preston Marshall (Google), Mark Gibson (CommScope), Andrew Clegg (Google), and Colin Brown (Communications Research Center Canada). Day two features keynotes by Fred Moorefield, Deputy CIO for Command, Control, and Communications (C3), and Sheryl Genco, Director of the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences. The session examines technical considerations in previous spectrum sharing implementations with a deep dive into lessons learned in the CBRS ecosystem. A panel, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," moderated by Marshall, will investigate some of the missed opportunities, misconceptions, inaccuracies and unresolved issues in spectrum sharing in the band with an intent to create a fully informed spectrum sharing awareness. The final day begins with a keynote by Dr. Martha Suarez, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and will include an International panel discussion moderated by Nokia's Prakash Moorut featuring Raimund Becker (BNetzA), Jose Arias (IFT), Christopher Hose (ACMA), Emmanuel Faussurier (ANFR), and Shalini Periyalwar (ISED), as well as a roundtable on what's next for spectrum sharing technologies. To register for this live event: https://bit.ly/SpectrumSharingWorkshop. To learn more about the WInnForum, its meetings and membership benefits, or to become involved with a committee, visit http://www.wirelessInnovation.org. About the Wireless Innovation Forum Established in 1996, the Wireless Innovation Forum comprises an international group of equipment vendors, subsystem vendors, software developers, technology developers, communication service providers, research and engineering organizations, academic institutions, government users, regulators and others who share the common business interests of advancing technologies supporting the innovative utilization of spectrum and the development of wireless communications systems, including essential or critical communications systems. www.wirelessInnovation.org. Forum projects are supported by platinum sponsors Google, Motorola Solutions, and Thales. SOURCE Wireless Innovation Forum Related Links https://www.wirelessinnovation.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 12:22:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Cai Shuya SINGAPORE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- "I hope students will learn the spirit of bravery as shown from the Singaporeans who fought and rebelled against the Japanese during the occupation of Singapore," Mrs. Ong, who teaches history at a Singapore government secondary school, told Xinhua on Wednesday. "And I also hope that the children can be careful in times of peace and not let history repeat itself," she said. For the people of Singapore, the history of Japanese occupation of their country during World War Two should always be remembered and reflected on by future generations. There were some questions for secondary school students to think about this period in their history textbook: "Though Singapore was viewed as an indestructible fortress, this statement was soon challenged. How could this be the case when Singapore was so quickly occupied and ruled by Japan? What did the people experience under the new rulers? How did their experience affect their view of Singapore?" The textbook mainly dwells on the painful memories and the cruelty of war. It first describes the Japanese invasion of the northern Malay Peninsula at the end of 1941. Then, the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army was formed to resist the Japanese troops. The Japanese military eventually reached Singapore's shores on Feb. 8, 1942, which marked the day known as the Battle of Singapore. By Feb. 15, 1942, the situation in Singapore had become difficult for the Allied forces and the British eventually surrendered Singapore to the Japanese forces. The textbook also details how the Japanese army drove the anti-Japanese Chinese in Singapore, killing about 50,000 Chinese in the Sook Ching Massacre. During the Japanese rule, Singapore was renamed to Syonan-to, meaning Light of the South Island. Living conditions in Singapore then were difficult, due to the shortage of basic necessities such as rice, salt and cooking oil. The Japanese introduced their own currency, known to locals as "banana money." "War is terrible and countless innocent people will die. Peace is so wonderful. I don't want any more wars in the world," Ian, a 14-year-old middle school student, told Xinhua. The textbook also highlights prominent individuals who resisted the Japanese during the Second World War. One of them was Elizabeth Choy, who risked her life to smuggle food, medicine and messages to British prisoners of war. She was arrested by the Japanese army, imprisoned and tortured for 200 days. She was hailed as a war heroine and awarded the Order of the British Empire, one of the highest honors conferred by the British government. Another well-known figure was Adnan Bin Saidi (Lt Adnan bin Saidi) of the Malay Regiment who led the fight against the Japanese at Pasir Panjang. He was a gallant soldier who fought on even when wounded. He refused to yield to the Japanese after he was captured by them, and was tortured and killed. Finally, there was Lim Bo Seng, a prominent Hokkien businessman who came to Singapore from China at the age of 16. In the 1930s, he was involved in activities to help support China's war effort against Japan. When Malaya fell to the Japanese, he escaped to India and then went to Chongqing in China to recruit men into Force 136, a resistance army. In 1943, Lim, together with Force 136 members, set up an intelligence network in Malaya. He was later captured by the Japanese army and died in jail. The three war heroes, although from different races, had the same brave and unyielding spirit and are remembered by Singaporeans today. The textbook strives to provide an objective and honest account so that students can better understand the history and the importance of peace. "Where there is aggression, there is resistance. Without these brave people, we wouldn't be breathing free air in a peaceful environment. We should always remember these heroes," said 15-year-old High school student Wilson. "We are not trying to lift the flame of hatred in the old days, nor are we trying to liquidate blood debts," Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said in 1967 when the Civilian War Memorial, a monument dedicated to civilians who perished during the Japanese occupation of Singapore was completed. "Only today we learn from the lessons of history, and consolidate our future wisely and bravely, so that many of our compatriots who died in the past will not die for nothing in the past!" Enditem A super PAC led by a group of "Never Trump" Republicans is planning to unleash a Facebook grassroots army in its latest effort to erode support for President Donald Trump. The Lincoln Project on Friday will launch the new initiative, The Lincoln Project Digital Coalition, or TLPDC, according to the group's spokesman, Keith Edwards. The plan, according to Edwards, is to have thousands of Lincoln Project Facebook members reach out to Republican voters who have previously backed Trump to try to persuade them to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden. They have over 50,000 members on Facebook, he added. Similar to the PAC's political advertisements, it plans to target GOP voters in the states of Arizona, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The digital push comes as in-person get-out-the-vote efforts in both parties have been largely sidelined due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We maintain an email list, but Facebook groups operate as our central hubs or 'virtual campaign offices,' because they allow us to moderate participants, creating a more constructive gathering place," Edwards told CNBC. "Within those Facebook groups, we share our ads first, paired with data-backed talking points. Trump's support is strongest on Facebook, so given our target audience are Republicans, Facebook needs to lead our TLPDC efforts." Trump has had a strong presence on Facebook since he ran for president in 2016. Trump has spent over $140 million on Facebook and Google advertising since the 2018 congressional midterms, according to data collected by the nonprofit Acronym. The group looks to launch TLPDC on Friday after a Zoom briefing with volunteers and Mike Madrid, a co-founder of The Lincoln Project, who was previously a political director for the California State Republican Party. Others who founded the group include Steve Schmidt, the leader of the late Sen. John McCain's 2008 run for president, and Jennifer Horn, the former chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party. So far, the PAC has spent at least $13 million attacking Trump, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised a record-shattering $364 million in August. The latest surveys suggest that The Lincoln Project has a long road ahead of it in persuading Republican voters to abandon Trump. A Gallup poll shows Trump's approval rating among Republicans at 90% and among independents at 39%. Biden, for his part, has been regularly picking up high-profile endorsements from both Republicans and independent leaders. Reuters reported on Thursday that nearly 100 GOP and independent leaders planned to back Biden. Biden is currently ahead of Trump by 7 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics' national polling average. People walk during rush hour in Stockholm on May 29, 2020. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images Nature in urban spaces is instrumental in maintaining peoples' wellbeing throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Karl Samuelsson, a Stockholm-based researcher who focuses on sustainable environments for people, says that cities need more nature and bigger spaces to practice social distancing. In a recent research paper, Samuelsson and his colleagues argue that social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus can leave dense urban areas in a particularly vulnerable position. To combat this, cities need to be able to offer residents quicker access to green space and the opportunity to get outside while maintaining a safe distance from others during a pandemic. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As the coronavirus continues to spread across the world, open space and space to maintain a social distance has become a hot commodity. Karl Samuelsson, an urban researcher at the University of Gavle in Stockholm, Sweden, thinks natural spaces like parks can help cities become resilient to crises. "From the street cross-section to the pocket park, to the larger parks, to very large nature areas I think all of them need to play a role in the future cities," Samuelsson told Business Insider. In an April 2020 research paper about how cities are dealing with the coronavirus, Samuelsson and his colleagues argued that social distancing is especially difficult in cities because there are more people and fewer open spaces. A picture taken on April 1, 2020 shows people on Queens street in Stockholm, amid the coronavirus pandemic. FREDRIK SANDBERG/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic has created a need for more green spaces in cities Measures like staying in have led many to social isolation, the paper argues, prompting people to feel lonely and have heightened risks for anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses. At the same time, Samuelsson told Business Insider, bringing cities back to "business as usual," or reopening the economy without preventative measures like social distancing, isn't the right move either. Story continues Courtesy of Karl Samuelsson Instead, the best move is to find a middle ground between the extremes. That's where open spaces and nature in various scales come into play, Samuelsson said. While a tree outside your window can boost your mood from indoors, a pocket park around the corner offers easy access to the outdoors. "In Stockholm, it's the mid-sized areas that have really been important," Samuelsson added. "They are fairly large so you can observe a distance to other people but still easily accessible." Sweden, notably, did not impose a lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the country instituted fewer rules that are easier to maintain for a long time, like banning large gatherings and nursing home visits. A picture taken on March 18, 2020, shows the empty Stortorget square in Stockholm, Sweden, where activities came to a halt due to the coronavirus. JESSICA GOW/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images There are two main factors to consider when it comes to expanding natural areas in cities: how the space within a city is organized, and how accessible natural spaces are to the public. In some cities, Samuelsson said, "It's a question of thinking, could some of the spaces that have been designated for something else be reclaimed by nature?" The question of accessibility is equally critical. "If there is nature in a city, but you can't access it, it's not really doing any good for you," Samuelsson said. Samuelsson believes that maintaining and expanding natural urban spaces can help cities become resilient in times of like these. "This is not going to be the last crisis," he told Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider KALAMAZOO, MI A former Kalamazoo pastor accused of sexually assaulting four male victims between the ages of 15 and 17 was arraigned Thursday, Sept. 3 in Kalamazoo County District Court via Zoom. Stricjavvar Strick Strickland, formerly the executive pastor of Kalamazoos Second Baptist Church, is being charged 11 felony criminal sexual charges, all involving minors. He will be allowed to return to Mississippi, where he presently resides, while he awaits further proceedings, according to stipulations in a $500K personal recognizance bond set by Kalamazoo County District Judge Richard Santoni on Sept. 3. A personal recognizance bond means the defendant is allowed to be released without any deposit or collateral. Related: Kalamazoo pastor paid teenage boys to have sex with his wife, police say The former pastor is being charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct on a student, one on a person age 13-15 and one by force or coercion. He also faces four counts of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity and three counts of child sexually abusive activity. Strickland, 37, is accused, among other things, of having paid teenage boys to have sex with his wife, according to his arrest affidavit. The dates of the alleged offenses, according to court records, span from Aug. 1, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2018. If convicted, he faces a potential penalty of 15 years in prison on each of the first four charges, and 20 years on each of the other seven charges. Strickland, labeled a fugitive by the Michigan State Police on Wednesday, Sept. 2, turned himself in at the Kalamazoo County Jail Thursday morning. According to State Police Lt. Chuck Christensen, Strickland had failed to turn himself in on three different occasions that had been arranged by police and the pastors attorney, dating back to last Friday. Despite the issues involving Strickland turning himself in, Santoni said he did not believe the former pastor was a flight risk. I have an individual whos been aware of these charges for two years. He returned to Michigan voluntarily to turn himself in. I cant ask for much more, so Im not seeing any flight risk, Santoni said, while setting the former pastors bond. Santoni said that the potential guilt or innocence of an individual is not taken into consideration when setting a bond, only two factors flight risk and whether the defendant poses an immediate danger to the community. The fact that the parties are completely separated by hundreds of miles, and there hasnt been any contact in the last two years, I am not here to punish Mr. Strickland. I am here to deal with the issue of flight risk and the immediacy of public safety and I believe this bond does that. As a condition of the bond, Strickland is not allowed to have any contact with the four individuals who accused the pastor of the alleged sex crimes, Santoni stipulated. He will be allowed to return to Mississippi, the judge said. According to Stricklands attorney Michael Hills, the former pastor is working on a rural horse farm there, buying, selling and transporting horses. Mr. Strickland, if you do not come to court, you will be arrested, very quickly, in Mississippi and you will be extradited to the state of Michigan, Santoni cautioned. Having seen the results of individuals being extradited from state to state, it is not a pleasant process and it is not something you want to experience. A request by Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Christin J. Mehrtens-Carlin that Strickland not be allowed to see his wife, Jazmonique Strickland, was denied by the judge. As the bond recommendation indicates, she was directly involved in many of these incidents and is under investigation as well, Mehrtens-Carlin argued. Obviously, the people would not like them to have this time to discuss this case and theres no way to monitor that if they are in Mississippi. Strickland and his wife have five children together and Jazmonique Strickland has been in and out of the hospital while in the midst of a complicated pregnancy, Hills said, in defense of his client. Strickland has three other children who live in the South two in Alabama and one in Mississippi, Hills said. All of his children have spoken willingly to investigators, Hills told the judge. Strickland, who has referred to the charges as absolutely preposterous, has spent 15 years as a pastor, the first seven split between two churches in Mississippi. From 2012, up until recently, he served as pastor at Second Baptist Church in Kalamazoo. He also previously served as the NAACP Kalamazoo Chapter president from 2016-18. According to Hills, he no longer has any affiliation with the organization. In addition to the criminal sexual conduct charges, the former pastor also faces an assault charge stemming from an incident with a former church deacon that occurred at the Second Baptist Church in December 2019. That case is scheduled for trial Sept. 30 in Kalamazoo County District Court. Strickland is due back in court in the criminal sex case on Sept. 24 for a probable cause conference before Kalamazoo County District Judge Tiffany Ankley. There are no charges pending against Jazmonique Strickland at this time, but that investigation is ongoing, Mehrtens-Carlin said. Also on MLive: Kalamazoo pastor in custody awaiting arraignment on child sex crimes Kalamazoo pastor charged with human trafficking, child sex abuse I have never and will never run, says Kalamazoo pastor sought by police Kalamazoo pastor defends himself amid police investigation Kalamazoo pastor facing child sex charges now a fugitive, police say Raja Singh New Delhi: Under pressure for weeks over its handling of hate speech, Facebook on Thursday said it has banned BJP politician T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate. "We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform, a Facebook spokesperson said. Advertisement Raja Singh The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and this is what led to Facebook's decision to remove his account, according to the statement. Facebook has been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleged that Facebook's content policies favoured the ruling party in India. Advertisement The report had alleged that Facebook had ignored posts containing hate speech by BJP MLA Raja Singh. Since then, the ruling BJP and Congress have been trading barbs over social media giant's alleged bias. FacebookIn the wake of the WSJ report, a Parliamentary panel had summoned Facebook representatives to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of the social media platform on Wednesday. According to sources, the decision to remove Singh from the platform was taken after an extensive process that the company follows in determining which individuals meet the criteria for policy violation and the work had been ongoing for some time to review Singh's actions. Advertisement The company had previously removed the content Singh had posted that violated its policies, including its hate speech policies, but the decision to ban Singh from the platform has been taken now, one of the sources said. Post the ban, Singh has been designated under Facebook's dangerous individuals and organisations policy, and he will not be allowed to maintain a presence on the platform going forward. Raja SinghAs a part of the process, Singh will not be allowed on Facebook or its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram. The company will remove Pages, Groups and accounts set up to represent him. However, it will continue to allow wider discussion of him, including praise and support. Advertisement Other parameters that were taken into account include checking whether they're a self-described or identified follower of a hateful ideology; or they have used hate speech on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media sites, the source said. A car waits for fireworks to go off before passing through on 22nd Street near Norris in North Philadelphia in June. Read more Loud fireworks explosions have been the soundtrack of Philadelphias streets since late spring and many residents are furious. Jean Gajary, a Mount Airy resident, said her dog, a rat terrier named Tres, has been terrorized by the incessant booms. After she posted about Tres on her neighborhood Nextdoor website, she heard from hundreds of people who felt the same way. We have veterans in our city with PTSD thats getting triggered night after night from the fireworks. People are frightened they dont know if theyre hearing fireworks or gunshots, she said. Young kids have also been scared, and medical workers have told her they havent been able to sleep. Sometimes it feels like we live in a war zone, she said during a virtual news conference Thursday. Between May 29 and June 29, Philadelphia police fielded 8,526 complaints about fireworks. Although the number of complaints has dwindled over the last month, residents express concern there could be a surge over the Labor Day weekend. Gajary and another Mount Airy resident, Darlene Temple, founded the Stop Philly Fireworks group, which is asking the state legislature to give some relief. The complaints have prompted officials to act. State Rep. Peter Schweyer (D., Lehigh) and State Sen. Judith Schwank (D., Berks) have introduced bills seeking to repeal the 2017 law that allowed the sale and use of more powerful fireworks in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia City Councilmember Cindy Bass has persuaded retailers, including Acme, Fresh Grocer, and ShopRite supermarkets in Philadelphia and a Target in Cheltenham, to stop selling fireworks. She also introduced a Council resolution urging the legislature to again outlaw consumer fireworks such as Roman candles, bottle rockets and mortars. Often, even though fireworks may have been purchased legally, they are being set off illegally in the city, State Sen. Christine Tartaglione and State Rep. Joe Hohenstein, both Philadelphia Democrats, said. The Philadelphia Fire Code was updated last year to reflect the new state law. Both prohibit the use of consumer fireworks within 150 feet of occupied structures. Police have the unenviable task of chasing after a ghost to find people who have set off fireworks illegally because they are usually gone when officers arrive, Hohenstein said. Police have been inundated dealing not only with calls about fireworks, but also daily gun violence in the city, the coronavirus pandemic, and the opioid epidemic, said Philadelphia Police Capt. Pedro Rosario of the 24th District, which includes parts of Port Richmond, Kensington, and Juniata Park. Its incredibly difficult to cope with the scale of how to enforce this, Rosario said. Officers are overwhelmed already. In his district there have been more than 2,400 calls about nuisance fireworks since May 29. Traditionally, around this time, the [police] bomb squad would have confiscated roughly 100 pounds of [unexploded fireworks] material, he said. For 2020, were over 1.5 tons of material. New Medical Oncologist/Hematologist to practice in Lee County Chief Executive Officer Nathan Walcker; President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD; Medical Oncologist Ahsan Shah, MD Chief Executive Officer Nathan Walcker; President & Managing Physician Lucio Gordan, MD; Medical Oncologist Ahsan Shah, MD Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) welcomes Board-certified medical oncologist Ahsan Shah, MD. He is seeing patients at the FCS Fort Myers Cancer Center at 8260 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers, FL and FCS Fort Myers Colonial office at 8931 Colonial Center Drive, Suite 300 in Fort Myers, FL. Dr. Ahsan Shah earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Bridgetown, Barbados. After completing his Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, CT, he was awarded a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center through the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Dr. Shah has a strong background in research with a focus on diseases of the pancreas. Prior to medical school, he worked with Dr. Sohail Husain at Yale University School of Medicine for four years, yielding high impact publications in various peer-reviewed journals. He was also a recipient of a prestigious American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) research fellowship award. FCS CEO Nathan Walcker said, Dr. Shahs approach to medical care and deep experience with pancreatic diseases is perfectly aligned with community-based oncology. We could not be more pleased to welcome him to FCS. With Dr. Shahs passion for clinical research, he will make a strong addition to our Lee County practices, said FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan. ### About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com) Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Story continues Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians, and staff. *Prior to approval Attachment CONTACT: Shelly Glenn Florida Cancer Specialists (770) 365.6168 SGlenn@FLCancer.com Michelle Robey Florida Cancer Specialists (813) 767-9398 Michelle.Robey@FLCancer.com For children who grew up in the 1990s, the release of Disneys 1998 animated film Mulan signified the arrival of a hero like no other; a woman who fought against societal expectations and gender norms to uphold values such as bravery, self-belief and boundless determination. More than two decades after the film was released one of the last classics in the Disney Renaissance era, which spanned from 1989 to 1999 Disney is releasing a live-action version of the tale on its recently-launched streaming platform, Disney Plus. The film will first be made available on Disney Plus for a fee of 19.99 from Friday 4 September, before becoming available alongside the rest of Disneys offerings on the platform in December. Both the animated and live-action films tell the story of a young woman who decides to enlist in the Chinese army in the place of her aged father, concealing her true identity by pretending to be a man. While many people may associate Mulan with the Disney films, some may not be aware of the origins of her story, the roots of which can be traced back to folk stories going back centuries. While it cannot be confirmed if Mulan was a real person, her story has inspired countless people for hundreds of years, a legacy that continues to this day. Where does the tale of Mulan come from? The story of Mulan comes from an ancient Chinese poem called the Ballad of Mulan, which is set in the Northern Wei Dynasty, between 386 to 534 AD. At the time of the Northern Wei era, the Hun people or Xiongnu people would often invade the northern parts of Han China, tour company China Highlights says. Based on Chinese historical documents, a real war happened between the Northern Wei state and a Mongolic state called Rouran, the company states. In 429, the emperor (khan) of Northern Wei led an army to fight Rouran, which according to the Ballad of Mulan lasted 12 years. Disney's Mulan trailer In the Ballad of Mulan, after Mulan enlists in the army, she ends up excelling in her position, having already been taught martial arts and how to fight with a sword. She remains a warrior for 12 years, all-the-while keeping her true identity hidden. When her time in the army comes to an end, she returns home to her family, turning down an offer of recognition for the role she played. It is only at this point, the story states, that her fellow soldiers learn that she is a woman. According to China Highlights, the Ballad of Mulan became well-known during the Tang Dynasty in China, between 618 to 907 AD, which is when it began circulating more widely as a commonly-told folk story. Adaptations of her story throughout the years Centuries after the tale of Mulan gained prominence, 16th-century playwright Xu Wei wrote an adaptation of the original poem for the stage, which was named The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Fathers Place, a play in two acts. The following century, a book titled Romance of Sui and Tang, by Chu Renhuo, was published, which offered a slightly different interpretation of Mulans story. In the 2006 book Negotiating Masculinities in Late Imperial China, author Martin W Huang delves into the inner workings of the story. The reworked tale tells the same story of Mulan joining the army instead of her father, this time set in the seventh century. In the story, Mulan is captured on the battlefield by Xia king Duo Jiande. After being captured, Mulan meets his daughter, Duo Xianniang, who is also a warrior, who becomes her sworn sister, Huang writes. While in the original Ballad of Mulan, the warrior returns to her family when her fighting days are over, in the Romance of Sui and Tang, she comes home to discover that her father has died and her mother has remarried. Following her discovery, Mulan is ordered to join the harem of a Turkish khan. Huang recounts how in the tale, Renhuo writes that rather than join the harem as ordered, Mulan decides to take her own life. The legacy of a warrior While there is no clear-cut answer as to whether or not Mulan was a real person, there are some who believe that she was. On the website mulanbook.com, it states that there is a memorial dedicated to Mulan in Hubei, which claims to be the original hometown of the warrior. While historian Zhu Guozhen claims that Mulan was born in Bozhou, other academics have also alleged that she comes from regions including Shanxi, Henan and Hebei, the website says. The general consensus appears to be that Mulan is a fictitious character. But regardless of whether or not she was a real person, she remains an inspirational figure for children and adults alike. Mulan is frequently described as being one of the top characters ever released by Disney, not to mention one of the film studios most popular heroines. To end with one of the most memorable quotes from the 1998 Disney classic: The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all. This week, we interrupt ongoing coverage of the wildfires and the pandemic to bring you a good, old-fashioned wine story. Specifically, a story about Petite Sirah. My most recent column is about Mountain Tides Wine Co., a young wine label that makes Petite Sirah exclusively, interpreting this unpopular grape variety through a fresh, original perspective. Winemaker Scott Kirkpatrick told me that hed always seen Petite Sirah as pigeonholed into a take everything as big as it can go corner: a wine with a dense mouthfeel, tooth-staining color and belligerent tannins. The Mountain Tides wines, on the other hand, take a gentler approach. Think of it as Petite meets Pinot Noir. Working on that piece got me thinking about the concept of varietal correctness or typicity the idea that a wine ought to express the standard characteristics of its grape variety. Like many wine concepts, its a French import, known as typicite there. Typicite is an important construct for Frances wine appellation system, which dictates which types of wines can be made in which geographic areas. Chablis should taste like Chablis, Cote-Rotie like Cote-Rotie. Typicity may sound like a philosophical concept a how should a wine be? kind of thing but it has very practical applications, too. Jennifer Fiedler put it well in a 2014 article for Punch: Typicity is sort of like genres in music, such as country, metal or R&B semi-artificial, yet commercially useful definitions that sketch out what a consumer should expect from the product. Ideally, typicity helps people buy wines with some degree of confidence. Lately, though, its become fashionable in California to throw varietal typicity to the wind. Ive written extensively about the new wave of California winemakers who are fashioning all sorts of red grape varieties, like Mourvedre and Grenache, into something that more closely resembles Gamay. Sonoma County winemaker Martha Stoumen has gone so far as to name one of her wines Varietally Incorrect Zinfandel; its fermented with whole grape clusters, and is lower in alcohol than a typical Zin. Under this new archetype, style trumps typicity. A winemaker makes a wine that falls into line with a specific vision they have, willfully bending the widely held notions about what the grape variety should express. Mountain Tides Petite Sirahs present an interesting case study here. On the one hand, these are wines that fly in the face of typical Petite Sirah, because theyre lighter-bodied than most. On the other hand, I still found within them some of the classic Petite Sirah markers, like a distinctive aroma of violets and flavor of blackberries. Im often excited to taste new takes on familiar grape varieties, and its easy, as a writer, to give the revolutionaries top billing. I love many of the examples of incorrect varietals Ive drunk in the last few years. But these days I am also reengaging with the thrill of the typical. Im brought back to the big, brazen Petite Sirahs that have stained my teeth in the past, including from wineries like Robert Biale, Preston, Carlisle, Halcon, Ridge and Theopolis. Maybe its all the chaos in the world right now, driving us toward comfort and nostalgia, but I appreciate how these wines pull at my taste memories, sparking the excitement of recognition. In other news Austin Peterson Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. I wrote about the cowboy firefighting efforts of vintners and residents in Napa County, who helped fend off the LNU Lightning Complex fires by bulldozing their own fire lines. Food businesses keep adapting in new ways to life under the COVID-19 shutdown, and 20th Century Cafe in San Francisco is no exception. The Central European-inspired bakery has opened a wine shop inside, and now Im dying to get over there to buy some bottles and one of its unbelievable Russian honey cakes. Also ... By popular demand, were bringing you another edition of Drinking at Home with Esther! Get ready to raid your pantry and open some bottles with me on Sept. 9 over Zoom. Chronicle subscribers can register here for the wine-and-food pairing party. Drinking with Esther is a weekly newsletter from The Chronicles wine critic. Follow along on Twitter: @Esther_Mobley and Instagram: @esthermob Dramatic footage has captured the moment a Massachusetts hospital was struck by a flash food with up to four feet of water surging through the basement and ICU, causing 100 patients to be evacuated. Norwood Hospital in southeast Massachusetts was ravaged by floodwater back on June 28 when almost six inches of water fell in the area in a matter of hours. The sudden downpour caused water to enter the building from all sides and up through the floor, downing the power and sending hospital workers fleeing for safety as violent waves tore doors off their hinges and swept up anything in their path. Dramatic footage has captured the moment a Massachusetts hospital was struck by a flash food with up to four feet of water surging through the basement and ICU, causing 100 patients to be evacuated The video begins with water seen creeping under double doors in the basement of the hospital. One of the doors bursts open and the floodwater comes surging in, knocking out a desk chair in the corridor and sending it hurtling along the floor The water continues to gush in before the door is completely ripped off by the force of nature and the second door blasts violently open. The water soon reaches the level of the handrail New surveillance footage released by the hospital Wednesday shows the terrifying moment the force of the water ripped through the basement and flooded the building. The video begins with water seen creeping under double doors in the basement of the hospital. One of the doors bursts open and the floodwater comes surging in, knocking out a desk chair in the corridor and sending it hurtling along the floor. The water continues to gush in before the door is completely ripped off by the force of nature and the second door blasts violently open. The waves wipe out the chair completely and rapidly flow inside the hospital, soon reaching the level of the handrail on the wall. Video taken from another camera shows water seeping underneath another set of double doors. The doors suddenly buckle under the water and burst open with the waves rapidly surging into the room. Huge boxes, parcels and furniture are seen being swept away by the currents. Video from another camera shows water seeping underneath another set of double doors The doors suddenly buckle under the water and burst open with the waves rapidly surging into the room Huge boxes, parcels and furniture are seen being swept away by the currents Hospital staff said the encounter was like the scene out of a movie and told how they had to run for safety from the torrent of water flooding in the basement. 'It was something like a movie, it was like we were running away from water when it burst open all the doors in the basement,' Michael Ware told Boston 25 News at the time. 'Kitchen appliances everything in the basement is currently floating even if it's heavy, it doesn't matter it's floating. Fridge, a vending machine, the wall broke.' The hospital was forced to evacuate more than 100 patients from the facility as the water continued on its path into the ICU and electrical issues and loss of power was reported throughout the building. No one was injured in the incident. The extreme weather event came as storms surged through the southeast region of the state late June, sparking a flash flood emergency in the Norwood area. Outside the hospital, emergency crews worked to rescue drivers stranded in their cars in the floodwaters while hundreds of homes were also left without power due to the storms. Staff at Norwood Hospital (pictured) said the encounter was like the scene out of a movie and told how they had to run for safety from the torrent of water flooding in the basement More than 100 patients were evacuated as the water continued on its path into the ICU and electrical issues and loss of power was reported throughout the building. The hospital remains closed two months on More than two months on from the freak weather event, the hospital remains closed. A spokesperson for Norwood Hospital told DailyMail.com in a statement the 'unprecedented flooding' caused 'significant damage to the hospital'. 'Water entered the building from all six sides, including through the roof and up from the floor,' they said. It isn't clear when the hospital will be welcoming patients again but the spokesperson said officials were 'working day and night' to get it back up and running. 'Patients safety is our top priority. We are working day and night to assess the damage and formulate a plan and timeline for next steps,' the spokesperson said. 'Based on the extent of the flooding, we need to check every piece of equipment, every outlet, every inch of drywall for damage in order to be 100 percent sure that there is no risk to our patients now our in the future.' Property management for North America's finest communities Merging our consulting services with our integration team will allow for a more seamless transition through the life cycle of each project and community. FirstService Residential, North Americas leading property manager, will rebrand the Ontario Governance & Integration team as the Community Development & Governance team to bring developer consulting, project start up, new client integration, community transition and operations services under one mantle. The change will take place effective September 3, 2020. Since last year, FirstService Residential Ontario has been making strategic investments to the department to work more collaboratively with operations, finance and business development teams. With the recent addition of developer consulting services, a name change to more accurately reflect the augmented scope was warranted. Merging our consulting services with our integration team will allow for a more seamless transition through the life cycle of each project as we work closely with developers to achieve the vision for their communities and support each communitys progress with our top-class management capabilities, said Mark Hopkins, President of FirstService Residential Ontario. Rebranding as Community Development & Governance is the right move to make now to truly represent the full-service nature of the team based on the value they will provide to our clients and operations teams. Services and capabilities that will fall under the department include: Developer consulting, including budget preparation New community development and onboarding Developer risk mitigation Provincial governance and code compliance Legislative compliance Developing policies and procedures to provide regulatory support Board education and training Industry professional and stakeholder liaisons Community customer success and retention John Damaren, an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience and expertise in government affairs, will continue to lead the department as senior director. John joined FirstService Residential in 2018 and is a member of the executive leadership team in Ontario. He will head a division leadership team including operations specialist Aji (Alejandro) Montenegro as director. Few management companies can offer this fully integrated approach as well as the proven professional experience and depth of value-added services that our developer partners and clients have come to expect from FirstService Residential over the years, said Damaren. We look forward to growing the Community Development & Governance team in step with developer and client needs as the industry evolves. About FirstService Residential FirstService Residential is North Americas property management leader, partnering with more than 8,500 communities across the U.S. and Canada, including low-, mid- and high-rise condominiums and cooperatives; single-family communities; master-planned, lifestyle and active adult communities; and mixed-use and rental properties. HOAs, community associations, condos and strata corporations rely on their extensive experience, resources and local expertise to maximize property values and enhance their residents lifestyles. Dedicated to making a difference, every day, FirstService Residential goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service. FirstService Residential is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (FSV), a North American leader in the property services sector. Visit http://www.fsresidential.com. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said last night that new improvements in testing can help get 'fuller audiences in theatres and fans in stadiums back sooner'. Following the UK government's 500 million investment in quick Covid testing kits to provide rapid tracking of the virus, Dowden was optimistic that the new funding was a "very positive" step towards allowing events featuring a greater capacity. According to GOV.UK, the new tests, which are being trialed in Southampton and Hampshire, can provide results within as little as 20 minutes using a testee's saliva. A further trial will also be taking place in Salford. The hope is that testing capacity will be boosted ahead of the winter season, which, according to medical experts, may see another rise in cases if not handled correctly. The government said yesterday: "By using this cutting-edge technology to widely roll out rapid tests, chains of transmission will be broken almost immediately by delivering on-the-spot results. Successful trials will then be expanded and rolled out more widely." Yesterday the leader of the opposition Keir Starmer called for an extension to the furlough scheme for sectors in desperate need for example the theatre industry. The Chancellor has ruled out such a move, and while the furlough scheme will finish at the end of October, government support loans for large organisations will not be distributed until December leaving organisations and artists in an increasingly perilous position. Yesterday, the DCMS revealed plans to meet next week to discuss policies including the introduction of "health passports" for those with negative Covid results, to help allow events to return without social distancing. A new musical, Sleepless, is already using daily Covid testing to keep cast members safe and able to perform without social distancing. Iran Nuclear Deal Parties 'United in Resolve' to Preserve Agreement By VOA News September 02, 2020 A European Union official leading talks among Iran and a group of five world powers Tuesday said the participants are committed to keeping alive the 2015 nuclear deal that restricted Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Helga Schmid tweeted after the meeting in Vienna that "participants are united in resolve to preserve the #IranDeal and find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges." "All participants reaffirmed the importance of preserving the agreement recalling that it is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, as endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231," Schmid said in a later statement. The deal came under stress last year when Iran announced would take steps to walk away from its commitments, complaining it was not getting the promised economic relief after the United States imposed fresh sanctions. Those sanctions came after the Trump administration withdrew from the agreement in 2018, arguing it did too little to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons while giving the country too much in sanctions relief. Iran has denied it worked to build nuclear arms, and says it is able and prepared to reverse the actions it has taken to back away from the deal. Tehran has surpassed limits on the amount of enriched uranium it can hold at one time as well as the level to which it is allowed to enrich the material and has installed more advanced centrifuges. Representatives from Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany all took part in Tuesday's talks, the latest in their efforts to salvage the agreement. Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Chinese representative Fu Cong called on Iran to return to full compliance with its requirements, but also said "the economic benefit that is due to Iran needs to be provided." The U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined the nuclear agreement includes mechanisms for participants to address non-compliance, and last month the United States sought to reinstate U.N. sanctions based on Iran's violations of its requirements. The other signatories have rejected the U.S. move, something they reaffirmed at Tuesday's talks. Schmid's statement said that because the United States announced it was halting its participation in the nuclear deal and had not participated in any related activities since that time in May 2018, all of the remaining signatories agree it "therefore could not be considered as a participant state," and thus "cannot initiate the process of reinstating U.N. sanctions." The United States has argued that because it was an original member of the agreement, it retains the right to seek the snapback sanctions. The representatives at Tuesday's talks also welcomed Iran's decision last week to allow the U.N. atomic energy agency to inspect two sites where Iran is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material in the early 2000s. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Indian Embassy here on Thursday. Singh arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This is his second visit in the over two months. Offered flowers at Bapus statue in the Indian embassy in Moscow. My tributes to Mahatma Gandhi," Singh tweeted. Singh was accompanied by Indian Ambassador to Russia D B Venkatesh Varma. Wearing a mask, Singh was seen with folded hands and bowed head in respect towards Gandhi. The defence ministers of all eight SCO member nations are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively here on Friday, officials said. On Thursday, Singh held an excellent meeting with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu here and discussed a wide range of issues, especially how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation. MFA on accusations of Ukraine meddling in Belarusian affairs: No need to look for enemies where there are none Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has said accusations by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko against Ukraine for interfering in the internal Belarusian political processes are false and called on its Belarusian partners not to succumb to provocations. "In connection with another false accusation of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, voiced by Lukashenko, we call on our Belarusian friends and partners not to succumb to information provocations, so as not to fall into the trap of propaganda and fakes. There is no need to look for enemies where they do not exist," Ukraine's MFA said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry said, "An exhaustive response" to accusations of certain politicians about Ukraine's alleged involvement in Belarusian affairs by organizing protests in Belarus was given a day earlier by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who, in particular, noted that Ukraine did not lead, does not lead and will not lead subversive activities against Belarus. Earlier on Thursday, Lukashenko named the countries he says are interfering in the country's internal affairs and running protests. "The situation in Belarus is more influenced by external interference in the internal affairs of the country and the management of protest actions from abroad ... It comes from Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Ukraine, which worries us most of all. You heard a statement yesterday by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, who openly - he is generally a very restrained person in this respect - said what is happening at the border," Lukashenko said. Lavrov said that radical actions during demonstrations in Belarus were allegedly provoked and financed from Ukraine. Kuleba denied these statements, calling them "nonsense," noting that "Russia, on the contrary, declares that it has already sent some of its specialists to Belarus and is ready to send them even more." Kuleba said Russia is trying to present "its little green men" in Belarus as Ukrainian extremists. China, Vietnam Try to Make Amends After Stormy Start to 2020 By Ralph Jennings September 02, 2020 Officials from Vietnam and China met this week after months of maritime disputes, including a sunken boat and missile tests. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met Vietnamese ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai in Beijing. Wei said at the meeting China hopes to "strengthen unity, closely cooperate and appropriately handle disputes" with Vietnam in the face of "global changes," according to a statement on the ministry's website. Coolig China - Vietnam tensions Asia political experts say the two sides are seeking to cool tensions between the Asian neighbors to prevent an escalation of their recent conflicts at sea. "It's an attempt to dial down, I think, tensions, not end them but to dial down tensions specifically," said Carl Thayer, Southeast Asia-specialized emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Although the two Communist party-run states are known for dramatic ups and downs in their relations, the first eight months of 2020 tested the downside with a series of incidents in the contested South China Sea. In April a Chinese survey vessel sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. Two months later, a Chinese survey ship passed within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of Vietnam's coast in an exclusive economic zone or EEZ. In August the Chinese military test-fired two missiles near the Paracel Islands, a South China Sea archipelago controlled by Beijing but vehemently contested by Vietnam, Chinese media reports say. "They rammed the Vietnamese fishing vessel, they sent the (survey ship) Haiyang Dizhi No. 8 to Vietnam's EEZ, and I think that's what really drove the Vietnamese up the wall," said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington. Vietnam for its part angered China with a March 30 note to the United Nations rebutting the legal basis for Beijing's maritime claims. China cites historical usage records to back its maritime claims. Vietnam and China contest sovereignty over the 3.5 million-square-meter waterway that's prized for energy reserves and fisheries. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan dispute the Chinese claims as well. China has strengthened its control over the past decade by landfilling tiny islets for military use. US influence in Asia Defense officials in Beijing hope China and Vietnam will oppose "hegemonism" and "interventionism," China's foreign ministry statement added. Chinese officials want the defense minister's talks with Vietnam's ambassador to cast China as a collaborator among Asian governments, said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. Lack of willingness to cooperate would make China's former Cold War foe the United States more influential in Asia. "China wants to show the world that they are able to cooperate, and they are actually cooperating with smaller neighbors," said Vuving. China hopes particularly to bolster its image around Asia after U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo's tough talk against it, which Thayer describes as an "onslaught." Pompeo said in July the United States would protect Asian countries threatened by Beijing, including in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy regularly passes ships into the sea to show it's open internationally despite Chinese claims to about 90% of it. China sees U.S. movement in the sea as intervention by an outside power. Australia, Japan, and the United States have separately offered military aid to Vietnam over the past four years. China is Vietnam's top trading partner as well as a key source of raw materials for Vietnam's all-important manufacturing sector. "For the Vietnamese, the agenda is to maintain sort of a friendly relationship with China," said Vuving. "They badly need that, so at least at the minimum they have to keep the channels with China." In the longer term, China hopes to persuade Vietnam into joining its $1 trillion Belt-and-Road initiative, he added. The seven-year-old global project aims to build new infrastructure to foster trade routes around Eurasia. Vietnam, where citizens distrust China over centuries of territorial disputes and the ongoing South China Sea conflict, has resisted supporting the project. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India is a country of diversity, and English is essential to enable people to effectively communicate, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) government told the Supreme Court on Thursday, defending its decision to convert the medium of instruction in its government schools for classes 1 to 6 from Telugu to English. Senior counsel KV Viswanathan, representing the AP government, told the court that it is a progressive and forward-looking measure and will not sacrifice Telugu since parents are provided with the option to choose the Telugu medium of instruction for their wards. India is wonderful country with great diversity. Without English, we will be stuck on separate islands. I would not have been able to address Your Lordships at all, Viswanathan who hails from Coimbatore said. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had, in April, struck down a government order converting the medium of instruction in government schools from Telugu to English from this academic year. Challenging the high court decision, Viswanathan told the court that according to a state survey, over 95% of parents were in favour of English medium. He added that only some parents, who had the means to afford fees for private schools, could admit their wards in schools that impart education in English. Senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the respondents, opposed the governments arguments, stating that the order robs parents of their choice to have their children instructed in Telugu. It takes away the right of Telugu-speaking people to opt for Telugu as a medium of instruction, he said. The bench headed by justice DY Chandrachud issued notice in the matter but did not stay the high courts earlier judgment. During the hearing, the bench pointed out that as per Section 29(2)(f) of the Right to Education Act, the medium of instruction as far as practicable must be in English. The high court took that into account (while striking down government decision), the bench remarked. Viswanathan responded by stating that if a majority of the parents desire the English medium, then the law under section 29(2)(f) will be satisfied on that account. The court posted the matter for the next hearing on September 25. The State Department is tightening restrictions on Chinese government-backed activities on U.S. soil, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on universities to end the practice of having Confucius Institutes, cultural and language-teaching centers funded and run by Beijing, embedded on their campuses by the end of the year. As Pompeo detailed new restrictions on Chinese state-sponsored activities in the U.S., the University of North Texas revoked the visas of around 15 several publicly funded students from China. Pompeo told the Fox Business Network on Sept. 1 that the Chinese government was funding Confucius Institutes and recruiting spies on American university campuses. "I think everyones coming to see the risk associated with them, Pompeo told the network. "I think these institutions can see that, and Im hopeful we will get them all closed out before the end of this year," Pompeo said. Pompeo last month labeled the center that manages the Confucius Institutes in the United States "an entity advancing Beijings global propaganda and malign influence" and required it to register as a foreign mission along with several Chinese state media outlets. He said in an official statement dated Sept. 2: "The Department of State will now require senior [Chinese] diplomats in the United States to receive approval to visit U.S. university campuses and to meet with local government officials." Cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people hosted by the Chinese embassy or other missions will also require government approval, the statement said. "The Department of State will also take action to help ensure that all official [Chinese] embassy and consular social media accounts are properly identified as [Chinese] government accounts," it said. Lobbying centers Xia Ming, a professor of political science at New York's City University, said he was once approached by the Chinese embassy to help set up a Confucius Institute at his university, but declined. He told RFA that the institutes also function as lobbying centers that represent Beijing's viewpoint to university authorities. "Once they are set up, the Confucius Institutes are then staffed [by Beijing]," Xia said. "In the case of a major political issue, [Beijing] will require the Confucius Institutes to put pressure on university leaders from within." He said issues regarded as problematic by Beijing could include inviting the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to speak on campus. He said academics on overseas campuses are often persuaded by personal vested interests not to speak out on matters that show up the Chinese Communist Party in a bad light. "There are some lecturers in the universities who are effectively acting as a kind of Trojan horse [for Chinese interests] because of their personal vested interests," he said. Among such vested interests might be research funding sourced from China, the threat of a boycott by Chinese students, or denials of visas needed for research visits to China, academic sources have said via social media. As the State Department tightened restrictions on Chinese researchers, the University of North Texas (UNT) said it was terminating an exchange program with around 15 publicly funded Chinese researchers. The Aug. 26 decision effectively ends the researchers' visas, giving them until the end of the month to leave the country. The university has come to a decision to end its relationship with visiting scholars, the letter said. As a result of this change, access to UNT email, servers, and other materials has been terminated. UNT spokesman Jim Berscheidt told the Denton Record-Chronicle that the decision "does not impact any student enrolled and studying at the university." He said the school continues to welcome visiting scholars from around the world, including China. Privately funded Chinese nationals studying at UNT were unaffected by the decision, Reuters reported. Cover for spies According to Xia Ming, China's state security apparatus is known to use visiting scholar programs as cover for sending its spies to U.S. universities. "I think five or 10 in every hundred of them are personnel assigned by the state security agency, the [People's Liberation Army] general staff, or spies from other agencies or from different provinces and cities to infiltrate [the program]," Xia said. "The Chinese government knows this very well, and it knows that the U.S. knows it too." North Texas University politics student Devon Skinner, called on the school to come up with a different way of addressing the issue. "North Texas University has a reputation for inclusiveness and diversity," Skinner told RFA. "The schools decision came suddenly without any explanation." "At such a difficult time, the school should have come up with a better solution," he said. The University of North Texas hadn't responded to requests for comment from RFA by the time of writing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying hit out at the move as being motivated by xenophobia. "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 U.S. by abusing judicial power under baseless pretexts," Hua told a news conference in response to the revocation of the students' visas. She said Chinese parents might hesitate to send their grown children to study in the U.S. Reported by Rita Cheng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ma Lap-hak and Ho King-man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. North Korea's nuclear activities pose an active threat and cause serious concern, said a United Nations watchdog's report. The document also detailed how Pyongyang is believed to be enriching uranium, which could potentially become a nuclear weapon. Secretive nuclear program In the report released on Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote that North Korea's activities are a direct violation of the applicable UN Security Council resolutions that have been imposed. According to the New York Post, the report also included notes on how the Yongbyon site, previously the country's nuclear program core, has more than likely been shut down since 2018. The documents stated that in the past year, no plutonium had been produced in the country. The report states that experts did not observe any operation of the plant that provides the required steam in the processing activities of the resources. It continued to conclude that it was almost certain that the 5MW(e) reactor-made plutonium has not been separated after the most recent operational cycle. North Korea has not allowed the agency's inspectors to travel to the country and monitor its nuclear activities since 2009. However, UN experts continued to analyze satellite images and used several open-source information to track and observe Pyongyang's nuclear program. Despite the continuous monitoring and observation, the UN says that the information it is able to gather about North Korea is declining because of its restricted access to first-hand information. The report states that the agency's knowledge of North Korea's nuclear program and activities are limited and steadily decreasing. Pyongyang is known to have facilities capable of producing both plutonium and highly-enriched uranium. The two resources are crucial to the manufacture of nuclear bombs. Both plutonium and uranium are made at the Yongbyon nuclear complex found in the capital, as reported by The New York Times. Also Read: Kim Jong-Un Visits Flood-Stricken North Korean Province, Orders Food, Shelter, and Government Aid The agency also said that it observed cooling unites at the nuclear complex's fuel rod fabrication plant and movement of vehicles were in line with the process of enriching uranium at the nation's centrifuge enrichment facility. Pyongyang's last nuclear weapon was seen in 2017 after the country continued its nuclear program and testing. A new endeavor It is also assumed that North Korea is enriching uranium inside a facility just outside its capital, Pyongyang, known as Kangson, which has attracted widespread attention in recent years as a potential site of uranium enrichment. According to Daily Sabah, the Kangson complex's construction precedes the initial founding of the centrifuge enrichment facility located in Yongbyon. The agency said that the two facilities shared similar characteristics. The report noted that if the complex found in Kangson were indeed a centrifuge enrichment facility, it would support the agency's assumed timeline of North Korea's nuclear program. While the United States government has claimed that Pyongyang ceased its nuclear ambitions, it warned on Tuesday that North Korea has continued to accrue materials and equipment used in its ballistic missile program. The Treasury, Commerce, and State Departments have jointly detailed how North Korea has been conducting efforts to acquire various metals and materials, all of which could be used to manufacture rockets. The departments have warned sellers to be aware of the sanctions placed on the country. Related Article: US Officials Move to Seize Accounts Affiliated With North Korean Cryptocurrency Theft @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. LOS ANGELES Netflix and... Sussex? As expected, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially gone Hollywood. The couple has signed a Netflix production deal less than a year after announcing their step back from royal duties in the United Kingdom, an endeavour that theoretically put them one step closer to the streamers Emmy-winning royal drama The Crown. The British prince and former actress will produce films and series for the streaming giant, including scripted series, docuseries, documentaries, features and childrens programming. The news comes after they were rumoured to be shopping a TV series and making trademark moves in the industry. "Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement. "Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope." More specifically, theyll focus on creating a wide range of programs about stories and issues that resonate with them personally, including highlighting issues that their non-profit foundation, Archewell, is working on. Harry and Meghan, whose son, Archie, is 15 months old, added that making inspirational family programming is important to them, as is "powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens." They said Netflixs reach will help them "share impactful content that unlocks action." Theyre committed to amplifying diverse voices in front of and behind the camera, as well as diverse hiring practices for roles theyre filling at their production company. Speculation about their production company has been swirling since January. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The royals-turned-producers have been unable to escape relentless press coverage since they began dating in 2016. They announced their departure from the British monarchy in January and a move to Los Angeles came soon after with a brief visit to British Columbia in between. Meghan, who starred in the series Suits, has no plan to return to acting. But her return to Tinseltown in other capacities was highly expected. In June, the pair signed on with the New York-based Harry Walker Agency for speaking engagements. They also relocated from England to Montecito, an affluent enclave in Santa Barbara County. The Sussexes have a few projects in development with Netflix, including a nature docuseries and an animated series that celebrates inspiring women. The prince also worked closely with filmmakers on Rising Phoenix, a documentary that began streaming last week in which he also appears. "Harry and Meghan have inspired millions of people all around the world with their authenticity, optimism and leadership," said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer of Netflix in a statement. "Were incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere." Los Angeles Times ??"Tenemos una apuesta importante por contener el incremento de la pobreza. En Juntos se preve un incremento en 442 mil hogares; en Cuna Mas 75 mil nuevos hogares, y en Contigo se asignara una pension de S/300 a poblacion con discapacidad severa y en situacion de pobreza". pic.twitter.com/kgXn9lduzg Niamey, Niger (PANA) - The biometric file, produced for the upcoming general elections in Niger, was officially handed over to the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) on Thursday by the National Directorate of Informatics Many Avengers fans worldwide mourned over Chadwick Boseman's death, including a 7-year-old kid in Missouri. To express his condolences to Black Panther actor, the kid had created his version of the actor's memorial. You were my son's favorite actor/superhero! This was for you! RIP Chadwick Boseman pic.twitter.com/i2GNV5nVn6 King Westbrook (@KingWestbrook7) August 29, 2020 Also Read: Mission Impossible 7: Tom Cruise Rents $700K Ship to Continue Shooting Film Amid Pandemic Kian Westbrook, King Westbrook's son, honored Black Panther by replicating Tony Stark's memorial scene in Avengers: Endgame. King posted an image of his son as a tribute to the late actor on Twitter. Later on, the post garnered 600,000 likes and around 80,000 retweets on Tuesday evening, Sept. 1. Also Read: The Mandalorian Season 2 Releases on Oct. 30; Fans React Differently, Thanks to Star Wars John Boyega Expose "MY BABY BOY AND THE AVENGERS HOLDING A MEMORIAL FOR BLACK PANTHER #Wakanda4Ever," Kian's father wrote on Twitter. Kian's family clarified that their tribute for Boseman was not intended for momentary internet fame. His mother helped him to hold the mini memorial for Boseman. The kid's idea came from the memorial service held at the last scene of Avengers: Endgame. He wanted to remake the scene using his set of Avengers action figures to say farewell and honor the death of Wakanda's King, who died on Aug. 28 at the age of 43 after suffering from colon cancer. "His mom got a box and put a silk pillowcase over it and leaned Black Panther on that," said King Westbrook. Kian's father said that his son used the medal he won from school on the mini tribute. An Iron Man glove can also be seen on the ground where Black Panther is lying. Kian may be the biggest fan of Black Panther King said that Kian sees himself as an Avenger, and the image posted on Twitter shows it alongside his action figures and striking the "Wakanda Forever" symbol. He added that Kian was so devastated by Boseman's sudden death. His son looked up Chadwick as he played the role of Black Panther--his son's favorite superhero. King added that Kian first watched Black Panther when he was four years old. The movie positively impacted the kid's life after seeing that there is a superhero that looked like him and his dad. After Kian's image went viral, his father saw how strong Boseman's influence in the world. For more news updates about viral stories, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Also Read: [VIRAL] Fans of US Army Officer Who Got Suspended For A Holocaust Joke on TikTok Create Petition This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TOKYO and CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sosei Group Corporation ("the Company") (TSE: 4565) today announces the appointment of Hironoshin Nomura, as Senior Vice President Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy. Mr. Nomura, who will lead the Sosei Heptares IR team in Japan and report to the Chief Financial Officer, joins from Mizuho Securities, where he was Senior Analyst covering the Biotechnology Sector. Mr Nomura has over 10 years' experience in investment research and analysis on, as well as consulting to, the pharma and biotech sectors. At Mizuho Securities, where he worked since 2015, Mr. Nomura was rated consistently as the leading analyst covering the Japan Biotechnology Sector according to Thomson Reuters 2016, Nikkei Veritas 2020 and Institutional Investor 2020 rankings. During his time at Mizuho Securities, he has also provided support to a number of Japan's government departments to help them formulate policies to nurture and grow the bioindustry in Japan as well as the standing of the biotech sector and the analysts who cover it. Prior to joining Mizuho Securities, Mr. Nomura worked at the Mitsubishi Research Institute from 2009 to 2014 as a Consultant in the Strategy Consulting Group. In this position, he conducted multiple consulting projects for companies in the healthcare sector as well as for a range of government institutions. Mr. Nomura received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Pharmacy from Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Shinichi Tamura, Chairman, President and CEO of Sosei Heptares, commented: "I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of Nomura's calibre and experience to join Sosei Heptares in this senior IR and Corporate Strategy role. I am sure that his investor network, both in Japan and internationally, and his strategic insights will enable him to make a significant contribution to our future success. We are currently actively assessing both organic and inorganic growth options, including a potentially transformative acquisition, to achieve our goal of building a profitable, global company that generates multiple novel drug candidates to treat serious disease and delivers significant value to its shareholders." Hironoshin Nomura, added: "Sosei Heptares is establishing itself as one of the most exciting companies in the biopharmaceutical sector based on an impressive track record of scientific achievements, drug discovery and partnering deals with leading global pharma companies. I am delighted to join the company as it embarks on the next phase of its growth and development." About Sosei Heptares We are an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery and early development of new medicines originating from our proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities. We are advancing a broad and deep pipeline of novel medicines across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, gastroenterology and inflammatory diseases. We have established partnerships with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech (Roche), Novartis, Pfizer and Takeda; and additionally with multiple emerging technology companies. Sosei Heptares is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with corporate offices and R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK. "Sosei Heptares" is the corporate brand and trademark of Sosei Group Corporation, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). Sosei name, Heptares name, the logo and StaR are trademarks of Sosei Group companies. For more information, please visit https://www.soseiheptares.com/ LinkedIn: @soseiheptaresco | Twitter: @soseiheptaresco | YouTube: @soseiheptaresco Enquiries: Sosei Heptares Shinichiro Nishishita VP Investor Relations Head of Regulatory Disclosures +81-(0)3-5210-3399 IR@SoseiHeptares.com Citigate Dewe Rogerson Yas Fukuda Japanese Media +81-(0)3-4360-9234 Yas.Fukuda@citigatedewerogerson.com Mark Swallow David Dible International Media +44-(0)20-7638-9571 SoseiHeptares@citigatedewerogerson.com Forward-looking statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Sosei Group Corporation's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Sosei Heptares Northrop Grumman ignites its Flight Support Booster-1 test of a solid-fuel rocket for NASA's Space Launch System on September 2, 2020. NASA TV/Nothrop Grumman Northrop Grumman, a rocket manufacturer, test-fired a key component of NASA's planned Space Launch System on Wednesday. During the test, the company ignited a booster prototype for 126 seconds the duration it's supposed to work in flight. Two of those boosters will be attached to SLS, providing about 75% of the force required to propel the rocket system during its first two minutes of flight. NASA hopes the full launch system will fly for the first time in 2021 and take astronauts back to the moon in 2024. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. With a spark, a burst of flames, and a thunderous roar on Wednesday, NASA completed a pivotal test of a rocket booster expected to power a return to the moon. The 176-foot boosters being tested which NASA calls "the largest, most powerful boosters ever built for flight" are part of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS), which it intends to use to fly astronauts to the lunar surface. It's part of a larger program called Artemis: a roughly $30 billion effort to put boots back on the moon for the first time since the 1970s. Wednesday's test involved a booster prototype built by Northrop Grumman, one of several private companies NASA has contracted to build the 365-foot-tall SLS. The prototype rumbled to life at 3:05 p.m. ET, at the company's testing facility in the hills of Promontory, Utah. It belched out an estimated 3.6 million pounds of thrust, blasting the desert with fire, smoke, and sand for 126 seconds the exact amount of time it'd have to work during a real flight. "The results are looking really good so far, [but] it takes us a while to dissect the information," Charlie Precourt, Northrop Grumman's vice president of propulsion systems, said during a post-test call with reporters. A broadcast on NASA TV captured live footage of the test (below). Testing a new moon rocket, piece by piece Story continues NASA's Artemis program calls for SLS to launch the first woman and next man to the moon in 2024. The agency eventually plans to build a space station orbiting the moon, called the Gateway, and a permanent moon base to and from which it can regularly shuttle astronauts. If realized as designed, SLS will be made of a small upper-stage rocket, a massive core stage, and two flight-support boosters attached to the side. Each booster is made of five segments full of solid fuel. Precourt, a former NASA astronaut, said the material has a consistency similar to a pencil eraser. Getting the entire 2.2-million-pound system off the ground requires enormous power. Together, the twin boosters are designed to provide about 75% of the force necessary to propel the rocket during the first two minutes of flight. After that, the spent boosters will fall away, allowing the core stage to propel the upper stage with an Orion spaceship on top. From there, Orion and its astronaut crew can chart a course to the moon. An illustration of NASA's Space Launch System rocketing toward space. NASA via Associated Press But that's years away first NASA must extensively test the mettle of its new launch system, including the boosters. The recent ground test was designed to expose materials or processes that need tweaking. "This test, dubbed Flight Support Booster-1, or FSB-1, will evaluate new propellant materials and verify that all ballistic requirements of the motor are met," Northrop Grumman ballistics engineer Nikolas Ciaston said during NASA's live broadcast. Precourt said the primarily aim was to test changes to the booster's nozzle, as well as the solid fuel itself. Of the 30 fuel-filled segments required for the first three planned SLS flights, Precourt said Northrop Grumman has manufactured 26 and is close to finishing the other four. However, the SLS program as a whole is already far over budget (as is NASA's other human spaceflight initiative, the Commercial Crew Program). The rocket's development cost has increased 30% since 2017, when it was estimated at $7 billion, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office. NASA expects to complete a crucial series of ground tests, dubbed "Green Run," this fall. Kathy Lueders, the newly anointed manager of NASA's human spaceflight program, wrote in a blog post last month that she's "confident" the first full, uncrewed test flight of SLS could happen in November 2021. She added, however, that "it is too early to predict the full impact of COVID-19" on the program's timeline. Read the original article on Business Insider Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition leader, center, and his wife Yulia, right, walk with demonstrators during a rally in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2019. Photographer: The Kremlin on Thursday rejected accusations that Russia had been responsible for the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and said it saw no grounds for sanctions to be imposed against Moscow over the case. The Kremlin was speaking a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejected any suggestion that Russia had been behind the attack on Navalny and warned other countries against jumping to hasty conclusions. Peskov said there was no reason to discuss sanctions against Moscow after Merkel said Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond to the poisoning. The Romanian Association of Energy Suppliers (AFEER) will also represent gas suppliers and changes its name to the Romanian Energy Suppliers Association (AFER), according to a statement sent to AGERPRES on Thursday. "The Romanian Association of Electricity Suppliers marks an important moment in its activity. Dedicated to electricity suppliers for more than 13 years, AFEER has decided to expand its activity and come to the support of natural gas suppliers, to be the "common" voice of the companies that supply electricity and natural gas, in conditions of safety and reliability, millions of consumers," say the representatives of the organization.The General Assembly of AFEER members recently approved the amendment of the Association Statute. The new approved name is the Romanian Energy Suppliers Association."We aim to expand and establish ourselves as a strong, competent and unitary voice of the industry we represent. We invite natural gas suppliers / traders to join the association, to join fellow electricity suppliers / traders. Our commitment is to develop a healthy energy market, a transparent business environment and ensure accurate consumer information.We will continue the Campaign, launched in 2015, for the correct information of consumers, especially household ones, to protect their interests," said Ion Lungu, president of the Romanian Energy Suppliers Association.According to its Statute, the Romanian Energy Suppliers Association is a non-profit, independent, non-governmental professional organization, having as main purpose the establishment and support of a common position of its members in matters related to the sale and supply of electricity and natural gas.The Association of Electricity Suppliers in Romania, as a professional non-profit, independent and non-governmental organization, established in 2006, currently includes a number of 36 members, suppliers and traders licensed and active on the electricity market, who ensure the supply of electricity both to individual consumers and to SMEs and consumers from all categories of economic agents operating in Romania, with a market share of about 90% of the final electricity consumption. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he is convinced that a solution for the ongoing border conflict between India and China would only be found through the domain of diplomacy. We (India and China) have a history, which is very good in some parts, indifferent in parts and difficult in parts. The difficult parts are more recent," said Jaishankar at the launch of his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World. I am also conscious you have the situation that we have in border areas of the western sector (across Ladakh). Because we have the long (term) view, our position there has been very clear we have agreements and understandings with China. The agreements and understandings must be scrupulously observed by both parties," he said. Jaishankar said he was not underplaying the seriousness of the situation. The reality is what happens at the border will impact the relationship, you cannot separate it," he added. Jaishankar said neither party should change the status quo unilaterally, on a day when India accused China of effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. According to him, it is vital that the countries reached an accommodation. The world has a lot riding on it," he said. I made this point a few days earlier in another context, I would say that I am totally convinced that a solution to the situation has to be found in the domain of diplomacy. And I say that with responsibility," he said. Asked about whether he would speak to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow on September 10, Jaishankar said the two had known each other for a long time, so they could have a reasonable chat". Asserting this is not the easiest of times for the India-China relationship, Jaishankar said his book was written before the Galwan Valley clashes in June in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. Jaishankar said India and China were two civilisational states about to enter the fourth industrial revolution when most other big civilisations had failed to even make it so far. The ministers comments came a day after the Indian government notched up the pressure on Beijing by banning 118 mostly-Chinese mobile applications, including the popular online multiplayer game PUBG, after a fresh round of border confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. Meanwhile, Jaishankar also attended the G20 Foreign Ministers Extraordinary Meeting on Thursday, along with his Chinese counterpart. To facilitate more cross-border movement of people, proposed that we standardise testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results, quarantine procedures, movement and transit protocols," he said in a tweet after the meeting. LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Talisman Casualty Insurance Company LLC a protected cell captive insurance company in Las Vegas, Nevada, has revealed the details of their surety program. Through this program, they offer various types of surety bonds. A surety bond or surety represents a promise by a guarantor to pay one party, known as the obligee, a certain amount if the second party, also known as the principal, fails to fulfill the terms of a contract or meet some obligation. The surety bond functions as a protection for the obligee against losses in case the principal fails to meet an obligation. There are a number of advantages of the surety program through Talisman Casualty Insurance Company LLC, because it is based on the protected cell captive insurance model. There are fewer principals participating in the coverage capacity in the captive insurance model. Thus, the relationship is much more personalized and the design of the bonds may be flexible enough to meet the requirements of the modern business environment and the corresponding evolving risk. A spokesperson for Talisman Casualty Insurance says, "Surety products are slow to respond to the evolving risk transfer preference in financed transactions, but captive insurers may hold the key." One type of surety bond being offered by Talisman Casualty Insurance is the payment and performance bond. This is commonly used in the construction industry to protect the owner in case the contractor fails to complete the construction project or in accordance with the agreed upon specifications. It also serves as a guarantee that the contractor will pay all of his subcontractors and suppliers. Another type of surety bond provided by Talisman Casualty Insurance is the compliance and licensing bond. This kind of surety bond is commonly used in obtaining permits or maintaining a professional license. And there are usually some statutory requirements for compliance and licensing bonds. Story continues The third type of surety bond available through Talisman Casualty Insurance is the court and legal bond. These bonds can cover a broad range of court actions such as release of lien, bail, adverse cost judgment, and many more. Meanwhile, Talisman Casualty Insurance Company also has a marine program. This program also applies the cell captive insurance model and is designed for fishing operations, marine contractors, and other business owners who own assets on the water and require insurance coverage that is tailor-fitted to their objectives. For their marine program, they offer various kinds of coverage. These include maritime employer's liability, commercial marine insurance, hull insurance, protection & indemnity insurance, and commercial general liability insurance. The spokesperson says, "The marine market continues to be under pressure to lower cost in order to stay competitive. Captive insurance will undoubtedly provide the flexibility that readjusting risk management methods and cost will require." The maritime employers liability or MEL offers protection for the insured's employees while working on non-owned or operated marine vessels. Hull insurance offers coverage against damage to a particular marine vessel. Protection and indemnity coverage is a form of liability insurance that covers all maritime liability risks related to the operation of a marine vessel, aside from that covered by the workers compensation policy and the collision clause of the hull coverage. Commercial general liability insurance is for the protection of business owners from liability claims for property damage, bodily injury, and slander & false advertising. They also offer a pet professional program, which is a small business owner general liability program that has been designed for modern small business owners, and is also based on the protected cell captive insurance model. The captive insurance model provides the flexibility that is needed by dog walkers, pet sitters, pet trainers, and other pet-related services. The required protection for the pet industry is provided through a combination of unique claims management, risk expertise, and high degree of interaction between the insured, underwriters, and claims personnel. People who are interested in knowing who owns Talisman Casualty and learn more about their various programs may want to visit the Talisman Casualty Insurance Company website, or contact them through the telephone or via email. For more information about Talisman Casualty Insurance Company, contact the company here: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 800-318-5317 info@talismancasualty.com Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 7881 W. Charleston Blvd, Suite 210 Las Vegas, NV 89117 SOURCE: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/604711/Talisman-Casualty-Insurance-Company-LLC-Reveals-Details-of-Their-Surety-Program Faced with plunging profits and a climate crisis that threatens fossil fuels, Big Oil is demanding a trade deal that weakens Kenyas rules on plastics and on imports of American trash. African civil society on climate change, under the umbrella of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), is shocked by the revelations and has condemned in the strongest terms possible any such manoeuvres, and any deliberate attempt to reverse gains achieved to defeat plastics in the world. A statement signed by Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA, said the plan to flood Africa with plastics is diabolic and therefore wants the oil companies and allied governments behind this endeavour to be shamed and stopped. The Alliance has outlined five points of action: 1. The Kenyan Government, with immediate effect, to cease, and resist any attempt by the American trade delegation to manipulate the Kenyan delegation to allow a treaty that results to plastic dumping in the country. 2. African people everywhere to rise and reject any trade deals and other plans that will treat their streets and communities as a dumping ground for US waste. Africa already receives millions of tons of waste from western countries annually. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, waste generated in Sub-Saharan Africa will triple. Right now, 80-90 per cent of plastics waste is inadequately disposed of in many countries across Africa and pose threats to rivers and oceans. Waste mismanagement, which is projected to increase on the continent, and the additional burden of plastics imports will create conditions where both people and nature are unable to thrive. We cannot let this happen. 3. African governments stay on a decarbonized, plastics-free, and sustainable growth pathway that puts the welfare of citizens and nature first. At least 30 African countries have either totally or partially banned plastics bags, and the continent leads the world in plastics regulation. The Alliance and its partners had played a key role in lobbying governments to pass these regulations and we cannot allow a reversal of these advances now. Furthermore, the continent is already grappling with the challenges of climate change that have resulted from the burning of fossil fuels and cannot take anymore thrash from the same companies that have caused so much harm already. 4. The US government to be transparent in all trade negotiations with African countries, especially Kenya. We note with great concerns that the leadership of the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, even though the US contributes 18% of the total global emissions. It is, therefore, both wicked and immoral for the US government and its corporate interests to pursue actions likely to cause further havoc and exacerbate existing environmental crises in African countries. The adaptation needs in Africa are huge and a high priority for the continent, which the US government should support through continued investments in healthcare, sustainable food systems, water, infrastructure, among others. Any business deals between the US and African governments must revolve around these difficult issues. 5. Big Oil investors to begin redeeming themselves by redirecting their resources towards supporting decarbonized growth in Africa through investments in renewable energy uptake and access. Fossils fuels account for nearly 90% of global emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which with other greenhouse gasses, is responsible for climate change. Despite contributing only 4% to global emissions, Africa is among the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change and the least capable to either adapt or contribute to mitigating it. With a weak energy infrastructure and the lowest levels of energy access in the world, Africa presents great opportunities for energy innovation. Estimates of clean power generation potential in the continent are 350 GW for hydroelectric, 110 GW for wind, 15 GW for geothermal and a staggering 1000 GW for solar. Big Oil investors should support strides towards an Africa powered by renewable energy and not work to hamper or reverse them. PACJA and the African civil society say they are closely monitoring this very unfortunate development and will not relent in holding all parties accountable for any trade deals that put the African people and environment in harm's way. The operator of a Japanese cooking-video website has been putting extra effort into offering recipes for consumers who want to cut costs amid soaring vegetable prices. The website Kurashiru started featuring budget vegetable recipes on Tuesday. It offers those using vegetables available at reasonable and fairly stable prices, such as pea and bean sprouts, Japanese mustard spinach, and okra. Recipes using seasonal vegetables including tomatoes and eggplant are usually popular in summer. But they haven't attracted many viewers lately because vegetable prices were high last month. The site's operator plans to put out more recipes that use pre-chopped and frozen vegetables available throughout the year at steady prices. On Wednesday, it made a video showing how to make fried noodles with a thick sauce using pre-chopped vegetables. Viewers commented that the featured recipes are a big help, since vegetables are costly. Furuta Richika, a marketer at the company, says the number of web searches for pea and bean sprout recipes is increasing. She said she hopes to provide more ideas that meet the needs of viewers looking to make inexpensive meals. Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari has given permission to students to appear for the final year examinations online from home, state Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant said on Thursday. He said the state government will request the University Grants Commission (UGC) to extend the existing deadline for conducting the examinations from September end to October end, and added that the toughness of the exams will also be reduced. The Supreme Court had last week upheld the UGC guidelines and said that no state and university can promote students in the final year/terminal semester without conducting examinations. The court also ruled that the UGCs directives to universities and colleges to hold final-year exams by September 30 was well within its domain. Governor B S Koshyari has given permission to the final year students to appear for exams online. They can give exams from their home, Samant said. We are also planning to bring the results out by October 31 to save the students academic year, he added. Samant along with junior minister in the department Prajakt Tanpure had met Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday to discuss the issue of conducting exams in light of the Supreme Court verdict. The minister said he held a meeting with 13 vice chancellors of public universities on how to conduct the final year examinations as directed by the apex court. We are planning to conduct the practical examinations in September itself. All the papers and their evaluation will be completed before October 31 and the result will be out by that time, he said. The practical exams could be held from September 15 onwards. We are also trying to hold these exams online instead of making the students visit colleges, he said. We are also going to request the UGC to extend the existing deadline of conducting examinations from September end to October end. We will bring down the toughness of the exams as well, he said. In its order, the SC had said that if any state or Union Territory, in exercise of its jurisdiction under the Disaster Management Act, has decided that it is not possible to conduct the examination by September 30, then they can make an application to the UGC for extending the deadline. What we want is simple; a government that is truly for and by the people. The right to life, freedom and happiness. Challenging the government to that end is not a crime.but a great commission for this generation. A commission we have accepted and one we will not fail. By Tom Hals WILMINGTON, Del., Sept 2 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Harvey Weinstein's bankrupt film studio on Wednesday presented a revised proposal to settle sexual misconduct claims against the disgraced former producer, but an attorney for accusers pledged to oppose the plan. The $35.2 million proposal filed on Tuesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware was financed by insurers and includes $17 million to settle sexual misconduct claims in various courts as well as a lawsuit by New York's attorney general. Weinstein, 68, is serving a 23-year prison term in New York state following his Feb. 24 conviction for sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping an actress. He has appealed the conviction. The latest plan provides less to accusers than the $18.9 million in the prior plan, which was rejected in July by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan, who is overseeing a class action against Weinstein. The remaining funds will settle business debts and defense costs for former representatives of The Weinstein Co. It removed legal fees for Weinstein, a part of the prior plan that Hellerstein called "obnoxious." Attorney Paul Zumbro for The Weinstein Co told Judge Mary Walrath in Wilmington at Wednesday's hearing that the settlement pool was reduced because it no longer resolves claims that pre-date The Weinstein Co. The plan provides accusers a proposed payment; if they accept, it settles their claim against Weinstein. Alternatively, accusers can accept 25% of the proposed payment and continue to pursue Weinstein in the courts. Scott Leonhardt, an attorney representing two accusers, called the plan "fundamentally deficient" and said his clients opposed it. Walrath said the plan appeared to prevent an accuser who opted to pursue Weinstein in court and who won a judgment from collecting against Weinstein's insurers. An attorney for The Weinstein Co said the plan would be clarified and did not shield insurers in that situation. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware) Indrajit Lankesh appears before Bengaluru CCB over his remarks on drug trade in Sandalwood India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, Sep 03: Filmmaker and journalist Indrajit Lankesh appeared before the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police on Thursday. Earlier on Tuesday, Lankesh had claimed that at least 15 people in the Kannada film industry were involved in drug trafficking. He made the claim a day after deposing before the police to share the information about the alleged drug racket operating in the film industry. "I have given (names of) around 15 people whom I know are into drug business. I shared those names with the police," Lankesh told PTI. Bengaluru drug case: Actor Ragini Dwivedi summoned by CCB The Anti-Narcotics Wing of the CCB had on Sunday issued a notice to Lankesh regarding his statements on media channels. 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 said some "prominent musicians and actors" in Karnataka were under its scanner. The filmmaker said he wanted to expose the drug use in the industry. "There are celebrities, when they start smoking and start doing cocaine, they are the brand ambassadors of youth today. These people think it is cool..," he added. Lankesh said he suspected that some of the parties organised in the ''Sandalwood'' were hosted by drug mafias within the industry. Lankesh did not rule out the possibility of the Mumbai underworld behind the supply of drugs to a section of people in the Kannada film industry. Meanwhile, the police said they were probing the matter. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 11:55 [IST] International courier giant DHL launched the first direct delivery flight between Tel Aviv and Dubai yesterday transporting some small symbolic consignments on an historic direct flight, Trend reports with reference to Globes. For some years there have been a range of trade contacts between the countries but consignments have been flown indirectly via Cyprus, Jordan or Turkey with any Hebrew lettering removed. Only a few Israeli companies participated in yesterday's pilot flight. These included a company called Lishtot, which has developed a small and effective product to test the quality of water. Founded in 2015 by CEO Netanel Raisch and chief scientist Dr. Alan Bauer, Lishtot's water testers identify pollution in water. Lishtot sells to 70 countries including the UAE but until now products to Dubai were transported via DHL's base in Leipzig, Germany. Now they are flown directly from Lishtot's offices in Ussishkin Street in Jerusalem to their customer in the Manara Tower in Dubai. One of the challenges of dealing with the volume of customer interactions is the peak-time contacts which may be difficult to handle due to staffing. In addition, lower priority customer interactions asking for things like directions or store hours could be consuming valuable human resources. We all know chatbots will get smarter, better at translating languages and detecting contact sentiment. To that end, TELUS International just launched the intelligent TELUS International Assistant, expanding the companys portfolio of informational, personalized and transactional bots already in-market. The internally-developed intelligent bot platform improves AI conversations with sentiment-based routing, built-in language translation, and proactive and context-aware responses to help brands engage with customers. Telus International has been innovating in the CX space for years. On our sister site Workforce Optimization, we had an exclusive interview with Jeff Puritt, President of Telus International and wrote about it in 2013, describing how they assisted Google Enterprise call center efforts. On our Call Center Scheduling sister site, we covered in 2015, the need for companies to adjust and adapt to millennial workers who typically have shorter attention spans and enjoy multitasking. On other sister sites, weve covered how Voxpro powered by TELUS International said customers still crave human contact and the need to embed service into IoT. Finally, our colleague Erik Linask wrote on our Future of Work sister site this past March how Telus Launched its AI-driven CC360 customer engagement platform in partnership with the ever-talented Lance Fried and his new company, Thrio. Yours Truly TMCs Rich Tehrani speaks with Lance Fried, CMO of Thrio at the ITEXPO #TechSuperShow 2020 in Ft. Lauderdale FL. As Covid-19 continues to disrupt business and force faster digital transformations, organizations are looking to automated CX solutions as a way to keep costs low but provide solid service levels. This is why Telus International completed its buy-out of Xavient Digital. Now its digital arm has 4,500 digital solutions engineers, developers and technologists globally that support the digitization of the end-to-end customer journey. The company has also gained incremental managed hybrid IT solutions and cloud assets to complement its suite of CX offerings that include omnichannel, TELUS Cloud Contact Center (TC3), TELUS International Work Anywhere, analytics solutions, and multilingual customer support in more than 50 languages. Jeff Puritt said the company is putting the value of the human connection first which is perhaps not what you would expect to hear from a company that is actually allowing organizations to enhance their automation posture. But when you think about it, there are many times when customers and prospects dont want or need to talk to a human to solve their problem. Understanding sentiment, leveraging AI and ensuring customers get the right answer, as quickly as possible, while doing so cost-effectively, does put the human connection first as the agents needed to make these connections, wont be busy sending out the companys hours of operations to frequent web visitors and instead, will be available to take the important calls. Telus International has taken a solid future of work solution and made it even better. See the ONLY future of work, CRM, Contact Center, Tech and Communications companies that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW. This Event has been called the BEST SHOW in 5 YEARS and the Best TECHNOLOGY EVENT of 2020. 2020 participants included: Amazon, Cisco, Google, IBM, ClearlyIP, Avaya, Vonage, 88, Comcast Business, BlueJeans, CoreDial, Dell, Edify, Epygi, FreeSWITCH, Fuze, Grandstream, Granite, Intrado, Frontier Business, Fujitsu, Jenne, West, Konftel, Intelisys, Martello, NetSapiens, OOMA, Oracle, OpenVox, Peerless Network, Phone Sentry, Phone.com, Poly, QuestBlue, RingByName, Sangoma, SingTel, SkySwitch, Spracht, Spectrum, Sprint, Tallac, Tech Data, Telarus, TCG, Teledynamics, Teli, Telinta, Telispire, Telstra, TransNexus, Unified Office, Vital PBX, VoIP Supply, Voxbone, VoIP.MS, Windstream, XCALY, XORCOM, Yealink, Yubox, and ZYCOO. Full List. Join 8K others with $25B+ in IT buying power who plan 2021 budgets! Including 3,500+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated Future of Work Expo, SD-WAN Expo, and MSP Expo June 22-25, 2021, Miami, FL. Register now. Sam Burgess made headlines in July when he revealed that Kanye West had called him 'poor' to his face at a London hotel five years ago. And on Thursday, the former NRL star, 31, cheekily hit back at the American rapper by offering to send him a 'care package for rich people'. He told Fitzy & Wippa that his 4B clothing label - which he runs with his brothers, Luke, Thomas and George - was sending out free samples to the Stronger hitmaker. Having a laugh: Former NRL star Sam Burgess (pictured) has hit back at Kanye West for calling him 'poor' by sending the troubled rapper a 'care package' 'Funnily enough, me and my brothers are designing some clothes at the moment as well, and we're trying to get a care package of our 4B label sent to Kanye,' he said. 'I'm thinking about writing to him saying, "Hey, here's a care package, we design clothes for rich people like you,"' Sam chuckled. The saga involving Kanye and Sam began two months ago, when actor Russell Crowe shared a surprising story about an encounter he'd witnessed between the two men at a London hotel in 2015. Care package on its way! Sam told Fitzy & Wippa on Thursday that his 4B clothing label - which he runs with his brothers, Luke, Thomas and George - was sending out free samples to Kanye The Gladiator star, 56, claimed on Nova FM that Kanye, 43, had become annoyed with Sam for drunkenly singing along to his hit single FourFiveSeconds. Days later, Sam appeared on the same radio program and confirmed that the meeting had indeed taken place. The now-retired South Sydney Rabbitohs player also revealed several details that Russell had failed to mention - including that Kanye had called him 'poor' to his face. Witness: The Kanye and Sam saga began back in July, when Russell Crowe (pictured) shared a surprising story about an encounter between the two men. The actor claimed the rapper had become annoyed with Sam's drunken behaviour during a chance encounter in London in 2015 The English sportsman said: 'It was a weird night! I had driven from Bath over to the Dorchester [hotel] for a session with Rusty at China Tong down there and we were just sitting there and the drinks were flowing, as usual as they are with me and Rusty. 'Kanye just walked in the room and sat down... I didn't think it was Kanye at the start because he was so small. I couldn't believe it!' He said the Gold Digger star was showing everyone in the room his designs for Yeezy sneakers, and Sam asked him what his inspiration was. Who are you? Days later, Sam confirmed that the meeting had indeed taken place. The now-retired South Sydney Rabbitohs player also revealed several details that Russell had failed to mention - including that Kanye (pictured) had called him 'poor' to his face 'He goes, "Oh, I'm making clothes for poor people just like you,"' Sam said. 'I was kind of chuffed that he called me poor. I thought, "Oh yeah, I'm a peasant! Come and eat dinner at my table if you want, Kanye. It's fine!"' A source later told New Idea that Kanye had dismissed the footy star as poor simply because 'he had no idea who he was'. The insider said that Kanye didn't quite know how to handle the 'boorish' Yorkshireman, who'd had a few drinks by the time they met. NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 60 world leaders in business and politics are on the agenda of next week's WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) 2020 Global Institute and Visionary Awards. Reimagined into a virtual experience for members and guests around the world, this three-day event focuses on issues critical to governance today. Topics range from racial equity and workplace transformation, to brand resiliency among industries hit hardest by the pandemic and the implications for boardrooms of the spread of disinformation. The Global Institute is open to WCD members, invited guests, and select media. To apply for press credentials, please contact Davia Temin, Suzanne Oaks Brownstein, or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at [email protected]. Following is the latest agenda, which is still in formation. 2020 Virtual Global Institute and Visionary Awards Celebration Leading Today and Transforming Tomorrow Day 1 Wednesday, September 9 10:00 am 10:15 am Opening of 2020 Global Institute Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation Camille Asaro , Partner, Audit Alternative Investments, KPMG LLP; Director, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation 10:15 am 10:45 am Opening Keynote: "A Conversation With" Paul Knopp , U.S. Chair and CEO, KPMG LLP , U.S. Chair and CEO, KPMG LLP Interviewed by Tandra Jackson , Vice Chair, Growth & Strategy for KPMG LLP 10:45 am 11:00 am Purpose Driven and Principled Leadership Paul Polman , former President, Procter & Gamble Western Europe; former CEO, Unilever , former President, Procter & Gamble Western Europe; former CEO, Unilever Halla Tomasdottir, CEO, The B Team 11:00 am 11:30 am A Perspective on Racial Diversity Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum , Director, Georgia Power , Director, Georgia Power Interviewed by Valerie Montgomery Rice , MD, FACOG, President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine ; Director, UHG 11:30 am 12:30 pm Virtual Exhibit Hall and Lunch Break 12:30 pm 2:00 pm Breakout Tracks A Deeper Dive: The Role Directors Can Play in Leading Racial Equity How can the board use its role to drive real change? Moderators: - Anne Sempowski Ward , CEO and Director, CURiO Brands; Director, Vanda Pharmaceuticals - Evelyn D'An, President, D'An Financial Services; Director, Enochian Biosciences and Summer Infant, Inc. Panelists: - Julie Hembrock Daum , Partner and Co-practice Leader of the Board and CEO Practice, Spencer Stuart - Brenda Gaines , retired President and CEO, Citicorp Diners Club; Director, Southern Company Gas, Smithsonian Institution, and National Association of Corporate Directors - Kym Hubbard , former Global Head of Investments, Chief Investment Officer, and Treasurer of Ernst & Young, LLP; Director, PIMCO Funds and State Auto Financial Corporation - Valerie Montgomery Rice , MD, FACOG, President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine ; Director, UHG The Global Threat of Cyberwarfare: From Work at Home to Infrastructure and Election Insecurity A panel of cybersecurity and national security experts will discuss the growing threats to corporations from cyberwarfare. Boards need to understand the areas adversaries are targeting, how it might impact their company or industry, and how to best protect against the threats that are emerging. Cybersecurity is a board risk area that can impact many parts of the business, not just the traditional data breach areas. The panel will include cyberwarfare tactics targeting the work-at-home environment escalated by COVID-19; impacts on corporate supply chains, reputation and operations; potential attacks on critical infrastructures like the electric grid, water supply or transportation, both in the U.S. and abroad, on which corporations rely; and concerns about cyberattacks during the coming U.S. election, as well as those abroad. Video: - Richard Clarke , former Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs, National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism, and Special Advisor for Cyberspace Moderator: - Cathy Allen , Founder and Chairman, The Santa Fe Group; Director, CRI Advantage , RiskSense, Belief Agency and PocketPatient MD; University Boards: University of Missouri Board of Visitors; New York Institute of Technology Board of Trustees Panelists: - Nicole Friedlander , Partner, Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, Co-head Cybersecurity Practice, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP - Myrna Soto , Chief Strategy & Trust Officer at Forcepoint; Director, Consumers Energy and Spirit Airlines - Melissa Hathaway , Global Threat Intelligence - Atul Vashistha , Chairman, Supply Wisdom & Neo Group; Vice Chair, DoD Defense Business Board Climate Change: Finding the Opportunities Consumers and investors have become drivers of change by making conscious decisions to withhold support of companies that do not focus on improving sustainability. This discussion will feature commentary on the steps boards and companies are taking to identify opportunities that create positive environmental, while also improving the financial bottom line. Moderator: - Amanda North , Founder and CEO, Plan C Advisors Panelists: - Lisa Bougie , Director, LYV Life, Inc. (Cora) and Eileen Fisher , Inc.; former Chief Merchandising Officer and GM at Stitch Fix - Sonia Consiglio Favaretto , Chairperson of the Advisory Board, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Brazil ; Vice Chair of the Technical Committee, CDP LA; SDG Pioneer by the UN Global Compact - Sara Orr , Counsel on Environment, Land & Natural Resources, Latham & Watkins 2:00 pm 2:10 pm Virtual Exhibit Hall Break 2:10 pm 2:40 pm Managing Change in the Boardroom: A Conversation With General Lester L. Lyles , Managing Partner, Four Seasons Ventures LLC; former U.S. Air Force General, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force; Director, KBR, Inc. , Managing Partner, Four Seasons Ventures LLC; former U.S. Air Force General, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force; Director, KBR, Inc. Interviewed by Rear Admiral Mary Landry , Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard (retired); Director, The United Services Automobile Association (USAA), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. 2:40 pm 3:00 pm Virtual Exhibit Hall Break 3:00 pm 3:30 pm Visionary Awards Pre-event Regional Watch Parties 3:30 pm 5:40 pm WCD Visionary Awards Celebration Carla Harris , Vice Chairman of Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley , Vice Chairman of Wealth Management and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley Keynote: Madeleine K. Albright , 64th Secretary of State of the United States ; Chair, Albright Stonebridge Group , 64th Secretary of ; Chair, Albright Stonebridge Group Visionary Award for Innovation in Shared Value Presented to Clara Shih , Director, Starbucks , Director, Starbucks Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Public Company Presented to Masahiko Uotani , President and CEO, Shiseido , President and CEO, Shiseido Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Private Company Presented to Ric Phillips , President and CEO, Elkay , President and CEO, Elkay Visionary Award for Strategic Leadership Presented to Ana Paula Pessoa , Chair, Kunumi AI; Director, Credit Suisse, Newscorp, Suzano Pulp and Paper, and Vinci Group Day 2 Thursday, September 10 9:00 am 9:05 am Welcoming Comments Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation 9:05 am 9:45 am Keynote Discussion: "A Conversation With" David M. Solomon , Chairman and CEO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. , Chairman and CEO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Interviewed by Maggie Wilderotter , Director, Cadence Design Systems, Costco Wholesale Corporation, DocuSign, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lyft, and Tanium 10:00 am 11:00 am Work Has Changed: Has Your Board? WCD and Pearl Meyer have collaborated to produce WCD's Annual Thought Leadership Report, Work Has Changed: How Boards Navigate Disruption and Drive Human Capital Transformation. The topic, originally chosen last year, couldn't be more relevant to ongoing board discussions in reaction to the dual disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened scrutiny of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Will boards and the organizations they serve meet the challenge of the moment and beyond? Join us for a discussion of the expanding role of the board as our panel asks: What criteria is necessary to select future leaders? What organizational and human capital models will create success? And in a virtual world, what will it take to create a culture of employee engagement? Opening Remarks: - Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation Moderator: - Melissa Means , Managing Director-Boston, Pearl Meyer , Managing Director-Boston, Panelists: - Stephen Brown , Senior Advisor, KPMG Board Leadership Center - Evelyn Dilsaver , Director, Bailard, Inc., HealthEquity, Inc., and Tempur Sealy International - Ceree Eberly , former Chief People Officer & Senior Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company - Halla Tomasdottir, CEO, The B Team 11:15 am 11:45 am Board Opportunity Briefing: Conversation with IFC on Nominee Directorship Program Marie-Laurence Guy , Senior Program Manager, IFC Nominee Director Program , Senior Program Manager, IFC Nominee Director Program Jakob Rusinek , Sourcing, Onboarding and Knowledge Management Coordinator, IFC Nominee Director Support Center 11:45 am 1:15 pm Virtual Exhibit Hall 1:15 pm 2:30 pm Board Committee Peer Exchanges Closed sessions for WCD Members only. 2:45 pm 3:15 pm Keynote Speaker: "A Conversation With" Henrietta H. Fore , Executive Director, UNICEF; former Director, WCD , Executive Director, UNICEF; former Director, WCD Interviewed by Pat McKay , Director, Holy Cross Health and Florida Atlantic University Foundation; former Director, Office Depot, Inc. 3:15 pm 3:25 pm Closing Comments Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation Day 3 Friday, September 11 8:00 am 8:30 am Virtual Exhibit Hall 8:30 am 8:40 am Welcoming Comments Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation 8:40 am 9:10 am A Conversation with Julia Gillard Beyond 2020: Women in Leadership and Lessons Learned The Hon. Julia Gillard , former Prime Minister of Australia , former Prime Minister of Interviewed by Jillian Segal AO, Chairman, The General Sir John Monash Foundation; Director, Rabobank Australia 9:10 am 9:30 am Keynote: Planning for the Next Unexpected Crisis: Critical Boardroom Insights Michael Marquardt , Global Kompass Strategies; Chief Global Business Officer, Factory Berlin; Chairman, PT AA International Indonesia; Chairman, Supervisory Board, International Assistance Group; Director, Commonwealth Trust Company 9:30 am 9:45 am Virtual Exhibit Hall Break 9:45 am 11:00 am Breakout Tracks Navigating the Perfect Storm The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted normal life, caused panic among consumers and impacted global financial markets. Governments and leading healthcare agencies have been accused of slow response. Amidst a perfect storm, how do companies and boards manage through crisis? Speakers: - Lauren Boglivi , Partner and Co-head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Group, Proskauer Rose LLP - Romi Haan , Founder, HAAN Corporation - Edward J. Ludwig , Chairman, Pocared Diagnostics Ltd.; Director, CVS Health Corp. and Boston Scientific Corp. - Emiko Magoshi , Vice President and Professor of International Management, J. F. Oberlin University; Board Director, Hitachi Transport System and AXA Holdings Japan - Laura Stein , Executive Vice President and General Counsel, The Clorox Company; Director, Canadian National Railway Co. and Franklin Resources - Dr. Milana Boukhman Trounce, Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine; Founder, Director of BioSecurity and Pandemic Resilience and Response How Resilient Brands are Approaching Acquisition and Retention of Customers Creating brand awareness and enticing customers to engage is a challenging experiment in the best of times, but during a global pandemic, the issue is magnified. This panel will explore how industries that were impacted the most such as airlines, hotels, and retailers are planning to reengage, build trust, and move forward. Moderator: - Betty Hudson , President, Hudson & Associates Panelists: - Eric Allison , Head of Elevate, Uber - Joyce Roche, Director, Macy's; Author and former President & CEO, Girls Incorporated - Eugenia Ulasewicz , Director, Burberry; Non-Executive Director, ASOS plc, Hudson Group, Signet Group, Signet Jewelers, and Vince Holding Corp. - Veronica Biggins , Managing Partner, Diversified Search; Director, Southwest Airlines True, False or...Neither? Tackling Disinformation Globally & Implications for the Boardroom While the internet has spawned unprecedented innovation and public good, it has also facilitated the viral spread of disinformation globally. Though not always false or illegal, disinformation can be extremely harmful when it is manipulated to sow distrust and divide us, spread dangerous health information, or interfere with elections. During this session, we will explore the latest manifestations of disinformation and the techniques bad actors deploy, how that can affect both the boardroom and the newsroom, as well as steps board members can take to mitigate corporate and reputational risk. Moderator: - Alan Murray , President and CEO, Fortune Panelists: - Sasha Havlicek , CEO/Director, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) - Susan Ness , Principal, Susan Ness Strategies; Director, Tenga, Inc.; former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission - Camille Francois , Head of Innovation, Graphika 11:00 am 11:30 am Virtual Exhibit Hall 11:30 am 12:45 pm Industry Peer Exchange Closed sessions for WCD Members only. 12:45 pm 1:15 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Dambisa Moyo, Zambian economist and author; Director, 3M and Chevron 1:15 pm 1:25 pm Closing of the Institute Susan C. Keating , CEO, WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation About WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. The WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the WCD Foundation has 76 chapters around the world. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD Foundation members serve is over $8 trillion. In addition, WCD Foundation members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally. For more information visit www.womencorporatedirectors.org or follow us on Twitter @WomenCorpDirs, #WCDboards, #WCDGlobal2020. SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. Related Links http://www.womencorporatedirectors.org The move comes in direct response to pressure from the US government, which has set a deadline for potential buyers to prise away the app amid fears that continued Chinese access to the data of American citizens threatens national security - something TikTok has repeatedly denied. Loading A failure to secure a deal by November 12 could lead to TikTok being blocked completely in the US. To further complicate matters president Donald Trump reiterated his claim this week that the US "has to be well compensated" for approving a deal. With the recent departure of Kevin Mayer, its chief executive, will the hottest app in town survive the turmoil surrounding its sale? Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, a trading service, believes the algorithm's absence from a TikTok deal could see a lot of people "turn up their noses at the prospect of buying it." Its artificial intelligence-based code recommends content by ranking videos after taking a number of factors into consideration such as the accounts a user follows, the videos liked and shared, as well as more granular detail including the captions, sounds and hashtags used on videos that a user spends more time on. Though other internet services and social media apps use algorithms to better understand what a user might want to see, enticing them to spend more time online, TikTok's algorithm has been acknowledged as having an edge. But Beauchamp doesn't think that the removal of the algorithm will completely thwart TikTok's chances of staying alive in Western markets. China has been at the forefront of AI development and one of the reasons is it doesn't have the regulatory restrictions that Western states have. Chatham House academy associate Sophia Ignatidou For one, potential buyers, which include the likes of Microsoft, Twitter, Walmart and a host of private equity investors, could see the app's current user base as enough incentive to go all in. At present, the app has 100 million users in the US and over 800 million monthly active users globally, offering a massive, established market for it to generate income from. "You have a huge user base and the capability of reaping rewards from that in terms of advertising," Beauchamp says. He also suggests that the likes of Microsoft could have a crack at coming up with their own algorithm but that could be a trickier play. Sophia Ignatidou, academy associate at Chatham House, believes part of the reason TikTok has had runaway success with its algorithm is because of a looser regulatory approach in China to AI development, coupled to the large population base in the country that can feed data into the algorithm and improve its accuracy when learning about people's preferences. "China has been at the forefront of AI development and one of the reasons is it doesn't have the regulatory restrictions that Western states have," she says. 'Self-defeating move' Richard Windsor, technology analyst and founder of research firm Radio Free Mobile, believes the regulatory tactic from China could prove a "self-defeating move" that increases the likelihood of TikTok being shut down completely in Western markets. China's bid to keep hold of the algorithm mimics a move by the Trump administration to cut off Huawei's access to chips for its smartphones and laptops. The US brought in a rule that requires manufacturers using American tech to make chips to attain a licence before selling them to Huawei. In effect, it cut off Huawei from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company which it relied on for its smartphones. It looks like this regulation has been put in place specifically to hamper the sale of TikTok's international operations, which I think could backfire spectacularly. Radio Free Mobile analyst Richard Windsor Windsor says the regulations on TikTok differ greatly to that of semiconductors used in the manufacturing of most consumer tech because the social network "can be replaced". "It looks like this regulation has been put in place specifically to hamper the sale of TikTok's international operations, which I think could backfire spectacularly," he wrote in a research note. "At the end of the day TikTok can be replaced, which is a stark contrast to semiconductor manufacturing." Loading Already, a number of rival firms have launched direct competitors to TikTok, most notably Facebook, which has rolled out its "Reels" feature on Instagram that looks uncannily similar to TikTok's user interface. Any number of alternative apps exist that will be ready to make a grab at TikTok's users. "If this is no longer available in the market, then the competitive landscape will shift and inferior offerings will be able to take up the slack," he says. "This is why Chinese regulators have done Facebook, Snap et al a big favour by increasing the probability that TikTok is banned in the USA like it is in India." Whether or not a deal can be reached by November with any one of TikTok's potential buyers remains to be seen. But what is clear is that few will have the capacity to knock-up an algorithm of the same calibre, putting TikTok in a precarious position. Under plans floated before the new Chinese restrictions were introduced, experts suggested that a company like Microsoft would license the code behind the TikTok app and recreate the service from there. Its algorithm is ultimately what keeps users coming back to the app, and what it needs to survive a sale unscathed. Federal police have seized properties and cash worth $1.6 million over an alleged scheme to use the Melbourne property market to funnel millions of dollars of funds from a Malaysian government entity to corrupt officials. The seized properties and funds in bank accounts were owned by Australian property developer Dennis Teen, his wife and their private companies. Mr Teen was charged in July over accusations he paid Malaysian government officials $4.75 million in bribes to facilitate the purchase of a property development in Melbourne by the Malaysian government. Property developer Dennis Teen has had property and cash seized as part of an international bribery investigation. Credit:Luis Ascui The August 18 seizure of properties linked to Mr Teen marks one of several rare but important wins for federal agents in the battle against Australian businesses bribing overseas officials or using offshore tax havens to allegedly engage in serious international financial crime. Among the cases was the guilty plea secured by the AFP of a Sydney businessman who bribed officials on the island of Nauru to win mining concessions. The case against Mr Teen involves the Australian end of a sophisticated alleged bribery scheme involving offshore accounts and numerous overseas officials who are yet to face justice. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have obtained a leaked draft report by auditors Ernst and Young prepared for the Malaysian government which alleges multiple serving and former officials including a powerful Malaysian political figure may have extracted bribes worth up to $23.5 million by laundering funds via a number of Australian property developments including a student accommodation block called Dudley House in Caulfield. Why El-Rufai Should Be President For 4 Years Popular Human rights activist, Comrade Deji Adeyanju has disclosed why he would want to see Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-rufai, to be Nigerias President for 4years. In a tweet he made on Monday night, Adeyanju wrote that if El-Rufai becomes the President of Nigeria, many people would end up in jail, as according to him, the governor takes delight in sending people to Prison. He further wrote that Nigerians would be jailed for even the slightest offense like asking why the governor is short. Read His Tweet: I will like El-rufai to be President for just 4years so that many of you can enter prison like us and feel what we feel. He will build prison in every LGA. If you dare ask him why he is short, you will enter prison. I will like elRufai to be president for just 4yrs so that many of you can enter prison like us and feel what we feel. He will build prison in every LGA. If you dare ask him why he is short, you will enter prison. Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) September 1, 2020 Meanwhile, El-Rufai had called for the presidency to shift to the Southern part of Nigeria at the end of President Muhammadu Buharis second term in 2023. El-Rufai said based on the zoning arrangement already in place since the inception of democracy in Nigeria, it is time for the southern part of the country to produce Nigerias next leader. After Buhari, what is honourable is for the northern politicians to put their support for southern candidates. I dont believe in zoning but that is my opinion. We have this arrangement, we should maintain it. COLUMBIA, Md., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SparkPost , the world's largest email delivery and analytics engine that delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's email, today announced it expanded its IntelliSeeds email data to include an additional 24 ISPs. Now firmly into Europe, their reach includes Poland, France, Germany Hungary, and coverage in China and Korea. This expansion delivers marketers easier access to email data insights, all the while ensuring a real-time, accurate and global look at email performance data. Ultimately, the expanded IntelliSeeds network allows marketers to better understand how their global email communications are performing, making it easier to spot problem areas and make adjustments to improve deliverability, customer experiences, and affect the bottom-line. Launched in 2019, SparkPost's IntelliSeeds wasn't developed as a replacement for traditional data seeds. Instead, it works in concert with them, providing a more comprehensive and sophisticated view of email data performance metrics by combining IntelliSeeds with traditional seeds and permissioned panel data in a single view. While traditional seedlists are a well-established solution, they have trouble capturing accurate data from providers like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Microsoft Outlook, who have moved to a more engagement-based AI-driven filtering. IntelliSeeds provides the reach that's expected with traditional seeds, but unlike traditional seedlists, is able to capture data that mimics human behavior through the use of AI. SparkPost was and is committed to working with large email providers to deliver solutions that empower digital marketers with data flexibility and ways to capture and activate data insights at lower or even fixed costs. Currently, through IntelliSeeds, 75 percent of SparkPost customers have 87 percent of their lists data captured far more than what any other email deliverability technology provider offers. "Email performance and intelligence is critical to an organization's ability to know how well they're meeting the needs of their audiences. Having only partial access to email performance data undercuts an organization's ability to truly understand their impact or identify the areas that need to be prioritized," said George Schlossnagle, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist at SparkPost. "Today's expanded IntelliSeeds network is a big step in solving this problem, and now includes insight into key international markets that traditionally have tighter data privacy rules. It will give email marketers the information they need, without compromising consumer privacy. It will change the way they look at outbound communications and the recipient experience they can deliver." About SparkPost SparkPost, the world's largest email deliverability engine, enables the delivery of more than 37 percent of the world's B2C email -- more than six trillion messages annually -- helping organizations drive top-line digital marketing results. SparkPost's analytics cover 90 percent of the world's email footprint, giving companies deep insight into email deliverability and engagement analytics. Companies including Zillow, The New York Times, Booking.com, Adobe, Rakuten, and Zynga use SparkPost's engine for their email communications, significantly increasing email marketing performance. Learn more at www.sparkpost.com or connect via Twitter , LinkedIn or the SparkPost blog . Media Contact: Carol Tong, PR for SparkPost [email protected] 510-304-6139 SOURCE SparkPost Related Links https://www.sparkpost.com People in Andhra to get quality liquor at Rs 50 if BJP comes to power: Somu Veerraju Night curfew in Andhra Pradesh: Know timings, guidelines, rules; What is allowed, what is not allowed Online games like Rummy, Poker banned in Andhra Pradesh India oi-Madhuri Adnal Amaravati(AP), Sep 03: The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday decided to ban online games like rummy and poker that were pushing the youth on a wrong path. The state cabinet that met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy took the decision to ban online gambling, Information Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said. Briefing reporters at the end of the cabinet meet, the Minister said online gambling has become a vice that was damaging the youth by 'misleading' them. "So we have decided to ban all such online gambling to protect the youth," Nani said. According to the Cabinet decision, organisers of online gambling would be jailed for a year, besides being penalised, for a first time offence. The jail term would go upto two years with fine for the second offence. Also, those caught playing the online games would attract a jail term of six months, the minister added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 16:03 [IST] Deputy Secretary Of State Vows Continued U.S. Support For Freedom In Belarus By RFE/RL's Belarus Service September 02, 2020 U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun says Washington and its European partners will continue to press Belarusian authorities to free political prisoners, end violence against protesters, and allow citizens to choose their government through a free and fair election. Speaking in an interview with RFE/RL by telephone on September 1 following a European tour that brought him to Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, and Austria last week, Biegun also warned that a Russian military intervention in Belarus would have a "very negative" impact on Moscow's ties with the United States and European countries. "You, the people of Belarus, have reminded us how important democracy and freedom are. We are in awe of the courage that you have shown, and we wish you the very best," he said, vowing that the United States and its international partners "will work as closely as possible to ensure that you have the right to select your own government through a free and fair election under independent observation that is guaranteed to you by the Belarusian Constitution and by relevant international documents." "Please know that you have the support of the world as you advance your goals toward that end." Biegun's comments came as President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is showing no signs of giving in to hundreds of thousands of citizens who have taken to the streets across Belarus since the results of the August 9 presidential election were published. Lukashenka, who has kept a tight grip on Belarus for 26 years, was declared the winner of the vote, which was widely viewed as rigged in his favor, with just above 80 percent of the ballots. The demonstrators want the 66-year-old Belarusian leader to step down, release all political prisoners, and hold new elections. Western Criticism The United States and the European Union have criticized the vote as neither free nor fair and have called on the government to begin a dialogue with the opposition. "We don't see any progress at all" in the crisis, Biegun told RFE/RL, adding that the United States and the international community "will continue to press the Belarusian government" to meet its obligations under the charter of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Our basic demands are the immediate release of the unjustly detained[and] an end the violence against protesters," he said. Amid Western condemnation of the postelection crackdown, Russian officials have backed Lukashenka and condemned what they said were attempts from abroad to take advantage of unrest in the former Soviet republic. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week announced that a contingent of Russian security forces was prepared to deploy to Belarus in the event of "looting" by demonstrators. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who met his Belarusian counterpart in Moscow on September 2, has claimed that "no one is making a secret of the fact that this is about geopolitics, the fight for the post-Soviet space." However, Biegun told RFE/RL that the United States has "never seen Belarus as a contest between East and West, nor do we see it in that manner now." "This is a contest between the Belarusian leader and his own people. And we're trying to work with our partners to keep this at the front of this," he said. Biegun also said he had told Russian officials during his visit to Moscow that "while we did not seek or see this as a geopolitical contest, there would be substantial consequences for the relationship between Russia and the United States, between Russia and Europe" in the event of a deployment of Russian forces to Belarus. "The last four years has been very challenging for U.S.-Russian relations, but it is possible that it could be worse. And one of the things that would limit the ability of any president, regardless of the outcome of [the U.S. presidential election in November], in developing a more cooperative relationship with Russia, in any sphere, would be direct Russian intervention in Belarus." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/deputy-state -secretary-vows-continued-u-s-support-for- freedom-in-belarus/30816585.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address RICHMOND A judge ruled Thursday that state elections officials should bar rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West from Virginias presidential ballot. Judge Joi Taylor found that 11 of the elector oaths West submitted were obtained by improper, fraudulent or misleading means or are otherwise invalid because of notary violations and misconduct. The judge ordered state elections officials to not permit Wests name to be printed on ballots for the Nov. 3 election. West, a former backer of President Donald Trump, has denied that he was a GOP plant meant to divert votes from Joe Biden. The judge had scheduled an expedited hearing due to the Sept. 19 deadline for localities to mail absentee ballots. A presidential candidate must have pledged electors who would cast electoral votes on his or her behalf. Democratic lawyers filed suit against state elections officials on behalf of two registered voters from Suffolk, Matthan Wilson and Bryan Wright, who say they were led to sign up as electors for West under false pretenses and that they do not plan to vote for West or support his candidacy. Justin Sheldon, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in court Thursday that to allow him to get on the ballot by fraud would create a blueprint for others to use. Roanoke lawyer Christopher Kowalczuk, representing West, asked the judge to delay the proceedings for a few days so that West could appear in person if he chose. The lawyer also suggested that the prospect of removing an African American candidate from the presidential ballot is not the right move in a year that has spotlighted disparate treatment of a segment of our society. Heather Hays Lockerman, Virginias senior assistant attorney general, asked the judge to rule on Thursday. She noted that as of this week, 656,000 Virginians already have requested absentee ballots. Wilson, testifying Thursday via Zoom, said he was riding his bike on Aug. 11 when three people flagged him down and asked him to sign up to be in a pool of electors. Wilson testified that no one mentioned West and that he had no intention to sign up as an elector for West. Under questioning by Wests lawyer, Wilson said he should have more carefully read the document he signed, which referred to an independent third-party candidate. The lawsuit alleges that based on a review by the plaintiffs, at least 11 of the 13 Elector Oaths submitted by West are invalid. As Thursdays hearing began, the judge denied a motion by Wests lawyer, who asked for a delay in the proceedings for a day or two. The judge said Were inside of a window where it is imperative for registrars to get the ballots printed. By Associated Press BEIJING: Beijing's main international airport on Thursday began receiving international flights again from a limited number of countries considered at low risk of coronavirus infection. Passengers flying in from Cambodia, Greece, Denmark, Thailand, Pakistan, Austria, Canada and Sweden must have first shown a negative coronavirus test before boarding, city government spokesperson Xu Hejian told reporters. Passenger arrivals will be limited to roughly 500 per day during a trial period and all will need to undergo additional testing for the virus on arrival, followed by two weeks of quarantine. The first flight under the arrangement, Air China Flight 746, arrived from Pnom Penh, Cambodia, just before 7 a.m. Beginning in March, all international flights to Beijing had been redirected to a dozen other cities where passengers were tested and processed before being allowed to travel on to the Chinese capital. ALSO READ | COVID-19: One-third of Beijing students return to schools, more to follow China has gone weeks without new cases of local infection and the 11 new cases recorded Thursday were all imported. Beijing's last local outbreak in July was linked to a wholesale food market, and the city's customs department announced Wednesday it would test all imported frozen foods, along with other goods arriving from countries considered to be at high risk. Storage and transportation facilities for imported food would also be disinfected and Beijing customs would work with other cities to ensure the safety of the supply chain. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: A prison inmate in Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus in the country's first confirmed locally transmitted case in 100 days, health officials said Thursday. They identified the inmate as a 37-year-old man arrested for drug abuse who was brought to prison in Bangkok on Aug. 26 and tested positive Wednesday at the prison's health center. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday had congratulated the nation for having achieved 100 days without any confirmed local cases of the coronavirus. Thailand has sustained relatively light health damage from the pandemic, even though in January it was the first country outside China to confirm a case. But its economy has been devastated by the absence of foreign tourists, who are banned from entry, and by a drop in exports. Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Health Ministry's Disease Control Department, stressed that the infected man had been kept in a small group of quarantined inmates in a standard procedure to limit the possible spread of the virus. South Korea reported its first drop below 200 new coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, but the country's strained hospitals were treating more seriously ill patients after the prolonged recent surge in infections. Thursday's increase of 195 new cases, the first daily increase below 200 in 17 days, indicated the country was beginning to see the effects of stringent social distancing restrictions recently imposed in the greater capital area. However, the number of patients in serious or critical condition with active COVID-19 increased to 154, compared to 14 on Aug. 14 when the country began what's now a 21-day run in triple-digit daily jumps in infections. The country has added more than 5,800 newly ill people to its caseload during the streak, raising fears about overwhelmed hospitals. Hong Kong says just six people have tested positive for the coronavirus out of 128,000 residents who have taken part in the city's mass testing program that began Tuesday. Four of the six people were previous coronavirus patients who were discharged last month and still carried traces of the virus when they were tested. As of Thursday, 850,000 people in the city of 7.5 million have registered to take part in the weeklong free testing program aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus. The low number of positive cases has drawn criticism that the testing program is not cost-effective, amid privacy concerns and fears that DNA data could be sent to mainland China. Coronavirus infections surged in Hong Kong in early July. At its peak, the territory recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June. Tough restrictions were imposed, including limiting restaurant dining-in hours and shuttering bars and karaoke lounges, and cases have steadily dwindled. Apart from the six people who tested positive in the mass testing program, Hong Kong reported eight other coronavirus infections on Thursday. It has confirmed a total of 4,839 cases, including 93 deaths. A pregnant woman in Australia says she didn't know she was breaking any law when she was handcuffed by police in front of her children and led away in her pajamas for allegedly inciting people to demonstrate against Victoria state's pandemic lockdown. Zoe Buhler's partner helped her live stream the arrest on Wednesday at her home where she lives with two children aged 3 and 4 in the city of Ballarat. The video has been viewed millions of times. She has been charged with using social media platforms to incite others to break pandemic restrictions by attending weekend rallies to protest the restrictions. Afghanistan's human rights panel on Thursday backed an "unconditional ban" on virginity tests, saying they violate rights, lack scientific basis and do nothing to protect women. Virginity tests check whether a woman or girl's hymen - the thin tissue that may partially cover the vagina - is torn, in an effort to determine if she has had vaginal intercourse. In Afghanistan, they can be conducted with the consent of a female or under court order if women and girls are accused of "moral crimes", such as running away or pre-marital sex. But in the deeply conservative, male-dominated country, campaigners say women are often tested without consent. Those who fail risk jail. President Ashraf Ghani discourages testing but there is no ban and the commission lacks the teeth to enforce one. "Conditional 'virginity examinations' should be banned as they have no scientific validity," Shaharzad Akbar, head of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Her independent government panel has no power to enforce its recommendation and its decisions are seldom followed. "I am not very optimistic about the possibility of (a) full and unconditional ban but ... we will keep pushing," she said. CONSENT The United Nations calls virginity testing "painful, humiliating and traumatic" and wants it banned. But women and girls still undergo the examination in several countries, including the United States, India and South Africa. In conservative Afghanistan, where great value is attached to female virginity, the "aggressive" exams can damage a woman's dignity, emotional health and social status, the report said. Its call came a day after a government committee approved a draft law that would make consent mandatory for virginity tests. It would need parliament's and presidential approval to become law. The parliament is on summer break until Sept. 21. "Despite a court's order or consent of women, this unscientific and violating act of human rights cannot be justified for proving a crime", said Shabnam Salehi, a Kabul University lecturer. BUFFALO A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Buffalo and Batavia immigration courts have been committing unconstitutional practices in bond hearings by violating due process, rarely giving immigrants options outside of detention, and by setting extremely high bonds. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wolford issued a preliminary injunction on the courts bond practices which shifts the burden of proof that a detained immigrant is a danger to society or poses a risk of flight to the government rather than the immigrant. Her decision also requires immigration judges to consider alternatives to detention and the persons ability to pay bond, if there are no alternatives. These procedural protections are required by the Constitution and exist for a reason: to prevent arbitrary detention, said Megan Sallomi, one of the lawyers with the New York Civil Liberties Union on the case. Im very excited that its going to be applied. A class-action lawsuit, which is one of the first seen by immigration courts in the nation, was filed by NYCLU and Equal Justice Under Law in March. The lawsuit alleged judges frequently deny bonds - and even when they are granted, they are prohibitively high bond amounts, even when individuals pose little or no risk of flight or danger. Lee Wang, the director of the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund, a program that helps immigrants pay bond, told the Times Union in April that the average bond her organization pays at Batavia is $12,500. However, one of the highest amounts it has paid is $25,000 for Leobardo Saladana, who the Times Union wrote about at the time. For people like Saladana, who was detained during the COVID-19 pandemic, the high bond amounts put them in a nearly impossible, potentially life-threatening situation. "My $25,000 bond could have been the difference between life and death," Saladana, a member of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, told the Times Union Thursday. "Without the organizations that supported me, I would've been inside the detention center when it was the largest population of detained immigrants with COVID in the country." Sallomi said she and other lawyers were seeing a lot of arbitrary decision-making and rubber-stamping, and people not getting a fair chance of consideration about whether they should be detained. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The Batavia facility ranks third in the country for refusing to grant bond among immigration courts with similar caseloads, granting bond only 20.9 percent of the time. Nationally, the median grant rate for all similar immigration courts is about 35 percent, according to the NYCLU. In addition, while the median bond amount in Buffalo and Batavia is $14,000, nationwide it is $9,000. The March lawsuit specifically singled out immigration judges Philip Montante and Mary Baumgarten for adopting what is in effect a blanket policy of denying bond across the board. According to Syracuse TRAC, Montante and Baumgarten denied release in 95 percent of the cases before them since March 1, 2019. In comparison, five other immigration judges granted bond at rates ranging from 18 to 51 percent in the same time period. Sallomi pointed to a similar successful lawsuit in Massachusetts that led to a drop in the median bond amount in area immigration courts there by $4,000 she hopes a similar change will happen in Western New York. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the immigration courts, would not comment on the decision, saying, "the decision speaks for itself." Traditionally, endpoint protection platform (EPP) was considered THE solution to protect your organization, however this philosophy has drastically changed with the assumption of very real possibility I will be breached. This leads to the next question of effective detection and response strategy to deal with the threat once the network is compromised. EDR strategy has helped organizations to identify and respond to attacks they believe would have gone unnoticed. With the volume and sophistication of modern attacks, does it still hold good? With the increase in the investments made in cybersecurity by organizations in last 5 years, todays stark reality is that while the threat landscape is burgeoning, the mean time to identify a breach has increased to 197 days and containing it to 69 days across the industry vertical, according to a report by Verizon. Have you ever wondered, why during the outbreak of war its not just one of the armed forces thats deployed, whether its the Army, Navy, Air Force or Intelligence, but all of them? Its the classic case of The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The same analogy applies to cybersecurity too, making it pertinent for enterprises to fortify their cybersecurity posture across all possible vectors to avoid an impending breach. Thats why governments, enterprises, and other organizations would do well to re-evaluate their cybersecurity strategy. EDR an eye-opener: starting point in detection and response strategy EDR was definitely an eye-opener to the industry and a must-have starting point to redefine enterprise-wide Threat Detection and Response (TDR). EDR gives a lot of visibility on what is happening on endpoints by capturing activity data, using which we can detect and respond. However, in an enterprise, endpoint is just one piece of an IT infrastructure and there could be EDR blind spots like IoT, printer, contractor/guest endpoints etc. While 94% of attacks start with phishing, email becomes an important vector to consider. With the increasing cloud adoption and serverless platforms, it has become pertinent to have effective detection and response strategy for cloud infrastructure. Add to this, there is an entire IT/OT convergence underway, where OT is increasingly becoming part of the IT infrastructure thats connected to the network. So, with this scenario, the effective detection and response strategy has to be extended beyond endpoint to email, network, cloud and IIoT. Going back to the analogy; to be victorious in war, enemy threats and attacks need to be confronted vehemently at all fronts (i.e., air, land, water) to avoid penetration and siege. You dont go to war with the Army alone; you usually need the assistance of Air Force, Navy, and Intelligence side-by-side to complement your overall combat strategy. If we were to juxtapose this analogy to cybersecurity, then endpoint in XDR is our Army in the field; Air support is the cloud security; network visibility is the Navy at sea; threat research is the Military Intelligence and centralized console is your Unified Command. Emergence of XDR If you can record what happened on the endpoint, why couldnt you record everything on the intrusion kill chain for later review? XDR expanded the EDR idea. XDR platform would give you complete visibility at every phase of the kill chain including the endpoint, giving enterprises the ability to monitor and account for compromise, no matter where it originates. The dwell time (MTTD/MTTR) is adequately addressed by XDR through: Full visibility complete picture Speed and confidence to respond High fidelity alerts Vendor consolidation Correlation and collaboration Choosing the right XDR solution An attack that resulted into alerts on email, endpoint and network can be combined into a single incident. The primary goals of an XDR solution are to increase detection accuracy and improve security operations efficiency and productivity. Effective XDR solution should have: Multi-prevention techniques and not rely on AI/ML only. Complement existing SIEM/SOAR by sending consolidated high fidelity alerts, which minimizes the level of noise and raw information. Managed services to address skill shortage. Solution/platform to break silos and tell a story of attack life cycle. The XDR approach delivers faster detection and response across the multiple security layers, because it breaks down the silos, and it tells a STORY instead of making noise. When you have incomplete threat data, you see an incomplete security picture. Or worse, you may see the wrong picture. And in cybersecurity, the price to pay for seeing the wrong picture is hefty. Authored by:- Mr. Vijendra Katiyar, Director Enterprise Business, India & SAARC, Trend Micro (The views expressed in this article are by Mr. Vijendra Katiyar, Director Enterprise Business, India & SAARC, Trend Micro. Technuter.com doesnt own any responsibility for it.) Plurality of Americans Support Shutting Down Economy Again Over CCP Virus: Epoch Times/Big Data Poll More than 44 percent of Americans are in favor of shutting down the country again in response to COVID-19, according to an Epoch Times national survey of likely voters conducted by Big Data Poll. More than 36 percent of the respondents opposed the idea and almost 20 percent were undecided, according to the poll, conducted Aug. 2630. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said in late August that he would shut down the country if scientists recommended the move to deal with the pandemic. I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists, Biden told ABC in an interview recorded on Aug. 21. Politics appears to have an influence on Americans views on the issue. A majority of Democrats (63.2 percent) support a nationwide shutdown while a majority of Republicans (54.9 percent) oppose it. Opposition to a nationwide shutdown increases with age. About 24 percent of survey takers aged 1829, who have the lowest risk among the groups surveyed of suffering serious effects from COVID-19, opposed shutting down the country with the percentage growing in each older age group. More than 49 percent of those aged 65 and over said they oppose a national lockdown. People aged 65 and over account for nearly three-quarters of all COVID-19 deaths. Women support a national lockdown much more than men, the poll found. More men opposed (42.8 percent) the idea than those who supported it (39.5 percent). Among women the opposite was true, with 48.2 percent supporting another shutdown and 30.6 percent opposing one. President Donald Trump, who is running for reelection against Biden, limited his executive action on lockdowns to a set of guidelines and left it up to state governors to make lockdown decisions. The president delegated the decisions about potential shutdowns to state governors, who could take steps based on the local conditions. The Biden campaign is using Trumps handling of the pandemic as its main line of attack. Bidens statements on other issues regularly dovetail into criticism of the Trump administrations pandemic response. In a recent example, the former vice president pivoted from a statement on riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, toward criticism on Trumps handling of the pandemic. Kenosha is in pain, not only from the tragedy of senseless violence, but from the immense and avoidable suffering wrought by the Trump administrations failed and reckless management of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic devastation that has followed, Biden said. Bidens proposed solutions to the pandemic largely mirror the actions already taken by the Trump administration with the notable exception of a nationwide mask mandate. The Epoch Times poll found that more than six in 10 likely voters support a nationwide mandate for wearing masks outside ones home. The Epoch Times National Poll was conducted by Big Data Poll and interviewed 2,169 likely voters nationwide sourced via voter file-verified online survey panels from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30. The sampling error is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence interval projecting the electorate at 145 million. The results were weighted based on gender, age, race, education, and region. The partisan affiliation breakdown was 36 percent Democrat, 32 percent Republican, and 32 percent independent/other, mirroring the Aristotle National Voter File Database. Read: AAPOR Transparency Initiative Checklist (pdf) Read: Full Survey Results (pdf) Tensions running high over Turkeys drilling activities, which Greece and Cyprus say violate their sovereignty. NATO says alliance members Turkey and Greece have agreed to hold technical talks on ways to de-escalate military tensions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over disputed gas exploration activities. Tensions are running high over Turkeys drilling activities, which Greece and Cyprus say violate their sovereignty, and both sides have deployed warships in a show of force, raising fears of conflict erupting by accident. Following my discussions with Greek and Turkish leaders, the two allies have agreed to enter into technical talks at NATO to establish mechanisms for military de-confliction to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the eastern Mediterranean, NATO chief chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on Thursday. Greece and Turkey are valued allies, and NATO is an important platform for consultations on all issues that affect our shared security. But later on Thursday, Greece denied it had agreed to hold NATO-brokered talks with Turkey, according to media reports quoting Greek foreign ministry sources as saying that de-escalation would only be achieved with the immediate withdrawal of all Turkish ships from the Greek continental shelf. On Friday morning, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece should drop threats against his country if talks are to commence. Let threats go away so that the contacts can begin, Mitsotakis said as he met a visiting senior member of the Chinese Communist party. Erdogan-Merkel talks Ankara, meanwhile, said it backed the idea of talks at NATO. This initiative is supported by our country, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday. We expect Greece to support the NATO secretary generals initiative. The Turkish statement stressed that the talks would only focus on avoiding accidents and not resolving the sides differences over maritime borders and energy exploration rights. But obersvers still hope the talks will at least offer an opening for further dialogue between the two neighbours. The NATO chiefs announcement came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the two sides to reduce tensions and open diplomatic channels to ease the crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a defiant tone this week, extending the gas exploration mission and saying Ankara would not be intimidated by Greeces support from European military powers such as France. Large reserves of natural gas are believed to be located in the eastern Mediterranean, which Turkey is exploring in maritime areas claimed by Cyprus or Greece. Ankara sent out drillships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying it and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have hydrocarbon exploration rights in the region. The EU has repeatedly urged Turkey to stop its exploration activities and threatened to slap sanctions on Ankara if it refused to solve the dispute through dialogue. Meanwhile, Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in a videoconference on Thursday. The two leaders agreed on a need to reduce regional tensions, according to Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert. A statement from Erdogans office said: Our president said it was unacceptable for some countries to support the selfish and unjust attitude of Greece. WASHINGTON - Trump administration officials worked Thursday to persuade the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to set their difficult political disputes aside to make room for economic relations to develop. Administration officials met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovos Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti to discuss furthering relations on the economic front something that would provide the president with a diplomatic win ahead of the November presidential election. It was not an easy day for us, but we are closer to an agreement, Vucic told Serbian reporters in Washington. Kosovos Parliament declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO conducted a 78-day airstrike campaign against Serbia to stop a bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Most Western nations have recognized Kosovos independence, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s. The administration insisted that the discussions at the White House would focus only on economic development, but members of the Serbian delegation told the Serbian media that the 10th point of a draft agreement was not acceptable to Serbia because it touched on mutual recognition. I said this is not acceptable to us and that point was not included in other documents, Vucic said. We cannot accept any document which includes Kosovos independence, and thats full stop. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, speaking in Belgrade, said it was an obvious attempt to widen the talks outside the economic issues. Trumps envoy Richard Grenell denied that the U.S. confronted the Serbian president with a demand to recognize Kosovo. Not true, Grenell tweeted. After the talks, which are to continue on Friday, Trumps national security adviser Robert OBrien said the two sides made real progress toward economic normalization, which would means jobs for young people, but he didnt elaborate. Senior administration officials have said that Serbia and Kosovo have already OKd three transportation-related agreements, including one that would clear the way for the first flight between Pristina and Belgrade in 21 years. Business leaders in both nations are frustrated and have been talking among themselves outside of political talks brokered by the European Union. On Monday, Vucic and Hoti are scheduled to go to Brussels to hold talks under the auspices of the EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak. The EU has mediated the talks between the two former wartime foes for more than a decade, and the parallel U.S. effort, although focused on economic development, has not been fully embraced by some EU officials. The White House summit was originally scheduled for June, but it was cancelled after Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who was to lead the Kosovo delegation, was indicted for war crimes by an international court. Thaci encouraged the Kosovo delegation to make courageous steps towards peace, reconciliation and economic prosperity. - Associated Press writers Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report. ILLINOIS Parties, gatherings and "irresponsible and dangerous" behavior has led to a spike of nearly 800 coronavirus cases on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, school officials said, and the university is cracking down. On Wednesday, the university announced 780 new coronavirus cases on the campus, the Chicago Tribune reported. The campus is now implementing mandatory testing twice a week for all students. "The irresponsible, and I might add dangerous, actions of a small number of our students has created the very real possibility of ending an in-person semester for all of us here at Illinois," Chancellor Robert Jones said during a news conference, echoing a message sent to students on Wednesday afternoon. The university's response has been to restrict activities on the campus, notifying students that "The university expects all undergraduate students to significantly restrict in-person activities until Wednesday, Sept. 16." A notice to students went on, "To break the cycle, for the next two weeks the university is intensifying discipline efforts and swiftly removing individuals who have created this risk for the campus and the community." Students are to only leave their residences for essential activities, including taking twice-weekly coronavirus tests, buying groceries or food, attending classes, work, religious services, to seek medical attention or to engage in outdoor activity. The restrictions prompted some backlash from students, including one who called students "hostages" and said the measures are "#straightouttaOrwell." Illinois State University in Normal is also reporting that about 5 percent of students, or around 1,025, have tested positive since the start of the fall semester two weeks ago. In Chicago, a coronavirus outbreak was also reported after a pool party attended mostly by high school students, which so far has infected 13 party guests and six other people who were not at the party, Block Club reported. Story continues Pritzker to host memorial Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced that he and Chicago faith leaders will host a memorial for the more than 8,000 Illinois residents who have lost their lives to the coronavirus. The event is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago. Where Illinois stands As of Wednesday, 1,596 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, including 347 in intensive care and 142 on ventilators, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Thirty Illinois counties remain at a "warning level" for a surge in infections, including Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Cook, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Greene, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Jasper, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Sangamon, Shelby, St. Clair, Union, Warren, White, Will and Williamson. See how your region is doing here. The statewide positive-test rate is 4.5 percent. The number is a rolling, seven-day average and represents an increase of almost half a percentage point from Monday. In the past 24 hours, labs in Illinois have processed 32,751 coronavirus tests, for a total of more than 4.1 million since the pandemic began. According to Johns Hopkins University, a positivity rate of less than 5 percent is a good measure of whether enough tests are being conducted, and state officials have said a rate higher than 8 percent will trigger new restrictions in a given region. The United States now has more than 6 million confirmed coronavirus infections, and at least 184,803 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Based on the latest predictions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 196,000 to 207,000 Americans could be dead from the disease by Sept. 19. Globally, more than 25.8 million people have been infected, and 858,436 are known to have died. Illinois Coronavirus Helpline: Illinois officials say a state helpline has been set up to provide emotional support and quick answers to questions about the coronavirus pandemic. Illinoisans can test "TALK" to 55-2020 (or "HABLAR" for Spanish), and within 24 hours they will receive a call from a counselor. Residents can also text keywords such as "UNEMPLOYMENT," "FOOD" or "SHELTER" to the same number to receive additional information about those topics. Here's what's happening with the coronavirus in Illinois: "The kids are miserable," one Illinois parent said. District calls the latest development a setback. It also has a message for media and social media. Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed grave concerns about problems with the program the president created this month via executive order. The restaurant said the "impact of the coronavirus has us changing course." According to restaurant partner Crissa Barriball, Pritzker's new regulations will help "businesses stay open in the long run." Tests are set to be available Wednesday at the Centennial House and on Friday at Maple Terrace. Though officials are projecting a large budget shortfall, Mayor Richard Irvin said there will be no coronavirus-related property tax hikes. The business has posted signs about its "mask-free environment," warning customers to enter at their own risk amid the coronavirus pandemic. Northwestern University officials announced a 10-percent tuition cut for all undergraduates while advising underclassmen to stay away from Evanston Coronavirus by the numbers: Illinois: Total number of coronavirus cases: 238,643 Deaths: 8,091 People tested: 4,119,873 Recovered: Illinois does not provide exact numbers of recovered cases, but says the recovery rate is 95 percent. Nationwide: Total number of coronavirus cases: 6,117,725 Deaths: 185,782 People tested: 79,646,008 Recovered: 2,231,757 Global: Total number of coronavirus cases: 26,072,551 Deaths: 863,933 People tested: No data available Recovered: 17,332,234 Sources: Johns Hopkins University and IDPH While the best way to prevent illness is to avoid virus exposure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends taking these actions to prevent the spread of viruses: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes. Wash your 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. What to do if you're sick: Call head if you're planning to visit your doctor: If you have a medical appointment, call the health care provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the health care provider's office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed. Stay home unless you must see a doctor: Stay home: People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing or taxis. Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home: Stay away from others: As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available. Limit contact with pets and animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just as you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information. Avoid sharing personal household items: Do not share: You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home. Wash thoroughly after use: After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water. Masks: CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. Face mask instructions sew- and no-sew masks To donate personal protective equipment (PPE), email PPE.donations@illinois.gov. For health questions about COVID-19, call the state coronavirus hotline at 800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. This article originally appeared on the Across Illinois Patch Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko. Credit: Conrad Hoskin Australia has more reptile species than any other country; we are home to about 10% of the world's species. Research published today in Pacific Conservation Biology has highlighted that many of these uniquely Australian species are under threat. The study predicts that 11 species of snakes and lizards are likely to become extinct by 2040 unless there is a stepping up of conservation action, and identifies the 20 snakes and lizards at most risk of extinction. The Threatened Species Recovery Hub conducted the research as part of the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program. The research team included 27 reptile specialists from universities, government agencies, zoos and museums across the country. Australia's most imperiled reptile is the Victoria grassland earless dragon, which was once fairly common in grasslands west of Melbourne but has not been recorded since 1969. More than half (11) of the imperiled snake and lizard species are found in Queensland. Western Australia has three species on the list, two are from Christmas Island, and the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, Victoria and New South Wales each have one species. Lead author, Charles Darwin University Researcher Hayley Geyle, said the conservation of Australian reptiles has received a lot less attention than birds or mammals, but this needs to change if we are to prevent extinctions. "This research helps to prevent extinctions. By identifying the species at most risk we aim to give governments, conservation groups and the community time to implement emergency conservation actions before it is too late," Ms Geyle said. Australia is a land of reptiles, but many of our unique species are at risk. Eleven species of snakes and lizards are likely to become extinct by 2040 unless there is a stepping up of conservation action. We've identified the top 20 lizards and snakes at risk to give governments, conservation groups and the community time to act before it is too late. This research was undertaken by a team of 27 reptile specialists from across the country. It received funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program. Credit: Threatened Species Recovery Hub "Invasive plant and animal species are the most common threats to imperiled snakes and lizards, followed by agriculture, altered fire regimes and climate change. Although most of the species we identified were historically more widespread, each now occurs in a relatively small area. This makes them vulnerable to extinctions caused by single catastrophic events, such as a large fire." Australian reptile expert Associate Professor David Chapple from the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University, who is a co-author of the study, said there have been widespread declines of Australian reptiles over recent decades. "A lack of monitoring is another problem hampering reptile conservation; without adequate monitoring species can slip to extinction without it being noticed," Assoc Proff Chapple said. "Undetected extinctions are likely to have already taken place. New Australian reptile species are still being uncovered by scientists, and at the point that we discover them many are already close to extinction." Professor John Woinarski from Charles Darwin University, is a co-author of the study and a member of the Australian Government's Wildlife and threatened species bushfire recovery Expert Panel. "At least 23 Australian reptile species were substantially affected by the 2019-20 bushfires, including five considered in this study," Prof Woinarski said "It is still too early to determine the short- and long-term impacts of the fires for individual species, but it has probably pushed some closer to extinction." The study is part of a broader project by the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program to identify the Australian plants and animals at most risk of extinction. Australia's most imperiled birds and mammals were identified in 2018, which has led to new survey and conservation efforts for many of those species by government and non-government groups. Explore further 22 Australian freshwater fish on path to extinction More information: Hayley M. Geyle et al. Reptiles on the brink: identifying the Australian terrestrial snake and lizard species most at risk of extinction, Pacific Conservation Biology (2020). Journal information: Conservation Biology Hayley M. Geyle et al. Reptiles on the brink: identifying the Australian terrestrial snake and lizard species most at risk of extinction,(2020). DOI: 10.1071/PC20033 Provided by Threatened Species Recovery Hub Over 340 Vietnamese people return home from Thailand More than 340 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand were brought home on a repatriation flight which landed safely at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on September 2. Citizens wait for boarding (Photo: VNA) According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was arranged by authorities of the two countries and the national flag Vietnam Airlines. Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, the ill, pregnant women and those in disadvantaged circumstances. The same day, 232 Vietnamese citizens from Uzbekistan were also safely brought home by the Uzbekistan Airways. After landing at the airport, all passengers and crew members of the two flights were given health check-ups and sent to quarantine areas in line with regulations. To date, over 110 repatriation flights have been arranged by Vietnamese authorities since April 10 to help over 32,000 local people stranded abroad due to Covid-19 return home, the ministry said, adding that more such flights are set to be conducted in the coming time. Flash Chinese School Dubai (CSD), the first Chinese full-time public school outside China, has opened in Dubai. The non-profit CSD, inaugurated on Tuesday, covers 12-year basic education from primary to high school, with a planned enrollment of 800 students. About 200 pupils were already enrolled on the opening day. Representing the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended the inauguration and welcomed the opening of CSD in Dubai, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "We welcome the opening of the first Chinese public school outside China in Dubai as a step that reflects the depth and strength of friendship and cooperation between China and the UAE," said Sheikh Mansour. The inauguration was simultaneously beamed online in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, where CSD's officials and teachers were recruited. The CSD will "provide the children of overseas Chinese in Dubai with basic Chinese education of high-quality" and lead the Chinese education in going global, said Chinese Consul-General in Dubai Li Xuhang. Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, hailed CSD as a new beginning of the educational cooperation between the UAE and China. "China and the UAE have a close long-standing friendship, and there's no better symbol for that friendship than a school," he said. In addition to the Chinese national curriculum, the Arabic language, Islamic studies, moral education and studies based on the UAE national curriculum are what is taught at CSD. A court in Spain has ruled that a palace once used as a summer residence by the dictator Francisco Franco must be handed over to the state, after his descendants fought to have it recognised as theirs. The Pazo de Meiras, a mansion with crenellated towers amid 16 acres of lush grounds in Galicia, has been used by the dictator's family since Franco was given the property in 1938. But a judge in the city of A Coruna has ruled the property was not a personal possession of the dictator, meaning he could not legally bequeath it to his heirs. Last year, the Spanish government announced it was joining a legal battle started by local authorities in Galicia to wrest away ownership of the palace from Franco's seven grandchildren. The judge has sided with the argument of local activists and legal experts, which holds that Franco received the property in 1938 as a donation from local dignitaries in his capacity as "self-proclaimed head of state", and not as a gift to his person. Three years later, the property was formally registered under Franco's name, but the judge ruled the contract of purchase drawn up in 1941 was "a fiction", making his grandchildren's inheritance of the mansion null and void. "Franco bought nothing," Judge Marta Canales said in her ruling, ordering the heirs to relinquish the property. During the Franco regime, from 1939 until his death in 1975, state money was used to expand and maintain the property. The family also lost a legal battle last year when they unsuccessfully tried to prevent the left-wing government from exhuming the dictator's remains from the Valley of the Fallen state monument. Expand Close Property: Pazo de Meiras was given to Franco in 1938 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Property: Pazo de Meiras was given to Franco in 1938 Local authorities celebrated the decision, which comes after years of confrontation with the Franco family, who were reluctant to allow public visits to the property, which is listed as a building of public interest. After inheriting the palace from Carmen Franco, the dictator's only daughter, the grandchildren put the palace up for sale in 2018 with a price tag of 8m. "It is a property that belongs to all," said Benito Portela, the mayor of Sada, which includes the village of Meiras in its municipal boundaries. For Carlos Babio, co-author of a historical study of the building, who says locals were forced to pay for the original donation and lost lands as the palace grounds were expanded, the ruling is "historical". He said: "Today the country has become a little more normal in terms of democracy." Luis Felipe Utrera-Molina, the Francos' lawyer, said the family disagreed and would be appealing. At the time of blackouts on Aug. 14, battery power to the electric grid climbed to a peak of about 147 megawatts, according to data from California I.S.O. After officials asked for more power the next day, that supply shot up to as much as 310 megawatts. Had grid managers and regulators done a better job coordinating with battery managers, the devices could have supplied as much as 530 megawatts, Ms. Del Chiaro said. That supply would have exceeded the amount of electricity the grid lost when the natural gas plant, which grid managers have refused to identify, went offline. Officials at California I.S.O. and the public utilities commission said they were working to determine the root causes of the crisis after the governor requested an investigation. Grid managers and state officials have previously endorsed the use of batteries. The utilities commission last week approved a proposal by Southern California Edison, which serves five million customers, to add 770 megawatts of energy storage in the second half of 2021, more than doubling its battery capacity. And Mr. Zahuranciks company, Fluence, is building a 400 megawatt-hour battery system at the site of an older natural gas power plant at the Alamitos Energy Center in Long Beach. Regulators this week also approved a plan to extend the life of the power plant, which was scheduled to close at the end of the year, to support the grid. But regulations have been slow to catch up with the rapidly developing battery technology. Regulators and utilities have not answered many of the legal and logistical questions that have limited how batteries owned by homeowners and businesses are used. How should battery owners be compensated for the electricity they provide to the grid? Can grid managers or utilities force batteries to discharge even if homeowners or businesses want to keep them charged up for their own use during blackouts? Vicky McClure was back on the Line of Duty set on Wednesday, as filming resumed on series six of the hit BBC drama. After her co-star Martin Compston had his first day on the Belfast set earlier this week, Vicky shared snaps from filming on Wednesday night. Telling fans that it 'feels good to be back,' Vicky was in character as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming, with photos from the set showing the actress on the socially distanced set. Kate's back! Vicky McClure was back on the Line Of Duty set on Wednesday, as filming resumed on series six of the hit BBC drama Vicky was dressed in a striped yellow and black top and smart blazer for the scenes, with her character's police ID around her neck. She filmed scenes in AC-12's offices, perched on the edge of a desk for one shot, and standing in the middle of the open plan office, holding court. A photo was also shared of the star getting her makeup done, with the glam squad well protected in full PPE. Other crew members were seen in the background of the set photos wearing masks while socially distancing was maintained. Back in business: After her co-star Martin Compston had his first day on the Belfast set earlier this week, Vicky shared snaps from filming on Wednesday night Precautions: Telling fans that it 'feels good to be back,' Vicky was back in character as DI Kate Fleming, with photos from the set showing the actress on the socially distanced set Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio first shared the new set photos of Vicky on his Twitter account, writing: '#LineOfDuty 6: V-Mc is back and bent coppers are quaking in their boots .' Vicky retweeted, adding: 'Day one done! Feels good to be back!!' 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. Glam: A photo was also shared of the star getting her makeup done, with the glam squad well protected in full PPE Star: Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio first shared the new set photos of Vicky on his Twitter account, writing: '#LineOfDuty 6: V-Mc is back and bent coppers are quaking in their boots ' 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'. In another new photo from the set this week, Martin posed as his character DS Steve Arnott while sitting behind a glass wall, which appeared to be in a prison. 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. 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 earlier this week Reunited: Vicky 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 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.' "These individuals are strong leaders within the company and in the communities we serve," said CEO Mark Crosswhite. "They bring invaluable experience and knowledge to their new roles that will help us continue to meet customer needs today and for the future." As senior vice president of Marketing and Economic Development, Smoke will oversee the company's marketing, economic development and business development functions. He has more than 35 years of experience at Alabama Power and most recently served as vice president of Birmingham Division. He held positions of increasing responsibility in Power Delivery and Birmingham Division before moving into the role of vice president of Marketing in 2014 and vice president of Eastern Division in 2017. Smoke serves on the board of trustees for Jacksonville State University. He is a member of the board of directors for Birmingham Promise, Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame, Jefferson County Industrial Development Authority, Alabama Institute of the Deaf and Blind Foundation, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, March of Dimes of Alabama, and the 4 Little Girls Memorial Fund. In addition to his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Auburn University, Smoke earned a Juris Doctor from the Birmingham School of Law. As vice president of Birmingham Division, Calhoun will lead the company's operations, sales, economic and community development and external affairs activities in the metro Birmingham area. Since 2016, she has held the roles of president of the Alabama Power Foundation and vice president of Charitable Giving for Alabama Power. Prior to joining Alabama Power, Calhoun was general counsel and senior vice president of Regional Development and Public Policy for the Birmingham Business Alliance, where she led diverse teams focused on regional revitalization, workforce development, education initiatives and young professionals' engagement. Calhoun is a 2018 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow and a member of the advisory board for Stonehenge Capital, a nationally recognized leader in community development finance. She is a member of the Alabama Workforce Council and serves on the boards of directors for Children's of Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Opportunity Alabama, Ed Farm, the Birmingham Museum of Art, Indian Springs School and the Virginia Samford Theatre. She is a graduate of Spelman College and the University of Alabama School of Law. As vice president of Charitable Giving, Smith will lead the company's philanthropic, volunteerism and community support initiatives. She most recently served as Energy Services director where she led a team of energy conservation experts in managing development and implementation of energy efficiency for commercial and industrial businesses, as well as federal customers throughout the state. Smith also oversaw the growth of non-kilowatt-hour sales through customer partnerships in LED lighting, smart HVAC and energy automation. With more than 20 years of experience within the utility industry, Smith has held positions of increasing responsibility within the Southern Company system, with roles in Fuel Services, Operations Services, Resource Planning and Transmission. She served as assistant to the vice president of Regional External Affairs at Georgia Power and general manager of Renewable Energy Operations at Southern Power. Smith is active in the community as a member of the UAB School of Engineering Advisory Board. She also serves as a 2020 Torchbearer for the Junior League of Birmingham's Community of Lights Campaign, promoting awareness of the Junior League's five-year fundraising initiative supporting One Place Metro Alabama Justice Center. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration. She also earned a Master of Arts in communication studies: organizational leadership from the University of Alabama. Alabama Power Company, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), provides safe, reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state. Learn more at www.alabamapower.com. http://alabamanewscenter.com SOURCE Alabama Power Related Links http://www.alabamapower.com India on Thursday called on governments around the world to ensure that the interests of foreign students are protected and movement of stranded seafarers back to their home countries is facilitated in view of the coronavirus pandemic. In an address at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar also proposed developing protocols for the movement of people and quarantine procedures by the grouping. Participated at the #G20 Foreign Ministers Extraordinary Meeting. To facilitate more cross-border movement of people, proposed that we standardise- Testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results Quarantine procedures Movement and transit protocols pic.twitter.com/8YHSimu8KH Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 3, 2020 The G20 Foreign Ministers Extraordinary Meeting was convened by the current G20 Chair, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud, chaired the meeting. Jaishankar represented India. "The discussions centred on strengthening international cooperation across borders in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. The Ministers also exchanged national experiences and lessons learned from the cross-border management measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemics," an official MEA statement read. In his address, Jaishankar stressed on the need to facilitate more cross-border movement of people. It said he also proposed the development of voluntary 'G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People' with three elements. The elements suggested by Jaishankar are standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results, standardisation of quarantine procedures and standardisation of movement and transit protocols. The statement further read, "EAM also proposed development of voluntary G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People with three elements: a) Standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results; b) Standardisation of Quarantine procedures; c) Standardisation of movement and transit protocols." In his remarks, the external affairs minister commended Saudi Arabia for its proactive approach in bringing G20 countries together for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. "The external affairs minister highlighted the steps taken by India in the wake of the pandemic," said the MEA. He also apprised the G20 foreign ministers about the steps taken by India including the 'Vande Bharat Mission' and creation of 'travel bubbles' for the welfare and protection of foreign citizens stranded in India as well as its own citizens abroad. September 03 : Zaid Vilatra, who was arrested in connection with the drugs trafficking angle linked to Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, has been sent to Narcotics Control Bureaus (NCB) custody till September 9. NCB has nabbed another person today, who is also suspected to be a drug trafficker and is currently being questioned. NCB had arrested Zaid and Abdul Basit Parihar on Wednesday. Zaid has admitted that he is into drug peddling, especially bud, and earns a substantial amount of money, NCB claims. After the due procedure, Zaid has been arrested. During the search, Indian currency worth Rs 9,55,750 and foreign currency worth USD 2081, 180 British Pound, 15 Dirham was recovered. According to the NCB press release, Zaid has disclosed the money to be from proceeds of drug peddling. According to the release, Zaid runs an eatery in Bandra, which is not doing well since lockdown. Basit Parihar was also interrogated by the NCB. The narcotic agency claimed that Basit was in connection with Samuel Miranda, Rhea Chakraborty's associate. Samuel is alleged to having procured drugs for Rheas brother Showik Chakraborty. The man who has been nabbed today is allegedly linked to Basit Parihar. Zaid came under the lens after the central agency arrested Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora on August 27-28 in another narcotics case in Mumbai. A bud consignment was recovered from them. The NCB claimed that Lakhani had linkages with Zaid. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Using parliamentary tricks and one potentially illegal maneuver, the Missouri Senate muscled through a bill early Thursday to let the state attorney general intervene in St. Louis murder cases. This from the same GOP-controlled body that has repeatedly loosened gun laws and helped flood the streets of St. Louis with firearms. Yet, suddenly, Republicans are worried that homicide cases are overwhelming the circuit attorneys office and that state intervention is the only solution. Thanks for the concern, but no thanks. Thursdays 22-to-8 vote on House Bill 2, covered to the bitter 3 a.m. end by the Post-Dispatchs Jack Suntrup, included loud and impassioned objections by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, a staunch defender of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardners autonomy. Nasheed correctly noted during a hastily convened meeting of the Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee at 2:15 a.m. that senators were in violation of the states Sunshine Law, which requires 24 hours public notice before committee debate could legally begin on a bill submitted barely an hour earlier by Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis. But state Republicans, like their national counterparts, seem only concerned with their new law and order mantra when it applies to Black Lives Matter street protesters. Abiding by the law in other circumstances say, the Sunshine Law, the federal Hatch Act or President Donald Trumps recent call for his supporters to violate federal voting limitations apparently are mere technicalities not worth fussing over. Likewise is Republicans longstanding advocacy of local control and getting big government to step aside. When it comes to pandemic response, for example, Republican Gov. Mike Parson is all about local control so he can avoid as much responsibility as possible. But when it comes to issues such as the location of smelly industrial-sized pig farms, Parson and the Legislature dont want local residents to have any say. For St. Louisans, the biggest local-control issue is guns. Thanks to the Legislature, police are severely restricted in their ability to challenge anyone who they believe might possess an illegal weapon until the moment that weapon is used in a crime. The Legislature continues to toy with measures to allow adults to give guns to minors without parents consent. Against the backdrop of their own ever-loosening gun regulation, senators suddenly are worried that too many homicides are going unprosecuted in St. Louis. They blame Gardner for inaction and want to empower the state attorney generals office to step in. Gardner certainly deserves her fair share of blame for laxity, which has emboldened violent criminals with a sense of impunity. But the state has already done more than its fair share to undermine law enforcement in St. Louis. With the Senates work done, the House has the option of debating this bill or simply letting it die a well-deserved, natural death. House members should choose the latter option. BOSTON The question seemed to trail him everywhere, from the day Joe Kennedy announced hed challenge Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary to the final hours of the campaign: Why are you running? In a year of campaigning across Massachusetts, Kennedy never seemed to come up with a satisfactory answer. In the end, he simply gave up trying. Instead, in a primary-eve speech in East Boston, the neighborhood where his famous family has its roots and where he launched his Senate bid in 2019, the 39-year-old congressman sought to dismiss the idea that his motivation for running mattered at all. "I've spent the last weeks and months on the roads across our commonwealth in cities like Lowell, and in Chelsea and in Gloucester. In neighborhoods like East Boston," Kennedy said. "And not one person in those cities, not one, has asked me why I am running for the Senate. The only thing they ask: What can you do to make this better, and when I need you, will you be there?" He lost every precinct in East Boston Tuesday. Kennedys failure to lay out a rationale for taking on Markey wasnt the sole cause of his defeat. Rather, it was symptomatic of a campaign that was too confident, for too long it didnt think the usual rules applied, or that the 74-year-old Markey had enough fight in him to fend off one of the Democratic Partys brightest young stars. "There was a really strong reason for running. I don't think they were ever able to articulate it. That's the problem," said political consultant Doug Rubin, who supported Kennedy. "I've always felt that the best campaigns are the ones with the right candidate at the right moment. I actually thought Joe was the right candidate for this moment, and for whatever reason, they were never able to win that argument and frame the race that way." The outcome was a far cry from last summer, when the consensus in Massachusetts political circles was that Kennedy would be so formidable that Markey ought to retire to avoid an embarrassing defeat. Polls showed Kennedy with a double-digit lead, and the running joke was that Markey was more likely to be seen at a Starbucks in suburban Washington than a Dunkin' Donuts near his home in Malden. Story continues Kennedy built his campaign on the promise that he would show up in Massachusetts, as opposed to his opponent, who spent too much time in Washington. The scion of the states iconic political dynasty would win by assembling a coalition of voters of color who didnt always vote similar to how Rep. Ayanna Pressley upset a veteran Massachusetts incumbent two years earlier, former Congressman Michael Capuano. His candidacy was designed around the idea that a vote for Kennedy was an investment in his seemingly limitless political future, while Markey was already on his way out the door. What Kennedy didn't envision was the way Markey would reinvent himself as a darling of the progressive left over the course of the year, harnessing the energy of young voters and climate activists. Sitting on a sizable lead in the polls for much of the race, Kennedys campaign was reluctant to go negative on Markey. That gave the low-key incumbent, who lived in the shadow of more prominent Bay State Democrats like Elizabeth Warren and John Kerry, the chance to define himself on his own terms. His signature look became Nike sneakers and an oversized green jacket straight out of an Urban Outfitters ad campaign. (Markey wore the sneakers with his suit when he declared victory on Tuesday night.) More important, Markey stepped into the political vacuum created by the departures of Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders from the presidential primary. Progressives were devastated by the collapse of the two campaigns, which came just before the coronavirus pandemic hit Massachusetts, leaving a cohort of newly unemployed presidential campaign staffers and volunteers and young high school and college activists stuck at home with time on their hands. They turned their attention to Markey. "Here is my #1 hot take as a newly-free Warren staffer: THE F------ CO-AUTHOR OF THE GODDAMN GREEN NEW DEAL MIGHT LOSE HIS SEAT IN THE SENATE TO A MODERATE AND YOURE ALL JUST SLEEPING ON IT," tweeted Emma Friend, a staffer on Warren's presidential campaign. Markey raised $57,000 off the viral post, and he hired Friend to the campaign a month later. Dozens of Markey fan accounts began to pop up on Twitter. As young activists churned out pro-Markey memes and videos, he brought them into the fold as digital fellows. It helped that Markey won endorsements from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his partner on the Green New Deal, and the Sunrise Movement. The Markey campaign spent almost half a million dollars airing an ad that only featured AOC, and not Markey, in the weeks leading up to the primary. "Markey and his campaign were very eager to fight that fight with us. We got in early, making it an issues-focused, policy-centered campaign which was mostly centered around Markey's leadership on the Green New Deal and climate crisis," said Evan Weber, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement. "We also did a lot of work to rile up young people and the youths and progressives." As Markey's popularity grew, so did frustration within the Kennedy campaign. In Kennedy's eyes, Markey's new image didn't square with his record, which was more in line with Joe Biden than Sanders or Warren. Kennedy often pointed to Markey's support of the 1994 crime bill and the Iraq War on the debate stage, but that didn't matter to Markey's energetic online base. "The Markey campaign did a masterful job convincing voters Ed is someone he is not," one Democratic strategist with Massachusetts ties said after the primary results were tallied. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey celebrates with wife Susan, left, in Malden, Mass., after defeating U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary. Kennedy advisers concede that the campaign should have gone negative earlier and defined the incumbent while his polling numbers were low. But the campaign also blamed the press and the left wing of the party for giving Markey a free pass to reinvent himself. "This goes to show you that the left doesn't do their homework and they're easily won over by bright shiny objects," said one Kennedy ally. For a well-liked candidate accustomed to largely flattering coverage since his election to Congress in 2017, for example, Town and Country magazine ran a feature on the congressman under the headline: "Meet the Next President Kennedy" the inability to shape coverage came as a surprise. His campaign warred with the media as the spring and summer went on, perhaps most famously after the Boston Globe opted to endorse Markey. "If you are one of the Globe's disproportionately white, well-off, well-educated readers, the past few decades have been pretty good for you. The status quo has delivered. Ed Markey has done just fine," Kennedy campaign manager Nick Clemons wrote in a memo to supporters, which roasted one prominent Globe columnist by name. "But if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of normal, working people in this Commonwealth, if you are Black or Brown, if you are an immigrant or a veteran, if you are sick or struggling or suffering you know that business as usual isn't working." The campaign at times seemed more interested in litigating what journalists and political observers were saying on Twitter than answering persistent questions about Kennedy's rationale for running. The campaign was also caught flat-footed by Markeys late attempts to do the unthinkable: Weaponize Kennedy's last name. After the homage to his ancestors at his East Boston campaign launch, Kennedy was reluctant to talk about his famous family on the trail. It wasn't until Markey used the Kennedy name as a political wedge in the final months of the race that the congressman leaned into the legacy. As part of an effort to frame the contest as a choice between a son of the working class and an entitled scion, Markey hammered Kennedy over reports that his father, former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, was prepared to pour money into a super PAC to help his son. Markey's risky attack proved effective at rallying his progressive base and small-dollar donor operation. Even powerful Massachusetts House Speaker Bob DeLeo was photographed holding up a derisive T-shirt that read "Tell Ya Fatha." DeLeo privately offered an apology to Kennedy, saying he did not realize what the shirt meant when he posed for the photo, according to five people familiar with the situation. Kennedy unleashed his family in full in the final weeks. His grandmother Ethel Kennedy cut a video for her grandson and Vicki Kennedy, wife of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, hit the campaign trail. A pro-Kennedy super PAC sent campaign mail that featured a photo of Kennedy beside a photo of his grandfather. But sources close to the campaign say the congressman's embrace of the family came too late. Kennedy's internal polls showed him losing traction weeks before the election, according to a person familiar with the polling data. Kennedy had already lost his cash advantage over Markey months earlier after spending $2.4 million in television ads in the spring that failed to move the dial a critical mistake, according to several allies. In the final months, Kennedy replaced his TV consultant. "The definition of the Kennedy family changed for the current electorate. That's a hard thing for him to go and identify with," said Drew O'Brien, a former adviser to Kerry and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. "I've known Ed Markey, I've known Joe Kennedy for a long time. That Ed Markey could become the darling of the young Sunrise Movement and the progressive movement, it's pretty astounding. And good for him." James Arkin contributed to this report. CAIRO Egypts parliament approved Aug. 24 a bill regulating clinical medical research. The bill is known in the media as the Clinical Trials Law that regulates scientific research and subjects patients to clinical trials and research. In May 2018, parliament had approved a bill governing clinical medical research, but President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected some of its articles, including those requiring researchers and scientists to obtain prior approval from several bodies to conduct medical research and clinical trials. According to the draft law, these bodies include the Supreme Council of Universities (a governmental body), the General Intelligence Service and other oversight bodies. Sisi referred the draft law back to parliament for review in early October 2018, after it stirred controversy in the scientific and medical quarters in regard to ethics and legalities. In a speech to parliament on Oct. 2, 2018, Sisi said, Research includes master's, doctoral, free and funded research in the faculties of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences. That means it is impossible to follow up on these huge numbers of research studies carried out every month, only by committees in every research entity. Subsequently, the parliament formed Oct. 21 a special committee to consider the president's objection to the bill. The committee remained in session to amend the 19 articles subject of contention, according to the statements of its chairperson, Al-Sayyed al-Sharif to Sky News Aug. 15. Parliament approved the amended version on Aug. 24, 2020. The head of the parliamentary Health Committee, Mohammed al-Amari, told Al-Monitor, The law regulates clinical research procedures in the health and scientific research system so as not to prejudice morals and ethics. According to him, after the bill was approved in 2018, some objections were raised against it. Sisi returned it to parliament again, and it was referred to a special committee that held several sessions in the presence of the ministers of health and higher education, along with a group of experts and specialists. The committee reached understandings regarding some of the disputed provisions, such as the multiplicity of authorities whose approval is required. These were narrowed down to the National Organization for Drug Control and Research and the Supreme Council for the Review of Clinical Medical Research Ethics. Also, penalties that were too stringent were alleviated, he noted. Amari argued that the timing of the issuance of the law coincides with global efforts to come up with a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Amari added, This law is expected to contribute to providing the legislative and legal cover to bring Egypt into multinational clinical trials in a manner that would pave the way for the provision of a vaccine at a fair price. This would also prevent patients and citizens from being exploited in studies and trails outside the legal framework. In turn, the Egyptian Center to Protect the Right for Medicine (ECPRM), a nongovernmental organization, said in a statement Aug. 24, of which Al-Monitor obtained a copy, that the approval of the law regulating clinical medical research confirms the entry of Egypt as a regional power in the fields of public, pharmacological and medical research, and establishes a new stage for the scientific research system. ECPRM affirmed this would be a national asset and a national wealth that must be encouraged and supported by all means. It noted that Egypt should have seized the opportunities to attract investments in the field of pharmacological research years ago. This would allow Egypt to write history in the pharmacological scientific research system. It continued that the law criminalizes any illegal experiments or trials, preserves the dignity and humanity of the human being, and prevents turning citizens into guinea pigs. Egyptian media had long criticized the lack of a law regulating research and clinical trials of drugs in Egypt. In an investigative report published in mid-2016, Shorouk newspaper reported that brokers exploited patients need to receive free treatment and funds to enter clinical trials for new drugs, in the absence of a clear law regulating that process. In this vein, Osama Rostom, deputy head of the Pharmaceutical Chamber of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, told Al-Monitor, Drug manufacturers have been waiting for years for a law regulating clinical trials. Amid the absence of a law that regulates the relationship between the researcher and the donor, Egypt was denied any role in both global and local researches. He praised the newly approved bill as opening new horizons for the pharmaceutical and research industry in Egypt. This is especially true now as the world needs to produce a vaccine and treatments for COVID-19. The approved bill allows Egypt to be among the countries that are chosen to conduct these trials to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccine if used. In conjunction with the approval of the bill, Egypts Ministry of Health announced in a statement Aug. 25 the signing of a cooperation agreement with China for manufacturing coronavirus vaccines in Egypt as of September. In regard to the crises hitting drug manufacturers, Al-Monitor spoke to Jamal al-Laithi, a member of the Pharmaceutical Chamber of the Federation of Egyptian Industries. Registering new medicines used to be very difficult in Egypt. The matter needed an external validation such as by the American Food and Drug Administration, he said. We are still behind in this industry. We cannot register the innovative brands in our country, despite having qualified experts and capabilities. Laithi concluded, With the new law, Egypt will be able to manufacture drugs locally and conduct their clinical trials. This will break the countrys pharmaceutical industrys reliance on the outside world. Hillary and Bill Clinton have urged Joe Biden not to concede if he loses the 2020 presidential election, claiming US president Donald Trump, will try not to leave the White house if he is undefeated by Biden in the November 2020 elections. According to former president Bill Clinton, Trump will stack sandbags around the White House so he doesnt leave in 2021. In an interview with journalist April Ryan on Wednesday, September 2, the Clintons encouraged Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden not to concede to Trump. Do not concede under any circumstance because I believe the other side is going to cheat and sneak and try everything they possibly can, Hillary said. The former Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Trump in the 2016 election reiterated what she told Biden in August. Ryan joked that if Bidens elected, Trumps orange knuckles wont let go of his desk in the Oval Office. Bill then remarked that "he probably wont even come to Bidens inauguration." Hell be stacking sandbags around in the White House," said Bill, who served as United States president from 1993 to 2001. "Its very important to keep in mind that beneath all these big questions you are asking [is] just Donald Trumps proven ability to manipulate the psyche of the people that he is trying to scare the hell out of," he added. Now, this is a person who says, OK, I cant win on my own, but people will believe whatever I tell them as long as it's bad. Bill said that Trump cannot help who he is. He is who he is. He believes we're suckers." He believes he can say anything and make it work," he added. "[Trump] believes he can do anything and no one will stop [him]. According to Hilary there is no alternative but to defeat Trump this November. He is a clear and present danger to our freedoms, our liberties, our unity, and weve got to defeat him, Hillary noted. In August, Hillary said: "Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is. Source: independent.co.uk 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 Covid19 has already passed through all 50 states as a single major contagious wave in each state. There were 33 early states where the epidemic was over by June, and 14 late states where the epidemic now is ending. Every week in America about 51,000 people die from all causes. This number rises and falls during the winter due to flu-like illnesses and goes back to baseline in the summer. No one panics about it, and most people dont even realize that it happens. This year was worse than normal, but weve almost returned to baseline. But this year -- everyone panicked! William Briggs has documented this in his Coronavirus Update series, and this article adds to his analysis by examining state level data. As Briggs has argued, the most important data is the data for deaths from all causes. Covid19 attributed deaths are subject to interpretation as either died from or died with Covid19, and death certificates can be misleading because of the attribution of cause (here and here.) The bubble burst his week when the CDC reported that only 6% of the total Covid19 attributed deaths were from the virus alone. In contrast to the Covid19 attributed deaths, the number for deaths from all causes is a hard number. The deaths from all causes number exposes the current mass panic as an historical aberration and confirms the evidence that the mass panic has been engineered by politicians and a biased medical establishment. The 11 year weekly deaths from all causes graph (here and below,) shows that the 2020 flu season was about normal until it spiked for eight weeks in April and May due to Covid19 (CDC data here and here). The April high of 78,000 was significantly higher than the previous multi-year high of 67,000 in 2018, but just as in previous years, the temporary spike rapidly declined toward baseline. The 11 year baseline increased from about 45,000 in 2009 to about 51,000 in 2019, generally as a result of increasing population. After this years April spike to 78,000, the current weekly all causes deaths number is down to 55,000, about 4,000 higher than the projected baseline. We are at week 32 of the year, and flu season is about to kick in. What does this mean regarding the Covid19 epidemic? The national number for Covid19 attributed deaths has two peaks of weekly deaths, as illustrated in the graph for Weekly Covid19 Attributed Deaths below (CDC data here.) Since it takes about three weeks for incoming data at the CDC to stabilize at a final value, the last three weeks of data in panel A of the graph will increase. This has stoked fears that the epidemic is still raging across the country, and that a second wave of contagion is beginning. Thats not whats happening. The Covid19 attributed deaths can be divided into two groups: early epidemic states, and late epidemic states. There were 33 early epidemic states where the majority of deaths occurred before June 1, and where the epidemic peaked in April and May. There were 14 late states where the majority of deaths occurred after June 1, and where the peaks were in July and August. Among the 33 early states, seven states in the northeastern region of the country contributed 71% of the early states deaths: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan. The majority of the 14 late states were southern coastal states: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas. California was the other coastal state where the main epidemic peak occurred after June 1. Nevada and Arizona are contiguous with California and also peaked after June and were included in the coastal group. The three non-coastal states in the 14 late states group only contributed 1.3% of the deaths. Geographically, the coastal late states group makes up the southern rim of the country: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, and South Carolina. The obvious suggestion from these data is that the virus spread out as a single shock wave through the northeastern states first, where the largest death toll was mostly in areas of high population density. There was a dramatic decline in deaths as the viral shock wave pushed through the less populous interior states. Then, as the viral shock wave began penetrating the more southerly, warmer, coastal states about two months later, the deaths began to increase again as the virus hit more densely populated areas. Briggs also has argued in his Coronavirus Updates that massive public testing has contributed to panic about the virus. Nationally, we are performing about 5 million tests per week. However, the following two graphs break down the testing data at the state level, and show that the early states epidemic is over, and that the late states epidemic has peaked and is declining. The state level testing data are from the Covid Tracking Project and can be found here. Testing in the 33 early states is currently at three million tests per week. In July, the absolute number of positives more than doubled from 64,000 per week to 148,000 per week, but the rise in absolute numbers of positive tests had little to no effect on the deaths per week. This indicates that much healthier people were being tested, and that many of the truly vulnerable had already died in April and May. The percent positive tests and total positives have been declining for the last 3 weeks, and the total deaths are likely to follow this trend. All of this indicates that the Covid19 epidemic in the 33 early states is over. In the 14 Late States Testing and Deaths figure, total tests per week peaked at 2.5 million, and then began to decline. In contrast to the numbers for the 33 early states, the percent positive and positive tests per week in the late states began to spike at the beginning of June. Percent positives went from 4% to 13%, and absolute positives went from a low of 40,000 per week to 330,000 per week. After a four week lag relative to the increase in positives, the Covid19 attributed deaths also began to rise in July, which is what you might expect if the positives are in a truly vulnerable population. However, the percent positives, absolute weekly positives, and weekly deaths peaked in July, and now are declining. This is a strong indication that the epidemic is ending in the 14 late states. To summarize, the Covid19 epidemic was like the shock wave from a bomb that went off in New York. The shock wave spread throughout the country and finally hit the coastal regions where it is now dissipating. The coastal regions were the last densely populated areas to be hit by the viral shock wave, so thats where the weekly deaths number increased last, and thats where the epidemic is ending. If the late states death rate drops to below 1,000 per week in September, the yearly deaths from all causes will be about back to the 11 year projected baseline. It will have been a bad year, but not as bad as the 1968 Hong Kong Flu or the 1957 Asian Flu. No one panicked then, and no one should be panicking now. Nevertheless, the hysteria and panic over Covid19 has not abated. And you can expect it to get worse. We are at the beginning of flu season. Deaths from all causes will begin to increase, and you can expect all deaths to be conflated with Covid19. Former CDC director Tom Frieden was leading the way when he recently was quoted as saying, The second wave is a misconception: Its the omnipresent risk of explosive spread Thats what were facing. This is ignorant fear mongering of the most vicious kind. As the data show, the virus is not omnipresent and ready to explode everywhere. The virus faces natural barriers, just like all infectious pathogens, and dies out as it crashes into each successive barrier. The virus has hit its final barrier, the oceans, and is dying out there. For the whole cycle to start over again, the virus will have to find a new susceptible population of elderly, and then attempt to repeat its first exponential expansion. But this time, we know who the most vulnerable are, there will be immunity in the larger population, and we know how to stop the spread. Quarantine the sick. If we act rationally, there is no reason to expect a repeat of this past April. Nature controls the virus, not the politicians. The ignorant will always be with us, just like the virus. But the virus is not that hard to figure out. Dont panic. Keep the big picture in mind. Quarantine the sick. Protect the elderly. Let the rest of us free breathing Americans live our lives. James G. Robertson is a biochemist who resides in Charlottesville, VA. US Attorney General William Barr said on Wednesday that mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election could be vulnerable to fraud, echoing an argument President Donald Trump has made to denounce the use of voting by mail. People trying to change the rules to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion. Its reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire, Barr said in an interview with CNN. Voting by mail is not new in the United States - nearly one in four voters cast presidential ballots in 2016 that way. Experts say voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare in the United States. Barr cited a 2005 report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, which concluded that absentee ballots are the largest source of potential voter fraud. Since that time, there have been in the newspapers, in networks, academic studies, saying it is open to fraud and coercion, Barr said. The only time the narrative changed is after this administration came in. He said there are a number of ongoing investigations into voter fraud, some very big ones in states. A record number of mail-in ballots are expected for the Nov. 3 election due to concerns about in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has accused Democrats of trying to steal the election by pushing the use of mail-in voting. Democrats have said Trump and fellow Republicans are attempting to suppress the vote to help their side. In an interview with WECT-TV in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump suggested voters should vote twice, once by mail and once in person, to make sure their vote was counted. So, let them send it in and let them go vote, he said. And if the system is as good as they say it is then obviously they wont be able to vote in person. Voting more than once in an election is illegal. Barr said arrangements could be made at polling stations to protect people from the coronavirus and that people with pre-existing conditions who are particularly vulnerable could get an absentee ballot. He also raised the specter of a foreign government counterfeiting U.S. ballots, although he said he had seen no evidence of such an effort. Barr said he believes China is more of a threat than Russia when it comes to interfering in the election. Ive seen intelligence. Thats what Ive concluded, he said, without offering details. But Barr said there was some preliminary activity that suggests Russia might try to interfere again in the election. It wouldnt surprise me if Russia tries something again, he said. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia used a campaign of propaganda and hacking to boost Trumps candidacy in the 2016 election. A murder accused asked his wife "what am I after doing to that boy as he was my friend" the day after he allegedly stabbed another man to death in a pub, his trial has heard. Karen Crawford said her husband had "staggered" down the lane towards her car with "blood dripping from his hands" on the night of the incident and was "really upset". She testified that he told her that he "needed to get his head straight" before he handed himself into the gardai. Mrs Crawford was giving evidence this Thursday in the Central Criminal Court trial of Mark Crawford (43), who is charged with murdering Patrick 'Pa' O'Connor (24) at a pub in Limerick city over two years ago. Mr Crawford, who has an address at Quarry Road, Thomondgate has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr O'Connor at Fitzgerald's Bar, Sexton Street between July 7 and July 8, 2018. Giving evidence, Mrs Crawford said that she was in her sister-in-law's house when she got a phone call from her husband on the night of July 7, asking her to collect him from Fitzgerald's Bar. Mrs Crawford agreed with prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC that she told gardai in her statement that the accused "sounded frightened, as if something was going to happen". Mrs Crawford said she drove to a laneway beside Fitzgerald's Bar and her husband "staggered" down the lane with his hands out in front of him and "blood dripping" from them. He had nothing in his hands, she said, adding that he was crying and kept saying "Karen, Karen". "I kept asking what happened and he said something bad. I couldn't get a clear answer off him so I was checking [him] for injuries," she added. Mrs Crawford testified that she asked her husband where they were going and he replied: "drive, drive". The witness said he had a cut on one hand and she drove him to his sister's house at O'Brien's Bridge in Clare. "He was going in and out of consciousness so that is why I thought he was injured," she said, adding that she was panicking. The witness said she drove back home after bringing him to his sister's house that night. The following day, Mrs Crawford said that she went to look for her partner in Birdhill in County Tipperary. "He was really upset and said 'what am I after doing to that boy as he was my friend'," she said. She agreed with Mr Fitzgerald that she told her husband that he needed "to hand himself in" but he said he "needed to get his head straight". Mrs Crawford said she then brought the accused to the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh. Under cross-examination, Mrs Crawford told defence counsel Patrick McGrath SC that her husband seemed very upset when she met him on the night of July 7. She agreed that he said something bad had happened and he was crying. She further agreed that gardai were looking for the accused as he was suspected of having been involved in the incident in the pub. Mrs Crawford told Mr McGrath that the accused was "walking in a daze" when she picked him up on the side of the road in Nenagh the following day. He met his mother and family at a service station later that morning and told them that he did not want to bring this on them and said he could not believe he had done it, she said. Mrs Crawford said she then brought her husband to the garda station and he handed himself in. Paramedic David Hurley testified that he was notified of a stabbing at Fitzgerald's Bar on July 7 around 11.55pm. Mr Hurley said he saw a male lying on his back surrounded by a large amount of blood when he arrived at the pub. He was unconscious and there were wounds to his neck, arm and chest, he said. The witness said he carried out some resuscitation to Mr O'Connor but to no avail. The jurors spent the afternoon watching various CCTV clips from Fitzgerald's Bar on July 7 and 8, 2018. In his opening address to the jury on Monday, Mr Fitzgerald said that Mr Crawford is accused of stabbing Mr O'Connor to death in a Limerick bar after a row over payment for cocaine. The prosecution barrister said the accused man and the deceased had been taking cocaine together on the night and Mr O'Connor was aggrieved that he had paid 100 for cocaine. The barrister said evidence will be given that the accused admitted stabbing the deceased to gardai but said he had acted in self-defence out of concern he was going to be attacked as he was not from that part of Limerick city. The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Tara Burns and a jury of 11 men and one woman. It is expected to last two weeks. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 06:02:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Shirley Young, a distinguished Chinese American entrepreneur, is to be honored by the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center at its 50th anniversary celebrations next week. "CMS has over the years been tremendously committed to bringing chamber music to different places around the world. We have been very lucky to engage with a lot of people who have been able to help us do that. The most important person for us of course in China is Shirley Young," said Suzanne Davidson, CMS executive director, in a press release. Young, who has helped CMS to build a presence in China in the last five years, is the first Chinese American to receive this honor. The other honoree at the event, to be held on Sept. 10, is Elinor L. Hoover, chair of CMS board of directors. The upcoming celebration, which is moved online due to the pandemic, will witness the global premiere of a 53-minute documentary film "Transcending: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Celebrates 50 Years". After 50 years, CMS of Lincoln Center is recognized as an acclaimed leader in chamber music in the world and it can help develop chamber music in China, said Young. "This will offer new opportunities for the many Chinese musicians, particularly young musicians, to develop in a new art form to reach world audience," she said. Young's China market experience has been accumulated since 1988 when she served as vice president of General Motors and co-led GM's successful 1.2-billion-U.S.-dollar joint venture building Buick for the China market. She was the only Asian American GM vice president and one of the only three female GM vice presidents worldwide. Young provided financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic to a dozen young Chinese artists under her U.S.-China Cultural Institute when all performances were canceled in the United States and Europe this year. Enditem Nippon Steel eyes M&As overseas to emerge a global leader Nippon Steel Corp, Japan's top steelmaker, is pushing overseas expansion with plans for mergers and acquisitions to emerge as the worlds leading steel maker as continued losses from shrinking domestic sales started hurting profitability. The Japanese steel giant, which merged domestic peer Sumitomo Metal Industries in October 2012 to become Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, has since followed an aggressive restructuring and business development plan in Japan and abroad Reports citing Nippon Steel president Eiji Hashimoto said the steelmaker is seeking overseas mergers and acquisitions but not further deals at home. Perhaps Nippon Steels last domestic acquisition in Japan was Nippon Steel Nisshin, which was converted to a wholly-owned subsidiary. "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 world's 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 world's top steelmaker by market capitalisation, but our first aim is to be the top steelmaker (by capitalisation) excluding Chinese rivals," he said. Also the acquisition of Ovako in Sweden included Sanyo Special Steel in the arrangement, which also became Nippon Steel subsidiary. Jointly with ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel is engaged in the process of integrating Essar Steel, an integrated blast furnace steelmaker in India. Nippon Steel, which renamed itself as `Nippon Steel Corporation, is looking to grow in the world market, as a global steelmaker with origins in Japan. 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 percent of its furnace capacity, suspending six blast furnaces out of 15 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. However one conceives the Taoist concept of chi, there is general agreement about what it does: Chi animates matter, infusing it with life. As a result, it is often described as the "life force." It not only permeates the empty spaces between material objects in Taoism, it is part of their composition. In people and animals, for example, chi is responsible for the functioning of the organs, including the cardio-respiratory system. This life force circulates throughout the body with the blood so that it can provide its own particular form of nutrition to the myriad cells. Advertisement Every living organism has some way to assimilate chi. Human beings, animals, and plants alike ingest chi along with the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat. Once inside, chi moves to various locations and begins to perform its many functions. The most common of these functions are generally related to the proper functioning and continued operation of the body or plant. There are hints here and there in our culture that we in the Western world once did recognize the mysterious life force of Taoism called chi. Have you ever wondered, for example, why a mother kisses her child's wound to try and make it better? It's remarkable that after her kiss, the pain does often vanish. Psychologists may tell you this phenomenon has nothing to do with the kiss itself. Its effectiveness, they say, is a result of the suggestion placed in the child's mind: The pain disappears as a result of a type of hypnosis induced by the mother. But anyone who understands the Taoist concept of chi will say that the mother passed some of her life force into the child's damaged tissue. The life force not only repairs the wound, it also serves as an anesthetic. Another example can be found in many of the devotional paintings created by our finest artists. In these works, you can often find a halo surrounding the heads of Christ, the Madonna, the disciples, visiting angels, cherubs, and many other members of the heavenly host. Some believe this aura to be simply a fanciful symbol created by the artist for effect. Others, however, believe they can actually see these emanations radiating from holy people and others who have cultivated the chi to a high degree. Some gifted artists, who were especially sensitive to color and light, may have taken their inspiration for the idea of halos directly from a particularly radiant person. Experiencing Chi: An Experiment Most people are understandably skeptical about this energy called chi until they actually experience it for themselves. After all, in the West we have been well trained to deny even the possibility of such phenomena. While some people will never be able to sense the chi, many others do -- some on their first encounter with it. Try this experiment with a partner, such as your child, spouse, or friend, to see if you are able to feel the chi. Both of you should either sit or stand approximately two arms-length away from each other. Ask your partner to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders and back muscles as completely as possible. Try to imagine an energy rising from the ground into your body. When you think you can almost sense this imaginary force, ask your partner to extend an arm toward you until it is level with the floor. The palm of the hand should be facing downward. Slowly raise your own arms and extend your fingers until they are within a few inches of your partner's outstretched hand. Using your mind, direct the imaginary energy -- what we call the chi. Move it further up through your body until it passes along your arms and out from your fingertips. It's helpful to imagine a current of energy passing from your body into your partner's. Whether you think this is an imaginary force or not, some people feel the chi right away, even with their eyes closed. More powerful demonstrations of the application the Taoist concept of chi can be found in Chinese medical centers, where acupuncture techniques are used on patients ready to undergo surgery. The acupuncture is used to stimulate the chi, which then induces anesthesia. Using these techniques, patients regularly undergo major operations without drugs. To learn more about chi and Taoism, see: Shares in Melrose Industries jumped sharply this morning, despite the group posting a stinging half year loss and confirming mass job cuts. The FTSE 100-listed company, which took control of GKN via a hostile takeover in 2018, swung to a 581million loss in the first half of the year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit the aviation and travel sectors hard. Melrose confirmed that a 'significant reduction' of its global workforce at GKN Aerospace was now 'inevitable' in the second half of the year. The company said its consultation process with affected staff and unions was 'well underway.' Jumping: Shares in Melrose Industries jumped sharply this morning Simon Peckham, chief executive of Melrose, said the group's 'significant' progress made last year had been 'severely disrupted' by the pandemic. GKN's aerospace arm saw sales fall by 18 per cent in the first half, with the group expecting full year sales in the division to drop by between 25 to 30 per cent. But, Melrose, which achieved an operating profit of 8million in its first half last year, said it was recovering well from the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown with trading over the summer months at the higher end of the board's expectations. The group said there were a 'number of encouraging signs of recovery' in its automotive and powder metallurgy arms. Shares in Melrose are currently up 13.13 per cent or 13.20 points to 113.70p. A year ago, the company's share price stood at closer to the 183.00p mark. Melrose, which announced it planned to axe its interim dividend in July, today told shareholders to remain patient when it comes to getting a return on their investment again. The group said: 'We trust that shareholders will appreciate the importance of retaining cash within the Group to ensure net debt is kept under control whilst also funding the necessary restructuring of the Group to position it for the future.' Justin Dowley, chairman of Melrose, said: 'These are extraordinary times which we have addressed with rigorous cash management and decisive restructuring actions; recently, and encouragingly, we have started to see trading improving in some key end markets.' In the six months to July, Melrose saw its revenues fall by just over a quarter to 4.1billion. Nicholas Hyett, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'A sustained recovery in aerospace in particular looks unlikely in the near term, and that unfortunately means significant redundancies are on the horizon. Job cuts: Melrose confirmed it is cutting a 'sigificant' number of jobs across its workforce 'That will come with an upfront cash cost and it will be difficult to deliver the same trick with free cash next half. 'It's hard to overstate the hurdles ahead, but the nitty gritty of improving efficiency is what Melrose's management team does best and that should provide some reassurance in the longer term.' Meanwhile, Joe Healey, an analyst at The Share Centre, said: 'It was clear 2020 was going to be a challenging year particularly with some of its core businesses exposed to aviation and automotive, two of the heavily hit industries as a result of the pandemic. 'Despite the slump in profits in H1, the group is showing some promising signs of recovery with trading in the summer months coming in at the higher end of management expectations, particularly in the key Nortek segment. 'The early decision to prioritise cash over profits seems to be paying off with the group continuing to invest in new innovative technologies, pushing ahead with restructuring projects which are expected to improve trading performance by roughly 100m over the next year.' He added: 'However, we remain confident in the management's ability to navigate through these difficult times and see the green shoots of recovery as a promising sign with trading in China already ahead of last year and North America improving quickly.' BLACKMAN TWP., MI Corrections officers protested for additional staff near the Jackson prisons Thursday afternoon. Around 20 people gathered at the intersection of Cooper Street and W. Parnall Road at 1 p.m., Sept. 3, to ask Michigan Department of Corrections Director Hedi Washington to hire additional prison staff. We are here because of an ongoing, long term staffing shortage at the correctional officer level, Michigan Corrections Organization President Byrum Osborn said. Thats a significant percentage of the staff. Numerous vehicles driving through the intersection honked to show support for the union members as people held signs saying MDOC fails officers and Unsafe conditions. We agree that we need to have more corrections officers, MDOC Public Information Officer Chris Gautz said. There are 734 open positions, which is about 12 percent of employees, Gautz said. That number fluctuates from year to year, depending on the number of people who leave the job. Corrections officers protest working conditions in Michigan prisons Officers work mandatory overtime, which costs taxpayers additional money and causes additional stress for employees, Osborn said. The novel coronavirus has compounded the issue, but the staffing issue existed for years before the start of the pandemic, Osborn said. It did not improve when Washington was hired as director in 2015, Osborn said. She and her staff have not successfully addressed the issues with recruiting and retaining officers, he said. Osborn said Washington needs to resign. Protesters held signs asking for the same thing. Retired MDOC officer Pamela Drew said she was at the protest because she knows the potential danger of working in the prisons. She said she retired in 2015, right as the staffing shortages started to get worse. Lansing is very much aware of it and isnt doing anything, Drew said. You cant be safe for yourself, your fellow officers and inmates. Before Washington took the job, officers needed to pay to attend community college for certification before they joined MDOC. Washington changed the program so people receive training once they are hired what the union asked for, Gautz said. She completely revamped the recruitment and has a laser like focus on it throughout her tenure, Gautz said. The issue is Michigan is not unique to the issue of corrections officers shortages. Were kind of right in the middle (of other states). The COVID-19 pandemic paused training for new officers this spring, which helped continue the shortage, Gautz said. Another issue is employees who refuse to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, he said. When officers fail to wear masks and social distance, theyre forced to stay home for 10 days after someone theyve been in contact with tests positive for the coronavirus, Gautz said. Since March, MDOC has had more than 400 employees forced to quarantine for 10 days. Our officers do amazingly difficult jobs, on top of that during an amazingly difficult and once-in-a-lifetime time that theyre doing this in, Gautz said. They do hard work. All that were asking is those that are doing it think about that it think about their colleagues and their families that they go home to. When they dont wear their masks and follow the rules, it causes burdens on everyone else and potential life altering issues if they test positive. A total of 114 officers will start at various prisons on Monday after they graduate this week, Gautz said. Of those, 11 will work at Jackson. An additional 950 officers can be hired by fall 2021 if the state approves the request for a budget increase. Union members also have protested in Muskegon and Detroit in the last week, and another protest is being planned for Marquette. This article was updated to correct the spelling of Pamela Drews name. Read more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot: SUV rolls, pins driver inside in crash near downtown Jackson Former Jackson-area coach pleads guilty to sexual assault of minor Jackson home shot multiple times was likely targeted, police say Where to find new Bright Spots murals in Jackson Ford Motor Company will eliminate 1,400 salaried jobs before the end of the year, the company announced Wednesday, advancing its years-long, multi-billion dollar restructuring plans. The cuts will begin via early retirement buyouts, targeting older, better paid employees, but intensified attacks on jobs and working conditions throughout Fords workforce will inevitably follow. Fords president for North America, Kumar Galhotra, announced the buyouts in an email to employees Wednesday, stating, Were in a multiyear process of making Ford more fit and effective around the world. We have reprioritized certain products and services and are adjusting our staffing to better align with our new work statement. Ford Motor Company Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. (Credit: Dave Parker) As has become standard practice, layoffs are threatened if Ford doesnt reach its target of voluntary buyouts. Our hope is to reach fitness targets with the voluntary incentive program. If that doesn't happen, involuntary separations may be required, Galhotra concluded. The stock markets responded positively to Fords announcement of job cuts, boosting the companys share price 1.76 percent Wednesday. Even as Ford and other major corporations are forcing workers back into deadly working conditions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, they are using the economic crisis to engineer further restructuring measures and carry out a jobs bloodbath. Also on Wednesday, United Airlines announced that it would indefinitely furlough over 16,000 employees at the beginning of October. Fords own cost-cutting efforts are set to accelerate with the ascension of Jim Farley, currently COO, to the role of CEO in October, replacing current CEO James Hackett, who has been under fire by major investors for years. Despite overseeing tens of thousands of layoffs and billions in cost cuts, Hackett has been viewed by Wall Street financiers as insufficiently aggressive in carrying out the attacks. In 2019, Ford had announced 7,000 salaried job cuts, along with the layoff of 12,000 workers and the closure of five plants throughout Europe. Expressing the ruthless drive for profit of the financial elite, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said last year that Ford would not reach the profits the company was promising and instead stated that an additional 23,000 white-collar jobs were needed. The depth of the crisis at the company, which was long seen as a mainstay of global auto production, can be seen from key figures on its balance sheet just over the last two years. Fords net income has fallen almost continually since the end of 2017. In its first quarterly earnings net loss since 2009 during the Great Recession, the firm recorded a loss $2 billion for the first three months of 2020, and has projected a net loss for the full year. Analysts have also been quick to point out that Ford has been losing money in every market except North America and the companys debt was cut to junk status by ratings agency S&P in March. At the same time, Ford is sitting on a pile of cash on hand, $39.3 billion, up $2 billion from last years amount, and was in the top 10 US companies with the most cash available near the end of 2019, behind only the tech behemoths Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Apple, Facebook and Amazon, and Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway. Nevertheless, in the frenzied competition to dominate new and emerging technologies, global automakers are racing to slash costs and ensure massive sums of money continue to flow to the largest investors. Incoming CEO Farley has said that the company is targeting a profit margin of 10 percent in North America, up substantially from last years 6.7 percent margin. Such an outcome could only take place through an immense intensification of exploitation of Fords workforce. In response to Fords job cuts announcement, numerous workers posted comments on the web site thelayoff.com, pointing to the further job cuts waiting in the wings. If this September 8th offer is true, one wrote, it only means there will definitely be a heave hoe coming after the voluntaries. Another added, The voluntary packages will be followed by involuntary packages, the involuntary packages will again target those employees nearing pension milestones and the highly compensated employees. Those of you a few years shy of 30 years and not yet 55 will be primary targets. After years and decades at the corporation, workers who had once held the expectation of a well-paid lifetime career are now facing the stark reality of suddenly being cast into poverty. Ford claimed that you could keep your benefits until eligible for Medicare, but they have since raised the monthly cost and co-pays so much that its unaffordable, reported another worker. I know a few people who thought they could afford to take the buyout but are now stretched because of the increased cost of Ford benefits. I dont believe you could qualify for unemployment after nine months because you technically quit your job. Along with the record stock prices endlessly touted by the Trump administration, a wave of job cuts is slicing through major corporations worldwide. More than 200,000 job cuts and buyouts have been announced in recent weeks, and corporations globally anticipate more blood-letting as furloughs implemented early in the pandemic are transformed into permanent layoffs. Germany-based automaker BMW is also cutting salaried positions in the US, and last week announced plans to cut some 400 jobs at its Mini car plant in Cowley in the United Kingdom. The company earlier this year announced plans to cut 16,000 positions globally. Both Volkswagen and Daimler AG have also signaled plans to carry out mass job cuts, and a wave of layoffs has been spreading throughout Brazils auto industry. In the airline industry, more than 400,000 workers had been fired, furloughed or told they could lose their jobs in the immediate future by the end of July. More reductions have been announced since, including American Airlines, at 19,000 workers, and Uniteds 16,000. Lufthansa is working on more cost-tightening measures that could see another 20,000 jobs destroyed. Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said last month that a plan to cut 15,000 jobs was not the worst-case scenario. Earlier this year, agricultural equipment giant John Deere announced its own round of early retirement buyouts of salaried employees as part of its Smart Industrial restructuring, along with the layoff of production employees in Iowa. The job cuts via voluntary retirements were followed last month by the termination of an undisclosed number of white collar workers. "I am pleased that two young scientists from the IPK were able to prevail in the extremely demanding European competition for the coveted research funds", says Prof. Dr. Andreas Graner, managing director of the IPK. "On the one hand, the two Starting Grants are a personal award for the two young researchers, on the other hand, they are a further proof of the IPK's efficiency in the training of young professionals." The European Research Council, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premiere European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. Every year, it selects and funds the very best, creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based in Europe. The funding, worth in total 677 million euros, will help these early-career scientists and scholars to build their own teams and conduct pioneering research across all disciplines. The grants are part of the EU's Research an Innovation programme, Horizon 2020. The ERC project TRANSFER of Dr. Martin Mascher aims at understanding the prospects of using crop wild relatives in plant breeding. Wild species related to our crops are an important reservoir of useful genetic diversity in agronomic characters. However, crossing distantly related species is extremely challenging, and wild species are not commonly used by breeders. "In the TRANSFER project, we will work with wild relatives of barley from Patagonia (South America)", says Dr. Mascher. Genomic and genetic studies will elucidate the molecular basis of exceptional salt tolerance in these species and probe their transferability into domesticated barley. "The success in the ERC scheme is a great recognition of my recent work on cereal genomics. I am looking forward to continue in the coming years the successful collaboration with so many colleagues at IPK", says the 34 years old researcher, since 2015 head of the independent research group Domestication Genomics at the IPK and member of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms responsible for the generation of gametes and genetic variation. This genetic variation is harnessed during plant breeding to create superior varieties by selecting favourable traits after creating genetically diverse material. However, in cereal crops such as barley, genetic variation arising during meiosis is mainly limited to chromosome ends leaving the main part of genetic material untouched. "Thus, MEIOBARMIX aims at uncovering new strategies and developing novel tools to increase and redistribute genetic variation during meiosis in barley to improve and accelerate plant breeding", says Dr. Stefan Heckmann, 38 years old head of the independent research group Meiosis. "The ERC Starting Grant is a very competitive and prestigious grant for early stage career scientists. I am very thankful for having the opportunity to continue my research career as an ERC fellow for the next five years", says Dr. Heckmann. "The ERC grant will enable me to establish and consolidate myself as an independent researcher addressing scientific questions with a high risk but also a potential high gain for plant breeding. Overall, I am really excited to continue my research in frame of an ERC Starter Grant at the IPK for the next five years together with my colleagues as an independent rsearch group." "The present health crisis showed that despite spectacular progress in research over the past decades, there still remain plenty of unsolved scientific mysteries", says Professor Jean-Pierre Buorguignon, President of the ERC. "It is clear that, if Europe is to be competitive globally, it needs to give excellent prospects to the next generation of researchers as these ERC Starting Grants do, and to invest much more in top blue sky research." ### External Article 3 September 2020 During a typical year, this would be the time airlines see traffic trends shift from the busy summer travel season to the fall, in which business travel takes a larger role. Advertisements That calendar shift will be problematic for airlines this year, as corporate travel has yet to return in any meaningful way. In fact, the sector hasn't shown any improvement in months, according to one analyst group. While leisure travel bookings were down just over 50 percent year-over-year for the week ending Aug. 23, corporate bookings were down in the 87-88 percent range, according to a research note from Bank of America analysts earlier this week. "We are only a couple weeks away from moving out of peak leisure summer period and into the more business-heavy fall, and domestic corporate bookings have shown no improvement since mid-June," the analysts said in the note. As COVID-19 spurred the migration of millions of employees to a work-from-home environment, some wonder if 2019 levels of business travel will ever be reached again as tools like video conferencing become commonplace. After disastrous results in Manaus, the first capital city to resume on-site classes, the governments of major states throughout Brazil, including those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, are advancing criminal plans to reopen schools between September and October. Headed by the different parties of the Brazilian ruling class, these governments face as their adversary the working class, which vehemently opposes this homicidal policy. A survey published by the Datafolha research institute on August 17 found that 80 percent of Brazilians are against reopening schools. About 60 percent are sure that the return of classes will severely aggravate the pandemic. A school in Manaus, Brazil. (Credit: Ione Moreno/Semcom) These polls reflect the resistance of the great majority of the population to accepting the toxic anti-scientific campaign promoted by the Brazilian state as whole, headed by the countrys fascistic president, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro has been silent on the subject of schools in the recent period, clearly because he believes that state politicians of his self-declared opposition are doing the dirty work for him. Brazil remains the country with the highest indices of COVID-19 cases and deaths, trailing only the United States. It has just crossed the milestone of 4 million confirmed cases, with roughly 125,000 confirmed deaths from the disease. Twenty days ago, on August 10, classes in public schools were resumed in Manaus, the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, by order of Governor Wilson Lima of the Christian Social Party (PSC). The immediate result was the outbreak of new COVID-19 cases in 36 schools within a week of their reopening. Growing protests by teachers and school staff led the government to announce a massive testing of education workers, while keeping the schools functioning in the same unsafe conditions. The tests were conducted by the Amazonian Health Surveillance Foundation (FVS), which operates as a government public relations agency. The results of the tests were disclosed in a deliberately confusing manner. On August 24, the FVS released the first result of the tests, with 342 positive cases among the 1,064 tests conducted, indicating that 30 percent of education professionals were infected. When it presented updated numbers, on Monday, the FVS hid the results of IgG type tests (which show longer term antibodies). It just published that, in a universe of 2,114 tests, Only 162, or 7.6 percent, had recent infections. What they call only 7.6 percent is, in fact, an extremely unsettling number. Translated into the total of 110,000 students attending schools, which are not being systematically tested, it would indicate that there are more than 8,300 infected youth inside classrooms. They are putting their own lives at risk, as well as those of their fellow students, teachers and family members. The impact this will have on the city that produced scenes of mass burials of COVID-19 victims at the peak of the pandemic are not yet clear, but some numbers already sound the alarm. Professor Henrique dos Santos Pereira, of the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), told A Critica: From what we can see, there is an increase in the number of hospitalizations in Manaus in the second half of August, approaching the same levels as the peak of June 22. The news portal G1 reported that the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Para, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have already set dates for a return to classes between September and October. Facing massive opposition from educators and family members, governors and mayors are spouting lies and taking minimal measures to gain ground. The first claim is that their decisions are being made on the basis of a scientific evaluation, expressed with the release of colorful maps, whose criteria change every week. The second is that the return will be optional and will not be done suddenly. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), made these hypocritical arguments in an exemplary way this Tuesday, during the presentation of his back-to-school calendar. We understand that the risk, at this moment, is lower than what was perceived at other moments, he said. It is not a return at any cost, nor a disorganized return or a return to normal. It is a calendar to authorize, or to stop restricting (!), but not to force a return. What does a risk lower than what was perceived at other moments mean? The capital of Porto Alegre has 88 percent of its ICU beds occupied, even after the recent construction of new beds, and the state registered 1,463 new cases this Monday. Amidst this scenario, Leite proposes the return, in the first place, of kindergarten students on September 8. The preference for reopening the schools for the youngest students is not an accident, and the rationale was explicitly stated by the governor: Many parents have gone back to on-site work and have no one to leave their children with. This return to work imposes the need for places for child care, which are the kindergarten schools. Essentially the same model is being advanced in Sao Paulo, which has the highest incidence of COVID-19 in the country and for any state in the world, with 30,673 confirmed deaths and 826,331 cases. On Wednesday alone, 298 deaths were reported in the state. Despite declaring, with the support of the press, that students will return to classes in state schools on October 7, the government of Governor Joao Doria, of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), is actually promoting the reopening of schools as early as next week. His objectives are exactly the same as those of his fellow party member from Rio Grande do Sul to give workers a place to leave their children while they generate profits for the ruling class and are themselves subjected to the risks of infection. To force through his criminal project, Doria is offering overtime pay to teachers who supplement their workload by receiving students on-site for an emotional welcome this month. In an interview with Folha, the state secretary of education of Sao Paulo, Rossieli Soares, stated that he may hire substitute teachers, in a bid to brreak teachers' resistance. A teacher from the Sao Paulo state network sent the World Socialist Web Site a government statement sent to the school boards on September 1 that exposes the optional character of this return. Advising schools to conduct a survey on the resumption of classes among teachers and parents, the document concludes: It is not necessary to reach a majority that wants or does not want the return to define the opening of the school. The project being prepared in Sao Paulo, as in other states, represents a conscious assault of the ruling class on the lives of the masses of working people that can be defined as a policy of social murder. A simulation presented by a group of researchers from leading Brazilian and international universities shows that the parameters set for reopening in Sao Paulo would provoke, in a three-month period, the infection of up to 46 percent of students and teachers. School workers and families must unite to overturn this policy. They need to face not only the governments, but also the trade unions that claim to represent the educators. In the capital of Sao Paulo the unions are joined with the local government in an Emergency Committee on the Crisis of Education. In a press release on the last meeting of this committee, which took place on August 18, the SINPEEM teachers union stated that it and representatives of other union entities and congressmen have discussed once again the return of on-site classes ... SINPEEM has insisted once again that the return of the on-site classes can occur only in 2021, after City Hall puts in place protocols with measures that guarantee the safety of education professionals, students and their families. What the unions are doing, in fact, is conspiring behind closed doors with the government to create the best conditions to break workers' resistance. The same course is being pursued by the other unions affiliated to the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE). The central objective of the CNTE in the present situation is to isolate workers locally and prevent a general strike of education workers throughout Brazil, which would join with the ongoing postal workers strike and could provoke an uprising of the Brazilian working class as a whole. To overcome this blockade imposed by the unions, Brazilian educators and parents must build independent rank-and-file committees in each school and neighborhood. These committees will allow the workers themselves to politically lead their struggle and unite with their colleagues throughout Brazil and across national borders. The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), which publishes the WSWS, is already advancing the organization of such committees in a number of countries, fighting for the unification of education workers internationally and the building of a revolutionary leadership for their struggles. Let's be real, we were all extremely fascinated by Wakanda, actually still are. Everything about the fictional country from the MCU screamed futuristic, and how can we not find that the coolest thing ever? And, looks like rapper Akon is planning on building his own futuristic city called Akon City, which he himself described as a 'real-life Wakanda', previously. Investing $6 billion in the city in Senegal, Akon laid the first stone a couple of days with the work scheduled to begin next year. At the ceremony, he said, "We are looking at Akon city to become the beginning of Africa's future. Our idea is to build a futuristic city that incorporates all the latest technologies, cryptocurrencies, and also the future of how African society should become in the future." The cryptocurrency, in question, is actually Akon's own digital cash currency called Akoin. What makes it stand apart from other cryptocurrencies is that Akoin is tied to cellphone minutes and relies on the use of smartphones. This is, reportedly, because of the fact that people in Africa trust their cell phone companies more than their actual local currency. Last year, talking about this, Akon said, "We want to be able to kill corruption through blockchain itself and I think starting with currency, it is the biggest thing. The main thing they (Africans) will be able to gain is independence and I think being in the position to make your own financial decisions is key." Coming back to the city, its website explains how the solar-powered city will have a lot of amenities including healthcare facilities, offices, luxury houses, shopping malls, skyscrapers, and eco-friendly tourist centres, and on top of that, it'll be a few minutes drive from the country's new international airport. Moreover, he hopes this project would provide much-needed jobs for the people of Senegal and also serve as a home back home for Black Americans and others facing racial injustices. "The system back home treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine. And they only go through it because they feel that there is no other way. So if you're coming from America or Europe or elsewhere in the diaspora and you feel that you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop," he said. Honestly, it seems like the entire ambitious project was conceived with nothing but good intentions and Akon is using his success and influence to help people in the best possible way. People are excited. This is gonna be amazing https://t.co/GEpeFuSTYj f (@f24383206) September 1, 2020 just a tad phallic lol ScottiRedFoxLab*Wear a Mask* (@ScotGingerLab) August 29, 2020 Finna get an apartment in Akon city when its built and forget about all of yall mansa (@mansa_18) September 2, 2020 literally cannot wait to go to akon city omfg https://t.co/8BhUpxvvMl genevieve (@genofeves) September 2, 2020 That's also there.Future planning.Yep. Can't wait to see how the city looks once it's finally ready to be shown to the world. Foreign Secretary statement on Alexey Navalny Following a statement by the German government on Alexey Navalny, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made the below comments. 2 September 2020 Following a statement by the German government on Alexey Navalny, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "I am deeply concerned that Alexey Navalny was poisoned by Novichok, a nerve agent previously used with lethal effect in the UK. "It is absolutely unacceptable that this banned chemical weapon has been used again, and once more we see violence directed against a leading Russian opposition figure. "The Russian government has a clear case to answer. It must tell the truth about what happened to Mr Navalny. We will work closely with Germany, our allies and international partners to demonstrate that there are consequences for using banned chemical weapons anywhere in the world." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WASHINGTON During a June 30 special election in Oklahoma, U.S. Postal Service employees in Oklahoma City were so concerned that late-arriving absentee ballots would not be counted, they searched for such ballots by hand. Postal inspectors visiting that day found some 200 ballots sitting in two trays on the floor. These were pointed out to the postal workers, who quickly set about processing them, driving them to the appropriate county election boards themselves. It is not clear what would have happened to the ballots if the inspectors had not noticed them. That was one of several troubling scenarios identified in a new report from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service. That report, Processing Readiness of Election and Political Mail During the 2020 General Elections, found that a lack of coordination between state and postal officials could imperil voting on Nov. 3, when the president and most of Congress will be on the ballot. A screengrab from the U.S. Postal Service inspector generals report. In its analysis of both ballots and political mailings processed at seven facilities between April and June 2020, the report found that 8 percent of these election-related materials were not delivered on time. When mailers, states, and election boards do not follow recommended best practices to prepare, process, and track Election and Political Mail sent to voters, there is an increased risk the mail may not be delivered in a timely manner, the report said. Shared responsibility among federal, state and municipal authorities only compounds that risk. Although voting in person with appropriate precautions poses a low risk of infection from the coronavirus, fears of a still-raging pandemic could drive more Americans than ever to vote by mail if their states allow it. But President Trumps insistent assertions that mail voting invites fraud make the subject a flash point in the election. The White House saw the report as validating its concerns. Even a perfect Post Office couldnt prepare local election officials to operate the universal mail-in voting schemes Democrats are pushing mere months before a presidential election, White House spokeswoman Sarah A. Matthews told Yahoo News. Democrats attempts to drastically alter our nations voting system without the proper safeguards in a hurried fashion ahead of November are reckless. Story continues Democrats recently passed a bill in the House to provide the Postal Service with an additional $25 billion in funding. Prospects for passage in the Republican-controlled Senate are effectively nonexistent. Trump has said he is open to new funding, but hasnt made that a priority. The new report did not address issues of fraud, or the changes made by Louis DeJoy, the new postmaster general. A longtime Republican functionary and fundraiser for Trump, DeJoy has removed mailboxes and sorting machines, cut overtime and reduced hours at some post offices. He has denied that any of these moves were intended to make it more difficult to vote by mail, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats have called for an investigation. The inspector general acceded to that request, and the investigation into the DeJoy-initiated changes appears to be ongoing. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Aug. 24. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Pool via AP) DeJoy himself votes by mail. So does Trump. But the White House argues that with the widely trusted Dr. Anthony Fauci saying there was no reason people could not vote in person, the push to have people vote by mail is misguided. For the new report, the inspector general conducted a survey of seven mail facilities in states that held special elections in May or June. Those facilities were in Santa Clarita, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; Indianapolis; Charleston, W.Va.; Brooklyn; and Oklahoma City. A lack of management oversight and unclear guidance, the inspector general found, could lead to delays in processing ballots in the presidential election. That, in turn, could create confusion about the winner of the contest. The inspector general also warned of processing delays and lower service performance if postal workers did not follow proper guidelines for handling ballots and other election-related mail. The report noted that on-time delivery of election and political mail dropped by 1.7 percent during the special elections conducted this summer, compared with the same period in 2018. The on-time nationwide delivery rate for election-related mailings was 94.5 percent as of late June. According to the Washington Post, more than 8 out of 10 Americans will be eligible to vote by mail on Nov. 3. Five states have moved to all-mail voting, despite Trumps warning. Others require voters to apply for a ballot. The secretary of state in each state decides on the specific procedures. A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier in Cambridge, Mass. (Lane Turner/Boston Globe via Getty Images) Those procedures, the new report found, could frustrate the Postal Services efforts to process ballots on time. For example, it found that in 2018, only 13 percent (4.1 million out of 31.1 million) of mail ballots used electronic bar codes. Without the use of barcodes, the inspector generals report explained, it is extremely challenging and, in many cases not possible, to determine whether or not a ballot was sent through the Postal Service, returned by a voter, and/or if there was a delay in the Postal Services processes. Some states are simply using older envelopes because they had purchased too many of them. Others did not have money to buy newer envelopes with bar codes. The report also found that in many states, voter addresses needed to be updated. Trump has routinely highlighted the issue. We did not analyze the extent of this issue, Agapi Doulaveris, a spokesperson for the inspector generals office, told Yahoo News, but it would be the responsibility of the states and the voters to ensure their voter registration information (including current address) is properly updated. Trump himself registered with the wrong address earlier this year. The report notes that 14 states have not been using the National Change of Address database. In addition, some states only update voter address information every two years, the report found, and run the risk of using outdated addresses for their registered residents who have moved within that time period. An additional worry is that in seven states, voters are allowed to mail their ballots up to the day before the election. Three states have no pre-Election Day deadline at all, including the swing state of New Hampshire. The report warns that voters waiting to mail their ballots until right before the election could result in insufficient time for the Postal Service to process and deliver the mailpieces within prescribed delivery standards. A worker processes mail-in ballots at the Bucks County Board of Elections office in Doylestown, Pa., on May 27. (Matt Slocum/AP) In response to questions for this story, the White House highlighted that in a recent election in New York City, some 80,000 ballots were invalidated because they were mailed late or for another reason. Those results led the New York Times to suggest they could be a precursor to a potential November Nightmare. The inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service is Tammy L. Whitcomb, a Trump appointee. She has been with the Postal Service since 2005. David E. Williams, chief logistics and processing operations officer at the USPS, responded at length to the inspector generals report with a letter. While agreeing with many of the recommendations, he noted that the ultimate responsibility with how mail-in voting is conducted lies with the election officials, not the Postal Service. Trump has generally been critical of inspectors general, who investigate the agencies to which they are appointed but serve at the pleasure of the president. Several have been fired in recent months. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: With classes set to resume next week for post-secondary students, online learning will be the new norm. Almost all undergraduate courses will be delivered online, including lectures, seminars, tutorials and many lab components, said Lynn Wells, Brock University provost and vice-president academic. A small number of courses will be offered on campus, in cases where a suitable online substitute does not exist. Classes that will be held on campus will have a class size limit of 20 students and those classes will be held in spaces that allow for appropriate physical distancing, Wells said. Niagara College students will experience a similar semester structure. College president Sean Kennedy said 80 per cent of courses will be delivered online. One of our biggest challenges has been trying to figure out how to safely ensure that students have some components of their programs on campus for specialized labs, said Kennedy. We had two months of students being on campus but in smaller numbers. From that experience over the summer, weve fined-tuned many of our procedures. Susan Pritchard, a second-year office administration executive program student at the college, still has some concerns. As a mature student, I am concerned about my ability to learn online, self-regulate and comprehend new material, she said. The reason I chose college is because of the hands-on approach. Not everyone is a visual learner. Austin Gooder, a fourth-year labour studies student at Brock University, has similar worries. I am getting pretty nervous, he said. I am going into my fourth year and getting ready for graduate studies applications I am not sure how this is going to hurt or help my ability to succeed. Despite concerns among some students about returning to school in the fall, enrolment numbers for both Brock and Niagara College are down only slightly. We have seen some decrease in enrolment, said Kennedy. Regardless, the recent announcements by the federal government have ensured our numbers remain strong, both domestically and internationally. The changes Kennedy referred to were announced by Ottawa earlier this summer and include creation of a two-stage study permit approval process to help students who cannot submit required documents due to COVID-19 closures. This measure will reassure students that they can enrol and begin their studies this fall online, even when they are not able to submit all required documentation due to pandemic-related closures, Kennedy said. Melburnians are now evenly divided on family-visit restrictions as part of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' Stage 4 lockdown, which is now in its fifth week. Half of Melburnians think they should be able to visit immediate family while the other half believe it should still be banned, according to an SMS survey by market research company Roy Morgan released on Thursday. Meanwhile, 47 per cent of all Victorians think Melburnians should be able to visit their family while 53 per cent still support the restriction. Interestingly, the age bracket that most supports easing of restriction is those aged over 65, with 57 per cent of them backing more access despite being the age group most vulnerable to coronavirus. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at a press conference on Thursday. Mr Andrew's Stage 4 lockdown is proving to be divisive among Melburnians, with 50 per cent opposing the ban on visiting immediate family Support is also decreasing for other restrictions such as Melbourne's 8pm-5am curfew, which bans people from leaving their homes within these hours. Last week, 72 per cent of Victorians supported the curfew but that has dropped down to 61 per cent this week. Melburnians are currently only able to get takeaway or delivery from cafes and restaurants because table service, even when socially distanced, is banned. Support for this restriction has dropped by 14 per cent in the last week, with 61 per cent of Victorians still believing socially-distanced table service should be banned. An anti-lockdown protestor is arrested at a failed rally last month. Last week, 72 per cent of Victorians supported the curfew but it has dropped by 11 per cent down to 61 per cent this week Residents of the Victorian capital are limited to travelling within 5km of their home. There has also been an 11 per cent drop in support for the regulation banning people from travelling more than five kilometres from their homes, but it still does have the support of 60 per cent. The overwhelming majority of country Victorians (75 per cent) support the ban on Melburnians travelling to the countryside. All schools in Victoria have been closed since August 2, other than for the children of permitted workers who cannot work from home, and for vulnerable children. Two-thirds of Victorians (68 per cent) say schools and day care centres in Melbourne should not be re-opened to everyone. A food delivery rider waits to cross the road in the Melbourne CBD on Wednesday. Melburnians are currently only able to get takeaway or delivery from cafes and restaurants as table service, even when socially distanced, is banned All Victorians are required to wear face masks when they leave their homes for shopping, exercise and permitted work. The vast majority of Victorians still support this rule with 87 per cent saying it should continue while just 13 per cent disagree. The new survey results come as Victoria recorded 113 new coronavirus cases and 15 more deaths on Thursday. Melbourne's current lockdown began on August 2 and is expected to last six weeks, meaning that next week could be the final week of lockdown unless it is extended. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) Bangsamoro Region Health Minister Saffrullah Dipatuan announced that he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. The minister and parliament member said he is asymptomatic but is currently staying in the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Lanao Del Sur. On the other hand, his wife, who is also in isolation, is experiencing mild symptoms, he added. "We thank and appreciate your understanding at this time as we focus on attending to our health and attain full recovery," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Dipatuan also urged those he had been in contact with to quarantine for 14 days and seek treatment when symptoms manifest. The Bangsamoro Region recorded 688 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, of which 195 are active or currently ill and 17 have died, the local government said." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:09:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) said Thursday that it would assist rubber farmers by promoting Thailand as a global hub for rubber glove manufacturing. "Global demand for rubber gloves this year will reach 360 billion pieces, estimated at 40 billion baht (1.27 billion U.S. dollars)," said Alongkorn Ponlaboot, advisor to the ministry. "Now is the opportunity, as Thailand is currently the second biggest rubber glove exporter in the world with 8-15 percent annual growth," said Alongkorn. Alongkorn said that during the pre-coronavirus period, global rubber price were in its lowest, however the demand for rubber gloves grew during the pandemic, especially in the healthcare front. Alongkorn said the MOAC will be delivering its policy at the Agritech and Innovation Center to support the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) in the development of innovative rubber products, which will help raise rubber pricing, giving farmers a better income. The RAOT has recently launched special loan offers worth a total of 25 billion baht (795.6 million U.S. dollars) to assist rubber glove manufacturers to increase their production capacity and upgrade their equipment. Enditem The recently opened Webster at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles stands out because of its pink concrete architecture and list of buzzworthy brands. (Laurian Ghinitoiu / The Webster LA) The retail landscape has been marred by the closures of well-known fashion stores as well as a high unemployment rate and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there are still bright spots when it comes to in-store shopping such as L.A.'s the Webster, which has emerged as a sanctuary for style. Maguis Sosa, a 32-year-old manager of online influencers, is one design-savvy fan who found refuge in the 11,000-square-foot store, anchoring a prime corner of the Beverly Center at Beverly and San Vicente boulevards in Los Angeles. The Webster opened at the start of the year before the pandemic hit California and has had to close twice because of COVID-19 safety restrictions and the unrest that swept L.A. this spring. About her visit to the Webster in February, Sosa said, I like quiet places especially for shopping." She's an admirer of the store's tall ceilings and pink curved concrete walls designed by British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, who has also conceived grand churches and stately museums. Of the store, Sosa said, Its peaceful. Amid the clothing, accessories, beauty and home items for women, men and children from Gucci, Off-White, Palm Angels, Heron Preston, Versace and other high-end brands, the highlight for Sosa was a spacious dressing room decorated with a row of rectangular mirrors, vertical bars of white light and vintage wallpaper printed with tan leaves on a peachy base. It was like a dream-house closet, said Sosa, who, like others, took an Instagram selfie in the flattering spot. Its a space you want to stay and try on more clothes. The Webster LA stands out with its pink concrete architecture and high-end fashion at the Beverly Center. (Laurian Ghinitoiu / The Webster LA) Sosa liked the Websters feminine-but-modern decor so much, she made a second visit soon after. Its kind of the first store that Ive seen that is more than a retail, basic store, she said. It is a little more forward-thinking. Thats the intention of Laure Heriard Dubreuil, the Websters French founder and creative director. We wanted to create our own landmark in Los Angeles, she said on a tour of the store earlier this year. Just outside the Webster's front door, a movie by filmmaker Kahlil Joseph plays on a screen nestled within the cantilevered facade. Below, a fountain soothes the ears with its flowing water. An orange blossom scent created especially for the Webster permeates the open interior, which has been sectioned into discrete coves and streamlined banquettes. I wanted something disruptive, but at the same time, its reassuring as well, she said. Story continues With eight physical stores the first of which opened in 2009 in Miami and the most recent two unveiled this year at the Beverly Center and inside Montecito's Rosewood Miramar Beach resort the Webster is proving that the key to retail in these modern unprecedented times lies in customers comfort and happiness. (The retailer also has a store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.) Under Heriard Dubreuils discerning eye, which was sharpened while she worked in merchandising at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, the growing retailer sells a not-too-overwhelming selection of timeless items, including a number of designer exclusives. After all, cocktails over Zoom might get flirty if you wear a Maisie Wilen pastel-swirled tank dress with silver chain straps ($650). A masked-up walk outside might look cooler in chunky Pierre Hardy sneakers tied with pink bandannas ($645) or a black Real Buy bucket hat printed with green scribbles by artist Trevor Andrew, a.k.a. GucciGhost ($72). For children, theres an "I love Cali" T-shirt from the Websters own line. On the shirt the word love is substituted for a cute drawing of the companys flamingo mascot surfing ($40). Rumer Willis, left, with mom Demi Moore (center) and sister Tallulah Willis attended the Webster LA's launch party in February. (The Webster LA) The Websters L.A. store is also one of the first U.S. retailers to have Burberrys animal kingdom-themed pop-up, which features large sculptures of monkeys, gorillas and birds of paradise along with exclusive editions of Burberrys leather bags, silk scarves and jewelry. The pop-up at the Beverly Center is open through Sept. 17. The store's personalized customer service focuses on one-on-one appointments between clients and stylists. A big part of its business entails preparing consignment packages that stylists think their clients would like and sending them to their homes to try on at their convenience. Clients pay for what they keep. Heriard Dubreuil estimates that half of the Websters clients were already shopping by consignment before COVID-19. Thats why, for us, it made it less difficult to adapt to the new normal, she said in a Zoom call from Corsica last month. Everything that weve built during all these times, we managed to continue, and we developed the trust with our clients in building a safe haven. That was the goal for the Webster: [being a place] where you feel good, where you feel safe, where you feel that you are taken care of, and everything is curated for the clients. Under COVID-19 precautions, the Websters staff and guests are required to wear masks and respect the six-feet social distancing rule in the L.A. and Montecito stores. To control the flow in stores, shoppers are encouraged to make appointments. The stores are cleaned daily and sanitized between each client. Since opening its doors to the public on Jan. 10, the L.A. store has had to close twice. Not long after receiving the celebrity seal of approval with visits from Dakota Fanning, Meek Mill, Jhene Aiko and Demi Moore, it was shuttered for eight weeks to comply with L.A. Countys shelter-at-home mandate. It reopened for curbside pickups and limited in-store shopping in May. Later, the L.A. store closed again to repair damages from unrest during the protests sparked by George Floyds death in police custody. In support of Black Lives Matter, the Webster has pledged to add more Black designers and Black-owned brands. It also joined the Black in Fashion Council to advance Black individuals in the fashion and beauty industries. Another look inside the Webster's Los Angeles store at the Beverly Center. (Laurian Ghinitoiu / The Webster LA) Because it has a separate street entrance and valet, the store was able to launch for the third time on June 11. The Beverly Center and other indoor malls remain closed in L.A. It has truly been an emotional roller coaster since opening, Heriard Dubreuil said. The Websters store at the Rosewood Miramar Beach opened in July. Designed by Stephane Parmentier, with a giant block of onyx in the center used as a table, the 500-square-foot nook allows only three clients and one stylist at a time to shop for clothes, swimsuits and accessories from brands such as Chanel, Dior and Lisa Marie Fernandez. The boutique also offers in-room styling for hotel guests and Miramar Club members. Montecito and the estate itself are so beautiful and luxurious, said Heriard Dubreuil, who has taken to the California lifestyle after moving to L.A. from New York with her husband, artist Aaron Young, and their two children last year. Yet economic anxiety rears its head beyond the world of resorts. Heriard Dubreuil said she had already survived the Great Recession. When I opened my first retail [store] in Miami, it was also when people said, Retail is dead, she said. Weve always done it our way. Besides, she added, Fashion, for those who love it, can be the ultimate escape, and more times than not, people buy a piece out of sheer inspiration for a time in the future. The Webster at the Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (424) 600-7142; and the Webster at the Rosewood Miramar Beach, 1759 S. Jameson Lane, Montecito, (305) 674-7899, thewebster.us This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The uneasy alliance between the four UK nations over quarantine for returning travellers has fallen apart, with England, Wales and Scotland now operating conflicting policies. Even though Portugals coronavirus infection rate continues to rise, and is now well above the governments threshold for quarantine, the country has escaped being put back on Englands no-go list. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said there will be no changes to Englands quarantine list. He tweeted: We continue to keep the Travel Corridor list under constant review & wont hesitate to remove countries if needed. However, there are no English additions or removals today. Northern Ireland has followed suit. The health minister, Robin Swann, said: The situation is being kept under ongoing review and changes to the regulations will be made swiftly if required. Gibraltar, which has had a rate at least three times higher than Portugal for at least two weeks, has also retained its quarantine exemption for England and Northern Ireland. But Wales has imposed almost immediate quarantine on Portugal, Gibraltar and six Greek islands: Antiparos, Crete, Lesbos, Mykonos, Paros and Zante (also known as Zakynthos). Self-isolation for two weeks awaits Welsh holidaymakers who do not return by 4am on Friday. The usual deadline for England is 4am on Saturday. Residents of Wales who arrive at English airports, such as Bristol, Birmingham or Manchester, must follow the stipulations of the Welsh government. Scotland has also gone against the UK governments decision and imposed quarantine for arrivals from the whole of Portugal from 4am on Saturday. The justice secretary, Humza Yousaf, tweeted: This weeks data shows increase in test positivity & cases per 100k in Portugal. On Tuesday evening, the government in Edinburgh ruled that arrivals in Scotland from Greece must self-isolate for 14 days. To decide if a country is high or low risk, the UK government and the Joint Biosecurity Centre focus on the number of new cases per 100,000 citizens in a seven-day period. When that figure reaches 20, the nation is normally deemed to be dangerous though not so risky that holidaymakers must come home immediately. The UK is currently at 15 on that measure, with Greece on 14 and Portugal on 23. Many of the estimated 20,000 British tourists currently in Portugal who have been following, with increasing concern, the data used by the government to decide each countrys status, bought up tickets especially from Faro airport, which serves the popular Algarve coast. The last seat on a Jet2 flight from Faro to Manchester on Friday afternoon sold for 556. Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency travel consultancy, said: In a clear sign of how ill-thought-out the policy is, the government is now ignoring its own quarantine criteria. With countries such as the Netherlands and Austria rated with fewer infections in their populations than Portugal, then were all looking forward to seeing these countries now taken off the quarantine list. Only testing and more testing is the solution to walking the tricky tightrope between health and economic priorities. With over 30 other countries worldwide testing at airports, its still not clear why the UK is waiting to invest in such infrastructure. Earlier, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, rejected industry pleas for a testing regime at airports to reduce the current quarantine, saying, It doesnt clinically work. Indian news outlets are suggesting that a resumption of talks between operator Vodafone Idea and potential investors is under way. Specially, the e-commerce giant Amazon and US operator Verizon are said to be willing to resume talks to buy a large stake in the cash-strapped company. A sum in excess of $4 billion has been mentioned. The talks apparently began a few months back. However, according to Indian business news publication Mint, they were put on hold due to the ongoing Supreme Court hearings over AGR dues in general and the payback time in particular. We now know that all operators will have ten years to clear their outstanding AGR dues. This may not be as long as Vodafone Idea had hoped (15 years had been mentioned), but at least the decision ends any uncertainty and means that immediate payment is not required. In fact the bankruptcy option, which had been possible if the worst happened, is no longer on the table, according to Indian press reports. The first payment will be in 2022 as about $1 billion of the original $7 billion in Vodafone Ideas AGR dues has already been paid. While the immediate market response to the Supreme Court judgement, which gave Vodafone Idea 10 years to pay the outstanding $6 billion in back fees, was a fall in share price, there has been a rebound since. However, apart from the AGR dues, Vodafone Idea still has an estimated $14 billion of debt, according to some reports, and needs to find adequate funds to invest in attracting subscribers and planning for 5G rollout. Lucknow, Sep 3 : From eating 'parathas' to brushing their teeth to winking at teachers and even flashing suggestive photographs, students are doing it all. Online classes in schools in Uttar Pradesh are now becoming a source of embarrassment and harassment for teachers. Two days ago, a teacher realised that majority of the students in her online class were giggling uncontrollably. The teachers zeroed in and found that one of the boys was sitting wearing a vest and brushing his teeth. She forced the student to log out of the class. Last week, a girl was eating 'parathas' and her mother was yelling in the background to finish her breakfast. Just then, her aunt walked into the frame and hugs and kisses were exchanged between the two while the class was on. "A large number of students attend online classes in inappropriate dresses. In senior classes, boys are known to make obscene gestures to the teachers and then conveniently log out," said a teacher in Prayagraj. Another teacher from Varanasi admitted that most of the students do not wear uniforms in online classes. "They treat online classes like a picnic-some can be seen sipping cold drinks, other are munching on sandwiches while some continue to use their mobile phones. There is no way in which we can discipline them for this new medium of education," said Shaswati Banerjee, a teacher in a private school. She further said, "I actually dread that one day we will return to normal classes. I will not know how to deal with those who have made obscene gestures - some have even shown porn material to teachers-during online classes." She said that in cases where parents were informed about their child's conduct, they argued that the child was 'distressed' in the shutdown period and was behaving a 'bit abnormally'. In Baghpat, policemen are now probing a case of indiscipline by two students and their subsequent thrashing by a woman school teacher. A video of the teacher beating the two students with a cane in a private school has been shared widely on social media platforms. The students had allegedly sent her 'vulgar' messages. "Your brother passed out from this school. And he often asks me how the school is running and how the students are now. Shall I tell him that his younger brother is sending me abusive messages?" the teacher is heard asking the boy. A teacher from Kanpur said that girls were not far behind when it came to misbehaving in online classes. "There is this girl in class 10 who appears on the screen wearing revealing clothes and in full make-up. I called up her mother who, interestingly, defended her daughter saying that she was 'learning the art of make-up' just before the online class began," the teacher said. Talking to IANS, at least two principals of private schools admitted that students should be made aware of the fact that online classes are as good as regular classes, except for the physical distance. "We cannot record all online classes and parents will also have to educate their children about decorum and dignity of online education. In fact, we are planning to continue with online classes for some subjects even after schools reopen. This is being planned in order to inculcate the manners for the medium," said one of the principals. Vikas Pathak By The recent days have seen an exchange among historians on the idea of India. In two popular piecesthe first written for this newspaperJNU historian Shonaleeka Kaul has argued that there are references to a pan-Indian imagination since ancient times. While her first piece brought out evidence from ancient sources, her second articlein response to criticismadds medieval sources, the writings of Al-Biruni and Abul Fazl that also refer to a pan-Indian space. Historians trained at JNU Malavika Kasturi and Mekhola Gomes, in two media responses in another platform, accused Kaul of manipulating history. They charged her with projecting the modern nation-state, a recent phenomenon, back into the hoary past, also drawing a parallel between Kaul and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Kauls contention: India isnt a colonial concoction, but has been seen by many across millennia as an entity that was in some senses a single whole amid diverse beliefs and practices. Distinguishing between the notion of a composite Indian nation and V D Savarkars nation based on religion, both modern imaginaries, Kasturi and Gomes wondered whether Kaul had the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru, who in The Discovery of India argued for a continuity of the inclusive Indian nation since the hoary past, in mind. The implicit charge: she was playing to the right-wing gallery. This academic debate has wider implications. Political implications: There are two aspects to it: the methodological, the business mainly of historians, and the symbolic, important for all citizens. Let me first address the popular aspect, as it matters more than esoteric debates. The idea that there is a historical continuity to the nation is a core belief of modern Indian nationalism. It becomes problematic only when it attacks marginal communities in the name of the nation. There is no exclusive RSS stamp on the belief that India is a continuous entity, though the former may subscribe to this territorial sense of India without celebrating medieval circulations of it. Nationalist consensus: This nationalist conception of India was powerfully articulated, among others, by Jawaharlal Nehru. To a somewhat bare intellectual understanding was added an emotional appreciation, and the land of my forefathers became peopled with living beings, who laughed and wept, loved and suffered, and out of their wisdom they had built a structure that gave India a cultural stability that lasted thousands of years, Nehru wrote in The Discovery of India. In this stellar work of inclusive nationalism, Nehru runs the reader through the millennia, heaping praises on the philosophical richness of ancient India as also the composite culture that brought Islamic features to further enrich it. Nehrus central thesis: India saw many groups settling over time, but any short-term conflict within was followed by a grand resolution. Nehrus focus was on Indias essential geographical and social unity. One wonders how the mere mention of the notion of India being alive through the millennia can be seen as a concession to Hindutva nationalism. Any claim confusing the notion of a pan-Indian space since the millennia with the RSS has serious implications: the imaginary of a geographically united India becomes merely a Hindutva imaginary. Such a claim, in one inadvertent stroke, elevates Hindutva to the sole idea of India today. Anyone disagreeing with it must now also disagree with a galaxy of nationalists believing that the nation marks a continuum.The historians craft: Speaking as a historian, is mentioning ancient evidence that refers to some sense of a pan-Indian imagination an ahistorical claim that sees the modern nation as timeless and unchanged? Not really. Historians know that meanings change over time. What the Indian nation means today cannot be what Bharatvarsha meant in ancient times, when seen through the lens of professional history writing. Yet, one can argue that the nationalist imagination of modern India is not simply a colonial concoction; it harks back on past symbols that are repackaged in the service of the nationalist present, focusing on convergences rather than divergences. There were multiple felt senses of space in ancient and medieval India. Aryavarta, for instance, roughly the Delhi-Patna region, wasnt a pan-Indian space. However, the nationalist imagination creatively repackaged the pan-Indian imaginaries to forge the modern Indian nation.Nationalism beyond the varsity: What is the way out, if some historians see past senses of a pan-Indian imagination as myths that cant be seen as history? The answer has to transcend the university and be accessible to citizens. This takes me back to Nehru, among others. He was aware that myths werent history. But he also understood that they werent simply false. They were symbolic universes of meaning that could make those trained in history or those brought up on mythology construct a vibrant, national, public sphere. They teased out a world of continuity amid change.Facts and fiction are so interwoven together as to be inseparable, and this amalgam becomes an imagined history, which may not exactly tell us what happened but tell us something equally importantwhat people believed had taken place, what they thought their heroic ancestors were capable of, and what ideals inspired them, Nehru wrote. So, whether fact or fiction, it became a living element in their lives, ever pulling them up from the drudgery and ugliness of their everyday existence to higher realms It is time Nehruvians redeemed their pledge to uphold his tryst with destiny and ensured that nationalist thought isnt stripped of diversity by the polarised world of academia. Vikas Pathak Teaches at Asian College of Journalism. Holds a PhD in modern history from JNU (Also the author of Contesting Nationalisms. vikas.jnu1@gmail.com) The state government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night terminated the services of two officers of Food and Civil Supplies department, suspended another officer while FIRs were filed with police against eight millers in two districts on the ground of a central governments report that found that rice distributed through public distributed system (PDS) in these districts was unfit for human consumption and meant to be suitable for livestock and poultry, as per government officials. Earlier in the day, demanding an apology from the BJP government, leader Opposition in the state assembly and former chief minister Kamal Nath called the distribution of such rice among people a criminal act against humanity. An official communique from the state government released on Wednesday night said, The services of quality controllers responsible for ensuring quality of rice in Balaghat and Mandla districts have been terminated, while the district manager of Balaghat has been suspended in the case. Action is being taken against the concerned millers by registering FIR against them. Principal secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Faiz Ahmad Kidwai, said, So far FIRs have been lodged against eight millers. If we identify more millers responsible for distribution of such rice we will lodge FIRs against them too. The state governments official communique said, Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has given strict instructions against the guilty while taking the issue seriously of supply of poor quality rice in some places in Balaghat and Mandla districts. He clearly warned that those involved in irregularities and black marketing of ration, fertilizer etc. will not be spared and stern action will be taken by registering a criminal case against them. As per the official information, as many as 51 joint teams of Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Food & Civil Supplies Corporation, constituted to test the quality of rice, took 1021 samples of rice from both the districts. As a result of preliminary investigation, 57 of these samples were found to be sub-standard. As per the provision of the State Custom Milling Policy, sub-standard rice given by the millers after custom milling will be returned and rice of standard quality will be obtained from him, said the government in a statement. State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta released a letter dated August 21 of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System written to the principal secretary of Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Madhya Pradesh which stated, ..in total 32 samples (31 from depots and one from ration shop) were collected. The samples were analysed in the NABL accredited Central Grain Analysis Laboratory (CGAL), Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. The analysis report of all the total 32 samples were found to be not just below the rejection limit as per the uniform specifications issued by the ministry but also beyond the PFA standards as per FSSAI. The stocks are found to be unfit for human consumption and in the categories of Feed-I which is meant to be suitable for livestock feed (such as goat, horse, sheep), Feed-II which is suitable for cattle feed and Feed-III which is suitable for poultry feed as per the guidelines for the issuance/disposal of the stocks. Vodafone Idea, BSE , (AGR) 10 10 10 , , , , , , 11.15 4040 2400 1600 2016-17 58,250 7854 The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway rank the highest among child well-being, but there are nevertheless also reasons for concern in wealthy countries. The report, which was published by Unicef on Thursday, ranks Luxembourg 13th out of 41 participating countries. Member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) were evaluated based upon three distinct criteria: mental well-being, physical health, and skills. The Grand Duchy ranks second in physical health, only Japanese children are seen as fitter and healthier. The study considers both child mortality and obesity. Luxembourg has the lowest mortality rate, while Mexico has the highest. According to Unicef, a country's child mortality rate can be seen as indicative of national wealth and inequalities. The US form an exception as being one of the wealthier countries to have an elevated mortality rate. The second classifier for physical health is obesity. The overall rate of overweight children has been on the rise in recent years, and it appears it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, which can have detrimental effects on both physical and psychological well-being. In Luxembourg, 26% of children and adolescents between the age of 5 and 19 were overweight in 2016. The tally is the lowest in Japan (14%) and the highest in the US (42%). Discontent with one's own body 45% of 11, 13, and 15-year-olds across the world's wealthiest countries report dissatisfaction with their own bodies, and more feel overweight than underweight. It is noteworthy in that regard that although more boys at the age of 15 are overweight than girls (27 and 23%), the rate of boys who claim to be dissatisfied with their weight is lower than that of girls (24 and 34%). Unicef further concludes that many children report discontent with their body images before even reaching adolescence. Unicef In general, the bodily self-evaluation has more significant impacts on the well-being of girls than that of boys. Luxembourg seems to be an exception to this rule however, with an average of 4% for both boys and girls. Close to a quarter of Luxembourg's children not really satisfied with their lives When it comes to mental well-being, the Grand Duchy finds itself in the middle of the pack. 76% of 15-year-olds in Luxembourg claim to not be fully satisfied with their lives. In comparison, in the Netherlands, 90% of children report to be satisfied, while Turkey has the lowest tally with only 53%. Unicef also looked at the suicide rate as an indicator of mental well-being. Many children lack basic skills The Grand Duchy ranks less favourable when it comes to skill sets, which can be explained by the fact that Unicef relies on the PISA tests for their assessment, in which Luxembourg's pupils are known to have their fair set of difficulties. Only 7 other countries have lower rates of basic math and reading skills than the Grand Duchy with 56%. Estonia ranks highest in that category. Unicef also considered social skills in their evaluation, as for instance the ability to find new friends. 75% of Luxembourgish children believe this to be easy. The highest rate can be found in Romania, the lowest in Chile. Meanwhile, most adolescents in Luxembourg are either in school, doing an apprenticeship, or working. In 2018, only 1.5% of children between the age of 15 and 19 were not, a clear decrease since 2010 (6%). Positive and negative factors Children who spend most of their time playing outside are in general more satisfied than others. Screen time, which has been on the rise in recent years, does not seem to have as much of a negative affect as previously thought. Unicef emphasised nevertheless that moderation would play a key factor in that aspect. Good family relations have a positive impact on well-being. In Luxembourg, only 40% of children who claim not to be supported by their parents indicate to be content. Pandemic The Unicef report clearly indicates that even in the world's wealthiest countries, many children are still struggling. Gunilla Olsson, director of Unicef Innocenti and author of the report, notes that almost in half of these countries, including Luxembourg, 1 out 5 children still lived in poverty. Unicef The corona crisis might worsen the situation, especially since many schools were forced to close for a significant amount of time. Olsson underlines that pandemic-related family and child support is often by far not enough. Paired with the pending recession, the rate of child poverty could be on the rise again in the foreseeable future. Future prospects Unicef offers a series of measures to counteract this tendency: better inclusion of children in decision-making processes, unified policies against inequality and poverty, improving access to nurseries and mental health services for children as well as adolescents, family-friendly work policies, reducing air pollution, and even improving the protection of avoidable diseases. The last measure is considered a reaction to the growing tendency of refusing vaccinations in recent years. According to the report, Norway, Iceland, and Finland have adapted the most efficient political policies to counteract the decline in well-being of their children and adolescents. Luxembourg ranks 7th in that category. US Senator Ed Markey beat out challenger Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III in Tuesdays Democratic primary contest in Massachusetts. Markey, 74, in Congress for 44 years, scored a decisive 5545 margin victory over Kennedy, 39, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, the late US senator and attorney general. The Kennedy dynasty had never before lost an election in Massachusetts. To read media reports of the outcome, one would believe that Markeys victory heralded a win for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. This was due in large part to the support given by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the longtime middle-of-the-road Democrat. Celebrating his victory, Markey described his campaign as a movement fueled by young people who are not afraid to raise their voices or make enemies. He added, Tonights victory is a tribute to those young people and to their vision. Nothing could be further from the truth. An examination of the senators record, which has included 37 years in the US House and 7 years in the Senate, shows that he was a reliable vote for the party establishment on key domestic and foreign-policy issues, and sometimes stood on the right wing of the party, voting in 2002 to authorize the war in Iraq. Why, then, did Ocasio-Cortez lend her support to his campaign? Ads flooding the Massachusetts television market featured Ocasio-Cortez championing Markey as coauthor of her Green New Deal. Markey cited his support for Medicare for All and other progressive initiatives. Taking a swipe at the much younger Kennedy, Ocasio-Cortez argued in ads, It's not a question of your age; its the age of your ideas. Markey appeared in ads, wearing his trademark Nike sneakers, relating how his father worked as a milkman, and how as a young man he drove an ice cream truck to finance his undergraduate and law degrees at Boston College, in an effort to contrast his background to Kennedys as the scion of the most prominent and wealthiest political family in Massachusetts. Kennedy had hoped to capture the vote of young adults as well as African Americans, banking on his familys associationhowever limited and contradictorywith the civil rights era of the 1960s. However, this vote did not materialize in significant numbers. He carried the older industrial cities such as Springfield, Worcester, Lowell, Fall River and New Bedford. Markey dominated in the upscale suburbs west of Boston, including Brookline and Kennedys hometown of Newton, former strongholds of the Kennedy clan, as well as in the university towns. Before turning to Markeys voting record on key policy issues, it is worth examining the so-called progressive content of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. Sen. Markey and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Green New Deal in both houses of Congress in February of last year. The nonbinding resolution called for American energy production to transition to non-carbon-based sources within 10 years. The resolutions nonbinding character meant its supporters would be committed to nothing. Furthermore, even if it were adopted, the deal is placed entirely within the framework of the US capitalist profit system. Insisting that the US become the international leader on climate action, it would advance US corporate interests and proposes no international collaboration to advance climate concerns. Given the attitude of the Trump administration toward the World Health Organization in the course of the coronavirus pandemic, it is laughable to expect that the US ruling elite could be counted upon to advance the environmental interests of the planet and its population. Similarly, Medicare for All, championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in his Democratic presidential bids in 2016 and 2020, has no chance of being adopted. A genuine socialist reorganization of the US health care system would require the expropriation of the giant hospital chains, private insurers and pharmaceuticals. Even a very limited reform like that proposed by Sanders would never take place under either a Republican or Democratic administration. So, it was easy for Markey to toss around the Green New Deal and Medicare for All as cheap campaign slogans in a cynical effort to boost the senators progressive credentials. On policy issues of real substance, in the House in 1994 Markey voted for the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which opened the door to mass incarceration, created 50 new death penalty offenses, and eliminated Pell Grants for inmates to receive higher education while incarcerated. Rep. Markey was only one of three members of the Massachusetts Democratic congressional delegation to vote for Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in 2002. Eighty-one Democrats in the House voted in favor of the resolution, while 126 voted against, placing Markey on the right wing of the Democratic caucus. Markey now claims he was duped by the lies of George W. Bush about Saddam Husseins possession of weapons of mass destruction. Those in the Democratic Party who now hail Markey as a beacon of the progressives are well aware of these pro-imperialist and law-and-order votes, but chose to back him against Kennedy, whose policies were equally right-wing, although with a shorter record. When Kennedy first announced his bid for the Senate, he was ahead of Markey in the polls by double digits, and there was some speculation that Markey might resign his seat. But Markey ramped up his campaign and enlisted the support not only of Ocasio-Cortez but from many corners of the Democratic left, including MoveOn, Our Revolution, Progressive Democrats of America and the Sunrise Movement. Elizabeth Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts, endorsed him. Markeys campaign site lists the support of 17 unions, union locals and officials, demonstrating his long-term relationship with the corrupt union bureaucracy in the state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed Kennedy, saying she always supported members of her caucus, whatever seat they sought. Longstanding ties between the wealthy Pelosi and Kennedy families may have played a role in her decision. Markeys primary victory is revealing for what it says about the corrupt politics of forces like Ocasio-Cortez, who aim to ingratiate themselves with the Democratic establishment. Her campaign to remake the persona of a hack politician like Markey is part of an effort to do the same for the Democratic Party as a whole, in order to channel the discontent and anger of workers and young people over the pandemic, unemployment, hunger, evictions and other social catastrophes back into this political dead end. In other primary results in the state, 17-term Rep. Richard Neal, 71, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the powerful body that handles all tax legislation, beat out a challenge from Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, 31. His win followed a #MeToo-type smear against the openly gay Morse from the student paper at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which received widespread media attention thanks to Neals campaign, but ultimately proved bogus. Both Markey and Neal will win the general election easily. Markey faces only token opposition, while Neal is one of four members of the all-Democratic delegation from Massachusetts who face no Republican opponent on the ballot. In another significant result, Jake Auchincloss won the Democratic primary to succeed Joseph Kennedy in Congress. Auchincloss will add another member to the military-intelligence caucus in Congress, which the WSWS has identified as the CIA Democrats. The most right-wing candidate in a nine-person contest, he won with just 23 percent of the vote. According to his campaign website, Auchincloss, as a captain in the Marine Corps, commanded infantry in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2012 and a reconnaissance unit in Panama in 2014. In Helmand, he led combat patrols through villages contested by the Taliban. In Panama, his team of elite reconnaissance Marines partnered with Colombian special operations to train the Panamanian Public Forces in drug interdiction tactics. Auchincloss will join a dozen other CIA and military operatives who now play an outsized role in the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives. As Iowa sees a sharp spike in coronavirus cases, Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican in a tight race for re-election, echoed a debunked conspiracy theory that Covid-19 deaths were being greatly inflated and suggested that health care providers had a financial motive to falsify cases. Ms. Ernst said she was so skeptical of the governments national statistics about virus fatalities during a visit on Monday to Waterloo, a city in northeast Iowa. Theyre thinking there may be 10,000 or less deaths that were actually singularly Covid-19, Ms. Ernst said. Im just really curious. It would be interesting to know that. Ms. Ernsts comments seemed to repeat a false claim spread by President Trump on Twitter over the weekend, which the company removed for violating its rules against sharing disinformation because it is linked to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. Schaffer Corporation Limited (ASX:SFC) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 7th of September will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of September. Schaffer's next dividend payment will be AU$0.35 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed AU$0.80 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Schaffer has a trailing yield of 4.9% on the current stock price of A$16.32. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. See our latest analysis for Schaffer Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Schaffer paid out a comfortable 47% of its profit last year. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out 76% of its free cash flow as dividends, which is within usual limits but will limit the company's ability to lift the dividend if there's no growth. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see how much of its profit Schaffer paid out over the last 12 months. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. That's why it's comforting to see Schaffer's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 47% per annum for the past five years. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Schaffer has delivered 7.2% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. Final Takeaway Has Schaffer got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? From a dividend perspective, we're encouraged to see that earnings per share have been growing, the company is paying out less than half of its earnings, and a bit over half its free cash flow. Schaffer looks solid on this analysis overall, and we'd definitely consider investigating it more closely. So while Schaffer looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. Our analysis shows 5 warning signs for Schaffer that we strongly recommend you have a look at before investing in the company. A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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. 'PM-CARES money is for the relief of citizens, so what is the secrecy then?' 'Why will it harm anyone if it is revealed where the money came from and where it is going?' 'What is there to hide?' Photograph: Press Information Bureau Right to Information activist Anjali Bhardwaj filed a petition to know the details of money being spent by PM-CARES Fund, which has been in the news for not being transparent about its funding and disbursements. However, like all other RTI applications on PM-CARES, she didn't get any answer. The fund authorities refused to entertain her, stating that PM-Cares was not a public authority under the RTI Act. Undeterred by the negative response, Bhardwaj went on filing RTIs to PM-CARES, the prime minister's office, the ministry of corporate affairs, the ministry of health and the ministry of labour to know about ventilators being provided by PM-CARES. "Through this RTI response we came to know that less than 18,000 ventilators were procured and supplied as opposed to the planned 50,000-plus ventilators," Bhardwaj tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. What information did you seek through your RTI plea? PM-CARES Fund was set up for relief during disasters like COVID-19. Unfortunately, PM-CARES has not provided active information on how much funds are coming in and where the funds are going. In India, we know that unless all this information is not put in the public domain the beneficiaries will not get any benefit. RTI pleas filed by various citizens were unanswered and stonewalled by stating that PM-CARES is not a public authority. So, we had filed a set of RTI applications at the prime minister's office, saying all the files that are held by the PMO regarding PM-CARES should be provided. Now the PMO is a public authority under the RTI Act. All the files (with the PMO) and records are covered under the definition of the RTI Act. If they have to deny any information, they have to do so under section 8 or section 9 of the RTI Act. But they went ahead and said PM-CARES is not a public authority and they cannot give any information now as it is not permissible under law. I did not file an RTI to PM-CARES, but to the PMO asking for files it holds about the fund. We will appeal again as our first appeal was unfortunately dismissed . Now we are going to approach the Central Information Commissioner. What did you find in your other RTI pleas which you filed with different ministries? One of the things that came out in the public domain was that Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) was spent on providing ventilators for COVID-19 relief. We wanted to know which were the hospitals these ventilators have been provided to. Were they central government hospitals? Which are these hospitals? Where was this money spent? This RTI plea was filed in the health ministry. The reply we received showed that there were purchase orders placed by the ministry before the PM-CARES Fund was set up and the proposal was to fund those ventilators. In this RTI response, we came to know that less than 18,000 ventilators were procured and supplied as opposed to the planned 50,000-plus ventilators. Also, there were two companies that received advance payment, but they did not pass the trials. Rs 22 crore (Rs 220 million) was given to them in advance, but eventually they failed the trials. The RTI response also shows that a letter went from the PMO saying that all the ventilators should prominently display PM-CARES logo and a GPS tracker must be fitted on them. What happened to the Rs 22 crore? This information was not provided to us. All we see is that there are two tables -- one shows that they gave money to two companies. They are silent on what happened to the advance of Rs 22 crore. Is PM-CARES really a public authority for RTI purposes? When PM-CARES was set up, there were certain things done to attract funds. One of the things was that both public and private sector companies were told that they could contribute their CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds to PM-CARES. We have also accessed file notings under the RTI Act from the ministry of corporate affairs and that clearly shows that the reason companies are giving the CSR money to PM-CARES was because it was set up by the central government. They have given this in writing. In fact, office memorandum which went out to the companies says that PM-CARES Fund was set up by the central government. Therefore, it is eligible for CSR funding. Now under the RTI Act, the definition of public authority is that any 'body' that is set up by the central government is a public authority. So, it is totally inexplicable how then can the government say PM-CARES is not a public authority? What it shows is that on one hand, to get the CSR money, the government says PM-CARES is a public authority and it has been set up under the aegis of the central government. But when it comes to being transparent and replying to RTI queries, the government is saying PM-CARES is not a public authority. If I am not mistaken, PM-CARES disclosed that it got Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30 billion) plus through donations, isn't it? If an authority is under the RTI Act cannot disclose things on their own and not give responses to RTI queries... They are not saying where the money is going, whom the money is going to and which are the companies getting the money. They are not giving any information. No details are being given in the public domain. PM-CARES Web site gives no details as to where the money is going, who are the beneficiaries. When we are filing RTI applications, they say we will not give a response because it is not a public authority. If PM-CARES Fund was set up by the central government, then under the RTI Act it becomes a public authority. How are they then saying they will not give information under the RTI Act? The Bharatiya Janata Party claims a clean chit was given by the Supreme Court to PM-CARES. The Supreme Court of India has not given any clean chit to PM-CARES. The petition before the Supreme Court of India was whether the funds under PM-CARES should be transferred to the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force). The Supreme Court of India said, 'No'. They (the Supreme Court) dismissed that petition and they have not said anything about the RTI law or transparency. In spite of all odds, you are still going to fight to get information on PM-CARES? Unless you have information, people will not get their rights. You will not get benefits as corruption is rampant. You can fight corruption only when you have transparent information. PM-CARES money is for the relief of citizens, so what is the secrecy then? Why will it harm anyone if it is revealed where the money came from and where it is going? There is no harm in revealing this information. What is there to hide? If people know how much money is coming, how much money is going and where, they will monitor and ensure that the money goes to the right place. Under the RTI Act these things are legally mandated. Under the law they are obligated as they are a public authority. They have to give the information. It is a statutory requirement. on Thursday said it has launched cardless cash withdrawal facility from ATMs, leveraging the Instant Money Transfer (IMT) system. The private sector lender said it has tied-up with Empays Payment Systems, a global financial technology provider, to offer this service. customers can withdraw cash without their debit cards from 389 IMT-enabled automated teller machines (ATMs) of the bank or more than 40,000 other bank across the country, it said in a release. To avail the service a customer has to log into RBL Bank's MoBank app to locate an ATM that supports the IMT function and initiate cash withdrawal by either using his or her mobile number linked to the account or by following a few easy steps on the app. The customer selects the IMT button on the mobile app, gets a code, and uses it to withdraw money from the ATM. "We have been investing heavily in technology and the cardless cash withdrawal facility through Empays Payment Systems is the latest value-added service in our growing contactless banking suite. "We will continue to innovate in our effort to deliver seamless, relevant and convenient services for our customers," said Surinder Chawla, Head Retail Liabilities and Wealth Management, Ravi Rajagopalan, Founder and CEO, Empays Payment Systems, said this tie-up will provide the bank an extra element of safety and convenience to its customers. Licensed by Reserve Bank of India as a national payment system, the IMT Payment System is the world's largest cardless ATM system, RBL Bank said. of a number of member-banks are already linked to the IMT Switch, which enables customers of a particular bank to use the of any member-bank to withdraw cash from their accounts or remit money. (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 coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the world. And what we now expect from once common, everyday experiences, such as dining out, has subsequently changed and continues to evolve. According to a news release from Burger King, the fast food hamburger chain has considered these new expectations, and is unveiling updated restaurant designs to fulfill guests changing demands. This involves changes that will deliver flexibility, innovative features and convenient options for how its food can be ordered and delivered, the release said. What is featured in the new designs? Featured throughout the new designs will be: dedicated mobile order and curbside pick-up areas, drive-in and walk-up order areas, enhanced drive-thru experience, exterior dining spaces and sustainable design elements, Burger King said. Burger King said that the new designs will feature multiple ordering and delivery modes, and that the physical footprint will be 60% smaller than a traditional Burger King restaurant building and site. According to the press release, here are some of the features the reimagined restaurant blueprints emphasize: Drive-in - Cars are parked under solar-powered canopies. Orders are placed through the BK App and food is quickly delivered to guests cars. Curbside delivery - Advance orders can be placed through the mobile app with dedicated parking spots. Guests will notify the restaurant team member upon arrival via an app. Pick up lockers - Mobile and delivery orders can be picked up from coded food lockers where food will come straight from the kitchen. On-premise dining - The traditional indoor dining room is replaced with a shaded patio featuring outdoor seating. Drive thru - Double or triple lanes will feature digital menu boards and merchandising. An external walk up window will be an alternate point for ordering take-out. Suspended kitchen and dining room - Configured to reduce the building footprint, here drive-thru guests will have their order delivered from the suspended kitchen by a conveyor belt system, allowing for a 100% touchless experience. There is also a dining room and covered outdoor seating situated above the drive thru entrance. A triple drive thru will include a dedicated lane for delivery drivers. Burger King's "Restaurant of Tomorrow" concept includes drive-in parking spots similar to a Sonic Drive-in restaurant. (Photo courtesy Burger King) Who created the new designs? Created by the Restaurant Brands International in-house design group, the press release said, the plans were drafted with input from tech, operations and food innovation teams, with the purpose of dramatically improving the Burger King restaurant guest experience. In March our in-house design and tech team accelerated new restaurant design plans and pushed the limits of what a Burger King restaurant could be, said Josh Kobza, Restaurant Brands International chief operating officer. We took into consideration how consumer behaviors are changing and our guests will want to interact with our restaurants. The result is a new design concept that is attractive to guests and will allow our franchisees to maximize their return, the press release quoted. Where and when will the new designs be built? According to the press release, restaurants utilizing the new design concept will be built in 2021 in Miami, Latin America and Caribbean. Restaurant design renderings can be previewed at https://youtu.be/vwpz-wBqo4k and https://youtu.be/qoHONJCu4T0. Founded in 1954, the Burger King brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world, the release said. READ MORE: Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Russia defies sanctions threat over Navalny poisoning Alexei Navalny has been in a coma since his poisoning last month Russia defied threats of new sanctions over the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, as US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had not yet seen proof that the Kremlin critic was a victim of Moscow's Novichok programme. A new crisis in ties between Russia and the West broke out after Germany said this week there was "unequivocal evidence" that President Vladimir Putin's top foe had been poisoned using the Soviet-era nerve agent. Western leaders and many Russians have expressed horror at what Navalny's allies say is the first known use of chemical weapons against a high-profile opposition leader on Russian soil. The 44-year-old lawyer fell ill on a Siberian flight last month and was evacuated to Germany for treatment. He has been in an artificially induced coma for the past two weeks. The Kremlin again denied responsibility for the attack on Friday. "A whole number of theories including poisoning were considered from the very first days," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "According to our doctors, this theory has not been proved." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Germany's justice ministry had so far failed to share any findings with Moscow's prosecutors, adding that Russian authorities had "nothing to hide". Trump said Friday he had yet to see proof from Berlin that Navalny had been poisoned. "I don't know exactly what happened. I think it's tragic, it's terrible, it shouldn't happen," the president told a press conference. - 'Stress and dieting' - Over the past few days, pro-Kremlin figures have wheeled out a number of eyebrow-raising theories, including that Navalny might have been poisoned by Germans in Berlin or even have poisoned himself. On Friday, a toxicologist claimed the opposition politician's health could have deteriorated due to dieting, stress or fatigue, insisting no poison had been found in his samples in the Siberian city of Omsk. Story continues "Any external factors could have triggered a sudden deterioration. Even a simple lack of breakfast," said the chief toxicologist for the Omsk region, Alexander Sabayev. On Thursday, Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko also muddied the waters, claiming his security forces had intercepted German calls showing Navalny's poisoning had been faked. Russia has in the past denied responsibility for a 2018 Novichok attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England, as well as a litany of similar incidents. - NATO demands transparency - In Brussels, NATO called for an international probe into Navalny's poisoning and demanded Moscow reveal details of its Novichok nerve agent programme to the OPCW global chemical weapons watchdog. After an emergency meeting of NATO's ruling council, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said all members were united in condemning the "horrific" attack on Navalny. Germany briefed the other 29 nations on the case and Stoltenberg said there was "proof beyond doubt" Novichok was used. "The Russian government must fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on an impartial international investigation," Stoltenberg said. The Novichok attack on Skripal in 2018 led to seven Kremlin diplomats being expelled from their NATO mission. While Stoltenberg did not rule out a similar reprisal this time, he stressed that the Navalny poisoning was quite different from the Skripal attack, which happened on the soil of a NATO member. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell earlier called on Moscow to cooperate with an international probe into the poisoning and said the 27-nation bloc would not rule out sanctions. In Moscow, a court threw out a complaint by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation over investigators' perceived inaction, the group said. Ivan Zhdanov, head of Navalny's anti-corruption group, said Thursday the opposition politician's poisoning opened a "new chapter" in a Kremlin crackdown on dissent. "Now the Russian state will be inventing the most absurd and crazy versions of what has happened," he told AFP. bur-as/tgb/gle/jah A lawyers suggestion her client should receive a lighter sentence for his role in several vicious jailhouse attacks due to the risk of contracting COVID-19 while in custody did not sit well with a local judge. It is ironic that were talking about mitigating your sentence because you werent safe in the jail when two of your offences involve beating the bejesus out of other guys in the jail, Judge Fergus ODonnell told Michael Frederick. Obviously, those people have the right to be safe as well. In Ontario Court of Justice in Welland Wednesday, 34-year-old Frederick was sentenced to three years behind bars on several charges including weapons offences and for his role in several assaults at Niagara Detention Centre. One of the assaults left a prisoner with multiple fractures to his face and back. However bad it is to have consensual fights in the detention centre, theres just something offputting about a bunch of guys ganging up on one guy, the judge said. It just rejects any sense of fairness. Ganging up on someone is cowardly, thug-like behaviour and there is no excuse for it. On Feb. 13, court heard, Frederick was among several prisoners who assaulted another inmate in the maximum security wing at the Thorold jail. The victim suffered several fractures to his nasal bone. Four days later, Frederick was involved in another assault at the jail. This time, a 51-year-old prisoner had initially squared off with another inmate for a consensual fight when he was sucker-punched and fell to the floor. Four men, including Frederick, then punched, kicked and stomped the victim about his head and torso. The man was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for numerous injuries including fractures to his forearm, ribs and vertebrae in his lower back. He also sustained fractures to his jaw, nose and eye socket. The judge asked Frederick to consider how he would feel if his son found himself behind bars in the future, and is set upon by other prisoners. Im not saying this to be cruel. I hope this never happens, but think about it as a theory, ODonnell said. How would you feel if your son was in jail and three or four other guys laid into him and beat the crap out of him? It wouldnt be fair to your boy to be subjected to that, and its not fair for you to be participating in something like that. Frederick was also sentenced for several crimes which occurred in Niagara Falls in fall 2018, one involving a throwing star a three-bladed device prohibited in Canada and another involving a man being confronted by a prowler and having a gun pointed at his head. An investigation revealed the weapon was a BB gun. The judge told the offender to consider his time in the penitentiary as an opportunity as he will be able to take advantage of various rehabilitative and treatment programs. Russia halted all regular and charter international flights with other countries at the end of March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak worldwide, allowing only repatriation trips Russia has resumed international flights with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives, a government order published on Thursday showed. The government said it had authorized three flights a week to Cairo, as well as two flights a week to Dubai and to the Maldives's Velana International Airport. Russia halted all regular and charter international flights with other countries at the end of March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak worldwide, allowing only repatriation trips. The decision was reviewed in August and the country resumed flights to Great Britain, Tanzania, Turkey and Switzerland in accordance with a number of criteria determined by the Russian anti-coronavirus crisis center. According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the criterions are recording no more than 40 new cases of the coronavirus infection per 100,000 of population during 14 days, no more than 1% of daily growth of the new cases over 14 days, and the coronavirus spread coefficient not higher than one over a week. Egypt has been witnessing a decline in its daily total of new cases and deaths in recent weeks as the government implemented various measures to control the spread the virus. It has recorded daily tallies of less than a thousand new cases consistently since 9 July. As of 1 July, the government resumed regular international flights at all its airports after a four-month hiatus due to the pandemic. Foreign tourists in groups are allowed entry into three coastal Egyptian governorates with the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country South Sinai, the Red Sea, and Matrouh Search Keywords: Short link: Apple CEO Tim Cook is singing H-E-B's praises, but it's not for the "everyday low prices" or fan favorite Meal Simple options. Cook is lauding the grocery store's expansion in the Apple App Store. The CEO included H-E-B in a tweet with other leading developers who have added to the App Store's growth on Wednesday. RELATED: H-E-B unveils food hall with five restaurants and a bar inside Austin location "Were proud that developers like @Caribu, @HEB & @ShineText are growing their businesses on the App Store," his tweet reads. "Our iOS developer community now supports 2.1 millions jobs across all 50 states, providing opportunities for Americans in the face of immense challenges." Apple further explained the growth in an article posted to the company's newsroom. According to Apple, the App Store economy has added nearly 300,000 new jobs since April 2019. Apple recognized the importance of applications as users make pandemic-era adjustments to every part of their lives. H-E-B contributed to Texas' addition of 36,000 new jobs within the last year, which is a 30 percent increase, according to Apple. Before the pandemic, the grocer launched the new My H-E-B app with a glossy Super Bowl commercial starring Eva Longoria in February. The mobile app makes amenities like curbside and delivery easier and safer for customers. H-E-B has also added features like no-touch coupons, self checkout, in-app donations, and SNAP payment integration. Since launching, the app's monthly active users have increased by an "astonishing" 1,050 percent and H-E-B has reached their 2021 revenue goals in a matter of months, Apple says. H-E-B has grown the digital team by more than 150. H-E-B Digital's Chief Product Officer Mike Georgoff explained how critical the app has been for customers throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Our focus on ease of use turned out to be even more important than wed imagined, and were proud that our app is making it possible for more Texans to take care of their families during the pandemic, he said in the Apple article. Our companys strength is our workforce so much so that we call them partners. It means so much to us to grow that team every year as we expand our footprint and offer our customers new digital services. Some customers reacted to the big name shoutout by asking about the possibility of Apple Pay, a cashless mobile payment option, being offered at H-E-B checkout lanes. The store replied to some of the tweets saying they are "looking into" the option and other ways to minimize contact at the register. Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye Riga, Latvia -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/03/2020 -- 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 About Cryptoshib Criptoshib tries to keep crypto enthusiasts updated with the latest happenings and stories from the crypto world. We try to post stories about projects and people of the crypto and blockchain communities from around the world. Media Contact https://cryptoshib.com/the-end-speculative-crypto-payments/ After reports of several films being made on the life and death of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, another movie in the pipeline now aims at showcasing the life of the one of the prime accused in the ongoing probe into his death, actor Rhea Chakraborty. The film is titled Nyay The Justice and features Zubair K Khan and Shreya Shukla in lead roles of Sushant and Rhea respectively. It will be written and directed by Dilip Gulati. Shruti Modis lawyer Ashok Saraogi has revealed that his wife Sarla A Saraogi is producing a film on Rhea, based on the advocates research. Shruti was Sushants manager. Ashok told Navbharat Times in an interview, I want to clarify that my wife is making the film and it does not mean that we are trying to encash on the ongoing investigation into the actors death. The report added that the film will likely favour Rhea. However, Ashok suggested that neither have they sought any permission from the family nor do they plan to do so. As far as the legal aspect is concerned, every film is inspired by a true event. We can say that this film is inspired by Sushant-Rhea case.Anyone can say this and make a film and it is not crime either. The script for our film is almost complete. He added that everyone involved in the case will get justice with the film. Vikas Singh, lawyer of Sushants father KK Singh, had said, Sushant Singh Rajputs father and sisters have decided that no film, serial or book should be written or made without the expressed consent of his father and without the script being shown to him. If anyone goes against it, they will do it at their own peril, Rhea has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sushants father has accused her of abetting the actors suicide. Meanwhile, TikTok star Sachin Tiwari is all set to play the late actor in another film, Suicide or Murder. In an interview to Hindustan Times, Sachin had said that he hopes to not disappoint Sushants fans. The film was announced just a couple of days after Sushants death and the newcomer, who hails from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, said it was then that he approached the filmmakers. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput billboards removed in US for smear campaign against Rhea Chakraborty, his sister calls it work of paid PR Sushant was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. Several investigations are being conducted. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON LAUSD Reports Decrease in Attendance, Kindergarten Enrollment With virtual instruction well under way in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the superintendent said today average daily student attendance is at 88.4%, compared to 91.8% last year, with kindergarten classes seeing a major decline. LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner also said about 4% of all students and their families have yet to make any connection with their school community since remote learning began Aug. 18, highlighting what he called gaps that remain in some student groups which have historically been hard to serve. Overall enrollment during the pandemic is down at about the same level as prior years, but Beutner noted a significant decline in enrollment at the kindergarten level, especially in certain communities. ADVERTISEMENT The biggest drops in kindergarten enrollment are generally in neighborhoods with the lowest household incomes, Beutner said. 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. The superintendent said the attendance rates are a reminder that the crisis is having a disproportionate impact on low-income families. He emphasized that the district continues to work with families to ensure all students can participate with loaned computers and internet access, if needed. We expect the job impacts and housing insecurity due to COVID-19 to cause additional volatility in enrollment and attendance figures for some time to come, he said. Theres still no word on when schools might reopen, but Beutner said health conditions in Los Angeles remain far from the levels at which it would be appropriate to consider a return to school campuses. District officials are working to put in place the foundation for an eventual return, which will include COVID-19 testing for students and staff and family members who may have been exposed to the virus, as well as a mobile application students can use to register and self-screen for symptoms. Meanwhile, students who are engaged in distance-learning have regular schedules with daily, live instruction at all grade levels and regular assessments of student progress to help teachers provide feedback to students and their families, the superintendent said. Small group instruction and one-on-one help is being provided to students who need it most. TOKYO/WELLINGTON: A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japans coastguard on Thursday. The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as the region experienced strong winds, heavy seas and drenching rains from Typhoon Maysak as it headed towards the Korean peninsula. Japans coastguard said it rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, on on Wednesday night (Tokyo time) while searching for the ship. According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejacket. Edvarodo said he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 with 5,867 cattle and 43 crew members on board, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealands foreign ministry told Reuters. The crew included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the coastguard said. The 139 metre (450 ft), Panamanian-flagged vessel was built in 2002 and the registered owner is Amman-based Rahmeh Compania Naviera SA, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The ship manager is Hijazi & Ghosheh Co. New Zealand animal rights organisation, SAFE, said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. These cows should never have been at sea," said Campaigns Manager Marianne Macdonald. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue." Last year, New Zealands government launched a review of countrys live export trade, worth around NZ$54 million ($37 million) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit. A conditional ban on the live export of cattle was one of several options being considered, Agriculture Minister Damien OConnor said. ($1 = 1.4775 New Zealand dollars) Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor Facebook plans to block new advertising the week before the presidential election the first time the company has taken action to limit political advertising in the United States, the company said Thursday. The move to limit ads, part of a spate of election-related announcements, is an attempt to combat efforts to suppress voting and reduce misinformation that is expected to flood social networks as Election Day draws near. The company also said that it would label posts by any candidate or campaign that tries to declare victory before the final results are in, directing people to the official results from Reuters. It will do the same for any posts that try to delegitimize the outcome of the election for example, a claim that voting by mail could lead to fraud. It has also started to limit users' ability to forward articles on its Messenger platform to large groups of people. "The US elections are just two months away, and with COVID-19 affecting communities across the country, I'm concerned about the challenges people could face when voting," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post Thursday morning. "I'm also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country. This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy." But the intense political stakes for the company were immediately underscored Thursday morning, as the Trump campaign blasted the company for its new policies. "In the last seven days of the most important election in our history, President Trump will be banned from defending himself on the largest platform in America," said Samantha Zager, the campaign's deputy national press secretary. "When millions of voters will be making their decisions, the President will be silenced by the Silicon Valley Mafia, who will at the same time allow corporate media to run their biased ads to swing voters in key states." The move announced Thursday by Facebook does not ban the president, who has nearly 31 million followers on the social network, from the defending himself but rather limits new ads by all politicians in the final days before Nov. 3. There was no immediate comment from the campaign of Democratic nominee Joe Biden. READ MORE: Joe Biden meets Jacob Blakes family to start Wisconsin trip The moves are unlikely to end criticism that the social network plays a harmful role in the democratic process. Some experts have called for removing political advertising entirely, an option Facebook once considered. But the moves drew initial praise from outside experts and others who had pushed the company in recent months to more forcefully tackle election misinformation and efforts to suppress voting. "It's a strange feeling to read something by Mark Zuckerberg and say, 'Yup, yup, yup,'" said Claire Wardle, the U.S. director of First Draft, a nonprofit group that combats misinformation. "I'm pretty excited by it." She and others, however, warned that Facebook's enforcement, which has been criticized in the past as lax and uneven, will matter as much as its revamped policies. Top Facebook officials, including Zuckerberg himself, worked directly with civil rights groups and others in developing the new policies in recent weeks, said Vanita Gupta, resident of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, a Washington-based umbrella group. One key sticking point was whether Facebook's news policies would go beyond explicit efforts to suppress voting to tackle more subtle efforts. Zuckerberg's post Thursday morning dealt with this directly, saying Facebook was "now expanding this policy to include implicit misrepresentations about voting too, like 'I hear anybody with a driver's license gets a ballot this year', because it might mislead you about what you need to do to get a ballot, even if that wouldn't necessarily invalidate your vote by itself." Gupta said that issue had been "a huge sticking point" in discussions with the company and was pleased to see this concession. She called the new policy "a significant expansion that would also reach the president's posts unambiguously. The test will come in how the company enforces this moving forward." Facebook's ban goes beyond ads placed by the two presidential campaigns and sweeps up a broader set of posts classified by the social network as pertaining to politics, elections or social issues. Facebook says social issues are "sensitive topics that are heavily debated, may influence the outcome of an election or result in/relate to existing or proposed legislation." READ MORE: Trump faces pushback for urging people to vote twice as a test Democratic campaigns and activists, even as they clamor for Facebook to clamp down on misinformation, have long argued that limits to the company's ad technologies will end up hamstringing down-ballot and first-time candidates who have not built a robust organic audience on digital platforms. Limits so close to the election, they also hold, will most directly affect get-out-the-vote efforts, which are seen as crucial to Democratic victories that traditionally depend on higher turnout. Still, ads placed in advance of the weeklong blackout that encourage users to vote can remain active, and campaigns can boost or modify these posts through the election. Facebook's role in spreading political misinformation has been a hotly debated issue since the discovery that false news reports and a Russian operation to influence American voters ran rampant on the platform during the 2016 election. The controversy triggered political backlash and a scramble within the company to establish new policies and systems to avoid a repeat in 2020. But the company's moves and also several policies it considered but ultimately rejected have triggered backlash from politicians and campaigns. The loudest voice has been President Trump, who has blasted several proposals as stifling free speech, especially among conservatives. When news reports surfaced in July about Facebook's discussions about a political ad moratorium near election day, Trump's campaign blasted the idea as "an egregious stifling of political speech." The issue of political advertising is particularly sensitive because of the central role Facebook played in Trump's 2016 campaign, whose top officials repeatedly have boasted of their ability to use the company's sophisticated advertising tools to gain advantage over Democrat Hillary Clinton. It's a view also widely shared within Facebook, whose officials have marveled at Trump's effective use of their platform. Months of vocal complaints by Trump about the supposed dangers of mail-in voting which numerous states have moved to expand amid the COVID-19 pandemic but which the president has claimed is a threat to election security have triggered consultation among social media companies and disinformation experts about the possibility such claims would cause chaos on Election Day and its immediate aftermath, especially if there is not a clear winner. A person familiar with the company's thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the company was trying to find middle ground. Facebook is aware that campaigns target their strongest and potentially misleading attacks for the few days before the election, when a larger share of the electorate is paying attention. "This gives campaigns the tools to make their closing arguments and run aggressive get-out-the-vote efforts," said Facebook spokesman Tom Reynolds. "But it's also providing unprecedented transparency in the critical days before the election." READ MORE: A Pennsylvania county voted for Obama twice. But its Trump Country now. Thursday's announcement applies only to new advertising, not to previously approved ad campaigns. Facebook has also resisted widespread calls to fact-check political ads. The efforts show the degree to which the company is gaming out potential election-night scenarios and outcomes that extend beyond the electoral contest. Zuckerberg views the election as unprecedented and is deeply concerned about the integrity of the contest being compromised, according to people who work with him who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his thinking. He sees it as a critical test, they said. It is a follow-up to one the company was largely viewed as having failed in 2016, after which it disclosed that Russian operatives had spread disinformation messages to millions of U.S. voters in an attempt to sow division and support President Trump The company said it would work with election officials to remove false claims about polling conditions in the last 72 hours of the campaign and after Election Day until there is a clear winner. Facebook's specifically will remove posts that use the fear of COVID-19 to discourage voting, an issue that Trump raised in a tweet Sunday in which he claimed that drop boxes installed to encourage mail-in voting "are not COVID sanitized." Twitter labeled the post as violating its policies on election integrity, requiring those who want to view the tweet to take an extra step to see it. Zuckerberg's post Thursday morning said, "Given the unique circumstances of this election, it's especially important that people have accurate information about the many ways to vote safely, and that COVID-19 isn't used to scare people into not exercising their right to vote." Trump's claims about mail-in voting and other election issues widely disputed by election experts and independent fact checkers have been a particular source of concern for civil rights groups, which consider it an effort to suppress votes from Blacks and other groups. They have expressed bitter frustration about Facebook's efforts so far in this area, portraying the company as repeatedly failing to act in ways capable of neutralizing the threat to voting rights despite years of close consultation on such issues. The steps Facebook is taking are welcome, said Graham Brookie, the director of the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks disinformation. Especially welcome is the commitment to promote only official results and downgrade or remove any content that misleads the outcome of the election when there is bound to be confusion in the hours, days, and possibly weeks after election night. But keep in mind, misinformation is designed to seep through the cracks and game the rules. _____ The Washington Posts Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed to this report. Stewart, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 3, 2020) - Decade Resources Ltd. (TSXV: DEC) ("Decade" or the "Company") announces that it has received partial assays from surface sampling on the Del Norte property. It was optioned from Teuton Resource Corp. in January of 2020 with terms allowing the Company to earn up to a 55% interest in the property by spending $4 million over a five year period. The Company can earn an additional 20% interest by carrying the property to commercial production. The Lord Nelson Tenures are adjacent to the north end of the Del Norte property and the Company can earn up to a 55% interest in the property by spending $2 million over a five year period. The Company can an earn an additional 20% interest by carrying the property to commercial production. The properties lie within BC's "Golden Triangle" located 34 kilometres east of Stewart, BC. The 2020 program consists of surface sampling on newly discovered zones, saw cutting (channel sampling) zones of mineralization where possible and diamond drilling to define the limits of the known zones and any new discovered zones. Mineral zones are shown on the attached map, relative to claim boundaries and to each other. Highlights of the surface sampling include the following: 2190 g/t Ag and 11.2 g/t Au from grab sampling on the Eagle's Nest Zone. 36.5 g/t Au and 153 g/t Ag from grab sampling on the Crackle Zone. 32.0 g/t Au and > 1% Cu from grab sampling on the Lord Nelson Tenure in the area of the '8 oz" showing. 1520 g/t Ag and 22.2 g/t Au from grab sampling in a new vein west of Eagle's Nest zone. The surface sampling has been successful in defining numerous target areas for follow up exploration. The Eagle's Nest zone is a deformation zone parallel to and west of the newly identified Argo zone that the Company has been drill testing. Total width is unknown but early indications are that it is at least 6-8 m wide with stringers and veins of quartz with sparse sulphides in a black matrix lapilli tuff. Visual observations from the helicopter indicate the presence of more veins east of and below the present drill pad. Based on GPS readings obtained over the aerial extent exposed, the zone is at least 440 m long. Samples are all from bedrock except where noted as float. Samples for which the Company has assays include the following: Sample Number Type Description Ag g/t Au g/t KKM - 17 Grab Float - below Eagle's Nest 561.0 20.6 KKM - 37 Grab Quartz - Eagle's Nest 2190.0 11.2 KKM - 41 Grab Lapilli Tuff - Eagle's Nest 19.0 0.144 Work has indicated the possibility of further high-grade silver-gold zones west and topographically above the Eagles Nest zone. Sampling has indicated the following: Sample Number Type Description Ag g/t Au g/t A20 - 73 Float Float - above Eagle's Nest 54.4 0.99 A20 - 75 Grab Quartz - New Vein 1520.0 22.2 The Company also conducted grab and saw cut sampling in the "8 oz" zone located near the northern boundary of the Del Norte property. Observations indicate numerous stringers and veinlets of strong pyrite - chalcopyrite mineralization over widths that may be up to 200 m. Preliminary sampling indicates the following assays: Sample Number Type Description Cu % Au g/t A20 - 63 0.7m channel Zone of pyrite-chalcopyrite stringers 0.75 10.3 A20 - 67 1.0m channel Zone of pyrite-chalcopyrite stringers 0.122 0.4 A20 - 70 1.0m channel Zone of pyrite-chalcopyrite stringers >1.0 % 2.25 KKM - 04 Grab Sulphide rich stringers >1.0 % 32.0 The Company plans further work consisting of channel sampling across the zones which are within smooth outcrops due to glacial polishing. Grab samples are solely designed to show the presence or absence of any mineralization and to characterize the metal tenor in this mineralization. Grab samples are by definition selective and not intended to provide nor should be construed as a representative indication of grade or mineralization at the project; and the grab samples analysed from the project reflect a broad range in grade. Drilling is expected to start on the Eagle's Nest zone tomorrow and holes are expected to be around 200m each. It is planned to fan a number of holes from the only available drill site. To date 9 holes varying in depth from 200-300m have been completed. A photo of a drill pad on the Argo zone is included. Exploration work is being conducted from Stewart in order to avoid a camp situation that may lead to health concerns due to the COVID-19 virus. The Company uses a Stewart based helicopter for support. A pad building crew, diamond drill crew and support staff mobilize on a daily basis from a staging area near the project. The geological crew is one that the Company has relied on for a number of years and which has intimate knowledge of the property. All drill cores in this program are NQ in size. The core is brought into Stewart on a daily basis where it is logged for cutting on a diamond saw. Assays are to be completed on sawn half cores, with the second half kept for future reference. The samples will be analyzed using 30 element ICP and standard fire assay procedures with atomic absorption (AA) finish on samples yielding a grade higher than ten g/t Au. Standard reference materials and blank samples were inserted prior to shipment for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program. Analysis will be performed by Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Kamloops BC. Ed Kruchkowski, P. Geo., a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 is responsible for the contents of this release. E. Kruchkowski is not independent of Decade as he is the president of the Company. Decade Resources Ltd. is a Canadian based mineral exploration company actively seeking opportunities in the resource sector. Decade holds numerous properties at various stages of development and exploration from basic grass roots to advanced ones. Its properties and projects are all located in the "Golden Triangle" area of northern British Columbia. For a complete listing of the Company assets and developments, visit the Company website at www.decaderesources.ca which is presently being updated. For investor information please call 250-636-2264 or Gary Assaly at 604-377-7969. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DECADE RESOURCES LTD. "Ed Kruchkowski" Ed Kruchkowski, President "Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." "This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements." Drill pad - DN20-08 drilling the Argo zone To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3615/63159_1e6a3cd6a465f840_001full.jpg Del Norte Property - Decade Resources Ltd. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3615/63159_decade%20resources.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63159 Mental health therapists caseloads are bulging. Waiting lists for appointments are growing. And anxiety and depression are rising among Americans amid the coronavirus crisis, research suggests. In the latest study to suggest an uptick, half of U.S. adults surveyed reported at least some signs of depression, such as hopelessness, feeling like a failure or getting little pleasure from doing things. Thats double the rate from a different survey two years ago, Boston University researchers said Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. The study did not ask about any diagnosis they might have received, and for many people, the problem is mostly angst rather than full-blown psychiatric illness. But experts say the feeling is genuine and deserving of professional help. For some people, it stems from lost loved ones and the financial distress and social isolation the outbreak has caused. Experts say Americans are also feeling anxiety over the racial and political upheaval of the past few months, though the BU study was conducted before the recent tumult. There is no question that many people in the U.S. and worldwide are experiencing real and often distressing emotional reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and, in some cases, to contracting the virus, said psychiatrist Dr. Ronald Pies, a retired professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The global outbreak has caused more than 850,000 deaths and almost 26 million confirmed infections. U.S. cases total 6 million, with about 185,000 deaths. The crisis has also thrown millions out of work, crippled the economy and forced shutdowns of bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms. Calls from March through July to the U.S. government-funded Disaster Distress Helpline, which offers counseling and emotional support, surged 335% from the same period last year. Helpline counselors have reported callers expressing feelings of isolation and interpersonal concerns related to physical distancing such as being cut off from social supports, said Hannah Collins, a spokeswoman for Vibrant Emotional Health, a group that runs the helpline. While not all calls are COVID-19-related, many people have sought help for anxiety and fear about getting the virus, distress over being diagnosed, or anguish over the illness or death of a loved one, she said. The BU study involved a survey of 1,440 U.S. adults questioned about depression symptoms in early April. Symptoms were most common in young adults, low-income participants and in those who reported several outbreak-related troubles, including financial problems, lost jobs or COVID-19 deaths of relatives. Almost 1,000 participants had experienced at least of three such struggles. The study results echo research from China early in the outbreak, and studies done during the Ebola and SARS crises and after major hurricanes and 9/11, said lead author Dr. Sandro Galea, a BU public health expert. The survey was done before the U.S. spike in civil unrest, including the May 24 death of George Floyd, who authorities say was killed when a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck for several minutes. But Galea said that other studies have shown increases in depression symptoms after traumatic events and that it is likely the unrest has contributed to American angst. At Cityscape Counseling in Chicago, the new client caseload jumped from 95 to 148 over the past two months, said executive director Chelsea Hudson. The groups 17 therapists see about 500 clients a week, and Hudson said she has hired two more therapists to deal with the increased demand. We see a lot of single young professionals. I think its been especially tough on them. The isolation, lack of connection, often enhances depression, she said. Hudson said many clients are distressed about social justice issues. With more free time, she said, they are paying more attention to the news, and Chicago has been hit by vandalism and protests over killings by police. She said there is a general consensus in the mental health field on our need to be ready to brush up on our trauma training. Right now people are still in a state of shock. Wendy Zirbel of Dodge County, Wisconsin, said she developed anxiety and depression after testing positive for the virus in June. She said that was partly from getting sick she still has breathing and memory troubles and partly from her husbands reaction. He thought COVID was a joke and that its all Democrats trying to get Trump out of office, she said. It still hurts. Zirbel, 45, said she spent days in tears, and her doctor prescribed an antidepressant. It was just overwhelming for a couple of weeks. I just couldnt function, she said. Thats totally not me. Im usually the one thats making people laugh. The first therapist she called had a waiting list. She is hoping sessions with the one she found will help. I need someone to help me get the tools to cope, she said. Todd Creager, a Southern California therapist who specializes in relationship troubles, has upped his weekly workload from 22 hours of therapy to 30 to handle increased demand. He is seeing anxiety, depression and stress related to financial woes brought on by the pandemic. And in some cases, virus-related shutdowns have amplified existing strife. In the past, people could get distracted by going to concerts and dinners. Now their problems are kind of staring them in the face, he said. Ive heard people say, This pandemic has made me realize how toxic my relationship is.' Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner. 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. An urgent warning has been issued for millions of Australians in new coronavirus hotspots to get tested immediately. The alert was announced on Wednesday evening by NSW Health and asked people in a number of Sydney suburbs to go to a COVID-19 testing centre straight away. Health bosses called for residents get a swab 'if they have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat'. Pictured: A map of the new coronavirus hotspots in Sydney. Areas include Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, and some western suburbs The alert was announced on Wednesday evening by NSW Health. Pictured: People wearing face masks in Sydney CBD Areas in the city's eastern suburbs include Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Elizabeth Bay, and Centennial Park. Western suburbs including Bankstown, Mt Druitt, Parramatta and Liverpool were also asked to get tested. New South Wales recorded 12 cases of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 3,902. Five of the 12 new cases are linked to known clusters including three out of a growing source of infection in Sydney CBD, which has ballooned to 52 infections. Sydney's eastern suburbs was among the list of new hotspots. Pictured: Medical professionals at the Bondi Beach COVID-19 drive-through testing centre Western suburbs including Bankstown, Mt Druitt, Parramatta and Liverpool were also asked to get tested. Pictured: A health care worker at a COVID-19 pop up testing clinic Customers at Westfield Chatswood on August 27 have been notified as casual contacts of a coronavirus infection and have been told to monitor for symptoms. Three of the new cases were acquired locally, including two from a family in the city's southwest and another case in Parkes with no source identified. Returned travellers in hotel quarantine account for another three, while an additional case is linked to a previously recorded case in south eastern Sydney. There were 29,607 tests conducted in the reporting period, with NSW Health officials treating 86 cases including six in intensive care and three on ventilators. Despite the rise, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state was 'back on track'. Pictured: Health care workers during a breakout at a school in August Despite the rise, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state was 'back on track'. 'It's good to see the remaining cases back down to single digits,' Ms Berejiklian said in a press conference on Thursday morning. 'We have learned in NSW to manage the pandemic but also to make sure we get on with life,' she said. 'We allow our citizens the maximum freedoms and the maximum quality of life that they can have during this difficult time.' New Coronavirus Hotspots in Sydney Bankstown Cumberland Fairfield Ku-ring-gai Liverpool Mt Druitt Parramatta Randwick Sutherland Waverley LGA Willoughby LGA Woollahra LGA Sydney suburbs, including - Surry Hills - Darlinghurst - Woolloomooloo - Potts Point - Rushcutters Bay - Elizabeth Bay - Centennial Park Source: NSW Health Advertisement Spike in mystery coronavirus infections hits Sydney as New South Wales records another 12 cases and the worrying CBD cluster grows yet again New South Wales has recorded another 12 cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 3,902. Five of the 12 new cases are linked to known clusters including three out of a growing source of infection in Sydney CBD, which has ballooned to 52 infections. Customers at Westfield Chatswood on August 27 have been notified as casual contacts of a coronavirus infection and have been told to monitor for symptoms. Three of the cases were acquired locally, including two from a family in the city's southwest and another case in Parkes with no source identified. Three returned travellers in hotel quarantine tested positive, while another case is linked to a previously recorded case in south eastern Sydney. There were 29,607 tests conducted in the reporting period, with NSW Health officials treating 86 cases including six in intensive care and three on ventilators. New South Wales has recorded another 12 cases of coronavirus. Pictured: medical staff test patients at the Bondi Beach drive-through testing facility on Wednesday NSW Health said anyone who attended the Life in the Spirit Ministry Church in Prestons between 12.30 and 2.30pm on Sunday August 30 is considered a close contact of a COVID-19 case. All attendees must be tested for coronavirus and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of their test result. Two students are among Thursday's new cases with one infection recorded at St Pauls Catholic College Greystanes and Girraween Public School. The St Pauls student is a contact of a previously reported case and brings the total cases linked to the schools to 12. Close contacts of the cases are isolating and both schools have been deep cleaned to reopen on Thursday. NSW Health alerted anyone who attended the following venues is a casual contact of a case and must monitor for symptoms and get tested if they develop: Westfield Chatswood on Thursday, 27 August from 1pm-1.50pm Gram Cafe and Pancakes, Chatswood Station on Thursday, 27 August from 11.10am-12.15pm Balmain Community Pharmacy, 273 Darling Street, Balmain, on Monday, 31 August from 11am-11.20am Customers from Westfield Chatswood (pictured) on 27 August between 1pm and 1.50pm are considered casual contacts of a coronavirus infection Apple store staff and customers wear face masks outside the George Street store in Sydney CBD on Wednesday Gods Power Ministries Heckenberg, 18/7-9 Progress Circuit, Prestons, on Sunday, 30 August from 2.50pm-3.30pm Quality Suites Camperdown in the foyer, 108 Parramatta Rd Camperdown on Saturday, 29 August 3.15-4.30pm Leaf Cafe & Co, Lidcombe Shopping Centre on Monday, 31 August from 11.30am-1.30pm Life in the Spirit Ministry Church, 13/7 Lyn Parade, Prestons, on Sunday, 30 August from 12.30-2.30pm Authorities have urged anyone suffering from symptoms to be tested immediately and continue to practice social distancing and hand washing techniques. 'COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community and we must all be vigilant,' NSW Health said. The health department also recommended wearing face masks on public transport, in places of worship, while shopping, in taxis and ride share services and places where social distancing is impossible. The U.S. Marshals Service earlier this summer deputized state troopers who were sent to Portland to help safeguard the downtown federal courthouse. The deputization lasts for a year, according to the Marshals Service. With state troopers now returning to assist Portland police in protest coverage, federal prosecutors can choose to pursue a charge of assault on a federal officer against anyone accused of attacking a state trooper during a protest. This week, federal prosecutors also have started pursuing civil disorder charges against people accused of assaulting any police officer or firefighter during a riot or unlawful assembly. The state troopers will work alongside Portland police in making arrests on state charges, as theyve done in the past. When necessary, theyll also protect and defend federal government buildings and personnel during a civil disturbance, said Kevin Sonoff, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office. It will be the U.S. Attorneys Office that will evaluate all arrests made by state police and local police for potential federal prosecution, according to federal prosecutors. Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy Fox said most of the state police assigned to Portland have been cross-deputized by the Marshals Service. He didnt know how many state troopers would be assisting Portland police this time. -- The Oregonian/OregonLive Samsung quietly unveiled a more premium version of the Galaxy Watch3 one that uses titanium for the body instead of the usual stainless steel. Samsung Germany posted the press release, saying that the watch will be available online starting on September 18. The Samsung Galaxy Watch3 Titan will only come in 45 mm size (theres no mention of a 41mm option) and will be painted in Mystic Black exclusively. The bracelet is made out of stainless steel, by the way, only the watch body is titanium. Samsung Galaxy Watch3 Titan (45 mm, Wi-Fi only) This premium version appears is nowhere to be seen outside of Germany for now so we dont know which other markets will get it (the rest of the EU, presumably). You can see it in the online store. Now, for the price - 633. Thats quite a premium over the 447 that the regular 45mm watch costs (note: the Titan model is Wi-Fi only, theres no LTE option). You can always get a Galaxy Fit2 smart band for 47 (available October 2). Source (in German) A boat captain, Elebiju Happiness, has been dragged to court by Lagos State Government over the boat mishap on Lagos Waterways around the Kirikiri area. Elebiju was arraigned before Hon. Justice Josephine Oyefeso of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday on a Ten (10) count charge dated 24th of August 2020. The defendant was charged with involuntary manslaughter and the operating of a boat without a license. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Elebiju allegedly caused the death of Thirteen (13) passengers in a boat mishap on the Lagos State Inland Waterways along Kirikiri after taking off from an illegal loading site with twenty (20) passengers. Upon capsizing, the rescue team of Lagos State Waterways Authority, Marine Police and other boat operators rescued five (5) passengers while the defendant (Captain of the boat) and his Deck hand boy survived. The Director Public Prosecutions, Mrs Yinka Adeyemi, who led the prosecution argued that the alleged offences against the Defendants were Involuntary Manslaughter contrary to Section 224 and punishable under Section 229 of the Criminal Law Ch C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 and Operating without a license contrary to Section 311 (1) of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018. The DPP further presented two witnesses before the court who gave evidence against the defendant. The trial Judge, Hon. Justice Josephine Oyefeso, however, adjourned the matter to the 17th of September for continuation of trial. In a related development, the Lagos State Government has also commenced the prosecution of the driver and owner of a vehicle, Dominic Amaechi and Cyprian Arinze respectively over the killing of two persons and causing bodily harm on another person. The defendants were arraigned on the 2nd of September 2020 before Hon. Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja. The driver of the vehicle was charged with among others, driving in a dangerous and reckless manner, involuntary manslaughter, causing grievous bodily harm, wilful damage to property, and failure to obtain a valid drivers license. The owner of the vehicle was charged with Involuntary Manslaughter as a result of refusal to ensure that his truck was roadworthy and failure to obtain vehicle licence and relevant permits. The Defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. The accident caused the death of Eno Joseph (M), Titilayo Alayonimi (F), breaking of the leg of one Alani Oladipupo (M), and also causing severe damage to the property of Saba Steel Nigeria Ltd. According to the Prosecutor, the offences were contrary to Section 224 of the Criminal Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, Sections 18 and 51 of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018. The case was adjourned till the 30th of September for trial. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates OPINION: Black women in the church are conditioned to accept manipulation and infidelity as simply the Devil and not an actual shortcoming and moral failing of their partner. Let me start off by saying that I find Pastor John Gray to be an abhorrent example of a man of God and a gutter trash example of a husband. Now that thats out of the way I consider myself a Christian. Seven years ago, I was baptized at the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. I pray to God regularly. Pre-Rona, I was an active church member. Despite this faith, I have had my own complicated relationship with religion. Of course, there is the racist and reprehensible way that Christianity was introduced to Black people through the traumas of slavery, though this faith is what assisted many of our ancestors in their survival. However, the ways in which Christianity particularly through the lens of the Black church has been of a disservice to Black women when it comes to, specifically, heterosexual marriage, which is with what I take the most umbrage. Read More: Why did Pastor John Gray really buy his wife a new Lamborghini? In late August, cheating rumors swirled, yet again, around pastor of Greenville, North Carolinas Relentless Church, John Gray. This time, Gray is alleged to have engaged in inappropriate FaceTime and iMessage discussions with a woman identified as Mary wherein he requested and received nude photos, meals, and sent money to her. Pastor John Gray speaks onstage during the BET Presents Super Bowl Gospel attends the BET Presents Super Bowl Gospel Celebration at Lakewood Church on February 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for BET) In addition to trash-talking his wife, Aventer Gray, as a spouse, he also made disparaging remarks about her mothering skills (claiming she didnt cook and fed their son pizza every night) to this woman, some while his child was within the vicinity of these Facetime conversations. This was not Grays first dance with the infidelity devil. In early 2019, stories broke about John Gray and another woman with whom Gray claims he only had an emotional affair. He apparently told the woman that he planned to leave his wife, didnt love her, and only married her because she looked good on paper. Story continues The irony is not lost upon me that the same man who delivered a sermon to the Black women of his church advising them not to walk in the spirit of girlfriend cant seem to curb his affinity for an abundance of side chicks. The same man who cited Proverbs 18:22, He who finds a wife finds a good thing, has repeatedly and publicly embarrassed his wife all for the benefit of his own ego and hubris. This woman whose hand he asked for is seemingly unworthy of the simple respect of not degrading her by discussing her perceived shortcomings with another woman. I recall, with a grimace, John Grays 2018 comments about how his wife endured more pain birthing me than both of our children. She has sacrificed these last eight years uncovering the painful areas of my manhood and covering the areas that could have exposed me, and I weep. I weep for the lack of self-respect Aventer Gray has publicly shown. The self-flagellation she has endured due to the disrespect and embarrassment of her husband all for the sake of being a Good Christian Wife. And herein lies my problem with the church. Back in 2019, to cheers and praises from their congregation, Aventer Gray addressed her husbands emotional infidelity by turning on the other woman. She revealed that she fought off this other woman with prayer and scripture, saying so Im supposed to leave my husband because you spoke to a place of brokenness that had not yet been submitted back to the Father? Excuse me?! While I understand that there are several demons real and imagined at play when it comes to infidelity in a monogamous marriage, this does not circumvent ones own guilt and willfulness to engage in bad behavior. By scapegoating this other woman, Aventer Gray essentially told her husband and their congregation that the devil made him do it. Fast forward more than a year later and it seems that devil has yet to release its hold on John Gray. [Insert eye roll here]. What I find most insulting is the faking of contrition by the pastor. In his recent apology the Relentless Church congregation, Gray does not take clear responsibility for his own actions, instead choosing to blame some invisible spirit of infidelity that has, once again, caused his misdeeds. He purports that his and his wifes public embarrassment should be an example for others to do better. Read More: Pastor John Gray apologizes for alleged emotional affair Lets be clear, this is emotional and spiritual abuse. It is the conditioning of Black women in his congregation to accept manipulation and infidelity as simply the Devil (by way of their husbands penis, or another woman) and not an actual shortcoming and moral failing of their partner. This refusal to take responsibility is a clear indication that John Gray is not a good husband, and he should not be a leader of any ones church. How anyone reasonably expects John Gray to minister to his church is beyond me, not when his own familiar ministry is steeped in scandal, dysfunction, and toxicity. U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Senior pastor John Gray during a meeting with inner city pastors in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 1, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Oliver Contreras Pool/Getty Images) The fact that his innate inability to lead, show discipline, or execute any sound judgment in his own family unit is not being questioned, ad nauseum, each and every single time these scandals come to light is baffling. Its also telling of the deep levels of denial administered by the church. Now, Im not saying that Gray has to be monogamously married in order to be an effective leader of his flock. If anything, Id prefer to see a pastor who has publicly decided that marriage is not for him (I told you, I have a complicated relationship with religion), or that polyamory is his and his wifes ministry. Because guess what God made and loves the polyamorous as well. However, Grays refusal to step down as a leader of the church in the wake of these scandals; instead, opting to flay himself on the altar under the guise of teaching others is nothing but misguided pride and desperation to hold onto whatever power he perceives himself to have. Whats more is the insult to those of us who are in therapy, take it seriously, and do the work. For all of his apologizing, I have yet to see any evidence that Gray is committed to and continually doing the work. Scapegoating the devil and the imagined machinations of God to mitigate ones own hurtful and destructive actions isnt indicative of someone who has (or continues to do) the work that therapy requires. The truly raw unpeeling of oneself to understand this is how I f**ked up, this is why I f**ked up, this is what makes me a f**ked up person, and this is what Im going to do to not be so f**ked up in the future is uncomfortable. Its disarming. But its necessary if you truly want to be a better person for yourself, your partner, and your family. I speak from experience. I want and expect more from our church leaders. And as a Black woman dedicated to the work of God, I find it disheartening that were so willing (and expected) to overlook the repeated harmfulness of others, to the detriment of ourselves, in the quest to be a good Christian. Shana Pinnock is the Social Media Director at theGrio, Shana is a lover and creator of content For Us and By Us. You can count on her for current events in all things pop culture (and a little humorous shade!). Follow her at @QueenSqueakz on Twitter. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post The only thing Relentless about Pastor John Gray is him embarrassing his wife appeared first on TheGrio. A still from the French film "Cuties." (Netflix) The director of "Cuties" has addressed the recent backlash to the poster and trailer for her debut feature film, which have been accused of sexualizing young girls "for the viewing pleasure of pedophiles." Last month, Netflix issued an apology after thousands signed a petition demanding the French movie's immediate removal from the platform. "Cuties," about an 11-year-old who rebels against her family and joins a free-spirited dance crew, premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, where Maimouna Doucoure won a jury award for directing. I discovered the poster [at] the same time as the American public, Doucoure told Deadline in an interview published Thursday. My reaction? It was a strange experience. I hadnt seen the poster until after I started getting all these reactions on social media, direct messages from people, attacks on me. I didnt understand what was going on. That was when I went and saw what the poster looked like. Netflix's original poster for the movie featured its four preteen stars posing in costumes that bared their legs and midriffs. On Twitter, people called the promotional materials "disgusting," "upsetting" and "sick," prompting an apology from Netflix that defended Doucoure's work. Were deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties, Netflix tweeted in response. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. Weve now updated the pictures and description. Cuties Director Says She Received Death Threats After Netflix Poster Backlash; Ted Sarandos Called Her To Apologize https://t.co/jzDp5Qp9aE pic.twitter.com/sqF64l4nmY Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 3, 2020 Doucoure told Deadline she also received a personal apology from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who called her during the controversy. Though many who saw "Cuties" at Sundance showered Doucoure with support, the director said she suffered extreme online abuse, including "numerous death threats." Story continues I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hypersexualiation of children, Doucoure said. Shortly after Doucoure spoke out about the criticism, Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council reportedly moved to block the release of "Cuties" in the country, citing concerns that a film "containing exploitation and abuse, might lead to potential child exploitation behaviour patterns emerging." The council, which has long censored broadcast TV in Turkey, extended its censorship rules to streaming platforms last year after a kiss between two female characters in Netflix's "Tales of Arcadia" sparked a homophobic outcry. "It was decided unanimously that [Netflix] must remove the relevant programme ['Cuties'] from its catalogue," the Radio and Television Supreme Council said Thursday, according to a report from Reuters. Netflix did not immediately respond Thursday to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment. Originally titled "Mignonnes," the project is partly inspired by Doucoure's own childhood experiences and aims to "make a big change in this world that hypersexualizes children." She added that the scrapped promotional materials were "not representative of the film and especially its message." I really put my heart into this film," she told Deadline. "Its actually my personal story as well as the story of many children who have to navigate between a liberal Western culture and a conservative culture at home." Despite the outrage, Doucoure says she "can't wait" for the public to see the movie, which launches globally on Netflix Sept. 9. Hopefully they will understand that were actually on the same side of this battle," she said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 15:43 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4282fa1 1 Art & Culture virtual-exhibition,#ArtFair,exhibition,folklore,Lets-Talk-about-Folklore-from-4-Continents Free In Indonesia, Nyi Roro Kidul is widely known as the mythical queen of the Southern Sea. Her enigmatic origin and appearance have drawn numerous artists, authors and filmmakers to portray and tell her story in their works, including artists Ariesa Pandanwangi and Nuning Damayanti. In Roro Kidul Bermain dengan Ikan (Roro Kidul plays with fish), Ariesa depicts the mythical queen amid the ocean waves with a vibrant Javanese batik pattern in the background to honor her ancestral land, Yogyakarta. The artwork also addresses the current crisis by portraying Nyi Roro Kidul wearing a mask and adding images of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Nuning Damayantis Ratu Roro Kidul Isin (Queen Roro Kidul is Shy), on the other hand, displays the legendary queen standing above a giant scallop shell surrounded by layered green draperies. At a glance, it may remind you of Sandro Botticellis famous artwork, The Birth of Venus. In a statement to The Jakarta Post, Nuning wrote that the queen wore kemben (torso wrap) adorned with kawung (four-lobbed pattern inspired by palm trees) motifs that represent Sundanese culture. She said she was inspired by her grandmothers bedtime stories about Sundanese and Greek goddesses. Both paintings, along with nine other artworks, are on display in the virtual exhibition Lets Talk about Folklore from 4 Continents on YouTube until Dec. 22. The event is initiated by Ariesa. Representing its name, the exhibition features artists from four continents, namely Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania. They are Ana Sora from Spain; Anita Heiberg from Norway; Greta Coll and Kobie Swart from Australia; Ariesa, Nuning, Arleti Apin and Belinda Sukapura from Indonesia; Divya Baid from India; and Bayley Onaga and Chase Tokutaru from Hawaii, United States. The artists showcase their interpretations of folklore from their countries or childhood memories to reminisce and convey and an understanding of values that may have been forgotten. These imaginative and mysterious folk tales will always be eternal. They wont disappear, they will always be a relevant inspiration, wrote Nuning. In Icarus, Swart depicts a tale from Greek mythology by capturing the moment when Icarus, son of craftsman Daedalus, escapes from Crete by flying with wings made of feathers and wax. But as he flies too close to the sun, the wax melts and he falls into the ocean. The artwork conveys a message about balancing ones ego, goals and desires. Artworks that are exhibited here can inspire cultural dialogues among the four continents, wrote Nuning. Their paintings are reflections of their cultural backgrounds that influence their art making. (wir/wng) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Chinas growth rate is faster than any other country in the world, and Pakistan can benefit from the manner in which China has developed and has lifted its people out of poverty. In an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, Khan has said that Pakistans economic future is now linked to China and the bilateral relations between Islamabad and Beijing are 'better than ever before'. On Kashmir dispute, Khan said he is hopeful that Pakistan and India can sort out the issue. He reiterated he has never been in favour of ... Ukraine sees drop in remittances from citizens working abroad 11:30, 03.09.20 5645 The amount of money transfers is expected to be significantly lower this year. With two weeks to go before Toronto schools reopen, the citys school boards are grappling with a significant logistical challenge that could impact dozens of elementary schools and possibly hundreds of families throughout the year: the need for more space. A Star analysis of recent enrolment and capacity numbers from six boards across the GTA identified more than 250 elementary schools that were over-capacity before the pandemic, including about 150 in Toronto. Its not clear how many of these schools will require additional classroom space in the upcoming school year to accommodate smaller class sizes and physical distancing. That is because Torontos public and Catholic boards are still crunching the results of their latest surveys of families to find out how many students will be returning to school for in-person learning when classes resume, and to identify where the pressure points will be. So far, 70 per cent of elementary students in the Toronto District School Board have opted for in-person learning, spokesperson Ryan Bird said Wednesday. But there is concern among board officials that some schools will be scrambling to find space, underscoring a problem for boards that are trying to lower class sizes alongside the possibility that an increasing number of students may choose in-person learning in the coming months. Bird said this week that work is underway to find additional spaces outside the school to accommodate students at 38 elementary schools. At those schools, the board has determined there could be space constraints if more students choose in-person learning later this year. Preliminary results from the boards latest survey indicate that only five of these schools will immediately need additional classroom space outside of their school buildings, Bird said, because a significant number of students at the other 33 schools have opted to start the year by learning from home. We want to be ready, he said. We have to find space at extra schools or additional sites, and then figure out a process of how we ensure that those students get to school, how would transportation work, setting up classrooms, assigning staff thats something that we have to work out. In other schools in Toronto and across Ontario, administrators face a different set of problems as low in-person enrolment numbers are leading to the collapse of some classrooms so they can be combined with others. For those elementary schools facing possible space shortages, Bird said the board is in discussions with the City of Toronto to secure temporary spaces in libraries and community centres. The Ontario Science Centre is also in talks with the board about possibly providing space, a spokesperson for the centre said on Wednesday. Bird declined to provide the names of the five schools where the board anticipates there will be space issues in September because he is waiting for the full survey results to come in. The Toronto Catholic District School Boards latest available capacity and enrolment data shows that in 2018-19, 57 elementary schools roughly one in three were over-capacity. A board spokesperson said staff are working with the City of Toronto to identify specific locations for temporary classroom space and/or recreation space. The board is also initiating a pilot program to rent classroom-size tent structures for five to 10 schools that have been identified as having space issues, the spokesperson said, adding that schools may also consider the purchase of small landscape-type shelters. Details about the names and number of schools impacted may be available later next week, the spokesperson said. I am deeply sympathetic to the school boards who are left scrambling at the last minute to adapt and adjust, said Coun. Joe Cressy, chair of the Toronto Board of Health. We will continue to do absolutely everything we can to support them, including providing those spaces. None of the other GTA boards that responded to questions for this story said they will need additional classroom space in September because enough elementary students have opted for online learning. However, with parents and teachers continuing to push the province to mandate smaller class sizes, and no end to the pandemic in sight, that could change. Andrea Grebenc, chair of the Halton District School Board, said that finding additional classroom spaces would be a struggle in high-growth areas like south Milton. People expect us to have space in these (schools), and we do not have space. Were using every nook and cranny already, she said. People say, You can use the music room, or whatever were already doing that stuff. We have portables upon portables. Thirty-one elementary schools in Haltons public board more than one-third were over-capacity in 2018-19, according to the most recent numbers. There is no mandate for smaller elementary classes in Ontario, despite the advice of medical and public health experts who say lowering class sizes which can exceed 30 students in kindergarten is key to curbing the spread of COVID-19. Instead, the latest iteration of the provinces plan allows boards to use federal funds or dip into their reserves to shrink elementary classes by hiring more teachers, which both Torontos school boards plan to do. Torontos public board is capping kindergarten at 27 students, grades 1 to 3 at 20 students and grades 4 to 8 at 27 students. The board is going further in 80 elementary schools that Toronto Public Health deemed at high risk for COVID transmission, capping kindergarten classes at 15 students and older grades at 20. Reducing class sizes could mean spreading out into more classrooms. This means that even schools that were close to but not over their capacity before the pandemic may soon feel a space crunch if kids increasingly elect to go back to school in the coming months. Torontos Catholic board is also cutting elementary class sizes to the greatest extent possible to achieve physical distancing in (Toronto Public Health) high-risk areas, according to a spokesperson who did not provide further details. (High school class sizes have not emerged as a major concern in the GTA because under the provincial plan, students in large urban boards will attend school half the time in smaller groups of roughly 15.) Both Toronto boards plan to give families several opportunities throughout the year to return to classrooms (or switch to online learning), making schools space needs a moving target. We need to plan from a spacing point of view right through to the end of the year, said Chris Tonks, Toronto District School Board trustee for Ward 6 (York SouthWeston). If theyre coming back, what will spacing look like? Where can they go? Last year, roughly one in five elementary schools in the Toronto District School Board 92 schools were operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, the boards utilization data show. But Bird says the utilization rate alone does not account for available space inside school buildings that could be converted to classrooms, such as libraries, gyms and lunchrooms. Utilization rates also dont account for portables, which are another way for schools to address space concerns. He said a more accurate indication of potential space crunches is reflected in a board list of 38 elementary schools with potential classroom shortfalls, based on the lower class sizes and assuming 100 per cent enrolment. This list factors in all available space in a building. That board list includes 20 schools that have been deemed at high risk for COVID transmission. Among them are Grenoble Public School, which was at 136 per cent capacity last year with 966 students, according to the Stars review of the data; Downsview Public School, at 117 per cent capacity with 240 students; and Thorncliffe Park Public School, at nearly 90 per cent with 1,399 students, making it the largest elementary school in the district. All of these historically crowded schools are significantly slashing class sizes, raising questions about whether there will be enough space to accommodate everyone. The board list also includes 18 elementary schools that have not been designated as high-risk but could also face space concerns if in-person enrolment rises. Tonks, whose ward includes several high-risk schools facing possible space constraints, said the promise of lower class sizes may have prompted some families who were previously on the fence to choose in-person learning, requiring space that may not be there. Rachel Chernos Lin is trustee for Ward 11 (Don Valley East), which includes Thorncliffe Park Public School and nearby Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy, a kindergarten-only school that has been designated high-risk, and is also on the boards map of schools with space concerns. Many of these families dont have the choice about sending kids back to school, she said. Many are parents who are working, who are not in a situation to be able to do remote learning at home during the day. They dont have much space in their units. They are all living in highrises. Arshi Ali has two children who are slated to attend high-risk schools in Flemingdon Park that may face space constraints a daughter entering Grade 6 at Grenoble, which was at 136 per cent capacity last year, and a son in Grade 7 at nearby Valley Park Middle School, which was at 93 per cent capacity last year. Ali, who is co-chair of the parent council at Grenoble, works part-time as a psychotherapist. She is sending her children for in-person learning because she was not satisfied with online school last year and believes her kids are old enough to practise physical distancing particularly with smaller class sizes. She said finding space in other nearby schools one option the board said it is pursuing might be a challenge, because, in my neighbourhood ... everything is overcrowded. However, she isnt comfortable with the idea of her childrens classrooms moving into another building like a library or a church. Schools have the proper system for dealing with any kind of emergency that arises, she said. School is built for the school purpose. Tonks worries that relocating classrooms could result in splitting up siblings and require more buses at a time when the board is facing possible driver shortages. Chernos Lin said securing additional spaces on such a tight timeline is a big, big task no question, but staff are committed to making it work for Sept. 15. We know families need to get their kids back to school, she said. McKenna Deighton is a digital designer at the Star, based in Toronto. Reach her via email: mdeighton@torstar.ca Primeste notificari pe email Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare (Premium) Granturi - Finantari (Premium) Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele President Donald Trump is facing a backlash this week for urging voters in North Carolina to vote by mail and then try to vote again in person to test the mail-in ballot system in the Nov. 3 election. Trump was asked by a reporter during his trip Wednesday to Wilmington, North Carolina, if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system. They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that," Trump told WECT. "So, let them send it in and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously wont be able to vote (at the poll). If it isnt tabulated, they will be able to vote. North Carolina's attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein, said it is outrageous for the president to suggest that people break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election. Its a felony under North Carolina state law to vote twice. Once someone has cast an absentee ballot, that person may not change or cancel it, or decide to vote in person on Election Day, according to the state election board's website. It's a felony in Iowa, too, Scott County election officials remind voters. Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 39A.2(b) a person who willfully votes or attempts to vote more than once in the same election commits voter fraud, a class D felony. To knowingly advise or encourage, or assist another to cast more than one ballot could also be felony voter fraud, according to a joint news release from Scott County Attorney Mike Walton and Scott County Auditor Roxanna Mortiz. Ballots are electronically tracked in Iowa. If more than one ballot is cast for a person it is easily identified and will be forwarded to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution, the news release said. Moritz also says voters need to submit only one request for an absentee ballot for the November 3, 2020 General Election. Her office has received hundreds of calls from voters who have received multiple requests from various organizations. Several organizations have sent request forms urging voters to submit the forms to vote by mail. By law these forms must be return addressed to the Auditors Office. Some voters are confused and assume that my office has sent multiple forms, and then assume they need to return requests when we already have their requests in hand, Moritz said. We have more than 30,000 requests already in our office, and we welcome more. We just dont need more than one request from each voter, Moritz said. After the requests are received voters can also track when their ballots are mailed and when they are received back at the Auditors Office. The Scott County Auditors Office encourages voting by absentee mail-in ballot to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have to take steps to limit exposure to the corona virus for the countys precinct election officials and the general public, Moritz said. In 2016 we had 45,527 voters go to the 63 polling places in Scott County, and in 2012 we had 46,621 voters. Numbers like that going to our polling places represents a huge opportunity for community spread of COVID-19, Moritz said. Moritz cited the success of absentee voting in the 2020 Primary Election in June as an example of how to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In the June 2nd Primary Election 72.5% of voters cast absentee ballots in a record breaking election. A big reason for this very successful election was Secretary of State Paul Pate mailing absentee ballot requests to every active voter in Iowa," Moritz said. In Scott County 24,371 voters cast ballots, with 17,668 casting their ballots absentee. Anyone with questions about the status of their ballot contact the Auditors Office: Voter's Hotline: 563-326-VOTE or 563-326-8683 Cerro Gordo County Auditor's website: https://www.cerrogordoauditor.gov/home-auditor The Scott County Auditors website: https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/auditor Track your absentee ballot: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search Quad-City Times Gary Lewis on the set of the new BBC thriller Vigil (Andrew Milligan/PA) Actors were seen rehearsing for a fight scene on the Glasgow set of new BBC One thriller Vigil. Gary Lewis was among those pictured as filming continued on the much-anticipated series from the makers of Line Of Duty and Bodyguard. Expand Close Actors rehearse on the set of Vigil (Andrew Milligan/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actors rehearse on the set of Vigil (Andrew Milligan/PA) Production was halted earlier this year due to Covid-19 but filming on the six-part drama resumed last month in and around Glasgow. Scottish actor Lewis, 62, was pictured wearing a dark suit and coat as he spoke to a member of the crew, who was wearing a face covering, on the steps of a house. One actor was seen arriving at the property wearing a police uniform, while a police car was delivered to the set on a low loader vehicle. Expand Close Vigil is currently being filmed in Glasgow (Andrew Milligan/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Vigil is currently being filmed in Glasgow (Andrew Milligan/PA) Two more actors rehearsed for a fight in the street, grappling with each other before the man appeared to grip the woman in a choke hold. Vigil stars Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silver and Shaun Evans as chief petty officer Elliot Glover. Game Of Thrones stars Stephen Dillane and Daniel Portman, Rivieras Lolita Chakrabarti and Lorne MacFadyen from Grantchester also feature in the cast. Video of the Day Expand Close A police car on a low loader arrives on the set (Andrew Milligan/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A police car on a low loader arrives on the set (Andrew Milligan/PA) Vigil tells the story of how the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on board a Trident nuclear submarine bring the police into conflict with the Navy and security services. Jones, who is playing DCI Silva, leads an investigation into a conspiracy that threatens the very heart of Britains nuclear deterrent, according to the BBC. The show is written by Bafta-nominated writer Tom Edge and produced by World Productions, which is part of ITV Studios and brought the hit series Line Of Duty and Bodyguard to the BBC. Expand Close Filming resumed last month (Andrew Milligan/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Filming resumed last month (Andrew Milligan/PA) There are also episodes by Ed Macdonald and Chandni Lakhani. It is directed by Bafta winner James Strong, who worked on Broadchurch, as well as Shetlands Isabelle Sieb. By Online Desk BEIJING: The Chinese capital is opening up to international travel after a gap of six months following the COVID-19 pandemic with an official announcement saying that flights from eight countries, including its 'all-weather ally' Pakistan, would be permitted from Thursday. Beijing, which banned all international flights from March 23, on Wednesday announced plans to resume direct international flights beginning Thursday, signalling that the pandemic has been contained in the city. Flights connecting Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan in Asia; Greece, Denmark, Austria and Sweden in Europe and Canada in North America -- countries with relatively small numbers of imported cases -- will resume. The first direct international flight to Beijing will depart from Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on Thursday which will be operated by Air China. Meanwhile, India operated its fourth 'Vande Bharat' flight to China on Wednesday. The flight carried several Indian expats to Shanghai from Delhi and carried a large number of stranded Indians who wanted to go back home. India has so far operated four 'Vande Bharat' flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou besides three earlier to Wuhan to airlift Indians, mostly students, stranded in the city when the virus was at its peak in February. China is gradually permitting flights from different countries, including the US to Shanghai and other cities mainly to bring back its stranded citizens abroad. After a break since late March, Beijing airports will open again to welcome passengers from eight countries directly into the city, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said. Since March, all international flights bound for Beijing have been rerouted to other Chinese cities, in a bid to prevent the imported cases of coronavirus. All international passengers entering Beijing like other cities in China would undergo 14-day collective quarantine periods for medical observations and take nucleic acid tests twice, Beijing health authority spokesman Gao Xiaojun told a press conference on Wednesday. Beijing reported no new case for 26 consecutive days as of Wednesday, according to local health authorities. It does not mean, however, that Beijing -- or other cities in the country -- could relax their prevention and control measures, as China has been seeing growing numbers of imported cases in recent months, according to some experts. With the experience of dealing with resurgent outbreaks in cities like Beijing and Dalian of northeast China's Liaoning province, China is increasingly capable of handling imported cases, and COVID-19 prevention and control has become a regular task, Zeng Guang, former chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times. The Indian Embassy here has taken up with the Chinese officials concerns of a large number of Indian students studying in China following an official announcement that foreign students and teachers will not return to their colleges until further notice. Over 23,000 Indian students studied in different courses in Chinese universities and colleges as per the last year's data. Of them, over 21,000 have enrolled to study MBBS. Most of these students left for home during the Chinese New Year holidays earlier this year just around the time when the coronavirus pandemic began spreading in China. It is reiterated that following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, the Chinese government had restricted the entry of foreigners into China, permitting such entry only in specific circumstances, an Indian Embassy press release said. While some exceptions have since been made in some categories of foreigners who can enter China with fresh visa, foreign students have not been included in any of these categories, it said. The Ministry of Education of China has published on its website that "all overseas students and teachers who have not received notice from their respective educational institutions will not return to their Colleges/Universities until further instructions". The embassy has been taking up Indian students' concerns with Chinese authorities including the Ministry of Education, the press release said. The response of the Chinese authorities regarding their stand on the return of foreign students to China is awaited, it said. The same will be updated through a press release as soon as it is received, it said. Meanwhile, Indian students are advised to monitor the website of the Indian embassy/consulates in China and our social media channels to remain updated about the evolving situation in respect of the return of foreign students to China. Indian students are also advised to remain in touch with their respective universities/colleges, the press release said. (With PTI Inputs) WASHINGTON - Both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field, the White House and Bidens campaign announced Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether their visits to the memorial in Shanksville will overlap. But it probably will be the closest that the candidates have been to one another in months. The National Park Service, which co-hosts the annual memorial event, is planning an abbreviated ceremony this year to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The agency plans a 20-minute Moment of Remembrance set to begin at 9:45 a.m., without a keynote speaker or musical guests. The name of each passengers and crew member from Flight 93 will be read aloud with the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance, according to the agencys website. A White House spokesman, Judd Deere, said the president and first lady Melania Trump would visit the site to honour and remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Trump is expected to speak, although the White House and Park Service did not immediately reconcile that with the planned commemoration. In 2016, Trump and Democratic president nominee Hillary Clinton both spent Sept. 11 in New York and both visited the Ground Zero memorial in lower Manhattan. The day ended up being a significant one on the campaign, after Clinton abruptly left the ceremony, complaining she was overheated, and was captured on video struggling to step into a van. Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, will attend Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies in New York this year. The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial marks the spot in rural Pennsylvania where the hijacked flight crashed, killing all 40 people on board. Three other planes hijacked that day were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks. Its the second time Trump will mark Sept. 11 with a visit to the site. He visited the Pentagon in 2017 and 2019. China has paid Rs 2.5 crore (in Nepali currency) to various organisations based in Nepal to carry out demonstrations against India along the Indo-Nepal border that stretches to over 1,700 km, intelligence agencies said. "Chinese Embassy in Nepal has provided financial support to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore (NPR) for organising anti-India protests/demonstrations along India-Nepal border areas highlighting the recent border disputes and interferences of India in Nepal's internal/political matters," the agencies stated. NPR stands for Nepalese Rupee. The India-Nepal relation has been strained after China increased its influence on the Himalayan nation. It was India's road construction to the Lipulekh at 17,000 feet that had sparked a diplomatic row between India and Nepal as Kathmandu claimed the area to be its territory. Lipulekh is a tri-junction between India, Nepal and China situated atop the Kalapani Valley in Uttarakhand. The road construction was aimed at shortening travel time for pilgrims visiting the Kailash Mansarovar. After this, Nepal brought out a new political map showing the contested area as its own. India rejected the new map saying it was not based on historical facts or evidence. The new political map of Nepal features parts of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas which are in Indian territory. Nepal also increased its force deployment across the Indo-Nepal border. It has also planned to increase the number of border posts (BOPs) from 120 to 500 along the 1,751-km border. "Taking the strained relationship of India-Nepal as an opportunity, China, which is already having a border dispute with India in Eastern Ladakh, increased its troop deployment at Lipulekh," said a senior government officer. China has deployed 150 Light Combined Arms Brigade and it was moved in August to Lipulekh tri-junction. China had also reinforced troops in Pala, around 10 km from Indian border. In July itself, around 1,000 troops were deployed near Pala and a permanent post was built there by China. In August, 2,000 more additional troops were deployed at the post. India too directed its armed forces to increase deployment at Lipulekh tri-junction. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan border, has increased deployment of 30 companies along the border with Nepal. India has called for more vigilance on the India-Nepal border and the tri-junction areas in Uttarakhand and Sikkim, sources said, and extra troops have been sent to strengthen security in some of these areas. The Nepal government has also directed its forces to "closely monitor" the activities of Indian Army at Lipulekh area amid escalating India and China border tension. India and China have been locked in a standoff at multiple points since May. China had changed the status quo on the Line of Actual Control at various places, moving inside Indian territories. India has objected to it and is taking up the matter with China at all levels. The verdict is not valid yet. The prosecutor appealed. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova were acquitted of charges related to the murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova. The court said on September 3 that that the deed happened, but it has not been proven that they had committed the crime. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Tomas Szabo and Kocner have been found guilty of the unauthorised carrying of weapons. Kocner was given a financial sanction of 5,000 and an alternative punishment of five months in prison if he fails to pay the sum. Tomas Szabo has been found guilty of murdering Kolarovo entrepreneur Peter Molnar, and of involvement in the murder of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova. He was sentenced to 25 years in a maximum-security prison. The verdict is not valid yet as prosecutor Vladimir Turan appealed the decision to acquit Kocner and Zsuzsova of charges. He will comment on the rest of the verdict soon. At the same time, the lawyers representing the families of the murdered couple, Roman Kvasnica and Daniel Lipsic, challenged the decision not to grant compensation. The case will now move to the Supreme Court. The parents of the murdered victims left the courtroom during the delivery of the verdict, when the senate said Kocner and Zsuzsova were not guilty. The editor-in-chief of Aktuality.sk, Kuciak's former boss, also left the room. Despite being acquitted of charges, Kocner remains in jail as he was already sentenced to 19 years for forging promissory notes worth 69 million. Not even Zsuzsova may remain at liberty. It is very probable she will be detained as soon as she is released for the preparation of the murders of prosecutors Maros Zilina and Peter Sufliarsky, and lawyer Daniel Lipsic. She is also accused of ordering the murder of ex-Hurbanovo mayor Laszlo Basternak, the Dennik N daily wrote. Disputes in the senate The decision on Kocner and Zsuzsova was made by two senate members, Ivan Matel and Rastislav Stieranka, who outvoted the senate chair, Ruzena Sabova, Dennik N reported. They also prepared the explanation of the verdict. It is not common to outvote the senate chair in such an extensive case as it is the chair of the senate who reads the whole file in detail, according to Dennik N. The daily also pointed out that the disputes in the senate were behind the decision to postpone the verdict back in August. Some of the senate members do not have a good relationship with Sabova, who has complained about several of her colleagues in the past. She didn't even know that Matel and Stieranka planned to outvote her, and was not ready for this version of the verdict in early August, Dennik N reported. Kuciak murder trial >>> Follow all updates about the Kuciak murder trial here. Investigative reporter Jan Kuciak was killed in his house in Velka Maca on February 21, 2018. His fiancee Martina Kusnirova was shot dead along with him. Very soon after their dead bodies were discovered on February 26, 2018, the police said that the murder was most likely linked to Kuciaks journalistic work. Unlike most cases of murdered journalists in the world, the police detained and charged not just the persons whom they believe to have fired the shots, but also those who ordered the murder. The trial with Marian Kocner, Alena Zsuzsova, Tomas Szabo and Miroslav Marcek started on January 13, 2020. Zoltan Andrusko, who has admitted to acting as the middleman between those who ordered the murder and those who executed it, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 30, 2019, in a separate proceeding, based on his plea bargain deal. He has thus become an important witness in the case against the four persons. Hitman Miroslav Marcek pleaded guilty during the first trial session on January 13, 2020. The court subsequently ruled to deal with him in a separate trial and sentenced him to 23 years in prison. >>> Who was Jan Kuciak and how did he become a journalist? >>> Slovakia: Timeline of events during the first year after the murder >>> Who are the people charged in the murder case? >>> How the trial went in its initial days (overview) >>> Read more about how the Kuciak case changed Slovakia Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global flat glass market is anticipated to reach USD 139.80 billion by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. The global flat glass market is anticipated to reach USD 139.80 by 2026. The market is primarily driven by the increasing demand and application of flat glasses in the construction and automotive industry. These glasses are generally installed on the windows and windshields of a vehicle. Furthermore, they are largely utilized in photovoltaic, concentrated solar power system and a thermal collector which are expected to strongly favor the market growth. Some of the leading industry participants currently operating in the industry include are Saint Gobain S.A., Xinyi Automobile Glass (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., SCHOTT North America, Inc., Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd, Asahi Glass Co. Ltd, CSG Architectural Glass Co., Ltd., Corning Inc., Astro Cam, Sangalli Group, Dillmeir Glass Company, PPG Industries, Inc., Cardinal Glass Industries, and Syracuse Glass Company, among others. The industry highly fragmented, due to the presence of a large number of regional, local and international vendors. Request for sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/flat-glass-market/request-for-sample Besides, booming automobile industry, the government sector is also anticipated to support the market growth. This is primarily due to the growing expenditure by public or government sector on infrastructural projects to promote the countrys growth. This scenario is quite common in developing nations. A large chunk of market share is taken by construction application and is projected to foresee significant growth at a CAGR of xx% over the forecast period. The key products generating industry growth and facilitating housing expansion are tempered and Basic float glass. Both of these glasses can be applied to the interior as well as exterior structures to avoid fragility and improve aesthetic importance. The flat glass industry is highly fragmented, with the presence of numerous industry players. Thus, elevating the competitiveness of the market. Saint Gobain S.A., Xinyi Automobile Glass (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., SCHOTT North America, Inc., Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd, Asahi Glass Co. Ltd, CSG Architectural Glass Co., Ltd., and Corning Inc. are the noteworthy industry player. Some other prominent players are Astro Cam, Sangalli Group, Dillmeir Glass Company, PPG Industries, Inc., Cardinal Glass Industries, and Syracuse Glass Company, among others. Do you have questions or special requirements? Ask our industry experts: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/flat-glass-market/speak-to-analyst Flat Glass Market possess vast opportunities relating to the key metric performances such as noise control, fire protection, neutrality, self-cleaning and energy saving, among others. Moreover, the property of these glasses is ideal for construction applications. The trends of the Flat Glass Market can be affected by raw materials, limestone, soda ash, and sand. In the manufacturing process, the cost structure is deterred largely by two elements- raw materials and energy. The growth of regional markets such as North America will be favored by the rising preference and product expansion towards laminated products. As per data released by industry associations, about 1.1 million ton was consumed by the European automobile industry in 2015. This can be attributed to the positive outlook of the construction sector in France, Germany, and the UK. Moreover, the European region is witnessing high demand for laminated and tempered products. In APAC, Chinas flat glass market is significantly increasing. While on the other hand the Brazilian market being both the importer and exporter is much indulged towards the domestic market. Furthermore, the demand in East and West, as well as South Africa, is significantly affected by the construction sector. Buy Now : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/checkouts/1881 Contact us Polaris Market Research Phone: 16465689980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The aptly named suburb of Pleasant Prairie wraps itself tightly around the southern end of Kenosha. It takes just a few minutes to drive here from the centre of the city. The transition from the boarded-up shops of downtown to the neatly manicured lawns and wide open spaces is jarring. It may be quiet today, but this unassuming idyll has the gaze of a thousand pollsters fixed upon it. Suburbs like this, in crucial swing states like Wisconsin, have become a key battleground in this years presidential election. The violent protests in Kenosha last month, sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, coincided with a decisive shift in Donald Trumps campaign to focus on law and order. The president used the rubble-strewn streets as a backdrop for his new message: Without him, chaos would reign, he argued. And yet, even after weeks of focused messaging, after the violent scenes in Kenosha, and his marquee visit, there is little sign that the message is breaking through in suburbia. Theres nothing he can do to fix the problem, says Nicole ODoniel, a 35-year-old mother who grew up in Pleasant Prairie and recently purchased a home there. I cant look at his message and think its going to be positive after the last four years. I dont want to repeat that. Id rather give somebody else a chance. You know, I cant see it being worse. The protests that followed the shooting of Mr Blake shook Kenosha and its surrounds. After days of clashes between police and demonstrators, marked by looting and destruction, an armed vigilante from out of town shot two protesters to death. The killings were tragedy piled upon tragedy. Local leaders asked Mr Trump not to visit in order to give the city time to heal. But the president has come to see the kind of destruction and civil strife in places like Kenosha and across the country in Portland as central to his campaign. To stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology that includes this violence, he said at a roundtable discussion on community safety during his visit. The suburbs of Kenosha were a necessary target for the presidents campaign. Mr Trump won all four of Pleasant Prairies voting precincts in 2016, and took the county overall by fewer than 250 votes. But the Democrats made sweeping gains in suburban areas in the 2018 midterms. Today, Mr Biden is outperforming Hillary Clinton in the same areas, and outpolling Trump with suburban women by two to one. Trump supporters and anti-racism protesters clash over presidents Kenosha visit For Mr Trump to aim his message at suburbs that may have been impacted by the violence made sense, and it struck a chord with some. Dan Cox, a 56-year-old plumber, travelled from the small town of Libertyville, some 30 miles south of Kenosha, to show his support during Trumps visit on Tuesday. 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 said. But although Trumps messaging is finding a sympathetic ear among his supporters, there is little evidence that it is reversing the momentum he has lost since 2016. A number of polls taken after the Kenosha unrest and released this week tell the same story. A Fox News poll of likely voters in Wisconsin found that Mr Biden was trusted over Mr Trump on policing and criminal justice by a margin of five points, 47 to 42. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 50 per cent of likely voters said having Trump as president made them feel less safe, while 35 per cent said it made them feel more safe. Undercutting the Trump campaigns messaging even further, a nationwide Reuters poll found that most Americans do not see crime as a major concern. Just 8 per cent of Americans felt that crime was a top priority, and 62 per cent said crime was not increasing in their communities. Cars burned during recent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Richard Hall / The Independent ) (Richard Hall / The Independent) By contrast, a whopping 78 per cent were very or somewhat concerned about the coronavirus. That is a view reflected even here. Eighty-one-year-old Harry Kitzman lives in a suburb of neighbouring Racine, just 30 miles away, in a place called Mount Pleasant. Hes trying to bring attention away from the coronavirus, he says through a mask as he enters a local Walmart. Hes got blood on his hands. Tens of thousands of people have died needlessly. He has to go. Mr Kitzman opposes Trump even as he has tired of the protests for racial justice. Its time to stop. If they are causing damage they should be prosecuted, he says. But he adds: I am 1000 per cent against Trump. Hes a mean vindictive man. He thinks hes on his reality show. Former vice president Joe Biden touches down in Kenosha on Thursday to make an alternative pitch to Trumps. Mr Biden has been critical of violent protests, but pitched himself as a healer. Vice President Biden will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face, his campaign said in a release. Not everyone is excited for Biden, either. I dont feel either of them are doing anything sincerely, says Ms ODoniel. I think Kenosha needs to be focusing on rebuilding and not worrying about who is coming through town. Its causing more division. Instead of coming together, theyre starting to bicker over the election stuff. Sushant's Ex Flatmate Samuel Haokip Says Actor Was Not Doing Drugs Till June 2019: He Could Fool Us Once, But Not Every Day Former President Mr John Dramani Mahama has given yet another clear indication that when elected as president of Ghana he will not respect the Agyapa mineral royalties agreement. He is therefore urging the government to desist from signing that deal. Addressing the chiefs and people of Kaleo as part of his tour of the Upper West Region, Mr Mahama said the attempt by government spokespersons to justify the Agyapa deal in the name of the 2011 proposed Ghana Gold Company is both inaccurate and disingenuous. He said the proposed company was 100 percent owned by the government and people of Ghana, and it had no secret beneficial owners. Mr Mahama pointed out that the Agyapa deal is shrouded in secrecy, its beneficial owners are unknown, seeks to monetise Ghanas gold royalties for the next 15 years and even in perpetuity without the consent of the people of Ghana. He added, civil society and right thinking Ghanaians have all expressed misgivings about this Agyapa deal. He said the government should back down from signing that deal because we will do everything legitimately in our power to oppose the agreement and make sure it doesnt happen. Mr Mahama said a small group of people cannot arrogate to themselves the right to monetise the countrys gold royalties without building consensus with the chiefs and people, adding the Agyapa agreement does not serve Ghanas national interest. ---kasapafmonline Escobar said there are two scavenger hunt divisions. One is for students attending Waukegans public schools, and the other is for anyone else who wants to take part. When a participant logs into the tour, there is a place to indicate whether they are a District 60 student. * has puzzling Russian loyalty (damaging NATO alliance, a gift to his apparent boss Putin, took Putin's word over our own intelligence agencies regarding Russian meddling in our election, dismissed intelligence reports of Russian-ordered contract killing of American soldiers in Afghanistan as "hoax," etc.) * failed as manager of the COVID-19 crisis, about which he refused early on to use emergency powers to ramp up production of needed medical supplies and prevent price gouging of states, claimed states should handle it. We have it totally under control, but he blamed Democratic governors. Current crude mortality rate (COVID deaths per million population) is a good indicator: for the European Union, about 295 per million; for Brazil, 525 per million; and for the U.S., 545 per million. And he's "doing a great job"? Contrast him with known politician Joe Biden, with proven service and loyalty to country as well as compassion for others. New Delhi, Sep 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday in a stern message made it clear that there has been "huge unjustified delay" in the construction of smog towers in the national capital and the project should be positively completed within 10 months, failing which contempt orders can be passed. A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari said: "Let the project be positively completed within 10 months." The top court during the hearing earlier this week noted undertakings have been furnished by the Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, as well as the Principal Secretary of the Department of Environment and Forests, Delhi government. The concerned authorities have informed the top court that the work relating to smog towers will be complete within 10 months and the requisite money has been transferred to the Tata Consultancy. "It is stated in the affidavit filed on behalf of the MoEF that a sum of Rs 52 lakh has also been transferred to Clean air- CARE LLC, which is the licensee of University of Minnesota. Similar is the stand of Govt. of NCT of Delhi. Undertakings are taken on record," the bench observed. The bench said that if there is any violation on any ground, then it will be treated as contempt of the order passed by the top court. The bench noted there is already huge unjustified delay in making the compliance of the order. "However, since steps are being taken and undertakings have been furnished, we have not proceeded for violation of the order passed by this Court, only on the basis of the action taken and undertakings furnished to complete the project," said the bench. On August 4, the apex court had asked the Centre to "start at the earliest" the work for installation of smog towers in the national capital. The Centre had informed the top court that the process will take 10 months. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text The Scholarship Secretariat has fulfilled the pledge by Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, that government will take care of the educational needs of the children of the teacher who was killed at Abuakwa and has offered scholarship to the deceaseds daughter to undertake a four-year nursing training programme in the United Kingdom. Promise redeemed Ms Charlotte Duako Somuah, the daughter of Mr George Bosompem Somuah, the 57-year-old tutor of Asiakwa Salvation Army Basic School in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region, who was brutally beaten to death over snails in 2019, has gained admission to Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen in Scotland. Presenting the scholarship to Ms Somuah, the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Mr Kingsley Agyemang, said, the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh and per the instructions of the Vice-President, we have awarded a scholarship to take care of the tuition and maintenance of the daughter of the late Mr Somuah of Asiakwa. It will cover everything including air passage from Accra to Scotland and back after her studies. Death Police initial investigations showed that the late Mr Somuah incurred the wrath of six teenagers, aged between 18 and 19 after he threatened to report them to the police for stealing his farm produce, among other things. Support Mr Agyemang explained that after the demise of Mr Somuah, the government promised to take care of the educational needs of the children, currently two of them, under the age of 18, are benefiting from the free senior high school education and free basic education. He explained that the support to Ms Somuah was also based on the promise and the need to increase accessibility to quality education as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG4), and stated that the government was committed to ensuring that all Ghanaian children received good quality education. Mr Agyemang expressed the hope that the support would bring some relief to the grieving family and urged them to put their hearts at ease. He urged the beneficiary, who would commence her studies in October 2020, to concentrate on the course and come out with flying colours so that she would be able to help Ghanaians seeking health care and also support her family. Appreciation Ms Somuah expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the government, especially the Vice-President and the Minister of Education, for supporting her to secure the scholarship to study abroad. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Rajasthan government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ShriVallabh Pittie (SVP) International Group for development of facilities related to aviation, defence and textile sectors. Investment of Rs 4,000 crore is estimated under the projects which would generate employment for more than 4,000 people, an official release said. The MoU was signed between the company representatives and state industry department officials in presence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. The company representatives made a presentation at a meeting chaired by Gehlot which was also attended by Industry Minister Prasadi Lal Meena, Chief Secretary Rajeeva Swarup and others, it said. The company proposed to develop a project for defence and aerospace, including aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, aviation academy and a project related to textile. The projects are proposed to be developed at mutually agreed locations in the state. The state government also directed to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Industries for speedy implementation of the projects, the release said. The state government also directed to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Industries for speedy implementation of the projects, the release said. ST. LOUIS A survey recently submitted by more than 2,000 Missouri police officers and residents showed a high level of support for de-escalation and racial bias training. Surveys also showed concern among law enforcement about an often-slow discipline process that allows officers accused of wrongdoing to bounce from department to department. The Missouri agency tasked with overseeing police training, licensing and discipline called Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST launched the online surveys last month. POSTs 11-member commission, made up of members of law enforcement or training academies, held a series of three listening sessions that concluded Wednesday afternoon. The sessions were similar to a series held after Ferguson protests that prompted the agency to require more racial bias training for police in the state, among other changes. The more than 1,500 civilians who opted to take the short survey were most concerned about too few police officers in their area (27% of respondents), officers acting unprofessionally (18%) and lack of adequate training (17%). About 470 members of law enforcement took a separate survey. Their written concerns, published on the POST website, often focused on training requirements. POST approves the curriculum at the states police academies, and the agency requires officers to complete an additional 24 hours of training per year to maintain their license. Some commissioners voiced support for reviewing new training options in response to the surveys, including programs on how officers can better respond to people with mental illness, training standards designed specifically for command staff and police chiefs, and more education in the academy of the history of police officers relationship with minority communities. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak was among the commissioners who supported adding more historical context to the curriculum. Its important for us to have an acknowledgment of our history of policing, Marshak said. I think that can go a long way to improve our relationships in the future. Marshak was one of two appointees added to the commission in June by Gov. Mike Parson after House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, publicly complained about vacant seats and lack of action by the board. Gary Hill, who serves as chief of police at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, is the second new member. A series of responses claimed that many officers do not benefit from completing online training. I see the move to online training as a joke, one member of law enforcement wrote. Respondents names and departments were not made public. Some of my officers start the video playing, and then mute the sound. POST program manager Jeremy Spratt said the agency requires that training courses have measures to ensure participation, such as random questions intended to ensure comprehension of the material. Many officers comments also focused on issues with the police license discipline process. An officer is under review by the POST Commission, however, that officer is currently working in the line of duty, one member of law enforcement submitted. When an officer is under review for something, it is concerning they are still allowed to work, putting all their cases into jeopardy. Something should be done to avoid department hopping to avoid accountability, another member of law enforcement wrote. The commission said one obstacle for swift discipline is the agencys small staff POST has only two full-time investigators tasked with building cases across the state. Spratt said the discipline process is also slowed by the tribunal process required by law. If an officer fights discipline, the process can take more than a year, he said. POST revoked 60 police licenses from 2015 to 2019, according to department records. Over the same period, 196 officers voluntarily surrendered their licenses through the disciplinary process. By state law, POST is not allowed to release a police officers record of past disciplinary actions or dates of employment at past departments to the general public. Completed POST misconduct investigations are, however, available to hiring law enforcement agencies. The POST Commission is set to meet again in October to further discuss possible changes in response to the public comments. More information on POSTs work can be found at dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/post/. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. To the Editor: Re Trump and the Politics of Mean World (column, Aug. 28): David Brooks delivers a clear moral indictment of the temper of the Republican convention. Lets not forget that the mean world behavior of President Trump and his enablers goes further than apocalyptic prophecies of violence in suburbia. That behavior is only a small element of his sheer immorality: his indecency, cruelty and carelessness in the literal meaning of the word. This immorality is not just a matter of rabid party polarization. It defines Mr. Trumps presidency. At the Democratic convention, Joe Biden emphasized decency, compassion and responsibility. If the opposition to Mr. Trump can make this moral distinction persuasively to the American people, they will be quite capable of choosing the candidate who represents these modest political virtues. They will be willing to get past this administrations cynical stoking of the politics of fear. Robert Jay Lifton Nancy L. Rosenblum Wellfleet, Mass. Dr. Lifton is a psychiatrist and the author of Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry. Dr. Rosenblum is emeritus professor of political theory at Harvard and a co-author of A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy. York City police are investigating an early Thursday shooting that sent a 17-year-old to the hospital. Police said they found the 17-year-old male suffering from gunshot wounds around 1:50 a.m. on the 600 block of West King Street. The teenager was taken to the hospital for treatment, police said. The shooting is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact York City police at 717-849-2204 or submit a tip online. READ MORE: Police seeking information on 2 shootings at same Lancaster County residence Pa. man snatches shop tip jar after applying for job: Police State police looking for woman who stabbed other driver after I-83 crash The Syrian Network for Human Rights has confirmed that largescale violations continue to take place across the country and by all parties, although the regime remains the main perpetrator The Syrian Network for Human Rights said in its report, released today, that no less than 146 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention including four children were documented in August 2020. The report mentioned that there are documented cases of detention against refugees returning to Syria from Lebanon, a journey that is still not safe. According to the report, Syrian regime forces ceaselessly pursued Syrian citizens in August, based upon their affiliation with the political opposition and their opinions which are honoured by the constitution and international law and indicated that the arbitrary prosecutions and arrests affected a number of Syrians who were displaced from the areas controlled by the regime. The report documented no less than 146 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, including four children, 115 of whom are forcibly disappeared. There were 58 arrests at the hands of the Syrian regime forces, 44 of them forcibly disappeared. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces arrested 36 32 of whom were forcibly disappeared including three children. The report documented 31 arrests and detentions at the hands of the armed opposition and the National Army, 23 of whom became forcibly disappeared. Twenty-one arrests were documented at the hands of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, including one child 16 of whom were forcibly disappeared. According to the report, most of the arrests took place in Aleppo, Deir Ez-Zor, and Idlib. 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 Division 2 is about to get a mode thatll task players with battling their way up a 100-floor skyscraper. You can take on Summit alone or with up to three others. As you might expect, the aim is to reach the top floor. Developer Massive Entertainment, which announced Summit during its latest State of the Game stream, wanted to ensure the player vs environment mode would have plenty of replayability. As such, items enemies and objectives on each floor will be randomized, so things will be a bit different each time you play through. The difficulty will ramp up the higher you go, and on every 10th level, youll enter a boss battle. Should you overcome that foe, youll get a reprieve. Youll be able to start future runs at one floor higher than that (i.e. the 11th floor, the 21st and so on), so you wont need to complete the entire thing in one go. As noted by Kotaku, Summit draw sfrom the Underground mode from the first game, which saw players battle through a New York subway system that had randomized elements. It also sounds reminiscent of The Raid, an excellent 2011 martial arts film in which an elite police squad fights through a high-rise building run by a drug lord, or even Dredd. Given that much of The Division 2 is set largely in inner-city streets, Summit could freshen things up quite a bit. Itll give veteran players whore looking for great loot a new challenge and offer relative newcomers a different way to level up their characters Summit, which is the tentpole feature of The Division 2s third season, will be available for free to players whove bought the Warlords of New York expansion. Its not entirely clear when the mode will go live on all platforms, but itll likely be fairly soon. PC players will be able to test it out starting Friday. 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 The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has gained the respected ISO 9001:2015 certification for its administrative support services, the latest in a line of certifications, licensures, and accreditations that testify to AURAKs excellence and commitment to quality. The ISO 9001:2015 certification covers the provision of administrative support services including IT, financial, human resources, procurement, and facilities management. The certification runs until July 2023. It demonstrates that AURAK operates a quality management system that complies with the scope of ISO 9001:2015. Granting this certificate to AURAK comes as a result of meeting the comprehensive quality standards in its administrative services, and as a result of the continuous development and improvement of its administrative performance, increasing productivity and providing the best services to its clients and partners, as well as applying strategic thinking in achieving the universitys goals. The requirements of ISO 9001:2015 are intended to be applicable to any organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides. President of AURAK Prof. Hassan Hamdan Al-Alykim confirmed that AURAK is keen to ensure the quality of its operations to meet the standards of the ISO certification. He added that the quality standards in AURAKs administrative and academic services are constantly monitored through the Institutional Strategy and Excellence office, which coordinates with the all departments and schools at AURAK to develop their administrative performances. AURAK is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in the US, one of the most rigorous accreditations. All its engineering programs are accredited by ABET, the global accreditor of programs in STEM subjects. AURAK is ranked 10th in the UAE and 50th in the Arab region by QS Ranking 2020, has an overall 5 Star rating for 2020 in QS Stars, and is ranked 26th in the World for Industrial Application and 96th in the world for Innovative Universities by WURI 2020. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires A Central California special education teacher who first lost his fiance to an aneurysm and then his house to wildfire has become the focus of a major community fundraising effort. Fifty-six-year-old Nelson Southward has worked at Los Arboles Elementary School in San Jose for 23 years and is loved by students and teachers alike. In light of his recent losses, the community has raised nearly $50,000 to help him rebuild his life. I AM SO BLESSED! I do not know how to thank you all, Southward responded in a crowdfunding page set up to help the devastated teacher. Like most everyone in 2020, Southward was already facing a disrupted year as his school closed in March due to the pandemic. Then, on April 8, his partner, Tracey Lee, described in his crowdfunding page as the love of his life of the last 10 years, his best friend, his fiance and partner, passed away suddenly. Los Arboles Elementary School in San Jose, Calif. (Screenshot/Google Maps) Ive got her ring, Southward told KTVU. Ive worn it since I lost her. But before he could even grieve the loss, the fast-moving CZU Lightning Complex Fire that has ravaged Santa Cruz County forced him to evacuate with hardly any notice. When I was waiting to find out, Southward said, I was really anxious about it, is [the house] there, is it not there. He was not able to get home before the mandatory evacuation orders came down, his GoFundMe page states, so he could not save any of their cherished memories together. All that remains of the house that Southward and his partner shared is the mailbox. In response to the devastated teachers plight, two groups sprang into action to help him back on his feet. One was organized by his fellow teachers at the elementary school, who recognized his dedication to children from disadvantaged backgroundsthe majority of the students he teaches. Mobile homes burn at the Spanish Flat Mobile Villa as the LNU Lightning Complex Fire burns through the area on Aug. 18, 2020, in Napa, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) His colleague 1st-grade teacher Julianna Flores praised Southward for continuing to give 100 percent of himself to his students despite his loss. Honestly if you joined our Zoom sessions you would have no idea that he is going through so much right now, she told the news outlet. Our community doesnt have a lot, our school doesnt have a lot, but we are still giving, said teacher Maite Pons, who is now helping to raise funds to help Southward pay for living essentials. All of the support has meant a lot, says Southward. It makes me want to keep going, he said. I want to give back to whos giving back to me. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc By Jagannath Panda, KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 17:09 | World, All, Japan, Coronavirus The coronavirus pandemic has encouraged major economies to reassess and revisit their conventional trading patterns, regionally and globally. Their over-reliance on China for supply of critical products, including essential food and medical items, has exposed the weakness of the trading economy. Australia, India and Japan's national planning are a clear reference to this effect. While the three countries have made efforts to reduce economic dependence on China, the prevalent conditions of an increasingly assertive and unilateral China have led the three countries to urgently plan for a supply chain initiative -- the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative -- under their trilateral relationship. China's aggression, even amid a pandemic, has paradoxically aligned the three countries in their shared goal: to stand up to Beijing and significantly reduce Chinese economic influence so as to limit its interference and coercive diplomacy tactics. The SCRI is primarily an idea that surfaced on the contours of bilateral contacts. The India-Japan "special strategic and global partnership" is developing into a promising alternative to materialize new technologies and solutions. Notably, India and Japan are jointly undertaking major connectivity infrastructure projects in India and subregional pockets of the Indian Ocean. Further, both countries are enhancing their economic relations through initiatives like the "Platform for Japan-India Business Cooperation in the Asia-Africa Region" and the "Industrial Competitiveness Partnership." If anything, India and Japan's bilateral collaborations have served as a model for sectoral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, with scope for expansion to include other like-minded partners like Australia. Similarly, in their virtual summit in June, India and Australia recommitted to enhance their "comprehensive strategic partnership" post-pandemic by boosting collaboration in science, technology and research, and importantly, strengthening and diversifying supply chain networks. Moreover, they pledged to foster collaboration in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship through the Australia-India Business Exchange Program. On a related note, Japan and Australia, which share a "special strategic partnership" underpinned by a natural economic partnership, have been deliberating on "ways to work together" -- not only bilaterally but also in concert with regional partners to ensure an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Based on the trajectory of budding ties between three countries and their fast-emerging priorities, the SCRI is undoubtedly aimed at providing new momentum to the Australia-India-Japan trilateral relationship by furnishing a new foundation for collaboration within their existing framework. Its economic focus is such that it will likely attract other states in the region, thus nurturing Australia, India and Japan's ties with the Indo-Pacific region at large. While the focus is to create a "free, fair, inclusive, nondiscriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment," the underlying intent is to question the unilateral practice that the Chinese trade and investment patterns pose to the region and world. The idea of SCRI is, in itself, a testament to the strategic resilience of trilateral ties. First proposed by Tokyo, the recent meeting held on Sept. 1 among the three countries' trade/commerce ministers explains their resoluteness to take the idea forward. Reportedly, Japan is pressing ahead to make the SCRI functional as early as possible. India's interest has also likely peaked with China's continuous aggression and unilateralism along the Galwan border. Therefore the time is certainly right for a synergy to emerge between the trilateral members. Under the AIJ trilateral framework of cooperation, the SCRI has the potential to boost economic recovery in the region and redistribute China's economic power. The initiative promises to emerge as an alternative global supply chain network with countries across the world already looking at the region as they shift away from China. If successful, the SCRI could expand to the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- thereby achieving a dual objective of fostering closer ties with the Indo-Pacific region and simultaneously tempering Chinese influence amongst these nations. The ASEAN states have, until now, been restrained in their choices, with China being the only viable partner in many cases. An alternative offers them agency over their decisions, thereby allowing better supply risk management. For India particularly, an expanded platform offers a chance to initiate better economic and diplomatic ties with ASEAN, which have suffered amid New Delhi's decision to withdraw from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Moreover, though it looks impossible at this moment for a return, COVID-19 could still be an opportunity for India to reconsider its decision to opt out of the RCEP negotiations. India's large domestic market remains an attractive destination for regional and global manufacturers, and this could augment India's bargaining power to negotiate policies to address the skewed trade relations it shares with RCEP members, particularly China. In fact, with this consideration, ASEAN members reaffirmed their commitment to continue working with India to address outstanding issues at the third RCEP summit in November 2019. The United States is conspicuously absent from discussions on the SCRI. Tensions between Beijing and Washington are such that inviting the United States into the fold could make the platform blatantly anti-China. With all three states still sharing continuing economic ties with Beijing -- however strained they may be -- U.S. inclusion may not be on the cards yet. China has already decried the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue as Washington's attempt to form an "Asian NATO." Consequently, China's response would be situated within the overarching Great Power competition and might have severe repercussions for smaller states -- such as ASEAN countries -- and hinder the initiative's takeoff. To see it in more practical terms, the proposition of the SCRI has the potential to emerge as a pathway toward regional recovery and allow diversification of regional power. Although Australia still appears cautious to say anything concrete on the SCRI, Canberra cannot deny that it is vital for the country to expand its supply chain nexus and establish new, robust trade ties to reduce its reliance on China. The resilience of an alternative supply chain nexus will necessarily depend on the extent to which both member states can gradually "decouple" from China, as both Australian and Japanese economies continue to share close ties with Beijing. In addition, the prospects for such a supply chain mechanism would depend upon India-Japan ties, and how the upcoming India-Japan (virtual) summit to be held in September can provide strategic guidance for this framework. (Jagannath Panda is a Research Fellow and Center Coordinator for East Asia at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.) Related coverage: U.S. issues worldwide alert over North Korea's missile procurement push China to double nuclear warhead stockpile over next decade: Pentagon OPINION: COVID-19 provides opportunity to form alliance of democracies A police officer shot at and killed one person on Tuesday night in Southeast Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Washington DC [US], September 3 (ANI): A police officer shot at and killed one person on Tuesday night in Southeast Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The incident occurred about 8:30 pm (local time) along the 200 block of Orange Street SE, in the Congress Heights neighbourhood, the Washington Post reported. The person killed is believed to be an adult male. Police have also recovered two firearms from the scene. The newspaper quoted DC Police Chief Peter Newsham stating that incident happened when officers were acting on information about a vehicle and weapons. When officers approached the vehicle, Newsham said, some people ran away, the daily said. Also read: India and China should take concrete measures to safeguard peace in LAC: Beijing Also read: Thailand delays purchasing Chinese submarines after public backlash We believe the suspect had a gun at the time, Newsham was quoted as saying. (ANI) Also read: Australian television anchor for Chinas state run media CGTN detained in Beijing " " Space junk traveling at high velocities threatens to create even more debris by colliding with other objects. Image courtesy NASA The U.S. Space Surveillance Network, a department that tracks debris floating through space and reports to NASA, observes over 13,000 man-made objects orbiting Earth larger than 4 inches in diameter [source: National Geographic News]. That number has only been increasing, up from 9,000 objects in 2000. The organization estimates there are also millions of much smaller objects floating around, and all of it combined weighs about 5,500 tons. Does all this space junk create any problems for space stations -- or even people on the ground? Although it's hard to believe, many of these objects travel around the Earth at speeds more than 22,000 miles an hour. Anything traveling at a velocity this high would cause a considerable amount of damage to a spacecraft if a direct hit occurred. Even a tiny fleck of paint traveling at such a speed is capable of boring a quarter-inch hole into the window of a space station. Advertisement Because there are so many objects flying around up there, there's concern that collisions between debris will only produce more fragments. Even if we stopped launching spacecraft right now and didn't send a single object into orbit, the amount of debris in space would remain constant until 2055 [source: National Geographic News]. After that, things would actually get worse, because the amount of material already up there would inevitably collide and create even more space junk. Experts are worried this is already happening. The most recent case of such a collision, for instance, happened on Jan. 17, 2005, when a piece of debris from an exploded Chinese rocket smashed into a 31-year-old American rocket that had been left alone. The collision only produced four pieces of debris, but observers fear it's only a matter of time before such pieces create an unstoppable chain reaction. The good news for astronauts is that most space junk is located between 550 and 625 miles above the Earth -- the International Space Station flies in orbit at 250 miles high, while space shuttles usually only reach 375 miles above Earth. Space programs are also working on rocket designs that limit the amount of debris created during a launch. For those of us on Earth, is there a possibility space junk could fall back to the ground? Everything in orbit will eventually be pulled back down by Earth's gravity -- when that happens depends on how high the object is and how fast it's going. The higher the altitude, the longer the object will take to fall, and it'll take even longer the faster it's speeding around the Earth. These objects could stay in orbit for thousands of years. And the risks of getting hit on the head? Fortunately, most debris burns up during reentry, and no one has ever been killed by space junk -- UK bookmakers note the chances of space junk landing on a person are at least 20 billion to one [source: The Scotsman]. For lots more information on what's going on in outer space, see the next page. The Upside of Space Junk Coming Down How could space junk be helpful to people? An unlikely economic boom has hit Russian villages near the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which has conducted more than 1,500 launches on nine launch pads. A few days before liftoff of spaceships like Soyuz, Molniya, Cosmos-3M, Cyclone-3 and Rockot, local residents are warned to keep clear of the launch site. After a few days, the villagers return to search for valuable metal scrap from the early stages of the rocket launch. The scrap can be sold, or people can keep parts to use in their houses, including batteries for lamps or stainless steel for construction. Nearly all 40 people infected with COVID-19 at Ala. church have recovered Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - September 3, 2020) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Daniel Kamensky, co-chair of the unsecured creditors committee in the Neiman Marcus Group Ltd. LLC Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, with abusing his position on the committee to attempt to benefit a New York-based management firm that he founded and where he served as Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager. As co-chair of the unsecured creditors committee, Kamensky acted as a fiduciary to all unsecured creditors. The SEC's complaint alleges that Kamensky sought to take advantage of his role on the committee to manipulate a bidding process to the benefit the portfolio he managed, and at the expense of the unsecured creditors. According to the complaint, in his role as fund manager, Kamensky sought to purchase securities being distributed as part of the Neiman Marcus bankruptcy proceedings. As alleged, on July 31, 2020, Kamensky coerced a competing bidder for the securities into withdrawing its bid, which was higher than Kamensky's own bid and would have led to a larger distribution to the unsecured creditors. Kamensky allegedly indicated that, in his positon as co-chair of the committee, he would not allow the competing bidder to successfully buy the securities. When his actions came to light, Kamensky allegedly attempted to cover-up his misconduct by trying to persuade the other bidder not to describe Kamensky's conduct as a threat. "Misrepresentations and deceptive conduct have no place in securities offerings," said Daniel Michael, Chief of the SEC's Division of Enforcement's Complex Financial Instruments Unit. "As alleged, Kamensky abused his position as a fiduciary to the Neiman Marcus unsecured creditors by secretly working against them." The SEC's complaint, filed in federal district court in New York, charges Kamensky with violating an antifraud provision of the federal securities laws. The SEC is requesting a permanent injunction and civil penalties. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York today announced criminal charges against Kamensky. The hospital is making arrangements to fly the patient from Baghdad to New Delhi for treatment of critical patient BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the pandemic causing an interruption for non-COVID treatments, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals Delhi has taken the initiative for long-awaited Iraq patient to travel to Delhi for treatment. This facility is extended by the hospital on basis of continuous patient queries and follow ups. Manipal Hospitals exclusively arranged an air ambulance, so that the patient does not postpone their treatment due to this pandemic. The international flight will be flying in the second week of September 2020, from Baghdad to New Delhi. Sharing his thoughts about the same, Dr. Vedant Kabra, HOD and Consultant - Surgical Oncology, said, "With the pandemic causing a hiatus for serious non-COVID treatments, we have set up a COVID Response Team to review the evolving situation and to ensure the implementation of the government's directives and advisories." "Infection Control team has been really active for regular sanitisation activities. A detailed SoP for operational readiness including key surgeries for handling COVID and non-COVID patients is updated regularly which helped us function nonstop even during pandemic," said Dr Yugal Kishore Mishra, Chief of Clinical Services, Head of Cardiac Sciences and Chief Cardio Vascular Surgeon. "In this pandemic, our transplant doctors' team provides reassurance to our patients, and remain poised to reinvigorate the valuable transplant infrastructure while the COVID-19 crisis continues. At Manipal Hospitals, we have world-class modular operation theatres and surgical team seconded by well-equipped Intensive Care units to ensure better outcomes," said Dr Shailendra Lalwani, HOD and Consultant - Liver Transplantation and Hepato-Pancreatic Biliary Surgery. About Manipal Hospitals: Manipal Hospitals is among the largest hospital network in India serving over 2million patients annually. Its focus is to develop an affordable tertiary care multispecialty healthcare framework through its entire multispecialty delivery spectrum and further extend it to homecare. With its flagship quaternary care facility located in Bangalore, India, 8 tertiary care, 7 secondary care and 2 primary care clinics spread across India and abroad, Manipal Hospitals successfully operates and manages 5,200+ beds. It is first in India to be awarded accreditation by the AAHRPP for ethical standards in clinical research activities. It is also NABL, NABH and ISO certified. For more detail contact Manish Bakshi manish.bakshi@manipalhospitals.com +91-7014677837 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248427/Manipal_Hospitals_Logo.jpg Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:09:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Thursday reported 900 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 87,378 and the death toll to 536, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 8,051 patients are receiving treatment, including 93 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 582 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 78,791. 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 Louisiana pastor, 68, killed in sleep after tree struck his home during Hurricane Laura Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:35:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), addresses a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2020. The symposium was held by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the CMC at the Great Hall of the People. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed carrying forward the great spirit of resisting aggression in the new era and striving to achieve national rejuvenation. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Addressing the symposium held by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the CMC, Xi said the Chinese people demonstrated to the world their patriotism, national character, heroism and a strong will to win during the war. The great spirit of resisting aggression bred during the war is an invaluable source of inspiration, and will always motivate the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive to achieve national rejuvenation, Xi said. The state corruption watchdog has declined to investigate two University of Queensland leaders after allegations made by a student suspended last month amid a lengthy public battle over campus protest and conduct. Student activist Drew Pavlou had referred the university's chancellor, Peter Varghese, and former vice-chancellor, Peter Hj, to the state's Crime and Corruption Commission as he fought his two-year suspension for alleged misconduct. University of Queensland student Drew Pavlou and the July protests on campus against the CCP. Credit:Sydney Morning Herald A spokesperson for the watchdog said following an assessment of the complaint, it was determined there was "insufficient evidence to suggest anyone who was subject of the complaint had engaged in corrupt conduct". "On that basis, the CCC took no further action," they said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The Philippines' outstanding debt rose further to 9.16 trillion in July, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed. The sustained climb comes as the government had to borrow even more funds to fund a wider budget gap resulting from emergency COVID-19 response measures. Loans grew by 17.4 percent from a year ago and added 110.1 billion against the June level. The government has so far spent 389.06 billion for coronavirus-related projects and programs as of August 28, the Department of Budget and Management said. Bulk of the funds were sourced locally, with the Treasury borrowing 66.45 billion in additional funds from peso loans and the issuance of debt papers to bring the total to 6.26 trillion. The figure is already 1 trillion higher than the borrowings secured in July 2019. One-third of the funds came from foreign lenders, to which the government owed 2.91 trillion. Bulk of the amount was secured through the issuance of bonds and debt notes to international investors, while some 1.23 trillion is owed through loan agreements. This includes deals from institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank which have extended credit to support the fight against COVID-19, as well as to accelerate "infrastructure and economic development." READ: More benefits for frontliners with mild COVID-19, private medical workers in Bayanihan 2 The peso's recent strength versus the US dollar has helped offset the impact of rising foreign currency loans, with the exchange rate down to the 49 level against the greenback for the month. The Philippines borrows money from local and foreign investors so that it can carry out priority projects which cannot be immediately funded through tax collections or other public revenues. The government has acquired 1.43 trillion in new loans in the first seven months, bringing the current level nearly a fifth higher than the end-2019 debt stock. Meanwhile, the government scaled down allotted debt guarantee as the loans piled up. The state set aside 458.8 billion to repay maturing debts, down 5.2 percent from last year. The country's debt will keep rising in the next few months to end at 10.16 trillion by December, DBM said, and will further rise to nearly 12 billion by 2021. RELATED: DOF to keep national debt below 50% of the size of economy FLORENCE After years of discussion, plans to replace a bridge crossing the Illinois River at Florence appears to be getting closer. The Illinois Department of Transportation has narrowed plans to four options, which will be presented at a public hearing next week. Project engineer Jay Wavering said the designs for a replacement for the 91-year-old structure needed to be reliable for motorists and also for those who use the river for navigation. The bridge was built in 1929 and has been repaired several times because of normal wear and tear as well as a few barge allisions. Replacing it will cost about $75.5 million. It is really beyond its practical life and the repairs are more significant and more costly, Wavering said. He said the state is recommending one alternative over others because of its limited impact on the environment, as well as the increased safety it would provide to river travel. That option would mean building a new bridge 300 feet south of the existing structure. While it would affect fewer habitats, it would also require less intrusion into neighboring properties and less deviation from existing traffic patterns. Wavering said barges would have more room to maneuver around the bridge. We have to look at several things, he said. There are several archaeological sites in the area, these avoid those and this doesnt displace any businesses or homes. The other proposals include building a new structure 100 feet north of the existing span, building one 100 feet south of the existing bridge or building one 4,500 feet south of the existing structure. The public meeting will be 4-7 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Nimrod Funk Building at 401 N. Walnut St. in Winchester. Wavering said he will be available to answer questions about the alternatives and an environmental study is also available on the project website at florencebridgestudy.com. The United States said on Wednesday it would now require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting US university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. Washington cast the move as a response to what it said was Beijings restrictions on American diplomats based in China. It comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage activity. The State Department said it also would take action to help ensure all Chinese embassy and consular social media accounts were properly identified. Were simply demanding reciprocity. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and todays steps will move us substantially in that direction, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. It was the latest US step to curb Chinese activity in the United States in the run-up to the November presidential election, in which President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy platform. Chinas Washington embassy called the move yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel that runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the US side. Pompeo also said that Keith Krach, the State Departments undersecretary for economic growth, had written recently to the governing boards of US universities alerting them to threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. These threats can come in the form of illicit funding for research, intellectual property theft, intimidation of foreign students and opaque talent recruitment efforts, Pompeo said. He said universities could ensure they had clean investments and endowment funds, by taking a few key steps to disclose all (Chinese) companies investments invested in the endowment funds, especially those in emerging-market index funds. On Tuesday, Pompeo said he was hopeful that the dozens of Chinese Confucius Institute cultural centers on US university campuses, which he accused of working to recruit spies and collaborators, would all be shut by the end of the year. At the news briefing, Pompeo said he planned to discuss China and other regional issues with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other Indo-Pacific countries in virtual meetings next week. The State Department said Pompeo would participate in an East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers meeting and another with his ASEAN counterparts on Sept. 9. It said that on Sept. 11, he would launch a cooperation partnership with Mekong River partner countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, aimed at strengthening their autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable development. Also that day, he will participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a 27-nation grouping bringing ASEAN together with dialogue partners from around the world. Wednesdays US move goes further than one last October requiring Chinese diplomats to give advance notice of any meetings with state, local and municipal officials, as well as at educational and research institutions. The State Department has also required Chinese media outlets to register as foreign missions and announced in March it was slashing the number of journalists allowed to work at US offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 30 Trend: Military units of the armed forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 28 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces, located in Mosesgekh village of Berd region and in Jil village of Chambarak region subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army located in Aghdam village of Tovuz region and on nameless hills in Gadabay region. The positions of Azerbaijan Army were also fired from the positions of Armenian military units located near the occupied Goyarkh, Chilaburt villages of Terter region, Marzili village of Aghdam region, Garakhanbayli, Horadiz villages of Fuzuli region, as well as from the positions located on nameless hills in Terter and Khojavend regions. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (19) In mid-August, 2020, an unusual heat wave fixated over California, leading to a series of lightning storms across the state and numerous wildfires. Hundreds of thousands of acres were burned and tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Below is an account of how the fires spread and officials responded to the emergency. Read the previous batch of updates from Aug. 23-24. Read the next batch of updates from Aug. 27-28. Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 25 9:06 p.m. Firefighters gradually beat back the SCU Lightning Complex Fire: After steadily making progress all day on a wildfire that scattered through Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, Cal Fire announced Tuesday night that the blaze is 20% contained, after devouring 365,772 acres. During the battle firefighters had to contend with falling trees and branches that often blocked roadways as they prepare for the possibility of high temperatures in the days ahead. 9 p.m. Three people cited for being in CZU Lightning Complex evacuation area, five people missing: Three people were cited for being in the CZU Lightning Complex evacuation area on Tuesday, said Chief Deputy Chris Clark of the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office. Clark said deputies responded to four welfare checks and 13 reports of suspicious people, but said no arrests were made on Tuesday. Clark said sheriffs detectives are still investigating five missing persons reports down by 2 reports from 7 reports earlier Tuesday morning three of whom are from Bonny Doon, one from Ben Lomond and one from Boulder Creek. Eighteen sheriffs deputies will be joined by 48 other personnel from other Santa Cruz County agencies and neighboring agencies to patrol the San Lorenzo Valley area on Tuesday night, Clark said. He also reported that detectives are making significant progress in the investigation into the wallet that was stolen from a Santa Cruz firefighter battling the fires, and says he hopes to provide additional information as the investigation continues. 7:48 p.m. SCU is 20% contained, still threatening homes: The SCU Lightning Complex has burned 365,722 acres since it began last week and continues to threaten 20,000 homes in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. It is now 20% contained. It has caused injuries to three first responders and two civilians, and has destroyed 18 homes or other buildings. 7:40 p.m. Relative, neighbors name LNU fires victim: A relative and neighbors told NBC Bay Area that a man who died on his property in Vacaville was James Leon Bone, a 64-year-old resident who was visually impaired. 7:10 p.m. Firefighters make progress in CZU Lightning Complex: Cal Fire officials said the weather conditions in and around the CZU Lightning Complex have cooperated with firefighters and have allowed crews to make progress in containing the fires. Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said that, Every percent of containment is hours and hours of sweat and blood up on those lines. Cal Fire said the fires continue to actively burn above the marine layer in the heavy timber and thick undergrowth in Southern San Mateo County and Northern Santa Cruz County, Cal Fire said in an incident update on Tuesday evening. As of before 6 p.m., Cal Fire said they had dropped about 195,000 gallons of retardent on Tuesday and expected to meet or exceed by Tuesdays end the 200,000 gallons that were dropped the day before on Monday. 7 p.m. LNU Lightning Complex burns 356,326 acres: The LNU Lightning Complex burned 356,326 acres and was 27% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire has recorded five fatalities among civilians, three from Napa County and two in Solano County. Four civilians have been injured, Cal Fire said. The fires have destroyed 978 structures, damaged 256 structures, and are currently threatening another 30,500 structures. Cal Fire said in an incident update Tuesday night that extreme fire behavior with short and long range spotting are continuing to challenge firefighters battling the blazes. Fires continue to make runs in several directions, impacting multiple communities, Cal Fire officials said in an incident update. Firefighters are expected to continue to contain the fires overnight. Cal Fire said 2,207 personnel are responding to the complex, along with 293 engines, 66 water tenders, 11 helicopters and 56 dozers. 6:45 p.m. 1.25 million acres burned in California so far, Cal Fire says: Across California, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said, 1.25 million acres of land have burned since Aug. 15. Thats larger than the state of Delaware that weve seen consumed in the state of California over that period of time, Cox said during a Tuesday night news conference. Across the state, more than 136,000 people have evacuated from their homes. More than 100 aircraft have been assigned to fight the fires across the state, Cox said, and more than 2.7 million gallons of retardant has been dropped on fires across the state in the past ten plus days. 6:10 p.m. CZU Lightning Complex burns 79,640 acres: The CZU which is burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties burned 79,640 acres and was 19% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire officials. Cal Fire officials said 443 structures have been destroyed, 11 of which were in San Mateo County and 432 in Santa Cruz County. Another 24,000 structures are treated by the fires, said Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox. 5:52 p.m. Sonoma County supervisor to tourists: Please stay home. I want to remind any potential visitors that we are still in the midst of a major fire disaster, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who represents the western swath of the county where the Walbridge Fire has torn through wooded hillsides and forced residents in several towns to evacuate. She noted that an influx of new people could prompt more calls for emergency services, overloading first responders at a time when they should be focused on battling the fires. We love you, visitors in west county, we know that you support our local businesses, but for now, it is not the time to visit, Hopkins said. 5:40 p.m. Evacuation orders reduced to warnings, warnings lifted in portions of Alameda County for SCU Lightning Complex: In Alameda County, Cal Fire changed evacuation orders to evacuation warnings related to the SCU Lightning Complex in the following areas: south of Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter and the Alameda/Santa Clara County line east of Calaveras Road at Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter; and the countys Zone 19, which is inside of the Ohlone Fire Perimeter, Cal Fire said. Evacuation warnings have been lifted in the following areas: Mill Creek Road from the 196 block to the 9000 block, east of Mission Boulevard from the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Mission Road, south to the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Curtner Road; east of Curtner Road south along Interstate 680 to the Scott Creek Road/Santa Clara County line; Tesla Road, north to Interstate 580 in-between Greenville Road and the San Joaquin County Line; and Calaveras Road, west to Mill Creek Road, south of Interstate 680 to the Ohlone Fire perimeter. 4:55 p.m. All CZU-related evacuation warnings lifted in Santa Clara County: All evacuation warnings related to the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Clara County have been lifted. Cal Fire warned that changing conditions in fire activity may cause this area to return to an Evacuation Warning or Evacuation Order at any time. There are still evacuation warnings and orders in the county due to the SCU Lightning Complex. An evacuation map with details for the active warnings and orders for the SCU Lightning Complex can be found here. 3:55 p.m. Mutual aid from nine states assisting California fires:Firefighters and strike teams from nine states are assisting firefighting efforts in California, according to the California Office of Emergency Services. Teams from Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington are assisting, officials said. 3:50 p.m. Short-lived relief from smoky air: The relief from smoky air felt early Tuesday in parts of the wildfire-besieged Bay Area didnt last long: By late morning air quality had taken a turn for the worse, hitting unhealthy levels again in the East Bay and Peninsula. Read the story here. 3 p.m. Spare the Air alert extended through Friday: A Spare the Air alert and ban on burning have been extended through Friday. People are urged to stay inside with doors and windows closed, unless heat is an issue, until smoke levels decrease. 2:32 p.m. Santa Clara County evacuation warning lifted for some areas: Wildfire evacuation warnings were lifted Tuesday in the Morgan Hill area south of Eagle View Drive, East of Peet Road., North of Half Road, West of Cochrane Road and West of Coyote Creek. 2:15 p.m. Oakland Zoo offers to rebook tickets: The Oakland Zoo is offering to reissue tickets that went unused by non-members when the Zoo closed early due to bad air quality Sunday and Tuesday and didnt open at all on Monday. Tickets can be rebooked for up to 30 days. 1:42 p.m. Evacuation orders, warnings lifted for parts of Sonoma Coast: Wildfire evacuation orders and warnings were lifted Tuesday along the Sonoma County coast south of the Russian River, east of Dry Creek, the county sheriffs office said. A full list of the roads and areas removed from the evacuation restrictions is here. 1:15 p.m. Santa Cruz area sees 77,000 evacuated: Rampaging fires forced evacuation of 77,000 people in Santa Cruz County as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. Three of nine official evacuation shelters those at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, the Seventh Day Adventist Campground and the Half Moon Bay High School were filled to capacity. 1:11 p.m. San Mateo County seeks help for wildfire victims: San Mateo County officials are asking for new, unopened diapers, baby formula and school supplies to help those impacted by the CZU Lightning Complex fires. Items can be dropped off until Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the San Mateo Event Centers Expo Hall, on Saratoga Drive. The county tweeted that monetary donations can be sent to @PuentePescadero and @RedCrossNorCal. 1:04 p.m. Meyers Fire almost completely contained: The Meyers Fire, which is part of the vast LNU Lightning Complex, was 97% contained, having consumed 2,360 acres along the Pacific Coast in Sonoma County, Cal Fire said Tuesday afternoon. 12:57 p.m. LNU Complex spreads in Napa, Lake, Sonoma counties:After two days of favorable weather enabled strides against the LNU Complex fires, flames continue to spread from the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties and the Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County, Cal Fire Chief Sean Kavanaugh said Tuesday. The Hennessey Fire is 29% contained after consuming 296,050 acres, the Walbridge Fire 17% contained at 54,503 acres. Firfighting efforts entail 2,194 firefighters, 304 fire engines and 12 helicopters. The LNU Complex overall was 27% contained Tuesday, at 352,913 acres. 12:42 p.m. Blazes in San Mateo, Santa Cruz counties: Firefighters report 17% containment of the CZU Complex fires burning across western parts of San Mateo County and the Santa Cruz Mountains as of late morning Tuesday. The fire complex has consumed 78,869 acres. The progress followed the fires first air support Monday, with six helicopters dumping water near Boulder Creek. 12:36 p.m. SCU Complex blaze is 15% contained: Cal Fire reports that the SCU Complex fires now have spread across 363,772 acres, with containment at 15% as of midday Tuesday. The massive cluster of fires is burning in the East Bay, South Bay and San Joaquin Valley. 12:27 p.m. Facebook launches wildfire relief fundraiser, donates meals: Facebook is matching community donations up to $500,000 and raised over $40,000 for wildfire relief as of Tuesday morning, with funds going to the American Red Cross. The companys chefs are also donating hot meals, water and non-perishable food to evacuees, first respondents and volunteers through the Red Cross. 12:12 p.m. Experts tell how to lessen impact of bad air: Even when air quality conditions are moderate, wildfire smoke has become an unpleasant part of life for Bay Area residents, ranging from a nuisance for some to a health risk for others. Experts offer ideas on what to do to lessen the impact in your home, your car and daily life. 11:39 a.m. Air quality still a problem: Smoke wafting over the Bay Area from wildfires continues to make air quality unhealthy in many parts of San Francisco, the South Bay, the East Bay and the Peninsula. To check the air quality in your area, see The Chronicles tracker here. 11:28 a.m. Fire complexes grow in northern state counties: The many fires making up the Butte, Tehama and Glenn Lightning Complexes spread across 49,820 acres as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. Firefighters had the blazes 13% contained. 11:13 a.m. Carmel Fire is 30% contained: Firefighters have managed to get the Carmel Fire 30% contained, as it stretched across 6,695 acres as of Tuesday morning. Progress enabled the lifting of evacuation orders and warnings in some areas. Cal Fire said vegetation still burning inside the containment lines will cause smoke and flames to be visible but not an imminent danger. 11:04 a.m. Lifetime of classic cars, hobby collections torched: Little is left besides melted carcasses of classic Chevys, along with the ashes of Ginny dolls, a stamp collection and a 500-piece train set, after voracious flames destroyed the Vacaville home of a couple in their 70s who were lifelong collectors. Read The Chronicles story about the tragedy here. 10:16 a.m. Smoky taste already impacts grapes: As Northern California winemakers face early wildfires spreading at harvest time, owner Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines says hes already tasting the impact on grapes near the Walbridge Fire. I think theres a better chance than not that we make almost no wine this year, he said. Read The Chronicles story here. 9:59 a.m. Point Reyes fire growing despite cooler weather: Marin Countys Woodward Fire is growing in Point Reyes National Seashore, burning in thick brush, timber and chapparal that has no history of fire. It covered 2,739 acres in the northwest corner of the national seashore, and was just 5% contained Tuesday morning with the ocean providing most of that containment, U.S. Forest Service fire officials said. The park remains closed. Residents of Silverhills Road, Fox Drive and Noren Way south of Inverness Park were ordered to evacuate Monday night. 9:08 a.m. Where to find rescue resources for animals: From horses to hamsters to everything in between, livestock and pets are being displaced in the path of rampaging wildfires and smoke. The Chronicle has compiled a list of resources available in the Bay Area as organizations, agencies and volunteers step up to offer shelter for animals. 8:57 a.m. Cooler, moister weather to continue: Cooler temperatures and the marine layer that helped firefighters overnight are expected to continue through at least Thursday. Coastal fog and clouds moved further inland overnight, said David King, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The wind direction shifted, with light winds pushing much of the smoke to the east. It will still be hazy, King said. But its good news for San Francisco and the Bay Area, not so much for the Central Valley. 8:51 a.m. Battered schools now dealing with fire: Distance learning has been hard enough. On the Fifth & Mission podcast, education reporter Jill Tucker talks about the heartbreaking new trouble for schools in the remote communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Students and teachers have had to evacuate to escape the CZU Complex fires. Some have lost their homes. Some teachers are trying to keep their classes engaged in learning while not having a stable place to stay. Click here to listen. 8:41 a.m. Animal-rescue network saves animals large and small: A sweeping network of sanctuaries, agencies and animal rescue groups from Daly City to UC Davis to Santa Cruz is in full-combat mode as massive fires burn in the Bay Area and beyond. Steeped in practice from previous fires, they coordinate and shelter animals as farmers and ranchers are forced to move them away from danger. Read the story here. 8:24 a.m. Lake Berryessa, an escape during pandemic, is blackened:All but the eastern portion of Napa Countys Lake Berryessa was ravaged by fire last week, turning the lovely greenery into black and ashy swaths of land. The lake area had been abuzz with visitors during the pandemic as Bay Area visitors turned to its flowers and bucolic waters for day trips and quick getaways during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the story here. 8:00 a.m. SCU Complex spreads, but not much: The massive SCU Lightning Complex fires, burning mostly in dense dry brush in seven counties in East Bay, South Bay and San Joaquin Valley, grew slightly overnight while firefighters maintained 15% containment, officials reported Tuesday morning. The fires now cover 363,772 acres, have destroyed six structures and are threatening 20,000. Cooler temperatures and the return of the marine layer helped limit its pread overnight but flames were burning above 1,000 feet. Fallen trees and branches blocked roadways, hampering firefighters. 7:49 a.m. LNU Complex fires grow slightly overnight: The LNU Complex fires burning across the North Bay grew a little larger Tuesday as firefighters slightly increased their control of the conflagrations. Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning that the LNU fires now have consumed 352,913 acres, with containment at 27%. Five people have died and 937 structures have been destroyed with nearly 30,000 still threatened. Fire officials warned of extreme fire behavior and said thousands of people remain evacuated, particularly in the areas near the Walbridge Fire near the Russian River and Dry Creek Valley. 6:34 p.m. Santa Cruz mountain residents defy evacuation, save homes: A group of residents in rural Bonny Doon have whipped up their own fire brigade, pooling together bulldozers, tractors, hand crews and water lines, creating firebreak lines that halted flames, sometimes within feet of homes. Theyre now credited with saving dozens of homes after doing what fire officials and their own families begged them not to: fight the flames themselves. 6:26 a.m. Trauma on top of trauma Bay Area students under pandemic stress face wildfire risks: School had only just gotten underway last week when clusters of wildfires ripped through Northern California. Already struggling with the stress of the pandemic and the challenges of virtual learning, the wildfires pose new threats to childrens well-being. The trauma, experts say, is piling up with potential lifelong consequences affecting their mental, emotional and physical health as well as their ability to learn. 6:07 a.m. Firefighters tout significant progress on CZU Complex: Cal Fire officials said Tuesday morning that the CZU Complex burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties is now just under 79,000 acres in size and is 17% contained. Overnight, that marks only a slight growth of the fire clusters size and a 4% jump in containment. Cal Fire officials said theyve made significant progress against the blazes and have been receiving a steady trickle of resources theyve rapidly put to use. Still, 25,000 structures remained threatened and 330 have been destroyed, most of which in Santa Cruz County. Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 26 Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California 9:15 p.m. Successful day of firefighting efforts for CZU Lightning Complex: Cal Fire Operations Chief Mark Brunton said that firefighters had another good, successful day of suppression of the fire on Wednesday, but said weather conditions did not allow for the desired amount of aircraft support on the CZU Lightning Complex. Brunton said that crews were only able to drop about 10,000 gallons of water on the fires, but said Cal Fire officials are hopeful about weather conditions over the next few days that may allow more aircraft operations. 7:45 p.m. LNU Complex burns 360,868 acres: Cal Fire said the LNU, which is burning in Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo and Lake counties, has burned 360,868 acres and was 33% contained as of Wednesday evening. The fires have destroyed 1,080 structures, damaged 272 structures, and are threatening another 30,500 structures. Cal Fire said 2,292 personnel are battling the blazes along with 292 engines, 68 water tenders, 13 helicopters and 68 dozers. Officials said extreme fire behavior with short and long range spotting continues to challenge firefighters. The Hennessey and Walbridge fires, which are part of the complex, are making runs in several directions, impacting surrounding communities, Cal Fire said in an incident update on Wednesday evening. Five civilians have died in connection to the complex, and four civilians have been injured, Cal Fire said. 7:30 p.m. One man cited for returning to CZU Complex evacuation area, getting lost, requiring rescue: Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Chris Clark said that one man in his 70s was cited today for trying to return to his evacuated home and getting lost while navigating a trail in the outskirts of the evacuated zone. He got into an area that was very steep, Clark said. Luckily for him, he literally survived two nights in the woods. 7:15 p.m. CZU Complex burns 81,137 acres: Cal Fire said the CZU, which is burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, burned 81,137 acres and was 21% contained as of Wednesday evening. The fires have destroyed 408 residences, damaged 39 residences, and are threatening another 24,323 structures. Cal Fire said an infrastructure crew is working to open roads, clear hazardous trees and restore utilities. Damage inspection teams have inspected 55% of the burned area, according to Cal Fire. Officials said 1,982 personnel are currently responding to the fires along with 198 engines, 32 water tenders, 12 helicopters, and 23 dozers. 7:10 p.m. SCU Complex burns 367,371 acres: The SCU Lightning Complex which is burning in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and San Benito counties has burned 367,371 acres and was 30% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to a Cal Fire incident update. The fires have destroyed 20 structures, damaged six structures, and are threatening another 20,065 structures. 6:24 pm Uber and Lyft offer free rides in fire areas: Uber and Lyft are both offering free rides in areas affected by wildfires. Uber riders in the affected cities can use the code CAFIRE2020 for rides anywhere. Lyft riders can use CAFIRERELIEF20 for rides to designated evacuation centers. Each service offers two free rides per person. 6 p.m. When is it OK to go outside if its smoky in the Bay Area? Wildfire smoke across the Bay Area has made outdoor activities difficult and even dangerous at times. Air quality and health experts offer advice to help assess when adults and children can safely go outside, and what level of activities they can engage in. 6 p.m. Evacuation orders for CZU Complex lifted for UC Santa Cruz: Cal Fire officials announced Wednesday evening that evacuation orders related to the CZU Lightning Complex have been lifted for UC Santa Cruz. Cal Fire said that the university will resume operations through a phased opening as determined by the chancellor and the chief of police. Officials warned residents to be cautious of emergency vehicles and crews are still operating in the area. 5:38 p.m. Quinlan Temporary Evacuation Point in Santa Clara County to close tonight: Santa Clara County officials said Wednesday that the Quinlan Temporary Evacuation Point will be closed at 10 p.m. tonight. Evacuees impacted by the SCU and CZU Lightning complexes can instead seek assistance at two other temporary evacuation points at Milpitas Library (located at 160 N. Main Street in Milpitas) and Ann Sobrato High School (located at 401 Burnett Avenue in Morgan Hill), county officials said. 5:20 p.m. State Insurance Commissioner directs companies to expedite claims filed by wildfire victims: Wildfire survivors need immediate help as they start on the long road to recovery, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said as he issued an emergency notice Wednesday, requesting that all property and casualty insurance companies operating within the state speed up claims related to these out-of-control blazes. He also asked companies to ease deadlines and documentation requirements for fire victims, allowing them to rebuild and restore their lives more quickly. 5:20 p.m. Residents in eight Northern California counties can apply for federal aid: Residents impacted by the fires blazing in Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties can now apply for federal assistance. To apply for individual assistance from FEMA, go to www.disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621- 3362. See Kathleen Penders Net Worth column for details. 5:10 p.m. Governor signs executive order to extend deadline for 2022 elections: Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires raging across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to extend the deadline for county officials to count and certify signatures for initiatives seeking to qualify for the November 2022 ballot. Such flexibility will allow counties to focus on this years general election, much of which will be conducted by mail. 4:45 p.m. Vacaville man identified as a victim of LNU Complex: Vacaville resident Douglas Mai , 82, was identified by the Solano County Sheriffs Office as one of the countys victims who died in the LNU Lightning Complex fires blazing in the county, according to sheriffs spokesman LeRon Cummings. The mans remains were found in his Vacaville home, Cummings said. 3:30 p.m. Evacuation order reduced to evacuation warning in portions of Napa County for LNU Complex: Cal Fire reduced an evacuation order to an evacuation warning for the area between Rosedale Road and south to Deer Park Road. Evacuation orders remain in place for Crystal Springs Road, Glass Mountain Road and Deer Park Road. All other evacuation orders remain in place, Cal Fire said. 3:15 p.m.: Cal Fire officials said theyve made good progress on the SCU Fire, which covers seven counties. Officials said while they are seeing more containment, theres still a long road ahead of us. They also mentioned how fatigued firefighters are after more than a week of battling the blazes. About 1,600 firefighters are fighting the conflagration. Cal Fire Unit Chief Jake Hess said that his agency is coordinating with many others on decisions about when residents can return. We are not going to keep those warnings out there any longer than we have to, Hess said. 2:30 p.m. NASA satellites show wildfire smoke spreading far beyond California borders: Recent satellite images released by NASA vividly show the impact of Californias huge lightning-sparked wildfires not just across the state but across the country. The space agencys Terra satellite on Monday captured a view that showed a pall of wildfire smoke covering most of California. NASAs Suomi NPP satellite provided another sobering image showing heavy levels of aerosols from California wildfire smoke extending all the way to Minnesota and Nebraska. See the images and read more. 1:14 p.m. Twelve condors missing after sanctuary destroyed: The Ventana Wildlife Society, which helped bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction four decades ago, was destroyed by wildfires. The fate of a dozen condors is currently unknown, sanctuary officials said. Condor Camera footage shows what could be one chicks last moments. 11:25 a.m. Middletown area the top priority for LNU Complex fire: Cal Fire officials overseeing the LNU Complex blazes covering areas of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties said the top priority for firefighters Wednesday would be an area just south of Middletown, where the Walbridge fire continues to burn. That region, on the northwest part of the fire cluster, represented the last significant piece of the LNU Complex, fire officials said. They were working to marshal additional bulldozers, planes and other resources to assist in that effort. 8:25 a.m. Historic one-room school house destroyed by Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County: The loss of the Daniels Schoolhouse in Venado, which dates back to 1883, comes months after a renovation was completed at the school, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported. Venado has seen both extremes of the climate spectrum in recent years; it was hit with 20 inches of rain in less than 48 hours during a February 2019 storm. 8:08 a.m. Marin Farmer: image of resilient farmer conflates sacrifice with success: Images of masked farmworkers harvesting berries in smoky fields and brave farmers discing firebreaks emerge again on social media, with the hashtags #countystrong and #farmersareresilient. But one Marin County farmer, who had to evacuate his farm due to wildfire, says we need to reevaluate what it means to be resilient. A food system that falls apart without people breathing smoke to get strawberries on the table is not resilient, he writes. 7:41 a.m. Containment grows for SCU Complex: Firefighters increased their containment of the SCU Lighting Complex fire overnight by 5%. The blaze is now 25% contained, according to Cal Fire, and did not apparently grow at all overnight. Three first responders and two civilians have been injured, while 37 structures have been destroyed. 7:35 a.m. Woman found dead in Felton home: An official with the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office said investigators were looking into the death of 63-year-old woman who died in her Felton home on Tuesday. She was found after authorities were called to perform a welfare check. Its not yet clear whether the womans death is directly related to the fires, but it is not being considered suspicious. 7:26 a.m. Bay Area farms scrambling to save summer harvest: Small farms on the San Mateo County coast have narrowly escaped destruction from the CZU Lightning Complex fires. But with roads still closed off, those farmers now face a different challenge: figuring out how to harvest whats still growing abundantly in their fields and transport it out of fire evacuation zones to farmers markets and donation sites. 6:14 a.m. Firefighters save ancient redwood at Armstrong park: Firefighters and state natural resources crews on Tuesday guided the Walbridge fire that has been blazing through wooded hillsides in Sonoma County largely around the towering redwoods in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Some trees sustained damage in their cavities, but the Colonel Armstrong tree the oldest tree in the grove estimated to be 1,400 years old was not damaged by the blaze. The historic Colonel Armstrong tree was happy on Tuesday, said Brendan ONeil, a natural resources manager for California State Parks Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District who oversees the reserve. 6:04 a.m. CZU Complex fire grows only slightly: The CZU complex fire burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties grew by less than 500 acres overnight, standing at just over 80,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire officials said. The fire is still 19% contained, but cooler weather conditions are making firefighters optimistic they can continue to make progress against the blaze. Some 538 structures have been destroyed by the CZU Complex, all but 11 of which are in Santa Cruz County. (Reuters) - The World Health Organization does not expect there to be widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year, a spokeswoman said on Friday, stressing the importance of rigorous checks on their effectiveness and safety. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread, open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser. * For a U.S.-focused tracker with state-by-state and county map, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external browser. * Eikon users, see MacroVitals (cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=1592404098) for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE * Russia's "Sputnik-V" COVID-19 vaccine produced an antibody response in all participants in early-stage trials, according to results published on Friday by The Lancet medical journal that were hailed by Moscow as an answer to its critics. * Surging coronavirus cases in Ankara are stretching hospitals to the limit and Turkish authorities need to impose a fresh lockdown to bring the virus under control, doctors in the Turkish capital say. ASIA-PACIFIC * Japan's government said on Friday it would bear the cost of providing coronavirus vaccines to the populace, as it aims for a comprehensive inoculation against the pandemic. * South Korea's top medical body faced a rift on Friday after trainee doctors rejected a deal by its leader to end a two-week-old strike, although the government backed down from reform plans aimed at averting future epidemics. AMERICAS * White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said negotiations on another coronavirus relief bill are continuing, but said the United States can survive the end of the year without another round of aid meant to alleviate economic pain caused by the pandemic. * U.S. deaths from the coronavirus will reach 410,000 by the end of the year, more than double the current death toll, and deaths could soar to 3,000 per day in December, the University of Washington's health institute forecast. Story continues * Seven months after Brazil declared a state of emergency because of the pandemic, the country's Health Ministry has distributed less than a third of the 22.9 million available RT-PCR test kits, O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper reported on Friday. * More health workers have died from the novel coronavirus in Mexico than any other country on the planet, Amnesty International said. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA * Iran's death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 118 to 22,044 health ministry spokeswoman told state TV on Friday, with the total number of identified cases spiking to 382,772. * Gaza has reported hundreds of coronavirus infections since the first case emerged in the general population last week, and a U.N. aid group warned that a lack of key medical items could make it hard to treat the disease effectively. MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS * Drugmaker Roche said it had received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a test to quickly detect whether a patient has SARS-CoV-2 or one of two forms of influenza. * Mexico said it plans to take part in stage 3 trials of the Russian coronavirus vaccine in October, part of the nation's efforts to secure supplies of possible future COVID-19 vaccines. ECONOMIC IMPACT * A gauge of global stocks fell for a second straight day and was poised for its biggest weekly decline in three months on Friday as a plunge in tech shares resumed, while the dollar kept climbing following the U.S. payrolls report.[MKTS/GLOB] * Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga signalled readiness to compile a third extra budget to respond to the pandemic if he succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Compiled by Anna Rzhevkina, Anita Kobylinska, Uttaresh.V and Vinay Dwivedi; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Giles Elgood and Maju Samuel) A Mongolian woman holding a placard protests in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital, Sept. 2, 2020. Mongolians protested against the changes to school curriculums in China's Inner Mongolia province, where China plans to remove the Mongolian language from core subjects and have the classes in the Mandarin language. Protesters marched to the Chinese embassy and went to the United Nations to submit the petition. EPA Ethnic Mongolians, including students and parents, in China's Inner Mongolia region are demonstrating their anger in rare public protests against a new bilingual education policy that they say is endangering the Mongolian language. A high school student in the city of Hulunbuir said students rushed out of their school on Tuesday and destroyed a fence before paramilitary police swarmed in and tried to return them to class. ''We senior students were talking and we thought we had to do something,'' said the student, Narsu, who like most Mongolians has only one name. ''Although this doesn't directly affect us now, this will have a huge impact on us in the future.'' The policy, announced on Monday ahead of the start of the new school year, requires schools to use new national textbooks in Chinese, replacing Mongolian-language textbooks. Protesters say they were aware of demonstrations and classroom walkouts in Hohhot, the provincial capital, as well as in the cities of Chifeng and Tongliao and Xilin Gol prefecture. Nuomin, the mother of a kindergarten student in Hulunbuir, said she saw police in places she normally wouldn't and a metal barrier in front of one school. She has kept her child home since Monday. ''Many of us parents will continue to keep our kids at home, until they bring Mongolian back in those classes,'' she said. In 2017, the ruling Communist Party created a committee to overhaul textbooks for the entire country. Revised textbooks have been pushed out over the last few years. The new policy for Inner Mongolia, a northern province that borders the country of Mongolia, affects schools where Mongolian has been the principal language of instruction. Literature classes for elementary and middle school students at the Mongolian-language schools will switch to a national textbook and be taught in Mandarin Chinese. Next year, the politics and morality course will also switch to Mandarin, as will history classes starting in 2022. The remaining classes, such as math, will not change their language of instruction. Students will also start learning Mandarin in first grade. Previously, they started in second grade. Similar changes have taken effect in other ethnic areas. In Tibet and Xinjiang, the primary language of instruction in such schools has become Mandarin, and the minority language is a language class. The education bureau in Inner Mongolia did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. China has been changing education under a new model of assimilation into the Han majority culture that leaves behind Soviet-inspired policies of promoting minority language education. President Xi Jinping has said that if people don't speak the same language, it is difficult to communicate and achieve understanding. ''The ethnic minority schools, if they study well the language of communication in the country, it will be of great benefit to them in employment, in learning modern scientific and cultural knowledge and allow them to integrate into society,'' he said at a Central Ethnic Work conference in 2014. His words were quoted in the most recent policy document. But for ethnic Mongolians, the new directive is creating fear they will lose their mother tongue. In the city of Tongliao, parents decided to take their children home from a boarding school on Monday. Many parents only learned about the policy after they had dropped off their children at school, said Nure Zhang, a Tongliao resident. But authorities at one elementary school, backed by police, refused to let parents take back their children, according to Zhang, who attended the protest. There were multiple clashes as parents and others rushed at the police, trying to get into the school, Zhang said. ''They used a human wall to block us. We kept on singing and shouting slogans,'' he said. Police used pepper spray twice on the protesters, he added. At 9 p.m., the school principal and local officials said parents could take their children home. Now the Mongolian-medium schools sit quiet in Tongliao. Local Communist Party leaders have been visiting each family to try to get the students to return, Zhang said. Tongliao police issued a call Wednesday for help with their investigation into an incident of ''picking quarrels and stirring up trouble'' that happened on Monday, and warned that ''anyone that was seen congregating in public, will be thoroughly investigated by public security organs.'' Police asked the public in a WeChat post to provide information on more than 100 individuals, offering a reward of 1000 yuan ($150). Authorities have banned a popular Mongolian-language social media platform called Bainu. Zhang, a parent as well, said he already felt they were heavily influenced by the Han, who make up 79% of Inner Mongolia's 25 million residents, according to the most recent census data from 2015. Ethnic Mongolians make up 17%. ''Now Chinese class is literature class, Chinese is the primary language and Mongolian has become a supplementary language,'' he said. ''If this continues for 10 years, 20 years later, our language will slowly be forgotten.'' (AP) CT Folk is hosting its Virtual CT Folk Fest & Green Expo on Wednesday, Sept. 9, through Saturday, Sept. 12. CT Folk Fest will be live-streamed as a free event, with a suggested donation of $10 per day. The New Haven-based organization thanked our growing community for its continued support, and for tuning in to our virtual programming, including the CT Folk at Home concert series. Our goal is to continue bringing music to our Connecticut audience through an online platform; but this virtual shift also allows us to reach out beyond our current fanbase and listenership geographically and demographically, Festival Director Nicole Heriot-Mikula said in a news release. We ask our listeners to share news of this years virtual festival which also includes a half-day Virtual Green Expo with their friends and family, whether near or far. With safety a priority and in keeping with CDC guidelines, CT Folk said it is committed to bringing four days of folk directly to living rooms for the 28th edition of the CT Folk Fest & Green Expo. The line-up features Keller Williams, Ruthie Foster, Special Musical Guest Dom Flemons, Buffalo Rose, Among the Acres, Phat A$tronaut, Bumper Jacksons, John John Brown, Monica Rizzio, Diana Alvarez, Golden Oak, Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition and more. Board President Lisa Kaston said in the release she believes that this year, with its complex narrative, has presented arts organizations with an opportunity to re-examine their core values, and the ways in which they can reach out to larger and more diverse audiences. CT Folk relies on the folk tradition of building community, and looks to continually expand that community. And these times call for creative and collaborative ways to support the artists who provide us with great music but who have also been hard hit by this shifting landscape, she said. While we will miss the camaraderie and spontaneity of a live festival, we have already seen that virtual musical events have a great ability to spread joy, while helping to showcase and support an increasingly more eclectic group of performing artists. CT Folk said it is dedicated to the furtherance of social justice and environmental initiatives that impact our local, as well as global community, and to the advancement of music in all of its varied forms. The organization said it also embraces an evolving and more expansive definition of the term folk, to better reflect, nurture and celebrate a culturally rich listening and artist community. Register at CTFolkFest.eventbrite.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:45:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIGA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Starting from Thursday, airlines are allowed to operate flights from Latvia's airports to all European Union (EU) member states and countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), excluding Spain, Andorra, Malta and Luxembourg, the Baltic country's aviation authority informed Thursday. Aivis Vincevs, a representative of the Latvian Civil Aviation Agency (CAA), said that under new government regulations on epidemiological safety measures which came into effect Thursday, air travel is permitted with countries where the cumulative 14-day COVID-19 incidence is up to two times higher than the average COVID-19 incidence in the EU. The CAA representative said that the current restrictions are based on the COVID-19 incidence data for Aug. 28 and that according to these figures, flights are still banned to Spain, Andorra, Malta and Luxembourg, the four European countries with the highest infection rates. The list of countries to which flights are not allowed can still change on Friday when the Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) releases updated information on countries' COVID-19 incidence. Since residents of the EU and EEA are allowed to enter Latvia without restrictions if the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in their country of origin does not exceed 16, passengers flying to Latvia from countries with higher infection rates will still be required to spend 14 days in self-quarantine. Enditem Japans Defence Minister Taro Kono on Thursday said he supports Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as the countrys next leader to provide continuity in tackling the coronavirus crisis but also predicted he will one day be prime minister. Identified early by local media as a potential candidate, Kono had considered entering the leadership race to replace retiring Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but decided against it after Suga announced his decision to run. It is important to contain COVID-19 and at the same time we need to restart the economy, Kono said in an interview with Reuters. One day I will be the prime minister, he added. Suga on Wednesday announced he would run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election to pick a new leader, promising to stick to Abes policies. With backing of several party factions, including the one that Kono is a member of, Abes longtime ally has emerged as the front runner in the race. Abe announced on Friday he was resigning because of poor health, ending his tenure as Japans longest-serving prime minister. A leadership election is set for Sept. 14 with LDP lawmakers and regional party representatives casting votes. The winner is virtually assured of becoming prime minister because of the LDPs parliamentary majority. Kono, 57, who has also served as foreign minister, said he wanted Japans next leader to focus on rebuilding public finances once the pandemic had ended. We need to secure our social security, how we are going to provide social security, pensions, medical, childcare. I think thats going to be very important, and that needs to be thoroughly discussed, Kono said. Educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, he has recently hosted live question and answer session on Youtube, unusual for Japanese politicians, to answer question ranging from national security to his personal tastes. Despite his reputation as a maverick he has, nonetheless, toed the line on key Abe policies, including a tough approach toward South Korea in a feud over wartime history. That has differentiated him from his father, Yohei Kono, a former chief cabinet secretary who authored a landmark 1993 apology to comfort women, a euphemism for women from Korea and other places forced to work wartime military brothels. Kono said he was ready anytime when asked when he wanted to be prime minister. King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia remains the Mena regions highest ranked university, appearing in the 201-250 band worldwide for the 6th consecutive year in a global ranking. Alfaisal University ensures Saudi Arabia holds the top two regional spots maintaining a 251-300 finish, Times Higher Education (THE) announced in the results of its World University Rankings 2021, which underline the shifting strength of higher education and research around the world. Elsewhere, Lebanons American University of Beirut moves into the 301-350 band (351-400 in 2020). The performance of these universities is all the more impressive given the increasingly competitive nature of the rankings with a record 1,527 institutions qualifying, up 9% from 2020 when 1,397 universities were ranked. The THE World University Rankings 2021 sees 141 universities qualify for the first time. Furthermore, an additional 18 institutions from across Mena qualify since last year, with Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all seeing new entrants in the 2021 ranking. Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at THE, commented: While Saudi Arabia continues to top the THE World University Ranking for Mena, with an impressive 6th consecutive year in the 201-250 band for King Abdulaziz University, it is testament to the growing strength of higher education across the Middle East to see Lebanon and Iran also move into the top 350. As Chinas Tsinghua University disrupts the traditional domination of western universities at the top of the table, breaking into the top 20 for the first time, we could be seeing the start of a rebalancing of the global knowledge economy that could be further accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. With a likely decrease in the international flow of students and staff around the world, and possible funding challenges among the wests established higher education sectors as a result of Covid-19, we could see universities across Mena and Asia capitalise if homegrown talent stays put rather than making its traditional migration to elite western institutions, particularly in the US and the UK. The wider rankings see the UKs University of Oxford claim top spot for the 5th consecutive year, the US dominate the top 10, mainland Chinas Tsinghua University becomes the first ever Asian university to break into the top 20 (joint 20th ) since the current methodology launched in 2011. The THE World University Rankings are the most balanced and comprehensive global ranking, with 13 separate performance metrics covering the full range of core activities for research-intensive universities -- teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. This years ranking analysed over 86 million citations across more than 13.6 million research publications and included survey responses from 22,000 scholars globally. The 17th edition of the Rankings sees a record 18 countries and regions represented in the top 100, and 93 represented overall, demonstrating that geopolitical competition in the global knowledge economy is intensifying. Notwithstanding the success story of the top 10, the UKs and USs roles as higher education superpowers is under challenge, as institutions from Asia continue to impress. Of the UKs top 20 ranked institutions last year, only five were able to improve their position in the table, while 50% of the USs 20 best performing universities from the 2020 ranking fail to maintain their position. Over the past five years, the US has lost 4 positions in the overall top 200 (63 in 2016, 59 in 2021) as competition rises for the top places. Asias rise is fronted by mainland Chinas Tsinghua University (joint 20th ), which becomes the first Asian university ever to break into the THE World University Rankings top 20 since the current methodology launched in 2011. This achievement is an indicator of the wider positive movements in higher education for mainland China in recent years. Since 2016, mainland China has gained 5 additional places in the top 200 (from 2 in 2016 to 7 in 2021). It has also doubled its representation in the top 100 since last year, gaining 3 additional places (6 in total) as mainland China continues to challenge the worlds very best. In a session at THEs Virtual World Academic Summit titled, Post Covid-19 sustainability in higher education: Have governance priorities changed? On September 1, PwC Middle East highlighted key areas of focus on how higher education institutional governance needs to change for the better in terms of decisions that need to be made differently to improve resilience and financial sustainability of universities in the wake of the pandemic. During the session, PwC also shared preliminary findings from a recent survey asking university leaders about governance priorities post-Covid-19 lockdowns. Sally Jeffery, Middle East Education & Skills Practice Leader and Global Education & Skills Network at PwC Middle East, said: Its encouraging to see a couple of strong Saudi universities holding their own this year despite the increased competition, and my heartfelt congratulations for American University of Beirut who managed to improve their ranking. Its clear though that most Middle Eastern research focused universities need to transform faster and smarter to fuel the regions knowledge economy. During the pandemic, many of the regulations and traditional governance structures that often constrain agility had to be relaxed, I sincerely hope the sector can recognise and build on the positive outcomes of this experience in the future. -- Tradearabia News Service Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, amid escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbours Greece and Cyprus over rights to search for energy resources in the region. The navigational notice issued late on Wednesday said the Russian exercises will take place between 8 and 22 September and 17 and 25 September in areas of the Mediterranean where Turkish seismic research vessels are operating. There was no immediate comment from Russia on the exercises, which Turkey announced after the United States said it was partially lifting a 33-year-old arms embargo against ethnically divided Cyprus. It's unclear why NATO-member Turkey would announce such drills on Moscow's behalf, but the two countries have in recent years significantly strengthened their military, political and economic ties. They are coordinating closely on their military presence in Syria, while Turkey has purchased Russia's advanced S-400 missiles and has broken ground on a Russian-built nuclear power plant on its southern coast. Turkey has reacted angrily to the US move that it said went against the spirit of alliance between Washington and Ankara. It also warned that it would harm efforts to reunify Cyprus, which is split between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities. Turkish officials have also vowed to take steps to guarantee the security of a self-declared Turkish state in the island's northern third. Turkey's announcement comes at a time of increased friction between Turkey on the one side and Greece and Cyprus on the other over offshore energy exploration rights. Warships from Greece and Turkey have been shadowing each other in recent weeks as Turkish survey vessels and drill ships continue to prospect for hydrocarbons in waters where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights. The US embargo, imposed in 1987, was designed to prevent an arms race that would hinder UN-facilitated reunification efforts for Cyprus. It was directed against the southern, Greek Cypriot part of the island, where Cyprus' internationally recognised government is seated. Cyprus split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkey is the only nation to recognise a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the north of Cyprus. Washington said it was lifting the arms embargo against Cyprus for one year with the option of renewal to let it procure non-lethal equipment. US Ambassador to Cyprus Judith Garber said the embargo lifting had no connection to valued partner and ally Turkey, but aimed to strengthen regional security and to counter malign actors in the region. Ms Garber said Washington waived a requirement that Cyprus cease to offer refuelling and other port services to Russian warships, but that it would continue to encourage Cypriot government authorities to deny those services. We believe that Russia is playing a very destabilising role in the region, especially in Syria, Ms Garber said. Russia maintains a sizeable naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and regularly conducts naval manoeuvres. But the announcement of the latest live-fire drill may be a less-than-subtle message that Moscow remains a major regional player whose influence won't be diminished by Washington's embargo move. AP Hollyoaks boss Bryan Kirkwood has announced he's quitting the soap. After eight years in charge the executive producer, 44, admitted he feels it's 'the right' to step down ahead of the soap's 25th Anniversary this autumn. Since taking over as executive producer in 2012, Bryan has been behind some of Hollyoaks most hard-hitting storylines, including Ste Hay's far right radicalisation, Scott Drinkwell's battle with depression and Ollie Morgan's sexual abuse. Departure: Hollyoaks boss Bryan Kirkwood has announced he's quitting the soap In a statement Bryan said: 'For many years I have had the privilege of running a soap opera with a fiercely loyal audience. 'I passionately believe that soaps can help viewers start serious conversations about their lives and in recent years we have covered important topics within mental health, sexual consent, Far-Right radicalisation, male rape, sexual abuse and many issues other shows might look away from... 'It has also been a joy to deliver the plot buster stories that 'can only happen on Hollyoaks', stories that give our viewers an entertaining escape into a heightened world. He's off! The executive producer admitted he feels it's 'the right' to step down ahead of the soap's 25th Anniversary this autumn (pictured at the British Soap Awards last year) 'I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved, and I want to thank the entire team. Their talent, warmth, loyalty and friendship are why I stayed so long.' 'The 25th anniversary feels like an elegant time to hand the reins over to someone else but I'm confident that the beating heart of Hollyoaks the people who make it - will keep the show around for another 25 years.' Bryan will remain a part of Hollyoaks until the end of 2020, meaning his storylines will continue to feature until June 2021. He's off! Bryan will remain a part of Hollyoaks until the end of 2020, meaning his storylines will continue to feature until June 2021 (pictured with Anna Passey and Nikki Sanderson in 2015) During his tenure Bryan has also been lauded for his commitment to raising awareness of mental health and LGBTQ+ issues with a range of moving storylines. Bryon first worked on Hollyoaks as its executive producer January 2006- December 2009, during which he introduced the iconic McQueen family, before returning in June 2012. Ian Katz, Channel 4 Director of Programmes, said: 'Bryan has been the untiring creative force behind the extraordinary resurgence of Hollyoaks. He's taken the show into new territory with some extraordinarily brave storylines and soap firsts and collected numerous awards. 'I'm immensely grateful for his steering of the show safely back to screen next week and leaving it in top creative form and I wish him all the best for his next chapter.' Bryan's departure comes just days before Hollyoaks returns to screens on Monday, September 7 following a three-month break, after they were forced to suspend filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months Hollyoaks has also found itself embroiled in a so-called 'race row,' after star Rachel Adedeji accused the show of 'behind-the-scenes' racism. The star took to her Twitter to say she doesn't agree with Hollyoaks' post addressing the movement, noting it wasn't progressive after revealing she was aware of racial slurs and injustices happening on set. In June, it was reported that the cast were 'at war' following Rachel's accusations, and claims that co-star Lysette Anthony is 'actual trash'. Bosses were said to be reportedly having a 'string of meetings' as there was a 'real divide' between the cast. Hollyoaks returns on Monday, September 7 on Channel 4. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain CARE should be taken to avoid lifting COVID-19 policy restrictions within short time periods, as it could take more than 2 months to detect the consequences of any changes, according to the authors of modeling research published online today by the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Nick Scott from the Burnet Institute and colleagues simulated network-based transmission risks in households, schools, workplaces, and a variety of community spaces (e.g. public transport, parks, bars, cafes/restaurants) and activities (e.g. community or professional sports, large events). Their modeling told them that policy changes leading to the gathering of large, unstructured groups with unknown individuals (e.g. bars opening, increased public transport use) posed the greatest risk of epidemic rebound, while policy changes leading to smaller, structured gatherings with known individuals (e.g. small social gatherings) posed least risk of epidemic rebound. In the model, epidemic rebound following some policy changes took more than two months to occur. "Sequential COVID-19 restrictions should not be lifted within short periods," Scott and colleagues concluded. "Working from home should continue, to minimize public transport use. Additional physical distancing policies are required to mitigate the risks of opening pubs/bars. In settings with low community transmission, care should be taken to avoid introducing multiple policy changes within short time periods, as it could take greater that two months to detect the consequences of any changes. Governments should be particularly wary of lifting restrictions that facilitate a larger number of contacts between people who do not know each other; instead favoring relaxing restrictions to allow smaller gatherings with known contacts." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Modeling the impact of reducing control measures on the COVID-19 pandemic in a low transmission setting. Medical Journal of Australia (2020). Journal information: Medical Journal of Australia Modeling the impact of reducing control measures on the COVID-19 pandemic in a low transmission setting.(2020). www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/mo transmission-setting Provided by Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) A high court in Pakistan on Thursday directed the federal government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav as it adjourned hearing for a month. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the case of appointment of lawyer for Jadhav to hear the review of the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism" in April 2017. Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan told the court that to comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan granted consular access to India, however, it has not replied to Pakistans offer to appoint a lawyer for him. The IHC, after hearing the arguments, ordered the government to send its order on Jadhav to India and adjourned the hearing until October 3 when the case would be heard again. Pakistan has introduced a special law to allow Jadhav to get his sentence reviewed as asked by the ICJ. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. Teenage girls in Anafobisi community in the Bongo District, Upper East Region, has appealed to benevolent bodies to support them with sanitary pads to help them maintain menstrual hygiene. They made the appeal at a programme organized by the Department of Gender to empower young girls about their trade and reproductive health. Ms Jennifer Amaale, an apprentice hairstylist, speaking on behalf of her colleague participants, said it was unfortunate that many of their teenage counterparts were getting pregnant and forced into early marriages and attributed it partly to their inability to afford sanitary pads during their menstrual flow, hence relying on men who take undue advantage of them. When it's time for you to menstruate and your parents do not have money to give you to buy a pad, then you have to use rags or go to your boyfriend for money because the rags are not comfortable and can disgrace you anytime as it does not ensure full protection. She said it was very difficult for teenage girls in the community to take care of themselves as many of their parents could not afford to help them and appealed to the government, benevolent individuals, and NGOs to support them. Madam Esther Mbilla, a Registered General Nurse with the Bongo District Health Directorate, urged the girls to learn more about their reproductive system and make the right choices with regards to their health. She said knowing their reproductive health and rights would prevent teenage pregnancies and child marriage that were prevalent among young girls in the rural settings. She called on teenagers who would not heed to messages of abstinence and were sexually active to visit nearby health facilities for sex education. Madam Mbilla urged parents to provide their wards with the necessities of life to prevent them certain behaviours that do not augur well for the development of the youth. Mr James Twene, the Upper East Regional Director of Department of Gender urged young girls to respect their trainers in their respective fields of trade. He said that would enable a good working environment suitable for imparting Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Trump Campaign Sues Montana Governor Over Expanded Mail-In Voting President Donald Trumps reelection campaign and three Republican groups have filed a lawsuit against Montana Gov. Steve Bullock over the decision by Bullock to expand mail-in voting ahead of the November election, and labeled the Democrats directive as a brazen power grab. The suit was filed on Sept. 2 in U.S. District Court in Helena, and the complaint identifies the plaintiffs as Donald J. Trump for President Inc., the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the Montana Republican State Central Committee. The complaint argues that the directive, which gives counties the discretion to expand access to voting by mail and early voting, amounts to an attempt by Bullock to increase his chances of winning a U.S. Senate seat in a tight race. The Governors power grab under the cover of COVID-19 is particularly egregious, the suit states, according to the Independent Record. The Governor is running for U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Party and his race is one of the most competitive in the country. So he is using his current position to force a brand-new election system on Montanans that, according to his own party, will sway the election in his favor. This action cannot stand. Bullock dismissed the allegations as baseless. Montana has a strong history of voting by mail and it is and has always been safe and secure. This lawsuit is clearly a political stunt, Bullock said in a statement. A bipartisan group of Montana election officials, the vast majority of which are Republican, requested this change because the health and safety of our election judges and voters are on the line. In an Aug. 6 statement announcing his directive, Bullock cited guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which noted that in-person voting on a single day carries a higher risk of transmitting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus due to larger crowds and longer waiting times. Locally elected officials best understand the voting needs of their communities, and taking this action now ensures they will have the time to make the right decisions for their localities. With this approach we can protect that fundamental right to vote, while easing crowding and pressure on voting on Election Day, he said in the statement. The legal challenge comes amid repeated allegations by Trump and others that voting by mail carries a greater risk of election fraud. Opponents of this view frequently point to a lack of evidence about fraud on a large scale. Attorney General William Barr, in an interview on CNN this week, claimed that a system in which mail-in ballots are distributed widely is very open to fraud and coercion, calling it reckless and dangerous, and playing with fire. Asked about the lack of evidence for widespread fraud, Barr argued that this may be because we havent had the kind of widespread use of mail-in ballots that is being proposed. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has long raised the alarm about the risks of mail-in ballot fraud. Absentee ballots are the tools of choice of election fraudsters because they are voted outside the supervision of election officials, making it easier to steal, forge, or alter them, as well as to intimidate voters, Heritage senior legal fellow Hans A. von Spakovsky wrote in an op-ed. While Heritages own database of all reported instances of election fraud, dating back to 1979, lists only 1,277 proven instances of voter fraud, the organizations communications manager told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the database is only intended to represent a small sampling of the types of voter fraud that can occurit is by no means a comprehensive report of all the voter fraud that happens around the country. In the broader debate about election security, which includes discussions around mail-in balloting, Republicans have tended to argue that casting a vote is a privilege of citizenship that should be safeguarded with secure processes and restrictions, and that lowering requirements opens the process up to fraud and abuse. Democrats tend to hold the view that voting is a right and that barriers to casting a ballot should be as low as possible. The Trump campaign also has taken legal action over expanded mail-in voting in Nevada and New Jersey. Press Release 3 September 2020 London, UK - A devastating 36.7 billion looks set to be lost from the Italian economy due to the collapse of international travel during 2020, according to latest research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Advertisements WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says the massive decline in the number of international travellers and tourists visiting Italy, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in international visitor spending dropping by a staggering 82%. This catastrophic loss to the Italian economy equates to a shortfall of 100 million a day, or 700 million a week, to the country's economy. WTTC and its Members recently called upon Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the other leaders of the G7 countries, to urge for a coordinated approach to be taken to lead the global recovery response to the crisis. The harsh impact on Italian Travel & Tourism is laid bare by WTTC as the economic fallout from coronavirus continues to burn its way through the sector. Some 2.8 million jobs in Italy which are supported by Travel & Tourism are at risk of being lost in a 'worst case' scenario mapped out by WTTC economic modelling. Across Europe, in the 'worst case' scenario, that figure rises to more than 29m (29.5m) Travel & Tourism jobs. According to WTTC's 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, Travel & Tourism was responsible for almost 3.5 million jobs in Italy, or 14.9% of the country's total workforce. It also generated 232.9 billion GDP, or 13% to the Italian economy. Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: "The economic pain and suffering caused to millions of households across Italy, who are dependent upon a thriving Travel & Tourism for their livelihoods, is evident from our latest shocking figures." "The lack of international travel caused by the pandemic could wipe out more than 36 billion from the Italian economy alone - a loss of 100 million a day - from which it could take many years to recover. It could also threaten Milan's position as global financial powerhouse for business, and Rome as a major leisure destination." "International coordination to re-establish transatlantic travel would provide a vital boost for the Travel & Tourism sector. It would benefit airlines and hotels, travel agents and tour operators and revitalise the millions of jobs in the supply chain which are dependent upon international travel." "We must replace any stop-start quarantine measures with rapid, comprehensive and cost-effective test and trace programmes at departure points across the country. This investment will be significantly less than the impact of blunt quarantines which have devastating and far-reaching socio-economic consequences." "Targeted test and tracing will also rebuild the much-needed consumer confidence to travel. It will enable the restoration of vital 'air corridors' between countries and regions with similar COVID-19 case rates." "A fast turnaround test and trace system in place for all departing passengers means the government could consider reinstating travel between Italy and major international hubs, a move which would help kick-start the economic global recovery." WTTC analysis of international travel spending in Italy during 2019 reveals it reached almost 45 billion, accounting for 24% of the total tourism spend in the country. Domestic travel spending last year was responsible for the other 76%. A further breakdown reveals how crucial spending from international travellers during 2019 was to the Italian economy. Every month it accounted for 3.74 billion or 861 million a week - and 123 million a day. Between 2016 and 2018, the largest inbound source markets to Italy were travellers from the Germany, accounting for one in five (20%) of all international arrivals, with the US and France both coming in second with 8%, and the UK in third place with 6%. Data for 2018, which is the most up-to-date available, shows how Rome is dependent on international visitor spending. It accounted for 66% of all tourism spending in the city, with domestic tourists making up the remaining 34%. The US was the most important source market for the city with 18% of arriving visitors, with Spain in second place with 8% of arrivals, the UK in third place with 7% of arrivals, and Germany in fourth position with 6%. The loss of this international visitor spending could have a profound long-term impact on the Italian capital for years to come. According to WTTC's 2020 Economic Impact Report, during 2019, Travel & Tourism was responsible for one in 10 jobs (330 million total), making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs. Since the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools last semester, counselors at Conroe ISD have seen an increase in students experiencing stress from isolation and families in need of basic necessities. The services provided by the counselors at CISD havent changed, but the demand has gone up and the delivery has been adjusted to pandemic standards. Since students have been doing distance learning since school started on Aug. 12, and many will continue with distance learning after students can return to in-class on Tuesday, some of the services have had to move online. In some ways, this has been a positive move. They have on-demand guidance that works into their schedule, said Denise Cipolla, CISD Coordinator for Guidance and Counseling, of students ability to connect to services from home. Stress and depression Over the past several months, Cipolla said counselors and teachers have been seeing an increase in stress and depression in their students due to isolation. When you share with anybody whats going in your life, whether its happiness or frustration or whatever, you just flat feel better when you share it, Cipolla said. For many of our students, all that sharing is done with their teacher. This stress may be compounded in older students who are also working, or are often alone as their parents work. The increase in stress isnt just affecting students. Teachers and other district staff who use counselor services are also reporting an increase in stress and anxiety. Most people and certainly all of our educators like to plan ahead, and like to know what they know, and this isnt a time where you know what you know, Cipolla said. The science today could change tomorrow or could change this afternoon. Families, students and staff can request services on the district website, and choose the best way to be contacted, whether it be by phone or Zoom. District teachers have been given new training to help them address students in crisis while giving remote instruction, and Cipolla said they have already had to deal with several crisis instances since summer instruction started. She doesnt believe there have been more instances of students in crisis this year compared to any other year, on average. Creating connections The key to helping, like always, is creating connections with the students, and district staff have been finding new and creative ways to engage with students to keep them checked in. A simple but effective idea created by a CISD teacher was to send her students a chart with several emojis, asking them to indicate with the emojis how they were feeling, with the option of adding a video too. This method is now being used by several teachers. The best practices typically used in the classroom to connect with students are still being used even during remote learning. Something as simple as greeting each student by name when they enter the classroom can happen over Zoom and in the classroom. So much of what weve done with in-person learning we can do with remote learning, its just going to look a little different, said Kim Earthman, Director of Student Support Services. Its really been about taking the tools that we know work and seeing how we have them work in that virtual world. Across 65 campuses, and a student body of around 65,000, the district has 158 counselors. But because their work is a team effort, Cipolla said they dont feel like they dont have enough counselors. The first line of defense are the teachers, who have the most constant contact with the students. While counselors are hearing from families and students directly, they are also receiving referrals from teachers who alert them to students that have not been engaged, even after several attempts to be contacted. We want to make sure that we can meet everybodys needs, Cipolla said. We want them to be in school, we want them to be growing and learning. Recently, the district has seen an increase in families using the counseling services to be connected to services that can help with basic needs like food and financial assistance. While addressing stress and anxiety is what the department does most, connecting families to services likely comes in second. The district works with numerous local organizations to help families get their basic needs met. Families can find more information at www.conroeisd.net/department/guidance-counseling/. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com The closure of the only shop at Magee could damage campus life and make it an unattractive destination for young students, a local councillor has claimed. It has emerged that a number of shop and restaurant workers at the Ulster University campus could lose their jobs. As well as stocking everyday items the Students Union shop sells essential stationery supplies to students. A UU spokesperson confirmed that 15 jobs would be affected in Derry and Belfast but would not specify the number impacted at Magee. The Derry News learned earlier this year of a canteen closure at the campus due to declining custom which left a large void in the most iconic building on site named after Martha Magee. The students union bar also closed a number of years ago. Student numbers at the Magee campus have dropped from 5,098 in 2014/15 (3,833 full-time) to 4,237 (3,456 full-time) in 2019/20. The medical school which opens next year will add 70 students to the campus. If the only shop on the campus were to close, a local councillor says it will turn Magee into a ghost campus, removing the social aspect of university life. People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin believes the college would lose facilities important to its role as an attractive place of learning. This sets a very poor precedent at a time when many in Derry are fighting for the expansion of Magee, he said. The promised new medical school is scheduled to open next year. This is no time for cutting back on services. For years, the Students Union Bunker Cafe - remembered with affection by thousands of former students and staff - provided good food at reasonable prices and was an integral part of college life. With the loss of these amenities the campus would become a coarser, colder place, damaging Magees offer to local and overseas students and staff. He added: All staff are currently on furlough. We want to ensure that the jobs are there to go back to when furlough ends. Everyone who wants to see Magee prosper and become the sort of vibrant university which Derry deserves should take a stand against the destruction of these jobs and against the harm this would inflict on the college generally. The workers involved are not in a union. But that doesnt mean that they should be abandoned or the injury to the colleges prospects and standing just accepted. We call on Ulster University Students Union management to withdraw this threat and begin negotiations with representatives of the workers concerned. Student Union representatives and students should also be properly consulted. We are writing to Mr. David Longstaff, chief officer of UU Students Union at his Jordanstown office, to Magee Provost Professor Malachy O'Neill, and to the president of UU Students Union, Ms. Collette Cassidy, asking them urgently to meet us to discuss these matters." In response, an Ulster University Students' Union (UUSU) spokesperson said: "Like many organisations, COVID-19 has had an impact on UUSU and its commercial services on campus. "As UUSU prepares for what will be a different academic year ahead, we have made the difficult decision to undertake a consultation on the future viability of some of our commercial services, in the current context. "As such, we are consulting individually with the 15 affected UUSU commercial services staff across the Jordanstown, Magee and Coleraine campuses." Soldier martyred as India reclaims critical heights along Ladakh's Pangong Lake A soldier of Tibetan origin with Indian Special Forces has reportedly been killed in the latest border confrontation between India and China on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, fuelling concerns of a wider military confrontation between the two regional powers. The Tibetan-origin soldier was "martyred during the clash" on Saturday night, an AFP report citing Namgyal Dolkar Lhagyari, a member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile, as saying. The government did not make any comments on the reports of the death. The death is the first reported from two incidents occurring within 48 hours on the border, two months after a battle that left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead The report said another member of the Special Frontier Force, which reportedly includes many ethnic Tibetans who oppose China's claim to their home region, was wounded in the operation. Indian Army has captured all positions and posts in the Ridge area on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh amidst escalating tensions on the border with China, a News 18 report on Wednesday cited government sources as saying. We havent entered their (Chinese) location, but dominated our posts. We are in dominating position at this point, a source said. India is committed to border security under PM Narendra Modi and we hope China will come for a peaceful border solution now, the source added. Both countries had held Brigade Commander-level talks on Tuesday in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following the latest confrontation, which was triggered by the Chinese militarys provocative movements on the southern bank of Pangong lake. Indian troops thwarted Chinas attempt to change the status quo on the intervening night of 29 and 30 August, it said. China continues to deny that it started the latest flare-up, and an embassy spokeswoman in New Delhi accused Indian troops of trespassing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the de facto border - and conducting "flagrant provocations". India and China were earlier engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong lake but it was for the first time that such an incident occurred on its southern bank. This is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on 15 June in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. Both sides since agreed to pull back after military chiefs held five rounds of talks. Behavox, which provides the world's only AI-based data operating platform that enables enterprises to aggregate, analyze, and act on their entire organization's data, today announced that it has been recognized as the "Best RegTech Solution" by the HFM European Technology Awards, a business intelligence organization for hedge fund professionals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005005/en/ Hedge Fund Industry Organization Awards Behavox for "Best RegTech Solution" (Graphic: Business Wire) Behavox is a leading global provider of financial regulatory compliance solutions that helps firms prevent debilitating, brand-damaging, and company-ending events. Behavox uncovers risk hiding within a business quickly and accurately before it's too late. It catches "true positives" before they result in fines or revenue disruption. "It is particularly timely that Behavox receives the honor of 'best regulatory technology solution' as the threat of misconduct is higher today than ever before," said Erkin Adylov, Founder and CEO of Behavox. "With today's work environment, our clients are tasked with managing a challenging, decentralized risk map. We are pleased to be acknowledged for our agile solution that helps clients uncover compliance and conduct risks hiding in their business." Behavox is frequently recognized for its achievements in financial regulatory technology. Just last week the company was awarded the "Best AI Solution" for its industry-leading AI product by AI Breakthrough. Today's award marks the second year in a row that Behavox has been recognized by HFM Technology for its ground-breaking data operating platform. Last year, Behavox won the "Most Disruptive Technology Solution" at the 2019 HFM European Technology Awards. Behavox's full suite of AI-powered solutions was recognized for disrupting the sector and helping organizations manage compliance and employee conduct. The HFM European Technology Awards honor excellence and recognize innovation in ground-breaking hedge fund technologies. This year's program was judged by an expert panel of chief technology officers on a range of criteria including business growth, client service, solving problems relevant to hedge fund managers, innovation, and product development. Behavox's AI/ML-powered data operating platform allows firms to aggregate, analyze, and act on all their internal data. Firms can uncover market abuse, conflict of interest, and many other compliance-related scenarios across multiple languages and communication channels, making Behavox the most comprehensive, multilingual solution for multinational corporations. About Behavox Ltd. Behavox is the leading, end-to-end Data Operating Platform that enables organizations to aggregate, analyze, and act on their internal data. As a high-growth technology company, our mission is to organize and make useful all communications data on Earth. Through advanced analytics and machine learning, Behavox is your organization's single-entry point for internal data. Behavox, founded in 2014, is headquartered in New York City, with offices in London, Singapore and Montreal. For more information visit here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005005/en/ Contacts: Profile on Behalf of Behavox Charlotte Kiaie ckiaie@profileadvisors.com Phone 347-774-4468 'It's a miracle': The five-year-old boy allegedly beaten within an inch of his life has woken up in hospital - where his father is looking after him The five-year-old boy who was allegedly bashed within 'an inch of his life' by his mother's boyfriend has woken up in hospital - with loved ones hailing it as a miracle. The child's relieved father was on Thursday night by the boy's bedside at Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney's west. 'He woke up (on Tuesday) and now his daddy is watching him,' the boy's aunt told friends. 'He's looking after him.' A second source close to the family confirmed the hopeful development to Daily Mail Australia. 'It's a miracle - I couldn't imagine how (the father) would be if he lost him, he means the absolute world to him.' Police found the infant at his mother's alleged 'house of horrors' in Cabramatta after a commotion about 9.50pm last Friday night. The boy suffered bruises from 'head to toe' after a savage beating allegedly doled out by the boyfriend, a Vietnamese student. Both the boy's mother, 31, and her lover, 20, were arrested and the child was rushed to hospital, where he was placed on life support. The suspected abuse the boy suffered was so bad one of his doctors 'physically sobbed' at his injuries. Both the boy's mother (left) and her boyfriend (right) have been arrested and charged - her with failing to protect, and him with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm Police allege the infant was allegedly wounded by his mother's lover at some point between the beginning of July and the end of August. He was found here in a bad way last Friday night The boy has woken up in hospital and his dad (above, on his second birthday) is by his bedside. 'I couldn't imagine how (the father) would be if he lost him' Daily Mail Australia understands police will allege the boy was struck in the head with a stick or wooden pole during the alleged ordeal. A court has heard that the child had reportedly suffered a brain injury and had splinters throughout his body. The boy was in placed on life support and was in a critical condition. It was five days before he came around. But relatives are understood to be worried about the boy suffering lasting trauma as well as the ongoing effects of his head injuries. He remains in hospital. The boy's father and mother have been estranged for some time, with both moving on with new partners in the past two years. 'I miss and love you so much', the father captioned a picture of his son on Facebook in 2018, after his relationship with the mother fizzled. Meanwhile, the boy's mother presented herself to friends as a doting parent who lavished her son with toys. The mother - who can't be identified for legal reasons - described the five-year-old as her 'little prince' Some of the mother's soppy posts to Facebook prior to her arrest by NSW Police last Friday The boy's toys sat idly out the front of the woman's red-brick Cabramatta rental this week Piles of water bottles, Red Bull and coconut drink were piled up in the home's front yard as police examined the crime scene at the weekend She described the child as her 'prince' on Facebook and said she hoped he grew up to be 'obedient and smart.' 'You are all of my life,' she said. The mother has been charged with failing to care for the boy. Her boyfriend, a student originally from Vietnam, was charged with wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police are investigating whether the boy suffered from ongoing abuse from his mum's boyfriend in the two months prior to him being found at home. Both the mum and her boyfriend, who cannot be named as it would identify the victim, have been refused bail. They will face court at a later date. Westmead Children's Hospital declined to comment for privacy reasons. She has been enjoying a luxurious family vacation at the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives. And Alessandra Ambrosio has some fun in the Arabian sea as she soaked up the sun on her getaway. The former Victoria's Secret Angel, 39, showed off her sensational figure in a white bikini from her swimsuit brand GAL Floripa. She kicked through the water in the Wave Bikini Milky Way set, that retails for $196, from her brand. The bikini top features a twisted padded bandeau style, and thick crossed straps. While the bottoms sat high on her hips and lowered into a v-shape in the front, with a cheeky but in the back. The mother-of-two added a green beaded necklace and a long gold chain to her look. Getaway: She has been enjoying her tropical vacation and the amenities at the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives She shielded her eyes from the sun in thin brown lenses sunglasses, as her golden blonde and brown hair flowed in the breeze. The model flew to the Maldives last month with her two children and boyfriend of two years, Italian businessman Nicolo Oddi. Alessandra shares her kids, Anja, 12 and Noah, 8 with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur whom she split from after 10 years though he was not present on the dream trip. In addition to having a luxurious family vacation, Alessandra and her family were there to celebrate her daughter Anja who turned 12 on August 24. Paradise found: The GAL Floripa designer posted a loved up snap with her boyfriend of two years Nicolo Oddi as the family enjoyed a celebratory night out at the gorgeous Maldives hotel The whole extended Ambrosio family was invited to relax and celebrate, as her parents Lucilda and Luiz were in attendance as well as her cousins. The veteran model paid tribute to her 'ray of sunshine' with a series of posts and documented the celebratory family outing on her social media. Before jetting to the Maldives, Alessandra and her family had been locked down in their Santa Monica, California home. Ray of sunshine: Alessandra wished her daughter Anja, 12 happy birthday in adorable photos surrounded by pink, blue and yellow balloons as well as birthday treats during the trip Last week the swimsuit designer was seen getting a COVID test with her daughter ahead of their international travels to make sure everything was copacetic before departing. With the modeling industry slowly starting to ramp up again Alesandra will no doubt be back to work soon though she has been loving being at home with her family. In the meantime she has found ways to get creative with her career and swimsuit line, as she has been modeling her latest designs from the comfort of her own home. "We saw great need for automation services amongst our managed service clients. Most looking for help around response. Lot still learning about SOAR. How to leverage these types of platforms," Lynn Weddle, RedLegg Co-Founder says. "Some of the biggest challenges is ability to leverage existing investments. Standardized enrichment. Response processes and then stitch it all together automation certainly helps." Not only are customers seeing better investigation times and increased visibility, but customers are also seeing a shift in thinking. An automation-first approach is an endless opportunity to improve security posture. "We ask ourselves daily, how can we deliver a better service and how will it affect our clients. Addressing the technical debt that comes with building a program around security automation is powerful," Weddle says. "We want to help businesses realize the potential of automation. We have expanded our practice in preparation for increased demand." In 2021 RedLegg will be looking to hold an Automation Workshop to share best practices. To keep up-to-date on the latest from RedLegg, find them at redlegg.com/blog. About RedLegg Have been serving and defending since 2008. Trusted, personable guides in this complex, ever-changing, high-stakes field. Our services include Advisory, Application & Network Penetration Testing, Managed Security Services. Threat Intelligence, IR & Forensics, and now Automation redlegg.com Follow RedLegg On Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram Approved by Palo Alto Networks. SOURCE RedLegg The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was vastly popular with millions of households making the most of discounted breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout August. Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced the scheme as a way of enticing consumers back out after months of staying in due to lockdown. It gave diners eating in a 50 per cent discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in, up to a maximum of 10 discount per diner, making meals out massively reduced. However, despite the scheme coming to an end, there are still many ways customers can get reduced dinner out, with various discounts and vouchers available. Many restaurants are continuing to discount their food and soft drinks throughout September A large number of restaurants have also decided to continue with the same scheme, albeit without Government help, throughout September to continue encouraging customers to have a meal out. This is Money has pulled together the best deals available to diners as well as a comprehensive list of restaurants that are continuing with an Eat Out to Help Out scheme. How to get money off For those who have bought any insurance through Compare the Market, they will be valid for Meerkat Meals for a whole year from the date of purchase. With Meerkat Meals, customers can get two for one meals at over 1,000 restaurants across the UK including Prezzo, Pizza Hut and local, independent diners. Customers can download the Meerkat app which will help you find participating diners nearby. The Gourmet Society, meanwhile, offers 25 per cent off the total bill, including drinks, for cardholders at over 6,000 restaurants across the UK. This includes Bella Italia, Pizza Express, Chiquito, Zizzi, Cafe Rogue and a host of others. Members usually pay 34.99 for an annual membership but there is an introductory offer currently available where new customers can pay just 1 for 60 days of offers. Rishi Sunak created the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to help restaurants back on their feet Tastecard is another popular discount scheme with cardholders able to get 50 per cent off their food or 2 for 1 on main meals at thousands of restaurants across the UK. New members can try a Tastecard for free for 30 days and then either pay 4.99 for a monthly membership or 34.99 for an annual one. However, our sister title Daily Mail are offering an even better deal with MyMail account holders able to get three months free with Tastecard. To redeem the offer, sign up or login to MyMail.co.uk and enter five out of 12 Unique Numbers from the back page of the Mail between Saturday 29 August and Wednesday 9 September. Click redeem by 13 September and you will be sent an email with instructions on how to redeem the card itself. There are also apps that can help, including Vouchercloud that offers voucher codes for clothing, attractions and dining out. It is always worth checking the app before heading out to dinner to see if you can find a voucher for money off. For example, at the moment, it is currently offering 50 per cent off mains at the chain restaurant, Browns. Diners with an American Express credit card can save money thanks to its 'Shop Small' campaign which has been running since late June. It gives those who spend at least 10 in participating shops and restaurants 5 back on their card statement. The cashback scheme, which only applies to physical purchases and can be used 10 times at different retailers, runs until 13 September. Savings: JD Wetherspoon is launching its own reduced prices scheme until November 11 Restaurants Pub operator JD Wetherspoon is launching its own reduced prices scheme after the end of the Government's Eat Out to Help Out initiative. The move will see prices on a range of meals and drinks reduced from Monday to Wednesday until November 11, starting 1 September. Hall and Woodhouse, which operates over 250 pubs across the south of England, will offer the original Eat Out to Help Out discount - 10 off food and soft drinks per person - at most of its venues until 30 September. Drake & Morgan, Comptoir Libanais and Franco Manca are also continuing the Eat Out to Help Out scheme throughout September. Pizza Hut are offering 2 for 1 mains for those already signed up to their database from Monday to Wednesday from 7 September. Oakham Inns are offering 50 per cent off food and non-alcoholic drinks from Monday to Wednesday throughout September whilst Stonehouse Pizza and Carvery are also offering 50 per cent off mains ordered via their app from 11.30am onwards from Monday to Wednesday until 9 September. Meanwhile, the Coconut Tree is offering 50 per cent off food and non-alcoholic drinks from Monday to Wednesday throughout September. The Real Greek is offering 50 per cent off food, up to 10 off per person, on lunch and its Filoxenia dinner menu from Monday to Wednesday throughout September. However, it is not valid on drinks and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. The Slug and Lettuce chain is also continuing the Eat Out to Help out discounts with 50 per cent off all food and soft drinks from Monday to Wednesday throughout September. Gaucho, a popular chain of steak restaurants, is continuing the same discount into September. Bill's will continue to offer 50 per cent off items on its set menu throughout September. Both Toby Carvery and Harvester restaurants are offering a 50 per cent discount on main meals only until 9 September. TGI Fridays said it will be offering free appetisers with main meals starting on Tuesday 1 September and then every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the first two weeks of September. All of the bars and restaurants run by the Signature Group will offer the Eat Out to Help Out discount throughout September. The Tesco Cafe has also extended its Eat Out to Help Out offer across its food and drinks menu until the end of September. What about takeaways? It is not just restaurants taking part with online delivery company Deliveroo announcing it will also be cutting the price of orders made by customers in September. Customers will get a 5 discount on orders of 20 or more on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout September. To claim the discount, for orders over 20, you'll need to enter the following codes: 'EATIN1' between 01/09/20 and 02/09/20 'EATIN2' between 07/09/20 and 09/09/20 'EATIN3' between 14/09/20 and 16/09/20 'EATIN4' between 21/09/20 and 23/09/20 'EATIN5' between 28/09/20 and 30/09/20 New Deliveroo customers can also get 14 days' free delivery in September and October. Uber Eats have not said it will be offering any discount. Just Eat, meanwhile, are offering free deliveries on all orders from Pret a Manger until 6 September. Honest Burgers was one of the restaurants who said the scheme was successful for them How successful was Eat Out to Help Out? Figures from the Government show more than 64million meals were claimed for during the scheme, showing it is clear people are willing to support local jobs through dining out. There has been an upward trend in the scheme's popularity since it launched at the start of August, with 10.5million meals claimed for in the first week, 35million meals in the second and 64million meals in the third. Seeing the vitality coming back into their restaurants has been a joy to witness. Meg Ellis - Honest Burgers A total of 87,000 claims have been made by many of the signed-up businesses and there have been over 34million searches on Eat Out to Help Out's restaurant finder from 13million unique users. Meg Ellis, commercial director at Honest Burgers, who took part in the scheme, said: 'We've been really encouraged by the shift in energy in our sector as a result of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. 'We've been able to bring more people back into work as a result of the scheme, which they have really enjoyed, and for some of our friends operating independently in the sector this has been the opportunity to confidently re-open for the first time. 'Seeing the vitality coming back into their restaurants has been a joy to witness.' During his first term as president, Donald Trump met three times and reportedly exchanged at least 25 personal letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But those interactions could soon end, depending on the outcome of the November presidential election, as VOAs Bill Gallo reports from Seoul. VOA Khmer's Seourn Vathana narrates. Twenty One Pilots' artist Tyler Joseph apologized after making a joke about using his large social media platforms on Wednesday. The 31-year-old posted a shot of himself clad in white platform shoes, writing, 'You guys keep asking me to use my platforms. feels good to dust these bad boys off.' Many upset fans responded to Joseph annoyed by his mocking of his own power as a celebrity to draw attention and awareness to critical causes, instead wasting it on a joke. The latest: Twenty One Pilots musician Tyler Joseph, 31, apologized after making a joke about hiring his large social media platforms on Wednesday. He was snapped at the Grammys in 2017 One user wrote: 'maybe not something to ya know.. joke about,' while another said: '[For real] though. ty we love you but you know this isnt what we meant. you had time to take these pics so what's stopping you from sharing a link to a petition/[card]? 'I didnt get doxxed and sent death threats for this. we'll send u resources/links the LEAST u can do is rt them. please.' Another fan wrote to the Columbus, Ohio native, 'Take ur high boots off and lets talk about how to actually use your platform.' Amid the initial pushback from users, Perry replied, This isnt a notes app moment,' adding, 'Im doubling down on my platform tweet' and that 'it was fantastic.' The 31-year-old posted a shot of himself clad in white platform shoes, using double entendre in his joke Feedback: Many social media users were upset with Joseph's joke on a serious topic, or way he presented it Joseph then posted a series of links promoting mental health awareness and told his 2.2 million followers his intent was with the initial tweet was not to offend. 'My tweet wasnt suppose to be about human rights,' he said. 'So in case you are wondering where i stand: Black Lives Matter.' He continued, 'I just wanted to take a moment to raise awareness about something else that has meant a lot to me for a long time. but now I see there is no room for that right now.' Joseph added, 'I'm truly sorry if it hurt anyone,' and added 'a link with a lot of great info' he endorses, being the Black Lives Matter page for Ways You Can Help. Joseph posted a series of links promoting mental health awareness and told his 2.2 million followers his intent was with the initial tweet was not to offend WASHINGTON - A District of Columbia police officer who fatally shot a young man Wednesday afternoon in Washington fired once after seeing the 18-year-old turn while holding a gun with his right hand, according to body-camera video made public Thursday. Deon Kay, who lived with his mother a half-mile from where he was shot in Congress Heights, was struck in the chest and the bullet exited his back, authorities said. He died at a hospital. District Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers in the 7th District saw a live-streamed social media video of Kay and others inside a vehicle, holding weapons. Newsham said the officers recognized Kay and another man from previous interactions. They tracked the vehicle, a Dodge Caliber, just before 4 p.m. to a parking lot in the River Hill apartment complex, police said. One of the occupants exited the vehicle and was chased by police before escaping. Police said the officers then saw Kay, who then got out of the vehicle. He is seen on the video holding a gun and turning to face the officer who was running toward him. "Don't move! Don't move!" the officer, identified as Alexander Alvarez, is heard shouting on the video. Alvarez fired one shot. Newsham said Kay threw the weapon as or just after he was struck. It was found nearly 100 feet away in a grassy lot at the apartment complex. District officials said Alvarez, who is in his mid-20s and joined the department in 2018, was assigned to the crime suppression team in the 7th District. Officials said a complaint was previously filed against him with an independent review board and was dismissed. Officials did not elaborate. He has been placed on routine leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Efforts to reach Alvarez on Thursday were unsuccessful. A representative of the police union did not respond to an inquiry. District officials moved quickly to try to tamp down demonstrations like those that been a fixture in the city and across the country since George Floyd was killed in the custody of Minneapolis police in May. As has been true elsewhere, some of the demonstrations in the District have turned violent. Demonstrators converged at the 7th District police station Wednesday night and outside the home of Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, on Thursday morning. At a news conference, Newsham said there "is a lot of misinformation" about the shooting. Bowser said people should "not let any anger spill over into violence in our city." The investigation is just beginning, authorities said. "The officer was trying to take guns off the street," Bowser said. "He encountered somebody with a gun." Kay's family and others have questioned the police account of the shooting. Demonstrators demanded Thursday that Bowser fire Newsham. A police spokesman said family members watched the video of the shooting before it was made public. Bowser said the city has offered relatives counseling. Attempts to reach Kay's relatives by phone, at their home and through one of his mentors who knows the family were unsuccessful Thursday. Newsham, at the news conference, said Kay was a "validated gang member" who had "multiple touches with the criminal justice system." The chief's assertions could not be verified, and he said he could not elaborate on specific cases. He said when officers saw the live-streamed video, they knew Kay by name. "This is a tragedy to have any young person killed in the District of Columbia," Newsham said. "I'm pretty sure Deon Kay fell through multiple safety nets before yesterday afternoon." Police arrested two other people allegedly from the vehicle and said they found an additional firearm on one of the men charged. Police described that weapon as a "ghost gun," made from kits and lacking serial numbers. Marcyelle Smith, 19, of Southeast Washington was charged with carrying a pistol without a license. A District Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered him released and set a court day for January. The judge said Smith had no prior convictions. Through his attorney, Smith described himself as rapper who has been in several music videos that are on the Internet and that showcase firearms. The other man arrested was charged with not carrying a driver's license. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) There are no violations in Chinese companies projects in the Philippines, according to Beijing as it welcomed President Rodrigo Dutertes refusal to follow sanctions imposed by the United States on firms involved in illegal activities in the South China Sea. Speaking at a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying once again commended Dutertes independent foreign policy. Practical cooperation between China and the Philippines has always been based on mutual respect and mutual benefit," Hua said. "All the projects are in accordance with the laws and regulations of the two countries. Hua made the remarks when asked to respond to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roques statement that all deals with Chinese companies will push through, despite a different proposal from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. Locsin said last week that he will recommend ending contracts with Chinese firms found to be behind incursions in disputed waters. 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 province. Roque on Thursday clarified that Locsins statement was only a recommendation, while the President remains chief architect of foreign policy. READ: 'No conflict' between Duterte, Locsin over call to end deals with Chinese firms involved in sea dispute Early this week, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian called the Chinese firms' activities in the South China Sea as domestic construction which is within its sovereignty. Both Hua and Huang underscored the positive results of the two countries' cooperation in the Philippines massive Build, Build, Build infrastructure program and Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. Duterte has nurtured friendship with China despite its continued rejection of the Philippines arbitration win which recognized its sovereign rights to areas within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone that Beijing claims. China insists on owning the entire South China Sea, including areas Manila claims as the West Philippine Sea. The U.S. does not claim any part of the global waterway but conducts freedom of navigation operations and opposes China's alleged militarization of the contested areas. Pedersen and Lavrov meet in Moscow as the Russians also talk to Turkey over the situation in Syria, state news agency SANA reports Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will receive on Thursday in Moscow UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen to discuss the situation in Syria. In a press statement, Zakharova said that the meeting is scheduled on the agenda of Minister Lavrov for today. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said today that the Russian presidents Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin discussed with a Russian-Turkish common delegation chaired by Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sedat Onal, the situation in Syria. The Ministry also said that discussions between the two sides concentrated on the tasks of maintaining stability on the ground and moving the political process forwards. Views were exchanged on the current situation in Idleb and the subsequent steps within the frameworks of implementing the Russian-Turkish agreement, the Ministry went on to say. The Ministry stressed that the two sides reiterated that there is no alternative to the political process led by Syrians themselves in light of the UN support as it was stipulated by UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254. 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. Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) The Nigeria Police Command in Katsina State says it has killed 15 bandits and arrested 50 suspected kidnappers, bandits and cattle rustlers terrorising the people of the state Pakistans interior ministry on Wednesday asked US blogger Cynthia Ritchie to leave the country within 15 days after rejecting her request for visa extension months following her spat with the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over a series of allegations against its leaders including that of rape. Also read: Pakistani poet Fahmida Riazs daughter declines presidential award for late mother The PPP took Ritchie, who claimed she worked for the militarys public relations department, to court where her legal status in Pakistan was brought under scrutiny. The Islamabad high court on July 10 asked the ministry to decide on a PPP leaders petition seeking deportation of the US blogger, her stay in Pakistan and the extension of her visa. The ministry told the court her visa had expired on August 31. The spat was triggered after Ritchie insinuated that slain former Prime Minister and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto ordered a womans rape after she suspected her of having a relationship with her husband and ex-president, Asif Zardari. Ritchie later accused a PPP leader and then minister of raping her in 2011 when the party was in power. She also alleged two other senior party leaders a federal minister and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani--manhandled her when the latter was staying at the President House. Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the projects co-lead said on Wednesday. Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccines alliance, said the coordinated plan, known as COVAX, now has Japan, Germany, Norway and more than 70 other nations signed up, agreeing in principle to procure COVID-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations. We have, as of right now, 76 upper middle income and high-income countries that have submitted confirmations of intent to participate and we expect that number to go up, Berkley told Reuters in an interview. This is good news. It shows that the COVAX facility is open for business and is attracting the type of interest across the world we had hoped it would, he said. COVAX coordinators are in talks with China about whether it might also join, Berkley said. We had a discussion yesterday with the (Chinese) government, Berkley said. We dont have any signed agreement with them yet, but Beijing has given a positive signal, he added. COVAX is co-led by GAVI, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and is designed to discourage national governments from hoarding COVID-19 vaccines and to focus on first vaccinating the most high-risk people in every country. Its backers say this strategy should lead to lower vaccine costs for everyone and a swifter end to the pandemic that has claimed some 860,000 lives globally. Wealthy countries that join COVAX will finance the vaccine purchases from their national budgets, and will partner with 92 poorer nations supported through voluntary donations to the plan to ensure vaccines are delivered equitably, Berkley said. Participating wealthy countries are also free to procure vaccines through bilateral deals and other plans. The United States said on Tuesday it would not join COVAX due to the Trump administrations objection to WHO involvement, a move described by some critics as disappointing. Berkley said he was not surprised by the US decision, but would seek to continue talks with Washington. In what appeared to be a change of position on Wednesday, the European Union said its member states could buy potential COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX. COVAX coordinators sought to add flexibility to joining agreements to encourage greater participation, Berkley said. The WHO describes COVAX as an invaluable insurance policy for all countries to secure access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines when they are developed and approved. The plans coordinators have set a deadline of September 18 for countries signing up to make binding commitments. COVAXs aim is to procure and deliver 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021. It currently has nine COVID-19 vaccine candidates in its portfolio employing a range of different technologies and scientific approaches. A handful are already in late-stage clinical trials and could have data available by year-end. The Democrats have a nasty habit of choosing as martyrs some highly unpleasant people. Trayvon Martin was a wannabe gangbanger, Michael Brown was a strong-arm robber who attacked a police officer, George Floyd was an ex-felon with a violent past who died from an overdose of illegal drugs, and there was a warrant out for Jacob Blake because he violated a restraining order imposed following a particularly ugly alleged sexual assault. Now it emerges that Jacob Blake, Sr., the man who raised such a violent son, has some ugly ideas about Jews. This is going to be a problem for Joe Biden, who has finally decided to visit Kenosha, the place where Jacob Blake got shot and where Antifa and Black Lives Matter tried to burn an American town to the ground. While still in his hidey-hole in Wilmington, Biden has already taken sides, and he's not on the side of law and order. He's stated that the police officers who shot Blake in what was clearly a reasonable act of self-preservation should be charged. Biden also plans to meet Blake's family: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will meet Thursday with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two days after President Donald Trump visited the city engulfed by protests. Right before Biden heads off, the Reagan Battalion unearthed evidence from Jacob Blake, Sr.'s Facebook feed showing that he really doesn't like Jews, something that may follow from his supporting Louis Farrakhan (language warning): Trump, it turns out wisely, forbore to meet with the Blake family. Either Trump's research team is better than Biden's or his instincts are better or his values are better because they certainly can't be worse than Biden's and the rest of his buddies on the left. As for Joe, he's placed himself in a bind. Between now and the planned meeting with Jacob Blake, Sr., he's going to have to decide whether he wants to offend potential black voters or potential Jewish voters. Gathered outside Lowell City Hall on Wednesday, teachers and parents alike voiced their concerns over the reopening of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. My fear, my horrible fear that I hope never comes to fruition, is that a child or a teacher gets sick and seriously ill, Pina Maggio, who serves as director of the Lowell Teacher Academy, told the Lowell Sun. If that happens to only one child, this isnt worth it. Because we know that one child will contaminate many other people in this crowd. Thats our biggest fear. In just under a week, students and teachers are set to return to school, whether remotely or in person, yet so many questions remain, according to the Lowell Education Justice Alliance. The LEJA is a group of parents, educators, students, school staff and community members looking to build a better public-school system driven by the community. Teachers, students, and the community DESERVE safe and healthy buildings and we challenge the integrity of a vendor that is not vetted by the very people that work in these buildings, the LEJA said in a statement. The assurances of the city have come up empty; trust has been broken and must be re-earned. Lowell schools Superintendent Joel Boyd responded to the protest by saying that schools have been following precautions to make sure that the schools are safe to return to and that significant investment has been made to ensure this, according to the Lowell Sun. The Coalition to Safely Reopen Schools issued a position statement Monday citing 16 issues that need to be tackled to ensure that schools can be reopened across the state without jeopardizing the safety of students, staff and the communities the schools serve. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has said it expects teachers and critical support staff working in districts that are starting the new school year with a remote learning model to instruct from school buildings each day. The guidance drew criticism online. Some questioned the safety of the decision, saying that if students are at home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, teachers should also stay home. Others argued that students learning remotely would only be able to see a whiteboard and not a full classroom. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the largest teachers union in the state, released a statement in July pushing back on plans for schools to reopen with in-person learning. Without better COVID-19 safeguards in place, it was too dangerous, the organization argued. Related Content: ELKO, Nev., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After just four months operating Newe Cannabis, the Elko Band Colony of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone is reinvesting its profits to improve the quality of life for not just its tribal citizens, but is also providing financial savings for Elko County. "We wish to be good neighbors to the City of Elko and to do our part in building a prosperous community with our Tribal business, Newe Cannabis," said Davis Gonzales, Chairman of the Elko Band Council. "We plan to use our profits to provide critical resources and enhance the health, safety and quality of life for all." Opened on April 18 during the COVID-19 global health crisis, Newe Cannabis has identified seven key initiatives to share its prosperity including: Purchasing, distributing food for Tribal elders Purchasing, distributing personal protection equipment for all Tribal citizens Hiring an additional Tribal law enforcement officer Creating 17, $5,000 college scholarships for Elko Band Colony students college scholarships for Elko Band Colony students Buying computers for all Elko Band Colony students Purchasing internet access via hot spots for all 350 homes located on the Elko Band Council Tribal lands for all 350 homes located on the Elko Band Council Tribal lands Burial Requests assisting with costs associated with burial of tribal members As the Elko County School Board recently voted unanimously to implement only distance learning to help guard against the spread of the coronavirus, federal funding or the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund are being utilized throughout the state to purchase wi-fi hotspots for students who need access, especially in underserved communities. Many school districts are also purchasing this year's most crucial back-to-school supplies: a laptop and access to Wi-Fi. With school pushed back until Sept. 8, the Elko Band Council will purchase these necessities for its students. "As a parent of four school aged children on the Elko Band Colony in Elko County, I am extremely grateful that my tribe has reinvested in its people. Broadband access and laptops are something I couldn't have done on my own," said Kaylani Stevens, Elko Band tribal resident. Stevens also intends on applying for a scholarship to continue her education at Great Basin College. Stevens said that recently her cousin tragically lost new born twin daughters, and the Newe Cannabis Commission was able to assist with the burial expenses, which would have been overwhelming for her family during an already difficult time. According to Gonzales, the current business plan is much different than what he and his fellow Tribal leaders envisioned when they began planning to open the dispensary back in 2019. "We have had to adapt to the COVID-19 shutdown and adjust our business model," Gonzales said. "We have implemented extensive safety measures, including closing all in-store sales and services, with an expanded drive through window that ensures that our carryout customers get timely, attentive service." Gonzales said that because of the Tribe's recent economic success, which includes job creation and saving tax dollars for the school district and the Elko Police Department, he believes the Elko Band Colony's newest business venture is an asset to the entire community. Medical marijuana was legalized in Nevada in 2000 by a ballot initiative, then recreational cannabis became legal in 2017, also after a public vote in 2016. In January, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed an agreement with the Elko Band Council that detailed the Tribe's right to work with other state licensed cannabis businesses. As a result, Newe Cannabis operates with strict security laws to ensure the safe and compliant business operations for not only its 40 employees, but for its customers, too. "Our leadership is pleased with the success of our dispensary by which we are funding new programs, especially now due to federal funding cuts and setbacks from the uncertainty of the pandemic," said Thalia Marin, an Elko Tribal Council member. "We take pride in our healthcare and educational initiatives for our people." Media Contact: John Oceguera [email protected] 702.688.0177 SOURCE Elko Band Colony Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. In Rajasthan, Congress enduring plan to address discontent among MLAs After overcoming the recent political crisis in Rajasthan, the state Congress has started working on an enduring plan to address dissatisfaction among MLAs and other party leaders. The party is planning to ensure maximum participation of MLAs, senior leaders and workers in the government and organisation. Read more Number of recovered Covid-19 patients is 3.5 times more than active cases: Health Ministry Health Ministry on Thursday addressed a press briefing on the Covid-19 situation in the country and said the number of recovered cases is more than 29.70 lakh, which is 3.5 times more than active cases. Read more Staff shortage, poor coordination: Punes jumbo Covid facility invites patients wrath If 42-year-old journalist Pandurang Raykars death highlighted lack of coordination on part of administration, it also underlined inconvenience being faced by patients in delayed treatment, no response from centre and poor food. Read more Kenosha unrest: Joe Biden to test his promise to unify the nation Campaigning for more than a year as a calming, unifying figure, Joe Biden and his core pitch for the presidency face the most intense test yet when he travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city wrenched by police and protest violence that makes it a microcosm of the nations election-year reckoning with systemic racism. Read more Hilary Swank interview: Oscar-winner on being inspired by Kalpana Chawla to play astronaut in Netflixs Away Oscar-winning actor Hilary Swank said that Kalpana Chawla was among the many real-life icons who inspired her to play astronaut Emma Green in the Netflix space drama Away. Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. She died in 2003, in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Read more Tata Motors, Hyundai to supply Nexon and Kona EVs for government use Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) on Thursday announced it had placed orders for 150 Nexon electric vehicles (EVs) from Tata Motors and another 100 Kona EVs from Hyundai for government use. EESL is a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. Read more CEO Madhav Sheth on why Realme 7 smartphones launched six months after Realme 6 series in India Realme has just introduced its Realme 7 and 7 Pro in India at 14,999 and 19,999 base price. And while these two are powerful enough to give a tough time to rivals in the same price segment, they also add to the vast lineup that Realme has been aggressively growing this year. Read more Happy Birthday Sadhguru: Inspirational quotes on life, love and spirituality by Jaggi Vasudev Sadhguru, born Jaggi Vasudev, is an Indian yogi and author. He is best known for his many books on yoga and spirituality, including Inner Engineering: A Yogis Guide to Joy, Pebbles Of Wisdom, Mystics Musings, and for his initiative, the Isha Foundation, which runs an ashram, yoga centre, among other efforts in spirituality, education and towards saving the environment. Read more Watch: Nearly 200 Pakistanis return from India, were stuck due to Covid lockdown An oil tanker carrying crude from Kuwait to India caught fire off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, leaving one of its 23 crew members missing and another injured, according to media reports on Thursday. The Indian Coast Guard pressed into action three of its ships and a Dornier aircraft after the Sri Lankan Navy sought assistance to control the fire onboard the Panamanian-registered oil tanker New Diamond. According to media reports, the fire started in the engine room of the oil tanker, which was carrying crude oil from Kuwait to India, and then spread. In a swift sea and air coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the Coast Guard said it immediately diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang and Samudra Paheredar, besides a Dornier aircraft for the firefight on oil tanker New Diamond. Two Russian anti-submarine warfare ships anchored at Hambantota Port also joined the operation by the Sri Lanka Navy to douse the fire, the Daily Mirror reported. The tanker New Diamond was sailing from Kuwait to India. It is currently staying 180 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. The team, except for two crew members, has left the tanker and is staying on rescue craft at sea, according to Russias official Tass news agency. At the time the fire broke out, the Panamanian-registered ship was about 38 nautical miles (70 kilometres) east of Sri Lanka. Press Release September 3, 2020 Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the early release of Pemberton The recently ordered release of US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton would be a loss in the LGBTQI+ community's fight for equality and justice. Pemberton was sentenced to 10 years in prison but his 'hate crime,' which he committed in "self defense," has so far resulted in less than six years of punishment. Many LGBTQI+ groups believe that six years is not enough, especially considering the gruesome killing he committed against Jennifer. It also seems that Pemberton's team saw the pandemic as an opportunity to plan his release, as they filed a Motion for Computation in June under the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law then filed a Motion for Release in August. The swiftness by which our institutions have acted on a white, male American's case is a privilege that is never accorded to many Filipinos. What message does this send to our citizens who have routinely suffered from our own justice system? To rub salt into the wound, since Jennifer's death in 2014, Pemberton has never apologized for the immeasurable pain he caused the LGBTQI+ community, the country, nor the Laude family, even when they and their lawyer asked for it. Those years of deafening silence, and now an early release this is not what Jennifer deserves. Pemberton paid the Laude family over P4.6 million in civil damages, but no amount can ever bring back the life and dignity of Jennifer. I hope the court will give due course to the motion for reconsideration of Jennifer's camp. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The Estonia-initiated meeting on Belarus in the UN Security Council is counterproductive, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2020) The Estonia-initiated meeting on Belarus in the UN Security Council is counterproductive, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. An informal meeting to discuss human rights situation in Belarus will be held on Friday at the UN Security Council at the initiative of Estonia. "I stress that this is not about convening an official meeting of the UN Security Council. On September 4, only an informal meeting of the members of the Security Council is possible according to the so-called 'Arria formula.' Any member of the Council has the right to organize such a discussion," Zakharova said at a briefing. She noted that many members of the Security Council had been abusing the detailed format, and some Western colleagues often used Aria-formula meetings for political and propaganda purposes to draw attention to issues on which the members of the Council had serious disagreements. "The meeting on Belarus, which is initiated by the Estonians, is, in general, an example of such a counterproductive practice," Zakharova added. The situation in Belarus does not pose any threat to international peace and security, she said. "We regard its [the meeting's] indirect smuggling into the Security Council, using such roundabout ways as meetings according to the 'Arria formula' as gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state," she stressed. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Intellect Design Arena share price added nearly 5 percent intraday on September 3 after the company announced a partnership with Samba Financial Group. Samba Financial Group has selected iGTBs Digital Transaction Banking (DTB) solution of Intellect Design Arena. The bank has selected DTB to power its digital transformation initiatives to strengthen its corporate offering and help attract more customers. The solution will help the bank become more competitive, streamline internal processes and, in turn, generate additional revenue streams. We are delighted to partner with the Samba Financial Group, one of the most progressive banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a strong focus on customer-centricity," said Manish Maakan, Chief Executive Officer, iGTB. At 10:07 hrs, Intellect Design Arena was quoting at Rs 194.35, up Rs 8.35, or 4.49 percent on the BSE. A gay man who asked to be named only with his initial J.W. marches at a pro-LGBT rally in Seoul in July. The sign he is holding reads "Courage for Equality." / Courtesy of Kang Josae Sexual minorities searching for 'inclusive' church By Kang Hyun-kyung Last year, a 24-year-old community worker who asked to be named only by her first name Ju-hee, chose to leave the church she had attended for 23 years since she was born. She found a new, small but "inclusive" church in Seoul's western part of Mapogu. Her former church was a big one and she had many friends there. "But I didn't feel that I belonged there," she told The Korea Times in a recent interview. "I felt like I was acting whenever I returned home from Sunday church services. My empty conversation with other church members kept playing in my mind I couldn't speak about the topic that I wanted." At her church, the topic she wanted to share with others was a forbidden one. She is a lesbian and wanted to talk about her sexual identity. KYODO NEWS - Sep 2, 2020 - 10:03 | World, All Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, given a life sentence in 2012 for the deaths of more than 12,000 people at a torture center he ran, died early Wednesday, a special Cambodian court said. He was 77. Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, died at 12:50 a.m. at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in the capital, less than two days after being admitted, Neth Pheaktra, spokesman of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, told Kyodo News. The cause of death was chronic lung disease, which had caused breathing difficulties, according to a telegram communication between a prison officer and his superior. Kaing Guek Eav was transferred to the hospital on Monday night. Kaing Guek Eav headed a notorious prison known as S-21 under the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The special Cambodian court, a U.N.-backed tribunal established to hear crimes committed under the regime, convicted him of crimes against humanity, murder and torture. The Khmer Rouge are blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979. New digital onboard communication systems will enhance commuters travel experience and increase system performance on the MRT line This contract reflects Bombardiers pioneering technology advances in optimizing and upgrading trains BERLIN, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Note to editors: To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/842676ed-a254-490c-b183-0cec15029c55 Global rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation announced today that it will upgrade the communication systems on 92 three-car BOMBARDIER MOVIA metro trainsets for Singapores Downtown Mass Rapid Transit line (DTL), as part of the Land Transport Authoritys (LTA) line extension plan. The upgrade will include digitalizing the Dynamic Route Map Display (DRMD) from LED to LCD to improve the travelling experience for commuters, installing a Train Control Monitoring System (TCMS) and Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) system software update to increase system performance, and other communication tools will also be enhanced. This new contract to boost the performance and functionality of the MOVIA metro fleet on Singapores Downtown line is testament to Bombardiers pioneering technology advances in train optimization and upgrades for our customers. Singapore has always been a showcase for Bombardiers innovative mobility solutions, from driverless technologies to TCMS methodologies. We are proud to continue supporting Singapores rail network expansion, said Jayaram Naidu, President of Southeast Asia region, Bombardier Transportation. The fleet of 92 driverless MOVIA metro trains was delivered to the DTL between 2013 and 2017. The trains operate underground on one of the worlds longest driverless MRT systems which is 42 km long, serves 34 stations and connects commuters to the city every day. With this upgrade contract, DTL commuters will benefit from advanced passenger information systems including the Train-borne Travel Information System (TTIS), Automatic Train Announcement System (ATAS) and Events Recorder (EVR). Bombardier has been a trusted local partner to Singapore for more than 20 years and continues to provide a range of solutions for the city states mobility needs. In addition to the DTL metro contract, in 2018 Bombardier was awarded a contract to supply 396 new MOVIA metro cars for Singapores high-capacity North-South and East-West MRT lines, which will bring the number of MOVIA cars in Singapore to 672, making it one of Bombardiers largest metro fleets in the world. About Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation is a global mobility solution provider leading the way with the rail industrys broadest portfolio. It covers the full spectrum of solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling to complete turnkey transport systems, e-mobility technology and data-driven maintenance services. Combining technology and performance with empathy, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility by providing integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 36,000 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries. About Bombardier With nearly 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier. Notes to editors For news, related material and photos, visit our newsroom at www.rail.bombardier.com/en/newsroom.html. Please subscribe to our RSS Feed to receive press releases or follow Bombardier Transportation on Twitter @BombardierRail. Bombardier and MOVIA are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. For Information Media relations, Asia Pacific Harsh Mehta Global media relations press@rail.bombardier.com +91 98208 02228 harsh.mehta@rail.bombardier.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kate Kelland (Reuters) London, United Kingdom Thu, September 3, 2020 08:10 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c425a04b 2 World WHO,vaccine-alliance,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project's co-lead said on Wednesday. Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccines alliance, said the coordinated plan, known as COVAX, now has Japan, Germany, Norway and more than 70 other nations signed up, agreeing in principle to procure COVID-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations. "We have, as of right now, 76 upper middle income and high income countries that have submitted confirmations of intent to participate - and we expect that number to go up," Berkley told Reuters in an interview. "This is good news. It shows that the COVAX facility is open for business and is attracting the type of interest across the world we had hoped it would," he said. COVAX coordinators are in talks with China about whether it might also join, Berkley said. "We had a discussion yesterday with the [Chinese] government," Berkley said. "We don't have any signed agreement with them yet," but Beijing has given "a positive signal," he added. COVAX is co-led by GAVI, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and is designed to discourage national governments from hoarding COVID-19 vaccines and to focus on first vaccinating the most high-risk people in every country. Its backers say this strategy should lead to lower vaccine costs for everyone and a swifter end to the pandemic that has claimed some 860,000 lives globally. Wealthy countries that join COVAX will finance the vaccine purchases from their national budgets, and will partner with 92 poorer nations supported through voluntary donations to the plan to ensure vaccines are delivered equitably, Berkley said. Participating wealthy countries are also free to procure vaccines through bilateral deals and other plans. The United States said on Tuesday it would not join COVAX due to the Trump administration's objection to WHO involvement, a move described by some critics as "disappointing". Berkley said he was not surprised by the US decision, but would seek to continue talks with Washington. In what appeared to be a change of position on Wednesday, the European Union said its member states could buy potential COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX. COVAX coordinators sought to add flexibility to joining agreements to encourage greater participation, Berkley said. The WHO describes COVAX as an "invaluable insurance policy" for all countries to secure access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines when they are developed and approved. The plan's coordinators have set a deadline of September 18 for countries signing up to make binding commitments. COVAX's aim is to procure and deliver 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021. It currently has nine COVID-19 vaccine candidates in its portfolio employing a range of different technologies and scientific approaches. A handful are already in late-stage clinical trials and could have data available by year end. President Donald Trump is seen tapping the screen on a mobile phone at the approximate time a tweet was released from his Twitter account, during a roundtable discussion on the reopening of small businesses in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 18, 2020. Twitter on Thursday slapped warning labels on several of President Donald Trump's posts, suggesting the messages violated a policy against advocating illegal election activity. The move is at least the third time that the president's preferred social media company has placed a "public interest notice" on his posts. "Our goal is to prevent people from sharing advice about voting twice, which may be illegal," the company wrote in a tweet, part of a thread explaining its enforcement action. The tweets, which were sent out Thursday morning and shared widely on the platform before Twitter took action, encouraged voters who submitted ballots by mail to go to their polling place on Election Day in order to verify that their vote had been counted. "If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen's right to do)," Trump wrote in one of the posts that was hidden behind a label. Trump wrote the same comments on Facebook, which placed a notice beneath the post noting that "voting by mail has a long history of trustworthiness in the US and the same is predicted this year." The Facebook label directs readers to the company's voting information center. Unlike Facebook's action, Twitter's move prevents users from reading the posts unless they click through a dialogue warning that the tweet "violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity" but that it "may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible." It is against the law to intentionally vote twice. After the president encouraged residents of North Carolina to vote twice on Wednesday evening, the state's top election official issued a memorandum warning that doing so is a felony. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, also discouraged voters from attempting to verify that their vote had been counted in person, noting that they could do so via an online tracker. North Carolina, a key battleground state, begins sending out absentee ballots on Friday, the first state in the nation to do so. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the president's comments about double voting earlier on Thursday during an interview on Fox News. McEnany said the president was "not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful." "What he said very clearly there is make sure your vote is tabulated and if it is not then vote," she said. Twitter, in explaining its actions, said that the "laws regarding the invalidation of mail-in ballots when individuals choose to vote in person are complex, and vary significantly by state." "To protect people on Twitter, we err on the side of limiting the circulation of Tweets which advise people to take actions which could be illegal in the context of voting or result in the invalidation of their votes," the company said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. HYDERABAD: A suspected Maoist was killed in a police encounter in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothegudem district bordering Chhattisgarh. The incident occurred in the forest near Devallagudem village of Gundala Mandal in the early hours of the day. According to the District Superintendent of Police, Sunil Dutt, "at Dubbagudem, a special police team spotted two people on a motorcycle early morning today who looked suspicious. When they were asked to stop but they opened fire. In retaliation, the police too opened fire killing one of them instantly while the other person escaped." A country-made pistol was recovered from the deceased who is believed to be in the mid-20s. However, his identity is yet to be ascertained. The local police are hunting for the other person who escaped. On the other hand, Telangana Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy is touring the north Telangana districts and meeting the SPs and other top police officials in the backdrop of information that Maoists are once again trying to get a foothold in Telangana. Telangana Police have successfully thwarted the attempts by Maoists to revive their activity during the last six years. However, in the areas bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, the banned outfit has been continuing efforts to regain the lost ground. Its easy to forget that there was a time before eBay or Amazon. Buying things online used to be a crapshoot not only was the shopping experience unwieldy and tedious, but the chances of getting ripped off, having your purchase lost or damaged in the post, and the Sisyphean task of trying to return something all made online retailing a bit of an ask. 20 years ago it would have been unimaginable that youd buy anything other than printer paper or t-shirts online. But the pace of change has been enormous. These days, consumers are spoiled for choice and convenience: buying goods online, from groceries to Gucci slides is a doddle, many sites offering free, same-day shipping; seamless and quick online returns; significant savings and exclusive offerings, not to mention how much better virtual visualisation of goods has become. Buying luxury goods online has become second nature to many consumers. Perhaps the most significant sign of how far things have come is this recent product offering from UK-based online luxury fashion retailer Farfetch a Richard Mille RM67-01 Rainbow 50mm timepiece bedazzled by well-known watch customiser MAD Paris with rainbow-coloured diamonds, worth a startling 975,636 AUD (605,000 USD). Richard Mille watches are already incredibly expensive and exclusive the cheapest new/unworn Richard Mille on leading online watch aftermarket Chrono24 comes in at just under 95,000 AUD and the cheapest RM67-01, a titanium piece, is selling for almost 164,400 AUD if you include shipping to Australia. Adding a bevy of diamonds to an already outrageous piece of Swiss excess is just gilding the lily at this point. Were not quite sure who the target market for this watch is, or who would be crazy enough to even consider buying basically a seven-figure watch online, but the fact that you have the freedom to do so is astounding. Whether its actually worth that much is another question. Customised watches dont tend to hold their value, and indeed, adding diamonds to a watch can actually devalue your watch, particularly if they were added by a third party, according to Bobs Watches. Wed argue that the less-than-subtle rainbow look actually detracts from the watch the rainbow-obsessed New York rapper 6ix9ine might disagree with us, however. All well say is if people think this Richard Mille is too much, wait until they see this Patek Philippe 5531R-001 Rose Gold Grand Complications selling for almost 2 million AUD Putting the debate about the aesthetic or literal value of these watches aside for just a second, that you can even buy something like this online speaks to the state modern online retail. 2020 has further accelerated the move towards online retail, as physical stores have had to close and people are homebound during The Pandemic. Physical retail was already struggling before 2020: the dilemma is that in order for physical locations to remain relevant in todays market, they have to offer an experience; something that sets them apart from online. Theyll never win on the price front, as brick-and-mortar has overheads that online doesnt. The reality is that the benefit to consumers of buying in-store just isnt as strong as online these days, whether thats shopping for mens shirts on UNIQLO or Jaeger-LeCoultre watches on MR PORTER. RELATED: The Fashion Brands That Will Survive 2020 For Australians, that you can buy luxury goods like this MAD Paris custom job is particularly useful, as the tyranny of distance and our comparatively small market means we often miss out when it comes to luxury experiences. Case in point, there are only 37 Richard Mille boutiques globally, and none in Australia (the closest to us is in Jakarta). While were still confident that brick-and-mortar retail still has a role to play in the market (if done properly and intentionally), this insane offering on Farfetch should be a warning sign for luxury retailers: the future is here and its rainbow-coloured. Read Next In the view of the ongoing conflict with China, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief RKS Bhadauria is visiting air bases in the eastern sector while Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is in Leh to review operational preparedness of the troops along LAC in eastern Ladakh where armies of the two nations are in a standoff position for over three months. New Delhi [India], September 3 (ANI): In the view of the ongoing conflict with China, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief RKS Bhadauria is visiting air bases in the eastern sector while Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is in Leh to review operational preparedness of the troops along LAC in eastern Ladakh where armies of the two nations are in a standoff position for over three months. The Air Force chief is visiting premier air bases in the eastern sector to review the level of operational preparedness and capability enhancement. He also interacted with air warriors serving at these bases. Meanwhile, General Naravane is also visiting Leh to review the ongoing security situation there. He will be briefed by the senior field commanders on the ground situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi criticizes Modi govt, calls demonetisation an attack on the unorganised sector ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput death case LIVE news updates: Maharashtra HM accepts PIL filed by ex IPS officers over Mumbai Police being targetted The visits of Bhadauria and Naravane come at a time when Indian troops have thwarted the Chinese Armys attempts to transgress into areas in Ladakh. On the intervening night of August 29-30, 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. A few days later on August 1, Indian security forces foiled an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into the Indian side of the LAC in the general area of Chumar in Eastern Ladakh. 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 situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June. 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. (ANI) ALSO READ: Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 38L mark with highest single-day spike of 83k+ cases Two officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been caught on camera, by a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, fighting bus passengers over N100 bribe. The officials with the badge name E. A. Fagbuyi and N. Oladega were caught at Toll Gate (7up) bus-stop, along Berger road, in the Lagos metropolis. They also brutalised a passenger who simply identified herself as Sandra to our correspondent. She was in the bus stopped by the officials around 12noon, on Thursday. This reporter was also in the vehicle going from Ikeja to Obalende. The two officials accused the bus driver of boycotting them since last week, hence, demanded money for the supposed offense. The conductor of the bus told our correspondent that they were seeking N100 bribe. Mr Fagbuyi took charge of the vehicle and was heading to an unknown location when the passengers protested. An elderly man in the bus asked for his money to enable him to join another bus but Mr Fagbuyi simply said: your head is not correct. Do I look like a conductor? Get down or I drive you to my office. The argument led to a physical combat as other passengers made attempts to rescue the elderly man from the LASMA official. Mr Oladega later joined his colleague in engaging the passengers in a fight. During the fight, Mr Oladega assaulted Sandra and also broke her phone screen. It took the efforts of passers-by to douse the tension. The officials also threatened to harm the lady for demanding that her phone be repaired. I have been molested and I cant take it. I was receiving when one of the officials came to drag my phone and threw it on the floor. He broke the screen already. These guys are thugs and should not be accommodated in Lagos,she said amidst sobs. An Official after tearing a passenger cloth This newspaper reached out to LASTMA spokesperson, Olumide Filade, on telephone about the ugly incident. He did not respond to our correspondents calls and text messages three hours after the fight. Sandras damaged bag Officials of the transport agency have been caught in the past engaging is fights with bus drivers and conductors. One such incident occurred in March, in Maryland They (LASTMA officials) have also been victims of attacks recently by police officers, soldiers and other citizens. Subscriber content preview PULLMAN (AP) The number of people testing positive for the coronavirus continues to grow rapidly in Whitman County, and various government agencies are working to slow the spread. A team from the Washington National Guard was headed to Pullman on Wednesday to set up a COVID-19 testing operation, according to county Director of Public Health Troy Henderson. . . . Nancy Pelosi has claimed to have been set up, after she was photographed in a San Francisco hair salon without a face covering, breaking the citys coronavirus prevention rules. Related: 'Get off Twitter': Joe Biden urges Trump to focus on safely reopening schools I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that Ive been to many times, the House speaker said on Wednesday afternoon, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. It was a setup, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup. Salons in San Francisco have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic, with limited outdoor operations beginning only on Tuesday. Security camera footage obtained by Fox News showed Pelosi, the House speaker and the most powerful Democrat in Washington, walking through the e Salon SF with a mask around her neck. The footage was filmed on Monday. Pelosi has regularly told US citizens to wear masks and follow guidelines intended to limit the spread of coronavirus. The salons owner, Erica Kious, said one of her hairstylists who rented a chair at the business opened it specially for Pelosis appointment. 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 told Fox News. We have been shut down for so long, not just me, but most of the small businesses and I just cant its a feeling of being deflated, helpless and honestly beaten down. Kious said that according to her interpretation of coronavirus safety precautions, blow-drying hair was prohibited. I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen, she said. I am a single mom, I have two small children, and I have no income. Were supposed to look up to this woman, right? It is just disturbing. A spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, 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. Story continues The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment. Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting that Pelosi was being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a mask despite constantly lecturing everyone else. Trump has recommended that people wear masks and has occasionally worn one himself. He has also resisted calls for a national mask mandate and last week staged a Republican convention at which coronavirus prevention measures were at best inconsistently observed. Pelosi, who has called Trumps stance on masks cowardly, fired back. Related: Covid-19 map of the US: latest cases state by state I think that this salon owes me an apology for setting me up, she said, adding that she had been inundated with comments from people in the hair service industry, thanking her for calling attention to this and saying We need to get back to work. Many [are] annoyed at the setup, she said, that was there for a purpose that has nothing to do with ending the crisis. Pelosi said she had worn her mask round her neck because she had just had my hair washed. I dont wear a mask when Im washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when youre washing your hair? I always wear a mask And that picture is when I just came out of the bowl. PHOENIX and BOCA RATON, Florida, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Joe Arpaio "America's Toughest Sheriff," and Larry Klayman, "America's Toughest Lawyer," announced the formation of a new public interest watchdog whose mission is to promote, protect and fight for the interests and legal rights of the nation's law enforcement, including but not limited to local police. By so doing, the American people's interests will be paramount. In recent months, our brave law enforcement from all quarters have literally been under attack, with radical leftists looting, burning stealing, maiming and even assaulting and killing law enforcement officers, as well as innocent citizens. These radicals are comprised of socialists, communists, African-American anti-white separatists, radical Muslims, radicals of the Jewish left, anarchists, atheists, and other leftists of all races, sexes and persuasions. Their obvious goal is to destabilize and take down the creation of our Founding Fathers, and in its place install a Marxist state. Furthering this Bolshevik-style revolution have been local mayors and governors in many of the nation's largest cities and states, whose agenda is to use these leftist radicals to also remove President Trump from office, paving the way for a Democrat socialist/communist takeover of all three branches of government. In this way, the radical left will be able to consolidate its power and hold over the American people. America's Sheriff is non-partisan but it is founded to defend America's Judeo-Christian heritage as depicted in the Bible, where God looks to the counselors and judges to restore the Tarnished City to the Faithful City. Sheriff Arpaio and Larry Klayman, a "Dynamic Duo," are uniquely situated to protect and preserve the freedoms and liberties which were bequeathed to the citizenry on July 4, 1776, by furthering law and order in these perilous times. Using Sheriff Arpaio's expertise as a America's Toughest Sheriff and Larry Klayman's pursuit of the rule of law as America's Toughest Lawyer, America's Sheriff will take whatever strong and effective ethical, legal and peaceful actions that are necessary to protect and fight for the rights of law enforcement, which have been trashed, exposing We the People to ever increasing violence and death by the malevolent forces of the radical left. For more information and to support and enlist in "America's Sheriff," go to www.americassheriff.org or contact [email protected] or (424) 274 2579. Media contact: Adrienne Mazzone 561-908-1683; [email protected]. SOURCE Larry Klayman Related Links http://www.americassheriff.org A 47-year-old man is dead and four others were treated at hospital Thursday afternoon after a boat crashed into some rocks near Woodbine Beach. Toronto paramedics say the call about the crash came in at 12:40 p.m. from the area. Police said a man, 46, was driving a 20-ft. bowrider vessel when he lost control and rammed into rocks about 90 metres from the shore. Police said the 47-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he died. Four other people were taken to hospital with minor injuries and three were treated at the scene. Paramedics said earlier that all the injured are adult men. Maziar Hafezi said he was at the beach. Hafezi said it appeared as though the boat had malfunctioned and its driver aimed for the shore in an effort to get to safety. I saw that the boat is coming very fast with four or five people onboard. It was near the people who were swimming. At first, I thought it is a show-off, he said in an email. The driver tried to steer it away from the rocks. The boat tilted to left for almost 70 degrees and then crashed. The motor was still running for almost 30 seconds after the crash. Traffic services and the marine unit are investigating. The waterfront was crowded and police are asking anyone that may have seen the crash, or has video footage of it, to contact investigators. with files from Dominik Kurek Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi ALBANY Antoinette T. Bacon, an associate deputy attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice, has been named acting U.S. attorney for New York's Northern District, according to multiple sources briefed on the matter. Bacon will become the first female U.S. attorney in the district, which encompasses 32 counties stretching from Kingston to the Canadian border and west to Syracuse. She was at the federal courthouse in Albany on Wednesday afternoon as her predecessor in the position, Grant C. Jaquith, was sworn into his new post as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims. U.S. District Chief Judge Glenn T. Suddaby swore in Jaquith during the brief ceremony. Jaquith, who led the Northern District office beginning in July 2017, will serve a 15-year term as one of the seven judges on the veterans' court. President Donald J. Trump nominated Jaquith, a former Army colonel, for the judgeship a year ago. According to her professional biography, Bacon, who is from Cleveland, Ohio, is the Justice Department's national elder justice coordinator and previously served as the national white collar crime coordinator at the executive office for U.S. attorneys. She is a highly decorated prosecutor and has received special awards from the IRS, U.S. Postal Service and the Justice Department "for her prosecutions of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption," according to the biography. Under the Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, the first assistant to Jaquith would have become the acting U.S. attorney unless the president directed that someone else be tapped to fulfill the role in this case a senior official with the Justice Department which is apparently the circumstance of Bacon's appointment. If formally nominated for the post, Bacon would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Otherwise, she could be named to the position by the U.S. Attorney General and thereafter formally appointed by a panel of judges from New York's Northern District. Bacon enters the U.S. attorney's office in Albany following a series of investigations targeting state government figures by the U.S. attorney's office in New York's Southern District. Those cases, prosecuted in Manhattan, rocked New York's Capitol with charges of corruption, bid-rigging or bribery leveled against former state legislative leaders, a close aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and numerous state officials and business leaders who in some cases benefited from lucrative state contracts that had been illegally steered to their companies. While the U.S. attorney's office in Albany has handled its own corruption cases involving state government, it has also endured criticism through the years for not being aggressive in political corruption investigations at the Capitol. Bacon enters Northern District post as a veteran prosecutor who gained renown for a sprawling corruption case she handled as an assistant U.S. attorney in Ohio a decade ago. In that matter known as the Cuyahoga County Corruption Case Bacon successfully prosecuted nearly 100 targets in a nine-year investigation, according to her official bio. More than 60 public officials and business executives were prosecuted including a county commissioner, a county auditor, a Cleveland City Council member, two sitting judges, nine attorneys (five of them former prosecutors), two union leaders and two senior hospital executives. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which covered the probe and subsequent court action extensively, noted that the investigation contributed to the county's switch from a commission form of government to a county executive structure. Bacon also has worked as a trial attorney in the department's antitrust division and was a law clerk for a U.S. District judge in Virginia's Eastern District. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government from American University. ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of Hurricane Laura's strike in Louisiana, American Trucking Associations is dispatching its Mack Heroes Truck to deliver relief supplies to citizens of Lake Charles. "Whether it is a hurricane or a pandemic, trucks and truckers are among the very first to respond delivering comfort in the form of life's essentials," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "We are proud of our industry's ability to respond to crises and provide aid to people quickly." The Heroes Truck made the first of several planned deliveries on August 31 and will continue to make deliveries over the coming days in coordination with the Louisiana Motor Truck Association, supported by donations from the trucking industry, including a $10,000 contribution from ATA Chairman Randy Guillot, president of Triple G Express and Southeastern Motor Freight. "Our industry is quick to respond to aid our fellow Americans, and it is important to me that we support my fellow Louisianans in their time of need," Guillot said. "I'm happy to support ATA's efforts to provide relief to people impacted by Hurricane Laura and challenge my fellow industry leaders to join me in supporting them." ATA's Heroes Truck honors America's veterans with the support of Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. and Mack Trucks. "The entire Mack family is grateful that the Mack Anthem sleeper we've provided for the ATA Workforce Heroes program is being used to deliver water to those in need in the Lake Charles, Louisiana, area as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura," said John Walsh, Mack Trucks vice president of marketing. "All of us are thinking about the impacted residents and businesses, and we sincerely hope that this delivery provides some relief amidst all the hardship." "Utility shares in the nation's concern for the people of Louisiana. We are proud and honored to partner with ATA's Workforce Heroes that are bringing much needed relief to those affected by the hurricane," said Utility Trailer Senior Vice President Craig Bennett. "Being able to deliver for people in need is an important part of my job as a truck driver," said Steve Brand, a professional driver with FedEx Freight from Dayton, Ohio. "We appreciate the support of the industry that allows us to help these people." American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Trucking Moves America Forward SOURCE American Trucking Associations Related Links www.trucking.org With the Congress in a flux and clamour growing for change within Indias Grand old Party, what remains unmissable is the rise of the young turks in Team Rahul to key positions. The most recent example, several leaders Moneycontrol spoke to said, came in the aftermath of 23 senior party leaders writing an open letter of dissent on the prevailing state of affairs in the party to interim president Sonia Gandhi. While the letter came up for discussion at the Congress Working Committee on August 24, just days later, on August 27, Lok Sabha MPs Gaurav Gogoi (37) and Ravneet Singh Bittu (44) were appointed deputy leader and whip, respectively. Within the party, this has fuelled speculation on whether older, experienced hands such as Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tiwari had been overlooked for having signed the letter. The party also announced a 10-member parliamentary committee with five members of each House, where Gogoi, Bittu, floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, chief whip K Suresh, Manickam Tagore and Rajya Sabha MP and party general secretary KC Venugopal found space alongside senior leader Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, deputy leader of opposition Anand Sharma and party treasurer Ahmed Patel. Getting set for a comeback? Party insiders say the fact that members of Team Rahul are increasingly making their presence felt in the partys affairs can be read as laying the groundwork for his return as party chief. Be it the presence of Venugopal in key decisions, the criticism Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Satav voiced towards UPA-II ministers in a meeting of Rajya Sabha members last month, or the recent elevation of Lok Sabha MPs Tagore, Bittu and Gogoi to key parliamentary positions even as Sonia decided to continue as interim president it is Rahuls close aides who are increasingly in the limelight. Several leaders that Moneycontrol spoke to on either side of the aisle also pointed out that contrary to popular perception, his team has not just dynasts but also leaders who made it on their own. Leaders such as Satav, whose mother is former Maharashtra minister Rajnitai Satav, and Gogoi, whose father is former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, share space with leaders such as Venugopal and Tagore. A former MP, perceived to be close to Rahul, said that what stands out among the leaders is their unflinching loyalty to Gandhi. After his resignation over the Lok Sabha debacle, many considered close to him faced confusion over where he is headed next. That is now being laid to rest it is no longer a matter of speculation that he is here to stay, and so are they. The key men Among key leaders on Rahuls side is Venugopal, whose rise to the position of party general secretary caught many by surprise. Venugopal chose to not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and his seat, Alappuzha, was the only one in Kerala that the party could not clinch. When he was named one of the partys Rajya Sabha candidates from Rajasthan in July this year, the leader cited above said it led to whispers from North Indian leaders wondering if one of their own would be accommodated in a State like Kerala. That said, Venugopal has made himself visible in the recent crisis in Rajasthan, attempting to quell a crisis between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. Ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting last month, a day after the contents of the dissent letter were made public, Venugopal worked the phone lines with other leaders rallying support for the Gandhis, two State presidents said. Both presidents then decided to publicly show their support. Gogoi, too, has his hands full as in-charge of the West Bengal unit ahead of the assembly elections next year and also as the partys deputy leader. Satav, who made an impression on Rahul through his work in Gujarat, was also vocal in his support for him at the CWC meeting. He made it to the Rajya Sabha early this year. These leaders are in addition to Rahuls personal aides Kanishka Singh, KB Byju and K Raju, among others. His strategic advisor, Sachin Rao, who was last year appointed as in-charge of training and Congress Sandesh, is one of the rare cases of a secretary making it to the partys CWC. Lesser known names include the partys Odisha in-charge Jitendra Singh, who is touted to have unfettered access to Rahul, AICC secretary of the party treasury Vijendra Singhla, and former Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan. A man you can differ with A party MP, holding a key position, insisted that Rahul is the only Opposition left in the country. A single tweet from him elicits reactions from two union ministers within minutes. This happens only because the BJP is scared of him, said the MP. The MP said his allegiance is largely because of Rahuls insistence on listening to different viewpoints. He is a man you can differ with; we have had conversations where we have told him his position might not work and he listens. The misconception among leaders has come about because he is not a man who promises party positions to anyone. People want rewards, and he does not promise any, said the MP. As an example of this, the MP spoke of a case where ahead of a key election, a young leader urged an alliance partner to put in a word for him with Rahul. Rahul was impressed with the man, but this act angered him. Why did he need to ask an alliance partner for a favour from me, he had said then, said the MP. Yesterday, once more? The Congresss flux at the moment mirrors one that the party faced in the 1980s, with Rajiv Gandhi at the helm. In the 1988 AICC session in Maraimalai Nagar near what was then Madras, several established party leaders made way for new ones to herald what party leaders called the Rajiv Era. Incidentally, one of the dissenters now Ghulam Nabi Azad was a member of a troika with sudden clout. Sitaram Kesri and Vasudev Pannicker were the other two. Leaders such as RL Bhatia, Najma Heptullah, Nawal Kishore Sharma, KC Pant and J Vengala Rao had made way for younger turks, including Santosh Mohan Dev, P Chidambaram and Natwar Singh. A young party leader, however, rued that unlike Rajivs team, Team Rahul is bereft of the intellectual heft those leaders brought to the table. The leaders then had great communication capacities, key administrative expertise and held forth on important matters, the leader said. Rahuls preference remains leaders who have honed their skills through the Youth Congress or National Students Union of India route. Party leaders say that the Youth Congress has been asked to focus keenly on the issues of unemployment and job losses, indicating that this could be Rahuls, and the Congresss, war cry in the times ahead. However, another party MP feared that unless the Congresss present idea of politicking changes, 2024 will be a tough trudge. The party is in terminal decline, and we no longer appeal to Hindi India or as an alternative to the BJP, who manage to win 80 percent of the seats with just 30 percent of the votes. No one remembers Congresss contribution of the computer age, let alone its part in the freedom struggle, the leader said. The partys seeming inactivity ahead of the Bihar elections, the leader said, is an example of how things are. Politics is about winning elections, and without political activity or internal debate, where does a leader like me go from here? Amrita Madhukalya is a Delhi-based reporter who writes on politics and policy Im delighted to be taking on the role of UK CEO from January 01 and to be re-joining the UK business, where I started my career in insurance over 20 years ago, he said. Ive had the pleasure of working closely with the UK team for the last year as EMEA COO and seen the tremendous progress that has been made under Tulsis leadership. Im looking forward to joining such a talented leadership team, responding to the rapidly-changing environment and continuing to deliver great service to our UK customers and distribution partners. Bailey has more than 20 years experience in the sector and has worked in a number of key roles within the firm, including spending time as chief risk officer, head of strategy for the global life business and CEO of life and investments, Australia. He has also been closely involved with the firms response to Brexit. Naidu, meanwhile, has also spoken on her own transition she moves into the CEO of APAC role on January 01, having led the UK business since 2016. I am honoured to be asked to take on the role of CEO of APAC and Im really looking forward to this next challenge which represents a significant growth opportunity for the group, she said. I have loved my time working with the UK team and the progress we have made in this key market for the group. I have every confidence the business will maintain its strong momentum moving forwards and I see a very bright future ahead. The business is in great shape and well poised for the next chapter. I couldnt leave the UK business in safer hands. Tim has two decades of extensive global experience across the Zurich Group and I am really confident he will provide the leadership to take the business forward on the next stage of its journey. India on Thursday called upon governments around the world to ensure that interests of foreign students are protected and movement of stranded seafarers back to their home countries is facilitated in view of the coronavirus pandemic. In an address at an extraordinary meeting of G20 foreign ministers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also proposed developing protocols for the movement of people and quarantine procedures by the grouping. The meeting was convened by Saudi Arabia, the current G20 chair. The discussions centred on strengthening international cooperation across borders in the wake of COVID-19 crisis. The ministers also exchanged national experiences and lessons learned from the cross-border management measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. In his address, Jaishankar stressed on the need to facilitate more cross-border movement of people. The external affairs minister called on governments around the world to ensure that interests of foreign students are protected and movement of stranded seafarers back to their home country is facilitated," the MEA said. RELATED NEWS India Ranks Second in Inflow of Migrants to OECD Countries, China Retains Top Spot It said he also proposed development of voluntary G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People with three elements. The elements suggested by Jaishankar are standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results, standardisation of quarantine procedures and standardisation of movement and transit protocols. In his remarks, the external affairs minister commended Saudi Arabia for its proactive approach in bringing G20 countries together for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The external affairs minister highlighted the steps taken by India in the wake of the pandemic," said the MEA. He also apprised the G20 foreign ministers about the steps taken by India including the Vande Bharat Mission and creation of travel bubbles for the welfare and protection of foreign citizens stranded in India as well as its own citizens abroad. Costigan and the crime ring The Costigan Royal Commission identified a major national crime organisation with roots in Sydney linked to the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union and warned that a commission with prosecuting powers was needed to fight such groups. Mr Costigan said there was extensive evidence of racketeering, loan sharking and organised prostitution in the multimillion-dollar drug and illegal gambling operation. Soft-drink safari About 20 police, including the Rescue Squad, the Police helicopter and an animal handler from Taronga Zoo, spent more than an hour searching for an escaped lion that had been spotted at the Ecks soft drink company at Guildford West. The lion, however, turned out to be Ginger, a large one-eyed tomcat belonging to the caretaker Mr Ron Paul. By about 7pm, the escaped lion finally, if rather reluctantly, gave up. Commission warns doctors on tonsils The World's Largest Crypto Exchange Assumes A Seat On The Association's Board Alongside Fetch.ai, Ripple, Block.one, and Blockseed Ventures LONDON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Binance , the global blockchain company behind the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, today announced it is joining Blockchain for Europe , the European membership association representing international blockchain industry participants at the EU-level. Teana Baker-Taylor, U.K. Director at Binance has also been appointed to the Board of Blockchain for Europe, alongside Fetch.ai, Ripple, Block.one, and Blockseed Ventures. Together this group of industry experts and stakeholders collaborate to advocate for balanced policy and regulatory governance for blockchain in Europe and contribute to educating and supporting European policymakers as they evaluate the future potential opportunities for this new technology. "As a global leader in the digital asset industry, Binance is committed to working with policy makers to educate and support the development of informed and effective governance models which promote the overall growth of the blockchain ecosystem," said Baker-Taylor. "We're delighted to join Blockchain For Europe to collaborate with some of the industry's top companies to advocate for blockchain technology and tokenisation innovation in Europe." "At Blockchain for Europe we are very excited to welcome Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, to join our global team of blockchain industry leaders. Together we will continue to support European regulators and policy-makers in their efforts to unlock the potential of blockchain technology and to ensure Europe remains at the forefront of the technological innovations that will shape our future," said Maria Minaricova, Chairwoman of the Board for Blockchain for Europe. "Welcoming Binance to the Blockchain For Europe family is another great step in our mission highlighting the opportunities Blockchain technology offers to Europe. We are looking forward to incorporating the expertise and experience this global leader in blockchain brings to the table. In this process we remain committed to help ensure an innovation and business-friendly regulatory framework that fully fosters the benefits this new technology offers to European companies and citizens," said Robert Kopitsch, Blockchain for Europe Secretary General. Blockchain for Europe and its members are currently focused on responding to the EU Action Plan on AML public consultation , the Digital Services Act (DSA) consultation on Smart Contracts , and contributing to ongoing discussions on the proposed EU Framework for Markets in Crypto-assets consultation conducted in December 2019. About Binance Binance is the world's leading blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider with a financial product suite that includes the largest digital asset exchange by volume. Trusted by millions worldwide, the Binance platform is dedicated to increasing the freedom of money for users, and features an unmatched portfolio of crypto products and offerings, including: trading and finance, education, data and research, social good, investment and incubation, decentralization and infrastructure solutions, and more. For more information, visit: https://www.binance.com About Blockchain for Europe Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited the airbases in the Eastern sector on Tuesday and reviewed the level of operation preparedness and capability enhancement of the troops, news agency ANI reported. The air chief marshal spoke to troops serving in these air bases and took stock of the situation. The visit comes in the backdrop of border tensions between China and India. New Delhi has accused Beijing of trying to alter the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh with its aggressive posturing. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China has been involved in several transgressions in the Ladakh sector over the past week. The Chinese army had carried out provocative movements to alter the status quo along the LAC and was found to do so amid discussions of disengagement between the top Army officials. India also increased its presence in Arunachal Pradesh in order to thwart any Chinese attempts to disturb peace in the region. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria had conducted a comprehensive review of the situation in Eastern Ladakh. Indian Air Force has been instructed that they enhance their surveillance along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. While Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited the eastern sector air bases, Army chief General MM Naravane is on a visit to Leh to review the security situation. The Eastern Air Command has air bases in Bagdogra, Guwahati, Chabua, Hasimara, Jorhat, Kalaikunda Barrackpore, and Tezpur. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan exported 2.4 million tons of crude oil worth $915.8 million China in 1H2020, a source in the oil and gas market of Kazakhstan told Trend. The volume of the exported crude oil was two times more than in 1H2019 (1.2 million tons), whereas the value of the exported crude oil was 1.5 times more than in 1H2019 ($609.2 million). Kazakhstan has also exported 245.3 tons of petroleum products worth $259,400 to China during the reporting period of 2020, whereas last year no petroleum products were exported to China. In turn, Kazakh crude oil exported to Japan stood at 783,754 tons worth $381.8 million, which is compared to 402,090 tons worth $211.2 million in 1H2019 (increase by 1.9 times in volume and by 1.8 times in value year-on-year). During the reporting period Kazakhstan has also exported 39,907 tons of crude oil worth $15.04 million to Singapore, which is compared to 203,547 tons worth $94.7 million in 1H2019. Furthermore, Kazakhstan has also exported 62,144 tons of crude oil worth $5.04 million to Malaysia in 1H2020, which indicates a significant decrease compared to 704,582 tons worth $368.9 million in 1H2019. Kazakhstans overall export of crude stood at 33.3 million tons worth $15.08 billion in 1H2020 which is compared to 34.6 million tons worth $16.4 billion in 1H2019. Kazakhstans overall export of petroleum products stood at 364,459 tons of products worth $1.04 million in 1H2020 which is compared to 574,297 tons worth $1.6 million in 1H2019. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Sydney families will soon learn if it is safe to visit their elderly loved ones in aged care facilities for Father's Day as NSW's daily count of locally acquired COVID-19 cases returns to single digits. Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant is expected to announce on Friday or Saturday morning whether she will overturn the health advice urging people living and working in Greater Sydney and the Central Coast to avoid nursing homes. The warning was issued last week when the number of daily locally acquired COVID-19 cases was in double-digits. But on Thursday health authorities reported 12 new cases - nine locally acquired and three travellers in hotel quarantine. On Thursday evening, NSW Health issued an alert for anyone who attended Fitness First at Randwick any time within the 10-day period between August 23 and September 1, after contact tracers found two additional COVID-19 cases had visited the gym. "We are starting to turn our attention to trying to do very extensive case interviewing, making sure that there's a lot of investigation." Premier says draft reopening plan has 'no status' Premier Daniel Andrews said a draft plan which states Melbourne's tough stage four lockdown would be extended by a fortnight before restrictions are eased more significantly on September 28 was out of date. Under the draft plan, Melbourne's 8pm curfew would remain in place for an additional two weeks along with strict business restrictions and limits on residents' travel. But Mr Andrews said the government would not announce its pans for reopening the state until Sunday. "The documents that have been the subject of a lot of interest over these last few hours are out of date and have no status," the Premier said at his daily press conference. "We will on Sunday give people a clear road map with as much detail and as much certainty as we can possibly provide." Decisions are the toughest of my career: Andrews The Premier said the decisions weighing on his mind were the toughest of his career as he wants to ensure Victoria does not endure a third coronavirus wave. He said the benefit of a safe reopening would be a "normal Christmas", while the cost of doing so too quickly would be another explosion of cases. 'I don't get the luxury of doing what is popular.' Premier Daniel Andrews "These are some of the most difficult decisions I've ever made in 20 years of public life," he said. "The tolerance for getting it wrong is incredibly low I will not do this faster than the science tells me to because theres too much at stake." Mr Andrews said he was fully aware of the "sense of pain" in the community and social costs of the lockdown. Loading "The responsibility I have is to do this safely I don't get the luxury of doing what is popular." Premier won't rule out extending lockdown Mr Andrews said he could not rule out some stage four rules staying in place beyond the scheduled September 13 end date. Modelling was being conducted to analyse the danger of moving to various sets of rules, he said. "So if we do this package of changes, theres say a 50 per cent risk that cases are going to get away from us. If you do this package of change, there's a 35 per cent risk, all the way through. It is a big job. "There are literally hundreds of meetings going on. We had one last night that wasn't really in effect finished till after 11.30 or something." A near-empty William Street in Melbourne's CBD. Credit:Getty New cases in regional Victoria On Wednesday night, the Health Department announced it was investigating 10 new cases of COVID-19 in the Colac region of western Victoria, including a staff member at the Bulla dairy factory. "We are currently investigating 10 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the Colac region," the department said in a tweet. "A staff member from the Bulla Family Dairy team in Colac is among those who have tested positive. Barwon Healths contact tracing team is working to determine all potential close contacts." Workers from the Australian Lamb Company abattoir being tested for COVID-19 last month. Credit:Jason South There are 126 active cases across regional Victoria, including four in Ballarat. Two new cases were reported in Greater Geelong, bringing the number of active cases in the region to 38, while in Bendigo nine new cases were detected, an addition of one overnight. Victoria by the numbers There are 361 Victorians battling the virus in hospital, about 40 fewer than Wednesday, including 20 in intensive care, two more than Wednesday. Four men and three women in their 80s and two men and six women in their 90s are among those whose deaths were reported on Thursday. Fourteen of the 15 deaths were connected to nursing home outbreaks but nine of the deaths happened earlier and had not been immediately reported to the Health Department. There are 97 active cases linked to aged care facilities. Mr Andrews said he was relieved that 17,098 tests were carried out on Wednesday, a significant increase from recent days. "Those numbers are up and I think it gives us a greater degree of comfort. We are very grateful to each of those people," he said. Another 24 mystery cases without a known source of infection have been added to the state's community transmission tally. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Go to form On the night of August 29-30, the Indian Army (IA) and the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops clashed again on the South Bank of the Pangong Tso lake, an area not otherwise in contestation during the ongoing crisis, underlining how tense the ongoing stand-off has become along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian army did thwart the PLAs designs by managing to occupy the dominating heights, thereby positioning themselves at an advantageous position. As claims and counterclaims continue, this incident underscores the likely future of the LAC a heavily militarized frontier with frequent clashes between the two militaries. Until the latest altercation Chinese and Indian forces were locked in a stalemate since the mid-July clash that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers following the PLAs seizure of territory in Ladakh in early May. Consequently, the LAC is likely to continue to remain hot with military activity in the form of occasional violent clashes mirroring the Line of Control (LoC) which is the de facto boundary that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. This is the new normal that both India and China will now have to contend with. A Brigade level flag meeting is believed to have occurred since the latest clash albeit inconclusively reflecting the level of uncertainty, volatility and intractability that has gripped the two sides since the outbreak of the crisis in April-May. Despite five rounds of talks between military commanders of both sides, the crisis shows no signs of abating. It is very possible that skirmishes, sniper attacks and ambushes are going to be the pervasive feature of cross LAC engagements as we witness between Indian and Pakistan in Kashmir. The Indian Army will need to prepare accordingly for these contingencies to both thwart and respond promptly to PLA transgressions and violations. Beyond these measures, the defence establishment will have to brace for a protracted stand-off with substantial force deployments as the PLA has done. Since May, China has progressively deployed large forces to consolidate its presence on the territory patrolled and claimed by India especially in Ladakh. Chinese deployments have since included heavy artillery, tanks, heavy machine guns, and aircraft on bases in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Coinciding with the August 29-30 clash China in a minatory move has deployed Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs) at a lake located at Mount Kailash and Mansarover or better known as Kailash-Mansarover. In addition, the missile base also hosts the Dong-Feng-21 (DF-21) ballistic missile with a range of 2200 km range and sits at the mouth of the transboundary rivers that includes the Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Indus and Karnali, which is a major tributary of the Ganges presenting a particularly dire threat to India. More significantly, the DF-21 can strike urban targets deep inside India. The DF-21 very critically provides a cover for executing a conventional attack. Consequently, India has to consider the deployment of countervailing capabilities to inflict retribution. Although a pure punishment-based strategy even against low-level Chinese aggression by India may lack credibility, India will need to counterbalance it with the lack of initiative in the event it were to pursue a purely defensive strategy. Indeed in 2013, Indian forces did enforce a limited punishment-based strategy by pushing their own forces aross the LAC. Denial generally must be the focus of Indias military strategy particularly in limited conflict fought over a short duration. While absorbing some initial loss, India needs to be prepared for a conflict of slightly greater duration that remains localised by building greater levels of resilience. For instance, the Indian Army and Air Force must use civilian airports effectively. Concealment, deception and mobility will also complicate and help with limiting the impact of a military attack from China. Post-attack recovery and response is also crucial, in that Indian air assets may need wide dispersion and static targets such as airfields that are damaged will need to be reconstituted quickly. The Chinese are more likely to nibble away Indian territory, which is their most effective option as they have already demonstrated in Ladakh, which Indian forces will have to respond to in kind wherever Indian forces enjoy tactical advantages. New Delhi for its part will have to consider asymmetric options in response to the menacing military moves made by China. If the LAC is going to parallel the violent military activity that characterizes the India-Pakistan relations, it is likely that debate will soon move towards India considering the development and deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to deter an attack. An asymmetric retaliatory strategy is geared to punish the adversary and hence offence dominant. India needs to start exploring the possibility of deploying and signalling clearly in advance that New Delhi is ready and willing to escalate. This is neither an easy choice for India nor a cost free one but after decades of ignoring the conventional challenge from China and not building up its strength commensurate to the challenge, the options are getting narrower. As India confronts a new normal on the LAC, India cannot rely on old strategic paradigms. Indian policymakers are making it clear that everything is on the table if China doesnt mend its ways. While they need to make it clear to Beijing that they indeed have the resolve to escalate, they will have to factor in not only the first, but also the the fourth and fifth rung on the escalation ladder. Its a delicate balancing act but a necessary one if India is to move beyond the sterile debate of it having no real military options vis-a-vis China on the one hand and seemingly a range of options which are never really specified. (Disclaimer: Professor Harsh V Pant is Director, Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. Kartik Bommakanti is Associate Fellow with the Strategic Studies Programme. He is currently working on a project centered on Indias Space Military Strategy vis-a-vis China.) This article was first published on ORF. Pompeo: Senior Chinese Diplomats Now Need Prior Approval for Travel, Meetings Within US By Nike Ching September 02, 2020 The United States is requiring senior Chinese diplomats to receive prior approval before visiting U.S. university campuses and meeting with local U.S. government officials, citing the need for reciprocity between the two countries. The new measures come as Washington says Chinese authorities have imposed significant restrictions on American diplomats working in China. "The Chinese Communist Party has implemented a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American diplomats from conducting regular business, attending events, meetings and connecting with the Chinese people, especially on university campuses and via the press and social media," said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday in a press briefing. Cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people hosted by the Chinese Embassy and consular posts outside of mission properties will also require prior approval from the State Department. The U.S. is also working to ensure all official Chinese Embassy and consular social media accounts are properly identified as Chinese government accounts. The latest moves come as the U.S. Embassy in China is denied unfettered access to Chinese social media, and as Chinese citizens are blocked from using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Pompeo on Wednesday said the new requirements are "a direct response" to China's "excessive restraints" already placed on American diplomats, with the goal of providing "further transparency" on the Chinese government's practices. "Should the PRC (People's Republic of China) eliminate the restrictions imposed on U.S. diplomats, we stand ready to reciprocate," said Pompeo in a statement. The new measures follow an announcement from last October that all Chinese diplomats and Chinese officials traveling to the U.S. on official business would be required to give the State Department advance notice of meetings with local, state and federal officials, as well as educational and research institutions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kim Chong-in, emergency committee chief of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, to mark his 100th day since taking the post. Seeking changes for the party including the recent name change from "United Future Party," Kim vowed to help the PPP develop a new DNA of reform so that it will protect the weak and vulnerable of society, shifting from its old image of advocating for the privileged class. Yonhap Representative Image On August 27, a court in New Zealand imposed an unprecedented sentence on Brenton Tarrant, who went on a shooting carnage at two mosques in March 2019, killing 51 and injuring many others life sentence without the possibility of early release. New Zealand abolished the death penalty in 1989, so this is the highest possible sentence in the country. Yet, the sentence has been applauded by those on both sides of the debate on the death penalty. For its stringent opponents, life with parole seems to be a much more humane alternative to death. For victims and their public sympathisers, justice has been served, with the punishment seemingly commensurate with the crime. Life sentence has been a controversial punishment, particularly in India where the punishments prescribed for heinous crimes are limited to a 10-year sentence, life imprisonment or the death penalty. In rare cases, such as offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1985, which involve commercial quantities, the punishment could go up to 20 years. A common misconception in India is that a life imprisonment means 14 years in prison, leading to people calling for the death penalty for crimes that shock the conscience. The Supreme Court has clarified (Gopal Vinayak Godse v. State of Maharashtra, 1961) that a life sentence is for the rest of ones natural life, subject to the state governments power of remission under Section 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. However, Section 433A insists that such power cannot be invoked within 14 years in the case of convicts undergoing the life sentence for offences which attract the death penalty such as murder. Thus, the 14 year myth took hold. Be that as it may, Indian courts also impose qualified life sentences, such as when the Supreme Court substituted the death sentence given in the Swami Shraddhanand case, with the condition that the convict not be released in prison for the rest of his life. In other cases, such as when a youth in Kerala murdered an entire family, including a 10-year-old, in cold-blood, the high court awarded a life sentence with a minimum period of 25 years to be served, instead of the death penalty. A Sentence of Death in Prison A life sentence, without the possibility of release, is essentially a sentence of death in prison. Yet, many of those who advocate against the death penalty are in favour of such life-long prison sentences as if the only issue with the death penalty was whether the State had a right to take a life. A debate about relative merits must be more wholesome though. A study of United States shows that the cost of prosecuting a death penalty case is about 3-4 times that of a non-death case. Even in India, one sees that the State is compelled to put forth its best lawyers in cases involving the death penalty, which also involve many more levels of hearings often culminating in a midnight hearing just hours before the scheduled hanging. The additional security requirements and the fact that death row inmates are more prone to mental disorders (requiring treatment) make the death penalty much more expensive to the State in pure fiscal terms. The death penalty is also to be shunned due to its irreversibility. On the other hand, the shift to life without parole doesnt address the primary moral arguments against the death sentence it does not take into account the possibility of reformation, the bedrock of our justice system, as well as our obligation under international covenants and United Nations rules. In India, an additional complexity arises over the fact that the justice system can be very indifferent to those who fall short of the death penalty predominantly from poorer sections of society who cannot always afford proper legal representation. Then there is the question of arbitrariness in orders granting remission one of the cases pending before a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is the validity of blanket remission orders passed by the State: in one case, it was observed that a certain Home Ministers visit to a central jail was considered so auspicious an omen that all the prisoners in the jail were given substantial remissions solely for this reason. Perhaps fittingly, punishments beyond life imprisonment simpliciter are rarely handed out, restricted only to instances where the moral depravity that led to the crime is irredeemable. It is, however, just as important to realise to foreclose the possibility of release is to impose civil death. That is not necessarily any kinder than the gallows. Discussions to sell TikTok's US business have hit a snag on account of uncertainty over the app's core algorithms. Last week, Beijing updated the list of technologies that require a licence for being exported out of the nation after 12 years. One of the items on the list potentially refers to the core algorithms of TikTok, raising doubts in the minds of prospective buyers if they could be part of the deal or not, The Wall Street Journal quoted unidentified people familiar with the matter as saying. China's updated list of technologies subject to export restrictions reportedly includes technologies for recommendation of personalised information services based on data analysis. This category likely includes TikTok's algorithm that decides what videos to show to users before they follow other users or enlist their preferences. Also Read: How US thinks China uses TikTok, WeChat against Americans The report pointed out that the algorithms in question were being considered a part of the TikTok deal negotiations till Friday, when China tightened export restrictions on items ranging from chip design to artificial intelligence and voice recognition. Companies looking to export these technologies out of China will have to obtain a licence from the nation's Ministry of Commerce. Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, has said that it is assessing the export regulations implemented last week and will strictly abide by them. The company said that it will follow applicable laws for cross-border transactions, which means that the sale of TikTok's US operations will most likely be affected by the tighter export restrictions. Also Read: Mukesh Ambani's RIL in talks with parent ByteDance to acquire TikTok in India Meanwhile, prospective buyers of TikTok are trying to find a way out of this. The options on the table include acquiring the app's US operations without its key algorithms, seek China's approval to allow export of TikTok's algorithms, licensing the algorithm from ByteDance, or secure a transition period from the US national security panel overlooking the deal, news agency Reuters reported. ByteDance is planning to finalise a buyer for TikTok's assets in the US by this week so that the deal can be finalised by mid-September in accordance to the executive order by President Donald Trump to divest the assets in question. The prospective buyers for TikTok's US business include Microsoft-Walmart combine and Oracle. An illuminated raised walkway connects buildings of the Google Inc. European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. With another tech giant planning to bring a data center to Ireland, experts weigh up the challenges that this burgeoning industry is bringing to the country. Last month, TikTok announced that it was investing up to $500 million in a center in Ireland, its first in Europe. The news from the popular app, currently at the center of tension between Washington and Beijing, meant it was joining the ranks of several other major companies that have based data centers in the Republic of Ireland. Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Amazon are among the names that have broken ground in the country to construct massive server halls to handle their waves of data. Amazon Web Services operates several facilities in Ireland and has been expanding. It received the go-ahead from authorities in February to build a new facility in the town of Drogheda and in July unveiled a further investment in Ireland with 1,000 more jobs to support its AWS operations. Names that may not be as familiar but are still major players in the data center business have all done the same like Equinix, Interxion, EdgeConneX and CyrusOne. Garry Connolly, founder of industry group Host in Ireland, said that the origins of the data center boom can be traced back to Ireland attracting companies like Pfizer and Intel between the 1960s and 1980s. "Trust is earned over time, the people that started building, operating and designing data centers in Ireland were the people who were designing, operating and building Intel, Pfizer," he told CNBC. This know-how is what drove Interxion to choose Ireland as a data center location in 2004, according to Seamus Dunne, managing director of Interxion in Ireland. "The key thing about Ireland, in the IT industry in general, is the presence of foreign direct investment from the United States and Silicon Valley," he said. "Decision makers (in Europe) for some of the biggest businesses sit in Dublin. That's going back to Intel starting up, Hewlett Packard, EMC right up to the newer companies." A poison pill effectively dilutes a buyers holdings, making a hostile takeover much more expensive. The lawsuit alleges Tribune Publishings plan is unusually aggressive and asserts that 15% is the common threshold for triggering a poison pill defense. It also alleges that Tribune Publishings definition of shareholders acting in concert goes far beyond typical plans, which require an agreement, arrangement or understanding between shareholders with respect to the buying or selling of shares to trigger the poison pill. In recent years both Hanoi and HCM City have undergone rapid development, with many skyscrapers, immense boulevards, and impressive public works taking shape. Lets take a look at the amazing architectural feats of the nations two largest cities: Ba Dinh Square, the countrys largest square, is located on Hung Vuong street directly in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The site is the place where President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, therefore marking the start of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Turtle Tower is an architectural work that is considered a significant landmark of Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi downtown. Hoang Cau lake in Dong Da district is situated next to Hoang Cau and Mai Anh Tuan streets. Featured above the lake is the elevated tracks of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway. The Red river has played a critical role in the historical and cultural life of Hanoi, the city that celebrates its 1,010th anniversary this year. Keangnam Landmark 72 covers a vast area of approximately 300,000 square metres. As one of Hanois newest landmarks, Nhat Tan bridge represents an impressive architectural marvel that links the main portion of the city with Noi Bai International Airport. A view of the Trung Hoa intersection that links the centre of the city with areas to the west and north. A birds eye view of August Revolution Square at night. Vinh Tuy is one of seven bridges that spans over the Red river and is recognised as a major transportation project in Hanoi. A modern flyover highway passes above the Linh Dam Peninsula on Belt Road No.3. The People's Committee Building of Ho Chi Minh City was originally constructed in 1898 by famous French architect Femand Gardes. Located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Notre-Dame Cathedral was built between 1863 and 1880 by French colonists in District 1, the hub of the southern city. The Independence Palace is a prominent historical building in Ho Chi Minh City, with the site covering a total of 18 hectares at 106 Nguyen Du street in District 1. A number of skyscrapers, such as Bitexco, Vietcombank Tower, Saigon Times Square, and the Hilton Saigon, can be found located in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City. Phu My bridge runs over the Saigon river after first opening on September 2, 2009. It is the countrys largest cable-stayed road bridge. Landmark 81 is the tallest building throughout Southeast Asia. BITEXCO financial tower is in the modern heart of the city, and represents Ho Chi Minh City being a modern and dynamic metropolis. Vo Van Kiet highway, originally known as the East-West highway, is the most modern road that runs through the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City in an east-west direction. The Cat Lai intersection is located at the end of the East-West highway and connects with the expanded Hanoi highway. This is therefore the most important road in the east of the city and it connects the urban area with southeastern provinces and the north. Thu Thiem 2 bridge links District 1 and District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. A look at the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line. Zing/VOV New Delhi, Sep 3 : The drug connection in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is just a tip of the iceberg. Deepak Sharma New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The drug connection in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is just a tip of the iceberg. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is investigating the 'drug angle' in Sushant's death case, has gathered vital leads on other cartels supplying drugs to several Bollywood personalities in Mumbai following the interrogation of two drug peddlers, Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora, highly placed sources in the NCB told IANS. Based on these leads, the NCB would launch a nationwide crackdown on cartels involved in drug trafficking in Mumbai and other key metros. The entire operation to unearth big-time drug syndicates and cartels is being supervised by NCB chief Rakesh Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer, who earlier cracked one of the biggest international cocaine syndicates in India originating from Columbia, late last year. Top sources in NCB said that electronic evidence gathered by the bureau during the interrogation of Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora revealed that leading Bollywood personalities were not only supplied marijuana or buds, but high quality cocaine was also being pushed into the film industry. The NCB sleuths are gathering more evidence which eventually would result in a 'nationwide coordinated action' against the drug cartels, hawala operators and key peddlers involved in supplying narcotic substances to some of the best known names in the film Industry. Based on the WhatsApp chats of Bollywood actress Rhea Chakravarty, the girlfriend of late Sushant Singh Rajput, related to supply of buds, the NCB also apprehended an eatery shop owner in Bandra named Zaid Vilatra. The link between Zaid, Abbas and Karan was later established. Interrogation of another suspect, Basit Parhiar, also gave important clues to the NCB. The investigation into the drug connection in the Sushant Singh Rajput case has so far revealed that besides supplying buds, certain cocaine cartels active in Mumbai were also supplying high quality drugs to various filmstars. Cocaine priced at Rs 5 crore per kg is a highly expensive party drug usually supplied to high-end customers in the metros. In Sushant's case, the WhatsApp chats suggest that only buds, which come quite cheap in comparison to cocaine, were being delivered. "However, the peddlers during their sustained interrogation revealed that the cartels active in Mumbai were also supplying cocaine to certain clients," a source added. When asked about the involvement of cartels in pushing drugs to hi-end clients, including film personalities in Mumbai, Asthana refused to divulge any information. "The matter is very sensitive. At this stage we cannot share any information. The agency will inform, if there are any further arrests," Asthana, who had cracked several top cases, including the multi-billion fodder scam of Bihar, during his tenure in CBI, told IANS. Sources said that since the NCB was roped in to probe the drug angle in Sushant's case, the senior IPS officer has deployed a team comprising the best sleuths of NCB to thoroughly investigate the narcotics angle in the mystery death of the Bollywood star which has been making headlines ever since Sushant was found hanging at his Bandra residence on June 14. While the entire probe into the death case is being carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the apex drug agency is only dealing with the drugs angle. Last year, on a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police(AFP), top sleuths of the NCB had busted one of the biggest ever drug cartels in India, linked with Canadian and Colombian drug lords, in early December 2019. Working on inputs from the AFP, the NCB officials discovered that many shipments of cocaine reached Australia via Canada. The entire racket linked to so many countries had an Indian connection. Cocaine was also being pushed into India by these cartels through a nationwide network of peddlers primarily operating from Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Goa. As of now, several persons have been arrested by the NCB in its trail to unmask the kingpins of cocaine smuggling in the country. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery By John Farmer Jr. Poor Dr. Fauci. The man misses a day to have surgery to remove a polyp from his vocal cords a result, in part, of all the talking hes been doing to try to steer us through the pandemic and the next thing he knows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on COVID-19 testing is relaxed. On Aug. 24, the CDC announced that those who have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms do not necessarily need a test . This reversal of prior guidance puzzled and outraged public health officials because it seemed to downplay the known risk of asymptomatic infection. How did this reversal happen? Multiple reports indicate that pressure to relax the guidelines came from the White House; Dr. Fauci indicated that he was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing deliberations. When he resumed speaking, Dr. Fauci repudiated the new guidance, stating that it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact, it is. Thats some job Dr. Fauci has. But before we feel too sorry for him, we should acknowledge that, as history shows, it could be worse. As historian John Barry has written, when you mix science and politics, you get politics. The truth is that being the science adviser to the powerful has never been easy. Take, for example, the plight of an agronomist for Comrade Stalin trying to suggest that the reason millions of peasants are starving is that wheat-growing doesnt conform to Marxist ideology. Or that of a geneticist obliged to suggest to Hitler that the concept of a master race is biological nonsense. Or, to take the classic case, what if you were an astronomer-priest brought in to advise the Pope in the early 1630s about whether the sun and other heavenly bodies orbit the earth, as the Church had held for centuries, or whether the sun was the center of a solar system, as the upstart astronomers Copernicus and Galileo claimed? At that time, according to the Specola Vaticano, the current Vatican Observatory website, the 17th century Church was not at all anti-science: Clergymen devoted a lot of their time to the study of the sciences even then. ... Fr. (Christopher) Clavius (1538-1612) was instrumental in the reform of the calendar, and Fr. (Giovanni Battista) Riccioli (1598-1671) published the first modern map of the moon and named craters on the Moon after Jesuits and other scientists, including Copernicus and Kepler. So here you are, Fr. Antonio Faucino, S.J., brought before the College of Cardinals to help the Pope explain the outcome of Galileos trial. POPE: Brothers in Christ, I have good news. Our magnificent earth-centered universe remains intact. The music of the spheres plays on, as each heavenly body orbits the earth according to the divine plan, culminating in the magnificence of the sun, our greatest satellite, and beyond that the sphere of stars, set in motion by the hand of God! And we can still affirm that as true. Because Galileo has backed down. Isnt that right, Fr. Faucino? FR. FAUCINO: Well as you know I wasnt there. I was nursing a sore throat and missed the trial. But yes. Galileo did recant, so his retraction leaves the long-standing vision intact. POPE: He took it back, that whole earth is just another planet idea. FR. FAUCINO: He took it back, yes. We made him take it back. POPE: So therefore the sun does revolve around the earth, right? FR. FAUCINO: Well, we can make the numbers work. That is, the data that we have on hand can support the notion that the sun and other planets revolve around the earth. If you add epicycles to the observed patterns of revolution, that conclusion can be reached, no question, Your Holiness. Its just that POPE: I hate experts. Dont you hate experts? You ask the little Faucinos of the world what time it is, they invent a clock. You ask them what day it is, they reconceive your calendar. FR. FAUCINO: Its just that Galileos view works slightly better. You can look at the same data and construct a model where the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun. And the heliocentric model is, well, less baroque, less complicated. POPE: Well, if it aint baroque, dont fix it I say. [Pause.] You know, you can laugh at my jokes, Faucino. After all I am your Pope. People say I am infallible. People say that about me. [Faucino laughs, clears his throat, pops a lozenge.] Besides, doesnt the Bible prove the heretics wrong? God Himself tells us in the Bible that Joshua stopped the sun in its orbit. FR. FAUCINO: Well, it says the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day so that the Israelites could avenge themselves on their enemies. It doesnt really take a position on whether the sun stopped orbiting or the earth stopped revolving. The scenarios are equally unlikely. POPE: And thus miraculous! And isnt that the point? Our explanations can only take us so far. Well never get by without a miracle or two. It takes three to make a saint. FR. FAUCINO: There are things we cant explain, if thats what you mean. POPE: You could complicate a rock fight, Faucino. Facts are indeed, as John Adams said, stubborn things; scientific knowledge, which evolves, will always resist conformity to ideological first principles, which dont. Treating the decision to wear a mask, or social distance, or cooperate with contact tracing, as a choice properly based on libertarian beliefs rather than on evolving public health guidance is as foolhardy as arguing that fewer people would be sick if only we didnt test so much. Oh. Right. No wonder Dr. Fauci is losing his voice. John Farmer, Jr. Is a professor of law and the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. - Rapid growth in the renewable energy sector and easy installation of the inverters drive the global string inverter market PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "String Inverter Market by Connection Type (On-Grid and Off-Grid), Phase (Single Phase and Three Phase), and End-Use Industry (Residential, Commercial & Industrial, and Utilities): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027." According to the report, the global string inverter market garnered $3.1 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $4.6 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2027. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities- Fast growth in the renewable energy sector and easy installation of the inverters drive the growth of the global string inverter market. However, high amount of heat loss and deficiency of panel level monitoring hinder the market growth. On the other hand, government initiatives & investment on electrification of remote and rural area using solar energy would offer a number of opportunities in the coming years. Download Sample PDF (220 Pages with More Insight): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6891 COVID-19 Scenario- The operational disruption in the electrical and electronic industry, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has impacted the string inverter market. Halt in the new installations of the string inverters in commercial and residential sectors and disturbance in the supply chain and manufacturing activities due to active lockdown and social distancing have adversely affected the growth of this industry. The on-grid segment to maintain its lead status- Based on connection type, the on-grid segment accounted for around three-fifths of the global string inverter market in 2019, and is expected to maintain its lead status in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period. Moreover, the same segment is estimated to portray the highest CAGR of 6.4% from 2020 to 2027. This is due to rise in investment for direct supply of electricity rather than storing it in batteries. The three phase segment to maintain its leadership position- Based on phase, the three phase segment contributed to the highest market share with more than three-fourths of the global string inverter market in 2019, and is estimated to maintain its leadership position during the forecast period. Moreover, the same segment is estimated to generate the fastest CAGR of 6.4% from 2020 to 2027. This is attributed to the increase in importance and rise in demand from power generation, distribution and transmission sector. Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the String Inverter Market: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/6891?reqfor=covid Asia-Pacific is anticipated to dominate the market, North America to grow at a significant pace by 2027- Based on region, Asia-Pacific accounted for the highest share based on revenue, holding for more than half of the global string inverter market in 2019, and is projected to maintain its dominant position throughout the forecast period. Moreover, the same region is estimated to generate the fastest CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2027. This is attributed to large number of key players and availability of the manufacturing facilities in this region. Furthermore, North America region is anticipated to manifest the CAGR of 6.1% from 2020 to 2027. Leading market players SMA Technologies AG Fimer S.p.A. SolarEdge Technologies Ltd. Ginlong Technologies Siemens AG Delta Electronics Public Co., Ltd. Chint Group SolarMax Growatt New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Interested in Procure Data? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/string-inverter-market/purchase-options Access AVENUE- A Subscription-Based Library (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access Avenue is a user-based library of global market report database, provides comprehensive reports pertaining to the world's largest emerging markets. It further offers e-access to all the available industry reports just in a jiffy. By offering core business insights on the varied industries, economies, and end users worldwide, Avenue ensures that the registered members get an easy as well as single gateway to their all-inclusive requirements. Avenue Library Subscription | Request for 14 days free trial of before buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/avenue/trial/starter Similar Reports We Have: Fire Suppression Equipment Market: Fire suppression equipment market was valued at $24.9 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to generate $32.9 billion by 2027. The market is projected to experience growth at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2020 to 2027. Steam Turbine Market: The global steam turbine market was valued at $24.1 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $30.2 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 2.8% from 2020 to 2027. Low Voltage Circuit Breaker Market: The global low voltage circuit breaker market size was valued at $3.4 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $4.4 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2020 to 2027. Diesel Generator Market: The global diesel generator market size was valued at $20.8 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $37.1 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 9.8% from 2020 to 2027. Circuit Breakers Market: The global circuit breakers market size was valued at $9.8 billion in 2018, and is projected to reach $14.8 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.30% from 2019 to 2026. Pre-Book Now with 12% Discount: Hydraulic Power Unit Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027 Industrial Insulators Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027 About Us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. AMR provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. 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I am proud that an investigation that began here in North Carolina has resulted in such a positive impact across the country, and even abroad, Martin said. This case is an example of the effective local, state, and federal law enforcement partnerships required to fully combat online child sexual exploitation. Officials said that in one instance, a man was quickly arrested and his 14-year-old daughter was rescued from an abusive situation. Another person was arrested on an oil rig in the North Sea, and his 5-year-old daughter was also rescued. A suspect who pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography was also sentenced Wednesday, authorities said. Earlier this week, U.S. Marshals announced that 25 children were rescued as part of an operation with Ohio officials. These are kids that have been abused, neglected, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott told WOIO. Sometimes the situations they they go to, believe it or not, may be better than the situations they left from. Weve had some cases where the mother and or father, or both, may have been prostituting their own child. The victims are aged between 13 and 18, and some were located as far away as Miami, authorities told local news outlets. Municipalities, their insurers and risk pools should be heeding the current public re-examination of police and prosecutorial actions taking place across the country, according to an insurance policyholder attorney who works on civil rights cases. Attorney Alexander Brown sees the Black Lives Matter movement, actions by reform-minded prosecutors, increasing legal actions and calls for police reform resulting in more municipalities having to answer for law enforcement errors and misconduct. This, in turn, will mean closer scrutiny of law enforcement liability insurance policies by those seeking damages for victims of civil rights violations, according to Brown. However, while today insurers may be changing their policies, the cases being brought tend to go back awhile and thus involve policies issued years and even decades ago. Brown, who is with the firm of Lathrop GPM in its Kansas City office, is an insurance coverage specialist who represents policyholders including municipalities facing civil rights complaints from victims of wrongful conviction and incarceration Brown is a member of the Lathrop GPM Civil Rights Insurance Recovery Practice along with Mike Abram and Bill Beck. In a recent interview with Insurance Journal, Brown offered his legal and policyholder perspectives on civil rights claims and some insurance ramifications. Not all persons that have been wronged by law enforcement or the civil justice system are in a position to pursue a liability case against the government. In fact, strong liability claims are relatively rare in part because of the qualified immunity doctrine for police officers and the absolute immunity doctrine that protects prosecutors while performing prosecutorial functions. I would say that a majority of people exonerated do not have strong liability claims because of these immunities. If qualified immunity is weakened for police officers, it follows that more liability claims will be brought, Brown said. Once exoneration is secured, the Lathrop GPM team moves to obtain compensation for the exonerees, who are disproportionately Black men. The settlements, which can sometimes be costly, are most likely to happen where there is insurance. [I]n these cases where youre trying to come to a resolution outside of a verdict, the existence of insurance is critical. Its the most critical part of the entire settlement process, Brown acknowledges. According to Brown, obtaining insurer-funded settlements helps avoid trials, which can be risky for both the public entities as well as the plaintiffs because either could lose big. State caps on liability do not apply in these federal civil rights suits and jury verdicts can be $1 million to $2 million per year. The insurance deals help alleviate situations where a public entity that has no insurance or inadequate coverage may be forced to raise taxes to cover settlements or have to declare bankruptcy. The cases typically involve older insurance policies because the alleged violations stretch over long periods of time of 10, 20 or even 30 years. The cases are treated and should be treated akin to long-tail liability claims for any kind of exposure to conditions, or illnesses, environmental contamination. Its the same kind of thing, where you have a long period of time between the conviction and the exoneration, he said. So really the only win-win scenario, if there is one in these cases, is to make sure that the insurance that they bought specifically for these type of situations covers them. The insurance settlements also help those who are exonerated and then face being released back into society with little or nothing, especially in states without any compensation fund for wrongfully convicted persons. According to The Innocence Project that works to free wrongfully convicted persons using DNA evidence, the federal government and 35 states have provisions to provide some compensation for exonerees. However, advocates for the exonerees believe the amounts states provide (often $50,000 a year for each year of wrongful imprisonment) are inadequate for the injuries suffered. Whats Changing To hold a municipality liable for a civil rights violation, a plaintiff has to show the violation was due to a policy, practice or procedure of the municipality, or that a decision-maker like a sheriff was involved in it. Forces now at play are likely to aid plaintiffs in their causes, according to Brown. What I see now with the Black Lives Matter is that theres going to be a whole lot of investigation into whether various municipalities or police entities have policies or practices that discriminate against African-Americans, and thats going to be established with respect to numerous cities, Brown said Once it is established that they do have a pattern and practice of locking away Black men or of beating Black men, then suing those cities and municipalities is going to be a lot easier. Because then they can point to a policy and practice, and so you can hold the city and the municipality liable along with the individual defendant or officer who committed the misconduct. Once a municipality gets hit with a verdict, not only is that verdict potentially crippling, but also it may signal the start of a pattern of practice for the next aggrieved person who sues. While it might behoove police departments and prosecutors to review their practices and patterns to see what has been going on, its not that easy. You might have a police officer saying, Hey, lets not look too deeply into this because we dont want to create paper trails,' Brown suggests. Similarly, district attorneys may fear the legal and financial repercussions may lie ahead for the municipality if they start unearthing wrongful conduct by previous officeholders as they try to get innocent people out of jail, which a few reformist district attorneys across the country are trying to do. Brown is currently representing a prisoner in Missouri who is stuck in jail because of a dispute over a prosecutors authority to undo a previous prosecution. If youve got a progressive reformist DA whos working, as they should, to get people out of prison who were in prison because of wrongful conduct of their past offices, they know at some level that there might be liability at the end of the rainbow when these guys get out, Brown said. Its a brave thing to do and its a necessary thing to do. I think that its a good thing. Brown said that in addition to the current questioning of the current qualified immunity for police officers in light of several shootings of Black men, there has also been some shifting in case law that could limit prosecutors immunity if they commit misconduct while acting in a non-prosecutorial capacity, such as helping with the investigation or doing ministerial work. Then they do not have absolute immunity; they only have qualified immunity. So that immunity is slowly degrading, while what cops can get away with in terms of qualified immunity is also degrading. So you have situations where these lawsuits are going to be a serious focus and a serious concern for municipalities and public entities across the country, he stressed. Landmark Ruling The 2010 movie Conviction starring Hilary Swank tells the story of how a determined sister secured her brothers exoneration and release from prison after he served more than 18 years for a murder he did not commit. The movie ends with Kenneth Waters release and reunion with his daughter in 2001 but the real story including the insurance effects did not end there What followed his release from prison were years of legal proceedings and negotiations with insurers to obtain compensation for Waters for the years of mental and physical injuries he suffered while in prison, as well as for his loss of freedom. Eight years after his release, in 2019, Waters estate eventually settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit against the town of Ayer, Mass. Five of the towns six insurers paid $3.4 million to the plaintiffs estate (Waters himself died in 2001 in an accident only six months after getting out of jail). However, a sixth insurer, Western World, argued that it was not obligated to defend the town under any of the six consecutive law enforcement officers liability policies it issued from 1985 to 1991, and it did not participate in that settlement. But four years later in a follow-up proceeding, a court found that Western World had breached its duty to defend and that its policies did apply. The court awarded $1,000 per day that Waters had been incarcerated ($6.7 million), another $1 million for physical illnesses and injuries incurred during and because of his incarceration and another $3 million for mental anguish, pain and suffering, for a total of $10.729 million against Western World. Brown says the Ayer decision was significant for holding that insurance policies with unique language can be held accountable for acts during the tenure of a wrongful incarceration and not just at the time of a wrongful conviction. The Waters case was the first decision to recognize that certain insurance policies issued in post-conviction years might apply to wrongful imprisonment cases, Brown said. The Waters case was handled by Browns mentor, Bill Beck, of the firms civil rights division. It was Browns introduction to the field of insurance law. Beyond Hollywood The Waters case that garnered the attention of Hollywood was important. The ruling has helped get more insurers to come to the table and participate in settlements, according to Brown. Even more important is a case decided in May 2019 in which Brown and his firm were involved. Travelers Indemnity Co. v. Ethel Mitchell involved whether multiple insurance carriers had a duty to defend their insured, Mississippis Forrest County, which was sued by the estates of three wrongfully convicted men. The insurers had issued more than a dozen specialty law enforcement liability policies between 1979 and 2010 (the year of the exonerations). The Travelers v. Mitchell case is our firms most important civil rights case to date, Brown said. From 2013 to 2019, Brown and his colleagues fought for compensation for the families of three men in Mississippi who were wrongfully convicted in 1979 and spent a collective 83 years in prison for a rape and murder they did not commit. The men ultimately died from the injuries they sustained in prison. Brown and his colleagues successfully litigated the underlying rights matter against multiple carriers that resulted a $20.5 million insurer-funded settlement for the families of the three men. The insurers appealed. On May 29, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in a unanimous panel decision, upheld the lower court rulings in the case. According to Lathrop GPMs reading, the Fifth Circuit judges ruled that insurers cannot utilize common law coverage theories such as first manifestation or first exposure or continuous trigger to sidestep the plain language of their policies. In Browns words, This groundbreaking and precedent-setting decision rejected a so-called single trigger theory advanced by the insurance lobby in favor of a plain language reading of the insurance policies, ultimately holding multiple insurers liable for bodily injuries sustained by our clients while imprisoned. The result was a victory not only for the families of three men but also for the county, police officers and thousands of future exonerees seeking financial compensation for their wrongful imprisonment, according to Brown. This is definitely a case that municipalities need to be aware of, said Brown, noting that it has since been adopted and expanded in opinions in Missouri (Ferguson v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co.) and Kentucky (St. Paul v. City of Newport Ky.). (The law firm also said it thinks the Travelers case may have even more widespread implications. While the win immediately benefits the families of wrongfully convicted men, the implications will help business clients vindicate their rights to insurance proceeds to cover liabilities for other long-tail claims including asbestos exposure cases, the firm said in announcing the ruling. Brown joined the Lathrop GPM firm in 2013, right after Western World settled in that landmark Waters case. It was a move that he says changed his life. I never thought as an insurance coverage lawyer that Id be looking at crime scene photos all day long, but its exciting. Its a good feeling to help compensate those who have been destroyed by society as well as protecting the current cities or entities, Brown told Insurance Journal. Brown and other Lathrop GPM attorneys work pro bono with attorneys from the civil rights litigation firm Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin and The Innocence Project, which Neufeld and Scheck founded in 1992 to use DNA evidence to get innocent people out of jail. The Innocence Project receives thousands of requests for help a year. To date, 375 people in the U.S. have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 21 who served time on death row. These people served an average of 14 years in prison before exoneration and released. Overall Lathrop GPM has been involved with more than 15 settlements totaling almost $200 million. Most recent was the case of Craig Coley, 71, who served four decades in prison for a murder that DNA proved he did not commit. The city of Simi Valley, Calif., and its insurers reached a $21 million settlement with Coley. The victories also include getting $25 million for an upstate New York man who in 1991 at age 16 was wrongly convicted and jailed by Putnam County for a rape that in 2006 DNA proved he did not do. Brown is now working with the legal team representing Lamar Johnson, who remains in a prison for the 25th year in Missouri even though there is evidence he is innocent. He has not been released or given a new trial because of a dispute over whether a current prosecutor in this case St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner has the power to try to correct what she believes are wrongful convictions in decades-old cases. One of the reasons the protests raging across America have been so successful is that Democrats have ensured that the rioters do not suffer any consequences for the property damage they inflict or for their assaults against people. Instead, Hollywood leftists and Biden staffers contribute to funds that instantly bail them out. Alternatively, left-leaning judicial systems release them without any charges. It appears, though, that the federal government is partnering with less lenient local law officials to try a new approach. Within days of the Black Lives Matter protests starting in Minneapolis, big money got involved: Last week, a series of prominent American movie stars declared they would be donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a non-profit organizing cash bail payments for Minneapolis protestors arrested amid the carnage of the restless riots. Hollywood wasn't the only source of funds. Biden staffers contributed, too: Campaign staffers for presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have donated to a group in Minnesota that is paying the bail for people arrested during the protests over the death of George Floyd by a white police officer, according to a report. At least 13 members of the former vice president's campaign made donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which opposes cash bail to avoid being jailed before trial, Reuters reported on Saturday. The fund uses donations to pay bail fees in Minneapolis. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, also demanded that people help get the rioters out of jail: If youre able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020 Of course, now that the Democrats have determined that the violence across America for the last three months is polling badly and, therefore, is Trump's fault, Kamala has changed her tune but the internet is forever: I join @JoeBiden in condemning this violence. This can notand must notbe who we are. Americans deserve a president who will heal our country and bring people togethernot fan the flames of hate and division. https://t.co/21h00uFFR7 Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 30, 2020 Once Portland's riots got rolling, the money rolled in, too. The Portland General Defense Committee had raised over $500,000 by June 4. The continued violence in Portland is helped as well, because Multnomah County D.A. Mike Schmidt refuses to charge those arrested. Because they're not getting any consequences, there is nothing to make the rioters stop. Moreover, when Gov. Kate Brown sought help from law enforcement officers near Portland, she got a resounding no from departments unwilling to subject their officers to the consequence-free violence in Portland. The Oregon State Police and the federal government, however, have come up with a workaround: the feds are deputizing state troopers. What this means is that those arrested will be arrested under federal law, which is not inclined now to be lenient. Moreover, if the rioters assault the officers, which is what they've been doing for three months now, the U.S. Attorney's Office can nail them for attacking federal agents. It's to be hoped that the feds work with law enforcement in Contra Costa too, because Diana Becton, a Soros-funded D.A., is refusing to charge violent rioters who assault law enforcement officers. Perhaps with real consequences, the rioters will end. After all, when Wisconsin police arrested Matthew Banta, 23, a brave Antifa warrior with a flamethrower, smoke grenades, and fireworks, he "dropped into the fetal position and began crying." Some of the people on the ground are insane, and some are psychopaths, so they are genuinely dangerous. Many, though, are soy boys and girls who are having fun, right until the fun stops and reality kicks in. Once a few of these "fighters" realize they're facing ten years in prison, they'll go back to their mommies' downstairs rooms. Image: Matthew Banta, online courtroom hearing. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has reiterated that the federal government is no longer fixing the pump price of petroleum products in the country. Mr Sylva made this known while briefing journalists on the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol. Recall that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) had on Wednesday announced a new Ex-depot price of N151.56 for petrol. Ex-depot price is the price marketers buy products from depot owners. An increase or decrease in ex-depot price has effect on the pump price of petrol. Government is no longer in the business of fixing prices for petroleum products, we have stepped back. Our focus now is on protecting the interest of the consumers and making sure that marketers are not profiteering, he said. Mr Sylva said it was unfortunate that people were blaming the government, noting that the deregulation of the sector was imperative for the economy. He said that it was also a consensus among stakeholders for such strong policy direction. READ ALSO: According to him, the well-being of Nigeria remains paramount to government. You all know that that President Muhammadu Buhari aligns with ordinary Nigerians, especially the poor. Left for him, he will never allow increase in pump price; for this to happen, it means that it is an inevitable decision. COVID-19 took the price of crude oil to zero zone, the minister said. He said that government cannot fund subsidy, hence would not adopt that as an option, noting that current happenings were for the economic survival of the country. Mr Sylva said that the government had cut crude production from two million barrels to 1.412 million barrels per day. This, he said, was affecting revenue generation in the country. He said that it was unfortunate that the deregulation of the sector was politicised, urging Nigerians not to listen to any advocacy for subsidy payment. Deregulation will definitely come with few pains, but survival of the country is paramount, he said. (NAN) Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 05:22:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo shows a closed public school in New York, the United States, Sept. 1, 2020. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the city's public school system's reopening will be postponed. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Gyms in New York City started reopening on Wednesday with safety protocols, which signals another step toward a return to normalcy. Each gym has to pass a virtual inspection, no indoor group fitness classes are allowed, and swimming pools will remain closed. Gyms can only operate at one-third capacity, and members must wear a mask and stay six feet apart. Gyms in other parts of New York State reopened at restricted capacity on Aug. 24. New York City officials delayed the reopening to Sept. 2. New York City also delayed the start of the new school year by several days to keep working on coronavirus safety precautions, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday. Instead of starting a mix of in-person and remote learning on Sept. 10, the city's more than 1 million public school students will start remote-only classes on Sept. 16. In-school instruction will begin on Sept. 21. Restaurant indoor dining is still prohibited in the city, which has resulted in more outdoor dining and extended fence-protected dining in the street. Enditem 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... Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium Thu, September 3, 2020 10:20 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c42663e4 2 World coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,Europe Free COVID-19 infections in Europe are back to levels seen in March when the outbreak began its peak phase there, the head of the European Union's public health agency said on Wednesday, noting however school reopenings did not necessarily pose new risks. "The virus has not been sleeping over the summer. It did not take vacation," Andrea Ammon, head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), told EU lawmakers in a regular hearing. She said this week's data showed that across Europe there were 46 cases per 100,000 people. "We are almost back to numbers that we have seen in March," Ammon said. Infections in March in Europe began growing steadily to about 40 per 100,000 people at the end of the month, according to ECDC data, and kept increasing to around 70 per 100,000 by the end of April. The current increase of cases was due in part to more testing. New cases also concern largely younger people, she said, a new pattern that had resulted in stable hospitalization numbers, as the illness is more serious for older people who were hit hard in March and April. However, Ammon said hospitalizations were now growing again, signaling spikes in cases also among the elderly. The data, which concern the 27 EU countries, Britain, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, varied greatly between states from 2 to 176 per 100,000 people, Ammon said without citing specific countries. Ammon added that the reopening of schools in September did not necessarily pose higher risks of transmissions, as countries in Europe that had already reopened them in the spring did not experience spikes in cases. However, she added it was key to introduce several safety measures, including social distancing and frequent hand washing. An agency that keeps watch over federal prosecutors on Thursday accused the former chief of trials for the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans of misconduct after finding that he provided help to a friend under criminal investigation by the government. Harry Bill McSherrys name is not included in a Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General statement announcing it had found misconduct by an assistant U.S. attorney for providing assistance to the target of a federal investigation. Sources: High-ranking federal prosecutor in New Orleans who helped a defendant is sidelined The chief of trials at the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans has been sidelined from his duties after he helped a small claims court judge But multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed McSherry is the unnamed assistant U.S. attorney, and the person he allegedly aided is a former Jefferson Parish small-claims court judge convicted of fraud charges. McSherry on Thursday did not respond to messages, and U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser declined comment. A separate arm of the DOJ, the Office of Professional Responsibility, will now review the inspector generals findings and eventually recommend discipline. The local U.S. Attorneys Office would later review that recommendation and mete out discipline. Strassers predecessor, Duane Evans, recused local federal prosecutors from handling a corruption case against ex-Jefferson Parish Justice of the Peace Patrick DeJean because the defendants wife worked a clerical job at the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Orleans. DeJean, who was charged with helping himself to money garnished from the wages of defendants in his court, had also interned with the local U.S. Attorneys Office years earlier, so the U.S. Attorneys Office based in Lafayette took over the case. As the case inched toward trial, DeJean received a demand for certain records, and his personal friend McSherry lent him a hand in compiling and turning over the documents, the Office of Inspector Generals statement said Thursday. The statement said McSherry also called New Orleans chief federal public defender Claude Kelly and asked him to appoint a strong defense attorney to represent DeJean, who couldnt afford private counsel. And, the Office of Inspector General's statement said, McSherry provided advice about the case to DeJean and his appointed attorney, Mike Fawer. Such conduct violated Department of Justice regulations prohibiting the provision of personal services involving a criminal matter and (DOJ) investigation, the OIGs statement said. The statement said McSherry additionally violated DOJ policy by defying a recusal order and participating in a matter in which his office had a material conflict. McSherry also used his public office for the private gain of a friend, the Office of Inspector General said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Kelly on Thursday declined to comment on McSherrys case specifically but said it is not unusual for people to call him and request that he appoint the best lawyers available for friends or loved ones who are accused of federal crimes. My answer is always the same: we dont appoint bad attorneys, Kelly said. We want each indigent client to have the best lawyer they can. For his part, Fawer acknowledged that McSherry helped in a rush to gather and copy documents for the government in the criminal case against DeJean. It was a voluminous amount of records that had to be produced, like, the next day, Fawer said. He described McSherry as a friend and even father figure to DeJean since the latter held a student assistants job in the U.S. Attorneys office. The government was always upset McSherry was friendly with DeJean, Fawer said. What has he done thats improper? The investigation into McSherry, 70, dates back to at least summer 2018, when he was stripped of his longtime role as the chief of trials for the U.S. Attorneys Office while an internal investigation explored his dealings with DeJean. A jury convicted DeJean in February 2019 of 13 counts of mail fraud and three counts of making false statements to a bank. U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon later gave him a three-year prison sentence. DeJean is serving his time at a federal prison in Edgefield, South Carolina. His scheduled release date as of Thursday was Oct. 26, 2021. South Africa is no longer among the five countries most affected by coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. Peru now has the fifth-highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 663,437 reported by Wednesday. South Africa, which accounts for half of all the cases confirmed in Africa, has had 630,595 cases. Although South Africa is still the hardest hit country in Africa, it has experienced a sustained decline in new cases for the past six weeks. South Africa has been reporting fewer new cases daily compared to Peru in recent days. The death toll in Peru is also higher at 29,259 compared to South Africas 14,263. Total cases in Africa have been on a downward trend for about a month, although it is too early to celebrate, says Africa Centres for Disease Control head John Nkengasong. Over the past month, there has been an overall 14% decrease in the number of new cases being reported each week on the continent. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. Story continues 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? A primary school which has closed in County Clare isn't expected to reopen until next week. Parents were notified yesterday it shut because some staff members were deemed close contacts of a case of Covid-19. A second Dublin primary school confirmed a case of the virus yesterday and sent a number of pupils home, after another Dublin school sent an entire class home the previous day as a precaution. Meanwhile, Labour TD Duncan Smith is slamming the Education Minister Norma Foley for failing to say when school transport services will be full operational. He says parents are worried their children won't be able to get to school over the coming months. "They've been given commitments by government that as part of the schools reopening that transport would be there for them like it was in previous years. "Now, they are worried that not only are they going to have to face a few days or a couple of weeks of problems with transport but that this could go on for weeks and months and even beyond Christmas. "The minister could not give me a commitment that school transport would be up and running this side of Christmas." Mr Smith said that this was not good enough and Minister Foley should clarify when transport will be fully operational. "The minister needs to, on a school-by-school basis, be able to give parents a clear timeline of when their services are going to be back up and running. "At the moment, parents are in the dark. They have no idea when buses are going to be back and this is an extra cause of concern in a time of multiple concerns that parents have over their children going back to school." 40042358 NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On this special occasion, the art logistics company Fine Art Shippers wants to congratulate everyone on Labor Day. We are incredibly proud to work with so many amazing people from the world of art and so many talented artists who are not afraid to share their vision and passion for art with the community. Thank you so much to all those who work hard in this difficult period of the coronavirus pandemic, helping and supporting each other even when times are rough. At Fine Art Shippers, we highly appreciate everything you do, and we want to wish the art community in New York and worldwide a great Labor Day full of joy and relaxation! Fine Art Shippers Labor Day is an amazing holiday that pays tribute to the achievements and contributions of American workers, no matter what kind of work they do. It is also a time to celebrate the benefits we enjoy at our jobs. Even though this year has appeared to be a challenging one for all of us, we are thankful for the opportunity to continue working with the art community and serving their art handling and logistics needs. At Fine Art Shippers, we believe that Labor Day 2020 is a very special holiday weekend and a wonderful opportunity for each and every one of us to unwind, relax, and enjoy the company of family and friends. Oleg Kushnirskiy, Co-Founder of Fine Art Shippers, and the rest of the team would like to thank Jay Garay, a shipping coordinator at Hindman Auctions, and all the amazing people working at Laumont, Agora Gallery, Showplace Antique + Design Center, The Original Miami Beach Antique Show, Art Basel, and other organizations and institutions we had the pleasure to work with this year. We would also like to congratulate and to thank our dear partners The British Shop and Elite Export Cargo Services, as well as other art shipping and logistics companies for their support in these tough times. Please know that your collaboration makes a huge difference in the success of Fine Art Shippers, and it is highly appreciated by our team. Special thanks to our loyal clients, private collectors, galleries, museums, auction houses, and art lovers all over the world, who have made it possible to ensure that art logistics never stops. At Fine Art Shippers, we want our partners and clients to know that we are always on their side and ready to help with any art shipping, packing, crating, and installation needs, as well as to provide a whole range of other fine art services. Together, we will overcome any struggles and continue to grow and develop the fascinating world of art. Enjoy everything you have this Labor Day! Best wishes from Fine Art Shippers, your trusted art logistics company in New York! Media contact: Ilya Kushnirskiy [email protected] +19176585075 SOURCE Fine Art Shippers Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 06:02:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHICAGO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Thursday, with corn and wheat falling and soybean rising. The most active corn contract for December delivery fell 5 cents, or 1.39 percent, to close at 3.5375 U.S. dollars per bushel. December wheat dropped 5 cents, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 5.5325 dollars per bushel. November soybean rose 4 cents, or 0.42 percent, to close at 9.66 dollars per bushel. Corn, soybeans and wheat futures followed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Weekly Export sales report, Chicago-based consulting company AgResource noted. U.S. weekly export sales were big as expected. For the week ending Aug. 27, the United States sold 21.5 million bushels of wheat, 97.9 million bushels of corn and 68 million bushels of soybeans. For respective crop years to date, the United States has sold 458 million bushels of wheat, up 8 percent; 621 million bushels of new crop corn and 888.7 million bushels of soybeans. U.S. soybean sales at the end of August are record large. The fact is this week's sales were largely to China. Corn sales to China were 49 million bushels, 50 percent of total; soybean sales to China were 40 million bushels, 59 percent of the total. The point is that China is carrying the U.S. export outlook: it would be grim export landscape without Chinese buyers, AgResource noted. Russia sold 55,000 metric tons of wheat to Egypt's state importer GASC. Weather forecast shows a low-pressure trough across the Central U.S. will produce showers or storms across Iowa and the northern half of Illinois on Sunday. A cold front is sinking slowly south which will maintain a wet 5-day period for the North Plains and the Midwest. The rains will cover the drought areas of West Iowa. No frost/freeze is indicated for North Midwest through Sept. 14. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The new head of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation said giving President Rodrigo Duterte special powers could help sort out the mess at the state-run health insurer. Speaking at the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday, PhilHealth President and CEO Dante Gierran said of the suggestion, "Maganda 'yan... Napakaganda [That's good... that's very good.]" On Wednesday, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts chair Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan Partylist said his panel was "inclined" to give the President emergency powers to reform PhilHealth, following numerous controversies surrounding the agency, however no details have been provided yet. Despite the suggestion, Gierran said he would do all he could to clear the embattled agency from corruption allegations. "Mayroon akong mandato sa Presidente to eradicate corruption in PhilHealth, at imbestigahan kung sino at ano ang source ng corruption," he said, adding it was important to rule with transparency and honesty. [Translation: I have a mandate from the President to eradicate corruption in PhilHealth and investigate the source of corruption.] But Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III, in an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday, said there was no need to give President Duterte any special powers, adding the chief executive already has the capability to adequately address the situation. Sotto noted he and his colleagues would first have to tackle the details of the said proposal particularly whether or not it would contain powers and provisions that are currently outside the realm of the President. Anong klaseng emergency powers yung ibibigay pa, idadagdag mo na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon? Kung merong makikita tayo na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon, in order to, lets say revamp, reorganize, or whatever he can do sa PhilHealth, then yes, by all means, lets give it to him, he explained. Pero kung nandoon naman sa mga powers niya, bakit pa? [Translation: What kind of emergency powers would enable the president to do what he can't do now? If we can find anything that he can't do now without emergency powers say revamp, reorganize, or whatever he can do in Philhealth, then, yes, by all means, let's give it to him," he explained.] Gierran also shrugged of criticism from people who said he knew nothing about public health. "Hayaan niyo sila, yung nagco-comment, it is their right... I admit, ano ba'ng alam ko sa public health? Of course, aaralin ko 'yan... Alangan naman sabihin ko alam ko na hindi ko alam?" he said. [Translation: Let them comment, it is their right... I admit, what do I know of public health? Of course, I'll study that. I can't say I know anything when I don't.] He said he would talk to experts and even seek the advice of his predecessor, resigned PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales, on what to do. However, he said he would not stop the investigation and the potential filing of cases against those who are alleged to be involved in corruption. "I cannot stop evidence... kaibigan o hindi kaibigan, pareho lang ang treatment. You have to gather facts... What matters most is kung ano ng sasabihin ng ebidensya. Hindi natin tinitignan ang tao....kung titignan natin ang tao, anong mangyayari sa objectivity natin? [Translation: I cannot stop evidence...friend or otherwise, you'll get the same treatment. You have to gather facts...what matters most is what the evidence will say... We won't look at the person, otherwise what will happen to our objectivity?] Gierran, a certified public accountant-lawyer, was appointed by Duterte as new PhilHealth chief on Monday. He will take on the gargantuan task of cleaning up the state health insurance firm, which has been hounded by corruption and fraud allegations, including overpayments to hospitals and procurement of overpriced new equipment. * EU ready to indemnify 'certain liabilities' - EU official * In securing shots, EU lags U.S. which offers full shield * EU has so far reached vaccine deal only with AstraZeneca By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The European Union is offering only partial protection to vaccine makers against legal risks from side-effects of their potential COVID-19 shots, European officials said, in a move that is hampering deals and contrasts with U.S. policy. With vaccines being developed at record speed during the pandemic, there is potentially a greater risk they may have unexpected consequences or may not be effective. The financial coverage of these liabilities is a key feature of drugmakers' talks with governments keen to secure vaccine shots in advance. In these extraordinary circumstances, EU governments "are ready to financially cover certain of the companies' risks", an EU official told Reuters. The official added, however, that the EU's strict rules on liability remained in place. These rules consider vaccine makers and other manufacturers liable for their products on sale in the EU, apart from rare cases when, for instance, they did not put them into circulation. The EU's top court increased the burden on drugmakers in 2017 when it ruled vaccine users were entitled to compensations if they could prove a shot caused a negative side-effect, even when there was no scientific consensus on the matter. Reducing the legal burden for vaccine makers has been an EU priority during the pandemic, as this is considered crucial to convincing drugmakers to invest in risky vaccines, an EU internal document dated May 7 and seen by Reuters shows. STUMBLING BLOCK But offers made to vaccine makers have not always been in line with their expectations. EU officials involved in the confidential negotiations told Reuters in July that liability issues were among the stumbling blocks in talks with U.S. drugmakers Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Pfizer - which is developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine with German biotech firm BioNtech. Story continues The EU later said negotiations with J&J were at an advanced stage, although no deal has yet been reached. An European Commission spokesman declined to comment on whether liability issues have been a hurdle in talks with vaccine makers. The supply agreement the EU reached earlier in August on the potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford - which is also the only deal struck so far by Brussels - offers only partial liability coverage. "The contract foresees that liabilities and financial costs are shared among the parties," the Belgian medicines agency said in a statement about the deal the Commission reached with AstraZeneca on behalf of all 27 EU states, including Belgium. "Advance purchase agreements provide for member states to indemnify the manufacturer for certain liabilities incurred," a Commission official said when asked about the deal. The official did not give further details. The EU stance on liabilities could partly explain why, despite having a bigger population than the United States, it is lagging Washington in securing potential COVID-19 vaccines. The U.S. system shifts liability for vaccines fully to the government, and shields drugmakers, because widespread inoculation against disease is considered a benefit to society. Congress set aside $30 billion this year to fight COVID-19, including funding vaccine development and possibly any necessary compensation. The EU's equivalent to that is an emergency fund which has been tapped during the pandemic and which is expected to use about 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) to help vaccine makers develop shots and cover their liabilities, EU officials said. ($1 = 0.8465 euros) (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; Editing by Mark Potter) Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Sophie, Countess of Wessex Sophie, the Countess of Wessex made a poignant visit to the air ambulance service that flew to her aid when she suffered a life-threatening emergency almost two decades ago. Sophie, 55, suffered an ectopic pregnancy in 2001 and needed to be flown to the hospital by the helicopter crews. The wife of the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, went on to have two successful pregnancies, and her children Lady Louise and Viscount James Severn are now 16 and 12, respectively. On Thursday, she visited the Thames Valley Air Ambulance base at White Waltham as they marked their 21st anniversary and just ahead of a week of celebrations for the service across the U.K. Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images Sophie, Countess of Wessex Sophie was given a tour of the TVAA helicopter and shown some of its advanced medical equipment. She also chatted with some of the crew and former patients as they talked about their life-changing experiences. The charity is dedicating the anniversary of 21 years of service to its former patients and families, with its "Patients at Heart" campaign launching this month. RELATED: How Sophie Is Helping to Fill Void Left by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Departure White Waltham Airfield was the charity's first operating base and it was from there that the air ambulance service was dispatched to tend to the royal in 2001. She was airlifted to a London hospital and underwent a 2-1/2 hour operation for the potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Sophie, Countess of Wessex Sophie, who was appointed royal patron of the service in January 2019, has stayed in touch with them amid lockdown in April, joining one of TVAAs weekly crew video calls to hear how the charitys paramedics and doctors were responding to the pandemic. They spoke about their redeployment in support of the NHS frontline effort and treating the most severely-ill COVID-19 patients in hospitals within the region while continuing to provide a pre-hospital critical care service. These fascinating factory tours certainly provide some food for thought. MailOnline Travel has scoured the world to find some of the food companies that allow visitors to catch a glimpse of how their products are made, from peanut butter to parmesan and from candy to crisps. Graze your way down to see some of the food factory tours that promise to get your taste buds tingling... Golden Gate Fortune Cookies, San Francisco San Francisco's Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is open Monday to Saturday to visitors Workers at San Francisco's Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory have been making fortune cookies by hand since 1962. The factory is open to visitors Monday to Saturday. During tours, workers reveal how they make up to 10,000 fortune cookies a day, baking the crisp and sugary cookies on a cast iron rotating griddle wheel. The family-run factory produces unique flavours including strawberry and green tea and visitors can order custom messages to appear as 'fortunes' inside the cookies. Jelly Belly, California During a tour of Jelly Belly's main plant, visitors can indulge in free samples and take a self-guided tour along an elevated 2.5-mile walkway Jelly Belly beans first appeared on the shelves of candy stores in the summer of 1976. They are now sold internationally. It takes seven to 21 days to make a single Jelly Belly bean and across its factories, the company can produce 46,000 kilos of Jelly Belly beans in a day, or 347 beans a second. The candy company is based in Fairfield, California, with a second manufacturing facility in North Chicago, Illinois, and a distribution centre in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. There is also a factory in Thailand that helps supply Europe. During a tour of the main plant in California, visitors can indulge in free samples and take a self-guided tour along an elevated 2.5 mile-walkway that provides a bird's-eye view of the entire operation. Ben & Jerry's, Vermont Factory tours at Ben & Jerry's last for 30 minutes and visitors get a sneak peek of how the ice cream brand's wacky and wonderful flavours are made After taking a $5 remote learning course in ice cream-making with Penn State University and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. They went on to build their first factory in 1985, which is located 30 minutes away in Waterbury, and it remains the main factory to this day. Its tours attract fans from all over the world. Factory tours last for 30 minutes and visitors get a sneak peek of how the ice cream brand's wacky and wonderful flavours including Cherry Garcia, Phish Food and Cookie Dough, are made. The Waterbury plant can produce up to 300,000 pints of ice cream a day. Pez candy, Connecticut There are self-guided tours running at the Pez candy factory throughout the week Pez Candy was invented in Vienna, Austria, by Eduard Haas III as an alternative to smoking. The name Pez comes from the German word for peppermint, 'PfeffErminZ' taking the P from the first letter, E from the middle and Z from the last letter to form the word Pez. The original rectangular-shaped dispenser held 12 pieces of candy - the same number as today. In 1952, Pez landed in the U.S and the main factory was opened in Orange, Connecticut, in 1973. Due to the candy's popularity, a visitors centre opened in 2011 with more than 4,000 square feet dedicated to the sweet treat. There are self-guided tours running at the factory throughout the week, with visitors able to peek into the production areas and watch the goods being packaged up. Videos also reveal how the patented Pez dispenser is made. Cape Cod Chips, Massachusetts On July 4, 1980, Steve Bernard and his brother, Jude made their dream of making crunchy, healthy potato chips a reality. They set up a small storefront in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where their chips quickly became a local favourite and they started selling further afield from Canada to the Mid-Atlantic. In 1985 they opened their doors to the public and the free factory tours remain popular today. Visitors can see the whole chip-making process from potato to bag and the tour ends at the gift shop where free samples are dished out. Tabasco sauce, Louisiana The Tabasco sauce factory is open to visitors, with the $5.50 tours including stops at the pepper greenhouse, barrel warehouse, salt mine, and the bottling plant Tabasco sauce was the brainchild of Edmund McIlhenny who lived on Avery Island, Louisiana, and was looking for a way to spice up the bland food he found in the region. He launched his pepper sauce in 1868 labelling it 'Tabasco' - a word of Mexican -Indian origin believed to mean 'place where the soil is humid' or 'place of the coral or oyster shell' - and in 1870, he secured a patent with sales spreading across the U.S. and to Europe. The company is still family-owned and the Avery Island plant is open to visitors with the $5.50 factory tours including stops at the pepper greenhouse, the barrel warehouse, the salt mine, and the bottling plant. Fans will also see how the condiment - made simply from red peppers, salt and high-quality distilled vinegar - is carefully blended for the perfect injection of heat. Mauna Loa, Hawaii Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory in Hawaii has a visitors centre and guests can take self-guided tours of the processing plant Hawaii-based Mauna Loa is one of the world's largest processors of macadamias, with a seasonal capacity of around 40 million pounds of nuts. The company takes its name from the Mauna Loa volcano and its headquarters and main processing plant are near the mountain on the island of Hawaii, known as the Big Island. On the site, there is a visitors centre and guests can take self-guided tours of the processing plant from an elevated walkway. In the gift shop there are free samples of every flavour sold by the company including honey roasted, coffee glazed and onion and garlic. Parma ham, Italy Salumificio Conti in Parma gives tours of its factory showing how its cured hams are made (stock image) Dry-cured ham producer Salumificio Conti, which is located in Parma, Italy, runs tours of its factory seven days a week. During the guided tours, visitors learn the processes involved in the making of the sweet Prosciutto di Parma ham and other cured meats. Highlights include a stop in the refrigerated salting rooms and a walk through the cellars, where according to the Salumificio Conti website, 'you will be surrounded by thousands of perfumes'. To top things off there is a tasting after the tour, with breadsticks, wine and water on offer. Huy Fong's Sriracha sauce, California Around 3,000 bottles of Huy Fong's Sriracha chilli sauce are produced an hour and free tours of the California plant are available Huy Fong's Sriracha chilli sauce has become a world favourite after being invented in 1980 by Vietnamese refugee David Tran, who fled with his family to the U.S. Today, the factory in Irwindale, California, produces around 3,000 bottles an hour, 24 hours a day, six days a week. The 650,000-square-foot production plant is open to visitors, with free tours available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The website states that each tour is 'an extraordinary, fun, mind-blowing, personable experience that will leave you amazed and humbled to understand the hard work and dedication behind the production of Sriracha sauce'. Boudin Bakery, San Francisco Visitors watch bakers make sourdough bread at Boudin Bakery in San Francisco Boudin Bakery is one of San Franciscos oldest continuously operating businesses and it was established in 1849. The firm still bakes its famed sourdough fresh every day using the same mother dough cultivated from a gold miners sourdough starter. The factory offers a museum and bakery tour, which reveals the art and science behind sourdough. A 40-foot long catwalk inside the museum gives visitors an aerial view into the factory, where they can watch the bakers at work. Pic's Peanut Butter, New Zealand Pic's Peanut Butter World opened last year allowing fans to visit the production plant Pic's Peanut Butter was founded in 2007 and is now New Zealand's best-selling peanut butter with it being shipped all over the world. Last year the company opened Pic's Peanut Butter World allowing fans to visit the production plant and watch the spread being made via viewing platforms. The website states that there is an opportunity to 'marvel at strange machinery', inhale fresh-roasted nuts' and 'sample our award-winning peanut butter'. Visitors can also have a crack at making their own peanut butter or another spread of their choice, from almond to cashew. Smoked salmon, Sussex Springs' Smokery started in 1964 as a family-run business in the UK's South Downs National Park. Today the business still relies on traditional methods to smoke its fish, using the original brick kilns and locally-sourced oak. No flavourings, colourings or brines are used during the process. The small production plant is open to visitors and there are guided tours run by the head smoker with a cafe to sample the goods in afterwards. Along with salmon, there is a spread of other fish on the menu including haddock, kippers and mackerel. Parmigiano Reggiano, Italy There are guided visits at the Bertinelli Dairy in Parma, Italy, with tastings at the end The Bertinelli Dairy in Parma, Italy, has been producing Parmigiano Reggiano since 1895 using the milk from its own cows. The business, located between Noceto and Medesano, is available for guided visits every day by reservation. The visit, which lasts about 60 minutes, covers all stages of production and includes a stop at the ageing room which is home to more than 7,000 wheels of cheese. It ends with a tasting of the finished product with one hard cheese aged to 15 months, another aged to 24 months and the ripest one being 36 months. If you get to the dairy early, between 7.30am and 8.30am, you can watch the cheese-makers in action to see exactly how the hard blocks are formed. Snyder's Pretzels, Pennsylvania There are free tours offered at the Snyder's of Hanover factory in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The company specialises in German traditional pretzels Snyder's of Hanover, founded in 1909, is a snack food company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, specialising in German traditional pretzels. Its products are shipped all over the world, with different variations including gluten-free, chocolate covered and hot buffalo wing flavour. There are free tours offered at the main factory. On the guided walk, visitors are shown the raw material warehouse, the oven room and a 'state of the art packing room' with robots in action. The 30-minute tour starts and ends at the factory store where free bags of pretzels are handed out at the finish. Sausages, Yorkshire East Riding Country Pork in Yorkshire offers a Pork Sausage Experience with visitors given a comprehensive tour of its sausage-making facility. The two-hour tour includes a lesson on how its products are produced from field to fork, with stops at the on-site butcher and farm shop. There is also a demonstration of how to tie a line of sausages and then everyone is given the opportunity to make and link their own sausages which they can later take home. A pro-Israel Democrat handily defeated a primary challenge from a progressive, more pro-Palestine opponent in Massachusetts on Tuesday. Another Democratic candidate supportive of the Palestinian cause also lost in the northeastern state. Both these results stand in contrast with the recent success of Democratic candidates critical of Israel in other states. Rep. Richard Neal defeated Alex Morse by about 25,000 votes in Massachusetts 1st District, which includes the western city of Springfield. One group that spreads awareness on Palestinian issues said politicians are beginning to question the US-Israel relationship in a way they did not in the past, despite Morses defeat. They referenced Morses suggestion that the United States condition some assistance to Israel. The political landscape is certainly changing, Palestine Advocacy Project spokesperson Sarah Gold told Al-Monitor. Only five years ago it would have been unthinkable for a prominent politician to seriously suggest conditioning military aid to Israel. Morse, whose Jewish background reflects changing attitudes in that community, did not shy away from criticizing Israel. His endorsements reflected this. IfNotNow, a progressive Jewish organization that seeks to end Israels occupation of the West Bank, endorsed Morse. IfNotNows political director said Morses idea to condition US military aid to Israel resonated with some voters, citing a poll from the news outlet Jewish Insider. It's clear that the progressive platform Alex promoted is popular, Emily Mayer told Al-Monitor. Polling published just this week makes it clear that a plurality of voters in his district support putting conditions on US military funding to Israel to achieve a just solution for both Palestinians and Israelis. Morse was also backed by the progressive organization Justice Democrats. This group is critical of US aid to Israel given the growth of settlements in the West Bank and wants to use US foreign assistance to effect policy changes. Neal, who chairs the powerful Ways and Means Committee in the House, is generally supportive of Israeli policies. He was endorsed by Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), which describes itself as the voice of pro-Israel Democrats. The organizations political action committee said pro-Israel Democrats can still be successful in the party. So far this year, DMFI PAC has helped pro-Israel Democrats win 27 races, while losing only one contest, Democratic Majority for Israel said in a statement. The group also pointed to Ihsanne Leckeys defeat in another Massachusetts primary Tuesday. Leckey was endorsed by Jewish Voice for Peace for the 4th District seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Kennedy in the southern part of the state. This organization supports various boycotts against Israel known as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Unofficial results showed Leckey coming in fifth in a crowded field. Some Pro-Palestine Democrats are rising in the party. In July, Jamaal Bowman defeated 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel in a New York primary. Engel is a staunch Israel supporter who chairs the House Foreign Relations Committee. Bowman also endorsed Morse. In August, Ilhan Omar, who entered Congress in 2019, defeated challenger Antone Melton-Meaux in her Minnesota district. Melton-Meaux received support from several pro-Israel groups who oppose Omars vocal criticism of US support for Israel. The Democratic Party is split on the issue of Israel and Palestine. The Palestine Advocacy Project said Democratic voters will continue to move away from Israel as protests against police grow in the United States. The similarities between the direct and structural violence faced by BIPOC communities in the U.S. and that faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation as well as within Israels formal borders are undeniable, said Gold, using an acronym that refers to Blacks, indigenous people and people of color. Those who recognize this whose numbers are only growing overwhelmingly vote Democrat. Several pro-Palestine organizations have sought to connect controversial police tactics in the United States to training conducted by Israelis, but those involved deny this link. The Democratic platform approved at the party convention in August shows that the party is not afraid to criticize Israels policies, but still supports the country in terms of security. The platform stated its commitment to Israels security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself. On the other hand, it criticized Israels plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Pandemic has revealed weaknesses in Church culture, Francis Chan says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The coronavirus pandemic has revealed weaknesses in western Church culture that can be addressed by using restrictions as an opportunity to go deeper with God, says Francis Chan, the founder of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, who now lives in Hong Kong. Speaking at a Q Session where several high profile evangelical leaders such as John MacArthur, Samuel Rodriguez and Tim Keller shared their thoughts on the pandemic and how the Church should respond to issues such as restrictions and the ongoing debate on religious liberty, Chan said he believes God is using the crisis to wake up Christians. I love this season we are in and I think every true believer does because we look at kind of the status quo and were just hoping for a time when we were forced into action. Its almost like youre training, training, training, for something and here it is. Are we prepared or not? And its a time where I look at it like the time when the Israelites were in the desert, Chan told Gabe Lyons, moderator and founder of Q Ideas, a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society. There are those who are like, Ah let me just get back to Egypt, you know? Back to the way it was when I knew what was gonna happen tomorrow. Im going, Oh man, youre missing out. Youre being led by a ball of fire. Never in history has that happened. Never will it happen again. Dont miss this, he said. Chan explained that while he believes the ongoing debate about religious freedom and whether churches should be allowed to gather as they have traditionally done before the pandemic, he questioned how effective the Church has been with religious freedom when compared to places like China where the Church is persecuted. When you look at the places where there is religious freedom and you compare those places to where there is not religious freedom, what have we done with the freedom? Its just weakened the Church, he said. Im not saying dont fight for it, especially if thats something God has called you to. Im grateful for the people who fight for religious freedom. Im grateful to have it. At the same time, Im not really afraid of losing it because I look at how the church is flourishing and how it actually looks like the Church of Scripture where there is persecution. And again, Im not saying Im wanting that or desiring that. But what I am wanting is to see a pure Church where people are devoted, theyre serious and they understand what it means to really follow Jesus. Then we can really be a light to the world, Chan explained. The Cornerstone Church founder said he believes God has given the Church an opportunity in the pandemic to grow and become deeply intimate with Him. God does not put us in a situation where we cant be deeply, deeply, intimate with him and growing with one another. Man dont miss this, he said, noting that it's a great opportunity for parents to become more hands one with the spiritual development of their children. I think about parents. I hear in a lot of churches theyve got to meet together again because of our kids. And Im going, 'Man, God should wake you up right there. Parents are supposed to be teaching their kids.' Its a great opportunity for you, dads, to step up and believe the Spirit of the living God is inside of your body and you can lead that family. And if theyre not equipped, then figure it out and man up. Parents, youre supposed to lead your kids, he said. Weve weakened all these gifted godly people because we do everything for them. Well teach your kids and so now its just kind of chaotic. What do we do? No one is teaching my kid, he said, pointing to the complaints he has been hearing. I say, No. Take advantage of this time. I really believe this is of God. This is a time where we realized we were not ready for this. So if we get another little break, lets do everything we can to equip and prepare people for times like this because I really dont believe this is the end of it, he added. South Africas first smartphone maker, Mara Phones, will launch three new smartphones this year. These will be in addition to the two smartphones that Mara Phones factory currently produces the Mara X and the Mara Z. Speaking with MyBroadband, Mara Phones Head of Growth Sylvester Taku said that Mara Phones plans to launch the following three new smartphone models this year: Mara Z1 Mara X1 Mara S We have already started with teaser campaigns and expression of interest call to action across our digital platforms, said Taku. The Mara Z1 offers the best performance of the three new smartphones, boasting a 16MP + 8MP + 2MP triple-lens rear camera system, a 6.517-inch HD+ display, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage. The Mara X1 offers a 13MP + 2MP + 2MP triple lens rear camera system, a 6.1-inch HD+ display, 3GB RAM, and 32GB storage. The Mara S is evidently designed as an entry-level smartphone, offering 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, and a 4.95-inch FWVGA+ display. Taku said that more information regarding these smartphones will be shared by Mara Phones in the near future. He also noted that Mara Phones is in the process of opening its first Mara Experience Store through a franchisee in Maponya Mall. Mara Experience Stores will give all potential customers an opportunity to experience the look and feel of our devices and interact with Mara Phones technical specialists to understand the different models and get technical support, said Taku. COVID-19 pandemic brings difficulties Taku acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic brought several new challenges to Mara Phones business. As a fairly new entrant in the smartphone sector, COVID-19 interruptions have had a significant and unfavourable impact on our operations, said Taku. He noted that when the country went into lockdown on 26 March, Mara Phones had to cease production at its Durban factory to abide by government regulations. Taku also noted that sales of Mara Phones were impacted considerably because various partners stores were closed for business, and online transactions could not be fulfilled due to courier companies being non-operational. However, despite these challenges, Taku confirmed that Mara Phones has been able to retain its full complement of staff and its factory is now fully operational. The lockdown impacted and exacerbated the issue of unemployment in the country and now more than ever, South Africans, the corporate sector and government are more sensitive towards job creation, said Taku. There is a call to support local and proudly South African products to stimulate the economy. With the only smartphone manufacturing factory in the country, the support of all South Africans is crucial in ensuring sustainable job creation. Mara Phones partners with the Department of Health Taku told MyBroadband that during the COVID-19 pandemic Mara Phones donated 500 smartphones to the Department of Health to assist with efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. Alongside this donation, Mara Phones ran a campaign which encouraged other businesses and individuals to pledge and donate smartphones to the department. We have also developed health solutions which will make our devices effective tools for community health care initiatives undertaken by government and we look forward to solidifying our relationship and collaborating with the Ministry of Health to bring these tools to community health workers across the country, said Taku. He added that Mara Phones did not only help COVID-19 efforts in South Africa; it also provided assistance to other governments such as when it donated personal protective equipment (PPE) in Rwanda and Nigeria. Photos of the new Mara Phones smartphones are below. Mara Z1 Mara X1 Mara S Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. President Vladimir Putins spokesman has brushed off allegations that the Kremlin was involved in poisoning the Russian leaders most determined critic, Alexei Navalny. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Germany of not providing Moscow with any evidence about the condition of the Russian dissident. Mr Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on August 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city Omsk. He has been in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital after being flown from Siberia to Germany for treatment more than a week ago. German authorities said on Wednesday that tests showed proof without doubt that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. British authorities identified the Soviet-era Novichok as the poison used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in 2018. But Mr Peskov insisted on Thursday that Russian authorities had still not received any evidence from Germany to back up their allegation. We havent received any information so far, Mr Peskov said. We hope that it will happen soon and will help figure out what caused the condition the patient is in right now. Mr Peskov reiterated that Russian specialists in Omsk tested Mr Navalny for poisonous substances and did not find any in his system. He said Russian investigators conducting a preliminary inquiry into Mr Navalnys illness should know what our German colleagues found and established. Following his stay in Omsk, Mr Navalny was moved two days later to Berlins Charite hospital after German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally offered the countrys assistance in treating him. He is now in a stable condition, but doctors expect a long recovery and have not ruled out that the 44-year-old could face long-term effects on his health. Mrs Merkel on Wednesday called Mr Navalnys poisoning an attempted murder that aimed to silence one of Mr Putins fiercest critics and called for a full investigation. There are very serious questions now that only the Russian government can answer, and must answer, Mrs Merkel said. Asked about Mr Peskovs comments on Thursday, Mrs Merkel said, Naturally I am aware of what is being said now but refused to comment further. I made a comprehensive statement yesterday about what we will do now and in the coming days, she told reporters at the chancellery after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. And of course a lot depends on the respective reactions by the Russian government. But I dont want to add anything further. Germanys Justice Ministry has confirmed it has received Russias request for information, but would not provide details on the response. Leonid Volkov, Mr Navalnys longtime ally and campaign strategist, told the German RTL broadcaster that an independent investigation in Russia is unlikely and put the blame on the Kremlin. An attack of such level and of such co-ordination couldnt be not authorised by Mr Putin, Mr Volkov said. Something happened on an aircraft within Russia, within Russian jurisdiction, so I think it's fair to say the ball is in your corner now to investigate Stefan Lofven, Swedish prime minister He said he did not know what the legal consequences should be for what happened to Mr Navalny. But I know for sure what I want to have as an outcome, and this is the political or a moral, ethical consequence: I really want that no foreign leader ever would shake hands with Mr Putin, he said. Mr Lofven, joining a chorus of other world leaders, called for Russia to investigate and punish those involved. We need to respond, he said. Something happened on an aircraft within Russia, within Russian jurisdiction, so I think its fair to say the ball is in your corner now to investigate. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower house of parliament, described the situation with Navalny as an anti-Russian plot. Its a planned action against Russia in order to impose new sanctions and try to impede the development of our country, Mr Volodin said in a statement. In addition to receiving blow back from Moscow, the German government has come under growing pressure to use a joint German-Russian pipeline project as leverage in getting Russia to provide answers on Mr Navalny. The apparent attempted murder by the mafia-like structures of the Kremlin can no longer just give us cause for concern, it must have real consequences Katrin Goering-Eckardt, Germany's Green party When asked about the issue on Thursday, Mrs Merkel declined to comment. Germanys opposition Greens party urged her to end to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which would deliver Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic when completed, bypassing Ukraine. The apparent attempted murder by the mafia-like structures of the Kremlin can no longer just give us cause for concern, it must have real consequences, Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt said. The Greens have long opposed the pipeline. Mrs Merkel has steadily resisted pressure from the United States to end the project, which Washington says will endanger European security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas. Nord Stream 2 is also opposed by Ukraine and Poland, which will be bypassed by the pipeline under the Baltic sea, as well as some other European nations. With the findings about Mr Navalny, even Norbert Roettgen, a leading politician in Mrs Merkels party, said diplomatic rituals are no longer enough. After the poisoning we need a strong European answer, which #Putin understands Mr Roettgen tweeted. The EU should jointly decide to stop #NordStream2. Mr Peskov dismissed the calls to abandon Nord Stream 2 as emotional statements not based on facts. He called the pipeline an international commercial project that is in the interests of Russia, Germany and the entire European continent. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has expressed concern over ongoing Indo-China border dispute and Chinas intentions to halt the growth of Indian economy. Stating that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian subcontinent from all directions, he said the Central government needs to keep a close watch on affairs of neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Nepal. In the wake of the recent Indo-China border dispute, the former defence minister had invited Bhushan Gokhale, former Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force; Vijay Gokhale, former foreign secretary; and an expert on Indo-China relations to discuss the issue in detail on Thursday. After expressing his experiences of his visits to China in the early 90s as the then defence minister, Pawar said he is concerned over a larger strategic and political thinking of China that aims to halt economic growth in India. I highlighted the fact that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and also expressed my concern over their presence in the South China Sea, the NCP chief said in a series of tweets. I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general, he added. Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale emphasised that the country must ponder over the new era of parallel warfare that include cyber, information, perception creations and the war on economic fronts. Gokhale also explained the history of Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes, and shared his views on the current face-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and skirmishes on the border in the past few months. NCP Members of Parliament Praful Patel, Supriya Sule, Vandana Chavan and Dr Amol Kolhe were also present in the meeting. Earlier in June during his interaction with Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, Pawar had pointed out that the high ground occupied by the Chinese army in Galwan Valley in East Ladakh may force closure of DarbukShyok-DBO Road on the Indian side which may prove catastrophic to military operations of the Indian defence forces near LAC. He had suggested that the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) must be evacuated by holding compulsory measures and also advised the Central government to strategise things using diplomatic channels to diffuse tension on the border and to make China see reason. Pawar was one of the leaders invited by the PM to discuss the issue following aggression and intrusion by the Chinese army at Galwan Valley. Explaining the significance of DarbukShyok-DBO Road, he said that the road connecting Darbuk to DBO is entirely on the Indian side of LAC. It is crucial for India, as DBO is an advanced landing ground and provides an airfield for the Air Force to quickly respond to any emergency. A record high proportion of state school students will start courses at the University of Cambridge this year, after the world institution increased its intake in the wake of the A-Level results fiasco, it has been revealed. Around 70 per cent of UK undergraduates starting at the university this autumn will have been educated in the state sector, according to its early admissions data. The figure is eight per cent higher than five years ago, when it was around 62 per cent. It comes after the Government called on universities to prioritise students from disadvantaged backgrounds for admission 'where possible' following the U-turn on A-level grades. The sudden U-turn left thousands of students scrambling for places after the government dropped its controversial grade algorithm scheme and reverted back to teacher-assessed marks - with exams cancelled this year due to coronavirus. Around 70 per cent of UK undergraduates starting at Cambridge University (pictured) this autumn will have been educated in the state sector, according to its early admissions data Cambridge, which is ranked as the sixth best university in the world and the second in England by the Times Higher Education guide, increased its intake by more than 10 per cent this year after the fiasco. The university says it will be welcoming a record number of freshers next month after nearly 400 students met their offer conditions after Ofqual announced that results could be based on teachers' estimated grades. But no student at Cambridge has been forced to defer until next year. Instead, the institution has increased its intake by more than 10 per cent this year. The university normally plans for an intake of around 3,450 undergraduates. But this autumn it will admit up to 3,890 students. Figures from Ofqual last month showed the proportion of A-level entries in England which received top grades increased to a record high following the changes to the system four days after results day. More students from the most deprived areas in the UK will be attending Cambridge next month, increasing from 13 per cent to 14 per cent of the undergraduate cohort, initial admissions figures show. Last year, more than 68 per cent of students starting degree courses at Cambridge were from state schools but this year's figure is expected to rise to 70 per cent. No student at Cambridge has been forced to defer until next year. Instead, the institution has increased its intake by more than 10 per cent this year. Lauen Lopez, who achieved three A stars and is going to Cambridge University Figures from Ofqual last month showed the proportion of A-level entries in England which received top grades increased to a record high following the changes to the system four days after results day Overall, nearly two in five (39.1 per cent) of teachers' estimates for A-level pupils in England were initially adjusted down by one grade or more by exam boards after exams were cancelled amid Covid-19. It left many students missing out on their university places, including admissions to Russell Group universities such as Cambridge and Oxford which require top grades to secure an offer. But after the U-turn was made - which allowed results to be based on schools' estimated grades rather than Ofqual's controversial algorithm - the revised A level results showed that the proportion of exam entries receiving an A grade or higher has increased to a record high for England, with 38.1 per cent awarded the top grades - up from 25.2 per cent on the original algorithm grades. Universities had been struggling with the sheer volume of demand as 55,000 pupils who accepted a place at another university or got a new course at clearing tried to get into their top choice. The government had tried to ease the pressure on universities by removing the cap on admissions, but excluded medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences, leaving medics uncertain if they would be able to claim their place this year. Professor Stephen Toope, University of Cambridge vice-chancellor, said this summer had been an 'exceptionally challenging admissions process' However they later agreed to lift the cap on medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and teaching courses following the U-turn, which resulted in top civil servant at the Department for Education Jonathan Slater being effectively removed from his post and will leave on September 1, while Ofqual chief executive Sally Collier resigned from her post in the wake of the fiasco. Universities minister Michelle Donelan wrote to vice-chancellors asking them to honour all offers to students who met their conditions this year wherever possible. Professor Stephen Toope, University of Cambridge vice-chancellor, said: 'This summer has been an exceptionally challenging admissions process. 'Staff have worked round the clock to ensure that each student who has met their offer secures a place to study at Cambridge. 'And our colleges have worked together to provide extra accommodation for the higher than planned for intake. 'This incredible effort means we are not having to compel any student to defer entry until 2021.' He added: 'I am also proud that we have the highest ever number of state school students arriving this year as well as greater numbers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, underlying our commitment to providing equality of educational opportunity. 'We look forward to welcoming all our new students in October.' A Florida sheriff's department has been accused of surveilling and harassing residents for years under a sprawling 'intelligence program'. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco implemented the program after he took office in 2011 and promised that it would make communities safer by relying on data to reduce and prevent crime. But a bombshell investigation by the Tampa Bay Times revealed that the program is rife with harassment, intimidation and flagrant use of force against residents who are not suspected of committing crimes. Nearly two dozen people targeted under the program detailed their experiences in interviews with the Times, sharing how deputies swarmed their houses in the middle of the night, ticketed them for tiny offenses like overgrown grass, and stalked their loved ones for information. In one example, deputies targeted a 15-year-old boy and visited his home 21 times in three months merely because he'd been convicted of trespassing and theft a year earlier. In another case, a teenage target's father was arrested after deputies spotted his son's 17-year-old friend smoking a cigarette inside his house. Deputies continued regular visits at the home after that incident, ultimately prompting the father to move out of Pasco County. Sheriff Nocco has repeatedly touted the success of the program, under which his office has kept tabs on nearly 1,000 people in five years - including at least 10 under the age of 18, according to an analysis by the Times. But locals and experts have decried the agency's practices as 'morally repugnant', gang-like and wholly undemocratic. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office in Florida has been accused of surveilling and harassing residents for years under a sprawling 'intelligence program' (file photo) An investigation by the Tampa Bay Times revealed that the program is rife with harassment, intimidation and flagrant use of force against residents who are not suspected of committing crimes. Pictured: Deputies perform a check on a person targeted under the program Nocco's Intelligence Led Policing program, which launched in 2011, operates with a staff of 30 people and a budget of $2.8 million budget, run by a former senior counterrorism analyst who was assigned to the National Counterterrorism Center. The program works by generating lists of people considered likely to break the law by examining arrest histories, 'unspecified intelligence' and 'arbitrary decisions by police analysts', according to the Times. The Sheriff's Office said that an initial list of targets is compiled by a computer every 90 days, before analysts go through it and determine which 100 people should be on the final list. Deputies are charged with going out and interrogating people whose names appear on the list - often without evidence of a specific crime, probable cause or a search warrant. Former officers who worked under the program described how they were expected to continue making those visits until they found some reason to make an arrest or issue a citation. One former deputy told the Times that the goal was to 'make their lives miserable until they move or sue'. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco (pictured) implemented the program after he took office in 2011 and promised that it would make communities safer by relying on data to reduce and prevent crime Nocco described the check-in practice as 'bothering criminals' during remarks in front of the Council of Neighborhood Associations in 2012. Targets identified on the list are deemed by the department to be 'prolific offenders'. The program's manual states that the individuals have 'taken to a career of crime' and are 'not likely to reform'. 'If the offender does not feel the pressure, if the offender is not arrested when they commit their next crime, or if the offender is left to feel their punishment is menial, the strategy will have no impact,' the manual states. After each check, deputies record new information into the data system - both about the people on the list and about their family members, friends and any other acquaintances. Records showed that the Sheriff's office has performed more than 12,500 checks since September 2015. One of the most alarming cases outlined in the Times report was that of 15-year-old Rio Wojtecki, whose name was added to the list of targets last fall, almost a year after he was arrested for sneaking into car ports with a friend and stealing motorized bicycles. Between September 2019 and January 2020, Pasco County deputies visited Rio's home at least 21 times, according to dispatch logs - even though he was also being monitored by a state-issued juvenile probation officer. The deputies also stopped by the car dealership where Rio's mom worked, as well as his friend's houses and the gym he frequented. Body camera footage from some of the checks, obtained by the Times, showed deputies acknowledging that Rio wasn't getting into trouble on more than one occasion and asking questions about his friends. The deputies were heard telling Rio that they had to keep checking on him because he was a target on the list. One of the most alarming cases outlined in the Times report was that of 15-year-old Rio Wojtecki (pictured), whose name was added to the list of targets last fall, almost a year after he was arrested for sneaking into car ports with a friend and stealing motorized bicycles Bodycam footage shows deputies stopping by Rio's house on one of the 21 occasions The Times found that the program focused heavily on juvenile offenders like Rio. Out of the 20 addresses that were visited most by deputies, more than half were home to middle or high school-age targets. In one instance, the mother of one a teenage target was slapped with a $2,500 fine because she had five chickens in her backyard. In another, a woman named Tammy Heilman was arrested during a traffic stop in September 2016 after deputies noticed that she and her daughter weren't wearing seatbelts. The deputies had gone to Heilman's house earlier in the day to ask questions about her 16-year-old son, whom they believed had purchased a dirt bike with stolen money. Heilman declined to speak to the deputies without an attorney present and left the house to take her seven-year-old daughter to a Girl Scouts meeting. One of the deputies, Andrew Denbo, then followed her down the street and pulled her over because of the seatbelt violation, according to a police report. Bodycam footage showed Denbo opening Heilman's car door and ordering her to step out, at which point she refused and called 911 to report that a deputy had hurt her. Deputies were then seen dragging Heilman out of the car before she was arrested on charges of resisting an officer, battery on an officer and providing false information about her son. While she sat in the back of a squad car on her way to the police station, Denbo explained his department's objectives to Heilman in frank terms. 'Here's the policy of the agency. I'll explain it to you so it makes sense,' he said on the bodycam footage. 'If people themselves or people that live at a house are committing crimes and victimizing the community, then the direction we receive from our Sheriff's Office, from the top down, is to go out there and for every single violation that person commits, to come down and enforce it upon them.' Tammy Heilman (pictured with her children) was arrested during a traffic stop in September 2016 after deputies noticed that she and her daughter weren't wearing seatbelts. The deputies had gone to Heilman's house earlier in the day to ask questions about her 16-year-old son, whom they believed had purchased a dirt bike with stolen money Heilmain's confrontation with police was captured on bodycam footage (pictured) The Times presented its findings to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office six weeks prior to publishing its full report on Thursday. The agency responded with 30 pages of statements defending the program and praising how it had managed to reduce property crime in the county. 'This reduction in property crime has a direct, positive impact on the lives of the citizens of Pasco County and, for that, we will not apologize,' one of the statements read. 'Our first and primary mission is to serve and protect our community and the Intelligence Led Policing philosophy assists us in achieving that mission.' The Times noted that Pasco County's decline in property crimes matched similar declines seen in seven surrounding jurisdictions since 2011. During the same period, Pasco was the only county out of those eight jurisdictions that saw an increase in violent crimes. In response to criticism over the program and incidents that occurred by its hand, the Sheriff's Office accused the Times of 'cherry-picking' bad examples and painting 'basic law enforcement functions' as harassment, the outlet reported. Nocco declined to be interviewed when approached by the Times on six separate occasions. He was appointed to the position by then-Governor Rick Scott in 2011 when his predecessor resigned and was formally elected in 2012. Nocco was 35 years old and had far less experience than the previous sheriff when he took over the post but had deep ties to Republican politics which may have influenced Scott's decision. Immediately after taking office, Nocco presented his initiative for intelligence-led policing, stating: 'Instead of being reactive, we are going to be proactive.' He later said the approach to crime prevention was not unlike the way the federal government targets terrorists. Three former top officials within the Pasco County Sheriff's Office spoke to the Times about how the were driven to resign because the agency didn't tolerate criticism, including about the program. The outlet brought their findings to the attention of 15 experts who widely condemned the agency's practices. One of those experts was David Kennedy, a criminologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice whose research on crime prevention is referenced in Pasco County's policies. Kennedy called the program 'one of the worst manifestations of the intersection of junk science and bad policing and an absolute absence of common sense and humanity that I have seen in my career'. Matthew Barge, an expert in police practices and civil rights, called the practices 'morally repugnant'. The experts noted that two other major US police departments - in Los Angeles and Chicago - have scrapped similar programs following public concerns that they infringed on citizens' rights. Despite backlash in Pasco County - which is likely to heighten in the wake of the Times report - Nocco's department has continued to expand the program. Read the Tampa Bay Times' full report here. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC along with Knoxville-based Covenant Health announced their joint venture East Tennessee Behavioral Health, which is a new inpatient behavioral health hospital. This hospital will cater to patients in the Knoxville and its surrounding area. The companies organized an event wherein speakers addressed the evolving requirements for mental health services. East Tennesse Behavioral Health will be built in West Knoxville and is expected to open in the fall of 2021. Online attendees of the event were able to see the site of the hospital, which will provide services to people facing behavioral health issues. Rationale Behind the Launch The hospital is expected to meet the growing need for behavioral health services. This new place is likely to eradicate the shortage of services by providing high-quality, mental health care. Treatments will cater to adults and adolescents who suffer anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. The fact that the company launched this hospital for patients bodes well, particularly at a time when individuals are restricted to their homes due to stringent social-distancing measures on account of the COVID-19 crisis. The need for mental healthcare services will likely increase due to the pandemic. Other Initiatives of the Company The move is in line with Acadia Healthcares commitment to meet mental healthcare services of several communities. Millions of people suffer behavioral health issues in the United States. The company is also making opportunistic acquisitions to expand in the behavioral healthcare industry in the United States. To this end, in 2019, it completed the buyouts of Bradford Recovery Center, a specialty treatment facility, and Whittier Pavilion, an inpatient psychiatric facility. In July, the company announced the opening of a behavioral health facility, Tower Behavioral Health, which will further extend the companys reach in the mental health disorder and behavioral healthcare market. Recently, Acadia Healthcare collaborated with Covenant Health, which offers a diverse range of healthcare services in Tennessee. This tie-up intends to solve mental health issues, which remain largely unaddressed due to the dearth of resources in East Tennessee. The partnership involves building a new behavioral health hospital, construction of which is likely to start in late 2020. All these initiatives poise the company well for growth. Story continues Zacks Rank and Price Performance Shares of this currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 19.2% in a years time, outperforming its industrys increase of 5.3%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Other companies in the same line, such as HCA Healthcare Inc. HCA, Tenet Healthcare Corporation THC and Community Health Systems Inc. CYH have rallied 14.6%, 42% and 94.8%, respectively, in the same time frame. Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity. A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time. See 8 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) : Free Stock Analysis Report HCA Healthcare, Inc. (HCA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (ACHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying before the House Financial Services Committee last year. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Facebook says it will prohibit all new political ads in the week before the November 3 US presidential election. The company has faced criticism over the way it handled the 2016 US election, when Russia used the social-media platform to wage a disinformation campaign. Facebook says it will also remove misinformation about the pandemic and voting as well as any premature posts from candidates declaring victory. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Facebook says it will prevent any new political ads from running on its platform in the week leading up to the US presidential election on November 3. The company said on Thursday that advertisers could reuse existing ads up until Election Day but that there would not be enough time to "contest new claims" made in new political or issue-based ads. "In the week before the election, we won't accept new political or issue ads," the company wrote on Twitter. "Campaigns will still be able to run ads, like get out the vote efforts, but in the final days of an election there may not be time to contest new claims." The idea is to stop misinformation from spreading widely in the crucial final days before Americans are able to vote in person. It is part of a set of wider measures Facebook is taking to boost voter turnout and avoid foreign election interference. The company said it would delete posts with "clear misinformation" about COVID-19 and voting, as well as premature posts from any candidates declaring victory. It will promote "authoritative information" about how to vote at the top of the main Facebook site and Instagram, it said. It also said it would delete posts that might lead to voter suppression. The company also said it would limit message-forwarding on the Facebook Messenger messaging app to reduce the spread of misinformation among individuals or private groups. It has previously taken similar measures on WhatsApp. Story continues Zuckerberg 'worried' about civil unrest Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post that he was "worried" about the increased risk of civil unrest in the US. "This election is not going to be business as usual," he wrote. "We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy. That means helping people register and vote, clearing up confusion about how this election will work, and taking steps to reduce the chances of violence and unrest." Facebook will be keen to avoid a repeat of 2016's presidential election for which it was heavily criticized when Russia used the social network and other online platforms in an effort to sow discord and damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy. The company earlier this week announced it had uncovered an operation on its site linked to a Russian organization that interfered with the 2016 election the Internet Research Agency. Facebook removed pages for a site called Peace Data that social-media experts at Graphika said was a Russian operation masquerading as a legitimate news site targeting "Democratic Socialists, environmentalists, and disgruntled Democrats." The site successfully recruited progressive US journalists to write about a range of issues. The 2020 election is shaping up to be a contentious battle. President Donald Trump has hinted that he may not accept the election outcome and ensure a peaceful transition of power. "I have to see, look, I have to see, I'm not just going to say yes, I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either," he said in a July interview with Fox News. Read the original article on Business Insider Alexey Lutsenko of Astana won stage six of the Tour de France on Thursday completing a long breakaway over two mountains in the magnificent Cevennes National Park. Briton Adan Yates held on to the overall leader's yellow jersey despite a dramatic late bid by Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe to snatch it back with a trademark kick to the finish that clawed back a few seconds. "It went really well, with an escape with big riders we needed to control, but a good day for us," Yates said. "Tomorrow should be easy," said Yates when asked about Friday's flat stage, where he will likely keep the overall lead. There was no other attempted attacks from among the favourites on a mountain stage. The race, which culminates in Paris on September 20, still a long way to go. Lutsenko of Kazakhstan, started the day trailing Yates by more than five minutes as the peloton left the Ardeche region. He joined an escape group including Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet on his golden bike, who finished third 55 sec down. Spaniard Jesus Herrada was second. "That was the most beautiful win of my career," said the Kazakh national champion, who has also won a Vuelta stage. "It was important for my team Astana too." Lutsenko did not falter on the final climb. "Near the end I knew Herrada couldn't catch me," he said. Alaphilippe lost the yellow jersey on Wednesday when a careless late water-bottle pick-up cost him a 20 seconds time penalty. Alaphilippe and the 170 other riders embarked on the 191km route through dozens of pretty villages perched along the gorges where most of the signs however were in support of the emotional Thibaut Pinot, France's favourite 'boy next door'. Notoriously moody, Pinot stopped to chat with the press Thursday, which was interpreted as a good sign by the French media pack. "I'm feeling better and better," said Pinot, who fell hard on day one in the rain at Nice. Story continues Stage seven takes the peloton back through the plains with a 168km run to Lavaur, where British sprinter Mark Cavendish won back in 2011. dmc/pb dmc/ Karnataka CET Exam 2021 dates announced, to be held on August 28, 29 AFCAT 2020 postponed: Check new dates India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: The Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) 2020 has been postponed. The exam has been postponed to October 3 and 4, 2020. "AFCAT 02/2020 has been rescheduled to 03 & 04 Oct 2020," said an official note on the website. The exam is held for grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in Flying Branch and Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC) in Ground Duty (Technical and Non-Technical) Branches. Following the selection, the candidates will undergo training for all courses at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad. IGNOU 2020 June TEE date sheet and admit card news Candidates who will appear in the Air Force Selection Board for the first time can have their travel fate reimbursed. For flying and ground duty (technical) branches the duration of the training is 74 weeks and for ground duty (non-technical) branches it is 52 weeks. At the time of joining the candidates should furnish details of their PAN Card and account in the SBI/nationalised bank. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 15:19 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:58:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) on Thursday was granted the "Best Investment Banking of the Year Award" by the Turkish Capital Market Association (TCMA). Istanbul Stock Exchange Deputy General Manager Korkmaz Enes Ergun presented the award to Gao Xiangyang, chairman of ICBC Turkey, at the fifth Annual Capital Market Awards Ceremony hosted by the TCMA in Istanbul, according to a press release issued after the event. Ergun praised ICBC Turkey for its "outstanding contributions" to the Turkish capital market, the release said, noting that this was the third consecutive time that it won the award from the association since 2017. The award of the TCMA, a self-regulatory organization which has been offering services to investors to contribute to the development of the national economy, is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the Turkish capital market. The release quoted Gao as saying that the ICBC would continue to provide high-quality financial services to Chinese and Turkish customers and contribute to the development of bilateral economic and trade relations between the two countries. ICBC Turkey has supported several medical and health projects, including the financing of two city hospitals, and has been playing an important role in the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the release added. The Turkish subsidiary of the ICBC was established after the lender purchased a majority of shares of Turkey's Tekstilbank in 2015 and has been licensed for commercial banking, investment banking, and asset management. Over the years, ICBC Turkey has been financing major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and supporting Turkey's economic, industrial, and social development. Enditem A HOTEL manager has called for the Government to send everyone 100 to boost the wavering tourism industry during winter - rather than a tax incentive people just don't understand. Donal Minihane, general manager of the Hotel Doolin in Co Clare, said his books are now up to 90pc down for the autumn and winter ahead. And the Government Stay and Spend rebate just wasnt enough to breathe new life into the industry, he felt, given confusion around the benefit. People would rather have money in their pocket rather than waiting for it, Mr Minihane told RTEs Morning Ireland. Under the tax credit, customers can spend on restaurant and hotel bills from next month and claim back 20pc of their bill in tax credits. This equates to 20 back for every 100 spent. And a couple can claim up to 250. Read More However, Mr Minihane isnt convinced this scheme will provide a lifeline to the industry when he examines his bookings ahead in the winter months. In the UK a similar incentive was seen as straightforward, with 10 of meals and non alcoholic beverages paid for by the State during August. Mr Minihane said: I think the simplest plans are most effective. Im not sure if people on low incomes and pensions will be able to take part (in the Irish scheme.) I think the fairest thing would be to send everyone 100 - to get people to travel to the regions, would be great. We had a better summer than expected but it was down 50pc. The Irish holidaymakers were out in force. It was great to see but now the kids are back at school and there are very little weddings so there are not a lot of markets to avail of. And also the Government is discouraging the active retired from taking breaks, so there isn't much business there for the winter. Mr Minihane said he was particularly concerned about midweek bookings and confirmed bookings are down 80 or 90pc in the coming months. We are hoping weekends might be okay, as there will be no ski breaks but definitely midweek is a big worry for us, he said. Normally we close on Christmas Day but bookings are slack from September on, so a lot of hotels will have to close midweek to survive. Sign up for our free travel newsletter! Like what you're reading? Subscribe to 'Travel Insider', our free travel newsletter written by award-winning Travel Editor, Pol O Conghaile. I usually dont share conspiracy theories, but one recently appeared in my inbox that was so wild it stopped me in my tracks. Cheyenne, according to the sender, is extremely vulnerable to an attack by Colorado socialists who would likely stop at nothing to blow up the citys refinery, a chemical plant and even Warren Air Force Base. What the nation is putting up with now are armed miscreants supported by big money and backed by leftists from Hollywood to Silicon Valley and Democrat leaders, warned the writer. Good grief how will Cheyenne beat back the invading socialist hordes... 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 with all-remote learning instead of in-person classroom instruction. As of Wednesday, 242 districts have indicated they want to begin the 2020-2021 school year with all-remote learning, while 68 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. 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) Franklin Lakes (remote through Sept. 24) 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) Palisades Park (remote through at least Oct. 13) Paramus (remote until Nov. 9) 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 (remote 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 Hills Regional (remote through Sept. 16) 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. As schools reopen across N.J., we want to know what is and isnt working. Tell us about it here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. NJ Advance Media staff writers Len Melisurgo, Anthony G. Attrino 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. CHICAGO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Dual Chamber Prefilled Syringes Market by Material (Glass and Plastic), Indication (Hemophilia, Schizophrenia, Endometriosis, Erectile Dysfunction, and Diabetes), Product (Liquid/Powder, Liquid/Liquid), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Dual Chamber Prefilled Syringes Market size is projected to grow from USD 131 million in 2020 to USD 182 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 6.8% between 2020 and 2025. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=132336702 Browse in-depth TOC on "Dual Chamber Prefilled Syringes Market" 133 Market Data Tables 36 Figures 145 Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/dual-chamber-prefilled-syringes-market-132336702.html Hemophilia Indication segment estimated to lead the Dual Chamber Prefilled Syringes Market in 2019 The increasing number of patients diagnosed with hemophilia in North America and Europe and having better access to healthcare are expected to drive the demand for dual chamber prefilled syringes in this segment. Also, biologics is the only type of drug that is used for the treatment of hemophilia; this drug is lyophilized and is available only as injections. Glass material is estimated to be leading segment for Dual Chamber Prefilled syringes The property of glass to be non-reactive to drugs makes it the preferred choice of material for manufacturing the chambers of dual chamber prefilled syringes. Also, the price of glass syringes is relatively low compared to plastics. These factors will drive the glass in the dual chamber prefilled syringes market. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=132336702 North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the Dual Chamber Prefilled Syringes Market during the forecast period. North America is projected to have the largest share in the global Dual Chamber syringes, in 2019. North America is driven by the US, with the country being the largest pharmaceutical market in the world. The high per capita income and better accessibility to healthcare in the US are expected to drive the dual chamber prefilled syringes market in North America. Nipro Corporation (Japan), Gerresheimer AG (Germany), Vetter Pharma (Germany), Credence Medsystems (US), MAEDA INDUSTRY (Japan), and Arte Corporation (Japan) are the key players operating in the Dual Chamber syringes market. Expansions and new product development are the major strategy adopted players to enhance their positions in the Dual Chamber syringes market. Related Reports: Prefilled Syringes Market by Material (Glass, Plastic), Type (Conventional, Safety), Design (Dual & Single-Chamber, Customized), Region (North America (U.S.), Europe (Germany, UK, France), Asia-Pacific (Japan, India, China)) - Forecast to 2021 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/prefilled-syringes-market-16618331.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/dual-chamber-prefilled-syringes-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/dual-chamber-prefilled-syringes.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Barima Sidney 03.09.2020 LISTEN HIPLIFE artiste Sidney Ofori, aka Barima Sidney, is said to be receiving death threats following the release of his new song titled Papa No in August this year. According to reports, Sidney, within two weeks or so, has received a lot of phone calls from unknown persons threatening to kill him if he continues to promote his new single, Papa No, which according to them, was directed at a certain political leader. They are sending text messages to try and silence me. I have received a number of death threats and messages, Sidney told BEATWAVES. Soon after the release of Papa No, Barima Sidney got calls from unidentified callers warning him of dire consequences. The callers also warned him not to release the video to promote Papa No if he truly valued his life. Sidney told BEATWAVES that although he had received threats from some unknown people, who were not happy about his song, he hoped these would remain just threats. He said of all the things he had suffered since he came into the music industry over two decades ago, the worst were the death threats he received after releasing Papa No. Sidney, who is yet to file a police report, indicated that he was now living in fear, as strange people were calling to threaten him. He maintained that the threats would never stop him from composing songs about what he thought was right. He explained that the song and its video, yet to be released, was produced to only entertain his fans and not to attack any political leader or personality. The song comes at a time when two actresses, Tracey Boakye and Gloria Kani, have been at each other's throats, exposing secrets over a man whom they alleged to have been dating. Ms. Boakye, who refers to the father of her daughter as 'Papa No', has been fighting her colleague over her current lover (Papa No). In the song, Sydney did not mention the name of the 'Papa No' but gave a pictorial description by mentioning some features he had and how unique he looked. ---Daily Guide Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:53:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The commemoration of the 75th victory anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, held Thursday in Beijing, is a significant occasion for China to draw inspiration from history and bravely tackle the new challenges of today. During the 14-year war against Japanese aggression, the Chinese people demonstrated to the world their patriotism, national character, heroism and a strong will to win. With more than 35 million casualties, China knows only too well the heavy toll of this victory. Experience, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future. Remembering the war allows all those countries concerned to learn from history and never allow such a tragedy to happen again. China has long been committed to its role as a staunch defender of world peace, a facilitator of globalization, and a major contributor of the building of an open world. It was the first country to sign the United Nations Charter. It has joined almost all the inter-governmental organizations and has sent more peacekeepers to UN missions than any other permanent members of the Security Council. Commitment to peace and harmony is deeply rooted in the minds of the Chinese, who would never inflict the sorts of sufferings they have experienced on any other nations. However, the development of history does not always follow the will of those people who love peace. Today's world is still ravaged by hegemony, unilateralism, and zero-sum and Cold-War mentalities, which pose severe challenges to China's development. Certain U.S. politicians have launched unfounded attacks on China in a barefaced and shameless way, smearing China's political system, grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, launching provocative moves in the South China Sea, attempting to drive a wedge between China's governing party and the Chinese people, among other aggressive actions. Such behaviors are in breach of international norms, jeopardizing bilateral relations and hurting the interests of people in both countries. These foolhardy and reckless acts by some U.S. politicians should be recorded within the pages of history in a chapter dedicated to shame. Those evil forces within U.S. society, which hardly represent the common will of the U.S. people, deserve the title of "paper tiger" and are doomed to fail. Never forget that China is a country that survives and thrives on ordeals and hardships. In the face of hegemony and power politics from any country, no matter how powerful, China will never flinch or surrender, displaying the same bravery it demonstrated in the prolonged and arduous struggle against fascist aggressors. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have made good preparations for whatever further difficulties, uncertainty and volatility lie ahead. The Chinese people will never agree with any person or any force that attempts to distort the history of the CPC, to smear its character and mission, and to split the CPC from the Chinese people. Any attempt to bully and impose external will on China, to change the direction of China's development and to sabotage the Chinese people's pursuit for a better life is doomed to fail. It is particularly imperative for some U.S. politicians to know that the widely-discussed decoupling of China and the United States is a foolhardy venture at best. While China and the United States are both big and important countries, it is always better for them to join hands in building a better tomorrow, rather than making their livings separately. History has proved again and again that cooperation is still the best choice for both nations. There is no exception to this principle at this moment. It is also important to know that certain unwise U.S. politicians are undermining China-U.S. relations, and they should take responsibility for their mistakes. The friendship between the peoples of the two countries remains solid and deep. The Chinese people will continue to deepen their exchanges and cooperation with people of other countries and make greater contributions to the great cause of world peace and development. The perseverance and national solidarity that the Chinese people demonstrated on the front line against the fascist aggressors will only be passed on to those who face new battles. Enditem THE ROSE IN FASHION by Amy de la Haye (Yale University Press 30) Pictured is Yves Saint Laurent with Laetitia Casta at his 1999 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear show The rose and fashion are inextricably linked: Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood and Valentino all have specimens named after them. In this beautiful book, Amy de la Haye, a professor at the London College of Fashion, explores the long history of the rose in fashion, from Ancient Egypt, where fresh roses were worn as accessories, to modern catwalks. Pictured is Yves Saint Laurent with Laetitia Casta at his 1999 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear show. Although one can't help but wonder where this particular floral outfit was ready to wear to... Comfort Konadu, 52, had returned a 9 item to a charity shop but it is believed staff added five noughts while entering the electronic credit note into the till A cleaner blew 31,000 after bungling shop staff accidentally transferred more than 90,000 into her bank account. Comfort Konadu, 52, had returned a 9 item to a charity shop but it is believed staff added five noughts while entering the electronic credit note into the till. Once she realised the error, Konadu transferred 57,000 into other accounts including those of her family. Officials at the Royal Mencap Society quickly discovered the error but only managed to retrieve two thirds of the missing money. It is believed the charity, which helps people with learning difficulties, will now be liable for the loss because it was caused by human error. Two workers at the charity were suspended and subsequently dismissed over the mistake. At Manchester Crown Court Konadu, who has six children and 12 grandchildren, admitted theft and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years. She will now face a Proceeds of Crime hearing where she will be expected to return the outstanding 31,000 - which represents 18 months worth of profits for the charity shop. It is not known what the cash was spent on. The incident occurred after Konadu went the Mencap shop in Openshaw, Manchester, on October 11 last year to get a refund for an item she had bought. At Manchester Crown Court (pictured) Konadu, who has six children and 12 grandchildren, admitted theft and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years The following Monday senior managers at the charity were alerted to the large refund and contacted staff at branch who said there had been an 'issue with the machine' and 90,047.19 had been transferred to Konadu's account in error. The court heard the money had already landed in Konadu's account on October 14 and that same day, she transferred out more than 57,000 to different accounts including one belonging to her son. Inquiries showed 57,722 was transferred into at least two bank accounts. The charity managed to quickly get back 40,000 of the missing money but some of the cash went through a number of different bank accounts. Kate Gaskell prosecuting said: 'Once the money was in there it would have been very obvious to her that that money should not have been in her bank account. 'What followed was a flurry not only to her bank account but to her friends and family's accounts as well. 'The debit went in and was processed on October 11, but it was the weekend and it appears that the money doesn't actually lend till October 14. 'Thereafter on the same date October 14, all the financial activity takes place. On October 15, remaining 40,000 is frozen quickly and taken back by Barclays Bank. ' Konadu, of Openshaw, claimed she had been expecting 12,000 into her account from another source and said at first she assumed the transfer was legitmate. She said when she was realised it was higher than expected she had tried to raise the issue with her bank. But inquiries revealed she did not inform the bank or the charity about the botched transaction. In mitigation defence counsel Max Saffman said: 'She has some family who live in this country and some who live in Ghana were some of the money went. 'She is from Ghana but she has been in this country for 15 years and is indefinitely to remain here and she has worked all the time she has been in this country as a cleaner. 'Until his windfall she was leading a very very modest lifestyle and she is a hardworking lady the vast majority of the time. 'The money was more than she could ever have dreamt of and temptation got the better of her.' Sentencing Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: 'This was an unexpected windfall that the defendant took advantage of. 'She must have realised this was an error. It would be very different if she had somehow contrived to obtain credit in the first place. 'That's not the case and she fell prey to the temptation to use the money she knew perfectly well wasn't hers.' He added: 'Her average bank account would have been relatively low credit balance.' He told Konadu: 'You received a credit into your account of over 90,000 and you realised straight away that an error had been made. 'You immediately should have reported it to both to your bank and to Mencap that the credit had been lodged in your account in error. 'If that had occurred you would not be guilty of any dishonesty and they would not have suffered any loss. 'If you deliberately involved yourself in securing this transfer you would now be facing an immediate sentence of imprisonment. 'But this was an unexpected windfall into your account and you fell prey to temptation and acted dishonestly. 'That is out of character for you and you have brought on yourself great shame and dare say a very great deal of anxiety. 'You transferred out of your account over 57,000 which you knew wasn't yours. Perhaps you will be able to assist in recovering some of that but I know not? 'This was a serious amount of money and a serious offence which must be met with a sentence of imprisonment but you are a person of good character and the money came to you unexpectedly in error. 'You leave this court with a stain on your character and in my judgement that is going to be considerable punishment as you have brought shame on yourself and dare I say your family. 'I'm confident you will not re-offend as you are in normal circumstances a hard-working individual.' For a while there, Rep. Ilhan Omar and some of her Muslim allies in Congress were jumping up and down to condemn leftist television host Joy Reid for some "casual" anti-Muslim remarks, about "the way Muslims act." Omar demanded an apology for the "casual Islamophobia"... Then President Trump, master troll, got involved: Like Fredo at Fake News @CNN, the very untalented Joy Reid should be fired for this horrible use of the words Muslim Terrorists. Such xenophobia and racism on MSDNC. Anyone else would be gone, and fast!!! https://t.co/a5HSIEXlQL Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 2, 2020 And just like that, Omar changed her tune: Joy was right about one thing- you are radicalizing and inciting violence and must be condemned for it. Dont use Muslim pain to attack the talent of a strong Black woman, who has vigorously held you and your administration accountable. We reject your fascist solidarity. https://t.co/aH42G1Qmb0 Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) September 2, 2020 Suddenly, Reid was a "strong black woman," and Trump's condemnation of Reid's anti-Islamic ravings, identical to Omar's, was "fascist solidarity." Funny how she changed her tune when Trump got her going, forcing her to show her true colors. Trump's always the bad guy to her, and Trump knew it, so for that, Joy Reid suddenly got lionized. That made Omar look kind of like a shape-shifter, a phony. To pick this apart, suddenly insults against Muslims weren't so bad after all. Given a choice between Trump and an Islamophobe, she'd go with the Islamophobe. It rather highlights that anti-Trumpism is her real identity; Islam is just convenient window dressing. Trump managed to call attention to Omar's insincerity and the fact that her real fealty is to Marxism. It's been obvious enough in her past coming from a Marxist family in Somalia's civil war, which got ousted. Omar herself, despite her Muslim wrappings, used as a vehicle to claim herself a victim, has stood up for abortion, transgender rights, gay "marriage," and other things ordinary Muslims abhor. Her vivid love life isn't too Muslim, either, her latest amor being some white leftist non-Muslim hipster, which doesn't go down well in Islam, except perhaps among the pasha classes. There's also the report that she was photographed carrying a six-pack of beer. Nope, her fealty is to Marxism, far-left-wingery. When that ox is gored, Omar stands up, whipping out the yells of "fascist." She's no Muslim. She's a Marxist. Marxism trumps everything for her, including Islamophobia. Funny how it took Trump to rat that act out. Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of screen shot from shareable Rep. Ilhan Omar Facebook Live video. Pfizer Inc says it could have results from its late-stage coronavirus vaccine trial available as early as October. On Thursday, CEO Albert Bourla said during a call sponsored by drug industry group International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations that 23,000 volunteers have been enrolled in the phase III trial, which began in July. The New York-based drug company says if data shows the jab is safe and effective, it will submit an application for approval, along with its German partner BioNTech, immediately. 'We expect by the end of October, we should have enough...to say whether the product works or not,' Bourla said. Pfizer is in a race with companies such as AstraZeneca Plc, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Sanofi to produce a vaccine as President Donald Trump pledged his administration could have an inoculation before the November 3 election. However, the White House fervently denied that anyone from the Trump administration is putting political pressure on the US Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine. Pfizer Inc has enrolled 23,000 people in phase III of its coronavirus vaccine trial, which began in July. Pictured: The first patient enrolled in Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, receives an injection, May 2020 If the vaccine is shown to be safe and effective, CEO Albert Bourla says the company will apply for approval immediately. Pictured: Pfizer headquarters in New York City, July 2019 The vaccine candidate from Pfizer and BioNTech uses part of the pathogen's genetic code called messenger RNA, or mRNa. It trains the body to recognize the coronavirus, which will send out an immune response if a person becomes infected. In July, the company released data from its early-stage trial, involving 45 people who received either a low, medium or high dose of the vaccine in two shots or a placebo. Volunteers given either the low or medium dose generated not just antibodies against the virus but specifically neutralizing antibodies, meaning they stop the virus from infecting human cells. Results showed the levels of neutralizing antibodies were between 1.8 and 2.8 times greater than those seen in recovered patients. Pfizer says it hopes to enroll up to 30,000 participants. The trial is expected to take place at 120 sites across the world, including 39 US states. In July, the US government signed a $1.95 billion-deal with Pfizer in exchange for 100 million doses of its immunization. The agreement was part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's plan to fast-track coronavirus vaccine candidates in America. Pfizer says it plans to supply 100 million doses by the end of 2020 and about 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said it is possible a vaccine ready by the end of October, but that he is not counting on it. 'These are all guesstimates,' Fauci told CNN when asked about Pfizer's plans, adding that most believe an inoculation will be ready by November or December. 'It is conceivable that you can have it by October, though I don't think that that's likely.' It comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told states to prepare to distribute a vaccine as soon as November and White House Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said there is no political pressure on the FDA to quickly approve a coronavirus immunization. This has made public health experts worry that Trump is pressuring regulators to get a jab on the market before there is enough data to review. However, Pfizer says its will not submit an application for approval if the results don't prove the vaccine is safe and effective. 'We will never ourselves submit for authorization or approval any vaccine before we feel it is safe and effective,' Bourla said. 'We will not cut corners. Our phase three study will be the only one that will allow us to say if we have a safe and effective vaccine. If we don't have results from a phase three study, we would not submit.' AODocs for Life Sciences solves the conundrum of being agile in a heavily regulated environment by providing a user friendly QMS platform, with continuous validation and fast paced innovation," Stephane Donze, CEO of AODocs. AODocs, one of the fastest-growing content services platform providers, announced it was recognized as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Life Science Research and Development, 2020. AODocs was cited in the Clinical Development Automation category. According to Gartner, clinical development automation uses off-the-shelf process design and automation tools, such as robotic process automation (RPA) or business process modeling (BPM), to optimize processes in clinical development. The report states, Life science companies should run proofs of concept (POCs) with RPA and BPM that include simple process design and repetitive workflow tasks and see that the tool works. These projects should proceed from there with the selection of a common platform and move into POC and implementation when project assessment determines a good fit. Common benefits include reduction in resource percentage FTE, improved data entry accuracy, reductions in task completion time, and process simplification. Built on the Google Cloud Platform, AODocs for Life Sciences leverages automated software validation to address FDA and GxP compliance while reducing costs and manual processes. AODocs provides a modern quality management system (QMS) that is intuitive, secure, and allows for the creation, management, and sharing of all life sciences-related content. "Life sciences companies are racing to become more agile and lean, and to modernize their technology stack to help automate and optimize clinical development processes," said Stephane Donze, CEO of AODocs. AODocs for Life Sciences solves the conundrum of being agile in a heavily regulated environment by providing a user friendly QMS platform, with continuous validation and fast paced innovation. Gartner, Hype Cycle for Life Science Research and Development, 2020, Jeff Smith, Michael Shanler, 13 August 2020 Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartners research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About AODocs AODocs is the only business process platform tightly integrated with Google Drives collaborative, user experience-focused platform, allowing organizations in all industries to easily implement their business-critical processes, control their documents, and meet compliance requirements without burdening users. Headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in San Francisco, Paris, and Milan, AODocs was founded in 2012 by software veterans with decades of experience at organizations including Exalead, Actelion, and Logica. Built to automate business workflows in full compliance with various regulations, AODocs patented content services platform is a Google Recommended Partner Solution for G Suite. For more information, visit AODocs.com or follow @AODocs. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) are seen during a press conference in Jerusalem on Aug. 24, 2020. (Amit Shabi/JINI via Xinhua) By Ding Long US diplomacy has recently refocused on the Middle East, and a series of operations have been dizzying. As a result, the UAE and Israel announced the normalization of relations, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner visited many countries in the Middle East one after another. The US is also planning to hold a Middle East peace summit. According to the US, all this aims to promote peace in the Middle East. But those who really care about peace in the Middle East know that such high-sounding rhetoric disguises political self-interests. The US used to be the main mediator of peace in the Middle East. It has never broken the bottom line and engaged in an altered peace like it does today. One of its main purposes for the US government to launch intensive Middle East diplomacy at this time is for the presidential election. However, the concept of Middle East peace that the US intends to show off has become very different. First, the normalization of UAE-Israel relations has nothing to do with peace in the Middle East. The core issues of peace in the Middle East are the Palestine-Israel conflict and the issue of Palestinian state-building. The establishment of diplomatic relations between UAE and Israel set up by the US will not only bypass the core issues of Middle East peace, but will also complicate the Palestine-Israel issue. In fact, if Palestine does not establish a state, there will be no peace in the Middle East. Some Middle Eastern countries have improved their relations with Israel and even established diplomatic relations at the expense of Palestine's fundamental interests, in a bid to move closer to the US. In fact, these countries and Israel have been in secret contacts or even cooperation for many years. Now that they have taken a step further towards establishing diplomatic relations, it has littleto do with peacein the Middle East. Second, from a new Middle East peace plan proposal to the intensive diplomacy in the Middle East, the US has always been a "biased referee" to satisfy Israel's requirements to the maximum. The "Deal of the Century" is also called a two-state solution by the Trump administration, but it is completely different from the "two-state solution" recognized by the international community. According to the plan, the area of the Palestinian territory seems to have expanded, but after replacement, it will turn into uninhabited desert or fragments. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vividly compared the territory to a "Swiss cheese state. The Palestinians have been completely deprived of their rights to establish a capital in East Jerusalem, possess defense rights, and have refugees returned. The US issued a bad check to aid Pakistan, turning "land for peace" into "money for peace". What is ridiculous is that Pakistan was totally absent from the formulation and announcement of the plan. In the recent intensive US diplomacy in the Middle East, Palestine has also been ignored and turned from a party to an outsider. Third, the reason why the US set Arab countries and Israel to improve relations is to establish a new political and military alliance against Iran and enhance its capability to control the situation in the Middle East. This is not only harmful for peace, but will also likely to aggravate the "camping" of the Middle East and increase the tension in the region. The establishment of diplomatic relations between UAE and Israel has deepened the rift between Arab countries, the Arab world has become more fragmented, and regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have further weakened. New conflicts will arise among Arab countries in the future around the issue of pro-Israel or anti-Israel. To be fair, the US has done some good things to promote peace in the Middle East. Although the US generally favors Israel, every US president since Jimmy Carter has spared no effort to promote peace in the Middle East and has played an important mediator role. But what is regrettable is that since the Trump administration took office, the US has abandoned the basic principles of its Middle East policy and the moral responsibility as a major power. Under the banner of "peace", the US has formed alliances in the Middle East, implemented divide and rule, and the offshore balancing strategy. Peace or the like would not be embraced by Trump's predecessors, let alone the Arabs. Pompeo returned empty-handed from his Middle East trip. The wave of establishing diplomatic relations between the Arab countries and Israel that the US was looking forward to did not happen. This fully shows that although the improvement of relations between the two sides is the general trend, the Arab countries will still weigh the pros and cons, choose the timing, and are unwilling to bet on their nations for the election of others. It is hard to say that participating in the "peace" operation in the Middle East led by the US is a blessing or a curse for them. The changed "peace" may bring more differences, contradictions, and conflicts to the Middle East. (The author is a research fellow at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies, director of the Center for Gulf Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)) Disclaimer: This article is originally published on huanqiu.com and translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a multilingual campaign to try to drive down the number of new COVID-19 cases in five Eastern Massachusetts cities whose caseloads continue to grow. Chelsea, Lawrence, Everett, Lynn and Revere all have average daily incidence rates above 10 cases per 100,000, well above the statewide average of 4.2 cases per capita. Gov. Charlie Baker said state officials are using phone and text messages, social media, billboards, the state website and field teams, all available in multiple languages to target all residents in North Shore communities. The campaign will expand to other communities as needed throughout the fall. The goal here is to make sure people understand whats going on in their community, where resources are available and that they can do themselves to help stop the spread, the Republican governor said. According to the states report of average daily incidence rate per capita over the last 14 days, Chelsea has the highest average in the state with 29.4 cases per capita. Revere has 20.9 cases per capita, followed by Everett with 15.9 cases per capita, Lawrence with 14.9 cases per capita and Lynn with 12.1 cases per capita. The Stop COVID-19 campaign urges people in these communities to heed the advice state officials have delivered over and over again since mid-March: wash your hands frequently, wear masks, keep 6 feet apart, avoid crowds and keep any gatherings small and avoid going out if sick. Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders also encouraged people who share a home with extended family members who have underlying medical conditions to wear masks in the home. The state launched a new website, Mass.gov/StopCOVID19, with information about testing locations, state restrictions on gathering sizes and other information for these five cities. State officials also launched websites in Spanish, Mass.Gov/DetenCOVID19, and in Portuguese, Mass.Gov/PareCOVID19. State officials initially said the information will be available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Arabic and other languages that are specific to these cities, according to Bakers office. State officials said that includes Khmer and Cape Verdean Creole. Staffers later said the websites for languages other than English, Spanish and Portuguese werent yet available. They would be expected to roll out in a number of days, but no exact timeline was given. Posters will be available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Khmer, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean Creole. There are dedicated websites in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Not for the other languages yet, but state officials say they're coming Steph Solis (@stephmsolis) September 3, 2020 The campaign is expected to run in these communities over the next four to eight weeks, Sudders said. These communities also have access to free COVID-19 testing as the states Stop the Spread initiative. Local police and health officials will also work with state agencies to enforce gathering size restrictions, support testing and contact tracing as part of the COVID-19 Enforcement and Intervention Team. Samantha Phillips, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said the CEIT has deployed state police patrols on Revere Beach, helped Brockton police enforce their COVID-19 curfews and worked with local officials in other communities. Over Labor Day weekend, multilingual field teams will set up around 15 locations to promote the COVID-19 restrictions, Sudders said. Todays initiative is one measure to stop the spread, but it is by no means the only measure, Sudders said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told public health officials across the country last week to prepare to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as early as late October, The New York Times first reported. When asked about that timeline and whether it was too early, Baker said he would not speak to that. With Labor Day weekend around the corner and grade schools resuming soon, Baker urged residents across the state to continue following the face mask and social distancing requirements. Its important that all of the commonwealths residents stick to these proven practices, he said. COVID is highly contagious, and its going to be with us until we have a treatment or a vaccine. Everyone needs to continue to take it seriously and not let down their guard. Related Content: Kyle Edmund is a quiet man with a loud forehand, but he could not make it roar for long enough on Wednesday night to seriously disrupt Novak Djokovic at the US Open. The British No 2 performed creditably enough, but failed to sustain his early charge against a man who has almost forgotten how to lose. The world No 1 was given an initial scare but recovered enough of his form to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in three hours and 13 minutes to maintain what is looking like ominous form. Novak Djokovic bounced back from a set behind to beat Kyle Edmund in four at the US Open Djokovic and Edmund embrace at the net following the second-round contest on Wednesday The world No 1 celebrates following his hard-fought victory at Flushing Meadows in New York He paid Edmund the compliment of producing his best, at least for a time, after he went behind. The match followed a similar pattern to their meeting at Wimbledon two years ago, where the 25 year-old Yorkshireman got off to an excellent start before being made to pay heavily for a drop of intensity in the second set. This inability to fully assert himself when having the advantage explains why Edmund has only won two of his matches out of his 26 against top-10 players, even those less accomplished than the brilliant Djokovic. Given the weapons at his disposal, and the kind of quality he showed he possesses early on, that figure really ought to be higher. Djokovic admitted that, not for the first time, Edmund had caused him anxiety: 'It was anybody's match for the first set and a half,' he said. 'Kyle played a fantastic first set, I didn't do much wrong. His forehand is a weapon but his backhand was very strong, very flat. 'I was pleased with my serve and how I recovered. That was a very good test for me today.' Edmund failed to sustain his early charge against a man who has almost forgotten how to lose It didn't go to plan for Djokovic early on but he eventually stamped his authority on the match Edmund was the first of four British male players in second round action, the biggest UK representation since 1974. On Wednesday night Cam Norrie was due to take on Argentina's Federico Coria to try and secure a place in the last 32. Djokovic's lockdown period was fairly interesting, to put it mildly. We have been treated to his views on vaccination and general health matters, and he was responsible for the well-documented disaster that was the Adria Tour exhibition series. In the past 10 days he has managed to get his long-cherished vision of an independent players' union-type organisation off the ground, although whether it flies remains to be seen. For most players it would have caused the kind of distraction to throw them off their game, but not the multi-tasking Serb. Watching on during the first set was Andy Murray, who is among the players who have been allocated their own personal hospitality box in the middle tier of the vast, empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. The same level of heroics that Murray produced 24 hours earlier - and more - would be required if Edmund was to spring a seismic upset. Edmund's hopes of getting back into the contest faded when Djokovic broke early in fourth set He was soon fending off three break points, but received early encouragement from the way that Djokovic repeatedly made his own life difficult by attempting backhand dropshots that either flopped into the net or stood up to be put away. Yet the world No 1 knew he had to be fully engaged against an opponent who beat him three meetings ago, at the clay court Madrid Open in 2018. Nobody is better equipped to soak up the power of Edmund's sidewinder forehand than the elastic-limbed Serb, but even he struggled to contain the quality of blows coming at him from the opposite end of the court. Edmund was good value for taking the match into a tiebreak and it was a victory of sorts when he took it 7-5, the first time in this truncated season that Djokovic has lost a tiebreak. Given that record it would have been easy for the Yorkshireman to flinch when he served for it, but he stepped up and slammed an ace down the middle of the court. That was the cue for Djokovic to properly dial in and show once again that he will brutally punish any let-up in intensity from the other end. Edmund threw in a poor game to be broken for 1-3 in the second, and it took only five minutes for the momentum of the match to be completely turned. Edmund got off to the perfect start to take the first set on a tie-break against the world No 1 Something that has turned the Serb into the player who may well overtake Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the race for most Grand Slam titles has been the evolution of his serve. The accuracy of his delivery in the second set as he focussed on his task meant that there was no way back into it for the British number two. Djokovic stretched his lead in a lower quality third set in which both players minds seemed to wander at time. He appeared to get complacent once he had forged an early lead but Edmund could not take advantage. These types of lapses are, perhaps, to be expected, given the funereal atmosphere around Flushing Meadows, which is never more stark than in its giant main stadium, where every howl of frustration echoes around the empty stands. 'So much energy in here!' he shouted sarcastically as he sped towards victory in the fourth set. BOSTON Housing advocates say the Trump administrations surprise national moratorium on evictions only delays a wave of crushing debt and homelessness, and an attorney representing landlords questions whether the measure is aimed at voters ahead of the November election. The White House announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would act under its broad powers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The measure would forbid landlords from evicting anyone for failure to pay rent, providing the renter meets four criteria. Critics call it everything from an empty stall tactic to an outright political ploy. My first reaction was, Thank God,' said Matthew Hill, an attorney with the Public Justice Center in Baltimore. But he noted that tenants will be expected to repay their rent when the moratorium expires on Jan. 1, and without some kind of rental assistance, we are just going to be kicking the can down the road. Richard Vetstein, the lead attorney representing landlords who are challenging an eviction moratorium in Massachusetts, called the CDC order convoluted and poorly drafted. Its a pretty blatant political play by Trump in an election year, Vetstein said. It purports to apply nationwide to every residential situation for nonpayment of rent, so that would be many, many millions of rental properties. The move is a good first step, said Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. But the order just puts the problem on pause. In January, when this would cease to be in place, all of those tenants would still owe all of the rent they owed to start with, Faith said. If they are covered by the moratorium and dont pay what rent they can pay, their hole is thousands of dollars deep. Faith also said implementing the order could be messy, since it would often fall to local judges to determine if a tenant qualifies. In Ohio alone, that would involve hundreds of housing courts. The CDC order covers only people who: Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers. Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments. Are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships. Are likely to become homeless if they are evicted. The CDC order comes as many local and state eviction bans are set to expire. Californias measure was supposed to end Wednesday, but Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday to extend it through Jan. 31 for people who pay at least 25% of the rent owed during that time. He described the law as a bridge to a more permanent solution from the federal government. We need a real, federal commitment of significant new funding to assist struggling tenants and homeowners in California and across the nation, Newsom said. Brian Morgenstern, a deputy White House press secretary, said the administration has also made federal funds available to alleviate any economic impact to tenants, landlords, and property owners. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said his agency had allocated nearly $10 billion in resources and rental assistance. Landlords say the order forces them to shoulder a heavy financial burden. Its great to say nobody can be evicted, said Mitch Matorin, who is owed $11,400 in back rent on property he owns in Worcester, Massachusetts. But all that does is push this large societal cost onto the landlords. Matorin, a lead plaintiff in the case against the state moratorium, said he has had to dip into savings to make monthly mortgage payments. If there is a societal interest that requires no evictions, then society needs to step up and fund it, he said. Otherwise, it is incredibly unfair and untenable to shove the cost on the landlords. A $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed in May by Democrats in the House would provide about $175 billion to pay rents and mortgages. A counter proposal from Senate Republicans offers far less. Advocacy groups have sought more than $100 billion. Vetstein said there were many questions about the order, including whether it applies to eviction cases already filed in the courts. It is also unclear how the order would affect lawsuits like the one in Massachusetts challenging the state moratorium. One of our clients is a nurse, he said. She is owed over $20,000, and now she is going to be stuck. Through the end of the year she will be owed $30,000, and the tenant can just live there for free. Its literally going to cause her financial ruin. Faith said its good to see the administration acknowledge the public health threat posed by evictions that could send people into crowded shelters and other housing. But the moratorium is not the ideal way to proceed. Whatever the orders limitations, renters like Natasha Blunt are relieved. Sign me up! the New Orleans resident said after learning about the government directive. A GoFundMe campaign and earnings from a part-time housekeeping job helped her catch up on rent through September on the two-bedroom apartment she shares with her two young grandchildren. But she was worried about what would happen after that. Oh my God. That would be a blessing for me and my babies, said Blunt, who lost her banquet porters job at the beginning of the pandemic. I would be able to buy food. It would just lift a huge weight off my shoulders. GoFundMe and donations from several community groups helped Amanda Wood of Columbus, Ohio, stave off eviction in August. But Wood, who is 23 and pregnant and has a 6-month-old at home, is scrambling again to pay Septembers bills. It makes me feel good that I cant get evicted, said Wood, who lost her job with a claims-management company in April. But shes still worried about paying all those months of rent in January. You could still face eviction after that, she said. The landlord isnt going to dismiss all the months of rent that has been built up. ___ Garcia Cano reported from Baltimore. Associated Press Financial Markets Writer Ken Sweet in New York and Associated Press Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state contributed to this report. A photo exhibition on Vietnams development and renovation is underway in the Czech Republic to mark the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2) and 70 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Visitors at the exhibition (Photo: VNA) The event was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and its bureau in Prague. Addressing the opening on September 1, Nguyen Vu Cuong, First Secretary for cultural affairs at the Embassy, said the exhibition aims to introduce Vietnams development achievements and highlight the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Czech Republic. On display are 75 photos, representing 75 years of the heroic struggle and development history of Vietnam, as well as the countrys beauty, great potential, honest people, dynamic economy and hospitality and developed society. It also features the traditional friendship between the two nations through photos on late President Ho Chi Minhs visit to the European country in the past, bilateral meetings of the two sides leaders, valuable support from the Czech people to Vietnam during its national construction and defence, and contributions by the Vietnamese community to the host countrys development. Taking to the Vietnam News Agencys correspondents, Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Tlapa highlighted the significance of the event, saying that the photos on important meetings and talks between Vietnamese and Czech leaders have manifested close relations between the two nations. The organizers said the photos displayed at the exhibition will also be introduced at events in other localities of the European nation to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Czech Republic diplomatic ties, helping to further promote the friendship between the two nations./.VNA Ukraine has opened an embassy in Albania, where Ambassador Volodymyr Shkurov has already begun his diplomatic mission, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service has reported. According to the report, on September 1, Shkurov presented his credentials to President of Albania Ilir Meta. "The opening of the embassy is a historic event for both Ukraine and Albania, which will allow us to fully realize the potential of our bilateral relations," Shkurov said. According to the report, Shkurov thanked the Albanian side for its unequivocal support in countering Russian aggression. Meta, in turn, reaffirmed the position of the Albanian side in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Both parties discussed cooperation in international organizations, the development of the political dialogue, tourism, the strengthening of economic cooperation, and people-to-people contacts. Meta also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pay an official visit to Albania. Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Albania were established on January 13, 1993, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. On July 2, 2020, the newly appointed Charge d'Affaires of Albania in Ukraine, Fation Peni, presented a diplomatic note from the Albanian side on the opening of the Albanian diplomatic mission in Ukraine. According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, gross foreign trade (in goods and services) between Ukraine and Albania amounted to almost $22 million in the first nine months of 2019 and increased by $3 million, or 15.8%, compared to the same period of 2018. Exports amounted to about $19.8 million, and imports amounted to $2.2 million. The surplus for Ukraine was $17.6 million. op By Karen Brettell and Kate Duguid (Reuters) - More U.S. corporate bonds are paying negative inflation-adjusted yields, as expectations that interest rates will stay near historic lows send investors seeking higher payouts in riskier assets. The ICE BofA U.S. corporate index for bonds maturing within five to seven years <.MERC3A0>, for example, is paying negative real yields for the first time since 2013. And bonds issued by Apple Inc in August, maturing in 10 years <037833DY3=>, yielded only 1.16% as of Wednesday, compared with expected inflation of 1.72% per year over that time period. Driving the moves are investors shifting into lower-rated debt expecting that the Federal Reserve will keep yields on short- and intermediate-term Treasuries at rock-bottom levels for years as it grapples with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Bond yields move inversely to price. That outlook was reinforced last week, when Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed would allow periods of higher inflation before raising rates. While the returns on shorter-dated corporate debt are at all-time lows - as measured by the ICE BofA one-three year U.S. corporate index <.MERC1A0> - they still beat what investors can expect on Treasuries with similar maturities. When the Fed lowers its interest rates it really just kind of forces investors to take on risk," said Eric Souza, senior portfolio manager at SVB Asset Management. "Investment grade credit and asset-backed securities is where you may start to pick up that positive net yield. Fed programs, including unprecedented Treasury and corporate bond purchases, and its commitment to holding rates near zero is seen as effectively providing a backstop for shorter-dated debt. But the low yields are also making it harder for investors to generate income. The move into corporate debt is "exactly what the Fed had planned when they were pushing investors out the maturity and credit spectrum, said Vishal Khanduja, director of investment grade fixed-Income portfolio management and trading at Eaton Vance in Boston. Go on, take more risk, because we are going to control the yield curve and the credit curve from here." Story continues Bond yields have also been weighed down by companies increasing their cash cushions and holding back from investing in higher-risk projects until the economy picks up. On the real economy side, the opportunities for investing in high returns are not really there, said Robert Tipp, chief investment strategist at PGIM Fixed Income in Newark. As a result, that liquid cash goes into the market where at least you can adjust if the world changes. The Fed's commitment to letting inflation run higher before raising rates, meanwhile, has helped hold up inflation expectations, even if market participants remain doubtful that the U.S. central bank will hit its 2% target anytime soon, having missed this goal for decades. Longer term though I still think the markets anticipating a rather sluggish recovery and therefore somewhat benign inflationary pressures, Gary Pollack, managing director fixed-income at Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management in New York. (Reporting by Karen Brettell and Kate Duguid; Editing by Tom Brown) BALTIMOREIt wasnt so much the headache or stuffy nose that worried Martha Olivares Garcia when she joined dozens of other Mexican crab pickers who got COVID-19 this summer while laboring on the Eastern Shore. Rather in a job characterized by tedious work it was the alienation she felt from co-workers and the fear that she might not get invited back next year under a visa program she relies on to sustain her family in Veracruz, Mexico. Why me? asked Garcia, 65, who makes between $10 and $11 an hour helping set up equipment for mask-wearing colleagues as they crack shells with tiny knives and pile the meat into plastic containers. I didnt ask to get sick. About 50 crab pickers tested positive in July, Dorchester County Health Department spokesperson Angela Grove said in response to questions from The Baltimore Sun. There were outbreaks defined as five or more cases in a two-week period at two plants, said Grove, who declined to identify the facilities. No one died and one person was treated in a hospital, she said. But migrant worker advocates remain concerned for the continued safety of the labourers, mostly women, who typically stay in Maryland until November. In most summers, there are as many as 500 of the workers in Dorchester, many clustered on a remote string of three islands collectively known as Hoopers. Only 180 came this summer because of a combination of caps on the H-2B visas they use and coronavirus-related restrictions. But dozens more are expected to arrive in October for the fall season. The women work and live together in close proximity. I very clearly remember telling my team its just a matter of time when we hear of these outbreaks happening, said Sulma Guzman, policy director and legislative counsel of Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, a migrant rights organization with offices in Baltimore and Mexico. Workers continue to go to work because of economic necessity. Guzman said. Their employment their visa is tied to their employer. There is this fear that if they begin to feel COVID-like symptoms, they will jeopardize their job. Around the country, there have been multiple COVID-19 outbreaks at meat packing and poultry processing plants. Maryland health officials reported in June that COVID-19 killed five workers from two Eastern Shore poultry plants and infected more than 200 other employees. As crab season began in April, plants said they were taking unprecedented steps, including cutting the size of shift crews to maximize spacing and monitoring workers temperatures. The crab pickers already were wearing masks. I have every reason to believe things are under control, said Jack Brooks, president of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association. Grove, the health department spokesperson, said Saturday that there havent been any more issues among the crab pickers. She said the department conducted home visits to monitor workers symptoms, provided cleaning supplies and thermometers, and paid for culturally appropriate food deliveries while employees were in quarantine. Many workers live in air-conditioned houses with bunk beds near the processing plants. Brooks said plants that experienced COVID-19 cases had set aside living quarters for potential quarantining. Interviewed in Spanish, Garcia said she doesnt know how she got infected. She said that when she got sick, she was moved immediately to another house to quarantine with other ill workers. Garcia and her colleagues drank tea, took Tylenol, and kept each other company. After 10 days, she went to a church in Dorchester County and got tested again, this time coming up negative. Culturally and geographically isolated, the workers are a tight-knit group. That made it difficult, Garcia said, to return to work and notice that a co-worker refused to touch anything she came in contact with. I never had strong symptoms from the virus or felt discomfort at all. But the rejection I was getting from some of my peers ... thats what hurt the most, Garcia said. Her boss, sales manager Aubrey Vincent of Lindys Seafood, said Garcia should not fear for her job. Vincent said she gave Garcia her normal hourly pay while she was isolating. This is happening to everybody, Vincent said. There is no one not affected by this. She said there have been a handful of COVID-19 cases among her companys 60 H-2B workers, but none have been seriously ill. Uninsured patients, including H-2B workers, are eligible for free COVID-19 testing and treatment under the CARES Act that Congress approved in March. In such cases, health care providers are eligible for reimbursement from the federal government for those costs. Vincent said she reduced the number of people working together from 30 to groups of 20 to 25 to allow more spacing. She said she maintains a separate quarantine shift for workers who did not test positive but lived in a house with others who did. Ive got some older employees and I dont know how Id feel if something were to happen to somebody, Vincent said. Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk than others for developing serious complications from COVID-19. Dorchester County reported 461 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday, according to the Maryland health department, and six related deaths. Selling crabmeat to supermarkets and restaurants is particularly profitable for the Eastern Shore plants. Selling crabs whole usually yields far less money. Demand for the H-2B program is so high that members of Congress often complain there arent enough workers for jobs in landscaping, seafood processing and other industries. In recent years, the Eastern Shore plants have pleaded with the Trump administration to make more visas available because they say they cant get enough domestic workers to keep up with the volume of crabs. BERLIN, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TCL, one of the world's best-selling consumer electronics brands and leading technology companies, is introducing the MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A today. This 4G connected watch provides hands-free two way calling, automatic fall detection, heart rate monitoring and medication reminders designed to help seniors maintain their independence. According to Pew Research , nearly 20 percent of seniors around the world live alone. While older adults may want to age in their homes and retain their independence, their loved ones may have concerns about their safety or their ability to get around and complete daily activities. The MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A is the perfect solution. This watch provides automatic fall detection, which notes when the wearer falls and sends an immediate alert (within 60 seconds) to assigned emergency contacts with the individual's precise location. The wearer can also dismiss the alert if necessary. With an embedded heart rate monitor and sensor, the watch will also keep an eye on heart rate and will alert the wearer to irregular activity, such as an accelerated or slower than average heart rate. "With the announcement of the MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A, TCL is utilizing modern wearable technologies that can help seniors continue living independent lives while providing peace of mind for their families and caregivers," said Sharon Xiao, GM of the Smart Connected Device Business Group at TCL Communication. "TCL is committed to leveraging its technical expertise for this generation, bringing unique offerings and features that are designed especially for them." In addition to medical emergencies, the MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A is also designed to improve daily life for older adults. Seniors stay connected by sending voice or text messages and can also share photos or emojis right from their wrist. The watch also offers smooth two-way calling so seniors can check in with loved ones using a simple hands-free request. The MOVETIME Family Watch also has daily activity tracking and sleep monitoring to help the seniors track their activity and calories, while also measuring their sleep duration, cycle and efficiency. These tools provide them with insights that can help improve their lifestyle habits. Seniors can also leverage the watch's medication or activity reminders, keeping them active while also making sure that they always take their pills on time. The MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A comes in Dark Gray and Black with a 41 x 48.5mm AMOLED touch display and optimized larger icons, watch face and graphics designed for seniors. The device is IP67 water and dust resistant and it is designed to meet CCPA and GDPR compliance to protect user privacy. The MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A will be available in North America and Europe this fall for 229 EUR. TCL will share additional details during its virtual press conference at IFA 2020 later today. To learn more about TCL wearables, including the TCL MOVETIME Family Watch, please visit http://www.tclcom.com/wearables/index.html . About TCL Electronics TCL Electronics (1070.HK) is one of the world's fastest-growing consumer electronics companies and one of the world's leading television and mobile device manufacturers. For nearly 40 years TCL has operated its own manufacturing and R&D centers worldwide, with products sold in more than 160 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. TCL specializes in the research, development and manufacturing of consumer electronics ranging from TVs, mobile phones, audio devices and smart home products as part of the company's "AI x IoT" strategy. For more information on TCL mobile devices, please visit: http://www.tcl.com/global/en.html . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247745/TCL_MT43A.jpg It does not have any true legal teeth in the sense that its determination will not be able to force any government to take any kind of action, she said. However, I do think that its determination will be important in terms of putting pressure on the U.K. government and hopefully also other governments to take clear measures to persuade China to desist from these abuses. With 3.85 million cases of COVID-19 in India, we're soon turning into a global hotspot. Amid the pandemic as industries have started opening up in a phased manner, taking precautions is important more than ever. In such a scenario, a doctor has called on people to not, "Kiss, and wear a mask when having sex to protect yourself from coronavirus." Dr Theresa Tam, is Canadas chief medical officer, has also advised that going solo is the lowest risk sexual activity one can turn to amid the pandemic. iStock In a statement, doctor Tam also suggested that there is little chance of getting infected by COVID-19 from bodily fluids like semen or vaginal fluid, however, there's a catch here. Having sex with new partners increases the risk of contracting COVID-19, especially if there is close contact like kissing. Like other activities during COVID-19 that involve physical closeness, there are some things you can do to minimise the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus, Reuters quoted her as saying. Basically, people need to start doing things like wearing a mask, which arguably changes the way we look at sex. It also restricts the number of things one can do, while having sex. iStock Dr Tam also suggests that one should skip kissing, avoiding face-to-face contact, in fact, she points out that wearing a mask that covers both your mouth and nose would ideally help. Monitoring oneself and their partner ahead of any sexual activity can also make a difference. The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone, she said. According to Dr Tam, sexual health contributes to overall health and by taking precautions. iStock In other bizarre precautions followed across the world, in the Netherlands, sex workers are advised to avoid heavy breathing and kissing to help reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. If wearing a mask during sex and no kissing decreases the chances of contacting COVID-19, then these precautions should be taken seriously but it does change the experience of sex as we view it completely. Big Tech is holding dry runs to game out Election Day chaos scenarios, key participants tell Axios. Axios has learned that Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit are holding regular meetings with one another, with federal law enforcement and with intelligence agencies to discuss potential threats to election integrity. Between March 1 and Aug. 1, Twitter practiced its response to scenarios including foreign interference, leaks of hacked materials and uncertainty following Election Day. Why it matters: The unprecedented 2020 war games show how the Bay Area tech giants are worried that the government doesn't have the COVID election under control, and are trying to protect their platforms against sinister efforts to game the outcome. Digital platforms and state and local elections agencies are two of the most important categories of gatekeepers protecting public confidence in the integrity of the Nov. 3 election. With two months to go, they're stepping up their battle plans. Americans are expected to vote by mail in record numbers this year, meaning it may be days or weeks before it's clear who won the presidency and down-ballot races. Faith in democracy will be at stake in that crucial post-Election Day period. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Axios that the company has mapped out many possible scenarios, including the spread of misinformation in the crucial post-Election Day period. Facebook said Thursday it will label posts from candidates that claim victory prematurely, directing users to results as reported by Reuters. The announcement comes as part of a beefed-up election integrity policy that will also see Facebook ban new political ads a week before Election Day. Twitter has also held similar war games, a spokesperson told Axios. Between March 1 and Aug. 1, the company practiced its response to scenarios including foreign interference, leaks of hacked materials and uncertainty following Election Day. Companies are reluctant to share the results of such exercises. It's unclear just how far they'll go, or be forced to go, to protect election integrity in the face of a sustained attack. Between the lines: Online platforms have built their election integrity rules around firm bans on posts that discourage people from voting or misinform them about when, where or how to do it. But those weren't originally planned for a situation where President Trump, Joe Biden or anyone else seeks to sow doubt about votes that have already been cast. It's unclear how effective Facebook's plan to simply label such misinformation might prove. Trump has primed his supporters to reject hypothetical Democratic victories built on mail-in ballots, arguing without evidence that they will lead to "the most RIGGED Election in our nations history." The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Biden campaign spokesperson T.J. Ducklo said only that the campaign is "working hard to make sure ... that the votes are counted in a timely, accurate manner." Elections officials understand the stakes are huge. We deeply understand that if we get election results wrong, if we put out numbers that are not accurate, that is going to drive the narrative," said Maggie Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico's secretary of state and the president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said his office is recommending to states with less vote-by-mail experience that they be ready to issue a statement publicly checking any candidate that tries to claim victory too early. The president has already made a lot of claims about this election that are not true and that weve had to push back on, and well continue to do that, said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. Meagan Wolfe, a top elections official in Wisconsin, said in a roundtable on Monday that there's also an onus on the press to explain to the public that "on election night, those are always unofficial totals." Pennsylvania is one state mulling changes to election law to begin processing mail-in ballots before Election Day. The other side: Some states are actually moving in the other direction, seeking earlier cutoffs for mail-in ballots. The Georgia Secretary of State's office told Axios it plans to appeal a recent ruling that election officials must count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. Georgia officials argue that would lead to delays and want to count only ballots received by Election Day. Dec. 8 is the deadline for states to submit presidential results to Congress. Officials in both parties have this simple advice for candidates in races that are too close to call: Dont admit defeat until the lawyers weigh in. "Every candidate will have to make their judgments about when its time for them to concede," DNC chair Tom Perez told reporters Tuesday. "I hope they will wait until the ballots are counted and the results are clear." Be smart: Every group tasked with assuring Americans that their votes get counted unelected bureaucrats, tech companies and the media already faces a trust deficit among many populations, particularly Trump supporters. Hans Nichols contributed to this story. Editors note: This story has been updated to add details about new election integrity rules that Facebook announced Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to set back any progress made in giving refugee children access to basic education, warns the United Nations Refugee Agency. According to the agencys 2020 report, half of all refugee girls in school will not return when classrooms reopen this September, with many being at risk of dropping out for good. The coronavirus could destroy the dreams and ambitions of these young refugees. It threatens to cause a pandemic of poverty in the worlds most vulnerable communities, said the report Coming Together for Refugee Education, which was released Thursday. This is not only about school closures. It is about the ability of refugee families on low incomes and in precarious livelihoods, in urban settings and in camps, to afford fees, uniforms, textbooks, travel, mobile data and devices, on top of food and shelter. Last year, 77 per cent of refugee youth attended primary schools, but only 31 per cent proceeded to secondary education up two per cent from the previous year. Only three per cent made it to technical and vocational education and training as well as universities and colleges. Almost all the gains made at the secondary level last year were in favour of boys. While 36 per cent of refugee boys were enrolled in secondary education, only 27 per cent of their female peers were. The report was based on data from the refugee populations in Chad, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey and Uganda. Across the 12 countries, which accounted for more than half of the worlds school-age refugee population, more than 1.8 million or 48 per cent of refugee children and youth are out of school. I am especially concerned with the impact on refugee girls. Not only is education a human right, but the protection and economic benefits to refugee girls, their families and their communities of education are clear, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The international community simply cannot afford to fail to provide them with the opportunities that come through education. Surviving the threats of COVID-19 has been especially tough for the 85 per cent of the worlds refugees who live in developing or least-developed countries, he warned. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, connectivity, even radio sets are often not readily available to displaced communities, hindering access to information, let alone remote learning. However, that has not stopped the refugee agency, UN member countries and community partners from working to bridge those gaps and ensure the continuity of refugee education through the pandemic. Among the innovations highlighted in the report: In Egypt, refugees from Syria, Yemen, Sudan and South Sudan can attend public schools. Those in high schools are given a tablet to access digital libraries and learning materials; In Jordan, the government in March launched an online distance-learning platform with educational videos in subjects from English and Arabic to math and science that students can access through WhatsApp; In the Dadaab refugee complex, a teacher took to the airwaves to broadcast lessons to her Grade 5 class on a community station; and In Bolivia, a non-governmental organization has staff in protective gear from heads to toes and uses a school bus as a mobile classroom to reach out to Venezuelan refugee children. COVID-19 is an added challenge for refugees looking for an education, said the report, as violence and attacks on students, teachers and other education personnel continue through military use of schools and the recruitment of children into armed and criminal groups. In Africas Sahel region, for instance, conflicts forced the closure of more than 2,500 schools affecting the education of 350,000 students even before the pandemic shut down the rest of the schools. The coronavirus has added new challenges to lives already torn apart by conict and persecution. Many may never ever now return to school, said Egyptian soccer star Mo Salah, ambassador for the Instant Network Schools Programme, a joint initiative by the U.K.-based Vodafone Foundation and the UN. Children who have been uprooted from their homes need books, schools, qualied teachers and more. But they also need the digital technology that connects them to the rest of the world. The report calls on governments and private sector to create and deliver technology solutions by providing software, hardware and connectivity and to strengthen national education systems to make them inclusive so refugee children are not left behind. How to Get Tested You must present a care provider's order to be screened for COVID-19, including at drive-thru locations. Students who wish to be seen by a Student Health Center provider should call 573-882-7481. Low- or no-cost options are available, depending on income. Or, you can undergo a virtual assessment through Mizzou Quick Care or at muhealthvideovisits.org, which will cost up to $59, depending on your insurance. Students can also access MU Health Cares free nurse assessment line at 573-884-0948. The operating hours for the Hearnes Center and Mizzou North testing locations will be the same: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The Student Health Center has an on-campus COVID testing site for students. The testing site is currently located in the old Sustainability Office on the west side of the Virginia Avenue Parking Garage (across from the Mizzou Market on Hitt Street). Current hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, the testing site will move to Parking Garage 7 in the old Human Resources area on the west side of the garage. The hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday through Sunday. COLUMBIA A White Richland County Sheriff's deputy captured on body camera earlier this year slamming a handcuffed Black woman to the ground by her hair has been fired and charged with assault, Sheriff Leon Lott said Wednesday. You only use force thats necessary to address the situation, and that force wasnt necessary," Lott said in announcing the termination of 29-year-old Master Deputy Kyle Oliver. "Thats not what we teach, thats not what we approve and thats not going to be something we have happen, he said. The video was taken Jan. 7 at a Richland County precinct where officers brought the woman after arresting her for allegedly throwing a brick into a parked vehicle at an apartment complex near Interstate 20 north of Columbia. Her name was redacted in the incident report provided to The Post and Courier. The report says the 33-year-old woman, with her hands cuffed behind her back, headbutted another officer before banging her head into the substation's wall, making a hole. Thats when Oliver took her by the hair and slung her to the ground, seen in footage captured on body camera and made public Wednesday. The report says Oliver "used a muscle technique in attempt to cease the assaulting and destruction of property." The woman was additionally charged with assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest. Lott said Oliver's action exceeded any appropriate level of force needed to restrain the woman. Lott said he was tipped off Monday by a person outside the agency but did not elaborate. After the sheriff reviewed the tape along with 5th Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson, Oliver was fired Tuesday. He was arrested on a charge of third-degree assault and battery. Oliver, who joined the force in 2013, was booked Wednesday at the Richland County jail and released hours later on his own recognizance, according to court records. Lott said the woman did not report the confrontation to police, although it should have been uncovered through the departments own checks. The eight-second footage shows several other people in the background and none intervening. Lott said officials will continue to investigate. Nobody else seen on the body cam footage was publicly identified Wednesday. That should have been caught by our people, and it was not, Lott said. Its time for us to do a self-evaluation and discover if there are other issues, if there's a culture to be taken care of. This is just one of those days you stand up here, shake your head and go, 'why? We work every day doing good things out here but it only takes one time that will create mistrust in the community. Lott said Oliver had no previous history of disciplinary actions. Officials have created a new position within the agencys internal affairs unit an investigator who reviews all body camera footage involving use-of-force incidents. Oliver is the second Midlands police officer to be fired this week. On Sunday, Columbia Police fired Sgt. Chad Walker for using a racial slur while on patrol in the Five Points area on Aug. 29. Walker, who is White, argued with patrons outside a bar about how a Black man allegedly called him the n-word. During the argument, captured on video and widely shared across social media, Walker then repeated the n-word multiple times. Walker continued to argue with patrons even as another Columbia officer attempted to lead him away from the scene. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Some University of Alaska students called for the resignation of the student regent following a lengthy email with content some considered inappropriate. University of Alaska Board of Regents member Cachet Garrett sent the message to more than 30,000 students Monday, The Anchorage Daily News reported. The nearly 4,300-word email titled, A love letter from your student regent, Cachet, included a description of her goals and views on the Board of Regents. The email also provided a wide-ranging personal narrative covering her personality traits, background at the university and life experiences such as her study of yoga and tantra. Garretts regent biography said she is a University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student and a licensed massage therapist who has worked at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and United Way of Southeast Alaska. Garrett was named student regent by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy in May 2019, but her appointment has not yet been confirmed by the Legislature. Garretts comments about mental health topics drew opposition on and off social media. I charge you all with the great task of self-care, the message said in part. And with this I must humbly, vulnerably, and bravely request of you all, please dear ones, NO MORE SUICIDING. Garrett also discouraged any negative talk around our beloved university system. Instead, engage your tools, engage the power of prayer, and lift up our universities and their leaders, she wrote. University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student Bradley Morton said the email was very bizarre. A lot of it is rambling nonsense and a lot of it is also really inappropriate content to be sending to 30,000 people, Morton said. Morton and at least one other student called for Garretts resignation during public testimony to a regents meeting Monday, while others expressed dismay about the email. Regent Chair Sheri Buretta issued a response defending Garretts right as a student and as a person to express her opinions. However, she does not speak for the Board or the University, and the tone and content of her emailed letter to the student body do not reflect the sentiments of the Board, Buretta said. The Anchorage Daily News reported Garrett did not respond to requests for comment. In response to a request for comment from The Associated Press, Garrett, by email Thursday, said she needs permission from the board chair to accept interview requests. KGS 10 million has been allocated to hold parliamentary elections for Kyrgyzstanis abroad, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Akram Madumarov told during a briefing, Trend reports citing Kabar. He said the money had already been allocated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic. "44 polling stations have been opened abroad. A total of 2,464 polling stations will be opened across Kyrgyzstan, the official added. The elections to the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyz Parliament) are set for Oct. 4, 2020. Ithra Dubai, fully owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, said it has achieved a major milestone with the lift of the 192-m-long first section of The Link, now connecting the two towers of the iconic One Zaabeel 100 m above ground level. The master real estate developer carried out over 12 days one of the heaviest lifts in the region, weighing in at around 8,500 tonnes. More than 110 special jacks and heavy-duty strand jacks were used for the operation, calling for a concerted effort by a team of global experts in the fields of construction, engineering and contracting. The first section of the Link is now in its final position. The second lift of 900 tonnes scheduled for October, will complete the Link structure to reach its final length of 226 metres. The Link will top the list of engineering marvels and is set to break an international record for the longest cantilevered building in the world. Director and CEO Issam Galadari said: "Ithra Dubais One Zaabeel and its iconic Link are modern marvels of engineering and design, a tribute to Dubais Vision and the citys greatness." Over a total built-up area of 470,700 sq m, it will include premium office space, 263 high-end residential units, three floors of retail space, 497 ultra-luxury hotel rooms and serviced apartments and the worlds first One & Only urban resort. It is also aiming for Gold Leed certification, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and its sustainable development goals. The Iconic One Zaabeel is the gate to the financial district of Dubai DIFC, with an overhead link to the Dubai World Trade Center. "The boundless ingenuity exhibited in this project will attract visitors from all over the world by offering the best in business and leisure. One Zaabeel will soon join the list of wonders attributed to Dubai," he added. The multi-award winner mixed-use development estimated to be completed in late 2021 embodies Dubais avant-gardism, modeling its offerings after the city itself.-TradeArabia News Service Dairy farmers are being urged to complete a 'once in a generation' consultation on milk contracts, with less than two weeks to go until the deadline. Farming unions have been calling for reform in milk contracts for some time, and the consultation is seen as the best opportunity for change in decades. The UK government's consultation wants farmers' opinions on new legislation for milk contracts. The deadline is set for Tuesday 15 September. Defra reports that the consultation is in response to concerns raised that primary producers, including dairy farmers, tend to occupy positions of relative market weakness in the food supply chain. Consensus among agricultural producers in the UK is that unequal bargaining power with processors and retailers can expose farmers to unfair treatment, with the potential to undermine equitable price transmission along the chain. NFU Scotland's Milk Committee Chair, Gary Mitchell said it was 'absolutely vital' for farmers to participate in the consultation. NFUS have proactively engaged with a large number of farmers, milk buyers and other stakeholders on this consultation," he said. Change is never an easy process, but if you as an individual are in control of the change, then not only is it more palatable, then the change can be to your advantage. For too long dairy farmers operate in a supply chain where there are too many external variables that can directly affect their bottom line, this is an opportunity to change that. The consultation can be accessed online on the government's website. An American who fought with the Islamic State group for five years before being captured and sent home pleaded guilty Wednesday to supporting a terror group, the Justice Department announced. Texas-born Omer Kuzu, 23, spent five years handling communications for the jihadist group before his capture last year by the Syrian Democratic Forces. He and his brother traveled to Turkey on October 16, 2014, where they connected with people linked to the Islamic State and were smuggled across the border into Syria and then to IS-held territory in Iraq. Trained as a fighter, he was eventually assigned to IS telecommunications operations, helping to repair telecoms equipment, according to the charges against him. Kuzu was returned to the United States after his capture and first appeared in federal court in Texas on August 1, 2019. After pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to a terror group, Kuzu faces up to 20 years in prison. His sentencing is set for January 22, 2021. "The Department of Justice remains committed to holding accountable those who have left this country in order to join and support ISIS," said Assistant Attorney General John Demers. Demers said the Kuzu case was an example of the United States being willing to repatriate its nationals who join the outlawed jihadist group in Iraq and Syria. Washington has assailed allies in Europe for refusing to repatriate and try their own nationals who joined IS -- and who are now sitting in prison camps in Iraq and Syria. "We hope countries around the world, including our European allies and partners, will likewise take responsibility for their own citizens who traveled to support ISIS." Demers said. pmh/sst The delegation of National Assembly (NA) deputies representing Ho Chi Minh City will convene a meeting this week to reach a proposition on the dismissal of Pham Phu Quoc, a lawmaker caught in a controversy regarding his dual citizenship status. Ho Chi Minh City officials detailed their latest response regarding the dual citizenship status of Quoc during a press conference on Tuesday. Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, head of the Propaganda and Education Board under the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, chaired the event. In an expose published on August 28, Qatari Al Jazeera reported on the so-called golden passport program of the Cypriot government, which allowed dozens of major political figures and their families to purchase Cyprus citizenship. Named in the article was Pham Phu Quoc, a serving NA representative from Ho Chi Minh City whose five-year tenure will be completed in 2021. According to a compilation of documents called The Cyprus Papers by Al Jazeera, the application for Cypriot citizenship of Quoc and his wife Nguyen Phan Dieu Phuong was approved by Cyprus Ministry of Internal Affairs on December 12, 2018. Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, head of the Propaganda and Education Board under the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, speaks at a press conference on the dual citizenship status of National Assembly representative Pham Phu Quoc, September 1, 2020. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre Answering Tuoi Tres inquiry on August 25, Quoc admitted to having obtained his Cypriot citizenship in 2018 through family sponsorship and refuted allegations that he 'bought' the citizenship. In his opening remarks at Tuesdays press conference addressing the lawmakers dual citizenshipcontroversy, Tu Luong, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Information and Communications, affirmed city authorities swift response in clarifying the case. Quoc submitted a letter of resignation from the NA position on August 25 while simultaneously being asked to step down from his chief executive role at state-owned Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Co. Ltd (IPC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Luong said. Ha Phuoc Thang, chief of office of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, claimed that the nomination of the NA seat by relevant agencies of the city during the 2016 general elections before Quoc got his Cypriot citizenship was in full compliance with regulations and procedures in place. Quoc gained his second nationality in 2018 but did not report it to his senior management. This is deemed a bad example of non-compliance with regulations of the Party and the institution, Thang said. Ha Phuoc Thang, chief of office of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee, speaks at a press conference on the dual citizenship status of National Assembly representative Pham Phu Quoc, September 1, 2020. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre According to Thang, relevant agencies have been brought in to probe the situation after it was revealed by foreign and domestic media. The Ho Chi Minh Citys NA delegation as well as municipal Party agencies have reviewed Quocs case in search of a resolution. This week, the citys NA delegation will convene a meeting to reach a proposition on the dismissal of Pham Phu Quoc from his NA seat and submit it to the Deputies Affairs Committee and the Standing Committee of the legislature, said Thang. The municipal Party Committee will work with Quoc in September to review his responsibility as a Party member in reference to the Partys regulations. City leaders will order the Department of Internal Affairs to discharge Quoc from his chief executive position at the IPC this week. Quocs responsibilities during his tenure at the Ho Chi Minh City Financial Investment State-Owned Company (HFIC) and IPC will be vetted before the dismissal. Pham Phu Quoc, 52, was the general director of HFIC from 2015 until 2018 and was appointed general director of IPC on December 4, 2019. He was elected to the 14th National Assembly in May 2016, serving the 2016-21 tenure. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! White House adviser Jared Kushner visited Saudi Arabia this week and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). The two men have developed a close bond over hours of private chats, sharing their grand visions for the region. The purpose of this trip was reportedly to discuss a normalisation of ties deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, similar to the one the UAE concluded, dubbed the Abraham Accord. If Saudi government statements are to be believed, it is unlikely he will succeed in that mission in the near term. But Kushner can use his continuing dialogue with MBS to do some good. He should leverage his close ties to the crown prince to gain the freedom of Saudi political prisoners, including US-Saudi dual nationals Salah al-Haidar and Bader al-Ibrahim. Saudi Arabia has detained the two Americans without charge since April 2019. Both al-Haidar and al-Ibrahim are US-born citizens, natives of Virginia and Washington, respectively. They were living in Saudi Arabia when they invoked the ire of Saudi authorities for engaging in what passes as normal political discussion in much of the rest of the world. Al-Ibrahim is a co-author of a book on the Shia minority in Saudi Arabia. Al-Haidar is a journalist, whose now-deleted YouTube show, Thats the Point, featured leading Saudi intellectuals and reformers. Al-Haidars real crime might well have been just being the son of Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at King Saud University and prominent feminist whom Saudi authorities are prosecuting for her past activism to end the driving ban on women. Saudi state security officials arrested Al-Haidar just a few days after they released his mother on bail. Our sources in Saudi say that the Specialized Criminal Court for State Security, the Saudis own version of the star chamber, has finally decided to charge the two men under the terrorism law, based on their comments and tweets, for which they face up to 30 years in prison. Like almost all proceedings in the Special Criminal Court, the trials of the two men will be held in secret. Given US President Donald Trumps dire need for foreign policy victories to showcase ahead of the November elections, getting al-Haidar and al-Ibrahim released and bringing them home to the US would be a popular move with both Republican and Democrat voters. The Saudi crown prince could show the Saudi justice system is working by acquitting the men or giving them light sentences for time served, before allowing Kushner to claim credit for their release. It would be MBSs gift to the Trump administration, which could use the release to burnish the image of President Trump as the protector of American citizens unjustly imprisoned abroad an image portrayed in a polished seven-minute video clip presented during the Republican Convention at the end of August. It is worth noting that MBS is indebted to President Trump and Kushner. The crown prince was isolated and reeling after the savage murder of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Western democracies spoke in unison, condemning the murder and demanding accountability. Many followed up with action, imposing travel bans, sanctions and suspensions of arms exports. At MBSs low point, the Trump administration and Special Adviser Kushner rode to the rescue, providing a crucial lifeline. Jared Kushner reportedly became MBSs chief champion in the White House, as well as an informal adviser to the crown prince on damage control. Eight months after Khashoggis murder, Trump vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fast-tracked the arms shipments to avoid traditional congressional reporting requirements. As far as the Trump administration was concerned, it would be business as usual between the United States and Saudi Arabia. The rest of the world took notice. Apart from al-Haidar and al-Ibrahim, many other prominent Saudi activists and intellectuals are languishing in jail, including Loujain al-Hathloul, who has been whipped, electrocuted and waterboarded for advocating womens rights; Salman Al-Awdah, a prominent Muslim scholar who called for democratic reforms and faces the death penalty and the father of one of the authors; Nouf Abdulaziz, a blogger and activist who has been tortured and sexually harassed in jail; Fadel al-Manasif, a Shia activist and writer serving a 15-year sentence for peaceful activism; and Waleed Abulkhair, a human rights lawyer also serving a 15-year sentence. The list sadly goes on. For now, it is enough for senior adviser Kushner to secure the release of the two Americans and seek freedom for this small cross-section of Saudi political prisoners. It would not erase the unsavoury taint of Kushners friendship with MBS, but it would be big news, deservedly so. A US-brokered release of American and Saudi political prisoners would also provide a signal to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other autocratic allies in the region, that the Trump administration, despite its alarming violations of human rights at home, might one day focus its attention on their own cell blocks of political prisoners. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Bryan Connor Herrell (25) from Colorado, was sentenced to 11 years of prison time for being one of the moderators on the dark web marketplace AlphaBay. Bryan Connor Herrell (25) from Colorado, was sentenced to 11 years of prison time for being one of the moderators on the popular dark web marketplace AlphaBay. A Colorado man was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Drozd to 11 years in prison. reads the press release published by the DoJ. According to court documents, Bryan Connor Herrell, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, was a moderator on the AlphaBay marketplace, an illegal website that operated on the so-called darknet. AlphaBay Market was considered to be the largest dark web drug marketplace with over 250,000 listings for illegal drugs and toxic chemicals , and over 100,000 listings for stolen and fraudulent identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware, and other computer hacking tools, firearms, and fraudulent services. A conservative estimation of USD 1 billion was transacted in the market since its creation in 2014. Transactions were paid in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. reads a press release published by the Europol. The AlphaBay Market went down on July 4th, 2017 without any explanation, many users that purchased products on the marketplace fearer the Exit-Scam. A few days after the disconcerting disappearance, the Wall Street Journal reported that the black marketplace shut down after authorities in the United States, Canada, and Thailand conducted several raids and arrested Alexandre Cazes, who was suspected to be an operator of the AlphaBay Market. According to court documents, Herrell served as a marketplace moderator and scam watcher between May 2016 and July 2017 using the monikers Penissmith and Botah. Prosecutors confirmed that the man was paid in Bitcoin for his role in the dark web marketplace. In January, 2020, the man pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to darknet marketplace AlphaBay Now the court sentenced the crook to 11 years in prison. This sentence of an AlphaBay employee demonstrates the collective efforts of law enforcement authorities in the United States and Europe to find and prosecute transnational criminal actors wherever they hide, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. The department will continue to work tirelessly to hold accountable criminals who use the Dark Web to facilitate illegal activity no matter where they may be located. This sentence serves as further proof that criminals cannot hide behind technology to break the law, said U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott of the Eastern District of California. Operating behind the veil of the darknet may seem to offer shelter from criminal investigations, but people should think twice before ordering or selling drugs onlineyou will be caught. This office will continue using all means available to pursue darknet-based crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, opioids, and other dangerous drugs. Alexandre Cazes, the AlphaBay founder, was identified due to a mistake that most cybercriminals do, which allowed authorities to discover his real identity and led to his arrest. Cazes was using his personal email Pimp_Alex_91@hotmail.com to send out support emails to all members of AlphaBay. The email address was associated with a Canadian man named Alexandre Cazes with the birth date October 19, 1991, who was the president of a software company called EBX Technologies. Local authorities have taken him into custody in Bangkok on July 5th, 2017 on the same day the police executed two raids on residences in Quebec, Canada. According to the authorities, Cazes earned over $23 million in cryptocurrency operating AlphaBay, Thailandes police also seized cars and real estate valued at roughly $12.5 million after his arrest. Unfortunately, Cazes was found dead in his jail cell on July 12, 2017, but authorities are still investigating the darkweb marketplace in the attempt to arrest other administrators. Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs hacking, AlphaBay) Rotunda Rumblings Keeping it civil: The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a bill granting temporary immunity to Ohio businesses and other employers from coronavirus-related lawsuits, Andrew Tobias writes. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike DeWines desk for his signature. The House and Senate approved different versions of the bill weeks ago, but the bill languished until this week, when House leaders picked it back up. Sharing is CARING: The Senate also approved sending $650 million in federal CARES Act money to local governments to cover coronavirus-related expenses. Per Tobias, the new money follows previous funding rounds of $350 million approved by the legislature and $175 million approved by the state Controlling Board for local governments. It still requires House approval to become law. Dashing to November: A very specific group of Ohioans could face an additional hurdle while registering to vote, Tobias writes. After moving, Carol Conti-Entin said she was confused after she was asked to confirm why her name didnt match the record on file with the state BMV. The difference? The state voter file didnt include the hyphen, which the Secretary of States Office has banned for data-entry reasons. Elections officials said the issue, which also could affect people with apostrophes in their names, wont cause problems for anyone proving their identity when voting. Emcee Chris: Fox News Chris Wallace will moderate the first presidential debate scheduled for Sept. 29 in Cleveland, Seth Richardson reports. Wallace is a longtime broadcast journalist and moderated a presidential debate in 2016. Another type of presidential debate: Attorneys for Kanye West and Secretary of State Frank LaRose are trading arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court about whether LaRose was justified in rejecting Wests attempt to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as an independent presidential candidate. As Jeremy Pelzer writes, LaRose argues Wests petitions had fatal defects and that he had the power to reject them. West argues that LaRose exceeded his authority in keeping him off the ballot. HB6 panel picks: House Speaker Bob Cupp on Wednesday revealed the lawmakers who will serve on his select committee to study whether to repeal and/or replace House Bill 6, Ohios controversial nuclear-bailout law. State Rep. Jim Hoops, a Napoleon Republican who voted for HB6 but against Larry Householder for speaker, will chair the committee, though overall eight of the 15 committee members voted against the legislation (five voted yes, while two members werent yet in the legislature at the time of the vote). Skipping grades: Senate Bill 358 would continue flexibility on school accountability measures during the coronavirus pandemic. Emily Bamforth reports that the bill would cancel state testing and ask the federal government for a waiver on federal testing requirements. Several other states have headed in the same direction on testing, but the Trump administration is uneasy about canceling testing requirements again this fall. Cases up, deaths down: The number of newly reported coronavirus cases Wednesday exceeded the 21-day rolling average, Laura Hancock reports. However, the number of deaths was significantly lower than the average. COVID deaths hit almost everywhere: Deaths from coronavirus have now reached 84 of the states 88 counties. The exceptions are all sparsely populated Morgan, Noble, Paulding and Pike counties. Cuyahoga leads for deaths with 582 reported by the state through Wednesday, while the highest rates per capita are Monroe (131.8 per 100,000), Mahoning (116.3) and Lucas (80.1), Rich Exner reports. COVID job losses: A Cleveland State University study of 40 of the largest metro areas in the country finds that Cleveland is fourth-worst for job losses during the coronavirus crisis, down 12.2% from July 2019 to this past July. In Ohio, all three big metros lost big, but Cincinnati has rebounded strongly while Cleveland and Columbus metros are lagging, Exner reports. Raising the bar: The newly formed Arab American Bar Association of Ohio seeks to serve the increasing number of attorneys of Arab American descent, Hancock reports. The group, like similar organizations for women, Black attorneys and others, will focus on service, mentoring and social and legal engagement. Carson city: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio on Tuesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson violated the Hatch Act by using official channels to distribute a Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled Well Protect Americas Suburbs that Brown contends is overtly partisan, Sabrina Eaton reports. Brown, a Democrat, said the Hatch Act doesnt apply to elected officials like Trump, but he sets the tone and he has used federal employees to help him carry out these political acts. Crowd control: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a Champaign County Republican, wants Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to answer for the citys response to an unruly crowd outside the White House that swarmed Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky last week after President Donald Trumps speech accepting the Republican nomination, writes Eaton. A letter Jordan sent Bowser claims that the nations capital, under her leadership, has allowed radical left-wing violent extremists to commit senseless acts of violence and destruction. Freedom of choice: When Jordan and his House Freedom Caucus allies backed Republican primary candidates who faced GOP leadership-backed opponents, just three of their nine candidates prevailed, writes Ian Karbal of the Center for Responsive Politics. Several of the Freedom Caucus-backed candidates have drawn scrutiny for controversial previous statements, the publication reports. Runway spending: Airports in Cuyahoga and Summit counties were among 405 airports around the country awarded more than $1.2 billion in airport safety and infrastructure grants by the Federal Aviation Administration, Eaton writes. Cuyahoga County Airport got $5,610,957 through the FAAs Airport Improvement Program, while Akron Fulton International Airport got $3,732,938, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced. Competitive advantage: Ohios legislative races this year, taken as a whole, are the 11th most-competitive in the nation, according to a new report from Ballotpedia. The Buckeye States score was based on the fact that 16.5% of legislative incumbents had contested primaries, about 81% of seats had two major-party candidates, and 20% of legislative races this year are for open seats. New suit: A new group called Ohio Stands Up! has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn DeWines emergency declaration due to the coronavirus, as well as the subsequent health orders his administration has issued. The governors orders, the suit states, wipe away all that it means to be an American. But as the Toledo Blades Tom Henry reports, the governor shrugged off the suit. Ive been sued many times, he said. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the Feb. 6, 2020 financial disclosure form filed by Gary Click, a Sandusky County Republican running for Ohio House District 88: 1. Hes a board member of and national legislative director for the Buckeye Christian School Organization. 2. His investments consist of two individual retirement accounts with Millennium Trust Company and PFS Investments. 3. At some point in 2019, Click owed at least $1,000 to Fremont Federal Credit Union, Cornerstone Community Credit Union, Citibank, Capital One, Synchrony Bank, Bank of America, and Mastercard. 4. Last year, he received a gift worth at least $75 from Fremont Brakes and Oil. 5. As the pastor of Fremont Bible Baptist Temple, Click holds a ministers license to solemnize marriage. On The Move Tim Derickson, a former Ohio state representative, has been named senior director of food and agribusiness for JobsOhio. He previously was assistant director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Secretary of State Frank LaRose has been appointed to the National Association of Secretaries of States Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council. Patricia Trish Harris was confirmed Wednesday by the Ohio Senate to become chief operating officer of the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. Harris, who first joined the BWC as an intern in 1991, succeeds Kevin Abrams, who retired Monday after nearly four decades with the agency. Birthdays Greg Cunningham, Ohio House assistant sergeant-at-arms Straight from the Source I aint voting to repeal it, period. - State Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, explaining to the Cincinnati Enquirer that he opposes repealing House Bill 6 because he believes itll save ratepayers money compared to the default without the law, which requires renewable mandates. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. Shanghai holds anti-Fascism memorial seminar By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-03 13:29 A seminar themed on the relief of Jewish refugees in Shanghai and anti-Fascism was held in Shanghai in memory of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The seminar was conducted in the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, the only museum in China that pays homage to the sacrifices and hardship the Jews were put through as well as highlights the role Shanghai played in offering Jews some kind of sanctuary. Scholars from Shanghai academies discussed the history of Shanghai receiving more than 20,000 Jewish refugees during WWII. Pan Guang, director of the Shanghai Jewish Studies Center, said that a world anti-fascist united front was formed in Shanghai in the face of the Fascists Axis in the form of foreigners in Shanghai of whatever political stances helping relieve the Jewish refugees and also assisting the Chinese peoples Anti-Japanese War of Resistance. Studying the Shanghai Jewish refugees and the world anti-fascist united front in Shanghai is not only of academic value for the research of the history of Chinas Anti-Japanese War of Resistance, Shanghai history and WWII history, but also has practical significance for observing the current international situation, said Mr. Pan. In the view of Yang Jiemian, president of the Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies, restudying the anti-Fascism history helps to avoid the world making the same mistakes and to step in the right direction, since peace and development remain the dominant hope of every normal person. A judge who triggered a retrial in a family law case by bullying a father's lawyers has been moved to a new location and will be monitored in hearings as he receives training on appropriate courtroom conduct. Judge Guy Andrew was appointed in March last year as the sole judge in the Federal Circuit Court's Townsville registry, complementing 13 judges in the court's busier Brisbane registry. Judge Guy Andrew's treatment of lawyers for a father in a family law case denied the man a fair hearing, an appeal court said. Credit:Angela Wylie His appointment was welcomed at the time as improving access to justice for the local community. But in an excoriating judgment on August 28, the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia ordered a retrial in a family law case heard by Judge Andrew in September last year after concluding he engaged in "hectoring, bullying, insulting and demeaning" conduct towards a Queen's Counsel and solicitor. West Chester street artist Cassius King installed sticker art on top of a Walgreens in Bradford Plaza to read, "algreen's." The sticker was removed after four days. Read more While running errands last Saturday in West Chester, street artist Cassius King glanced at the large vinyl sticker of soul crooner Al Green that had been in the front seat of his car for weeks. King created the sticker earlier in the summer, waiting for just the right moment to apply it to the Bradford Plaza Walgreens Pharmacy sidewalk sign. It would read, Algreens. King decided that it was the right moment. It was around 6 p.m. when he drove up to the sign near the corner of Downingtown Pike and Route 162 and parked his car. He hopped out, ran up to the sign, and installed the sticker on top of the W. The 27-inch-by-21-inch sticker is a photo of a shirtless, afroed Green from the cover of his 1975 album, Al Greens Greatest Hits. King was prepared with tools to cut a piece of white foam board to cover the areas of the W that the sticker couldnt reach. He also supplied an apostrophe. After a few minutes, the sign read, Algreens Drive Thru Pharmacy. During the installation, theres this rush of adrenaline going through you, King said in an interview Thursday. Once the piece is up, its really about getting the right pictures and snapping as many pictures as you can. I have to accept that the moment you walk away, it could come down at any time. The sign remained for four days but was removed on Wednesday. A Walgreens manager said they werent at liberty to discuss the details of the stickers removal. Calls to Walgreens media relations department were not returned Thursday. Also on Wednesday, the real Al Green tweeted, Who did this? along with a photo of the manipulated sign and a laughing emoji. About three hours later, Walgreens' official Twitter account retweeted Green with the caption, We were just tired of being alone. Al Greens people reached out to me on Wednesday, said King. They asked me for my address to send me some of his records. King said hes been an admirer of Green for years and that all I cared about was [Green] seeing that it was out there in the world. To King, Greens retweet was a form of approval and the entire experience has been unreal. King has produced this type of street art, which hes dubbed street-fiti, since 2017, and he has 10 years of experience in graphic design. The stickers are fairly easy to produce and take about a day to create. But the installation happens in seconds. King, who declined to publicly disclose his real name and age, has lived in West Chester for 20 years. Hes a professor at a local university. He has installed dozens of street art stickers around West Chester, including another Al Green sticker at the same Walgreens in 2018. King said that installation was removed in less than 24 hours. That was pre-COVID and things are just different now, King said about the earlier installation. This time, the sticker, just wasnt at the top of their priority list or they didnt notice it until it went viral. Hes installed stickers on stop signs, changing the sign to quote lyrics from Michael Jackson, Dont STOP til you get enough, and the Supremes, STOP in the name of love. Another installment recreates a famous scene from the 1999 film The Matrix. And another positions rapper Vanilla Ice in the lettering of an ice freezer. King also works with projection art, casting images onto sides of buildings. King said most people react positively to his work, but there are a few who disapprove. Last year, two West Goshen detectives visited King at his home to warn him about installing sticker art on walls and street signs. King said the detectives also mentioned that they were fans of his work. The mayor of West Chester, Dianne Herrin, is also a fan, of the sticker art, King said. Im partnering with her to put on a rooftop drive-in, with projection art, which will help raise funds for COVID-19 relief efforts. The West Chester police department and mayors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the sticker art. Mural Arts executive director Jane Golden loved Algreens but acknowledged that sticker art can be problematic. The key, she said, is permission. Golden says that the scale and the magnitude of the work should always be considered when critiques of public art are made. Is it damaging property? Is it hurting anyone? Is something being taken away thats important? Golden asked. I think when the line gets crossed and what makes it vandalism, is when its done without permission or without inherent respect for whos there. I think we all need to be cognizant that we should do the work in a respectful manner. To some people, youre the peach. And to others, youre the pit, King said. When there have been folks that push back [about the sticker art] in the borough, it doesnt scare me to stop. At the end of the day, Im putting a sticker on the wall. I think there are bigger fish to fry for law enforcement and theyve acknowledged that. Q. I use TurboTax to prepare my taxes and file the federal return. They charge $25 to file the New Jersey return electronically so for years Ive printed it out and mailed it, more on principle, not because I cant afford it. Is there some other way to take the New Jersey file and submit it myself electronically? Taxpayer A. We applaud you doing something like this on principle. While you can continue to mail the return, there are some advantages to doing it online. When you mail in a paper tax return the government has to keypunch most of your information into a government computer, said Bernie Kiely, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with Kiely Capital Management in Morristown. If you are a government clerk keypunching hundreds of tax returns every day, you are going to make mistakes. Its only human nature, Kiely said. Prior to e-filing, my clients would frequently get notices from the IRS that were incorrect because of an input error. Since e-filing, these notices have practically disappeared. You can file electronically directly with the state of New Jersey. And its free. Give it a try. Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com. Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. An Extinction Rebellion founder has sparked fury after suggesting MPs and business owners 'culpable' for climate change 'should have a bullet through their heads'. In a recording obtained by Guido, Roger Hallam, 54, can be heard telling his followers that 'the people that run society, run big business, run governments, run the elites' are fully responsible for the 'climate catastrophe'. He is also heard arguing for 'mass socialistic organisation', despite Extinction Rebellion tweeting on Tuesday that it is 'not a socialist movement'. Hallam's controversial remarks were branded 'outrageous' by Conservative MPs as furious Extinction Rebellion activists took to Westminster today. The co-founder has previously caused trouble for comparing the Holocaust to 'just another f***ery in human history' and suggesting that those 'responsible' for climate change should face Nuremberg-style trials - on a par with Nazi war criminals. Hallam said: 'Most days When I get out of bed I'm saying the people that are culpable are the people that run society, run big business, run governments, run the elites. Roger Hallam, 54, told his followers that 'the people that run society, run big business, run governments, run the elites' are fully responsible for the 'climate catastrophe' Hallam's controversial remarks were branded 'outrageous' by Conservative MPs as furious Extinction Rebellion activists took to Westminster today (pictured: Extinction Rebellion activists take part in a 'Carnival of Corruption' protest march in London, September 3, 2020) Extinction Rebellion protesters chain themselves inside and over the van and block the road to draw attention on animal rights in London on September 3, 2020 Roger Hallam's past litany of dodgy remarks: from comparing the Holocaust to just another 'f***ery' to advocating Nuremberg-trials for 'climate criminals' The co-founder has previously caused trouble for comparing the Holocaust to 'just another f***ery in human history' and suggesting that those 'responsible' for climate change should face Nuremberg-style trials - on a par with Nazi war criminals Hallam compared the murder of six million Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis to other historical massacres and claimed that memory of the Shoah - or Holocaust - was holding Germany back. The former organic farmer was quickly condemned by Extinction Rebellion groups in Germany after his comments with a newspaper in the country. In an English-language interview he told Die Zeit: 'The extremity of a trauma...can create a paralysis in actually learning the lessons from it. 'The fact of the matter is, millions of people have been killed in vicious circumstances on a regular basis throughout history.' He cited the Belgian colonialists who 'went to the Congo in the late 19th century and decimated it'. Hallam also wants those responsible for climate change to face Nuremberg-style trials. He even called for a 'World War Two mobilisation' of society, with rationing and the confiscation of private property. Asked how those responsible for climate change should be dealt with, he told The Times: 'The question will be who's culpable, in the same way [as] with the Nazis. 'Was it just the top Nazis or was it the small guys?' He added that 'maybe [we] should put a bullet in the head' as punishment. Last October, Hallam also boasted that prison is 'pretty much as good as it gets' following his six-week remand at Wormwood Scrubs. Hallam was branded an 'arrogant liability' after claiming to be 'annoyed' that so many of his followers 'made up excuses' to not get arrested. 'I was fine and if anything [it] was annoying, it was sitting there thinking about why so many people make up excuses for not taking this step which is now so necessary,' he told his followers on Facebook. 'I know I'm a bit weird, sitting on a bed all day reading biographies of Gandhi, having my food made for me, is pretty much as good as it gets as far as I am concerned.' Advertisement 'And they are exponentially more culpable to the extent that the climate catastrophe becomes more clear. 'So in 1990, you might have given them six months in prison, now maybe you should put a bullet through their head - or rather someone probably will.' He added: 'If you're going to live, or have a substantial probability of living, then we're looking at mass, socialistic organisation.' Tory MP Matt Vickers today slammed Hallam's 'outrageous' comments, telling The Sun that Extinction Rebellion has been 'hijacked' by 'thugs'. 'They do not stand for the majority of Britain who are about climate change. There are lots of big businesses doing a lot to help the environment,' he said. Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, told the newspaper: 'XR is a trojan house for those who know they can never get power through the ballot box and claim to represent legitimate causes - environmentalism. 'But as is clear from their widely publicised ambitions of Socialism, Marxism, anarchy - it's very clear what their ultimate ambition is. Through their extreme actions and violent actions, they have actually damaged their causes.' A spokesman for Extinction Rebellion today distanced the organisation from Hallam's remarks, adding: 'Extinction Rebellion is resolutely committed to nonviolence and to suggest otherwise is contrary to the evidence. 'These comments were made in an interview with a freelance journalist over a year ago and as we have previously said Roger Hallam no longer holds a formal role in Extinction Rebellion. His views are his own.' Twitter was ablaze with criticism, with one social media user posting: 'So the founder if #ExtinctionRebellion speaks like a Nazi, says 'Governments + business owners' should/could have a bullet through their heads and a system of Socialism be put in place to replace capitalism. The stench of #DomesticTerrorism is strong!' Another tweeted: 'So if business owners all have bullets put through their heads, who is going to supply goods and create employment? Mind blowing numpties appear to run with the pack of 'extinction rebellion' supporters.' It comes as Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to the ground to block entrances to Parliament today in a dramatic escalation of their two-week campaign of disruption. Protesters said they 'jumped the barriers and ran past armed police to glue (themselves) on to the floor outside the House of Lords'. The tactic, a staple of previous XR demonstrations, was accompanied by scores of others staging a sit-in elsewhere around the perimeter of the parliamentary estate, including at the Carriage Gates. A separate protest, carried out by XR ally Animal Rebellion, saw activists locked on top of a pink slaughterhouse truck parked sideways across nearby Victoria Street. The campaigners said they are demanding 'a plant-based food system as a means to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis and reduce the risk of future pandemics'. They have previously used fake blood in their demonstrations. Police arrested another 72 Extinction Rebellion activists yesterday as they swooped on demonstrators lying in the road to block Boris Johnson's route to Prime Ministers' Questions yesterday. It brings the total number of eco-warriors detained to 232 since they kick-started their fortnight of chaos in the capital on Friday following a coronavirus recess. Police said there had been 'dozens' more arrests today. The arrests were made for a range of offences including breaching Public Order conditions, obstructing the highway, obstructing police and assault on an emergency worker. Extinction Rebellion protesters also tried to storm the new BBC building in Cardiff city centre this afternoon. Hallam is also heard arguing for 'mass socialistic organisation', despite Extinction Rebellion tweeting on Tuesday that it is 'not a socialist movement' The co-founder has previously caused trouble for comparing the Holocaust to 'just another f***ery in human history' and suggesting that those 'responsible' for climate change should face Nuremberg-style trials - on a par with Nazi war criminals Extinction Rebellion protesters holding a sign reading 'we act in peace' glued themselves to the cobbles outside an entrance to Parliament today A separate protest, carried out by XR ally Animal Rebellion, saw activists locked on top of a pink slaughterhouse truck parked sideways across nearby Victoria Street Police officers haul away an activist who had been blocking the road outside the Department of Health this morning A warning on a protester's hand warning it had been glued to the ground (left) and a woman being hauled away by police An Extinction Rebellion activist waves a flare as they walk along Horse Guards Road past the Treasury building this afternoon Extinction Rebellion flags flutter in the breeze amid pink smoke from flares during the protest on Horse Guards Road today Cyclists gather outside Buckingham Palace during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London. The environmental campaign group has planned events to be held at several landmarks in the capital An Extinction Rebellion protester rides a bicycle with a dog in the front basket during a climate change protest outside Buckingham Palace A protester is pulled up from the ground by police in London after attempting to block a road during protests this morning An activist wearing a face mask is hauled away by officers after a protest on Victoria Street, where the Department of Health is located An activist wearing a clown costume is showered with fake money as she lies on the floor during today's London protests Police said 'dozens' of arrests had been made by midday today. Pictured are protesters walking past the Treasury Extinction Rebellion activists often try to be arrested to divert police officers and cause maximum disruption Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police have put a cordon around the vehicle and are working to safely remove protesters, who will subsequently be arrested Police officers push away a van that protesters had used to block one of the roads leading to Parliament this morning Protesters have been holding a demonstration in Central Square betwee the new BBC Wales headquarters and Central Station. There are reports that some of the protesters have glued their hand to the building and police stopped others from entering. It comes a day after they blocked Bute Terrace in both directions and caused traffic delays around the city. Around 400 people are estimated to have attended the protest, which is part of a week-long campaign across the UK. A spokesman for South Wales Police said: 'Officers are currently in attendance at a protest in Central Square in Cardiff. One person has been arrested on suspicion of committing criminal damage. 'Officers are working to engage with protest organisers and attendees in order to remind them of their obligations under the current Coronavirus legislation and the overarching goal for everyone to take personal responsibility by following Welsh Government regulations to Keep Wales Safe. 'We are duty-bound to take into account all relevant legislation, and South Wales Police has strived to maintain a consistent policing style of engaging, explaining and encouraging, and enforcing as last resort where necessary, throughout this public health emergency - an approach we intend to continue.' XR spokesperson Tamsin Omand, 35, from London, said that protesters wanted the Prime Minister to see and hear their action. 'The climate and ecological emergency has to be the absolute priority - how we are going to transform society into one that is fit for the crises we are already experiencing and the ones coming down the road,' she said. 'We are seeing a Parliament that has failed on every count - Boris Johnson wasn't even around for the first Cobras (of the coronavirus pandemic), so if that is the attitude he is going to take to the climate and ecological emergency we are in dire straits. 'Disruption is a core tenet of how XR works and how we have managed to achieve so much in a short period of time. 'We have been outside Downing Street blocking his route on both sides and of course he's encountering us here in the square - I think we are impossible to ignore.' Police remove a protester from Victoria Street in London, in a scene that will be familiar to anyone who has followed the protests this week Police officers talk to a protester carrying a cardboard placard reading 'outlaw profit by ecocide' on Victoria Street today Another group of protesters staging a sit down protest at the Carriage Gates entrance to the Houses of Parliament Specialist police remove protesters who had chained themselves to the top of a slaughterhouse truck outside the Department of Health EDWARDSVILLE A judge Wednesday sentenced an Edwardsville man to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to his seventh driving under the influence charge. Rohn R. Young, 58, was originally charged with a Class X driving under the influence charge as well as a felony retail theft. I realize what a danger I pose to the public, Young told Circuit Judge Kyle Napp. I deserve incarceration. A police report states Yohn was stopped on July 20, 2018, as a suspect in a retail theft case. He smelled of alcohol and told the officer he would voluntarily give a blood sample if allowed to go home. That is usually what happens, Young said, according to a sworn report from a Glen Carbon police officer. The test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, compared with a 0.08 level for a presumption of intoxication. In exchange for his guilty plea, the state reduced the number of his convictions to five and reduced the charge from a Class X to a Class 1 felony. The state also agreed to drop the felony theft charge. By agreement, the sentencing range was set at between four and seven years. A Class X felony carries a sentence of between six and 30 years in prison. The retail theft charge alleges he took two chickens, four packages of steaks and four containers of ice cream from the Walmart in Glen Carbon. Young has been in the Madison County Jail since he was arrested. He will receive a day off his sentence for every good day he serves. He will also get credit for time served in jail. Assistant Madison County States Attorney Katie Wycoff requested a seven-year sentence to deter others from drunk driving. She acknowledged Young suffers from alcoholism and previously received treatment, but said he has been given many chances to stay sober. He has six prior felony convictions, she noted. Where to you draw the line? she said. How much is enough? Defense attorney Curtis Dawson said Young is suffering from a disease and all of his convictions are traceable to one cause: alcoholism. Young said he has been in recovery twice, staying sober for a five-year period and a two-year period. Napp said that, as drug court presiding judge, she realizes the difficulty of staying sober. Many defendants relapse several times before finally seeing the light, she said. She agreed with Wycoff that it is fortunate no one has been hurt as a result of Youngs acts. Women Join Belarus Protests After Dozens Of Students Detained By RFE/RL's Belarus Service September 02, 2020 MINSK -- Throngs of women peacefully protested in central Minsk late on September 1 after earlier in the day security forces detained dozens of university students rallying in response to a call from Belarus's opposition for a nationwide strike to coincide with the first day of the school year. Several hundred women gathered near Independence Avenue in the capital, some singing and dancing as police looked on without intervening. Women have taken a leading role in more than three weeks of protests against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's rule, often forming lines to shield men from arrest. Earlier in the day, columns of students carrying banned red-and-white flags representing the opposition gathered in front of universities and flocked into the center of Minsk. "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. 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. The Belarusian Journalists Association said eight journalists covering the protests were detained for attending unauthorized protests. Last week, authorities stripped at least 17 journalists of accreditation in a bid to control information about protests. 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. Hundreds of thousands of citizens 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. Diplomatic Pressure Much of Europe, as well as the United States and other countries, have rejected the election results and 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 along with 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 opposition's demands, has turned an eye towards the Kremlin, a traditional ally despite recent strains sparked by Minsk's courting of others. 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 country's 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 Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30816149.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address American billionaire Elon Musk has demonstrated a technology designed to use a computer chip inside the head to control the brain. During a video demonstration on Friday, Musk provided details about the system, called Neuralink. In addition to leading the Neuralink startup, Musk also heads electric carmaker Tesla and U.S. space company SpaceX. Musk says he hopes the technology can be used to treat neural disorders and help spinal injury victims regain body movement. Musk also believes the system could be used in the future to improve intelligence to help humans keep up with supercomputers and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. During the demonstration, Musk showed off a model of the Neuralink device. It is about 23 millimeters wide. It is designed to be implanted into a persons skull. Small wires would connect the device directly to the brain. The Neuralink system is currently being tested in pigs, with plans to seek government approval for human testing sometime in the future. Neuralinks head surgeon, Dr. Matthew MacDougall, said the companys first human tests would involve a small number of people. The tests would be aimed at treating individuals suffering from paralysis a condition that makes someone unable to move or feel all or part of their body. During the demonstration, Musk showed off a pig named Gertrude. He explained that Gertrude had a Neuralink implant inside its head. The device is meant to record nerve activity in the pigs nose and mouth. Musk said the company had three pigs, each with two implants. He described the animals as healthy, happy and indistinguishable from a normal pig. Musk said the company was able to predict with high accuracy a pigs leg movement on a running machine using data from the implant. Musk used the event to invite engineers and other experts to join the company in developing the technology. He also urged people to develop their own devices and bring them to Neuralink. You dont need to have brain experience, Musk noted. Those skills can be learned on the job, he said. Linking a brain directly to electronics is not new. Doctors implant electrodes in brains to deliver signals to treat conditions such as Parkinsons disease, epilepsy and pain. In experiments, implanted sensors have let paralyzed people use brain signals to operate computers and move robotic arms. In 2016, researchers reported that a man regained some movement in his own hand with a brain implant. Musks Neuralink hopes to one day offer operations to improve brain performance, the Wall Street Journal reported when the company launched. Musk noted that Neuralink first wants to use the device on people with severe spinal cord injuries to help them talk and move using their brain waves. He said he is hopeful that, in the long term, those people could regain full-body motion. Members of the Neuralink team said they also would like to see the technology permitting the uploading of memories for later use. Yes, I think in the future you will be able to save and replay memories," Musk said. Neuroscientists not linked to the company said the presentation suggested Neuralink had made great progress with the technology. However, they warned that many more studies will be needed to test the long-term success of such devices. Im Bryan Lynn. The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - Billionaire Elon Musk Demonstrates Technology Linking Computer to Brain Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story chip n. an electronic device that contains many circuits used in computers artificial intelligence n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior implant v. to place something into someone's body in a medical operation surgeon n. a doctor who performs medical operations indistinguishable adj. impossible to see or hear as different or separate accuracy n. how correct or exact something is Success On The Way-The Heart Changer: Who Can Change Hearts? It seems to me the only problem which confronts our nation and the world is the lack of introspection (looking into self) and that of each individuals conscience. Everybodys got a heart problem. Its about tolerating the weaknesses of others. Its about taking the eye of the mind and searching deeply within the heart. If everyone thinks they are perfect, thats problematic. If millions think theyre right and put them all together, that makes a more compiled wrong, but the problem could be the same: a heart problem; a problem for one multiplied exponentially becomes overwhelming. Whats concerning is that the U.S. might have a massive heart attack or a massive heart failure, if its not already happening! Fifty per-cent (50%) think their thinking is right and the other fifty per-cent (50%) thinks theyre right. That in itself indicates a head on clash of beliefs, opinions and convictions. We need a comma [not a coma]. A comma would be a pause to evaluate the situation. The coronavirus has provided a comma, a pause. It has given millions the opportunity to think about the direction of our lives and not take everything for granted. Hurricane Laura also says, Stop! Wait a minute! Isnt this more than coincidence? Isnt there a message to us in the coronavirus, hurricanes, storms, tsunamis, floods, wars? Were not just bystanders on the side of the road watching as the winds swoosh by as the tornedoes loom. If youre a bible reader and believer, the message is the foretelling of the return of Christ. Are we listening? Are we ready? If we are forewarned, these signs tell us there is some thing or some things bigger coming. (We dont know when.) What do we say to these things? Or do we just ignore what is going on? OR are we lulling ourselves right on into socialism? I havent found the United States as being a survivor among the nations in the bible. In my humble opinion, we need to make adjustments. One group or the other group thinking they own the United States and all that is therein is self-defeating. No one group owns the United States. Probably wouldnt be a bad idea to go to the heart searcher and heart changer to look into selfish hearts. Heres another thing, We need to take ownership of the roles of those who have built this country. Its certainly not only one group or one kindred which built this country. If were doing something and it hasnt worked, we need to changesearch hearts. I will take this opportunity to say something about faith. Faith doesnt have to be begged of God. ADVERTISEMENT You activate your faith by speaking it, believing it. By hearing words of faith, speaking it, your faith is activated. Believing must be alive. Its not you pull on Gods robe. The woman who had the long term sickness, who had visited doctors believed that just by touching the hem of His garment, she would be healed. And that is what happened. She had heard about Jesus miraculous healing power. She found out where He would be. She pressed her way. She was an activated woman of faith. Her problem had gotten so bad, she became proactive. She believed, she touched and the end result was she was healed. Ill leave you with these words. Activate your faith by believing that whatsoever you believe in Jesus name so shall it be. Be reminded, Gods timetable is Gods timetable. Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker, Ph.D. Superintendent Founder Todays Fresh Start, Inc. Inquiring Minds Want to Know all rights reserved www.todaysfreshstart.org. www.askdrjeanetteparker.comtm(tm)[email protected]; [email protected] There are so many reasons to celebrate the United States of America. Thankfully too many reasons to celebrate whats spectacular. Countless books, articles and songs speak to this happy truth. In that case, this write-up will lightly cover just three of many reasons to cheer what rates a routine standing ovation. The U.S. is defined by fierce individualism. Sorry, but were not all in this together in the Land of the Free. In truth, the inspiring idea that led to the U.S. was the rather novel notion that a very limited government would exist to protect the rights of individuals to live as they want. People would be free to conform, rebel, or somewhere in between so long as their pursuits didnt trample on the rights of others. Crucial is that this elevation of a live and let live ethos proved a magnet for the worlds strivers. They risked it all, including crossing oceans, for the chance to be a part of a great American experiment rooted in freedom. The ability to live and think freely overwhelmed the very real possibility that they would die before getting the chance to. All of which speaks to another reason to celebrate America: its very existence rejects so much conventional wisdom. For the purposes of this piece, the narrow focus will be on why the U.S. mocks all the hand wringing about inequality, and the laughable contention that the gap between the rich and poor harms the poor. The United States is living proof of why this isnt true. Indeed, it would be hard to find a country more wealth unequal than the United States. To be fair, massive inequality was the U.S. design. See fierce individualism yet again. If the individual right to freedom of thought and action was going to be protected, it was only natural that some courageous enough to take their talents here would achieve in amazing ways. And so they have. Great wealth has always defined the U.S., and it does to this day. Yet the worlds poorest keep risking it all to get here, dont they? Ronald Reagan used to say something along the lines of facts are stubborn things, and the facts are that the worlds poorest continue to flock to what is one of the worlds most unequal countries. That they do thoroughly wrecks the popular narrative that wealth inequality harms the poor, and/or that theyre inflamed by it. In truth, they take huge risks in order to live and work where inequality is greatest. If anyone doubts the above assertion, consider where the poorest Americans migrate to once theyre in the U.S. Its rarely Buffalo, Flint and Jackson, but often New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thats the case given the basic truth that opportunity is greatest where the density of superrich is greatest. Its not just that the mass production of former luxuries by the rich (think cars, air conditioners, mobile phones, and computers) lifts our living standards in incredible ways, its also that the location of their innovations tends to be where other talented people cluster, only for the range of work options that lift all manner of skill sets to explode. The U.S. is a magnet for the worlds strivers because of its elevation of freedom, and freedom logically correlates with wondrous inequality as varied talents are free to showcase them in endless ways. Which brings us to the third reason to celebrate the United States: its appeal to those with natural get up and go means that its the epicenter of entrepreneurialism. Think about it. The U.S. is in so many ways separated from the old world of Europe and Asia. In an historical sense, its the distant new world. The act of leaving the past behind in pursuit of freedom and opportunity (as opposed to security) in the United States is and was the ultimate entrepreneurial act. Imagine leaving the known for a country that offers freedom, but not much else. Such a country would naturally attract the motivated, the visionary, the dreamers. Having attracted those willing to risk it all just to taste freedom, its no surprise that so many Americans and their descendants have risked it all in a commercial sense. Populated by the motivated, those same motivated people regularly channel their herculean energy into creating new ways of doing things. As a nation of people from somewhere else, these entrepreneurial wanderers restless in their search for better relentlessly bring the future into the present. Crucial is that theyre able to rush tomorrow to today precisely because theyre able to express their intrepid nature in a country that exists specifically to protect their right to do just that. In short, its no speculation to say that the late Steve Jobs, who descended from Syrian immigrants, could never have created Apple in Damascus. Neither could Andrew Carnegie have revolutionized the steel industry in Dunfermline. The U.S. is where energetic dreamers become entrepreneurs precisely because the U.S. is where those who see the future differently are free to show why it will be different. Thank goodness for the U.S. and its design that enables wondrous human flourishing. If the U.S. didnt exist now, it would have to be invented so that a still primitive planet could be propelled into the future by human capital formerly suffocated by a world that cruelly lacked its most essential country. Lets celebrate the U.S. indeed. CLEVELAND, Ohio Local advocates for landlords and tenants are worried about how unprecedented action President Donald Trumps administration took this week to halt evictions until the end of the year will play out. Even housing advocates felt the directive was a mixed bag. While happy that more people may not lose their homes in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and the corresponding recession, they said the administrations order postpones the inevitable and could leave many tenants in debt, owing even more money to their landlords in the end. Even if it works as its laid out, by January all these tenants would have a great big pile of rent due, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio Executive Director Bill Faith said. The order also left local municipal court judges scrambling to figure out how to implement it, since they ultimately decide who gets evicted in Cuyahoga County. The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday put out information for lower courts, though one municipal court judge told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that a lot about how the order will work remains unclear. The surprise new directive announced Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forbids evictions through Dec. 31 for a large swath of renters who meet specific criteria. The Trump administrations action, a sweeping directive it maintains is legal, comes as the president is in a fierce campaign to win re-election against former Vice President Joe Biden. The CDCs directive went into effect Friday. Criteria include: - Making less than $198,000 this year as a couple or $99,000 as a single person. - Trying to obtain rental assistance through various government programs. - Being unable to pay rent because of job loss, reduced hours or large medical bills. - The risk of becoming homeless if evicted. The order says eligible tenants should give their landlord a declaration, attesting that they meet the requirements and are trying to pay as much rent as possible. It only disallows evictions for people facing their circumstances because they are unable to pay rent. If a landlord wants a tenant out for other reasons, such as crimes or property damage, an eviction case can still proceed. The CDCs action is similar to those taken by cities, counties, states and courts when the pandemic spread across the country rapidly in March. Many enacted months-long moratoriums on evictions for fear that the high unemployment rate would quickly translate into tenants not having enough money to pay rent. The federal government had also barred evictions for properties in which federal money was involved, such as a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage. Most of those measures expired. Advocates have warned that courts could be inundated with eviction cases because a coronavirus stimulus bill lapsed, and both Congress and the president have failed to agree on a new bill. Housing advocates said they were happy to learn that the government recognized the negative consequences on a tenants health if evicted. At the same time, they noted that the order explicitly says that tenants still owe rent in the coming months. Its not the best way to address the problem, but hopefully it can provide a little breathing room, Faith said in an interview Wednesday. Still, unpaid rent is why housing advocates have pushed for federal money to go toward assistance programs. They say the new moratorium is problematic without it. While an eviction moratorium is an important tool to fight the spread of COVID, it is only one half of an important equation, a spokeswoman for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, which frequently represents people facing eviction, said in a statement. An eviction moratorium needs to be developed in partnership with rent assistance, so landlords can be made whole, and tenants do not find themselves at the precipice of a financial cliff when the moratorium expires. Its also why landlords want the same thing. Rental assistance means landlords get paid what theyre owed, which allows them to pay mortgages, taxes and other costs associated with owning property. For the small landlords its a disaster, Ralph McGreevy of the Northern Ohio Apartment Association said. Lets face it: the federal government is issuing edicts that (landlords) have to swallow and hasnt offered any compensation. While the directive clarifies what tenants must do, like presenting a declaration to their landlord, it still leaves many questions about how it will work in practice. For example, its unclear how the requirement to seek rental assistance will comport with programs the city of Cleveland and the county set up for people to apply for just that. The program has a combined $18.1 million for assistance and still has money left for applicants to seek. A spokeswoman for CHN Housing Partners, which administers the program along with EDEN, said that 5,091 have applied for rental assistance as of Wednesday. The program went live on July 1. The applicants seek more than $8.5 million in rental assistance combined. Of that, city residents requested $3.85 million, and about $4.7 million from county residents outside Cleveland. The spokeswoman cautioned that the numbers represent the money requested and not the money approved. She said the programs payouts are expected to total about $1.5 million by next week. Still, many of the disputes over what the order says, and does not say, will fall into the laps of judges who hear eviction cases. A spokeswoman for the Cleveland Housing Court, which handles the most eviction cases of any court in the county, said in a statement Friday that staff was reviewing its evictions policies as they relate to the order and that the court intends to follow the CDCS Order. Other suburban municipal court judges said they were reviewing the order but acknowledged many evictions would likely not happen. They were surprised by the order and quickly started making plans and trying to figure out how it would work in practice. Lakewood Municipal Court Judge Patrick Carroll, who has taught seminars on eviction cases at the Ohio Judicial Conference, said the order changed everything. He anticipated having to explain the order to many parties, many of whom represent themselves and likely do not keep up with the latest changes for court cases. Twenty-four hours ago, it didnt exist, Carroll said Wednesday, explaining that he had to make last-minute changes to an online seminar on landlord-tenant issues he was set to film that day. It was something that caught everybody by surprise. It left him and others wondering about specific scenarios. What if a landlord filed an eviction case but a judge has not yet held a hearing? What if a judge ordered a tenant evicted but a move out supervised by a bailiff or sheriffs deputy is scheduled for Friday or later? Garfield Heights Municipal Court Judge Deborah Nicastro said Friday that eviction cases will proceed as normal. However, tenants facing eviction for nonpayment in her court must file the declaration with the clerks office in addition to presenting it to their landlord. The case will then be put on hold until January, she explained. However, Shaker Heights Municipal Court Judge K.J. Montgomery said that, in talking to other judges, its clear not everybody agrees with how to handle the order. For example, she said not everyone agrees whether its proper for judges to tell tenants about the declaration if they dont know about it. She noted the information put out by the Ohio Supreme Court but said she wanted more guidance. She also said she has stopped holding eviction hearings over nonpayment of rent, which make up the majority of the roughly 400 eviction cases her court sees a year. Despite all that, Montgomery wondered if the orders practical effect will be to force both sides to settle and for landlords to drop some cases. It may force better communication among landlords and tenants, who are truly trying to be accommodating on both sides, she said. This story was updated Friday with new information. New Delhi: India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Thursday (September 3) backed Quad--a grouping of 4 countries--India, US, Japan, and Australia, calling it a "good arrangement" that can become a "system" to ensure freedom of navigation at the high seas. Speaking at USISPF or US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, CDS Rawat said, "we are very keen to ensure that complete freedom of navigations on the seas and the airspace above. As far as the Quad is concerned, we feel its a good arrangement that will ensure that the Indian Ocean region and all other oceans around" has "complete freedom of navigation" and without taking the name of China explained, "without fear of any other nation, singularly trying to dominate the ocean." China has been trying to dominate in the South China Sea, claiming the majority of the international water on the basis of its nine-dash line. The nine-dash line is a Chinese govt back construct which is Bejing's claim to the south china sea and has been rejected by an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea. Rawat said, "largest number of ships and oil reserves and oil requirements pass through this area. So we want the quad to actually become a system to ensure freedom of navigation". This is for the first time he has made such a comment and comes even as likeminded countries like India, the US, and others are increasing engagement in the Indo Pacific region. India is expected to hold Quad ministerial meet soon, which will be the 2nd such meet after last year's meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General assembly in New York. Less than a year ago, she was purged from the Thai king's inner circle for disloyalty and trying to amass a power base that rivalled the queens. Now the countrys first noble consort in nearly a century is back, restored to her position as the king's second partner and absolved of any wrongdoing. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi in August 2019 before her downfall. Credit:Thailand Royal Office King Vajiralongkorn issued a decree calling Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi "flawless" and ordered the 35-year-old former bodyguard have her titles and military ranks reinstated. The statement went further, saying Noble Consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was to be treated as if nothing had happened. The order was dated August 28, but made public late on Wednesday. Monday, September 7, 2020, is Labor Day. Since its a federal holiday, many locations close. For example, all government offices (aside from those required for public safety) wont open. Additionally, some retailers choose to close as well, which lets their workforce have a day off. But not all stores do, which can be a little confusing for shoppers. If you were hoping to head to Costco this Labor Day and are trying to figure out if the warehouse stores or business centers will be open, heres what you need to know. Is Costco Closed on Labor Day? Yes, Costco is closed on Labor Day 2020. Even though Costco warehouses are typically open on a Monday, the retailer shuts down, allowing its employees to have a full day off for this holiday. If you were hoping to head to one of the Costco Business Centers, you cant on Labor Day. Those locations also rely on the same holiday schedule, as holiday closures are set by the corporate office and apply universally. That means they wont be open either. Get a $10 Costco Shop Card Is the Costco Gas Station Closed on Labor Day? Costco gas stations will not have employees on-site on Labor Day. This means that certain options like paying in cash or picking up some snacks might not be available. However, that doesnt mean you cant get fuel. With pay at the pump options, you can fill up any time, even when a Costco employee isnt available. That means, technically, Costco gas stations never close; your service options just may be limited. You take advantage of this low-cost fuel option on Labor Day, as long as you have a debit or credit card that you can use at the pump. Does Costco Have a Labor Day Sale? With Costco closing on Labor Day, the retailer doesnt have an official Labor Day sale. But, even with that, you can still get great deals. Costco has sales flyers brimming with discounts. The Costco September 2020 coupon book is valid starting September 2, so the deals in that ad will be available during Labor Day weekend. You can find the Costco September sale flyer on the Costco website. Costco 2020 Holiday Schedule When you compare Costco to other major retailers, the chain closes more frequently for holidays. For example, Walmart and Target are open on Labor Day, unlike Costco However, that doesnt mean Costco closes every time theres a holiday, federal or otherwise. Heres what the Costco 2020 holiday schedule has in store for shoppers this year: New Years Day: Wednesday, January 1: Costco closes for the holiday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, January 20: Costco is open Valentines Day: Friday, February 14: Costco is open Presidents Day: Monday, February 17: Costco is open Patricks Day: Tuesday, March 17: Costco is open Good Friday: Friday, April 10: Costco is open Easter Saturday: Saturday, April 11: Costco is open Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 12: Costco closes for the holiday Monday After Easter: Monday, April 13 (Monday): Costco is open Mothers Day: Sunday, May 10: Costco is open Memorial Day: Monday, May 25: Costco closes for the holiday Fathers Day: Sunday, June 21: Costco is open Independence Day: Saturday, July 4: Costco closes for the holiday Labor Day: Monday, September 7: Costco closes for the holiday Columbus Day: Monday, October 12: Costco is open Halloween: Saturday, October 31: Costco is open Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11: Costco is open Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26: Costco closes for the holiday Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24 (Thursday): Costco is open, but closes early Christmas Day: Friday, December 25: Costco closes for the holiday New Years Eve: Thursday, December 31: Costco is open, but closes early New Years Day: Friday, January 1: Costco closes for the holiday Early Shutdown Days For the two days where the retailer shuts down early, most Costco locations will end their days around 6:00 pm. However, stores arent required to follow the exact same schedule, so certain locations may close later or earlier. On those days, its best to confirm the operating hours of your nearest Costco before going shopping. Its also important to note that many Costco warehouse stores offer extended hours on Black Friday. Usually, the Black Friday schedule is announced within a few weeks of the event. Finally, even if Costco locations are closed on holidays, shoppers can head to Costco.com to make purchases. The website is always operational, barring an exceedingly rare technical issue, so you may be able to tackle your shopping list even if its a holiday. Costco Normal Business Hours On normal business days, most Costco warehouses have a similar opening and closing schedule. In 2020, the typical operating hours are: Monday through Friday: 10:00 am to 8:30 pm Saturday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Its critical to understand that the schedule listed above is just an average. Some stores open or close at different times, and certain locations are offering special hours for vulnerable populations usually early in the morning due to the COVID-19 pandemic still being a concern. Additionally, Costco hours are subject to change. If theres a major COVID-19 resurgence, the retailer may have to adjust its schedules for safety reasons. If you want to head to a Costco Business Center, dont rely on a warehouse stores operating hours to figure out when to go. Those locations maintain different schedules. Heres an overview of an average Business Centers operating hours: Monday through Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday: Closed For the Salt Lake City Business Center, theres a different schedule. It runs: Monday through Friday: 7:00 am to 8:30 pm Saturday: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Sunday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm COVID-19 may also impact Costco Business Center schedules. If you have to go out of your way to get to one, you might want to call ahead to make sure itll be open. Have you ever wished that Costco was open on Labor Day? Are you less concerned about holiday closures because you arent shopping in-store as often because of COVID-19? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Give the gift of savings! Learn more Read More: If you enjoy reading our blog posts and would like to try your hand at blogging, we have good news for you; you can do exactly that on Saving Advice. Just click here to get started. If you want to be able to customize your blog on your own domain and need hosting service, we recommend trying BlueHost. They offer powerful hosting services for $3.95/month! On display are nearly 200 documents, artefacts and photos that were selected from the National Archives Centre II and provided by families of late painter Bui Trang Chuoc and late musician Van Cao, Nguyen Huu Tien Memorial House in Ha Nam and many other agencies and individuals. The exhibits specifically introduced the most important symbols of Vietnam, including the national flag, anthem and emblem as well as special stories about the birth of these symbols. Vietnams national flag is a red flag with a yellow star. This is a sacred symbol of the countrys spirit, the peoples heard, the solidarity of the ethnic groups, the revolutionary enthusiasm and heroic sacrifice of Vietnamese people during the fight for national independence and reunification. Visitors reading the introduction of the national anthem The national anthem was composed by late musician Van Cao in the winter in 1944, encouraging the spirit, the patriotism and fighting will of Vietnamese soldiers and people. On September 2, 1945, the song was played solemnly during the Independence Declaration Ceremony at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi. The national emblem expresses the countrys sovereignty and national identity, becoming a symbol for an independent country. The birth of Vietnamese national emblem is associated with the role and talents of late painter Bui Trang Chuoc. From 1953-1955, he sketched 112 prospective national emblems and then submitted the 15 most outstanding versions to President Ho Chi Minh and the National Assembly. In January 1956, the official emblem was approved. Following the national reunification, the sixth National Assembly decided to choose the official national flag, anthem and emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam of today on July 2, 1976. The exhibition contributes to honouring the nations symbols as well as promoting the values of typical and valuable archives. The exhibition will last until the end of 2020. Several submissions to the competion of national emblems On the occasion, the National Political Publishing HouseTruth, in collaboration with the Archives Department of the Party Central Office and the State Archives Department, published the book August Revolution building and consolidating the government from 1945-1946. The contents of the documents introduced in the book bring about a comparative perspective of historical events, contributing to explaining the success of the revolution. The book "August Revolution - building and consoldiating the government during 1945-1946" The biggest demonstration so far in nearly two months of anti-government rallies on Wednesday resulted in clashes between police and protesters in the streets around the parliament building in Bulgaria's capital Sofia. Thousands of people took to the streets demanding the resignations of the prime minister and the chief prosecutor over allegations they allowed an oligarchic mafia to seize control of the Balkan country. Police officers in riot gear stood in line in front of the parliament building during the mostly peaceful mass protest on Wednesday evening. Late in the evening, as the majority of the protesters had left, groups of protesters threw small explosives, stones and pieces of garbage at the police officers, who stood in line at the stairs in front of the parliament building. Tensions escalated until the police progressed forwards into the line of protesters. More clashes and arrests followed. Throughout the day and the evening several people have been detained and dozens of injured were taken to the hospital, authorities said. Photo 1 ITRI President Edwin Liu (right) and Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil (left) pose at a welcome ceremony at ITRI in Hsinchu. ITRI President Edwin Liu (right) and Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil (left) pose at a welcome ceremony at ITRI in Hsinchu. Photo 2 Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil is impressed by ITRIs iPMx Molecular Rapid Test System for COVID-19 virus detection. Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil is impressed by ITRIs iPMx Molecular Rapid Test System for COVID-19 virus detection. HSINCHU, Taiwan, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An 89-member Czech delegation led by Senate President Milos Vystrcil made a visit to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) today in Hsinchu, where the delegation will learn about ITRIs accomplishments in biomedical and pandemic prevention technologies, groundbreaking innovation-oriented R&D, and industrialization of research results. ITRI is the only R&D organization that Senate President Vystrcil has visited during his stay, which highlights the significance of ITRIs role in technology diplomacy between Taiwan and the Czech Republic. The visit is expected to engage both sides in more technological cooperation based on their complementary strengths. Moreover, by leveraging the Czech Republics network in the EU, ITRI hopes to assist Taiwan industry in tapping into Europes innovation ecosystem and exploring new opportunities there. ITRI President Edwin Liu welcomed the delegations visit with a Confucius quote, It is a great pleasure to have friends coming from afar. He indicated that ITRI, the largest applied research organization in Taiwan, has played an important role for driving Taiwans economic growth for the past 47 years. The institute, he stressed, conducts market-oriented research, acts as a bridge between Taiwan and international communities, and works with government research entities to support industry transformation. According to Dr. Liu, ITRIs dialogue with the Czech Republic started in 2013 with the support of Taiwans Ministry of Economic Affairs, followed by more than ten visits between both sides. In 2017, ITRIs high-ranking officials visited the Czech Republic and signed an MoU with the Czech Academy of Sciences to establish a research collaboration platform. Moreover, the DELTA program has yielded several R&D cooperation projects. With the Czech Republics outstanding basic research capabilities and ITRIs expertise in applied research, he believes that the joint collaboration will deliver the best technologies to the market and the society. Story continues Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil indicated that visiting ITRI is one of the purposes of the delegations trip to Taiwanto learn the area of research development and technology practice implementation. He mentioned that Prague has several prestigious universities and R&D institutes that have built ties with ITRI. The Academy of Sciences, for example, spoke highly of the cooperation with ITRI. Senate President Vystrcil thanked ITRIs repeated invitation to Taiwan and concluded with the name of the Czech film Dobri holubi se vraceji (A Good Pigeon Always Returns Home) to expect future visits to come. After a meeting with ITRI officials, the delegation had a showroom tour in which Mr. Vystrcil was especially impressed by ITRIs tech innovations such as the iPMx Molecular Rapid Test System for COVID-19 virus detection which can generate results in less than an hour. In addition, the Senate President was also amazed at the Institutes excellent performance in making ventilators within 17 days. Since the Czech Republic is also able to produce ventilators, he believes future collaboration in this area can be enhanced. ITRI has joined hands with Taiwanese and Czech businesses along with Czechs Academy of Sciences to work on the development of biomedical and green energy technologies. Collaborations include an artificial skin 3D printing project that incorporates ITRIs skin tissue printing equipment, bio-inks and bionic skin technology to develop bionic products that can replace cosmetic testing on animals. Another project involves smart manufacturing and automated assembly for highly durable fuel cells. It is hoped that such joint cooperation will pave the way for entering the EU market. About ITRI Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the worlds leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan's industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. It focuses on the fields of Smart Living, Quality Health, and Sustainable Environment. Over the years, ITRI has incubated over 300 innovative companies, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote opportunities for international cooperation around the world. For more information, please visit: http://www.itri.org/eng. Media Contact Irene Shih Office of Marketing Communications, ITRI +886-3-5912542 chenyishih@itri.org.tw Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/27da6160-9c84-41f2-b050-de207aa7a806 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bd9e107c-4c57-40ed-b586-d4d1ca5e046f Dublin, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "US Hand Sanitizer Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Country Analysis by Type; Product form; Application; Distribution Channel" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The US hand sanitizer market was valued at US$ 628.10 Mn in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 14,492.73 Mn by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 31.9% during the forecast period. On the basis of type, the US hand sanitizer market is segmented into alcoholic, quaternary ammonia, and triclosan. In 2018, the alcoholic segment dominated the US hand sanitizer market; the quaternary ammonia segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during forecast period. On the basis of product form, the US hand sanitizer market is segmented into foam sanitizers, gel sanitizers, wipes, and spray sanitizers. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into hospitals, restaurants, educational institutions, household, and others. The US hand sanitizer market based on distribution channel has been segmented into supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, online, and others. In 2018, the supermarkets and hypermarkets segment accounted for the largest share of the market, whereas the others segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Henkel AG & Company, KGAA, Unilever, The Himalayan Drug Company, Ecolab, 3M, Godrej Industries Limited, GOJO Industries, Inc., Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc., and S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc., are among the major players in the US hand sanitizer market. Key report benefits: Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the US Hand Sanitizer market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. Scrutinize in-depth the market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals. Story continues Key Topics Covered: 1. Introduction 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 4. Hand Sanitizer Market Landscape 5. US Hand Sanitizer Market - Key Industry Dynamics 6. Hand Sanitizer - US Market Analysis 7. US Hand Sanitizer Market Analysis - By Type 8. Hand Sanitizer Market Analysis - By Product Form 9. Hand Sanitizer Market Analysis - By Application 10. US Hand Sanitizer Market Analysis - By Distribution Channel 11. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on US Hand Sanitizer Market 12. Company Profiles Henkel AG & COMPANY, KGAA Unilever The Himalaya Drug Company Ecolab 3M Godrej Industries Limited GOJO Industries Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc. Procter & Gamble S.C. Johnson & Son For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sqme28 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. 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 Rating Action: Moody's places the ratings of Belarus' BPS-Sberbank on review for downgrade Global Credit Research - 01 Sep 2020 London, 01 September 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") today placed on review for downgrade BPS-Sberbank's B2 long-term local-currency deposit rating, its Caa1 long-term foreign-currency deposit rating, its Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) of b3 and Adjusted BCA of b2. The outlook on the long-term deposit ratings, as well as the issuer outlook, was changed to rating under review from stable. Concurrently, Moody's affirmed the bank's short-term deposit ratings of Not Prime (NP). For a detailed list of ratings affected, please refer to the end of this Press Release. RATINGS RATIONALE THE REVIEW FOR DOWNGRADE REFLECTS POTENTIAL FOR POLITICAL INSTABILITY TO SPILL OVER INTO LIQUIDITY AND ASSET-QUALITY RISKS The rating action was driven by social risk considerations, namely, the risks for the Belarusian banking sector's liquidity stemming from the political instability. Since the country's presidential elections on 9 August, there has been widespread social unrest in Belarus (B3 stable). This heightened political instability is reflected in the interbank market and the behaviour of some depositors which increases pressure on bank liquidity. In addition, prolonged political turmoil would be disruptive for economic activity, already damaged by the coronavirus outbreak, and thus cause a more significant than expected deterioration in asset quality in the coming months. The review for downgrade of BPS-Sberbank's ratings thus reflects the potential for political instability to spill over into both liquidity and asset-quality risks for the banking system and the bank. On 12 August, the country's central bank, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB), said that banks' retail depositors increased withdrawals and moved cash savings to foreign currencies from the Belarusian ruble. The magnitude of the outflows at BPS-Sberbank is currently moderate, but if intensified, such outflows could have a material impact on the bank's standalone creditworthiness, given the importance of retail customer deposits as one of the bank's key funding sources. These rising liquidity risks are partially mitigated by BPS-Sberbank's solid liquidity cushion and the fact that a large portion of the bank's retail deposits have longer maturities and cannot be withdrawn on demand. However, this does not fully mitigate the risk of currency and maturity mismatches, because the bank's foreign-currency (FX) liquid assets do not fully cover its FX short-term liabilities. The NBRB will continue to provide liquidity to the system, but it is less able to provide FX liquidity because the sovereign has only modest foreign-currency reserves. Story continues Moody's further expects BPS-Sberbank's problem loans to increase in the coming months, as they will for the rest of the banking sector, because the disruption to economic activity from the political turmoil and strikes adds to the pressure resulting from the coronavirus outbreak. In particular, the performance of foreign-currency loans will likely deteriorate as the borrowers' repayment capacity will be undermined by the near-30% depreciation of the Belarusian ruble since the beginning of the year AFFILIATE SUPPORT BPS-Sberbank's B2 long-term local currency deposit rating incorporates our assessment of a very high probability of affiliate support from Russia's Sberbank (Baa3 stable, ba1), driven by (1) the parent's strategic commitment to and majority stake in BPS-Sberbank; (2) the bank's strong strategic fit with the parent; and (3) the high reputational links between the bank and its parent. Importantly in the current circumstances, BPS-Sberbank benefits from access to liquidity support from its parent bank in case of need. THE FOCUS OF THE REVIEW The review for downgrade on BPS-Sberbank's ratings will focus on the stability of the country and its financial system, including but not limited to the magnitude of deposit outflows, their impact on the bank's liquidity position and its ability to provide customers with unrestricted access to their funds. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS A positive rating action on BPS-Sberbank's ratings is currently unlikely, given the review for downgrade. However, the ratings may be confirmed if the bank's deposits stabilize, its liquidity remains solid and credit losses do not result in a material deterioration of the bank's capital position. . A significant deterioration of BPS-Sberbank's liquidity or capital position would result in a downgrade of the bank's Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA). The bank's long-term deposit ratings could be downgraded in case of severe deterioration of its standalone credit profile or restrictions on customers' payments. LIST OF AFFECTED RATINGS ..Issuer: BPS-Sberbank On Review for Downgrade: .... Adjusted Baseline Credit Assessment, currently b2, Placed on Review for Downgrade .... Baseline Credit Assessment, currently b3, Placed on Review for Downgrade .... Long-term Bank Deposits (Local Currency), currently B2, Placed on Review for Downgrade, Outlook Changed To Rating Under Review From Stable .... Long-term Bank Deposits (Foreign Currency), currently Caa1, Placed on Review for Downgrade, Outlook Changed To Rating Under Review From Stable Affirmations: .... Short-term Bank Deposits, Affirmed NP Outlook Actions: ....Outlook, Changed To Rating Under Review From Stable PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in these ratings was Banks Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1147865. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity. The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure. These ratings are unsolicited. a.With Rated Entity or Related Third Party Participation: YES b.With Access to Internal Documents: NO c.With Access to Management: YES For additional information, please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Svetlana Pavlova, CFA Asst Vice President - Analyst Financial Institutions Group Moody's Investors Service Limited, Russian Branch 7th floor, Four Winds Plaza 21 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya St. Moscow 125047 Russia JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Yaroslav Sovgyra, CFA Associate Managing Director Financial Institutions Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Ltd. 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The Ministry of Health and the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) have launched a massive search for a COVID-19 corpse that has since disappeared at the Tuberculosis (TB) Hospital at Moneni, Manzini. The corpse was brought to the morgue of the government health facility as it is the only designated one for keeping bodies of people who have died due to the coronavirus related complications. According to impeccable sources, the deceased succumbed to a COVID-19 related illness, while he was being treated in one of the private hospitals in the Manzini Region. This is said to have happened at the beginning of last month. After passing on, it was gathered that his corpse was taken to the TB Hospital where it was kept for a few days before being claimed by unknown people. The impeccable sources disclosed that the man estimated to be aged 44 was from Tanzania and on the day his body was collected, on August 5, 2020, a group of males came to the hospital claiming that he was their relative. Challenge This publication gathered that the challenge was that when the corpse was brought to the government morgue, it was only wrapped in plastic bags which is a norm for people who have died after falling sick due to the virus. The sources said the corpse had no name tag, which resulted in the name of the deceased not being captured in the register of bodies accepted into the facility. Due to this anomaly, it was gathered that his identity was unknown yet his body was kept at the facilitys morgue. While the body was kept at the TB Hospital, this publication gathered that the group of men came to the hospital to claim the body, claiming that they wanted to cremate it given that the man had died due to the coronavirus. When claiming the body, it was gathered that the males used popular names in Tanzania and did not hand over any identification to the authorities who were to release the body to them. Also, due to the fact that the deceased was not captured in the morgues register, there was no paperwork filled in by the personnel at the morgue save to release the body to the so-called relatives. However, as days passed, another family showed up over the past weekend at the hospital seeking to collect the corpse of their loved one and lo and behold, there was no body to collect. This was said to have sent the administration and personnel of the hospital into panic mode as they immediately reported their predicament to members of the REPS in Manzini. Some of the personnel working at the hospital claimed that they suspected foul play in the disappearance of the corpse. The personnel claimed that they had been interviewed by the police, who were seeking to establish what happened to the deceased. One of the hospitals employees said: They asked us what happened to the corpse and we narrated what we knew. They also took the log-book. He said they also relayed to the police that they had only learnt of the missing corpse on Tuesday following that this past weekend was followed by a holiday on Monday. Confirmed Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that a case of a missing corpse was reported. We are investigating the matter, she said. She said police were seeking assistance from the public in establishing what might have happened to the corpse. Vilakati appealed to the public to contact the police through their emergency numbers 999 or 9999 in order to tip them off if they had any information that would lead to the arrest of the people behind the disappearance of the corpse or its recovery. WESTPORT The Board of Finance unanimously approved spending $1,182,500 for actual and anticipated COVID-related expenses for schools. The funds come from the Board of Educations carryover account and had to be approved by the finance board before they could be used. Elio Longo, schools chief financial officer, said $750,000 will go into technology and the remote learning program. Funding is also requested for four months of transportation, funding for custodial overtime and more. Longo said the district operates with two custodial shifts at the five elementary schools, with the second shift traditionally working from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. He said custodians will now report at 11 a.m. and finish at 7 p.m. Now that were introducing a p.m. session, were rolling back the second shift, Longo said at a finance board meeting Wednesday. Depending on whether we re-open our schools for extra-curricular activities, after school activities such as parks and (recreation) and continuing education we may very well experience some overtime custodial hours. The district is also reserving money for personal protective equipment as they look for a state grant or assistance, Longo said. Superintendent Tom Scarice said hes also spoken with Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona regarding assistance from the state. He assured us that we would be funded in some part from the coronavirus relief funds, Scarice said. The finance board asked for a followup report at its October meeting as well as a review of risks and opportunities at a meeting in November. What were looking for here is no surprises, BOF Chair Brian Stern said. Scarice said the monetary risk is running a hybrid model longer than the district is expecting to. If we go back to full instruction or if we go to fully remote, then some of these costs will go away, he said, adding the district has seen an influx of new students. But Scarice said the approval will help the district in case there has to be a pivot to full-remote learning. At Bedford and Coleytown through the high school, this will equip us to do livestream instruction right now under this model or any other model, he said. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Attorney General William Barr stunned viewers Wednesday when he said that its not necessarily racism when police repeatedly treat Black people differently than white people. Barr made the remarks in an interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer, who pressed him to back up his stated belief that Black people arent disproportionately targeted by law enforcement. I think there are some situations where statistics would suggest that they are treated differently, but I dont think that thats necessarily racism, Barr said. The attorney general also disputed the idea that the criminal justice system treats Black people more harshly, as research broadly shows it does. No, I dont think there are two justice systems, he said. I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed Black men is simply a false narrative, and also the narrative that thats based on race. Wolf confronted Barr with a remark hed made to ABC in July, quoting him as saying, I do think it is a widespread phenomenon that African American males, in particular, are treated with extra suspicion and maybe not given the benefit of the doubt. Thats what I just said, Barr responded. Perplexed, Wolf asked, But doesnt that sound like systemic racism? Barr began nitpicking the language: No. To me, the word systemic means that its built into the institution. What the attorney general acknowledged to be true is, in fact, systemic racism. Racism against Black people has been built into the American system since white settlers colonized the land and then spent centuries enslaving Black people and legalizing discrimination against them. The lingering effects of those practices are what fuel the racism Black Americans face today, sometimes directly costing them their lives. President Donald Trump, too, said this week that police violence against Black people isnt a systemic issue. I dont believe that, he... Continue reading on HuffPost Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) A bill declaring late president Ferdinand Marcos birthday as a holiday in Ilocos Norte will likely breeze through the Senate if a similar measure reaches the chamber, its president Vicente Tito Sotto III said Thursday. Speaking to CNN Philippines, Sotto said he sees no objection to such measure, as he explained that bills of local application are usually not intensively debated upon. A bill of local application when it comes to the Senate usually is not really debated upon. Its a bill of local application, its for Ilocos Norte. I doubt if there will be objections to that, Sotto said in an interview with The Source. If its nationwide, baka magkakaroon ng objection 'yan, medyo mahihirapan 'yan (maybe it would have objections, it would be hard to pass that) Usually bills of local application breeze through the Senate unless one or two objects, he added. Voting 197 to 9 with one abstention, the House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 7137 which seeks to declare every September 11 as "President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day" in the northern province. A counterpart bill has yet to be filed in the Senate, according to Sotto. The late executive was born on September 11, 1917 in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. The lawyer and politician served in the House of Representatives and the Senate prior to being president of the Philippines from 1966 to 1986. He was likewise known for declaring martial law in the country in 1972, also in September. Facebook, YouTube and other social media companies are not removing pages believed to be linked to people-smuggling because they do not breach terms and conditions, MPs have been told. Criminals are taking advantage of end-to-end encryption and closed groups to facilitate the movement of migrants from France to the UK, a senior official from the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. A record number of migrants reached Britain by illegally crossing the Channel last month. More than 1,450 arrived by small boats in August, bringing the total since the start of the year to more than 5,000. Just 1,850 migrants made the journey in 2019. Rob Jones, director of threat leadership at the NCA, told the Home Affairs Committee that inaction by social media companies has been 'challenging' for the agency. He said: 'For instance, in the first five months of the year, we referred over 1,200 pages related to organised immigration crime to social media companies for closure. Facebook, YouTube and other social media companies are not removing pages believed to be linked to people-smuggling because they do not breach terms and conditions, MPs have been told. (Above, a Facebook post, from 2018, with a message encouraging people to get in touch, stating that January is the best month for immigration) Criminals are taking advantage of end-to-end encryption and closed groups to facilitate the movement of migrants from France to the UK, a senior official from the National Crime Agency said. (Pictured, another 2018 Facebook post advising how to make crossings) In the first five months of 2020, over 1,200 pages related to organised immigration crime were referred to social media companies for closure, said NCA official Rob Jones. 578 pages were closed and 485 were rejected as not breaching terms and conditions. (Above, RNLI members supervise a group of people found in a small boat in Dover, Kent, on Wednesday) A record number of migrants reached Britain by illegally crossing the Channel last month. (Above, a group of people, believed to be migrants, are brought into Dover by Border Force officials on Tuesday) 'Now, of those, 578 were closed and 485 were rejected as not breaching terms and conditions. 'We were very certain when we made these referrals that there was a problem with those accounts. 'To see that level of attrition with not all those accounts being closed is challenging for us.' Mr Jones hesitated to name individual social media companies but when pressed if Facebook and YouTube would be among them, he replied: 'Yes, they would.' He was also asked by Labour MP Diane Abbot about what will happen to UK access to European criminal intelligence at the end of the Brexit transition period in December. She said: 'It won't be legal for them to allow British access to EU databases.' Mr Jones said that each EU member state also maintains individual relationships with UK law enforcement. He added: 'You are absolutely right in terms of the risks of loss to Europol data, and that is something that we will try to mitigate through bilateral relationships.' Yesterday, a record-breaking 409 migrants made it across the Channel with eight dinghies managing to dodge Border Force entirely. A total of 30 boats are believed to have made the crossing, the first setting off in the early hours of Wednesday, amid 'absolute mayhem' in the world's busiest shipping lane. Record 1,450 migrants crossed the Channel in dinghies last month A record number of migrants reached Britain by illegally crossing the Channel last month, it has been confirmed. More than 1,450 arrived by small boats in August, bringing the total since the start of the year to more than 5,000. Just 1,850 migrants made the journey in 2019. The massive rise comes despite a vow from Home Secretary Priti Patel last autumn to have made the crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by this point. The Home Office has sought to blame French authorities and 'activist lawyers' for the increase and for difficulties removing asylum seekers once they arrive in Britain. About 100 migrants were seen arriving in the port of Dover yesterday, with at least 15 small boats reaching British shores. More than 1,450 arrived by small boats in August, bringing the total since the start of the year to more than 5,000. Just 1,850 migrants made the journey in 2019 The massive rise comes despite a vow from Home Secretary Priti Patel last autumn to have made the crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by this point The daily total included women and children, as well as three men on an inflatable kayak. One woman in her 20s was seen being brought ashore by Border Force officers in a wheelchair. Others were brought into Dover aboard the UK Border Force patrol boat Hunter. They were seen being ushered out of the cabin on to the stern of the vessel where they were given life jackets. Immigration officials 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 afterwards. Later, more arrivals believed to be migrants were seen coming into the port, sitting on the front of an RNLI lifeboat. About a dozen in life jackets were helped ashore, where they were met by border officials. The previous monthly record for migrant arrivals was 1,075, set in July. August's arrivals saw 235 reach Britain on just one day which was also a record. Miss Patel is seeking a deal with French authorities that would allow migrant boats to be turned back in the Channel. No agreement has yet been reached. Yesterday, the Mail revealed the taxpayer was hit with a 1billion bill for the asylum system last year. The head of Care England said the government's inability to sort out testing in care homes had been an "impediment" to the return of visitors. (Getty) The governments coronavirus testing regime in care homes has been chaotic and limited their ability to allow visitors to see their loved ones, an industry leader has said. Care England CEO Martin Green said the governments scheme to regularly test residents and staff in care homes is not delivering what we thought it would deliver and in some areas its extremely chaotic. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4s Today Programme, Green said care homes were struggling to allow visitors because of fears they could not protect their staff or residents, and the threat of legal action by the NHS if someone dies of COVID-19. Green was speaking alongside Julie Jones, co-founder of the charity Johns Campaign, which is mounting a legal challenge over the governments guidance on family visits to care homes during the pandemic. They are seeking to reverse a rule in the Department of Health and Social Cares care home visiting guidance issued on 22 July that lets local health authorities decide if it is safe for visitors to see their loved ones. The Department for Health and Social Care issued guidelines for care home visits on 22 July. (PA) Charities have said this was likely to result in little change in visiting access unless the point was clearly made and enforced by the government. Johns Campaign believes closest family members are not an optional extra but integral to residents wellbeing, and that the government has failed to take into account individuals human rights. The charity cited the case of a retired doctor who has not been able to visit her 92-year-old mother, who has Lewy body dementia, for six months. She has been told she can only visit again when her isolated and bed-bound mother is dying. Jones said: These are not visitors, these are peoples husbands, these are peoples children who have been their children for 60 years. Read more: Coronavirus: Weekly cases at highest level since end of May, figures show So important to help people's voice be heard -- we must have change so let6's sign and share as busily as we can Please let me see my family before it's too late! https://t.co/2jRXAjSgqD via @UKChange John's Campaign (@JohnCampaign) September 2, 2020 This is a humans rights matter, you cant restrict peoples right to family life disproportionality and this is absolutely disproportionate and completely wrong. Story continues Some care homes are making decisions on visitors based on individual needs, others are still unwilling to allow visitors in order to protect their whole community. Johns Campaign argues that not allowing visitors is causing avoidable suffering. Green said some care homes are finding it much more difficult to bring back visitors because of the vulnerability of their residents and the physical nature of their buildings. He said the governments failure to get the testing regime sorted had been an impediment to the return of visitors. Read more: Coronavirus: Government commits 500m for 20-minute COVID test trials Care homes have found it hard to allow visitors to see their loved ones in a socially distant way, with some having to set up meetings outdoors. (Getty) Johns Campaign seeks to help the rights of people suffering with dementia because they often struggle to understand what is going on around them, making it doubly hard to support them during the pandemic. Care homes are having to provide care in a socially distant way with staff using ppe often confusing residents, and with family members being unable to see them it is proving difficult to get the support they need. In July a group of charities came together to ask the government to treat family members of people with dementia as key workers. They argued forced separation between them and their loved ones was having damaging consequences for people with dementia. Jones said she never imagined she would be launching a legal challenge like this but added: We know were speaking for thousands who are experiencing extraordinary bewilderment and anguish. We can only hope that the government will waste no more of these peoples precious time and will give clear direction and the necessary support for their needs and wishes to be respected. Read more: Coronavirus: Almost 11% of UK stores are vacant as pandemic hammers high street The charity cited the case of a retired doctor who has not been able to visit her 92-year-old mother, who has Lewy body dementia, for six months. She has been told she can only visit again when her isolated and bed-bound mother is dying. The charity intends to crowdfund to cover some of the legal costs. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: We know that limiting visits in care homes has been difficult for many families and residents who want to see their loved ones, but our first priority is to prevent infections in care homes, and this means that visiting policy should still be restricted, with alternatives sought wherever possible. Visiting policies should be tailored by the individual care home and taking into account local risks in their area. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter The secret life of a handbag hoarder, who almost single-handedly kept her local high street afloat by spending 1,000 a week on upmarket fashion, has been revealed after her death. Jenny Simpson, an heiress who inherited a large family fortune, died aged 89 in the coastal Suffolk town of Aldeburgh she loved in June this year. She was known to splash the cash in the bright lights of London and New York, but an obituary described her as being 'devoted to her home town', where she lived for more than three decades. Jenny Simpson, an heiress who inherited a large family fortune, died aged 89 in the coastal Suffolk town of Aldeburgh she loved in June this year. Pictured: The hoarder's stash of clothes She was known to splash the cash in the bright lights of London and New York, but an obituary described her as being 'devoted to her home town', where she lived for more than three decades Miss Simpson would spend hundreds of pounds locally in ladies' outfitters, but was rarely seen in any of the expensive clothes she bought on a weekly basis, the Times reports. Instead, they just piled up across three houses she owned, with a collection of around 500 pairs of mainly unworn shoes found among her effects after her death. The haul is now being auctioned off to raise money for her beloved local independent cinema, where she would watch every new release. Some 8,000 has already been raised, with the complex's staircase and top floor packed out with boxes and rails of her hats, handbags, dresses, coats and jumpers, donated by her family. The mountain of goods lying in Aldeburgh cinema (pictured) represents barely a third of her valuable possessions Back across her homes, which includes a cottage set back from the path, and the house directly in front, brought to offer her even more privacy, there is more evidence of barely-touched treasures, from old-fashioned stationery, bags of makeup and bedsheets still in their plastic. The mountain of goods lying in Aldeburgh cinema represents barely a third of her valuable possessions, many of which sit in a garage waiting to be sorted, though some has just had to be sold for 'rag' by weight. Unmarried, Miss Simpson enjoyed attending parties but seldom invited her friends over to her home, while she was also known to make frequent crossings on the QE2, which she called 'the Boat'. Pictured is the outside of Aldeburgh cinema in Suffolk, where the mountain of clothes and shoes are stored She would come up from the capital for the weekend in the 1960s as a 'chic career girl' before her fashion tastes moved towards 'country conservative', friends told the Times. But it was Aldeburgh she loved, and where her legacy will remain, as friends and neighbours snap up the goods she secretly stashed for decades. A spokesman for the trust running the cinema told MailOnline: 'Aldeburgh Cinema is extremely grateful to the family of the late Jenny Simpson for donating a quantity of clothing which we are selling to boost cinema funds. 'We are being assisted by a number of local volunteers.' If all this sounds all too familiar, this practice of lying in a coordinated effort with the dishonest Fake News propagandists to make lies real, and, alternately, rendering the truth as lies, is a Democratic Socialist practice which is known as the "Wrap-Up Smear", described here by a sputtering Speaker Pelosi: Below. Nancy Pelosis has made a living out of leading the most intellectually dull, non patriot band of do-nothing, feckless House of Representatives in the entire 231 years of its congress's existence. Speaker Pelosis is a stammering fool, who is a rudderless, immoral political hack, who hates America, but loves power, and has no compunction for doing whatever she must do to remain in power, while soliciting more of the same.In other harsh, but true words, Speaker Stammer'n' Nancy Pelosis will do whatever it takes to destroy anyone that stands in here way, which is far too often her terrible means to her ultimate ignoble end. Since 2016, we have discovered that this non patriot Speaker hates Donald Trump far more than loves her country, and, moreover, her Republic's Constitution.And how does an old fool of a Madam Speaker get away with her ultra partisan, non patriot transgressions?Unquestionably, it is as simple as a walk in the park. The Democratic Socialist propagandist fools that manage the Fake News, non journalists all with no integrity whatsoever, would never ask a real question of Speaker Stammer'n' Nancy or Covid Joe - the bumbling, mumbling - when not reading - presidential candidate. In fact, the only time Hid'n' Joe Biden leaves his basement is to visit a friendly location, which is a seldom occurrence, and then only accepts questions from friendly propagandists where they read a pre-approved question, and then he (Biden) reads a pre-prepared answer - as best he can - from a teleprompter.To make this work, No real journalists are called upon , unless Slow Joe asks the rare unscripted questions, often with disastrous results. The Sputtering Speaker has the same hands off treatment from the propagandists as Covid Joe, minus the scripted questions, and the teleprompter-read-answers to simple, shallow questions from the Fake News propagandists. How else could Nancy Pelosi ramrod a Fake and Trivialized Impeachment with no real evidence, where she and Adam Schiff would wantonly lie, unchallenged by the activist Democratic Socialist Media, to bolster their phantom case against a beleaguered President Trump?We see it now as they lie about the Covid tragedy, blaming it all on President Trump, as if he created and transmitted the virus, and for his, when he was actually then roundly and robustly labeled aand aby those same Democratic Socialist politicians and their propagandist minions for immediately eliminating flights, via a Travel Ban, to and from China and then Europe beginning in early 2020.If you have not had a belly-full of this silly and most ignorant, this Democratic Socialist hypocrisy, you may should take a patriot. If you were to be honest with yourself, I assure you that you would not be satisfied with what you would see ... that is ... if you were to be honest. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 04:35:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Wednesday called on the international community to reject U.S. sanctions imposed on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, said in an emailed press statement that international justice and legitimacy are under "a U.S. retaliatory attack." "President Donald Trump's administration is trying to keep the international system under its control by using the logic of power and arrogance and crush the principle of accountability and anything legal or humanitarian," she said. Ashrawi made her remarks in response to the declaration of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington would impose sanctions on ICC officials. Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States would impose sanctions on ICC's senior officials to investigate U.S. citizens. Ashrawi said that the world is obligated now and more than ever "to protect its laws, principles, human values, and the foundations based on justice." She stressed "punishing, harassing or persecuting officials of the International Criminal Court for carrying out their duties to investigate war crimes and other grave violations are unlawful and unacceptable." Enditem Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui (R) attends a symposium on the South China Sea, September 2, 2020. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Interference from the United States has been a source of risk in the South China Sea, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui said on Wednesday, calling on countries in the region to jointly reject these risks and safeguard peace and stability. Luo made the remarks in a speech at the International Symposium on the South China Sea: from the Perspective of Cooperation. Co-hosted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, the event was attended by former politicians, officials and scholars from various countries in the region and beyond including Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Britain. The symposium was held ahead of foreign ministers' meetings on East Asia cooperation next week and amid U.S. attempts to contain China, Luo noted. "At this background, I'd like to reiterate that China's position and commitments on South China Sea remain unchanged," he said. "We will continue to work with ASEAN countries to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation." This file photo taken in July 2016 shows a Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling islands and reefs including Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. /Xinhua The diplomat said China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are "close neighbors that could not move." The two sides signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea 18 years ago and are speeding up consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. "China believes in settling the disputes of the South China Sea through negotiation and consultation," Luo stressed. Beijing supports handling the South China Sea issue in accordance with international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said. Nevertheless, the issue "concerns not just UNCLOS, but also territorial sovereignty," he told the audience. "Its proper solution is only possible when the international law, including UNCLOS, is applied comprehensively and accurately." Luo reiterated that Beijing does not accept or recognize the so-called South China Sea arbitration in 2016. "UNCLOS does not regulate issues of territorial sovereignty," he stressed. "The South China Sea is open and inclusive," he said. "The freedom of navigation has never been an issue in these waters. It is only an excuse created by those who wanted to interfere and make trouble." Luo criticized the U.S. for making "repeated provocations" and increasing military activities in the South China Sea. "By interfering in the issue, the U.S. is trying to hijack regional countries. It tries to undermine and divide China and ASEAN countries, forcing them to take sides," he said. He called on countries in the region to "stay on high alert" against U.S. interference and "focus on cooperation, in stead of conflicts." An independent panel appointed by the World Health Organisation to review its co-ordination of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic has said it will have full access to any necessary internal UN agency documents, materials and emails. The panels co-chairs, former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, announced the 11 other members during a media briefing. They include Dr Joanne Liu, who was an outspoken WHO critic while leading Medecins Sans Frontieres during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Also named to the panel are: Dr Zhong Nanshan, a renowned Chinese doctor who was the first to publicly confirm human-to-human transmission of coronavirus; Mark Dybul, who led the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and David Miliband, a former British foreign secretary who is chief executive of the International Rescue Committee. Ms Clark said she and Ms Johnson Sirleaf chose the panel members independently and that the WHO did not attempt to influence their choices. We look forward to a period of intense work together at a key moment in history. We must honour the more than 25.6 million people known to have contracted the disease and the 850,000 and counting who have died from Covid-19, Ms Johnson Sirleaf said. The panel scheduled its first meeting for September 17 and plans to meet every six weeks between then and April. It expects to brief the WHO on the groups initial progress in November before presenting a final report next year. The WHO bowed to calls from most of its member states in May to launch an independent investigation of how it managed the international response to coronavirus after the United States accused the UN health agency of mismanaging the early phase of the pandemic and colluding with China to hide the extent of the outbreak there. President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the WHO earlier this year after calling the agency a puppet of China. In June, the Associated Press found that China delayed releasing critical information to the WHO, including the viruss genetic sequence, for weeks in January. Pleased to have joined @HelenClarkNZ in announcing the panelists for @WHO's Independent Panel for #Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which we have the great honor to co-chair. I look forward to the contributions they will provide through their considerable expertise. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (@MaEllenSirleaf) September 3, 2020 Internal recordings of WHO meetings revealed officials were frustrated at the lack of data-sharing while director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus publicly praised China for its speed and transparency. To uncover how the global response to Covid-19 was managed, we may ask decision-makers what kept them up at night, Ms Clark said. The panel also plans to examine what the WHO and national governments might have done differently had they known more about coronavirus. She said the WHO had made it clear their files are an open book and that the panel members would have access to any internal documents or materials they wanted, although no such requests have yet been made. As a UN agency, the WHO is not subject to any freedom of information requests and does not routinely make its internal deliberations public. The panel is financed by the WHO and has its own staff in Geneva, led by Dr Anders Nordstrom, a former acting director-general at the agency. The union will still ask the court for a permanent injunction until its grievance with the district can be resolved by an arbitrator. A hearing on that request is scheduled for Sept. 21. Well be ready on Sept. 21 when there will be a full-scale hearing and well be presenting witnesses to what the actual conditions are in the schools that present a danger, not only for our teachers now, but for our students in the future, Rumore said Thursday after the virtual court hearing. Obviously the district is very pleased by the judges decision and commends all of the hard work that our staff has done over the past several months to prepare for the reopening of schools, countered Kuzma. The district was concerned because arbitration will take months. If the courts grant an injunction, blocking teachers from returning to the buildings until an arbitrator settles the dispute, that would prevent the district from reopening in person once it's ready. But based on the judges decision Thursday, the district feels more confident about the outcome heading into the Sept. 21 hearing. South Africa: SAPS launches dedicated quarantine site The South African Police Service (SAPS) has unveiled a 45-bed quarantine and isolation COVID-19 site for infected members. Beyond the pandemic, the facility will be converted into a 160-bed South African Police Service (SAPS) hospital. Located at the SAPS Tshwane Academy, the project is a collaborated effort between the SAPS and POLMED [SAPS Medical Scheme], working closely with the Department of Health in preparing the facility. The police will also have a site at the Bishop Lavis Training Academy in the Western Cape. Speaking at the launch, National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, said the police hospital is part and parcel of a long-term plan and part of a long-term vision. We intended to have a police hospital by 2021. This also coincides with a police university and detective university, which we intend to have soon. Also complementing our human capital investment, the SAPS is [in the process of] establishing police estates to provide more safety to our members, as we move forward, he said. The National Commissioner said while the world grapples with Coronavirus, SAPS members are not immune to contracting the virus as they execute their obligation of ensuring that criminals are brought to justice. On a daily basis, our members are getting infected. At the present moment, we have an infection rate of 15 707, said the General. Although SAPS has recorded over 11 000 recoveries, he said, this facility will assist in increasing the recovery rate. The virus has already claimed the lives 193 SAPS members. To respond to COVID-19, the SAPS established a committee in an effort to also ensure that the necessary support is availed for officers on the ground. We decided that while we are on a long-term plan to have a police hospital, we have to align our response with COVID-19 by turning this hospital into a quarantine site with POLMED. From then on, a strategy will be put in place to have facilities across all provinces so that we invest in the health of the organisation, making sure that members are taken care of, Sitole said. Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale said while policing was a psychologically stressful occupation characterised by danger, high demand, human misery and exposure to trauma as well as death, these had been compounded by Coronavirus. It has exposed us to further health woes. We have lost a lot of dedicated officers, while many others have been infected. We have had to respond innovatively to curb the rapid spread of this pandemic and protect our frontline workers for them to continue delivering a much-needed service to citizens, he said. He said the opening of the facility was a step in the right direction. This partnership between POLMED and SAPS is commendable. On behalf of government, I want to encourage that this partnership be strengthened to ensure that members have access to quality healthcare when they need it." The virus, Mathale said, had presented government with lessons that forced the State to prioritise the health of its people. We are all aware of the investment that our government has made during this time to strengthen our healthcare system. It runs into billions and billions of rands and we must do everything to ensure that our people continue to benefit beyond COVID-19, he said. He emphasised that SAPS needs to make the facility a success. Lets build an alternative model that may be just the right model for the NHI [National Health Insurance] to borrow from. My wish is to see a strong administration and management of this facility so it becomes a benchmark of excellence in healthcare. My wish is to see what POLMED and SAPS have started being rolled out in all nine provinces. You have our support as the Ministry of Police. Mathale said the health and safety of SAPS members is a priority of Police Minister Bheki Cele, who initially made the call for the establishment of such a facility. This is the beginning in this regard, he said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Good morning, Bay Area. Its Thursday, Sept. 3, and it sure is hard to figure out the air quality data around here. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Three years after the Tubbs Fire ripped through Sonoma County, destroying 5,600 homes, many of the neighborhoods hardest hit are springing back to life. In Santa Rosas Coffey Park, 95% of the 1,300 homes destroyed are either rebuilt or under construction. But with a web of wildfires once again fouling the skies across Northern California, destroying 2,400 homes and scorching 1.6 million acres, experts are questioning whether the new homes that have popped up in Sonoma County and elsewhere in the state are any safer than the ones lost in recent years. While building codes have become stricter around fireproofing, many of the rebuilt homes are still made of wood, and some experts say they would likely be destroyed in the next major fire. Read more from J.K. Dineen. Nothing to burn: Fire-hardened homes in Wine Country give peace of mind to owners but remain rare. Hennessey Fire: How lightning in Napa County sparked dozens of blazes that quickly overwhelmed firefighters. Bay Area lightning complex fires: Crews race to contain blazes ahead of coming heat wave. From Otis R. Taylor Jr.: Let inmate firefighters keep doing this vital job. Airnow? PurpleAir? Clearing air quality confusion Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Bay Area residents looking for a sense of whether its safe outside as wildfire smoke continues to choke the region have gone online, and then opened their door and taken a breath. As they check the official readings on their apps, the thought strikes some: Something doesnt smell right. There are two main sources of air quality data: AirNow.gov, a federal website with local partners that include the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; and PurpleAir.com, a website that relies on data from low-cost air quality sensors that people buy and install on their own. Often, their measurements dont match up with each other or with what people feel when they breathe. So what information can people rely on? Danielle Echeverria explains the challenges to getting better, more localized air quality information. Air quality near you: The Chronicles real-time air quality map. Reopening may soon advance for some Bay Area counties California made a big change Friday when it moved to a new, color-coded, tiered blueprint governing coronavirus restrictions. And several local counties may see more changes as soon as next week, when they could move into less restrictive tiers. Based on recent data, Marin and Santa Clara in the Bay Area, and nearby Santa Cruz could be reassigned Sept. 8 from the purple "widespread" tier to the red "substantial" tier. Such quick progression, less than two weeks after their initial assignment, would be a one-time occurrence, the state said. In the future, itll take longer to progress to less restrictive levels. Kellie Hwang explains the new system and what could lie ahead for Bay Area counties. UCSF touts free coronavirus tests of mostly Latinos at S.F. transit hub as key to aid most vulnerable. California to create new coronavirus data system, after old networks technical failure. After salon visit, Pelosi suggests she was tricked Paul Chinn / The Chronicle House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to apologize Wednesday for her controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon, calling it a setup and suggesting that she had been tricked by the business owner. Pelosi said she took responsibility for falling for the setup to have her hair done inside at a San Francisco salon on Monday, which is prohibited by the citys regulations. The San Francisco Democrat said if anyone was owed an apology, it was her by the salon. But as Tal Kopan and Rachel Swan report, Pelosis response seemed to add fuel to the firestorm over her actions, as conservative critics jumped on the cleanup effort as hypocritical. Around the Bay Labor Day vigilance urged: Bay Area officials worry that holiday weekend gatherings will spike coronavirus cases. From Tom Stienstra: An update on conditions at popular destinations for Labor Day vacationers worried about smoke, wildfires and COVID-19. Plus: Virtual and outdoor offerings for respite over the long weekend in the Bay Area. It was alarming: Alameda school district cuts ties with online learning program that parents argued included racist and sexist content. Help for invisible industry: S.F. council proposed to help cleaners, nannies, home aides. Election 2020: GOP looks to score points in California House races on defund the police issue. Looking ahead: New party backed by Quentin Kopp, Tom Campbell battles to get on 2022 ballot. Federal ruling: Court wont allow father of S.F. mental health patient who committed suicide to seek damages from city. Case filed under new law: San Leandro cop who shot Steven Taylor charged with manslaughter. Chronicle Food Soleil Ho / SFC The rumors of Tommys Joynts closure after 73 years in the business have been percolating for weeks, starting from a user-generated closure announcement on the classic restaurants Yelp page in early August and boiling over in the past few days with a fans outraged tweet about the vandalization of its distinctive neon sign. Local blog Broke-Ass Stuart published a post announcing the restaurants demise. Devotees of the hofbrau institution had already begun mourning early Wednesday. But there was nothing to mourn just yet. By midday Wednesday, Broke-Ass Stuart updated its piece, saying that Chris Henry, the real estate investor and restaurateur who purchased the restaurant in 2015, confirmed that its closure was simply temporary. In an email to Hoodline, he called the rumors fake news. As restaurant critic Soleil Ho writes, the roller coaster shows just hard it is to track the fate of our favorite restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic. New Bay Area restaurants: Here are the buzzy restaurants and pop-ups to check out, updated for September 2020. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. President Donald Trump urged North Carolina residents Wednesday to vote twice in the November presidential election as a test of the states ability to detect voter fraud. The president suggested that voters should send in an absentee ballot and try to vote in person on Election Day, an illegal act of voter fraud in North Carolina. But its allowed in New York where there are protections to prevent anyone from having their vote counted twice. Trump, who has made unfounded claims about widespread fraud in mail voting, was asked by a reporter if he had faith in North Carolinas vote-by-mail system. Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their systems as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote, the president said. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. Changing your mind New York has procedures in place to meet the presidents challenge. Unlike most states, New York gives voters the option to vote by absentee ballot and later void that vote by going to the polls on Election Day. New Yorkers who want to change their vote can also request a second absentee ballot after theyve already mailed one in, according to state election officials. In both scenarios, only one vote counts in New York either your vote at the polls or the last absentee ballot submitted in time for the election. New York still safeguards against voter fraud with a series of checks to prevent anyone from having more than one vote. The state wont let anyone vote twice at the polls, only registered New York voters receive a ballot, and election workers check signatures against poll books when voters sign their absentee ballots or check in at polling places. How do I do it in New York? After you submit your absentee ballot, you have three ways to change your vote: You can wait until Election Day, Nov. 3, and vote in person at the polls. You can vote in person at a polling site during New Yorks early voting period, from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Early voting sites and hours will vary by county. You can request a new absentee ballot and submit it before Election Day. Absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 will be counted if received by Nov. 10. The in-person vote at a polling site supersedes any absentee ballot and is the one that will be counted, said John Conklin, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections. And the last absentee ballot received in time will invalidate any ballots the voter may have previously sent. How election officials know which vote to count New York election law requires your vote at a polling site to be counted, making any absentee ballot you submitted invalid. After Election Day on Nov. 3, election officials will scan electronic poll books for voter histories showing who cast a ballot in person and also submitted an absentee vote. Election workers will pull the absentee ballots and void them, making sure that only the vote at a polling place counts. In the rare case where someone casts multiple absentee ballots but doesnt vote at the polls only the ballot with the latest postmark will be counted. The exception doesnt apply to those who voted in person at polling sites. You cant vote during the states 10-day early voting period and change your choices by voting again on Election Day. Its the law Its all spelled out in section 9-209, subdivision 2 of New York Election Law. Conklin said he doesnt know when or why the exception was added to the state election law, which had its last big update after World War II. The law was written at a time when it was seen as an American privilege and duty to vote at the polls, Conklin said. Absentee ballots were rare. New York is among only a handful of states that give voters a chance to void their absentee ballot, said Dustin Czarny, an Onondaga County elections commissioner. Why this year is different That benefit might come in handy in a year when record numbers are expected to vote by absentee ballot before the Nov. 3 election. State election officials are encouraging voters to return the ballots early to avoid possible delays in the mail. New York has made changes to its election law in response to the pandemic. One change allows voters to request absentee ballots now, rather than having to wait until 30 days before the Nov. 3 election. Ballots will be mailed to voters starting 45 days before the election (Sept. 18), and voters can return the ballots right away to avoid having to go to the polls during the pandemic. The state Board of Elections encourages voters to return the ballots as early as possible because the U.S. Postal Service has warned of possible mail delays this year. Conklin said voters shouldnt apply for an absentee ballot less than 15 days before the election. Voters should mail their ballots at least seven days before Election Day. How often does this happen? Its very rare. For example, about 42,000 people voted in Onondaga Countys primary election on June 23. Of those, only 79 voters showed up at the polls after mailing their absentee ballots. The 79 voters were informed at the polls that their absentee ballots were received, but they had the right to vote in person and void their earlier ballot, Czarny said. Czarny said hes not sure if the number of people looking to change their vote will be higher this November than previous years. Normally its a small number, he said. But this will be a test for us. Well see how it works it out. MORE ON THE 2020 ELECTION New York opens web portal to accept applications for absentee ballots New York recruits poll workers to ease shortage caused by coronavirus Absentee ballot vs. mail-in ballot: Whats the difference? How to get an absentee ballot in New York Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 World number one Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare against Britain's Kyle Edmund to advance to the third round of the US Open on Wednesday night. Djokovic lost the opener in a tiebreak but the Serb increased his intensity to ultimately claim the tie 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. "I'm really glad having an early kind of tough match because it kind of serves me better I think for the rest of the tournament," said Djokovic who is seeking an 18th Grand Slam title. With defending champion Rafael Nadal absent due to health concerns and Roger Federer off the circuit because of injury, Djokovic is favourite for the crown at Flushing Meadows. Challengers Elsewhere in the top half of the men's draw, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated American Maxime Cressy 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his first match on Arthur Ashe court. "It would have been even better with fans," said the 22-year-old Greek. "But getting a first taste of what it is was great for me." Fifth seed Alexander Zverev also advanced to the third round. The 23-year-old German got past the American wildcard Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 win. Zverev, one of a host of young guns anointed to displace the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, served 24 aces and 10 double faults against a player ranked 223 in the world. Conservation research group Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) on Thursday appointed Bivash Pandav, currently professor at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, as the new director. Pandav will replace Deepak Apte whose term ended on July 31. However, Apte was appointed as interim director till the latest announcement was made. With 30 years of experience, Pandav is involved in teaching herpetology, mangrove and wetland ecology to post-graduate students and is a wildlife management specialist. His efforts contributed to the discovery of sea turtle mass-nesting along Odisha beaches as early as 1994. Pandav was appointed by an interview panel consisting of BNHS office-bearers under the governing council (GC) president Bittu Sahgal and external panel of wildlife biologists. We are happy to get a dynamic and outstanding scientist on board who will be able to strengthen BNHSs research and conservation activities both in the corridors of power and on ground, said Debi Goenka, secretary, BNHS. Some governing council members said they were surprised with the decision. Some of us were not aware of who the current BNHS office-bearers were. We were surprised that a new director was appointed immediately after the lockdown. There was a notice for the new directors post on the website but we were informed that it was only procedural, a lifetime member said. Pandav will take charge on January 1, 2021. Till then naturalist and GC member Isaac Kehimkar would be the interim director. It is appalling for an organisation where an elected GC member is made an interim director with executive powers, said another member. You had to scan the menu pretty carefully at Stoopid Burger, the beloved burger joint that closed its doors this winter, to find a simple cheeseburger. But if you looked hard enough, there it was, tucked below the Northeast Portland restaurants signature multi-story creations loaded up with everything from hot links to fried eggs to grilled steak. That Boring Burger, as the simple cheeseburger was known, had nothing to be ashamed about. In 2016, the food cart turned restaurant won The Oregonians peoples choice award for best burger in the metro area, besting longtime local favorites Helvetia Tavern, Stanichs, Slowburger and more. Stoopid Burger closed at the end of January. (According to co-owner John Hunt, he and Stoopid Burger co-founder Danny Moore had different views on the business and decided to go separate ways.) But less than two months later, and just before the coronavirus began to sweep through Oregon, Hunt popped up with a new burger joint, Union Burger, a food cart with a streamlined menu and similarly tasty burgers. I took 30 days off to regroup, then I looked at everything that I would have done different at the beginning with the menu at Stoopid Burger, Hunt said. We had tons of things on the menu, and it would be so stressful having to get all these items. I learned from all the successful places like In-N-Out, Little Big Burger, Five Guys, theyre all kind of simple, with a hamburger, a cheeseburger, have it your way. At Union Burger, which takes its name from the pre-1986 name of the street now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where the cart resides, customers have to opt in to go dumb. A basic cheeseburger starts at $7.50 and comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion and Unions take on secret sauce. From there, you can pile on bacon, hot links, a fried egg, extra patties or another slice of American cheese to your hearts desire (or dismay, as the case may be). Onion rings are the move at Union Burger.Michael Russell | The Oregonian Hunt partnered with Deon VanZee, his former manager at the Northeast Broadway Washman car wash, who encouraged Hunt to open a food cart and came up with the name. Just before the pandemic struck in March, the cart opened at Park The Carts, a new pod one block south of Lombard Street home to a Korean fried chicken pub, the Hawaiian cart sensation Grind Wit Tryz and four Black-owned food carts: Union Burger, Jadas Soulful Eatz, P&S Premium Smokehouse and Gourmet Brothers Grill. MLK is the heart of the city, Hunt said. Thats where people go every day, even when people move out to East Portland or Vancouver, people from the African American community still come here to go to school, to shop, to hang out. It was only right to open here. Hunt started off buying his meat from Casons Fine Meats, the Black-owned butcher just down the road. Now he buys his lean 90/10 blend from Western Meat Market on Lombard Street. Brioche buns come from Franz. As at Stoopid Burger, the onion rings are better than the fries. And if you go overboard with your burger order, theres a pineapple-based Union Drink to help things on their way. Union Burger is open from noon to 8:46 p.m., Monday- Saturday at 7339 N.E. MLK Jr. Blvd., 503-744-9745, unionburgerpdx.com. This story is part of our annual guide to Portlands best new food carts. Know of a cart that opened in the past year that you think we should know about? Drop me a line at mrussell@oregonian.com and let me know why you love it. -- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Paper & paperboard imports have gone up nearly 10 per cent in 2019-20 to 1,637.3 tonnes from 1,478.2 tonnes. Over the last nine years, it has grown nearly 1,100 per cent. The share of paper imports from ASEAN in total paper imports for India has risen more than four times from about 5 per cent in 2010-11 to about 21 per cent in 2019-20. Ever since ASEAN-India FTA came into force from January 2010 and basic customs duties were progressively reduced to nil in India, imports of paper & paperboard from ASEAN, especially writing & printing paper, have increased at a great ... Even as the COVID-19 pandemic enters into its ninth month, much remains unknown about the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19 disease. One such area is the possible long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk factors for pathological conditions resulting from the disease. A recent paper published on the preprint server medRxiv* in August 2020 by a team of international researchers describes the planned prospective study meant to track this area. After COVID-19, Discharge Doesnt Always Mean Recovery An earlier study reports on 143 Italian patients at 60 days from the end of hospitalization. Follow-up showed that at least one symptom was still present in 87% of the patients at this time point; over half had 3 or more symptoms. The commonly reported symptoms include fatigue in more than half, joint pain in over a quarter, and chest pain in more than a fifth of these patients. A little less than half said COVID-19 had impaired their quality of life. It is notable that some patients with mild COVID-19 also did not seem able to shake off the illness. Again, neurological complications are known to happen with COVID-19, including brain involvement as in encephalitis or encephalopathy, and psychiatric diagnoses, in the acute phase, but their long-term outcome is unknown. The researchers suggest the need for psychological support for COVID-19 survivors is still greater than for the typical ICU patient who may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among other issues. ISARICs adaptable Covid-19 Follow-Up Protocol framework. Abbreviations: CRF: Case Report Form, ADL: Activites of daily living, MRC: Medical Research Council, VAS: Visual analogue scale, VTE: Venous thromboembolism, UN: United Nations, ISARIC: International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium, CVD: Cardiovascular disease Long-Term Follow-Up The current paper lays out the details of a longitudinal study that aims to follow up COVID-19 patients, including any pre-existing chronic illnesses as well as the medical care they received during their illness. A significant minority of convalescents appears to have prolonged disease sequelae. Some, such as carbon monoxide accumulation due to impaired lung function, and PTSD, as well as other mood disorders, have been documented following the earlier outbreaks of SARS and MERS, in 30% to 40%. In the current pandemic, the accompanying widespread loss of earning capacity and social interactions are additional stress factors operating on a large scale. In particular, they say, they want to find out how these are linked to chronic conditions. The possibility of sequelae arises from the fact that severe COVID-19 illness leads to acute respiratory distress, severe lung damage, and multiorgan failure in some cases, including heart, liver, and kidney injury. In many cases, the patient also has systemic inflammation and often circulatory shock. The high level of inflammation and acute hypoxia are known risk factors for cognitive decline. The researchers aimed to uncover the global patterns of mental and physical sequelae to COVID-19, and the risk factors for such consequences, as well as the temporal immune responses, the presence of protective immunity, and the need for rehabilitation in this patient group. The expected outcomes include better management and public health strategies. The Protocols and Cases The protocol for the study was developed by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 follow up working group. The researchers aim to cover all categories of discharged COVID-19 patients except children. The open-access study is designed to be an international multicenter prospective study with an observational protocol. All participants will have a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, being aged at least 16 years, and at least 28 days from discharge. The case report form (CRF) is based on the Clinical Characterization Protocol (CCP), a standardized reporting format for rapid and reliable collection of data and bio-samples in a uniform manner worldwide, that can be adapted for acute or follow-up reporting for any severe acute infection which is vital for public health. Along with the CRF, samples of respiratory secretions, blood, urine, and stool will be collected from some patients. The researchers will then analyze the data for variations in the outcomes across age groups, socioeconomic groups, and other demographic variables, as well as in the presence of several chronic illnesses, exposures to, and the complications that occurred in the acute phase of COVID-19, or their hospital stay. This is expected to help both public health bodies and researchers progress their work. The first tier of the study is for patient follow-up at 28 days, and then at intervals of 3-6 months, to pick out those patients who have certain specific symptoms for more extended evaluation. The second tier aims at a detailed follow-up in a clinic to describe the physical sequelae. Other outcomes are finding out the estimated proportion of patients with such consequences and the risk factors, the social and mental sequelae, and how many people die of the illness directly or indirectly after being discharged. Specific post-COVID-19-mortality causes that will be evaluated include deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, recent fevers, and new symptoms of a non-transient nature. Dyspnea, disability, lifestyle, and job-related factors will also be included in the analysis. Conclusions The final data and results will be posted both in open-access publications and on the ISARIC website for the benefit of the medical and broader scientific community to take appropriate action. The researchers say, The outcomes of this study will inform strategies to prevent long term consequences; inform clinical management, direct rehabilitation, and inform public health management to reduce overall morbidity and improve outcomes of COVID-19. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Tony Abbott Cabinet ministers have rallied behind former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott amid calls for his appointment as a Government trade adviser to be blocked. Throwing his weight behind Mr Abbott on Thursday, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted that as a former premier he had enormous experience and was an expert in trade. Confronted about claims over Mr Abbotts reported attitudes towards women and homosexuality, Mr Hancock added: "I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love, whoever that is. "But we need to have the best experts in the world working in their field and the former prime minister of Australia has a huge amount of experience." His comments were echoed by Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, who dismissed Labours opposition to Mr Abbott as virtue signalling, citing the partys own lack of female leadership. It comes days after Mr Abbott confirmed earlier this week that he was in talks with the Government about taking on a role in post-Brexit trade talks. He is expected to be handed a role as an adviser on the UK Board of Trade. While Number 10 has insisted no decisions have been taken, other Whitehall sources claim that an informal offer has been made and an announcement confirming Mr Abbotts appointment is expected shortly. However, opposition parties have called for the appointment to be blocked, citing Mr Abbotts previous comments on gay people, elderly coronavirus patients and women. Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Sir Keir Starmer said he had had real concerns about Mr Abbott, adding that he was not the right person for the job and that if he was prime minister I wouldnt appoint him. His comments were echoed by Nicola Sturgeon, who said Mr Abbott was a misogynist, he's a sexist, he's a climate change denier. However, hitting back during trade questions in the House of Commons, Ms Truss accused Labour of hypocrisy. Story continues She highlighted comments made by John McDonnell, who in 2014 quoted someone saying they wanted to "lynch" Esther McVey, a former work and pensions secretary. Mr McDonnell has denied he was endorsing the comments. Asked by Labours Ruth Cadbury why the UK could not find another trade expert who demonstrates positive British values, Ms Truss replied: I think it is absolute hypocrisy to hear this type of argument from the Labour Party. Until recently they had a shadow chancellor...who called for the lynching of one of my female colleagues and never apologised for it. This is a party that has never elected a female leader, despite having the opportunity time and time again. The reality is they would rather virtue signal and indulge in tokenism rather than take real action to improve the lives of women. Her comments were echoed by trade minister Greg Hands, who told MPs: Personally I welcome the fact that a former prime minister of Australia is willing to help this country out. I think we should welcome his interest and the endeavours he has the potential to make for this country on all our behalfs. Asked about the row on Thursday, the Prime Ministers spokesman said that no decision on the board's make-up had been made and declined to comment on the "political debate" surrounding Mr Abbott. Workers Party of Turkey (TIP) deputy Bars Atay was physically assaulted in the Kadkoy neighborhood of Istanbul on Monday morning, after he was threatened by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on social media. Sosyalist Esitlik (the Socialist Equality Group, SE), in political solidarity with the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), unequivocally condemns the attack on Atay. The political differences separating the SE from the nationalist orientation of the TIP, a split-off from the Stalinist Turkish Communist Party (TKP), are well documented. However, these differences do not lessen our opposition to this attack, which serves to strengthen a right-wing political atmosphere of intimidation aimed at all political opposition, including from the working class. Four people, shouting that he was a traitor, attacked Atay after he left a restaurant in Kadkoy at around 1 a.m. Another person reportedly videotaped the incident. On Monday, the TIP declared that Atays health condition was good. Three alleged perpetrators of this right-wing assault were arrested on Wednesday. The assault came immediately after a social media exchange between Atay and Interior Minister Soylu, who threatened Atay. The subject of their dispute was the case of Musa Orhan, an army specialist sergeant who has been released from prison while facing charges of abducting and sexually assaulting Iper Er, an 18-year-old woman from the southeastern city of Batman. Er subsequently committed suicide. Atay tweeted Sunday: You [Soylu] protected and backed a serial rapist. We will make efforts to ensure that it will be held against you for the rest of your life and you will not ever forget it. Soylu fired back a message on Twitter accusing Atay of being a tool of the banned Kurdish nationalist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). He wrote, The left-over of the PKK and DHKP-C [Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party/Front], who became a deputy from the HDP [Peoples Democratic Party] upon the instruction of the PKK heads. I cannot be a rapist protector, but you would make quite a rapist... watch out, dont get caught... Only a few hours after these threats from the interior minister, Atay was physically assaulted in the center of Istanbul. This underscores the growing dangers facing the working class as the Turkish bourgeoisie builds a presidential dictatorship based on vigilante violence, amid mass social opposition to the capitalist policies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government. This opposition has grown in the face of the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic. The events in Turkey are inseparable from the turn towards authoritarianism by the ruling classes around the world. US President Donald Trump is leading this by inciting vigilante violence against protests under conditions of growing social anger in the working class. The recent physical attack on Atay is not a completely new development in Turkish politics, but it represents a dangerous escalation of such attacks promoted by the state forces. In July, unidentified person(s) carried out an attack on the office of Siar Risvanoglu, a lawyer and member of the Revolutionary Workers Party (DIP), leaving behind a threatening note denouncing him as an odious traitor. On August 30, Metin Ilhan, a Republican Peoples Party (CHP) deputy from Krsehir, claimed that he has been kicked by police during Victory Day celebrations in the city. In April 2019, Kemal Klcdaroglu, the leader of the CHP, was assaulted by a right-wing mob during a soldiers funeral in Ankara, amid the frenzied atmosphere created by the bellicose nationalist campaign mounted by Erdogan. An attacker was released on bail, a clear encouragement for similar attacks in the future. The Kurdish nationalist parties have been among the most heavily hit by state or paramilitary attacks in last three decades. In 1994, police stormed the parliament and arrested Kurdish deputies, then members of the Democracy Party (DEP), on a live stream. Today, several HDP deputies have languished in prison since 2016, after the CHP voted for an AKP constitutional amendment removing deputies parliamentary immunity. Sosyalist Esitlik strongly condemns any violence carried out or promoted by the ruling class and its state and calls on all workers and youth to oppose these attacks. The only force that can take up the struggle to defend democratic rights is the working class, mobilized on a socialist program. Published: 3 September 2020 Travelling by Finns halted in spring 2020 According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finnish residents travelled in the first two months of the travel year 2020 in the same way as in previous years. During March the situation changed dramatically and in April Finnish residents' leisure trips stopped due to the coronavirus situation. In addition, 1.4 million trips abroad and 0.8 million domestic trips with paid accommodation, for which reservations had been made before the restrictions set in March due to the pandemic, were cancelled or postponed in the April to September period for Finnish residents. Leisure trips in January to April 2012 to 2020* (excl. domestic same-day trips and trips with free accommodation) Trips were made in January of the travel year 2020 similarly as in the previous years. In February, school children's winter holidays started and families were still able to go on their expected holiday trips. However, everything changed in March as in mid-month Finland's Government imposed a state of emergency in the country. Finns were instructed to avoid travelling both in Finland and abroad due to the prevailing coronavirus situation. At the end of March, the borders of Uusimaa were closed for good two weeks. Easter also fell on this period, which is normally a busy time for leisure trips. Only around one-half of the usual domestic trips to free-time residences and visits to friends or relatives were made in March to April. Travel abroad and to domestic hotels and rented cottages slowed down in March and stopped almost completely in April. In addition, the inquiry concerning trips in April asked about trips for April to September that had been reserved before the restrictions set due to the pandemic in mid-March. One in four respondents had these foreign travel reservations and they estimated that nearly all of them were either cancelled or postponed to a later date due to the coronavirus situation. Correspondingly, around one in six of the respondents had reservations for domestic trips with paid accommodation, and around 90 per cent of these trips were estimated to have been cancelled or postponed. Altogether 1.4 million trips abroad and 0.8 million domestic trips with paid accommodation, for which reservations had been made before the restrictions set in March due to the pandemic, were cancelled or postponed in the April to September period for Finnish residents. Around 80 per cent of these trips were scheduled for April to June and only 20 per cent for July to September. In the first four months of 2020, Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 made 6.9 million trips when all domestic and foreign leisure trips, as well as business and professional trips are included. In the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of trips was 11.8 million. Altogether, 4.4 million domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made in the January to April period. Of these, 3.3 million were trips with free accommodation. Trips with overnight stay in paid accommodation numbered 1.1 million. Travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus situation also decreased leisure travel in Finland, as around 40 per cent fewer domestic leisure trips were made in the January to April period than in the previous year. By contrast, there was a total upheaval in leisure trips. Trips abroad reserved for the time of schoolchildrens winter holiday were still made as before, but trips abroad reserved for Easter time were cancelled. Trips are recorded according to their month of ending and for Mainland Spain the number of these leisure trips increased by 74 per cent in the January to April period of 2020 from the corresponding period of the year before. In February to March, around one-half of the persons having returned from Mainland Spain were aged 65 to 84. This indicates that pensioners staying in Spain for the winter had to return to Finland early because of the coronavirus situation. The number of leisure trips to all other countries, including our neighbours Sweden and Estonia, declined considerably from the year before. Inclusive of trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips, leisure trips abroad numbered 1.4 million in January to April 2020. In the corresponding period of the previous year, the number of leisure trips was 2.4 million. A total of 1.1 million leisure trips abroad included overnight stay in the destination country in the January to April period of 2020. In January to April, 0.2 million cruises with overnight stay on board only were made. In the early part of the year, 0.2 million same-day trips abroad were made. In addition to leisure trips, 0.8 million domestic business or professional trips with overnight stay were made. Business or professional trips abroad (inclusive of trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips) numbered 0.3 million. The numbers of business trips also decreased considerably in this exceptional spring. These data derive from Statistics Finland's Finnish Travel survey for which data were collected from altogether 5,305 persons aged 15 to 84 on the web or alternatively as a telephone interview in February, March, April and May. Source: Finnish Travel, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Taru Tamminen 029 551 2243, Ossi Nurmi 029 551 2984, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi Director in charge: Hannele Orjala Publication in pdf-format (325.2 kB) Updated 3.9.2020 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Finnish Travel [e-publication]. ISSN=1798-9027. Spring (1.1.-30.4) 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/smat/2020/13/smat_2020_13_2020-09-03_tie_001_en.html BEIJING, Sept. 3 -- The second echelon of 115 members of the 16th Chinese peacekeeping engineer contingent arrived in Khartoum, capital of Sudan on August 31 for their 5-month peacekeeping mission. As of now, all the members have arrived in their mission areas. This engineer contingent is consisted of 225 members, which includes engineering support team, logistic support team, security squadron and a primary hospital. They mainly come from a brigade of the 82nd Group Army under the PLA Central Theater Command. The first echelon of the contingent had arrived in Sudan on August 12. As the only engineering and support force of the UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)in the region, the Chinese peacekeeping engineer contingent is mainly responsible for maintenance and upgrading of main roads, laying infrastructure, assembling prefabricated houses, building airports and aprons, etc. Since receiving the assignment, intensive close training has been conducted for each squadron, covering subjects of pandemic prevention and control, security guard and patrol, infrastructure construction and medical rescue. After targeted personal training, each member of the contingent went through assessment to prove their competency in dealing with emergencies. As the COVID-19 continues to bring challenges to their mission, seven types of anti-epidemic supplies totaling several thousand pieces were purchased in an urgent manner and related training had been conducted, introduced Wang Wenxuan, commissar of the contingent. "Being well prepared, we are confident to do our job well," said Wang. On Nov. 9, 2016, I started a new file, labelled it Trump, and watched it quickly become stuffed with articles, cartoons, emails, petitions and calls to action. I came across the file during last weeks Republican National Convention, having abandoned it six months into Donald J. Trumps reign as liar-in-chief. At some point, I realized that keeping a bread-crumb path of this misbegotten presidency was, in fact, pointless. Not to mention exhausting. The first piece I unearthed was by David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, and written in the middle of election night four years ago. Warning that we must never normalize Trumps world of vanity, hate, arrogance, untruth and recklessness, his disdain for democratic norms, Remnick called the election of Trump nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism. All this has come to pass, with more wonders to behold, if Trump, his handlers and devotees have anything to do with it. They plan to win in 2020 by purging voting rolls, kneecapping the U.S. Postal Service and propagating as little truth as possible on social media: Biden as a socialist-in-moderates clothing, the end of the (white) American Dream, rapists at our borders, mayhem in our streets. The point, wrote a columnist for the New York Times during the RNC, is to evoke fear and devotion, one conspiracy theory at a time. If the opposite of fear is faith, then this is what must be restored. One truth at a time, one vote at a time. I am one of more than 625,000 American citizens living in Canada eligible to vote in U.S. elections. Were a privileged lot, my Canadian friends say, in being able to vote in what Americans on both sides of the widening divide know to be a pivotal election. But heres the thing (as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are fond of saying): Only 33,000 of us voted in 2016. We cant let this happen again, whether its through negligence, ignorance or indifference. If you are an American born in the U.S. or born to at least one American parent elsewhere go now to the website for Vote From Abroad (www.votefromabroad.org) and request your blank ballot by email. If your state allows you to fax or email your voted ballot back, please do so to avoid possible postal issues. If you are a Canadian watching this debacle unfold too close to our border and way of life, urge your American friends to vote. The next nine weeks are going to be thick with words aimed like poison darts. Many of those words will be lies. But as Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, said last week: They will say what they will say. And we will do what we must do. Im dumping my Trump file and preparing a new one. Its labelled Next. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A team led by researchers at the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children has found that mothers of preterm babies have highly individual breast milk microbiomes, and that even short courses of antibiotics have prolonged effects on the diversity and abundance of microbes in their milk. The study is the largest to date of breast milk microbiota in mothers of preterm infants, and it is the first to show that antibiotic class, timing and duration of exposure have particular effects on the most common microbes in breast milkmany of which have the potential to influence growth and immunity to disease in newborns. "It came as quite a shock to us that even one day of antibiotics was associated with profound changes in the microbiota of breast milk", says Deborah O'Connor, who is a professor and chair of nutritional sciences at U of T and a senior associate scientist at SickKids. "I think the take-home is that while antibiotics are often an essential treatment for mothers of preterm infants, clinicians and patients should be judicious in their use." Most antibiotic stewardship programs in neonatal intensive care focus on limiting use in newborns themselves. The current study adds to growing evidence that these programs should include a focus on mothers as well, says O'Connor, principal investigator on the study who is also a scientist in the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition. The journal Cell Host and Microbe published the study today. The researchers looked at 490 breast milk samples from 86 mothers whose infants were born preterm, during the first eight weeks after delivery. They found that the mothers' body mass index and mode of delivery influenced the breast milk microbiota, consistent with some other studies. But the effects of antibiotics were the most pronounced, and in some cases they lasted for weeks. Many of the antibiotic-induced changes affected key microbes known to play a role in fostering disease, or in gut health and metabolic processes that promote babies' growth and development. "Overall we saw a decrease in metabolic pathways, and increase in more pathogenic pathways in bacteria over time," says Michelle Asbury, a doctoral student in O'Connor's lab and lead author on the paper. "Of particular concern was an association between antibiotics and a member of the Proteobacteria phylum called Pseudomonas. When elevated, Proteobacteria in a preterm infant's gut can precede necrotizing enterocolitis." About seven percent of babies born preterm develop necrotizing enterocolitis, a frequently fatal condition in which part of the bowel dies. A class of antibiotics called cephalosporins also had a big effect on the overall diversity of breast milk microbiota. Asbury says it is too early to know what the findings mean for preterm infant health and outcomes. She and her colleagues will dive into those questions over the next year, as they compare their findings with stool samples from the preterm infants involved in the study. This should reveal whether changes in the mothers' milk microbiomes are actually seeding the infants' guts to promote health or increase disease risk. Meanwhile, she says it's important that mothers with preterm infants continue to take antibiotics for some cases of mastitis, blood infections and early rupture of membranes. Roughly 60 percent of women in the current study took antibioticshighlighting both the vast need for these drugs and the potential for some overuse. Sharon Unger is a co-author on the study and a professor of pediatrics at U of T, as well as a scientist and neonatologist at Sinai Health and SickKids. She says that the benefits of breast feeding far outweigh the risk that antibiotics can disrupt the breast milk microbiome, and that mothers should without question continue to provide their own milk when possible. "But I think we can look to narrow the spectrum of antibiotics we use and to shorten the duration when possible," Unger says. She adds that advances in technology may allow for quicker diagnoses of infection and better antibiotic stewardship in the future. As for the rapidly moving field of microbiome research, Unger says it holds great promise for preterm infants. "Clearly the microbiome is important for their metabolism, growth and immunity. But emerging evidence on the gut-brain axis and its potential to further improve neurodevelopment for these babies over the long term warps my mind." While Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says Niagara should be following the provincial lead and rescind its state of emergency, several of his colleagues fear its premature. Its more than a month since the Ontario government ended its provincewide state of emergency, while introducing legislation to continue addressing ongoing risks posed by COVID-19 through emergency orders. Diodati said Niagara residents have done an outstanding job abiding by those orders, while making sacrifices to do so. Our numbers are extremely low, and I think its probably a good time to remove the state of emergency, he said. If a second wave of infection does strike the region, Diodati said we can turn on a dime and re-enact the state of emergency if necessary. I think at this point, we have been really successful, he said. All things considered, Im pretty proud of how Niagara has handled this and the success that we have achieved. Diodati said there was a brief discussion regarding rescinding Niagaras state of emergency at the last regional council meeting. We thought, lets get to Labour Day. Lets see how things go, Diodati said, adding he expects a decision to be made on the issue at the next meeting on Sept. 17. St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said its too soon to rescind the declaration. I dont think now is the time to sort of flip the switch. I think we still have to be cautious about our approaches and make sure were keeping our businesses and residents safe and our businesses able to safely operate, he said. I think its important that we take a cautious approach. We have to remain guarded and cautious and ensure that a second wave doesnt sweep across Niagara. Sendzik said Niagaras focus needs to continue to be on ensuring communities are both safe from a health perspective and sustainable from an economic perspective. Rescinding the state of emergency would not make much difference to most Niagara residents because the mandatory mask bylaw and social distancing and other requirements would remain in place. Welland Mayor Frank Campion, however, warned dropping the emergency could have a significant impact on the ability of municipalities to act swiftly to address any emergency that could arise. Thats the major advantage to having the declaration in place, Campion said. If a decision has to be made on the spot or within hours or within a day, when we would not have time to convene council, the decision could be made and put into effect. While Campion said hes interested in hearing arguments in favour of rescinding the state of emergency, he fears it may be premature. He said influenza season is on the horizon, while Niagara is likely at the cusp of a second wave of COVID-19. It might be appropriate to wait a little while anyway, just to see if that second wave does occur. I would hate to declare it over when there may be a new beginning coming forward, Campion said. I believe theres no harm in keeping it in place because as far as I can tell, theres no municipality in Niagara thats abusing the powers associated with the declaration.. Although Ontarios state of emergency first declared March 17 was officially rescinded on July 24, the province replaced it by enacting Bill 195, the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act. That legislation allows the province to continue issuing emergency orders related to the outbreak. Those provincial emergency orders have recently been extended to Sept. 22. Why would we change anything until the province removes the pandemic emergency orders? asked St. Catharines regional Coun. Brian Heit. Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele is also concerned about rescinding the declaration too soon. He said regional councillors needs to have time to consider if a second wave is going to come through, and how the region fares if and when it does. Niagaras acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, said the Regions state of emergency didnt have much impact on the health departments response to the pandemic, adding it was in some ways redundant because it is superseded by provincial emergency orders. Hirji, however, said if the declaration is rescinded, he hopes it does not send the wrong message to Niagara residents that the COVID-19 crisis as passed. St. Catharines regional Coun. George Darte agreed with Diodati. If the province says its probably time to rescind it, lets do that and lets get back to some sort of a routine, Darte said. VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Oxylabs, a proxy and data gathering service provider, has released an adaptive parsing feature in beta phase for their Next-Gen Residential Proxies solution. Adaptive parsing allows for effortless parsing of high-quality data from e-commerce websites using integrated machine learning (ML) algorithms. These strides towards innovation have been accompanied by the growing number of members on the Oxylabs' AI & ML advisory board, which is set to support the company's efforts to spearhead the technological advancements in the proxy service sphere. The ML-powered adaptive parser will aid every business engaged in web data gathering, as there will be no need to take care of complexities which are integral to building and maintaining in-house custom parsers. The Next-Gen Residential Proxy feature takes care of the custom parser upkeep, which involves making constant updates every time a target web-page layout changes. "As a leading proxy service provider in the market, Oxylabs strives to create an environment where forward-thinking businesses can focus on data analysis rather than the data gathering process. That is why we place our innovation efforts to build a well rounded solution, now available for testing, which can ease the web gathering operations and increase the success rates," - said Julius Cerniauskas, CEO at Oxylabs. The Next-Gen Residential Proxies, a platform upon which the adaptive parser operates, has shaken the market in the early August of 2020 by integrating AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML into the residential proxy platform for the very first time. Newly introduced features have the ability to mimic organic user-movements better than ever, eradicating the threat of detection by anti-bot solutions. Also, an integrated auto-retry system allows users to reach the highest data collection success rates by rerunning failed requests multiple times until the data retrieval is successful. Oxylabs is delighted to announce that Gautam Kedia, a Machine Learning systems expert, will be joining the Oxylabs AI & ML advisory board. Gautam has over a decade of experience leading teams in the fields of applied Machine Learning at Microsoft, Stripe & Lyft. Gautam Kedia will now be working alongside four other advisory board members to support Oxylabs as it expands its influence in the data industry. All members of the advisory board are the industry-leading data science, machine learning and AI experts, whose professional and educational backgrounds stem from highly reputable organisations such as NASA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UCL. "I'm thrilled to join Oxylabs to help advance the proxy and scraping service with ML technologies. I look forward to learning from and working with the best minds in the field," - said Gautam Kedia. The advisory board is made up of: Gautam Kedia , Applied Science Lead for Microsoft, ML Lead for Lyft , Applied Science Lead for Microsoft, ML Lead for Lyft Pujaa Rajan , Deep Learning Engineer at Node.io, USA Ambassador at Women In AI and Google Developer ML Expert , Deep Learning Engineer at Node.io, USA Ambassador at Women In AI and Google Developer ML Expert Adi Andrei , Lead, Mentor, Senior Data Scientist, NASA, Unilever, British Gas , Lead, Mentor, Senior Data Scientist, NASA, Unilever, British Gas Jonas Kubilius , Artificial Intelligence researcher , Artificial Intelligence researcher Muhammad Ali, PhD Researcher, Artificial Intelligence at UCL About Oxylabs Oxylabs is the leading global provider of premium proxies and data scraping solutions for large-scale web data extraction. The company's mission is clear: To give every business - whether big or small - the right to access big data. With unmatched hands-on experience in web data harvesting, Oxylabs is in trusted partnerships with dozens of Fortune 500 companies and global businesses, helping them unearth hidden gems of business intelligence data through state-of-the-art products and technological expertise. For more information, please visit: https://oxylabs.io/ Media contact: Vytautas Kirjazovas Company: Oxylabs Website: www.oxylabs.io Phone: +37060054118 Email: press@oxylabs.io SOURCE: Oxylabs View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604672/Oxylabs-Launches-ML-Powered-Adaptive-Parser-for-E-commerce-as-a-New-Member-Joins-the-AI-ML-Advisory-Board Captain Nikolay Djambazov describes his wealth of experience and the dynamic nature of the sea in his memoir: With Tangra Against the Wind With Tangra Against the Wind by Captain Nikolay Djambazov With Tangra Against the Wind by Captain Nikolay Djambazov SOFIA, Bulgaria, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The sea presents many adventures and challenges for those who travel it. In his riveting memoir, With Tangra Against the Wind, Captain Nikolay Djambazov details his lifestyle as a sailor and yachtsman, where he did all of his voyages only with a compass and a sextant. Captain Djambazov shares many sea excursions including his sailing expeditions on a yacht that he built himself, named Tangra. Captain Djambazov had many great accomplishments at sea with Tangra. In 1980, he participated in OSTAR 80. Then, in 1983-1985, he sailed Tangra around the Earth via Cape Horn without government or private funding. Captain Djambazov faced many challenges in his travels including capsizing, being chased by pirates along the Moroccan coast and being imprisoned in Turkey. Also, his voyages were an example of the ultimate self-imposed social isolation made even worse by the communist government forbidding radio amateurs to contact him. I want the audience of the book to be empowered by the strength of the human will of an ordinary man like me who followed his childhood dreams and overcame all obstacles, Captain Djambazov said. In addition to chronicling stories from his time at sea, Captain Djambazov shares stories of important individuals that he met throughout his travels proving that sailing/yachting, as much as it may seem like a solo experience, involves grand human connections. Although not all the connections he made had pure intentions in their friendship, he had wonderful people on his side. In With Tangra Against the Wind, Captain Djambazov proves that life at sea is multifaceted, filled with hard work, adventure, friendships, challenges and beautiful destinations. By sharing his story, Captain Djambazov hopes to inspire readers to follow their own childhood dreams. Story continues With Tangra Against the Wind By Captain Nikolay Djambazov ISBN: 978-1-9845-7910-2 (softcover); 978-1-9845-7911-9 (hardcover); 978-1-9845-7909-6 (e-book) Available at the Xlibris Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. About the author Captain Nikolay Djambazov is an expert in sailing/yachting. He is a certified sea captain of highest degree in his class. Captain Djambazov not only sails and yachts, but he also has constructed 40 small boats and seven yachts. Now, his focus is on educating others about sailing/yachting and encouraging people to follow their dreams. He has trained hundreds of young people in sailing and has published three books. Captain Djambazov is a citizen of honor of Sofia and Burgas. About Xlibris Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Attachment CONTACT: Krista Tillman LAVIDGE Publicity 480-648-7560 ktillman@lavidge.com Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) A local court ordered the release of Joseph Scott Pemberton, the US Marine Lance Corporal convicted of killing Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude in 2014. According to the September 1 decision of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court's Branch 74, Pemberton should walk free for good behavior. Pemberton has served a total of 2,142 days or over five years and eight months in prison, but the court credited to him a good conduct time allowance of 1,548 days or more than four years. This yields an accumulated jail time of 10 years, one month, and 10 days, the court said. Thus he is now entitled to be released for he had already served the ten (10) year maximum of his penalty, the order, signed by Presiding Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde read. The Court of Appeals initially sentenced Pemberton up to 12 years of imprisonment, but this was later reduced to a maximum of ten years. The good conduct time allowance under the Revised Penal Code applied in Pemberton's case was under intense scrutiny in 2019 after it was revealed that some heinous crime convicts would be freed due to the measure, prompting the government to revise its implementing rules and regulations. The Laude family appealed the court decision on Wednesday, arguing that Pemberton should not enjoy early release without proof of his behavior or participation in rehabilitation activities while in jail. The motion for reconsideration added that Pemberton has never even joined fellow convicts at the New Bilibid Prison since he has been serving sentence solo and comfortably in Camp Aguinaldo. The U.S. soldier has been detained at the custodial center of the Armed Forces headquarters in Quezon City in line with the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement with the US. Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag confirmed to CNN Philippines that the bureau received the court order via e-mail. It will undergo the usual validation, then Pemberton's release will be processed, he said. The Armed Forces explained that although it provided the detention facility for Pemberton, the BuCor retains management and administration of all convicted detainees. "We will assist BuCor in facilitating the release of Pemberton by virtue of such court order," AFP spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgardo Arevalo said in a statement. How Pemberton's jail time was cut short Pemberton in June filed an urgent motion for the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to compute the time he served in jail by applying the good conduct time allowance law. In August, Pemberton appealed for his immediate release, claiming that the BuCor failed to give him a years worth of GCTA since it did not include in its computation his preventive imprisonment from October 22, 2014 until November 30, 2015. The Olongapo court granted Pembertons partial motion for reconsideration and ruled that he should be given GCTA during the one year period. The court also took note that Pemberton already paid the Laude family the full amount of 4.65 million for civil damages. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who previously served as counsel for the Laude family, deplored the commuted jail sentence. Laudes death personifies the death of Philippine sovereignty and the light penalty imposed on Pemberton proves that despite the President's independent foreign policy, that Americans continue to have the status of conquering colonials in our country, Roque said in a statement. Rowena Flores, lawyer for Pemberton, meanwhile stressed that her client deserves to walk free since the court already said that he has exceeded his sentence. She also said that Julita Cabillan, Laudes mother, already agreed on Pembertons release on parole as early as 2017. In October 2014, Laude was found dead in an Olongapo City motel room after a night out with Pemberton. Laude's neck was blackened with strangulation marks, head rammed into a toilet. The high-profile case was brought back to the spotlight when President Rodrigo Duterte moved to terminate the VFA early this year. With the abrogation, Pemberton should be transferred to the state penitentiary in Muntinlupa, Roque said in February. The VFA remains in effect since the Duterte government suspended the termination amid the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario, AC Nicholls, and David Santos contributed to this report. A Metairie man whose shooting death was recorded by a surveillance camera at his Clearview Parkway apartment was allegedly killed by his girlfriends ex-husband, according to authorities. Two days before Corey Ivey, 43, is accused of gunning down Keith Ellis, 51, the two men were involved in a fight outside the very same apartment, a scuffle also captured on video, Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office Homicide Detective Kurt Zeagler said Monday during a preliminary hearing held in Iveys case. Ivey, of New Orleans, was booked with second-degree murder, obstruction of justice and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He and Zeagler appeared via video-conferencing Monday for the hearing held in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court. Ellis was fatally shot just before 9 a.m. July 26 while standing in the doorway of his apartment in the 1900 block of Clearview Parkway. Surveillance video from that rainy morning shows a man dressed in black and holding a blue umbrella while chatting with Ellis, who is standing just inside the door frame. After speaking for quite a bit, according to Zeagler, the man in black raises a pistol, points it at Ellis and fires several rounds, stepping into the doorway. Ellis was shot seven times, Zeagler said. He was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries. Detectives arrested Ivey in the case after a witness identified him as the gunman, according to Zeagler. 3 men wounded in 3 separate shootings within 25 minutes on West Bank: JPSO The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating three separate shootings that left three men wounded in Terrytown and Harvey Monday night. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The suspected motive for the shooting was pride, Zeagler told the court. Neither he nor the Sheriffs Office has directly identified the relationship between Ellis and Ivey. But Zeagler testified the two men were involved in a fight at the apartment two days before the shooting. In an incident report taken after the July 25 fight, Ellis told deputies that Ivey was his girlfriends ex-husband. A little before midnight, Ivey had called his former wifes phone, but it was Ellis who answered, warning Ivey not to call so late, according to authorities. The two men argued, and Ellis suggested Ivey come over so they could settle things like men, the report said. Ivey arrived at the apartment and, after another round of arguing, allegedly punched Ellis in the face. The pair continued fighting until a deputy showed up on scene. Ellis refused to press charges. Ivey told deputies there was no physical fight, the report said. Ivey continued to downplay the incident when questioned about the earlier altercation following Ellis shooting death, Zeagler testified. During cross-examination by defense attorney Raul Guerra, Zeagler revealed that a gun was found on the ground inside Ellis apartment after the shooting. Though the detective couldnt say whether Ellis ever wielded the gun during the confrontation with Ivey, he noted, Theres nothing on the video of the shooting to indicate that. Criminal Commissioner Paul Schneider ruled there was probable cause to continue holding Ivey on the charges related to the killing. Bond was previously set at $775,775. But Ivey was being held without bond for violating probation on a 2016 drug conviction in Jefferson Parish, court records said. WASHINGTON - A line of elephants trundles across a dusty landscape in northern Botswana, ears flapping and trunks occasionally brushing the ground. As they pass a motion-activated camera hidden in low shrubbery, photos record the presence of each elephant. Whats special about this group? Its only males. Female elephants are known to form tight family groups led by experienced matriarchs. Males were long assumed to be loners, because they leave their mothers herd when they reach 10 to 20 years of age. A new study shows that teenage males arent anti-social after all. Younger male elephants were seen tagging along behind older males as they travel from place to place. Its more evidence in an emerging body of research that shows older males like their female counterparts play an important role in elephants complex society. For the study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed photos of 1,264 sightings of male African savannah elephants travelling toward the Boteti River in 2017 and 2018. They found that younger males seldom travelled alone and older males most often led groups of mixed ages. Mature male elephants often take a position at the front of the line when they are leading the group to streams or seasonal grazing grounds, said Diana Reiss, director of the Animal Behavior and Conservation Program at Hunter College, who was not involved in the new study. In human societies, grandparents are valued because they make really important contributions helping with childcare and passing down knowledge gained over decades, she said. Were now learning this pattern is also true for some other long-lived mammals, including dolphins, whales and elephants. This is the first such study of African savannah elephants. A 2019 paper used motion-activated cameras to describe similar male group dynamics among Asian elephants. Scientists have long known more about breeding herds of female elephants, said Connie Allen, a biologist at the University of Exeter and a co-author of the new paper. But males also have multifaceted social lives, and their groupings arent only shaped by kinship ties, she said. When several young orphaned male elephants were introduced into a park in Pilanesberg, South Africa, in the mid-1990s, the young males were extremely aggressive and killed 40 white rhinoceros. But their behaviour was moderated after six older male elephants were added to the park. In some way, the older males created order, and all that pandemonium was quelled, said Carl Safina, an ecologist at Stony Brook University, who was not involved in the new study. Were still learning about how male elephants acquire their cultural understanding of how to act, whom to defer to, and where resources like food and water sources are located. Because of their larger size and longer tusks, mature male elephants are most often targeted by poachers and legal trophy hunters in Africa. But future conservation strategies should take into account the mentorship role that older males play, said Allen, the study co-author. Males are more enigmatic. But it turns out they arent such loners, she said. ___ Follow Christina Larson on twitter: @larsonchristina ___ 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. Footage has emerged of the relaxed scenes inside the Queensland AFL hub as critics call on the state government to ease quarantine exemptions for others trying to enter the state. About 400 executives, staff and families flew into the Gold Coast golf club hired out by the league this week, ahead of the historic Gabba grand final to be played on the night of October 24. But the move comes after numerous examples of hotel quarantine exemptions being denied to those seeking a return to Queensland and complaints about the conditions experienced over the 14-day self-funded stays. While some of those in the standard hotel quarantine program have raised concerns about access to fresh air and even food, those inside the AFL hub appear free to drink and play by the pool. Philedssa Rayshel Gustus, owner of The Slide Bar, 5305 Brainerd Road, was approved for both a consumer and carry-out beer permit for the business that is a combination barber shop and small bar with a capacity of 49. Hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. James Wesley Odum, owner of Board & Brush Chattanooga, 6011 Chesterton Way, Suite 111, told the beer board that fire and building inspections have not been completed at his business because despite multiple attempts to get in touch with the city departments to schedule inspections, he has received no response. The Chattanooga Police Officer with the beer board will help him get in touch with those departments before the next meeting. Two applications for beer licenses had to be passed to future meetings because the Chattanooga Beer Code has provisions that no person with five percent ownership in the business who has been convicted of any law involving alcohol in the past 10 years will be eligible to receive a beer permit. Two of the partners with RAMS LLC, owners of California Tortilla, 5215 Highway 153, Suite 123, have previous violations. The three partners who own the restaurant also own two liquor stores. The two, who were convicted of the violation of underage sale of alcohol once in 2016 and once in 2017, each have more than five percent ownership in the restaurant. Our hands are tied because of the law, said Board Chairman Dan Mayfield. The application for a consumer beer permit was passed to October so ownership can be rearranged and documented. In the meantime, the restaurant is open and serving food but no beer. The application from Sunrise Market, #49, 3131 S. Broad St., was also passed because one of the three owners was convicted of making an underage sale of alcohol in 2014. Under the circumstances, the board cannot grant a beer permit, said board member Trevor Atchley. The owner with the conviction at Sunrise Market also owns several other convenience stores in the Chattanooga area, and at California Tortilla, the two owners who were convicted of an alcohol related violation, also are partners in two liquor stores in Chattanooga. Discussion then questioned if an applicant is ineligible for a new permit would it affect or invalidate existing licenses in their names. Some members who have served many years on the beer board were surprised that this question has never come up before noting that two applications were in question for this issue. It is the background check from the TBI that identified the convictions. If this matter comes up again, there is no reason for the application to even come before the beer board, said Chairman Mayfield. There is a recent requirement that professional training is required for anyone who sells and serves beer in Chattanooga. The board, along with Assistant City Attorney Melinda Foster, is in the process of determining what will be included in the servers training and the length of time training will be valid. A uniform method of certifying the people who do the training is also under development. Allahabad University (AU) on Thursday released the datesheet of final year exams for undergraduate (UG) and law courses on its official website. A notice regarding this has been uploaded on the varsitys official website. As per the schedule, the exam for the undergraduate final year will be conducted from September 14 to October 12, 2020. While the exam for law will be held from September 15 to September 19, 2020. The examination will be held in online mode, in two shifts. The first shift will be held from 10 am to 2 pm and the second shift is from 1 to 5 pm. The first shift question papers will be uploaded on the varsitys official website at 10 am and the second shift question papers at 1 pm. The students need to download the paper from http://onlineexam.allduniv.ac.in of their course/semester, reads the notice. Candidates will have to use either black or blue pen and write the answers on A-4 size paper. AU Date sheet: Eagle-eyed conspiracy theorists have pointed out some suspicious details on the police badge of an officer who arrested an anti-lockdown protester in her home. The only problem is, their unfounded claim is completely wrong and has been brutally shut down by police. Zoe Lee Buhler, 28, was arrested wearing pyjamas in front of her children in her lounge room in Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon. A social media user posted a screen shot from the Facebook Live video questioning whether the arresting officer's badge was real. A posted a screen shot questioning whether the arresting officer's badge (pictured) is real The social media user is suspicious due to the yellow colour and 'blacked out' coat of arms 'What's going on here Australia? We have detective sergeant Adrian Smith with a very odd looking badge here... no coat of arms and somehow blacked out,' the conspiracy theorist posted. 'Blue is real. These people are ANTIFA satanists. It was set-up/staged.' But Victoria Police were quick to debunk the ill-conceived theory. 'It's perfectly normal looking detective ID card,' Victoria Police told news.com.au. 'Detectives are yellow, uniform police are blue. 'The silver coat of arms is reflective and will change appearance depending on the angle the light hits it.' Victoria Police have pointed out that yellow badges are given to detectives while uniform police receive blue IDs Police in the locked down state have been forced to deal with a surge in dangerous coronavirus conspiracy claims as residents grow restless under strict stay-at-home orders. Buhler was taken into custody and charged with incitement after creating a Facebook protest event in Ballarat against Daniel Andrew's draconian lockdown in Victoria. Three other protest organisers around Victoria have also been charged with incitement in the past few weeks. 'I was scared I was being kidnapped by people, they obviously weren't in uniforms,' she told media waiting outside her Miner's Rest home on Thursday morning. 'I was just so scared, I was like oh my gosh if I disappear today I want it live on Facebook. 'I'm only very early pregnancy so obviously you're told not to stress out or strain.' Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest. Mother-of-two Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her being arrested She said she was 'still yet to know exactly what [incitement] means' and planned to fight the charge claiming it was an honest mistake. Buhler later told 3AW radio that she felt the police 'barging in' to her home and arresting her was 'extreme' and a phone call would have sufficed. 'I had a bit of a bimbo moment and I actually didn't realise that it wasn't okay. I thought so long as we social distanced and wore masks it was okay,' she said. 'I was aware that the protest coming up in Melbourne wasn't permitted, but I thought, in Ballarat, we're in Stage Three lockdown. 'I'm not a criminal person... If the police had just called me and told me to remove the post I would've done so. 'I understand police were doing their job and they were very nice for me, but I wasn't very happy with them barging into my house in front of my children.' Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest Buhler's social media pages are full of coronavirus conspiracy theories, but she insisted she believed the pandemic was real. 'My heart goes out to anyone who's died of covid, I know that people are getting sick, I don't believe it's a hoax or anything, I'm not a part of a cult,' she said. Buhler's created a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event planned for 11am on Saturday on Sturt Street. She was released on bail to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on January 25 next year. Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia anybody thinking of 'attending the protest... can expect a swift and firm response from police. 'We will have no hesitation in issuing $1,652 fines to anyone who is breaching the restrictions on the day, or making arrests if necessary.' He has also claimed Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic's interference. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has accused Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic of meddling in the country's internal affairs. According to him, the situation in Belarus is greatly influenced by foreign interference in domestic affairs of the country and external control over street protests, BelTA reported. Read alsoLukashenko mulled union state with Ukraine Tusk"It originates from Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, and Ukraine, which is most disturbing to us. Yesterday you heard the statement by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, who openly stated what is going on at the border, although he is a very restrained and delicate person in this regard. We respond to any negative actions targeting Belarus. To prevent the start of some kind of fire in Minsk is the most important thing to us. Because it always happens like that: things start in the capital city before spreading across the entire country," the Belarusian president said as he authorized the appointment of new heads of municipal executive bodies in several districts of Gomel Oblast on September 3. Lukashenko added Belarus had found itself facing external aggression one-on-one and thanked the Russian side for support. Otherwise, Belarus would have had a difficult time, he believes. "Mistakes cannot be allowed to happen. But you should clearly understand there is a line nobody is allowed to cross. If it happens, of course, we will respond in strict compliance with the law. This is why I want you to make people aware of it. They should not condemn me for some leniency. There is no leniency here. The country is working although many would like us to collapse, particularly our neighbors," the Belarusian leader said. Belarus protests: background Words like new normal and unprecedented have become ubiquitous in recent months as the world adjusted to a new reality in the wake of Covid-19. However, businesses across the island of Ireland really are facing challenges that are unlike anything weve ever seen before. Six months ago, it looked like Brexit would be the biggest economic challenge for a generation but the Covid-19 crisis has further raised the stakes for businesses on both sides of the border. Recent survey figures from InterTradeIreland, which was established to encourage cross-border trade, highlight the impact that the pandemic has had on the economy. Before the outbreak of Covid-19, 42pc of businesses said they were in growth while just 7pc said they were in decline. Post-pandemic responses indicate that just 15pc of firms are now in growth while the number of firms in decline has soared to 53pc. There are two massive challenges we find for businesses across the island, says Aidan Gough of InterTradeIreland. Both of them you would have termed once-in-a-lifetime, if even that. The first one is adjusting to the new trading relationships that will emerge when the transition period from Brexit ends. And obviously the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy which has been - and this word is used all the time - but it really has been unprecedented. Expand Close Aidan Gough, designated accounting officer and director of strategy and policy at InterTradeIreland / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aidan Gough, designated accounting officer and director of strategy and policy at InterTradeIreland Dealing with the fallout from the pandemic Before the pandemic hit, InterTradeIreland had been working closely with businesses on both sides of the border to develop cross-border trade and provide them with practical supports and valuable expertise. Much of the focus was on navigating the challenges posed by Brexit but the emergence of Covid-19 meant it had to pivot to support firms confronting the current crisis. Were in a very, very different space at the minute, explains Aidan. We had developed a corporate strategy that identified lots of opportunities and challenges for cross-border trade and business development but the whole background to that strategy has changed and the focus is very much now on economic recovery and helping businesses adjust. Though of course we will continue to develop cross-border opportunities where we see them. One of the major challenges when responding to the crisis is that the impact of Covid-19 can vary from business to business, just as the disease can affect individuals in different ways. Businesses have had to adapt to everything from social distancing requirements to cash flow problems to the need to move their business online. InterTradeIreland has launched a series of new supports to help SMEs to innovate and adapt their current set up or offering. For instance, were seeing that small firms are finding it more difficult to adjust to the digital revolution which Covid-19 has hastened, he adds. In response to that, we launched the E-Merge programme which is helping small businesses, particularly small border traders, to develop their digital content and their online presence. There has been great demand for it. E-Merge offers companies consultancy support to the value of 2,800 to develop online sales and e-commerce solutions and Aidan says that the feedback from participating businesses has already been fantastic. One business used the funding to open up new markets and is on the verge of signing contracts worth over 1million as a result. InterTradeIreland has also launched the Emergency Business Solutions programme, which provides professional advice to the value of 2,250 to address a wide range of key business challenges that have arisen as a result of Covid-19. It helps businesses deal with a range of issues such as cash flow, human resources and health and safety and can also help businesses diversify. Like the E-Merge support, it is available to cross-border firms in manufacturing or tradeable services. Both supports proved invaluable to us Many businesses have already benefited from the funding that InterTradeIreland offer. Simply Fit Food provides tasty, nutritious food for people with busy lifestyles and lockdown decimated their grab-and-go market. However, they were able to drive their online sales with the help of InterTradeIreland. I think at the start of the pandemic it was so hard to predict what was going to happen, says Evelyn Garland, who founded the company with her fiance, Luke Judge. Everything was changing so fast and actually it was hard to pinpoint what was going to even happen over the next six months. It was clear though, that all the action was happening online. We applied for InterTradeIrelands E-Merge programme which helped to re-vamp the website and really develop the brand further. Its set us up well for more online growth. Expand Close Damien McDonnell, managing director of Polar IceTech, and Mairead ODonnell, director of Polar IceTech, at the All Ireland Business Summit in 2019. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Damien McDonnell, managing director of Polar IceTech, and Mairead ODonnell, director of Polar IceTech, at the All Ireland Business Summit in 2019. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography Polar IceTech are dry ice cleaning specialists who work with Irelands leading manufacturing companies across multiple sectors including food and beverage, medical device and power generation. As sites started to close as a result of Covid-19, the contract service company turned to InterTradeIreland for support. They applied for both the E-Merge programme and the Emergency Business Solutions funding. Both supports proved invaluable to us as it helped us analyse what we do and more importantly pivot in a sustainable way that ensures that we can continue to add value for our customers, says Damien McDonnell, Managing Director at Polar IceTech. The E-Merge support offered us an insight into what works and what doesnt work from a digital perspective and the Emergency Business Solutions funding helped us look at all our service offerings as well as our expertise, and understand how we can make them more accessible to a wider network of industries. Preparing for the future in uncertain times The supports that InterTradeIreland provide can help businesses to innovate, which is key to making them more resilient in these uncertain times. Nearly 73pc of businesses started their export journey with cross-border trade and InterTradeIreland is heavily focused on developing this capacity. If you want to differentiate fast-moving, growing companies, theres two things that stick out, says Aidan. The first is that theyre innovative and the second is that they export. Theyre two key pillars that we build all our supports around - helping businesses innovate and helping them trade across the border. Thats part of the digital E-Merge solution that were offering. Its built on enabling the innovation process within small businesses in terms of their adaptation to new digital opportunities and digitalisation in general. Innovation is absolutely key as is the ability to export, and trading cross-border is often the first step in that journey. Although the Covid-19 crisis is foremost in everyones mind at the moment, Brexit remains a potential hurdle for many firms on the island. Aidan advises that businesses still need to be prepared for the consequences of the current Brexit talks, whether or not a deal is achieved. So many businesses are struggling to survive at the moment but Brexit is coming. In terms of Brexit, I would say look at your supply chains. That is going to be absolutely critical. Know where every input and output is coming from and going to. If youre a cross-border trader, keep in touch with InterTradeIreland and with our Brexit advisory service and with your trading representatives and sectoral bodies. Get the information as it emerges and there will be supports available. InterTradeIreland is a powerful resource for business growth and it can help steer your SME through Covid-19 and Brexit. It has a range of supports to suit different business needs. Visit the InterTradeIreland website for more information. Sponsored by Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:30:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is likely to face a second wave of desert locusts invasion after the first wave entered the country early this year, a government official warned on Thursday. Linah Jebii Kilimo, chief administrative secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries told journalists in Nairobi that the second wave could come from the eastern border of Kenya, depending on the direction the wind will be blowing. "We are more prepared to combat the second wave because we can use satellite images to see them from far. We also have sufficient stock of chemicals to fight the desert locusts," Kilimo said when the Agriculture Sector Network and the Agrochemical Association of Kenya donated 170,000 liters of pesticides to Kenya and Uganda to aid in the fight against the desert locusts in the respective countries. She said that the donations will enable the two governments to treat 170,000 hectares of the most affected fields. "Through this donation we hope to support vulnerable small-holder farmers who are so critical to food security, and essentially contributing to our shared vision of a future where health for all, hunger for none is made possible," she said. Kilimo observed that as at the beginning of September, more than 10 million people in the east Africa region were facing acute food security due to the recent locust plagues that have ravaged massive fields of food crops. "The locust invasion still looms high during the planting season and this risk doubled during the recent drought and floods in most regions and even more risk realized currently during the COVID-19 pandemic and this piles additional pressure on food systems hence a key threat to food security," she added. According to the ministry of agriculture, the largest locust swarm that hit Kenya early this year measured 2,400 square kilometers and was made up of 200 billion locusts. Enditem Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) on Thursday released the admit card for State Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) 2019 re- examination. Candidates can download their admit card online from the official website at www.bsebstet2019.in or biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in. The admit card will have the name of the candidate, date, time and venue of the examination, reporting time and other details. Those who are unable to download their admit card can send their issue to bseb.stethelpdesk@gmail.com via email. Direct link to download BSEB STET hall ticket BSEB will conduct the STET 2019 re- exam from September 9 to 21 on centres in various districts of Bihar including Patna, Bhojpur, Purnea, Nalanda, Gaya, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Samastipur. The exam will be conducted in three shifts from 8 am to 10.30 am, 12 pm to 2.30 pm and 4 pm to 6:30 pm. Read official notice and important instructions here How to download BSEB STET 2019 admit card: Visit the official website at bsebstet2019.in Click on the admit card link Key in your registration ID and other login credentials Your admit card will be displayed on screen Download and take its print out. Click here for BSEB STET 2019 Mock test Nearly 2.47 lakh students had taken the STET exam held across 317 centres on January 28 after a gap of eight years for recruitment of higher and higher secondary school teachers. However, the exam was declared cancelled in May after a four-member investigation committee headed by chief vigilance officer Nilkamal probed into various cases of irregularities and paper leak during the exam. BSEB decided to cancel the exam considering the findings of the investigation committee. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Everi Holdings Inc. (NYSE:EVRI) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Everi Holdings What's the estimated valuation? 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. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$65.4m US$86.4m US$102.3m US$116.2m US$128.1m US$138.0m US$146.5m US$153.7m US$160.1m US$165.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x6 Analyst x3 Est @ 18.45% Est @ 13.58% Est @ 10.17% Est @ 7.79% Est @ 6.12% Est @ 4.95% Est @ 4.13% Est @ 3.56% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 14% US$57.5 US$66.6 US$69.3 US$69.1 US$66.9 US$63.3 US$59.0 US$54.3 US$49.7 US$45.2 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$600m 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 (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 14%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030 (1 + g) (r g) = US$166m (1 + 2.2%) (14% 2.2%) = US$1.5b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$1.5b ( 1 + 14%)10= US$396m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$996m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$8.2, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 30% 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 Important assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Everi Holdings 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 14%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.941. 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. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Everi Holdings, we've compiled three further elements you should look at: Risks: Take risks, for example - Everi Holdings has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does EVRI'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 American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The Land Transportation Office has expressed confidence that private motor vehicle inspection centers can now better evaluate the roadworthiness of a vehicle for registration. By the use of the gadgets or apparatus installed in the PMVIC, there would be more accurate evaluation of the performance of the vehicle, said Land Transportation Office Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante on Thursday. He said this will aid the evaluator to know if the vehicle is roadworthy. There are now 32 vehicle inspection sites nationwide that are set to open for owners who need to register their vehicles. Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmars COVID-19 Cases Exceed 1,000 A family in Yangon being sent to a quarantine center after having contact with a COVID-19 patient. / Myo Min Soe Yangon Myanmars COVID-19 cases have hit 1,000 after 63 new cases were reported on Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports. Myanmar has reported 1,058 COVID-19 cases, including six deaths and 359 recoveries until Thursday morning. The authorities initially appeared to have the virus under control, reporting 374 cases in almost five months after March 23, when the countrys first case was reported. Numbers have risen sharply since Aug. 16, when the first domestic transmission in a month was detected with a 26-year-old female bank employee in the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe. The previous domestic transmission was reported on July 16, also in Rakhine State. On Aug. 26, the health ministry imposed a partial lockdown on Rakhine State, restricting the movement of more than 3 million inhabitants to curb the spread of coronavirus. Since Aug. 16, Rakhine has reported 450 COVID-19 transmissions and one imported case. There were also COVID-19 transmissions reported in Bago, Mandalay, Tanintharyi and Yangon regions and Mon, Kachin and Shan states. Yangon is the second hardest-hit city with 150 cases reported since August 19. The city is facing shortages at quarantine centers and with its medical staff and volunteers as the authorities struggle to trace those with the virus. Yangon is also where most returnees from other countries are being held in quarantine. The health ministry said on Monday that Yangon provided accommodation to nearly 5,000 people at 75 quarantine centers by Aug. 29. Due to the COVID-19 spike in Yangon, seven townships were placed under partial lockdown on Sep. 1 with residents told not to leave their homes without a proper reason. U Win Myo Thu, the chairman of the Advancing Life and Regenerating Motherland (Alarm) group, said on Thursday that many city residents could not follow the COVID-19 guidelines while others were ignoring the rules. The lockdowns whenever the authorities find a COVID-19 case are an overreaction. It harms the economy and the efforts to recover, U Win Myo Thu said. He said Myanmar needs to consider living with COVID-19 as people can no longer cope with the economic impact. U Win Myo Thu said factories and business should be allowed to operate while any staff suffering from COVID-19 receive treatment, rather than shutting down entire operations. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in her video conference on Wednesday that Yangon must follow the COVID-19 instructions from the health ministry. Yangon has the largest population. People in the city are becoming bolder during these three to four weeks. Bold also means careless. The cases in Yangon are because people are not following the COVID-19 restrictions Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said. She also warned that anyone failing to follow COVID-19 instructions could face a year in prison as the authorities deal with the national disaster. Bars, karaoke lounges and nightclubs in Yangon have been closed since Aug. 15. The State Counselor warned on Wednesday that nightclub operators in Yangon will face prosecution if they violate restrictions. After the warnings of harsher punishments by the State Counselor, Yangons police said on Thursday that 647 people had been prosecuted for breaching the curfew last night. They said 111 vehicles and 18 motorbikes were targeted. In Yangon, people are ordered not to go outside between midnight and 4am. You may also like these stories: Myanmars Military Blamed for Rakhine Civilian Deaths and Disrupting COVID-19 Quarantine Taiwan Can Help the World Come Back Stronger From COVID-19 Fears Grow for IDPs in Myanmars Rakhine as COVID-19 Outbreak Disrupts Food, Health Services 5 things to know about the killing of Trump supporter Aaron Danielson in Portland Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Many questions have been raised in the aftermath of the killing of a Trump supporter in Portland, Oregon, Saturday amid an altercation between rioters and supporters of a pro-Trump activist group. The man killed has been identified as Aaron Jay Danielson, a supporter of Patriot Prayer, a group that has held several rallies throughout the region in support of Trump. According to authorities, Danielson was murdered hours after a large pro-Trump caravan drove through downtown Portland, an area that has been gripped by protests, demonstrations, and riots the past several months amid national unrest following months of lockdowns and the death of George Floyd. The killing comes just days after the killing of two rioters and the injuring of a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. The following pages list five things to know about the circumstances surrounding Danielsons death. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Brussels, Sep 3 : Josep Borrel, the European Union's (EU) high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has pushed for peace talks in Libya after the country's partners showed determination to implement a ceasefire understanding announced on August 21. During his first visit to Tripoli, Borrell on Tuesday met Fayez Serraj, Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the eastern-based House of Representatives, reports Xinhua news agency. The top EU official reiterated the bloc's support to an "inclusive Libyan-led" and "Libyan-owned" political resolution. The discussions focused on the required mediation efforts and de-escalation, including the enforcement of the UN arms embargo and the role of the EU operation IRINI in its implementation, it said. Borrell's visit to Libya followed an understanding reached by Serraj and Saleh on August 21, which calls for a ceasefire, talks about the return of foreign fighters during the next round of the 5+5 military talks, modalities for lifting the oil blockade and re-launch of the political process leading to an agreed reform and eventual elections. According to an EU statement, the bloc described the Berlin process, which began in 2019, as "the only international framework that offers a realistic opportunity" for the political dialogue needed to bring the Libyan conflict to an end. The Berlin process on Libya is an effort initiated by Germany and Ghassan Salame, the then special representative of the UN secretary general. In January 2020, a broad-based conference took place in Berlin to promote consensus and to secure an international climate for the intra-Libyan talks. High-level representatives of Algeria, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, the Republic of the Congo, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US attended the conference, together with representatives of the UN, the African Union, EU and the League of Arab States. India on Thursday squarely blamed China for the tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)in Ladakh over the past four months and said the only way forward was through negotiations reflecting the impasse created by Beijings fresh attempts to alter the status quo along the disputed border over the weekend. There was no word from Beijing on the latest situation on the LAC, though the Chinese foreign ministry cited Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and yogas popularity in the country to criticise New Delhis fresh ban on 118 Chinese apps and subtly warned India not to join the US clean network programme, an initiative for an internet without security threats. Complex talks being conducted through diplomatic and military channels to end the standoff that began in May suffered a blow when Chinese troops resorted to what were described as provocative military movements on the south bank of Pangong Lake during August 29-30. They were thwarted by counter-measures by the Indian side, which quickly occupied several strategic heights and hilltops, and talks between local brigade commanders since Monday to ease the fresh tensions have been inconclusive. It is clear that the situation we witnessed over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of status quo, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly news briefing. Now the way ahead is negotiations, both through the diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue, he said. The Chinese side, Srivastava added, should sincerely engage the Indian side with the objective of expeditiously restoring the peace and tranquillity in the border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols. Without going into details, he said the local military commanders are still holding discussions to resolve the situation that had arisen from the attempt by Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo on the south bank of Pangong Lake. In Beijing, the foreign and commerce ministries criticised Indias ban on 118 Chinese apps and called for the mistake to be reversed. Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying even questioned whether India was working with the US on such issues and called for New Delhi to adopt an independent policy. The foreign ministry said that unlike the reason behind Indias decision to ban the apps, the popularity of Tagores poetry and the wide approval of Yoga among Chinese nationals didnt mean that Beijing looks at such issues as infiltration or a threat. India on Wednesday banned 118 mostly Chinese mobile apps, including Tencent Holdingss popular video game PUBG, citing data security and privacy concerns. These apps collected and shared data in a surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to the security of the state, the Indian side said. Hua said the latest ban would harm the interests of Indian users and the rights of Chinese businesses. Both countries are ancient civilisations with exchange going back thousands of years, she said, giving the example of Tagore, many of whose poems are popular in China. She quoted a line from one of Tagores poems: We read the world wrong, and say that it deceives us. She added, Also, yoga is becoming more and more popular in China, including myself, I am very fond of Indian culture. But we do not think that Indian culture or the poems or other things are infiltrating here or posing any threat to Chinese culture. Hua issued a subtle warning about ties between India and the US: I have noted that the US state department on the same day said India banned more than 100 Chinese apps and called on other countries to join India to roll out the clean network initiative. So, I dont know if there is any correlation or interaction between India and the US. But India is an ancient civilisation with wise people. They should know what the US has done in cyber security, for example Dirtbox, Prism, Irritant Horn, Muscular and under-sea cable tapping. Hua also said China hopes India will stay committed to its precious independence [in] decision-making. Commerce ministry spokesperson Gao Feng called on India to work with the Chinese side to maintain hard-won bilateral cooperation to build an open and fair business environment for international investors and service providers, including Chinese companies. External affairs ministry spokesperson Srivastava defended the ban on apps, saying they had engaged in activities prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of India. What I can say is that we remain open, we continue to welcome FDI in the country, including in the area of internet technology. However, what we would like to say is companies, when they operate here, they have to operate in accordance with the regulatory framework of the government of India, he added. India first banned 59 Chinese apps on June 29, days after a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and caused unspecified Chinese casualties in Ladakhs Galwan Valley. Another 47 apps were added to the ban in July. Experts in China expectedly criticised Indias ban. Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said while the ban will likely have a limited impact on the Indian economy, the ill intentions behind the Indian governments move to stir up tension and even a conflict with China are increasingly reaching a dangerous level. This is dangerous. The worse the Indian economy becomes, the higher the probability that a military conflict could be provoked by New Delhi. This is a very worrisome situation, Zhao told state media. Dynata's connected data capabilities and innovative technology will power Hall & Partners' award-winning news and data storytelling platform, accelerating insights and consultancy to market LONDON and DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hall & Partners, a global strategic brand consultancy, and Dynata, the world's largest data and insights platform, today announced a unique partnership and agreement to accelerate insights to market for greater agility in research and decision-making. Dynata's data capabilities and advanced technology will power The Hub, Hall & Partners' data visualization and storytelling platform, reimagining the conventional data and insight business blueprint. This new model is poised do away with traditional processes, outdated structures and lengthy timescales associated with data, research and insights. The profound and rapid change in consumer behaviour and attitudes in 2020 has accelerated the need for market research to transform dramatically in response to these ever-shifting trends. Never before has the world of insight needed to be more connected, more instantaneous, and more inspiring as brands are forced to mirror what is important to people in the "new normal." Brands now recognise that a new insight model is not just desirable, but essential in this new consumer-led era. To help brands navigate an uncertain new future, at speed, the Hall & Partners and Dynata partnership enables brands to harness the global scale and rich depth of Dynata's fully-permissioned first-party data, connected data sources, and innovative solutions for automation, analysis and reporting with Hall & Partners' expertise and data visualization and storytelling capabilities. The Hub facilitates robust data visualisation, data integration, storytelling and journalism, paired with best-in-class expertise that brings data to life and turns insights into action. Together, this reduces the time to insights and transforms the way organizations gain operational efficiencies and uncover competitive advantage. This transformative offering is powered by the Dynata Insights Platform, a revolutionary, all-in-one solution that drives the marketing continuum, including audience selection, connected data, surveying, and campaign activation and optimization. Integrating that technology in The Hub helps Hall & Partners enable their researchers to focus on creating strategic insights that drive growth and inform better marketing decisions, while spending less time collecting the data. Vanella Jackson, Global CEO of Hall & Partners, says, "2020 has forced organisations to react with the fast-forward button permanently pressed, heightening the value of rapid, data-led, actionable insights. Our new transformational collaboration with Dynata, a long-standing partner, allows us to give brands an inspirational insight model fit for the future. Together, we will co-create new products like 'Alive Segmentation,' and make a valuable contribution in helping brands to rebuild and drive growth". "The scale, depth and richness of our first-party data, connected to our clients' data and other sources, is at the heart of everything we do," said Gary S. Laben, CEO, Dynata. "Our Dynata Insights Platform brings this to life, pairing high-quality data with easy, automated tools for the entire marketing lifecycle, freeing Hall & Partners from the 'back office' functions of research and insights so they can focus on client-facing activities. This is the blueprint to transform research and insights, delivering competitive advantage, enabling our clients to build new products and services and to create opportunities for revenue and growth." The first pioneering new product in the pipeline will fundamentally change the segmentation landscape forever, giving brands "live," refreshable insights at the click of a button. Powered by connected data and machine learning, this new "live" segmentation will update organically, revealing what people are seeing, feeling, thinking and doing, right now. "Alive Segmentation" will break down the long-standing constraints of static segmentations that prevent marketers from making on-going, influential decisions and maximizing return on investment. About Hall & Partners Hall & Partners is a global strategic brand consultancy, supporting leading business and brands through award-winning market research, helping to create commercially and emotional rewarding brand relationships. We like to challenge traditional thinking, pioneer the latest technology and take the lead in innovation, inspiring growth at speed. Hall & Partners is a part of Omnicom's Brand Consulting Group. For more information, visit www.hallandpartners.com. Twitter @hallandpartners. About Dynata Dynata is the world's largest first-party data and insights platform. With a reach that encompasses over 62 million consumers and business professionals globally, and an extensive library of individual profile attributes collected through surveys, Dynata is the cornerstone for precise, trustworthy quality data. The company has built innovative data services and solutions around its robust first-party data offering to bring the voice of the customer to the entire marketing continuum from strategy, innovation, and branding to advertising, measurement, and optimization. Dynata serves nearly 6,000 market research, media and advertising agencies, publishers, consulting and investment firms and corporate customers in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Learn more at www.dynata.com. SOURCE Dynata Related Links www.dynata.com The Vietnamese government has agreed to a proposal to implement a point system for drivers licenses, whereby drivers will have points deducted when they commit a traffic violation and have their license invalidated if the points reach zero. The government agreed to add the new regulation to its resolution No. 123 following a meeting in late August, an official from the traffic police division under the Ministry of Public Security said on Wednesday. Accordingly, each driver will be allocated 12 points on a yearly basis. These points will be fully restored every year and a bonus will be added if a driver does not commit any traffic violation in the previous year. Any offense booked will count against a drivers point pool. When the points reach zero, the license will be canceled and the driver will be required to retake the driving exam in order to obtain a new license. These points will be stored and updated in the digital database of the Ministry of Public Security. In a proposal submitted to the government in early June, the Ministry of Public Security detailed a list of 28 traffic violations eligible for point deduction. The ministry also included a list of ten serious offenses that would subject drivers to immediate revocation of their driving license. The Ministry of Public Security has been asked to collect feedback from government members regarding this proposed demerit point system and submit a complete draft law to the central government. The tentative law will be submitted for approval during the 10th session of the law-making National Assembly, which is expected to take place from mid-October to mid-November. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Belfast writer Anna Burns is among 10 international novelists vying for the world's most valuable literary prize. Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu will announce the winner of the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award during the International Literature Festival Dublin on October 22. The winner of the award for a single work of fiction published in English will receive a prize of 100,000 from Dublin City Council. If a translated novel gets the top prize, the translator will get 25,000 with the author taking home the remaining 75,000. Ms Burns, who grew up in the nationalist Ardoyne area of north Belfast in the 1960s and '70s, is the only Irish writer on the award shortlist which was announced yesterday. She was nominated for her 2018 novel Milkman - a young woman's coming-of-age story set in the backdrop of The Troubles in 1970s Northern Ireland. She won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction the same year. The other nominees include: The Silence of the Girls by British novelist Pat Barker; Disoriental by Iranian-French author Negar Djavadi; Washington Black by Canadian writer Esi Edugyan; An American Marriage by US writer Tayari Jones; History of Violence' by French author Edouard Louis; The Friend by US writer Sigrid Nunez; There There by American author Tommy Orange; and All the Lives We Never Lived by Indian novelist Anuradha Roy. Nominees for the award are chosen by public librarians from around the world, including those from Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Poland, the UK and the US. This year's contenders are said to include "memorable characters" who "tell stories of identity and displacement, violence and war, hope and humanity, love and loss, family and relationships, incarceration and racism, justice and tradition set in both familiar and unfamiliar countries and cultures". In order to qualify for the prize, the novel must have been published in English in 2018 or be a work of fiction that was translated since 2009. People are being urged to borrow the shortlisted books from their local library. Kalayat subdivisional magistrate Reagan Kumar claimed that he received a life threat for not issuing a driving licence to the son of a local BJP leader, police said on Thursday. On his complaint, the Kalayat police have registered an FIR under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The SDM has demanded action against Mahipal Rana, BJPs Kalayat block president. As per his complaint, Rana had come to his office on September 1 and used abusive language besides threatening him with dire consequences if he did not issue the driving licence to his son without passing the driving test. Kaithal superintendent of police Shashank Kumar Sawan said an FIR has been registered and a probe was on. However, no arrest has been made so far, he added. Meanwhile, Rana has refuted the allegations and said, We had gone for a driving test of my son and the SDM asked us to bring all vehicles, including bike, car, jeep and tractor. We had a bike and we requested him to take the test with the available vehicle only, but he refused. Rana said he did not use any abusive language and the allegations levelled against him were false. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says its not luck, rather measures put in place by tourism officials, primarily responsible for keeping COVID-19 infections in check despite large crowds continuing to gather on Clifton Hill. Weve always been concerned with the crowds and thats why weve taken proactive measures to deal with them, said Diodati. He described comments made by Niagaras acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, in a story published by the Niagara Dailies, as very negative. In the article, Hirji said there have not been large outbreaks connected to the large crowds on Clifton Hill, but its more a function of luck, alongside the declining number of cases in southern Ontario. He said given how quickly COVID-19 can spread, relying on chance is not a wise public-health strategy. It would be nice to hear him give credit once in a while for all the proactive measures made by so many people to get this right, said Diodati. We did absolutely everything we could based on best practices, COVID protocols and guidance from public health experts. The proof is in the pudding. Id say weve been very successful. Yes, luck is always a factor in everything, but you cannot discount the proactive efforts made by so many. Diodati pointed to Niagaras low daily case count as proof measures in place are working. He said parking and street furniture along Clifton Hill has been removed to allow for more pedestrian room, physical distance markers have been installed on the ground and Crush the Curve ambassadors have been in Clifton Hill and other tourism areas to educate visitors about proper protocols. We created a program, safetoplay.ca. We worked with Niagara Health system to set up a tourism-industry drive-thru COVID testing centre at the convention centre. Thermal heat temperature checks. What more could we possibly have done, given the fact that so many people here depend on tourism to pay their bills, to feed their families. Shutting it down (again) was never an option. Opening it safely was the only way out of this and we did it. Diodati said hes really proud of how the industry came together to make sure that (this season) was safe for our guests, our workers, and our community. Joel Noden, vice-president of marketing for HOCO, which owns most of the properties on the south side of Clifton Hill, said officials implemented many measures to make the area safe. He said the goal, from the beginning, was to keep people moving along the hill. A lot of the images that you see are people moving theyre not standing in one spot, said Noden. I think thats a common misperception that people are standing on the hill theyre moving between Niagara Parks and up the hill. He said the company decided against opening arcades, which allowed for more room, while stores have limits on how many people are allowed inside at one time. We eliminated a lot of seating in the area so that people arent congregating. Noden said once Niagara Region implemented a mandatory mask bylaw for indoor spaces, the number of people officials have seen wearing masks more than doubled. He said when visitors sign on to the companys Wi-Fi, a message appears letting them know about the mask policy and other safety precautions. We have an LED board that repeats that message over top of Boston Pizza. Noden said the company has installed more than 100 hand-sanitizing stations on its properties. Its becoming part of (visitors) regular regiment of when you leave some place, you sanitize when you go in some place, you put on a mask. Hirji declined to comment on Diodatis statements, but pointed out that large gatherings present an increased risk of virus spread. He said there has been COVID-19 linked to activity on Clifton Hill, including cases for which people infected with the virus had been among those crowds. We should be concerned about protecting the health of people and the health of those businesses and avoid a situation where more restrictions, including another lockdown, are required because that would have a devastating impact on those businesses, he said. President Trump on Wednesday suggested that voters in North Carolina test how secure their state's elections systems are by mailing in a ballot and then going to the polls on Election Day to vote in person. "Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote," he told reporters. "If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote. That's the way it is. And that's what they should do." Over the last few weeks, Trump has privately shared his plan, which is illegal, with aides, The New York Times reports. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many states are expanding mail-in voting, in order to ensure that people can cast their ballots safely. Trump has railed against this, falsely claiming that it will result in widespread fraud. His advisers are concerned that he is scaring his own supporters, the Times reports, and want him to tone down the rhetoric. Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, told the Times "intentional willful double voting is a felony," and there are several measures in place to prevent a person from voting more than once. Gannon said if a person in North Carolina mails in an absentee ballot and then goes to vote at a polling place on Election Day, records will show poll workers that they voted already. If someone votes in person on Election Day and then their absentee ballot later arrives in the mail, it will be considered "spoiled" and not counted. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R) told the Times in an interview last year that her state, which conducts its elections by mail, has a way to check for people who may have voted more than once. In 2018, 3.5 million ballots were cast, and "it appears that roughly 100 people may have voted more than once," Wyman said. "Counties are checking. Is it perfect? No. Is there rampant fraud? No. Do people sometimes make mistakes? Yes." More stories from theweek.com 7 scathing cartoons about Trump's divisive Kenosha response Attorney General Barr won't agree it's illegal to vote twice, as Trump urged, claims ignorance of state laws Pelosi, Mnuchin reach agreement to avert a government shutdown, still at an impasse on COVID-19 deal An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Ibadan, has remanded Sunday Shodipe, the acclaimed Ibadan serial killer at Abolongo Correctional Centre. 19-year-old Shodipe, a resident of Akinyele area in Ibadan, allegedly killed one Funmilayo Oladeji. Although, Shodipe is referred to as a serial killer, he is been charged with one count charge of murder. The Senior Magistrate, Mrs Patricia Adetuyibi who did not take his plea, ordered him to be remanded at the Correctional Centre, pending advice from the state Ministry of Justice. She adjourned the case till Oct. 26, for mention. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Salewa Ahmed told the court that Shodipe on Aug. 13, at about 2:30 p.m in Moniya area of Akinyele Local Government Area(LGA), allegedly caused the death of Oladeji, 45, by allegedly hitting her with a plank on her forehead. He said the offence contravened section 316 and punishable under section 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol.II, Laws of Oyo State 2000. Shodipe had earlier confessed to the killing of five persons, including Barakat, a student of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, The accused was apprehended along with others and remanded at a police station. He then escaped from custody and caused the death of the woman the same day, before he was re- arrested and re- arraigned. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alexandra del Peral (Agence France-Presse) Paris Thu, September 3, 2020 19:08 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c428da99 2 Entertainment Rithy-Panh,Duch,Cambodia,Khmer-Rouge Free Franco-Cambodian film-maker Rithy Panh, whose family was killed by the Khmer Rouge said Wednesday he was "neither sad, nor happy" at the death of the regime's notorious torturer "Duch". But Panh, who has won a string of awards for his documentaries on the Khmer Rouge, stressed the need to preserve the memory of the genocide perpetrated by the regime in the mid- to late-1970. "This man, this butcher, I knew him well," 56-hear-old Panh told AFP. "He was an extremely complex, intelligent and manipulative character." "But to be frank, and at the risk of shocking, I can't say that I hate him, nor that his death gives me pleasure. "Honestly, I'm neither sad nor happy at his death. It doesn't interest me." Kaing Guek Eav, 77, better known by his alias Duch, served as the head of the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in the late 1970s and was convicted of crimes against humanity in 2012 by a UN-backed tribunal for his role in the "Killing Fields" regime. He died while serving his life sentence. Panh was himself a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge regime, imprisoned at the age of 11 for four years before escaping and eventually making his way to France. But his parents and sisters perished in the regime's camps. Even after the death of Duch, the duty to document and preserve the memory of what happened remained, said Panh. "With his death, you might think that a page is turning -- and it's precisely against that that we have to fight..," he said. "The Khmer Rouge who are still alive, they continue to inject venom into Cambodian society by publishing untruths. We must not give them a free hand." He added: "It is essential to put the history of the Khmer Rouge in its context. "Without that work of remembrance, we will never be able to get over this history, which still haunts Cambodian society." After losing almost all his family during the Khmer Rouge rule between 1975 and 1979, Panh went on to make a series of hard-hitting documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide. Fire officials had provided updates Sunday on the search on social media. In a post about 40 minutes after divers from the Fire Department launched the search, a department representative said Fire Department divers are out of the water, and added they would continue to search from a boat using search cameras. RTHK: Russia tells West not to jump to conclusions Russia said on Thursday the West should not rush to judge it over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and that there were no grounds to accuse it of the crime, as talk in the West of punishing Moscow intensified. The Kremlin was speaking a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny had been poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him and that she would consult Nato allies about how to respond. Navalny, 44, is an outspoken opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has specialised in high-impact investigations into official corruption. He was airlifted to Germany last month after collapsing on a domestic Russian flight after drinking a cup of tea that his allies said was poisoned. Berlin's Charite hospital, which is treating Navalny, has said he remains in a serious condition in an intensive care unit connected to an artificial lung ventilator even though some of his symptoms are receding. Novichok is the same substance that Britain said was used against a Russian double agent and his daughter in an attack in England in 2018. The deadly group of nerve agents was developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow rejected any suggestion that Russia had been behind the attack on Navalny and warned other countries against jumping to conclusions without knowing the full facts. "There are no grounds to accuse the Russian state. And we are not inclined to accept any accusations in this respect," Peskov told reporters. "Of course we would not want our partners in Germany and other European countries to hurry with their assessments." Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency, said Moscow could not rule out Western intelligence agencies had orchestrated the poisoning to stir up trouble, the RIA news agency reported. Russian prosecutors have said they see no reason to launch a criminal investigation because they say they have found no sign a crime was committed, though pre-investigation checks are continuing. Peskov said Russia was eager to know what had happened to Navalny, but couldn't do so without receiving information from Germany about the tests that had led to Berlin's conclusions about Novichok. OPCW, the global chemical weapons agency, said the poisoning of any individual with a toxic nerve agent would be considered use of a banned chemical weapon. The European Commission said the bloc could only slap new sanctions on Russia after an investigation revealed who was responsible for Navalny's poisoning. Lithuania said it would ask EU leaders to discuss the poisoning at their next summit. Merkel said that any German or European response would depend on whether Russia helped clear up the case. After her strong statement on Wednesday, she is under pressure at home to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany. "We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language (Russian President Vladimir) Putin understands - that is gas sales," Norbert Roettgen, head of Germany's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told German radio. "If the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed now, it would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics," Roettgen, a member of Merkel's conservatives, told German television separately. Nord Stream 2 is set to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline in carrying gas directly from Russia to Germany. Led by Russian company Gazprom with Western partners, the project is more than 90 percent finished and due to operate from early 2021. This may complicate efforts to stop it. It is fiercely opposed by Washington and has divided the European Union, with some countries warning it will undermine the traditional gas transit state, Ukraine, and increase the blocs reliance on Russia. Peskov said the Kremlin regarded talk of trying to thwart Nord Stream 2 as being based on emotions. He said the project was a commercial one which benefited Russia, Germany and Europe. "We don't understand what the reason for any sanctions could be," said Peskov. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 19:10 | All, Japan, World Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Thursday said Japanese government officials will "do our best" to restore nature of Mauritius and investigate the damage caused by an oil spill from a Japanese-owned bulk carrier that ran aground off the Indian Ocean island country in July. During an online meeting, Koizumi told his Mauritian counterpart Kavydass Ramano that Japan intends to dispatch more experts to the scene of the accident, according to the Environment Ministry. Since August, Japan has sent three relief disaster teams to help with oil removal and assess environmental damage including in mangroves. "Japan and Mauritius agreed to closely cooperate," Koizumi told reporters after the online meeting. Ramano said the oil leak has impacted the Mauritian tourism and fisheries sectors, and the country is making efforts to recover by securing international support, according to Koizumi. The Panama-flagged bulk carrier Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping Co. and operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., ran aground on July 25, spilling more than 1,000 tons of oil into the pristine environment. Mauritius declared a state of environmental emergency on Aug. 7, citing fears about the impact on endangered species such as birds and sea turtles. Fishing off coastal areas impacted by the spill is currently banned. According to a Mauritian government document, the country is proposing that the Japanese side pay a total of 1.34 billion Mauritian rupees, equivalent to around 3.6 billion yen ($34 million), to assist the local fishing community affected by the spill. Separately, Mauritius has said it will seek compensation for the oil spill from Nagashiki and it has called for the submission of claims by those who have sustained losses or damage due to contamination. Nagashiki has said it will deal "in good faith" with the issue of compensation. Related coverage: Japan to provide long-term support to Mauritius after oil spill Mauritius asks Japan for 3.6 bil. yen to help fishermen after oil leak Japan proposes wiping down Mauritius mangroves by hand to remove oil U.S. Marshals have launched their first operation in Ohio to rescue an estimated 200 missing children who they believe are suffering abuse, neglect and sex trafficking. Since Operation Safety Net begun two weeks ago, 25 children have been found - some as far afield as Miami. 'These are kids that have been abused, neglected. Some involved in human trafficking,' said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott. Authorities in Ohio estimate that 200 children are currently missing Pete Elliott of the US Marshals said that 25 children have been rescued so far in Ohio US Marshals are celebrating Operation Safety Net, which is continuing until October He told local news station WOIO that many of the missing children had suffered intense trauma from birth. 'Sometimes the situations they go to, believe it or not, may be better than the situations they left from,' he said. 'We've had some cases where the mother and or father, or both, may have been prostituting their own child.' Elliott said his team was working with the Cleveland, East Cleveland and Newburgh Heights police departments. The children they had located so far were aged between 13 and 18 years old, and one in four were victims of human trafficking. 'We're trying to do our part. A number of these children have gone to the hospital after we've recovered them to get checked out, so again this is something we take very seriously,' Elliott said. He told the channel that 350 men and women from 125 different departments across the state were involved in the search. 'I'll tell you this, it will be something we'll be doing every year,' he said. Elliott said that he hopes to repeat the operation to rescue the children every year 'This is our first time we have done this, it's been uncharted territory for us, but we've had great success.' Mike DeWine, governor of Ohio, on Tuesday praised the 'great, great effort' being put into tracking down the children. Although only some of the children were believed to be victims of human trafficking, he called on all residents to recognize and report signs of it - signs such as repeatedly running away from home, or evidence of physical abuse. Darby Kirby, chief of the Marshals' Missing Child Unit, told USA Today that the marshals have helped recover 1,800 missing children nationwide since 2005. Last year 23,500 endangered runaways were reported, and one in six of them were probable victims of child sex trafficking, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. More than 90 per cent of missing children in the U.S. are classified as 'endangered runaways,' or children under 18 who fled their homes on their own. The designation also can include children who were enticed by online predators, who fled with mental health or special needs conditions, or victims escaping sex trafficking or forced prostitution at their own home. A similar operation in Georgia, dubbed 'Operation Not Forgotten', has seen 39 children recovered. US Marshals in Georgia, pictured, carried out an operation similar to that in Ohio and rescued 39 children Operation Not Forgotten, in Georgia, has seen 39 children rescued by US Marshals US Marshals have helped recover 1,800 missing children nationwide since 2005 Many of those rescued were found with a parent, kidnapped by a parent, had gone missing from child services or had fled juvenile justice, the center said. Staca Shehan, a vice president with the center, told USA Today on Tuesday that operations such as those in Ohio and Georgia were vital for raising awareness of the problem, and for emphasizing that the stereotype of a missing child being one abducted by a stranger was often not true. SPRINGFIELD Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola said the early voting options added for Tuesdays primaries were a game changer, doubling the usual turnout. I was happy to see such a dramatic increase in the voter turnout yesterday, Oyola said Wednesday. I think overall it was a successful election. In all the races, turnout really was a factor in who won or didnt win. The turnout in Springfield was 26.9% on Tuesday, as compared to the last state primary in 2018 when turnout was 13.24%, and in 2016 when the turnout was 12.83%, according to the Election Office. This year, more than 11,350 voters cast ballots either by voting early in person or by mail, Oyola said. City residents cast a total of 27,652 ballots in the primary. It was the first time early voting was offered for a primary election in the state, and the vote-by-mail option was offered in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Vote-by-mail applications were sent to every registered voter in Massachusetts. Mail-in voting was very popular, helped by prepaid postage and the ease of sending ballots back without travel, Oyola said. In addition, some people who were not comfortable voting by mail, or did not want to vote at poll sites on election day due to COVID-19 concerns, had the option of voting early at designated locations during certain hours last week, she said. In one race, City Councilor Adam Gomez defeated five-term state Sen. James Welch, D-Springfield, to represent the Hampden District. Higher turnout in Springfield was a key to that race, Oyola said. Had Springfield not turned out in the numbers that it did, the race could have easily gone the other way, Oyola said. Gomez beat Welch by nearly a 2-1 margin in Springfield, 64.2% to 35.5%, while Welch won both West Springfield and Chicopee. While some people talk about voter apathy in Springfield, the early voting system showed that if you give voters more options, they will vote, Oyola said. Some of the voting locations that traditionally have high voter turnout continued those trends, such as Ward 7B, at the Frederick Harris School, at 46.3%, and Ward 5G, at the Greenleaf Community Center, at 38.2% The highest voter turnout was in Ward 6B, at the Forest Park library, at 64.8%, according to a precinct breakdown. Oyola said that mail-in voting was likely a key factor, as seniors voted in droves by mail from a senior housing complex on Barney Lane. There was also a high turnout in Ward 4B, at the Mason Square fire station, at 45.8%, among others with senior housing in the area. Ward 7, which includes the East Forest Park area and part of Sixteen Acres, continued its tradition of having the highest turnout of the eight wards, with seven of its eight precincts exceeding 35% turnout. The lowest turnout was in Ward 3. Related Content: Another transgender woman was found dead on Monday, August 31 in New York. Elie Che, a 23-year-old originally from the UK, was discovered on Orchard Beach shore in the Bronx. The cause of death has yet to be revealed, but all signs point to the continued uptick of violence towards trans women in 2020. Friends, family and supporters took to Twitter to mourn her death and seek justice. "She was a MASSIVE part of the London queer nightlife and was loved and respected by everybody," wrote on user. "I don't think any of our hearts will be able to fully mend over this, we're all in pieces right now." "You will not be forgotten," wrote another person. "Thank you for showing up and showing out. A vision of beauty." Rest In Peace to my sis Elie Che. Her body was found on a bronx beach early monday. You will not be forgotten. Thank you for showing up and showing out. A vision of beauty. #BlackTransLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/gBsriulwa7 SIS THEE ACTIVIST (@ucancallmesis) September 2, 2020 In July, Che created a GoFundMe to assist with the cost of transitioning and relocating to New York. "As some of you may know, transitioning is a long, very expensive journey," she wrote. "I think people are finally understanding this and the issues among black trans women who have an average lifespan of 35 years old, I want to make it past that." Violence towards trans people in 2020, through the first seven months of 2020, has already surpassed the total for all of last year. The National Center for Transgender Quality reported last month that 28 transgender people had been murdered up until that point, compared to 26 for all of 2019. Of this year's victims, 23 had been transgender women, with the NCTQ noting that "the epidemic of violence is particularly pronounced for Black and Latina trans women." Related | How to Support Black Trans People Right Now On August 16, three trans women were brutally attacked in Los Angeles while waiting for a taxi to take them home. Eden Estrada, Joslyn Allen and Jaslene Busanet were beaten, had transphobic slurs yelled at them, and some of their belongings were taken all the while, bystanders watched and livestreamed the incident. It's one of the latest of a long string of incidents this year that prove that the treatment of trans women, particularly those that are Black and Latina, needs to improve drastically. Situations like Che's, and that of Estrada Allen, and Busanet can be prevented in the future. - Uganda president Yoweri Museveni said his 34-year rule had nothing to do with self-enrichment and ambitions - The president denied claims he was only appointing his tribesmen in the national army as well as high offices in public service - He said he had no problem exiting power saying that his family never held government posts PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB East Africa's longest sitting president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has said his 34-year rule has nothing to do with self-enrichment and ambitions. In a fiery statement directed at his critics on Thursday, September 3, Museveni said he had no problem exiting power saying that his family never held government posts. READ ALSO: Photos of mother and son who are often mistaken for a couple go viral Museveni warned critics against dragging tribalism into the army. Photo: Yoweri K. Museveni. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Ruto says he's determined to change Kenya's politics: "2022 will be defining moment" "Yoweri Museveni: Museveni should retire? There is no problem with Museveni retiring. My father and a number of my uncles died recently, all of them in their 90s. None of them has ever worked for the government. My children have finished their education. Except for Muhoozi who loves the army, none of them is working for the government," he said. The president's sentiments came following claims that he was only appointing his tribesmen dominated the national army as well as high offices in public service. "Why and how would those Banyankore dominate the public service where the Public Service Commission was last held by a Westerner, the late Mzee Bikangaga from 1979 to 1990. People who push that talk are wasting the time of our people and misdirecting them," he said. READ ALSO: Opinion: Rutos negative energy, unruliness must worry every right-thinking Kenyan READ ALSO: Donny van de Beek: Dean Henderson gives up no.34 shirt to new Man United summer signing "My advice to all of you, is that leave your army out of that nonsense. The NRA, the UPDF are armies of sacrifice, all the time for no pay or low pay. They put their lives on the line. Therefore, leave UPDF out of the circus of sectarianism. Fighters, real fighters, never have interests in tribes or religious sectarianism," he retorted. In August, Museveni presided over a pass out of 4,325 soldiers and 4,809 policemen. At that time, he admitted corruption was finding its way into the army but promised to eliminate the monster so that all the resources could go to supporting soldiers' welfare. "I thank the commanders for training these soldiers. I have seen improvement in skills. We will need to sit together and add more items on the syllabus," he said. 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 It is important to note that the SFF is not part of the Indian Army but rather falls under under the Directorate General of Security (DGS), a covert organisation operating under the Cabinet Secretariat. As India and China jostle for position in eastern Ladakh, reports are swirling of the possible role played by the mysterious 'Special Frontier Force' (SFF) in occupying strategic heights on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh and on the intervening night of 29 and 30 August in thwarting an attempt by Beijing to to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake. But what do we know about this outfit, its history and its goals? As per The Times of India, the outfit is headquartered in Chakrata (Uttarakhand) and is made up of at least five battalions or 5,000 elite paratroopers trained in mountain warfare. It was initially trained by the Intelligence Bureau, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Research and Analysis Wing. It is important to note that the SFF is not part of the Indian Army. Rather, it falls under the Directorate General of Security (DGS), a covert organisation operating under the Cabinet Secretariat (which answers directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi), as per India Today. The DGS is itself part of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) As per a report in Indian Express, the SFF, formed immediately after the 1962 war with China, earlier recruited Tibetans but now comprises a mix of Tibetans and Gorkhas. Initially called Establishment 22, it was named by Major General Sujan Singh Uban, an artillery officer who'd previously named commanded 22 Mountain Regiment, as per the report. Uban commanded this regiment in the British Indian Army during World War II, as per The Times of India. As per The New Indian Express, the SFF's first cadres were drawn from the Khampas (people of Kham region in Tibet, which is under Chinese occupation), who were the original bodyguards of the Dalai Lama. Its primary function was to conduct covert ops behind enemy lines in case of another war with China, as per the report. The outfit has been used in select operations of a highly sensitive nature: Operation Eagle (Chittagong Hills in the 1971 Indo-Pak war), Operation Bluestar (Golden Temple in 1984) Operation Meghdoot (Siachen Glacier in 1984) and Operation Vijay (Kargil, 1999) as per the newspaper. The units that comprise the SFF are known as Vikas battalions. Former Chief of Army Staff General Dalbir Singh held the office of Inspector General of the force at one point while in his service, as per the Indian Express report. As per The Times of India, while no active or retired Indian Army officer acknowledged the role of the SFF in the operations that occurred over the weekend, they did acknowledge its presence in Ladakh and other places along the frontier. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), former GOC of 15 Corps, told the newspaper I have had Vikas units alongside me while serving in Ladakh. Seen them play volleyball in vests at 16,000 feet. Their natural affinity for the ground too is very high, giving them a major advantage in operations. A retired lieutenant-general, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper, We know about them... But their existence has been off the books. The few of us who get to serve with them are under oath." The former second in command at the National Rifle Association has broken ranks from the organisation by voicing support for universal background checks and red flag laws. Joshua Powell, who was fired by the group at the beginning of the year says in a book to be published next week that the NRA is more focused on money than the Second Amendment it claims to defend, and that it has stood in the way of any constructive dialogue regarding gun violence. The NRA fuelled a toxic debate by appealing to the paranoia and darkest side of our members, in a way that has torn at the very fabric of America, he writes. In his memoir Inside the NRA, Mr Powell, who was chief of staff to chief executive Wayne LaPierre, describes his former boss as a woefully inept manager, but a skilled lobbyist, according to The New York Times. The book, subtitled A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia Within the Most Powerful Political Group in America, reportedly focuses a great deal on Mr LaPierre. Mr Powell says that he couldnt run an organisation on a fiscally sound basis to save his life and that last year he had considered stepping aside and asking former governor Mike Huckabee or former representative Jason Chaffetz to take over as head of the group. Mr Powell says that he does not personally believe universal background checks would be effective in stopping criminals from obtaining guns. However, given the organisation's roots in championing gun safety and education, he feels that it has limited its long-term growth as a group by ignoring that the majority of gun owners support such checks. He says the NRA is not in step with the majority of gun owners on the issue. On red flag laws which allow the police to confiscate weapons from people deemed to be a threat to themselves or others after warnings from friends or relatives, he is in favour provided there is a process involving medical doctors and psychiatrists as well as bipartisan oversight. The Times reports that Mr Powell says that Mr LaPierre was skilled at being able to head off even modest gun control measures, and that much of the groups talk of school safety in the wake of massacres such as Sandy Hook was largely empty rhetoric. Recommended Russian agent who tried to infiltrate the NRA released from jail When president Donald Trump indicated support for tough new gun laws after the massacre in Parkland, Florida, his mind was changed during a meeting with Mr LaPierre. Mr Powell writes that the president was reminded who had helped elect him. For years the NRA has been the subject of headlines alleging infighting, corruption, and even infiltration by a Russian agent. The timing of the book is especially poignant given that New Yorks attorney general Letitia James recently filed a lawsuit to dissolve the organisation. Both Mr Powell and Mr LaPierre were among four people named in the suit which seeks millions of dollars in restitution. NRA officials said in August that the upcoming book was an attempt to discredit the organisation and for Mr Powell to salvage his own image after misuses of expenses led to his termination. Its not surprising Mr Powell would try to save his failing career by peddling fiction about the NRA," said Carolyn Meadows, the NRA's president. As it did in 2019, TCL showed off a couple of prototype devices at IFA. The first being an update to its Project Archery wearable. If you need a refresher, the device is a pair of smart glasses that feature two OLED displays that can trick you into thinking you're watching a movie at a theater. We saw version 2.0 of the wearable earlier this year at CES, and at IFA 2020, TCL showed off version 3.0. The new model is much lighter than the company's previous prototype and looks more like a pair of sunglasses though they would probably still attract odd looks if you were to wear them in public. The company said it's also working on technology to allow those who usually wear glasses to use the device without putting contact lenses on or keeping their frames on under the wearable. TCL TCL also showed off a prototype smartphone with a waterfall display, though this is nothing new Motorolas Edge Plus is one of the latest devices to sport this feature also. The aggressive curve of the screen allows a manufacturer to eliminate any side bezel. It's a striking effect, but there are reasons companies like Samsung have moved away from curved screens: they're particularly prone to registering false taps, and they make a phone more expensive to manufacture. The company told us the technology is coming to a TCL phone but stopped short of providing any other details. It also noted it's working on new foldable and rollable displays, but said it doesn't feel like 2020 is the year to release devices with those technologies. Given the eye-watering $2,000 starting price of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2, that's probably the right call. Both President and Democratic challenger will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field, the White House and Biden's campaign announced Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether their visits to the memorial in Shanksville will overlap. But it probably will be the closest that the candidates have been to one another in months. The National Park Service, which co-hosts the annual memorial event, is planning an abbreviated ceremony this year to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The agency plans a 20-minute Moment of Remembrance" set to begin at 9:45 am, without a keynote speaker or musical guests. The name of each passengers and crew member from Flight 93 will be read aloud with the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance," according to the agency's website. A White House spokesman, Judd Deere, said the president and first lady Melania Trump would visit the site to honour and remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001. Trump is expected to speak, although the White House and Park Service did not immediately reconcile that with the planned commemoration. In 2016, Trump and Democratic president nominee Hillary Clinton both spent September 11 in New York and both visited the Ground Zero memorial in lower Manhattan. The day ended up being a significant one on the campaign, after Clinton abruptly left the ceremony, complaining she was overheated, and was captured on video struggling to step into a van. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, will attend Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies in New York this year. The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial marks the spot in rural Pennsylvania where the hijacked flight crashed, killing all 40 people on board. Three other planes hijacked that day were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks. It's the second time Trump will mark Sept. 11 with a visit to the site. He visited the Pentagon in 2017 and 2019. (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.) After agitating for exactly a month, Ganga activist and spiritual ideologue Swami Shivanand Saraswati ended his agitation after Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) director general Rajeev Ranjan Mishra assured to look into his demands raised for protection of river Ganga. A letter of assurance by NMCG director general was handed out to Swami Shivanand Saraswati by the representatives of Ganga Vichar Manch, who arrived at Matri Sadan ashram premises on Wednesday late evening, following which the Ganga activist ended his fast. Swami Shivanand Saraswati said he has been assured by the minister that his demands-- scrapping of hydro power electric projects being built on Ganga and its sub tributaries, prohibition on quarrying activities and shifting of stone crushers from Ganga river-bed by at least 5km, speedy enactment of Ganga Act and inclusion of pro-Ganga activists and seers in the draft panel committeewill be considered. Ganga Vichar Manch founder Bharat Pathak said that Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Shekhawat was in constant touch with him about Swamijis health and had a telephonic dialogue which led to the breakthrough. After this assurance, we hope that soon concrete steps will be taken on demands made by Swami Shivanand Saraswati and another ashramites, who have been, off late, staging numerous agitations for the cause of protecting holy Ganga River and conservation of its ecology, said Ganga Vichar Manch founder Bharat Pathak. Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh said it is high time that the government and the concerned authorities acted promptly and took suggestions from Matri Sadan ashramites as they have been the flag-bearers of agitations on the issue. Also Read: Build mangrove cells across all coastal states: Environment ministry panel Notably, Swami Shivanand had started his agitation on August 3, relying only on intake of five glasses of water and had curtailed it to four glasses since last Sunday. Prior to starting the agitation, he had pointed out that his tapasya (fight for Ganga) is a continuation of the sincere efforts carried out by late Swami Nigmanand, Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand, an IIT professor, and fellow ashramites Sadhvi Padmavati and Brahamchari Atmabodhanand, who all had staged more than hundred days long fast unto death agitations at Matri Sadan ashram in a span of past two years. Also Read: Uttarakhand govt fixes rates for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals Owing to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, Swami Shivanand had postponed his agitation on March 30 after staging it for twenty days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Attorney General William Barr argued in an interview Wednesday that President Trump's repeated allegations of "treason" against political opponents he believes targeted his presidency is a phrase that the president uses "colloquially," rather than literally. "Treason is a legal term," Barr told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think hes using it colloquially. To commit treason, you actually have to have a state of war with a foreign enemy, but I think he feels that they were involved in an injustice, and if he feels that, he can say it." Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution states that the legal standard for convicting a person of treason "shall consist only in levying war against [the U.S.], or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort." But a review of Trump's frequent past use of the term, which he primarily uses to denigrate those he believes were involved in launching the investigation of his presidential campaign's ties to Russia in 2016, shows how Trump nearly always connects the phrase directly to the prospect of sending his enemies to prison. "If I were a Democrat, this whole thing would have been so different, people would be in jail now two years ago for 50-year terms because this was treason," Trump said in a Tuesday interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "This was subversion. This was the overthrow of a country." Trump has in recent months increasingly invoked 'treason' to baselessly tie the launch of the Russia investigation to his election opponent former Vice President Joe Biden as well as former President Obama. A review of the investigation released last year by the Justice Department's inspector general concluded the probe was launched with proper cause by the FBI, despite errors and missteps by bureau and DOJ officials through the course of the investigation. Those findings, however, haven't stopped the president from falsely accusing his opponents of treason dozens of times this year alone. Related: Attorney General Barr under fire Story continues MORE: Trump associates who have been sent to prison or faced criminal charges "We caught President Obama and Sleepy Joe spying on our campaign. That's treason. That's illegal," Trump said to reporters in Arizona last month. "These people should take them and do something with them." "So we catch Obama & Biden, not to even mention the rest of their crew, SPYING on my campaign, AND NOTHING HAPPENS?" Trump tweeted in July. "I hope not! If it were the other way around, 50 years for treason. NEVER FORGET!!!!" Though Barr announced in May that neither Biden or Obama were the subjects of any criminal investigation -- and there was never any serious suggestion prior to that announcement that they were, Trump has more recently relied on the ongoing DOJ investigation into the Russia probe by U.S. Attorney John Durham. Barr tasked Durham last year with reviewing whether there was any criminal wrongdoing by officials involved with the Russia investigation, and last month Durham brought his first criminal case when a former FBI lawyer pleaded guilty to altering a document used in a renewal application for surveillance against a former Trump campaign aide. MORE: Former FBI lawyer to plead guilty in Trump-Russia probe review "Nobody has ever seen anything like it," Trump said in a campaign speech reacting to the agent's plea. "You can call it whatever you want. I use the word treason. They got caught." Contrary to the president's accusations, however, the former FBI agent Kevin Clinesmith's plea was for one count of making false statements -- and the charging documents made no allegation regarding a broader conspiracy against Trump or his campaign. Barr's effort to re-contextualize the president's statements wasn't unusual. In the same interview Wednesday, for instance, Barr was asked about comments the president made earlier in the day telling voters in North Carolina they should vote twice, which if done intentionally is a federal crime. They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So, let them send it in, and let them go vote, Trump said Wednesday in an interview with a North Carolina news station WECT. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously wont be able to vote. If it isnt tabulated, they will be able to vote. So thats the way it is, and thats what they should do. "I dont know exactly what he was saying," Barr said. "But it seems to me what hes saying is -- hes trying to make the point that the ability to monitor the system is not good, and if it was so good, if you tried to vote a second time, you would be caught, if you voted in person." And in an interview with ABC News in July, Barr sought to explain President Trump's incendiary tweets slamming NASCAR for its ban on the Confederate flag, arguing Trump's intentions were likely more directed at those seeking to 'erase history' by defacing statues of Christopher Columbus and George Washington. "I think what he was likely referring to are-- you know, some of the things that people would feel were -- and I'm not talking about the NASCAR thing," Barr said. "From my standpoint, NASCAR was a business decision by NASCAR. They're a private corporation-- private business. They're entitled to make a business decision. But, you know, there's some people who feel that some of our history is being erased, you know, when you take George Washington and start defacing George Washington or Christopher Columbus or others. And you know, that's upsetting to people." MORE: Trump calls newspaper report on Russia power grid 'treason' Barr defends Trump use of treason against Biden, Obama, insists it was 'colloquial.' Trump's own words suggest otherwise originally appeared on abcnews.go.com GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / StrongBlock (www.strongblock.io), has been announced as a founding technology partner of Switzerland's government-funded Ticino Blockchain Technologies Association (TBTA). The association aims to promote research and support innovative companies active in the blockchain technology market vertical, as well as promoting academic studies of the technology in participation with the University of Southern Switzerland (USI) and The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The association will be the crossroads for technology transfer between private organizations, government, and universities, enabling research and training to promote the creation of new companies and new skilled jobs in Switzerland. "Switzerland has been at the forefront of blockchain innovation. We are honored to be a founding partner in TBTA," said David Moss, Founder, and CEO of StrongBlock. "We look forward to collaborating with the incredible lineup of founding partners on increasing blockchain adoption in Ticino and beyond." StrongBlock is joined by TBTA founding partners Bitcoin.com, Copernicus Holding SA, Eligma Ltd. (GoCrypto), Euronovate SA, Eventboost SA, Pangea Blockchain Fund, Poseidon Group, Quadrans Foundation, Superflat SA, and Swiss Blockchain Consortium. In addition, there are two academic partners: the University of Southern Switzerland (offering the expertise of its Computer Systems Institute and the Master of Science in Financial Technology and Computing) and the Innovative Technologies Department of the Information Systems and Networking Institute (SUPSI) that offers Certificates of Advanced Studies in Blockchain and Fintech. "The non-profit association aims to foster organic growth of the blockchain ecosystem at the Swiss and international levels. We are very pleased to have prestigious international companies among the members of the association able to drive innovation in this region together with partners already active in Ticino," said Ing. Giacomo Poretti, President of the Association and Senior Lecturer-researcher in SUPSI's DTI Innovative Technologies Department. "This platform is important not only for Ticino but for the whole of Switzerland, companies and academic institutions join forces to achieve innovative solutions together, driving digital change with creative ideas." About StrongBlock Founded in 2018 by blockchain pioneers, the StrongBlock DeFi Protocol is the first to reward participants for helping to improve the quality of public blockchain performance. StrongBlock Consulting provides blockchain and blockchain governance consulting to leading industries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.strongblock.io. Media Contact: Gianella Saavedra? growth@mdynamic.com +1 646 894 0574 TBTA Press Release SOURCE: StrongBlock View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604715/StrongBlock-Announced-as-Founding-Partner-of-Swiss-Ticino-Blockchain-Technologies-Association D etectives are hunting a pair of robbers who violently attacked a 70-year-old photographer in south London. The victim was pushed to the ground and beaten up in broad daylight on Oaks Road, Croydon, on Monday August 17, the Metropolitan Police said. He suffered bleeding, a bruised face and a damaged eye socket requiring long-term treatment. Police said the man had attempted to hold on to his valuable equipment, including a high-end Nikon DSLR camera and accompanying lenses, during the attack. Camera lenses of this type can sell for thousands of pounds apiece. The victim had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance following the attack / PA Officers are now appealing for witnesses to the attack, which took place around 5.04pm. They are also calling for anyone who has been offered the chance to buy camera or lenses of this type from anyone other than a recognised dealer to contact the police. A Met Police statement read: "Officers and the London Ambulance Service (LAS) attended. They found a 70-year-old man and established that he had been robbed of camera equipment by two males. "During the robbery, the victim had struggled to hold on to his property and was pushed to the ground and beaten; he sustained serious facial injuries. "He was taken to a south London hospital by the LAS. He suffered cuts and bruising to his face and damage to his eye socket which requires ongoing treatment. "Officers conducted a search of the area and a crime scene was established. "A record of the stolen property has been compiled and police are asking anyone who has been offered photographic equipment for sale by someone other than a retailer to contact police immediately." The items stolen included a Nikon DSLR Pro D850 camera, a Nikon battery pack, two Nikon photographic lenses, and two Hoya digital filters. Anyone with information, or anyone who can identify the men responsible, should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting reference Cad 5771/17Aug. To give information while remaining completely anonymous call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. America can be proud of many things: our innovation, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit are unsurpassed. Yet when it comes to our nation understanding one of the greatest gifts ever given to humanitythe Biblewe're moving from dumb to dumber, and it's no laughing matter. The 2nd Bangkok Art Biennale wont be exactly what it was at its debut in 2018: there will be nine venues instead of 20, and organizers are having to look more to local audiences than to overseas visitors. But the event is happening, starting October 12, and there are some big names involved. The Art Newspaper WASHINGTON - The White House on Thursday denounced the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and suggested that the United States might retaliate if the Kremlin is to blame, but President Donald Trump has failed to repudiate the attack himself, prompting criticism that he is once again being soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the poisoning "completely reprehensible" but did not address a question about whether Trump has "made his voice known to the Russian government." It was the strongest U.S. condemnation yet of the attack two weeks ago using what a German military lab says was a banned chemical weapon. Navalny survived and is now under treatment in Germany. Still, Trump himself has remained almost entirely silent on the attack on the most prominent domestic critic of Putin. Trump had said nothing on the matter since last Thursday, when he told reporters the United States was looking into the then-unconfirmed reports that Navalny had been poisoned. The silence led Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to say Trump is complicit in a Kremlin attempt to silence a political opponent, and others of Trump's critics to say he is beholden to Putin, an authoritarian leader Trump has said he admires. Trump has a pattern of publicly declining to confront Putin or to directly accuse the Russian leader of wrongdoing. The president has said he did not question Putin about intelligence reports that Russia has offered to pay bounties to militants to kill American forces in Afghanistan, and he initially refused to pin blame on Russia for an earlier poisoning attempt, in Britain. He publicly took Putin's word over that of U.S. intelligence agencies that had concluded Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Trump. Intelligence agencies have found that Russia is trying to do the same thing ahead of Trump's effort to win reelection this year. "We're deeply troubled by the results" of a German military analysis of the agent used to poison Navalny, McEnany said Thursday, adding that Russia "has used chemical nerve agents in the past." Germany had announced that tests on Navalny showed he had been poisoned by the chemical nerve agent related to Novichok, which was developed under the Soviet Union. Navalny's wife and supporters say he was poisoned at an airport cafe while traveling in Siberia, where he has worked to support opposition political candidates. Navalny remains in a medically induced coma. Biden issued a statement Wednesday blaming Moscow and saying that Trump's "silence is complicity." "The Kremlin no doubt thinks that it can act with impunity. Donald Trump has refused to confront Putin, calling him a 'terrific person,' " the former vice president said. He pledged to "do what Donald Trump refuses to do: work with our allies and partners to hold the Putin regime accountable for its crimes." McEnany said the United States would work alongside other countries "to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities." That hinted at further financial sanctions, though U.S. officials did not elaborate. The Trump administration has imposed severe financial sanctions on Russia over its 2016 election interference and its invasion of Ukraine, and applied further sanctions in response to the 2018 nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter Yulia at their home in Britain. Russia denies any involvement. Trump dragged his feet in condemning the attack on an ally's soil and in assigning blame. Republicans in Congress were among those urging a more direct and forceful response. In the end, Trump appeared to have had little choice but to apply sanctions. Under a 1991 law, he was required to act once the administration determined Russian responsibility for a chemical or biological weapons attack. Trump faced criticism for his tepid response to the Skripal poisoning. The Washington Post previously reported that in a summer 2018 call with then-British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump disputed her intelligence community's conclusion that Putin's government had orchestrated the attempted murder. "Trump was totally bought into the idea there was credible doubt about the poisoning," one person briefed on the call told The Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation. "A solid 10 minutes of the conversation is spent with May saying it's highly likely and him saying he's not sure." The White House did not immediately comment when the German findings were released Wednesday, and Trump remains nearly alone among major Western leaders in not addressing the issue personally. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Trump confidant, had tweeted Wednesday that the "outrageous" attack demands answers from Russia. "We have seen firsthand the deadly consequences of Novichok in the UK," Johnson tweeted. "The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny - we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done." German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the poisoning an attempted murder and also demanded an explanation from Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron joined Merkel in offering asylum and medical help. "We are supposed to be the leader of free democracies, the leader of the free world," said Evelyn Farkas, a former senior Pentagon official focused on Russia in the Obama administration. "It's unacceptable that he's not out there speaking for the human rights of this man, who was faced with a state assault, an attempted assassination," she said. "For some reason, our president thinks its more important to not upset Vladimir Putin and to avoid saying anything critical about him than to stand up for the lives of Americans and others." Russia denies harming Navalny. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the German announcement was an "information campaign" against Russia. Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, responded on Twitter by saying: "What hard work for a person. To appear before people with a stone face and talk rubbish." Navalny has been the foremost opposition activist in Russia for nearly a decade, since leading protests in late 2011 against flawed parliamentary elections that marked the biggest homegrown opposition threat to Putin's rule to date. He coined the populist rallying cry "crooks and thieves" as an opposition chant to describe the inner circle of people around Putin profiting from their proximity to power with offshore accounts and lavish homes at home and abroad. Others in the Trump administration have not been as quiet as Trump himself. Trump's envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, James Gilmore III, confronted his Russian counterpart at a meeting in Vienna on Thursday. "We urge Russia to cooperate fully with the international community's investigation into the poisoning. Those responsible, both those who committed this crime and those who ordered it, must be held accountable," Gilmore said. National security adviser Robert O'Brien said last week that Navalny's illness was of deep concern to the United States and could affect U.S.-Russian relations. "He's a very courageous man. He is a very courageous politician to have stood up to Putin inside Russia, and our thoughts and our prayers are with him and his family," O'Brien said in an interview on Fox News. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Trump administration to determine whether Russia was responsible for the poisoning, and if so, invoke the same 1991 law used in the Skripal case - the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act - to impose sanctions. "The president of the United States must coordinate a strong international response to this latest aggression along with our partners and allies. Silence will be interpreted as a tacit approval for these types of attacks to continue," Menendez said in a statement. On Thursday, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said that any poisoning of an individual through a nerve agent is considered a use of chemical weapons. "Such an allegation is a matter of grave concern," the organization said. "States parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention deem the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and wholly contrary to the legal norms established by the international community." Andrew Weber, a senior fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks and a former top Pentagon official overseeing chemical and biological weapons defense during the Obama administration, said the limited use of chemical weapons in assassinations and tactical warfare was weakening international norms and the United States must take a leading role in defending them. "Russia's repeated use of chemical weapons makes it urgent to strengthen the Chemical Weapons Convention," Weber said. He said the United States should send a strong signal of support for Merkel's announcement and stand against the creeping usage of these weapons. "That is extraordinarily dangerous and we need to fight back against that," Weber said. By ANI NEW DELHI: Vikas Singh, lawyer of Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh, on Wednesday that the theory being propounded by section of media that the late actor had a life insurance policy and the family will not be given money if he had committed suicide is a canard and Sushant had no life insurance policy. "There are suggestions being given by media by some channels that Sushant had a life insurance policy and the money will not be given to the family if it was a suicide. It is being suggested that the family would not be given money if Sushant had committed suicide and it is for this reason, the suicide theory was later changed to abetment to suicide or murder. This is a lie being spread by the channels and Sushant had no life insurance," Singh told reporters at a press conference. "This canard is highly defamatory and if the channels continue this campaign then we will be forced to take action against the concerned entity," he added. Vikas Singh said that the father of Sushant has taken a conscious decision that no film, serial or book would be made on Sushant without his express consent. If someone does so, appropriate action will be taken against him, he said. The lawyer said that the FIR in Sushant death case very clearly states that the deceased actor started having mental problems after Rhea Chakraborty came in his life. ALSO READ | Sushant death case: NCB arrests two involved in alleged drug trafficking "The FIR very clearly states that Sushant, after Rhea came into his life, started having mental problems. The FIR also states that Sushant started feeling very anxious after her entry into his life and Rhea was responsible for his problems," he said. "The FIR also states that Rhea never disclosed to Sushant's family that what was the kind of medical treatment being meted out to him. The sister of Sushant, who was also taking medicines for anxiety, sent him a prescription. In spite of what has been said in FIR, it's being carried by some media channels that his family knew about his depression and concealed it. It is an earnest appeal of the family please do not add to the sufferings of a bereaved family by spreading canards," he added. On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actor's death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate. ALSO READ | Sushant case: Ex-IPS officers urge HC to rein in news channels The single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy had observed that the Bihar government was competent to recommend transferring the case to the CBI. It had also asked the Mumbai Police to hand over all the evidence collected so far in the case to the CBI. The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actor's death after the Centre accepted Bihar government's recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna. The FIR was registered in Patna on a complaint filed by the actor's father KK Singh under several sections including abetment to suicide. Rajput was found dead at his residence on June 14. The Investigative Committee said on Wednesday that the properties located on the northern shore of Lake Sevan may have been built and officially registered in violation of Armenian laws strictly regulating construction in the environmentally sensitive area. In a statement, the law-enforcement body said a government agency registered the entire compound in January 2018 despite suspicions that some of its 14 houses and other structures had been built illegally. It said the registration was controversially recommended by the leadership of the state-run Sevan National Park (SNP). Vahe Gulanian, who ran the SNP at the time, categorically denied breaking any laws or government regulations when he spoke to RFE/RLs Armenian service. He described the Investigative Committee statement as flawed. The statement said that the Investigative Committee is conducting a criminal investigation into forgery and failure to prevent illegal construction and seizure of public land. It has not charged anyone so far. A spokeswoman for the committee said investigators have not questioned Gasparian as part of the inquiry. A lawyer for Gasparian, Tigran Atanesian, scoffed at the probe in a short Facebook post. Dont you know other heroes? wrote Atanesian. According to the Investigative Committee statement, the criminal case was opened as a result of an ongoing separate investigation into Gasparians threats voiced against RFE/RL reporters last month. The former police chief accosted and threatened them with violence as they filmed his compound while collecting material about illegally built villas along the Sevan coastline. Obstruction of news reporting and other journalistic work is a criminal offense in Armenia. Gasparian headed the national police service from 2011 to 2018. He was sacked immediately after the Velvet Revolution of April-May 2018 that toppled the country previous government. In September 2018, Gasparian was charged with abusing his powers to benefit people working for former President Serzh Sarkisians brothers. He denies the accusations. Hassans Welcomes Back Gilbert Licudi QC Hassans International Law Firm Limited has announced that Gilbert Licudi QC has returned to legal practice with the firm. Gilbert first joined the firm in 1992 and was made a partner in 1998. He was appointed Queens Counsel in 2012. Gilbert was elected to the Gibraltar Parliament in 2007 and became a member of the Government following elections in 2011. Between 2011 and 2020, Gilbert held ministerial office with responsibility, at different times, for Financial Services, Gaming, Education, Justice, Telecommunications, Tourism, Port and Maritime Services and Employment. During his time in Government, Gilbert introduced the Companies Act 2014 and was responsible for the establishment of the University of Gibraltar in 2015. He continues to be a Member of the Gibraltar Parliament. Gilberts return to the firm serves to bolster yet further Hassans litigation practice. On Gilberts return to practice, Senior Partner James Levy, QC commented: I am delighted that Gilbert has returned to Hassans after his very successful time in Government. I am looking forward to working closely with him, once again, as he focuses on re-establishing his practice in the varied fields of commercial, trusts and employment law and further developing the firms expertise in sports law. The value of the experience Gilbert brings back to our firm following his almost nine years in Cabinet, and his well-established leadership in the litigation context, are together a real boon for our clients, allowing us to offer the most experienced and recognised team of lawyers in Gibraltar. Gilbert concluded by explaining that: Having started out in my career as a lawyer in J A Hassan & Partners (as it then was) many years ago, and despite the very satisfying time I have spent in Government over the last nine years, I am thrilled to be back in legal practice with Hassans. Having last year celebrated 80 years since its establishment, I look forward to re-engaging with all my partners and colleagues at Hassans as we work to guarantee the firms success for many more years to come . Here are todays leading news stories: Society No novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were documented in Vietnam on Thursday morning. The countrys tally remains at 1,046, with 746 having recovered and 34 deaths. More than 570 Vietnamese citizens were repatriated from Thailand and Uzbekistan on Wednesday after being stranded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of them were brought to local quarantine centers following their arrival. The Vietnamese government has agreed on a proposal to implement a point system for drivers licenses in the country, where drivers will have points deducted when they commit a traffic violation and have their license invalidated when the points reach zero. Police in Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City are hunting for a man who was caught on CCTV robbing a baby wear store and attacking a female shopkeeper with a knife on Wednesday. A company in Bien Hoa City, located in the southern province of Dong Nai, was found storing nearly 200 metric tons of industrial waste inside its warehouse on Wednesday. Business The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs has suggested that financial support be given to approximately 27,500 employees of such non-essential businesses as cinemas, restaurants, and bars who have lost their jobs or faced difficulties to the COVID-19 epidemic. Low-cost carrier Vietjet Air recorded losses worth VND1.44 trillion (US$62 million) for its air transport activities in the first half of 2020. This was regarded as a positive result compared to the aviation industry as a whole due to impacts of the global pandemic, according to the airline. Lifestyle Many pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City handed free face masks and prepared hand sanitizer dispensers for visitors as people flocked to these venues on Wednesday on Vu Lan, an annual festival observed by Buddhist followers to pay homage to their parents and ancestors. World news Over 25.6 million people have caught COVID-19 while nearly 18 million have recovered from the disease worldwide, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Healths statistics. More than 855,100 people have lost their lives to the disease. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Derry man who was blinded by a rubber bullet has revealed for the first time how the British soldier responsible said sorry. Despite the years of suffering Richard Moore and his family endured, he has forged the most unlikely of friendships with former soldier Charles Inness. On Thursday May 4, 1972, when a 10-year-old Mr Moore was on his way home from Rosemount Primary School, his life changed forever. It came just four months after Bloody Sunday, a day on which his uncle Gerard McKinney was shot dead. Along with friends he ran past an army lookout post, located at the edge of his schools playground, a British Soldier fired a rubber bullet from ten feet away, blinding him for life. It struck Mr Moore on the bridge of his nose, he lost his right eye and was permanently blinded in his left eye. There were no riots taking place at the time but Mr Inness maintains that there were a number of disturbances in the area and he was trying to disperse the children. After losing his sight in such traumatic circumstances, Richard returned to his old school, went on to university, successfully ran his own business, became an accomplished musician, and is married with two children. He is perhaps best-known for founding the charity Children in Crossfire. The Derry man didnt harbour any bitterness towards the army veteran who shot him and always expressed his desire to meet him. Throughout the years journalists made attempts to track down the soldier but were always stonewalled. Documentary film-makers eventually located him and passed on a letter from Richard. He received a response and eventually met the soldier in January 2006. EMOTIONAL After a 34 year wait it was a highly-charged, emotional experience for the Derry man. He flew to Edinburgh on his own and they spoke at length in an airport hotel. I met the man who took away my eyesight and caused so much hurt to my parents and my family. The gravity of it was really enormous, I knew the gulf I was crossing and it was quite monumental for me, Mr Moore said. Those were the first steps towards reconciliation and friendship. Richard believes Charles was cautious at that time and didnt want to cause any more hurt or compromise himself in some way. The former British soldier, whose military lineage stretches back hundreds of years, felt justified in firing the rubber bullet but accepted that the outcome was entirely unjustified. As a pacifist Mr Moores views clashed with the Scotsmans but he respected his candour. It was very important to hear that acceptance, Mr Moore said, but at that stage the army veteran wasnt ready to say sorry. Charles wasnt saying things to make me feel better, he was being honest and straight with me. Its hard to hear that, but at least I knew who I was dealing with, and I preferred that. Richard was elated by the first encounter and felt compelled to maintain contact. He met Mr Innesss family and the gesture was returned when Charles visited Derry. KIND AND GENTLE Describing the esteem in which he holds his mother, a woman who suffered as much as him after the incident, Mr Moore said: I was surrounded by so many lovely people. I wanted Charles to see that my mother and father were two of the kindest and loveliest people youd ever meet in life. They had to endure this terrible pain and agony of watching their 10-year-old son be blinded and how I had to grapple with blindness. And they watched that every minute of every day and it really tugged the heart out of them. His then 88-year-old mother brought the man into her home who had blinded her young boy and offered him a cup of tea. I was immensely proud of her. She was so kind and gentle with him, she chatted with him and told him not to worry about me as I coped with the blindness and, how, sometimes good can come out of these things. My mammy had enormous faith and her being able to forgive the soldier wasnt that difficult because her faith taught her to do that. For me it was so important that my mammy was supportive of what I was doing. FORGIVENESS Photo: The Dalai Lama invited Richard and Charles to his home in Dharamsala to talk to more than 2,500 people. He found it difficult to process the fact that Mr Inness was in his 30s and a Captain at the time the incident occurred rather than an inexperienced young soldier. But he believes that true reconciliation should be based on accepting the individual for who they are and not who you want them to be. At first Mr Inness couldnt find it within him to say sorry as he felt that was akin to accepting that he did not mean to fire the bullet, a logic Mr Moore couldnt quite understand. Hearing that word wasnt a prerequisite for friendship as Mr Moore forgave Charles unconditionally before they met. The blinding of a 10-year-old boy is wrong as far as Im concerned so theres no conflict in my mind about that, what he did was dreadfully wrong. But I didnt need him to say sorry, this is my own opinion, if I hadnt been able to forgive Charles unless he said sorry then I believe Im giving Charles a certain amount of power over me, that I am unable to move forward until he says it. It was almost like handing him a key to a chamber in my heart and head that only he could unlock. So sorry wasnt a blockage for me. The journey would never have happened if Id set those preconditions, he reflected. Privately Mr Inness apologised around six years after they met in 2012 and when he said it Richard nearly fell off his chair. Until now it was unknown but both men agreed that the time was right to make it public knowledge and to speak openly about it. I didnt think I needed closure but it has come with it and it is nice that it has happened, Mr Moore concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 09:08:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that he is ready to work with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to join efforts with the international community to resolutely safeguard the victory of the Second World War (WWII) as well as international fairness and justice. In an exchange of messages with Putin to celebrate the 75th anniversary of WWII victory, Xi recalled that on the same day 75 years ago, the victories of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Union's war against Japan marked the final victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. In that war, which spread across Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, more than 100 million troops and civilians in all countries involved were injured or killed, paying the most painful price in human history, Xi said. China and Russia, respectively the main battlefield in Asia and Europe, endured great national sacrifices for and made indelible historic contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, he added. The Chinese and Russian peoples fought side by side and forged an unbreakable great friendship with blood, laying a solid foundation for the high-level development of bilateral relations, he said. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, Xi stressed, China and Russia both shoulder important responsibilities for the cause of world peace and development. He said he is ready to work with Putin to take the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War as an opportunity to lead their countries towards deeper comprehensive strategic coordination. He also suggested that the two sides make concerted efforts with the international community to actively uphold and practice multilateralism, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, so as to allow future generations to enjoy a world featuring lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. In his message, Putin said that WWII was the most painful tragedy in human history, and that the Soviet Union and China were the main theatres in the fight against fascism and militarism, and made enormous national sacrifices for the complete victory over aggressors. During that arduous war, the two countries and their peoples forged a profound friendship as comrades-in-arms, he said, adding that today that kind of mutual assistance spirit is continuously being carried forward and enhanced, helping the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination achieve flourishing development. Stressing that it is a common responsibility for both sides to safeguard the truth about WWII history, Putin said any attempt to distort history and whitewash the Nazis, militarists and their accomplices must be firmly rejected. It must never be allowed to forget or even calumniate the feats of the liberators, or to deny the WWII results, added the Russian president. Russia, he said, is willing to continue making active efforts with friendly China to prevent war and conflicts and safeguard global stability and security. Enditem Several major wildfire bills were left on the table when the California Legislature ended its session earlier this week, but one bill is expected to make a comeback in some form. Assembly Bill 2167, authored by Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, would have established the Insurance Market Action Plan program, or IMAP program, under which residential property insurance policies in a county may qualify for IMAP protection. The bill had kicked off a battle between opponents who saw it as a direct attack on insurance consumer protections and proponents who said it was the best way to make insurance more available in an increasingly wildfire-prone state. The bill was supported by the insurance industry, including the Personal Insurance Federation and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. It was also being backed by the California Association of Counties, CalFIREs union and Fire Safe Councils of California. I think the issue will continue to be revisited, said Mark Sektnan, vice president for state affairs of the APCIA, said on Wednesday. Sektnan said the Legislature had a full plate with COVID-19 matters, and also had spent money in the budget last year to beef up the states firefighting tools. He also noted that people with homes in these areas recently devastated by wildfires supported the bill. Supporters said the bill would have provided homeowners in wildfire zones access to more choice and competition among insurers based on price and coverage while avoiding costly and more limited FAIR Plan coverage. The Consumer Federation of America, however, estimated the bill would lead to rate increases of 40%. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who has called the bill an insurance industry wish list, with nothing to help consumers, said it was an attack on insurance consumer protection law Proposition 103. AB 2167 would have required an IMAP filing submitted to the California Department of Insurance by an insurer to include elements such as a request for adequate rates, a plan for maintaining solvency of the insurer and mitigation requirements. It would have also required an insurer that submits an IMAP filing to receive an expedited review of its rate filing, if the insurer uses an actuarial assumption for trend and loss development that is at the midpoint or less of rate impacts, or files for a rate increase based solely on increased reinsurance costs, and does not change any other aspect of its rate filing from its previous department approved rate. The bill called for ensuring insurance rates are adequate to avoid insurer insolvencies and to permit insurers to operate in the states highest risk areas, reducing the number of residents that are required to rely upon the California FAIR Plan, incentivizing insurers to seek cost-based rates in exchange for assurances that they will serve high-risk communities at levels similar to their statewide presence and developing systems of accountability for individual and community-based loss mitigation efforts. A bill that Lara backed, Assembly Bill 2367, failed to advance out of committee, and would have required insurers to sell coverage to homeowners whod taken mitigation steps like fireproofing roofs and retrofitting vents. Another bill that went by the wayside was Assembly Bill 1659, which would have raised $2.5 billion to address wildfire risks. Lara in a statement responding to the legislative inaction on some of the wildfire bills said hed heard from thousands of residents in high risk counites that too many people are paying more for insurance with no guarantee it will be there for them in the future. While Governor Newsom and the Legislature have made progress in reducing wildfire risks on public lands over the past year, insurance must play a much larger role in protecting Californians in their homes and communities, Lara said. I will continue to advocate for statewide home hardening standards to reduce the spread of wildfires into communities and bring down statewide wildfire risk. Without consistent, science-based standards, consumers and local governments are left to devise their own mitigation plans. If Californians do our part to protect homes from wildfire, I believe insurance companies must match them with a commitment to provide coverage. Sektnan said to expect addressing wildfires to be a big priority when the Legislature returns. I think the whole envronment needs to be reassessed, he said. Were in what is called a new normal. Wildfires are bigger, they are becoming more costly and they are occurring earlier in the year. Related: Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire - A Ukrainian woman was banned from flying after climbing on an airplane wing after the vessel touched down - Instead of getting off the plane with other passengers, the woman who complained she felt too hot found a spot on the wing and sat there - When her two kids saw her, they immediately shouted that the woman was their mum PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed A Ukrainian woman has been banned from flying after opening a planes emergency exit and hopping on the wing following what she termed as too much heat. According to Ukraine International Airlines, the lady cracked open the door after the airplane landed and rushed to the wing. READ ALSO: Jowie Irungu's model wife shares photo of her gorgeous mum READ ALSO: Man spotted on video holding a meeting with his goats The Sun reported the mother of two had just arrived in Turkey and wanted to get some fresh air. The incident took place a little after other passengers had already exited the vessel but the woman seemingly thought she needed to cool off first. A passenger said the womans kids got outside and shouted this is our mum when they saw the woman seated calmly on the wing. READ ALSO: Lilian Muli steps out looking like young refined queen in short, natural hairdo The woman wanted to get some fresh air before getting off the plane. Photo: Boryspilchany Source: Instagram READ ALSO: Mike Sonko condoles Oliech's family following passing of Kevin Opiyo When walking out through the emergency exit, she was composed and made sure she found a comfortable spot to sit on. The whole thing was captured on video and the clip instantly went viral when it was uploaded on social media. The airline said the lady had to be blacklisted over what they described as gross misconduct and behaviour. "The passenger was blacklisted for gross violation of aviation safety rules and behaviour onboard," UIA said. READ ALSO: Beba msalaba wako kijana! Waziri Kagwe ataka mkurugenzi wa KEMSA kuwajibika In other news, Jowie Irungus new wife Ella Musangi shared a never seen before photo of her mum. The mother of one introduced her matriarch to her fans and she was beautiful beyond description. The lady looked exactly like her daughter and had a calming smile just like that of Ella. No one could easily tell the youthful lady is already a grandma. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Follow up: My husband's family took everything from me after he died and called my children garbage /TUKO TV Source: TUKO.co.ke The former Congress chief said that the decision to scrap high-value currency notes was an attack on the country's poor, farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said demonetisation was an attack on the India's unorganised sector and the country will have to fight it together after recognising it. He also said the decision to scrap high-value currency notes was an attack on the country's poor, farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. Speaking on the economy in the second part of his video series on social media platforms, Rahul alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes to make India a cashless economy while pointing out that the unorganised sector, which comprises the poor, farmers, labourers and small traders, works on cash. "Demonetisation was an attack on India's poor, its farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. - -- 8 2016 , 31 2020 GDP pic.twitter.com/GzovcTXPDv Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 3, 2020 "Demonetisation was an attack on India's unorganised economy and we must recognise this attack. The entire country will have to fight against it together," he said. On 8 November, 2016, the prime minister announced demonetisation, making old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes useless, and the entire country stood in front of banks to deposit their money and savings. Rahul claimed that the move neither erased black money nor did the poor benefit from it. "So who got the benefit? The advantage was given to India's biggest billionaires. How? The money that you had in your pockets, that you had in your homes was taken away and used by the government to waive the debts of these people," he said, noting that this was just one of the goals. "The second goal was to wipe out cash from the system. Our informal sector, which is the sector of the unorganised economy, runs on cash. Whether it is a small shopkeeper, farmer or labourer, he or she works with cash. "The second goal of demonetisation aims to wipe out cash from the system, including from the informal or unorganised sector. The prime minister himself said he wanted a cashless India, but if there is a cashless India, the informal sector will be destroyed," the former Congress chief said. He said farmers, labourers, small shopkeepers, small and medium businesses, who were dependent on cash, have suffered due to this. The Congress has stepped up its attack on the government after the country's economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 percent as the coronavirus-related lockdowns weighed on the already-declining consumer demand and investment. The GDP contraction in the world's fifth-largest economy compared with a 3.1-percent growth in the preceding January-March quarter and a 5.2-percent expansion in the same period a year ago, according to official data released on Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:01:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Nick Kolyohin JERUSALEM, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Starting March 2022, any new building in Israel will be constructed according to the national green standards. "We are pioneers and very proud of this," said Ran Avraham, head of the green building unit at the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection (MoEP), referring to the new mandatory sustainable construction legislation. On Aug. 27, the Israeli government issued the binding Israeli sustainable certification SI 5281, which was originally established in 2005 as a voluntary standard. Over the past seven years, about 20 Israeli cities began to implement sustainable construction requirements as the green standard was periodically updated. Buildings are a major contributor of pollutant emissions into the air and the largest global consumers of natural resources and energy, MoEP said on its website. Surveys conducted by Forum 15, an association that represents most of Israel's major cities, show that about 75 percent of emissions within cities stem from energy consumption in buildings. Transitioning to green building standards could help Israel fulfil its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris agreement it signed. Over the next 15 years, buildings in Israel are expected to cut their total emissions by about 25 percent under the mandatory green building standards, Avraham said in an interview with Xinhua. Israel has about 1.3 million buildings, 450 of which hold green certification. An additional 1,000 are currently being examined, and another 50 comply with the international green rating systems LEED or BREEAM, according to MoEP. Colin Price, head of the department of environmental studies at Tel Aviv University, said buildings mainly use energy for inside heating and cooling. Zero-energy buildings need to be appropriately planned with excellent insulation and the ability to generate their own power using on-site renewable energy facilities, such as solar panels on roofs. Green buildings are also able to recycle part of their water usage on-site. Grey water from sinks, showers, or tubs could be easily re-used, Price told Xinhua. "A fairly simple filtering system in the building or in home can clean water in order to re-use it for any purpose besides drinking," he said. Although green building construction is more expensive, the reduced energy and water use will cover the extra costs within five to 10 years, the professor noted. Using less electricity and water will not only help tackle the climate change, but also save money on bills, which could encourage more people to move to green offices and flats in the future. According to MoEP's research, green buildings in Israel reduce the consumption of energy by around 25 percent and water by about 40 percent compared with traditional buildings. Moreover, research sponsored by the ministry has shown that people tend to be more satisfied in green buildings, probably because of a "sustainable atmosphere," increased natural lighting, better air quality, and healthier construction materials. Enditem File The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here. A former CEO of the Olivet Boys & Girls Club in Pennsylvania is accused of taking a 15-year-old boy across state lines and sexually abusing him. DUBLIN, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. 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/8br4si Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com - The country has recorded the lowest active cases since April 2020 - The current statistics from the Ghana Health Service show that Ghana's active case count is now 908 - According to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, the latest record shows that Ghana is on a downward trend Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Day in day out, the country keeps recording new cases of the coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19. Even though the cases are being recorded daily, the Ghana Health Service and its partners have revealed that the country has recorded the lowest active cases since April 2020. The current statistics from the Ghana Health Service show that Ghana's active case count is currently 908. As of April 19, according to a ghanareport.com the country's total case count was 834 with nine deaths and 99 recoveries. COVID-19: Ghana records lowest Active Cases Since April 19 Source: Ghana Health Service Source: Original The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said since then, the cases kept surging until September 2 when the county's active case count was recorded at 908 READ ALSO: WHO And UNICEF urge Ghana and other African countries to reopen schools According to Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, the latest record shows that Ghana is on a downward trend, Ghana Report has revealed. He added that, if Ghanaians keep on doing what they have been doing right, the disease would be unheard of. On March 12, 2020, Ghana confirmed and recorded its first two cases from a Ghanaian and a Norwegian. Ghanas total confirmed cases stand at 44,460 while recoveries and discharges are 43,121. The total number of deaths registered is 276. The coronavirus disease was first recorded in the Wuhan Province of China in December 2019 and has since spread all over the world and resulted in many deaths. READ ALSO: Kojo Antwi fulfills fan's dream, walks bride down the aisle with father's permission In other news, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), have called on African governments to promote the safe reopening of schools during the coronavirus pandemic. According to them, the prolonged closure of schools is harmful to students. In a report filed by peacefmonline.com, they, however, expect the governments to invest in improving sanitation facilities in the schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in institutions. READ ALSO: Travellers to Ghana to pay over GHC800 as COVID-19 testing fee Ghana re-opens Kotoka International Airport to passengers |#Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is proud to be part of Vietnams socio-economic development progress, said Chief Representative of JICA in Vietnam Shimizu Akira in an interview with VNA. Chief Representative of JICA in Vietnam Shimizu Akira (Photo: VNA) What are your assessments of Vietnams achievements in economic development since JICA restarted ODA operations in Vietnam in 1992? Mr Shimizu Akira: Vietnams economic success is an inspiring development story. Lets look at some figures over the period: GDP has been more than 20 times bigger and GDP per capita has been almost 20 times higher. From an embargoed economy, Vietnam has opened up and now has a trade value at two times of the GDP, and become one of the most open economies in the world. During the process, tens of millions of people have escaped from poverty and thrived for prosperity and better opportunities in lives. I think the figures speak so much about the energy, dynamics and potentials of your country: the young and skillful labor force, the dynamic enterprises and the more improved business and investment climate that your Government has been trying to provide during the past years. It is very impressive that at present, Vietnam is doing very well for preventing covid-19 outbreak while keeping the economy going. And JICA is very proud to contribute a part in the process. In a recent book, the World Bank has recognised Vietnam as one of the most successful emerging economies, what do you think about this assessment? Mr Shimizu Akira: I agree with the assessment. As the World Bank assessed, one of the key factors of Vietnams economic success was its transition from a centrally planned to a market economy. Besides this, from my personal viewpoint, I think it owes much to the potential of Vietnamese people, such as hard working and flexible mind. Attitude while respecting history, also look forward to make positive history with the other countries are also one of a key factors. JICA has been cooperating with Vietnam in a variety of fields aiming at its smooth transition to market economy, and providing technical assistance tailored to the stage of economic development for over decades. For example, JICA supported various institutional reforms in accordance with policy frameworks under policy-based loans of Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC) and following Economic Management and Competitiveness Credit (EMCC), both of which are syndicated loans with the World Bank. We highly evaluate outstanding achievements backed by Vietnams continuous efforts under these policy frameworks. You said JICA is proud to contribute in the progress of Vietnams development. Could you please tell us more about this? And what are JICAs evaluations on Vietnamese policies in regard to ODA over the past years? Chief Representative of JICA in Vietnam Shimizu Akira (Photo: VNA) Mr Shimizu Akira: We have been working closely with the Government in various projects and programs for bringing in higher living standard and more economic opportunities for all Vietnamese people. The operation of JICA aims at improvement of both hard and soft socio-economic infrastructures. We work with various Vietnamese agencies for capacity development of the officials, efficient and effective state governance, better delivery of public services, improvement of human resources, etc. In addition, we provide financing for various important infrastructure projects in transport, energy, urban development, agriculture, etc. Many Japanese ODA projects have served as catalyst factors for inviting private investment. At present, Vietnam is among top five of the largest recipients of Japanese ODA in the world. One thing I would like to emphasize here, that JICA cannot successfully implement all the projects and programs without the cooperation and trust of our Vietnamese counterpart agencies. In this regard, I believe that the ODA policies have functioned well in terms of creating an enabling and facilitating environment for ODA attraction and use. However, I think Vietnam can even do better, e.g. further streamline administrative procedures to avoid project delay (which is quite common), and narrow the gap between domestic regulations and good international practices in procurement, contract management, taxation issues and so on. These efforts not only promote better use of ODA but also development of the market economy which private sector will ultimately benefit, which leads to further promotion of Foreign Direct Investment. In general, please kindly highlight JICA's achievements in Vietnam over the past years? Mr Shimizu Akira: In recent years, Japans ODA share over the total ODA to Vietnam exceeds 30 percent and Vietnam has been one of the biggest recipient countries of Japans ODA in comparison to the rest of the whole world. In five years between 2014 and 2018, the total amount of loan, technical cooperation and grant aid has accumulated up to 5,324 billion JPY, 40 billion JPY and 73 hundred million JPY, respectively. The first pillar is Promotion of Economic Growth and Strengthening International Competitiveness, which aims to support to improve the market economy system. JICAs support to Vietnam under this pillar in recent years continue to focus on financial reform and state-owned enterprises reform, infrastructure development (road, bridges, urban transport) as well as to strengthen industrial competitiveness and human resource development. Some out of the numerous projects effectively being implemented under this Pillar are: the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Construction Project (Line 1), which will be the first underground metro system currently under construction; the Lach Huyen Port Infrastructure Construction Project, which was the first PPP collaboration using Yen Loan opened in 2018; and the Vietnam-Japan University (VJU), which is a joint creation of both countries and opened in 2016 in Hanoi. Recently, we positioned agriculture as the key issue in this pillar as well, as we are all aware that Vietnam is a major agricultural country. The second pillar, Response to fragility, supports to address emerging issues caused by rapid urbanization, natural disasters and climate change and to develop the systems in the fields of health-care sector and social security etc. JICA has been providing cooperation for adaptation and mitigation measures for climate change in addition to support in policy formulation and enforcement, supporting HCMC and Hanoi with water environment improvement for flood damage prevention; helping Ben Tre province with water management to protect agriculture from salinity intrusion during dry season. In terms of healthcare and social security, for a long time, we have been closely collaborating with top institutes and hospitals such as National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), Bach Mai, Cho Ray and Hue Central hospital, which the result contributed much in controlling COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, projects such as Vaccine production facilities of POLYVAC or insurance provider payment methods and basic health service have helped Vietnam to address the pending issues in health care and social security. Under Good Governance-the 3rd pillar, JICA continues to provide training to government officials, to support developing training curriculums and texts for legal professionals (judges, prosecutors and lawyers), to promote E-Government and to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the National Assembly of Vietnam. These interventions have helped to strengthen the governance, enhancing capacity of improving and executing the legal system, ensure justice, fairness, neutrality and transparency of the governance. JICAs focus in transparency is not only in the governance sector, but also in the economic section. Supporting in legislation and fair practices in competition law, human resource development in the security sector, and strengthening the corporate governance will help to lead the investment from foreign countries. Global economy is currently facing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that context, Vietnam and Japan are both significantly affected. Please kindly advise if JICA will adopt new forms of cooperation in order to adapt to the current "new normal" state? Mr Shimizu Akira: As I said above, in the context of COVID-19 spreading, the society has slightly changed all over the world. JICA is going along with the same policy of the government of Vietnam in order to adapt to the current new normal state. Based on 3 pillars cooperation, JICA is implementing projects to prevent infectious diseases in health sector and to promote economic growth by explaining the Vietnamese Government to enhance public investment, in order to stimulate the countrys private sector. We also started reviewing the outcomes of some of the on-going and completed projects, which the influence of COVID-19 was not pre-requisite, so that we can be able to acquire the same results under the COVID-19 situation.VNA Anthony Fauci, the U.S.'s top infectious disease expert, said that seven states that have seen upticks in covid-19 cases should be particularly vigilant over the Labor Day holiday, and warned that if Americans are "careless" there could be another jump in cases this fall. "There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview this week. "Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there's going to be a problem." Memorial Day marked a turning point for many newly reopened states, which saw previously moderate covid-19 outbreaks start to spread. July Fourth came just a few weeks before the worst of the U.S. spike, with new cases regularly topping 60,000 later that month. While new infections are down significantly, the daily death toll is still hovering near 1,000, based on a seven-day average. That has many worried about how the country will fare over the long Labor Day weekend, as the U.S. outbreak tops 6 million confirmed cases and 185,000 deaths. Fauci joined Vice President Mike Pence on a call with governors this week to urge them to tell their residents to follow guidance on masks, social distancing and other measures to lower the risks of contagion to ensure there aren't repeats of the surges following the Memorial Day and July Fourth weekends. "If we're careless about it, then we could wind up with a surge following Labor Day," Fauci said. "It really depends on how we behave as a country." There's particular concern since the holiday comes as more Americans are going back to schools, colleges and work, and commercial travel expands. "There is a lot of potential to see a huge explosion of infections in September and October," said Eleanor Murray, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health who has called for more nuanced social-distancing guidelines. "We seem to go back and forth between people actually realizing that this is a thing that exists and taking precautions and then deciding it's all over." While infections are tapering in recent hot spots including Arizona, Texas and Florida, a major challenge has been persuading people in areas that haven't experienced major outbreaks that precautions like masks and social distancing are vital. In South Dakota, where several thousand gathered in August for a 10-day annual motorcycle rally in the town of Sturgis, at least 105 cases have been traced to the event, the state health department said. The contrast in behaviors is clear for Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health. Large parts of the country will behave how one should during a pandemic, he said. "What I worry about is there are other parts of the country where there is a lot of misinformation, a lot of 'This is nothing but the flu,' and a lot of people who haven't learned the lesson," he said. If Americans stick with wearing masks, avoiding indoor crowds in favor of small outdoor gatherings over the Labor Day holiday, "we're going to be in really good shape going into the fall," Brett Giroir, the Trump administration's testing coordinator, said Tuesday. California's cities were hit hard early in the pandemic. After relaxing a bit this summer after the spread slowed, the state saw surges in less densely populated regions. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, issued a stern warning about the long weekend, urging residents to avoid mixing with people from outside their households and wear masks. "We saw this a few months back," Newsom said. "We started to see progress over an extended period of time, and invariably people said, 'Well, looks like we're out of the woods.' "That's why it's more important than ever to be vigilant," he said. That's in part because of another concern: The looming influenza season brings the possibility of a "twindemic" if people don't take precautions, according to Aaron Glatt, chairman of the department of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York. "If people do not do anything and flu just comes, that would make it disastrous," said Glatt, whose hospital took care of 1,500 covid patients. "We had some patients who had both" the coronavirus and the flu. The last flu season was particularly bad. The CDC's preliminary estimates put deaths at 24,000 to 62,000, compared with about 34,000 and 61,000 in the two previous seasons. Final estimates are due this winter. Fortunately, covid prevention measures also stop the flu. "We have data now that shows in the southern hemisphere masking and social distancing has dramatically reduced in the incidence of flu there," Glatt said. "It's imperative that everybody do all three: Take the flu vaccine, mask and distance." More studies are needed to gauge the effect of a combined Covid-19 and flu infection, said Rajesh Gandhi, infectious diseases physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, which has treated more than 1,600 covid patients. "To be really honest, we don't want to find out," said Gandhi, who's also part of the National Institutes of Health Covid-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. California made a big change recently when it said goodbye to the coronavirus watch list and hello to a new, tiered blueprint governing coronavirus restrictions. And several counties, including two in the Bay Area, may see more changes as soon as Tuesday, when they could move into less restrictive tiers. Under the new system, instead of moving on and off the watch list, counties are placed in one of four color-coded tiers representing coronavirus risk levels: Purple is widespread risk, red is substantial risk, orange is moderate and yellow is minimal. Each tier has restrictions on which businesses are allowed to open. As of the Aug. 28 launch, all but two of the Bay Areas nine counties are in the purple tier, the highest risk category. Only San Francisco and Napa counties are in the next level down, the red tier. But that may change Tuesday, when the state reassesses each county with updated data, and some counties could be assigned new tiers. Such quick progression for counties in the purple tier, less than two weeks after their initial assignment, would be a one-time occurrence, the state said. In the future, it will take longer to progress to less restrictive levels. Instead of the many metrics involved with the watch list, two critical thresholds now govern whether counties move up or down: coronavirus case rate and positive test rate. To progress to the next less restrictive level, a county must remain in its current tier for a minimum of three weeks and meet the next tiers more stringent requirements for two consecutive weeks. But if the case rate or positive test rate has fallen into a more restrictive tier for two consecutive weeks, the county is bumped back to that tier. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Data are reviewed weekly, and tiers are updated every Tuesday. Counties are placed in the purple tier when they have more than 7 new daily cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of more than 8%. To move into the red tier, they must report 4 to 7 daily new cases per 100,000 and a positive test rate of 5% to 8% for two weeks. If a county is conducting more coronavirus tests than the state average, then the state adjusts its case rate using a calculation that reflects the testing volume. Adjusted case rates are now reflected on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy interactive map, though they were not initially included in the rollout. Thats why San Francisco, with a daily case rate of 9.8 per population of 100,000, has an adjusted case rate of 6.4. In addition to business reopenings, the new system also has guidelines for when schools can reopen for in-person instruction. Counties in the purple tier cannot reopen schools unless the health department grants a waiver, for K-6 elementary schools only. Once a county is in the red tier for at least two weeks, schools have the states green light to reopen, though counties and districts can still decide to impose stricter rules than the state. Based on recent data, seven California counties have the potential to move to the red tier, including Marin and Santa Clara in the Bay Area, and nearby Santa Cruz. Marins case rate is 5.9 with an adjusted case rate of 4.6, and a positive test rate of 3%. Matt Willis, Marin County health officer, called the new system a more nuanced framework than the watch list. 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. Its an improvement, he said. It does seem like overall a better strategy at the state level to have more categories in which to place counties. There are other protections built into this that are important." One of those protections is that counties must hold in a certain tier for three weeks before moving to the next one, which Willis said is important so we arent opening up too quickly. Last Tuesday, Willis appeared in a COVID-19 update video and said the countys case rate is about 6 new cases per day per population of 100,000, and the positive rate is about 3%. Based on those rates, Marin County is scheduled to move from Tier 1 to Tier 2, the red level, starting next week if our case rates dont increase significantly, he said in the video. These numbers are significantly better than they had been one month ago. Santa Clara Countys case rate is 8.6, but the tier-assignment rate adjusted for testing levels is 6.7, with a percent positive rate of 3.5%. Our data for Aug. 25 did meet the criteria for the red tier, and so if we do meet those criteria for the week thats ending today, we would then be able to move into the red tier on Sept. 8, Santa Clara County Counsel James R. Williams said in a Board of Supervisors meeting last Tuesday. Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang The survivor, a chief officer, said he quickly put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea, following an instruction in an emergency onboard announcement. He has not seen any other crew members since then, Higashi said. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. This week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors considered a proposal to potentially rethink the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The agency oversees a significant portion of Los Angeles' homeless service system. And for people looking to blame someone -- or something -- for the rise in homelessness, LAHSA is an obvious target. LAHSA is what's called a "Joint Powers Authority" between the city and county of Los Angeles. A JPA is basically where two different government bodies join to execute a common task that crosses jurisdictional lines -- in this case addressing homelessness across L.A. County. It was formed in the fallout from extensive litigation in the late 1980s and early '90s, where the city and county argued at length over who was actually responsible for aiding people living on the street. LAHSA is one of the results, and was intended to become the agency responsible for responding to homelessness across L.A. County. But even from the beginning, LAHSA was criticized by some for being a third party the city and county could rely on to evade responsibility on the issue. Today, nearly 27 years after LAHSA was first formed, elected officials in the city of Los Angeles, and the County Board of Supervisors, have made clear in several legislative motions this year that they don't think LAHSA does its job well enough, and hint that reform may be needed. Precisely how -- or even if -- LAHSA may be restructured is unclear. But read on for more details about the government agency tasked with the sisyphean job of ending Los Angeles' crisis of homelessness. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy WHAT DOES LAHSA ACTUALLY DO? LAHSA's main responsibility is knowing who all the people experiencing homelessness are, and connecting them to social services that could get them off the street. This is done through what's called the "coordinated entry system," which is the central case management system in Los Angeles County. The CES is part of a federally mandated structure for how local governments respond to homelessness, intended to help the feds keep track how their funds are used for homelessness, and what the results are. It works like this: social workers and many others are tasked with assessing each individual person in a highly detailed evaluation that is dozens of pages long, and then entering that information into a case file stored in the CES. The CES is supposed to help connect individuals to social service programs they may qualify for, based on their individual needs. It's also intended to help prioritize who gets access to housing first, based on how vulnerable that person is on the streets. Besides managing the CES, LAHSA is also the lead agency for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which is the chief receiving body for federal money aimed at ending homelessness. As such, LAHSA is responsible for a significant amount of contract administration resulting from the distribution of public money to nonprofit social services agencies that also work with people who are homeless. LAHSA administers the annual homeless count, and has several smaller offices with specialized functions as well. In total, it coordinates and manages approximately $400 million annually in federal, state, county and city funds. HOW DOES LAHSA'S GOVERNANCE WORK TODAY? The key authority rests with the 10-person LAHSA commission. Five of the commissioners are appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles. The other five are individually appointed by each member of the County Board of Supervisors. However, besides the main commission, LAHSA also has several other advisory boards that, in theory, advise the commission on policy. There's an advisory board of people with have experienced homelessness, a regional homeless advisory council, a continuum of care board, a coordinated entry system council, and so on. In addition to its own advisory boards, LAHSA is beholden to requests from both Los Angeles city and county too. And to understand the quagmire that is L.A.'s homelessness policy, besides LAHSA, many cities and L.A. County also have their own homelessness policy offices. The effect is that it's basically impossible to understand who is in charge of managing homelessness in the region, which practically means that no one individual agency is. That frustration is what's behind these calls for reform: to make responsibilities clearer, and ensure a specific person -- or specific people -- become accountable for the crisis. HAVEN'T CALLS TO REFORM LAHSA'S GOVERNANCE BEEN FLOATING AROUND FOR A WHILE? Yes, and actually the call this week by County supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn was at least the third such call made in 2020. In January, then incoming City Council President Nury Martinez asserted reform was needed. She introduced a legislative motion later passed by the full council in March. And in February, supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis asked for county staff to conduct a review of LAHSA's governance structure and provide recommendations that could make it more effective. Meanwhile the LAHSA commission itself has also been exploring the agency's governance for several months. Commissioners have retained a consultant to examine how LAHSA works internally, and determine how to prioritize who the commissioners should listen to first. (For example, should commissioners listen more to people with lived experience, or should they listen more to social service agencies that provide services?) WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? Most of the requested reports and recommendations are supposed to be completed in the latter half of 2020 or early 2021. Once complete, they'll be presented to the LAHSA commission, as well as the L.A. City Council and Board of Supervisors. It's key to remember, however, that many of the key factors affecting the performance of the homeless services system are outside LAHSA's control. The biggest factor is the dearth of affordable housing in Southern California. LAHSA cannot compel any individual city (or the county for that matter) to build more housing at any income level, which is one of the key reasons the region's homelessness crisis continues to get worse. Nor, for that matter, does LAHSA have any power over tenant protections, and is limited to expressing support for proposed legislation. Ultimately, LAHSA can provide elected officials in cities and the county with policy guidance, but no elected official is bound to actually adopt a policy that LAHSA thinks is a good idea. Ghana needs a shared and pervasive leadership to develop and not a promise of goodies or provision of what politicians think the people need, says Alhaji Mohammed Frimpong, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Party (NDP). He explained that with a shared leadership, strengthening and extension of decentralisation, there would be a significant development and a great decline in societal ills such as corruption, poor attitudes towards the environment among others. Alhaji Frimpong, who said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the NDP when given the mandate to lead and serve the country in the December 7 General Election, would empower leaders from communities to all public service institutions to direct their affairs. The NDP, even though believed in the provision of infrastructure and implantation of some functional policies for the building of a country, he said, a strong leadership and the provision of platforms for every individual to participate in the governance structure was the most important. The NDP believes in shared leadership and we want to see participatory governance where the community would be the focus of local governance, he said. Alhaji Frimpong explained that the leaders in every community and institution would put the needs of their people before policymakers for consideration and also help to maintain law and order among the people to instil discipline in the citizenry. The NDP-led government, he said, would empower community leadership through its Community of Bureaus system, to set up a complaints redress system for the people. In the area of sanitation, the General Secretary said the Community of Bureaus would help to enforce laws to deter people from indiscriminately littering the environment. Speaking about how the Party intended to significantly reduce corruption, Alhaji Frimpong said: We would first focus on the prevention of corruption and then put mechanisms in place to detect them and the laws would rightfully take its place. When the watchman sees that he is also being watched, that is enough. The Party would set up an entrepreneurial incubation centre to equip the youth including graduates with skills and funds to set up businesses in their communities to reduce the rate of graduate unemployment. We will get to a point where there will be zero unemployment for the willing labour that is ready to work. Everybody will have something to do. The NDP has come for you to make sure that your wellbeing is the most important demand of the entire nation. We are putting every individual at a point of relevance in governance, he said. Alhaji Frimpong said although COVID-19 had brought a big challenge to the Party this election year coupled with the need for restrictions on the social gathering, the Party was using the traditional and social media platforms as well as community engagement methods to reach out to the electorate ahead of the election. The National Democratic Party was established in 2012 by Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, a former first lady of Ghana and the wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings, Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The NDP broke out of the NDC, with focus on promoting national growth through shared leadership and service. Its Executive Structure includes a General Secretary, Womens Leader, Organizer, Youth Leader, and Communication Directors. The Partys symbol is a flying Dove holding on to Gye Nyame symbol indicating that the Party believes in peace. Its colours are red, green, white and black representing the toil of the nations forefathers with their blood, the vegetation of the land, the honesty of the Party and the African Continent and its people. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Members of Congress are urging the federal government to use blockchain solutions to boost COVID-19 relief efforts. In a Wednesday letter addressed to the U.S. President Donald Trump and federal officials, lawmakers said blockchain technology can help identify and authenticate individuals set to receive government benefits, streamline supply chains and create a registry of medical professionals. This is the latest development in a trend of U.S. lawmakers actively advocating for blockchain applications and virtual currencies, with representatives re-introducing bipartisan legislation in January that would reduce the tax burden on small crypto transactions, and Massachusetts Representative Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) proposing a bill in April to record national stockpiles on a blockchain. Related: Government of Bermuda Pilots Stimulus Token in Response to COVID-19 Crisis Read more: US Congressman Tom Emmer Will Accept Crypto Donations for Reelection Campaign The letter was led by the four co-chairs of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus: Reps. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.). They were joined by Caucus members Stephen Lynch, Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). The membership of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus urges your consideration, support and implementation of utilizing blockchain technology that could greatly mitigate the effects of the [c]oronavirus, the letter said. Ongoing effort Related: US Congressman Tom Emmer Will Accept Crypto Donations for Reelection Campaign This is not the first time members of Congress have urged the government to consider innovative technologies in the pandemic response. In April, 11 representatives signed a letter calling on the U.S. Treasury Department to consider blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) in streamlining the distribution of stimulus funds to citizens across the nation. Story continues Within a week of sending the letter, Lynch introduced a bill to mitigate the failures of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) in distributing personal protection equipment such as ventilators to those in need: it would require relevant government agencies to use private blockchain technology to inventory supplies in each state to ensure availability. Read more: Bermuda Starts Development of a Blockchain-Based National ID System The goal of the bill is to facilitate the creation of a network that would allow the government to have a transparent view of stockpiles, and allocate resources to where they are most needed, Lynch told CoinDesk back in April. I think there are reasons for adopting a very secure protocol. You could envision instances where if the country were at war you would not want this system to be hackable and so I think the private blockchain model probably works best, he said. Wake-up call The lawmakers letter to Trump echoes Lynchs call to use blockchain to create secure and efficient databases. The letter makes a case for a blockchain-based identification system, to securely store and authenticate an individuals identity to receive necessary funding or supplies The lawmakers explained how the built-in architecture of blockchains can help easily identify individuals when receiving government benefits, while its strong encryption protects sensitive data. It also urged the government to consider putting crucial supply chains that would map origins, inventories and transportation routes on a blockchain. The lack of these fundamental supplies has served as a wake-up call across the nation as we continue to struggle to track, reroute, and deliver necessary supplies to those who need them most, the letter said. The lawmakers also suggested that blockchain could help create a comprehensive registry of medical professionals that would verify qualifications, locations and help deploy skilled resources in times of crisis. Federal regulators must be willing to shed the bureaucracy and implement new solutions, Rep. Emmer said in a statement to the press. Read the full letter below: Related Stories The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has decided to inspect the books of Yes Bank in the Rs 5,050-crore fraudulent deals case. The MCA will submit its report in three months. Yes Bank did not respond to an email from Moneycontrol. This move is significant in many ways: one, this is for the first time an investigation against Yes Bank itself is being initiated, though its founders are under the scanner of various probe agencies. Two, normally, the books of banks are inspected by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and not by the MCA. A source close to the development told Moneycontrol: The MCA has ordered the inspection after many investor complaints of wrongdoing on the corporate governance front. MCA is inspecting Yes Bank under Section of 206 (5) of the Companies Act. The Section reads: Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this section, the Central Government may, if it is satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, direct inspection of books and papers of a company by an inspector appointed by it for the purpose. ED, CBI cases Though the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are investigating the scam, their probe is centred against the banks co-founder Rana Kapoor, his family and associates. The two agencies have registered two cases against Kapoor and his family. It is unusual for the MCA to inspect the books of the bank. As banks come under the RBI, MCA avoids inspection of banks books. This is the first such case in the recent past when MCA is so doing, a source told Moneycontrol. The ED has filed two chargesheets. In the first, it has named eight entities, and Kapoor's family. In the second, it named 19 entities, including the related companies of Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL) promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan. The CBIs first chargesheet in the case was not taken cognisance of by the court as the agency did not take the approval of the RBI to prosecute Kapoor. However, the CBI later pointed out that RBIs approval was not required in this case, and an approval by Yes Bank will do. Now, the CBI is seeking Yes Banks approval and it will file a chargesheet again. SFIO role The MCA has already completed a preliminary inquiry and its Western Regional Directors office will now inspect the books of Yes Bank. In cases where multiple agencies are involved, there is a high chance that the case may be transferred to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). Cases relating to Jet Airways, IL&FS, CG Power, Gitanjali Gems, Vijay Mallya are examples. SFIO has more powers and skilled officers. But the Corporate Affairs Minister holds the discretionary power to approve an SFIO investigation. What is the case? According to the prosecution, Kapoor, his family members and the other accused made fraudulent deals and laundered proceeds, estimated to be worth Rs 5,050 crore. Members of the Kapoor family or family-owned entities allegedly received Rs 600 crore in kickbacks in lieu of extending loans through Yes Bank, which later turned into non-performing assets. The amount was allegedly utilised to procure more properties. In July, the ED provisionally attached properties belonging to Rana Kapoor and the Wadhawan brothers, worth Rs 2,400 crore. Kapoors attached properties are located in South Mumbai, 40 Amrit Shergill Marg in Delhi, London and New York. Wadhawans properties are in Mumbai, Pune, Australia and London. SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lookout Inc., the leader in mobile security, has been named a leader in Mobile Threat Management Software by the IDC MarketScape for the third consecutive year. The IDC MarketScape highlights the company's ability to secure unmanaged mobile devices equally as well as managed devices as a major strength, which the MarketScape called out as a key requirement to securing a remote workforce. The IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Threat Management Security Software 2020 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US46092220, August 2020) also referenced a number of factors that makes Lookout a front runner, including its data-driven technology and industry-leading expertise as well as key partnerships and integrations. "Mobile threat management (MTM) technology has evolved from a tool for highly regulated industries and government agencies to an essential security solution for all organizations," said Phil Hochmuth, Program Vice President, Enterprise Mobility at IDC. "With its ability to secure unmanaged devices, MTM has become especially important as security professionals need solutions to secure remote workers who are using their personal phones and tablets to stay productive." Even prior to the shift to remote work, Lookout has been at the forefront of mobile security with a nearly 250 percent increase in business customers in its last fiscal year. In addition, Lookout saw a 320 percent growth in the number of anti-phishing licenses distributed during the same period. "We're seeing more organizations recognize the importance of securing their mobile devices and they're engaging us because of our technology, our focus on user privacy, our proven track record of finding real-world threats and our robust technical partnerships; all of which come together to enable a Zero Trust approach to security," says David Richardson, Vice President of Product, Lookout. "Being recognized by the IDC MarketScape as a mobile threat management software leader for the third straight year is the result of our deep understanding of the mobile security landscape and customer-centric innovation." Lookout mobile security is an AI-powered platform that has analyzed nearly 200 million devices and over 100 million apps, enabling its platform to automatically detect new threats without invading a user's privacy. Lookout integrates with leading unified endpoint management solutions including VMware and Microsoft. Our platform also works seamlessly with productivity suites like Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite to provide security to unmanaged mobile devices. Lookout partners with service providers including AT&T, Verizon, Orange, Vodafone and Telstra to ensure individuals and businesses of all sizes have access to the leading mobile security solution. About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors. About Lookout Lookout is the leader in mobile security, protecting the device at the intersection of the personal you and the professional you. Our mission is to secure and empower our digital future in a privacy-focused world where mobile devices are essential to all we do for work and play. We enable consumers and employees to protect their data, and to securely stay connected without violating their privacy and trust. Lookout is trusted by millions of consumers, enterprises, government agencies, and partners such as AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Headquartered in San Francisco, Lookout has offices in Amsterdam, Boston, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit www.lookout.com and follow Lookout on its blog , LinkedIn , and Twitter . CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Lookout Related Links http://www.lookout.com By Akbar Mammadov President Ilham Aliyev has voiced Azerbaijans support for Turkey over the recent tension between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Aliyev made the remarks while accepting the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Azerbaijan, Nikolaos Piperigos on September 2. It is no secret that Turkey is not only our friend and partner but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it in any circumstances. We see the same support from our Turkish brothers. They support Azerbaijan on all issues, and we support them on all issues, including the issue of intelligence in the Eastern Mediterranean, Aliyev said. Addressing Nikolaos Piperigos , Aliyev said: I want you to know our position. This position has already been officially announced by the Azerbaijani government on my instructions. I can tell you again that Turkey is not only a friend but a brotherly country for us. The Turks are our brothers. So we will be with them in all matters. Commenting on the Azerbaijan-Greece relations, President Aliyev said: I want to find something positive to touch upon, but unfortunately I can't find it. Perhaps we hope that the new government of Greece, which came to power relatively recently, will reconsider the policy of the previous government against Azerbaijan. The president said that Baku and Athens can restore contacts and discuss issues that create positive dynamics, adding that that will depend on the policy and position of the Greek government. Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakah conflict with Armenia, Aliyev reminded that Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani territory and this is reflected in the documents of all international organizations. Aliyev also voiced Azerbaijans concern about military cooperation involving Armenia, Greece and Cyprus. We are concerned about this tripartite format of cooperation. Of course, every country does what it thinks is right. Therefore, we are not in a position to block or prevent it in any way. But I think that it would be good if you hear from me that this is an issue that worries us, and I have explained why it happened, Aliyev noted. As you know, Armenia is a country that has occupied our territories. It has committed an act of genocide in Khojaly, expelled one million Azerbaijanis from their homes, destroyed our historical, cultural and religious monuments, implemented a policy of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories, is violating international law and does not comply with the resolutions of the UN Security Council and other organizations. Aliyev recalled that two years ago, the European Union and Azerbaijan initiated a document called Partnership Priorities in which the European Union supported the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders. Armenia is acting aggressively. The latest tensions on the state border are a provocation by Armenia. An Armenian officer was recently detained while trying to cross the line of contact in an attempt to commit a terrorist act, and he has already admitted that his group intended to attack our servicemen and civilians. In short, Armenia is the enemy of Azerbaijan, and this was their decision, Aliyev emphasized. The president stressed that Armenia's close military cooperation with any country is a matter of concern for Azerbaijan. You are probably aware of our reaction to the intense supply of weaponry from Russia to Armenia immediately after Armenias provocation on the border. Active clashes were suspended on 16 July, and from 17 July until yesterday yesterday was the last flight there were numerous cargo flights from Russia to Armenia through the airspace of Caspian littoral states. I am saying this to you for a reason. We have also raised this issue with our Russian partners, and we are concerned about military cooperation with Armenia. Aliyev stressed that this poses a major threat to Azerbaijan Armenia is using these weapons to kill Azerbaijani servicemen and civilians. (Photo : Studying Whilst Running Your Own Business) The most challenging lifestyle that someone could adopt, would almost certainly be that of a business owner. The highs and lows, the endless admin work, chasing payments, calculating tax returns - it's not an easy way to earn a living. Add studying for a degree into the mix and you have a pretty 'extensive' workload and a significant risk of burnout. How can you make sure you can sustain both working full time and study? If you are studying part-time, rather than full time, then that is more manageable, but splitting energy and focus equally between the two is still likely to be challenging. If you try and juggle your business and full-time study - there's a good chance you can fail at both without planning and scheduling. We have a look at what else you can do to manage the stress and workload... Outsource Repetitive Tasks A business normally requires full-time focus, but if you have already set the business up, and got it off the ground, you may be able to outsource some operations so that you can devote a significant amount of time to studying. To begin with, to prevent the constant interruptions that are often caused by phone calls, you can use a virtual receptionist app or company such as Moneypenny - the 24/7 service is more expensive but will mean that you can get your head down and study without interruptions in the evenings and/or weekends. They also provide a dedicated receptionist service, which can be great for your company's brand and customer service. Websites such as PeoplePerHour and Fiverr can also be great for finding a virtual assistant to handle and filter emails for you. You can begin by hiring 2 or 3 assistants and then hiring the best one long term. You will also be able to find someone to handle all of your social media marketing and even your website development. Find a Friend Finding someone on your course with a similar work ethic to you can provide tremendous moral support. If you can't find someone on your course, then someone else in a similar work & study situation to yourself can work brilliantly too. We all need to socialise and we all need friends, if you can combine good company with hard work, then that's perfect! Consolidate Your Schedule We are all creatures of habit. It may help to create a timetable, based on when assignments are due and keep it flexible - in that, you can revise and update it - but otherwise do your best to stick to it. The first few weeks may be difficult, but after that, the routine will become a habit and it should prove easier to adhere to. Schedule times for research, revision and writing assignments. Your business may have set hours and your lectures will likely have set hours too. Use these as the foundation of your schedule and work everything else around them. If you can consolidate your lectures into a smaller number of days per week, this can also be helpful in terms of your efficiency. Find Your Productive Time Some people are most productive first thing in the morning, others find their optimal state for writing is during the afternoons or evenings. Whichever time of day is best for you and specific tasks, make sure that your schedule reflects this. If you can sit down and write assignments in the morning most efficiently, then schedule time in the morning. Also, evaluate whether or not you have a most productive place or location in the house and at college. If you find it difficult to focus at home, consider investing in a home office - even if you have to buy and convert a shed! Stay Organised Set up folders on your computer and have a physical folder or organiser for handouts and assignment papers etc. You do not want to be wasting any time trying to find papers, research or even the assignments themselves. Learn to Say "No" Time is precious and you will need to prioritize your business and your college work to effectively balance the two. When people ask you to help them or to go out and socialise, you will have to learn to say no. it is up to you whether or not you care to explain to them why it is you won't have time to fit them in. If people ask you to do something, often if you ask them to email you a reminder, they won't - because it's not that important. This is an effective way of filtering out what's important to people and what isn't. Talk to Your Advisors in College Finally, it can help to let your lecturers and/or tutors know your situation. They may not necessarily give you any extra leeway with deadlines and assignments, but they are likely to show more empathy once they know your situation. President Donald Trump is facing a backlash for urging voters in North Carolina to vote by mail and then try to vote again in person to test the mail-in ballot system in the Nov. 3 election. Trump was asked by a television reporter during his trip Wednesday to Wilmington, North Carolina, if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system. They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that, Trump told WECT. So, let them send it in and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously wont be able to vote (at the poll). If it isnt tabulated, they will be able to vote. North Carolinas attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein, said it is outrageous for the president to suggest that people break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election. Make sure you vote, but do NOT vote twice! Stein tweeted. I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November. Its a felony under North Carolina state law to vote twice. Once someone has cast an absentee ballot, that person may not change or cancel it, or decide to vote in person on Election Day, according to the state election boards website.. Attorney General William Barr, asked during a CNN interview about Trumps suggestion, said he didnt know the election laws in every state, but that agreed with Trumps belief that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud. Its like playing with fire, Barr said. In response, Michigan attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, tweeted: Hey folks. Attorney General Nessel here-top law enforcement official in Michigan, for those keeping track. Dont try this at home. I will prosecute you. States that have relied on mail-in ballots say there is little evidence of fraudulent activity. Multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process. The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign intruders from trying to influence the vote. More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic. Barr cited a report from more than a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud. But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states such as Oregon that had sufficient safeguards. The White House defended the president, saying that he has fought hard for an election system that is fair and free from fraud and abuse. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News Channel on Thursday, This idea that he is encouraging people to vote twice is yet another example of the media taking him out of context and ignoring the facts. Related Content: "Were at risk of gambling away our success, virologist Christian Drosten warned in the German newspaper Die Zeit last month. His message referred to Germany, but it could have been addressed to all of Europe. After beating back COVID-19 in the spring, most of Europe is seeing a resurgence. Science Mag reports in its article Can Europe tame the pandemics next wave? that Spain is reporting close to 10,000 cases a day, more than it had at the height of the outbreak in the spring. France is back to reporting thousands of cases a day. In Germany, numbers are still low, but rising steadily. The pandemic is affecting countries that saw few cases in the spring, such as Greece and Malta, but is also rebounding in places that suffered terribly, including the cities of Madrid and Barcelona. Drosten, of the Charite University Hospital in Berlin, is one of many calling for renewed vigilance, and he and others are urging a new control strategy that trades blanket lockdowns for measures specifically targeting clusters of cases, which play a key role in spreading the coronavirus. We successfully aborted the [first] wave and now we should make sure that no new wave builds, says epidemiologist Christian Althaus of the University of Bern. Few dispute that Europe rose to the initial challenge. In Bergamo, the capital of Italys Lombardy region, crematoria were so overburdened in March that army trucks had to transport the dead to other citiesbut on 24 May, Lombardy registered zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time. By early July, the European Union and the United Kingdom together averaged fewer than 5000 new cases per day, whereas the United States and Brazil (which together have roughly the same population) had 50,000 and 40,000, respectively. Europeans enjoyed a surprisingly normal summer, with northern Europeans flocking to Mediterranean beaches. The rising case numbers today arent quite comparable to the peak in April because countries are now testing far more people on a daily basis. But the increase shows that Europe relaxed measures too early and too much, says virologist Ab Osterhaus of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany. The wrong message was given, basically: We have done a great job and now we can relax again. Instead, Europe could have tried to emulate New Zealand by stopping community transmission completely and zealously guarding against reintroductions, says Devi Sridhar, a global health expert at the University of Edinburgh who has been advising the Scottish government. Scotland committed early on to pushing case numbers down to zero, but other countries did not, and now almost all are seeing a resurgence. Peoples willingness to stay alert and remember new rules wanes quickly, says Cornelia Betsch, a psychologist at the University of Erfurt who has been monitoring attitudes toward the pandemic in Germany. And we have been going for a while now, and the end is not even clear. Some countries saw workplace infections rise as people returned to their offices, says Gianfranco Spiteri, a public health expert at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. But in many countries the resurgence is driven by young people partying and basically people living their life back in a kind of normal way, he says. Because new cases are younger, fewer of them die, but its a matter of time before the elderly are affected, Spiteri says. The reopening of schools across the continent may make matters worse. As in the spring, every country has its own strategies for controlling the pandemic, leading to a sometimes confusing patchwork. Belgium has one of the strictest face mask policies, for instance, but Belgians crossing the Dutch border to shop in Maastricht can take off their masks. Even within countries, the rules can change at dizzying speed. Germany went from a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people arriving from countries considered risky to voluntary tests at the airport and other entry points, with no quarantine for those who tested negative. Next, it made the tests mandatory, then returned to mandatory quarantine with testing after 5 days. What would be necessary is that we define one central policy in Europe, Osterhaus says. The problem is, who is going to do that? The European Union has little power to coordinate health measures. Yet countries are better prepared this time. Whereas the virus spread largely under the radar in February, widespread testing now reveals its movements. (Fewer than 3% of tests are positive in most European countries, a sign of a healthy testing capacity.) Face masks, not available or even recommended in the beginning, have become ubiquitous in most countries. More than a dozen EU countries have developed apps to help contact tracing efforts. Better treatments are saving lives. Meanwhile, new insights into viral spread are leading to better targeted control measures. The emphasis on hand hygiene is gone because it has become clear that contaminated surfaces dont play a large role. In the spring, some countries banned almost any outdoor activity, including jogging; now, the focus is on indoor activities. Weve learned outdoor hospitality is generally fine, nonessential shops are fine as long as people wear face coverings, public transport doesnt seem that risky, Sridhar says. Instead, public health experts increasingly argue for targeting clusters of cases and superspreading events. Some studies estimate that 10% of patients cause 80% of all infections, whereas most dont infect anybody at all. Drosten has urged that contact tracers spend more time finding the source of a new casealong with that persons contactsthan the new cases contacts; after all, the patient may not infect anybody else, but is likely to have caught the virus as part of a cluster, Drosten says. Adam Kucharski, a disease modeler at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, agrees. Looking backwards can actually give you a disproportionate benefit in terms of identifying infections, he says. In a recent preprint, Kucharski and his colleagues estimated that backward contact tracing could prevent twice as many infections as tracing contacts forward alone. Experience in South Korea, where clusters at churches drove the epidemic early on, confirmed the value of this approach, says University of Florida biostatistician Natalie Dean. Drosten also calls for a new approach in case health authorities are overwhelmed again: Only quarantining people who were in a potential superspreading situation with a newly identified case, but doing so immediately and then testing them after 5 days. That way, he says, contact tracers would spend their time in the best possible way and superspreading events could be quickly contained. (The public could help by making a short list every day of any potential cluster situations they were in.) Putting more effort into finding clusters should also help epidemiologists understand where and how they emerge, says Hitoshi Oshitani of Tohoku University in Japanwhich may have changed since the spring. Weve seen a massive change in the social structure and interactions of populations from the start of the pandemic, Kucharski says. The conditions that spread the virus then wont necessarily be the same ones that are creating the risk now. In Germany, for instance, many large outbreaks early in the pandemic occurred in long-term care facilities. Now, clusters are increasingly reported from workplaces. More-targeted measures probably wont be enough to keep the virus from resurging, Althaus says. A point will be reached again where stricter measures have to be taken, he says. But rather than complete lockdowns, he assumes they will be more like the lighter version applied in Sweden, which encouraged people to work from home and banned large gatherings while keeping shops and restaurants open. Scotland recently closed pubs and restaurants in Aberdeen for more than 2 weeks after a cluster of cases emerged; it asked inhabitants not to travel more than 8 kilometers outside the city and visitors to stay away. But schools remained open. Compared with the United States, Europe has one advantage as it faces its first pandemic winter: Control measures arent nearly as controversial. Protests against masks and social distancing broke out in many European cities in August, but they represented a small minority of the population, Betsch says. In Germany, support for control measures declined somewhat after infections peaked in spring, but a large majority still backs them, Betsch says. And with case numbers back on the rise, she says, We can already see acceptance numbers go up again. Maisy Mayne died from severe head trauma in the freak accident and her sister Isla also had to be airlifted to hospital An eight-year-old girl who was killed by a falling tree branch that left her sister needing life-saving brain surgery has been pictured. Maisy Mayne died from severe head trauma in the freak accident and her sister Isla also had to be airlifted to hospital. Emergency services rushed to the public footpath on the edge of a remote crop field shortly after 12pm on August 21 in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne, Kent. But Maisy was pronounced dead at the scene after an air ambulance landed nearby. A fundraising page set up on funeralguide.com said: 'In loving memory of Maisy Elizabeth Susan Mayne who was tragically taken on August 21, 2020, aged 8 years. 'Our Maisy, our beautiful girl and amazing big sister to William and Isla. 'We will miss you so, so much darling xxxx 'We have set up these charities to donate to because the Kings hospital saved Isla's life after needing brain surgery from this tragic accident.' It added: 'The air ambulance for treating her at the scene and getting her to the hospital. 'The Rhys Daniels charity have given us a place to stay right by the hospital so we can be with Isla whilst she recovers. 'All of these are amazing charities and without them we'd have lost both our girls x Thank you' So far at least 5,400 has been raised for the charities on the page. An inquest into Maisy's death was opened at County Hall in Maidstone last week. Emergency services rushed to the public footpath (pictured) on the edge of a remote crop field shortly after 12pm on August 21 in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne, Kent She said the primary school pupil from Sittingbourne suffered a 'traumatic head injury when a tree branch fell on her' and gave the cause of death as 'severe head trauma'. An uncle paid tribute to her in a floral tribute left by the collapsed tree, with a note attached to a bouquet. It said: 'To my beautiful niece, I love you. May you rest in peace. Love your uncle and beautiful cousins.' A white teddy bear was also later tied to a fence post in Maisy's memory. A second child was also airlifted to King's College Hospital in London with serious injuries. A witness described a woman running towards her pleading for help in a desperate bid to save the children. She said: 'I heard this woman shouting as she came running across the field with no shoes on so I walked over. 'She rushed towards me and was screaming for anyone to help. The woman started crying and said her niece had just been hit by a tree. 'I asked her if she was alright. She seemed very, very panicked. As I walked up and down trying to help her, at least 15 emergency service vehicles came flying past me.' A neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: 'When I saw the air ambulance was there for almost two hours, I knew it was either too late or something serious. 'I say hello when I pass the family involved and they seem like really nice people. I hope the other child will pull through.' Councillor Corrie Woodford, who represents the Bobbing, Iwade and Lower Halstow ward on Swale Borough Council, said: 'My condolences go out to everybody involved. 'It's so heartbreaking for the family and friends and they are all in my thoughts.' The inquest was adjourned until November 17 in Maidstone. National China deploys five militia squads in Eastern Ladkah NEW DELHI, SEP 3 (IANS) | Publish Date: 9/3/2020 12:50:59 PM IST China has deployed five militia squads for rapid response at the disputed Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. It has done so to consolidate the border and stabilise Tibet region, sources said. Militia is basically a reserve force of the Chineses People Liberation Army. They are deployed during war time situations and help the PLA in its military operations, said a senior government officer. The officer also explained that Chinese militia conducts independent operations and provides combat support and manpower to replenish the PLA. It is an irregular mix of mountaineers, boxers, members of local fight clubs and others. Most of the members are raised from the local population, said the officer. It was after their deployments across the LAC that China started making incursion attempts into Indian territories. China had made provocative military movements to change the status quo at Pangong Tso. However, Indian soldiers were already present at those heights to thwart the PLAs land-grabbing bid. On the intervening night of August 29 and August 30, 2020, PLA troops had 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 Tso, and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on 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 its territorial integrity. North of the Pangong Tso, China has refused to move back from its present military position. China has strengthened their positions between Finger-5 and 8 of the Pangong Lake. The PLA has refused to pull back eastwards from the 8-km stretch it has occupied from Finger-4 to Finger-8 by building scores of new fortifications there since early May. The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance. India has asked China to completely withdraw troops from Pangong Tso. Both the countries have been engaged in the standoff since May. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough. India has also found that the Chinese side has started troop, artillery and armour build-up in three sectors of the LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh). On June 15, twenty Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent clash at the Galwan valley. Officials in Bulandshahr have hit upon the idea of cultivating Napier grass at 92 locations linked with gaushalas to provide nutritional fodder to cows living in shelters across the district. Napier is a perennial tropical grass which needs little water and nutrients and can also thrive on land not used for crop cultivation. The project will be completed under grassland cultivation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS). The district administration has tied up with the Jhansi-based Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI) to seek technical training for cultivation of Napier grass. Purushottam Sharma, principal scientist of IGFRI, said that cultivation of Napier grass had gone up in the past few years and many states had shown interest in it. The Bulandshahr district administration also approached the institute with similar demand and we are providing them technical assistance for its cultivation, he said. Sharma explained that Napier grass was also known as Uganda grass. It was a perennial tropical forage crop used as fodder. It was not a complete nutrition but a good source of energy, so it was fed directly to cattle or made into hay. It is grown throughout the year. Chief development officer (CDO) of Bulandshahr, Abhishek Pandey, who is responsible for maintenance and management of the 154 rural area gaushalas in the district, said that amid complaints of substandard fodder in gaushalas, an idea of providing the animals nutritional food through Napier grass came up and after seeking guidance of IGFRI, plan to cultivate Napier grass was finalised. Pandey claimed that Bulandshahr is the first district which has initiated Napier grass cultivation through MGNREGS under its grassland cultivation work. He said that after several rounds of discussions with district magistrate Ravindra Kumar and other officials, 92 of 154 locations linked with gaushalas were selected for cultivation of Napier grass and preparation was already underway at 39 locations. Sharma said that an online training on technicalities of cultivation and other requirements was held in July and field visit would also be planned as per the requirement. CDO Pandey elaborated that initially 240 quintals of grass had been demanded from the IGFRI for cultivation and its arrival was expected this week. It has been delayed because a few staff at IGFRI were detected corona positive and work was stalled for a few days, he said. To recall, Sanjay Sharma, BJP MLA from Anoopshahr constituency of the district had sat on an overnight dharna outside the gaushala of Nangal Karam village on Friday because villagers had lodged a complaint about supply of inadequate fodder and other problems in the cow shelter. It is a great initiative of the district authorities. It would help in resolving non availability of fodder and provide nutritional food to cattle, said the MLA. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany blamed the media for taking Trumps words out of context. She said the president said mail-in voters should go to the polls to make sure their votes got tabulated, and if they werent, they should vote in person. The president does not condone unlawful voting, McEnany said. Trumps tweets on Thursday appeared to be an effort to clarify the earlier remarks. But they continued to cause concern for election officials who would have to deal with voters showing up at polling places on Election Day to demand information on their absentee ballots. His statements are intended to promote widescale chaos and confusion, and would burden election officials who would be tasked with spoiling any absentee ballots cast by voters who heed his call and also vote in person, said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. All states track absentee ballots, so they know which voters have requested an absentee ballot and, of those, how many have returned their ballots. This information is available to poll workers on Election Day for the check-in process, either through paper or electronic poll books. Paul McManis read the World-Herald article about a tree-bombing contest, and he asked his wife, Nancy, if she could answer the challenge. Its not the first time he has put her to the test. And, of course, she said yes. He kind of knew I was going to do a good job because Im crafty, Nancy McManis said. The contest, which involves tree decoration, was sponsored by the Nebraska State Fair. Yarn and other textiles were the weapons of choice. Laura Hurley, the Nebraska State Fairs director of sponsorships, came up with the idea after seeing it done in Europe. She thought it would be a fun way to spread some enthusiasm for the fair across the state. Nancy McManis was one of more than a dozen people who entered. They are super creative, Gretchen Kirchmann, the fairs media/marketing director, said of the entries. People really put a lot of time and energy in it. One family decorated its tree in a Wizard of Oz theme. Another turned to Mickey and Minnie Mouse for inspiration. Nancy McManis did a Husker Hotel and Restaurant for the Birds theme. H-E-B head Charles Butt advocated for mail-in voting in a letter to the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday, showing support for Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins' effort to send mail-in voting applications to every eligible voter. On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocked Harris County from sending vote-by-mail applications to all of the county's 2.4 million registered voters. Ahead of the ruling, Hollins amended his plan and said his office would send mail-in voting applications to registered voters 65 and over. VOTING IN HOUSTON: Harris County's plan to send mail-in ballot applications to all voters temporarily halted In the letter originally obtained by Quorom Report, Butt says that H-E-B customers have been concerned about contracting COVID-19 and a "significant portion" of H-E-B's sales have been contactless. He said he believes Texans would be anxious about voting in person and should have the opportunity to vote by mail. "Weve worked hard to give customers opportunities to buy their food in the safest way," Butt wrote. "In light of this, I also support efforts to allow voting by mail, which is the safest means for people to exercise this vital right during this time. The plan announced by the Honorable Chris Hollins, Harris County Clerk, to send applications for mail-in ballots to registered voters in Harris County is permissible under the Election Code and facilitates the execution of the constitutional right to vote." "Its always been my impression that the more people who vote, the stronger our democracy will be," Butt continued. "My knowledge of the judicial world is not deep, but it seems to me that it is important for both state and federal courts to retain their non-partisan reputation, which today seems to be in jeopardy." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Hollins Monday over the plan, saying Hollins was exceeding his authority and that the plan would confuse voters and could lead to voter fraud. MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine central bank said on Thursday that no account holder funds had been lost at the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) after the state-lender reported it had suffered a "cyber incident" earlier this year. The central bank would ensure the safety and integrity of the financial system, and the protection of financial consumers, central bank Governor Benjamin Diokno told reporters. "The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is well-aware of the reported UCPB incident and has been in close coordination with the bank since the early part of its investigation," Diokno said. UCPB, the country's 13th largest bank in asset terms, said it was reviewing and strengthening its information technology and security controls following the June incident. "UCPB remains...a strong and profitable institution," the bank said in a statement on Thursday. The bank did not comment on any losses sustained, but the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that UCPB lost 167 million pesos ($3.44 million) from criminals through automated teller machine withdrawals and electronic fund transfers. In June, the Philippines was embroiled in a scandal at German payments firm Wirecard AG, which said $2.1 billion of missing funds were deposited at two Philippine banks, a claim denied by the central bank and the lenders. Nonetheless, the case has heightened fears that fraudsters are targeting the Southeast Asian country's financial system. Four years ago, unknown criminals used fraudulent orders on the SWIFT payments system to steal $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The money was sent to accounts at Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp and then vanished into Philippine casinos. The finance ministry and the Anti-Money Laundering Council on Thursday signed a deal to work together to detect, investigate, and prosecute anyone suspected of money laundering or being involved in terrorism financing. ($1 = 48.49 Philippine pesos) (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Ed Davies) One person died while four others sustained injuries on Thursday in an accident involving two trucks at Ayetoro, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Ojuoro Olusola, Mowe-Ibafo Divisional Commander of the Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) confirmed the accident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun. Mr Olusola said the accident, which happened at about 6.10 a.m. at Ayetoro in-bound Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, was caused by reckless driving. He said that two vehicles, a Mack mini truck marked ABC 720 XG loaded with banana and a Volvo truck, marked LSR 492 XK, were involved in the accident that led to the death of a man while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries. Quoting an eye witness, Mr Olusola said that the Volvo truck drove against the traffic and collided with the incoming Mack truck loaded with banana. The corpse of the victim had been deposited at a private morgue in Sagamu town while the survivors were taken to Famobis Hospital, Lotto, Ogun, for intensive care, the commander said. Mr Olusola said that two trucks had been taken to the police station through the assistance of FRSC and other sister agencies to ease the free flow of traffic on the express. He admonished motorists to avoid driving against traffic and shun any nefarious activities that could lead to unnecessary loss of life. (NAN) (Photo : (Photo by Al Drago - Pool/Getty Images)) WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 30: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on June 30, 2020 in Washington, DC. Top federal health officials are expected to discuss efforts for safely getting back to work and school during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo : (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)) AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 10: A measles vaccine is prepared on September 10, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. The New Zealand health ministry confirmed 1,051 people have were affected between 1 January and 5 September, 2019. The bulk of cases have been in Auckland in Auckland as health authorities and the Prime Minister implore people to ensure they are vaccinated against the disease. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement to the United States federal territories and lands that a Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will be made available on the 'Day of the Dead' or November 1 to health and essential workers just right before the 2020 Presidential Elections. CDC advises the 50 US Federal states and the five major cities of the country to prepare a mass vaccination to health care workers, high-risk groups, and essential personnel for the coronavirus towards the end of October or right at the very start of November. CNBC reports that there will be two immunity shots (A and B) to be administered for the COVID vaccination program. However, this surprise announcement will accommodate only one shot for the vaccine, called Vaccine A. Presently, CDC asks for the cooperation of all US states to expedite approval of the mass vaccination program to ramp up the medical supply needed. The public health agency also added that specific permits and licenses are required to be waived to speed up the approval process. CDC wrote the said letters to state governors last August 27. The CDC tasks McKesson to set-up vaccination sites in all of the country. Pfizer and Moderna are currently the two biopharmaceutical companies who are the furthest in its human trials phase and vaccine development. ALSO READ: [BREAKING] AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Begins Final Trials; The US Government Orders 100 Million Doses November's Vaccination by the CDC CDC seems to be in a rush to administer the coronavirus vaccination to health workers and high-risk groups with its tight timeline schedule by November. CDC further explains that waiving these licenses would not compromise Americans' safety and the integrity of the products to be used. According to CDC Director Robert Redfield, the states' cooperation with the process of approving the vaccination is critical to the stemming of COVID-19 in the country. The United States will keep up to its promise of a vaccine by the end of the year, but with CDC's emergency approval and request, the process would be done right before the year ends. COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies The Daily Mail states that a massive supply of COVID-19 vaccines would be available for the US from several biopharmaceutical companies. October could bring two million doses for 'Vaccine A' and one million for 'Vaccine B' by the end of the month. Fifty million additional doses for the first vaccine and 35 million for the second dose would be made available by the end of the year. Medical Experts' Take on CDC's Emergency Vaccination NIAID Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., says that current vaccines show a potential and advantage for the people who were administered with the trial phase. Fauci noted that trials would even end early if results prove to be satisfactory, KHN reports. Fauci further shares that the medical companies procuring a vaccine are not "politically biased" with their rush to finish and submit the vaccine as early as now. US FDA chief, Stephen Hahn, on the other hand, says that the agency is ready to bypass any federal processes to make the vaccine available for mass administration. Despite two of the US health standards' statement's leading agencies agreeing with the vaccines' approval, several medical experts still fear the rush to procure a vaccine. Dr. Stephen Thomas, a vaccine developer for SARS, Ebole, and MERS, stated his concerns and skepticism revolving around the immunity shots. ALSO READ: Fauci Slams CDC New Low Statistics Showing Only 6% of the COVID-19 Deaths is Caused By Novel Coronavirus This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Information technology (IT) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday wrote to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg raising serious concerns" over what he described as a bias against centre-right ideology among individuals working in the India office of the social media firm. He also sent a message to the company to consider laying down India-specific community guidelines for the platform that has 280 million users in India. Prasad, whose letter turns the table on opposition allegations of pro-government bias against Facebook, also raised the issue of third-party fact-checkers, likely signalling the way forward for all social media platforms. In a strongly worded letter, the minister said Facebook employees are on record" abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers, while still working and managing important positions in India. 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." Prasad said while individuals working in any organization may have their individual likes or dislikes, that must not have any bearing on the public policy of the organization. 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 particular political belief," Prasad said. Facebook India declined to comment on the letter. The development comes two days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebooks India public policy head, Ankhi Das, had written multiple celebratory internal posts between 2012 and 2014, praising the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including claiming to have lit a fire" to Modis 2014 general elections campaign. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has accused Facebook of favouring the BJP, alleging the firm was controlled by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, in India. Prasad, however, said Facebook did not support right-of-centre ideology. 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 reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of right-of-centre ideology. I am also aware that dozens of letters written to the Facebook management received no response," he said. He added, To respect the social, religious, cultural, linguistic diversity of India, Facebook should put in place country-specific community guidelines." Legal experts said none of the digital platforms has country-specific community guidelines as users on these platforms are not restricted by geographyhence, the nature of content and sharing occurs globally. However, Facebook includes caste as a protected group, while censoring hate speech on its platform. shreya.n@livemint.com Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. ISM services PMI for August is scheduled for release at 10:00 am ET Thursday. Ahead of the data, the greenback retreated against its major counterparts. The greenback was worth 106.35 against the yen, 0.9106 against the franc, 1.3291 against the pound and 1.1839 against the euro as of 9:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SHELTON The city is one of safest communities in the state, according to one home security analysis company. Safewise, which researches, tests and reviews all things home security from devices to analyzing nationwide crime trends, placed Shelton at No. 5 overall, behind only Ridgefield, Newtown, Greenwich and Simsbury. Safewise reported that Shelton rose seven spots in the rankings from last year. To identify the safest cities of 2020, Safewise staff reviewed 2018 FBI crime report statistics the most recent complete report available at the time of ranking and population data. To view the entire analysis, visit safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-connecticut Data shows that the violent crime rate stands at 0.6 per 1,000 residents in the city in 2020, with property crime at 6.9 per 1,000. The property crime numbers have dropped from 10.4 per 1,000 in 2018 and 9.5 per 1,000 in 2019. Shelton has a population of 41,657 and a median income of $89,250. Great job for the officers, said police Chief Shawn Sequeira about the 2020 ranking. It was a group effort. Sequeira said the department focused on units being visible and mandated specific patrol checks for each patrol officer on each shift that, he said, reduced crime and motor vehicle accidents. Public awareness by visually seeing patrol units out in the community is crucial in risk reduction, Sequeira said. The chief said another major factor has also been the departments reinforcement of geographical mapping through complaint statistics in using resources to the fullest. The effectiveness of the officers on patrol are how they are utilized, Sequeira said. Results-based accountability for our patrol division and detective division was proven to be successful." According to Safewise, cities that fell below identified population thresholds or that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were excluded from the report. The rankings are based on both violent and property crime numbers. The website states that Safewise staff looked at the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape and robbery) in each city and the number of reported property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft). Arson is excluded from the FBIs property crime rates, Safewises site states, so staff excluded it as well. To level the playing field, Safewise staff calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city, making it easier to directly compare the likelihood of these crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations, the website states. Both violent and property crime numbers were weighted equally, the site states. That means that a city with no violent crimes reported could end up lower on the list due to a higher property crime rate, and vice versa. We also standardized violent and property crime for each state before weighting. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Many businesses hoped to reopen their workplaces after Labor Day, but a new survey of managers and executives suggests a long, uncertain road ahead. 35 percent say the timing of when their companies will reopen the workplace is unknown. The Conference Board survey also found that only about 60 percent of companies have consulted their workers about their levels of readiness and comfort in returning to the workplace. In addition, despite talk of a looming vaccine and its benefits, just 5 percent say its wide availability would be a significant factor in the timing of a return to the workplace. The findings also reveal that, while most companies have mandated certain protocols for employees arriving at work, only 67 percent are requiring screening, testing, or temperature checks. The survey polled more than 1,100 businesspersons across 20 US metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). The respondents primarily C-suite executives, vice presidents, and senior managers represent a cross-section of industries. The online survey was fielded from August 19th 26th. Key findings include: Over a third of companies have not set a date for reopening. Over a third of companies surveyed, 35 percent, say their reopening date is still unknown. 39 percent of companies plan to reopen by the first quarter of 2021. 13 percent of companies have remained open throughout the pandemic. The highest levels of uncertainty: Miami (46%), Seattle (43%), San Diego (42%), Washington, DC (41%), and San Francisco (41%). For reopening, a vaccine is not top of mind. Just 5 percent thought the widespread availability of a vaccine would be a significant factor in the timing of a return to the workplace. This low ranking likely reflects concern about the viability of a vaccine with a significantly shorter clinical trial time. It also likely reflects concern about the legal implications for any corporate mandate to get the vaccine as a condition for returning. The most and least frequent actions businesses are taking to safeguard their workers: The most frequent: Purchasing safety equipment (e.g., masks, thermometers, contactless entry devices, sanitization devices) (82 percent). Creating new workplace policies requiring social distancing (e.g., limiting size of in-person meetings or usage of common areas) (80 percent). Preparing workspace for return of workers (e.g., deep cleaning or disinfecting) (78 percent). The least frequent: Providing childcare options for workers (e.g., on-site childcare, flexible scheduling to meet childcare needs) (19 percent). Implementing safety measures and/or policies specifically for workers taking public transportation (e.g., requiring more frequent screening or providing extra safety supplies for workers who use public transportation or shared shuttles) (13 percent). Do employees feel comfortable returning? Only about 60 percent of companies have even checked. About 60 percent of businesses chose to survey workers about their levels of readiness and comfort in returning. On the upside, those businesses that did survey workers were more likely to put all safeguard measures in place, including top employee concerns. "Companies that sought worker sentiment about their comfort levels were more likely to implement safety measures specifically for workers taking public transportation, revise work-from-home policies, and provide childcare options," said Rebecca Ray , Executive Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board. "Notably, these top worker concerns were low on the overall list of safeguards that organizations are implementing, indicating that they are more important to employees than employers may realize. This disconnect reinforces the need for companies to receive buy-in from their most precious resource their people especially about matters as consequential as this one." Less than half of companies have enacted or plan to enact staggered shifts or staggered timing. Despite fairly consistent health organization guidance regarding social distancing, only 46 percent planned for staggered shifts within the workday or work week to reduce worker contact. Moreover, only 46 percent plan to create staggered timing for business units or workers to reenter the workplace. Two-thirds of companies are requiring screening, testing, or temperature checks. 67 percent of companies are requiring screening, testing, or temperature checks for returning workers. Such actions may not have universal backing due to the fear of litigation specifically relating to who is asked to come back into the workplace along with the efficacy of these protocols. This analysis is a continuation of previous work by The Conference Board. In April 2020, researchers gauged how organizations were reacting to the changing business environment in the context of their workforces. For additional research on this pandemic as well as specific content for human capital professionals, visit our COVID-19 Human Capital Hub or contact The Conference Board's press office. About The Conference Board The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org SOURCE The Conference Board Related Links https://www.conference-board.org/ GREENWICH The annual Greenwich Wine + Food Festival is traditionally one of the biggest events of the year, with crowds gathering in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, sharing the best food and drink in town and hearing from masters in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of these kinds of events. But the organizers of the Greenwich Wine + Food Festival are hoping to double up in 2021. Given the unprecedented pandemic our world is in, and out of an abundance of caution, we feel that our mission to deliver incredible culinary experiences cannot realistically or safely take place until then, the festival said in a statement. The decision was made after much thoughtful consideration, organizer said, calling it a difficult decision. But while the event cannot go forward on the original dates of Oct. 2 to Oct. 4, the plan is to hold it twice in 2021, first in late April and then again in the fall, when it is usually held. The festival is held in the downtown Roger Sherman Baldwin Park with Long Island Sound as a backdrop. But like other major events that take place in the park, such as the Greenwich Town Party, the Concours dElegance and Putting on the Dog, it was not safe to proceed in 2020. Even though the festival cannot be held in October as hoped, organizers promised exciting virtual events this fall from some of your favorite foodies and chefs. This is an effort to do all we can to support the culinary community in our area which has been dramatically affected by world events, they said. The pandemic has hit the restaurant industry hard, with many relying on takeout/delivery and limited indoor and outdoor seating to protect diners from the possible spread of COVID-19. Many municipalities have supported restaurants by allowing expanded outdoor dining, with Greenwich even closing off a section of Greenwich Avenue to fit in more tables for downtown restaurants. But even with that, many restaurants have been forced to close their doors. Traditionally, the Wine + Food Festival has been held over a weekend, with an evening gala dinner on Friday by the water honoring innovative chefs, followed by an all-day tasting event on Saturday, with samples from all over the region in the Culinary Village and contests from best burger to best bartender. There are also sommelier, mixologist and brew master presentations, celebrity book signings, guest chef cooking demonstrations and more. Last years festival honored lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and featured a concert by Little Big Town. Tim McGraw and Train performed in previous years. The Wine + Food Festival also has a nonprofit partner each year. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp is reportedly planning to invest in Chinese ByteDance's video-sharing app TikTok's business in India. ByteDance is aggressively looking for buyers to selling TikTok's operations in several countries after ban from local governments citing national security and data privacy concerns. SoftBank is searching local partners and has held talks with a group of bidders, including the heads of Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, for TikTok's India assets, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. The Japanese conglomerate, through its Vision Fund, already owns a minority stake in ByteDance. Chinese social media platform TikTok, along with 58 other apps, was banned in India on June 29, days after the violent conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June this year. Before the ban in June, India was TikTok's largest market outside of China with over 200 million subscribers, while the company was valued at $3 billion. TikTok's parent, Bytedance is reportedly mulling to reduce its stake in the short-video sharing app as it also faces ban in the US after President Donald Trump threatened to ban it over national security concerns. There is also speculation in the market that Bytedance is in talk with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries to financially back its India business. The two companies began conversations in July but the final decision on the deal is yet to be taken. Investment in TikTok by India's biggest oil-to-retail conglomerate could not only save its fate in one of its biggest markets but also provide Reliance deeper connections with its customers. Also Read: Mukesh Ambani's RIL in talks with parent ByteDance to acquire TikTok in India Also read: TikTok ban in India causing $500,000 daily loss, job risks, says Bytedance Six more Niagara Falls students are having their university tuition paid for by billionaire and former city resident John MacBain. The philanthropist, who now lives in Switzerland, started awarding scholarships three years ago through his McCall MacBain Foundation, which he started with his wife Marcy. It was created as part of the 60th anniversary of MacBains former high school, A.N. Myer Secondary School, and inspired by a scholarship which allowed him to attend McGill University in 1977. Having grown up in Niagara Falls, it is an honour to be able to provide support to deserving students from my own community, said MacBain when reached Thursday. I was fortunate to have community support, in particular from excellent teachers who truly believed in me, and I know what a difference that can make in a young persons life. This years recipients are Nadine Bongers and Sofia Acevado from Saint Michael High School, Jessica Zheng and Jordynn Bateman from A.N. Myer, Olivia Sargeson from Stamford Collegiate and Julia Savoie from Saint Paul High School. Each will receive scholarships valued at up to $32,000 over four years. Along with the six graduates, five students will receive one-time grants of $1,000 each towards university. Scholarships are based on strong potential for leadership, positive contributions to their school or community and an overall commitment to excellence. The scholarship supports them over the course of their first undergraduate degree at any Canadian public university. MacBain said students from the programs first two years are thriving at their schools. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region City welcomes back John MacBain MacBain was named valedictorian at McGill in 1980. He would go on to amass a fortune with most all of Canadas Auto Trader magazines which he sold along with other publications in 2006 for $2 billion. He has since donated more than $200 million to charities throughout the world, and last year gave his former university $200 million to start a scholarship program. In 2006, he donated $1 million to MacBain Community Centre in Niagara Falls, named for his parents Al and Viola. The city honoured him at the site in 2016 for John MacBain Day, the same year he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. The Opposition parties are up in arms against the governments decision to cancel Question Hour during Parliaments Monsoon Session. In a scathing attack, Congress MP Mr. Shashi Tharoor said questioning the government was the oxygen of parliamentary democracy. I said four months ago that strongmen leaders would use the pandemics excuse to stifle democracy and dissent. The notification for the delayed Parliament session blandly announces there will be no Question Hour. How can this be justified in the name of keeping us safe, Mr Tharoor said. Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek OBrien said the pandemic was being used as an excuse to murder democracy. He said in a tweet: MPs required to submit questions for Question Hour 15 days in advance. Session starts 14 September. So Question Hour cancelled? Opposition MPs lose right to question govt. A first since 1950? Parliament overall working hours remain same, so why cancel Question Hour? DMK leader Kanimozhi tweeted: The BJP governments decision to suspend Question Hour conveys just one message: Even elected representatives have no right to question the government. Opposition leaders say defence minister Rajnath Singh told them if there was a Question Hour, ministers had to be briefed by officials, that would raise the number of Parliaments visitors. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sittings will be held in separate shifts and there will be special seating for MPs to ensure distancing. The Lok Sabha will sit from 9 am to 1 pm on the first day and from 3 pm to 7 pm till October 1. The Rajya Sabha will sit from 3 pm to 7 pm the first day and 9 am to 1 pm the remaining days. Weekends will be working days. There will be no private members business. There will be a Zero Hour, but the time been cut short to 30 minutes. By Express News Service KARWAR: State Internal Security (SIS) personnel and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), conducted search operations in Sirsi and arrested two people -- one from Sirsi and another from Banavasi -- for their alleged links with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) terrorist Jahidul Islam alias Kausar. Police said Kausar seems to be targeting Buddhists as an act of vengeance for the violence against Rohingya muslims in Myanmar. According to sources, Kausar had planned terror attacks during Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lamas visit in Mundgod. Kausar had purchased nine SIM cards in the name of Mathin and used them for terror activities. Mathin, a Kundapur-based Madrasa teacher and native of Sirsi, was recently arrested. He is suspected of recruiting volunteers for JMB from Bhatkal and Sirsi, but had to be released as there was no evidence against him. The SIM cards being registered with his name is not a sufficient proof, police added. Its baffling that so few provinces are using the federal governments COVID-19 contact tracing app, public health experts say, throwing into doubt its effectiveness. Newfoundland and Labrador on Thursday became only the second province after Ontario in late July to start using the COVID Alert app, which aims to notify people who may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. Its Sept. 3 and we have two provinces online. We could do a lot better, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician at Toronto General Hospital. Its a pandemic. Weve got to work fast, and weve got to collaborate and get things done efficiently Theres no reason why it shouldnt be available across the board. Lets get it done. Its September already. The app has been downloaded 2.2 million times since its launch, according to Health Canada. A total of 125 people have voluntarily reported an infection through the app, which pales in comparison to the nearly 3,000 positive cases identified in Ontario in August. Its unclear, however, how many people have actually been alerted by the app to a potential exposure. Due to the strong privacy and security measures built into the app, this data is not available, Health Canada said in a statement. For the app to be truly effective, more people will need to download it, Bogoch said. He added that the federal government should be mounting a massive information campaign, not only to encourage people to download and use the app, but also to remind them that there are no privacy concerns associated with it. If enough people download the app, it certainly can work and theres already early evidence demonstrating that it does work, he said, pointing to an Ottawa case reported this week in which a person notified of exposure by the app tested positive. Infection control epidemiologist Colin Furness said hes skeptical of the apps overall effectiveness, saying it doesnt take into account all the complexities of contact tracing. For example, he said the app might notify someone that they were near a person who tested positive for COVID-19, but he said the app wouldnt know if there was a wall between the two individuals, or if they were both wearing masks, thereby lowering the risk of transmission. That said, Furness acknowledged the app could lead to identifying some positive cases and suggested people should download it as just one more public health tool in the fight against COVID-19. Im kind of surprised governments havent jumped on. This is an easy win, he said. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Maritime provinces have all shown an interest in using the app, and work is underway to implement it in those provinces, said Cole Davidson, spokesperson for federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu. Quebec has said it will not use the app, at least for now. The more Canadians using COVID Alert, the better the app will work and the safer well all be, Davidson said. Thats why developing a single, national app was important. The government of Canada is working with partner provinces to spread the word that COVID Alert is free, easy to use, safe, and protects users privacy through a robust public education campaign. In statements to the Star, spokespersons for British Columbias and Albertas health ministers said both provinces support the idea of a single national app and continue to work with the federal government. Saskatchewan has indicated that the app will be available in the province in the near future. Alberta released its own app, ABTraceTogether, in May, but last month the province said it would instead adopt the federal version. At this point, the federal government has not enabled their COVID-19 app in Alberta. Youd have to ask Ottawa as to why, said Tara Jago, spokesperson for provincial Health Minister Tyler Shandro. We would obviously like to seamlessly transition Albertans using the Alberta ABTraceTogether app to the federal app. Were awaiting details from Ottawa on that process. One major issue with ABTraceTogether is the fact that the app has to remain running in the foreground on iPhones with the phone unlocked, causing privacy concerns, the Edmonton Journal reported. Davidson said the federal government is working closely with the government of Alberta on rolling out the app and switching Albertans from ABTraceTogether to COVID Alert. COVID Alert uses Bluetooth technology so as not to track individuals locations. It exchanges anonymized codes with nearby phones and alerts a user if theyve been near someone in the past two weeks who tested positive and who entered a code into the app. The federal and Ontario privacy commissioners support the use of the app, with federal commissioner Daniel Therrien saying that Canadians can opt to use this technology knowing it includes very significant privacy protections. External View of the Apple store on Fifth Avenue on August 19, 2020 in New York City. Apple has announced that it will increase its charges for app developers, as it becomes the latest tech giant to pass on some of the costs of new digital taxes to smaller businesses. The move, announced Tuesday, comes after countries including the U.K., France, Italy and Turkey implemented digital services levies, which force tech giants to pay more taxes. However, Apple also said that some of its latest price adjustments were taking place due to changes in VAT (value-added tax) rates. "When taxes or foreign exchange rates change, we sometimes need to update prices on the App Store," Apple said in a statement. It went on to say that charges would be adjusted in Germany because of VAT changes and new digital services taxes in France, Italy, and the U.K. App store prices will not be changed in these countries, the company said. However, the prices of apps and in-app purchases on the App Store will be increased following tax changes in Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Apple was not immediately available for further comment when contacted by CNBC on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Police will confiscate the properties of 27 criminals including that of Member of Legislative Council (MLC) from Uttar Pradeshs Auraiya, Kamlesh Pathak, who is an accused in a murder case, said Mohit Agarwal, Inspector General (IG), Kanpur Range. Several cases against Pathak and his brothers are registered at difference police stations in Auraiya district. A 15-day campaign has been launched to identify those who have acquired properties by doing crimes. Such 27 mafias have been identified in the range. Reports are being prepared and their properties will be confiscated as per the legal procedure. Properties of double-murder accused in Auraiya Kamlesh Pathak and his brothers will also be confiscated, Agarwal told ANI. He informed that properties of Jai Vajpayee, whose name came up in the Bikru incident and his brothers, will also be confiscated. Vajpayee has now been arrested. Eight police personnel were killed after a group of assailants opened fire on a police team when they reached Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur to arrest gangster Vikas Dubey on July 3. Dubey was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police on July 9 from the premises of the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain after he was on the run for some days following the encounter in Kanpur, where eight policemen were killed. The Uttar Pradesh Police killed Dubey in an encounter on July 10 after he attempted to flee. A girl who was arrested in connection with the encounter case was declared as a juvenile by a local court. A girl named Khushi was arrested in Bikru incident. She was a teenager. Police did not investigate this. After investigating all documents, the juvenile justice board declared her a teenager. Police were not able to tell why she was arrested and what her role was, Shiva Kant Dixit, Advocate of the girl said. Home Search ICH Why the US is Doomed By Finian Cunningham September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The fatal trouble with the US is that it has a chronic political disease. But none of the political class, including populist President Donald Trump, have a diagnosis to offer. And any remedial action always requires accurate diagnosis. What we have instead are all sorts of quack, or at best inaccurate, assessments, which never lead to remedial action, but rather to a compounding of problems because the problems are left unaddressed and neglected and ultimately allowed to fester. The basic problem is that the United States has devolved into a hyper militarized oligarchic state. The vast, growing social inequality in the nation, and its grotesque waste of economic resources on militarism are but two manifestations of this state. That is the outcome of decades of US corporate capitalism. All Western states tend to share similar deformities, but the American version of the disease is at its most virulent and moribund. The next problem is that there is no informed public debate, awareness or political leadership to diagnose the disease and how to cure it. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter We just witnessed the two ruling political parties hold their national conventions to nominate presidential candidates. For the emocrats and Joe Biden, the problem is all about getting rid of incumbent White House occupant Donald Trump. For the Republicans and Trump, the problem is all about defeating far left radicals and socialists as allegedly represented by Biden and the Democrats. The Republican rallying call is particularly ludicrous. To equate Democrats and career politicians like Joe Biden as socialist is an audacious and bewildering falsehood. The truth is both parties are but two faces of the same coin. That coin is the oligarchic system of American capitalism and its reliance on the monstrous military industrial complex. Sneakily, the Democratic leadership tries to misdirect public misgivings about the Trump presidency by making the forthcoming November election a referendum on personality. But the Democratic party establishment will never permit a more accurate critique of Americas problems because the party is after all an instrument of the system, just as the Republicans are. The notion of right and left or conservative and liberal is a misconception. The Democrats endeavor to blame it all on Trump in order to distract from the core problem which is the system itself. Perhaps some Democrats are privately aware of a more accurate analysis. But for whatever reason political cowardice, media censorship they dont speak out. Some may say Bernie Sanders and his ilk come close to a proper analysis of all thats wrong. But then why do they endorse Joe Biden who is a long-time friend of the oligarchic system and its record of countless overseas wars? Lamentably, the way things stand, the US is heading for much greater political division and social chaos. The majority of ordinary Americans are being turned against each other because they are being misled and misdirected by false narratives. Instead of being united by a common suffering and exploitation by the oligarchic system, American citizens are being driven into futile factionalism by fake political representatives. Trump sermonizes about saving America from socialism. Biden implores voters to save America from Trumpism. Trumps supporters see a patriotic duty to defend the nation from Marxists and anarchists. Throw into the conspiratorial delirium stacks of assault rifles and no wonder people are beginning to shoot each other dead. What the US needs is a genuine political third party, one that transcends the status quo of two-party stitch-up for the oligarchy. One that offers Americans an accurate political analysis for why their country is imploding from inequality, police brutality, debt and endless imperialist wars. What the US needs is a mobilization of the population against the corrupt oligarchy of which Trump and Biden and their party cronies are creations. Until that happens, the US is doomed to descend into even more failure with frightening potential for civil war and fascism. All because the political disease of American corporate capitalism is allowed to persist. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. -- " Source " - 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 Things are sustainable until people think theyre not. Mark McGann Blyth is a Scottish-American political scientist and a professor of international political economy at Brown University. America Was Supposed To Be a City on a Hill, Not Model Its Foreign Policy After Nazi Germany The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. The complaint charges Bloomsbury India with 'expunging the work and efforts of the writers, and without their knowledge or consent, leaking a PDF version of the book in public', while accusing Dalrymple and others of 'offences of criminal intimidation and statements creating and promoting enmity, hatred, and ill will'. The writers of Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story the subject of a recent social media uproar that led to publishing house Bloomsbury India dropping the book have filed a police complaint against writers Meena Kandasamy, Aatish Taseer and William Dalrymple, among others, The Free Press Journal reported. Also named in the complaint are Bloomsbury India, media organisations The Quint and Newslaundry, and journalist Saket Gokhale. The complaint charges Bloomsbury India with "expunging the work and efforts of the writers, and without their knowledge or consent, leaking a PDF version of the book in public", while accusing Kandasamy and others of "offences of criminal intimidation and statements creating and promoting enmity, hatred, and ill will". Siddharth Varadarajan founder of The Wire and the husband of sociologist Nandini Sundar, one of the individuals named in the complaint tweeted a copy of the plaint as submitted to Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava: Monika Arora et al. defame @nandinisundar in their Delhi Riots book. She sends legal notice. So they file absurd complaint against her for not taking "appropriate legal measures" to "bring it to notice of the authorities" that stolen copies of their book are circulating online! pic.twitter.com/HKADViVXEo Siddharth (@svaradarajan) September 3, 2020 The row began with an announcement for the launch event of the book, which featured BJP politician Kapil Mishra among the panel of speakers. Mishra's speeches had preceded the February 2020 riots in the capital in which over 50 individuals are believed to have lost their lives. Also read: What the Bloomsbury India-Delhi Riots 2020 fracas highlights about the pernicious cynicism in Indian publishing Prominent voices including Kandasamy, actress Swara Bhasker and several others called out Bloomsbury India for publishing the book authored by Monika Arora, Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra. Arora had described her book on Twitter as an account of "how Jehadi-Naxal lobby planned and executed Delhi riots [sic]". Publishers Bloomsbury India initially stated that the launch events had not been organised with their knowledge, and later withdrew the book, citing a "deep sense of responsibility towards society". Delhi Riots 2020 was then picked up by Garuda Prakashan for publication. Three authors Sanjeev Sanyal, Sanjay Dixit and Anand Ranganathan severed ties with Bloomsbury India to protest the withdrawal. The Pennsylvania Game Commission will not open the 17-mile dirt road through Stony Valley State Game Lands 211 in Dauphin and Lebanon counties for a one-day driving tour this fall. With only a few exceptions, the commission has offered the popular experience annually for many years. But this year the commission has decided against continuing the tradition because of the coronavirus pandemic and staffing concerns in the agency. Dustin Stoner, information and education supervisor for the commissions Southeast Region, explained, The SGL 211 tour draws 1,000-plus vehicles and several thousand people. With that in mind, we feel that we would be promoting an environment where social distancing would be difficult to maintain at locations along the route where crowds typically gather. The railroad grade is narrow, and weve experienced problems in previous years with vehicles breaking down and or getting stuck, which causes backlogs and frustration among the participants. Additionally, the amount of staffing required to maintain traffic flow along the railroad grade is of concern due to the amount of vacancies we currently have in the region. He added, We feel SGL 110 lends itself to a self-guided tour much more so than SGL211, due to the increased width of the roadway. The State Game Land 110 driving tour will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, October 18. It will begin at the SGL 110 entrance off Mountain Road approximately five miles west of Hamburg and end at Route 183, four miles north of Strausstown. Travel will be limited to the designated tour route only and off-road vehicle operation is not permitted. Questions about the outdoors and nature? Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. No new COVID-19 cases announced on Sept 3 afternoon No new COVID-19 cases were detected from 6am to 6pm on September 3, and the total count remained at 1,046, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. The committees treatment sub-committee reported that nine COVID-19 patients were given the all-clear during the day, including four treated at Hoa Vang clinic in Da Nang and three at the Da Nang Lung Hospital. The remaining two patients were treated at the general hospital of the northern province of Nam Dinh. The province now has no active COVID-19 cases. The number of recoveries among COVID-19 patients is now 755, while there have been 35 fatalities. Among patients still under treatment nationwide, 24 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 52 negative twice and 23 negative three times. A total of 63,651 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-affected regions are being quarantined, with 1,009 at hospitals, 15,949 at designated quarantine facilities and 46,693 at homes or accommodations. In order to keep oneself safe in the pandemic, the Health Ministry urges everyone to continue wearing masks at public places or gatherings, regularly washing hands with soap or sanitizer, keeping a distance from others, avoiding gatherings of many people, and filing medical declarations on the NCOVI app as well as installing the BlueZone app. No new COVID-19 cases reported on September 3 morning Vietnam did not record any new cases of COVID-19 over the last 12 hours, keeping the tally at 1,046, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said on September 3 morning. Vietnamese citizens wait to handle boarding procedures at a Thai airport on September 2 (Photo: VNA) So far, 691 local infections of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 have been confirmed in the country, including 551 linked with Da Nang since the new outbreak began in the central city on July 25. As many as 746 patients have recovered while 34 others, mostly the elderly with serious underlying health conditions, have succumbed to the disease. Among those still under treatment, 27 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 53 twice and 37 others thrice. However, some patients are currently in critical condition and may die any time, according to the treatment sub-committee. There are 63,651 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit areas under quarantine at present, including 1,009 in hospitals, 15,949 in other quarantine sites, and 46,693 at home. COVID-19: No fresh infections with 117 tested negative at least one Vietnam has recorded no new COVID-10 cases on September 3 morning, retaining the overall figure of confirmed positive patients at 1,046, while 117 cases in total have tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2-virus at least one. Of the overall number of infections in the country, there have been 691 community associated cases and 355 imported ones which were immediately placed into quarantine upon arrival.The number of infections related to central Da Nang city, the countrys biggest COVID-19 outbreak hotspot, has increased to 551 since July 25. One day earlier, 11 coronavirus patients were given the all-clear of the virus, boosting the national tally of recoveries to 746. In addition, 34 COVID-19 patients died of the disease, with most of the deceased being the elderly with underlying health conditions and chronic diseases such as kidney failure, diabetes and multi-organ failure. Among the active patients, 27 tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 53 twice and 37 thrice. According to the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, there are over 63,650 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine across the nation. Notably, the Da Nang City People's Committee has asked the municipal health sector to sample more than 71,400 local households for SARS-CoV-2 testing over the course of September 4-8. Indeed, more than 276,000 out of 51,000 households in the city have at least 1 member whose sample has been taken for testing the virus, and the remaining nearly 225,000 households have yet to undergo tests. Currently, Da Nang's total capacity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests stands at between 3,000 and 4,000 samples per day. The extensive testing aims to early detect locally acquired infections, especially infected cases with no clinical symptoms in order to swiftly take timely countermeasures against the spread of the virus to the wider community. Patient negative with COVID-19 in Da Nang dies A COVID-19 patient in central Da Nang city who tested negative three times for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 died on September 1. In a COVID-19 testing lab (Photo: VNA) The deceased was a 76-year-old man residing in Hai Chau district who was suffering from chronic renal failure, hypertension, and epidural hematoma, according to a report issued on September 2 by the Health Ministrys COVID-19 prevention task force in Da Nang. He tested negative three times for SARS-CoV-2 on August 30, August 31 and September 1, the report said. He died on September 1 night at Hoa Vang medical centre due to complications of underlying illnesses. The cause of death was identified as septic shock, irreversible multiorgan failure, pneumonia, chronic renal failure, hypertension, blood clotting disorders and severe exhaustion./. 232 Vietnamese citizens return home safe and sound from Uzbekistan A total of 232 Vietnamese citizens were repatriated safely on September 2 on a flight conducted by Uzbekistan Airways in coordination with Vietnamese and Uzbekistani authorities, and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Russian Federation (concurrently in Uzbekistan). Indeed among 226 Vietnamese guest workers in Uzbekistan onboard, there were a few cases that had been confirmed positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and now identified as negative for the second time by local authorities in the host nation. However, security, safety and hygiene measures were carried out throughout the flight to protect their health and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Earlier the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia regularly kept in touch with citizens left stranded in Uzbekistan, and helped them with some essential necessities. Upon touching down at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, those on board received health check-ups and were sent to concentrated quarantine facilities in line with regulations regarding COVID-19 prevention and control. More similar flights are set to be conducted in the time ahead to bring home Vietnamese citizens with disadvantaged circumstances, depending on their need and the countrys quarantine capacity. Over 340 Vietnamese citizens return home from Thailand More than 340 Vietnamese citizens were flown home safely from Thailand on September 2 and were put under quarantine upon their arrival. The flight was arranged by Vietnamese agencies, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand, Thai authorities, and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines. The passengers included children under 18 years old, pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, and those living in difficult circumstances. The Vietnamese Embassy sent its staff members to the airport to provide support for the citizens. Disease prevention measures were carried out during the flight. Upon landing at Van Don Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, all people on board received medical check-ups and were sent to concentrated quarantine areas in line with regulations. Vietnam offers aid to Maldives to battle COVID-19 Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Pham Thi Bich Ngoc on August 31 presented aid worth 20,000 USD from the Vietnamese Government to help the Government and people of the Maldives fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the handover ceremony in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, Ngoc spoke highly of the thriving Vietnam-Maldives relations and emphasised the significance of the aid. On behalf of the Government of Maldives, Maldivan Ambassador to Sri Lanka Omar Addul Razak expressed his gratitude for the assistance from Vietnam. He underlined that the support also provides encouragement to the Maldives at this difficult time. Indonesia plans to produce COVID-19 vaccine Indonesian President Joko Widodo has declared that the country has set a plan to start its own vaccine production by mid-2021. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on September 1, Widodo said a joint venture of domestic companies were tasked with developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine, with 30-40 percent of this process had been completed. He expressed the hope that clinical trials could be started as early as 2021, before commercial production begins mid-next year. The vaccine named Merah Putih is being developed by a joint venture under the Ministry of Research and Technology led by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. Previously, Director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology Amin Soebandrio said the vaccine is expected to meet at least 50 percent of the country's vaccination demand. In addition to self-developing the anti-viral vaccine, Indonesia has also ordered 290 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine during recent visits by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir to China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These vaccines will be delivered to Indonesia before the end of 2021. Chinas biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech - one of Indonesia's two COVID-19 vaccine suppliers - has worked closely with the Southeast Asian country to help develop its own vaccine. Malaysia bans entry of citizens of India, Indonesia, Philippines Long-term pass holders from India, Indonesia and Philippines will not be allowed to enter Malaysia as from September 7, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on September 1. The minister said the move aims to prevent imported cases of COVID-19 from being spread in the country. He noted that the three above-mentioned countries have seen a spike in COVID-19 cases. The restrictions will affect those holding permanent resident status, participants of Malaysia My Second Home, expatriates and professional visit pass holders, spouses of Malaysian citizens and students. Indonesia reported 2,755 new COVID-19 cases on September 1, taking the total to 177,571. In addition, 88 more deaths on the day raised the total fatalities to 7,505, the highest in the region. Meanwhile, the Philippines had 3,483 new cases and 39 deaths on September 1, raising the total count of COVID-19 cases to 224,264 and fatalities to 3,597. President Rodrigo Duterte on August 31 extended the restrictions in parts of Manila and around the capital city for another month. Health Ministry receives donated medical supplies for COVID-19 fight The Health Ministry received donated medical supplies for the COVID-19 fight at a ceremony in Hanoi on September 1. The UNDP in Vietnam gave 15 Ohmni robots which have the main function of remote communication, remote diagnoses and treatment. This is the UNDPs second delivery of the robots, intended to protect medical workers in highly infectious context. Grab Vietnam presented 50,000 N95 face masks. In February this year, the company, along with the Health Ministry, delivered 100,000 medical masks to 33 medical stations in seven northern border provinces. Meanwhile, Wipro Consumer Care Vietnam donated 5,000 N95 medical masks and Thien Binh Investment Company 2,000 set of protective gear. The donations were part of public response to a communication campaign initiated and implemented by the Health Ministry in collaboration with the UNDP with the theme Niem Tin Chien Thang (Confidence of Victory). The campaign, lasting from August 6 to September 30, aims to promote all of society to participate in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. ASEAN prepares MRAs for automobiles, construction materials ASEAN plans to sign a pact on mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) for automobiles and building and construction materials in September with the aim of reducing production costs and fostering trade among members. Thai Vice Minister of Commerce Sansern Samalapa said that despite the COVID-19 crisis, ASEAN member states continue working closely on MRAs for automobiles and parts, as well as for building and construction materials. Once effective, the pact will help reduce production costs and ease the export and import of automotive products and construction materials among members, he said. Through MRAs, products that are tested and certified before export can enter the importing country directly without having to undergo similar conformity assessment procedures in the destination. Previously ASEAN countries agreed on MRAs for processed food and electrical and electronics products. PetroVietnam exploits 7.76 million tonnes of oil equivalent in eight months The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) on September 1 reported an oil equivalent output of 7.76 million tonnes in the first eight months of this year, 8.2 percent higher than the set target. The group generated more than 14 billion kWh of electricity, equivalent to 96.9 percent of the target, and produced nearly 1.2 million tonnes of nitrogenous fertiliser, surpassing the target by 4.8 percent. Its production of oil and petrol exceeded 8.2 million tonnes, only equivalent to 93.3 percent of the target, largely due to the Dung Quat Oil Refinery under maintenance. In August, the group sold crude oil at 47.5 USD per barrel, about 2.3 USD higher than the price in the previous month, but still much lower than the price of 60 USD set in the yearly plan. PetroVietnam reported that total revenue in the eight-month period was over 372 trillion VND (16 billion USD). The group contributed nearly 45 trillion VND to the State budget, while its after-tax profit stood at over 11 trillion VND. The group said it will continue with comprehensive solutions to cope with potential risks to its operation in the remaining months of this year, with a focus on managing production costs and maintaining product quality. Up to 13,764 high-school students and supervisors taking part in the second phase of the graduation exam in Da Nang, the epicentre of the countrys largest COVID-19 outbreak, have tested negative for the virus. The tests were conducted between August 31 and September 1. However, as several students, teachers, and staff have yet to be tested for COVID-19, they would undergo another test on September 2 afternoon, the Da Nang Department of Education and Training announced. If COVID-19 results are not available on September 3, then these students will be forced to take their exam in private rooms in line with current regulations. If their results come back negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus then they will be permitted to join other students in taking their graduation exam in the common rooms. More than 10,000 12th graders in Da Nang could not sit for graduation exams held nationwide in early August as the COVID-19 outbreak was spreading in the city. They would join others in several provinces in the second phase of the exams scheduled to take place on September 3-4. 11 more COVID-19 patients fully recover, receive hospital discharge Eleven COVID-19 patients were discharged from two hospitals in Da Nang City on September 2 after making a full recovery from the disease, according to the Ministry of Health. Six released patients are from Da Nang Lung Hospital, and the other five are from Hoa Vang Field Hospital. Notably, one of the patients endures cerebrovascular accident and hemiplegic complication. These patients had responded well to treatment and tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, at least twice. They raised the number of discharged patients to 746 out of 1,044 COVID-19 cases Vietnam has registered so far this year. September 2 is the fourth consecutive day Vietnam has recorded no coronavirus cases, since the virus resurged in the country in late July. Da Nang is the epicenter of the latest outbreak, registering nearly 400 cases alone. Thirty-four deaths have been confirmed since the virus spread in the country in January 2020, but they have all been counted following the resurgence of the virus in Da Nang nearly two months ago. Most of the deaths were elderly people who suffered from serious diseases such as end-stage chronic kidney failure, end-stage blood cancer, coronary syndrome, acute respiratory failure, polyarthritis, hypertension, diabetes (Types 2), sepsis, pneumonia, and multi-organ failure. China has taken a "naive" US and its leaders for a ride over the past several decades, according to former top Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley, who said the Trump administration through its robust Indo-Pacific strategy is now learning who its real friends are. Speaking at the third India-US Leadership Summit organised virtually by the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), former US Ambassador to the UN Haley on Tuesday said Americans know that Indians are not a threat to them and as such, it is time for Indians to share their success story. The US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the strategic Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region. "Let's acknowledge how China did it. China was very strategic. This was very planned out and America was very naive. The thought leaders in America thought that if we were nice to China, if we open doors to China, it would become more like the West, that China would become more democratic," Haley said. Responding to a question from Mastercard CEO and president Ajay Banga, she said this was from both sides of the aisle -- Republican and Democrat leaders, all of whom thought that if the US was nice to China, there would be an alliance. What the United States has to understand that the Chinese want to be communist and that they are not going to change, the 48-year-old former diplomat said. Also read: Anand Mahindra, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to receive 2020 Leadership Awards from USISPF "Through this Indo-Pacific strategy, going forward America is learning who its real friends are. When you learn that, yes, it's India. But now Indians need to go and show more of who they are," she said. Explaining, she said that when people come across Indian businesses or an Indian professor or a doctor, they see the warmth, intelligence and genuine side of them, and they want to know more. "What we have to do is not be shy. But really get out there and brag about ourselves. Now is the time for Indians to be proud, be okay talking about those accomplishments and be okay talking about their successes and let chil9dren talk about their accomplishments. That's really important going forward because...we have to make sure that we take to the next level," said Haley, whose parents emigrated from Amritsar in Punjab. "Americans are not threatened by Indians and realise that Indians make our country better," she said. Haley is considered a top contender for the Republican ticket to the US presidential race in 2024. Responding to a question, Haley asserted that the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the Trump administration has been a real game changer for India-US relationship. Also read: US Elections 2020: Donald Trump never intervened in Kashmir issue, says campaign team "When this administration took on the Indo-Pacific strategy, it was a real game changer for a lot of reasons. I had often thought that the US seemed to ally a little bit more with Pakistan and a little bit less with India, she said. "It just makes sense that the US and India are natural allies. We have the same values...," she said, adding that President Donald Trump very much saw that as well. "The Indo-Pacific strategy was one acknowledging something that should have been there all along, which is that the US and India should be natural allies," Haley said. The Indo Pacific strategy, the former diplomat said, also acknowledged that the US and India face the same threat from China. Also read: Donald Trump elevated US-India ties like never before: White House "So it was a way of saying we're going to start looking at things differently. We've seen that play out with the alliance that we see with the United States, India, Australia and Japan (a reference to the Quad group of countries). We are continuing to see that strengthen," she said. From the military standpoint, the US and India have done well, Haley said, noting that the two countries still have some work to do on trade. "I'm hoping that we can break down some of those barriers that India has with tariffs on the United States. We will get there as well too," she said optimistically. Also read: US strategy is to push back against China in every domain: top diplomat "This has been groundbreaking for a number of reasons. We have to continue to build on that because as we look at mutual threats that we have, whether it's with China or what India has seen with Pakistan and going forward, I think it's all the more reason why we should find other ways to be strengthened and work together," Haley said. The owner of a San Francisco salon where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got her hair done indoors in violation of city coronavirus pandemic rules denied that she had set up the Democrat. Erica Kious, who owns e Salon in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, wept during a Zoom news conference Thursday as she responded to Pelosis charge that she had tricked her into receiving hair care that San Francisco salons are prohibited from offering. For the Speaker Pelosi to frame herself as a victim (a) total false narrative while small businesses and workers all over California, the state she represents in Congress, suffer and struggle just to survive, is beyond shameful, Kious said. Pelosis visit Monday went viral after Fox News posted security camera footage of the speaker inside the Union Street business with wet hair and no mask. In her news conference, Kious railed against the city rules that ban her from legitimately bringing customers indoors. The point of releasing this video was, and is: If a woman in a high-risk age group who spends much of her time on TV warning about the dangers of COVID-19 feels safe and comfortable in a San Francisco salon, and can be responsible for being cautious and mindful, why cant the rest of San Francisco, and the rest of America do that too? Kious said. That was my point. Kious, who gave her first two interviews this week to Fox News and the networks conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson, denied Pelosis assertion that she had set up the San Francisco Democrat. On Wednesday, a Southern California attorney representing the stylist who shampooed Pelosis hair released a letter saying Kious had authorized her visit in advance. The letter also accused Kious of making vitriolic and incendiary comments in which she blamed the speaker for forcing her to close during the pandemic. It went on to accuse Kious of having reopened her business in April, in violation of public health orders. Kious said Pelosis representatives had asked the stylist, Joseph DeNardo, for hair service at the speakers home, but that DeNardo said that this was not possible. So he offered to let her into the salon on Monday, she said. As an independent contractor, DeNardo books his own clients and has 24-7 access to the salon via the door code, Kious said. I have nothing to do with this and have never approved or rejected any particular client or service at the salon, Kious said. However, she said that during a tense phone call, she encouraged DeNardo to appeal to Pelosi to help clear a path for salons to open. The thing is, people need to understand, we havent worked. We have no income at all for six months. No money. So if someone went in and took a client to feed their family, or pay their rent you know, I have no control over that. Republicans have used the incident as ammunition against Pelosi. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gave her press briefing Thursday in front of TV screens playing the few-seconds-long video of Pelosi in the salon on a loop. San Francisco and Alameda counties are alone in the Bay Area in barring salons from having customers indoors. Other counties allowed the businesses to resume indoor service Monday. Pelosi and her staff say she had been having a stylist come to her home during the pandemic, but that when that option was unavailable, she reached out to the salon. Pelosi says the salon told her the business was legally allowed to have one client inside at a time and accepted the appointment. San Francisco has no such provision. I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that Ive been to over the years many times, Pelosi said at a news conference Wednesday. When they said, Were able to accommodate people one person at a time, and that we could set up that time, I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a setup. So, I take responsibility for falling for a setup. In a short clip of the footage released by Fox News, Pelosi is seen immediately after having had her hair washed, with a mask around her neck. Pelosi says she removed it for the hair washing and otherwise always wears her mask when she is near other people. Pelosi has not explained why she did not know local regulations; she splits her time with her hometown and Washington, where she had been for much of August. In addition to setting off a firestorm in the culture wars over business shutdowns and mask-wearing, news of Pelosis visit touched a nerve in San Francisco, where some salon owners have said they feel confused and singled out by regulations not allowing them to open. Pelosi has no authority over local regulations. Asked about DeNardos allegation that Kious salon has been doing business during the pandemic, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Becca Raybin said, Safety is our priority, so we emphasize compliance over punishment. If we get to a point where education is not enough and enforcement is needed, we are prepared to take appropriate steps to protect public health and safety. Kious, whose Facebook page shows pictures of her spending Californias shutdown in Montana and Tennessee, told Foxs Carlson on Wednesday that she is pretty much done with San Francisco. The hard part of all this is that Ive been in that community for 12 years, Kious said. And this happened, I received nothing but hate text messages, death threats, (saying) theyre going to burn my hair salon down. My Yelp page is just unbelievable with bad reviews. Its just sad. A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the agency for which Becca Raybin is a spokeswoman. It is the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer and Tal Kopan is The Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com When close to half the companies in Australia have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 20x, you may consider Eildon Capital Fund (ASX:EDC) as a highly attractive investment with its 8.5x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified. Earnings have risen firmly for Eildon Capital Fund recently, which is pleasing to see. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to degrade substantially, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price. Check out our latest analysis for Eildon Capital Fund pe We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Eildon Capital Fund's earnings, revenue and cash flow. Is There Any Growth For Eildon Capital Fund? There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Eildon Capital Fund's to be considered reasonable. If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 9.7%. Ultimately though, it couldn't turn around the poor performance of the prior period, with EPS shrinking 34% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been undesirable for the company. Comparing that to the market, which is predicted to deliver 20% growth in the next 12 months, the company's downward momentum based on recent medium-term earnings results is a sobering picture. In light of this, it's understandable that Eildon Capital Fund's P/E would sit below the majority of other companies. However, we think shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term, which could set up shareholders for future disappointment. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability. Story continues The Bottom Line On Eildon Capital Fund's P/E Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company. As we suspected, our examination of Eildon Capital Fund revealed its shrinking earnings over the medium-term are contributing to its low P/E, given the market is set to grow. Right now shareholders are accepting the low P/E as they concede future earnings probably won't provide any pleasant surprises. If recent medium-term earnings trends continue, it's hard to see the share price moving strongly in either direction in the near future under these circumstances. It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Eildon Capital Fund that you need to take into consideration. If these risks are making you reconsider your opinion on Eildon Capital Fund, explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:30:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The logo of TikTok is seen on a smartphone screen in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is deeply concerned about and firmly opposes India's ban on 118 Chinese mobile apps, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. "The Indian side has abused the concept of national security and taken discriminatory and restrictive measures against Chinese enterprises, violating the relevant rules and regulations of the World Trade Organization," Gao Feng, spokesperson for the MOC, said at an online press conference. India on Wednesday announced a ban on the use of 118 Chinese mobile apps in the country, describing them as "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order." Gao said that the Indian government's actions were hurting not only the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also the interests of Indian consumers and the country's investment environment as an open economy. "China urges the Indian side to correct its wrong practices," Gao said, stressing that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is mutually beneficial, and India should make efforts to create an open, fair and just business environment for international investors and service providers including Chinese businesses. TDT | Manama Video lessons for various classes are being designed and shot by the Education ministry in full swing for the new academic year, revealed an Education ministry official. To date, the ministry has recorded a total of 501 classes in its hi-tech recording studio at Wadi Al Sail Primary Preparatory School for Boys. The ministry will telecast classes on Bahrains satellite channel and YouTube channels at the start of the new school year, said Ahlam Al-Amer, Assistant Undersecretary for Curricula and Educational Supervision, Ministry of Education. Lessons are for classes in Arabic and English, Mathematics, Science, Citizenship, Social and Islamic Education, in addition to specialisation courses in general secondary education. The recording of the classes, which began on 28th this June, is being done as episodes, said Al Amer. The first episode, which has 160 lessons explains lessons in a classroom environment and simulates reality by employing various teaching methodologies to attract children and motivate them. The second and third episodes have 117 and 94 video lessons, respectively. Another 130 classes shot are for secondary school students of various educational levels. Videos will be telecast at a rate of 15 lessons per day. Al Amer explained that the ministry has roped in teachers for videos from various government schools in the Kingdom. Assisting them are curriculum specialists who will also vet the recorded video, added Al Amer. The whole process, the official said, is being realised with the support of the ministry of information affairs. PEZINOK, Slovakia - A panel of judges in Slovakia on Thursday acquitted a businessman accused of masterminding the 2018 slayings of an investigative journalist who had written about him and the journalists fiancee. The judges cleared the businessman, Marian Kocner, and one co-defendant of murder in the killings of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, both 27. Judge Ruzena Sabova at the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok said there was not enough evidence for the convictions. A third defendant was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Within hours, prosecutors appealed the verdicts in the countrys Supreme Court. The International Press Institute, an international media freedom group based in Vienna, called the acquittals a major setback for justice and the fight against impunity. We are hugely disappointed by this verdict, which repeats a tragic pattern we see worldwide: the hit men go to jail while those ultimately responsible for the murder of journalists remain free, said International Press Institute Deputy Director Scott Griffen, who attended the trial. The parents of Kuciak and Kusnirova left the courtroom before the reading of the sentence was completed. The only thing I can say is Im disgusted, the journalists father, Jozef Kuciak, told reporters. Kuciak was shot in the chest and Kusnirova was shot in the head at their home in the town of Velka Maca, east of Bratislava, on Feb. 21, 2018. Kocner had allegedly threatened the journalist following publication of a story about his business dealings. In total, Kuciak published nine stories about the businessman. Kuciak filed a complaint over the alleged threats in 2017 and had claimed that police failed to act on it. He had been investigating possible government corruption when he was killed. Two other defendants previously were convicted and sentenced. Former soldier Miroslav Marcek pleaded guilty to shooting Kuciak and Kusnirova and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in April. Prosecutors said Kocner paid Marcek to carry out the killings. Another defendant who had acted as a go-between, Zoltan Andrusko, agreed to co-operate with prosecutors in exchange for a lesser sentence and received a 15-year prison term in December. He testified that Kocner ordered the slayings. The killings prompted major street protests unseen since the 1989 anti-Communist Velvet Revolution and a political crisis that led to the collapse of the government. After the verdict, President Zuzana Caputova walked to a small memorial to Kuciak and Kusnirova at the site of the protests in the capital, Bratislava, to pay respect to them. I have to say that I was shocked by the verdict, Caputova said, adding that she nonetheless fully respected the judges decisions. At the moment, I am thinking about the parents of the two young people, Caputova said. We all need to know the truth. The organizers of the previous street protests said they were not planning to rally again even though many of us feel angry or disappointment. In these moments, it is necessary to keep your head cool, even though it is very difficult. They called on people to light a candle for the slain couple, which the president did. The Delhi Police has arrested a man for allegedly duping a Dubai-based company to the tune of Rs 36 crores by posing as an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, officials said on Thursday. To give an impression that he played an important role in government's policy-making, the accused Piyush Bandhopadhyay held business meetings in five-star hotels, arrive in a beacon-fitted vehicle and mention names of higher officials while highlighting the recent initiatives of the central dispensation, police said. The accused kept changing his residence and told his landlord that he was an IFS officer. However, he was finally arrested from his rented accommodation in Noida by a team of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police, they said. The Dubai-based company has two directors. Both are from Gujarat, but one of them is an NRI settled in Kenya, police said. Joint Commissioner of Police (EOW) Dr O.P Mishra said a probe was initiated against Bandhopadhyay after they received a complaint from the representative of SRM Mahadeo Smart Bio Toilet Pvt. Ltd in this regard. In the police complaint, the company alleged they met Shweta Sorout, wife of Bandhopadhyay through a common friend. She introduced herself as the Indian head of Intellectual Innovation Think Tank (IITT) engaged in selling patent technology to government and NGOs across the world. The company further alleged that Sorout also projected that her company is involved in providing government/non-government contracts and claimed that her husband, who is an IFS officer posted in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). She also arranged a meeting of the representatives of SRM Mahadeo Smart Bio Toilet Pvt. Ltd. with her husband at a prominent hotel in Delhi. "During investigation, we got to know that Bandhopadhyay posed as an IFS officer working in the PMO by producing fake visiting card purportedly carrying his fake designations and degrees. During his meeting with the representatives of the company, he told them that all projects related to 'Make-in-India', 'Smart City' and Solar Energy among several others were looked after by him," the senior officer said. The officer added that the accused claimed he could get any proposal of the company passed by government and to convince them about his genuine credentials, he also produced forged documents purportedly issued by government. "On the basis of the false representations by Bandhopadhyay and his wife, SRM Mahadeo Smart Bio Toilet Pvt. Ltd. convinced the directors of Mitsumi Disributors, a Dubai-based company to purchase the patent technology from IITT. "As per their mutual discussion, an initial amount of $3.1 million was transferred by Mitsumi Distributors through SRM Mahadeo Smart Bio Toilet Pvt. Ltd to the account of IITT," Mishra said. Later, another huge amount was also transferred by the Directors of Mitsumi Distributors to the account of IITT. This way, the total amount transferred to IITT turned out to be Rs 36 crores, he said. The beacon-fitted car used by Bandhopadhyay for meeting his clients has been recovered and the papers of property procured by the accused through the cheated amount has also been seized, police said, adding that further investigation regarding the role of various other stakeholders and people is in progress. They said two more complaints have also been filed before the central investigating agency regarding this matter. PR queen Roxy Jacenko is known for her love of fast cars. And on Thursday, the 40-year-old powerhouse was indulging in her passion for luxury vehicles yet again at the Bentley showroom in Sydney. Taking to Instagram, Roxy showed herself eyeing off the 2021 Bentley Bentayga. Vroom, Vroom! On Thursday, PR dynamo Roxy Jacenko hinted she could be buying the new $300,000 Bentley Bentayga after she visited the Sydney showroom Feast for the eyes: Roxy treated her fellow car enthusiast fans to an eyeful as she showed off the new exterior and the interior of the vehicle The pricey set of wheels normally retail upwards of $300,000. Roxy treated her fellow car enthusiast fans to an eyeful as she showed off the new exterior and interior of the vehicle. Roxy let fans drool over the new car, which now boasts ventilated seats and removable touch screens inside it. Front view: Roxy showed off the model's updated shape, which no doubt excited her car enthusiast fans that follow her The PR mogul also showed the rear view of the car which was also has an updated new design from the previous model. A source told Daily Mail Australia Roxy was simply taking a look at the new car with billionaire heiress and friend, Jess Ingham. Roxy is certainly not shy when it comes to her own impressive car collection. Back view: The PR mogul also showed the sharp rear view of the car which was also updated with a new design The beauty is regularly seen racing around in her own Aston Martin Vantage, worth a staggering $380,000. The founder of Sweaty Betty PR owns a fleet of luxury vehicles including her very own $400,000 Bentley Bentayga 4WD. The stylish blonde also hightails it around in a black Bentley convertible, which retails for around $550,000. New business: Roxy recently launched a new business with her long-time friend, Inghams Chicken heiress Jessica Ingham, XRJcelebrations Roxy has managed to keep busy by launching a new business XRJ Celebrations with heiress Jess Ingham last month. The entrepreneurial pair have created fun and unique table settings and centrepieces for parties. Roxy will next star in Channel Seven's upcoming reality series SAS Australia, which sees celebrities undergo rigorous SAS training reserved for special forces. ALAMOGORDO, N.M., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bancorp 34, Inc. (the "Company") (OTCQB: BCTF), the holding company for Bank 34, today announced the upcoming retirement of Jill Gutierrez as Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer effective September 30, 2020. Concurrently with Ms. Gutierrez's retirement, James T. Crotty has been appointed to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bancorp 34, Inc. and Bank 34. Mr. Crotty joined the Company in July 2020 as Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Crotty has been appointed to the Board of Directors of both Companies. Additionally, Ms. Gutierrez has entered into a consulting agreement for an initial three-month term after her retirement to assist the Company with special projects and transitioning related responsibilities. Ms. Gutierrez has been in the banking industry since 1972 and employed by Bank 34 since 2007. "During Jill's tenure at Bank 34 she was instrumental in leading the bank out of the Great Recession and served as our leader in strengthening the culture and credit standards we enjoy today. Under her leadership we have seen the bank accumulate a first class team that is well equipped to propel our organization into the future. Jill helped guide us through two of the biggest events in our 86-year history with our acquisition of a bank in the Phoenix market in 2014 and our second step conversion to a fully public company in 2016. We wish Jill an enjoyable and family-filled next chapter and are happy she will continue to serve by our side on the Board," Randall Rabon, Chairman of the Board of the Company and Bank 34, said. Bank 34 has $457 million in assets and is headquartered in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with additional full-service offices in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Scottsdale and Peoria, Arizona. Contact: Jan R. Thiry EVP/Chief Financial Officer 623.777.0570 [email protected] SOURCE Bancorp 34, Inc. Back in 1987, Cadillac was looking at ways to break into the luxury cabriolet segment which at that time was ruled supreme by the Mercedes-Benz SL. Looking to blow everyone and everything out of the water, Cadillac went to Pininfarina and asked for help in the design department, promising to handle every other mechanical aspect of the vehicle. Right here, you might have the automotive illustration of the word overkill LISTEN 02:11 Unfortunately for the Allante, luxury and over-the-topness dont go hand in hand A center console that looked like a keyboard with three small, stripe-width screens embedded into it. More buttons than you can wish for in other areas of the interior. A body assembled, painted and finished in Turin, Italy by Pininfarina, only to be sent via Alitalia Boeing 747 jumbo jets to Hamtramck, Michigan, where Cadillac would drop in the engine, the transmission and other bits and bobs. This, ladies and gents, was the Cadillac Allante. Oh, and the name was picked out of a list with some 1700 names generated by a computer, for some reason. It didnt help either that the Caddy Allante had Hollywoods approval. Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing) drove one in Dallas, as did Sylvester Stallone in Tango and Cash or Joe Pesci in 1992s Lethal Weapon 3. All the glitz and the glamor aside, the Allante didnt really manage to convince the buyer, mainly due a variety of issues. The first 4.1-liter V-8s to be fitted inside the Allante had weak intake manifold gaskets not to mention the unimpressive 170 horsepower rating. On top of that, the convertible tops also provided by Pininfarina were leaky and far from a piece of gear youd want in a luxury car in the first place; one that in 1992, demanded north of $60,000. But, to Doug DeMuros delight, the Allante was brimming with quirks and (sometimes confusing) features. Hence the 26-minute video awaiting you above. As COVID-19 hit around the world, artist Michelle Hamer's inbox was deluged with signs about the virus. Her obsession with language was well known among her friends; their examples prompted her to seek similar messaging closer to home. The 44-year-old hand-stitches images on perforated plastic, exploring how strange language has been normalised and how absurd it can appear out of context. There's a lovely juxtaposition of old and new, fast and slow between the images and her chosen medium. Michelle Hamer's series 'Relax, We're Doing Great' is named for one of Trump's quotes in the midst of the pandemic. Once she started, Hamer felt compelled to record this historical moment. Her focus broadened from official messages to quotes about the pandemic from world leaders, such as Donald Trump's inane "I Tested Perfectly" and Victorian premier Daniel Andrews' favourite, "Common Sense". 'Together Apart" is one of her favourites. "A glitched but perhaps perfect message for these times," she says. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a press conference June 09, 2020 in Washington, DC. Schumer and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) answered questions related to reforming law enforcement policies in the wake of the death of George Floyd. "With no money for rental assistance, no money for nutrition assistance, and no money for state and local services, the census, or safe elections, [Majority] Leader [Mitch] McConnell and Senate Republicans would be making another unacceptable and ineffective attempt at providing relief," he continued. "Republicans may call their proposal 'skinny,' but it would be more appropriate to call it 'emaciated.' Their proposal appears to be completely inadequate and, by every measure, fails to meet the needs of the American people," Schumer wrote to Senate Democrats. In a letter to his caucus, the New York Democrat argued a bill the GOP-held chamber aims to consider next week does not go far enough to mitigate damage from the outbreak. The legislation, which is expected to cost $500 billion, would offer more narrow relief than other plans currently on the table, CNBC previously reported . Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voiced opposition to a Republican coronavirus stimulus plan Thursday, assuring the impasse over more pandemic aid will drag on for days. A spokesman for McConnell declined to comment on Schumer's letter. Efforts to pass a fifth coronavirus rescue package ground to a halt last month as Democratic leaders and the White House accused the other side of the negotiating table of being intractable and unrealistic. As an employment crisis lingers and the virus spreads, the parties have disparate views on how much money the federal government needs to spend to boost the U.S. economic recovery and fight the outbreak. Senate Republicans have not released the final version of their bill. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the third-ranking GOP senator, told reporters Tuesday that "the goal" is to vote on a "focused, targeted" solution next week. As of late last month, the plan was expected to include enhanced unemployment insurance, more small business loans, funding for schools, and money for Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccines. Republicans aimed to include policies both parties support, disregarding Democratic priorities such as state and local government aid and rent and mortgage assistance. The Republican legislation would set extra federal jobless benefits at $300 to $400 per week. The sum would drop from the $600 per week payments which expired at the end of July. Democrats have pushed to reinstate the $600 per week policy. The bill follows a roughly $1 trillion plan the GOP released in late July. Democrats, who pushed a more than $3 trillion package through the House in May, have called for Republicans to increase their stimulus offer to $2.2 trillion. The White House has so far not gone higher than about $1.3 trillion. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., spoke to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday. After the phone call, Pelosi said the sides "continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that America's working families are facing." During congressional testimony on Tuesday before he spoke to Pelosi, Mnuchin appeared to endorse the Senate GOP approach of passing a limited plan. He said he and President Donald Trump want to "move forward on a bipartisan basis on points we can agree upon." As Senate Republicans debate how much more money the federal government should put into the pandemic fight, it is unclear how many votes the GOP bill will get. The debate over additional aid comes as the job market shows signs of improving. The Labor Department on Thursday reported 881,000 new jobless claims last week, a better-than-expected figure that nonetheless tops the pre-pandemic record. The monthly employment report due Friday will show whether the U.S. in August sustained a rebound from record job losses in the spring. Meanwhile, new Covid-19 infections in the U.S. have started to decline, despite problem spots in the Midwest. Still, the economic pain from the pandemic has intensified for some amid improvements in the broader economy. Millions of Americans are unemployed, and the expiration of the extra unemployment benefits and a federal moratorium on evictions has hurt people already reeling from job losses. Despite the roadblocks to legislation, officials in Washington have started to show more urgency to pass aid ahead of November's election. About half of the House Democratic caucus previously urged Pelosi to take up a stand-alone bill to refresh federal unemployment benefits. The Trump administration also moved this week to halt evictions until the end of the year using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention powers. Congress has a lot on its plate when lawmakers return from their recesses. The legislature also has to fund the government by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown. Lawmakers could potentially include coronavirus relief provisions in must-pass spending legislation. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Uncontrolled forest fires across eastern Russia have sent more than half a billion tonnes of CO2 spiralling into the atmosphere since January, a record This year's Arctic Circle wildfires, still ablaze, have already surpassed the record set in 2019 for CO 2 emissions, adding to the carbon pollution humanity needs to curtail, the European Union's Earth observation programme said Thursday. Uncontrolled forest fires across one of the planet's coldest regions has sent a quarter of a billion tonnes of CO 2 spiralling into the atmosphere since January this year, topping by more than a third the total for 2019, according to satellite data. The Arctic Circle includes latitudes upwards of 66 degrees North. Almost all of the fires are in Russia, the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts jointly reported. Russia's Eastern Federal District, which includes parts of the Arctic Circle, emitted more than half-a-billion tonnes of CO 2 from June to August 2020, also the highest amount to date. "The Arctic fires burning since mid-June with high activity have already beaten 2019's record in terms of scale and intensity," said CAMS senior scientist Mark Parrington. While satellite images do not reveal how these fires start, many of the blazes early in the summer are thought to have been caused by "zombie" fires that smoulder through the winter and then reignite, he said. Freakishly warm weather across large swathes of Siberia since January combined with low soil moisturelikely a consequences of global warminghave fuelled the flames. World map showing temperature anomalies in June with record temperatures recorded in the Siberian Arctic. Arctic warming Siberia and the Arctic Circle are prone to large year-on-year temperature fluctuations, but the persistence of this year's warm spell is unusual, Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service noted last month. "What is worrisome is that the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world," he said. In both polar regions, average temperatures have risen more than two degrees Celsius since the mid-19th century, mostly in the last 50 years. That is twice the global average. Worldwide, CO 2 emissions from fires have averaged about seven billion tonnes a year since 2000, and were even higher in the 1990s, according to Copernicus. But humanity's output of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels37 billion tonnes last yearhas increased by nearly 50 percent over the same period. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who heads up WWF's climate and energy work, said it was clear that the planet was facing an "emergency". "We need a cohesive global response to limit the worst impacts of climate change, and to help improve public health and protect the places we live," he said. "Current commitments by governments to fight climate change are completely inadequate, and could lead to an Arctic that is 10 degrees Celsius warmer than it is today." Out-of-control wildfires in the western United States, meanwhile, have been fanned by high winds and heatwave conditions, according to CAMS, which tracks fires around the globe. And the number of fires in Brazil's Amazon basin last month were at their second highest level in a decade, according to official figures released this week. 2020 AFP The fourth prosecution witness in the Takoradi girls kidnapping and murder case, Emmanuel Anzah Cobbinah, grandfather of Ruth Abakah, one of the victims, told a Sekondi High Court yesterday that he once received a telephone call from an alleged kidnapper. According to him, the suspected kidnapper who spoke to him in a Nigerian accent demanded a ransom. He said the kidnapper told him, Oga, if you don't pay the money we will sell your daughter because kidnapping is our business. This was during cross-examination after the prosecution, led by Chief State Attorney Patience Klinogo, produced the witness' statement and was read in the court. In the statement, the fourth prosecution witness had alleged that someone who claimed to have kidnapped his granddaughter spoke with a Nigerian accent. The Counsel for the alleged Nigerian kidnappers, Mark Bosia, from the Legal Aid Board, then asked the witness to give a unique feature of the accent that he claimed was that of a Nigerian. The witness responded, He told me, 'Oga, kidnapping is our business'. Witness Statement Mr. Cobbinah mentioned in his witness statement that the victim's mother, Cecilia Owusu, also called Esi Ayisa, who lived at Nsuaem, is his daughter and that the victim was his granddaughter. He said when the father of Ruth Abakah passed away Ruth was only three years, and she was taken to Daboase where she lived briefly with her sister and later came to live with him (grandfather) and his wife at Diabene, near Takoradi. He said Ruth lived with them together with other siblings for close to 16 years and was a Sunday school teacher of the Methodist Church Ghana, Diabene Society, until she went missing. He said on Sunday, July 29, 2018, Ruth went to church with her other siblings, but she did not return home and the witness added that afterwards, he reported to the police at Kojokrom and then moved to Takoradi police station. He said the same day, he received a call from a lady who told him thatthe granddaughter she was looking for was with them and that they had kidnapped her and she would only be released after a ransom of GH30,000 had been paid. He said as soon as the caller hanged up, he went back to the police at both Kojokrom and Takoradi to report the incident and then gave them the number that was used to call him. The investigators also called that number and tried to negotiate with the kidnappers who later agreed to take GH300, the witness indicated. The kidnappers then told us to wait at Fijai Junction the next day and that they would meet us with Ruth. We waited from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. but to no avail, he recounted. He said We called again and they told us to move to Kojokrom Junction. We went there and waited up to 7:30 p.m. still no sign of them or my granddaughter. He added we later decided to know whose number it was by transferring an amount of GH5 to that number and the transaction confirmed the recipient as Josephine Dadzie. He said the first person who called was a lady; however, the subsequent ones came from a male who spoke broken Twi and English with a Nigerian accent. He said based on the complaint he lodged with the police he was later contacted when the police made a discovery at the uncompleted building at Nkroful, the same place where the prime suspect in the three missing girls' case, Samuel Udoetuk-Wills, was rearrested. He said later samples of his daughter and the mother of the victim, Cecilia Owusu, and one of the victim's siblings, were taken for the DNA test. He said later the Inspector General of Police organized a press conference in Accra and announced that the test conducted indicated that the skeletal remains belonged to the missing girls, including my granddaughter. I was not happy at the manner in which the results were declared and made it known to the IGP when he invited us to his office in October 2019, he said. Mr Bosia asked the witness, You said the first person to call you was a lady? Mr Cobbinah answered in the affirmative and explained that the one who called told him that they were with his granddaughter. He again asked the witness, You said the name used to register the number you sent the five cedis to was Josephine Dadzie and Mr Cobbinah answered 'yes'. He said so don't you think that the lady who called you might be the Josephine Dadzie whose name popped up on the phone? and the witness answered that he could not tell. Mr Cobbinah said he talked to the alleged male kidnapper for about five minutes. The lawyer asked, So the accent you heard was only when a Nigeria is speaking the English language, and the witness answered in the affirmative. Sitting continues on Monday, September 7. ---Daily Guide Bifrost, a Singapore based DeFi protocol, completed a seed round of $600k. Investment institutions included NGC Ventures, SNZ Holding, Consensus Lab, Digital Renaissance, Youbi Capital, DFG, Longhash, etc. THE PRESS RELEASE DeFi protocol, Bifrost just raised $600,000 in a seed round SINGAPORE, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ Bifrost recently announced the completion of a seed round of $600,000. Investment institutions include NGC Ventures, SNZ Holding, Consensus Lab, Digital Renaissance, Youbi Capital, DFG, Longhash, etc. Bifrost said, Investors participating in this round of financing are not lack of early Polkadot investors and staking business-related institutions. It is expected that these institutional investors will be able to provide Bifrost with parachain slot auctions and staking liquidity business support in the future. The popularity of the DeFi market and expectations for the launch of the ETH 2.0 staking mechanism flood the crypto market in 2020. The rapid development of DeFi and Staking markets is driving the two mechanisms of DeFi and Staking to interact more and more in the blockchain landscape, and superposition has produced more and more composability. But the problem also followed. In the Polkadot ecosystem, there is also such a project that is positioned in the DeFi basic protocol and aims to solve the liquidity of PoS tokens, which has attracted market attention under this background. What problem does Bifrost want to solve? DeFi and Staking rewards competition issues Due to the emergence of DeFi products including liquid mining, DeFi products may bring users a super high annualized rate of return, but whether the prosperity built on the ETH PoW consensus can continue under the ETH 2.0 or Polkadot PoS consensus is a problem. For users, when staking and DeFi lending can only choose one of them, which method is more profitable becomes the basis of choice. The PoS consensus network will compete with DeFi products from the underlying mechanism to compete for users. To solve the problem of DeFi and staking rewards competition, Bifrost allows users to obtain staking rewards and release liquidity at the same time to obtain and optimize the interests of more DeFi fields including DEX, liquidity mining, etc. Also, Bifrost can solve the two problems first is PoS network liquidity and security mutunlly exclusive. Another is Staking reward acquisition in cross-chain scenarios. How is Bifrost achieved? Bifrost provides an intermediate layer between staking and the application layer, so that the staking and application layer originally built on the underlying protocol change from a parallel relationship to a top and bottom compatible relationship, thereby solving the problem of DeFi and Staking reward competition. The project designed a mechanism that allows users to swap PoS Tokens into Bifrost vTokens through the Bifrost Protocol at any time, and each PoS Token will correspond to a different vToken, such as vDOT that bridges Polkadot tokens. Bifrost said that the nature of vToken includes: Unlike most traditional consumer fintech and banking institutions, Jiko transparently keeps its customers directly invested in liquid US government-backed Treasury Bills (T-bills), instead of holding customer deposits. Thanks to Jiko's proprietary technology, an investment can act as a liquid and spendable alternative to cash. "The past decade of fintech and online banking innovations has exposed new customers to our industry and demonstrated that innovation in the financial sector is needed," said Stephane Lintner, CEO and Co-Founder of Jiko. "People's relationship to money must be fundamentally improved for everyone. One of Jiko's primary goals is to give people what they deserve: more organic and direct returns, without intermediaries and unnecessary friction." Over the last three years, Jiko has invested heavily in its core infrastructure, which merges payment rails with real-time, 24/7 principal trading capabilities on T-bills. Jiko's technology stack, combined with the recently acquired banking and broker-dealer licenses, are the necessary building blocks to deliver on its core mission of deploying a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to control and benefit from their money. With a completed bank purchase and all regulatory requirements fulfilled, Jiko will soon announce the launch of a powerful and fluid mobile app for the general public. To receive updated product information and availability, go to https://jiko.io and enter your email address. About Jiko Jiko Group, Inc., a bank holding company supervised by the U.S. Federal Reserve, is an innovative financial technology company headquartered in California. Jiko was formed in 2016, with a mission to deploy a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to control and benefit from their money. Media Contact: Colin Crook, Director of Communications, Jiko e: [email protected] p: 650-269-5235 SOURCE Jiko Related Links https://jiko.io The National Democratic Party (NDP) will, on Friday acclaim former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, as flagbearer ahead of the 2020 elections. This will be the second time Mrs Rawlings would be running as a presidential candidate should she be endorsed at the partys congress scheduled to take place on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5, 2020. A statement issued and signed by the partys General Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Frimpong, said the former First Lady was chosen out of three aspirants. The statement said former President and founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Jerry John Rawlings would be the guest speaker for the day. This Friday because of COVID-19 protocols, five [delegates] each from each of the 16 regions will be trooping into Accra for an in-house session to endorse the flagbearer and national executives. And on Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm will be the outdooring our national officers, including the flagbearer, the statement said. About NDP The National Democratic Party is a political party founded in October 2012 by Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings. Nana Konadu was formerly a high ranking member of the National Democratic Congress before breaking away. In 2012, the Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified her and 11 other presidential candidates for failing to meet requirements before the September 30 deadline to file nomination documents. She contested again in 2016 on the ticket of the NDP. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video India and Russia have finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India during Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs ongoing visit here, the official Russian media reported on Thursday. The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56x45 mm assault rifle. Also read: Rajnath Singh in Russia for SCO meet, no plan to meet China, Pak ministers: Officials The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India, Russias state-run Sputnik news agency said. There was no official confirmation from the Indian government on the finalisation of the deal. The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport -- the Russian state agency for military exports, it said. The OFB would own a majority stake of 50.5 per cent in IRRPL while the Kalashnikov Group would have a 42 per cent share. Russias state-owned export agency, Rosoboronexport, would own the remaining 7.5 per cent, the report said. Also read: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reaches Russia for SCO meet The 7.6239 mm Russian weapon will be produced at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the report said. The cost of per rifle is expected to be around USD 1,100, including the cost of technology transfer and of setting up the manufacturing unit, according to the report. The INSAS, which is use since 1996, has developed some issues such as jamming and magazine cracking at higher altitudes in the Himalayas, the Sputnik report said. WASHINGTON - Air travel in the United States is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels before 2024, the head of a leading airline lobbying group said Thursday. Nicholas Calio, chief executive of Airlines for America, said that despite aggressive cost-cutting measures and billions in government support, the industry is still struggling to survive amid the worst economic downturn in aviation history "We're going to do everything we can to get people back on airplanes," Calio said in a virtual briefing with reporters. "But right now, we're fighting for survival." Calio said the billions of dollars in support the government has offered airlines has been a lifeline and criticized those who've characterized the program as a "bailout." "People who call that a bailout don't know what they're talking about," he said. "It was a simple pass-through to keep [employees] on board." Under the payroll support program created as part of the Cares Act, passenger airlines and cargo carriers were eligible for more than $25 billion in grants and more than $25 billion in loans. Carriers that accepted the grant money had to agree to a number of conditions, including keeping front-line workers on the job through the end of September, when many expected the industry to recover. But that hasn't happened and now tens of thousands of workers face the prospect of being furloughed at the end of this month. Earlier this week, United Airlines said it would have to furlough more than 16,000 workers if the program isn't extended. American has said 19,000 of its workers also face the possibility of being furloughed. Unions have lobbied for a second round of federal support and in recent weeks have been joined by their employers. "Losing those employees, not being able to keep them on will have an impact on the recovery," Calio said. "Our hope frankly is that there will be more aid coming from the government." There is bipartisan support in Congress for an extension and the White House also has signaled it thinks the industry should receive more aid. But negotiations have been bogged down by other elements of a possible relief package. BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- A marine observation test of China's newly launched ocean-monitoring satellite HY-1D has been completed, sources with the Ministry of Natural Resources said Wednesday. Led by the ministry's National Satellite Ocean Application Service, the experiment at sea is an important part of the in-orbit testing of the satellite, which has provided synchronous observation data for payload performance and product authenticity. China launched the HY-1D on June 11. Together with the HY-1C satellite, launched in 2018, the HY-1D will form the country's first civil-use satellite constellation to increase its global observation coverage and improve its monitoring of ocean color, water temperature, coastal resources and the environment. Once built, the constellation will also offer support for industries such as meteorology, agriculture and water conservation, the ministry said. GLENS FALLS Four years after the city was awarded a $10 million state grant to revitalize portions of its downtown, work on various projects being funded by the grant is expected to ramp up in the coming months. The city will submit requests for quotes on several of the major projects, following the completion of required environmental reviews and engineering studies, Mayor Dan Hall said. It was a lot of work that people didnt see, he said. Construction crews have been securing the foundations of two city-owned buildings on the corner of South and Elm streets that sit next to the site for a year-round farmers market. The 10,000-square-foot market, which will double as a community center, is at the center of the revitalization plans. That project is expected to cost $5 million. The market will give local farmers a place to sell their products year-round and address the lack of grocery stores in the downtown area, Hall said. Once work on the foundations is complete, the city will meet with its lawyer and consultants to complete the specifications for construct bids, Hall said. Hopefully well be able to do that in the next month or two, but we dont expect to break ground until next year. The market is expected to be done by 2022. A small crew was spotted working on the foundations Thursday behind a growing pile of dirt and a chain linked fence. Slow progress The city was awarded the $10 million grant as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomos Downtown Revitalization Initiative a regional competition run by Empire State Development and designed to transform decaying downtowns into vibrant economic hubs. A total of $400 million has been allocated to the program across 40 cities, including Schenectady and Albany. In Glens Falls, around $300,000 went toward hiring a state-appointed consulting firm that guided the city in finalizing plans and conducting the necessary engineering studies, Hall said. Empire State Development, the states economic development arm, and the departments of State and Homes and Community Renewal are also overseeing the project. The remaining $9.7 million was divided into eight parts, including construction of the farmers market, expansion of broadband access for downtown businesses and residents and relocation of SUNY Adirondacks Culinary School into the downtown area. A one-mile public arts trail and a $600,000 grant fund to support downtown businesses also received funding. Improved infrastructure, including bike lanes and stormwater upgrades along Park, School, Elm and Exchange streets, received $1.8 million. But progress has been slow as the city waited for the state to finish its environmental review and engineering studies. SUNY Adirondacks 8,000-square-foot culinary center opened at 14 Hudson Avenue in 2018, and three buildings on South Street were demolished to make way for the market. But Hall said residents should see more progress in the months ahead. A study examining how best to expand the citys broadband access is underway and expected to be done by the end of the year. A request for quotes will be sent out once the study is complete. Plans for infrastructure upgrades along Park, School, Elm and Exchange streets are being finalized, and construction of the public arts trail through the heart of downtown is expected to begin in the coming months. Were close to fulfulling that and getting that going, he said. Missing Ed Hall said the city is a little behind on some of the projects because of the recent death of Ed Bartholomew, who helped secure the funding and was overseeing the project. Bartholomew, the former president and CEO of the Warren County EDC, died on July 21. Its a great loss for us to lose Ed Bartholomew, Hall said. But Hall said city officials are determined to complete the project as soon as possible. He has been going through Bartholomews files, contacting state agencies and consulting groups to ensure deadlines are being met and extensions are being filed. The project, Hall said, will transform downtown and open the city up for private expansion in the years ahead. Were working real hard on trying to get this off center and trying to continue on because this is very important for the city and it was important for Ed Bartholomew, he said. Chad Arnold is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls and the town and village of Lake George. Follow him on Twitter @ChadGArnold. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 5 Sad 0 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Six structures including four residential houses, a government school building and a madrassa (Islamic religious school) were damaged SRINAGAR: In the second such incident in the past four days, another Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of Indian Army was killed in a sniper attack from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district on Wednesday. Meanwhile, six structures including four residential houses, a government school building and a madrassa (Islamic religious school) were damaged in cross-LoC firing in Gurez sector of Kashmir Valley on Wednesday, the officials said. The Army and police officials said that a Naib Sebedar posted at a forward location in the Tarkundi area along the LoC was killed after being targeted from across the de facto border. Earlier the facing armies had exchanged small arms fire for some time in this area without causing any casualties or damage on the Indian side, the officials said. On August 30, Naib Sebedar (JCO) Rajvinder Singh of 1 Sikh Regiment-a resident of Amritsar- was killed possibly in a sniper attack in the LoCs Nowshera sector in Rajouri. Separately, four residential houses, a high school building and a madrassa were partially damaged in Pakistani firing in Gurez sector J&Ks northern Bandipora district on Wednesday, the officials said. They said that the Pakistani troops targeted two forward Indian Army posts near Tarabal in Bagtore area of Gurez with light machine guns, which was "effectively retaliated (to)". The police sources said that the intermittent exchange of fire between the two sides stopped after a few hours. It is not known if any casualties or damage occurred on the other side of the LoC. The Indian and Pakistani armies and border guards often clash along the LoC and also International Border (IB) in J-K. As per official statics, 17 Army and BSF personnel, three civilian porters working for the Army, seven militants and infiltrators and an equal number of civilians were killed in the incidents of cross-border firing and shelling, clashes and sneak attacks carried out by militants along the LoC and 198-km stretch of IB with Pakistan, so far, this year. Czech Senate speaker says visit aimed at connecting with Taiwan ROC Central News Agency 09/02/2020 09:50 PM Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil said during a meeting with Premier Su Tseng-chang () on Wednesday that his current visit to Taiwan is aimed at connecting the two countries. Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of freedom and democracy, he said, expressing hope that the two countries can further expand their cooperation in the fields of economy, technology and innovation in a way that creates mutual benefits for both sides, Vystrcil said. Meanwhile, Su for his part noted the Czech Senate's approval of a double taxation agreement signed by the two sides that will come into effect from 2021. Su said he believes the agreement will encourage more Taiwanese businesses to invest in the central European country, where Taiwan companies have invested over US$1 billion. After meeting Su, Vystrcil and 17 members from the delegation he is leading visited the Ministry of Science and Technology, where they were received by Minister Wu Tsung-Tsong () for a 30-minute discussion. According to Wu's deputy, Shieh Dar-bin (), the two countries already have agreements in place for joint projects involving atmospheric physics, artificial intelligence, precision machinery and precision manufacturing. In addition to those areas, talks between Wu and the Czech delegation on Wednesday covered biomedicine, aviation and aerodynamic technologies, and green energy, while the Czech visitors expressed interest in Taiwan's development of technologies in the agriculture sector, Shieh said. The majority of the 89-member delegation, including Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, then visited the National Palace Museum after it had closed to the public. Hrib, who stayed in Taiwan for two months in 2003 as an exchange medical student, told CNA that this was his third visit to the museum. "Hoping to learn more about the history of the Chinese culture" this time, he said, and he believes his colleagues will like the tour. As the delegation is traveling in a protective bubble to minimize contact with the public in Taiwan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum said it will conduct a thorough sanitization of the premises after the visit and an evening banquet held for the Czech visitors in the museum, and be ready to reopen on Thursday. (By Yu Hsiang, Su Ssu-yun, Sabine Cheng and Kay Liu) Enditem/J NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The post went up late Wednesday morning on the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerces Facebook page: Tune in to WFMZ this Monday, September 7, at 7:30pm for a special episode of Business Matters with Donald Trump Jr.! Tune in to WFMZ this Monday, September 7, at 7:30pm for a special episode of Business Matters with Donald Trump Jr.! Posted by Lehigh Valley Chamber on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 Canadian trade with the rest of the world continued its recovery to more normal levels as the global economy rebounded from COVID-19 lockdowns. Merchandise exports rose 11.1 per cent in July, adding to a 20.5 per cent gain in June, Statistics Canada said Thursday in Ottawa. Imports increased 12.7 per cent in July, after gaining 20.3 per cent in June. Combined, exports and imports have increased 35 per cent since falling to a decade-low in April, leaving them five per cent shy of pre-pandemic levels. The figures will bolster confidence in Canadas rebound, though economists caution a full recovery is far from assured. While global trade has been robust in some sectors like autos, other industries are still languishing, including travel. Julys trade data joins other indicators in confirming that Canadas recovery has remained intact, Omar Abdelrahman, an economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank, said in a report. However, notable headwinds mean that the road forward for both is mired with uncertainty. For one, growth in services trade, as evidenced by todays report, is expected to remain restrained. Fragile Services Service exports are still down 23 per cent from pre-pandemic levels, compared with six per cent for merchandise exports. On the imports side, services are still 33 per cent lower than February levels, versus 4.1 per cent for goods. The quicker rebound in imports caused the countrys merchandise trade deficit to widen to $2.45 billion in July, from a revised $1.59 billion in June. Economists had expected a deficit of $2.5 billion. Motor vehicle exports have already surpassed pre-pandemic levels, as have shipments of consumer goods, which could foreshadow an upcoming dip. There is a risk of a significant slowdown in exports in AugustSeptember, given that the volume of auto exports is now 10 per cent above the pre-pandemic February level, Nikita Perevalov, an economist at Scotiabank, said in a report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 14:17:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Xi Jinping straightens the ribbons on a flower basket at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2020. Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping on Thursday morning attended a commemoration in Beijing for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping on Thursday morning attended a commemoration in Beijing for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. The event was held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression near Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, in the western suburb of Beijing. It was also attended by representatives from all walks of life, including veterans who took part in the war, relatives of military officers and martyrs who fought in the war, and relatives of foreign friends who contributed to the victory of the war. The commemoration started at 10 a.m. All participants sang the national anthem and then paid a silent tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the war. After the mourning, 14 honor guards laid seven flower baskets, with characters "Eternal Glory to Martyrs Who Died in Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" on their red ribbons, in the entrance hall of the museum. Xi and other leaders ascended the steps and stopped in front of the flower baskets. Xi straightened the ribbons on a basket. Then, other senior officials and representatives from all walks of life presented bouquets of flowers to martyrs. Enditem The Miami Herald is caught in a firestorm after a sports columnist criticized athletes protesting racism in the U.S. and tweeted an argument that a constitutional compromise on how to count slaves was anti-slavery. Armando Salguero, who is Cuban American, posted a tweet Friday with video of Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, explaining that the athletes sat out their practice as a show of solidarity against police violence and racial injustice. In the video, Tannehill said that this country is founded upon racist ideas with slaves being brought here from the day of foundation. Salguero lashed out at Tannehill, paraphrasing him as saying the United States of America was founded upon racist ideas. I am so sick of the America bashing by people who have never lived and would never live anywhere else, Salguero said in his tweet. Ryan Tannehill says the United States of America was founded upon racist ideas... I am so sick of the America bashing by people who have never lived and would never live anywhere else.pic.twitter.com/xHgA8nHvyN Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) August 28, 2020 Salguero was born in Cuba and has written about his escape from Cuba under Fidel Castro. The comment drew criticism on Twitter over several days, with some critics digging up previous statements and comments by Salguero, including verbal clashes with Colin Kaepernick. When asked to comment on the situation on Tuesday, Salguero referred to a statement he made on Twitter over the weekend: Racism, in all its forms, is disgusting, wrong and an anathema to every fiber of my being as both an American and a Christian" He said he does not deny the truth about ongoing racism or that slavery has been a stain on this entire Earth ... So if anyone who sincerely interpreted my comments to suggest otherwise, I assure you that is not what Im about and it was not my intent to cause anyone pain." Story continues The controversy is reminiscent of the backlash the New York Times faced, including from its own newsroom, after publishing a column by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. In his opinion article, Cotton called for sending the military into cities to quell protests and violence that followed the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. The controversy culminated with the Times' opinion page editor resigning and the newspaper issuing a statement saying that Cotton's piece didn't meet the editorial page's standards. NBC News was unable to reach Herald Publisher and Executive Editor Mindy Marques or editorial page editor Nancy Ancrum on Tuesday evening. On Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, derided a statement Marques tweeted denouncing Salguero's comments. The facts are America was founded in 1776 upon the idea that all men are created equal, but our history is stained by the failure to be true to those words, Rubio said. What is uninformed & deeply troubling is the view that This country was founded upon racist ideas. The facts are America was founded in 1776 upon the idea that all men are created equal but our history is stained by the failure to be true to those words. https://t.co/kXJlH4vO7I Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 1, 2020 Marques sent a series of tweets Saturday in response to the controversy. She called Salgueros comments uninformed, insensitive and deeply troubling and apologized while acknowledging that columnists have broad latitude to express their opinions. But she added that we expect our columnists to base their opinions on reporting and facts. She said Salguero linked to a source that is not credible," referring to the video he tweeted in response to a critic from an unaccredited university. In the video, conservative TV analyst Carol Swain argues that the Three-Fifths Compromise didnt deny the humanity of Blacks, it affirmed it. The founding fathers who drafted the Constitution settled on counting three of every five slaves as persons for purposes of determining how to appropriate representation and electors and assess taxes. Marques said in her tweets that it is an incontrovertible truth that the country was built by enslaved people, and the very fact of their enslavement is racist. She said the Miami Herald would address Salgueros comments internally, in our community and our coverage. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Burleigh County Human Service Zone Board on Wednesday voted 5-2 to recommend hiring Kim Osadchuk as zone director after discussing an investigation into claims that she created a hostile work environment. Osadchuk was director of Burleigh County Social Services, which is now the Burleigh County Human Service Zone under a redesign of social services implemented by the 2019 Legislature. She has been serving as interim zone director. All five Burleigh County commissioners on the zone board voted on Wednesday in favor of hiring Osadchuk on a permanent basis. State Sens. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, and Dick Dever, R-Bismarck, who also serve on the board, voted against her hiring. "We support Kim because we hired her," board member Jim Peluso said, referring to the board's previous decision to hire Osadchuk as interim director. "If the people that hire you aren't going to support you, who's going to?" Peluso added that recent letters he has received about Osadchuk have been positive. The state Department of Human Services has the final say on hiring Osadchuk and will make that decision by Friday, Chief Operating Officer Sara Stolt said at Wednesday's meeting. Oban and Dever in March brought complaints they had received about Osadchuk to the zone board and asked for an investigation, which was voted down. The board in April moved to hire Osadchuk as zone director, but Stolt said federal law prohibited that without an investigation into the hostile work environment complaints. The investigation report The report from Vogel Law Firm said there was sufficient evidence that Osadchuk contacted four former employees' new employers to limit their contact with the Human Service Zone, went through employees' emails and computers, and intimidated employees. Vanessa Lystad, the investigator for Vogel Law Firm, talked to or received information from five people who submitted concerns about Osadchuk to Human Services and to 26 people who reached out to the investigator. Lystad also received documents from Human Services and four emails from current or former Human Service employees with positive comments about Osadchuk. Three unnamed community partners also contacted the investigator to express concerns about Human Service Zone leadership. The report did not name any witnesses. Some witnesses interviewed said they believe Osadchuk targeted former employees because she didn't like them. One witness recounted Osadchuk saying she didn't like a specific employee and was trying to make her life a "living hell" so she would leave. Osadchuk in the report denied the allegations. Four former employees said Osadchuk called their new employers and said they were not allowed back at the zone or that she did not want them working with the zone in their new roles. One witness who quit last year said that after she put in her 30-day notice, Osadchuk questioned whether she was making threats to the zone, moved up her resignation date and called the witness's new employer to say she could start soon. The witness denied making threats. She said her new employer told her that Osadchuk called and said the witness was making threats to the zone, was belligerent and out of control and needed to leave. Osadchuk said in the report that after this employee gave notice, she made staff uncomfortable by yelling and slamming doors, so Osadchuk called the new employer and said, "If you want to take her early, you can." Multiple witnesses said they feared Osadchuk doing the same to them. The report also found evidence that Osadchuk went through staff computers and emails. A witness with knowledge of the zone's IT systems said Osadchuk in 2013 provided a handwritten list of employees three or four times and told the witness to check those employees' computers to "find something that doesn't belong." Another witness said Osadchuk told staff in 2013 that she would leave sticky notes saying a password had been changed if she went through an employee's computer. The witness said she found a sticky note on her computer after she approached the commission with concerns. She was later fired for personal use of her computer, which she told the investigator she did do. Witnesses interviewed also described issues with Osadchuk's management style. Several said they felt that they would not have the zone's support if they made a mistake or something went wrong on a case. One witness said Osadchuk told staff their "license is on the line" when talking about unpopular decisions on cases. Another witness said she felt compelled to take a certain action as required by Osadchuk on a controversial case even though she disagreed with Osadchuk. The witness said she was removed from the case after noting her disagreement. A witness described a "vicious cycle" in the workplace in which Osadchuk would pick on an employee until he or she quit or was let go. Multiple witnesses said they left the zone specifically because of the work environment. Witnesses described dreading work, feeling panic attacks or vomiting before work because of the stress. Osadchuk's defense Osadchuk spoke at length at Wednesday's meeting to defend herself, saying disgruntled employees were unhappy that she began enforcing department policies. She said she enforced policies about monitoring employee computers and about employees informing their supervisors of their whereabouts for safety purposes. Regarding the comment about an employee's license being on the line, Osadchuk said some employees had not made case notes for months, which put their social work licenses at risk. She said she has an open door policy with employees and never heard about any staff having panic attacks or vomiting before work. She said she contacted one former employee's new supervisor along with Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer because that employee was "trashing" the Human Service Zone to other agencies, and she found it unprofessional. Osadchuk said that no other human service zone directors in the state are being investigated and that what she's being accused of is currently being done to her by the state. She said that she checked staff computers in 2013 because employees were sending slanderous messages about her and she wanted to see if it was being done on work time and on work computers. Her computer has been monitored since January, though she doesn't know by whom, she told the zone board. When she began her job as social services director in 2013, Osadchuk said, supervisors felt powerless because they had previously not been able to enforce policy with employees. "We had policies," Osadchuk said. "I just said we're going to enforce them, and the board wanted me to do that." Osadchuk also decried social media harassment she said she has received, and what she said was a "harassing" email sent to a county commissioner earlier Wednesday. "We're all better than this," Osadchuk said. Differing opinions Osadchuk suggested implementing a countywide workplace environment survey and creating an employee group to discuss department morale. Several board members, along with Osadchuk, said they had concerns about how the investigation was conducted. Osadchuk said most current employees don't have complaints and they weren't interviewed. Some zone board members said the investigation did not tell them definitively if a hostile work environment existed. "To me, an investigation would be to find the truth," Peluso said. "It was numerous times where the word 'heard' was used. Wouldn't an investigation lead to finding out if what you heard was actually true?" Zone Board Chairman Jerry Woodcox said all employees with complaints against Osadchuk had previously been put on performance improvement plans and that the investigator did not ask for those records. "If you get bad performance reviews, I would think you're going to be a disgruntled employee," Woodcox said. Dever, who voted against hiring Osadchuk, said the report was a cause for concern and that he felt things in the zone could have been handled differently. County Human Resources Director Pam Binder told the zone board there does not seem to be a hostile work environment in the Human Service Zone. She referenced a 2018 employee survey that reported a positive working environment. Binder also was disappointed with the investigation but said the truth probably lay between the allegations in the report and old human resources records that list no problems with Osadchuk. She was brought on to enforce policy, Binder told the board. "Some employees may not want to be retained if they have to follow policies," Binder said. Reach Sam Nelson at 701-250-8264 or sam.nelson@bismarcktribune.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 12 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The human brain has about 100 billion neurons, linked in intricate ways, that the Spanish neuroanatomist Ramon y Cajal compared to "the impenetrable jungles where many investigators have lost themselves." But to decipher how the brain works and understand how it can go awry in many diseases, it is essential to figure out how many classes of neurons it actually has and how they are connected with each other. Now, in a paper published recently in Nature Neuroscience, a Columbia-led international group has proposed a unified nomenclature of the neurons of the cerebral cortex, the outermost layer of the brain that plays a key role in attention, perception, awareness, memory, language, and consciousness. A broadly agreed-upon classification is essential to archiving the hundreds of neuron types and their properties. If we could decipher how the cortex is built and what it does, one could scientifically understand our minds." Rafael Yuste, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University How to classify neurons has been much debated since the inception of modern neuroscience. Many efforts to describe their anatomical, physiological, and molecular features have been unsuccessful due to their cellular diversity, Yuste said. During the last two decades, however, the Human Genome Project has produced a host of molecular methods that enable identifying and phenotyping cells in great numbers. "This molecular revolution is generating databases that are complete, accurate, and permanent--a triumvirate considered the golden standard of biology," Yuste said. In particular, using highly automated techniques that sequence the RNA of individual cells rapidly and cost-effectively, several groups have started to assemble datasets to classify cell types in the cortex. "The approach enables sampling tens of thousands of cells, generating what could be an essentially complete coverage of all the existing cell types in the cortex," Yuste said. Two years ago, during discussions at an international meeting on cortical neurons in Copenhagen, participants agreed that the time was right to finally tackle the creation of a unified classification. A group of 74 scientists proposed the use of single-cell RNA sequencing as the skeleton for a unified classification of cortical neurons. Known as the "Copenhagen Classification," the proposal is described in the Nature Neuroscience article. "This could be a historic event, as it tackles one of the core problems in neuroscience," Yuste said. "A unified framework is important not only for researchers and clinicians interested in understanding how the cortex works but also could inspire similar community classifications of cells." In fact, he added, "there are major consortia worldwide charted with classifying all the cells in the body something that could be a breakthrough for biology and medicine." With neuroscience rapidly transitioning to digital data, the researchers propose the classification be updated regularly using a type of algorithm often employed by the software industry for automatic data aggregation. "It's exciting to think that neuroscientists in the not-too-distant future could finally, through technology, break the impasse that has plagued us for centuries," Yuste said. Egypt reported 145 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total case tally to 99,425 since the outbreak began in February. The health ministry also reported 18 new deaths, giving a total death toll of 5,479. An additional 789 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 75,415. Health Minister Hala Zayed said in the cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday that it is important to keep following the precautionary procedures as the last week in August saw an increase in the weekly case tally compared to the week before. The weekly COVID-19 infection rate reached 1,137 in the period 22-28 August, having been only 844 the week earlier. This means we must continue taking precautionary measures, she said. Zayed also said that 84 percent of the hospital beds in the countrys isolation hospitals were empty, while 48 percent of ICU beds are occupied. She added that 84 percent of the ventilators were not currently in use. The health minister also told the cabinet that, as part of a project with the World Health Organization (WHO),, 23 doctors from different fields had followed up by phone with 10,186 coronavirus patients in home isolation between July and 27 August. The ministry also distributed 195,000 medicine and protection supply bags to patients at home. Zayed said that an analysis of the data of 8,203 patients in 28 isolation and quarantine hospitals showed that the virus targets the respiratory system more than the digestive system, despite some recent claims to the contrary. Search Keywords: Short link: When it comes to embracing school choice, no state has done a better job to date than Florida. For the past two decades, the Sunshine State has led the charge in offering multiple school choice programs so as many Floridians as possible can decide which school their children attend. Although Florida still has far to go before every child has the opportunity to attend the school that best fits his unique needs and circumstances, substantial progress is being made. Floridas foray into school choice began at the turn of the 21st century, well before most people had even heard of the phrase school choice. And, in less than two decades, Florida lawmakers have arguably done more to ensure that Floridians, not bureaucrats, decide which school their children attend than any other state in the union. So, 20 years later, what has school choice brought to the families of Florida? Well, for starters, the sheer number of Florida students enrolled in school choice programs, which is 100 percent their decision, has continued to skyrocket, as have their academic results. Here is a brief rundown of Floridas school choice programs: The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) Program is one of Floridas greatest victories for low-income and working-class families and provides 18,000 students life-changing education opportunities for academic and career success. To expand educational opportunities for children of families that have limited financial resources and to enable children in this state to achieve a greater level of excellence in their education, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2001. The McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities provided over 31,000 Florida students with special needs the opportunity to attend a participating private school during the 2018-19 school year. The Opportunity Scholarship Program was created as a Florida school choice option in 1999. As originally implemented, the program offered students who attended or who were assigned to attend failing public schools the option to choose a higher performing public school or a participating private school. The Gardiner Scholarship Program provides eligible students a scholarship that can be used to purchase approved services or products in order to design a customized educational program for the student. Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, a student enrolled in a Florida public school in kindergarten through grade 12 who has been subjected to an incident of battery; harassment; hazing; bullying; kidnapping; physical attack; robbery; sexual offenses, harassment, assault, or battery; threat or intimidation; or fighting at school the opportunity to transfer to another public school with capacity or enroll in an approved private school under the Hope Scholarship. Reading Scholarship Accounts are available for students in grades 3 through 5 who are enrolled in a Florida public school and scored below a Level 3 on the grade 3 or grade 4 statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment in the prior school year. To date, these programs have helped hundreds of thousands of Florida students attend schools that are best tailored to meet their specific needs. Here are a few testimonials: Ivana is a participant in the McKay Scholarship Program. Ivanas mother recently emailed the DOE about Ivanas progress in school and what participation in the program has done for her morale and future ambitions: Ivanas mother wrote: Ivana is looking forward to college and asking me various questions about which college would be adequate for her. She wakes up every morning eager to make it to school, not just on time, but early. She is not only an honor student in her class, but a star student as well. Her school denotes a star category to students who have no referrals, perfect conduct, willing to assist teachers and fellow students, and volunteer extra time for charity fund-raisers and school events. Susan is a parent who needed options for her child's education. Susan's son Dylan is now participating in one of Florida's choice programs. Dylan attends a school that specializes in serving children with varying degrees of dyslexia. In her own words, this is Susan's Story: I had been through hell and back to get some help for my child. After weeks of being discouraged and not finding the right answers, the Florida Department of Education, Independent Education and Parental Choice helped me. I knew we needed information and someone to care about my individual child. We were able to enroll Dylan in a private school as a student in the McKay Scholarship Program. At the private school he does very well. He has learned a lot of coping mechanisms that he wasnt taught before. He wouldnt even try. Hed just say, Im a dummy, and give up. Now, he struggles. He tries. Hes using his coping skills hes been taught and hes making an effort. These are just two real-life examples of how Floridas school choice initiatives have worked wonders. One could easily fill a book with these awesome success stories. School choice is not controversial. It is overwhelmingly supported by Americans. Given the excellent results of Floridas school choice initiatives, more states should follow the Sunshine States shining example of school choice success. Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is an editor at The Heartland Institute. Image: {{PD-FLGov}} VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2020 / Lucky Minerals Inc. (TSXV:LKY)(OTC PINK:LKMNF)(FRA:LKY) ("Lucky" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that continued exploration work at the Fortuna 1 concession continues to expand the recently discovered El Garo epithermal target area. Structural analysis based on satellite imagery, on the Fortuna 1 concession, indicates that the El Garo epithermal alteration zone appears to be spatially related to the margins of a circular feature (caldera-like) which measures approximately 5 km in diameter. The intersections of radial/ring faults and fractures with northeast, northwest and east-west faults zones are excellent exploration targets. The El Garo epithermal alteration zone has now been extended to an area of approximately 1.6 kms x 800 meters. Lucky's CEO, Mr. Adrian Rothwell stated: "The outlined surface alteration at El Garo is an exciting discovery by our field team on the newly defined Shincata Gold Trend. I am pleased to report that work has continued throughout the month of August, following strict COVID-19 health & safety protocols. This has allowed our teams to forge ahead on many fronts. I am looking forward to the upcoming results on multiple other targets on the Fortuna 3, 4, 9 and 10 South areas." To advance exploration work on the Fortuna 1 concession, Lucky has started the permitting process for initial trenching and scout drilling. Additionally, a soil grid sampling program over an area of approximately 4 kms by 2 kms is being prepared. Before outlining drill targets ground geophysics such as Induced Polarization / resistivity and mag will be completed in selected anomalous areas outlined in the soil sample results. For more information on the Shincata Gold Trend, readers are encouraged to view the Company's news release of August 18, 2020. Please click here to view the location map of the Shincata Gold Trend with location of El Garo area in Fortuna 1 and the south Fortuna 10 anomalies. El Mozo epithermal deposit shown just south of Fortuna 10. Also shown is the location of the El Buitre porphyry target area. Story continues Please click here to view the caldera-like structure (Fortuna 1). Please click here to view the structural interpretation with 9 additional target zones to be explored. Ring fracture faults generally develop during a caldera collapse, and radial and ring structures which generally develop during resurgence of the caldera, are considered good exploration targets for epithermal type mineralization. At El Garo most rock outcrops are mainly of a porphyritic rhyodacite, with areas of advanced-argillic alteration, alunite and silicification. Also, breccia zones with silica flooding have been observed, as well as outcrops of vuggy silica. Please click here to view rock sample from El Garo - hydrothermal breccia with silica flooding, with presence of alunite and limonite. Thus far a total of 17 rock chip samples from El Garo have been submitted to ALS Chemex laboratories in Quito for prep work, and the analytical work will be completed at their lab facility in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO certified and accredited laboratory. Analytical results will be released once these are received. QA/QC protocols are in place and include the insertion of a coarse blank, a standard and duplicate sample on every batch of 25 samples. Please click here to view the El Garo Alteration Zone and proposed soil grid outline. About Lucky Lucky is an exploration and development company targeting large-scale mineral systems in proven districts with the potential to host world class deposits. Lucky owns a 100% interest in the Fortuna and Emigrant Projects. The Company's Fortuna Project is a royalty-free 550 km2 (55,000 Ha, or 136,000 Acres) exploration concession. Fortuna is located in a highly prospective, yet underexplored, gold belt in southern Ecuador. Lucky has a memorandum of understanding on Fortuna with First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") whereby First Quantum is able to earn up to 70% of copper targets. The Emigrant Creek Project covers a 15 km2 area in an intensely altered and mineralized porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southern Montana. Covid-19 Safety Protocols After a country wide two-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government approved new health and safety protocols for the transportation of workers to and from mine sites. The company has presented all the necessary protocols required by the national government for the restart of activities, which comply with national and international safety standards, thereby guaranteeing the health and safety of the communities surrounding the Fortuna project, as well as our team on field. Lucky has commenced field work consisting of prospecting, geophysics and geochemical testing to confirm drilling targets. Lucky Minerals will impose every action in coordination with national and provincial authorities. The company will have strict rules in place for all workers arriving to and from field sites. All personnel will be tested upon arriving and leaving and be tested every two weeks. All personnel will be housed in separate and private accommodations and will not have opportunity to share in the community. There are no more than three workers per vehicle. Qualified Person Victor Jaramillo, M.Sc.A., P.Geo., Lucky's Exploration Manager and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Fortuna Project for Lucky Minerals and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Adrian Rothwell" Chief Executive Officer Further information on Lucky can be found on the Company's website at www.luckyminerals.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Adrian Rothwell, President and CEO, by email at investors@luckyminerals.com or by telephone at (866) 924 6484. 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 Adjacent Properties and 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" 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 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. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related exploration and development; the ability to raise sufficient capital to fund exploration and development; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in input costs; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological or operational difficulties or inability to obtain permits encountered in connection with exploration activities; and labor relations matters. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations also include risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. SOURCE: Lucky Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/604404/Fieldwork-Continues-to-Expand-the-Recently-Discovered-El-Garo-Epithermal-Target-Area Bengaluru, Sep 3 : Animal Husbandry Department officials in 15 Karnataka districts will soon launch domestic animal ambulances to cater to their welfare, an official said on Thursday. "Fifteen districts will launch the ambulances in the first phase, followed by the balance 15 districts in phase 2. Already, approval for the second phase has also been granted," Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services department Additional Director Jayanna told IANS. Though phase 2 has also been approved, the funding is yet to be released because of the disruption caused by coronavirus. The state government has asked the respective district in-charge ministers to preside over the unveilings of the ambulances. Hassan district in-charge minister K. Gopalaiah is expected to preside over the ceremony on Thursday in the district. Explaining the rationale behind launching ambulances, Jayanna said the move is aimed at creating ambulances for animals on the lines of such vehicles for humans under the Health and Family Welfare Department. "Under Health and Family Welfare Department there is 108 ambulance service and on the same lines the animal ambulance service will function," he said. These ambulances will be of great help in the event of referral cases which cannot be attended by local veterinarians. "If it is an accident case or an emergency or an operation and beyond the capacity of a local vet, the ambulance is provided with expert veterinary care and necessary equipment," said Jayanna. On receiving a call from people in need of medical attention for their animals, an expert vet, staff and equipment available in the ambulance will rush to the spot to treat the animal. Importantly, the ambulance is also equipped with an operation theatre for small animals. However, the ambulance facility is only available for domestic animals and not wild ones which have the entire forest department to care for them. Cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and other domestic animals will benefit. The department has incurred a cost of Rs 2 crore for the 15 vehicles. As of Friday, August 28, X Alfonso's fans can enjoy the lyric video of his latest release Beso al aire (Kiss the air) on his YouTube channel. His legendary concert, Live in Havana, which was recorded during his performance at the Circo Nacional de Cuba in Havana in 2011, is also available exclusively on bandcamp.com, the online music shop, with a catalog of over five million songs that specializes in the promotion and release of material of independent artists. This is the first of several unpublished albums, live concerts, and soundtracks, composed and interpreted by X, to be released exclusively on the network for his fans. The gorgeous lyrics of the latest song released by X, Beso al aire, which remind us of our ability to empathize with those who are suffering, are now available as a lyric video on the artist's YouTube channel. About X Alfonso With a career spanning nearly three decades, X Alfonso, the avant-garde creator inspired by rock, hip hop, electronic music, and Afro-Cuban harmonies, is considered one of the leading exponents of musical artistry in Cuba today. He has collaborated with outstanding artists and groups such as Audioslave, Bebe, Santiago Feliu, Descemer Bueno, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Rick Wakeman. X Alfonso was awarded the Premio Goya for the soundtrack for the film Habana Blues (2005). And because of his unmistakable talent, he has been lauded internationally and has also been nominated several times for a Latin Grammy award. In 2006, he was honored in the category Best New Latin Artist during the Premios de la Musica de Espana. Because of his artistic endeavors and because of his involvement with children in Havana at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), he was named a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in 2011. The Fabrica de Arte Cubano, included in Time magazine's 2019 list of the world's 100 greatest places, is a cultural center in Havana for young, emerging artists as well as for those who have enjoyed a long, established career as musicians, filmmakers, painters, and dancers. In September 2019, X released a new album, INSIDE, where he has included artistic work from different and various fields, making this not just a record but a social and artistic project. Without a doubt, this album heralds the return of a preeminent musician from the contemporary Latin music world. Live in Havana is available exclusively through the online music shop bandcamp.com https://xalfonso.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-havana Link for the lyric video Beso al aire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFaThtn6Zw Link for the 2011 concert with the Circo Nacional de Cuba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdlhuSJKtmo Beso al aire is available on all digital platforms: https://ffm.to/insidebesoalaire Link for the interview with the New Times: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/interview-with-cuban-singer-x-alfonso-11662148 Website for X Alfonso: https://www.xalfonso.com/ Instagram for X Alfonso: https://www.instagram.com/x_alfonso/ Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo Sonora, CA Tuolumne County Public Health officials report one new case today, with two newly listed as recovered and one who remains hospitalized. Public health also reports Tuolumne residents have received scam calls requesting personal information supposedly related to an incident of COVID-19 exposure. Individuals have been asked to share financial, health insurance, or social security information. Health officers state, Please know that our team will never ask for this information if we call about a possible COVID-19 exposure. Do not provide those personal details to anyone, and if you arent sure someone is who they say they are, ask for their name and a phone number to call them back. Tuolumne County is in Tier 3, the Orange and Moderate Risk category of the new 4 risk level system with Yellow being the 4th and lowest risk. For a current status map of every county in California click here. More details will be talked about tonight as detailed here. Known Tuolumne tests: 10,086, positive 186 (96 females and 90 males), hospitalized 1, active cases 12, total recovered 172. Daily COVID-19 Cases County Active Date New Today Hospital/ ICU Alpine 0 8/31 0 0 Amador 12 9/1 1 3 Calaveras 41 9/1 21 2 Mariposa 2 9/2 0 1 Madera 405 9/2 40 18 Merced 893 9/2 41 97 Mono 1 9/2 0 0 San Joaquin 1,171 9/2 158 102/31 Stanislaus 810 9/1 76 135/38 Tuolumne 12 9/2 1 1 Totals (Cumulative) COVID-19 Cases County Recovered (increase) Total Positives Deaths Alpine 2 (+0) 2 0 Amador 210(+4) 237 15 Calaveras 214(+5) 257 2 Mariposa 69 (-1) 73 2 Madera 3,416(+79) 3,876 55 Merced 7,110(+57) 8,122 119 Mono 159(+0) 162 2 San Joaquin 16,263 (+208) 17,778 344 Stanislaus 13,714 (+121) 14,786 262 Tuolumne 172(+2) 186 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 SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) today announced a $1 billion investment initiative intended to create jobs and rental housing for the Bay Area over the next five years. Under its multifaceted Bay Area Investment Initiative, the HIT stands ready to invest up to $500 million to develop market-rate, workforce, and affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area by working with local unions, investors, community groups, the public sector, low income tax credit equity investors, financing partners and for-profit and nonprofit real estate developers. The HIT expects to leverage an additional $500 million of investments from these other sources as part of the Initiative. HIT officials estimate that the Initiative could create approximately 4,000 union construction jobs, 12,000 total jobs and 4,000 housing units in the Bay Area by 2025. "Too many people in the Bay Area are being laid off and too many still cannot afford decent housing. A bold, multi-year effort is urgently needed. The HIT is announcing our Bay Area Investment Initiative right before Labor Day to help reverse that trend," said Chang Suh, the HIT's Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Portfolio Manager, on a video briefing with local labor, business, and community leaders. With the Bay Area already suffering through a persistent housing crisis and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, local construction workers, service industry workers and public sector employees face lost jobs and an even greater shortage of affordable places to live, Suh told the group. "With this $1 billion Initiative, the HIT is stepping up in a big way to be a part of the solution." The AFL-CIO leadership's decision in 1965 to establish the HIT emerged from discussions with the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on how the labor and civil rights movements could work together toward common goals. "The fight for social and economic justice continues today, now as we face skyrocketing unemployment, the COVID-19 health emergency, and rampant social division," said Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, and a member of the HIT's Board of Directors. "Putting Labor's capital to work to create jobs and build affordable housing is an important step toward tangible solutions to these ongoing challenges for the Bay Area, and for the country." On the video briefing, the HIT's Managing Director/Regional Operations, Ted Chandler, said "At the HIT, we seek to produce competitive returns for our pension fund beneficiaries. And by working with labor, public and private partners, we hope that the HIT's Bay Area Investment Initiative may serve many thousands in this time of need," he added. Chandler told the officials that in the Initiative the HIT will work to: Invest in rental housing construction, including affordable units for low income residents; Finance permanent housing, including supportive housing for homeless individuals, and those displaced by development; Provide technical assistance to labor organizations seeking to develop workforce housing; Boost the utilization of union construction labor in rental housing; Provide opportunities for local workers to enter the Building and Construction Trades apprenticeship programs; and Partner with developers and the public sector to invest in affordable and workforce housing that can be marketed to the Bay Area's essential workers. The Initiative is not the first time the HIT has made Bay Area investments in a local economic crisis. During the Great Recession, a decade ago, HIT-financed construction projects were among the first to reappear on the San Francisco skyline. In a statement, San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who is also a Board member of the city's Employees Retirement System, applauded the HIT's commitment to the region. "With the HIT's focus on creating jobs and affordable housing for our residents, their investments have the potential to generate much-needed economic growth for our city and region," Safai said. Chief executive Suh reported that the HIT has already invested $396.1 million in 19 projects throughout the Bay Area, with total development costs of $691.6 million. "These investments have created more than 4,500 construction jobs, 9,172 total jobs and 3,231 housing units," said Suh. "The lesson here is that smart capital is the lifeblood of housing and community development. The HIT looks forward to drawing on our wide range of investment programs and technical expertise in this Initiative," he said. Terence O'Sullivan, General President of the Laborers' International Union of North America and a member of the HIT's Board of Directors, said "In HIT's $1 billion Bay Area Investment Initiative, we are ready to do even more in the next five years. These investments are intended to create good union construction jobs and serve working women and men in the Bay Area who now struggle to find affordable housing. And it will strive to help produce a multiplier effect of employment and other economic benefits throughout the local economy." The Bay Area suffers in the California-wide housing crisis where more than 40 percent of residents are considered cost burdened for housingpaying more than thirty percent of their income towards shelter. Almost eight million persons have filed first-time jobless claims in California since the pandemic led to wide-ranging business shutdowns in mid-March. The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) is a fixed-income, investment grade mutual fund with $6.5 billion in net assets. For over 35 years, the HIT has been a leader in putting union and public pension capital to work to produce competitive returns and achieve mission-related collateral objectives. Investors should consider the HIT's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. This and other information is contained in the HIT's current prospectus. To obtain a current prospectus visit the HIT's website at www.aflcio-hit.com. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. SOURCE AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT) MM Naravane New Delhi: Army Chief Gen MM Naravane began a two-day visit to Ladakh on Thursday to carry out a comprehensive review of the security situation in the region in view of China's fresh attempts to change status quo along the southern bank of Pangong lake, official sources said. MM Naravane Advertisement Gen Naravane will be briefed about the evolving situation by top Army commanders overseeing deployment of troops as well as India's combat readiness in the region, they said. "The Chief of Army Staff is on a two-day visit to Leh to review operational preparedness in Ladakh region," said a source. India and China Advertisement Tension escalated in the Pangong lake area after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy certain areas in the southern bank of Pangong lake following which India rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region. 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. Covid is on the loose in the community and the public health authorities need to know exactly where it is. They do have this information, but would it be more useful if we all had it? This week saw the first confirmed student cases since schools reopened - no surprise in a pandemic and all. The schools have done a stellar job and we should be proud of the single-mindedness of our Government in pushing for the reopening. Schools stepped up to the challenge with gusto. But Covid is out and about, and a lack of clarity about where it is takes the wind out of our sails a bit. The first schools that had classes sent home this week have not been named by official channels - but why not, exactly? It is absurd to think it would be a school's fault, or the fault of anyone, if Covid does pop up. The schools are doing everything right and we have every confidence in them. But secrecy is associated with guilt. You don't disclose facts you think reflect badly on you - so any attempt to 'hush, hush' something gives it a touch of shame. It's a bit like getting nits - everyone gets them, it is nobody's fault and an open policy means no shame. In my experience, if you lash yourself on to the parents' WhatsApp and say, "Hey, nits alert - we all have them in our house," it sets off a string of relieved replies with people experiencing the same. Nobody wants, or needs, names and addresses - but if we were aware our local area was badly affected, we could take extra precautions. Would this not be a good thing? Why all the secrecy? Take the meat plants, for instance. Arguably because of a lack of transparency, things spun out of control and a local lockdown in Kildare was then required. Could this have been averted if the facts were released straight away? I asked a HSE employee why the Government won't disclose where cases are. The answer was: "It will never be enough. People will want streets. And it would be falsely reassuring - many cases are undiagnosed out there. I'm totally against more detail. People are driven demented, up the walls, checking already - and more information will mean more anxiety." Would it cause hysteria if we found there were a lot of cases in our area? Or, if we had the situation of no cases, would we throw up the hand sanitiser and say, "Right lads, no Covid here - get the rave going?" I think it would be the opposite. It would be reassuring and help us regain a sense of control and keep up all our preventative measures. Sometimes even just the illusion of control can improve matters, so anything that can add to this should be done. There is so much talk of worst-case scenarios lately, but focused information could help keep uncertainty to a minimum because data has a tendency to take the emotion out of life. When you have all the facts, you don't catastrophise as much because your imagination is tethered to reality. In the UK there is a tool where you enter your postcode and you can find out how many people have been affected in your local area. You can keep track of where cases are on the rise. Public Health England releases a daily update on how many confirmed cases are in each local authority. Could we do something similar? So we can talk about where it is in the community, normalise it and give Covid a transparency that would stamp out any stigma. In the early days of the pandemic, the World Health Organisation released guidelines for the media to help avoid stigmatising patients. It advised that poor information could help spread the disease, while good info could help halt it. Top tips included talking about "people who have Covid-19" and about people acquiring or contracting it - never to say "infecting others" or "spreading the virus" as it implies intentional transmission and assigns blame. The official name was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatisation: the "Co" stands for Corona, "vi" for virus, "d" for disease, and 19 because it emerged in 2019. But with secrecy comes shame, whose first cousin is stigmatisation. If we are really in it together, as we are constantly being assured, then disclose all the information available and treat us like adults. Or if there is a good reason for not doing this, fine, and perhaps there is one - but at the very least explain to us what it is. From the beginning, weve worked to build unmanned systems to be more than just flying cameras. Golden Eagle fulfills that vision and more, equipping businesses and government agencies alike with a scalable, secure, and rugged system that keeps them informed and protected in the field. Teal today announced the public launch and immediate availability of Golden Eagle, a new US-made commercial drone system that provides aerial surveillance and awareness through scalable, secure, and rugged technology. Designed and manufactured entirely in the US to ensure the highest levels of data security and performance, Teal already has pilot programs running at Fortune 500 companies, as well as many government agencies. Golden Eagle serves as a dual-use platform and was recently selected as an approved system for the Department of Defense and Federal Government as part of DIUs Blue sUAS Project and will soon be available on the GSA schedule. Golden Eagle is the system weve always wanted to build. Its the culmination of five years of work to bring to market a combined hardware and software platform that maintains the ethos of Teal One, but with new industrial-grade technology ready for the most demanding aerial operations, said George Matus, founder and CEO of Teal. From the beginning, weve worked to build unmanned systems to be more than just flying cameras. Golden Eagle fulfills that vision and more, equipping businesses and government agencies alike with a scalable, secure, and rugged system that keeps them informed and protected in the field. US businesses are deploying drones in unprecedented numbers, with applications ranging from agriculture and public safety to construction and emergency services. Recent numbers from Barclays estimates the global commercial drone market will grow tenfold to $40 billion in five years. Teal is the only company among those behind this growth that offers a fully US-made system and with production capabilities to scale and drive mass adoption. Teal is immediately focused on bringing Golden Eagle to customers in civil and defense, as well as in commercial industries, including agriculture, surveying, construction, energy, and logistics. Golden Eagle equips customers for the most demanding aerial operations. Its as simple to unleash advanced capabilities and solve critical problems, as it is to deploy and start flying on day one. Notable features include: A powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile computing platform with real-time edge processing to enable autonomy capabilities, computer vision and AI detection of people and vehicles. A new standard in aerial data security, including AES 256 encryption, secure boot capability, and more, notably surpassing Department of Defense requirements, complying with section 848 of the FY20 NDAA, and addressing head-on the dual-use, dependency and data-flow concerns synonymous with foreign platforms. A swappable payload at the front of the system that stabilizes two cameras a surveillance-grade 4K sensor and a high-sensitivity FLIR thermal sensor for operations in any conditions, including low-light and no-light scenarios. Front-facing obstacle avoidance, wide-angle visual inertial odometry, and onboard artificial intelligence to enable autonomous flight. An efficient, high-voltage propulsion system that provides high flight performance and endurance with a low acoustic signature that makes it inaudible at minimal ranges, creating an exceptional tool for intelligence and surveillance. A compact and ruggedized airframe that flies at faster than 50 MPH with flight times of up to 50 minutes and starting operational ranges of more than 2 miles. Golden Eagle also performs in extreme environments of 30+ MPH of wind resistance and between -32 and 110 Fahrenheit. Golden Eagle pairs seamlessly with Teals new TAC ground control station for a fully secure end-to-end solution. Golden Eagle is available now. For more information, please visit: https://tealdrones.com/. About Teal Teal is redefining what unmanned systems can achieve. A leading U.S. drone manufacturer since 2014, the company provides superior aerial surveillance and awareness for inspections and short-range reconnaissance. Its leading-edge, compliant unmanned systems inform and protect many of the Fortune 500, as well as many government agencies, with scalable, secure, and rugged drone technology. For more information, please visit: https://tealdrones.com/. Contact Sara Pallas pr@tealdrones.com 650.346.5892 - Camila Graciano, 31, who had stayed at home and avoided public places to protect herself from the virus, came into contact with a positive patient at the baby shower - The infected guest was asymptomatic during the visit and unknowingly spread the virus to other attendants - As of Thursday, September 3, morning, Brasil had confirmed over four million cases of COVID-19 with at least 124,000 deaths PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed A pregnant teacher in Brasil has unfortunately died of the novel coronavirus after she was infected with the deadly disease at a surprise baby shower. Camila Graciano, 31, who had stayed at home and avoided public places to protect herself from the virus, came into contact with a positive patient when her colleagues threw her a surprise baby shower in Anapolis. READ ALSO: Embu: Angry Mbeere South residents chase their MP over poor service delivery Graciano's colleagues surprised her at a baby shower party and she was infected after months of protecting herself. Photo: Amazon. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Lucky to be alive: Brave dogs save owner from armed robbers According to reports by Brasilian news site Globo, the infected guest was asymptomatic during the visit and unknowingly spread the virus to other attendants. Unfortunately, my sister was one of the people who were infected, the deceased's brother, Daniel Ambrosio, told the outlet, according to news station KRON. The novel coronavirus was first confirmed in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Photo: CDC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Watandikania jumba la kifahari la mume wao The 31-year-old who was just a month away from delivering her bundle of joy, was rushed to hospital three days after the party where she gave birth via emergency cesarean section. She delivered a beautiful baby girl who was healthy but her virus-stricken mom remained hospitalised. After the birth, my sister showed significant improvement. The doctors even sent us a message saying, Listen, have faith, because her lungs are improving, the heartbeat is improving (and) her blood pressure is improving," said Ambrosio. An info-graphic showing the number of COVID-19 cases in Brasil. Credit: Wikipedia. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Phillipe Coutinho returns to Barcelona weeks after winning Champions League with Bayern Graciano's health however, soon worsened and she was pronounced dead on Saturday, August, 22. As of Thursday, September 3, morning, Brasil had confirmed over four million cases of COVID-19 with at least 124,000 deaths. Globally, over 26 million have been infected with the respiratory illness with the death toll standing at 867,000. Over 18 million people had however, recovered from the virus according to coronavirus tracker Worldometers. 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 wife abandoned me when I needed her most | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke A naked Black man, restrained with handcuffs and his head covered with a spit hood, was forced into the asphalt by Rochester police before going limp and dying days later, his family said Wednesday. Relatives of Daniel Prude, 41, released police video and claimed that it shows officers used excessive force to control him. Prude had told police he suffered from COVID-19, prompting officers to put a hood on his head, apparently to prevent him from spitting on them. He was visiting from Chicago and suffered from mental illness, his brother, Joe Prude, told reporters. The incident on March 23 more than two months before George Floyd died during similar police action in Minneapolis came to light Wednesday after part of the body camera video, obtained from police on behalf of family members, was released by their lawyer to NBC affiliate WHEC of Rochester. NBC News does not know what happened before or after what's shown in the partial video nor whether or how it may have been edited. Joe Prude speaks during a news conference Wednesday in Rochester, N.Y., about the death of his brother, Daniel Prude, 41. (USA TODAY Network) The circumstances of Daniel Prudes death sparked protests in the western New York city on Wednesday night and community activists vowed to keep pressing for action against the officers involved. We have serious issues which need to be addressed, the Rev. Lewis W. Stewart, president of the United Christian Leadership Ministry of Western New York, told supporters on Thursday. But our first issue is dealing with RPD and getting those cops fired and prosecuted. Download the TODAY appfor the latest in news and more Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and Police Chief La'Ron Singletary expressed empathy for the Prude family but said there wasn't much they could do because New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an order July 15 giving the state attorney general jurisdiction over the investigation. "It's not within our control," Warren said at a separate news conference Wednesday. Singletary said he has to wait for the state to complete its investigation before he can determine if any officers involved should be disciplined. Story continues "The officers have not been suspended as of yet," he said. A spokesman for the Rochester Police Department declined further comment on the matter Thursday. A representative of the local police union, the Rochester Police Locust Club, did not immediately respond to telephone and email requests for comment Wednesday and Thursday. Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Wednesday, "My office is already activating this incident." Daniel Prude was released from a hospital, where he had undergone a mental health check, the day before Joe Prude called 911 for help with his brother's behavior on March 23, Joe Prude said. At 3:16 a.m., according to a timestamp on the video, officers arrived wearing winter gear as what appeared to be rain fell on a wet roadway where Daniel Prude stood nude. He immediately complied with orders to lie on the ground face down and put his hands behind his back, it shows. He spoke gibberish, told officers to take note of his genitals and asked for a gun. The outbursts inspired casual chuckling from the officers. Daniel Prude, handcuffed and sitting up, spit onto the ground, the video shows. An officer approached from behind him and placed a spit hood on his head, the video shows. After Daniel Prude said repeatedly, "Give me the gun," officers pushed him back down face down on the ground and pushed his head into the asphalt, with one officer's knee on his back, the video shows. Daniel Prude started whimpering unintelligibly, it shows. Police joked with arriving paramedics, and one officer said: "It's crazy. He's been out naked for 30 minutes." An officer warned, "He says he has corona." At least one of the officers said that Daniel Prude was "puking, just straight water," into the hood but that the hood remained on him as he continued to lie face down. "My man," the officer said, "you puking?" Laughter is heard. "It looks like he started throwing up. Now he doesn't even have chest compressions," an officer said. Daniel Prude didn't respond and appeared limp, according to the video. An officer called for a paramedic. "We need you," he said to the woman. "Does he have a pulse?" she asked. "No," a man answered. "Start CPR," the paramedic said. Paramedics went into action, administering CPR, the video shows. At that point, an officer said, "I'm going to get some more hand sanitizer." A paramedic asked the officers whether the man was on drugs or was experiencing "excited delirium," a controversial term that generally describes suspects who are on drugs and out of control. "It's not your guys' fault," she said. Daniel Prude died March 30 after being on life support. The organization Free the People Roc, whose members appeared with Joe Prude at Wednesday's news conference, also posted the video on its Facebook page. "I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched," Joe Prude said at the news conference. The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, like Prude's family, isn't happy with the pace of the inquiry. "It has been over four months since the attorney general's office opened their investigation, but it does not take that long to see that the officers involved abused their authority to end Mr. Prude's life," Iman Abid, director of the Genesee Valley region chapter, said in a statement. "The officers involved in this incident should not be allowed on patrol while the investigation proceeds," she added, "and the public has a right to know the misconduct history of the officers involved." This article was originally published on NBCNews.com. This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. In the coronavirus panic in the spring, Utah hired a small tech company to create an app to trace state residents who were infected with the virus and help notify their contacts about possible exposure. It didnt go well. Only about 200 people used the virus-alert app, Healthy Together, for its main intended purpose. Utah then shut down the key feature entirely. Critics of Healthy Together said that state officials spent too much on rushed and unproven technology. This feels like a familiar tale of failures by government officials and botched pandemic technology. It is, but the story didnt end there. The app company, called Twenty, and Utah public health officials focused the app on less ambitious but potentially more useful purposes, including relaying coronavirus test results and digital symptom checks at schools and workplaces. Its too soon to call Healthy Together a success or a failure, but the app now has a manageable purpose. By PTI MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Thursday remanded an alleged contraband dealer, arrested in connection with the drugs trafficking case linked to the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, in the custody of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) till September 9. The accused, Zaid Vilatra (21), was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court which remanded him in NCB's custody for seven days for further probe in the case. The NCB is questioning another person, suspected to be a drug trafficker, in connection with the drugs trafficking case linked to the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, officials said on Thursday. The man whose identity has not been revealed is allegedly linked to Basit Parihar who has been arrested by the federal anti-narcotics agency in this case. The agency told the court that Vilatra has revealed names of many persons to whom he supplied drugs. His custodial interrogation was "most essential and crucial" as it maylead to the main player in the drug field, it said. The NCB further said it is "investigating the drug angle in the case of Rajput's death and therefore, it is highly substantive and needs to be investigated throughly so as to uproot the drug citadel in Mumbai, and especially Bollywood". The investigation in the case is at preliminary stage as the revelation made by the accused is to be verified, and the known as well as unknown accused need to be traced and apprehended, it added. Later, talking to reporters, Vilatra's lawyer Taraq Sayyed said he has filed an application before the court, claiming his client has not given any voluntary statement to the probe agency and that they (NCB) have taken his statement by force. ALSO READ | CBI probe: Actress Rhea Chakraborty's father reaches DRDO guest house for third day The NCB on Wednesday said it arrested Vilatra and one Basit Parihar in connection with the drug trafficking case linked to the Rajput death case. Indian currency worth Rs 9,55,750 and foreign currency (USD 2,081, 180 British Pounds, 15 dirhams), which the NCB claimed are "proceeds of drug peddling", were recovered from Vilatra, officials said. "Zaid disclosed that he runs an eatery in Bandra which was not giving any pecuniary gains since lockdown. He also disclosed that he is into drug peddling, especially bud, through which he used to earn a substantial amount of money," the NCB said. Vilatra came under the scanner after the NCB arrested two persons -- Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora -- in another narcotics case on August 27-28 in Mumbai and recovered a bud consignment from them. Lakhani had "linkages" with Vilatra, the probe agency earlier claimed. Parihar, a resident of suburban Bandra, is "learnt to have linkages" with the narcotics case registered against Rajput's girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and others, the officials said. The role of the actress's brother Showik Chakraborty and his purported links with people nabbed by NCB are under the scanner of the agency, they said. Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in Bandra on June 14. Rhea Chakraborty is the main accused in the case of Rajput's death that is being probed by the NCB, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering charges and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The NCB filed a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after the ED shared with it a report following the cloning of two mobile phones of Rhea Chakraborty. According to the officials, the mobile phone chats and messages indicated procurement, transportation and consumption of drugs and these leads were shared by the Enforcement Directorate with the NCB and the CBI. The letter was addressed to the parliament head and head of the president's office. The European Union, key European powers, and the World Bank have written a letter to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, as well as the President's Office over the draft resolution the parliament intends to pass on September 3. The letter from Western donors and creditors of Ukraine is reportedly at the disposal of the Ukrainian media outlet European Pravda. The appeal signed on Wednesday, September 2, is intended to warn of the possible implications of the decision to change the composition of the commission formed to select the new chief of the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office. Draft resolution No. 3839 on this matter was included in the parliament's agenda for Thursday, September 3. Read alsoAppointment of NABU director ruled unconstitutional sourceIt is noteworthy the letter signed by the ambassadors of the European Union, Germany, UK, and the World Bank regional director, which formally refers to the Rada decision only, was also sent to Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak. Representatives of Western donors and lenders reportedly say the anti-corruption efforts of the Ukrainian authorities have been and remain at the crucial to partnership between the international community and Ukraine, while SAPO is a critical part of the Ukrainian anti-corruption architecture, and therefore, a transparent selection procedure for selecting the new SAPO head after the resignation of Nazar Kholodnytsky is vital, according to European Pravda. According to the legislation, the Verkhovna Rada shall appoint members of the SAPO chief selection commission. The resolution put to vote by the Verkhovna Rada proposes to replace all seven parliament representatives and determines candidates for replacement. The authors of the letter refrained from individual assessments of the new candidates, however, they outlined in advance the criterion that would determine credibility of the competition for the SAPO chief post. The letter refers to the law on the prosecutor's office, which say that the key in this process is that the selection committee should be formed from among highly reputable candidates with significant experience in the field of combating corruption. Public confidence in the selection process will largely depend on the composition of the selection committee, the letter says. Commission for selecting new SAPO chief: background According to a source of the European Pravda, the emphasis on the anti-corruption experience of commission members was made due to the fact that the Verkhovna Rada, contrary to Ukrainian legislation, plans to appoint commission members who have no such experience whatsoever. This raises questions in advance about the quality of selection, Western diplomats stress. Earlier, Ukrainian anti-corruption experts also voiced concerns about the lack of such experience among parliamentary candidates for the commission. It consists of 11 members: four representatives of the council of prosecutors, who were designated previously, and seven delegated by the Verkhovna Rada. Thus, parliament-appointed candidates form the majority. Transparent and eligible selection of the new SAPO head is one of the criteria for the provision of EUR 600 million in EU macro-financial assistance. It is also one of the criteria taken into account when the so-called mechanism for the suspension of visa-free travel is applied by the European Union. Kholodnytsky's resignation: background T he bodies of five children have been found in a private apartment in western Germany near Cologne. Emergency services were called to a residential block in the Hasseldelle area of Solingen on Thursday. Herbet Reul, the region's top security official said the bodies were found after the children's grandmother, who lives 60 kilometres away, notified police. Police investigate at a house where five dead children were found in Solingen, Germany / AP The dead girls were aged one, two and three, and the boys were six and eight, German news agency dpa reported. Police spokesman Stefan Weiand told n-tv television the mother of the children later jumped in front of a train in Dusseldorf and has been taken to hospital with injuries. There was no immediate information on the causes of death or possible motive. The mothers sixth child, an 11-year-old boy, survived and was with relatives.e This story is being updated. BATON ROUGE, La.: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday urged people sheltering in hotels in Texas to stay there if possible, saying Louisiana is having difficulty finding available hotel rooms for more evacuees after Hurricane Laura. More than 92,000 people had registered for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency by midday Thursday, he said at a news conference in Baton Rouge. Nearly 12,000 people were being sheltered by the state, largely in hotels. We dont think we would be able to quickly absorb another 2, 3, 4,000 people into our hotels, the governor said. The number of those in shelters has risen steadily as damage to homes and a lack of power or running water in large areas of the state made an increasing number of homes uninhabitable. More than 205,000 utility customers remained without power Thursday, according to he Louisiana Public Service Commission. Meanwhile, the state health department reported 137,000 people faced water outages and hundreds of thousands more needed to boil their water to make it safe for use. Edwards said he is encouraged by the progress hes seen in Lake Charles, a week after the hurricane devastated the area. But he cautioned the recovery would be long. Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 hurricane just south of Lake Charles near Cameron, Louisiana, packing 150 mph (240 km/h) winds and a storm surge up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) in some areas. State officials have called it the most powerful storm ever to hit Louisiana. Twenty-five deaths in Louisiana and Texas have been attributed to the storm. Three more fatalities were reported Thursday by the Louisiana health department. In Rapides Parish, a 65-year-old man and a 50-year-old man both died from medical conditions exacerbated by excessive heat after losing electricity. Elsewhere, the fifth member of a family had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in Calcasieu Parish. 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 (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The right of the people peaceably to assemble, as the U.S. constitutions first amendment calls it, is one of the pillars of liberty. Thats why all liberal democracies guarantee and protect it in some form. But is this right absolute? Could there be, in well-defined cases, a liberal case for abridging it? This timeless question has just become newly urgent. As I warned might happen, the Covid-19 pandemic has, directly or indirectly, increased social turmoil in many countries, leading more people to assert their right to protest. But as the very different circumstances in Belarus, the U.S. and Germany showed again this past weekend, what counts as a primal scream for freedom in one gathering easily turns nefarious and anti-democratic in another. In Belarus, the protesters are indeed heroes deserving the sympathies of freedom lovers all over the world. Since a fraudulent election on Aug. 9, theyve been bravely marching as their benighted dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, stomps around carrying an automatic rifle and keeps his thugs ready to bludgeon his critics. Types like him disdain freedom of thought, speech or assembly. Thats why philosophers since John Stuart Mill have considered these rights essential. Elsewhere the picture is more complex, even in the sweet land of liberty. As Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter have blown off Americas veneer of social cohesion, some U.S. cities have of late resembled battlegrounds. Over the weekend, supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Portland, Oregon, and drove downtown in a caravan of hundreds of banner-draped trucks. There they clashed with mobs of anti-fascist counter-protesters. Paintball guns were shot and fists thrown, until actual gunfire erupted and a man lay dead. Clearly, neither side in this particular exercise of the right to assemble emphasized the first amendments stipulation to do so peaceably. The intention was to antagonize and intimidate opponents, not to air arguments for the betterment of democratic discourse. The ubiquity of guns in America makes any such confrontation potentially lethal. Story continues And then theres the peculiar case of Germany, a country that has been sensitized by its own Nazi history to the dangers that extremists pose. Protest movements against the various coronavirus lockdowns have swept across much of Europe, but theyve grown particularly strong in Germany. This is surprising, given that Germany has controlled the outbreak relatively well and imposed only mild restrictions. Nonetheless, the crowds of protesters are growing. Many are spouting outlandish conspiracy theories inspired by the QAnon movement in the U.S. and striking anti-Semitic overtones. Increasingly, far-right extremists and even full-blown neo-Nazis are mixing into the crowds. This Saturday, almost 40,000 demonstrators showed up in Berlin. In the evening, the protest turned violent, as several hundred rioters stormed the barriers protecting one entrance of the Reichstag, Germanys parliament building. Many carried the black-white-red flags of Imperial Germany, a symbol that nowadays stands for the far right, since the Nazi swastika is banned. Three defiant policemen barely managed to keep them out. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germanys president, called the violence an intolerable attack on the heart of our democracy. The government and mainstream political parties all lined up to condemn the transgressions. As hooligans, politicians and ordinary Germans alike are well aware, the Reichstag is where Germanys democracy was literally and metaphorically set afire in 1933. All of this points to an ambiguity about the freedom of assembly. In places from Belarus to Hong Kong, this right either doesnt exist or has been trampled upon. In the U.S. and Germany the right does exist but is in frequent tension with those who cynically abuse it. Even in the liberal tradition, freedom of assembly was never meant as an absolute right. Mill famously argued that it can and should be abridged to prevent harm to others. Berlins interior minister, Andreas Geisel, had tried to invoke this harm principle to stop Saturdays demonstration. He argued that the protesters were likely to scorn rules about social distancing and mask use just as they had done at another event on Aug. 1. This would accelerate contagion and put at risk people not even participating. But a court overruled him, arguing that the mere possibility that rules would be broken doesnt suffice. This reasoning was surprising, given that the harm principle must of necessity apply in advance of injury. What probably moved the court was Geisels tactical mistake of also citing the likely presence of neo-Nazis at the event. As soon as politics was involved, the judges felt they had to err on the side of freedom of assembly. As well they should. But even the distinction between political opinion and harm isnt always clear, and different nations will draw different lines. In the U.S., free speech protects even Holocaust denial. In Germany and 15 other European countries, as well as Israel, it doesnt, on the reasonable premise that its unbearable and thus harmful to the Nazis victims and their descendants. Amid the worldwide rise of extremism, liberal democracies are in a bind. If they curtail their hallowed freedoms, they allow half-wits of all stripes to turn their martyrdom into propaganda. But if they provide the loonies a stage, they let cynics avail themselves of democratic rights to undermine the democracies that guarantee them. Ultimately, the conundrum of liberty is not a legal question but a cultural one. As soon as theres a threat of harm, the state must intervene. But as long as protesters merely mouth off in ways that are disgraceful, the state must stand back. In these cases, its up to the rest of us to speak up and reclaim our democracies from the crackpots and demagogues. Even in 1933, the ensuing disaster could only happen because ordinary Germans allowed it. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andreas Kluth is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He was previously editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist. He's the author of "Hannibal and Me." For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 3, 2020) - ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) ("ZEN" or the "Company") is pleased to report that industry and university laboratories fully re-opened in late July-early August after a 4 month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and they have re-started ZEN's collaborative R&D programs. ZEN will report shortly on significant progress being made in multiple programs, one of which has resulted in the preparation of a patent filing that is central to ZEN's business plan. The company is also pleased to announce the recent award of two NSERC Alliance COVID-19 project grants, a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship grant, and two Mitacs Accelerate grants for a total of $355,000 to its university collaborators increasing ZEN's total research and development budget for the next 12 months to over $1.4M. The new grants are outlined below: University of Guelph, Prof. Aicheng Chen, "Development of Advanced Graphene-Based Antiviral Nanocomposites against COVID-19" ($50,000 NSERC Alliance COVID-19 and $150,000 Mitacs Accelerate over one year); University of Ottawa, Prof. Jean-Michel Menard, "Graphene-based surface coating to prevent fomite transmission of COVID-19" ($50,000 NSERC Alliance COVID-19 over one year); University of British Columbia - Okanagan, Prof. Mohammad Arjmand (Supervisor), Dr. Seyyedarash Haddadi (Postdoctoral Fellow), "Graphene-based Corrosion Protective Coatings" ($60,000 Mitacs Elevate over one year and renewable for a second year); and University of Toronto, Prof. Daman Panesar (Supervisor), Dr. Tanvir Qureshi (Intern), "Nano-engineered concrete and composites with advanced graphene-based 2D nanomaterials ($45,000 Mitacs Accelerate over one year) Environmental Baseline Program Update Additionally, the Company reports that, after a necessary break in travel and field activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has re-engaged ERM Canada Ltd. ("ERM") and CSA Global ("CSA", an ERM company) to continue with an abbreviated environmental baseline program for the Albany Project. This program will focus on project definition and planning, and on a laboratory-based geochemical baseline study. Story continues The key aim of this work will be to consider the potential approach to mining the Albany resource based on ZEN's current Vision of Project, and then to develop a roadmap to identify the key work that will be required to advance the Project to the next stage. Integrated project planning will include work to be completed across corporate, engineering, environment, social, and permitting functions. ZEN will work closely with the ERM-CSA team of scientists, biologists, and engineers; ERM is leading the activities associated with this program on behalf of ZEN. ERM is a leading global provider of environmental, health, safety, social and sustainability consulting services with over three decades of experience in the Canadian mining industry. Francis Dube, ZEN CEO, commented, "Our research and development work, with the goal of building an IP portfolio, is central to ZEN's business plan and I am grateful to see our collaborators back in their labs. Workplace health and safety is paramount and new protocols in line with Health Canada's recommendations are now in place at all of the industry and university labs." ZEN Graphene Solutions is seeking advanced applied graphene-related research projects where ZEN could support this research by providing customized graphene materials and, in some cases, funding in exchange for some commercialization rights to be negotiated. Please submit your proposals in confidence to researchproposals@ZENGraphene.com. Mr. Peter Wood, P.Eng, P.Geo., President of ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd., is the "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed, prepared and supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this news release. About ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. ZEN is a graphene technology solutions company with a focus on the development of graphene-based nanomaterial products and applications. The unique Albany Graphite Project provides the company with a potential competitive advantage in the graphene market as independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada have independently demonstrated that ZEN's Albany PureTM Graphite is an ideal precursor material which easily converts (exfoliates) to graphene, using a variety of mechanical, chemical and electrochemical methods. For further information: Dr. Francis Dube, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +1 (289) 821-2820 Email: drfdube@zengraphene.com To find out more about ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd., please visit our website at www.ZENGraphene.com. A copy of this news release and all material documents in respect of the Company may be obtained on ZEN's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.ca. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although ZEN believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. ZEN disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by 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/63146 Vietnams southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City is well one the way of becoming the nations hub for many tech-savvy corporations (Photo: Duc Thanh) At last weeks Ho Chi Minh City US Business Summit, Kim Huat Ooi, vice president and general manager of Intel Products Vietnam reminisced with pride that the company was the first high-tech corporations with an investment capital over $1 billion in the country a big success preceding Intels larger vision in the future. Intel Products Vietnam has an exemplary story in Ho Chi Minh City. Intel first announced a $300 million investment for an assembly and test plant in the Saigon High-Tech Park (SHTP) in 2006. The companys total registered investment was raised to $1 billion nearly a year later. As of present, the SHTP factory has become Intels largest chip assembly and test plant in the world, employing over 5,000 people. Ooi noted that Intel has been looking at many countries around the world for possible expansion and has chosen Ho Chi Minh City for several reasons. This decision has been reconfirmed by the countrys quick action and strong policies to contain the coronavirus. Therefore, Intel could maintain normal operations with its output even increasing by 30 per cent in the first half of 2020, contributing three-fourths of its total global output. The general manager also stressed that this is an unimaginable figure. Intel could have not achieved this without the support of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is an innovative and open-minded city to welcome new technologies and solutions. Besides amazing incentives, the city is home to many talented and passionate people who are working for Intel. Also, the SHTP is providing all services that the company needs. The park has transformed itself from a vacant land into a place full of on-site amenities for foreign companies like us, Ooi said. In March alone, Intels factory in the SHTP produced two billion units of semiconductor and processing chips used in computers and other devices, meaning the factory produces 25 chips every second. Moreover, the company is working with relevant stakeholders to further reduce production time and improve the productivity of the factory. Intel is mulling to increase investment into its chip factory in Ho Chi Minh City in the coming years. Intels export revenue in Vietnam has reached $3.6 billion. The additional capital is expected to increase the export figure significantly, and we will also use it to develop local middle and senior leaders for our factory here, Ooi said. Shining stars Another investor, who is also performing well in Ho Chi Minh City, is the US solar manufacturer First Solar. The company has invested $1 billion to develop a factory in Cu Chi district in 2017. Covering a total area of 44 hectares, the factory was put into operation in 2018. Kheng Joo Ung, managing director of First Solar Vietnam, said, The companys investment was so far extremely successful thanks to the skilled workforce and favourable business climate. The Cu Chi factory has become the worlds largest one producing advanced thin solar modules. In addition, the factory also achieves the highest performance in First Solars system worldwide, exporting 12,600 outbound containers per year while operating with an annual capacity of 2.6GW. He further noted that First Solar is committed to further developing the tech supply chain in Vietnam and increasing the localisation rate. The company has increased the percentage of local vendors from 30 to 63 per cent between 2017 and 2020. The change has helped First Solar to diversify its supplies and materials for production while reducing risks, especially now that foreign suppliers cannot enter the country during the pandemic. By working with local vendors, First Solar can also improve predictability, ensure stable raw material supply, and achieve a better price structure. Besides manufacturers, other US investors also inject funds into local tech firms to tap into the domestic market. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, is among those looking to capitalise on the Vietnamese market. Most recently, the billionaire has invested in 3D printing technology company Arevo. Arevo, the company behind the 3D-printed Superstrata Bike, raised $25 million in a Series B financing round, led by Defy Partners and GGV Capital with participation from Khosla Ventures, Alabaster, and others. I highly appreciate Vietnams prime location and talent pool. Also, with my extensive experience in Silicon Valley, I can see the country emerging as the perfect destination for AI and software development, Khosla said at an online summit. Meanwhile, e-wallet company MoMo bagged $100 million in its Series C funding round from US-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus in 2019. Nguyen Ba Diep, CEO of MoMo, said that the company has reaped several benefits from the investment of Warburg Pincus. In addition, having fresh funds to develop its e-wallet service, it gives the company the chance to meet with unicorns worldwide and learn about new technologies and products. As a result, MoMo has seen its value increase by 50 times, reaching $5 billion since its inception in 2014. When working with Warburg Pincus and other US funds, we can elevate our position from a local company to an international firm. By following international standards, we have opportunities to work with big tech players as well as multinational companies in the field of payment, Diep said. Wooing more US investors According to Marco Breu, general director of McKinsey Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has developed a tech supply chain to accommodate more foreign businesses. However, the city will need to focus on attracting high-tech occupations and AI businesses to be ready for the future. I appreciate the one-stop-shop services that bring many advantages for international investors in Ho Chi Minh City. However, there are still some things that need to be improved, such as easing the entrance restrictions for them, Breu said. The low production cost is not enough to increase the efficiency of business operations in Vietnam. It is more important to build efficient and sustainable production chains as well as qualified suppliers. Speaking at the Ho Chi Minh City US Business Summit, Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee stated that the city has many opportunities for US investors. It is the largest economic hub in Vietnam with more than 10 million people, contributing nearly 25 per cent of GDP and nearly 30 per cent of the budget revenue for Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City has a solid basis to attract high-tech and AI businesses. Currently, the city has the largest and most successful software centre in Vietnam. With 10,000 employees, Quang Trung Software Park is currently the production base for large enterprises. In 2019, the park exported $500 million of software. In addition, the SHTP currently has more than 160 enterprises with production facilities worth more than $7 billion and workplaces for around 46,000 people. Among them are large enterprises such as Intel and Samsung. Nhan also argued that Ho Chi Minh City acts as a bridge in the relationship between Vietnam and the US, and that the city will accompany, listen, and work with foreign businesses so that they are truly satisfied with the citys policies and business environment. Panaji: Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is set to visit his relatives in a 200-year-old ancestral house in Margao town during his India visit. The Portuguese PM will also undertake a trip to Goa on January 11-12 as part of his visit. "Christmas has just concluded, so right now I have to clean up the house. I will spruce up the house a bit. We will prepare meal for him. But it would be a private affair. During his India visit, he needs private time with his family where he can talk to us and rest a bit," said Anna Kaarina Costa, the first cousin of the Prime Minister, who currently lives at the Costa house located on Abade Faria Road of Margao. For 55-year-old Costa from Portugal, which ruled the state till 1961, this would be his second visit to the house, the first being when he was a teen and had come with his parents. Anna, who is a hospitality industry professional, would be cooking for her cousin, whom she describes as a very low profile person. " I really dont know what his favourite food is but he is quite a foodie himself," she says remembering the time when she met him in April 2016 in Lisbon, soon after he was elected as the Prime Minister of Portugal. "He is just coming here for a quick visit. He will come here for quick meal. There is no much time to take him around," she said. He is the only cousin I have. For me to meet him, I still have to think that he is the Prime Minister, for me first he is my cousin. I could have thought of having a big bash here but I feel he should get some private time, some rest and spend some time with us, she said. At Costa House, Anna lives with her mother, husband and a daughter. "I had requests from people asking do you think he can visit us. But I told them, I cant say. Security has already asked us where he will be having food?" she said. Speaking about her Portugal trip, Anna described how the Prime Minister drove his own car to join the family in a restaurant for a meal. When asked whether she had invited him to Goa, Anna said I didnt invite him but we mentioned that Goans were waiting for him to visit and he said that he was planning a visit to Goa. He did not know which month. He said it will all depend on the government and invitations coming from here. "When we went to Portugal, we stayed with his brother. But we met him one evening at a restaurant close to his brothers place. He stays little outskirts of Lisbon. Second time we met him for my daughters birthday at his brothers house in Portugal, that time also he came driving his own car and there was not a security." For Costas Goa visit, the security from Lisbon had arrived with officials from Portuguese Consulate in Goa to see the House. They spent some 10-15 minutes and went away," she said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. FLINT, MI -- The current and past mayors of Flint each say the other has a problem telling the truth about street sweeping in the city. The city announced last month that it had gone over 61 percent of Flint streets with sweepers that had been brought into residential areas for the first time in at least seven years and said every street in the city is expected to be swept by the end of this month. Euro Motors, the exclusive importer and distributor for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in Bahrain, recently revamped its state-of-the-art service centre for Jaguar and Land Rover with a range of service and maintenance solutions. The latest initiative is in line with the companys commitment to ensure its customers understand the importance of protecting their vehicles through regularly scheduled maintenance at Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover Bahrain. The Jaguar Land Rover refurbished service centre which can handle up to 32 vehicles at a time, is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostic technology, a dedicated area for perfect-fit genuine parts and is supported by factory-trained technicians who are well-versed with Jaguar and Land Rover models. The company has also launched an online consumer education programme to help its consumers understand the benefits of vehicle care with simple tips on when and how they need to get their cars serviced and to understand the use of genuine spare parts to maintain their vehicles and keep them in top condition. These include: Tyre changes recommended every 6 months or 7,500km Wiper blade checking should be scheduled every 12 months or 13,000km Pollen filter servicing should be conducted every 6 months or 7,500 km Air filters require a service check-up every 12 months or 13,000km Oil filter changes required every 12 months or 13,000km Air conditioner check-ups every 12 months or 13,000km Brakepads should be changed at 3mm of thickness Vehicle health checks recommended every 6 months or 7,500km Fluids require top-ups every 12 months or 13,000km Batteries to be checked every 6 months or 7,500km Brake fluid changing every 36 months or 39,000km Brake discs should be changed when their condition deteriorates Stephen Lay, General Manager of Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover said: At Euro Motors we constantly invest in building awareness and providing knowledge to aid our customers in making timely maintenance decisions about their vehicles, offered through our state-of-the-art service centre. Services such as the Jaguar Land Rover SVO centre, a first for Euro Motors this year, along with the refurbishment of our service area, stands testament to our efforts to be at the forefront for our customers as the most reliable and most iconic state-of-art dealership in Bahrain. Customers can drop off their vehicles at the service centre in Sitra based on their convenience which includes the flexibility to schedule their collection and delivery times. They also get an opportunity to be introduced to several offers and campaigns designed to help customers stay more informed about their vehicles. TradeArabia News Service Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira snacked on sushi after getting glam for a high-fashion shoot in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Brazilian-American 23-year-old looked fabulous in a colorful Ottolinger gown, $565 By Far 'Claude' booties, and Anna Sheffield earrings selected by stylist Chris Horan. Before enjoying take-out from Sugarfish, make-up artist Kali Kennedy applied green eye shadow to Barbie's brwn eyes and hairstylist Sylvia Wheeler slicked her middle-parted brunette locks. Multi-tasker: Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira snacked on sushi after getting glam for a high-fashion shoot in Los Angeles on Wednesday The shoot was to promote Ferreira's film debut as green-haired, Missouri 17-year-old Bailey Butler in the pro-choice friendship flick Unpregnant, which starts streaming September 10 on HBO Max. In Emmy winner Rachel Lee Goldenberg's road trip buddy dramedy, Bailey helps drive her former BFF Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) to an abortion clinic in New Mexico. Abortion is technically legal in all 50 states - but Missouri imposes many restrictions like parental consent, mandatory counseling, and bans procedures on patients whose pregnancies have passed 'viability.' Werrrk! The Brazilian-American 23-year-old looked fabulous in a colorful Ottolinger gown, $565 By Far 'Claude' booties, and Anna Sheffield earrings selected by stylist Chris Horan Yum! Before enjoying take-out from Sugarfish, make-up artist Kali Kennedy applied green eye shadow to Barbie's brwn eyes and hairstylist Sylvia Wheeler slicked her middle-parted brunette locks The Mandalorian scene-stealer Giancarlo Esposito, The Kids Are Alright actress Mary McCormack, Clueless alum Breckin Meyer, and 13 Reasons Why star Alex MacNicoll also appear in the movie. As for when the Queens-born, Jersey-raised star will reprise her role as teenage dominatrix Kat Hernandez, production on the second season of Euphoria has been on hold ever since the March 11th script reading. 'You can always create your own path,' Barbie told Marie Claire last week. Starts streaming September 10 on HBO Max! The shoot was to promote Ferreira's film debut as green-haired, Missouri 17-year-old Bailey Butler in the pro-choice friendship flick Unpregnant 'Get ready for tears and laughs and all the good stuff in between!' In Emmy winner Rachel Lee Goldenberg's road trip buddy dramedy, Bailey helps drive her former BFF Veronica (R, Haley Lu Richardson) to an abortion clinic in New Mexico Definitely preggers: Abortion is technically legal in all 50 states - but Missouri imposes many restrictions like parental consent, mandatory counseling, and bans procedures on patients whose pregnancies have passed 'viability' Sitting pretty: The Mandalorian scene-stealer Giancarlo Esposito, The Kids Are Alright actress Mary McCormack, Clueless alum Breckin Meyer, and 13 Reasons Why star Alex MacNicoll also appear in the movie For me, and I think for a lot of people can relate to this, seeing someone that looks like you is very important on TV. But it can't be the thing that stops you if you don't see yourself in it. 'Some people are like, "Well, I never see people like me doing this." Yeah, and someone has to change it. Don't get discouraged.' Ferreira - a body positivity activist - also recently scored a gig as brand ambassador for Becca Cosmetics, and she originally got her start modeling for American Apparel. Coronavirus hiatus: As for when the Queens-born, Jersey-raised star will reprise her role as teenage dominatrix Kat Hernandez, production on the second season of Euphoria has been on hold ever since the March 11th script reading SAN FRANCISCO, U.S. and SUZHOU, China, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. (Innovent) (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases, today announced that SULINNO (adalimumab injection), a recombinant human anti-TNF- monoclonal antibody drug, has been officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis in China. SULINNO is Innovent's third monoclonal antibody drug approved by the NMPA following TYVYT (sintilimab injection) and BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection). The approval of SULINNO marks the expansion of Innovent's marketed products into the non-oncology field. There are nearly 20 million patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or psoriasis in China. Not only does this type of disease cause a decrease in these patients' physical function, life quality and social participation, but also brings heavy economic burden to their families and the society. Since the launch of adalimumab, it has been approved worldwide for the treatment of seventeen diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, psoriasis arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, crohn's disease (including pediatric crohn's disease), ulcerative colitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, uveitis, etc. The efficacy and safety of adalimumab has been well recognized globally. Adalimumab injection is widely used in the North America and Europe. It has been consistently recommended in multiple diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of these diseases, and its significant efficacy has been universally recognized. However, as the cost of the injection still exceeds the affordability of many ordinary patients, the use of adalimumab remains limited in China. SULINNO, a adalimumab biosimilar has similar clinical efficacy and safety to adalimumab, and its clinical results were published in the Inaugural Issue of The Lancet Rheumatology in 2019. The launch of SULINNO will provide more Chinese patients with high-quality and relatively affordable adalimumab injection, bringing hope and opportunities to more patients. Dr. Michael Yu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Innovent, stated: "As an example of our success with the National Major New Drug Innovation and Development Projects, SULINNO is the third monoclonal antibody drug approved by the NMPA following TYVYT (sintilimab injection) and BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection), and the first drug marketed among Innovent's non-oncology pipeline. The launch of SULINNO once again fulfilled our mission to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. We hope that this product will benefit more and more patients and families in need and improve their quality of life." About SULINNO SULINNO is an adalimumab (Humira) biosimilar and a recombinant human anti-TNF- monoclonal antibody independently developed by Innovent. TNF is a proinflammatory cytokine mainly produced by activated macrophages, natural killer cells and T lymphocytes, which is involved in inflammatory and immune responses. Anti-TNF- antibody can bind to human TNF- monomer or trimer, block TNF- binding to the cellular surface receptor, p55 and p75, and neutralize the cytotoxic effect of TNF-, thereby inhibiting the release of TNF- mediated inflammatory factors and cytokines, the adhesion and infiltration of inflammatory cells, the proliferation of fibroblasts and the activation of osteoclasts. Since the launch of adalimumab, it has been approved globally for the treatment of seventeen diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, psoriasis arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, crohn's disease (including pediatric crohn's disease), ulcerative colitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, uveitis, etc., and its efficacy and safety has been well recognized worldwide. The results of a complete pre-clinical comparison showed that SULINNO has similar in vitro biological activity (binding activity to target antigen TNF- and neutralizing activity), physicochemical property and pharmacokinetic characteristics to those of Humira. The similarities were also demonstrated in pharmacological and toxicological studies. The head-to-head clinical study comparing SULINNO and Humira conducted in patients with ankylosing spondylitis demonstrated a clinical similarity. The study results were published at Inaugural Issue of The Lancet Rheumatology in 2019. About Innovent Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent's mission is to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases. On October 31, 2018, Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK. Since its inception, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated multi-functional platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 23 valuable assets in the fields of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune diseases and other major therapeutic areas, with 3 products, TYVYT (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection) and SULINNO (adalimumab injection), on market, 1 asset under NDA review with priority review status, 4 assets in Phase III or pivotal clinical trials, and additional 15 molecules in or close to clinical trials. TYVYT (sintilimab injection) has been the only PD-1 inhibitor included in the NRDL since 2019. Innovent has built an international team with expertise in cutting-edge biological drug development and commercialization. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly, Adimab, Incyte, Alector, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Hanmi and other international partners. For more information, please visit: www.innoventbio.com. SOURCE Innovent Biologics, Inc. Related Links www.innoventbio.com Theres a lot of people in rural areas out there that really depend heavily on the post office, not just for medication but for Social Security checks and all kinds of other documents. From listening to the president, some people believe that mailing in your ballot is potentially fraught with corruption, Richardson said. Ive been mailing in my ballots for a long time, he said. He appreciates the fact that Nebraska allows voting by mail. In these days of COVID-19, Im not sure I want to go stand elbow-to-elbow with a bunch of people in a line to vote, Richardson said. When he mails in ballots, he can go on his computer beforehand and research various issues and candidates, he said. In an Aug. 28 column, Smith wrote that because the loss of universal service would be so detrimental to Nebraska, I have worked to include language in previous postal reform proposals which would limit rural closures and ensure the postal service continued to offer in-person services to communities where cuts were unavoidable. KITCHENER Investors called him Con, but they didnt know he would live up to his name. Constantinos Mathios convinced 16 people to give him a total of about $2 million for what he described as an investment in a gold mining company. Mathios kept that money for himself, using it to fund a lavish lifestyle, Crown prosecutor Simon McNaughton said on Thursday after the Waterloo man pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000. Many of the victims are from Waterloo Region, but the person who lost the most is Australian actor and comedian Ryan Kwanten. Mathios, 55, met Kwanten at a 2011 AIDS fundraiser in Los Angeles starring Elton John and later convinced the actor to hand over US$1 million for what Mathios called an opportunity only available for a select few. The fraudster, who has no prior record, moved in circles where he would meet wealthy people, McNaughton said in a previous interview. Mathios went on trial last year after pleading not guilty but decided to change his plea on Thursday. The fraud started in 2006 and went on for years. I really trusted Con, thinking that this was an awesome project, victim Larry Reichert testified at the trial, describing the investment as part ownership in a gold mine under development. I thought, Wow, a guy like me getting to be part of a gold mine. Reichert lost $96,000. Tom Bordignon testified he first met Mathios at a Tim Hortons in Kitchener. Mathios called the supposed investment a very, very good venture something I shouldnt pass up, Bordignon said. He said he told Mathios he had only a few thousand dollars to invest. He said Mathios told him he normally only accepts larger investments but would do him a favour. Mathios stressed he should invest as much as he could, Bordignon said. He wound up giving Mathios $10,000. I pretty well pulled everything out of my savings. I was convinced that I better try to put as much in as I can. Mathios told people they were buying equity stakes in a company called Blackhawk Gold or Magma Gold. He said the company owned mining stakes on land where gold had been discovered but needed capital to start mining it. He claimed the company expected to make a lot of money once it began extracting gold. Mathios said he was a securities dealer and chief executive of an investment firm that had offices around the world. Nearly all of Mathioss representations to the victims were untrue, McNaughton said. He was not a securities dealer. And his company had no office or employees. Its business address was a post office box in Waterloo. Blackhawk and Magma were real companies but Mathios was not authorized to act as their agent. Some of the victims were introduced to Mathios by family members who had trusted him. One victim was his travel agent. On one occasion she helped him sort through a difficult issue with flight booking, McNaughton said, reading from an agreed statement of facts. As a supposed thank you, he offered her an opportunity to invest with Blackhawk. He explained that this opportunity was very lucrative and not available to the general public. She and her husband gave him $18,000. Victims lost a total of $1.3 million in U.S. dollars and $577,000 in Canadian dollars. McNaughton and defence lawyer Aitan Lerner have proposed to Justice Craig Parry a two-year prison sentence and a restitution order. The sentencing date will be set later this month. The two-year position was agreed to, for my part, in large part because the COVID situation has put unique stresses on the court system, such that a plea which saves another week of trial time is highly mitigating, McNaughton said. FILE PHOTO: Employees clean a new car after a ceremony marking start of the production of a new electric Volkswagen model ID.3 in Zwickau By Paul Lienert (Reuters) - QuantumScape, the 10-year-old Silicon Valley battery startup backed by Volkswagen AG, said on Thursday it plans to go public through a reverse merger with Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp with an enterprise value of $3.3 billion. San Jose-based QuantumScape, a 2010 spinout from Stanford University, said it will form a joint venture with VW to produce solid-state battery cells, starting in 2024, for the German automaker's electric vehicles, and eventually for other carmakers. "Our ambition is to be a (battery) supplier to the industry as a whole," QuantumScape founder and Chief Executive Jagdeep Singh said in an interview. QuantumScape is the latest transportation startup to tie up with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. Recent SPAC-backed transactions include Lidar maker Luminar, electric truck maker Nikola, electric shuttle maker Canoo and electric car maker Fisker. A SPAC is a shell company that raises money through an initial public offering to buy a private operating company and take it public in a reverse merger. Shares of the Kensington SPAC jumped 68% to $17.80 at mid-day. VW has committed more than $300 million to QuantumScape. Other corporate investors include Shanghai Auto, which is partnered with VW in China, and German auto supplier Continental AG. Venture backers include Bill Gates, Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins. The Qatar Investment Authority also participated in the latest funding round. Ahead of the merger announcement, QuantumScape raised $500 million from institutional investors, led by Fidelity Management & Research. The SPAC deal is expected to close in late 2020, when the new company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol QS. QuantumScape's lithium-metal battery uses a solid ceramic electrolyte which Singh said is safer than a conventional liquid electrolyte. The design replaces the conventional graphite/silicon anode with a lithium-metal anode, speeding up the recharge to 80% capacity in just 15 minutes. Also, its energy density is much higher, exceeding 400 watt-hours per kilogram, which far surpasses 250 Wh/kg for the best current lithium-ion batteries. Kensington is a SPAC headed by investment banker Justin Mirro, a specialist in transportation-related deals who will join QuantumScape's board. Kensington's directors include Tom LaSorda, former vice chairman of Chrysler; Don Runkle, former vice chairman of Delphi, and Matt Simoncini, former CEO of Lear Corp. (Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Additional reporting by Joshua Franklin in New York; Editing by David Gregorio, Matthew Lewis and Richard Chang) HOLLAND, MI - A cold front zipping down from Canada will bring gusty, quick-changing winds that are forecast to create extremely dangerous swimming conditions along the entire length of Lake Michigans shoreline on Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said. Its predicted to be the first big wave event of meteorological fall, with waves expected to be 4 to 7 feet during the day on Thursday, and building to 8 feet by Thursday night. High waves are expected from the southern end of Lake Michigan all the way up the coast to Emmet County to the north. On Friday, waves will fall back into the 4 to 7-foot range before starting to subside Friday night. Meteorologists at the NWS Grand Rapids office didnt mince words in describing the danger to those thinking about heading into the lake for a swim the next two days. If you enter the water or walk out onto the piers, you are putting your life, and the lives of first responders, at risk. Very large waves ... strong currents, and gusty winds will make swimming, operating small craft, and venturing out onto piers extremely dangerous. Beach and pier closures are typical in this type of situation. The combination of high water levels and large waves may also result in minor flooding and erosion along the Lakeshore. Stay out of the water today and stay off the piers!! Winds and waves will build starting this morning, with waves... Posted by US National Weather Service Grand Rapids Michigan on Thursday, September 3, 2020 Specific dangers include: - Waves will wash onto piers and could sweep people into the water - Piers will be submerged at times - Beach and pier closures typical in this situation - High water levels and large waves may result in minor flooding and erosion along the Lakeshore - Strong winds and wave direction start out from the southwest Thursday morning, then switch to northwest late Thursday evening through Friday. The NWS forecast shows winds are expected to blow at 20 to 30 mph on Thursday, but some gusts could be as high as 45 mph. READ MORE Beach erosion along Lake Michigan remains serious threat despite water levels peaking Three days of legislative hearings on the crisis at the Oregon Employment Department culminated Thursday with emotional testimony from several people who described months of frustration waiting for their jobless benefits. Ive spent hours upon hours on hold. But my situation, just like so many others, is not being resolved, said Belindy Bonser, a Jackson County resident, who said she had been waiting for benefits since May and had her car repossessed. Something has to happen. Someone has to act, said Bonser, her voice breaking with emotion. Because this is unacceptable. You guys were elected to represent us and we need you more than any time Ive ever seen constituents needing their legislators. Oregon has paid more than $4 billion in unemployment benefits since the pandemic shutdown began in March, but hundreds of thousands of payments were delayed for weeks or months as the department struggled to cope with an unprecedented flood of claims. The surge Oregons unemployment spiked to an all-time high of 14.9% in April overwhelmed the departments staff and jammed its phone lines, the main way the department communicates with claimants. Tens of thousands of people are still waiting for benefits, according to the department, which says the complexity of the benefits program make it impossible to know just how many havent been paid. Underlying the departments problems is an obsolete computer system that dates to the 1990s. Beset by a decade of dysfunction, the department didnt update its technology despite receiving $86 million in federal money in 2009 to fund an upgrade. This weeks Senate committee hearings, held online because of the pandemic, didnt dwell on that key issue. Instead, the hearings focused on two long presentations from the employment department on the mechanics of benefits payments and how the pandemic has strained them. No lawmaker proposed specific reforms, though Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, suggested the state should consider reconstituting the entire employment department in light of this years failures. If there is one opportunity here, Hass said, its to take a hard look at whether were doing the agency right. Only one piece of distinct news emerged during this weeks hearings: the department plans to pay hundreds of millions of chronically delayed waiting week benefits to hundreds of thousands of laid-off or furloughed Oregonians in November, eight months after Congress authorized the payments. Oregon appears to be the only state that hasnt paid that money, which is for the first week laid-off people claim their benefits. Oregons payments have been held up by the states antique computers. Thursdays public testimony provided an emotional climax to the hearings, with workers waiting for benefits phoning in to the virtual hearing to describe the hardships they are facing. Single mother Christina Lambert said she applied for jobless benefits in April and didnt hear anything until June. Ultimately, she said she heard from a claims adjudicator who denied her benefits then dismissed her efforts to appeal. This year I couldnt afford a birthday gift for my son, Lambert testified. If it wasnt for EBT (food stamps) he probably wouldnt have had a cake. The format of Thursdays hearing was awkward. Laid-off workers called in to the online hearing and described severe problems with their benefits and confusion about their claims. But there was no opportunity for the employment department or the Senate committee to respond or offer avenues for people to address their issues. It was like a radio call-in advice show, but without the advice. After the hearing, though, the department said it contacted some of those who called in to address the problems they described. Interim employment department Director David Gerstenfeld said he felt for the people testifying Thursday. The circumstances that individuals are facing, it is heartbreaking, Gerstenfeld said during his weekly media briefing. It is a horrible situation. We absolutely recognize that. However, Gerstenfeld said that his departments problems are mostly a result of an unprecedented pandemic -- not the departments dysfunction. We are living through a huge disaster, Gerstenfeld said. I do disagree that its a disaster caused by the employment department. Multiple callers, and those submitting written testimony, said they had relied on legislators to resolve their claims when the employment department said it was unable to do so. Sen Lynn Findley, R-Vale, said that shows something is wrong with how the department is operating. The agency is experiencing a major collapse in the ability to provide Oregonians the unemployment insurance services they so desperately deserve, said Findley, who is not a member of the committee holding this weeks hearings, but asked to testify anyway. Findley blamed a lack of directional leadership from the state for the months of failures in the employment department and called for prompt action to change its direction. We have a responsibility to stop studying the issue, Findley said, and fix the problem as quickly as possible. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. As the coronavirus pandemic was ravaging New York in April, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a video proclaiming "New York loves everyone." Above footage displaying the city skyline at night, his booming voice urged city residents to persevere through the crisis, lauding a culture that embraces all - "Black and White and Brown and Asian and short and tall and gay and straight." Five months later, though, Cuomo seems to have carved out an exception for one New York native: President Donald Trump. "He can't have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City," Cuomo told reporters during a conference call on Wednesday evening. "Forget bodyguards. He better have an army if he thinks he's going to walk down the streets in New York." After Trump moved to slash federal funding from several cities his administration labeled as "anarchist jurisdictions" late Wednesday, specifically singling out New York, Cuomo shot back. The commander in chief, he said, was "persona non grata" in their shared hometown. "From the point of view of New York City, [Trump] has been the worst president," Cuomo said. "President Ford said drop dead. President Trump has been actively trying to kill New York City ever since he was elected." The sharp comments - perhaps Cuomo's strongest rebuke yet - raised so many eyebrows online that a senior adviser to the governor later had to issue a clarification: No, Trump would not literally need protection on the streets of Manhattan, he said. The president had simply abandoned New York, he claimed. But Cuomo's words nonetheless underscore just how frosty the president's connection to his hometown has become. Trump, for his part, had already complained about being "treated very badly" by New York political leaders when he moved his official residence to Florida last year. As protests about police brutality and racial injustice have swept across the nation this summer, Trump has repeatedly urged a crackdown on the unrest - a move that many critics view as an intentional part of his campaign strategy. He amped it up a notch this week. As The Washington Post's Jeff Stein reported, the White House's Wednesday memo signaled his intention to restrict federal funding from places the administration labels "anarchist jurisdictions." The document instructed the Justice Department to identify cities that have allowed "themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones," including through moves to "defund the police." The White House highlighted ongoing unrest in four coastal metropolises: Portland, Ore.; Seattle; Washington, D.C. - and, of course, New York. The Democratic leaders of those jurisdictions were quick to punch back. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said the document was "an attempt to distract" from the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 182,000 people in the United States. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called it "a new low, even for this president," while a spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed it as a "racist campaign stunt." But no one on Wednesday had harsher words for Trump than Cuomo, who said the president had been "dismissed as a clown" by New York and was now trying to act like a king. "The best thing he did for New York City," Cuomo said, "was leave." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. A native of the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens, Trump spent much of his adult life in the five boroughs, eventually climbing to prominence as a real estate scion in the 1980s. After he had stamped his name on skyscrapers around town, Trump was so tied to the city's reputation that he made a brief cameo in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." Yet nearly three years after nearly 80% of the deep-blue city voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Trump established a pattern of criticizing the city's policies and moved his residency to Florida. The White House's Wednesday memo continued on those attacks, seizing on New York's recent rise on crime. The memo claimed that state and local officials allowed looting to go on for a week and bemoaning a year-over-year surge in shootings. After the New York City Council slashed its $6 billion police budget by about $1 billion, it noted, the agency disbanded some anti-crime units but rejected the White House's offer to send in federal law enforcement. Cuomo did not address that point on the conference call, instead concentrating largely on the federal government's much criticized response to the pandemic. Amid some Trump-Cuomo family feuding, the governor did get personal - fast. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump had demanded that CNN fire the governor's brother, Chris Cuomo, over a Fox News report that the TV host has once been accused of sexual harassment. Hours later on the conference call, the governor brought up an audio recording of the president's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, lambasting her brother, that was published by The Post's Michael Kranish last month. "Those that know him best like him least. That's true about New York City, that's true about his own family," Cuomo said. "His sister, a former federal judge, is disgraced by him. What does that say about a person?" Rouhani: US will get nowhere in its attempt with UN Security Council IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 2, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the US will get nowhere in its attempt with the UN Security Council to restore UN sanctions on Iran. Addressing the Wednesday cabinet ministers' meeting, Rouhani termed these attempts as only propaganda campaign and assured the people that the Government and especially diplomats in the Foreign Ministry will spare no efforts to thwart the US propaganda campaign in this regard. The US sanctions aimed to defeat Iran in economy domain and make Iran give up to their unworthy demands, he added. He noted that despite problems and the outbreak of coronavirus, the Central Bank of Iran has so far paid $14.5 billion for basic goods meaning that the Iranian economy sounds well. Elsewhere in his remarks, President Rouhani referred to JCPOA joint commission meeting convened in Vienna on Tuesday, saying P4+1 explicitly declared standing by Iran nuclear deal. US has no right for abusing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action when it has pulled out of the deal two years ago. The US has also punished any state which had been committed to UNSCR 2231, President Rouhani said. He referred to his recent phone conversation with president of the UN Security Council, Dian Triansyah Djani, saying UNSC chief also believed that US has no right to take advantage of such an opportunity. It was unprecedented in the history that a country stands against US politically and legally and is able to defeat the US for several times. On domestic issues, President Rouhani said that the Government will provide the students with free internet for online classes. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that Washington delivered a letter to the UN for snapback invocation against Iran to bring back sanctions in 30 days. Referring to the process of restoration of sanctions against Iran, Pompeo added that "we are confident that the trigger mechanism will be implemented against Iran". This is while, France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3) announced in a statement that they will not support the US in snapback invocation which is incompatible with the collective efforts to support Iran nuclear deal. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A TRIAL one-way road system in Caversham is to be scrapped less than two weeks after it was introduced. Residents and businesses had slammed the scheme, saying it caused traffic chaos and was dangerous. The changes in Gosbrook Road and Westfield Road were introduced by Reading Borough Council to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists in response to the coronavirus pandemic. But on Wednesday the council announced that it would be removing the one-way system this week in response to criticism and apologised. Residents had said the roads became heavily congested and that some cyclists and motorcyclists had mounted pavements and driven the wrong way. They feared the problem would get even worse with the return of schools this week. A Facebook group was set up calling for the scheme to be abolished and gathered 700 members in the first two days. The council said it was responding to concerns raised by the community after seeing first-hand the dangerous behaviour of a minority of motorists. Work to reverse the temporary scheme is expected to be completed by the end of the week. The scheme was one part of a wider package of Active Travel schemes introduced in Reading under temporary powers afforded to all councils by the Government in response to the pandemic. The intention is to make social distancing easier by creating more road space for pedestrians and cyclists, while recognising the on-going restrictions on the capacity of public transport. The Government awarded funding to councils, including Reading, to implement road schemes. Both the funding and road schemes were awarded under temporary powers which did not allow for the usual extensive period of consultation with residents prior to implementation. The Gosbrook Road and Westfield Road scheme was specifically designed to alleviate pressures on social distancing caused by narrow pavements in the area, which are also on routes to schools. Delays caused by a large number of councils attempting to source the same road infrastructure at the same time meant the scheme was delayed by more than six weeks. The council said this resulted in much higher traffic levels than anticipated at the point the scheme was introduced. This then created traffic bottlenecks throughout Caversham. Ward councillors has been passing feedback from residents and businesses to the council, leading to the decision to reverse the scheme. Councillor Tony Page, the councils lead member for strategic environment, planning and transport, said: I would like to apologise to residents and businesses in Caversham for the obvious disruption and inconvenience caused by the introduction of this temporary scheme. We are now moving swiftly to reverse it due to the widespread lack of support in the area. The scheme was well intentioned to make travelling by bike or walking easier in response to the pandemic, which was important in the narrow pavements and streets of Caversham. I would like to thank ward councillors who I know have been out speaking to local residents and businesses about the scheme and feeding back those views to the council. We have listened to those views and the old layout will be back in place by the end of this week. The one-way system meant that: Gosbrook Road was open only to traffic travelling west between the Archway Road junction and Westfield Road and there was a 20mph speed limit. The lane previously used by eastbound traffic was for pedestrians and cyclists only. Westfield Road was one-way southbound with a 20mph speed limit and traffic-calming measures in places to narrow it. At the bottom end vehicles could turn left or right on to Gosbrook Road. Residents said the effect was that anyone travelling from Caversham Bridge to Lower Caversham had to follow the one-way system and that Westfield Road was so busy it is dangerous. Sara Fullbrook, who lives in Westfield Road, said it caused traffic jams as there wasnt the road space. Traffic had been queued up her road, up Gosbrook Road and up Peppard Road. This doesnt help the cars, it doesnt help the pedestrians and it doesnt help the cyclists, she said. Mrs Fullbrook, who is disabled and an asthmatic, was also worried about schoolchildren who used the area. She said that on one day last week a lorry mounted the pavement as the driver turned right from Westfield Road into Gosbrook Road. She said: Apparently there have been bicycles and motorcycles on the pavements. A bus went the wrong way up Gosbrook Road and Ive seen cars going up Westfield Road the wrong way. The big problem is the premise in the first place. This was to make it better for cyclists and pedestrians but cyclists would go along the riverside shared path or just go round the back roads. Pedestrians would go via South Street and then continue along South View Avenue. Mrs Fullbrook said the scheme would cause problems for parents dropping children at Thameside Primary School in Harley Road as they would need to rejoin Gosbrook Road from Wolsey Road. There were also businesses in Wolsey Road that had heavy goods vehicles coming and going and it was the only delivery route to the Iceland store in Church Street. Mrs Fullbrook believed the scheme was a misuse of the Governments emergency funding provided to councils. She added: Theres no extra space for pedestrians on Prospect Street or Westfield Road. Prospect Street has got 50 per cent more traffic on it and Westfield used to be a road where only really vans and cars would drive. Now we have got all the heavy goods vehicles that need to get to the businesses in Wolsey Road and St Martins Precinct so they come down our road. I can see an accident happening any day now we have had several near-misses already. Charlie Holloway, who started the Facebook group, said the scheme had caused long queues along Gosbrook Road as far back as Reading Bridge during rush hour. On one occasion, a lorry became stuck trying to turn from Gosbrook Brook into Wolsey Road because there wasnt enough room. She said: By blocking one side of Gosbrook Road they have made it even more narrow. A friend of mine said he waited half an hour to get out of Waitrose. Whoever designed this has clearly never been to Caversham or lived anywhere near or even visited it. A year seven geography class could have designed a better plan than this. Businesses were also affected. Ashly Catlin, managing director of water jet manufacturer Robojet in Gosbrook Road, said his vehicles had always had to stop outside the premises and then cross over into the other carriageway in order to reverse in. There would have been significant difficulties getting customers and delivery vehicles in and out. He said he was glad that common sense had prevailed. Mr Catlin said: The distress and expense that the installation of this system has caused has been unfortunate for both the businesses and residents of Caversham and a lesson should be learned by the council. This process has created a great deal of distrust between the community, the businesses and the council. It has been a regrettable experience and has caused a lot of unhappiness and it has also been, presumably, a considerable waste of money. A petition against the scheme was started by the Reading Cycle Campaign and gathered about 1,000 signatures. Reading Buses pink 25 service travelling towards the town was using Westfield Road but will now return to Prospect Street. By Radovan Stoklasa PEZINOK, Slovakia (Reuters) - A Slovak court on Thursday found a politically connected businessman not guilty of charges that he ordered the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, a case that shook the nation and brought down longtime premier Robert Fico. The court convicted another defendant guilty of taking part in the murder but did not find evidence the hit was ordered by businessman Marian Kocner, the main focus of the investigation. The killing of Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova forced then-prime minister Fico to step down and ushered in a new government in March this year whose main election promise was to clean up corruption and sleaze. The couple were gunned down in their home outside Bratislava in February 2018, a killing that mirrored the murder in Malta four months earlier of another journalist investigating corruption, Daphne Caruana Galizia. Bringing Kuciak's killers to justice has been a test of Slovakia's judicial and political system, long seen as susceptible to corruption. Prosecutors said Kocner, the subject of Kuciak's reporting on graft involving politically connected business people, had ordered the killing of the reporter. Kocner denied the charge. The court also acquitted Kocner's acquaintance Alena Zsuzsova, who was accused with helping arrange the hit. "It was not proven that the deed was committed by Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova," judge Ruzena Sabova said. Families of the victims left the courtroom right after the verdict on Kocner as the judge kept reading details of the decision. The court sentenced another defendant, Tomas Szabo, to 25 years in prison for helping carry out the murder. Two others have already been convicted in the case after admitting guilt. One of them, a former soldier, received 23 years in prison for killing Kuciak and his girlfriend, while a fifth suspect admitted to facilitating the murder and was given a 15-year sentence. [nL8N2BU4YG][nL8N2941L6] Story continues The investigation has forced the resignation of several senior politicians and judicial officials on account of their previous links to Kocner. Kocner, who is well known in Slovak business and political circles, has already received a 19-year sentence in a separate case after being convicted of forging 69 million euros in promissory notes. He has appealed that decision. [nL8N2AC4L3] (Reporting by Radovan Stoklasa, and Jason Hovet and Robert Muller in Prague; Editing by Jan Lopatka and Mark Heinrich) Different responses to the Covid epidemic in Oregon and Idaho along with cross-border spread of the virus boosted local cases of the infection and complicated the response by Malheur County health officials. While Malheur County is culturally and politically aligned with its Idaho neighbors, Covid restrictions in each state vary based on two divergent approaches. Idaho adopted a regional approach to the Covid crisis and pushed authority to fight the virus down to the county level. Oregon, meanwhile, is following mandates set statewide by Gov. Kate Brown and her health advisors. Sarah Poe, director of the Malheur County Health Department, warned in a web posting of the risks because of Idaho. Even though there are fewer restrictions in Idaho and people who live or work in Malheur County could attend large gatherings and be in public around others without protecting each other with face coverings, they absolutely shouldnt, Poe said. The risk of rising Idaho cases to the health and reopening of Malheur County is real. Malheur County saw a sudden surge in Covid cases in July. The county recorded the third-highest number of cases per capita in the state and that compelled the Malheur County Court to limit the size of indoor and outdoor gatherings. The steps didnt work and earlier this month Gov. Kate Brown moved the county back a level in its reopening efforts. The switch to Phase I came as Malheur Countys cumulative positive testing rate hovered around 19%. While lines on a map delineate the two states, Malheur County and western Idaho are very much the same community. As many as 5,200 Idaho residents worked in Malheur County in 2017, accounting for 35% of all employees in the county, and 1,500 of Malheur County residents, 5% of all residents, work in Idaho, according to a 2019 report from Christopher Rich, Oregon Employment Department regional economist. One large pull of employees from across the border is Snake River Correctional Institution, which employs 71% of its 870 workers from Idaho, according to the state Department of Corrections. With Covid cases mounting, local health officials suspected many of the countys cases may be linked to known Idaho Covid cases. But the Malheur County Health Department had no way of linking a local Covid case to a known Idaho case. It was just showing up in our numbers as sporadic spread even though that person could be in quarantine and in close contact with an Idaho case, said Poe, the county health director. Sporadic cases are a key benchmark used by the state when it considers the severity of a COVID-19 outbreak in a county. A high sporadic case count can affect a decision to allow a county to move ahead on Oregons reopening plan. By identifying the source of more cases, fewer are listed as sporadic. Finding a way to track and link the countys sporadic cases was a high priority, said Poe. Last week the Oregon Health Authority offered to help the county do that, she said. That means the sporadic rate should go down. What we are tracking is the residents in Oregon who have connections to Idaho cases. We are not tracking Idaho cases that have connections to Oregon. So, we will certainly have more information but we will still be isolating and quarantining based on exposure, said Poe. Poe said the ability to track sporadic cases will be helpful. It gives us more insight on how we track an outbreak. So, it will show us, essentially, that even though exposure was not to somebody in Malheur County, it was a known case, said Poe. The differing standards in the two states means Oregonians are expected to wear masks and limit their social gatherings while Idaho residents largely go without such mandates. Washington County, Idaho, located just north of Ontario across the Oregon border, doesnt require residents to take any special precautions, said Kirk Chandler, county commission chair. Chandler said a low-key approach to virus restrictions was the best way to go forward. This is being manipulated so we just backed off of it and said it is your freedom. We are just kind of letting people take care of themselves. If you feel you should wear a mask, wear a mask. If you feel you should not go into a place because you are an at-risk person, dont go, he said. Chandler doesnt believe COVID-19 cases in Idaho hurt Malheur County. I dont see what we are doing here impacting you anymore that what you are doing is impacting us, said Chandler. The Payette School District, however, delayed the return to school by a day as the infection continued to spread in the community. Its schools were reopening to all students this Tuesday, and school will be held through Thursday the first week. Masks are highly recommended for all staff and students when physical distancing is not possible, and instruction is not compromised, according to the districts website. Gov. Kate Brown recently suggested that counties in Oregon and Idaho along the border should work together on a joint response to the crisis. Chandler doesnt believe establishing a common policy in the border area is necessary. I dont see why we would get together as a group of counties other than just what we are trying to do politically to get out of it, he said. He sees the politics as an added challenge to the pandemic. Its turned into a political thing that has nothing to do with the disease and the disease is just a way to control people, said Chandler. Malheur County Judge Dan Joyce said he hasnt reached out to his counterparts in Payette or Washington counties as suggested by the governor. Joyce said creating template for Malheur, Payette and Washington counties to address the virus outbreak would be difficult. I am not sure how that works, he said. Oregons system is different than Idahos system. Their structure is more like it is left up to the counties and the cities to set the rules. Joyce said he isnt sure just how much impact Idahos COVID-19 cases have on Malheur County. I dont think there is any science, he said. Poe said while Idaho cases are impacting Malheur Countys pandemic response, transmission of the virus goes both ways. We have people who live in Malheur County who have exposed people in Idaho and people who live in Idaho who have exposed people in Malheur County, said Poe. The key difference, she said, is in the population between Malheur County and the counties closest to it in Idaho. Despite its geographic location, Malheur County is part of the greater Boise metro area where 730,426 people live, work and play. It is just a tremendous difference 700,000 people versus 30,000 people in Malheur County, said Poe. The geographic challenge isnt unique to Malheur County, said Marissa Morrison Hyer, press secretary for Idaho Gov. Brad Little. We have similar issues in different communities whether on the Utah border or the west side of the state with Oregon and Idaho, she said. Little isnt focused on a cross-border cooperation, she said, but instead has adopted a more regional response. Morrison Hyer said there has been discussion with Southwest District Health the agency that oversees Canyon, Payette and Washington counties about limited gatherings and closing taverns, but no decision has been made. Coronavirus restrictions are an issue that the governor tasked the public health districts to address, she said. Overall, said Morrison Hyer, Little delegated the pandemic response to local public health districts to address. Poe said local governments are critical in the fight to overcome coronavirus. The role of government is not to say you are on your own but to protect people they represent, said Poe. The Mad Butcher has distanced itself from a comment on Pornhub advertising its products, saying it's real prices are far more reasonable than the fake advert suggests. A screenshot posted on social media showed the comment on a pornographic video from someone with the username "MadButcherNZ". Holy moly! That girl really does love her meat and so do we, "That's why this week we're offering fresh tegal chicken breast at only $9.99 a kilo!" Mad Butcher chief executive Michael Morton told Newshub that his company had "nothing to do" with the comment. "With social media platforms today these types of posts can be done quite easily and you have no control over them and what is posted," Morton said on Thursday. "The large majority of people will know Mad Butcher would not revert to a porn site to advertise plus our special price for chicken breasts is well under $9.99kg," he said. If the Mad Butcher did decide to advertise to a more adult audience, it could see some engagement. Data from Pornhub in 2019 showed New Zealanders spend more time on Pornhub than most of the world - an average of 10 minutes and 30 seconds, which is 30 seconds longer than the rest of the world. New Zealand also ranks 27th for most visits to the porn site - despite being 125th for population - Newshub South Africa: W Cape old age homes record fewer COVID-19 cases The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) has recorded an increase in COVID-19 recoveries and a decline in the number of infections across old age homes in the province. The province, which was once the epicentre of the novel Coronavirus, said it would continue to monitor infection rates by monitoring strict health and safety protocols. The Shadow Minister of the DSD for the Western Cape, Sharna Fernandez, has thanked all the elderly people who are currently residing at the funded and unfunded facilities, and their families for the role that they have played in preventing the further spread of the virus. I am cognisant of the challenges this pandemic has posed for all those people who live and work at old age homes. One particular challenge is that many older persons have not been able to visit or have family members visit them for months, she said. There are 300 nursing homes, 117 of which are funded by the provincial DSD. According to the department, 1 430 pensioners recovered from COVID-19, while 100 were reported to still be infected by the virus as of 31 August. This shows an increase of 72 recoveries and a decrease of eight infections compared to last week, the provincial department said. The provinces oldest resident, who currently lives at the Kensington Old Age Home, Dinah Fourie, 102, also beat COVID-19 and is fully recovered after testing positive. This is just one of the many success stories of hope and a story that highlights that when we all join hands to fight towards a common goal, much can be achieved, Fernandez said. The provincial department has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the rights and dignity of older citizens across the province are protected. If family members or staff working at these facilities believe there are cases of ill-treatment, we urge you to report it to our department so that the matter can be followed up, said Fernandez. The department has also developed mechanisms for monitoring of services in residential facilities and community-based centres. Additional services being offered by the department include the protection of the rights of older persons to be free from elder abuse, mindful of the various economic circumstances that impact negatively on the quality of life and well-being of older persons, the department said. The provincial DSD has budgeted R 250 million towards services for the elderly. Over and above this support, the department has also reprioritised funding to ensure that various services and facilities, both funded and unfunded, are equipped with the necessary resources to prevent further spread of the COVID-19. An additional R 1.7 million has been made available for old age homes for the management of the pandemic. The department has also distributed 150 000 masks, 5 000 shield masks, 10 000 bars of soap and 18 000 all-purpose cleaner bottles and 50 litres of sanitisers per home across the province. They also deployed volunteers to deep clean with a focus on homes in vulnerable communities and hotspot areas. Fernandez is once again encouraging the public to frequently wash their hands and wear masks when leaving their homes. It is also crucial to clean all surfaces around you whether at home or work. Lets do everything we can to ensure that we stop the further spread of the virus and protect those who are older and live with high-risk comorbidities, Fernandez said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Attorney General William Barr steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Justice Department Conducting Very Big Voter Fraud Investigations, Barr Says The Department of Justice is conducting several very big voter fraud investigations in multiple states, Attorney General William Barr told CNN in an interview aired on Sept. 2. I know there are a number of investigations right now, some very big ones, in states, Barr said in response to a question about how many voter fraud indictments the Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought on his watch. Barr said he did not know the exact number. At least 32 people have been criminally convicted of voter fraud in 2019, according to a database maintained by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. The attorney general made the remarks as part of a tense exchange with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer about mail-in voting. Barr has repeatedly said that mass mail-in voting is an invitation for voter fraud and coercion. Blitzer pressed the attorney general for evidence that this will be the case in 2020. Barr pointed to a recent conviction in Texas over 1,700 fraudulent ballots and noted that widespread evidence isnt available because the United States has never attempted an election with the kind of massive access to mail-in voting available in 2020. At least 83 percent of American voters, or roughly 100 million people, will be able to vote by mail in the 2020 election, according to a tally by The Washington Post. We havent had the kind of widespread use of mail-in ballots as being proposed, Barr said. Weve had absentee ballots from people who request them from a specific address. Now what were talking about is mailing them to everyone on the voter list, when everyone knows those voter lists are inaccurate. Barr referenced the findings of a nonpartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, which determined in 2005 that mail-in voting creates the potential for voter fraud and opens the door to coercion if activists or party workers are allowed to handle ballots. Carter recently issued a statement to point out that the commissions key finding was that states should invest in more research on mail-in voting. The former president encouraged states to invest resources to expand voting by mail. More than 43 percent of likely American voters would not trust in the integrity of an election if all voters automatically received ballots or ballot request forms by mail, according to an Epoch Times National Poll conducted in late August. This is playing with fire, Barr said. Were a very closely divided country here and people have to have confidence in the results of the election and the legitimacy of the government. And people trying to change the rules to this methodologywhich as a matter of logic is very open to fraud and coercionis reckless and dangerous, Barr said. President Donald Trump opposes a universal vote-by-mail election, arguing that its an invitation for fraud and opens the door to Election Day chaos due to the inefficiency of the U.S. Postal Service. Democrats are waging a well-funded legal campaign across the nation to make it easier to vote by mail beyond absentee ballots. They are litigating at least 80 of the more than 100 vote-by-mail court cases across the nation. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said his party has more than 600 lawyers working on election-related cases. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to expedite the hearing of Aadhaar cases challenging the constitutional validity of the scheme but observed that data collection by private agencies is not a good idea. A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar made the remarks after senior advocate Shyam Divan sought urgent hearing of the plea citing privacy concern. We are not inclined to give immediate hearing as there are limited resources but biometric data collection by private agencies is not a great idea, the bench also comprising Justices N V Ramana and D Y Chandrachud said. Divan, who represented one of the petitioners, said that these matters needs urgent hearing as there is individuals privacy concern as biometric datas are being collected by private agencies. The apex court had on October 15, 2015 lifted its earlier restrictions and permitted voluntary use of Aadhaar cards in welfare schemes that also included MGNREGA, all pension schemes and provident fund, besides ambitious flagship programmes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna of the NDA government. The social welfare schemes, aimed at reaching the door steps of the poorest of the poor, were in addition to LPG and PDS schemes in which the apex court had allowed the voluntary use of Aadhaar cards. A five-judge constitution bench had put a caveat in its interim order for the Centre and said that Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary and not mandatory till the matter is finally decided by this court, this way or the other way. It had said that that a larger bench was required to be set up for final disposal of the petitions that also include the question as to whether the right to privacy is fundamental right. A three-judge bench had on August 11, 2015 referred a batch of petitions, challenging the Aadhaar card scheme, to a larger bench for an authoritative view on the question as to whether the right to privacy is fundamental right or not and had also restricted the use of Aadhaar to PDS and LPG scheme only. UIDAI, established by UPA-2 in 2009, issues Aadhaar cards to the citizens. Under the programme, every citizen is to be provided a 12-digit unique identification number for which biometric information is collected. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jacob Rees-Mogg played a snippet of Rule, Britannia! in the House of Commons to celebrate the BBC reversing its decision about the Last Night Of The Proms. The Commons Leader held his mobile phone close to the microphone near the despatch box and pressed play, ensuring MPs heard the words: When Britain first, at heavens command. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to joke Mr Rees-Mogg had broken the values of the House, and teased: How dare he. Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory will now be sung at the concert, following weeks of debate. The BBC previously said the pieces would feature without lyrics, following controversy over their perceived historical links with colonialism and slavery, but they will now be performed by a select group of vocalists. The BBC announced the U-turn one day after Tim Davie took over as director-general. Mr Rees-Mogg told the Speaker: I of course apologise for any offence I may have given the House, but when Britain first, at heavens command, arose from out the azure main, this was the anthem of the land and guardian angels sang this strain. Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves, and Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. Expand Close Members of the audience during the Last Night Of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London (Guy Bell/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the audience during the Last Night Of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London (Guy Bell/PA) Video of the Day And let us hope the BBC will recognise the virtues of Britannia in this land of hope and glory. Mr Rees-Mogg was replying to Conservative colleague Joy Morrissey (Beaconsfield), who suggested the BBC had used a smokescreen set of excuses for its original decision to mask yet another virtue-signalling capitulation to political correctness. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed the country is going through an orgy of national embarrassment about its traditions and history. Later in Business Questions, Labour MP Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) quipped: I was very disappointed with (Mr Rees-Moggs) little musical stunt with his mobile phone earlier on a clear case I thought of Britannia waives the rules. Nothing is slipping through the cracks on the set of Love Island USA, according to its host Arielle Vandenberg. The popular dating shows second American series is taking place inside a villa atop The Cromwell hotel in Las Vegas instead of its usual island location of Fiji due to the coronavirus pandemic. Actress and model Vandenberg said the contestants, presenters and crew had quarantined for weeks ahead of filming and had received multiple tests for the virus. Speaking during an online Q&A, the 33-year-old said: Definitely it is different but we are making it happen. Its been so incredible that we are actually able to do this. We have all been quarantining for weeks and have had multiple Covid tests, and literally nothing is slipping through the cracks here. We are in a Love Island bubble and I wouldnt have it any other way. Love Island USA will air on ITV2 from this month after both the summer and winter series of Love Island UK were cancelled amid uncertainty surrounding Covid-19. However, ITV bosses have said the show will return for an extended run next summer. The American version is going ahead with increased measures to combat the spread of coronavirus on set. Vandenberg, who will be joined by narrator Matthew Hoffman for the second series, said the shows location brought a new energy to the show. She added: Dont get me wrong, Fiji was amazing, but its really cool having this show set in Vegas because Vegas, we all know, has this energy about it. Story continues Even when you are not there you know it has an energy. And then you get here and you are like Oh my gosh. It is electric. We have the most epic villa. They created this house on top of the hotel and it is so beautiful. You have this awesome view of the Las Vegas strip and it brings a whole new light and energy to the show. Obviously it is so beautiful in Fiji but this looks so good. Like the UK version of the show, the villa features a hideaway, where couples can spend time alone together, a firepit and a sizeable pool. Love Island USA begins at 9pm on ITV2 on Monday September 7. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim asserted Malaysias sovereignty over Sabah, following attempts by the Philippine government to challenge its claim. The attempts by some Philippines officials to question Malaysia's sovereignty over Sabah are unwelcome, said Anwar in a statement on Thursday. Sabah is unequivocally a part of Malaysia. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently expressed interest to revive its North Borneo Affairs Office, after Malaysia filed a diplomatic protest over the Philippines territorial claims on Sabah (formerly known as North Borneo) and the Kalayaan Group of Islands. I remember an old bureau within the DFA exclusively devoted to the issue," said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin in a Twitter post last Aug. 31. "Wonder if its still up. Will resurrect or revitalize it. Anwar defended his countrys efforts in maintaining its claim on the territory. I support efforts by our government to assert Malaysias territorial integrity in all regional and international bodies, he said. Malaysians are united in defending every inch of our territory. Anwar added that Malaysia and the Philippines should focus instead on fighting the pandemic. Now is not the time for political grandstanding and unprovoked sabre-rattling," Anwar said. "It is the time for an unwavering focus on fighting COVID-19, supporting the millions of poor and marginalized families impacted by the economic crisis. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti have arrived at the White House to attend a meeting as part of long-running negotiations between the Balkan rivals. "The United States is ready to facilitate #EconomicNormalization! the U.S. National Security Council said on September 3 in a tweet signed by national-security adviser Robert OBrien showing photos of Vucic and Hoti arriving and being greeted by Richard Grenell, the U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations. The United States has stressed that the talks on September 3 and 4 will focus on economic development and job creation, a special adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump said on September 1 during a call with reporters. The official said tackling political disputes between Serbia and Kosovo has failed to yield results, and the United States aims to focus on tangible economic issues that will help people on the ground. The official said the United States was also focused on implementing the air, rail, and motor agreements between the two sides that have already been reached. However, Serbias Finance Minister Sinisa Mali told reporters in Washington that "mutual recognition" has been put high on the agenda of the talks, and all 16 points on a list of topics to be discussed are political, not economic. "Economic topics are obviously not a priority as we expected," said Mali, who is a member of the Serbian delegation in Washington. "This is the worst proposal we have seen so far in the history of our talks with the Albanians. But we will not give up and we will fight," Mali said, adding that the pressure on the Serbian delegation was "great but Serbia will "fight for every sentence and every word" during the talks in Washington. Kosovo, which has an ethnic-Albanian majority, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 in a move rejected by Belgrade. Grenell said on Twitter shortly after the talks began that it was not true that he had presented Vucic with a document to sign regarding Kosovo's independence. Both Kosovo and Serbia, which aspire to join the European Union, have been facing mounting pressure from the West to reboot negotiations. Washington stepped up its involvement in Serbia-Kosovo negotiations last year in a process that runs parallel to nearly a decade of EU-mediated normalization efforts. The EU-brokered talks have produced multiple agreements seeking to normalize relations in the region, although many of them have not been implemented. In July, Vucic and Hoti held their first face-to-face negotiations in 20 months under an EU-mediated dialogue process after Kosovo lifted import tariffs on Serbian goods. At those talks, the two sides focused on issues of missing and displaced persons as well as economic cooperation. The boss of one of Britains biggest housebuilders has insisted the rally in the property market has further to run after reporting a surge in demand for new homes. David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments, said house sales are bouncing back faster than expected after the lockdown was lifted. The firm revealed the damage caused by the Covid-19 crisis to its bottom line, with profits slumping by 46 per cent to 492million in the year to the end of June. David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments, said house sales are bouncing back faster than expected after the lockdown was lifted It built almost a third fewer homes over this period, after construction sites were temporarily shut down earlier this year to curb the spread of the virus. It said it would not be paying shareholders a special dividend for the year, amid concerns over rising unemployment and the prospect of a No Deal Brexit. But it also revealed it is selling homes at a much more rapid rate than it was a year ago, with orders for 15,660 homes, compared with 13,064 at the same point last year. Thomas said: We expect good demand in the long term. The Government Help to Buy programme is providing a very accessible, very affordable way for people to get on to the housing ladder, and the stamp duty holiday through to March is providing some extra stimulus. The upbeat comments came as Nationwide revealed house prices had jumped to a record high in August, after registering the biggest monthly rise in more than 16 years. The average house price rose 2 per cent or almost 3,200 to hit 224,123. It followed a 1.8 per cent increase in July and means house prices have already clawed back their losses during the lockdown. Property experts attributed the recovery to the release of pent-up demand during the lockdown, a demand for more properties with more space, and the Chancellors stamp-duty holiday on homes worth up to 500,000. But they have also warned house prices could be dragged down again over the autumn as the Governments furlough scheme ends. Advertisement The latest gadget for anyone wanting to be a James Bond villain could hit the waves in the shape of a 52 million hyper yacht complete with a free 4 million Bugatti Chiron supercar. The ultimate high prestige Xenos super boat is expected to attract the mega rich who will head to glittering ports such as Monaco and St Tropez. Although still on the drawing board the yacht is reminiscent of the vessel used by the Bond villain and Spectre operative Emilio Largo in 1965's Thunderball. The team at Lazzarini Design Studio hope to create the 52 million Xenos super yacht Owners of the 52 million super yacht will also receive a free Bugatti Chiron worth 4 million It is planned to house the Bugatti in an on-deck garage so owners can simply drive into the harbour Lazzarini Design Studio is the team behind the fantasy boat which they claim will have a top speed of more than 100mph thanks to a 15,000 horsepower engine. It is planned to build the 130-foot vessel from aluminium and carbon to add to the sleekness and lightness of the boat. According to the Lazzarini team it has been 'designed for comfortable high speed cruises.' The sleek black and chrome yacht is set to have auto-tinting windows, roof mounted solar panels and also be available as an electric powered model. It is expected that, if it ever leaves the drawing board, that the Xenos will easily cope with rough waters thanks to its ability to swap between a conventional hull and hydrofoils. It is hoped that the 52 million yacht will be able to operate with a conventional hull or on hydrofoils reaching 90 knots Jet skis are also included aboard the luxury boat which is sure to attract the mega rich The Xenos is still on the drawing board but the Lazzarini design team aim to make it the peak of luxury The Xenos will have sleek lines and it is planned to make it from aluminium and carbon And with the designers claiming that Xenos, which means different in Ancient Greek, will reach speeds of 90 knots it will make it the fastest 130-foot long yacht in the world. Not content with simply providing the ultimate luxury on the waves Lazzarini also plan to add a free Bugatti Chiron to the package. This piece de resistance is sure to be a major selling point as there are only 500 of the supercars in the world. With only 500 Bugatti Chirons in the world the lure of one of the supercars for free with the yacht will be a big selling point The car will be stored in an on-deck garage with a folding ramp to allow owners to drive straight off the yacht into the harbour. The Bugatti Chiron last year became the first car in the world to go over 300mph. Last year Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace reached a speed of 490.48km/h (304.77mph) at the Volkswagen testing circuit at Ehra-Lessien, in Germany. Designers at Lazzarini said: 'The Hyper car is nicely included in the price of the Xenos - the world's first Hyper yacht.' Christians living in countries in which they are the minority are being denied potentially life saving government aid. In the countries of India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines, Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Gulf Region, starving Christians are being ostracized by their community and refused any of the aid that the government is providing. David Curry, CEO of Open Doors has stated that the Coronavirus pandemic has served as a "catalyst for faith-based discrimination internationally." Village and community leaders receive support packages from the government, and choose to distribute to all but religious minorities such as Christians, oftentimes even using it as a source of blackmail to attempt to revert Christians to their former religions. Open Doors is doing its best to support Christians around the world through their local teams and partner networks. They are currently working to bring aid to approximately 9,000 families in need across the globe, and have a goal to help an additional 25,000 to 50,000 families in the next few months. The Open Doors' East Africa director, explained the great importance of bringing life changing aid to believers in need: "If the persecuted church is not strengthened and supported at this time, then the enemy will not sleep to dismantle and take advantage against believers ... For many new, weak and troubled believers, it would be difficult to stand strong." GREENSBORO For Jill Biden, listening to a Page High School teacher talk about the challenges of online teaching fell within her role as a surrogate for her husband on the presidential campaign trail. On the other hand, it was more than relevant to her other job, too. "I am hoping that if I have the honor of being first lady that I will be, you know, back in the classroom teaching remotely just like many of you," said Biden, who took a leave of absence from her job teaching English to community college students in northern Virginia. On Wednesday, Biden led a virtual roundtable discussion on education that featured local educators and others. While the coronavirus pandemic has limited how much the Bidens travel, they are relying on events like Wednesday's virtual roundtable to take the place of what might have been campaign stops in swing states such as North Carolina. Justin Scarbro, a Page High School teacher, talked about the difficulty of trying to connect with students online versus the classroom. "I think that its easy to lose some of what you remember you loved through a computer screen," he said. BERLIN: A critic of President Vladimir Putin who fell into a coma in Russia and is being treated in Berlin was attacked with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent, a German government spokesman said on Wednesday. Tests conducted at a German military laboratory produced "unequivocal evidence" that Alexei Navalny, Russia`s most prominent opposition figure, had been poisoned with Novichok, Steffen Seibert said in an emailed statement. An agent of the same family was used two years ago to poison a Russian defector living in Britain. "The federal government will inform its partners in the EU and NATO of the results of the investigation," Seibert added. "It will discuss an appropriate joint response with the partners in the light of the Russian response." Russia is already under Western sanctions after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine six years ago, and another stand-off with European nations or the United States may hurt its economy further. Russian prosecutors said last Thursday they saw no need for a criminal investigation as they had found no sign that any crime had been committed. The Russian rouble extended losses against the euro after the German government statement. Navalny, 44, was airlifted to Germany late last month after collapsing on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow, which had to make an emergency landing in Omsk. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged Russia to investigate Navalny`s poisoning now that clinical tests had shown he had been attacked with a chemical nerve agent. "This makes it all the more urgent that those responsible in Russia be identified and held accountable," Maas told reporters. "We condemn this attack in the strongest terms." A Kremlin spokesman said Germany had not informed it that it believed Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok, according to the RIA news agency. Novichok is a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Britain says Russia used Novichok to poison former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury in 2018. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack, which the Skripals survived. A member of the public, 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess, was killed. PHOENIX, Ariz., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Internationally recognized women's group The KNOW Women announced today that it has rebranded after three years in an effort to level up. The group's fast-growing membership community, formerly known as KNOW Tribe, is now called The KNOW Collaborative and continues to bring together authentic female leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs in major markets across the country and the world. Sarah Benken, Founder and CEO of The KNOW Women "This name change is a critical step in our global campaign to help every woman lift and rise," says Sarah Benken, founder and CEO of The KNOW Women. "Our mission to amplify all voices must be witnessed throughout every vein of KNOW. Thus, we are no longer a Tribe. We are KNOW Women." The KNOW Women started in 2017 to bring more attention to local women doing remarkable things throughout Phoenix. Benken knew there were an outstanding number of women impacting the community and making big strides in their industries. Her goal was to get those women from behind their computer screens and into the public eye. Thus, she created The KNOW Book, a carefully curated publication that would feature vision-led women in a glamorous and authentic style. "As the momentum grew and we recognized the need for more, we launched KNOW Collaborative around the women featured in the KNOW Book. Our mix and mingles soon ensued and we witnessed incredible things happening. We saw our women doing business with each other, creating friendships, supporting each other, collaborating on projects together and so much more. What started as a fun project to spotlight women, has turned into a full-blown movement," says Benken. The KNOW Women has expanded beyond its birthplace of Phoenix, Arizona and plans to launch in every major city across the United States and Canada. It is currently in 11 markets and will expand to four additional markets by 2021, including Milwaukee, Atlanta, Ottawa and Boise. The KNOW Women currently has 5,200 members across the globe. For more information about The KNOW Women and its membership opportunities, visit www.theknowwomen.com. About The KNOW Women: The KNOW Women is the leading global women's group whose mission is bringing "all women who achieve great things together." The multifaceted community offers one-of-a-kind memberships, groups, business development opportunities and community outreach programs for female leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs. The KNOW Women elevates and connects women you should know and their businesses, professions, and communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, socioeconomic status, or physical appearance. For more information, visit www.theknowwomen.com. Media Contact: Robyn Moore 480-269-0140 [email protected] SOURCE The KNOW Women Related Links http://www.theknowwomen.com Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Risk Management Association (RMA) has been named one of the "100 Associations That Will Save the World" by ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives. RMA, a member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance sound risk management principles in the financial services industry, was honored in ASAE's business category. Other categories included civic engagement, healthcare, and leadership development. As part of its "100 Associations" selection, RMA was featured in ASAE's Associations Now magazine for empowering RMA members to "assess risk accurately, lend securely, and help local businesses thrive." Associations Now Editor-in-Chief Julie Shoop noted that RMA has been "ramping up its education and training activities to serve financial institutions that face a greatly diversified slate of risks, from traditional credit and market risks to new ones that past generations of bankers had no inkling of, like cyber risk." The "100 Associations" were selected based on outreach through the Associations Now Daily Newsletter, ASAE's Collaborate online community, and social media. "On behalf of our members, chapters, councils, committees, and board, it is an honor to be recognized as one of ASAE's '100 Associations That Will Save the World,'" RMA President and CEO Nancy Foster said. "For a forward-looking association that is dedicated to helping financial institutions achieve a safer, more equitable, and prosperous world, this is a particularly satisfying achievement." 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 1,900 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the Association by 18,500 individuals located throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia/Pacific. SOURCE The Risk Management Association Related Links http://www.rmahq.org Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation Joins the MITN Purchasing Group Registered vendors can access bids, related documents, addendum and award information. Today, the Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation announces it has joined the MITN Purchasing Group, a regional purchasing community by BidNet. Local government agencies throughout Michigan utilize the purchasing group for bid and vendor management. Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation invites all potential vendors to register online with the MITN Purchasing Group to access its upcoming solicitations by visiting http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn. Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation joins the MITN Purchasing Group and the community of nearly 250 participating local government agencies located throughout Michigan. Along with a variety of bid and vendor management solutions, the Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation gains access to a bid library to help with bid creation, a shared pool of vendors, and association with like-minded purchasing professionals in the area. Vendors interested in doing business with the Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation and other nearby government agencies are encouraged to register at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn. Benefits of joining the MITN Purchasing Group include: Centralized location for bids from all 238 participating agencies Bid alerts customized to the vendors products or services Reliable and timely delivery of notifications, addendums and documents Advanced notice of Term Contract expiration E-Bid and E-Quote Submission The MITN Purchasing Group is one of BidNets regional purchasing groups throughout the country. It provides the Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation a bid and vendor management solution, document and addendum distribution, and tracking of all activity throughout the procurement process. About Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation: The Romeo-Washington-Bruce Parks & Recreation Department is millage based; starting in 1981. Our mission it to offer programs that attract and encourage participation for all ages and abilities through positive opportunity & quality service to enrich our residents lives. We cover a 72 square mile area. Maintain 3 buildings, 7 community parks as well as assist with our school district sport properties. About BidNet Direct: BidNet Direct, a Mediagrif product, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. BidNet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the MITN Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,500 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 3, 2020 2020/09/03 President Xi Jinping will address the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services on September 4 in Beijing. At the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the virtual meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on September 4. CCTV: The US State Department issued a statement on September 2, requiring senior PRC diplomats in the US to receive approval to visit US university campuses and to meet with local government officials. Cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people hosted by the PRC embassy and consular posts outside of mission properties will also require approval. What is China's comment? Hua Chunying: Since October last year, the US State Department has continuously imposed restrictions on Chinese embassy and consulates in the US and their personnel, impeding their normal performance of duties in the US. Relevant measures seriously violate international law and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously interfere with China-US relations and normal bilateral exchanges. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the Consular Convention between China and the US, China and the US should fully facilitate each other's diplomatic and consular personnel in their respective countries to perform their duties in accordance with law. China always provides convenience for US embassy and consulates in China and their personnel to conduct normal activities in China in accordance with laws and regulations. By contrast, in October last year and in June this year, the US State Department has twice requested Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel in the US to report their activities in advance. This time, its request for prior approval went even further as to restrict Chinese diplomats' personal and social contacts with US local officials. These requirements are totally contrary to international law and basic norms governing international relations as well as the consular convention between China and the US. They are illegal, illegitimate and unreasonable. This reflects that the anti-China forces in the US have completely lost their rationality and self-confidence and have developed anti-China paranoia. They will continue to be strongly condemned and opposed by clear-minded people from all walks of life. China-US relations are important to both countries and to the world. The two sides should keep communication channels open at all times. The Chinese diplomatic missions in the US will continue to maintain normal exchanges with all sectors of the US community. China will continue to support normal exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples. We urge the US State Department to immediately reverse the erroneous decision, stop obstructing normal personnel exchanges between the two countries and stop undermining bilateral relations. China will make a legitimate and necessary response in light of the development of the situation. China Daily: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continued to make groundless accusations against China during his press conference on September 2 on the South China Sea, Tibet-related issues and cooperation between Chinese and US universities. What is China's comment? Hua Chunying: Pompeo's fact-distorting and truth-reversing words reflect that the extreme anti-China forces in the US are using all means to smear China and deliberately undermine China-US relations and normal exchanges and cooperation. The evil intentions of Pompeo and others have been seen through by the world since long ago, and their regressive behaviors will continue to be strongly criticized and resolutely opposed by people of all walks of life. China's position on the South China Sea issue is consistent and clear. China is firmly committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, to peacefully resolving disputes through consultation and negotiation with other countries directly concerned, and to working with ASEAN countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. As a country outside the region, the United States is stirring up quarrels, provoking troubles and sowing discord between China and relevant countries in the South China Sea. The US is the primary perpetrator that creates tension and poses threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea. We urge the US side to stop being a saboteur of peace and stability and a spoiler of cooperation and development in the South China Sea. Tibet has been China's territory since ancient times, and its affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference by any external forces. Since its peaceful liberation more than 60 years ago, Tibet has made historic progress in economic, social, cultural, ecological and other fields. We urge the US side to stop finger-pointing and interfering in China's internal affairs on Tibet-related issues. Exchanges and cooperation in the education sector between China and the United States are mutually beneficial. The allegation by US officials that China is infiltrating US schools is totally out of thin air. In their eyes, all Chinese students in the US are spies and all China's exchanges with US universities are infiltration. This is all delusional. Following their logic, are all the large number of Americans living and working in China spies? And all these English learners in China, are they part of the US effort to infiltrate China? What the US officials did goes against the desire of the Chinese and American people to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and undermines the common interests of the two countries. Once again, we urge Pompeo and other politicians to respect the facts, stop harping on anti-China remarks, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop obstructing and undermining normal exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States, and stop going further down the wrong path. Beijing Daily: Reports say the US wants not only "diplomatic reciprocity" but also "reciprocity in media". As we know, in May the US limited visas for Chinese journalists to a maximum three-month stay, and their visas haven't been extended so far. Could you comment on this? Hua Chunying: The US indeed talks a lot about reciprocity, but more and more people now understand the truth of "reciprocity" in the media sector in China and the US. For a long time the US has been practicing a discriminatory visa policy against Chinese journalists stationed in the US. The Chinese journalists can only get single-entry visas, which means they need to re-apply every time they leave the US to visit their families in China or travel overseas. Since 2018 the US has been deliberately setting obstacles to Chinese journalists' visa application. Besides the usual documents, Chinese journalists also need to submit large amounts of additional materials like their social media accounts, outbound travel records in the past 15 years, registration information and organization structure of their workplace in the US, as well as their social relations. This is not only far beyond the normal requirement of visa application but also in serious violation of their privacy. The US also cited many reasons including administrative review to prolong the process of visa review and approval, and to delay sometimes indefinitely and even deny visa issuance. Since 2018, about 30 Chinese journalists have had experiences. In March the US in effect expelled 60 Chinese journalists. On May 11, the US announced its decision to limit visas for Chinese journalists to a maximum 90-day stay starting from May 8. That is to say, on August 6, all Chinese journalists' visas expired. All Chinese journalists stationed there followed the US requirement and submitted application for extension in advance. However, none of them have received a specific answer from the authorities whether the extension can be approved, which gives them a great deal of uncertainties. By contrast, most foreign journalists stationed in China are granted one-year press cards. Since December 2018, the US have demanded multiple Chinese media agencies register as "foreign agents" and "foreign missions". It's harder and harder for our reporters to cover news in the US. When in group press activities, they are often treated differently and sometimes even interrogated. The US also asked some Chinese media reporters to regularly submit certification of employment to the White House and removed some journalists from the list to send invitation emails for small-scale events. Besides, the visa application fee is also raised by the US under the pretext of "reciprocity". Now Chinese journalists need to pay $1,037 every time they apply, while the visa and residency application fee for American journalists stationed in China is only about $350. I think people connect empathically with each other, and you might put yourself in our shoes. We at the MFA Information Department does our best to make your life and work in China as convenient as possible. We do this for all foreign journalists in China, including US journalists. In order to best protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and American journalists, we have had many consultations with the US side in good faith and with goodwill. But the United States has outrageously taken the visa extension issue as a hostage to demand that the more than 10 journalists of the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the New York Times, whose press cards were taken back, be allowed to return to China, while no Chinese journalists have got visa extension. Things happen for a reason. Those journalists from the three US media outlets were asked to hand back their press cards because it is our justifiable and necessary reaction to the unreasonable expulsion of 60 Chinese journalists by the US side. If the US wants such reciprocity, China is also willing to get even with them on all this. The essence of the media issue between China and the US is the US political persecution and suppression against the Chinese media out of the Cold War mentality and ideological bias. It is an important part of the US crackdown on China in all aspects and fields. It does no good to the normal exchanges and mutual understanding between the Chinese and American people. It also undermines the legal and legitimate rights and interests of the journalists of the two countries. We hope that the US side will realize the gravity of this issue, change its discriminatory practices against the Chinese media, and protect the safety and rights of Chinese journalists stationed in the US. If the US keeps moving further down the wrong path, China has no choice but to make a justifiable and necessary reaction to firmly uphold its legitimate rights. CCTV: Do you have more information on the upcoming virtual BRICS foreign ministers' meeting? Hua Chunying: The BRICS mechanism is an important platform for emerging markets and developing countries to step up solidarity and cooperation and uphold shared interests. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the BRICS leaders, the BRICS countries, following the BRICS spirit of open, inclusive and win-win cooperation, have conducted various and fruitful exchange and cooperation. The BRICS countries have continuously strengthened solidarity and mutual trust, expanded pragmatic cooperation, deepened people-to-people exchange and increased international influence, making the BRICS a model of cooperation mechanism between emerging major countries. The BRICS foreign ministers' meeting is an important mechanism for BRICS cooperation and a key part of the three pillar areas of such cooperation. Facing the complex international landscape, it is of significant importance for BRICS foreign ministers to hold a virtual meeting to exchange views and coordinate position on the current international situation, commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN and hotspot issues of mutual interest, to send out strong messages of jointly addressing global challenges, supporting multilateralism and the UN's role, and promoting global economic recovery in a post-COVID era. China will actively participate in this meeting. We hope and believe this meeting will achieve positive outcomes and inject positive energy into world peace and development. NHK: There were protests following the implementation of a new bilingual education policy in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Can you confirm that? Former Mongolian president Elbegdorj made comments on this in social media. Do you have any response? Hua Chunying: The relevant reports are political speculation with ulterior motives. The national common spoken and written language is a symbol of national sovereignty. It is every citizen's right and duty to learn and use the national common spoken and written language. This is true not only in China, but also in the rest of the world. It is enshrined in China's Constitution, the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and the Education Law. The Chinese government, in accordance with relevant laws, promotes the use of the national common spoken and written language in ethnic minority areas, upholds the principle of equality in the spoken and written languages of all ethnic groups, and guarantees according to law the freedom of all ethnic groups, including the Mongolian ethnicity, to use and develop their own spoken and written languages. The Education Department of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has released relevant information on unified textbooks. In recent years, the National Textbook Committee has organized experts to compile textbooks in Chinese language and literature, politics and history, which have been used in all primary and secondary schools nationwide since 2017. Starting this year, six provinces and autonomous regions, including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have also started using these textbooks. The unified textbooks of the three subjects will not affect the setting of courses of other subjects in schools teaching ethnic languages. The class hours, textbooks, and teaching language of the Mongolian language and literature class will remain unchanged, and the current bilingual education system will not be changed. I wonder if any other country in the world has enacted special laws and taken concrete measures like China to protect the rights of ethnic minorities to use their own spoken and written languages? New York Times: What is the position of the Chinese government on the independence movement in the Malaita region in the Solomon Islands? Hua Chunying: This is an internal affair of the Solomon Islands. China doesn't interfere in other countries' internal affairs. We believe the government of the Solomon Islands can handle its internal matters. CRI: The intra-Afghan talks are expected to be held soon in Doha, capital of Qatar. What is China's comment on this and what does China expect from it? Will you send officials to the talks? Hua Chunying: The intra-Afghan talks are key to the realization of peace and stability in Afghanistan. As the country's biggest neighbor and sincere friend, China has been following the latest developments and supporting the "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" principle. We hope relevant parties in Afghanistan can put the interests of the country and people first, abandon differences, move in the same direction and work out a fundamental solution through dialogue and negotiation to realize lasting peace and stability. Comprehensive, lasting peace in Afghanistan cannot be achieved without the broad consensus and support from the international community, especially the regional countries. Promoting peace and facilitating talks is a shared responsibility of all members of the international community, not a job to be done by one or two countries. The whole international community must work toward the same goal to achieve early outcomes of the intra-Afghan talks and steady progress in the peace and reconciliation process. China will continue playing a constructive role to this end. The Paper: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other US officials once again accused China of covering up the epidemic, saying that more people have died in China than in any other country. What is China's comment? Hua Chunying: Actions speak louder than words, and justice prevails. What is false can never be made true. As Zhong Nanshan said at the CCTV program "The First Class of the New Term", the CPC and government have always adhered to the principle of "putting life first and the people first" and carried out epidemic prevention and control with a high sense of solidarity and responsibility and in a science-based manner. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have united as one and ensured that China was able to achieve major strategic results in epidemic prevention and control within a short period of time, which can stand the test of time and history. China's achievements in epidemic prevention and control have been further consolidated, important progress has been made in resuming work and production, and the economic and social order has been restored at a faster pace. These are plain facts. As stationed journalists in China, you must have had a good understanding of this during your stay. I have noticed that recently many friends from the media paid attention to the Wuhan Music Festival at a water park and the Qingdao Beer Festival, which are important signs that for the Chinese people, normal life is coming back. By contrast, the US has been shifting the blame to China, trying to use this as a strategy to cover up its government's incompetence, but its allegations are entirely groundless. On January 23, when China placed Wuhan under lockdown, the US declared only one confirmed case of COVID-19. On January 31, the United States suspended direct flights between China and the US. On February 2, the US closed its borders to all Chinese citizens, by which time the US announced there were just over 10 confirmed cases. The timeline is crystal clear. After China cut off the transmission path of the epidemic to the world, how did the US, boasting the richest medical resources and the most advanced medical technology, step by step became the most severely affected country in the world in just a few months? I have no intention and it's inappropriate to comment too much. There have been a lot of American media reports on the US administration's epidemic responses, and people from all walks of life in the US have let off their pent-up grievances. Yesterday, the US House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Crisis released reports obtained from the White House task force, which demonstrate what the administration's officials told the public are in contradiction with those reports they issued, apparently an effort of cover-up. As Dr. Fauci said, numbers don't lie. Every number indicates a life taken, and reminds us of his or her loved ones. The blaming tricks can only deceive some people for some time, but ultimately defeating the epidemic depends on science and respect for life. We hope the American politicians can realize this simple truth as soon as possible and fulfill their due responsibilities for their country and people. Xinhua News Agency: Today marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and we noticed high-level commemorative events held in both China and Russia today. Have the two sides been coordinating on this? Hua Chunying: Today marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. This morning, President Xi Jinping and other CPC and state leaders, together with representatives of various sectors in Beijing, laid wreaths of flowers to commemorate the martyrs at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Today President Xi and President Putin exchanged congratulatory messages. As you may have also known, Chinese and Russian ambassadors to the United States, Cui Tiankai and Anatoly Antonov, published a joint article. Another article was jointly published by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Hanhui to Russia and Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov to China. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, exactly 75 years ago, the victory of the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the victory of the Soviet Union against Japan demonstrated the final victory of the world anti-Fascist war. In the war that involved Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, over 100 million troops and civilians died or injured, the heaviest price the human race has ever paid. China and Russia, as the main theaters in Asia and Europe during the war, made tremendous sacrifices for and indelible contributions to its final victory. The two peoples fought together, forged unbreakable friendship and laid solid foundation for the high-level China-Russia ties. The great victory 75 years ago is of special significance to China, Russia and the entire human history, and laid a foundation for the post-war international order. The UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law have played an irreplaceable role in peace, human progress and development since the war ended 75 years ago. The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. The great changes and the global pandemic affects the human society with wide-ranging impacts. The pandemic proves once again that all countries are closely intertwined. However, the world faces rising unilateralism, blatant bullying, a resurgence of Fascism and McCarthyism, and the deliberate attempts to drag the world back into turbulence, war and chaos. To safeguard the post-war international order which was won by people sacrificing their lives, and to safeguard international fairness and justice, we must uphold national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose arbitrary interference in other countries' internal affairs. We must stick to peaceful settlement of disputes and reject the use or threat of force. We must abide by international law, fulfill international obligations, and oppose unilateralism and bullying practices. We must choose solidarity, cooperation and shared responsibility over division, confrontation and blame-shifting. Under the current circumstances, it is even more important for all sides to promote the correct view on WWII and oppose attempts at misrepresenting history or whitewashing Fascism and militarism. As major victorious nations of the WWII and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia share a special duty of safeguarding world peace and security and advancing human progress. China will continue working with Russia and other countries to firmly uphold the outcomes of the victory of the WWII, the status of the UN and multilateralism, and foster a community with a shared future for mankind. Nihon Keizai Shimbun: The Chinese leader laid wreaths of flowers at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but he didn't make a speech there. Can you tell us why? Is it because China expects improvement in China-Japan relations? Hua Chunying: Today marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. This morning, President Xi Jinping and other CPC and state leaders, together with representatives of various sectors in Beijing, laid wreaths of flowers to commemorate the martyrs at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Party and state leaders attend relevant events every year to commemorate this important moment in various ways. Since China and Japan are neighbors that cannot be moved away, an improving China-Japan relationship certainly meets the aspiration of the two peoples as it will deliver greater benefits to both sides. This aspiration has been there all the time, which shouldn't be subject to presumptions based on whether there's a speech or not. Do you agree? AFP: Do you have any comment on India's decision yesterday to ban 118 Chinese apps citing national security reasons? Hua Chunying: By banning these hi-tech, easy-to-use and popular apps, the Indian side is sacrificing first and foremost the rights and interests of the Indian users, and damaging those of Chinese companies. Therefore, no one gains from such an action. I noticed that almost on the same day, the US State Department called on other countries to join India in carrying out the so-called "Clean Network" program. I wonder if there's connection or coordination between India and the US on this issue. But India, as a country proudly possessing an ancient civilization, is wise enough to have known about Dirtbox, PRISM, Irritant Horn, Muscular and Undersea Cable Tapping. It knows fully well whether the US is clean or dirty when it comes to US policies and practices. Independence is so precious. We hope that the Indian side will stick to it. No short-sighted decisions shall be made to impede the long-term interests of the two countries and two peoples. I'd like to add a few words. Recently, there have been unfriendly voices in India that raised concern for clear-eyed people in China and India. Both countries are close neighbors and proud of our civilizations. The start of our exchange and mutual learning can date back to over 1,000 years ago. The great Indian poet Tagore is very popular in China. He wrote, "We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us." Yoga and Indian movies like "Dangal" are also very popular in China. However, it never crossed our mind that India is trying to infiltrate or pose any threat to our country. We hope that India will attach importance to the two peoples' friendship and long-term interests, and actively support bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields. Kyodo News: First question, according to Japanese media reports, a Japanese press photographer was recently arrested in Hong Kong. It is said the photographer is a Hong Kong resident, and the Japanese government acknowledged this. Can you confirm it and give us more details? Second question, Taiwan "president" Tsai Ing-wen met with the Czech senate president today in Taipei. Do you have any comment? Hua Chunying: On your first question, I'm not aware of that. On your second question regarding the Czech senate president's visit to Taiwan, we have made clear China's position in the past few days. The Czech senate president, in disregard of opposition from China and the Czech government, insistently visited China's Taiwan region and outrageously supported the "Taiwan independence" forces, which is an open provocation. The one-China policy is an important political basis of the establishment and development of China-Czech diplomatic ties. We noticed that the Czech government also drew a line between them and the senate president, noting that what he has done doesn't represent the government's policy. We hope the Czech side can have a clear understanding of the damage he has caused to bilateral relations, and immediately take measures to eliminate the negative impact. We solemnly inform the Taiwan authorities and the anti-China forces behind Vystrcil: your acts cannot alter the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and your attempts of political manipulation and "Taiwan independence" separatist activities will never succeed. I also want to correct you that when you mention Tsai Ing-wen in the future, please don't refer to her as the Taiwan "president". She's merely a leader in China's Taiwan region. Prasar Bharati: Regarding the BRICS Foreign Ministers' virtual meeting, is there any interaction between the foreign ministers of India and China? If there will be any separate conversation between them, will they talk about the ongoing India-China issues? Hua Chunying: China and India are both members of BRICS, and tomorrow they will both attend the BRICS foreign ministers' virtual meeting hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. Tomorrow's meeting will focus on the current international situation and BRICS cooperation. I haven't heard of any separate meeting between Chinese and Indian foreign ministers. Bloomberg: The Trump administration is debating the scope and effective date of its bans on Chinese social media apps WeChat and TikTok and will likely make the decisions known around September 20. We are wondering if the foreign ministry has any comment on this? Hua Chunying: It is an open secret that the policies and actions taken and may be taken by the US side on TikTok and WeChat have nothing to do with national security. They simply aim to cut open, bully and rob Chinese companies. Deep down, it is coerced transaction by government and public negation of the principles of market economy and fair competition that the US always flaunts. We have noted that TikTok and others have issued statements. We urge the US to correct its mistakes and stop unjustified suppression of Chinese companies. For a long time, the US has been cracking down in unspeakable ways on specific Chinese companies by overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power, while presenting no factual evidence to justify its actions. It gives us a good lesson on undisguised bullying. I know some people in the US call this a digital gunboat policy. But we are in a different era now, and China is capable of taking all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. Global Times: Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command Phil Davidson said on September 2 that "An emboldened Communist Party of China seeks to change the world to one in which Chinese national power is more important than international law." On the same day, US Secretary of State Pompeo once again accused China of violating the UNCLOS. We also noted that he announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor and others investigating US war crimes in Afghanistan. The US government also said that it will not pay some $62 million it owes the World Health Organization in assessed contribution. Do you have any comment? Hua Chunying: The world has seen so clearly that it is the US that seeks to change the world to one in which its national power is above the international law. What the US has done is hypocrisy, hegemony and double standards at full display. To uphold its maritime hegemony, the US hasn't joined the UNCLOS so far, but it keeps accusing China of violating the UNCLOS. In order to prevent the ICC from probing into the US war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, the US is now sanctioning the personnel of the ICC. The ICC dismissed these coercive measures as unprecedented, serious attacks against the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally. The US has wantonly walked away from international treaties and organizations. As of today, it has pulled out of over 10 international agreements. The latest example is the US announcement of withdrawal from the WHO and refusal to pay assessed contribution. It also owes more than two billion dollars in its share of the UN budget and peacekeeping funds. People couldn't help but wonder if the US in any way behaves like a responsible, normal major country. It is widely believed that the US has become the biggest destabilizing element to world peace and stability, and the biggest threat to international order and international rule of law. Ironically, however, policy makers and implementers in the US are feeling so good about themselves. We hope they can come to their senses as soon as possible. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. James 'Arg' Argent will reportedly miss out on the Only Way Is Essex 10 year reunion after getting stuck in Spain following the collapse of the UK air bridge. The reality star, 32, was caught out while holidaying in Marbella earlier this summer when the government pulled the bridge between the UK and Spain. After learning he would need to isolate for two weeks once he returned home, Arg apparently decided to stay in Marbella to fulfil his next gig. Missing out: James 'Arg' Argent will reportedly miss out on the Only Way Is Essex 10 year reunion after getting stuck in Spain following the collapse of the UK air bridge A source told The Sun: 'Arg was caught out because he was in Marbella for a gig when the rules changed. 'It made more sense for him to stay out there until the next gig, and he wouldn't have been able to film for Towie anyway because he'd have had to quarantine for two weeks when he got back from Spain. 'He's really sad to miss filming as he loves the show but will be watching at home.' Lads: Arg was one of the original TOWIE stars and appeared in the first series of the hit ITVBe show alongside his best friend Mark Wright in 2010 Arg was one of the original TOWIE stars and appeared in the first series of the hit ITVBe show alongside his best friend Mark Wright in 2010. Despite being sacked from the reality show over his drug addiction admission, Arg was invited back by bosses for the reunion special. MailOnline have contacted TOWIE and Arg for further comment. Big return: Despite being sacked from the reality show over his drug addiction admission, Arg was invited back by bosses for the reunion special (pictured in 2011) Last year, James suffered two near-fatal overdoses at his home, with his then-girlfriend Gemma calling emergency services after his family feared he was dead. The Essex native turned his life around and is continuing his recovery after he flew to Thailand earlier this year to go to rehab for his drug and drink addiction. Things for James haven't been as promising in the romance department as he broke up with his partner Gemma, 39, earlier this summer after she revealed a string of abusive messages, purportedly sent to her by him prior to their split. It's over: Things for James haven't been as promising in the romance department as he broke up with his partner Gemma, 39, earlier this summer It's understood the Jump star had made derogatory remarks abut her weight after she suggested that he had bought another woman dinner. The self-proclaimed diva decided to take some time off social media, citing that she was 'devastated' and 'heartbroken' by the exchange. However after returning to the UK from her own Tenerife getaway, Gemma apologised to her former beau for releasing the messages. Human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Nice QC stands in front of a picture collage of himself that a friend had made at his home in Adisham, England, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Frank Augstein/AP Photo) Independent UK Tribunal to Probe Uyghur Genocide Claims Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, a prominent British human rights lawyer who chaired the China Tribunal on forced organ harvesting, is convening another independent tribunal in London to investigate whether the Chinese regimes alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims constitute genocide or crimes against humanity. Nice, who previously led the prosecution of former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal, was asked by the World Uyghur Congress, an international organization representing Uyghur exiles, to investigate allegations of Beijings oppression of Uyghurs and ethnic Turkic minorities in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang. Uyghur security personnel patrol near the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar in western Chinas Xinjiang region, on Dec. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The tribunal organizers expect to hold two public hearings in London next year, each lasting several days. A verdict is expected by the end of 2021. An earlier independent tribunal chaired by Nice, the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting of Prisoners of Conscience in China, known as the China Tribunal, found last year that it was beyond doubt that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting for profit has been taking place in China for years and on a significant scale. The China Tribunal found that these organs are principally sourced from imprisoned prisoners of consciencethe majority of whom are Falun Gong practitioners. Legal counsel to the China Tribunal Hamid Sabi (L) and chair to the tribunal Sir Geoffrey Nice QC on the first day of public hearings in London on Dec. 8, 2018. (Justin Palmer) Torture and Enforced Sterilization At the moment, the strongest evidence would appear to be evidence of incarceration and possibly evidence of enforced sterilization, Nice told The Associated Press regarding the alleged treatment of Uyghurs by the Chinese regime. According to figures cited by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the United Nations, as many as 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are believed to be detained in Chinese reeducation facilities. Former Uyghur detainees previously told The Epoch Times that they were subjected to torture, forced to denounce their faith, and forced to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while held for unknown reasons in often overcrowded facilities. This photo taken on May 31, 2019, shows a Uyghur woman (C) going through an entrance to a bazaar in Hotan, in Chinas northwest Xinjiang region. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Uyghur women, meanwhile, have been subjected to forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning, a recent report revealed. Such enforced sterilization practices could be found to breach the Genocide Convention, Nice said. The United States has already imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses against Uyghurs, including the Xinjiang regions Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who is a member of the CCPs powerful Politburo. The China Tribunal Sir Geoffrey Nice is an established authority on international human rights cases. The China Tribunal he chaired conducted the worlds first independent legal analysis of evidence regarding forced organ harvesting in China. Members of an international panel reviewed written and oral evidence, including testimony from over 50 witnesses given over two public hearings in December 2018 and April 2019. The tribunal panel (LR) of U.S. history professor Arthur Waldron, Malaysian lawyer Andrew Khoo, professor of cardiothoracic surgery Martin Elliott, tribunal chair Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, businessman Nicholas Vetch, Iranian human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr, and U.S. lawyer Regina Paulose, in London, on Dec. 8, 2018. (Justin Palmer) Last June, the tribunal delivered its findings in London, concluding beyond a reasonable doubt that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience had taken place for years in China on a significant scale, and is still taking place today. The main organ supply came from imprisoned practitioners of the persecuted spiritual group Falun Gong, according to the tribunal. Uyghur Muslims were also at risk of being subjected to forced organ harvesting while detained. The tribunal concluded that the Chinese regimes sustained campaign of forced organ harvesting constituted crimes against humanity. Falun Gong supporters protest against the importing of human organs from China to Austria in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 1, 2018. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images) The conclusion shows that very many people have died indescribably hideous deaths for no reason, that more may suffer in similar ways, and that all of us live on a planet where extreme wickedness may be found, the tribunal stated in its final 160-page report (pdf), which included 300 pages of supplementary materials. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which consists of meditative exercises and moral teachings centered around the tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, has been subject to a brutal persecution by the Chinese communist regime for more than two decades. Hundreds of thousands of adherents have been thrown into prisons, labor camps, and brainwashing centers, where many have been tortured in an effort to force them to renounce their faith, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center. Cathy He, Frank Fang, Isabel van Brugen, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to residents during a community meeting at Grace Lutheran Church after a week of unrest in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, September 3, 2020. WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden met for 90 minutes Thursday with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man whose shooting by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. has sparked protests, some of which turned violent. The meeting took place near the Milwaukee airport, where Biden stopped on his way to a community meeting in Kenosha. Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer on Aug. 23, and he remains hospitalized. "I had an opportunity to spend some time with Jacob on the phone," said Biden, speaking later at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha. "He's out of ICU. We spoke for about 15 minutes ... and he talked about how nothing was gonna defeat him. How whether he walked again or not, he was not gonna give up." "What I came away with was the overwhelming sense of resilience and optimism that they have about the kind of response they're getting," Biden said. "His mom said a prayer. She said, 'I'm praying for Jacob, and I'm praying for the policeman as well. I'm praying that things change.'" Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, also discussed "changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions, the impact of selecting Kamala Harris as a Black woman as his running mate, and Vice President Biden's plans for change," said Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the Blake family who participated in the meeting by phone. "It was very obvious that Vice President Biden cared, as he extended to Jacob Jr. a sense of humanity, treating him as a person worthy of consideration and prayer," Crump said. At the community meeting, Biden mostly listened to residents as they shared their perspectives on systemic racism, policing and what it will take for the community to heal. He responded with several of his relevant campaign pledges, including his promise to raise the nationwide minimum wage to $15 an hour, and to fund mental health and drug rehabilitation over more mass incarceration. With just over 60 days until Election Day, Biden's visit was also noteworthy because it is was the longest trip he has made away from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic this spring. The visit is likely to please Biden's Democratic allies, who have been encouraging him to travel more, and especially to swing states like Wisconsin. President Donald Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016, becoming the first Republican since Ronald Reagan to capture the state's electoral votes. Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday, where he thanked law enforcement and other community members but did not meet with the Blake family. The White House said that an effort was made to set up a meeting with Trump, but the president later said that he refused to meet with or speak to Blake's family because they wanted to have their lawyer present. Trump said he found that "inappropriate." Blake's shooting was the latest in a series of police shootings of Black men and women this spring and summer which have horrified many Americans, and sparked a nationwide reckoning on racial justice and the role of police. Largely peaceful demonstrations against police brutality have been held in cities across the United States since May, when the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis triggered protests around the world. A small number of demonstrations have included riots, arson and clashes with police. In Kenosha, several businesses were burned down during three nights of rioting and two protesters were shot and killed by an armed vigilante. Police have charged Kyle Rittenhouse, a White 17 year-old, with the killings. GODFREY Lewis and Clark Community College has partnered with North Greene Unit District No. 3 to offer a welding program designed to meet the needs of students, community members and local employers. The program, funded through a Career and Technical Education (CTE) grant of up to $100,000 awarded by the Illinois Community College Board, is designed to support the improvement and innovation of CTE programming throughout the state. The welding program is now open to high school students and in Spring 2021 will be avaiable to members of the public. It will allow participants to earn multiple welding certificates and an Associate of Applied Science in Welding from LCCC. LCCC Associate Dean of Adult Education Valorie Harris said the grant began Aug. 1 and runs through December 2021. The primary audience is North Green High School students, Harris said. Its exciting that beginning in the Spring 2021 semester at the earliest, classes may also include out-of-school youth and adults from the community, depending on need and the availability of seats. If there arent enough seats and there are enough potential students, theres a possibility that an evening section may be offered. Cheri Madson of the North Greene Education Foundation noted the programs potential impact for the school district and the local economy. The North Greene Educational Foundation wants the welding program at North Greene High School to add a curriculum option that ensures our students are employable locally upon graduation, she said. The vision for this program is to expand by offering classes that are open to community members as well. The welding program isnt the first time LCCC and the North Greene school district have partnered. In 2019, a Certified Nurse Assisting program was established with a CTE Leadership grant. Were excited to build on our strong working relationship with the North Greene School District, LCCCs Dean of Career Programs Sue Czerwinski said. This innovative program not only serves high school students but meets the needs of community members and local employers. South Africa: The importance of leading communication during epidemics The absence of a COVID-19 vaccine elevates prevention measures as a countrys first line of defence against the onslaught of the virus. To create awareness of these measures and effect behaviour change, reliable information needs to be shared with citizens so that they can make informed decisions on protecting themselves and their families. Communication that provides accurate, useful, and up-to-date information has become an essential tool in a country's mitigating strategy. The pandemic has however changed the way that many governments engage with their citizens as face-to-face interactions are limited due to the nature of the virus. At the recent Africa Webinar on Leading through Communications during Epidemics in Africa and the Role of Media, convened by South Africas central communication agency the Government Communication and Information Services (GCIS), communicators and media professionals from across the continent exchanged best communication practices. While it is recognised as a difficult period for many African nations, it was also an important time of learning particularly around public health communication. The new social distancing regulations present an opportunity to explore creative ways to communicate with citizens. In order for communication to be effective, the panellists highlighted that technical health issues should be conveyed in a way that makes sense and reassures citizens. Communication should also be truthful and credible to overcome any mistrust that typically follows a pandemic. During the webinar, Ebba Kalondo, the Spokesperson of the Africa Union Commission, shared the importance of collaboration and communication among African nations to limit the spread of the virus. She noted that the continental response, coordinated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC), has been implemented across the Africa since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded on 14 February 2020 in Egypt. President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his opening remarks as the African Union Chairperson at the Conference on Africas Leadership role in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access, stated how Africa has been innovative in addressing resource constraints through the establishment of the AU COVID-19 Response Fund, the Africa Medical Suppliers Platform, and the Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing. Africa is on par with the rest of the world in responding to pandemics, and was a leading player in the development of a vaccine in response to the 2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Furthermore, Africa is a significant vaccine manufacturer and has developed innovative ways to deliver vaccines to areas on the continent that have no cold chains. While many countries are learning how to deal with a pandemic, Africa has had meaningful lessons from dealing with Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Yellow Fever. Jessica Ilunga, the former Communications Director for the Department of Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ebola outbreak, affirmed that communicating in a timely and a transparent manner had helped to mitigate the impact of the Ebola virus on the economy. She added that in a pandemic, information gaps usually create the space for misinformation which is often taken at face value and therefore difficult to correct. While a combination of traditional and new media platforms are useful in communicating, technology platforms such as WhatsApp and social media helped disseminate information quickly. While technology has helped drive communication, its limited availability to access online learning in east and southern Africa has curtailed learning during the pandemic. New research by Unicef shows that more than half of the children in the region do not have the tools when it comes to online learning. There is a however a commitment in South Africa and across the continent to close the technology learning gap. Media was identified as an integral part of disseminating information, conveying to citizens the risks but also measures of prevention. Dr Oscar Van Heerden, the International Relations Scholar at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), highlighted that communicators should continuously build relationships with media rather than wait for a crisis to foster these relations. In South Africa our response to the pandemic was through a comprehensive communication campaign to inform the nation about measures to curb the spread of the virus. It focused on media engagement, paid-for advertisement in electronic broadcasting, print, face-to-face engagement and digital media platforms. Transparency and constant communication became key tools to empower communities in understanding the virus and how to protect themselves against it. We remained focused on the key principles of keeping our messages clear, concise and consistent, with the aim of effecting behavioural change in our communities. Our research also assisted us to obtain feedback on the impact of our messages which helped to identify gaps requiring intervention. According to the research, over 90 percent of South Africans know and understand the basic health protocols that they need to adhere to. We also amplified our interventions by building partnerships with the private sector, and various community-based and faith-based organisations. They were provided information packages which were shared with their respective audiences. The GCIS also used community-based media to reach various communities at grass-roots level. As the continent deals with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming months, communication will play an even more critical role in ensuring that our citizens have access to information and are empowered to make decisions in Africas recovery. Through the power of communication we can also convey hope to the people of our continent that we shall emerge stronger and more resilient. *Phumla Williams is the Director-General of GCIS and Cabinet spokesperson of the Republic of South Africa This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. In the beginnings of Giuliva Heritage, Margherita often used to borrow from Gerardo's wardrobe, regularly dressing in his clothes. In keeping with this ethos, Giuliva Heritage x H&M features traditional shirting, strong tailored blazers and contemporary trench coats in recycled wools, recycled polyester and organic cottons. Accompanied by flowing blouses, dresses and wearable coordinating separates, these looks offer a concise, classic wardrobe. Timeless tones of beige, navy, dusky blue and burgundy are featured alongside pinstripe and plaid with details such as cowl-necklines, bishop sleeves and high waists. "It was wonderful to work with H&M on this collection. Together, we created easy transitional pieces with designs that stand the test of time. We were especially delighted to use recycled materials with every look. We have always been passionate about authentic, meaningful fashion that lasts, and this collection undoubtedly captures that," says Gerardo Cavaliere and Margherita Cardelli Cavaliere. "We are thrilled to collaborate with fine tailoring experts Giuliva Heritage. Inspired by classic menswear designs, both our teams were excited to create accessible and timeless pieces for the modern woman. With H&M's conscious fabrications and Giuliva Heritage's enduring designs, we've created long lasting pieces that we hope our customers will pass down from generation to generation," says Maria Ostblom, Head of Design Womenswear at H&M. For campaign and still life images, click here For a link to shop collection, click here Contact Information: Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE H&M Related Links www.hm.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:42:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close 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. Trump favored to win reelection as protests turn violent, top JP Morgan analyst says Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Shifting public opinion on violent protests for racial justice coupled with the effects of "cancel culture" will likely lead to President Donald Trumps reelection in November, according to a top analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. In a note to clients Monday, Marko Kolanovic, global head of the macro quantitative and derivatives strategy team at J.P. Morgan, said while many investors are prepared for the possibility of a win for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the current momentum for victory is behind President Trump. We currently believe that momentum in favor of Trump will continue, while most investors are still positioned for a Biden win, Kolanovic wrote. The impact on sectors and factors (momentum vs value, cyclicals vs tech, ESG) could be dramatic and investment portfolios should adjust for a potential Trump reelection. Kolanovics note, which has been cited by a number of finance publications including the Heisenberg Report, pointed to research from Omar Wasow, a politics professor at Princeton, on how the nature of protests can sway elections. In an interview with the New Yorkers Isaac Chotiner in May, published just days after George Floyd died in the custody of Minneapolis police officers, Wasow explained how violent and nonviolent protests affect political outcomes differently. I would say that nonviolent protests can be very effective if they are able to get media attention, and that there is a very strong relationship between media coverage and public concern about whatever issues those protesters are raising, Wasow said. But there is a conditional effect of violence, and what that means, in practice, is that groups that are the object of state violence are able to get particularly sympathetic pressand a large amount of media coverage. But that is a very hard strategy to maintain, and what we often see is that, when protesters engage in violence, often in a very understandable response to state repression, that tends to work against their cause and interests, and mobilizes or becomes fodder for the opposition to grow its coalition, the professor added. And using the civil rights movement as a case study, Wasow explained why nonviolent protests are so difficult to maintain. He said images of people observing their kinfolk being brutalized on television helped to foment a more militant wing of the civil rights movement which endorsed violence in self-defense, scaring off moderate white supporters who might have initially been sympathetic to their cause. When we observed a wave of violent protests in the mid to late '60s, those white moderates who supported the Democratic Party after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 defected to the Republican Party in 1968. So when the state was employing violence and protesters were the targets of that violence, the strategy worked well, and when protesters engaged in violencewhether or not the state wasthose voters moved to the law-and-order coalition, Wasow said. Applying that same principle to the 2020 elections, Kolanovic said he expects up to a 10-point shift from Biden to Trump as violent protests continue to be documented by journalists online. It is highly likely that social media distribution of videos of looting in Chicago, L.A. and NYC, arson in Minneapolis, Wisconsin, Portland, Seattle, etc. have led to a significant shift in election odds in favor of Republicans, Kolanovic wrote. Furthermore, by doing statistical simulation of the 1968 election, the author [Wasow] concluded that 1968 demonstrations directly resulted in the election of a Republican president. The impact of protest violence on the 2020 elections may be even larger. The reason is the broad online availability of violent footage (everyone can record and share in real time), but also the ability to influence social media to amplify this message (e.g., similar to the social media spread of Wikileaks emails in 2016), he added. Kolanovic also pointed to the impact of cancel culture on voters honesty in polls giving a misleading picture of the true support for the president. A recent survey by CloudResearch showed that approximately 10% of Trump supporters indicated they were unlikely to be honest in phone polls, while only 5% of Biden supporters said the same. "We find that this 'cancel culture' effect could artificially skew polls in favor of Biden by 5-6%," the JP Morgan analyst wrote. Other factors Kolanovic sees as likely to influence the outcome of the election are developments in the coronavirus pandemic, which could improve in the next two months, and the outcome of the presidential debates. 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) FILE PHOTO: Chinese and U.S. flags flutter near The Bund in Shanghai By Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it would require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. Washington cast the move as a response to Beijing's restrictions on American diplomats in China. It comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage. The State Department said it would also take action to help ensure all Chinese embassy and consular social media accounts were "properly identified." "We're simply demanding reciprocity," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. "Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today's steps will move us substantially in that direction." It was the latest U.S. step to curb Chinese activity in the United States in the run-up to the November presidential election, in which President Donald Trump has made a tough approach to China a key foreign policy platform. China's Washington embassy called the move "yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel" that "runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the U.S. side." Pompeo also said the State Department had written recently to the governing boards of U.S. universities alerting them to threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. "These threats can come in the form of illicit funding for research, intellectual property theft, intimidation of foreign students and opaque talent recruitment efforts," Pompeo said. He said universities could help ensure they had clean investments and endowment funds by disclosing Chinese firms in such funds and dropping those connected to human rights abuses. Story continues On Tuesday, Pompeo said he was hopeful the dozens of Chinese-government funded Confucius Institute cultural centers on U.S. campuses, which he accused of working to recruit "spies and collaborators," would all be shut by the year end. On Wednesday, the Washington-based Confucius Institute U.S. Center, which was required last month to register as a foreign mission after Pompeo accused it of advancing Beijing's "malign influence," said it had been mischaracterized by the State Department as a headquarters for Confucius Institutes. "Contrary to what people have heard from the State Department, CI programs in the U.S. are independent of each other, set up and run by the schools that choose to set up Chinese language education, and staffed by people hired and supervised by those schools," it said in a statement. Pompeo said he planned to discuss China and other regional issues with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Indo-Pacific countries in virtual meetings next week. The State Department said Pompeo would participate in an East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' meeting and another with his ASEAN counterparts on Sept. 9. It said that on Sept. 11, he would launch a cooperation partnership with Mekong River partner countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, aimed at strengthening their autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable development. Also that day, he will participate in a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a 27-nation grouping bringing ASEAN together with dialogue partners from around the world. Wednesday's U.S. move goes further than one last October requiring Chinese diplomats to give notice of meetings with state and local officials and at educational and research institutions. The State Department has also required Chinese media outlets to register as foreign missions and announced in March it was cutting the number of journalists allowed to work at U.S. offices of major Chinese media outlets to 100 from 160. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Lisa Shumaker and Richard Pullin) Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono is seen following his release from prison today. (Photo: Frank Chikowore) New York, September 2, 2020 Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono was released today after 44 days in pre-trial detention, following a ruling from Harare High Court Judge Tawanda Chitapi that imposed restrictions on the journalist's actions while on bail, according to news reports and Doug Coltart, a member of the journalist's defense team, who spoke with CPJ via phone. We welcome today's long-overdue release of journalist Hopewell Chin'ono, but authorities must immediately drop the vindictive and meritless charges against him and let him live and work freely, said Angela Quintal, CPJ's Africa program coordinator. Chin'ono's pre-trial detention in the infamous Chikurubi Maximum Security prison has risked his life during a global pandemic and turned him into a poster child of Zimbabwe's anti-corruption and good governance movement. Chin'ono was released this evening after he paid $10,000 Zimbabwean dollars bail (US$120), Coltart said. The journalist's bail conditions require him to surrender his passport, to report to the Highlands police station in Harare, the capital, every Monday and Friday, to reside at his given address in the city, and to surrender title deeds for a property he owns, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ. Chin'ono is also required to stop using his Twitter account to incite the holding of mass demonstrations while on bail, according to those documents. Coltart said the journalist's lawyers are seeking clarity on whether he can use his Twitter account generally. Chin'ono was arrested on July 20 and faces charges of incitement, as CPJ has documented. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 14, but no trial date has been set, Coltart said. He added that Chino'ono, who was not in court today, had been feeling ill this week and had symptoms consistent with COVID-19, but was still awaiting test results. NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC), which for more than 25 years has advanced understanding and fostered cooperation between Arab states and the Jewish people, today announced its plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates. The move comes in the wake of the historic announcement Aug. 13 by President Donald Trump, His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UAE and Israel would establish full diplomatic relations. "The establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel realizes a vision that AJC has helped to pursue for decades," said David Harris, AJC CEO. "By moving forward on our plans to open an office in the Emirates, AJC hopes to expand on our decades of bridge-building and create a wider network of stakeholders in the new relationships made possible on Aug. 13." Planning for an AJC office in the UAE -- the 13th overseas outpost of the U.S.-based global Jewish advocacy organization and its first in the Arab world -- has been underway for nearly a year. AJC delegations have visited the UAE at least annually for more than 20 years and consulted regularly with senior officials, business and interfaith leaders, diplomats, and policy analysts there and in the United States. AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson has led the agency's Arab outreach efforts. With its move to open a UAE office, AJC also looks forward to deepening its ties with the expatriate Jewish community of the Emirates -- a community AJC played a role in helping establish through repeated visits and introductions over the years. "Since before the country's founding, UAE society has encouraged tolerance and inclusion," said Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States. "AJC's longstanding dialogue and engagement with the UAE has played a productive role, consistent with this vision. We welcome this announcement, and look forward to working with AJC in the days ahead as they continue their effective engagement in the region." This initiative was made possible through the visionary support of Helaine and Sid Lerner, who have been longtime friends and partners of AJC. Mr. Lerner has been particularly focused on advancing relations and understanding among the Muslim, Arab, and Jewish worlds, believing this can be an important contribution to advancing regional and global peace and harmony. Yehuda Sarna, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, welcomed the move, saying, "AJC played an essential convening role early on in the history of our community. Its mission aligns with our aspiration to serve as a 'lighthouse community,' a platform for cross-cultural engagement, within the UAE and beyond. Through its professionalism, care, nuance, and respect for others, AJC has rightly earned the trust of so many leaders in this region." In the months leading up to the Aug. 13 announcement, UAE officials used AJC platforms to reveal their leadership's new thinking on the benefits of cooperation with Israel -- while also urging a halt to Israeli annexation proposals and progress toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians. UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh appeared on an AJC Advocacy Anywhere webinar in May; UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash was a featured speaker in the AJC Virtual Global Forum in June. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org 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. Twitter on Thursday said the account linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal website was hacked, and it has now been restored. The account which has over 2.5 million followers is the official Twitter handle for Modis personal website as well as the Narendra Modi mobile application. The tweets, which have since been taken down, asked the followers to donate to the PM National Relief Fund through cryptocurrency. Yes, this account is hacked by John Wick (hckindia@tutanota.com), We have not hacked Paytm Mall, another message had said. The hacker identified himself as John Wick. John Wick is a 2014 American action-thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The film John Wick stars Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Bridget Moynahan and many other Hollywood stars. The movie follows the story of an ex-hit-man who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took everything from him. Part of a three series franchise, it began with the release of John Wick in 2014 followed by two sequels--John Wick: Chapter 2 in 2017, and John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum on in 2019. The hacker chose to use the code name John Wick on September 2 to hack PM Modis Twitter account, which happens to be Keanu Reevess birthday. Earlier, many hackers have taken up the name Elliot Alderson from Mr.Robot, played by Rami Malek who plays a hacker, but John Wick isnt shown as a cyber-security expert or a hacker in any of the movies. Happy Birthday to Mr. Wick himself, Keanu Reeves. pic.twitter.com/I9iSPmyyeb John Wick (@JohnWickMovie) September 2, 2020 On August 30, cybersecurity firm Cyble had said hacker group John Wick was behind a data breach at Paytm Mall, the e-commerce unit of Paytm. Paytm Mall had said it had not found any security lapses after investigating claims of a possible hack and data breach. New Delhi: The CBI has termed media reports attributed to it on its probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput as "speculative and not based on facts", in the first official statement from the agency on the case on Thursday. In the statement issued late evening, the CBI said it is conducting investigation into Rajput's death in a systematic and professional way. "Certain media reports attributed to CBI investigation are speculative and not based on facts. It is reiterated that as a matter of policy, CBI does not share details of ongoing investigation," the agency said. "CBI spokesperson or any team member has not shared any details of investigation with media. The details being reported and attributed to CBI are not credible," it said. Rajput, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14. The CBI had filed an FIR taking over the probe from Bihar Police into the alleged abetment to suicide case filed by the actor's father K K Singh in Patna against Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family. Singh in his complaint to Bihar Police had alleged that Chakraborty along with her family members had misappropriated Rajput's wealth, which was denied by Chakraborty in TV interviews. The CBI Director has handed over the probe to the special investigation branch which is camping in Mumbai and has recorded statements of Chakraborty and her family members, met police and visited the crime scene. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Ahead of November 3rd, Pinterest is implementing new policies to limit the amount and spread of misleading information related to the upcoming US presidential election. To start, when you search for topics like how to vote in two months times, you'll see a banner at the top of the results page that leads to Vote.org, a non-partisan resource where you can find definitive answers to those types of questions. You'll also find additional voting resources in the recently launched Today tab, which you can quickly get to through the app's top navigation bar on iOS and Android. As November 3rd gets even closer, the company plans to limit recommendations for election-related content, including memes, in Pinterest's home feed, notifications and elsewhere throughout the app. The company also promises to turn off search autocomplete for specific political terms. Today's policies build on the company's decision to ban political advertising from its platform in 2018. As before, you won't see political ads on Pinterest, nor will the company show any ads when you search for general election terms like "polling place." The same goes for when and if you decide to search for pins related to Donald Trump and Joe Biden. "We believe that's a better and more inspiring experience for everyone," Pinterest said. Users aren't the only ones who will benefit from Pinterest's new policies. The company will give its more than 2,200 employees eight hours of paid time off to use toward civic engagement. They can take advantage of that time to do things like vote and work at a polling station. The move follows similar initiatives from other tech companies like Apple and Twitter. "We believe participating in the democratic process can be inspiring, and we want Pinterest to be a place where people can find credible information that inspires them to participate fully in their communities," the company said. More so than some other online platforms, Pinterest has historically done a good job of combating misinformation on its platform. When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, the company was quick to put credible information, from sources like the World Health Organization, in front of users. India-China standoff: Beijing tried to unilaterally change status quo, says MEA India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: India on Thursday said China's repeated attempts to unilaterlly change status quo has resulted in "the current situation" in eastern Ladakh, adding that New Delhi is committed to resolving issues through peaceful dialogue. Briefing media on stand-off in eastern Ladakh, MEA Spokeperson said, "Way ahead is military & diplomatic negotiations. We're firmly committed to resolving all issues through peaceful dialogue. Strongly urge China to sincerely engage with objective of expeditiously restoring peace in border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation." "Situation in border should be handled in a responsible manner. It is clear that situation we witnessed over past four months is direct result of actions by Chinese side. It is a direct result of the actions taken by China that sought to unilaterally change status quo," he added. 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. Brigadier level talks between India-China over Pangong Tso remain inconclusive The 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 in eastern Ladakh on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops. Srivastava on Tuesday said the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) was engaged in "provocative action" again a day earlier when the ground commanders of the two sides were holding talks to ease the situation. Following the Chinese attempts, the Indian Army has strengthened its presence in at least three strategic heights in the southern bank of Pangong lake. Replying to a question on whether External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Moscow to attend a meeting of the SCO foreign ministers on September 10, Srivastava said "yes". The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an eight-nation regional grouping that includes China and India. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to apologize Wednesday for her visit to a San Francisco hair salon that was supposed to be closed under the citys coronavirus pandemic rules, and suggested the business had tricked her. Pelosi said she took responsibility for falling for the setup to have her hair done inside the salon Monday. But the San Francisco Democrat said that if anyone owes an apology, its the salon. I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up, she said at an event about school reopenings in San Franciscos Noe Valley. Pelosis visit to the salon set off a firestorm when Fox News posted security footage of it Tuesday. Her visit happened one day before salons in the city were allowed to open for business, but only outdoors. Now Playing: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited an indoor hair salon for service, but her office claims she didn't know she did anything wrong. Video: KTVU The state began allowing salons and barbershops to reopen indoor service Monday, after having barred it for most of the pandemic. But individual counties can keep closures in place. In the Bay Area, San Francisco and Alameda counties are not allowing salons to have customers indoors. Pelosi indicated that e Salon, the Cow Hollow business where she had her hair done Monday, had given her an incorrect version of the rules. I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that Ive been to over the years many times, and when they said, Were able to accommodate people one person at a time. I trusted that, the speaker said during a combative exchange with reporters in the empty schoolyard of Mission Education Center Elementary School. A lawyer for the stylist who did Pelosis hair said in a letter released Wednesday evening the salons owner had reopened her business in April, in violation of various public health orders. The letter also charged that the owner objected to Pelosis salon visit after the fact because of her political leanings. The salon owner, Erica Kious, did not respond to requests for comment. Pelosis comments Wednesday acknowledged she was not aware of local rules prohibiting such indoor treatments. There is no provision in San Francisco for customers to get their hair done indoors one at a time. The speaker wasnt asked Wednesday why she didnt know the citys rules. Pelosi splits her time between her home in San Francisco and her work in Washington, D.C. Her response came after conservative critics jumped on Pelosi for appearing hypocritical in supporting restrictions on businesses and other aspects of public life to quell the pandemic, while engaging in a locally banned activity herself. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Liz Harrington said there have been instances of salon owners who have opened their business against local laws being jailed. California has not prosecuted business owners for violating pandemic rules, but a salon owner was briefly jailed in Texas for defying court orders to close up shop. You cant get your hair done, eat inside at a restaurant, travel, attend a funeral, or protest without mandatory quarantining. But Democrats can, Harrington wrote in an email. This isnt about health or science. Its about power. Democrats want to rule your life. But dont expect their rules to apply to them. Kious earlier told Fox that she had been unable to prevent Pelosis visit. She said an independent stylist who rents a chair in her establishment was the one who hosted Pelosi. Kious said she received a text message Sunday that the speaker would be coming in. A lawyer for cosmetologist Jonathan DeNardo said his client got advance approval from Kious to serve Pelosi two days before her appointment on Monday. Ms. Kious took special interest in the appointment during this telephone call, wherein she made several vitriolic and incendiary comments about Speaker Pelosi and her purported responsibility for temporarily suspending operations of Ms. Kious business, said the letter from attorney Matthew Soleimanpour, who is based in La Jolla. The letter added that Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor London Breed were actually responsible for the shelter-in-place restrictions. Kious has not responded to phone messages left by The Chronicle, including after Pelosi accused the salon of engaging in a setup. Pelosis spokesman said Wednesday that she had been having her regular stylist do her hair at her home during the pandemic, but that person wasnt available Monday. So she arranged to have her hair styled at eSalon after the shop told her it was OK, he said. At the center of negotiations over coronavirus relief in Congress, Pelosi has been a vocal proponent of wearing masks and following scientific advice. She has sharply criticized President Trump and other Republicans for downplaying the need for masks and proper social distancing practices. The short clip from Pelosis salon treatment that Fox released shows the speaker, with wet hair and wearing a robe, walking through the establishment with a mask around her neck. Asked Wednesday why she wasnt wearing a mask at the time, Pelosi said she had just had her hair washed. I dont wear a mask when Im washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when youre washing your hair? I always wear a mask, she said. Masks and business closures have been at the center of political and culture wars amid the pandemic. In Washington, some Republicans have resisted wearing masks in the Capitol building, despite requests from leadership that they do so. After Texas GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive and reports of Republicans staffers being forced to work mask-less emerged in the media, Pelosi ordered mask-wearing in all House office buildings and on the House side of the Capitol. Trump tweeted Wednesday that Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask - despite constantly lecturing everyone else. We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing! Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School, said she was baffled by Pelosis refusal to apologize. She said the optics of the salon visit fall somewhere between bad and horrendous, and play into conservative stereotypes of Pelosi as an out-of-touch liberal elite who doesnt adhere to the standards she touts for everyone else. She would have done better having one of her grandkids do her hair, having it look terrible on TV, and then it sends this message of, Im in it with you, Levinson said. Asked about the controversy at a separate news conference, Mayor London Breed said the country had more important things to worry about than whether Pelosi had engaged in a violation of city rules. We have our speaker working day and night against the challenges we have at the White House, Breed said. Its unfortunate this conversation has blown up in the way it has and distracted us from the real issue. Chronicle staff writer Aidin Vaziri contributed to this report. Tal Kopan and Rachel Swan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan, @rachelswan NAIROBI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) is planning to put in place a guarantee scheme for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) to speed up the continent's economic transformation, an official said on Wednesday. Amine Idriss Adoume, director in charge of delivery program and coordination at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), told a virtual meeting that one of the biggest impediments for the expansion of small businesses in Africa is the lack of affordable finance. "The scheme will be developed jointly with partners and seeks to unlock access to affordable finance for the continent's small businesses," Adoume said during the launch of the Pan-African MSME Academy for Kenya. The academy plans to launch across Africa with country-specific content in line with local business environments. Adoume said the academy has been positioned to enable small entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable growth as they emerge through the COVID-19 pandemic. The AU is prioritizing development of MSMEs because of their significance in the region, he said. There are currently between 95 million and 100 million MSMEs in Africa, employing some 300 million people, Adoume said. "They are therefore a key driver of economic growth and employment in the continent," he added. The AU official said the credit guarantee scheme will be designed to provide comfort to banks so that they can extend loans to MSMEs. Adoume noted that commercial banks shy away from providing credit to small businesses because they are perceived to have high default risk. Betty Maina, cabinet secretary at the Kenyan Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development, said Kenya is also developing a credit guarantee scheme that will support commercial banks to extend financial support to small businesses. MSMEs are a critical part of Kenya's economy as they constitute over 90 percent of all businesses and provide 30 percent of all employment opportunities, she said. The Kenyan government has also established a list of goods that will be procured by public entities and supplied by local MSMEs, Maina said. According to the ministry of industrialization, Kenya has so far launched three rounds of economic stimulus packages to cushion businesses and households against the effects of restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. BOOK OF THE WEEK The Lives of Lucian Freud: Fame, 1968-2011 by William Feaver (Bloomsbury 35, 592pp) Hello, Villiam, how goes it?' That was Lucian Freud, who never quite lost his German accent, calling William Feaver for the daily late-night chats over 35 years on which Feaver's two-volume, life of the artist is based. This second volume covers the workaholic half of Freud's life, during which the price for one of his paintings rose meteorically from a typical 5,000 to the 17.2 million paid in 2008 by Roman Abramovich for Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, one of Freud's many nudes whose flesh is as sprawling and colourful as this vast, swollen tome. We left Freud at the end of Volume I in a state of chaotic, self-destructive addiction to gambling on horses, painting his way out of chronic debt. The second volume of William Feaver's biography of Lucian Freud covers the workaholic half of Freud's life, during which the price for one of his paintings rose meteorically That addiction seemed to wane with his increasing success and wealth. Gambling lost its frisson when he was no longer in danger of tumbling headlong into penury. But he still liked to go around with 16,000 in cash stuffed into his pocket in case the whim took him to put a bet on a horse at 8 to 1, just for the adrenaline rush. Volume II opens with the 46-year-old Freud shinning up a drainpipe in Notting Hill, West London, to pursue the 24-year-old Jacquetta Eliot who was (she thought) happily married to an earl-to-be. In mid-life, Freud still relished focusing on his prey. Jacquetta summed up his craving for the unattainable by describing his reaction on finding a kebab shop closed: 'Damn, I want it even more.' Jacquetta fought off his advances for two years but then 'a dreadful realisation' knew she was hooked. 'He was funny and clever, ardent, urgent and fantastically intimate. He electrified my senses.' It was 'a dreadful drug and I couldn't get off it.' Freud pursued the 24-year-old Jacquetta Eliot who was (she thought) happily married to an earl-to-be. Jacquetta fought off his advances for two years but then 'a dreadful realisation' knew she was hooked She gave him a baby, Freddy, for his birthday, whom her husband agreed to bring up as his own. But Jacquetta's relationship with Freud soon descended into jealous, window-smashing rows as he moved on to his next conquest. She bit him through his shoulder, breaking her tooth, and scratched the word 'fart' on his Bentley. Was Feaver too close a friend of Freud's to write a properly dispassionate account of the man? I fear he was. Freud himself was a fanatical guarder of his private life. But Feaver may have been too close to Freud to write a properly dispassionate account Once, he burst into Wilton's restaurant and wrestled Nigel Dempster to the ground for naming Jacquetta in Private Eye magazine as his sitter. Feaver, who was the curator of Freud's retrospective exhibitions (about which we hear too many tedious details), is also the curator of the artist's privacy. During their thousands of hours of telephone chats, he seems to have become increasingly tactful, not probing Freud about his later love affairs, such as the one with Susanna Chancellor, wife of journalist Alexander. What exactly was going on there, and what did Alexander make of it? Mentioned only in passing, it seems to have been a cosy, long-running affair broken off each summer when Susanna went to Tuscany for four months, during which he rang her four times a day and she was jealous that Lucian was 'let off the lead'. She wanted him to be monogamous. As one friend of hers remarked on hearing that wish: 'Well, tell a dog to be vegan.' Nor is there any real probing into his later affair with the 27-year-old journalist Emily Bearn that began when Freud was 79: Emily later left him for none other than Alexander Chancellor, by whom she had a baby. 'I wasn't really interested in his private life,' Feaver writes. Well, we are. Susanna is one of the rolling gallery of women who crop up in this book, ranging from 'Big Sue' the benefits supervisor, to the Queen whom he painted in 2000 (The British Art Journal said the portrait 'makes her look like one of her corgis who has suffered a stroke'). To the Queen, he flatteringly remarked: 'If you were a professional model you'd be in demand.' Freud craved women as sitters but, as Feaver writes, 'To sit was to serve, often in more than one capacity.' Freud could still exert a magnetic hold over art students much younger than his daughters, who became his models and muses. Having read Celia Paul's raw, emotional memoir of last year, Self-Portrait, about her passionate affair with him, I was surprised by just how minor a role she plays in this book: just one of many needy, tearful women whom Freud eventually had to shake off. In his mid-80s he was still eyeing up the clientele of the Wolseley in his frantic search for new recruits. Kate Moss became a close friend of Freud's, whose naked portrait by him fetched 3.5 million at auction It was not always beautiful women who were best for portraits. 'The reason I always go for what people call 'dowdy women',' he said, 'is that they have generous faces.' Madonna was desperate to be painted, but he found that the more desperate someone was, the less suitable they were as a sitter. One of his models, a nurse, cursed God for her fat ankles. 'I thank God for them,' Freud said. He was the master celebrator of fat ankles although he was also a sucker for the thin ankles of Kate Moss, who became a close friend rather than lover, and whose naked portrait by him fetched 3.5 million at auction. He even did a tattoo of a brace of swallows set like inverted commas at the base of her spine. The chief attribute he demanded of a sitter was punctuality. Freud was a strangely cold man. He never went to funerals or memorial services. Pictured: Him with fellow artist Francis Bacon in the 1960s When new mother Jerry Hall kept being late or not turning up to sittings, he scratched her out and replaced her with his naked male assistant David, who was depicted in all his hairiness, holding her baby. Freud's adult daughters and sons were reliable sitters, as they craved his undivided attention and this was a way to get six or seven hours of it, five days a week, until the painting was finished and they were suddenly dispensable again. While he was painting his daughter Rose (naked), she longed to shout out, 'Where were you when I needed you, you b******?' The Lives of Lucian Freud: Fame, 1968-2011, by William Feaver By his own admission, Freud was 'one of the great absentee fathers of the age'. His mother, also, was a good sitter, as she was losing her marbles and just sat there vacantly for him in his Kensington studio, for four hours a day for the last 15 years of her life. On the day she died, he went into the hospital to draw her face freshly dead one of the many haunting images reproduced in this richly art-centred book. He was a strangely cold man. He never went to funerals or memorial services not even his mother's ('There were too many people I didn't want to see'). There's no explanation of why he was not on speaking terms with his brothers Stephen and Clement. When Clement died, he merely remarked, 'We never got on. He's dead now. Always was, actually.' All his emotion, and perhaps all his existential despair, went into his paintings. When it came to his work, writes Feaver, he was 'a man possessed'. 'What do I ask of a painting?' Freud said. 'I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince.' This book, though too full of meandering conversations that could have done with trimming, does justice to Freud's pitiless genius as an artist. The Bombay high courts Aurangabad bench has cited the Covid-19 pandemic and directed the state government to continue the suspension of biometric machine use for the distribution of foodgrains through public distribution system (PDS). A division bench of justices Ravindra Ghuge and Shrikant Kulkarni issued the directive as the use of biometric machines increases possibility of physical contact at rationing shops and the risk of spreading the virus. The court was hearing a petition of an association of fair price shop owners from Beed district, seeking directions for the government to continue the suspension. The ultimate goal is to no longer be needed in these communities, Tendaji said. Our goal is to continue to be this really juicy, wonderful invitation to doing the work to make sure that Black people know and understand that we keep us safe. We are all that ever has kept us safe, she said. There are also some things Im really hoping about, like ending our existence not having the need for this kind of institution or for us to need to be an institution. Next CDS of India: Rajnath Singh to receive list of probables soon India tells France, have the political will, ability to counter misadventure by China Want to manufacture BrahMos so that no country has audacity to cast evil eye on us: Rajnath Singh IAF chopper crash: Rajnath Singh likely to be apprised of probe team's findings in next couple of days Rajnath Singh holds talks with Russian counterpart to bolster defence, strategic cooperation India oi-Deepika S Moscow, Sep 03: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said he had an "excellent meeting" with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu during which he appreciated the "steadfast support" provided by Russia in response to the country's defence and security needs. Singh, who arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Taking to Twitter, Singh termed his one-hour meeting with Shoigu at the Russian Ministry of Defence as "excellent". "Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries," he said in a tweet. The meeting was marked by the traditional warmth and friendship, characteristic of the special and privileged partnership between India and Russia in which military technical cooperation and military-to-military cooperation constitute an important pillar, according to a statement by the defence ministry. Shoigu conveyed his warm appreciation to Singh for his participation in the 75th anniversary of Victory Day Parade at Red Square on June 24 and his participation in the joint meeting of the SCO, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) countries. His meeting with Singh was the first meeting he was having with visiting Defence Ministers. In a series of tweets, the Defence Ministry Spokesperson said the meeting covered a broad range of areas of cooperation between the two countries. It was noted that Thursday's meeting coincides with the Indra Naval Exercises to be conducted by the Indian and Russia navies off the Straits of Malacca over the next two days. Singh noted that these exercises demonstrated the common interests of both the countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. There was substantial commonality in positions with respect to challenges at the regional and international levels in the areas of peace and security. The minister "conveyed appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia consistent with the defence and security needs of India, and in this context, particularly noted the timely manner in which the Russian had responded to requests for procurement of particular weapon systems," it said, adding that both sides would continue to maintain contacts to ensure the timely delivery. "Singh also briefed Shoigu on the ''Make-in-India'' defence programme in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Aatma Nirbhar Bharat vision," the ministry said in another tweet. "Both sides welcomed the advance stage of discussions for the establishment in India of an India-Russian Joint Venture for the production of AK203 assault rifles which are considered one of the most modern weapons available for infantry forces. "General Shoigu reiterated commitment of the Russian side to engage actively with our MOD (Ministry of Defence) to ensure the success of ''Make-in-India'' programme including substantial participation in the forthcoming Aero India Exhibition to be held in February next year," the ministry said in separate tweets. Singh also extended an invitation for Shoigu to visit India for the next meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission for Technical and Military Cooperation which is expected to be held towards the end of this year, it said. Earlier, officials said that Singh is also likely to request the Russian side to ensure the timely delivery of the S-400 missile defence systems to India. The delivery of the first batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India is scheduled by the end of 2021. It is 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. Singh will also attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation here on Friday which will be attended by the defence ministers of the eight member nations. They are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively. The meeting is taking place under the shadow of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of the influential bloc. The SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistan''s Pervez Khattak are expected to attend the SCO meeting. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of the SCO in 2017. PVH is keeping it casual. The parent company of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands reported another $51.7 million in quarterly losses Wednesday evening, but said it still sees opportunity in casual products, especially online and abroad. More from WWD Calvin [Klein], by the nature of its brand, has a huge, huge designer underwear and womens intimate business. And a big jeans business that really plays into the casualization [trend], Emanuel Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer of PVH, said on Thursday mornings conference call with analysts. And the Tommy [business] is probably as a brand, much more of a casual brand, much more of an athlete brand. Weve been able to really focus on that casual nature, Chirico continued. Our assortment will be focused on relevant categories. And we are in a position to chase [those categories] until our better-than-expected demand materializes. Thats good news for any retailer in the era of the coronavirus, when many U.S. workers are expected to continue their work-from-home set-up for the rest of the year some deep into 2021 and schools continue to delay openings this fall. But its welcomed, especially by PVH, which also includes heritage brands True & Co., Izod, Van Heusen and Warners, Olga, Geoffrey Beene and Arrow, many of which sell loungewear, activewear and other essentials for life at home. While PVHs total direct-to-consumer sales fell 24 percent last quarter (mostly a result of continued brick-and-mortar store closures during at least part of the three-month period), total digital channel revenues grew 50 percent and the companys directly operated digital commerce businesses surged 87 percent during the same timeframe, year-over-year. Chirico added on the call that revenues in both calvinklein.com and tommy.com grew triple digits in the most recent quarter year-over-year while adding many new customers. Story continues And our business with Amazon was also a highlight, he said. Were really spending where the consumer is shopping, Chirico said. Our marketing budget spend-by-type continues to show greater and greater digital marketing, away from some of these a lot of more traditional areas. Were trying to get the flywheel [of marketing] more and more going away from product strength to showing up in the e-commerce channels, [because] thats where the consumer wants to shop and engage with our brands. Mike Shaffer, executive vice president and chief operating and financial officer of PVH, added on the call, Every time we take steps closer to what the consumer wants and needs, we see the positive performance proof points. But its not just consumers who have taken note. Despite the recent losses (nearly $52 million on top of $1.1 billion the quarter before that), shares of PVH were up nearly 5 percent during Thursdays trading session. Were giving credit where due given the better-than-expected results on PVHs pivot away from more traditional domestic channels and strong liquidity update, Kate Fitzsimons, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a note. Wall Street also seems pleased with the growing international business. Quarter-to-date sales are up in both Asia and Europe, executives said on the call. China continues to gain momentum for both Calvin and Tommy, Chirico said. Europe has been our strongest market over the past couple of years. It continues to demonstrate a strong recovery, said Chirico. Even so, tailwinds persist, most notably in PVHs wholesale division Stateside, much of which has been impacted by the recent string of bankruptcies. The fundamental issue in North America is the lack of control of the virus compared to the rest of the world. And I think thats having an impact on consumer spending, particularly in apparel, Chirico said. In addition, as a company, a big part of our businesses is tourism driven by international tourists. And that is all but gone away for now. Weve been anticipating that international tourists will not be back in the second half of 2020. He added that delays in the supply chain have the potential to further negatively impact the business. More reason why, even though shares of PVH remain cheap, as Simeon Siegel, managing director and senior retail analyst at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note, some investors continue to fear the domestic CK business has extended past its brand peak. PVH is not providing guidance, but expects heavy promotional activity moving into holiday. This will clearly be a unique holiday season, Chirico said. Retailers are not buying extra inventory; theyre not ramping up. The key will be how much goods are out there that need to be cleared from a fashion perspective. We were planning to carry out as much as $200 million [worth of inventory into spring 2021] and that number has already been cut in half. So, I think its really good for us. Gross margin is a big opportunity. But given all the uncertainty in the business, were just trying to be cautious about how we think about margins going forward. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:31:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 48 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 56,908. Of the new cases, five are imported cases, two are community cases and the rest are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers. The local media Lianhe Zaobao reported on Thursday that MOH noted that 41 cases have been mistakenly confirmed, dragging the total cases on Wednesday to 56,860. MOH didn't disclose how this has happened. Of the new cases on Thursday, 96 percent are imported or linked to known cases or clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing. All new cases are asymptomatic, and were detected from the proactive screening and surveillance. On Thursday, 137 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 56,028 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said. There are currently 52 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Furthermore, 801 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. Altogether 27 people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection. Enditem Dwayne Johnson (L) and Lauren Hashian arrive at the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Jumanji: The Red Carpet" in Hollywood, California, on Dec. 9, 2019. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Family Recover From CCP Virus Dwayne The Rock Johnson announced on Wednesday that he and his familywife Lauren Hashian and their two young daughtershad tested positive for the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. In a video posted to Instagram, the actor said that he was shocked upon receiving the positive test results two and a half to three weeks ago and that the diagnosis was one of the most challenging and difficult things the family has endured. Johnson and his family have since recovered. He said in the video, We are counting our blessings right now. We are well aware you dont always get to the other end of COVID-19 stronger and healthier. I have had some of my best friends have lost their parents, their loved ones, to this virus that is so incredibly relentless and unforgiving, and it is insidious, he added. He said that while his daughters, 4-year-old Jasmine and 2-year-old Tiana, apparently bounced back following symptoms of sore throats for a couple of days, he and his wife both had a rough go at it. Dwayne Johnson and his wife Lauren Hashian and daughter Jasmine pose as his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star is unveiled in Hollywood, California on Dec. 13, 2017. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) The actor and Hashian celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary in August. Johnson also has another daughter, 19-year-old Simone, from a previous marriage. He repeatedly expressed gratitude for having survived the ordeal. I wish it was only me that tested positive. It was my entire family and it was a kick in the gut. We in a family are good, were on the other end of it and no longer contagious. Thank God, were healthy, he said. He said that they caught the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus from close family friends. The family friends said they were unsure of where they caught the virus. He said the family friends expressed that they were devastated for having unknowingly spread the virus. If you guys are having family and friends over to your house, you know them, you trust them, he told his Instagram followers in the video. They can be quarantining just like you guys. You still never know. You never know. Johnson suggested that those planning to visit friends should get tested before meeting up. Dont let your guard down, boosts your immunity with antioxidants, vitamins, things of that nature, he added. The actor also advised fans to wear their masks, saying it is the right and responsible thing to do. This baffles me that some people out there, including some politicians, will take this idea of wearing mask and make it a political agenda of a political agenda, politicizing, he said. It has nothing to do in politics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that those who are 2 years or older should wear a mask in public settings and when around people who dont live in their household, especially when social distancing is hard to maintain. The agency recommends that those younger than 2 years old, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is unable to remove the mask without assistance, should not wear a mask. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) School Managers Association Uttar Pradesh has appealed to families who can pay fee to at least submit education fees so that salaries can be paid to teachers and other staff members. The association also sought help from the Centre and state governments. Our appeal to government is that we have not received school fees for the last five months. We are only demanding education fee so that we can pay salaries to our teachers. At least the people who can pay, should pay the fee, said Shyam Pachauri, President, UP CBSE School Managers Association. CBSE School Managers Association spokesperson Murlidhar said they have waived about 10,000 crore additional fees for 6 months. We appeal to families to at least pay education fees. If this cannot be done, then the government is requested to provide only half of the education fee to our staff and teachers, he said. Guinean President Alpha Conde on Thursday filed his nomination papers for a controversial third term in elections next month, despite outrage and widespread protests in which dozens were killed. Conde, nearing the end of his second and final five-year spell in office, this year pushed through a revamped constitution that opponents say was crafted to reset the term counter. The 82-year-old walked from the presidential palace to the nearby Constitutional Court to file his nomination. He was accompanied by his wife, Hadja Djene Conde, and several ministers. Conde "will be examined by a team of doctors who will confirm he is fit to lead the country for a few more years," a source in Conde's entourage said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Protests against his suspected re-election plan erupted in the West African state in October last year but met with a ruthless crackdown, and several dozen people have died. Conde had until now refused to spell out whether he would seek re-election, saying only that this was a question for his party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG). Conde is the fourth candidate to file his nomination. The others are former ministers Ousmane Kaba, Abdoul Kabele Camara and Ousmane Dore. Conde, a veteran opposition leader who has served long stints in prisons, only confirmed on Wednesday that he would seek another term. The former French colony is replete in minerals but mired in poverty and instability and has suffered decades of autocratic rule. Hopes of change flourished when Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010, winning re-election five years later. Supporters say Conde has worked hard to build Guinea's infrastructure and attract foreign investors to exploit the country's mineral wealth. But critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian, eroding human rights and using oppressive means to crush dissent, at the estimated cost of around 200 lives since coming to power. bm/ach/erc WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "Whether we're building back better or keeping America great again, it will be new territory for job seekers and employers in Washington," says Chris Jones, President of PoliTemps, the nation's premier non-partisan political staffing agency. Jones expects at least 3,000 campaign staffers to be out of work come November 3rd and many will make their way to Washington in search of new opportunities. In the face of a nationwide pandemic, many in the political world are opting to work remote. In Washington, DC, that might be less of an option as the business of politics, policy and governing is often a close contact sport. Zoom calls and interviews, and socially distant coffees, will continue as well. The nature of hiring, vetting and screening employees and the workplace overall will inevitably change, some say for the better. "Between the Biden and Trump campaigns, Super PACs, and various congressional, gubernatorial, and senate campaigns, resumes will be flying fast toward DC," says Jones. "There will be opportunities here, either in a Biden White House or a Trump White House, and a slightly altered Congress." "When a new party takes control of legislative bodies, or the White House, it usually affects our business and for the better," Jones says. "For one, we get an influx of qualified, politically-savvy applicants from all around the country who see it as a chance to break into the big leagues in Washington. New players and leaders in Congress and the Executive Branch also force lobbyists and special interests to refocus priorities and strategies, and that means more client activity. We're getting ready for to make Washington, DC work again." Jones is quick to note that out of setbacks come triumphs in life, and his business is proof of that. Years ago, Jones found himself on the losing end of a political battle and unemployed as a result. He had been a campaign staffer for well-known Governor Ann Richards in Austin, Texas, who lost her re-election bid to none other than George W. Bush. But Jones wouldn't be defeated. He reflected on the experience, licked his wounds, came to Washington, and founded PoliTemps. Now, PoliTemps is marking its 7th Presidential election cycle, and Jones finds himself positioned to benefit from wins or losses on either side of the political aisle. Having weathered numerous campaign cycles, September 11th, the boom and bust of the dot.com era, a recession, a divided government, and a pandemic that still rages, Jones has built PoliTemps into a company focused on delivering value to clients and job candidates no matter which party is in control. "What makes this exciting for me everyday is helping people get jobs that meet a genuine need in the Washington economy, plain and simple," says Jones. "I've seen job seekers from both sides of the aisle come to us, sometimes after an election loss or a reorganization. I try to give everyone a new chance because I know that in politics you need it." PoliTemps is designed to provide organizations with top-quality, professional personnel who, in addition to possessing unsurpassed communications, administrative and computer skills, are also politically astute. As President & CEO, Jones oversees overall business development, marketing and management activities of the Company. PoliTemps has placed associates with clients for over one million hours and over 500 permanent placements. The firm counts among its clients a premier roster of the top political consultants, corporations, PR firms, associations and non-profits in the DC area. Chris Jones and PoliTemps has been featured in numerous newspapers, political resource guides and publications as a reliable source for news and information regarding politics, people, campaigns and jobs. Jones is also owner of CapitolWorks, an executive search firm for public affairs. Find us on Facebook here. And on Twitter here. Contact: Chris Jones Ph: 202.785.8500 [email protected] http://www.politemps.com SOURCE PoliTemps Related Links http://www.politemps.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 12:04 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c427197d 1 National National-Police,criminal-investigation,2020-regional-elections,Idham-Azis Free The police will suspend any criminal investigations involving potential or registered candidates running in the 2020 regional elections in December, according to a telegram issued by National Police chief Gen. Idham Azis. In the telegram dated Aug. 31, Idham argued that any legal proceedings against candidates in the run-up to elections would further encourage mudslinging and smear campaigns to influence the election outcomes. The telegram, signed by the chief detective of the polices Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on behalf of Idham, is also aimed at deterring any political influence among police officers and to further prevent irresponsible stakeholders from using the police in the interests of rival candidates in the elections. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Argo Yuwono confirmed the telegram on Wednesday. "If the police proceed with any criminal investigations against candidates, the police could be accused of not being neutral. That's what we have to avoid, Argo said as quoted by kompas.com. Read also: Indonesian poll body prepares rules for online campaigns ahead of December elections Criminal investigations, however, will not be suspended against those suspected of election fraud, or who are caught red handed committing crimes that threaten national security or crimes that carry the maximum punishment of death or life imprisonment. Investigations into cases involving regional election candidates will resume after the election process is finished, the police said. The 270 concurrent regional elections are scheduled for Dec. 9. Any police investigators found to be continuing investigations as referred to in the first point of the telegram will be charged with violations of the code of ethics and be disciplined, the telegram reads. (trn) ByteDance owner Zhang Yiming has found himself in a fix as the company may have to reconsider selling TikTok's US arm. Reports of ByteDance selling TikTok's US operations as early as Tuesday surfaced but there was no announcement regarding the same. This is likely because China signaled its involvement in any potential deal the company makes. Sources familiar to the matter told Bloomberg that Yiming was reconsidering his options after China's involvement. As per the report, Yiming, due to the new dimensions could push the deal beyond the deadline set by US President Donald Trump or back out of the deal altogether. China's newly introduced export control rules include some of TikTok's key technologies, algorithms and personalised information recommendation services based on data analysis that were included in the forbidden and restricted technology exports. Tiktok heavily relies on algorithms to push viewers into making content based on their viewing history. As per a report by FT, the expost of such services is restricted and not banned which means there can still be a deal. However, it has to be in line with government regulations. Meanwhile, the potential bidders of the deal -- Microsoft that entered a partnership with Walmart and Oracle are discussing how to interpret China's new rules and how to move forward, sources told NYT. As per reports, the sale price could be in the range of $20 billion to $30 billion US President Donald Trump said that he has told people involved in the sale of the US assets of TikTok that the deal must be struck by September 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." Last month, Trump issued executive orders banning any US transactions with ByteDance and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days. The Trump administration called the Chinese apps "untrusted" and referred to them as "significant threats." The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in the order. New laws are urgently required to allow crime and security agencies to intercept encrypted communications, a judge charged with supervising spying legislation has said. Mr Justice Charles Meenan has warned the Government that, unless current legislation on phone tapping is brought up to date, the law faces becoming obsolete, with the result of hampering criminal investigations and compromising national security. He also said ongoing court cases over the legality of separate laws on accessing communication data means that this important provision is not being used by State agencies, to the detriment of criminal investigations. But leading digital rights campaigner and law lecturer, TJ McIntyre questioned the judges calls, saying they fail to take into account very serious privacy issues as determined by domestic and European courts. The judges warnings are contained in a typically brief three-page statement on his review of the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993 and Section 12 (1) (C) of the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011. The 1993 act allows for the interception of communications, on foot of authorisation by the Minister for Justice, while the 2011 Act allows agencies to seek traffic data from phone and online companies. The report does not provide any figures on the use of either legislation. In his report, Judge Meenan said that, last June, he attended Garda Headquarters, Defence Forces HQ, and the Department of Justice, and was satisfied that the powers under the acts were exercised proportionally and responsibly. The judge said there is a very serious concern that the 1993 Act is now out of date and that new legislation is urgently required to deal with the technological advances in the last 27 years. He said: Devices which enable the transfer of data in encrypted form are now universally available. New legislation to provide for the interception of such encrypted data for the purpose of criminal investigation or in the interests of the security of the State has to be given priority. The judge said such legislation will have to provide the necessary safeguards for those involved. If such legislation is not enacted, it can be envisaged that the 1993 Act will become obsolete, thus hampering criminal investigation and compromising the security of the State, the judge said. He said a key section of the 2011 Act had been referred by the Supreme Court to the European Court of Justice, and added: As matters stand, this important provision is not being relied upon, which is to the detriment of criminal investigations." Mr McIntyre, Associate Professor at UCD School of Law, said it is inappropriate for the designated judge to call for an expansion of surveillance powers and ignore the very serious privacy issues, including breaches of fundamental rights, found by domestic and European courts. He said there needs to be an overhaul in independent oversight in Ireland, and said there is no excuse with the ongoing failure of the Department of Justice to legislate. Last month, the Department of Justice told the Irish Examiner that proposals on modernising interception powers were being prepared for the minister. Mr McIntyre said that failings in Irish surveillance legislation had been documented for many years, including in judicial inquiries and the courts, both here and abroad. He said the legality of data retention laws (enabling access to communication data) had been undermined by the European Court of Justice in 2014. We are now six years on and there are still no signs of reform, he said. Gardai, the Defence Forces and, since 2015, GSOC, are empowered to apply for interception authorisations. These three agencies, as well as Revenue and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, can also use the 2011 Act. Following the referral last February by the Supreme Court of the 2011 Act to the European Court of Justice, the Department of Justice said that a revised General Scheme of the Communications (Data Retention and Disclosure) Bill was well advanced, which would replace the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, and take into account the various court rulings. DALLAS - The family of a man fatally shot by an off-duty Dallas police officer who said she mistook his apartment for hers is suing the complex where he was killed, saying his door lock didnt work properly. The parents and sister of Botham Jean filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Dallas County district court. The lawsuit came just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the death of the 26-year-old Black man. Jean was fatally shot on Sept. 6, 2018, by white Officer Amber Guyger, who testified that she thought he was an intruder. Guyger was fired and charged with murder. She was convicted last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison. A lawyer for the company that owns the South Side Flats said it has not yet been served with the suit and therefore cant comment on its claims. All of us associated with the South Side Flats community continue to express our deepest sympathies to the Jean family for their indescribable loss, Erin Ankin, general counsel for Waterton, said in an emailed statement. The lawsuit said there were multiple incidents at the complex where the doors and locking mechanisms didnt operate on a consistent basis. The lawsuit says that when Guyger arrived at his door one floor above hers his door either hadnt closed as it was designed to do or her key fob allowed her to enter an apartment that wasnt hers. The lawsuit also said that the design of the building led to people parking on the wrong floor or entering the wrong apartment by mistake. In December, a federal judge ruled that the city of Dallas was not liable for Guygers off-duty shooting, dismissing the city from a lawsuit brought by Jeans family. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:18:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- New passenger car registrations in Germany fell by 20 percent in August compared with the same month last year to around 250,000 units, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) said on Thursday. In July, the respective figures were a 5.4-percent drop and 315,000 vehicles, according to the KBA. The year-on-year drop in the number of newly-registered cars with traditional gasoline and diesel engines was particularly steep at 38.8 percent and 26.7 percent, respectively. "Alternative drive types showed triple-digit growth in some cases compared to the same month last year," the KBA noted. The number of newly registered fully electric vehicles more than tripled to 16,076 in August, accounting for 6.4 percent of all new registrations. With a share of 18.4 percent, the number of newly registered hybrid cars more than doubled to 46,188 compared to August last year, according to the KBA. Overall, one in four new passenger cars in Germany were electrified. According to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the year-on-year decline was particularly noticeable because August 2019 had seen unusually high sales as a result of the pending introduction of the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). Nevertheless, Germany's domestic market was "still weak," the VDA said. In the first eight months of the year, only around 1.8 million new passenger cars were registered, a year-on-year decline of 29 percent. According to the VDA, Germany's vehicle production and exports were around a third below the previous year's level in August. The country's largest car manufacturers (Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler) all reported heavy losses due to COVID-19. The number of passenger cars produced in Germany in August plummeted by 35 percent year-on-year. According to the VDA, vehicle exports declined by 31 percent and remained "extraordinarily weak." Enditem An Australian one dollar coin is displayed on May 16, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Tax Cuts in Play to Combat Australias Lockdown-Induced Recession Billions of dollars in tax cuts are being considered as part of a package to lift the Australian economy from its lockdown-induced recession, following the release of the National Accounts on Sept. 2. The National Accounts revealed economic activity shrank seven percent in the June quarter, confirming the first recession for the nations economy in nearly three decades. Currently, one million people are unemployed and another 400,000 are likely to begin relying on government support before Christmas. Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has hinted at fast-tracking income tax relief in the Oct. 6 budget to breathe life into the battered economy. Its important that people recognise that tax cuts put more money into peoples pockets. More money into peoples pockets means more spending and more spending means more jobs, he told reporters in Canberra on Sept. 3. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during a press conference in the Main Committee Room at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on July 23, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images) However, he said these were ongoing discussions and would reveal the full details in the upcoming budget. The Coalition government last year pushed through a ten-year income tax plan that would save Australians $158 billion (US$115.7 billion). The plan was to be rolled out in three stages, with the latter two stages originally set for 2022 and 2024. This year, the federal government has earmarked the fast-tracking of the last two stages in response to the pandemic. Reserve Bank Governor Robert Lowes verdict is that Australia is facing its worst economic episode since the Great Depression. The National Accounts confirmed Lowes analysis, revealing household consumption fell, as well as business investment, and home building. An employee walks past the Reserve Bank of Australia building in the central business district of Sydney on July 4, 2017. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images) Household savings rose however to a record 19.8 percent in the quarter, indicating Australians were more cautious and saving in response to economic uncertainty. The treasurer said that on a global scale, Australia weathered the pandemic-induced lockdown better than many developed nations. In the United Kingdom, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 20.4 percent in the June quarter. In France, GDP fell by 13.8 percent, Canada by 11.5 percent, Germany by 9.7 percent, and the United States by 9.1 percent; while New Zealand is expecting the economy to contract by more than 20 percent, he said. The federal opposition Labor Party has vowed to work constructively with the government to lift the Australian economy. Labor Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers, however, was opposed to bringing forward tax cuts, saying it was no substitute for job creation. We need a jobs plan, and tax cuts being brought forward on their own is not a jobs plan, he told ABC on Sept. 3. Head chef Geraud Fabre (L) of French restaurant France-Soir waits for take-away orders in Melbourne, Australia on May 8, 2020 (Willian West/ Getty Images) At the moment, the governments plan is to wind back JobKeeper, wind back JobSeeker, freeze the pension, and slash wages. That would be part of the problem not part of the solution, Chalmers added. The treasurer has maintained plans to scale back the JobKeeper and JobSeeker support payments at the end of September. Ann Kayis-Kumar, senior lecturer at the School of Taxation, University of New South Wales, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 3 that tax cuts alone would not be enough to stimulate the economy. For tax cuts to work wed need people to be earning enough to actually need to pay the tax in the first place. The problem with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we dont have this occurring, she said. She called for more fundamental reforms to the corporate and individual tax system, floating the idea of an allowance for corporate equity, which would give businesses tax deductions for investing money (in the form of equity) in their business. Jennifer Westacott of the Business Council of Australia backed the idea of tax cuts, saying it was one key ingredient to creating jobs along with cutting regulation for business. We need a recovery plan that is driven by the private sector, focused on job creation, and getting investment going againand we dont have any time to waste, she said in a statement on Sept 2. Well need to harness the spirit of cooperation weve achieved through this crisis to finally deal with some of our most difficult reform challengestax and regulation, she added. Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is launching a clinical trial of promising treatments for COVID-19 in the outpatient setting. The trial is part of the national ACTIV-2 protocol to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new potential therapeutics in adult patients who have COVID-19 illness but are not hospitalized. VUMC is one of 25 sites nationwide that will conduct ACTIV-2, which includes both phase 2 and phase 3 evaluations of multiple potential therapeutics for COVID-19 in a single trial. There are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or therapeutics to prevent or treat COVID-19. For information about enrolling in the trial at Vanderbilt, visit the study website. We are doing this study to find a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 for people in our community, nationwide and around the world. Our hope is that the treatment keeps people alive and out of the hospital. When people are infected with COVID-19, they may feel pretty well at first, but they can become very sick very fast, no matter their age. People newly diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Nashville area, and who are not hospitalized, can make a huge contribution by volunteering for this study." David Haas, MD, Professor of Medicine and principal investigator for the study at VUMC ACTIV-2 is a randomized, blinded, controlled adaptive study that will allow many different investigational drugs to be tested over the course of the study. The study is designed to efficiently test multiple new drugs, alone or in combination, compared to placebo within the same clinical trial. Volunteers who enter the study will be compensated for their participation. The first stage of ACTIV-2 is a phase 2 clinical trial that will evaluate the safety, antiviral activity and ability of investigational drugs to reduce the duration of COVID-19 symptoms. The first investigational drug being evaluated is LY3819253, a monoclonal antibody produced by Eli Lilly and Company in partnership with AbCellera Biologics. In the first stage, 220 volunteers who have symptoms of COVID-19 and test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but are not hospitalized, will be randomly assigned to receive the study drug or placebo. If the study drug shows positive results and meets specific criteria for further evaluation, it will advance to the second stage of ACTIV-2, a phase 3 clinical trial, to test whether it can prevent hospitalization and death in non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19. The phase 3 stage will enroll an additional 1,780 volunteers. ACTIV-2 is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ACTIV-2 is part of NIH's Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), a public-private partnership to develop a coordinated research strategy that speeds development of the most promising treatments and vaccines. The study is also receiving support from Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government's multi-agency effort to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. ACTIV-2 is being led by the NIAID-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group, which includes the Vanderbilt Therapeutics Clinical Research Site (VTCRS) directed by Haas. ACTIV-2 does not focus on people living with HIV; it is using the infectious disease and clinical trials expertise of the group. The VTCRS team will administer treatments that require a hospital setting, such as antibody infusions, in VUMC's Communicable Disease Response Unit (CDRU), located within the Clinical Research Center. The CDRU was established in 2015 in response to the Ebola epidemic and was designed specifically to care for patients with highly contagious and life-threatening infectious diseases in the safest way possible. Starting treatment early in infection is a critical component of ACTIV-2, and the timing presents a challenge to sites across the country. "Very few hospitals and clinics are designed so that people with active, contagious COVID-19 may safely enter the facility just to be in a research study. Generally, people with active COVID-19 only go to the hospital if they are sick enough to possibly require hospitalization. Pretty much the last thing you want to ask someone with active COVID-19 to do is come into the hospital or clinic," said Beverly Woodward, MSN, RN, a research nurse in the Division of Infectious Diseases and manager of the VTCRS team. "We're fortunate at VUMC to have the CDRU located within the Clinical Research Center, so it works out pretty perfectly." The CDRU includes state-of-the-art ventilation and negative pressure systems, exterior access and an area for clinicians and researchers to put on and remove personal protective equipment, disinfect equipment and perform hand hygiene outside of the patient room in a space that is buffered from the rest of the Medical Center. Joining Haas and Woodward in the ACTIV-2 study are their team of research specialists, including multiple nurses. One of the VTCRS nurses, Joan Gottesman, BSN, RN, is also contributing at the national level as one of two field representatives for the multisite study. At least half of the participants who enroll in ACTIV-2 must have factors that increase their risk of developing severe COVID-19, including being at least 55 years old or having a condition such as chronic lung, kidney or liver disease. VUMC is committed to enrolling individuals representing communities most impacted by COVID-19 and the team will work with community partners to make the study accessible to those who are often underrepresented in medical research. Dancehall artiste Ras Kuuku has not hidden his excitement since he won Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) last Saturday, August 29 and he says it is only his haters who will say he didn't deserve it. According to the Nwansina hitmaker, he had been yearning for the award for a very long time and his hard work had finally paid off. Everyone saw how happy I was last Saturday and that was because I have been yearning for this award for a long time and now my prayers have been answered. "It will be wrong for anyone to say that I won because Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale were not in the competition. Ras Kuuku has been there doing great music and Ghanaians are aware of it. It is my time so haters should just let me be. I deserve the award because of my hard work, he told Graphic Showbiz. Ras Kuuku said if no one complains when Samini wins then Ghanaians should not say it was cool 'chop' for him because Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale were not in the picture. If a legend like Samini could rally behind me and tell Ghanaians I deserve the award then that should tell anyone that indeed I worked hard for it. Since winning the award the likes of Rocky Dawuni and other great Reggae artistes have congratulated me and I am so pleased, he said. Moving forward Ras Kuuku said the award will make him work harder than before. We have been working and this award will ginger me to work harder to even grab the ultimate award in some years to come, he added. He also advocated that he should be added to the Male Vocalist of the Year category. My voice is so raw and unique and anytime I am added to the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Male Vocalist of the Year category I am just going to win it, he said. Ras Kuuku has had a love-hate relationship with Charterhouse and the VGMA. In 2017, he stormed out of the Accra International Conference Centre where the event was held after losing out in the Reggae Song of the Year category to Stonebwoy. He believed his song Nwansina was the biggest song of the year at that time and he deserved to win. Ras Kuuku, whose real name is Jonas Kurankye joined the Ghanaian music industry in 2010 and has since dropped songs such as Wo, Show Dem Love, Nwansina, Kpagbum Style, Wani Aba, Bad System among many others. On Saturday, September 5, Ras Kuuku will hold an appreciation party at the FK Lounge at Dome Pillar 2 in Accra to celebrate his Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year win. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video For 10 days in August, the rally creates a travel hub in western South Dakota comparable to a major U.S. city, according to an analysis of anonymous cellphone data from Camber Systems, a firm that aggregates cellphone activity for health researchers. The research found that 61% of all counties in the U.S. have been visited by someone who attended Sturgis this summer. After a Pittsburgh Pirates-Minnesota Twins game in August wound up in a drone delay thanks to someone flying an unauthorized drone around Minnesotas Target Field, the pattern repeated Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium during a Tampa Bay Rays-New York Yankees game. Heres how that looked on the YES broadcast: A drone just interrupted the Rays-Yankees game. 2020 folks. pic.twitter.com/Oy6j0QnDM7 Rob Taub (@RTaub_) September 2, 2020 The notable part there comes around 0:28, where play-by-play voice Michael Kay cuts off a story from analyst Paul ONeill about being beaned during his playing career (relevant to the current Yankees-Rays tensions) to describe whats happening on the field: Wait, wait, wait, one second. The second-base ump just pointed at something and now the Rays are leaving the field. They seem to be saying You can go in the clubhouse if you want. Im not quite sure why theyre taking them off the field. Lets see if we can hear it. They are pointing up at the sky. We have a little bit of an overhang here, but I guess theres a drone over the stadium. There it is. Theyre taking the teams off the field while the drone is up there. Boy, 2020, huh? As per Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News, this particular delay only lasted about five minutes. But its interesting to see yet another drone delay pop up in MLB in 2020. [Rob Taub on Twitter] Victorian footy fans will be allowed to enter Queensland to watch the AFL grand final on October 24 but there is a catch. If Victorians are willing to cough up $2500 to cover the cost of two weeks of hotel quarantine in the Northern Territory, they will not need to apply for a border exemption to enter Queensland, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young confirmed. Dr Jeannette Young said Victorian footy fans could attend the AFL grand final on October 24 if they stayed two weeks in hotel quarantine in the Northern Territory first. "Anyone who has been in the Northern Territory, and not been outside the Northern Territory, in the previous 14 days, can come to Queensland," she said. "Because you have done your 14 days' quarantine, you are perfectly safe. The National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Hamidu Akamba has given President Akufo-Addo an uppercut over the management of the economy. He is asking the President to stop running the country like a sole proprietorship business. Akamba over the Weekend tagged the president as the most corrupt, inept and incompetent President in the history of Ghana's politics. Mr Akamba who indicated that the President is complacent in the corrupt Agyapa agreement and the man at the epicentre of all the corrupt deals, as well as plain thievery occurring in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, said one does not need a prophet to tell him how super incompetent, intolerant and abominable President Akufo-Addo is. The furious looking Akamba said the Akufo-Addo government while in opposition labelled the erstwhile Mahama administration as corrupt, and asked Ghanaians to vote against the National Democratic Congress (NDC), meanwhile, after assuming power, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has rather shown that it is deeply rooted in corruption than any government that has existed in the Fourth Republic. Citing the recent Agyapa agreement Brouhaha, Missing excavators, the Cash for seat and abrogation of the PDS deal among others the National Organizer of the NDC again observed that President Akufo-Addo careless after failing on several occasion to punish his officials for these scandals. In an interview with this reporter, Joshua Hamidu Akamba reiterated that, if there should be any award for Presidents, Akufo-Addo deserves one in Corruption and dictatorship. Niagara agencies have seen a steady demand for their back-to-school supplies programs despite changes in delivery and the uncertainty of the school year. While numbers were a bit lower for kids picking up backpacks and runners on dedicated giveaway days, agencies said they are continuing to get requests now and are handing out items. Its two days more than we anticipated we would be doing this, said Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold chief executive officer Betty-Lou Souter. Were seeing the people who need it the most and thats whats gratifying. Community Care has given out hundreds of backpacks full of supplies through the Snacks n Sneakers program sponsored by Canadian Tire Bank. Souter said demand this fall was more than expected, though down about 10 per cent from last years record high of 1,400 students. She said the slight decrease could be due to some parents not bringing in their children who arent going back to school in person or who are still learning whats happening with their childs school year. In previous years, Snacks n Sneakers giveaway programs were one-day events that drew lineups of kids and parents who crowded into the food banks. This year, agencies asked clients to book appointments for pickups so they could limit the number of people in one area because of COVID-19 social distancing protocols. Samantha Hill, who covers client intake support for The Hope Centre in Welland, said the change in tradition for its Snacks n Sneakers program may have led to the numbers being a bit lower this year there and why people are still coming in now. More than 150 families showed up during its distribution days last week and the centre handed out 235 of its 300 pairs of shoes. It distributed 300 pairs last year. Hill said there are still have quite a few families coming in this week because they didnt know the program was operating during the pandemic. Many would normally get the information through word of mouth not as easy during these times. Weve done this program for a number of years and its always been one big day. I think it really threw people for a loop, she said. We just want everybody to get the shoes. Whenever you can come, you come, and hopefully we can still help you out. Niagara Falls Project Share operations manager Carrie Zeffiro said the agency is also continuing to give out Snacks n Sneakers this week as some people couldnt make it over the programs two days of distribution last week because of transportation issues, employment or other reasons. She said demand has been about the same as last year, with 280 children receiving the supplies. The agency distributed the backpacks from St. Andrews Church to allow greater space for organizing, storing and distributing to pre-registered families. We had to have a COVID friendly Snacks n Sneakers and to be able to do it safely, with the use of some really good volunteers, we were able to limit the number of people involved in the program and ensure folks got what they needed, Zeffiro said. All three food banks said running the back-to-school program in a new and safe way, while still running regular programming, was a good lesson for Christmas. The anxiety level on that one starts to build for everybody, Souter said. Christmas is going to look different, too, but this was a really good trial run to see how adaptable we are and how adaptable the community is. Zeffiro said Project Share is anticipating its going to be very busy this Christmas and it needs to have a plan in place this month. Food banks are coming up with creative ways to provide service and protect the clients we serve. Just when the Democrats thought it was safe to go back into the leftist Latinx narrative, out comes the Goya CEO, Bob Unamue, and he's warning that "hatred and destruction" from the riotous destruction of small businesses are driving Latino voters to President Trump. He has that way of reading the reality. Unamue spoke with JustTheNews's John Solomon and painted Democrats an ugly, if real picture: The rise in support for Trump is due to "fatigue over all the destruction and hatred, tearing down businesses, by people a lot of people that are from outside the community because if you're within the community, you're building it, you don't want to tear down what you just built," Robert Unanue, President and CEO, Goya Foods, told Just the News in a video interview. "And this is organized. People coming in from the outside to destroy. And so you know, we have two paths to take: Love and build, hate and destroy. We need to take the path of loving and building. And that's why we're looking at prosperity. How do we get our country back on our feet, and prosper in all aspects. So let's love. Let's build." That "outside the community" dynamic is very well known in much of the Latino community, with Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans familiar with politically organized "turba" repudiation mobs, sent in by communist rulers from outside the community to attack dissidents in their homes, as well as foreign "Sandalista" influences on domestic communist regimes. That would be the same Sandalistas so beloved of Bernie Sanders and Bill de Blasio, with the latter having actual experience as a bona fide Sandalista supporting the oppressive communist regime in Nicaragua in the 1980s and 1990s. To Latinos who have fled such hellholes, and who are now overrepresented in the entrepreneurial and startup communities here, this is a familiar memory; this is something that truly disgusts them. Goya itself was the target of this vile leftist mob, vowing to boycott the entire brand based on Unamue's kind words to President Trump at a White House event in July, a courtesy he also extended to President Obama earlier. Unamue refused to back down, and the boycott bombed, with boycott loudmouth celebrity Chrissie Teigen last seen using Goya products anyway. Boycott for thee, but not for me. And Unamue's completely right that these voters are moving to Trump. Solomon cites a two-point rise in pan-Latino favorability to 32%, according to a new Hill-HarrisX poll, a steady rise from far lower numbers in the past, particularly with past Republican leaders and presidential candidates. The trend keeps rising. Even a Latinx-type polling activist group shows very poor numbers for Joe Biden to start with. Take a look at this meager offering from UnidosUS for Joe here. It's more than just riots driving Latinos to Trump. The stellar Trump economy, with its tax cuts and deregulation led to record-low Latino unemployment which has to be a plus. Here's another thing: the Latino community was hit harder than others by the COVID shutdowns, with huge job losses. Who's trying to open the economy, and who's trying to obey "science" and "the experts"? More points for Trump. Here's a third thing: President Trump has made life either difficult or else hellish for Marxist forces in Latin America, where many Latinos still have ties. Venezuelan-American voters, known as "MAGAzolanos" in Miami and Doral, Florida, are speaking out and making ads. Cuban-Americans are very strong Trump-supporters. Puerto Ricans on the mainland have reason to like President Trump, too, given his criticism of their corrupt and incompetent socialists back on the island. And Colombian-American voters have been gratified to have seen Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials speak out against the travesty of FARC Marxist narco-terrorists walking around free under the travesty "peace" deal, while the great liberator of their country, former President Alvaro Uribe, languishes under house arrest. It's sickening and little known to the press coverage here, it's been noted with favorability in the Colombian-American community. With factors like these, and with Democrats still strongly allied with Sandalistas such as Sanders and de Blasio who have praised Latin American hellhole regimes and their filthy corrupt Marxist dictators, how can the numbers not rise? The Goya CEO knew firsthand that the boycott against his company was going to be a dud, and now he's saying Latinos are moving favorably toward Trump. He didn't build his tiny kitchen-table business into a global behemoth by being stupid, woke, and naive. He knows the score. And he's just handed the Democrats some sour news compared to their "take 'em for granted" expectations. Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of image by Mike Mozart via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, and Fox News YouTube screen shot. All images processed via FotoSketcher. Disgraced former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, has alleged that his prosecution was orchestrated by Ibrahim Magu, suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Maina in a petition to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami in which he asked for the review of the fraud charges against him, said the suspended EFCC chairman failed to account for the assets recovered and kept in EFCCs custody when he (Maina) was in office. He said: In the course of his assignment as the chairman of the PRTT team the sum of N1.63 trillion and a total of 237 properties were recovered by the team consisting of representatives of the EFCC. DSS, ONSA, Police etc. In a letter addressed to the AGF, Maina through his counsel Edwin Inegedu, described his prosecution as a witch-hunt by the EFCC. Inegedu argued that rather than commend Maina and his team for a job well done, he was singled out for persecution by persons believed to be behind the pension heist. This demand by our client became necessary as our client was consistently accused of diversion of the funds recovered. Instead of accounting for the sums and properties in its custody, the EFCC maintained a campaign of calumny against our client to obfuscate the issues and to divert attention from its inability to account for the properties warehoused with it. It is our prayer that the office of the honourable attorney-general of the federation review all of the files involving our client to ensure that our clients prosecution is not malicious, mala fide and borne out of narrow interests to prevent accountability for the assets kept in the EFCCs custody. Recall that the Federal Civil Service Commission had dismissed Maina in 2013 for absconding from duty following a recommendation by the office of the head of service. He was accused of being involved in pension fraud running into over N100 billion. After an investigation by the senate joint committee on public service establishment, a warrant of arrest was issued against him. Subsequently, the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted and he went into hiding. Maina was reinstated as a director in the ministry of interior in 2017 after his return, but President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his dismissal and demanded a probe into his recall after an outcry by citizens. On October 1, the Department of State Services (DSS) apprehended Maina at a hotel in Abuja after he allegedly sneaked into the country from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was arraigned on 12 counts of money laundering by the EFCC on October 25, 2019. PV: 14 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Wang Mingjie (Chinadaily/Asia News Network) London, United Kingdom Thu, September 3, 2020 12:15 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4272f00 2 World Chinese-universities,World-University-Ranking,Education Free Tsinghua University has become the first-ever Asian university to enter the top 20 of the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings, after recording joint 20th place in the latest edition, published on Wednesday. It was a good day all round for institutions on the Chinese mainland, with a record number placed in the top 100. In the 2021 rankings, Tsinghua University moved up 3 places from last year's position, with a record 1,527 institutions qualifying this time round, a 9 percent increase on the 2020 total of 1,397. The University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom, retained top spot for the fifth consecutive year. In addition to Tsinghua, other Chinese institutions performing well included Peking University (23rd), Fudan University (joint 70th), Zhejiang University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (100th), all of which have improved their positions since last year. This has resulted in a record number of six Chinese mainland universities being in the top 100 for the first time since the rankings began in 2011, doubling China's representation since last year. Of the seven Chinese universities that achieved a top 200 place in 2020, 85 percent improved their position in the latest table, as the universities of the Chinese mainland continue to challenge the world's best. The movement of universities from the Chinese mainland and the United States ranked between 201 and 300 in the tables over the last five years clearly demonstrates China's growing strength in the global knowledge economy, as the US appears to be in a steady decline. "We have observed the rise of Asian universities in the world rankings for several years now, but this year marks a major milestone, as Chinese mainland disrupts the traditional domination of Western universities at the top of the table, breaking into the top 20 for the first time, and doubling its representation in the top 100," said Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer at the Times Higher Education. "This positive movement for Chinese mainland universities looks as though it will continue, particularly as we navigate the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. With a likely decrease in the international flow of students and staff around the world, and possible funding challenges among the West's established higher education sectors, we could see China, and Asia more widely, capitalize," he continued. "If homegrown talent from China stays in China instead of making its traditional migration to elite Western institutions, particularly in the US and the UK, we could see the start of a dramatic rebalancing of the global knowledge economy." In terms of representation, the US has the highest total of qualifying universities in the top 200 with 59, followed by the UK (29) and Germany (21). The Chinese mainland also recorded its highest total of institutions in the top 200, with seven in that group. The Times Higher Education's World University Rankings 2021 saw 141 universities qualify for the first time. India has the highest total of debutant universities with 14, closely followed by the US (13), Chinese mainland (10), Russia and Japan (both 9), and Iran (8). BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 Trend: Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Kerim Veliyev met with a delegation headed by First Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Ruslan Tsalikov, who is on a working visit to Azerbaijan on September 3, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. First, the guests expressed respect to Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev by laying flowers at his monument erected in front of the headquarters of the Azerbaijani Navy. While welcoming the guests, the Azerbaijani deputy minister stressed that the presidents of the two countries played an important role in the establishment of the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia and this cooperation is developing based on mutual trust. The parties also discussed the issues of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia in the military and military-technical spheres, stressing the importance of further strengthening. Referring to the military-political situation, Lieutenant-General Veliyev stressed that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains the biggest threat to stability in the region. It is important to resolve this conflict within Azerbaijans territorial integrity on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, Veliyev added. In turn, Tsalikov stressed that Russia and Azerbaijan, connected by historical roots, are strategic partners. Such meetings also play an important role in the development of the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. The parties also stressed the importance of the Sea Cup competition which is being held in Azerbaijan within the International Army Games 2020. At the end of the meeting, Tsalikov thanked the Azerbaijani leadership for the high level of organization of the Sea Cup competition and hospitality. WASHINGTON: Police officers in Washington, D.C., fatally shot a young Black man Wednesday who the department said had brandished a firearm," prompting protests amid increased nationwide and local scrutiny over police tactics. The killing prompted a late-night face-off between police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station. Police identified the victim as 18-year-old Deon Kay of southeast D.C. A subsequent statement from the Metropolitan Police Department said Kay was one of two people who fled Wednesday afternoon when approached by uniformed officers who were investigating reports of a man with a gun in the area. During the foot pursuit, one of the suspects brandished a firearm. In response, an officer discharged their firearm one time, striking the suspect, the MPD statement said. The other man who fled escaped from police, and Kay was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The police statement included pictures of the handgun they say Kay had been carrying, as well of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPDs 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, DC police murdered a Black man today. Later Wednesday night, videos posted on social media showed dozens of enraged protesters jostling with a line of police officers, who used bicycles to help form a barrier in front of the station. The shooting comes as police killings of Black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform, prompting local efforts by the D.C. Council to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, following the the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. 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 Victoria also recorded 81 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm Thursday Deaths were previously known but there was a lag in reporting as COVID-related Fifty of the new deaths were aged care residents who died in July and August Victoria has announced a record 59 new coronavirus deaths, its highest daily total during the pandemic. Health bosses recorded 81 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, a marked drop since the 113 reported on Thursday. The spike in deaths comes as bombshell leaked documents reveal Melbourne's strict Stage Four lockdown could be extended by another two weeks. A top secret draft for Victorias recovery appeared to reveal the government's plan to extend the 8pm-5am curfew and keep restrictions on businesses for an additional two weeks. The new deaths come as bombshell leaked documents reveal Melbourne's strict stage four lockdown could be extended (pictured, police roam Melbourne on Thursday) Victoria recorded 81 new cases on Friday. The state's death toll increased by 59, including 50 aged care deaths which occurred in July and August, taking the national toll to 737 While the Victorian government has claimed the leaked map is 'out of date', Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday refused to rule out continuing Stage Four restrictions. Everything is on the table, he admitted. It will be driven by the data and the science, how many cases there are, the types of cases there are. Fifty of the deaths announced on Friday were people who passed away in aged care in July and August, after a federal and state government review of previous deaths in facilities across the state. According to the road map, residents will be given the luxury of two hours of exercise a day, which can be split into two sessions, from September 14 - the official date Stage Four comes to an end. Single people and single parents would also be given the right to have a nominated visitor at their home. According to the report, which was obtained by the Herald Sun, there are bigger changes coming from September 28, which includes the curfew being lifted and increased social gatherings. But the Victorian Chamber of Commerce has denied there is a plan to extend Stage Four lockdown by two weeks - claiming it is out of date. A top secret draft for the city's exit road map has revealed the government's plan to extend the 8pm-5am curfew (pictured, a woman in Melbourne on Thursday) The Morrison government explained it was widely known there was a discrepancy on deaths over the last few months, and officials are now trying to reconcile these unreported coronavirus deaths with official figures. While these deaths in aged care were registered and families informed, they were not processed into Victorias public health information unit. This is because up until recently, the unit required death certificates to be verified before they could be processed, leading to a delay. From now on, aged care centres have been asked to immediately notify the unit if any residents die due to COVID-19, meaning numbers are likely to be substantially higher. If COVID-19 infections were to spread out-of-control, Australia's health system could become overwhelmed, according to modelling by the Grattan Institute (pictured, their report) Police officers (pictured on St Kilda Beach on Thursday) are roaming Melbourne to look for those breaching Stage Four restrictions Meanwhile, a Grattan Institute report said Australia should implement 'smarter' restrictions and aggressively drive COVID-19 cases to zero because the 'short-term pain' will pay off on the other side. The report, released on Thursday, said Victoria, NSW, and Queensland should 'go for zero' infections to avoid future outbreaks, reimposed lockdowns, renewed economic disruption and more deaths. The report, written by former federal Department of Health secretary Stephen Duckett, Will Mackey, and Tony Chen, said Australia is facing new challenges due to community transmission in NSW and Victoria. If COVID-19 infections were to spread out-of-control, Australia's health system could become overwhelmed and about ten million Australians, who are at a higher risk of coronavirus complications, may choose to restrict their movement. While the Victorian government has claimed the leaked map is 'out of date', Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) on Thursday refused to rule out continuing Stage Four restrictions Locked down Melburnians are seen getting their daily exercise on Thursday (pictured, at St Kilda beach) as a decision looms about the future of Stage Four restrictions Reimposing lockdowns to control another outbreak would lead to 'sizeable' economic costs, the report says. 'Ideally, lockdowns are only done once and done well,' the report says. 'The benefit of zero is to reduce the risk of ''yo-yoing'' between virus flare-ups and further lockdowns to contain them.' Victoria, which remains in lockdown until at least September 13, should only ease restrictions when the state records less than 20 infections a day, the report said. There were 113 new coronavirus cases in the state on Thursday - the first time since Sunday that the daily tally has been above 100 - after 90 on Wednesday and 70 the day before. The usually bustling Queen Victoria Market (pictured on Thursday) has been a ghost town since lockdown began On Sunday, Mr Andrews will announce separate 'roadmaps' for how Melbourne will come out of Stage Four lockdown and the way out of the Stage Three rules for regional Victoria. But there is no confirmation yet that any restrictions will be eased on September 13. 'These are some of the most difficult decisions that I've ever made in 20 years in public life ... these are really challenging decisions to make because the tolerance for getting it wrong is incredibly low,' he said on Thursday. 'I will not do this faster than the science tells me to because there's too much at stake. 'And that's not to say that being in lockdown doesn't have its own cost, doesn't have its own sense of pain and challenge. I get that. I understand that. None of these decisions are made lightly.' Journalists Ahmad Noorani and Gul Bukhari have received death threats for publishing a news report that is accused of being fake. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the threats and urges the Pakistan authorities to investigate the case. Noorani, a co-founder and reporter at news website FactFocusreceived death threats onFacebook and Twitterfor an article published on August 27 revealing thefinancial assets of retired Army General Asim Saleem Bajwa who is also the prime ministersspecial assistant on information and broadcasting. The death threats came after ARY News, a privately owned TV channel, accused on the journalists of publishing fake news on August 29. In its broadcast, ARY alleged that Noorani, and two other journalists Mubashir Zaidi and Gul Bukhari were not credible and had had intentionally disseminated fake news. Following the broadcast, journalist Gul Bukhari, currently living in exile in United Kingdom also received death and rape threats. Zaidi noted that the threats increased following the ARY broadcast. Noorani, who is presently living in the United States, is preparing to file case against ARY news with Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Federal Investigation Agency. Bukhari will be seeking police protection. The IFJ said: The IFJ denounce the malevolent online threats against the journalists and urge PEMRA and the Pakistan police to investigate on the case and hold the guilty to account. Pennsylvania long term care facilities will begin allowing compassionate care visits, which marks a loosening of strict visitation restrictions in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are intended to enable family members or loved ones to help provide care for long term care residents whose health is worsening. They will be allowed for residents who have experienced two or more documented changes in their health, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday. Compassionate care visitors will have to show proof of having tested negative for COVID-19 within the past week and be screened at the facility. Weve heard from many stakeholders and families how the pandemic has affected the emotional and mental health of the residents of nursing homes, which in turn has a significant impact on their physical health, Levine said. Levine said compassionate care caregivers can have a very important role in improving a residents mental, emotional, and physical health. Diane Menio of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly said allowing compassionate care visitors is a step in the right direction. Its something weve been pushing for, that family members should be considered essential caregivers and treated similarly to staff, she said. Menio noted the new policy also allows in-person visits by long term care ombudsmen, which are important advocates for residents. They previously had to visit remotely, which limited their effectiveness, she said. Pennsylvania long term care facilities nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes have been largely locked down to visitors since around the beginning of March. The state recently began allowing limited visitation at facilities that have gone several weeks with no one testing positive for COVID-19. The compassionate care visits are separate from those, and can take place at facilities that havent yet qualified to have regular visitors, Levine said. Advocates for long care residents have said the absence of visitors can have devastating consequences, causing downtowns and their physical and mental health, including their desire to continue living. Menio said were not quite there yet regarding overall visitation and reducing the harms of isolation; she called the overall plan to re-open to regular visitors not terribly aggressive. People who want to provide compassionate care visits must make arrangements with the facility in advance. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during an appearance in New York City, N.Y., on May 4, 2020. (Bryan Thomas/Getty Images) Mayors Respond to Trumps Threat to Defund Anarchist Cities: See You in Court Democratic mayors responded forcefully to President Donald Trumps threat to redirect federal funds from cities that are permitting anarchy. We will see you in court, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a message directed to Trump during his press conference on Thursday, calling the presidents move very, very troubling. The president of the United States, a New Yorker by birth, threatening to take away federal funding from this city, while were still in the grips of this crisis. It just makes no sense, de Blasio told reporters. The mayors of Portland, Seattle, Washington, and New York City issued a joint statement saying their residents are not President Trumps political pawns. We are confronting unprecedented challengesfighting back a pandemic and economic devastation without another stimulus. Now, instead of leadership from the White House, we are faced with new attacks that are unlawful, unconstitutional and will be undoubtedly defeated in court, Ted Wheeler, Jenny Durkan, Muriel Bowser, and de Blasio wrote. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media at City Hall in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 30, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) President Trump needs to wake up to the reality facing our citiesand our entire countryand realize he is not above the law, they added. Durkan, in a separate statement, called Trumps move the latest attempt to distract from the fact that COVID-19 has infected over 6 million Americans, killed 185,000 people, and destroyed the American economy. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The only anarchy zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House, added Durkan, who tolerated a so-called autonomous zone in her city until two people were shot dead in the mayhem there. Trumps order directs Russ Vought, the director of the White Houses Office of Management and Budget, to detail all federal funds sent to Seattle, Portland, Washington, and New York City, and the authorities available to withhold funds. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sept. 2, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Factors that will be considered by the Trump administration include whether city officials cut funding to police departments. Lawmakers in all four cities chose to slash funding to the police this year. Federal taxpayer dollars provided to States and localities each year are being wasted by reckless policies and the destruction of property in cities across our Nation, the White House said in a statement about the memo. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the order during a press conference in Washington on Thursday. The president believes that the purpose of government is to protect life, liberty, and property, she said. Pointing to the number of officers injured during continued rioting in Portland and skyrocketing crime in New York, she added, This is a dereliction of duty. And if the states will not act in their police power and secure their streets, this president will use every lawful mechanism available to him to try to supplement their failures. 90 Day Fiance stars Justin and Evelyn Halas are now officially parents. Evelyn announced the arrival of their first child together, a baby boy, by sharing a snap of his little feet on Tuesday. 'Hi everyone! #BabyHalas is here,' Evelyn wrote in the Instagram story. 'Baby Halas is here': 90 Day Fiance stars Justin and Evelyn Halas are now officially parents Evelyn and Justin appeared on season two of the hit TLC series, 90 Day Fiance. The couple met during the World Games in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, when Justin ran into Evelyn standing in line for a hot dog. 'I saw a beautiful girl standing in line, so I used my Spanish to say "Hola," and she kind of laughed and smiled. 'Latin women are more passionate. There was an instant spark, for the next seven days I don't think she left my side one time. Three months later I ended up going back to Colombia to see if this romance was real. Baby love! Evelyn announced the arrival of their first child together, a baby boy, by sharing a snap of his little feet on Tuesday XOXO: The couple met during the World Games in Santiago de Cali, Colombia Bumping along! Evelyn has been flooding her Instagram feed with a plethora of bump snaps since announcing her pregnancy in April 'And by the end of that trip I ended up proposing to her.' Evelyn has been flooding her Instagram feed with a plethora of bump snaps since announcing her pregnancy in April. Evelyn shared the big news with fans with a photo of a tiny paper clip resting inside of a larger one. Baby makes three! Halas announced the pregnancy with a photo of three paper clips 'Surprise!!! #BabyHalas is coming ! Estamos esperando baby!' she captioned the snap. Evelyn announced the child's gender with a photo of herself cradling her bump whilst clad in a blue dress. 'Es Nino! It's a Boy !' she gushed in the caption. Oh boy! Halas announced the child's gender with a snap of herself wearing a blue dress 'Waiting for you baby boy!' Halas shared this baby bump snap in late August Evelyn learned she was pregnant on New Year's Eve in 2019. 'I [am] 35 and [being] pregnant [at] this age is a bit more difficult, but in my case, [it] was very easy!' she told In Touch. 'It was hard to believe, so the other day Justin and I went to the doctor to [get] another pregnancy test!' Despite the disbelief, three of her pregnancy tests came back positive. The call of the brown-headed nuthatch sounds a lot like a rubber duck toy. Credit: Noppadol Paohtong/Missouri Department of Conservation Bird calls can be iconic, and to many Missourians, some have come to define landscapes. Waking up to the complex song of an eastern meadowlark in grassy fields at dawn, the gentle "coo" of mourning doves throughout the day, and rocking on the front porch to the playful song of the whip-poor-will on a warm summer's night. However, one iconic call has not been heard in Missouri's landscapes for some time: the "rubber ducky squeak" of the brown-headed nuthatch. The nuthatch was extirpated, or made locally extinct, in Missouri nearly a century ago due to the loss of its habitat. Millions of acres of shortleaf pine and oak woodland once covered Missouri's Ozarks, but due to widespread logging and fire suppression, most of this ecosystem was removed by the early 1900s, eventually forcing the nuthatch out of the state. However, some of those pine woodlands have now been intentionally restored to the Ozarks landscape by conservation partners in the region, such as the U.S. Forest Service's Mark Twain National Forest. Tree harvesting has now become a tool for restoration and fire has returned to the land to maintain this ecosystem. With the habitat returned to its former state, University of Missouri researchersworking together with the forest service's Northern Research Station and Mark Twain and Ouachita National Forests, along with the Missouri Department of Conservationare releasing nuthatches back into Missouri. "The brown-headed nuthatch is a tiny bird, but bringing it back to Missouri will have important benefitsnot only for the nuthatch population, but for the overall ecosystem," said Thomas Bonnot, an assistant research professor at MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. "They create cavities for their nests in dead pine trees, and those cavities continue to be used by other bird species after the nuthatch has moved on." Thomas Bonnot stands within pine woodland habitat in the Mark Twain National Forest. Credit: Thomas Bonnot As a wildlife ecologist, Bonnot works with natural resource agencies at all levels to help them sustain biodiversity in ecosystems and manage resources. But for Bonnot, this project goes deeper. Reintroducing the nuthatch to Missouri is a new opportunity to express a lifelong passion for science and the natural world. Growing up in rural Missouri, Bonnot always knew he wanted to be a scientist, but it wasn't until college that he decided he wanted to be in the field, working directly with the birds he wanted to protect. It was Bonnot's absence from the natural surroundings of rural life that led him to realize his calling. "When I went to college, I wasn't able to be immersed in the outdoors the way I had been at home," Bonnot said. "It wasn't until then that I really realized how much I love nature, and I wanted to make sure that the science I did would have positive benefits on the natural world. I haven't looked back since." Joining Bonnot in the songbird reintroduction effort is Frank Thompsonresearch biologist for the U.S. Forest Service's Northern Research Station and cooperative professor at MUand Sarah Kendrick, the Missouri Department of Conservation's State Ornithologist. They bring decades of experience researching songbird populations to the collaborative project, which involves tagging half the birds with tiny radio transmitters to track their movements as they adjust to re-entering their native habitat. Frank Thompson with a brown-headed nuthatch. Credit: Noppadol Paohtong/Missouri Department of Conservation The songbirds were captured in Arkansas' Ouachita National Forest and brought to Missouri in transport tubes. As the capture site is only about 300 miles from the release site in Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest, it might seem surprising that the nuthatches did not repopulate the inviting pine woodlands on their own. But according to Bonnot, one characteristic these songbirds share makes such a trip highly improbable. "The brown-headed nuthatch simply does not disperse far on an annual basis," Bonnot said. "Given the habitat fragmentation that has occurred over the last 100 years, as well as the distance, our research shows it's unlikely that the nuthatch would colonize Missouri's restored pine woodlands any time soon without our help." Bringing the songbirds to Missouri also presents an opportunity for researchers to examine the effects of assisted migration, a means of preserving populations that will continue to become more important as climate change forces birds northward, away from the pine woodlands of the south. With the restoration efforts of Missouri's pine ecosystem in the Mark Twain National Forest, the viability of rebuilding pine woodlands to support bird migrations will be put to the test. On the northern edge of the shortleaf pine's range, Missouri is an ideal testing ground. Two brown-headed nuthatches perch in a shortleaf pine tree. Credit: Noppadol Paohtong/Missouri Department of Conservation "This is a great example of ecosystem restorationwhen you bring back the habitat, sometimes you can bring back the species that have been lost along the way," said Sarah Kendrick, state ornithologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Twenty-five nuthatches were successfully released into the wild in mid-August, and the current plan is to release a total of 50 this year, with another 50 coming in 2021. As of now, these efforts are paying off. "So far, the tagged birds are exploring the woodlands and socializing in small groups as we would expect them to," Thompson said. "All indications are they are doing great." Explore further Pine woodland restoration creates haven for birds in Midwest, study finds The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry counts on the active support of Norway, which will be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from January 1, 2021, for Ukraine's initiatives in the UN on restoring the country's territorial integrity, the ministry's press service has reported. According to the report, this issue was discussed at a meeting between Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar and Norwegian Ambassador to Ukraine Erik Svedahl. "During the meeting with Norwegian Ambassador to Ukraine Erik Svedahl, Vasyl Bodnar expressed hope that Norway, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from January 1, 2021, will actively join the UN in supporting the initiatives of Ukraine and the international community to restore the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders," the report said. Bodnar stressed the importance of cooperation within the Crimean Platform, in particular, drawing international attention to issues of human rights violations and militarization of the occupied peninsula. Both parties noted the two countries' common position in counteracting hybrid threats, including the importance of cooperation to counter Russia's disinformation campaigns, especially attempts to falsify history. Bodnar noted the active bilateral dialogue between the countries, which continues despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, both parties discussed preparations for the next meeting of the Ukrainian-Norwegian intergovernmental commission on cooperation in trade, entrepreneurship and economy and its agenda. op A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit on behalf of a Nebraska middle school student who alleges that her teacher cut her off during a classroom discussion about athletes kneeling during the national anthem in support of Black Lives Matter and later labeled her as racist in front of other students. The unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, in St. Louis, ruled for the family on one narrow procedural issuethat they deserved to have a lawyer appointed to represent them in the case. But while a federal district court had ruled that the family was unlikely to prevail on the merits of their claim of First Amendment retaliation, the appeals court suggested that the case raises an important question about student expression. But the extent to which teachers may control student speech in the classroom is an open issue, the 8th Circuit court said in its Sept. 2 decision in Crozier v. Westside Community School District . The appeals court emphasized that it had only the familys side of the story before it, and the allegations against the teacher have not been tested in court. According to the familys lawsuit, a 13-year-old student identified as A.C. was in her English class in 2016 when the teacher showed a video about athletes kneeling during the national anthem, which was then a new response in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against police abuses of Black suspects. A classroom discussion also touched on a case in another state of violent community reactions to the police shooting of an unarmed Black man. According to the suit, the teacher asked A.C. for her views and the student demurred. But when the teacher insisted that A.C. respond, the student said she believed the kneeling was disrespectful to the police and the military. And A.C. said certain rap songs that used the N-word and lyrics such as F*** the police were helping stir the violence. (The suit says A.C. did not utter the full N-word or F-word in class.) A.C. began to discuss a conversation she had overheard the previous school year between two 7th graders, one white and one Black, about why Black people could say the N-word and white people could not. This is when the teacher cut her off, the suit says. A.C. had intended to say she did not believe anyone should utter the, the suit says. The suit says that the next day, the teacher sent an email to A.C.'s mother stating that the student had to be cut off because the information A.C. shared took a dicey turn with her making statements that generalize Blacks. A.C. stayed home sick that day, and the suit says she began receiving text messages from fellow students suggesting that the teacher had related the discussion to other classes and had labeled A.C. a racist who uses the N-word. A.C.'s parents removed her from the school and began home-schooling her. They sued the Westside Community School District as well as the teacher and three administrators, alleging a violation of A.C.'s First Amendment right of free speech, among other claims. The family initially contacted eight lawyers seeking to represent them, but when each declined, the parents sought to file the suit pro se, or for themselves and on behalf of A.C. When a federal district judge ruled that the parents, who are not lawyers, could not represent their daughter on a pro se basis, the parents contacted 27 more lawyers and a legal aid clinic without success. They asked the trial court to appoint a lawyer, but in a ruling last year the judge refused their request and dismissed their suit. The 8th Circuit court panel, in its decision, agreed with the lower court that the nonlawyer parents could not represent their daughter in a civil rights lawsuit. We think the district court was too quick to dismiss the usefulness of counsel, at least on the core claim of First Amendment retaliation in the case, the appeals court said. The court went on to suggest that there might be some merit in A.C.'s case, if proven. Whatever the scope of a teachers authority to limit classroom discussion, it is clear that students cannot be punished merely for expressing their personal views on the school premiseswhether in the cafeteria, or on the playing field, or on the campus during the authorized hours, " the court said, quoting from the U.S. Supreme Courts student expression decisions in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier and Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District . The allegation here is that a public school teacher retaliated against a student merely for expressing her personal views when called upon to speak in a classroom, the 8th Circuit panel said. A retaliation claim requires proof that the teachers action would deter a person of ordinary firmness from continuing to speak, ... but the stress, anxiety, and ostracization arising from a teachers false attribution of racist utterances to a middle-schooler might fit the bill. The court said some of the parents legal theories in the suit appear stronger than others, and an attorney might assist in winnowing the claims. The appeals court sent the case back to the trial court and ordered the judge to appoint a lawyer for the family. We expect that some member of the bar, in the tradition of the profession, will respond favorably to a request from the district court, the appellate panel said. CROWN POINT Police have identified and secured charges against a Lincolnshire, Illinois, man accused of biting an Indiana State Police trooper and abandoning his 6-year-old son during a traffic stop on Interstate 90, records show. Eliover Lopez-Arita, 27, evaded capture by running into thick brush after fighting Trooper Benjamin Beers, Lake Criminal Court records show. Police later determined Lopez-Arita was wanted in Illinois on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault, documents state. The trooper pulled him over Aug. 22 at the 2.2 mile marker as he slowly drove west in the right lane after noticing the taillight on a 2007 gray Mitsubishi Eclipse was out, records state. The trooper noticed a boy later identified as Lopez-Arita's 6-year-old son in the front seat without any restraints, documents allege. Lopez-Arita allegedly told the trooper he didn't have a driver's license and didn't speak much English. He then provided a birth certificate with several names on it, but no birth date, records state. With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country which caused the economy and other major sectors of the country like the aviation, transportation and educational sector to shut down. Though most sectors are already reopening amid the pandemic that seems like it has come to stay, the educational sector has since remained closed except for the classes writing the external exam (WAEC); people are beginning to wonder when the education sector of the country would be reopened if other sectors are already opened. The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba during the Presidential Tasks Force (PTF) briefing said The Federal Government has not released a particular date for the resumption of schools, although it continues to engage stakeholders and is optimistic that school would resume soon. He added Students are to exercise more patience as the government is considering reopening of school after months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. He gave the assurance that the Federal Ministry of Education is working with stakeholders for safe reopening of schools. Meanwhile there has been an ongoing ASUU strike before the pandemic, due to the governments inability to meet the unions demands. The Academic staff Union of Universities has also come out to say that it's suicidal to reopen schools now because universities are not well equipped to deal with COVID-19. Voicing their opinions about the strike and the contradicting thoughts of the government and ASUU on reopening of schools, people had various things to say with majority saying that the government and ASUU just have plans of turning the situation for their favour. In my opinion I can't say whether the government actions are right or wrong but I do understand that keeping schools shut isn't a terrible idea because unlike churches and markets and airports where people just walk through schools have people living in it people from all parts of Nigeria will be coming back some carrying the virus to populated parts of the school and then students taking it back to their corners of Nigeria when school closed," said Ogbo Arthur from Awka. "Basically, it would be an efficient way to reestablish the corona virus in our country," he added. Chidera from Asaba though had a different opinion about the issue. She said, All I can say about this is that the body ASUU is using the educational sector for their selfish reasons. I believe other sectors that are open are filled with humans, first the business sector opened and I thought its good so parents can get back financially on their feet so they can meet the educational need when it arises. "So ASUU coming up to say its suicidal to open varsities is absurd because its so obvious that they are putting hold on the educational sector of the country for their dubious needs. COVID-19 will not go immediately, what the body should do is to find possible means to flow along with it. Baring his mind, Mr. Ugonna Ugoeze from Owerri said Looking at the way things work in Nigeria, it will be "suicidal" to open schools now. There may not be proper planning to ensure that all preventive measures like wearing of proper face masks, washing of hands, social distancing etc., are adhered to. Government decided to open up other sectors because our economy depends on them and I think it is the right thing to do. Taiwo, a resident of Lagos State and student of Lagos State University (LASU) believes there is a way the issue can be handled. He says, Opening schools right now implies opening both primary and secondary schools; and most primary and secondary schools in my area aren't well equipped to follow the preventive measures as directed by NCDC. Opening airports and train stations, I think they generate revenue to the economy; and those places, I'm sure they will follow the guidelines. "I also feel there is still higher risk of students contracting the virus. Let's not say because the younger ones have higher chance of survival we should damn the preventive measures or follow them partially; most persons won't follow the guidelines. I feel they could come up with a conducive strategy like my school Lagos State University (LASU), 200l and 500l students are to resume first and they have lectures for just Mondays and Tuesdays, while 100l, 300l, 400l have lectures on Wednesdays and Thursdays for a period of 9am-3pm, you must wash your hands before entering and must put on a nose mask. I think strategies like this can help curtail the spread. If most schools reopen without all these guidelines put in place, I think reopening of schools will be suicidal. Making reference to others schools in the country that have already reopened and some continuing with only classes, Ms. Judith Ogbonnia claims that reopening of school isnt entirely in the hands of the government. Well, I don't think the opening of schools is completely in the hands of the government; if you look at it very well, schools that aren't under ASUU are already in session. I just think that ASUU is saying this is because of this recent IPPIS thing, they are not in support of it and maybe that's why they're extending the resumption of schools under them, she says. A Port Harcourt respondent who simply identifies himself as Uchechi thinks the reason they haven't reopened schools is because they dont generate revenue from there. The sectors they are reopening are sectors that generate revenue to the country; if they dont open them we will start complaining of hunger and the rest. If school wants to reopen it's up to the school management to decide if they can handle the situation, and they will be held responsible if anything happens. Opening other sectors and leaving school isn't right, I think government is doing this because of their own selfish reason or interest. Those places they reopened it's what will generate revenue for them they are putting it like school is where there's higher risk of spreading the virus forgetting that markets and other places have been opened, where people even no longer follow rules or wear facemask or avoid social gatherings. In fact, even weddings and other activities have returned to normalcy," he concludes. "Government hasn't settled ASUU yet; they are just beating around the bush. If they say schools should reopen only primary and secondary will with private universities, federal universities won't because ASUU is still on strike. If only primary and secondary schools open most students of federal universities will start rioting which might not be a peaceful one, Pamela Okeke adds from Port Harcourt. In support of Pamela's view, Chiamaka Ikeliani from Abuja says Reopening of other sectors in the country and not reopening schools is wrong. This virus we are talking about, I don't think it respects any sector. If campaigns could go on in Edo State and they are thinking of doing elections, then why can't they reopen schools? "I feel the government has have ulterior motives. If schools reopen without waiting for government's go ahead orders, there will be a problem. The ASUU strike is a problem too. "Even if ASUU says reopening of schools is suicidal, let's not forget churches, markets, airports are opened too. Aren't those places suicidal? We Nigerians aren't good in following guidelines. People still find it hard to wear their nose mask properly; but one thing I think is the reason why they haven't reopened school is because if anything happens to anyone, it's the school authority that will be held responsible, and that might be what they are trying to avoid. Precious from Awka has a different opinion on the issue anyway; she claims Nigeria is a copycat that never copies right. From the beginning of the pandemic we have been following what other countries have been doing. As other countries went into lockdown we followed immediately, we weren't prepared for it; that's why during that period, there was alarming increase in the rate of hunger. As other countries started reopening, we followed too. "If you check, other countries haven't resumed schools; they are still conducting their online classes, so Nigeria is waiting for when developed countries open their schools then we do the same. We are scared on the next step to take; checking developed countries, they opened up their sectors so they can add more revenue to their economy. "Analyzing this in the educational standard, schools consists the primary, secondary and tertiary. At the primary and secondary level, I feel the government thinks students won't be able to take proper care of themselves, following the guidelines; there will be loopholes as most of them will be nonchalant and all that. At the tertiary level, putting ASUU aside, the youths will be able to take care of themselves more than the younger ones. "ASUU claims reopening of school now would be suicidal, but thats not true. Every sector in the country has its advantages and disadvantages. Financial sector is opened, markets are opened to generate more money for the country the one day on and off at market is still in places like Lagos. Here in Anambra, we trade daily. It's not fair other sectors will be opened and the education sector is not. If they think the education sector is not as important as other sectors and still leave it closed, then they are wrong again because this close down of schools is affecting students lives, and they say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow. I wonder how theyd lead if they are still stuck in school. "If the fear be that reopening of schools would cause for the increment of infected persons, youths know they need to follow all guidelines; nobody wants to die. I feel we Nigerians just copy what others are doing like I said earlier." Emeka, a resident of Enugu added (reinforcing the points Precious made) It's really wrong for government to open other sectors of the country and leave education out; why I think they are doing it that way, I feel they are trying to put money in their pockets. "Nigeria at the point now is almost collapsing. Can you believe the former Vice President of Nigeria Atiku Abubarka had to write a message to the present Senate President to prevent the President of the country from borrowing any other money to boost the economy of the country; its that bad. " I guess they are only trying to boost the economy of the country, that's why they opened up places that will generate money. But the educational sector is also very important in the country. Imagine having delayed curriculum for a year, what do you think it will do the students' future? "If they could implement measures at airports, markets, and churches, why can't they do the same at schools? The fact that they keep having weekly reviews on when school will resume (while nothing is done yet) clearly shows that they aren't worried about children at home." "On the ongoing strike with ASUU, he said, "The Union doesn't know where its going, they too just care about their pockets. Even if they said reopening of schools is suicidal, let them not forget markets and other places are opened and individually, they visit these places. If they are advising the government that resuming school isn't good, why then do they remind them of their pending issues too. Truth be told, they are just using that as an avenue to remind government that they haven't settled them that even if they said school should reopen, they won't comply because their needs are not met yet. "If places that generate money for the country could be opened, schools should be opened too because these children are our future, and leaders of tomorrow too. Press Trust of India Space agencies of India and France are in an advanced stage of discussions for providing necessary equipment to Gaganyaans astronauts, similar to the one to be used by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet for Mission Alpha next year, officials said. A senior official of the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the space agency of France, said work on the equipment for Mission Alpha is on. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, as part of the European Space Agency (ESA), will be returning to the International Space Station (ISS) while flying on Crew Dragon spacecraft early next year. Discussions are in the final stage. An announcement is likely to be made soon. Work on the instrumentation for Mission Alpha is on, the CNES official said without elaborating on the details of the equipment. India and France share a robust collaboration in the area of space. Space agencies of the two countries are also collaborating on nearly Rs 10,000 crore Gaganyaan mission that aims to send three Indians to space by 2022. Last year, flight surgeon Brigitte Godard, then with the CNES, was in India to train physicians and engineers. France has a well-established mechanism for space medicine. It also has the MEDES (French Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology) space clinic, a subsidiary of CNES, where space surgeons undergo training. The Indian space surgeons will also go to France next year once the coronavirus situation eases, an ISRO official said. He also did not comment on specific collaboration for supply of the equipment to Gaganyaan astronauts. Four short-listed Indian Air Force pilots and prospective astronauts for the Gagangyaan mission are currently undergoing training in Russia. Meanwhile, Alpha was chosen as the name for Pesquets new mission after a competition organised by the European Space Agency in partnership with CNES that attracted more than 27,000 entries. The name came up 47 times in the entries received. Pesquet, who spent six months on ISS between November 2016 and June 2017, is currently training with Crew Dragon spacecraft and station simulators for Mission Alpha. To give Europes scientists an opportunity to gain access to ISS and to coordinate activities on the station, the ESA has established User Support and Operations Centres (USOC), of which the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNESs Toulouse Space Centre is one, according to an official statement on Mission Alpha. For human space flights, CADMOS is the point of contact between the ground segments in Europe, the United States and Russia and the science teams supporting astronauts, as they perform experiments in real-time, it added. Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Well, it was 75 years ago, but I remember it was hard to get the news and details of what was happening because we just didnt have the news like we have today, Cole said. It was through letters that I got all the news. I received letters from my future husband, who was in the Navy and was on the USS Hornet. He wrote and told me that all the military forces came together to attack Japan. Many ships were hit, and lots of fighting. So when we heard the war was over, everyone was very happy. Japan had been bombed on August of 45, and they discharged me on December of 45. I remember a group of us Marines were discharged at the same time. We all left on a train and many of us ladies were singing. Cole was discharged as Sgt. Dorothy Schmidt in the U.S. Marine Corps Womens Reserve. Schmidt was her maiden name. Cole was the name of her husband, whom she married after her discharge. Upon her return to civilian life, she took a train to San Francisco to get married. She and her husband were able to obtain jobs at Ames Research in Silicon Valley, which later became NASA. While Cole only spent a few years in the Marine Corps, her daughter says it had a long-lasting impact on her life and character. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has been searching for new media staff after some recent departures. Constructive criticism: Jo Williamson and Michael McCormack. Credit:John Shakespeare Tess Salmon left after a year in the job and joined Western Sydney Airport, while Hannah Maguire has pitched up at the Australian Airports Association. Maybe the aviation industry during a global pandemic offered a more exciting career development than doing comms for our DPM and leader of The Nationals. Now CBD hears that McCormack has a new recruit: former AAP deputy editor Jo Williamson will join his team. She won't be heading bush, but will be based in Sydney and Canberra. Williamson was something of an AAP lifer (well, 29 years) and it must have been a shock to not be carried across to AAP 2.0, after the wire service was saved from closure by a consortium. HELSINKI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizen Electronics Co. Ltd., leading developer of electronic devices and applied products and Valoya, the research driven LED grow light manufacturer have entered a licensing agreement whereby Citizen Electronics will take Valoya's LED spectrum portfolio into use. Citizen Electronics will apply Valoya's spectrum technology know-how in order to strengthen its COB (chip on board) LED products intended for the horticulture industry. Valoya has launched its patent licensing program in June this year. After more than a decade of persistent focus on R&D, the company has amassed one of the largest patent portfolios of the horticulture lighting industry. 'The spectrum makes all the difference. High quality light creates high quality plants. We are excited and proud to have a company like Citizen recognize the value of our expertise and to choose to include it in their product portfolio. We look forward to seeing their COB LED products with Valoya spectrum reach the market and the growers who will greatly benefit from Valoya's spectra which have been developed through meticulous plant R&D efforts spanning over a decade' comments Mr. Lars Aikala, the CEO and Co-Founder of Valoya. Access to the Valoya license program not only gives us a solid IP base, but also extends Valoya's experience, research and know-how to our COB products and our customers.Our higher power [300 Watt] COBs provide a wide spectrum light, in a very small package. It is a superior solution for greenhouses and other horticultural applications where high power light is needed", comments Mr. Kanetaka Sekiguchi, CEO of Citizen Electronics. The patent portfolio accounts Valoya's inventions in the field of light spectra for plant cultivation and lighting applications. Valoya and Citizen Electronics are happy with this partnership and are both looking to further contribute to support the development of the global horticulture industry. To inquire further about Citizen's COB LED products, please click here. To learn more about Valoya's patent licensing program, please click here. About Valoya Valoya is a provider of high end, energy efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world's largest agricultural companies). Additional information: Valoya Ltd, Finland Tel: +358 10 2350300 Email: sales@valoya.com Web: www.valoya.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valoyafi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/valoya This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/valoya/r/valoya-and-citizen-electronics-enter-a-licensing-agreement,c3188359 The following files are available for download: VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (TSX: ITH) (NYSE-American: THM) (the "Company") announced today that it will host a webinar and teleconference on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 to provide an update to shareholders and investors regarding the major shareholder participation in the At-The-Market ("ATM") financing announced on September 2, 2020. In the September 2 announcement, the Company noted that its four largest shareholders took $7.9 million of a US $10.3 million At-The-Market ("ATM") Offering at the September 1, 2020 closing market price of US $1.40 per share. Karl Hanneman, Chief Executive Officer, said "We accomplished several goals with this financing. First, we ensured more than enough funding to complete the Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") before us as well as give us an excellent runway to advance the project beyond the PFS in the best manner for shareholders. Second, we gained an opportunity to increase our market exposure and coverage by building a relationship with B. Riley, an experienced firm who understands Alaska and our project. And third, we respected all shareholders by keeping the capital raise tight and without a discount. I am most appreciative of the support of our major shareholders who continue to recognize Livengood's great attributes of size, location, leverage, and value. " The Company invites you to attend a conference call and webcast hosted by Chairman Marcelo Kim, Lead Independent Director Steve Lang, and CEO Karl Hanneman to discuss the Company and this news release. Conference Call & Webcast Details: INTERNATIONAL TOWER HILL MINES's conference call and webcast details are provided below: Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm ET Webcast: https://services.choruscall.com/links/thm200909.html North American callers: 1-877-270-2148 International callers: 1-412-902-6510 About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. controls a 100% interest of the Livengood Gold Project, located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. On behalf of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (signed) Karl L. Hanneman Chief Executive Officer Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements with respect to the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering by the Company, the ability of the Company to carry out and complete optimization studies with respect to the Livengood Gold Project, the ability of the Company to advance the Livengood Gold Project, the potential development of any mine at Livengood, business and financing plans and business trends are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate, proposed, planned, potential and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the use of proceeds from the Offering, the potential inability of the Company to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and its United States public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sec.gov, and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical report filed with respect to the Livengood Gold Project. This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States or Canada. SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. A major Melbourne developer is suing the Andrews government for $240 million in compensation after claiming the value of farmland it owned plummeted when the state earmarked the area for inclusion in a reserve for critically-endangered grassland. A string of writs by companies linked to the Dennis Family Corporation were lodged in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, just weeks after an investigation by The Age revealed landowners were planning to sue the government over the Western Grassland Reserve. Cattle on a degraded area of grassland near Little River, hit by grazing and overtaken by artichoke thistle and boxthorn. Credit:Justin McManus The Age also revealed the government was struggling with a huge cost blowout to establish the reserve, with only $53 million set aside to pay for it despite soaring land prices and compensation outlays that had doubled the estimated cost of the program since 2013 to almost $2 billion. The Dennis Family Corporation is claiming compensation for the impact of a public acquisition overlay which reserves land for a public purpose placed over land earmarked by the Brumby government for the grassland in 2010. Isaiah Kane has a wrenching decision to make: Return to the packed Kohls warehouse where 15 colleagues have already tested positive for the coronavirus or give up what could be his only chance at steady pay until next year. The 21-year-old took unpaid leave in early July with his managers' approval after two co-workers fell ill with the virus. But once he was back, they made clear, it had to be for good because the holiday shopping season was already here. When COVID started, they basically told us, Try to socially distance, which is almost impossible in such close quarters, said Kane, who has worked at the San Bernardino, Calif., warehouse for about a year. They keep sending us messages about positive cases. But at the same time, they are going full speed ahead like nothing is happening. Warehouse workers across the country say theyve been under enormous pressure for months, working extended hours to fulfill a crush of pandemic orders. Working conditions, they say, have steadily deteriorated during the crisis, leaving many distribution centers understaffed and ill-equipped to accommodate frequent hand-washing and other safety protocols. Now the nations one million warehouse workers are preparing for an unprecedented surge in demand, as retailers kick off online holiday sales earlier than ever. We see it every year: When demand increases, so does the pressure on warehouse workers, said Beth Gutelius, associate director of the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois-Chicago. This year, many workers are already operating at elevated levels because of the pandemic. Then you layer the holiday peak season on top of that, along with a surge of new hires, and there are real questions about worker safety. She said it is nearly impossible to quantify how many warehouse workers have become infected or died of COVID-19 because companies generally are not required to publicly disclose cases. Reports from local health departments, though spotty, provide a snapshot of how quickly the virus can spread in enclosed workplaces: 152 Amazon employees or about 1 in 7 workers at a warehouse in Shakopee, Minn., tested positive for the coronavirus between April and August, according to the states health department. Online sales have skyrocketed since the pandemic began nearly six months ago, putting new strain on workers who unload trucks, sort inventory and pack boxes for an average wage of about $21 an hour. Best Buy, Target and Dick's Sporting Goods reported triple the usual volume of online sales in the most recent quarter, while chains such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart and Gap have seen e-commerce sales double in recent months. At Kohls, this years peak holiday season began Sunday, weeks earlier than usual, which means all employees even part-timers such as Kane, who typically worked two shifts a week are required to take on at least 50 hours a week, he said. Warehouse staffing usually quadruples during the holidays, Kane added, to 1,200 from about 300, making it highly difficult to stay the recommended six feet apart to mitigate the odds of contracting the coronavirus. Kohl's did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Workers say the pandemic has added to the challenges of an already grueling job. At a Wayfair warehouse in Jessup, Md., two former employees say they were frequently asked to work 12-hour days, six days a week, beginning in May to keep up with an avalanche of furniture orders during the shutdowns. Conditions, they say, have worsened and include broken fans during heat waves, sagging ceilings and floors strewn with shattered glass. At least three managers were recently fired for "gross misconduct" for complaining about safety concerns, they said. It went from feeling like a business to something like Dungeons and Dragons, said Robert Fox, 41, a warehouse hiring manager who was among those fired. The building itself is terribly rundown and has been half-staffed for months. Then the pandemic starts and Im being told on the daily, I need you to empty 15 trailers, I need you to empty 20 trailers. And yet there was hardly anybody showing up to work. Fox, who was tasked with taking employees' temperatures at the door before each shift, said he didn't have the authority to send employees home, even if they had a fever. When employees came down with the virus, he said, the company "just swept it under the rug." As the crisis intensified, he said, it became more difficult to follow basic protocols. Employees must now wait in long lines to have their temperature checked before they clock in, but they are penalized if they are a minute late to their shifts, said Robyn Smith, another fired warehouse manager. Workers also reported not being able to wash their hands as frequently as they would like because taking time to do so would cut into closely monitored productivity quotas. "There was a lot of cutting the corners when it came to health and safety because you're constantly being told you have to meet these incredible numbers," said Smith, 32. "Their demands kept getting more unrealistic as the pandemic went on, but at the same time, there were fewer and fewer workers to actually do the job." Susan Frechette, a spokeswoman for Wayfair, said the companys sites adhere to rigorous safety policies that include social-distancing measures, sanitation protocols and emergency paid time off for employees who need it. "We take these safety measures very seriously," she said. "The health and safety of our team, our customers and our community is our highest priority." Labor experts say the pressure to get holiday orders out quickly could create new challenges for workers and facilities if employees start to get sick. What if somebody does come down with COVID? said Ellen Reese, chair of labor studies at the University of California-Riverside. The best measure is to shut the place down and sanitize it, but if there is pressure to get things out on time, is the employer really going to give everybody the time to quarantine and disinfect everything? Workers may feel the pressure to go to work anyway in an unsanitized workplace, possibly exposing themselves to the coronavirus. It creates very uncomfortable choices for people to make: Earn a living or stay safe, she said. Back in California, Kane is making similar calculations. He's been making ends meet since July by delivering orders for Postmates, but misses the guarantee of his $12-an-hour job. Its a tough decision because Im turning down money that I really need, he said. But I just dont think I can go back yet. It feels way too risky right now. Britain has announced 1,735 new coronavirus cases in the biggest daily spike in three months. The last time daily infections were higher was on June 4, when 1,805 were diagnosed with the disease and the majority of tough lockdown restrictions were still in force. The seven-day rolling case average is now 1,435, up by a quarter (26 per cent) in a week. Scotland is now also seeing new cases breach 100 every day, for the first time since May. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed today the country's reproduction rate could be as high as 1.4, after months of it being safely underneath 1. The R rate - which represents the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - needs to stay below one or it could spiral uncontrollably. For Britain as a whole, the R is thought to be hovering around the danger zone of 1 and SAGE is no longer confident is definitely below that number. Despite cases being on the climb since July, scientists have emphasised that it is not the sign of a second wave and that they had always expected case diagnoses to increase as lockdown measures were lifted and the testing system got better. Experts tell MailOnline the rising figures are simply the result of young, healthy people being picked up on official figures. Previously, they were being missed because tests were reserved for the sickest people. Britain also recorded another 13 coronavirus deaths across all settings, ending the four-day stint of single-digit fatalities. Wales was the only home nation to record zero deaths today. Britain has recorded another 13 coronavirus deaths today In other coronavirus developments; Scientists claim coronavirus herd immunity may be closer than thought because 'flawed' antibody surveys that only test bl ood 'dramatically underestimate' how many people have had the disease; Pharmaceutical firms GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi launch human trials of promising coronavirus vaccine with 60million doses already ordered by UK officials; NHS Test & Trace failed to reach almost a third of at-risk contacts of infected patients last week, its worst performance so far; Portugal is on the brink of quarantine amid a spike in cases, with Britons facing a dash to beat the expected 4am Saturday deadline. TEST & TRACE FAILED TO REACH A THIRD OF AT-RISK CONTACTS LAST WEEK Almost a third of contacts of Covid-19 cases were not reached by the NHS Test and Trace system last week, data shows, which was the lowest since the system launched in May. A total of 31,388 people were identified as coming into close contact with someone who has tested positive between 20 August and 26 August. Only 69.4 per cent of those were reached and told to self-isolate, down from 77.1 per cent in the previous week. The report from the Department of Health and Social care said the reduction is largely due to 'non-complex cases', which have a higher proportion of contacts who are unable to be reached. Non-complex cases are those which are not related to an outbreak, and are handled by call centres or online. Just 59.8 per cent of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate when handled by those teams. In comparison, complex cases, managed predominantly by local health teams, are consistently more likely to be reached. This week, 97.3 per cent of contacts handled by local health protection teams were reached and asked to self-isolate. Figures published today also show it takes more an average of three and a half days for a home-test result to come back, which has been increasing for several weeks. The average person who takes a home test kit, which can be ordered online, won't get their result back for 86 hours, more than the 76 hours the week prior. Labour has described todays figures from NHS test and trace as 'hugely disappointing'. Justin Madders, a shadow health minister, said: 'With cases on the increase and the government pushing for everyone to return to work, it is more important than ever that test and trace is working to its potential. It is therefore hugely disappointing to see that the number of people the system reached went down again in the last week. 'There is also clearly a problem with testing infrastructure as people across the country are sent hundreds of miles for testing appointments.' Advertisement Scotland reported 101 new cases of Covid-19 today, the fifth day in a row that cases have been in triple figures. Cases have begun trending upwards this month after being at record lows during June and July. Speaking at the Scottish Governments regular coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said today the reproduction rate of coronavirus in Scotland is now 'probably above one' and could be as high as 1.4. The rate, which calculates the average number of people who are infected by a positive case of the virus, was believed to be below one for some months. Ms Sturgeon said: 'I said recently that the R number is of slightly less concern when overall prevalence of the virus is low, and overall prevalence of the virus is still low in Scotland right now. 'But nevertheless this is a reminder that the virus is spreading again here, just as it is elsewhere in the UK, across Europe and indeed in the wider world, so it is a reminder of the need for us to take this seriously and do all of the right things.' Provisional figures indicate some 53 of these new cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, where Covid-19 restrictions were reintroduced on Tuesday, including in East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. People have been told they should not visit someone else's home, no matter where it is, because cases appear to have been driven by socialising in households. It is likely the rule will stay in place for around two weeks. But the First Minister, who said she herself has cancelled plans to be with family, said cases are increasing in various parts of the country, and the enforcement of additional measures in Glasgow should serve as a 'wake up call' to Scots. While across Scotland the number of positive cases of coronavirus is 9.2 per 100,000 people, in Glasgow it stands at 21.8, in East Renfrewshire it is 18.8, and in West Dunbartonshire it rises to 32.6 per 100,000, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said. Cases have been on an upward slope for the UK generally for several weeks, during which time there have been repeated criticisms that the NHS Test and Trace system is not up to scratch. As outbreaks continue across England, figures show contact tracers are still hitting record-low success rates. Today, data showed almost a third of contacts of Covid-19 cases were not reached by the NHS Test and Trace system last week - the lowest since the system launched in May. Only 69.4 per cent of 31,388 people identified as a close contact were reached and told to self-isolate between August 20 and 26, down from 77.1 per cent in the previous week. Commenting on the 'hugely disappointing figures', Labour MP and shadow health minister Justin Madders said: 'With cases on the increase and the government pushing for everyone to return to work, it is more important than ever that test and trace is working to its potential. It is therefore hugely disappointing to see that the number of people the system reached went down again in the last week.' Scotland reported 101 new cases of Covid-19 today, the fifth day in a row that cases have been in triple figures. Cases have begun trending upwards this month after being at record lows during June and July Scotland's R rate could be as high as 1.4, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today, after several months of it being safely underneath 1 Under the new rules - which also apply to West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire - residents are no longer allowed to meet up with other households indoors Deaths are continuing to spiral and hospital admissions remain flat, with less than 800 Covid-19 patients in beds, and 82 on ventilators. For this reason, scientists say the rise in cases is not something to currently be concerned about in terms of a 'second wave', and is simply as a result of increased testing in the community. WHERE ARE ENGLAND'S 20 COVID-19 HOTSPOTS? Local authorities new cases in the seven days to August 30 as a rate of per 100,000 people. Pendle 74.9 Bolton 69.6 Rossendale 65.8 Oldham 63.3 Corby 54.0 Bradford 52.6 Blackburn with Darwen 49.4 South Tyneside 46.4 Rochdale 44.1 Manchester 42.7 Tameside 39.3 Trafford 38.8 Salford 37.9 Great Yarmouth 35.2 Burnley 34.9 Preston 33.5 Leeds 32.5 Kettering 32.4 Breckland 31.4 Birmingham 30.2 Source: PA news agency Advertisement The coronavirus has never been 'eliminated', which some scientists say means the 'first wave' is not actually over. New diagnosed cases were at their lowest on July 6, when 352 cases were recorded. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned on Monday 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. But experts told MailOnline Mr Hancock's comments were 'alarmist' and that there is currently 'no sign' of a second wave coming over the horizon. The data shows hospital cases are also not rising by much in Europe, contrary to the Health Secretary's claim. And statisticians say expansion of testing capacity means infections are being found more easily than at the start of the pandemic. Currently Pendle has the highest infection rate in England, with 74.9 cases per 100,000 people. The rate of new Covid-19 cases in Bolton has jumped from 18.4 per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 22 to 59.1 in the seven days to August 29, with 170 new cases, making it the second worst in the country. It is likely Pendle and Bolton remain hotspots for the next two weeks, according to modelling by Imperial College London. Researchers led by Professor Axel Gandy have today revealed a website which estimates the probability that a location in England will be struck down with high Covid-19 cases, based on current data. The team behind the website define a hotspot as a local authority where there are more than 50 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 of the population per week. Currently Pendle, Bolton, Corby and Oldham fit into this category. But in the next, two weeks, dozens more appear to join the list while others fall off. Imperial report the probability that a local authority will become a hotspot in a percentage - 100 per cent being almost certain. South Tyneside (97 per cent), Rossendale (90 per cent), Leeds (85 per cent), Corby (81 per cent) and Breckland (81 per cent) all have the highest odds of seeing infections reach 50 per 100,000 people by mid-September. However, recently reported case numbers for Oldham show a decline, and as a result, the model shows it is unlikely Oldham will remain a hotspot into September (45 per cent), after several weeks of trying to squash outbreaks. Various areas in London's commuter belt have a medium chance of becoming a hotspot by September 19 - the furthest point of predictions modelled by Professor Gandy and team. Waverley, in Surrey, and Hertsmere, in Hertfordshire, are 55 per cent and 61 per cent likely to see cases reach 50 per 100,000, respectively. They currently have 16.6 and 29 cases per 100,000, according to the PA news agency. It is likely Pendle and Bolton will remain hotspots for the next two weeks, according to modelling by Imperial College London. Researchers led by Professor Axel Gandy have today revealed a website which estimates the probability that a location in England will be struck down with high Covid-19 cases, based on current data In the week between September 6 and 12, the areas highlighted red are likely to become Covid-19 hotspots, with more than 50 cases per 100,000. All the affected areas are captured. Red is 75-100 per cent chance, dark orange is 50-75 per cent, and light orange is 25-50 per cent By September 13 to 19, there could be dozens more areas that are hotspots, including South Tyneside (97 per cent), Rossendale (90 per cent), Leeds (85 per cent), Corby (81 per cent) and Breckland (81 per cent). All affected areas are captured BRITAIN MAY BE CLOSE TO HERD IMMUNITY THAN THOUGHT Britain may be closer to herd immunity against Covid-19 than previously thought because surveillance studies are inherently flawed, top scientists said today. According to research looking at antibody test results, just seven per cent of Britons and 17 per cent of Londoners have been infected and recovered from the disease. Experts made these estimates by testing random swathes of people for coronavirus antibodies in their blood, produced by the body in response to the illness. It's thought that at least 60 per cent of a population need to have caught the virus for the group to reach herd immunity, which is when a disease runs out of room and can no longer spread because too many people are immune to it. In an editorial in the British Medical Journal today, scientists would not say how wrong estimates might be but cautioned surveillance studies could be 'dramatically underestimating' infection rates. This, they say, is because the studies do not test for all forms of antibodies, including those found in saliva which may signal mild or asymptomatic cases. Most research into past infection has looked for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies, the most common types, which are found in the blood and protect against viral infections. Another type of antibody - called IgA - is not being routinely tested for. IgA is found in mucous and saliva in the mouth, nose and respiratory tract - the main sites Covid-19 uses to enter the body. Those with these types of antibodies likely fended off the infection in its earliest stages, before it was able to burrow deep into lungs and spread through the blood. In Luxembourg, IgA were found in 11 per cent of people compared with 2 per cent who tested positive using more conventional tests. Another survey of residents in Ischgl, Austria, used a combination of IgG and IgA antibody testing and found 42 per cent tested positive. Advertisement But the UK could get back to normal by Christmas, the Health Secretary said today, if the rapid coronavirus testing being trialled by the Government is successful. Matt Hancock announced a 500million investment in a mass on-the-spot saliva testing regime. The spit tests can give a positive or negative result in just 20 minutes, compared to the current lab-based swabs that can take days to complete. Main pilots of the portable 'lab in a van' tests will take place in Salford, Southampton in Hampshire. Mr Hancock refused to put a date on when the tests would be available more widely to people around the UK but he said it would be 'in the coming weeks and months', appearing to be planning for them to be in use by the winter. Although treatments for the virus are improving, unless a vaccine is found it still cannot be cured or prevented completely. So keeping track of the bug and squashing it out of communities is the only way to prevent more people ending up in hospital and dying. When asked about ending social distancing, Health Secretary Mr Hancock said on BBC Radio 4 this morning: 'I hope that if this mass testing regime comes off, if the new technologies we're working so hard on work, or we manage to get a vaccine between now and then which we can't rule out then I hope we can have the happy and loving Christmas that people yearn for.' However, as the Government begins its trials of tests that it hopes will become widespread, members of the public are still trying to get hold of drive-through swab tests that have been running for months. Even this service does not seem to be working well, as people are being asked to travel more than 100 miles to get them. An investigation by the BBC found that the system routinely tried to direct people to testing centres tens or hundreds of miles from their homes. London postcodes were directed to Cardiff, it found, while someone in Devon might have to travel more than 100 miles to Wales, and a postcode in the Lake District redirected to a test centre in Scotland. On top of this, the tests, of which around 180,000 are done each day, are being used more in areas that are in local lockdowns or at risk of facing extra restrictions. As a result, people who feel unwell in less badly-affected areas of the country are struggling to access the swabs and some report being told to drive for hours to centres in other cities, counties or even countries. In a bid to speed up testing, the Department of Health today announced it was opening a new laboratory in Loughborough that will be capable of processing 50,000 tests per day. But NHS Test & Trace data today showed the system is still floundering and was last week unable to reach almost a third of people who had been in contact with an infected person. And home tests the only ones available for people being told to travel dozens of miles by the booking system are now taking an average three days to return results. Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced the Government is investing 500million in mass rapid testing for the coronavirus GLASWEGIANS SLAM BAN ON INDOOR VISITS Exasperated Glaswegians have mauled Nicola Sturgeon's decision to ban 800,000 people from visiting other households while the pubs remain open. Since midnight, people living in the Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire areas have been slapped back into a partial lockdown. Scotland's First Minister today doubled down on her 'difficult decision' which followed a flurry of 66 coronavirus cases. But many Glaswegians remain puzzled by her reasoning as to why they can congregate in a pub or restaurant but not in their relatives' houses. And there are even rumblings of a rebellion, with some residents suggesting they will refuse to follow the rules. Branding the re-imposition of restrictions 'a step back', mother Jenna struggled to make sense of the policy. 'I like to think it will be effective but ultimately, I can't have friends in the house but I can go to the pub and meet them? I don't understand the difference,' she told Glasgow Live. Other Glaswegians echoed her exasperation and said not being able to visit elderly relatives would be especially tough. Donna, from Glasgow's East End, said: 'You can go on buses, you can go to restaurants but you can't have them visit the house? I don't understand it. The grandkids can't come visit your house, but you can go see them outside. That's a big issue. It doesn't make sense.' Even ex-Rangers star Gordon Smith waded into the debate to lash out at the decision to reintroduce curbs, which he called an overreaction. He said: 'I'm not that happy with it. I think we've been going over the top with this whole thing. I have family members, though some might still be able to come as you can be part of a bubble. 'We had friends due to meet soon who were meant to be coming to the house. We can't visit them either. It does affect life. Not just the financial aspect, but the mental aspect as well.' Advertisement It comes as scientists claim Britain may be closer to herd immunity against Covid-19 than previously thought because surveillance studies are inherently flawed. According to research looking at antibody test results, just seven per cent of Britons and 17 per cent of Londoners have been infected and recovered from the disease. Experts made these estimates by testing random swathes of people for coronavirus antibodies in their blood, produced by the body in response to the illness. It's thought that at least 60 per cent of a population need to have caught the virus for the group to reach herd immunity, which is when a disease runs out of room and can no longer spread because too many people are immune to it. In an editorial in the British Medical Journal today, scientists would not say how wrong estimates might be but cautioned surveillance studies could be 'dramatically underestimating' infection rates. This, they say, is because the studies do not test for all forms of antibodies, including those found in saliva which may signal mild or asymptomatic cases. Most research into past infection has looked for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies, the most common types, which are found in the blood and protect against viral infections. Another type of antibody - called IgA - is not being routinely tested for. IgA is found in mucous and saliva in the mouth, nose and respiratory tract - the main sites Covid-19 uses to enter the body. Those with these types of antibodies likely fended off the infection in its earliest stages, before it was able to burrow deep into lungs and spread through the blood. Research has suggested that antibodies decline three months after infection meaning only a fraction of true cases during the peak of the crisis may have been spotted and exactly how much immunity the world has developed is unknown. And scientists say immunity in the UK is likely to be far higher than what Government antibody testing shows because it doesn't account for T-cells. Top immunologists have said the infection-fighting cells are typically more durable and long lasting than antibodies. Dipender Gill, a clinician at St George's Hospital in London, who co-wrote the editorial, said: 'Current seroprevalence surveys may be dramatically underestimating the proportion of people that have been infected by the virus. 'Further work is required to determine the optimal survey strategy and appropriately revise these figures.' The scientists admitted they could not put a figure on how far out the estimates were. Mark Ponsford, a clinical immunologist at the University Hospital of Wales, said: 'The immune response to the virus is more complex than a simple 'yes' or 'no' to the presence of a single antibody type in the blood. 'It's important that future surveys take this into account, and that we begin to standardise our approach to testing. 'This will help us to improve accuracy and allow more valid comparisons of the results from different surveys.' Herd immunity could be closer than scientists first thought and as little as 10 per cent may need to be infected for the virus to fizzle out. Pictured are estimates given by different teams, and how many antibodies the UK population is thought to have now PORTUGAL TEETERS ON QUARANTINE LIST Portugal is on the brink of quarantine amid a spike in cases, with Britons facing a dash to beat the expected 4am Saturday deadline - as officials in England resisted calls to follow Wales and Scotland by putting restrictions on Greece. The rate of Covid cases in Portugal has been above 20 per 100,000 for the past three days - the level at which the government considers introducing a quarantine. Yesterday the number of new cases rose to 390 from 231 the day before, suggesting the current seven-day average of 22.7 will not decrease. Meanwhile, cases in Greece are currently at a similar level to the UK. Paul Charles, boss of travel consultancy PC Agency, said the 'stable' situation in the country suggested the Scottish government's decision to put it on the red list was 'extreme'. He predicted Portugal would be added to the list but Greece and Italy would stay off it. Any changes to quarantine arrangements are now announced on Thursday nights, with the new rules being imposed at 4am on Saturdays. The previous two-week quarantine for travellers returning from Portugal was only lifted two weeks ago. Advertisement Meanwhile drug companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi are joining the race to discover a Covid-19 vaccine and starting human clinical trials this week. The pharmaceutical giants have enrolled more than 400 people for the phase one and two trial, which will assess the safety of the vaccine candidate. The UK Government signed a deal with the companies in July for 60million doses rumoured to cost 500million in the hopes that it will prove to a success. Results of the initial testing, across 11 sites in the US, are anticipated in early December, with the third phase beginning before 2020 is over. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy previously said the jab could be given to high-risk Britons as early as the first half of next year, if it passes trials. GSK and Sanofi together have the largest vaccine manufacturing capability in the world, and believe their jab has the 'potential to overcome the pandemic' which has already killed 863,000 people. The vaccine, one of 34 now in clinical trials, is based on the existing DNA-based technology used to produce Sanofi's seasonal flu vaccine. If all the vaccines pre-ordered by the UK are successful and go into production the country will have a massive stockpile of 340million jabs - enough to give every person in the country five each. Roger Connor, president of GSK Vaccines said: 'Moving this vaccine candidate into clinical development is an important moment in the progress towards addressing the global pandemic we are all facing. 'This builds on the confidence shown by governments already in the potential of this protein-based adjuvanted vaccine candidate, which utilises established technology from both companies, and can be produced at scale by two of the leading vaccine manufacturers globally. 'We now look forward to the data from the study, and if positive, beginning a phase three trial by the end of the year.' Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president and global head of Sanofi Pasteur, said: 'Sanofi and GSK bring proven science and technology to the fight against the global Covid-19 pandemic, with the shared objective of delivering a safe and effective vaccine. 'The initiation of our clinical study is an important step and brings us closer to a potential vaccine which could help defeat Covid-19. 'Our dedicated teams and partner continue to work around the clock as we aim to deliver the first results in early December.' The first phase of the trial, on a small group of volunteers, is to make sure the vaccine is safe. Healthy subjects 18 to 49 years of age will be vaccinated to establish the correct dose for the vaccine. The second part will assess the efficacy, making sure the vaccine actually produces an immune response in the body. It will involve older participants. When trials move into the third phase, involving hundreds to thousands more people, scientists assess whether the vaccine actually prevents people from catching the coronavirus. French drugmaker Sanofi and British peer GSK have enrolled more than 400 people in the US for the phase one and two trial, which will assess the safety of the vaccine candidate

The fake organisation - which said it was operated by people who didn't really exist and whose images were artificially generated - was established this May, and was running 13 accounts and two pages which had amassed 14,000 followers.

It was uncovered following a tip-off from the FBI, according to Facebook's head of security policy, who said the activity "focused primarily on the US, UK, Algeria and Egypt".

The fake media organisation called itself Peace Data and targeted left-wing voters in both the UK and US and even recruited "unwitting" freelance journalists from those countries to write articles.

According to social media analytics company Graphika, these articles "paid particular attention to racial and political tensions" which have become a significant point of division following the killing of George Floyd in the US earlier this year.

These articles focused on "social and racial justice in the US and UK, as well as NATO and EU politics, alleged Western war crimes and corruption, environmental issues, the founder of WikiLeaks, tensions between Israel and Palestine, the coronavirus pandemic, criticism of fracking, French influence in Africa, the Biden-Harris campaign, QAnon, President Trump and his policies, and the US military policies in Africa".

Facebook said the network was in the "early stages of building its audience, primarily on the left of the political spectrum, and saw nearly no engagement on Facebook before we removed it".

The operation was tied to the Internet Research Agency, a private organisation based in St Petersburg, which has been accused of illegally interfering in US politics alongside 13 of its employees.

Although only 5% of Peace Data's articles in English directly referenced the US election according to Graphika, "this facet of the operation suggests an attempt to build a left-wing audience and steer it away from Biden's campaign".

Facebook's actions lend support to an assessment by American counterintelligence officials which last month stated that Moscow was attempting to undermine Biden's campaign.

Ben Nimmo, head of investigations at Graphika, told Reuters that the influence operation made itself harder to detect by employing authentic personas to contribute content to the publication.

"What we've seen recently has been much smaller and much lower profile," he said, comparing the Peace Data operation to the activities during the 2016 election.

"It looks like the're trying harder and harder to hide," Mr Nimmo added.

Beijing, Sep 3 : Hit hard by India's move to ban 118 apps, including PUBG, China on Thursday termed the action as 'discriminatory restrictions' on Chinese companies and alleged that it violated World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Gao Feng, the spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, said that the Chinese side expressed serious concern and firm objection to India's decision, Chinese state-run Global Times reported. India's move to ban PUBG Mobile and 117 other Chinese apps on Wednesday came after fresh Chinese aggression in the Indian territory at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. "This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a statement, announcing the ban on the apps. India has so far banned over 200 Chinese apps, including short video-sharing platform TikTok and UC Browser, owned by Alibaba. The latest list of banned Chinese apps include some from Baidu, Alibaba and Alibaba's financial arm Ant Group, besides PUBG. Citing industry observers and entrepreneurs, the Global Times report said that India has taken a "self-defeating" move which will further drive away Chinese investors and hurt its virus-hit economy. The report said that New Delhi is following Washington in "decoupling with China", even as it argued that India "cannot afford the cost of an economic decoupling with Beijing". The investment from the US is unlikely to make up for Chinese investment, said the mouthpiece of the Xi Jinping government, citing industry analysts. India and China have remained locked in a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh since June this year. A fresh crisis erupted last Sunday when India pre-emptively thwarted Chinese intentions to unilaterally change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. A masked man stole a small amount of money from a Bergen County bank Thursday morning, authorities said. At 9:54 a.m. Thursday, a man walked into the Chase Bank on Broadway in Elmwood Park and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, said Doreen Holder, a spokeswoman for the FBIs Newark office. The man, donning a gray hoodie, mask and glasses, motioned at his waistband as though he had a gun, said Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno. As the bank teller rushed to give the robber money, the man told her to hurry up, said Foligno. The teller told the man she only had $61 in her drawer and the man threatened to shoot her, he said. The man fled with what apparently was only those $61 in cash, said Foligno. No gun was seen and witnesses said the suspect fled in a silver Toyota Camry with white lettering on it, he said. The man is approximately 57, he said. No weapon was used during the robbery, Holder said. There were no injuries reported, said Foligno. The robbery is under investigation with police reviewing surveillance footage. Well keep beating the bushes, said Foligno. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane reached Ladakh on Thursday (September 3) to review the ongoing security situation along the Line of Actual Control in the region. Army sources said that during his 2-day tour of Ladakh, General Naravane will be briefed by senior field commanders on the ground situation along the LAC. General Naravane's visit comes at a time when the border row between India and China is at its peak following Indian Army's move to occupy the southern part of Pangong lake in Ladakh. Indian army also managed to occupy several mountain peaks which had been snatched away from India in the 1962 war, without firing a single shot. The India Army achieved this historic success against China after fresh clashes with Chinese PLA on the banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh on the night of August 29 and 30, according to the DNA report. The military operations began on a fateful night when it saw 25-30 Chinese soldiers moving towards China's Observation Post at Black Top, which is situated in the southern part of Pangong Lake. As soon as the Indian Army spotted the movement of Armoured Regiment of the Chinese Army, they swung into action and succeeded in taking control of the top of Black Top. The reports of a scuffle are also coming in but the Indian Army has denied it. On the night of August 30 and 31, the Chinese army once again tried to move forward but the Indian Army captured many more nearby hills between the Patrolling Point (PP) 27 to 31. After this development, there is a possibility that China may open a new front against India, whose Army has deployed tanks at all such places to counter PLA. The place where the Indian Army has now established its control lies the finger area of Pangong Lake. The Chinese army has occupied Finger 4 to Finger 8 for the last several months and the latest victory of the Indian Army is a befitting reply to China. The on Thursday directed the government to clarify if lawyers will be permitted to use the suburban railway network in the city, especially now that the HC has resumed physical hearings. A bench led by Justice Amjad sayed asked the state to file a reply on this within a week. The direction came while the court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and several intervention applications filed by lawyers in the high court seeking that they be allowed to travel to courts by suburban trains amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 21 this year, the state government had filed an affidavit in the high court, informing that it could not permit lawyers to travel by local trains as it had restricted the number of trains and passengers as a safety measure due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The state had said that restrictions on local trains had been imposed to "prevent overcrowding, and maintain social distancing" and lawyers could not claim any legal right to use them. The petitioners also made a representation before the state government that was rejected on August 5. The petitioners, however,challenged the state's decision and the court had asked the state to file a reply on the same on August 8. On Thursday, however, the petitioners pointed out that the state was yet to file its reply. They reiterated the need for permission to travel by the trains considering that the had resumed physical hearings. The petitioners' counsels Uday Warunjikar and Shyam Dewani told the court that now that the HC had resumed physical hearings, and several lower courts had already been permitting physical filings since the last few months, several lawyers were facing difficulties in reaching the courts. The bench then asked the state if there was "any proposal currently under consideration to give permission" to lawyers for train travel. The state said it had not considered the same yet. "Currently, there is no such proposal. But the Unlock process has already started in the state. Gradually, we will see. We will consider all these issues," Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni said. The petitioners had earlier told the HC that several lawyers resided in the suburbs in Mumbai, and that they were undergoing tremendous inconvenience in traveling to courts and their offices due to restrictions on local train travel. At the time, the state said that there were no restrictions on the use of personal vehicles, except for the number of passengers in one vehicle. The lawyers, thus, were free to commute in private vehicles as long as they wore masks and took other COVID-19 related safety precautions, it had said. The HC, which conducted hearings through video- conferencing during the lockdown, resumed physical hearings only for criminal appeals from 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.) As an intern in 1977, Marion Moses inquires about the health of a patient. (Getty) When Marion Moses first met Cesar Chavez in Delano in California's Central Valley, he asked her: "What do you know about pesticides?" She answered: "Practically nothing." In time, Moses went on to become the foremost expert on the health of the nation's 2.5 million agricultural workers beginning in the 1980s. She became an authority on pesticide poisoning of farm laborers, advocated for their healthcare and better working conditions and was leader of the nation's first medical study on migrant farmworkers in the 1990s. But Moses was integral to the labor movement in more intimate ways. She was a close friend and the personal physician of labor and civil rights leaders Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement and Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union. During Chavez's first 25-day, water-only public fast in 1968, Moses monitored the stubborn labor leader's health, even insisting that he allow liquid minerals in his water to prevent organ failure. She took care of him for countless subsequent fasts, including his last in 1988, which lasted 36 days. Moses was also there at the picket lines and helped direct grape boycotts in Philadelphia and Montreal. In the late 1960s, Chavez sent her to New York to boycott grape shipments to the East Coast and raise money for the perpetually cash-strapped union. Chavez came to trust her with the hardest jobs because "he knew she could handle them," said her brother Maron Moses. "Marion was very abrupt, bright and very direct," he said. "She had a really abrasive personality and said exactly what was on her mind... Her middle initial was a 'T,' and no one would ever mistake that for 'tact.' " But those who knew her said she was kind and cared genuinely for others. Moses died of natural causes on Aug. 28 in San Francisco. She was 84. UFW mourns the passing of Dr. Marion Moses who turned a weekend in Delano into a lifetime of service helping Cesar Chavez, farm workers combat the perils of pesticides. Read more @ https://t.co/Dfz7LilZqW pic.twitter.com/34NUOfBCN6 United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) August 29, 2020 It was October 1965 when Moses met Chavez at a meeting in Northern California. A voracious reader and Shakespeare enthusiast, Moses was a student at UC Berkeley studying for a master's degree in English when she saw a notice on a campus bulletin board: the United Farm Workers union needed medical volunteers. Story continues With a master's degree in nursing already under her belt, she drove to Delano for a weekend. She stayed five years, working as an organizer, volunteer nurse and healthcare administrator for the UFW. She was paid $5 a week and provided room and board. "I'm a very pragmatic, task-oriented person," Moses told The Times in 1984. "I'm not very abstract. I thought: 'These people are suffering. They've got no toilets, no running water.' I thought I could stay and make a difference." In an article she wrote for The Catholic Worker in 1993 following Chavez's death, Moses said that she left the UFW in 1971 to become a doctor. It was a move inspired by Chavez's question years before about her knowledge of pesticides. When she returned to work for the union from 1983 to 1986, pesticides were a prominent part of her work. "Working with the UFW meant extraordinary personal demands and sacrifices, and the need to sustain a high level of commitment over the long term," she wrote. "The inspiring and the lofty were mixed in with a much greater amount of the tedious and mundane. It was not always easy to adjust or sort it all out, and over the years, many left the union in varying stages of confusion, bewilderment, or turmoil." Marion Theresa Moses was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Jan. 24, 1936. Her family moved to Charleston, where her mother was a homemaker and her father a food salesman. The couple raised their eight children in a modest Catholic home. When Moses was 7, her baby sister Margaret Rose died of dehydration after suffering from diarrhea. It devastated Moses. "She knew things like that didn't need to happen," said Maron, her brother. But it fueled her drive to become a doctor a medical path her father deemed unsuitable for a woman. Marion Moses was a remarkable woman, smart, fearless, passionate. She made a difference. For so many. https://t.co/ummPuFGf32 Miriam Pawel (@miriampawel) August 29, 2020 So to nursing school she went. Moses earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from Georgetown University in 1957. She was the first in her family to go to college. She went on to earn a master's in nursing at Columbia University Teachers College in 1960 and taught at Charleston General School of Nursing before moving to San Francisco. A job as head nurse in the medical and surgical unit at Kaiser Foundation Hospital awaited her. But it was her work with Chavez and UFW that changed the trajectory of her life. Though Moses once admitted she was unimpressed by Chavez as a speaker, she was drawn to his "strong moral force" and his charisma. Their relationship solidified when Moses and President Kennedy's physician Janet Travell helped a bedridden Chavez slowly recover from severe back pain. "She was pretty strong-willed," recalled Chavez's son Fernando, who met Moses some 50 years ago when she was a volunteer nurse in Delano. "It was not uncommon for her to have disagreements with my father about how to do and run things, and he respected her for that." Moses would become the "family doctor" for three generations. When someone fell ill or needed a second medical opinion, they'd call Dr. Moses. Moses met feminist leader Gloria Steinem in 1968 during a trip to New York for a union fundraiser that included comedian Mort Sahl, the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, and others. Steinem learned that Moses was staying in a small dormitory, so she offered her her space. Moses slept on the activist's couch for several months; they became lifelong friends. Together they picketed supermarkets, held benefits, organized consumers and even helped get Chavez on the cover of Time magazine, Steinem recalled. The late 60s was also when the labor movement was gaining attention outside California. Moses, in many ways, was the bridge between the farmworkers' union and New York's intellectual community. "She was very brave," Steinem said Thursday. "She was often the only woman doing the kind of work she was doing. She wasn't herself a farmworker, but she fought fiercely for farmworkers." Through her work, she dedicated her life to standing up for and advancing "justice and compassion," she said. "The courage and conscience she modeled have influenced the rest of my life," Steinem said. "For her, the work she did was personal, spiritual. Her passion ran deep and very, very long," a colleague said of Marion Moses, pictured at a conference with Cesar Chavez. (Victor Aleman) Despite the indispensable roles she had within the movement, Moses still dreamed of becoming a doctor. She returned to Berkeley for a pre-med degree before enrolling at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Medical schools were male-dominated spaces in the 1970s, and it was customary for professors to invite bikini-clad models into the first day of anatomy class to examine their physical structures. "Let's just say that was the last time that ever happened," Maron said. "She went into the dean's office and said: 'I did not go into the medical field to watch a striptease.'" From 1983 to 1986, Moses worked as medical director for the UFW in California, where she helped discover cancer clusters in small farm towns like McFarland, outside Bakersfield. "Her commitment to farmworkers was way beyond professional," said Monica Moore, co-founder of the Pesticide Action Network who worked with Moses in the late 1980s. Together they launched a survey to analyze what farmworkers knew about the pesticides they worked with. "For her, the work she did was personal, spiritual. Her passion ran deep and very, very long. "She just wanted to make sure that people's lives were considered." In 1988, Moses founded the Pesticide Education Center in San Francisco. She served as director until her retirement in 2016, following years of advocacy, research projects, testifying at congressional hearings and more. Despite her accomplishments and consequential roles in the farmworkers' movement, Moses felt it wasn't enough. I think shes sorry she didnt do more," Maron said. "She was really concerned with farmworkers, with the use of pesticides, knowing how devastating it was to their health." Moses never married or had children, but she had "lots of kids," she once said. She considered the farmworkers her family. "The way I look at it, there are all these wonderful things that people could do to help other people, and if they did, they'd feel a whole lot better about themselves," she told The Times. When she returned to UFW as a newly minted doctor, Chavez asked Moses how long she planned to stay. She replied: "As long as it takes." Moses is survived by five siblings, Marcella, Martha, Maron, Martin and Marlene. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Two lovers have been captured accidentally glued together while having s3x. The incident was reported to have happened in Ogun State. According to an eyewitness, Who spoke with thedailynewsngr.com, these must have been magun, he said. But in the video which went viral on social media, the lover man said to eyewitnesses present at the scene, who tried to separate them, that they should cover up his secret and embarrassment. His requests were immediately rebuffed by several spanks to his face while still glued to his lover. Relatively, the lover woman was seen panicking, pleading for help. Meanwhile, a secret video was being shot while the incident lasted with the culprit completely oblivious of the ongoing camera roll. According to sources who pleaded anonymity, both lovers are not a couple but married individually. However, the woman got more backlash from the incident as the reactions on social media described the incident as an act of God to punish infidelity. Others who reacted on social media believed that a medical condition must have been responsible for it with such incident not new to even the civilised world. A medical practitioner, Wale Oshodi, who spoke to Vanguard, debunked claims of spiritual connection. He said the medical condition is called Penis Captivus. he explained that The muscles of the womans pelvic floor contract rhythmically at orgasm. While those muscles contract the p.e.n.i.s becomes stuck and further engorged. Finally, the vaginal muscles relax, the blood flows out of the p.e.n.i.s and the man can withdraw. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. BIDEN TO TEST PROMISE TO UNIFY NATION The Democrat travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin a city wrenched by police and protest violence where he believes he can help community leaders find common ground. 2. VIDEO: ROCHESTER POLICE DEATH FEATURED HOOD A Black man who had run naked through the streets of a western New York city died of asphyxiation after officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes. 3. INJUSTICE SQUARE KEEPS FOCUS ON BREONNA TAYLOR For the past three months, a group has been keeping vigil at a park in Louisville, Kentucky, the epicenter of the nations rage over the police killing of the 26-year-old emergency medical technician. 4. AFRAID OF THE SECOND WAVE As Kabul eases a monthslong virus lockdown, Afghans are back out in the shopping malls, markets, parks and wedding halls but mostly without the protective gear to keep them safe. 5. NEW YORK METS ICON DIES Tom Seaver, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history and the revered and resplendent star of the 1969 Miracle Mets championship team, was 75. MUMBAI: Speedo International will investigate a report of possible human rights violations by its Indian partner Page Industries, which Norways wealth fund dropped from its portfolio this week, the United Kingdom-based swimwear maker told Reuters. Norways $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the worlds largest, on Monday said that unacceptable risk" due to human rights violation led to exclusion of some companies including Page, which is the exclusive licensee for Speedo and innerwear maker Jockey International in India. The funds decision was based on its Council on Ethics findings which flagged these concerns and also said that Page had violated national regulations on issues such as fire safety. While Page manufactures Speedo products in only one Indian factory which was not mentioned in the Councils report and was found compliant in an audit, the British company said it was concerned about the findings which it will investigate further. We take all matters relating to workers and violation of human rights extremely seriously," Speedo said in a statement late on Wednesday in response to Reuters queries. We are naturally concerned to hear about the findings of the Council and we will investigate and follow up with the licensee as a matter of urgency." Jockey did not respond to requests for comment. Indias Page Industries also did not immediately respond. The companys website says it had employed more than 20,000 people by 2018 and had operations spread across 15 manufacturing complexes in India. The Norways funds ethics council report said the abuses were found in one of Pages factories in the southern city of Bengaluru, describing it as a pattern of behaviour." Page does little" to prevent the abuse of labour rights in its operations, failed provide information on the findings and did not permit an inspection of the factory, the Council report said. Page has so far not commented on the report or the Norway funds decision to exclude the company from its portfolio. 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 Chennai: DMK treasurer M K Stalin, who was on Wednesday named as the party Working President, said he accepted the new responsibility with a heavy heart in view of the health of party chief and his nonagenarian father Karunanidhi. Stating that in the past, he had felt proud and happy when he assumed new responsibilities, he broke down while saying, Today Im not in such a stage (feeling happy about elevation), this is the truth. In view of the health status of party chief, I accept this position with a heavy heart, he said, adding that his work as working chief would be that of aiding the party patriarch Karunanidhi. Be it our president, general secretary or other senior leaders, I will follow the path shown by them and Im ready to carry out the party activities with all your support, he said. I pledge that I will function responsibly, he added. Stalin in his brief acceptance speech said his elevation was not a sudden development. The matter was given ample thought, it was well discussed and consulted (among party senior leadership), he said. Hailing Karunanidhi as a leader who gave rest to rest itself, he said such a leader needs some rest and said Karunanidhi, who had taken ill, should now fully recover. Delving into the circumstances surrounding his elevation, he said in view of the top leaders health, the senior leadership after discussions decided that Karunanidhi needed rest and had persuaded and urged him to become working president. Finally, the change has been effected by way of a resolution and it has been adopted in this general council meet with your overwhelming support, he told party. Reminiscing about his decades-long political journey in the party, he said from a very young age, he grew up in a political ambience when party workers gathered at their residence to meet his father and then party top leader Karunanidhi. Gradually, I developed a desire, for public life, he said. I took a megaphone and campaigned for the DMK in the civic polls and that was the first stage, he said when he was still in his teens. He said he went on to found Ilangyar Mandram (Youth Forum) which later grew into a party youth wing. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form BARRY Cowen TD has added his name to a long list of people objecting to a proposal from Strategic Power Ltd to develop a renewable biogas facility at Ballyduff, Tullamore. Others on the list of objectors include Fianna Fail councillors Tony McCormack, Declan Harvey, and Danny Owens, Fine Gael's Neil Feighery, and Independent Sean O'Brien, the Clara road residents association, Rahan road residents and cluster households. The proposal by the Dublin based company is for ''a renewable biogas facility which will inject biogas into the local GNI - Gas Networks Ireland network. Renewable biogas will be captured during anaerobic digestion of feedstocks, the gas will be upgraded to meet the necessary standards and then injected into the GNI pipe network.'' Those objecting say they are concerned about the potential for odour from the plant, the risk of vermin, increased traffic on the Rahan road, along with the prospect for noise as the plant will run 24/7. The planned facility will accept approximately 50,000 tonnes of feedstock, such as silage, farmyard manure and chicken litter, that will primarily be sourced from local farms within 10 kilometres of the site. It will not accept any municipal waste. ''A by-product of the production process -digestate will be used as an organic bio-fertiliser which will be returned to the supply farms, fully closing the circular economy model and reducing the requirement for imported chemical/synthetic fertilisers,'' the company maintain. A 'Non Technical Summary' report which accompanies the application states - ''The proposed development will operate inline with the principals of sustainability and presents an opportunity for Ireland to meet its renewable energy targets, as well as supporting the principles of the circular economy.'' The plant will employ between 4 to 5 people when operational and between 50 to 70 during construction. In addition, the company says a number of indirect jobs will be generated that would include roles for farming contractors and those in transportation. The majority of employees would be expected to come from the surrounding areas increasing employment levels and economic activity within county Offaly, the company claims. If given permission the proposed development will be commissioned in early 2022. It will be manned over two 8 hour shifts during daytime hours. It will be remotely monitored during night time hours. Strategic Power said it undertook a review of available locations across mainland Europe and Ireland. ''At the early stage it selected Ireland as its preferred option based on its high potential for biogas production. The EU found that Ireland has the highest potential for renewable gas production per capita in Europe. It determined that the Midlands region and in particular Tullamore has a high demand for gas and therefore was an optimum location for a proposed renewable gas facility.'' Demand for natural gas increased by 6.9 per cent in 2018. Currently Ireland imports ca. 42 per cent of natural gas requirements from Britain, Strategic Power claim that ''the proposed development would contribute towards a domestic gas supply, reducing the dependency to import gas.'' It states that ''AD [anaerobic digester] is recognised by Offaly county council as a sustainable alternative source of energy production associated with the agricultural sector which can sustain agricultural production, employment and income. '' The company claims the ''proposed development has been designed to ensure the abatement of odours. The feedstock reception hall will be enclosed and equipped with an odour abatement system. These measures will ensure that no significant odour emissions will arise from the proposed development. The Feedstock reception hall will also have fast closing roller shutter doors to prevent fugitive emissions.'' The site which is owned by Nicholas Molloy is located within an area zoned as industrial and flanks lands zoned as commercial to the north of the site. A decision from Offaly county council on the proposal will be made known on September 16. New Delhi: A day after all efforts of a patch up between Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav failed, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister met party MLAs and minister on Thursday to chalk out his next strategy. The MLAs met the chief minister at his official residence in Lucknow. The meeting comes a day after the Election Commission announced a seven-phase poll scheduled for Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the EC has also asked the father-son duo to reply on each other's petitions on claims of party and its election symbol. Here are the live updates: # Mulayam Singh Yadav, brother Shivpal Yadav reach Delhi, likely to release fresh list of Samajwadi Party candidates # Meeting begins between Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party MLAs and ministers # EC asks Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav to reply by 9 January on each other's petitions claiming party and its poll symbol # Akhilesh to go ahead to fight election on Samajwadi Party ticket and its cycle symbol # Sources say there wont be any compromise between Akhilesh and Mulayam over the Samajwadi Party and its symbol # Akhilesh will file and affidavit before the Election Commission to stake claim on bi-cycle symbol For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is the city's major venue for drama, opera and ballet. The theater always delights its guests with fascinating ballets, operas, and other theatrical performances. Opera lovers have a chance to learn a history behind the theater as part of the "Architectural Monuments of Baku". Initiated by Baku City Main Cultural Department and Khazar Library System, the new project highlights the theater's history as well as architectural style of the building. The State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater was established in 1920 as the United State Theater. The theater was erected at the request of magnate Daniel Mailov and funded by magnate Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. The theater's building was erected in 1910-1911. On October 18, 1918, the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) decided to officially turn this building into a state theater. Since 1920, Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater has been operating at the building. The State Opera and Ballet Theater has played a major role in shaping the Azerbaijani opera art. "Leyli and Majnun" by Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the first opera of the entire East, was first performed at the theater in 1908. The opera laid the foundation of the new genre in musical culture of the world, which synthesizes oriental and European musical forms, resembling a dialogue of two musical cultures of East and West. It was followed by multiple national operas such as "Sheikh Sanan" (1909), "Rustam and Zohrab" (1910), "Shah Abbas and Khurshid Banu" (1911), "Asli and Kerem"(1912), "Harun and Leyla" (1915), "Koroghlu " (1932). Today, the theater continues to delight its guests with fascinating ballets, operas, and other theatrical performances. Recently, the theater has marked its 100th anniversary. The theater's chief director, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Hafiz Guliyev as well as the soloists - Honored Artist Ilaha Efendieva, Jahangir Gurbanov and Farid Aliyev provided insight into the country's opera art as part of "Bizi birlsdirn mdniyyt" (United by Culture) project. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The hardest part of a home-painting project starts at the start: choosing your perfect colour from an overwhelming selection of hues and shades. But a new wave of paint companies thinks the solution lies in offering fewer choices. The aptly named Curator, an Irish brand that recently launched in the U.S., offers a palette of 144 colours. Clare, founded by interior designer Nicole Gibbons, has 56. And Backdrop, started by husband-and-wife team Caleb and Natalie Ebel, offers just 50 choices. These numbers are low compared with the major paint manufacturers Benjamin Moore has over 3,500 colours; Sherwin-Williams offers 1,536. Behr, with 1,559 colours, has gotten in on the fewer-choices trend with its online tool: Behr Express. It features 55 bestsellers, designed with millennials and first-time home buyers in mind. Instead of being liberated by lots of options, people are paralyzed; they cant pull the trigger, and they end up with nothing, said Barry Schwartz, psychologist and author of The Paradox of Choice. If they do make a purchase, they often walk out thinking they made a mistake because one of the other options might be better, so they are less satisfied with their decision. The Ebels started Backdrop out of their frustration with too many options and too little guidance. The legacy paint manufacturers have always had this misconception that more is better, but what theyve done is thrust the work of curation onto the customer, Caleb said. Gibbons, too, felt the number of choices was too vast. She discovered an interesting phenomenon as an interior designer: When she presented a design scheme with one colour option, the client always accepted it, trusting her authority and experience. I never had a client say, Show me 10 more shades, she said. Gibbons honed her selections by considering the colours she saw people gravitate to. Her line is heavy on neutrals, a category that equally attracts and stumps homeowners. We started with about 600 colours, and narrowed it down to 55 by the time we launched. For Dublin-based Curator, a division of the General Paints Group, the collection started with 29 options. Those initial hues were developed with Irish artists and craftsmen. Once we had those core colours, we worked on building the palette around them, making sure that we were covering the neutral space, the more vibrant shades and also the earthy tones in between, said Rachel OConnor, Curators export director. For the Ebels, the winnowing down was a hands-on affair. Our first filter was asking ourselves if we would put it on our walls, Caleb said. Once a colour passed muster, they took it to social media. We had a focus group on a private Instagram account of 100 early supporters that helped us trim the final selection to 50, he said. Besides offering fewer colours, some of the newer companies also have a direct-to-consumer model. Shipping is free on all Backdrop orders and on Clare orders over $100 (a gallon of Clare paint costs $49, while Backdrop is $59). Curator is available online and in bricks-and-mortar stores in select cities; a gallon costs $90. Purchasing paint online might seem risky, which is why Backdrop and Clare offer large repositionable stickers. Clares offers eight-by-eight-inch samples that cost $2, and Backdrops has 12-by-12 samples for $3 each. Curator offers eight-by-six-inch cards for $2. Samplize produces peel-and-stick samples painted by hand. Prices range from $5.95 to $7.95 for a 12-by-12-inch sticker and include colours from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Farrow & Ball. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) speaks about her visit to a hair salon during a news conference at the Mission Education Center Elementary School in San Francisco on Sept. 2, 2020. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) So, lets talk about Nancy Pelosis hair. Or, more specifically, the wash and blowout that the Democratic House Speaker from San Francisco got at a salon there that was shuttered by pandemic rules but somehow managed to open for her and just her. Of all the rules surrounding the pandemic that she could have broken having a dinner party, say, forgetting to put her mask on when she went to Safeway she picked the one that would outrage everyone. Salon owners in California have been railing against laws that have closed and crippled their businesses for months. Everyone of every gender is desperate to get their hair cut or colored, highlighted, balayaged, blown out, you name it. She says that the salon or the stylist who rents a chair there told her the rules in San Francisco were that a salon could have one customer inside at one time. She said she believed the stylist. Yeah, that was wishful thinking. A former San Francisco Republican Party vice chairwoman, Harmeet Dhillon, quoted in a story on a San Francisco TV station website, put it more bluntly: I think that is a lie. Every woman who has been dying to get her hair done for the last five months knows what the rules are." For once, I agree with a Republican. Pelosi says she takes full responsibility for the illicit blow dry, but says she was set up by the salon. And certainly there was something shady about the salon owner going on Fox News and saying Pelosis visit to her salon was a slap in the face when the owner cant open the business and clients cant come in. Apparently, because the stylist rents the chair, he could go in if he wished. But its such an odd situation that I think the only result of the owners diatribe is that the salon loses Pelosi as a customer whenever it does legitimately open again. Sure, its annoying to see anyone politicians, celebrities, whoever flout the rules and get a service the rest of us are dying to get or provide. Its not like John Edwards paying hundreds to a hairstylist to meet him on the campaign trail to style his hair. (That was just about money and vanity.) This was about securing access that the rest of us have been denied. (And, apparently, about Pelosi not keeping her mask up while she moved through the empty salon.) Story continues Shes not the only female politician who has run afoul of the hair salon rules. In April, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was called out for having a stylist cut her hair when salons were closed. (The stylist gushed on Facebook and posted pictures with the mayor.) Lightfoot, true to her straightforward style, defended herself: Im the public face of this city. Im on national media and Im out in the public eye. Lightfoot was right. And thats why we should cut Pelosi some slack here. Well, I will. Because the day that she got her hair done, she went on MSNBC and her hair looked great. And when she stood outside on a windy day to defend her blowout, her hair still looked great. And, a woman on a stage and thats where politicians are today wants her hair to look great because then it looks normal. And if it didnt, she would hear about it. And then shed have to talk about that. If you want me to tell you that hair is silly and no one should care about it, then you picked the wrong writer to read. We are obsessed with our own hair. We are obsessed with each others hair and famous peoples hair thats why those hair salon owners are outraged over all the business theyre losing. Have you looked around? Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris hair is perfection. As is Melania Trumps. Somebody professional somewhere is doing their hair, multiple times, during the pandemic. In Harris case, I just hope its in her backyard or something. But Im guessing that until salons officially reopen, you wont see Nancy Pelosi hanging out at one. The Chinese defence minister has sought a meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Russia, amid heightened military tensions between the two countries in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the developments said on Thursday. This is the third time that the Chinese defence ministry has sought a meeting with Singh after the standoff erupted in early May, they said. The Indian side is yet to respond to the Chinese request. Tensions flared in the sensitive sector after the Indian Army occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake five days ago to stop the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from grabbing Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move. External affairs minister S Jaishankar is set to visit the Russian capital for the SCO foreign ministers meeting on September 10. Speaking at a seminar organised by United States-India Strategic Partnership Forum on Navigating New Challenges, chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat highlighted the threat of coordinated action by the militaries of China and Pakistan along the northern and western borders and stressed that the Indian armed forces were capable of handling the joint threat. Russia on Thursday reiterated that it would not supply weapons to Pakistan during a meeting between Singh and his Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu, officials said. The Russian commitment on nor arms supply to Pakistan followed an Indian request, they said. The defence minister got Russias assurance that it stands by Indias security interest, they said. Russia also strongly supported the Make in India initiative aimed at self-reliance in the defence sector during the one-hour meeting that covered a broad range of areas of bilateral cooperation. It was noted that this meeting coincides with the Indra Naval Exercises to be conducted by the Indian and Russia navies off the Strait of Malacca over the next two days, the defence ministry said in a statement. Singh said the drills demonstrated the common interests of both countries in maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. There was substantial commonality in positions with respect to challenges at the regional and international levels in the areas of peace and security, reflective of the deep trust and confidence that both sides enjoy as strategic partners, the statement said. Singh conveyed Indias appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia to address the countrys defence and security needs, it said. General Shoigu reiterated Russias commitment to engage actively with India on the Make in India programme, including substantial participation in the forthcoming Aero India-2021. The show will be staged staged at the Yelahanka air base outside Bengaluru from February 3 to 7 with all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) As Latinx San Franciscans continue to account for more than half of the city's overall COVID-19 cases, new statistics released Wednesday by the University of California at San Francisco and the city's COVID-19 Latino Task Force suggest testing at transit hubs could help reduce numbers. The latest data comes from testing conducted at the 24th Street BART station in the Mission and builds on data from a report released in April by the Latino Task Force and UCSF. Last month, volunteers with the task force tested 2,622 people at the 24th Street BART station - an easily accessible transit hub - during a six-day period, averaging about 100 tests per hour. Among the participants, 235 people, or 9 percent, tested positive. Within the positive group, 93 percent identified as Latinx; 85 percent mainly spoke Spanish; 87 percent earned less than $50,000 annually; and 79 percent live in high-density households. The data also showed that among all test participants who identified as Latinx, a relatively high 11 percent tested positive, compared with the city's overall test positivity rate of 2.61. Data from the Department of Public Health shows Latinx residents make up 51.2 percent of the city's COVID-19 cases, and the Bayview, Hunters Point, Tenderloin, Mission, Excelsior and Visitacion Valley continue to see the most cases. Although there are testing sites in the hardest-hit areas of San Francisco, officials with UCSF and the task force say those sites don't have enough capacity and aren't reaching all essential workers. Latino Task Force Health Committee Chair Jon Jacobo said Latinx essential workers remain vulnerable because many live in crowded conditions with extended family, and often must choose between a paycheck and their health. "To me and many in the Latino Task Force, it's deeply personal, it's deeply painful, and it's deeply frustrating to see that we, from April to now, have not been able to get a grip or a handle on something like COVID-19," he said. In light of the new data, UCSF and the task force are advocating for the city to expand free walk-up testing, available in Spanish and other languages, in the Mission and other neighborhoods, specifically in transit hubs, as essential workers tend to use public transportation. They're also calling on the city to strengthen contact tracing for residents, reduce the wait time for results, and provide quicker access to Right to Recover funds for essential workers who have tested positive as they quarantine. "The strategy must be to come into the communities where we know that the prevalence of infection is higher. We know that it's high here in the Mission District, we know the Bayview is deeply impacted, we know the Excelsior also is, and so strategizing so that we can get low barrier testing with quick turnaround has to be a primary push, if we want to truly help this community and others," Jacobo said. UCSF School of Medicine Vice Dean for Population Health and Health Equity Kristen Bibbins-Domingo, who helped lead the testing initiative, said testing at transit hubs is "really at the nexus of making testing widely available and low barrier, where the community needs it, but it also helps public health officials to understand transmission patterns. "We're not surprised to find that there are people who are positive riding public transportation throughout society at large," said BART spokesman Jim Allison, adding that the agency put measures to protect riders when the pandemic began, like handing out masks and providing space for social distancing. "The results were anticipated, but it does galvanize us and reinforce the fact that we need to be diligent to keep people safe," he said. UCSF officials said researchers plan to expand testing later this month at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland in order to learn more about transmission rates among Latinx essential workers. 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. HOUSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Mike Vellano, President and CEO of Vortex Companies (Vortex) was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Gulf Coast Area 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. Mike Vellano, President & CEO of the Vortex Companies, is an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Gulf Coast Area Award Finalist "It is truly an honor to be a finalist in the Gulf Coast region, where there are so many successful entrepreneurs and thriving businesses," said Vellano. "Our company, which specializes in providing trenchless infrastructure repair and rehabilitation solutions, epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit and drive it takes to be successful in our highly competitive industry. None of this would have been possible without the incredible team we have assembled here at Vortex." Award winners will be announced through a special virtual event on October 6, 2020 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. 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. 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 also 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 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 the Vortex Companies The Vortex Companies deliver advanced trenchless technologies and turnkey services to cost effectively renew municipal, industrial and commercial infrastructure. The Vortex Services division provides lining and coating solutions, pipe bursting, CCTV and inspection. The Vortex Products division develops and sells manhole and pipe rehabilitation materials, polymeric coatings and resins, sewer robot systems, and high-speed drain cleaning tools. With strategic acquisitions planned for the second half of 2020, the Vortex Companies remains focused on its vision of providing a broad range of intelligent and economical trenchless infrastructure renewal solutions, supported by highly experienced and trained personnel. For more information, go to: www.vortexcompanies.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Kit Jones 713-269-2333 [email protected] SOURCE The Vortex Companies Related Links https://www.vortexcompanies.com/ Johnson & Johnson's potential coronavirus vaccine prevented severe illness in a small group of Syrian golden hamsters, the company announced Thursday. J&J researchers vaccinated hamsters with a single dose and then exposed the rodents to the virus four weeks later, the company said. J&J said the vaccine elicited neutralizing antibodies, which researchers believe are necessary to build immunity to the virus, in hamsters who got the vaccine. Vaccinated hamsters also appeared to lose less weight than unvaccinated hamsters and didn't experience severe clinical disease, such as pneumonia, or mortality. The results were published Thursday in the medical journal Nature Medicine. "This pre-clinical study further validates our confidence in our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate," J&J's Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels said in a press release. "With our Phase 3 trials planned to start this month, we remain committed to expanding our manufacturing and distribution capabilities to enable global access to our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate should it prove to be safe and effective in humans." The promising results in hamsters do not necessarily mean the vaccine will provide the same level of protection in humans. But J&J researchers noted the findings are important as Covid-19 is known to progress into severe disease in some humans. Cindy Crawford looked effortlessly stylish on Wednesday night as she enjoyed a dinner out with friends in Malibu. The 54-year-old supermodel was joined by some of her women friends for a visit to the swanky Japanese restaurant Nobu Malibu. The runway star had all eyes on her thanks to her chic safari jacket. On the town: Cindy Crawford, 54, looked chic in a tan safari jacket as she arrived at the swanky Japanese restaurant Nobu Malibu on Wednesday for a night out with her girlfriends The tan item featured double breast and waist pocket, and she had it cinched tightly around her waist. Cindy added a splash of color to her muted outfit with a burnt orange satin skirt covered in festive palm tree designs. She elevated her 5ft9in stature with a set of brown mule heels and wore a white mask to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, though some of her friends eschewed masks in the parking lot. She accessorized with a brown suede bag slung over one shoulder while she carried a slim black case in her other hand. Earth tones: Cindy paired her jacket with a burnt orange satin skirt adorned with palm trees, as well as a pair of brown mule heels On the town: Cindy appeared to be having a girls' night out without her husband Rande Gerber, 58 Cindy appeared to be having a girls' night out without her husband Rande Gerber, 58. The two married in 1998, making it the second marriage for Cindy, who was previously married to Richard Gere, and they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in May. The two know a thing or two about the restaurant business themselves, as Rande owns the Cuban restaurant Cafe Habana nearby in Malibu. As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has decimated restaurant profits, their son Presley Gerber has been putting in shifts at the restaurant on and off. Glam: She looked as chic as ever Decked out: She accessorized with a brown suede bag slung over one shoulder while she carried a slim black case in her other hand Mixed success: The supermodel wore a white mask to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, though some of her friends didn't put them on in the parking lot On her own: Her husband Rande Gerber, 58, seemed to have sat out the dinner, as did her son Presley, 21, and her daughter Kaia Gerber, 19; shown in 2017 Cindy's outing came a week after she and Rande sold their mid-century modern Beverly Hills home for an impressive $16 million. The couple stand to profit off the house, which they purchased three years ago for $11.625 million from New Republic frontman Ryan Tedder. Cindy and Rande, who was formerly a model, shared Presley, 21, and Kaia Gerber, 19, both of whom followed their parents into modeling. Mother and daughter recently shared the honor of gracing alternate covers for Vogue Italia's September issue. The magazine put out 100 different covers for the issue subtitled 'Hope,' with the fashion icon gracing number 99 and her daughter standing along on the 100th cover. Proud mama: Cindy and Rande, who was formerly a model, shared Presley, 21, and Kaia Gerber, 19, both of whom followed their parents into modeling Like mother, like daughter: Cindy and Kaia recently shared the honor of gracing alternate covers for Vogue Italia's September issue Senate Republicans are now looking to roll out a new coronavirus relief package next week. This is after weeks of failed negotiations in Congress that left Americans without a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks. Stimulus package Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox Business on August 31 that he is working with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell daily to come up with a new bill. Mnuchin stated that they are hoping that Mitch McConnell will enter new legislation next week. It is still not clear at this time what will be included in the new stimulus package proposal. But Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso confirmed to PBS News that the goal was to push a skinny coronavirus relief package as a follow-up to the first checks sent out months ago. Also Read: Facebook Threatens to Blacklist Australia If New Law Forces Them to Pay Publishers for Content The negotiations between Congressional Republicans and Democrats came to a halt in August when they could not come at an agreement on what they should include in a second relief package. House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act back in May, and Republicans counted with a $1 trillion HEALS Act over the summer. Though both sides have agreed to move closer to a middle ground in negotiations, Congress still has to come to a deal on how much the relief package is going to cost, according to USA Today. On August 31, Mnuchin also slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. He said that they do not want to negotiate in good faith. Mnuchin added that both Democrats and Republicans agree on many issues included in the bill, but there is still no package that has been approved. Democrats, on the other hand, have since agreed to drop the price of the package to $2.2 trillion, and President Trump said that he would sign a bill for $1.3 trillion. Republicans think Democrats are not compromising enough, and vice versa. Until when will people wait? While the negotiations are ongoing and are taking longer than anticipated, Americans are waiting on when the next round of stimulus checks will be distributed. Both the HEROES Act and the HEALS Act did include another round of $!,200 stimulus checks for eligible Americans, but both did not get approved yet, so it is unclear when or if Americans can still get another check, according to Forbes. The Senate is currently on recess until next week, and by Mnuchin's prediction, Senate Republicans may have a new package to bring to the table when negotiations resume. The question is whether it will be enough for Democrats so they can move forward. Mnuchin has not given much information about what will be included in the bill, simply saying it would focus on more money for "kids and jobs." If Congress can move fast to approve a new relief package, and the stimulus check of $1,200 is included, Americans could start seeing the money in their accounts by October. Back in April, when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak, the government distributed $1,200 to all American taxpayers and $2,400 for couples. It is still not clear if the new package will follow this formula. Related Article: Trump's Additional Unemployment Aid Released in 6 States @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. OTTAWA The Trudeau government has moved to prevent years of legal wrangling in a quest by First Nations to get compensation for children unnecessarily put in foster care and denied medical services. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The Trudeau government has moved to prevent years of legal wrangling in a quest by First Nations to get compensation for children unnecessarily put in foster care and denied medical services. In Federal Court Wednesday, the Liberals consented to have a class-action suit proceed, and enter mediation over a set of lawsuits, one of which sought $6 billion in compensation for children taken from their homes due to underfunding from 2006 to 2017. In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by providing less funding than provinces give to non-Indigenous kids in care. That ruling resulted in changes in federal and provincial systems, that for decades, gave child and family services workers a financial incentive to remove children from a home, instead of providing parents with training or housing the child with a relative. In relation to that case, the tribunal ruled last September that Ottawa should pay $40,000 to each child removed from an on-reserve home when adequately funded services could have prevented an apprehension, and the same amount for parents. One of the class-action cases seek to replace that ruling. A second class-action case relates to First Nations children whose access to services, such as health care and disability support, was denied or delayed due to bureaucratic squabbling. That case sought $10 billion. Ottawa consented Thursday to have a judge recognize both cases as class actions and enter mediation; the court should issue its decision in a few weeks. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. If successful, its unclear how many people would qualify, or how much they would receive, though advocates expect tens of thousands of claimants. In Manitoba in 2017, 4,870 children lived on a reserve in the CFS system, though its not guaranteed that all would qualify for compensation. "It is crucial that Canada act in good faith in these upcoming negotiations, provide fair compensation to all those who suffered harm, and implement real change," National Chief Perry Bellegarde wrote in a statement. "Only then can we bring closure to this sad chapter in our history." The Liberal government has steered Indigenous compensation cases toward mediation and settlements. Thats in contrast to the detailed testimony Indian Residential Schools survivors were required to give in order to access compensation, which many deemed adversarial and traumatizing. "Discussions will continue in the spirit of collaboration in order to achieve a fair, equitable and comprehensive resolution to compensation a resolution that will prioritize the safety and well-being of First Nations children," reads a statement from the federal cabinet. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Demonstrators march in the snow through Lafayette Park, outside the White House, during a rally against the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in favor of Citizens United, which allows private citizens and corporations to make unlimited donations for political campaigns, on Jan. 21, 2015. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) Study: Corruption Prosecutions Down After Citizens United Public corruption prosecutions have declined since the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision, according to a new study by the Institute for Free Speech. Campaign finance reformers had predicted that decision would unleash a flood of special-interest influence-peddling in government. The 54 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision on Jan. 21, 2010, held that corporations, including nonprofit corporations, and labor unions cant be barred from spending money on independent political advocacy. The ruling reversed one of the major tenets of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 that was intended to take money out of politics. In response to the 2010 decision, President Barack Obama declared that the court had given a green light to a new stampede of special-interest money in our politics. Similarly, then-MSNBC political analyst Keith Olberman claimed the decision meant the entirely bought-and-sold politicians can now change any law, and any legal defense you can structure can be undone by the politicians who will be bought and sold into office in November. But federal court records for the nine years prior to 2010 and the nine years since dont show an increase in public corruption prosecutions by the government. In fact, prosecutions declined in six of the eight years Obama was in the White House. A comparison of public officials charged with corruption offenses by the U.S. Department of Justice nine years before and nine years after the High Courts decision shows a decline rather than an increase in corruption, the Institute for Free Speechs Alex Greven said in the report, which was made public on Sept. 3. Further, states that were most affected by Citizens United saw a larger decrease in corruption than states unaffected by the decision, Greven wrote. Grevens organization is headed by former FEC Chairman Bradley A. Smith, a longtime critic of overly restrictive campaign finance laws and regulations. The high point in federal public corruption prosecutions between 2000 and 2018 came in 2008, with more than 1,300 cases filed. There was a slight increase under Obama in 200910 and again in 201415, but the total declined every other year, falling below 800 in 2018. Greven also examined independent expenditures by corporations and labor unions in the years before and after the 2010 decision. Independent expenditures had been severely limited prior to 2010, but Greven found they increased exponentially thereafter, going to more than $450 million in 2016 from just under $50 million in 2008. At first glance, the huge increase would seem to confirm the dire predictions of Obama and other critics of the courts decision. If those who argued Citizens United would usher in a new era of corruption were correct, this increase in independent expenditures would correspond with an increase in public corruption, Greven wrote. In contrast to what one would expect if Citizens United truly unleashed a tidal wave of political corruption, the data show that, after peaking in 2008, there has been a relatively steady decline in corruption prosecutions over time. Citizens United appeared to have no impact on this trend. The same lack of impact was reflected in the 24 states that the National Association of State Legislatures said were most affected by the decision, according to Greven. Per capita corruption declined for both affected and unaffected states. More interestingly, states that had banned corporate and/or union speech about candidatesostensibly to prevent corruption and struck down by Citizens Unitedexperienced a nearly three times larger drop in corruption than states that were not affected by Citizens United, Greven said. A spokesman for Issue One, an organization that advocates for stronger campaign finance laws and favors reversal of the decision, didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment on Grevens analysis. Democrats and campaign reform advocates remain committed to reversing Citizens United. Former Vice-President Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), are running against President Donald Trump on a platform that promises to push legislation repealing the decision. And numerous groups, including Public Citizen and End Citizens United, have proposed legislative and constitutional remedies to reverse the decision. Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in modern history, and he has spent his presidency enriching himself, his family, and corporate special interests, End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller told The Hill after her organization endorsed Biden in April. Muller didnt provide any evidence for her condemnation of Trump. Joe Biden has spent his career fighting to make sure our democracy includes everyone, and I know hell work to get big money out of our politics and more Americans participating in our democracy, Muller said. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc Former Vice President and opposition leader Atiku Abubakar on Thursday condemned the electricity tariff increase in Nigeria, saying such a decision is ill-advised and wrong-timed. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the management of electricity companies in the country on Wednesday began the implementation of the new service reflective tariff as approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The former vice president, on his verified Twitter handle, said the increase should not have come at a time Nigerians are recuperating from economic hardship following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that ruined their businesses. I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised, Mr Abubakar posted. The increase On Wednesday, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company(KEDCO)s head of corporate communication, Sani Shawai, in a statement, said the new tariff shall apply to all customers with pre-paid meters from September 1, 2020. Customers with post-paid bills shall receive bills under the new tariff in October 2020, he added. He said the initiative will boost supply to all businesses and households while improving delivery of service and resolution of grievances, in line with KEDCOs commitment to all its customers. The new tariff regime will be strictly based on service availability and quality supply. Thus, all customers shall be required to pay for their consumptions based on hours of supply they enjoy, Mr Shawai said. Like KEDCO,all the electricity companies in the country have also begun the implementation of the new tariff regime. Specifics Under the new service reflective tariff, customers have been classified into five tariff bands Band A, B, C, D and E. Minimum hours of supply across these tariff bands range between four and 20 hours, Mr Shawai added. READ ALSO: Customers under Band A shall receive 20 hours of power supply while those on Band B shall receive 16 hours minimum supply. Band C customers shall enjoy a minimum of 12 hours. All customers are expected to pay for the supply as per rates approved by NERC. However, tariffs for customers under Band D and E (4 and 8 hours supply) have been frozen at existing levels. We assure all customers that KEDCO shall adhere to the new service reflective tariff regime as approved and mandated by NERC to ensure that customers get service delivery in line with established standards, the official said. Both sides have been short on specifics but the Taliban have said in recent statements and interviews with the AP that they do not want to monopolize power and that they are ready to share power, accept that women should have the right to work and girls the right go to school and become judges. However, they say a woman would not be acceptable as a Supreme Court chief justice or president of Afghanistan. They have also talked of constitutional changes, without offering specifics. Navalny Gets Skripaled By Moon Of Alabama September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Yawn! was my first reaction when I read this. Couldn't they come up with a more believable fairy tale? The German government says tests performed on samples taken from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny showed the presence of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. ... Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in a statement Wednesday that testing by a special German military laboratory had shown proof of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain. It is a cholinesterase inhibitor, part of the class of substances that doctors at the Charite initially identified in Navalny. Funny how Novichok, the "military grade", "most deadly" poison, never kills anyone. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Where are, by the way, the Skripals? Will Navalny now get vanished just like they were? Other questions one might ask (and will never get answered): If the Russian state or "Putin" has poisoned Navalny why was he allowed to be flown out of the country? No traces of any unusual substances have been found by the two Russian laboratories which analyzed the blood of the sick Alexei Navalny. Why? While Navalny was allegedly exposed to such stuff why was no one else around him hurt by it? Why was the German government so eager to get Navalny to Berlin? Who has the lead in this anti-Russian information operation? The MI6, the CIA or the Germany BND? My sense is that the Navalny incident, or at least what is made of it, is a reaction to the failure of the U.S. run color revolution attempt in Belarus. "Russia" must be punished for this. The hospital in Omsk still has the original blood samples of Navalny. Is there a neutral international laboratory that could retest those? The federal government on Thursday, made it clear that only approved airlines will be allowed into Nigerias airspace, as international flights resume September 5. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, stated this during the media briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19. Sirika noted that only the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, would reopen for international travels. He listed Egyptair, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, AWA, Kenya Airways and Middle East Airlines as airlines permitted to operate into the Lagos airport. Sirika also listed British Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian, AWA, and Middle East Airlines as airlines allowed to operate into the Abuja airport. However, the Minister said Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Angolan TAG, Air Namibia and Royal Air Maroc are not approved to operate flights into the country. Now, at this point, it is important that we announce the airlines that are allowed for operations into the country. The ones not approved are Air France. Middle East Airlines is approved for only Lagos (airport). British Airways (is) approved allowed entry under Covid-19 protocol. The reason for Air France is that tourists business holders are not allowed entry. KLM not approved for the same reason as Air France. Delta Airlines, no restrictions USA, we have an Open Skies with them and they also allow us in. Qatar Airways are allowed and approved under Covid-19 protocol. Etihad, not approved. Ethiopian Airlines allowed entry under Covid-19 protocol. Egyptair approved, allowed entry under Covid-19 protocol. Rwandair not approved. Air Peace, not applicable, they are our own carrier in Nigeria, we thank them. Virgin Atlantic, approved, allowed entry under COVID-19 protocol. Air Namibia, not approved. Asky, approved. Royal Air Maroc, not approved. African World Airways, Ghana, approved. Air Cote dIvoire, approved. Lufthansa, not approved. Kenya Airways approved. Emirates Airlines, approved. Turkish Airlines, approved. Cabo Verde not applicable as international flights are not resumed. Angolan TAG, not approved. South African Airways not applicable as international flights are yet to resume, he said. At least five profiles of Singh, which had more than three lakh followers, showed the message that 'this content is not available right now' Amid a political slugfest over extremist content on the social media platform, Facebook Inc. banned BJP's Telangana MLA T Raja Singh for violating its policies against hate speech, reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. The article further called the removal of the politician an "about-face" for the company as the decision could be "politically tricky in India, its biggest market by the number of users". New: Facebook has banned a politician from Indias ruling party for violating hate speech rules, amid growing political storm over extremist content. Removal of BJP's T. Raja Singh is about-face for the company and one that will be politically tricky. https://t.co/76cB0HSsHp Newley Purnell (@newley) September 3, 2020 A Facebook spokesperson told WSJ, "We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to this decision." At least five profiles of Singh, which had more than three lakh followers, showed the message that "this content is not available right now". On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, had called representatives of Facebook India to hear their views "on the subject of safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space," according to agenda of the meeting. Ajit Mohan, Managing Director of Facebook India, appearing before the panel said, "Facebook remains committed to be an open and transparent platform." The hearing ended without a resolution and Facebook representatives will be summoned again. Hours before the panel meet, the Trinamool Congress wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg raising the issue of alleged bias of the social media giant towards the BJP. In a letter to the Facebook head, TMC MP Derek O'Brien claimed that there is enough evidence in public domain to substantiate the charge of Facebooks bias towards the BJP. "We, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), India's second-largest opposition party, have had serious concerns about Facebook's role during the 2014 and 2019 general elections in India," Derek O'Brien wrote in the letter. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also wrote to Zuckerberg on Tuesday, accusing the social media platform's employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and "abusing" Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. In a three-page letter to the Facebook Chief Executive Officer, Prasad alleged "bias and inaction" by individuals in the Facebook India team on complaints by people supportive of right-of-centre ideology. The Wall Street Journal carried a report on 14 August, alleging that Facebook India ignored hate speeches made by BJP leaders like Singh and also ignored violation of ad rules in the platform. A row erupted after the WSJ reported that Facebook's India policy head Ankhi Das had opposed the idea of removing incendiary posts by Singh, who called Muslim traitors, threatened to raze mosques and said "Rohingya Muslim immigrants should be shot". Das has also been accused of openly supporting the BJP and wanting to use her position to help the BJP win. The leaders with hate speech posts mentioned in the report include Singh and MP and former Union minister Anantkumar Hegde, reported. With inputs from PTI Three San Francisco supervisors and a group of environmental activists are calling for a city public health official to be reassigned or fired, saying she misled the public about a helicopter survey of radioactive waste at two former naval bases in the city that were contaminated during the Cold War and are now being cleaned and turned into housing. The San Francisco Department of Public Health defended the official, Amy Brownell, saying she did nothing wrong in relying on the helicopter scan, which found no radioactive anomalies, to assure people the sites were safe. Brownell, an environmental engineer with the health department, has for years monitored the cleanups of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Treasure Island. The demands for her removal follow a Chronicle investigation, published last week, that showed the aerial survey had limited value and that Brownell knew this from the beginning. Supervisor Matt Haney, whose district includes Treasure Island, called Brownells use of the helicopter scan obviously misleading and said she should be removed from Treasure Island-related matters. It would be reasonable, in my view, to no longer have her work on these issues, Haney said. Its unacceptable for the Department of Public Health to be focused on anything other than telling the truth, all of the truth, and being completely transparent. The newspaper investigation centered on the unusual search for radioactive hot spots that Brownell requested in 2012. Typically, searches for radioactive contamination at Hunters Point and Treasure Island are done at ground level, where soil tests and scanning machines are able to flag patches of tainted dirt and buried radioactive objects so that these hazards can be removed. Instead, this survey was conducted from the air, by a federally operated helicopter that flew 300 feet above the sites. Such surveys are designed to sniff out terrorist weapons or the extent of radiation leakage after a power plant meltdown, not to scour housing developments, experts said. The helicopter, owned by the U.S. Department of Energy and sometimes deployed by the Department of Homeland Security, wasnt sensitive enough to detect certain kinds of radioactive hazards on the ground, nuclear experts said. Brownell understood the helicopters limitations, according to emails obtained by The Chronicle through a public records request. In an August 2012 email to city colleagues, in which Brownell urged them to ask the federal government for a flyover of Hunters Point and Treasure Island, she said the helicopters lack of sensitivity was among several reasons to request a flyover. Extremely unlikely that they will find anything, because they are just doing a gamma survey at 300 feet the instruments and lab tests that the Navy does on the surface at HPS (Hunters Point Shipyard) are much more sensitive, Brownell wrote. Days later, city officials requested the scan, which was performed soon after. When the helicopter found nothing out of the ordinary at the former bases as Brownell predicted she used that result to make assurances that the sites were safe. At least 10 times from 2012 through 2018, records show, Brownell and the health department touted the helicopter scan in hearings, documents and emails, describing it as a powerful and sensitive tool that confirmed the safety of Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Brownell used the helicopters results to assure those with power over the development of the old bases, regulators and elected officials. But she also touted the helicopters results in meetings packed with worried people parents who had moved to Treasure Island and feared for their childrens health and safety, as well as members of the Bayview-Hunters Point community, one of San Franciscos oldest communities of color. Read more online To read the investigation into San Francisco's reliance on a helicopter scan for radioactivity that had limited value: sfchronicle.com/helicopter-scan To read past coverage from The Chronicle's "Dangerous Ground" investigative series on problems with the cleanup of former military bases: sfchronicle.com/dangerous-ground See More Collapse Bayview families have long worried about industrial contamination in the neighborhood, including in dust that blows from the shipyard. Standing before some of those concerned residents in May 2018, Brownell promoted the helicopter survey during a Board of Supervisors hearing as evidence that nothing out of the ordinary had been found on the entire Hunters Point Shipyard. The aerial survey is done from helicopters, Brownell said. They attach very, very sensitive radiological equipment on helicopters, and they do a low-flying pass over the areas. At the time they were doing a background survey and they can detect very, very, very low levels, and they can tell you whether theres background (radiation) or whether there is any anomalies on the surface. Supervisor Shamann Walton, whose district includes the Hunters Point Shipyard, said Brownell should be removed from working on the cleanup of the old base. I dont want her on anything to do with the shipyard moving forward, he said. Walton said he previously asked the mayors office to have Brownell removed from work related to the shipyard after a 2018 Chronicle investigation that revealed she had helped a powerful developer sell homes at the shipyard by reassuring nervous buyers of the sites safety while failing to disclose negative information and public documents that pointed to possible problems. Walton said he had left a message this week with the citys public health director, Dr. Grant Colfax, to discuss Brownells role at the shipyard and that going forward he hopes there isnt one. Two local environmental and social justice groups, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice and Bayview Hunters Point Mothers and Fathers Committee, sent a letter to state Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday, citing The Chronicle article and requesting an investigation into the Public Health Department. The groups also have asked the Board of Supervisors to hold a hearing on Brownells use of the helicopter scan. It is outrageous and whoever is responsible needs to be fired at a minimum, Greenaction Executive Director Bradley Angel said of the departments use of the helicopter scan. Haney said he and Walton will, before the end of the year, hold a hearing on the environmental safety of Treasure Island and the shipyard that will focus in part on the health departments use of the helicopter scan. Brownell, who has not responded to Chronicle requests for comment about the helicopter scan, did not reply to a request about the calls for her ouster. Health department spokespeople have previously defended her public statements about the helicopter scan, saying she described it accurately. Colfax declined an interview request this week about Brownells use of the helicopter scan and her role in the department. Health department spokesman Brent Andrew said Brownell is continuing to provide technical expertise on both projects. He recently defended the departments use of the scan, saying, Our communication with the community has always been based on findings validated by multiple parties. Supervisor Aaron Peskin said the health department should be investigating Brownells use of the scan. He criticized the department for taking no action, saying, The silence at the top is deafening. This is another sign of a regulator being too cozy with the regulated community, Peskin said, referring to developers. He said he agreed with Walton and Haney that Brownell should no longer be involved at the former bases. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Treasure Island were contaminated during the Cold War with radioactive fallout from ships that had been part of atomic bomb tests in the Pacific. The Navy and other agencies have spent decades trying to remove that contamination, while scouring the ground with radiation detectors and declaring some areas to be safe. Hundreds of people now live in new condos on a hilltop portion of the shipyard and on Treasure Island. Regulatory agencies have said that both housing areas are safe for residents and pose no immediate health threats. The Navy, however, is still searching for possible contamination in Treasure Islands housing area, and much of Hunters Point remains a federal Superfund site. Meanwhile, the city is working with developers to add thousands of new homes at both sites in hopes that these megaprojects will relieve San Franciscos severe housing crunch. The federal helicopter survey was originally supposed to fly above parts of the Bay Area as part of a research project to study background radiation levels. The flight, ordered by the Department of Homeland Security, wasnt part of any environmental or cleanup project and before San Francisco requested that Hunters Point and Treasure Island be included the government did not intend to fly above the former naval bases. After The Chronicle investigation about the helicopter survey was published, one of the scientists who designed it contacted the newspaper and said that, at the time, the scientists doubted it would be able to find buried radioactivity or "small patches of increased radiation in the soil" at the former bases. The scientist asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about the survey. The Chronicle agreed to grant him anonymity in accordance with the newspapers policy on anonymous sources. I can say that we were all very skeptical that anything would have come out of those scans due to the soil density and assumed depth of radiation sources, the scientist said. On Tuesday, Bayview residents and environmental activists gathered at Martin Luther King/Bay View Park for a news conference to accuse the city of environmental racism. Speakers said Brownells statements about the helicopter scan were part of a wider pattern of misleading information and said the city health department has neglected communities of color. Amid smoke from wildfires ringing the Bay Area, community members held signs that read, Clean the Shipyard and SF City Hall: Do you believe some lives are less valuable than others?? Theres no difference from a cop shooting a Black man thats unarmed than these people doing what theyre doing right now, said Leaotis Martin, a community organizer for Greenaction who has lived in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood for most of his life. Its not right. Cynthia Dizikes and Jason Fagone are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cdizikes@sfchronicle.com, jason.fagone@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cdizikes, @jfagone New Delhi, Sep 3 : China has deployed five militia squads for rapid response at the disputed Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. It has done so to "consolidate the border" and "stabilise Tibet region", sources said. "Militia is basically a reserve force of the Chinese's People Liberation Army. They are deployed during war time situations and help the PLA in its military operations," said a senior government officer. The officer also explained that Chinese militia conducts independent operations and provides combat support and manpower to replenish the PLA. "It is an irregular mix of mountaineers, boxers, members of local fight clubs and others. Most of the members are raised from the local population," said the officer. It was after their deployments across the LAC that China started making incursion attempts into Indian territories. China had made provocative military movements to change the status quo at Pangong Tso. However, Indian soldiers were already present at those heights to thwart the PLA's land-grabbing bid. On the intervening night of August 29 and August 30, 2020, PLA troops had 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 Tso, and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on 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 its territorial integrity. North of the Pangong Tso, China has refused to move back from its present military position. China has strengthened their positions between Finger-5 and 8 of the Pangong Lake. The PLA has refused to pull back eastwards from the 8-km stretch it has occupied from Finger-4 to Finger-8 by building scores of new fortifications there since early May. The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance. India has asked China to completely withdraw troops from Pangong Tso. Both the countries have been engaged in the standoff since May. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough. India has also found that the Chinese side has started troop, artillery and armour build-up in three sectors of the LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh). On June 15, twenty Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent clash at the Galwan valley. (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text French officials say programme will be Europes largest relative to GDP, likely to create around 160,000 jobs by 2021. The French government has detailed its 100 billion euro ($118bn) stimulus plan to erase the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis over two years, lining up billions of euros in public investments, subsidies and tax cuts. The plan dubbed France Relaunch earmarks, in particular, 35 billion euros ($41bn) for making the euro zones second-biggest economy more competitive, 30 billion euros ($35bn) for more environmentally friendly energy schemes and 25 billion euros ($30bn) for supporting jobs, officials told the Reuters news agency ahead of its official presentation late on Thursday. With the plan equating to 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), France is ploughing more public cash into its economy than any other big European country as a percentage of GDP, one of the officials said. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said he hoped the economic recovery plan would create 160,000 jobs by 2021. Speaking on RTL radio, he also said the plan aimed to erase the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis over two years as well as helping to avert widespread job losses. Risky bet It is a high-stakes political move for President Emmanuel Macron. His government is banking on the plan to return the economy to pre-crisis levels of activity by 2022 after suffering this year what the finance ministry expects to be its worst post-war recession with a contraction of 11 percent, among the biggest slumps in Europe. [Bloomberg] The initial rebound following the end of a nationwide lockdown in May appears to be tapering off. Furlough measures have helped contain unemployment for now, but it could rise sharply in the coming months. Looming over the grim outlook are presidential elections in April 2022, leaving Macron no time for another shot at a defining policy transformation before he faces voters. The economic recovery plan also aims to put Macrons pro-business push back on track with already-flagged cuts in business taxes worth 10 billion euros ($12bn) annually and fresh public funds to boost Frances industrial, construction and transport sectors. Officials said the transport sector would get 11 billion euros ($13bn) with 4.7 billion euros ($5.5bn) targeting the rail network in particular while energy-efficient building renovations would be spurred with four billion euros ($4.7bn) for public buildings and two billion euros ($2.4bn) for homes. The hydrogen industry, increasingly seen as a key building block in the transition away from fossil fuels, would get two billion euros ($2.4bn) over the two years of the stimulus plan. Another one billion euros ($1.2bn) would be offered in direct aid for industrial projects, including 600 million euros ($709m) to help firms relocate overseas plants back to France. Very French The government estimates that France Relaunch will return economic output to 2019 levels in 2022, according to officials at the prime ministers office, while also having a lasting impact that will raise potential growth by one percentage point 10 years from now. Its a wise mix of short-term boosts to demand via job protection and longer-term supply via investment, Allianzs chief economist Ludovic Subran told the Bloomberg news agency. But its very French in the way it aims to resolve everything in one plan. There are no contingencies for supporting businesses and households in response to a changing pandemic. Governments across Europe are planning additional stimulus as the coronavirus continues to hammer economies. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling bloc on Tuesday backed plans allowing for extraordinary deficit spending next year. But many countries have already stretched their finances. In Frances case, emergency spending has pushed the debt burden to around 120 percent of economic output a level the central bank has warned the government should not exceed. Some 80 billion euros of the overall cost of the French plan will weigh directly on the budget deficit, with EU subsidies offsetting 40 billion euros ($47bn), officials said. A spat is brewing over claims Chinese political dissidents, including prominent Melbourne-based artist Badiucao, have been been snubbed by the University of Western Australia's Confucius Institute. The group, which includes Tiananmen Massacre survivors and academics, said in an open letter to the university they responded to an invitation to speak at the institute by its director Jiang Ying in a lively ABC Chinese discussion. Badiucao, a Chinese dissident artist living in Melbourne, is calling on UWA's Confucius Institute to come good on its promise to allow him to speak to its students. Credit:Eddie Jim But they claim to have been ignored in the weeks since, labelling the Confucius Institute a tool for "inserting Beijing's censorship and propaganda in Australia". Badiucao, a political cartoonist and painter who was a panelist on the program with Dr Jiang, said the offer came when he was criticising the Beijing-funded institute for failing to expose students to points of view unacceptable to China's government. ALBANY The best thing President Donald Trump ever did for his New York City hometown was leave, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a fiery response Wednesday to the presidents threat to defund the city. Trump released a statement threatening to defund New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle and Portland, Oregon, because of ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and related violence and civil unrest. Hes not gonna do anything he doesnt have the legal power to do anything, Cuomo said of the president Wednesday night during a call with reporters. Hes not going to stop funding for New York City hes not a king. He thinks hes a king, but hes not. Hes a president. But theres the constitution and there are laws, nothing that he knows anything about, but the federal budget is appropriated by law with conditions of funding by law. Cuomo, originally of Queens, railed against Trump for several minutes, saying from the citys viewpoint, the businessman and former reality television personality is the worst president in history. Look, the best thing he did for New York City was leave, Cuomo said. Good riddance, let him go to Florida. Be careful not to get COVID. Trump has repeatedly taken actions to negatively impact New York City since his 2016 election, the governor said. I think its because he is from New York City and New York City rejected him always, Cuomo said. He was dismissed as a clown in New York City. Those who know him best like him least. Thats true about New York City. Its true about his own family and I think thats more and more clear to Americans. ...New Yorkers will not forget how gratuitously mean he has been and how many times hes tried to kill the city that gave him his start and birthed him. Trump changed his official residence to his Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Palm Beach, Florida, last fall a move Cuomo said the president had to make, as hes unwelcome in New York. He couldnt step foot in New York City, Cuomo said. Hed need bodyguards. He cant have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City. Forget bodyguards. Hed need an army. ...Im telling you, its personal because New York City knows him for the joke he is. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Its unacceptable that hes not out there speaking for the human rights of this man, who was faced with a state assault, an attempted assassination, she said. For some reason, our president thinks its more important to not upset Vladimir Putin and to avoid saying anything critical about him than to stand up for the lives of Americans and others. Heathrow is seeking to slash staff pay to cut costs. Photo: PA Heathrow is demanding thousands of frontline staff take pay cuts, sparking fears of job losses if workers fail to agree and a backlash from unions. It comes amid mounting pressure from aviation chiefs and MPs for a UK government lifeline for the sector, which is battling to stay afloat as passenger numbers remain well below pre-virus levels. Heathrow airport warned in a statement on Thursday the coronavirus had decimated the aviation industry, costing it more than 1bn ($1.3bn) since March. Around half of Heathrows 4,700 frontline staff would be expected to take pay cuts of between 15% and 20% under the plans, according to one source close to negotiations. The airport has been locked in negotiations with Unite for the past four months, and the union has said more than 800 workers have already left under a voluntary severance scheme. Heathrow chiefs have now announced a 45-day formal consultation with unions, serving them with a document known as a Section 188 notice under trade union law. Such notices must be served with recognised unions when employers are proposing mass job losses, and Unite claimed airport chiefs were threatening to fire and rehire workers on inferior contracts. READ MORE: Ryanair and Wizz Air passenger numbers plummet in peak summer season But no proposals have yet been put directly to staff, and a Heathrow spokesperson said: We have now started a period of formal consultation with our unions on our offer, which still guarantees a job at the airport for anyone who wishes to stay with our business. They added: Provisional traffic figures for August show passenger numbers remain 82% down on last year and we must urgently adapt to this new reality. With air travel showing little sign of recovery, these discussions cannot go on indefinitely and we must act now to prevent our situation from worsening. The details of Heathrows proposals have not been officially confirmed. One source told Yahoo Finance UK around half of staff would see pay cuts of up to 20%, and the other half would be unaffected or even see pay increases. Story continues But a Unite spokesperson claimed all workers would see pay and allowances cut, and said some workers could lose 24% of their basic pay, missing out on up to 8,000 a year. READ MORE: 100 MPs call for long-term furlough support for aviation sector Wayne King, a co-ordinating officer for Unite in the region, accused airport chiefs of cynically using COVID-19 to drive through pay cuts to boost profits. This is pure greed, not need. Unite has made proposals that pay cuts should be temporary but Heathrow has rejected this out of hand. He said forcing workers onto the breadline was not necessary or responsible in dealing with the crisis. King also said Unite would take whatever steps needed to protect members pay. The union is already holding a consultative ballot with staff, looking at support for any potential strike action. The UK government is facing renewed calls to help the industry, and criticism over its travel quarantine policies. Derek Provan, CEO of ASG Airports, which runs Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports, told the BBC the sector had seen more job cuts than Britains coal industry in the 1980s. He accused ministers of overseeing the demise of UK aviation. A scientist works inside the research room for the Merah Putih vaccine candidate at state-owned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma's office in Bandung, West Java (Photo: Antara) Jakarta Indonesian President Joko Widodo has declared that the country has set a plan to start its own vaccine production by mid-2021. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on September 1, Widodo said a joint venture of domestic companies were tasked with developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine, with 30-40 percent of this process had been completed. He expressed the hope that clinical trials could be started as early as 2021, before commercial production begins mid-next year. The vaccine named Merah Putih is being developed by a joint venture under the Ministry of Research and Technology led by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. Previously, Director of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology Amin Soebandrio said the vaccine is expected to meet at least 50 percent of the country's vaccination demand. In addition to self-developing the anti-viral vaccine, Indonesia has also ordered 290 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine during recent visits by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir to China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These vaccines will be delivered to Indonesia before the end of 2021. Chinas biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech - one of Indonesia's two COVID-19 vaccine suppliers - has worked closely with the Southeast Asian country to help develop its own vaccine. As the Texas Education Agency mandates that all school districts must report the number of COVID-19 cases starting on Sept. 8, the local health authority also asked the districts for weekly reports of their COVID-19 cases. At UISD, a total of 213 employees tested positive, and as of Aug. 31, 94 that tested positive returned to work. Another 388 non-positive employees returned to work as well as per the report for last week. These are out of a total of 798 COVID-19 tests from people who were exposed to a positive person. For UISD students, according to the automated reporting system, there are currently no positive cases on campus. Unfortunately, cases have come up in students that study remotely. According to the district, 55 have tested positive, seven have experienced symptoms and 34 have been exposed to COVID-19. Gloria Rendon, Deputy Superintendent for Administration and Operations, said there is continued monitoring of students in the colonias and homeless students to provide support to the family. We report exposure, confirmed, possible that they are showing symptoms, which is what we also do for employees, Rendon said. According to LISD, there is still no information to be provided as of now. It stated that its first report will be due on Sept. 14. As a public school district, Laredo ISD will comply with all mandates as required by state governance, LISD Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Rios said in a statement. The importance and benefits of reporting such cases assists our school district as well as our community in mitigating the spread of the COVID 19 virus and ultimately insures that we take all precautions in safeguarding the health and well-being of our students and staff. Awareness of all health protocols and viral spread trends in our community will assist all authorities in addressing the specific needs of our teaching and learning family of educators. As each week gets closer to the transitional period where approximately 25% of the student population goes back to campus, a possible closure may interrupt the transition. The transition is a TEA mandate that is expected to start in the latter half of the month. There is rising concern at the district over the number of cases off campus, Rendon said. She encourages families to avoid contact with others, especially during Labor Day as it may lead to a spike in cases similar to the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays. Christian Ocampo may be reached at or cocampo@lmtonline.com Sensex, Nifty Highlights on September 3: Domestic benchmarks Sensex and Nifty turned volatile by the afternoon session and closed on a negative note on Thursday, amid weak Asian equities. Reversing from 2 days of consecutive gains, Sensex ended 95 points lower to 38,990 and Nifty closed 0.75 points higher at 11,535. Yesterday, Sensex ended 185 points higher at 39,086 and Nifty gained 64 points to 11,535. Here's a look at the updates of the market action on BSE and NSE today 3. 53 PM: Market at close Domestic benchmarks Sensex and Nifty turned volatile by the afternoon session and closed on a negative note on Thursday, amid weak Asian equities. Reversing from 2 days of consecutive gains, Sensex ended 95 points lower to 38,990 and Nifty closed 0.75 points higher at 11,535. 3. 45 PM: Closing update On markets closing today- Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investments said," The markets traded with lacklustre volumes with no definite direction. We continue being in a range between 11400-11600. If we need to see higher levels, we need to cross the resistance of 11600. That could take us to levels as high as 12000. A break of 11400 can take us to 11200-11250 levels." 3. 35 PM: Dr Reddy update On launch of drugs by Dr.Reddy's Lab, Yash Gupta, Equity Research Associate, Angel Broking said," The Concerta brand and generic market had U.S. sales of approximately $1.159 billion MAT for the most recent twelve months ending in June 2020 according to IQVIA Health.Dr. Reddy's Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Extended-Release Tablets, USP are available in strengths of 18 mg, 27 mg, 36 mg, and 54 mg tablets in bottle count sizes of 100. This will be a positive development for Dr. Reddy's." 3. 11 PM: Lupin drug launch update On Lupin announcing the launch of Leflunomide Tablets USP, Yash Gupta, Equity Research Associate, Angel Broking said," Leflunomide Tablets USP (RLD: Arava had an annual sales of approximately USD 42 million in the U.S. (IQVIA MAT June 2020). This is one of the significant approvals for Lupin, we continue with our Neutral outlook for Lupin limited." 2. 54 PM: Vodafone-Idea update Commenting on Vodafone-Idea, post SC Verdict, Keshav Lahoti, Associate Equity Analyst, Angel Broking said," Today also stock is trading up by 11% on the basis of media reports that retailer Amazon and Verizon, one of the largest communication technology companies may invest more than $4 billion (more than half of the pending AGR dues) for stake in the Company. If this report turns out to be true then certainly Vodafone Idea will survive in the industry for at least next few years. So this will solve the first problem of the Company i.e. paying AGR dues for next few years. The second problem Company needs to fix is maintain its losing revenue market share by developing proper strategy. The third hurdle for the Company is ARPU hike in the industry. We believe if these three actions happen then Vodafone Idea will survive: successfully raising the desired quantum of funds, preventing its losing revenue market share and ARPU hike in the industry." 2. 41 PM: Nifty outlook In mid-day market commentary, Yash Gupta, Equity Research Associate, Angel Broking said, "The market opened higher on back of positive global market clues though it has sold off somewhat post that. Today S&P BSE consumer durables (up 2.60%) and S&P BSE Healthcare (up 0.97%) holding up the market, laggards on the Sensex are S&P BSE Energy (Down .67%), S&P BSE bankex (Down 0.8%). Defensive sectors like S&P BSE Information Technology (Up 1.41% & S&P BSE Healthcare (up 0.97%) are again back in focus. Sensex has managed to hold on the back of defensive stocks like INFY (up 1.05%) TCS (up 1.45%). We expect the broader market to see some pressure." On global markets, he added,"Global Market continued its rally yesterday as the Dow Jones rallied by 454 points (up 1.59%) while the NASDAQ was up by 116 points (up 0.98%)." 2. 39 PM: Bharti Infratel share gains over 9% The leading wireless telecommunications service provider in India 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. Following the news, Bharti Infratel stock price climbed 9.38% to the intraday high of Rs 214.5 on BSE as against the last closing value of 223.85 on BSE. On NSE, Bharti Infratel stock hit intraday high of Rs 196.90. The stock opened at Rs 199 and also touched an intraday low of Rs 197 today. In the last 2 days of gains, Infrtael stock has gain over 13%. 2. 22PM: Rossari Biotech update On Rossari Biotech hitting all time high after Plutus Wealth acquired a stake the company, Keshav Lahoti, Associate Equity Analyst, Angel Broking said,"Rossari Biotech got listed on the exchange at ~58% over issue price on July 23, 2020. Recently, the stock is rallying on the news that Plutus Wealth Management LLP acquired 3 lakh shares of the Company at Rs.773.82 per share." He added," Market is positive on the stock considering that it has a strong balance sheet, good return ratios, outlook of the business is positive, proven track record of robust financial performance and surge in demand of home and personal care segment (sanitizers, cleaning products) due to covid-19." 2.18 PM: JSPL - August steel production update Commenting on JSPL's August steel production, Jyoti Roy , DVP- Equity Strategist, Angel Broking said,"Jindal Steel & Power Limited has recorded a 38% YoY growth in consolidated Steel Sales to 8,36,000 tonnes in August 2020. JSPL continues to report robust sales numbers given the company's continued focus on exports which continues to drive growth despite slowdown in domestic steel demand. We believe that the company will continue to focus on exports for some time till the time domestic steel demand does not normalize." 2.02 PM:Indian Oil's crude carrier catches fire off Sri Lanka An oil tanker chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) has caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka where an aircraft and two navy ships have been deployed to help in the rescue effort, navy representative Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa and sources said on Thursday. The fully loaded New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was heading to the port of Paradip in India where state-run IOC operates a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Indian Oil's crude carrier catches fire off Sri Lanka 1. 41PM: Rupee falls to 73.32 per dollar Indian rupee, the domestic currency benchmark, depreciated 29 paise to 73.32 per dollar on Thursday's in opening deals, amid weak momentum in the domestic equities and strong US dollar. The local unit opened on a weak note at 73.23 on the interbank forex market, and fell further to 73.32, registering a fall of 29 paise over its last close of 73.03. Rupee falls 29 paise to 73.32 amid strong dollar, weak equities 1. 34 PM: Global markets Asian markets were trading higher on the back of positive closing in US and better services sector activity in China. Although, market turns mixed and traded marginally lower by the afternoon session. U.S. markets closed higher on optimism over coronavirus relief package. European markets had closed higher taking cues from Wall Street ignoring not so good economic numbers from Euro region. 1. 29 PM: Nifty outlook Commenting on Nifty outlook, Geojit Financial in its note said,"The 11550 mark disappointed bulls for the second consecutive day, on anticipated lines, signalling revival of risk appetite. To this end, the 11630 breakout point discussed early this week loses some relevance. A free move is less expected though, and favoured view sees volatility after initial attempts to move closer to 11700. The downside range of 11300 discussed yesterday, will continue to be in play today as well." 1. 12 PM: Dish TV stock hits 5% upper circuit Dish TV share hit upper circuit of 5% on Thursday after the company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 74.54 crore in Q1 against net loss of Rs 35.44 crore in the April-June period a year ago. Share of Dish TV jumped 4.94 per cent to Rs 11.48 on the BSE. On the NSE, it gained 4.56 per cent to Rs 11.45. The stock gained 9% in the last 2 days. The share saw only buyers and no sellers on BSE. Dish TV stock trades higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages. Dish TV stock hits 5% upper circuit after firm logs profit in Q1 12. 59 PM: Top losers and gainers Britannia, NTPC, Hindalco, Airtel, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid, ICICI were among the top losers today. On the other hand, Wipro, UPL, Eicher Motors, Titan and Bharti Infratel were among the top gainers. 12. 44 PM: Oil prices today Oil price fell more than 2% as demand fell US hinted by the recent government data ignoring bullish crude inventory data. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark was trading 0.07 per cent lower at USD 44.40 per barrel. 12. 30 PM: Airlines update Expressing views on the announcement, Jyoti Roy, DVP- Equity Strategist, Angel Broking said,"The central government announced that domestic airlines will now be allowed to operate at 60% of their pre-Covid level capacity as compared to 45% earlier. After resuming domestic passenger flights in India from the 25th of May the Civil Aviation Ministry had allowed Indian airlines to operate at 33% of their pre-COVID levels which was increased to 45% from the 26th of June. While this move is sentimentally positive for Airline companies we believe that demand will remain muted in the near future and is expected to pick up post the festive season and maintain a neutral rating on the sector. Markets will be keenly awaiting data for the domestic aviation industry for the month of August which will be released in a few days by the DGCA." 12.24 PM: PMI data Activity in India's crippled services industry fell for a sixth straight month in August. Although the Nikkei/IHS Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index increased to 41.8 in August from July's 34.2, it remained well below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction. 12. 11 PM: Nifty outlook Sameet Chavan (Chief Analyst-Technical and Derivatives, Angel Broking said," Going ahead, it would certainly be very intriguing to see how things pan out in next couple of days. Meanwhile, 11550 followed by 11650 are the levels to watch out for in the upward direction; whereas on the flip side, 11450-11400-11325 is the cluster of supports." 11. 50 AM: InterGlobe Aviation, SpiceJet shares rise up to 5% Shares of InterGlobe Aviation and SpiceJet rose in early trade today after the government allowed airlines to operate with 60 percent capacity in the domestic segment. Reacting to the development, share of SpiceJet opened 5.01% higher at Rs 53.40 against previous close of Rs 50.85 on BSE. The stock touched an intraday high of Rs 53.7, rising 5.6%. It trades higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day and 100 day moving averages but lower than 200 day moving averages. InterGlobe Aviation, SpiceJet shares rise up to 5% after airlines allowed to operate at 60% capacity 11. 41AM: Market erases gains Domestic benchmarks Sensex and Nifty turned volatile by the afternoon session and traded tad lower on Thursday, as investors turned cautious ahead of key data release worldwide. Sensex fell 58 points lower to 39,026 and Nifty was falling 9 points lower at 11,526. 11. 34 AM: Gold price steadies after recent fall On the Multi-Commodity Exchange platform, commodities showed a muted move today. MCX precious metals were trading tad higher, tracking a similar move from international commodity markets. Gold October Futures gained by Rs 6 at Rs 50,827, after hitting an intraday high of Rs 50,964 against the previous close of Rs 50,821 per 10 gm. MCX gold futures currently trade almost Rs 5,370 lower than the lifetime high of Rs 56,191 per 10 gm, hit on August 7. On MCX, the yellow metal has risen 41.5% to life-time high since the beginning of the year. Gold price trading flat; silver rate at Rs 68,500 11. 20 AM: Silver prices today Silver September Futures gained by Rs 30 at Rs 68,284 per kg today after they touched an intraday high of Rs 68,855 per kg. Silver Futures hit a lifetime high of Rs 77,949 on August 7. 11. 19 AM: Dollar index Dollar index steadied against the basked of six Asian currencies today. This was after a gain of 0.6% in the last session, backed by robust US manufacturing sector, giving hopes of an economic recovery. 11. 01 AM: Coronavirus toll Worldwide, there were 261 lakh confirmed cases and 8.67 lakh deaths from COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, India's death toll from COVID-19 infections rose to 67,486 and total coronavirus cases to 38.53 lakh as of Thursday. 10. 45 AM: Precious metals outlook Geojit Financial Services in its note said, "Expect weak bias to continue as long as $1974 caps upside for the day. However, mild support is seen at 1920, which needs to be cleared for the continuation of liquidation pres-sure. An unexpected rise above $2000 is a signal of renewed buying pressure." For MCX Gold Oct futures, the brokerage said resistance is placed at Rs 51850 and support at Rs 50520. On Silver, the agency said," Expect a choppy with directionless trading initially. A direct rise above $29 is required to continue the further update. Strong support is seen at $27 break of which is a signal of selling pressure." MCX Silver Nov futures resistance is placed at Rs 70820 and support at Rs 64300. 10. 39 AM: Global markets Overseas, Asian stocks are trading higher on Thursday after the S&P 500 cruised to another record overnight. In US, markets rose sharply on Wednesday, continuing a strong start to September for the market. 10. 24 AM: FM meet today On the domestic front, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a review meeting with heads of banks and NBFCs on September 3 for smooth and speedy implementation of the one-time debt recast for resolution of COVID-19 related stress in bank loans. 10. 15 AM: CDSL crosses 2.5 crore demat accounts, being the first depository to do so Speaking on the milestone achieved, CDSL MD & CEO, Shri Nehal Vora said, "We are delighted to add another landmark to our history of many firsts- Being the first listed depository in Asia-Pacific, being the first depository to launch operations in IFSC, GIFT City, Gujarat, first depository to reach the milestone of 2 crore demat accounts and now the first depository to cross more than 2.5 crore demat accounts." 9. 57 AM: SEBI orders Rs 40 crore recovery from two dozen accounts The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has ordered attachment of bank and demat accounts of two dozen defaulters in the matters of three companies - Mass Infra Realty, Skymarg Agro Industries India, and Life Care Real Developers - to recover dues totalling nearly Rs 40 crore. The defaulters are 11 directors of Mass Infra Realty, five directors of Skymarg Agro, Life Care and its seven directors, the regulator said in three separate notices. SEBI orders Rs 40 crore recovery from two dozen accounts 9. 31 AM: Vodafone fund-raising plan Commenting on Vodafone fund-raising plan Keshav Lahoti, Associate Equity Analyst, Angel Broking said," Board of Directors of the Company is scheduled to meet on September 4, 2020, inter-alia, to consider and evaluate any and all proposals for raising of funds in one or more tranches by way of a public issue, preferential allotment, private placement, including a qualified institutions placement or through any other permissible mode. We think that Company will raise the major amount of funds in the form of equity. The Company will not be able to pay the AGR dues from internal accrual, so it is very important for them to raise funds from the market to survive in the industry." He adde," To survive in the industry in the long run, Vodafone Idea needs to raise the required amount of funds, develop a turnaround strategy and hope that industry takes a steep hike in ARPU or suitable floor tariff gets implemented by the TRAI." 9. 25 AM: Opening session Extending gains for the third straight session, domestic benchmarks Sensex and Nifty opened on a bullish note on Thursday, amid positive global equities. Sensex gained 24 points higher to 39,110 and Nifty was rising 29 points higher at 11,564. 9. 18 AM: FII action Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 990.57 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 657.48 crore in the Indian equity market on 2 September, provisional data showed. 9. 10 AM: Nifty outlook On Nifty's technical indicators, experts suggest the index has to surpass the sturdy wall of resistance near 11,550-11,650. Although, the 50 barometer index has closed well above its support of 11,350 level. 9.00 AM: Stocks in news Kalpataru Power, Dish TV, Coal India, Edelweiss Financial, IndusInd Bank among others are the top stocks to watch out for in Thursday's trading session Stocks in news: Kalpataru Power, Dish TV, Coal India, Edelweiss Financial, IndusInd Bank 8. 50 AM: Earnings Today Jubilant Industries, MSTC, Page Industries, Panacea Biotec, Zuari Agro Chemical among others will report Q1 earnings today. 8. 40 AM: Nifty technical outlook Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investments said,"The Nifty made a smart move towards 11600 but was unable to get past and close above it. We would need that to happen for the uptrend to be solid and convincing. Once we get past that, our target would be 11800-11900." 8. 30 AM: Closing on Wednesday After a volatile trading session, Sensex and Nifty ended on a bullish note today led by positive global cues. Extending gains for the second day after 2% drop on Monday, Sensex ended 185 points higher at 39,086 and Nifty gained 64 points to 11,535. Yesterday, Sensex ended 272 points higher at 38,900 and Nifty gained 82 points to close at 11,470. Sensex ends 185 points higher, Nifty at 11,535; RIL, M&M, ONGC top gainers Maharashtra recorded its biggest daily jump of over 17,400 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, pushing its tally to 8,25,739. On Tuesday, the state saw 15,765 new cases and 320 fatalities, taking its tally to 8,08,306. It took the state seven days to get to 8 lakh from 7 lakh infections. According to a report in The Times of India, with these new figures, Maharashtras caseload is now greater than that of Perus, which is the fifth most-hit country. As on September 1, the total number of cases in the South American nation stood at 6,57,129. Maharashtras active cases breached the 2 lakh-mark on Wednesday while the toll crossed 25,000 with the addition of 292 fatalities. The state toll constitutes 38% of deaths in India. In what may be a cause of concern, the states positivity rate has again increased to 19% after it saw a decline two weeks ago. Top government officials told the publication that after a small decline in the coronavirus positivity rate two weeks back, the positivity rate is now again at 19.2%. This shows the prevalence of the infection and with the addition of a large number of new cases, recovery rate has stagnated to 72.4%, a senior official was quoted as saying. On Wednesday, Pune circle saw more than 4,700 Covid-19 infections and 58 fatalities whereas Mumbai circle, recorded 4,553 cases and 81 deaths. The cumulative cases in the MMR stand at 3.4 lakh, while Pune circle has 2.1 lakh infections and 5,314 deaths. Kolhapur division has reported 42,788 cases and 1,278 deaths. Aurangabad division has reported 31,990 cases and 931 deaths. While Latur division has reported 26,823 cases and 794 deaths, Akola division has registered 17,983 cases and 473 deaths. Meanwhile, the Nagpur division has seen 36,764 cases and 830 deaths. Public health minister Rajesh Tope told ToI that there is a greater focus on the Pune region and that Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was closely overseeing the situation prevailing in Pune. Ulhasnagar city reported 24 fresh cases, taking its tally to 7,857, with 230 deaths. Presently in Ulhasnagar, out of 7,857 patients, 7,216 patients have recovered while 411are active. At Bhiwandi, where cases are under control, 33 fresh cases were reported, taking the total to 4,252, with 286 deaths. Beds are being added and aggressive testing being carried out in the district, Tope was quoted as saying. As many as 757 people from other states have been treated in Maharashtra, including 72 who died. Police in California have arrested two suspects in connection to a shooting that broke out during a marijuana deal at a luxury apartment complex in Santa Ana that has left three men wounded. The Santa Ana Police Department announced the arrests on Thursday afternoon, revealing that the two unidentified suspects are currently undergoing treatment at a local trauma center. The pair are accused of being involved in an armed robbery and shooting that took place at the Essex Skyline at MacArthur Place high-rise at 3.15pm on Wednesday. Police in Santa Ana, California, are seen aiding a man who was found shot in the torso in the parking garage of a luxury high-rise on Wednesday. He has since been arrested Police responded to the Essex Skyline at MacArthur Place high-rise and found three men, ages 19, 25, and 29, suffering from gunshot wounds According to a police statement, officers who responded to the scene found one man suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso in the parking garage, and another with injuries to his upper and lower body on the ground floor of the building. A third victim, described as a 29-year-old man, was found on the 15th floor of the south tower where he has been renting an apartment suffering from a grazing gunshot wound to the head and blunt force trauma injuries. The men were hospitalized in stable condition, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. They are expected to survive. The 25-story south tower was evacuated while police conducted a floor-by-floor search for the attacker Police determined that an armed robbery took place during a marijuana deal inside a 15th-floor apartment Police have not released the names of the suspects, but revealed that the two men who were found injured in the garage and in the lobby, ages 19 and 25, were the ones who were taken into custody, reported NBC Los Angeles. The tenant who was grazed in the head has not been arrested as of late Thursday afternoon. The 25-story south tower was evacuated while police conducted a floor-by-floor search for the attacker and other victims but neither were located and residents were allowed to return by 6.30pm. According to the police, a preliminary investigation has determined that an armed robbery took place during a marijuana deal inside a 15th-floor apartment. 'During the attempted robbery, a physical altercation escalated into an exchange of gunshots,' police stated. Detectives executed a search warrant, seizing marijuana and 'evidence of sales operations,' cash and two guns. Cops on the scene seized marijuana, cash, evidence of sales operations and two guns The two suspects are in police custody while undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds at a trauma center Police are looking into the possibility that there is a connection between Wednesday's incident and other similar robberies that have occurred at the apartment complex Police are now trying to determine if there is a connection between Wednesday's incident and other similar robberies that have occurred at the apartment complex in recent months. KABC reported that listed rents at the complex range up to $5,500 for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. By Kazeem Ugbodaga Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has rejected the hike in electricity tariffs by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. The Federal Government, on Wednesday increased electricity tariffs from N30.23 per kwh to over N66 per kwh. Atiku, on Thursday said he outrightly rejected the increased electricity tariffs, especially as the nation was just coming out of lockdown. According to him, what Nigerians needed right now was a stimulus, not impetuous disregard for the challenges they faced. He said many Nigerians had not earned income for months due to no fault of theirs. Atiku stated that the increase was ill-timed and ill-advised. In his words: I reject the increased electricity tariffs. Coming out of the lockdown, Nigerians need a stimulus, not an impetuous disregard for the challenges they face. Many Nigerians have not earned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is ill-timed and ill-advised. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 23:42:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A formation of air defense missiles takes part in a grand military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Yin Gang) BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military Wednesday firmly opposed an "extremely erroneous" report by the U.S. Department of Defense on China's military, saying it is fraught with a zero-sum game mindset and Cold-war mentality. The statement by the Information Office of China's Ministry of National Defense came in response to the U.S. report that hyped up the so-called "Chinese military threat" and misinterpreted China's national defense policy and military strategies. The office noted that the U.S. report had slandered China's military modernization, defense expenditure and nuclear policy, aggravated tensions across the Taiwan Strait and instigated cross-Strait confrontations. The office stressed that the Chinese side will make further response according to the development of the situation. Subscriber content preview FEDERAL WAY The Providence Landing apartments, at 31220 28th Ave. S. in Federal Way, sold for a bit over $10.9 million, according to King County records. The sellers were two LLCs associated with Kaz Enterprises of California, which acquired the property in 2016 for a little over $7 million. . . . WASHINGTON -- Dozens of Turkmen citizens have held rallies in Washington, as well as in the cities of Houston and Pittsburgh, protesting the plan by Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, to introduce amendments to the constitution, the details of which remain unknown in the tightly-controlled Central Asian nation. One of the organizers of the rally in front of the Turkmen Embassy in Washington, D.C., on September 1, Murat Gurbanov, who is the leader of a group called Democratic Choice of Turkmenistan established abroad, told RFE/RL during the rally that the protesters were demanding the Turkmen government cancel the plan to change the constitution. "Some 30 Turkmens residing in different parts of the United States gathered today in front of the Turkmen Embassy and we demand that the constitution of our country can be changed only via national referendum," Gurbanov said, adding that a change to the constitution without the involvement of citizen would "deprive us all of our rights forever." Berdymukhammedov initiated the constitutional changes a year ago and has led a commission he established that prepared a bill of amendments. Turkmen citizens have yet to be informed about the exact changes to the constitution of the tightly controlled, energy-rich country, except that the single-chamber parliament, the Mejlis, will merge with the People's Council and become a two-chamber institution. The People's Council (Halk Maslahaty) was created in 2017 on the basis of the Council of Elders. Berdymukhammedov is the council's chairman. On August 19, the commission announced that it had sent the proposed constitutional amendments to the People's Council, which is expected to approve the amendments at its session on September 25. The protesters in the United States say that Berdymukhammedov plans to use the constitutional amendments to secure his lifetime presidency and its eventual succession to his son and grandchildren. They held posters demanding Berdymukhammedov's resignation and challenging his policies. Gurbanov said that nobody from the embassy came out to talk to the protesters, while one person appeared with a videocamera and recorded the picket. When protesters tried to talk to that person, he quickly retreated back inside the building. After rallying in front of the embassy, the protesters walked to Capitol Hill, where they demonstrated in front of the U.S. Congress. Since June, protests against Berdymukhammedov have been staged by Turkmen citizens residing in the United States, Turkey, and Northern Cyprus. Government critics and human rights groups say Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the restrictive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006. Like his late predecessor, Berdymukhammedov has relied on subsidized prices for basic goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:45:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENNA, Sep. 3 (Xinhua) -- Austria on Thursday reported 403 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily spike since April 3. With 3,466 active cases at present, the total number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 28,372 as of Thursday morning, according to the Health Ministry. There are currently 161 people in hospital for coronavirus treatment, four more than Wednesday, while the number of patients in intensive care has fallen from 30 to 29, it said. A total of 735 people have died in connection with COVID-19. More than half of the daily new cases were reported in the capital. One reason for this should be that tests are being carried out in Vienna twice as much as in the previous month and much more tightly than elsewhere, according to local media. On Friday, the government will present the coronavirus "traffic light" system, which should clarify situations in each state and district across the Alpine republic. As Health Minister Rudi Anschober explained on Tuesday, the risk analysis would not only focus on the number of infections, but also assess the number of tests, cluster management and situation of the health system. "We want to put ourselves on a broad basis," said the minister. Enditem No Time To Die (Credit: Eon) Daniel Craig looks the archetypal Bond in the latest poster for No Time To Die, just unveiled on social media. Busting the classic tux, bow-tie and Walther PPK pistol, the promo comes ahead of the final trailer for the 25th Bond movie, which is due to land on Thursday. Man on a mission. Check out the new poster for #NoTimeToDie in cinemas this November. New trailer coming this Thursday. pic.twitter.com/4ZHOJSfyZq James Bond (@007) September 1, 2020 The movie is currently scheduled for release on 12 November in the UK, and then 20 November in the US. This is bumped back a whole year from the original release date of 20 November, 2019. Read more: New look at Rami Maleks Bond villain That date was amended following the departure of Danny Boyle as the movie's director back in August 2018, which saw the movie first moved to February 2020, and then April 2020, once director Cary Fukunaga had been installed. However, come March of this year, producers Eon elected to postpone the April release date to November, as the coronavirus pandemic began shuttering cinemas around the world. The November release date is in fact rather more traditional for Bond films, with every movie since GoldenEye in 1995 having premiered in November. With its moody theme recorded by Billie Eilish, the movie finds Craig's 007 out of active service and enjoying early retirement in Jamaica. Read more: Sean Connery named best ever Bond However, when Jeffrey Wright's Felix Leiter contacts him for help on a case, he's thrust back into the fray, searching for a missing scientist. Joining him on the bill is Rami Malek as the terrorist Safin, with Lashana Lynch as new 00 agent Nomi and Ana de Armas as CIA agent Paloma. Meanwhile, Lea Seydoux is back as Dr. Madeleine Swann, with Christoph Waltz returning as Blofeld, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Rory Kinnear as Tanner and Ralph Fiennes as M. By Tim Kelly and Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono on Thursday said he supports Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as the country's next leader to provide continuity in tackling the coronavirus crisis but also predicted he will one day be prime minister. Identified early by local media as a potential candidate, Kono had considered entering the leadership race to replace retiring Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but decided against it after Suga announced his decision to run. "It is important to contain COVID-19 and at the same time we need to restart the economy," Kono said in an interview with Reuters. "One day I will be the prime minister," he added. Suga on Wednesday announced he would run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) election to pick a new leader, promising to stick to Abe's policies. With backing of several party factions, including the one that Kono is a member of, Abe's longtime ally has emerged as the front runner in the race. Abe announced on Friday he was resigning because of poor health, ending his tenure as Japan's longest-serving prime minister. A leadership election is set for Sept. 14 with LDP lawmakers and regional party representatives casting votes. The winner is virtually assured of becoming prime minister because of the LDP's parliamentary majority. Kono, 57, who has also served as foreign minister, said he wanted Japan's next leader to focus on rebuilding public finances once the pandemic had ended. "We need to secure our social security, how we are going to provide social security, pensions, medical, childcare. I think that's going to be very important, and that needs to be thoroughly discussed," Kono said. Educated at Georgetown University and a fluent English speaker, he has recently hosted live question and answer session on Youtube, unusual for Japanese politicians, to answer question ranging from national security to his personal tastes. Story continues Despite his reputation as a maverick he has, nonetheless, toed the line on key Abe policies, including a tough approach toward South Korea in a feud over wartime history. That has differentiated him from his father, Yohei Kono, a former chief cabinet secretary who authored a landmark 1993 apology to comfort women, a euphemism for women from Korea and other places forced to work wartime military brothels. Kono said he was ready "anytime" when asked when he wanted to be prime minister. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Yoshifumi Takemoto; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Michael Perry) Ahead of the resumption of international flights, the Nigerian government has released the list of international airlines denied approval to operate in the country. Air France, KLM, Etihad, Rwandair, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines, Air Namibia, and Royal Air Maroc are airlines denied entrance into the country, the aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, said. Nigeria had in August vowed to implement a reciprocity clause by banning flights and airlines from countries that put similar bans on flights from Nigeria as nations open their airspace amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Sirika, while speaking at the bi-weekly Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing, on Thursday, said only approved airlines will be allowed into the countrys airspace. President Muhammad Buhari had in March ordered the suspension of international flights to curb the influx of imported cases of the COVID-19 virus in the country. While local flights were also suspended, they resumed about five weeks ago as the country joined the rest of the world to battle the pandemic. READ ALSO: Nigeria recorded its first case of COVID-19 in an Italian who arrived in the country late February. Since then, over 54,000 infections have been recorded leading to over 1,000 deaths. Approved airlines Mr Sirika also said some airlines have been given approvals to operate within the COVID-19 protocols. These airlines include: Middle-East, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Egyptair, Air Peace, Virgin Atlantic, Asky, Africa World Airways (AWA), Air Cote-dIvoire, Kenya Airways, Emirate, and Turkish airlines. He further explained the criteria used in approving and denying operation of the airlines. We used the foreign carrier operator permit which is the requirement by our laws, guidelines by COVID-19 PTF and other guidelines including restrictions that came from other countries which will affect our own operations here at home. Airfrance and Lufthansa were not approved. The reason is that Swiss visa owners are not allowed entry and the same reason for KLM, he said. The minister also hinted that passengers who fail to present a valid COVID-19 test or refuse to go for a repeat test may be placed on a travel watch list for six months. Thousands of demonstrators clash with police after defying lockdown to mark religious festival. Police in Nepal used tear gas and water cannon to break up a religious rally that defied a government ban on public gatherings imposed to stop the flow of the coronavirus. Despite the ban, some 2,000 residents poured into a major thoroughfare of Lalitpur, near Nepals capital Kathmandu, on Thursday to pull a chariot of the rain God, Rato Machhindranath, a ritual that has been celebrated for generations. Temporary curbs were imposed in Kathmandu and surrounding areas in August to help contain coronavirus contagion and residents were asked to observe festivals at home. We charged [with] water cannon and tear gas to stop the rally, police official Tek Prasad Rai told Reuters news agency. Witnesses said the demonstrators, wearing protective face masks against the virus, threw rocks at baton-wielding police and set a police motorcycle on fire. An injured person was carried away by police, they said. Despite the ban, participants said they must be allowed to carry on with the tradition of rain God worship, which has been practised for centuries. Some participants carried placards reading: We oppose efforts by the administration to interfere in our culture and festivals. Rato Machindranath a deity whose statue is made from clay and covered in red paint with eyes wide open is pulled around the city for a month in the belief that it will please gods so they can provide for a generous rainfall, a good harvest and prosperity. On Thursday, Nepali Health Ministry spokesman Jageshwor Gautam said the number of coronavirus infections in the Himalayan nation had increased to 42,877, with 257 deaths. Temple-studded Kathmandu Valley recorded 445 new cases, a jump of about 7 percent from the previous day. (CNN) When a United States guided missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, it marked the second such transit in less than two weeks and among the clearest signals yet of Washington's willingness to stand up for Taiwan in the face of Chinese aggression. On Monday, the US went further still, taking the cover off previously classified commitments it made to Taiwan during the Reagan administration. Known as the Six Assurances, they spell out how US arms sales and diplomatic support to Taipei will move forward without regard to pressure from Beijing. Though the US has remained a decades-long ally of Taiwan following the island's split from mainland China in the wake of a civil war, policymakers in Washington have traditionally refrained from overt displays of support. China continues to view the self-governing democracy of almost 24 million people as an inseparable part of its territory, and has vowed to unify the island with the mainland. For decades an uneasy status quo governed cross-strait relations. But in recent years, under President Xi Jinping, China has reasserted its perceived claims to the island, threatening military action in response to what it considers to be growing calls for formal independence. On Tuesday, a Chinese government spokesperson called Washington's Six Assurances "illegal and invalid," according to the state-run Xinhua news service. "Relying on the so-called 'Six Assurances' by the United States to seek 'Taiwan independence' will only lead to self-inflicted disasters," said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in Beijing. Western analysts say the reveal of the Six Assurances, the Taiwan Strait sailings, US arms sales, the recent visit of a US Cabinet secretary -- the highest-ranked US government official to step foot in Taipei in decades -- are very visible and deliberate shows of support for the island. "The US is attempting to make its assurances to Taiwan very clear at a time when it views China as destabilizing the Taiwan Strait," said Meia Nouwens, research fellow for China defense policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. With the upcoming US presidential election likely to further destabilize an already volatile US-China relationship, Washington is looking to leave Taipei no doubt on where it stands. "The US is conducting its Taiwan engagement very, very overtly," said Drew Thompson, a former US Defense Department official now at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. "To deter Chinese aggression, the US has to be transparent." Allegations US planes land in Taiwan A US Navy spokesperson on Wednesday pushed back on a report in the state-run Global Times late Monday that a US-marked EP-3 reconnaissance plane may have been on Taiwan over the weekend, an event Beijing would see as a direct threat to its sovereignty. "I can confirm that a US Navy EP-3 did not take off from or land in Taiwan on Sunday," Cmdr. Reann Mommsen said. She said she could not confirm allegations of a previous flight, on August 18, for security reasons. Taiwan's air force command released a statement Monday calling the US recon plane flight allegations "fake news and completely contrary to facts." But China has played it up. The story was atop the Global Times website on Tuesday morning. "US intends to force China to 'fire first shot' over Taiwan," the headline read. Citing military analysts on the Chinese mainland, it said if the US had sent reconnaissance planes over Taiwan, Chinese military action could be justified. "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," the Global Times story said, citing military analysts. Thompson said he was highly doubtful of the Global Times report -- especially in light of the recent openness from Washington. "This story doesn't ring true," he said. "That would be quite a dramatic shift in policy if the US were to start using Taiwan as a base for operations." Thompson also says Washington wants to contrast its word to that of Xi, who, for instance, said China would not militarize the South China Sea then built fortified islands there. "Their rhetoric is difficult to take at face value when they have reversed themselves repeatedly," Thompson said of the Chinese leadership. Offensive vs. defensive Western analysts say Taiwan poses no threat to the Chinese mainland, at least in a combat sense. Even though Taipei is buying new US-made weapons like main battle tanks and F-16 fighter jets all to be paid for with an increase in the island's defense budget announced by President Tsai Ing-wen last week it isn't going to be sending any of that military muscle across the Taiwan Strait. "Taiwan's military is so small that announcing increases doesn't threaten China's People's Liberation Army in a conventional sense," Thompson said. "What is threatening to Beijing is the leadership of Taiwan doubling down on its defense of the island." This is something policymakers in Taipei will be acutely aware of. Since coming to power, Xi has refused to rule out the use of force in claiming Taiwan even though the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never in its history exerted control over the island. Xi has also come down hard on another threat to Beijing's leadership: democracy protests in Hong Kong, passing a National Security Law with a global reach to silence anybody who might challenge Chinese authority over the city. "He's been ruthless in addressing those perceived threats," Thompson said of Xi. But the Chinese leader would be taking a chance in pushing Washington too far over Taiwan, said Randall Schriver, former US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs. Washington has responded every time the island has come under threat since the end of the years-long Chinese civil war in 1949. "If you're going to gamble everything on the United States not being there, I think it's a pretty risky gamble," Schriver told a webinar with the National Security Institute at George Mason University last week. "If I was in Xi Jinping's shoes, I certainly wouldn't want to make the wrong bet" on US willingness to come to the aid of Taiwan, he said. The analysts say a forcible takeover of Taiwan could be a bad bet for Xi either way US help or not. Defensive posture Taiwan is well situated to defend itself, with a stretch of the Pacific Ocean the Taiwan Strait sitting between it and the mainland. "Eighty nautical miles of water ... is a pretty good opening bid before you buy a single weapons system," Schriver said. And while Beijing could do a lot of damage to Taiwan with its superior arsenal of missiles and bombers, destruction does not equal conquest. "You have to have soldiers on the ground with rifles and bayonets taking ground and holding ground in order to actually exert sovereignty," Schriver added. "They (the PLA) still have to get hundreds of thousands of people across the Taiwan Strait in order to prevail." Even though Taiwan's defense budget is dwarfed by Beijing's, modest spending can make a big difference when you're playing defense. Hardware like coastal defense and surface-to-air missiles are relatively cheap compared to the massive capital outlays Beijing would have to make to field an invasion force, like large amphibious assault ships and the escorts needed to protect them from incoming missiles or torpedoes, or mines laying in wait below the surface of the sea. "I think Taiwan is very defensible if they buy the right things and (the US) does what (it) needs to do to support them," Schriver said. Nouwens, the IISS analyst, said the idea that Beijing could prevail in a conflict over Taiwan is not even supported by senior mainland defense experts. "Recent publications from China's (National Defense University) and Academy of Military Sciences by senior experts still argued that the US should not be underestimated, and that any attempts to take Taiwan by force would equate to China throwing all its eggs into one basket -- which it could ill afford and would likely lose," Nouwens said. "Engaging in a military conflict over Taiwan and losing would be catastrophic for the CCP, so I don't think this is something that can be easily provoked." To be sure, the Taiwanese military has its problems. With its small population, filling military billets can be a struggle. In recent war games, Taiwan has been trying to give its conscripted reserves who only serve short four-month stints in uniform bigger roles in, and more realistic, training. People power problems extend to even what would seem to be coveted jobs, like fighter pilots. When the 66 F-16s Taiwan is purchasing from the US start showing up, there remains an open question whether there will be pilots to fly them. "This sale will require Taiwan to recruit 107 additional pilots. And in the past nine years Taiwan has only increased its F-16 pilots by 21 officers," Nouwens said. "We'll need to keep an eye on this in the next few years." This story was forst published on CNN.com "The US is standing firm with Taiwan, and it's making that point very clear" U.S. and Russian forces remain active in northeast Syria where they are involved in a mini Cold War-like conflict, Al-Masdar says A large U.S. military convoy reportedly entered northeastern Syria this week, bringing dozens of trucks and armoured vehicles to Hassakeh Governorate. According to local reports from Hassakeh, over 60 trucks and armoured vehicles belonging to the U.S.-led International Coalition entered the Syrian governorate via the Al-Walid Crossing that links with Iraqs Nineveh Governorate. The U.S. military convoy was said to have deployed to one of its bases inside the governorate. This is the second U.S. military convoy to enter northeastern Syria from neighbouring Iraq in the last ten days. The U.S. military and Russian army are currently involved in a mini Cold War-like conflict in northeastern Syria, which culminated last week in a motor vehicle accident near the border-city of Malikiyah. Making matters more difficult for the U.S.-led Coalition, they are facing threats from the Al-Oqeidat tribe, which is currently demanding the withdrawal of the American and SDF troops from the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Elsewhere in Syria, a Russian TV channel released a video on August 31st that showed the Russian military patrolling the border of the Golan Heights in Syria. The video, which was taken before the Israeli airstrikes on August 31st, showed the Russian military conducting their daily monitoring missions near the occupied areas. The Russian military has been deployed along the border of the occupied Golan Heights since the Summer of 2018, when the Syrian Armed Forces reached a reconciliation agreement with the rebel factions in Daraa and Quneitra. Previously, the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (previously Jabhat Al-Nusra) controlled the border after seizing the administrative capital of Quneitra and several nearby towns. 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. Chloe Zhao speaks onstage during the Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 3, 2018. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images) Eternals director Chloe Zhao has revealed she was able to shoot exactly the way I wanted to shoot, despite the mammoth scale of the Marvel blockbuster. Zhao told The Hollywood Reporter she was able to mimic the approach of her smaller films including The Rider and Nomadland for her MCU debut. Read more: Angelina Jolie joins Eternals cast The director said she was able to do a lot of location shooting and utilise magic hour for her visual style, using the same camera rigs as she did for her previous work. She said: Its a bit surreal. Im still waiting for the shoe to drop. It hasnt. I think I got lucky in that Marvel wants to take risks and do something different. Logo for 'Eternals'. (Credit: Marvel/Disney) Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said Zhaos original pitch for the movie was fascinating and that the LGBT+ relationship in the film felt inherent in the story. He added: I think it is extremely well done, and I look forward to that level of inclusion in our future movies being less of a topic. Read more: Kumail Nanjiani transforms body for Eternals Zhao said she wanted to put together a cast of characters that feels like a group of misfits. "I wanted it to reflect the world we live in," she added. The director and studio have assembled an enviable roster of A-listers, including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani and Kit Harington. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige and director Chloe Zhao of 'The Eternals' at San Diego Comic-Con International 2019. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) Brian Tyree Henry will portray Phastos the first openly gay superhero in the MCU while Lauren Ridloff will portray Makkari, becoming the first deaf hero in the money-spinning franchise. Read more: Chris Evans says Marvel deserves awards recognition The Eternals are a race of powerful, immortal aliens who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years. The movie sees them reunite and emerge from hiding in order to repel the Deviants their malevolent counterparts. Eternals had originally been due for release in November 2020 prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but it will now debut in February 2021. Rogers Communications Inc. (TSE:RCI.B) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. You will need to purchase shares before the 8th of September to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 1st of October. Rogers Communications's upcoming dividend is CA$0.50 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of CA$2.00 per share to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Rogers Communications has a trailing yield of approximately 3.5% on its current stock price of CA$56.9. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. View our latest analysis for Rogers Communications Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Rogers Communications paid out 60% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Rogers Communications generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Fortunately, it paid out only 47% of its free cash flow in the past year. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Rogers Communications, with earnings per share up 5.0% on average over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Rogers Communications has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. Therefore it's unlikely that the company will be able to reinvest heavily in its business, which could presage slower growth in the future. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Rogers Communications has delivered 5.6% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders. The Bottom Line Should investors buy Rogers Communications for the upcoming dividend? While earnings per share growth has been modest, Rogers Communications's dividend payouts are around an average level; without a sharp change in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Pleasingly the company paid out a conservatively low percentage of its free cash flow. Overall we're not hugely bearish on the stock, but there are likely better dividend investments out there. With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. Our analysis shows 1 warning sign for Rogers Communications and you should be aware of this before buying any shares. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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. Panaji, Sep 3 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday congratulated the state police for arresting three persons accused of murdering a 41-year-old jeweller in broad daylight in South Goa's Margao town on Wednesday. Goa CM pats cops for quick arrest of trio involved in jeweller murder Panaji, Sep 3 (IANS) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday congratulated the state police for arresting three persons accused of murdering a 41-year-old jeweller in broad daylight in South Goa's Margao town on Wednesday. "I congratulate DGP Mukesh Kumar Meena for arresting three culprits involved in the murder within 24 hours of the incident. Goa Police will further work towards lowering the state's crime rate. I also offer my condolences to the family of Swapnil Walke," Sawant said in a video message. Walke, a jewellery store owner, was stabbed while resisting an armed robbery attempt in broad daylight by three persons. The assault was captured on a mobile camera by a neighbour and the video subsequently went viral on social media. Two persons allegedly involved in the assault, Omkar Patil and Edson Gonsalves, were arrested by the state police and the third accused, Mustafa Shaikh, surrendered on Thursday before the Margao town police. The brutal murder and the shocking video footage triggered shockwaves through the South Goa town, with the Opposition accusing the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led administration of being slack in checking crime. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text GlaxoSmithKline has stepped up its battle against Covid-19 with clinical trials of a potential vaccine it is developing with French drug maker Sanofi. The early-stage study will evaluate how safe the vaccine is and what kind of immune response it triggers in 440 healthy adults tested at 11 sites across the US. If the results are conclusive, GSK and Sanofi are hoping to get the vaccine approved in the first half of next year. Trial: If the results are conclusive, GSK and Sanofi are hoping to get the vaccine approved in the first half of next year The pair are planning to produce up to 1billion doses in 2021 if they are successful. Covid-19 has killed more than 860,000 people worldwide and 41,500 in the UK, according to official figures. GSK's vaccine uses the same technology as one of Sanofi's seasonal flu vaccines, which will be coupled with a substance made by GSK that enhances and boosts the impact of the vaccine. Britain and the US have already signed deals with Sanofi and GSK and the two companies are in talks to supply the European Union with up to 300m doses. A number of other pharmaceutical firms and swiftly formed alliances are developing their own vaccines. Astrazeneca, GSK's rival on the FTSE100, is working on a vaccine with Oxford University that is already in late-stage trials. Astrazeneca said it could have data available by the end of October to get sign-off from US regulators for emergency use of the vaccine. Russia approved a controversial vaccine, called Sputnik V, after less than two months of human testing. GSK shares fell 1.2 per cent, or 18.4p, to 1470.8p, after it announced the trials were starting. President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have inaugurated new projects in Baku's Yasamal district, Azertag reported on September 3. They attended the inauguration of Children's Art School No.2, named after Vagif Mustafazade after its major renovation. President and First Lady familiarized themselves with the conditions created in the building. The building of Childrens Art School No.2, named after Vagif Mustafazade, was build in 1904, and it was fundamentally renovated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2020. Currently, 385 pupils are studying at the school, specializing in piano, violin, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, vocal, khanende, tar, kamancha, harmonica, soot, painting, choreography, theory and auxiliary academic disciplines. In addition, 78 teachers are engaged in their education and training of pupils in school. All classes are equipped with visual aids. In the two-storey building of the Art School there are 15 individual study rooms, theory rooms, a library, an atelier, a conference room, drawing rooms, a choreographic hall, a canteen and a recording studio. Moreover, the school has a corner of Vagif Mustafazade. It should be noted that the world famous jazzman Vagif Mustafazade studied piano here in the period of 1949-1956. Later, President and First Lady attended the opening ceremony of the academic building No. 3 of the Azerbaijan State Economic University after its renovation. Education Minister Emin Amrullayev and Universitys Rector Adalat Muradov informed President and First Lady about the work done in academic building. It was noted that the construction of a new educational building, which began in 2018 and meets modern standards, was built with the preservation of the facade of the old building. 3,000 students of technical and technological specialties will be able to study in the new building, which meets the modern standards of the campus and is rich with modern architectural elements. The building has classrooms, lecture halls, language laboratories equipped with the latest technologies, a sports hall, a library, large and small conference halls. All conditions have been created here for high level education and training. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A new UK study has been launched to assess the impact of covid-19 on people with cancer. People with cancer are among those at higher risk of covid-19 complications, as cancer and its treatment can weaken the immune system. In addition, there has been disruption to cancer diagnosis and treatment because of the pandemic. The Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) CANCER-UK project will run over 12 months and will examine questions that are important for the care of patients with cancer. The study will also determine covid-19 infection and mortality rates in people with different types of cancer, as well as those receiving different treatments, by collecting and analysing patient data. With almost 7,000 patients with both confirmed cancer and covid-19 diagnoses already enrolled, it will be one of the largest and most detailed studies in the world. This study is a companion to the highly successful UK arm of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium (ISARIC4C), which is led by researchers from Liverpool, Edinburgh and Imperial College London. ISARIC4C has collected data from 79,000 patients in the UK with covid-19, around 9% of whom also have cancer. CCP CANCER-UK is being led by Professor Carlo Palmieri, Professor in Translational Oncology at the University of Liverpool and Consultant in Medical Oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and Dr Lance Turtle, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Liverpool University Hospitals, in collaboration with ISARIC4C. Professor Carlo Palmieri said: "Using anonymised data from patients, our aim is to look ahead to see whether certain cancer types or treatments have different outcomes in relation to covid-19. We predict our findings will inform future clinical decisions around cancer treatment and the level of risk from SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes covid-19, to individual patients. "A unique feature of this study will be the ability to directly compare cancer patients with non-cancer patients so we get a real understanding about what it means to have cancer and cancer treatment with covid-19." Dr Lance Turtle added: "Although we know that patients with cancer are more susceptible to covid-19, we strongly suspect that this is not the case across all cancer patients. Some may be at greater risk, whereas others may have much less risk. This study will allow us to determine this, giving much more detail as how to advise patients with cancer about the risks of covid-19." The study has received 340,000 from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), with additional funding from The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the sponsor for the study, which will be delivered with support from the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre. The study was developed through the Liverpool Health Partners (LHP) Cancer Programme as part of a unique cross-collaborative approach put in place to drive and support the development of cancer/covid-19 research projects. Professor Andrew Pettitt, Director of the LHP Cancer Programme, said: "CCP-CANCER-UK epitomises the collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to research that is being fostered and supported as part of the LHP Cancer Programme. By bringing together leading researchers in cancer and infection, this important new study will provide badly needed information on covid-19 outcomes in people with cancer and thereby help to shape public health policy during the chronic phase of the pandemic. Securing funding from UKRI is a significant achievement and reflects exemplary leadership and teamwork." ### Notes to Editor University of Liverpool Founded in 1881 as the original 'red brick', the University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research-intensive higher education institutions with an annual income of 577.7 million, including 98.6 million for research. Consistently ranked in the top 200 universities worldwide, Liverpool is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and has a global reach and influence that reflects its academic heritage as one of the country's largest civic institutions. The University has 33,500 students, 9,000 of whom travel from all over the world to study here, and a thriving community of 228,000 alumni in 171 countries. The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is one of the UK's leading cancer centres, employing more than 1,400 staff members and treating more than 30,000 patients each year with solid tumours and blood cancer. Combining world-class clinical services, research and academic excellence, we are one of the UK's leading providers of non-surgical cancer treatment including pioneering chemotherapy, radiotherapy and eye proton therapy. As well as caring for more than 2.4million people in Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, the Isle of Man and parts of Lancashire, our reputation and specialist services attract national and international cancer patients. In June 2020, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre will open a brand new, specialist cancer hospital in Liverpool city centre. The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Liverpool is part of a 162million investment in cancer care across the region. The eleven-storey building, situated close to the University of Liverpool and Royal Liverpool University Hospital to improve patient access to specialist services and clinical trials. For more information, visit http://www.clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk or follow us on social media @CCCNHS. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR: * Funds, supports and delivers high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care * Engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research * Attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future * Invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services * Partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR supports applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, using UK aid from the UK government. UK Research and Innovation UK Research and Innovation is a new body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. We aim to maximise the contribution of each of our component parts, working individually and collectively. We work with our many partners to benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas.?https://www.ukri.org/ Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than 7 billion, UK Research and Innovation brings together the Arts and Humanities Research Council; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Economic and Social Research Council; Innovate UK; Medical Research Council; Natural Environment Research Council; Research England; and Science and Technology Facilities Council. Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Hon. George Mireku Duker has explained the significance of the Agyapa Royalties deal that has become a bone of contention between the Majority and Minority in Parliament. The Minority walked out on the deal in Parliament citing reasons that the deal is shrouded in secrecy. They also claim the deal is a conflict of interest because of the selection of Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo's son and relative of President Akufo-Addo and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as part of the Agyapa Royalties deal. Senior Minister's Son & President's Cousin's Roles The Senior Minister's son named Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo and Gabby Otchere-Darko, a relative of the Finance Minister and the President of Ghana have been appointed as members of the Agyapa Mineral Royalties firm to handle the deal. The roles of these two gentlemen have been met with vehement opposition as members and leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as well as the Minority in Parliament share a strong opinion that the selection of the Senior Minister's son and President's cousin is a conflict of interest. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minority Spokesperson on Finance speaking on Joy News file programme, questioned the selection process asking ''was there a system in place that this government advertised for any Ghanaian to be able to have that opportunity; what type of recruitment process was done..?'' My Government Won't Respect Agyapa Deal Ex-President John Dramani Mahama says he will rescind the deal should he become President again. Mr. Mahama is the 2020 Presidential candidate for opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and hoping to win the votes of Ghanaians in the December polls. We will do everything legitimately in our power to oppose the agreement and make sure it doesnt happen, he said during a tour of the Upper West Region. Agyapa Deal To Solve Ghana's Unemployment Issues But according to the MIIF Chairman, George Mireku Duker, the deal is one of the best things to ever happen to Ghana because it will create lots of jobs for the populace. As Chairman of the entity in charge of the establishment of Agyapa Royalties Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle, Mr. Mireku Duker felt he was in a better position to tell Ghanaians the importance of the deal. The Special Purpose Vehicle, Agyapa Royalties Limited is to operate as an independent private sector entity to raise funds for the minerals sector. He stated emphatically that the deal will help generate adequate revenues to enhance infrastructural development of the nation. It is also aimed at setting up Ghanaian-owned mining companies to ensure the country's gold proceeds remain in the country and not be exploited to foreign lands. "We want to establish some Ghanaian-owned mining companies to invest into mining concessions to set up big mining companies to also undertake developmental projects in Ghana. This is to ensure our gold remains in Ghana for us to get local champions within the mining industry in Ghana," he stated on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. On the issue of equity share of the deal, Mr. Mireku Duker noted that the country isn't going to borrow from foreign mining entities as it's widely peddled around but rather the equity share means the government will be doing business with local and foriegn investors to buy shares from the Agyapa Royalties gold firm. This is to reap dividends to improve Ghana's economy, particularly the mining sector. He told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that ''the equity share means we have opened our gold company and if you're interested, then any entity in the world can invest in the company so we can open other mining companies within Africa and more especially Ghana in order to create employment opportunities for people and when we gain profits, we pay dividends to the shareholders. This will discourage the attitude of borrowing and pay interest which will become a burden for posterity. With this deal, we won't pay interest but rather dividends". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Curaleaf's 31st Location in Florida Will Bring Best-Selling Select Products to More Local Patients WAKEFIELD, Mass., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading vertically integrated cannabis operator in the United States and one of the largest cannabis operators in Florida, today announced the grand opening of Curaleaf Brandon, the company's 31st location in Florida. The new location, located at 846 E. Brandon Blvd, is the third new dispensary in the Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater metropolitan area this quarter. Curaleaf is committed to serving the growing base of 394,000 registered medical patients in Florida, which is one of the nation's fastest-growing medical cannabis markets in the country. In August, the company opened new dispensaries in Clearwater (2081 Gulf to Bay Blvd.) and South Tampa (3030 W. Gandy Blvd.). The company's strategic expansion in the Tampa Bay area will provide patients and caregivers expanded access to high-quality medical cannabis products, including Select, America's #1 cannabis oil brand. "We are committed to creating brands and innovative consumption formats that make cannabis accessible for all," said Joe Bayern, President at Curaleaf. "Our Florida patients have given us tremendously positive feedback on our Select and Curaleaf products and we are excited to extend our reach to new patients in the Tampa Bay area with new products, particularly edibles, recently approved by the Department of Health." In August, the company launched Select Elite Live, featuring high quality, high potency oil with a wide variety of strain-specific flavor and effects, which quickly became a record-breaking best-selling product in the state. The Curaleaf brand was first-to-market with the launch of their discreet, berry-flavored Sublingual Tablets - a Florida market exclusive. The company plans new product launches including Nano tinctures and edibles this quarter, featuring the nano-emulsification technology which provides a faster onset and more calibrated experience. The opening of Curaleaf's new stores in Florida comes as the state begins its economic recovery from COVID-19, which pushed Florida's unemployment rate from 2.8% in February 2020 to 10.4% in June 2020. Each of the new dispensaries have hired an average of 11 employees, bringing the total number of jobs created by Curaleaf across the state to 722. According to Leafly, the cannabis industry is adding jobs at a rate of 15% per year, accounting for 16,000 Florida residents that are currently employed by the cannabis industry. In response to COVID-19, Curaleaf offers curbside service upon request and contactless and cashless payment through approved credit and debit card services to keep patients, customers, and employees safe during this time. To see Curaleaf's dispensary locations in Florida, along with hours of operation and contact information, please visit www.curaleaf.com/locations/#florida. About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading vertically integrated U.S. multi-state cannabis operator with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 91 dispensaries, 22 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 3,000 people across the United States. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information please visit www.curaleaf.com. INVESTOR CONTACT Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Dan Foley, VP, Finance and Investor Relations [email protected] MEDIA CONTACT Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications [email protected] FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", " expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the retail expansion of Curaleaf in Florida. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed September 23, 2019, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Related Links https://www.curaleaf.com U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis So far, 156 countries have signed on to Covax, a WHO-backed effort to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines. The Trump administration has said the US won't participate, however, and China is also opting out. Health experts are concerned that the US's absence from Covax could hinder the country's access to vaccines developed in other countries. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In recent weeks, 156 countries have formally signed on to Covax, a major effort spearheaded by the World Health Organization to develop, manufacture, and distribute coronavirus vaccines. China and the US, however, both opted out. Instead, the two countries are focusing on funding vaccine research and development on their own, then striking deals with manufacturers to buy the resulting shots. But Covax is the only global initiative that aims to ensure a vaccine reaches vulnerable people in poorer nations. The countries that have signed on represent 64% of the global population, and 64 of them are wealthier nations like Canada, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. The US and China's lack of involvement could hamper the program's efforts, experts say. "With major countries like the US and China sitting on the sidelines, Covax won't have the financing and political muscle to assure global equity," Lawrence Gostin, a global health law professor at Georgetown University, told Vox. He added: "I still foresee millions of poor people not having rapid and affordable access to a COVID-19 vaccine." World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Fabrice COFFRINI/Getty Images President Donald Trump's administration has been vocal about its distrust of the WHO, calling the organization's coronavirus response "China-centric." In May, Trump announced the US would pull its funding and membership from the organization. But the decision to go it alone could come back to bite the US if its own domestic vaccine candidates fail, since opting out of Covax could limit the US's access to vaccines developed by other countries and to manufacturing facilities abroad. Story continues "It's a double-edged sword," Jennifer Huang Bouey, an epidemiologist and senior policy researcher at Rand Corp., told Business Insider. "It hurts the US, and it also probably hurts Covax." The US is betting on less-established types of vaccines Globally, developers are testing at least eight types of vaccines. The most established kinds involve inactivated or attenuated vaccines which rely on injections of weakened or inactivated virus to generate an immune response and subunit vaccines, which inject specific pieces of a pathogen that stimulate the immune system. The two strongest candidates in this traditional area so far are from the Chinese companies Sinopharm and Sinovac. Both are in phase-three trials, but neither is part of Covax. However, the initiative does have traditional candidates in clinical trials, including those from the University of Queensland in Australia and Clover Biopharmaceuticals in China. (Clover joined Covax independently even though China hasn't.) With its refusal to participate in COVAX, the US "basically let go of the most traditional, most mature technology that's a risk," Bouey said. That's because the US's two strongest candidates so far, from Moderna and a Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration, are mRNA vaccines, a type that's never before been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These vaccines use a technology called messenger RNA to create doses using only a virus' genetic code. A volunteer receives an injection of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the NIH and Moderna on July 27 in Binghamton, New York. AP Photo/Hans Pennink If successful, mRNA vaccines could be easier to produce and more effective than traditional ones, since they may prompt a stronger immune response and don't need to be incubated the way traditional vaccines do. But that's a big if there's a possibility the mRNA vaccines will trigger inadequate immune responses or come with harmful side effects. Moderna has joined Covax independently. The US could lose access to international manufacturing A big challenge authorities around the world are still tackling is how to manufacture and distribute a vaccine after it's been proven safe and effective. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation a foundation that funds vaccine research and is one of Covax's main backers announced in June that it had identified enough vaccine manufacturers to produce 4 billion doses in a year. The US's refusal to participate means it may lack access to that infrastructure. "It's really just US versus all these other countries," Bouey said. "The US will be left on its own." Fujifilm received a $265 million grant to help expand US vaccine-manufacturing capacity. Reuters The US's absence could limit Covax's manufacturing capacity as well, since the initiative could distribute more vaccines if it had access to more American facilities. The US's economy and reputation could suffer Even in a best-case scenario in which the US creates a successful vaccine, the country could suffer economic repercussions if it hoards all the doses, or if its supply chain can't effectively distribute extra doses worldwide. That's because countries without a vaccine would continue to struggle with the economic impacts of COVID-19, and their economic fates are intertwined with the US's. "We will continue to suffer the economic consequences lost US jobs if the pandemic rages unabated in allies and trading partners," Thomas Bollyky, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Washington Post earlier this month. Then there are larger long-term questions about the US's global reputation as a public-health leader, Bouey said. "Even during the height of the Cold War, US and Soviet Union scientists were working collaboratively with WHO on eradicating polio in 1950s to 1980s," she said. "Right now, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the US is really changing the track." Hilary Brueck contributed reporting. This story has been updated with new information. It was originally published September 3, 2020. Read the original article on Business Insider VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Trilogy Metals Inc. (TSX: TMQ) (NYSE American: TMQ) ("Trilogy Metals" or the "Company") announces that the Company has appointed Richard Gosse as Vice President Exploration, effective immediately. Mr. Gosse is a highly seasoned exploration geologist with 35 years of experience, including 15 years at the Vice President level, providing leadership to exploration teams with track records of discovery and delivering value in greenfield and brownfield environments. Previously, Mr. Gosse was the Senior Vice President Exploration at Dundee Precious Metals Inc. ("Dundee") where he provided leadership, exploration strategy and oversight of initiatives to achieve corporate targets to replace mine reserves with near mine discoveries in Bulgaria and Armenia. Prior to his time with Dundee, Mr. Gosse was the Vice President Exploration at Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (now Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd.) where he led the exploration efforts at the world class Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project in Mongolia. Mr. Gosse also represented Ivanhoe on management and exploration committees with Rio Tinto Plc and other partners and worked closely with independent exploration groups in Ivanhoe subsidiaries. Mr. Gosse earned his B.Sc. in Geology at Queens University and his M.Sc. in Mineral Exploration at Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. Tony Giardini, President and CEO of Trilogy, commented, "I am very pleased to welcome Richard to our management team. His track record of discovery and mineral resource growth will aid us as we work with our partners to focus on additional exploration opportunities in the highly prospective, world class, Ambler Mining District. His experience in collaborating with joint venture partners will be invaluable to the Company and I am very excited to have someone of Richard's stature join the Company." Richard Gosse commented, "The opportunity to join the Trilogy team is very exciting given the Company's ownership interest in the Ambler Mining District. I have had the good fortune to work on and around some of the most compelling projects in the world and I believe that the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects ("UKMP"), with the combination of large shallow high grade deposits and it's highly prospective land package, have the potential to become a world-class mining district. I look forward to working with all our partners in adding value to these projects." About Trilogy Metals Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metals exploration and development company which holds a 50 percent interest in Ambler Metals LLC which has a 100 percent interest in the UKMP in northwestern Alaska. On December 19, 2019, South32, which is a globally diversified mining and metals company, exercised its option to form a 50/50 joint venture with Trilogy. The UKMP is located within the Ambler Mining District which is one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts located in one of the safest geopolitical jurisdictions in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits which have been found to host high-grade copper and cobalt mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler mining district - the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within land package that spans approximately 172,636 hectares. The Company has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., a Regional Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler mining district in cooperation with local communities. Our vision is to develop the Ambler mining district into a premier North American copper producer. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included hereinare forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding perceived merit of properties; the exploration potential of the UKMP; and other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements involve various 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the uncertainties involving our assumptions with respect to the likelihood and timing of the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the development and operation of properties as well as the construction of the access road; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; risks of construction and mining projects such as accidents and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2019 filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The Company's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc. Related Links www.trilogymetals.com The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the married couple found dead after an apparent murder-suicide at a Stone Oak home Wednesday. Officers responded to the 800 block of Windhurst, within the Peak at Promontory gated community, around 12:45 p.m. There they found Gabriella Munevar Albright, 55, and Joseph Mark Albright, 67, dead inside a home. TIMELINE: Black jogger detained, arrested by San Antonio police speaks out An adult relative of one of the two individuals had not heard from them for 24 to 48 hours, police said. The relative grew concerned, went to the home, and discovered the bodies. Police are not currently looking for suspects and homicide detectives were still processing the scene late Wednesday afternoon. SAPD spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said the shooting appears to be a murder-suicide. Joseph Albright was found with a firearm. The Medical Examiner's Office has yet to identify the cause of death. RELATED: SAPD: 13-year-old boy dies after accidental shooting on the Northeast Side Gabby Mondragon learned of the shooting as she drove through the communitys gates Wednesday afternoon. Ive been living in this neighborhood for 15 years and never, ever heard of something like this happening here, Mondragon said. Oneonta, N.Y. -- SUNY Oneonta reported more than 100 new coronavirus cases overnight, bringing the total Thursday to nearly 400 active cases. As of Thursday morning, 389 students at the Upstate New York college have tested positive for Covid-19 since the fall semester began on Aug. 24. One hundred students are in isolation on campus and 54 students are in quarantine on campus. According to SUNY Oneontas website, students in quarantine are required to stay in one place to avoid spreading the virus, while students in isolation are placed in set a residence hall where Covid-positive students can be housed and cared for until they are no longer infectious. The school said it has tested more than 2,700 students as of Wednesday and would provide another update later Thursday. SUNY Oneonta moved all classes online for two weeks over the weekend after 105 cases were found on the Otsego County campus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent in a medical SWAT team to perform contact tracing and set up rapid coronavirus testing in the area. The State University of New York school, which has more than 6,000 students, was the first campus in the state to close because of an outbreak. Schools must close for two weeks if their cases increase above 100 or a number equal to 5% of their on-campus population of students and faculty, whichever is less, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week. Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig said Wednesday that most of the spread likely occurred during that first weekend. We had a number of house parties that took place on the first Saturday night and I knew right then on Saturday night we had the potential for trouble, and we did, Herzig told WKTV. SUNY Oneonta did not require students to take a coronavirus test before traveling to campus or test students on arrival on campus. That decision followed guidelines set by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which warned that students might take negative tests as a sign they could party freely. Healthy students are unlikely to feel the worst impact of the virus, but outbreaks raise concerns about spreading the virus to more vulnerable people, including faculty, parents and members of the community. Hartwick College, which is also located in Oneonta, said it would move its classes online for two weeks to protect members of its campus community. As of Thursday, more than 6 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S. and more than 186,000 deaths. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:16:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia will impose an entry ban on countries deemed "high risks" of COVID-19, which have recorded more than 150,000 confirmed cases, a senior official said Thursday. Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinates the implementation of restrictive measures against COVID-19, said among the list were the United States, Brazil, France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Bangladesh, as well as three countries announced previously, namely India, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to state news agency Bernama. The entry ban will be in effect starting Sept. 7. "We will add more countries deemed high-risk, which have more than 150,000 positive cases, into the list. Their citizens will be barred (from entering Malaysia). "However, for emergency cases or involving bilateral relations, such as if a person needs to come for a meeting between countries, we will allow entry. But it requires permission from the Immigration Department," he said. He added that the Health Ministry would be announcing the details on countries being listed in the entry ban. Malaysians returning from these countries will be allowed to enter but will have to observe a 14-day mandatory quarantine. Currently, Malaysia only allows foreigners holding certain long-term passes or visas to enter. Foreign tourists are still not allowed so as to avoid imported cases. Earlier this week, Malaysia has announced an entry ban on those from India, Indonesia and the Philippines citing spikes of new COVID-19 cases in these countries. The restrictions also apply to permanent residents, "Malaysia My Second Home" (MM2H) program pass holders, expatriates, spousal visa holders and foreign students. Meanwhile, Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement on Thursday that 14 new COVID-19 infections were detected, bringing the national total to 9,374. Four of the new cases are imported and 10 are local transmissions. Another four cases have been released, bringing the total cured and discharged to 9,083 or 96.9 percent of all cases. Of the remaining 163 active cases, four are being held in intensive care and three of those are in need of assisted breathing. No new deaths have been reported, leaving the total deaths at 128. Enditem 1 killed, 4 students kidnapped as gunmen invade school, church in Nigeria Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. By Caitlin Johnstone September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Just in the last few days Israel has reportedly dropped cluster munitions and white phosphorus on southern Lebanon, bombed Gaza, and fired missiles on Damascus, because Israel is a nation whose existence depends on unceasing military violence. In order for Israel to continue existing as the imperialist apartheid state that it is, it needs to wage war in all directions at all times, both against its neighbors and against the increasingly brutalized Palestinian population. If the bombings end, so too does Israel as we know it, because the regional population will never stand for its oppression, tyranny, and multiple illegal occupations. Peace and Israel are therefore two mutually exclusive concepts. You can have peace or you can have todays Israel; you cant have both. Over the last few days alone, Israel fired white phosphorus on South Lebanon; bombarded the open air prison of Gaza; and today dropped bombs on #Syrias capital city of Damascus. And as per usual, Western media is silent and the international community is nowhere to be found. Sarah Abdallah (@sahouraxo) August 31, 2020 A nation that cannot exist without ceaseless war is not actually a nation at all: its an ongoing military operation with some suburbs and schools mixed in. A nation that cannot exist without constant war is like a house that cant exist without constant construction: if your house needed 24/7/365 construction work in order to remain standing, youd either completely redesign the way its built or you would move. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter This is true of Israel, and on a larger scale it is true of the globe-spanning, empire-like oligarchic world order that is loosely centralized around the United States. This US-centralized empire, of which Israel is a part, is entirely dependent upon endless war for survival. If military violence ceased to be a tool which power structures could use to enact their agendas, this empire would necessarily cease to exist, because thered be nothing to stop nations from exercising their sovereignty on the world stage. Currencies, resources and commerce would begin moving along completely different channels. This would bring an end not just to the US empire, but to the United States as we know it. Without the ability to bully and punish the world into alignment with its agendas, the US, if it continued to exist at all to any extent, would be completely unrecognizable. Whatever remained would be forced to develop a completely different kind of economy, because the US attained its economic supremacy not by means of the free market as some capitalism cultists like to imagine, but by rivers of human blood The US economy, if you can even call it that, is upheld not just by an incomprehensible web of debt and bureaucratic fiat, but by a petrodollar agreement on arms manufacturing and military alliances, by endless acts of mass-scale brutality, and by the most sophisticated propaganda machine ever to exist. The United States of America is built on war, is made of war, and is sustained by war. If the wars end, America as we know it ends. I point this out partly because those of us who live within any part of the US-centralized empire should probably be aware that the lifestyles to which we are accustomed are built upon a steadily growing mountain of human bones. I also point this out because I think its important for those who claim they desire peace to be absolutely clear about what it is they are asking for. A sincere desire for peace means wanting the end of the slaughter of human beings who live in other parts of the world more than you want your personal status quo to be maintained. A lot of people who think of themselves as anti-war arent actually comfortable with the idea of the United States losing its position of unipolar domination over the affairs of our planet and taking a chance on a world without US imperialism. When it comes down to the brass tacks of what peace really is and what it really means, many of the people whose lives are floated by the deluge of human blood dont actually want it. But at the very least they should be real with themselves about that. At the very least they should admit to themselves that beneath their antiwar facades they are clinging tooth and claw to a paradigm whose brick and mortar are relentless acts of mass murder. Meditations On Peace "The craziest and most destructive way we do this is with war, which is made possible by this same weird cognitive bias toward form over emptiness."https://t.co/fl9kMiIWmR Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) August 31, 2020 Peace is necessarily a leap into the unknown. If you desire peace, you desire a world that is unlike the one that exists now and unlike any that have ever existed before. If you really want thisif youve actually internally grappled with its reality on a deep and visceral level and you still truly want itthis will necessarily change you as a person. And it will change you for the better. It will make you a much more integrally honest person, because you have faced the reality of your situation head-on and still chosen the highest interest. Just as our lifestyles are built on endless war, our lives are transformed by a true reckoning with an authentic desire for peace. This transformation is part of the same movement as our collective transformation from a self-destructive species to a species that collaborates harmoniously with itself and with its ecosystem. To participate in that inward transformation is a human beings highest calling. We cannot continue as we have. Our species will either drastically transform its behavior or it will go extinct. Time to take a leap into the unknown, and take a chance on peace. Be among the first to take the plunge. Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. https://caitlinjohnstone.com PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Garfield Refining, a gold and precious-metal refinery located in North Philadelphia, recently donated 240 N95 Masks to Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers, a nonprofit organization that is actively caring for patients during the COVID-19 crisis. Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers is an organization dedicated to providing culturally competent comprehensive primary care, and state of the art HIV and Hepatitis C primary care to low income members of the community, along with research, consumer education, advocacy, social services and outreach to people living with HIV, Hepatitis C, and those who are at high risk. 100 of the masks will be given specifically to FIGHT Family Dentistry, which provides comprehensive and emergency dental treatment for at risk and low-income community members, and has been actively treating patients throughout the pandemic. For over 128 years, Garfield Refining has worked with a variety of businesses and has recycled dental metals and dental scrap for general practices, dental service organizations, and dental labs. "Covid-19 has challenged our communities from every angle, and it's important for us all to come together where we can, to help weather this storm. With our close ties to the dental industry, and our long standing roots in the Philadelphia community, all of us at Garfield Refining are proud to support Philadelphia FIGHT in their mission to provide affordable health and dental services to those most in need. We applaud their steadfast efforts and all that they do for our community," said Morgan Kerrissey, President of Garfield Refining. Garfield Refining is supplying the masks for staff at FIGHT to help reduce the spread of the novel Coronavirus and ensure access to high quality medical and dental care for the people in our community who need it most during these difficult times. Garfield Refining will be supplying masks to additional dental practices throughout the fall. To learn more about Garfield Refining, visit GarfieldRefining.com. To learn more about Philadelphia FIGHT visit Fight.org. For More Information: Garrett Ettinger 267.297.2840 [email protected] 810 E. Cayuga Street, Philadelphia PA 19124 SOURCE Garfield Refining Company Related Links http://www.garfieldrefining.com/ Telangana reached yet another milestone this Kharif season by raising crops in a whopping 1.36 crore acres, which is the highest in the country, percentage-wise. That it seems to be slowly turning into the rice bowl of India is borne out by the quantum of the staple the Food Corporation of India sourced from the state during the last Rabi seasonas much as half of the total procurement across the country. In a complete turnaround within six years, ever since the formation of Telangana in 2014, the state has proved its naysayers wrong. One of the arguments against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was that people in Telangana would be pushed to starvation as its farmers did not know how to raise a decent crop. The green revolution kicked in after CM K Chandrashekar Rao took up big-ticket projects like Mission Kakatiya (revival of irrigation tanks) and construction of the mega Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project. Though the ayacut under Kaleshwaram originally envisaged is yet to be achieved, feeding water to various ongoing irrigation projects by diverting the Godavari through the lift irrigation scheme is clearly helping North Telangana enhance its crop area. Besides his thrust on irrigation, KCR offered 24x7 free power supply to agriculture pump sets and Rs10,000 to farmers for each acre of cultivated land under the Rythu Bandhu (investment support) scheme. That apart, nature was kind to Telangana. Though the opposition is trying to underplay the achievement, saying credit should go to the Rain God and the projects constructed during their tenure in power, good rains on earlier occasions did not translate into enhanced crop area the way it has this year. That said, the government should watch out for black swans in the form of price crashing as bumper production could lead to a glut in the market. Helping farmers get good yield is one thing but ensuring an equally good price for it is another. The government should quickly strengthen marketing facilities to prevent distress sale. The CM should also ensure equitable development by speeding up the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation scheme, which would benefit South Telangana. WASHINGTON The Justice Department plans to bring an antitrust case against Google as soon as this month, after Attorney General William P. Barr overruled career lawyers who said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the worlds wealthiest, most formidable technology companies, according to five people briefed on internal department conversations. Justice Department officials told lawyers involved in the antitrust inquiry into Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, to wrap up their work by the end of September, according to three of the people. Most of the 40-odd lawyers who had been working on the investigation opposed the deadline. Some said they would not sign the complaint, and several of them left the case this summer. Some argued this summer in a memo that ran hundreds of pages that they could bring a strong case but needed more time, according to people who described the document. Disagreement persisted among the team over how broad the complaint should be and what Google could do to resolve the problems the government uncovered. The lawyers viewed the deadline as arbitrary. While there were disagreements about tactics, career lawyers also expressed concerns that Mr. Barr wanted to announce the case in September to take credit for action against a powerful tech company under the Trump administration. Following are the latest Corporate Social Responsibility news releases and story ideas available from Business Wire. These recaps, curated by Business Wire, provide reporters and bloggers around the globe instant access to the latest news releases, providing relevant and trending content to share with their audiences. Discover more news via Business Wires Hot Topic recaps or create a custom news feed specific to your needs here. This service is provided at no charge to members of the media and financial communities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005140/en/ RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Lenovo Announces New Ambitious Science-Based Targets, Achieves 10-year Climate Milestone Source: Lenovo RESTON, Va. -- The Internet Society Foundation Announces New Research Grants Exploring Future of the Internet Source: Internet Society Foundation BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Walmart, Sams Club and the Walmart Foundation Announce Relief and Recovery Efforts to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Laura Source: Walmart Inc. LAKELAND, Fla. -- Publix & Publix Super Markets Charities Announce 2020 Hunger Relief Milestones in Recognition of Hunger Action Month Source: Publix AMSTERDAM -- Tommy Hilfiger Accelerates Sustainability Journey With Ambitious Make it Possible Program Source: Tommy Hilfiger ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Hannon Armstrong Donates $100,000 to Organizations Addressing Racial Injustice and Voting Rights Source: Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ATLANTA -- Mercedes-Benz USA and 2017 US Open Winner and Ambassador Sloane Stephens Partner for Ace the US Open Initiative Source: Mercedes-Benz USA JACKSON, Miss. -- Molpus Conserves Working Forest in North Idaho Source: The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC CHICAGO -- Grant Thornton launches new commitments to bolster diversity, equity and inclusion Source: Grant Thornton LLP TORONTO -- Facedrives TraceSCAN Receives Media Coverage for COVID-19 Tracing Wearables Alternative for the Construction Industry Source: Facedrive Inc. PHILADELPHIA -- Offering a Second Chance, Urban League of Philadelphia & Aramark Give Formerly Incarcerated a Path Toward Economic & Social Mobility Source: Aramark and the Urban League of Philadelphia MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Prepare for a Record-Breaking Hurricane Season During COVID-19 Source: ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. TORONTO -- Facedrives TraceSCAN selected by Riverside Natural Foods for COVID19 Solution Implementation Source: Facedrive Inc. TOKYO -- IGES: Contribution to the Online Platform for Sustainable and Resilient Recovery From COVID-19 Source: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) CHICAGO -- Equity Residential Joins CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Source: Equity Residential JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bacardi in Jacksonville Recognized for Environmental Excellence by Wildlife Habitat Council Source: Bacardi Bottling Corporation TORONTO -- Facedrive Foods to Roll Out Services in Scarborough and Downtown Toronto Source: Facedrive Inc. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hexion to Sponsor Start Line at 2020 American Heart Associations Central Ohio Virtual Heart Walk; Columbus Associates Walk Virtually Together the Distance to San Jose, Costa Rica Source: Hexion Inc. MIDLAND, Texas -- Concho Resources Inc. Publishes Inaugural 2020 Sustainability Report Source: Concho Resources Inc. TORONTO -- Facedrive Health Launches BLE Connect App on Google Play Store and Apple Store to Pair with TraceSCAN Wearable Technology Source: Facedrive Inc. RADNOR, Pa. -- Actions Speak Louder: Lincoln Financial Group Takes Steps to Improve Lives, Communities and the Environment Source: Lincoln Financial Group TORONTO -- Facedrive Enters Into Strategic Partnership and Investment Agreement With Tally, Gamification Platform Founded by Super Bowl-Winning QB Russell Wilson Source: Facedrive Inc. About Business Wire Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in news release distribution and regulatory disclosure. Investor relations, public relations, public policy and marketing professionals rely on Business Wire for secure and accurate distribution of market-moving news and multimedia. Founded in 1961, Business Wire is a trusted source for news organizations, journalists, investment professionals, and regulatory authorities, delivering news directly into editorial systems and leading online news sources via its multi-patented NX Network. Business Wire has 18 newsrooms worldwide to meet the needs of communications professionals and news media. Learn more at www.businesswire.com. Follow us on Twitter @businesswire. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005140/en/ WILTON Tropical Storm Isaias left its mark on Wilton a month ago, and there is still plenty of evidence left in the form of wires that still hang in a low loop over roads, some even tied to trees. The wires are the lowest that are strung from utility poles, typically cable and phone wires, according to police Capt. Rob Cipolla. Nevertheless, he said people should not touch them and treat them like live wires. Its obvious they are aware of it, he said of the cable and phone companies, but as long a people have service, there apparently is no urgency to remedy each situation. In some cases, wires hang loosely across a road, and in some cases they are even tied to a tree to hold them up high enough for cars to pass underneath. That is the case on Hickory Hill Road and Catalpa Road. Of Catalpa, Cipolla said, weve called the cable and phone companies multiple times. During a conversation on Monday, Cipolla said he drove along Catalpa on Saturday and found it looked like they strung it up so a bus could get through. Hickory Hill, he said, was one of the last locations to be opened up. Im pretty certain we heard from the bus company on that. Cipolla said police have been in touch with the bus service regarding any transportation issues. Neither First Student bus company nor the school districts transportation department responded to a request for information on whether buses would be impeded by wires when school opens next week. Cipolla said people concerned about the wires can call their service providers or do as many others have done, report the issue through the SeeClickFix app. The app sends a message to town officials who then respond to residents. It appears police do not have a more direct means of contacting cable companies than their customers. When we call our line to report those types of issues, its basically a call center, he said where information goes into a database. Its cleanup work, he said. Service is going and the roads are passable. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks rose on Thursday as the euro extended its losing run to the longest since June and the French government said it will unveil a 100 billion stimulus package, representing 4 percent on French GDP, to kick start the economy hit hard by the global Covid-19 health crisis. Meanwhile, investors shrugged off a pair of disappointing economic reports. Eurozone service activity barely expanded in August but the PMI reading came in above the flash reading, indicating improving conditions. IHS Markit's Eurozone services purchasing managers index stood at 50.5 in August versus 54.7 in July. That marked a slight increase from the flash reading of 50.1. Separately, Eurozone retail sales fell unexpectedly in July on weak non-food products turnover, data from Eurostat showed. Retail sales declined 1.3 percent month-on-month, following a 5.3 percent rise in June. This was the first drop in three months and confounded expectations for an increase of 1.5 percent. On a yearly basis, growth in retail sales slowed to 0.4 percent from 1.3 percent in June. Economists had forecast an annual growth of 3.5 percent. Elsewhere, a closely-watched survey showed the U.K.'s services sector experienced its sharpest rise in business activity in more than five years in August. IHS Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) reading for the services sector came in at 58.8 in August, up from 56.5 in July, and sharply higher than the record low of 13.4 in April. The pan European Stoxx 600 rose 1 percent to 374.98 after climbing 1.7 percent on Wednesday. The German DAX rallied 1.3 percent, France's CAC 40 index jumped 1.8 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.7 percent. SAP SE shares rose half a percent. The Competition and Markets Authority has launched its merger inquiry regarding the anticipated acquisition by Sinch of the SAP Digital Interconnect Unit from SAP. Siemens Healthineers tumbled 3.6 percent after raising 2.73 billion euros ($3.22 billion) from a share sale to help finance its planned takeover of U.S. peer Varian. Sanofi shares gained more than 1 percent. The French drugmaker and its British peer GlaxoSmithKline announced the start of Phase 1/2 clinical trial for their adjuvanted Covid-19 vaccine, with total of 440 healthy adults being enrolled across 11 investigational sites in the United States. GlaxoSmithKline rose half a percent. Capgemini SE rallied 2.4 percent. The consulting and IT services provider projected revenue growth at constant exchange rates of between 12.5 percent and 14.0 percent for 2020. Melrose Industries surged as much as 11.5 percent. After reporting a pretax loss of 685 million pounds for the six months ended 30 June 2020, the turnaround specialist noted that its trading over the summer months has been at the higher end of the Board's expectations, particularly in automotive and key Nortek markets. RPS Group, an energy and environment consultancy company, jumped nearly 13 percent after launching an accelerated fundraising. Travel and leisure stocks were moving higher on hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine. EasyJet soared 5.4 percent, International Consolidated Airlines Group jumped 5.9 percent and TUI advanced 4.3 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Srija Chatterjee has put in her papers at Publicis Worldwide according to sources. She was Managing Director for the companys India operations including Publicis Ambience, Publicis Capital, Publicis Beehive, Publicis Health and Publicis Business. According to media reports, she put in her papers in August and is currently serving her notice period. Chatterjees industry experience spans over two decades and includes leadership roles across India and Singapore managing key regional and multinational brands across markets. She is an award-winner in her own right, having led integrated cross-disciplinary teams across digital, PR, shopper and activation for local, regional and global brands alike. She started her career in 1993 at Hindustan Thompson Associates (Wunderman Thompson). Meanwhile, in a statement issued, Publicis has confirmed that Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India will be moving on from the organisation. It also added that there will be no further additions to the PWW leadership team with this movement. The Groupe recently announced the integration of BBH and a joint leadership team of Subhash Kamath and Russell Barrett to oversee BBH-PWW. Commenting on Chatterjees move, Subhash Kamath, CEO, BBH-PWW, said, We thank Srija for all her contribution to PWW and wish her all the very best in her future endeavours. Publicis Worldwide stands at an important growth juncture and with very talented teams and a robust brand portfolio already in place, we will continue to build on the momentum. Srija will be missed. The 34th Digital Economy and Telecommunications Meeting (organized by AMETIC from 2 to 4 September, together with Banco Santander and with the support of the Menendez Pelayo International University (UIMP)), was attended on Thursday 3 September by Arturo Azcorra, Director of IMDEA Networks, Professor of Telematic Engineering at the Carlos III University of Madrid and Vice-President of 5TONIC. The event, held this year in Santander, Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga, in a hybrid (digital and on-site) and multi-site format, had top-level representatives from national and international businesses and institutions. "Digitalization and Sustainability for Reconstruction. Now or never", is the slogan of this edition, and Azcorra participated in the meeting "Challenges and Opportunities of 5G in digital transformation". Maria Teresa Arcos, Director General of Telecommunications and Organization of Audiovisual Communication Services, presented the event which was moderated by Federico Ruiz, Director of the 5G National Observatory, with the presence of Narcis Cardona, Professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Director of the Master's Degree in Mobile Communications and Director of the UPV's Institute for Research into Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM), and Luis Manuel Diaz de Teran, Director of the Altran Spain Telecommunications and Services Division. The director of IMDEA Networks expressed his appreciation for the ESFRI program's SLICES pan-European research infrastructure, ("if approved, it will be the FIRST funded pan-European research infrastructure for the ICT sector"), as well as Spanish support. "I would like to publicly thank the Secretary General for Science Policy Coordination, Rafael Rodrigo, for the Spanish government's formal support". But he also highlighted the need to invest not only in public research programs in 5G, but in research in the ICT sector in general: "Since 2013, the European Union has spent 700 million euros on 5G research. Germany, France, Finland and other countries have launched strong public 5G research programs, while in Spain, with the exception of Catalonia, we have had no public 5G research programs. At the same time, zero euros have been earmarked for ICT research from the recently approved, 1-billion-euro Action Plan for Science." Azcorra expressed this support for future strategy: "For these reasons, we would like to ask the Minister for Science and Innovation to consider for future actions in science, in particular on the basis of the recovery fund, whether it would be appropriate to include specific R&D programs in 6G, ...as Finland, Sweden, Germany and other countries around us are already doing. I believe that the great economic importance of the ICT sector and its enormous contribution to alleviating the effects of the COVID crisis justify specific research programs for the ICT sector." A contribution from science and technology to strategies for essential economic, industrial and social reconstruction. ### President Akufo-Addo in his 16th address to the nation on measures taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic announced the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport for international flights. As part of measures for the reopening, travellers arriving in the country are expected to pay US$150 for a mandatory COVID-19 test. This fee has however been criticized. A few have suggested that it should be reduced for Ghanaian travellers. But Kweku Baako says it will be strange to be able to bear the cost of travelling outside the country and not be able to pay $150. "We are a nation of too many talkatives but we prefer that to a culture of silence. The 150 is too much so what should we do? too much? should it be free? Already there are too many free things. If Ive travelled abroad and cant pay 150; it will be very strange. Making all sorts of comparisons and weve been invited to come and talk, too much talking," he said on Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo'. He says "the leaders have been elected and given the mandate to lead" and that "had Nkrumah listened to everyone, he couldnt have developed this nation the way he did". Justification According to Mr Baako, the decision to fix the testing fee at $150 was well thought through by professionals. "Those in charge, the executive; political leadership in collaboration with the management team which has been set not just politicals but professionals who determined and decided that KIA be opened 1 September; they didn't have to go for a referendum; thats why we have a leadership," he added. Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye has justified the amount saying it is less compared to other countries. With the turnaround time and accuracy of the test assured, we had to decide whether the $150 was enough to cover all the expenses. We finally agreed to peg it at that for now . . . when you go to a place like Zimbabwe you will pay about $210 for the test. In China, you will pay about $150 for the test. In Togo and Benin you will pay about 150 euros and in Nigeria, it is 130 dollars but you will have to go to a hotel and lodge till the results are ready". Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The 15-year-old Jalandhar girl, who bravely fought off two motorcycle-borne snatchers when they tried to flee with her smartphone recently, says fear was the last thing on her mind, rather she was concerned that she wouldnt be able to attend her online classes if they succeeded. My father is a daily wager. He earns around 300 a day and our family is facing difficult times during the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, he bought the smartphone on instalments two months ago so that I could attend my online classes, says Kusum Kumari, a resident of Fatehpuri Mohalla in Jalandhar. My 18-year-old brother had to drop out of school due to our financial condition. He now works as a driver. But my father wants me to study and I want to make him proud by becoming an IAS officer one day, she says. My father didnt want technology to come in the way of my education and I knew he wouldnt be able to afford another phone so my studies would get affected if the snatchers had their way. Those were the thoughts racing in my mind as I desperately fought the snatchers, says the teenager. LEARNING TAEKWONDO HELPED Kusum suffered a wrist injury in the incident at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar near the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road after the pillion rider on the motorcycle, Avinash Kumar, 23, snatched her phone when she was returning home from tuition on Sunday afternoon. She ran behind them and didnt give up even when she was attacked with a knife. In the meantime, a bystander overpowered the pillion rider. Ive been learning taekwondo for three months so that helped, she says. ACCUSED OUT ON BAIL DUE TO COVID PANDEMIC While Avinash was arrested, absconding motorcycle driver Vinod Kumar, 22, of Railway Quarters was also booked under Sections 307 and 379-B of Indian Penal Code. Avinash, who already has seven criminal cases against him, was released on bail from the local jail in July to prevent overcrowding amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The first case against him was registered in 2016. This is the fifth case of snatching against him. Vinod Kumar faces four cases, including three snatchings. He was also released from jail two months ago. Both the accused became friends in the jail. Vinods family members are also on run since he was booked in this case. Police sources said he took to crime to make easy money after the death of his father a few years ago. Both the accused belong to poverty-stricken families. POLITICIANS MAKE A BEELINE Meanwhile, Kusum is getting free treatment at a private hospital in Jalandhar and people, including local politicians, are making a beeline to meet the gritty girl. The local administration has given her 51,000 as a reward and is recommending her name for state and national bravery awards. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A headteacher will next week begin handing down fines to cautious parents who refuse to send their children back to classrooms. Tina Wilkinson revealed that 25 pupils were absent from St Andrew's Primary School in Lancashire yesterday, despite her repeated warnings of penalties. Mrs Wilkinson told MailOnline her school has a historic problem with attendance and has enforced a zero-tolerance approach even if does 'not make me popular'. Fines are doled out after five absent days, meaning their parents have until Tuesday to either send their children to lessons, register to home-school or face the hefty charges. While she said she does not especially agree with the concept of fining, the headteacher of 17 years conceded that they are effective. She insisted robust measures were in place to make classrooms Covid-secure, but remained sympathetic to the fears weighing on parents. As millions of pupils across England and Wales return to school this week, some parents remain nervous about the presence of the virus and have chosen to home-school their children. Mother-of-two Kerrie Stanford from Suffolk today revealed she was planning to educate her children from home for the next two years as she was terrified of the prospect of falling ill with the virus. Typically, children can only be absent if they are sick or have prior permission from the headteacher and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said fines will be handed down as a 'last resort'. Parents whose children are marked with an unauthorised absence can be handed a 60 fine, doubling to 120 if not paid within three weeks - with the threat of prosecution if the charges are continually avoided. Parents are entitled to home-school their children but must communicate this desire with the local authority to remove them from the school's register. But Mrs Wilkinson said her school had parents who wanted their child to remain registered yet are still keeping them at home. She told ITV's This Morning: 'From our point of view, we do have a problem with attendance, a lot of the children don't come to school regularly and on time and that's not fair to us and to the teachers when we're trying to get things done. 'And although I wouldn't say that I particularly agree with fining, it does work and it's a choice - one or the other. It can't be an in-between thing.' She stressed that efforts have been ramped up to shield her pupils from the risk of contamination, including hand-washing stations, pedal bins, giving children their own packs and scrapping whole-school assemblies. Similar measures to make schools Covid-secure have been adopted by teachers across the country as millions of pupils in England returned this week. Tina Wilkinson revealed that 25 pupils were absent from St Andrew's Primary School in Lancashire yesterday, despite her repeated warnings of penalties Yet mother-of-two Ms Stanford remains unconvinced about the standards of safety and is planning to home-school her children for two years. She has also banned sons Zac, nine, and Danny, seven, from meeting their friends except for via Xbox or on Zoom. She told This Morning: 'If we have to self-isolate then our finances will tank and we will lose everything 'That's obviously part of it, none of us want to get ill anyway... perfectly healthy people are suffering with long Covid and it's just not a risk we want to take. She added: 'We're not fully isolating we are going out for walks regularly, they're not (seeing their friends) and they do speak through the Xbox and Zoom calls and if the numbers drop they can see their friends over the weekend if we keep a distance. 'The reason Im not taking that risk is every day we're learning new things about it and we just don't know enough. 'We don't know what will happen when they're all back together and shoved back together.' To the surprise of many This Morning viewers, the mother said she was planning to home-school her children for two years. She added: 'We're looking at doing this for a couple of years at least, thanks to modern technology the curriculum can be found online. 'I already know from the school the subjects they would have been learning and we will use those as our main topics.' Millions of children across England and Wales are going back to school this week, following the return to lessons of pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland. As the rate of infection gathered pace in March, Boris Johnson made the decision to close the schools. Sending pupils back to school became a 'national priority' for the government as the pandemic began to wane and the country emerged from lockdown. Kerrie Stanford from Suffolk, has also banned sons Zac, nine, and Danny, seven, from meeting their friends except for via Xbox or on Zoom But ministers faced constant hurdles, including opposition from some teacher union bosses who urged their members not to go back to work. In August, a survey by the Office for National Statistics showed that two-thirds of parents were nervous about sending their children back to school while Covid-19 remained present. Ministers made repeated assurances about children's safety, but confidence ebbed away from the government in the wake of the exams fiasco. As parental fears threatened to scupper the return to school, England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, made a rare broadcast appearance to allay concerns. He stressed that the chances of children catching coronavirus in schools was minimal and, for primary school pupils, the risk was actually less in classrooms. He added that the long-term damage of missing lessons far outweighed any tangible health risks. Schools have been working over the summer to make their classrooms Covid-secure and enforce social distancing. After a government climbdown, headteachers also have the discretion to require face coverings, although this is not compulsory. Shay Mueller of Rusk, Texas, started making homecoming mums when she was in high school. "Growing up, you always had a mum - and the bigger the better," Mueller, 47, said. ONLY IN TEXAS: Houston-area students celebrate Texas homecoming tradition with outrageous mums Her homecoming mum business started out as a hobby that she turned into a side hustle. Her latest designs delicately personalized, novelty face mask homecoming mumshave drawn attention far outside her small Texas town, leading to a major boom in business. "I was laying in bed one night and it just literally popped into my head," Mueller said. "Everyone is having to wear masks, [so the mask mums are] as a keepsake for homecoming 2020." Mueller's new take on face masks is the perfect homage to the over-the-top Texas tradition of homecoming mums in the age of the coronavirus. After she shared a photo of her masks - she conducts all of her homecoming business orders through her personal Facebook page - her post reached more than 3,000 people in a matter of days. "My jaw dropped," Mueller said of the response. "Since then I have been getting messages and calls from [all over.] I have orders in Kentucky, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, all over Texas of course." On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston designers and artists apply skills to create stylish masks Mueller's mum masks start at $13 and range in price depending on request. She said it takes her about three days to finish a mask. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a face mask mandate earlier this summer after COVID-19 infections starting spiking around the state. Some Houston designers responded by creating stylish face masks, contributing to what some may call the new fashion trend for 202o. For more on Mueller's mum masks, visit her Facebook page here. rebecca.hennes@chron.com Crunchy, complex: Cornell releases three new apples GENEVA, N.Y. - This fall, apple lovers can look forward to three new varieties from the oldest apple breeding program in the U.S. -- located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). On Sept. 2, Susan Brown, the Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Science, and research specialist Kevin Maloney announced the release of NY56, NY73 and NY109 - marketed as Cordera, Pink Luster and Firecracker, respectively. As an open-release, orchards in New York state and across the U.S. will be able to grow the new varieties without licensing exclusivity. Brown said this gives growers a competitive edge by allowing them to replace older apples with what today's consumers want -- crunch, complexity and a new twist on an American classic. With Cordera, Brown accomplished a challenging task: breeding an apple that retains both its flavor and texture while also staying scab resistant. Apple scab is a fungal disease that significantly reduces fruit yield and quality, and poses a major threat for New England growers because it's common in wet springs. In addition to test plots in orchards across New York state, Wegmans has also been testing Cordera in Canandaigua, New York, for five years. "Having access to the varieties that Susan Brown and Cornell are working on allows us to look into the future in way that will hopefully expose our customers to new and unique food experiences," said Mark Bowker, orchard crop expert at Wegmans Organic Farm. "For us, disease resistance makes the performance of NY 56 stand out in our orchard. Of course, it always comes down to flavor, and we think it has that too." Brown spent 23 years working with the best attributes of Honeycrisp and Gala apples to perfect Pink Luster. Its bright pink-red skin, crisp texture and juiciness make this new variety shine. Pink Luster also matures in mid-September, which makes it well-suited for on-farm sales and U-pick operations. Firecracker is being dubbed a "triple threat" - it's one of few varieties that works well for eating, baking and hard cider production. "Firecracker has a partial russet skin, and it has a unique combination of acidity and sweetness that produces really complex and evolving flavors," Brown said. "It's ideal for anyone who wants to go on a culinary adventure." With the addition of Cordera, Pink Luster and Firecracker, CALS will have released more than 69 apple varieties since 1880. The most recent varieties from Brown's breeding program, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, have been highly successful with growers across the state and are also exported to markets in Canada, Israel and Asia. "Research and thorough testing are crucial in making a really good apple, but that takes a whole team," Brown said. "Research specialist Kevin Maloney, the Cornell AgriTech Field crew, researchers at Cornell AgriTech and the School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York apple industry all deserve credit in collaborating to help deliver varieties that support the apple industry." ### This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CINCINNATI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincom Systems, Inc., a global supplier of enterprise software solutions, announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Covenant Technology Partners to implement CPQSync by Cincom. According to Susan Fine, Cincom Director of Channels and North American Sales, "With Covenant's focus on maximizing their client's investment in Microsoft technologies, they are a great partner for CPQSync by Cincom, which further extends the value." Cincom Building upon Cincom's 25-plus years of CPQ experience, CPQSync is a fully SaaS, cloud-based solution that delivers an unprecedented way for companies to take the frustration out of buying and selling complex products and services. With CPQSync, businesses can: Get more from their Microsoft Dynamics 365 investment CPQSync is a native, Microsoft Azure, multi-tenant solution fully embedded within Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE for a seamless experience (no popups or new windows). The solution is integrated with Microsoft F&O (Finance and Operations) and leverages Microsoft Power Platform. Sync sales with business Save time by eliminating informational silos and generating professional, branded proposals. Sync teams across departments, divisions and regions Easily work together from the same playbook. Sync data sources Gain clear insights from streamlined reporting. About Covenant: Covenant Technology Partners (CTP) is an IP organization that specializes in helping clients plan their investments in technology, design and implement solutions that drive a competitive advantage and manage critical projects to a successful return. CTP focuses on maximizing the value of Microsoft Technologies and is the premier Microsoft CSP Partner. About Cincom: Cincom is a global software company with a legacy of innovation dating back to its founding in 1968. The company's solutions help clients improve their most critical business processes and operating results. For more information about CPQSync, visit https://www.cincom.com/cpqsync. If you are a reseller, VAR or partner in the Microsoft CRM Channel, please contact Claire Oancea, Channel Development Manager for TeamSync, at [email protected]. Media Contact: Carla McQueen, (513) 612-2113, [email protected] Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Cincom, CPQSync and TeamSync are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cincom Systems, Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies. 2020 Cincom Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved SOURCE Cincom Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:27:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi (R) and former prime minister Elyes Fakhfakh attend the power transfer ceremony in Tunis, Tunisia, Sept. 3, 2020. Hichem Mechichi formally assumed his duties as the head of the new Tunisian government on Thursday, said the Tunisian presidency. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua) TUNIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Hichem Mechichi formally assumed his duties as the head of the new Tunisian government on Thursday, said the Tunisian presidency. During the power transfer ceremony, the new prime minister emphasized that the difficult and complex economic and political climate in which Tunisia is currently living "will not discourage the new government for making all efforts to stop the economic bleeding and ensure the country's stability." "This government relies on constructive and effective cooperation and coordination with all national powers," said Mechichi, adding that his government is open to any initiative that could "push the country forward." Mechichi praised the stability of the security situation, despite the threats and risks that persist on the borders. He affirmed the determination of his government to fight against terrorism and crimes. "Our government is committed to strengthening the military and security institutions in terms of human and material resources," he insisted. In his speech, the new head of government hailed the efforts made by the medical and paramedical staff in their war against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The Assembly of People's Representatives (Tunisian parliament) granted on Tuesday night its confidence to the new government led by Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi. Composed of 28 members, the new Tunisian government received 134 favorable votes, 67 rejections and no abstention. This cabinet is, for the most part, composed of independent national powers, including general managers, experts and academics as well as senior executives from the administration and the private sector. An Offaly social media influencer has secured High Court orders requiring Facebook to provide her with information to identify anonymous persons she claims are trolling, defaming and stalking her online. The action against the social media giant was brought by Lisa McGowan, who runs the popular 'Lisa's Lust List' website and social media platforms. She claims that she and her business are the subject of online harassment and defamatory comments by parties, through accounts on social media platforms, who she has been unable to identify. In order to sue these posters for defamation, she sought orders against Facebook Ireland Ltd which she hopes will aid her in identifying the person or persons behind certain posts on the Facebook and Instagram platforms. At the High Court on Monday Ms Justice Niamh Hyland said she was satisfied from the evidence put before the court that Ms McGowan is entitled to an order, known as a 'Norwich Pharmacal' order. The order requires Facebook Ireland Ltd to provide her with details the social media company has about account holders Ms McGowan claims are posting controversial posts about her. The details include the account users' identities, names, postal addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, IP address and ISP. Matthew Jolley Bl instructed by John Connellan of Carley and Connellan solicitors for Ms McGowan said that discussions between the parties had resulted in an agreed form of wording for the order sought by his client. In reply, Rossa Fanning SC for Facebook said his side was "remaining neutral" in relation to Ms McGowan's application which he described as a classic "Norwich Pharmacal" order. Counsel welcomed that Ms McGowan accepted that the posts complained of had nothing to do with his client, and added that Facebook would not be seeking its legal costs against her. After making the order sought Ms Justice Hyland adjourned the matter generally, with liberty to apply. The judge also made no order in relation to who should pay the legal costs of the action, meaning that both sides will pay their own costs. In a statement issued outside of court after the order was granted Ms McGowan welcomed the judge's decision to make the order sought. She thanked her legal team, but added that she would not be commenting on the matter at the current time. Ms McGowan's site specialises in promoting various products including fashion items, beauty, health, travel and homeware items mainly produced by Irish-based small to medium enterprises, and has 300,000 followers. Ms McGowan, from Tullamore in Co Offaly, started her online promotional work after she won the best-dressed lady competition at the Galway Races in 2016. In recent weeks she claims that she, and members of her family, have been subjected of online bullying, trolling and harassment. The publication of these comments she claims are "designed solely to inflict reputation and financial damage" on her and her firm. She also claims she is the victim of what Mr Jolley told the High Court are "sinister posts" about her movements, that amount to stalking. In addition to her intended defamation proceedings, Ms McGowan has also made a complaint to the Gardai about the posts. Activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, convicted and fined by the Supreme Court for contempt of court, alleged on Wednesday that this power is sometimes misused or abused in an attempt to stifle free speech or discussion about the judiciary. He termed the contempt of court jurisdiction very dangerous and said it should be abolished. Every citizen in a democracy, those who are familiar with the working of the judicial system and the Supreme Court, should be able to speak freely but unfortunately that has also been treated as contempt of court by scandalising, he said. In this, the judge acts as accuser prosecutor and as a judge, Bhushan alleged, while speaking at a webinar, Freedom of Speech and The Indian Judiciary, organised by Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia. It is a very dangerous jurisdiction in which judges act in their own cause and that is why in all countries this power to punish has been abolished. It is only continued in few countries like India, he opined. The top court had on Monday imposed a token fine of Re 1 on Bhushan for his tweets against the judiciary. It asked him to deposit the fine by September 15, failing which he would attract a jail term of three months and debarment from law practice for three years. I am not saying that there are no vile or scandalous scurrilous allegations being made against judges. They are. But they are dismissed for what they are. People understand that these are scurrilous and unsubstantiated allegations. The respect for the judiciary does not stand on the ability of the court to stifle this kind of criticism even it is sometimes scurrilous and unfair, Bhushan said. Talking about his tweets, he said it was what he felt was role of the top court. He said the contempt of court should be abolished and it was for this reason that he along with former Union minister Arun Shourie and veteran journalist N Ram filed a plea challenging the constitutional validity of a legal provision dealing with criminal contempt. Initially the matter was listed before Justice D Y Chandrachud but later it was removed from him and sent before Justice Arun Mishra (retired Wednesday), whose views on this contempt are well known, and earlier also he had accused me of scandalising and contempt of court just because I had told former CJIs Justice J S Khehar, Dipak Misra and him that they should not hear a case due to conflict of interest, he said. Renowned author Arundhati Roy also spoke at the event and said the right to free speech was the most fundamental block of a functioning democracy. She said that over the last few years the country has seen sudden demonetisation, introduction of GST, abrogation of section 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Citizenship Amendment Act and the Covid-19 lockdown. These have been like silent attacks masked by pre existing illness, she said. Roy said the judiciary cannot be expected to repeal its power of contempt and citizens will have to strive to make it redundant by speaking their minds responsibly. Mumbai-based lawyer Iqbal Chagla FCC President S Venkat Narayan also spoke at the webinar. PTI PKS SA The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has created an economic challenge unlike any other in our lifetime. Nowhere is this impact being felt more than within the Hispanic businesses community. Lets be clear. Houston cannot recover unless Hispanic businesses recover. And that requires reaching out to, not ignoring, the regions largest ethnic group. A recent study published by the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs found that of the Hispanic-owned businesses in the Greater Houston region, 60 percent expect sales to drop, with over half of those anticipating a drop of more than 50 percent, year over year. Thirty percent reported having to make layoffs in response to the pandemic, and nearly half of those businesses report having to furlough or lay off over 80 percent of their total workforce. The survey also underscores the fact that supply chains have been significantly disrupted and countless small businesses are currently facing some kind of financial hardship like the inability to make rent or payroll or pay utility bills. For the region, the devastation being felt by Hispanic-owned businesses will also result in a painfully prolonged economic recovery, due to the communitys outsized influence on the regional economy. Its worth repeating that Hispanics are the largest ethnic group in the Greater Houston region, with 38 percent of small business owners in Houston being Hispanic. Additionally, Hispanics represent the fastest-growing population subgroup when it comes to total spending. According to a study conducted of Houston by Telemundo, Hispanics represent more than $53 billion in annual spending power, which is just short of a quarter of total consumer spending in the region. If we want to shorten the duration of the downturn and build a stronger regional economy for the future, then Hispanic-owned businesses must have equitable access to the assistance programs that have been established in the wake of COVID-19. Unfortunately, Hispanic and minority-owned businesses continue to be left behind in this regard, too. With their businesses reeling, Hispanic entrepreneurs continue to struggle with access to government assistance programs like the Paycheck Protection Program. According to a survey from Color of Change and UnidosUS, only 12 percent of Black and Hispanic business owners who applied for the forgivable low-interest loan under the federal initiative received it. While there are many reasons for this a lack of program knowledge, a hesitancy to interact with the federal government, not enough employees on payroll to qualify, etc. the truth is that without financial support, many of these businesses will close permanently, creating an irreparable void in the regional economy. The good news is that local governmental entities have created programs that could help Hispanic-owned businesses weather the economic storm. Take for example the recently passed Small Business Recovery Fund program approved by Harris County Commissioners Court. The $30 million grant program funded by CARES Act dollars has helped provide funding for businesses that have yet to receive financial support. This program followed a $10 million loan program dedicated to helping small businesses weather the economic downturn. The City of Houston also approved a $15 million small business economic relief program that provides grant assistance to small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic. Programs like these are a great start but will not be nearly enough to meet the need of small business owners across the city. As evidence: all of these programs received far more applications for assistance than could be serviced within hours of the application window opening. In order to continue to meet demand, more funding must be allocated to preserving our small business ecosystem, which serves as the backbone of our regional economy. Without that critical support, the future of our businesses and our economy will continue to be in peril. Murillo is the President and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with the First Ladys Office has commenced profiling of women and children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno in order to offer them support. A leader of the delegation from the ministry, Femi Alaka, made this known on Wednesday at a meeting with officials of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Mr Alaka said the delegation would give attention to displaced persons in camps along border areas for the support to cushion their sufferings, adding that the issue of gender-based violence would also be looked into. We are going to work with SEMA and the state Ministry of Women Affairs to ensure success of the exercise, Mr Alaka said. He said his team, which could not visit some camps due to security challenges, had already met with coordinators of the camps for the needed information. In her remarks, the chairperson of SEMA, Yabawa Kolo, lauded the intervention by the ministry and office of the first lady. The Chairperson of Borno SEMA with delegation from Federal Ministry of Women Affairs She assured the team of the state governments commitment to supporting intervention aimed at ameliorating the suffering of vulnerable people, particularly women and children. (NAN) New Delhi, Sep 3 : A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Gayatri Parivar head Pranav Pandya in a case related to the alleged rape of a tribal girl in 2010. The Uttarakhand High Court had granted interim protection from arrest to Pandya. The petition, which is likely to come up for hearing in the next few days, has challenged the May 21 order of the high court. "The findings rendered by the high court were not at all warranted as the investigation into the case was at initial stage inasmuch the FIR was registered on May 9 only and the high court interfered by the impugned order on May 21," said the plea. A case was registered against the accused under Sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC at a local police station. The victim hails from a village in Chhattisgarh and had gone to the 'Santikunj Ashram', which is run by Pandya, as her family members were devotees of the Gayatri Parivar. The plea said the victim, who was then a minor, was raped three times in 2010 over a few weeks and the accused had warned her against divulging the details of the incident. According to the plea, the victim informed Shailbala Pandya (wife of Pranav Pandya and a co-accused in the case) after third the incident of rape. "She also threatened her not to disclose about the incident to anybody, otherwise she will be defamed in the Ashram as well as the society," the plea said. The plea contended that the police initially declined to register an FIR, but after assistance from the Delhi Commission of Women and an NGO, People Against Rapes in India, and its founder, a zero FIR was registered at Vivek Vihar in Delhi earlier this year. This FIR was later transferred to the Kotwali police station in Haridwar. As states rush to adapt their election systems amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials estimate that 80 million Americans plan to vote by mail this fall, twice as many as in 2016. Because of Postmaster General Louis DeJoys decision to remove or cripple key components of Americas mail system just weeks before Election Day and President Trumps open efforts to discredit mail-in voting, millions are worried their ballots wont be counted in time, or even counted at all. Last week, congressional Democrats and several governors from both parties called for Mr. DeJoy to reinstall the high-speed sorting machines and mailboxes that he removed in an inexplicable hurry. He flatly refused. The House passed a $25 billion bill to revive the Postal Service before the election. The Republican-controlled Senate refused to consider it. New Yorks attorney general, Letitia James, called the Postal Service system overhaul nothing more than a voter suppression tactic. But a speedy judicial resolution is unlikely. Fortunately, there is a largely overlooked part of the civic infrastructure that is ready and able to help Americans exercise the franchise, even under these troubling circumstances: libraries. Libraries already serve as polling places on Election Day throughout the country and, crucially, they provide secure, monitored ballot boxes where absentee voters can drop off their ballots before Nov. 3 and know that it will count. Secure boxes for absentee ballots are already available at some libraries in states like California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Utah and Washington. Other states should follow suit. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Thursday that it is launching a public awareness campaign to promote health and safety as the new school year starts in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. School districts across Massachusetts are beginning to return to school this month. While about 70% of districts are planning a full in-person or hybrid learning model, some districts, including Boston, Worcester and Springfield, are starting with remote learning. The public awareness campaign is to help remind parents, students and teachers that everyone needs to do their part to keep each other healthy and safe as the school year starts, the education department wrote in a news release, and will include television and radio ads, social media, billboards and public transit banners. Over the summer, the department worked with many stakeholders and medical experts to carefully develop detailed guidance to reopen schools safely, and superintendents, teachers and staff worked hard to implement those health and safety requirements, said DESE Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley. We now need to rely on families, students and the other members of the public to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 so that our kids can get back to school. The ads will run on television and radio from Sept. 7 through Oct. 10. The public transit ads will run from September through November in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Brockton, Lowell and New Bedford, the department said. Additionally, DESE has launched a website that includes information from doctors, school reopening guidelines, frequently asked questions and answers, and an option to email with concerns or questions. We remain committed to ensuring the safety and health of our students, faculty and staff, and both science and statewide public health data metrics indicating low rates of COVID-19 infection and transmission supported our decision to safely return to school, said Massachusetts Education Secretary James Peyser. The Department has allocated nearly $1 billion to ensure that districts statewide can facilitate modified in-person education while adhering to COVID-19 public health measures. DESE said families should consider these topics as a checklist to help prevent the spread of coronavirus: Be aware of the symptoms of COVID-19, and check children every day for them. Keep children home if they are sick or have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19. Have a back-up plan ready in case your child wakes up with symptoms and needs to stay home. Remind your child to wear a mask in school and on the bus. Arrange for transportation other than the bus whenever possible. Districts have plans in place for when a student receives a positive COVID-19 test or is a close contact of someone who tests positive. Communicate with teachers and school leaders if your childs health changes, if they come in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or if you have concerns. Guidelines for returning to school buildings indicate that students must wear face masks unless they have a doctors note. Students desks should be kept 3 feet apart at minimum, according to DESE guidelines. Related Content: Papua New Guinea is demanding a greater share of the country's resource wealth, stepping up its battle with giant energy and mining companies. Prime Minister James Marape has told Parliament of efforts his administration was taking to increase the state's share of benefits from the production and export of raw materials, as well as criticism of previous governments and deals. PNG Prime Minister James Marape. Credit:Bloomberg Marape swept to power in 2019 on a pledge to "take back" PNG from multinational energy and mining companies, which are by far the biggest investors in the impoverished South Pacific nation of 9 million. His government has taken a tough stance in recent negotiations, placing the future of some multibillion-dollar projects in limbo. Among other guidelines, Marape said that the state must take a 60 to 65 per cent share of revenue from future projects, up from just 40 per cent on recent petroleum ventures. His government also wants to see the financial benefits flow through to the state coffers quicker, and for developers to commit to using local labour, goods and services in their operations wherever possible. For their entire lives, Prince Harry and Prince William have been two of the most popular members of the royal family. The world has watched the brothers grow up, get married, and start their own families while performing their royal duties. Fans always knew they were extremely close, but that all began to change when Harry met Meghan Markle. Prince William and Prince Harry | Toby Melville WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince William and Prince Harry have shared a close bond since they were kids The palace released the first photo of Prince William and Prince Harry together in 1984, shortly after Princess Diana gave birth to Harry. The picture featured the two young boys with their mom at Harrys christening ceremony. As the boys grew up, their mother took a more modern approach to royal parenting and was often seen in candid pics with her sons. Family photos from William and Harrys childhood show just how close they were. William was by Harrys side when he learned to walk. They enjoyed bike rides with their mom and dad, and the brothers also had fun playing together at home in their royal bubble. RELATED: Prince William Once Told Princess Diana He Hated the Idea of Being King, So Prince Harry Said He Would Do It One of the last public photos of William and Harry with Princess Diana was in the fall of 1995. It was then that Diana accompanied the boys to the first day of school at Eton College. According to Insider, William and Harry were vacationing with Prince Charles at Balmoral Castle in Scotland when they received the news that their mom had passed away on August 31, 1997. Princess Dianas death changed William and Harrys lives As Express notes, William was 15 and Harry was 12 when their mother died, and this tragedy bonded them even more. On the 10th anniversary of her death, Harry said during a speech that he and William separate life into two parts. There are the years that we were blessed beside us with the physical presence of both our mother and father. And then there are the 10 years since our mothers death, said Harry. She was our guardian, friend, and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated. Behind the media glare, to us, two children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world. RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Preaches Unity Amid Prince Harry and Prince Williams Frosty Reunion Princess Dianas biographer Andrew Morton wrote in the November 2019 edition of Royals Monthly that the brothers relationship is incredibly intimate. He explained that no one not even Prince Charles knows whats gone on in their heads and hearts since they lost their mother. William and Harry could only trust each other when it came to candidly talking about Princess Dianas death. Prince William and Prince Harry started to grow apart during adulthood As William and Harry entered adulthood, they started creating their own career paths. The Duke of Cambridge earned the RAF rank of Flight Lieutenant after three years of search and rescue helicopter training, while the Duke of Sussex served two tours in Afghanistan. William also met and married Kate Middleton while becoming a senior working royal and preparing to become king. At the same time, William and Harry worked together at official royal engagements and launched joint charities. They started their successful Heads Up campaign for mental health awareness. Harry admitted to his own struggles after the death of his mother, and he credits William for helping him seek mental health counseling. RELATED: Princess Dianas Anniversary Will Highlight One of the Most Heartbreaking Aspects of William and Harrys Fractured Relationship But, after William served as Prince Harrys best man when he married Meghan Markle in May 2018, the cracks started to show between the two brothers. By Megxit in January 2020, their relationship appeared to be severely fractured. Despite their troubles, Harry said in a 2019 ITV documentary that he and William will always be brothers. We are certainly on different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him as I know he will always be there for me, said Harry. An American soldier who helped rescue about 70 hostages set to be executed by Islamic State in Iraq will receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the daring 2015 raid. Sgt. Maj. Thomas 'Patrick' Payne, a Ranger assigned to the U.S. Army's Special Operations Command, will receive the U.S. militarys highest honor for valor in combat in a White House ceremony set to be held on the 19th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The medal approval was confirmed by two Defense Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak on the record. Payne was initially given the Army's second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, for the special operations raid, which is now being upgraded to a Medal of Honor. Contacted by the AP on Monday, the Pentagon would not comment. The White House did not respond to an email inquiry. The medal will honor Payne's actions in a daring predawn raid on 22 October, 2015. Seeking to rescue 70 Islamic State hostages, American and Kurdish commandos flew in CH-47 Chinook helicopters to the town of Huwija, located roughly nine miles west of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. In this image from video provided by the U.S. Army, then-Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Payne is interviewed as a winner of the 2012 Best Ranger competition at Fort Benning, Ga., on April 16, 2012 The Kurdish Regional Government, the autonomous body that governs the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, had received a tip that the 70 prisoners, including peshmerga fighters, as the Kurdish forces are known, would soon be massacred by Islamic State militants. Aerial photos of the compound showed what intelligence officials believed to be freshly dug mass graves where their bodies would be dumped. The plan called for members of the American unit to support the Kurdish commandos in their operation but not join in on the main effort to rescue the prisoners. 'Time was of the essence,' Payne said, according to a news release obtained by the AP and not yet made public. 'There were freshly dug graves. If we didnt action this raid, then the hostages were likely to be executed.' The raid began with a failure. Kurdish forces attempted to enter by blasting a hole in the compounds outer wall, but the blast failed. The explosion alerted the ISIS militants, who opened fire on the Kurdish forces. Payne and his unit climbed over a wall and entered the prison compound. The soldiers quickly cleared one of the two buildings known to house hostages. This image made from video taken on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015 from a helmet camera, shows U.S. and Iraqi special forces freeing hostages from a prison controlled by Islamic State militants in the town of Huwija, nine miles west of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk Once inside the building, the unit encountered enemy resistance. The team used bolt cutters to break the locks off the prison doors, freeing nearly 40 hostages. Moments later, an urgent call over the radio was received from other task force members engaged in an intense gun fight at the second building. Between 10 to 20 Army soldiers, including Payne and Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler maneuvered towards the second building that Payne said was a 'heavily-fortified building, which was partially on fire.' Kurdish commandos were pinned down by the gunfire. At some point in his attempt to rescue the Kurdish forces, Wheeler was shot and killed. Wheeler was the first American killed in action since the U.S. launched renewed military intervention in Iraq against the Islamic State in 2014. 20 ISIS fighters were also killed in the operation. The team scaled a ladder onto the roof of the one-story building under a savage fusillade of enemy machine-gun fire from below. From their roof-top vantage point, the commandos engaged the enemy with hand grenades and small arms fire, according to the press release. Payne said at that point, ISIS fighters began to detonate their suicide vests, causing the roof to shake. The team quickly moved off the roof to an entry point for building two. ISIS fighters continued to exchange gunfire with the commandos as they entered the building. Payne moved to open another fortified door. According to the press release, he managed to cut the first lock, but due to the heavy smoke from the fire, he had to hand off the bolt cutters to an Iraqi counterpart and retreat out of the building for fresh air. After some time, the Iraqi partner also came out for fresh air. Payne grabbed the bolt cutters and re-entered the building to cut off the last lock. Once the door was kicked opened, both American and Kurdish commandos escorted about 30 more hostages out of the burning building that was about to collapse and under enemy gunfire. This undated image provided by the U.S. Army, shows Alwyn C. Cashe, who has been endorsed to receive the Medal of Honor after sustaining fatal burns while acting to save fellow soldiers in Iraq in 2005 Payne reentered the building two more times to ensure every hostage was freed. One of those times he had to forcibly remove one of the hostages who had been too frightened to move during the chaotic scene, said Payne in the press release. Payne joined the Army in 2002 as an infantryman and quickly made his way into the Rangers. He has deployed several times to combat zones as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and in various positions with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He is a Purple Heart recipient from a wound he sustained in a separate 2010 mission in Afghanistan. And as a sergeant first class in 2012, Payne won the Armys Best Ranger Competition, representing USASOC. Payne is married with three children and is currently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He is from the South Carolina towns of Batesburg-Leesville and Lugoff. Last week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper endorsed awarding the Medal of Honor to a soldier who sustained fatal burns while acting to save fellow soldiers in Iraq in 2005. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe of Florida previously received the Silver Star for his actions. 3 1 of 3 Contributed / Robert Adam Mayer photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo / Stephanie Storey Show More Show Less 3 of 3 MIDDLETOWN A upcoming presentation, Whats Next: Michael Roth on Public Speech, will see the Wesleyan University president exploring the subject of freedom of speech on college campuses in Illinois. Roth will be appearing via digital means at the Chicago Humanities Festival Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. The province invited skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs to apply for a provincial nomination British Columbia issues over 430 invitations in new PNP draw The province invited skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs to apply for a provincial nomination British Columbia issues over 430 invitations in new PNP draw The province invited skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs to apply for a provincial nomination British Columbia issues over 430 invitations in new PNP draw The province invited skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs to apply for a provincial nomination Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A British Columbia invited more than 430 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence in a draw held September 1. The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) continues to exclude occupations in tourism, hospitality, retail and personal services due to widespread unemployment in these sectors since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Invitations went to Skilled Worker and International Graduate candidates in the Express Entry BC (EEBC), Skills Immigration (SI) as well as those in Entrepreneur streams. The EEBC category is for candidates with a valid profile in the federal governments Express Entry system, which is Canadas main pathway for skilled immigrants who are hoping to obtain Canadian permanent residence. The SI category is for skilled and semi-skilled workers whose occupations are in high demand in the province of B.C. The minimum score requirements in todays draw ranged between 76 and 98 for the five EEBC and SI categories that were involved. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs The minimum scores were: SI Skilled Worker: 94 SI International Graduate: 98 SI Entry Level and Semi-Skilled: 76 EEBC Skilled Worker: 94 EEBC International Graduate: 98 In order to receive an invitation through the EEBC candidates must be registered under both the federal Express Entry system and B.C.s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Express Entry is the federal governments application management system. Express Entry candidates are given points based on human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English or French. Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Skills Immigration candidates only need to be registered with the SIRS. Invitations were also issued to applicants in the Entrepreneur Immigration Base Category Stream and in the Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Stream on September 1. In the Entrepreneur Immigration Base Category, six invitations were issued to candidates with scores as low as 126. The Base Category is for either senior managers or business owners who plan to invest in a business in B.C. and to actively manage it on a day-to-day basis. Under five invitations were also issued to candidates with scores of at least 128 through the Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot Stream, which is designed to attract new businesses to smaller, regional communities in B.C. These three new draws follow last weeks draw through which 72 invitations were issued under the BC PNPs Tech Pilot to Skilled Workers and International Graduates with job offers in one of its 29 eligible tech occupations. A minimum score of 80 was the cut-off for each category. Introduced in 2017, the Tech Pilot responds to labour needs in British Columbias tech sector. BC PNP Tech Pilot applicants are not required to demonstrate an indeterminate, full-time job offer, a requirement that applies to most other BC PNP immigration categories. Instead, candidates must have a job offer that is at least one year in duration and have at least 120 calendar days remaining at the time of applying for a provincial nomination. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved He's the Bachelor in Paradise bad boy who has been romantically linked to a number of reality TV stars in recent weeks. And now cheeky Brit Ciarran Stott has set tongues wagging once again, after being spotted cosying up to Big Brother star, Talia Rycroft, in an Instagram video. The 26-year-old can be seen pulling a funny face as blonde bombshell Talia, 22, dances next to him and nuzzles into his neck. Something to tell us? Bachelor in Paradise bad boy Ciarran Stott (pictured) has sparked rumours he's dating Big Brother star Talia Rycroft after they cosied up together on a wild night out The video was posted by Talia during an Instagram Q&A with fans, during which she denied that the pair were dating. 'Are you dating Ciarran Stott?' one fan asked. Talia replied: 'No we are just friends.' Setting tongues wagging! In a video posted on Instagram, the 26-year-old can be seen pulling a funny face as blonde bombshell Talia, 22, dances next to him and nuzzles into his neck 'Just friends': The video was posted by Talia during an Instagram Q&A with fans, during which she denied that the pair were dating Talia told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that she and Ciarran are 'just really good friends.' 'No way, we are just really good friends... guys and girls can be friends. And just because of his bad rap on TV, doesn't mean he's with every girl.' She added that the video is old and from before Bachelor in Paradise. Ciarran's womanising behaviour landed him in hot water on Bachelor in Paradise. And last month, it was reported that Ciarran was romantically pursuing Big Brother star, Sophie Budack. As spotted by fan account Bachie Funny, Ciarran posted a flirty comment on Sophie's Instagram Live video, which was being broadcast from her home in the Netherlands. She's a babe! 'Are you dating Ciarran Stott?' one fan asked. Talia replied: 'No we are just friends' Despite being located in Melbourne, Ciarran commented on the 25-year-old brunette's video, writing: 'Babe hurry up I'm downstairs with coffee.' Bachie Funny captioned the post: 'After going through every female contestant from all eight seasons of The Bachelor, Ciarran now appears to be moving onto the Big Brother 2020 cast.' Indeed, Ciarran has enjoyed a slew of romantic conquests since appearing on Angie Kent's season of The Bachelorette. Another beauty: Last month, it was reported that Ciarran was romantically pursuing Big Brother star Sophie Budack (pictured) After splitting from his long-term girlfriend Renee Barrett last year, Ciarran signed up to Bachelor in Paradise, where he romanced Abbie Chatfield, Jessica Brody and Kiki Morris. It comes after it was revealed that Ciarran and Sophie's have been close friends for many years. In early July, fans were shocked when Ciarran posted what appeared to be a throwback photo of himself and Sophie to celebrate her birthday. Making headlines: After splitting from his long-term girlfriend Renee Barrett last year, Ciarran signed up to Bachelor in Paradise, where he romanced Abbie Chatfield, Jessica Brody and Kiki Morris (pictured) 'Happy Birthday chick @sophiebudack,' he captioned the photo. The Big Brother star reposted Ciarran's sweet birthday message to her own Instagram stories. When asked by Daily Mail Australia about their relationship, Sophie said: 'We've been besties for years and years. We're both from Darwin.' Sophie's most recent relationship was with model Chad Hurst, 27, whom she met in the Big Brother house. However, the status of their romance became unclear last month when Sophie announced she was moving to the Netherlands - leaving Chad behind in Sydney. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ciarran for comment in relation to this story. The two nations will pay special attention to prosecuting gender-based violence against Rohingya, including rape. Canada and the Netherlands will formally join The Gambias legal bid to hold Myanmar accountable over allegations of genocide against its mostly-Muslim Rohingya minority in a move described by observers as historic. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok said the two nations were intervening in the case before the International Court of Justice in order to prevent the crime of genocide and hold those responsible to account. Calling the lawsuit of concern to all of humanity, Champagne and Blok said Canada and the Netherlands would assist with the complex legal issues that are expected to arise and will pay special attention to crimes related to sexual and gender-based violence, including rape. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled their homes in Myanmars Rakhine state in August 2017, crossing the border into neighbouring Bangladesh where they now live in crowded refugee camps after the military launched a brutal crackdown in the western state. Myanmar says the military action was a response to attacks by Rohingya armed groups in Rakhine. United Nations investigators concluded that the campaign had been executed with genocidal intent. Champagne and Blok said in filing the case at the UN court, The Gambia took a laudable step towards ending impunity for those committing atrocities in Myanmar. Historic The New York-based Global Center for Justice welcomed the move by Canada and the Netherlands, calling it nothing short of historic. Akila Radhakrishnan, the groups president, said: Just as important as their intention to intervene is their promise to focus on gendered crimes of genocide like sexual and gender-based violence, which was central to the atrocities against the Rohingya. She added: Too often, gendered experiences do not translate to justice and accountability efforts and leave the primary targets of those crimes women and girls behind. This is an important step forward to address that gap and Canada and the Netherlands should be applauded for this move. Rohingya groups also welcomed the move, and urged others to follow their lead. Slowly, but surely, the net is closing in on Myanmars leaders they will not get away with this genocide, Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK said in a statement, describing Canada and the Netherlands as being on the right side of history. It is imperative that other states, including the United Kingdom, now stand on the right of justice for the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar, the statement added. Justice is a core demand of all Rohingya people and particularly important for those inside the camps of Coxs Bazar who have been forced to flee their homeland and live as refugees in a foreign state. Canada and the Netherlands also urged other states to support The Gambias legal fight, which was launched in November last year on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. In the lawsuit, the small West African country said that as a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention it had the obligation to prevent and punish genocide, no matter where it took place. Relying heavily on UN reports documenting killings, mass rapes and widespread arson in Rohingya villages, The Gambia alleged Myanmar was committing an ongoing genocide against its Rohingya minority and called for emergency measures as a preliminary step to protect the long-persecuted minority. Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended the initial hearings at The Hague in December last year, calling on the 17-judge panel to dismiss the case. Rejecting the genocide claims, she warned the UN judges that allowing The Gambias case to go ahead risked reigniting the crisis and could undermine reconciliation. The panel in January ordered Myanmar to take emergency measures to protect its Rohingya population, pending the fuller case. Myanmar will now have to regularly report on its efforts to protect Rohingya from acts of genocide every six months until a final ruling is made, a process that could take years. Although ICJ rulings are final and binding, countries have occasionally flouted them, and the court has no formal mechanism to enforce its decisions. The discovery of Cyprus first gas field, offshore in the Eastern Mediterranean, was reason for celebration in December 2011. Rising tensions with Turkey and the Covid-19 pandemic, however, have slowed the exploitation of discoveries that include the 4.5 tn ft3 (370 bn m3) Aphrodite field, the 3-5 tn ft3 Calypso field, and 5-8 tn ft3 Glaucus field. The delay has led to the Cypriot authorities commissioning of an import facility to meet its domestic demand if production doesnt commence any time soon. The assignment has been given to a multinational consortium led by China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Corporation (CPPEC). The floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) includes onshore pipelines and additional facilities will be built at Vassiliko Port. The FSRU will have 125,000 m3 of storage capacity while being capable of unloading LNG carriers ranging from 120,000 m3 to 217,000 m3. The projects value is 500 million and is co-financed by a 40 percent grant from the European Unions Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which is scheduled for completion in 2021. Currently, the majority of Cyprus electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels of which oil is the most important component. Importing natural gas will reduce the islands CO2 emissions by 30 percent while reducing the inhabitants energy bills by a comparable margin. Besides the obvious environmental and financial benefits of substituting imported oil for imported natural gas, flexibility is an important motivation for choosing the FSRU. Nicosia was careful in the commissioning of a facility that can easily be upgraded for bunkering and LNG export purposes. Although the development of the offshore gas fields is taking more time than expected, the Cypriots are adamant about reaping the rewards of their energy wealth. Related: Why No One Is Buying Up Shale Assets Besides LNG exports from the island itself, Egyptian facilities are also an option to liquefy natural gas. Israel already preceded the Cypriots with a massive gas export deal worth $19.5 billion over 15 years that will be exported through the Idku LNG plant in Egypt. Furthermore, the East Med project is also still on the table to facilitate the export of natural gas to Europe. One of the bidders for the import of natural gas into Cyprus, UK-based Energean, offered the construction of a pipeline from Israel. Flexibility, however, was an important aspect leading to an easy choice for the FSRU. Also, future synergy has been included within the facilitys design to accommodate the islands highly prized and important tourism sector. LNG is quickly becoming the cruise industrys fuel of choice, which Cyprus will be able to provide when demand takes off. Paradoxically, LNG imports will facilitate the growth of renewables. According to Panos Papanastasiou, an engineering professor at the University of Cyprus, independent producers are investing in renewables projects, but you cannot base your business [model] completely on renewables. The production of electricity from wind and solar requires balancing due to the intermittent nature of green energy sources. Natural gas is relatively clean as it emits approximately 50 percent less CO2 and provides the necessary flexibility to supplement the sun and wind. The current tensions with neighboring Turkey, however, are a major source of uncertainty especially when it comes to IOCs making investments. Turkish military ships have repeatedly harassed ships from energy companies exploring Cyprus exclusive economic zone for natural gas. Calls for de-escalation from the EU and NATO have had little effect on Turkish politicians who have ruled out making any concessions. The military build-up is continuing with several countries bolstering their presence in the region in defiance of Ankaras aggressive posturing. The UAE has sent several of its most advanced F-16s to Cyprus, while France has stationed Rafales of the French air force on Crete. Athens and Paris are close to reaching a deal for the sale of 10 new Rafale fighter jets and 8 used ones as a donation from the French air force. The rising tensions are bad news for the regions business climate. Neither side is willing to back down meaning anything can happen. Therefore, dont expect for Cyprus gas fields to be tapped any time soon. On the other side, low energy prices due to the Covid-19 pandemic ruled out investments in complex offshore projects anyway. By Vanand Meliksetian for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Bombay High Court on Thursday urged the media to exercise restraint" while reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput case, and not report in a manner which may hamper the investigations. We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint in reporting of the investigation with respect to the (Sushant) death, which should not hamper the investigation in any manner," a Division Bench comprising Justice A.A. Sayed and Justice S.P. Tavade ordered. Hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) one filed by eight retired IPS officers of Maharashtra, and another by three activists the court also issued notices to the respondents, and said it would consider the reliefs sought in the matter after getting the version of the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the probe. Arguing for the PIL by the former IPS officers, Senior Advocate Milind Sathe termed the media reporting, especially by the electronic media as a parallel media trial" in which there was vilification of the Mumbai Police. Media has virtually taken over the investigation, conducting a parallel probe and a parallel trial Mumbai Police is being called a co-conspirator, there is a malicious vilification campaign," said Sathe. He contended that the petitioners are not concerned about who is investigating the case, the accused or the victim but are concerned about the reporting in the case which violates journalistic ethics. Sathe referred to the Supreme Court judgement on August 19, which found no fault with the procedures adopted by the Mumbai Police in the probe, but despite this the media was engaged in falsely tarnishing the city polices image. He also pointed out how some media were calling witnesses and asking them questions which was like a parallel investigation, an attempt to influence the probe and prejudice the case. In the second PIL filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha, journalist M.D. Shaikh and retired bureaucrat S.C. Chaba, filed by lawyers Rajesh Inamdar and Shashwat Anand, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat said that the media has flouted the norms of Press Council of India and Program Code under the Cable TV Act. While one TV channel said Sushants suicide was a ahit wicket, another showed the body of the dead actor, one channel circulated fake tweets as Sushants last message and later when found false, deleted them, and channels discuss the private chats between the late actor and Rhea Chakraborty,a Kamat argued. Contending that the media is not after truth but for TRPs and more commercial gains, Kamat pointed out how, when one witness stepped out of the CBI probe, the media hounded him on what questions he was asked. In an unprecedented gesture, eight retired IPS officers rallied together on behalf of the beleaguered Mumbai Police to save its reputation being maligned in the ongoing high-profile probe in the Sushant death case and the subsequent amedia trial. The eight former officers - who held top positions in the Maharashtra Police - have filed a public interest litigation in Bombay High Court seeking directions to halt the unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against the Mumbai Police in the matter. The petitioners are: M.N. Singh, P.S. Pasricha, D.N. Jadhav, D. Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, K. Subramaniam, S.C. Mathur and K.P. Raghuvanshi - all Directors-General level at the time of their retirement and enjoying an envious reputation. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh lauded the move by the retired IPS officers on Thursday. Maharashtra and Mumbai Police have a reputation. They are compared to the Scotland Yarda The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in the (Sushant) case, I welcome the PIL," Deshmukh told mediapersons. Filed through a prominent law firm, Crawford, Bayley & Companys Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, the PIL named the Union and State Governments, Press Council of India and News Broadcasters Association as respondents. The PIL sought guidelines for the media houses, whether print, electronic, radio, Internet or television or any other form, to refrain from publishing and circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments, social media posts, news stories, etc, that could jeopardise the polices reputation and may cause the people to lose faith in the system and the police administration, or hinder the cause of administration of justice. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Butler County returned to red coronavirus status on Thursday, in part because of a sharp increase in cases raising alarm at Miami Universitys Oxford campus. Since beginning tracking on Aug. 21, the school has found 704 cases, which the universitys president attributes to off-campus parties and other gatherings. University students have not yet returned to campus, though many have moved back into off-campus housing as the school year begins remotely. Miami is one of the many public universities across the state significantly contributing to their countys coronavirus level. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine noted in Thursdays coronavirus briefing that 35% percent of coronavirus cases in the past week were in the 18-22 age group. The University of Dayton, in Montgomery County, is experiencing a spike that prompted officials to extend learning remotely to monitor case numbers. Montgomery County remains a red county this week. Though Hamilton County remains at orange, or the second-lowest status on the states color-coded coronavirus alert system, a party at the University of Cincinnati is linked to at least 78 cases. Both Montgomery and Butler counties are in the top 10 counties for occurrence of the coronavirus, an indicator calculated by the state to assess current community spread. Wayne County, home of the College of Wooster, also is on the red county list. When DeWine talked about Wayne County, though, he did not note the university as a significant contributor to cases, instead noting outbreaks at businesses and churches, as well as at a long-term care facility. At Ohio State University, there are now 882 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the universitys dashboard. Franklin County has not returned to red status yet despite an increased number of cases because it doesnt meet enough of the other indicators to increase the level, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. Part of the steep increase is access to testing. Students are getting coronavirus tests as part of the return to campus that they may never have gotten before -- especially if they are asymptomatic. Miami University is partnering with TriHealth on at least 3,000 tests per week. President Gregory Crawford, in the coronavirus briefing, said casting a wide net of tests will help catch asymptomatic cases and potential clusters. He said officials will watch the case numbers to decide whether students will return in person mid-month, especially with Labor Day weekend coming up. At Ohio State, the university reported 80 students with confirmed cases on Aug. 25 with about a 1% test positivity rate, and it had tested about 7,719 students and faculty. As of Aug. 31, the dashboard shows cumulative numbers of 882, and it had tested over 28,000 students. Student cumulative test positivity rates are now at 3.13%. Miami University and the University of Dayton do not list positivity rates or total tests on coronavirus case dashboards. Officials at both institutions said testing is from multiple sources, not just tests administered on campus, which prevents leaders from determining total tests and positivity. DeWine said the numbers show universities are doing a good job with testing, though increases and their impact on communities is concerning. He previously said it was a bad idea to separate out college cases by institution in state reporting of case numbers. The state does this kind of report for jails and juvenile correctional facilities. If I was a resident, my concern would be focused on is the university on this, DeWine said on Thursday. When asked what could be done to stem partying and off-campus gatherings, DeWine said its certainly not something the governor can do. He noted that he believes the universities are cracking down on partying as best they can, and that there will be pressure from peers too. DeWine continued the consistent message hes issued on college partying -- if students want to have a fall semester, theyll need to be careful. To our friends in college, we ask you to be careful. While all of us at your age thought we were invincible, you can pass this on. This story has been corrected to clarify that Miami University students are not required to be tested before returning to campus. Regulatory News: Total Gabon (Paris:EC): Main Financial Indicators Q2 20 Q1 20 Q2 20 vs. Q1 20 H1 20 H1 19 H1 20 vs. H1 19 Average Brent price $/b 29.6 50.1 -41% 40.1 66.0 -39% Average Total Gabon crude price (1) $/b 22.6 40.6 -44% 30.7 62.3 -51% Crude oil production from fields operated by Total Gabon kb/d (2) 19.0 21.7 -12% 20.3 23.6 -14%. Crude oil production from Total Gabon interests (3) kb/d 25.4 27.9 -9% 26.6 32.7 -19% Sales volumes (1) Mb (4) 2.84 2.34 +21% 5.18 5.96 -13% Revenues (5) M$ 74 113 -35% 187 409 -54% Funds generated from operations (6) M$ 31 55 -44%. 86 146 -41%. Capital expenditure M$ 10 11 -9% 21 69 -70% Net income M$ (51) (8) (59) 25 Excluding profit oil reverting to the Gabonese Republic as per production sharing contracts. kb/d: Thousand barrels per day Including profit oil reverting to the Gabonese Republic as per production sharing contracts. Mb: Million barrels. Revenue from hydrocarbon sales and services (transportation, processing and storage), including profit oil reverting to the Gabonese Republic as per production sharing contracts. Funds generated from operations are comprised of the operating cash flow, the gains or losses on disposals of assets and the working capital changes. Second quarter and first half 2020 statements Selling Price The selling price of the crude oil grade marketed by Total Gabon averaged $22.6 per barrel, during the second quarter 2020, down 44% compared to first quarter 2020.The price decline has been significant in April, before starting to recover gradually during the last two months of the semester, supported by the Brent price trend and the improvement of the price differential. The selling price for the first half 2020 averaged 30,7 $/b, down de 51% compared to the first semester 2019. Production Total Gabon's equity share of operated and non-operated oil production(1) amounted to 25,400 barrels per day during the first quarter 2020 down 9% compared to the first quarter 2020, due mainly to: The unavailability of the Anguille field compressor, as works and restart have been delayed until the Gabonese borders reopened; The natural decline of the fields. This was partly offset by: The gains from the well interventions campaign during the first quarter on the operated fields. Total Gabon's equity share of operated and non-operated oil production1 amounted to 26,600 barrels per day during the first half 2020 down 19% compared to the first half 2019, due mainly to: The unavailability of Anguille field compressor, as works and restart have been delayed until the Gabonese borders reopened; The partial unavailability of assets caused by compression and sand issues on the non-operated Grondin sector; The natural decline of the fields. This was partly offset by: The gains from the well intervention campaign during the first quarter on the operated fields. Revenues Revenues amounted to $74 million in the first quarter 2020, down 35% compared to the first quarter 2020, mainly impacted by the declining average selling price during the quarter, and partly offset by a more favorable lifting program. Revenues amounted to $187 million in the first half 2020, down 54% compared to the first half 2019, mainly impacted by the declining average selling price and the less favorable lifting program of the first quarter. Funds generated from Operations Cash flow from operations amounted to $31 million in the second quarter 2020, down 44% compared to the first quarter 2020. This is mainly due to the higher working capital, notably driven by receivables in relation to the price recovery during the end of the period. Cash flow from operations amounted to $86 million in the first half 2020, down 41% compared to the first half 2019. This is mainly due to the lower prices and production. Besides the unfavorable environment, the net cash slightly increased by $2 million during the first half 2020 after the dividend payment. _____________________ 1 Including profit oil reverting to the Gabonese Republic as per production sharing contracts. Capital Expenditure Capital expenditure amounted to $10 million in the second quarter 2020, stable compared to the first quarter 2020, and to $21 million during the first half 2020, down 70% compared to the first half 2019. This includes mainly integrity works, a well intervention campaign on the operated field and the installation of a gas pipeline intended at first to improve the gas lift activation of wells from the Grondin sector. Its commissioning has been delayed due to the inability to mobilize necessary personnel resulting from closed Gabonese borders. Net Income Net income for the first quarter 2020 amounted to ($51) million, down compared to the first quarter 2020 mainly impacted by lower prices and production. First half net income amounted to ($59) million, down compared to the first half 2019, mainly impacted by lower prices and production. Highlights since the beginning of second quarter 2020 Corporate governance Total Gabon's ordinary Shareholders' Meeting was held on May 29, 2020 in Libreville and approved the payment of a net dividend of $11 per share related to the financial year 2019, representing $49.5 million. This dividend was paid on June 11, 2020 in an equivalent amount of 9.88 per share based on the European Central Bank's rate of $1.1131 for one euro on May 29, 2020. Given the available cash and the strong balance sheet, notably the lack of debt, the Board of Directors has decided today to call on an exceptional basis an Ordinary Shareholders' Meeting on Monday September 21, 2020 and to recommend the payment of a dividend of $44.44 per share, for a total payout of $199.98 million for all shareholders. Health and oil crisis Following the dual health and oil crisis, the Company has communicated on April 20, 2020 on the implementation of an action plan to substantially reduce its costs and capital expenditures for 2020. This plan has not been modified and its implementation is carried out as planned. Tax audit Discussions are going on with the fiscal administration about the tax adjustments that have been notified for the fiscal years 2014 to 2017 as per the tax audit performed in 2019. Notwithstanding, a $15 million provision has been accrued during the second quarter 2020, corresponding to the amount of the tax adjustments that the Company has recognized. Total Gabon has also accrued a provision of $18 million pursuant to IFRIC 23 interpretation Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments in its first half 2020 financial statements. Refocus of the Company's activities on its operated assets Total Gabon has announced on July 30, 2020 that it has signed an agreement with Perenco aimed at divesting its interests in seven matures offshore fields, along with its interests and operatorship in the Cap Lopez oil Terminal. This transaction helps Total Gabon first to concentrate on its main operated assets in order to make the most of it and second to guarantee the future of the Cap Lopez Terminal with the consolidation of the volumes from two major actors in Gabon into the same terminal. Total Gabon shall continue to implement all plans to maximize the value of our operated productions clusters at Anguille-Mandji and Torpille-Baudroie-Merou. In its first half 2020 financial statements, the Company has analyzed the envisaged transaction in the light of the norm IFRS 5 "Non-current assets held for sales and discontinued operations" and has concluded that the criteria were not fully met as of June 30, 2020. Consequently, the assets and liabilities related to the transaction have not been restated. The transaction price which is under negotiation does not affect the assets valuation applied in the June 30, 2020 financial statements of Total Gabon. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005831/en/ Contacts: Media contact: actionnariat-totalgabon@total.com An Australian man is behind bars in Bali accused of working as a drug courier for a British expat who is allegedly a 'dealer and distributor' on the holiday island. Aaron Wayne Coyle, 44, from Perth, was arrested outside his Seminyak boarding house on Wednesday. Police allegedly found 1.2 grams of meth inside his home. They allege Coyle was working for 32-year-old British man Collum Park. 'We allege that the Brit is the drugs dealer. Meanwhile the Australian, we allege, that he is the courier,' Denpasar Police Chief Jansen Avitus Panjaitan said. Police officers escort Australian national Aaron Wayne Coyle (left) and British national Collum Park (centre) Denpasar Police allege Coyle (back right) acted as a drug runner for British man Collum Park, 32, (centre) 'They are [allegedly] working on storing and distributing it by planting the drugs somewhere. We allege they are part of a syndicate.' Both men are being held by Denpasar police after being charged with drug offences which carry 12 and 20 years in prison respectively. Police will allege Coyle was paid 200,000 IDR, roughly AUS$20, each time he transported drugs for Park, Nine News reported. The Australian's family said he moved to Bali in early 2020 on a five-year visa and was there to deliver packages to people in need during the pandemic. Indonesia has very strict drug laws and convicted traffickers are often executed by a firing squad. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes, and about a third of them are foreigners. NSW says it may never reach the threshold set by Queensland to reopen its borders, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning that 28 days of no community transmission is not feasible. The divisive issue of border closures will dominate Friday's national cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison pushing for border restrictions to be eased in time for Christmas. But the Queensland government says it will not reopen its border with NSW until the state achieves 28 days of no community transmission of COVID-19. The longest period NSW has achieved during the pandemic was two weeks in mid-June. Ms Berejiklian, who had a "polite and constructive" discussion on Wednesday with her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk, said 28 days was a "pretty tall order". A family enjoying a day at the beach were staggered to discover a man's ashes in a bottle floating in the sea. The Alvarez family from Carballo, Spain, found the bottle last month while on Razo Beach in northwestern Spain. Inside was a note from a woman revealing the contents in the jar were her late husbands ashes. Two years earlier, Mary Whitt had thrown the bottle into the Atlantic Ocean after suddenly losing her spouse of 30 years, Jerry Whitt. Ms Whitt, from the US state of Kentucky, made the gesture as part of an effort to tick off her late husband's bucket list, at the top of which was travel. We never got to travel because we worked, Mary told Kentucky's WKYT News. Travel was at the top of Mr Whitt's bucket list / WKYT I decided to put Jerrys ashes in a bottle, and his picture and a note, I thought that this would be a good way that he could travel." After discovering the bottle on August 13, the Alvarez family made contact with Ms Whitt, who asked them to scatter the ashes into the Atlantic Ocean. The family happily obliged and filmed the moment they gave Mr Whitt an emotional send off so his widow could witness the moment. "It touched all of our hearts. It's just so heartwarming and touching that they are this good to us, Ms Whitt told Kentucky newspaper the Commonwealth Journal. The two families have since remained in touch and the Whitts have been invited to Spain to stay with the Alvarez family. I think he would be so excited so think that we have friends in Spain now, you know, we video chat with them, we talk often and he would have absolutely loved that, Mr Whitt's daughter, Emilee Whitt, told WKYT news. The Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee so far has not received an assurance that its members will be briefed in person as well. Staff have written, emailed and informally asked the ODNI whether the panel will be getting such updates and has not received a reply, an aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss committee communications. MBABANE In SiSwati, sinani shaca (Woe unto you)! Government has crafted the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Bill of 2020, which carries a heavy penalty for fake news perpetrators, who risk being fined E10 million for this offence. The Bill states that any person, who publishes any statement or fake news through any medium, including social media with the intention to deceive any other person or group of persons, commits an offence. It is spelt out in this proposed legislation that the fake news pusher shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding E10 million or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or both. It effectively means the court, if the Bill passes without alterations, can order an offender to pay E10 million and serve 10 years in jail concurrently. The Bill was issued in an Extraordinary Gazette on August 19, 2020. This could be the first law, if it would pass, to carry a heavy penalty in monetary terms. The heavy monetary penalty is contained in Section 19 of the Bill, which will be piloted in Parliament by Manqoba Khumalo, the acting Minister of Information, Communication and Technology or the substantive minister, Princess Sikhanyiso. According to the Bill, fake news means a form of news or statement through any medium, including social media, with intention to deceive another person or persons. Other people who could be in for a high jump are architects and perpetrators of cyberstalking in this kingdom. If found guilty and convicted, they face a fine not exceeding E10 million or a jail sentence not exceeding 10 years. Cyberstalking is defined in the Bill as the use of the internet or other electronic means to inflict repeated unwarranted actions on a natural or juristic person (s). Such action may include false accusations, defamation, slander, libel, monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, or gathering information that may be used to threaten, embarrass or harass, which may result in mental or corporate abuse. On the other hand, the offence of cyberbullying could carry a fine not exceeding E5 million or imprisonment of up to five years. Cyberbullying means the use of electronic communication to bully a person typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. If the Bill is passed by Parliament without changes, courts shall have jurisdiction to try any offence under this proposed law committed by a national of this country within and outside the territory of the Kingdom of Eswatini, if the persons conduct would also constitute an offence under a law of the country where the offence was committed. The Times SUNDAY can also mention that government has singled out Zweli Martin Dlamini as being responsible for fake news. This is not to suggest that Dlamini pushes the fake news agenda, but is simply stating what government has previously said about him. Attacking a political system Government wants to criminalise cyberterrorism, which, if a person commits, could be liable on conviction to pay a fine not exceeding E15 million. It is provided in Section 13 that a person who without justification or legal excuse, using a computer system, commits an offence if he or she (a) Deliberately recruits, trains, provides training material, information or means to individuals or groups of people to join or unknown terrorist groups driven by political ideologies, religion or hate of political systems. With the intention of forcing change or causing fear to general society; (b) Funds or raises funds for cyberterrorism purposes; (c) Spreads or promotes the interests of such organisations; (d) Accesses or causes to be accessed websites or information sources of such organisations; (d) Through conventional methods, launches massive attacks on telecommunications or computer networks or (f) Launches attacks using physical devices, computer programmes or other electronic means to (i) Render the financial or banking system of the country or a city unusable; (ii) Compromise the defence systems of the country; or (iii) Seriously disrupts or interfere with the operations of the electricity grid, aviation control systems, tax management systems, elections management systems, population register, government payroll and cabinet systems; Cyberterrorism, according to the Bill, means deliberate actions perpetrated using computer systems with the intention to cause serious harm in human lives, way of life, infrastructure or the economy or cause fear or terror in a community, nation or group of nations. No fine in child pornography Those to be involved in child pornography will be sentenced to 25 years without an option of a fine. This is pornography done through a computer system. It is provided in the Bill that any person convicted of extortion could be ordered by the court to pay a fine of up to 20 times the amount sought to be extorted. The extorter can be sentenced to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years. In this situation, it effectively means the extorter can be ordered to pay E20 million if he forces the victim to part with E1 million or could be ordered to pay E100 000 if he wants the other person to part with E5 000. Government has made it clear in this proposal for the new law that any person who intentionally and unlawfully uses the internet, email or any other computer system platform to commit the act of extortion on another person, natural or juristic commits an offence. Extortion, as defined in the proposed legislation, means an act of demanding favour or benefit from a person through coercion or arising from an advantage one holds over the victim, by threatening to inflict harm to his person, family members, reputation or property by unleashing the advantage he holds over the victim. Others in sheer trouble if the Bill passes in its original form are those who intentionally or without lawful excuse commit or participate in the website defacement belonging to another entity. This offence attracts a fine not exceeding E10 million, and imprisonment of up to 10 years. Website defacement, according to the Bill, means the act of attacking a website by changing the visual appearance, adding, changing, deleting or replacing content by a party or parties not authorised by the website owner. E15m fine for hate speech Government has also included in a provision in the Bill, which seeks to deal with hate speech, racist and xenophobic material. A person who intentionally and without lawful excuse or justification or in excess of a lawful excuse or justification shall be fined up to E15 million or serve a jail term not exceeding 15 years if he or she engages in the following (a) Produces racist, hate speech or xenophobic material with the intention of distributing it through a computer system; (b) Offers or makes available racist, hate speech or xenophobic material through a computer system; (c) Distributes or transmits racist, hate speech or xenophobic material through a computer system; Section 2 of the Bill (under interpretations) defines a computer system or information system as a device or a group of interconnected or related devices, one or more of which, pursuant to a programme, performs automatic processing data or any other function. It is also a serious offence to intentionally and publicly, through a computer system, use language that harms the reputation or feelings of (a) Persons for the reason that they belong to a group distinguished by race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion, if used as a pretext for any of these factors or (b) A group of persons which is distinguished by any of these characteristics. A person who commits the above offence is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding E10 million or to imprisonment not exceeding 20 years or both. E1 billion fine, 50 yrs in jail The heaviest fine has to do with the commission of the offence of genocide and crimes against humanity as it carries E1 billion and 50 years in jail. The proposed law does not define genocide and crimes against humanity. It is stated in Section 23 that any person who distributes or otherwise makes available through a computer system to the public or to another person material which denies, grossly minimises, approves or justifies acts constituting genocide or crimes against humanity commits an offence. It goes further to state that the acts constituting genocide or crimes against humanity could aid, induces or incites others to commit such acts or incites, instigates, commands or procures any other person to commit genocide or crimes against humanity. In international law (Criminal Court International Criminal Court) could be defined as the notion that encompasses crimes such as murder, extermination, rape, persecution and all other inhumane acts of a similar character (wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health), committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civil population, with the knowledge of the attack. The definition of crimes against humanity is codified in Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Trafficking in humans, endangered species or illegal merchandise is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding E10 million or 10 years in jail. Journalists under siege Section 27 somehow relates directly or indirectly to the duties of journalists as it criminalises disclosure of details of an investigation. It is said that a service provider that receives an order related to a criminal investigation, which explicitly stipulates that confidentiality is to be maintained or such obligation is stated by law commits an offence carrying a fine of E1 million if he or she discloses (a) The fact that an Order has been made; (b) Anything done under the Order; (c) Any data collected or recorded under the Order; If the Bill passes, the person who contravenes Section 27 can also be imprisoned for three years. A person who harasses others using means of electronic communication commits an offence that carries a penalty of E10 million as well or jail sentence of up to 10 years. The harassment entails coercing, intimidating, insulting, causing emotional distress to a person. This the person does through a computer system to support hostile behaviour. E100m fine Section 26 (2) provides that a person could be fined E100 million if he or she causes or launches an attack with data traffic on a computer system or network so as to overwhelm the network resources, resulting in slowed or denied service. The guilty party can alternatively serve a jail term of up to 20 years. Bring it on PUDEMO Wandile Dludlu, the Secretary General of the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), said PUDEMO had seen all manner of draconian laws being put forward by this regime. He said this proposed legislation was joining a plethora of others. However, Dludlu declared PUDEMOs readiness to dump it in the dustbin of history like the Suppression of the Terrorism Act, 1973 Decree, 60-day Detention Without Trial, and other pieces of legislation. He said it was a pity that tiny countries like Seychelles and Mauritius were pushing for global economic power whereas Eswatini of similar size was answering these questions how to use the police? How do law drafters come up with legislations to suppress people? The secretary general said Seychelles and Mauritius were human success stories because of their sound leadership while Eswatini continues to be a charity case. He said PUDEMO was happy that such laws were being promulgated in front of emaSwati and diplomatic partners such as United States Embassy and European Union (EU). We have been raising concerns to the EU and US over their continuous bankrolling of this political regime. Why are they keeping it active when it violates human rights? Dludlu alleged. He said they were not scared of this proposed law as it was intended to silence people expressing their views in the computer space. He said government managed to muzzle the radio and television, but would never be able to muzzle the computer space. Vuyisile Hlatshwayo, the Executive Director of the Eswatini Chapter of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), asked to go through the Bill before he commented on the issue as it looked as though they were faced with a huge challenge. From what I hear from you, the fines are ridiculous, who has E10 million in this country? But, let me read the whole Bill, I will revert back to you for detailed comment, he said. Welcome Siyabonga Dlamini, the President of the Eswatini National Association of Journalists (SNAJ), said his organisation would always welcome legislation that advances good and ethical practice of the profession, but frowns upon laws that infringe on freedom of the press and expression. Dlamini hoped the proposed law on computer crime and cybercrime was not intended to muzzle the media or victimise individuals considered holding dissenting views or beliefs from those of the government. Anukrti Upadhyays Kintsugi weaves two seemingly contradictory worlds together. Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken objects with gold, finds its way into Anukrti Upadhyays latest novel a blend of different stories, of broken characters spread across the jauhari bazaar of Jaipur to the cityscape of Tokyo. Through her characters Meena's rebellion in escaping to Japan and Haruko's discipline as she learns the craft of jewellery making, in Prakash's cowardice and Yuri's insecurities Upadhyays Kintsugi weaves two seemingly contradictory worlds together, exploring sexuality, immigrant complexes and brilliant craftsmen hiding their art from the women of the family. Her novel dwells on the coveted art of jewellery making, breathing life into beautiful traditions such as kundan, meenakari and thewa which have largely remained absent from the Indian literary canon, while offering a glimpse of the age-old gaddis in Jaipur which carry forward the business of intricately crafted artisanal jewellery. In a conversation with Firstpost, the author of the companion novels Daura and Bhaunri, shares what draws her to Japanese culture and literature, her love for the artisanal jewellery of Rajasthan and what it means to be a bilingual author, juggling Hindi and English to write compelling novels and short stories. Edited excerpts: Could you elaborate on how you were inspired to write this story, particularly how each character symbolises the art of kintsugi that your book is named after? I wrote Kintsugi, the original draft, some four years ago. I write in pencil in a notebook and then I type it out, which means a complete rewriting. So the form in which the book is now must be the seventh or eighth version. But it started out as one story which I began writing in Hakone. That was my first visit to a Japanese onsen, a hot water spring. The sensory stimulation of that place was such that I wanted to capture it in words. So the first bit of Kintsugi that I wrote was of Meena, the part where Meena and Yuri are in Hakone. When I wrote it I realised that there is more to be said and then various pieces came together. However, the title Kintsugi was suggested by my editor, Rahul [Soni] and I knew that it would be right because thats how I had conceived it, as pieces that were broken but would still remain parts of a whole. How did you go about writing this cross-cultural narrative, reconciling the two beautiful cultural spaces, Japanese and Rajasthani, where the stories unfold? I was born and raised in Jaipur, so back in 2016 when I started writing seriously up until then I used to write poetry or a lot of legal documents as I am a lawyer I realised that Rajasthan came organically into my writing though I had not lived there now for over 20 years. I didnt realise how deeply I felt connected to this place, perhaps in many ways nostalgic for what used to be. I also wanted to capture the various facets which I feel are bit under-explored in fiction. Nobody writes about how glorious the jewellery craft is. It was also a metaphor I employed, because to create anything of beauty requires patience and it takes patience to build lives, to build relationships, to express and find yourself. I first visited Japan in the winter of 2005 and I was smitten. It offered so many contradictions that the place felt almost unreal because of their starkness. I also found Japanese literature endlessly fascinating. Both fascinations came together my need to talk about my own heritage and an aesthetic society which completely intrigued me. Could you tell us about some of the Japanese literature you have been reading and works which have particularly stood out for you? I have read old Japanese masters like Natsume Soseki to Ryunosuke Akutagawa, to the modern writers from Haruki Murakami to Hiromi Kawakami to Minako, to every new Japanese work coming out in English. I think my favourite however is Jun'ichiro Tanizaki who wrote at the cusp of change coming into Japanese society. At the time, Japan became an aggressor during World War II and then they realised that they had lost. In the process of losing the war, in many ways they lost a sense of identity. It is strange because Japan has such a pronounced cultural heritage, nurtured through isolation and yet that defeat created a crisis of identity for Japan as a nation and thats the period Tanizaki sensei writes about. Could you share with us your experiences of interacting with the local sunars while researching for Kintsugi? What are some of your favourite ornaments crafted in their artisanal styles? Rajasthani women are very fond of their jewellery and I am no exception. All my life I have seen my mother, grandmother, sisters, buying jewellery, talking about jewellery but when I started writing Kintsugi, I realised I wanted to know more, so I actually went into the jauhari bazaar lane. Our family jeweller introduced me to some of the artisans there and I spent days sitting there observing what they were doing. I also saw how the presence of a woman in the artisans room, a hole in the wall tucked somewhere in a haveli in Jaipur, was very unusual for them. When I started asking questions about the sunar tradition, I learnt that women are not allowed to learn jewellery craft. My favourites are works which are a combination of meenakari and kundan because this embodies all kinds of contradictions. The enamel work requires firing while kundan requires very delicate handling and even a lick of a flame could ruin it. So the two things balanced in one piece of ornament is an aesthetic that attracts me and also that the hidden parts of the ornament are sometimes more beautiful than the exposed part. To me its the ultimate artistic arrogance: you create beauty that is for nobody elses eyes except the eyes of the wearer. My best loved pieces are a set of kundan and meena bracelets. It is white meena which is not very common, and difficult to craft because the colour of the other enamel work may leak into the meena and spoil it. In so many ways, Yuri, a child abandoned by her mother, symbolises a co-dependency arising out of insecurity. How did you shape her story, her desperation and in the end, the resignation which leads her to take an extreme step? To me in many ways, Yuri symbolises Japan because on the outside she is so calm, gentle and composed, you feel she has got all the strength in her head. To me Japan is like that, on the surface so calm and composed but go one or two layers deeper, you realise what a complex, contradictory social and psychological structure there is. Walk into any Japanese drug store, for instance, and you can see extreme graphic images of hyper-sexuality, violent orientations. For a women raised in Rajasthan, this is a shock because under the layer of this gentle, super-civilised, cultured and aesthetically aware society, there is this. Inside of Yuri, there is so much suffering, so much pain and co-dependence that she needed someone to hang on to, to just be. That comes from internal suppression. In your book, you talk about fusing the pure with the frail without melting or breaking the other. How do you strike that balance in writing stories which at once highlight the prevalent rigid conformity to traditions while appreciating age-old indigenous arts? Artisanal traditions which are such an important part of Kintsugi symbolise things we mustnt throw away. Look at Prakash, what a wasted life he led, completely unexamined. He cant even dare to face the truth, except in a dream. He just is not able to confront his own self and his own life. So thats what the traditional crafts symbolise. And Meenas rebellion: you know its the character I most wrote about but liked the least. She is a chaotic personality. She has no idea of herself. She knows what she doesnt want however she does not very clearly know what she wants. So she tries to break away from her family without really breaking away. Women are raised a certain way, society has conditioned them. So if women hide things about their own self, they are just playing the cards they are dealt with. But if you are like Meena, there is something beyond it that you are not courageous enough to embrace wholly and therefore you wreck havoc in everybodys lives. You have been writing in two languages, Hindi and English. Do you ever quarrel with yourself about the language in which you want to tell a story? I wrote poetry for the longest time and I wrote it all in Hindi. So in many ways, the language for the more spontaneous, emotional expression has remained Hindi. But interestingly when I started writing fiction, I wrote it all in English and there was never a dilemma. Even the stories of Japani Sarai ... the first draft was written in English and then I transformed it in Hindi. Its an interesting feature of bilingual writing that I am forever exploring both languages. Anukrti Upadhyays Kintsugi has been published by HarperCollins (CNN) First lady Melania Trump used private email accounts rather than her White House email to discuss official White House business, according to her former senior adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. "Melania was never working on policy, no excuses. But again, a very difficult road to go down with as far as what the White House was willing to open her avenue to participate," Wolkoff told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day" Wednesday. A first lady is not a federal employee and not subject to the same law as those working for the President or vice president restricting the use of a personal email account to conduct official government business. However, Trump's reported use of private email accounts came after her husband, President Donald Trump, railed against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server -- instead of a government email account -- during her time as secretary of state, and made it a central part of his campaign against her in the 2016 election. The first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN in a statement Wednesday evening, "In consultation with White House ethics officials, from the beginning of the Administration, the First Lady and her staff have taken steps to meet the standard of the Presidential Records Act, relating to the preservation of records that adequately document official activities." Asked by CNN why Trump would use a private email after her husband's attacks against Clinton, Wolkoff said Wednesday, "Does it really surprise you? ... I think the Trumps are the Trumps. And they do whatever they want to do and they go by their own rules. It's unfortunate." Wolkoff also told CNN that she and Trump corresponded on private email accounts because Wolkoff lacked access to a White House email account for the first month. Wolkoff's claims about the first lady's use of a personal email was first reported by The Washington Post. Wolkoff told the Post that Trump used a private Trump Organization email account, a MelaniaTrump.com email account, iMessage and Signal, an encrypted messaging app. The Post reported Tuesday that it viewed messages that appeared to be from Trump discussing government hires and contracts, the Trumps' schedules for the Israeli and Japanese state visits, the first lady's "Be Best" initiative, the White House Easter egg roll, and the presidential inauguration finances. Wolkoff did not mention Melania's private email use in her new book "Melania and Me," out Tuesday, in which she also details the allegedly contentious relationship between Melania and first daughter Ivanka Trump. Grisham previously told CNN that Wolkoff's book was "not truthful" and said Wolkoff overstated her friendship with Trump. "This book is not only wildly self-aggrandizing, it's just not truthful. It is an exercise in bizarre twisting of the truth and misguided blame for the sake of self-pity. It's unfortunate and concerning that she's overstated their friendship and her very brief role in the White House to this degree," Grisham said. Wolkoff, a former director of special events for Vogue magazine, helped organize events around Trump's inauguration and was Melania Trump's first hire in the East Wing, briefly working as an unpaid special government employee. But as investigations into inaugural activities progressed, the $26 million Wolkoff's firm was paid, nearly all but $1.6 million of which went to subcontractors, caused a rift with the Trump family. This story was first published on CNN.com 'Melania Trump used private email to conduct official White House business, former senior adviser says' SOUTHAMPTON Harley-Davidson of Southampton, the Pioneer Valleys lone remaining Harley dealer, is closing Sept. 15 after having been in business since 2007. Harley known for the throaty roar of its exhaust and outlaw image has been having a tough time as a brand, with sales of its motorcycles down 22% in the United States during the most recent quarter. Thats partially due to the coronavirus pandemic. But domestic motorcycle sales were down 5.2% in the previous fiscal year, according to annual reports. Harley-Davidson announced cutbacks, looking to trim its selection of motorcycle models by 30%. The Southampton dealership, at 17 College Highway, sold motorcycles, parts, riding clothes and other gear. It also hosted regular barbecues and get-togethers for riders and charity events. Owner Aaron Patrick didnt return calls for comment Thursday. In 2012, he told The Republican the Southampton dealership sold 600 motorcycles a year. Mario Turrini of Holyoke described himself as a longtime customer and former sales associate at the dealership, which he called a second home. Turrini left for another job about two years ago. He rides a 2012 Electra Glide. Im literally here once a week, he said. They are basically awesome people. Its more than just a customer or employee relationship. But Turrini said its harder and harder to get young people interested in motorcycles, and Harleys in particular, despite the sound of the exhaust that conveys so much romance and longing for the open road to enthusiasts. Turrini said the dealership has about a dozen employees. Patrick purchased the building 27,000 square feet on 6.8 acres from his former business partner in 2016 for 2.5 million. At the time, he also owned Yankee Harley-Davidson in Bristol, Connecticut, but sold it in 2018, according to published reports. The Southampton closure, first announced on Facebook, leaves the Pioneer Valley without a Harley dealer. Springfields Tibbys Harley-Davidson closed in 2011 after 55 years in business. The closest remaining dealerships are Ronnies Harley-Davidson in Pittsfield, American Harley-Davidson in Leominster, Sheldons Harley-Davidson in Auburn and Old School Harley-Davidson in Ellington, Connecticut. Indian Motorcycle of Springfield, selling the latest incarnation of the brand that originated in Springfield, has its dealership at 962 Southampton Road in Westfield, just down Route 10 from the Harley garage. Indian Motorcycles are made in the United States. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Dr Chris Ngige has berated Anambra businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, for casting aspersions on him over his advice that the 12 traditional rulers suspended by the Anambra State Government, should be relocated from their communities to avert breach of peace. Ngige described Prince Eze as 'a fair weather politician' who befriends any government in power, and uses his wealth to intimidate, oppress and brutalise the downtrodden people in Anambra State communities, bordering his Ukpo hometown in his land grabbing spree. The two-time Minister spoke while reacting to the scathing attack on him by the controversial Anambra businessman. Eze had on Sunday issued a press release through a freelance journalist, Oliver Okechukwu Okpala, where he attacked Ngige in reply to media reports that the former Anambra State Governor had called on the incumbent Governor, Willie Obiano, to banish him (Eze) and the suspended traditional rulers. Governor Willie Obiano had sanctioned the 12 traditional rulers for travelling out of the State without clearance in order to accompany Businessman Arthur Eze to Aso Rock on what they tagged, a thank you visit to Mr. President, for his infrastructural development in the South East and what he has done for Igbos. Reacting to the attack on him by the Anambra businessman, which he viewed as unwarranted and indecorous, Ngige said Arthur Eze is a fair weather politician, a political turncoat and an apostle and Commander-in-Chief of members of any government in power, (AGIP) in Nigeria. In a statement from his media office signed by Emmanuel Nzomiwu, the labour Minister explained that as a former Governor and elder of the State, he had only advised Anambra State Government to relocate the traditional rulers out of their domain for administrative and security reasons. According to Ngige, when an official of government and in this case, these government certified traditional rulers are suspended from office, they cease to perform the functions of the office and hence, they should not be allowed to be visiting or threatening those carrying out their functions by still visiting the office whether it is in the palace or elsewhere. He said:Much more importantly, those suspended traditional rulers have started experiencing violent protests, demonstrations and calls for their outright dethronement in their respective communities of Abacha (Idemili North LG), Alor (Idemili South LG), Aguleri Enugu Otu and Mkpu Nando-Otu Aguleri, both in Anambra East LG as well as in many other places, thereby raising security concerns. Ngige said. These two reasons are very compelling and serious enough for the Anambra State Government to relocate these persons, especially the one from Ngige's community, Alor, who was never crowned by the community abinitio but was imposed by the Anambra State Government of Peter Obi on the Alor community as a retaliation and punitive action for their loss of the 2011 senatorial election to Ngige who defeated and trounced their candidate, Late Dora Akunyili, sponsored by the then Anambra State Government of Obi. The statement noted that there is no time Ngige as a man of rule of law, asked for banishment of Arthur Eze, an act which would have run against the tenets of the 1999 constitution, as amended. But, this does not derogate from the fact that Senator Ngige had said that from the facts- video clips-in the media and in the public domain, Eze had engaged in an act of sabotage, against the government and people of Anambra State. Arthur Eze had sabotaged the Anambra State Government by gathering a group of disgruntled persons, some gullible and even non recognized traditional rulers for 'a thank you visit' on behalf of the South East when in actual fact, no traditional ruler from Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, was in his motley gathering of Ezes. The Chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers was not there, same with the Chairman of the South East council of Traditional Rulers. He also neither involved nor informed South East federal ministers, not to talk of those from Anambra State, even out of courtesy. Senator Ngige rightly asserted and stood by his earlier statement that Arthur Eze should be sanctioned and punished for the act of sabotage, of aiding and abetting those traditional rulers to travel out of their kingdom without appropriate clearance from the Anambra State Government, an action for which all of them have pleaded guilty and apologized to the Governor. The statement equally debunked the claim that Ngige lived in FESTAC before Arthur Eze rented a decent apartment for him in Lagos and helped him change his Volkswagen car. In 1980 he was already living in comfort in the 1004 Estate, National Assembly Wing, Victoria Island, having been moved from his temporary accommodation in the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island where he stayed when he arrived in Lagos as a youth corps medical doctor. Rather it was Prince Arthur Eze who had been a family friend since 1967 that relocated from his elder brother's house in Kirikiri to squat with him (Senator Ngige), he(Arthur) having come back from the USA in 1979 and doing the petty trading, buying and selling trips (Afia attack) to London, in the United Kingdom. The statement maintained that the Minister had a hand in growing Arthur's petty business in the early eighties, from his buying and selling of T-shirts, ladies pants and Bra, to VHS cassette business, even as he provided him and his young trading associates with shelter and food whenever they returned from business trips from London into Lagos. He equally introduced him to many VIPs from where his business metamorphosed from supply of VHS Cassettes to NTA and Anambra TV to construction of TV Stations in the 80's. It will therefore be unnecessary talking about mundane things like cars and abode. For now, the Minister is a very busy person with state duties and he ordinarily, should not waste precious time responding to this innocuous vibes, but to put the facts straight, Arthur Eze is still his friend but he should heed the advice given to him by truthful friends like Ngige and other Eze family members, that he should refrain from partisan politics like other highflying businessmen, such as Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group, Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, Femi Otedola and BUA Group Chairman, Alhaji Samad Rabiu who he claims are his contemporaries, and face his business and establish industries that can create jobs for numerous unemployed people, especially the youths in Anambra State, thereby lifting these Nigerians from poverty through job creation, which is the primary agenda of this administration. Instead, he had in the last decade used his money for fruitless political ventures, victimisation, oppression and tyrannical behaviour to the downtrodden people of neighbouring communities of Abba (the hometown of award winning creative writer, Chimamanda Adichie), Abagana, Ukwulu, Nawgu, among others, where he has engaged the people in forceful land acquisition, arresting and detaining people of the area at will on trumped up charges and igniting and fuelling Kingship disputes in many areas like he is presently doing in Awka, Alor, and Ukwulu Kingdoms to mention a few. Given that his style of politics is that of a political turncoat, especially when everybody remembers vividly his appearance in January 2015, at a TAN rally in Enugu, shouting Jonathan for life President, it is detestable that at the same rally he called Ngige and APC's then Presidential Candidate, Muhammadu Buhari names, alleging that they were arrowheads of Boko Haram party,APC. Later when Buhari won the Presidential election and Jonathan lost, Arthur turned around to claim a total love and loyalty to Buhari by September 2015. This is not minding that he led an onslaught of policemen and soldiers to rig election same year against Ngige and other APC members in Anambra State, for Jonathan, the only election he ever 'won' his ward. In 2019 again, he was shouting support Buhari so that Igbos will get presidency in 2023 but he clandestinely worked for Atiku/Obi ticket. Ngige said whilst he had nothing against the traditional rulers personally as four of them are his friends, just like Prince Arthur Eze, a friendship that started in1967 in their boyhood days during the civil war, but as a former Governor, Senator and Minister from Anambra State, he would not sit by and watch while the seat of Governor of Anambra State was being desecrated, diminished as if a single individual or persons are above the state authority. 'The seat must be respected by all of us, especially when we were not campaigning for elections. He pointed out that there is an ocean of difference between a wealthy man and the man with the authority of the state. He insisted that whoever is Governor of Anambra State irrespective of party affiliation-APC, PDP, APGA or ADC-is the numero uno and sovereign of the state and sits on a seat which by the collective resolve of the people through the ballot box has been bequeathed to him or her. He declared that an elected governor must therefore be allowed to govern the state unfettered, unhindered and without distractions, in order for such a person to give an appropriate account without pleading alibi for his stewardship here on earth and in Heaven when he or she meets with the creator. On the claim of his being an accidental minister, Ngige said he prepared and equipped himself well, educationally as a WASC distinction student, Doctor of Medicine from the famous and reputable University of Nigeria Nsukka Medical School Enugu and did not drop out of technical schools in Germany or USA like some people. Besides, he had acquired many postgraduate diplomas and certificates in medicine and administration. I accept that I am an accidental minister twice but it is doubtful whether Arthur Eze is qualified to be an accidental minister, even for once. President Buhari's council of ministers position is not 'accidental' in any form as only men and women of great acumen, high integrity, honour and wealth of experience are usually chosen, otherwise Prince Eze could have bought the position on the two occasions that he had tried to do so, but failed. He recalled that he served as National Assembly doctor before becoming the Senate President's physician, worked in federal the civil service, during which he worked to establish many Federal Government clinics, Federal medical centres and teaching hospitals in Nigeria, before retiring voluntarily as the Deputy Director of Hospital Services and Training, from the Federal Ministry of Health in 1998 and venturing into politics to do further public service so as to touch more lives, having served meritoriously and being conferred with a National Award in 2002 for his civil service accomplishments. Since retiring from the civil service, Ngige was already an investor in many private clinics established in partnership with other medical doctors in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Apapa apart from being a major investor in one of the biggest carn shop in Victoria Island , Lagos. As for the vituperations of the cash and carry media man, Oliver Okpalla on behalf of Arthur Eze, perhaps Oliver Okpalla has to get back to their common friend, Arthur for accurate briefing because of the distorted facts of history he had dished out, saying it was from the businessman. Otherwise, the logical conclusion is that the Eze Ukpo is suffering from irreversible dementia, or has deliberately decided to attack the Minister's person out of peer jealousy that he has been displaying since Ngige's debut into politics, or both. We wish to warn Mr. Okpalla that as a former Chief Executive of Anambra State and the only Governor that was courageous enough to fight godfathers frontally in that state, Senator Ngige had in 2003 empanelled the Justice Keazor led Anambra State Contract Review and Debt Recovery Tribunal and received the report and its recommendations. The contractors who failed or abandoned contracts after collecting payments for the projects, including the African Development Bank (ADB) projects, the amount collected in naira and dollars are properly documented and known to the Ex- Governor, so also the agreement reached on the repayment plan and those who had reneged on it. But, this is not the time or the place for declassifying of government reports. Those who live in glass houses should never throw stones on those living in concrete houses. A word is enough for the wise. It was a historic moment, on Thursday, as the Oba of Benin, Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, met with political parties and leaders, where he sued for peace and urged them to emulate the action of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 when he lost to President Muhammadu Buhari. First to meet with the monarch were the two gladiators: Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, who Oba Ewuare II said they were heating up the polity. The monarch extracted commitment to peace from the leaders, including Governor Godwin Obaseki, his deputy Comrade Philip Shaibu, the candidate of the APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and the South-South Vice Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih. On his part, former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun lauded the initiative of the Oba. While noting that elections were not a do-or-die affair, he said the politicians must note that they have only Edo State to call their own and, thus, must do everything to protect it from disintegration. He said not only had the state been in the news for the wrong reasons, but the governorship election had also pitched the people against themselves. He said: Today is a very historic day in the history of Edo State and in the history of the ancient Kingdom of Benin. I dont think we had reasons to call this kind of meeting. I appreciate the respect you gentlemen have shown to the traditional institution. Edo politics have been in the news for quite some time now for all the wrong reasons. We have sleepless nights for quite sometimes now because these are all our people; these are people of the same stock, from the same body. There is nobody that is a stranger to each other. I have been worried; I have been worried right from the time the conflict started between Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor and the incumbent governor, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki. I want you to take your mind back to 2015. Before the final election results were announced, President Goodluck Jonathan picked up his telephone and called President Buhari. All the predictions, forecasts by the international community that Nigeria will break up, it is going to be on fire everything was quenched just by that singular act. I actually admire President Jonathan for his humility, for the gentlemanly way he handled 2015 election. You are all political actors in Edo State knowing where you are coming from. You have been together, now you are not together. You confuse the press, you confuse the public, you are confusing everybody. Why are you all doing this? Is it just because of the office? It is for four years and at most another four years. Why will you now want lives to be lost? Why do we hear that you are arming thugs? Why? Climate change protesters have glued themselves to the ground around the UK parliament during the third day of disruption in central London. Some Extinction Rebellion (XR) supporters said they jumped the barriers and ran past armed police to glue (themselves) on to the floor outside the House of Lords. The tactic, a staple of previous XR protests, was accompanied by scores of others staging a sit-in elsewhere around the perimeter of the parliamentary estate, including at the Carriage Gates. Supporters have previously sought to go limp or simply look away when police warned them to move on or risk arrest. A separate protest, carried out by XR ally Animal Rebellion, saw activists glue themselves on top of and inside a pink slaughterhouse truck parked sideways across nearby Victoria Street. The campaigners said they are demanding a plant-based food system as a means to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis and reduce the risk of future pandemics. They have previously used fake blood in their demonstrations. Elements of both protests are in contravention of conditions imposed by the police in London. Read More Irish service sector recovers at faster pace in August Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police have put a cordon around the vehicle and are working to safely remove protesters, who will subsequently be arrested. He said: The message is really clear we absolutely understand people have a right to protest, but you do not have a right to disrupt peoples lives and cause huge disruption to the communities in London. So if you want to protest, go to Parliament Square if youre committing offences elsewhere in London you are liable to arrest and we will be taking action against you. Police said dozens of arrests had been made by midday. The force confirmed that 72 people had been arrested as of 5pm on Wednesday, the majority for breaching conditions imposed on the Parliament Square demonstration. It followed 160 arrests made on Tuesday the first of 10 days of planned action for offences including breaching public order conditions, obstructing the highway, obstructing police and assault on an emergency worker. XR wants the UK government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2025, and establish a citizens assembly on climate and ecological justice. Joint statement of Joint Commission of JCPOA ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 2 September 2020 / 13:30 Tehran (ISNA) - The participant states of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reaffirmed on Tuesday evening that the United States unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA on May 8, 2018 and therefore cannot invoke the UN sanctions snapback under UNSC resolution 2231. Here is the full text of the statement: 1. A meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) took place in Vienna on 1st September, 2020. Under the terms of the JCPOA, the Joint Commission is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the agreement. The Joint Commission was chaired, on behalf of EU High Representative Josep Borrell, by EEAS Secretary General Helga-Maria Schmid and was attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran at the level of Political Directors/Deputy Foreign Ministers. 2. All participants reaffirmed the importance of preserving the agreement recalling that it is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015). Full implementation of the agreement by all sides remains crucial. 3. In light of recent discussions in the United Nations Security Council in New York concerning the issue of the attempted reinstatement of previously lifted UN sanctions, the participants reaffirmed that the United States unilaterally announced its cessation of participation in the JCPOA on 8 May 2018 and that it had not participated in any JCPOA-related activities subsequently. Participants reconfirmed that it therefore could not be considered as a participant State. In this regard, participants also reaffirmed their various statements and communications made previously at the Security Council including that of the High Representative of 20 August as Co-ordinator of the JCPOA to the effect that the US cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under UNSC resolution 2231. 4. Participants welcomed the Joint Statement of Iran and the IAEA dated 26 August the implementation of which has already started. In this context they recalled the important role of the IAEA as the sole impartial and independent international organisation responsible for the monitoring and verification of nuclear non-proliferation commitments. 5. The Joint Commission addressed nuclear as well as sanctions lifting issues under the agreement. Experts will continue discussions on all issues of concern. 6. Participants reiterated the importance of nuclear non-proliferation projects, in particular the Arak Modernisation Project and the stable isotope project in Fordow. Taking into account the potential consequences of the US decision in May to end the Arak waiver, participants reiterated their strong support and collective responsibility for the continuation of the project. 7. The meeting took place against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants expressed their solidarity with all countries affected in their efforts to address the outbreak. The Joint Commission had not been able to convene recently due to relevant travel restrictions. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Police and concrete barricades surround St. John's Episcopal Church near Lafayette Square during the March on Washington August 28, 2020 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) DC Police Fatally Shoot Armed Man, Protest Ensues Outside Precinct Police officers in Washington fatally shot a man on Wednesday after responding to a report of guns in a vehicle. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said uniformed officers approached the vehicle in question on Wednesday afternoon when two passengers fled on foot. The wounded man was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Newsham said two guns have been recovered from the scene. We believe the suspect had a gun at the time, Newsham said, but declined to speculate on why the officers opened fire. The mans age was not available as police worked on identification. A local Antifa extremist group affiliate called for an emergency protest outside the Metropolitan Police Departments 7th District headquarters, writing on Twitter that DC police murdered a Black man today. A live feed from the protest showed a crowd of roughly 100 protesters listening to speeches and chanting you cant stop the revolution and no justice, no peace, among other slogans. Some of the protesters cursed and taunted police officers holding a line outside the precinct. Some of the speakers identified the victim as Deon Kay, the same name reported by The Washington Post. The newspaper learned from relatives that Kay was 18 years old and lived with his mother not far from the site of the shooting. They took my baby, they just took my baby from me, Natasha Kay, the mans mother, told the newspaper. I need my son back, the mother said. I want my son back. The shooting comes after months of violence and riots that began after the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In June, amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation requiring the Metropolitan Police Department to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. The family of the victim can object to the release of the footage, in which case the video would not be made public. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Republican Margaret Streicker of Connecticuts 3rd District would likely find herself among the top 10 wealthiest members of Congress if she were to upset Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the incumbent Democrat. The daughter of a real estate mogul and a real estate force in her own right, largely in New York City, Streicker filed a personal financial disclosure form revealing her net worth to be an estimated $154,663,620 possibly higher. That figure is the midpoint of a range, $48,020,241 and $261,307,000, that reflects Streickers net worth, calculated based on the assets and liabilities she disclosed, following the requirements of all candidates for federal office. Streickers net worth does not include the undetermined sum she is entitled to from the Streicker Family Trust listed on her financial disclosure. It is estimated she would become the 7th richest member of Congress, following U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and U.S. Reps. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., and Vernon Buchanan, R-Fla, who are ranked atop the net worth charts by the Center for Responsive Politics. When asked about her wealth, Streicker said, No question Ive been fortunate. Im proud of the investments Ive made, of businesses Ive grown having created hundreds of American jobs all with high quality healthcare, and proven career advancement opportunity across racial and ethnic lines, and of my philanthropic endeavors that enhance our communities, she said. Streicker, who has not previously run for office, is challenging DeLauro, D-3, who has held the seat since 1991. DeLauros net worth is an estimated $3,406,43, her financial disclosure shows. To be precise, it lies in the range of $1,246,442 to $5,566,434. Her financial disclosure does not include the value of her homes, which lawmakers are permitted to exclude. Streicker owns many apartment buildings and operates three separate businesses involved in real estate, among other investments and assets. Her father is John H. Streicker, the chairman of Sentinel Real Estate Corporation, which currently holds more than $7 billion in real estate assets in its portfolio and in 2016, was the 40th largest apartment owner in the nation, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. In the first six months of 2020, Streickers income was between $3,259,391 and $20,625,800, her financial disclosure shows. At minimum, thats 48 times the median household in New Haven County in 2018 of $67,128. She loaned her campaign a total of $350,000 so far this year, Federal Election Commission filings show. In 2019, Streickers income was between $4,265,475 and $27,334,700, her financial disclosure shows. Most of her income appears to derive from rent and capital gains from 16 pieces of real estate that she owns fully or in part, her financial disclosure indicates. Apartment buildings and student housing, six of these properties are in New York and the rest are in Connecticut, Alaska, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa and Puerto Rico. She owns three buildings in New Haven, at least one of which is student housing. She does not list addresses for the properties on her disclosure. In addition, Streicker has limited ownership interest in the Greenwich Village, N.Y. property where Chumleys, a legendary speakeasy (now reportedly closed for good) is located, as well as properties in Long Island City, N.Y. and Portland, Oregon. Her company, Newcastle Realty Services LLC, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits for alleged illegal de-regulation of rent stabilized apartments. She closed Newcastle and in 2019, Streicker launched Fortitude Capital LLC in 2020. She obtained a Paycheck Protection Program loan for that company in April, data published by the Small Business Administation shows. Streicker is a trustee of the Jewish Museum and Temple Emanu-El in New York City, which has an events and community center named after the Streickers. The Streicker family has also funded research and capital projects at Yale University and Princeton University, where Streicker obtained her undergraduate degree. A Milford resident, she is the divorced mother of four school-age children. Every American deserves the opportunity to work hard, raise their family and see them thrive, Streicker said. But in Rosa DeLauros socialist vision, only the career politicians and insiders have a real chance. Thats wrong, its un-American, and it ends in November. DeLauros campaign did not respond Thursday. emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson Politicians, non-governmental sector and journalists ask for the fight for justice to continue. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement President Zuzana Caputova I was shocked by the verdict and need to understand its explanation, President Zuzana Caputova wrote on Facebook. I respect it, but I expect that the search for justice will not end and will continue at the Supreme Court. She is also thinking about the parents of the murdered couple and wished them strength. They and also all of us deserve to see that the consequences against those who ordered and arranged the murder of their children are drawn, she added. PM Igor Matovic It seems that for now the apparent instigators of the murder would like to slip out of clutches of justice Lets believe that justice will wait for them both, PM Igor Matovic (OLaNO) commented. Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar Related article Related article Kuciak murder verdict: Kocner and Zsuzsova not guilty Read more Regarding the current state of our judiciary, were left with nothing else than hope that the judges decided based on evidence and facts, and not something else, Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollar (Sme Rodina) commented. Investments Minister Veronika Remisova Not guilty? The verdict on Kocner in the case of the murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova also means that the fight for justice in Slovakia continues, said Minister of Investments and Za Ludi chair Veronika Remisova. The courts decision on Marian Kocner and his companions in case of the murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova has opened another phase of the fight for justice in Slovakia. The verdict is not final. On the other hand, in an environment of mistrust of citizens towards police, the prosecutors office and courts in Slovakia, this verdict increases doubts about strong justice. Freedom and Solidarity Junior coalition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) stressed in its comment that the trial is not over yet. We know the executors of the murder, but we dont know the origin of this crime, the party wrote on Facebook, adding the indirect evidence pointed to Kocner and Zsuzsova. It is thus striking what kind of verdict we heard today. Although the ruling deems that the people who ordered and arranged the murder are unknown for now, they believe in the justice and that these people will eventually be sentenced for the murder. Interior Minister Roman Mikulec Interior Minister Roman Mikulec (OLaNO) also admitted he was caught off guard by the verdict. In his reaction published on Facebook, he reminded of the corruption and mafia practices at the top police and political levels, revealed by the investigation, and how these people helped criminals plunder the state and pursue opponents. As we learn all of this today, I was really surprised by the verdict that acquitted Marian Kocner, Mikulec continued, stressing that the law should be the same for everybody and one cannot be sentenced only because crowds from the streets or journalists are asking for it. He also said that it is not his right to evaluate the work of investigators, prosecutors and judges, and stressed he respects the verdict. But as the interior minister, I express my full devotion to do everything to ensure that the police have free hands for an honest job that prosecutors and judges will be able to rely on. Kuciaks colleagues I am very disappointed and sad, commented Peter Bardy, editor-in-chief of the Aktuality.sk news website, where Jan Kuciak worked. The court did not find Kocner and Zsuzsova guilty of the murders of Jan and Martina due to a lack of evidence. Although I'm disappointed, we are not resigning! This is not the end. Not even close. I am convinced that Kocner had Jan Kuciak murdered! Great shame. Marek Vagovic, head of the investigative team of Aktuality.sk, where Jan Kuciak worked For a Decent Slovakia Although September 3 was the day everybody was supposed to have a rest, Kocner and Zsuzsova were found not guilty, while Szabo was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the For a Decent Slovakia movement, which organised mass protests across the country after the couple had been murdered, wrote. They stressed the need to find the person who ordered the murder and sentence him/her. We want to believe that the judges checked all the evidence properly and the verdict announced today follows their best consciousness and conscience, the initiative wrote on Facebook, stressing it is only the first-instance decision, and since two senate members outvoted the senate chair, the Supreme Court will have the final say. Dunja Mijatovic, Commissioner for Human Rights More than 2.5 years after the killing of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, the court decision of today shows that there is still work to do to ensure justice and prevent impunity, Council of Europes Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic wrote on Twitter. This is owed to the families and colleagues of both victims, as well as to Slovak society at large. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) RSF is shocked by the verdict in the case of Jan Kuciaks murder as the people accused of being mastermind & intermediary are acquitted, Christophe Deloire, secretary general of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), wrote on Twitter. An acquittal is an evidence of a huge failure of the investigation bodies and the judiciary. International Press Institute (IPI) The acquittal of suspected mastermind Marian Kocner in the murder of Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova is a major setback for justice and the fight against impunity, the International Press Institute (IPI) commented. Slovakia has to start it all over again, until the murderers are convicted, said IPI Executive Board Vice Chair Beata Balogova, editor-in-chief of the Sme daily and a key voice in the fight against impunity for Kuciaks and Kusnirovas murders. Only then our faith in justice in Slovakia will be restored. Until then, we will be a country where murderers of a journalist escape punishment. I also think of the families of the victims and how their wounds are being opened up again and again. We are hugely disappointed by this verdict, which repeats a tragic pattern we see worldwide: the hitmen go to jail while those ultimately responsible for the murder of journalists remain free, IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen, who attended the hearing, said. But this cannot be the end. The fight for justice must continue. Investigators and prosecutors must restart their work, must push forward and ensure that this case does not become yet another cold statistic in the battle against impunity. Transparency International Slovakia The verdict will be a great test for societys trust in justice, ethics watchdog Transparency International Slovakia (TIS) said. Todays verdict acquitting Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova is certainly shocking for most people, it wrote on Facebook. Justice either fatally failed, when we were reading and hearing about a chain of evidence against the defendants for months, or notably moved up a gear, when it did not succumb to the strong atmosphere in society, calling for strict punishments for them. Although only the Supreme Court will give us a definite answer to understand the situation better, it is already clear that the ruling confirms the objections to dissolving the Kuciak investigation team by former police corps president Milan Lucansky, and it does not help improve the trust in police and the prosecutors office. It now has to be the top priority for the Supreme Court and law enforcement bodies to prevent this case becoming the last nail in the coffin of the trust of the public in the judiciary and justice in Slovakia, TIS stressed. Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin three states key to helping secure the incumbent presidents victory in 2016, a new poll conducted by Fox News has revealed. Conducted after the conclusion of both national conventions, the surveys found that support for Trumps re-election has fallen below his 2016 vote share in each state. Bidens advantage was found to be coming from strong support among female and suburban voters. Furthermore, suburban women in all three states said they trust Biden over Trump to handle the coronavirus pandemic and criminal justice matters. The interest in the election for supporters of each camp was found to be relatively even. Democratic nominee Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin three states key to helping secure the incumbent presidents victory in 2016, a new poll conducted by Fox News shows. Across Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin, a large cohort of voters expressed plans to cast their ballot by mail. The admission was made by far more Democrats than Republicans. The surveys include results among likely voters for the first time this cycle, and also marks the first time the presidential vote preference question includes the names of both the presidential and vice presidential candidates. With the election now just two months away, voters can now request and return absentee ballots in North Carolina starting this week, and in Wisconsin by mid-September. In Arizona, meanwhile, absentee ballots are made available from early October. Here are the results of the Fox poll: Arizona In Arizona, Biden is preferred over Trump by 49-40 percent among voters in the state. The nine-point lead falls outside the survey's margin of error. President Trump won the state with 48.7 percent of the vote in 2016, besting Hillary Clinton by three-and-a-half percentage points. Currently, a 56 percent majority of Arizonans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, with 43 percent approving. Biden, meanwhile, finds himself in the overwhelming favour of seniors, women and Hispanics in the state. Biden leads Trump in Arizonas Hispanic population by 46 points, women by 16 points and suburban voters by seven points. Theres also more party loyalty among Democrats in the state, as 92 percent back Biden compared to 85 percent of Republicans supporting Trump. Trump was found to be more favorable among whites without a college degree by around 11 points, and with Gen Z-ers by five points. White voters overall were split evenly between Biden and Trump at 45 percent a piece. On the topic of coronavirus, more Arizona voters said they trusted Biden to steer the US out of the on-going pandemic more so than Trump, by around 17 points. They also trust Biden to handle policing and criminal justice by a smaller five point margin. The president and his Democratic competitor, however, ranked evenly on the economy (Trump by one point) and in dealing with China (Biden by one point). One in four think coronavirus is completely or mostly under control (24 percent), while 38 percent say it is somewhat under control and 37 percent say it's 'not at all' under control. Fox reported that an improvement in pandemic numbers would likely help the president, as around 80 percent of those who feel the virus is under control support Trump, while the same percentage of those who think it isnt at all are backing Biden. In Arizona, Biden is preferred over Trump by 49-40 percent among voters in the state. The nine-point lead falls outside the survey's margin of error North Carolina In North Carolina, Biden is currently holding a more slender four point lead among likely voters an advantage that falls within error margins. In what will likely prove to be a tight race, whites in the state back Trump by 23 points, while black people support Biden by a landslide 82 points. Where gender is concerned, men favour Trump by two points, while women prefer Biden by 10. Among rural voters, Trump reigns victorious, besting Biden by 14 points, while suburban voters favour Biden by 19 points. Among suburban female voters that lead grows to 31 points. Much like Arizona, Trump finds significant favour among white voters without a college education (33 point lead). The President also has a favourable lead among white women (19 points). Trump won the Tar Heel State by nearly four points in the last election, receiving 49.8 percent of the vote. Around the same number of voters favour him today, with 49 percent approving of the job hes doing as president, while 50 percent disapprove. Voters also see Trump as more adept in dealing with the economy (by eight points) and dealing with China (by five points). The pair scored even on the topic of who was more trusted to handle policing and criminal justice reform. Most of the state, at a rate of 40 percent, say coronavirus is not at all under control, and those voters back Biden by a 70 point difference, Fox reported. In North Carolina, Biden is currently holding a more slender four point lead among likely voters an advantage that falls within error margins Among rural voters, Trump reigns victorious, besting Biden by 14 points, while suburban voters favour Biden by 19 points. Among suburban female voters that lead grows to 31 points Wisconsin Amid the ongoing unrest in the state spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Biden is currently leading Trump by eight points among likely voters in Wisconsin. That figure is just outside the margin for error. Once again its female voters favorability of Biden that is making the difference. The back Biden by 17 points more than Trump, while men are even divided on where their vote will be cast (Trump leads by one point). Again, Democrats are also more loyal to Biden than Republicans to Trump, at a rate of 95 percent and 86 percent respectively. The president, however, continues to lead among rural voters (by four points) and white voters without a college degree (by five points). Biden is more trusted on the topic of COVID-19 by a 17 point margin, and a five point margin on policing and criminal justice reform. Voters rate both equally on the economy and pick Trump by only 1 point on dealing with China. On Tuesday, the president visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the police shooting of Jacob Blake has prompted both peaceful and violent protests. Police in the city have charge Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, with shooting dead two protesters in the days that followed the shooting of Blake. Biden is currently leading Trump by eight points among likely voters in Wisconsin. That figure is just outside the margin for error If elected, Biden would be the second ever Catholic president, with President John F. Kennedy being the first Former Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he too would be visiting the embattled city on Thursday, to conduct a community meeting and meet with the family of Blake, something the president opted not to do. It's the first visit to Wisconsin by Biden this year, and the first to the state by a Democratic presidential nominee since 2012. Ahead of the visit, 45 percent of voters said they believed the coronavirus was not at all under control, with the group picking Biden over Trump by 84-10 percent. If elected, Biden would be the second ever Catholic president, with President John F. Kennedy being the first. Among white catholic voters, their presidential preference is split evenly at 47 percent. The smaller subgroup of White evangelical Christians, however, favors Trump by a handsome 33 points. Wisconsin turned red for the first time in decades in 2016, with Trump besting Clinton by around 23,000 votes. Today, a majority of 54 percent disapprove of his presidential performance, with 45 percent approving. 50m greenhouse developers voice frustration at unprecedented absence of communication from Wrexham Councils Planning Department This article is old - Published: Thursday, Sep 3rd, 2020 Plans to build a 50m pair of cutting-edge sustainable greenhouses to Wrexham could be under threat according to the developers. In letters to both Wrexham Councils Planning Officer David Williams and the Chair of the Planning Committee Cllr Michael Morris the developers of the planned scheme say the scheme will become unviable if progress is not made on the planning process. The proposed two greenhouses will span 15.2 hectares of agricultural land located directly between Dwr Cymrus Five Fords Waste-Water Treatment Works and SecAnim Abattoir. Waste heat and carbon emissions from the Dwr Cymru facility will be captured and used to grow the low carbon fresh produce. The developers say if the site is used solely for growing tomatoes, as is planned for the companies two world-first projects currently in construction in East Anglia, the Five Fords site would be capable of producing over 40% of all tomatoes consumed in Wales. Planning application papers were lodged in July, along with a warning then from developers that it was a time-limited opportunity since the window for support funding from UK Government is closing, pointing out that the application would test the efficiency of the councils planning team and its statutory target of determining new planning applications within an 8 week timeframe. That deadline appears to be coming to a head, with letters made public from the developers voicing their concerns over timeframes, with a request for an extraordinary planning committee meeting to decide on the plan. On the 1st September the developers wrote to the Officer and Chairman to say that they saw the scheme was not on the agenda for the committee at the next meeting on the 7th, and requested that it be considered under the chairmans discretion. The document states: I wondered whether we could please be added to item 5, Any other items which the Chair decides are urgent. I ask of course because if the greenhouses are not able to be listed on the 7th then they become unviable which would seem a terrible shame considering the work by all parties involved to date, not to mention the loss to Wrexham. Today a further letter has been sent highlighting the letter from Tuesday saying they had not heard back, and with communication generally criticised, we have not spoken to the planning department (despite almost daily calls in effort to) since July, and our last email correspondence from the case officer was on the 20th of August. This absence of communication is unprecedented in our experience of 22 infrastructure projects in the UK by our business, and in my colleagues experience as a local authority planning officer. The developer adds: An example of how this has hampered our application is that a response from the Highways Department from the 20th of August was only uploaded to the public portal yesterday, giving us very little time to respond, albeit we will have today with the information required. This is in complete contrast with other elements of the North Wales public and private sphere and Welsh Government who have been very enthusiastic and collaborative. The developer again says the local proposal could fall if not considered soon,: If your intent is as I write, then I am saddened and shocked that the opportunity for the most advanced greenhouse in Europe will be lost. The greenhouse will have the highest specification available in terms of Dutch build and design, and furthermore will utilise LED lighting, heat pumps, and a CO2 recovery system which will make it one of the best greenhouses in the world. The developer makes a further request asking the committee to consider an extraordinary meeting on the 18th, a date allocated for site visits however due to the pandemic such visits no longer take place so is vacant. The developer cites their account of a conversation with the Five Fords landowner: We have however heard third hand, from our landowner who had a conversation with Michael, that you are likely to not place the application on the agenda nor would you consider our application in any way as special and therefore not deserving of an extraordinary meeting of the committee. Australia is officially in recession. Data from the ABS on Wednesday showed the economy contracted by 7% in the June quarter as households and businesses slashed spending. It was the second consecutive quarterly drop in GDP. In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by senior economics correspondent Shane Wright to discuss the government's attempts to mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus recession on Australians. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age. (Newser) Joe Biden made headlines Wednesday by criticizing President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hill reports. "Let me be clear, if President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on with this crisis, American schools would be open, and theyd be open safely," he said in a speech from his home state of Delaware. "Instead, American families all across this country are paying the price for his failures, his administrations failures." Calling Trump's approach a "failure to take steps we needed back in March and April," he told Trump to "get off Twitter and start talking to the congressional leaders of both parties. Invite them to the Oval Office. You always talk about your ability to negotiate. Negotiate a deal, a deal for somebody other than yourself." story continues below Biden also ripped the White House over a Tuesday statement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that it will no longer fund cloth face masks for American schools. "If I were president of the day, I'd direct FEMA to make sure that our kids K-12 get full access to disaster relief and emergency assistance under the Stafford Act," he said. Trump also gave a fiery speech Wednesday, at a North Carolina event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII: "American warriors did not defeat fascism and oppression overseas only to watch our freedoms be trampled by violent mobs here at home," he said, per the Guardian. "These people only know one thing, and that's strength. That's all they know, strength." (Meanwhile, Biden and the DNC are raking in donations.) With the 2020 election closing in New Yorkers are making plans to vote, and this year, due to the unusual confluence of the election and the coronavirus pandemic, millions are expected to vote by mail. This unprecedented situation has many New Yorkers asking: How can I ensure that my ballot is counted? According to The Washington Post, more than 534,000 mail ballots were rejected during primaries across 23 states this year, a sneak peek at what could be a major problem this fall. Studies show that inexperienced or first-time mail-in voters are more likely to have their ballots rejected for any number of reasons. Therefore, if you plan to vote by mail, it is vital to familiarize yourself with the voting guidelines in your area to ensure your ballot is properly counted. Mail-in voting in New York: New York does not have universal mail-in or absentee voting. In fact, New York is one of seven states in the country to require a valid excuse when applying for an absentee ballot. However, a new bill signed into law this summer makes fear of contracting COVID-19 an acceptable reason for requesting an absentee ballot. The five acceptable qualifications for requesting an absentee ballot in New York are now: 1. Absent from your county or, if a resident of New York City absent from the five boroughs, on Election Day. 2. Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability. (Temporary illness includes being unable to appear due to risk of contracting or spreading a communicable disease like COVID-19). 3. Unable to appear because you are the primary caregiver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled. 4. A resident or patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital. 5. Detained in jail awaiting grand jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony. Even still, the process to cast an absentee ballot in New York can be complicated, with sometimes confusing deadlines complicated further by concerns surrounding delays at the post office. Here are six steps you can take to protect your vote while casting a mail ballot: NEW YORK - The new head of New York Citys sex crimes unit is not only a veteran police investigator, but also a forensic nurse who has conducted the physical exams and evidence collection vital to solving such cases. Deputy Inspector Michael King started Monday as commander of the NYPDs Special Victims Division, the same unit that put film producer Harvey Weinstein behind bars. Along with meeting detectives and setting his vision for a victim-centred, open-minded approach to investigations, King spent part of his first few days on the job going to the hospital to assist doctors with rape kits. I dont know of any other law enforcement officer anywhere in the country that has that background, King said. When we go to a hospital and a rape victim is being examined, a cop cant even be in the room. So imagine a cop who actually knows how to do that. The police department formally announced Kings appointment to the high-profile post on Thursday. He replaces Judith Harrison, who became a Brooklyn borough commander this summer. King, who has been with the New York Police Department for nearly 20 years, takes over a sex crimes unit that has gotten mixed reviews from victims, advocates and watchdogs in recent years. In response to some of the criticism, private waiting and interview rooms were set up at police stations, and all investigators were trained in compassionate interview techniques, known as trauma-informed questioning. King says he wants to carry that way of thinking to the front lines of the police department, advocating sensitivity training for patrol officers, who are often the first NYPD representatives victims see after calling 911. The attitude of a patrol officer can make or break a victim wanting to go forward in reporting that complaint, King said. King was born in raised in Jamaica, moved to New York when he was 16 and in college earned the nickname Doogie Howser. He was younger than his classmates because high school on the Caribbean island nation finished at an earlier age than in the U.S. King joined the NYPD in September 2000 and became a registered nurse in 2005, going to nursing school and working in city hospitals in his off hours. Four years later, he became a sexual assault forensic examiner. All the while, he worked his way up the investigative ranks first in internal affairs and later as a crime scene commander and the executive officer of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He oversaw forensic investigations into the 2016 pipe bombing attack Manhattans Chelsea neighbourhood, the attempted bombing of a Times Square subway station in 2017, and the mailing of package bombs to prominent Democrats and CNNs New York hub in 2018. John Miller, the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, recommended King for the sex crimes post. If we didnt have Mike King, I am not sure we could have invented him, Miller said, noting his career path and breadth of knowledge. At SVU he can combine his experiences of helping people in trauma, his knowledge of science, forensics and investigation and his sense of justice in a way no one else at least no one else I know could, Miller said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 01:05:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed on Wednesday his government will enhance its counter-terrorism efforts in Eastern Africa by working with regional governments and partners. Kenyatta who spoke during a virtual meeting of the Aqaba Process on COVID-19 convened by King Abdullah II of Jordan told the global community that Kenya will leverage on its membership in the UN Security Council to contribute more to global peace and security. "Through Kenya's non-permanent member seat at the United Nations Security Council, Kenya further aims to contribute to global peace and security, with the ultimate goal being the attainment of sustainable development for the year 2021-2022," he said according to a statement issued after the meeting. The meeting brought together several global leaders among them Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and global security. Kenyatta said Kenya aims to provide leadership in the Horn of Africa by exploring and implementing diplomatic measures in counter-terrorism financing and to work with partners in the broader spectrum of efforts within counter-terrorism, as well as to stem other forms of transnational organized crime. Kenyatta said frontline states in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism should be assisted by strengthening their capacities to deal with both emerging and pre-existing security challenges in order to address security challenges made worse by COVID-19. He said pandemic is a catalyst to global insecurity by amplifying pre-existing security and contributing socio-economic difficulties. "The pandemic has been a catalyst for underlying risk trends, with many countries facing sharply deteriorating political, security, criminal and governance situations," said Kenyatta. He said the pandemic had slowed down global and regional crisis and conflict resolution efforts thereby escalating tensions and negating peace-building gains made over the years. The Kenyan leader said the virus had heightened potential for terrorist acts, worsened the refugee crisis and led to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Enditem (CNN) Two nuclear-armed powers, both run by nationalist governments at a time of economic tension, are once again squaring off along their shared border. Is this a recipe for disaster? Earlier this week, China accused Indian troops of illegally trespassing on Chinese territory in the Himalayas, months after the two countries engaged in their bloodiest clash in more than four decades. That incident, which left dozens of soldiers dead, had been followed by calls for calm and deescalation, but negotiations between Indian and Chinese officials went nowhere, and things are once again heating up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the two countries. Speaking Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "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 deescalation of tensions on the ground." For its part, New Delhi has accused Beijing of being the aggressor, and such is the nature of the hotly-disputed 2,100 mile-long (3,379 kilometer) border, where there is little agreement even over the supposedly agreed-upon facts, like the LAC itself, that both sides could potentially be correct. That the deescalation process pursued since their last clash in June did not amount to much comes as little surprise, given the outstanding disputes and geopolitical pressures on both sides. But even as outright conflict remains a thankfully distant prospect, there is reason for concern that relations between the two largest powers in Asia are getting worse. Murky waters The Line of Actual Control, the loosely-defined, de facto border, emerged out of the Sino-Indian border war of 1962, which itself was sparked by longstanding historical territorial disagreements. For much of the 1800s, the Himalayas was a focus of the military and political rivalry between the three empires of Russia, Britain and China, with all three claiming various parts of the region. Decolonization only brought with it further confusion and antipathy, particularly after Pakistan split from India in 1947 as both countries gained independence. On any map that attempts to show all three countries' supposed territories, the area between them is a mess of overlapping claims, with little agreement on any side. The latest border incident occurred around Pangong Tso, a strategically located lake which spans an area stretching from the Indian territory of Ladakh to Chinese-controlled Tibet. It is south of the Galwan Valley, where the bloody clash between Chinese and Indian troops took place in June. Antoine Levesques, research fellow for South Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said that the lake itself holds little immediate military value to either side, but this has not stopped the ramping up of patrols and development in the area on both sides. Until late last month, Levesques said, "diplomats had refrained from publicly and specifically discussing the situation at Pangong Tso lake. But it remains one location where successive rounds of military-led talks have failed to result yet in impactful or visible de-escalation and disengagement witnessed in other hotspots." And while there is little immediate military value to the lake, there are strategic benefits to China in establishing control over the area, he added. "As the site of a bloody tactical battle in 1962 which India lost, before losing that year's short conflict altogether, Pangong Tso carries considerable symbolic value," Levesques said, predicting that were any proper deescalation to be carried out, positions around the lake would likely be the last to be traded away or disengaged from. Geopolitical tensions For all both countries' talk of a desire for deescalation, a meaningful mechanism to prevent clashes still seems a long way off, though winter conditions will at some point make any further action in the Himalayas impossible for a period. Partly, the latest disputes are a result of an increasingly assertive foreign policy on both sides. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing has become far more aggressive in its territorial claims not only in the Himalayas but also the South China Sea, while also taking a far harder line with regard to Taiwan and semi-autonomous Hong Kong. For his part, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has overseen a marked shift in tone toward not only traditional rival Pakistan but also China. Last year, Modi's government revoked the limited autonomy granted to Indian-controlled Kashmir and split the former state into two union territories, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. This move alarmed many in Beijing, particularly as it was followed by aggressive comments by several leading Indian politicians, such as Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah telling a rally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that "any intrusion into the the borders of India will be punished." Any Indian expansion or significant fortification of its hold over the region could threaten China's strategic goals in central Asia, Happymon Jacob, an associate professor at the Center for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, told CNN earlier this year. "China has invested more than $60 billion (on the economic corridor) with Pakistan" that runs through the disputed region, he said, adding that this is a "crucial element" of Xi's signature Belt and Road trade and development plan. These moves set the stage for the June conflict, which brought relations between the two powers to new lows. While China was largely able to control public reaction through a downplaying of the issue in its tightly controlled state media, the reaction in India was outrage, with many jingoistic commentators calling for Delhi to take the fight to Beijing. Speaking in July, Tanvi Madan, director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution, said the clash "hardened views in the government, the strategic community, and the public that were already toughening because of Covid about China." It also fueled an ongoing pivot of sorts by Delhi toward Washington, further alarming Beijing, which already regards itself as somewhat boxed in by the United States in the region. "The US-China relationship is arguably about as tense as a relationship can be without being in a hot war. By contrast, the US-India relationship is on the ascent," Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, wrote recently. "Looking at the Ladakh crisis, Beijing's moves can be seen as an effort to deliver a tough message to both Washington and New Delhi: If you two are going to band together against us, then be ready to get pushed back." The nuclear factor In any dispute between China and India, there looms the shadow of both countries' nuclear capabilities. The conflict in June was -- thanks to an apparent policy of not carrying guns on the disputed border -- fought with hands and clubs, about as far as you can get from nuclear weapons. However, both countries have been building up their military power, and have plenty of missiles and armaments positioned around the region. Writing last month for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, analysts Toby Dalton and Tong Zhao described that clash as "the gravest military confrontation the two nuclear powers have faced in fifty years." "If ties between the two powerful neighbors are indeed entering a more sharply competitive era, a crucial question arises: will nuclear weapons play a more prominent role as each country seeks to shape each other's behavior?" they added. Unlike the India-Pakistan conflict, which is always spoken of with regard to the potential for it to spill over into nuclear war, the issue of atomic weapons is largely absent from the China-India dispute, at least in public. "Nuclear weapons have mostly remained in the shadows, including during the 2020 border standoff," Dalton and Zhao wrote, adding, however, that under both countries' aggressive, nationalist leaders, "Beijing and New Delhi are improving their nuclear arsenals and conventional military capabilities, while ongoing debates in both capitals question the wisdom of continued adherence to nuclear restraint policies." They expressed concern that because China's nuclear strategy is largely aimed at balancing the US, it overlooks the effects that Beijing's actions might have on India, which is far more conscious of -- and concerned by -- the nuclear strength of its neighbor. "Beijing's lack of understanding of New Delhi's threat perception, disinterest in addressing India's security concerns, and gradual effort to strengthen its own nuclear forces could add fuel to India's perceived need to boost its strategic capabilities and nuclear arsenal," the two analysts wrote. An arms race could set the stage for the India-China conflict to become far more like that between Delhi and Islamabad, where the chance for nuclear war is a danger that must always be considered, even when individual incidents are not in themselves particularly extreme. 'Prepared to pay a huge cost' The dismissive attitude that many in China feel towards any potential threat from India was evident in state media coverage of the latest dispute this week. "India's provocations along the border with China and the subsequent deterioration of bilateral relations will please those countries which have instigated India to act as a pawn in their strategy to contain China," said the state-backed China Daily on Tuesday. "But India should never expect to get substantial support from them should India's continuous provocations spark a war with China." An editorial in the jingoistic tabloid Global Times, which has strong links to the Chinese military establishment, emphasized India's economic and coronavirus woes, before claiming that Indian moves on the shared border were an example of how "its nationalism is inflicting damage to itself." "China is an immovable neighbor and much stronger than India," the paper said. "The two countries are suitable to be partners in seeking common development. But if New Delhi wants to label Beijing its long-term strategic rival, it needs to be prepared to pay a huge cost. In the meantime, it will never manage to get one more inch of land at China-India border areas." In another piece, the paper quoted Wang Dehua, head of the Institute for South and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, who argued that India was "blindly follow(ing) the US by clashing with China." The assumption in Beijing may be that in any such clash, it will emerge victorious, as it did in the 1962 war. But that was fought between two vastly different countries, neither of which was a nuclear power at the time, and the potential repercussions of a new conflict could be far, far greater. This story was first published on CNN.com India and China are squaring off in the Himalayas again. How worried should we be? A chart-topping 91-year-old D-Day veteran who was just 15 when he landed in Normandy appeared in court today accused of historical sex offences against two girls. TV viewers were moved when Jim Radford, of south London, performed his ballad The Shores of Normandy, which reached the top of the charts last year and won praise from a raft of celebrities. Today he appeared via videolink before magistrates at Caernarfon in Gwynedd accused of seven offences between 1992 and 1998 involving two girls. They allege incitement to commit gross indecency and indecent assault. Scroll down for video. TV viewers were moved when Jim Radford, of south London, performed his ballad The Shores of Normandy, which reached the top of the charts last year Radford was granted conditional bail to appear before Caernarfon Crown Court on October 5. His lawyer Mark Bagshaw indicated he would deny the allegations. Radford received a standing ovation when he performed at the Royal Albert Hall to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the invasion of France. In 1944, he was a 15-year-old 'galley boy' with the Merchant Navy and probably the youngest to take part in the landings. On the morning of June 6, his first deep sea trip took him to Normandy to help build the Mulberry Harbour, allowing the Royal Navy to transport personnel, vehicles and supplies on to the beaches as the liberation began of Western Europe from the Nazis. In October 2015 the singing peace campaigner was appointed a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur by the French Republic 'in recognition of his steadfast involvement in the Liberation of France during the Second World War.' The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Sir Rod Stewart had been among those to praise his song. Sir Rod tweeted : 'If this doesn't pull on ya heart strings, nothing will. 'On The Shores of Normandy' sung by Jim Radford, one of the surviving heroes of WWII. God Bless Him. - Rod xx' Doing our part to help affected communities in their time of need is at the core of EagleViews mission during storm season. EagleView, a leading technology provider of aerial imagery, data analytics, and GIS solutions for government, construction, and insurance has received its first post-event images following Hurricane Laura. As soon as weather conditions permitted, EagleViews fixed-wing aircraft were in the air capturing ultra-high-resolution Reveal aerial imagery at Property Level, which ranges between 0.8-3 inches ground sample distance (GSD) depending on environmental factors. EagleView imagery is an essential tool for first responders, insurance carriers, and construction contractors. EagleView provides rapid access to post-event property information such as roof damage, flooding and fallen trees, without having to send people into potentially dangerous areas. Leading up to Hurricane Lauras landfall on Thursday, August 27, EagleView began staging multiple aircraft to ensure rapid image capture. Customers can find EarlyAccess images on CONNECTExplorer, EagleViews interactive viewing platform. While images continue to be processed in-house, seeing the initial impact of the damage from the sky early in the process is an invaluable resource for local governments, contractors, and insurance carriers. Doing our part to help affected communities in their time of need is at the core of EagleViews mission during storm season, said EagleView CEO Chris Jurasek. For more information regarding EagleViews storm response and image capture or for permission to use EagleView images, please contact Annette Hamilton at mediarelations@eagleview.com or Susan Millerick at susan.millerick@eagleview.com. About EagleView EagleView is a leader in aerial imagery, machine learning-derived data analytics and software, helping customers in different industries use property insights for smarter planning, building and living. With more than 200 patents, EagleView pioneered the field of aerial property measurements and has the largest multi-modal image database in history, covering 98 percent of the U.S. population. Flying over 9.5 million linear miles every year, EagleViews coverage is the most extensive and up to date, enabling local government and business customers to use the most accurate data to make timely and informed decisions. For more information, call (866) 659-8439, visit http://www.eagleview.com and follow @EagleViewTech. A 53-year-old has committed suicide after shooting and killing his 50-year-old wife at Krakrom, near Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District in the Bono Region. The man, Agya Yaw Simon, a farmer, reportedly lost his temper following a heated argument between him and his wife, Patricia Tuah, leading to him shooting her on their farm. Then, moments later, after realising what he had done, he also took his life. The Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, who confirmed the incident in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said the police had information about 5 p.m. last Tuesday about a murder and proceeded to the crime scene, where they found two dead bodies. Crime scene Chief Inspector Oppong said initial investigations indicated that on the said day, Madam Tuah, also known as Auntie Akosua, and a relative of hers, Mary Pokuaa, had gone to the farm, with Agya Simon following up later. After some time, Pokuaa rushed back to the community to inform Tuahs brother, Andrews Asare, and the assembly member for the community, Agyemang Yeboah, that Agya Simon had murdered Tuah on the farm. A report was made at the police station and the police proceeded to the farm, which belongs to Tuah. On the farm, the police found Tuahs lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, with a broken right leg and blood oozing from the nose and ears, while a stick lay beside her. About 100 metres away from where she was found, Agya Simons body was also found lying in a supine position, with part of his head blown off and blood oozing from his wounds. Between his legs was a single-barrelled gun and an empty cartridge. The bodies have since been conveyed to the Presbyterian Hospital in Dormaa Ahenkro for preservation and autopsy. Neighbours Chief Inspector Oppong said as part of the investigations, the police followed up to the community, where some neighbours said Tuah, who had six children from her previous marriage, had been living with Agya Simon for some time now. The two had no child between them. As is the case with many couples, the pair often had some misunderstandings, and the people believed it was one such misunderstanding that had escalated, leading to the unfortunate incident. Worrying trend The Bono Regional Police Public Relations Officer described as worrying the rising incidents of spousal murder, particularly in the Nkrankwanta area. He explained that over the past two years, about six incidents of husbands killing their wives had occurred in the Nkrankwanta area, with all of them still under investigations, although the circumstances under which they occurred had made it difficult to make any conclusive findings. He said there was the need to unravel the mystery behind such happenings in order to find a lasting solution to those heinous crimes in the area. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Malicious cyber attacks against Australian businesses and government agencies from a state-based actor, believed to be China, have increased over the past two months, as the nation's cyber security centre receives reports every 10 minutes. While not naming the country involved, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds warned cyber attacks by a national government had risen since she and Prime Minister Scott Morrison raised the alarm in June. Cyber crime is increasing in Australia. Credit:iStock Senator Reynolds wrote this week to Defence's major contractors, calling on them to ensure they were taking precautions against cyber attacks. The Australian government will on Friday release its inaugural cyber threat assessment, revealing the Australian Cyber Security Centre is receiving almost 60,000 reports a year, or one every 8.8 minutes. COVID-19 has shut several doors literally leaving buildings, schools, churches and houses locked up tight. As people stay inside their homes with ever greater frequency, many are wary of whatever crosses their thresholds, and whoever rings their doorbells. And that could have been a challenge for Jehovahs Witnesses, with their trademark door-to-door ministries. Instead, the denomination quickly pivoted and found new opportunities to reach people. Even though the pandemic put a hold on a lot of what we used to do, weve been able to get creative and do other things, said Claudia Lott, a resident of southwest Houston and member of the denomination. Lott was concerned when she realized the pandemic would put a halt to door-to-door ministry and literature carts, the displays of information in public spaces that have become increasingly popular for Jehovahs Witnesses. Now what do we do? Lott wondered. It didnt take long to find an answer. It made us go back to the old ways of staying in touch, Lott said. It made us go back to what weve dismissed. That meant picking up a phone or pen and paper. The church already used calls and letters for ministry, but now these old school forms of contact are again becoming the norm, along with texts, emails and Zoom. There was a learning curve at first, Lott said. But, then, we got busy. She has found that writing personal letters can be even more effective than knocking on doors. Ive gotten responses from people, saying, Thank you for thinking of me, she said. Yuarva Spencer, who lives near Tomball, looks for inspiration from Scripture when she writes letters. Were all facing the same difficulties now, she said. I think about whats encouraged me and I want to share that with others. Yuarva composes her letters with her husband, Rodney, and 9-year old son, Grant. Usually, I fold the letters and stuff them into envelopes, Grant said. I put on labels and stamps. Rodney said that often writing a letter shows neighbors that he and his family care about them. We will continue to maintain our primary focus on door to door after the pandemic, he said. But I personally plan to do more letter writing than I did before COVID-19. It was nice that we had this in place so we could continue our work. We just needed to adjust a little bit. Yuarva said that writing letters allows her family to continue working together to reach others. Even though you cant physically be with people, you can still get your pen and paper, she said. Its very fulfilling. The past few months mark the first time in history that Jehovahs Witnesses made the decision to stop public preaching. U.S. spokesman for the denomination Robert Hendriks said that though the decision was monumental, making the call was also simple. Protecting the sanctity of life is a guiding principle for Jehovahs Witnesses, Hendriks explained. Life is more important than a building, than singing in a choir, more important than our drive to meet together in person, he added. Another key guiding principle is love your neighbor as yourself, Hendriks explained. Would you want your neighbor to knock on your door right now? No, he said. You cant knock on someones door and hand someone literature from your hand during a pandemic. Thats not love. Hendriks said that as soon as the coronavirus began appearing in the U.S., Jehovahs Witnesses began to limit meetings and to develop guidelines for the pandemic. Business as usual stopped, he said. This was a very fast-moving situation. The world was brought to its knees in three weeks because of a pandemic. By the middle of March, the church made the decision not to hold any public meetings or use Kingdom Hall buildings for anything around the world. Stopping public ministry was determined to be what was best for their neighbors. Still, ministry and discipleship are more than a simple part of the churchs mission. Jehovahs Witnesses feel a duty and obligation to share Jesus teachings. The ministry is who we are, Hendriks said. As Jehovahs Witnesses, we have obliged ourselves to preach the Gospel. If youre a Witness, youre going to witness. Its not about preaching or standing on a soapbox, he explained. Its about teaching, Hendriks said. When our savior Jesus tells us to do something, it is not an option. Its not something for someone else to do. For a Christian to ignore that would really be to ignore the work we were put on this Earth to do. That meant the church had to find a new way to continue its ministry. Adversity has always presented Christians with opportunity, Hendriks said. The first step was to hold virtual meetings. Since most of the Sunday gatherings at Kingdom Halls include discussion, Zoom videoconferencing allowed Jehovahs Witnesses to continue to talk and see each other. The number of members watching soared. Hendriks said that the Zoom meetings averaged 20 to 30 percent above average attendance. People who may have struggled to go to an in-person meeting are now able to go, to see and to participate, he said. But while going to the meetings is good, its not enough. We had to find other ways to reach people. Revisiting letters and telephone calls and making them more regular became the churchs focus. Using Zoom to continue personal Bible studies also proved effective. Were trying to do what we can to keep our ministry going, Hendriks said. Just because we are limited right now does not mean that we should stop. Celise Munoz, who lives north of downtown Houston, has been organizing Zoom dates for her friends in different cities. They all tune in to compose letters together. Before COVID-19, Munoz would invite friends from Houston to write letters over coffee, before they embarked on door-to-door ministry. She also considered letter-writing a part of her own personal ministry. It was not hard for me to pick up a pen and paper and start writing letters more regularly, she said. Im finding creative ways to share something positive because we all need that right now. Munoz imagines how her neighbors could be struggling when she writes. I try to put myself in their shoes, picture how they might feel, she said. You send a message in a bottle out there and hopefully, it will brighten someones day. Munoz plans to return to door-to-door ministry eventually. But this is a nice substitute in the meantime, she said. Its also a good method of reaching people who can be hard to find at home. Reading a letter can be easier than talking to someone at the front door, she added. Plus, her neighbors can read when its convenient for them. Hendriks said that these times offer a lesson in how to overcome this obstacle to continue ministry. We will be better after this crisis simply because we now know how to care for our flock better, he said. We didnt have a road map for this. Now we have procedures and guidelines that well be able to use forever. That will have an enduring effect on our organization. Well never be the same and thats a good thing. This was also the first time in the denominations history to cancel all of its public conventions globally. Last years Houston convention was held at NRG Stadium in July. This year, there were plans to hold the event in the Rosenberg Assembly Hall. Instead, the conference went virtual. In less than three months, we switched everything online, Hendriks said. That included producing films and translating the messages into hundreds of languages. Every single Jehovahs Witness in the world on the second weekend in July was able to access the convention in their own language, Hendriks added. The theme for the online event this year was Always Rejoice. In a time of isolation, uncertainty and fear, Hendriks explained that spreading a theme of hope has an added significance. We have a message of joy what a gift that is to the world, he said. Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese largest automaker SAIC Motor said it signed an agreement on September 1 with the Export-Import Bank of China for a credit line worth 50 billion yuan ($7.315 billion), which is expected to effectively strengthen SAIC Motor's global comprehensive competitiveness, according to a posting on SAIC Motor's WeChat account. According to the agreement, SAIC Motor and the Export-Import Bank of China will carry out strategic cooperation focusing on the finance service demands about SAIC's complete vehicle, auto parts, mobility service, automobile finance, international operations as well as the industrial big data and the AI domains. (Photo source: SAIC Motor) The Export-Import Bank of China is a state-funded and state-owned policy bank with the status of an independent legal entity. It is a bank directly under the leadership of the State Council and dedicated to supporting Chinas foreign trade, investment and international economic cooperation, according to the banks official introduction. Under the agreement, both parties will team up on such fields as the credit and loans, the trade finance, the settlement and the consultation. Specifically, the collaboration involves the export business of the high-tech products like the vehicles and auto parts under SAICs self-owned brands and the assembly line facilities, the projects of working capital loans and fixed asset investment engaged in production and operation, the going global projects about the overseas fixed assets investment and the acquisition of equity interests, as well as the projects themed the import of essential equipment, auto parts and key technologies. Additionally, the bank will provide the package finance service plan for SAIC's overseas investment in fixed assets and equity acquisition projects, and its import & export trade. The state-owned bank will also assist the China's biggest automaker with the safe and efficient distribution and operation of capital by offering the advices about how to avoid the risks of the investment and the fluctuation in the foreign exchange rate, and manage wealth. For the first half of 2020, SAIC Motor's gross revenue fall 24.6% over a year ago to 283.74 billion yuan ($41.511 billion), and its net profit attributable to shareholders tumbled 39.01% to 8.394 billion yuan ($1.228 billion), according to the semi-annual financial results the automaker released on August 28. The fire started in a boiler in the engine room and then spread in the MT New Diamond, which was carrying 270,000 metric tons of crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, spokesman Capt. Indika Silva said. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday sent JNU student Sharjeel Imam to judicial custody till October 1 in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February earier this year. Imam, arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on August 25, has been booked under the stringent anti-terror law the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in connection to the riots during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The counsel of Imam said that the accused has been sent to judicial custody till October 1 and earlier during the day, he erroneously construed that Imam has been sent to jail for 14 days. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat sent Imam to jail considering the nature of the investigation in the case. Considering the nature of the investigation as also the case record, application is allowed, Accordingly, Sharjeel Imam is remanded to judicial custody till October 1, the court said in its order. Police had moved an application for 30 days judicial custody of Imam. The court had earlier sent him to police custody for three days. Imam was arrested on January 28 in the case related to violent protests against the CAA near the JMI in December last year. Imam has been booked on sedition and other charges after purported videos of his alleged inflammatory speeches made during protests against the CAA were circulated on social media. He was also arrested by Guwahati police in a case registered against him under the UAPA in Assam. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control. Russia and Turkey are allies in Syria but are fighting each other in Libya. Well, not exactly fighting anymore but maintaining armed forces and confronting each other in anticipation of a peaceful settlement. In late 2019 Turkey intervened on the side of the UN backed GNA government. GNA is weak and backs Islamic rule, which is why it was about to be eliminated by the Russian backed Libyan HoR government and its more competent LNA (Libyan National Army) forces. Another advantage was that LNA was backed by Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Turkey intervened in return for a signed agreement giving them the right to drill for oil in disputed waters between Libya and Turkey. In Syria Russian airstrikes have killed Turkish troops while the Turks have killed Syrian troops. That has also stopped, for the moment. The Libya fighting resulted in NATO countries openly backing Greece in the maritime dispute with Turkey that led to the Libya invasion. Turkey, Russia and Iran continue to pretend they are all friends and allies of Syria but the reality is different and becoming more visible and violent. Syrians fear Russia and Turkey will join forces to extract what they can from Syria. Many Libyans fear that Russia and Turkey are planning to grab the Libyan oil and keep it for themselves. Theres nothing like that to be grabbed in Syria. Russia may also be seeking use of a Libyan port as a naval base. That has already been obtained in Syria. At the moment Russian and Turkish forces in Libya are observing a ceasefire and an effort to settle the civil war there peacefully. That remains to be seen. In eastern Ukraine Russia has kept its forces in Donbas relatively quiet. What with all that is going on in Syria, Libya and several other foreign hotspots, Ukraine is left alone, temporarily. Despite that economic analysts calculate that the war with Russia in eastern Ukraine has cost Ukraine about 15 percent of its GDP. The area Russia is seeking to annex, Donbas, was always a major part of the Ukrainian economy. Russia was only able to get control of half of Donbas before unexpected Ukrainian resistance caused a stalemate, which persists to this day. The fighting has cost Ukraine more (as a percentage of GDP) than Russia, which has a GDP ten times larger than Ukraines. After the war began in 2014 Ukraine began to cut many economic ties with Russia. Most of these trading relationships were formed when Ukraine and Russia were both part of the Soviet Union. Many of the surviving links involve key components for Russian warships and military aircraft. The Russians are still trying to recover from that but Ukraine has managed to lose less of its GDP than Russia. Thats because Russia was hit with international sanctions because of the Ukraine invasion. That came at the same time world oil prices went into long-term decline. September 2, 2020: In northwest Syria (rebel held Idlib province) Russia carried out at least six airstrikes against Islamic terrorist groups. In addition, Russian reconnaissance aircraft directed Syrian army artillery fire at rebel targets. All this was in response to recent rebel attacks on Russian patrols in the area. There is supposed to be a ceasefire but some rebel factions refuse to respect that agreement. In the last week these rebel attacks have left about a hundred Syrian troops and militiamen dead. Some these deaths were outside Idlib where Syrian, Russian, Kurdish and American forces are still hunting down and killing ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) members and have killed or captured several hundred in the last few weeks. . September 1, 2020: Russian economists have revised their estimates of the covid19 recession impact on Russia. Instead of a five percent decline in GDP for 2020 they see a decline closer to four percent. Russia was already suffering from a recession when covid19 appeared and the economic impact of the virus was simply less than in the rest of Europe, where GDPs are shrinking 10-15 percent in 2020. August 31, 2020: The UN reported that it had tracked 338 Russian military transport flights to Libya in a nine-month period ending at the end of July 2020. The UN estimates that Russia still has over a thousand military contractors in Libya in addition to a growing number of Russian Air Force combat aircraft. The UN also monitored Turkey, the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Jordan and Qatar sending weapons to Libya via air and ship. All of this in in violation of an arms embargo for Libya. August 29, 2020: In the Far East (Khabarovsk region) weekly anti-Putin demonstrations continue, with this weeks theme being the recent poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a Siberian airport cafe. The poison was Novichok, which Russia government had used before to kill enemies. Back in 2018 Britain identified two Russian GRU (military intelligence) agents and described how the two used Novichok nerve gas to carry out a March, 2018 assassination attempt in Britain. The Americans were already convinced the Russians were responsible and in August imposed the first round of new sanctions on Russia for its use of Novichok . British investigators identified the Russians who were involved with the use of nerve gas to try and murder Sergei Skripal on March 4th. Skripal was a former Soviet intelligence officer, who worked for Britain as a double agent. He was found unconscious on March 4th, with his adult daughter, on a park bench near a British pub they had visited. The two were hospitalized and survived what turned out to be an assassination attempt using a form of nerve gas ( N ovichok) developed in Russia and, as far as anyone knows, not possessed by anyone but Russia. Three of the police officers who responded to the call about the unconscious people on the park bench also fell ill, one of them seriously. Everyone recovered and provided information on what happened. Four months later the container (a small perfume bottle) the Russian assassin carried the liquid N ovichok in was found. This was because a local couple had found the discarded N ovichok bottle nine days after the March attack and kept it. The assassins had tossed the bottle away in a park as they left the area to catch their flight back to Russia. Eventually the couple opened the bottle and both ended up in the hospital, where the woman died. When her companion regained consciousness he provided information leading to the N ovichok container and further analysis of it. Worldwide, four different labs analyzed the samples and all agreed it was N ovichok, a chemical weapon never manufactured outside Russia. In response to the March incident Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats suspected of being intelligence agents and Russia responded by expelling 23 British diplomats. More nations said they would expel Russian diplomates and after the June confirmation that it was Russian N ovichok the U.S. ordered a series of additional sanctions on Russia into effect. These could be limited if Russia admitted it used N ovichok and provided assurances it would never do so again (with any banned weapons). Russia has said it will do neither and denied any involvement. This assassination effort was nothing new for Russia. Russia insists that it does not do this and ha s been saying that since the Soviets started hunting down and killing traitors overseas back in the 1930s. Russia denied they were involved in the Skripal incident and now deny using novichok against Alexei Navalny, who was allowed to be flown to Germany for medical care. Today the Khabarovsk protestors chanted Putin, have some tea, in reference to the suspected poisoned beverage Navalny consumed before falling ill. The Khabarovsk demonstrations began after July 9th when Sergei Furgal, the popular region governor was arrested on orders of the national government and flown to Moscow where he was ordered held in prison for two months as murder and other charges against him were investigated. In Khabarovsk these large and repeated public demonstrations let the national government know that Frugal defeating the Moscow-backed candidate in the 2018 governor election was no fluke. Furgal has since done what the locals, and not what the national government, demands. The Russian Far East was always full of independent minded people who live in a sparsely populated and rich (in raw materials) territory. Furgal was a popular and successful local businessman who was equally popular and successful as governor. The national government was not pleased and arresting Furgal triggered an unexpected popular protest movement. The Khabarovsk region includes about half of the Russian Pacific coast but the region contains only 1.3 million people. August 28, 2020: South Korea complained to Russia after two Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft violated South Koreas ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) for 30 minutes before heading east for Japan. This is the second time this month that Russian aircraft have entered the ADIZ without prior warnings. On the 18th six Russian military aircraft flew through the ADIZ for 20 minutes. South Korea also experiences more ADIZ violation activity off its west coast because of Chinese intrusions. In 2013 China announced a new ADIZ that overlapped South Korean, Philippine and Japanese air space. China demanded that any foreign military or commercial aircraft request permission before flying into this zone. South Korea and Japan protested while the United States quickly flew some B-52s into the disputed zone without asking for Chinese permission. China protested and the United States ignored them. The Russians dont seem to care if the South Koreans are annoyed. August 27, 2020: In the far east about fifty Russian warships took part in a training exercise that extended into an area off the Alaskan coast. These exercises involved firing weapons, including cannons of all calibers and missiles. This was the first time since the Cold War (1948-91) that so many Russian warships operated so close to the American coast. The exercise was in international waters but within the American EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone extending 380 kilometers from the coast). That led to the Russian ships encountering some American fishing boats and ordering them to move out of the way because Russian submarines were operating submerged and scheduled to surface several times to receive new instructions. Russian subs cannot communicate with other ships while submerged. The American fishing boats pulled up their nets and departed. An EEZ allows the owner to determine who can fish there but not block the movement of foreign ships into or through the EEZ. August 25, 2020: In Libya Russian ally g eneral Hiftar of the LNA is not supporting the four-day old ceasefire agreement. His LNA is concentrating forces in the coastal city of Sirte while Turkish forces keep arriving from western Libya and deploying for an attack on the city. To Hiftar this indicates that the Turks have no intention of maintaining the ceasefire. The GNA and eastern HoR (House of Representatives) governments both announced a ceasefire and agreement to hold elections in March while also forming a joint police force to maintain order in the coastal city of Sirte and the inland town of Jufra. Sirte is controlled by the HoR and its LNA and threatened with attack by the Turkish invaders. The LNA also controls Jufra where it has a major airbase that is also used by the Russian Air Force. Jufra is 650, kilometers south of Tripoli or Misrata and hosts Russian instructors for Libyan pilots of MiG-29 and Su-24 aircraft as well as Libyan maintainers for both aircraft. August 24, 2020: In eastern Syria (Hasaka province) a Russian armored vehicle convoy overtook some American MRAPs (armored trucks) and deliberately bumped into them. In one case two Russian armored vehicles boxed in an American MRAP and rammed the MRAP several times. Four American troops in the vehicle suffered mild concussions. Not wanting to escalate, the U.S. vehicles left the area. Russians were not supposed to be operating here and this incident is the twelfth time this year that there have been such encounters. The one difference is that this was the first incident that got violent. These confrontations usually involve American troops blocking Russian efforts to move into Kurdish controlled parts of Hasaka and Deir Ezzor provinces. Russian and American forces interact regularly in Hasaka and most of the time there are no problems. American-backed Kurdish forces control most of Hasaka province, where the local population is largely Kurdish. Russian, Turkish and Syrian forces are trying to move troops into Hasaka and gradually displace the Kurdish forces. In some cases, the Syrians, Russians or Turks are, via negotiation with the Kurds, allowed to base troops or patrol certain areas. The Americans have more surveillance capabilities than the Kurds and more frequently spot Russian troops moving into areas they are supposed to stay away from. August 22, 2020: With all the data on worldwide oil exports for June was analyzed it was discovered that Russia was the second-largest oil exporter, behind the United States in first place and ahead of Saudi Arabia in third. Russian production held steady in June while U.S. output was up nine percent and Saudi output was down 12 percent. The Saudis are trying to get prices to rise by reducing their production. Russia will only cooperate by not increasing production and the Americans are not part of any international effort to limit production for whatever reason. August 21, 2020: In Moscow a Libya ceasefire agreement was brokered by Russia. General Hiftar of the LNA was not invited, in part because the negotiations were mainly between Russia and Turkey. Representatives of the GNA (UN created Government of National Accord) and HoR (House of Representatives government, the last elected one) were there to approve or disapprove whatever the Russians and Turks agreed on. These talks were embarrassing for the Libyans, and Arabs in general, because once more Europeans were deciding the fate of Arabs. This view of the situation is understood by most Libyans and Arabs and made worse by the fact that the Arab nations are not able to stop it. The Russians and Turks take advantage of the corruption and fragmentation among the Arabs to bribe or intimidate those who oppose them. Turkey has recruited over 30,000 Syrians to serve as mercenaries in Syria and Libya and is continuing to recruit, train and fly Syrian mercs to Libya. Turkey has worked with Syrian Arab mercenaries for a long time, not just in the last few years in northern Syria, but for centuries before that. Turkey offers acceptable terms and tends to fulfill its agreements. Despite all that Turkish military efforts in Syria (and Libya) are stalled. Until the Turks showed up Hiftar had been successful at defeating Western plans for Libya. Those Western machinations were embodied in the GNA government, which was a UN creation that never attracted a lot of support in Libya. Hiftar and the HoR government did and because of that had a lot of Arab nations actively supporting it. August 18, 2020: In eastern Syria ( Deir Ezzor province) a roadside bomb killed a Russian general as well as a local militia commander and two militiamen. August 17, 2020: In northwest Syria (Idlib province), a roadside bomb was used against a joint Russian-Turkish patrol. There were no casualties but some vehicles were damaged. Further east (in neighboring Aleppo province) Russian troops shot down a Turkish UAV flying near the border town of Kobane. The Turks had been firing artillery at Kobane recently and the Kurds demanded that Russia do something. The Russians were obliged to act because of an agreement with the SDF that allowed Russians to have a base near Kobane and patrol the area in return for protecting the Kobane residents from Turkish attack. August 14, 2020: In northwest Syria (Idlib province) Russia and Turkey announced they had halted the joint patrols, especially along the M4 highway. The problem was the growing number of attacks on the patrols. In mid-July a roadside bomb on the M4 highway injured members of joint Russian-Turk patrol. Three Russians and several Turks were wounded. The bomb was apparently planted by Islamic terrorists in the half of Idlib province still controlled by Islamic terrorist rebels. Syria controls about half of Idlib and Turkey occupies much of northernmost Idlib. August 9, 2020: France hosted an international donor meeting to coordinate aid for Lebanon in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion. The Arab Gulf states were invited, along with the United States, China and Russia. Iran was not invited. The International Support Group for Lebanon (United Nations, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, China, U.S., Britain, European Union and the Arab League) will be represented. This conference raised over $250 million for Lebanon. The explosion took place in an area controlled by Iran via its local affiliate Hezbollah. August 8, 2020: Iran refuses to pay for the Ukrainian 737 they shot down in January 2020 because the aircraft was insured by a European insurance company, not an Iranian one. It was unclear if Iran was also refusing to deal with lawsuits from families of those who died in the 737. Back o n January 12th Iran admitted that their air defense forces, controlled by the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) , had shot down the Ukrainian 737 airliner on January 8th. At first Iran insisted it was an accident but soon became uncooperative about the accident investigation. They did let in Ukrainian investigators but refused to release the black box to anyone. The Ukrainian investigators quickly realized the 737 had been shot down by a missile, which very obviously struck right beneath the cockpit. This killed the pilots and explained why there was no distress call from the aircraft. The Ukrainians also found fragments of the missile but did not tell the Iranians, which at the point might gotten them expelled from the country. Meanwhile the Americans had satellite video showing the airliner exploding after the missile hit, as well as evidence of two air defense missiles being launched nearby at the same time. The U.S. quietly passed that video on to Canada, Ukraine and several other countries and used the informal diplomatic link to Iran (via Switzerland) to let the Iranians know the video existed and was real. About the same time Ukraine let Iran know that its accident investigators had transmitted back to Ukraine photos of the wreckage proving that the 737 was shot down by a Russian Tor missile, which Iran was known to use. Given all the proof that was available outside of Iran, the Iranians announced that the airliner was indeed shot down by Iranian air defense missiles. At that point confessing to what actually happened became the best move, but the Iranians also blamed the Americans for defending themselves against Iranian terrorism and killing their senior terrorism commander Soleimani. August 7, 2020: In Libya Russia has brought in a S-300 or S-400 SAM (Surface-to- Air Missile) system at the LNA battery for the main oil export port of Ras Lanuf. August 3, 2020: In Belarus, president-for-life Alexander Lukashenko was elected to another term. This time there were major and sustained public protests against his decades of rigged elections, corrupt rule and inability to improve the lives of most people in Belarus. Since the late 1990s Lukashenko has won these elections with 80-90 percent of the vote in visibly fraudulent voting. Lukashenko has been in charge since 1994, when he consolidated power in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the creation of Belarus. Lukashenko is a Soviet era official, who runs Belarus like the Soviet Union still existed. Belarus is a police state, where elections, and everything else, is manipulated to keep the politicians in power. It's a tricky business, but so far Lukashenko has kept the security forces up to snuff, and on his side. He bribes or bullies key officials to keep the country running. Lukashenko has maintained good relations with Russia, getting him cheap fuel supplies and other aid. Lukashenko initially won clean elections as a reformer and clean-government candidate. But he soon went bad. Lukashenko is openly nostalgic for the Soviet Union days, and he complained of the poor treatment given to fellow dictators in Iraq and Yugoslavia. Lukashenko is widely considered the last dictator in Europe, presiding over a corrupt, neo-Soviet government in Belarus. Such sentiment survives throughout the former Soviet Union. In Russia, opinion surveys indicate people more concerned with "strong leadership" (Stalin is often mentioned) than democracy (which is associated with chaos and corruption.) Belarus is, like Ukraine, one of the two ethnic Slav portions of ancient Russia that preferred to regain independence from Russia. Ukraine managed to establish a working, if corrupt, democracy. Belarus became a compliant ally of Russia but continued to resist Russian suggestions that Belarus again become part of Russia. The current unrest has Russia offering to send troops to help restore order. No one, including Lukashenko, wants that. There are fears Russia will give Lukashenko an offer he cant refuse and obtain more direct control of Belarus, with an option to annex. EU nations have condemned Lukashenko and enacted economic sanctions. August 2, 2020: China and Russia, Irans major trading partners, revealed that their banks can no longer do business with Iran. This makes it much more difficult to export anything to Iran as it now much be done on a barter basis or via illegal, and risky, banking channels. This revelation was no surprise because Iran had finally been returned to the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) black list. Iran had been moved to less restrictive Grey List in 2016 because of the 2015 sanctions treaty and assurances that Iran would provide proof that it was no longer supporting terrorism and other misbehavior. The only other nations on the blacklist is North Korea and, recently, Pakistan. August 1, 2020: In southern Syria, on the Israeli border (Golan Heights) a Russia-backed Syrian militia has been taking control of the Syrian side of the border. Called the Huran Army, the militia contains many former rebels who are hostile to Iranian influence in Syria but willing to cooperate with the Assads. July 31, 2020: Over the Baltic Sea, near Kaliningrad ( the Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania), an American B-52 was intercepted by two Russian Su-27s which flew dangerously close. This was Russia demonstrating its anger at NATO increasing its forces on the Russian border and holding more military exercises there as well. July 26, 2020: 2020 Odintsovo, the fifth of the new Russian Karakurt corvettes began sea trials. The navy is uneasy about this because the Odintsovo is the first of four Karakurts that will be armed with Pantsir M air defense system rather than the cheaper and less capable 57E6 Sosna-R. The one advantage of the Sosna-R is that it cannot be jammed. Sosna-R is basically an enlarged shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile that uses an electro-optical sensor to track the target and a secure control signal plus a proximity fuze to get it close enough to destroy or disable the target. Systems like Sosna-R have been around for decades and are known to work. On paper the naval Pantsir is a superior system with a longer-range (30 kilometers) Hermes K missile backed by twin-multi-barrel 30mm autocannon (range five kilometers) to deal with anti-ship targets that get past the missiles. Pantsir M replaced two systems; the Sosna-R missiles and the two AK-630 CIWS autocannon. Pantsir M was deliberately designed to eliminate a design flaw in the land-based Pantsir-S1 that made it easy for some electronic and weapon systems to destroy or disable it. July 23, 2020: China has gone public with its criticism of Russia for not delivering more missiles for the S-400 air defense batteries China purchased from Russia. The second shipment of Chinese S-400 equipment arrived by ship in December 2019, about a year after the first shipment. Another shipment, of missiles, was supposed to arrive in February but did not. Russia offers no explanation or a new delivery date. China already has some S-400 missiles but not enough for the S-400s to be used in a major conflict. The Russian navy put the 5,400-ton frigate Admiral Kasatonov into service after the successful completion of sea trials. This comes eleven years after construction began and nearly six years after the Kasatonov was launched. It also comes two years after the first ship (the Gorshkov) of the class entered service. Two more of these Project 22350 Gorshkovs are supposed to enter service in 2022. These began construction in 2012 and 2013. As of late 2019 these four trouble-plagued Project 22350 ships were to be the only ones built. In this still image from video, demonstrators face off with police vehicles on a street near the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct, in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Roman Balmakov/The Epoch Times) 3 Arrested After Crowd Throws Rocks at Police in Portland Three people were arrested after throwing projectiles at police officers in Portland overnight, the citys police bureau said. Tara Bratton, 43; Rosalind Benoit, 31; and John Yingling, 18, all Portland residents, were charged with interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, and both, respectively. Because of a recent policy change from the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office, which oversees the city, the charges will likely be dropped. Continuing a monthslong chain of nearly-unbroken nightly demonstrations or riots, a crowd marched to the bureaus North Precinct late Wednesday. Because the crowd was blocking a street that serves as a vital entrance and exit for both officers and civilian employees, people were told to disperse or face arrest, according to an incident summary issued by the bureau. The crowd ignored the warnings and some began chucking water bottles and rocks toward officers located on the precincts roof. The group later tore down tape and barricades erected by officers and advanced further on the street. The crowd fizzled out in the early hours of Thursday. No crowd control munitions were used. One demonstrator that was part of the crowd told The Epoch Times that the gatherings would continue every night until people see a change. Were going to do this every day until we get justice. No justice, no peace, he said. Asked what the demands were, he said, Stop shooting and killing us. Dont make us your target practice. A man was shot dead in Portland over the weekend, possibly by a member of the extremist Antifa network. The night that followed was quiet but rioters broke into a dental clinic at the bottom of a high-rise residential building near downtown on Monday night and lit a fire, which Portland Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler described as an act of terrorism. Demonstrators grew upset when, during the response to the riot, a man was tackled to the ground and, after taking off a helmet from an officers head, appeared to be struck several times by the officer. The man, Tyler Cox, told Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was taken to a hospital, where he works as an intensive care unit nurse, for treatment for a head injury. Wheeler referred to the video, saying in a statement: A police officer was filmed repeatedly striking an individual at a protest. In this still image from video, demonstrators remove barricades and tape from a street near the Portland Police Bureaus North Precinct, in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Roman Balmakov/The Epoch Times) Street medics told The Epoch Times that theyve treated a lot of head injuries. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said that hes seen videos circulating since May 28, when the unrest started. These videos show force by officers, which by its very nature can look disturbing. These videos raise legitimate concerns, he said in a Wednesday statement. We examine these videos, investigate these incidents for full context, and take action when appropriate. Some officers have been removed from crowd management response while the actions are reviewed. Other officers, who have been assaulted or even injured, are asked to go back out and endure more. We are not perfect. We make mistakes and hold ourselves accountable. The Independent Police Review exists as a separate entity to also hold us accountable, he continued. The employees of the PPB have endured much over the last 3 months and have overwhelmingly performed their duties in a way I admire. We will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards while providing our duties. Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner added during an appearance on CNN this week that a lot of the violence can be stopped before it starts but officers are struggling to do so because theyre hamstrung by city officials. Another issue, he said, is the new policy from the prosecutors office. We have to do something to end this violence, Turner said. And it needs to be a zero tolerance policy so that we can end the violence. And the elected officials, the district attorney, and our commissioners need to all be on board, he said. Roman Balmakov contributed to this report. The Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and there is a need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal, former Union Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said. In the wake of the recent Indo-China border tensions in eastern Ladakh, Pawar said he invited former Air Marshal of Indian Air Force, Bhushan Gokhale, and former Foreign Secretary, Vijay Gokhale, also an expert on Indo-China relations, to discuss the matter along with senior NCP MPs. ... along with MPs Shri @praful_patel former Minister of Aviation, Smt @supriya_sule, Smt @MPVandanaChavan and Dr @kolhe_amol to share their experiences related to this issue. pic.twitter.com/cgpr18r0KG Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) September 3, 2020 In a series of tweets, Sharad Pawar revealed the points raised by Bhushan Gokhale and Vijay Gokhale. He said the ex-IAF chief emphasised that India must ponder on the new era of parallel warfares that include cyber, information, perception creations, and the war on economic fronts. On the other hand, Vijay Gokhale explained the history of the Indo-China relationship, especially the border disputes. "He also shared his views on the current LAC face-off and skirmishes on the border in the last few months," Pawar said. "I shared the experiences of my visits to China in the early Nineties and expressed my concerns over a larger strategic and political thinking in China that aims to halt our economic growth. I highlighted the fact that the Chinese are surreptitiously encircling the Indian Sub-Continent from all directions and also expressed my concern over their presence in the South China Sea. I hinted at the need to keep a close watch on affairs of Sri Lanka and Nepal and also the Chinese interventions in general," the Rajya Sabha MP said on Twitter. Sharad Pawar has held important portfolios like Defence and Agriculture in the previous Congress-led Central government. READ | India China Standoff: RKS Bhadauria Visits Eastern Air Bases, General Naravane In Ladakh READ | Indian Army Chief Gen Naravane In Ladakh For On-ground Review Amid LAC Standoff With China China's fresh aggression at LAC Chinese troops have violated consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic talks over the LAC standoff and has tried to intrude into Indian territories on least two occasions this week, as per the Indian government. Although the Indian Army not only pre-empted the activity of the PLA but had also thwarted attempts to unilaterally change the facts on the ground. The two countries are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas, including Galwan valley, Finger area, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June. READ | China's Desperate Attempt At Spin, Uses India's 'pre-empt' Remark To Buck LAC Setback READ | China Responds To India's ban On PUBG & 117 Other Apps; Says It's 'seriously Concerned' By PTI NEW DELHI: Under pressure for weeks over its handling of hate speech, Facebook on Thursday said it has banned BJP politician T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on content promoting violence and hate. "We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led to Facebook's decision to remove his account, according to the statement. Facebook - which counts India among its largest markets with over 300 million users - has been in the eye of a storm after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleged that Facebook's content policies favoured the ruling party in India. The report had alleged that Facebook had ignored posts containing hate speech by BJP MLA Raja Singh. Since then, the ruling BJP and Congress have been trading barbs over social media giant's alleged bias. In the wake of the WSJ report, a Parliamentary panel had summoned Facebook representatives to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of the social media platform on Wednesday. On Tuesday, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had also written to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg accusing the social media platform's employees of supporting people from a political predisposition that lost successive elections, and "abusing" the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. ALSO READ | Parliamentary panel 'discussion' with Facebook to continue: Shashi Tharoor According to sources, the decision to remove Singh from the platform was taken after an extensive process that the company follows in determining which individuals meet the criteria for policy violation and the work had been ongoing for some time to review Singh's actions. The company had previously removed the content Singh had posted that violated its policies, including its hate speech policies, but the decision to ban Singh from the platform has been taken now, one of the sources said. Post the ban, Singh has been designated under Facebook's dangerous individuals and organisations policy, and he will not be allowed to maintain a presence on the platform going forward. As a part of the process, Singh will not be allowed on Facebook or its photo and video-sharing platform Instagram. The company will remove Pages, Groups and accounts set up to represent him. However, it will continue to allow wider discussion of him, including praise and support. Another source said the signals used by Facebook to determine dangerous individuals and organisations include whether they've called for or directly carried out acts of violence against people based on factors like race, ethnicity, or national origin. Other parameters that were taken into account include checking whether they're a self-described or identified follower of a hateful ideology; or they have used hate speech on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media sites, the source said. To date, the company has banned a range of groups and individuals across the globe for violating this policy. The social media giant uses a mix of technology tools and reviewers to take action against content violating its policies. In Q2 2020, it had removed over 4 million pieces of content tied to hate groups, over 96 per cent of which was removed before anyone reported it. Maoist outfit Peoples War Group (PWG) founder Ganapathy is likely to surrender before the Telangana police, claim reports from Hyderabad. Muppala Lakshmana Rao, 74, known by his nom de guerre Ganapathy, is reportedly critical and wants to surrender for better medical care. According to some insiders, Ganapathy, who was removed from the PWG chiefs post in 2018, is no longer in a position to survive in the jungles and wants to lay down arms with which he disappeared into the forests to create an equal society almost 50 years ago. However, there is no official confirmation on his likely surrender both from state and Centre. Before he took up arms, Ganapathy was a school teacher in Warangal and was attracted towards armed struggle after witnessing the exploitation of poor and landless in what is today Telangana state. Incidentally, Ganapathy hails from the feudal, landowning caste Velama in Karimnagar district. Ganapathy is known to be a brilliant military strategist. Sixteen years ago, in 2004, he had almost surrendered to undivided Andhra Pradesh government of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy. His deputies had held several rounds of peace talks with the YSR government and a ceasefire was declared. The PWG ideologue Ramakrishna, with his close associates, had come to Hyderabad to lead the talks. Ganapathys aged parents were also waiting for their son to return home one day, even though there was no such proposal of him surrendering or returning to the mainstream. In the run up to the 2004 assembly and Lok Sabha elections, YSR had toured the entire state on foot and had promised a peace deal with the Naxals, if he came to power. The Naxals, who had fought Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government for almost 10 years, were elated when Naidu suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of YSR in both state and central elections. Civil society activists SR Sankaran, G Kannabiran, Kalyana Rao, Balladeer Gaddar and senior journalist P Venkateshwara Rao had acted as interlocutors. Several rounds of talks were held at the state government-run Manjira guesthouse in Hyderabad. Though Andhra police, who had fought the Naxals for decades, were not enthusiastic about the peace deal, they had to fall in line because of YSRs clout. But, leading civil rights activist Dr K Balagopal had stayed away from the peace talks. There were strong rumours that Ganapathy would also come out of the forest once the final peace deal was signed. But, his close circle had denied that possibility. The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre was wary of peace talks taking place in Hyderabad. Then Union home minister Shivraj Patil was against brokering a peace deal with PWG on the grounds that it was an interstate outfit and other states should also be taken on the board. To their horror, all details of deliberations taking place at Manjira guesthouse were leaked to central agencies like IB and R&AW by some insiders. It had upset both the PWG and YSR. After several rounds of talks, they signed an agreement to meet again and continue peace talks. It was a face-saver for both sides. An upset and angry PWG leaders returned to forests, escorted by the police. Back in the forests, they regrouped and took up arms again. The Naxals did not know that the AP police had used the ceasefire to gather information on the PWG and others. According to some top police officers, who are retired now, it had helped them immensely in fighting the Naxals later. Some argue that the entire peace talk with the PWG was a ploy by the intelligence agencies and the police to understand the strength and weaknesses of the Maoists. Sometime in early 2005, the AP police commandos had surrounded the top Naxal leadership in Nallamalla forest. They sought permission from police headquarters to shoot. A panicked Naxal leadership contacted the government, seeking safe passage. According to some top sources, then Union minister, the late S Jaipal Reddy, had persuaded the Centre, and YSR ordered the police not to shoot. The PWG leaders later crossed into neighbouring Chhattisgarh to fight another day. After that, Naxal activities were crushed by the same YSR government and they are now confined to a small area on the Andhra and Odisha border. It is also a well-known fact that Naxals had backed separate Telangana state movement and during that period, many had returned to the mainstream. They have not gone back to the forests after that. Some top internal security experts feel that the surrender of Ganapathy will not have much impact on the movement as he is already a spent force. But, Muppala Lakshmana Raos homecoming is certainly a big event, if it happens. Because Ganapathy is still an enigma. The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday stayed the bail order granted by Bombay High Court (HC) to DHFL promoters, the Wadhawan brothersKapil and Dheerajuntil October 7. The Bombay HC had granted them bail in the money laundering case registered against them by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Yes Bank scam. An apex court bench, headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul while staying the Bombay HCs August 20 judgement, said that it would examine the legal issues involved in the Wadhawans bail plea. The HC had granted bail to the Wadhawans on the ground that ED had failed to file its charge sheet within the 60-day stipulated time frame in line with the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The brothers were remanded to custody on May 14 and the 60th day expired on July 12. ED had filed its charge sheet on the following day, July 13. According to section 167 of the CrPC, an accused will be entitled to bail by default, if the investigating authority fails to file charge sheet within 60 days from the date of remand. The agency contended that the day on which the accused is remanded should be excluded while calculating the 60-day period. However, the Wadhawans counsel argued that the 60-day period would start from the day on which the accused were remanded to custody. Earlier, the HC had ruled in favour of the brothers and had stated that excluding the first day of remand while computing the period of 60 days cannot be sustained and is liable to be set aside. On Thursday, Justice Kaul said that the legal questions relating to the remand period must be examined threadbare. There are two issues. The first issue is whether the date on which the accused is remanded should be excluded while computing the 60 days. The second issue is whether weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) should be excluded. These are the issues we would like to examine and interpret, he said. The Wadhawans had not been released from jail even though the HC had granted them bail since they are also accused in another case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Addressing the conference, Modi added that the pandemic has also shown the world that decision on developing global supply chains 'should be based not only on costs but also on trust' New Delhi: Pitching India among the best investment destinations worldwide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the country's political stability and policy continuity makes it the best place for global investors looking for attractive business opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said India was among the first nations in creating a responsive system of lockdowns and to advocate the use of masks and face coverings as a public health measure while ramping up its health infrastructure. In record time, Modi said, medical infrastructure was scaled up including for COVID-19 hospitals and ICU capacities while ramping up its count of testing labs from just one in January to almost 1,600. The outcome of these efforts has been that a country with 130 crore people and limited resources has shown to have one of the lowest death rates per million in the world and also a steadily rising recovery rate, he said. Addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum through video conference, Modi said the pandemic has also shown the world that the decision on developing global supply chains should be based not only on costs but also on trust. "Along with the affordability of geography, companies are now also looking for reliability and policy stability. India is the location that has all of these qualities," he said. "It is a government, for which ease of living is as important as the ease of doing business," he said, while asserting that the prospective investors should know that his government believed in delivering results. The prime minister also spoke of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) campaign to woo investors, saying it "merges the local with the global". "It ensures that India's strengths act as a global force multiplier. Time and again, India has shown that our goal is global good. 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is about transforming India from being just a passive market to an active manufacturing hub at the heart of global value chains," he said. He cited a slew of reforms that have made India one of the lowest tax rate destinations with a further incentive for new manufacturing units and asserted that the country is committed to democracy and diversity which, he said, investors are looking at. The prime minister said his government's reforms have made doing business easier and red-tapism lesser. The work is underway on the world's largest housing programme with renewable energy infrastructure is being expanded and rail, road and air connectivity being boosted, he said. "Our country is creating a unique digital model to build a national digital health mission. We are using the best of fintech to provide banking, credit, digital payments and insurance to millions. All these initiatives are being taken using world-class technology and global best practices," he said. Noting that the current situation demands a fresh mindset that is human-centric with a spirit of cooperation between everyone, he said India did the same by scaling up its healthcare facilities in a record time to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said India was among the first globally to advocate masks and face coverings as a public health measure and also among the first to create a public campaign about social distancing. Modi said his government launched one of the largest support programmes for the poor globally following the COVID-19 outbreak in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna, under which free foodgrains have been provided to over 80 crore people. The pandemic has impacted several things but it has not impacted aspirations and ambitions of 130 crore Indians, he said, noting that India is becoming one of the leading attractions for foreign investment. "Be it America or the Gulf, be it Europe or Australia-the world believes in us. We have received over 20 billion dollars of foreign investment flows during this year. Google, Amazon and Mubadala Investments have announced long-term plans for India," he said. The road ahead is full of opportunities in the public and the private sector, including the economic and social ones, he said, while citing examples of coal, mining, railways, defence, space, and atomic energy among those that have been opened up further, he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) Two senators are not too keen on granting emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to reform the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, saying the chief executive already has the capability to adequately address the situation. Speaking to CNN Philippines on Thursday, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III said Duterte can address the issues hounding the embattled state health insurer even without emergency powers a proposal earlier floated by a joint panel at the House of Representatives. Anything that they would want the President to do, he can do now even without the emergency powers, Sotto said in an interview on The Source, claiming that the Philippine president is perceived to have the most powers in this part of the globe. Sotto noted he and his colleagues would first have to tackle the details of the said proposal particularly whether or not it would contain provisions currently outside the realm of the President's powers. Anong klaseng emergency powers yung ibibigay pa, idadagdag mo na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon? Kung merong makikita tayo na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon, in order to, lets say revamp, reorganize, or whatever he can do sa PhilHealth, then yes, by all means, lets give it to him, he explained. Pero kung nandoon naman sa mga powers niya, bakit pa? [Translation: What kind of emergency powers would enable the president to do what he can't do now? If we can find anything that he can't do now without emergency powers say revamp, reorganize, or whatever he can do in Philhealth, then, yes, by all means, let's give it to him. But if it's already there, what for? ] Senator Franklin Drilon also rejected the proposal, saying theres no use for such policy as Duterte has enough powers under the Constitution and existing laws. There is no use for emergency powers. We will oppose it in the Senate. The President can reform and reorganize PhilHealth without emergency powers from Congress, Drilon said in a statement. Drilon, for instance, cited the application of Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act which gives Duterte the power to evaluate and reorganize government-owned or controlled corporations. Drilon noted the chief executive also has the power to file cases and order the suspension of erring government officials. On Wednesday, House Committee on Public Accounts chair Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan Partylist said his panel is "inclined" to give the President emergency powers to reform PhilHealth, following numerous controversies surrounding the agency. No other details of the proposal were provided as of this writing. Earlier this week, Duterte confirmed the appointment of retired National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran as the new PhilHealth chief, following the resignation of agency president and CEO Ricardo Morales. Morales was earlier advised to step down from his post due to his medical condition. Gierran was initially tasked to conduct a reshuffle of the PhilHealth regional offices a move he vowed to finish within the week. Students participate in an activity near Royce Hall on the campus of the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 11, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) Judge Rules UC System Can No Longer Use SAT Scores for Admissions University of California (UC) campuses will no longer be allowed to recognize SAT and ACT test scores as criteria for determining admissions after an Aug. 31 Superior Court ruling. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman granted a preliminary injunction that requires the UC system to immediately stop using the test scores as part of the admissions process. The ruling comes after the UC system opted to temporarily remove SAT and ACT results from undergraduate admission requirements on March 31, instead making them optional, as part of an effort to help mitigate the challenges students and their families faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The incentive to permanently remove ACT and SAT testing for admission came in part due to the plaintiffs argument that the tests unlawfully discriminate against students based on family income and race, and deny students with disabilities the constitutional right to equal protection. Seligman said the current test-option policy at most UC schools gives non-disabled, privileged students the upper hand by offering a second look in admissions. Public Counsel, a group involved with the lawsuit, called the judges decision goundbreaking in a Sept. 1 statement. The decision reflects the weight of testimony from leading experts on disability discrimination, racial and socioeconomic inequities in education and standardized testing, the statement said. Mark Rosenbaum, director of Public Counsels Opportunity Under Law project, said, Judge Seligmans 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. Dr. Williamson Evers, senior fellow at the Independent Institute, a nonpartisan public policy research organization, disagreed with the injunction. Evers told The Epoch Times that SAT and ACT scores are predictive indicators of whether or not a student will be successful in a particular institute. We cant just rely on high school grades because different schools have different grading standards. We need a common yardstick, and these tests provide it, Evers said. In an emailed statement sent to the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (UCLA) student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, spokeswoman Claire Doan said the UC system respectfully disagrees with the court ruling and would consider further legal action. 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 said. Bob Schaeffer, interim executive director of The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest), said in an Aug. 13 press release that his organization encourages schools to eliminate ACT and SAT requirements as the only way to assure students that they will be treated even-handedly. It is attractive for many applicants to know that they will be evaluated as more than a score, Schaeffer said. According to FairTest, over 60 percent of 4-year universities and colleges in the United States will not have SAT and ACT scores as part of the application requirements for fall 2021 admission. An anti-immigrant detention group is suing the Etowah County sheriff for allegedly limiting volunteers ability to visit immigration detainees following a protest outside the county jail. Freedom for Immigrants, a national group opposed to immigration detention filed a lawsuit in federal court this week demanding full reinstatement of the Etowah Visitation Project, a program that connects volunteers with long-term immigration detainees who the federal government houses in the county jail in downtown Gadsden. The group alleges the 2019 restrictions that followed volunteers participation in a November protest to shut down the facility are retaliatory and in violation of their First Amendment rights. Even a freely given benefit like the Visitation Project cannot be taken away because the government is unhappy with how were sharing with the public what we know from our communications with the people inside, said Christina Fialho, executive director of Freedom for Immigrants. The sheriffs office did not respond to requests for comment. The complaint alleges the program, in existence since 2013, allowed immigrants in detention to sign up for visits from volunteers who would act as pen pals, help connect inmates with legal resources and bring them supplies, like clothing, and holiday gifts. Many of the people of the people in immigration detention that we visit do not have family and friends in the vicinity, so without a volunteer visiting them, they would have really no connection to the outside world, said Fialho. The lawsuit alleges the sheriff suspended the program in November of 2019 after visitors from the group attended a protest to end immigration detention outside the detention facility. In December, Sheriff Jonathan Horton partially reinstated the program, but suspended efforts to help schedule visits with the inmates, making the visits impossible to continue, the group alleges. In 2015, the former sheriff suspended the program for about a month, following a similar protest and after Freedom for Immigrants filed a complaint about conditions in the facility. Part of the Etowah Visitation Projects purpose for visiting inmates is to monitor their treatment. ICE and the sheriffs actions seek to not only silence its critics, but also prohibit the public from learning important information about the treatment of people in detention, said Fiahlo. Amidst the pandemic-induced slowdown, essential goods will fuel Indian retail industry's growth in the coming quarters as consumer expenditure continues to remain focused on essentials - particularly food and grocery - reveals the latest report by ANAROCK & Retailers Association of India (RAI) titled 'Indian Retail - Certainty Despite Headwinds'. The average bill value for essentials has gone up 1.5 times after lifting of lockdown - from Rs 650 per basket in early March to more than Rs 900 per basket presently. Food and grocery, followed by apparel, FMCD and electronics, furniture and home furnishings, and QSR will see a V-shaped recovery within the next two-three quarters. Other segments like beauty, wellness, and personal care and home essentials may take four-six quarters to recover fully. Organized retail and e-commerce are on an upswing. According to IBEF, the share of Indian organized retail will double to 18 per cent in 2021 (from 9 per cent in 2017). Likewise, e-commerce is expected to more than double to 7 per cent from the previous 3 per cent in the same period. Median basket value now at & gt;Rs 900/basket against Rs 650 in early March Essentials like Food & Grocery, Apparel, FMCD & Electronics, Furniture & Furnishings, and QSR to see V-shaped recovery within two-three quarters; Beauty, Wellness/Personal Care & Home Essentials may take up to four-six quarters Avg. bill value up by over 25 per cent across segments Omni-channel retail takes centre stage; in-mall doubling as urban warehouses to ensure fast delivery Hygiene & sanitation now of prime importance in malls; touchpoints automation and digitalization now the new norm "COVID-19 will work as a catalyst for the growth of organized retail and e-commerce in India. Online spending is on a marked rise with online shoppers projected to increase from 15 per cent in 2019 to 50 per cent of the total online population by 2026," said Anuj Kejriwal, MD & CEO - ANAROCK Retail. "In other new retail industry trends, omnichannel retailing is evolving rapidly with brands collaborating actively to enhance their reach. Many are using malls or in-mall stores as urban warehouses to ensure a faster delivery to customers and are tying-up with existing e-commerce/delivery portals to leverage their existing network and ensure reduced additional cost." "Omnichannel was gaining importance before the pandemic. The pandemic has enhanced the importance of retailers having an omnichannel strategy since concepts of digital browsing, click and collect, curbside delivery, video shopping etc. have gained importance. The pandemic has propelled consumers to purchase based on convenience either as delivery to home or by shopping at offline nearby stores or by time scheduled shopping," said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India (RAI). In today's pandemic-transformed retail landscape, essential commodities are a top priority for Indian shoppers. Recent surveys by RAI suggest that grocery and fashion are the top two preferred options immediately after relaxations in lockdown. As many as 33 per cent of consumers were excited to shop post the lockdown while 75 per cent of respondents in tier-II & tier-III cities plan to visit stores in malls in the next 3 months. Offline retailers have witnessed a conversion rate of 90 per cent post-COVID-19 versus 20 per cent - 40 per cent pre-COVID-19. A sanitized shopping experience The report further highlights that hygiene and sanitation measures being adopted by malls and store operators to combat the COVID-19 blues. Above all, mall owners are looking to minimize touchpoints by going digital and sanitizing cars before letting them in the parking spots. With valet services, cars are sanitized before and after the car is returned to a customer. Sanitization of customers' belongings before mall entry also figures high on the list. Store operators are sanitizing apparel after every trial, and steam-ironing them before returning them to the rack after 24 hours. Apart from social distancing markers at billing counters, both bags and products are sanitized after purchase. Many are also using technology for consumers to order before entering the store, or for home delivery of products. Automation and contactless technology will redefine the shopping experience in the future, and retailers will need to adopt such technologies. Other Highlights * Digitally influenced spending is estimated to reach USD 550 billion (30-35 per cent of all retail sales) by 2025 from USD 45-50 billion (8-10 per cent of all retail sales) in 2016. * 70 per cent of retailers anticipate business recovery in more than six months and 20 per cent in more than a year, as per RAI survey. * India to be the third largest consumer market in the world after the USA and China. * Nuclear families spend 30 per cent more than joint families; nuclear households will grow to 74 per cent in 2025 from 70 per cent in 2016. * Revenue sharing models to ease rental pressure; retailers modifying business models to partner with mall owners to combat the situation. Download the report: www.anarock.com/research-insights/indian-retail-certainty-despite-headwinds. ANAROCK is India's leading independent real estate services company, chaired by Anuj Puri, with 14 offices across India and the Middle East, and 2000 plus experienced professionals. The company has diversified interests across the real estate lifecycle and deploys its proprietary technology platform to accelerate marketing and sales. ANAROCK's services include Residential Broking & Technology, Retail (in partnership with Vindico), Commercial, Investment Banking, Hospitality (via HVS ANAROCK), Land Services, Industrial and Logistics, Investment Management, Research, Strategic Advisory & Valuations, and Project Management Services (in partnership with Mace). The company has a unique business model, which is an amalgamation of traditional product sales supported by a modern technology platform with automated analytical and reporting tools. This offers timely solutions to its clients while delivering financially favorable and efficient results. Within a period of three years, ANAROCK has become the fastest-growing real estate company in India. Our assurance of consistent ethical dealing with clients and partners reflects our motto - Values Over Value. For more information, please visit www.anarock.com Retailers Association of India (RAI) is the unified voice of Indian retailers. RAI works with all the stakeholders for creating the right environment for the growth of the modern retail industry in India. It is a strong advocate for retailing in India and works with all levels of government and stakeholders with the aim to support employment growth and career opportunities in retail, to promote and sustain retail investments in communities from coast-to-coast, and to enhance consumer choice and industry competitiveness. For more information, please visit: www.rai.net.in. 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.) The Daily Beast via TwitterA 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 A woman wearing a face mask and gloves as a precaution while in a queue to enter a supermarket. (PA) A hotline for residents to inform Birmingham City Council of concerns they may have that businesses are not adhering to coronavirus guidelines has been bombarded with calls. Some 739 calls were logged to the whistleblowing hotline by 31 August the equivalent of 35 calls every day since the service was set up on 11 August. Birmingham is currently on a national coronavirus watchlist because of a recent increase in cases, which could result in a local lockdown if numbers persist. Residents have been encouraged to inform the council of any possible breaches to government guidelines in relation to the pandemic. Coronavirus information is seen around a gym in Birmingham. (PA) These include businesses opening up when they are meant to be closed and encouraging workers to go to work even if they have COVID-19 symptoms. According to the council website, residents are also encouraged to get in touch if: Businesses have not carried out risk assessments in line with government requirements Businesses are not following government COVID guidelines, such as the correct use of personal protective equipment and hand washing facilities Businesses have inadequate barriers or other protection measures The council is able to shut down businesses and premises not adhering to the guidelines, Birmingham Live reported. The council website states: We have enforcement staff to deal with any issues of concern, so if you are aware of any businesses or venues ignoring the government's rules, please let us know by completing this form. Whistleblowers to the hotline will stay anonymous, the council added. A council spokesperson said: As of the end of Monday (31 August 2020) we were at 739 contacts. "This is a mixture of phone and web. A spokesperson added to Yahoo News UK: At this stage we do not have available deeper analysis. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis held his weekly general audience in public for the first time in six months on Wednesday, smiling and chatting as he re-emerged from the constraints of the coronavius lockdown. The audience, at which the pope announced a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon, was held in the San Damaso courtyard of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace and gave him the public contact he thrives on. Visitors had their temperatures checked as they entered the Vatican and nearly everyone among the audience of 500 or so - including Swiss Guards in ceremonial uniforms - wore masks. The public sat in seats arranged to ensure social distancing. "After so many months, we resume our encounters face to face and not screen to screen, face to face, and this is beautiful," he said to applause at the start of the audience. Francis clearly enjoyed himself as he walked past guests who had pushed together behind barriers, frequently stopping to converse with them from a distance of one to two meters (yards). The pope last held an audience with a public crowd in early March. After that, the coronavirus pandemic forced him to hold virtual audiences transmitted from the official papal library over television or the internet, an experience he described as akin to being "caged". He blessed children from a distance as he passed on the way to a dais to make his address. Francis appeared to be energized by the crowd - even though it was a far cry from the tens of thousands that can be held in St. Peter's Square, where outdoor audiences are usually held. Francis kissed a Lebanese flag handed to him by Lebanese priest Georges Breidi and bowed his head to say a silent prayer for the country, still reeling from last month's deadly port blast and rising sectarian tensions. At the end of the audience he invited the priest to the front to hold up the flag as the pope made an appeal for peace and dialogue in Lebanon. Story continues He announced that Friday, Sept. 4 would be a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon and that he was sending his Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin - the number two in the Vatican hierarchy - to Beirut on that day to represent him. He invited members of other religions to take part. "Lebanon cannot be abandoned to itself," Francis said, asking politicians, religious leaders to commit themselves with "sincerity and transparency" to reconstruct the country and for nations to help "without getting involved in regional tensions". (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Mike Collett-White) Community members protest against evictions and in support of the movement to "cancel rent" outside the Bronx housing court on August 10 Community members protest against evictions and in support of the movement to "cancel rent" outside the Bronx housing court on August 10 Credit - Angela WeissAFP/Getty Images In her late 20s, Katrina Bilella was beyond proud to become a first-time homeowner in the storied neighborhood of Logan Square, Chicago. So when her human resources job required her to move to Colorado in 2018, she planned to keep her treasured fixer-upper, which shed poured her blood, sweat and tears into, and rent it out until she could return. Then the pandemic struck. Citing economic fallout from COVID-19, her Chicago tenants stopped paying full rent in April, and Bilella herself was laid off from her Colorado job in July. Now, she is living with family in New York because she cant move back into her own home, and shes paying her mortgage out of her dwindling savings account. The Trump Administrations new eviction moratorium, announced Tuesday, isnt going to help matters. The executive order gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authority to bar landlords from evicting most tenants for non-payment of rent through December 31. The new rules, which go into effect as soon as the order is published in the Federal Register, covers tens of millions of renters: anyone who earns $99,000 or less in income, has tried to obtain government benefits to afford their rent, has experienced a loss of income or an increase in medical costs, is using best efforts to make partial rent payments, and would be at risk or homelessness or having to move into a shared living space if evicted. As concerns over mass evictions have mounted in recent weeks, housing experts see the executive order as addressing only part of a complicated problem. Its an incomplete solution, says Solomon Greene, a senior fellow and housing expert at the Urban Institute. One major shortcoming of the new policy is that once it expires in December, the tenants who were on the brink of losing their homes will still be responsible for all the rent that they cant afford to pay now. While the moratorium extension is a step in the right direction, it wont adequately meet the needs of millions of families who are behind on their rent, Peggy Bailey, vice president of housing policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said in a statement. Story continues For landlords like Bilella, its bad news. It means shell have to continue to pay her mortgage on a property for which she is no longer earning an income, cant live in, and would be hard-pressed to sell to a new buyer while tenants are squatting in it. Shes also praying the moratorium doesnt get extended beyond the end of December. At that point, her tenantswhose lease was up in Aprilwould owe her nine months worth of rent. Shes already $12,000 in the hole from their missed payments, in addition to the $2,000-plus shes spent on enlisting a lawyer to walk her through her limited options. But the new rule isnt ideal for Bilellas tenants either. For renters who arent able to keep up with current debts, it amounts to nothing more than a band-aid on a wound that really needs stitches. Its comforting that they now no longer have to worry about eviction for the next few months, but after that, theyll be required to pay months and months of back rent in lump sums as early as January 1, or risk eviction. They also may be on the hook for late fees on their back rent, which the order explicitly permits. If theres a hunger crisis, we would ask the government to expand food stamps. With a medical crisis, we ask the government to expand Medicaid. But with a housing crisis were putting this all on landlords, says Bilella, now 31. Theres no government aid for us, and I dont understand. It feels like were being scapegoated, and its now my civic duty to provide free housing. Critics say Tuesdays announcement smacks of political expediency just weeks before a major Presidential election: it provides short term relief, but helps neither tenants nor small landlords past the new year. That didnt stop President Donald Trump from claiming political chits for the CDC order on Tuesday. I want to make it unmistakably clear, he announced in a White House press release, Im protecting people from evictions. The order also poses a host of logistical issues. First, its unlikely renters who have struggled to make payments will all of a sudden have enough cash on hand to pay back-rent (plus, possibly, fees) once the moratorium ends. Its also unlikely that small landlords who are themselves struggling to make ends meet will be able to quickly receive the back rent they urgently need. (Municipal courts will inevitably be backlogged when landlords are eventually able to evict en masse, and evicted tenants can sometimes avoid paying rental debts by moving across state lines, working under-the-table jobs, or filing for bankruptcy.) Second, to be covered by the moratorium, renters need to file a declaration attesting they fit income and hardship qualifications. This may be difficult for renters who are not aware of the new protection, and those who do not have access to the internet to obtain the form. Greene also expects there may be legal challenges to the CDCs order, as the statute and regulation it cites have never been applied in the context that the CDC is invoking them. There is a lot of legal uncertainty here, he says. Still, housing advocates and experts say the new eviction moratorium, however imperfect, is a critical first step in protecting Americans health six months into a pandemic caused by a virus, in part because it will help prevent an immediate surge in evictions and, subsequently, homelessness. Evictions in the midst of a pandemic present an enormous public health risk, and one that we cannot afford to take, says Greene. In July, 32% of U.S. Households did not make full and on-time housing payments for the month, according to a survey by Apartment List. By August, the Aspen Institute estimated between 29-43% of renter households could have been at risk of eviction by the end of the year if not for robust and swift intervention. The move was especially important, Greene adds, as other federal relief efforts have expired. Its been months since Americans received a stimulus check, expanded unemployment from the CARES Act ran out in July, and swaths of eviction protections issued at the state and local level are no longer in effect or were set to expire soon. A more coherent solution, Greene argues, would be one that also includes rent relief payments that either go directly to landlords on behalf of tenants, or to tenants who would then use the funds to pay their landlords. The CDC order, he says, buys the government time to come up with a solution that includes that. If the Trump Administrations executive order was motivated in any part by politics, it may have backfired. By not seeking a more robust solution from the startand therefore punting the financial burden to landlords while also merely delaying the debts of rentershe may lose some of both come November. Belinda Melendrez-Flores, a 48-year-old landlord who owns three rental properties in Texas, says she had no intention of voting in November. But now that shes having a difficult time affording monthly infusions to treat a Lupus diagnosis because some tenants arent paying, she says shes definitely headed to the polls. I really hate to say this. But right now, Im really, really mad at Trump. And Im hoping that before November 3, theres some sort of relief. If not, Im most likely gonna vote for [Democratic nominee Joe] Biden. Mr. Powell subsequently agreed to repay about $40,000 to the organization, though the N.R.A. has not cashed his check as its review of his expenses continues. A statement issued through Mr. Powells lawyer called the matter a nonissue. Joshs business expenses were approved by the N.R.A. and reimbursed in the ordinary course for more than three years, the statement said. Expenses only became a controversy once he began to point out some of the problems in the organization. Josh hoped to just put it to rest and so he wrote a check for more than $40,000. During his more than three-year tenure, Mr. Powell served at various periods as Mr. LaPierres top deputy, and chief of staff, and likens himself to Ned Stark, a well-meaning and ultimately ill-fated counselor to a king in the television show Game of Thrones. A hunter since childhood and former Chicago options and derivatives trader, Mr. Powell says that the N.R.A. has fundamentally lost its way, abandoning its roots as an organization focused on gun safety and education. That has led it to limit its own long-term membership growth, he argues, by turning its back on the majority of gun owners who support background checks. After the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the N.R.A. rebuffed new gun control measures and instead promoted a School Shield program in which it would help review and recommend school safety countermeasures like arming security guards. Mr. Powell writes that he worked to boost the program after discovering it was little more than empty rhetoric in the four years after Sandy Hook, the N.R.A. assessed the safety of only three schools. Wayne was out there selling the program to our members, raising money off it, claiming we were protecting kids schools, he writes. It was another example of the wizard behind the curtain lots of inflamed rhetoric and fireworks and noise, but very little effective action on countering gun violence. Joel Friedman, an N.R.A. board member, said School Shield began very slowly because it needed to be proven, and called Mr. Powells book a 180-degree flop. A council has been labelled a 'bully' after telling furious residents that repainting their houses the colour of 'baby poo' will help save the planet, and threatening a widow who tried to paint over the colour with a 1,600 fine. Hounslow Council claims that by painting the houses the colour reminiscent of a baby's nappy, residents were actually saving more than 300 a year through energy efficiencies and making their homes more climate friendly. However, residents of the Worple Estate in Isleworth, West London, have hit back at the council, calling them 'bullies' and saying they have 'destroyed' their homes by paining them the 'chicken korma' colour in May. Clare Easton, who lives in one of the newly painted homes, said to the BBC: 'When I first saw it, it just reminded me of a baby's nappy, baby's poo.' One resident - a widow who has lived on the estate for 28 years - was allegedly hit with a 1,600 fine after she tried to paint over the colour with a more agreeable grey, saying that to do so risks 'invalidating the Council's warranty' on external insulation that was also installed. Hounslow Council has been labelled a 'bully' after painting council houses the colour of 'baby poo', and slapping a widow with a 1,600 fine for trying to paint over the colour The council claims that painting the houses in the 'chicken korma' colour is part of a scheme to make the houses for energy efficient, but it has angered the local residents The council said that coating the houses' newly installed cladding in the 'baby poo' paint is all part of its scheme the help make reductions in the estate's carbon emissions. Hounslow also claims that tenants of the estate were consulted over the colour before painting began, with a pilot scheme referencing a 'magnolia colour (or similar)', but the planning process said the colour was switched to 'sand yellow'. The homes on the estate are made up of both privately owned houses and council properties, with residents being told by letter three years ago that the decorating would be completed in the spring of this year. Only the council owned houses have been painted in the yellow, with one critic noting that it makes it clear who owns their home, and who doesn't. Cllr Lily Bath, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said in a statement: 'Hounslow Council has now implemented a range of measures to improve energy efficiency in our housing. 'One such measure is external wall insulation on properties in the Worple Estate, which is home to mixture of Council social housing and privately-owned properties. The council has said that to paint over the yellow risks 'invalidating the Council's warranty' on external insulation that was also installed as part of the scheme 'Council tenants had relayed concerns about the condition of some properties, particularly regarding damp and heating costs and the Council embarked on an external wall insulation project for each of its 84 properties. 'When the external wall insulation had been installed, new paint work was required on the properties. 'The vast majority of tenants where works have been carried out are very satisfied with the quality of the works, the colour and the energy and costs they are now saving. 'Savings per property are estimated at 308 a year and there's also a large reduction in carbon emissions. 'The reason why residents should not paint over the original colour is because it risks invalidating the Council's warranty on the external wall insulation and is in breach of planning regulations and their tenancy agreement.' She added that there is no evidence that the colour has had a 'negative impact' on house prices in the area. One critic noted that by painting the council houses with the new colour, the council was making it clear who owned their house and who didn't The council said in a statement that residents were consulted over the colour, which was set to be 'magnolia', but at some point the decision was made to use a 'sand yellow' instead But one family on the estate has hit back at the council for trying to 'intimidate' them after a widow was allegedly given a fine of 1,600 for trying to paint over the new colour given to her home. Ahead of a family wedding planned for later in the year, she decided she could not stand the 'sand yellow' and began painting over it in a more neutral shade of grey. Within in an hour, the council had been tipped off by contractors working in the area, and council workers contacted the widow - who chose to remain anonymous when speaking about her ordeal - to say she must pay to repair the 'damages'. In addition to the fine, her house is now stuck in limbo - with half the house painted grey, and the other still in the yellow. Her daughter said that the family has no intention of paying the hefty fine, saying she had found an independent contractor who could do the 'repairs' for just 150, a fraction of the fine issued. The widow, who has lived in her home on the estate for 28 years, tried to paint over the 'baby poo' yellow with a more neutral grey ahead of a family wedding, was the council instantly demanded that she stopped, and slapped her with a 1,600 fine for 'damages' She added that her mother is now worried that she could face eviction, despite living in the house for 28 years and looking after it well, and that it felt like the council is 'trying to shame [residents of the council houses]' with the colour. Another local, Amanda Dickinson, 63, compared the colour to that of 'chicken korma', and said the new paint jobs are bad for the community as it divides those who own their homes and who rents them. She told the Sun: 'I think it's really divisive and counter-productive to cohesive living if you want to put it in 'council speak', and added that she would have objected if had known what colour the houses were going to be painted. Former Labour councillor in Hounslow Vanessa Smith, who also lives on the estate, accused the council of acting like 'bullies', and failed to communicate with the community because 'they're only council tennants'. She said: 'These are people's homes and people take pride in their homes and they deserve to be spoken to,' adding that she ''really can't see why they have to have these colours imposed on them'. 'Selfish and irresponsible,' organisers of a massive house party are facing a police investigation after 300 people turned up to a paid-for event at the weekend. Scottish police officers were called out to a rented mansion in Midlothian on Saturday night amid concerns from neighbours that a party was being run as a commercial event. According to the BBC, the gathering was at the Mansion House of Kirkhill in Gorebridge, which rents for around 1,600 a night on Airbnb. Hundreds of people were at the event, despite current Scottish lockdown rules limiting indoor gatherings to just eight people. A 29-year-old man was issued with a fixed penalty notice, but Police Scotland is now carrying out further enquiries to investigate potential culpable and reckless conduct charges and licensing breaches. Around 300 people attended a paid-for party at the Mansion House of Kirkhill in Midlothian on Saturday night - sparking a police probe The partygoers at the paid-for event have been blasted as 'selfish and irresponsible' after putting hundreds of people in danger during the spread of coronavirus. Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said 'Those attending this organised event showed a blatant disregard for the regulations in place to help save lives and prevent the spread of coronavirus. 'Further investigations are being carried out with a view to what other charges may be brought, including culpable and reckless conduct. 'Anyone attempting to hold such an event, or any party in clear breach of the law, should be aware they will be met with a robust response from Police Scotland. 'I cannot stress enough the serious risk to public health an event of this size poses not only to those present and anyone they come into contact with, but also the wider community and all those from the emergency services who attended.' Councillor Stephen Curran, Chair of Midlothian Police, Fire and Rescue Board, said: 'Those 300 or so people didn't just put themselves at risk of contracting coronavirus, they put residents across Midlothian and beyond at risk. 'To call them selfish and irresponsible is an understatement. A 29-year-old man was issued with a fixed penalty notice, but Police Scotland is now carrying out further enquiries to investigate potential culpable and reckless conduct charges and licensing breaches 'We realise it can be challenging following the guidance but if the majority of us can do it then so can they. 'We are working hard to avoid lockdowns like those happening in and around Glasgow but we need everyone to help keep Midlothian safe. 'So, please follow the guidance. It will save lives.' During last weekend, Police Scotland officers responded to reports of around 300 house parties across the country, dispersed those attending and issued six fixed penalty notices. Cops also broke up a house party in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, around 8pm on Saturday night, where five fixed penalty notices were issued. Two men were also arrested in connection with a disturbance at the property. A mobile veterinary clinic is just what the doctor ordered for those anxious Houston pets who don't look forward to going to the vet's office. Founder and CEO of Rollin' Vets Dr. Katie Eick brings this full-service mobile vet clinic right to the pets owner's front door, as reported first by InnovationMap. NEWS AIR FILTER MASKS TO PROTECT DOGS FROM TOXINS: Texas-based company creates new air filter masks to protect dogs from toxic air After almost 20 years in practice, Dr. Eick could see there was a need for at-home veterinary care. In January of 2016, she decided to make her concept a reality. "Clients' lives are busier and more complicated than ever, making getting pets to the vet more of a hassle," Eick said. "Our vision is to make veterinary care as easy as possible for everyone." With an ongoing pandemic, taking your pets to see a vet in an office setting may make you just as nervous as your pet. "Children, large dogs, multiple pets, cats, etc make obtaining veterinary care a real challenge! These situations, along with at home end-of-life care, made the decision to open this practice easy," Eick said. Rollin' Vets reduces the challenges that come with taking care of your family and pets by eliminating the need to travel for your pet's medical issues. "During COVID we have changed the way we work a bit in order to keep our clients and our staff safe and healthy," Eick said. "We are currently asking our clients to bring their pets out to the van or let us collect them at their front door and bring them back when we are finished." For more nervous pets who won't go into the van, Eick said Rollin' Vets take the proper precautions to go into the home to tend to them. "Our services include almost anything that a traditional brick-and-mortar practice can offer, except hospitalization," Eick said. Some of the services Rollin' Vets offers include wellness and sick exams, surgery, dentistry, X-rays, on-site and send-out laboratory services, full pharmacy and medication delivery. It also offers end-of-life care. As the pandemic has affected many businesses, Eick said her services are still in great demand. "We found that not only did people want the service they actually now needed this service," Eick said. "We have a strong, loyal customer base that we treat like family both clients and their pets alike." While the service is focusing on the greater Houston area for now, Eick has plans to expand into cities across Texas and beyond. "Our service stands out because we provide exceptional customer service," Eick said. "An added bonus for both our team and our clients is that we really get to develop a personal relationship with our customer base in being mobile." Brits think they should be spending more on engagement rings. Photo: Alekon pictures/Unsplash Brits spend about 250 more on dining out in just one year than they do on their partners engagement rings, research suggests. People in UK spend an average 1,865 ($2,480) on engagement rings, but this is nothing compared to the three months salary rule of thumb, with the average Brit earning about 7,650 over this period, jeweller Diamonds Factory found. Comparing this to every-day expenses, Brits spend about 2,115 eating in restaurants in 12 months 250 more than on engagement rings. Office workers in the UK spend nearly as much 1,712 on travel, food and social activities, as they do on an engagement ring, the study found. READ MORE: Young Brits turn their back on marriage to keep costs down Meanwhile, Brits spend 526 on clothes each year. However, they splash out about 1,404 on package holidays. Most people think they should be spending significantly more on engagement rings. In fact, Brits said they think an engagement ring should cost about ,2853 nearly 1,000 more than what is actually being spent. Those in the south-west spend the most on engagement rings about 3,784 surpassing Londoners, who typically earn the highest salaries. People in the capital think an engagement ring should cost the most, at about 4,968 more than double what they actually spend. Greater London residents follow closely behind, spending 2,335, followed by those in Northern Ireland, at 2,272. The south-east (1,877) and Yorkshire and the Humber (1,769) round out the top five, but every region other than the south-west thinks they should be spending more than they currently are, the survey found. READ MORE: Getting engaged costs Brits over 3,000 Men who think they should be spending more, saying an engagement ring should cost at least 3,354, while women said they would settle for one that cost about 2760. They survey also found those over the age of 55 spend the most about 3,610 despite believing it should be significantly cheaper about 2,237. Story continues Meanwhile, millennials think they should spend about 3,045 more than any other age group but only actually spend about 1911, the research found. Its very interesting how customers are seeking out value, and getting more for their money without spending the standard three months salary. With a big shift from traditional jewellers moving online, weve found customers are doing more research themselves, in finding exactly what they want this doesnt always mean spending big, said Ben Stinson at Diamonds Factory. There are some regional surprises as well. Theres an undeniable expectation that London has the greatest spending power, but in actual fact its been overtaken by the south-west. The national capital is now witnessing the beginning of a second wave of Covid-19. Even as the city is poised to enter the next stage of re-opening through the resumption of Delhi Metro, daily coronavirus cases cases are once again rising. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 2,509 cases, the highest number recorded since early July. The tally of active cases has reached 16,502. There had been no spike of inspection since mid-July; when the Delhi government, in collaboration with the Union Home Ministry, had ramped up testing to effectively track Covid-19 hotspots. Over the last two weeks, the average daily case fatality trajectory has risen by 50%, said Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry, on Thursday. After active cases rose in Delhi, the Home Ministry engaged with the Delhi government to curb infection, and the Lieutenant Governor held a meeting with the Chief Minister and officials from AIIMS and Niti Aayog in this regard, said Bhushan. The Delhi governments health bulletin also revealed that a record 28, 835 tests were conducted. However, of these, 20,965 were rapid antigen tests and the rest comprised of RT-PCR, TruNat and CBNAAT tests. Hospitals have seen a rise in admissions of Covid-19 patients and authorities are working on what they called a revamped strategy, to curb infection amid the increased economic and social activities. As cases rise, authorities maintained that the surge has not reached alarming proportions but also admitted that they are keeping a close eye on the developments and strategies are being reworked to control the surge. We had a detailed review of the situation in Thursdays meeting with the lieutenant-governor. A revamped strategy and comprehensive effort is being planned on important fronts - containment, surveillance, hospital management, testing strategy, ambulance preparedness and engagement with the pubic regarding Covid appropriate behavior, said Dr VK Paul, member, Niti Aayog. Story continues When asked about the reasons behind the sudden spike in case, Dr Paul credited the resumption in activities. There has been a general uptick in activities; the labourers who had gone to their home states have started returning for work. I would say this is happening largely because we are moving towards new activities. We also need to remember that nearly 70 per cent of the citys population is still susceptible," he added. At Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, which is Delhi's biggest Covid facility, admissions of coronavirus patients are also increasing. We have seen an increase in the number of cases. In the last seven days or so we have seen 15-20% more caseload and we are also reporting a fair share of admissions of people who are from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Middle-aged and elderly people form the biggest chunk of the new patients we are admitting, said Dr Suresh Kumar, Director, LNJP Hospital. Officials from the Delhi health department said that while activities increase, the department is facing a few hiccups in contact-tracing. People need to realise that 'unlocking' is primarily for economic activities and not for social activities. We have been noting instances where people, when called to collect information on their movement are not forthcoming with details. This is an impediment in tracing contacts and isolating those who might be at risk, said a senior official. However, a few experts said that the surge in Covid-19 infections was not completely unexpected, as similar surges had been witnessed in other nations. They emphasised that it was important to act fast. There can be multiple causes for the surge. It has been in seen in Hong Kong, London and Singapore. But it is important to note that mortality rate is not out of control even as the spread is wider," said Dr Mahesh Verma, member of Delhi governments expert committee on hospital preparedness and Vice-Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. He added that measures to curb cases could not be slackened, especially as economic activities continued to resume in a phased manner. "We have to be to even more vigilant now," Dr Verma said. Nigeria is aggressively looking for a way to build its testing capacity to meet the growing demand as its citizens resume going to school and work. Experts believe Saliva Direct, a new testing regimen being adopted in many western countries can give a lift to the countrys testing capacity and reopening plans. As of Tuesday morning, 403, 347 of Nigerias 200 million have already been tested for COVID-19, a potentially dangerous pneumonia-like disease. This resulted in the discovery of 54, 008 infections thus far. In the past one week, cases have fallen below 300 daily suggesting that Africas most populous nation may be flattening the COVID-19 pandemic curve. But despite a continued decline in the daily figure with a considerable improvement in testing from March when only 500 tests were conducted per day, Nigerias testing regimen is still lagging. More still, there has been a troubling uptick in mystery cases, which health experts believe could upset plans of full opening of public activities across the country. Majority of Nigerians who contracted COVID-19 so far, did not have relevant travel history or exposure to another individual with the virus, meaning that the origin of their infection is unknown, according to data from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Lagging behind Nigeria is still struggling to ramp up COVID-19 testing majorly due to lack of adequate equipment and reagents needed to carry out the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) which is currently the main source of testing in the country. Tests to diagnose viral infections are key to controlling the pandemic, but Nigeria, among other African countries, do not make any locally and must import them. On April 28, the Nigerian government announced its target of testing at least two million people within the next three months. The 90 days target elapsed with Nigeria failing to cover at least 30 per cent of the two million. The main challenge Nigeria has had with testing has been its inability to test as many people as possible. Inability to secure test kits in a world where they are still in high demand means that cheaper, alternative, mass-produced options are being sought all over the world, Ikemesit Effiong, a forensic expert, said. Supplies of nasopharyngeal swabs were some of the first testing materials to run low sometime in mid-March across the globe, prompting a pivot to nasal swabs. Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, at a bi-weekly Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing said the country is monitoring new diagnostic technology, including the saliva-based test. Saliva Direct To boost testing capacity, Nigerias Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on August 12 approved N8.49 billion for the purchase of items needed to test for COVID-19. While applauding the move, health experts believe more resources should be channelled towards adopting and domesticating Saliva Direct, a Saliva-based laboratory diagnostic test innovation which has emerged a safer, faster and simpler way to diagnose COVID-19 infections. They believe this is capable of solving Nigerias testing challenges. just spit a glob of saliva into a cup, close the lid and hand it over as simple as that. Developed by Yale School of Public Health in the United States and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Saliva Direct COVID-19 diagnostic test eliminates the need for swab or collection device as the samples can be collected in any sterile container. Additionally, the test does not require a separate nucleic acid extraction step. Many countries in Europe, America and South Asia are beginning to show interest in Saliva Direct, a low-cost saliva test that will enable people to collect their own samples with minimal discomfort, without invasive nasal or throat swabs, according to Economic Times, a local Indian newspaper. Experts Give Thumbs-up to Saliva Direct Giving a thumbs-up to the alternative testing technology that is yet to be introduced in Nigeria, Olaide Shuaib, a Medical Laboratory Scientist, said Saliva Direct does not just have the potential of delivering results faster and more accurately but would also minimise the risk for healthcare workers collecting samples. Although, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said Nigerias testing infrastructure can undertake 15,000 tests per day, the country still conducts about 3,000 tests daily, across 64 molecular laboratories. We lack amenities needed to carry out the COVID-19 tests. To carry out more tests, we need to explore other methods available such as Saliva Direct, Mr Shuaib said. The advantage of the Saliva based Test is that it offers an improvement over the standard swabbing method because people can collect their own samples within minimal discomfort and no expertise require, the scientist explained. Advertisements He said it reduces the risks of patients contracting the virus at the test point. Health workers will also be at a lesser risk of contracting the virus. It provides more active and accurate result, amplifying the target pathogen in less than 15 minutes, with tenfold greater sensitivity than conventional PCR. Mr Effiong, Head of Research at SBM Intelligence, described Saliva Direct as a low-cost, non-invasive saliva-based test kit (SBTs) which requires minimal processing and retains much of the accuracy of traditional nasopharyngeal (tests which require sample collection from nasal secretions from the back of the nose and throat) swabs. Countries that have had long-standing issues with consistent and widespread testing are clearly moving in that direction the US approved its fifth COVID-19 SBT just last week. Nigeria should not be an exception. Saliva testing is simply cheaper and less expensive in terms of extraction, storage and analysis. With traditional COVID-19 testing, once the sample is collected, the viruss RNA must be extracted before it can be detected by sensitive, PCR-based methods. What most saliva-based tests do is remove that need for RNA extraction; that step is replaced with something as simple as adding an enzyme and heating the sample up. Extraction has always been the most expensive and the most time-consuming step of the COVID-19 testing process. In addition, the total cost of the reagents needed for one SBT in some iterations is roughly $5 or about N2500, meaning it could be offered to the public at a fraction of current test kits. SBTs not only simplify the process, more tests can be done and results are delivered faster. some SBT designs can run as much as 90 samples in about three hours. They also compare favourably with existing testing options, researchers have estimated a 88 per cent to 94 per cent accuracy range for American SBTs. For Nigeria, being at the back of the queue in terms of product innovation and manufacture means that the priority of manufacturing nations will take precedent over our testing needs. Some SBT manufacturers, notably the Yale School of Public Health, are making their SBT protocols open source, enabling researchers globally, including here, to study and adapt the method for use in their own countries. Policy support to incentivize local manufacturers to produce these SBT kits will be an important component of driving improves testing outcomes. Nigeria needs all tools in its arsenal in orderly to properly tackle COVID-19. SBTs could be a game-changer in that fight. Caution Just like every other technology adopted in the fight against COVID-19, experts also said authorities should thread with caution in applying Saliva Direct as well as lookout for its negative effects. The disadvantage of the saliva-based method is that the saliva contains enzymes called salivary amylase which chew up DNA and inhibitors that interfere with DNA amplification process, Mr Shuaib said. The police in Ondo State, on Thursday, said one person has been arrested in connection with the abduction of the Chief Medical Director of the Ondo State General Hospital Idoani, Olufemi Adeogun. Mr Adeogun was kidnapped on Monday, along with two other health workers along Owani-Idoani road, in Ose Local Government Area. Information filtered in on Thursday that the abductors had contacted the family of the CMD and had demanded a ransom of N6 million. A source close to Mr Adeoguns family confirmed that the hoodlums had made an initial demand of N10 million before reducing it to N6 million. Security operatives including hunters and Amotekun Corps are said to be combing the forest to rescue the victims. Ondo Police Public Relations Officer, Tee Leo-Ikoro, told PREMIUM TIMES that a suspect had been arrested. We have arrested one person in relation to the incident and he is giving us useful information on the issue, he said. He noted that efforts were targetted at ensuring the victims were rescued unhurt. He, however, could not confirm the demand for ransom. Maybe they are in touch with the family on that, but ordinarily, they will not tell us, because of what is involved, Mr Lei-Ikoro said. READ ALSO: The spate of kidnapping in the state appears to be rising, despite the recent mobilisation of the state security network also called Amotekun. On Wednesday, the security outfit arrested three persons suspected to be part of a kidnap syndicate that had been terrorising the state. The suspects were arrested by the corps before they were handed over to the police. The suspects were alleged to have abducted a middle-aged man, Kunle Agbayewa, at a popular sawmill at Owaani in Idoani, Ose Local Government Area of the state. Mr Agbayewa was kidnapped barely 24 hours after Mr Adeigun and his colleagues were forcibly taken in the same area. A majority of Australians want the government to increase funding to developing nations to help fight coronavirus and avoid a second deadly wave sweeping the world. There is growing concern that large outbreaks of COVID-19 in developing nations including Indonesia and the Philippines will hamper the ability of the region to recover from the pandemic. Australia wants to help Indonesia recover from the pandemic. Credit:Getty Images A survey of 1056 Australians last month by pollster YouGov shows 61 per cent believe the government should increase its humanitarian and development funding to combat COVID-19, while 82 per cent agree life won't return to normal unless the virus is controlled in all parts of the world. Similar results were recorded in Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia. Senior sources within the Australian government have confirmed work is under way on an aid proposal focusing on South-East Asia that would include funding to fight coronavirus and recover from the pandemic. The plan, which has not been finalised, follows criticism from some aid groups that the government's Pacific "step-up" has come at the expense of South-East Asia. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- After every financial scandal, the natural question that gets asked is: Where were the regulators? The answer, usually, is asleep at the wheel or MIA altogether. When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opened a formal probe into Enron in 2001, the energy-trading giant had already lost 83% of its market value and was weeks from declaring bankruptcy. More recently, a string of money-laundering scandals in Europe has shown watchdogs missed warning signs for years. When it comes to the spectacular collapse of German fintech darling Wirecard AG, though, things are rather more embarrassing. We know exactly what BaFin, the banking regulator for Europes No. 1 economy, was doing in the months leading up to the shocking revelation this June that 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) of cash on Wirecards books never existed. Not only was it dragging its feet in investigating a national electronic-payments champion, it was going after the very people trying to expose the companys dodgy accounting practices. When evidence of sham practices was piling up in Financial Times reports based on whistleblower accounts and internal documents, BaFin filed a criminal complaint in April against the newspapers reporters and several short sellers. A few months earlier, it slapped a short-selling ban on the stock, a sign of support for Wirecard that spared it maximum pressure from the financial markets. Years before that, when Zatarra Research published a negative paper questioning Wirecards risk controls in 2016, BaFin probed the messenger as well. Institutional biases and cognitive blind spots are nothing new, of course. The SEC failed to uncover Bernie Madoffs Ponzi scheme for decades, even after several warnings by a whistleblower, because he was such a prominent establishment figure. Wirecards success probably blinded BaFin in the same way as it did auditors, bullish shareholders and the German media. But in trying to explain how BaFin wound up using its finite resources to go after Wirecards critics, comments in July and August by its boss, Felix Hufeld, have been revealing in all the wrong ways. Excuses and defensive buck-passing have been the order of the day. Hufeld has said that BaFin didnt have the power to fully investigate Wirecards fraud, and that it did all it could to spur other supervisory bodies and prosecutors into action. He has even said that, despite having a banking license, Wirecard was actually classed as a technology company a category error so monumental that its akin to calling beef bourgignon a vegetarian dish. Story continues Even more disturbing is the revelation that employees at BaFin were trading Wirecard stock in the months leading up to its insolvency. The level of trading may have been low overall, but, given BaFins role as supervisor, the optics are terrible. With Hufeld resisting calls to step down, and plenty of questions still unanswered, no wonder German lawmakers have decided to launch a full parliamentary inquiry. This will doubtless have a broad sweep, and examine the extent to which Wirecard held the political and financial establishment in thrall. Whats really needed, though, is reform of Germanys regulatory supervision system. While nobody expects a U.S. style prosecutorial regime to emerge overnight in Germany, there is hope that BaFin can clean up its act and learn from the scandal. More reform, more accountability and a serious overhaul of BaFins culture are needed. Garen Markarian, a professor at the University of Lausanne, reckons that top management needs to be replaced and those who traded Wirecard stock opportunistically need to be punished. There should also be tougher oversight of auditors, an area currently unevenly shared by BaFin and a much smaller entity, AOB. Europes interconnected financial markets require strong regulators. Wirecard may be an extreme and egregious case, but it has revealed lapses within German regulation and a lack of understanding of the risks payment processors and fintech firms can carry. Thats a problem given fintechs increasingly systemic role as seen by Adyen NVs entry into the Euro Stoxx 50 index as Societe Generale SA departs. Worryingly 31% of fintech firms in Europe arent regulated under any regime. Improving BaFin should help deal with these challenges or, at the very least, allow journalists and short sellers to get back to their own day job. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the European Union and France. He worked previously at Reuters and Forbes. 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. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:LOMA), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the NYSE over the last few months. As a stock with high coverage by analysts, you could assume any recent changes in the companys outlook is already priced into the stock. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonimas outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists. View our latest analysis for Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima Is Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima still cheap? Good news, investors! Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima is still a bargain right now. My valuation model shows that the intrinsic value for the stock is $6.10, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. However, given that Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonimas share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. What does the future of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima look like? Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to more than double over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Since LOMA is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as financial health to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on LOMA for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its buoyant future outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy LOMA. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima you should know about. If you are no longer interested in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. 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. More than 20 years after the film's release, Sam Neill has explained the unique Australian flag he wore on his uniform in Event Horizon. The 72-year-old New Zealand actor played Dr William Weir in the 1997 sci-fi horror film, about a group of astronauts sent to investigate a lost spacecraft. Sam wore a navy blue jumpsuit in the futuristic film, with a combination of the Australian flag and the Aboriginal flag on the sleeve. Merging cultures: More than 20 years after the film's release, Sam Neill (pictured) has explained the unique Australian flag he wore on his uniform in Event Horizon The unique design replaced the Union Jack with the Aboriginal flag, merging the two iconic designs together. A fan explained the apparent reasoning behind this in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, and Sam later confirmed their explanation. 'Today I learnt: For the Sci-Fi Horror film "Event Horizon" Sam Neill requested that the Australian flag on his character's uniform remove the Union Flag from the corner & for it to be replaced with the Aboriginal flag, the way he thought it should look in 2047,' wrote the fan. Out of this world: The 72-year-old New Zealand actor played Dr William Weir in the 1997 sci-fi horror film, about a group of astronauts sent to investigate a lost spacecraft. Pictured during a British TV appearance in June 2020 Fun fact: A fan explained the apparent reasoning behind the flag's design in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, and Sam later confirmed their explanation Sam responded to the tweet and said he had no regrets about changing the design: 'This is indeed so. And I wouldn't do it any differently today.' In an interview with GQ Australia last month, Sam revealed his tendency to shun the limelight and said he doesn't consider himself to be a celebrity. 'When people call me a celebrity or star or something like that, these words are completely meaningless,' he explained. Making history: Sam said he had no regrets about changing the design: 'This is indeed so. And I wouldn't do it any differently today' 'Because I know people who are stars and I'm not one of them - they live completely different lives to me, and I don't envy them.' He also said that after moving his family to Los Angeles in the early '90s, he decided to leave after a year, deciding it wasn't a place he wanted to be. 'I like going there, I have a lot of friends there and I'm always happy to work there, but I just don't want to live there. It's not conducive to my state of mind,' he added. Ghanaians can be found in almost every habitable corner of the earth. During Nkrumah's regime, travelling abroad was not common. In those times, people travelled mainly to study. There was mourning in the house when a member of the family travelled abroad to study. Sadness and despair engulfed the family as if the person was embarking on a journey of no return. It was a festive moment and a day of jubilation among relatives when a person, after studying abroad, finally returned home. Today, travelling abroad has been the order of the day. Many try to enter Europe by any means necessary. The largest concentrations of Ghanaians are found in Europe and America. Quite a number of Ghanaians have lived abroad for a very long time. Some have lived between thirty and fifty years. All their children are born abroad and it never even occurs to some of them to take their children to Ghana to see their grandparents and other members of the family. These children, if they live in America, consider themselves as Americans. If they are born and bred in Britain or any other country in the west, they consider themselves as citizens of that country, especially when the parents have acquired citizenship of the country where they live. Consequently these Ghanaians born abroad have no contact whatsoever with their parents' relatives and friends in Ghana. The situation gets worse when these children get married to whites or foreigners from other countries. Once a Ghanaian lives abroad for a very long time, whether on permanent residence permit or acquired citizenship, the country where he or she lives becomes his or her home country or permanent residential abode. Ghana no longer becomes your home country because the longest period you can stay in Ghana is between three weeks to three months or at most six months then you return to Europe, Asia, Canada or the USA which has become the permanent home country. The Ghanaian who has lived for so many years must concentrate on acquiring property in the country where one resides. Many people lead very reckless and unplanned lives. They don't see the need to own a house or business in a foreign country. They later regret in their old age when they realize they cannot return to live in Ghana. Many Ghanaians who have lived abroad for a very long time give in to pressure and unnecessary competition with school mates in Ghana who occupy big positions. Even those Ghanaians abroad doing menial jobs do their best to put up houses in Ghana as a psychological satisfaction and to prove that even though they could not get the right jobs in Ghana, they are not doing badly at all in the country where they find themselves. Are all the houses they are putting up in Ghana necessary? Is all the stress they go through to use their salaries and loans from banks to build houses in Ghana worth it? The sad thing is that majority of these Ghanaians never live in their houses in Ghana for more than six months. Jonas Addy lived in London for 25 years. He had three children with a British woman. Addy never took his children to Ghana. Like their parents, the children also had British passports. The wife died of cancer of the uterus when the third child was just eight years old. Addy acquired a plot in Accra and started to build a house with the hope that one day the children will have property in Ghana. Very funny. When the house was completed, Addy's relatives moved in. They never took any responsibility. Even when water and light bills were due, they called Addy to send them money to pay the bills. Anytime he came down to Ghana there was a lot of maintenance to be made in the house. Either a toilet is broken, or the shower in the bathroom is chopped off or the entire house needed repainting. He doesn't live in Ghana. Looking at the amount he spends yearly on the house, one would ask if it was necessary to spend huge amount to build a house in a country in which he and his children will never ever dream of living permanently. In another development, Richard Appiah, a doctorate degree holder and a senior lecturer at a university in the U.S.A has lived in New York for twenty years. He had a Ghanaian wife and two children. His parents passed away one after the other, some years ago, so he depended on his uncle for any project he embarked on, in Ghana. He decided to build a house in Kumasi and since he was soon going on pension, he could move with his wife and children to live in Ghana. So he was going to put up a storey building. He sent money to his uncle to buy him a double plot. A Ghanaian architect made a very beautiful design for him which he sent to his uncle. He transferred money through Western union, Moneygram and Ria. After two years his uncle sent him a picture of a storey building and all what was left was painting and told him to send money so he could pay the company who would be painting the house. A concerned neighbour who was a close friend of Appiah's uncle called him and told him not to send any more money to his uncle for he didn't buy even a single cement to begin your house. When Addy heard this he hurriedly rushed to Ghana unannounced and went straight to meet his uncle. He told his uncle to go with him to the company so that he could choose the items he needed for the house. Before they went he suggested they went to see the house first. He told Appiah he was going to dress up. He passed through a back door and disappeared. After waiting for 30 minutes, the wife came to tell him all the truth. Simply put, not even a plot was bought. The wife continued that he escaped through the back door. Appiah fainted. Ghanaians living abroad, please wise up. One major weakness of many Ghanaians living abroad is their firm decision not to marry Ghanaian men or women abroad. After living abroad for so many years, it is only right and appropriate to marry the Ghanaian you find abroad. Even if the unexpected happens and the marriage breaks down, no one loses anything because these partners already had their residence permits before getting married. Many Ghanaians assume that ladies who have lived long in foreign lands are arrogant and difficult to control. Therefore the men are compelled to find their partners from Ghana. Many of them, especially the men, swear never to bring their wives to join them. According to them the most humble women who are brought to the Western countries gradually become arrogant. When they get to know how the society stands solidly behind women, defending their rights and supporting them when they enter into conflict with their husbands. However, the option chosen by some of the men never to allow their wives to join them but rather visit them occasionally in Ghana is unsafe and dangerous indeed. Unknowingly some men are fathering children that are not theirs. These women at home very often change the documents of the husband's property into their names. Beloved Ghanaians, will you ever have time to fight such a case in Ghana's court which can take more than three years? So where do we go from here? It is important that we do most of our investments in the countries we have lived for a long time if only we can afford it. If you live in U.K or any other country, consider that country as your first country. However, if you plan to invest in Ghana, make sure you take your children on regular visits to Ghana so that they will be used to their uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and the rest of the family members. Teach those children also the language of your ancestors so that when they reach Ghana, they can understand your grandparents and interact with them. Columnist: Stephen Atta Owusu Author: Dark Faces at Crossroads Email: [email protected] Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia says government is in discussion with the University of Development Studies (UDS) to set up satellite campus in Yendi. In addition, he announced plans to convert the Pong Tamale Veterinary College into a university of agriculture. Vice President Bawumia announced this when he paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya Na Abukari II at the Gbewaa Palace, Yendi on Thursday, as part of his working visit to the northern regions. The Vice President expressed the Akufo-Addo led government's commitment to provide critical infrastructure such as roads, education and health facilities in the five northern regions. He enumerated some government's flagship interventions that had impacted lives positively including the Free Senior High School Policy, Planting for Food and Jobs, and One-Village, One-Dam, One- Ambulance, One- Constituency. Dr Bawumia would commission some government projects in the five northern regions. Earlier, Ya Na Abukari II, the Overlord of Dagbon, lauded President Akufo-Addo for ensuring the current wind of peace and stability in the Dagbon Kingdom "Today is a special day in the life of the people of the North. A moment of pride which reflects the development through which Yendi, and for that matter Dagbon, has gone through the last three years," the Ya Na Abukari said. "His Royal Majesty Ndan Ya Na Abukari II wish to express his gratitude for the inviable contribution of Dagbon Malti Naa I, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the people for the ensuring peace we enjoy today in Dagbon. "I wish to state categorically that the state of Dagbon is being affirmed with each passing day and is a factor of peace and stability in the country," he stated. Ya Na Abukari acknowledged President Akufo-Addo's commitment towards the progress of Dagbon, and appreciated the President's presence at last year's Damba Festival. "Dagbon is particularly grateful to His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for gracing last year's Damba Featival and most importantly, his accompanied august guest, Her Excellency Mia Amar Motley, QC, MP, the Prime Minister of Barbados and her high level dignitaries and Ambassadors, which automatically catapulted our previously local Damba celebration onto the international arena." "We are also deeply grateful for the commissioning of the Yendi Water Supply Project in July, 2020," he added. The Ya Na commended Vice President Bawumia for his efforts at ensuring development in the north. Government officials accompanying the Vice President were; Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence, Hajia Alima Mahama, the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Mr Anthony Karbo, a Deputy Minister of Roads, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, a Deputy Energy Minister, Hassan Tampuli, the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority, and Hajia Abibata Shani Mahama Zakaria, Deputy CEO of MASLOC. GNA Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo on Wednesday said that it is too early for him to be talking about a second term in office. Mr Makinde made this declaration while speaking during the kick-off of the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project in Ogbomoso town. The governor, while speaking, also used the occasion to fire a warning salvo at opposition politicians in the state, saying they have nothing to offer. Mr Makinde said the same opposition politicians who have been posturing about 2023 were roundly rejected by the people in 2019, stating that such politicians have nothing to offer by trying to distract him with talks about 2023. SEE ALSO: He asked them to calm down, as, according to him, it is too early to start talking about his second term. Mr Makinde stated that even if he decides not to seek re-election in 2023, the state will not fall into the hands of charlatans anymore. Let me sound this: if I will not seek re-election, I am sure that Oyo State will never, again, be in the hands of charlatans. So, calm down. It is even too early to start talking about a second term. Some parties that do not have even one councillor are saying that they will send me out of the Government House in 2023, he said. He added that the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project was awarded at the cost of N28.3 billion. He said that the project is expected to cover 223.8 kilometres of roads across all the zones of the state, commending the states Bureau of Public Procurement for saving the state over a billion Naira after it vetted the original proposal. He added that the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project is expected to be completed within nine months, noting that the first phase in Ibadan is already at 87.5 per cent completion He stated that the phase one would have been 100 per cent completed but for the COVID-19 pandemic which stopped a number of expatriates from making it to the country. Mr Makinde stressed the importance to the economic expansion and security enhancement agenda of his administration, stating that with the coming on board of the project, residents will feel more at peace to carry out economic activities in a more secure environment. It gives me great joy to be here today to flag-off the second phase of the Light-Up Oyo Project. The project is dear to this administration as it ties-in with two of the four pillars of our roadmap to accelerated development in Oyo State (2019-2023). And the two, which are tied together, are security and economy. The light-up will also do us good as far as security is concerned in this area. LAUTECH is at the heart of the economic activities in Ogbomoso land and we want the students and those who have businesses in LAUTECH to be able to move between here and the town. That is why this road is economically important. When we began this journey in September 2019, the first phase was expected to cover Ibadan alone. It was even called Light-Up Ibadan, leading some to erroneously think that only the state capital will eventually enjoy street light but this is Light Up Oyo State. I learnt that those who came to meet you to vote for them, and which you ignored, said this project was their own. And I said we gave it to them but my administration will execute it. Mr Makinde said there is a need to revive commercial activities of business owners in the state due to the losses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have requested for their contact numbers and we are going to engage them and see what we can do. What this means is, economic activities can be carried out here for a long period. Who says we cannot have 24-hour restaurants, petrol stations and other businesses in Oyo State as it happens in other cities worldwide? These developments start with basic infrastructure such as street lights. When we started, the naysayers said we cannot sustain it for three months because we wont be able to sustain the funds we use in purchasing fuel. But it has been there and we have not gone bankrupt. There is a secret I have been keeping all these while but I must say it now. The lights used are energy-saving and also the cost of maintenance is low. When they brought the proposal to me, of course, we didnt have IPP. So, we have to power it. We intend to use gas generators and they are still working on it. Majority of them will be powered by the contractor who will be financing the project with their own funds, we will commence refunds after each 50 kilometres of road has been illuminated. So, there is a moratorium of one hundred and twenty (120) days before repayment commences. Also, we have entered an agreement with them that payment will span over a period of 84 months, that is seven years. (Photo : Kirsty Wigglesworth - Pool/Getty Images) ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 31: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Redwoods Tree Walk on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on the final day of their official 16-day Autumn tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. (Photo : Tamas Pap/Unsplash) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signs a $150 million deal with Netflix (Photo : Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images) WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 19: Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex wave as they leave Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House, hosted by the Prince of Wales on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a $150 million deal with Netflix to provide 'hope and inspiration' content through their unnamed production company. The New York Times reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have founded a production company that will create feature films, scripted shows, documentaries, and children's programming. The company, which still has no name, would provide Netflix with exclusive content. The deal is worth $150 million as reported by Deadline, which follows a similar agreement made by the Obamas. "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said in a statement. They added that they aim to create inspirational family programming, which is also important to them as new parents. Netflix's 190 million subscribers could help them reach a wider audience and "share impactful content that unlocks action." The couple recently bought a $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara after dropping royal duties in March. Rumors of Harry and Meghan seeking Hollywood careers have increased after they quit their senior royal roles and transfer to North America. However, Meghan has previously clarified that she has no plans to return to acting, despite appearing in-camera with her husband for documentaries. Her first job in Hollywood was a narrator for Disney Plus docuseries Elephants, which came out in April. She gave all talent fees for the project to the wildlife conservation charity Elephants Without Borders, which helps protect the animals from poaching. Meanwhile, Harry followed in her footsteps by appearing in a new Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, which is about the Paralympic Games. It premiered on August 26. In 2019, Harry announced his partnership with Oprah Winfrey on a mental health docuseries for Apple TV+. Netflix: The royals' creative home Netflix's chief content officer and co-chief exec Ted Sarandos said they were incredibly proud that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose Netflix to be "their creative home" amid stronger competitions with Disney and Apple TV+. "[We] are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere," Sarandos said. Netflix immediately aired its interest to work with the couple shortly after they left their royal duties. "Who wouldn't be interested? Yes, sure," Sarandos said during the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January. The Sussexes' Netflix deal follows that of former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle as there were rumors that the younger couple talked with the Obamas about how they built a successful life after leaving the White House. In June, the royal couple signed with New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons. Since then, experts estimate that the Sussexes could earn much from public speaking at about $500,000 for each appearance. Meanwhile, a public relations expert told DailyMail.com that the couple will be the 'highest-paid speakers in the corporate market. 5W Public Relations CEO Ronn Torossian said in February that the couple may have earned about $1 million during their JP Morgan summit speaking engagement in Miami. Netflix stocks: Traders watching share price boom after the deal After Spotify experienced a 'Joe Rogan boom' since the streaming company secured exclusive rights to the popular podcast show. On September 2, Netflix stocks rose 5% as its current buy point of $575.47. It currently ranks sixth on the IBD's list for top-performing growth stocks. Whether Netflix would experience the same boom as Spotify's remains to be seen. This is owned by Tech Times Written by CJ Robles 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Investigators seek to boost Kabuga case in Rwanda visit: prosecutor The date of arrest and a red cross are written on the face of Felicien Kabuga, one of the last key suspects in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, on a wanted poster at the Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit office in Kigali The lead prosecutor in the trial of alleged genocide financier Felicien Kabuga said Thursday his team is on a fact-finding mission in Rwanda to seek fresh evidence to bolster their case in an international court. Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor for the international tribunal handling the 1994 genocide trials, is leading an on-the-ground investigation to update the case against Kabuga, described upon his arrest as Africa's most wanted man. Kabuga, who is 84 according to officials, but claims to be 87, was arrested in May at his home outside Paris after 25 years on the run. He is accused of financing the genocide that saw Hutu extremists massacre some 800,000 Tutsis and also moderate Hutus. A French court ruled in June that Kabuga should stand trial at the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) based in Arusha, Tanzania, but his lawyers have appealed. Brammertz -- a Belgian magistrate and lead prosecutor of the MICT, which took over when a prior international tribunal for Rwanda ended in 2015 -- says his team in Rwanda is leaving no stone unturned as they seek a guilty verdict. "We are working hard to update the file in order to obtain a conviction at the end of the trial," the prosecutor told AFP in Kigali on Thursday. The evidence used to obtain an arrest warrant for Kabuga -- who was indicted by a previous tribunal in 1997 on seven counts, including genocide -- was "very old" and needed updating, Brammertz said. - Hunt for witnesses - His recently-expanded team is seeking access to key Rwandan files on Kabuga's case and firsthand sources during their month-long research mission to bolster the dossier against him, Brammertz added. "We must therefore go back to the witnesses of the time, see who is still available," he said. "We're obviously taking advantage of this to look for new evidence," he added, saying no aspect of the indictment against Kabuga had been ruled out as yet. Story continues The team arrived in Kigali on August 25. The Cour de Cassation, France's supreme court for criminal cases, is expected to rule on September 30 whether Kabuga should be transferred to Tanzania to stand trial. His lawyers say a UN court in Africa would be biased against their client, who they also say is in poor health, and want him tried in France. Brammertz said he was confident the court would approve his trial at the MICT. Kabuga, once one of Rwanda's richest men, was indicted by the tribunal in 1997 on seven counts, including genocide. He denies all the charges. He is alleged to have funnelled money to militia groups as chairman of the national defence fund. Kabuga is also accused of setting up the Interahamwe militia that carried out massacres and the Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines, which incited people to murder. The US State Department hailed the arrest as "a milestone for international justice, and a message to all fugitives indicted for genocide that they will be brought to justice." str-cyb-np/fb/ri The president was showing his successor around the White House when suddenly he burst into tears. Im a one-termer! George H W Bush sobbed. Im a Jimmy Carter! Actually this was the great Dana Carvey doing his Bush 41 imitation on Saturday Night Live in November 1992. It was just a few weeks after the election, and Mr Bush, of course, had lost to Bill Clinton. A second term? Not gonna do it. Wouldnt be prudent. If Donald Trump loses his bid for re-election in November, hell join the one-termers club. And then ... BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstan Deposit Insurance Fund (KDIF) has reconsidered the maximum recommended rates on tenge denominated deposits for October 2020, Trend reports with reference to KDIF. Interest rates on most types of deposits remained at the level set for Sept. 2020. The rate on non-term deposits was set to correspond to the base rate of the National Bank and remains at the level of 9 percent per annum. Market rates were changed only for term deposits and savings deposits without the right of replenishment placed for a period of 24 months. This led to a corresponding revision of the maximum recommended rates. The rates on time and savings deposits with replenishment placed for 1 and 2 years increase as these types of deposits have become more attractive compared to other types of deposits. Thus, interest rates on term deposits with replenishment right placed for three and six months will be 9 percent, whereas for those without replenishment right it will be 9.5 percent. Interest rates on term deposits with replenishment right placed for 12 and 24 months will be 10.7 and 9.3 percent respectively, whereas for those without replenishment right it will be 11.1 and 9.6 percent respectively. Furthermore, interest rates on savings deposits with replenishment right placed for three and six months will be 10 percent, whereas for those without replenishment right it will be 10.5 percent. In turn, interest rates on savings deposits with replenishment right placed for 12 and 24 months will be 12.3 and 12 percent respectively, whereas for those without replenishment right it will be 14 and 13.5 percent respectively. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh State-owned firm has bagged Rs 150 crore project from of India to design and construct an office building at Dwarka in the capital. In a regulatory filing, informed that it has signed the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with of India on September 1 for planning, designing and construction of office building in Dwarka, New Delhi. The company would work as a project management consultant. "The likely estimated cost of the project would be Rs 150 crore," the filing said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after it said there will be no Question Hour in the forthcoming fourth session of the 17th Lok Sabha, the government, on September 2, relented amid Oppositions accusation that it was murdering democracy. The government said it will reply to unstarred questions during the session. This, at best, is a partial victory for the Opposition, as the 1957 Mundhra scam, the first serious political crisis to hit the Jawaharlal Nehru-led Congress governments of the 1950s, showed. The scandal had its origins in an innocuous unstarred question asked in the Lok Sabha on an early September morning 63 years back. However, it was not until MPs could ask a starred question on the issue that they succeeded in pinning down Nehrus then finance minister TT Krishnamachari, costing him his job. Interestingly and this is difficult to imagine in this day and age the MPs who wrought this on the government belonged to the ruling Congress. Unstarred questions get written replies from the government. It is during the starred questions, which if they come up during the Question Hour, that ministers not only have to reply orally but also field supplementary questions. The Power Of An Unstarred Question The Mundhra scam made Congress MP Feroze Gandhi, the son-in-law of Nehru and grandfather of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a star parliamentarian. On September 4, 1957, Congress MP Ram Subhag Singh and two others submitted a question to the finance minister, drawing his attention to a report published in the August 3 Delhi edition of The Statesman. The report had stated that the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) had invested a sum of Rs 1 crore in a private enterprise in Kanpur. The MPs sought to know the name of the enterprise, the total amount invested, and the reasons for investing the funds in a private enterprise. Since it was an unstarred question, the ministry tabled a written reply. In his reply, Deputy Finance Minister Bali Ram Bhagat denied that the LIC had invested the sum in any single private enterprise with its headquarters in Kanpur. Bhagat and his ministry officials resorted to a technicality to evade answering the issue at the heart of Singhs question. The LIC, it eventually unravelled, had invested in excess of Rs 1 crore in several companies owned by industrialist and speculator Haridas Mundhra, and only one of these was headquartered in Kanpur. Singh dug deeper, and asked a fresh question on the subject in the winter session on November 29, 1957. This time it was a starred question. Feroze Gandhi, the Congress MP from Rae Bareli, had by then joined Singh in grilling the government. When they asked whether the shares of Mundhra companies were purchased at a higher price than the market price on the day the transaction took place, Krishnamachari said he has been told no such thing happened. Feroze Gandhi and Singh demanded a debate on the issue, which took place on December 16, 1957, and Feroze Gandhi emerged the hero of the moment as he pinned the finance minister down with a barrage of questions. Nehru was forced to appoint a commission of inquiry, which was headed by Justice MC Chagla. The commission indicted officials, including Krishnamachari for not putting all the facts before Parliament. It was also discovered that not only Nehru, but Krishnamachari himself, in his earlier stint as the commerce minister, had flagged the dubious activities of Mundhra. The Importance Of Question Hour The Question Hour is considered the most important hour of parliamentary proceedings, and the replies even to unstarred questions can come to haunt a minister, as Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur has discovered in recent days. In a reply to a question during the Budget session on March 17, Thakur said the data does not suggest any adverse impact on the economy because of COVID-19. Additionally, a positive impact on Indias economy may arise from decline in global oil prices triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19, Thakur said. Social media lost little time to dig up Thakurs reply when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently attributed the economic slowdown to COVID-19 as an act of God which may result in contraction of economy this fiscal. Questions Raised Over the years, both starred as well as unstarred questions have helped MPs ask searching questions to the government and get important information in the public domain, like the quantum of bank NPAs. Not that MPs have always covered themselves in glory. In 2006, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee expelled 10 Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP, after a private television channel caught them willing to raise questions in Parliament in return of monetary benefits. While his grandfathers political stardom was in some measure to do with the Question Hour, Rahul Gandhi was pilloried until some months back for not being a serious parliamentarian given his record in asking questions in the Lok Sabha. During the short tenure of the ongoing 17th Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who now represents Kerala's Wayanad, has asked 41 questions in the Question Hour. Given that the current Lok Sabha has held only three sessions, this is a respectable average of 14 questions per session. It also compares favourably with the average of 49 for this Lok Sabha of all 543 Lok Sabha MPs put together. Rahul Gandhi is in his fourth term as an MP. As the MP representing Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in his first three terms, between 2004 to 2019, Rahul Gandhi asked only three questionsall three in 2005. In the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and its candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani, brought this fact up to accuse Rahul Gandhi of being not only a non-serious parliamentarian, but also not raising issues that concern Amethi. Rahul Gandhi lost from Amethi, but it is ironical that the BJP-led government is now unwilling to face the Question Hour. It is arguable as to whether even the transmutation of water into wine at Cana provoked as much conversation as the reopening of our pubs. The irony was lost on no-one that the longest enforced dry spell in a distinguished history of national tippling coincided with one of the wettest summers on record. The pandemic has made life seem as if everything has been turned back-to-front. The time and energy expended in arguing for the reopening of all licensed premises left talk about the reopening of schools in the ha'penny place. Now that some kind of routine has been tentatively re-established it is pertinent to look at how a return to the local attitude adjustment centre can be accommodated. No less an authority than the gardai aver the "vast majority" of pubs comply with regulations. These include that drink is only served with a substantial meal costing at least 9, within a 105-minute time frame. We really have no excuse to be uninformed by now. As someone once observed, ignorance can be a lot like alcohol - the more you have of it, the less you are able to see its effect on you. According to Justice Minister Helen McEntee new legislation, allowing new powers to the gardai can pave the way for the reopening of the so-called "wet" pubs." A range of issues cannot be left open to interpretation. They must include the need for social distancing, and agreed methods to guarantee contact tracing. As Ms McEntee recognised - while speaking on RTE - Ireland is an outlier in Europe in regard to the pub closures. And for too long it has seemed as if the nation was transfixed by the spell of Matt Groening's celebrated toast in The Simpsons: "To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems." So it is high time to address the balance between sanity and safety. Compliance cannot be optional. Which makes comments made by a clutch of rural Independent TDs who launched a blistering attack on the Government for "persecuting" rural publicans all the more ludicrous. Their leader Mattie McGrath says the situation has now gone beyond critical. But their plan for a march on Leinster House to vent their opposition at a time when we are seeing a surge in Covid-19 in the capital undermines rather than supports their case. According to Limerick TD Richard O'Donovan: "Rural Ireland is not the problem. Ye in Dublin are the problem." But the virus is the problem - and blaming each other is infantile. These are not champagne days and the pandemic does not permit half measures - not even in the pub. But if it's possible to go for a pint and come home safely for the sake of taking a few sensible precautions, would not most of us happily raise a glass to that? File image: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal On September 2, Delhi reported 2,509 fresh cases, marking the highest single-day spike in nearly two months, according to data shared by the state's health department. The surge in the number of COVID-19 infections comes at a time when the authorities have geared up to resume metro services that have been shut for over five months because of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The last biggest single-day surge in cases in the capital was on July 3, when 2,520 people contracted the virus. The highest ever single-day spike in Delhi was 3,947 cases reported on June 23. Since then the cases had shown a downward trend until another spike in the last few days. Delhi reported 1,954, 2024, 1,358 and 2,312 COVID-19 cases on August 29, 30, 31, September 1 and 2 respectively. With 2,509 cases on September 2, the total number of infections in Delhi reached 1,79,569. Of these 1,58,586 patients have recovered and 4,481 have died, so far. 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 guidelines for Unlock 4.0 issued on August 29 by the Home Ministry had asked states to allow resumption of metro rail services in a graded manner from September 7. On September 2, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said metro services will resume across the country, including in Delhi. Passengers, he said, need to follow preventive measures against COVID-19 such as maintaining social distance and wearing face masks. Metro stations in COVID-19 containment zones will, however, remain closed, the minister added. Unlike Maharashtra where the state government decided against resuming metro services, the Delhi government decided to follow the Centres orders. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had been insisting on allowing metro services for the economy to recover. In Delhi, the metro operates as a joint venture between the Centre and the Delhi government. Delhi government officials have attributed the recent rise in cases to COVID-19 patients from outside Delhi seeking treatment in the national capital, reopening of the economy and more testing. On August 31, the Delhi High Court while observing that the sudden spike in cases cannot be ignored directed the Delhi government to file a status report on the measures taken by to re-strategise the testing plan in the city. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday refused to term the recent rise in Delhis coronavirus cases part of a second wave of the virus, since the infection never left the national capital. This is not a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases wouldve started coming again. The virus never left Delhi, Jain told reporters. Jain urged people not to get worried because of the numbers as the spike in cases is also because of the ramped-up testing that the government has undertaken. A record number of 28,835 samples were tested in the national capital on September 2, taking the total test numbers to 16,36,518. Yesterday, the number was around 30,000 and today the number of tests will be around 35,000, the minister said. Delhis case-fatality ratio was 0.75 % on September 2, which he said was a good sign. Jain said the government was gearing up for the resumption of metro services in the capital. Protocols are being formulated. Dry run is also being done so that it can be ensured that social distancing is maintained, people wear masks and clean their hands - that they follow a COVID-19-appropriate behaviour, he said. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said trains will run from 7am-11am and 4pm-8pm daily. Experts said that not wearing masks and violating social distancing norms have led to the sudden spurt in coronavirus cases in Delhi. "We are seeing the younger population mostly starting to go out, posting pictures on social media about sitting at a cafe or a restaurant, which is quite a dangerous trend," Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) Director B L Sherwal told news agency PTI. "This sends out a wrong message to other people that things are okay now as the economy is also slowly reopening," Sherwal said. (With PTI inputs) The Congress on Thursday targeted the Centre over the economic situation in the country and said that India is being pushed towards a financial emergency. There are dark clouds of economic decay all around us. Lives, livelihoods and jobs have been ravaged. Businesses and small and medium industries lie dilapidated. The Economy stands destroyed as GDP has been razed and mowed down. India is being pushed towards a financial emergency, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a press conference. Also read| Covid-19 Act of God, may result in contraction of economy: Nirmala Sitharaman Modi Government has plundered the economy in the last 6 years by its Acts of frauds. The Government now describes its criminal ineptitude and culpable incompetence as an Act of God. Sadly, this is the only Government in the past 73 years which blames God for its own frauds and bluster, he said. Surjewala also said that by abolishing question hour in the monsoon session of Parliament beginning from September 14, the government is running scared of answering relevant questions. Also read: Shorter hours, new rules to mark this monsoon session of Parliament By abolishing question hour in Parliament, govt is running scared of answering relevant questions. Modi govt doesnt want to answer on brazen transgression by China onto Indian Territory, blunder of Indian economy, falling GDP and over 12 crore job losses, he said. The Congress leader said that the Government of India is a declared defaulter for the first time in the last 73 years. In the meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance dated August 11, 2020 the Finance Secretary clearly said that Government of India is not in a position to give GST compensation to States. The latest SBI report of September 1, 2020, predicts a shortfall and revenue loss of 3 lakh crore in GST collections for the States. How will States meet their expenses? This is Economic Anarchy, he said. Surjewala said that the Modi Government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court conveying its decision to not extend the moratorium on payment of EMIs by salaried class and the middle class beyond August 31, 2020. The Modi Government has refused to provide interest waiver also. All hopes of the middle-class lie shattered, he added. A government that pats its back in the name of farmers and labourers has pushed them to the doorstep of economic ruin and suicide, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When the Founding Fathers began the process of escaping the tyranny of the British Government in 1776, they wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, which included these words: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Today, these core principles are under an assault so intense that America as we know it might soon be on the brink of disappearing. Public education has played an outsized role in bringing our country to this point of crisis. Over the last 30 years or so, American history has been largely taught in our public schools from the viewpoint of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Zinn's writing focuses on telling anecdotes of various people groups who were negatively disadvantaged as the United States grew in size and influence. Zinn pays little attention to any larger historical context, with the result being generations of young adults who do not understand how unique and special are the founding principles of our Republic. Ignorant of American history and predisposed to be guided more by emotions than logic, folks under the age of 40 tend to see America as racist, misogynistic and exploitative. Public education no longer creates graduates who can think for themselves. Students do not study great literature, and great thinkers are ignored as well. Examination of fundamental historical milestones like the Magna Carta, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and nearly all of Western History has vanished from America's classrooms. This suppression of history is so pervasive that rare is the student who understands that some structures of government and commerce will produce far better outcomes for the average citizen than others. No wonder most young adults seem unwilling or unable to recognize today's versions of Cuba and Venezuela for the hellholes they are. Over the past several presidential elections, roughly half the voters voted for the Democratic nominee. Since most of the leadership of the Democratic Party is actively opposed to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence, it is unsurprising that our country is in turmoil, with seemingly little left in the way of a shared middle ground. To further understand this momentous crisis in America, taking a brief look at some of the concepts contained in the Declaration will provide some valuable insights. The second paragraph of the Declaration begins with "we hold these truths." Well, "we" has fallen out of favor today because it is one's minority identity that is crucial to the radical left, which includes the Democrats and most of the media and education complex. The left's wholesale adoption of identity politics requires that emphasis be placed on our differences instead of what we have in common. "We hold these truths to be self-evident" is a discarded principle because truth is no longer a widely believed set of agreed upon facts. Postmodernism has decreed that all truth is relative, so your truth may be very different from my truth. Continuing our analysis, the concept that "all men are created equal" is the principle that brings us to the heart of America's crisis. We are told by the leftists that we are no longer allowed to say, or think, or, heaven forbid, work together toward a society where all lives matter equally. "Created" is a vile concept to the left, because it brings God into the conversation, a direct challenge to the left's cherished ideal that political power is the most important force in the universe. The left insists that God be completely removed from public life. If God is allowed to remain visible in American society, the left realizes that what will also endure and remain viable are the God-given "right[s] to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Unsurprisingly, the left's attempts to remove these God-given rights from American life are fueled by some of the major donors to the Democrats. For example, Planned Parenthood, which is dedicated to the removal of "created lives," donated nearly 25 million dollars to the 2016 presidential campaign, nearly all going to Democrats. The teachers' unions, which gave approximately 30 million dollars to the Dems in 2016, are the people responsible for removing the teaching of nearly all U.S. history from public schools over the last 40 years. Students are never taught to understand the great principles of freedom, honor, patriotism, and courage that our Armed Forces members defended with their lives on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and WWI and WWII. Consequently, we are beginning to see that liberty can indeed die in the darkness of forced ignorance. The pursuit of happiness stands opposed to the left's ideal that the individual should be wholly dependent on the government, which the left believes is to dictate how an individual is to live. This dependence on the government is fostered by the public schools, especially in the Democratic-run inner cities, which fail to equip young people with what used to be basic math and reading skills. And if that wasn't enough, our public school educators have recently been active in normalizing all kinds of well outside of the mainstream sexual lifestyles, targeting young and defenseless children. This is a subversive attack designed to cripple the American family's role in passing along a legacy that teaches children that in America they have the right to choose their own life, to follow their own dreams, however lofty they may be. Instead of lofty dreams, the left relies upon political correctness and cancel culture to force complete adherence to its radical vision for America. Leftists' drift toward totalitarianism has recently accelerated, evidenced by the grossly overextended lockdowns occurring almost exclusively in cities and states run by Democrats for generations. Obviously, the left is not going to suddenly change and start to provide opportunities for Americans to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in the way they would choose for themselves. We are at an impasse. So how can America heal and go forward from here? The answer, I believe, was shared at the Republican National Convention Wednesday evening by Jack Brewer, self-described as a lifelong Democrat, who quoted 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. For some of us, maybe a healed land seems to be too much for America to even hope for, so let me encourage you with a quote found in Matthew 19, verse 26: With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Image: Jeff Turner via Flickr. Edison had signed up electricity subscribers for his DC system, stringing wires along the streets of New York City and wiring their homes. But George Westinghouse was already working on a competing AC system. He saw that Tesla's inventions could give him a big edge over Edison. Tesla understood that AC was a more efficient way to drive motors and power lighting. Even more important, AC could be "stepped up" using coils of wires. Through induction, low voltage in one coil was transformed to high voltage in another. High voltage current could travel through wires more efficiently, then be stepped down for household use. Tesla's circuits were the forerunners of the transformers we routinely see on electric poles. Direct current could not be stepped up. To transmit it more than a few miles required ever thicker wires. Advertisement AC was known before Tesla began his work. But the inventor devised an integrated system of generators, transmission lines, motors, lighting and other circuitry that made AC a feasible alternative to DC. In 1887, Tesla filed for seven patents related to his AC inventions. They were awarded without being successfully challenged. Westinghouse bought the rights to them in 1888. DC wasn't dead -- yet. Westinghouse and Edison plunged into what was known as the "War of the Currents." Going on the offensive, Edison claimed that AC was far too dangerous to be used by the public. His point was reinforced when an acquaintance of Edison's named Harold Brown arranged to have a Westinghouse AC generator provide the current for the execution of a condemned criminal in 1890 [source: PBS]. But Westinghouse, armed with the Tesla patents, could show that AC was a far more efficient alternative. The climactic battle in the War of the Currents took place at the colossal Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893-94. Westinghouse was able to supply power for much less than what Edison would have charged. He won the contract and wired the fair based on the Tesla system. As the exposition opened, thousands of bright lamps flashed on, startling fair-goers. The demonstration dispelled public fears of alternating current, and AC became the standard for power systems. The victory was hammered home by Tesla's realization of his childhood dream: a power generating plant at Niagara Falls. In 1890, investors took a big gamble on AC current and hydroelectric power, both still-unproven technologies. A long, tense wait ended in 1896 when the generators designed by Tesla began to feed power into the system. Eventually, they sent electricity all the way to New York City, lighting up Broadway. As hydroelectric plants began to be built around the world, the age of electrical power had arrived. The war of the currents was over, but Nikola Tesla had already moved on to even more visionary inventions. Insight into Induction A number of Tesla's inventions were based on the principle of electrical induction. In the 1830s, the English scientist Michael Faraday had shown that an electric current can induce magnetism in a nearby conductor, and that a moving magnet will produce an electric current in a similar conductor. It is this ability of electricity to have an effect across a distance that fascinated Tesla and led him to ideas ranging from the AC motor to the Tesla coil [source: NDT]. - Dwayne Jonhson disclosed the news to his fans on Instagram saying his wife and two daughters had also contracted the virus - The actor said it was the most difficult time his family has had to endure and wished he was the only one who contracted it - The former wrestler noted he and wife Lauren had suffered the most but the kids experienced minor symptoms PAY ATTENTION: Click 'See First' under 'Follow' Tab to see Tuko.co.ke news on your FB Feed Movie star Dwayne The Rock Jonhson and his entire family, including the young daughters, have tested positive for coronavirus. The actor shared the news on his Instagram video revealing his wife, Lauren Hashian, and their two daughters, two-year-old Tiana and four-year-old Jasmine, all tested positive. READ ALSO: Lucky to be alive: Brave dogs save owner from armed robbers Dwayne Johnson enjoying a swim with his two young daughters Photo: therock Source: Instagram READ ALSO: God is great: Well-wishers come to the rescue of teacher forced to roast maize in street Dwayne said they were at the end of it and were no longer contagious but this was the most challenging thing they had ever gone through as a family. "Testing positive for COVID-19 is much different than overcoming nasty injuries or being evicted or broke. The reason why I feel like this is because my number one priority is to always protect my family. I wish it was only me who tested positive. It was my entire family and it was a kick in the gut. We in a family are good, we're on the other end of it and no longer contagious. Thank God, we're healthy," he said. The actor said the babies had a few sore throats but apart from that it was life as normal but he and Lauren had much more difficult times with the virus but got through it. READ ALSO: Frankie admits hiding Corazon's pregnancy from his baby mama Maureen was to protect her READ ALSO: Fixing the nation: Netizens photoshop long skirt on Vera Sidika after she posed in thready bikini Dwayne noted they got the virus from close family friends who were devastated that they were the ones who transmitted it to them. He said they were very disciplined and in lockdown but again felt the need to connect with family which led to the risk. The star added he would follow new severe rules to ensure the family was safe. "If you guys are having family and friends over to your house, you know them, you trust them. They can be quarantining just like you guys. You still never know. You never know,' he said, and stipulated that any visitors should be tested the day before meeting," he said. READ ALSO: Two huge pythons crash-land into man's kitchen while fighting over mate on ceiling READ ALSO: WWE legend Tripple H fires warning to Arsenal for using his theme song for home games Birthday Party? The news just comes weeks after the actor celebrated his eldest daughter, Simone Garcia Johnson's, 19th birthday. Dwayne shared a throwback photo of himself and his daughter while she was just a toddler. "Happiest of birthdays to my firstborn, Simone Garcia Johnson. If only I could bottle up time and hold onto these little hands. We love you and have the best day!" read his post. Simone, who followed the footsteps of her father into wrestling, turned 19 on Friday, August 14. 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 wife abandoned me when I needed her most | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke LONDON Signaling its ongoing ambitions in the sustainability space, Napapijri has drafted Taron Egerton for its fall 2020 Choose Future campaign, which was shot in the countryside and on the beaches of the actors native Wales. The outdoor brand owned by VF Corp. has long been flying the sustainability flag: It started working on the development of sustainable products in 2012 when it became fur-free. Not long after, it stopped using down feathers and began introducing sustainable, lightweight, recyclable materials such as Econyl nylon, a high-performance yarn recycled from discarded fishing nets and other waste materials. It also began employing digital knitting techniques aimed at reducing the use of raw materials, water and chemical dyes. Fall 2020 is an important season for the brand as it marks the launch of the Napapijri Circular Series, a family of fully recyclable jackets entirely made of Nylon6, which is recyclable and durable. The collection includes an anorak, puffer and longer rainforest jacket. The fall 2020 shoot is the latest installment in Napapijris ongoing Choose Future campaign series, which made its debut in 2019. The series is meant to telegraph positivity, with a focus on taking action for a better society, according to the company. The campaign, photographed by Charlie Gray, shows Egerton in his hometown of Aberystwyth, an ancient market town and holiday resort on the west coast of Wales, looking onto the Irish Sea. I feel a strong sense of connection with my hometown, Egerton said in an e-mailed interview. Its a place I associate with creativity, liberalism and, above all, positivity. I wanted my campaign with Napapijri to reflect something positive and something precious. Thats the way I feel about Aberystwyth. Egerton is pictured in four separate locations places that he says are important to him. In a video accompanying the campaign, he talks about the importance of preserving such natural beauty spots for future generations. Story continues He is wearing pieces from Napapijris 100 percent recyclable and Cradle to Cradle Certified Circular Series collection and from the brands 20-22 Series collection. Egerton said he chose to work with Napapijri because its a brand with a conscience, a positive mentality. And they support the communities that they source their fabric from. He also pointed to Napapijris emphasis on circularity. After two years, certain Napapijri items can be returned and the brand recycles them into something new. In return, the customer receives a significant discount on his or her next piece. Egerton is best known for playing Elton John in 2019s Rocketman, for which he won a Golden Globe Award earlier this year, and is reprising his role as Johnny, the musical mountain gorilla in the childrens film Sing. He is also a regular in the Kingsman films. The company said it chose Egerton because it wants to inspire its audience with an ambassador who shares our future-positive attitude and who is not afraid to be vocal about the themes that are close to their heart. We feel Taron is this person. He will be able to use his platform to reach a wider audience and help us work toward a more sustainable approach to fashion, one that will allow us to preserve our world for future generations. Napapijri added that the Choose Future campaign wants to cast a light on the role that fashion can play and onto our efforts to design the future of circular fashion. The brand plans to release different elements of the new campaign onto its social channels later this week, while Egerton will also be promoting it on his own media. In June, Napapijris Circular Series of fully recyclable jackets was recognized with Cradle to Cradle certification, the most advanced standard for safe, circular and responsible materials and products. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Formerly Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, the new Asbury Memorial Church will be non-denominational. Asbury has long been the Island of Misfit Toys, as some congregation members have described it. SAVANNAH, Ga. A Savannah congregation became the first in the U.S. to officially disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church over LGBTQ rights on Thursday. Formerly Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, the new Asbury Memorial Church will be non-denominational. The congregation voted to disaffiliate in September 2019, with 309 members voting in favor and seven members voting in opposition, according to information from Asbury Memorial Church. The South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church voted to allow Asbury to disaffiliate from the UMC in a virtual meeting on Aug. 15. Asbury has long been the Island of Misfit Toys, as some congregation members have described it. Originally from Savannah, the Rev. Billy Hester and his wife returned to the Hostess City after a stint in New York in 1993. He said when they arrived, the church was dying. They wanted to find a way to breathe life back into the dwindling congregation. They had a theater background, so they went with what they knew. One of the things we did to bring it back was having shows here. We held musicals that were open to people in the community to audition, Hester said. We didnt have people here to be in the shows. We just had a very elderly small congregation. In the years that followed, dozens of musicals would be blocked, staged and performed in the sanctuary, including the popular God on Broadway show. The auditions were open to the Savannah community. The outreach worked, and it attracted Savannahs LGBTQ community. A lot of those folks were gay, and so most of them didnt have a church home, Hester said. So when these people came to do the shows, they started singing in the choir and things like that, so we became known as a very safe place for people to land. Thats how it started growing. Earlier this year: United Methodist leaders propose splitting church over same-sex marriage tensions So warm and open' Valori Armstrong came to Asbury three years ago after moving to Savannah from Chicago. Story continues As a lesbian, she skipped over Baptist churches entirely. I knew what that was going to be, she said. From her experience in Chicago churches, she knew Lutherans were somewhat open and affirming. So she tried a Lutheran church. But it didnt work, because it was still: dont-ask-dont-tell. You know, you can be it, just dont look it, Armstrong said. Someone at that church told me, You know what, theres a church on the corner of Henry and Waters. You need to go there. I am so grateful to that person for sending me here because when I walked through the door here, life in Savannah changed for me, Armstrong said. Armstrong said her Christian faith has been a crucial part of her life as a recovering addict. Her search for a church home in Savannah was stressful until she got to Asbury. When I walked through the door, I thought I was the president or something, Armstrong said with a laugh. People were offering her coffee, asking if they could get her anything and rolling out the red carpet. It didnt seem real. I was thinking: that will wear off. Then the real people will come out, and because it was predominantly white, I felt like oh wow, this is going to be really interesting, said Armstrong, a Black woman. Because the music is different. Everything is different than what Im accustomed to. But they were so warm and open. But Armstrong didnt stop there. Before COVID-19 moved all the services online, she was often accompanied by 12 young children. When she first got to Savannah, she met a woman in her apartment complex who was struggling with childcare. Armstrong offered up her services. The next thing she knew, she was watching the womans sisters kids as well, then the womans cousins children, enough to fill the pew at Asbury. And the kids are dressed to impress. Armstrong arranges color-coordinated outfits for them when they go to church. They know theyre coming to my house on Friday, and theyll be there till Sunday after church, Armstrong said. And they just know that were going to church and every one of them will be welcomed here. What we stand for Around 50 people have joined the church since they voted to disaffiliate back in September, 15-year church member Preston Hodges said. The vote came after a United Methodist Church Special Session of the General Conference in St. Louis in February 2019, where the decision over the acceptance of LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings took place. Of the 823 clergy members at the St. Louis conference, 54.5% voted to adopt the Traditional Plan, which reinforces a United Methodist Church policy established in 1972 stating that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Asbury moved to separate itself from that affiliation and Hodges says it has blossomed since. Next Sunday, Asbury will welcome their first fully online new member class. Hester said in the past, people in the new member class have decided not to join the church because of Asburys affiliation with the United Methodist Church. We have had people, gay, lesbian, maybe even straight folks whove been part of the new member class, who love Asbury, but then they find out what the denomination stands for, Hester said. They say, Im sorry, but I just cant become part of this if youre tied to that. The kind of growth Asbury is seeing is atypical for churches in the U.S., Hodges said. But he expects that following the official disaffiliation, the church will only grow more. Church in this country is dying. We are one of the few churches that are growing, and its been a beautiful experience for me to be a part of that part for a long, long time. Young people just cant see the point of church when church cuts people out, Hodges said. So I think we will see an uptick in youth coming to our church, to people of color coming to our church, as well as gay and lesbian people. The people on the fringes Lance Wilhelm took on the difficult task of searching for a church home as a gay man in Savannah in 2001 when he found Asbury. Back then, Hester said Asbury was a part of the AIDS Interfaith Network, a group of six or seven churches in the Savannah area. It was a tough time, and LGBTQ people were often turned away from churches. I represent that age group where some of us were turned away. Some of us were made to feel very uncomfortable in churches here in Savannah, Hester said. And 9/11 really sort of lit that fire in me that I needed a church sanctuary, and I found that here. Wilhelm eventually found himself at the head of Asburys local branch of the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization seeking the inclusion of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in both the policy and practices of United Methodist Church. Thats an important part of how I see myself as a Christian: helping the people on the margins, helping the people on the fringes, Wilhelm said. Us breaking away now really feels like liberation. A time of discernment Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church is no more. And that means for the new Asbury Memorial Church, its time to look inward, and start asking the big questions about the future. What does an unaffiliated Asbury look like? What bylaws and conventions will carry over from the UMC? What will be different? For many of these questions, there is no quick and easy answer. But Janet Wagner, who has been with the church since 2004, said she doesnt expect quick or easy answers. This is a time of discernment for us, Wagner said. Were not going to rush it. We are in the process of writing the bylaws. Those will come first, and then were going to write a foundational document. And we expect it may take a year, maybe a little longer, to do the work. Were going to take our time and were going to think about how we can get rid of the barriers and be a place that anybody will feel safe walking into, Wagner said. The good news is Asburys congregation knows who they are, and knows what they want to be for the Savannah community. To Armstrong, the ideal Asbury Memorial Church is what it is right now. To Hodges, its a safe place to land. To Wagner, its an Island of Misfit Toys. The body of this church is predominantly made up of people who have been harmed in other churches, regardless of what that means. Ive been harmed in other churches, even though Im a straight woman, Wagner said. I heard another congregant once say that were the Island of Misfit Toys. And we truly celebrate that. To Wilhelm, its a place for marginalized people and their allies to congregate. Our church is not predominantly LGBT. Our allies are the straight people that have helped build this place that is safe for all of us, Wilhelm said. And really, thats the beautiful thing about this church. Follow Will Peebles on Twitter: @willpeeblesSMN This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia church splits with United Methodist Church on LGBT rights US suspends aid to Ethiopia over Blue Nile dam dispute Washington, Sept 3(UNI) The United States on Thursday announced that it has suspended a portion of its financial aid to Ethiopia over the lack of progress in talks with Egypt and Sudan about a massive dam constructing on the Blue Nile River. Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been locked in a bitter dispute over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which remains unresolved although the reservoir behind the dam began filling in July. A US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday that the decision to "temporarily pause" some part of the aid to a key regional security ally "reflects our concern about Ethiopia's unilateral decision to begin filling the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place", Al Jazeera reported. Europe's top human rights judge urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday to respect the rule of law and comply with court rulings covering political opponents and jailed figures. The visit by Robert Spano, an Icelandic-Italian who became president of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in May, came despite fears it would lend an air of legitimacy to Turkey's crackdown on media and other freedoms. The ECHR said Spano stressed to Erdogan "the importance of the rule of law and democracy and in particular... (and) the need to safeguard the independence of the judiciary and freedom of expression". He also said Turkey was "under a clear obligation to comply with" court rulings because it was a party to the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECHR ranked Turkey second after Russia on its list of countries with the highest human rights violations recorded in 2019. On Friday, Spano is due to receive an honorary doctorate from Istanbul University and meet members of the Istanbul bar association. Erdogan this week accused the bar of turning into a "backyard of terror groups" for unfurling a banner of lawyer Ebru Timtik, 42, who died on the 238th day of a hunger strike she had staged to protest her jailing on terror-related charges. - 'Think again'- Turkey is often chastised by rights advocates for arresting journalists, civil society leaders and opposition politicians. Erdogan's government has also tightened control of the internet -- including access to social media -- and has in the past few years shut down television stations and critical outlets. The P24 press freedom group reports that 92 journalists are behind bars in Turkey today. The government has additionally jailed tens of thousands of people and sacked more than 100,000 from their state jobs as part of a nationwide crackdown that followed a failed putsch against Erdogan in 2016. Critics say the focus of the crackdown has gone well beyond alleged coup plotters and is designed to silence dissent in Turkey. Story continues Journalist Mehmet Altan, an economics professor who spent almost two years in prison over alleged links to the failed coup, criticised the top judge's visit in an open letter, calling it ill-timed. "Under normal circumstances, of course it would be a pleasure to hear that you will be visiting Turkey. Unfortunately that's not the case," he wrote this week. Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch lashed out at Spano for accepting an honorary doctorate in law from Istanbul University, which "summarily dismissed scores of academics -- among them Mehmet Altan -- in an unlawful way." "Think again Judge Spano," she tweeted. Turkey's Human Rights Association called on Spano to also meet civil society groups, saying: "A visit to Turkey under such circumstances solely addressing state institutions may mean that you condone all that has been happening." fo/zak/spm For 170 years all that remained of mineralogist William Tipple Smith was a quartz gold sample, an unmarked grave and a reputation as the fraud who claimed to have discovered payable gold before Edward Hargraves. On Thursday the history that most Australian schoolchildren learnt about events leading to the NSW gold rush in 1851 was corrected. Bill Hamburger, left, the great-great-grandson of William Tipple Smith, stands at Smith's grave in Rookwood Cemetery during the unveiling of a new headstone and plaque on Thursday. Credit:Kate Geraghty An anonymous grave, previously known only as number 4929, section four, Rookwood Cemetery, was marked for the first time. It now reads: "William Tipple Smith, 1803-1852, Mineralogist, discoverer of Australias first payable gold and co-founder of Australias iron and steel industry." A commemorative plaque also details Smith's contribution to Australian history, ending a decades-long fight by his descendants to correct the record. SPRINGFIELD More than two years after police made one of the citys grisliest criminal discoveries, alleged serial murderer and rapist Stewart Weldon remains behind bars as hearing and trial dates remain stalled by the pandemic. Last set for trial in April, Weldons trial was among scores of court matters here and across the country canceled as courthouses closed and remain at sharply limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic. Arrested in 2018 after a traffic stop, police searched Weldons home on Page Boulevard days later, finding the remains of three women in the basement, the garage and buried under a shed, respectively. The victims were Kayla Escalante, 26, of Ludlow, America Lyden, 34, and Ernestine Ryans, 47, both of Springfield. Police said 11 other women survived being raped or kidnapped by Weldon, and that he preyed on women who frequented the high-crime area of School and High streets searching for drugs, according to investigators and witnesses. Weldon, 42, pleaded not guilty to 52 criminal counts in Hampden Superior Court in August of 2018, about two months after his arrest. Following the discovery of the three bodies on June 1, and intense publicity surrounding a five-day search of the property, other women came forward. They reported Weldon had raped them, and in some cases, kidnapped and choked them. With these fifty-two indictments in hand, we will now begin a vigorous prosecution with an eye towards justice for the victims and their families, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a press conference following a grand jurys indictments against Weldon. Although court filings in the case have been scant because of the slow-down, attorneys for Weldon recently filed a brief notice that they intend to call as an expert witness Dr. Fabien Saleh, of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Risk Management Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. This testimony will concern both (Weldons) mental health during the time period of these alleged crimes and his mental health before and after the time period of these alleged crimes, a defense motions reads. The Defense further states that, at this juncture, the expert witness will be relying on statements made by Mr. Weldon. Weldons scrawled signature on a separate filing shows he also waived his right under the law to a speedy trial. The original investigation against Weldon began during that traffic stop in late spring. A passenger in the car said Weldon had been holding her against her will and beating her for months. Investigators discovered the woman was Weldons live-in girlfriend at the house on the busy stretch of Page Boulevard and the two shared a young child who also lived there, along with Weldons mother. After her sons arrest, his mother called police to report a rancid smell coming from the basement, where Escalantes body was discovered. The alleged attacks in the indictments spanned approximately a year, Gulluni said. MacMurray College closed its door this spring, ending 174 years of teaching and leaving behind several acres of land, multiple buildings, books and some historical pieces of art that currently have no place to go. So what happens to some of those art pieces? MacMurray is home to several pieces of art by Nellie Augusta Knopf (1875-1962). Now, 15 of Knopfs works, which were donated to the school, will be sold during an online auction through Chicago-based auction house Hindman on Sept. 30. The American and European Art auction will begin at 10 a.m. To view the auction, which also includes works by several other artists, go to bit.ly/2F58zYp and viewing lots 65-80. Knopfs works, some dating from the 1920s, range from landscapes of Maine to the Pacific Coast with some flower arrangements in between. But bring your wallet. Most of her works are expected to bring from $4,000 to $6,000. Who was Knopf and why MacMurray? Knopf, a Chicago native, was hearing impaired. Dealing with discrimination for being shorter, being a woman and having hearing loss didnt stop her from pursuing her art career. Graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1900, the artist headed south to teach at what then was Illinois State Womans College now known as MacMurray College. Knopf remained in Jacksonville for the next 43 years and wore such titles as director of the schools art department. She continued to be a determined artist, never letting her hearing impairment interfere with her teaching or her painting. The artist painted with oil and watercolor and was known for her modernist style and fluid brush work. In addition to exhibiting her works in places like the Kansas City Museum, MacMurray College held a large retrospective of her work in 1987. BEIJING Beijings main international airport on Thursday began receiving international flights again from a limited number of countries considered at low risk of coronavirus infection. Passengers flying in from Cambodia, Greece, Denmark, Thailand, Pakistan, Austria, Canada and Sweden must have first shown a negative coronavirus test before boarding, city government spokesperson Xu Hejian told reporters. Passenger arrivals will be limited to roughly 500 per day during a trial period and all will need to undergo additional testing for the virus on arrival, followed by two weeks of quarantine. The first flight under the arrangement, Air China Flight 746, arrived from Pnom Penh, Cambodia, just before 7 a.m. Beginning in March, all international flights to Beijing had been redirected to a dozen other cities where passengers were tested and processed before being allowed to travel on to the Chinese capital. China has gone weeks without new cases of local infection and the 11 new cases recorded Thursday were all imported. Beijings last local outbreak in July was linked to a wholesale food market, and the citys customs department announced Wednesday it would test all imported frozen foods, along with other goods arriving from countries considered to be at high risk. Storage and transportation facilities for imported food would also be disinfected and Beijing customs would work with other cities to ensure the safety of the supply chain. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: A prison inmate in Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus in the countrys first confirmed locally transmitted case in 100 days, health officials said Thursday. They identified the inmate as a 37-year-old man arrested for drug abuse who was brought to prison in Bangkok on Aug. 26 and tested positive Wednesday at the prisons health center. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday had congratulated the nation for having achieved 100 days without any confirmed local cases of the coronavirus. Thailand has sustained relatively light health damage from the pandemic, even though in January it was the first country outside China to confirm a case. But its economy has been devastated by the absence of foreign tourists, who are banned from entry, and by a drop in exports. Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Health Ministrys Disease Control Department, stressed that the infected man had been kept in a small group of quarantined inmates in a standard procedure to limit the possible spread of the virus. India has registered a record single-day spike of 83,883 new cases, driving the country overall tally to 3.85 million. The Health Ministry on Thursday also reported 1,043 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 67,376. India has been reporting the highest daily increases for more than three weeks. The ministry said the countrys fatality rate had declined to 1.76% and its deaths per million population was one of the lowest in the world. Experts say deaths could be substantially undercounted in several states. South Korea reported its first drop below 200 new coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, but the countrys strained hospitals were treating more seriously ill patients after the prolonged recent surge in infections. Thursdays increase of 195 new cases, the first daily increase below 200 in 17 days, indicated the country was beginning to see the effects of stringent social distancing restrictions recently imposed in the greater capital area. However, the number of patients in serious or critical condition with active COVID-19 increased to 154, compared to 14 on Aug. 14 when the country began whats now a 21-day run in triple-digit daily jumps in infections. The country has added more than 5,800 newly ill people to its caseload during the streak, raising fears about overwhelmed hospitals. Hong Kong says just six people have tested positive for the coronavirus out of 128,000 residents who have taken part in the citys mass testing program that began Tuesday. Four of the six people were previous coronavirus patients who were discharged last month and still carried traces of the virus when they were tested. As of Thursday, 850,000 people in the city of 7.5 million have registered to take part in the weeklong free testing program aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus. The low number of positive cases has drawn criticism that the testing program is not cost-effective, amid privacy concerns and fears that DNA data could be sent to mainland China. Coronavirus infections surged in Hong Kong in early July. At its peak, the territory recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June. Tough restrictions were imposed, including limiting restaurant dining-in hours and shuttering bars and karaoke lounges, and cases have steadily dwindled. Apart from the six people who tested positive in the mass testing program, Hong Kong reported eight other coronavirus infections on Thursday. It has confirmed a total of 4,839 cases, including 93 deaths. Australias hot spot Victoria state on Thursday recorded its second consecutive day of increased COVID-19 cases. The state health department said there had been 113 new infections and 15 deaths in the latest 24-hour period. There were 90 new infections and six deaths recorded on Wednesday. There were only 70 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the lowest tally since June. A pregnant woman in Australia says she didnt know she was breaking any law when she was handcuffed by police in front of her children and led away in her pajamas for allegedly inciting people to demonstrate against Victoria states pandemic lockdown. Zoe Buhlers partner helped her live stream the arrest on Wednesday at her home where she lives with two children aged 3 and 4 in the city of Ballarat. The video has been viewed millions of times. She has been charged with using social media platforms to incite others to break pandemic restrictions by attending weekend rallies to protest the restrictions. A signboard believed to have been erected by members of the Volta separatist, the Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) has been sighted at Akorley near Somanya in the Eastern Region. It is uncertain when the signboard, bearing the flag of the group, was erected. The signboard also bear the inscriptions Welcome to Western Togoland for travellers heading towards Somanya from Accra, and You are leaving Western Togoland for travellers travelling in the opposite direction. The HSGF, a group championing the secession of parts of Ghana along the border with Togo, declared independence for the territory they call 'Western Togoland' on November 16, 2019. The leader of Western Togoland independence, Charles Kormi Kudzodzi, announced the separation of Western Togoland from Ghana after a meeting in the Volta Regional capital, Ho. After that announcement, some members of the group were arrested after they were alleged to have engaged in activities to champion the cause of the group. On December 30, 2019, the Northern Regional Police arrested 18 people suspected to be part of the separatist group. The arrest followed intelligence that some members of the alleged separatist group from Kpassa were holding a meeting in a primary school in Bimbila, with the aim of recruiting some youth to assist in their secessionist activities. A joint military and police team was then deployed to the scene to arrest the 18 people. On December 1, last year, the police in the Upper East Region also arrested 10 people said to be connected to the secessionist group. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video JUST LIKE YOU by Nick Hornby (Viking 16.99, 320 pp) JUST LIKE YOU by Nick Hornby (Viking 16.99, 320 pp) Set in Hornbys usual North London stamping ground in the run-up to 2016s EU referendum, this supremely enjoyable romance turns on the relationship between Lucy, a divorced English teacher and mother of two, and Joseph, an aspiring dance music producer nearly half her age. Shes a customer at the posh butchers where he works part-time, and before long, theyre swapping flirty texts. But with cringeworthy misunderstandings aplenty related not only to that age gap, but race (Joseph is black, Lucy is white) plus the small matter of Lucys alcoholic ex-husband there are several bumps in the road ahead. Hornby has always been a first-rate storyteller and the book just perfectly put together sparkles with tip-top dialogue and pin-sharp comic timing. It plays a canny game with the political backdrop, too, stepping nimbly around some pretty gnarly terrain, as Lucy finds herself questioning her previously unexamined certainties about Brexit. ISLANDS OF MERCY by Rose Tremain (Chatto 18.99, 368 pp) ISLANDS OF MERCY by Rose Tremain (Chatto 18.99, 368 pp) Tremains historical yarn, set in Victorian Bath, follows Jane, a surgeons daughter, who shuns expectations when she falls for someone elses wife after turning down a doctor, Valentine, who cant fathom why hes been spurned. Tremain crash-tests the limits of the 19th-century marriage plot as she cuts between their stories and that of Ralph, a gay philanthropist in Borneo, but its hard not to feel she is splicing together the raw material for several books in search of thematic coherence. Theres a sense of the cosmopolitan set-up spinning ever so slightly out of control, as were relentlessly hustled between different characters and locales, while the hard yards of resolving the painstakingly unravelled plot ultimately get outsourced to a bout of appalling violence. Anyone who has ever read Sarah Waters, say, might be somewhat nonplussed by the novels giddiness about Victorian same-sex desire as a source of narrative tension. MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Bloomsbury 16.99, 352 pp) MONOGAMY by Sue Miller (Bloomsbury 16.99, 352 pp) U.S. writer Miller is hardly short of praise yet she seems undersung, operating in a critical blind spot while cherished by readers for her insight into the emotional weather of everyday life. Monogamy begins as a two-hander, moving between Graham, a bookseller, and his second wife, Annie, as hes secretly trying to ditch a local divorcee hes started an affair with. Suddenly just when weve settled in Graham dies in his sleep, with his infidelity, or at least the latest bout of it, known only to his loyal friend, John, who is left nervously trying to gauge what, if anything, Graham told Annie. As the narrative splinters to follow various members of Grahams family, Miller explores the aftermath of bereavement, in a patient, grown-up style that nonetheless refuses to deny us the thrill of late twists and revelations. Almost every line glows with even-handed wisdom a superb novel, beautifully put together. New Delhi, Sep 3 : Google has made a vast dataset of search trends available for researchers in the US to study the link between symptom-related searches and the spread of Covid-19. The Covid-19 Search Trends symptoms dataset includes aggregated, anonymized search trends for more than 400 symptoms, signs and health conditions, such as cough, fever and difficulty breathing. The dataset includes trends at the US county-level from the past three years in order to make the insights more helpful to public health, and so researchers can account for changes in searches due to seasonality, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Using the dataset, researchers can develop models and create visualisations based on the popularity of symptom-related searches. "This sample visualisation is based on search volume for fever across the U.S. This visualization does not reflect the dataset's user interface but shows what can be generated," Google said. Researchers could use this dataset to study if search trends can provide an earlier and more accurate indication of the reemergence of the virus in different parts of the country. The dataset is available in Google Cloud's COVID-19 Free Public Dataset Programme and is downloadable from Google Research at Open COVID-19 Data GitHub repository. "No personal information or individual search queries are included," Google said. This early release is limited to the US at the moment and covers searches made in English and Spanish. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP spokesperson Sandeep Warrier has alleged that when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan went to the US for treatment, fake signatures of him were used to ratify important files. Talking to reporters at the BJP state committee office here on Thursday, Warrier produced documents pertaining to the Malayalam Language Day celebrations which were allegedly signed by Pinarayi's impostor. He also demanded that the Chief Minister immediately step down as he has no moral right to be in office. Warrier said Pinarayi was in the US for his medical treatment in 2018 during September 2-23 but the file was purportedly signed on September 9. He recalled that during former Chief Minister K Karunakarans tenure, the norm was that the then Chief Secretary would sign it, writing with the knowledge of the Chief Minister under the signature. This has been practised by successive Chief Ministers. "Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan left for treatment at Mayo Clinic in the US during this period and came back by the end of the month. It is not a digital signature either. Was it his former principal secretary M Sivasankar and Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the gold smuggling case, who faked Pinarayi's signature? I am wondering whether the CPM had deputed someone else to fake the Chief Minister's signature," said Warrier, raising the documents of the file before the media. He went to the extent of alleging that the state was not ruled by Pinarayi Vijayan, but by an impostor since 2016. The BJP spokesperson recalled that Pinarayi's former private secretary M V Jayarajan was removed from office after this incident. He demanded that all the files pertaining to the CMO during the last four-and-a-half years should be brought under scrutiny, including the digital files and also sought clarification from the Chief Minister. A study from Boston University researchers suggests that the prevalence of depression symptoms in adults is three-fold higher during the coronavirus pandemic compared to the most recent population-based estimates of mental health in the United States. The study was a population-representative survey of adults conducted at the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S. On the final day of the survey, April 13, the coronavirus death toll in the country was more than 23,000 individuals and more than 600,000 cases had been confirmed. Meanwhile, states including Massachusetts were under stay-at-home orders and unemployment was reaching new highs. This increase in depression symptom prevalence is higher than that recorded after previous mass traumatic events, likely reflecting the far more pervasive influence of COVID-19 and its social and economic consequences than other, previously studied mass traumatic events, reads the study conclusion reads, which was published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. Results suggest that the context of the pandemic, as well as its economic consequences, has led to an increase in mental illness for American adults. The burden is on people in economically and socially marginalized groups, the study indicates. Further data will be needed to assess the trajectory of depression and potential treatments, according to the study results. The nationally representative study included 1,441 respondents from during the pandemic and 5,065 respondents from before the pandemic and used two population-based surveys of U.S. adults ages 18 or older. Respondents were surveyed during the pandemic from March 31 to April 13. For data before the pandemic, estimates were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted from 2017 to 2018. Of the participants during the pandemic, 43% were 18 to 39 years old, 50.2% were men and 64.7% were non-Hispanic white. Respondents before the pandemic included 37.8% of participants from 18 to 39 years old, 51.4% were women and 62.9% were non-Hispanic white. Depression symptom prevalence was more than three-fold higher during the pandemic and lower-income individuals with less than $5,000 in savings and exposure to more stressors were associated with a greater risk of depression during the pandemic, the findings suggest. While too few people in the study had been diagnosed with COVID-19 themselves to meaningfully comment on differences in mental health between those who had and had not been diagnosed with COVID-19, we imagine that as the virus spreads and more cases of COVID-19 are confirmed, so too may mental illness increase among those with COVID-19 and those around them, the study conclusion reads. Related Content: Fans were surprised and even dismayed following reports that the cartoon dragon Mushu wouldn't be brought to life in the upcoming live-action version of Disney's Mulan. Now the film's director, Niki Caro, has revealed why the mystical creature was left out of the new remake in a short video for USA Today. The 53-year-old New Zealander explained that the wisecracking dragon would have been out of place in the new film, which strove for a more realist tone. Didn't fit: Mulan director Niki Caro, 53, revealed in an interview with USA Today that the animated dragon Mushu was left out of the new remake to focus on realism; shown in March 'We were very inspired by what Mushu brought to the animation, which was the humor and the levity, and the challenge was to bring that to Mulans real relationships with her fellow soldiers,' Caro explained in an interview with Mulan's star, Yifei Liu. By removing Mushu, who was voiced by Eddie Murphy in the previous version, Caro and her multiple screenwriters were able to further develop the other soldiers Mulan fought alongside. 'Mushu, beloved as that character is in the animation, was Mulans confidante, and part of bringing it into the live action was to commit to the realism of her journey, and she had to make those relationships with her fellow soldiers. So there was certainly a lot to work with in that department,' she said. Mushu's name also references American Chinese cuisine, and his presence was geared more toward that community, as the dragon wasn't featured in the original Mulan legend. New direction: 'We were very inspired by what Mushu brought to the animation, which was the humor and the levity, and the challenge was to bring that to Mulans real relationships with her fellow soldiers,' Caro explained; still from Mulan (1998) New characters: Part of bringing it into the live action was to commit to the realism of her journey, and she had to make those relationships with her fellow soldiers,' she said; shown with Yifei Liu in March Though Caro claimed that Mushu was simply removed for storytelling purposes, his absence may have been more about appeasing Chinese censors and viewers. In February, University of Southern California professor Stanley Rosen, who studies Chinese politics and culture, told The Hollywood Reporter that 'Mushu was very popular in the U.S., but the Chinese hated it. 'This kind of miniature dragon trivialized their culture,' he said. In February, USC professor Stanley Rosen, who studies Chinese politics and culture, told the Hollywood Reporter that 'Mushu was very popular in the U.S., but the Chinese hated it; still from Mulan (1998) Liu, who was born in China but gained American citizenship, was criticized throughout the world last year when she re-posted a pro police comment related to protests in Hong Kong. In February, she only offered cagey answers about mainland China's crackdown on Hong Kong protestors and the government's moves to end the 'One country, two systems' policy. 'I think it's obviously a very complicated situation and I'm not an expert,' she said at the time. 'I just really hope this gets resolved soon.' After she was asked to expand on her views, she would only repeat, 'I think it's just a very sensitive situation.' Angry fans: Yifei Liu, the film's star, was criticized in August for reposting a proHong Kong police comment in August 2019; still from Mulan (2020) Fourteen days of boredom in strict isolation in a hotel room its not the start to the school year 150 international students at Niagara College ever dreamed of. They have had to quarantine for two weeks at a St. Catharines hotel after arriving in Canada over the past month or so, through a program arranged by the college. Its fine at first, I start my day working out, taking a shower and getting ready, says Lena Chall, 22, who went into isolation Aug. 24 after arriving from Berlin, Germany. But then its like 9:30 and I have the whole day to get through. Most of the people she wants to stay in touch with are back in Germany, so theres a six-hour time difference to navigate. Her state of mind is like a roller-coaster, she says. The other day I talked to my mom (via Facetime), she said, Your eyes look like youre going crazy. You look like youre not yourself. Two weeks self-isolation is familiar to many Canadians during COVID-19, usually after they have travelled abroad. But they isolated at home, not thousands of kilometres away from family and friends in a foreign country. It can be a challenging time, we know that, says Dorita Pentesco, interim director international for the college. We try to prepare them for it (before they come to Canada), and if anybody ever says to us they are sad or depressed we follow up with them right away. The college expects about 3,400 new and returning international students this month, with the biggest numbers from India, South Korea and Mexico. Only about 40 per cent of the colleges programs will involve a mix of in-person and online study. The rest are strictly virtual, as a safety precaution during the pandemic. Pentesco says the college arranged hotel isolation for students who couldnt do it at the apartments or homes theyve rented for the year. For just more than $700 it includes two weeks accommodation, meals and daily support including optional group Zoom meetings. We do a virtual check-in every day with a survey that asks them how they are feeling, from a physical perspective and also from an emotional or wellness perspective, and if there is anything they need, she says. It also takes into account cultural needs in planning meals for such a diverse group of students. For Chall, the hotel stay is an expense she could have lived without. She already has an apartment lined up, but it has a shared bathroom and kitchen and wouldnt work for isolation. Rules in the hotel are strict no visitors or staff are allowed in the rooms. Students clean their own rooms; supplies and meals are dropped off at their door. Students can open the door to pick up the meal tray, but theyre not allowed to step into the hallway. Violetta Derhun, 20, from Kiev, Ukraine, agreed its going to be a tough two weeks. A lot of Facetime, TV and looking out the window. She cant see any friends from her balcony, but I see some people, some boys, on the other side of the hotel who are probably from the same country and they communicate balcony to balcony they scream, they shout, but they communicate. Im happy for them. She is also paying for both the hotel and a rented place. Her landlord, she says, wouldnt allow her to isolate there. Derhun, like Chall, is a third-year broadcasting student. She went into quarantine Aug. 29. On the second day, when she got her daily college check-in, she replied she was sad. The same day, she said, someone from the college showed up and they had a good talk the college staffer standing in the hallway, Derhun in her room, chatting through the open door. It does help to know there is a person out there who is aware of your situation, she says. More than 40 crew members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the Japanese coastguard said on Thursday. A lone crew member from the Gulf Livestock 1 had been rescued so far. Three vessels, four airplanes and two divers were taking part in the search, the coastguard said. The ship, with a cargo of nearly 6,000 cattle, sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas. Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, was rescued on Wednesday night, Japans coastguard said. By Thursday evening, he was still the only person rescued so far, a coastguard official said, adding the bodies of some cattle had been recovered. The crew of 43 was made up of 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the coastguard said. According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The Philippines government said it was coordinating with the Japanese coastguard in the search. Typhoon Maysak made landfall in South Korea on Thursday, bringing lashing winds, and at least two people were killed in the southern city of Busan. Another storm, Typhoon Haishen, was brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast on Sunday or Monday. Live Cattle Export The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 with a cargo of 5,867 cattle bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealand foreign ministry officials told Reuters. The 139-meter (450-foot), Panamanian-flagged vessel was built in 2002 and the registered owner is Amman-based Rahmeh Compania Naviera SA, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The ship manager is Hijazi & Ghosheh Co. Calls to the owner and manager were unanswered. The young cows were exported by Australia-headquartered Australasian Global Exports, which specializes in live animal exports and owns quarantine facilities in China. The cows were worth around 20,000 yuan each, said a manager at AGEs subsidiary Beijing Muhuayuan International Trade Co. Ltd. New Zealand animal rights organization SAFE said the disaster showed the risks of the live animal export trade. These cows should never have been at sea, said campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue. China has imported more than 46,000 head of cattle from New Zealand so far this year, according to data from Chinas customs, mostly to stock the countrys expanding dairy farms. Last year, New Zealand launched a review of its live export trade, worth around NZ$54 million ($37 million) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit. New Zealands Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it had temporarily suspended live cattle export applications after the Gulf Livestock 1 went missing. ($1 = 1.4775 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Praveen Menon in Wellington and Junko Fujita in Tokyo Additional reporting by Gavin Maguire and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore, Karen Lema in Manila and Dominique Patton and Beijing Newsroom Writing by Lincoln Feast Editing by Richard Pullin, Gerry Doyle and Frances Kerry) Topics Agribusiness China Australia The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown has just earned a huge accolade from Forbes. Forbes granted Tilman Fertitta's hotel a double five-star rating, earning five stars for both the hotel and the spa. The Post Oak Hotel is one of 19 double five-star hotels and spas in the country, the Houston Chronicle reports. DINING IN: You can now cook a Perrys Steakhouse & Grille seven-finger-high pork chop at home "Situated in the tony Uptown neighborhood, The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston is redefining luxury in a sprawling city that already has it all," Forbes Travel Guide writes. "But having it all isnt enough for billionaire mogul Tilman J. Fertitta, who is raising the hospitality bar for all things extravagant in the nations fourth-largest city. "For example, you are greeted in the three-story atrium with a grand chandelier cascading from the third floor. Inspired by the Dubai Opera House, the custom-built fixture was handmade in the Czech Republic with 15,719 crystals, including 739 Swarovski crystal balls, and 1,428 LED light sources, making it one of the grandest hotel entrances in the country and thats just the lobby." The Post Oak Hotel opened in early 2018 as Houston's first five-star hotel, boasting amenities such as a two-story Rolls-Royce showroom, four restaurants, a massive wine cellar with more than 20,000 bottles, a shaded pool, salon and a pet-friendly in-room dining menu for any four-legged friends staying. Joining this elite list of Double Five-Stars is a remarkable achievement that continues to designate the Post Oak Hotel as a world-class property and serves as a glittering beacon of Houstons standing as an international destination, said Steven Chou, the hotels manager. Other liberal groups also claimed victories. Fifteen challengers backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which boasts more than 100 members of Congress, advanced to the November general elections, though there was plenty of overlap between their endorsements and those of other organizations. That gives progressives shots at winning more seats in states including New Mexico, New York, Texas and Washington. Bill to Save Local Journalism Awaiting Gov. Newsoms Signature With a 69-4 vote, the Senate passed Assembly Bill (AB) 323 Tuesday. It proposes granting ethnic media outlets, mid-size publications, and daily newspapers an additional year to pursue alternative and sustainable distribution models that dont involve contract drivers. That would allow them to come into compliance with the states controversial AB 5 labor law. AB 323, known as the Save Local Journalism Act, which is now awaiting the governors signature, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023 if it is signed. Assemblywoman Blanca Rubios (D- Baldwin Park) is the author of the bill. ADVERTISEMENT AB 323 provides a bridge for our local newspapers to continue informing readers and their communities. Today the bill passed with overwhelming support and will be heading to Governor Newsom, Rubio said via her Twitter account Aug. 31. AB 323 will also require state agencies to contract with community and ethnic news outlets to promote their public awareness campaigns in order to reach underserved communities throughout the state. AB 5 was enacted to enforce a 2018 California Supreme Court ruling commonly called the Dynamex Law. Originally, the legislation mostly focused on what some lawmakers regarded as abuses by large companies like Uber, Lyft and other rideshare and app-based delivery companies. They say those corporations rely on a workforce of contractors, but do not provide those workers any employment benefits and other labor protections mandated by California law. In the Assembly chamber before the floor vote, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), who authored AB 5 and voted no on AB 323, gave an impassioned testimony. I cannot condone or support an unsustainable business model that operates at the expense of low-wage workers, Gonzalez told her colleagues. But critics say the intention of AB 5 was lost in its language and enforcement, charging that it cast too wide a net, and that it ended up hurting some contractors including artists, dentists, writers, salespeople, musicians, translators, and others. Those are people who generally prefer the independence and flexibility of being freelancers or sole proprietors, they argue. ADVERTISEMENT Since AB 5 passed about a year ago, legislators have created several carve-outs to exempt some of the affected professional categories, allowing them to continue to work as independent contractors under the law. But many remain impacted. In October of 2019, Gov. Newsom signed AB 170, a law that gave newspapers in California a one-year extension (until the end of 2020) to reclassify the contract drivers who deliver their newspapers as W-2 employees or come up with a new way to distribute their newspapers to subscribers. AB 323 extends that sunset date that currently exempts newspaper carriers from the restrictions of AB 5 to the end of 2021. Until then, those publications will not have to meet the three-part criteria, commonly known as the ABC test, which the state uses to determine if workers are employees or independent contractors. By offering a buffer for carriers, AB 323 is also aimed at strengthening and stabilizing Californias community news organizations while protecting their ability to provide all Californians with important information about news and events in their communities. We are living through times of unprecedented unrest and change, and the need has never been greater for specialized outlets that facilitate improved civic engagement and better cross-cultural communication, said Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media. Assemblywoman Rubios leadership and the unwavering support of AB 323s coauthors and supporters make it possible for our outlets to continue their mission to better inform our communities. The bill encourages the Department of General Services (DGS) to be responsible for ensuring that state agencies include local news organizations in their advertising and public awareness campaigns. DGS is the business manager for California, providing procurement and business solutions for local and state agencies. The First Amendment and our independent press are critical to the open exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives. My colleagues and I bring varied viewpoints to the Capitol, but as shown by the overwhelming bipartisan support for AB 323, we are united in our support for our local news outlets and the citizens they serve, Rubio said in a written statement. FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) Market is projected to reach $7.65 billion by 2030, reveals a premium market intelligence study by BIS Research. The study also highlights that the market is set to witness a CAGR of 24.36% during the forecast period, 2020-2030. The small launch vehicle (SLV) is used for launching payload consisting of lightweight satellite/payloads into various orbits. The rise in deployment of small and microsatellites for multiple commercial, academic, and military applications into low earth orbit (LEO) has spurred demand for dedicated launches though SLVs. In addition, reduction in overall launch costs through major global sites, and the increasing usage of advanced manufacturing technologies to develop lightweight components and reusable launch vehicles are some of the other factors which are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the global SLV market in the next decade. According to Nilopal Ojha, Lead Analyst at BIS Research, "The rising demand for small satellite constellation across various end users, such as commercial, academic, military, and government, is forcing the SLV manufacturers to develop products with more advanced technologies. Moreover, a significant increase in investment by leading companies and large space organizations to develop advanced manufacturing capabilities for providing affordable launch services is expected to boost the growth of the market during the forecast period." Browse market Data Tables and Figures spread through 224 Pages, and in-depth TOC on "Global Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) Market". Who is best benefitted from this study? Manufacturers of rockets and small launch vehicles providing ridesharing and dedicated launch services Component providers including providers of propulsion system, structure, avionics, and electronics, among others Launch service providers, leading space universities/educational institutions, government space agencies, and research & development agencies that are involved in formulating regulations for the space industry Private investors who are interested to understand the business of rocket companies providing low-cost launch services How does this study enable confident and strategic business decisions? The organizations make use of the study and insights in the report therein to evaluate options and make strategic decisions. The study supports these key strategies: A. Product/Innovation Strategy Know about the key trends impacting the small launch vehicle market, along with information on new technologies that are being adopted by launch vehicle and propulsion system manufacturers; Find out about the demand for launch vehicles and components for small launch vehicles that will get shaped over the next ten years. B. Growth/Market Strategy Know which category of payload range (<20 kg, 20 kg-150 kg, 151 kg-500 kg, 501 kg-1,200 kg, 1,201 kg-2,200 kg) is expected to dominate the SLV market in the coming years; Know which end user of the SLV market (commercial, academic, military, government, and non-profit) is expected to dominate the market in the coming years; Find out the estimated revenue to be generated by the global small launch vehicle (SLV) market across different regions ( North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest-of-the-World) during the forecast period; , , , and Rest-of-the-World) during the forecast period; Know about the major satellite constellations and their service provider scenario in the next ten years. C. Competitive Strategy Know which players will be catering to the demand for different end user and payload type and how are they benchmarked against each other in different regions and countries; Find out which are the start-up companies that are attracting major investment in the SLV market; Get detailed insights and information on key companies operating in this market, including their growth strategies, as well as how they compete against each other at a global, regional, and country-level. View the Report from BIS Research - Global Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2030 What makes BIS Research's study and this product special? Regional and Country-Level Deep Dive - BIS Research's global reports come with a complimentary deep dive section of major start-ups and their developments, at a regional level along with key countries of those regions. - BIS Research's global reports come with a complimentary deep dive section of major start-ups and their developments, at a regional level along with key countries of those regions. Companies Profiled : Key insights are drawn from in-depth interviews with key opinion leaders of more than 50 leading companies, market participants, and vendors. The key players profiled in the report include Aerojet Rocketdyne (U.S.), Dawn Aerospace ( New Zealand ), SpaceX (U.S), Armstrong Siddeley (U.K.), Momentus Space (U.S.), Rocket Lab USA , Inc. (U.S.), Spacefleet Ltd. (U.K.), The Boeing Company (U.S.), Blue Origin, LLC. (U.S.), Masten Space Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ( Japan ), and Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.). : Key insights are drawn from in-depth interviews with key opinion leaders of more than 50 leading companies, market participants, and vendors. The key players profiled in the report include Aerojet Rocketdyne (U.S.), Dawn Aerospace ( ), SpaceX (U.S), Armstrong Siddeley (U.K.), Momentus Space (U.S.), Rocket Lab , Inc. (U.S.), Spacefleet Ltd. (U.K.), The Boeing Company (U.S.), Blue Origin, LLC. (U.S.), Masten Space Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ( ), and Northrop Grumman Corporation (U.S.). Primaries : Primary research includes interviews with various participants throughout the value chain of the small launch vehicle industry. Additionally, online surveys of the participants have been conducted to understand the supply and demand from different stakeholders in the launch service industry. : Primary research includes interviews with various participants throughout the value chain of the small launch vehicle industry. Additionally, online surveys of the participants have been conducted to understand the supply and demand from different stakeholders in the launch service industry. Patent Coverage : The patent coverage includes the study of more than 190 patents from various manufacturers across leading countries such as the U.S., China , Russia , and South Korea . : The patent coverage includes the study of more than 190 patents from various manufacturers across leading countries such as the U.S., , , and . Research Methodology : The research methodology adopted for this specific study includes a mix of data collected from primary and secondary sources. The secondary research study involves the usage of extensive databases available from government agencies and associations such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Satellite Industry Association (SIA), along with information available on company websites and in their annual reports. : The research methodology adopted for this specific study includes a mix of data collected from primary and secondary sources. The secondary research study involves the usage of extensive databases available from government agencies and associations such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and Satellite Industry Association (SIA), along with information available on company websites and in their annual reports. BIS Analyst Recommendations: The study also offers strategic recommendations that can help organizations in tracking various products, trends, and technologies that are changing the dynamics of the market. The recommendations by BIS Research also offer bespoke research services to help organizations meet their objectives. Request for a Sample: https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=915&type=download Related Reports: Global Small Satellite Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2030 Global Space Propulsion System Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2025 Global 5G Satellite Communication Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2021-2030 Global Space Electronics Market - Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2024 About BIS Research BIS Research is a global leader in providing actionable insights and intelligence on deep and emerging technologies, many of which are likely to disrupt businesses and markets, typically over the next ten years. Our endeavor is to deliver products that add strategic value through a Deep Tech M-A-PTM (wherein M-A-P stands for Markets, Applications, and Products) for customers who need to innovate, transform or expand for sustainable growth. BIS Research offers syndicate as well as custom studies and expert consultations to firms, providing them specific and actionable insights on novel technology markets, business models, and competitive landscape. Contact: media@bisresearch.com BIS Research Inc. 39111 PASEO PADRE PKWY STE 313, FREMONT CA 94538-1686 Visit our Blogs @ https://blog.bisresearch.com/ Connect with us on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bis-research Connect with us on Twitter@ https://twitter.com/BISResearch Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/495163/BIS_Research_Logo.jpg The United States has urged India to create an environment that will foster its position in the global and said that the country continues to face challenges on the market access front despite improvement in the ease of doing business. Observing that the coronavirus pandemic may give rise to self-sufficiency and self-reliance sentiments among struggling economies, Joseph Semsar, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, said that India with its Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative has put forward a programme that puts a question mark on the notion of self-reliance. Our thought is that isolationist policies can also cause a decrease in exchange between businesses and economies, less technology and best practice sharing, fewer joint research and development projects and stifled innovation, Semsar said at the third India-US Leadership Summit organised virtually by the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF). So we urge the government of India to focus on creating an environment, fostering an environment that will enhance India's position in the global supply chain, he said in response to a question from Anish Shah, deputy managing director and group CFO, the Mahindra group, who is also a USISPF board member. India has improved its ease of doing business index, but challenges remain on the market access front, he said. There are concerning issues regarding data localisation, intellectual property rights, high tariffs, duplicative safety and security testing, price controls, and FTI restrictions in sectors like insurance, he added. These are the challenges that India and the United States have to work together to resolve, Semsar said. Noting that the Trump administration has long recognised the need to diversify supply chains for both economic and security of the US, he said that business leaders are finally realising that they cannot rely on unsuitable sources for their production. The coronavirus pandemic has shown how easily supply chains can weaken and in some cases, even break down entirely. On this front, India has the potential to become a global leader in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, Semsar said. Stating that supply chains are not easily mobile and market research and investments take a very long time, he recommended that India take a long term approach to attracting business. Semsar urged India to avoid the bait and switch tactic of attracting companies by implementing good policies only to later change course by adopting regulations that are inhibiting and costly to business. Being overly bureaucratic with firms that operate globally and know the intricacies of running a business in different countries will immediately reduce a country's chance of attracting and retaining investment. Companies are extremely sensitive to regulatory oversight and bureaucratic controls, he said, adding that they compare notes between countries and they are able to add up the cost down to the penny. The time involved in dealing with burdensome government controls is an important cost that is very easily tracked, he added. When it comes to supply chains, the industry recognises three things: diversification, resilience and reliability. needs to be diversified, infrastructure needs to be resilient and reliable and policies in the business environment also need to be reliable, he said. Also, foreign investors look for the ability to have majority ownership and control and their business ventures to help strategically manage and deploy resources. US companies are extremely alert to market opportunities, no matter where they exist in the world. However, in our minds, India to a certain degree can make strides and levelling the playing field by abandoning discriminatory policies, enhancing transparency and predictability and its policies and lowering the cost of doing business," he said. "Despite having an improved overall ease of doing business -- that ranking is down to 63, out of 190 economies, which is incredible progress -- India still ranks at 136 for starting a business, 154 for registering a property and 163 for enforcing contracts." "This ultimately hurts FDI in India, but has even more harmful impact on the creation of indigenous Indian firms particularly those that might be competitive, internationally, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Messages of Black Lives Matter and "Defund the Police" were spray painted on several tourist attractions in Tennessee on Monday night, including Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate, authorities said. The graffiti phrases were found Tuesday morning outside Graceland, the Levitt Shell Amphitheater in Overton Park and the "I Heart Memphis" mural in midtown Memphis, news outlets reported. Besides "Defund the Police," expletive-laced messages about President Donald Trump and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and demands to arrest the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor were also scrawled on the walls. Memphis police said they were investigating the incident. Graceland spokesperson David Beckwith said the estate had no comment on the graffiti but Bill Stanley, Elvis' stepbrother, told WMC-TV he was appalled by the messages. "This is totally uncalled for," Stanley said. "One of the saddest days of my life. I mean, besides the day that Elvis passed away, this right here is right up next to it." Graceland visitors have been writing on the wall outside the estate since Presley's death in 1977. Levitt Shell executive director Natalie Wilson said this is the sixth act of vandalism at the Shell this year. Wilson said she doesn't condone the graffiti but the actions are devastating because of budget issues due to the pandemic. Associated Press Lawsuit seeks to ban West from ballot An Arizona resident has asked a judge to bar Kanye West from appearing on Arizona's Nov. 3 ballot, accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate. Lawyers for Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizona's ballot if they aren't registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them. But Clayton's lawyers say West, who has dozens of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona, isn't qualified to be on the ballot because he's a registered Republican. Even if West were able to gather enough signatures, the lawsuit said the hip hop artist's late-in-the-game candidacy would make no difference to his chances of winning the race. "West will not be able to qualify for the ballot in enough states to muster enough electoral votes to prevail," Clayton's lawyers wrote. "West's minimal interest in playing a spoiler candidate on Arizona's ballot is not enough to outweigh the factors favoring emergency relief." West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah. The rapper and music producer announced his intention to run for president on July 4 and faces a deadline late Friday afternoon in Arizona for turning in more than 39,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. A Maricopa County judge is scheduled to hear arguments in the legal challenge on Thursday afternoon. Associated Press Royals sign deal with Netflix The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a new home: Netflix. Six months after detangling their work lives from the British royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have signed a multiyear deal to produce nature series, documentaries and children's programming for the streamer, according to a statement Wednesday. The two, who recently relocated to Santa Barbara, California, plan to focus on stories and issues that elevate diverse voices and other issues close to their hearts. Several projects are already in development, including a nature docu-series and a series focused on women who inspire. The couple also pledged to promote diversity behind the camera as their production company gets off the ground. Meghan has said she will not return to acting. She has done some voice work since the couple left the U.K. with baby Archie in search of their financial independence. The prince worked closely with the filmmakers of the documentary "Rising Phoenix," in which he also appears. It premiered last week on Netflix. Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer for Netflix, said in the statement that the decamped royals have "inspired millions of people all around the world with their authenticity, optimism and leadership." Associated Press Larry Kudlow shared his story of addiction and recovery to first lady Melania Trump at the White House on Thursday, noting he was celebrating 25 years of being sober this year. Kudlow, who serves as President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser, was Wall Street star in the 1990s - with chatter he could run for public office - when he revealed he left his job at Bear Stearns to enter a 12-step program in order to deal with his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. 'It would have been unthinkable that I could occupy such a job 25 years ago. I was a hopeless abuser of alcohol and drugs,' he told attendees at a Office of National Drug Policy roundtable, hosted at the White House by the first lady. 'I had tried several times unsuccessfully to get sober,' he noted. 'Like a lot of my peers and friends, I went through bloody hell and suffered significant consequences. I was unemployable.' Melania Trump hosted a roundtable with the Office of National Drug Policy on addiction and recovery issues Larry Kudlow shared his story of addiction and recovery to first lady Melania Trump at the event, which took place during National Recovery Month Melania Trump is welcome to the event by Director of National Drug Control Policy James Carroll (left) and Larry Kudlow, President Trump's chief economic adviser (right) He noted his story has been out there so he didn't go into details except to say it was 'the best thing' to happen to him because if forced him to change. 'I believe sincerely today it probably was the best thing that ever happened. Because it forced me to change,' he said, dressed in one of his signature pin-stripped suits and a soft pink tie. The ups and downs of his struggle to stay sober were chronicled in the business papers in the 1990s after he told his story to The New York Times, admitting he was an addict and that Bear Stearns had actually forced him out. In 1995, his third wife Judith threatened to divorce him when he relapsed. But he did manage to make a recovery and keep his marriage. At Thursday's event he called his wife a 'saint.' 'My worst day now is better than any day I had before I got sober,' he said Thursday. And he had words of hope and encouragement for the nearly two dozen people participating in the 'Recovery at Work: Celebrating Connections' event and another couple of dozen in the audience. 'You will, you can get sober. Those who are still sick and suffering, you can. It's not easy, but you can get sober and stay sober and you can lead a productive life, and most importantly, hopefully, like myself, we can learn to help other people,' he said. Larry Kudlow thanked President Trump and first lady Melania Trump for their support combating drug addiction is one of the three pillars of the first lady's Be Best campaign Kudlow praised President Trump and Melania Trump for their support. He said he and the president had spoken about his addiction and the president talked about his older brother Fred, who died in 1981 due to complications from his alcohol addiction. 'It is my pleasure and honor to be here today. The President has been remarkable. I've known him many years. He brought me into this position, I didn't ask for it. I've served it to the best of my ability,' Kudlow said. 'We have great discussions, sometimes even debates. He is remarkable man. And if I get time off for good behavior and write another book that what I'll write.' He said his recovery works continues every day - doing a daily mediation and checking in with friends from his recovery program. And, he noted it comes in handy sometimes when his administration job gets stressful. 'Oftentimes if things get a little bit tense around here - just occasionally - I say the Serenity Prayer. It works if you work it,' he said. The group gave him a round of applause when he finished his story. September is National Recovery Month and the first lady lists battling drug addiction as one of the three pillars of her Be Best campaign. She stayed longer than scheduled at the event, telling participants she had read their biographies and wanted to hear their stories. Many of them shared their road to recovery with the first lady, who was wearing a dark blue dress with a white dot pattern. She also got some hands on experience with the battle against drug addiction. Surgeon General Jerome Adams demonstrated to her how to dispense Naloxone, which is a drug given to someone suffering from a drug overdose. 'If the Secret Service doesn't kill me, I'm going to demonstrate to the First Lady,' he said, getting up from his spot at the table to bring Melania Trump a small, white dispenser. He showed her how to press a button on it. 'That literally is how easy it is to save a life,' he noted. 'Just give it a push.' 'One time use?,' Melania Trump asked after she tried it. 'Yes,' he told her. Surgeon General Jerome Adams demonstrated to Melania Trump how to dispense Naloxone, which is a drug given to someone suffering from a drug overdose Melania Trump asked Dr. Adams if the device could just be used once, which he said yes First Lady Melania Trump opened the event by noting the coronavirus pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness and sadness around the country The first lady welcomed the guests to the event and noted the COVID pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness around the country. 'The coronavirus pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness and sadness. For vulnerable populations, it has also increased the risk of substance abuse. But the American people are strong and always set-up to help one another in times of need. My husband and this Administration are also committed to making sure no one is left behind and the forgotten man and woman are forgotten no more,' she said. Melania Trump did not wear a mask but all the participants at the event received a COVID test before it began, according to the first lady's office. Pradip Phanjoubam By Manipurs descent into lawlessness is now almost complete. No longer is this about unlawful organisations challenging the state and its institutions; it has to do with the behaviours of those who are entrusted to be the laws custodians. This became quite evident yet again in the proceedings inside the Manipur Legislative Assembly during the August 10 confidence vote. What also became stark was the basic character of Manipur politics, marked by a singular lack of loyalty to ideology and determined solely by lure of spoils of power. It may be recalled that the March 2017 elections to the 60-member Manipur Assembly threw up a hung verdict, with the Congress missing the majority mark of 31, bagging 28 seats. The BJP returned 21, but the state governor, Najma Heptulla, turned down the Congress request to form the next government and instead placed her trust in a BJP-led coalition. In the months thereafter, eight Congress MLAs defected to the BJP, but the Speaker, Y Khemchand, refused disqualification petitions for three years. On March 28 this year, a Supreme Court intervention led to the disqualification of one. Of the remaining seven, the Speaker disqualified three on the eve of the June 18 election to Manipurs lone Rajya Sabha seat when they decided to return to the Congress fold, thus ensuring victory for the BJP candidate. There is then the question of why the Monsoon Session was held for only one day to hold the confidence vote, despite requests for a longer session to discuss other urgent issues. The understanding that the Assembly, unlike the government, is the voice of all the people of the state represented by ruling and opposition MLAs and that honest debates here can sanctify government policies as having the mandate of the entire state was allowed to go up in smoke. In its hubris as the majority formation in power, the government often presumes it is the sole arbitrator of state policies, forgetting that the opposition represents another huge section of the population. It is the voice of this section that is increasingly getting silenced in the states policy initiatives. The state is faced with many urgent issues currently. The Covid challenge is one. In the last five months of the pandemic reaching the state, the government has made several false steps. For instance, the state clearly misjudged the likely span of the crisis, leading to superfluous utilisation of resources and energy at the very start, and unnecessarily fatigued the population and state alike before time. Strategies on the matter could have been thrashed out meaningfully, with inputs from the House as a collective. There should also have been time slotted to discuss how Manipur can accommodate a Naga peace settlement amicably without accentuating the states already unenviable ethnic frictions, but also without jeopardising the peace process. This issue too was ignored and left to be tackled in the governments characteristic way of knee-jerk responses to every emergent crisis. Then there is the question of the way the Speaker conducted the trust vote. The Speaker decided on a voice vote, but how can such a crucial decision be based on which of the choruses, one saying Aye and the other Nay, was louder, especially when the difference in number between the two sides is marginal? There will also be no way of determining cross voting from either side, and this problem was important enough for the Congress to issue a whip to its legislators to vote as per the partys decision, suspecting there were Trojan Horses within its ranks. The Speaker ruled that the government won the trust vote, but the opposition asked for a division vote; the Speaker disallowed this, leading to acrimony inside the Assembly. The Manipur Assembly Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business does mention in Rule 360 that if asked for, the Speaker should arrange for a division vote, but the rule book is unclear on whether the Speaker is bound to concede to such a demand. This being so, resolution should have been sought in accordance with precedents in India. Interestingly, the Lok Sabha Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business Rule 367 clearly mentions that if even a single member challenges a voice vote decision, the Speaker is obliged to hold a division vote. Even if the Speaker thinks such a move is irrelevant because one side is overwhelmingly in the majority, he is still obliged to have all Aye and Nay sayers stand up in turns and do a headcount without going through the more cumbersome exercise of a division vote. Precedents from other Commonwealth countries that follow the same system should also have been noted. In these countries, the voice vote is already disused except in cases of lightly contested matters where the need was just to arrive at a consensus. This complete disregard for rule of law at this level can only further erode public esteem in the system and can be dangerous for a state already prone to problems of severe law and order breaches. Pradip Phanjoubam Editor, FPSJ Review of Arts and Politics (phanjoubam@gmail.com) A wreck late Thursday morning involving two Saturn vehicles in North Whitehall Township sent a 20-year-old Slatington woman to the hospital, Pennsylvania State Police report. The woman was driving a 1998 Saturn station wagon west on Neffs Laurys Road and pulling out from a stop sign about 11:15 a.m. when she collided with a Saturn Vue that was going north on Old Post Road, which doesnt have a stop sign, police said. The two people in the Vue werent hurt, but the Slatington woman, after being cut from the vehicle, was driven by Northern Valley EMS to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, according to police and a report from the scene. She was awake and talking before she was transported, police said. A 20-year-old Slatington woman was freed from a 1998 Saturn wagon late in the morning of Sept. 3, 2020, after a two-vehicle wreck in North Whitehall Township.Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor The crash remained under investigation, said state police spokesman Trooper Nathan Branosky, who provided the information on the incident. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. In a bid to grow its portfolio and capitalize on the healthy market fundamentals, Innovative Industrial Properties IIPR recently announced completing the acquisition of a Michigan property for $6.2 million. Located at 29600 Stephenson Highway in Madison Heights, the property expands the companys footprint to 62 properties with more than 4.7 million square feet across 16 states. This real estate investment trust (REIT), which is focused on cannabis-centered real estate portfolio, also entered into a long-term, triple-net lease agreement with a subsidiary of Holistic Industries Inc., which on completing the development of a roughly 63,000 square foot industrial building, will operate the property as a regulated cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensing facility. Considering the full reimbursement of the property development, Innovative Industrial Properties total investment in it will be $25 million. The companys partnership with Holistic seems a strategic fit. This is because Holistic is one of the largest private, vertically-integrated multi-state operators in the cannabis industry with operations in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. Apart from the Michigan property, Innovative Industrial Properties owns and leases three other properties in Maryland, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania to Holistic. Notably, the legalization of marijuanas medical use across several states as well as the permission for recreational consumption in some created opportunities for the cannabis industry. Therefore with more states in the United States giving cannabis the green light, Innovative Industrial Properties has incentives to partner with the experienced medical-use cannabis operators and serve as a vital source of capital by acquiring and leasing back their real-estate assets. Its plan is to acquire the existing, redeveloped and under-development industrial buildings including attached and enclosed greenhouse facilities. In fact, Michigan started regulated adult-use cannabis sales last December and per a Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency report, total sales for medical-use and adult-use cannabis were $109.6 million in July, reflecting solid growth month over month. Innovative Industrial Properties too remains well poised to benefit from this favorable trend with its total investment worth $155.8 million in the properties it owns in Michigan including its committed funding for future tenant improvements. Innovative Industrial Properties currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Year to date, shares of the company have outperformed the industry. The stock has rallied 64.8% against the industrys decline of 6.4%. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues Stocks to Consider The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Duke Realty Corporations DRE 2020 FFO per share has been revised 2.8% upward to $1.49 over the past month. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Cousins Properties Incorporateds CUZ FFO per share estimate for the ongoing year has moved 1.5% north to $2.78 over the past month. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. Four Corners Property Trust, Inc.s FCPT FFO per share estimate for 2020 has moved 6.7% up to $1.43 over the past two months. It is currently a Zacks #2 Ranked player. Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represent funds from operations (FFO) a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. Theyre also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +50%, +83% and +164% in as little as 2 months. The stocks in this report could perform even better. See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Duke Realty Corporation (DRE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Four Corners Property Trust, Inc. (FCPT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research COQUITLAM, BC, Sept. 2, 2020 /CNW/ - Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc. (TSXV: CCW) (OTC: CCWOF) (Frankfurt: 4T9B) (the "Company" or "Canada Silver Cobalt") announces that further to its news release dated today, the Company has increased and closed on an additional $50,000 bringing the total funds raised in all tranches to $6,743,730. The Company has issued an additional 90,909 units ("Units") in the final closing. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.65 per share, for a period of three years from closing, subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("Exchange") final approval. The proceeds of the private placement will be used for ongoing drilling of the Castle East Robinson Zone discovery, near the town of Gowganda, Ontario and for general working capital. All securities issued in connection with the private placement are subject to a fourmonth and a day hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian Securities Laws. About Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc. Canada Silver Cobalt's flagship Castle mine and 78 sq. km Castle Property features strong exploration upside for silver, cobalt, nickel, gold and copper in the prolific past producing Gowganda high-grade Silver-Cobalt District of Northern Ontario. With an important new discovery at Castle East, underground access at the Castle mine, a processing facility (TTL Laboratories) in the nearby town of Cobalt, a proprietary hydrometallurgical process known as Re-2OX, and the Beaver and Violet properties, CCW is strategically positioned to become a Canadian leader in the silver-cobalt space. "Frank J. Basa" Frank J. Basa, P. Eng. Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. SOURCE Canada Silver Cobalt Works Inc. For further information: Frank J. Basa, P.Eng., CEO, 1-416-625-2342; Wayne Cheveldayoff, Corporate Communications, [email protected], 1-416-710-2410 Related Links http://www.canadacobaltworks.com/ SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah Business announced Walker Edison as No. 4 on their Fast 50 list yesterday during an award luncheon held at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The Fast 50 list recognizes the fastest growing companies in Utah. The considerations for the award include a minimum of two years in business and a combination of revenue growth and total revenue. Each candidate is vetted by Tanner LLC for financial accuracy. Walker Edison COO Matt Davis said of the award, "I'm extremely proud of our talented team and their innovation that paves the way for our continued growth. Our success will always be a product of the efforts of our team." This is the fifth year that Walker Edison has been included in the Utah Business Fast 50 list. "Having sustained long-term high growth is nothing but a testament to the amazing team at Walker Edison. We are so proud of the people we work with every day", says Walker Edison CEO Brad Bonham A full list of all the Fast 50 winners can be found on the Utah Business website. About Walker Edison Established in 2006, Walker Edison quickly became a leading partner and a drop-ship solution for the biggest names in e-commerce. We are a data centric organization that is committed to deliver more than just innovative furniture - we are committed to help our customers Live Outside the Box. Walker Edison is a global organization with operations in Brazil, Asia, the UK and Germany. To learn more visit walkeredison.com SOURCE Walker Edison Related Links http://www.walkeredison.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:58:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines reported the lowest daily cases in one month on Thursday, while India continued to surge with the highest single-day spike of over 80,000 new COVID-19 cases. The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported 1,987 new cases of COVID-19, the lowest daily increase in more than one month in the Southeast Asian country. The last time the daily new cases in the Philippines fell below 2,000 was on July 29, which stood at 1,834. India's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,853,406, as the death toll mounted to 67,376, showed the latest data released by the federal health ministry, with 83,883 new cases and 1,043 more deaths. This is the highest single-day spike of new COVID-19 cases in the country so far. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the country's recovery from the first recession in three decades will "take years." He said the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis will be felt for a long time in Australia, but the government would be "ambitious" in the upcoming budget, which was delayed because of the pandemic, for financial year 2020/2021 despite the grim outlook. Japan reported 612 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 70,359 infections, not including those connected to a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier in the year. South Korea reported 195 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 20,644. The daily caseload fell below 200 in 17 days, but it continued to grow in triple digits since Aug. 14 owing to cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province linked to church services and a massive rally. Fiji's parliament passed amendments to the Public Health Act to charge quarantine fees to foreigners entering the island nation under COVID-19 protocols. The amendment will allow the nation's Health Ministry to make regulations on fees and charges for foreign visitors who require quarantine and medical services. The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 3,622 within one day to 184,268, with the death toll adding by 134 to 7,750, the Health Ministry said. Afghanistan on Thursday reported 45 new COVID-19 cases after health authorities conducted 523 tests, the country's Ministry of Public Health confirmed. Tourism businesses in Cambodia have gradually reopened after the situation of COVID-19 in the kingdom has eased, Tourism Ministry's secretary of state Tith Chantha said. Bangladesh reported over 2,100 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total to nearly 320,000, with about two-thirds of the patients having recovered. The figures reported by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health showed 2,158 new COVID-19 positive cases and 32 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh. New Zealand confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, including one in the community and one imported case in managed isolation. The community case has been epidemiologically linked to the Auckland cluster, according to the Ministry of Health. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 1,058, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports. A total of 63 COVID-19 confirmed cases including 41 local transmission cases and 22 imported cases were reported. Enditem Some migrants are being forced to travel across the channel despite not wanting to go to the UK, a top official has claimed. (PA) Some of the migrants crossing the channel are being forced to do so, MPs have been told Facilitators make them go in order to be paid, a parliamentary committee heard The comments come a day after the highest number of migrants tried to cross the channel this year Visit the Yahoo homepage for more stories Some of the migrants crossing the English Channel are being forced to travel to the UK by criminals when they have no desire to go there, the commander tasked with responding to the small boats has said. Dan OMahoney, the recently-appointed clandestine channel threat commander, told MPs on Wednesday that the vulnerable migrants are compelled to go on the boats so the facilitators can get paid. The former Royal Marine was responding to Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who said there was an inaccurate perception that the UK is an easier place to work illegally and live undercover. The comments come a day after the highest number of migrant crossings was recorded this year. Home secretary Priti Patel has pledged to make the channel route unviable. (PA) OMahoney told the Home Affairs Committee he agreed with Loughtons view that people are coming here on a false premise. Its exactly the phenomenon which youve described, where these ruthless criminals are taking advantage of the vulnerability of these migrants, some of whom dont even want to come to the UK, OMahoney said. Read more: Nearly 1,500 migrants made journey to UK in small boats during August We hear through debriefing a lot of stories about migrants who are literally forced on to boats, have no idea where they are when they get to the UK, because the facilitators dont get paid until theyve done that last leg of the journey. So there is a huge misinformation campaign going on with the facilitators who tell them that the streets are paved with gold in the UK. As anybody knows whos travelled to France its a perfectly civilised country, it has a fully functioning asylum system and what we find is when we deliver the migrants to the reception centres they do in fact claim asylum in France. Story continues Home secretary Priti Patel has previously vowed to make crossings completely unviable. Wednesday saw the highest number of migrants reach the UK on small boats, with at least 409 people making the journey under calm and sunny weather on the channel. The Home Office said it had dealt with at least 27 incidents. The previous highest number of migrants who crossed to the UK was at least 235 people on 6 August. OMahoney also said factors driving the increase in people travelling across on small boats included global migration trends caused by events thousands of miles away, the coronavirus pandemic and unprecedented weather patterns over July and August. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK BEIJING - President Xi Jinping on Thursday praised Chinas spirit of resistance in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, saying any attempt to alter the nations course under Communist Party rule would be resisted by all of its 1.4 billion citizens. Xi led government officials in a minute of silence and presentation of floral wreaths at a memorial hall dedicated to soldiers and civilians who participated in the war, in which China endured a brutal invasion and occupation of much of its territory by Japan. The Chinese people demonstrated to the world their patriotism, national character, heroism and a strong will to win during the war, Xi, who is also Communist Party leader, said in a speech following the ceremony. The Chinese people will refuse any person or any force that attempts to distort the history of the Communist Party, its character or its mission, he said. Xis remarks come as China faces increasing political and economic pressure from the U.S., friction along its border with India and push-back from European countries and Southeast Asian nations over its economic and territorial ambitions. Japan launched a full-on invasion of China in 1937, marked by urban warfare and atrocities such as the notorious Rape of Nanking. While armies under Nationalist Party leader Chiang Kai-shek fought most of the major battles, Communist Party guerrillas under Mao Zedong forced Japan to divert soldiers and resources from battlefields elsewhere with low-level engagements. Although Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri on Sept.2, 1945, China marks the end of the war on Sept. 3 when it first held nationwide celebrations. The Communists swept to power in 1949 following renewed civil war against the Nationalists and continue to uphold the struggle against Japan as a source of their legitimacy to rule. Chiang relocated his Republic of China government to Taiwan, where it continues to enjoy strong, though unofficial, U.S. support after making a transition to full democracy more than two decades ago. On the mainland, the Communist Party has retained one-party authoritarian rule and crushed all efforts to mount a political opposition or even question its legitimacy. In the process, Xi has taken control of all major levers of power and eliminated term limits, effectively setting him up to be Chinas leader for the rest of his life. Thursdays relatively low-key commemoration reflected social distancing rules in place during the coronavirus outbreak and contrasted sharply with how China has marked other significant anniversaries, including a lavish military parade through the centre of Beijing last Oct. 1 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. Earlier on Thursday, Xi told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that he wanted to work for international fairness and justice, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The exchange of messages was intended to commemorate the joint struggle of China and the former Soviet Union against the Axis powers, and also underscore the close co-operation over recent years between China and Russia in resisting the influence of Washington and the democratic West. The two nations should use the 75th anniversary of the wars end as an opportunity to lead their countries towards deeper comprehensive strategic co-ordination, Xinhua quoted Xi as saying. He also suggested that the two sides make concerted efforts with the international community to actively uphold and practice multilateralism, Xinhua said, using Chinas standard term for resisting American and Western influence. Read more about: Bangkok: Thailand will jail human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa and another activist for breaching their bail conditions following their earlier arrests over anti-government rallies, one of their lawyers said on Thursday. A Thai court on Thursday revoked the bail of Arnon and Panupong Jadnok for breaching the conditions of their release. Thai human rights lawyer Anon Nampa speaks at a demonstration in Bangkok last month. Credit:Getty Images The pair will be held in pretrial detention at a remand prison, Arnon's lawyer, Weeranan Huadsri, said. Their arrests were among more than a dozen in recent weeks for sedition and on charges related to demonstrations that police say were in breach of a ban on gatherings imposed to prevent coronavirus infections. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After nearly six months of being shuttered, malls that have installed Merv-13 air filters in New York City have been given the green light to open at half capacity on Wednesday, Sept. 9, by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor made the announcement about NYC malls, which are the last shopping centers in the state allowed to open during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, during a conference call Thursday morning. While this pandemic is far from over, our numbers have remained steadily low, so we know our phased, data-driven approach to reopening is the right one, Cuomo said. Thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, we are at a point in our fight against this virus where we can safely reopen malls in New York City as long as they adhere to strict health and safety protocols. Masks, enhanced air ventilation systems, and social distancing will be mandatory. This is good news and the right step forward. This means the Staten Island Mall in New Springville, which has been ready to open for the last few months, can open its doors to patrons next week. After months of preparation -- including the installation of the new air filters, increased signage, reduced hours, hand-sanitizing dispensers, and outdoor seating -- the Staten Island Mall only found out a few days before Phase 4, which began on July 8, that malls in NYC were yanked from Cuomos last reopening phase. Upon hearing of the news that the Mall can open on Sept. 9, James Easley, senior Mall manager, said, I have 100% confidence that we will make that date, as long as the guidance does not change. Prior to Thursdays announcement, only stores with exterior entrances have been allowed to open at the Mall. Councilman Steven Matteo (R-South Shore), had written two letters to both the Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, demanding the Staten Island Mall be allowed to reopen to customers. I am pleased the governor finally understands what we have been saying for many weeks now -- that people can shop in the Staten Island Mall just as safely as they can in other counties outside the city and in New Jersey, said Matteo. This couldnt happen soon enough. NEW AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM Even before Cuomo announced that malls would need enhanced air filtration systems in place to reopen, Staten Island Mall management had invested in more than 100 high-powered MERV-13 filters, said Easley. The MERV-13 filter is similar to a Hepa filter. It catches 95% of all particulate materials from the air. Apparently, thats enough to catch the virus, said Easley. Every one of our common areas have had these filters installed within the last week. Many websites tout the MERV-13 as the most effective filter for clarifying the air. In addition to new air filtration, signage pertaining to social distancing rules and hand-sanitizing dispensers have been placed throughout the Mall, said Easley. Also, when the Mall reopens, security officers will be wearing masks. And there will be masks available for any customer who doesnt have one, as they are now mandatory in New York City for all indoor activities outside the home. FEW PLACES TO SIT Another safety measure put in place by the Mall is the removal of extra seating throughout the shopping center. There wont be a lot of places to sit in the Mall. Thats one thing thats going to be a big negative for us. Shoppers really like to be able to sit down and wait for their spouse or significant other to finish their shopping -- and we wont have that, said Easley. NEW MALL HOURS When the Mall opens it will operate from Monday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Easley told the Advance/SILive.com in an earlier interview. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a directive to resume international air service with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Maldives on a mutual basis, Trend reports with reference to TASS. "Egypt (Cairo), three flights a week; the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), two flights a week; the Republic of Maldives (Velana airport), two flights a week," the statement said. It is noted that the decision was proposed by the anti-coronavirus crisis center based on the criteria voiced earlier (40 new cases of the coronavirus infection per 100,000 of population during 14 days, no more than 1% of daily growth of the new cases over 14 days and the coronavirus spread coefficient not higher than one over a week). Regular air service between Russia and other countries was interrupted at the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic. After that only the so-called repatriation flights were performed. Since August 1, it was allowed to resume flights to Great Britain, Tanzania, and Turkey. Since August 15, air service was restored between Russia and Switzerland. Representative image India's economy had officially entered recession, as released data on Monday showed a collapse of 23.9 percent of gross domestic product in the second quarter. This was largely due to the Indian economy being weighed 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 India's jobs and earnings were impacted in the similar period (May-June.) 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 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. The survey also found that only 27 percent 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." He also reportedly wanted to be its leader. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus in the spring of 2014, when Russia was annexing Crimea and fomenting unrest in Donbas, offered the then head of the Polish government, Donald Tusk, to convince the EU to support the merger of Ukraine and Belarus into a union state headed by Lukashenko himself. "Lukashenko phoned me then, when I was prime minister, and directly offered that I convince the EU that he could be the guarantor of a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue. And that we support his idea of an alliance of Belarus and Ukraine with him as president of both countries," Tusk told the Polish outlet onet.pl, according to lb.ua. Read alsoUkraine freezes all contacts with Belarus FM KulebaTusk says this is how Lukashenko sought to protect Belarus from Russian aggression, and himself from losing power. "At that time, everyone was afraid that Russia would not stop at the annexation of Crimea, and Lukashenko was wary of uncontrolled developments, to which not only Ukraine, but also Belarus could fall victim. And this could also mean it was over for him," Tusk explained. Lukashenko was wary of uncontrolled developments, to which not only Ukraine, but also Belarus could fall victim Russia and Belarus: Union State A two-year-old girl has drowned in coastal Victoria after wandering away from her family and falling off a pier. A frantic Triple-0 call was made at about 1pm on Thursday when the child vanished from The Esplanade in Portarlington, 28km east of Geelong. A police search was launched and the girl was found face down in the water at a nearby pier. A Victoria Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the toddler was unresponsive and could not be saved. A two-year-old girl has drowned after going missing at The Esplanade in Portarlington, Victoria, before being pulled unresponsive from the water (a distraught man pictured at the scene) Officers desperately performed CPR on the two-year-old until ambulance crews arrived. Paramedics were seen working on the little girl for close to an hour, The Geelong Advertiser reported. 'Unfortunately she died at the scene,' the spokeswoman said. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner. Successful interceptions of American military aircraft by Russian fighters reveal a number of unthinkable NATO mistakes. This opinion was expressed in an article for the Washington Examiner by U.S. publicist Tom Rogan. The journalist analyzed in his material two similar incidents that took place on August 28 over the Baltic and Black Seas. In both cases, Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers approaching the Russian border. Rogan harshly criticized NATO Air Command in Europe, claiming "unthinkable mistakes" and "serious tactical miscalculation" of the alliance. According to the publicist, Russia "particularly dislikes" NATO flights near Kaliningrad and its western border. In this regard, he wonders why American bombers fly unaccompanied by fighters, although, according to Rogan, NATO should have foreseen a high risk of interception of the B-52 by Russian aircraft. Considering the incident over the Baltic Sea, the journalist cites a NATO statement about the violation of the Danish airspace by a Russian fighter plane. According to Rogan, Russia was able to "successfully invade the sovereign airspace of a NATO member state," and neither the Danish nor Polish air forces were ready to repel the Russian invasion." The American command also did nothing, although it had the opportunity to lift a squadron of F-16 fighters from the Spangdahl airbase in Germany, the author of the article believes. The commentary by NATO commander Jeff Harrigian, who expressed his readiness to defend the airspace of the alliance, caused a particularly harsh response from the journalist. "Why is Harrigian making such a claim when the Russians have just proven it to be untrue?" Rogan asks. According to the author of the article, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper must understand the situation with the interception of the alliance aircraft by Russia. If NATO commanders do not change their tactics, they must be replaced, the publicist concludes. The Russian Ministry of Defense regularly reports on the interceptions of aircraft from NATO member countries near the Russian borders. A Florida sheriff's deputy is under investigation after he made multiple comments about George Floyd on Facebook, stating that his death was 'the best outcome'. Deputy Matthew Archambeau made the comments in August on a Facebook page called 'Police Blotter' and argued with those who criticized his words, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Archambeau called Floyd 'scum' and falsely claimed he was previously guilty of threatening to shoot a pregnant woman. An internal investigation is now underway at the Hillsborough County sheriff's office work to determine if the comments violated office policies. Deputy Matthew Archambeau at Hillsborough County sheriff's office in Florida is under investigation for his Facebook comments in a pro-cop group about George Floyd's death Deputy Matthew Archambeau commented in the pro-cop Facebook page Police Blotter that he believed George Floyd's death while being placed under arrest was the 'best outcome' 'At the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, we strive to educate all of our employees about the importance of being responsible, respectful, and accountable for what they post online,' the Sheriff's Office said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times. 'It should go without saying that Archambeau's comments posted through his personal social media account do not reflect the views of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 'Almost immediately after Deputy Matthew Archambeau's comments were made on social media, we took proactive steps and began to look into this matter.' The investigation has not resulted in an internal affairs case, they added, and Archambeau remains on normal duty as a patrol deputy while the review is underway. Archambeau commented on a post in the pro-law enforcement and pro-military Facebook group about developments in Floyd's case and the four police officers who have been charged with his death. 'It's sad the officers are dealing with this mess. But him dead is the best outcome,' he wrote with a smiling emoji. The comment was quickly criticized by others but Archambeau answered back. 'Oh, the wrongful accusations of the officers wasn't wrong?' he wrote in one reply. 'His violent criminal history isn't wrong? Tell me, what benefit did he provide society? Scum.' Archambeau also called Floyd 'scum' and other Facebook users criticized his comments 'I really hope you don't wear a badge. People with your mentality give other officers a bad name,' one user told him, according to the Times. 'Really? That's beyond messed up,' another said. 'I know, your compassion for thugs is much more beneficial in life than someone who hates them,' Archambeau hit back. He further commented that Floyd 'killed himself'. Deputy Archambeau claimed George Floyd, pictured, 'killed himself' and falsely alleged he was guilty of threatening to shoot a pregnant woman after other users criticized his comments The allegation stems from a claim made by the defense attorney of one of the cops charged with Floyd's death that he took a overdose of fentanyl. In a memorandum filed in court in August, Earl Gray claimed that Floyd swallowed a 'lethal dose' of fentanyl as he was resisting arrest. He plans to use that as the basis for his defense argument, saying he will rely on toxicology and autopsy reports and bodycam footage to prove his case. However, a medical examiner's report and a separate independent autopsy both ruled that Floyd's death was a homicide and that he died from asphyxiation Archambeau in another Facebook comment claimed, 'at least we can agree that he should have been killed the day he had a gun to a pregnant females stomach'. He was referencing Floyd's guilty plea in an armed robbery with a deadly weapon case in 2007. He was among six men involved in the home robbery. According to fact-checking site PoltiFact, there is no evidence that the woman involved was pregnant at the time or that Floyd threatened to kill her baby. A man other than Floyd also injured the woman in the robbery. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office would have been among the local agencies to respond to the unrest in Tampa as some protests in the area immediately after Floyd's death gave way to rioting and looting. According to the Times, Archambeau posted a picture of four Hillsborough deputies in riot gear on May 31. It is not clear if he is among those pictured. 'I know my partners will enjoy seeing your comments!' he said to those thanking him for his service. George Floyd's death led to months of unrest after a viral video showed he died on May 25 after being pinned to the ground with a police officer kneeling on his neck for close to nine minutes. Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng: The four cops arrested and charged with the death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis Officers had been called as it was believed Floyd had attempted to use a counterfeit $20 bill. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in his death were fired shortly afterward. Derek Chauvin, the cop seen in the video kneeling on his neck, was arrested four days later and charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Kiernan Lane and Tou Thao were also arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. Months of protests calling for an end to police brutality and systematic racism have continued as their criminal cases are pending. Advertisement Tory MPs today lashed out at Michel Barnier and warned the EU's top negotiator he must understand 'our fishing waters are ours' after Brexit trade talks descended into insults. Mr Barnier sparked Brexiteer fury overnight after he said that Britain is regaining control of its waters as part of its split from Brussels but not necessarily the fish within them. He said the UK 'will recover the full sovereignty' of its waters but he insisted 'speaking about the fish which are inside those waters' is 'another story'. The EU wants to secure continued access to UK waters for the bloc's fishing boats but Number 10 is adamant that British trawlers will be given priority. It is one of the main sticking points which is preventing trade talks from progressing, with both sides increasingly frustrated. Speaking at an event hosted by a Dublin think tank yesterday Mr Barnier said Britain was refusing to compromise on key issues but UK sources hit back and accused him of a 'deliberate and misleading caricature of our proposals'. Tory Brexiteers said Mr Barnier was being 'ridiculous' and that he still failed to understand the UK's position. One Brexiteer Conservative MP said: I dont think that they quite believe that we are serious. We have set out what we want, we have been absolutely straight: Our fishing waters are ours, hands off. Why should we give up what is ours? At the end of the day a deal will be done. He can keep saying ridiculous things but no one is taking any notice. It came as Pierre Karleskind, a French MEP and chairman of the European Parliament's fisheries committee, defended the bloc's approach on fishing as he said the negotiations boiled down to 'you want something, I want something'. Michel Barnier said that the UK will have 'full sovereignty' over its waters but that the fish within them are 'another story' This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain will take back control of after Brexit. At the moment the EEZ of every EU member state is merged into one large zone which can be accessed by fishermen from all over Europe. Why the complex issue of UK-EU fishing rights is leaving Brexit talks floundering in cold water Each country has an Exclusive Economic Zone which can extend up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. That country has special fishing rights over that area. However, in the EU each country's Exclusive Economic Zone is effectively merged into one joint EU zone. All fishing activity within that zone is then regulated by the bloc's controversial Common Fisheries Policy which dictates how many of each type of fish can be caught. The joint EU zone is open to fishermen from every member state. But after the Brexit transition period the UK will regain sole control of its Exclusive Economic Zone and the bolstered Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron will be tasked with patrolling it to make sure every vessel operating there has the right to do so. Advertisement Cod Wars and the bitter 30-year 'war for the waters': How Icelandic and British fishermen first clashed over fishing grounds in the 1950s An ongoing row over post-Brexit fishing rights has sparked fears of a return to the so-called Cod Wars of the 1950s and 1970s. Those confrontations saw Britain and Iceland clash repeatedly over access to waters in the North Atlantic. The quarrels were so ill-tempered that at times the Royal Navy had to step in to stop Icelandic boats from interfering with British trawlers. There have also been more recent rows over fishing rights between Britain and its European neighbours. In 2018 a so-called 'scallop war' erupted which saw French and British boats angrily clash over access to shellfish off the coast of Normandy. The UK is preparing for all post-Brexit eventualities, with the Government hiring two extra ships to provide additional help to the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron's current four ship fleet. Meanwhile, more than 20 other boats are being put on standby which means Britain's fishing patrol capabilities are said to be tripling. Advertisement The EU wants the most difficult issues in the talks to be resolved before it agrees to move onto other areas. Disagreements over fishing rights and a demand for the UK to agree to a 'level playing field' on rules and regulations are the main reasons for the current deadlock. The eighth round of formal negotiations are scheduled to get underway next week but there are no signs a significant breakthrough is imminent. The EU wants its fishing boats to keep the same rights to work in UK waters as they have now. Mr Barnier said: 'Obviously the UK will recover the full sovereignty of their waters. No doubt. No question. 'But it is another thing, another story, speaking about the fish which are inside those waters.' Mr Barnier said he is 'worried and disappointed' after informal discussions with UK counterpart David Frost this week ended in failure. He reiterated that the broad terms of a deal must be in place by the 'strict deadline' of the end of next month in order for it be ratified by the end of the transition period on December 31. Mr Barnier said earlier this month that discussions had actually been going 'backwards'. He said yesterday: 'We did not see any change in the position of the UK. 'This is why I express publicly that I am worried and I am disappointed because, frankly speaking, we have moved. 'I've shown clearly openness to find compromise. 'If they don't move on the issues which are the key issues of the EU, the level playing field, fisheries and governance, the UK will take itself the risk of a no deal.' Mr Barnier has accused the UK of using the livelihoods of EU fishermen and women as a 'bargaining chip'. And he said 'good luck, good luck' to those who say leaving without a trade deal will present the UK with opportunities. 'Frankly speaking, there is no reason to under-estimate the consequences for many people, many sectors, of a no-deal it will be a huge difference between a deal and a no-deal,' he said. Number 10 has said that it believes a trade deal with Brussels is still possible but that 'it is clear that it will not be easy to achieve'. Following Mr Barnier's comments at an event hosted by Dublin's Institute of International and European Affairs think tank, a UK source said: 'Barnier's speech is a deliberate and misleading caricature of our proposals aimed at deflecting scrutiny from the EU's own positions which are wholly unrealistic and unprecedented.' Meanwhile, Mr Karleskind defended the EU's decision to link progress on fishing rights to progress on other issues. Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme what fishing has got to do with UK access to the EU single market, he replied: 'Because Brexit is not fisheries only. 'Brexit is about fisheries, trade, financial services, access to the single sky, to the European single sky. 'We are doing all of these things together. 'You want to go to our market? We want to continue on going to the waters surrounding the UK and in which our fisherman have been fishing for decades, centuries. 'This is "you want something, I want something".' The EU is demanding continued access to UK waters for the bloc's fishing boats but Number 10 is adamant that British trawlers will be given priority. A fishing vessel is pictured working in the English Channel on August 10 What happens next in the Brexit process? The UK formally left the EU on January 31 this year. However, the two sides moved seamlessly into a status quo transition period lasting until December 31. This time was set aside to allow Brussels and Britain to hammer out the terms of their future relationship. Trade talks started in March and the eighth round of formal negotiations is due to get underway in London next week. However, talks are at a standstill amid disagreements on fishing rights and whether the UK will sign up to Brussels' rules and regulations. Downing Street has said it does not want talks to drag into the autumn while the EU wants a deal done by the of October in order to give member states enough time to ratify it before the end of the transition period. Given the time constraints and the lack of progress being made both sides now view a deal by the end of the year as unlikely. Advertisement The ongoing row over fishing rights has sparked fears of a return to the so-called Cod Wars of the 1950s and 1970s. Those confrontations saw Britain and Iceland clash repeatedly over access to waters in the North Atlantic. The quarrels were so ill-tempered that at times the Royal Navy had to step in to stop Icelandic boats from interfering with British trawlers. Every coastal state has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which can extend up to 200 nautical miles from land and over which that country has special fishing rights. But in the EU each country's EEZ is merged into one joint zone in which fishermen from all member states enjoy equal access, with activity regulated by the bloc's controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The UK is leaving the EU's CFP as part of Brexit which means it will be able to take back control of its considerable fishing grounds. Taking back control of UK waters was one of the key pledges of the 2016 Leave campaign. Fishermen from any registered EU member state can enjoy equal access to the fish in the entirety of the joint EU zone but the CFP imposes quotas on what can be caught. The CFP does allow member states to retain control of the regulation of fishing activities in inshore waters - those up to 12 miles off the coast. Up to six miles off the coast is protected for domestic fishing activity but some member states have historical rights to fish in the areas six to 12 miles off the coast of other countries. The head of the US Postal Service was subpoenaed yesterday by the House Oversight Committee for 'witholding' documents about mail delays and communications with the Trump campaign. The subpoena of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is a major Trump and Republican donor, seeks documents related to operational changes that have slowed mail, and the agency's plans for the presidential election. The request comes after the Democrat's committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney said DeJoy has not sufficiently answered the panel's requests for more information. 'It is clear that a subpoena has become necessary to further the Committees investigation and help inform potential legislative actions,' Maloney, D-N.Y., said this week. De Joy's appointment in June set in motion a set of policy changes that have delayed mail and sparked concern over the agency's ability to process mail-in ballots this fall. United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during the US House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on 24 August He has appeared before Congress twice in recent weeks to testify about the removal of the agency's blue collection boxes and mail sorting machines, as well as changes to trucking operations and overtime hours that postal workers say are resulting in delays. Amid a public outcry, DeJoy said he halted some of the changes until after election. Democrats have been pushing for increased oversight of the Postal Service following DeJoy's operational changes and Trump's baseless claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud. Trump floated an idea to supporters Wednesday that they vote twice - once by mail and once by person - to see if mail-in balloting is working. 'So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. 'If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote,' Trump suggested to a crowd gathered at the airport in Wilmington, North Carolina. It would be considered voter fraud for people to knowingly vote twice in an election. Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), questions U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Trump's comments were the latest the president has made about mail-in voting process, something he previously confessed could give Democrats an edge. Democrats have been pushing for more mail-in voting options due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The president has also admitted that he was withholding emergency money from the postal service in order to make it more difficult for them to process what is expected to be a record number of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic. The committee is also asking for information about how DeJoy, whose appointment in June broke a long line of postmaster generals with previous experience at the agency, was picked for the job, as well as any communications between DeJoy and the Trump campaign. It is also requesting DeJoy's unredacted calendar along with records on potential communications with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. A United States Postal Service (USPS) carrier makes his rounds on August 05, 2020 in New York City. The USPS, the nation's national mail carrier service, is under increased scrutiny from politicians who are warning that the agency is not prepared to handle the tens of millions of mail-in ballots which are expected to be sent for the November election In a letter Friday to the committee, DeJoy said postal leadership has expanded a task force on election mail with local officials and said his staff was working to provide the requested materials. He has said election mail is his 'No. 1 priority,' and that he will authorize expanded use of overtime, extra truck trips and other measures in the weeks before the election to ensure on-time delivery of ballots. A spokesman for the Postal Service said the agency will comply with its legal obligations. 'We remain surprised and confused by Chairwoman Maloneys insistence on issuing a subpoena to the Postal Service in the midst of ongoing dialogue with her staff on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to produce information in an orderly fashion. We fully intend to comply with our obligations under the law,' the statement read. The subpoena placed a noon Sept. 16 deadline for DeJoy to provide the records. Separately, an audit from the inspector general of the Postal Service found that more than a million mail-in ballots were sent to voters late during the primary elections. The watchdog urged greater cooperation between states and the agency ahead of the November election. The report found state election boards sent more than a million ballots within a week of their primaries, creating a 'high risk' that they couldn't be filled out and returned in time to be counted. In thousands of cases across the country, ballots were sent out after states' mailing deadlines or on election day. The inspector general also identified a handful of 'concerns' surrounding election mail, including ballots sent without bar-coded tracking technology, mail-in ballot designs that make processing difficult, postmark requirements and out-of-date voter addresses. President Trump spent significant time greeting a crowd of hundreds at the Wilmington airport, South Carolina, going up and down the line and addressing them twice, floating that they should vote once by mail and once in person 'Resolving these issues will require higher level partnerships and cooperation between the Postal Service and various state officials, including secretaries of state and state election boards,' the auditors wrote. 'Timely delivery of election and political mail is necessary to ensure the integrity of the U.S. election process.' The report found election officials in Kentucky and New York sent more than 600,000 mail-in ballots late during their primaries. In Pennsylvania, 500 ballots were mailed after election day. Seventeen states sent more than a half-million ballots after mailing deadlines, and 44,000 ballots were mailed on or a day before election day in 11 states. Also, an analysis of political and election mail in seven Postal Service processing centers between April and June identified around 1.6 million mailpieces that were not delivered on time. The report did not evaluate controversial operational changes implemented by DeJoy. The inspector general's office has opened a separate inquiry into those changes. DeJoy has recommended that voters request absentee ballots at least 15 days before the election and then return them within seven days from election day. 'To be clear, these recommendations are designed to help ensure that ballots will be delivered and counted, and should in no way be misconstrued to imply that we lack confidence in our ability to deliver those ballots. We can, and will, handle the volume of election mail we receive,' DeJoy told the House Oversight committee last week. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was practically admitting guilt when he denied involvement and ties on controversies hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III said. In an interview with CNN Philippines The Source on Thursday, Sotto questioned Duques defense that he was not part of the agency discussions regarding the implementation of the controversial interim reimbursement mechanism, a prepayment scheme to assist hospitals affected by fortuitous events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. So for many months, releases of 14.8 billion and the Chairman of the Board is not aware? If you say that, then you are practically admitting guilt to Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code because you are negligent, Sotto said of Duque. And that falls under the category of malversation especially with that kind of amount were discussing, he added. Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code provides that any public officer who, by reason of the duties of his office, is accountable for public funds or property, shall appropriate the same, or shall take or misappropriate or shall consent, or through abandonment or negligence, shall permit any other person to take such public funds or property, wholly or partially, shall be guilty of the misappropriation or malversation of such funds or property. Duque the highest-ranking official with the longest service to PhilHealth earlier defended himself from allegations that he failed to oversee the goings-on in the agency, saying he has been focusing on his other roles in battling the current health crisis. He likewise denied being a signatory to a board resolution which allowed the advance payments to hospitals for the pandemic response. "As a non-voting Chairman under the Universal Health Care Law, it is unfortunate that I was impleaded in the alleged IRM irregularities when I was not even present during the deliberation nor did I sign the Board resolution, the Health chief said in an earlier statement. Sotto argued, however, that Duque still has the role of supervising PhilHealths affairs, given it is an attached agency of the department he heads. Unforgivable Lawmakers earlier questioned the implementation of the IRM, noting the money was distributed to 279 facilities before requirements were completed. The requirements were met by June 11, but the agency already released over P14 billion from March 25, Sotto earlier said. The Senate committee also found that the funds released exceeded the estimated costs for COVID-19 treatment. Sotto said it is unforgivable that the Filipino peoples money was being used in such way. it is the peoples money. Hirap na hirap sila, di sila makapag-ospital inaasahan lang nila Philhealth. Pagkatapos malalaman nila na bilyon-bilyon sa pera ng Philhealth ay gagamitin sa ganoon? Its unforgivable, Sotto said. (Translation: The people are struggling, they are only relying on PhilHealth. Then they would discover that billions of pesos were used for those? Its unforgivable.) The Senate panel earlier recommended criminal and administrative charges against Duque, resigned PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales, as well as other officials over the alleged anomalies within the agency. President Rodrigo Duterte will meanwhile wait for the results of the probe of his multi-agency task force before acting on the matter, Malacanang earlier said. Sotto, for his part, said he doubts the report of the Task Force headed by the Justice Department will be different from the upper chambers findings. A Filipino crew member believed to be onboard Gulf Livestock 1 is rescued by a Japan Coast Guard boat during their search and rescue operation at the East China Sea, in southwestern Japan, in this handout photo taken on September 2, 2020. More than 40 crew members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the Japanese coastguard said on Thursday. A lone crew member from the Gulf Livestock 1 had been rescued so far. Three vessels, four airplanes and two divers were taking part in the search, the coastguard said. The ship, with a cargo of nearly 6,000 cattle, sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas. Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, was rescued on Wednesday night, Japan's coastguard said. By Thursday evening, he was still the only person rescued so far, a coastguard official said, adding the bodies of some cattle had been recovered. The crew of 43 was made up of 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the coastguard said. According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The Philippines government said it was coordinating with the Japanese coastguard in the search. Typhoon Maysak made landfall in South Korea on Thursday, bringing lashing winds, and at least two people were killed in the southern city of Busan. Another storm, Typhoon Haishen, was brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast on Sunday or Monday. A scene from "Oh! My Gran" Courtesy of CGV Arthouse By Park Ji-won Older women in films were often depicted in stereotyped ways; they sacrifice for families and others or remain passive, victimized and asexual. Their desires and ambitions were rarely addressed in films and thus very few movies have an older woman as lead role. But the tendency is slowly changing. More Korean films released recently portray elderly women as independent figures speaking for themselves. Both one film and one documentary film released recently center on elderly women in their 80s as lead characters. One is "Oh! My Gran," or "Oh! Munhee" in Korean, released on Aug. 20, a movie about the search for the driver in a hit-and-run incident that leaves the leading lady's granddaughter, Bo-mi, injured. The film traces the investigation carried out by Oh, the lead character played by Na Moon-hee who happened to be the only witness of the crime scene but is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and Du-won her son and Bo-mi's father with abundant action scenes and touching family moments. Oh's medical condition adds more drama to the film. But the main ingredient that appeals to the audiences is not the tragedy of her illness, but rather the comical-yet-sensitive treatment of the issue. The film is not a James Bond-like action movie, but it is a rare one in terms of showing an older female character with active action performances such as car chases and even climbing a tree, which is the first action performance for the 78-year-old actress in her entire career as well. The elderly female character is vocal and passionate to find a lead for the case, which results in finding key evidence in the crime. "Journey to Kailash" is a documentary film released on Thursday which shows the 20,000 km journey for three months from Mongolia to Kailash Mountain in China of Lee Chun-suk, an 84-year-old mom, and Jung Hyung-min, her son and the director of the movie. They finish the journey on the land route and it was the first overseas trip for Lee. Even though she had to crawl up the mountain, she never gave up and reached to the top. "I was curious about how my mom sees the world I would like to show my mom who never gave up on the trip despite difficulties in life to all mothers in the world," Chung was quoted as saying to Yonhap. "An Old Lady," or "Age 69" in Korean, released on Aug. 20, depicts a 69-year-old woman trying to find justice after being raped by a 29-year-old male nursing aide. She is constantly challenged by the prejudice that an old woman cannot be a victim of rape. It shows a woman suffers from the indifference of the society, but never give up speaking up because she is still "alive." "Old women characters are too aggressive or being insulted sexually in films. But I want to show an individual beyond the prejudices in the film," the Kyunghyang Shinmun quoted Lim Sun-ae, director of "An Old Lady" as saying. Actress Ye Soo-jung in "69" Courtesy of Atnine Film Coronavirus lockdowns and strict border restrictions are expected to cost Australia's tourism industry at least $54.6billion this financial year, new data has shown. Modelling by Tourism Research Australia predicted Australia's tourism industry will be worth $83.8billion in 2020-21, some $54.6billion less than in 2019. The modelling assumed the industry will lose $31.4billion due to international border restrictions and that domestic tourism will decline by at least $23.2billion. Queensland's border closure is estimated to cost local businesses $17million a day in lost income. In normal times, tourism directly and indirectly employs one million Australians, accounting for one in 12 jobs. Coronavirus lockdowns and border restrictions are expected to cost Australia's tourism industry at least $54.6billion this financial year. Pictured: The Sydney Opera House Modelling by Tourism Research Australia predicted Australia's tourism industry will be worth $83.8 billion in 2020-21, some $54.6billion less than in 2019. Pictured: The Gold Coast The data, compiled in May and released by Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham today, assumed that domestic borders would begin to open from June 2020. It predicted that if state borders were to remain closed for the December quarter, tourism stands lose a further $9.8billion in interstate travel. Senator Birmingham released the figures ahead of Friday's national cabinet meeting where Scott Morrison will urge premiers to open their borders. He has ordered health experts to come up with a definition of a hotspot to guide states on managing their border restrictions. It comes as Qantas boss Alan Joyce demands a science-based approach to state border closures. 'At the moment there seems to be no fact-based criteria about which borders are opening and closing,' he said at Wednesday's CAPA Centre for Aviation industry summit. The modelling assumed the industry will lose $31.4billion due to international border restrictions and that domestic tourism will decline by at least $23.2billion. Pictured: The Great Barrier Reef The data predicted that if state borders were to remain closed for the December quarter, tourism stands lose a further $9.8 billion in interstate travel. Pictured: Uluru 'I hope in national cabinet on Friday we start defining hotspots, which is then putting the science in play. 'Then we have certainty and all those businesses have certainty when borders will open and when they will close.' Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah agreed, saying: 'I do support Alan Joyce on his urging for medical fact-based decision making around borders. 'It doesn't really make sense to have two basically COVID-free cities not being able to connect with each other.' Mr Joyce said he feared hundreds of small businesses in tourism towns such as Cairns would be forced to close. Qantas is operating 20 per cent of its flights before COVID-19 after predicting in June the figure would be 40 per cent. Scott Morrison (pictured) on Friday said he feared state premiers were forgetting the federation and 'retreating into provincialism' State premiers will struggle to reach a nationwide agreement on a definition of a coronavirus hotspot, Victoria's chief health officer said on Wednesday. Professor Brett Sutton said hotspots were a 'vexed issue' and 'every jurisdiction will come to its own threshold.' Mr Morrison wants a national definition so that Australians can see if border closures are proportionate and fair. 'We need to get borders open, taking into account health advice that is conveyed transparently,' Mr Morrison said on Friday. The issue will be discussed at Friday's national cabinet meeting but Professor Sutton said a hotspot was very difficult to define and every state will have its own opinion. State premiers will struggle to agree on a definition of a coronavirus hotspot, Victoria's chief health officer said on Wednesday. Pictured: Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk 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 'Every jurisdiction will have their own threshold in that regard, and it is up to them to make a call and come to a common view,' he said on Wednesday. The prime minister is keen to get state borders open to boost the economy as Australia's suffers its first recession since 1991. 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. Mr Morrison on Friday said he feared state premiers were forgetting the federation and 'retreating into provincialism.' Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said: 'Inconsistent and disproportionate approaches to border restrictions by some states and territories will continue to cause job losses in parts of our tourism industry. 'Our airlines, airports, hotels and tour operators rely on people doing more than taking a short self-drive holiday and we risk more job losses in these sectors if borders remain shut any longer than is necessary. 'I urge all state and territory leaders to take a sensible and proportionate approach to border restrictions, as getting more Australians travelling interstate will help save tourism businesses and jobs. 'Getting Australians travelling across parts of our country that have successfully suppressed the spread of Covid-19 will be critical to getting elements of our tourism industry back on its feet.' FAIRFIELD A former Sacred Heart facilities management director has pleaded guilty to accepting almost $1 million in bribes to direct contracts to specific companies. Floyd Young, a 50-year-old Shelton resident, pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Massachusetts to one count of conspiracy and three counts of bribery in connection with receiving $919,066 in bribes in exchange for directing contracts to favored contractors, according to a release from the Department of Justice. 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 percent of the contract, the release said. 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. A federal investigation found that Young conducted the scheme during his time at Sacred Heart as well as while vice president for campus services at American International College in Massachusetts and as the director of facilities management at Cornell Tech, Cornell University in New York, the Associated Press reports. The DOJ release said contractors paid Young bribes on a periodic basis as they received contracts for work done at the institutions. On occasion, it said, Young and the contractors arranged for no-work invoices to be submitted to the collegiate institutions and then split the payment. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Young has agreed to pay restitution of $919,066 the amount he received in bribes, the release said. Young was arrested in March 2019. The maximum penalty he could face is five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. Flash The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday afternoon said the number of COVID-19 recoveries in the continent passed the one million mark for the first time. According to the Africa CDC, some 1,001,581 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far. It said the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has climbed to 30,065 across the African continent as the number of positive cases rose to 1,260,400. The African Union (AU) Commission's specialized healthcare agency, said that five African countries account for over 70 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent. They are South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, South Africa alone accounts for about 50 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, the Africa CDC said. Egypt, which has the second highest COVID-19 cases in the continent, is near to becoming the second African country to pass the 100,000 COVID-19 infections milestone. Egypt has recorded 99,115 COVID-19 cases and 5,440 COVID-19 related deaths as of Wednesday evening, it said. Nigeria has the third largest cases of COVID-19 in the continent with 54,247 cases and 1,023 deaths, said the Africa CDC. The southern Africa region is the most affected area in terms of confirmed cases, followed by northern Africa and western Africa regions, it was noted. Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Elanor Investors Group (ASX:ENN) as an investment opportunity 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. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you. See our latest analysis for Elanor Investors Group Crunching the numbers 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 start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$16.8m AU$17.8m AU$19.5m AU$20.8m AU$21.9m AU$22.8m AU$23.7m AU$24.5m AU$25.2m AU$25.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 6.55% Est @ 5.26% Est @ 4.36% Est @ 3.73% Est @ 3.29% Est @ 2.98% Est @ 2.76% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 14% AU$14.7 AU$13.6 AU$13.1 AU$12.2 AU$11.2 AU$10.2 AU$9.3 AU$8.4 AU$7.6 AU$6.8 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$107m Story continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.3%) 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 14%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$26m (1 + 2.3%) (14% 2.3%) = AU$220m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$220m ( 1 + 14%)10= AU$58m The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is AU$165m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$1.1, the company appears about fair value at a 19% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. dcf Important assumptions We would point out that 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 Elanor Investors 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 14%, which is based on a levered beta of 2.000. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Next Steps: Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Elanor Investors Group, we've put together three essential items you should assess: Risks: We feel that you should assess the 3 warning signs for Elanor Investors Group we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does ENN'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 Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. (Natural News) The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAMOT) will be holding its annual meeting from Sept. 10 to 12 in the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville. The meeting focuses on holistic or biological dentistry, an emerging approach to dental health that promotes total wellness and incorporates a whole-body perspective on the mouth and teeth. It espouses toxin-free dental practices and procedures. The IAMOT is one of the leading figures in science-based holistic dentistry. It is composed of a global network of dental health professionals, physicians and scientists who are dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. The organization played a major role in exposing the perils of fluoridation and dental amalgam fillings that use mercury. This years conference will present recent findings on these practices and tackle emerging concepts in dental healthcare. It will commence on Thursday with courses on the fundamentals of holistic dentistry, followed by a two-day symposium on Friday and Saturday. Continuing medical education credits will be offered to attendees. The registration fee for the symposium is 950 dollars for members, 1,050 for non-members and 550 dollars for additional attendees. Registration for the Thursday courses is separate and is priced at 350 dollars for the first attendee and 300 dollars for additional attendees. Healthcare luminaries banner IAMOT meeting The IAMOTs annual meetings bring together 375 to 425 dental health professionals and physicians. Participants are given the opportunity to network with each other, discuss safe dental practices and advance dental health research. Speakers for this years IAMOT annual meeting include luminaries in the field of holistic dentistry. For Thursdays courses, speakers include Dr. William Virtue, Dr. David Kennedy and Dr. Phil Mollica. Dr. Virtue will present a how-to guide on running a safe holistic dental practice. His lecture will cover the basics of mercury, safe mercury amalgam removal and the equipment required in holistic dentistry. Dr. Kennedy, a world leader in the anti-fluoride movement, will give a presentation on fluoride science and introduce alternative methods of mitigating tooth decay and maintaining good oral health. Dr. Mollica, a professor at the American College of Integrative Medicine and Dentistry, will discuss foundational concepts related to the integration of holistic therapies into a new paradigm of dentistry. He will discuss ozone therapy, an alternative medical treatment that uses ozone gas to fight diseases such as viral infections, heart disease and cancer. Dr. Mollica will also offer alternative healing models and demonstrate how they benefit patient outcomes. For Friday and Saturdays symposium, speakers include Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier, Christine Till and Judy Mikovits. The Geiers are co-directors of the non-profit organization Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc. Dr. Geier worked as a research scientist for 10 years at the National Institutes of Health. The two will present recent research on dental amalgam fillings and provide insights into the design and composition of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. NHANES is a program of studies that examine the health and nutritional status of Americans. It serves as a valuable data resource for health researchers in the United States. Meanwhile, Till will deliver a presentation on fluoride neurotoxicity via teleconference. Till, a professor of psychology at York University in Canada, is one of the pre-eminent figures in the study of fluoride exposure and its effects on childhood neurodevelopment. Her team is currently investigating the potential role of environmental chemicals in the development of emerging morbidities such as ADHD and thyroid disruption. Mikovits will present insights into the link between vaccination and chronic diseases. Mikovits is the founder of MARC Inc., a medical consulting company that specializes in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases caused by a viral infection, drugs and environmental toxins. (Related: These 34 dentists reveal suppressed breakthroughs in holistic dentistry and oral health.) With a robust roster of speakers, this years annual meeting is shaping up to be an exciting learning opportunity for various health practitioners. Learn more about holistic dentistry at Dentistry.news. Sources include: IAOMT.org 1 FocusforHealth.org IAMOT.org 2 MedicalNewsToday.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 05:46:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Thursday called on Greece to support a NATO-sponsored initiative aimed to launch technical talks between Athens and Ankara to calm tension in the Eastern Mediterranean. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has initiated an initiative to reduce the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean and prevent unwanted accidents, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement. "These de-confliction negotiations, which are not about the solution of bilateral issues between Greece and Turkey, are primarily related to bilateral arrangements previously discussed between the military authorities of the two countries," said the ministry statement. "We expect Greece to support this initiative of the NATO Secretary-General," it added. The ministry noted Ankara is ready for dialogue with Greece, without preconditions, in order to find permanent solutions to all issues between the two countries in the framework of international law. Turkey and Greece have agreed to enter talks to establish "de-confliction mechanisms" in the Eastern Mediterranean, Stoltenberg announced earlier in the day. Athens and Ankara have been at odds over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey dispatched its seismic survey vessel, Oruc Reis, escorted by Turkish warships to the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border agreement on the region, while Greece, which has called on Turkey to withdraw its vessels from the area, also deployed warships to monitor Oruc Reis. Enditem The share of no-fee rental listings in New York City is rising, with 75 to 85 percent of all listings in Manhattan and Brooklyn eschewing brokers fees during the month of August. Thats a substantial increase from about 50 percent in pre-pandemic January, according to data provided by TextLuke.com, a service that scans apartment listings and makes recommendations based on a users requests and responses. The citys high broker fees customarily 15 percent of an apartments annual rent, paid by the renter seemed to be on their way out after New York State passed groundbreaking legislation in June 2019, shifting the responsibility for those fees from the renter to the landlord in many cases. But as the law is being challenged in court, that money is still coming out of renters pockets. So why are no-fee offerings on the rise? Its the pandemic, of course. The well-documented exodus from the city in recent months has resulted in higher vacancy rates, especially in Manhattan, where the rate reached 4.3 percent in July, the highest in at least 14 years. As a result, landlords are resorting to marketing their units directly, without fees, or cutting their own deals with brokers to cover the fees. How much could this save you in the real world of Manhattan real estate? For a median-priced one-bedroom Manhattan rental ($3,350 a month in July, according to the Elliman Report), the standard fee would come to $6,030. Add in the other customary charges first months rent and a one-month security deposit and the outlay required to land that median-priced one-bedroom comes to a whopping $12,730. Without a brokers fee, its a mere $6,700. More witnesses took the stand Wednesday in the trial for an ex-Fremont Police Department officer accused of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter. Austin R. Williams, 35, is facing five felony charges, including three charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child, third-degree sexual assault of a child and incest, according to court documents. The child, now 16 years old, alleged that her stepfather had molested her starting from when she was 11 years old. The second day of the trial saw testimonies from the stepdaughters grandmother, and stepmother as well as investigators and others who took her story. The stepdaughters grandmother took the stand for examination. Her son is the biological father of the child. Thomsen said she texts her granddaughter often, and the two often spend time together. In August 2018, she said the two went shopping for her granddaughters birthday when she first told her something was wrong. Thomsen had picked her granddaughter up from a camping trip and the two talked about different topics. As we talked, she said that she would like to talk with a counselor or someone outside the family, the grandmother said. The grandmother said her granddaughter was very anxious, sad and agitated, and her face was flushed. She said she took the discussion seriously and told her daughter-in-law about what had been said. The child's stepmother, who has known and lived with her stepdaughter since she was 5 years old, said in the summer of 2017, her tepdaughter had spilled nail polish on the floor, and as punishment, had her iPod taken away. We found some messages from friends, some messages from her mom, but an insane amount of messages from Austin, she said. The stepmother alleged she found messages including how much Williams loved the child, how he couldnt wait for her to come home and cuddle and asking about shopping for bras. The stepmother said her stepdaughter told her and her husband that Williams had hit her and that she was nervous to tell them. She also said when the child was around Williams, she would notice her stepdaughter bite her nails, something she only did when she was nervous. Id ask and say what was wrong, and she said, Nothing, but it was very obvious, she said. Family members found a counselor for their daughter, who recommended them to the Family Advocacy Network (FAN), where the child met with Makayla Harmon. Harmon worked at FAN from June 2015 to February 2020, where she worked as a forensic interview specialist and conducted 1,026 interviews. She said with her interviews, its normal for children not to remember specific dates due to trauma. Sometimes, disclosure can be a process, she said. And when the abuse is ongoing, it can be a long time. Harmon said she met with the child just once with her hour-long interview on Aug. 10, 2018. The interview was watched from another room by two others, including Nebraska State Patrol criminal investigator Kayla Farrell. During their talk, Harmon said the child was hesitant, reluctant to talk and closed off, something she said was normal with her interviews. The child's stepmother said after the FAN visit, her stepdaughter was all over the place with her emotions, but had a sense of relief. On Aug. 28, 2018, Williams was questioned by NSP investigator Andrew Hewitt, who took the stand Wednesday. He said he was assigned to the case, which was Farrells at the time. During the interview in Grand Island, Hewitt said he asked Williams about a specific incident in March 2017 in which his stepdaughter alleged he came home drunk and sexually abused her. Hewitt said Williams told him he didnt remember the night and that it was possible, but not probable that the assault happened. During the interview, Hewitt said Williams also told him about a few minor incidents with the child and that he had slapped her on the face four or five times. A second interview between Hewitt and Williams was held on Sept. 6. Farrell said she met with Williams' wife for an interview in Kearney, who she said relayed many of the same minor incidents as her husband. The days proceedings started with a continued cross-examination of Dr. Barbara Sturgis, a clinical psychologist with the University of Nebraska. She also trains forensic interviewers for cases of sexual assault. Scarff was critical of Sturgis previous statement that 2-5% of children give false reports of sexual assault. He cited a 2016 case Sturgis was involved in, in which she said the number was 2-8%, but she said that was from and older study. At the time, that was the current research, Sturgis said. When asked by Scarff, Sturgis said it is possible for children to lie to get themselves out of trouble, typically beginning around the age of 3 to 4. The stance that we train was, that investigators go in to find out what the child has to say in the most neutral way possible, she said. Although she said positive reinforcement could sway what a child has to say, Sturgis said she always teaches not to use phrases like good answer to children. The trials proceedings will continue Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. at the Dodge County Courthouse. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 4 The Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), India's leading 'Navaratna' PSU under the Ministry of Defence, has called for applications in a prescribed format from qualified and experienced candidates in the age group between 25 to 28 years of age for filling Sixty Four (64) vacancies to the post of Project Engineer - I, Trainee Engineer - I, Trainee Officer - I and Project Officer-I in Electronics, Mechanical, Computer Science, Finance, and Human Resource disciplines through direct recruitment to be posted at BEL's Hyderabad unit in Telangana, India on a fulltime basis on contract with a remuneration varying from Rs. 25,000 up to Rs. 50,000 a month including a consolidated amount of Rs.10,000 a year towards expenses like medical insurance premium, attire allowance, stitching charges, etc. The offline application process towards the same started on September 1, 2020 and closes on September 22, 2020. Know all the details about BEL Recruitment 2020 for engineers here. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Project Engineer - I, Trainee Engineer - I, Trainee Officer - I and Project Officer-I Organisation Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) Educational Qualification B.E/B.Tech/B.Sc in Electronics, Electronics & Communication, E&T, Telecommunication, Mechanical and Computer Science Engineering disciplines; MBA in Finance; MBA/MSW/M.HRM in HR Experience One to two years in relevant domain Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Desirable Job Location Hyderabad Salary Scale Rs. 25,000 up to Rs. 50,000 per month Industry Electronics Application Start Date September 1, 2020 Application End Date September 22, 2020 BEL Recruitment 2020: Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 must not have exceeded 25 years of age (Trainee Engineer/Officer-I posts) and 28 years of age (Project Engineer/Officer-I posts) as on September 1, 2020 with relaxation (upper age limit) up to 3 years (OBC) and 5 years (SC/ST) respectively as specified in the BEL Recruitment notification. Gen/OBC candidates must pay a prescribed amount of Rs. 500 (Project Engineer/Officer-I) and Rs. 200 (Trainee Engineer/Officer -I) respectively as application fee for various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 through SBI Collect (through online mode or through SBI Branch). However, SC/ST and PWD are exempted from paying the application fee as mentioned in the BEL Recruitment notification. NSCL Recruitment For 220 Management Trainees, Diploma And Trainee Mates. Apply Online Before Sep 15 BEL Recruitment 2020: BEL Jobs Vacancy BEL Recruitment 2020: Education And Experience Desirous candidates applying for various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 must possess a B.E/B.Tech/B.Sc in Electronics, Electronics & Communication, E&T, Telecommunication, Mechanical and Computer Science Engineering disciplines; MBA in Finance; MBA/MSW/M.HRM in HR from a recognised University/Institute with minimum of one to two years of relevant industrial work experience as detailed in the BEL Recruitment notification. BEL Recruitment 2020: Educational Criteria Chart BEL Recruitment 2020: Selection Criteria The selection of candidates to various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 will be done through Shortlisting, Academic Qualification, Work Experience and Merit. Candidates will be accorded the following weightage for selection to various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 as given below: BEL Recruitment 2020 Weightage Scale for Selection BEL Recruitment 2020: Pay Scale Candidates selected as various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 will be paid remuneration in the scale ranging from Rs. 25,000 up to Rs. 50,000 per month. NLC Recruitment 2020 For 675 Apprentice Trainees Post, Apply Online Before September 20 BEL Recruitment 2020: How To Apply Candidates applying for various posts through BEL Recruitment 2020 must fill the application form in a prescribed format post-down, and send the same along with relevant supporting documents to the "Dy. General Manager (HR), Bharat Electronics Limited, I.E.Nacharam, Hyderabad - 500076, Telangana State" on or before September 22, 2020. Download BEL Recruitment Application Form Download BEL Recruitment Notification for various posts. Volunteers of Saddleback Church in Southern California's Orange County have helped distribute food at more than 300 grocery distributions throughout the county. The congregation seeks to follow the example of Jesus by not running away from the problem but running towards the problem and helping those in need as Pastor Rick Warren shared. "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, we're going to run towards the pain and met people where they are," Ashley Eure, Saddleback's communications minister, shared. The O.C. Food Bank and the Second Harvest Food Bank are Saddleback Church's partner in the food distribution and the Second Harvest Food Bank reported that one in six children in Orange County is at risk of hunger. Other at-risk people that total up to more than 450,000 people are seniors with fixed incomes, people with disabilities, and the homeless. "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," Ashley Eure said. The food distribution is planning to continue its service throughout September in the following cities: Anaheim, Corona, Irvine South, Lake Forest, Laguna Woods, Rancho Capistrano, and San Clemente areas. "One hour served in the grocery distribution feeds a family for a week!" Saddleback church welcomes more volunteers of ages 8 and older and in which those ages 8 to 12 are required to be accompanied by a parent. When the pandemic started in March, 158 food pantries closed almost immediately in Orange County. Rana Muncy, the director of Saddleback's mission for the church's regional campuses believed that as a church, they had to "scale up." "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." To help distribute groceries to those in need in O.C., visit Saddleback Church Grocery Distributions. Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has berated Former President John Mahama for validating a comment made by MP for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo. Hon. Adongo wrote an article captioned "Agyapa Royalties fraud is the last straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas must go" and this was shared on the facebook page of the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) However, Kwamena Duncan says since the former President shared the article, he has endorsed and agrees with it. Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', he bemoaned the fact that Mr Mahama will descend 'this low' after promising to lead a campaign void of invectives. "Leave this to the serial callers but a former President . . . Akyem Sakawa boy and grandpa? very very distasteful and shameful. Very shameful, meanwhile you have promised to lead a campaign void of name-calling." However, Alhaji Halidu Haruna says the former President never insulted Akyems in the Facebook post. According to him, some members of the ruling government have also made similar remarks but have not been condemned. "We need to stop the hypocrisy in our politics . . . if this one is condemnable, all others should be condemned. The level of hypocrisy in our politics is so bizarre," he indicated while contributing to a panel discussion on Neat FM's 'Me Man Nti' programme. 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________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 burried on the ground to Sinohydro to borrow $2 billion but has nothing to show after almost 2 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.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.In addition to borrowing $9 billion in 3 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 $500m 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?No wicked man has ever ruled this country and destroyed Ghanas fiscal and debt framework the way Akufo-Addo and the empty-lying Vice President Dr. Mahamadu 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 $500m.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 $500m as 49% of that value.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.By Hon. Isaac AdongoMP for Bolgatanga Central Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The warming ocean temperatures prompted by global warming are already changing the areas where fish congregate. And sea level rise will likely change the landscape of communities across the world, as people move farther inland during the next decade, researchers from the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science said Wednesday. Faculty and graduate students shared some of the latest research on climate change and how its effects are forcing a migration of people and animals during the schools third Climate Cafe webinar, Economic and Societal Impacts of Climate Change. Research Professor David Die, who studies the effect of climate change on global fish populations, said that their models are predicting that wild fishand the boats of fisherman that work to catch themwill move closer to the north and south poles and farther from the equator because of warming ocean conditions. Wild fish will also be scarcer, which will undoubtedly affect global seafood markets, he said. Our current models predict an average to small decline in global seafood production by 2050 but more declines in the tropics, said Die, showing statistics of a 3 percent to 5 percent decline. Die is also the associate director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, a collaboration between Rosenstiel and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). So, seafood production will be affected largely in wild fisheries, but also in aquaculture, particularly in developing countries where sea level rise may present large challenges to those coastal enterprises, he said. For those who make their living selling fish, Die and his colleague, marine biology professor Beth Babcock, have developed what are called management strategy evaluations. These are simulations that predict how certain species of fish may be affected by climate change and help fisheries decide when to slow their intake to allow populations to reproduce. Katharine Mach, associate professor of marine ecosystems and society who also works in the department of marine ecosystems and society, detailed her research about how climate change is affecting humans across the globe. Whether its floods or fires in the U.S, we need to think about adaptive pathways to keep society safe that can be nimble and adaptive through time, she said. Mach discussed some of her research about the interaction between violence and climate change. Although the link was not exactly clear, Mach said, she learned that the hotter the temperatures, the more likely violence is to occur, particularly in places where the government is unable to suppress aggression. About 5 percent of conflicts today have seen climate change as an impact, she said. But that creeps up as temperatures rise. Then, Florida International University doctoral student Nadia Seeteram, who is collaborating with Machs Climate Risk and Preparedness research lab, discussed her research about the impacts of rising sea levels on Miami-Dade County. Showing maps and a framework of risk, Seeteram explained that flooding from sea level rise may soon push many people to move out of areas prone to flooding, such as Miami Beach. Globally, sea levels are rising at a rate of about 3.6 millimeters per year, said Seeteram, citing statistics from the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change update. By the end of this decade, she said, we could see a foot of sea level rise, which will contribute to migration and displacement of people living near the coast. In Miami-Dade County, that displacement has already started, Seeteram added. What were beginning to see is that shift in money and flow of people to what is now considered a superior investmenthigher elevated areas along the Atlantic Coastal ridge in the mainland of Miami-Dade, she said. The problem here is that there are already people living there. And residents living in marginalized communities will increasingly face the likelihood of being displaced. Seeteram suggested that Black and Hispanic communities in Miami may become the first victims of climate gentrification, as their long-overlooked neighborhoods become more attractive and expensive because they are located within higher-elevated areas that are more resilient to rising seas. In many instances, those residents are part of a service class that represents about 47.8 percent of Miami-Dades population, but earn an annual median income of about $26,000, which is low for a city as expensive as Miami, said Seeteram. With sea level projections only accelerating throughout the United States, Carolien Kraan, another graduate student working with Mach, is studying how residents and communities are working to protect themselves from sea level rise, which causes a host of problemsnamely flooding and erosion. Building higher seawalls and levees and changing our infrastructure to mitigate flooding are two ways to address the problem, she said. A third more extreme method is through managed retreatmoving people and assets out of harms way. A FEMA-funded voluntary property buyout program is one way to achieve managed retreat. But the practice, which the federal agency started more than 30 years ago, has yielded some surprising results, said Kraan, a Ph.D. student in the University of Miamis Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. Kraans research team has learned that urban counties with higher population densities and higher household incomes were more likely to administer buyouts. We think that this has to do with capacity of those countiesthose counties are bigger, wealthier, and have people that are probably more highly educated and are more likely to have people on staff that can do these kinds of projects and also have the political willingness to do them, Kraan explained. The group then examined neighborhoods within those counties where buyouts have occurred and found that those neighborhoods were typically low-income areas with more racially diverse residents and lower population densities than the rest of the county. Since 1989, FEMA has bought out more than 40,000 properties, Kraan said, and managed retreat is not that uncommon. One in every three counties in the U.S. has experience with buyouts. But its been on a small scale, with only about 1 to 10 properties purchased per county. Kraan is now trying to determine where people who participate in buyouts relocate. Among her preliminary findings: many people move locally, within a 10-mile radius, but that they do move to homes that are no longer in high flood-risk areas. This is a hopeful result, as it seems like people will be staying within their community, but at a safer location, Kraan said. To watch a recording of the webinar, click here. The Dearborn Heights Police Department has started a community conversation on a tough but incredibly important subject. And theyve done so without saying one word. Chief Mark Meyers and those under his command are wearing alternate uniform shirts featuring a teal and purple palette throughout the month of September. The colors are associated with Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, a national effort to reach out to those affected by suicide and promote its prevention. According to the most recent statistics, cases of suicide the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States have increased nearly 33% in Michigan since 2009. The departments new initiative is designed to get residents to notice the temporary uniform and engage in conversations with officers about its meaning. At the Police Department, its always our mission to bring awareness to people about making them safe or healthy, Meyers said. In the spring, Cpl. Carrie Hatten came to me with this project about suicide awareness and I agreed that it needed to be done. Meyers said the project provides the department with an additional feeling of accomplishment by helping the community better understand a difficult subject, and bring attention to it through counseling, treatment and recognizing its warning signs. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death nationally for those age 18 to 35, and its preventable, the chief added. By bringing awareness through these alternate uniforms, we hope to get people to ask us why were wearing them so we can explain that there are a variety of resources available to get people the help they need. The uniforms are predominantly teal and feature the word POLICE in large purple lettering on the back. Each shirt also features a suicide awareness ribbon honoring the memory of a Dearborn Heights police officer who died by suicide nearly four years ago. In addition, officers uniforms are adorned with a silver badge on the front and are worn either on top of or underneath their vests. Command officers badges are gold. Hatten the departments crime prevention officer got the idea for the uniforms from a California police agency that had great success with it last year. The response there was overwhelming with the number of people who said they had problems and needed help, she said, so I thought it would be a great idea to bring that awareness to Dearborn Heights. The campaign is being bolstered by information and a video posted to the departments Facebook page and on the citys government access cable channel. Mayor Dan Paletko threw his support behind the project in a late August video address of his own. Were at a time of economic uncertainty, of a pandemic, job loss all of these things that have negative influences on us, and were seeing an increase in calls for help, Meyers said. We want people to ask us, to talk to us. If this helps one person recognize the signs in someone else or themselves, weve succeeded. He and Hatten encourage residents to reach out for help via an officer, a firefighter, a religious leader, a friend, neighbor or any of a number of area social service agencies. Anyone needing more information about suicide awareness and prevention can contact the Wayne County Crisis Line at 1-800-241-4949, the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or text hello to 741741. Eviction court judges, landlords and housing advocates in San Antonio are scrambling to understand how a new federal eviction moratorium will be rolled out and what it will mean for landlords who could miss out on months of foregone rent payments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which regulates public health, said it issued the emergency eviction moratorium to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which could be exacerbated by people who end up in homeless shelters or crash in cramped homes with friends or relatives. The CDCs unprecedented action outlined who it applies to: individuals making less than $99,000 per year, or double the amount for couples; who have experienced a job or income loss, or hefty medical bill; and would end up homeless or doubling up if evicted. The moratorium takes effect on Friday. But it gave little detail about how it should be enforced. Thats left eviction court judges hundreds of whom operate in Texas with large autonomy responsible for figuring out what the order will mean in their courtrooms until they receive further guidance from state court officials or the federal government. Its also left landlords anxiously wondering whether Congress will provide funding to help families pay rent, or whether the action could trigger a tsunami of foreclosures if landlords cant make mortgage payments. My hope is that the administration will come out with really clear guidance so that renters are protected in every jurisdiction, that were not seeing a patchwork of different interpretations, said Sarah Saadian, of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. One of the benefits of having a national, uniform policy, which is what weve been pushing for, is it leads to less confusion for tenants about whether they are covered. Typically, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development creates housing rules. But neither HUD nor the CDC have yet offered guidance on how to proceed under the moratorium. Each state has its own laws on eviction procedures. In Texas, the eviction process begins when a landlord delivers a tenant a notice to vacate. If a tenant doesnt pay off debt or get out by the date listed on the notice, which is typically three days, the landlord can file an eviction lawsuit in justice of the peace court. Housing policy analysts and attorneys are working to understand exactly how the CDCs order protects tenants for example, whether it shields them from every part of the eviction process, including the notice to vacate, or just the eviction judgment that could force them to leave their homes. Saadian argues that it applies to each part of the eviction process, so long as tenants give their landlords a sworn declaration required by the CDC. The declaration must show that tenants tried their best to find rental assistance and pay their rent but cant because of an income loss or unexpected medical expense. The way I read it, is it is broader than just the last stage of evictions, Saadian said. State court officials havent yet provided Texas judges with more information about when and how to proceed with eviction cases, either. The new order came just as Bexar Countys four justice of the peace courts were resuming regular eviction hearings in-person for the first time since coronavirus cases spiked in late June. As of Wednesday evening, Judge Rogelio Lopez Jr., who oversees Precinct 4s Justice of the Peace Court, was still planning to resume regular eviction hearings next week. Under the CDC order, only tenants struggling to pay rent will be protected from eviction they still can be evicted for other reasons, such as lease violations or criminal threats. And, although the CDC has called its order a moratorium, Lopez said it appears to only apply to tenants who meet the eligibility requirements and provide the declaration to their landlord. The question that is answered right now, is so what if the (tenant) falls within that category that theyve been harmed to due economic difficulties and they didn't hand over the (declaration)? said Lopez. Thats the tough case. Another unanswered question is whether courts can send tenants copies of the declaration to fill out before coming to eviction court. Lopez said his court has often sent out information about rental assistance programs, but because this document has such a drastic effect on a landlord, it may give the appearance that the court isnt being impartial to both parties. At the same time, Lopez said, how many tenants know that this is there for them? Meanwhile, across San Antonio in Precinct 2, Judge Roberto Vazquez said he was waiting on guidance from state court officials but thought sending out copies of the declaration to tenants to fill out was best practice. His court resumed in-person eviction hearings this week, which he plans to continue until the new order goes into effect. After that, he said, the way I read (the order), is it looks like were going to have to rethink things. The order has also spurred uncertainty among landlords. The order didnt include any provision that would provide financial support to them if tenants cant afford rent. And, so far, Congress hasnt agreed on another round of stimulus funding for families struggling amid the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Mark Hurley, a landlord with 1,500 apartments in San Antonio, said he fears that enacting an eviction moratorium without providing rental assistance could lead to a nationwide foreclosure crisis, particularly among mom-and-pop landlords. Out of more than 40 million rental households in the U.S., nearly half are owned by landlords with about one or two properties, Hurley said. Even if a tenant doesnt pay their rent, those landlords are still on the hook for mortgage payments, property tax, maintenance, insurance and other expenses. If were going to have eviction moratoriums, we need to have them coupled with some kind of funding, said Hurley. The real issue is paying that residents' rent so both the resident can stay in place and the owner can continue to ... pay their debt, property tax, utilities. Marina Starleaf Riker is an investigative reporter for the San Antonio Express-News with extensive experience covering affordable housing, inequality and disaster recovery. To read more from Marina, become a subscriber. marina.riker@express-news.net | Twitter: @MarinaStarleaf For years Paval Latushka was a devoted politician and civil servant. He was a spokesman at Belarus's Foreign Ministry, the country's culture minister, and then, toward the end of his bureaucratic career, served as the ambassador to a handful of European countries. He was rarely, if ever, in the limelight. That changed after Latushka, who had been working as the director of Minsk's oldest theater, supported his striking staff and joined the protests against the result of Belarus's August 9 election, which was widely perceived to be rigged in favor of the country's strongman president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Considered by many to be more eloquent than your average Belarusian bureaucrat, Latushka said that seeing protesters emerge from prison covered in bruises had convinced him to follow actors and staff at the Janka Kupala National Theater and join the protests. On August 17 he was fired -- and shortly afterwards, the 47-year-old joined the opposition Coordination Council, which was set up a day later with a stated goal of ensuring a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Belarus. After his dismissal, supporters greeted him with applause and cheers outside the theater, calling on the authorities to reinstate him. Many of the theater troupe's members resigned in protest, some of them personally handing their notice to the country's culture minister, Yury Bondar. While tainted as a member of Lukashenka's regime, Latushka won over some of his critics by speaking in Belarusian, rather than Russian, and supporting Belarusian culture. Speaking to RFE/RL's Belarus Service on September 2, Latushka said he was fired from his position as the head of the theater on Lukashenka's instructions after "unprecedented pressure on the theater staff and demands [for me] to deal with the actors who expressed theirpositions." Continued Pressure In his new role as a member of the seven-person presidium of the Coordination Council, the pressure from the authorities hasn't let up. Along with other council members, Latushka had been questioned by Belarus's Investigative Committee after the prosecutor-general opened an investigation into the council, claiming it was attempting to illegally seize power. Two members of the council's seven-member presidium, Volha Kovalkova and Syarhey Dyleuski, are in jail for allegedly violating the law on organizing mass events. And Lilia Vlasova, another member of the council's presidium, was detained by police from the financial-crimes unit on August 31. WATCH: Risking Careers, Belarusians Defy Authorities To Take Political Stand All of this, Latushka said, is an indication that the "rule of law has ceased operating" in Belarus. "We are starting to get used to the fact that armored personnel carriers are on the streets and the defense minister declares that he will carry out any order, even illegal." On August 23, Defense Minister Viktar Krenin said that protesters would be dealing with the army and not just the police if any war monuments were damaged or destroyed. Since the disputed election, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets to protest the results, calling on Lukashenka to step down, release all political prisoners, and hold free and fair elections. For Latushka, the pressure has become even more personal after he was publicly -- and obliquely -- called out by the president himself. Speaking in the western Belarusian city of Baranavichy on September 1, the Belarusian president answered a question at a news conference about civil servants who had joined the opposition. They have always been like that. I know who you're alluding to," Lukashenka said. The president then went on to describe a former official, widely believed to be Latushka, who he said had begged to be a minister and then asked to be sent to France to be the ambassador. On his current role in the opposition, Lukashenka said that the official "will answer to the law. He crossed a red line." Latushka's is not the only high-level defection. A senior police officer, a Foreign Ministry official, and Belarus's ambassador to Slovakia, have all defied the authorities to support the protests. Latushka, who served as Belarus's ambassador to Poland, France, Portugal, and Spain, rejected Lukashenka's charge that he crossed a red line by joining the protests and the opposition council. "I didn't cross a red line because I am on the side of conscience and loudly protested against violence and lawlessness," he said. "I want the government in our country to be elected, not self-appointed. More and more officials will leave their posts, choosing the side of truth rather than lies." "We do not intend to violate the Criminal Code, the constitution, or to seize power, but only to establish a dialogue between the government and society," he added. 'Father Figure' Rejecting Lukashenka's public remark that he had tried to be a father figure to the unnamed official, Latushka said: "My father, who unfortunately, is no longer of this world, always taught justice, [and] to be guided by moral principles -- and I have tried to do this all my life." 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. One glimmer of hope for the victims of the postelection crackdown would be any sign that the perpetrators will be held to account. Belarus's Prosecutor-General's Office has announced that it is setting up a commission to investigate the brutal quelling of the protests. UN human rights experts said on September 1 that they had received reports of 450 documented cases concerning the torture and ill-treatment of people held in custody since the election. However, Latushka said that the authorities will need to follow through on those investigations, otherwise they might be opening up a "Pandora's box" that could destabilize society and lead to further economic woes. "Can the state function in such a state?" he asked. "No, it can't. The line has already been crossed, and I think the situation will be resolved soon. There have been many such examples in history. We know how they ended. They ended in change. And we have these changes coming." Written by Luke Allnutt and based on an interview conducted by Valery Kalinovskiy, a correspondent for RFE/RL's Belarus Service New Orleans, LA - A team of LSU Health New Orleans radiologists investigated the usefulness of chest x-rays in COVID-19 and found they could aid in a rapid diagnosis of the disease, especially in areas with limited testing capacity or delayed test results. Their findings are published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, available here. "In mid to late March of this year, when COVID-19 cases were spiking in New Orleans, we recognized an unusual pattern on chest x-rays that seemed to correlate with COVID positivity," notes David Smith, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. The radiologists conducted a retrospective study of nearly 400 persons under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 in New Orleans. They reviewed the patients' chest X-rays along with concurrent reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) virus tests. Using well-documented COVID-19 imaging patterns, two experienced radiologists categorized each chest x-ray as characteristic, nonspecific, or negative in appearance for COVID-19. The radiologists found a characteristic chest x-ray appearance is highly specific (96.6%) and has a high positive predictive value of 83.8% for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the setting of pandemic. "The presence of patchy and/or confluent, band-like ground glass opacity or consolidation in a peripheral and mid-to-lower lung zone distribution on a chest radiograph is highly suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection and should be used in conjunction with clinical judgment to make a diagnosis," says Bradley Spieler MD, Associate Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Vice Chairman of Research in the Department of Radiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. "The chest radiograph, while low in sensitivity, can indicate COVID-19 in patients whose radiographs exhibit characteristic COVID-19 findings, when used in concert with clinical factors," adds John-Paul Grenier, MD, an LSU Health New Orleans Radiology Resident. "While not a substitute for RT-PCR virus tests or Chest CT, radiographs could provide a rapid, cost-effective diagnosis of COVID-19 in a subset of infected patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The utility of this technique is described in the context of known disadvantages of RT-PCR, considered the gold standard in COVID-19 diagnosis, and Chest CT, which is currently not recommended for COVID-19 diagnosis. " "This discovery is useful to aid in diagnosis in the setting of pandemic spread of COVID-19, especially when adequate testing is lacking," says Dr. Smith. "We believe this work has great potential to aid all health care providers in the fight against COVID-19," concludes Dr. Spieler. Catherine Batte, MS, from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University, also collaborated on the study. "The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially tough on the people of New Orleans," declares Dr. Grenier. "We hope that the insights we've gained from studying this disease in our community can be used to help other communities across the globe." ### LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's flagship health sciences university, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine with branch campuses in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research in a number of areas in a worldwide arena, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO, or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC. President Moon Jae-in delivers his speech at the start of his meeting with chief executives of the country's leading financial institutions for thorough discussions of the Korean version of New Deal initiative at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul, Do Je-hae In line with President Moon Jae-in's expansion of his Green New Deal projects, the finance ministry plans to build up a 20 trillion won ($17 billion) fund over the next five years. "With the aim of attracting more retail investors to the Korean version of the New Deal and supporting investment from the private sector, we will set up the Korean New Deal fund," Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said during a press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, Thursday. The fund will be comprised of an initial 3 trillion won investment from the government followed by 4 trillion won from state-run financial institutions and 13 trillion won from private financial companies and the public, according to the ministry. Hong reported details of this to President Moon during a meeting with chief executives of the country's leading financial groups at Cheong Wa Dae, earlier in the day. The finance minister said that the fund will help absorb excess liquidity in the stock market as the ministry will modify the specifics of various tax benefits for those investing in the fund following discussions with leading brokerages and banks. On a related note, the Korea Exchange, the country's main bourse operator, announced it will develop a K-New Deal Index under which it plans to launch the KRX BBIG (battery, bio, internet, games) and carbon Green New Deal EFTs in October and December this year, respectively. The Digital New Deal, part of the President's New Deal stimulus package, involves plans for "surging demand for remote services" amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Investments will be made in technologies that enable contactless services such as robots, drones and high-speed internet. "The BBIG K-New Deal Index will have 10 companies each from the secondary battery, bio, internet and games sectors. The launch of the index will provide opportunities to investors to generate profits via index-oriented products such as ETFs," the KRX said in a statement. The bourse operator said that it also plans to develop a Carbon Green New Deal Index that is intended to persuade companies to speed up their efforts to cut carbon emissions. President Moon told participants in the morning meeting that the Korean version of the New Deal will help the local economy become a greener one. He also pledged to ease regulations and policy hurdles in order to speed up the execution and implementation of the initiative. "Over the next five years, 100 trillion won will be invested in the Korean version of the New Deal through policy financing, and 70 trillion won via private financing," Moon told the participants at the start of the meeting, according to Cheong Wa Dae press pool reports. "Finance has played an important role when Korea was facing difficulties. The success of the Korean version of the New Deal will only come with the support of the private sector and investors' active participation," Moon said. Major banks have vowed to back the Korean New Deal drive. Woori Bank said it will provide 10 trillion won 2.15 trillion won in investment and 7.85 trillion won in financing for the project over the next five years. Sushant Singh Rajputs father KK Singh has told the Mumbai Police in his statement that he believes his son might have done suicide out of dejection. Singh had earlier filed an FIR in Patna, accusing his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetment to suicide. According to a NDTV report, KK Singh said in a statement to Mumbai Police, I am not aware as to why my son Sushant has committed suicide. He never discussed with me regarding any type of depression or tension. I do not have any suspicion of or any complaint against Sushant. I feel that Sushant might have done suicide out of dejection. My statement was written in Marathi and explained to me in Hindi and it is correct as I told. I used to message Sushant on WhatsApp and he used to reply, he added. KK Singhs lawyer Vikas Singh conducted a press conference on Wednesday where he shared their side of the story regarding the claims made by Rhea in her recent interview and various claims made by news channels. He said, The family has never given any statement of Sushant dying by suicide. These statements were recorded by the Mumbai Police in Marathi. The family also objected, Please dont write in Marathi if you want us to sign. They were forced to sign a statement written in Marathi. They had no clue of what was being written. We have not been supplied that statement. We dont know what was recorded by the Mumbai Police, we know what we said, he added. According to an India Today report, Mumbai Police said during a press conference that the statements of Sushants three sisters and father were recorded in presence of the late actors brother-in-law and Faridabad Police Commissioner OP Singh, another brother-in-law Siddharth Tanwar and his wife Priyanka Singh (both of them are Supreme Court lawyers). Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs family was forced to sign a statement written in Marathi by Mumbai Police, says lawyer Vikas Singh The report has also quoted Rheas lawyer Satish Maneshinde as saying, The statements were made two and a half months back before the police on June 16, 2020. Those statements were explained to the sisters and till today there have been no complaints. Now it is too late in the day to say I did not understand the content of those statements. Investigation in every state takes place according to state language. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (TNS) California has hired a Minnesota-based health consulting firm to develop a new database for COVID-19 test results after the states old system was plagued by glitches, Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration announced Tuesday.The state selected OptumInsight, Inc. to build the new database after a competitive bidding process, according to the California Department of Public Health. The initial $15.3 million contract will span six months, and the new system is scheduled to be up and running in October.We are taking meaningful action to update how we collect, analyze and report COVID-19 data, which is central to our ongoing statewide response and the actions local public health directors take every day to protect the health and wellbeing of Californians, the Department of Public Healths acting director Sandra Shewry said in a written statement.The announcement comes about a month after a COVID-19 data glitch blocked hundreds of thousands of test result records from the states Reportable Disease Information Exchange, known as CalREDIE. The glitch kept county officials in the dark for more than a week about how many residents had tested positive, inhibiting them from tracking and curtailing disease spread.The glitch was caused by a series of human errors and technical problems. The incident exposed how CalREDIE was not equipped to handle a pandemic volume of data, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.That wont be a problem with the new system, Ghaly said.This system is built to handle that high volume of test results, he said during a Tuesday press conference.Ghaly said the database will be ready at a critical time as the state ramps up COVID-19 testing. Last week, the Newsom administration announced a $1.7 billion contract with diagnostics company PerkinElmer that aims to more than double the states testing A private investigator turned 'Coffin Confessor' who gets paid to carry out the wishes of the dead has revealed more of his client's bizarre final requests. Bill Edgar, 52, quit his job on the Gold Coast three years ago when a terminally ill man asked him to interrupt his funeral to tell his best mate he knew he was 'trying to screw' his wife. He has since gatecrashed dozens of funerals to pass on messages the dead couldn't get off their chest when they were alive. His upcoming jobs involve a man who betrayed his brother for years and a millionaire father ready to share the secrets of his wealth. Bill Edgar, 52, (pictured) has been dubbed the 'Coffin Confessor' after quitting his job as a private investigator on the Gold Coast two years ago to gatecrash funerals 'I can tell you that I have a brother that's confessing to sleeping with his brother's wife for the last six years,' he told news.com.au Another secret involves exposing a so-called businessman's real source of wealth. The man in his 80s never worked a day in his life, but was telling his family for years he had worked in offshore deals and sales. But he actually won the Gold Lotto. 'He never told anyone in his family and his family continues to think he's the best businessman in the world and he's never worked a day in his life. He's fooled them all he just won lotto. He lives a great life,' Mr Edgar said. 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 He will also reveal how much of that money the family will be inheriting. 'That's going to be a shock to a few in the family.' Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Tuesday, Mr Edgar - whose clients pay up to $10,000 for his services - revealed some of his most shocking past 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. 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) 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.' The Coffin Confessor is growing increasingly busy after introducing a new online offering Along with airing the dead'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'. 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. 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 '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. Meanwhile, the Coffin Confessor is becoming increasingly busy after introducing a new online offering. For $10 Australians can head online to upload eulogies or confessions which will be sent to a nominated family member when they die. Part his newfound demand is linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Since the crisis hit he has received more than 8200 uploads on the site. The Union health ministry highlighted on Wednesday that despite rise in cases all over the nation, the states which account for the most number of cases and deaths have reported a fall in active daily cases trajectory along with fall in death rate. The union health ministry during its briefing said that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh contribute to 62% of the active coronavirus cases. Maharashtras coronavirus cases is 12% of the total active cases of the nation followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While pointing out that these states contribute to the active daily cases trajectory, the secretary of health Rajesh Bhushan also highlighted that over the past three weeks the rates of new cases have dropped. Tamil Nadu has registered 23.9% fall in the number of cases. Uttar Pradesh follows Tamil Nadu with 17.1% decrease. He said, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh have contributed to the most number of deaths. While these states account for more than 65% of the deaths there has been a decrease in the number of deaths over a period of three weeks. According to the health ministry data, Tamil Nadu has seen 18.2% fall in weekly decrease in case fatality followed by Maharashtra and Andhra. Bhushan said, Though Delhi has registered a rise in death rates but death rates have fallen in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh over the past three weeks. During the press briefing the secretary of health pointed out that data needs to be seen not only in terms of daily rise in cases but data of how active case trajectory are falling across several states along with case fatality trajectory should also be seen. The health ministry said as festival season begins it is necessary to follow all Covid-19 related precautionary measures. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH So how about this one? Were not only paying these teachers salaries. Were paying all the taxes now. Were buying everybodys kid a Chromebook and an iPad. How sweet it is! I think weve had about enough of this. POOR JB For poor poor little old JB, I feel sorry for you. Fortunately, the only one that I see in here bellowing and beating their chests is you. Does it bother you? Id be worried you finally figured out theres a dark side to the other side of the coin that youve been shown. OPEN YOUR EYES Is anyone still under the delusion that Trump is not a narcissistic sociopath? No matter how you feel about the job any previous president did, you have to know in your soul this man is pure evil. For those who realize he is, no matter your belief, pray for God to protect us from the traps of hate and divisiveness Trump has laid before us. Wake up! Victory! RNB ALL ABOUT TRAFFIC This is in reference to education for all regarding the building of the new middle school in Clifton Heights. The point is not whether black or white children will go to the school. The plane is that theres not enough room to build the size school that Upper Darby School District wants to build and there is going to be hell to pay with traffic. Thats it. I dont know whos making it about race, but its not about race. RICH IS THE MAN I would like to thank Rich, the manager of Freddys restaurant in Brookhaven. He makes all customers and senior citizens feel welcome. Thank you. PORTRAIT OF CORRUPTION Trumps trip to Kenosha proved again with a complete and utter scumbag and a liar he is. He did nothing but lie through his teeth the entire time he was there. Trump says that this is going to be the most corrupt election in the history of our country. That cant be possible because last election was the most corrupt election in the history of our country with the Russian interference. Trump won three states by a total of less than 10,000 votes. That is corruption, right there. MEANWHILE Thirty thousand Americans died from the COVID-19 virus in August, the third-deadliest month in the pandemics history. Meanwhile President Bone Spurs is stirring the pot up in Kenosha, Wis., trying to stoke up fear and civil unrest. Now the United States says it will not participate in the World Health Organization to get together for a vaccine. God forbid if China comes up with a good vaccine. They they going to say no Americans will get this. REALIST HERE IN RIDLEY JOE THE JOKER Why is Joe Biden always in the basement? Isnt he allowed in his house? This is crazy. Does he sleep down there? I guess he couldnt go out today because he was so tired from his speech is Pittsburgh. Maybe he answered too many questions. Hahaha. What a joke. He is afraid to take questions. His campaign wont allow him to take questions from the news media. They know hell mess up the answers. How can he be president if he cant talk to anyone? WONDERING WELCOME TO TRUMPS AMERICA Yo GOPpers! Your bunker boy is trying to claim that this is Bidens America dont even try to go there. Even you arent that gullible! More than 1,000 CV-19 deaths per day, 10.2% unemployment rate, 30 million people collecting unemployment, no plan for health care, prescription drug price relief, infrastructure, police reform, and immigration. And lets not forget, the most divisive America any of us have ever seen! BILL FROM BROOMALL SAVE US FROM SOCIALISM The way I figure it, this voting by mail is bologna. People have signs on their front lawn that say Im voting by mail, but theyre the same people I see at the Acme, I see them shopping for food and clothes, and I see them in Walmart. Its all a bunch of baloney just to try to mess up with Trump. He will win and we will not be socialist. TRUMP 2020 PEACE OF MY MIND So the governor of Oregon is sending state police and officers from neighboring communities to Portland to tamp on vandalism and violence after 100 consecutive nights of BLM demonstrations. But I thought they were mostly peaceful? The city police cant handle it? Our police can handle the mostly peaceful crowds of Cowboys and Eagles fans after a game without help. At least thats what the MSM keeps telling us, that these demonstrations are, right? Mostly peaceful. By Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) - Relatives of at least 259 jailed Venezuelan police and military officers are clamoring for their release, upset that none of them were included on the list of 110 people pardoned by President Nicolas Maduro's government this week. Maduro's government on Monday pardoned the opposition politicians and activists, several of whom were jailed, months ahead of a parliamentary election scheduled for Dec. 6. Major opposition parties pledged to boycott the vote, arguing it will be rigged in favor of Maduro's socialist party, though two opposition leaders have opened talks with the government to participate. But none of the uniformed prisoners - many of whom are charged with conspiring to oust Maduro or his predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez - were among those pardoned. "They use political prisoners at their convenience," said Andreina Baduel, the daughter of retired general and former defense minister Raul Baduel, who remains behind bars. Baduel was arrested in 2009 on corruption charges and released in 2017 but was immediately arrested again for allegedly conspiring against Maduro. He has not yet been tried on the second accusation, and his lawyers have been unable to access his case file, his daughter said. "He is in limbo," she said. Excluding police and military officers from the list of those pardoned shows Venezuela's government uses politically motivated and arbitrary detentions to intimidate critics and use their release as bargaining chips, said relatives interviewed by Reuters. The U.S. State Department on Thursday said in a statement that the pardons represent only a third of the political prisoners Venezuela holds and do not address the underlying political crisis. "Hundreds of political prisoners remain, and like those now offered house arrest or an end (for the moment) to their criminal cases, none of these Venezuelans should ever have been imprisoned for a single day," the statement said. Story continues Asked why they were not included, chief prosecutor Tarek Saab said the recommendations came from the Commission for Truth, Justice and Public Tranquility, a group comprised of Maduro allies that investigates acts of political violence. "We looked at the cases where it was valid to dictate this pardon," Saab said in a telephone interview, without elaborating. Esther Bolivar says she has not slept well since her son was arrested 17 years ago. Her son, police officer Erasmo Bolivar, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for allegedly wounding protesters during marches in 2002 that were part of an opposition effort to oust Chavez. "This problem has buried me; I want to be with my son," Esther Bolivar said while leaning against the wall of her apartment in the seaside town of Catia La Mar north of the capital Caracas. She keeps photos of her son, as well as trophies he won as an amateur basketball player, in the living room of her apartment. His lawyer, Theresly Malave, said he did not shoot at protesters, but rather was was tending to injured demonstrators. "These years have been full of pain," said Maria Bolivar, Erasmo Bolivar's aunt and an activist for uniformed prisoners. "What does the government want by keeping these boys in jail?" (Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; editing by Jonathan Oatis; Additional reporting by Angus Berwick in London; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Microsoft has announced a new tool that it has developed in order to combat the spread of deepfakes, ahead of the US presidential election in November. A deepfake is a video where artificial intelligence and deep learning an algorithmic learning method used to train computers has been used to make a person appear to say something they have not. Microsoft Video Authenticator is able to analyse a still photo or a video, and give the viewer a rating on the likelihood that it has been altered. For videos, Microsoft says its tool is able to provide still-by-still analysis, as such providing a percentage in real-time on each frame. It detects the blending boundary of the deepfake, or fading or grayscale in the images that might not be visible to human eyes. We expect that methods for generating synthetic media will continue to grow in sophistication. As all AI detection methods have rates of failure, we have to understand and be ready to respond to deepfakes that slip through detection methods, the company said in a blog post. Thus, in the longer term, we must seek stronger methods for maintaining and certifying the authenticity of news articles and other media. Microsoft also said that it has developed new technology that can detect manipulated content and assure people that the media theyre viewing is authentic. Recommended Microsoft Word can now transcribe your calls and meetings This is done through two components: the first is built into Microsoft Azure, the company's cloud computing service, which allows content makers to add digital hashes and certificates to their content. These hashes can be used as metadata information about the media, such as date and location. In combination with a reader for these hashes, which Microsoft says can be used in a browser extension, users can check that the certificates match the hashes and be informed whether the content is authentic. The authenticator will initially only be available through a partnership Microsoft has made with the AI Foundation, an American artificial intelligence company. The company is introducing a Reality Defender 2020 (RD2020) initiative that will be available to campaign organisations and news outlets. A number of media companies, including the BBC, Radio-Canada, and the New York Times, will test the authentication technology. Microsoft says that it hopes work with more technology companies, news publishers and social media companies over the next few months. At their current stage, deepfakes are primarily used for pornography. In June 2020, research indicated that 96 per cent of all deepfakes online are for pornographic context However, a report from University College London last month suggested that deepfakes are the most dangerous form of cybercrime. This is because they are so difficult to detect and could be used for a variety of nefarious purposes, such as blackmail or fraud. People now conduct large parts of their lives online and their online activity can make and break reputations. Such an online environment, where data is property and information power, is ideally suited for exploitation by AI-based criminal activity, said Dr Matthew Caldwell, who authored the research. The organisation worked out a new concept that allows them to go from door to door to collect donations while still respecting sanitary measures. 90% of Amnesty International Luxembourg's funds are gained trough private donations, the organisation conveys in a recent press statement. A new campaign was therefore launched on Thursday, which will allow to continue collecting donations during the health crisis. To guarantee the safety of everyone, the new concept envisions teams installing a 2m distance reference before addressing possible donors. They are also wearing masks and will note down all information themselves to avoid any physical contact. Future donors will then be able to sign off via text message. Amnesty International The collectors will be wearing an Amnesty International uniform and badge, proving their identity and association with the organisation. It is further highlighted that they will never ask for cash money, only bank transactions. The organisation aims at raising awareness of women's rights and their overall activism for human rights in Luxembourg and across the world. A Russian lawmaker has proposed a bill that would see all app store transactions capped at 20 percent, down from the usual 30 percent. Reuters is reporting that Fedot Tumusov, a member of the State Duma, Russias lower house in its parliament, has tabled the law. At the same time, it would mandate that a third of the app store commission would be paid to the government as part of a fund to train people in IT. Apple, Google, Valve and other companies that run software stores have a fairly common practice of taking a 30 percent cut from each transaction. This has become an increasingly-contentious issue, especially with Apple, as more developers and regulators complain that it is unfair. Discussion about the rules, in both the US and Europe, with strong backing from rival software companies like Epic, will continue to rumble. Last month, Russias antitrust authority found that Apple had overstepped its bounds when blocking a Kaspersky-made app to control kids screen time. At the time, Apple said that it would appeal its decision and it will likely spend the near future fighting battles over control of the App Store all around the world. Its not clear how much support Tumusovs proposal has, given that he is not a member of United Russia, the countrys ruling party. Although given the general sentiment against Apple -- and other companies running app stores -- its certainly plausible that others will support the motion. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Ankara, Turkey Thu, September 3, 2020 08:40 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c425c9c4 2 World Turkey,coronavirus,COVID-19,second-wave,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Turkey is experiencing the second peak of its novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, while the government announced new restrictions on weddings and other social gatherings as daily cases and deaths rise rapidly. Fatalities have jumped to their highest since mid-May, when lockdowns were in place, and new cases have risen to mid-June levels, at almost 1,600. Turkey mostly reopened the economy and lifted weekend and age-specific lockdowns in early June. The number of new cases rose by 1,596 to 273,301 in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data, while the death toll from the virus rose by 45 to 6,462 on Wednesday. Koca told a press conference after meeting his coronavirus science team that the capital Ankara had seen the most rapid rise in cases lately, producing double the numbers of Istanbul, previously the outbreak's epicenter in Turkey. "We are going through the second peak of the first wave of coronavirus. The carelessness at weddings and religious holidays has bought us to this point," Koca said, but added lockdowns to curb the outbreak were not on the government's agenda for now. Following Koca's remarks, the government announced new restrictions on weddings, limiting their duration to an hour, banning all food and drinks. It also banned the attendance of senior citizens and children to such gatherings. "The virus is spreading to more people each day. Our test numbers are rising every day, our new patient numbers are not falling," Koca said, adding 29,865 health workers were infected, with 52 deaths. Doctors and medical groups have said some hospitals were at capacity. At the weekend, the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara accused the government of playing down the scale of the pandemic, citing local information. The Turkish Medics Association said last month that based on antibody tests, there are likely some 10 times more active coronavirus patients than suggested by the official tally. Koca stood by the accuracy of official tallies and urged people to be more cautious. Los Angeles County Responds to New State Order Blueprint, Navigating California through COVID-19 The County of Los Angeles updated the community with news surrounding COVID-19. Resources and assistance were listed for families that are feeling financially crippling affects from this pandemic. Public officials shared their concern about moving into recovery and economic stability. The feeling of hope is returning, as numbers reflect stability and decrease in community transmission. Last Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom released a new tiered structure. Taken from the Office of Gavin Newsom Press Release, The plan imposes risk-based criteria on tightening and loosening COVID-19 allowable activities and expands the length of time between changes to assess how any movement affects the trajectory of the disease. It includes the following protocols: 21 days to expand activities beyond the initial tier to limit the spread of the virus, mandatory metrics, and case rates and tests. In addition to a standard framework, with four categories covering the existing 58 different sets of rules. Throughout the pandemic, there has been many different models for monitoring the course of COVID-19. In response to the state issued news, Chairwoman Kathryn Barger stated, I am thankful to the state for creating this new tiered system, which clearly lays out how Los Angeles County can perceive with reopening. The new process allows the County to slowly move through the process and address the health, social and economic impact of this virus while also better aligning us with neighboring counties. ADVERTISEMENT Businesses have been feeling the meteoric impact of the effects of COVID-19, public officials confirmed that L.A. COVID fund will grant between $5,000 and $25,000 to qualifying businesses. Nonprofits, business of commerce, and micro-entrepreneurs can look into applying for the grant, the fourth round was released today, there has over $100 million allocated in total. Recent statistics were disclosed by Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. The reports shown on Monday reflect 16 additional deaths, eight of these individuals were over the age of 80, seven of them had underlining health conditions. Two people who died were between the ages of 65-79, 13 victims had preexisting health concerns. Four individuals were between the ages of 50-64, and five of them had underlining health problems. Two people who passed were between the ages of 30-49, all of them had previous medical issues. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in L.A. County to 5,784. There were 1,022 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 241,786 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 10,492 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 2,368 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 1,583 positive cases, 441 of those victims were properly isolated. The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 5,443 fatal cases showed 10% were African American, 15% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 51% were LatinX, 24% were White, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 92% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns. With the new blue print outlined by the state, one of the main priorities is finding a solid foundation for schools to reopen. The numbers in L.A. continues to drop significantly, the new state mandated structure provides clear navigation for reopening of the city. The County highly encourages the city remain vigilant and still upkeep existing safety protocols such as physical distancing, avoiding large crowds, and wearing face coverings. Experts warn that persistently high rates of COVID-19 among healthcare workers could put Victoria's move to ease restrictions at risk, as a new report calls for an eight-week lockdown extension to eliminate the virus. University of Melbourne Professor of Epidemiology Tony Blakely said efforts to drive down numbers may be stalling due to a failure to stamp out hospital and aged care outbreaks, with daily case numbers among health care and aged workers remaining stubbornly high. Medical staff in the COVID-19 ward at the Austin Hospital. Credit:Justin McManus "If we cannot bring that down as fast as general population counts, we may struggle to consistently get less than 50 [new cases] per day," Professor Blakely said. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Tuesday that he hoped the daily infection rate would fall to between 40 and 50 new cases by Sunday, when Premier Daniel Andrews is due to unveil his plan to exit stage four lockdown. On Thursday, the state recorded 113 new COVID-19 cases. CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Some nearby property owners oppose plans for a wind farm in southeastern Wyoming. Houston-based ConnectGen seeks to install between 84 and 151 wind turbines that will stand between 500 feet (150 metres) and 675 feet (200 metre) tall in southeastern Albany County, ConnectGen project manager Amanda MacDonald said. Albany County regulations require wind turbines to be located at least 5.5 times their height away from homes, meaning a 500-foot (150-meter) turbine would need to be at least 2,750 feet (840 metres) from the nearest home. The distance is out of date and should ensure separation from not only homes but monuments and parks, said Paul Montoya, co-owner of the Vista de Luna Bed and Breakfast near the Ames Monument. Montoya is circulating a petition for Albany County to reconsider its setback distance for wind turbines, The Cheyenne Post reported. The regulations that were put in place by Albany County are well over 10 years old and really havent kept up with the current technologies in wind energy, Montoya said. The distance is very much the norm for setbacks and more or less identical to those in neighbouring Carbon and Laramie counties, MacDonald said. The over $500 million project will create 113 construction jobs and 23-long-term jobs, according to ConnectGen. A Cambridge hospital has piloted the use of combined rapid point-of-care nucleic acid and antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection after researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that this approach was superior to virus detection alone for diagnosing COVID-19 disease. Point-of-care testing - in other words, testing patients as soon as they arrive at the hospital - is essential for enabling healthcare workers to rapidly diagnose patients and direct those who test positive for infection to dedicated wards. A recent study showed that SAMBA II, a new point-of-care PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 developed by Cambridge researchers, was able to dramatically reduce time spent on COVID-19 'holding' wards - allowing patients to be treated or discharged far quicker than with current lab testing set-ups. PCR tests involve extracting a miniscule amount of RNA from the virus and copying it millions of times, creating an amount large enough to confirm presence of the virus. The virus is captured through a swab inside the nostrils and at the back of the throat. However, it can take as long as 14 days for an individual to show symptoms of COVID-19, by which time the virus may have moved away from the nose and throat and into the lungs and other tissues and organs, making it harder to detect via a swab test. As a result, studies have shown that PCR tests can miss as many as a half of infected patients five days after infection. Antibody tests provide an alternative way of identifying infected individuals, but antibodies - molecules produced by our immune system in response to infection - generally do not appear until at least six days after infection. We still do not have a gold standard test for diagnosing COVID-19. This poses a challenge to healthcare workers who need to make quick and safe decisions about how and where to treat patients. The two main types of test - PCR and antibody tests - both have limitations because of the nature of coronavirus infection and how our body responds. But we've shown that if you combine them and carry out both at point of care, their reliability can be hugely increased." Professor Ravi Gupta, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Cambridge Professor Gupta led a team that used the approach of combining rapid point-of-care PCR and antibody tests to diagnose 45 patients at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The results of this peer-reviewed study are published in Cell Reports Medicine. The patients, each of whom had suspected moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, provided nose/throat swabs for the tests detecting nucleic acid (virus genetic material) and blood serum for antibody testing an average (median) of seven days after the onset of illness. The authors designed a gold standard reference test made of two parts, either of which could be positive to confirm COVID-19. The first part was an in vitro test where artificial SARS-CoV-2 viruses were made and mixed with serum from patients to see whether the serum contained neutralising antibodies. The second part of the gold standard was the standard Public Health England laboratory test looking for genetic viral material in nose/throat swabs. Using this gold standard, 24 of the patients had COVID-19. Professor Gupta's team used SAMBA II machines, developed by Cambridge spinout company Diagnostics for the Real World, for the nucleic acid tests, and a combination of two finger prick antibody tests, both of which test for antibodies against the spike protein on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Overall, the nucleic acid tests could identify eight out of ten patients with COVID-19, but when combined with the rapid antibody tests, 100% of the COVID-19 patients were correctly identified. Among the 21 patients who did not have COVID-19, there were four false positive results with one antibody test and only one false positive with the second antibody test, demonstrating that one performed better than the other. "Combining point-of-care PCR and antibody testing could be a game-changer for rapidly identifying those patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 infection," said Professor Gupta. "This could prove extremely useful, particularly in the event of a second wave arising during flu season, when it will not be immediately clear whether the patients had COVID-19 or seasonal flu." Professor Gupta envisages that hospitals deploying this approach would carry out a finger prick blood test and nose/throat swab at the same time on admission to hospital. The antibody test result is available within 15 minutes, but might benefit from confirmation with a second point-of-care antibody test. Importantly the study showed that the antibody tests can detect antibodies against a mutated form of SARS-CoV-2, D614G in spike protein, that has now become the dominant strain worldwide. This approach could be particularly beneficial in low resource settings where centralised virology laboratories are scarce and the pandemic is expanding, said Professor Gupta. In addition, it removes the need for repeated nose/throat swabbing when the first test is negative and suspicion of COVID-19 is high, which may generate aerosols and lead to transmission. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday that people who vote early by mail should show up at their local polling places on Election Day and vote again if their ballots havent been counted, a suggestion that experts said would lead to chaos, long lines and more work for election officials during a public health crisis. In a series of tweets, Trump encouraged voters to go to their polling site to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. .....go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizens right to do). If your Mail In Ballot arrives.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020 But information on whether a ballot has been counted is typically not available right away. In several states, absentee ballots arent even counted until after polls close. What can be checked is whether an absentee ballot has been received, and in some cases, whether it has passed a security review and will be submitted for counting. Election officials warned that a flood of voters showing up on Nov. 3 to check the status of their ballots would mean even more disruption during the coronavirus outbreak and lengthy waits. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said it also could undermine public health efforts. The board strongly discourages people from following the presidents guidance, Brinson Bell said in a statement. That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19. Many states offer ways for voters to verify the status of their ballot online that provide information on when an absentee ballot request has been received, when a ballot has been sent, when the ballot has been received by a local election office and whether it has passed the security review and been accepted. These are typically available on the website of the state election board or the secretary of state. Voters in the few states that dont provide this information online have the option to call their local election office. After months of claiming without proof that there would be widespread voter fraud in November, Trump on Wednesday seemed to urge absentee voters to go to their polling place on Election Day to see if they could vote again, as a way to test the nations voting system. The remarks drew widespread alarm from various officials and voting rights groups, saying that if voters were somehow able to cast a second ballot, they could face prosecution for voting twice. Let me be perfectly clear: voting twice is illegal, no matter who tells you do to it. The presidents idea is a great one for people looking to go to jail, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Karen Hobart Flynn, president of Common Cause, said: You cannot test election integrity rules by breaking them, any more than you can rob a bank to make sure your money is safe. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany blamed the media for taking Trumps words out of context. She said the president said mail-in voters should go to the polls to make sure their votes got tabulated, and if they werent, they should vote in person. The president does not condone unlawful voting, McEnany said. Trumps tweets on Thursday appeared to be an effort to clarify the earlier remarks. But they continued to cause concern for election officials who would have to deal with voters showing up at polling places on Election Day to demand information on their absentee ballots. His statements are intended to promote widescale chaos and confusion, and would burden election officials who would be tasked with spoiling any absentee ballots cast by voters who heed his call and also vote in person, said Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. All states track absentee ballots, so they know which voters have requested an absentee ballot and, of those, how many have returned their ballots. This information is available to poll workers on Election Day for the check-in process, either through paper or electronic poll books. If a voter shows up at a polling place on Election Day, after having requested an absentee ballot, this will be readily apparent. Depending on state rules, a voter might be able to cancel their absentee ballot but some might be instructed to cast a provisional ballot that will trigger a review process to determine whether the person is a valid voter and whether their absentee ballot was received and counted. Provisional ballots are the last to be reviewed and counted. If a voters absentee ballot was not counted, their provisional ballot would be counted. Having large numbers of people casting provisional ballots would create long lines at polling places on Election Day because its more time consuming for poll workers to work through than issuing a regular ballot. Once polls close, its much more work for election officials. Its just going to increase the strain on the system, said Jennifer Morrell, a former election official in Colorado and Utah. All those provisional ballots that have been issued, they are all going to have to be researched. You need to be so thorough. You dont want to disenfranchise anyone who has the right to vote and you also dont want to let a vote be processed if it shouldnt be. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) Two advocacy groups are questioning the decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to overlay white sand on the shores of Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard. In separate statements released on Thursday, marine conservation group Oceana Philippines and militant fishers group PAMALAKAYA said the act focused too much on aesthetic rehabilitation and did little to contribute to the rehabilitation and restoration of the area, The DENR doesnt have any concrete plan to restore the bay that it resorts to focus on external beautification which is actually a sham and artificial, instead of a genuine rehabilitation, said Fernando Hicap, national chairman of PAMALAKAYA. Instead of white sand, Hicap said mangroves and sea grasses would be more beneficial to the bay. Why invest in white sand when you can plant mangrove forests and sea grasses that would restore and balance its marine ecosystem?" he said. Meanwhile, Oceana said it seemed the DENR does not know the cost of what it was doing. Bakit inuuna ang purely aesthetic program sa rehabilitation ng Manila Bay? Para kanino itong programa na ito?" Oceana said a statement. "Does the Department of Environment and Natural Resources not know that they are destroying the coasts? [Translation: Why are they prioritizing a purely aesthetic program for Manila Bay's rehabilitation? Who is this project for? Does the Department of Environment and Natural Resources not know that they are destroying the coasts?] Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo Ramos pointed out that government agencies are required to undergo Environmental Impact Study process and obtain an Environmental Compliance Certificate for this kind of project. Ironically, it is the DENR that does not seem to follow the requirements set by law, she said. Oceana also noted the sand being added to the bay does not seem to be originally from it, saying the government could be destroying not just the Manila Bay, but the source of the white sand as well. In response, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said the material being overlaid along the baywalk was not sand, but dolomite boulders from Cebu that were crushed and transported to Manila. "I-o-overlay siya sa beach area para makita ng tao na itong white sand e magsi-signify ng kalinisan," he said in a video message Thursday. [Translation: This will be overlaid on the beach area so that people can see the white sand symbolizes cleanliness.] Antiporda said it would be a reminder to people to keep the environment clean despite the pandemic. "Dahil naniniwala po ang ating Kalihim Roy Cimatu na konektado ang pandemic na ito sa atin pong pagiging pabaya sa ating kalikasan at sa atin pong kapaligiran," he said. [Translation: Because our Secretary Roy Cimatu believes the pandemic is connected to our being careless with nature and the environment.] He also addressed concerns that the sand could simply erode. "Meron po tayong mga engineering interventions na gagawin diyan para ho sigurong ma-preserve ito at masustain natin yung ating tinatawag na napakagandang Manila Bay," he said. [Translation: We have engineering interventions that will ensure the preservation and will sustain the beauty of Manila Bay.] The so-called beach nourishment project, he said, is phase 1 of the Manila Baywalk Project which would be inspected by secretaries of different government offices on Sept. 19. Chinese foreign minister will participate in the virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the five-nation grouping on Friday, a senior official announced here on Thursday. Announcing Wang's participation in the meeting of the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing that the Chinese foreign minister would attend the online meeting hosted by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. Hua said the meeting of the foreign ministers will focus on the situation and cooperation. The online meeting of the five foreign ministers will take place in the backdrop of unsuccessful attempts by China to change the status quo in the eastern Ladakh region. 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 Russian Foriegn Ministry announced on August 27 that the foreign ministers of the BRICS bloc will hold a virtual meeting on September 4 during which they will focus on topical issues and discuss cooperation between the five countries. The BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The meeting, to be hosted by Russia, was scheduled to be held earlier but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (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.) (Newser) When asked by North Carolina news station WECT whether he was confident in the state's absentee voting system, President Trump on Wednesday appeared to suggest that, in order to test said system, voters should attempt to vote twice and see how it goes. His answer: "Well, they'll go out and they'll vote and they're going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So, let 'em send it in and let 'em go vote. And if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote (at the poll). If it isnt tabulated, they'll be able to vote. So thats the way it is, and thats what they should do. I dont like the idea of these unsolicited votes. I never did. It leads to a lot of problems. Theyve got 11 problems already on very small contests. Im not happy about it. At the same time, were in court with a lot of it. Were going to see if it can be stopped. But send in your ballots, send 'em in strong, whether it's solicited or unsolicited. The absentees are fine, we have to work to get 'em, you know, it means something. And you send 'em in, but you go to vote. And if they haven't counted it, you can vote. So, that's the way I view it." story continues below CNN notes that in North Carolina, it's a felony to intentionally vote twice in the same election, and the New York Times calls Trump's suggestion "the kind of voter fraud he has railed against." A state official says "we'd strongly advise against" anyone who has already cast an absentee ballot going to the polls to vote again. He also explained that voters can check their absentee ballot's status in three different ways. Trump made a similar suggestion to Nevada residents last month, amid a longstanding campaign against widespread mail-in voting, which he claims will lead to election fraud. Per NBC News, a Trump campaign spokesperson says Trump is not encouraging that voters vote illegally a second time: "President Trump encourages supporters to vote absentee-by-mail early, and then show up in person at the polls or the local registrar to verify that their vote has already been counted. Its amazing that the media can go from insisting that voter fraud doesnt exist to screaming about it when President Trump points out the giant holes in the Democrats voting schemes." (Read more Election 2020 stories.) (Natural News) An effort to recall the Democratic governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, has begun spreading all over the state. The recall was organized by Misty Polewczynski, a resident of Burlington, Racine County, located to the north of Kenosha. In a Facebook page, Polewczynski posted the document that she submitted to the state petitioning for the recall of Gov. Evers. In the form, she cites Evers lackluster response to both the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as well as the rioting and civil unrest in Kenosha as the main reasons that the governor is unfit to remain in office. Tony Evers has proven to be unfit for office. His gross negligence and incompetence in all matters pertaining to the duties of governor regarding the health, safety and economic well being of the citizens of Wisconsrelin. The unconstitutional mandates and lockdowns have cost citizens their businesses, homes, jobs and livelihood. His tolerance of violence and giving into irrational demands along with the issuance of premature statements has not only put the safety of the citizens and their property in danger, but also placed the lives of law enforcement and reliability of the justice system in danger. Polewczynski also filed the paperwork to recall Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is also a Democrat. She is not working with either the Wisconsin Republican Party or with any other established political organization in the state. Once a recall petition drive has been officially registered with the proper state authorities, Wisconsin law gives the organizers 60 days to gather at least 25 percent of the total number of votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election. This means that Polewczynski has until Wednesday, October 28 a week before the election to gather 668,327 signatures. If they meet the required number of signatures required to trigger the recall elections, state officials would then have to schedule it. The citizens of Wisconsin right now feel extremely unsafe, said Polewczynski in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Were not willing to stand by and watch our cities burn. She stated that she is partly motivated due to her concern that her brother, a Kenosha resident, might become a victim of the violence in that city. (Related: Left-wing rioters in Kenosha are now setting fire to apartment buildings with families trapped inside.) Wisconsin Democrats strongly criticize grassroots initiative to recall Gov. Evers The Democrats in Wisconsin have condemned the effort to recall their governor. Courtney Beyer, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said that the attempt to recall Evers during a global pandemic and heightened civil unrest is irresponsible and absurd. She further cites a recent poll that showed that the governor has a 57 percent job approval rating. While Polewczynski recognizes the difficult job ahead of her, she remains confident that it can be done. She has even set up a Facebook page where she can organize her grassroots efforts. As of writing, the group has over 52,000 members. She said that she has contacted organizers who identify as both Republican and Democrat who are frustrated with Evers administration to help her out. The last gubernatorial recall election to occur in Wisconsin was launched in late 2011 and early 2012 by the Democratic Party against then-incumbent Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican. They gathered around 900,000 signatures, only to have Walker win the recall election against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett by nearly seven percentage points. While state Democrats like Gov. Evers are bungling their response to both the coronavirus pandemic and the engineered rioting, national Democrats like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have declared members of the GOP to be enemies of the state. Learn more by listening to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. Petition drive off to a good start Polewczynski began her recall drive by heading over to Echo Park in Burlington, where she had set up a small table where people could come and sign the petition. Speaking to a fellow organizer, Polewczynski said that signature collection was off to a good start. I know that one of the [signature collection] locations got 1,500 signatures and another got 1,000, she said. The WUWM reporter who covered the beginning of the recall drive even pointed out how there was a steady stream of people coming up to Polewczynskis table to sign the petition. Bob Koenecke, a signatory, said that he does not agree with Evers decision to lock down the state. Were just not into socialism, he said. Were more into freedom. While Koenecke is focused on recalling Evers for his response to COVID-19, others want the governor out because of his lackluster handling of the riots in Kenosha. Roger Holmes, another signatory, said that he wanted law and order in the state, and Evers and the Democrats are not providing that to him. Democrats all over the country are being criticized for their inability to put a decisive end to the rioting in cities like Kenosha, Portland and Seattle. Learn about the latest news regarding the civil unrest at Rioting.news. Sources include: Breitbart.com WPR.org JSOnline.com WUWM.com The Aam Aadmi Party released the report of its caste-based survey, conducted on a sample size of 68,000 people, in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The report, released by AAP UP in-charge Sanjay Singh, claimed that 63% of people believe that the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state was casteist, whereas 28% of people are against the belief and 9% reserved their opinion. According to the party, 63% of people responded with a yes, while only 28% said no to a question pertaining to a possible bias in Adityanaths dispensation and if the government is only towards the Thakur community. The party has, meanwhile, accused the state police of interrupting the survey bringing it to a close. The survey has now been closed because the UP police had started taking action against the people of the agency. Calls have been made to people in almost every part of UP and no area was left out. If the police had not stopped it, we would have done it on a bigger scale, AAP MLA from Delhis Timarpur, Dilip Pandey, said. Pandey added that the party did not disclose about the survey being done on behalf of AAP to avoid a biased response. He said, It would have affected the relevance of the survey. People would have been biased. The phone numbers will also be kept confidential. The UP police have filed a case against unknown people under the IT Act at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. Some places in Jaipur have also been raided in this regard. Now, anticipation is high over Aam Aadmi Partys developing politics in Uttar Pradesh based on the survey and how the ruling BJP reacts would be an interesting show. DUBLIN, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Opportunity Analysis and Forecasts to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The greatest drivers of growth in the global MDS market include the launch of 10 new pipeline therapies during the forecast period and a growing number of incident cases in many 7MM countries due to an aging population. The main barriers to growth in the MDS market include the launch of generics and biosimilars of major brands, including Vidaza (azacitidine), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa), and the dominance of safe and effective generic and biosimilar products in the first-line setting for both LR-MDS and HR-MDS. Among the late-stage pipeline products, KOLs were particularly enthusiastic about BMS's recently approved anti-anemia agent, Reblozyl (luspatercept) for the treatment of LR-MDS and Aprea Therapeutics' eprenetapopt plus azacitidine combination therapy for the treatment of TP53 mutant HR-MDS. The most important unmet needs in the MDS disease space are the needs for novel therapeutics targeting difficult-to-treat patient groups including patients with HR-MDS and LR-MDS who fail the standard of care; LR-MDS patients with symptomatic neutropenia and thrombocytopenia; and more generally, HR-MDS patients, the majority of which are ineligible to safely receive HSCT, which is the only currently available curative therapy option. With the launch of ten new pipeline agents expected between 2018 and 2028, the publisher expects the MDS competitive landscape to undergo a significant transformation during the next decade. Key Questioned Answered Therapeutic goals for patients with MDS differ depending on whether patients have lower or higher risk disease. How do the treatment goals for patients with HR-MDS and LR-MDS differ? How well are currently marketed therapies addressing the different needs of patients with higher and lower risk MDS? What are the main R&D trends in the MDS market and which companies are leading the way? In what ways is clinical trial design for LR-MDS and HR-MDS changing and what aspects do KOLs believe should be addressed in the future? Are there major differences in the mechanisms of action used by therapies in late-stage versus early-stage clinical development? Despite the recent burst in pipeline development for MDS, KOLs interviewed by the publisher still noted a continued high level of unmet need for therapies targeting difficult-to-treat populations of patients. Which MDS patient populations have the greatest unmet need and why? How can the pharmaceutical industry address these needs? To what degree will the therapies under development fulfill these unmet needs? Report Scope Overview of MDS including epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines. Topline MDS market revenue, annual cost of therapy, and major pipeline product sales in the forecast period. Key topics covered include current treatment and pipeline therapies, unmet needs and opportunities, and the drivers and barriers affecting MDS therapeutics sales in the 7MM. Pipeline analysis: Comprehensive data split across different phases, emerging novel trends under development, and detailed analysis of late-stage pipeline drugs. Analysis of the current and future market competition in the global MDS therapeutics market. Insightful review of the key industry drivers, restraints and challenges. Each trend is independently researched to provide qualitative analysis of its implications. Reasons to Buy Develop and design your in-licensing and out-licensing strategies, using a detailed overview of current pipeline products and technologies to identify companies with the most robust pipelines. Develop business strategies by understanding the trends shaping and driving the global MDS therapeutics market. Drive revenues by understanding the key trends, innovative products and technologies, market segments, and companies likely to impact the global MDS market in the future. Formulate effective sales and marketing strategies by understanding the competitive landscape and by analyzing the performance of various competitors. Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolios and create effective counter-strategies to gain a competitive advantage. Track drug sales in the global MDS therapeutics market from 2018-2028. Organize your sales and marketing efforts by identifying the market categories and segments that present maximum opportunities for consolidations, investments and strategic partnerships. Key Topics Covered 1 Table of Contents 1.1 List of Tables 1.2 List of Figures 2 Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Executive Summary 2.1 Moderate Growth Expected in MDS Market Between 2018 and 2028 2.2 Drug Developers Position Agents to Fill Key Vacancies in the Treatment Paradigms for Higher- and Lower-Risk MDS 2.3 Unmet Needs Persist in Difficult-to-Treat MDS Subgroups, Leaving Substantial Opportunity for Future Players 2.4 Current Late-Stage MDS Pipeline Offers a Range of New Options for Patients in the Front-Line and Later Treatment Settings 2.5 What Do Physicians Think? 3 Introduction 3.1 Catalyst 3.2 Related Reports 3.3 Upcoming Related Reports 4 Disease Overview 4.1 Etiology and Pathophysiology 4.1.1 Etiology 4.1.2 Pathophysiology 4.2 Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis 4.3 Classification 4.3.1 WHO Classification Criteria for MDS 4.3.2 IPSS-R Classification 5 Epidemiology 5.1 Disease Background 5.2 Risk Factors and Comorbidities 5.3 Global and Historical Trends 5.4 Forecast Methodology 5.4.1 Sources 5.4.2 Forecast Assumptions and Methods 5.5 Epidemiological Forecast for MDS (2018-2028) 5.5.1 Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS 5.5.2 Age-Specific Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS 5.5.3 Sex Specific Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS 5.5.4 Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS/MPN 5.5.5 Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS by Subtype 5.5.6 Diagnosed Incident Cases of Primary/Secondary MDS 5.5.7 Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS by Risk Group 5.5.8 Diagnosed Incident Cases of MDS by Mutations 5.5.9 Five-Year Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of MDS 5.6 Discussion 5.6.1 Epidemiological Forecast Insight 5.6.2 Limitations of the Analysis 5.6.3 Strengths of the Analysis 6 Current Treatment Options 7 Unmet Needs and Opportunity Assessment 8 R&D Strategies 9 Pipeline Assessment 10 Pipeline Valuation Analysis 11 Appendix Companies Mentioned AbbVie Inc Acceleron Pharma Inc Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc Amgen Inc Aprea Therapeutics AB Astellas Pharma Inc Astex Pharmaceuticals Inc AstraZeneca Plc Bristol-Myers Squibb Co Eisai Co Ltd FibroGen Inc Gamida Cell Ltd Genentech Inc Genzyme Corp Geron Corp Janssen-Cilag Ltd Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc Johnson & Johnson Kyowa Kirin Co Ltd Nippon Shinyaku Co Ltd Novartis AG Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co Ltd Onconova Therapeutics Inc Sanofi SymBio Pharmaceuticals Ltd Pfizer Inc Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ve5tza Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com (Bloomberg) -- Grenoble is Frances answer to Silicon Valley, a tech hub where chipmaker STMicroelectronics NV is developing new wireless applications, Apple Inc. has an imaging unit in a former chocolate factory and Chinas Huawei Technologies Co. is perfecting touch sensors. For Eric Piolle, the mayor of the Alpine city and a rising star in the countrys Green party, making sure these companies have access to 5G communication networks is not a priority. We shouldnt just jump on a new technology for the sake of it, Piolle told Bloomberg in an interview. We need to pause, and look into the impact 5G will have on the environment. Tree-Hugging Phone Companies Get Ready for 5Gs Energy Bill France is already behind Germany and the U.K. in rolling out 5G, which offers broadband speeds up to a hundred times faster than todays mobile networks. Advocates say it will pull Europes struggling economies into a new era of connected factories, self-driving cars and supercharged smartphones. Piolle and his allies see 5G as an excuse for a wasteful and unnecessary cycle of mobile phone upgrades. Theyre alarmed by the potential climate impact of a technology that could soak up three times more power than current mobile infrastructure, and want to focus instead on improving patchy 4G coverage. The message has struck a chord with voters, who in June propelled Green candidates into office in some of Frances biggest cities including Nantes, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. Its turned into potentially the most consequential of several grass-roots campaigns against 5G across Europe, driven by concerns that its harmful to health, and by conspiracy theories linking it to Covid-19. Towers have been wrecked from the U.K. to Germany, and a moratorium advocated in Switzerland. They cant veto 5G outright, but French Green officials told Bloomberg theyll go to court to block the issuance of construction permits and will ban antennas from public buildings. Story continues The campaign is turning into a problem for President Emmanuel Macrons government. A state agency is preparing a report on 5Gs health impact for the first half of next year, and environment minister Barbara Pompili said in July the government should focus on 4G until the conclusions of the impact study are known. Macron has indicated therell be no wide-scale 5G rollout for now. Wary of a popular backlash if it moves too fast on 5G, Frances third-biggest wireless operator, Bouygues Telecom, has also proposed that the government concentrate for now on improving 4G coverage, its Chairman Olivier Roussat told reporters last week. The government has decided nonetheless to press ahead with a delayed auction of 5G spectrum at the end of this month, said Roussat. Bouygues SA Chief Executive Officer Martin Bouygues confirmed the company will bid for the frequencies. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Pelosi, House Dems vow to push for taxpayer-funding of abortion in 2021 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. 5 Free And Low-Cost Strategies To Effectively Promote Music Everyone wants to promote their band, however, being able to afford the traditional forms of marketing is often beyond the means of many musicians. Fortunately, some of the most inexpensive forms of promotion are also oftentimes the most effective. By Oscar Collins from CD Babys DIY Musician blog How to promote your band without breaking the bank You want an affordable way to promote your band, but you dont have it in the budget to pay for the standard marketing strategies. Fortunately for you, expanding your fan base is easier than you think. Its less expensive as well. With a little help from social media, your local community and even other bands, its possible to promote your music. A grassroots approach will save you money while boosting your bands visibility. So where should you get started? The answer is an arms length away. 1. Leverage your social media accounts Its essential to concentrate your efforts on more than one social media platform. Your Twitter account can help, but Instagram has more than 1 billion users worldwide. By leveraging all of the social media accounts at your disposal, youll extend your reach to a broader audience and increase your presence. Here are a few examples: Host live streams on Facebook like mini-concerts, Q&As or playthroughs of your songs Grow your audience on TikTok, a music-focused app thats famous for dance challenges and lip-sync videos Start a Twitter account to regularly promote tour dates (when gigging is possible again) and engage with fans in ways you cant on other social media platforms With Instagram, you can create 15-second Reels that are cut to one of your songs, a popular new rival to TikTok On YouTube, you can upload music and clips from shows and events and even host live streams The goal is to tackle social media from various angles so that you can build yourself up. But be warned itll take at least a few months to see your follower count rise. Patience and consistency are key. Aim to upload a few posts each week. And dont hire a dedicated social media manager unless you really cant keep up. 2. Work together with other bands You and your bandmates need to make an effort to connect with other bands. Its always smart to build relationships with co-workers who could help you if needed. Major cities like New York and Los Angeles have many artists whod like to pursue similar goals. Even if you dont live near a major metropolitan music hub, its still important to collaborate. In doing so, youll both appeal to each others audiences. There are a ton of ways to utilize this method. You may want to collaborate on a song or show. You dont have to make music or tour together either. Instead, you could think about ways to support each others promotional efforts. A few posts and shares on each others social pages could lead to new fans for both bands. Swap songs on your featured playlists. Do your best to make connections with other groups near you. 3. Volunteer to assist others in your community Youve no doubt heard it before: I used to know him when he was still playing drums in his garage. Everyone loves an underdog, and your community will lift you up if you take the right approach. So whats the best way to help out (and get helped in return)? Why not schedule an afternoon where you cook a few hot meals before you deliver them to a local organization? You can also include a flyer with details on how to download your music. It doesnt really matter which efforts you decide to pursue. Whether you want to teach music to local kids or play a concert to raise money, its beneficial to become more active in your community. Your time makes a significant difference. Plus, youll have a chance to speak directly with those who could improve your career. You shouldnt have to spend a dime on this method other than a few minimal promotional costs. Its a surefire way to connect with your closest fans your own community. Reach out to a few groups to see if theyd like to work with you. 4. Organize a street team A street team always works as an effective and cheap way to advertise your band. You probably have fans whove been with you for a while. Theyd jump at a chance to work with their favorite band. Why not enlist them to promote your music and tours around their hometowns? Record labels and new bands love street teams, as they offer free ways to canvas any city in America. There are several methods street teams use to put your name out there. They could attend local shows where theyd hand out information to other fans. They may also rely on social media to send out updates. Be sure to work alongside your street team to ensure they have the proper resources. Theyll work on their own schedules, but you can still offer a little support to make their jobs easier. 5. Get a little more creative with your merch Your merchandise doesnt have to be expensive. With certain tactics, you can make t-shirts, mugs and buttons for less. Ask a local artist to come up with one or two designs you can use for your products. Once youve managed that area, use an online merchandise website to put together orders. You could even make your own DIY merchandise if you want to save some cash. Either way, its important to get creative. Your band should employ a few different methods to sell your merchandise effectively. Be sure to plug your products whenever possible. Have you played shows over live streams recently? Dont forget to advertise. You can also start a giveaway to promote your band on social media. In any case, its vital to ensure your products are accessible and eye-catching. People love new clothes, but only if theyre interesting. Use these ideas to catapult yourself to stardom Almost all bands start small. Before you release a record-charting album, its essential to use grassroots ideas to promote yourself. Try these suggestions to ensure everyone knows about your music, and it wont be long before your fanbase starts to grow.SHARE Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team. Share on: The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests for coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances has recommended the formation of a mangrove cell across all coastal states, similar to Maharashtra, for better protection of mangroves. Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants, trees, shrubs or ground fern of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. While being a breeding ground for a variety of marine animals, they also act as a natural buffer against storm surges, cyclones and sea level rise. Considering the need for their conservation, a dedicated cell under the forest department can help safeguard mangrove forest patches and appraise planned projects around them better through site verification on affected mangrove trees, the EAC said, adding, In Maharashtra, a mangrove conservation cell administered by the forest department is effectively functioning and a similar model can be adopted by other coastal state governments. A formal recommendation was sent to the Union environment ministry last week. The committee desired that the matter can be looked into by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and in the interest of mangrove conservation, which plays a major role specially during extreme events in coastal areas, the coastal state governments or union territories administration may be requested to develop such dedicated mangrove conservation efforts, read the minutes. This is a well-established model of the Maharashtra government where there is a recognised institutional framework constituted in protecting mangrove cover, said Deepak Apte, chairman, EAC (CRZ). We have been highlighting this since our very first meeting and the Centre should take this forward in light of coastal and marine conservation. The Maharashtra model has appropriate accountability with the cell headed by a high ranking forest officer further reporting to the chief wildlife warden, and governing council state secretaries, said Apte. The EAC made its latest recommendation while assessing the feasibility of a 2286 crore six-lane highway project in Kerala (Talapady to Nileshwaram section of NH-66) that involved the loss of 266 mangrove trees. According to the Forest Survey of India, the country has 4,975 sq. km of mangrove cover. West Bengal (majorly Sunderbans) has maximum cover 2,112 sq km followed by Gujarat 1,177 sq km, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 616 sq km, Andhra Pradesh 404 sq km, Maharashtra 320 sq km, and Odisha 251 sq km, among major regions with mangrove forests. Maharashtras mangrove cell was constituted in 2012 based on an order passed by the Bombay high court in 2005 banning mangrove destruction across the state and construction within 50 m of trees. Over eight years, the cell recruited staff for on-ground surveillance. It now has 70 forest guards across six Konkan districts, 13 round officers, and a special team engaged in tackling mangrove destruction across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane called the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit (MMCU) with 108 guards alone and a team of senior forest officers. Additionally, there is one range forest officer across all other districts including Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The cell is responsible for the declaration and protection of the 16.9 sq km Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary and the protection of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary. It recently proposed the 2,011 sq km Angria Bank, a submerged plateau 105 km (56.7 nautical miles) off Malvan in the Sindhudurg, as a protected area, which was approved by the State Board of Wildlife last month. The state constituted the Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation in 2015, an autonomous body that assists the mangrove cell in coastal marine conservation through research projects with mangrove cell chief as its executive director. Over five years, the foundation has undertaken numerous research projects to improve the livelihood of coastal communities as well as increase awareness and capacity building through marine biodiversity research along the Konkan coast. According to mangrove cell officials, the foundation is registered as a society where funds are allocated to offset environmental implications by project proponents as one of the conditions during wildlife clearance (mostly 2% of total project cost) issued by the National Board of Wildlife. This money is sent to fixed deposits and the foundation uses the interest to fund its activities thereby not depending on government funds at all, a forest official said. Apte added, This is an effective mechanism wherein instead of companies spending money on their own (where effectiveness cannot be monitored), funds are allocated either for mangrove conservation or marine research through annual plans developed by this foundation. Thus, funds to offset environmental impacts for projects are channelised through a well-established structure governed ultimately by the state for coastal and climatic resilience. Over the eight years since the inception of the cell and five years since the foundation was constituted, Maharashtra recorded the highest increase in mangrove cover (37%) across India between 2015 (222 sq km) and 2017 (304 sq km), and second highest increase in mangrove cover in India (by another 16 sq km) between 2017 and 2019. FIRST STATE TO DECLARE ITS OWN MANGROVE STATE TREE Maharashtra is set to become the first coastal state to declare a state mangrove tree species - Sonneratia alba or mangrove apple - based on a proposal by the mangrove cell, which was approved by the State Board of Wildlife during a meeting last month. The state is likely to publish the formal government resolution on the decision later this month. Known as White Chippi in Marathi, Sonneratia alba grow up to five feet with white flowers having a pink base, and bear distinct green apples as fruits used to make pickles. They often grow on newly formed mudflats playing an important role in combating land erosion. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MOSCOW, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev today visited the Ultramar Terminal being built at the port of Ust-Luga for the transhipment of mineral fertilizers. Mr Guryev and Andrey Bonch-Bruevich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ultramar, which is building the terminal, inspected the deep-water port, which will be able to receive Panamax-class vessels, one of the largest types of cargo ship in the world. In June, a freight rail link was launched that will connect to the terminal. A warehouse facility is also being built that has a storage capacity of up to 1 million tonnes of mineral fertilizers. Once construction is completed in 2021, the terminal will be the largest in Europe; in the future, it will be able to tranship up to 25 million tonnes of product per year. "We showed our support for this project at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2019, when PhosAgro and Ultramar signed a long-term agreement for transhipment through the Ultramar Terminal," said PhosAgro's CEO following his visit to the terminal. "Today, we are pleased to note that the project has reached an advanced stage. The new terminal may handle the transhipment of more than 3 million tonnes of PhosAgro fertilizers per year, which will make it a crucial facility for the Company. "As part of PhosAgro's development strategy to 2025, we plan to increase the export of fertilizers by 25 per cent, which is why we are already analysing the logistics involved in delivering additional volumes of product, as well as options for optimising current costs and diversifying the transhipment channels now being used. We are closely following the construction of the terminal in Ust-Luga, and I am confident that, once complete, it will enable us to ship steadily increasing volumes of our fertilizers in the long term." "The Ultramar Terminal is a unique transhipment facility, the launch of which will eliminate the shortage of capacities needed to ship fertilizers through ports in the north-west [of Russia]", said Mr Bonch-Bruevich. "One of the features that will set it apart is the rate at which it can offload rail freight and load vessels. In addition, it will also provide the flexibility that mineral fertilizer producers and their customers require: the ability to store and quickly load the widest-possible range of products on individual vessels. "The trust of our partners, and of PhosAgro first and foremost, is helping us to overcome the difficulties associated with the implementation of such a large-scale project. As of now, construction is ahead of schedule, and we expect the transhipment of PhosAgro fertilizers through the Ultramar Terminal to begin this November." About us PhosAgro (www.phosagro.com) is one of the world's leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers in terms of production volumes of phosphate-based fertilizers and high-grade phosphate rock with a P 2 O 5 content of 39% and higher. PhosAgro's environmentally friendly fertilizers stand out for their high efficiency, and they do not lead to the contamination of soils with heavy metals. The Company is the largest phosphate-based fertilizer producer in Europe (by total combined capacity for DAP/MAP/NP/NPK/NPS), the largest producer of high-grade phosphate rock with a P 2 O 5 content of 39%, a top-three producer of MAP/DAP globally, one of the leading producers of feed phosphates (MCP) in Europe, and the only producer in Russia, and Russia's only producer of nepheline concentrate (according to the RAFP). PhosAgro's main products include phosphate rock, more than 50 grades of fertilizers, feed phosphates, ammonia, and sodium tripolyphosphate, which are used by customers in 102 countries spanning all of the world's inhabited continents. The Company's priority markets outside of Russia and the CIS are Latin America, Europe and Asia. PhosAgro's shares are traded on the Moscow Exchange, and global depositary receipts (GDRs) for shares trade on the London Stock Exchange (under the ticker PHOR). Since 1 June 2016, the Company's GDRs have been included in the MSCI Russia and MSCI Emerging Markets indexes. More information about PhosAgro can be found on the website: www.phosagro.com. SOURCE PhosAgro About 2,000 Ghanaians who could not return to various countries in Europe where they reside because of Covid-19 travel restrictions have been evacuated to their destinations. They were evacuated under an exercise collaborated by Ghana, the Spanish, Italian and German Embassy, as well as the British High Commission and the Joy Diaspora Consult. They were returned to Spain, Germany, Sweden, France, Finland, among others. Mr Jones Owusu Yeboah, the Chief Executive Officer of Joy Diaspora Consult, in a statement issued to the GNA, on Thursday, said the Ghanaian Community in Germany also supported the endeavour, through the Consult, to provide some documentation needed for the return of their counterparts. Mr Yeboah said the Consult was in discussions with the authorities of the Spanish Embassy in Accra over future evacuation exercises. Mr Seibik Bugri, Director of Communication at the Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development was part of the discussions hosted by Mr Rafael Rodriguez-Ponga Albala, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Spanish Embassy. Mr Albala, the statement said, expressed the Embassy's commitment to supporting any effort to return stranded Ghanaians to join their families in Spain. Spain, he said, was now safer with regard to COVID-19 so visitors could go there now without any anxiety or fear and thanked the Government of Ghana for granting permission for the evacuation. Mr Yeboah appealed to the travelling public to channel their petitions through the appropriate authorities rather than non-authorised sources to avoid challenges of illegal immigration. GNA An Iraqi television station was attacked for programming considered offensive during a Shiite Muslim commemoration. And now the government has issued an arrest warrant for the networks owner over the alleged insults. On Monday, protesters headed to the Baghdad office of Iraqi news outlet Dijlah, where they started a fire and damaged property. Iraqi media outlets reported that the outrage was over Dijlah's music programming during the Ashura event Aug. 28-29. Ashura commemorates the death of third Shiite Imam Husayn ibn Ali, who was murdered in A.D. 680. Ashura is a solemn occasion of mourning. Security forces responded to the attack, which included down with Dijlah spray-painted on the walls outside the station. An arrest warrant for Dijlahs owner, Jamal Karbouli, was also issued by a Baghdad court on Monday. Karbouli allegedly insulted Shiite Muslims with his channels programming, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The US-based organization called on Iraqi authorities to drop the charges, saying the warrant violates press freedom. Offending religious sentiments cannot be a justification for ordering the arrest of the owner of a broadcaster, especially when the broadcaster has already issued a public apology, the committee said in a statement. We call on Iraqi authorities to immediately revoke the arrest warrant against Jamal Karbouli and allow Dijlah TV to operate freely and without fear of retaliation. Dijlah issued an apology on Sunday, the day before the attack. In a statement of his own following the incident, Karbouli said he respects the court and will appear before it. He also took a shot at militias he accused of being behind the attack on Dijlah. Weve grown accustomed to the burning of Dijlah by the militias of darkness, just as weve grown accustomed to the firing of Katyusha (rockets) at international delegations in front of the eyes of the security forces, said Karbouli in the statement posted on Twitter. Karbouli is referring to Iran-backed, largely Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) that regularly fire rockets at the Green Zone in Baghdad, where many embassies are located. It is possible the attack was carried out by the PMU for political reasons. Dijlah has covered anti-government protests in Iraq extensively. These protesters are largely against the PMU, accusing them of participating in the violent crackdown against the demonstrations. Karbouli is Iraqi, but the channel is based in Amman. Dijlah has an office in Iraq and broadcasts there, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. By Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Wednesday banned another 118 mobile apps including Tencent Holdings' popular videogame PUBG, as it stepped up the pressure on Chinese technology companies following a standoff with Beijing at the border. The list of 118 mostly Chinese apps also includes applications from Baidu and Xiaomi's ShareSave. The ban was announced a day after a senior Indian official said troops were deployed on four strategic hilltops after what New Delhi called an attempted Chinese incursion along a disputed Himalayan border. Tencent declined to comment on the announcement and the Chinese embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India's technology ministry said the apps were a threat to India's sovereignty and security. These "apps collect and share data in a surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to the security of the state," the ministry said in a statement. The ban is a blow for Tencent in India whose PUBG, a battle royale game, is a smash-hit in the country. India ranks No.1 in the world in terms of PUBG downloads, accounting for roughly 175 million installs, or 24 percent of the total, apps analytics firm SensorTower says. India first banned 59 Chinese apps, including ByteDance's popular video-sharing app TikTok, Tencent's WeChat and Alibaba's UC Browser, in June. That move, which India's technology minister referred to as a "digital strike", followed a skirmish with Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border site in June when 20 Indian soldiers were killed. Tensions have simmered between New Delhi and Beijing ever since and sources told Reuters last month of another ban of 47 mostly clone apps. India's prohibitions have stalled business operations of several Chinese companies in India. They have also forced Alibaba, a major backer of Indian tech startups, to put on hold all plans to invest in the country for at least six months, Reuters reported in August. Story continues Tech analysts say there is a risk the sudden change in the business environment will deter Chinese investment more generally. "The app bans not only give a negative signal to Chinese firms and investors already in India, but even those waiting for a favourable climate to invest in India may now back off now," said Atul Pandey, a partner at law firm Khaitan & Co who has advised several Chinese clients. (Additional reporting by Philip George, Chandini Monnappa and Pei Li; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Barbara Lewis) By Express News Service KOZHIKODE/TPURAM: Controversys child Bineesh Kodiyeri has once again landed the CPM in an embarrassment when Muslim Youth League state general secretary P K Firoz dropped a bombshell alleging that the son of the partys state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has links with the Bengaluru drug racket. Firoz told mediapersons that the statement of drug dealer Muhammad Anoop reportedly given to the investigation team has confirmed Bineeshs ties with the accused and the gang. Bineesh responded to the charge saying though he has known Anoop for years, he came to know of his involvement in drug dealing only now. Firoz alleged that Bineesh has close ties with Rijesh Raveendran who was nabbed along with Anoop and D Anikha, a former serial actor, who had allegedly been supplying drugs to several actors and musicians in Kannada movie industry. The three were nabbed by the Narcotics Control Bureau which also seized a large quantity of high-end drugs like MDMA (Ecstasy) and LSD.The statement of the accused has proved Bineeshs links with them. A probe should be initiated to bring all facts about the racket out, Firoz demanded. He added that Bineesh is Anoops sponsor in drug smuggling and he had invested money to launch a hotel run by Anoop at Kammanahalli in Bengaluru. Bineesh had posted a live video on Facebook sharing the greetings for another hotel opened by Anoop in 2019. During the lockdown period, Bineesh had attended a night party at Kumarakom on June 19, along with the accused. These details can be exposed if phone call records are examined, said Firoz. Bineesh called Anoop 26 times the day Swapna was held He alleged that the racket has ties with certain young personalities in the Malayalam movie industry too. He also sought to highlight Bineeshs role in the case of gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel saying the latter had called Anoop, a native of Vennala in Kochi, 26 times on the day Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair were arrested in Bengaluru. Reacting sharply, Bineesh said Firoz was trying to divert public attention from the murder of two DYFI workers at Venjaramoodu in which the Congress and UDF are on the back foot, mocking the spin given as his wisdom in the biryani vessel. He, however, admitted that he had known Anoop for years and had good ties with him as a textiles dealer. Anoop used to book hotel rooms for him when he visited Bengaluru. He had called Anoop on different occasions. He had also loaned `6 lakh to Anoop to start a restaurant. The news of his ties with the drug racket was shocking to him and Anoops family, he said. In a Facebook post, Bineesh said, In the past, former chief minister (E K ) Nayanar had once wished the Muslim League good night at noon and in the current controversy, I also have the same to say. Good night. Audio clip leaked Kannur: A leaked audio clip of CPM leader M V Jayarajan, exhorting cadre to put up a defence through the social media in the wake of a PSC rank holders suicide, has brought further embarrassment to the party. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Fresh from publicly encouraging his supporters to commit voter fraud and vote for him twice, President Trump on Tuesday issued a memo announcing the federal governments plans to cut off lawless zones from federal funding. The five-page document, sent to Attorney General Bill Barr and director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, claims that anarchy is taking over Democratic-run cities and calls for a review of federal funds given to Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The document also leaves the door open for other cities to be targeted. For the past few months, several state and local governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law, disempowering and significantly defunding their police departments, and refusing to accept offers of federal law enforcement assistance, Trump said. To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Governments promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in Americas cities, he said, singling out New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. The memo gives Barr a two-week deadline to compile and make public a list of designated anarchist jurisdictions, which Trump says will be defined primarily by how forcefully authorities allowed local police to respond to recent protests. Vought will then have 30 days to provide guidance to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants. In a tweet coinciding with the release of the memo, Trump boasted of putting weak mayors on notice for what he described as them letting anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. Story continues The memo, in line with Trumps law and order posturing ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, appears to further solidify the administrations stance on nationwide protests against racial inequalitynamely that there is no problem with racial inequality and any protests claiming otherwise are part of a nefarious criminal plot by black-clad, soup-lobbing members of antifa. Trump mentions instances of violence in Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C., and New York City during months of what he describes as rioting, but he makes no mention of the police killings of Black men that sparked the protests. Trump: Big on Law and Order, Silent on Racism Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Good morning, Bay Area. Its Thursday, Sept. 3, and it sure is hard to figure out the air quality data around here. Heres what you need to know to start your day. Three years after the Tubbs Fire ripped through Sonoma County, destroying 5,600 homes, many of the neighborhoods hardest hit are springing back to life. In Santa Rosas Coffey Park, 95% of the 1,300 homes destroyed are either rebuilt or under construction. But with a web of wildfires once again fouling the skies across Northern California, destroying 2,400 homes and scorching 1.6 million acres, experts are questioning whether the new homes that have popped up in Sonoma County and elsewhere in the state are any safer than the ones lost in recent years. While building codes have become stricter around fireproofing, many of the rebuilt homes are still made of wood, and some experts say they would likely be destroyed in the next major fire. Read more from J.K. Dineen. Nothing to burn: Fire-hardened homes in Wine Country give peace of mind to owners but remain rare. Hennessey Fire: How lightning in Napa County sparked dozens of blazes that quickly overwhelmed firefighters. Bay Area lightning complex fires: Crews race to contain blazes ahead of coming heat wave. From Otis R. Taylor Jr.: Let inmate firefighters keep doing this vital job. Airnow? PurpleAir? Clearing air quality confusion Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Bay Area residents looking for a sense of whether its safe outside as wildfire smoke continues to choke the region have gone online, and then opened their door and taken a breath. As they check the official readings on their apps, the thought strikes some: Something doesnt smell right. There are two main sources of air quality data: AirNow.gov, a federal website with local partners that include the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; and PurpleAir.com, a website that relies on data from low-cost air quality sensors that people buy and install on their own. Often, their measurements dont match up with each other or with what people feel when they breathe. So what information can people rely on? Danielle Echeverria explains the challenges to getting better, more localized air quality information. Air quality near you: The Chronicles real-time air quality map. Reopening may soon advance for some Bay Area counties California made a big change Friday when it moved to a new, color-coded, tiered blueprint governing coronavirus restrictions. And several local counties may see more changes as soon as next week, when they could move into less restrictive tiers. Based on recent data, Marin and Santa Clara in the Bay Area, and nearby Santa Cruz could be reassigned Sept. 8 from the purple "widespread" tier to the red "substantial" tier. Such quick progression, less than two weeks after their initial assignment, would be a one-time occurrence, the state said. In the future, itll take longer to progress to less restrictive levels. Kellie Hwang explains the new system and what could lie ahead for Bay Area counties. UCSF touts free coronavirus tests of mostly Latinos at S.F. transit hub as key to aid most vulnerable. California to create new coronavirus data system, after old networks technical failure. After salon visit, Pelosi suggests she was tricked Paul Chinn / The Chronicle House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to apologize Wednesday for her controversial visit to a San Francisco hair salon, calling it a setup and suggesting that she had been tricked by the business owner. Pelosi said she took responsibility for falling for the setup to have her hair done inside at a San Francisco salon on Monday, which is prohibited by the citys regulations. The San Francisco Democrat said if anyone was owed an apology, it was her by the salon. But as Tal Kopan and Rachel Swan report, Pelosis response seemed to add fuel to the firestorm over her actions, as conservative critics jumped on the cleanup effort as hypocritical. Around the Bay Labor Day vigilance urged: Bay Area officials worry that holiday weekend gatherings will spike coronavirus cases. 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. From Tom Stienstra: An update on conditions at popular destinations for Labor Day vacationers worried about smoke, wildfires and COVID-19. Plus: Virtual and outdoor offerings for respite over the long weekend in the Bay Area. It was alarming: Alameda school district cuts ties with online learning program that parents argued included racist and sexist content. Help for invisible industry: S.F. council proposed to help cleaners, nannies, home aides. Election 2020: GOP looks to score points in California House races on defund the police issue. Looking ahead: New party backed by Quentin Kopp, Tom Campbell battles to get on 2022 ballot. Federal ruling: Court wont allow father of S.F. mental health patient who committed suicide to seek damages from city. Case filed under new law: San Leandro cop who shot Steven Taylor charged with manslaughter. Chronicle Food Soleil Ho / SFC The rumors of Tommys Joynts closure after 73 years in the business have been percolating for weeks, starting from a user-generated closure announcement on the classic restaurants Yelp page in early August and boiling over in the past few days with a fans outraged tweet about the vandalization of its distinctive neon sign. Local blog Broke-Ass Stuart published a post announcing the restaurants demise. Devotees of the hofbrau institution had already begun mourning early Wednesday. But there was nothing to mourn just yet. By midday Wednesday, Broke-Ass Stuart updated its piece, saying that Chris Henry, the real estate investor and restaurateur who purchased the restaurant in 2015, confirmed that its closure was simply temporary. In an email to Hoodline, he called the rumors fake news. As restaurant critic Soleil Ho writes, the roller coaster shows just hard it is to track the fate of our favorite restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic. New Bay Area restaurants: Here are the buzzy restaurants and pop-ups to check out, updated for September 2020. Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com. Following complaints that it doesnt contain enough unnecessary letters, Luxembourg City officials have decided to give the Pfaffenthal neighborhood three new Fs. When I talk to expats, they say that at first the name Pfaffenthal looked impossible to say correctly, but after hearing it once or twice, the pronunciation was easy, said VDL Placename Meeschter Sandrine Heeschter. Thats not right. Heeschter decided the simplest course of action was to add three more Fs, as the name already seemed to contain too many. The announcement sparked a lively debate between VDL officials as to where the Fs should be placed. Most say the Fs should be put at the beginning, creating the name Fffpfaffenthal. However, a more progressive and younger minority are demanding that the Fs be stacked at the end, resulting in Pfaffenthalfff, which they say sounds cooler. One lifelong resident of the neighborhood says its ridiculous to give the Pfaffenthal area, or any other part of the capital, more Fs. What we need, insists Tonyth Schneiderth, are more -th sounds. Pfaffenthalth has a certainth nice ringth, he said. As Thpfaffenthal isnt badth, either. Heeschter says that despite the heated disagreement, she has already decided how to distribute the three new Fs: equally, which means the new name will be Fpfaffenfthalf. Its actually not important which consonant sounds we add to names or where we put them, she said, as long as we frustrate newcomers and provide a free source of amusement for locals and longtime residents. Read more at wurst.lu A doctor is fighting for her life after she was shot in the head at a clinic in southern Mexico. Isabel Ramos, 42, was seeing a patient at the Los Angeles Clinic in Putla Villa de Guerrero, Oaxaca, on Tuesday afternoon when a man walked into the medical facility and shot her several times. Witnesses at the clinic told authorities the suspect escaped on a motorcycle. Isabel Ramos was shot in the head by an unknown gunman Tuesday at a clinic in the southern state of Oaxaca. The 42-year-old doctor was seeing a patient when she was attacked. She was listed in serious condition as of Thursday Isabel Ramos had to be airlifted to a second medical facility for surgery, as doctors removed a bullet that was lodged in the back of her head Authorities have not made any arrests in connection with the shooting of Dr. Isabel Ramos on Tuesday in Oaxaca, Mexico Images shared on Twitter by Oaxaca's director of state health services and health secretary Donato Casas showed paramedics removing Ramos from a stretcher and placing her into a helicopter after doctors at Putla Villa de Guerrero General Hospital recommended she be airlifted to another hospital. According to Mexican news outlet Milenio, doctors operated on the physician to remove a bullet from the back of her head. Ramos was listed in serious condition as of Wednesday. A preliminary report from the investigation indicated Ramos' shooting could have been the result of a ruptured relationship or an act of vengeance. No arrests had been reported by authorities as of Thursday evening. SHOTLIST VENICE, VENETO, ITALYSEPTEMBER 3, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Tracking shot Spanish director Pedro Almodovar arrives on the red carpet2. Tracking shot Spanish director Pedro Almodovar walks on the red carpet3. Close-up Pedro Almodovar removes mask from his face 4. Tracking shot British actress Tilda Swinton arrives on the red carpet5. Close-up Tilda Swinton on the red carpet with a golden carnival mask 6. Tracking shot 'Quo vadis, Aida?' cast walks on the red carpet7. Wide shot 'Quo vadis, Aida?' cast on the red carpet8. Mid shot Georgina Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo's wife, arrives on the red carpet9. Wide shot Georgina Rodriguez on the red carpet10. Close-up Georgina Rodriguez with a mask on her face11. Tracking shot Georgina Rodriguez on the red carpet12. Mid shot Georgina Rodriguez puts a mask on her face ///-----------------------------------------------------------3 DEPECHES DE CONTEXTE: Venice Film Festival opens despite pandemic =(Picture+Video)= ATTENTION - REFILE for technical reasons ///Venice, Sept 2, 2020 (AFP) - The Venice Film Festival opens on Wednesday with strict safety measures in place for the industry's first international competition since the coronavirus hit, with 18 films vying to grab the top prize and help movie buffs forget the pandemic for a while.At Wednesday's opening film, "Lacci" by Italian director Daniele Luchetti, the theatre was just half full with journalists, whose temperatures were taken before being allowed inside.On the eve of the annual high-profile competition on the Lido, dozens of red safety signs were unloaded and installed throughout the venue attested to the peculiarity of this year's event. "Anti-Covid-19 rules of conduct," read the bright, vertical signs. "Wear a face mask. Keep a safe distance. Wash your hands."The sound of drills pierced the warm beach-front air as workers went about their last-minute preparations and journalists -- all in masks -- wandered the freshly laid red carpet, their festival badges suspended from their necks."This year in Venice, they've confused the festival with the Carnival. We're at a masked ball," one Italian journalist quipped to his colleagues. One exception was Festival Director Alberto Barbera, tanned and mask-free, as he gave interviews on the red carpet about the importance of this year's festival."I'm excited and I'm a little bit anxious," acknowledged Barbera, neatly turned out in a pressed blue suit despite the heat.In May, Barbera made the high-stakes decision to go ahead with "La Mostra" -- now in its 77th year -- despite film festivals around the world opting to cancel, including Venice's French rival, the Cannes Film Festival."We feel a responsibility to be the first. We knew Venice will be sort of a test for everyone," he said. For the past few months across the globe, most film production remained on hold and movie theatres dark due to the coronavirus. - Fewer stars, less glitz - About 6,000 people are expected to turn out this year -- about half the festival's usual number -- as border restrictions around the globe have limited the ability of many to travel. Most of Hollywood's A-list will be no-shows, with Australian actress Cate Blanchett supplying this year's star power as president of the jury."It's a festival without stars because Hollywood is still in lockdown," Barbera told AFP. "Will there be less glamour? Yes. Will there be fewer stars on the red carpet? Certainly."But there will be so many good films, 65 from 50 different countries, a sign of the richness and variety of contemporary cinema." Eighteen films in the main competition will vie for the festival's top prize, the prestigious Golden Lion.Provided it was done safely, it was now time for film lovers to be back in theatre seats, Barbera said."We're tired of seeing films in streaming," he said.Organisers are hoping they can safely run the festival -- due to go on until September 12 -- despite coronavirus cases on the rise in Italy and neighbouring European countries.In one of the most radical changes, fans will no longer be allowed on the red carpet, where in past years they've pressed behind barriers hoping to get a photo or autograph from their favourite celebrities. ams/wdb/txw ------------------------------------------------------------- Srebrenica film skewers UN failure to stop massacre By Alexandria SAGE =(Picture+Video)= Venice, Sept 3, 2020 (AFP) - A powerful film about the 1995 Srebrenica massacre skewers the UN for handing over more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys to be murdered by Serb forces."Quo Vadis, Aida?" by Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic left many critics in tears Thursday as it premiered at the Venice film festival.It came as Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic -- dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" -- who lead the assault on the town, appeals his genocide conviction for the massacre at a war crimes tribunal in The Hague. "A whole generation was wiped out," Zbanic told reporters after the screening.The director -- who survived the siege in Sarajevo herself -- said she dedicated the film to the women left behind at Srebrenica, whose sons, husbands and brothers were torn from them. Some families, she said, lost 60 members. - 'Safe area' - Although Zbanic's story is told through the eyes of a fictional translator working for the UN called "Aida" who fights to save her husband and sons, the film is anchored in meticulous historical fact.Despite Srebrenica's designation by the UN as a "safe area, the Bosnian Serb army invaded the town, sending its panicked residents to a UN camp operated by Dutch forces where they hoped to be safe. The film is a searing indictment of the impotence of the Dutch peacekeepers, who had waited in vain for promised NATO air support, and found themselves powerless to defend the camp against Mladic's army.Zbanic interviewed former UN peacekeepers during her research for the film. "There was a guy who told me he was crying because he felt he couldn't do anything," she said.After the camp's evacuation, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed in the ensuing series of massacres by Mladic's soldiers. - 'No political will' - The Dutch peacekeepers "had a mission to protect people even with weapons and they didn't fire a single shot," Zbanic told journalists. "This film is not against the UN. I wish that the UN improves. We need this kind of organisation for our security," Zbanic said, adding that there seemed little "political will" in the world today for such international institutions. "Unfortunately in 1990s Bosnia it didn't work because it was too much under the influence of political decisions," she said. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled the July 1995 killings were genocide. Mladic's appeal began last month, with his lawyers claiming their client, now 78, is not mentally fit to stand trial. In the film, his swagger and imposing physical presence are captured by actor Boris Isakovic who said he struggled to fight against a "one-dimensional" portrayal of the war criminal. Some of the Mladic's dialogue in the film is taken word-for-word from video footage of the general filmed at the time in Srebrenica.ams/fg/har ------------------------------------------------------------- leadSpanish director Almodovar to make western =(Picture)= ATTENTION - ADDS quotes ///Venice, Sept 3, 2020 (AFP) - We have had spaghetti westerns, now the world must brace itself for an Almodovar paella western.Legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodovar said Thursday that he is working on a western, a surprising career turn for the master of female-friendly melodrama who made his name with "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown".The Oscar winner told reporters at the Venice film festival that he has written the cowboy flick, but that it was "a different kind of western, which will be very colourful... very theatrical."Spaghetti westerns made by Italian directors like the late Sergio Leone became a phenomenon in the 1960s, with many shot in Spain's dry southeastern Almeria region.Almodovar premiered his latest film, "The Human Voice" at Venice Thursday, with British actress Tilda Swinton in the lead as a desperate and vengeful woman waiting for her estranged lover to ring her.Shot last month, the 30-minute film is his first shot in English and is very freely adapted from Jean Cocteau's classic play.The 70-year-old director admitted that the play and its theme of the jilted lover waiting on a "call that will never come" was close to his heart."It is happened to me," he told a press conference, and said that characters hanging on a telephone call was a thread that ran through a lot of his own work.Almodovar also claimed that he has started moving in a new more austere direction since his 2016 film "Julieta". "I am working towards a leaner narrative with fewer elements, which I analyse very deeply," insisted the director once famous for his visual and emotional flamboyance."The experience of sobriety and austerity accompanied me also in 'Pain And Glory'," his last and hugely autobiographical film, where Antonio Banderas played a film director suffering from chronic back pain, as Almodovar also does.He said he is hoping to start his next feature, "Madres Paralelas" in October and then make the western and another film called "A Manual for Cleaning Women".fg/pvh ------------------------------------------------------------- Tesla Inc. will make a redesigned Model Y at its first European factory, Elon Musk said, indicating the electric-car manufacturer will detail improvements on how it assembles vehicles at an event later this month. The factory thats under construction outside Berlin will have the companys most-advanced paint shop, probably make batteries and cells, and implement additional original engineering and design measures, Musk, Teslas chief executive officer, told reporters during a visit to the Gruenheide site on Thursday. Its not just a copy of the Model Y, its actually a radical redesign of the core technology of building a car, he said, adding that hell reveal more details at the companys Battery Day event showcasing its latest innovations on Sept. 22. It will be the first time that theres going to be a transformation in the core structural design of the vehicle. Musk has been touring Germany since Tuesday, visiting pharmaceutical company Curevac GmbH, before moving on to Berlin for meetings with the countrys Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and other local politicians. The factory in Gruenheide would be Teslas first in Europe and could assemble as many as 500,000 cars a year, underpinning the U.S. carmakers European expansion and Musks attack on the German auto establishment. The factory is slated to start production in the summer of 2021, an aggressive timetable for a car plant. While local officials have pledged to support the project in any way possible and construction has progressed relatively smoothly, Tesla still awaits final approval for the site. Some locals have protested that trees were cut down for the factory and that its being built in a region with tight water resources. Musk tried to appease those concerns, saying that the factory wont consume a lot of water per square meter, and that it will recycle as much as humanly possible for efficiency reasons. Im pretty confident this will be the most environmentally friendly factory in the world, Musk said. Were open to criticism and advice for what we can do better. Read more about: New Delhi: Bhojpuri stunner turned television star Monalisa has once again upped the hotness quotient on social media in her saree-clad avatar. She took a big leap into television with 'Nazar' and is a social media queen. Monalisa has a massive 3.6 million fan base on Instagram alone and regularly updates her account with fresh posts. In her latest post, Mona can be seen flaunting her hourglass figure in a saree-clad look: The actress has had the opportunity of working with almost all the Bhojpuri big shots in her movie career. In 'Nazar', she played an evil force named Mohana. And received immense adulation for her work on TV. Monalisa was seen this year in 'Nazar 2' as Madhulika Chaudhary. She sure knows how to keep her social media fam happy and smiling. The sensational star was seen as a popular contestant in the reality show 'Bigg Boss 10' and in fact, got married to her then-boyfriend Vikrant Singh inside the BB 10 house. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 Two of the Indonesian Air Force's F-16 fighter jets are now back in service after having undergone upgrades to their radar and weapon systems and structures to extend the service life of the 30-year-old aircraft. The upgrades were part of the Structural Augmentation Roadmap (Falcon STAR) and enhanced midlife upgrade (eMLU) programs, supervised by US defense company Lockheed Martin, for F-16 fighters that have been in service since 1990. Under the projects, Air Force technicians modified the F-16 structural frame to extend the service life of the aircraft, giving them an additional 8,000 hours of flight time, or equivalent to 20 years. It was complemented with the eMLU, which modernized the aircraft's avionics and enabled them to have beyond visual range (BVR) capabilities in launching missiles. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Representative Image Metro trains will resume operations in a graded manner from September 7. All metro networks having more than one line will open these lines in a staggered manner so that all the corridors are operational by September 12. Passengers will have to follow preventive measures against Covid-19 such as maintaining a physical distance and wearing a face mask. Here is a look at how travelling by Metro will be different when you hop into a train on the DMRC network on September 7. Initially, entry/exit of passengers will be permitted only through one or two identified gates at each station. A list of all such gate numbers for each station will be made available on the website www.delhimetrorail.com and official social media handles. Wearing of face masks/covers will be mandatory for all commuters during entry into the stations/trains and during the entire journey. 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 Use of the Aarogya Setu App to update the health status of passengers will be advisable. Screening process All passengers will be required to undergo thermal screening and hand sanitisation at the entry/frisking point itself. Forty-five major stations have been provided with auto thermal screening cum hand sanitisation machines. The remaining Metro stations will have the provision of auto sanitizer dispensers for hand sanitisation; thermal screening will be done manually, with Thermal guns. This will be facilitated by DMRC/security personnel near the frisking/entry point. Passengers having a temperature or exhibiting signs of Covid-19 will not be allowed to travel. They will be directed to report to the nearest medical centre. At the station, passengers will be required to maintain a physical distance for which stripe markers have been provided at frisking points, customer care, automatic fare collection (AFC) gates. Similarly, platforms will have signages to ensure physical distancing by passengers. Only 2-3 persons will be allowed at a time to use a lift, depending on the capacity of the lift. Similarly, passengers will be required to stand on alternate steps on escalators to maintain physical distancing. Regular announcements will be made inside stations reiterating the need to adhere to the new travel protocol to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Besides this, Dos and Donts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 have been prominently displayed at all Metro stations. A team of around 800 officials/staff will be deployed at all stations to ensure cleanliness and orderliness inside stations during revenue hours. In addition, they will regulate/stop entry of passengers in case of a crowd buildup and violation of physical distancing norms. For crowd management, monitoring will also be done through CCTV cameras installed at stations/trains. Divyangjan commuters will be facilitated by trained Customer Facilitation Agents to ensure proper physical distancing and sanitisation. Inside metro trains Passengers will only be permitted to sit on alternate seats or stand, maintaining adequate distance. Do not sit here stickers have been fixed on alternate seats to maintain distance inside the train. The dwell time (stoppage) of trains at each station will be increased by 10 seconds (from 10-15 seconds earlier to 20-25 seconds) so that passengers get sufficient time to board and alight. At interchange stations, the dwell time of trains will be increased by 20 seconds (from 35-40 seconds earlier to 55-60 seconds). Pre-recorded audio/visual announcements will be made in all the trains regarding physical distancing and wearing of masks. Trains will be sanitised at terminal stations. Similarly, once they are back at depots at the end of the day, they will again be thoroughly sanitised. Train doors will be kept open at terminal stations to let fresh air into the train. Ticketing system Tokens will not be permitted for travelling to prevent transmission of the virus through frequent touching/handling. Only Smart Card holders (including QR code users on the Airport Express Line) will be allowed to travel, as these can easily be recharged digitally in a number of ways, avoiding human interaction. Recharge of Smart Cards at the Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) or Customer Care centre will be permitted only through cashless modes (debit/credit/Bharat QR code etc). TVMs will not accept cash. New Smart cards can be purchased at the Customer Care centres or Ticket counters through cashless modes (debit/credit card/Bharat QR code) only. For grievance redressal, passengers will be encouraged to register their feedback through digital means (email, social media, helpline etc). The passenger complaint book at stations will be discontinued for the time being. Cleanliness and hygiene Regular cleaning of Metro stations will be ensured by prioritising passenger movement areas such as concourses, passages, platforms, stairs, glasswork, steelwork etc, especially toilets, which will be cleaned/disinfected every four hours with disinfectants. All human contact areas such as lift buttons, escalator handrails, AFC gate touchpoints and customer handling points will be disinfected at stations every four hours or earlier as required. Thorough disinfection of the entire station will be done during non-revenue hours, at night. Some Dos and Donts To ensure compliance with the new travel protocol at stations/trains, the public has been advised to take extra time of around 10-15 minutes for their daily commute. Passengers will not be allowed to carry hand sanitisers beyond 30 ml quantity. The public has been advised to keep only pocket-size hand sanitisers, if any, during travel. People have also been advised to travel with minimum luggage and avoid carrying metallic items. Parking facilities will remain operational. However, feeder bus services will remain suspended till further notice. Outlets/shops inside Metro stations will be permitted to operate as per prevalent government guidelines, subject to fulfilment of physical distancing norms. Fully equipped There will be 750 thermal screening guns placed across stations, two at each station for male and female passengers. As many as 195 auto hand sanitisation machines will be put in use with one each at the 195 Metro stations. As many as 1,500 manual sanitiser dispensers will be in place at stations. As many as 1,625 PPE kits will be put in use. A set of five PPE kits will be kept at all stations to attend to medical/symptomatic cases found in the Metro premises. Nearly 35,000 disposable masks will be stocked at stations to meet emergency requirements. There will be as many as 50,000 physical distancing signages inside trains; 6,000 physical distancing stickers on platforms; 25,000 physical distancing stripe markers in passenger-movement areas such as frisking points, TVMs, customer care counters and AFC gates. As many as 1,500 social distancing stickers will be seen on escalators and 4,000 basic Dos and Donts signages on prevention of Covid-19 across Metro stations. Twenty Republican senators sent a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking that the abortion pill be deemed dangerous. The letter centers around a drug taken to abort an early pregnancy known as Mifeprex or by its generic name mifepristone. Led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the lawmakers call on Commissioner Stephen Hahn to 'classify the abortion pill as an 'imminent hazard to the public health' that poses a 'significant threat of danger' and 'remove this pill from the US market.' They claim medical abortions have higher risks than surgical abortions and it was approved too rapidly despite little evidence of life-threatening complications. Twenty Republican US Senators, led by Ted Cruz, sent a letter to the FDA asking the agency be classified as an 'imminent hazard to the public health.' Pictured: Cruz asks a question during aSenate Judiciary Committee hearing, August 2020 Mifeprex (pictured) is used to end a pregnancy that is no more than 10 weeks along by blocking the hormone progesterone 'Pregnancy is not a life-threatening illness, and the abortion pill does not cure or prevent any disease,' Cruz tweeted, echoing a sentence used in the letter. 'Make no mistake, Mifeprex is a dangerous pill. That's why 20 of my Republican colleagues and I are urging @US_FDA to classify it as such.' The senators who co-signed the letter are: Mike Braun (R-Indiana) Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Kevin Cramer (R- North Dakota) Steve Daines (R-Montana) Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming) Joni Ernst (R-Indiana) John Hoeven (R-North Dakota Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) James Inhofe (R-Iowa) James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) Mike Lee (R-Utah) Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia) Rob Portman (R-Ohio) Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) Michael Rounds (R-South Dakota) Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) James Risch (R-Idaho) Mifeprex, previously known as RU-486, is used to end an pregnancy no more than 10 weeks along or up to 70 days since the first day of a woman's last menstrual period. The drug works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which thickens the uterine lining, allowing a fertilized egg to attach and grow. Without this thickening process, the egg cannot attach and the pregnancy spontaneously ends. On day one, 200 mg of mifepristone are given orally as a single dose under medical supervision followed by 800 mcg of misoprostol in the cheek 24 to 48 hours later. The FDA first approved Mifeprex in 2000 and approved the combination of the two medications in 2016. Medicated abortions made up 39 percent of all abortions in the US in 2017, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Between September 2000 and December 2018, 24 of the 3.7 million women who have had medical abortions have died, FDA data shows. Additionally, a 2018 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found 'infection, hospitalizations and hemorrhage requiring transfusions occur in fewer than [one] percent' of women who underwent medication abortions as opposed to surgical abortions. Meanwhile, the maternal mortality rate in the US in 2018, the latest year for which complete data is available, was 17.4 per 100,000 live births, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states. CDC data also shows that 700 US women die from pregnancy-related complications each year and that three out of five deaths could be prevented. Between September 2000 and December 2018, 24 of the 3.7 million women who have undergone medicated abortions have died The lawmakers claim the drug (pictured) is 'dangerous' and needs to be removed from the US market Texas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country with 18.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018. In their letter. the senators say 'this deadly pill should never have been approved' and say it was approved through 'an accelerated approval process normally reserved for high-risk drugs that address life-threatening illnesses like AIDS.' DailyMail.com has reached out to the FDA and Sen. Cruz's office for comment. The letter was met with swift backlash from both Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates. 'This is a dangerous, misogynistic lie,' tweeted Shannon Feshour, a Democratic candidate for Congress in November. 'Pregnancy can, and often is, a life-threatening or even life-ending medical condition, especially among black mothers and women of color.' Ilyse Hogue, the president of the reproductive rights lobbying and advocacy organization NARAL Pro-Choice America tweeted: 'Medication abortion is incredibly safe. Ted Cruz knows this. Fear and lies are all they have to push their unpopular agenda. 'And politicians who push ideology over science to shape public policy are precisely the ones who got us a disastrous response to COVID. It has to end now.' South Africa: President welcomes launch of contact tracing app President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the launch of the bluetooth-enabled mobile application, COVID Alert South Africa, which will strengthen South Africas contact tracing efforts. The mobile application was launched by the Department of Health on Wednesday. The Presidency said global experience has demonstrated the risk of a resurgence of infections, or a second wave, once restrictions on social and economic activity are lifted While the trajectory of the epidemic in South Africa has stabilised, such a resurgence remains a real and present danger in our own country, said the Presidency in a statement. The most effective way to achieve suppression of the virus and prevent outbreaks from occurring again is to identify positive cases, and trace and isolate their contacts as quickly as possible in order to break the chain of transmission. COVID Alert South Africa is a cutting-edge mobile application that uses the exposure notification system created by Apple and Google, in line with global best practice. It uses bluetooth technology to notify users if they have been in contact with the Coronavirus, including strangers in retail stores, in public transport or in any public space. To make it possible for all South Africans to benefit from the use of the app, all mobile network operators in the country have zero-rated the app. The app is designed to protect users privacy and does not track a users location or collect any personally identifiable information. The system is fully anonymous and a users identity is not revealed to their contacts if they report a positive diagnosis. The launch of this app is a significant milestone in our countrys fight against Coronavirus, and will play an important role in preventing a second wave of infections. We must work together to prevent a resurgence at all costs, said the President on Wednesday. President Ramaphosa also congratulated the National Department of Health and its partners, who have, through this collaboration, proved South Africas significant and growing capacity for innovation. I encourage every South African to download this app, which is an important, innovative and necessary part of protecting ourselves, our families, our co-workers and our communities. The more South Africans download the app, the more effective it will be in stopping a second wave of COVID-19 infection. But even as we use the app, we must still wear cloth masks, wash or sanitise our hands regularly, maintain social distancing and take all other precautions to keep safe. Lets use COVID Alert South Africa. The power is in our hands," said President Ramaphosa. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NEW HAVEN Goodbye, yellow school buses. The ordinary sight of bleary-eyed students waiting on street corners with unfilled backpacks on one of the final warm mornings of the year was replaced Thursday with thousands of students logging on to digital classrooms from within the confines of their homes. Although many teachers reported to their school buildings to teach inside empty classrooms, roughly 21,000 students were to log on to school from home after the Board of Education voted to make the first marking period remote-only because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the school board cited as reasons for the vote their belief that the district was not ready to safely reopen its doors for the roughly 50 percent of students who indicated they would like to return in person. Staff and students were excited to connect, said Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey. So far the feedback has been positive. Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media Remote learning was no deterrent for High School in the Community, a Water Street magnet high school with fewer than 300 students. For seven years, the schools custom is to launch with flight days, where staff and student leaders welcome students back from the summer by focusing first and foremost on community and emotional well-being. Fifteen minutes into the school day, Dream Director Christian Shaboo and Magnet Resource Teacher Dianna Carter played music and danced at their desks for a schoolwide virtual meeting to welcome back students. In small virtual groups, including student leaders and building staff, students introduced themselves to one another, showed off their favorite items of clothing from their closets and discussed the impact that Black Panther star Chadwick Bosemans recent death had on them as well as what his legacy would be. We are in a different spot, folks, as we are starting the school year. This is school, said HSC Building Leader Matt Brown to students in the morning session. We are going to figure it out together. We need you, young people. We need you to join us on this. We need you to lead us. Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media Seniors Thomas Sabin and Angel Alvarez imparted words of wisdom to their classmates. Im not thrilled with starting school remotely; Id much rather be in school physically, Sabin said. The most important thing is were staying connected. Alvarez said that, since entering high school, his thinking has shifted so he no longer sees the world as good people and bad people. Its up to you to do the good, he said. The more good things I do, the better I feel. After the first day of school concluded, Alvarez said he wasnt sure the return would be fully successful, but it exceeded his expectations. He said students were able to speak more freely when they were able to express themselves by turning their cameras off and feel like they werent being watched. Senior Hallie Hushion said the discussion about Boseman was successful and important for the social justice-themed school. I think those are powerful conversations to have, Hushion said. Gianie Figueroa, a senior, said she believes the most important way to have a successful school year is with a strong start, which is why she had reluctance leading up to Thursday. Those nerves were ultimately unfounded, she said. It was beyond anything I could have imagined, she said. I got to be parts of conversations Id never had before. Grace Nathman, principal of Celentano School, which teaches students up to eighth grade, said she and many others in her school lost sleep over the summer, planning endlessly. As she walked through the hallways of the building, hearing the excitement in her teachers voices as well as the booming voices of students coming from their computers, she realized the year was starting strong. Teachers were pleasantly surprised today. None of us slept last night because we were so nervous, but they were pleasantly surprised all their hard work paid off, she said. Instruction was stronger Thursday than it had been in the spring when schools closed abruptly because of the pandemic, Nathman said, because teachers were able to do more live, interactive instruction with brief lessons followed by smaller group work. In the spring, district officials mandated that students not be allowed to turn on their cameras because of concerns over violating federal privacy law. As a result of that decision, which was overturned this year, many students and teachers reported feeling a lack of connection and opportunities for individualized help during the final months of the school year. Nathman said, since classrooms are fully assembled and decorated and bulletin boards in the hallways are ready for students to return, the experience of walking empty, quiet hallways was unsettling. We have everything here but the kids, she said. We love our kids so much. This is very difficult for us to open a school with no kids. At Celentano, where many students are dealing with trauma becuase of the pandemic and other factors, each day begins with a restorative circle to give students an opportunity to share their feelings. For those who are more reluctant to share in bigger groups, a school counselor and psychologist are available. Were a mindful school. Were all about self-care and wellness with the children and staff, Nathman said. Nathman said there are still a number of electronic devices that the district is loaning to families for remote learning that have not yet been picked up; she and her staff have collected a list of phone numbers to call so the students affiliated with those devices can get online and return to school as soon as possible. Officials indicated they knew that the start of school online would not be without potential downsides, glitches and mistakes. Im sure there will be challenges to work out. Please be patient and communicate with your school if you need support, said Mayor Justin Elicker in a letter to the city late Wednesday. Although multiple parents and teachers reported some glitches and hiccups, many reported they were generally satisfied by the first day of school. The majority of roughly 20 parents who told the Register about their experience with the first day of school said it was mostly positive. Parent Magaly Vega said her two children in the third and fifth grades at Barnard School were excited to reconnect to school and see their friends again. She said they had an opportunity to meet their teachers by appointment, so Thursday was about seeing their friends for the first time since March. Its been a bumpy, tiring, emotional ride for them since having to stay home 24/7, she said. Myreya Alvarez, who has a son at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School and a daughter at Nathan Hale School, said the first day was so far so good for both. She said teachers at those schools were responsive to needs such as her son with a discrepancy in his schedule. Metropolitan Business Academy teacher and mother to a kindergarten student Leslie Blatteau said Thursday was marked by patience. Patience from me, (my daughter), her teacher and my students, she said. Ill be doing a child care share with two fellow teachers but I wanted her home on the first day so I could get a sense of how things were working. While Blatteau said she was able to begin teaching her course on international issues, her daughter in the next room drew a picture on her own which surprised and delighted me. Parent Tasha Wilson was less pleased. She said she had been planning on homeschooling her fourth- and sixth-graders prior to the pandemic, but virtual learning has expedited her thinking around the decision. Once Im able to get her up everything they need, I will be pulling them from (New Haven schools), she said. (T)o have then sitting in front of a computer all day is not OK with us. Mother Qualina Cooper said that, while her son in the sixth grade had a great first day, things were not as great for her 12-year-old son in the special needs program at Brennan Rogers School. Academically, cognitively, behaviorally and socially Jayvyn and all (special education) students would begin to regress, she said. While Cooper said she understands the reasoning of those who supported a fully-remote return to school, it fails to capture the necessity of a controlled, structured classroom for students with autism or any individualized education plan. We are setting up our children and youth for failure if we just push them to the side. IEPs matter! Our children matter! she said. She said self-contained classrooms are often small, which would make safety protocols possible to enact in person. H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media DANBURY The City Council has approved a contract that will keep salaries flat for public works and other employees. The contract with the Teamsters Union Local 677, which includes public works, public utilities and public buildings employees, began this July and is effective until June 30, 2021. The Leader and Founder of United Front Party, Nana Agyenim Boateng popularly known as Gyataba has disclosed that he still has NPP blood running through his veins despite breaking away to form his own political party. The former Regional Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party who seems not too happy with developments in the Ashanti region has asked the NPP government to enumerate its infrastructural achievement in the region. Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' program, he explained that the New Patriotic Party has taken the people of Ashanti region for granted because they believe that they will vote for them no matter what. But he believes that shouldn't be the case. He said all developmental projects seen in the region were initiated by the erstwhile Mahama administration. In the 2016 presidential election, the NPP had 1,642,288 votes only in the Ashanti region which represented 75.99%, a vote that brought President Akufo-Addo to power with the National Democratic Congress managing a low 503,368 votes representing 23.29%. But since 1992, the NDC has executed more developmental projects in the Ashanti region than the NPP but still receive fewer votes from the region. Cataloging among others some forty-four developmental projects executed by the NDC under John Dramani Mahama including the Kumasi Kejetia market, Tafo Market, Asawase Market, Atonsu Market, Sewua Hospital, the CYA president said the NPP has over the years been deceiving the Ashantis. The NPP led by President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo must account to Asanteman what they have done in the region since it assumed office barely four years ago. Though I have my own political party now, I still have some NPP in me and am certainly not happy about what is going on in the region. "The New Patriotic Party should show some appreciation to the people of the Ashanti region and render accounts for the votes they have enjoyed from their world bank," he added. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video TRENTON The Mercer County Republican chairwoman has called for a federal investigation into why Black Lives Matter political propaganda was posted on what she contends is supposed to be a nonpartisan government website. One of the three logos on the Mercer County Board of Elections voter information web page featured a raised fist with the words Respect my Vote. The image is associated with an iconic photograph of Black track-and-field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists on the podium following the 200-meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The athletes protest brought renewed attention to social issues that were impacting the U.S. at the time. The logos up as late as Wednesday night, according to Mercer GOP chair Lisa Richford have been scrubbed from the county website without explanation. I heard it was taken down so somebody got the message, Richford said by phone Thursday afternoon. In a statement, she explained why she was upset with the BLM-inspired logo in the first place. She could not point to any specific state law on what she contends is tantamount to politically leaning messaging on government pages. The state has an electioneering law that makes it a disorderly persons offense for people to distribute circular or printed matter or offer[s] any suggestion or solicit any support for any candidate, party or public question within the polling place or room or within a distance of one hundred feet of the outside entrance to such polling place or room. The site in question is providing directions to the public for voter registration and Vote By Mail (VBM), she wrote. We all know that it is against the law to promote political agendas when taxpayer dollars are funding the work of government. In this case it is particularly aggreges for a County employee to advance their own political agenda in what should be a sacred non-political forum. Anthony Francioso, chairman of Mercer County Board of Elections, a Republican, said he wasnt aware of the apparent outrage over the raised fist logo until contacted by The Trentonian. On a personal level that doesnt bother me, the chairman said. He couldnt explain why the raised fist logo was scrubbed from the website but said that wasnt his decision. The Board of Elections has reached out to the Attorney Generals Office to determine whether the BLM-inspired logo is considered a political statement, he said. Generally, Francioso said the county Board of Elections, which administers elections, attempts to appear apolitical although each appointed commissioner is a registered Democrat or Republican. The party lines often become blurred and have been politicized in the past. Former board chairwoman Joanne Palmucci drew heat for throwing a fundraiser for Trenton mayoral candidate Walker Worthy. Richford also decried that decision as inappropriate and partisan. Francioso said the board tries not to do anything political so both parties feel comfortable with what the board is doing. Traditionally, we try to just steer clear of anything that would look like politically affiliation and basically be apolitical and not political. Times have changed, for the better, and we do need to know what can be posted. The Black Lives Matter movement became prominent after the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, in 2012. Since then, BLM has become a leading voice in advocating against the death of Blacks at the hands of police. It describes its mission as to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. Some, including President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have called the movement a domestic terrorist group claiming it is responsible for dividing Americans on the issue of racial equality. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, later made a distinction between the organization and the slogan, which has been embraced by several organizations, including the NBA, following the death of George Floyd, the Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. Asked about the separation between the group and the slogan, Richford said, This is where the semantics come into it, but this is where the problem is. Theyre being funded by socialists and Marxists, but this where they try to paint people out to be racist because they will not submit to the platform. This is not a racial issue with me. I have Black friends. But if I explain to them All Lives Matter the conversation is over. Richford then conflated BLM with antifa, an anti-fascist militant group that Trump has cast as anarchists intent on burning down the country. Are you watching whats going on nationwide and what theyre doing? The antifa. Thats the problem. Look what theyre doing. Richford went on to blame Gov. Phil Murphy for his unreasonable vote-by-mail mandate amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Murphy ordered the Nov. 3 general election to be conducted primarily via vote-by-mail ballots due to the ongoing public health emergency. We have seen the damage that fraudulent voter information and illegitimate ballots can do to sway an election and disenfranchise voters, Richford said Thursday in her press statement. We cannot allow this to happen here in Mercer County, New Jersey. We cannot allow a politically appointed partisan County employee the latitude to carry out the systemic party policy and impact the validity of the voting process. We cannot leave this election to those who would taint the process, Richford added. It is obvious that we need Federal oversight here in Mercer County and I will be contacting the United States Attorney to call for a full investigation. We will make sure that the proper authorities are available here to ensure your votes are properly received and counted. Richford says the Mercer County Board of Elections website should be a sacred non-political forum, but the organization itself is overtly partisan. Under state law, a county board of elections shall consist of four people who must be legal voters of the counties for which they are respectively appointed. Two members of the county board of elections must be Democrats and the remaining two members must be Republicans, according to the state law known as Title 19, a deliberately biased framework in favor of the two largest political parties at any given time. Party leaders like Richford have the power to nominate Republicans or Democrats to serve as members of the county board of elections. The county board of elections may appoint office employees to paid positions as approved by the countys legislative freeholder board. Richford did not identify any state law that would prohibit the county board of elections or its office staff from encouraging U.S. citizens to get registered and vote, a constitutional civil right that must be respected. With Richford demanding a federal investigation, The Trentonian has contacted a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of New Jersey seeking comment for this story. We have not received anything, Matthew Reilly of the U.S. Attorneys Office said Thursday evening via email when asked whether Richford had contacted the agency requesting a probe. Julie Willmot, a spokesperson for Mercer Countys government, confirmed the raised fist image was removed from the county website due to negative feedback. The logo in question is the one with the raised fist and the words respect my vote. It is a stretch to label it as a Black Lives Matter image, and that was not the intention of the person who posted it, and it was one among several images on the page that were meant to represent a range of audiences, Willmot said Thursday in a statement. Its fair to say that individuals often interpret signs or symbols differently than another viewer. As you mentioned in your story, the board is nonpartisan and operates independently from the county. Upon concerns about the images being raised to the county, the images were removed. Asked whether that was the right decision to remove the logo, Willmot responded: That is a fair question. I can think of other instances where images or messages we have posted that seemed innocent to us raised a flag for someone else. For example, we had posted the ubiquitous if you see something, say something phrase on a variable message board by our OEM office on Lawrence Station Road, which also happens to be home to several temples and mosques. One person took offense to that and we agreed that the message could be interpreted in a way other than it was intended, so it was removed. It is no secret that we are in a politically charged time right now and it is right and fair to err on the side of caution. We all dont have to agree with one another but we can at least listen. Mercer represents more than 370,000 people, and I would like to think that we are open to hearing what others think without creating political theater where none was meant. GARY A pedestrian who died after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday night has been identified. Darryl Butkiewicz, 37, of Gary, was pronounced dead about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, due to blunt force trauma, a coroner's office release states. His manner of death was listed as pending as of Thursday. Butkiewicz had been struck by a vehicle at Fifth Avenue and Cleveland Street late Wednesday, police said. Gary police found Butkiewicz seriously injured and coroner's staff later pronounced dead at the scene, Gary police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said. Additional information was not immediately available. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Bombay High Court on Thursday urged the media to exercise "restraint" while reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput case, and not report in a manner which may hamper the investigations. "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint in reporting of the investigation with respect to the (Sushant) death, which should not hamper the investigation in any manner," a Division Bench comprising Justice A.A. Sayed and Justice S.P. Tavade ordered. Hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) -- one filed by eight retired IPS officers of Maharashtra, and another by three activists -- the court also issued notices to the respondents, and said it would consider the reliefs sought in the matter after getting the version of the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the probe. Arguing for the PIL by the former IPS officers, Senior Advocate Milind Sathe termed the media reporting, especially by the electronic media as a "parallel media trial" in which there was vilification of the Mumbai Police. "Media has virtually taken over the investigation, conducting a parallel probe and a parallel trial... Mumbai Police is being called a 'co-conspirator', there is a malicious vilification campaign," said Sathe. He contended that the petitioners are not concerned about who is investigating the case, the accused or the victim but are concerned about the reporting in the case which violates journalistic ethics. Sathe referred to the Supreme Court judgement on August 19, which found no fault with the procedures adopted by the Mumbai Police in the probe, but despite this the media was engaged in falsely tarnishing the city police's image. He also pointed out how some media were calling witnesses and asking them questions which was like a 'parallel investigation', an attempt to influence the probe and prejudice the case. In the second PIL filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha, journalist M.D. Shaikh and retired bureaucrat S.C. Chaba, filed by lawyers Rajesh Inamdar and Shashwat Anand, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat said that the media has flouted the norms of Press Council of India and Program Code under the Cable TV Act. "While one TV channel said Sushant's suicide was a ahit wicket', another showed the body of the dead actor, one channel circulated fake tweets as Sushant's last message and later when found false, deleted them, and channels discuss the private chats between the late actor and Rhea Chakraborty,a Kamat argued. Contending that the media is not after truth but for TRPs and more commercial gains, Kamat pointed out how, when one witness stepped out of the CBI probe, the media hounded him on what questions he was asked. In an unprecedented gesture, eight retired IPS officers rallied together on behalf of the beleaguered Mumbai Police to save its reputation being maligned in the ongoing high-profile probe in the Sushant death case and the subsequent amedia trial'. The eight former officers - who held top positions in the Maharashtra Police - have filed a public interest litigation in Bombay High Court seeking directions to halt the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against the Mumbai Police in the matter. The petitioners are: M.N. Singh, P.S. Pasricha, D.N. Jadhav, D. Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, K. Subramaniam, S.C. Mathur and K.P. Raghuvanshi - all Directors-General level at the time of their retirement and enjoying an envious reputation. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh lauded the move by the retired IPS officers on Thursday. "Maharashtra and Mumbai Police have a reputation. They are compared to the Scotland Yarda The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in the (Sushant) case, I welcome the PIL," Deshmukh told mediapersons. Filed through a prominent law firm, Crawford, Bayley & Company's Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, the PIL named the Union and State Governments, Press Council of India and News Broadcasters Association as respondents. A new interactive map shows where the next coronavirus hotspots are likeliest to flare up in the next three weeks. The Imperial College London document highlights areas across England and Wales where infections are increasing. Breckland, a local authority in Norfolk, looks likely to be a high-risk area in just a fortnight, the data suggests. Other areas seeing a rise in cases are all in the north of England, such as Bolton, Rossendale in Lancashire and Leeds in West Yorkshire. South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear and Pendle, Lancashire - which are already seeing spikes - are expected to remain high, according to the map. How to use the interactive map below: Press 'Close' after reading the preamble. Then use your cursor to zoom in or out, and move the slider along the bottom to see how scientists predict Covid-19 will progress in the UK. Professor Axel Gandy, from the Department of Mathematics at Imperial, said 'The model allows us to project where local hotspots of Covid-19 are likely to develop in England and Wales based on the trends that we are seeing in those areas. 'Covid-19 is, unfortunately, very much still with us, but we hope this will be a useful tool for local and national governments trying to bring hotspots under control.' Researchers at Imperial said they 'define a local authority to be a hotspot if weekly reported cases per 100,000 population exceed 50'. The team used data on daily reported cases, weekly reported deaths and mathematical modelling to report the probability a local authority will become a hotspot in the following week. The site also provides estimates for each local authority in England and Wales on whether cases are likely to be increasing or decreasing in the following week. Britain has recorded another 17 coronavirus deaths on Thursday in the preliminary count The predictions assume no change in current interventions - such as lockdowns, and school closures - in a local authority beyond those already taken about a week before the end of observations. The team notes an increase in cases in a local authority can be due to an increase in testing, which the model does not currently account for. The model also assumes all individuals within each local authority are equally likely to be infected, so demographic factors such as the age structure of the population are not considered. Dr Swapnil Mishra, from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, added: 'We provide weekly predictions of the evolution of Covid-19 at the local authority level in England and Wales. 'Our model helps to identify hotspots probable local areas of concern. We hope that our estimates will enable swift action at the local level to control the spread of the epidemic.' It is likely Pendle and Bolton will remain hotspots for the next two weeks, according to modelling by Imperial College London. Researchers led by Professor Axel Gandy have today revealed a website which estimates the probability that a location in England will be struck down with high Covid-19 cases, based on current data In the week between September 6 and 12, the areas highlighted red are likely to become Covid-19 hotspots, with more than 50 cases per 100,000. All the affected areas are captured. Red is 75-100 per cent chance, dark orange is 50-75 per cent, and light orange is 25-50 per cent By September 13 to 19, there could be dozens more areas that are hotspots, including South Tyneside (97 per cent), Rossendale (90 per cent), Leeds (85 per cent), Corby (81 per cent) and Breckland (81 per cent). All affected areas are captured The team behind the website define a hotspot as a local authority where there are more than 50 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 of the population per week. Currently Pendle, Bolton, Corby and Oldham fit into this category. But in the next, two weeks, dozens more appear to join the list while others fall off. Where are England's 20 Covis-19 hotspots? Local authorities new cases in the seven days to August 30 as a rate of per 100,000 people. Pendle 74.9 Bolton 69.6 Rossendale 65.8 Oldham 63.3 Corby 54.0 Bradford 52.6 Blackburn with Darwen 49.4 South Tyneside 46.4 Rochdale 44.1 Manchester 42.7 Tameside 39.3 Trafford 38.8 Salford 37.9 Great Yarmouth 35.2 Burnley 34.9 Preston 33.5 Leeds 32.5 Kettering 32.4 Breckland 31.4 Birmingham 30.2 Source: PA Advertisement Imperial report the probability that a local authority will become a hotspot in a percentage - 100 per cent being almost certain. South Tyneside (97 per cent), Rossendale (90 per cent), Leeds (85 per cent), Corby (81 per cent) and Breckland (81 per cent) all have the highest odds of seeing infections reach 50 per 100,000 people by mid-September. But recently reported case numbers for Oldham show a decline, and as a result, the model shows it is unlikely Oldham will remain a hotspot into September (45 per cent), after several weeks of trying to squash outbreaks. Various areas in London's commuter belt have a medium chance of becoming a hotspot by September 19 - the furthest point of predictions modelled by Professor Gandy and team. Waverley, in Surrey, and Hertsmere, in Hertfordshire, are 55 per cent and 61 per cent likely to see cases reach 50 per 100,000, respectively. They currently have 16.6 and 29 cases per 100,000. Britain announced 1,735 new coronavirus cases on Thursday in the biggest daily spike in three months. The last time daily infections were higher was on June 4, when 1,805 were diagnosed with the disease and the majority of tough lockdown restrictions were still in force. The seven-day rolling case average is now 1,435, up by a quarter (26 per cent) in a week. Scotland is now also seeing new cases breach 100 every day, for the first time since May. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed today the country's reproduction rate could be as high as 1.4, after months of it being safely underneath 1. The R rate - which represents the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - needs to stay below one or it could spiral uncontrollably. For Britain as a whole, the R is thought to be hovering around the danger zone of 1 and SAGE is no longer confident is definitely below that number. Millions of Americans are counting on a Covid-19 vaccine to curb the global pandemic and return life to normal. While one or more options could be available toward the end of this year or early next, the path to delivering vaccines to 330 million people remains unclear for the local health officials expected to carry out the work. "We haven't gotten a lot of information about how this is going to roll out," said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Texas' Harris County Public Health department, which includes Houston. In a four-page memo this summer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by Oct. 1 "to coincide with the earliest possible release of Covid-19 vaccine." But health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses. Nor do they know when, or if, they'll get federal aid to do that. Dozens of doctors, nurses and health officials interviewed by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press expressed concern about the country's readiness to conduct mass vaccinations, as well as frustration with months of inconsistent information from the federal government. Also read: COVID-19 in US: States told to prepare to distribute coronavirus vaccines by November 1 The gaps include figuring out how officials will keep track of who has gotten which doses and how they'll keep the workers who give the shots safe, with enough protective gear and syringes to do their jobs. With only about half of Americans saying they would get vaccinated, according to a poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it also will be crucial to educate people about the benefits of vaccination, said Molly Howell, who manages the North Dakota Department of Health's immunization program. The unprecedented pace of vaccine development has left many Americans skeptical about the safety of Covid-19 immunizations; others simply don't trust the federal government. "We're in a very deep-red state," said Ann Lewis, CEO of CareSouth Carolina, a group of community health centers that serve mostly low-income people in five rural counties in South Carolina. "The message that is coming out is not a message of trust and confidence in medical or scientific evidence." The U.S. has committed more than $10 billion to develop new coronavirus vaccines but hasn't allocated money specifically for distributing and administering vaccines. And while states, territories and 154 large cities and counties received billions in congressional emergency funding, that money can be used for a variety of purposes, including testing and overtime pay. Also read: Won't join global alliance COVAX; it's influenced by China, 'corrupt' WHO: US An ongoing investigation by KHN and the AP has detailed how state and local public health departments across the US have been starved for decades, leaving them underfunded and without adequate resources to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The investigation further found that federal coronavirus funds have been slow to reach public health departments, forcing some communities to cancel non-coronavirus vaccine clinics and other essential services. States are allowed to use some of the federal money they've already received to prepare for immunizations. But AP and KHN found that many health departments are so overwhelmed with the current costs of the pandemic - such as for testing and contact tracing - that they can''t reserve money for the vaccine work to come. Health departments will need to hire people to administer the vaccines and systems to track them, and pay for supplies such as protective medical masks, gowns and gloves, as well as warehouses and refrigerator space. CareSouth Carolina is collaborating with the state health department on testing and the pandemic response. It used federal funding to purchase $140,000 retrofitted vans for mobile testing, which it plans to continue to use to keep vaccines cold and deliver them to residents when the time comes, said Lewis. Mayank Singh By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In a significant initiative, the Indian Army consolidated its tactical positions around Finger 4 on Sunday while they thwarted Chinese attempts to position themselves in new locations on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake. To consolidate tactical positions, India has picked up ridges which are at heights around the Finger 4 as militarily things would not have been tenable if the situation turned hot, a senior officer explained. The Indian Army has its administrative camp on the foothills of the Finger. Explaining the significance of the initiative, the officer said, Heights are important in mountains for movement and reactions. The Chinese till now had an upper hand as they sat on the high ridges. Now we are around them at places where they were not there. However, the Army sought to deny reports of Indian troops occupying heights at Finger 4, saying what happened on the ground were readjustments. ALSO READ | Ladakh standoff: India, China hold another round of Brigade Commander-level talks As part of the precautionary deployment carried out on 30 August 2020, some readjustments of our positions on north bank of Pangong Tso Lake on our side of LAC had also been carried out, it said. Chinese troops entered up to Finger 4 and had not agreed to move back to their previous position of Finger 8. The mountain spurs jutting towards the lake are termed as the fingers in military parlance. The Army not only thwarted Chinese attempts but also consolidated Indian military deployments on the higher features overlooking the important Spanggur Gap and also on Rechin La. On Monday, Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand had said, Indian troops pre-empted PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwarted Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground. India had blocked Chinese attempts to occupy heights and positioned its soldiers at Rechin La, which is about 2.5-3 km from Rezang La along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the Indian side. On Tuesday, China accused India of crossing the LAC, which was promptly rebutted. ALSO READ | Entire world beginning to unite against China, says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Since then, three Brigade Commander-level flag meetings have taken place but without any consensus on resolving the new tension. In the military movement of Sunday, a personnel of the Special Frontier Force (SFF) lost his life in a mine blast close to the area of operations. The SFF comprises personnel of Tibetan origin. In Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out China, saying it is engaged in a clear and intensive intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours from Taiwan to the Himalayas. He hoped for a peaceful resolution of the Lac situation. Side Gig Success Online Summit We strive to help people affected by the pandemic and have lost their jobs. We are looking for ways to support their reduced income. Our goal for the Side Gig Success Summit is to give attendees a shortcut to success. Charn Pennewaert, Founder of Media Stream, LLC Media Stream, LLC will host an online speaker summit on December 3rd with 45-minute pre-recorded interviews featuring twelve top industry founders, business leaders and speakers. The Side Gig Success Summit will offer registered attendees great tips on how to get started, how successful leaders drive sales, and which companies are offering the best commissions. The event is FREE to registrants before November 25th and still a great value at $99 after the promotion date. Attendees will register via EventBrite starting on November 6th. The first of the Q&A interviews will be released on December 3rd to registered attendees to access and additional interviews will be released each day for the next 10 days. Im delighted to join a roster of accomplished entrepreneurs in health & wellness to explore one of the most dynamic areas of personal economic growth in 2020. The key to success in launching a side gig is to bring a brand-focused mentality to your game plan, and I look forward to sharing marketing-based strategies and tips to help side gigs thrive. Fran Kelly, Founder, FSK Roundtable Collaborative PR Solutions Top independent representatives from Arbonne, Beauty Counter, Seacret Direct, Magnetude Jewelry, Vitalibis Full-Spectrum CBD, and doTERRA will be giving their best strategies for success. Each presenter will offer a special gift or promotion only available to registered guests. We strive to help people affected by the pandemic and have lost their jobs. We are looking for ways to support their reduced income. Our goal for the Side Gig Success Summit is to give attendees a shortcut to success. Charn Pennewaert, Founder of Media Stream, LLC "At my core, I love creating safe, effective products! When people experience value with products, they naturally share them with others. That's why we created Vitalibis with a peer-to-peer marketing program - so our most loyal Customers could enjoy our products, while also earning additional referral income. The gig-economy is thriving and we're proud to offer a robust option for those interested in being a part of our Brand Ambassador community." Steve Raack, CEO of Vitalibis. About Media Stream Media Stream is a premier digital marketing and creative design agency based in Orange County, California. From small Mom-and-Pops to thriving corporations, Media Stream has crafted a myriad of successful projects for its clients, including custom websites, targeted advertisements and other creative assets. The French government unveiled a massive $120 billion (100 billion) stimulus package earlier today to recover from the economic downturn it represents 4% of the countrys GDP. As part of this support plan, the government plans to spend a significant chunk of money on all things digital startup investment, infrastructure investment and digital transformation. I interviewed Frances digital minister Cedric O earlier today to get some details on how its going to work. Overall, France will spend $8.4 billion (7 billion) on digital investments. This is a new investment plan for the next two years. Its different from the economic rescue plan that was rolled out earlier this year. That one was designed as a stopgap for the early days of the economic crisis. With 7 billion, I think the digital sector is the sector that is receiving the biggest investment overall compared to all other sectors except the environmental sector, Cedric O said. France's digital minister Cedric O France's digital minister Cedric O. Image Credits: Ludovic Marin / AFP / Getty Images. Investing in tech startups Ten years ago, the French government launched an investment program dedicated to innovation, from scientific research to R&D spendings. The government is launching the fourth iteration of this program (Programme dinvestissements davenir). Its a $13 billion investment plan (11 billion) and it covers a ton of stuff. But nearly $1 billion (800 million) will be dedicated to state aid for French startups over the next couple of years. It represents a volumetric increase, Cedric O said. If we look at innovation aids managed by Bpifrance, we have a 60% increase. Startups already know those schemes really well, so its going to have an immediate impact. In addition to that, as part of the innovation program, France will spend $3 billion (2.5 billion) over the next five years to invest in startups with Bpifrance acting as a traditional VC firm, and in VC funds directly as limited partners. Story continues There will be more details on the direct investment strategy, but you can expect vertical-focused investments in cybersecurity, quantum computing, green tech, etc. For the fund of fund investment strategy, the goal here is two-fold maintaining investments in small VC funds that focus on seed rounds and Series A rounds and filling a gap when it comes to late-stage funds. Crises are transition periods with more entrepreneurs, more consolidation and opportunities. We want to make sure that French companies merge rather than foreign companies [acquiring French companies], Cedric O said. Injecting cash in the tech ecosystem means bigger French tech companies with more funding will be able to acquire smaller ones. According to the government, boosting bigger French startups through public investment could benefit the tech ecosystem at large. Otherwise, tech giants, such as Google and Facebook, will acquire the most promising French startups. Bridging the gap between the tech sector and the economy at large Over the past three years, many have criticized President Emmanuel Macron for helping French startups through generous policies and leaving a large portion of the population behind. Thats why todays stimulus plan isnt just about tech startups. We have to keep investing massively because its the future of work but we have to make sure everyone benefits from those investments, Cedric O said. While startups hire more people than other companies, theyre often looking for engineers, data scientists and customer success managers. Given that many people are going to face unemployment, France will spend $360 million (300 million) on education for the tech sector. Most French companies arent tech companies, so the French government is going to contribute to the digital transformation of small and medium companies with a $460 million investment (385 million) as well. We have to keep investing massively because its the future of work but we have to make sure everyone benefits from those investments. Cedric O Digital transformation is quite broad; it covers anything from switching to digital invoices to launching an e-commerce branch and buying modern equipment for industrial production. This is going to be one of the toughest parts of the stimulus plan as its a highly fragmented market. Operationalizing this plan will be one of the main challenges well face. There are 3 million companies in France, 1.5 million small and medium businesses. And reaching those companies has been a challenge for previous governments, Cedric O said. In addition to small and medium businesses, car manufacturers and the aviation industry will receive $240 million (200 million) for digital transformation. The government is also going to spend $300 million (250 million) on digital inclusion with public agents helping elderly citizens and simpler administrative services. France already allocated some money for digital inclusion in the past, but the previous plan was only $18 million (15 million). And then there are some public spendings on infrastructure, such as an additional $290 million (240 million) for fiber network and $2 billion (1.7 billion) to modernize public information systems. Overall, its an ambitious stimulus package. Im sure startups will find a way to take advantage of new state aid and investment opportunities. I hope traditional companies will also see the benefits. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 18:44:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government has commenced profiling of women and children in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the restive northeast state of Borno for support to cushion their sufferings, an official said Thursday. Femi Alaka, a senior official in the ministry of women affairs disclosed this to reporters in Maiduguri, the state capital after a meeting with officials of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Alaka said the exercise would give attention to displaced persons in camps along with border areas for the support to cushion their sufferings, adding that the issue of gender-based violence would also be looked into. He added that his team who could not visit some camps due to security challenges had already met with coordinators of the camps for the needed information. Also, the Chairperson of SEMA Hajiya Yabawa Kolo assured the team of the Borno state government's commitment to supporting such intervention aimed at ameliorating the suffering of vulnerable people, particularly women and children. The decade-long violence of the extremist group Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria has forced millions of people out of their homes, most of them from the northern part of Borno. Many have moved into squalid displacement camps in Maiduguri, where they rely on handouts from domestic and international charities. Boko Haram has since 2009 posed enormous security, humanitarian, and governance challenges in the Lake Chad basin, including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, according to the United Nations. Enditem Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, is one of 24 school leaders from across the country to be named a Superintendent to Watch by NSPRA, a national organization serving school communication. NSPRA selected the superintendents for their "use of communication technology in innovative and effective ways." The school leaders engage and inform their school communities with new communication technology tools combined with tried-and-true techniques, officials said. Selection criteria required those selected to have less than five years of experience as a superintendent in a school district and possess "dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core." Officials said, "Dr. Bryan Johnson has brought excellence to Hamilton County Schools as he begins his fourth year as superintendent, and he has been recognized for district accomplishments locally, statewide and nationally." The national publication, Education Week, named Dr. Johnson one of their Leaders to Learn From for 2020. The Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents recognized Dr. Johnson as the 2020 S.E. Tennessee Superintendent of the Year and he is one of eight finalists for Tennessee Superintendent of the Year. Officials said, "He is a respected leader in the community, forging partnerships with businesses, political leaders, and community organizers. "Hamilton County Schools experienced historic academic growth and achievement in the last three years, making HCS the fastest improving school district in Tennessee. The district had 32 Reward Schools in 2019 the top distinction a school can earn in Tennessee. HCS also had 45 Level 5 schools for student academic growth, 21 schools earned Level 5 in all categories, and 66 schools were at or above state expectations for growth. "Hamilton County Schools doesn't just share what is happening in the schools but also gives a voice to staff, parents, students and the community. Dr. Johnson is a leader who listens and makes the community part of the improvement process. He started an annual State of the System address, formed advisory groups for teachers, students and parents, surveyed teachers and parents when new school leadership is selected and involved business and industry leaders in the schools." Dr. Johnson has "Sit-downs with the Superintendent" with teachers at schools to hear how district policies impact the classroom and what he can do to help teachers be even more effective in reaching children. Dr. Johnson also has a Teacher Cabinet that shares ideas with him to improve results for children. Dr. Johnson has a Student Advisory Council to give him insight into how students view their school experience. He also looked to the students to help plan for graduation during the pandemic using the student council and surveys. "The student perspective allowed the district to provide a graduation experience in line with what graduates would like to see as they finished their school experience," officials said. "A parent advisory committee is also a vital part of Dr. Johnson's listening program to help keep the district in touch with the people the district serves. "Connecting to these groups did not stop during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Dr. Johnson found new ways to reach out to staff, students and parents. He held very successful Zoom forums with a larger attendance than the face-to-face meetings held before the pandemic. "Dr. Johnson worked with the Hamilton County Board of Education and the community to develop a five-year strategic plan to direct the work of the district. The plan is Future Ready 2023 and includes five main areas of focus: Accelerate Student Achievement; Future Ready Students; Great Teachers and Leaders; Efficient and Effective Operations; and and Engaged Community. Future Ready 2023 leads the work of the district and the communications efforts. A goal of communications for the district is to make sure the five-year strategic plan is a living document. Two-way communication with the staff, parents, and business leaders is producing the Engaged Community planned in Future Ready 2023." A week after World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that its decade-long vaccination campaign in Africa was successful, its own oral vaccine itself has sparked a new Polio outbreak in the continent. The outbreak has been caused by mutation of strain in vaccine. A new polio outbreak in Sudan has been linked to the oral polio vaccine that uses a weakened form of the virus. News of the outbreak comes a week after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that wild polio had been eradicated in Africa. The WHO linked the cases to a strain of the virus that had been noted circulating in Chad last year and warned that the risk of spread to other parts of the Horn of Africa was high. In a statement on the new cases, the WHO said two children in Sudan, one from South Darfur state and the other from Gadarif state, close to the border with Ethiopia and Eritrea, were paralysed in March and April. Both had been recently vaccinated against polio. "Africa has been declared free of polio. This historic milestone fills me with hope and optimism. We can achieve so much when we work together as a global community." @antonioguterres on the great health news this week. #VaccinesWork. https://t.co/8WnvmAdtoC United Nations (@UN) August 29, 2020 The WHO said initial outbreak investigations showed the cases were linked to a continuing vaccine-derived outbreak in Chad that was first detected last year and is now spreading in Chad and Cameroon. The vaccine-derived polio emerged soon after the announced eradication of wild polio in Africa. The outbreak has been caused by mutation of strain in vaccine. In November last year, new cases of polio linked to the oral vaccine were reported in four African countries. More children were being paralysed by vaccine-derived viruses than those infected by viruses in the wild, according to global health numbers. Use of the oral polio vaccine was discontinued in the UK in 2004 and the US in 2000, and the UN agency advises that the use of the oral vaccine should be discontinued because of the risk of vaccine-derived outbreaks. Bill Gates Agenda In India Exposed By Robert Kennedy Jr : https://t.co/BZq5Mh4zXP J Gopikrishnan (@jgopikrishnan70) May 17, 2020 Indian doctors blame the Bill Gates campaign for a devastating non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (NPAFP) epidemic that paralyzed 490,000 children beyond expected rates between 2000 and 2017. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) reluctantly admitted that the global explosion in polio is predominantly vaccine strain. The most frightening epidemics in Congo, Afghanistan, and the Philippines, are all linked to vaccines. In fact, by 2018, 70% of global polio cases were vaccine strain. Indian doctors blame #BillGates campaign for a devastating non-polio acute flaccid paralysis epidemic that paralyzed 490,000 children. In 2017 India dialed back Gates vaccine regimen and asked Gates and his vaccine policies to leave India.https://t.co/gfrMXhvTKT GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) April 16, 2020 Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO has initiated a COVID-19 Surveillance Project in India based on the national polio surveillance network. Indias WHO National Surveillance Project, has been renamed as National Public Health Surveillance Project. The project is headed by WHOs pointman in India. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and now the Chairperson of Executive Board of WHO was awarded Director-Generals Polio Eradication Champion Award Commendation Medal by the WHO in 1998. For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage. Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates. GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section. Old. Chronically ill. Black. People who fit this description are more likely to die from COVID-19 than any other group in the country. They are perishing quietly, out of sight, in homes and apartment buildings, senior housing complexes, nursing homes and hospitals, disproportionately poor, frail and ill, after enduring a lifetime of racism and its attendant adverse health effects. Yet, older Black Americans have received little attention as protesters proclaim that Black Lives Matter and experts churn out studies about the coronavirus. "People are talking about the race disparity in COVID deaths, they're talking about the age disparity, but they're not talking about how race and age disparities interact: They're not talking about older Black adults," said Robert Joseph Taylor, director of the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. A KHN analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the extent of their vulnerability. It found that African Americans ages 65 to 74 died of COVID-19 five times as often as whites. In the 75-to-84 group, the death rate for Blacks was 3 times greater. Among those 85 and older, Blacks died twice as often. In all three age groups, death rates for Hispanics were higher than for whites but lower than for Blacks. (The gap between Blacks and whites narrows over time because advanced age, itself, becomes an increasingly important, shared risk. Altogether, 80% of COVID-19 deaths are among people 65 and older.) The data comes from the week that ended Feb. 1 through Aug. 8. Although breakdowns by race and age were not consistently reported, it is the best information available. Mistrustful of outsiders Social and economic disadvantage, reinforced by racism, plays a significant part in unequal outcomes. Throughout their lives, Blacks have poorer access to health care and receive services of lower quality than does the general population. Starting in middle age, the toll becomes evident: more chronic medical conditions, which worsen over time, and earlier deaths. Several conditions diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, among others put older Blacks at heightened risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19. Yet many vulnerable Black seniors are deeply distrustful of government and health care institutions, complicating efforts to mitigate the pandemic's impact. The infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in which African American participants in Alabama were not treated for their disease remains a shocking, indelible example of racist medical experimentation. Just as important, the lifelong experience of racism in health care settings symptoms discounted, needed treatments not given leaves psychic scars. In Seattle, Catholic Community Services sponsors the African American Elders Program, which serves nearly 400 frail homebound seniors each year. "A lot of Black elders in this area migrated from the South a long time ago and were victims of a lot of racist practices growing up," said Margaret Boddie, 77, who directs the program. "With the pandemic, they're fearful of outsiders coming in and trying to tell them how to think and how to be. They think they're being targeted. There's a lot of paranoia." "They won't open the door to people they don't know, even to talk," complicating efforts to send in social workers or nurses to provide assistance, Boddie said. In Los Angeles, Karen Lincoln directs Advocates for African American Elders and is an associate professor of social work at the University of Southern California. "Health literacy is a big issue in the older African American population because of how people were educated when they were young," she said. "My maternal grandmother, she had a third-grade education. My grandfather, he made it to the fifth grade. For many people, understanding the information that's put out, especially when it changes so often and people don't really understand why, is a challenge." What this population needs, Lincoln suggested, is "help from people who they can relate to" ideally, a cadre of African American community health workers. With suspicion running high, older Blacks are keeping to themselves and avoiding health care providers. "Testing? I know only of maybe two people who've been tested," said Mardell Reed, 80, who lives in Pasadena, California, and volunteers with Lincoln's program. "Taking a vaccine [for the coronavirus]? That is just not going to happen with most of the people I know. They don't trust it and I don't trust it." Reed has high blood pressure, anemia, arthritis and thyroid and kidney disease, all fairly well controlled. She rarely goes outside because of COVID-19. "I'm just afraid of being around people," she admitted. Other factors contribute to the heightened risk for older Blacks during the pandemic. They have fewer financial resources to draw upon and fewer community assets (such as grocery stores, pharmacies, transportation, community organizations that provide aging services) to rely on in times of adversity. And housing circumstances can contribute to the risk of infection. In Chicago, Gilbert James, 78, lives in a 27-floor senior housing building, with 10 apartments on each floor. But only two of the building's three elevators are operational at any time. Despite a "two-person-per-elevator policy," people crowd onto the elevators, making it difficult to maintain social distance. "The building doesn't keep us updated on how they're keeping things clean or whether people have gotten sick or died" of COVID-19, James said. Nationally, there are no efforts to track COVID-19 in low-income senior housing and little guidance about necessary infection control. Large numbers of older Blacks also live in intergenerational households, where other adults, many of them essential workers, come and go for work, risking exposure to the coronavirus. As children return to school, they, too, are potential vectors of infection. 'Striving yet never arriving' In recent years, the American Psychological Association has called attention to the impact of racism-related stress in older African Americans yet another source of vulnerability. This toxic stress, revived each time racism becomes manifest, has deleterious consequences to physical and mental health. Even racist acts committed against others can be a significant stressor. "This older generation went through the civil rights movement. Desegregation. Their kids went through busing. They grew up with a knee on their neck, as it were," said Keith Whitfield, provost at Wayne State University and an expert on aging in African Americans. "For them, it was an ongoing battle, striving yet never arriving. But there's also a lot of resilience that we shouldn't underestimate." This year, for some elders, violence against Blacks and COVID-19's heavy toll on African American communities have been painful triggers. "The level of stress has definitely increased," Lincoln said. During ordinary times, families and churches are essential supports, providing practical assistance and emotional nurturing. But during the pandemic, many older Blacks have been isolated. In her capacity as a volunteer, Reed has been phoning Los Angeles seniors. "For some of them, I'm the first person they've talked to in two to three days. They talk about how they don't have anyone. I never knew there were so many African American elders who never married and don't have children," she said. Meanwhile, social networks that keep elders feeling connected to other people are weakening. "What is especially difficult for elders is the disruption of extended support networks, such as neighbors or the people they see at church," said Taylor, of the University of Michigan. "Those are the 'Hey, how are you doing? How are your kids? Anything you need?' interactions. That type of caring is very comforting and it's now missing." In Brooklyn, New York, Barbara Apparicio, 77, has been having Bible discussions with a group of church friends on the phone each weekend. Apparicio is a breast cancer survivor who had a stroke in 2012 and walks with a cane. Her son and his family live in an upstairs apartment, but she does not see him much. "The hardest part for me [during this pandemic] has been not being able to go out to do the things I like to do and see people I normally see," she said. In Atlanta, Celestine Bray Bottoms, 83, who lives on her own in an affordable senior housing community, is relying on her faith to pull her through what has been a very difficult time. Bottoms was hospitalized with chest pains this month a problem that persists. She receives dialysis three times a week and has survived leukemia. "I don't like the way the world is going. Right now, it's awful," she said. "But every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is thank the Lord for another day. I have a strong faith and I feel blessed because I'm still alive. And I'm doing everything I can not to get this virus because I want to be here a while longer." KHN data editor Elizabeth Lucas contributed to this story. Boat passengers have been rushed to hospital after 17 were injured when the world's last ocean-going paddle steamer crashed into a pier on the Isle of Arran. The Waverley crashed near the the ferry terminal in Brodick, western Scotland, at around 5.15pm on Thursday. It is believed that 213 passengers and 26 crew were aboard the 74-year-old vessel, with a total of 17 injured and a number of those taken to hospital. A coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick was rushed to the scene, along with Arran coastguard rescue team. Boat passengers have reportedly suffered injuries on the Waverley paddle steamer (pictured after the crash) after it crashed near the the ferry terminal in Brodick, Isle of Arran, at around 5.15pm The paddle steamer (pictured departing from Glasgow last month) was due to arrive in Brodick at 5pm after leaving Greenock this morning Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland are also attending. The paddle steamer was due to arrive in Brodick at 5pm after leaving Greenock, near Glasgow, this morning. An ambulance, fire engine and helicopter are at the scene and the number of passengers aboard is not yet known. Gavin Saxby posted a photo showing the vessel's bow badly damaged on social media. He wrote: 'Just on PS Waverley as they crashed it into the pier at Brodick, what a mess on board, lots of injuries, hope everyone recovers.' Karren Mulligan said: 'Wee trip on the Waverley today which was wonderful as I've waited 2 years to do it. Then it crashed. 'Thankfully I've managed to get away with a few bumps and bruises but so many people got much worse.' An ambulance, fire engine and helicopter are at the scene and the number of passengers aboard is not yet known. Pictured: Guests are welcomed on board the Paddle steamer Waverley on August 22 Rita McLeod, who was waiting to board the Waverley, told the BBC she saw people being taken away in ambulances. She said: 'We were actually queued up waiting to get in when it crashed. It came in bow first. It came in far too fast. 'We saw a lot of people falling, a few people fell over. There were people taken away in ambulances. We saw a lot of people, pretty badly shaken, coming off.' Alistair Wylie from Gourock, told InverclydeNow: 'I heard the thud of the boat hitting the concrete pier. 'A Coastguard helicopter is landing now and the Coastguard, ambulance, police and fire brigade are all here.' Pictured: Crew on board the Paddle steamer Waverley as it departs from Glasgow for a cruise along the River Clyde on August 22 The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: 'HM Coastguard received a VHF broadcast at 5.28pm today from a paddle steamer reporting a collision with Brodick Pier on the Isle of Arran. 'A coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick has been sent, along with Arran coastguard rescue team. 'Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland are at the scene. 'The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has been informed. This is an ongoing incident and we have no further details at this time.' Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland are at the scene Police Scotland said: 'Police Scotland is currently in attendance at Brodick Ferry Terminal after an incident involving a steam boat, which happened at 5.15pm.' The Waverley returned to the sea on August 22 for the first time in almost two years following major repairs. An appeal for funding was launched last year after it was announced the paddle steamer would not sail in 2019. More than 2.3m was raised in seven months by more than 8000 members of the public and 1m from the Scottish Government. An appeal for funding was launched last year after it was announced the paddle steamer would not sail in 2019. Pictured: The ship returns to sailing on the Clyde on August 22 Waverley's 2020 sailing season was severely reduced due to Covid-19 from over five months to just a few weeks. Passenger capacity was reduced to under 30 per cent resulting in an immediate funding crisis to meet the cost of the coming winter period. The paddle steamer was built by A & J Inglis of Glasgow and first launched in October 1946. In June 2009, it struck the breakwater at Dunoon with 700 passengers on board, 12 of whom suffered minor injuries. MIAMI - Police in Colombia have arrested three Venezuelans who were part of a failed plot organized by a former U.S. Green Beret to sneak across the border and oust President Nicolas Maduro, The Associated Press has learned The three were arrested in simultaneous raids by heavily-armed security forces early Wednesday in the capital of Bogota, a person in contact with the men at the time of their arrest told AP. The person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the continuing investigation, said the three were picked up on charges of providing military training for illicit and terrorist activities, which carries a prison penalty of 20 to 30 years. Two of the men, Maj. Juvenal Sequea and Capt. Juven Sequea, are the older brothers of the confessed commander of the failed May 3 incursion, Capt. Antonio Sequea, who is jailed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The third, Rayder Ruso, is a civilian who has long sought Maduros armed overthrow. All three lived for months in rustic camps along Colombias Caribbean coast where Jordan Goudreau, an American war veteran, was helping organize a volunteer army for a rapid cross-border strike against Maduro. But the men deserted the ragtag effort, known as Operation Gideon, prior to the beach assault one of them month before viewing it as a suicide mission that lacked the necessary support from the U.S. What was dubbed the Bay of Piglets after the failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by anti-communist exiles ended in a propaganda victory for Maduro with the capture of dozens of would-be combatants, including two of Goudreaus former special forces buddies, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who quickly pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Donald Trump OKd my murder, I am not exaggerating, and they are trying to send a group of snipers or hire snipers in Venezuela to kill me, Maduro said Tuesday, recalling the bizarre attack. The U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido was also linked to the plot when it was revealed that two of his aides in Miami signed last fall a 42-page contract with Goudreaus Florida company, Silvercorp USA, to carry out regime change. The aides said they backed out of the deal before Christmas due to a mix of differences with Goudreau and a change in strategy. They said no money changed hands except $50,000 to cover Goudreaus initial expenses. A full telling of the plot and what, if anything, U.S. officials knew in advance has been elusive despite questions from Democrats in Congress angry over the raid. There were media reports that a fourth person, Yacsy Alvarez, who served as Goudreaus translator and assistant in Colombia, had also been arrested Wednesday in Colombia for aiding the plot. AP was unable to confirm whether she had been arrested. In January, Alvarez flew with the three Americans from Miami to Colombia on a plane owned by her one-time boss, Franklin Duran, a wealthy businessman with a history of close ties to Maduros predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez. Duran was arrested in May on charges connected to the plot, including treason, rebellion, conspiracy with a foreign government and arms trafficking and terrorism. Alvarez was also an associate of Goudreaus would-be partner in arms, retired Venezuelan army Gen. Cliver Alcala, who like Alvarez had been living in Colombian city of Barranquilla after breaking with Maduro and fleeing his homeland in 2018. Alcala surrendered to U.S. authorities in March on unrelated drug charges, just a few days after Colombian police seized a cache of assault rifles, tactical helmets and night vision goggles that he said belonged to the rebel cadre that he and Goudreau were readying to bring down Maduro. It was not clear if U.S. officials played any role in Wednesdays arrests. But for months the FBI has been interviewing associates of Goudreau as part of their own investigation into whether he violated U.S. laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval. Goudreau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Chinese leaders led by Xi Jinping on Thursday morning attended a commemoration in Beijing for the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The other leaders included Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. The event was held at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression near Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, in the western suburb of Beijing. It was also attended by representatives from all walks of life, including veterans who took part in the war, relatives of military officers and martyrs who fought in the war, and relatives of foreign friends who contributed to the victory of the war. The commemoration started at 10 a.m. All participants sang the national anthem and then paid a silent tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the war. After the mourning, 14 honor guards laid seven flower baskets, with characters "Eternal Glory to Martyrs Who Died in Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression" on their red ribbons, in the entrance hall of the museum. Xi and other leaders ascended the steps and stopped in front of the flower baskets. Xi straightened the ribbons on a basket. Then, other senior officials and representatives from all walks of life presented bouquets of flowers to martyrs. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that the recent rise in Delhis coronavirus cases is not a part of a second wave of the virus, as the infection never left the national capital. You cant say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases wouldve started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi, he said. The national capital recorded 2,509 fresh cases, the highest single-day spike in nearly two months, on Wednesday. As many as 1,79,569 people have been infected in the city, while 19 fresh deaths took the toll to 4,481 on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Jain said people should not stress about numbers. The government was increasing the testing for Covid-19, he added. We are increasing (the number of) tests. We are emphasising on testing and working aggressively on it. Yesterday, the number was around 30,000 and today the number of tests will be around 35,000, he said. Delhis case-fatality ratio was 0.75 per cent on Wednesday, the minister said, adding that it was a good sign. Overall, it is 2.5 per cent. Yesterday, it was less than one per cent, which is a good sign. At one time, it was 3.5 per cent, the minister said. When asked about citys preparation for resumption of Delhi Metro services, he said that government was forming protocols to be followed. Protocols are being formulated. Dry run is also being done so that it can be ensured that social distancing is maintained, people wear mask and clean their hands - that they follow a Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, he said. The Delhi Metro will resume services in three stages between September 7 and 12, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Trains will run from 7am-11am and 4pm-8pm, it said. (with inputs from PTI) As we further discussed, you should not take my letter of September 1, 2020 as suggesting that there had been no probable cause for the arrests, Sherwin wrote. That was not the [Justice] Departments position. Rather the concern was that we needed certain additional information to be reflected in the supporting affidavits to proceed with criminal charges. Vietnams low-cost carrier Vietjet Air recorded losses worth VND1.44 trillion (US$62 million) in its air transport activities in the first half of 2020, which is lower than the airlines expectation given the serious novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This was regarded as a positive result compared to the aviation industry as a whole due to impacts of the global pandemic, the Vietnam News Agency quoted Vietjet Aviation JSC as saying. In the first six months of this year, air transport brought Vietjet a revenue of over VND9.22 trillion ($397 million), a 54 percent decrease year-on-year. The airline posted a consolidated revenue of VND10.97 trillion ($473 million) in the period, down by 55 percent year-on-year. Its post-tax consolidated profit in H1 stood at VND47 billion ($2 million). The airlines total asset exceeded VND46.31 trillion ($1.99 billion) with the owners equity being at over VND17.31 trillion ($745 million) including treasury shares. Its current liquidity remained at 1.1 while the carrier's debt-to-equity ratio stood at 0.57, which was among the lowest in the global aviation industry. This allowed Vietjet to proceed with its mid-term and long-term financing plans in order to strengthen its financial position. Once the domestic market was reopened in June, the carrier resumed all of its domestic routes with 300 flights daily, a growth rate of three to five times that recorded during the countrys pandemic peak. Vietjet also launched eight new routes to meet rising domestic travel demand, increasing its total domestic flight network to 52 routes. In June, the airline carried up to 1.2 million passengers, marking an impressive recovery for the domestic market. In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, Vietjet has carried out several solutions since early 2020 including expanding the cargo business, developing SkyBoss products and ancillary services, and offering unlimited flight passes. It has boosted cargo transport services since April, being the first airline in Vietnam to deploy cargo operations in the passenger cabin. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! As public schools in Philadelphia opened the school year remotely, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday his states school districts are prepared to begin the academic year next week whether remote, in-person, or hybrid. Acknowledging that coronavirus outbreaks would likely happen in some schools, Murphy touted the states plans to handle cases, and said education officials have worked with districts to prepare. The majority of New Jersey schools, 434, are using a hybrid teaching model, 68 are fully in-person, and 242 are remote-only. He and the state health commissioner previewed guidelines that schools will use to make decisions ranging from when to isolate a child to when to close the school, and Murphy said he would provide more details on the guidance Friday. New Jersey reported 329 new cases and 11 deaths on Wednesday. Murphy said the state was also working on guidelines to address future outbreaks in long-term-care or nursing facilities, and said the state was continuing to prepare for a potential second wave. His administration plans to have stockpiled 98 million pieces of personal protective equipment by fall, he said. READ MORE: Philly students head back to class, virtually; education leaders demand more funding Pennsylvania reported 816 cases and 21 deaths, and officials reminded residents that the actions of the broader community can affect whether outbreaks occur in schools and other congregate settings. We know that the cases in schools and in facilities such as nursing homes are often a reflection of the spread of the virus in the local community, said Health Secretary Rachel Levine. The worry echoes across the globe: As several countries, including Spain, France, and Turkey, deal with a resurgence of cases and many European children went back to school this week, one Spanish official predicted most children returning to the classroom in Madrid, the hardest-hit area, would likely get the virus from community spread. The world is nearing 26 million confirmed cases and has recorded more than 850,000 deaths. The United States had confirmed more than 185,000 deaths and 6.1 million cases as of Wednesday. Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of cases and deaths after the U.S., was finally beginning to see a decrease in daily deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told states to be ready to distribute a vaccine by late October or early November, which raised questions among public health experts about state preparedness and funding and about whether the Trump administration was rushing the timetable to politicize a vaccine rollout before Election Day, the New York Times reported Wednesday. READ MORE: Federal order protects many Pa. renters from eviction, though legal challenges may arise In Philadelphia, city and university officials continued reckoning with the outbreak among Temple University students and hoping it would not spread to the community. Temple identified 85 more cases of the coronavirus among students so far this week, bringing the known total to 212 cases, according to the university. The majority of them were identified through testing by the city health department. About 15% of the 400 students tested by the city on Monday had the coronavirus, said James Garrow, a health department spokesperson, a positivity rate that is considered indicative of an outbreak meaning there are many more people infected than health officials know about. The outbreak skewed Philadelphias daily case report; the city had 235 new cases and a positivity rate of 8.3% for test results reported Wednesday. Philadelphias positivity rate has been 5% or lower in recent weeks; last weeks was 3.7%. It has not been as high as 15% since mid-May. The virus foiled other universities plans Wednesday, too: Holy Family University closed its main campus in Northeast Philadelphia after one campus member tested positive. All classes will be held remotely and the university will remain closed through Friday while Philadelphias health department completes contact tracing, a spokesperson said. And Lock Haven University became the second Pennsylvania state university to move instruction fully online after reopening: It suspended in-person classes until Sept. 21 following an uptick in cases on campus, where 43 cases have been confirmed. Testing for the virus continued at Temple on Wednesday, and city health officials are talking with the university about when to resume in-person classes, which are currently suspended until at least Sept. 11. Garrow said the university would not be able to restart classes until the outbreak slows. Like the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Temple takes these results very seriously, and will continue to work with the city on reducing the number of active cases, Temple spokesperson Ray Betzner said. READ MORE: Latest Pa. GOP attempt to strip Gov. Tom Wolf of his coronavirus emergency powers fails And as another holiday weekend nears, some officials hoped to avoid case spikes like those seen after Memorial Day. Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chair Val Arkoosh, a physician, said she expects coronavirus cases to increase after Labor Day weekend and urged residents not to relax their safety measures over the holiday. Just because its a holiday from work, its not a holiday from the coronavirus. And in fact, if people are lax in their behavior it just increases the chances that coronavirus will get to work overtime on Labor Day, Arkoosh said. Keep those masks on, keep that social distancing, be very, very careful at any social gatherings, and do your best to not bring this virus back to our community. Staff writers Laura McCrystal, Erin McCarthy, and Ellie Silverman contributed to this article. Supreme Court on Thursday (September 3) dismissed a petition by women officers in Indian Army, who completed 14 years in service after the cut off date for extension of commission. While delivering the verdict, a bench led by Justice Chandrachud said, "allowing one batch of officers can't be done because then other batches can also ask for similar orders." Justice Chandrachud asked the lawyer representing the women officers to withdraw this application and wait for the board to consider the officers' application for permanent commission. Justice Chandrachud added, "It's difficult to address these matters because they are all in service of the nation. We feel that we should be able to do something for them but where do we draw the line." It is to be noted that the Army had set August 31 as the deadline for short-service commissioned (SSC) women officers to submit their applications for permanent commission. The Army set the deadline after the Centre on July 23 issued a formal sanction for granting the permanent commission following the verdict delivered by the apex court on February 17 in this regard. In its February order, the SC had upheld Delhi High Court order on giving command positions to women officers and had criticised the Centre for failing to implement the judgment of the Delhi HC which had held that women SSC officers should be granted permanent Commission at par with male counterparts. The top court had also said that the nature of arguments in the written submissions of the Centre was contrary to its own policy framed in 2019 regarding Permanent Commission for women. During the hearing, the SC bench headed by Justice Chandrachud had said that Centre's written note for opposing permanent commission and command appointment to women citing physiological features perpetuates "gender stereotypes". "Absolute exclusion of women from command assignments is against Article 14 and unjustified. Centre's argument that women can be given only Staff appointments is unenforceable," said the SC. Fear of rising COVID-19 numbers in Prairie Mountain Health, coupled with parental concerns over the provinces back-to-school plans this fall, are fuelling a surge of interest in homeschooling in western Manitoba. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Fear of rising COVID-19 numbers in Prairie Mountain Health, coupled with parental concerns over the provinces back-to-school plans this fall, are fuelling a surge of interest in homeschooling in western Manitoba. A pair of homeschooling Facebook groups centred in Westman have seen their memberships spike in recent weeks, and with the start of classes in the province only five days away, several parents seem to be weighing their options as they consider homeschooling as an option during the pandemic. Westman Homeschool Connection member Corrie Ford submitted this picture of her four children, Stella, 10, Rapunzel, 8, Bowen, 6, and Valor, 4, exploring the landscape during a recent field trip to Big Valley northwest of Eden. (Submitted) "When me and my husband sat down and decided that this was best for our family, we really, honestly sat down and together came up with the idea that there is honestly no right answer for this," said Jody Savannah, who created a Facebook group approximately a month ago called "Westman homeschooling during Covid-19." "Theres no right answer to send your kid back thats not going to be the best answer. And keeping the kid at home is not going to be the best answer. Its a lose-lose situation for every family out there in my opinion." When Savannah first started the online discussion group, there was already a core membership of approximately 70 people like herself who had come out of the end of the 2019-20 school year and the pandemic-induced closure of the schools giving serious consideration to homeschooling in the fall, even before the surge in coronavirus cases hit the region over the summer. "And as soon as the (provinces) back-to-school plan was released, a lot of people were really unhappy with that," she said. "The numbers of people joining recently have just been really really high." The group, which is mostly a site for parent collaboration on curriculum, parental support and teaching practices, targets parents who do not wish to permanently homeschool their children, but rather intend for them to re-enter the public school system in the future when the pandemic has subsided. As of Sept. 2, the group had 295 members, with another 30 requests to join waiting in the queue. The growth in membership, Savannah says, is a direct result of concerns that area parents have regarding the provinces lack of support for Manitoba students and their families. Her biggest concern was that the Brandon School Division, where her kids normally attend classes, was willing to help children who have medical conditions with remote learning, but not other children. Many of the groups members have multiple children, some of them with health concerns and some without. Her own children, like herself, have asthma, which was one of the deciding factors for her and her husband to pull their kids out of the public school system. "If me or my children got this, wed be hospitalized for sure," Savannah said. "We thought health was more important than the social aspect for our kids." Three of Corrie Fords four children are pictured here doing book work is at the family home in Neepawa. The Ford family have homeschooled their children for the last six years. (Submitted) Many new members still plan on sending their kids to school on Sept. 8, but she says they are "putting their toes in the water" to see how the back-to-school plan comes together, and keeping their options open. Another homeschool Facebook group in western Manitoba that has been established as an informal network of homeschoolers in western Manitoba for several years the Westman Homeschool Connection has also seen its membership surge over the last month as parents look into the options available to them for educating their kids. In fact, the groups membership has all but tripled it had 165 members before the first COVID-19 case was announced in Manitoba, and as of Tuesday its membership stood at 480. "And were still processing a fairly large number of new member requests," said Westman Homeschool Connection administrator Cathi Dyck, who added that interest in joining the group really took off over the last month. "People have been making their final decisions. I think people were dealing with the shutdown, and then August for the last month our administrator has been dealing with a dozen requests per day on a busy week. Its been quite crazy." When the Sun first reached out to Westman Homeschool Connection, the administrators posted a poll to its members to find out what had prompted them to join. Of the 146 votes cast, 57 were members prior to the onset of the pandemic, 51 decided to homeschool "just for this year" because the changes to the school system were unpredictable, 31 said they were already considering homeschooling and COVID-19 tipped the scales, and six said COVID-19 had nothing to do with their decision to homeschool. One other was just keeping their options open. "I think theres a huge variety of reasons. Its different for everyone," Dyck said. "A lot of people who went through COVID school, if you will, in March through June are saying that they really saw benefits being at home with their kids. One of the comments we had on the poll in our group was that ... there was a couple of parents who had kids who were struggling in school for whatever reason for either academics or peers and they saw a huge turnaround in their kids just in a couple of weeks, which is great. "And that convinced them to temporarily try homeschooling and see how it goes." One of the Westman Homeschool Connection members who responded to the poll said that when she contacted the school to notify them that she was keeping her child home this year, the teachers were glad to hear it because they were trying to figure out how to manage distancing and seating. "So theyre seeing support from the school division and accommodation for doing this temporarily," Dyck said. "Its actually helpful in some ways to classroom managing. Theres a lot of teachers who are so stressed out this year." When reached by the Sun Wednesday, Westman Homeschool Connection member Corrie Ford said she can understand the hardship that parents are going through in deciding whether to send their children back to school or make the leap to homeschooling during the pandemic. But drawing upon her own experience, she says that homeschooling can be done successfully, and becomes easier with time. "I am not surprised by the recent influx of homeschoolers this year," Ford wrote. "The stress that would be involved in making a decision to send a child/children into an unknown situation of schooling during a pandemic would be a huge worry. Our decision to homeschool was made (six) years ago. For anyone starting out it does seem a bit overwhelming. However, it gets easier as you go. We have a good homeschool co-operative and family support system which I believe makes our homeschooling very successful." Like their public-school counterparts, homeschool students have also been affected by the pandemic, as it severely limited the ability of families to meet and do social activities together last spring. Dyck says this was especially difficult for families of younger children. "I ended up doing a lot of phone supporting, online support for young moms who had kids stuck at home, especially in the spring before it was possible to really get outside for any length of time," Dyck said. "Even just not having the ability to go visit with another family in the first part of the shutdown as regularly, that was very very difficult for homeschoolers everywhere. "We find that February is hard anyway. Were waiting for spring. And then March and April hit, and it was just awful." Though current provincial restrictions in Prairie Mountain Health limit group meetings to 10 people, that is still an improvement over what happened in spring when Canadians were being told to stay home. Yet there has still been an impact. Ford says her 10-year-old daughter, who had been enrolled in public school band classes for the past year, will instead have music taught at home. The Brandon School Division, too, has noticed more inquiries from parents over the homeschooling option. Supt. Marc Casavant didnt have numbers handy Wednesday afternoon, but said there has been a noticeable increase since the end of June and toward the end of the school year. "Were not talking large numbers," Casavant said. "Its a relatively small number, but its early enough that people could be considering and weighing their options." Casavant says one of his major concerns for the students in the division remains the lack of student-teacher interaction, specifically the face-to-face interaction that was apparent during the end of the previous school year. "I think teachers pride themselves on delivering curriculum and making sure students have skills required," he said. "Having delays that arent in the control of the children themselves, it doesnt feel good to me that students may be missing out on core academic learning opportunities. In terms of support for parents in the division, Casavant says families have options when it comes to the 2020-21 school year, including homeschooling, independent schools or the public education system, and says people are free to choose what they would like to do. But its important that whatever decisions they make, to ensure they research their options. "Be informed what youre getting yourself into." The Sun also reached out several times this week to the Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home, the largest homeschooling group in the province. Though we were unable to obtain a comment from the organization before deadline, the organizations answering machine stated the office has been receiving a "high volume of calls" this summer, and it could take several days to return calls. mgoerzen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @MattGoerzen Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:03:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is deeply concerned about and firmly opposes India's ban on 118 Chinese mobile apps, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. "The Indian side has abused the concept of national security and taken discriminatory and restrictive measures against Chinese enterprises, violating the relevant rules and regulations of the World Trade Organization," Gao Feng, spokesperson for the MOC, said at an online press conference. India on Wednesday announced a ban on the use of 118 Chinese mobile apps in the country, describing them as "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order." Gao said that the Indian government's actions were hurting not only the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also the interests of Indian consumers and the country's investment environment as an open economy. "China urges the Indian side to correct its wrong practices," Gao said, stressing that economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is mutually beneficial, and India should make efforts to create an open, fair and just business environment for international investors and service providers including Chinese businesses. Enditem However, he described that as a very, very low chance. That message ran counter to the optimistic assertions in recent days from the White House that a vaccine could be ready for distribution before Election Day in November. President Trump, during the Republican National Convention, said a vaccine could be ready before the end of the year or maybe even sooner. And he and others have tried to project confidence in a quick victory. Dr. Slaoui confirmed that the two main candidates, referred to as Vaccine A and Vaccine B, were being developed by Pfizer and Moderna. He said that there was no intent to introduce a vaccine before clinical trials were completed, and that trials would only be completed when an independent safety monitoring board, separate from the government, affirmed the effectiveness of the vaccine. The interviewer, Mary Louise Kelly, raised the timing of a possible vaccine given in the documents the C.D.C. recently sent to public health officials, and asked directly whether the delivery of the vaccine was being motivated by political concerns. For us there is absolutely nothing to do with politics, Dr. Slaoui responded, saying that those involved were working as hard as they could because so many people were dying every day. Many of us may or may not be supportive of this administration. Its irrelevant, frankly. Though he continued to express doubt that a vaccine would be ready by the end of October, Dr. Slaoui said, I firmly believe that we will have a vaccine available before the end of the year and it will be available in quantities that can immunize patients, subjects at the highest risk, including the elderly and those who are working in jobs with high exposure to the virus. Chennai: A special court on Wednesday granted CBI till January 6 custody of sand mining baron J Shekar Reddy and two others in a fresh case relating to seizure of Rs eight crore worth currency notes from his house here. Special Judge Venkataswamy observed that when ordinary citizens were facing trouble by standing in queues to get Rs 2000 per head at ATMs how this much of huge quantities were converted by the accused Shekar Reddy, Premkumar and Srinivasulu needed a thorough interrogation. He also observed that it is the duty of all officials involved in the central governments demonetisation scheme to make it a success, adding, it is the duty of the investigating agency to find out how this much of huge quantity of currency reached the hands of the accused. Stating that this is not possible only by the lower level bank staff, the judge directed CBI, which is investigating the case, to find out the truth in the matter. ALSO READ: (CBI arrests businessman J Sekar Reddy in Rs 170 crore cash seizure case post demonetisation) While referring to the other seizures from the accused from different places, the judge said, It is the duty of the investigating agency to find out who are all the officers involved in the conversion and to bring them before the court. The judge granted CBI their custody till 5.30 pm on January 6. CBI had filed the fresh case against Reddy, Premkumar and Srinivasulu yesterday and had moved the special court seeking their custody for interrogation. The amount was seized from Reddys house at Venkat Narayanan Road, Chennai. Reddy, Premkumar and Srinivasulu and two others were arrested by CBI on December 21 following the seizure of 127 kg gold and over Rs 170 crore in cash, including new currency notes, from their premises by the Income-Tax department in coordinated searchers. The judge extended till January 17 judicial custody of two other accusedRathinam and Muthupettai Ramachandran who were arrested in this case and whose custody came to an end on Wednesday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Continuing Education and Workforce Development is ramping up its offering for the Fall 2020 semester at Cleveland State to help students invest in their future. Courses being offered to help develop students professionally are: Excel Level 1, Leadership Seminars on Leadership Essentials, and Effective Conflict Management, Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Microsoft Teams, OSHA 10-Hour General Industry, HVAC Bootcamp, Root Cause Analysis Problem Solving for Manufacturers and Banking/Healthcare/Service Industry, and Welding. About the courses: Leadership Seminars Grow your ability to work with and motivate your team in the corporate and higher education settings. Seminars in Leadership Essentials (October 14) and Effective Conflict Management (November 4) will be offered in a virtual classroom. Cost for each seminar is $99. Excel Level 1 Learn the logical processes of working within Microsoft Excel. From entering data to creating 3D formulas, this course will be offered October 20, 22, 27, 29 at the Cleveland State Community College Athens Center. Cost of the course is $95. Microsoft Teams Learn the essential functions of the latest virtual collaboration software Microsoft offers today. From video meetings to application integration, our Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced sessions will be held September 23, October 21, and November 18, respectively. Cost of each virtual session is $150. OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Develop a mastery in safety and health hazards in todays workplace with this session. From workers rights to employers responsibilities, this course provides you with the OSHA General Industry Certification giving you a competitive edge. The course will be offered on the Cleveland State Community College main campus on November 2, 9, and 16. Cost of the course is $199. HVAC Bootcamp Learn the skills and techniques needed to troubleshoot and repair the HVAC system in an expedited class. In less than three weeks, this hands-on course will train you for a new career as an HVAC Technician and includes the EPA certification test. The class will be offered at our Monroe County Center in Vonore from September 28 to October 14. Cost of the training is $2900. Root Cause Analysis Problem Solving Learn to solve problems systematically using the 5 Whys, also known as the Fishbone Diagram. Practice how to prepare and moderate a problem solving workshop with a team of experts. The course for manufacturers will be offered via Zoom on September 9. The course for banking/healthcare/service industry will be offered via Zoom on September 10. Cost of each session is $149. Welding Learn the skill sets youll need to know to excel in the MIG welding process. The course includes welding technique training, safety, machine set-up, and troubleshooting techniques. The course will be offered on the Cleveland State Community College main campus on October 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, and 21. Cost of the course is $2199. For more information, go to mycs.cc/grow or contact the Cleveland State Continuing Education office at 423-473-2270 or continuinged@clevelandstatecc.edu. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to look for ways to restrict funding to Democrat-led cities, an unprecedented use of federal power that legal experts say is extremely unlikely to be upheld in court. "It is imperative that the federal government review the use of federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities," Trump says in a five-page memo released late Wednesday and addressed to Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought and Attorney General Bill Barr. The memo comes as Trump, trailing Democrat Joe Biden in polls, seeks to shift the national focus away from his administration's failed response to the coronavirus pandemic and toward racial justice demonstrations against police brutality that have occurred in cities and towns across the country this summer. Some of the protests have turned violent, offering Trump an opportunity to present himself as the "law and order" candidate, much the same way he did in 2016. The White House memo represents an official, taxpayer funded escalation of the criticism Trump has been leveling at Democratic mayors and governors for weeks, as he tries to blame them for a rise in crime and violence this summer in some cities. The official title of the memo claims state and local officials are allowing harm to be done to their cities: "Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State and Local Government Recipients That Are Permitting Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities." According to the memo, federal agencies will be given two weeks "to submit a report to the Director of OMB detailing all federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, D.C., or any components" of those four cities -- all of which have Democratic mayors who have criticized the president in the past. Legal experts and former White House officials agree that Trump's directive was unlikely to survive legal scrutiny. "This is a campaign document coming out of the White House," Sam Berger, a former senior official at OMB, told The Washington Post. "Any actual restriction on funding in court will immediately be sued and almost certainly struck down." The memo instructs Barr to identify "anarchist jurisdictions," where elected officials have "permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures." The memo does not explain what "reasonable measures" means in this context. After Barr has identified these places, the memo says, Vought then has 30 days to direct "heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of federal grants." On Thursday, mayors of the four cities that Trump mentioned repeatedly in the memo released a joint statement, condemning "attacks that are unlawful, unconstitutional and will be undoubtedly defeated in court." Director-General of GIABA Aba Kimelabalou 03.09.2020 LISTEN The COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned changes in business operations including the compliance culture with attendant implications on the ability of both public and private sector of ECOWAS member states to implement their AML/CFT obligations. It is against this background that the Director-General of GIABA Aba Kimelabalou has called for a new direction in tackling Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. He said it has become critical that ECOWAS member states Re-strategize, Reprioritize amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to pave way for enhanced strategies in AML/CFT regimes. The GIABA D-G was addressing the Regional Virtual Meeting of Chief Compliance Officers of Reporting Institutions on Emerging Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing Issues held via Zoom on Wednesday 2nd September in Dakar, Senegal. The event, which was on the theme: 'Compliance in the Era of Covid-19,' had the primary object to provide a platform for participants to share experiences and foster cooperation and collaboration toward effective implementation of AML/CFT preventive measures in the Era of COVID-19. To achieve the objectives of the programme, a team of seasoned professionals has been carefully chosen to lead the discussions in these subjects. He revealed that key findings from GIABA's 2nd round of mutual evaluation reports of assessed member States indicated that reporting institutions are still grappling with several ML/TF compliance challenges. "Some of these challenges include understanding and mitigating ML/TF risk, effective implementation of customer due diligence and beneficial ownership requirements, and reporting of suspicious transactions which impacted adversely on the assessed countries level of performance under Immediate Outcomes (IOs) (Preventive measures), (legal persons and arrangement particularly beneficial ownership), and (financial intelligence), thus contributing to their placement under the Enhanced Follow Up process. COVID-19 pandemic has added to these challenges by causing severe disruptions to critical sectors of our economies, including the financial system. Criminals are therefore exploiting the emerging vulnerabilities to continue their illicit activities." He said in particular, criminals and terrorists are exploiting COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic downturn to move into new cash-intensive and high-liquidity lines of business in developing countries to launder proceeds of crimes as well as to fund their operations. The GIABA DG noted that GIABA is not immune to the impact of Covid-19. Adding that as an institution, GIABA has adopted strategies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on its programmes, to ensure that member States effectively implement their AML/CFT obligations. These include the proactive engagement with member States on the application of their AML/CFT measures and working constructively with them to minimize the potential impact of Covid-19, and the use of the virtual space in programme delivery, including the organization of this workshop. He also lauded the efforts of the private sector as a strategic and formidable ally in the implementation of effective measures against money laundering and terrorist financing. "GIABA will continue to engage with the sector through the Forums platform and will also continue to provide the required technical support to reporting institutions, especially the non-bank financial institutions, which constitute a weak link in member States AML/CFT regime, to accelerate their compliance with international standards on AML/CFT. ...I wish to call on you to take full ownership and actively participate in the programme. It is our expectation that the interactions and exchange of experiences during this workshop will further deepen your knowledge, and enable you to effectively respond to current and emerging threats of money laundering and terrorist financing in our region," Aba Kimelabalou emphasised. Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) has offered additional quantity of coal to various power generation companies of central, west and south regions at a cheaper landed price, according to a WCL release. WCL, a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, said the move will not only help power generation companies (gencos) minimise their cost to cut power tariffs, but will also reduce import of thermal coal. The company has the advantage of having its mining operation in central India, it added. This helps consumers of central, west and south India to get cheaper landed coal due to advantage in lesser railway freight in comparison to other coal companies of CIL located in the eastern part of the country. Also read: 5 ways India's public sector enterprises can help further climate agenda "With locational advantage and phenomenal growth in production, WCL has offered 20-25 million tonnes of coal to state gencos, NTPC and other independent power producers (IPPs) by swapping their linkage from other coal companies. This will be in addition to their existing linkage quantity with WCL," it said. WCL further said that in a series of detailed discussion during the past two days with WCL and state gencos of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, followed by NTPC and IPPs, all parameters of existing linkage and future swapping have been discussed along with financial benefit to gencos. Also read: Eight core industries' output tumbles 9.6% in July; steel, refinery products, cement worst hit "Efforts will be made to complete the swapping procedure at the earliest so that WCL may start dispatching the additional quantity by October 2020," WCL said. It added that the additional quantity offered for swapping ranges from 3-6 million tonnes to various gencos depending on their requirement. "The quantity will further increase in future subject to availability of more surplus coal." ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish lawyers and advocates have criticized the head of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for not defending human rights and the rule of law robustly enough while meeting President Tayyip Erdogan and top judiciary in Ankara. The European court's president, Robert Spano, began his four-day visit to Turkey with a speech on judicial independence in which he criticized the country's arrests of judges and emphasized the principal of subsidiarity, under which Turkish courts must recognize ECHR rulings. But he stopped short of addressing the government's treatment of some lawyers, including those on hunger strike in prison demanding fair trials. Nor did the speech mention new regulations on bar associations criticized by many lawyers. Last week, lawyer Ebru Timtik died in an Istanbul hospital after a 238-day hunger strike following her conviction last year for membership of a terrorist organization. "The speech suggests Judge Spano does not believe that Turkey has serious human rights and rule of law problems. There exist some minor problems but all of them can easily be solved by the training of young judges. Good luck!" prominent human rights lawyer Kerem Altiparmak said on Twitter. Spano met Erdogan and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and was later to receive an honorary law doctorate from Istanbul University. In his speech, Spano noted the detention and conviction of former Turkish judge Alparslan Altan. The ECHR in 2019 ruled Altan's detention was unlawful, but the ruling was not upheld by Turkish courts. Altan is serving an 11-year prison sentence after being convicted of membership of the network that Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in 2016. Spano's visit drew criticism before he arrived. Emma Sinclair-Webb, director of Human Rights Watch Turkey, said on Twitter it was "astonishing to think" Spano planned to accept a doctorate from a university that "summarily dismissed scores of academics... in an unlawful way." She added: "Think again Judge Spano." (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Alexandra Hudson) There were dozens of prosecutions for "missionary activity" in the first half of 2020 in Russia. There were 40 prosecutions of individuals and two of organisations, with 36 resulting in convictions and fines, Forum 18 reports. They were convicted under Article 5:26 of Russia's July 2016 Administrative Code, which criminalises "illegal missionary activity". Of the four foreigners who were charged, the courts ordered the deportation of two. They were sent to immigration detention centres ahead of their deportation and it is believed that one of them, Tajik citizen Fayzali Kholmurodov, is still in detention six months after his conviction in February this year because Tajikistan's borders have been closed due to the pandemic According to Forum 18, the number of cases reaching the courts dipped slightly between January and June 2020, most likely owing to restrictions in place because of coronavirus. The list of convictions for this period include: - Baptist ministry leader Anatoly Chipilka in Krasnodar, southern Russia, who was fined 5,000 roubles for carrying out an unspecified missionary activity without notifying the Justice Ministry of the group's existence. - Lyudmila Akimenko, another Baptist, who was fined 5,000 roubles by the court in Orenburg, near the border with Kazakhstan, for distributing religious literature to passers-by in the street without authorisation from a religious group or notification to the Justice Ministry of the existence of a religious group. - Konstantin Nazarov, the Protestant pastor of an unregistered church in the Republic of Adygeya, in the North Caucasus, who invited local residents to services. He was fined 5,000 roubles for carrying out missionary activity without notifying authorities of the religious group's existence. - Nikita Glazunov, the leader of Catholic religious group, the Society of Saint Pius X, in Tatarstan, who was charged with organising Latin Mass in a hotel conference room that involved a "foreign preacher" who did not have written authorisation from the religious group to perform missionary activity. - Anatoly Feoktistov, a Pentecostal pastor fined 5,000 roubles in Chelyabinsk, west central Russia, after holding Sunday services in a residential building. Reported with permission from Christian Today China is planning a sweeping set of new government policies to develop its domestic semiconductor industry and counter Trump administration restrictions, conferring the same kind of priority on the effort it accorded to building its atomic capability, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Beijing is preparing broad support for so-called third-generation semiconductors for the five years through 2025, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing government deliberations. A suite of measures to bolster research, education and financing for the industry has been added to a draft of the countrys 14th five-year plan, which will be presented to the countrys top leaders in October, the people said. Chinas top leaders will gather next month to lay out their economic strategy for the next half decade, including efforts to ramp up domestic consumption and make critical technology at home. President Xi Jinping has pledged an estimated $1.4 trillion through 2025 for technologies ranging from wireless networks to artificial intelligence. Semiconductors are fundamental to virtually every component of Chinas technology ambitions -- and an increasingly aggressive Trump administration threatens to cut off their supply from abroad. The Chinese leadership realizes that semiconductors underpin all advanced technologies, and that it can no longer dependably rely on American supplies, said Dan Wang, technology analyst at research firm Gavekal Dragonomics. In the face of stricter US restrictions on chip access, Chinas response can only be to keep pushing its own industry to develop. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for drafting the tech-related goals, did not reply to a request for comment. China imports more than $300 billion worth of integrated circuits each year and its semiconductor developers rely on US-made chip design tools and patents, as well as critical manufacturing technologies from US allies. But deteriorating ties between Beijing and Washington have made it increasingly difficult for Chinese companies to source components and chipmaking technologies from overseas. The US government has blacklisted dozens of Chinas tech companies so they cant buy American parts, and slapped bans on ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok and Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat. In the case of technology giant Huawei Technologies Co., the Trump administration sanctioned the company and pressed allies to ban the companys equipment from their telecom networks. This month, Huawei, the countrys largest handset maker, will even lose access to chips from the likes of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. under new American regulations that prohibit suppliers anywhere in the world from working with the company if those suppliers use American equipment. The tighter rules have raised the urgency of building domestic alternatives in Beijing. Third-generation semiconductors are mainly chipsets made of materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. They can operate at high frequency and in higher power and temperature environments, and are widely used in fifth-generation radio frequency chips, military-grade radars and electric vehicles. Since no single country now dominates the fledgling, third-generation technology, Chinas gamble is its corporations can compete if they accelerate research into the field now. Global leaders such as US-based CREE Inc. and Japans Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. are just beginning to grow this business, while Chinese tech giants such as Sanan Optoelectronics Co. Ltd. and state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corp. have made inroads on third-generation chipsets. The countrys other chipmakers which include Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., Will Semiconductor Ltd. and National Silicon Industry Group Co., may benefit more broadly from the state support. This is a sector about to see explosive growth, Alan Zhou, managing partner of Fujian-based chip investment fund An Xin Capital Co. Ltd., said in an industry forum last week. Because of Chinas increasing demand and investment, this is an area that could create a world-class Chinese chip giant. Gen Wilkins said she stopped by the center Wednesday afternoon to pick up a prescription for her father, a disabled veteran who lives in a senior living community. Wilkins noticed signs in the atrium that warned against drinking the water or using it for hand-washing. She said the signs said the water had been contaminated. Al Salem Johnson Controls, a leading provider of integrated solutions in HVAC equipment, fire and security systems, building management systems and controls, has launched Hitachi commercial air Conditioning Systems in Saudi Arabia. Part of its portfolio expansion plan, the company is also introducing Hitachis variable refrigerant flow (VRF) and ducted air-conditioning systems, which are suitable for diverse applications, ranging from small residential to large commercial projects. Hitachi's VRF system features Japanese technology, offering the highest energy efficiency ratings, and a higher performance factor, both of which contribute to protecting the environment and ensuring cost efficiency, said the statement from Al Salem Johnson Controls. Al Salem Johnson Controls, which provides services for residential, commercial and industrial sectors, is keen to ensure a more productive, secure and sustainable future through the company's specialised integrated solutions, which are efficient, operational and environmentally friendly, and are customised and engineered to meet the requirements of each project, said a company spokesman. This system also enables quiet operation, and features the ability to connect one outdoor unit to several indoor units, high cooling efficiency in high ambient up to 54 degree Celsius, and an smart system to control the refrigerant, to ensure that the user gets an optimal flow of cool air to achieve maximum comfort and efficiency, he stated. According to him, the addition of Hitachi's cooling and heating solutions to Al Salem Johnson Controls' portfolio of world leading brands in the industry comes as part of its expansion strategy. Al Salem Johnson Controls is proud of being one of the first companies specialized in providing sustainable solutions in the Kingdom, through a variety of offerings and services, he stated. It is also the largest supplier and manufacturer of HVAC solutions in the region, and has a team of more than 2,500 employees to serve its customers in various sectors and industries, he added. Al Salem Johnson Controls, he stated, has the largest specialised aftermarket service team in the Middle East; its team of engineers and technicians have deep knowledge and extensive experience, which enables them to provide maintenance and repair services for any type of units, regardless of the units brand. Hitachi, a global provider of high quality, efficient and reliable home appliances, solutions and products in the HVAC industry. The company started in 1910 as a machinery repair shop at the Kohara Mining Corporation, in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and was incorporated as a multi-industry company in 1920.-TradeArabia News Service Nancy Campiche, right, turns in her catch of pikeminnow for the day. Josh Boston is one of the revolving Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employees who help manage the site at the Elochoman Slough Marina. He counts the fish, and then gives Campiche a voucher, which she will later redeem. Fishing has been slow this year, and not just for salmon. Skamokawa resident Nancy Campiche did not want this story to be about her, but nearly every pikeminnow fisherman I approached on Tuesday said, "Talk to Nancy." "Pikeminnow are not an invasive species," Campiche said. "They are native. But they eat salmon smolt. When the dam went in, it created a perfect opportunity for them to flourish. Bonneville pays for this program. It was actually a court ordered deal. One scientist told me that if we didn't catch these little guys, they would destroy the river, because they are so hungry." If you've ever driven through the Elochoman Slough Marina during the summer months and wondered about a van that is usually parked somewhere near the fish cleaning station, it's the pikeminnow station, managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. There is someone there every day to register the fishermen, count their catch, and hand out vouchers. Each pikeminnow, formerly called squawfish, that they catch is worth $5. After they've caught 25, they get $6 per fish, and after 200, they get $8 a fish. If they're really lucky, they'll find one with one tag, worth $100 or two tags, worth $500. It can be a lucrative business if you're good at it. Last year, Campiche made $18,000. According to Josh Boston, who was working for WDFW on Tuesday, the number of fishermen has been dwindling this season. Usually there are a lot more participating, traveling from all over, but most everyone has gone home early. Why? Fishing is bad this year. "The program is working, either that, or else the fish are getting smarter," Yukon John, a fisherman from Montana said. When I asked him why he was fishing, he simply said, "greed." "They advertised four years ago that guys made $100,000 a year doing this," he said. "There were one or two guys. The top numbers would go down to $45,000 in the top 20. But now those numbers have all shifted. You've dropped zeros. In some cases we've dropped two zeros, maybe even three." He made $3,500 last year, and this year was even worse. "The one thing about this fishery, as you go through the several months, if you don't learn to adapt and change, you will go crazy," Yukon John said. "I've fished the entire river system. I know 12 or 14 different ways to fish this river. I've fished with these good guys that showed me their ways and I come back to here, and I've learned another one here. I've stuck with that, because it works here. It doesn't work any other place." Keith Allen of Aberdeen is probably the number one fisherman at this marina this year, Campiche told me. He told me he made nearly $19,000 last year. Campiche is currently in 12th place in the whole program for catch, which includes participants fishing at stations up and down the Columbia River. Last year she came in 13th place. "It used to be we'd fish in this slough, and all of us..." Campiche started to say. "All of us would get 20-25 fish and the good ones like Nancy and Keith would get 40-50," Yukon John interjected. "I was with my husband and we were driving through the marina. There was this scraggly looking hippy guy with his beard braided and his pony tail," Campiche said, remembering how she got started. "His name is Montana Bob, and he was fishing out here. We got to yakking with him, because my husband is also a grey beard, hippy looking guy. He said he'd anchored up right out here the day before and got 45 fish. Seriously? I'd just sold my business and retired and I needed something to do. So I said, how do I do that? He said, come down to my boat tonight and I'll show you how to tie a bait loop. I did that. And he took me out the next day and he showed me what he did to catch them. The rest is history. My husband traded an El Camino for a boat, and I had to pay him back full price. I had my own boat from the get go and now I have a better boat." That's when Campiche became the first female to independently go out on her own and do this seriously. "I had an advantage," she said, "being a female. All the guys thought that was pretty unique, so they would come over and help me." One time she was turning in her catch, and came upon a young boy who had only caught one fish. He looked at her and her bucket of fish and said, "Are you Nancy? Oh my god, you're the Goddess of Pikeminnows." It turns out even goddesses can have bad years. Maybe not as bad as other ordinary mortals, but this has been a slow year for her as well. "It's like pulling teeth without an anesthetic some days," Campiche said. "But today I was happy. I anchored up at one spot and got a half dozen, and then anchored up at another spot and got another half dozen." There is so much to love about what she's doing. Being out in the river, making some money, interacting with the other fishermen, and the mostly good-natured competitiveness. "It's solitary, but very social in a way," Campiche said. "We're in a friendly competition with each other, but then there are some guys that come in and blow us all away and we all get cranky about it. We don't like them." She laughed. A few minutes later Tom Rapacz of Soap Lake ambled up to the van. "I got six," Rapacz told Boston. "It beats going home with a black eye." "I'm a virgin down here, so I'm doing slow," he told me. "Last year I fished the upper rivers, and I ended up getting enough to pay for a boat motor and trailer. So this year I bought a truck and a camper and said well, let's see what it's like down here." "She's catching them all," he said of Campiche. They learn fast. Diana Zimmerman Each pikeminnow nets a fisherman $5, and then a dollar more after they've caught a cumulative 25. "You have to factor in the cost of fuel, the cost of moorage, and the cost of bait and all that before you consider whether you are going to succeed or not. What I was told the first year, is that the first year will be terrible at it, you'll get frustrated..." Campiche said. Rapacz started laughing. "It's one of the joys of being retired," he said. "When it becomes a job I can quit." "To me it's a job," Campiche went on. "I'm out here seven days a week. But the next year you start to figure things out. And the third year, you make some money. That has worked for me. I'm on my seventh year, and this is the first year I've gone backward." "It's not because of me," she added. "It's up and down the river. There is something going on with the fish that we have no control over." For more information on the program, go to http://www.pikeminnow.org. A British barrister will investigate possible genocide against Uighur Muslims in China as part of an independent tribunal in London next year. This comes amid recent reports of forced sterilisation programmes targeting Uighurs in Xinjiang province, located in the west of the country. Geoffrey Nice, a human rights lawyer who led the prosecution of ex-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for crimes during the Balkans war, was asked to head the tribunal by the World Uighur Congress, which represents exiled Uighurs. As well as the large number of Uighurs living in exile who are expected to submit evidence, testimony could be gathered from former security guards working in detention centres in Xinjiang province. Mr Nice told the AP news agency on Wednesday that questions about alleged genocide should be asked and answered. "At the moment, the strongest evidence would appear to be evidence of incarceration and possibly evidence of enforced sterilization," he added, adding that the latter could be in breach of the Geneva Convention. Although the tribunals judgement will not be binding for any government, Nice said it would provide reliable information. The tribunal will most likely consist of two public hearings lasting several days each. Darren Byler, an academic studying Uighurs at the University of Colorado, said that, despite its limitation, the tribunal will be helpful. "So far the world response to what is happening to the Uighurs and Kazakhs in Northwest China has been largely confined to unilateral actions by the United States and been associated with President Trump's more general anti-China position. An independent investigation conducted from outside of the U.S. will be helpful in adding an additional perspective," he added. Chinese officials deny that human rights abuses have been taking place, with the Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, describing the allegations as the lies of the century. In August, the ambassador said the actions taken in Xinjiang were necessary and important. A complaint has been filed with the International Criminal Court by lawyers on behalf of Uighurs living in exile, asking the court to looking at alleged genocide as well as forced repatriations of Uighurs from Cambodia and Tajikistan. Additional reporting from AP MUMBAI : Borrowers stare at an uncertain future as banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are yet to come up with policies on restructuring of loans. Mumbai-based Tarun Shetty, 35, for instance, has three personal loans from HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Clix Capital. Laid off from his job, he opted for a moratorium on loan repayments until 31 August. Now, he has approached his lenders for a restructuring of his loans only to be told they havent yet formulated a policy on it. One of the lenders even refused to give me a moratorium, while the other two did. The same lender tried to debit my bank account 19 times between June and August, and my balance was - 9,797 as my bank levied a penalty for bouncing of ECS (electronic clearing system). The same may happen if lenders delay restructuring of loans," said Shetty. Sheeba Murli, 45, has written to the NBFC she took her home loan from, seeking a loan recast, but is yet to hear back. Murli, who works in a hotel as an executive assistant, has taken a 75% salary cut. Her husband, who is with a manufacturing company, took a 50% hit. Very few banks and card issuers have come up with loan restructuring offers for retail customers. Among lenders and card issuers Mint spoke to, only Federal Bank and SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd have started offering restructuring plans. Most lenders and issuers are only telling customers how much their new equated monthly instalments will be after the moratorium. Some large private and public sector banks are yet to issue any board-approved policies for restructuring of loans. However, according to media reports, public sector banks are planning to offer a uniform framework for recasting retail loans. This is a huge restructuring exercise that the banking sector has not experienced before. Those who are facing cash flow problems due to job losses or pay cuts can approach the bank with relieving letter or bank statement and get the loan recast," said Babu K.A., senior vice-president and headloan collection and recovery, Federal Bank. Retail borrowers can approach their lenders or card issuers until 31 December asking for relief. The sooner they do it, the better the chances that they wont face penalties and bounce charges," he added. SBI Card has sent out a communication to those who availed the moratorium to convert their outstanding amount into EMIs. It has offered customers the option to choose from tenures of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. According to rating agency India Ratings and Research, around 7.7% of the total bank credit at end-March from corporate and non-corporate (retail, farm, micro, small and medium enterprises) segments could get restructured, based on the Reserve Bank of Indias resolution framework. This translates to 8.4 trillion worth of loans. It could be higher if the restructuring in non-corporate segments exceeds 1.9% of the total bank credit. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Textbook on Archaeoastronomy is linked to the online course The Science of Stars and Stones at Politecnico di Milano Springer Nature is pleased to announce the publication of its first textbook as part of its new MOOC&BOOK product line. The book, Archaeoastronomy: Introduction to the Science of Stars and Stones, by the Italian astrophysicist and archaeoastronomer Giulio Magli is connected to a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) hosted on the platform of the Politecnico di Milano (Polimi Open Knowledge - POK). The book includes direct links to augmented reality material. The online course, The science of stars and stones, is freely available on the University's MOOC platform and allows unlimited participation via the web. Students who buy both the print and the e-book can easily access the content and benefit from the numerous exercises with solutions, in addition to those offered in the MOOC. The textbook features multimedia content, such as videos and augmented reality, which can be accessed by PC, tablet, or any other mobile device. Francesca Bonadei, Executive Editor and project manager for MOOC&BOOK at Springer, states: "Multimedia distance learning plays an important role in providing access to education for people all over the world, regardless of personal or external conditions. Springer Nature's MOOC&BOOK product line not only represents a valuable resource for the dissemination of knowledge in these challenging times due to the Corona crisis, but also empowers researchers, students, teachers and professionals to advance discovery every day." Archaeoastronomy: Introduction to the Science of Stars and Stones provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the discipline of archaeoastronomy and enables readers to virtually experience many astronomically-related archaeological sites through augmented reality potentialities. About the MOOC&BOOK product line The concept of MOOC and book provides authors with the unique opportunity to create a book complementary to an online course and is open to researchers in any area, from STM to HSS. It combines the quality of an academic/scholarly/research essay with the communicative power of an online educational product and offers authors and customers from all over the world an enhanced pedagogical experience. Readers can simply scan an image with their mobile phone or tablet in order to be taken directly to the corresponding video, illustration, photo, table, PowerPoint slide, etc. This allows them to share the relevant content in a fast and easy way, which makes the book more dynamic than a standard textbook. The next books to be published in spring 2021 are four MOOC&BOOK titles on Robotics, edited by Bruno Siciliano, and hosted by Federica Web Learning, the university platform owned by the University of Naples Federico II. ### Further information Link to the book: Archaeoastronomy: Introduction to the Science of Stars and Stones Link to the MOOC: The science of stars and stones Link to the Springer Nature More Media App: https://www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/springer-nature-apps/sn-more-media Advancements in technologies and rise in demand for luxury and comfort in vehicles propel the global automotive suspension market PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Automotive Suspension Market by System (Passive and Semi-active/Active), Component (Spring, Shock Dampener, Struts, Control Arms, Ball Joint, Leaf Spring, and Air Compressor), Geometry (Dependent, Semi-independent, and Independent), Suspension Type (Hydraulic Suspension, Air Suspension, and Leaf Spring), and Vehicle Type (Two-wheeler, Passenger Cars, and Commercial Vehicle): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027." According to the report, the global automotive suspension industry generated $55.28 billion in 2019, and is estimated to generate $73.36 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 3.5% from 2020 to 2027. Download Report Sample (344 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Figures) athttps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1709 Drivers, restraints, and opportunities Technological advancements, surge in demand for luxury and comfort in vehicles, and significant rise in vehicle production drive the global automotive suspension market. However, high cost of maintenance for advanced suspension systems and improving global standards for vehicles hinder the market growth. On the other hand, demand for lightweight suspension systems and creation of advanced suspension systems present new pathways in coming years. The struts segment to maintain its dominant share during the forecast period Based on component, the struts segment accounted for the highest market share in 2019, contributing to nearly one-third of the global automotive suspension market, and is projected to maintain its dominant share during the forecast period. This is attributed to the benefits of balancing the entire weight of the vehicles and surge in production of technically advanced components. However, the air compressor segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 5.3% from 2020 to 2027. Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here athttps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1709 COVID-19 Scenario on Automotive Suspension Market: Manufacturing activities have been halted due to shortage of raw materials, disrupted supply chain, and lockdown imposed by the government. Research and development activities have been resumed due to lack of access to resources and new product launches have been postponed by manufacturers. Auto expos and other events of the automobile industry have been postponed to avoid social gatherings. With restrictions on lockdown being lifted off in many countries, production factories have been started with minimal workforce. Social distancing and other safety and hygiene regulations have been followed in factories. Get Detailed COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the Automotive Suspension MarketRequest Here! The hydraulic suspension segment to maintain its lead status during the forecast period Based on suspension type, the hydraulic suspension segment held more than half of the global automotive suspension market in 2019, and is projected to maintain its lead status during the forecast period. This is due to its usage as a traditional type of suspension system in the automotive industry. However, the air suspension segment would register the fastest CAGR of 4.3% from 2020 to 2027, owing to shock-free and smooth ride provided on rough surfaces. Schedule a Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business athttps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/1709 Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, to maintain its lead position by 2026 Based on region, Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, held nearly two-fifths of the global automotive suspension market in 2019, and is expected to maintain its lead position by 2027. Moreover, this segment is expected to maintain the highest CAGR of 4.1% from 2020 to 2027. This is attributed to well-developed automotive industry in the region along with various developments related to vehicle components. The research also analyzes the regions including Europe and LAMEA. Market players grabbing largest pie Continental AG Fox Factory, Inc. Gabriel India Limited Hendrickson USA , LLC , LLC KYB Corporation Mando Corporation Sogefi S.P.A. Tenneco Inc. Wabco ZF TRW Similar Reports: (10% Discount) Air Suspension Market Key players including Continental, ThyssenKrupp AG, Hitachi, Wabco, Firestone Industrial Products, Hendrickson, Mando Corporation, BWI Group, SAF-Holland, Accuair Suspension and others holds major air suspension market share. Automotive Advanced High Strength Steel Market: Key players includes AK Steel Holding Corporation, ArcelorMittal SA, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., Kobe Steel Ltd., Nucor, POSCO, SSAB AB, Tata Steel Ltd., ThyssenKrupp AG, and United Steel Corporation account for a major automotive AHSS (advanced high strength steel) share. Luxury Car Market: Key players including Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG, Lexus, Infiniti, BMW AG, Volvo Car, Audi AG, Aston Martin Lagonda, Tesla, and Ferrari N.V., and others hold major luxury car market shares. E-Axle Market: The key players operating in the E-Axle market include Robert Bosch GmbH, Nidec Corporation, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, GKN Plc, Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, Continental AG, Borgwarner Inc., AVL List GmbH, Axletech International, and Dana Limited. Automotive Axle & Propeller Shaft Market: The market is segmented on the basis of axle & propeller shaft type, vehicle type, and geography. Commercial Vehicle Axles Market: Key players profiled in the report include American Axle & Manufacturing (U.S.), Meritor (U.S.), DANA (U.S.), Benteler (Germany), RABA (Hungary), Axle Tech International (U.S.), SAF Holland (Luxembourg), PRESS KOGYO (Japan), Korea Flange (South Korea), and Ankai Futian Shuguang (China) Automotive Chassis System Market: Some of the key players operating in the global automotive chassis system market include Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc., Magna International Inc., Benteler International AG, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, AISIN SEIKI Co., Ltd., Schaeffler AG, Hyundai Mobis, and Gestamp. About Allied Market Research Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. AMR provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. AMR introduces its online premium subscription-based library Avenue, designed specifically to offer cost-effective, one-stop solution for enterprises, investors, and universities. With Avenue, subscribers can avail an entire repository of reports on more than 2,000 niche industries and more than 12,000 company profiles. Moreover, users can get an online access to quantitative and qualitative data in PDF and Excel formats along with analyst support, customization, and updated versions of reports. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): 1-800-792-5285, 1-503-894-6022, 1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg The latest jobless numbers from the Department of Labor indicate that nearly half of all workers receiving unemployment benefits are supported by Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which covers individuals not traditionally eligible for aid, including self-employed, freelance, gig and part-time workers. More than 29 million Americans were collecting unemployment benefits in mid-August, according to the latest available data, including 13.5 million individuals claiming PUA a sharp increase from the 10.9 million people collecting PUA the week prior. Last week, 833,352 people filed new regular unemployment claims and 759,482 people filed new PUA claims, according to unadjusted figures. PUA, established under the March CARES Act, is set to expire at the end of the year. It provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to those who are not usually eligible for regular state aid but lose work, through no fault of their own, due to the coronavirus pandemic. It also provides supplemental weeks of aid to individuals who live in states that offer, through regular aid and 13 weeks of Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), less than 39 weeks of jobless benefits total. The unprecedented expansion of unemployment benefits in March ensures some groups disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus receive aid, including Black workers who are overrepresented in self-employed, contract or part-time roles and are more likely to experience longer stints of joblessness. Its expiration at the end of the year could severely impact some of the most vulnerable workers and result in a slow economic recovery, says Howard University professor and AFL-CIO chief economist William Spriggs. "The share of workers getting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance clearly points to the gap in the regular state programs that ignore workers and a number of low-wage industries," Spriggs tells CNBC Make It. "It shows we could and can devise access to programs to insure low-wage workers." In May, the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act, which includes continuing the expired $600 weekly benefit and extending federal PUA and PEUC enhancements to March 31, 2021. The Senate failed to take up the bill and instead introduced its own HEALS Act in late July, with a reduced weekly boost to state benefits and timeline that would allow all unemployment enhancements to expire at the end of December 2020. Congress and White House officials did not make progress on a new stimulus package before the Senate adjourned for recess until Labor Day. On August 8, President Trump signed a memorandum to create a new $300 supplemental wage to some jobless workers, including those receiving PUA benefits of at least $100 per week. The program has been taken up in most states, but funding may be running out soon. Spriggs says voters should urgently be thinking about the December 31 expiration of existing relief efforts, given lawmakers' willingness to let the $600 benefit expire at the end of July. "If people aren't discussing how we'll extend that, it's a real danger," Spriggs says. He adds that, for people whose economic lifelines through jobless benefits could be in jeopardy, "this election means everything to them. They need to be paying attention to who in Congress is taking the unemployment situation seriously, and they need to understand their vote matters." The Senate is expected to reconvene next week and discuss a revised "skinny bill" that would continue federal jobless benefits at $300 to $400 per week, though it's unclear how long enhanced unemployment aid will last. Critics say the proposal doesn't do enough to support Americans through through other relief measures, including rental and food assistance, as well as aid to state and local governments. On January 1, 2021, unless Congress acts to pass a new stimulus package, only workers who traditionally qualify for unemployment benefits can continue to receive aid in the new year. If a worker is eligible for traditional unemployment insurance but was enrolled in PEUC or PUA for additional weeks of aid, they may be able to tap a new window of extended benefits offered by their state, ranging from six to 20 additional weeks, come January. Every state except Idaho and South Dakota is currently offering a period of extended benefits. Check out: Americans spend over $5,000 a year on groceriessave hundreds at supermarkets with these cards Don't miss: Nearly half of all furloughed workers now believe their temporary layoff will become permanent Just 13% of Black people out of work are getting unemployment benefits during the pandemic 'We will lose everything:' Americans express frustration at Congress recessing with no stimulus deal New Delhi: Hotels, restaurants and clubs in the national capital have now been allowed to serve liquor from September 9 while complying with the Centres social distancing norms to curb the spread of coronavirus. Bars and pubs in Delhi have been allowed to open on a trial basis from 9th to 30th September, the sources said. According to the sources, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal today approved the Aam Aadmi Party government's suggestion for reopening bars in the national capital from 9th September. Delhi government sources, however, said that the owners of hotels, restaurants and clubs will have to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Central government. The authorities have allowed hotels, restaurants and clubs to service liquor from September 9, a Delhi government source said. A formal order will be issued by the Delhi government after LG Baijals clearance to the suggestion for opening bars from September 9. On its part, the Delhi government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure for these establishments to ensure strict compliance of the COVID-19 protocols. Generic preventive measures (A) 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, except for essential and health purposes. Hotel management to advise accordingly. (B) The generic measures include simple public health measures that are to be followed to reduce the risk of COVID-19. These measures need to be observed by all (staff and guests) in these places at all times. These include: 1. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet to be followed as far as feasible. 2. Use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory. 3. Practice frequent hand washing with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) even when hands are not visibly dirty. 4. Use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (for at least 20 seconds) can be made wherever feasible. 5. Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering one's mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue/handkerchief/flexed elbow and disposing off used tissues properly. 6. Self-monitoring of health by all and reporting any illness at the earliest to state and district helpline. 7. Spitting shall be strictly prohibited. 8. Installation and use of Aarogya Setu app shall be advised to all The Bombay high court (HC) has asked the media to exercise restraint while reporting on the actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case and also asked representatives of television news channels to be present on September 10 the next date of the hearing of the two petitions filed by social activists and former senior officials of Maharashtra Police. The court asked the media to report the case in line with the ongoing investigation. The petitioners have approached the court seeking a restraint on the TV channels from carrying out a trial by media in the Rajput case. They cited that the non-stop biased coverage would prejudice the minds of the public and would also tarnish the image of the Mumbai Police. A two-member HC division bench, comprising Justices AA Sayed and SP Tavade, while hearing the petition filed by social activists Nilesh Navlakha, Mahibub Shaikh and Subhash Chander Chaba was informed by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat that the media houses be directed from not going overboard while reporting the Rajput case. Kamat pointed out that some of the TV channels had overstepped the guidelines laid down in the programme code as per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and were conducting a media trial by exposing names and details of those named in the case. He submitted that some TV channels had named police officials and passed their judgements on the names mentioned in the first information report (FIR) even though the investigation was still in progress. Senior advocate Dr Milind Sathe and advocate Chetan Kapadia represented the former senior officials of Maharashtra Police. The petitioners include former director-generals of police (DGPs) PS Pasricha, K Subramaniam, D Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, Satish Chandra Mathur; ex-commissioners of Mumbai Police Mahesh N Singh and Dhananjay N Jadhav; and former chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Maharashtra Police, KP Raghuvanshi. Dr Sathe submitted that the media coverage of the Rajput case was irresponsible and would create prejudice among the public about the investigation. He argued that the round-the-clock biased coverage of the case was also detrimental to the image of the Mumbai Police and, as a result, the court should restrain the TV channels from running a media trial. He prayed before the court to direct the government and media regulators to lay down guidelines for the mode and manner of coverage of any pending high-profile investigation, particularly the Rajput case. Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) Anil Singh, who appeared on behalf of the Central government, said he needed time to respond since the copy of the petition --- filed by the former senior officials of Maharashtra Police -- was served to him late at night on Wednesday. He also submitted that as the petitions involved media houses, they should also be allowed to defend their actions before the court passes any order. The bench heard the submissions and passed a brief order. The media should exercise restraint and report the case as per the investigation, the bench observed. The court also directed the TV channels named in the petitions to be present for the next hearing of the case on September 10. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA), a private body of various TV channels, has been asked to file its reply before September 10. Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the next NDC government will upgrade the Wa Municipality to a Metropolis. This according to him will facilitate the speedy development of Wa town to befit its status as the capital of the Upper West Region. Mr Mahama made the promise while addressing the Overlord of the Waala Kingdom, Wa Naa Seidu Fuseini Pelpuo IV, and his sub chiefs at his palace on the first day of his four-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region. He also promised to dualize the road from Bamahu to the Wa Airport and beyond to ensure free flow of traffic. Former President Mahama said the next NDC government would also implement the 10 million dollar infrastructure programme dubbed the "Big Push" which would see to massive investment in production, health, education, and water infrastructure among others, adding that the Kamba irrigation dam would be captured under it. He noted that the NDC had long relations with the Upper West Region since it was created under its Founder Jerry John Rawlings in 1982, adding that since then every major development in the region happened under the various NDC administrations. He mentioned the tarring of roads, the Wa Regional Hospital and polyclinics, expansion of educational facilities, the provision of potable water, the construction of Wa Airport, the ultramodern Regional library, and the expansion of infrastructure at the Wa campus of the University for Development (UDS) as few of the legacies of the NDC in the region. On employment, he said the next NDC government would create 250,000 jobs every year for the next four years to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the country. He said a free Primary Health Care programme would also be implemented to ensure every Ghanaian had access to quality health care at the level of the health centres, clinics and the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds whether with or without health insurance card. He clarified that the Free Primary Health Care programme would complement the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and not to replace it. Mr Mahama said the NDC was honest and would not deceive Ghanaians, stressing that they promised only what they could deliver and therefore urged Ghanaians to reject political parties promising heaven on earth just for political power. Former President Mahama was accompanied by Party Chairman, Mr Ofosu Ampofo, the Campaign Manager, Prof. Joshua Alabi, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, and the Wa Central Member of Parliament, Alhaji Rashid Pelpuo among other executives and party functionaries. GNA -- "Without multilateralism, the multilateral mechanism and international order established since World War II will be seriously damaged, and small- and medium-sized countries will suffer a huge impact," said Wang during his talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said Friday at an annual summer press conference that Germany and the EU want to continue conversations with China and set an example for multilateralism. -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy firmly supports multilateralism and advocates solving problems and challenges facing the world through multilateral rather than unilateral means. BERLIN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China and Europe are willing to jointly uphold multilateralism at a time when unilateralism is on the rise, and strengthen post-pandemic cooperation, according to consensuses reached between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his European hosts. Wang, also China's state councilor, has just concluded a week-long tour in Europe, which took him to Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) delivers 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 in Paris, France, Aug. 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) FIGHTING PANDEMIC Wang's visit came as the COVID-19 pandemic is effectively under control in China and Europe is tamping down a resurge of infections. Jointly combating the coronavirus thus became the first common topic. In Rome, Wang recalled when China was in the thick of the pandemic, Italy rapidly sent out air cargoes of anti-epidemic supplies. While Italy was in a grave situation, China responded by mobilizing large quantities of supplies and rushing to its aid, and also sent three teams of medical experts to the hardest-hit areas, sharing their experience in fighting the pandemic, Wang said, adding that China will never forget Europe's help or stand idle when Europe faces difficulties. Chinese medical team experts and Italian doctors pose for a photo during the COVID-19 pandemic in Padua, Italy, March 18, 2020. (Xinhua) In the Netherlands and Norway, besides the ongoing preventive measures, officials have already turned their eyes to post-pandemic collaboration with China. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said the Netherlands is willing to continue working with China to fight the epidemic, so as to accelerate the economic recovery of the two countries. Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide expressed hope to strengthen vaccine development and maritime cooperation with China, enhance exchanges and cooperation in winter sports, and expressed support for China in successfully hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. Volker Tschapke, honorary president of Germany's Prussian Society, told Xinhua that Wang's visit shows that China is gradually resuming actual personnel exchanges with its partners. "China and the European Union (EU) have many projects to look forward to, and the pandemic has shown that China is willing to requite when help is given. It's a nice way of dealing with its foreign ties," Tschapke said. FACILITATING TRADE European analysts and local media have long paid close attention to the China-Europe talks on building a fair and non-discriminative investment environment. It is fully possible for the two sides to complete the investment agreement negotiations within this year, Wang said during his visit to Paris. Andreas Nicolin, head of the Foreign Trade Promotion in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, hopes that an early completion of the investment pact will help "recover the economy, strengthen the competitiveness and innovation and create new jobs and wealth." Aerial photo taken on Oct. 31, 2019 shows a view of the Sino-Germany Innovation Park in Taicang, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo) Ulrich Ackermann, head of foreign trade department of Germany's Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, is also expecting a deal between the two sides. "Especially in times of global protectionism, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we need a positive signal for international trade," Ackermann said. As the world economy is facing a recession due to the raging pandemic and rising protectionist sentiment, Wang reaffirmed that China will stay committed to opening up. Through deeper reforms, lower tariffs, shorter negative lists, more convenient market access, more transparent market rules and a more attractive business environment, China will link its domestic market, the world's largest one, with the global market more closely, promote a virtuous cycle of mutual development which will be larger, more efficient and more dynamic, as well as create wider development space and more opportunities for China itself and other countries around the world, Wang said. During a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, the two sides made a commitment to wrap up negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement as soon as possible. DEFENDING MULTILATERALISM China has made a series of proposals for concrete collaborations and shown the sincerity to talk, shoring up confidence among EU countries as many fret about growing global confrontations and the possibility of getting dragged into a possible "new Cold War," in the wake of recent clamoring by some high-level U.S. officials for an alliance against China, according to observers. Wang reiterated that China does not intend to engage in such a conflict and is resolutely against any hype about a so-called "new Cold War," which would "reverse the course of history and kidnap the whole world." "Without multilateralism, the multilateral mechanism and international order established since World War II will be seriously damaged, and small- and medium-sized countries will suffer a huge impact," said Wang during his talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Wang also noted that upholding multilateralism is the biggest consensus reached during his trip to Europe. A China-Europe freight train bound for Duisburg of Germany pulls out of the Wuhan terminal of China Railway Intermodal in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy firmly supports multilateralism and advocates solving problems and challenges facing the world through multilateral rather than unilateral means. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said Friday at an annual summer press conference that Germany and the EU want to continue conversations with China and set an example for multilateralism. Jan Zahradil, chairman of the EU-China Friendship Group in the European Parliament, said the EU leaders and Merkel, who chairs the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, have made it clear that Europe does not want to follow the line of confrontation, but rather to seek cooperation. "Of course we agree on some things. We might disagree on some other things. That's only natural. But even if we disagree on something, it doesn't mean that we should block each other or we should introduce some sort of new confrontation," said Zahradil. We saw the lights turn off in the White House, Over said. We saw people get gassed and arrested. But what was a really moving moment was when, even though these things happened, we stayed on the front line and were able to get the police to take off their riot gear and talk to us while 600 to 700 feet down the street from us, people were getting arrested. We had a personal conversation with the officers there and I think we really connected. At night the demonstrators would chant, Out of the sheets and into the streets, Caschetta said. They were met with residents filing out in their pajamas to stand by their side. After returning home on Tuesday, the group plans to take their experience from Washington to make a positive impact in their hometowns. Caschetta said he is currently in talks with local Boys & Girls Club locations to sponsor the group to create mentorship opportunities and host events and programs based on inclusion, equality and community service. Pitts, who is from Crown Point but is attending college in Indianapolis, said she is inspired to be a part of what she sees as a growing movement. NBCC (India) jumped 4.25% to Rs 28.20 after the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Election Commission of India for a project based in Delhi. NBCC (India) has signed the MoU with Election Commission of India on 1 September 2020 for planning, designing and construction of an office building in Dwarka, New Delhi wherein NBCC will work as project management consultant. The likely estimated cost of the project would be Rs 150 crore. NBCC (India) provides civil engineering construction services. The firm operates through three segment viz., project management consultancy (PMC), real estate development & engineering, procurement and construction (EPC). As on 30 June 2020, the Government of India held 61.75% stake in NBCC (India). The company's consolidated net profit fell 41.2% to Rs 83.78 crore on 16.8% decline in net sales to Rs 2,568.73 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (UPDATE: 3 arraigned in fatal shooting of teen at Flint Township mobile home park) FLINT TWP, MI -- A 19-year-old man died after he was shot Wednesday afternoon at a Flint Township mobile home park. Officers with the Flint Township Police Department were dispatched around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept 2 to the 3100 block of Avalon Drive in the Villa Mobile Home Park off Torrey Road for a shooting. Police discovered the teen had been shot. The victim, whose name has not been released, was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. Police investigate shooting at Flint Township mobile home park A search began by police for a getaway vehicle as well as several people whod fled the scene after the shooting. Three people were arrested a short time later and are currently being interviewed by investigators, police said. A motive behind the shooting has not yet been determined by police. The case will be turned over the Genesee County Prosecutors Office for a review of charges upon completion of the police investigation. Michigan State Police troopers, deputies with the Genesee County Sheriffs Office, Metro Police Authority of Genesee County officers, and the Michigan State Police Crime Lab out of Bridgeport assisted Flint Township police with the incident. Anyone who may have witnessed the fatal shooting is asked to contact Flint Township Police Detective Lacey Lopez at 810-600-3250 or to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), on the P3 Tips mobile app, or online at www.crimestoppersoffint.com Videos, photos, and audio can be submitted via the Crime Stoppers app or website. More on MLive: Flint Township supervisor works from Ohio hospital after head-on crash Woman dies, husband critically injured after plane crashes into mid-Michigan farm field Engine failure leads to emergency landing for pilot in mid-Michigan field Family of coronavirus victim sues Lapeer nursing home Man, 82, seriously injured in rollover crash On Wednesday, Pope Francis held his first public audience since the start of the Coronavirus lockdown. The event took place in the San Damasco courtyard of the Vatican, in which the Pope addressed 500 Roman Catholics. The Pope held the event in solidarity and remembrance of the explosion in Beirut earlier in August, which killed 190 people and injured nearly 6,000 more. The explosion, as well as the pandemic, has only worsened Lebanon's situation which was wracked with political and financial, and federal instability and corruption previously. The Pope thus called for a day of commemoration to be held on September 4th to show support for the people of Lebanon. The Pope also urged the people to stand together in solidarity amidst the current pandemic. In his address, Pope Francis stated, "The current pandemic has highlighted our interdependence. We are all linked to each other, for better or for worse. To come out of this crisis better than before, we have to do so together, all of us, in solidarity." On the afternoon of September 1, 2020, Hue Central Hospital held an opening ceremony and put into operation the Center of Remote Consultation and Medical Treatment (Telehealth). The ceremony has a direct connection to the Ministry of Health and 100 other medical authorities in the Central Central Highland region with the direct participation of over 300 doctors. Chairman Phan Ngoc Tho speaking at the ceremony Assoc. Prof., Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Head of the Ministry of Healths Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, Deputy Director of the project Telehealth chaired at the bridgehead of Ministry of Health; and the bridgehead of Hue Central Hospital has the participation of Chairman of the Provincial Peoples Committee Phan Ngoc Tho. Prof. Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital said that the opening and operation of the Center of Remote Consultation and Medical Treatment is the result of the closely direction of Ministry of Health leaders at all level, as well as the support of the Provincial Peoples Committee and relative authorities of Thua Thien Hue. In the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the Center of Remote Consultation and Medical Treatment into operation is the way that Hue Central Hospital implements the mission of directly bringing high-quality medical services to patients through lower-level hospitals. At the same time, it also supports training lower-level hospitals under the specific and efficient hand-on model. During the COVID-19, Telehealth is one of the important solutions in pandemic prevention. Furthermore, it contributes to the successful implementation of the National Digital Transformation Project to 2025 with the vision to 2030 of the Prime Minister, heading to the vision of becoming a stable and prosperous digital country, developing a widespread, safe, and humanistic digital environment. The opening and operation of the Center of Consultation and Medical Treatment of Hue Central Hospital is an important factor contributing to helping Thua Thien Hue and the Government implement the goals of smart urbanization and heading to the goal of Thua Thien Hue including working without paper, decentralized meeting, noncash payment, and non-contact administrative procedure solving, emphasized Chairman Phan Ngoc Tho. After the opening ceremony, Hue Central Hospital and the bridgeheads hold a consultation for 7 serious and complicated cases which are under the treatment at Ha Tinh City General Hospital, Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital (Quang Binh), Quang Tri General Hospital, Quang Ngai Provincial General Hospital, and Ky Anh Town General Hospital. Story, photo: Dong Van Los Angeles County Confirms Good Standing In COVID-19 Metrics with Opening Up Personal Care Facilities Public Officials Caution to Avoid Gathering During Labor Day Holiday. Los Angeles received a public update about the moves that will be made amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. The numbers are reflecting a true sense of stability and a change in the right direction. Los Angeles Public Health Department shared their concern as Labor Day approaches; they are cautioning everyone to continue operating in a behavior that the virus is still present. Public officials discouraged any future gatherings or congregations of any size until the city is clear from relapses of the virus taking over. L.A. Board of Supervisor Hilda Solis stressed the importance of avoiding crowds during this time, she stated, These actions not only keep you safe, it also keeps our worker safe. Solis continued with acknowledging that alongside other holidays, Labor Day is going to look different. She expressed by staying inside and avoiding group events is a way we uplift and celebrate the reason for that holiday, by keeping the L.A. working industry safe. Los Angeles is back on the plan of recovery; reopening may be in sight according to Solis. Although not much is known about the variable of the common cold will affect COVID-19, there is speculation that there will be cases where both can be contracted. However, Solis cautioned that Los Angeles is on a tightrope, and any surge in the COVID-19 metrics can throw the county off the pathway towards recovery. Supervisor Solis stated to please do your part. The flu Season is approaching, which is causing a greater threat during a time of a global pandemic. In retaliation to this possible outcome, Solis has put forward a motion to for a robust multilingual publicity campaign to encourage Angelenos to get more information on being vaccinated. Recent statistics were provided by Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. The reports shown on Wednesday reflect 51 additional deaths, 22 of these individuals were over the age of 80, 17 of them had underlining health conditions. 15 people who died were between the ages of 65-79, 10 victims had preexisting health concerns. Eight individuals were between the ages of 50-64, and six of them had underlining health problems. Three people who passed were between the ages of 30-49, and one of them had previous medical issues. Two fatal victims were between the age of 18-29 with no medical record of having a health condition. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in L.A. County to 5,878. ADVERTISEMENT There were 1,457 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 243,935 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 10,674 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 2,387 cases in the city of Pasadena. Amid the unsheltered, there were 1,583 positive cases, 441 of those victims were properly isolated. The relationship between COVID-19 infection and ethnicity were provided. The racial background collected from 5,535 fatal cases showed 10% were African American, 15% were Asian, slightly less than 1% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 51% were LatinX, 24% were White, and 1% identified as a different race or ethnicity. 92% of those who died due to COVID-19 had preexisting health concerns. Los Angeles is powering up to move through this pandemic. With the latest metrics reflecting that the county is bending the curve and decreased movement in the spread of the virus, public officials stressed to the community to celebrate Labor Day a different way. They emphasized that Los Angeles collectively must maintain a behavior that warrants the prevention of spread of the virus in order to step into recovery. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 06:12:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged governments to incorporate "meaningful" climate action in all aspects of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing ministers at a virtual meeting on sustainable recovery from COVID-19, Guterres said that the world is confronting two urgent crises: COVID-19 and climate change. "Let us tackle both and leave future generations with the hope that this moment is a true turning point for people and planet," he said, in a video message. The ministerial meeting, convened by the government of Japan, saw the participation of senior officials from several countries, as well as representatives from youth groups, civil society organizations, businesses and local governments. In parallel, an online portal that showcases climate and environment policies and actions in recovery from COVID-19 was launched. The Platform for Redesign 2020 will help build momentum for COP26, the UN conference that assesses progress in dealing with climate change, to be held in 2021. The secretary-general outlined six climate-positive actions for a sustainable recovery, including investing in green jobs; not bailing out polluting industries; ending fossil fuel subsidies; accounting for climate risk in all financial and policy decisions; working together; and most importantly leaving no one behind. Guterres spoke of governments and businesses shifting toward them, realizing that clean energy brings more jobs, cleaner air, better health and stronger economic growth. "The world's top investors - including some in Japan - are abandoning fossil fuels because renewables are cheaper and more efficient," he said. "They understand that it makes no economic sense to burn money on coal plants that will soon become stranded assets," he added. The UN chief also called on all countries, especially members of the G20 - the group of top industrialized nations - to commit to carbon neutrally before 2050. He urged them to submit "more ambitious" nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies before COP26 aligned with the goal to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Recognizing Japan's technological development in many fields, the secretary-general said the country can become a world leader on sustainable and resilient recovery. Enditem K Shiva Kumar By Express News Service MYSURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had surprised its rivals and also party cadres by fielding partymen from the microscopic backward and Siddi communities to the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council, is now trying to woo the dalits ahead of the panchayat polls.The party wants its cadres and leaders to reach out to dalit localities, youths, officials and women under its programme Dalita Sangama.The BJP and Sangh Parivar do realise that the dalits traditionally voted for the Congress and remained its vote bank all these years. Now, the party wants to win them over to achieve its larger goal of a Congress-mukt Bharat. The BJP dalit leaders have accused the Congress of keeping the innocent community in its clutches as a vote bank. They have called upon dalits to liberate and look up to the BJP and Narendra Modi leadership. BJP SC Morcha president Chaluvadi Narayaswamy who has been touring the old Mysuru region has accused the Congress of denying political power and positions to the dalits. Stating that the dalits should move towards power, he said that the community was responding and looking up to the BJP after it has given space for backward communities, SC/STs and microscopic communities in the democratic institutions and party organisation. The BJP which is keen to shed its anti-dalit tag has also listed out the Union Governments efforts in the development of Ambedkar memorial in the national capital, Madhya Pradesh and other places. The leaders have also planned to invite dalit organisations for a dialogue and want to win over youths and women who they claim are disillusioned with the BSP after that partys poor show in the parliamentary elections. BJP general secretary Siddaraju said that they are not a party of businessmen and claimed that the dalits have joined the party in good numbers across the country. He said that the BJP will make a big impact in the panchayat polls and will get rich dividends from its social engineering.Meanwhile, the Congress accused the BJP of denying dalits ministership as also nomination to the Legislative Council and the Rajya Sabha.It is unfortunate that no dalit has been nominated to the Legislative Council. There is no minister from the community in the government, said former minister Narendraswamy.He claimed that dalits have no political future in the BJP. The embattled pro-chancellor and the former vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Wale Babalakin and Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, were among the invitees who have appeared before the visitation panel set up by the Federal Government to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the crisis rocking the institution. Mr Babalakin, who was sighted within the vicinity of the governing council chamber at about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, was visiting the campus for the first time since March when he was controversially declared persona non grata by the institutions chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Mr Ogundipe, who had earlier submitted a memorandum to the panel, also appeared on Monday to answer questions relevant to the panels enquiries. SEE ALSO: Both Messrs Babalakin and Ogundipe had earlier been ordered by the FG to recuse themselves from official responsibilities pending the conclusion of the task before the seven-member panel, which is chaired by a former vice-chancellor, Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, Saad Tukur. Mr Babalakin, however, declined comment when approached by journalists shortly after he left the council chamber, venue of the sitting. Meanwhile, other principal officers of the university who have appeared before the panel at different times between Monday and Thursday include the acting vice-chancellor, Folashade Ogunsola; two other deputy vice-chancellors, Ben Oghojafor and Oluwole Familoni. Others include both the universitys incumbent registrar, Oladejo Azeez, and one of his predecessors and an internal member of the governing council representing the congregation, Oluworimi Shodimu. Another external member of the council, Bayo Adaralegbe, was also fielding questions from the panel as of 1:50 p.m. on Thursday. Mr Adaralegbe, who was reportedly invited by the panel based on a memorandum submitted, is an expert in energy and extractive industry litigation and dispute resolution and partner in Babalakin and Company a law firm founded by Mr Babalakin. PREMIUM TIMES is also aware that the representatives of the staff unions on the campus including ASUU, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU), are billed to appear before the committee on Thursday afternoon. It is, however, not clear if other parties who submitted memoranda would be invited by the panel as the panel has till Wednesday, September 9, to submit its findings and recommendations to the visitor, President Muhammadu Buhari, through the minister of education, Adamu Adamu. Reliable sources among the council members and members of the senate of the university confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday that they were yet to receive an invitation from the panel. According to an external member of the council, who did not want to be named, Mr Babalakin had told him on Tuesday that he would be appearing before the panel on Thursday, but since I was not invited I dont see any reason I should be there. However, if I get to the office today and I see their invitation, I may attend. But I am also aware that another external council member who is currently in Kaduna did not also get an invitation and would not be appearing, the source added. But other interested parties including members of the senate, who claimed to have submitted memoranda but have not been invited to defend their positions, have suggested that the panel should be gracious enough to allow them to present their observations physically. For instance, the Senate of the university presented a memorandum which was signed by about six members including the former dean of the faculty of Law, Prof. Chioma Agomo; former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Oluwole Atoyebi; former Dean of Postgraduate School, Prof. Lucian Chukwu, among others, have not been asked to appear before the panel. But we hope they will be invited, a source among the senate members told our reporter. Meanwhile, a notice of invitation to invitees by the panel which was signed by the secretary, Grace Ekanem, and dated August 27, only listed Mr. Babalakin, Ogundipe, Azeez, deputy vice-chancellors, dean of students affairs, internal auditor, chief security officer, directors of works, physical planning, universitys bursar, and the chairman of the governing councils audit ad hoc committee, Saminu Dagari, among a few others. The notice, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, neither listed the universitys senate nor the staff unions. Russian mercenaries in Donbas must stop fortification works that are being carried out during the ceasefire regime, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "It has begun to act [the part on security in the Minsk agreements], but it has not been implemented yet. The ceasefire regime must be sustainable. The enemy continues fortification work, digging trenches - this should also be stopped. During the days of the truce, no one was wounded or killed in action, and this is a great achievement. But we must make sure that this is really a new reality. Not an imitation of it," the minister said in an interview published on the Gazeta.ua website on Thursday. Anything and Everything Home Protecting your family and the place you call Home is paramount. YourHome1Source is proud to team with Protect Your Home ADT, America's leading authority on Home Security, says Sean Stockell, CEO, Your Home Digital Kathy Ireland, Chief Brand Strategist, and Sean Stockell, CEO of Your Home Digital, announced today that their Anything and Everything Home portal has teamed with Protect Your Home ADT, the nation's premier provider of home security products and services. "This is one of the most exciting days in the history of Your Home Digital and kathy ireland Worldwide," says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO and Chief Designer of kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW). Protect Your Home ADT is a premier leader in the sector of security. Partnerships such as these are the realization of our goals. We welcome Protect Your Home ADT to our platform and instantaneously see multiple benefits for this relationship as well as additional kathy ireland Worldwide verticals, including of course, kathy ireland American Home managed by Phil Baratelli and the great team at Baratelli Management. When these discussions began, I shared with Sean Stockell that something wonderful was about to happen....and indeed this is truly wonderful. Congratulations to Protect Your Home ADT, Sean Stockell, Tommy Meharey, Miles Robinson and our kiWW President and CMO, Stephen Roseberry. Media inquiries about this new relationship involving kathy ireland Worldwide should be addressed to our public relations officer, Rona Menashe." Teaming with Protect Your Home ADT is truly our most significant pairing and announcement since YourHome1Source and kathy ireland WorldWide (kiWW) partnered a short two years ago, says David McCain, Chairman of the Board of Your Home Digital. Quality and monolithic entities such as ADT vet their partners carefully, therefore, we are honored to embark on this strategic customer acquisition and service initiative together. The blueprint for a successful program has been meticulously fashioned by the respective players. Kudos to the teams at kiWW, YHD, and Protect Your Home ADT for their vision, resourcefulness, and creativity in bringing this transaction to fruition. Both we and our customers look forward to the benefits of this strategic initiative for years to come. "Everyone at YourHome1Source is excited about our new Home Security page powered by Protect Your Home ADT. We've teamed with many leading brands across a broad spectrum of home interests since our launch in 2015, but having done business with ADT for many years, my familiarity and confidence level with this particular brand is elevated. I have worked with ADT through several technology upgrades, and the quality they've achieved and maintained over the years is impressive. With each installation, their representatives have been courteous and professional, and their monitoring services are top notch. We're confident our visitors will find great resources and security solutions through Protect Your Home ADT. As a homeowner, protecting your family and the place you call Home is paramount and that's why YourHome1Source is proud to team with America's leading authority on Home Security," says Sean Stockell, CEO, Your Home Digital. About Protect Your Home https://www.protectyourhome.com/ Protect Your Home is one of the largest home security companies in the world. We have more than a hundred installation branches throughout the U.S. supporting and installing home security systems. Because we have home security system installation service centers across the nation, most locations can have an ADT-monitored home security system installed within 24 hours to make sure you get immediate assistance in helping to protect your home and loved ones. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Protect Your Home helps nearly 200,000 people each year find peace of mind through home security protection. About kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW) https://www.kathyireland.com/ kiWW is listed at #26 in the world by License Global Magazine. Kathy Ireland is one of the most influential businesswomen in the world today and according to Fairchild Publications, Kathy is one of the 50 most influential people in fashion. Furniture Today also names Kathy one of the most influential leaders in the furniture industry. Kathy has graced the cover of Forbes Magazine twice (2012, 2016) and was featured on the cover of SUCCESS magazine in August 2019. kiWW is the recipient of many awards including several Good Housekeeping Seals. ABOUT YOURHOME1SOURCE https://www.yourhome1source.com/ YourHome1Source is Americas Resource on Homeownership, a leading online resource for home buyers and homeowners covering many home-related topics including home buying, building, remodeling, furnishing & decor, home loans, insurance, home inspections, home security, smart-home technology and more. Visitors find tips, emerging product announcements, savings opportunities and home project solutions. YourHome1Source hosts short videos on more than 30 home categories. Other resources include home plan and resource books, home valuation tool, home budget worksheet, mortgage calculator, photo galleries, checklists on home loans, buying, selling, building and access to free credit reports, credit scores and ways to protect personal identity and financial information. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Gold prices fell on Thursday to hover near one-week low as the U.S. dollar continued to claw back ground against its major peers ahead of the weekly jobless claims, the U.S. trade deficit and service sector activity data later in the day and Friday's non-farm payrolls report. Spot gold dropped 0.6 percent to $1,931.58 per ounce, after having fallen 1.4 percent on Wednesday in its biggest single-day fall since August 19. U.S. gold futures were down 0.4 percent at $1,936.30. The euro remains on the back foot after surveys showed the euro zone's rebound from its deepest economic downturn on record faltered in August. Germany's services PMI fell, but nevertheless remained relatively healthy. French business activity growth eased as new orders stagnated. The services PMIs for Italy and Spain dropped below the breakeven mark due to restrictions on logistics and travel. Meanwhile, Eurozone retail sales fell unexpectedly in July on weak non-food products turnover, Eurostat data showed. The Financial Times reported that the European Central Bank (ECB) is worried about the euro's rise, which threatens the bloc's economic recovery. The report came after remarks from ECB chief economist Philip Lane on the exchange rate level that sparked a reversal of some of the euro's recent strength on Wednesday. Lane said that the euro-dollar rate 'does matter' for monetary policy, hinting that policymakers are uncomfortable with the currency's strength. The ECB will meet next week, with investors expecting further action to boost the economy. 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. MP: 25 BSF personnel among 618 COVID-19 cases found in Indore district in one day MP: 2 engineers suspended after bridge built 1 month ago gets washed away India oi-Briti Roy Barman Bhopal, Sep 03: Two engineers have been suspended and a sub-engineer has been transferred after a bridge built about a month ago was washed away due to the overflowing Wainganga river in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh. The bridge was built at a cost of more than Rs 3 crore and was yet to be inaugurated. It was built under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Seoni district, 344 km south east of Bhopal, caved in amid floods, said MP Rural Development Authority officials. The bridge was built over Wanganga river was completed merely two months back in June. When flood water caused by incessant rains since August 27 receded on August 30, the superstructure of the Rs 3.12 crore bridge was found washed away. There was damage to another bridge too which is 10 years old and constructed over the same river near a dam at Bheemgarh, as per officials. Engineers G P Mehra, the general manager and his assistant S K Agrawal, who held the posts of and assistant manager in MP Rural Road Development Authority (MPRRDA) were suspended by the body's chief executive officer (CEO) Shashank Mishra. A sub-engineer and in-charge of supervision of the bridge Sonal Rajak was transferred from Seoni, as per officials. The action came based on an inspection of the new bridge conducted by a team, including technical examiner and chief general manager as per officials. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 13:05 [IST] New York AG Files Motion to Immediately Block Changes at USPS The New York attorney general on Wednesday filed a motion in a court seeking to immediately block the recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) aimed at helping the agency reduce costs. The attorney general, Letitia James, has asked a U.S. District Court to immediately block the USPS from implementing its recent changes in a bid to restore postal operations to pre-June standards while her lawsuit plays out in court. James has accused the Trump administration of slowing mail operations in the lead up to the November presidential election. We wont sit idly by as he tries to suppress democracy and every Americans fundamental right to vote. We are filing this motion to stop the president dead in his tracks and to ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot come November, James said in a statement. Last week, James filed a multi-state lawsuit to block USPS policy changes by asking the federal court to declare the changes unconstitutional and prevent any further changes without an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission. The lawsuit claimed that Postmaster General Louis DeJoys changes would significantly undermine the postal services ability to handle mail-in ballots in November, something the James and the other attorney generals expect would be taken up by a large number of residents living in their states. 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) The outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus during an election year thrust the issue of mail-in voting into the spotlight as large numbers of Americans are predicted to vote by mail in order to avoid crowds at polling locations. Yet, concerns over whether the USPS would be able to deliver mail-in ballots on time came into focus after the agencys general counsel and executive vice president, Thomas J. Marshall, sent letters to multiple states warning them that it might not be able to meet mail-in deadlines. The Trump administration drew intense scrutiny after DeJoy announced on Aug. 7 sweeping changes to the leadership structure of the organization, as part of efforts to operate in a more efficient and effective manner and better serve customers amid concerns over the financial position of the agency. He said the financial position of the USPS is dire and without dramatic change, the agency will face an impending liquidity crisis. His changes resulted in at least 20 postal executives reassigned to new roles or displaced. These cost-cutting measures have drawn concerns that it would result in mail backlogs across the country, further elevating worries that ballots wont be delivered in time for the November election. Many lawmakers and critics alleged that DeJoys decision to restructure the national postal service just months prior to the November election is designed to limit mail-in voting. Mailboxes sit outside of a Morris Plains, N.J., post office, on Aug. 17, 2020. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images) Following the outcry, DeJoy later said that the USPS would suspend some operational changes until after the election in order to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail. But that has not stopped states from filing lawsuits against the USPS and the Trump administration, who say they need more binding agreements from DeJoy. DeJoy recently testified before Congress in front of a Senate panel where he assured that the American public that the Postal Service is fully capable and committed to delivering the nations election mail securely and on-time. He has also defended the operational changes and clarified inaccuracies about what hes done in front of a House panel, including the misinformation that he directed the removal of blue collection boxes or the removal of mail processing equipment. First, I did not direct the removal of blue collection boxes or the removal of mail processing equipment, he said during his opening statement. Second, I did not direct the cutback on hours at any of our post offices. And finally, I did not direct the elimination or any cutback in overtime. I did, however, suspend these practices, to remove any misperceptions about our commitment to delivering the nations election mail. Any further assertions by the media or elected officials is furthering a false narrative to the American people. The USPS and DeJoy are also facing lawsuits from at least 25 states that argue that DeJoy had acted outside his authority to implement changes to the postal system, and did not follow the proper procedures under federal law. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. President Donald Trump speaks to a small crowd outside the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images) Trump Designates Wilmington WWII Heritage City President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared Wilmington, North Carolina, the countrys first World War II Heritage City. Trump stood before an iconic World War II-era battleship to declare the port city of Wilmington a World War II Heritage City. He pointed to a bolt of lightning and said it was God saluting the event. He honored war veterans, including 97-year-old Hershel Woody Williams, the sole surviving Marine from the war to receive the Medal of Honor. The West Virginia native fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific. Hes 100 percent sharp, Trump said of Williams, who traveled to the key political battleground state with the president aboard Air Force One. With the Battleship North Carolina in the background, President Donald Trump speaks during an event to designate Wilmington as the first American World War II Heritage City in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 2, 2020, (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) The White House denied the North Carolina trip was political in nature. Battleground states are hotly contested because their population can swing either to Republicans or Democrats and play a decisive role in presidential elections. Trump won North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points in 2016, and polls are showing another extremely close race taking shape in a state that generates 15 electoral votes for its winner. Vice President Mike Pence will follow the president by visiting Raleigh on Thursday. Through Sept. 1, more than 591,000 absentee ballot requests had been received, compared with approximately 36,500 through the same period in 2016, the state elections board said Wednesday. More than half of the ballots, or approximately 313,000, have been requested by Democrats. Republicans have requested more than 93,000 and registered unaffiliated voters account for approximately 183,000 ballot requests. Biden released a statement in advance of Trumps trip saying that the president has not provided North Carolina with the roadmap and resources needed to protect businesses, schools, and families from the coronavirus. Instead of honoring the sacrifice of our front-line heroes, President Trump has repeatedly ignored public health guidance for political purposes, Biden said. With the the Battleship North Carolina in the background, President Donald Trump speaks during an event to designate Wilmington as the first American World War II Heritage City, in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo) Wilmington has been home to the Battleship North Carolina since 1962. The ship is now a floating museum. On Sept. 2, 1945, Japans formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Congress passed a bill earlier this year that included a provision requiring the secretary of the interior to annually designate one city in the United States as an American World War II Heritage City. Wilmington is the first city to get that designation. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Yves Maitre has stepped down as CEO of HTC, the company announced earlier today. He resigns just days shy of completing a year as the Taiwanese companys boss. Chairwoman and co-founder Cher Wang, who preceded Maitre, is coming back to the office, Engadget reports. According to HTC, Maitre is stepping down because of personal reasons. Ever since he joined the Taiwanese company some eleven months ago, he has reportedly spent most of the time away from his family back in Europe. The strict international travel restrictions currently in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact on him and he decided to step down, HTC said in an official statement. Yves Maitre resigns after less than a year as HTC CEO Maitre joined HTC from Orange back in September 2019. During his time, the Taiwanese company launched its first 5G smartphone, the HTC U20 5G. The company also boosted its VR efforts with its Vive Cosmos family of modular headsets and the Vive XR Suite. Advertisement However, the French executive indicated that the VR market isnt mature enough to support HTC yet. He suggested that the company may have over-invested in VR a bit too early. He believes the VR industry will blossom in about five years of time from now. Earlier this year, Maitre said the company was aiming for global market leadership in high-end VR. However, there hasnt been any visible effort to follow up that statement since. HTCs Vive Cosmos failed to impress and lost ground to Facebooks Oculus Quest headsets. All this, coupled with the economic recession caused by the ongoing global health crisis means he was unable to turn HTCs fortunes around. The company fell to a new all-time low as it posted a ninth consecutive quarterly loss during the second quarter of this year. The quarterly loss of NT$1.83 billion (roughly $62 million) in Q2 2020 was even higher than the NT$1.68 billion ($57 million) loss in the previous quarter. Advertisement Earlier in June, HTC announced the third wave of layoffs in two years, following layoffs in December 2019 and in 2018 as well. The company didnt specify the number of employees affected, though. Going forward, HTC is still likely to have its focus on the VR industry. With Facebook reportedly launching a new standalone VR headset soon, CEO Cher Wang certainly knows what the company is up against. In the meantime, shell also have to ensure that HTCs smartphone business isnt completely dead. Philip Tarver, 47, allegedly attacked Angela Tarver and threatened his 83-year-old father Colin at the family home in Woking Credit: London News Pictures A man stabbed his 86-year-old mum with an ornamental sword then decapitated her and put her head in the freezer, a court has heard. Philip Tarver, 47, allegedly attacked Angela Tarver and threatened his 83-year-old father Colin at the family home in Woking, Surrey, on December 19 last year. Opening his 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. Brandishing that sword in the dining room of the property he argued with and threatened to kill his father. The court heard Tarver had downed a bottle of vodka and six beers the night before the killing. When Colin awoke, he saw his son was wearing a female nightie or negligee. After preparing a breakfast of poached eggs, Colin heard screams from his wife. Ms Healy said: He heard a short, sharp scream, and ran from where he was into the dining room. He could see that the chair that Angela was sitting on was knocked over. He could see his wifes feet were resting on that knocked over chair and they were not moving. He could tell she was laying on her back. Suddenly, the defendant appeared in front of him holding an ornamental sword that he had owned for sometime. He was holding the sword out in front of him. 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 struggle, his father managed to disarm the defendant, before leaving to alert police, jurors heard. 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 dad 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. 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. When police arrived, Tarver came to the front door waving a Union Jack and saying he surrendered *** Source; The Sun UK The Marine Corps is building a new state-of-the-art facility where it will run classified wargaming scenarios in preparation for a fight with a high-tech enemy. A new Marine Corps Wargaming and Analysis Center is expected to be up and running in Quantico, Virginia, by 2024. The 100,000-square foot center, which will be built on the Marine Corps University campus, will host more than a dozen wargames every year -- including two large-scale, 250-person exercises, a new announcement on the center states. "Simulations will offer a realistic representation of future operating environments," the notice adds. Read Next: Army Set to Receive First Armored Vehicles to Replace Vietnam-Era M113 Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, the head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, told Military.com earlier this year that the wargaming center will have sophisticated modeling and simulation tools. "You can change one or two variables and run that thing hundreds of times," he said. That will include seeing the results of adding or removing personnel on a simulated battlefield, Smith added, or testing the effect of an enemy missile traveling further than originally thought. The wargames will lead to better real-world experiments with Marines, he said. "The wargaming center will also allow us to work at all levels of security, meaning from unclassified all the way up to the highest levels of security for specific programs that are very closely held," Smith said. U.S. Marine Capt. Joe Mozzi briefs regimental staff over a simulated battalion level attack using a terrain model prior to force on force operations as part of exercise Rolling Thunder 1-19 at Ft. Bragg, N.C., Mar. 15, 2019. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ursula V. Smith) Leaders currently travel to the Naval War College in Rhode Island to run classified-level wargames. The future two-story building at Marine Corps Base Quantico will include an auditorium, gaming classrooms and a graphics production room, according to a May solicitation. The construction on the building is slated to cost less than $50 million, but the Marine Corps asked for $143 million to fund the center in its 2020 budget request. BAE Systems, which announced last month it won a $19 million contract to build a prototype for the new wargaming center, said it will include artificial intelligence, machine learning, game theory, multi-domain modeling and simulation and predictive data analytics. The Marine Corps is in the midst of a force-wide overhaul that is reorganizing the service to face off against a sophisticated enemy. It's getting rid of tank battalions and bridging companies, and cutting thousands of personnel. Commandant Gen. David Berger has said the Marine Corps must be able to travel light as it preps for more time at sea and sends small teams ashore in hotly contested spots. Berger's plan, called Force Design 2030, puts a big emphasis on wargaming. Leaders will use it to analyze whether they're getting the changes to the force right, the plan states. "Our adversaries studied us, and they believe that our vulnerabilities are command and control and our reliance on networks and logistics," Berger told reporters this spring. "So, if you want to fight America, if you want to take on America, you better go after those two things. "Well, that should be now higher on the list for our wargames." The Marine Corps plans to break ground on the new wargaming center in the next fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1. It's expected to reach initial operating capability in 2024 and be fully operational in 2025. -- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins. Related: Marines to Shut Down All Tank Units, Cut Infantry Battalions in Major Overhaul YEREVAN. The group of protesting Armenians demanding to go to Russia marched from outside the main building of the government of Armenia to the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue their demonstration there, and they were met there by foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. He noted that Armenia was still holding talks and discussions with Russia, but he cannot say when the borders will be reopened. "In this case, they [the Russian authorities] do not allow the not-citizens [of Russia to enter the country]. People, these are the rules of that country. There are 192 other countries besides Armenia. Please lets be clear. I do not give you an empty promise. The [COVID-19] pandemic will pass, everything will be settled," he said. To a persons question as to what discussions were taking place with Russia, Mnatsakanyan said: "Let me remind [you] that there is a global pandemic. The situation is not such that the [respective] rule will change yet. We make our decisions according to the requirements of our country because our first target is to reduce and fight this pandemic in our country. Mnatsakanyan stressed that he could not promise them that the border would reopen soon. "We will not be able to come to any agreement. You say, 'Let us go;' [but] it is not possible now. I will not make any promises to you because it would be a lie for me to make a promise." (Photo : pixabay) As summer vacation draws to a close, parents eagerly anticipate the first day of school. They pack lunches, make sure their children have all the school supplies the teacher requested, and they even wave good-bye as they board the school bus. Not this year, though. All around the country, parents and school faculty are hesitant and even outraged that the nation's elected officials are willing to put their children's health at risk. After all, if Congress and the Supreme Court can convene via Zoom, why is it suddenly safe for children to return to the classrooms? Unique guidelines You know how classrooms typically had anywhere from 25 to 30 students? Depending on the age, they'd stay in that small room for 7 hours (minus the time allotted for recess and lunch) or they'd make their way to their next class almost 9 to 10 times a day in highly congested hallways. Obviously, this does not follow safety guidelines. So what's the plan? According to the guidelines created by the American Federation of Teachers, students must wear masks, have staggered school days to limit the number of students in the school, they cannot share anything with others, and so on. Some classrooms have even erected plastic shields around the student's desks! We won't even mention how depressing it will be for students (especially young ones) to have to socially distance and keep away from friends. That means interactions on the playgrounds and cafeteria are going to look a lot different than we're used to. Option for distance learning Although the government encourages students to attend class in person, many school districts are allowing them to learn from home. The downside to this is it's more work on the teachers, but it's also unfair to students in low-income neighborhoods, families living in poverty, or rural areas where the internet connection is slow or even non-existent. Sadly, the students who will be most affected by this will be those in low-income families - typically who live in poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. What's interesting is that with mortgage rates being so low and federally backed home loans are giving families a chance to move. According to HomeLight's Q2 2020 report, 19% said their clients are moving for an area that has a better school district, therefore giving their children a chance to do their coursework without anything holding them back. The debate on opening universities So far, we covered public school and the troubles they'll have reopening. Universities also debate on whether they should hold in person classes or not. The Institute of International Education released a report where they surveyed 500 colleges and universities regarding their plans to reopen. 87% of those institutions stated they would combine in-person classes with online classes. However, undergrads who pay high tuition to attend a four-year private college are still expected to pay the full cost of tuition, room, and board, despite the fact they aren't actually going to class. Some schools are telling their students they have to leave campus where they'll do coursework online, which leaves many students in a pickle. What are international students, those who don't have the means to go back home, or don't have a home to return to going to do? What are their options? The coronavirus has made much of our lives incredibly difficult, and now that the school year is beginning, that's just another thing we have to worry about. Where we go from here is anyone's guess, but as a parent or even a university student, you have to listen to your instincts and do what's best for the health and safety of your child or yourself. TEHRAN, Iran, Sept. 3 Trend: Head of the Iran-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce Sharif Nezam Mafi has announced that 50 transactions are waiting for the funding from the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) channel. Mafi said that the Swiss foreign minister's visit to Iran next week should also focus on discussions to expand SHTA. "The main issue is the financing of the channel," he said. "It seems that certain solutions have been found to provide such finances." Switzerland has always been ahead of the rest of the European countries (in terms of relations with Iran) and has shown this in its vision, strategy and the financial channel, he said. It should not be forgotten that France, the United Kingdom and Germany only talked about INSTEX in theory, he said.But in practice nothing was done, but the Swiss authorities launched a humanitarian channel. Iran's Central Bank is interested in this financial channel, he said adding that the Swiss foreign minister's visit to Iran almost 60 days before the US election is a good opportunity to make this financial channel operational. "If Joe Biden wins the US election, we hope that our blocked money will be released in other countries and spent on importing medicine and grain, he said. Mafi also added that Switzerland can meet Iran's pharmaceutical needs for 100 percent. The Swiss pharmaceutical companies have enough ability, but in the end and in the long run, these needs must be met by domestic production," he said. Sometimes truth is more interesting than fiction. Christine Fox was a defense analyst working at the Navy's legendary fighter school in Miramar, California when a Hollywood producer decided she'd be the perfect inspiration for Tom Cruise's love interest in the 1986 blockbuster "Top Gun." But that was just the start of Fox's incredible career -- she'd go on to become the most senior woman at the Pentagon, serving under multiple defense secretaries. In this episode she talks about her role in the "Top Gun" legacy, and what it means to her to have been a trailblazing woman in national security. Subscribe to the Left of Boom podcast: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher Mentioned in this episode: Top Gun Fighter Aviation Hollywood and the Military Filming Top Gun: Maverick Aircraft Carriers Women in Defense The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Left of Boom: Hope Hodge Seck 0:01 Welcome back to Left of Boom. I'm Hope Hodge Seck. In Top Gun, the 1986 blockbuster that cemented America's love affair with naval fighter aviation, the hot shot pilot Maverick, played by Tom Cruise loudly serenades a beautiful blonde woman in a bar, only to find out the next morning that she has his brilliant new instructor. Because this is Hollywood, things heat up fast and a romance ensues. But as it turns out, in this case, truth is more interesting than fiction. The instructor, Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis in the film, was inspired by a legend in her own right, Christine Fox, a maritime air superiority specialist who did instruct at Top Gun and who would go on to become the most senior woman in leadership in the Pentagon. Ms. Fox is very clear about the fact that she is not Charlie in real life, and no, she did not date students. But the lore of this movie continues to follow her. In fact, if you search for Charlie from Top Gun on Google, it's her picture that pops up first, next Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in flight suits. So let's disambiguate, and take some time to hear from the real Christine Fox, in her own words, on her own terms, about her incredible career. Christine flex. Welcome to the show. Christine Fox 1:17 Thank you. It's great to be here. Hope Hodge Seck 1:19 So you're a trailblazing former senior leader at the Pentagon and a policy director at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. And every so often, people want to ask you a question about a cheesy Tom Cruise movie that came out in the 1980s. It kind of feels like an episode of "Not My Job." And with apologies, I'm going to ask you some of those exact same questions. How did you come to inspire the character of Charlie from Top Gun and what was your involvement with the film? Christine Fox 1:46 Yes, so I was I started my career as an analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. CNA had a program where they assign people who are technically trained, so I have a math background, to on-scene positions with military commands, primarily Navy and Marine Corps but some other commands as well. But this was a Navy command to do on-scene analysis. So my job was to go to Miramar and support the the wing that was there which was fighter jets and early warning aircraft, the E-2C, and do analysis of their tactics and help them. This was back in the Cold War, be sure that they could prevail in case the Soviet Union came out and attacked an aircraft carrier. And so that was my job, was to do analysis. So I was there busily doing analysis, and my fighter buddies started telling me Hollywood is coming to Miramar. And they're getting all excited and I was paying no attention whatsoever, because I'm doing my job, right. So one day I got a call to report to the admiral's office. So I work directly for the admiral who is responsible for this wing of aircraft and people. And so you know, it wasn't the first time that they'd asked me to come up and talk to the admiral. But usually I knew why, I knew I had reason or had done something wrong or he wanted me to take on a new project. So I asked the staff, what do you want to see me about? "Just get up here, get up here now." So I did, and they're laughing and giggling when I walk in the front office, I have no idea what's going on. And I go into the admiral's office, and there is the admiral sitting there with some of the famous people, like Bruckheimer and so forth, and they're talking about the movie and the admiral says, "See, I don't understand what your problem is, just model her after my CNA rep." And I'm like, "What just happened?" They look at each other and they say, "Yeah, that'll work." And he says, 'OK, Christine, thanks very much." And I was dismissed. And that was that. I walked back to my, my little [inaudible] where I was working at the command and I'm thinking, something big just happened here, but I don't really know what it was. So I called my boss back in Washington and told him what was going on. And he said, "Well, OK, thanks for telling me." and that was it. So from that point on, I had really no say in whether or not they would model the character of Charlie loosely, I have to emphasize this, loosely, after me. But, but it did happen. And I did spend time with Kelly McGillis. I spent a full day with her talking about my work there showing her around the base, introducing her to people. And I did get an opportunity, she called me over to the set once to to do a little consulting, which is was kind of funny. It was, if you've ever seen the movie for those of you who are listening who have seen the movie, there's a scene where she walks into the hangar, it's her opening scene, and she's wearing black seamed stockings. And, and so she called me over to the hangar where they were filming and I walked in, and she comes right up to me and she sticks her leg out and says, "Would you wear these stockings here, to go to work at Miramar?" And I said, "You know, I don't wear black-seamed stockings to work on a regular basis here in Fightertown." And she said, "See, I told you!" And they said, "And we don't care." And so she did her scene with her black-seamed stockings, and I got to hang out at the hangar that day. That was about it. Hope Hodge Seck 5:22 At least you had a little bit of solidarity there. Christine Fox 5:24 A little bit. Yes. Hope Hodge Seck 5:25 So did you go and see the film in theaters when it came out? And what did you think of it? Christine Fox 5:30 Yeah, I did. It was funny experience. So I was part of my job for CNA was to sometimes go out on carriers and support real-world analysis, right. So I'm doing analysis, they're flying and so forth. So I was on an aircraft carrier for a major exercise. It's called RIMPAC, Rim of the Pacific. So all the Pacific nations get together, right? RIMPAC. So I'm on the carrier supporting RIMPAC when the movie comes out, so I did not want to go to the movie with all the fighter guys, right? So we pulled into port in Hawaii just before the exercise actually started, and I so I went off and saw it kind of in the dark by myself. But yes, I saw the movie and then I had to go back on the ship, where my name was Charlie for the rest of the exercise and there was really no getting around it. Hope Hodge Seck 6:25 That is amazing. And I always love talking to what I would call non-celebrities, which is most of us, who have had some brush with fame and Hollywood, because it always does seem to change people's life a little bit. First, you know, how has your connection with this affected your life? I mean, do you always just have to answer these annoying questions? Do you regret this part of your story at all? Have you made your peace with that? Christine Fox 6:49 Yeah, thanks for asking that question. You know, I don't regret it in any way, shape or form. But it has been astounding to me that it has hung with me for so long, it is a question I am always asked. I do think that in an interesting way, because the movie was so popular with the aviation community, and that they all know, you know, before I even meet people, they kind of know that I had this weird relationship with Top Gun and it gives me an instant "in" to talk to people in the aviation community. And, and it's just kind of hovered in a powerful way that I had no expectation of. My fear was it would be a terrible movie, and they would all hate it. And they would all associate me as a female analyst supporting the fighter community with a failed movie for the rest of my career. And I'd be done, right? The opposite happened. They love the movie. And so because I was associated with it, it's it's given me sort of a little weird kind of in with a community that I did nothing to deserve. I think the in should have come from my analysis, not the movie, but it happened. Hope Hodge Seck 8:09 So you're decidedly not Kelly McGillis' depiction of Charlie, you've made that clear. There was one line I really liked, though, from your 1985 People Magazine profile, which is that people can hear you coming because you're the only one whose heels click. And it was so evocative for me because I spent some time in the Pentagon myself. And I usually try to remind myself to wear flats when I go over there because I feel so conspicuous walking around in clacking heels and a skirt. So I immediately knew what you're talking about. You're, I've read, six feet tall, you're given the call sign legs, probably as a result of that. And you've spent a lot of your career in this male-dominated environment. So what was your approach to being in that space? Did you kind of lean into the things that made you different? Or just how did you think about it? Christine Fox 8:57 When I started my career, I didn't really focus on it. And I know that sounds bizarre and unexpected, I think today but I was so incredibly fortunate growing up that I was an only child of older parents and my father was a nuclear engineer, Navy. And, and he just always told me that I could do whatever I wanted. It was not a question. It was more "What do you want to do," than "No, you can't do that." "No, you can't do that" was never a part of our conversation, which was an incredible gift to me that I didn't appreciate until I got in these situations. Right. So I show up at Miramar. I'm the first female CNA rep they ever have. They weren't thrilled about it. I remember one day, I wasn't there very long, and I was walking down the hall in the space where I worked and one big fighter guy comes out of nowhere and steps right in front of me and says, "You don't belong here and we don't want you." Hope Hodge Seck 9:58 Oh my word. Christine Fox 9:59 My thought was, wow, he's got a problem, which is bizarre when I think back on it, I think, wow, I should have been terrified and run away. Right, that's really the normal reaction. But I think my father's voice was in my head saying. "You can do whatever you want." What's his problem? And it was incredibly, like I said, it was a gift. Because I think if I hadn't had that upbringing, if I hadn't had his support, I don't know what I would have done, right. But it went away pretty fast. Because the the aviation community, they're incredibly smart, and incredibly dedicated. And this was the Cold War. And they really thought every time they deployed that they could die. And if I could help them, they wanted the help. And so most of it went away pretty quickly, and after a few months, I don't think they would care if I was green with three eyes. Oh, they would have made a lot of comments about being green with three eyes. They make a lot of comments about everything, but it wouldn't have affected my working relationship. So as long as I had the opportunity to contribute, and they gave me that opportunity in spades, it was some of the most rewarding work I have ever had the opportunity to do. I guess I just let it go. Hope Hodge Seck 11:16 It's such a product of the era, right? I mean, I can't even envision you know, a senior officer or leader coming up to a woman today and saying, "We don't want you here." It's just sort of the the unapologetic attitude of the era really. And I remember there was a quote, I think from a Navy captain in that People story, talking about how smart you are, and that's something that he typically doesn't really look for in a woman, which is just really astounding. So I wanted to ask you to reflect on the changes that you've seen in your career, you know, is it as you came up in the ranks and time passed. Did things change in a meaningful way? Is it just the attitude is there, but the the expression is different? Or have things gotten easier and more friendly and more accepting? Christine Fox 12:04 You know, I have thought a lot about this really excellent question, Hope. And, on the one hand, I think it's amazingly different. As you said, just now, it's inconceivable to you to have somebody come up and say, "We don't want you, you don't belong here." I had one captain in those days say to me, "If you got sick and were to die, would CNA send us a man to replace you." I mean, he actually said that, right. I just looked at him and I said, "I don't know, I think that send the most qualified person. But don't worry, I feel great." And I walked away, right, which is one of my triumph moments. And I've just laughed about it. But again, that would never happen today, nor should it. It wasn't OK then, it's not OK now, and it wouldn't happen now. So does that change? Yes, that has changed and it's changed for the better. On the other hand, I don't think women feel that they have as many opportunities to achieve whatever position they want today as I would have thought they would have from where I started. So there's been positive change. But I don't feel comfortable saying that it's been as much as I would like to be able to say has occurred. I think it's been a little slower than I would have expected. Hope Hodge Seck 13:27 Going back to your career for a second. So you continued on at the Center for Naval Analyses and eventually became the president. And then in 2009, you move to become the director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, or CAPE, at the Pentagon. Can you talk about that particular career transition and how your new role at CAPE contrasted with your previous naval-focused work? Christine Fox 13:50 Sure. So first, I mean, it was, I loved my time at CNA, I loved doing ops analysis. I loved being involved with the military operators. And I had a pretty deep understanding at that point of military operations. So the opportunity to go to the Pentagon and take the CAPE job was going to push me in all new ways. And that was both exciting and terrifying. I had to interview with Secretary of Defense, Secretary Gates for the job. I never thought I'd meet a secretary of defense in my whole career, the thought that I'd meet one never occurred to me. I interviewed with one and then I worked directly for not one but three. I was a part of their small group the whole time I was in the Pentagon of people that they would meet with to talk about, the senior-most issues of the Pentagon and, and the thought that I would ever, ever have that opportunity, it was just mind boggling. And I remember when I interviewed with Secretary Gates, he asked me why I thought I would be right for that job. This gets a little bit back to that that woman's issue, I'm sure I violated every single solitary piece of advice one could ever get in a situation like that. But I thought about it and I said, "Honestly, Mr. Secretary, I'm not sure I am right for this job. I'm an ops analyst. I'm not a program analyst. This job is about program and budget. I be honored to do the job. I'll do my best, but I don't want to let you down." It was a very honest, from the heart answer, but I could tell the moment I said it, he was taken aback. He just sort of sat back. Secretary Gates is just wonderful. He's one of my heroes. And he thought about it. He thought about it for a while. Then he looked at me and he said, "You know, Christine, we're at war. And knowing something about operations seems like a good thing. So you're in." And it was, it was sort of a stunning moment, but it does kind of reflect that I really, I wanted to do the best job that I could, but it was a big change for me. But it was also a great opportunity because it was a job that was based on analysis, I'm an analyst. That's what I do. It's, I'm wired to do it, I'm trained to do it. I've done it my whole career. And I had the privilege to work for three secretaries, all of whom wanted to know the best answer we could give them, the right answer to the degree that we could give them a right answer. There's often, on some of these complex issues, multiple answers, but at least they wanted to do the best possible thing that they could and they relied on analysis and me and CAPE to give it to them. And that was an incredible privilege that just I again, I never thought I'd get, but it was a wonderful opportunity. Hope Hodge Seck 16:41 We'll be right back. Amy Bushatz 16:45 Hey, Left of Boom fans, this is Amy Bushatz, executive editor of Military.com. If you're looking to keep up with all the news and information you need to make your military or veteran life successful, we've got the perfect resource. Military.com is packed with need-to-know intel on everything U.S. military, from pay and benefit calculators to the latest from your military service to deep dives into Pentagon policy, Military.com's reporters and editors are on top of it. Find more at Military.com. Now, back to Left of Boom. Hope Hodge Seck 17:26 Moving forward a few years you actually served as Acting Deputy Defense Secretary from 2013 to 2014. Ahead of Bob Work, I believe, coming into that position. And so in that role, you were the senior woman in the entire Pentagon, which is and was a heavily male institution. So obviously, you know, I get that you're there to do the job end of sentence. And you're the right person for the job. But being you know, the senior woman and really a trailblazer in that position, does that come with any sort of responsibility or burden that you felt? What did that mean for you? Christine Fox 18:02 So, a couple thoughts. One, by the time I took that position, I had been working in defense and national security for so many years. I had lots of great relationships. So the way things work, right, the Vice Chairman and the Deputy Secretary of Defense are partners in so many things. The Vice Chairman when I was deputy secretary, was lieutenant, was sorry, he was Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, who I knew first as Lieutenant Jaws Winnefeld at Miramar when I started my career. So Jaws and I grew up together from the very beginnings of our different careers. He's an F-14 pilot, I'm an analyst but here we are in the Pentagon deputy secretary and vice chairman. So that was great, right? I mean, I had great relationships, we have a lot of mutual respect for each other and so my environment at the seniormost levels was incredibly positive. Secretary Hagel treated me like a partner. Sandy Winnefeld was my partner. We, the service chiefs and I all knew each other and so that was great. So I didn't think a lot about it again, until I started visiting commands as Deputy Secretary. So when you visit a command as a deputy secretary, it's routine that people at the command have the opportunity to get their picture taken with the deputy. Right so it's very, it's a thing. It's all staffed. I have like six people working for me that plan this. There's the flags, I stand in front, they line everybody up. It's a, you know, hundreds sometimes of people. I've got coins, I shake their hand, they take the picture, people usher them in and out, right, it's very fast. So here I am doing this and the first one that I did was it in an Army base and it was a lot of enlisted people and I look down the line there's not many women. First thing that got my attention, not many women at all. And then I saw one, down pretty far back, kind of here face look kind of like she was thinking hard about something. And as she got closer because, you know, we're, whipping through, I could see she's she's kind of getting ready for something. And she gets up to me and that, you know, you shake the hand and then my staff is trying to push her away and she won't go. She stands there and holds my hand, kind of plants her feet on the ground and looks at me and says, "Thank you." I was like, thank me? And that's what I said. I said, "No, thank you, thank you for your service." But I mean, she just, she couldn't go and then they finally she went on it was like, "Wow, that was so powerful." So then I go on a ship, I go on an LCS, this is an officer group. The same thing happens. Still not many women. And again, one woman. You can see her kind of getting her courage up, does the same thing. Shakes my hand, holds on, like for dear life and says, "Thank you." So this was very impactful to me. I mean, how can how can you ignore something that powerful? The fact to those women that there was a woman in such a senior position told them that they can do it too. So what it did for me is it made me willing to talk to you on a podcast about this very issue. I didn't like talking about women's issues, right? I know women that are sort of alone and do these things. I'm sure you know this. I mean, it's not comfortable for me to talk about some of these things. And always just wanted to ignore it. I just I'm, I'm an analyst, not a woman analyst. I'm an analyst. Leave me alone, don't talk about the gender stuff. I have to talk about the gender stuff, because if it was that important to those women, to have somebody like me in the deputy job, then we have to talk about it. Because it's not gone, like you asked at the very beginning, it's still with us. Hope Hodge Seck 22:04 That is so powerful. I wanted to linger on this question for just a little bit longer, because to bring things up to the present day, much has been said recently about the fact there that there is a particular dearth of female Pentagon leadership right now. In fact, my friend Aaron Mehta over at Defense News reported that just three of 60 Senate-confirmed roles at the Pentagon are now filled by women. And he noted that there have only been a little over I think, 70 female leaders in the building's entire history. So you know, this has never been an area of particular strength, but people are kind of raising the alarm right now that women are leaving and not being replaced. So how concerned are you about kind of the state of things right now? And do you have any thoughts about how to address or fix it, if we should? Christine Fox 22:52 Well, I do think we should. I think that again, I was very fortunate when I was in the Pentagon. From my personal background I had lots of colleagues and friends that I had known for a long time, but also, there were other women. I served with Michele Flournoy, for example. And there were very, very supportive leaders. I served with Secretary Carter Ash Carter, I, you know, Leon Panetta, my goodness, what a wonderful leader, Secretary Hagel gave me the opportunity to be Deputy Secretary. And I've already talked about Secretary Gates. So I was surrounded by this very gender-neutral kind of thing. If you could do it, they wanted you on the team. And a supportive environment, but you go a little further down, and that's not the environment. And that's what I've learned, that you have, you can have very senior supportive leadership. And that's critically important. You've got to have that. But you've got to also take the steps to make sure that that supportive attitude goes all the way down, because that's where we're losing them. They start and they get frustrated, or they don't feel that they have opportunities or the policies are supportive of their needs, and they don't stay. And I think that's not just a Defense Department challenge. I think that's true in lots of fields. It's certainly true in tech fields. It's true in STEM education. It's true in a lot of areas where women have so much capability. And the way I think about it is the nation is losing. We have all these talented people, men, women, name it, right, any category of person with talent, that we're just not tapping because we don't know how to reach them, to talk to them, to to create an environment where they feel that they can thrive. And I think that that is a problem and I don't think it's hard. I think you just need to be a little bit better at listening and and a little bit better at talking about what does it take to make an environment where you feel that you can thrive. And I don't think we're there yet. I think we've learned to watch our words. Nobody's going to say today, "I don't want you here." Or, "If you died, would they send me a man?" No one's going to say that, but doesn't mean they don't think it. So you have to just keep working on it. Hope Hodge Seck 25:15 So you're currently the assistant director for policy and analysis at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. What a cool position. How and why did you make the transition from DoD to your current role? And can you talk a little bit about what you're now working on? Christine Fox 25:33 Sure. It is a cool position. I have really great position. So I decided to go to the Applied Physics Lab, first of all, because I met our director, Ralph Semmel, who was my boss, and we had a fabulous conversation and he gave me the opportunity. So first, I had the opportunity to go, but I decided that it was a good opportunity for me because I left the Pentagon pretty convinced that technology was the key to our national security in the future, not just the U.S., but globally. And leadership doesn't really understand it at a deep level. Now, that's a vast oversimplification. If you look at someone like Ash Carter, Secretary Carter completely got, you know, everything there was to do about technology. But I think he's, he's more an exception, an awful lot of our leaders are not deep, technically, at least not in the new fields like artificial intelligence, and quantum and biotech and all of these things. And it's it's hard stuff. And these are people who have to make decisions about such a broad range of issues, geopolitics, they have to make budget decisions, they have to make personnel policy decisions. How could we possibly expect them to understand everything there is about quantum and how to get it on the right path, right. But I think we have to figure this out because I think technology is key to our futures. So by going to a place like the Applied Physics Lab, I have the opportunity to work with all these incredibly smart technologists, scientists, engineers, researchers and learn about the technology but more importantly, help them connect their knowledge with some of these larger issues that I think we're facing. And so my projects are about technology policy trying to help understand what should we do to better invest any even limited S&T dollars? What's the right way to invest in them? What technologies are going to propel us forward the fastest? How could we more rapidly adopt those technologies in the Defense Department, and I am also very interested in some of the unintended consequences of ignoring technology. I think that technologies like bio and artificial intelligence and others frankly, without real attention at a policy level, they have some risks to us. I use the example as many do, of the internet. When the internet came out, it was just wonderful, right? Oh, we're connected to everybody and I can get any information. And now we have cyber warfare. You never thought about cyber warfare when the internet was first coming out. Now we have to think about it each and every time we do anything. So what are those consequences, potentially for the new technologies? Then what are the ethical and human dimensions of them, like human enhancement technology? How are we going to, appropriately with the U.S. value system, introduce that into our culture? And then how are we going to exist in a world where there are different value systems and others are introducing it differently? So these are the kinds of problems I worry about, and I get to work on at the Applied Physics Lab, which is great. It's, it's just a wonderful opportunity. Hope Hodge Seck 28:51 Well, that's exactly what we've been talking about in recent episodes of the show. So it's kind of nice how these topics dovetail and I think your work is fascinating. And the more I learn about it, the more frightened and excited I am for the future. Christine Fox 29:06 It's a good attitude. That's good, frightened and excited. Those are great, great things. Hope Hodge Seck 29:12 So we'll wrap things up here with a little bit of a lightning round, some some shorter questions for you. First of all, what advice would you give to early-career women or even students seeking to enter the field of national security? Christine Fox 29:26 So my advice, national security or not, for anybody, is to figure out what you love to do. Make sure you're good at it. And be honest about that, right? Because you're always going to do best in your career if you're good at it. And then once you figure those two things out, just do it. And I would like the words of my father to be in everybody's head. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. That just should not be on the table. Go into every situation, and just do your best and don't wait let anybody tell you, you shouldn't be there. If you're doing it, do it. And don't let anybody deter you. And I think if you can possibly take the attitude that if they are in your face, it's their problem. It will help you get through them. Hope Hodge Seck 30:13 That's awesome. Of all them the many jobs and roles you've held, what has come the closest to being your dream job, if you can pick one? Christine Fox 30:20 I can't pick one. That's an unfair question. OK, so I've had so many. So when I was younger, and perhaps more adventure, so my dream job was being able to fly in airplanes and ride on ships. And so that was my dream job, then. I think that certainly the Pentagon was a fantastic experience. I could never trade it, but I'm kind of living my dream job right now. So it's great. Hope Hodge Seck 30:47 What's your favorite Navy fighter aircraft? Unknown Speaker 30:49 Oh, you can ask me that. And all my friends are gonna hear it. They're gonna hate my answer. But I have to say it's the F-14 because it's the one I studied. It's the one I worked with. It's the one I did so much of my career was around the F-14. So I have and it's the one I flew in. So I have to say the F-14, even though I know I spent a lot of time on Joint Strike Fighter and it's going to be great. Hope Hodge Seck 31:13 You're not alone there. Finally, I have to ask, Are you going to watch Top Gun 2 when it finally comes out? Christine Fox 31:20 Of course I am. And this time there will be no stress involved. It'll be much more fun. Hope Hodge Seck 31:28 Well, it has been an absolute pleasure to speak with you and such a cool conversation. Thank you so much for your time. Christine Fox 31:35 Thank you for talking with me. It was great and best of luck with this series. Hope Hodge Seck 31:39 Thanks so much. Thanks for joining us once again at Left of Boom. If there's one thing I know for sure about Military.com readers and listeners, it's that they love Top Gun. And we are all about giving the people what they want. In our next episode, we are going to talk to the man who works with Hollywood studios to make sure film and TV projects featuring military elements are as true to life as possible, and sometimes helps them cast U.S. troops in background roles. We just might get some insider information about the yet-to-be-released Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, in the process. If that sounds interesting, you should definitely keep listening. Hit that subscribe button and please do take the time to leave us a rating and review so other people can find us too. And for more Top Gun news and for in-depth coverage about trailblazing women in the military and many more topics, be sure to head over to Military.com. By Munsif Vengattil and Moira Warburton (Reuters) - Altice USA Inc's C$10.3 billion ($7.9 billion) offer on Wednesday to snap up the U.S. assets of Cogeco Inc and sell the rest to Rogers Communications Inc has been rejected by the Canadian cable company's top investor. "Members of the Audet family unanimously reiterated that they are not interested in selling their shares," Louis Audet, president of Gestion Audem Inc, said in a statement. Gestion Audem is the holding company of the Audet family that holds a majority voting share in Cogeco. New York-based Altice's unsolicited offer is the latest consolidation play in the U.S. cable sector as fierce price competition and the need for significant investments exert pressure on the reliable cash flows of these stable businesses. Cable TV providers have also been struggling as consumers cancel cable and satellite television subscriptions and shift to online video streaming such as Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc's Prime Video. Rogers, which owns about 34% of Cogeco, said buying the company's Canadian assets will help it expand services to 1.8 million homes and businesses in the country. Cogeco shares jumped as much as 33% before paring gains to end 15% higher, while Rogers closed up 4.7%. Altice USA rose 3.5%. If completed, it would be the biggest Canadian telecoms merger deal since BCE Inc completed the spinoff of its stake in Nortel Networks in a transaction valued at C$88.7 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Altice said it has valued Cogeco's U.S. assets, Atlantic Broadband, the country's ninth largest cable operator, at about C$4.8 billion. Altice said the proposed purchase of Atlantic Broadband would allow it to build on its previous cable acquisitions in the United States and expand operations across 11 states on the East Coast. The proposed deal "fills in holes in the Rogers network and helps pull together the Cogeco properties," Mark Goldberg, a longtime telecoms consultant, said. "You're not lessening competition but instead bringing some new efficiencies." Because Cogeco is a family business, that makes the deal more complicated. Story continues "You've got to ensure that the family gets from the deal what they are hoping to get," Goldberg said. "It's not a dispassionate controlling shareholder." Founded in 1957, Cogeco began as a Quebec-based TV station and grew into a phone, cable and internet provider, expanding into Ontario. Cogeco entered the U.S. market in 2012 when it bought Atlantic Broadband for $1.36 billion, aiming to find growth outside of Canada. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru and Moira Warburton in Vancouver; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Leslie Adler) NORWOOD, Mass., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MariMed Inc. (MRMD:OTCQX) (the "Company" or MariMed), a leading multi-state cannabis and hemp operator focused on health and wellness, today announced that Company Chief Executive Officer Bob Fireman and Chief Financial Officer Jon Levine will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on September 10th. DATE: Thursday, September 10th TIME: 12:30 p.m. ET LINK: https://bit.ly/3fLBL3m This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com. Recent Company Highlights MariMed Inc. announced on August 26, 2020 that Betty's Eddies, one of its proprietary, in-house award-winning cannabis brands has seen its monthly unit sales increase 20X in Massachusetts alone since April 2020 . Based upon the success of the brand in Illinois , Rhode Island , Maryland and Nevada , MariMed is anticipating Betty's Eddies to be the top-selling edible product in Massachusetts . that Betty's Eddies, one of its proprietary, in-house award-winning cannabis brands has seen its monthly unit sales increase 20X in alone since . Based upon the success of the brand in , , and , MariMed is anticipating Betty's Eddies to be the top-selling edible product in . On August 11, 2020 MariMed reported core cannabis revenues of $9.6 million for the three-month period ended June 30, 2020 , a 163% increase compared with $3.7 million in 2019. MariMed reported core cannabis revenues of for the three-month period ended , a 163% increase compared with in 2019. The Company announced that at their August 6 th session the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission gave final approval to issue MariMed three adult-use licenses for cultivation, production and retail, subject to final inspections. session the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission gave final approval to issue MariMed three adult-use licenses for cultivation, production and retail, subject to final inspections. MariMed announced on July 30, 2020 that it will roll out an expanded line of products derived from its Nature's Heritage premium flower brand during the second half of 2020. The products will have an updated new design, reinforcing attributes of the strains and the brand. To be added to the email distribution list, please email [email protected] with "MRMD" in the subject. About MariMed: MariMed Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of people through the use of cannabinoids and cannabis products. The Company develops, owns, and manages seed to sale state-licensed cannabis facilities, which are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis cultivation, cannabis-infused products, and dispensary operations. MariMed has an experienced management team that has produced consistent growth and success for the Company and its managed business units. The Company is at the forefront of science and innovation through research developed by its lab technicians and medical advisors resulting in industry-leading products and brands, including "Betty's Eddies", "Nature's Heritage", "Bourne Baking Co.", and "Kalm Fusion". These precision dosed products are focused on specific symptoms and conditions and are licensed and distributed across the country. For additional information, visit marimedinc.com. About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly-traded companies to meet and present directly with investors. A real-time solution for investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences is part of OTC Market Group's suite of investor relations services specifically designed for more efficient Investor Access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Virtual Investor Conferences combine leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network. Important Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to MariMed Inc. that is based on the beliefs of MariMed Inc.'s management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events, including estimates and projections about its business based on certain assumptions of its management, including those described in this Release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including, among other factors, changes in demand for the Company's services and products, changes in the law and its enforcement and changes in the economic environment. Additional risk factors are included in the Company's public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as "hoped," "anticipated," "believed," "planned, "estimated," "preparing," "potential," "expected," "looks" or words of a similar nature. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. None of the content of any of the websites referred to herein (even if a link is provided for your convenience) is incorporated into this release and the Company assumes no responsibility for any of such content. All trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE VirtualInvestorConferences.com Related Links http://www.virtualinvestorconferences.com The Standing Board of the Peoples Council of Hanoi has decided to suspend the duty and power of a deputy of the 15th municipal Peoples Council (2016-2021 tenure) of Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung after Chung was prosecuted. Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung. Photo: Tran Thuong The suspension aims to allow judicial agencies to carry out the criminal procedures against Chung, the council said on September 3. The decision was made in accordance with Article 101 of the Law on Local Government Organization: In case a People's Council deputy is prosecuted, the Standing Committee of the People's Council decides to suspend the duties and powers of that deputy". "In case a deputy is convicted by a court judgment or decision, the deputy naturally lose the rights of the People's Council deputy from the date the court judgment or ruling takes legal effect." On August 28, the Ministry of Public Securitys Investigation Security Agency decided to detain for four months and launch criminal proceedings against Chung on charges of appropriating State secret documents under Article 337 of the Penal Code 2015. The Investigation Security Agency also raided his home in Dong Da district, Hanoi, and working office. Earlier, Chung was suspended from attending activities of the municipal Party Committee and its standing board, and from his position as Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision suspending Chung from duties for 90 days for the verification and investigation to clarify his responsibility in three cases. According to Ministry of Public Security spokesperson Major General To An Xo, the first case involves smuggling, violations of accounting and bidding regulations causing serious consequences, and money laundering at the Nhat Cuong Trading & Technical Services Co Ltd, the Department of Planning and Investment of Hanoi, and some related agencies. The second case regards the violation of regulations on the use and management of State assets causing waste and losses in Hanoi. The third one deals with the appropriation of state secret documents. The investigation police agency has launched legal proceedings against three defendants in the case. Huong Quynh The highs and lows of Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung Hanoi Peopel's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung, who has been suspended from duties, over the years has engaged in a number of memorable activities and made impressive statements as the Hanoi Police Director and Hanoi Mayor. Legend says that they are footprints of the gods, others believe that they are UFO landing sights, and scientists have their own theories, but the truth is that no one really knows how the fairy circles dotting the Namib coastal desert came to be. Fairy circles are uniformly distributed round gaps in arid grassland across the Namib which look like polka dots on fabric when see from the air. Until 2014, they were known to only occur along the Namib Desert in southern Africa, but then almost identical formations were discovered near the mining town of Newman in Western Australia. Still, the fairy circles of Namibia remain the most famous and fascinating to the scientists who have studied them since the 1970s. Theories about their formation and purpose abounds, but so far no one has been able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that theirs is the true answer to this decades-old enigma. Photo: Thorsten Becker/Wikimedia Commons (CC-by-sa-2.0-de) Its a circular area that is bare, theres nothing on it, and theres this ring of grass around it, Eugene Marais, Research manager at the Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, describes the average fairy circle. When you look at it from the air or from high points it almost looks like measles spots. Scientists have been trying to explain the reason why this barren circles exist for decades, and even though science has come so far since the 70s, were still having problems understanding this mysterious natural phenomenon. As Prof. Marais says, we are sitting with something that should be so easy to explain, and yet finding an acceptable explanation where you can show what is causing it is proving surprisingly difficult. Photo: Thorsten Becker/Wikimedia Commons (CC-by-sa-2.0-de) Apart from the mystical and sci-fi explanations like fairies dancing in the circles and preventing vegetation from growing, or UFOs landing in the desert at night, there are several plausible explanations of why the fairy circles exist. Some scientists are convinced it has something to do with the termites that make the Namib their home, and research has shown that there are termite colonies under most of these barren circles bordered by vegetation. The theory goes that termite colonies invade and conquer each other, but when similarly-sized colonies meet, they cant annihilate each-other, so they create these buffer no termites land between them. Photo: Olga Ernst & Hp.Baumeler/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Another plausible theory is that the fairy circles are the result of plants competition for the scarce water that falls in the Namib every year. Plants help their nearest neighbors by creating shade and maintaining water on the soils surface, but hinder the growth of other further away by growing long roots and extracting water from the soil. There are also those who believe that the Namibs fairy circles are somehow connected to the toxic Euphorbia bushes that grow in the Namib, as some remnants of these plants have been found in fairy circles. But the truth is that no one known for sure if any of these theories is the right one, or if the answer is actually a combination of theories. Research carried out on the newer fairy circles in Australia found that termites didnt cause the barren patches, but that they were the result of abiotic processes such as mechanical weathering of the soil by heavy rain in cyclones, extreme heat and evaporation. The vegetation gaps caused by harvester termites are only about half the size of the fairy circles and much less ordered, explains Dr. Stephan Getzin from the University of Gottingen. And in most cases, we didnt even find any hard subterranean termitaria that elsewhere in Australia prevent the growth of grasses. The enigma of the fairy circles is yet to be solved, and although scientists have definitely made progress since the 1970s, we may never really know what the purpose of these formations is. Sentencing of Russian actor Efremov in fatal crash case set for September 8 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 16:58 03/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) Sentencing of Russian actor Mikhail Efremov charged with deadly road traffic accident committed under the influence of alcohol on Thursday was scheduled for September 8, a RAPSI correspondent reported from the Presnensky District Court of Moscow. Earlier on Thursday, a prosecutor demanded an 11-year imprisonment for Efremov and driving ban for 3 years. On Thursday, the court began hearing the parties arguments. Before the beginning Efremov made a plea of guilty. Earlier, he refused to admit his guilt and said he remembered nothing. 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. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has repeatedly told residents his administrations response to COVID-19 has been driven entirely by science and data. But Illinoisans just saw a glaring example of the politics of pandemic, with one area of the state being treated one way for hitting an 8% positive test rate and another area being treated much differently twice. On Aug. 18, Pritzker imposed new restrictions in the Metro East region as Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties exceeded an 8% positive test result rate for three days running. Indoor dining and bar service were still allowed, but the state imposed other restrictions such as 11 p.m. closing times, no standing at the bar and a reservation requirement. The positivity rate still increased, with the latest seven-day rolling average just hitting 10%. As a result, even harsher restrictions were promised under the governors rules. But they werent delivered. And St. Clair County leaders took to social media to brag on their political coup: [Local Democratic state lawmakers] worked to combat the additional restrictions set to be imposed by the Illinois Dept of Public Health, they wrote. IDPH has agreed to monitor the progress without any additional mitigations for another week. Therefore, at this time there will be no new mitigations imposed on bars and restaurants as previously expected. We thank them for their diligent efforts and we will provide additional information as it is received. While local officials were touting the governors lack of new restrictions in the Metro East that started Aug. 26, his administration imposed even harsher shutdown measures that same day in another part of the state with similar COVID statistics. Like the Metro East, Kankakee and Will counties also hit the mark of an 8% positivity rate for three days. But the governor imposed far harsher lockdown measures Aug. 26 on those Chicago collar counties, banning all indoor service at bars and restaurants. The Republican lawmakers from that area cried foul. The governor has decided to place partisan politics above science, state Sens. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, and John Curran, R-Woodridge, said in a prepared statement. As a result, Will and Kankakee counties will be forced to ban indoor dining while the Metro East (Region 4) will be given an extra week to improve their numbers. Why the double standard? Because Democrat elected officials from that region pressured the Governor to change this stance, they said. Backroom political deals should not be how public health decisions are made. The same rules should apply to all regions, and they should be based on science, not politics. Pritzker admitted he made a mistake regarding the Metro East, which for COVID-19 measures has been designated Region 4. Unintended, he said. It was a mistake in my view ultimately to make the adjustment that we made in Region 4. He noted Metro East mitigations have not been working, and said more restrictions are likely next week. One take thats floated around Springfield on Pritzkers motivated scientific methods: the governor owes Metro East Democrats for his primary win and he vitally needs their support Nov. 3 for his fair tax ballot question. Pritzker campaigned on the tax measure, so far putting $56.5 million of his own money into persuading voters it is a good idea. But it is far from certain hes convincing enough people. University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor Dick Simpson said Pritzker and tax proponents have a tougher job than the opponents. Not just the general circumstances with COVID, but also the burgeoning bribery allegations implicating Madigan and ComEd means the peoples trust in state government is at a pretty low ebb, Simpson said. Because it requires an affirmative vote, youre asking people to say, Yeah, I trust the state and I want them to have more money. The plan also suffers statewide from Democratic leaders signaling retirement income would be a tax target if voters agree to give state lawmakers greater authority to decide who gets taxed by how much. The Illinois Constitution restricts that power currently by ensuring everyone pays the same rate. Pritzkers plan also would raise taxes by up to 47% on over 100,000 small businesses Illinois most fertile source of jobs. Both retirees and small businesses have already taken the brunt of the harm from COVID-19 and the economic downturn. Higher taxes would add insult to illness, but there is a warped consistency to Pritzker wanting to tax people differently based on his definition of the moment just like hes willing to treat their health differently based on his definition of the moment. Brad Weisenstein is editor at the Illinois Policy Institute. Before that he spent more than 30 years as an editor at his hometown newspaper. He wrote this column for The Center Square. The Montgomery County 911 center locked into the word river, assuming the victim was in the wider Potomac. Despite Stefkovichs more detailed description of where the teens were a shallow inlet in Virginia Montgomery launched a protracted boat mission targeting the Potomac. When Montgomerys 911 center finally did tell Loudoun about the drowning teen nearly 17 minutes after Stefkovichs call it said it was handling the rescue and did not immediately ask for help. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:05:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Students and a teacher carry gifts of stationery provided by the Chinese embassy to Sri Lanka, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sept. 2, 2020. Over 700 students from 19 schools in Sri Lankan capital city have received gifts of stationery and panda school bags from the Chinese embassy to Sri Lanka. (Xinhua/Tang Lu) COLOMBO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 700 students from 19 schools in Sri Lankan capital city have received gifts of stationery and panda school bags from the Chinese embassy to Sri Lanka. Students from different religious communities were joyful at the ceremony receiving the gifts on Wednesday. Due to the Sri Lankan government's health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic, only about 100 students and their teachers were allowed to gather at the auditorium of the Al Hidaya school, the venue of the gift-giving ceremony. Local organizers of the event said the students chosen for receiving the gifts were grade-10 students. Organizers said the stationery provided by the Chinese embassy bears love and affection from the Chinese people. Hu Wei, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy to Sri Lanka, handed over the gifts to the students, called on them to work hard. Videos related to the anti-epidemic cooperation between Sri Lanka and China and the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" projects in Sri Lanka were also shown at the ceremony. Hu Wei said the COVID-19 had caused huge problems to countries around the world, while it also highlighted the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka. "I hope that the students will study hard, grow up sturdily, and join the tide of friendship and practical cooperation between China and Sri Lanka when they grow up, making their own contributions to the development of the country," Hu said. Enditem Investors stand at trading terminals in front of electronic stock boards at a securities brokerage in Shanghai A money-losing Xinjiang-based livestock breeder became the darling of small investors on Chinas newly restructured ChiNext tech board in Shenzhen, fueling a nearly 300% price surge over nine trading days while eliciting a warning from regulators against excessive speculation. Xinjiang Tianshan Animal Husbandry Bio-Engineering Co. Ltd., which develops cattle breeding and genetic improvements, closed trading Thursday about 20 minutes ahead of the closing bell after its stock rose by the 20% daily limit. It was the ninth straight day for the small-cap stock to hit the daily limit, with the share price surging 286% from about 6 yuan to 23.16 yuan ($0.88$3.39) as of Thursday. The unusual stock surge prompted the Shenzhen bourse regulator to sound a warning alarm (link in Chinese) Thursday night, calling on investors to beware of risks and to trade rationally. The trading frenzy in Tianshan Animal partly reflects market mania ignited by rule changes in July on the ChiNext board in Chinas latest market overhaul. On Aug. 24, the board allowed the first batch of 18 companies to debut under a new registration-based initial public offering mechanism, which replaced the previous approval-based system. The board also eased restrictions on stocks daily trading limits, making it similar to the year-old STAR Market in Shanghai. In addition to the new listings, cheaper ChiNext stocks like Tianshan Animal have lured investors betting on the reform-fueled market boom despite the stocks poor business performance, analysts said. The Tianshan Animal surge has been mainly driven by individual investors seeking a quick return, according to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Between Aug. 24 and Sept. 3, a total of 274 million of the companys shares were traded with transaction values totaling 4.15 billion yuan. More than 90% of the buyers were individual investors, data from the exchange showed. Small retail investors those with less than 3 million yuan of stock in their accounts were responsible for 68.5% of the trading in Tianshan Animal during the period. The exchange regulator ordered the company to halt trading Aug. 28 for a review of the share price moves, but that didnt stop the stock from continuing to soar. Hot money has turned to the ChiNext board amid recent fluctuations on the main boards, pushing up transactions on ChiNext, said Zhang Zihua, chairman of investment company Yunyi Asset. Several brokerages including Ping An Securities and China Galaxy Securities in recent research notes warned of investment risks related to surging small cap stocks. The 18 companies that debuted Aug. 24 booked an average 212% gain on their first trading day. More than 300 companies have queued up for listing on the ChiNext board under the new rules. Investors enthusiasm for Tianshan Animal also reflects a recent rise in beef prices. Official data showed that the wholesale price of beef has increased more than 3% since mid-June. On Aug. 27, Tianshan Animal said its cattle breeding unit, Tongliao Tianshan Husbandry Co., plans to set up a new subsidiary to expand capacity. The news further boosted the share price. However, Tongliao Tianshan, established in May, has yet to deliver any product to the market with 596 cows in inventory as of Aug. 26. The establishment of the new subsidiary is still in an early stage of discussion. Listed in 2012, Tianshan Animal has booked a combined 2.1 billion yuan loss during the past eight years. In the first half 2020, Tianshan Animal reported a net loss of 7.6 million yuan, 41% more than in the same period last year. The companys 2019 net loss totaled 60.8 million yuan. The Shenzhen exchange said it has Tianshan Animal under special monitoring and warned investors that the company could be exposed to risks due to a higher-than-average price-earnings ratio that lacks support from business fundamentals. Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com). Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go. ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical foods prove to be therapeutic for a plethora of disorders. Chronic diseases are expanding on a large scale across the globe. Therefore, the use of medical foods for treating numerous diseases and disorders may bring exponential growth opportunities for the medical foods market. Based on the exhaustive research conducted by the analysts at Transparency Market Research, the global medical foods market is expected to record a CAGR of ~6 percent during the forecast period of 2020-2030. The global medical foods market was valued at US$ 18 bn in 2018 and may reach a valuation of ~US$ 33.3 bn by 2030. Diabetes and other disorders are at an all-time high and are spread across a large populace. This aspect may prove to be a boon for the growth of the medical foods market. Furthermore, overwhelming demand from the geriatric population may serve as a robust pillar of growth for the medical foods market. Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Medical Foods Market https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/covid19.php Medical Foods Market: From Analysts' Lens The analysts at Transparency Market Research (TMR) predict positive growth for the medical foods market in the coming months as the impact of COVID-19 may subside after a certain period. The analysts further shed light on the growing number of mergers and acquisitions among the players in the medical foods market to expand their global outreach. The analysts advise the manufacturers in the medical foods market to conduct randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trials using medical foods to gain approval from regulatory authorities. Request Brochure of Medical Foods Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/brochure.php Medical Foods Market: Key Revelations The powder segment may acquire a significant position during the assessment period of 2020-2030 Diabetes may clench the top position across the application segment between 2020 and 2030 On the basis of the distribution channel, the retail pharmacies segment may display dominance through the assessment period North America contributed largely to the growth of the medical foods market in 2018 contributed largely to the growth of the medical foods market in 2018 The U.S. holds the largest market share in North America Explore 188 pages of superlative research, current market scenario, and extensive geographical projections. Gain insights into Medical Foods Market (Product Type: Pills, Powder, Liquid, and Others; Application: Diabetes, Cancer, Neurological & Psychological Disorders, Metabolic Disorders, Pain Management, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Ophthalmology, and Others; and Distribution Channel: Pharmacies & Drug Stores, Online Channels, Supermarkets & Hypermarkets, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020 - 2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/45447 Medical Foods Market: Growth Boosters The launch of novel products and the rising influence of varied diseases and disorders may invite tremendous growth prospects for the medical foods market. The presence of metabolic disorders among a substantial populace may serve as a great growth multiplier for the medical foods market Increasing investments by various conglomerates and investors are providing expansive growth prospects for the medical foods market Infant and baby formula products are attracting a lot of demand from densely populated regions like China , thus increasing the growth rate of the medical foods market Purchase the Medical Foods Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php Medical Foods Market: S.W.O.T (Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunities. Threats) Analysis Strengths: Heightening popularity of medical foods as a means of nutrition for curing diverse diseases and disorders is the strength of the medical foods market. Weaknesses: Health claims made by various players for the commercialization of products forms the crux of growth. However, the pressure of truthful and non-misleading health claims can weaken the growth rate of the medical foods market to a great extent. Opportunities: The rising awareness about clinical nutrition through various government and non-government campaigns and initiatives may serve as a prominent growth opportunity for the medical foods market. Threats: The absence of systematic guidelines and regulations for medical foods enables easy entry of players but the authenticity of the product can be questionable, eventually proving a threat to the growth of the medical foods market. Browse More Press Release - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm Global Medical Foods Market: Segmentation By Product Type Pills Powder Liquid Others By Application Diabetes Cancer Neurological & Psychological Disorders Metabolic Disorders Pain Management Gastrointestinal Disorders Ophthalmology Others By Distribution Channel Pharmacies & Drug Stores Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Online Channels Others By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Healthcare Industry: Parenteral Nutrition Market: According to the report, the global parenteral nutrition market was valued at US$ 5.6 Bn in 2018 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% from 2019 to 2027, rising incidence of chronic diseases and growing approvals to novel parenteral nutrition components are projected to drive the global market during the forecast period Oncology Nutrition Market: According to the report, the global oncology nutrition market was valued at US$ 836 Mn in 2018 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of ~6% from 2019 to 2027, growing incidence of cancer, cancer supportive care products to meet the growing demand to treat cancer, entry of new players, and increase in access to health care are anticipated to drive the global market Digestive Enzymes Market: Rising demand for digestive health enzymes that are available in the form of supplements is fuelling the digestive enzymes market. Digestive enzymes are special proteins synthesized naturally in the pancreas and small intestine. Digestive enzymes help breakdown food to be absorbed by the body. Browse Our Latest Reports - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/latest.htm About Us Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals. Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories. TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision." Browse More Upcoming Reports by Transparency Market Research: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/upcoming.htm Contact Mr. Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States SA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: [email protected] Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/medical-foods-market.htm Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ SOURCE Transparency Market Research In President Trumps roster of crime-ridden, out-of-control Democratic cities, Portland, Ore., occupies a special place. Even meeting with local officials in Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday, Trump devoted a good chunk of his remarks to the dystopia halfway across the country, where, he said, I see it, every night its on the news, its burning. The city of more than 650,000 has, indeed seen almost nightly protests, some peaceful and some violent, for more than three months, but until last weekend, no one had been killed in clashes among mobs from both sides of the spectrum, police and the federal law enforcement officers who were deployed there for several weeks in July to protect government property. That changed on Saturday night, with the shooting death of a 39-year-old Portland man, Aaron J. Danielson by a still-unidentified suspect who remains at large signifying an even darker turn in the conflict, as the city has seemingly become a magnet for armed right-wing militias and left-wing agitators. Trump himself was quick to blame his new go-to target, antifa thugs, a perception growing out of reports that the victim was a member or sympathizer of a Washington-based right-wing group known as Patriot Prayer, which participated in Saturday nights noisy caravan of pickup trucks billed the Trump 2020 Cruise Rally in Portland. Reporters at the scene described seeing vehicles with out-of-state license plates, or plates covered with duct tape or removed altogether while police stood by watching and directing traffic. That supports the conclusion by Michael German, a former FBI agent who specialized in domestic terrorism cases, that the story that isn't being told is the escalation of violence from out-of-towners who come to Portland to wreak havoc and then go home, without police interference. German, now a fellow at Liberty & National Security Program of the Brennan Center for Justice, recently published a report on connections between law enforcement and white supremacist and far-right militant groups. The report highlights the history of Portland police officers with ties to white supremacists and racist groups. It concludes that the departments failure to adequately address earlier allegations of white supremacist activity set the stage for the public to believe officers failed to do enough to control a series of violent rallies instigated by far-right militants and white supremacist groups starting in 2016. Story continues Medics and police personnel surround the victim of a shooting in Portland, Ore., on Saturday night. (Courtesy of Sergio Olmos/Social Media via Reuters) Saturdays rally for Trump was just the latest in a series of gatherings over the past month that have resulted in violent clashes between far-right activists and armed militants on one side, and Black Lives Matter protesters and antifascist activists on the other. The events, which have attracted many of the same far-right groups and individual activists that have been engaged in violent brawls in Portland in recent years, have renewed questions about the Portland Polices apparently hands-off and even friendly approach to these groups particularly contrasted to the treatment of participants in protests demanding police accountability, which have consistently been declared riots (a formal designation in Portland police protocol) and unlawful assemblies. Although those events have involved significant property damage at times, they have not involved firearms or rampant brawling among demonstrators, the Washington Post noted in a report from Aug. 22 on violent clashes between leftist protesters and far-right participants in a Back the Blue rally, who came to Portland armed with paintball guns, metal rods, aluminum bats, fireworks, pepper spray, rifles and handguns. In that instance, police reportedly remained at a distance while the two groups sparred for more than two hours, as people exchanged blows, fired paintballs at each other and blasted chemicals indiscriminately into the crowd, according to the Washington Post. People lobbed fireworks back and forth. At least one person was hit in the abdomen with a device that flashed and exploded, causing bleeding. In a statement, the Portland Police Bureau offered a number of explanations for why they chose not to intervene in the violence, even though the event had met the criteria for a riot: the shortage of officers available to respond to the clashes, the danger to officers, and the fact that each skirmish appeared to involve willing participants and the events were not enduring in time. German called that finding astonishing and said it showed both that police recognized that their tactics escalate violence, and a double standard for dealing with violence. The police, he said, are acknowledging who is dangerous and using that as an excuse not to take action. Its not like theyre not known people, he continued, pointing to the fact that many of the same people have been seen at far-right gatherings in the recent past, despite, in some cases, having outstanding charges for previous protest violence. German said that by failing to prevent these violent incidents from occurring, or at least enforce the law after the assaults appear on social media, police in Portland have essentially granted permission for such violence to continue. If they are allowed to shoot pellets, bear spray and guns and ram their trucks into people they are only going to attract more violent people, German said, predicting that as long as the police dont intervene, the Portland victims will begin to protect themselves. This violence is going to escalate if police dont change what they are doing, he warned. Alan Swinney uses a paintball gun at a protest against police brutality in Portland. (Maranie Staab/Reuters) Laura Jedeed, a freelance reporter who has covered protests in Portland over the last four years, agrees that police are inflaming the situation. Ive never witnessed the level and systemic amount of police brutality against protesters as I have in the past three months, Jedeed told Yahoo News. She added that There seems to be a real double standard in who police are targeting. I dont think they understand how angry this town is. Jedeed was one of the first Portlanders to sound the alarm on her Twitter account about the Saturday rally, when she came across a Facebook posting about the event, warning that it had the potential to be explosive. The reason for her concern: Over the past several weeks, right-wing groups have been appearing at the nightly BLM protests, bringing a new level of ferocity and violence to the demonstrations, which in early July had appeared to be fading away, with numbers dwindling to a hundred or so a night. But later that month, when federal agents, without identifying uniforms or badges, began throwing protesters into unmarked cars and whisking them off to jail, the demonstrations came roaring back to life, she said. As federal agents have withdrawn from the city, right-wing groups began showing up some Proud Boys, some QAnon, as well as Patriot Prayer members, and others from another local conservative group called Portlands Liberation. The right-wing demonstrators were maskless, some dressed in blue, others wearing logos saying Blue Lives Matter. In Jedeeds observation, they were afforded much gentler treatment than the Black Lives Matter protesters. It became increasingly clear that the police were taking a side in the protests, she said the side of the right-wing groups. Jedeed said she witnessed right-wing counterprotesters beating the left-wing protesters with batons, throwing firecrackers at them and spraying them with bear mace. (It was easy, she said, to tell the groups apart by masks alone: The left-wing groups she says almost always wore them, but the right-wing groups were typically maskless as were most of the police.) On Saturday, the day of the pro-Trump rally, at around 4:30 she witnessed hundreds and hundreds of vehicles at their meeting point, the parking lot of the Clackamas Town Center, roughly 10 miles southeast of Portland. Most of the vehicles were trucks, flying all manner of flags, including some Confederate flags, revving their engines and creating a cloud of oily black smoke. The proposed route shown on the Facebook event page was to circle downtown, but when they started off for the rally on wheels, severe gridlock ensued in the parking lot ultimately lessened by the arrival of police who directed them toward 82nd Ave. Jedeed found it odd that the police didnt stop the many vehicles with no license plates, or with numbers that had been obscured. Other Portlanders similarly suspect outsiders are involved in the recently rising tensions in the city. Suddenly Im seeing license plates from Kentucky, Texas and Arizona, said Joan Hess, a retired corrections officer. They didnt come for the beer. Others says the right-wing groups are coming from the more conservative towns elsewhere in Oregon, or from Seattle or Vancouver, Wash. A police officer checks the body of a man who was shot dead at protests in Portland. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Handout via Reuters) Jim Redden, a reporter for the Portland Tribune, a twice-weekly, free local paper, said he also sees the shooting as part of a dangerous dynamic thats been playing out in the city since Trump was elected, an event that triggered frequent demonstrations and led to brawls between right-wingers and left-wingers in downtown Portland that went on for months. But he puts much of the blame on Portlands own self-professed anarchists, who just want to protest everything. Whenever theres another protest going on, they hang around and break windows and stuff like that, Redden told Yahoo News. Now theyve rebranded themselves as antifa but its the same group just calling themselves a different name. While Redden noted that the reappearance of right-wing groups like Patriot Prayer in Portland during demonstrations in August exacerbated the clashes with left-wing protesters, he said, It was pretty out of control even before they came back. After George Floyds killing there were huge protests that went on for two months with a lot of rioting and destruction. Asked to respond to charges from some that Portland Police officers have enabled the recent escalation of violence instigated by right-wing groups in the city by not intervening in recent clashes, Portland Police public information officer Sgt. Kevin Allen referred Yahoo News to the departments earlier statement that clearly spelled out why we did not step in to the event on Aug. 22. And it was discussed at length by the mayor and police chief at a press conference yesterday, Allen wrote in an email to Yahoo News, along with a link to a YouTube video from a press conference held Sunday in response to the shooting. As for how the Portland Police Bureau plans to prevent such violence going forward, Allen wrote: We will not discuss any specific tactical plans going forward, however [we] will continue to utilize the resources we have to address criminal behavior while we employ de-escalation strategies where appropriate. We do not take into account political ideology, he continued. We fully support free speech rights. At a press conference on Sunday, Mayor Ted Wheeler condemned the fatal shooting over the weekend, and urged people from both sides of the political spectrum to come together to help stop the violence. For those of you saying on Twitter this morning that you plan to come to Portland to seek retribution, Im calling on you to stay away, Wheeler said. You of course have a constitutional right to be here, but were asking you to stay away and work with us to de-escalate this situation. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaking to reporters on Sunday. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) The shooting in Portland came less than a week after 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with shooting three people, killing two, amid unrest in Kenosha, Wis. Evidence from Rittenhouses social media presence indicates that the teenager was an aspiring police officer and Trump supporter who even appeared in the front row at one of the presidents rallies in Iowa earlier this year. Trump has spoken in defense of Rittenhouse, while expressing sympathy for the victim in Portland and sharp criticisms of the citys mayor. Against the wishes of both Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Trump traveled to the embattled Wisconsin city on Tuesday, where he condemned violence and property damage resulting from some recent protests as acts of domestic terror and questioned the existence of systemic racism within law enforcement, which has been the core issue driving recent protests. He also continued to take credit for Everss decision to activate Wisconsins National Guard in response to the unrest that unfolded in Kenosha after video circulated of the 29-year-old Blake being shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha police officer. I strongly support the use of the National Guard in other cities, Trump said, insisting that his administration is ready, willing, and able to send in federal forces to cities such as Portland, an offer that citys Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler formally declined in a recent letter to president Trump. On Monday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf responded to Wheelers letter on the presidents behalf, writing that 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. Wolf, who oversaw the controversial deployment of federal agents from DHS to Portland earlier this summer, urged Wheeler to request federal assistance to restore law and order in Portland, adding that, 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. In Kenosha, Trump seemed to suggest that he may once again deploy federal agents to Portland against the wishes of local officials. 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. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: In New York City, you can find a church building that has been changed into a pizzeria. You can find a church remade as a bar. One Episcopal structure was turned into a cultural center, and then a rehab clinic, a dance club, a shopping center, and now a gym with a French bistro. You can find lots of churches converted into condos. High-end housing in former worship spaces has been the hot trend in New York for the past five or 10 years, with churches from Brooklyn to Greenwich Village to Harlem repurposed for upscale luxury living. But Redeemer Presbyterian Church, founded by Tim Keller, is going in the other direction. The church announced it has bought a 45,000-square-foot condo building in the city and converting the former housing space into a church. The building cost $29.5 million, according to real estate news outlets, and will undergo a two-year renovation to become the new home of Redeemers Upper East Side congregation. The purchase is an important part of Gods long-term vision for our church, said James Herring, elder and chair of a Redeemer building committee, in an announcement video posted August 14. Plans for the new building are still being developed, but Herring hopes to see a sanctuary seating 600, a fellowship hall seating 300, and space for all the things we have only dreamed about having space for in the past. The church has been looking for new property since 2016 and considered more than 500 properties in four years. The committee pursued 22 properties and made offers on five, according to Herring. The location they settled on, 150 East 91st St., is only 16 blocks from Redeemers current Upper East Side meeting place, the Temple Israel at 112 East 75th St. Church leaders like that the new site is nestled into the neighborhood that the East Side congregation is committed to serving. They also hope it will open up new partnership opportunities with neighboring cultural institutionssuch as the the 92nd Street Y and the Guggenheim Museumas well as nonprofits such as City to City, a church-planting ministry that grew out of Redeemer and is currently led by Keller. Purchasing the property was the next step in a long-term plan the church has been working on since 2006, according to Cregan Cooke, senior director of communications and media for Redeemer and a long-time Upper East Side parishioner. On the other side of Central Park, Redeemers Upper West Side congregation purchased and converted a parking garage into a space thats used for ministry, events, and a public art gallery. The goal is to have a similar facility that serves the community on the East Side. We never wanted to be a megachurch, but a movement of multiple churches for the good of the city, Cooke said. We want to be rooted in the neighborhood, for the neighborhood. Now that the building has been purchased, the church will start collecting information from the Upper East Side residents who live close to the property to identify their needs. Its a bold and expensive move for the church, but also part of a less noted trend, according to Taylor Hartson at Calvin Universitys Calvin Center for Social Research. Hartson has been looking at developments in sacred real estate with sociology professor Roman Williams, also at Calvin, for a visual sociology project called Converted Structures. In a study of 22 US citesincluding Grand Rapids, Detroit, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and SeattleHartson and Williams looked at mailing list data to identify addresses that were labeled as churches in 2003 but not in 2018. They identified approximately 200 church buildings that had been flipped for commercial or residential use. In the same cities, in the same 15 years, they found about 2,000 commercial spaces that had been turned into houses of worship. While there are many sacred spaces becoming secular, it seems more are converting the other way. Based on the data that weve been working with, weve seen this trend toward taking more commercial spaces and transforming them into sacred spaces for worship, Hartman said. The change doesnt seem to be driven by theology or a shift in how churches are thinking of their buildings, but practical financial concerns combined with changing technological needs. According to Hartson, congregations may feel like they are being better stewards, when they convert commercial buildings into churches. Renovating an existing structure to meet modern building codes can prove more affordable than the long-term costs of maintaining a more traditional church building. In the age of Bluetooth speakers, a building created to maximize acoustics isnt so important, and high ceilings equal big electricity bills. Commercial buildings are also more flexible for many congregations, accommodating different kinds of ministry to serve a community and also adjusting to the needs of growing or shrinking congregations. Many commercial spaces can be easily expanded or contracted without feeling crowded or looking empty. Traditional sanctuaries dont have this functionality. New religious design trends are also making nontraditional buildings more appealing to those who might have resisted them in the past. While adaptable, multi-use buildings may not have instantly recognizable religious features, such as a soaring bell tower or a white steeple, that doesnt mean they cant move people to worship. High ceilings, muted colors, and quiet, recessed lighting can be used by skilled architects to draw hearts to attention in the same ways that classical cathedral architecture always has. Redeemers purchase is larger and more splashy than a lot of churches buying real estate, but it did not strike Hartson as notably different. The trend isnt limited to places like New York, where property is extraordinarily expensive, either. According to Hartson, rural and suburban congregations can just as easily end up feeling the financial crunch of paying to maintain a building. Many congregations are looking for more ways to use their space and they think about how different structures create different kinds of ministry opportunities. This certainly motivated the move at Redeemer, Herring told the Upper East Side church. Most importantly, this is space that for the first time in our history, we would have available 24/7 for our congregation and its ministries, he said. This will provide regular access to space for our families, meetings, cultural events, community ministry opportunities, and all of the things we have only dreamed of having the space for in the past. For real estate developers, turning a church into condos is an investment opportunity. For a congregation, turning condos into a church is a sign of hope in the never-ending ability of the church to innovate, adapt, and proclaim the gospel in new ways. Redeemer hopes to be in its new building in 2023. No casualties were reported over the past day. Ukraine has reported one enemy provocation on Wednesday, September 2, as Russia's hybrid military forces violated the newly-agreed truce in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian military recorded a ceasefire violation by the Russian Federation's armed formations," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Command reported in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on September 3, 2020. In particular, the enemy opened fire using an under-barrel grenade launcher near the town of Maryinka. Read alsoTrilateral Contact Group agrees on four new disengagement sites in Donbas Zelensky's OfficeUkrainian military did not return fire. The Joint Forces are abiding by the ceasefire, being ready to adequately respond to possible attacks by the adversary, it said. No casualties were reported over the past day. Since Thursday midnight, no attacks by Russian Federation's armed formations have been recorded, the JFO HQ said. The situation is under full control of the Ukrainian military. Donbas ceasefire: background Launched in 2019, RCIE supports Black entrepreneurs in turning ideas into enterprises, offering education, mentorship, place and space, and access to networks and capital. Phase I of the organization's fundraising campaign was met with success and completion of a $12 million capital raise. Phase II has garnered more than $5 million to date from top donors like Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, which committed $1 million over the next three years to support the Center's programming. "During this time in which ensuring equitable opportunity for Black-owned businesses has never been more critically discussed, RCIE is boldly engaging in the work of expanding the possibilities for African-American entrepreneurs in Atlanta and beyond," said Rodney Bullard, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Chick-fil-A. Additional top donors to Phase II of the campaign include the U.S. Department of Energy, Truist Foundation, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase and Sylvia Russell. Contributions also came from corporate donors Google, the Clorox Company Foundation and Taylor English, and from Noel Kahlil, T. Dallas Smith, Iris and Bruce Feinberg, and the Kendeda Fund. A complete list of RCIE donors can be found at donors-rcie.org. Jay Bailey, CEO and president of RCIE, explained that these donations are invaluable to the organization as it seeks to advance its mission to inspire and empower Black entrepreneurs. "Our early donors believed in us when the center was only a dream. They had the vision to see what RCIE could become," said Bailey. "We're incredibly grateful for their contributions, which will help create and accelerate opportunities for Black entrepreneurs." Located at 504 Fair St. SW, in the heart of one of Atlanta's Opportunity Zones, RCIE houses over 50,000 square feet of affordable coworking, convening, meeting and makerspace. The organization carries on the legacy of the late Herman J. Russell, founder of real estate and construction firm H.J. Russell & Co. and a prominent member of the Atlanta business community. About RCIE The Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE) is America's largest not-for-profit center focused exclusively on helping Black entrepreneurs grow their early-stage businesses into economic mobility engines. We were founded by the family of Herman J. Russell, one of America's first Black millionaires and a longstanding icon of Black entrepreneurship. For more information about the Center, visit rcie.org. SOURCE Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said he had an excellent meeting with his Russian counterpart Gen. Sergey Shoigu in Moscow and discussed a wide range of issues, especially how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation. Singh, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on a three-day visit to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), pressed for expediting supply of a number of weapons systems, ammunition and spares to India by Russia under contracts which were concluded earlier. Taking to Twitter, Singh termed his talks with Shoigu as excellent. Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries, he said in a tweet. Excellent meeting with the Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu in Moscow today. We talked about a wide range of issues, particularly how to deepen defence and strategic cooperation between both the countries. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 3, 2020 Earlier on Thursday, India and Russia finalised a major deal for manufacturing AK-47 203 rifles in India, the official Russian media reported. The AK-47 203 is the latest and most advanced version of the AK-47 rifle, which will replace the Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.5645 mm assault rifle. Both sides welcomed the advance stage of discussions for the establishment in India of an India-Russian Joint Venture for the production of AK203 assault rifles which are considered one of the most modern weapons available for infantry forces. / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 3, 2020 The Indian Army has a requirement for around 770,000 AK-47 203 rifles, of which 100,000 will be imported and the rest will be manufactured in India, Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency said. There was no official confirmation from the Indian government on the finalisation of the deal. The rifles will be manufactured in India as part of the joint venture Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), established between the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), the Kalashnikov Concern and Rosoboronexport the Russian state agency for military exports, it said. Officials said that Singh is also likely to request the Russian side to ensure the timely delivery of the S-400 missile defence systems to India. The delivery of the first batch of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India is scheduled by the end of 2021. Before departure, Singh in a tweet had said that issues of mutual interest will figure in his talks with Shoigu. "India and Russia are privileged Strategic Partners. Looking forward to further this partnership during my visit," he said. I shall also be meeting Russias Defence Minister, General Shoigu to discuss bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest. India and Russia are privileged Strategic Partners. Looking forward to further this partnership during my visit. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 2, 2020 It is 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. Singh will also attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation here on Friday which will be attended by the defence ministers of the eight member nations. They are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively. The meeting is taking place under the shadow of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of the influential bloc. The SCO comprises eight member states India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistan's Pervez Khattak are expected to attend the SCO meeting. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of the SCO in 2017. The Chinese company provides various forms of assistance to the local market to optimise the use of information technology and communications to serve economic and development goals Egypts Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker received on Thursday Michael Li, Huawei's regional corporate head, to discuss the gradual transformation of the Egyptian electricity network to a smart grid. A statement by the ministry said the meeting is part of the energy sectors efforts to develop its projects according to the latest technologies. During the meeting, Shaker emphasised the strong cooperation between Egypt and China in multiple fields. He referred to the various projects and programmes Egypts electricity sector implementated in cooperation with China to benefit from its expertise and technology. Huawei is involved in various local projects, including developing Egypts under-construction Administrative Capital as an advanced model of digital cities. The Chinese company provides various forms of assistance to the local market to optimise the use of information technology and communications to serve economic and development goals. Shaker referred to the electricity sector's efforts to improve its services, including production, transportation, and distribution, explaining the future vision of the Egyptian electricity sector, which is based on the gradual transformation of the current network to a smart grid that helps to absorb the large quantities generated. In November 2019, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said at the G20 Compact with Africa meetings in Berlin that Egypt has spent around $60 billion to link its electricity sector to other countries and continents. The statement added that Wael El-Sobky, head of the electricity sector in Egypt, reviewed at the meeting how to move from the traditional network to the smart grid, how to deal with the challenges and problems facing the sector, and the role of modern technology provided by Huawei, such as artificial intelligence, Big Data, Cloud, IOT, TX, and other distinguished solutions. Michael lauded the rapid and remarkable development of the projects implemented by the ministry, and building a strong infrastructure in addition to the smart grid that supports the digital transformation adopted by the Egyptian government. He presented a report on the results of Huaweis global business in the first half of 2020, which explained that despite the challenges the company faces, it was able to achieve revenue growth, stressing that the negative effects of global challenges could not threaten the company's stability. Search Keywords: Short link: A recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta has resulted in 245 infections among students, six percent of the currently enrolled student body. This comes just one week after classes began and just one week before public grade schools are scheduled to open across the state, except in New York City where reopening has been delayed until September 21. In response to the outbreak, New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has deployed a SWAT team of 71 contact tracers and eight case investigators to Oneonta, a city of 13,000 three hours northwest of New York City. Three rapid testing centers will be opened, offering 15-minute tests for free to all residents of the city. State University of New York in Oneonta SUNY Oneonta is the first college in the state to suffer from an outbreak of COVID-19 this Fall. While the state government and SUNY system have acted quickly in response to the outbreak, it was their policies in the first place that not only made it possible, but inevitable. State universities have been allowed to fully reopen with in-person classes despite the diagnosis of tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases around the country every day. State guidelines for infections on campus are woefully inadequate. Schools are required to return to remote instruction for just two weeks in the event that more than 100 students or 5 percent of students, whichever is smaller, become infected over a two-week period. Colleges may return to normal activity if cases fall below the threshold. If the local health department determines that the school is incapable of controlling infections then it may require the institution to continue with remote learning. Local and state Departments of Health have the authority to enforce a 100 percent transition to remote learning if it determines that smaller outbreaks are straining the ability of the school to contact trace and isolate students. What is being posited here is the idea that there is a reasonable level of infection, and by extension death, that is tolerable to the state government and SUNY system. It is irrational and unscientific to assume that infections will not translate to deaths among students and community members, and that even small clusters of cases will not spread off campus and possibly to other parts of the state. This is not simply lax control of the virus, but a deadly experiment with students lives to determine the effects of a full reopening of economic activity. Cuomo described colleges as the canary in the coal mine. The significance of this statement cannot be understated. Students are being sent into danger as a test to determine whether it is safe to reopen economic activity. But it is already known that it is not safe. As universities and public schools have reopened across the country thousands of students and educators have already become infected and dozens have died. Additionally, colleges are, as Cuomo also noted during his press conference, similar to a dense urban environment. One does not need to be a medical professional to draw the conclusion that placing students in a dense population would result in a rapid spread of the virus. This exact scenario has already played out in every city in the United States since March. Fully aware of what they are doing, and unwilling to accept blame for any deaths, Cuomo and the SUNY system have resorted to blaming students for the outbreak. Five students and three organizations at Oneonta have been suspended with further suspensions possible after several large parties were held on campus. SUNY Oneonta did not require students to be tested before returning to campus. Nor were students required to be tested upon their return to campus. Instead, students were simply told to self-quarantine for seven days prior to arriving on campus, even while it is known that the incubation period for COVID-19 averages around 14 days. Now the situation is being capitalized on by the Democratic Party-controlled state government to build the ground for the implementation of repressive measures. The use of the term SWAT Team to describe the contact tracers is not without intention. While the contact tracers are not on campus for policing purposes, the implication is that students are responsible for the outbreak at SUNY Oneonta. This raises the possibility for a more aggressive crackdown by police on student gatherings, and protests in particular, in the future. Student led protests in New York state against police violence have drawn thousands of participants since May. Protests have occurred in cities and towns with SUNY schools including Geneseo, Oswego, Buffalo, Fredonia, Binghamton, and Albany. With police killings continuing unabated, it is highly likely that protest activity on and off campus will increase. The events at SUNY Oneonta are just the beginning of what is to come, and a warning sign of how the capitalist class intends to sacrifice students and educators for the profits they intend to squeeze out of the population in the murderous drive to reopen workplaces and schools during the pandemic. Britain on Thursday said it was expanding trials of a new rapid test to detect coronavirus cases, and flagged potential travel restrictions on the popular holiday destination of Portugal. Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended the government's testing approach for Covid-19, after the BBC reported that some people were being directed to centres more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) from their homes. "Of course there are operational challenges from time to time but it (the system) works well," he told Sky News television. "Being able to expand mass testing with these new technologies is a huge positive step forward in our battle against the virus," he added, announcing new funding of 500 million ($665 million, 560 million euros). The package will go to enlarging existing trials of a 20-minute saliva test around the southern port of Southampton, and new trials in Salford, near Manchester in northern England. The government, anxious about the mounting economic toll of the outbreak and nearly three months of lockdown, has been urging Britons to return to work and school this week. But its testing approach, and a programme to track and trace new Covid-19 cases via mobile app, have hit repeated snags. Local flare-ups required new lockdowns this week in parts of northern England and in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Travel sites meanwhile reported a rush on flights back to Britain from Portugal following a surge in infection rates in the southern European country. Hancock appeared to indicate that Portugal would soon be added to a list of Covid-19 hotspots such as France and Spain, from where all travellers returning to England must self-isolate for 14 days. An announcement will come on Friday, he said, after Portugal's weekly rate of infection climbed over a British government threshold. "Everybody has seen that we are prepared to take decisions to put individual countries back on the quarantine list if that's what is necessary," Hancock said. "So people should look at the data but also should only travel if they are prepared to quarantine, if the virus goes up when they are in that country." The devolved government in Scotland meanwhile said travellers from Greece would have to quarantine from Thursday but the country remained on England's separate safe list for now. Tirupati: Indias space agency ISRO will launch a record 103 satellitesall but three of them foreignat one go on a single rocket in the first week of February in what will be a major feat not attempted by any country. As India looks to grab a larger slice of the lucrative commercial space market, 100 of the 103 satellites set for launch by ISROs workhorse rocket PSLV-C37 in February from its Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh belong to foreign nations, including the US and Germany. We are making a century by launching over 100 satellites at one go, S Somnath, Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told a plenary session on the second day of the ongoing Indian Science Congress here on Wednesday. ALSO READ: (Year in Review 2016 | India's foray into space catapulted by ISRO's multiple satellite launches) The space agency had earlier planned a launch of 83 satellites in the last week of January, of which 80 were foreign ones. But with the addition of 20 more foreign satellites, the launch was delayed by a week and will now take place in first week of February, Somnath said. He, however, did not specify the number of countries that would launch its satellites in this mission, but said it includes nations like the US and Germany. These will be 100 micro-small satellites, which will be launched using a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)- C37. The weight of the payload will be 1350 kgs, of which 500-600 kgs will be the satellites weight, Somnath added. The launch will be a major feat in countrys space history as no exercise on this scale has been attempted before. Last year, ISRO launched record 20 satellites at one go. The highest number of satellites launched in a single mission is 37, a record that Russia set in 2014. The US space agency NASA launched 29. Prime Minister Narendra Modis pet South Asian satellite project, meanwhile, will take off in March. The South Asian satellite will be a part of GSAT-9, which will be launched in March this year, M Nageshwara Rao, Associate Director of ISRO said. The communication satellite was to be launched in December 2016, but was slightly delayed as some other satellites are to be launched before that. Sources said talks with Afghanistan to have the country on-board for the project is in its final stages. Envisaged as a gift to its neighbours, the project, earlier known as SAARC satellite, faced stiff resistance from Pakistan. The neighbouring country wanted it to be launched under the aegis of the South Asian regional forum. It later backed out of the project. Apart from India, the satellite will benefit Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. PLYMOUTH Buddy the Beefalo, a 1,000-pound bull that escaped from a slaughterhouse, is still alive and wandering in the woods in northwest Connecticut. The bull a cross between a bison and domestic cattle has been in the woods in area of Route 72 and Judd Road since early August. Police efforts to take Buddy into custody have, so far, been unsuccessful. Capt. Edward Benecchi said there was a Facebook post Wednesday that claimed the bull was shot and killed in Bristol. The Facebook post also offered cow steaks. The post was later confirmed to be false after a Plymouth man caught the bull in his yard on a home-security camera Wednesday afternoon. The beefalo, named Buddy by Plymouth police, escaped after a truck took him to a Terryville meat processing plant. As the truck was backing into the loading dock, Buddy pushed his way out and fled into the woods, police said. Since his escape, Buddy appears to be in good shape with no apparent attack wounds from wild animals. Beefalos will eat any kind of vegetation and food and water are abundant in the area where Buddy has been roaming, Benecchi said. He said the video from the home-security camera shows Buddy to be very agile. On Monday, state environmental conservation officers helped Plymouth police track down Buddy by using a drone. The bull was seen in a swampy area. As police moved in, Buddy moved away. Benecchi said Buddy has been staying in the same area, moving around in a circular pattern on trails. Plymouth polices first encounter with the bull was about two weeks ago. As officers attempted to take control of the animal, it demonstrated behavior that it was going to charge by putting down its head down and scratching the ground, police said. As officers moved away, it retreated into the woods. Police urged people not to approach the beefalo. The plan to catch Buddy is to lure him into a trailer with grain, Benecchi said. Were consistently checking on the trailer, Benecchi. Once Buddy is inside, a safety gate will secure the bull from escaping. Benecchi said Buddys story could have a happy ending. The bulls owner has agreed to return Buddy to a 100-acre farm in Becket, Mass. Ive had several calls with the owner who agrees that the beefalo has earned his freedom, Benecchi said. Any beefalo sightings should be reported to Plymouth police at 860-589-7779 or call 911. Kamala readies for tsunami-evacuation drill PHUKET: Officials taking part in the tsunami-evacuation drill to be held in Kamala next week have been ordered to prepare for the exercise, and members of the public have been invited to join the simulation so they know what to do if a genuine tsunami-warning is issued. disastersSafetytourism By The Phuket News Thursday 3 September 2020, 05:34PM Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Officers have been ordered to make sure local people know the tsunami-warning sirens will sound at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) so they do not panic, thinking it is a genuine tsnuami warning. Photo: PR Dept Phuket Vice Governor Wongsakorn Nunchukan gave the order for local officials to prepare for drill at a meeting yesterday (Sept 2) held at the Baan Bang Wan kindergarten in Kamala. Phuket Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Chief Sophon Thongsai explained that the national DDPM office in Bangkok had ordered officers at the National Disaster Warning Center to choose places along the six Andaman coast provinces to hold tsunami-evacuation drills in order to test and check the readiness of the disaster-warning system. As such, tsunami-evacuation drills were held in Ranong, Phang Nga and Krabi on Monday and Tuesday last week (Aug 24-25). Tsunami-evacuation drills will be conducted in Phuket, Trang and Satun next Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept 8-9), he added. The Phuket exercise will be held at Rajaprajanugroh 36 School, in Soi Rimhaad, Moo 3, Kamala, and will last three hours, from 9am to 11am, Chief Sophon confirmed. Officials, local rescue workers and members of other organisations involved in the drill will meet at the school on Sept 8 to prepare and publicize information to local residents, Chief Sophon said. V/Gov Wongsakorn made it plain that he wanted all local people to know that the sirens sounding at Kamala at 9am next Wednesday (Sept 9) would be just a test not a genuine tsunami warning. I want all officers to publicize this drill to local people in order not to make them panic, he said. I also would like to see local people in the area to join this drill so that they know what to do if a disaster happens, to help prevent them from losing loved ones, he added. Beijing on Thursday cited Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and yogas popularity in China to criticise India banning 118 Chinese apps and subtly warned New Delhi not to join the USs clean network programme, Washingtons initiative for an internet without security threats. The Chinese foreign ministry said unlike the reason behind Indias decision to ban the 118 apps, the popularity of Tagores poems or the wide approval of yoga among Chinese citizens did not mean that China looks at these as infiltration or threat. India on Wednesday banned 118, mostly Chinese mobile apps, including Tencent Holdings Ltds popular video game PUBG, citing data security concerns. These apps collect and share data in a surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to the security of the state, Indias ministry of electronics and information technology said in a statement. The latest round of ban India first banned 59 Chinese apps on June 29 comes in the backdrop of fresh escalation in the ongoing border friction between the two Himalayan neighbours in eastern Ladakh. While the foreign ministry invoked Tagore and his poetry, Chinas commerce ministry was less poetic. It said it strongly opposed India banning Chinese apps. Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes, commerce ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said at a briefing. Gao said India has abused national security by imposing discriminate restrictions on Chinese companies, He said China has always asked its companies to comply with international and local rules and regulations in their overseas operations. We hope that the Indian side will work with the Chinese side to maintain hard-won bilateral cooperation and development so as to build an open and fair business environment for international investors and services providers including Chinese companies, Gao was quoted as saying. The Chinese foreign ministry, meanwhile, said neither country should hurt long-term interests because of short sightedness. The Indian side decided to ban some great and popular Chinese apps. Indian users rights and interests are firstly harmed. And Chinese businesss rights and interests will also be harmed. So, what India has done is not beneficial to anyone, spokesperson Hua Chunying said. As I said both are ancient civilisations with splendid cultures that we are proud of, and the exchange between the two sides have been going on for thousands of years. Giving the example of Tagore, Hua said many of his poems are popular in China, and then quoted a line from one of his poems: We read the world wrong, and say that it deceives us. Also, yoga is becoming more and more popular in China; including myself, I am very fond of Indian culture. But we do not think that Indian culture or the poems or other things are infiltrating here or are posing any threat to Chinese culture, Hua said. What we believe is that the intermingling of different cultures is conducive to promoting peoples mutual understanding and friendship. Hua also let out a subtle warning about ties between India and the US. I have noted that the US state department on the same day said that India banned more than 100 Chinese apps and called on other countries to join India to roll out the clean network initiative, she said. So, I dont know if there is any correlation or interaction between India and the US. But India is an ancient civilisation with wise people. They should know what the US has done in Cyber Security for example Dirtbox, Prism, Irritant Horn, Muscular and under-sea cable tapping. Indian people must have the wisdom to tell whether the US practice on cyber security is clean or dirty. We hope India could stay committed to its precious independence decision making. Experts in China have expectedly criticised New Delhis move to ban the apps. Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies said while the apps ban will likely have a limited impact on the Indian economy, the ill intentions behind the Indian governments move to stir up tension and even a conflict with China are increasingly reaching a dangerous level. This is dangerous. The worse the Indian economy becomes, the higher the probability that a military conflict could be provoked by New Delhi. This is a very worrisome situation, Zhao told state media. You are here: Arts The 77th Venice International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with a screening of the film "Lacci" (Ties) directed by Italy's Daniele Luchetti. The opening film screened out of competition in what is the world's oldest film festival, which runs from Sept. 2-12 under the leadership of Artistic Director Alberto Barbera. "Recently, we have all feared that cinema might become extinct," Luchetti said. "Yet during the quarantine, it (cinema) gave us comfort, like a light gleaming in a cavern...With 'Lacci' I am honored to open the dances of the first great festival in unexpected times," Luchetti said. "It's been 11 years since the Venice International Film Festival was opened by an Italian film," Barbera said, describing Luchetti's film as "an anatomy of a married couple's problematic coexistence...with an added mystery that is not revealed until the end." Italian actress Anna Foglietta hosted the inauguration ceremony, and the jury for the main competition is presided by Australian movie star Cate Blanchett, a two-time Oscar winner. The main competition will screen 18 movies from countries including Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, and U.S. Hong Kong film director Ann Hui will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at this year's Venice International Film Festival. Hui is the first Chinese female film director to be bestowed the honor. Britannia may rule the airwaves once more, but its a pity the same cant be said for the airways. New BBC director-general Tim Davie might have overturned the ludicrous ban on singing traditional patriotic songs at the Proms. Yet whats the point of belting out Land Of Hope And Glory when the country is still cowering in its shell? Our airports are as deserted as the City of Londons ghostly financial district, with passenger numbers down by more than 80 per cent. The draconian, confused quarantine rules introduced to combat Covid have strangled tourism, business travel and international trade. Heathrow, until recently a teeming global hub and one of the busiest airports on earth, has just announced it is shedding a quarter of its staff. British Airways has grounded its fleet at Gatwick and made hundreds more redundant. The UK's airports are as deserted as the City of Londons ghostly financial district, with passenger numbers down by more than 80 per cent Virgin Atlantic has pulled out of Gatwick altogether. Ryanair has cut flights by a fifth, and easyJet has closed its operations at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle. Yesterday, the head of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports accused the Government of overseeing the demise of UK aviation. Derek Provan compared the avalanche of jobs being lost in the airline industry to the closure of coal mines in the 1980s. John Holland-Kaye, the boss of Heathrow, has warned that unless the Government opens up long-haul routes as a matter of urgency Global Britain will become Little Britain. That should send shudders down the spine of a Prime Minister who boasted that after Brexit, the UK would become once again a freebooting trading nation open to the whole world, not manacled to a sclerotic, protectionist European Union. Yet Boris Johnsons Government, and the small town Trumptonistas in Scotland and Wales, have compounded the crisis caused by coronavirus through a series of calamitous, knee-jerk quarantine measures. Policy is apparently being made by throwing a dart at a map of the world. Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey looks precise by comparison. One day, its safe to travel to France. The next, unless youre back by 4am tomorrow you will have to go into self-imposed house arrest for a fortnight when you do return. Italy is safe again, until it isnt. If its Thursday, it must be Portugals turn. Or is it? Frankly, I cant keep up. You can still travel from Greece, but only if you fly into England. John Holland-Kaye, the boss of Heathrow, has warned that unless the Government opens up long-haul routes as a matter of urgency Global Britain will become Little Britain Wee Burney has decreed that anyone holidaying in Greece will have to quarantine for 14 days when they get back to Scotland. The Welsh, desperate to get in on the act, have come up with an absurd halfway house, exempting most of Greece except the island of Zante. One-hundred-and-eighty! How the hell are families planning holidays overseas supposed to have the confidence to make informed decisions? Why would any sane foreign tourist book a short break in Britain when they could, at five minutes notice, be forced to self-isolate for two weeks as soon as they step off the plane? Is it any wonder the uncertainty is putting one million jobs at risk in the already hard-hit travel and hospitality sectors. How can companies that depend on exports decide whether to send salesmen to meet customers abroad? Matt Hancock, our permanently pleased-with-himself juvenile Health Secretary was doing the rounds yesterday bragging about the success of test-and-trace. So why persevere with imposing senseless, over-the-top quarantine regulations on airline passengers when a simple new Covid test is available which yields a result in just 20 minutes? If 30 other countries can test airport arrivals, why not the UK? Especially when most people have about as much chance of being killed in an air crash as dying from Covid. My best guess is that this is just the latest example of backside-covering in advance of the inevitable public inquiry into the handling of the crisis. Ministers know they were at fault at the start of the epidemic in continuing to allow flights from dangerously infected hotspots, such as Northern Italy and China, to land in Britain without any health checks on passengers. That almost certainly contributed to the rapid spread of the disease here. So theyre not taking any chances now, regardless of the economic consequences. And, trust me, those consequences are looking more catastrophic by the day. Its not just the effect on airlines, airports and the aviation manufacturing sector, which has also been forced to shed thousands of jobs. This goes way beyond that. If Britain is to prosper post Brexit, we have to exploit our natural advantages, such as our time zone and geographical position, which makes us a bridge between East and West, between the U.S., Europe and beyond. We have to attract investment from around the world. To achieve that, we must resume long-haul flights as soon as possible. Boris Johnson must give the lead, rediscover the political courage that propelled him first to become Mayor of London, then win the Brexit referendum, and finally achieve his lifetimes ambition of making it into No10 OK, so crucial transatlantic routes are largely closed, but we should be doing everything we can to persuade our American friends to open them up to British travellers. If there really is a special relationship, we should be using it to convince Washington that were prepared to move heaven and earth to make air travel between our two great nations safe again. We can do that, not by air bridges, but by setting a positive example and introducing a proper state-of-the-art testing system for passengers travelling to and from the States and elsewhere. And especially by lifting immediately the crazy quarantine rules which tell the world that Britain is closed for business. Our airline industry is the pivot upon which much of the rest of our economy and our future prosperity spins. Before Covid, and with Brexit done , there was talk of international corporations relocating their headquarters to London. Part of the attraction was the convenience of Heathrow as a global hub. The rest was London as global city, a world centre of finance, business and the arts. All of that is now under threat. Central London is a hollowed-out husk. Restaurants are struggling, theatres are dark and getting around is an obstacle course, thanks to the deranged people friendly streets initiative. Deprived of foreign visitors and business travellers, hotels are staring down the barrel of imminent bankruptcy. But why would anyone want to visit London, let alone move their headquarters here, unless things get back to normal pretty sharpish? Mind you, thats all academic, thanks to a Government that is making air travel as confusing and inconvenient as possible. At the moment, its less trouble entering Britain on a cross-Channel dinghy from Calais than arriving on a scheduled flight at Heathrow. As the Mail said yesterday, this is the moment to throw open Britains doors to international trade and tourism. Its high time ministers stopped behaving like the Cowardly Lion and embraced the necessary risk to kick-start our emaciated economy and put the country back to work. Right now, we live in a Land of Hopeless Tories, frightened of their own shadows. Boris Johnson must give the lead, rediscover the political courage that propelled him first to become Mayor of London, then win the Brexit referendum, and finally achieve his lifetimes ambition of making it into No10. Is he up to it? Based upon his lacklustre demeanour over the summer and his shambling PMQs performance this week, the jury is out. But if Boris doesnt deploy his booster rockets, Brexit may be all for naught. Great Britain plc, not just the airline industry, is in a tailspin. Singing Rule, Britannia isnt going to save us. In the end, Mathias Ometu turned out to be the wrong guy. He was not the Black male who allegedly choked his ex-wife in a North Side apartment complex, and then fled on foot. But Ometu was the guy who legally refused to identify himself when police stopped him while he was jogging on Woodstone Drive. For almost an hour on Aug. 25, police detained Ometu, 33, trying to figure out if they had the right suspect in the alleged domestic assault. Despite inconsistencies between the victims statements and Ometus clothing and physical appearance, they did not set him free. Ultimately, Ometu was charged with assaulting a police officer after resisting their attempts to put him into a police car. He spent two days in jail. The district attorney and a judge agreed to drop the charges on Tuesday. The suspect in the domestic violence case has since been arrested on a robbery warrant. He is harmed by his experience with police who wont believe him. Even though the offense he was charged with has been vacated, it will still be in the system, said Michael Gilbert, a retired criminal justice professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. If someone does a record search to find out about this guy, that arrest will come up, and thats the punishment for saying no to police, he added. And, Gilbert said, in the current social and political climate, it is not surprising that an innocent Black man would act the way Ometu did. Quite frankly, I think you can understand that if you are a Black male, police arent necessarily your friend or there to protect you. In fact, they have been demonstrably engaged in practices that could be harmful to you physically, he said. Gilbert was one of three law enforcement experts who offered general opinions on how police might have better handled the situation, although none viewed the body cam videos of the incident. Daniel Busken of Greenville, Texas, a former police chief in four departments, asked, I wonder why they didnt take a picture of the guy they had stopped and have the victim look at it. The officers did take his picture late into the incident. After several calls with the victim, she arrived at the scene and told the officers Ometu wasnt the suspect. W. D. Libby, a former police chief from Georgia, now an instructor and consultant, said that, when a situation like this arises, police sometimes have options to resolve the uncertainty about a suspect. One option, he said, is bringing the victim to the scene. They can do a show-up. The police will take the victim in a car, and drive by the suspect. Its often frowned upon because it can be suggestive, but if its soon after the crime has occurred, and the suspect is in the area and matches the description, you can do it, he said. Or, Libby said, the police could have tried to come up with a drivers license photo or a mug shot of the known suspect, who was wanted on a felony warrant, to compare it to Ometu. It is unknown if the San Antonio officers had access to photos of the suspect who was named by the victim. Libby said departments may soon have to prepare their officers on how to correctly handle situations such as Ometus. Due to the climate we have right now, these are becoming more and more prevalent. People, especially people of color, are distrustful of police and less likely to cooperate, he said. With that said, most agencies should now probably train their officers on how to handle this type of situation, because its just going to get worse and worse, he said. Gilbert, the retired UTSA professor, said that more caution was likely required after police stopped Ometu. What you have here in my view is someone who is trying to assert his civil rights and police, who for whatever reason, are sort of determined they are going to make him comply, he said. They had evidence that would create a reasonable doubt that this might not be the right guy. What he was wearing didnt match. His physical appearance didnt match. Those are the uncertainties. I would err on the side of caution and not make the arrest. At that point, I would let him go, he said. Only after Ometu was forced into the police car and the victim arrived and looked at his picture did it become clear that he was not guilty of the domestic assault. About 45 minutes after officers encountered Ometu, Richard Serna, the lead officer in the case, made a surprising announcement to the other officers. Thats for sure 100 percent not him. I just showed the victim the picture (of Ometu) and she said thats not him. He is not the suspect, he said. It wasnt a big deal. All we needed was some ID, he added ruefully. By then it was too late for Ometu, who was headed for jail to face felony assault charges. International students are routinely being underpaid by businesses who are relying upon the workers not knowing their legal rights or being scared to raise it with authorities if they have been party to such a breach. Those students who have reported breaches have said they were being paid as little as $6 an hour. The minimum wage in Australia is $19.84 an hour - or $753.80 for a 38-hour week - before tax. Abbey Kendall, the director of Working Women's Centre in South Australia, said her organisation has dealt with countless wage theft cases - at least ten queries a week. 'In the last 3 months, we have met with dozens of international students who tell us they are being paid between $6 and $15 an hour,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Most of these students should have been earning $25 an hour. Many of these students are still in employment, being paid $15 less than what theyre entitled to but they cannot afford to lose their jobs.' Abbey Kendall (pictured), the director of Working Women's Centre in South Australia, said her organisation has dealt with countless wage theft cases Ms Kendall said she encourages students to make complains to the Fair Work Ombudsman and keep a record of their hours and wages, since dodgy employers often do not. 'I encourage these students to get in touch with their student associations and consider joining a union,' she said. Ms Kendall said that wage theft is an issue that needs structural reform and not litigation. 'Further to that, international students are paying thousands of dollars in tuition fees to their University or education institution. Students should be complaining to their universities and asking the education institution to advocate on their behalf,' she said. WHAT ARE THE WAGE THEFT REG FLAGS? Abbey Kendall, the director of Working Women's Centre in South Australia, revealed some of the red flags people should look out for when applying for jobs. She told Daily Mail Australia: 'There are plenty of red flags. Students should look out for unpaid trial shifts, especially where it is more than one trial shift. 'It is not illegal to pay a worker in cash, but it's often a sign that the employer is not paying the legal wages. 'Another red flag is where the employer doesnt provide payslips.' Advertisement 'We also encourage students to get behind the campaign to criminalise wage theft, as they have done in Victoria.' She said it is a pervasive issue in every workforce across Australia. 'When dodgy bosses do the wrong thing, they make it much harder for law abiding businesses to prosper,' she said. 'Its a race to the bottom. Its also a reputational issue for Australia, international students make a huge part of our national economy do we really want to send the message to prospective students that they should expect to earn $6 an hour because theyre not Australian. Why dont we just shoot ourselves in the foot, thats a better strategy than letting wage theft prevail.' Edward Cavanough, manager of policy at the McKell Institute, told Daily Mail Australia there were a few factors that determined why international students were targeted when it came to wage theft. 'With international student's visa conditions, most are only permitted to only work 20 hours a week. However in reality, they often work much more than this,' Mr Cavanough said. Ms Kendall is handling the case of a 25-year-old woman who moved to Australia from China in 2018 to study and began working at a restaurant (stock image) 'Those additional hours arent on the books and they might be done as cash-in-hand deals.' He said that means this can give employers the ability to pay their staff whatever they want. Mr Cavanough said there have been circumstances where people are paid as little as $5. He said language barriers and not knowing their rights in Australia have also contributed to this. Mr Cavanough said this impacts the economy, with an estimated $270m lost every year in South Australia alone because of this. Nationally, there have been estimates that the economy has been shorted between $1.5billion to $6billion. Edward Cavanough, manager of policy at the McKell Institute, said while it happens in every industry two of the biggest offenders are hospitality and horticulture and agriculture jobs such as fruit picking (stock image) He said the McKell Institute has been looking at wage theft for years but there has been limited data. Mr Cavanough said there weren't only issues of vulnerable people being targeted - but the economic impacts and the issue of fairness also came into play. He said while it happens in every industry two of the biggest offenders are hospitality and horticulture and agriculture jobs such as fruit picking. 'The most important thing is we know how to fix wage theft,' Mr Cavanough said. He said the government not giving enough funding to the Fair Work Ombudsman and the policy changes of trade unions - who typically advocate in these cases - has led to an increase in wage theft over the last seven years. 'That is why dodgy employers know they can get away with it,' he said. By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan has provided social assistance to about 2.6 million people during the period of January-August 2020, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has reported. According to the statement, State Fund of Social Protection has provided pensions, allowances and targeted social assistance to about 2.6 million people. Moreover, the population received AZN 3.8 million ($2.2M) for these types of social assistance. This is by 25.7 percent or AZN 782.7 million ($460.4M) more than in the same period of last year. Earlier it was reported that Azerbaijan expanded its social programs to record levels in 2020 despite the limitations of the pandemic. The countrys main policy is to ensure the welfare of citizens, mentioning the achievements of the strategy of socio-economic development. Additionally, another social support during the pandemic, including lump sum payment program in the amount of AZN 333 million ($195.8M), were paid to the unemployed and low income people working informally during the special quarantine regime introduced in the country. Earlier, the government paid a lump-sum payment, in the amount of AZN 190 ($111.7), for unemployed people for August. The lump-sum payments cover 278,000 unemployed and low-income people registered in Baku, Jalilabad, Ganja, Masalli, Mingachevir, Sumgayit, Yevlakh and Absheron, Barda, Goranboy, Goygol, Khachmaz and Salyan regions where the quarantine regime is imposed. Some AZN 53 million ($31.1m) have been allocated for this purpose. In addition, some 600,000 Azerbaijani citizens received benefits in the amount of AZN 190 ($111.7) over COVID-19 in the period between April and May. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz When your first grader is distance learning, someone needs to supervise. For Oliver Levitan, that someone is grandma. Leslie Stallone-Levitan, the mom behind the popular @nochillpreschooler on Instagram, had given up her job to supervise Oliver's learning. The Stallone-Levitan family recently moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis, Missouri, to be closer to family. She was offered a two-day a week job teaching writing and thought she would need to turn it down. "Remote learning for a six-year-old requires full-time adult supervision. My mom stepped in and volunteered to oversee Oliver's remote learning for the two days each week, so I could take the job," Stallone-Levitan told "Good Morning America. Her mom, Candace Stallone, is not even retired yet. She works for the 100-year-old family business, a local tuxedo company called Stallone's Formal Wear. MORE: School's inclusive welcome sign means 'everything' to mom of kindergartener "There's been a giant learning curve," Stallone-Levitan told "GMA." "When she started, she didn't know how to Zoom, manage all the links, or move from one class to the next. And her grandson was no help; [as] he didn't know how to do those things either. So the two of them were quite the pair." PHOTO: Oliver Levitan attends first grade remotely with the help of his grandmother. (Leslie Stallone-Levitan) MORE: Why parents should be concerned about cameras in classrooms: Advocates But, all in all, she said, school is going well. Grandma Candace Stallone "loves spending time with him and watching him learn new things," she said. Since her post went viral, Stallone-Levitan has heard about lots of other grandparents also stepping in to help out with schooling. "One particular woman said that her mom retired early, so she could continue to work full-time as a single mother," she told "GMA." "So sweet." Grandma to the rescue for remote learning: 'They're quite a pair' originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined in filing a multi-state action in seeking to halt changes to the United States Postal Service that could prevent employees from delivering the mail. Healey joined a coalition of attorney generals from California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, North Carolina and Pennsylvania who said actions within the USPS may lead to harming veterans, seniors and rural communities as well as disrupt the general election in November. The attorney generals filed a preliminary injunction on Thursday in federal court in Pennsylvania seeking the court to intervene. The changes being made at the Postal Service are an illegal and blatant attempt to disenfranchise voters during this election season and they must be stopped immediately, Healey said in a statement Americans across the country rely on the Postal Service, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and we will fight these reckless actions to undermine it in a time of heightened need. The preliminary injunction filed against Postmaster General Louis DeJoy argues changes are required to be submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission before they take effect. Any changes implemented recently must be halted, the filing says. The changes cited in the lawsuit include letter carriers ordered to depart for their delivery routes at set times, and no longer make extra trips that might otherwise ensure that the mail is efficiently delivered The result of these operational changes is that mail is delayed at multiple places in the mailstream, the injunction said. The injunction also stated that DeJoy has made contradictory statements on whether the Postal Service will continue to adhere to its longstanding practice of providing the highest level of service to election mail. Mail-in ballots are expected to flood the Postal Service this year as many voters are likely to cast ballots from home to avoid long lines or congested areas amid the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1 million ballots were mailed last month as part of Massachusetts primary on Sept. 1, Secretary of State William Galvin said. I expect an even larger volume of mail-in ballots for the Presidential election, and we need to make sure the Postal Service is up to the job, Galvin said in a statement. The changes are a part of the Trump administrations efforts to streamline the service as the president routinely warns, without evidence, that mail-in voting is ripe for fraud. Last month, DeJoy said he would suspend cost-cutting and efficiency initiatives until after November to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail. Related Content: A senior Crown Resorts executive told a colleague it would be difficult to convince their bosses to "temper their expectations" of profits from China despite a government crackdown, before he was arrested and jailed for illegally promoting gambling in the country. Jason OConnor, the former head of Crowns international high-roller business, told a NSW government inquiry on Thursday that Crown's senior management and board expected high returns from his team in light of the $2.2 billion spent building a new VIP casino in Sydney's Baranagroo. Crown Resorts former head of VIP operations Jason OConnor was imprisoned in China for 10 months. This profit motive "may have blinkered" some at the ASX-listed company to the rising risks of being caught out by authorities in China, where promoting or facilitating gambling is illegal, he said. Mr OConnor was the most senior of 19 Crown staff arrested in co-ordinated raids across China in October 2016 and spent 10 months imprisoned in a Shanghai jail. He is now working on the opening of Crown Sydney. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja aka Shailaja Teacher has been named as the winner of World's Top 50 Thinkers Thinkers of COVID-19 Age by UK-based Prospect Magazine. Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand is ranked second in the list that was prepared from the result of a public ballot. Tens of thousands of people voted in our world's top 50 thinkers 2020 poll. The votes have been counted and the results are in...https://t.co/PrKThaTX1G Prospect Magazine (@prospect_uk) September 2, 2020 "So deft was her handling of a 2018 outbreak of the deadly Nipah disease that it was commemorated in a film, Virus. In 2020, she was the right woman in the right place. When Covid-19 was still a China story in January, she not only accurately foresaw its inevitable arrival, but also fully grasped the implications," the magazine wrote about the Kerala Health Minister. KK Shailaja Teacher "She rapidly got the WHOs full test, trace and isolate drill implemented in the state, and bought crucial time by getting a grip of the airports, and containing the first cases to arrive on Chinese flights. Of course the virus returned, but there was rigorous surveillance and quarantinesometimes in makeshift structures. The public messages have been consistent, and Shailaja follows them to the letter, with social distancing in all official meetings (which can go on until 10pm) and restricting herself to a Zoom-only relationship with her grandchildren," it further wrote. The second spot, earned in a similar way, went to Jacinda Ardern, New Zealands prime minister, whose governing ethos of kindness was drawing interest as a refreshing (if hazy) alternative to neo-liberalism even before it showed practical results in keeping a lid on the crisis. afp Just behind her is the Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, another woman applying her mind to a pressing practical challenge, although in her case it is climate change: she designs houses on stilts to keep families safe from rising waters. The initial success story of Kerala and Shailaja Teacher in combating the outbreak has been well documented and has been featured by some of the biggest media houses around the world. The former high school teacher-turned politician was also a speaker at the United Nations Public Service Day on June 23, to honour those working on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. US passenger airlines are still collectively losing more than $5 billion a month as 30% of planes remain parked United Airlines is preparing to furlough 16,370 workers when federal aid expires on October 1. (AFP Photo) CHICAGO: United Airlines is preparing to furlough 16,370 workers when federal aid expires on Oct. 1 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the airline industry, it said on Wednesday. Chicago-based United had over 90,000 employees before the pandemic brought the industry to a near standstill in March. It warned in July that 36,000 jobs were at risk of involuntary furloughs as demand remained weak. Some 7,400 employees have opted to take early retirement or departure packages and the company is working through several other voluntary temporary leave programs to further reduce the number of furloughs, United officials said. The leaves would give the company flexibility to call back staff once travel returns, they said. Airlines received $25 billion in U.S. government stimulus funds in March meant to cover payrolls and protect jobs through September, when the industry had hoped for a rebound. As bailout money runs out without a travel recovery in sight, airlines and unions have lobbied Washington for another $25 billion but talks have stalled as Congress has struggled to reach agreement on a broader coronavirus assistance package. U.S. passenger airlines are still collectively losing more than $5 billion a month as 30% of planes remain parked. Passenger travel demand is down about 70% and, on average, planes that are flying are half-full. United's schedule for September is 63% smaller than a year ago. United's cuts will affect around 2,850 pilots, 6,920 flight attendants, 2,010 mechanics and 1,400 management and administrative positions, among others, though negotiations continue with pilots to reduce the final number. Rival American Airlines (AAL.O) last week said it would lay off 19,000 workers without federal aid. Including voluntary departures or leaves, its 140,000 pre-pandemic workforce will shrink by 30%. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) plans to lay off nearly 2,000 pilots without wage concessions, but has not said how many jobs for workers including flight attendants and mechanics are at risk. President Donald Trump has said his administration would help U.S. airlines but has not given any details. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland criminal defense attorneys Mark Marein and Steven Bradley notified court officials Wednesday that they will represent former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who is accused in a $60 million pay-to-play scandal that shook the Statehouse. Marein and Bradley will be with Householder on Thursday when he is to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie K. Bowman via video for his arraignment. Four others charged in the scheme -- political aide Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Juan Cespedes, Neil Clark and Matt Borges -- already have entered not guilty pleas to racketeering charges. Householder is the last to appear in court because he struggled to find legal counsel. His initial attorneys, David Thomas and Kathryn Wallrabenstein, said they had conflicts in the case. Householder enters the case represented by a pair of aggressive defense attorneys with a great deal of trial experience in state and federal courts. They have represented clients charged with aggravated murder and white-collar crime. We get hired when someone wants to go to trial, Marein said Wednesday night. Thats what we are, trial lawyers. Were not plea-bargain lawyers; were trial lawyers, and thats whats going to happen here. Marein said it is too early to discuss the case. He said Householder finalized the deal with the lawyers on Wednesday. He said it had been an ongoing process for the past week. The case against Householder and the others stems from House Bill 6 -- a $1.3 billion bailout of two nuclear power plants that were owned by a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. An FBI affidavit said FirstEnergy and its affiliates funneled $60 million in bribes to a nonprofit that Householder controlled. The money went to pass the bill last year, aid legislators who supported Householder for speaker and fight a ballot initiative, according to the FBI affidavit. FirstEnergy began working on the bill when FirstEnergy Solutions owned the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants. FirstEnergy Solutions filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and the plants are now owned by a business called Energy Harbor. Householder and the others charged are free on bond. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Black in Cincinnati. Authorities said the investigation in the case is continuing. FirstEnergy has said it will cooperate in the investigation. PHOENIX: An Arizona resident has asked a judge to bar Kanye West from appearing on Arizonas Nov. 3 ballot, accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate. Lawyers for Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizonas ballot if they arent registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them. But Claytons lawyers say West, who has dozens of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona, isnt qualified to be on the ballot because hes a registered Republican. Even if West were able to gather enough signatures, the lawsuit said the hip hop artists late-in-the-game candidacy would make no difference to his chances of winning the race. West will not be able to qualify for the ballot in enough states to muster enough electoral votes to prevail, Claytons lawyers wrote. Wests minimal interest in playing a spoiler candidate on Arizonas ballot is not enough to outweigh the factors favoring emergency relief. West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah. The rapper and music producer announced his intention to run for president on July 4 and faces a deadline late Friday afternoon in Arizona for turning in more than 39,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot. A Maricopa County judge is scheduled to hear arguments in the legal challenge on Thursday afternoon. Attorney Tim LaSota, who represents West in the Arizona challenge, described the lawsuit as a last-ditch effort on the eve of the (signature filing deadline) to deprive voters of a choice. LaSota brushed aside criticism that West is trying to be a spoiler aimed at hurting Democratic nominee Joe Bidens chances in Arizona. Thats just political hyperbole, LaSota said. I dont want to get into the politics of it. But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president. Claytons attorneys said the lawsuit must be resolved quickly because the deadline for Arizonas ballots will be printed on Sept. 8 and 9. Its unclear if Clayton has any connections to the Arizona Democratic Party. Joe Roth, one of his attorneys, and the state Democratic Party didnt return a call Wednesday seeking comment. 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 With less than a week before students head back to school, Premier Brian Pallister admits he's a little bit apprehensive about how the fall will play out. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. With less than a week before students head back to school, Premier Brian Pallister admits he's a little bit apprehensive about how the fall will play out. The number of cases of COVID-19 have been surging in Manitoba of late, and parents are nervous if not downright anxious about the start of classes. "It's a monumentally challenging time," Pallister said in an interview Wednesday at his office in the Manitoba Legislative Building. Manitoba has been planning for the start of school this fall since spring. On Wednesday, it laid out more details for parents and teachers about what can be expected when school starts Sept. 8. Plans are being continually revised. Earlier this week, for example, the province announced the very youngest schoolchildren not just those Grade 4 and up, as originally planned would be required to wear non-medical face masks on school buses. Pallister said the back-to-school plan has involved "really good advice" from the province's medical experts, with input from school divisions and parents. "The partnership that has to exist in education, I think, has worked well to this point. But to say that I wasn't apprehensive would be wrong. I am," he said. Every province is going through the same challenges as Manitoba, and everyone is hopeful, Pallister said. He said children learn better in school, and parents have been telling him their children miss their friends. "I wouldn't agree with those who say that this is gambling with our children. I've heard that said and it's not true," the premier said. "But it's fair to say it is an experiment, because it is a first-time thing. And I think there's a difference between gambling and experiments. Taylor Marks, a Grade 8 math teacher, shows how she measured out her desks Wednesday in her classroom at Andrew Mynarski V.C. School. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) "We're doing the best we can to shape the odds in favour of our kids. And we all know that 100 per cent safety, keeping kids out of school, isn't the answer." On Wednesday, Manitoba reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 lower than in many recent days. The current five-day test positivity rate fell to 1.8 per cent, from 2.2 per cent the previous day. There have been 1,244 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province to date, and 14 deaths. Fourteen Manitobans are in hospital with COVID-19, with one in intensive care. The province also reported Wednesday one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19 at each of two personal care homes in Winnipeg: Fred Douglas Lodge and Beacon Hill Lodge Long Term Care Home. Close contacts are being identified in each facility and investigations are continuing. Pallister said Manitoba has adopted measures in its school plan that will allow it to isolate cases and remove students from high-risk situations without closing an entire facility. "We got some really good advice from our medical people. We got some really good practices and plans put in place or being implemented now by our school divisions," he said. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Meanwhile, the premier took a swipe at critics who have accused him of worrying about the economy at the price of public safety. He said the province can pursue both goals at the same time. "If there was ever a time for people to learn, if they didn't know already, that there's a symbiotic relationship between health and social services and the economy of Manitoba, this is the time to figure it out," he said. "The safer we are, the more discretionary income we have, the better chance we have to create jobs and wealth for each other, the more tax we generate... that can support our social services." Pallister said he will be watching keenly as the latest employment numbers are released Friday. The most recent figures showed 40,000 fewer Manitobans were working, compared with at the start of the pandemic. "That doesn't make me happy," he said. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Czech Senate president Milos Vystrcil on Thursday morning met Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen during his visit to the self-ruled democratic island, defying China that has called the trip an act of international treachery and his statements, violation of Beijings One-China policy. The harshest Chinese reaction to the trip had come from foreign minister Wang Yi who is on a five-nation Europe outreach visit and told Vystrcil that he had crossed a red line. China treats Taiwan as its territory and objects to official contact between other countries and the self-governing island. ALSO WATCH | USA was naive, China wont change; India real friend: Ex-US diplomat Nikki Haley The Chinese government and Chinese people wont take a laissez-faire attitude or sit idly by, and will make him (Vystrcil) pay a heavy price for his short-sighted behaviour and political opportunism. the Chinese foreign minister said over the weekend.. Wang was promptly rebuked by Germany, Slovakia and France. German foreign minister Heiko Maas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, on Wednesday confronted Wang for his threat, telling him that Europeans offered its international partners respect and expected the exact same from them. Threats dont fit in here, Maas said on Tuesday according to a Bloomberg report, standing next to Wang at a press briefing in Berlin. The French foreign ministry has called Wangs comments unacceptable, a message echoed by Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable, President Caputova said in a tweet. #Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic. #EU-#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable. Zuzana Caputova (@ZuzanaCaputova) September 1, 2020 Milos Vystrcil, whose visit to Taipei triggered the diplomatic storm, landed in Taiwan on 30 August with a 90-member delegation, declaring that the Czech Republic would not bow to objections from Beijing that considers the democratically-ruled island a breakaway province. Also Read: China taking advantage of Covid-19 outbreak, India one such example: US diplomat On Thursday morning, he stuck to his schedule and met Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and other top government officials Thursday. Tsai presented a medal for Jaroslav Kubera, the late predecessor of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who died in January before he could travel to Taiwan to accept the medal. I do not feel I have crossed any red line whatsoever, Vystrcil told reporters after the meeting, according to news agency Associated Press. Vystrcil said he hadnt done anything that would be an infringement of the One China policy but underlined that every country has the right to interpret the One China principle in their own way. Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Taiwan is trying to maintain the status quo and the status quo is that Taiwan does not belong to China. Taiwan is governed by its own people. The two sides also spoke of plans to deepen cooperation in business, scientific research and democratic exchange. Vystrcil had on Tuesday angered Beijing when he, in his address to Taiwanese lawmakers, invoked a 1963 speech by US President John F Kennedy during a Cold War trip to West Berlin and emphasised democratic freedoms embraced by the Czech Republic after communist rule at the end of the Cold War. 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 according to the AP report. On Thursday, Taiwan parliament speaker You Si-kun showered praises at Vystrcil for his stirring speech to lawmakers and described him as a paragon of a cultured country. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis vulgar threats however were like a cold, unwelcome winter wind that cause discomfort, the speaker said, according to a Reuters report. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dido Harding has set a 75-mile limit on appointments for test and trace Test and trace boss Dido Harding has installed a 75-mile limit on travelling to appointments after it was revealed some patients were being asked to drive almost 300 miles. It comes as the number of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 being reached through Test and Trace is at its lowest since the system was launched, figures show. The latest data also indicates that a total of 6,732 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to August 26, an increase of 6% in positive cases on the previous week and the highest weekly number since the week to June 3. The figures come as the system faces criticism for a flaw in its online booking system which tries to direct people to test centres more than 100 miles away. Patients trying to book coronavirus tests in Kent are being told to travel nearly 500 miles to Edinburgh despite their local sites sitting almost empty. One dad, whose two-year-old daughter had symptoms, tried to book a test at Manston Airport in Thanet, Kent, but was told he had to go to Harwich in Essex, a journey of 130 miles. When he turned up at the near-empty Manston site he was told some people had arrived after being told to go to Edinburgh, 470 miles away. Others have been sent from Kent to Manchester, some 300 miles away. Londoners have also seen similar problems, with many being told to go 200 miles to Bradford or Manchester, despite the Heathrow and Twickenham test sites barely being used. Manston Airport COVID test centre, in Kent, without many vehicles in the queue while patients are being told to travel nearly 500 miles from the south of England to Edinburgh, Scotland Anthony Hall, from Broadstairs, Kent, said he tried to book a slot online to have a swab test at Manston for his two-year-old daughter after she started showing symptoms of the virus. But he was only given the option of Harwich Port and he was told others in the area had been sent to Edinburgh. He said: 'The only option I was given was Harwich Port in Essex. 'In the end I drove to Manston, which was empty except for one other car, and one of the guys working there said they'd had people coming in who had been told to go to Edinburgh. 'Because my daughter was showing symptoms they allowed us to be tested, but I've heard from others that this isn't always the case.' Teresa Drury, also from Broadstairs, was told to travel the 300 miles to Manchester Airport when she tried to book and not even given the option of using Manston, just a 10 minute drive from her home. She said: 'We tried three days on the trot. I'd put in my postcode but got offered Manchester, Folkestone and Ashford - Manston didn't even come up as an option when we tried. Teresa Drury, from Broadstairs, was told to travel 300 miles to Manchester Airport when she tried to book and was not given option to use Manston - a 10 minute drive away from her home 'Whenever I drove past the site it was always empty yet we were told we couldn't get tested there without an appointment. It was really frustrating. 'The test was for a family member who, it turns out, had a cold, but she works in retail so had to get tested and she couldn't work until she had. 'The government says it is trying to get the country back on its feet and the economy moving so it's bizarre that this is happening. You can't help but feel suspicious. 'Why isn't something being done to resolve it or even the government admitting there are problems? 'Manston has capacity for 1,200 people a day, yet it's empty. Why don't they run a turn-up system there, where you can just drive up and get tested without an appointment? 'I went there three times, and three times it was empty.' Mrs Drury says when she rang the 119 registration phone line she was firstly told there was an admin error in the booking system and then that Manston was fully booked, despite her driving past and seeing no cars in the testing bays. She added: 'I went past on three occasions, at different times of the day, and each time the site was empty with the people who worked there just standing around.' She is not the only one to have experienced problems with booking. Other residents have seen issues at the testing centre in nearby Ebbsfleet, Kent, where people needing a test are being directed miles from their home. Many have reportedly been offered appointments in Wales and the Midlands, while others claim the Ebbsfleet test site has been 'empty' in recent weeks. Pictured: The test and trace centre in Twickenham which was reportedly fully booked while Londoners were told to travel to Bradford or Manchester in order to receive their test The test and trace swabbing centre at Heathrow Justin Madders, shadow health minister, described the latest figures as 'hugely disappointing' and said there was 'clearly a problem with testing infrastructure'. New figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show that 69.4% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached through the Test and Trace system in the week ending August 26. This is down from 77.1% in the previous week, and the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace was launched in May and is marks the tenth week in a row that the 80% target has not been reached. For cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.3% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to August 26. By contrast, for those cases handled either online or by call centres, 59.8% of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate. Since the launch of Test and Trace, 270,559 close contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have now been reached through the tracing system and asked to self-isolate. Mr Madders added: 'With cases on the increase and the Government pushing for everyone to return to work, it is more important than ever that test and trace is working to its potential. 'It is therefore hugely disappointing to see that the number of people the system reached went down again in the last week. 'There is also clearly a problem with testing infrastructure as people across the country are sent hundreds of miles for testing appointments.' The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) insists there has been no reduction in national testing capacity. A spokesman 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.' There is no evidence that either deputy riding in the front seat of the vehicle discharged a weapon at any time, he said, adding that neither deputy was injured. Hospital Drive and Cowan Boulevard were closed in the area of the shooting until about 8 a.m. Tuesday as police investigated and cleared the scene. The womans remains were taken to the chief medical examiners office in Richmond for an autopsy. This is the second time in two years that someone in custody in a Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office cruiser managed to shoot themselves. On Aug. 16, 2018, Christopher Howard was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a patrol vehicle after he was reported as being suicidal. He managed to obtain a gun from a compartment in the vehicle and shot himself in the head, according to authorities. He survived, and later filed a claim accusing the Sheriffs Office of negligence. A similar incident involving a county deputy happened two years ago, on Aug. 16, 2018, when a man handcuffed in the back seat of a SUV patrol vehicle got a gun from a compartment and shot himself in the head. Vietnamese aviation authorities have prepared detailed plans for resuming commercial flights to some Northeast and Southeast Asian destinations this month. Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), said the Ministry of Transport and other relevant agencies will submit the plans on Thursday to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, asking for flights to be reconnected to Guangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Cambodia and Laos. Once the services resume on September 15 all foreign passengers will be quarantined on arrival. Around 5,000 people are expected to fly into Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City every week. There will be two weekly round trips on the HCMC-Guangzhou (China) sector. Vietnam Airlines or Pacific Airlines will operate one of them and a Chinese carrier, the other. There will be two weekly services on the Hanoi-Tokyo and two HCMC-Tokyo routes, with Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air allocated one sector each. On the South Korea route, Vietnam Airlines will fly to Seoul from Hanoi and Vietjet Air from HCMC, both once a week. Vietnam Airlines is scheduled to fly on the HCMC-Taipei (Taiwan) sector, and Vietjet Air the Hanoi-Taipei route. To Laos and Cambodia, aviation authorities have proposed one flight a week by Vietnam Airlines. According to the CAAV proposal, passengers arriving in Vietnam must have been in these Asian destinations for at least 30 days prior to boarding the flight. Transit passengers will not be allowed in. Passengers must furnish a certificate showing they tested negative for the novel coronavirus within three days before departure. On arrival, they would undergo rapid testing for Covid-19 with the costs covered by the airlines. They will have to pay for their quarantine. The CAAV has petitioned the Ministry of Health to announce quarantine requirements for passengers upon entry and publish a list of real-time PCR labs in the country for foreign passengers since they might need a Covid-19 testing certificate before leaving Vietnam. Vietnam suspended all international flights on March 25. Many foreigners who have been kept out of Vietnam due to travel restrictions have pleaded with the government to reopen the borders and resume international flights so that they could reunite with their families. China, Japan and South Korea are Vietnam's biggest foreign investors and also send the largest number of tourists to the country. Vietnam has had 1,046 Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths so far. LO, AE Jobs; Workflow, Lead, Processing, Renegotiation Products; Who Owns 1/3 of Agency MBS? It was the third of September, that day Ill always remember, yes I will Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was a loan. Oh, sorry, alone. (And yes, I dance like that, at the 2-minute mark, when I finish sending this commentary out every day.) My guess is that The Temptations, through hard work and talent, generated a fair amount of wealth for themselves and those around them. I know that well probably have a record number of MLOs who earn north of a million bucks this year. Did you, as a lender, make some doubloons in the 2nd quarter? I sure hope so. Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $4,548 on each loan they originated in the second quarter, up from $1,600 per loan in the first quarter. And speaking of money matters, the U.S. central bank now owns almost a third of bonds backed by American home loans. U.S. government debt is on track to exceed the size of the economy for the 12 months ended September 30, a milestone not hit since World War II, and the Congressional Budget Office reported that federal debt held by the public is projected to reach or exceed 100 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. Someone has to pay for this, right? Lender and Broker Products and Services We get it, everybody and their dog is refinancing with the rates right now, but your processors are unable to get to a file for 4 days, so everybody (dog included) ends up going with another lender. Truework can help. Our dedicated team of highly trained mortgage industry professionals at Truework is committed to tackling and completing your VOE/VOI request (whether manual or automated) so you can close your loans faster than ever. Truework is a US-based company and has partnered with major lenders across the country to conduct 100,000+ verifications and counting. And for a limited time, Rob Chrisman readers get 5 free Verifications ($200 value). Let us do the heavy lifting so you can focus on what matters. Interested? Email zackary@truework.com. NANs vision is 2020! Nationwide Appraisal Network's (NAN) CEO, Joni Pilgrim, is a proud winner of the prestigious 2020 Women With Vision Award. Pilgrim joins the winners circle surrounded by the top women professionals in the mortgage industry. Joni has paved the way for women in the mortgage and valuation business as well as women entrepreneurs across all industries. She is a fearless leader who is always ten steps ahead, says Ashley Griffin, Director of Marketing at NAN. As NAN enters its 16th year in business, Pilgrims success as CEO of one of the top AMCs servicing mortgage lenders and brokers, comes as no surprise. Pilgrim is the epitome of professionalism and is a true visionary leader. NANs success in 2020 is a direct reflection of her leadership. From August 2019 to today, NAN has seen a 119% YoY growth in orders and is on track to finish Q3 with record-breaking numbers. In celebration of National Mortgage Professional month, AFR Wholesale would like to say THANK YOU to all the mortgage professionals who work so hard to make the dream of homeownership come true for so many. Fully invested in the success of their business partners, AFR Wholesale offers a wide variety of value-added complimentary services, including On-Demand Processing. If youre like many mortgage brokers in 2020, your sales pipeline is flowing, but processing loans can take up A LOT of your time. In addition to underwriting, funding, and closing your loans, AFR can also process your loans for you, so you can focus on acquiring new business! AND its on a loan-by-loan basis, so they process only the loans you choose. For more information about becoming a partner, go to afrwholesale.com, email sales@afrwholesale.com or call 1-800-375-6071. Already proving to increase lender purchase conversion rate 3-10X, Home Captain has now announced the Home Captain Hub, a Conversion Optimization System, with a new suite of innovative products and services tailored to dramatically increase the lifetime engagement and satisfaction of mortgage service and banking customers who are purchasing, selling or refinancing their home. This includes products for portfolio retention, artificial intelligence lead engagement, loss mitigation, and customer propensity modeling while enhancing Home Captains home buyer and seller concierge services. Combining technology and human services enables clients to increase revenue events, recapture customer relationships, and provide industry leading NPS scores. Home Captain has begun rolling out its Hub to their current portfolio of over 40 lender and bank customers and is projecting complete adoption of the new product by the beginning of 2021. Visit www.homecaptain.com/enterprise-solutions to learn more about Home Captains new suite of products and opportunities. Is it really possible to close a loan in 7 days? Yes, says Jay Promisco, Chief Production Officer at Sierra Pacific Mortgage, and it starts by redesigning and reimagining how a mortgage should work. Catch up on our recent States Title Ask the Expert webinar and find out how Sierra Pacific designed a baseline workflow for the mortgage of the future. Event News MBAC has rescheduled its 65th Annual Convention Due to COVID -19, deciding to hold next year's event at the Hotel Ballast in Wilmington, October 4- 7, 2021. Sponsorship Opportunities for 2021 Convention will be sent out in the future. MBAC still has other opportunities for you to get involved, if you need to hire, has a new career hub, on our website, webinars, forums, and blogs. Questions can be addressed to Robin Weyrens (704-557-0204). Franklin American Mortgage Wholesale Customer Training Calendar for the month of September is posted. Training opportunities include Seizing Market Share, Organizing and Planning a More Effective Day and Week, Negotiations How to Get What You Want, Up Your Game to Score Approvals Sooner, 5 Habits of Highly Effective Salespeople: Habit #3 and Detecting & Avoiding Fraud in Loan Files. Arch MI has released its September calendar of training and events. PRMG University TPO Training Calendar for September is Now Available. Live webinars include PRMG Outlook Basics Part I and Part 2, Phone Call with a Purpose, Rural Property Appraisals and Symmetry HELOCs for TPO. FHA is offering a free, online webinar, Thursday, September 10th, to assist FHA-approved lenders (and their auditors) with their upcoming Annual Recertification and provide detailed information on how they can successfully submit an acceptable recertification package via the Lender Electronic Assessment Portal (LEAP).FHA-Approved Lender Annual Recertification Requirements. NAMMBA Connect registration (free) is now open, slated for September 16-17. The upcoming Colorado Mortgage Summit on Thursday, Oct. 1st will be LIVE at the Embassy Suites Denver Tech Center North. It features actionable insight, It will show you how to make more money with compelling new tech offerings, It looks at how to best make use of your Wholesale rep. and It's got amazing showcases of techniques you can use to make yourself and your sales teams much more productive. (And, of course, we want to make sure everyone will be safe. So please understand that masks are mandatory. Capital Markets Have you updated your pull-through forecast to account for the agency refi fee delay? Mid-August originations can be expected to fall out at a higher rate and require special attention. Get guidance on forecasting this unique pull-through environment in Rasoris Relentless Releases Episode 1 from MCT, and review tactics to profitably manage borrowers in the Rate Renegotiation Policies Explainer. Phil Rasori will be back shortly with Episode 2, focusing on loan and lock level hedge costs. Stay tuned by joining the MCT newsletter. Its not yet Labor Day Weekend, so Im going to use the dog days of summer to describe the market yesterday. The yield curve flattened again, the large news on the day being the Federal Reserve's Beige Book for September observing an improvement in activity in most Districts, though the gains left overall activity well below the previous peak. Manufacturing and consumer spending slowly improved, commercial construction was broadly lower, but residential real estate sales improved. Employment increased in most Districts but slowing job growth was reported in some places. The ADP Employment Change report missed badly, a troublesome precursor to tomorrows payrolls report. Factory orders in July, which is a sign of business spending, increased more than expected following an upwardly revised increase in June, the third straight monthly increase in factory orders following declines in March and April. Finally, and disappointingly, there was no progress on the stimulus front from Washington. Senate Leader McConnell expressed doubts, saying talks haven't been fruitful and that any embrace of bipartisanship has "descended" as the fall elections near. Based on that ADP employment report, the economy seems it could use further stimulus. This week, both the MBA and Black Knight reported a roughly flat sequentially total industry forbearance rate, though the GSE forbearance rate ticked slightly lower to 5.3 percent according to Black Knight. Several weeks after supplemental federal unemployment insurance benefits expired, we have still not seen any notable uptake in forbearance, though monthly payments due in September are likely to present a more important test of borrower health. The majority (62 percent per the MBA and 72 percent per Black Knight) of borrowers in an active forbearance plan are now in an extension of their initial relief plan. The industry mortgage forbearance rate has generally flat-lined for several weeks around 7 percent to 7.5 percent after peaking around 8.5 percent to 9 percent in June. Todays economic calendar is already underway: August job cuts from Challenger (115k, -56 percent from July), weekly initial claims for the week ending August 29 (881k, lower than forecast), July trade deficit (63.6 billion) and revised Q2 productivity and unit labor costs (+10.1 percent, down to +9.0 percent, respectively). Later this morning brings final August Markit services, August ISM non-manufacturing PMI, and Freddie Macs Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week ending September 3. Today also sees two dovish Fed presidents speaking: Atlantas Bostic and Chicagos Evans. The NY Fed will conduct three MBS FedTrade operations totaling up to $5.4 billion MBS, starting with $754 million UMBS15 2 percent followed by $2.9 billion UMBS30 2 percent and 2.5 percent and $1.8 billion GNII 2 percent and 2.5 percent. The Desk will then report on MBS purchases for the week ending September 2 in the afternoon. We begin the day with Agency MBS prices unchanged from Wednesdays close and the 10-year yielding .65 percent, also unchanged. Employment and Community Development All signs indicate that Home Point Financial is gearing up to make a continued big push in market share. Home Point has competitive pricing, great service, retains servicing as part of its Customer For Life philosophy, and Home Point is hiring like crazy. Home Point is on pace to have hired more than 800 people in 2020, with three recent additions in Operations leadership showing that the company is pursuing an increasingly faster process, too. The company welcomed industry veterans Kami Kent, Jennifer Romo, and Christa Formo to its team this week. Already the fastest-growing Top-5 wholesale lender and the 12th largest correspondent lender in the country, despite having only been in business for five years, brokers and correspondents are looking to buy, buy, buy into Home Point stock moving forward. If youre a mortgage broker or correspondent that still needs to get signed up with Home Point, visit their website now. Caliber Home Loans recently raised $500,000 in its United Way fundraiser (Caliber Kindness) to benefit COVID-19 relief operations. The funds represent generous donations from employees that were matched by Caliber. At Caliber, we felt it was important to help those most in need in 50 of our top communities where we live and work, said Caliber CEO Sanjiv Das. Im so proud of how our employees stepped up to this challenge, and were thankful for United Ways partnership and support. Do you want great job satisfaction, to work at a company with an outstanding employee satisfaction rating and to have the ability to truly make a difference where you live and work? Contact Jonathan Stanley today. #CaliberStrong. Theres no shortage of opportunities these days for Underwriters, Closers and Funders who are looking to make a career move. But how do you know which company is the right fit for you? At Axia Home Loans, we are more than just 100% employee owned. We are a collection of genuine, hardworking professionals dedicated to achieving excellence through the extraordinary service and support we provide not only to our customers, but to each other. Were tech savvy, efficient, inclusive, and offer great benefits. But at the end of the day, its really all about the people, isnt it? Would it make your day to work alongside fellow employee owners who, at ALL levels of the organization, are passionate about serving and supporting each other? If so, Axia may be a perfect fit for you. Apply for an open position now or contact Leslie Boyce for more information. AmeriHome is now the 3rd largest correspondent investor in the country according to Inside Mortgage Finance, and its still growing! AmeriHome is currently hiring for several positions, and now is a perfect time to join the AmeriHome team! AmeriHome Correspondent is looking for Non-Delegated Underwriters, as well as a Non-Delegated Underwriting Trainer, and a Non-Delegated Underwriting Manager. AmeriHome is also looking for Delegated Underwriters, Loan Review Operations Managers, Loan Review Specialists, and more. Positions are available in Southern California, Texas, and remote! AmeriHome's commitment to Relationships, Reliability, and Results applies both externally and internally; it is invested in their employees' long-term success and development. They have a great, supportive culture, and a focus on career pathing, mentorship, and career growth opportunities. Visit AmeriHomes careers page to view all open positions, and submit resumes to Mitchell Tsai to schedule an interview. On 3 September 2020, the WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya gave a special lecture to WCO scholars at the Customs Training Institute in Kashiwa, Japan. Eighteen scholars under the Japan-WCO Scholarship Programme who are following the Masters Degree Programme in Public Finance at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) or in Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights at the Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) attended the lecture. The Secretary General's lecture focused on the emerging and evolving challenges faced by Customs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as on the WCOs significant role of continuing to facilitate international trade, especially cross-border movements of relief goods, and of helping minimize the overall impact of the crisis on the world's economies and societies. He also highlighted the importance of cooperating and closely working both with the private sector and international organizations to ensure the integrity and continued facilitation of the global supply chain. During the interactive session that followed, Dr. Mikuriya answered questions and listened to scholars comments. He made frequent references to the situation in the scholars respective countries, while highlighting WCOs contributions towards supporting Members through online platforms to maintain their activities and secure business continuity. In addition, he shared his views on further action to be taken by the WCO in this context. The visit by Dr. Mikuriya provided a good opportunity for scholars to gain cutting-edge knowledge on the WCO's activities and to recognize the roles that scholars can play in working towards Customs modernization efforts in their home administrations. Professors from both universities attended the lecture and welcomed the support provided by the WCO and Japan Customs. In turn, Secretary General Mikuriya praised the Programme as an excellent example of partnership between Customs and universities in addressing the crucial matter of Customs modernization aimed at developing human resources through knowledge, management skills and networks. He wished the WCO scholars all the best for the completion of their courses and future career in Customs, as they would undoubtedly be engaged in shaping the Customs agenda in years to come. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Thursday warned Pakistan against trying to take advantage of India's border row with China in eastern Ladakh, saying Islamabad could suffer "heavy losses" for any "misadventure". In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Gen Rawat said also spoke about security implications of China's economic assistance to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as well as its overall military, economic and diplomatic support to Islamabad. The Chief of Defence Staff said Pakistan could take advantage of India's border row with China, and it may create some trouble for New Delhi, adding a strategy has already been devised to deal with such a scenario. "If any threat develops around our northern borders, Pakistan could take advantage of that and create some trouble for us," he said. "Therefore, we have taken adequate precaution to ensure that any such misadventure by Pakistan is sorted and they are not able to succeed in their mission. In fact, they may suffer heavy losses should they attempt any misadventure," Gen Rawat said. He said Pakistan has been engaged in a proxy war against India and pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, adding Pakistan attempted to spread terrorism in other parts of India as well. Talking about India's overall security challenges, the Chief of Defence Staff said the country faces the most "complex threats and challenges" spanning the full spectrum of conflict from "nuclear to sub-conventional". "The proxy war unleashed by Pakistan blocked India's efforts at regional integration besides fomenting terrorism against India and exploiting our diverse faultlines ," he said. India has been adopting a tough approach in dealing with cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India's warplanes pounded a terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan in February last year days after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Gen Rawat said China's economic cooperation with Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir along with its continued military, economic and diplomatic support requires high levels of "preparations" by India. "At the same time it poses the threat of coordinated action along the northern and western fronts which we have to consider in our defence planning," he said. To a question on how the armed forces are dealing with coronavirus, Gen Rawat said none of the military personnel who are deployed on the frontline, flying aircraft and deployed at at sea are affected by the pandemic. Guiyang, Southwest Chinas Guizhou Province, is tapping into big data and making it a powerful driver for digital economy and high-quality social and economic development in a new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation. Since 2015, Guiyang has held five sessions of the China International Big Data Industry Expo (Big Data Expo). The expo has gradually become an international and specialized platform as well as a weathervane of the global development of big data. In accordance with Chinas big data strategy, Guiyang proposed building the Shubo Avenue (also known as Big Data Avenue) to sustain the spillover effect of the Big Data Expo in 2018. Zhao Deming, member of the standing committee of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee as well as secretary of Guiyang Municipal Party Committee, vowed to build a comprehensive platform for traditional culture, urban tourism and ecological leisure with the Shubo Avenue. The Shubo Avenue is not only a road, but also an industry cluster that zooms in on the in-depth integration of the Internet, big data, and AI into the real economy, as well as relevant exhibition and exchanges. From Beijing West Road on the south to Qingshan Road on the north, Shubo Avenue stretches about 20 kilometers, said Wu Hongchun, director of Guiyang Municipal Bureau of Big Data Development Administration. It mainly runs across Guiyangs Yunyan, Guanshanhu, Baiyun districts, as well as Guiyang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, covering a total area of 74.56 square kilometers, Wu added. Guiyang plans to spend one year on planning and designing, two years on basic construction and three years on improvement and upgrading, concentrating efforts to build the core area of Shubo Avenue, introduced Wu. An industry avenue, innovation avenue, ecology avenue, exhibition avenue, experience avenue and intelligence avenue will be constructed around the Shubo Avenue to better support the functions of Shubo Avenue. The greatest value of big data lies in its capability of integration, noted Xu Hao, executive vice mayor of Guiyang, adding that Shubo Avenue emphasizes digital intelligence and integration, and will lead human society from industrial civilization to a digital one. On August 9, 2018, Guiyang held a symposium on related work of Shubo Avenue. The first 20 projects of Shubo Avenue, with total investment of 2.2 billion yuan ($322.3 million), commenced on March 20, 2019. At present, the Avenue is already home to an array of emerging industries. To bring the big data industry closer to urban life is a major function of Shubo Avenue. To ensure its function upon the completion of Shubo Avenue, the integration between industries and city, and between the digital and real sectors is of vital importance. At least 150 cities in the world are engaged in smart city construction, in which smart transportation is essential, said Cao Yuteng, chief operating officer at Guizhou-based HanKaiSi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., adding that autopilot is an important part. Vehicles may soon become an unmanned mobile space, Cao said, comparing them to smart phones, as they will be composed by smart mobile platforms and applications. He believes traffic jam would no longer exist in the future. According to Cao, part of the application scenarios, such as mobile wards, have already been realized in the new towns and residential complexes around Shubo Avenue. To achieve the city-industry integration calls for better integration between digital economy and real economy. In April, Guizhou Esgyn Information Technology Co., Ltd. announced that a sandbox system it developed for the core transaction of the Bank of Guiyang had been officially launched and achieved expected goals. This is the first pilot project that applies a domestic database to the core transaction of a bank, said to Li Jing, chairman of the company. With completely independent and controllable technology, the sandbox system helps solve problems related to information security in the core systems of banks and reduce business risks, and is of great significance for breaking the monopoly of international database and for realizing the commercial use of domestic database in the core transaction of the financial sector, Li pointed out. The big data and real economy integration index of Guiyang reached 49.9 last year, 4.6 higher from a year ago and 10.4 higher than that of Guizhou province. India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in 'best suitable ways', Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Thursday, remarks that came against the backdrop of China's fresh attempts to change the status quo in certain areas in eastern Ladakh. In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Gen Rawat also asserted that India's policy of engagement in the region, if not backed by credible military power and influence, would imply acknowledging China's pre-eminence. Gen Rawat also warned Pakistan against trying to take advantage of any possible conflict between India and China in eastern Ladakh, saying Islamabad may suffer 'heavy losses' for any 'misadventure'. "Of late, India has been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these in the best suitable ways," Gen Rawat said at the online event while mentioning laid down protocols between the two countries in maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control. He said China's infra projects in Tibet Autonomous Region, including completion of a highway renovation project and development of strategic railway lines, as also recently introduced reforms in Chinese military are being monitored by India and their implications are being considered in devising a strategy for the future. Tensions flared in eastern Ladakh after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the Southern Bank of Pangong lake four days back when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the festering border row. India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions in the future. China has strongly objected to India's move. Noting that Pakistan could take advantage of India's border row with China, the Chief of Defence Staff said it may create some trouble for New Delhi on the northern border. "Therefore, we have taken adequate precautions to ensure that any such misadventure by Pakistan is sorted and they are not able to succeed in their mission . In fact, they may suffer heavy losses should they attempt any misadventure," he said. The Chief of Defence Staff spoke extensively about how Pakistan has been engaged in a proxy war against India and pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, and also its attempts to spread terrorism in other parts of the country. "We have unsettled borders along the northern front and also in the western front with Pakistan. So our military will continue to be a significant factor in determining our national security. "Our armed forces will have to be prepared to deal with immediate crisis and concurrently prepare for the future," he said. Gen Rawat said China's economic cooperation with Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir along with its continued military, economic and diplomatic support requires high levels of 'preparations' by India. "At the same time it poses the threat of coordinated action along the northern and western fronts which we have to consider in our defence planning," he said. "Considering the threats from our northern and western borders, we have devised strategies to deal with a primary front, depending on which to consider a primary threat," he added. Talking about India's overall security challenges, the Chief of Defence Staff said the country faces the most 'complex threats and challenges' spanning the full spectrum of conflict from 'nuclear to sub-conventional'. "The key geo-strategic challenges emanate from the instability due to perceived misconception about nationalism often leading to conflict. "The proxy war unleashed by Pakistan blocked India's efforts at regional integration besides fomenting terrorism against India and exploiting our diverse faultlines," he said. "The rising Chinese influence in East Asia, South East Asia and South Asia, and developments in the Indian Ocean Region including non-traditional threats like piracy, maritime terrorism, human traficking and bio terrorism have a direct bearing on India's interests," Gen Rawat said. On 'Quad' or Quadrilateral coalition among India, the United States, Australia and Japan, Gen Rawat said New Delhi thinks the grouping 'is a good system' to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Paciifc region. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has pleaded for the safe return of a veteran firefighter who authorities fear was the victim of a violent kidnapping during a trip to Mexico. Francisco Aguilar, 48, vanished more than two weeks ago after he travelled by himself to his condo - which is rented out on Airbnb - near Rosarito, Mexico. Police fear the father-of-two - who is assigned to Station 44 in Cypress Park having worked for the LAFD for 20 years - was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked with tables overturned and his motorcycle and jeep gone. Mayor Garcetti urged 'anybody who would dare kidnap an Angelino' to 'let him go'. Police fear missing Los Angeles firefighter Francisco Aguilar, 48, (pictured) was the victim of a violent kidnapping during a trip to Mexico Police fear the father-of-two (pictured) - who worked for the LAFD for 20 years - was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked and his motorcycle and jeep gone Addressing the press, he said: 'We will work tirelessly to make sure that Frank is returned safely. 'That this is somebody who has put his life on the line for us.' He added: 'And if this message gets to anybody who would dare kidnap an Angelino who serves the people of Los Angeles. 'Let him go and make sure that he is able to safely return to our city and to his family.' Mr Aguilar's family say they have not received a ransom request, but police were left 'concerned' after obtaining obtained Ring camera footage from inside the home on the night he vanished His family say they have not received a ransom request, but police were left 'concerned' after obtaining obtained Ring camera footage from inside the home on the night he vanished. Authorities have not told Mr Aguilar's worried daughters what the footage shows. Adding to concerns, his phone is now turned off, his family say, an action not typical of the devoted father. His daughter Bella told ABC News: We're just so worried sick. Every day is getting harder. Anxiety is getting much worse as the days go on.' Addressing her father, his other daughter Amaris said: 'I will go to the ends of the earth for you. And I can't wait until you get back so we can give you a big hug.' Speaking of her father's disappearance last month, Amaris said: 'We were on FaceTime the other day and he was on the beach and just talking to about how it was so much fun and this was a little taste of what retirement would be like for him. 'I just pray with every fiber in my being that my father returns to us.' His daughter Bella (pictured) said: We're just so worried sick. Every day is getting harder. Anxiety is getting much worse as the days go on' Mexican authorities are leading the investigation into his disappearance with help from the FBI. Last month, the family hosted a vigil at their home in Montebello and are seeking support during the trying times. 'I don't know if I can take it, he's my first child,' said Aguilar's mother Martha Carmona Aguilar. On Monday, Aguilar's daughters asked Governor Gavin Newsom to get involved in the search. Homicides are a common concern for visitors travelling to Rosarito and its surrounding locations after drug cartels caused a spike in killings between 2007 and 2010. Since that point, murder rates have dropped but are still higher in this region than the rest of the county. Tourists are not usually the targets of drug-related crimes. 09/03/2020 By Ed Brennen Theres no shortage of research on how businesses respond during a time of crisis, be it a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or a financial meltdown like the Great Recession. But how businesses respond during a once-in-a-century global pandemic isnt as well understood. Denise Dunlap, an assistant professor of marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation in the Manning School of Business, is hoping to fill that knowledge gap through her work on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative that aims to speed the development and commercialization of COVID-19 testing technologies. Launched in April with $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funding, the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative is turbo-charging the efforts of scientists, inventors and companies to produce COVID-19 tests that are quick, accurate and widely accessible. The goal is to make 6 million tests available each day in the United States by December. How does that involve a business professor? Well, it takes a few more acronyms to explain: RADx is tapping the expertise of five centers across the country that make up the NIHs Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN). One of those is the Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies (CAPCaT), which is a partnership between UMass Lowell and the UMass Medical School and a product of their joint venture, the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2). CAPCaT is supporting local projects with more than $10 million in RADx funding. Dunlap, who researches breakthrough innovations in the global bio-pharmaceutical industry, is part of the M2D2 executive board and the CAPCaT leadership team. As such, she was a natural fit for the RADx team. Ive been in this industry for a long time, looking at new innovations and the commercialization process. But this gets me closer to the inventor than Ive ever been before. Its the most exciting project Ive been on in my career, says Dunlap, who joined the Manning School in 2017 from the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, Calif. She has also taught at Northeastern and Temple universities. Any time you have a crisis, there are some companies that find a way to be entrepreneurial, even when things are really bleak. -Manning School Asst. Prof. Denise Dunlap So far, more than 600 developers of rapid test technologies have applied for a share of $500 million in funding from RADx, which puts them through a highly competitive Shark Tank-style approval process. (Several UML faculty members are part of an anonymous RADx judging pool.) Dunlap isnt involved in the selection process, but she is collecting data on both the winners and losers. Are they small or large companies? Are they international? Have they ever worked in disease diagnostics before, or have they pivoted because of COVID-19? Im looking at this data to see what types of strategies firms are using to bring new innovations to the market and to see if there are some unique patterns that businesses can learn from in the future, says Dunlap, who is working on the analysis with Associate Professor of Management Scott Latham. Any time you have a crisis, there are some companies that find a way to be entrepreneurial, even when things are really bleak, Dunlap says. Were looking at this unique group of companies that are resilient and stepping up to the challenge. With POCTRN supporting hundreds of investigators from institutions across the country, including Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University, Dunlap is also working on a network analysis of the collaboration and coordination required for RADx. Its a pretty amazing process how these organizations were able to band together so quickly and offer so many areas of expertise, she says. Being involved in it gives me a deep appreciation for the level of complexity that comes with solving a problem like this. Based on the lessons that are still being learned from the pandemic, Dunlap is also working on several publications. One paper is looking at the pandemics effect on international business. Another is on how COVID-19 has made the remote monitoring of patients more essential than ever. The pandemic has actually put a spotlight on CAPCaT and the importance of point of care medical devices and home monitoring, Dunlap says. People dont want to go to the hospital for a simple test and possibly be exposed to COVID; they want to have it at home. Dunlap originally became involved with M2D2 and CAPCaT as a way to build relationships and support for Biotech East, a weeklong course for Ph.D. students and postdocs in health, science and medical programs that she has hosted the past two summers at UML. I didnt know where it would take me, but it seemed like a good opportunity to foster relationships with an interdisciplinary group of people, says Dunlap, who now finds herself part of a $1.5 billion initiative aimed at ending a global pandemic. How many people get access to work at this level that falls in line with their research? Dunlap says. Im truly grateful for being asked to help. I want to do anything I can to help. 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 The Worcester Red Sox announced a pair of locations the team will be selling its new jerseys and hats on Thursday. The WooSox will host a merchandise pop up at the Mercantile Center at 100 Front St. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m on Thursday. Later in the afternoon, the team will host another pop up at Worcester Fitness at 440 Grove St. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. We're popping up @MercantileCtr and @Worc_Fitness tomorrow! Come by our outside stands to grab your fitted caps and jerseys. pic.twitter.com/rn1iDuD1rk Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 2, 2020 The pop ups are the next in a series the team has been hosting since it released nine official jerseys and on-field caps last month. Three variations - red, white, blue - of the new jerseys read WooSox across the chest. Four variations - red, blue, gray and white - have Worcester across the chest. Another white jersey has Red Sox across the chest with a W on the left sleeve. A final variation was blue featuring the W with the heart in the middle on the left chest. Normally, home jerseys are relegated for team nicknames. But team officials wanted to highlight Worcester. Its why Worcester appears on five of the nine jerseys - more than any brand that appears across the uniforms chest. The [Boston] Red Sox brand Red Sox more than they brand Boston. Were branding Worcester just as much as were branding WooSox, maybe more, Worcester Red Sox president Charles Steinberg said. I think its the city. The people of the city are so proud. Related Content: Theres been overwhelming requests that I do come, Biden said, during a news conference Wednesday in Wilmington, Del., when asked about his visit. I have gotten advice from sitting members of Congress, in the Senate as well, to go and that I should go. Im not going to do anything other than meet with community leaders as well as business people, other folks in law enforcement, and to see to start to talk about what has to be done. New Diamond, travelling from Kuwait to Paradip, is carrying cargo of 270,000 tonnes of crude and 1,700 tonnes of diesel. A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about two million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lankas eastern coast as Russian and Indian warships joined the battle to put out the blaze. The New Diamond, travelling from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip with a cargo of 270,000 tonnes of crude and 1,700 tonnes of diesel, issued a distress call on Thursday, navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said. The vessel had a crew of 18 Filipinos and five Greeks. One crew member was missing, another was injured, and the rest were rescued from the Panama-flagged vessel, according to the navy. An Indian coastguard vessel and one of our ships are now in the process of dousing the flames that have spread to the deck of the tankers service area, de Silva told AFP news agency. There was no immediate danger of a leak from the stricken vessel, he added, which was 60km (38 miles) from the coastal town of Sangamankandi Point. Three vessels from Indian cost guard including Indian aircraft and two Russian war ships which was berth at Hambantota Port left to help with recuse operations of New Diamond oil tanker has caught fire 38 Nautical Miles off the coast of Sri Lanka. pic.twitter.com/tfGr0kRuo5 Yasiru Ranaraja (@YRanaraja) September 3, 2020 Photographs taken by Sri Lankas air force showed extensive damage to the tankers funnel, and thick black smoke and flames coming from the bridge, which is just behind the cargo area. Two Russian warships, which were at Sri Lankas southern port of Hambantota to take on food and water, were now headed to the New Diamonds location to help with the rescue. India was sending three navy vessels and two more coastguard vessels in addition to providing aerial reconnaissance. De Silva said rescuers were trying to prevent the fire from spreading to the cargo area and ensuring there was no leak. Sri Lankas Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak. Such a spill could cause an environmental disaster Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore, told Reuters news agency. Thursdays incident happened just over a month after a state of environmental emergency was triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. JACKSON, Miss., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP) (the "Company", "EastGroup" or "we") announced today that in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is providing an update on its portfolio occupancy, rent collections, rent relief requests, common stock offering activity and upcoming investor relations events. As previously reported in the Company's press release on July 28, 2020, COVID-19 did not have a material adverse impact on the Company's revenues during the first six months of 2020. The updates contained herein provide information on the impacts to date during the third quarter of 2020. EastGroup's operating portfolio was 97.3% leased and 96.5% occupied as of August 31, 2020. As of September 3, 2020, the Company's rent collection and rent payment deferral status was as follows: Month in Year 2020 (1) % of Rent Collected % of Rent Deferred to Future Period % of Rent Uncollected with No Deferral Agreement March............................ 99.7% % 0.3% April............................... 99.3% 0.3% 0.4% May............................... 98.6% 0.9% 0.5% June.............................. 98.2% 1.1% 0.7% July................................ 98.2% 0.9% 0.9% August (2)....................... 97.9% 0.5% 1.6% (1) Customer payments are received daily. The collection information presented is current through September 3, 2020, and the Company anticipates continuing to receive rental payments which will increase the % of Rent Collected. (2) For comparison, as of September 3, 2020, August rental receipts are slightly higher than the July rental receipts were as of August 3, 2020. As of August 31, 2020, EastGroup's portfolio in Houston, its largest market, was 96.9% leased and occupied. As of September 3, 2020, EastGroup had collected the following percentages of its monthly rent for its Houston properties: 99.9% for March, 99.9% for April, 99.9% for May, 99.9% for June, 98.1% for July and 98.6% for August. As of September 3, 2020, the Company has received rent relief requests, primarily in the form of payment deferral requests, from approximately 29% of its customers. To date, approximately 16% of these requests have been granted some form of relief, which represents approximately 4% of the Company's customers on a square foot basis. The Company has executed rent deferral agreements totaling $1.6 million, which represents approximately 0.4% of the Company's estimated 2020 revenue. The requests are being handled on a case-by-case basis and the Company's responses are largely dependent on its understanding of the financial strength of the customer, the operational and earnings impacts being experienced by the customer, and the customer's ability or inability to obtain capital through debt or equity issuances, government assistance programs or by other means. To date during the third quarter of 2020, EastGroup issued and sold 238,086 shares of common stock under its continuous common equity offering program at an average price of $133.27 per share, providing aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of $31.7 million. EastGroup is scheduled to participate in the Evercore ISI 2020 Real Estate Conference and the BofA Securities 2020 Global Real Estate Conference. Both conferences will be conducted in virtual format during September. EastGroup, an S&P MidCap 400 company, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. The Company's goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location sensitive customers (primarily in the 15,000 to 70,000 square foot range). The Company's strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. EastGroup's portfolio, including development projects and value-add acquisitions in lease-up and under construction, currently includes approximately 46 million square feet. EastGroup Properties, Inc. press releases are available at www.eastgroup.net . SOURCE EastGroup Properties Related Links http://www.eastgroup.net Calif. church refuses to close after being fined over $50,000 for singing, meeting inside: 'It must stop' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The pastor of a large California church that was fined over $50,000 for holding indoor worship services despite adhering to social distancing guidelines said that even as the county continues to increase penalties, the church will remain open. Jack Trieber, pastor of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California, said Tuesday that Santa Clara County posted an additional order on the churchs doors this week and is fining the congregation $5,000 for each service. The charges include $5,000 per in-person service Sunday morning and evening, as well as Wednesday night and additional violations for not social distancing, although it is practiced in the auditorium that seats 3,000 people, and singing. They've ratcheted this thing up, Trieber said, adding that in total, the congregation has been fined $52,750. The order states: If you do not immediately correct the violations, the County may take additional legal action against you, including civil or criminal prosecution, with additional resulting penalties, fees, and costs. America, this is a serious moment, Trieber said. Government, it must stop. It cannot continue this way. Trieber read from the Bill of Rights: Congress shall make no law no law [respecting] the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, he said. He called the countys actions harassment, warning, If we don't stop it here ... it's going to sweep all over the United States of America. Government cannot take away our freedom. You cannot take our right to assemble. The pastor asked the county to remove all fines and refrain from imposing future fines on the church. To do this to a church ... California preachers, we have rendered unto Caesar the things that are Caesar, and we have rendered unto God through our tithes and offerings, which is His, he said. Addressing the county, Trieber said, We are not closing down this church. I hope you get this message. I don't know what the consequences on your part is going to be. ... I know America does not want this to happen in her country and at this church. God bless you, America. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your encouragement. Previously, county authorities posted a notice to the church door, demanding that North Valley Baptist immediately cease their activities and warning that failure to do so will result in enforcement action by the county. Claiming the congregation was not social distancing during indoor worship, the county fined the church $10,000. In a video statement at the time, Trieber said the countys decision to punish the church for meeting was out of bounds. The pastor revealed that when Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a total prohibition on religious worship services back in March, North Valley Baptist Church ceased its in-person worship services, K4 through 12 Christian school, college, bus ministry, jail ministry, public school ministry, nursing home ministry, door-to-door visitation, hospital visitation, childrens ministries and Sunday School. But I'm in charge of the spiritual health of the people in this city and in this area, he said. I've been trying to do it for 45 years. Though health is [of the] utmost importance, spiritual health is supreme. Because we've been locked out in this county of churches, suicide is up, domestic violence, addiction is up, homelessness is up, alcoholism is up. We need to get back to worshiping God. I am commanded to worship God. He begged Newsom to allow churches to reopen, warning that ignoring the spiritual health of the community will result in chaos. In a statement, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver called Newsoms orders unconstitutional and said North Valley Baptist Church is incurring horrendous fees for simply exercising its First Amendment right to worship. Yet, Gov. Newsom supports tens of thousands of protestors, saying God bless you. Keep doing it. This is wrong, and the governors unconstitutional hostility and discrimination against religious worship must end, he said. Other California churches have incurred penalties for meeting in-person in violation of orders from Newsom, who has mandated that churches in some counties refrain from indoor services amid the pandemic. Last week, Los Angeles County 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. Lawyers for the church say the move is retaliation for the churchs decision to hold indoor worship services. Additionally, Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks was found to be in contempt of court for violating the state's COVID-19 health orders. The confirmed death toll from coronavirus has risen above 50,000 in the Middle East as the pandemic continues. The figure is according to a count from the Associated Press, based on official numbers offered by health authorities across the region. The numbers may still be an undercount, as testing in war-torn nations such as Libya and Yemen remains extremely limited. The top UN official for Libya on Wednesday warned the pandemic in the war-ravaged country appears to be spiralling out of control. Expand Close A girl wearing a face mask in Iran (Vahid Salemi/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A girl wearing a face mask in Iran (Vahid Salemi/AP) Yemens Houthi rebels, who hold parts of the nation, have refused to release virus statistics. The hardest-hit nation remains Iran, which saw the regions first major outbreak. More than 21,900 people have died there from the virus, with over 380,000 confirmed cases and 328,000 recoveries. Israel just recorded a record-high 3,000 new cases in a day as the countrys coronavirus tsar is set to submit a list of more detailed recommended restrictions where infection rates have been highest. The country earned praise for its early handling of the virus crisis and imposing tight movement restrictions, but since reopening the economy in May, new cases have spiked to record levels and the government has been blamed for mismanaging the resurgence. Pakistans numbers have continued to decline confounding expectations in mid-June, when even the authorities were anticipating a massive increase in cases. Expand Close A woman opens a shop in Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A woman opens a shop in Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP) In Afghanistan, the government has also opened up its recreational facilities and most businesses, but experts fear the real numbers are likely to be far higher than officially reported. The United Arab Emirates, which has embarked on a mass testing campaign, saw its highest daily confirmed new case count in more than three months. That came as schools have reopened in the country and Dubai has offered itself as a tourist destination. WASHINGTON - The White House said President Donald Trumps latest threat to cut federal dollars for certain big cities is aimed at spurring them to do more to quell violence, but local leaders dismissed it Thursday as a political gimmick and unlikely to stand up in court if implemented. Trump has made a number of other threats that were either struck down by judges or that the president paused on his own. Trump issued a memorandum Wednesday calling on the attorney general to publish a list of jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities. Subsequently, agency heads are to get guidance about how to restrict federal grants to those jurisdictions. The memorandum comes as Trump seeks to cast his Democratic rival Joe Biden as weak on crime amid some of the violence that has accompanied protests against racial injustice. The intent is to incentivize cities to follow in the way of Kenosha and Minneapolis who, when they were in the midst of a situation that they couldnt handle just at the local level, they requested federal assistance and it worked, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. Previously, Trump threatened to cut funding for sanctuary cities to force them to comply with more stringent immigration policies. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the effort violated separation of powers provisions enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the presidents new order had no legal standing. If it were implemented, he added, it would slash resources for police and firefighters and other essential services the very thing Trump has claimed Democrats are trying to do when it comes to law enforcement. This effort is intended only to inflame tensions and divide us, Cochran said. In his memo, Trump singled out Seattle, New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., for possible loss of federal dollars. None are competitive areas for Trump in the coming presidential election. The memo was denounced by Democratic leaders including Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is just the latest baseless, petty and divisive move by President Trump to distract from his abject failure to protect Americans from COVID-19, Inslee said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a favourite target of the president, called Trumps effort dangerous, destructive, and divisive. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the president was trying to score political points. I think this is another one of his blusters thatll go nowhere. But if he really tries it, we will go to court and I guarantee you well beat him again, de Blasio said. McEnany rejected suggestions that the presidents memorandum was for show in the lead-up to November 3. No, the president will follow through, McEnany said. ______ Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Karen Matthews in New York City contributed to this report. Marie Delus had not touched her mother since she took her to a New York City emergency room in March. But after more than five months in a hospital and nursing home, Deluss mother, Marie Jean-Pierre, was released on Aug. 29, her family told CNN. Jean-Pierre, 73, was admitted to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn on March 21 with a low-grade fever and difficulty breathing. After testing positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, Jean-Pierre was intubated and later placed on a ventilator, according to her daughter. At some point, she received a tracheotomy. She was fighting every step of the way. She was fighting the doctors, she was fighting the nurses, Delus said. She didnt want to be on the ventilator. Jean-Pierre, Delus, and other family members had traveled to Spain in early March on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, returning on March 11. Multiple people who went on the trip became ill with five becoming very sick, Delus said. Jean-Pierre was out of it, remembering little of almost three months in the hospital, she told CNN. She was transferred to Brooklyns Saints Joachim and Anne Nursing and Rehab Center, where she had to relearn how to walk and talk and was unable to see her family, except from behind glass, Jean-Pierre said. Marie Jean-Pierre at her home in Brooklyn, New York, on Aug. 29, after spending five months in the hospital and rehab with COVID-19. (Courtesy of Marie Delus) Jean-Pierre immigrated from Haiti as a teenager in 1964, she told CNN. She has 6 children, 11 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren, and became a citizen in 2018, voting in her first election that year, Delus said. CNN reached out to Saints Joachim and Anne Nursing and Rehab Center but did not receive a response. Maimonides Medical Center said it could not comment on possible patients because of federal privacy law. The CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report. Anuraag Singh By Express News Service BHOPAL: The Centre has asked the Madhya Pradesh government to stop distribution of rice in the state through fair price shops and the targeted public distribution system after rice stocks in four depots and one fair price shop in tribal dominated and Maoist-affected Mandla and Balaghat districts were found to be unfit for human consumption. In a letter sent to the MP principal secretary (food and civil supplies), accessed by this newspaper, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said after inspection, the quality of rice was found to fall in three categories: category 1 was fit for goat, horse and sheep, category 2 was fit for cattle, and category 3 was fit for poultry. The Union ministry was of the view that old and expired rice were supplied to the depots and godowns for distribution to consumers while on paper fresh stock was shown to have been procured. As per the records of the godowns, the receipt of the stocks from where the samples were drawn were procured in the months May to July 2020 while the condition of the stock represents a different picture altogether. The stocks are 100% recycled old stock and the gunnies used for storage are also at least 2-3 years old, the Union ministry pointed out. In a late evening action, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that a criminal case would be filed against those involved in irregularities and black marketing of rations. While the services of quality controllers in the two districts were terminated, the Balaghat district manager was suspended in the case. Action is being taken against the concerned millers by registering FIR against them. Earlier, former rural development minister Kamleshwar Patel and Congress MLA said instead of posing for the camera in the name of meeting flood-affected people, the CM and the state government should act against the erring officials. Teams of the storage and research division of the department of food & public distribution of the union ministry had inspected four depots of state agencies and one fair price shop in the two districts between July 30 and August 2. In total 32 samples, 31 from the depots and one from the ration shop, were collected and they were analysed at the NABL-accredited Central Grain Analysis Lab, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. The analysis reports of the total 32 samples were found to be not just beyond below rejection limit as per the uniform specifications issued by the Union ministry, but also beyond the PFA standards as per the FSSAI. The stocks are found to be unfit for human consumption, Union ministry said. The ministry said the stocks were in the categories of Feed-I, which is meant to be suitable for livestock feed such as goat, horse and sheep, Feed-II, which is suitable for cattle feed, and Feed-III, which is suitable for poultry feed. In this context, concern has arisen regarding the other stock also in Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, it is requested to withhold the rice stock available in the depots for further investigation and recategorisation, the Union ministry told the state government. The Union ministry said there were grave lapses by the district officers, officials and authorities and asked the state government to identify the personnel concerned and initiate action against them. Besides, the rice millers associated in delivery of such human unfit stock should be blacklisted with immediate effect, the ministry said in its letter to the MP government. NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pernod Ricard North America today announced two new appointments to its Executive Committee. John Barrett, an experienced general management executive with a proven track record of achievement and innovation, is named Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, effective Sept. 14. He replaces Julien Hemard, who recently was named Group Sales Chief Transformation Officer for Pernod Ricard. John joins Pernod Ricard from KITES Advisors, where he provided strategic counsel to multiple new startup opportunities. Previously, he led Go-to-Market and Transformation for the $16B Frito Lay Division of PepsiCo, and also held several GM roles with Frito Lay in the U.S. and PepsiCo Foods Canada, leading large frontline and customer development teams. John earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, majoring in Economics. Vincent Turpin, currently Director/Chief Finance Officer, Pernod Ricard Chivas Brothers, is named Senior Vice President Finance, Pernod Ricard North America, effective Oct. 1. He replaces Mauve Croizat, who has been named Managing Director, Pernod Ricard Sweden and Northern Europe. Vincent joined Pernod Ricard in 2005 as Group Business Analyst. He then moved to Sweden to join The Absolut Company as Business Analysis Director in 2009. In 2011, he returned to France as CFO, Ricard SA, and a few years later as part of the integration expanded his role to include Pernod SA. He moved to his current role in the UK in 2017.Vincent has a degree in Finance from ESSEC Business School. Both John and Vincent will report to Ann Mukherjee, Chairman and CEO, Pernod Ricard North America. Ann said, "I am delighted to welcome two proven and experienced leaders to the Pernod Ricard NA leadership team. I am confident that they will play a critical role in our Accelerate and Transformation agenda and wish them every success in their new roles." About Pernod Ricard USA Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA. The company's leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut Vodka, Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Malibu, Kahlua Liqueur, Beefeater Gin, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin, Martell Cognac, Hiram Walker Liqueurs, Pernod, Ricard and Avion Tequila; such superior wines as Jacob's Creek, Kenwood Vineyards and Brancott Estate; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouet Champagne, G.H. Mumm Champagne and Mumm Napa sparkling wines. Pernod Ricard USA is based in New York, New York, and has roughly 650 employees across the country. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.responsibility.org. SOURCE Pernod Ricard USA A 21-year-old student from south London has signed a seven-figure book deal for two young adult novels. Faridah Abike-Iyimides debut effort, titled Ace Of Spades, will be published in the UK through Usborne Publishing in June 2021, with a second untitled novel to follow. Described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, the story takes place at an elite private school where a mysterious source begins spreading rumours about two black students. The pair must fight for their reputations and their lives as they investigate the rumours, before finding themselves at the centre of a disturbing and deadly game. The black British author describes the novel as embodying themes that I am very passionate about, such as homophobia in the black community, institutional racism and the diversity of thought amongst black people. She added: I am so grateful for this opportunity to share this story and have others see themselves for the first time in these characters. Usborne Publishing said readers should expect an explosive high-school thriller that delves deep into the heart of institutionalised racism. Abike-Iyimide is currently studying English and Chinese in the north east of Scotland. Her website describes her as an avid tea drinker and a collector of strange mugs and lists her favourite writers as authors James Baldwin and Oscar Wilde. Video of the Day The site adds that she attended an all-girl Catholic school between the ages of 11 and 18, despite being Muslim. She also writes of her heritage, saying: I am Nigerian and love my culture especially the food and the music. HOPESHOW Fuses Creativity and Business With Centric PLM At any stage, delays or problems can be handled right away. HOPESHOW, a leading Chinese womenswear brand, has successfully implemented Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, and Centric is celebrating with the release of a success story. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury, consumer goods and home decor companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals. Founded in 1995, HOPESHOW is a brand targeting urban women aged 25-40 that belongs to the the Hangzhou-headquartered Hongjin Fashion Group. The group has a national sales network of 1,600+ outlets, employs 4,000+ people and makes in excess of 10 million garments every year. Seeking to organize product data and optimize decision-making, HOPESHOW decided to implement a PLM solution. Centric Fashion PLM was selected for its real-time online operations, visual interface and synergy with other enterprise solutions. Ms. Liu Hua, Founder and Chairperson of HOPESHOW, explains, We could not rise to market challenges with our basic R&D model. Fashion brands need a digital R&D model to help design and R&D teams maximize their expertise, optimize business processes and improve work efficiency, while maintaining a balance of creativity and newness combined with the voice of the customer. With Centric PLM, teams can make rational decisions using detailed, organized, up-to-date product data. Preparing for a buying session used to take seven days, but now takes seconds. Centric Fashion PLM allows all teams to track the entire development process of each style, explains Ms. Wang Xiulan, Product Director of HOPESHOW. At any stage, delays or problems can be handled right away. It also gives us complete transparency on the detailed prices of fabric and trims. That helps us accurately estimate costs at the initial stage of development and ensure profit margins. Centric PLM has since been adopted by H'S, another brand in the group, and HOPESHOW intends to implement advanced applications for planning, 3D design and more. Were delighted that HOPESHOW is experiencing great results, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. HOPESHOW is a future-focused brand that is using Centric PLM to power strategic decision-making and better meet consumer demand. Read the HOPESHOW success story Learn more about Centric Fashion PLM Request a Demo HOPESHOW (http://www.hopeshow.com) Established in 1995, HOPESHOW is a fashion brand of Hongjin Fashion Group. Targeting urban women aged 2540, HOPESHOW designs a full line of stylish products that fit the lifestyles of elegant, beautiful and low-key modern women. The group engages in design, R&D, production, sales and management, and also has under its umbrella excellent clothing brands for women, men and kids like HS, NEELLY, M.latin and GRSAGA. By offering consumers a range of aesthetic experiences through differentiated designs, the group aspires to stand out from the rest and lead Chinas fashion industry. The group has a national sales network of over 1,600 outlets. It employs over 4,000 people and makes more than 10 million garments every year. Congress members don't want Rahul Gandhi back as party chief. But the problem is that Sonia Gandhi won't have anyone other than her son to take over the Family Firm, notes Virendra Kapoor. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com As expected, the reprisals have begun. The loyalists are being rewarded in the Congress Parliamentary Party overlooking the claims of senior and far more talented members. Not for nothing have the Gandhis maintained a vice-like grip on the Congress party. There is no mercy in their lexicon for anyone showing a whiff of rebellion against the Leader. And shorn of the verbiage and explanatory statements that followed, the letter-writers's real target was Rahul Gandhi. They don't want him back as party chief. But the problem is that interim party President Sonia Gandhi would not have anyone other than her son to take over the Family Firm. Having concluded that the Regent does not have it in him to provide a half-meaningful leadership, the long-suffering serfs at long last picked up the courage to bell the cat, as it were. In the annals of the family-run Firm, this was unprecedented, a clear and present threat to their control over the 135-year-old party and needed to be put down ruthlessly. Unless crushed immediately, it could open the floodgates of a bigger rebellion by the party minions. Therefore, the hastily summoned virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee was used to sing hallelujahs to the Family. The G-23 was hauled over the coals for their audacity to suggest that something needs to be done to arrest the drift and decline in the party's fortunes. Outflanked by the pincer attack by the cringing courtiers, the resistance of the brave ones crumbled, all of them sheepishly offering explanations for the letter and repeatedly offering avowals of unfaltering faith in the Family, including Rahul Gandhi. The challenge petered out without anything to show by way of gain for the party. The assurance of organisational elections to choose a successor to the interim president was a chimera, given how these are conducted. The last time these were held was in 1998 when Sonia Gandhi was anointed the party chief. It was an exercise in make-believe, with no serious challenger against her. Since 1998, the party has not even cared to go through the motions of an election. The entire organisational structure is filled with nominations from on-high. This time too it will be no different. Finding someone who will offer a serious challenge to a candidate of 10 Janpath will be far more difficult than finding a corona vaccine. Because sycophancy of the Gandhis alone guarantees rise in the party hierarchy. Those with support-bases of their own had already abandoned the sinking ship. Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee and Jaganmohan Reddy are leaders in their own right in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. They went their own separate ways because they saw no future in a party that was firmly tied to the little finger of the Gandhis. IMAGE: Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi attends the Congress Working Committee's virtual meeting in New Delhi, August 24, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo The chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh pooh-poohed the letter-writers. This too was true to the character of the party. Occupying gaddiS thanks to the blessings of the Gandhis, they had no reason to join the 'rebels'. Or be bothered about the lack of internal democracy in the party or its sharply falling popularity graph. They were happy enjoying the fruits of power. And that was all that seemed to matter to them -- never mind what happens to the party. The letter may well have caused a storm in a teacup, but the lament of its writers merits serious consideration. Fear of bleak future with the near-certain return of Rahul is not misplaced. The heir apparent does not inspire confidence. His tweets against Modi and his cheap jibes are counter-productive -- unbothered, the PM grows strength to strength. Also, the myth that Rahul was particularly close to the relatively young leaders stood smashed, with Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan and Jyotiraditya Scindia rising in open revolt. Instead of offering a strong and meaningful opposition to the governments' several acts of omission and commission, from the rising coronavirus infections to the failing economy to the threat at our borders, the Congress is obsessed with putting down the reformists in its ranks. Under the circumstances, there can be no redemption for the Grand Old Party. Meanwhile, the deliberations of the virtual meeting of the CWC again revealed the former prime minister in poor light. Instead of patting the letter-writers on their back for their concern about the fast declining fortunes of the party, the two-time nominated prime minister pledged undying fealty to the Gandhis along with other plain vanilla leaders. And Rahul, instead of sounding humble and conciliatory, was aggressive in accusing the G-23 of being insensitive, sending the letter when Mummy was in hospital. It was an unpardonable act by the ingrates who all their lives had drunk from the family trough, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seemed to suggest, targeting Ghulam Nabi Azad in particular for challenging the family hegemony. How could he join the renegades when as an old family retainer he was rewarded with plum positions in government and party for decades? Poor fellow, short of openly tearing up, he did everything to humiliate himself. Did the rebel seeing the end of his cushy career, with his Rajya Sabha term ending soon, and position as the leader of the party in the Upper House set to go to the newly-elected Mallikarjun Kharge? The Leader may have succeeded in turning the letter-bomb into a complete dud, but the issues raised by it, such as drift and dithering in the party, confusion over leadership, lack of internal democracy, are unlikely to go away easily. Unless resolved, these will haunt the Gandhis, further hastening the process of their growing irrelevance in the polity. US imports jumped nearly 11 percent in July, driving the trade gap up to $63.6 billion in the month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, far more than economists had expected. Although American exports also rose in July, it was far less than imports, contributing to the $10.1 billion jump in the overall deficit -- nearly 19 percent higher than June, according to the report. Though trade has picked up pace it "remained below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the ongoing impact of COVID-19, as many businesses continued to operate at limited capacity or ceased operations completely, and the movement of travelers across borders remained restricted," the Commerce Department said in the report. However, the report said it could not quantify or separate the impact of the pandemic on the trade data. "A strong and sustained rebound in trade flows is uncertain given a still weak global growth and demand backdrop," said Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics. Jim Watson of Oxford Economics was more stark, saying that "with the domestic and global recoveries looking vulnerable, we think trade will struggle to keep its strong pace. Downside risks are clear, and we expect total trade volumes to fall a record 14 percent in 2020." Big increases were seen in imports of vehicles, parts and engines, industrial supplies and consumer goods in July. Petroleum imports also surged by $21.5 billion. The trade deficits in goods alone increased sharply with China and Mexico, to $28.3 billion and $11.5 billion respectively. With trade in services included, the deficit with China in the second quarter -- the latest period for which data is available -- surged to $75.8 billion, while the gap with Mexico jumped to $15 billion, the report said. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko promoted hardline loyalists to top posts in his security apparatus on Thursday in an effort to strengthen his grip on the former Soviet republic after weeks of mass protests and strikes Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko promoted hardline loyalists to top posts in his security apparatus on Thursday in an effort to strengthen his grip on the former Soviet republic after weeks of mass protests and strikes. Lukashenko, facing the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule, accompanied the reshuffle with instructions to act tough in the face of what he has repeatedly alleged is foreign aggression. "Belarus finds itself confronting an external aggressor one-to-one," he told the new security chiefs. "Therefore I ask you to take this to the people. They shouldn't condemn me for any sort of softness. There's no softness here. The country is working, although many, especially our neighbours, would like us to collapse." Retaining the loyalty of the security forces, who have helped him crack down hard on dissent, is vital to Lukashenko as he tries to crush protests that show no sign of abating after nearly four weeks. Lukashenko removed Andrei Ravkov, head of the security council which coordinates the work of all the agencies, and replaced him with Valery Vakulchik, previously head of the KGB security police. Vakulchik was replaced by Ivan Tertel, formerly head of the state control committee which investigates economic crime. In that role, Tertel had led a criminal investigation against banker Viktor Babariko which led to the latter being banned from running against Lukashenko in last month's election. Another loyalist, Vasily Gerasimov, was named acting head of the control committee, and Anatoly Sivak, the mayor of Minsk, was promoted to deputy prime minister. TORTURE REPORTS Lukashenko has provided no evidence that foreign powers are behind the protests. The opposition has denied this, and NATO has also denied his allegations that it is massing forces near the Belarusian border. Belarus is a close ally of Moscow, which sees it as a vital strategic buffer between Russia and NATO. President Vladimir Putin said last week the Kremlin had set up a reserve police force at Lukashenko's request but it would be deployed only if necessary. Human rights experts from the United Nations said this week they had received reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings and mistreatment of Belarusian protesters by police. The government has denied abusing detainees and has said its security forces have acted appropriately against demonstrators. Separately, two former TV presenters were arrested in the capital Minsk on Wednesday night, relatives and local media said. Broadcaster Euroradio said Denis Dudinsky was detained by uniformed officers who dragged him into a black minibus near his house. A second former TV anchor, Dmitry Kokhno, was also arrested and driven away, according to his wife Nadezhda. She wrote on Instagram that he was held in jail overnight and would appear in court on Thursday. "I thank God our son didn't see it (the arrest)," she said, alongside a black and white photo of her husband with the small boy. Search Keywords: Short link: University of Minnesota researchers awarded $6.6 million to develop new device to treat mental health disorders MINNEAPOLIS, MN- September 3, 2020 - Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have been awarded a $6.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop a new medical device that can treat mental health disorders in a way that has never been done before using brain rhythms. Each sub-region of the brain has a rhythm causing the cells to switch on and off at a defined frequency. It has been shown that when brain waves across regions fall into synchrony, information flows better between them. Similarly, if regions are overconnected, one circuit could take over and disrupt the rest of the brain, which often happens in people with mental health disorders. Principal investigator Alik Widge, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has previously developed methods to bring two regions into synchrony when they're not and force regions out of synchrony to break a connection that is too strong. With this grant, Widge and his team are using these methods of syncing and unsyncing brain waves to develop a novel, human-ready neuromodulation device for people with mental health disorders. His team includes Gregory Molnar, PhD, MSC, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and medical device development expert, and Mahsa Shoaran, PhD, of EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, in Switzerland and expert in signal processing circuits for brain implants. Unlike deep brain stimulation, which stimulates 24/7, this device only stimulates at a few key moments every minute, just enough to bring brain rhythms back into synchrony. It delivers a thousand-fold less energy to the brain than existing treatments. Widge compares this device to the conductor of an orchestra. "A conductor holds a baton, and as soon as he points, the violins come in at the exact right moment. If the conductor does it enough times, the violins learn on their own when to come in. This device works similarly," Widge said. The University of Minnesota's focus on academic medicine helps Widge and his team to have an on-the-ground understanding of the clinical pain points associated with the existing implantable neuromodulation technologies. At the same time, the University's biomedical engineering research infrastructure provides him with expert colleagues to actually create a new solution to address those needs. Widge was able to capitalize on the unique convergence of the University's clinical strength in neuromodulation, previous advances in neurostimulation made through the Brain Conditions research area of Minnesota's Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE), as well as collaborations with industry leaders and involvement in the broader Minnesota medical device economy. The team could have a device that is ready for first-in-human use in as little as five to six years. ### About the University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Visit med.umn.edu to learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine. This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A double murderer has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years after killing two women and storing their bodies in a freezer in his flat. Convicted paedophile Zahid Younis, 36, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday of murdering Hungarian national Henriett Szucs, 34, and mother-of-three Mihrican Jan Mustafa, 38. Ms Szucs had been kept inside a small, padlocked, chest freezer in Youniss flat in Vandome Close, Canning Town, in east London for two and a half years when her body was discovered on April 27 last year. Ms Mustafa is believed to have been strangled to death by Younis days after she went missing in May 2018 and her body stored in the same grim hiding place. Younis, known as Boxer, admitted putting the women in the freezer and pleaded guilty to two counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body. He denied two counts of murder but was found guilty of both charges by a jury after 16 hours and six minutes of deliberations. Expand Close A door to a cupboard in the home of Zahid Younis where police found two bodies stored in a freezer (Metropolitan Police/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A door to a cupboard in the home of Zahid Younis where police found two bodies stored in a freezer (Metropolitan Police/PA) Younis showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out, while members of Ms Mustafas large family, who attended every day of the three-week trial, said yes in the public gallery. Her older sister, Mel Mustafa, said: Thank you God, thank you. Speaking outside court, she told the murderer to rot in hell, while cousin Ayse Hussein said: Finally, youre away from women and finally women are safe. We got justice today, she added, paying tribute to her dance teacher cousin who lit up the room. She will be proud to look at what we have done for her. Weve been here every single day. She would be looking over us today and she would be really proud and happy. She said of Younis: Hes mad, hes an animal. We just didnt know how sick he was until you sit there and watch him in the dock. Expand Close Ms Mustafas cousin Ayse Hussein, left, and sister Mel Mustafa, centre, outside Southwark Crown Court (Victoria Jones/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ms Mustafas cousin Ayse Hussein, left, and sister Mel Mustafa, centre, outside Southwark Crown Court (Victoria Jones/PA) Ms Szucs mother, Maria, who is in Hungary and could not attend court, said in a statement: Henriett was a beautiful, kind young woman and nobody deserves to be killed in such brutal circumstances. Younis refused to leave his cell to be sentenced as the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, jailed him for life with a minimum term of 38 years and warned he may never be released. It will surprise no one in this room that the defendant has declined to attend his sentence, while he sits in the cells below, but I will address these remarks to him so when he has the courage to read them he will understand why the court has reached the conclusion it has, she said. You are an arch-deceiver and you spent a lifetime destroying lives. The judge said: You have preyed upon the vulnerable with superficial charm. You have been convicted by the strong prosecution case. Not only were the bodies of two women found in your home, hidden in a locked freezer purchased for that purpose, they showed signs of violence which you failed to explain. The judge said Younis had robbed his victims of all happiness in life and dignity in death, and said: You have no remorse. Expand Close Mihrican Mustafa ((Family/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mihrican Mustafa ((Family/PA) You are a heartless man and a narcissist. Your concern throughout has been for yourself. Younis married a 14-year-old girl in an Islamic ceremony at a mosque in Walthamstow, east London, in 2004. He was eventually jailed for two and a half years for assaulting the teenager and unlawful sexual activity with a child and was put on the sex offenders register. Younis was later sentenced to four years and 11 months imprisonment for two counts of wounding and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an abusive relationship with a 17-year-old girl, which started in 2007 after his release from jail. Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC told jurors at his double murder trial both Ms Szucs and Ms Mustafa were vulnerable women living somewhat chaotic lives, including periods of homelessness and class A drug addiction. The court heard Younis bought a freezer for 169.99 in cash from a branch of Currys shortly after killing Ms Szucs for the sole purpose of concealing her body. Mr Penny said police had gone to his flat to look for Younis when a uniformed officer found the appliance surrounded with flies in a cupboard before prying it open with a crowbar. The victims had been subjected to very significant violence and suffered injuries consistent with kicking or stamping, Mr Penny said. Expand Close Henriett Szucs (Family/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Henriett Szucs (Family/PA) They had both suffered numerous rib fractures, while Ms Szucs had sustained dreadful head injuries and Ms Mustafas sternum and larynx had been fractured. Younis claimed he was out when Ms Szucs died at his flat and did not tell police because he was panicking. He told jurors he did not kill Ms Mustafa and did not know how she died. Younis said he paid a man to help him get Ms Szucs body into the freezer and that his accomplice later blackmailed him into putting Ms Mustafas corpse in the same place. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, of the Metropolitan Police, told the PA news agency: Zahid Younis is a particularly dangerous and what I would describe as a repugnant individual who preys on vulnerable women in particular and abuses them, brings them into his control and causes them significant injury. He said Younis had shown no remorse as he subjected his victims families to a trial, adding: They have been incredibly brave throughout this entire ordeal. It is an ordeal in court listening to his lies. It is hard to listen if you are a family. Seven (7) years ago the trio was barely fresh-faced Batswana teens who had just finished secondary school and unfamiliar with the Spanish language. But as they arrived home from Havanna, via Johannesburg last month, the three did not just boast proficiency in the Spanish language, but most importantly, had added titles to their names. Ambrocia Matabogo, a young lady of 25 years from Lekgwapheng ward, Molepolole; Masa Martha Mogaetsho, 27, of Botalaote ward in Serowe and Seabe Thupa, a young man of 26 years also from Serowe are now Doctors. They earned their Degrees in General Medicine from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in the island of Cuba, which is reeling under half a century economic and financial blockade from neighbouring imperial North America. It was never going to be a bed of roses. The trio endured trials and tribulations. Ambrocia suffered a severe depression on her third year when she could not adapt to the new school; Martha could not comprehend her time away from family, the first direct support system that he ever had while Seabe had to contend with the inevitability that he could not render any support to his family, and neither could they. But throughout those seven years, they persevered under a new and exciting culture replete with its Socialist political ideology until they finally took to the podium to receive their Doctoral awards. All three admit that graduation day marked their highest moment in Cuba when they finally became Doctors. Armed with both theoretical and practical knowledge, the trio is best placed to proffer advice to their homeland on how to improve the health system. Ambrocia, now a General Doctor, did her primary education at Kgomotso English medium and Lewis Memorial School. She them did her junior school at Masilo secondary before completing at Kweneng international secondary school. She says Botswana must see Covid-19 pandemic as a wake-up call and pluck a leaf from Cuba by investing more in the health system. Cubans take medicine very serious. They invest so much in their health system by training a lot of doctors and specialists. Their medicine is primary medicine, which is based on teaching their people how to prevent diseases, preparing them for any health issues they might go through, pregnancy and all sorts. Botswana could also try to adopt primary health care, because it is affordable and more effective she posited. In like manner, Martha started at Khuduga Primary school, then transferred to Hillcrest Primary until Standard 4 and finished at Letlhabile Primary. Her junior secondary education was at Maikano Junior while her senior was done at Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School. For Dr. Martha Mogaetsho the lesson she took from her studies in Cuba was to always put the needs of her patients first and to not deny them any medical service they may need regardless of their background or social standing. She also learnt the importance of training as many of ones citizens as possible so that all work at improving the health system and be counted among the best countries in medical practice. Dr Seabe Thupa went to Swaneng Primary School then did his junior school in Tonota, Mmashoro and Kgalemang before finally going to Mater Spei for his senior secondary education. For him the seven years in Cuba felt more like a benchmarking trip on life than a trip abroad to study medicine. He learnt Cubas health system from primary level to the highest level and believes he will propose its replication in Botswana one day when he works in the ministry of health. The most important thing I learnt on practicing medicine was how much they value and emphasise on the Doctor-Patient relationship and how they practice more of preventative medicine rather than curative, he said. Asked what lessons can Botswana education system and particularly Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital take from Cuba's education system and especially ELAM in the area of medicine and biotechnology, Dr. Thupa said: I personally have never been to the hospital so I dont know how the teaching system is but it can learn this; for the education system to be more practical, as early as first or second year students should be attending to patients, knowing how the hospital works and already being exposed to research among other things. Equally, Dr. Matabogo feels that more investment on training Batswana to become specialists is important because medicine is broad. Some doctors become professors, some researchers, some go into public health, some become medical books authors, all this would broaden/enrich our health sector and ensure that our nation has the best medical attention, she said. Dr. Masa Martha Mogaetsho adds that the greatest lesson Botswana can take from Cubas health sector is that prevention is better than cure! This is the kind of system we need to implement in Botswana. Also to remember that less is more, we dont need all the latest technology in a system where we dont have enough personnel to operate all those machines. What we need to do is to continually encourage the making of diagnosis through interrogation and less invasive measures. I also encourage that we invest in our doctors by sending them for specialisation and trusting and giving them the opportunity to take up leadership positions in the hospitals. Who better to treat your people than the people themselves? Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Le Viet Duyen said that the date of September 2, 1945 opened up a new era for Vietnam, an era of national independence and socialism. From an unknown nation, Vietnam has become an active, positive and responsible member of the international community, with diplomatic relations with 189 countries, and a rising position in the world. The diplomat said that Vietnam and Venezuela have shared a close traditional friendship. The Government and people of Vietnam always treasure the ties with Venezuela and are willing to support the Government and people of Venezuela in their struggle to protect national independence, sovereignty as well as in national development, said Duyen. During an online interview granted to Buena Vibra programme of the National Television of Venezuela, Duyen introduced the history of Vietnam and major milestones of the country, as well as achievements that Vietnam has gained over the past 35 years of implementing the Doi Moi (renewal) policy. He also highlighted the outcomes of the Vietnam-Venezuela partnership over the past 30 years. * Also on September 1, addressing a celebration held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile, Chilean Foreign Minister Andres Allamand lauded the long-lasting friendship between Vietnam and Chile. He held that the two countries share common interests in trade facilitation, sustainable growth and cooperate in different issues, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Allamand said the two countries have shown a model of coordination at multilateral forums such as APEC and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). Both nations are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP), so that they can promote two-way trade for the direct interests of both countries, he said. * On the occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Pham Thi Kim Hoa wrote an article on Vietnams 75-year development from a divided nation to a united country, and from a war-torn state to a nation with new face and position in the world arena. The ambassador underlined that with the giant steps in the 75-year path, Vietnam is becoming closer to the goal of prosperous people, strong country, democracy, equality and civilisation. So far, Vietnam has managed to control the pandemic effectively, she noted, adding that the Vietnamese Government is focusing on performing the role of driving development and reform, sustainable economic restructuring, self-reliance and transformation into digital economy, considering the satisfaction of businesses and people as the criteria for assessment of its efficiency. According to the ambassador, Vietnam has showing strong performance as ASEAN Chair 2020, President of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with many activities and important initiatives. * Overseas Vietnamese in Thailands Udon Thani province on September 2 held a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day and an incense offering ceremony to commemorate President Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh relic site in Nong On hamlet in Chiang Phin commune. * On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in Myamar also hosted a virtual ceremony to mark Vietnam's National Day. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Ly Quoc Tuan briefed participants on Vietnams achievements across fields during its Doi moi (renewal) process. He also emphasised Vietnams increasing important role and position in the international arena, as well as the countrys contributions to maintaining peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world, especially as Vietnam is undertaking the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020 and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Soe Han congratulated Vietnam on its outstanding socio-economic achievements, saying that the country is a model for other developing countries to learn from. He highlighted the long-lasting relations between the two countries, affirming that Vietnam has always been a trusted friend of Myanmar. U Tint Swai, Chairman of the Myanmar-Vietnam Friendship Association highly appreciated the friendly and traditional close relationship between the two countries, and affirmed that he would do his best to promote people-to-people exchange activities in the time to come. By Hallie Gu and Colin Packham BEIJING/SYDNEY (Reuters) - 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 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. "CBH confirms that all grain shipments to China have met all Government phytosanitary export requirements and is therefore very disappointed to hear of the suspension." While Beijing's ruling on CBH Grain did not essentially affect trade after the imposition of more than an 80% tariff on Australian barley earlier this year, it cast a shadow over Australian exports to China. "It is a signal, showing that Australian firms will be in an unfavourable situation. People will be rather cautious when buying Australian goods now," said a China-based grains trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media. CBH - a cooperative of farmers - is Australia's largest grain exporter, regularly selling millions of tonnes of wheat, barley and canola to Asia and the Middle East. Australia is expected to produce about 10.6 million tonnes of barley this year, with CBH on course to handle about 30%. China had until recently bought as much as 70% of Australia's barley exports. But with that market closed, Australian farmers will now be forced to look for alternative markets where growers are expected to earn about A$50 a tonne. Until recently Australia's agricultural products have largely escaped escalating tensions between Canberra and Beijing. Already inflamed by Australia's allegations that China was meddling in its domestic affairs, relations worsened when Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. China in May imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties totalling 80.5% on Australian barley - effectively stopping a billion-dollar trade. Last month, China said it would investigate whether Australian wine was being dumped into its largest buyer, a review that has since been expanded to include possible subsidies. Australia denies both allegations. (Reporting by Hallie Gu, Tom Daly in Beijing and Colin Packham in Sydney, additional reporting by Byron Kaye in Sydney, editing by Louise Heavens and David Evans) Syria Intercepts Israeli Strike on Central Air Base - State Media Sputnik News 20:43 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 20:56 GMT 02.09.2020) According to Syrian state media, several missiles fired at the Tiyas T4 air base in Homs Governorate were intercepted on Wednesday. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syrian air defenses over the city of Homs engaged a barrage of "rockets" allegedly fired by an Israeli aircraft at the T4 air base. The report notes the missiles came from the direction of at-Tanf, a US-controlled base on the Syrian-Iraqi border. The report noted that most of the missiles were shot down; however, some did hit their targets without loss of life. Israel has struck the T4 base before, which it claims are the headquarters for Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operations in Syria, including against Israel. Two days ago, Israel carried out another alleged strike against sites in Syria, this time near Damascus, where anti-air defense were spotted intercepting the incoming missiles. The Israel Defense Force has made no comment about the incident and declined to comment to Reuters about the Wednesday attack. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amazon railroad plan unites unlikely allies in opposition A vast soy bean field in in Campo Novo do Parecis, in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The 'Ferrograo' is a controversial project of construction of a trans-Amazonian train in Brazil to speed up its huge grain exports. With his feather headdress and body paint, chief Beppronti Mekragnotire doesn't seem to have much in common with trucker Sergio Sorresino, but they share a cause: neither wants a railroad built across the Amazon rainforest. Biding his time inside his big rig as he sat at a roadblock outside the town of Novo Progresso, in northern Brazil, Sorresino appeared to have every reason to resent Mekragnotire. Because of the Kayapo indigenous chief and his warriors, Sorresino and thousands of other truckers were stuck on this stretch of highway BR-163, the road linking Brazil's central-western agricultural heartland to the river ports of the Amazon and its tributaries. Clutching bows, arrows and spears, dozens of Kayapo blocked the road in protest on August 17, demanding the government abandon its plans to build the "Ferrograo," or Grain Railway, across the world's biggest rainforest -- one on a long list of grievances against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's administration. The protest -- since suspended pending a court ruling on their demands -- obstructed truckers like Sorresino on and off for days, but he didn't seem to mind: he also dislikes the railroad project, which threatens his livelihood. "It's their right. The Ferrograo would hurt us, too," said the 48-year-old trucker, who has been driving corn and soybeans across the country in big rigs for most of his adult life. - 'More deforestation' - The Kayapo have their own reasons for disliking the railroad plan. They have experienced first-hand how building infrastructure across the rainforest accelerates its destruction, giving illegal miners, farmers, ranchers and loggers access to once-isolated regions of the jungle. Mekragnotire points to the highway he is blocking, built in the 1970s by Brazil's military government, as an example. "Just look at how much deforestation has increased since the highway was built. Imagine how it will be if they build the Ferrograo," he told AFP. Story continues "See that smoke over there?" he asked, by way of illustration, pointing to the thick columns of smoke rising from the forest, set by farmers and ranchers clearing new land. The practice is common in Brazil, the world's biggest soybean producer and second-biggest beef producer. But it is devastating for a forest whose preservation is vital to curbing climate change. - 'Environmental gain' - Spanning nearly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), the railroad is planned to run from the city of Sinop, in Mato Grosso state -- the heart of farm country -- to the port of Miritituba on the Tapajos river, an Amazon tributary. From there, Brazil's key agricultural exports will make their way to the Atlantic and myriad destinations around the world, above all China. The railroad will largely follow the path of the existing highway. Planners say it will not go through indigenous lands. It will cross the Jamanxim National Park, but only along a strip already approved by Congress for passage of the BR-163. The $1.5-billion project is backed by multi-national distributors such as Cargill and Bunge, which say shipping their product by road is too slow and expensive, hurting Brazil's competitiveness. The government plans to hold a tender for the project in the first half of 2021, with a target launch date of 2030. "It's a highly viable project that will reduce shipping costs by between 30 and 35 percent and halve transport time," said Edeon Vaz Ferreira, executive director of the Mato Grosso Pro Logistics Movement and a lobbyist for the project. Far from harming the environment, he argues, the project would help protect it. "The train will have 160 cars and transport 12,000 tonnes with three locomotives, instead of the 300 semi-trucks you need now," he told AFP. "The environmental gain will be huge." Environmentalists are not convinced. The project "will increase demand for land and lead to the deforestation of 2,043 square kilometers (789 square miles) of native vegetation in Mato Grosso," said the Climate Policy Initiative. jm/jhb/jm Washington: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) defended its decision to withhold circulation of an intelligence report warning that Russia was trying to portray Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as mentally unstable. A draft of the report, headlined "Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election", was submitted to the agency's legislative and public affairs office on July 7, according to ABC News, which first reported the matter. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Credit:Bloomberg DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist said the agency held up the memo because it lacked necessary context and evidence. Career DHS officials decided to delay the report's dissemination after acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf asked questions about it, he said. The draft bulletin reported that Russian state media RT, Sputnik and a Russian proxy website between September 2019 and May 2020 posted allegations about "the poor mental health of 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden." By Trend One of the priority directions of activity of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev is an army building, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Center for Social Research, Elshad Mirbashiroglu said, Trend reports. Mirbashiroglu made the remark at a briefing on the public presentation of the third edition of the Trust Index, which reflects the activities of the President of Azerbaijan in the second quarter of 2020 (from April through June), and a report on a public opinion poll on the topic "Anti-crisis policy of the state in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in public opinion. The special attention paid to the Armed Forces is primarily because the country is at war. The results of the survey clearly showed that the population supports the activities of the President of Azerbaijan on the military, said the deputy chairman. Some 70.7 percent, that is, the absolute majority of respondents, consider the activities of the countrys President in the field of an army construction to be very effective. At the same time, 24.6 percent of respondents consider the activities of the head of state in this direction to be generally effective, 2.5 percent of citizens adhere to the opposite point of view. Effective activity in the field of army building acts as the main factor that determines the growth of confidence in the head of state. Thus, 82 percent out of the 24.6 percent of respondents who answered about the growth of confidence in the President, very positively assess the activities on the military; 27.6 percent of the 2.6 percent of respondents who reported a decrease in confidence also positively assess activities on the military, said Mirbashiroglu. The new challenges at the international and national levels, development goals make it necessary to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration. As an important decision in this direction, personnel reforms are always in the focus of the head of state. These reforms carried out by the President were assessed by 53.9 percent of the respondents as very effective, and 32 percent - as most effective, 6.5 percent of the respondents do not consider the personnel reforms to be effective. The personnel reforms implemented by the President also played an effective role in increasing confidence in him, he noted. "Thus, 68.6 percent out of 24.6 percent of the respondents, who showed the increased confidence in the President, praised the personnel reforms. Some 8 percent of the 2.6 percent of respondents who said about a decrease in confidence also assessed personnel reforms positively. At the same time, 81.2 percent of respondents, who consider the personnel reforms of the head of state to be very effective, also supported his initiatives in the fight against corruption. A significant part of those who negatively assessed the personnel reforms - 74.3 percent, consider it correct to bring officials who committed corruption cases to justice," noted Mirbashiroglu. Mirbashiroglu also noted the flexible strategic measures taken by the President of the country in the field of security and foreign policy. At this stage, Azerbaijan, occupying a fairly serious position in the system of international relations, was able to build a system of multilateral effective cooperation. This opinion is shared by the majority of those polled by the Center for Social Research. Thus, 54 percent of respondents consider the activities of the head of state in the field of security and foreign policy to be very effective, and 28.9 percent - mostly effective, added the deputy chairman. "The opposite opinion was expressed by 6.5 percent of respondents. An increase in the percentage of people who found it difficult to answer was also observed. Thus, 10.7 percent of respondents found it difficult to answer the question related to activities in the field of security and foreign policy," Mirbashiroglu said. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Scientists have demonstrated tiny boats that float upside down underneath a levitating layer of liquid in an amazing quirk of physics. Researchers in Paris were investigating the effect of vertical shaking, which can be used to suspend a layer of liquid in mid-air. Not only was the layer of liquid able to float on a suspended cushion of air, but small model boats floated on the bottom surface, thanks to intense air pressure. This counter-intuitive behaviour is a result of the constant vibrations, which change the forces acting on the floating object. This case of 'reverse-buoyancy' might have a practical uses in transporting materials through fluids and separating pollutants from water. Footage shows the gravity-defying physics experiment, which was inspired by weird surrealist art, sci-fi films and Pirates of the Caribbean. Scroll down for video Plastic boats floating above and below a levitating liquid layer in an example of reverse buoyancy In particular, study author Emmanuel Fort at ESPCI Paris said the research took its cue from a scene in the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, when Captain Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl ship is tipped upside down. It also takes inspiration from an eerie art installation 'Swimming Pool' by Leandro Erlich at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan. 'We were playing around we had no idea it would work,' Fort told the Guardian. 'The fun thing is that it triggers reactions from people who arent scientific. 'Its counterintuitive. It gets people talking about science fiction and fantasy and that is very nice.' A scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, when Captain Jack Sparrow's Black Pearl ship is tipped upside down Under the action of gravity, viscous liquids in a container, such as a laboratory flask, will typically fall to the bottom of the vessel. Flipping the container upside down will make the liquid slowly fall to the bottom in thick drops, like paint falling down a wall. But keeping the liquid in the air can be achieved by 'vigorous vertical shaking' of the container. Scientists already knew that vibrating liquid vertically at certain frequencies and in a closed container can make it levitate above a less dense layer, such as a cushion of air. Thanks to the vibrations, air bubbles in the lower half sink rather than rise. In their experiments, the team filled a container with a viscous liquid of either glycerol and silicon oil, and used shaking devices to vibrate the liquid vertically at high frequency. Swimming Pool by Leandro Erlich, another mind-bending inspiration for the research project They injected air into the base of the system until the liquid started to levitate while being vibrated. The air bubbles added to the liquid sank to the bottom of the container, as expected. But small objects, up to 7 grams in mass and 0.9 inches (2.5cm) in length or diameter, floated upside-down on the underside of where the air and liquid met, they found. This is because the layer of air underneath the upside down boat and floating liquid layer has very high pressure, as it's being compressed by the weight of the liquid. This results in the boat being pushed up by the pressure underneath. Keeping liquid suspended in the air in a container can be achieved by 'vigorous vertical shaking' When that pressure meets an equilibrium with the downward force of gravity, the boat floats. All the while, the boat has its own buoyant force that keeps it suspended. Vertical shaking causes buoyancy to flip at the lower surface of the levitated liquid, as if the gravity there has been inverted. Buoyancy is the force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of an object immersed in the fluid. The extraordinary behaviours of vibrating fluids are just a small fraction of the surprising phenomena that arise as a result of high frequency vibrations more generally, Vladislav Sorokin at the University of Auckland and Iliya Blekhman at the Russian Academy of Science, who werent involved with the study, write in an accompanying piece in Nature. [The research] suggests that many remarkable phenomena arising in vibrating mechanical systems are yet to be revealed and explained, particularly at interfaces between gases and fluids.' The observations made by Fort and colleagues defy Archimedes principle, in which an upward buoyant force, equal to the weight of displaced fluid, is exerted on an immersed body. The study has been published in Nature. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Vedanta share price shed over a percent intraday on September 3 despite CLSA maintaining outperform call on the stock. The global research firm has maintained an outperform rating on the stock with a target of Rs 133 per share. According to a CNBC-TV18 report, the book value according to delisting regulation is at Rs 89.38 against calculated Rs 147 per share sets a lower floor price for delisting than earlier expectations. It is of the view that the funds secured by promoters indicate the ability to offer Rs 128 per share for delisting. The stock price has gained 33 percent in the last three months and was trading at Rs 130.00, down Rs 1.10, or 0.84 percent. It has touched an intraday high of Rs 130.55 and an intraday low of Rs 126.60. Vedanta has informed about the creation of encumbrance over the equity shares of its subsidiary Hindustan Zinc. In a regulatory filing on August 31, Vedanta said it had tied up a long-term syndicated loan facility for Rs 10,000 crore with State Bank of India as facility agent and SBICAP Trustee Company Limited as the security trustee with door to door maturity of 7 years. The Supreme Court on August 31 issued notice to Tamil Nadu government on Vedanta's appeal against the Madras High Courts order disallowing the reopening of the company's controversial copper smelter in the state's Thoothukudi. Vedantas Sterlite Copper smelter has been shut since May 2018 on the orders of the Tamil Nadu government after escalating protests over the units alleged environmental pollution boiled over into a confrontation between police and protesters. As many as 13 demonstrators had died in police firing. According to Moneycontrol SWOT Analysis powered by Trendlyne, the company's recent results indicate declining operating profit margin and net profits (YoY) with declining revenue every quarter for the past 2 quarters. However, Moneycontrol technical rating is very bullish with moving averages and technical indicators being bullish. : 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. The notification by the board stated that that the exam will be conducted from 9 to 21 September in various districts of the state. The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has released the admit card, or hall ticket, for State Teachers' Eligibility Test (STET) 2019 re-examination on its official website: bsebstet2019.in. The notification by the board stated that that the exam will be conducted from 9 to 21 September in various districts of the state including Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Chhapra, Bhojpur, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Purnea. The BSEB STET 2019 will be held in three shifts. The first shift will be from 8 am to 10:30 am, the second will be from 12 noon to 2:30 pm, while the third will be from 4 pm to 6:30 pm. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the admit card will mention the name of the candidate, date, time, and details of the exam centre. It will also include the reporting time for the examinees. Those who are not being able to download the admit card can send their concerns to bseb.stethelpdesk@gmail.com. As per NDTV said that candidates have been asked to report one hour before the commencement of the examination. The gates of the exam centre will be closed 30 minutes before the start of the paper and no students will be allowed to enter after that. Examinees have been asked to cover their mouth and nose with face masks and carry hand sanitiser with them. They are also allowed to carry a water bottle with them. The board said that candidates showing COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed to take the exam. As per a report in Indian Express, there will be two components to this exam: written and physical fitness. Candidates who qualify the written exam will be asked to appear for the second round. There are 150 marks in total, of which 100 are for written exam, while 50 marks are for physical efficiency test. The exam will be conducted in online mode for the first time. Earlier, the exam was to be held on 28 January but was cancelled by the board due to paper leak and cheating. There were 2,47,241 candidates who had appeared for the exam for recruitment of school teachers which was conducted after a gap of eight years. A four-member investigation committee led by chief vigilance officer Nilkamal probed into various cases of irregularities and paper leak. The board had cancelled the exam considering the findings of the committee. Steps to download the admit card: Step 1: Go to the website - bsebstet2019.in. Step 2: Tap on the link that reads, "Click here to download Admit Card for Online Re-exam STET-2019." Step 3: Enter application number and date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY and press the login button. Step 4: The admit card will appear on the screen. Download and take a print out. Here's the direct link to download the admit card Bengaluru, Sep 3 : The Karnataka Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a person for allegedly peddling narcotic drugs in the city, the police said on Thursday. "We have arrested Ravi Shankar after getting evidence that he was peddling drugs. We have also secured his custody for five days to interrogate him to ascertain to whom all did he supply the banned drugs," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil told reporters here. Shankar is also said to be a friend of Kannada film actress Ragini Dwivedi, who has been summoned to appear before the CCB sleuths on Friday after she failed to do so on Thursday. "We have served Ragini another notice to appear for questioning on Friday at the CCB office after she said that she could not come today (Thursday) as she was unwell and sought time till September 7," said Patil. According to sources, Shankar is an official in the state Regional Transport Office (RTO) at Jayanagar in the city's upscale suburb. "Shankar is learnt to have attended rave parties with Ragini where drugs like marijuana (ganja), cocaine and hashish were used," said a source. City police have began a crack down since Monday after noted Kannada film producer Inderjit Lankesh alleged that about a dozen Sandalwood actors were into drugs and there was a nexus between them and drug mafias. Ragini, 30, is the first Kannada film actor to be summoned by the CCB after Lankesh on August 29 alleged that actors and musicians were involved in consuming banned drugs during shooting sessions and at rave parties organised by various stakeholders. Lankesh's startling revelations about the rampant abuse of banned drugs in the multi-crore film industry came three days after the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) busted a drug trafficking racket in the city and arrested former Kannada television actress D. Anikha and two of her accomplices, R. Ravindran and M. Anoop, 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 the 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 to supply 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," an NCB official had said earlier. Lankesh came to the CCB office earlier in the day for the second time on summons by Patil, who is investigating the multi-crore drug scam that rocked the Kannada film industry. "I presented myself before the CCB for the second time on summons. But I cannot divulge the details of what I presented to the officials. Let them (CCB) investigate the charges and truth will come out," asserted Lankesh. Lankesh also claimed that he had given material evidence on the alleged drug abuse among the Sandalwood actors. A miffed Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Wednesday denied that some actors had drug links and urged the police to investigate the claims made by Lankesh on the alleged nexus between the industry and the suppliers of banned substances. "As Lankesh gave names of a dozen Kannada actors to the CCB on August 31 and submitted some documents in support of his claims, we will take action if the police prove that the accused are guilty," KFCC representative Sa Ra Govindu told reporters here. Lankesh (43) is the son of noted editor late P. Lankesh, who had launched the popular "Lankesh patrika" (weekly tabloid) in Kannada in the 1980s. "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," Lankesh said. Matt Hancock today batted away criticism that former Australian PM Tony Abbott could get a job as a UK trade envoy despite complaints about his attitude to women and gay people. The Health Secretary struggled as he was challenged over Mr Abbott's expected appointment to a post-Brexit role. In a bruising interview on Sky News, Mr Hancock was told by presenter Kay Burley that Mr Abbott - who denies being homophobic or sexist - had previously said he was 'threatened' by homosexuality and men were better to exercise power. Mr Hancock, who was wearing an NHS badge with the LGBTQ rainbow flag, said he 'bowed to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love'. 'As far as I understand it, the proposal is that Mr Abbott supports the UK on trade policy, which is an area which he has got a huge area of expertise,' he said. Matt Hancock (pictured on Sky news today) batted away criticism that former Australian PM Tony Abbott could get a job as a UK trade envoy despite concerns about his attitude to women and gay people Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted a photo of herself with Mr Abbott last night Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Abbott's coronavirus views are 'deeply offensive and wrong' and he was not fit to be a trade envoy Tony Abbott's track record ON HOMOSEXUALITY Asked in 2010 what he thought about homosexuality, Mr Abbott said: 'I probably feel a bit threatened.' He later denied being homophobic and explained that his sister had been coming out as gay at the time. ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE During the campaign to introduce same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017, Mr Abbott reportedly said: 'If you're worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no,' he said. 'And if you don't like political correctness, vote no because voting no will help to stop political correctness in its tracks.' ON WOMEN As Opposition leader in 2010, Mr Abbott reportedly said: 'What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it's going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up.' In a famous speech to the Australian Parliament condeming Mr Abbott, fellow former PM Julia Gillard quoted him as saying: 'If it's true ... that men have more power generally speaking than women, is that a bad thing?' Advertisement 'I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love, whoever that is. 'But we need to have the best experts in the world working in their field and as the former prime minister of Australia, he has a huge amount of experience.' Pressed on whether he felt that way even if Mr Abbott was a homophobic misogynist, Mr Hancock said: 'I don't think that's true.' Burley said she had read some of Mr Abbott's previous comments, adding: 'He is homophobe, and he is a misogynist.' Mr Hancock said: 'He's also an expert in trade.' Mr Abbott opposed same-sex marriage, and was accused of misogyny by fellow former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard. He was embroiled in controversy earlier this week, when he suggested nature should be allowed to 'take its course' for more elderly victims of Covid-19. Mr Abbott 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'. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said today: 'I have real concerns about Tony Abbott and I don't think he's the right person for the job. 'If I was prime minister I wouldn't appoint him.' Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Abbott's coronavirus views are 'deeply offensive and wrong' and he was not fit to be a trade envoy. 'Trade, in many respects, should reflect our values there should be ethics attached to any country's trading profile,' she said. However, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss mounted a staunch defence of the former premier. Grilled by Labour MPs including Ruth Cadbury in the Commons, Ms Truss referred to an incident when former shadow chancellor John McDonnell repeating a joke about minister Esther McVey being 'lynched'. Mr McDonnell has refused to apologise, but insisted he had been 'misinterpreted' and did not wish any harm. Ms Truss said: 'I think it's absolute hypocrisy to hear this type of argument from the Labour Party. 'Until recently they had a shadow chancellor (John McDonnell) who she supported who called for the lynching of one of my female colleagues and never apologised for it. 'This is a party that has never elected a female leader despite having the opportunity time and time again. 'The reality is they'd rather virtue signal and indulge in tokenism rather than take real action to improve the lives of women.' She added: 'The reality is that those on the left of politics are always intolerant of anyone who doesn't agree with them but are prepared to defend anything from their own friends.' Samsung plans to make a lot of Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphones in 2020. According to a new report by Yonhap News Agency, the company will manufacture up to 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2s in 2020. This information is based on the info industry sources provided. It seems like Samsung plans to increase sales of foldable smartphones. Do note that this volume is higher than what Samsung did last year with the Galaxy Fold. Samsung plans to manufacture a lot of Galaxy Z Fold 2 units in 2020, in several different plants The company will not manufacture the device only in South Korea. Samsung will also manufacture in Vietnam and Brazil, if sources are to be believed. Advertisement An industry insider said that moving the production to overseas plants proves that the yield rate has been stabilized. Samsung seems to be looking into cutting costs for foldable smartphone production. According to analysts, the sales of Samsungs foldable smartphones could reach up to 3 million this year, as the company managed to expand its foldable lineup. As a reminder, aside from the Galaxy Fold and Z Fold 2, the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G are also available. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will face some competition from the Microsoft Surface Duo and Huawei Mate X2. Also from its very own Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G devices. Advertisement Motorola is also expected to announce its new Razr-branded foldable smartphone in the near future. So, that will be yet another competitor for Samsungs new foldable flagship. Analysts believe Samsung has a firm grip on the foldables market According to analysts, however, Samsung is likely to beat its competitors, which is not difficult to imagine. The Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2 are currently regarded, by many, to be the best foldable choices at the moment. According to an analyst from Eugene Investment & Securities, Roh Kyoung-tak, Samsung has reconfirmed its technological prowess in foldable smartphones, so it is likely to take a leading position for quite an amount of time. Advertisement That analyst also added that Samsung has a rather diversified foldable product lineup this year. He also added that the companys foldable smartphone sales could expand to 8 million units in 2021. Samsung is also rumored to release a more affordable Fold smartphone. The Galaxy Fold Lite has been rumored for quite some time now. It remains to be seen if it will arrive before the end of 2020. That device could appeal to many people with the right price tag, as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is extremely expensive. Speaking of which, its already available to pre-order. NEW YORK: The police officers involved in the arrest and asphyxiation death of Daniel Prude, a Black man, have been suspended after video of the March incident was released this week, the mayor of Rochester, New York said on Thursday. Prudes family released on Wednesday body camera footage from his arrest in March, showing a group of officers in the upstate New York City putting a hood over his head - apparently to prevent his spit from possibly transmitting the novel coronavirus - as he knelt on the ground, handcuffed and naked. Prudes family has called for the arrest of the officers involved in his death, which came seven days after the incident. Prude was 41. The Monroe County medical examiner ruled Prudes death a homicide caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, according to an autopsy report, the New York Times reported. Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by our police department, our mental health care system, our society, and he was failed by me," Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who is Black, told reporters. We cannot continue to fail Black lives in this way." Prudes asphyxiation occurred two months before the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which spurred international protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. Prudes family obtained video of the arrest after filing a freedom of information act request, CBS-affiliate WROC-TV reported. Rochester police chief LaRon Singletary told reporters on Wednesday that internal and criminal investigations were underway. Rochester police declined further comment on Thursday, and a lawyer for Prudes family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 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 Located on the bank of Con River, An Thai a traditional trade village of dry vermicelli and rice paper in Nhon Phuc Commune, An Nhon Town, in the south central coastal province of Binh Dinh, is over 100 years old. The village has over 60 households with around 200 villagers making dry vermicelli and rice paper. An Thai Villages typical products, such as rice vermicelli, wheat flour vermicelli, Song Than green bean vermicelli and thin rice paper, have become popular nationwide and are also exported to China, Laos and Cambodia. The rigs of dry vermicelli Despite sweating, a local woman still smiles. A field for drying vermicelli and rice paper on the bank of Con River. Villagers flipping vermicelli and rice papers . Diep Van Thanh (71 years old) ties the rigs. Nhan Dan Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP), the number automotive manufacturer in the country, wants its existing customers to be rewarded for spreading the good word on its best-selling vehicle, the Vios. This, as the local arm for the Japanese automotive marque announced the Toyota Referral Rewards program. This latest promotion, open till September 30, will gift current Toyota owners with P5,000 worth of digital gift certificates for every successful referral yielding to the purchase of a Vios at any of its 70 dealer-network around the country. To note, the latest version of the Vios was unveiled last July. Toyota referral TMP First Vice President Sherwin Chualim explained that customers themselves, who have experienced the great value and reliability of their lineup, would best represent them to potential new clients. "Through the Toyota Referral Rewards program, we want to give incentives to the loyal Toyota customers who best know the great value and quality of a Toyota vehicle. After all, who better to share the advantages and fulfillment of owning a Toyota than our own customers? Chualim said. To qualify for the reward, Toyota customers must first visit www.toyotareferral.com.ph and submit the required details. Those who would be making a fleet purchase invoiced under a company or government institution are not eligible on the program. Alternately, they may also contact Toyotas Customer Assistance Center at customerassistance@toyota.com.ph or (02) 8819-2912 to inquire and refer. Going back, those who would qualify for the program are those whose Toyota vehicle is invoiced under their name. A Toyota representative will verify this referral via e-mail using the registered information from the microsite and referrer will be requested to submit a copy of the vehicle OR/CR along with a valid ID. Good thing about this is that, TMP has not put any cap on the number of referrals, meaning more rewards await each customer. 2020 Vios Referrers will be notified through e-mail for the successful referral that will also state the digital reward, which can be used on a wide selection of partner-merchants such as restaurants, clothing and apparel stores, supermarkets, department stores, and more. Story continues Early this year, the Vios has been offered in other affordable deals which include a low downpayment option of P6, 571 and the Balloon Plus Payment. The Balloon Plus Payment reverses the usual payment structure, with the lump sum being paid at the end of the term. When you look at it, it is more like putting the down payment at the tail end of the loan. Photo/s from Toyota Motor Philippines Also read: This July, get a Toyota Vios and pay only P6,571 monthly Toyota gives more service to PH hospitals TMP Launches Latest Mobile App KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 13:06 | Feature, All, Japan Japanese children had the second-worst rated mental well-being among 38 developed and emerging countries due to poor life satisfaction and the high frequency of suicide, a UNICEF report said Thursday. While Japanese children ranked first in physical health and live in relatively well-off economic circumstances, instances of bullying in schools as well as difficult relationships with family members leads to a lack of psychological well-being, the U.N. Children's Fund found. Only children in New Zealand ranked worse than Japan in terms of their mental well-being. The report, titled "Worlds of Influence: Understanding What Shapes Child Well-being in Rich Countries," looked into three key categories -- mental well-being, physical health, and academic and social skills -- using data collected before the novel coronavirus pandemic. Taking into account all three categories, the Netherlands topped the list, followed by Denmark and Norway. Japan landed 20th, the United States 36th and Chile ranked worst among nations included. The paper's findings were based on U.N. statistics covering members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union. In 2018, the Netherlands reported the highest rate of 15-year-old children who had a high life satisfaction at 90 percent, while Turkey ranked bottom at just 53 percent. Japan came in second last at 62 percent. In Japan, an average of 7.5 in 100,000 adolescents aged 15 to 19 committed suicide between 2013 and 2015, while the suicide rate for New Zealand was the second-highest at 14.9. Greece saw the lowest suicide rate at 1.4, while Lithuania saw the highest at 18.2. Meanwhile, Japan logged the lowest obesity rate with just 14 percent of those aged between 5 and 19 classified as overweight or obese in 2016. The United States had the highest rate at 42 percent. In academic proficiency and social skills, Japan placed 27th. Although Japanese children ranked fifth in reading and mathematics proficiency, they were second from bottom when it came to confidence in making friends easily, with just 69 percent of 15-year-old students saying they felt that way, only better than the 68 percent reported by Chilean kids. Japan had the lowest unemployment rate in 2019 among the countries included, and the rate of children living in poverty stood at 18.8 percent, below the average 20 percent. Japanese education expert Naoki Ogi labeled Japan's schools a "bullying hell" and said excessive competition to get into prestigious schools proves a negative factor to children's mental health. "It's inevitable for children (in Japan) to have low self-esteem and lack a sense of happiness," he said. Looking forward, the UNICEF report said the ongoing coronavirus crisis will add to challenges faced by children. "What started as a health crisis will spread to touch all aspects of economies and societies," it said. "Children will not suffer the worse direct health effects of the virus. But as we know from previous crises, they will be the group that experiences the longer-term negative impacts most acutely." Emergency service in Japan: 119 If you are having suicidal thoughts, help is available. For Japan, call Yorisoi Hotline at 0120279338 (toll-free). Press 2 after the recorded message for consultation in English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, or Indonesian. The service in these languages is also available on Facebook messenger. For those outside Japan, you can find a list of other resources here. Geojit's report on Agri Picks India received 5.6 mm rainfall yesterday, 19% below normal, the India Meteorological Department said. Since Jun 1, the country has received 790.4 mm rainfall, 9% above normal. Crushing of mustard seeds by mills in the country surged 39% on year to 800,000 tn in August, data from the Mustard Oil Producers Association of India showed. Global coffee prices rose for the second consecutive month in August, according to the International Coffee Organizations composite indicator. The indicator rose 10.7% to 114.78 cents per pound in August, as against 103.66 cents per pound in July, the coffee body said in a release. The government has sold 547,890 tn of rice till August under the open market sale scheme. So far, it has offered 814,040 tn at the weekly auction scheme, a senior government official said. In sync with the government's push to divert sugarcane to ease the glut in the sugar sector and promote biofuels, Ponni Sugars (Erode) Ltd is likely to start production of ethanol in the next 12-18 months. The government has distributed only 265,000 tn foodgrain to migrant workers against the 800,000 tn earmarked under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package, the food ministry said in a release. As of Monday, states had lifted 638,000 tn foodgrain, it added. The Multi Commodity Exchange Clearing Corp, the clearing arm of the Multi Commodity Exchange of India, has decided to apply the minimum margin period of risk for commodities from October, based on their realised volatility, the exchange said in a circular. Commodities transaction tax is not applicable on options in goods contracts, where the underlying is an exempted agricultural commodity, the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange said in a circular. The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange will impose a special margin of 20% on options contracts of chana from Thursday, the exchange said in a release. For all commodities report, click here Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Read More Ashok Saraogi, the lawyer of Sushant Singh Rajputs former manager, Shruti Modi, has said that his client was aware of the actors drug use, and had expressed a desire to distance herself from it. After she told Sushant that she wanted to quit as his manager, the actor insisted that Shruti stay on, the lawyer said. In an interview to The Times of India, Saraogi said, When she found out about it (Sushants drug use) after 10 days of joining, Shruti decided to quit but Sushant told her to stay back and told her that he will not be party to it. So she continued to work as his manager on this condition. He said that Shrutis name has been dragged into the investigation because she refused to comply with certain demands made by Sushants family. It is possible that she did not follow the instructions of the sister, so they may have some grievances. They wanted certain account details from her which she declined to part with, he said. Recently leaked chat messages between Shruti and Sushants girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty seemed to suggest that the celebrity manager was aware of Sushants use of marijuana. Her lawyers comments come a day after the counsels for both Sushant and Rhea have spoken in the press. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput promised to quit marijuana, claims new WhatsApp chat between Rhea Chakraborty, Shruti Modi: report At a Wednesday press conference, Vikas Singh, the lawyer hired by Sushants father in his case against Rhea, spoke about various topics related to the case. Commenting on leaked WhatsApp conversations that suggested that Sushants sisters were familiar with his psychological problems, and arranged for him to get medicines on June 8, he said, This medicine is for anxiety. Check with any psychiatrist. Anxiety is mentioned in the FIR. In a previous interview to Pinkvilla, he had said that Sushant never did hard drugs. Sushant was a fitness freak, someone who believed in yoga and meditation. He never did hard drugs or had such a clandestine lifestyle and consumption, hed said. A drug angle in Sushants death case is being investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau, while the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are carrying out separate probes into the actors death. Sushant died on June 14. Rhea has been accused of abetting his suicide. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President John Dramani Mahama, has begun a four-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region with the assurance not to abolish the free Senior High School (SHS )programme but rather improve upon it. That, he said, would be done by completing the 200 second-cycle institutions he promised to construct during his tenure of office and build more in a bid to abolish the double-track system. By this means, he said, normal academic sessions would proceed smoothly as it was before the implementation of the double-track system by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Mr Mahama said this during a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Wa, Waa Naa Seidu Fuseini Pelpuo IV and the elders in Wa yesterday. Rousing welcome The former President was met in Wa by a large crowd including many on motorbikes, amid cheers, shouting and tooting of horns. It was a rousing welcome with the people shouting the name of the former President and running after his motorcade. Infrastructure The former President made a case for his $10 billion infrastructure policy known as the Big Push, which, he said, would close the infrastructure deficit of the country and propel the country to greater prosperity. He said infrastructure was the catalyst for growth and the key to development and, therefore, when God grants him the grace to recapture political power, he would not relent in his efforts to ensure that every corner of the country benefited from his infrastructure agenda. As part of his plans, he said he would complete all the projects that had been abandoned by the Akufo-Addo-led administration due to political expediency. Primary health care Mr Mahama touted his free primary healthcare policy as a pro-poor policy that would provide primary health care to many people, especially those in the rural areas. The free primary health care, he said, would complement the National Health Insurance Scheme by making all primary healthcare free for every Ghanaian. Also, he said, in order to ensure the success of the policy, he would make massive investments in health care by providing the necessary equipment to health facilities and motivation for healthcare workers throughout the country. This is to ensure that not only will people benefit from free health care but also quality health care, he said. Benefit for Upper West On what he had in store for the Upper West Region, the former President said the region would receive its fair share of all the development policies he would implement if he won the December polls. He gave assurance that he would complete the trans-African highway from Sawla through Bamahu to the Hamile border post. The road network, he said, was going to harness and boost the socio-economic potentials of the region, create more jobs for the youth and enhance movement within the area and neighbouring countries in the sub-region. He said the national cake would be equitably distributed to ensure that every region had its fair share. Mr Mahama expressed his utmost gratitude to the people who defied an early morning rainfall and came out massively to welcome him and asked them to transform that gesture to a massive vote for the National Democratic Congress and himself, come December 7, 2020 for victory. Waa Naa The Waa Naa, Seidu Fuseini Pelpuo IV, appealed to the youth to channel their energies into issues which would foster development and growth in the country, adding that they should avoid being misused by politicians to foment trouble. He said no political party could win election through hate campaign and insults since Ghanaians were discerning and "our politics has come of age". He challenged people to rather focus on the ideological message of the political parties and decide on which policies would best improve the fortunes of the country. "The actions and practices of the party must be based on policies founded on a well-defined ideology," he said. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Washingtons move comes after Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan fail to agree on unified text on management of disputed project. The United States has suspended a portion of its financial aid to Ethiopia over the lack of progress in talks with Egypt and Sudan about a massive dam Addis Ababa is constructing on the Blue Nile River. Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been locked in a bitter dispute over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which remains unresolved although the reservoir behind the dam began filling in July. A US Department of State spokesperson told The Associated Press news agency on Tuesday that the decision to temporarily pause some aid to a key regional security ally reflects our concern about Ethiopias unilateral decision to begin to fill the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place. Ethiopia considers the hydropower dam essential for its electrification and development but downstream Egypt and Sudan view it as a serious threat to vital water supplies. It was not immediately clear how many millions of dollars in US aid are being cut, or for how long, but a congressional source told Reuters news agency: Up to $100m or so will be affected, of which $26m is funding that expires at the end of the [financial year]. The US move came after the three countries failed on Friday to reach an agreement on the management of the dam following 10 days of negotiations. The State Department said commencing the filling of the reservoir before necessary safety measures were implemented created serious risks for the populations of the downstream countries, according to AFP news agency It added that by continuing to fill the dam, Ethiopia was undermining confidence in the negotiations. Fitsum Arega, Ethiopias ambassador to Washington, said on Tuesday he had been informed of the US aid cuts. They told us the issue is a temporary pause, Arega said on Facebook. The dam is ours. We will complete it through our efforts. Our Ethiopia will have a bright glow through our efforts, he added. A mother pulled her three children from their secondary school after her eldest son claimed a teacher had told him to remove his mask. Suzanne Byrne said Angelo, 15, told her the news in a phone call an hour into the first day back at Woodchurch High School so he withdrew him along with his brother, Roman, 13, and 12-year-old daughter Ireland. The Wirral school responded by saying they are following government guidelines and had made an 'informed decision' not to require masks to be worn. It is illegal not to send your children to school so Mrs Byrne is risking a fine. Government guidance says masks are not necessary at schools, but it does not ban them. Suzanne Byrne took her children Angelo, 15, (right) Roman, 13, (left) and Ireland, 12,(bottom) out of Woodchurch High School on their first day back Ms Bryne said said: 'My daughter is disabled and extremely vulnerable and so am I. 'There's no point protecting my daughter if my boys aren't afforded the same protection. 'We will stay away from the school until they can wear masks.' Ms Byrne insisted she wanted to reach a 'compromise with the school over the issue, adding: 'There are government guidelines, but there's nothing saying masks should be banned. It is illegal not to send your children to school so Mrs Byrne is risking a fine 'Common sense should prevail. You cannot overrule the need to protect yourself and your family by being told you cannot wear a mask. 'We stayed in until August and now we're going out the boys have been amazing, always wearing their masks when we go outside. 'We haven't done this for six months just to risk our health now. I've just got to sit here (at home) until we can reach some kind of compromise.' Some social media users defended Ms Bryne's decision but others criticised her. Tina Cheers wrote on Facebook: 'My two boys also go to Woodchurch and I'm glad they're not made to wear them. 'It should be individual choice if you want to or not.' John Luxton added: 'Well done to the teachers. I was a teacher until I retired in December. 'I certainly wouldn't want either myself or the children to wear face coverings. The science is so shaky on the matter as well.' The Wirral school responded by saying they are following government guidelines and had made an 'informed decision' not to require masks to be worn A school spokesman said: 'The school is following National Guidelines, as set by HM Government. To that end, we have completed risk assessments and these have been submitted to the relevant external bodies. 'At this stage, in line with Government Guidelines, the school is able to exercise discretion on the wearing of face masks. We have therefore made an informed decision that the routine wearing of face coverings is not required, as the school is not situated in a high risk area at this time, and thus not subject to a 'local lockdown'. 'We will continue to follow Government Guidelines and make adjustments and changes as necessary and as directed, for the safety and well-being of all in our community. Sadly, however, one parent has chosen to remove her children from the school. 'Nevertheless, school is delighted with the phenomenally high level of attendance today, and the tremendous support from our families. 'The health and safety of our children remains paramount, together with the safeguarding of their education.' A years-long, multimillion-dollar legal battle waged by the husband of a Melbourne celebrity against the makers of his private jet has ended after they reached a settlement. Businessman and high-flying architect Andrew Norbury sued the manufacturers of his $US4.35 million ($5.94 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 (right), widely known as the husband of Real Housewives of Melbourne star Lydia Schiavello (left), in front of the same kind of jet at issue in the lawsuit. Credit:@lydiaschiavello An uncommanded turn one that occurred without the pilot's intervention while an aircraft is on autopilot caused the plane to lurch leftward and temporarily plunge towards the ground before he wrestled back control of the aircraft and safely landed it. He was flying back from a holiday in Merimbula with his young son and a friend when the terrifying incident occurred. Tendore, Russell Assume New Roles in UW Native American Programs The director of the University of Wyomings Native American Program for the past three years has been named as program director of UWs Native American Education, Research and Cultural Center (NAERCC). Reinette Tendore, who received her bachelors degree in elementary education and masters degree in social work from UW, assumed the new role with the start of the fall semester. I am looking forward to taking on new duties and roles. To serve as the NAERCC program director here at UW is an honor, Tendore says. I am excited to continue the work to assist our Native students in achieving their higher education goals and to be a resource not only for our Native communities, but also the University of Wyoming, the state and the regional area. As Native American Program director, Tendore has worked closely with students at the NAERCC, supervising the office associate and student interns, and serving as a team member with the offices of Multicultural Affairs and Dean of Students, and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. The NAERCC is a resource for Native American students seeking support, a place to study and a sense of community. The center aims to enrich all UW students in their quest for an inclusive education and broaden knowledge of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous cultures. Tendore has served nearly 40 current and prospective students a year, helping them navigate the requirements of their many degree programs and instilling in them the knowledge and self-confidence to be successful at UW and in life. She is dedicated to the retention and recruitment of Native American students. For the past five years, she has served as the main coordinator for UWs Native American Summer Institute (NASI), which brings Native American high school students to campus for a week to experience college life. Many of the students involved in NASI have gone on to college at UW and elsewhere, and credit NASI for their success. The NAERCC houses Native American student support services, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program, the High Plains American Indian Research Institute, as well as NASI. As program director of the NAERCC, Tendore will oversee and coordinate the centers daily functions and strengthen the relationships among the various programs housed in the center. As a mother of four, including two of her own college students, Tendore values higher education for Native communities. Tendore is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and also a part of the Northern Ute and Pyramid Lake Paiute tribes. She is married to Lee Tendore, also a UW alumnus who serves as the Eastern Shoshone tribal liaison for Gov. Mark Gordon. She was born and raised in Wyoming. Meanwhile, a member of UWs faculty, Caskey Russell, has been named the new director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and the associate director of the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice. Russell, an enrolled member of the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska, previously held the role as director of the program from July 2014-June 2017. As an associate professor in the Department of English and an adjunct faculty member in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program for the past 16 years, Russell has a unique historical memory of the program and its development. At the end of his previous term, Russell was instrumental in the formation and establishment of the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice. Since his departure in 2017 as director, the program has moved to the NAERCC as its primary home. Russell succeeds Angela Jaime, a UW faculty member since 2010 who has been appointed as vice dean in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan. As director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program since 2017, Jaime initiated the development of an Indigenous Language Center for the study, documentation and revitalization of Indigenous languages. That center is expected to become a reality during the 2021 academic year. Id like to thank Dr. Jaime for lighting the spark to establish an Indigenous Language Center, Russell says. We will work hard to make this dream come to fruition. BRUSSELS, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Google urged the European Commission on Thursday to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to the tech industry in its forthcoming Digital Services Act. The EU executive is drawing up new rules for data-sharing and the digital marketplace as well as boosting competition after concluding that multiple antitrust actions against Google have been ineffectual. The Commission's public consultation period ends on Sept. 8. In a blog post and 135-page submission, Google encouraged European legislators to provide greater clarity on rules and responsibilities of online platforms. It said while it was important to identify illegal content, mandating use of technology to do that could 'overblock' Europeans' speech and access to information. The Commission should update its rules with a graduated scheme of exemptions from liability, including for search engines or cloud services, Google said. Hosting services such as Google's YouTube video channel should have to act expeditiously to remove or disable access to illegal content, Google said, but expressed concern that companies may be forced to prioritise speed over careful decision-making. New rules should also encourage new and improved features and products and help European consumers get things done quickly. The rules, Google said, should not create undue costs and burdens for European businesses seeking to recover from a global pandemic. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The pandemic has claimed a lot of victims. In addition to significant loss of life, it has also wreaked havoc on the apparel industry. And one of the hardest hit categories has been tailored clothing. As men are stuck at home conducting business on computer screens rather than in person, their suits generally are gathering dust in the closet. They are opting for sweatpants, shorts and other comfortable work-at-home attire maybe with a dress shirt and sport coat on top to look good on the video screen. Ironically, tailored clothing was all the rage on the European runways last year and had been expected to experience a major rebound this fall as streetwear started to decline in importance. But that was pre-pandemic. Evidence of the struggling tailored clothing category was the final blow to some major retailers, including Tailored Brands, parent of Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, as well as Brooks Brothers. For Tailored Brands, formalwear accounts for more than 40 percent of the companys overall sales. And while the retailer has been moving more toward polished casual offerings, it was too little too late. At Brooks Brothers, the percentage of tailored clothing sales to the total is not as high, but the retailer is still best known for its classic suits, sport coats and furnishings. And the overall numbers are not pretty. According to Euromonitor International, retail sales of mens suits in the U.S. are expected to drop 24 percent this year to around $1.5 billion. Five years ago, the category accounted for $2.1 billion in sales. Since silhouettes and patterns of mens suits change at a snails pace, most retailers dont feel the need to significantly increase their buy for the fall season. With stores closed for months and shoppers returning slowly, merchants will just hang onto what they already have for those guys who are planning to return to work after Labor Day either full- or part-time. Case in point: In its earnings call last week, Harvey Kanter, chief executive officer of Destination XL Group, the countrys largest mens big and tall retail chain, said tailored clothing continues to remain very challenging, and he expects it will remain that way for a while. This fall, Kanter said he expects men will continue to work from home. Our merchandise strategy for 2021 will focus even more on categories that are rooted in comfort, functionality and versatility to accommodate the new work-from-home lifestyle. Story continues Dana Katz, owner of Miltons, a two-unit mens retailer based in suburban Boston and a self-professed tailored clothing store said he expects to be able to fill customer demand with replenishment goods. Ditto for Norman Stockton in Winston-Salem, N.C., which is also servicing shoppers with sportswear and not ordering any more suits and sport coats. Until there are events happening again, people wont be buying clothing, said owner Hill Stockton. Even the countrys largest suit manufacturer, Peerless Clothing, isnt expecting a rebound for a while. But the company that produces suits under Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and other labels is hopeful that sales will improve in 2021. There will be pent-up demand, said Eric Jennings, vice president and creative director. With so many special events such as weddings and graduations canceled and being rescheduled for 2021, as the economy comes back, people will want to stand out and replace their old dusty suits. Add to that, the number of men who will be looking for jobs. Douglas Raicek, executive vice president of Peerless, said there will also be 30 million to 50 million Americans trying to get back to work, so many of them will need suits in order to look professional during their job search. Other retailers have also maintained a positive attitude about the future of tailored clothing. But it may not be the traditional nested suit of the past. Instead, guys will seek out a mix of tailored and upscale sportswear that would be appropriate at both the corporate or home office to present what Bruce Pask, mens fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, has described as a polish. Thats what is resonating at Tailored Brands. A spokesman said while suits will always be a part of our DNA as they will always be relevant to a mens wardrobe, the company is banking more on casual offerings such as unstructured jackets, polos, chinos, shirts with four-way stretch, etc. And while it is seeing strong performance in suits online versus last year, the mix is more diversified to adapt to what our guy is looking for. The assortment shifts we were making prior to COVID-19 were clearly resonating as we saw positive comps across all four brands in February and we continue to see momentum across our style range. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee sued the state of Montana on Wednesday in an attempt to limit mail-in voting in the state, just 61 days before the election. Why it matters: The suit, which alleges that Gov. Steve Bullock's recent mail-in voting expansion would weaken the state's election system, isn't the first GOP effort to curb mail-in ballots. President Trump baselessly criticizes voting by mail, saying it's prone to widespread fraud. The president's re-election campaign also sued New Jersey and Nevada last month over a law that will automatically send voters mail-in ballots, CNN reports. Context: Bullock (D) issued a directive last month allowing counties to expand mail-in and early voting because of the coronavirus pandemic. What they're saying: "The Governor's inconsistency, coupled with the Election Directive's timing amid a nationwide push by the Democratic Party for the same measures, clearly reveals that the Election Directive is less about protecting the health of Montanans and more about enhancing the Governor's electoral prospects, along with those of his political party," the lawsuit says. "Yet another Democrat Governor who conveniently is running for election is using the coronavirus as a power grab to take control of Montana's elections in the name of 'health,'" RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. who conveniently is running for election is using the coronavirus as a power grab to take control of Montana's elections in the name of 'health,'" RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "This rushed and unconstitutional directive creates a patchwork election code with no uniform procedures across the state, automatically mails ballots to voters and invites fraud, manipulation and administrative chaos." "Upending our elections process in the 11th hour is a recipe for disaster." The other side: This template lawsuit appears to be part of a pattern of lawsuits across the country by Republican Party operatives to limit access to voting during the pandemic, Bullock said in a statement, per AP. Voting by mail in Montana is safe, secure, and was requested by a bipartisan coalition of Montana election officials seeking to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and keep Montanans safe and healthy. Young Ohio assemblywoman: 'God uses my voice to fight for truth and justice' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Jena Powell was 24 years old when she was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2018. A native of the Buckeye state, Powell told The Christian Post that she previously wanted to pursue business until God changed her plans. From a young age, my passion was business. But sometimes God alters our path and leads us somewhere different. For me, that was politics at the age of 24, Powell said. During her first term in the Ohio House of Representatives, Powell led many landmark legislative initiatives. In 2019, she sponsored a resolution to declare pornography a public health crisis and cosponsored the Ohio heartbeat bill, which prohibits elective abortion procedures if a heartbeat is detected in an unborn baby. According to the American Pregnancy Association, a heartbeat is often detectable starting between 5 weeks and 6 weeks. Heartbeat bills have been seen by both sides of the political aisle as an impending threat to Roe v. Wade. The young lawmaker said that as a Christian woman in elected office, she has the opportunity to use her voice to fight for justice as an example to other women who might desire political influence: As people, were looking for more than a job were looking for a calling something that is bigger than ourselves. As Christians, that calling is crucial because this calling is from God and it is His way of manifesting His truth through us. At a young age, I knew I was supposed to do something; I just wasnt sure what that was until God brought me into the political realm. As a female in politics, God uses my voice to fight for truth and justice, and while justice is not relative to the voice fighting for it, my voice as a female will hopefully inspire other women to join the fight. The world is hurting, and I get the honor to speak the truth, working to help others day in and day out. Powell represents all areas of policy and acknowledged that good policy can influence the livelihood of people who are hurting. I ran for office because I care about truth and justice in the public square. I enjoy working on business and tax policy, but also fight vehemently for unborn babies, families and religious freedom. My heart breaks for the difficult situations people are in, and while government cant fix everything, government can implement good policy which alleviates so much unnecessary pain. Christian women are making waves throughout Americas policy venues, and they are encouraging other young women to get on board. After speaking at the Freedom Summit, organized by the Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., referenced young women of faith who are considering politics and pointed them to Scripture: "For young women who are looking to go into politics, remember that God uses nontraditional leaders many times to lead His nations. Look at Esther and Deborah and so many others. Focus on them." Shannon Stovall, a former congressional staffer, told CP that her area of work is a means of loving her neighbor. Good policy is a great way to love your neighbor," she said. "Advocating for the unborn is a great way to love your neighbor. I think those things, whether youre a woman or a man, are noble causes to fight for. Stovall now works for a conservative advocacy group in Washington, D.C. In each interview, these women told CP that their role is not about being a woman in politics, but rather a Christian fulfilling God's calling in their lives. The Supreme Court has ordered the eviction of over 48000 jhuggis from railway safety zone in Delhi. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and railways will create an action plan within three months to evict illegal encroachments next to 140 KM of railway tracks in the capital. "No interference, political or otherwise, should be there and no court shall grant any stay with respect to removal of the encroachments," SC said in its order. The apex court has also directed the Railways and the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) to maintain the clean environment on tracks leading to Delhi and nearby tracks. The court has also asked to remove plastic bags and garbage from the railway tracks since it causes pollution. The apex court had involved Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Trust (DUISB) -- the agency that provides temporary/night shelters for the homeless in Delhi -- for preparing an action plan to remove garbage and enable rehabilitation of the people evicted from the jhuggis. The Supreme Court ordered that a meeting of all stakeholders - Delhi Government, Railways, municipal corporations, and DUSIB - should be convened next week. The court added that 70 per cent of the amount will be borne by the Railways and 30 per cent by the state government. The apex court said that the SDMC, Railways, and other agencies will ensure that their contractors do not dump garbage on the edges of railway tracks, the court said in its order. "We direct that let the plan be executed with respect to removal of the plastic bags, garbage etc. within a period of three months and a meeting of all the stakeholders, i.e. Railways, Govt. of NCT of Delhi and concerned Municipal Corporations, as well as Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Trust (DUISB), be called next week and work be started forthwith. 70% of the requisite amount shall be borne by the Railways and 30% by the state government. The manpower will be provided by the SDMC, Railways, and agencies available with the government, free of cost, and they will not charge it from each other. SDMC, Railways, and other agencies to ensure that their contractors do not put the waste/garbage on the sides of the railway tracks". Featured in Doodle artwork is an idyllic row-boating scene full of traditional Vietnamese symbolism. The man rower is depicted wearing an iconic non la, a conical leaf hat that originated thousands of years ago and has since become synonymous with the nations culture. Opposite of the man steering the boat, a woman is dressed in an Ao Dai - the elegant national costume of Vietnam, which embodies the pride of the Vietnamese people. The two are encircled by lily pads and lotus flowers, typical flora found throughout Vietnams lakes and ponds. In its description, Google said that the national flower of Vietnam, the lotus submerges under muddy water at night and resurfaces the next morning. Upon reaching the new dawns sunlight, it blooms untarnished by the surrounding mudeven during the most turbulent of times. This act of perseverance demonstrates why many in the country view the lotus blossom as a symbol of strength and optimism. Not only does this colourful flower brighten the Vietnamese landscape, but it is also deeply ingrained in the nations cultural identity, from its towering architecture to its unique cuisine. Google Doodles have previously commemorated Vietnams National Day with the images of the Temple of Literature, the fragrant lotus, and the Dong Son drum in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. They have also praised traditional Vietnamese celebrations such as Tet (lunar New Year) festival and the mid-autumn festival. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:51:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday urged the U.S. State Department to immediately withdraw its decision to impose tighter limitations on Chinese diplomats. "We urge the U.S. State Department to immediately revoke the wrong move, stop obstructing normal exchanges between the two peoples and sabotaging bilateral ties," said spokesperson Hua Chunying when responding to a query about the issue at a daily press briefing held Thursday. China will make a justified and necessary response in light of the situation, she said. Hua's remarks came after the U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that senior Chinese diplomats will be required to seek approval to visit U.S. university campuses and meet with local government officials. Chinese diplomats will also have to get permission to host cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people outside mission properties. The U.S. State Department has ramped up restrictions on Chinese embassy and consulates and their staff performing duties in the United States since October, said Hua. "Such moves severely violate international laws and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously interfere with China-U.S. ties as well as the normal exchanges between the two sides." China has always provided facilitation for U.S. diplomatic and consular personnel to perform their duties in China according to laws and regulations, while the U.S. State Department twice required Chinese diplomats to notify them of plans for activities in October and this June, and even restricted them from carrying out private and social exchanges with local U.S. officials, according to Hua. "This shows that the anti-China forces in the United States have lost their sensibility and confidence and developed anti-China paranoia, which will definitely be met with denunciation and opposition from people with insight," Hua said. Stressing that China-U.S. ties are important to the two countries as well as the world, Hua suggested that both sides maintain a smooth channel of communication at all times. The Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States will continue to maintain normal exchanges with people from all sectors of U.S. society, said Hua, adding that China will continue to support normal exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. Enditem UNODC-UN Women-INTERPOL report on women in law enforcement in the ASEAN region: increasing participation will improve effectiveness UNODC Bangkok (Thailand), 3 September 2020 - UNODC launched a new report this week in partnership with UN Women and INTERPOL focusing on the important role of women in improving the effectiveness of police services and promoting the rule of law in Southeast Asia. The report, Women in Law Enforcement in the ASEAN Region, found that police operations are more successful when a greater number of female officers participate; although significant barriers still remain in their pursuit of a career across the regions law enforcement agencies. The announcement was co-chaired by Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific; Mohammad Naciri, UN Women Regional Director for Asia Pacific; and Jorge Fainstein Day Gastrell, INTERPOL Acting Director for Capacity Building and Training in Singapore. The launch event featured remarks by Royal Thai Police Lieutenant Colonel Amonrat Wathanakosit, a Senior Instructor in Provincial Police Region 5, and H.E. Dr. Sarah Taylor, the Canadian Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR; who spoke on behalf of the Government of Canada - a key supporter for the development of the report and its ensuing contribution to the women, peace and security agenda of the ASEAN region. This groundbreaking research highlights the essential and often overlooked contribution of women to law enforcement in Southeast Asia. Most importantly, the study found that the inclusion of female officers improves the operational effectiveness of agencies, increases community trust, and decreases corruption all stated priorities of the regions governments. The research determined that female officers are better positioned to meet the needs of women and girls in their communities, that their presence improves the response to gender-based crimes and increases agencies perceived legitimacy, as well as enhancing intelligence collection. The best way to serve the community is to reflect your community, and with the gender makeup of the population 50-50, the police should also be 50-50. How can we conduct investigations if we did not have females? How would we be able to address female concerns if we didnt have female officers? How would we train recruits if we do not have female teachers? stated a female police officer from Brunei during the development of the report. Despite the important contributions female officers can and do make to policing, women are still underrepresented across law enforcement agencies in the region; female officers account for only 6 to 20%. At the same time, women have been unable to reach ranks above Colonel and Superintendent - both considered middle management positions in some countries and female officers are vastly outnumbered by their male colleagues in places where they have reached these ranks. While societal perceptions have traditionally discouraged women from pursuing a career in law enforcement, changing attitudes progressively make it an appealing option for many women. Increasing the representation of women in law enforcement agencies is an important step, but Women in Law Enforcement in the ASEAN Region emphasizes that gender equality in policing will not be achieved by simply adding more female officers: improvement requires the implementation of policies that address institutional barriers, respect the human rights of all people, and that foster a work environment where all employees feel valued, secure, and are meaningfully engaged. Empowering women in law enforcement benefits the countries of ASEAN, and it improves the response to crime issues the region shares and prioritizes, said Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Women often know the community better than men and they bring incredible talent to the table, especially when it comes to obtaining information and in the analytical and intelligence space. If law enforcement agencies are not fully using national talents they will not successfully address domestic crime, but at the same time they will also not be able to successfully counter serious organized crime the region and its leaders are most concerned about. Looking forward, the report offers a series of recommendations intended to support collaboration between ASEAN member states, law enforcement agency chiefs, and partners in the development, adoption, and implementation of gender-inclusive policies. Specifically, measures are needed to accelerate womens participation in law enforcement and increase agencies ability to effectively respond to the needs of all members of the population, including women and girls. To further support the meaningful engagement of women in law enforcement, UNODC and UN Women are working together to encourage the professional development of female officers at border crossings, including by providing training to women stationed at front-line border posts in the region. 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? fans have watched the drama between Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthasts family escalate during recent episodes. Ever since the Potthast family landed in Moldova, things have been tense. Elizabeth even threatened to call off her second wedding with Andrei, but did she actually follow through? 90 Day Fiance stars Elizabeth and Andrei | via Instagram Elizabeths family continue to dive into Andreis past Elizabeths dad and brother Chuck and Charlie were the first to arrive in Moldova for her second wedding with Andrei. They immediately started asking questions about Andreis past. The biggest mystery is the reason behind Andrei leaving a good job in Moldova and moving to Ireland to be a bouncer. Chuck and Charlies investigation into his past angered Andrei, and he confronted them about it during dinner. Things got so heated that the 90 Day Fiance star and his brother-in-law nearly came to blows. When Elizabeths mom, Pamela, stepdad, and sister, Jenn, arrived at the airport, they immediately started complaining about everything from the weather to the food. However, Andrei promised Elizabeth he wouldnt get angry. His attitude has noticeably changed compared to his alcohol-fueled outburst at dinner. Still, the Potthast family cant stop thinking about what Andrei is hiding. Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, thats what we say, said Chuck. I want to know why [Andrei] went to Ireland. The 90 Day Fiance star insists she is not having second thoughts As TV Insider noted, Elizabeth brought along her mother, sister, and sister-in-law to shop for a traditional Moldovan bridal costume. Jenn continued to voice her objection to the wedding by making jokes and talking bad about Andrei. She told Elizabeth that her wedding dress definitely looks like Little House on the Prairie outfits. Jenn also attempted to get some gossip from Andreis sister-in-law by asking the saleswoman to translate. However, Elizabeth called her out for talking sh*t. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Potthast Calls Rumors That Andrei Castravet Is Abusive Disgusting Elizabeths family wouldnt back down, though. Pamela confronted her daughter and asked if she was sure she wanted to go through with the wedding despite everything thats happened. The 90 Day Fiance star explained to her mom that she promised Andreis family that they would have a second wedding in Moldova. She told Pamela that she intends to keep that promise. Still, her family continues to investigate Andreis past. As Screen Rant points out, Chuck has a suspicion that his son-in-law has a criminal history. The 90 Day Fiance stars are still together, despite her familys objections Elizabeth and Andreis recent social media activity over the summer indicates that they are still together and going strong. The couple has posted numerous pics and videos together. She has also praised her husband for throwing her a surprise 30th birthday party, and she has referred to him as her soul mate. Andrei and Elizabeth gave a joint interview in July when they admitted that it hasnt been easy watching season 5 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?. Andrei says that the editing on the show presents him in a bad light. He says that Elizabeth treats him poorly sometimes, and he also described her as very stubborn. Elizabeth added that Andrei is an amazing father who is super sweet and a really goofy person at heart. She says that viewers dont get to see enough of that side of Andrei. New episodes of the 90 Day Fiance franchise air Sunday and Monday nights on TLC. Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Narendra Modi government accusing it of having a backyard policy of promoting 50 corporate families to channelise their black money and befooling the poor. AICC secretary and in-charge of partys state unit K Jayakumar described Prime Minister Modi as anti-people during a party meeting held here. Modi was elected on his aid campaign of Acche Din for Aam Aadmi, but his backyard policy of promoting 50 families of the country among the corporate sector have rather prompted to channelise their black money earned in various sectors as overseas investment and real estate business befooling the poor people, Jayakumar said. The state unit of Congress has formulated strategies for its anti-demonetisation campaign against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, a party release said. Rajya Sabha MP Ranee Narah, who is also the AICC coordinator for Arunachal, suggested constituting a state-level campaign committee with former minister Tako Dabi as its chairman for a pan-India campaign. He additionally asked the state unit to coordinate with AICC for nation-wide protest against demonetisation and anti-people policies of the Modi government, it said. Congress state unit president Padi Richo has directed all its members to remain united while fighting against demonetisation as per the programme set by AICC, the statement said. Former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki questioned Modi for failing in all his commitments before he was elected. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. To jointly honor this historic moment, the "Quality Aerospace for Better Life-Master Kong Instant Noodle Ceremony & China Aerospace Partner Signing Ceremony" was co-held by Master Kong and China Space Foundation (CSF) on September 2, 2020, presented by leading representatives including Wu Zhijian, Chairman of CSF; Sun Baowei, former Secretary of the CPC Committee of China Xichang Satellite Launch Center; Wei Junxian, CEO of Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp.; Chen Yingrang, Director of Master Kong Central Research Institute, and Huang Ziqiang, President of Master Kong Instant Noddle Business. Becoming China's first space noodles not only suggests a recognition of the brand, but more importantly, it brings about new possibilities for its long-term cooperation with China's aerospace industry. While looking forward to cooperation in the next three years, both parties are willing to walk ahead hand in hand towards the realization of the "aerospace dream" and "Chinese Dream", support the development of China's aerospace industry and bring the fruits of the aerospace science and technology for the good of vast consumers. The oath was read out in the ceremony by Wu Jie, former national astronaut of the first batch and Director of CSF Public Welfare Affairs Department, which signifies that Master Kong has lived up to expectations after three years of cooperation with CSF, and has vividly interpreted in its space noodles the aerospace quality and standards. Chairman Wu Zhijian expressed his expectations for this initiative that "CSF and Master Kong have been working hand in hand for supporting the development of China's aerospace undertaking in the past three years. Such three-year cooperation has not only injected aerospace elements of culture, quality and technology to the corporate development of Master Kong, but also enabled us to have a better understanding of the aspiration, dreams and pursuits of this brand. We will definitely upgrade the subjects of cooperation, optimize the contents of cooperation, expand the space for cooperation, work together to organically integrate Health China Initiative and the goal of building an aerospace powerhouse, and jointly contribute to the realization of the Chinese Dream for great national rejuvenation." Regarding the cooperation with CSF and becoming the first space noodles brand, Wei Junxian, Chief Executive Officer of Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. said, "As a national enterprise, Master Kong has all along been strengthening its efforts in keeping pace with the country's development. Responding to China's current endeavor in building a strong aerospace nation, our company proposes the one-two-three development strategy, namely, one system, two major actions and three structures, so as to facilitate the flourishing of China's aerospace undertaking." Mr. Wei remarked that, since the food & beverage industry and aerospace industry both belong to the area of systems engineering, Master Kong has been learning the spirit of aerospace system management and transferred it in two concrete actions of facilitating the youth aerospace science education and constantly stepping up high-end R&D and achievement transformation. In addition to learning the aerospace management system, Master Kong has also been actively exploring digital transformation. During the COVID-19 fight, we used digital tools to deliver the right products to the right people at the right time and at the right place, thus supplying hot noodles in the cold winter for many in need, especially for the frontline medical staff and the police; we have also carried out strategic cooperation with data companies such as Tencent and gradually realized data-empowered growth. As a famous company in the food manufacturing industry, Master Kong will embrace digital transformation in a more active manner, reshape and renovate business models, management models and development models, and work to unleash greater value in digital trends." Students who once participated in Master Kong Aerospace Science Exhibition were also invited to the event. These blithe and lovely kids are all "little fans" of aerospace and Master Kong. A pupil named Xu Linyi said, "Thanks to Master Kong for its holding of aerospace science popularization activities, we now feel no longer far away from space. I hope that Master Kong could continue carrying out such activities so that more children could learn about space and be closer to their aerospace dreams. I will also study hard and contribute to the aerospace undertaking of our country." After the event, Master Kong also held in great thoughtfulness the "First Class of Aerospace", which invited Wu Jie, former national astronaut of the first batch as the lecturer to share his experiences of becoming an astronaut. Students from many schools, together with their parents attended the class either on site or online and listened to this Mr. Wu's stories about space technology, space food and space spirit. These children were very happy to be in such close contact with him, saying that, "To think that I've met an astronaut!"; "I can't believe there are so many delicious foods in space and I will study space food in the future." The wonderful sharing of Wu Jie has also stimulated these children's enthusiasm and interest in scientific exploration, as many said that they would like to be "space crew of the new era" in the future, or that even if they couldn't become astronauts, they would like to work in the aerospace industry. Parents accompanying their children in attending the "class" said, "The first class of aerospace science is also very rewarding for adults, and we will fully support their aerospace dreams." Space noodle supply is merely the beginning of Master Kong's aerospace dream. The continuous popularization of aerospace science, the unremitting aerospace food R&D, and the upgrading of the food safety system have all reflected Master Kong's determination in building up China's strength in aerospace and its confidence in pursuing quality excellence. Master Kong will continue to popularize aerospace science to enhance the bond between the next generation and the aerospace undertaking, inspiring the enthusiasm of youngsters in science, exploration and innovation and sowing the seed of "aerospace dream" in the hearts of more teenagers. In the future, Master Kong will dive deeper into the aerospace spirit, work under the guidance of the "One-Two-Three Development Strategy", and continue to carry out aerospace science popularization activities via internet technologies for even wider scope of people; meanwhile, by deepening industry-university-research cooperation, it will also work to promote the application of aerospace science and technology, speed up innovation and R&D by availing its advantages in aerospace technology and talents, continue to support China's aerospace industry, and make Master Kong's products part of a better life for the Chinese people. SOURCE Master Kong New research has found that Indigenous knowledge is regularly underutilised and misunderstood when making important environmental decisions. Published in a special edition of the journal People and Nature, the study investigates how to improve collaborations between Indigenous knowledge holders and scientists, and recommends that greater equity is necessary to better inform decision-making and advance common environmental goals. The research, led by Dr Helen Wheeler of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), involved participants from the Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Russia, Canada, and the United States. Indigenous peoples inhabit 25% of the land surface and have strong links to their environment, meaning they can provide unique insights into natural systems. However, the greater resources available to scientists often creates a power imbalance when environmental decisions are made. The study's Indigenous participants identified numerous problems, including that Indigenous knowledge is often perceived as less valuable than scientific knowledge and added as anecdotes to scientific studies. They also felt that Indigenous knowledge was being forced into frameworks that did not match Indigenous people's understanding of the world and is often misinterpreted through scientific validation. One participant expressed the importance of Indigenous knowledge being reviewed by Indigenous knowledge holders, rather than by scientists. Another concern was that while funding for Arctic science was increasing, the same was not happening for research rooted in Indigenous knowledge or conducted by Indigenous peoples. Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of the Arctic and Environmental Unit of the Saami Council, said: "Although funding for Arctic science is increasing, we are not experiencing this same trend for Indigenous knowledge research. "Sometimes Indigenous organisations feel pressured to agree to requests for collaboration with scientists so that we can have some influence in decision-making, even when these collaborations feel tokenistic and do not meet the needs of our communities. This is because there is a lack of funding for Indigenous-led research." Victoria Buschman, Inupiaq Inuit wildlife and conservation biologist at the University of Washington, said: "Much of the research community has not made adequate space for Indigenous knowledge and continues to undermine its potential for information decision-making. We must let go of the narrative that working with Indigenous knowledge is too challenging." The study concludes that values, laws, institutions, funding and mechanisms of support that create equitable power-relations between collaborators are necessary for successful relationships between scientists and Indigenous groups. Lead author Dr Helen Wheeler, Lecturer in Zoology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "The aim of this study was to understand how to work better with Indigenous knowledge. For those who do research on Indigenous people's land, such as myself, I think this is an important question to ask. "Our study suggests there are still misconceptions about Indigenous knowledge, particularly around the idea that it is limited in scope or needs verifying by science to be useful. Building capacity for research within Indigenous institutions is also a high priority, which will ensure Indigenous groups have greater power when it comes to informed decision-making. "Indigenous knowledge is increasingly used in decision-making at many levels from developing international policy on biodiversity to local decisions about how to manage wildlife. However, as scientists and decision-makers use knowledge, they must do so in a way that reflects the needs of Indigenous knowledge holders. This should lead to better decisions and more equitable and productive partnerships." ### Reactions to passport redesign split along party lines ROC Central News Agency 09/02/2020 05:11 PM Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) A new passport design announced by Taiwan's government on Wednesday to highlight the name "Taiwan" and minimize the country's official name, the Republic of China, drew mixed reactions that split along party lines. The new passport cover, designed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), repositions and significantly shrinks the country's official English name while enlarging and using a bold font for the word "Taiwan." While the Chinese version of "Republic of China ()" remains at the top of the cover, the English version of the name originally positioned below the Chinese now circles the national emblem in the middle of the cover. The redesign came in response to a resolution passed by lawmakers in July that asked the ministry to highlight "Taiwan" over "China" on the passport cover, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu () said at a press conference. In response to the move, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) released a statement accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of "again playing ideological games, minimizing and nearly erasing the country's official name, the Republic of China, in English." The redesign does "nothing" for the convenience of citizens traveling abroad or for Taiwan's international standing, and shows the narrowness of the DPP's governing style, the statement said. The KMT also questioned the government's assertion that Taiwan's current passport is easily confused with China's, pointing out that it already features the word "Taiwan" in English and that the two countries' passports are different colors. Speaking to CNA, KMT Legislator Lu Yu-ling () argued that the changes were part of a DPP effort to erode people's identification with the Republic of China, and suggested that the party planned to eventually remove that name from the passport entirely. Many members of the DPP expressed their support for the changes, saying the new passport's emphasis on the English word "Taiwan" would prevent citizens from being misidentified as Chinese. In an interview, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin () argued that the minimization of the word "China" and the emphasis on "Taiwan" were the key visual elements of the new design, but he insisted that this did not amount to disrespect for the Republic of China. At the same time, the new passport still contains the "necessary words" and will not cause any inconvenience for citizens using it abroad, he contended. In similar comments, DPP lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng () said that by "changing the cover but not changing the content," the government would avoid drawing protests from China, while also allowing people to immediately distinguish that the passport holder was "from Taiwan and not China." The lawmakers appeared to be referencing fears that dropping the name "Republic of China" would be interpreted by China as a step toward independence, and would result in Beijing pressuring individual countries to declare the passport invalid. Meanwhile, Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (), whose New Power Party typically allies with the DPP, said he approved of the new design and understood the government's gradualist approach on the issue. In the future, the government should consider only using the name "Taiwan" on the country's passport, Chiu said, adding that his party would also push legislation to change the national emblem, which is based on the party emblem of the KMT. The passport with the new cover design is scheduled to be issued in January 2021, according to MOFA. (By Liu Kuan-ting, Wang Cheng-chung, Kuo Chien-shen and Matthew Mazzetta) Enditem/ls NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address T Raja Singh, the lone BJP MLA in Telangana, has been banned by Facebook from all its platform and Instagram over content promoting violence and hate. Singh, who has recently been making it to the national headlines, is not new to the locals in southern India. He is known for his inflammatory speeches, and has over 60 cases against him hate speeches account for most of them. Telanganas rabble-rouser, in fact, had norths firebrand leader and UP CM Yogi Adityanath campaign for him during the last Telangana polls. Here are seven times when Singh appalled public with his speeches: Old Hyderabad is Mini-Pakistan Requesting the chief minister to conduct search operation in Old City in May 2017, Singh described the area as mini-Pakistan". He suggested to the government that they would be able to fine bombs and other explosives from a number of houses there". The police had registered a case against him then. Hindus in Bengal Should Respond like 2002 Gujarat During tension in West Bengals Baduria and Basirhat districts in July 2017, Singh appealed to the Hindu community in the state to respond the way Hindus in Gujarat reacted in 2002. Today, Hindus are not safe in the West Bengal state. Hindus in Bengal should respond to people involved in communal violence as Hindus in Gujarat did. Otherwise, soon Bengal will turn into Bangladesh." the BJP MLA had said. Threatened to Burn Down Theatres Singh had also threatened to burn down theatres in Hyderabad if the movie Padmaavat was screened. Calling for a boycott of the film, the MLA said that it is every nationalists duty, every Hindus duty and every Rajputs duty." Later, he wrote to CM K Chandrashekar Rao asking for a ban on the film. Kashmiri Muslims are Traitors On one occasion, Singh had in fact called Kashmiri Muslims traitors". A video that went viral in May 2017, showed him asking people visiting holy sites like Amarnath not to buy anything from the people of the minority community. If we dont buy anything from them for a few years, these traitor Kashmiri Muslims will get on their knees and say that they dont want Pakistan or Azad Kashmir, but that they will stay with India only," he was heard saying. Ready to Take a Life or Give His Life for Ram Mandir Commenting on the Babri Masjid demolition case in April 2017, the firebrand Telangana MLA had demanded a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and said that he was ready to give his life, or take a life, for it. Those Who Dont Sing Vande Mataram Will be Sent to Pakistan In another instance in 2017, he threatened people to sing Vande Mataram. In a video, Singh was heard saying, You have to sing Vande Mataram. If you dont sing it, you have no right to be in India. You will see soon that we dont have to put a sword to your neck. You will lower your head, get on your knees and accept to sing it because you want to stay in India." He also added that he has a discount and special package for those who refused. For two days, we will send them to the India-Pakistan border near Punjab. Well send them to the Pakistan side. In two days, those who do not sing Vande Mataram will come back to India willingly," he added in the speech. The MLA was booked by Dabeerpura Police Station in Hyderabad for his speech. Pinarayi, a Murderer of Hindus In March, 2017, Singh threatened to stop a meeting organised by the CPI(M) in Hyderabad, which was attended by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Stating that the Hindu community was not safe in Kerala, he called Pinarayi a murderer of Hindus". Since the start of the year, 57 oil production and oilfield services companies have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Many more bankruptcies are on the way, all in the shale patch. And there does not seem to be even a shred of light at the end of this tunnel. The U.S. shale patch was the pride and joy of the nations energy industry. Rightly called a shale revolution, the boom in oil and gas production fueled by hydraulic fracturing turned the United States into the worlds largest oil and gas producer. But this had a costa cost that is now being paid with a flurry of bankruptcies. Rystad Energy said last month it expected another 150 U.S. shale oil companies would file for Chapter 11 protection by the end of the year unless prices rise above $50 a barrel. Others have suggested we might see consolidation, the way the industry consolidates during every crisis, but this time around, that seems unlikely. When earlier this year, Chevron snapped up Noble Energy in a $5-billion deal, there was the usual talk that this could be the start of a wave of mergers and acquisitions for which the oil industry was ripe: assets were cheap, many asset owners were struggling, and those with the money could expand their asset base at bargain prices. Only it seems this time no one has the money. Reuters Jessica Resnick-Ault, Dmitry Zhdannikov and David Gaffen called it the legacy of the U.S. shale revolution in a recent analysis. Shale drillers grew too much too fast, failing to make any money on the way. After investors got burned not once but twice, few want their business. The last oil price crisis, the one that did spark a consolidation wave after 2014, was a typical one. Prices dropped, some companies failed, others were bought up by bigger ones, prices rebounded, and production growth was back on track. Investors, however, began to insist on returns instead of growth. Producers were trying to get there when this years crisis hit. It is no surprise that potential buyers are wary. Related: OPEC Production Rises By 950,000 Bpd In August Debt is a major turn-off. Shale drillers took on debt the way squirrels store nuts for winter. Shale oil production is a capital-intensive business, but this aspect of it was for a long time overshadowed by the fact that oil starts flowing a lot more quickly from a fracked shale well than a conventional one. So drillers took on debt and boosted production to repay this debt. It became a vicious circle that the last crisis may have well put a stop to. Banks became reluctant to extend shale oil drillers credit lines even before the Saudis turned the taps on and Covid-19 spread across the world. New wells were not yielding as much as borrowers had said they would, and debt piles were growing. Then the pandemic came, and drillers started falling under the twin weight of billions in debt and $20 oil. Again, these falls mean there is cheap acreage for sale, and some of it may well be excellent acreage. But there is one more reason in addition to general wariness why there are few buyers: the industry does not seem to believe that there will be a third shale revolution. The last crisis sparked a shift in priorities, Argus Medias Tom Fowler reported recently. Growth at all costs is no longer priority number one. Smart growth is, which means sucking out every last barrel of oil from a well before buying more acreage to drill more wells. What is more, investors have not stopped insisting on getting higher returns rather than higher production, and companies have been listening. With a focus on fully developing their already existing assets and pressure from investors to boost returns, asset-buying appetite is very likely to remain low for a while. It could be a long while unless oil prices soar in the near future. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dover (NYSE: DOV) will host a virtual analyst and investor meeting on Monday, September 14, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. The meeting will focus on Dover's Pumps and Process Solutions segment and on the biopharma market in particular. A presentation will be given by Dover's President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard J. Tobin, as well as by several operating executives from the segment. A link to the live webcast and presentation materials will be available at dovercorporation.com prior to the 11:00 am (EDT) start of the webcast. Note that the live presentation will also include Company videos. To participate in audio-only mode or to ask questions during the question & answer portion, please dial 1 (844) 358-9184 (domestic) or 1 (478) 219-0401 (international), conference ID 6462749. The presentation will be recorded and archived on the Dover website. About Dover: Dover is a diversified global manufacturer and solutions provider with annual revenue of approximately $7 billion. We deliver innovative equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services through five operating segments: Engineered Products, Fueling Solutions, Imaging & Identification, Pumps & Process Solutions and Refrigeration & Food Equipment. Dover combines global scale, operational agility, world-class engineering capability and customer intimacy to lead the markets we serve. Recognized for our entrepreneurial approach for over 60 years, our team of over 23,000 employees takes an ownership mindset, collaborating with customers to redefine what's possible. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under "DOV." Additional information is available at dovercorporation.com . Investor Contact: Media Contact: Andrey Galiuk Adrian Sakowicz Vice President Corporate Development Vice President Communications and Investor Relations (630) 743-5039 (630) 743-5131 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Dover Related Links https://www.dovercorporation.com Night and weekend curfew in Jammu and Kashmir 2022: Know guidelines, rules: What is allowed, what is not PDP meeting to discuss situation in J&K not allowed India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Jammu, Sep 03: A meeting of the PDP was not allowed by the authorities. The meeting was called to discuss the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday at 11 am, the first one since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. The PDP had sought permission for holding a meeting at its office in Srinagar, but without assigning any reasons, the meeting was not allowed said PDP general secretary Ghulam Nahi Lone Hanjura. A report in The Tribune, while quoting Hanjura said that when he informed them that he had sought permission from the authorities for such a meeting, the police told him that he could not move out as he was under house arrest. Fact check: Who desecrated this Kali idol in Bengal Temple? He also said that his other colleagues too were not allowed to step out of their houses. The PDP had notified that it would hold a meeting at its party headquarters in Srinagar to discuss the prevailing situation in the Union Territory. It was also supposed to discuss the prolonged detention of its chief, Mehbooba Mufti. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 16:03 [IST] South Africa: Focus on public servants doing business with the State The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration says it will strengthen its oversight to ensure that government officials are prohibited from conducting business with the State. The committee said it is concerned about the increasing number of public servants doing business with government every year. Most of these officials are at provincial and local levels of government. Since March this year, 1 539 government officials have done business with government, an increase of 471 since last year. The committee is concerned that the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) sends letters to government departments alerting them to transgressions of the act and regulations, but the number of cases continues to rise, acting committee chairperson, Mina Lesoma, said on Thursday. The portfolio committee received a briefing from the DPSA on its monitoring of the prohibition of public servants doing business with the State. It also received a briefing from the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) on its efforts to assist government in enforcing the law in this regard. The committee noted progress made thus far in the implementation of Regulation 13 (c) of the Public Service Regulations of 2016, which prohibits public service employees from conducting business with the state. In addition, the Public Administration Management Act, 2014, makes it a criminal offence for public administration employees and special advisors to conduct business with the State. The Act says if a person is found guilty of the offence, he/she is liable to a fine or imprisonment. However, the committee has yet to see officials being fined or imprisoned for such an offence, Lesoma said. The committee expressed its disappointment with accounting officers responsible for day-to-day activities in government departments when they do not enforce governments laws. Lesoma said the committee will identify serial leading culprits and will invite heads of department and directors-general to come to Parliament to account for their subordinates activities. Lesoma said some government departments do not have designated ethics officers to deal decisively with officials who continue to do business with organs of State. Although CIPC has no legislative power to prevent officials from opening businesses, Lesoma noted that the Public Administration Management Act is intended to prevent public servants from conducting business with the state. The act allows officials who have businesses to trade with the private sector, but to do so, the official must request permission from their accounting officer, she said. Collaboration between SAPS, justice welcomed The committee has also welcomed the collaboration between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Departments of Justice and DPSA to ensure allegations in this regard are investigated, and that those found guilty are prosecuted. Immediately after recess, the committee will call on SAPS to provide a briefing on the details of specific cases and delays in prosecution. This meeting will be held with the Public Service Commission and the Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Lesoma said. The committee further proposed in the meeting that the DPSA strengthen its disclosure framework to prevent these offences, rather than acting after the fact. The DPSA is encouraged to insert a clause in the Z83 application form so that, before appointment, prospective public service officials are made to declare a registered business, said Lesoma. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. There is no imminent threat of a rise in income tax by reason of the huge costs forced on the economy my Covid-19 costs, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has declared. I'm not planning to go to Government with plans to increase income tax, the Minister pledged as speculation became about the Budget in October. He added: The Programme for Government is very clear. It lays out a commitment not to increase income tax in Budget 2021. It was something hard in the way of a guarantee, Mr Donohoe indicated. Our personal tax receipts are holding up quite well in terms of what that says about our economy. It does indicate to me that momentum is building within our economy, Mr Donohoe said. It is understood that PRSI is an area that could be looked at in a couple of years from now, with Ministers anxious to get people back to work rather than to build in further disincentive on the Income Tax side. But he also mentioned reassessing where we are with carbon taxation in our country. Mr Donohoe said: While there may be changes in the future. Budget 2021 will all be about how we pull together and, most importantly, the many hundreds of thousands of people who lost their job during this pandemic. We want to get them back working in our country om 2020 and 2021. Decisions on the Budget were a matter for the Gvernment as a whole, which had acted collectively since the very beginning on Covid, he said. But he noted the tax receipts that came in for June, July and August, particularly with relation to income tax, did bring positive news on collection totals. It did show that the combination of having a very broad number of jobs in our country and a personal tax code that has been very broad, fair and effective. Decisions in relation to the medium term plan for public health are also very important for the economy, he noted, looking towards next year. But in terms of the impact it's going to have a budget 2021. I have to say that September is always a very significant month in terms of taxes, and it's the final piece in the jigsaw before we make a call about what our tax target is going to be (next year), Mr Donohoe said. . So, even at this point, I will have to see a month's worth of tax collection to form a view regarding the trend that we are seeing at the moment, and if it is one that is sustainable. Mr Donohoe predicted that there would be a number of years in the immediate time ahead in which the deficit will be increased. It would happen this year in particular as a result of new public health measures, school reopenings, and as a result of changes we're going to have to make our social insurance system. But he added: There's no finance minister in the world that can indicate now what that deficit is or will be, because that's going to depend on what happens when it comes to Covid and it's going to depend on how successful the policy measures are, as well as on the agility of the Irish economy. But for budget 2021, in particular, that's coming up. I'm not planning to go to Government with plans for increasing income tax. Reserve Bank of India is seemingly pulling away from the forex market due to various reasons. Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund, has confirmed that Indian economy may have contracted the most among the G-20 nations. Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police has summoned head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas Gurinder Singh Dhillon and his family members in a case related to alleged siphoning off proceeds from the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories. Read for more headlines: 1. 5 reasons behind RBI's sudden 'hands-off' policy in forex market The RBI's earning from Rs 35.40 lakh crore of forex reserves is just 2.65 per cent as revealed in the annual report 2019-20. 2. Banks shouldn't declare accounts as NPAs till further order: Supreme Court Supreme Court on Thursday passed an interim order saying that the accounts not declared as non-performing asset (NPA) as on 31 August should not be declared as NPAs till further notice. 3. India's GDP contraction worst among G-20 countries, IMF's Gita Gopinath confirms Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund has confirmed that the Indian economy may have contracted the most among the G-20 peers in the April-June quarter of FY21. 4. Delhi Police summons Radha Soami Satsang chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon Gurinder Singh Dhillon is among 55 individuals and entities ordered by the Delhi High Court to pay up Rs 6,373 crore worth of dues to Singh brothers so that they can honour the $500 million order to pay Daiichi.5. FM Sitharaman asks banks to roll out resolution schemes by September 15 The Finance Minister, in her review meeting with the heads of scheduled commercial banks and NBFCs, said that COVID-19 related distress must not impact the lenders' assessment of their creditworthiness. Over 2,000 commercial motorbike operators aka okada within the Ashaiman Constituency in the Greater Accra Region have said any attempt to enforce the ban on their business activity will bring untold hardship on them. Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Mahama has indicated he recognizes the benefits of the 'okada' business to the many families that depend on it, hence his promise to legalize and regularise it should he win the December 7 polls . Some of the okada riders in Ashaiman who spoke to Citi News said they fully support the NDCs policy to legalize what they engage in to enable them to fend for themselves and immediate family members. At a meeting with the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbey on Thursday, September 3, 2020, the operators detailed the problems associated with the business. We have family members and we pay school fees. We need to put food on our table and pay rent. So with this good initiative, we are happy with it. This is the work I do to feed myself and pay the school fees of my children and help my family. So if it is legalised, that will be some good news, one of them indicated. Already the Okada Riders Association has welcomed the promise by the former President, maintaining it is feasible and must be supported. The group believes the promise if implemented, will provide jobs for unemployed youth in the country . For another rider who is a graduate, he has not been able to find any meaningful employment after school and was advised to join the Nations Builders Corps (NABCo). According to him, when he compares NABCO and Okada, I prefer the latter. I can make GHS 2,000 a month from Okada but NABCo will give me just GHS 700. So I will go for okada. I support the legalization of okada business so we are throwing our support to John Dramani Mahama into power. Some of us use okada to get our daily bread because we have no jobs, one other rider mentioned. On his part the Member of Parliament for the area, Ernest Henry Norgbey said he would lead the charge to ensure the legalization of the Okada business as soon as the NDC party is voted back to power. I am here to give you the assurance that the pledge by John Mahama to you that he will legalize and regularise your operations will happen. We will think of how to get those of you without licenses so that we prepare you for the legalization, he said. This campaign promise by John Mahama has been largely discussed within the media space, with a number of people describing it as a false promise. Some have criticized him over the idea, saying that it is populist and would cause more harm than good and one just to acquire some votes in the election. However, members of the NDC have defended it, citing the job creation prospects of the operations. The Bureau of Public Safety, for instance, demanded details of how the commercial use of motorcycles would be regulated. citinewsroom Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 15:44:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A crew member of a squid fishing boat that caught fire in a port in northeastern Japan was missing, the Japan Coast Guard was quoted by local media as reporting on Thursday. According to the reports, a fire broke out on the 14-ton fishing boat with firefighters receiving an emergency call at around 10:10 a.m. local time. The call came from the port in Akita along the Sea of Japan, the reports said, with the fire on the boat believed to have caused it to explode, being extinguished after more than an hour. Authorities said the explosion of the fishing boat, which belongs to a fishery cooperative in Aomori Prefecture, next to Akita Prefecture, is thought to have caused two other ships in the vicinity to catch fire. The captain of the ship said the vessel had not been out to sea for a couple of days due to inclement weather, authorities quoted him as saying, adding that the missing crew member had been staying overnight on the boat. Eyewitnesses were quoted by local media as saying they heard a loud explosion followed by seeing black smoke billowing. After that, multiple explosions were heard. Enditem Kremlin says 'no answer' yet from Berlin on Navalny episode Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 6:09 PM Russia has censured Berlin for its failure to cooperate with Moscow on the case of Alexei Navalny, saying the German narrative that the Russian opposition figure was poisoned with a nerve agent lacked evidence. The 44-year-old Russian opposition figure was taken to Germany for medical treatment on August 22. He had been taken to a hospital in Russia's Siberian city of Omsk after collapsing during a domestic flight from the city to the Russian capital on Thursday. His plane had been forced to make an emergency landing due to the sudden deterioration in his health. Navalny's team claimed that the cup of tea that he had taken prior to the flight had been poisoned, accusing Moscow of poisoning him and ordering a ban on transporting him in "an attempt on his life." But he was soon airlifted to Germany for treatment. In televised comments, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia's Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechayev, who was summoned to the foreign ministry Wednesday, asked for evidence and received "no answer, no facts, no data, no formulae." "Russia as before expects an official answer from Berlin to the request of the Prosecutor-General's Office" to share medical data on Navalny, she said. The RIA news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying that Moscow was ready to cooperate and exchange data with Germany on Navalny's case. "In general we confirm that we are ready and have an interest in full cooperation and exchange of data on this topic with Germany," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The Russian request, however, remained unanswered, according to Peskov. He also stressed that tests conducted by Russian doctors on Navalny before his evacuation to Germany indicated no traces of poisoning. "Before the sick man was taken to Berlin, a whole set of tests were carried out in our country in accordance with all international standards, no poisonous substances were detected," he said in reference to Navalny. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 I just keep waking up, dreaming of my kids covered in blood, she says. COVID, for us, has been like a living nightmare. Shes far from alone in struggling with how to parent a child during COVID-19, because of her own mental health, and worrying about what long-term effects her daughter might suffer. "One of the mistakes we can make as parents is, 'Cheer up, cheer up, it's fine, you'll be OK'," says clinical child psychologist Kirrilie Smout. Credit:iStock (Posed by models). A new study by the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) has found that a quarter of parents surveyed nationally 375 of them, over three weeks in June - felt they were failing their children, during the pandemic. More than a third said they had lost confidence in their parenting. And 40 per cent worried that their own stress and mental health was adversely affecting the wellbeing of their children. And almost a third of parents were frightened that COVID-19 would have lasting mental health impacts for their children, including heightened anxiety and stress. One of the things theyre saying is their kids are a bit more emotionally volatile, more teary, they want more reassurance, and theyre struggling to calm them down, says Dr Joe Tucci, a psychologist and CEO of the ACF, who co-wrote the study. The strategies they used to use arent as effective as theyve always been. The result has been a huge loss in parenting confidence in a remarkably short period of time. Youre talking about something thats happened in the course of months, rather than years, says Dr Tucci, noting this usually only happens during major traumas. Like September 11, he says, those really massive events, or the bushfires. Because she wasnt at school, she had no routine, she had no reason to get out of bed, or leave the house. At the same time, the mental health of many Australian children has suffered as a result of COVID-19. Were definitely seeing an increase in stress and anxiety for a proportion of children, says Kirrilie Smout, a clinical child psychologist in Adelaide, and founder of Calm Kid Central, an online portal that provides children and parents with mental health support, including the opportunity to ask psychologists questions and receive answers within 48 hours. Many children are anxious, she says, about their health, their familys health, and their parents financial stress and job status, in addition to feeling grief and frustration over the loss of milestones, like school graduation ceremonies, and outdoor activities. There are also, she says, growing numbers of Australian adolescents who are self-harming. And, for children like Carrie, who came into COVID-19, with pre-existing mental health challenges, she says, the impact is often more severe. For a large part, this is because the coping strategies they would have been able to use before the pandemic physical activity, accessing mental health professionals, social events have been taken away from them. So what can parents do now? Regardless of whether their children are experiencing severe mental health struggles, or more moderate ones? You know, look after yourself, its the old idea of Fit your own oxygen first on a plane [before fitting others], says Smout. Its really important for your child that you develop advanced self care skills here. You cant just go I dont matter, Im going to have to manage. You do have to say, Im not going to do the dishes tonight, I just need to go for a walk. Look after yourself; your children will suffer if you dont. This is particularly important now, she says, citing a recent University of Melbourne study that looks at child and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. If parents have had an increase in their emotional challenges over the time [COVID-19], then its much more likely that the children will, too It does have a clear and negative effect, when parents are really stressed [for a prolonged period]. Helping your child address their own struggles starts with simply listening to them. When it comes to those children who are experiencing grief over missed milestones, finding a way to mark them by, for instance, printing a public roll call of all the year 12s in the local media can be helpful, says Dr Tucci. And parents in Melbourne who are currently grappling with a second lockdown, he adds, should, once lockdown ends, put in place structured opportunities for engagement, so their children can meet up with their friends. And, adds Smout, parents should acknowledge whatever loss and grief they may be feeling. One of the mistakes we can make as parents is, Cheer up, cheer up, its fine, youll be OK,, and really not allow the child to talk about their sadness and worry, she says. Be prepared, as a parent, for your child to be sad, and to be worried. Its an important part of helping children recover. [to give them] a chance to process [their feelings]. Loading This is a lesson that Maryanne has learned. I think my, Lets talk it through, and work out a plan, basically just disempowered her, she says of Carrie. Shed been trying her hardest, [and then] to have the pressure of my desperation for her to be well; I think that was just too much. I think most parents do that. As a result of her now listening to her daughter, rather than trying to fix her in addition to the awesome stay in the psychiatric ward, which provided Carrie with the right medication and strategies to cope with her emotional struggles Carrie is feeling much better. And this illustrates, says Smout, what she thinks will be an upside to this unfortunate perfect mental health storm, for many people. Im optimistic, and I believe that we will see an increased sense of resilience in children over the long term, she says, adding the caveat that children with low resources, or who have parents with significant financial hardship, however, are more likely to experience ongoing challenges. I think that children, having got through this situation intact, will look back on it and feel stronger about what they can cope with, and feel more resilient, and be more prepared for coping with difficult times. Maryanne is now seeing a counsellor, with her husband, to help navigate their trauma. But the experience has left her, nevertheless, with a profound new faith in humanity. I was like, 'Look at all this love this kid has got, and all the love that we got', and that actually really helped, says Maryanne, referring to the many notes that friends and family emailed to her, which she printed off and put together in a book, and delivered to Carrie as a birthday present, while she was in the hospital. Google Maps helps users navigate over one billion kilometers in more than 200 countries and territories daily, and Google says its estimated time of arrival (ETA) predictions have been consistently accurate for over 97 percent of trips. Thats not good enough for Google, though, so the company integrated DeepMind AI tech for machine learning that can make its ETAs even more accurate. Before partnering with DeepMind, an Alphabet AI research lab, Google Maps used a combination of historical traffic patterns and live traffic conditions to understand current traffic patterns. The partners wanted to be able to predict future traffic patterns, so DeepMind developed a graphic neural network, which also considers data on the time of year, road quality, speed limits, accidents and closures. Thanks to that machine learning approach, Google Maps has improved the accuracy of real-time ETAs by up to 50 percent in places like Berlin, Jakarta, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington D.C. Now, Google Maps can warn users about traffic jams before they exist. As we saw with COVID-19, unprecedented events can drastically disrupt traffic patterns and throw off prediction models. Google saw up to a 50 percent decrease in worldwide traffic when lockdowns started early this year. The sudden change forced Google Maps to be more agile. It began prioritizing historical traffic patterns from the last two to four weeks and deprioritizing older patterns. Google says predicting traffic and determining routes is incredibly complex, and it will continue looking for ways to keep users out of gridlock and on the safest, most efficient routes possible. Most recently, Google Maps has added in-depth spoken walking information, expanded its AR walking directions and added crowd predictions to bus and train routes. VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Onboard Systems International, LLC, a leading provider of innovative helicopter cargo hook equipment, today announced that Cory VanBuskirk has joined Onboard as President. In addition, Jason Lemmon will be stepping down as President to transition to his new role as Senior Advisor in the coming weeks. He will also remain on the Board of Directors for Onboard Systems. Lemmon began his career with Onboard as the Sales and Marketing Manager in 1995, then served as General Manager from 2000-2006, and as President from 2006-2020. During Jason's tenure, Onboard Systems grew significantly to become the leading supplier of helicopter cargo hook equipment to OEMs, the military, and end users worldwide. Under Lemmon's leadership, Onboard was awarded cargo hook equipment contracts on several large OEM programs including the Westland EH101, Bell 407, Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey, Airbus H125, and Sikorsky CH53K aircraft. In addition, Onboard also won the confidence of worldwide end users to switch toand subsequently preferOnboard's cargo hook equipment over other options. "It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as the President of Onboard Systems," said Lemmon. "I am incredibly proud of the market and technology leadership that we have established, and what our teams have accomplished together. I am fully convinced of Onboard's strong future, and intend to remain involved as we enter into the next chapter of the Onboard growth story. We have many opportunities ahead of us, and we are confident that Cory VanBuskirk has the operational experience, communication skills, and leadership abilities to execute Onboard's future growth strategies." VanBuskirk joins Onboard from Collins Aerospace, where he held a wide variety of roles in key business segments since 2011. In his most recent position, VanBuskirk served as the General Manager for the Goodrich Hoist & Winch division, where he drove a customer-centric approach leading to significant growth in both financial and operational performance. Prior to his tenure at Collins, VanBuskirk was with Toyota Motor Corporation for 11 years, working in both their North American and Japanese operations. "I'm extremely excited to join the Onboard team, which shares a similar customer base, purpose-driven culture, and near-term growth profile as Goodrich," said VanBuskirk. "My immediate focus will be to champion the product innovation and programs that will foster our future growth, while maintaining the culture of superior service and customer responsiveness upon which the Onboard brand has been built." 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. 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 360-546-3072 [email protected] SOURCE Onboard Systems Related Links https://www.onboardsystems.com As part of a special series for Mint, Parv Kaushik, a student at the National Law School of India University, looks at the importance of data in the context of removing structural bottlenecks to stimulate the digital economy. In the first piece in the series, Kaushik talks about why the governments role in the growth of our digital economy must be facilitative: In July 2020, the Kris Gopalakrishnan Committee released its report on a governance framework for Non-Personal Data (NPD). It argued that by regulating NPD we could create an enabling environment for start-ups by giving them greater access to data. It suggests that a first-mover advantage has led to certain platforms collecting vast amounts of data allowing them to reduce costs, improve services, and capture the market. This has created significant entry barriers for new entrants, necessitating regulatory intervention. In principle, it is hard to disagree with the objective of removing structural bottlenecks to stimulate the digital economy. However, is growth of the digital economy really being hindered by this concentration of data? Intuitively, collecting significantly more volumes of data would seem to provide an unassailable advantage to data-based businesses. However, even for these companies, more data does not make them impervious to competition. This is due to three reasons. First, from a statistical standpoint, there are diminishing returns to data. Eventually, the value added by each additional users data rapidly diminishes so much so that a search engine will provide similar results with a dataset of 10,000 user queries as it would with 100,000 user queries. As a result, data companies test their algorithms on only a small subset of their entire dataset. At Google, randomly selecting 0.1% of the dataset was found to be sufficient for analysis. Second, despite being non-rivalrous, data loses value over time. In order to provide users relevant ads and suggestions, data must be analysed in real-time. Google handles more than 2 trillion searches annually and yet as many as 15% of searches each day are unique. The fact that Google uses separate algorithms to give answers to such queries underscores the importance of constantly developing smarter algorithms. Third, data is not as scarce as is imagined. Relevant data sets are publicly available to entrepreneurs through data brokers and open data initiatives. To the contrary, a 2018 McKinsey report showed that a lack of clear strategy and skilled personnel to harness data were greater barriers than the availability of data. The Committees view that the access to larger amounts of data precludes competition, fails to understand how competition works in a data driven world. Rather than access to data, it is about creating newer mousetraps. Products that provide a better user experience, will find a space for themselves. When that happens users will switch with negligible switching costs, as was the case with MySpace when Facebook was launched. A product does not have to kill its competition to succeed. Users multi-home, i.e., use several applications simultaneously. We use both Twitter and Facebook. The existence of Amazon does not prevent us from shopping on Myntra or buying groceries from Big Basket. A year after Instagram, Snapchat came into the market and the new photo sharing experience that it introduced is now its foremost competitor. History is replete with examples where newer products either completely sidelined older ones or co-existed with them, despite starting out with no access to data unlike the industrys incumbents. Thus, data may not be as important as the Committee perceives it to be. The Governments role in the growth of our digital economy must be facilitative. Structurally, this requires widespread reform in education, rural connectivity, skill development and a range of other sectors. However, there are two specific measures which can be a shot in the arm for digital start-ups. First, by making government data publicly available in machine-readable formats, entrepreneurs will have access to datasets of which there are no privately held equivalents - such as data on landholdings, soil-health, etc. This, in-and-of itself, can lead to development of new products. Second, involving start-ups in governance. Government departments can identify needs and challenge entrepreneurs to address them through innovative solutions. Canada involves start-ups in governance - in issues ranging from developing efficient soil-sampling techniques to creating software for smarter processing of Access to Information requests. Not only does this provide entrepreneurs an avenue to receive funding and test their innovations, it could actually lead to better governance solutions. We can involve entrepreneurs in creating precision agriculture solutions, informing farmers what crops to plant, providing them weather predictions, and appropriate fertilizer use. The government should realise that innovation will flourish without paternalistic regulations. Provide them the opportunity to grow, and our entrepreneurs will build better mousetraps. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Honorable Prime Minister, You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the endwhich you can never afford to losewith the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be. Admiral James Stockdale. The full impact of the COVID-19 crisis is slowly becoming clear. Large parts of St. Maartens economy have come to a virtual standstill and Governments revenues have decreased to a level never experienced before (including the immediate aftermath of hurricanes Luis and Irma). The Netherlands has made a proposal for additional funding which has not been well received by local political powers. In a presentation to the PNP, Prof. Mr. F. Kunneman stated that the island (Curacao) did not really have a choice. If it did not accept the offer, it would run out of funds and the Netherlands would then be forced (or able) to establish a Kingdom Administrative Measure (Maatregel van Rijksbestuur) and interfere in local government. Our own Council of Advice has opined that while the proposal of the Netherlands would not win a beauty contest, it did offer room for conditions, and the Council of Advice underscores that the conditions did not drop out of the clear blue sky, but were based on advices of Ombudsman, Social Economic Council, General Audit Chamber, Central Bank of Curacao and St Maarten, Government Accountants Bureau SOAB, CFT and IMF. Consequently, it is time for a clear analysis of the situation St. Maarten finds itself in. The reduction in foreign exchange income as a result of the dual crises brought by Irma and COVID-19 does not result in an import reduction that is directly proportional. As such, the lack of any significant additional foreign exchange (in the form of tourism dollars or liquidity support) income, puts tremendous pressure on keeping the Antillean Guilder pegged to the US Dollar. This decreases the stability of the currencys value, which is considerable economic risk. No significant inflow of foreign exchange to at least cover the import deficit puts the currency in crisis. This needs no additional explanation and is assumed to be a known parameter in the overall analysis of the options available. Sint Maarten will need (at the very least) another NAF 263.2 million to cover the 2020 budget as presented on May 5th 2020, and that is if, and only if, the revenues of government do not deteriorate further than was anticipated prior to April 2020. If all stays the same, at least a similar amount would be needed for the year 2021, again assuming government revenues stay around NAF 347 million. That brings the total up to an absolute minimum of NAF 525 million and if there were any desires to execute some very much needed investments (education, the prison, the social security system and the economy come to mind) much, much more is needed. In fact, it is very well conceivable that much more will be needed if the numbers released late last month in a writing to the Second Chamber are any indication. These indicate a drop of over 74% in the revenues reported in May compared to April, when the full impact of the COVID-19 crisis was still to come and the longevity perhaps still somewhat underestimated. Topping this off is the fact that even prior to the COVID-19 crisis the country was already unable to meet its obligations, hence the liquidity assistance for the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 provided to her by Kingdom partner The Netherlands. After this crisis, the liquidity gap will be larger than the sums provided for yearly. From its inception Country St. Maarten has not been able to book an actual surplus in any of the years of its existence. Currently, what is left of the local economy, is staying afloat artificially with emergency help from several banks, insurance companies and private pension funds, as well as a temporary payroll support program that covers only a part of the economy and ended with support for June. Cruise arrivals are firmly at 0%, while occupancy is currently hovering at less than 20% on average for Q2. Literally everyone has felt the impact of this crisis, employers and their employees, hotels, car rentals, taxi-drivers, restaurants, wholesalers, retailers, all service providers and even grocery stores. At the moment, approximately 3000 families, close to 25% of our official population depend on food support provided to them by local NGOs, funded by the Netherlands. Significant global recovery, which in return impacts our recovery, is continuously being pushed forward, with US and European economists now predicting their recoveries taking a much slower route, then the previously anticipated/hoped for V shaped recession, consequently this means that, even in a very ambitious scenario, any local meaningful recovery should not be expected for years to come, as our economys recovery will lag that of our source markets. Without any meaningful economic recovery from this crisis the government will have nowhere near enough income. Even if significant options for economic diversification were available immediately and these were viable enough to completely replace the approximate 85% of GDP that tourism contributes in St. Maartens economy (something to date not accomplished, see Report Economic Diversification Study 2006) then still these would not be solutions for the immediate short- to medium term insofar as these will likely require significant additional investments and expertise may not be available locally (yet). While we must diligently seek viable and sustainable options for diversification within our economy, and the format within which the island may continue in pursuing its guests may need to change radically - for the time being the segment Tourism is here to stay, and it offers an option for at least some commercial activity, and with that an upturn in government revenues, so we should nurture what little there is. In addition to investments in product that are required, the global tourism market and in turn Sint Maartens target markets are suffering through its biggest upheaval, perhaps ever. Cruise lines are extending their return dates far into the second quarter of 2021, and major fleet reductions may negatively impact cruise traffic for years to come. In addition, cruise lines may consider adapting their initial schedules to domestic-only to overcome travel restrictions. The global economic crisis has resulted in many millions of layoffs worldwide, many of these in the market segment (mass tourism) that Sint Maarten has targeted. The recovery of this group will take years, and mass tourism as we know it may not recover to levels previously enjoyed. IATA indicates that full air traffic recovery may not be possible for years to come, with 2024 now being anticipated. While international travel remains sluggish because at least in part of the travel restrictions that COVID-19 has brought. Add to this an airport that has not yet been rebuilt, and there is enough reason to doubt immediate bounce-back capacity of the stay-over segment as well, in truth St Maarten has had difficulty ever reaching pre-Luis numbers. It is high time to re-think the current strategy and execute a repositioning within the new tourism market and target the higher income tourist that represents perhaps less volume but a higher yield per guest. A strategy thats also more naturally in line with the limitations of finite space on a small island and considering we are bound to have a lot less guests in the very near future what better time to reposition and upgrade now. For this course of action, substantial investments and reforms need to be made. In order to ensure that these investments in economic repositioning and recovery are to remain sustainable, broad reforms are preconditional. These should encompass, apart from the economy, also areas of education, social security, healthcare, constitutional state and the government apparatus. A constitutional state that performs optimally, contributes to social trust, which leads to lower transaction costs, more investments, more innovation, a reduction of inefficient withdrawal of resources from the economy. By approaching the situation at hand, from a broad perspective, the aim is to increase the resiliency of both society as well as the economy simultaneously. In short the Country will need to borrow an enormous amount of funds if the government wants to prevent a close-down of government and to be able to pay its employees and finance its programs, including fulfilling its obligations to APS and SZV (which manages a.o. the AOV fund) AND execute a strategy that ensures sustainable economic survival after 2021. The options for attaining the funds, on a very short notice, for this are limited. Even an option recently mentioned in Parliament which in short boils down to the sale of shares in Government Owned Companies (GOCs) to SZV isnt very likely to yield the revenues in time to prevent a government close-down and at any rate would not stretch to include any additional shortfalls in revenue, natural disasters or any investments in broad reforms, upgrades or repositioning. In all, a limited one time, stop-gap measure at most. If this is deemed as a viable option, consideration should be given to the fact that shares are being sold to f.i. SZV (via AOV fund) in order to attain funds to ensure a.o. the regular disbursements to SZV & AOV ... so borrowing from Peter to pay .. Peter!?!? Apart from many other issues clinging to this option, anyone can see this will only incite a never-ending merry-go round of tax increases as there is no other way for government to raise the capital to repurchase these shares and ensure the required return on investment to keep the AOV fund healthy (at least 6% but more likely 8% if risk premium is factored in). In comparison, when approved by the CFT, the government can borrow at 2% in the Netherlands. That rate is 75% lower. With regard to borrowing, the CBCS indicated that St. Maarten would not be able to achieve fiscal sustainability of the public sector finances in the next 20 years when continuing as is. Furthermore, their analysis showed that if the government wants the debt-to-GDP ratio to return to its pre-crisis level in the coming 20 years, it will not be able to borrow anymore after 2020. Their conclusion is that, only if the government were to cut its annual expenditures by ANG 50 million for a period of 5 years, starting in 2021, a sustainable fiscal path would be achieved. Otherwise, the fiscal path will not be sustainable. However, an expenditure cut this size may not be feasible, which exposes the unsustainable fiscal stance. Lastly the analysis indicates that there is a deep imbalance in the public finances and budget dynamics. Given the magnitude of this imbalance, single-track fiscal policy (growth-oriented or revenue-oriented or debt-oriented) will not result in a recovery. Therefore, the current situation demands an integrated approach which include a.o.; broad & sustainable economic reforms, public expenditure reduction & changed dynamics (f.i. the annual increase in wages & salaries in unsustainable), increasing public revenues by improving compliance. An option available for the required funds at this is moment, is the Netherlands. The conditions under which these funds can be obtained are known and have by now been vetted by numerous experts, including our own Council of Advice. Under the conditions set out, which include a new Kingdom Entity, the Country is looking at a period of about 6 years during which Sint Maartens financial, educational and healthcare systems as well as the areas of social security, constitutional state and the government apparatus are fortified in order for a more resilient and thriving society and economy to emerge. The entity will provide both financial as well as technical support and oversee efforts to ensure the completion of the transition. This means that when the plans are completed successfully, Sint Maarten will emerge reborn. It will emerge with a thriving society and economy and in a much better position to take care of its citizens and ensure their wellbeing by securing fundamental human rights and freedoms, legal security and good governance. Consequently, when deciding on taking or leaving the Dutch offer for help, and heeding Admiral Stockdales advice, lets establish the brutal facts: A brutal fact is that Tourism will not just bounce back. A brutal fact is that our economy couldnt sustain itself prior to the dual blows of the Irma & COVID-19 crises, let alone sustain an increase in social spending. A brutal fact is that using what little reserves there are, (AOV/AWW and/or APS and/or the CBCS) will not be enough to guarantee our economic future. A brutal fact is that we cannot lay any claim on Dutch taxpayers as we chose not to be part of their system and dont contribute to those funds. A brutal fact is that the Country package for St. Maarten contains many projects that have been agreed upon as needed for the improvement of Country St. Maarten. A brutal fact is that in the very near future we will need additional liquidity support for both the public and the private sector. It is seconds to midnight. Sint Maarten must find the courage to confront these brutal realities and grab the opportunity to improve its outlook for the long term. Any possibility should be, with properly structured stakeholder involvement, considered at this point. Using autonomy, or the perceived infringement there upon, as an excuse not to exhaust all avenues for help amounts to throwing sand in peoples eyes. We continue complaining while doing little, all while a Kingdom instruction looms. When will we take collective responsibility for our shortcomings, grab the bull by the horns and start planning our revival with the help being offered through the reform entity? We can be as autonomous as we want to be, by showing that we have a grip on reality and are willing to do what is necessary to ensure the best possible future for our population. Sint Maarten has had the good fortune to have been offered help from the Netherlands during one of the worst economic crises in history. Considering Sint Maartens geographical position within the so called hurricane-belt thats saying something. While there will be a transition period in which the (political) autonomy may be temporarily affected, some strides can be made by ironing out some of the details as mentioned in the CoA report. In addition, the SHTA urgently advises the government to engage in constructive consultations regarding the terms and projects that are listed in the Country Plan keeping in mind instable financial and economic state of affairs as well as the peoples well-being and the exceptionally precarious situation that the population is faced with. Yours sincerely, on behalf of our Board and Our Members, The St Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) A former Cambridge University scientist has been jailed for sending fake poison to Theresa May. Christopher Doyle, of Widnes, Cheshire, sent a white powder to the former prime minister in 2018, just a month after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury. Doyle, who had held a coveted research fellow position at the top university, had addressed the letter containing the white powder to "Theresa May, c/o The Nazi Party". The 54-year-old scientist, whose defence claimed had been "in a bubble of pro-Russian Facebook groups", also enclosed in the letter a cartoon poster showing the politician decapitated, a picture of former spy Alexander Litvinenko, and a message criticising the then premiere's policy on Russia. Christopher Doyle has been jailed / Met Police The mail was examined on April 5, 2018, at a Swiss Post screening facility which had to be evacuated, the court heard Doyle, who has a PhD in neuroscience, was sentenced to two years and 10 months at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday for sending the powder - which was later found to be harmless - in the context of the Skripal poisoning, and for making indecent images. At sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: "Sergei Skripal had been poisoned just about a month before this letter was opened and so the issue of poisoning was high in the nation's consciousness. "This was a serious offence intended by you to induce fear of danger to human life." Doyle had denied sending the powder but was convicted following a trial. The court was told the scientist, who said he previously worked at Government facility Porton Down, suffered from bipolar affective disorder. The court heard he told officers he believed the powder may have been planted in the letter by MI5 or MI6. Doyle also told police he had also written a letter to Boris Johnson criticising his attitude to Russia and a letter to then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in which he praised him. Mark Pritchard, defending, said Doyle had been living with agoraphobia since 2013 following the death of a friend. Doyle had held a coveted position as a research fellow at Cambridge / Getty Images He said: "He has gone from being a successful research fellow at Cambridge University to living in almost isolation. "He has been in a bubble of pro-Russian Facebook groups to which he has been a member." Judge Murray told the defendant: "You are a highly intelligent man. You know the effects your condition has. "These were not spur of the moment offences." Joseph Allman, prosecuting, said when police raided Doyle's home in Fir Street they found more than 245,000 indecent images of children on a laptop. Doyle pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children but Judge Murray said he did not accept his claim that he did not have them for his own sexual gratification. Loading.... Doyle was also ordered to sign the sexual offenders' register and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. A reassembled police-community citizens advisory council in Mobile will meet once a week and has an immediate goal of drafting recommended changes to a 4-year-old ordinance that spells out the groups mission. But beyond that, the overall mission remains undetermined for a six-member group that serves in an advisory capacity for the elected members of the Mobile City Council. The advisory group, restored following the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day, met for the first time on Wednesday during a 1-1/2-hour session that was largely focused on introductions and organizing. I hope we can all sit down and work as a team, said Tommie Carlisle, a council member who represents the far western area of the city. Were not lawyers or (city) council people. Our goal right now is input for our (elected) council people so they can understand what is unique and needed in their districts right now. Lets take this seriously and really chew on it and digest it and come back next week as a team and everyone bring something to the plate. Advisory councils Several cities in Alabama have either formed similar groups or are contemplating whether to do so. In Prichard, city officials are weighing the possibility of forming a citizens advisory council on police-community relations. Decatur police, in conjunction with Mayor Tab Bowling and Morgan County NAACP President Rodney Gordon, announced the formation of a new 11-member citizens advisory council in June to help govern the department. A similar group in Huntsville, which was formed in 2010, is reviewing the aggressive police actions that occurred following a week of protests in early June that twice led to the release of tear gas to disperse protesters on the downtown courthouse square. The Huntsville group includes 10 volunteers three appointed by the police chief, two by the mayor and one each by the five council members. It does not have oversight authority over the police department, but it is designated to advise and serve as a liaison between police and the community. The Mobile advisory council is, at present, solely comprised of one member appointed by each council member. Like Huntsville, the Mobile group does not have oversight authority over policing. The next meeting is scheduled for September 10, and the group has homework: Each member will review the seven-page ordinance that was written in 2016, and recommend changes that could be agreed upon by the overall group and submitted to the full city council for consideration. Subsequent meetings will occur every Thursday at 4 p.m. The original ordinance that established the advisory council was formed after a white police officer shot and killed a 19-year-old Black man in Mobile. But the group seldom met, and when it did, meetings were sparsely attended. Under the existing ordinance, the group currently has several responsibilities that include: -Promoting and engaging open communication and cooperation between Mobile police and residents. -Provide a community perspective concerning the effectiveness of police services and relations. -Encourage and foster citizen participation in crime prevention activities. -Promote cooperative citizen-police programs and approaches to the solution of community crime. -Recommend programs enhancing police-community relations. -Hold public meetings to solicit input concerning ways to improve communication and partnership between police and the communities they serve. Building momentum Raoul Richardson of Mobile, Ala., speaks before the Mobile City Council on July 9, 2020, at Government Plaza during a meeting about police and community relations. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). Momentum for revising the advisory council surfaced in early July and was encouraged during a city council meeting by Raoul Richardson, senior vice-president for Baheth Research & Development Laboratories a division of Baheth Companies at USA at The University of South Alabama in Mobile. Richardson, who was appointed to the group by Mobile City Councilman John Williams, was named the groups chairman on Wednesday, and he vowed that the council will take into consideration in a very precipitous, considerate and empathetic fashion important matters involving police-community relations. He said the councils review of the existing ordinance will occur in a fairly expeditious fashion. The journey of 1,000 miles starts with the first step, said Richardson. I dont know if were in a 1,000-mile journey or a one-mile journey. But were taking a first step. Our expectations are that during our next meeting, on September 10, that the (advisory) council members provide feedback and recommendations that we will share with the (city) council. Only a handful of residents attended the first meeting. But some of those who did said they plan to keep an eye on their proceedings in the weeks ahead. Tiffany Trotter, a Mobile activist, said she hopes the reassembled group does not meet a similar fate as the original advisory council, which she called docile people sitting on boards because of their professional experience. Trotter applauded the backgrounds of the members on the new advisory council but urged them to dont come in and sit. She added, This is your second chance. Dont mess it up. Richardson said he did not feel pressure in advancing the advisory councils work. The pressure would be more important if we are not taking proactive steps to address the needs of the community in a fashion that affords everyone the opportunity to voice those concerns in a transparent (manner), said Richardson. Then if we had a disaster or an event that precipitated social unrest riots or some more severe protests we would not be in a position to respond accordingly. Because we are doing this now, while the rest of the nation is being confronted by a multiple number of issues and concerns which dont go unfelt here by myself and other members of the (advisory) council and the city council and the mayors office and other citizens, we are efforting to be proactive in our approach. Some advisory council members vowed they will work hard in the weeks and months ahead. We are volunteering, said Damian Marks Sr., an advisory council member who has participated in protest marches. We are passionate about this. I was born and raised here. Ive done a lot in this city. Im committed and you can hold me to that. A young Iranian wrestling champion has been sentenced to death in Iran for the murder of a public sector worker two years ago, a state television-linked news agency said Thursday. It was first reported that Navid Afkari's sentence was due to taking part in protests against the Iranian regime in 2018. The Young Journalists Club (YJC) said the wrestler who competed in national tournaments, was convicted on the basis of 'qisas', the Islamic law of retribution. The judiciary's Mizan Online news agency said he was found guilty of the 'voluntary homicide' of a water department worker in Shiraz, southern Iran, who was stabbed to death on August 2, 2018. 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. A state television-linked news agency said it was for the murder of a public servant Shiraz and several other urban centres across the country were the scene that day of anti-government protests and demonstrations over economic and social hardships. According to media close to Iran's conservative camp, several religious establishments were attacked in 'rioting' by demonstrators. Reports published abroad say Afkari, aged 27, was condemned on the basis of confessions extracted under torture, prompting online campaigns of support for his release. Mizan on Wednesday denied the charge. Afkari's lawyer, Hassan Younessi, said the ruling had been approved by Iran's supreme court and could not be appealed, but he would seek a retrial on the basis of new information, YJC reported. The lawyer said the ruling was made without any proof presented in court, although Mizan said surveillance video had identified Afkari as the perpetrator. London-based rights group Amnesty International said Iran executed at least 251 people last year, the world's second highest toll after China. 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 on Tuesday. 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. Navid (left) and his brother Vahid (right) were sentenced by Iran's supreme court along with a third brother, Habib 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.' A source close to the brothers said Navid, who has no prior 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'. An Iranian opposition group quoted their mother Bahieh Namjou (pictured) as saying the brothers had been arrested by plain-clothes officers without a warrant '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.' On Wednesday, Amnesty International accused Iran's security forces of using torture to extract confessions, saying hundreds of people have been jailed since a sweeping crackdown against protests last year. Demonstrations erupted across Iran in November 2019 after a major petrol price hike, but they were put down by security forces with mass arrests amid a near-total internet blackout. Pictured: Demonstrators gather during a pro-government demonstration to react to protests due to fuel price increase of Iran, on November 25, 2019 in Tehran, Iran Amnesty said it had gathered dozens of testimonies from the 7,000 people it estimated were arrested, which included children as young as 10. The accounts reveal 'a catalogue of shocking human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment', the London-based human rights group said. Torture techniques included water boarding, beating, electric shocks, pepper spraying genitals, sexual violence, mock executions and pulling out finger and toe nails, Amnesty reported. Those arrested were tortured into 'confessions' of involvement in the protests, membership of opposition groups or contact with foreign governments and media, it added. Torture and other ill-treatment by police, intelligence operatives and others 'was widespread', the rights group said. Amnesty said it had recorded the names of more than 500 people 'subjected to unfair criminal proceedings in connection with the protests'. Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Canadian National Railway Company (TSE:CNR) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 8th of September will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 30th of September. Canadian National Railway's next dividend payment will be CA$0.57 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of CA$2.30 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that Canadian National Railway has a trailing yield of 1.7% on the current share price of CA$137.05. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Canadian National Railway's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. See our latest analysis for Canadian National Railway Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Canadian National Railway paying out a modest 44% of its earnings. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Dividends consumed 56% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations. It's positive to see that Canadian National Railway's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Story continues Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Canadian National Railway, with earnings per share up 5.6% on average over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Canadian National Railway has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. Canadian National Railway has delivered 16% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. Final Takeaway From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Canadian National Railway? Earnings per share growth has been modest, and it's interesting that Canadian National Railway is paying out less than half of its earnings and more than half its cash flow to shareholders in the form of dividends. Overall, it's hard to get excited about Canadian National Railway from a dividend perspective. So while Canadian National Railway looks good from a dividend perspective, it's always worthwhile being up to date with the risks involved in this stock. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Canadian National Railway and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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 following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here. An after-school counselor at the Fernandina Beach Boys & Girls Club in Florida is serving a 13-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to transporting child pornography. Nicholas Mitko Clark, 27, used an instant messaging service in April 2013 to chat with a person in Canada and asked that person send him child pornography of children as young as 8 years old, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. At the time of his arrest, Clark worked at the Boys & Girls Club, worked with children through various churches and also advertised his babysitting and child transportation services on the Internet, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Database: Child sexual abuse at Boys & Girls Clubs There is no indication any of the images were of children tied to any Boys & Girls Club. Steve Nadeau, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County, said Clark worked for the clubs for less than six months in 2013. Based on the investigation conducted by the authorities at that time, it is our understanding that no Club members were involved in the allegations leading to his arrest, Nadeau said. Regardless of this fact, crimes of abuse run counter to everything our organization stands for, and our hearts remain with any victim and their family. Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County has robust and comprehensive safety policies and protocols that are continuously enhanced, Nadeau said. These include strict policies that prohibit one-on-one interaction between staff and club youth, the completion of mandatory reporter training during the onboarding process and enforcement of appropriate staff-to-child ratios, he said. When he is released from prison, Clark must serve a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender, court records show. Clark did not respond to a mailed letter seeking comment. Gautam Adani; $25.2 billion live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More For Gautam Adani, chairman of the $15 billion Adani Group, the past six years have been a heady ride. Beginning with the acquisition of Dhamra Port in Odisha in May 2014, when a new government was ushered in, there's been no looking back for the industrialist. Since then, the group has bid aggressively for ports, power projects, airports, and other infrastructure assets, transforming itself into Indias largest infrastructure conglomerate in a relatively short space of time. Under Adani's stewardship, the group has managed to bag some of the largest infrastructure projects that were up for grabs, including the latest one in June this year the world's largest solar project of 8 gigawatts (GW), worth $6 billion (Rs 45,000 crore) making the Adani Group the largest solar power operator worldwide. Last year, to everyone's surprise, the Adani Group with little or no experience in airport development bagged the rights to develop six airports in the country, outbidding established names like the GMR Group, Fairfax India, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), AMP Group and PNC Infratech. Adanis personal wealth, too, has grown as his infrastructure bets turned bigger over the years. His wealth has risen more than three-fold from $5.1 billion as on March 30, 2014, to $16.7 billion as on September 1, 2020. Much of this growth came about in the last one year after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was re-elected for a second term in May 2019. Adanis personal wealth has doubled since then. An aggressive and sustained acquisition strategy has seen the Adani Group picking up over a dozen assets in ports, power, transmission lines and the airport space worth over Rs 74,086 crore in the last six years. Here is a look at the groups ambitious infrastructure bets. Ports: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APZEZ), owned by Adani Enterprises, is Indias largest commercial port operator, accounting for one-fourth of the cargo movement in the country. Its presence across 10 domestic ports in the six maritime states of Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha presents the most widespread footprint with deepened hinterland connectivity. With the recent acquisition of Dighi Port in Maharashtra, APSEZ will have a presence in eight of India's nine coastal states, with the exception of West Bengal. Last year, APZEZ became Indias first port operator to record a cargo movement of more than 200 million metric tonnes (MMT). It took 12 years to reach 50 million metric tonnes (MMT) followed by another three years to cross 100 MMT in 2013-14 and then just five years to exceed 200 MMT in 2019-20. This year, APSEZ further consolidated its position in the port sector after acquiring a 75 percent stake in Krishnapatnam Port, the second largest private sector port in India, after Mundra, and handled 54 MMT of cargo in FY19. With this acquisition, APSEZ plans to accelerate its record cargo movements of over 400 MMT. Energy: With the acquisition of power projects of Lanco Infratech, GMR Group, Avantha Group and AES Corporation, Adani Power has emerged as Indias largest thermal power company with a capacity of close to 14,000 megawatts in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Almost half of the capacities of Adani Group come from acquisitions in the last six years. The company spent close to Rs 40,000 crore for acquiring the prized power assets. In the power transmission sector, Adani started commissioning 3,800 circuit kilometres (ckt kms) transmission lines to evacuate power from its Mundra power plant in 2006, in addition to a further 1,200 ckt kms of transmission lines to evacuate power from its Tiroda plant in Maharashtra. Adani Transmission (ATL) has since become the country's largest power transmission company, operating 11,000 ckt kms of transmission lines and around 18,000 MVA of power transmission capacity. Most of the ATL capacity expansion was done through acquisitions as it bought GMR transmission assets in Rajasthan in 2016, Reliance Infrastructure transmission assets in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in 2017 and KECs transmission assets in Rajasthan last year. The company has further set up an ambitious target to set up 20,000 ckt kms of transmission lines by 2022 by leveraging both organic and inorganic opportunities. Green Energy: Until 2015, Adani was considered a coal baron as Adani Enterprises was Indias largest coal trader in the private sector with mining operations in India, Australia and Indonesia. However, with green energy becoming the new buzzword, this profile is also changing. In 2015, India committed to building 175 GW renewable energy capacities by 2022 at the Paris Climate Cange Conference (COP-21). COP-21 also saw the launch of the International Solar Alliance. Helmed by India, the 121-country alliance aims to scale up solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Adani was quick to rework his business strategy in keeping with the governments new energy policy. Adani Green Energy was incorporated to fuel Adani Groups aspirations in the renewable energy space, and the group set itself a target of 10,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2022. In June 2015, Adani Green signed a joint venture agreement with the government of Rajasthan to set up a 10,000 MW solar park, with anticipated investments of Rs 60,000 crore. In 2016, it unveiled the worlds largest solar power plant with a capacity of 648 MW in a single location in Tamil Nadu with investments of Rs 4,550 crore. Even as recently as 2017, the company had completed just two solar projects. The company went public 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, aiming to achieve an installed generation capacity of 25 GW of renewable power by 2025. This year, Adani Green bagged the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) award to build 8 gigawatts (GW) solar projects in the country, the largest in the world, entails an investment of Rs 45,000 crore ($6 billion). As part of the reward, Adani Solar will establish 2 GW of additional solar cell and module manufacturing capacity. On September 1, Mercom Capital ranked the Adani Group as the worlds largest solar power generation asset owner in terms of operating, under construction and awarded solar projects. Adanis renewable energy portfolio exceeds the total capacity installed by the entire US solar industry in 2019 and will displace over 1.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide over the life of its assets. Airports: The group is flying high in the airport development space as well. With the acquisition of Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), Indias second largest airport after Delhi in terms of traffic, Adani Airports is set to become Indias largest airports operator. Adani Group through Adani Airports Holdings (AAHL) entered into an agreement with GVK Airport Developers, which will give AAHL a controlling stake in MIAL for Rs 15,000 crore. The deal will also give AAHL rights to develop the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL), a project which has seen its cost escalating to Rs 16,000 crore. It also won the mandate last year to manage and operate all six governments-owned Indian airports located in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangalore, Jaipur, Trivandrum, and Guwahati, defeating GMR Group (operator of Delhi and Hyderabad airport), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), Fairfax India (operator of Bangalore airport) AMP Group and PNC Infratech. Adani Group has already signed concession agreements for Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangalore airports and has received cabinet approval for the other three. Mumbai, the City of Dreams! It is a privilege to have an opportunity to serve the air travellers of one of the greatest Metropolis on our planet. #GatewaytoGoodness Look forward to helping transform the Indian Airport Sector!, said Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in a tweet on Monday morning after announcing the MIAL deal. Incidentally, Adani started his career in Mumbai, then known as Bombay, as a diamond trader, before moving to Ahmedabad to set up Adani Exports Limited, now known as Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), the flagship company of the Adani Group. Adani is banking on passenger traffic in the country to grow 5-fold as India builds 200 additional airports to handle over 1 billion domestic and international passengers across tier 1, 2 and 3 cities, a majority of which will connect to Mumbai. Over this period, Indias top 30 cities are expected to each require two airports and Adani Airports sees itself well-positioned to help build the infrastructure platform required, said Adani. The MIAL acquisition will put the group in direct competition with the GM Rao-led GMR Group, Indias largest airport operator, which operates airports in Delhi, Hyderabad, Cebu, Goa, Bhogapuram, Bidar and Crete, handling over 101 million passengers globally. Adani Groups seven airports including Mumbai handled close to 75 million passengers in FY20 compared with over 85 million passengers handled by GMR Groups Delhi and Hyderabad airports. We have already become larger than GMR in terms of number of airports and soon we will overtake them in terms of passenger handling capacity also, said an Adani official. Adani would have further consolidated his position in the airport space had the group not lost the Jewar airport bid to Zurich International AG last year. Jewar will serve as a second airport to Delhi. According to industry watchers and analysts, Zurich Airports bagging the bid for Jewar would help bring in competition among airports, which currently are a monopoly, and will also benefit the airlines. The government is likely to invite bids for six more airports in the second phase of privatisation, which is expected to include the airports of Varanasi, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Trichi, Raipur and Indore. Adani Enterprises and GMR Group will find themselves competing against international players for the upcoming bids to be the leader in the airports space. There was political pressure on some of the sellers that if they have to sell their assets, it has to go to one particular business group, said an official of a leading business group, which sold its assets to Adani Group. Piyush Pandey is a senior business journalist based in Mumbai. North Carolina rescue crews have recovered the bodies of a four-year-old boy and his five-year-old sister, who died after they were swept away in a flash flood in the state earlier this week. Four-year-old Abraham Martinez Jr and five-year-old Alexa Castro went missing on Monday after the car their mother was driving was swept away in Smithfield, North Carolina, with the pair still inside. The childrens mother Vanessa Castro called the authorities on Monday to say that her car had been overtaken by water, and four boats of first responders were sent out to help, according to NBC News. When they arrived at the scene, the first responders were able to rescue Ms Castro and Alexa temporarily, but the car capsized when the current proved too strong and they lost the five-year-old along with Abraham. Johnston County sheriff Steve Bizzell told reporters on Thursday that first responders were unable to rescue the children on Monday as their boats also capsized, leading Ms Castro to be taken to hospital for treatment. He said: The water was so raging the other night, it was throwing the boats up against the trees, and added: Were fortunate that we had no loss of life for first responders the other night. On Thursday morning, following three days of searching, Mr Bizzell confirmed that Abrahams body had been recovered by rescue crews in a creek near Neuse River. The recovery came 12 hours after crews had found his sister Alexas body 30 yards away in a shallow part of the creek, according to the Daily Mail. After Alexas body was discovered on Wednesday at around 4:30pm, members of the rescue crews formed a prayer circle by the side of the river. Speaking to WTVD on Thursday morning, Mr Bizzell said: I cant imagine either the emotions of the family, of the heartbreak, the hurt, the devastation. Its been tough on myself; its been tough on the deputies. He added: Everybody that Ive talked to has been in continuous prayer for this family, these kids. The sheriff said that he hopes the recovery of the bodies will help childrens parents to find some closure, and added: We can find some comfort in knowing that theyre in a better place today than we are. Ms Castro has been discharged from hospital, and loved ones told WRAL that she is doing well physically. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Fifteen Tundra Oil and Gas employees were laid off Monday, including 12 from southwestern Manitoba. The Brandon Sun asked the company about layoffs after a tip from a Virden employee. "On Monday, we announced a restructuring of our company to our staff," president and chief executive officer Jane Mactaggart stated via email. "Fifteen people were let go from Tundra Oil and Gas, 12 in (southwest) Manitoba, and three in Calgary. We will be sharing the overall picture of this restructuring with our staff over the coming weeks." The Sun heard one laid-off employee had no expectation of these developments, allegedly being told last month their job was secure for five years. Mactaggart stated: "We have shared how we have been responding to the pandemic and collapse in oil prices with our staff throughout the spring and the summer. I have been in this business for 34 years and this is the most challenging environment I have ever experienced. I know for some of our staff this concern was on their mind, and for others it was unexpected. We have tried to support everyone affected, considering both their physical and mental health. We will continue to follow up and assist everyone throughout this transition." She added the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 and oil-price shock affected the company. "We see go-forward capital spending to be significantly reduced. We expect our production will be down significantly in 2021, and our spending will be down by approximately half, compared to what we had hoped to spend in 2020," Mactaggart said. "We had built our team to run a bigger business. This downturn means we do not see that level of work going forward, and unfortunately, we did not have enough work for everyone. In the restructuring, we tried to match the go-forward work to our team in a number of other ways: reduced work weeks, redeployments, retirements and a flattening of the organizational structure, so that we are prepared for our new reality of highly uncertain oil demand." Mactaggart also said the company has been working diligently since March to understand the effects of the pandemic and the oil price collapse on Tundra Oil and Gas. Asked if there would be more layoffs in the future, Mactaggart said the company hopes this weeks restructuring will allow it to handle the range of challenges. "These were very hard decisions, and we do not want to put our organization through this again. Our focus now is to support everyone through this challenging time, and regroup for the future," she said. As of Sept. 1, Tundras Virden operation employs 324 people. 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. Nepal police clash with devotees defying virus ban for festival Nepali police clashed with the participants of a religious chariot festival that drew hundreds in defiance of coronavirus restrictions Nepali police on Thursday fired tear gas and water cannon to halt a chariot festival that drew hundreds of Hindus and Buddhists onto the streets in defiance of coronavirus restrictions. The police said at least four of its personnel were injured and a water cannon truck damaged in the clash. Festival participants were also hurt but their number was not known. People come from across the Kathmandu Valley each year to see the 15-meter-high (49-foot) wooden chariot carrying the rain deity Macchindra Nath pulled through the streets of Lalitpur, near the capital. Loud chants to let the chariot through rang out Thursday amid traditional drum beats as police lined up to stop the crowds. "Police dispersed the crowd breaching the prohibitory order using tear gas and water cannons after they pelted stones (at) the security forces stopping them," said Lalitpur chief district officer Narayan Prasad Bhatta. The centuries-old procession was supposed to begin at the end of April but was delayed when a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was imposed on March 24. Although restrictions were eased in July, curbs were imposed again on August 20 as coronavirus cases surged. Only essential services are allowed on the streets. The Himalayan country of 28 million people has recorded over 10,000 new infections and 100 deaths over the last 10 days. It has reported a total of 42,877 cases and 257 deaths. str-pm/tw/qan Nicole Poturalski must like her new-found fame, as she has been spotted lurking on her fan accounts after news broke that she's the new girlfriend of Brad Pitt. The 27-year-old model seemed to have checked out the Instagram fan account @nicobrad2020, a huge supporter of their romance. The bio of the page reads, "Jennifer and Angelina dead. It's Nicole's time?" The fan account owner was even able to provide a screenshot that she had been checking out the page's stories. Reports of her stalking Brad-Nicole fan accounts came after it was revealed that the two met each other at her husband's high-class restaurant in Berlin. According to The Daily Mail, the Hollywood A-list actor has been mesmerized by the model with a seductive pout once locking her eyes in August 2019. Brad Pitt became acquainted with the restaurant Borchardt and its owner, Roland Mary, since 2009 when he was filming in Germany for "Inglorious Basterds." Last year, Pitt returned to Berlin to promote his movie "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" in Berlin and co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie. It was that night in August that he met Poturalski and fell in love with her. A year later, Brad Pitt and his new girlfriend Nicole Poturalski are officially a couple and even spent some downtime in his and ex-wife's Angelina Jolie's Chateau Miraval located in the south of France. E! News has confirmed that the pair landed in France in late August. An insider who spotted the couple told OK! Magazine, "He was in a semi-public place but didn't seem to mind people seeing him. She's a real beauty and obviously a lot younger than him." As per a local who told E! News, the 56-year-old actor visited the place because he's "participating in a campaign for his wine." Pitt and Jolie purchased the chateau in 2011 for $60 million, and it is known for its wines, especially rose. Pitt has also reportedly just launched a bottle of champagne. However, the Polish-born beauty remains married to the restauranteur and even has a seven-year-old son with him. But that doesn't seem to bother the "Ad Astra" actor and doesn't care if his ex-wife gets angry. A source told Us Weekly, "Taking Nicole to Miraval on their former wedding anniversary, Brad knows exactly what he is doing and the reaction it's going to get from Angelina." "He just doesn't care if Angelina is going to lash out. He expects she will." The reason for the "Maleficent" star lashing out could be because the chateau is where they married six years ago, located in the village of Correns. The intimate ceremony only had a few guests, including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. In 2016, the former power couple filed for divorce, and up to this day, they're still engaged in an ongoing custody battle. Jolie recently requested the judge overseeing their divorce trial to be removed because of business dealings he has with one of Pitt's counselors. Reports also surfaced that Angelina Jolie is considering moving to the UK with her children, giving Brad Pitt difficulties with their children. READ MORE: Robin Williams Tragedy: Comedian Forced to Sleep ALONE Just Before His Death Protests continued in Los Angeles for a third day in a row Wednesday over the killing of 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee. On Monday, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs department stopped Kizzee, an African-American man, over an alleged vehicle code violation while riding a bicycle. According to police accounts, Kizzee then fled on foot with a jacket in his arms. Kizzee dropped the jacket during the pursuit, with deputies alleging that it contained a hidden firearm prompting them to fire at Kizzee and kill him. The lawyer representing Kizzees family alleges that he was shot more than 20 times in the back while the sheriffs department alleges fewer than 20 shots were fired. The sheriffs department also alleges that the young man punched one of the deputies during the course of the pursuit, however, they also claim that neither of the two officers suffered any injuries as a result of the incident. The department claims that Kizzee tried to reach for the gun before being shot, however, no evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim either. Neither deputy has been named by the department thus far with both put on leave. Several witnesses to the incident interviewed by the Los Angeles Times indicated they did not see any sign of a threat from Kizzee towards the officers. Latiera Kirby, who had stopped by her mothers house, was sitting in her car when Kizzee ran by pleading for help. He said, Theyre coming to get me, theyre coming to get me, Kirby noted. Kizzee then offered Kirby money to drive him away. Kirby refused him, not knowing who he was and why he was running, and related that she then saw the deputies pursuing Kizzee and shooting him after he fell to the ground. He had nothing in his hands, Kirby said. The shooting horrified nearby residents who, by all indications, witnessed the summary execution of an innocent man by Los Angeles police officers. Neighbors cried out that he did not need to be shot. You dont have to shoot him that many times! You could have tased him, they said. Another community resident who witnessed the shooting, 52-year-old Alida Trejo, says she heard between 8 and 11 shots fired after witnessing Kizzee run past her home. She saw a deputy struggling to arrest Kizzee while neighbors were telling him not to resist and for the deputy not to shoot. According to Trejo however, They say the man punched the deputy, but I never saw that happen. The sheriffs department has claimed that they do not know what specific violation the young man committed while riding his bicycle or why officers would engage him in a foot chase and then shoot him over such a minor infraction. It is likely that Kizzee was in fact the subject of what is known as a pretextual traffic stop. Having no probable cause for arrest, police will follow a subject driving a car, pedaling a bicycle, or otherwise operating a vehicle until the suspect commits a traffic violation. At that point, the minor infraction can be used as a pretext for more invasive searching and interrogation. The killing of Kizzee, coming on the heels of the shooting of Jakob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, George Floyd in Minnesota, and numerous others, has prompted continuous protests throughout the past three days including outside the Los Angeles County Sheriffs station. Sheriff Alex Villanueva used the occasion of the protests to claim sympathy with Kizzees family while absurdly drawing moral equivalence between random street violence and targeted killings by police officers noting that protests seem to care about the latter case only. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department is also under fire for the June killing of 18-year-old Andres Guardado in the West Compton area. Guardado worked as a security guard at an auto body shop. The sheriffs department alleges the young man pulled a gun on officers after they had been observing him. Like the killing of Kizzee, no police calls had been made in relation to the incident with the police shooting Guardado in the back five times. The incident sparked protests numbering in the thousands prompting the Sheriffs department to destroy footage of in the incident kept by a local store owner. A whistleblower has since given sworn testimony that Guardado was murdered as part of an initiation into a violent police gang known as the Executioners. The whistleblower, Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputy Austreberto Gonzalez, testified that Members become inked as Executioners after executing members of the public, or otherwise commit acts of violence in furtherance of the gang. The inking Gonzalez referred to are tattoos Executioners members wear including AK-47s and Nazi imagery. Gonzalez testified that the gangs oftentimes throw 998 parties named after the police code for an officer-involved shooting after a deputy shoots someone. Gonzalezs lawyer, Alan Romero, told the Los Angeles Times, We have a gang here that has grown to the point where it dominates every aspect of life at the Compton station. It essentially controls scheduling, the distribution of informant tips, and assignments to deputies in the station with preference to members of the gang as well as prospects. County Sheriff Villanueva later said, There is no gang of any deputies running any station. Referring to Gonzalezs testimony, Villanueva remarked, I take these allegations very seriously and recently enacted a policy specifically addressing illicit groups, deputy cliques and subgroups. Inspector General Max Huntsman, however, remarked that he was aware of no implementation whatsoever of any such policies. Researchers have uncovered the existence of multiple gangs among Los Angeles law enforcement, some going back as far back as 1971. These include the Banditos patrolling East LA, the Lynwood Vikings and the 3000 boys based out of the Mens Central Jail who would earn their tattoos each time they broke an inmates bones. TV star Larry Emdur's daughter has had a restraining order taken out on her behalf by cops against her heavily-tattooed beach buddy. A Sydney court on Thursday heard that NSW Police have brought a provisional apprehended domestic violence order against Ms Emdur's one time friend Rickie Volpatti. Under the conditions of the order, Mr Volpatti is banned from approaching Ms Emdur in any way except via his lawyer. Mr Volpatti may not go within 100 metres of where graphic designer Ms Emdur lives, works or a particular property in Bellevue Hill. TV personality Larry Emdur's daughter Tia (left) has an apprehended violence order taken out on her behalf by NSW Police. Rickie Volpatti, who according to social media profiles works for a landscaping company, has been banned from approaching Ms Emdur on a provisional basis Legendary Morning Show host Larry Emdur with his daughter, the youngest of his two kids, in a social media happy snap A court heard that Ms Emdur has given police a recorded statement known as a Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief or 'DVEC' He has also been hit with standard AVO conditions preventing him from assaulting, threatening, stalking, harassing or intimidating her, or destroying her property. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Mr Volpatti is alleged to have done any of that - and police have laid no charges against him. His solicitor Kiran Sahota confirmed he is defending the AVO. Waverley Court today heard that Ms Emdur has given police a recorded statement known as a Domestic Violence Evidence in Chief or 'DVEC'. Such statements involve alleged victims telling their version of events, in their own words. But Ms Sahota said the statement is yet to be provided to the defence. Mr Kolpatti and Ms Emdur appear to have been mates - attending the beach together in a social media snap last summer - but one friend was unaware of any romance. The AVO was taken out on Ms Emdur's behalf at the end of July, court records said. On right, Mr Volpatti relaxes in a spa with a glass of red wine in a social media image Social media profiles said Mr Volpatti was a member of the NSW Liberal Party and works for a landscaping company A magistrate on Thursday granted an additional two weeks for the prosecution brief to be tendered to court, and a further two weeks for Mr Volpatti's defence. An image of Mr Volpatti from Ms Emdur's social media accounts on a beach trip Neither of the parties appeared in court themselves. After being approached for comment, Ms Emdur posting to Instagram that she was donating blood. 'It's a good day to do some good,' she said. Ms Emdur is the youngest of Morning Show host Larry's two children. She has an older brother, Jye. The TV personality has described his daughter as one of his 'favourite people in the world'. She has made headlines previously for buying a $1million property with her parents at just 19 years old. It has been reported that she has aspirations to become a fashion designer. TV personality Larry hosted Seven's program as usual on Thursday. The case continues at a later date. Fianna Fail TD for Longford-Westmeath Joe Flaherty has met in recent days with many of the fifty plus pub owners across Co. Longford who will soon see their businesses closed for seven months. Deputy Flaherty said, 2020 has been the hardest year for owners of pubs and especially in rural Ireland. There is a genuine fear now for the future of several of the so called wet pubs' locally. I welcome the support package brought in by Government but more support will be required for wet pubs should the public health advice advise against their re-opening over the coming months. I understand a new document will be introduced on September 13th. This will be a guideline for all of society in terms of living with COVID-19. I believe we need to trial the reopening of pubs, similar to the way these establishments are open in Europe. This should be considered ahead of the publication of any news plans. The threat of COVID-19 will be with us for a very long time and we need to find new ways to live with the virus. The further reopening of society needs to be worked on in the coming weeks, concluded Deputy Flaherty. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Have you ever considered being your own boss in the fuel industry? It may be an underrated sector, but entering the oil business and running your own gas station is not as complicated as people think it is. The popular choice these days is to start with food and drink as a business venture, but owning and running gasoline stations could be just as rewarding and exciting. Oil prices may dip and soar, but the demand is bound to go up in the long term. We talked to three leading women who made the bold decision to put up their own gasoline stations and shared some tips on how to make it work. 1. Take the risk It takes serious commitment to decide to invest in putting up a gasoline station, as it means shelling out a sizeable investment too. But it's wrong to assume that you wouldn't be able to make things work. This was exactly the story of Malou Agcaoili, who decided to resign from her long-time job 20 years ago as a former cashier to brand manager of several gas stations and eventually owning one herself. While she may be making earnest money as an employee, she knew she could make much more if she ran her own place. And so, she did. From one retail site, she now owns four gasoline stations in Metro Manila and is looking to add another. For her, hard work, dedication, and a lot of creativity went a long way to secure her investments and provide a very comfortable life for her family. This was also the story of Carolyn Escuadro, a veteran banker from Cotabato City who managed to put up two stations of her own in Davao. About 18 years ago, she and her husband were considering to either work abroad or to try and put up their own business here. They chose the latter and never looked back, dubbing it as one of the best decisions they have ever made. 2. Trust the process Putting up your own business doesn't make you an instant millionaire. In fact, it will take quite a while to make the returns and may even need additional capital as you go. This shouldn't be taken as something negative. Sometimes, all it takes is patience. Joyce Villanueva is only 21 but is slowly but surely learning the ropes. Her family opened their own gas station in April 2019 and she was given the task of managing its day-to-day affairs straight out of college. It took a lot of effort and adjustments at first, like how she would deal with employees who were way older than her. She knew it's a process she couldn't just skip. She also didn't know a lot about the business until she was tasked to handle it. The past year got her directly involved in the station's operations. Now, she knows how to monitor fuel inventory by herself, how to make the most of oil price fluctuations, and the highs and lows of sales each year. She got to apply these lessons to her finances, too. "Investing requires patience, you can't really say what's going to happen. With this pandemic, it's going to take much longer for us to get a return on investments, so you have to be financially prepared," Villanueva shared. 3. Diversify It's tempting to just sit back and relax once the return on investments finally come, but that's not the correct way to ensure your profits are sustainable. It takes creativity and persistence to ensure a steadily-growing stream of revenues. Sales volumes change throughout the year, with the so-called "Ber" months considered the peak season and the rest of the year as the lean months. It's all about choosing or making the right conditions to make the business profitable. The key to this would be the location. Villanueva said their family's gas station is right on a busy bypass road in Bulacan, which makes it accessible for passing cars. On top of that, she said their family has standing agreements with trucking services and warehouses nearby who load up their equipment through their station, accounting for about half of their monthly sales. It doesn't stop there: dressing up a gas station with other stores and services would make your outlet busier, especially when you brand it as a one-stop-shop. That was Agcaoili's secret to success: a client would be able to gas up, buy their needs from a 7-Eleven, get their car checked and tuned, get a burger, and even buy a cup of milk tea in one place. You can hit two birds with one stone here too, as 7-Eleven is a solid partner of the Caltex brand. It was how she set her stations apart from the rest. "You have to be creative to get more sales and survive," she said, pointing out how putting complementary businesses together meant additional foot traffic in these establishments. 4. Find a good partner Another secret to success is having the right partner to get through the highs and lows of running a business. Having a good one by your side will help you grow while having an unsupportive one could spell your downfall. These three entrepreneurs all wrote their success stories with Caltex, which has been a reliable associate who assisted them in putting up their stations and even through years of operations. "Caltex, as a global brand, treats its dealers not just as partners with contracts but treats franchisees as a family," Escuadro said, adding Caltex has always been ready to provide support to keep operations afloat even through bumpy situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. Agcaoili also cited the solid support and motivation provided by the Caltex brand, saying they have been offering trainings to dealers and their own staff so they can elevate the quality of service they offer to customers. It's also easy to attract customers too, given that the brand is known worldwide. 5. Reap the benefits After enduring the initial grind in starting up a business, give yourself time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Agcaoili and Escuadro both shared that this was their favorite part of their Caltex journey, on top of financial rewards and incentives they regularly receive. Through the company, the two were able to explore the Philippines and the rest of the world as a reward for the strong profits generated by their stations. They have been to the United States, Dubai, and Australia as part of incentive tours, where they were accommodated in luxury hotels each time. Caltex can be your reliable partner for your newest business venture, with fresh opportunities to enter the market and even more reasons to stay. To know more, visit www.caltex.com/ph/investors. You may also send an email to askcaltex@chevron.com or call (02)-88677710 / (02) - 77937600. For Valerie McIntyre of Liverpool, the fight to reopen New Yorks non Indian nation-operated casinos was about more than giving players the opportunity to return to the gaming floor. It was about 5,000 or so jobs across Upstate New York. McIntyre is a table games supervisor at del Lago Casino & Resort near Waterloo in Seneca County. Shes been among the organizers of rallies and lobbying efforts to persuade Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow the commercial casinos to do what the states tribal gaming facilities have been doing since June: Open back up. Thursday, she got her wish. Cuomo announced the four full-service commercial casinos (and the 11 racetrack/slot facilities called racinos) can reopen, with restrictions, by Sept. 9. Tears flowed in my eyes, said McIntyre, who was leading another rally in Seneca Falls today. Im thrilled for all our workers and for the people who come to our casinos. Now comes the next tricky part: What will the reopened casinos look like? What I can say is people will be coming back, because there is a pent-up demand, said Jeff Gural, owner of the Vernon Downs racino in Oneida County and the Tioga Downs full-service casino in Nichols, west of Binghamton. Its a huge relief. But as is often the case when the governor makes this kind of announcement, the details trickle out slowly. Heres what is known about the about the reopening: The facilities will be limited to 25% capacity, masks and social distancing will be required and there will be no beverage service on gaming floors. The casinos must also install improved air filtration system that meet state standards for helping contain the spread of the coronavirus. And the gaming facilities will be required to submit reopening plans to the state Gaming Commission for approval. It will take time. Gural does not expect to open on Sept. 9, but will do so as quickly as he can after that. We have a lot of cleaning to do, training staff and so on, he said. Its a big job. Some details remain unclear. Initial indications were that table games like roulette, craps and blackjack might not be allowed at first. State budget director Robert Mujica later clarified that table games would be allowed but only with physical barriers between players. That would be a relief to McIntyre, who works in del Lagos table games. Thats a big part of our employees, she said. It takes a lot of people to run the table games. In mid-July, Upstates four full-service commercial casinos and two related racinos warned they would lay off 5,000 employees who had been furloughed since March if they were not allowed to reopen by the end of September. Thats because the 6-month furlough window expires then. Cuomos announcement came with just a few weeks to spare. Im happy for my employees, Gural said. Look, Ive lost $2 million in this (shutdown). But no one cares about me. Its about getting our people back to work. Gural, who had previously announced an early closing to the racing season at Vernon (Sept. 26), said that may now change once the slot machines are back in action. Gural has argued for months that keeping the commercial casinos closed was counter-productive. Players, he said, were driving distances to casinos that had opened, such as Turning Stone in Oneida County and other Indian facilities, or to neighboring states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Players returning from other states could have spread the virus back to Upstate, which has kept the infection rate low, he said. (He also noted there have been no outbreaks or spikes related to the Upstate tribal facilities). Tribal casinos in New York have been able to reopen since they arent bound by state law. They are voluntarily following coronavirus precautions like frequent sanitizing, mandatory face coverings for staff and customers, and social distancing. In all, seven full-service Indian nation casinos and several smaller tribal gaming halls have been reopened this summer. Starting next week, they can be joined by the full-service del Lago, Tioga Downs, Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady and Resorts World Catskills near Monticello in Sullivan County. Racinos preparing to open include Vernon Downs, Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack near Canandaigua and others. del Lago Resort & Casino is ready to open safely, Lance Young, its executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement. We have comprehensive safety guidelines, known as our EXTRA CARE Program, to ensure the welfare of every guest and team member." Young thanked Cuomo and the Gaming Commission for their leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, and we are thankful for their partnership in preparation to welcome back our team and guests. We look forward to opening our doors and bringing back economic benefits to the Finger Lakes. Gural said its hard to predict how long it will take for the Upstate gaming industry to back on its feet. Our customers want to play, Gural said. Theyll drive long distances. Now, at least, we can help them make a shorter trip. MORE ON CASINOS AND GAMING IN UPSTATE NY Bowling is back. Gyms are opening. Casino workers ask: What about us? Oneidas reopen sport betting lounges Upstate NYs shuttered non-Indian casinos warn of massive layoffs Upstate New Yorks Indian casinos are reopening. When will non-tribal gaming follow? Ready to play. Oneidas reopen Turning Stone, other casinos 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. Rivers Casino will announce its reopening date soon. An extensive list of property-wide modifications and safety precautions introduced to help protect guests and Team Members will also be announced prior to reopening and published on the casinos website. The Rivers team has been working hand-in-hand with the state to make all the changes necessary to reopen and we will meet, or exceed, all requirements to provide a safe and healthy entertainment environment, said Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady General Manager, Justin Moore. The health and well-being of our Team Members, guests and the community is our highest priority. Were eagerly looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Rivers. A cocaine shipment valued at $142 million was confiscated from a speedboat by the Mexican military in a bust caught on video. According to the Secretariat of the Navy, the massive drug bust occurred Tuesday night in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. The marines and the Secretariat of National Defense were surveilling the area when a military helicopter and plane detected the speedboat and started to pursue it. The small vessel was intercepted 84 miles east off the fishing village. A Mexican soldier is lowered to a speedboat that was intercepted Tuesday in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. The military confiscated a $142 million shipment of cocaine and arrested three individuals Mexico's Secretariat of the Navy said the military took part in the high speed pursuit of three individuals aboard a boat 84 miles off the coast of Mahahual, a fishing village in the state of Quintana Roo, on Tuesday. A total of 2,960 kilos of cocaine were seized The Mexican military said 2,960 kilos of cocaine were divided in 74 plastic-wrapped bundles Footage shared with the media showed the moment a soldier was lowered to the boat before three individuals were taken into custody. The identities and nationalities of the drug smugglers is unknown. The speedboat was taken to a nearby port where the military removed 2,960 kilos of cocaine that had been split into 74 plastic-wrapped bundles. A Mexican soldier is lowered from a helicopter after a drug vessel was spotted off the Caribbean coast village of Mahahual on Tuesday. The military said 2,960 kilos of cocaine, valued at $142 million, were recovered from the speedboat Tuesday's massive drug bust was the second since last Friday when the Mexican military detected a small jet near the border with Guatemala and forced it to land at an airport in the southern state of Chiapas 'The maritime, air and land surveillance operations carried out by this institution are carried out in order to inhibit criminal action, guarantee security and maintain the rule of law on the Mexican coasts,' the Secretariat of the Navy said in a statement. The large cocaine bust came four days after the military fight jets intercepted a small aircraft in Mexican air space and escorted it to Palenque International Airport in Palenque, Chiapas. An inspection of the Dassault Falcon twin engine jet led military officers to $65 million worth of cocaine and arrested two men, including the pilot. Gene Simmons has made a career out of being over the top. It's obvious from the live concerts of Kiss, the iconic heavy metal band he co-founded, and apparently also in his sandwich preferences. Twin City Deli's Dagwood a $25 double-decker sandwich with a pile of cold cuts on Italian bread was quote-tweeted by Simmons late last week, with the accompanying words: "I have to say, few things in life are as good tasting as this. Thank you Twin City Deli, in Tonawanda, NY." While it seems random on the surface, the connection makes sense. Twin City Deli owner Brett Zuckerman's accountant is Chris Haick, who also is a partner in Simmons' branded product MoneyBag Soda. Haick had hyped the cane sugar soda line, which is bottled at the Johnnie Ryan plant in Niagara Falls, long before Zuckerman's deli opened. Bamboo and Bonsai: A Life Calling Shaped by Japanese Culture: an awe-inspiring read throughout successes and failures and a life of service in Japan. Bamboo and Bonsai: A Life Calling Shaped by Japanese Culture is the creation of published author Philip Kinley, a writer who holds a masters degree in education and a doctor of missiology. He retired in 1998 and lives in Anderson, Indiana. He and his wife have two children, Susan and Tom, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Kinley shares, Bamboo and Bonsai is the story of a Kansas boy who spent his entire career as a missionary in Japan. His service spanned forty-three years as a missionary of the Church of God. He was the founder and director of the Seminary House program. It was designed to prepare seminarians to become pastors in the Church of God. It offered specialized training in the theology and history of the Church of God. He directed this program for twenty-two years. He was also the principal of Tamagawa Seigakuin a girls junior-senior school in Tokyo. He led a staff of fifty Japanese nationals and four American teachers and over one thousand students in preparing young women from a Christian perspective to develop their God-given talents for life and service in Japanese society. While serving in the field of education, he also pastored churches in Tokyo assisted by unordained ministers. His duties were primarily preaching and conducting official meetings of the church. Later, assisted by his wife, Phyllis, they pioneered a new church congregation in Hagiyama, a suburb of Tokyo. It was a challenging and gratifying endeavor to introduce the people of the community to the gospel, lead them to become Christians, and nurture them as they matured in their faith. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Philip Kinleys new book chronicles the captivating journey of a man whose life of service moved the lives of many. Here in this memoir, he records his lifes significant events that molded him into the man he is now. View a synopsis of Bamboo and Bonsai: A Life Calling Shaped by Japanese Culture on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Bamboo and Bonsai: A Life Calling Shaped by Japanese Culture at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Bamboo and Bonsai: A Life Calling Shaped by Japanese Culture, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Paul Tonko wrote to the CEO of General Electric Co. on Monday calling on him to reconsider his decision to move 45 jobs from Schenectady to Poland. Americas power grid should be built by American workers, and the capability to do this already exists in Schenectady, the lawmakers wrote to CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. Many of the workers at this site are second and third generation GE workers who have played an outsized role in building GE into a trusted brand worldwide. The highly talented and hardworking employees in Schenectady and the greater community have long supported GE. Now, they deserve GEs support in turn. According to the letter, workers in Schenectady have been informed their jobs will be transferred to GE plants in Poland. In June, GE warned the cuts in Schenectady were possible, subject to union negotiations and not until 2021. At the time, the company also cut 75 jobs from GE's Global Research Center in Niskayuna. GE, however, stressed that the jobs are not actually being offshored or transferred since no new positions are being created in Poland. Instead, the company said the work was being spread out in order to help the company compete in the global marketplace. Were focused on continuing to strengthen our Gas Power business in an increasingly competitive global environment and that includes the ability to serve our customers in the U.S. and around the world," a company spokesman said. "We welcome the delegations interest and are eager for their support ensuring natural gas remains a critical part of our countrys energy mix. The Capital Region of New York continues to be a vital area for GEs mission-critical work in energy, research and healthcare. Still, the tussle comes amid a longterm scaling back of the company's presence in the region, where it was founded in the late 19th century. At the height of the company's presence in the post-World War II years, GE employed more than 40,000 people locally. Now, fewer than 4,000 people in the region work for GE in the Capital Region. Schumer and Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Tonko, D-Amsterdam, warned that further reductions to GE's presence in Schenectady could be "just the tip of the iceberg for future job loss in Schenectady. The GE Schenectady plant builds turbines and generators for power production. But the lawmakers urged GE to cooperate with a study lead by Cornell University to look at the production practices at the Schenectady site. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The prior Niskayuna cuts affected support jobs such as electricians and steamfitters and were primarily caused by the reduced on-site workforce because of the coronavirus. The Schenectady facility makes and services steam turbines used in power production. At issue with the work in Poland are plans for GE to build three turbines for the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned power company that supplies several southern states. GE is slated to build three of those turbines in Schenectady but another three are being built in Poland, according to earlier reports. Last month CWA workers also reached out to Republican President Donald Trump about the outsourcing. Trump, who has long criticized the off-shoring of American jobs, had blasted the TVA for laying off IT workers and replacing them with foreign workers with H-1Bs. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU SAN DIEGO - Work has begun to stop a decades-old problem of millions of gallons of sewage from Tijuana, Mexico, flowing into the United States and polluting San Diego County beaches, the Trump administrations top environmental protection official said Wednesday. For more than 40 years, wastewater from Tijuanas dilapidated system has spilled across the border and polluted the waters off Imperial Beach, a city of about 30,000 south of San Diego. The pollution has posed health risks to surfers, Border Patrol agents and even Navy SEALs who train near there, officials said. Last week, a $10.6 million project was completed and will keep 4.5 million gallons of sewage per day from entering the Tijuana River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean in front of Imperial Beach, said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler at a news conference in San Diego. His agency contributed $3.9 million to that project. A second, $6 million project will pay for improvements to Tijuanas pumping and collection system to prevent further spills from entering the United States. Mexico is also doing work on the system, and pollution flows are already being reduced, Wheeler said. The agency is also funding work in coming months that will replace a mile of old, leaking pipes that should further stop the sewage from overflowing, Wheeler said. In addition, two other short-term projects funded by $25 million in federal grants will help by diverting 10 million gallons a day of Tijuana wastewater to an international treatment facility, and by capturing trash and sediment with a new system on the border. The projects are short-term solutions being put in place while the federal government designs a more permanent fix that it will fund with $300 million allocated for environmental border projects from Congress under President Donald Trumps revised NAFTA agreement, now called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, an avid surfer, told reporters Wednesday he already is seeing a difference: His city has been able to open its beaches, which had been closed since November, ahead of the the Labor Day weekend. He said his city had faced a sewage apocalypse and noted that 160 days this year the beaches there had to be closed because of the pollution. He said a permanent fix is vital and Mexico must continue to make improvements and ensure that there is zero flow from Tijuana going anywhere near the ocean. The actions come after Imperial Beach and other local governments sued the agency in 2018 to demand the EPA do something about the problem. They agreed earlier this year to put the legal action on hold for a year after the EPA indicated it would help. Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, today announced that it took delivery of its new dry-bulk carrier Alanood on August 31, making it the second newbuild vessel to join the companys market-leading fleet this year. The Kamsarmax-class carrier lifts the number of Bahris dry-bulk fleet to seven, cementing its reputation as a leading regional player in the bulk shipping industry, the company said. Alanood is also the second ship received as part of the agreement signed between Bahri business unit Bahri Dry Bulk and South Koreas Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co (HMD) in August 2017 to build and deliver four new dry-bulk carriers by 2020. The new vessel was built by Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding (HVS), a subsidiary of HMD, and takes the total tally of Bahris wide-ranging vessels to 88, including 41 VLCCs, 34 chemical and product tankers, 7 dry-bulk carriers, and 6 ro-ro ships. A further 10 chemical tankers, 2 dry-bulk carriers, and a VLCC are currently under development. Engineer Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, said: Strengthening our fleet with investments in modern and efficient vessels represents a key pillar of our long-term strategy. We are confident that Alanood will give us enhanced operational flexibility and efficiency to meet the needs of our customers around the world and enable us to boost our contribution to the smooth functioning of global supply chains whose importance was underscored by the Covid-19 pandemic. This significant addition also signifies our ongoing commitment to building up Saudi Arabias maritime capabilities as envisaged in the Vision 2030 agenda. In May 2020, Bahri took delivery of the dry-bulk carrier Sara, which was also built at the HVS dockyard in Vietnam under the latest international technical specifications. Both new vessels are environmentally friendly and have been developed to offer the highest standards of environment, safety, and fuel efficiency, with a design draft speed of 14.20 knots at normal continuous rating (NCR) with a 15% sea margin. With the new additions, Bahri is further equipped to meet the growing demand in the Kingdom for imports of basic grains, such as wheat, barley, corn, and other dry-bulk cargoes. TradeArabia News Service Taiwan to redesign passports to differentiate from mainland China Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 9:37 AM Taiwan says it plans to redesign its passports to put greater emphasis on the island's name, amid an increasingly hostile posturing toward mainland China. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced the decision on Wednesday He claimed the new passports were needed to avert the problem of their holders' being identified as Chinese citizens, particularly amid stepped-up entry checks many nations have instituted since the COVID-19 outbreak began. This is while Taiwanese people are considered Chinese nationals under a globally-recognized policy known as "One China." Taiwan's secessionist government has complained that Taiwanese people have faced difficulties while entering other countries since Taiwanese passports have the words "Republic of China" a title that is used by the island's secessionist government itself but that can be supposedly confused with China's title written in large English font at the top and "Taiwan" printed at the bottom. "Since the beginning of the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak this year, our people have kept hoping that we can give more prominence to Taiwan's visibility, avoiding people mistakenly thinking they are from China," Wu said, also using a phrase to refer to the COVID-19 disease that is deemed disparaging to China. Taiwan's new passports, expected to come into circulation in January next year, enlarge the word "Taiwan" while eliminating the words "Republic of China" in English, though the name in Chinese characters will remain. Moreover, the government in Taipei is considering a name change or a full redesign for the island's largest carrier, China Airlines, again to avert identification with China. China considers the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland under the internationally-recognized "One China" policy. Nearly all countries of the world, including the United States, recognize that sovereignty. Under that policy, countries are not allowed to have formal relations with Taiwan. China also insists that it has the right to speak for the island internationally, a position Beijing has strongly invoked during the virus outbreak, especially at the World Health Organization (WHO). Taipei complains that this has confused countries and led them to impose the same restrictions on Taiwanese travelers as on the Chinese. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Warning: The images included in this article are graphic and disturbing. A Black man died in March after police in Rochester, New York, put a hood over his head and pressed his face into the ground for more than three minutes while he was naked and handcuffed, according to body camera footage and documents released by the victim's family on Wednesday. Daniel Prude, 41, died seven days after the incident, according to the medical examiner's report, which attributed his death in part to asphyxiation. Family members said Wednesday that they called police early in the morning on March 23 to help Prude, who was suffering what their attorney described as "an acute, manic, psychotic episode." At about 3:15 a.m., body camera footage shows officers approaching Prude, who was kneeling naked in the street. Prude complied when officers asked him to lay on his stomach, and police handcuffed him as he lay on the ground. Prude then repeatedly yelled at officers to give him their guns, and at one point rolled onto his back. One officer can be heard mocking Prude, asking, "You don't got AIDS, do you? You got HIV?" Prude is seen with his head covered by police. / Credit: Elliot Shields Minutes later, Prude sat up. The officers then can be seen putting a "spit sock" a barrier intended to protect officers from body fluids over his head. Some of the officers later told investigators that Prude had been spitting at them and they were concerned about the coronavirus, according to Rochester Police documents released by the family that were obtained through a Freedom of Information Request. Prude continued yelling at the officers, and about a minute later, three officers pulled him to the ground as one pushed his head into the road. "You're trying to kill me!" Prude yelled, before making a series of unintelligible sounds and appearing to cry as the officer continued to hold down his head for the next three minutes. Paramedics arrived soon after and began speaking with officers, as Prude, who had been speaking loudly throughout the incident, went silent. When an officer asked, "You good, man?" Prude didn't respond, and the officer stopped holding his head against the ground. Story continues Moments later, an officer said he was vomiting "just straight water," and another pointed out that his chest was no longer moving. The hood was eventually removed from his head, and Prude was given CPR and put on a gurney. An activist who appeared at the family's press conference said Prude was brain dead until his death, according to CBS affiliate WROC. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, attributing it to "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint," as well as "excited delirium" and PCP intoxication. Daniel Prude's brother, Joe, condemned the actions at a press conference Wednesday. "I placed the phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched," Joe said. Officers hold Prude's face against the ground. / Credit: Elliot Shields "When I say get lynched, that was full-fledged, murder, cold-blooded nothing other than cold-blooded murder. The man is defenseless, naked on the ground, cuffed up already. I mean come on, how many brothers got to die for society to understand that this needs to stop? You killed a defenseless Black man, a father's son, a brother's brother, a nephew's uncle," he added, according to WROC. Rochester Police documents said Joe had called police because his brother had run out of the house after returning from the hospital where he had been admitted for suicidal thoughts. The Rochester Police Department did not respond to CBS News' request for comment. The release of the footage sparked protests in Rochester on Wednesday. Outside of the city's public safety building, police deployed pepper spray against protesters who tried to knock down barricades, WROC reported. Daniel Prude / Credit: Courtesy Roth and Roth LLP via AP At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Lovely Warren said that under a 2015 executive order from Governor Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general's office has jurisdiction over cases in which an unarmed person is killed by police. Warren said her office is awaiting the results of the attorney general's investigation. "As soon as we are allowed to get involved, we move this forward. We will do our investigation. But the law at this point in time precludes us from doing so," she said. "So I want everyone to understand and be very, very clear about where we are right now. The Prude family I know that they're frustrated right now, but rest assured that we are going to do everything possible to make sure that the truth comes out and that justice is held here." Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary also spoke at the press conference, stating he ordered both an internal and a criminal investigation on March 23 and is awaiting the results of the attorney general's investigation. "I know that there is rhetoric that is out there that this is a cover-up," he said. "This is not a cover-up. Let me be clear when I say that there is no cover-up whatsoever." New York's attorney general confirmed Wednesday that her office is investigating the case. In a statement released Wednesday night, the Monroe County Legislature's Black and Asian Caucus said members were "overcome with sadness and disappointment" over Prude's death, and "in full support of a thorough investigation by the New York State Attorney General's office and ask for complete transparency with that investigation." "It is extremely sad and unfortunate that we have lost yet another life of a citizen who possibly needed mental health support in our County," the caucus said. Trump says Pence was never on standby, denies "mini-strokes amid speculation over his health Eye Opener: Black man dies after being restrained by Rochester police Newly-released body camera video shows naked man suffocating in police custody in Rochester, NY KALAMAZOO, MI A Kalamazoo pastor accused of sexually assaulting four male victims between the ages of 15 and 17 is now in custody. The Rev. Stricjavvar Strick Strickland, of Kalamazoos Second Baptist Church, according to court records, is being held at the Kalamazoo County Jail, awaiting arraignment on the charges. Strickland is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Kalamazoo County District Court, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Scott Brower confirmed with MLive Thursday, Sept. 3. Brower said, to his knowledge, Strickland turned himself in at the jail this morning. The pastor is being charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct on a student, one on a person age 13-15 and one by force or coercion. He also faces four counts of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity and three counts of child sexually abusive activity. The pastor is accused, among other things, of having paid teenage boys to have sex with his wife, according to his arrest affidavit. The dates of the alleged offenses, according to court records, span from Aug. 1, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2018. The pastor told MLive via text message on Aug. 25 that the charges were absolutely preposterous. State police labeled Strickland a fugitive on Wednesday, Sept. 2, stating that he failed to turn himself in as scheduled on three different occassions, dating back to last Friday. Both Strickland and his attorney Michael Hills told MLive Wednesday that the pastor had experienced transportation issues attempting to get from Mississippi to Michigan, and that the pastor had no intentions of running from the charges. We have been in touch the entire time, Strickland said via text, referencing communications with the courts and state police. We had a mechanical failure with our vehicle during the 16-hour trip, but plan to be there (Thursday) morning. I have never and will never run. In a bond recommendation, filed with the court along with the arrest affidavit, Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Christin J. Mehrtens-Carlin requested bond be set at $500,000. Among recommendations are that the court not allow the pastor to have any contact with the four alleged victims, his wife Jazmonique Strickland, or anyone under the age of 18. Strickland, told MLive Wednesday via text, that his wife is pregnant. In addition to the criminal sexual conduct charges, the pastor also faces an assault charge stemming from an alleged incident with a former church deacon that occurred at the Second Baptist Church in December 2019. That case is scheduled for trial Sept. 30 in Kalamazoo County District Court. Strickland has been pastor at Second Baptist Church in Kalamazoo since 2012. He also previously served as the NAACP Kalamazoo Chapter president from 2016-2018. There are no charges pending against Jazmonique Strickland at this time. Also on MLive: Kalamazoo pastor paid teenage boys to have sex with his wife, police say I have never and will never run, says Kalamazoo pastor sought by police Kalamazoo pastor charged with human trafficking, child sex abuse Kalamazoo pastor defends himself amid police investigation Kalamazoo pastor facing child sex charges now a fugitive, police say Laura Martinez, 8, of Santa Ana, plays in spray pool to cool off as hundreds of people spread out over Mile Square Park to celebrate Labor Day with their families and got relief from the heat wave Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 in Fountain Valley. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) California will again be in the crosshairs of a potentially historic heat wave over Labor Day weekend prompting officials to warn of heightened fire risk and urge residents to protect themselves from the dangerous temperatures. Forecasters say the weather system will bring higher temperatures than August's heat wave and potentially a slew of record-breaking highs. The National Weather Service warned that "this kind of heat can be life-threatening, and people are urged to use common sense, keep hydrated and stay out of the heat and in air-conditioned locations as much as possible." "Of all the meteorological events that we deal with hurricanes, tornadoes, floods the deadliest by far is heat," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist and local weather expert. DANGEROUSLY hot conditions this Labor Day weekend over southwest California. Temperatures may reach ALL TIME highs. Heat illness can KILL. PLAN NOW! Check in on loved ones who are especially vulnerable (the very young, very old, outdoor enthusiasts and workers). #CAwx #LAheat pic.twitter.com/cwgiN4d3FT NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 3, 2020 The bulk of the state will be in the heat wave's throes starting Friday. Temperatures are expected to climb 15 to 20 degrees above normal or even higher in some areas of Southern California over the weekend. "Im personally going to British Columbia," joked David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. With the rising mercury comes a heightened risk for heat-related illnesses, and experts say it's vital that all residents avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to the heat. Story continues "We recommend that people suspend any plans they have for extended exposure to the daytime heat, because heat illnesses can strike anyone, especially young children and the elderly," Sweet said. "So if you have any elderly neighbors, you want to check on them." Aside from some northeastern areas, virtually all of California will be under an excessive heat watch or warning beginning either Friday or Saturday and continuing through Sunday or Monday. The high temperatures will increase the threat of both power outages and large fires, unwelcome news after the one-two punch of rolling blackouts and a historic firestorm during another heat wave just weeks ago. The California Independent System Operator, which runs the power grid for most of the state, issued a statewide flex alert Thursday calling for voluntary electricity conservation from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday through Monday. If there is a silver lining, it's that this heat wave, while intense, won't be as long-lived as the one that broiled the state in mid-August. Temperatures will climb Friday and top out on Saturday and Sunday before beginning to tick down Monday. "Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest days, but Monday will still be pretty darn hot," said Samantha Connolly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. After that, temperatures will continue to trend downward, getting closer to normal by the end of next week, according to Sweet. "Its a shorter period of time, but its going to be hotter than the last one," he said. On Sunday, which is expected to be the height of the heat wave in many areas, the mercury will likely top 100 degrees in downtown Los Angeles. Some of Los Angeles County's inland valleys will surpass 110, with Woodland Hills forecast to reach 116. Coastal areas, though cooler, could still see temperatures above 90 degrees. "The entire region will be under an excessive heat warning at some point," Connolly said. Have we yelled about the heat enough yet? There is now an Excessive Heat Warning in place for Fri-Mon. Have you started drinking your water yet? Although it's a bummer, outdoor activities should be limited this holiday weekend, especially during the hottest part of the day. pic.twitter.com/dOZX3weXgw NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) September 2, 2020 Patzert said heat waves aren't uncommon for September, though climate change has made them all the more potent. "Looking back over the past century or so, heat waves in Southern California have gotten longer, theyve gotten more intense and theyre more frequent," he said. "And, of course, this is a global warming signal." The latest "rather extraordinary, record-strength, late-season ridge of high pressure" will likely bring "widespread record heat" to the West Coast, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "Some all-time September records may be threatened," he added. Both Connolly and Sweet said the heat wave may rewrite the record books for a wide swath of the state. Some of the cites that could see new daily highs over the weekend include Long Beach, Camarillo, Paso Robles, Riverside, Anaheim and Escondido. Connolly noted it is expected to be less humid than during the previous heat wave, meaning conditions, though warmer, might not feel as oppressive. "Its looking like most of the state is going to see this heat," she said. To reduce strain on the electrical grid, the California ISO recommends residents hold off on using major appliances, turn off unnecessary lights, close blinds and drapes and set thermostats to 78 degrees while the flex alert is in effect. "In some places theyre taking down statues ... but here in L.A. what we should do is build a statue for Mr. Carrier," Patzert said, referencing Willis Carrier, the inventor of modern air conditioning. Forecasters also said residents need to avoid the heat as much as possible. While outside, officials recommend wearing light-colored, lightweight clothing and using a hat or umbrella for shade. Children and pets also should never be left in cars, and residents should keep an eye out for symptoms of heat-related illnesses including vomiting, pale and clammy skin and high body temperature. Sweet also said it's important to drink plenty of liquids. Given the upcoming holiday weekend, he clarified, "we recommend water, not alcohol. Alcohol will dry you out." Aside from being a "silent killer," Patzert said heat is also a socioeconomic one, as it disproportionately affects those who don't have air conditioning or can't afford to run it. "Of course, all this is exacerbated here in the time of coronavirus because many of the poorer sections of the city have to resort to cooling centers but how do you do that in the middle of a coronavirus epidemic?" he said. A number of cooling centers will be available in Los Angeles County during the heat wave, and officials said Thursday that those locations "will operate in compliance with physical distancing and other COVID-19 safety criteria." Centers will be available at the following locations: Valleydale Park, 5525 North Lark Ellen Ave., noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday Buena Vista Library, 300 North Buena Vista St., noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday El Monte Community Center, 3130 Tyler Ave., noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Griffith Manor Park, 1551 Flower St., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Tuesday Pacific Community Center, 501 South Pacific Ave., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Monday Crowther Teen & Family Center, 241 West Dawson Ave., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday Museum of Art and History, 665 West Lancaster Blvd., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Sunshine Park, 515 Deepmead Ave., noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday Salazar Park, 3864 Whittier Blvd., noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway, noon to 6 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday Robinson Park, 1081 North Fair Oaks Ave., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday Quartz Hill Library, 5040 West Avenue M-2, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday Senior Center / Community Center, 201 East Bonita Ave., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sept. 10 Las Palmas Park, 505 South Huntington St., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Tuesday Stevenson Ranch Library, 25950 The Old Road, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday Ken Miller Recreational Center, 3341 Torrance Blvd., noon to 6 p.m. Saturday through Sunday This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A North Bergen man in a vehicle pulled over by Bayonne police was arrested when officers found he had a handgun and drugs, authorities said. Wilver Diaz-Garcia was arrested at 2:35 a.m. Wednesday in the area of 55th Street and Broadway after police detected the an odor of raw marijuana during a traffic stop, Bayonne Capt. Eric Amato said. Officers conducted a search for the marijuana and recovered a quantity of Xanax and MDMA pills from Diaz-Garcia and a .40 cal semi-automatic defaced firearm, Amato said. It was also found that Diaz-Garcia was wanted on two outstanding warrants out of the Newark Municipal Court. He was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, possession of a defaced firearm and possession of drugs. A lawyer has claimed Trump groped her breast in 2006 outside a Santa Monica hotel on her final day of law school. The woman did not want to be named but she made the claim in an interview with E Jean Caroll, another Trump accuser who has been embroiled in a legal back and forth with the president for months. The interview was published in The Atlantic on Thursday. The lawyer claims that she and two friends had just pulled up at the hotel - which she did not name - as Trump was emerging. 'He comes in from the side and he comes around and puts his meaty arm around me and his hand goes...and so I am immediately uncomfortable and he is like, "Hey, you want to get into the bar? I can get you in. Just you. Not your friends." 'And at this point, he is just rubbing my breast. The top of the breast, the nipple,' she said. Scroll down for video The lawyer is not identified but she claims Trump groped her in 2006- the year his wife Melania gave birth to their son Baron (The couple are pictured in March 2006) She was wearing a black sheath dress which she claims Trump groped her over after telling her he could get her into a private party being held in the hotel's bar. She claims that her two friends did not notice what had happened and that she immediately got the keys for her car back from the valet and left. 'I had this whole-body visceral reaction. I was like, I have to get out of here right now. I didnt say a word. I turned around. I still had my keys. I got in the car and I was like, Get in, everyone. Were going. The woman kept quiet about the incident for years. During Trump's 2016 campaign, when multiple women came forward to accuse him of harassment and assault in an effort to thwart his chances of winning, she said she contemplated speaking out but did not because she didn't want to ruin her career. 'I thought about it a bunch. But in the scheme of things, it wasnt a rape. It was a forcible touch. I wondered: Is it worth associating my name with? Forever. 'And as a woman, if you ever come forward with any allegation, its like youre tainted. They pick apart your work. They pick apart your appearance. I was worried about my career. Its already been hard enough to get where I am as a woman,' she said. Yogi Karena Virginia (seen at her 2016 press conference with Gloria Allred, claiming Trump groped her in 1998) says coming forward ruined her life Trump at the US Open in 1998 - the year Virginia claims he groped her there - with his then girlfriend, Celina Midelfar The woman then, in 2019, was in a room with New York Times journalist Megan Twohey - who helped break the Harvey Weinstein story - and women who had been sexual assault victims when she told the room: 'Trump grabbed my boob'. It was off-the-record then. Even now, the woman says she does not want her name associated with the allegation. 'Thats the thing. Im up for partner!' she told Carroll. The women made their claims to E. Jean Caroll, who claims Trump raped her in 1995 or 1996 Virginia said she does not regret speaking out, but that she did not anticipate how it would harm her career. 'The fallout from the press conference is a million timesa million timesworse than being groped by the president. People were me that they were going to kill me. I was getting death threats,' she said. She said lost jobs with people because she made the claim, and that she felt as though her 'skin was burning'. 'No way of explaining it, unless youre in it. It was as if there were millions of little needles in my skin. 'I got clippings cut out of the newspaper with daggers drawn through my eyes. They come in with, like, "Youre going to die. And swears and awful things. My husband and I took them to the police. Brutal,' she said. Despite the negative attention, she said she does not regret coming forward. 'My whole entire life, Ive been considered super sensitive. But the past three and a half years have been a time of real, true empowerment for me. When I die, Im going to know that I stood up for women. And you know what? 'Its been awful seeing how impulsive Trump has been as president. 'So in the end, my close friends have said to me, "Karena, can you imagine if you had never said anything and had to watch this?" The White House denied the allegation from the lawyer and called it 'an anonymously sourced smear'. Caroll has been suing the president since last year, when he called her a liar for claiming in her memoir that he raped her in a dressing room in Bergdorf Goodman in either 1995 or 1996. She sued him for defamation for labeling her as a liar. The lawsuit, after much back and forth in New York courts, is moving forward. The World Socialist Web Site is publishing statements of support from Australia and New Zealand for historian Joseph Scalice, who was slanderously attacked by the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Jose Maria Sison, over a lecture that he delivered on August 26 exposing the role of the CPP and of its Maoist ideology. On the day prior to the lecture, the CPP took the extraordinary step of publishing a special edition of its newspaper Ang Bayan devoted entirely to an interview with Sison denouncing Scalice as a paid CIA agent, for which he provided not a shred of evidence. Sison was reacting in particular to the parallel that Scalice demonstrated between the CPPs support for the fascistic Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and the support of an earlier Stalinist party for the Marcos dictatorship. In his lecture, Scalice comprehensively refuted Sisons blatant lie that the CPP had never supported Duterte and established that the partys repeated orientation to bourgeois politicians stemmed from the counter-revolutionary Stalinist perspective of the two-stage theory. We call on our readers to come to the defence of Scalice by sending statements of support to the WSWS. By establishing the historical truth about the treacherous record of the CPP in the Philippines and the underlying reasons for its betrayals, Scalice has done a service to the working class in that country and internationally. Neil Gurnett, an Australian school teacher, wrote: The recently published lecture by Joseph Scalice, an historian and academic, clearly outlines the Stalinist ideology that has hindered socialism in the Philippines and instead has assisted in bringing to power dictator after dictator, the most recent being Duterte. For a people that have struggled under imperialistic rule for so long, the lecture provides a well-deserved insight into the way in which the CPP, led by Sison, has subverted the political will of the people and betrayed the working class. The reaction of Sison himself in accusing Scalice of being a CIA operative is testament to the tactics of the CPP over the past several decades to maintain its position of power. Scalice is to be commended on the contents of the lecture. The objectivity and evidence provided (predominantly from CPP sources) provides a clear narrative of the historical support given to Duterte and his predecessors. The images and quotes used throughout the lecture are utilised as primary sources and given context by Scalice through his expert knowledge. The nuances of the relationships between different political entities are explained by Scalice in a way that assists even those not familiar with Philippine history. At a time in which global pressures are putting a significant strain on politics and capitalism, Scalice has done what others must continue to do; educate the working class as to the workings of the capitalist system; and have the courage to call out political parties and figures that continue to subvert the name of socialism for their own interests. A young worker Tom K, New Zealand: Scalices work is crucially important in shedding light on how the working class in the Philippines and all around the world has been betrayed time and time again. In his passionate lecture he shows, with voluminous evidence, that Jose Maria Sison has repeatedly supported authoritarian capitalist leaders who go on to brutally crush the poor. Workers must resist the lies of nationalists and unite across countries to defeat the capitalist system. Daniel, a worker in Wellington, New Zealand : I found Josephs talk very interesting. I know very little about the history of the Philippines and nothing about the CPP. Josephs talk clearly demonstrated the role the CPP has played in supporting Duterte coming to power. The CPP is a Stalinist party with a history of supporting bourgeois and violent reactionary politics. Joseph mentioned on several occasions the importance of the defence of historical truth. This is something that I think the WSWS does very well. A Chinese student in Australia : In order to establish an independent class consciousness of the proletariat, the working class must be organised through the understanding of its historical role and historical experiences. The Stalinist-Maoist attacks and slanders against historian Joseph Scalice precisely show that they cannot refute historical experience and can only suppress the voice of opposition by slandering the opponents personality. The Stalinists used their opportunism to alienate the masses of workers from socialism. At the same time, they have distorted the true history of the struggle of the working class by misinterpreting the basic concepts of Marxism and Leninism. The essence of Stalinism is opportunism based on nationalism. The Stalinists used their bloc of four classes theory to betray the Chinese working class during the Chinese Revolution from 1926 to 1927, causing the revolutionary forces of the working class to be brutally suppressed. The students of Stalinism, the Maoists not only did not learn any lessons from such a betrayal, but instead accepted the opportunist dogma in its entirety: the only criticism of Stalin by the Maoists was that Stalin ignored the special national conditions of China. Furthermore, Maoists continued to carry forward this opportunist view. Sisons analysis of the various classes in Philippine society is a complete copy of Mao Zedongs analysis of various classes in Chinese society. In the end, he also came to exactly the same conclusion: the country does not have the conditions to realise socialism, and it must support progress through a revolution of the national bourgeoisie. Through this conclusion, the Stalinists directed the working class away from the struggle for socialism. They have completely shifted the energy of the working class to the search for an alliance of classes. In other words, this is a betrayal of the independent consciousness and independent power of the working class. Stalins defense of nationalism was fully inherited by the Maoists. Mao Zedongs three worlds theory has completely become the basis for his defense of nationalism, and even portrayed the betrayal of internationalism as revolutionary nationalism. It not only completely copied Stalins betrayal of the international revolutionary forces, but also intensified its praise of nationalism. This also makes it easy for us to understand the CPPs enthusiasm for Philippine nationalism, so much so that the CPP regarded Duterte as a suitable nationalist leader to worship. Joseph Scalices lecture effectively exposed the betrayal of the Filipino Stalinists-Maoists to the Filipino working class, and it also more clearly revealed to us how the opportunists of our age are degenerating and collapsing step by step. Dane, from Auckland, New Zealand Thank you Joseph Scalice for your thorough and detailed lecture. It is a powerful statement in the defence of historical truth and an extremely valuable asset to the development of the consciousness of the international working class. Your explanation of the class origins of Jose Maria Sison and the CPP is fascinating and insightful. You have shown incredible bravery for delivering this lecture and your efforts will not go unnoticed. The anti-narcotics cell of Navi Mumbai Polices crime branch arrested two Mumbai-based drug peddlers and seized methaqualone crystal powder worth 87,500, on Wednesday night. The two accused had allegedly started peddling drugs in Navi Mumbai recently. Based on a tip-off about the presence of peddlers, ANC officers had laid a trap near a public lavatory in CBD Belapur where the accused Sarfaraz Shaikh, 36, a Bandra resident; and Khalid Khan, 47, a Santacruz resident were supposed to arrive and nabbed them. The duo travelled by a scooter and waited near the spot. After confirming their identity, we detained them and found 35 grams of drugs from their possession, said senior inspector Ravindra Budhwant. AC officers have also seized their vehicle, 1,200 cash and phones for further investigation. The accused confessed that they intended to sell drugs in the area and were subsequently booked under sections of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The duo has been remanded in police custody till September 6. Police are probing to ascertain where the accused procure the drugs from. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By PTI GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly on Thursday passed three bills to create separate autonomous councils for Moran, Matak and Koch-Rajbongshi communities in the state. The Moran Autonomous Council Bill, 2020, The Matak Autonomous Council Bill, 2020 and The Kamatapur Autonomous Council Bill, 2020 were tabled on March 24, the last day of the Budget Session this year. Though the bills related to Moran and Matak were passed without any objection, the opposition and one member of the BJP objected to the nomenclature of the third one and requested the government to change it to the Koch-Rajbongshi Autonomous Council Bill, 2020. "All the autonomous councils in Assam are named after the respective communities like Rabha-Hasong, Tiwa, Mising, Moran, Matak. But Kamatapur is a geographical area, which stretches up to Cooch Behar. There may not be any issue today, but 25 years later it may face legal hurdles," AIUDF MLA Mamun Imdadul Haque Chawdhury said. He also said that people may interpret it falsely that the Assam government is dividing the state in the name of regions. Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal said of 69 lakh Koch-Rajbongshi people living in Assam, only three lakh are in Kamatapur as defined in the bill. "So this bill should cover the entire Assam. I also request to increase the number of seats to 60 from the proposed 30," he added. The Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia proposed to create a satellite council for the development of the Koch-Rajbongshi population instead of fixed geography. BJP's Ashwini Ray Sarkar requested the government to change the name to "Kamatapur Koch-Rajbongshi Autonomous Council" and include all the people of the community across the state. Congress legislator Wazed Ali Choudhury said there was a big movement to create a separate state of Kamatapur. So, is the council a recognition of the Kamatapur state? If so, then we have strong objections. . . We don't have any problem in having a council for Koch-Rajbongshi people. " Putting forward the government's view, Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Minister Chandan Brahma said no community should feel threatened because of creation of the Kamatapur Autonomous Council. "There is a need to create a Kamatapur council for the welfare of Koch-Rajbongshi people. The basic principle is to develop the people living in the undivided Goalpara district, excluding the Bodoland Territorial Council and Rabha-Hasong council's areas," he added. With the government not accepting the opposition's demand to change the name of the bill, the Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami put the proposals for voting and subsequently it was defeated in numbers. Ethiopia invites private sector to address cement shortage ICR Newsroom By 03 September 2020 To end the chronic shortage of cement in the market, Ethiopias Ministry of Trade and Industry has prepared a new guideline to introduce the private sector to the supply chain. The measure went into effect from 31 August 2020. State Minister of Trade and Industry, Eshete Asfaw, said the guidelines are mainly prepared to sustain the supply chain and allow the private sector to take part in cement supply in the country. Previously the Ministry had decided that only governmental organisations would supply cement directly from the factories. Guna Trading House Plc, Ambasel Trading House Plc, Biftu Adugna Business SC, Ethiopian Industrial Input Development Enterprise and the Ethiopian Trade Works Corporation were authorised to exclusively wholesale but now this has been extended to include private sector enterprises. The shortage of cement has been attributed by Minister of Trade and Industry, Melaku Alebel, to a lack of spare parts, power outages, lack of inputs including raw materials, security issues and lack of leadership and professional skills. Mr Alebel said the ministry has prepared short-, medium- and long-term measures to address the shortage. In the short term around 3Mt of cement will be imported in the next three months and companies with foreign currency accounts will be able to import cement. As a long-term solution, the ministry is working to increase the production capacity of cement plants and has also allocated US$85m to alleviate the shortage of spare parts, according to Capital Ethiopia. Published under A construction worker was killed Thursday after falling into a 15-foot trench in Cypress, according to Capt. Daniel Arizpe with the Cy-Fair Fire Department. He said the victim was working near the trench around 2:15 p.m. in Cypress Bridgeland subdivision, which is currently under construction. According to preliminary reports, a piece of equipment fell on the worker, causing him to fall into the trench, Arizpe said. Software Company Spins-Off Services Team to Form New Entity with U.S. Partner HyperAspect, the visionary A.I. software company based in Sofia, Bulgaria, announced they are forming a new entity in Europe with a U.S.-based consulting firm partner, Concord. Through Concord's acquisition, HyperAspect's services team will spin off to form Concord Europe, leaving the core product business to continue operating under the HyperAspect name. "HyperAspect is thrilled to launch Concord Europe. We believe this expansion provides us with the best of both worlds the security of a U.S.-based enterprise with the freshness of a young company," shared Pavel Pavlov, HyperAspect's Chief Executive Officer. "We aim to provide our services customers the flexibility they expect from HyperAspect with the solid corporate experience of Concord. Concord Europe will help our clients modernize and meet their goals." Pavel Pavlov will take on a leadership role with Concord Europe. By forming Concord Europe, Concord and HyperAspect expand their technology capabilities and strengthen their focus on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to better serve their joint customer base worldwide. Florin Ibrani, Chief Executive Officer of Concord USA believes, "Joining forces provides a major growth opportunity for both of our businesses. Our extended service offering will greatly benefit our clients with European operations." Concord Europe will provide customers with the ability to: Take advantage of innovative offerings and capabilities Trust the security of a U.S.-based majority stakeholder with established operations Modernize applications in less time and with higher precision Automate processes to reduce cost and create greater operational efficiency Process and leverage vast amounts of data to produce actionable business insights Utilize top talent from onshore, near-shore, and off-shore locations About HyperAspect: HyperAspect is a software development company based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Founded in 2017, HyperAspect provides an array of software products and technology services in the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning space. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005776/en/ Contacts: Pavel Pavlov HyperAspect 202-791-4080 info@hyperaspect.com Our goal is to ensure that the medical malpractice system fulfills its promise with the help of artificial intelligence... Justpoint, a startup that uses artificial intelligence for faster analysis of individual medical malpractice claims, announced today $1 million in seed funding led by Vivek Garipalli, founder and CEO of Clover Health, with participation from Amino Capital, Whoa Ventures and Harry Langenberg of Optima Tax Relief. Medical errors are currently the third leading cause of death in the US and often lead to the financial ruin of those who survive. The medical malpractice system exists to ease the lives of those afflicted and provide actionable feedback to doctors and hospitalsbut this industry has one of the highest levels of dissatisfaction and distrust due to the perceived randomness of lawsuit payouts. Justpoint is redesigning the medical malpractice litigation process from both sides: by allowing plaintiffs that have legitimate claims to identify and retain the best attorney for their case, even if their claim would have been previously dismissed by attorneys who considered its value too low, and by quickly identifying claims that dont have legal merits to decrease frivolous lawsuits against healthcare providers and insurers. Justpoints artificial intelligence platform offers consumers a faster and better understanding of the legal merits of their claim as well as an instant understanding of its likely settlement amount. With this technology, plaintiffs will be able to understand how each law firm performs for their specific type of claim. Additionally, Justpoint connects the two partieshelping plaintiffs find the best lawyer for their case, and helping law firms quickly find cases with merit. The investment will be used for scaling the company, including the hiring of more engineers and designers, as well as expanding customer acquisition channels, customer support, and developing partnerships with medical malpractice insurance companies and self-insured hospitals. Justpoint has identified a big inefficient market in medical claims and malpractice that is ripe for disruption. Leveraging their deep experience in healthcare and technology, they have put together a brilliant team of engineers and scientists to turn their vision into reality. Their ability to leverage technologies such as AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics will add tremendous efficiencies and cut wasteful processes across the value chain, improving payouts and transparency for consumers and reducing search times and costs for law firms, said Harry Langenberg of Optima Tax Relief. To build these machine learning models, the company created a database of over 300,000 historic and active claims to quickly decipher the medical merits of a claim and improve the efficiency and transparency of the system. By introducing technology to this typically manual process, Justpoint is, for the first time, analyzing over 900 plaintiff law firms performance in a scalable manner and increasing attorneys efficiencies by helping them focus on cases with merit. Ultimately, this platforms goal is to fulfill the medical malpractice systems intended goal of incentivizing the whole healthcare industry to strive for higher quality providing a positive incentive for high-quality providers and negative incentives to providers who disproportionately harm patients. Our goal is to ensure that the medical malpractice system fulfills its promise with the help of artificial intelligence, said Victor Bornstein, CEO & Co-founder at Justpoint. We believe that better distinguishing lawsuits with merits and those without, as well as the future application of our technology in the clinical setting, will contribute to an improvement of health care provided to patients while providing a safety net for families that have suffered the consequences of medical mistakes. This additional capital will allow us to further impact the world of medical malpractice and meet the needs of our customers. About Justpoint Justpoint is an AI-first company redesigning the medical malpractice industry, offering consumers and law firms a faster and better way of understanding the legal merits of a claim as well as an instant prediction of the likely settlement amount. To advance the medical malpractice industry, Justpoint has put together a team with extensive achievements in healthcare technology, medical malpractice litigation, and artificial intelligence. For more information, visit Justpoint.com. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told public health officials around the United States to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as soon as late October. It also provided planning scenarios to help states prepare. The documents were posted by The New York Times and the CDC confirmed to CNN it has sent them to city and state public health officials. The scenarios offer details about distribution for two COVID-19 vaccines when supplies "may be constrained." The documents prioritize particular populations for the vaccines, including health care professionals, essential workers, long-term care facility residents and staff and national security populations. CNN reported last week that CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield asked states to speed through permits for medical and pharmaceutical supplies company McKesson to help distribute any eventual coronavirus vaccine. In a letter, Redfield asked them to waive any requirements that might get in the way of distributing vaccines by Nov. 1 before Election Day and weeks, if not months, before most experts expect any vaccine to be fully tested. The scenario documents do not necessarily mean a vaccine will be available by late October. Pandemic planning exercises have for years included recommendations that the federal government ready a distribution network while scientists work on a vaccine. The Trump administration has said it's doing this. Companies developing the vaccines are already ramping up manufacturing so that, in case one or more is found safe and effective in people, it could start going into arms immediately. "The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available," one of the scenario documents advises. Redfield said Wednesday that his agency is preparing for one or more coronavirus vaccines to be available before the end of the year. "Right now I will say we're preparing earnestly for what I anticipate will be reality ... that there'll be one or more vaccines available for us in November, December and we have to figure out how to make sure they're distributed in a fair and equitable way across the country," Redfield said during an interview with Yahoo Finance. Members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, including US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, have said recently it's possible the FDA could authorize an experimental Covid-19 vaccine before large Phase 3 trials are complete, if data shows a vaccine was safe and effective. Three vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials in the United States: those developed by Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Pfizer and BioNTech; and AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. CNN's Andrea Kane and Kristen Holmes contributed to this report. Hill County COVID-19 Update (August 31) This afternoon (Monday), the Texas Department of State Health Services Dashboard is showing 35 estimated active cases, and the DSHS line list that I receive shows 31 new cases reported in the last 14 days. This is the closest those two sources have been in some time. Hill County cases are still tracking back up, with most of the new cases coming out of Hillsboro. Please dont let down your guard at this point; we havent finished this fight yet. Keep wearing your masks and socially distancing yourself from others. I confirmed with the State of Texas today that Hill County will continue to host the coronavirus testing site through the end of September. We will attempt to keep it longer, but that will depend on the number of people utilizing the service. I was out at the fairgrounds observing the process again today when a group of healthcare workers showed up in a bus. Their employer, like some others, is requiring them to be tested twice a week in order to come to work. I can only imagine the burden that would be both financially and logistically if we didnt have the testing center here. So, please take advantage of this state operated testing center and let your friends and family know about it as well. The coronavirus testing center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The address of the site is 205 Stadium Dr., Hillsboro, Texas. Please do not eat or drink anything for 20 minutes prior to taking the test. Also, plan to allow for 72-96 hours to receive your results. If you have not received your results or you have questions, you can reach out to the test facilitators at 833-213-0643 or by email at And now the rest of the story, the numbers: Texas - Estimated Active: 92,934; Deaths: 12,536; Total: 612,969; Estimated Recoveries: 507,499. Hill County - Active Cases: DSHS Dashboard - *35; New Cases reported in Hill County in the Last 14 days: 31; Fatalities: 9; Total Confirmed Cases: 369; Estimated Recoveries: *326. * Please know that I provide these numbers for the readers information but I have very little confidence an any number that I have an asterisk beside. Reported by City in the Last 14 days: Aquilla - 4; Blum - 1; Hillsboro - 17; Hubbard - 1; Itasca - 2; Mount Calm - 1; Whitney - 5; Total - 31. Age Ranges: under 10 - 20; 10-19 - 47; 20-29 - 62; 30-39 - 56; 40-49 - 48; 50-59 - 55; 60-69 - 47; 70-79 - 28; 80+ - 17. The ladies account for 203 of the overall cases and the men for 169. We are having cases reported from our schools. We expected that to happen and have prepared for it. Of the 31 cases reported in the last 14 days, only six are of school aged individuals. We need to have these kids in school. I am in more regular contact with our schools and superintendents than any time I can remember in the past. The school districts are taking this seriously and following their published safety plans. Another reader question I have received recently was in regards to who to notify once you have recovered from the coronavirus. I have reached out to DSHS to inquire where one reports their recovery. Usually, your doctor would have the duty to inform the appropriate authority that you have recovered from COVID-19. However, with so many taking tests outside of a doctors office, it begs the question of who to notify? As soon as I have an answer from them, Ill let you know. Keep your chin up. We are in this together. by County Judge Justin Lewis(August 31) This afternoon (Monday), the Texas Department of State Health Services Dashboard is showing 35 estimated active cases, and the DSHS line list that I receive shows 31 new cases reported in the last 14 days. This is the closest those two sources have been in some time. Hill County cases are still tracking back up, with most of the new cases coming out of Hillsboro. Please dont let down your guard at this point; we havent finished this fight yet. Keep wearing your masks and socially distancing yourself from others.I confirmed with the State of Texas today that Hill County will continue to host the coronavirus testing site through the end of September. We will attempt to keep it longer, but that will depend on the number of people utilizing the service. I was out at the fairgrounds observing the process again today when a group of healthcare workers showed up in a bus. Their employer, like some others, is requiring them to be tested twice a week in order to come to work. I can only imagine the burden that would be both financially and logistically if we didnt have the testing center here. So, please take advantage of this state operated testing center and let your friends and family know about it as well.The coronavirus testing center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The address of the site is 205 Stadium Dr., Hillsboro, Texas. Please do not eat or drink anything for 20 minutes prior to taking the test. Also, plan to allow for 72-96 hours to receive your results. If you have not received your results or you have questions, you can reach out to the test facilitators at 833-213-0643 or by email at [email protected] And now the rest of the story, the numbers:Texas - Estimated Active: 92,934; Deaths: 12,536; Total: 612,969; Estimated Recoveries: 507,499.Hill County - Active Cases: DSHS Dashboard - *35; New Cases reported in Hill County in the Last 14 days: 31; Fatalities: 9; Total Confirmed Cases: 369; Estimated Recoveries: *326.* Please know that I provide these numbers for the readers information but I have very little confidence an any number that I have an asterisk beside.Reported by City in the Last 14 days: Aquilla - 4; Blum - 1; Hillsboro - 17; Hubbard - 1; Itasca - 2; Mount Calm - 1; Whitney - 5; Total - 31.Age Ranges: under 10 - 20; 10-19 - 47; 20-29 - 62; 30-39 - 56; 40-49 - 48; 50-59 - 55; 60-69 - 47; 70-79 - 28; 80+ - 17.The ladies account for 203 of the overall cases and the men for 169.We are having cases reported from our schools. We expected that to happen and have prepared for it. Of the 31 cases reported in the last 14 days, only six are of school aged individuals. We need to have these kids in school. I am in more regular contact with our schools and superintendents than any time I can remember in the past. The school districts are taking this seriously and following their published safety plans.Another reader question I have received recently was in regards to who to notify once you have recovered from the coronavirus. I have reached out to DSHS to inquire where one reports their recovery. Usually, your doctor would have the duty to inform the appropriate authority that you have recovered from COVID-19. However, with so many taking tests outside of a doctors office, it begs the question of who to notify? As soon as I have an answer from them, Ill let you know.Keep your chin up. We are in this together. LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Talisman Casualty Insurance Company, a protected cell captive insurance company in Las Vegas, Nevada, has revealed that they have a Talisman Casualty suit avoidance program where they can offer help to businesses on how to avoid claims involving lawsuits. This is because when businesses take part in the company's cell captive insurance business model, the efficient claims processing tends to prevent lawsuits arising from claims. A spokesperson for Talisman Casualty Insurance Company says, "The Talisman Casualty lawsuits avoidance strategies are to use claims technology that substantially boosts the efficiency of the claims process because it can be streamlined within the cell, providing participants a high level of service. Participants in the cell captive are owners, and the close relationship between the insured participant and claims professionals allows for quicker response and resolution to claims which could lead to litigation." Talisman Casualty Insurance Company is popular because of its ability to offer innovative solutions including access to global reinsurance markets. It is also one of the leading markets for the rising number of pet care professional business owners who are having difficulties in finding insurance coverage that is specifically tailor fitted to their requirements from standard insurance companies. The protected cell captive program can offer a peace of mind to dog walkers and pet sitters, who face a lot of difficulties earning the trust of customers, by being able to manage their business risks at a cost that still allows them to remain competitive. The coverage options of the cell captive program provides them with flexibility as their business changes. Meanwhile, dog trainers, who either train their own dogs who may then be used for detection or police work or offer their services to dog owners, may also benefit from the pet professional program of Talisman Casualty Insurance Company because of the availability of coverage options that are usually not available through standard business owner insurance policies. Story continues The pet professional program offered by Talisman Casualty Insurance Company offers coverage for a wide range of pet professionals, ranging from groomers to boarders, doggy daycares, agility clubs, hunting clubs, breeders, and pooper scoopers. Protected cell captive insurance offers the coverage flexibility that is required by a quickly growing industry sector. Talisman Casualty Insurance Company also offers a marine program which provides maritime employers liability, comprehensive general liability, hull coverage, and protection & indemnity with admission into the program cell. The basic philosophy of the marine program is to establish long term relationships with maritime clients and to develop a comprehensive understanding of their business, their risk management strategies, and the business projections to ensure that the insurance coverage provided will always match the business' exposure to risk. As such, choosing insureds is carefully done while the choice of claims adjusters and other service providers is focused on ensuring efficient and effective client service. Meanwhile, program risk selection begins with accounts that are familiar to the group and this will require the development of partnerships with the insureds who have shown effective management and safety practices. The spokesperson says, "The marine market continues to be under pressure to lower cost in order to stay competitive. Captive insurance will undoubtedly provide the flexibility that readjusting risk management methods and costs will require." The maritime employers liability insurance policy offers coverage for the insured's employees while they are working on non-owned or operated marine vessels. Hull insurance coverage offers protection against damage to the covered marine vessel. The protection and indemnity coverage is for all kinds of maritime liability risks related to the operation of a marine vessel, other than what is covered by a workers compensation policy and the collision clause under the hull coverage insurance policy. Commercial general liability insurance is for the protection of business owners against claims of liability due to property damage, bodily injury, and personal & advertising injury which is also known as slander and false advertising. Those who are interested in the Talisman Casualty lawsuit avoidance and other programs may want to check out the Talisman Casualty Insurance Company website, or contact them on the telephone or through email. ### For more information about Talisman Casualty Insurance Company, contact the company here: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 800-318-5317 info@talismancasualty.com Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 7881 W. Charleston Blvd, Suite 210 Las Vegas, NV 89117 SOURCE: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/604708/Talisman-Casualty-Insurance-Offers-Help-to-Businesses-on-How-to-Avoid-a-Claim-Involving-a-Lawsuit FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Futuris Company (OTC: FTRS) (OTC: MISMD) ("Futuris" or the "Company"), a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on the acquisition and operation of executive search, staffing and consulting companies, today announced the addition of Kalyan Pathuri and Larry Gaffey to its Board of Directors, joining Naveen Doki, MD. "I am thrilled to join Futuris' Board of Directors with Larry Gaffey and Dr. Naveen Doki. We're focused on assembling a team of experts in building companies and scaling their operations," stated Kalyan Pathuri, President of Futuris Company. "Mr. Gaffey brings a wealth of leadership and experience in finances, securities and audit across a broad range of industries. Dr. Doki's entrepreneurial achievements in the healthcare and information technology sectors are also a great asset to the board in identifying niche opportunities and further defining our corporate growth strategy." Kalyan Pathuri is President of Futuris Company. Mr. Pathuri served for 23 years as the CEO of GCP Inc., a Chantilly, VA-based custom software development and professional services firm specializing in client/server and internet technology. At Chantily, he was responsible for overall business planning and strategy and was instrumental in growing revenue, profits and business value of the company. He has also held senior leadership positions with information technology organizations like 3H Technology, LLC and Equant, Inc. In these roles, he demonstrated operational leadership skills and expertise in business management. Mr. Pathuri holds a BE in Electrical Engineering from S.V. University, India and MS in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech. Larry Gaffey is a managing member at CPA firm, Gaffey, Deane & Talley, LLC where he leads strategic planning and external development initiatives. Mr. Gaffey also serves as Chief Financial Officer at government consulting firms Old Dominion Strategies and Crisis as well as satellite delivery media company Wireless Ventures USA. Previously, Mr. Gaffey served on the board of Reliability Inc, a competitor and U.S.-based provider of Workforce Management Solutions that include Employer of Record (EOR), Staffing & Recruiting, Managed Services and Production Services that leverage tight integration with customer systems using secure, cloud-based technology. Mr. Gaffey has over 30 years' experience in financial leadership, planning and consulting. He holds a BA in Accounting from the Michigan State University. Naveen Doki, MD is clinically trained in Hematology and Oncology. He obtained his degree from the University of California at Irvine and his fellowship at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Mr. Doki is an entrepreneur with successful investments in real-estate, information technology (IT), infrastructure and above all urgent care practices. Mr. Doki also runs his own allergy clinic out of his office in Fairfax and currently has majority ownership in couple of IT firms. He has active medical licenses in Virginia, California and Maryland and is certified by ABIM in Medical Oncology. About Futuris Company Futuris is a Human Capital Management (HCM) company focused on the acquisition and operation of executive search, staffing and consulting companies that specialize in professional service verticals such as medical, accounting/finance, information technology, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), and human resources. The Company is committed to building a global staffing company through highly targeted and accretive acquisitions and operational efficiencies. For more information, please visit http://futuris.company/. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, anything relating or referring to future financial results and plans for future business development activities, and are thus prospective. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties some of which cannot be predicted or quantified based on current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in reports filed by Futuris Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business and although the company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Consequently, future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward the forward-looking statements contained herein. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly release statements made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Investor Contact KCSA Strategic Communications Valter Pinto / Allison Soss [email protected] PH: (212) 896-1254 SOURCE Futuris Company On September 2, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv satisfied the statement of the offshore companies of the Surkis brothers on the procedure for executing the court decision made in 2017 on the obligation of the state-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) to service their deposits, the debt for which the plaintiffs estimate at $350 million, Law Adviser to PrivatBank Andriy Pozhydayev told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday. At the same time, he said that the bank does not plan to pay $350 million in favor of offshore companies, but the latter can apply to the State criminal-Executive Service for the forced write-off of funds from the bank's correspondent accounts. "The statement of six companies was satisfied in full. We have moved from the non-property nature of the dispute... to the property. The bodies of the State criminal-Executive Service at the moment must collect funds from the bank," Pozhydayev told reporters, specifying that the parties will receive the full text of the court decision in the morning on September 3. As reported, in a corresponding statement, the Surkis companies asked the court to precisely determine the amount that PrivatBank must pay them as part of the fulfillment of obligations to service deposits placed by offshore companies in 2012-2014 (before the bank's nationalization) on the accounts of the Cyprus branch of the financial institution. In addition, the companies asked the court to provide the State criminal-Executive Service with the power to forcibly collect the corresponding funds from the accounts of PrivatBank in case the bank refuses to voluntarily repay them. According to the position of PrivatBank, which was previously reported by Pozhydayev, the relevant agreements of the Surkis offshore companies are considered fulfilled for today, since in 2016, during the nationalization, they were exchanged for shares of an additional issue as deposits of persons affiliated with the bank. Pemberton met Laude at an Olongapo bar in October 2014 after the Marines arrived for joint military exercises. She was later found dead in a motel room, her head over the toilet. Local media reported that Pemberton, then 19, admitted choking the 26-year-old Laude after discovering she was transgender. He claimed he acted in self-defense, but Laudes supporters and a police investigation identified his actions as a hate crime. (Reuters) - Gareth Bale will consider a return to the Premier League if his current club Real Madrid allow him to end his stint in Spain, the Wales international has said. The 31-year-old was on the verge of leaving for Chinese club Jiangsu Suning last year before the deal fell through and he barely featured for Real in their run to the La Liga title when the campaign resumed after the COVID-19 stoppage. Despite winning four Champions League titles with Real, Bale has divided opinion in Spain because of a perceived lack of commitment and poor injury record. "If those options (interest from Premier League clubs) arise it's something I'd look at for sure," Bale, who made 146 Premier League appearances for Tottenham Hotspur between 2007 and 2014 before moving to Madrid, told Sky Sports. "We'll see what happens, we have plenty of time in this transfer window and a couple of others as well. Time will tell but mainly I think the reason is that the decision is in Real Madrid's hands." Bale, who has joined up with the Wales squad ahead of their upcoming Nations League games against Finland and Bulgaria, said he was happy to be back in an environment where he felt "a little bit more appreciated". "I tried to leave last year but (Real) blocked everything at the last second," he added. "There have been other instances where we have tried to go but the club won't allow it or they've done something. It's down to the club. "I am only 31 still but I feel I am in great shape still and feel like I have a lot to give. We will see what happens. It's in the club's hands but they make things very difficult to be honest." Wales visit Finland on Thursday before returning to Cardiff to play Bulgaria three days later. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis) Chinese Embassy in the US has criticised the State Departments decision to impose further restrictions on the Chinese diplomats in the country saying this has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. With the excuse of reciprocity, the US imposed yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel on September 2. This has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and China is firmly opposed to it, the Chinese Embassy said in a statement. The Embassy said it also runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the US side. China has always supported and provided necessary facilitation for foreign diplomatic and consular personnel, including those from the US, to perform their official duties in China, the Chinese Embassy said while adding that we urge the US side to correct its mistake, revoke this decision and provide support and facilitation for Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel in the US to perform their duties as well. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo on Wednesday announced that the Department of State will now require senior Peoples Republic of China (PRC) diplomats in the United States to receive approval to visit US university campuses and to meet with local government officials. The Department of State will now require senior PRC diplomats in the United States to receive approval to visit US university campuses and to meet with local government officials. Cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people hosted by the PRC embassy and consular posts outside of mission properties will also require Department of State approval, Pompeo said. The Department of State will also take action to help ensure that all official PRC embassy and consular social media accounts are properly identified as PRC government accounts, since the US Embassy is denied unfettered access to PRC social media and PRC citizens are blocked from using Twitter and Facebook, amongst other social media platforms, he said. Relations between the US and China have worsened in recent times with the two countries sparring over a range of issues including Chinas territorial aggression in the South China Sea. Pompeo said the US insists on reciprocal access to educational and cultural institutions for the United States diplomats around the world. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Permanent Under Secretary Philip Barton arrive at the newly named Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in King Charles Street, Westminster (Alastair Grant/PA) Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has insisted the overseas aid budget is safe as he launched his new department with a pledge to tackle famine and the coronavirus pandemic. He was speaking as he took the helm of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Wednesday after the axing of the Department for International Development. The merger provoked widespread criticism, including from charities and three former prime ministers, that it would harm the worlds poorest people. Expand Close Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Permanent Under Secretary Philip Barton arrive at the newly named Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in King Charles Street, Westminster (Alastair Grant/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Permanent Under Secretary Philip Barton arrive at the newly named Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in King Charles Street, Westminster (Alastair Grant/PA) Wednesdays launch of the new department also coincided with renewed speculation that the Government could ditch it commitment to spending 0.7% of national income on foreign aid as it seeks to balance the books in the wake of the economic hit from the pandemic, But asked if the 0.7% target would survive the merger, Mr Raab told reporters in London: Oh, absolutely. And asked about a Times report that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is seeking to divert billions of pounds from foreign aid to pay for upgrades to the UKs intelligence and defence capabilities, Mr Raab said: Well, there is loads of tittle tattle, rather colourful, in the media and I am not going to prejudice the comprehensive spending review. There is loads of tittle tattle, rather colourful, in the media Dominic Raab Earlier, Mr Raab said in a statement that the UK would use diplomacy and the aid budget to alleviate the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, conflict and climate change. He said: Global Britain, as a force for good in the world, is leading by example and bringing the international community together to tackle these deadly threats, because its the right thing to do and it protects British interests. We can only tackle these global challenges by combining our diplomatic strength with our world-leading aid expertise. He pledged that a 119 million package, to come from the existing aid budget, would help alleviate extreme hunger for over six million people in Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Central African Republic, the Sahel, South Sudan and Sudan. Although the aid budget is not popular with some Tory MPs, others on the Government benches have reacted angrily to suggestions that ministers could axe the 0.7% commitment. Downing Street has dismissed the reports as speculation but there have been concerns among Conservatives nonetheless. Former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell said: With the ink hardly dry on our manifesto, I dont think the House of Commons would easily agree to balance the books on the backs of the poorest women and children in the world. Tory chairman of the Commons defence committee Tobias Ellwood said the cut would be shortsighted in failing to appreciate how well-targeted aid can strengthen relationships and open up new markets thus helping the Treasury. The merger means the former international development secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has returned to the backbenches. No 10 confirmed she would be entitled to a pay-off because of the closure of her department. Conservative former prime minister David Cameron previously warned the merger was a mistake and that it would result in the UK commanding less respect on the global stage. Tony Blair, the Labour former prime minister whose administration created the department in 1997, said he was utterly dismayed by Boris Johnsons decision. GREENWICH A Bronx, N.Y., man has been arrested and charged with breaking into a Greenwich home in May 2019 and assaulting two local residents twice on the same day, police said Thursday. A hatchet and a knife were used in the home invasions, and resulted in injuries, according to court records on file at state Superior Court in Stamford. Charles Figueroa, 48, of Hollers Avenue, was charged with two counts of assault and home invasion, Greenwich police said. He was extradited from the Manhattan Detention Complex, where he was in custody, to be booked on the felony charges in Greenwich on Tuesday, police said. On the Greenwich charges, bail was set at $2 million. Unable to post it, Figueroa was held in custody in Connecticut. Figueroa broke into a home twice, police said. The alleged break-ins took place on Stonehedge Drive, in the northwest corner of town, on the morning and afternoon of May 11, 2019, police said. According to the court affidavit, Figueroa went to the Greenwich residence dressed all in black, wearing body armor. The court documents do not state a motive but said he was known to the occupants of the home, the vehicle he was driving was recognized and the alleged intrusion was not random. Figueroa struck another mans face repeatedly on the same morning, and he pulled out a hatchet, the court filing stated, and injuries resulted from the fracas. He was driven from the home and left, the affidavit stated, but came back at 5 p.m. that same day, dressed all in black again and now wearing a helmet. Another physical fight resulted in which he allegedly pulled a knife and more injuries followed, the court documents stated, before Figueroa left the scene. The residents of Stonehedge Drive later reported the alleged break-ins and assaults to police, their injuries visible to police investigators, and an arrest warrant was issued, according to the court filing. He was arrested by the federal authorities not long afterward on a charge involving illegal possession of ammunition, according to federal court documents. He was picked up in a parking lot outside a Wendys fast-food restaurant in the Bronx on May 15, 2019, the documents said. Figueroa has been in custody ever since, police said this week. A New York City Police warrant had been issued for Figueroa on a domestic-violence incident including a felony count for strangulation according to the federal court filings, and he was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun when officers confronted him. Figueroa was convicted in 1992 on a state weapons charge for possession of a firearm. When he was arrested in May 2019 with the loaded handgun, described as a Glock-style pistol in federal court papers, he was charged again with violating a federal statute. For legal reasons regarding firearms, and the customized weapon he was accused of possessing, he was cited on a charge of illegal possession of bullets a felon in possession of ammunition, according to authorities. After pleading guilty in February 2020, Figueroa was sentenced to about a year in prison and was released on Aug. 27. According to federal court papers, authorities searched Figueroas residence in the Bronx, as well as a relatives residence in New Jersey, on a voluntary basis. In New Jersey, according to court records, law enforcement officers found, among other things, 25 firearms, including assault rifles, large magazines for ammunition and a number of daggers and knives. Authorities said the weapons belonged to Figueroa. Ammunition was also found at Figueroas Bronx residence, federal prosecutors said. Fake police badges were also discovered, according to authorities. Court papers said Figueroa had been working as a security guard, and most recently as a sanitation worker in Westchester County, N.Y. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com A Pakistan court on Thursday directed the government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former naval officer sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, and adjourned the case for a month. The Islamabad high court, after hearing arguments in the matter, asked attorney general Khalid Javed Khan to inform the government to send the courts order to India and put off further hearings till October 3. The direction came after the attorney general informed the larger bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justices Aamer Farooq and Miangul Hassan Aurangzaib, that the Pakistan government hadnt received a reply from New Delhi on the matter till date. Khan said it appeared the Indian government was not interested in availing the opportunity of legal representation and its focus is on embarrassing Pakistan. He said that despite the passage of a month from the time that the Islamabad high court directed the government to offer a chance of legal representation to New Delhi, no reply had been received from the Indian side. Khan also said Pakistan is continuing the process of implementing the Internation Court of Justices (ICJ) judgment but India is busy obstructing the right to review. The ICJ had asked Pakistan to stay Jadhavs death sentence and carry out a comprehensive review of his conviction and sentencing by a military court. On August 6, the Islamabad high court had formed a three-judge bench at the governments request to hear the matter of allowing Jadhav to appeal against the death sentence. On August 3, a special bench headed by Chief Justice Minallah had directed the registrars office to form the larger bench. The court had also directed the government to make another offer to India and Jadhav through the Foreign Office to hire a lawyer. In its order, the court said that it was refraining from appointing a lawyer for Jadhav. It added the government of Pakistan should inform Jadhav about his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The court further observed Jadhav should be informed of the ICJs decision, adding he should also be made aware of his rights under an ordinance issued by the Pakistan government to the ICJs verdict. Pakistan has alleged Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016, in Balochistan on charges of espionage. He was subsequently sentenced to death following a secret trial by a military court the following year. India has rubbished these charges and said Jadhav was kidnapped by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business. During the African American Credit Union Coalitions recent virtual event, a panelist in the session, Leadership in Times of Crisis, aptly said: If I didnt understand the power of a network before this crisis, I understand it now. That panelist is a CUES member who became a brand-new CEO at the time of the pandemic closures. In the session, she described how picking up the phone to talk with trusted peers was essential backup during the early part of this crisis and great support for her in her new leadership role. I think many of us can relate to the idea that having a network to call on during times of ordinary operations is an outstanding resourceand that having a network to call on during times of crisis can be even more important. Many times, credit union leaders initially form and later add to their networks at in-person industry events. Some of the deepest relationships Ive heard about come about when executives attend weeklong leadership development programs together. Of course these days, in-person training isnt feasible. Fortunately, many online learning events include structured opportunities to interact with your colleagues. Here are some additional ideas for successful digital networking during online events: Start with an open mind. Digital networking is certainly different. Look for the good. Look for what the new format offers that you dont at first expect. Digital networking is certainly different. Look for the good. Look for what the new format offers that you dont at first expect. Clarify your goal for your networking. Is there a special task or effort youd like to get perspective on? Is there a special task or effort youd like to get perspective on? Before the event starts, create a preliminary plan for how youll network. Will you participate in the chats alongside the screen delivering what the speaker is saying? Can you get a list of participants with their contact information before the event starts? Is there someone in your existing network with whom you could call afterwards to talk over and reinforce your learning? Will you participate in the chats alongside the screen delivering what the speaker is saying? Can you get a list of participants with their contact information before the event starts? Is there someone in your existing network with whom you could call afterwards to talk over and reinforce your learning? Be flexible. As the digital learning event progresses, what additional opportunities do you see to learn from attendees as well as speakers? Of course, a formal digital learning event isnt the only place you can network these days. You can also connect with your peers by participating in the dialog in an online community. I know it may seem old-fashioned, but you can alsolike the panelist in the introductionpick up the phone. Its important to reach out not only when you have a question, but also periodically to see if you can be of assistance to another leader. If you want to do this 2020 style, set a time to Zoom with them. (Here are tips on how to set up your camera well for that.) Right now, credit union executives must lead through a triple crisis: a pandemic, an economic downturn related to COVID-19 and social unrest in response to long unaddressed racial injustice. Its certainly no time to go it alone. You need new ideas and trusted advice more than ever. You can get all this by attending our virtual event, Knowledge and Networking November. Over the course of three afternoons during the month, well bring you three highly rated speakers, including CUES highest-ever rated speaker, Harry Kraemer of Northwestern University and former chairman and CEO of Baxter International. Theyll present on such timely topics as leading during a crisis, strategic agility and the role of organizational values in setting direction during times of uncertainty. In addition to participating in the networking sessions that are part of the formal agenda, you can also use the tips above to customize your digital networking. Importantly, you can also boost your overall organizational knowledge and build your team by having a group of people from your credit union attend this eventall for one low price. During the event, Id like to hear about your best tips for networking in this digital era. See you there. South Korea's main opposition party changed its name to appeal to moderate voters, seeking to build on the momentum it's picked up as President Moon Jae-in's progressives face public anger over high housing prices. The United Future Party on Thursday rebranded itself as the People Power Party, carrying on a local political tradition of trying to show a new focus by running under a new name. The conservatives are attempting to appeal to younger voters who may still be wary about the right's historical ties to big business and the military-backed government that suppressed civil rights until the late 1980s. "We need to change if we want to survive," interim party leader Kim Chong-in told a news conference in parliament. The change comes just days after Moon's ruling Democratic Party picked Lee Nak-yon as its new leader, paving the way for a possible bid by the former prime minister in the 2022 presidential election. The gap between the parties in public support has all-but vanished, and both groups are staking out new positions ahead of the race to replace Moon, when his single, five-year term ends. A poll earlier last month showed conservatives exceeding the ruling party's approval rating for the first time since 2017. That's when the last conservative president, Park Geun-hye, was removed from office amid a corruption scandal that later landed her in prison. The group has fought for years to rebuild, including two prior name changes. The latest moniker reflects a departure from previous names that emphasized "freedom" and "Korea." "Gone are the days when the names of political parties need to state word for word what our ideological beliefs are," Kim said earlier this week. Kim also made a surprise move when he visited a cemetery in Gwangju last month that honors those killed in South Korea's democracy movement in the 1980s, becoming the first major conservative party leader to offer contrition at a site that is at the heart of the progressive movement. In a signal of a new direction, the opposition party amended its policy platform and introduced a pledge to seek a basic income for all of citizens, backing an agenda usually reserved for liberals. Lee Nak-yon said when he won the leadership race among progressives that he would "succeed and develop" the policies of Moon, whose administration has announced more than 20 measures to curb home prices and has pledged to reduce income inequality. Even before she utters a word, her smile says it all. Ruth Frye has one of those smiles that tell you she is glad youre there, that you are among friends. It embraces you like a warm hug, no matter who you are. Her smile has always been her trademark, daughter Nancy Frye Weaver said. It is what keeps her in touch with the world, what connects her to people. It tells people she understands and loves them. Those who love Frye have much to smile about, too. On Wednesday, she turned 100. It has been, so far, a life of extraordinary dedication, grace and intention, her family said. A life not of high acclaim, but of always striving to take the high road. She always told her kids and grandkids every time they left the house, Be always kind and good,' Weaver said. She would also say, Its whats on the inside that counts.' That Frye has lived so long and so well is something worth celebrating and someone worth learning from. When the book of Ruth is written, it will begin on that sunny Sept. 2, 1920, when Grace and Herbert Heimann welcomed their smiling baby girl into the world by way of Akron, Ohio the same year a candy bar named Baby Ruth, no relation, hit the markets. From the beginning, she was a happy child raised in a home filled with music and books and the often-repeated lesson of seeking silver linings no matter how dark the horizon. As a child, she was an accomplished gymnast, acrobat and dancer. She played piano. She read voraciously, kept a journal, dabbled in poetry. In college, she studied business. She married fellow University of Akron student Gene Frye in 1942, and in their 73 years of marriage they created a life built on staying active, interested, humble, happy and in love. They raised three daughters and a son, moving their brood to Albuquerque in 1954 for Genes work at Sandia National Laboratories. Her children shared memories of a mother who began each day with a smile, a regimen of exercise, a healthy family breakfast and the panache to dress impeccably even when she had nothing planned which was rare. The family learned by example to get up, get dressed, get ready and go pursue dreams, Weaver said. She gave us a sense of confidence to try for the next thing, taught us not to fear failure, because success isnt being best, its being real and continuing to learn. She helped others pursue their dreams, too, no matter how beyond reach they seemed. She encouraged her husbands love of sailing in landlocked New Mexico, for example, never questioning the logic of his building two 20-foot sailboats in the garage, always arranging regular outings to Elephant Butte, leading the family in song along the way. She is a woman of action and few words, and those words are kind, Weaver said. She is always ready for the next adventure, and by ready that means having herself and things ready to go. She also wanted other children to be ready education-wise, helping to start the first kindergarten in Talmadge, Ohio, and the first library at Mark Twain Elementary School in Albuquerque. For years, she also served as board member and investment manager for New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranch. Family members say she also cooked for those in need, joined many charitable causes, went to church, participated in a weekly quilting circle for years until arthritis in her hands wouldnt let her continue. In journals, family members say she wrote about her desire to be good and to inhabit her space well. Five years ago when she was asked what the secret to a long and happy life is, she said it was simply love of her God, her friends and family and what comes next. She sees how to live life in the most ethical and loving way and she does that, doesnt talk about it, just does it, Weaver said. By observation, it appears she has had a lifelong strong faith in God that leads her to put others first, without a thought of being noticed or getting credit. All her thought is to those she loves. The years have passed, and these days the words dont come as easily to Frye anymore. She lives now in a small assisted living home in the Northeast Heights, where last year she regaled friends and family with her piano playing. This year, because of COVID-19, there was no piano. Visits with family members remain restricted. Her birthday party was not an elaborate event like all the fanciful parties she threw in years gone by. Instead, some of the local family members which these days include 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, all across the country gathered outside her window, waved and spoke to her by cellphone. Her special silver lining was seeing the joy in the faces of great-grandsons Nathan, 4, and Patrick, nearly 2. They are the next generation who are learning, just as her mother taught her, just as she taught her children, just as they taught their children, to be always kind and good. For her, there was no need for many words. Just her smile. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter. First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar informed Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Ukraine Mohammed bin Sulaiman Al-Mashar about Russia's persecution of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Crimea and discussed Ukraine's initiative to obtain observer status in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). According to the Foreign Ministrys press service, the diplomats discussed these issues during a meeting on September 2. The parties expressed mutual interest in the successful implementation of the significant trade, economic and investment potential of the Ukrainian-Saudi Arabian cooperation. Dzheppar informed her Saudi colleague in detail about the systemic violations of human rights in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. She noted the continuing repression by the Russian occupation authorities against the residents of the peninsula who disagree with the occupation, among whom the Crimean Tatars are the most persecuted, in particular, for religious reasons, the report reads. During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed cooperation and support for the initiatives of both countries within the framework of international organizations. "Emine Dzheppar paid special attention to Ukraine's initiative to obtain an observer status in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will give additional advantages and open up new opportunities for interaction with the states of the Islamic world, as well as contribute to the further harmonious development of the Muslim community of Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry noted The parties exchanged views on interaction within the UN and other international organizations and agreed to act in a spirit of constructive cooperation on issues of mutual interest. ish Bhubaneswar, Sep 3 : The Odisha government is planning to start river cruises on select water bodies under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode to give a boost to the tourism sector, said an official on Thursday. Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy on Thursday directed the tourism department to start river cruises in the state. He gave this direction while exploring the possibilities of innovative tourism activities at a high-level virtual meeting with experts and stakeholders on digital mode. "River cruising itself is compatible with Covid-19 restrictions. There is a huge scope and latent market for world class river cruising in Odisha. It can also be connected with many eco-spots and refill the economic activities in the sector," said the chief secretary. Tourism secretary Vishal Kumar Dev said that three principal river cruise circuits can be developed on the Mahanadi river, Chilika Lake and Dangmala reserve forest including the national waterway-5 from Dhamara to Paradeep. Bhitarkanika circuit can connect the spots like Chandbali-Aradi-Dhamara-Khola and other spots in Bhitarkanika. Chilika circuit can connect Chilika, Kalijai-Nalabana-Honeymoon island-Mangalajodi-Satapada-Rajhans island-Satapada and Puri. The meeting deliberated on organising this activity through PPP mode. The issues relating to various regulatory permissions, compliance with pollution norms, river jetties, and bar licences, among others, were discussed in the meeting. The state PPP cell was advised to work out the details in consultation with department of tourism and Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC). The chief secretary also asked tourism department to coordinate with Inland Waterways Authority regarding statutory requirements. When Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Japan in September 2015, the Japanese Government and PM Abe personally gave a very respectful and cordial welcome, considering Mr. Trong as a "national guest". VietNamNet talks with Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Former Ambassador of Vietnam to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong about Vietnam-Japan relations and Japanese PM Abe Shinzos affection for Vietnam. Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Former Ambassador of Vietnam to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong. Photo: Pham Hai Special affection for Vietnam Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said that he personally attached great importance to Vietnam and had a special affection for Vietnamese leaders. How has Mr. Abe shown this? The leaders of the two countries have affirmed that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is now at the best stage of development. Prime Minister Abes important contribution to this must be recognized personally. Mr. Abe repeatedly told our leaders that he personally valued and had a special affection for Vietnam. I remember that in the first meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Mr. Abe told our PM that during his first term as Prime Minister (2006), he visited Vietnam and in 2007, when he was no longer the Prime Minister, he visited Vietnam again and was warmly welcomed by Vietnamese leaders. Every time Vietnamese leaders visited Japan, although they were very busy, they always met him. That was the reason why he chose Vietnam as the first country to visit (January 2013) after being re-elected as Prime Minister for the second time (December 2012). I still remember that when the Communisty Party of Vietnam's General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Japan, the Japanese Government and Mr. Abe personally gave a very respectful and cordial welcome, considering the Vietnamese Party Chief as a "national guest" even though the two countries have different political regimes. Determination for cooperation When PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid an official visit to Japan in 2017, Mr. Abe broke the precedent when joining his Vietnamese counterpart to attend and speak at the largest ever Vietnams investment promotion forum in Japan, which attracted more than 1,600 enterprises of the two countries. At that time, he affirmed to be hand in hand with his Vietnamese counterpart to promote relations and cooperation between the two countries and to support Japanese enterprises to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which has also raised many difficulties for Japan, this country still granted Vietnam tens of millions of USD through bilateral programs and international organizations. The Japanese government also decided to give aid worth nearly $1,000/person to over 400,000 Vietnamese people who are living, studying and working in this country, equal to the support level for Japanese citizens. The Japanese Government also affirmed its willingness to continue providing assistance if Vietnam needs it. It is a very precious affection from the Government and people of Japan as well as Mr. Abe personally for Vietnam. In response, the Vietnamese Prime Minister sent letters and inquiries to his Japanese counterpart three times. The Vietnamese Government, National Assembly, many ministries and localities, social organizations, businesses and Vietnamese people also supported Japan to cope with the epidemic by presenting millions of masks and medical protective clothes. The letter from Prime Minister Abe to Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong Letter to the Vietnamese Ambassador During your term as Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan (2015-2018), what unforgettable memories do you have about Mr. Abe's special affection for Vietnam? When the murder of Nhat Linh (a young Vietnamese girl in Japan) occurred, Mr. Abe directly met me and said that the Japanese Government apologized to the people of Vietnam. He assigned the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam at that time to go to Nhat Linh's hometown to burn incense and bow to her family. I also remember at a reception of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Mr. Abe toasted each guest, and he put his arm on my shoulder and toasted me very cordially like a friend. When I was about to end my ambassadorial term, the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Parliamentary Union, with its leaders who were also key people in the governing coalition, organized a reception. Surprisingly, Mr. Nikai the unions president - brought a letter from Prime Minister Abe to me. The letter praised my contributions to the Vietnam-Japan relations during my term. To me, this is the most precious gift I brought back from Japan. Three successes for Japan In your opinion, during his record long term (2012-2020), what success did Prime Minister Abe bring to his country? It is difficult to fully evaluate the success PM Abe has brought to Japan. Personally, I would like to note the three following main successes: Firstly, in terms of internal politics, Prime Minister Abe has maintained political stability, ensured a solid government foundation. Before his term, there was a period of prolonged instability in Japan's internal politics, making it difficult to make and execute big decisions. Mr. Abe has been in office since December 2012, or nearly eight years. He holds the record as the longest holding Prime Minister in Japanese history, which shows his very strong political bravery, which has created a certain stability in Japanese politics. Prime Minister Abe with Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong Secondly, the introduction and implementation of the Abenomics policy has had a positive impact on the economy. Since Mr. Abe became Prime Minister for the second time, the Japanese economy has experienced one of the longest periods of positive growth (GDP increased for 7 consecutive years from 2013 to 2019), although the growth rate was still low. Personal income, corporate revenue increased, consumption recovered, unemployment decreased, the economy initially got rid of decades of deflation, the stock market also recovered ... Mr. Abe is also very attentive to enhancing the role of women in Japanese society through various programs. Thirdly, regarding foreign affairs, Mr. Abe actively promoted active pacifism and global vision diplomacy, the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" Strategy, economic linkage frameworks and international free trade, including the CPTPP; and strengthening Japanese-US alliance relations, improving relations with neighboring countries such as China, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, contributing to enhancing Japan's position and influence in the international arena. Japanese PM who visits Vietnam the most During Mr. Abes term, Vietnam - Japan relations developed brilliantly in all aspects. What is the highlight, in your opinion? In both times as the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Abe made great contributions, leaving many important marks in bringing the bilateral relationship to a strong, substantive and effective development in all fields. In my opinion, there are at least 7 important markers: Firstly, he is the Japanese Prime Minister who visited Vietnam the most (4 times). The first time was in November 2006, just 2 months after he took office and the second was in January 2013 - just a month after he returned to power and Vietnam was the first country he visited. Perhaps, excluding the US, Vietnam is one of the countries Mr. Abe visited the most. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Japanese counterpart in Hoi An ancient town in November 2017. Photo: VGP Secondly, Mr. Abe attached great importance to upgrading the bilateral relations framework between the two countries. In November 2006, during his visit to Vietnam, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded to the relations "towards a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia". During his second term, the relationship between the two countries was upgraded to the " profound strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia" during the state visit by President Truong Tan Sang (March 2014). Thirdly, the political trust between leaders and people of the two countries has been constantly strengthened and enhanced, firstly through the exchange of a series of high-level visits. On the Japanese side, we can mention the first historical visit to Vietnam by King Akihito and the Empress (March 2017). Prime Minister Abe came to Vietnam four times. The President of the Japanese House of Representatives visited Vietnam in May 2017, and the President of the Senate visited Vietnam in December 2015. On the Vietnamese side, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Japan in September 2015. President Truong Tan Sang paid an official visit to Japan in 2014. President Tran Dai Quang visited Japan in 2018. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also visited Japan many times. In the past four years, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has visited Japan five times. Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visited Japan in August 2015 as the Vice Chair of the National Assembly ... Former Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong. Photo: Pham Hai Vietnam's leading economic partner Fourthly, it is about economic relations. For many years, Japan has always been our top important economic partner, the largest ODA provider to Vietnam, the 2nd largest foreign investor in Vietnam (with more than 4,500 projects, totaling $60 billion), the 3rd largest tourism partner and the 4th largest commercial partner. At the same time, it is the third largest export market for Vietnamese goods in the world. Fifthly, the exchange between localities and people of the two countries has continuously increased over the past years. From 2017 to 2019, more than 20 governors of provinces in Japan visited our country. To date, there are more than 70 cooperation agreements between the two countries' localities. Sixthly, human resource cooperation is a bright spot in the bilateral relationship. If there were only about 50,000 Vietnamese in Japan in 2012, after eight years, that number has increased by over eight times, to about 420,000 people, including 220,000 interns and 82,000 students. This is an important resource for promoting cooperation between the two countries not only in the current period but also for decades to come. Actively supporting Vietnam's Marine Strategy Seventhly, Mr. Abe attached great importance to the role and position of Vietnam in the region and in the international arena. For the first time Japan invited our Prime Minister to attend the G7 Summit (May 2016) and the G20 Summit (June 2019). Japan actively supported Vietnams role as ASEAN Chairman 2020 and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2020-2021. Japan supports our position on regional issues, including the Eat Sea, upholds the respect for international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), no threat and use of force, and peaceful settlement of disputes. This is also a country that actively supports Vietnam's Marine Strategy. How do you see Vietnam - Japan relations at this time and prospects for bilateral relations? We care about Mr. Abe's health, always want all the best for him, and he will be well soon. As I mentioned above, the leaders of the two countries have affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is at the best stage of development. As for the prospects, I can confirm with certainty that no matter who becomes the Japanese Prime Minister to replace Mr. Abe, the relationship between the two countries will maintain the current stable development momentum. Japan always attaches great importance to the role and position of Vietnam in the region as well as in the world. When I was the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, I had the opportunity to meet with most of the top leaders in the current ruling coalition. They all have sympathy for our country and people. Many key leaders have visited and loved Vietnam. In Japan, there are many parties with different stances on many domestic and foreign issues, but the special thing is that all of these parties support further development of the relationship between Vietnam and Japan. Thai An Japanese retailers rouse Vietnamese market, despite pandemic While most enterprises have had to scale down their business during Covid-19 and give back their retail premises to landlords, Japanese retailers have continued to open more shops in Vietnam recently. Syracuse, NY -- More than three years ago, a Cicero elementary school teacher shot to death his brother-in-law following a drunken fight on the Fourth of July. Two years ago, Onondaga County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller threw out his murder indictment, leading to an appeal that reached the states highest court. On Thursday, James Ball returned to Millers court after being indicted again on the same murder charge. Its the expected outcome of a drawn-out court fight that prosecutors hoped would create broader legal precedent. Instead, two different higher courts simply stuck to the peculiar facts of Balls case. And even though Balls original indictment was confirmed to be faulty, nothing stopped the district attorneys office from indicting him again after the dust settled. And thats exactly what they did. Ball now heads to trial in perhaps the most contentious local murder case since that of Robert Neulander, the DeWitt doctor whos murder conviction was overturned on appeal. Like in Neulanders case, DA William Fitzpatrick has promised to prosecute Ball himself at trial -- whenever that might be. And like in Neulanders case, Miller will be the judge. For now, Ball remains free on $150,000 bail -- the amount hed posted at the time of the original indictment in January 2018. Ball says he acted in self-defense early July 4, 2017 inside of his Chinkapin Circle residence in Clay when his wifes brother, Christopher Ross, refused to leave during a physical fight that spilled outside from the basement. Prosecutors note that Ball left the fight to retrieve a rifle from an upstairs bedroom, loaded it, told his daughter that he was going to kill Ross, then began walking down the stairs when he shot Ross numerous times to death. They say that amounts to murder. Many of the facts are not in dispute. But itll likely be up to a jury to decide if Ball acted reasonably and legally to protect his own residence from an aggressor, or if he left the danger and retrieved the weapon with the intent to kill Ross. The legal curiosity of this case -- as stressed by the appellate courts -- is a little-known law that allows someone to protect their home from an intruder believed to be committing a burglary. In this case, the intruder is identified as Ross -- the relative -- who became so after leaving the house briefly before turning around and walking back through the front door. But that leads to the second unique aspect of this case: the law only allows the homeowner to use deadly force if theres a reasonable belief that the intruder is going to commit a crime (creating the legal definition of burglary). In this case, Balls lawyers argue that Ross was clearly coming back inside to continue the assault that had started before he walked out of the house. Third, the intruder has to be physically in the residence, not simply on the front porch. In this case, Ball shot Ross as he was walking through the door: the victims lower body was still on the porch, his upper body was over the threshold. Itll be up to a jury to decide if that was inside or outside the residence. None of these issues surprised lawyers who have been on this case for years now. But Miller, the judge, threw out the case and the DAs office appealed, for an entirely different reason. The goal of the appeal in 2018 was to determine how much control defense lawyers had in determining who went before a grand jury -- a process legally controlled by prosecutors. In this case, Balls lawyers, Emil Rossi and Michael Spano, wanted prosecutors to ask specific questions of a key grand jury witness, namely Balls wife and Rosss sister, who witnessed the whole thing. They wanted to build a self-defense case in grand jury in hopes the panel would vote against indicting Ball. But prosecutors balked, noting that theyd already called that witness to testify, and they were under no obligation to recall her to ask questions provided by defense lawyers. Miller, the local judge, ruled that the indictment was faulty because grand jurors didnt even get to decide whether or not they wanted to hear from the wife again. That led to the initial appeal, in the summer of 2018. But a Rochester appellate court basically ignored that question in determining that prosecutors had erred in another way: by not telling the first grand jury that Ball had a legal right to defend his house from an intruder. (The first grand jury only heard that Ball had a right to defend himself from an adversary who was trying to kill him, which no one has argued was the case here.) In a terse opinion, the states highest court in Albany agreed with the Rochester court, sending the case back to square one. That all happened before the pandemic struck. Now that grand juries are back in session, the DAs office sought to re-indict Ball on the same murder charge as before -- accusing him of getting the rifle with the intent to kill his brother-in-law. A new grand jury handed down an indictment in late August. The top count, murder, is punishable by up to 25 years to life in prison. Ball appeared briefly in court this morning, where Miller continued his release on bail. Hes due back to court next month. Ball, 58, was a teacher at the Smith Road Elementary School. He retired after the shooting. Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. "With over 1,000 of our portfolio selected as Travelers' Choice award winners, including hotels across all segments in which we franchise properties from economy to upscale it truly means a lot that guests recognize our brands for offering superior customer service and one-of-a-kind experiences," said Sarah Searls, chief customer officer, Choice Hotels. "As guests continue to return to travel, we look forward to upholding these high standards and providing memorable stays for any occasion." The global breakdown of Choice Hotels' 2020 Travelers' Choice award winners by brand is as follows: Ascend Hotel Collection: 88 Cambria Hotels: 29 Comfort: 458 Sleep Inn: 90 Quality Inn: 200 Clarion: 91 MainStay Suites: 11 Econo Lodge: 29 Rodeway Inn: 11 Comfort, which received the highest number of Travelers' Choice awards among all Choice Hotels brands, recently underwent a multi-year, $2.5 billion transformation in partnership with its franchisees, which has fortified the brand's position as a leader in the upper midscale segment with a modern refresh of the portfolio. Also of note, Cambria Hotels received the highest percentage of awards among the Choice portfolio, with over 56% of its portfolio being named Travelers' Choice award winners, reaffirming guests' interest in and satisfaction with the brand, thanks in part to continued investment from developers that has fueled the Cambria's expansion in top destinations. "Winners of the 2020 Travelers' Choice Awards should be proud of this distinguished recognition," said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. "Although it's been a challenging year for travel and hospitality, we want to celebrate our partners' achievements. Award winners are beloved for their exceptional service and quality. Not only are these winners well deserving, they are also a great source of inspiration for travelers as the world begins to venture out again." Choice Hotels guests can participate in the award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program, rated a top hotel loyalty program by both USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards and U.S. News & World Report. Choice Privileges membership is free and offers fast rewards and exclusive member rates for those who book directly at www.choicehotels.com. All Choice-branded hotels are participating in Commitment to Clean, an initiative that builds upon the strong foundation of franchisees' longstanding dedication to cleanliness with enhanced training and best practices for cleaning, disinfecting and social distancing. For more information on Commitment to Clean, visit https://www.choicehotels.com/about/commitment-to-clean-hotels. About Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With more than 7,100 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in over 40 countries and territories as of June 30, 2020, the Choice family of hotel brands provide business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com. About Tripadvisor Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel platform*, helps 463 million travelers each month** make every trip their best trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to browse more than 860 million reviews and opinions of 8.7 million accommodations, restaurants, experiences, airlines and cruises. Whether planning or on a trip, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to compare low prices on hotels, flights and cruises, book popular tours and attractions, as well as reserve tables at great restaurants. Tripadvisor, the ultimate travel companion, is available in 49 markets and 28 languages. The subsidiaries and affiliates of Tripadvisor, Inc. own and operate a portfolio of websites and businesses, including the following travel media brands: www.bokun.io , www.cruisecritic.com , www.flipkey.com , www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com , www.eltenedor.com , and www.bookatable.co.uk ), www.helloreco.com , www.holidaylettings.co.uk , www.housetrip.com , www.jetsetter.com , www.niumba.com , www.seatguru.com , www.singleplatform.com , www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com . * Source: Jumpshot for Tripadvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2019 ** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files, average monthly unique visitors, Q3 2019 2020 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved. SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc. Related Links www.choicehotels.com The Criminal Court (ICC) has condemned the economic sanctions imposed by the US on its prosecutor and a member of her office, saying it was "unprecedented and serious". "These coercive acts, directed at an judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the Court, the Rome Statute system of criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," Xinhua news agency quoted the Hague-based court as saying in a statement on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the US imposed sanctions on ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the head of the Jurisdiction Complementarity and Cooperation Division Phakiso Mochochoko for continuing to to probe alleged war crimes committed by Americans in Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the ICC of "illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction", while announcing the sanctions, in accordance with an executive order issued in June by President Donald Trump involving "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated with the ICC". The sanctions include a freeze on assets held in the US or subject to American law. O-Gon Kwon, president of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, also condemned the sanctions, saying that he strongly rejects "such unprecedented and unacceptable measures against a treaty-based international organization". "They only serve to weaken our common endeavour to fight impunity for mass atrocities," he added. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "we continue to closely follow developments on this matter". "We will be analyzing any possible implications that this development may have with respect to the implementation of the agreement," he said. Cooperation between the UN and the ICC is founded on their Relationship Agreement, which was approved by the General Assembly on September 13, 2004. As the top prosecutor, Bensouda has visited the US frequently to attend key meetings in the Security Council. --IANS ksk/ (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.) Editors note: A coalition of Michigan news organizations has recently come together to call on Gov. Whitmer and other leaders to improve transparency in coronavirus reporting at schools and universities. The coalition sent the following letter to Whitmer on Sept. 1: Dear Governor Whitmer; We are writing to respectfully but urgently request you immediately marshal the resources of state government to compile and publicly release, on a consistent ongoing basis, vital public information regarding school related COVID outbreaks. Right now across this great state, parents, educators and students are wrestling with whether to proceed with virtual or in-school learning in the face of the pandemic. For many families, this is among the most difficult decisions in this extraordinarily difficult year. Yet, to date, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments have failed to provide the public with essential details on the exact location and severity of school related COVID outbreaks. On the verge of the new school year, MDHHS announced: The existence of 14 school related COVID outbreaks statewide well over a week ago. Since then weve learned of several more via social media and local word of mouth. Shortcomings in the states COVID tracking systems, including the systems current inability to track exactly where these school-related outbreaks occur. A pledge to eventually release school-related COVID outbreak details once the tracking system is fixed and county health departments begin submitting to the state more details, including exact locations of COVID-impacted schools. MDHHS has indicated these fixes could take weeks. In the meantime, county health departments, the first level of COVID reporting and tracking, continue to refuse media requests to release essential school-related outbreak details such as names and locations of impacted schools and number of known COVID cases. County health departments have cited confusion, lack of direction from state government, and a desire to protect schools from COVID-related stigma. Respectfully, school related COVID outbreak information belongs to the taxpayers who pay for it, especially parents with school aged children. It is the duty of state and local health departments to protect public health. This includes the duty to inform the public of health risks transparently, rapidly, and fully including the existence of COVID outbreaks in schools at the beginning of this very challenging school year. Media organizations are filing Freedom of Information Act requests, but this is no time for drawn-out transparency battles. We call on you to immediately provide Michigan families, students, educators, and taxpayers with the transparency they deserve. State government has more than 14,000 employees devoted to health and human services. Beyond the weeks-long fix of state computer tracking systems, we call on you to marshal state government resources to immediately, fully, consistently, and continually release school-related COVID outbreak details including the names of impacted schools, their locations, and number of cases to the full Michigan public. In closing, we respectfully remind you that, at the beginning of the pandemic, you declared professional news-gathering organizations an essential public service. We can think of few media public services more essential and urgent in this moment than informing local communities on COVID outbreaks in schools. Sincerely, The Michigan School-Related COVID Outbreak Transparency Coalition Bill Speer, Publisher, Alpena News Bradley Massman, Editor, Big Rapids Pioneer Stephen Henderson, Project Executive, Bridge Detroit John Bebow, President and CEO, Bridge Michigan and Center for Michigan Chris Huckle, Publisher, Cadillac News Kelly Root, Executive Editor, Crains Detroit Business Teresa Brandell, Publisher, Crawford County Avalanche Peter Bhatia, Editor and Vice President, Detroit Free Press Gary Miles, Editor and Publisher, Detroit News Julie Stafford, Publisher, Greenville Daily News John Minnis, Publisher, Grosse Pointe News Eric Hamp, Publisher, Houghton Lake Resorter and Roscommon County Herald News Eric Young, Editor, Huron Daily Tribune Tanya Whitaker, Editor, Independent-Dundee James Brown, Publisher, Yale Expositor Beth Konrad, President, SPJ Detroit Chapter Stephanie Angel, Editor, Lansing State Journal, Livingston County Press and Argus, Battle Creek Enquirer, Port Huron Times-Herald John Elchert, Publisher, Leelanau Enterprise Mike Reitz, Executive Vice President, Mackinac Center for Public Policy Jeff Payne, Managing Editor, Macomb Daily News Lisa McGraw, Vice President, Michigan Coalition for Open Government James Tarrant, Executive Director, Michigan Press Association Kate Hessling, Editor, Midland Daily News John Hiner, Vice President of Content, MLive Craig Barnt, Publisher and Editor, Pinconning Journal Larry Sobczak, Publisher and Editor, Record-Washington Township Wes Mauer, Publisher, St. Ignace News Dirk Milliman, Publisher, Three Rivers Commercial News Paul Heidbreder, Publisher, Nate Payne Editor, Traverse City Record Paws of War An American soldier is hoping to be reunited with her beloved cats after having to leave them behind when returning from her deployment. Sergeant Etter will soon have to say goodbye to two kittens who she formed a special bond with while stationed in the Middle East. Now, with the help of Paws of War a non-profit organization that provides assistance to military members and their pets she might be able to send her furry friends back to America with her. According to a press release, cats at the base where Sergeant Etter are stationed are encouraged to roam around to keep down the rodent population. When one of the cats had kittens, Sergeant Etter found two of the tiny animals when they were around eight weeks old, both hungry and neglected. RELATED: Soldiers Are Raising Money to Bring a Beloved Stray Dog from Syria to a New Home in the U.S. She decided to take care of them and quickly formed a close relationship with the kittens who she named Phantom and Mau and they quickly became a part of her daily routine. Paws of War Paws of War "Since we are far from home and have been there for each other constantly over the last several months, Phantom and Mau have really touched our hearts," Sergeant Etter said. "They made us feel more like our best versions of ourselves whenever we would see them at the end of the day." As Sergeant Etter's base is closing, she will be returning to America and hopes that Paws of War can help raise enough money to send the kittens home with her. "Im beyond happy that Paws of War is willing to help us save these two precious animals," she said. Paws of War Paws of War According to the organization, transporting the cats home to America is a costly feat. RELATED: U.S. Soldier Desperately Trying to Bring Home Puppy Rescued from Mistreatment in Afghanistan The effort involves finding individuals on the ground to help transport the animals, ensuring they felines their medical records and paperwork, and paying for the large expense of flying two pet internationally. Story continues "Anyone who has been to this area of the world knows of the harsh and cruel conditions that these cats could endure if they are left behind," explained Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War. "We will do everything we can to bring the cats home for Sergeant Etter," he added. "We know we have the logistics to do it, but we need the public to help with the expense of making it happen. Along with helping soldiers bring animals back to the U.S., Paws of War is also dedicated to rescuing and training dogs and then pairing them with veterans who need therapy animals. Last year, the non-profit similarly helped U.S. Soldier Timothy Boyd bring back his rescued pup, Misha, from Afghanistan. To help bring Phantom and Mau to America, you can donate at this link. Many cities in the UK, particularly London, have prospered in recent decades. Our major urban centres have grown in terms of population, productivity and creativity yet the coronavirus lockdown this year emptied them of visitors and many workers too, as millions of white-collar employees switched to working from home. Ministers now want to encourage office workers back to their jobs in city centres. But many think working from home is now likely to become a permanent feature of the post-Covid economy. Its certainly what many workers seem to want. So what would such a shift in working practice mean for our cities? Could it send them into a long-term decline? Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen cabled a letter of congratulations to his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, while President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum and Cambodian National Assembly President Samdech Heng Samrin sent their congratulations to Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. In their letters, the Cambodian leaders highly valued the fruitful development of solidarity, friendship and traditional cooperation between the two Governments and between the Cambodian Senate and National Assembly and the Vietnamese NA. They expressed their belief that the Vietnam Cambodia comprehensive cooperation will become more and more sustainable and enduring forever, for the sake of the two countries people. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended their congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, respectively. The Indian leaders congratulated Vietnam on its successful assumption of ASEAN Chairmanship and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, affirming that Vietnam is an important member of the international and regional communities. They said that since being upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the traditional relationship between India and Vietnam has been constantly developing, contributing to further consolidating the mutual trust and understanding. In their congratulatory messages to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the Workers Party and the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK Kim Jong-un and Premier Kim Tok-hun expressed their belief that the traditional friendship between the Parties, Governments and people of the two countries will be further promoted in the time to come, in line with the spirit of agreements reached by the two sides leaders during DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-uns official friendly visit to Vietnam in March last year. Meanwhile, Japanese Emperor Naruhito sent his letter of congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. In his congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, RoK President Moon Jae-in emphasised that his country always attaches great importance to and wishes to further develop the friendship and cooperation with Vietnam in the coming time. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent their congratulations to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese people. The US leaders congratulated Vietnam on its recent achievements, especially the successes and contributions of the Southeast Asian nation in the role as ASEAN Chair. They expressed delight at the development in the US-Vietnam relationship, saying that the US wishes to continue working closely with Vietnam at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in November. They said they believe that the comprehensive partnership between the two nations will develop strongly, contributing to promoting peace and prosperity in the region. In his congratulatory message to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Vietnam for providing medical supplies for his country amid the COVID-19 outbreak. He also affirmed that it is necessary to further deepen the bilateral strategic partnership, and hoped the two countries will continue their cooperation at the UNSC and ASEAN. Italian President Sergio Mattarella cabled a congratulatory message to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, saying that the strategic partnership between the two countries is flourishing, evidenced by Vietnams precious support for Italy in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his belief that the bilateral relations will further develop, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Meanwhile, Canadian Governor-General Julie Payette congratulated Vietnam on its recent achievements, especially in the role as ASEAN Chair 2020. She spoke highly of cooperation between the two countries at regional and international forums to promote rules-based order, gender equality, and respond to the COVID-19 epidemic and climate change, affirming that Canada wishes to continue maintaining cooperation with Vietnam in bilateral, regional and international issues in the coming time. Australian Governor-General David Hurley praised Vietnam for its efforts to successfully promote the agenda of the ASEAN Year 2020, for the interest of the whole region despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He stressed that the strategic partnership between Australia and Vietnam is a solid basis for the two countries to continue expanding collaboration in the current challenging context. He affirmed that his country will work closely with Vietnam to accelerate post-pandemic recovery as well as deepen the bilateral trade and investment ties. On this occasion, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha extended their congratulatory letters and messages to Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Love you like I hate you -- no two people will relate to this line more than two sisters. Netflixs upcoming film, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, encapsulates this unique bond through a series of...well...interesting events, as two feisty, quirky women search for their freedom as they find their own way in the world. Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar effortlessly slip into the roles of two cousins who will do whatever it takes to break the invisible shackles that are keeping them from the ideal lives they envision for themselves. Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and produced by Balaji Telefilms the film is set to release exclusively on Netflix on 18 September 2020. Konkona Sen Sharma as Dolly: Konkona Sen Sharma in the titular role of Dolly is relatable and refreshing. Speaking of her character, the actor said, Dollys life is one we see so often -- a bickering wife who is not satisfied with her husbands unambitious ways, the mother of two young boys who she barely understands, all while dreaming of a life of luxury that is far beyond her reach. While she believes herself to be quite the rebel, she is blissfully unaware of how deeply conditioned she is in certain ways. Its her journey of realization and that to freedom that makes the story a fun yet heartwarming ride. Bhumi Pednekar as Kitty (Kajal): Bhumi Pednekar as Kajal aka Kitty is the quintessential small-town girl who comes to the city, expecting all her dreams to magically come true. Life, unfortunately, has other plans. With a head full of dreams and aspirations along with a carefree attitude, Kitty embarks on a new journey with her sister. She discovers herself and evolves as a person, all the while stumbling and tripping along the way, to finally understand what it really takes to make her dreams a reality, said Bhumi on playing Kitty. The remains of one of the U.S. sailors killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 returned home Wednesday, landing at Tulsa International Airport, CBS affiliate KOTV reports. Navy Fireman First Class Hadley Heavin, 23, was on the USS West Virginia when torpedoes and bombs destroyed the battleship. Sailors at the airport saluted Heavin, one of the more than 2,400 who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Navy personnel recovered the remains of at least 66 crewmen, including Hadley, from the USS West Virginia. The remains of Navy Fireman First Class Hadley Heavin, who was killed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, arrive at Tulsa International Airport on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. / Credit: KOTV According to an obituary in the Joplin Globe, Hadley's remains were identified last year after his two remaining brothers provided DNA samples to aid in a match. A memorial service is set for this weekend in his hometown of Baxter Springs, Kansas. Last week, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that the remains of another Pearl Harbor sailor was identified. Navy Coxswain Layton T. Banks, 20, of Dallas, was officially accounted for on October 8, 2019, the agency announced in a news release. On December 7, 1941, Banks was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft, the agency said. The battleship was hit my multiple torpedoes and Banks was one of 429 crewmen who died. Navy Coxswain Layton T. Banks / Credit: Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency From 1941 to 1944, the Navy recovered the remains of the dead, but scientists were only able to identify 35 victims, DPAA said. The unidentified remains were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In 2015, those remains were exhumed and scientists were able to use anthropological and DNA analyses to identify Banks, DPAA said. Banks will be buried on October 24 in Plano, Texas. Trump says Pence was never on standby, denies "mini-strokes amid speculation over his health Eye Opener: Black man dies after being restrained by Rochester police Newly-released body camera video shows naked man suffocating in police custody in Rochester, NY CLEVELAND, Ohio Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on Thursday denied allegations that he led a $60 million bribery scheme designed to pass House Bill 6. Householder appeared with Cleveland attorney Steven Bradley via video before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie K. Bowman in Cincinnati. Bradley entered a plea of not guilty to the racketeering indictment filed in July on Householders behalf. The hearing lasted less than five minutes. Householder and four allies political aide Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark, Juan Cespedes and Matt Borges are accused of plotting the passage of House Bill 6, the $1.3 billion bailout of the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants in northern Ohio. The plants were owned by a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. An FBI affidavit and the indictment said FirstEnergy and its affiliates funneled $60 million in bribes to a nonprofit that Householder controlled. The affidavit said Householder used $500,000 of the money for his personal use. The indictment called the nonprofit, Generation Now, a slush fund for the benefit of Householder and his co-conspirators. The nonprofit, whose contributions are not public, also has been charged. Authorities are expected to seize it through forfeiture. FirstEnergy began working on the bill when its subsidiary, FirstEnergy Solutions, owned the plants. FirstEnergy Solutions filed for bankruptcy in 2018. A business called Energy Harbor now owns the plants. FirstEnergy and its affiliates have not been charged as of Thursday. The company said it is cooperating with authorities. On July 30, the day the indictment was filed, the House voted to remove Householder from his position as the House speaker. He remains a state representative from Perry County. Earlier this week, Householder returned to the Statehouse for the first time since his arrest July 21. Meanwhile, some of his colleagues are pushing to repeal House Bill 6, which passed last summer and was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Householders allies have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They already appeared for their arraignments. Householder, however, struggled to find counsel, and his hearing was postponed. On Wednesday night, Bradley and his law partner, Mark Marein, notified court officials that they would be representing Householder. Other Householder stories: After Larry Householder loses the gavel, Jo Ann Davidsons portrait goes back up in Ohio House chambers FirstEnergy, caught up in FBI investigation, used its political might to pressure the Ohio Statehouse Matt Borges arrest in Householder case marks second go-around in public corruption case Gandhinagar, Sep 3 : In an embarrassment to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in his hometown Rajkot, a BJP municipal corporator quit the saffron party along with a couple of other BJP functionaries on Thursday and joined the Congress in the presence of its new working president Hardik Patel. Dakshaben Bhesania, corporator in Rajkot Municipal Corporation ward number 5 from BJP, on Thursday quit the saffron party to move to the Congress party. The move is believed to be significant considering the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Rajkot. Apart from that, Atul Kamani, the president of Saurashtra Market Yard Association too, joined the Congress on Thursday along with 20 of the office bearers from Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, and youth BJP also joined the Congress party on Thursday. Social activist Chandniben Limbasiya also joined the Congress. "We welcome all those who have joined the Congress party. There are still 5 more BJP corporators who are in our close contact and who will be joining the Congress in the coming days," said Patel. "In 2015, we missed the bus by just two seats, but this election we will surely form the board of the municipal corporations. Today, a large number of people were going to join the Congress but owing to the pandemic situation, we could not allow that and only the function of some leaders was held," added Patel. "The Congress has not only given a tough opposition to the government as opposition party, but we have provided the public an alternative solution," added Patel. Reacting to the development, Rajkot BJP city president Kamlesh Mirani said, "Dakshaben joining the Congress was expected and evident. Along with her husband, she had been involved in anti-party activities since last two years. Last week she was clearly given the signal that she might never get a ticket. The Congress has lured her with a ticket." A demonstrator near the US Capitol in 2013 during a march opposing mass surveillance. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that the NSA's sweeping program to collect Americans' phone records was illegal and possibly unconstitutional. After the NSA's phone-records collection program was first exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013, the NSA claimed the program had helped thwart terrorist attacks. The NSA's case against Basaalay Moalin the defendant-appellant of the court's ruling was the agency's only concrete example of an attack the phone records had helped thwart. But the illegally collected phone records didn't play a pivotal role in the case, with substantial other records leading to Moalin's conviction, the court ruled. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The National Security Administration's sweeping program to snoop on Americans' phone records was illegal and possibly unconstitutional and there's no evidence it led to the arrests of any terrorism suspects a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. In its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the NSA broke the law by collecting "phone metadata," or bulk records of Americans' phone-call history. The court upheld the convictions of four Somali immigrants who were charged with fundraising for terrorists, however, concluding that the NSA's phone-record collection was ultimately not relevant to their convictions. The NSA's program to collect phone records was first brought to light by the former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. Amid public outrage following the revelation, the agency defended the program by claiming it had helped thwart terrorist attacks. But the NSA could point to only one example: the case of Basaalay Moalin. On Wednesday, the appeals court ruled that not only was the collection of Moalin's phone records illegal, but it was ultimately irrelevant to the conviction. In other words, there is zero evidence the NSA's phone-records program stopped a terrorist attack, contradicting the public statements of US intelligence officials following Snowden's revelation, Judge Marsha Berzon said in the ruling. Story continues "To the extent the public statements of government officials created a contrary impression, that impression is inconsistent with the contents of the classified record," she wrote. An NSA representative declined to comment when reached by Business Insider. The NSA's program of collecting bulk metadata was discontinued in 2015 when Congress passed the USA Freedom Act. Under the law, bulk phone records would still be kept by private phone companies but could be obtained by investigators only with a judge's permission. The NSA reportedly stopped pursuing phone metadata entirely by 2018. Moalin, the Somali immigrant at the center of the case, will remain in prison, where he is serving an 18-year sentence. Berzon said in her ruling that even if the NSA hadn't illegally obtained Moalin's phone records, it wouldn't have helped his case. Berzon's ruling which repeatedly mentioned Snowden's role in exposing the NSA practice emphasized that the NSA broke the law in its surveillance of millions of Americans. "Here the NSA collected Moalin's (and millions of other Americans') telephony metadata on an ongoing, daily basis for years," she wrote. "The collection of millions of other people's telephony metadata, and the ability to aggregate and analyze it, makes the collection of Moalin's own metadata considerably more revealing." Read the original article on Business Insider Shruti Modi's Lawyer Claims She Had Offered To Quit When She Came To Know About Sushant Taking Drugs Sushant's manager Shruti Modi's lawyer Ashok Saraogi was quoted by the leading daily, "When she found out about it after 10 days of joining, Shruti decided to quit but Sushant told her to stay back and told her that he will not be party to it. So she continued to work as his manager on this condition." Shruti Modi's Lawyer Claims His Client's Name Has Been Dragged Into The Case By Sushant's Family "It is possible that she did not follow the instructions of the sister, so they may have some grievances. They wanted certain account details from her which she declined to part with," Shruti Modi's lawyer told Times of India. Shruti Modi's Lawyer Claims Sushant's Sister Priyanka Had Spent His Money In April 2019 Shruti Modi's lawyer also told the tabloid that Sushant's sister Priyanka had spent his money in April 2019. On being asked if Priyanka hired and fired those who worked for the late actor, he said that his client is not aware of any such thing. Reacting to various reports mentioning a life insurance policy of Sushant which has a huge amount attached to it, Saraogi said, "I am not sure about that, but there should be one as even an ordinary person has life insurance.'' Shruti Modi's Lawyer On The Drug Angle In Sushant's Death Case Further, when Times of India asked Shruti Modi's lawyer about the drug angle in Sushant's death case, he claimed that Imtiaz Khatri is a supplier both in Bollywood and political circles, and it is an open secret. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. The schedule for the 2020 Census has jumped all over the place this year. If you're confused, you're not alone. We could all use a brief recap. In March -- perhaps a more optimistic time, in the early days of the pandemic -- most census outreach initially was only delayed by a couple of weeks. The Census Bureau still intended to close the response period for the count on July 31, a deadline the agency had planned for years. By April, the dire reality of the pandemic set in, and the Census Bureau proposed a more drastic deadline extension of 4 months. The agency decided the July deadline for responses wasn't looking doable, and needed to shift it four months out, to Oct. 31. But that wasn't the only date that needed changing. Census Bureau leaders admitted they couldn't crunch census data in time to determine each state's number of representatives in Congress. The Bureau asked federal lawmakers to change that constitutionally-mandated deadline from December 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021, but this was never approved. Despite this, the Census Bureau still planned to finish counting Americans by Oct. 31 -- the agency didn't need politicians' approval to make that change. Then in early August, the census schedule abruptly shifted. Instead of closing the count at the end of October, as the agency had by now planned and publicized for months, the Census Bureau suddenly moved the deadline earlier, to Sept. 30. There was no official explanation given for this change. That abrupt change has not gone without legal challenges. Several cities, including Los Angeles, along with census advocates, have sued the Trump administration seeking to force the Census Bureau back to the Oct. 31 deadline. While these lawsuits are pending, the current deadline remains Sept. 30. Which means there's less than a month to go until the self-response period for the 2020 Census is closed. It also means there's less than a month for census workers and advocates to reach hard-to-count communities in person -- and less than a month to make sure that the 44% of households in the city of Los Angeles that didn't fill out census forms on their own are counted. SHORT CENSUS LOOKING SHORTER Recently, the census bureau announced a new change: in some parts of the country, in-person census work like door-knocking will end even earlier than the new early deadline. During a Zoom call last month with San Diego leaders, Roberto Garcia, a U.S. Census partnership specialist based in San Diego, said census enumeration there and in surrounding cities is set to wrap up by September 18th. "We hope all of our workload will be complete and there will not be any more enumerators out on the street," Garcia said during the recorded meeting. The federal government has since tempered Garcia's announcement. Associate Director of Field Operations Tim Olson said in a statement: "This has been totally misconstrued, and it is not accurate to say that the 'schedule' is shorter for any area census office, including San Diego. Non-response Follow-up continues until we are finished." However, Census spokesperson Donald Bendz did confirm to LAist that some census offices may finish in-person work early. Census takers could then be sent to different regions of the state that need more in-person support. He couldn't say if this would affect L.A. County. According to a Census Bureau map tracking the completion of regional door knocking, all the census offices in Los Angeles County are more than 50% finished. As of last month, there were census tracts where the self-response rate was below 40%; the bureau does not have tract-level completion data that takes into account the work of enumerators, who began knocking on doors locally the second week of August. Here are the most recent estimates of response rates from the Census Bureau for each of these area census offices, whose jurisdiction includes surrounding communities: West Covina - 83.9% Pasadena - 80.3% Woodland Hills - 80.3% Santa Clarita - 76.1% Long Beach - 73.6% South Gate - 69% Inglewood - 67.3% Keep in mind that the top response rates elsewhere are much higher. Idaho, a state with a population estimated to be about 1.7 million in 2018, currently has the highest response in the nation rate at 97.2%. California, with more than 39 million residents, has a response rate of 88.1%. Thomas Saenz, President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), said he was surprised to hear that the Census Bureau could finish the count ahead of schedule, considering the agency previously said it would need until the end of October to do a complete job. "To now assert that somehow miraculously that everything's being completed more than a month ahead of time, seems a little hard to believe," Saenz said. This week, MALDEF asked a U.S. District Court judge for a temporary restraining order to force the agency back to the Oct. 31 deadline. Saenz said he hopes to receive a response from the court in the next two weeks, before Census offices start winding down operations. EXTRA OUTREACH MONEY FROM CALIFORNIA With time running out on the 2020 count, the California Complete Count census office -- affiliated with the state, not the Census Bureau -- is dedicating $10 million for additional outreach in hopes of avoiding a severe undercount. The money is left over from $187 million that the state legislature allocated for census outreach, in part, to preserve California's political clout (the state is at risk of losing seats in Congress for the first time in history, based on census data). Because so many in-person census events were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state didn't use all of that funding. Of the $10 million coming from the state, $4 million will go to help count over 500 hard-to-reach census tracts in L.A. County. The money has been distributed to local community partners like Proyecto Pastoral, a civic engagement and education non-profit doing on-the-ground census outreach in Boyle Heights. Ditas Katague, director of California Complete Count, said the extra funding is meant to encourage those census advocates to stick out the campaign to the end. "These partners are stretched thin....We couldn't have planned for a pandemic. We couldn't have planned to have to pivot so much" Katague said. "But we're heartened by the fact that our partners that are staying around are very committed to getting those numbers up." Kim Dong-jin, chairman of the Hulbert Memorial Society, poses with a book including the original copy of the influential educator's 1889 New-York Tribune article on the Korean alphabet, next to Hulbert's tomb in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Hulbert Memorial Society By Kim Se-jeong Hulbert's article in the New-York Tribune in 1889 Kim Dong-jin, chairman of the Hulbert Memorial Society, a non-profit organization commemorating Homer Hulbert (1867-1949), disclosed the original copy of a 1889 New-York Tribune article written by the influential educator about Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, on Monday. Born in the U.S., Hulbert first came to Korea as a teacher at the Royal College in 1886. He stayed in Korea until 1907 when he was expelled for criticizing Japan's increasing control over the country, and was invited back in 1949 shortly before his death. He is best remembered as an educator and for his support of Korea's independence movement. In 1950, the Korean government awarded him the Order of the Taegeuk posthumously. "Hulbert did many things to promote Hangeul during his stay. The article in the New-York Tribune proves that he promoted the Korean alphabet not only inside but outside Korea, and opened the opportunity for Hangeul to become popular in Korea. The society is disclosing the copy to make people know about who Hulbert is and what he did for Hangeul," Kim told The Korea Times, Tuesday. "Hangeul's history should be rewritten taking his contribution into account." Hulbert also authored "Saminpilji," a geography textbook written in Hangeul, in 1891, and several years later, became a contributor to the first Hangeul newspaper, the Tongnip Sinmun. Created in 1443 by King Sejong, Hangeul was considered inferior to Hanja, the Chinese written system, until the 20th century. Hulbert recalled when he arrived in Korea in 1886, he didn't see any people using Hangeul and that people looked down on it. is calling the struggle to reopen US schools amid the a national emergency and accusing President of turning his back to instead stoke passions about unrest in America's cities. The Democratic presidential nominee's broadsides came a day ahead of his own trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Biden said he wants to help heal a city reeling from another police shooting of a Black man. The wounding of Jacob Blake and subsequent demonstrations have made the political battleground state a focal point for debate over police and protest violence, as well as the actions of vigilante militias. Biden assailed Trump for his vilifying of protesters as well as his handling of the pandemic that has killed nearly 190,000 Americans and crippled the national economy, leaving millions out of work, schools straining to deal with students in classrooms or at home and parents struggling to keep up. An American president, Trump's challenger declared, should be able to lead through multiple crises at the same time. Where is the president? Why isn't he working on this?, Biden asked. We need emergency support funding for our schools and we need it now. Mr. President, that is your job. That's what you should be focused on getting our kids back to school. Not whipping up fear and division not inciting violence in our streets. Trump answered almost immediately with his own event in North Carolina, where he continued casting the protests generally as violent mobs here at home that must be met with a strong show of force. These people know one thing: strength, he said. If local leaders would ask for federal muscle, Trump said, We'll have it done in one hour. The opposing events reflected the clear fault lines of the general election campaign. Each man casts the other as a threat to Americans' day-to-day security, but Trump uses law and order as his rallying cry while Biden pushes a broad referendum on Trump's competence and thinking. Biden said Wednesday that he'd use existing federal disaster law to direct funding to schools to help them reopen safely, and he urged Trump to get off Twitter and negotiate a deal with Congress on more pandemic aid. He repeated his assertions that a full economic recovery isn't possible with COVID-19 still raging, and that reopening schools safely is a necessary part of both limiting the virus' spread and allowing parents to return to work. Addressing the ongoing unrest over racial injustice and policing, Biden told reporters he believes the Kenosha officer who shot Blake "needs to be charged. Biden also called for charges in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, home by police in March. Biden also called for legal action on citizens who've committed violence as part of civil unrest, a direct answer to Trump's continued assertions that Biden backs violent protests. The former vice president said he plans to meet in Kenosha with civic and business leaders and law enforcement. He's already been in contact with Blake's family. Blake remains hospitalized after he was shot seven times in the back by police as he was trying to get into a car while police were trying to arrest him. We've got to put things together, bring people together, Biden said, adding that he was not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do but instead would encourage citizens to talk about what has to be done. The president, he said, keeps throwing gasoline on the fire and encouraging people to retreat to their corners. Trump made his own foray to Kenosha on Tuesday, underscoring his blanket support for law enforcement, while blaming domestic terror for looting and arson that's taken place in the city. The violence included the burning of several buildings and the killing of two protesters by a 17-year-old, who said he went to Kenosha, armed, to help protect businesses. He is now in custody. Before his remarks Wednesday, Biden and his wife, Jill, a longtime community college professor and former high school teacher, met with public health experts. He emerged saying Trump's inaction on school aid has left a haphazard response nationally. Biden said he doesn't want to usurp local authorities' power to decide whether to reopen with in-person instruction or virtual learning or some combination. But he said the federal government should make local systems financially whole as they incur considerable costs from software for virtual instruction, personal protective equipment and reducing class sizes for social distancing at schools that bring students to campus. Also ahead of his Wisconsin trip, Biden's campaign launched a USD 45 million advertising buy for a one-minute ad featuring his condemnations of violence during a speech Monday, along with his assertions that Trump is fomenting the unrest. The ad, which has English and Spanish language versions, is running on national cable networks and in local markets across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction, Biden says in the ad. Trump adds fuel to every fire, he says, and shows how weak he is by his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia. (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.) Citys public transport body Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) resumed its service with 477 buses of its fleet plying on 190 routes on Thursday, more than five months after it suspended services for residents. The passenger response on the first day was lukewarm as most buses were empty and regulars were those involved in essential services. Regular commuters trickled slowly at Swargate and Pune station and were happy to see buses at stops. I used the service after five months as I had to reach Pimpri from Katraj, said Anish Balgude, a banker. While the service of PMPML was shut, it was operating limited buses in Pimpri-Chinchwad and parts of Pune for essential services. According to PMPML officials, 2,548 trips were made by buses plying 34,443 passengers earning a revenue of Rs 5,56,924 till Thursday evening. We have been planning to restart the services post Ganeshotsav and held a meeting to discuss the plan. We began today with 25 per cent of the fleet on 190 routes covering major trunk routes through the city, said PMPML chairman and managing director (CMD) Rajendra Jagtap. Bus stops and buses were sanitised before making trips. Every bus were equipped with a pedal sanitiser and a plastic screen was placed to cover the drivers space. The 35 seats of buses were marked and could accommodate only 17 passengers. Officials said buses were cleaned at the start and the end points of its journey twice as well as the terminal bus stop. 650 drivers, 760 conductors/checkers have been deployed to regularise the public transport. We had several passengers during the morning time at Swargate between 8.30 am and 9.30 am, but since it is the first day, we are hoping numbers would pick up slowly, said Jagtap. Jagtap said citizens above 65 years of age and children below 10 years would not be allowed to board buses, that will run between Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) areas. For bus conductor Manohar Koli, it was a five-month wait to rejoin. I am on a bus route to Balewadi, Mhalunge and am happy to be back on duty. We are taking every precaution and hope that we will get more passengers soon and everything will return to normal. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 11:22:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating fell 1.2 percentage points over the week to 47.8 percent this week, a weekly poll showed Thursday. The negative assessment on Moon's conduct of state affairs gained 2.0 percentage points to 48.7 percent, according to the Realmeter survey. Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party declined 2.8 percentage points from a week earlier to 37.6 percent this week. The main conservative opposition United Future Party gained 31.9 percent of support this week, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous month. It was followed by the minor center-left Open Democratic Party with 5.3 percent, the progressive Justice Party with 4.1 percent and the center-right People's Party with 4.0 percent each. The results were based on a survey of 1,517 voters conducted from Monday to Wednesday. It had plus and minus 2.5 percentage points in margin of error with a 95-percent confidence level. Enditem New Delhi: Turkish Police on Wednesday detained at least five suspected Islamic State group militants believed to be linked to the deadly Istanbul nightclub attack, Turkey's state-run news agency reported. Anadolu Agency said the operation was launched in the Aegean port city of Izmir and was under way as reported last. The gunman, who killed 39 people, including two Indians, during New Year's celebrations, has not been publicly named and is still at large. The IS group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded nearly 70 people. The private Dogan news agency said the police operation targeted three families who had arrived in Izmir about 20 days ago from Konya a city in central Turkey where the gunman is thought to have been based before carrying out the nightclub attack. It said 27 people, including women and children, were taken into custody. At least 14 people were previously detained in connection with the attack, including two foreigners stopped Tuesday at the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport after police checked their cell phones and luggage, according to Anadolu. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Rob Shuter, president and chief executive officer of MTN Group, has resigned. MTN Nigeria Communications Plc in a disclosure informed the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the investing public of Mr Dhuters resignation Wednesday. The telecoms company said the official resigned from the board of MTN Nigeria, effective September 1. Uto Ukpana, Company Secretary of the firm, disclosed this in a notice posted on the website of the NSE in Lagos. The disclosure said that Mr Shuter, before his resignation, served as President and Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group Limited. He was appointed to the board of MTN Nigeria on April 13, 2017, the company said. The board of MTN Nigeria would like to express its appreciation to Mr Shuter for his exemplary leadership, focus, and commitment to the success of the company. The board wishes him the best in his future endeavours, the disclosure stated. MARIGOT:--- Following the closure of the border and the results communicated by the health authorities on people contaminated with COVID-19, a collective of 15 doctors from Saint-Martin refutes the decisions taken by the prefecture. Thus, doctors assure that The state compares us with a positive PCR card to an earlier card of hospitalized. The prefecture announces the Prefet (Alexandre Rochatte Prefet of Guadeloupe NDLR) contaminated in Saint-Martin when the incubation delays tell us he was contaminated in Guadeloupe. ARS announces on RFO the return of the epidemic due to Americans 4 days before Juliana's first plane. On behalf of these 3 findings, we were sold the border closure, for health reasons, to reduce the brewing of populations. Current positive cases are mostly healthy carriers, most noncontagious. Consider them as vaccinated ", not as dangerous. Elderly and fragile patients must always be protected, but this has nothing to do with border closure. The sub-prefecture (NDLR delegate prefecture) manages COVID -19 without talking to any of the doctors in Saint-Martin. The number of positive biological tests is the only argument against us, and it's not scientific. It's pretty likely that the border will be closed for an obvious political reason. Our patients don't have money anymore, they don't all eat at their hunger. Those who live on the Dutch side cannot heal themselves easily. The economy on both sides of the island periclite dangerously. Now, kids no longer have the right to go to school. Even though nothing medically justifies what has not happened anywhere else in metropolitan France. If we as Island doctors do not have the power to stop border closures, we have a duty to warn the population that this has nothing to do with useful medical measures in the current state of the pandemic. Madame *, please stop what doesn't take place, reopen the borders, and let Saint-Martin live and breathe ". Dr Marc Thibault, Dr Joel Gomez, Dr Pierre-Yves Merlet; Dr Jean-Marie Galeotti, Dr Roland Demambeke, Dr Valerie Schreiber, Dr Benjamin Mekki, Dr Julien Pichon, Dr Yves Journo, Dr Bernard Vassel, Dr Blaise Bartoli, Dr Jean Francois Bartoli, Dr Patrice Filipigh, Dr Christophe Chelle, Dr Bertrand Lacotte... In the St. Clair County Health Departments weekly Facebook Live update on COVID-19-related issues on Aug. 27, Medical Health Officer Dr. Annette Mercatante discussed various topics including public health guidelines, back-to-school measures and the flu vaccine. From Aug. 20 to 27, St. Clair County had a slight uptick on average new cases per day, as well as the percent positivity rate of testing. Mercatante also noted that the Detroit and Saginaw Michigan Economic Recovery regions of the MI Safe Start Map moved to a high risk level due to a sustained period with case levels over 40 per million and positivity percentage at 4% or higher. That means we are surrounded by communities that have much higher transmission rates than we do, she said. So were still doing well, but were starting to see a slight increase in the other direction and we have to understand that some of our neighbors are really struggling to keep those numbers down. She said the county will likely continue to see a seesaw effect in regards to case numbers. When we pull back, and we do less, we see less cases, she said. And when we go out and do more, we see more cases. Thats just going to be the nature of our condition. Mercatante also mentioned that testing continues to be somewhat problematic, as resources are not always constantly available and there are some delays. Overall, since the onset of testing, the county has seen about a 5% percent positivity rate. Cumulative numbers are sometimes pretty impactful when you realize just the number of people that have had this disease, she said. A small proportion, however, of the total population. That can be a good and bad thing. In my mind, it means we have a lot further to go. We cant even hope to reach herd immunity or see some kind of stabilization until a much larger portion of our population has been infected or has been vaccinated. Were still talking about at the very most, 5% of our population thats had an infection here in St. Clair County. A commenter asked about new guidelines that the CDC has put out in regards to testing. Mercatante said the guideline that is most impactful is that the CDC no longer automatically recommends testing after an exposure to a COVID-19 case. That is quite honestly not that different from what were already advising, she said. If you find out today that you were exposed to somebody yesterday and you run off and get tested today, that test quite honestly is not very meaningful. Its not likely that you would show positivity that quickly. The sweet spots a little bit more like six or seven days. She noted that for those who have an exposure that warrants quarantine, a negative test would not mean that they do not have to quarantine for the full period, which is 14 days. She also mentioned that those who feel sick still need to get tested and that tests are still available for those who feel like they have a high-risk exposure. But what the CDC is really saying is allowing us to not automatically test people when we feel like the value to that test is very small, she said. School procedures Someone asked what the procedure will be for outbreaks in the schools, like if the whole classroom or school will be quarantined or if the region will go back to phase 3 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers reopening plan. Mercatante said it depends on the data and that the health department will be watching the data both for community transmission and transmission within the school. So we have an isolated case in a classroom and that classroom is already using strict risk reduction measures everyones masked, everyones far apart from each other, no ones congregating in multiple groups we could probably safely just isolate that student: send them home and just quarantine the students that were in fact within 6 feet of that individual longer than 15 minutes, if were confident and comfortable with that, she said. If were not, perhaps the whole classroom would need to be quarantined. Were not going to start talking about closing schools or sending anyone home for a few days to 14 days until we can see that there is ongoing transmission within a classroom or within a school building, and that decision about ongoing transmission is really based on our investigations, she continued. Where was this person likely to have gotten infected? If they got infected from another place, and not the school, you hold off a little bit more. So, see, theres a lot of judgement involved with this. Mercatante assured that officials are not anxious to close the schools down very quickly. We want to make sure that kids can stay in the classrooms as long as the risk is reasonably low, she said. But as soon as we start seeing a lot of transmission from student to student, its quite clear well have to do something. She said there are options, including putting more strict reductions in place or sending everyone home for 14 days. I understand thats a little vague, but thats the way its going to have to go, she said. Its going to have to go situation to situation and well learn as we go. When asked what advice she would give to parents about the school year, Mercatante said parents should urge children to wear masks, teach them how to wear them properly and make sure they are used to them. She also said parents should get children used to the idea that it will not be school as normal. Theyre going to be staying in classrooms; theyre not going to be hanging out with their friends, she said. So talk to your kids about the importance of staying with the groups theyre assigned. If the kids have only interacted within a small group, we only have to quarantine that small group. If theyve been relating and playing and doing everything with all the other (kids), all those other kids now are involved. She also noted that kids should not interact with other groups once school is over, either. More than anything, I would urge parents to really work with your kids, Mercatante said. This is not going to be easy, but it sure beats them staying home all the time. So work with them to understand this is temporary. Its something were going to have to go through for a while, but not permanently, but it makes all the difference in the world to kind of do the right thing. Flu vaccines Several commenters asked questions about the flu vaccine this year. Mercatante said health department employees are concerned this year about dealing with the flu at the same time as they are dealing with COVID-19 and encouraged people to get it. She mentioned that there have been concerns that the vaccine does not last through the entire flu season for the elderly and the immune compromised. The sweet spot is to get the vaccine in September, by the end of October, because some of our earliest flu seasons start in October, so we want to make sure that people have that protection before flu season starts, she said. Now if you get it a little later, its OK; if youve got it a little sooner, its OK. The most important thing is to get the flu shot. She said the flu shot should be available soon most places and is already available in some places. When asked if someone who does not usually get the flu shot should get it this year, she said yes. This would be a great year to start, she said. Its a safe vaccine, it definitely protects you from the more serious forms of the infection, it keeps people out of the hospital, it reduces the spread. Its a win-win, people; its a win for all of us. And the more people that get vaccinated, the better it works. A light flu season is going to be a huge win for us, she added. A heavy flu season is really going to challenge us a great deal in addition to the COVID. New Delhi: Various political parties on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of assembly elections in five states with BJP exuding confidence of victory due to the positive undercurrent post demonetisation and Congress urging Election Commission to ensure free and fair polls. State elections are fought largely on the state-level issues...(but) there is a positive undercurrent for BJP across the country which is what we have seen post-demonetisation. There is a strong undercurrent. Therefore, we expect to win all the states...our stakes are the lowest, but our gains are going to be highest, BJP national spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said. ALSO READ: (Assembly elections: Real litmus test for PM Modi begins as 16 cr voters set to give their mandate in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa, Punjab polls) To drive his point, Rao cited the examples of the partys impressive show in the recently held by-elections and civic polls, particularly in Gujarat and Maharashtra. He said BJP is now going to be an important player in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Stating that BJP did not enjoy a big strength in Manipur earlier, he said, his party has done really well in the by-elections there. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala described the polls to the five states including Uttarakhand and Manipur, where his party will seek another term in row, as a yagna of democracy and urged the EC to ensure free, fair and independent polls. We also hope that the use of muscle power, abuse of government power and misuse of money power will be checked once and for all and it will be good for democracy, he said, while welcoming the poll schedule. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose AAP is fancying chances of clinching power in Punjab and Goa, claimed the situation in the two states, where the BJP is in power or sharing it, is bad and people want to bring in an honest government led by his party in the upcoming polls. Both in Punjab and Goa, the situation is bad. In Punjab, people want to throw the BJP coalition government and bring in an honest AAP government so that they get freed from drugs and corruption, he said. Sanjay Raut, an MP from NDA constituent Shiv Sena, said poll preparations of the saffron party are complete, particularly in northern states and BJP-ruled Goa. Shiv Sena is holding an important meeting chaired by party president Uddhav Thackeray where such issues will be discussed. Our preparations are complete for the polls, he said. Naresh Agrawal, who was recently expelled by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh in the midst of feud within the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh, insisted the EC to see the budget session announced by the central government be postponed to ensure that the voters do not get influenced. The manner in which the budget session has been convened in between the polls, we will urge the Election Commission to get it postponed, the way 2012 budget session was postponed, to ensure free and fair poll, Agarwal said. Targeting the BJP and Samajwadi Party, BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria said both the parties have caused harassment to people through goonda raj and demonetisation respectively and that the Mayawati-led party was eagerly waiting for announcement of dates to take on them. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh hailed the ECs decision to hold elections in the state in one go, a move, which he said, was in line with a request his party had made to the EC to ensure proper law and order situation during polls period there. This is good, we will beat both the Akali-BJP coalition and the AAP and they will know where Punjab is standing, he added. Congress Chief Ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, Sheila Dikshit, too said the party will go for a time-bound programme in the politically crucial state and will contest to win. BJP leader from Uttarakhand, Vijay Bahuguna, said people from the hill state were awaiting to throw the corrupt and anti-people Congress government, led by Harish Rawat. He said the party will bank on Prime Minister Narendra Modis canvassing to gain power. ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS: FULL COVERAGE For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. "Trust is like blood pressure. It's silent, vital to good health, and if abused it can be deadly." Frank Sonnenberg, author of Follow Your Conscience Theres a lot that goes into building a business: a solid vision, a talented team, and a product that resonates with consumers and investors. Each is essential to a companys success. But the glue that holds it all together is trust. In the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, respondents identified brand trust as one of the most important factors they consider before buying something: Eighty-one percent of respondents said they must be able to trust the brand to do what is right. Weve seen over and over what happens when a company betrays the publics trust take Facebook, Volkswagen, Uber, and Equifax. Once trust is undermined, even the most powerful behemoths will struggle to recover and many never do. Beyond the risk of irreparably damaging your reputation, theres also a huge economic impact. In 2018, the Economist studied eight of the biggest recent business scandals and found that the median firm was valued at 30 percent less than it would have been otherwise. Companies that have broken trust have taught us that, though it takes time to build trust, it can be lost in an instant. Heres how to make sure you never let your stakeholders down. Be transparent Clients, like all people, like to be in the know. While its certainly possible to over-communicate, keeping your customers abreast of whats going on is always better than being opaque. Let them in on your goals and processes, and if something goes wrong, acknowledge the error. If youre caught trying to hide details, the goodwill youve established may be jeopardized. Related: 7 Ways to Build Consumer Trust Naturally As startup founder Rebekah Campbell said in an interview, telling small lies is the No. 1 reason entrepreneurs fail. Not because you are a bad person, Campbell explained. But because the act of lying plucks you from the present, preventing you from facing what is really going on in your world. Every time you overreport a metric, underreport a cost, are less than honest with a client or a member of your team, you create a false reality and you start living in it. At my company, JotForm, we launched a company Medium channel. I blog there myself, but also encourage every employee to write candidly about their work. This creates a window into whats going on behind the scenes. For existing clients, that window builds trust. For new clients, it creates buzz around our products. Under-promise (then over-deliver) The many corporate scandals that have littered the news cycle in recent years have taken their toll on consumer confidence. These days, when a customer feels theyve been deceived or manipulated, theyre unlikely to bring their business back to the brand responsible. That means its important to not only meet but exceed expectations. Entrepreneurs often over-commit because they want stakeholders to like them. But the quickest way to lose respect is to fail to keep promises. If it takes a week for a product to be delivered, say it will take two. If something will last for ten years, say it will last eight. Delivering more than expected be it service, time, convenience, or all three will add value to your brand and keep your clients loyal. As the poet George Macdonald said: "To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved." This is especially true in business, where trust means netting customers who will stick with you for the long haul. Be consistent Being consistent is one of the best ways to build trust. The more consistent you are with your brand, customer service, and offerings, the more your client base (and reputation) will grow. As the CEO of JotForm, much of my day is dedicated to maintaining a clear, compelling company narrative that extends both inward to my employees and outward to customers. Having a defined focus allows your team to excel at what they do while establishing a niche in the market. Related: Building Profitability By Building Trust As Bo Bothe of BrandExtract wrote in a blog post, there are three main building blocks of a consistent brand: Messaging: This may seem obvious, but your brands message should align with your companys values. If what youre offering feels inauthentic, or worse, cant be delivered, customers will feel misled. Design: Your brands imagery is an easy way to build customer recognition, and therefore, trust. Using the same themes across your logo, social media networks and print materials gives visible cohesion to your message. Delivery: How you communicate to your audience is a big part of maintaining consistency. Maybe you want a lively and engaging Twitter account, or maybe weekly blog posts are more your style. You can fine-tune your communication over time as you build a customer base and learn more about their preferences. When you do make changes, dont assume you know what customers want. Listen to feedback. Test any updates to products, processes, and systems on a small group, then measure user reactions and adjust accordingly. This helps to avoid jolting your customers with unexpected shifts and potentially undermining their trust. Be competent The Harvard Business Review points out that there are two types of competence. First, theres technical competence, which refers to the workaday aspects of developing, manufacturing, and selling a product or service. Then theres social competence, which involves having insight into your business environment and being able to adjust and react to changes accordingly. In the short term, technical competence is king. But social competence is necessary for any business that wants to flourish in the long term. Related: Why Trust Is the New Marketing Currency A great example is Uber: The rideshare company has had many missteps and scandals but continues to attract users because it fills a need and does it well. But over time, many of Ubers users became ambivalent about its social competence. As HBR claims: We dont trust Uber to treat its employees or customers well or to conduct business cleanly. In other words, we dont trust Ubers motives, means, or impact. As a result, the company has faltered, falling short of its projected users by three million in 2017, and eventually, ceding the market share to Lyft. Its IPO underperformed after its drivers went on strike and stock prices fell by 11 percent. Ubers floundering provides a valuable lesson for the rest of us: Trust isnt a short-term proposition. You need to prove, every day, that your values match your message. Related: How to Earn Your Clients' Trust (and Keep It) Jerry Falwell Jr. Says He Knows What Being Unfaithful Is Like. So Do I. Selling Through Service Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Here we round up new and forthcoming childrens titles including a book about brothers, a picture book about protest, a royal romp, a celebration of non-traditional families, and many more. The Blue Wings by Jef Aerts, trans. from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson, illus. by Martijn van der Linden. Levine Querido, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-008-4. Aertss offbeat middle grade novel depicts the bond between 11-year-old Josh and 16-year-old Jadran, brothers who are so close they fall asleep matching the rhythm of their breaths. Love Is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer, illus. by LeUyen Pham. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0199-4. In a picture book inspired by a young friend of the author who participated in the January 2017 New York City Womens March, Brewer presents an endearing portrait of a Black mother and daughter who take part in a citywide protest. Get Up, Elizabeth! by Shirin Yim Bridges, illus. by Alea Marley. Cameron Kids, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-944-90394-7. The Elizabeth of the title is none other than a very young Queen Elizabeth I (still technically a princess in these pages), and any reader whos been thrust into a stifling party outfit will have built-in empathy as little Bess is roused from her comfy four-poster bed and prepped for a big court appearance. My Family, Your Family! by Kathryn Cole, illus. by Cornelia Li. Second Story, $10.95; ISBN 978-1-77260-133-6. This board book employs a rhythmic structure to illustrateand celebratea fluid, inclusive model of family, centering families whose parental roles are unshared, shared over distance, multigenerational, or otherwise untraditional. One Time by Sharon Creech. HarperCollins/Cotler, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-257074-1. In short, vignette-like chapters, Newbery Medalist Creech expertly develops a relatable, amusingly foibled castincluding Ginas inquisitive schoolmates and demanding Italian relativesand classroom verve conveyed via a scriptlike immediacy. The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-285454-4. Siblings chase after the inheritance due them atop a moving island in this fantastical middle grade novel. The book earned a starred review from PW. Fern and Otto: A Story About Two Best Friends by Stephanie Graegin. Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-593-12130-6. Fern, a large brown bear, draws a quiet story about having lunch and a nap, but Otto, a small, adventure-loving tabby, finds it wanting, so the two set off into the forest in search of story fodder. Digging for Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built by Angela Burke Kunkel, illus. by Paola Escobar. Random House/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-984892-63-8. Spotlighting Jose Alberto Gutierrez, who founded the first library in his Bogota barrio by rescuing books from the trash, this moving tale details the power and pleasure of books. Lupe Wong Wont Dance by Donna Barba Higuera. Levine Querido, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-64614-003-9. Higuera updates an age-old American PE tradition with thoroughly modern sensibilities in this earnest, comedic novel, which follows outspoken half-Chinese, half-Mexican seventh-grader Guadalupe Lupe Wong and her crusade to cancel square dancing. The middle grade novel earned a starred review from PW. The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth, illus. by Deborah Lee. Roaring Brook, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-155726. Aspiring investigative reporter Nadia Quick, 12, is on the hunt for a scoop. The only childs love of Superman, especially ace reporter Lois Lane, inspires her to cast neighborhood kids in comics roles in this middle grade novel. Bearmouth by Liz Hyder. Norton Young Readers, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-324-01586-4. Inspired by the real-life experiences of miners in Victorian times, debut author Hyders ambitious coal mining thriller stars narrator Newt, a young person who questions the deplorable conditions in the Bearmouth mine. The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. HarperTeen, $19.99; ISBN 978-0-06-289333-8. Coauthors Kaufman and Spooner (the Unearthed duology) reunite for this propulsive, tender-hearted YA duology opener, which juxtaposes the fallibility of religion with the power of faith. Cloud Hopper by Beth Kephart, illus. by William Sulit. Penelope, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-73422-590-7. Kephart (The Great Upending) creates a quirky group with a capacity for friendship that amuses and endears, and provides a nuanced look at immigration and found family in this middle grade novel. These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin. Inkyard, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-335-14587-1. For years, a secret student cabal has ruled Heller High School using a system of owed favors to rig homecoming elections, change exam results, expose dalliances, and more. Certain that they paralyzed her older sister from the waist down, the protagonist of this YA thriller has positioned herself to enter the society with the goal of destroying the group from within. The Haunted Lake by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0013-3. With atmospheric spreads and suitably eerie prose, Lynch (Patrick and the President) spins a yarn about a drowned village in this picture book. Just a Story by Jeff Mack. Holiday House/Porter, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-8234-4663-6. Extolling literatures transportive properties, this picture book follows a child who discovers a magical purple tome at the library that comes alive. Evelyn del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina, illus. by Sonia Sanchez. Candlewick, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-0704-0. Friends Daniela and Evelyn play and prepare for their separation while movers pack Evelyns familys belongings. The book earned a starred review from PW. Revver the Speedway Squirrel by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Alex Willan. Bloomsbury, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-5476-0361-9. The author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and its offshoots makes her middle grade debut in this series launch introducing a squirrel mesmerized by the zooming vehicles populating the racetrack below his family nest. The Dare Sisters by Jess Rinker. Imprint, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-21338-9. With a clear love for the area and its rich history, Rinkers debut middle grade adventure draws readers into the lore of Ocracoke Island, N.C., and the lives of three sisters searching for Blackbeards lost treasure. Nobody Knows but You Anica Mrose Rissi. Quill Tree, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-0626-8531-5. Rissi (Always Forever Maybe) intersperses news reports, eyewitness testimony, personal letters and texts, and court transcripts to recount the eight weeks that led to a brutal murder at Camp Cavanick in this YA suspense novel. The Mystery of the Masked Medalist (Kudo Kids #1) by Maia and Alex Shibutani with Michelle Schusterman, illus. by Yaoyao Ma Van As. Razorbill, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-593-11373-8. This swiftly paced caper by the Shibutanis, siblings who have won multiple Olympic and world medals for ice dancing, launches a mystery series starring Mika and Andy Kudo, Japanese American siblings from Los Angeles. Meme by Aaron Starmer. Dutton, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-7352-3192-4. Starmer (Spontaneous) crafts a neo-noir-flavored revenge thriller that stabs at the heart of 21st-century isolation, in which three teens band together against a bully. The House by the Lake: The True Story of a House, Its History, and the Four Families Who Made It Home by Thomas Harding, illus. by Britta Teckentrup. Candlewick Studio, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-5362-1274-7. Harding adapts his adult memoir of the same name for younger readers, tracing the shadow of war as it falls across a one-story cottage and the people who share it. The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party by Allan Wolf. Candlewick, $21.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-6324-7. In this ambitious novel in verse about the infamous 19th-century expedition, Wolf (The Day the Universe Exploded My Head) accomplishes the seemingly impossible: an evocative and sympathetic rendering of a horrific historical event. My Day with Gong Gong by Sennah Yee, illus. by Elaine Chen. Annick, $18.95; ISBN 978-1-77321-429-0. May, a girl of Chinese descent who only knows English, is nervous about spending the day with her grandfather, who mainly speaks Cantonese. The picture book earned a starred review from PW. For more childrens and YA titles on sale throughout the month of September, check out PWs full On-Sale Calendar. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan has reiterated that his administration will protect and develop urban green spaces in the Armenian capital. From now on not a single green space in Yerevan will be given up, he said in a video released by City Hall. Green spaces wont serve for other purposes, and those spaces which are mapped as green but in reality stopped being so long ago due to nonexistent irrigation will be restored, he said. I toured several green spaces in Yerevan, I got acquainted with the existing issues and the works which are done to resolve the problems. The new Greening and Environment Preservation organization is doing a huge job, he said. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan A man holds a rainbow umbrella during the 2015 Queer Festival in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Discord in Korean churches over LGBT issues By Kang Hyun-kyung In the sultry summer evening of Aug. 15, missionary and HIV patient Park Jin-kwon took to the stage for a speech at a small rally in front of the progressive minor Justice Party headquarters in Yoido, Seoul. Park, a self-claimed "ex-gay" man, shared his story about his "born-again life" after he became a heterosexual. Wearing a mask and a black T-shirt, he was panting and his voice cracked as his emotions intensified when he spoke about the wildest dream he once had as a gay man and the ensuing tribulations that traumatized him, his parents and siblings. "I dreamed of the days when same-sex marriage would be widely accepted and become a norm," he said. "I mean, the days when people don't judge homosexuals just because they are married to same-sex people. If such days had come, it would have meant the realization of my version of utopia." "I would think how wonderful it would be if technology were to help people like me who were eager to conceive and give birth to a baby with my loved one. That's why I was so excited back in 2018 when I read a news article about scientific advances which told such days might come in the near future." Park said he belatedly learned his family suffered a lot because of him. Several people who stood behind him recited "amen" whenever he finished a sentence. Their faces were covered with sweat and their shirts soaked with sweat. Park's wife stood next to him during his speech to show her support for her husband who had the courage to share his traumatic past with others to "enlighten" them. The "ex-gay" ritual, in which people who became heterosexual give testimonies about their former gay lives to encourage others to follow suit, are part of the Saturday rally. Since July, Christian activists have gathered in front of the Justice Party headquarters every Saturday to pressure the party to stop pushing for the anti-discrimination bill. It singles out 26 specific discrimination categories, including sexual orientation and sexual identity, and calls for a ban on discrimination based on any of these. Yeom An-sub, the founder of the anti-gay group Rainbow Returns, which organizes the Saturday rallies, calls the gatherings a peaceful "outdoor prayer meeting." The number of protesters was around 100 until early August. But due to coronavirus-driven social distancing rules, 10 or fewer people have joined it on Aug. 15. Yeom, a family medicine doctor and president of Sudong Yeonsei Hospital in Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province, calls the anti-discrimination bill a toxic measure that will open up Korea to becoming a dictatorship. "If the bill gets the nod from the National Assembly and takes effect, people like me who warn of the health risks of homosexuality publicly on YouTube will face 5 million won or more of punitive damages," he told The Korea Times in a recent interview. "This is nonsensical, considering that in Korea, the HIV virus is transmitted from person to person mainly through sexual intercourse between gay men." He accused the anti-discrimination bill of being a legislative device to curb freedom of expression and freedom of conscience. Yeom has treated AIDS patients since 2009 and met Park when he visited his hospital for treatment. The doctor has become an anti-homosexuality crusader while treating many AIDS patients and watching them die from the deadly virus. Protestant church members urge the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to take down the rainbow flag hung on its wall in support of sexual minorities, during a news conference held in front of the embassy on May 25, 2019, ahead of the Queer Culture Festival. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk The anti-discrimination bill, submitted by Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young on June 29, has divided Korean society. Some Protestant churches became vocal critics and the initiative has pitted them against the progressive party as well as the liberal Moon Jae-in government. The first anti-discrimination bill was introduced in 2007 when liberal President Roh Moo-hyun was in power. It failed as churches vehemently opposed it and Roh's tenure and the National Assembly ended the next year. Since then, there have been several attempts to push it forward, but they were in vain because of opposition from Protestant churches. The churches deemed homosexuality "a sin" based on their interpretation of the Bible. The anti-discrimination bill also has pitted churches against each other as some religious leaders side with sexual minorities and claim that discrimination based on sexual orientation is not what Jesus tried to teach. Lim Bo-rah, a pastor of the Sumdol Presbyterian Church in Mapo-gu, Seoul, is one of the few Christian supporters of the anti-discrimination bill. "While growing up in the church, I haven't heard that protecting sexual minorities is against the Bible," she said when asked how she became an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) advocate. Sumdol is one of the few Korean churches that have adopted an open-door policy for homosexual believers. Her church had about 65 members who regularly came to the church for Sunday worship services before the services went online after the coronavirus outbreak. About half of them are LGBT people, according to the pastor. "The Christian Council of Korea (CCK) has been at the forefront of the anti-gay movement from the early 2000s," Lim said. "(Conservative churches) united again recently to fight back against the anti-discrimination bill. Their simplistic rhetoric makes no sense. But it works. "For example, they ask people if they would be OK if their daughters-in-law are men. They say this will become the reality if the bill is approved. Their rhetoric goes further and claims 'if the anti-discrimination bill takes effect, the idea of family will be destroyed and this will further affect other traditional values. Ultimately, the nation is heading into a socialist state.' This kind of logic strikes a chord with the older generation, particularly those who are in their 50s or older." Lim suggests there is a right-wing conspiracy theory behind conservative church leaders' opposition to the anti-discrimination bill, claiming they are portraying sexual minorities as their common threat, just as they stoked a "red scare" in the past when they allegedly cooperated with the authoritarian government to define communists as their common enemy. According to Lim, Protestant churches in Korea, particularly megachurches, were able to expand enormously by siding with the authoritarian government's anti-communist campaign. "Korean churches didn't confront the dictatorship in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s," she said. "In fact, the dictatorship and the megachurches collaborated in the anti-communist campaign and the churches benefitted from it, in terms of church attendance." There is a different interpretation about the CCK's anti-communist stance. Its founding fathers, including the late Rev. Han Kyung-chik, knew well of the suffering of churches under the North Korean communist party. Religion, including Christianity, is likened to prohibited drugs and their effects on people are as bad as drug addiction, according to popular communist narratives. The CCK founding fathers were born in now North Korea and experienced communist party persecution. Korean protesters wearing hanbok beat drums and cry out in protest against homosexuality during the 2015 Queer Culture Festival in Seoul. The sign the woman holds reads "A country built through blood and sweat collapses due to homosexuality." / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Rev. Lim claimed protecting homosexuals has nothing to do with socialism or communist ideology. Her advocacy for LGBT people dates back to the 2000s when the first round of debate about homosexuals heated up. It came about a decade after sexual minorities began to organize themselves in the 1990s for collective action to influence the policymaking process in their favor. Lim participated in the Queer festivals that became controversial among conservative church members. Her iconic robes show her pro-LGBT stance. Wearing a white gown with a long stole featuring the rainbow LGBT logo, she presides over the Sunday worship services. From 2015, Lim teamed up with other experts in a project to translate the 2006 book, "The Queer Bible Commentary," into Korean. She said the translation has been completed and several theology professors are now reviewing the draft before its scheduled publication later this year. The pastor was ostracized by conservative Protestant churches because of her pro-LGBT activities. In September 2018, the conservative denomination Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) issued a statement in which it claimed Rev. Lim was preaching heresy and the views revealed in her writing were "non-biblical and highly heretical." Some theology experts, including retired theology professor Heo Ho-ick, criticized the PCK's ruling. In his 2019 book, "Is Homosexuality a Sin?: Theological and Historical Perspectives on Homosexuality," Heo said the PCK overreacted to Rev. Lim. "Homosexuality is not a simple issue. Without deeper understanding of it ignorance and bias can fool the people," it reads. Based on publications about homosexuality, the retired theologian encouraged people to use flexibility in biblical interpretation. For example, Heo claimed the demise of the cities Sodom and Gomorrah mentioned in the Bible was not directly related to homosexuality. Those cities caused the wrath of God because the people turned a deaf ear to what God said to them, he said. Heo faced the same fate Rev. Lim experienced. He also was ostracized by the PCK for his book and his remarks in media interviews. Protestant churches stand firm on homosexuality. They claim there are several biblical scriptures that indicate homosexuality is a sin. In addition to Genesis, they said Corinthians and Romans, and several other scriptures in the Old and New Testaments prohibit same-sex love. Homosexuality has created a dispute between the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and its member denomination PCK. On July 16, the PCK demanded that NCCK Secretary General Lee Hong-jung, who is also part of the same denomination, clarify publicly his position on homosexuality and the anti-discrimination bill. The request came months after the NCCK committee issued a statement in April, immediately after the National Assembly elections, urging the newly elected lawmakers to introduce and pass the bill. In a statement released last week, Lee answered the PCK's questions. The NCCK secretary general didn't back down and showed his support for the bill. "The bill aims to protect minorities and their socio-political rights," he said. "Thus, I think the churches and the minorities can share the goal of the bill and it should be the starting point for the Christian mission to embrace the minorities." Lee said the PCK's vision states the denomination neither hates nor discriminates against minorities. But he said its reaction to the anti-discrimination bill is contradictory to its declared vision. An insider said the NCCK leader was trying to address the reality Korean churches are facing. "Sexual minorities are part of the churches. This is a fact," he said, asking not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media on the issue. "So, inside the NCCK, a consensus was made that churches need to protect and take care of them. We are working on guidelines to help churches protect sexual minorities." Asked to what extent the NCCK is open-minded to homosexuals and if the coalition even considers easing internal rules to allow LGBT people to become pastors or take other leadership posts, he said, the NCCK, albeit more open-mined to LGBT people than conservative churches, is cautious about such topics and is yet to decide any further about lifting or changing rules on eligibilities of church leaders. "At the moment, the NCCK leadership thinks discrimination based on sexual orientation or sexual identity is not right," he said. "There is no further discussion about the issue." Son Bong-ho, a retired philosophy professor, Christian activist and author, said homosexuality is a touchy issue that put the churches to the test. For some the focal point of the pros and cons debate lies in whether being homosexual is a choice people make, or genetic. "So far, the issue was not resolved," he said in his book, "Protestant Churches Were Pushed Back to the Periphery from Core." Dean Hamer, a retired molecular biologist and author of "The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into Our Genes," said there is no such thing as a gay gene. But he said this doesn't mean that homosexuality is not genetic. "There are probably many different genes that affect our sexual orientation. We don't know what they are yet. We don't know exactly how they work. But there is very convincing evidence that makes us believe they exist," he said in a 2013 YouTube video produced by the Truth Wins Out group. The reporter contacted Dr. Hamer through Facebook message for comments on any progress made since 2013 but he didn't respond. Son said homosexuals may want to emulate the apostle Paul who had an unwanted thorn in his flesh as stated in the Bible (2 Corinthians 12:7). "It's not clear exactly what the thorn the apostle Paul had was about," he said. "But it's apparent that it was painful and he prayed to God three times to remove it from his body. But God didn't answer his prayer." "If homosexuality is genetic and sexual orientation is predetermined before people are born so it is not a thing they can fix they can look into how the apostle Paul had lived a life as a possible model. He took the thorn as part of his body and endured the pain all his life. He himself didn't attempt to remove it from his body. Meanwhile, people who have homosexuals around will want to sympathize with them, not blame them for their traits, and accept them as they are." Participants beam during the 2015 Queer Culture Festival in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 00:50:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in India on Thursday urged India to rectify discriminatory practices violating rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with regard to the Indian government's decision of blocking 118 Chinese mobile apps. In response to media questions, Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, said that China is seriously concerned and firmly opposes the Indian government's decision to prohibit mobile apps affiliated with China with the excuse of "national security." "We urge the Indian government to rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules, and provide an open, fair and impartial business environment for all market players from various countries including China," said the spokesperson. "The Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations," she said. "The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment," she said. "Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country's development. It's the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent," she stressed. Noting that "China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than strategic threats," she said that the essence of economic and trade cooperation between China and India is for mutual benefit and results. "We hope that India will work with China to maintain the hard-won cooperation and development situation and return to the right path of win-win cooperation," she added. On Wednesday, the Indian government decided to block access to the 118 mobile apps after the country prohibited the use of 59 other Chinese-made apps in late June. Enditem As logging trucks full of cleared-off timber rumbled in the background, Whitfield County officials gathered Wednesday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony some 10 years in the making. When the county commissioners purchased land for the Carbondale Business Park south of Dalton a decade ago, they hoped to attract an automotive parts manufacturer. That dream has finally been realized with GEDIA Automotive Group, a German-based company that plans to be producing parts by next year in Whitfield County for a new Mercedes-Benz electric car line to be built in Alabama. I am absolutely thrilled, Commission Chairman Lynn Laughter said after the ceremony. I was not a commissioner when this property was bought, but I know the goal has been to get an auto parts manufacturer for the whole time. Ive been a commissioner now for eight years, and the JDA (Joint Development Authority) and the county commissioners have worked really, really hard to attract a company like this. Ironically, GEDIAs new facility will be located next door to Hanwha Q-Cells, a solar manufacturing facility. I think were turning into an environmentally friendly business park, Commissioner Laughter said, and I just love that. GEDIA initially plans to hire 200 employees at the 200,000-square-foot, $85 million facility, with the potential to double the size of the building eventually, according to Carl Campbell, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield JDA. Theyll break ground this week, starting today with a photo, Mr. Campbell said. Their permits are approved now for the land disturbance, so they will be working quickly from here on. They anticipate having the building complete at some point in the middle of next year. After they get the equipment on line, the way the automotive industry works is that GEDIA will run parts to submit to the customer to test, and then if everything is correct, if all the tolerances are right, then theyll go into production. Itll be a fast-paced process. GEDIA Michigan President Karl Neef says the professionalism of the JDA and the county commission helped the company make its selection to expand in Whitfield County. The site is good, and the support we get from all the guys, especially Carl and Ali Harp at the JDA, is outstanding, Mr. Neef said. I really love that because I havent had support to that perfection before, so they take care of us. Mr. Neef said he believes GEDIA is in the right spot by expanding to Whitfield County. Calling it a perfect decision, Mr. Neef noted the available labor force here as well as the proximity to Chattanooga and Atlanta, with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport available for easy flights in and out. All of that actually played into our cards here and was favorable for us to make that decision to come here, he said. Mr. Neef praised the availability of skilled workers familiar with industrial applications because of Whitfield Countys long history of manufacturing. When it comes down to skilled labor, if youre out there in the middle of nowhere, its hard to find the right people, let alone attract them, he said. And we felt this was a lot better. Mr. Campbell seconded that notion. I think the fact that we have such a long heritage of manufacturing that they felt like we had the infrastructure in place and the workers in the region to fill their needs, he said. Were not trying to get into manufacturing, weve been doing it a long time already. Certainly their processes will be different from some of the processes that we already see here, but more and more everythings automated and computerized so they felt good enough about our area that they felt like they could set up a home base here and be successful. While the companys metalwork jobs may require skills new to some local workers, Mr. Campbell says a lot of folks in our community are driving to Chattanooga to do these same type jobs at various companies around Volkswagen and will just need to learn the GEDIA-specific tasks. Certainly these are high-skill jobs that will take some effort and some skill and some learning, Mr. Campbell said, but they feel like they can find the people they need here with help from Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Dalton State and the state team at Quick Start, that they can get ready to go. GEDIA comes to Georgia with more than 100 years of experience and supplies lightweight structural automotive parts to Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and others. Earlier, company CEO Markus Schaumburg said moving closer to the original equipment manufacturers will allow GEDIA, which already operates a facility in Michigan, to serve the American market even better. The heart of our plant in Whitfield County will be the hot-forming line with our patented TemperBox, which will allow us to broaden our product range and expand our value chain for a constantly evolving automotive market, said Helmut Hinkel, an additional CEO. The highly innovative GEDIA TemperBox takes tailored tempering technology to the next level, enabling us to create body components with lower weight and significantly higher crash safety performance while at the same time conserving energy and material. GEDIA will use state-of-the-art press hardening, tempering, and automated welding processes to produce parts for electric vehicles, with operations expected to begin here in the third quarter of 2021. The company will be offering opportunities for management and staff positions, highly skilled technicians, and production workers. Individuals interested in a career with GEDIA should visit gedia.com/en/careers/overview. Carbondale Business Park still has locations suitable for three pretty good sized and several smaller facilities, according to Mr. Campbell. We can get 275,000 square feet on the site just south of this one, he said. Another spot has a graded pad thats ready for 100,000 square feet. The cell tower sits on 30 acres right beside I-75 we can probably put 350,000 square feet on that. Then weve got a lot of other spots good for 30,000 to 75,000 square feet, so weve still got some room probably three more big splashes and then a lot of little ones. Video above: Joe Biden to visit Kenosha on Thursday Presidential nominee Joe Biden is in Wisconsin to meet with members of the Kenosha community after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, took a private jet from Delaware to Milwaukee Thursday morning. They met privately with members of Blake's family for about an hour. Blake joined by phone from his hospital bed, according to his attorney. "The family was grateful for the meeting and was very impressed that the Bidens were so engaged and willing to really listen," Attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. "Jacobs mother led them all in prayer for Jacobs recovery. They talked about changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions, the impact of selecting Kamala Harris as a Black woman as his running mate, and Vice President Bidens plans for change. "Mr. Blake Sr. talked about the need for systemic reform because the excessive use of force by police against minorities has been going on for far too long. Jacob Jr. shared about the pain he is enduring, and the vice president commiserated. "The vice president told the family that he believes the best of America is in all of us and that we need to value all our differences as we come together in Americas great melting pot. "It was very obvious that Vice President Biden cared, as he extended to Jacob Jr. a sense of humanity, treating him as a person worthy of consideration and prayer." Meeting with members of the Kenosha community at Grace Lutheran Church, Biden made the point about not being able to truly put himself in the shoes of a Black parent who has to worry every time their child leaves the house. Several dozens of people lined the streets of Kenosha to see Biden. Biden's visit comes two days after President Donald Trump made a visit to Kenosha. The city's mayor asked Trump and Biden to wait until next week to visit. Residents remained divided on visits from Trump and Biden. Video: Trump, Biden visits to Kenosha are talk of town Federal Charges Brought Against Portland Rioters Following FBI Investigations A Portland woman and Seattle man allegedly involved in rioting in Portland in recent weeks were charged by federal prosecutors with civil disorder. The charges are the first of their kind brought by Billy Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, as federal focus on Oregons largest city intensifies. Michelle Peterson OConnor, 31, was among a crowd of agitators that targeted the Portland Police Bureaus North Precinct early on Aug. 24, Williamss office said. As police officers worked to disperse rioters who refused to clear the area, they witnessed OConnor pick up a helmet from the ground and chuck it an officer who was arresting another person, according to court documents. OConnor was arrested without incident. The Portland resident appeared in federal court on Wednesday and was released pending further proceedings. If convicted, OConnor faces up to five years in federal prison. According to her LinkedIn page, OConnor is a sales manager at Portland Paramount Hotel. The hotel didnt immediately respond to an inquiry. Jesse Herman Bates, 38, of Seattle, was charged for allegedly shooting a firefighter with a ball bearing during unrest in Portland on July 13. According to court documents, firefighters were trying to douse a fire in the middle of an intersection in downtown that was blocking traffic. A crowd of approximately 300 people were in the area. Some of them were assaulting police officers and damaging and vandalizing property. A demonstrator picks up a lit flare while a fire burns on the Portland Police North Precinct during a riot in Portland, Ore., Aug. 23, 2020. (Terray Sylvester/Reuters) A firefighter who was crossing the street to brief his team was struck in the chest with a round metal ball bearing. The firefighter said the shot came from a person in the crowd who fired the bearing using a wrist rocket-style slingshot. A Multnomah County Sheriffs Office deputy saw the suspect on camera and identified him as Bates. Bates was found around 3:50 a.m. with a crowbar in his hand in Lownsdale Square, which has regularly been used as a staging area during riots. Bates fled from officers but was arrested after being hit by a less lethal munition to his backside. Bates was later released. Police detectives in Seattle late last month received Batess outstanding federal arrest warrant and circulated it across the police department. Officers checked his last known address and found out Bates spent time at Cal Anderson Park, the nexus of the so-called autonomous zone in Seattle. Officers spotted Bates near the park on Tuesday and took him into custody. He was transferred to Oregon by the FBI. Bates also faces up to five years in prison. Reached by The Epoch Times, the public defender representing both Bates and OConner, Robert Hamilton, declined to comment. Renn Cannon, who heads the FBI in Portland, told the Associated Press last week that the bureau was shifting agents from fraud and organized crime teams to focus on crimes committed during the unrest thats shaken the city since May 28. Officials were making the assessment that we should be trying to do a little more than we have, because the cumulative effects and the nature of the problem indicate that the community needs help, Cannon said. Another step toward quelling the unrest came this week as the U.S. Marshals Service cross-deputized Oregon State Police troopers who were sent back to the city following a deadly shooting on Saturday. The move was widely seen as aimed at bypassing Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidts office, which recently announced that prosecutors would presumptively drop charges against some people arrested during protests and riots. We continue to prioritize public safety resources in Multnomah County by focusing on the violent crimes occurring at protests and in our community, including the recent and alarming increase in gun violence this summer, a spokesman for Schmidts office said in an email to The Epoch Times earlier Wednesday. Federal prosecutors this week also charged Lonnie Vantewa Albert. They said Albert, 55, tried assaulting two federal officers with a vehicle over the weekend. Schools should not be left to become a de facto health system to meet the increasingly complex physical and mental needs of students, a leading professor has warned. Commenting on the trend for schools to hire their own health workers, Professor Ian Hickie said NSW Health and the Department of Education must work better together so teachers could focus on educating children. Schools should not become de facto health providers, says Professor Ian Hickie. Credit:Michele Mossop "Teachers' primary responsibilities [should not be] as health services, psychological services, social services even though in truth we have come to increasingly rely on teachers to provide much of that support," he said. "[Teachers have] become pastoral, they've become parental; social workers, psychologists, neuroscientists," he told a NSW Teachers' Federation inquiry into the changing role and responsibilities of educators over the past 15 years. Kuwait swore in eight female judges on Thursday, marking a first for the Gulf state, after a long legal battle to allow women to serve in the role. They were among 54 people appointed as judges to the supreme court, reported the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). The female judges' work will be evaluated after a period of time, said Yousef al-Matawa, chairman of Kuwait's supreme judicial council and the court of cassation, quoted by KUNA. Matawa did not specify how long that period of time would be. While Kuwaiti society is one of the most open-minded in the Gulf, with women in top government positions, some traditional families impose tight restrictions on their female relatives' movements. Lulwa Saleh Al-Mulla, head of the Kuwaiti Women's Cultural and Social Society, said her organisation had long fought for the right of women to serve as judges. "These appointments are heartwarming, and we believe that we are taking steps forward towards the ranks of advanced countries," she told AFP. Women in Kuwait were granted the right to vote and run for political office in 2005. Four years later, the first female lawmakers were elected. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 07:37 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4256f68 1 National COVID-19,covid-19-Indonesia,covid-19-indonesia-handling,health-ministry,ICW Free Graft watchdog Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) has called for the Health Ministry to improve the transparency of its procurement of medical equipment and other materials during the coronavirus pandemic following the discovery of what the group deemed as irregularities. According to the ICW's findings, the Health Ministry had 430 procurement plans related to COVID-19 worth Rp 839.8 billion (US$56.9 million) as of July 21. Of the total, 247 would be funded by the Public Service Agency (BLU), 141 under the state budget, 34 under the revised state budget and eight from non-tax revenue. The state budget and revised state budget will fund the procurement of Rp 787.5 billion in COVID-19-related products and equipment, almost 90 percent of the total procurement value. The ICW found that among 74 plans that would use direct procurement methods which, according to Presidential Regulation No. 16/2018, should not exceed Rp 200 million and can skip the open tender process 11 exceeded the stipulated budget limit. Of the 74 plans, the Health Ministry has only published 18 procurement realization reports on the electronic procurement service system (LPSE), with the available information lacking in detail, the antigraft group said. Read also: Patients crowd hospitals as Indonesia loses 183 'priceless' medical workers We note that the Health Ministry has not provided full procurement information other than on tenders and that many procurement plans will not be executed or processed further until providers are selected, ICW researcher Dewi Anggraeni said during a discussion on Tuesday. Among the reports published in the LPSE, ICW found that three direct procurement plans had been realized, but that procurement plans had not been published beforehand. Moreover, the group suspected that some of the companies that had won some projects through the tender process did not have adequate experience in the procurement of health-related products. "During an emergency, the government is required to be swift and flexible in its procurement. But it should still be transparent and accountable, Dewi said. The ICW further demanded that all data on the procurement of COVID-19-related products should be published periodically and in detail, including the unit price of the procured goods. The group also urged government agencies to publish all procurement plans and realization reports on existing platforms, such as the LPSE. During the discussion, Health Ministry human resources and education director Heru Prasetyo said he would look into claims that some tender winners lacked experience in the procurement of health equipment and products, as prior experience was a requirement for the direct procurement method. Furthermore, National Public Procurement Agency (LKPP) catalog system development director Emin Muhaimin said government agencies were only permitted to not publish procurement plans for the procurement of emergency-related goods. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Thursday that people who vote early by mail should show up at their local polling places on Election Day and vote again if their ballots havent been counted, a suggestion that experts said would lead to chaos, long lines and more work for election officials during a public health crisis. In a series of tweets, Trump encouraged voters to go to their polling site to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. But information on whether a ballot has been counted is typically not available right away. In several states, absentee ballots arent even counted until after polls close. What can be checked is whether an absentee ballot has been received, and in some cases, whether it has passed a security review and will be submitted for counting. Election officials warned that a flood of voters showing up on Nov. 3 to check the status of their ballots would mean even more disruption during the coronavirus outbreak and lengthy waits. Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said it also could undermine public health efforts. The board strongly discourages people from following the presidents guidance, Brinson Bell said in a statement. That is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19. Trumps latest remarks raising questions about the integrity of mail voting came the same day that the Department of Homeland Security sent a memo to election officials warning that Russia is likely to continue amplifying criticisms of vote-by-mail and shifting voting processes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to undermine public trust in the electoral process, according to an official familiar with the memo but not authorized to speak publicly. Its the latest warning by U.S. officials that Russia may be using some of the same criticisms as Trump. Many states offer ways for voters to verify the status of their ballot online that provide information on when an absentee ballot request has been received, when a ballot has been sent, when the ballot has been received by a local election office and whether it has passed the security review and been accepted. These are typically available on the website of the state election board or the secretary of state. Voters in the few states that dont provide this information online have the option to call their local election office. Trump has for months claimed without proof that there could be widespread voter fraud in November. Thats despite officials in states that have relied on mail-in ballots saying there is little evidence of fraudulent activity. Multiple studies have also debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process. On Wednesday, Trump first seemed to urge absentee voters to go to their polling place on Election Day to see if they could vote again. His remarks drew widespread alarm from various officials and voting rights groups, saying that if voters were somehow able to cast a second ballot, they could face prosecution for voting twice. Let me be perfectly clear: voting twice is illegal, no matter who tells you do to it. The presidents idea is a great one for people looking to go to jail, said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Karen Hobart Flynn, president of Common Cause, said: You cannot test election integrity rules by breaking them, any more than you can rob a bank to make sure your money is safe. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany blamed the media for taking Trumps words out of context. She said the president said mail-in voters should go to the polls to make sure their votes got tabulated, and if they werent, they should vote in person. The president does not condone unlawful voting, McEnany said. Trumps tweets on Thursday appeared to be an effort to clarify the earlier remarks. But they continued to cause concern for election officials who would have to deal with voters showing up at polling places on Election Day to demand information on their absentee ballots. All states track absentee ballots, so they know which voters have requested an absentee ballot and, of those, how many have returned their ballots. This information is available to poll workers on Election Day for the check-in process, either through paper or electronic poll books. If a voter shows up at a polling place on Election Day, after having requested an absentee ballot, this will be readily apparent. Depending on state rules, a voter might be able to cancel their absentee ballot but some might be instructed to cast a provisional ballot that will trigger a review process to determine whether the person is a valid voter and whether their absentee ballot was received and counted. Provisional ballots are the last to be reviewed and counted. If a voters absentee ballot was not counted, their provisional ballot would be counted. Having large numbers of people casting provisional ballots would create long lines at polling places on Election Day because its more time consuming for poll workers to work through than issuing a regular ballot. Once polls close, its much more work for election officials. Its just going to increase the strain on the system, said Jennifer Morrell, a former election official in Colorado and Utah. All those provisional ballots that have been issued, they are all going to have to be researched. You need to be so thorough. You dont want to disenfranchise anyone who has the right to vote and you also dont want to let a vote be processed if it shouldnt be. ___ Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Jonathan Drew in Durham, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Albany, N.Y. Malls in New York City can reopen Sept. 9, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. Theyll be limited to 50% of their normal capacity and their air filtration systems must meet minimum strength requirements set by the state. Malls elsewhere in the state also had to meet air filtration requirements when they were allowed to reopen. Masks and social distancing will be required when malls in the city return, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. Indoor dining at malls in the city will not be allowed. Indoor dining has yet to return anywhere in New York City. Cuomo also said loitering and unnecessary congregating will not be allowed. Malls should plan for extra staff to control patron traffic and ensure people follow reopening rules, Cuomo added. Nonessential businesses in the state first closed in March to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The state began reopening businesses in phases in May. Malls were forced to wait longer than many others. Cuomo has said repeatedly hes concerned about the potential for the virus to spread easily in indoor air-conditioned environments with lots of recirculated air. Malls in some other parts of the state were allowed to begin reopening over the summer. Destiny USA in Syracuse reopened July 10. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Winter is coming: What happens when CNY restaurants lose their outdoor dining? Child psychiatrist on back-to-school jitters: Make a plan, set a routine, be honest about uncertainty Syracuse extends Walton St. outdoor dining another month (but theres at least one critic) Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 Samsung has unveiled a new 5G smartphone. The upcoming Galaxy A42 5G will come with four rear cameras, unique back panel, and a Qualcomm processor. Check full details here. Samsung has unveiled Galaxy A42 5G, touted as the companys cheapest 5G smartphone so far. The phone will go on sale later this year. Samsung has not disclosed the full specifications and price of the phone yet. The latest addition to Samsungs popular Galaxy A-series comes with four rear cameras and a 6.6-inch OLED screen. The phone comes in black colour option. The official render shows Galaxy A42 5G sporting a waterdrop-like notch on the front. The back panel houses a square-like camera module. The LED flash sits outside the module. The back panel is rather unique with four colour texture. As said earlier, Samsung has not officially revealed the specifications. According to reports, the phone will have a 48-megapixel main sensor on the back. The setup will also feature a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The A42 5G is said to run on Qualcomms Snapdragon 690 processor with at least 4GB of RAM. The phone is likely to have a 5,000mAh battery. You can expect Samsung to offer Galaxy A42 5G in 64GB and 128GB variants. That said, Samsung Galaxy A42 5G will replace Galaxy A51 5G as the cheapest Samsung 5G phone. The Galaxy A51 5G features a 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with an Infinity-O cutout. It runs on an octa-core processor with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB storage. It also has four rear cameras including a 48-megapixel primary sensor. The phone runs on a 4,500mAh battery. Separately, Samsung has also unveiled a Wireless Charger Trio which can power as many as three devices simultaneously. The new Wireless Charger Trio will go on sale very soon. According to Sammobile, its going to cost 99 euro ( 8,500 approximately). WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army has awarded Alion Science and Technology a $65 million task order with a 60-month period of performance to provide Counter Explosive Hazard Research for the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD). "Alion has assembled a strong Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) and advanced sensor integration team to provide innovative solutions critical for NVESD missions," said Todd Stirtzinger, Alion's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Advanced Technology Group. "This team will bring robust technical capabilities to develop advanced threat detection solutions for U.S. troops." NVESD researches and develops sensor and sensor suite technologies for air and ground intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition under adverse battlefield conditions in day and night-time environments. Alion will perform advanced technical, scientific research and analysis, and provide recommendations for NVESD's Countermine Division. This includes the development of technologies, systems, sensors, components, algorithms, methods, and approaches to detect, identify, and defeat the wide variety of explosive hazards and battlefield obstacles threatening U.S. forces, their platforms, systems, infrastructure, and ability to conduct operations. This task order was awarded under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center (DoD IAC), Multiple Award Contract (MAC) issued by the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency. This material is based upon work supported by the DoD Information Analysis Center Program Management Office (DoD IAC PMO), sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) under Contract No. FA807518D0002. ABOUT ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION Solving some of our nation's most complex national security challenges, Alion works side-by-side with our Defense and Intelligence communities as we design and deliver advanced engineering solutions to meet current and future demands. We go beyond the superficial and dive deep into the root of the engineering complexities and bring innovation to reality. With global industry expertise in Big Data, Analytics, and Cyber Security; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Live, Virtual, and Constructive Training; Electronic Warfare and C5ISR; and Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, Alion delivers mission success where and when it matters most. To learn more, visit www.alionscience.com. ABOUT DOD IAC PROGRAM The DoD IAC program operates as a part of DTIC and provides technical data management and research support for DoD and federal government users. Established in the 1940s, the IAC program serves the DoD Science & Technology (S&T) and acquisition communities by driving innovation and technological developments while enhancing collaboration through integrated scientific and technical information development and dissemination for the DoD and broader S&T community. Disclaimer. "This material is based upon work supported by the DoD Information Analysis Center Program Management Office (DoD IAC PMO), sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) under Contract No. FA807518D0002." Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited. "Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force Installation Contracting Command (AFICC)." SOURCE Alion Science and Technology Corporation Related Links http://www.alionscience.com CLEVELAND, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgere, a leader in advanced Supply Chain management solutions, based in Cleveland, OH, today announced the launch of a new service model, Accelerate. The new model, designed to work in partnership with our client's supply chain community, will make it easier to approve and fund supply chain innovations. The cost of complete enhancements to current supply chain management processes has been prohibitive due to budget concerns. "We focus on win-win client partnerships. Offering options through our Accelerate program will move projects from a capital expenditure to a service-based program model, assisting key decision-makers with program funding and approvals,'' said William Wappler, President and CEO of Surgere. "It significantly lessens the upfront cost for digitalization and technology at the program's initiation, converting it to a monthly service fee, thereby pulling forward their ROI," he added. Surgere believes in today's environment; collaboration and creativity are vital in moving successful improvement projects forward. Staying competitive in the marketplace is challenging across all industries--Surgere understands those challenges well. The Accelerate program is designed to remove financial barriers, allowing new initiatives to immediately flourish rising to competitive challenges. In conjunction with the Accelerate program's launch, Surgere is also pleased to announce a funding agreement with Advantage Capital. "Surgere's automotive presence and the resulting community's collaboration has been second to none," said Michael Wappler, Vice President of Sales. "Our growth has been substantial, and our ability to continue our expansion through the Accelerate program will be greatly aided by the Advantage funding," added Michael. Surgere's continued expansion within the Automotive sector, as well as other vertical markets, adds tremendous value across the globe, solving new supply chain challenges every day. Surgere, a leading technology company specializing in sensor-based science, provides never before seen accuracy and visibility throughout the supply chain. Surgere's patented technology & proprietary software empowers the world's leading brands with unparalleled end-to-end supply chain analytics, high-fidelity data, and sensor-based solutions. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, with offices in Mexico and Japan, Surgere delivers solutions that bring together multiple forms of sensor-based science to "see" inventory with an unmatched 99.9% accuracy, thereby mapping the entire supply chain and identifying weaknesses and opportunities for improvement in real-time. Visit us at www.surgere.com . For more information, contact Heidi Smith at [email protected] SOURCE Surgere Related Links http://www.surgere.com Commuters walk to a train station at rush hour in Bangkok on August 20, 2020 Only six high-income countries are doing enough to tackle deaths from chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, a global report said Friday, warning the coronavirus pandemic exposes the urgent need to combat underlying conditions. In its stocktake of global efforts to stop people dying prematurely from largely preventable and treatable non-communicable diseases, the report by groups including the World Health Organization said many countries were falling short. Among high-income countries, only Denmark, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and South Korea are on track to meet the goal of reducing mortality for both women and men by one third by 2030, said the study, which was published in the medical journal The Lancet. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently kill over 40 million people a year worldwide, making up seven out of ten deaths globally, the report said. It added that 17 million of these deaths are of people younger than 70 years old and classed as premature. While the risk of dying from some chronic diseases -- like stroke, heart disease, and stomach cancer -- had declined steadily over the past decade, it said mortality from diabetes, lung cancer, colon cancer, and liver cancer are declining too slowly or worsening in many countries. The research, from Imperial College London, the WHO and the civil society group NCD Alliance, is the second assessment of global efforts to reduce premature deaths from these diseases by a third by 2030 -- a United Nations' sustainable development goal agreed in 2015. "No country can reach that target by simply addressing a single disease," said Majid Ezzati, Professor of Global Environmental Health at Imperial College London, who led the study. "What is needed is a package of measures, a strong health system, which addresses prevention, early detection and treatment, tailored to the national situation." - 'Generational catastrophe' - Story continues The report said a total of 17 countries are on track to reach the target for women, while 15 countries are on track for men. Researchers noted that the relationship between non-communicable diseases and severe illness with Covid-19 highlights the "urgent need for governments to implement policies to prevent avoidable deaths from chronic diseases". Bente Mikkelsen, the WHO's director of non-communicable diseases, said these illnesses were "intensifying the impact" of the coronavirus and called for Covid-19 recovery plans to include measures to tackle them. "We cannot allow NCDs to become a generational catastrophe, where human potential is wasted, and inequality is exacerbated," Mikkelsen said. The report recommends measures, including stronger restrictions on tobacco and alcohol, as well as cancer screening programs and better access to drugs for hypertension, diabetes and asthma, as well as treatments to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients at risk. abb/klm/spm New Delhi: Afternoons are no longer officially dull with Zee Cafe's free pass to the Cafe Film Club. Come be a part of growing fanbase where anyone and everyone is welcome especially those who never play by the rules. The fun is when the film begins weekdays starting 12 PM onwards where we showcase a range of movies that is surely going to brighten up your day with a fabulous assortment of titles from giggles and laugh gags to something extraordinarily romantic. You can expect anything from an action ridden guns blazing heroic film to a soulfully moving dance feature, this film club captures all these glorious moments airing weekdays only on Zee Cafe. Here is what we have in store lined up for you to carefully plan your week with some of the very best titles as part of our property. Starting September off with a bang, this Tuesday, September 1st 2020, we bring to you one of Pixar's most loved and award-winning movie, Up at 12 PM followed by Pierce Brosnan and Owen Wilson starrer suspense thriller No Escape at 3 PM. Ringing in a wonderful Wednesday, September 2nd 2020 with the classic reboot of the coolest paranormal experts in Ghostbusters at 12 PM and then some mind-blowing mixed martial arts action at 3 PM in Kung Fu Hustle. If you're looking for something incredibly funny, this Thursday, September 3rd 2020, James Corden returns on-screen to play the rebel rabbit in Peter Rabbit at 12 PM accompanied by another hilarious take on a post-apocalyptic future in zom-com Zombieland at 3 PM. The final countdown to a weekend starts this Friday, September 4th 2020 where it's advised to keep an eye out for a cold-blooded killer on the loose in classic favourite Lake Placid at 12 PM followed by an expressive thought starter in much loved animated movie, The Emoji Movie at 3 PM. This is the dramatic moment a huge armoured fighting vehicle carrying weapon-equipped military personnel rolled past thousands of pupils during a school assembly in China. The primary school in eastern Chinese province Ningbo brought the military carrier to the campus to teach its students about patriotism on their first day back to the classroom, reported state media. Footage shows four uniformed soldiers and three schoolboys stationed on top of the giant combat vehicle as it moved past other students standing in a military-style formation. This is the dramatic moment a huge armoured fighting vehicle carrying weapon-equipped military personnel rolled past thousands of pupils during a school assembly in China The primary school in eastern Chinese province Ningbo brought the military carrier to the campus to teach its students about patriotism on their first day back to the classroom The event is said to have taken place at the Wangshengling primary school in the county of Yunlong on Tuesday when hundreds of millions of Chinese students began their autumn semester. The infantry fighting vehicle was brought to the campus as part of a flag-raising ceremony for the schools reopening following the coronavirus outbreak. The school wanted to educate its pupils about national defence and patriotism by displaying the military carrier with fully geared personnel. Three schoolboys on the moving carrier are seen waving Chinese national flags as four uniformed soldiers crouched down while holding weapons. Two of them remained in an aiming position as if they were ready to shoot. The school in Yunlong, Ningbo, wanted to educate its pupils about national defence and patriotism by displaying the military carrier with fully geared personnel, reported state media All the Year 1 students at the Ningbo school will also receive a four-day military training before they start the classes, according to state media Xinhua. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese web users appeared to have been stunned by the dramatic school assembly after the video was uploaded by the local government on TikTok-like Douyin. One commenter wrote: This is no doubt the best patriotism education. When young people are strong, a country is strong. This kind of ceremony should be promoted across the country! Another replied: Wow, this is awesome. The love for our country and home should be implanted into the blood of our children. The news comes as around 280 million students across China are returning to the campus this month after the Chinese officials gave a go-ahead for most schools in the country to open again. 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. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday said the Justice Department was monitoring the far-left movement Antifa, saying that it is at the heart of violence in cities around the country. 'I've talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence,' Barr said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. 'They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country,' he said. 'We see some of the purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots,' Barr added. 'So, we are following them.' 'I've talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence,' Barr said in an interview Wednesday Fires burn as two hundred activists spray graffiti and start fires at the Portland Police Union building, in Portland, Oregon on Thursday Antifa is a radical movement comprised of different sub-groups, of all which hold anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian views, and aim to confront those whom they view as racist. In a Fox News interview late on Monday, Trump made cryptic claims about armed thugs he said had boarded an airplane seeking trouble. Asked for details, Trump said: 'I'll tell you sometime, but it's under investigation right now.' On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that it was something told to him by an individual on the flight. Trump would not identify the person. Asked to comment, White House spokeswoman Sarah Matthews did not address Trump's specific assertions but said he was referring to an investigation into possible financial backers of 'organized riots.' The president, seeking re-election on a promise to restore 'law and order,' told Fox News the plane was 'completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that' He added: 'Here were like seven people on the plane like this person and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage.' Antifa members are seen in Portland in August preparing to confront right-wing groups. The person on the left bears a shield with the Communist hammer and sickle, and the anti-cop slogan ACAB, which stands for 'all cops are b*****ds' Antifa members gather at a rally held by Patriot Prayer in Portland, Oregon on June 30 Barr on Wednesday also said he thought there was no systemic racism in the U.S. justice system, and that there is a 'false narrative' that the country is in an 'epidemic' of unarmed black people being killed by white police officers. 'I think our institutions have been reformed in the past 60 years and if anything has been built into it it's a bias toward non-discrimination,' Barr said. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has also said he believes people are traveling around the country to instigate violence. Paul on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House after listening to Trump accept his party's nomination for re-election. Paul told Fox News Channel he believes the group chanting his name and pushing against his impromptu police escort was paid to incite a riot. He did not say who he believes financially backed them or offer any evidence for his contention. 'I believe there are going to be people who were involved with the attack on us that actually were paid to come here and are not from Washington, D.C., and are sort of paid to be anarchists,' Paul said. 'The FBI needs to investigate but the only way you can do it is you have to arrest people.' Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatens to cut federal funding to 'lawless' cities, including Seattle, Portland, New York and Washington. 'My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,' said the memo, which was released by the White House. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter that the memo was an 'illegal stunt.' The Klottey Korle constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has inaugurated its campaign team members in Accra on Tuesday, with an aim to win the Parliamentary seat in the constituency for the party in the December 7, polls. Mr Kwabena Abankwah-Yeboah, National Treasurer of the New Patriotic Party present at the inauguration, took the opportunity as a member of the Advisory Council of the Klottey Korle Constituency campaign team to advice members, Electoral Area Coordinators and Polling stations executives. He charged them to diligently work hard in order to win the seat for Party and also ensure victory 2020 for His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo- Addo, President of Ghana. Mr Odarlai Parker, Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) highlighted that the Partys victory in the upcoming 2020 elections would be meaningless unless it is able to capture Parliamentary seats in Constituencies including as Klottey Korle. This, he indicated was because the party has not been able to win that seat since it lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 12 years ago. Mr Parker urged the Constituency Executives and polling agents to work hard to ensure what he described as a double victory for the Party in the December polls. He called for unity among the executives to play a pivotal role in campaigning massively for the Parliamentary candidate Mr Prince Appiah Debrah to be the Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korley constituency. The inaugurated executives pledged their allegiance to the party and promised to work indefatigably to win the seat for the parliamentary candidate. Mr Appiah Debrah expressed gratitude to all patriotic members of the party and promised to deliver his best when given the mandate to be the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle. City_news Time for universal basic income, says 40,000 member alliance A group of some 40,000 universal basic income (UBI) supporters are launching a petition and a proposal to promote Canadas economic recovery. UBI Works is promoting the UBI for Economic Recovery, a national basic income plan to provide all Canadian adults with $500 non-taxable per month while establishing a guaranteed monthly minimum income of $2,000 for single adults and $3,000 for couples. The amount would decrease by $0.50 for every dollar of employment income and one dollar for every dollar of other family income. Risk of insolvency Many low-wage and middle-class earners are now at risk of insolvency, and the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has exposed the consequences of decades of stagnant wage growth, which has not kept pace with the rising cost of living say promoters. In the face of another recession, Canadians wonder what their government will do differently, if at all says UBI Works founder Floyd Marinescu. Previous economic recoveries eliminated middle-class jobs, pushing more Canadians into low-income jobs and further concentrating wealth reads a release, and the current recession will certainly intensify these trends as businesses step up investments in automation, which can already replace 40% of the tasks Canadians do on the job today Its no wonder that a 2020 Angus Reid poll found 59 percent of Canadians support establishing a basic income and parliamentarians from all parties have increasingly spoken out, saying their preference for such a program. Affordable They argue that UBI will act as a major economic stimulus mitigating many of the recessionary effects while allowing Canadians to build better incomes, careers and businesses, and can be implemented quickly and inexpensively by expanding existing supports without the need to consolidate equivalent provincial or federal programs. Marinescu and proponents in general agree: UBI is neither left or right, representing less than what the Bank of Canada spent to prop up the stock market, and can be easily financed through closing of tax loopholes, tax shelters, land levies, elimination of certain subsidies and more. Its affordable, he says. At a projected cost of $199 billion, this is roughly equal to the governments planned spending on COVID-19 for the current fiscal year. It can therefore be financed without increasing personal income taxes, eliminating social services or increasing national debt. Emerging from lockdown, millions of Canadians wont have jobs to go back to, and not see their incomes recover to what they were before. The end of CERB will leave millions of Canadians worse off. The benefits are multi-fold: An entrepreneur driving an Uber part-time making $28,000 while building their business would benefit from a 35% effective raise to $38,000 a year or have money for investment in a home. Students with no income could focus on school, improving educational outcomes and graduation rates; seniors would receive a higher minimum income than what is currently guaranteed by OAS/GIS; and those on social assistance are not worse off as they can keep more if there is work income, encouraging those who can to seek employment. There is no disincentive: At every income level, choosing to work will still earn you more money. Canadians with disabilities who have long had to survive on government assistance levels far below their cost of living, can nearly double the effective maximum amounts that federal and provincial programs provide. Pathway to the middle class The group says 4 in 10 recent layoffs could be permanent, and it could take more than a decade to recover. Meanwhile, 8 in 10 Canadians have three months of savings or less. As consumer spending drives nearly two thirds of the economy, many businesses will continue to suffer for years. UBI will give all Canadians a raise while supporting businesses and creating jobs immediately. UBI is not social assistance. It is not a handout or a form of charity. It is how Canadians across the country can reclaim their slice of the economic pie. UBI is how we defend upward mobility and pathways into the middle-class for everyone. For more information visit www.ubiworks.ca/relance/ Frances McDormand at the 2018 Oscars (Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Back in 2018, Frances McDormand scored the Best Actress Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards, for her standout role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Accepting the award, along with the usual thanks, she threw in a term which was new to many. As she wound up the speech, she said: I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider. It suggested that actors should begin insisting on an inclusion clause in their contracts, ensuring that cast and crew on movie sets are from as diverse a pool as possible, to combat the lack of diversity often seen in the movie business, as well as other industries. Read more: Cate Blanchett wants to be called actor not actress However, it appears that she regrets the comment in hindsight. Speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter around her latest movie, Nomadland, directed by Chloe Zhao, McDormand revisited the comment, appearing to suggest that applying a blanket insistence on inclusion might not work in the case of every project. I wish Id never f**king said it now, she said. I was not educated enough, I didnt have enough information about it. I forgot what I was going to say at the end of a very prepared speech. I wanted to say, 'Just give me a tequila now.' I had met someone at a dinner party the night before, an agent at UTA, and she had told me, 'Did you know about this?' We had had a long conversation about it, and I found it really fascinating. 'Inclusion rider' was something that was like, 'Maybe we should discuss this.' Read more: The first French Dispatch trailer Having said that, the work that [USCs Annenberg Inclusion Initiative] has done on inclusion in the workplace is very, very important, and it is complicated, and it has to be almost customized for every single event. Nomadland finds McDormand playing Fern, an itinerant worker who travels the US in search of work. The Oscar-tipped movie has been penned by Zhao, who is also finishing up all-star Marvel movie Eternals, featuring Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan and Salma Hayek. Its due for release in February, 2021, with Nomadland premiering at the Venice Film Festival next week. Pentagon Says Tajikistan Among Countries Where Beijing May Seek To Establish Military Bases By RFE/RL September 02, 2020 The U.S. Department of Defense says the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan is among the countries China may be planning to set up new military bases as it expands the world's largest standing ground force. The Pentagon's annual report to Congress, a 200-page unclassified version of which was released on September 1, also said that Beijing plans to double its current nuclear warhead stockpile over the next decade. "The [People's Republic of China] has likely considered locations for [People's Liberation Army] military logistics facilities in Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan," the report said, adding that Beijing's sea force is the largest navy, with a strong ship-building capacity in reserve. Tajikistan currently houses about 7,000 troops from Russia's 201st Motor Rifle Division at three facilities in the Central Asian nation that are considered part of the Russian base in Tajikistan. Russia has not commented officially on the mention of Tajikistan in the Pentagon report. The report estimates that Beijing currently has some 200 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, emphasizing that Chinese capacity with regard to its ground-launched cruise missiles is greater than the United States. According to the report, China's goal is to become a more robust great power as its leadership sees itself in competition with the United States and is starting to use its armed forces to project power internationally. China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, rejected the report on September 2, denying that Beijing wants to double the number of its nuclear warheads and saying that the report was filled with bias. With reporting by Reuters and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pentagon-says-tajikistan- among-countries-where-beijing-may-seek-to- establish-military-bases/30816843.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NuScale Power plans to install up to 12 of its 60-megawatt modular reactors in each power plant, which would largely be constructed underground. As part of its passive design, the reactors, shown at the right, would be submerged in a pool containing 8 million gallons of water. In the event of a walk-away disaster, the water would boil off over a month, by which time the reactors would be cool enough to be stable. NuScale's design is expected to be certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late 2020. (Rendering courtesy of NuScale Power) Read more The nuclear industry has been stalled for years now, struggling to compete with cheaper forms of power and viewed as suspect ever since the accidents at Fukushima, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Only two reactors are being built in the U.S., in Georgia, and they are years behind schedule and weighed down by cost overruns and political opposition. But now theres a race to take nuclear power in a radically different direction in a bid to revive the industry. Companies around the world, including NuScale Power in the United States, China National Nuclear Corp., and Russias Rosatom, are developing a new generation of reactors, with some designs that will be more than 90% smaller than the hulking facilities that have dominated the industry for decades. One model can even fit into a single-family house. These power plants are designed to be faster and easier to build, and may make nuclear energy an affordable and cleaner option in developing nations that dont need huge reactors. Some climate activists, although welcoming the potential of carbon-free electricity, still worry about their safety. And, with the cost of solar and wind plunging, some wonder whether small reactors make economic sense even with their lower price tags. But as governments around the world set ambitious targets to wean themselves off fossil fuels, theres a growing awareness that closing coal or natural gas plants could lead to electricity shortfalls, as seen in Californias rolling blackouts last month. Nuclear power accounts for 20% of U.S. power, a number that could grow if small nuclear sites are put in place to ease that transition. Supporters anticipate $5.9 trillion in global investment through 2050. At least for now, and for the foreseeable future, its difficult to see a renewables-only energy system, said Chris Colbert, chief strategy officer at Portland, Ore.-based NuScale. Advocates say small modular reactors, or SMRs, can be built at factories, delivered by truck or train, and then assembled on-site, saving time and money. Utilities can install just one or bundle several together, expanding the potential market by including countries that dont need a big conventional nuclear plant. Some designs will also provide industrial heat as well as electricity; one potential use is in remote villages in far northern latitudes that need both. China National Nuclear was the first to pass an International Atomic Energy Agency safety review for an SMR design. It began building a demonstration version of its 125-megawatt Nimble Dragon plant in 2019. And in Russia, Rosatom last year introduced the worlds first operational SMR, on a ship that can be sent all over the world. In the U.S., NuScale is working on a 60-megawatt reactor design, enough to power 48,000 U.S. homes, and its design just won approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last month. The cylindrical power generator would be about 65 feet tall and 9 feet in diameter. Thats tiny compared with big, conventional reactors that typically have about 1,000 megawatts of capacity. And its less expensive. A single power plant with 12 NuScale reactor-modules linked together would cost about $3 billion, compared with some major projects that have exceeded $20 billion for conventional nuclear plants. NuScales first commercial plant would go into service in Idaho in 2029 if all goes as planned. NuScales design is based on the the pressurized water reactors that are widely used now in conventional nuclear plants, so the technology is familiar to regulators and developers. Other developers are trying different technologies. Oklo Inc., based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is working on a so-called fast reactor that could use nuclear waste from existing power plants as fuel, and is cooled with a liquid alkaline metal instead of water. And billionaire Bill Gates is backing TerraPower LLC, which is working on another type of fast reactor that uses liquid sodium as coolant. Theres a race, sort of like at the dawn of nuclear energy, said Ted Jones, senior director for national security at the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industrys trade association. The key risk from a nuclear plant is that radiation could leak, but since smaller reactors have less nuclear material at their cores, theres less potential risk. NuScale says its designs could be installed in below-ground water pools, which would minimize the risk of failure because they wouldnt need pumps to circulate water for cooling. But along with a smaller size, these new designs may also have smaller and weaker systems to control a potential radiation leak, said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Thats worrisome because theres also been a push to build SMRs closer to population centers, he said. You could have a smaller reactor but weaker containment and less distance to population centers, Lyman said. Paradoxically, a small reactor could end up releasing more material than a large reactor. Small reactors are seen as a key to reviving an industry thats far from thriving now. Construction of conventional nuclear plants is at a 10-year low. There were 52 under construction globally in the first quarter, the lowest in a decade, according to BloombergNEF, the companys energy research arm. And more than 20% of those projects are facing challenges that could derail them, including financing issues and political opposition. The only nuclear project in the U.S. is the two reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia, an effort thats now years behind schedule and has doubled in cost to more than $28 billion. The $21 billion V.C. Summer plant in South Carolina was abandoned in 2017 after the lead contractor went bankrupt. Small reactors could change the equation, and the catalyst will be efforts to rein in climate change, said Brett Rampal, nuclear team manager for the research group Clean Air Task Force. More than a dozen U.S. states and territories have moved to require carbon-free electricity grids, led by Californias plan to eliminate carbon altogether by 2045. While solar and wind installations are surging, they cant supply power around the clock. That was part of the reason California, which retired 9 gigawatts of gas plants in recent years, had power shortages and blackouts last month as a heat wave drove up demand for power. Closing baseload power plants can create a gap, said Rampal. These advanced reactors are looking to fill that. Oklos reactor would have 1.5 megawatts of capacity, would be small enough to fit inside a house and will have enough output to run about 1,200 U.S. homes. The NRC accepted the companys application for a license in March, the first to use a new evaluation process to accelerate the review. Jacob DeWitte, Oklos CEO, said the design could win approval within two years and it may have the system in operation a year after that. "Nuclear is a really important part of what our climate solutions will be," DeWitte said. "This is where things are going." But there are questions about whether small nuclear plants will be cost-competitive in an age of renewables. NuScale, for instance, is aiming for a power plant that can sell power for $55 a megawatt-hour. Yet wind power in much of the world is now about $44 a megawatt-hour and solar is $50. In some regions, renewable energy will be below $20 a megawatt hour by the end of the decade, according to BloombergNEF. The logic behind building small modular reactors doesnt make sense economically, said Lyman. The shift comes as the U.S. badly lags other countries in building big reactors. Most of that market now is dominated by Russia and China, while the U. S. is entirely absent, according to the Energy Department, which flagged the development as a significant blow to U.S. strategic interests. The U.S. is taking steps to address this, notably by lifting a ban on providing government funding for nuclear projects in other countries, especially emerging markets. MOSCOW To the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, what befell the Russian opposition leader, Aleksei A. Navalny, was alarmingly simple: He was poisoned with a weapons-grade nerve agent in an attempted murder. To Russian officials and commentators on state news media, anxious to deny any Kremlin role and offer a wide range of alternative theories, it was not nearly so straightforward the Germans had poisoned Mr. Navalny, or he had poisoned himself, or he was not poisoned at all. Though dismissed by critics of the Russian government as dust thrown up to cover the truth, such flurries of evidence-free theories have become a standard response to accusations of Moscows malfeasance, whether it is election meddling, military interventions, assassinations or the repression of the domestic opposition. Mr. Navalny and his supporters are putting on a big theater play, a Russian scientist, Leonid Rink, said in an interview on Russian state television. The Supreme Court has stayed a Bombay High Court order granting bail to former Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan in the Enforcement Directorates Yes Bank case. The stay has been granted till October 7. Last month, Justice Bharati Dangre of the Bombay High Court had granted the Wadhawan siblings bail citing late filing of the case chargesheet by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). A chargesheet had to be filed within 60 days of the arrest. The Wadhawans are the main accused in the case. The ED, however, had insisted that it had filed part of the chargesheet by e-mail a day before the sixty-day period ended. The Wadhawan brothers had been arrested on May 14 by the Directorate. Last week, the ED moved the Supreme Court against the order through a Special Leave Petition. Now, the Wadhawan brothers will remain in ED custody. They were not released after being granted bail in the ED case as they had to remain in custody in the Central Bureau of Investigations Yes Bank case. This is the second time the ED has succeeded in getting a stay on a Bombay High Court order granting bail. In an earlier instance, the Bombay High Court had granted bail to Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank accused Rakesh Wadhawan and Sunny Wadhawan. At the time the ED had approached the Supreme Court and got a stay on that order. Background The ED chargesheet names 19 persons and entities, including Rana Kapoor, his wife Bindu Kapoor, daughters Rakhee, Roshni and Radha, as well as Morgan Credit Pvt Ltd, Yes India Capital, Dheeraj Wadhawan, Kapil Wadhawan and their related companies. According to the prosecution, Rana Kapoor and members of his family and the other accused laundered the proceeds of crimes. The fraudulent deals are estimated to be worth Rs 5,050 crore. Members of the Kapoor family or family-owned entities allegedly received Rs 600 crore in kickbacks in lieu of extending loans through Yes Bank, which later turned into non-performing assets. The amount was then allegedly utilised to procure more properties. In July, the ED provisionally attached properties worth Rs 2,400 crore belonging to Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor and the Wadhawan brothers. Kapoors attached properties are located in South Mumbai, Amrita Shergill Marg in Delhi, and in London and New York. Wadhawans properties are in Mumbai, Pune, Australia and London. Different interpretation Commenting last month on the Bombay High Court granting bail to Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, an ED source had told Moneycontrol: The Enforcement Directorate had filed part of the chargesheet on July 11 via e-mail, a day before the completion of 60 days. Actually 60 days was completed on July 12, a Sunday. The main chargesheet was filed on July 13th. An ED lawyer had told Moneycontrol: The Bombay High Court went by the precedent set by a July 29 order of another Bench of the same court. The precedent held that the stipulated 60 days for submission of a chargesheet begin from the day an arrested accused is produced for remand. Until now, the practice was to exclude the day of the grant of remand from the count of 60 days. However, another source had told Moneycontrol: In the past, the Supreme Court ruling in two different cases, State of Madhya Pradesh versus Rustom and State of Bihar versus Ravi Prakash Singh, clearly stated that the date of remand has to be excluded while calculating 60/90 days for a chargesheet. The falling victim in an online hacking scheme is already a common item whenever your face is focused on a screen. It could be a false ad, annoying pop-up, or even an email posing as another person to get your trust. But in the near future, this may change. Thanks to a few British scientists that demonstrated a prototype quantum network that could secure the accounts of each human being on the internet against hackers. Quantum network-- a solution to solve a hacking problem Daily Mail UK reported about The University of Bristol, England's newest discovery in terms of the world's internet service. Scientists in the university have told the press about the technology they recently demonstrated to fix the theory of 'unhackable' internet. Using quantum physics and quantum technology, researchers created a secured network or system that splits light particles that carry information to multiple internet users from a single central source. Or simply saying a quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement happens when two particles that are even a million meters apart can still simultaneously copy each other. This process has in connection with information processing and even quantum computers. This technology, once studied, even more, could make online messaging as private as it should be compared today. The quantum network would not allow any interception within the system. In layman's term, it will prevent hackers from accessing your messages on social media. "This represents a massive breakthrough and makes the quantum internet a much more realistic proposition,' said study author Dr. Siddarth Joshi at the University of Bristol's Quantum Engineering Technology (QET) Labs. "Until now, building a quantum network has entailed huge cost, time, and resource, as well as often compromising on its security, which defeats the whole purpose." "Our solution is scalable, relatively cheap, and, most important of all, impregnable. That means it's an exciting game-changer and paves the way for much more rapid development and widespread rollout of this technology." How they came up with the idea Generally speaking, internet connectivity is being connected through a physical connection like glass fiber. In this case, it was different. The researchers only created a system where every user only has a single glass fiber connected to a source of quantum entanglement. The University of Bristol first created a network for eight users using receiver boxes monitored within the lab, each receiving information from the single system. To know the reliability of their distance, the boxes were connected to optical fibers across the area and transmit messages via quantum communication through the city's existing optical fiber network. Scientists behind the experiment believe that multiplexing could lower each region's costs with its communication from over $6 billion to around $6 million, which is less than 1%. This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Jamie Pancho 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The decision came after the health minister said the country is experiencing the second peak of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak and blamed gatherings at weddings and holidays Turkey is expanding restrictions imposed on social gatherings such as wedding and engagement parties and henna nights in more than a dozen provinces to the entire country. An Interior Ministry circular sent to Turkey's 81 provinces late Wednesday says such social gatherings will banned from Friday. Marriage registration ceremonies will be allowed but will be restricted to one hour only. The decision came after the health minister said the country is experiencing the second peak of the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak and blamed gatherings at weddings and holidays. The number of daily infections have tipped above 1,500 - levels previously seen in mid-June. More than 273,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Turkey since March. Search Keywords: Short link: Trump supporters wait Tuesday for Vice President Mike Pence, before he appeared in Exeter for a campaign rally. Read more EXETER, Pa. As traffic made its way down Schooley Avenue on Tuesday, the giant Trump signs on Jeff Davis porch were impossible to miss. Make America Great Again, one read. No more bulls, proclaimed another. Vice President Mike Pence would hold a rally down the road a few hours later in this former coal mining town, but Davis wasnt going. He suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and says his immune system is down to nothing. Standing on his front lawn, Davis, 57, motioned to his wife and daughter on the porch. Im still very leery on the COVID thing, he said. Mostly, they go food shopping. But the coronavirus pandemic hasnt moved him away from President Donald Trump. A retired plumber, Davis used to vote for Democrats supported by his union, including Barack Obama in 2008. He soured on Obama four years later, and voted for Trump in 2016. He plans to do so again. If it wasnt for the corona, look how good this country was doing, Davis said, citing a strong economy, Trumps tariffs on Chinese goods, and a new deal that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. We got to worry about here, the United States, not Iran and Saudi Arabia, kissing their butts. We got to worry about us. And he gave Trump strong marks for his handling of the pandemic: Everybody says the corona, Oh, well, he couldve done better. Nobody knew. Nobody knew what was going to happen with that. Voters like Davis were key to Trumps narrow win in Pennsylvania four years ago. Luzerne County was one of three in the state that twice supported Obama before flipping to Trump. And Trumps 26,000-vote edge over Hillary Clinton in Luzerne accounted for more than half of his total margin of victory in the state, which he won by less than one percentage point. Even Democrats dont expect Joe Biden to win Luzerne County. But as in other parts of the state where Trump ran up the score in 2016 with support from white, working-class voters, the party is hoping Biden will narrow that advantage. Democratic groups have been airing TV ads in the media market that covers Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, featuring testimonials from people who voted for Trump but now oppose him. READ MORE: Trumps path to winning Pa. runs through small Rust Belt towns like one near Bidens hometown It remains to be seen whether that message will prevail. But interviews with more than a dozen voters in Luzerne County suggest Pence may well be right that, as he said Tuesday, Northeastern Pennsylvania is Trump Country now. There are other signs that this former Democratic stronghold is becoming more Republican. GOP registrations are up by 11,600 voters in the last four years, while Democratic registrations have stayed flat. Republicans took control of the county council last year, while a prominent Democratic state senator became an independent. And a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll last month suggested Northeast Pennsylvania is Trumps strongest area of support. Voters in both parties agreed that the country is deeply divided and that things arent heading in the right direction. Many said they lamented the coarsening of the civic discourse. Were in such a bad place, my team vs. your team, as weve ever been, Michael Kolojejchick, a 70-year-old financial planner who supports Trump, said during a haircut in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Back in Exeter, Barbara Pazdziorko was meeting with fellow Democrats across the street from Davis house. Biden supporters had set up something of a command post, complete with a cardboard cutout of the former vice president and Scranton native. Pazdziorko said the United States is in deplorable shape. You see that banner hanging there on the pole? Pazdziorko said, pointing toward a telephone pole down the street. It was a remembrance of her uncle, John Makstutis, a Marine sergeant who was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in the Korean War. He lost an eye and kidney in the war, she said. That man was such a moral man, she said. If he was living now, and he saw the things that Trump was doing, I think he would die of a broken heart. Pazdziorko and her friend Beverly Dulny, a retired teacher from nearby Duryea, were still scratching their heads over how Trump won Luzerne. Nobody knows, Dulny said, though she suspected sexism played a role. They said that Trump was rooting for violence in the streets and that he visited Kenosha, Wis., this week to divert attention from the coronavirus. Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha last month, and in the ensuing unrest, a 17-year-old Illinois Trump supporter allegedly shot and killed two protesters. Pazdziorko described Biden as a gentleman, and dismissed Trumps argument that Biden is a failed career politician. He has been in government for 47 years, and he knows government, she said. Armonde Casagrande, a county Democratic activist, said Trump had exploited the vestiges of racism in this area. The county is whiter than Pennsylvania as a whole, according to census data. About 23% have college degrees, compared with 31% statewide, and median household income is lower. Non-college whites are a key pillar of support for Trump. Casagrande said Biden would fare better than Clinton. Democrats have become the new silent majority, he said, adding that friends are afraid to put Biden signs in their yards because theyre intimidated by their neighbors. READ MORE: Can Trump win again without winning the most votes? Yes. Pennsylvania shows how. Trump supporters were certainly more vocal here Tuesday. They said the president has been unfairly criticized for the pandemic, credited him for the economy, and shared his opposition to abortion rights. Some who said they were unsure about Trump when he first announced his candidacy now fully embrace him. At first I thought he was a wack job, Michael Winsock, 56, of nearby Wyoming, said as he waited for Pence. I think he represents us well. Winsock, who is semi-retired and worked in electrical sales, said he was a lifelong Democrat until 2016, though he didnt vote for Obama. Our whole country in general was going downhill till [Trump] got here, he said. The whole world lost respect for us. Trump brought it back. Cynthia Liberski, 72, said civil unrest in Wisconsin and Portland, Ore., was being created by Democrats, and warned of the dangers of socialism. Others said they were doing well financially under Trump. There were 257,000 non-farm jobs in the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton-Hazleton metropolitan area when Trump took office in January 2017. That increased to about 260,000 by February 2020 or by 1.2%, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. But the pandemic wiped away those gains: As of June, there were fewer than 230,000 jobs. READ MORE: Fact-checking Mike Pences claim that Trump has added thousands of manufacturing jobs in Pa. Mark Diamond, 27, waited 2 hours to get a glimpse of Pence, holding a Keep America Great banner. He graduated from college in 2016 and soon got a job as a marketing manager. In Northeastern Pennsylvania, he said, jobs like that dont come around very often. Trump has boasted that while labor leaders endorsed Clinton and now Biden, rank-and-file members in areas like this support him. Not all blue-collar Democrats have left the fold. Im tired of the division. Im sick of it, said Nancy Nice, 56, of Swoyersville, a construction inspector who was a member of the Carpenters union for seven years. Her sister, a Trump supporter, hasnt spoken to her in four years. People have thrown beer bottles and other garbage at her Biden yard signs, she said. Jay Notartomaso, 59, owns a record store in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Everything I cherish as an American I feel is in jeopardy under Trump, said Notartomaso as he asked a customer to pull up his face mask. The previous night, he said, someone wearing a Trump hat used the N-word in his store. This is what Trump empowers, Notartomaso said, adding that he removed the person from his store. But Trumps appeal to disaffected former Democrats may have staying power. Gary Oakes, 50, does electrical work and plumbing. Hes been out of work for five months, lost his home, and recently moved into a homeless shelter in Wilkes-Barre with his family. Oakes is still waiting to receive unemployment benefits and a stimulus check authorized by the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package. His appraisal of the Democrats: Whole bunch of promises, nothing being kept. He thinks Trump can turn around the economy. Hes unpredictable and I think thats what the country needs, Oakes said. Back on his lawn in Exeter, Jeff Davis was asked if Trump could have a calming effect on the unrest roiling places like Kenosha. I dont think hes good at that. I really dont, Davis said. I think he kind of puts fuel on the fire, just in his words, you know. Some of the stuff he says. But he doesnt think Biden could do any better, and fears a President Biden coming for his guns. (Biden says he wants to ban assault weapons and require those who already own them to register with the government, not confiscate legally owned firearms.) As far as who could quiet this whole rioting and everything down, Davis said, buddy, thats a hard one. Whenever theres a session of International Trade questions, the chamber takes on a whisky sour flavour. Getting through the whole hour usually requires popping a couple of antacids down the gullet. The reasons for this bitter atmosphere are twofold. The first is that opposition MPs spend most of their time goading the Governments post-Brexit trade prospects. Despite protestations otherwise, their gums salivate at the idea itll all end in disaster. The second reason is that the Secretary of State for International Trade is Liz Truss. Liz Truss, pictured today, is regarded as a 'lightweight' by opponents and is 'not the Commons' nimblest performer,' writes Henry Deedes Opponents sneer at Truss, you see. They regard her as lightweight. A flaky figure of fun who cant do the work and all that. Now its true that the Truss is not the Commons nimblest performer. Joanna Lumley certainly wont fear losing any lucrative voiceover jobs when Liz starts collecting her ministerial pension. Her delivery can be wooden, clumsy even. She has a habit of over-articulating her words, as though addressing a doddery uncle. Yet she seems a capable enough minister whenever I watch her. Yesterday she faced the usual barrage of hysteria over chlorinated chicken, tariffs, border controls and the like. The loudest mooing though concerned the Governments proposal to appoint former Aussie prime minister Tony Abbott to the Board of Trade. Mr Abbott, for those just emerging from quarantine, has previously expressed a number views on women and homosexuals many now regard as unfashionable. What riled Labours benches most was Abbotts sceptical attitude toward global warming. Christian Matheson (Lab, City of Chester) denounced him as a climate change denier. He said that word denier as though hed just bitten a chunk out of a rancid Granny Smith. Last time I looked, harbouring doubts about climate change is not a crime. But judging by the indignant noises emerging from Mathesons colleagues, Mr Abbott might as well be a convicted puppy trafficker. Truss accused Labour of being intolerant of anyone who does not agree with them. She observed how she never heard them cause any stink when ex- shadow chancellor John McDonnell once suggested they lynch her colleague Esther McVey. While Trusss deputy, Greg Hands, preferred to tell MPs that they were simply lucky to have an ex-prime minister working for them, his boss was clearly in the mood to give the Opposition a biff. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, pictured with Priti Patel, has been appointed to the Board of Trade, despite previously expressing a number views on women and homosexuals many now regard as unfashionable When Ruth Cadbury (Lab, Brentford and Isleworth) referred to Abbotts supposed misogyny off she went again. Truss accused Labour of absolute hypocrisy by preferring to virtue-signal and indulge in tokenism than take real action to improve the lives of women. After all, how many female prime ministers had they appointed? This earned a gentle rebuke from Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who requested she stick to talking about international trade. No matter. Truss was just happy to have got her point down on record. There followed some welcome light relief with the usual merry-go-round of members touting their constituencys wares. David Linden (SNP, Glasgow East) tootled his bag pipes for the malt whisky industry. Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) wanted Truss to do more to help flog Cornish pasties around the globe. The quirkiest request came from Kieran Mullan (Con, Crewe and Nantwich) who demanded export tariffs be lifted on ice cream vans. Later, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg held his weekly housekeeping session at business questions His constituency is home to Whitby Morrison, a world leader in Mr Whippy vans, apparently. Never let it be said you dont learn something from these sessions. Later, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg held his weekly housekeeping session at business questions. The Mogg has proved a doughty flak jacket to the Prime Minister since entering Downing Street. Though he may have been over-egging things a tad when he opined that it was hard to imagine a better-functioning, more forward-thinking government than we have now. So too when he described Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as an A* individual and an A* secretary of state. Not on estimated grades but on facts. Certainly Jacob deserves an A* for loyalty. A Telus sign is pictured at the company's annual meeting in Vancouver in a file photo. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Telus Called to Task by Ad Watchdog for Claim High Canadian Wireless Prices Are a Myth A regulator for Canadian advertising industry standards has found that an ad campaign by Telus claiming high wireless prices in Canada are a myth is misleading. Teluss full-page newspaper advertisement, published in Quebec, states: Its a myth that Canadians pay some of the highest wireless prices in the world. Ad Standards, however, says the ad incorrectly mixed affordability and pricing, which gives the impression wireless prices are lower in Canada than other countries. The claim Telus made was based on a 2019 affordability study for wireless services in Canada by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). There was no support in the cited study for the claim that it is a myth Canadians pay some of the highest prices in the world for wireless, the watchdog says in its decision on its website. The study discussed affordability, rather than prices. It only addressed 4 countries in total, rather than most, or all, countries in the world, it added. The PWC study compared the average household wireless services and devices expenditures in the four countries: $977 for Canada, $1,124 for United States, $808 for Australia, and $612 for United Kingdom. Citing the study, the Telus ad also says, The average Canadian household spends just 1.6% of their disposable income on wireless versus 2.6% in the US. Ad Standards, however, reasoned that even if Canadians spend a lower percentage of their disposable incomes than Americans on wireless services, it does not necessarily mean that the wireless prices are lower in Canada than in the United States. Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 20, 2020. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press) The federal government announced in March that it would work to address consumers concerns that telecommunication services in Canada are priced too high. A 2019 Price Comparison Study released by Industry Minister Navdeep Bains found that Canadians have been paying higher more overall compared to consumers in other G7 countries and Australia. In response, the government required Telus, Bell, and Rogers to lower their two to six gigabyte data plans by 25 percent within the next two years. If the companies do not meet the targets, the government will take action with other regulatory tools to further increase competition and help reduce prices. On its website, Telus has Take Action letter which it urges Canadians to send to politicians to support regulations that prioritize investment, innovation, and new Canadian jobs instead of erroneous depiction of the telecommunications industry in Canada. A report on the website by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission states that wireless prices have decreased by as much as 35 percent between 2016 and 2018. Yet the industry still manages to come out top in wireless services compared to G7 countries in the areas of speed, access, cost per gigabyte, and latency, the website notes. Since 2000, Telus has invested $181 billion in infrastructure and operations to bring internet connection to 99 percent of Canadians, according to the website. Joe Biden said Thursday in Kenosha, Wisconsin that he was able to talk to Jacob Blake, the black man shot by a white officer in the city, by phone as he gathered with family members at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. 'I had the opportunity to spend some time with Jacob on the phone. He's out of ICU. We spoke for about 15 minutes,' Biden said at the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha. 'He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him. Whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up.' Biden and his wife Jill made a two-city trip to Wisconsin, a key swing state, first stopping in Milwaukee for a meeting with Blake's family members and then motorcading to Kenosha for a conversation with community stakeholders. The state's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday that he didn't want Biden, nor President Donald Trump who visited Kenosha Tuesday, to make the trips during the current unrest. But 'candidates can make their decisions' and 'it is what it is,' Evers said, according to the Associated Press. In Milwaukee, reporters were kept outside the hour-long meeting, but the campaign said the Democratic nominee and his wife met with Jacob Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., his sisters Letetra Widman and Zietha Blake, his brother Myron Jackson, and lawyers Patrick Salvi Sr. and B'Ivory LaMarr. His mother Julia Jackson and attorney Ben Crump joined the meeting by phone. Crump put out a statement about the meeting, as Biden was revealing his phone conversation also included Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police with three of his children in his car. He's likely paralyzed from the waist down. Joe Biden met with community leaders Thursday at the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after talking to shooting victim Jacob Blake by phone during a Milwaukee meeting with family members Joe Biden bows his head in prayer at the Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin where he held a listening session with community leaders Thursday, two days after President Donald Trump visited the city Joe Biden addresses community members in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday after speaking with shooting victim Jacob Blake and meeting with some of Blake's family members in Milwaukee Black Lives Matter activists stood outside the Grace Luteren Church where Joe Biden was scheduled to appear Thursday in Kenosha 'The family was grateful for the meeting and was very impressed that the Bidens were so engaged and willing to really listenl,' Crump reported. Crump and Biden both talked about how Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, led the group in prayer. Biden explained that his wife, Jill, had asked to say a prayer and it was led by Jackson. 'I'm praying for Jacob and Im praying for the policeman as well. Im praying that things change,' Jakcson said, according to the former vice president. 'They talked about changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions, the impact of selecting Kamala Harris as a Black woman as his running mate, and Vice President Biden's plans for change,' Crump continued. On Biden's conversation with the shooting victim Crump said, 'Jacob Jr. shared about the pain he is enduring, and the vice president commiserated.' 'It was very obvious that Vice President Biden cared as he extended to Jacob Jr. a sense of humanity, treating him as a person worthy of consideration and prayer,' Crump said. At the community event, Biden had two rounds of community members speak about what they were seeing on the ground and then spoke to them. Biden addressed speakers' concerns one-by-one, pitching ideas like a $15 nationalized minimum wage, ex-prisoners having access to every government benefit available, and better mental healthcare. 'I'm giving you too much, I can see you're about to stand up,' Biden said at one point. At another point when he got too wonky, he used the unfortunate expression, 'Not going to lay it out for you, I won't now because they'll shoot me.' Earlier, Biden shook hands with aide Brian McPartlin as he got off the private plane he took to the state, considered a no-no in the coronavirus era. At the church one participant, a Kenosha shopkeeper named Barb DeBerge, talked about the devasation the business community has seen in the wake of several nights of riots and unrest following Blake's shooting. 'We have never seen anything as devastating as what has gone on in our community. We are very fortunate because they didn't start our building on fire,' she told the ex-vice president. She said that while her store, DeBerge Framing & Gallery had its windows broken and was looted, a good samaritan saved it from catching fire. 'I look at the buildings in our community that are gone and I just, I don't think, I don't think grieved as much as I feel I should,' she said. Biden, again, condemned the fires, looting and riots that have taken hold in several American cities, including Kenosha. 'Protesting is protesting, my buddy John Lewis used to say. But none of it justifies looting, burning or anything else. So regardless how angry you are, if you loot or you burn, you should be held ccountable as someone who does anything else. Period,' Biden said. Trump has continued to push a false narrative that Biden hasn't denounced rioters, nor brought up law enforcement, which he has. Biden was able to sprinkle criticism of Trump through the community event. 'The words of a president matter. No matter if they're good, bad or indifferent,' Biden said near the top of the event. 'They matter. No matter how competent or incompetent a president is, they can send a nation to war, they can bring peace, they can make markets rise and fall.' Biden also said Trump's behavior 'legitimizes the dark side of human nature.' He brought up Lewis, who passed away on July 17, again as he urged Americans to vote. 'As John said, the only answer is to vote,' Biden said. Biden's Wisconsin visit comes two days after Trump visited Kenosha to tour wreckage from the riots that broke out in the aftermath of the police shooting of Blake. Trump also reinforced his commitment to siding with law enforcement during the trip, calling rioters 'domestic terrorists,' and white officers who kill or shoot black Americans 'bad apples' or individuals who've 'choked.' Democratic nominee Joe Biden is captured leaving a meeting with Jacob Blake's family at a Milwaukee airport building on Thursday. Press was kept out of the meeting, but the campaign said Blake's father, two sisters, brother and two lawyers joined Biden and his wife, Jill Democratic nominee Joe Biden met with Jacob Blake's family as soon as he landed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday. He'll then travel to Kenosha, where Blake was shot and wounded by police, to meet with community members OOPS: Joe Biden slipped up and gave his aide Brian McPartlin a handshake as he disembarked from the private plane he and Jill Biden (left) took from Delaware to Milwauke, Wisconsin, where he's meeting with Jacob Blake's family at an airport building Jill (left) and Joe Biden (right) met with family members of Jacob Blake, the Kenosha, Wisconsin man who was shot by police, as soon as they landed in Wisconsin on Thursday Joe Biden waves to reporters as he arrives at the New Castle, Delaware airport en route to Kenosha, Wisconsin where he plans to meet with Jacob Blake's family members and take part in a community event Joe Biden (left) is accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden (right), as they board their flight to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday. The Bidens' trip to the Wisconsin city comes two days after President Donald Trump traveled there Joe Biden has said he intends to try to 'heal' the community and bring people together during his trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has seen protests and violent outbursts in the aftermath of last month's police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who remains hospitalized Joe Biden is expected to meet with Jacob Blake's family members during his trip to Kenosha Thursday. Jacob Blake Sr. (left), Blake's father, and Zanetia Blake, Blake's sister (right), are photographed in Kenosha on Saturday President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday after Democratic leaders told him not to come. He toured wreckage from the riots that broke out after Blake's shooting and held a roundtable event with law enforcement and other community leaders Trump did not meet with members of Blake's family, nor did he say Blake's name during his remarks. On the ground in Kenosha, the president dismissed the idea that most of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that occurred after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd - and more recently the shooting of Blake - have been peaceful. 'I keep hearing about peaceful protests ... and then I come to an area like this and the town is burned down,' Trump said. 'By and large this is not peaceful protesting,' he repeated later. State and local officials, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Kenosha's Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, said they didn't want Trump to come, but the president insisted. Biden was asked Wednesday during a Q&A with reporters what made his trip to the area any different. 'I have spoken to all the leaders up there,' the former vice president said, adding that he had been working with Evers' staff, but had yet to speak one-on-on with the state's governor. 'There have been overwhelming requests that I do come.' 'We've got to heal, we've got to put things together, bring people together and so my purpose in going will be to do just that,' Biden continued. 'Be a positive influence on what's going on, talk about what needs to be done and try to see if there's a beginning of a mechanism to bring folks together.' He said he had received advice from House and Senate members, who he said encouraged him to make the trek. 'And I'm not going to do anything other than meetings with community leaders as well as business people and other folks in law enforcement and start to talk about what has been done,' Biden said. The campaign has not publicly confirmed that he's meeting with the Blake family. 'I'm not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do,' Biden also said. Biden's trip to Wisconsin marks the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has gone to the state since the 2012 cycle. Hillary Clinton notably skipped campaigning in Wisconsin, only to lose the state to Trump, helping him earn his Electoral College victory in 2016. The Democratic National Convention was supposed to take place in the state - and while some delegates did gather in Milwaukee - Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris gave their nomination speeches from Wilmington, Delaware instead, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump and the Republicans have gone after Biden for his reluctance to travel. On Wednesday, as the president was heading to North Carolina - another key swing state - he started referring to Biden as 'Joe Hiden,'' as the ex-veep spent most of the early months of the pandemic campaigning from his Wilmington basement. This week Biden took on a more robust campaign schedule, traveling to Pittsburgh Monday to deliver a speech. The campaign called an early 'lid' Tuesday - meaning the candidate would not be leaving his residence, which again garnered criticism from Republicans. On Wednesday, Biden delivered remarks on reopening schools and then took questions from reporters, the first time he devoted real time to a press Q&A in weeks. On Friday, Biden will deliver remarks on the economy to reporters back in Wilmington. Demonstrating their readiness for a struggle, workers at the General Electric (GE) Appliances factory in Louisville, Kentucky have voted by 99.2 percent to authorize a strike. The vote comes as the four-year contract covering almost 4,000 workers is set to expire on September 6 with management demanding draconian concessions, including the elimination of employer-paid pensions. The International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA) has made it clear that the strike vote is not binding on the union. Instead IUE-CWA officials hope to retain some level of credibility among workers while they conduct behind-the-scenes talks over yet another concessionary contract. As Julie Wood, senior corporate director of communications for GE Appliances, put it: Discussions remain productive. This vote is procedural for the union. In March, with workers conducting a job action over the outbreak of COVID-19 in the giant facility, Local 83761 President Dino Driskell said the union was exploring the possibility of taking a park wide strike. The union, however, quickly dropped any talk of a work stoppage. The current contract was set to expire in June, however, due to the pandemic, the union and the company agreed to a three-month extension. Workers are demanding better wages and benefits, including better health care benefits, as premiums have outpaced cost-of-living adjustments. While IUE-CWA officials have not revealed the details of either the unions or the companys contract proposals it has been reported that management wants to maintain the two-tier system, albeit with a starting raise for new hires from $12 to $14 an hour. The company also wants to replace employer-paid pensions with a 401(k) fund, largely financed by workers themselves. GE Appliances was sold by General Electric in 2016 to China-based Haier for $5.6 billion. The companys Louisville facility, its largest, produces washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and bottom-freezer refrigerators. Louisville itself is a significant manufacturing and logistics hub, with tens of thousands of GE, Ford and UPS workers. GE Appliances is the second largest manufacturing employer in Kentucky, with approximately 6,000 workers. In addition to its plant in Louisville, GE Appliances also has manufacturing plants in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. The company has remained highly profitable throughout the pandemic. In comments published in the Bucks County Courier Times on August 25, GE Appliances spokeswoman Wendy Treinen said, GEA has seen record demand on certain product categories since COVID-19 began Freezer sales outpaced supply starting in March as consumers stockpiled goods and demand remains at an unprecedented level. Usage of appliances is higher than ever before. In addition, she said, Interest in remodeling and home improvements has sparked orders as well. Haier Smart Home, the Haier subsidiary which oversees GE Appliances, published its half-year report on August 31, titled Revenue and profit recovery following COVID-19 impacts. The report states: In H1 2020, the Haier Smart Home achieved a revenue of [almost $14 billion] and net profit attributable to owners [$395 million]. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys performance in H1 2020, the growth rate swiftly revived in Q2, ushering a turning point with increases in both revenue and net income attributable to shareholders in June by 20.6% [year-over-year] and 21.4% [year-over-year], respectively. During the 2016 contract negotiations, workers at the Louisville plant rejected by a wide margin a proposed contract that imposed significant concessions, including a two-tier pay scale and higher health care costs. Ignoring workers demands, the IUE-CWA accepted an agreement which kept, with only slight alteration, many of the provisions workers adamantly opposed. In a statement after the strike vote, local union president Driskell admitted that the 2016 contract had severely eroded workers living standards, with rising out-of-pocket health care costs for workers far outpacing the minimal wage increases in the contract. The current contract negotiations are taking place amidst an unprecedented social and political crisis in the US, which is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are being forced into unsafe factories, schools and other workplaces, with little to no personal protective equipment or safety protocols. This has led to major outpourings of working class anger and opposition, including among workers at the Louisville plant. On March 31, after management informed workers of a probable COVID-19 case at the facility, workers protested outside the factory complex and demanded that it be shut down, and that necessary safety precautions be implemented. Prior to this, the company had only halted production for one week in response to the virus. When production resumed on March 30, management assured workers that it had sanitized the plant and reconfigured it to allow for social distancing. Despite managements rosy assurances, workers returned to find a factory that remained filthy, while lacking such basic necessities as soap and hand sanitizer. IUE-CWA officials only reluctantly agreed to the March protest because workers were threatening to take matters into their own hands. After his comments about exploring the possibility of a strike, IUE-CWA Local 83761 President Dino Driskell announced the union would abide by the decision of Kentuckys Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, to designate the appliance maker as an essential business that had to remain open. The Socialist Equality Party urges workers to take matters into their own hands by forming a rank-and-file committee, independent of the union, to prepare for strike action. At the same time, this committee should appeal to Louisville teachers, Ford and UPS workers for joint struggle against unsafe conditions and the corporate drive to pump even more profits out of the working class. Celebrating 100 Years of Life! Ross Doc Johnson Ross Johnson was born September 2, 1920, to Mary Roberts-Johnson and Charlie Johnson (only child) in the small town of Mount Enterprise in East Texas, approximately 100 miles Southeast of Dallas. Ross, also known as Doc left home at 12-years-old taking on odd jobs and was known to be a Jack of all trades. After his 22nd birthday in 1942, he joined the U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 1944, Ross met and married his wife, Mae and he moved his new family to California, where he purchased his first home in Vermont Square in the city of Los Angeles. Later, in 1965, Ross and his wife purchased their second home in View Heights also in Los Angeles and is where Ross and Mae raised their children. Ross and his beautiful wife Mae continue to live in their View Heights home today. After working several jobs throughout his life in auto repair, Ross was hired by the Los Angeles Unified School District where he worked as a Truck Driver for 15 years and proudly retired in the late 1980s. Ross has been an entrepreneur for the majority of his life, this spirit has afforded he and his family their comfortable life style. In 2019, Ross and his wife Mae became members at Grace United Methodist Church, 4112 W. Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90043, which is only two short blocks from their home. They visited Grace for many years prior. ADVERTISEMENT Ross and Mae were also devoted members at Bethel AME Church at 7900 S. Western Avenue since 1998 where they both served as Board members. Ross love for God shows in his love for people as his personal ministry. Rosss first church home in California was in 1944, where he became a member of Saint Johns United Methodist Church in Watts, CA. Ross served as a steward and a member of the Brotherhood Crusade and was a Sargent of Arms for his View Heights Block Club in 2003. Ross has 13 grand, great- grand and great-great grandchildren who he loves dearly! He has also been a surrogate father to hundreds more! YEREVAN. This draft allows for the transition from a state of emergency to a more lenient one that will enable to guarantee the protection of the rights of the individual under more normal conditions, at the same time, it specifies appropriate mechanisms whereby it is possible to prevent the further spread of the infection. Vladimir Vardanyan, a member of the majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, noted this in a talk with journalists in the parliament Thursday, referring to the package included in the agenda of the NA special session, and whose adoption will allow maintaining some coronavirus-related restrictions, but without extending the current respective state of emergency in the country. "There are such drafts in many countries around the world, and our international partners had called us for a transition from a state of emergency to a more lenient one, provided that the sanitary-epidemiological situation allows such a transition," he said. And asked whether the adoption of this law will allow quarantine to be announced in Armenia at any time, Vardanyan responded: "Now an attempt is being made to move to a more lenient regime. Any curtailing of human rights needs to be legitimate, not be an end in itself. At the moment, there is a legitimate goal: the protection of public health." WASHINGTON - A fierce debate has erupted over whether the Food and Drug Administration should use its emergency authority to clear a coronavirus vaccine before it is formally approved - a move opponents warn could pose safety dangers and inflame anti-vaccination sentiment but others say could save thousands of lives by speeding protection from the virus. With concerns growing about the politicization of the FDA amid a botched White House rollout of the agency's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma and sharply criticized comments by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, some scientists and bioethicists are demanding the agency forgo use of its emergency authority for a vaccine. They worry its very flexibility, which gives FDA officials broad latitude, could it make it easier for the White House to pressure the agency into clearing an unproven vaccine before Election Day, Nov. 3. President Donald Trump's repeated promise to deliver a safe and effective vaccine this year, "or maybe even sooner," has become central to his reelection campaign and has sparked concerns in the scientific community in particular that the White House could pressure regulators to cut corners. Those concerns come against the backdrop of an accelerating race to develop a coronavirus vaccine as three vaccine makers - pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, biotechnology firm Moderna and drugmaker AstraZeneca - conduct Phase 3 clinical trials, the last before seeking a green light from regulators. A recent report by Morgan Stanley said the most likely timing for data from one or more of the trials is November. But others say it's possible some results might be available in October if the vaccines prove spectacularly effective and there are enough viral infections in the community to prove the shots are protecting patients who receive them. The CDC has told state and local health officials to be ready to distribute a vaccine to health-care workers and other high-risk groups as early as Nov. 1 - part of an elaborate planning process happening while clinical trials are underway that has spurred anxieties in some quarters. "I think it's extremely critical that we have rigorous evidence of safety and effectiveness supporting a vaccine before the FDA gives its OK," said Patricia Zettler, a former FDA associate chief counsel who is a law professor at Ohio State University. Because vaccines, unlike treatments, are given to healthy people, she and others said, they should be held to a higher standard and go through the full approval process, which can take several months. In a letter dated Aug. 26, the nation's infectious-disease doctors demanded that vaccine safety and effectiveness data be "reviewed by internal, as well as independent experts," if the agency uses an emergency use authorization process. The FDA's emergency use authorization is a temporary approval used to accelerate the availability of medical products during a public health emergency. Since February, the FDA used the power to authorize hundreds of coronavirus tests and a few treatments; it has authorized a vaccine that way only once in its history, in 2005, against anthrax. For months, the agency has said it may use the authority for a coronavirus vaccine if it is safe and sufficiently effective. Amid a pandemic that has already claimed more than 180,000 lives in the United States, some are adamant that emergency use authorization is a lifesaving tool if deployed correctly, since it would be much quicker than the cumbersome full approval process. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he believes "it is highly likely" the first vaccine or vaccines will be cleared through an emergency use authorization for a select population, such as health-care workers, which he said would be appropriate "as long as the data shows that the vaccine is safe and that it works." A number of FDA watchers agree. They say that an emergency use authorization should not be taken off the table but that the agency should spell out more clearly how it might use the procedure for a vaccine, since public trust is critically important and can be easily shaken. The FDA official in charge of vaccine approvals is attempting to offer those reassurances, saying political considerations will not enter into the process. In an interview Wednesday, Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccines, said the agency will insist on the same safety and efficacy standards for an authorization as for a full approval. "Our intention . . . is not to give the American public anything less than a gold standard," he said. But he also stressed it would be unethical to insist on all the paperwork typically required for a full application if data showed a vaccine was safe and effective, and people were dying of covid-19, the disease the virus causes. "We have an obligation to look at that and make a risk-benefit calculation," he said. "We treat this as though the decisions we are making are decisions we are making for our own families." Both Hahn and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, echo those sentiments. They have noted in recent days that an independent monitoring board could recommend a trial be ended early if interim results show strong efficacy. The FDA could then decide whether to authorize it. Without such intervention, the trials are expected to last at least until the end of the year. "They could come back before we even have 30,000 folks enrolled and say, 'We've seen enough. This looks great. Pass it on to the FDA,' " Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a Friday briefing for Operation Warp Speed, the administration's effort to accelerate production of a vaccine. Under an emergency authorization, Marks acknowledged that follow-up time would be shorter for those in the trials to show possible adverse reactions to the vaccines. He said the agency would require more monitoring after a clearance to compensate. He also reiterated the agency's plans to consult its vaccine advisory committee before making a decision. The committee, made up of vaccine and other scientific experts, is scheduled to discuss coronavirus vaccines on Oct. 22. The agenda, as of now, says it will talk about "the development, authorization and/or licensure of vaccines." The FDA's emergency authority dates back 16 years, when a Congress focused on bioterrorism gave the agency the power to greenlight unapproved medical products for life-threatening diseases during a public health emergency when there are no approved alternatives. Since early February, the agency has authorized hundreds of tests, equipment and a few treatments - convalescent plasma being the most recent. Using that authority, regulators may clear a product once they determine that it "may be effective" and that its "known and potential benefits" outweigh the risks. That is not nearly as tough as the standards for full approval, which require a product be shown to be safe and effective. Some worry that discretion can be an opening for political pressure. One way to try to avoid any perception of political interference would be for the agency to insist on higher-than-required standards, said Joshua Sharfstein, a former deputy FDA commissioner and now vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Rather than asking the career staff if a vaccine meets the authorization standard, Sharfstein said, scientists should be asked a broader question: "Is this a good idea?" The FDA's Marks said the agency already has gone beyond the legal standard of "may be effective" for emergency use authorization by telling vaccine developers that to be cleared either by authorization or full approval, their products must be at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo in preventing covid-19, or in decreasing the disease's severity. But vaccine experts worry that any hint of political interference will hurt public trust - with potentially disastrous consequences for the public's willingness to be immunized. "If the public doesn't trust the authorization process and sees it as politically influenced, what is vaccine uptake going to be?"asked John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. A slew of recent events casting doubt on the FDA's credibility hasn't helped. On Aug. 22, Trump tweeted falsely that "deep state" elements at the agency were delaying needed treatments and vaccines until after the election. The next day, the FDA granted emergency use authorization to convalescent plasma at a White House news conference where Hahn and Trump erroneously described the treatment's benefits, drawing blistering criticism from scientists. For all the concerns about potential pre-election interference by Trump, many scientists are skeptical there will be enough data to make any decision before the election. Moderna and Pfizer, for example, have enrolled more than half of the 30,000 participants required for each of their trials. But that's only a first step. Both vaccines require two doses, separated by three to four weeks. It then takes up to two weeks for the immune system to protect against infection, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee. Even if both trials complete enrollment by mid-September, it will be more than a month before everyone has received both doses and their immune systems have reacted to the shots. Then, researchers have to wait for people to become infected and count the cases. If a vaccine is 60 percent effective, Fauci has said it may take 160 people to get sick to detect a signal that the vaccine is working. That number might be lower if the vaccine is highly effective. But if people are not exposed to the virus at high rates, it will take longer to determine whether it works. Kathrin Jansen, Pfizer's head of vaccine research and development, said meeting that time frame will depend on how effective the vaccine is and how many people get sick over what time period. "Everything has to go well, and nothing can get into the way," Jansen said. - - - The Washington Post's Lena H. Sun contributed to this report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and other governors across the country to clear the way for the establishment of vaccine distribution sites, a new letter shows. The request from Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, asked the government to fast-track permits and licenses for vaccine distribution sites. The sites are projected to be fully operational by Nov. 1. The letter was first obtained by McClatchy. The CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities, and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by Nov. 1, 2020, the letter said. The requirements you may be asked to waive in order to expedite vaccine distribution will not compromise the safety or integrity of the products being distributed. CDC said the vaccine distribution program is expected to be a public health effort of a significant scale potentially involving hundreds of millions of vaccine doses. The CDC had earlier directed public health officials in every state to be ready to distribute the coronavirus vaccine, possibly as soon as October. The vaccine will go to healthcare workers and others in high-risk groups first with widespread public distribution in January 2021. The distribution letter said the government has contracted with the company McKesson to handle getting the vaccine to health departments and doctors offices. An appeal for new residents on a remote Scottish island has attracted more than 400 applications from around the world - with Covid helping with the search. The Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides, put out a call for tenants to join the population of around just 30 people after building four new two-bedroom eco homes. Applications came in from countries, including Argentina, USA, Australia, Spain and Italy. The Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides, put out a call for tenants to join the population of around just 30 people after building four new two-bedroom eco homes There have also been a number of bids made by Londoners looking to swap the city for life on the island, which has only one community shop. More than 3,000 notes of interest landed in the trust's inbox, with inquiries coming from countries including India and Pakistan. Rum is known as the 'Forbidden Island', situated twenty miles off Scotland's west coast, with ferries only running four times a week in winter. The Isle of Rum Community Trust, which launched the search for new residents, hope to raise the population of the island to 60 people with the new housing. The greater resident numbers will support the island school, which has a roll of just two, as well as future investment and infrastructure projects. There have also been a number of bids made by Londoners looking to swap the city for life on the island, pictured, which has only one community shop Steve Robertson, development manager at the trust, said he was 'very pleased' with the response and said the pandemic may have helped to drive the high level of interest. Mr Robertson said that Covid-19 has been 'mentioned a few times' and has perhaps helped the interest in living on Rum. He said: 'If there is further lockdown, you have all the space on the island, the beaches, the cliffs. 'There does seem to be something special about the idea of completely breaking from whatever life you have and moving to a small island. 'It can work really well for people. Some people might not stay forever, but it can be a really nice section in people's lives. He said the trust is 'sifting through the applications' and that there are 'a lot of really good candidates'. Mr Robertson said consideration would particularly be given to small families and those who had a business they could take to the island. He added: 'Trades people would be a great asset here. 'It could be a handyperson but if someone had the tickets for the relevant trades and be willing to use them on Rum, that would be a great help.' He said some applicants had shown interest in taking up one of the homes and building other properties on the island, to help drive further population growth. All homes on the island are fitted with high quality fibre broadband, allowing people to work from home, with other jobs in childcare, food production and house maintenance. Rum is known as the 'Forbidden Island', situated twenty miles off Scotland's west coast, with ferries only running four times a week in winter Care will be taken to get the right fit of people for the island, where challenges include the lack of healthcare. Mr Robertson added: 'Candidates have to convince the board that they have an understanding of the challenges of moving into a small community. 'Whether you are from London, New York or Glasgow, it is a challenge. 'Over the years, we have had people come and leave because it has not worked out for them. 'Others have come, thought they wouldn't stay but then have become really key people on the island. 'We might not get it perfect but we will do our best to make it clear to newcomers as to what they might expect from moving to Rum.' Following accusations of interference in recent Montenegros parliamentary election, Serbia has denounced any links to the Balkan nation's poll that was won by the opposing coalition. According to the reports, the mandate was narrowly swept by pro-Belgrade and pro-Russian political groupings winning over Montenegros long-ruling Democratic Party of Socialists. In addition, the coalition of three opposition parties together won 41 seats in the 81-seat national parliament to form the next government. READ: Serbia Denies Meddling In Tense Montenegro Election Montenegro blames Serbia Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who heads the outgoing DPS party, has accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of allegedly interfering in the recent election that was held after months of widespread protest by Serbian Orthodox Church supporters. The election was fuelled by a dispute over a law on religious rights staunchly opposed by the influential Serbian Orthodox Church. In addendum to this, the issue has sparked divisions in the small nation of 620,000 people that challenged its traditional Slavic allies Serbia and Russia to become independent in 2006 and join NATO in 2017. According to the reports, some 540,000 voters were puzzled whether to keep in power the Democratic Party of Socialists which remained in power for some 30 years. Djukanovic is reported to accused the church of leading the protests since December. As per reports, tensions have escalated in Montenegro since Monday when thousands of Serb opposition party supporters staged victory celebrations in the small nation. READ: Montenegro's Ruling Party DSP Leads Poll But Opposition Could Form Majority Belarus tensions Meanwhile, Belarus continues to roil in the aftermath of a contentious election that took place on August 9 with mass protests against President Lukashenko taking a frequent turn. The leaders opponents have accused him of rigging the ballot in a bid to extend his rule in the country. Lukashenko, on the other hand, has criticised the recent anti-government protests, which as per him are receiving support from Western counties. The authoritarian leader ordered the army to defend and protect western Belarus which he termed as a pearl. Image/Inputs: AP READ: Official Tally Confirms Close Call In Montenegro Election READ: Montenegro Opposition Leader: Freedom Has Happened Australian servicemen have been linked to a twisted social media page mocking war crimes, joking about killing Afghans and posting explicit - and sexist - content. The Instagram page, titled State Sanctioned Violence, promotes brutality and details soldiers 'punishing Talibs like god punished #antivax children'. It is run by current and former Australian soldiers to 'keep the legacy of the boys we lost alive', as stated in the group's bio. Some of its content includes selling merchandise and poking fun at former special forces soldier turned federal MP Andrew Hastie who, when in command of an SAS regiment, reported a soldier for severing the hands of deceased Taliban to take back to camp. The web group portrays Mr Hastie saying 'Many hands make light work' in a post displaying a picture of two servicemen and their dogs in Afghanistan. The Instagram account also comprises biographies of dead and living Australian Defence Force personnel. Some of its content includes selling merchandise and poking fun at former special forces soldier turned federal MP Andrew Hastie (pictured) who, when in command of an SAS regiment, reported a soldier for severing the hands of deceased Taliban to take back to camp One post on 'Trigga Trinny', uploaded in January, details the action of a soldier at Camp Russell in Afghanistan, who 'was in Delta Coy running a faded patch while he watched the life fade from dying Taliban fighters eyes.' 'The Taliban would tell their kids if they didn't go to bed on time, the #asiancommando would show up and take their soul. He never ate any children, but he did creep around at night, punishing Talibs like god punished #antivax children,' it read. 'Trinny was tougher than Chinese Algebra, the only man to get the #holytrinity of close calls in the #sandpit when he was shot in the chest plate by a #muj playing #hideandgoseek he was also known for #breakdancing on a pressure plate IED that didn't go off and he picked a fight with his own Apache gunship and won.' One post on 'Trigga Trinny' (pictured), uploaded in January, details the action of a soldier at Camp Russell in Afghanistan, who 'was in Delta Coy running a faded patch while he watched the life fade from dying Taliban fighters eyes' Another post, dedicated to CO SASR, reads: 'I have two command priorities this year: Proxy wars and smashing whores'. Also on the page is a mash-up of aerial footage showing people being shot, blown up and held at gun-point. One of its videos mocks the advisory warning from ABC broadcasts and reads: 'Concern has been raised by the ADF leadership as to the appropriateness of some of the content shared in some of our write ups.' 'The content is about as genuine as the current commander pretending to care about his best warriors as he prepares to throw dozens of them under the bus "to save the reputation of the command",' the post alongside the video said. State Sanctioned Violence has attracted thousands of followers since launching on July 15, 2019. It is believed the account has been pulled down and re-launched multiple times. State Sanctioned Violence merchandise is sold through a separate page, which requires a password to enter. The ADF said in a statement it was 'not aware of any connection' between serving personnel and the content posted on State Sanctioned Violence. 'If Defence personnel are identified as having posted inappropriate material, they will be investigated and held accountable for contravening Defence policy,' the ADF told ABC when the national broadcaster provided the name of the serving soldier allegedly linked to the account. Another post, dedicated to CO SASR, reads: 'I have two command priorities this year: Proxy wars and smashing whores' (pictured) The Instagram page gives a 'special shout out' to a supposed mole at the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, for 'giving us the goss from Defence's Social media Incident Team.' It also shows photos of its 'Make Diggers Violent Again' bumper sticker on campus and promoted on the bare breasts of a masked woman. The page emerged during a long-running inquiry by Justice Paul Brereton into the behaviour of Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan - examining at least 55 separate incidents. The allegations include unlawful conduct by Australian soldiers, where they have killed unarmed Afghani men and children. The investigation comes following revelations by an unidentified soldier who broke ranks with his colleagues by saying they 'stepped over the line' while serving in the country. Justice Brereton, the NSW Supreme Court judge and Army Reserve Major General received death threats earlier this year. State Sanctioned Violence also shows photos of its 'Make Diggers Violent Again' bumper sticker on campus and promoted on the bare breasts of a masked woman (pictured) Flinders University military criminologist associate professor Ben Wadham told ABC the account reflected fears among low-ranked diggers that they might be held accountable for acts in Afghanistan, as well as the general disconnect some members might have felt from society. 'When I look at the other issues around misconduct in the ADF over the last 30 years, it's always blamed on the bad apple, or the bad orchard, the bad pocket of soldiers,' he told ABC. 'It doesn't justify or excuse anything, of course, but it's a story that tells us that soldiers see themselves as not being particularly understood by the rest of Australia.' Daily Mail Australia reached out to the State Sanctioned Violence Instagram page for comment. The city of Worcester reported 98 more cases of coronavirus since last week as city officials on Thursday asked residents to remain mindful about the spread of the virus over Labor Day weekend. Counting the new cases, the city has seen 5,901 cases of coronavirus through the pandemic. As of Wednesday, there are 19 coronavirus patients at UMass Memorial Health Care and Saint Vincent Hospital combined, six of whom are in the intensive care unit, the city said. The health care systems have seen 368 patients die from illness related to coronavirus, an increase of three since last Wednesday. Additionally, a total of 405 employees from the systems have tested positive for the virus. Through August, eight free coronavirus testing events were held in Worcester. A total of 4,078 tests were administered, the city said. Of those tests, 3,883 were negative, 80 were positive and 122 tests were invalid. With the approach of the Labor Day holiday weekend, the city reminds all residents, as they hold cookouts, welcome guests, visit relatives or travel elsewhere, to be mindful of the spread of COVID and follow all guidelines and protocols, including the Governors regulations for indoor and outdoor gatherings, the city said in a statement. The guidelines limit indoor gatherings to 25 or fewer people and outdoor gatherings to 50 or fewer people. Travelers from certain states, as well as Massachusetts residents returning home from some other states, are required to quarantine for 14 days or provide a negative coronavirus test from within the last 72 hours. Related Content: Senator rejects atheist group's demands that he stop posting Bible verses on social media Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Republican senator has rebuffed an atheist organization's demands that he stop posting Bible verses on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts. The First Amendment prohibits government sponsorship of religious messages, wrote Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor in a letter to Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy last month. Your office violates this constitutional mandate when it proselytizes the Christian faith to all constituents, such as directing them to Trust in the LORD. In a response posted to social media on Tuesday, Cassidy rejected their request, arguing that they were trying to censor his Christian beliefs. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has demanded that I stop sharing Bible verses with you. The left wont bully me into canceling Christianity. Their request is denied, he tweeted. For her part, Gaylor responded to Cassidy's rejection in a statement released Wednesday, arguing that the senator was willfully misunderstanding the issue. As someone serving the Constitution, he cant impose his religion on his constituents using official channels, stated Gaylor. This is not the first time that the FFRF, reportedly the largest atheist organization in the United States, has demanded that a senator quit posting Bible verses on social media. In August 2017, FFRF demanded that Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., end his practice of posting verses to his official Twitter account, which he began doing that May. Partly because of the power and influence of [social media] accounts, the private social media accounts of people who assume government office can become accounts that speak for the government, unless these officers carefully distinguish their public and private roles, wrote FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel. The @MarcoRubio account has not been scrupulous or thorough in this regard. It regularly, indeed mostly, transmits official statements and would be considered government speech. In October 2017, Rubio responded to the FFRF letter, telling CBN at the time that he will continue to tweet Bible verses despite it offending some Twitter followers. I'll continue to do it ... if they don't like it they don't have to follow me, said Rubio. "Faith is the single biggest influence on my life, and it's a positive influence. To begin, a statement: Yes, climate change is genuine, and I think human activity is having an impact on the phenomenon. The idea that climate change is a subject of "settled science," however, is ridiculous, and the cockamamie solutions being put forth by the left are exposing their concern for the climate as just a facade for their broader socialist agenda. In a recent article from CNN titled "Climate change spelled doom for Woolly Rhinos 14,000 years ago," author Ashley Strickland explains that new DNA evidence shows that the furry beasts met their demise around 12,000 B.C., not because of overhunting by Stone Age man, as previously believed, but due to prehistoric climate change. (Refreshingly, an article from CNN mentions Russia, considering that the animals lived in Siberia, yet somehow avoids bringing up President Trump and election interference.) The long extinct mammals, Strickland explains, were the victims of "a sudden but brief period of warming temperatures" at the time, which ultimately resulted in their demise. This news reinforces a long known fact: our planet's climate has been constantly changing since it came into existence 4.6 billion years ago. Clearly, 14,000 years is a long time when considering that interval from a human perspective. Geologically speaking, however, it is the blink of an eye. To put that amount of time in context, if the entire 4.6-billion-year lifespan of Earth was equated to a 365-day year, then 14,000 years ago happened at approximately 11:25 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Additionally, we should consider that only 8,000 years ago, Great Britain was still connected to mainland Europe; there was no English Channel prior to the end of the last Ice Age. Indeed, a Woolly Rhino, if so inclined, could have walked from Siberia to Scotland without so much as dipping its toes in the ocean. In my view, it is incontrovertible that humanity has had an effect on Earth's climate, but the extent of that impact is still very much up for debate. Though not mentioned specifically in the CNN piece, we can reasonably conclude that the climate change that killed the Woolly Rhino 14,000 years ago was not of the "man-made" variety. The planet had not been warmed due to the Flintstones' affinity for Brontosaurus Burgers and some subsequent onslaught of methane gas. Our climate has been changing on its own for much of human history, including "The Little Ice Age," which saw a remarkable drop in temperature of 3.5F and ended only 450 years ago. To illustrate the uncertainty of science's grasp on the issue, consider former vice president Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his movie An Inconvenient Truth a film that took dead aim at the fossil fuel industry and made some alarming predictions about the planet's future. Gore had enlisted several climate scientists as consultants for the film, but shortly after he won the esteemed award in 2007, a U.K. High Court ruled that if the movie was to be shown in school, it had to be shown with a guidance note in order to prevent political indoctrination. The judge cited nine specific instances of inaccurate or exaggerated assertions that Gore had made in the film. As the years have passed, many of his predictions have proven to be wildly inaccurate. Gore predicted that, by now, the ice in the arctic would melt every summer, but in reality, the ice is now at record-high levels. He also predicted that Mt. Kilimanjaro's famed peak would be totally free of snow and ice within ten years, but that has not happened. Gore and others are undaunted, however, as they continue to assert their data, models, and projections regarding climate change, without even pausing to reflect and address their previous miscalculations. It is often said that there are two characteristics that distinguish a cult from a legitimate organization. The first characteristic is the way in which the particular group treats dissent and departure. A reasonable group reacts to disagreement or withdrawal with well wishes and a nod, whereas a cult will curse and attack. We see evidence of the climate change cult's vitriol toward opponents constantly. Previously, anyone questioning the issue would be called a "skeptic," but such people are now declared a "denier." Bill Nye who claims to be the "Science Guy" but who has only a bachelor's degree in engineering directed a scream of "you idiots" at anyone who happens to disagree with him on the issue. A nd the Miami Herald points to any politician reluctant to sip the climate change Kool-Aid as "useless." The second characteristic typical of cults is the type of extreme actions and solutions put forth by their leaders. When the walls were closing in on Jim Jones at Jonestown in 1978, he fed his followers cyanide, opting for his own suicide and the deaths of 917 followers instead of accountability for potential crimes. Marshall Applewhite, leader of the infamous cult Heaven's Gate, which also ended in mass suicide/murder, had preached avoiding sex to its members and (give him credit) he certainly walked-the-walk by having himself and other members castrated; which brings us to the climate change cult and some of their solutions, including the Green New Deal. Though Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) no doubt continues to be proud of her proposed legislation, others on the Left would like us to forget about the specifics detailed in the much-ballyhooed and since-deleted fact sheet that accompanied the announcement of the Green New Deal. Some of the more outrageous elements of that proposal include the plan to "to fully get rid of emissions from farting cows," eliminating all air travel, and requiring the retrofitting of every building in the country to meet their standards. These are not the actions/solutions that are proposed by a serious organization, these are the ideas of a cult. What ultimately exposed AOC and her minions was the decision to include in their fact sheet proposals not even remotely related to the environment, including universal health care and ensuring "economic security to all who are unable or unwilling to work." The Green New Deal, like much of the rest of the climate change cult's agenda, is less about climate change and more about Socialism; maneuvering for the redistribution of wealth and increased government control over our lives, while disguised as well-intentioned activists striving for cleaner air. Will the news that climate change killed off the Woolly Rhino, long before the first Subaru with a "Bernie" bumper sticker came on the scene, dampen their enthusiasm for their sectarian dogma? Doubtful. But for those of us not yet sucked in, we must call them out for what they are. P.F. Whalen is a conservative blogger at www.TheBlueStateConservative.com. Follow him on Twitter @pf_whalen. Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of Wikipedia-declared fair use image and Pixabay public domain image. A newborn baby has been deserted by her mother on the side of pavement in China after the 19-year-old parent said she was unmarried and couldnt afford to raise the child. The naked girl was lying inside a black plastic bag when she was discovered on the street by a passer-by who heard the baby crying in eastern Chinese province Zhejiang. The healthy infant had been born less than two days ago when she was taken to a local hospital for examination, police said. A newborn baby has been deserted by her mother on the side of pavement in Zhejiang, China, after the 19-year-old parent said she was unmarried and couldnt afford to raise the child During the police investigation, the officials spotted the parent on CCTV footage. She is seen walking and looking around as she carried the black plastic bag with her daughter inside The Chinese mother has been detained by the authorities under the suspicion of abandonment while her daughter is believed to be looked after by family members. The deserted baby girl was found by a resident, known by his surname Luo, in the city of Zhuji on August 16. Mr Luo was walking towards the factory he worked at when he suddenly heard a babys crying, reported local media. He was shocked to see a naked infant wrapped inside a black plastic bag, along with a few pieces of clothing, on the side of the road. Police officers were called to the scene and took the young child to a local hospital for examination. Doctors said the baby was healthy and had been only born less than 72 hours ago. The naked girl was lying inside a black plastic bag when she was discovered on the street by a passer-by who heard the baby crying in Zhuji city of eastern Chinese province Zhejiang Police officers were called to the scene and took the young child to a local hospital for examination. Doctors said the baby was healthy and had been born less than 72 hours ago During the police investigation, the officials spotted the parent on CCTV footage. She is seen walking and looking around as she carried the black plastic bag with her daughter inside. The woman, known by her pseudonym Xiao Qin, admitted to the incident when the authorities approached her at her workplace. The 19-year-old migrant worker had moved to the eastern Chinese city from central China to seek employment last year. Before leaving her hometown, Xiao Qin broke up with her boyfriend whom she dated for six months. But the woman found out that she was expecting a baby soon after arriving in Zhuji. Xiao Qin decided to abandon the baby because she couldnt afford to raise the child on her own. She then wrapped the newborn baby in the plastic bag and dumped her on the pavement just hours after the labour. The picture shows Xiao Qin visiting her daughter at the hospital Worried about the reaction of her family and friends to her being unmarried and pregnant, Xiao Qin kept the news under wraps. She also wore baggy clothes to work so that her colleagues wouldnt find out. On August 15, Xiao Qins water suddenly broke while she was working at the factory. She asked her boss for a day off and rushed back to her rented flat. The young mother eventually gave birth to her daughter at home. She even cut the umbilical cord by herself using a folding knife. Xiao Qin decided to abandon the baby because she couldnt afford to raise the child on her own. She then wrapped the newborn baby in the plastic bag and dumped her on the pavement just hours after the labour. The womans ex-boyfriend refused to take care of the child following the incident. Her family had travelled to Zhuji to deal with the matter and look after the baby girl, according to reports. Xiao Qin has been detained by the police after she was suspected of abandonment, the authorities said. A further investigation is ongoing. Forgetting to carry cash will no longer be an excuse not to tip, as a cashless tipping app is raising money to expand across the UK and the US. ThankU, founded by British entrepreneur Adrian Harris, is aiming to pull in around 150,000 from investors to roll out its innovative technology. Businesses which heavily rely on tipping can apply to get a ThankU microchip which sits in a discreet blue blob on a table, in a wristband, or even in a pair of cufflinks. Businesses which heavily rely on tipping can apply to get a ThankU microchip which sits in a discreet blue blob on a table, in a wristband, or even in a pair of cufflinks Customers who download the ThankU app on their smartphone can then tap their phone on the microchip, and choose to pay their server, porter or hairdresser a tip of any amount. Harris hopes the app can become a vital lifeline for staff who rely on tips to supplement their wages, at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is encouraging many customers to cut down on cash usage. On a recent trip to the US, Harris went to the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles and asked Frank Boquin, a veteran bell staff who has been working in the industry for more than 40 years, what he thought of the idea behind ThankU. He said he literally wanted to hug me because he and his colleagues were suffering badly from societys move to cashless, and they had been desperately hoping for something like this to come along, Harris said. It doesnt cost the business anything to use ThankU, and the app makes its money by charging the customer 10p on top of their tip. ThankU is run by Harris and his 18-year-old chief technology officer, whom he describes as a tech whizz. The Prime Minister dropped in on a meeting between Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, Downing Street has confirmed. Boris Johnsons spokesman told reporters during a briefing that he had made a short drop-in during talks at the Foreign Office between Mr Raab and Mr Kushner about the situation in the Middle East. Mr Kushner, who is US President Donald Trumps son-in-law, arrived in London having this week travelled on a high-level Israeli delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the first direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries. Expand Close Jared Kushner arrives at the rear entrance of the Foreign Office (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jared Kushner arrives at the rear entrance of the Foreign Office (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The flight traversed Saudi air space following a US-brokered deal by the UAE to normalise relations with Israel. Number 10 defended the Conservative Party leaders decision to join a meeting with a figure so close to Mr Trump now that campaigning for the next presidential election has stepped up before the November poll. Mr Trump is fighting for a second term in the Oval Office against a challenge from Democratic rival Joe Biden. It was specifically a discussion about the Middle East peace process, which I think we all would agree it is important we continue to be fully engaged in that work, the Prime Ministers spokesman said. Expand Close Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP) Asked whether the Prime Minister would be endorsing Mr Trump in the November election, the No 10 spokesman said: The long-standing position in the UK is that elections are a matter for the electors of that particular country. The Foreign Office said Mr Johnson and Mr Raab used the meeting with the US aide to reiterate the UKs support for a two-state solution in the Middle East. A spokesman for the department said: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met with US senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner to discuss the Middle East peace process following Mr Kushners recent visit to the region. They welcomed the historic Israel-UAE normalisation deal and discussed wider US efforts to facilitate the normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab states. I met with @jaredkushner today. We discussed the historic Israel-UAE deal and UK efforts to encourage Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. I reaffirmed UK commitment to a negotiated two state solution. pic.twitter.com/nXBTfEyKEh Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) September 3, 2020 The Foreign Secretary updated Mr Kushner on his recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and his encouragement of a return to co-operation between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships, as a first step on the road to a renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were clear about their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution. Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, tweeted after the Foreign Office meeting had taken place that he had met with Mr Kushner for breakfast at his residence near Londons Regents Park. Great to have Jared Kushner and team at Winfield House for breakfast congratulations on moving peace & prosperity forward in the Middle East! he tweeted. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:08:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHENYANG, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, held a series of activities Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The anniversary has attracted increased numbers of tourists and students to the museum, which provided white chrysanthemums so that visitors could place floral tributes at the tombstones of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the war. On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang, then accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for attack. They bombarded barracks near Shenyang the same evening, beginning the bloody invasion. The museum also dispatched a team to the Shenyang No. 111 middle school Thursday to teach students about what Chinese people suffered in the war and about the victory the nation achieved, in a bid to remind the younger generation of the significance of history and peace. "We hope the youths can become guardians of peace," said Fan Lihong, curator of the museum. "The spirit and experience we took from the war will provide strong power for the Chinese nation to overcome all obstacles and difficulties." Enditem Embattled Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa has alleged a plot to end her political career in the wake of her recent arrest and arraignment over corruption. Speaking outside the Mombasa Law Courts after she was released on a Sh2 million bail, Jumwa claimed that the State is now planning to arrest and charge her with murder. According to the lawmaker, she is being targeted for supporting Deputy President William Ruto. Jumwa vowed to fight back I know all this is being done to fight me because of my stand. In two weeks, they are planning to bring me here again to charge me with murder, but I want to tell them I will not be cowed down by their attempts to bring me down, she said. Adding: They have plotted everything, but I will remain in this country and I will not be defeated by them. The Malindi MP cautioned courts against being used to settle political scores. Regarding the murder charge, Jumwa was referring to the killing of Mr Michael Jola Ngumbao, uncle of Ganda MCA Ruben Mwamure Katana, during the Ganda by-election last year. The lawmaker was arrested alongside her bodyguard Geoffrey Okuto Otieno and later released on Sh500,000 cash bail each by a Mombasa court pending investigation. The economy will nosedive until Covid testing is brought in at borders, furious business chiefs said last night. Demanding urgent action from Boris Johnson, they warned 14-day quarantine was crippling travel, wrecking trade prospects and jeopardising the recovery. The chief executive of Heathrow accused the Government of doing nothing to protect jobs. What makes me more angry is that we are putting this countrys future at risk, said John Holland-Kaye. We werent born as one of the worlds great trading nations. We got there through hard work and ingenuity over decades. And all that work will be lost if we stand by and do nothing to safely open up our borders. British Airways boss Willie Walsh said quarantine was throttling business and holiday plans and handcuffing our economic recovery. The Daily Mail is leading calls for testing at airports and ports to get the country and economy moving again. Pictured: A British Airways plane takes off from the northern runway at Heathrow Airport - Britains biggest and busiest. It would normally handle around 1,300 flights every day in September, with 220,000 passengers coming and going. Yesterday there were just 504 flights landing and taking off, with many planes far from full Airlines UK, the Airport Operators Association, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet, Airbus and Rolls-Royce are all backing the campaign. Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Southend, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports also pledged their support. Tony Blair said testing at airports was essential to reopening the economy. The former prime minister added: Testing after travel will reduce quarantine and eventually replace it altogether. By maximising all the testing capacity at our disposal and continuing to bring online new, innovative on-the-spot tests, we can do this now. It will be essential to getting international travel back and revitalising the economy. Travel industry leaders are furious at the failure to bring in airport testing, with one warning ministers were presiding over the demise of the aviation industry. Empty: Terminal 5 at Heathrow was devoid of tourists today as business chiefs call for Britain to get flying again. Heathrow would normally handle around 1,300 flights every day in September, with 220,000 passengers coming and going. Yesterday there were just 504 flights landing and taking off, with many planes far from full The quarantine system in which travellers have to self-isolate for 14 days if they arrive in the UK from a red list country has been in place since June. It has caused mayhem for British holidaymakers, tourists from abroad and business travellers. Countries have been taken off the list opening up travel bookings only to be added again a few weeks later when their rate of coronavirus infections increases. To add to the confusion, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are able to impose their own rules. This was dramatically illustrated last night when the UK government decided not to add Portugal or Greece to its quarantine list. Yet travellers in Wales were told they would have to self-isolate for 14 days if they returned from mainland Portugal or any of six Greek islands. The number of foreigners coming to Britain has collapsed with devastating consequences for London and other tourist hotspots. At least theres no queue: Gatwicks North Terminal. Travel bosses have pointed out that other countries have introduced testing regimes that reduce the need for quarantine As bookings plummet 90%, Eurostar shuts Kent stations Eurostar is to mothball its stations in Kent until 2022, raising fears of hundreds of job losses. The train operator blamed quarantine restrictions for a 90 per cent drop in bookings compared to last year. Its trains have not been stopping at Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International stations since March, but that has now been extended to 2022. Ashford MP Damian Green, who was Theresa Mays de facto deputy, said yesterday it was a huge blow. He said: As long as people are worried about travelling abroad, the traffic will not be back. 'That undermines the urgency of getting a vaccine or some other way, such as more and quicker testing. If people could be tested going in and out of the country, then they could travel with confidence nearly as good as a vaccine. A Eurostar spokesman said: Covid-19 has had a severe impact on the travel industry... it is crucial we adapt and take action to reduce our costs so that we protect our business for the future. Advertisement Travel bosses point out that countries including Germany, France, Italy and Iceland have managed to introduce a testing regime to eliminate or reduce the need for quarantine. They have spent months calling for passengers to be tested on arrival and then again a few days later. Experts on the Sage committee endorsed the idea two months ago. Minutes from the scientific advisory group show it asked Public Health England to consider such a policy after research found tests after five days would pick up 85 per cent of coronavirus cases, and 96 per cent after eight days. The plan would have allowed people to finish quarantine within a week. However aviation bosses say the Department for Transport has stopped engaging on the issue. Heathrow has even built its own testing centre ready to test thousands of arrivals but the multi-million pound facility is gathering dust. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has not even asked to visit. Sources have blamed the lack of action on Whitehall infighting. One senior Tory MP said that although Mr Shapps supports testing, other departments are concerned about false negative results and other potential problems. Jet2 last night cancelled all flights and holidays to Spain and Croatia for the rest of the summer season. The tour operator blamed the quarantine measures for ruining thousands of holidays. A spokesman said: We urge the Government to continue to help holidaymakers by implementing a targeted approach to travel advice, instead of the current blanket approach. The quarantine rules are being opposed by more than 80 MPs, half of them Conservatives. Steve Baker, Tory former minister and MP for High Wycombe, said: If the Government can provide fast accurate lateral-flow tests at airports to enable people to avoid quarantine when they come back, then they must deploy them widely. As an MP for a constituency west of Heathrow, I see through my mailbox the devastating impact of coronavirus on the ground crew, the pilots and the cabin crew. The first international flight in more than five months landed in Chinas capital yesterday with the passengers greeted by airport staff in full hazmat suits. Initially the Chinese are allowing flights from Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Canada countries deemed low risk. Eleven cases were reported yesterday in China, where the coronavirus first emerged late last year. ... and how it used to be Airports in early September are usually full of families flying back for the new school year or canny holidaymakers heading out on cut-price term-time deals. Sadly, the gates at Gatwick and Heathrow were all but empty yesterday. In fact, departures at Heathrows Terminal 5 was literally deserted at one point, as seen above. The airport Britains biggest and busiest would normally handle around 1,300 flights every day in September, with 220,000 passengers coming and going. Yesterday there were just 504 flights landing and taking off, with many planes far from full. How it was last year: Chaos at Heathrow Terminal 5 arrivals as warm weather and a lack of staff paints a very different scene to this years' scenes at the airport. In a typical year, Heathrow would normally handle around 1,300 flights every day in September Pictured: Travellers at Gatwick airport make their way to the departure gate at the end of August last year Ontario Provincial Police are still investigating the 2016 Niagara Region chief administrative officer hiring scandal, the St. Catharines Standard has learned, contrary to an email a detective sent in June saying the probe was over. An OPP spokesman confirmed Tuesday the anti-racketeering units preliminary probe into the hiring of Carmen DAngelo remains open and active, meaning the police service has yet to decide if it will pursue a full criminal investigation into a plot the Ontario Ombudsmans office called an inside job orchestrated from the office of then-regional chair Alan Caslin. The June email from an OPP detective to a Niagara resident saying police found no criminal wrongdoing in DAngelos hiring appeared to end to the OPPs involvement in the affair. The service was asked by local officials to examine the Ontario Ombudsman report of its probe, which found DAngelos hiring to be unjust and wrong, and involved a plot to circumvent the hiring process in favour of DAngelo. Before and during the hiring process DAngelo received confidential Region documents including interview questions and answers and information on other job candidates. Most of the documents were created by Caslins top aides his policy director Robert DAmboise and then-communications director Jason Tamming. During the Ombudsman probe, DAngelo initially told investigators he did not recall receiving the documents and that they were either fabricated or planted on his computer at Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, where he was employed at the time. But when faced with forensic evidence showing he had received them, DAngelo said the likely source of the documents was DAmboise. In recent civil court documents, DAngelo admits to having received the files, but claims he did not rely on them during the hiring process. The Ombudsman found the scheme stretched back to 2015, and involved members of regional council who sat on the NPCA board providing confidential government information to DAngelo. Also involved was then-Port Colborne regional councillor and then-NCPA manager David Barrick, who was working for DAngelo. Barrick tried to get at least one Region manager to promote DAngelo as the municipalitys new CAO among other regional employees months in advance of the hiring process. Regional council forwarded the Ombudsman report to Niagara Regional Police for further investigation. The NRP, in turn, sent the report to the OPP in order to avoid a conflict of interest because the NRP is funded by the Region. The OPP anti-racketeering unit launched a preliminary probe to determine if a full criminal investigation into the issue was warranted. There was no indication of the status of that investigation until June, when a detective from the anti-racketeering unit sent an email to a Niagara resident, which was obtained by the Standard, explaining the preliminary probe had concluded and that it found no evidence of criminal activity associated to the hiring of Mr. DAngelo. The detective wrote the hiring may have violated the Provincial Offences Act, although he did not specify how. The statute of limitations for those offences which expire six months after an alleged offence is committed prevented us from moving forward in this regard, the email said. If a preliminary probe is completed and no criminal investigation is launched, OPP protocols require the service to send a report to the agency that asked for the investigation in this case, the Region and the NRP. No report was sent to either agency. Since June, the Standard has learned the OPP has continued to work on the file. On Tuesday the service confirmed the probe is ongoing. Neither the anti-racketeering unit nor the OPP media spokesperson could explain the June email or if the investigation was ever actually closed nor would they discuss the status of an open probe. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to meet families of a black man shot by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday. This comes when President Donald Trump has ordered a review of federal funding for cities that can be designated anarchist jurisdictions, mostly Democrat-run. Trump is keeping the focus of his re-election bid on the protests as a law-and-order issue, while Biden is trying to make it a vote on Trumps handling of the Covid-19 epidemic. In a major speech on Wednesday, he said the reopening of schools is a national emergency and the administration has no plans for it. But responding to Trumps stress on law and order and his attempt to tie Biden and Democrats to the violence, the former vice-president will visit Kenosha on Thursday and unlike the president, he will meet the family of Jacob Blake, the black man shot seven times in the back by a white police officer. Weve got to heal. Weve got to put things together and bring people together, Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday. So my purpose in going will be to do just that be a positive influence on whats going on, talk about what needs to be done and try to see if theres a beginning of a mechanism to bring the folks together. Also read: Chinese Embassy in US criticises move to impose new restriction on diplomats Trump had mostly met law enforcement officials during his Kenosha visit on Tuesday and had offered them his full support in the face of criticism of their use of excessive force, which he had said were mostly because some officers choke under pressure. Keeping the focus on law and order, the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to review funding to cities that have been in the grip of prolonged protests and block funds to those that are determined by the justice department to be anarchist jurisdictions, which have allowed the unrest to continue. The White House order named a few of them Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; New York City, New York; and Washington DC. Anarchy has recently beset some of our states and cities, Trump said in the order. For the past few months, several state and local governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law, disempowering and significantly defunding their police departments, and refusing to accept offers. This will not be the first time the president has threatened to block federal funding to states and cities that have disagreed with him. He threatened to withhold funds from the so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities in March. Black church, riot survivor sue Tulsa for reparations over 1921 race massacre Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A group that includes a predominantly African American church has filed a lawsuit against the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma seeking reparations for survivors of a 1921 race massacre and their descendants. Filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, the complaint seeks to remedy the ongoing nuisance caused by the race riot that took place over 99 years ago on May 31 and June 1, 1921, in the citys Greenwood district. Plaintiffs include 105-year-old survivor of the riot Lessie Benningfield Randle, the historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church of Tulsa as well as several residents and descendants of victims of the massacre. The complaint not only describes details of the riot and its damages but also documents subsequent actions that harmed the local African American community. Defendants unlawful acts and omissions in the years and decades following the Massacre blighted the Greenwood neighborhood, endangering the health and safety of the Greenwood community, the lawsuit argues Defendants interference with investment in the Greenwood and North Tulsa community and neighborhood, which began after the Massacre, continues to this day. Defendants named in the complaint include the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Regional Chamber, the Tulsa Development Authority, the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado and the Oklahoma Military Department. In its prayer for relief, the complaint seeks to have reparations funds go to a scholarship fund for the descendants of the massacre victims, compensation for the two confirmed survivors and the funding of programs to benefit the modern Greenwood community. Damario Solomon-Simmons, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said at a press conference held Tuesday that this was a truly historic lawsuit seeking justice for Greenwood. This is a claim for public nuisance. This is a claim for unjust enrichment. You stole things. You took things, you have things that do not belong to you to this date and the people should get it back, said Solomon-Simmons, as reported by local media outlet KTUL. On May 31, 1921, a mob of whites stormed the black Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, which included a major business district known as Black Wall Street. For about 18 hours, clashes occurred in Greenwood, with more than 1,200 houses destroyed and hundreds looted. The official death toll was 36 people, most of whom were black. According to History, the Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the deadliest riots in U.S. history, behind only the New York Draft Riots of 1863, which killed at least 119 people. In the years to come, as Black Tulsans worked to rebuild their ruined homes and businesses, segregation in the city only increased, and Oklahomas newly established branch of the KKK grew in strength, they added. A 2001 state commission examination of events was able to confirm 36 dead, 26 Black and 10 white. However, historians estimate the death toll may have been as high as 300. The Historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tulsa is the only standing black-owned structure from the Black Wall Street-era and the only edifice that remains from the massacre. The church was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in August 2018, according to the churchs website. The churchs pastor, Rev. Robert Turner is a millennial who is passionate about his calling to serve this present age. Its so much more than a tourist site its a crime scene, Turner argued, according to The New York Times. Until Tulsa does right by Greenwood, this district will forever be a crime scene." There is no need to look for enemies where they do not exist, the ministry says. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine has commented on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's accusations against Ukraine of meddling in the country's internal affairs. Read alsoLukashenko accuses Ukraine of interfering in Belarus' internal affairs"An exhaustive response to the reproaches of certain politicians about Ukraine's alleged involvement in organizing protests in the Republic of Belarus was given by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba yesterday. In particular, he noted that Ukraine had not been engaged, was not engaged, and would not be engaged in any subversive activities against Belarus," the ministry said in a statement on September 3. "In connection with another false accusation of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, voiced by A. Lukashenko, we call on our Belarusian friends and partners not to succumb to information provocations, so as not to fall into the trap of propaganda and fakes," reads the statement. The ministry added that "there is no need to look for enemies where they do not exist." On September 3, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko accused Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic of meddling in the country's internal affairs. According to him, the situation in Belarus is greatly influenced by foreign interference in domestic affairs of the country and external control over street protests, BelTA reported. Belarus protests: background New Delhi: Stalemate over GST continued with states hardening their positions on issues like territorial jurisdiction over high sea sales and control over tax assessees, even as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hoped these matters would be resolved at the next GST Council meet. While April 1 rollout schedule has long been ruled out, non-BJP ruled states put the new implementation schedule not before September. Jaitley was non-committal on the roll-out dates saying we know the difficulty, we are moving against time. The next meeting of the GST Council on January 16 would discuss the issue of jurisdiction over assessees as well as try to reach a finality on taxation of territorial waters. ALSO READ: (Fresh roadblocks to GST: States demand tax on high sea sales, higher compensation) The IGST law, having 11 chapters, was discussed today. The initial 10 chapters have been approved and some issues remain open because they are in the process of being discussed. We will be meeting again, because the nature of discussion was inconclusive, on January 16 and have a seating to conclude the discussion on those specific points, he told reporters here. Stating that the issue of territory is a complex issue, Jaitley said the area within 12 nautical miles into the sea is an Indian territory and a question is whose territory is it. Conventionally service tax and customs are charged by Government of India in those areas. Some states had, as far as fishing business is concerned the Constitution provides for fishing rights to states in that area. Some states have been levying taxes in the nature of sales tax/VAT, he said Jaitley said since states have been levying these taxes, they want to continue to levy them, but the contra argument is that high sea area strictly doesnt fall within the definition of state and as per Constitution is an Union Territory. This issue is currently before the Supreme Court. The case of states is we should be allowed to raise taxes. It is an issue on which Constitutional solution has to be followed and the solution has to be legally tenable... The issue is very close to resolution but we need a legal response to it, it has to be adequately tested, Jaitley said. Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said the other remaining issues before the GST Council include ways to fund the compensation to states for GST rollout and states participation in Integrated GST (IGST). Working overtime, it should be possible to meet the deadline of September. I am not very optimistic about rolling GST out in June/July. Because it is a new tax and lot of complexity involved, it would be better to move in after full preparation. So GST, to my understanding, will be implemented from September, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Not intended for UK and US based media - Company to present 54 abstracts across its MS portfolio - MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets), Rebif (interferon beta-1a) and investigational evobrutinib - New long-term data and real-world evidence further characterise efficacy and safety of MAVENCLAD - New MAVENCLAD and Rebif safety data to be shared demonstrating no increased risk of respiratory viral infections DARMSTADT, Germany, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced it will present data on its approved and investigational multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments at MSVirtual2020: 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. Merck will present 54 abstracts at the meeting, taking place virtually from 11-13 September 2020, including new efficacy and real-world safety data on MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) and new safety data for Rebif (interferon beta-1a). In addition, data will be presented demonstrating investigational evobrutinib is the first and only Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor (BTKi) to demonstrate high and sustained efficacy through 108 weeks in clinical studies. Preclinical data will also be presented providing insights into evobrutinib`s potential impact on progression in MS. "The broad range of research revealed through these data demonstrate our strategic approach to advancing the MS treatment landscape through new medicines and patient-focused research initiatives," said Luciano Rossetti, Head of Global Research & Development for the biopharma business of Merck. "Much of our data provide insights on how MAVENCLAD and Rebif affect the risk of respiratory viral infections and COVID-19 outcomes in MS patients. These insights will help support clinicians as they make treatment decisions for their patients living with MS." Key MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) data include: Early onset of action: Efficacy results from the Phase IV MAGNIFY-MS study, demonstrating an early onset of action from end of month one through a reduction in mean combined unique active (CUA) lesion count in the first six months of MAVENCLAD treatment for highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) treatment for highly active relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) Sustained efficacy: - New data evaluating cumulative relapse incidence over five years in patients enrolled in the CLARITY and CLARITY Extension trials, showing the sustained efficacy of MAVENCLAD - Late-breaking interim data from the CLASSIC-MS study on the long-term efficacy and real-world treatment patterns for patients receiving MAVENCLAD , with eight to 14 years of follow up, will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from 25 September 2020 - New data evaluating cumulative relapse incidence over five years in patients enrolled in the CLARITY and CLARITY Extension trials, showing the sustained efficacy of MAVENCLAD Late-breaking interim data from the CLASSIC-MS study on the long-term efficacy and real-world treatment patterns for patients receiving MAVENCLAD , with eight to 14 years of follow up, will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from Disability improvement: Results from a post hoc analysis from the CLARITY Extension, showing patients receiving early treatment with MAVENCLAD had a greater prevalence of disability improvement over five years, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) analysis from the CLARITY Extension, showing patients receiving early treatment with MAVENCLAD had a greater prevalence of disability improvement over five years, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) COVID-19 patient cases: Results from the MAGNIFY and CLARIFY studies, demonstrating clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infection during these Phase IV studies of MAVENCLAD for the treatment of MS will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from 25 September 2020 for the treatment of MS will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from Updated post-approval safety data of MAVENCLAD in the treatment of MS showing that respiratory viral infections were typically non-serious, and consistent with that from the clinical development program Key Rebif (interferon beta-1a) data include: Post-approval results on the safety of Rebif in the treatment of MS, showing no new safety signals, including no increased risk for respiratory viral infections Key evobrutinib data include: Results of the Phase II open-label extension (OLE) in patients treated with evobrutinib 75 mg BID (twice a day), showing the efficacy at Week 48 was maintained at 108 weeks (ARR, 0.11) and the maximum efficacy observed with BID dosing correlated with optimal BTK occupancy achieved with BID dosing Safety results from the 60 week Phase II OLE showing no new safety signals identified, consistent with data seen in more than 1,200 patients who have received evobrutinib to date, across MS and other conditions Preclinical data demonstrating evobrutinib's potential to reduce CNS compartmentalized inflammation thought to drive the progression of disability seen in MS Additional Merck activities at MSVirtual2020: Live presentation "Exploring the role of real-world data in multiple sclerosis" chaired by Prof. Gavin Giovannoni , Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry ( 12 September 2020 , 14:3015:30 EDT / 20:3021:30 CEST; recording available after the event) , Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry ( , 14:3015:30 EDT / 20:3021:30 CEST; recording available after the event) Two product theatres on demand throughout the congress starting from 11 September 2020 , 11:45 EDT / 17:45 CEST - "Multiple sclerosis patient management: update from the UK" by Dr. Wallace Brownlee , MS Specialist Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and MS researcher at Queen Square MS Centre, University College London Institute of Neurology - "Real-world multiple sclerosis management: what can we learn from MSBase?" by Dr. Suzanne Hodgkinson, Associate Professor, University of New South Wales , and a senior consultant neurologist at Liverpool Hospital, New South Wales, Australia Today, Merck has launched a newsroom for journalists interested in the company`s latest developments and news merckneurology.com/newsroom where, among other information, background information on Merck MS treatments, and video presentations from the below will be available: Merck's commitment to MS: Andrew Paterson , Senior Vice President, Head of Global and US Multiple Sclerosis Franchise, Merck , Senior Vice President, Head of Global and US Multiple Sclerosis Franchise, Merck An overview of MAVENCLAD MAGNIFY data: Prof. Nicola De Stefano , PhD, Professor of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery & Neuroscience, University of Siena, Italy MAGNIFY data: Prof. , PhD, Professor of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery & Neuroscience, University of Siena, Evobrutinib clinical trial update: Robert Henderson , Vice President, Global Program Leadership, Neurology & Immunology, Merck Following the conclusion of MSVirtual2020, Merck will be hosting "Mastering the Neuroscience of Unconscious Bias," the inaugural virtual event for Merck's I'M IN initiative, a diversity, equity and inclusion effort started in February 2019. I'M IN is an initiative started by Merck`s Neurology & Immunology franchise, which aims to explore solutions together with healthcare providers to improve equity within the healthcare ecosystem. Below is the full list of Merck abstracts accepted for presentation at ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS 2020: MAVENCLAD (cladribine tablets) Presentations Title Authors Presentation ID Presentation Details Reduced Grey Matter Atrophy in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Cladribine Tablets Battaglini M, Sormani M P, Luchetti L, Gentile G, Cortese R, Alexandri N, De Stefano N P0231 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Marco Battaglini Reduction in CUA MRI Lesions in the First 6 Months of Cladribine Tablets Treatment for Highly Active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: MAGNIFY-MS Study De Stefano N, Barkhof F, Montalban X, Achiron A, Derfuss T, Chan A, Hodgkinson S, Prat A, Leocani L. Schmierer K, Sellebjerg F, Vermersch P, Wiendl H, Keller B, Roy S P0382 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Nicola De Stefano Durable Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets: Cumulative Relapse Incidence Over 5 years in CLARITY and CLARITY Extension Giovannoni G, Rammohan K, Leist T, Coyle P K, Keller B, Jack D, Alexandri N P0202 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Gavin Giovannoni Disability Improvement in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Cladribine Tablets, Evaluated by Expanded Disability Status Scale Sormani M P, Signori A Giovannoni G, Alexandri N P0201 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Maria Pia Sormani Updated Post-Approval Safety of Cladribine Tablets in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, With Particular Reference to Respiratory Viral Infections Giovannoni G, Berger J, Leist T, Jack D, Galazka A, Nolting A, Damian D P0415 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Gavin Giovannoni Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19 Infection During Phase IV Studies of Cladribine Tablets for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Karan R, Roy S, Alexandri N LB1151 Session: Latebreaker ePoster Date: 25-26 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 25 September 2020 Presenter: Radmila Karan Treatment Satisfaction in Patients With Highly-active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Cladribine Tablets: CLARIFY-MS Study Interim Analysis Brochet B, Hupperts R, Langdon D, Solari A, Piehl F, Lechner-Scott J, Montalban X, Selmaj K, Valis M, Rejdak K, Havrdova EK, Patti F, Alexandri N, Nolting A, Keller B P1066 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Bruno Brochet Initial Findings From a Dynamic Cohort Study of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Proactive Approach for Safety and Comparative Effectiveness Sabido, M, Batech M, Foch C, Boutmy E, Verpillat P P0470 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Meritxell Sabido Characteristics of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Cladribine Tablets in Five European Countries: Multi-year Chart Review Zeng F, Harty G, Wong SL, Maslova E, Schade R, Row B P0846 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Feng Zeng Characterization of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Cladribine Tablets in Germany Since Marketing Authorization Zeng F, Harty G, Wong SL, Uebler S, Maslova E, Schade R, Row B, Ellenberger D, Stahmann A P0847 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Feng Zeng CLASSIC-MS: Long-term Efficacy and Real-World Treatment Patterns for Patients Receiving Cladribine Tablets - Interim Data with 814 Years Follow-up Giovannoni G, Leist T, Aydemir A, Verdun Di Cantogno E, on behalf of the CLASSIC-MS Steering Committee LB1229 Session: Latebreaker ePoster Date: 25-26 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 25 September 2020 Presenter: Thomas Leist Age-related Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets in Patients With Relapsing-remitting MS in the CLARITY Extension Study Freedman M, Pardo G, De Stefano N, Aldridge J, Hyvert Y, Galazka A, Lemieux C P0284 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Cladribine Tablets in Patients with RRMS and Active SPMS After Suboptimal Response to Prior DMD (MASTER-2 and CLICK-MS): Initial Baseline Demographics Miravelle A, Katz J, Robertson D, Hayward B, Walsh JS, Harlow DE, Lebson LA, Sloane JA, Bass AD, Fox EJ P0310 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Augusto Miravelle Treatment-emergent Adverse Events Occurring Early in the Treatment Course of Cladribine Tablets in two Phase 3 Trials in Multiple Sclerosis Oh J, Walker B, Giovannoni G, Jack D, Dangond F, Nolting A, Aldridge J, Lebson L, Leist TP P0411 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Jiwon Oh Identification and Characterization of Adherence Trajectory Subgroups in Patients With MS Initiating Once- or Twice-daily Oral Disease-modifying Drugs Cisternas MG, Rajagopalan D, Leszko M, Andrade K, Phillips AL P0967 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Amy Phillips Real-world Patient-level Costs of Administering Infusion Disease-modifying Drugs: A US Retrospective Claims Database Analysis Kozma CM, Roberts NL, Phillips AL P1052 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Chris Kozma Value-added Benefits of a Nurse/Pharmacy-led Service for Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Treated Over 2 Years With Cladribine Tablets in the UK Morgan K, Vernon K, Ayer M P1069 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Kate Morgan Demonstrating the Value of a Patient Support Program for Multiple Sclerosis Patients Prescribed Cladribine Tablets in Ireland at the end of Year 1 Morgan K, Joseph B, Williams V, Kelly M P1015 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Kate Morgan Low Discontinuation Rate and Side-effect Burden After Switching to Cladribine Tablets: Canadian Experience from the adveva Patient Support Program Oh J, Giacomini P, Devonshire V, Clift F, Lemieux C, Sabido M, Allignol A, Freedman M P0880 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Jiwon Oh Cladribine Tablets Versus Other Disease-modifying Therapies in Achieving Disability Improvement in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Network Meta-analysis Piasecka-Stryczynska K, Rolka M, Kaczynski , Gorecka M, Wojcik R, Adamek I, Kaczor MP, Rejdak K P0040 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: K. Piasecka-Stryczynska MS Disease-modifying Therapy Sequencing Natalizumab to Cladribine Tablets Experience in 46 Patients Ziemssen T, Penner IK, Wagner T, Huebschen M, Mueller B, Buescher T, Richter J, Posevitz-Fejfar A 566 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Tjalf Ziemssen Switching disease modifying treatment in relapsing multiple sclerosis: Delphi consensus of the Demyelinating Group of the Spanish Society of Neurology Saiz A, Aguera E, Moral E, Brieva L, Rodriguez-Antiguedad A, Casanova-Estruch B, Jordi R, Meca-Lallana V, Garcia-Merino JA, Costa-Frossard L, Arnal-Garice C, Landete L, Meca-Lallana J, Blanco Y, Matias-Guiu J, Ares A, Martinez-Gines ML, Ara JR, Llaneza M, Castillo-Trivino T, Romero L, Perez-Sempere A, Gonzalez-Platas M, Mendibe-Bilbao M P0401 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Luis Brieva CLADQoL (CLADribine Tablets evaluation of Quality of Life) Study: Evaluating QoL 12 Months After Treatment Initiation with Cladribine Tablets Penner IK, Pul R, Kallmann BA, Raji A, Richter J, Wagner T, Mueller B, Buescher T, Posevitz-Fejfar A P0849 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Iris-Katharina Penner Effects of Cladribine on Proliferation, Survival and Cytokine Release of Human Astrocytes Eixarch H, Calvo-Barreiro L, Fissolo N, Boschert U, Comabella M, Montalban X, Espejo C P0330 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Herena Eixarch Real-world Experience With Cladribine in the MSBase Registry Butzkueven H, Spelman T, Verdun di Cantogno E, Fabris J, Zeng F, G Harty P0907 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Helmut Butzkueven 2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine (Cladribine) Preferentially Inhibits the Biological Activity of Microglia Cells Aybar F, Marcora S, Eugenia Samman M, Perez MJ, Pasquini JM, Correale J P0270 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Jorge Correale Cladribine to Halt Deterioration in People With Advanced Multiple Sclerosis (ChariotMS) Lieberman D, Mangat H, Allen-Philby K, Baker D, Barkhof F, Chandran S, Chapman C, Chataway J, Ford H, Giovannoni G, Hobart J, Hooper R, Hussain T, Walker N, Macmanus D, Mihaylova B, Pavitt S P0196 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: David Lieberman Predicting Long-term Sustained Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: Application in the CLARITY Trial Sharmin S, Bovis F, Sormani MP, Butzkueven H, Kalincik T and the MSBase study group P0131 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: S Sharmin A Clinical Data Summary for Cladribine Patients Treated at least 12 Months - A Swedish Nationwide Study of the Long-Term Effectiveness and Safety of Cladribine (IMSE 10) Forsberg L, Kagstrom S, Hillert J, Nilsson P, Dahle C, Svenningsson A, Lycke J, Landtblom AM, Burman J, Martin C, Sundstrom P, Gunnarsson M, Piehl F, Olsson T P0276 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: L Forsberg Impact of Cladribine Tablets on Brain Volume Protection in Highly Active MS Raji A, Winkler G P0586 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: A Raji Early Real-World Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets: A Single Center Experience Bain J, Jones A, Overholt S, Guenette M, Selchen D, Jiwon Oh P0319 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: J Bain Switching From Ocrelizumab to Cladribine: Real-world Data O'Neill DTD, Sharma M, Gonzales B, Vandenheuvel M, Tse B, Hodgkinson SJ P0399 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: D O'Neill The Effect of Cladribine Upon Naive and Activated CD4+ T Regulatory Cells in MS Patients Verma ND, Al-Atiyah R, O'Neill D, Sharma M, Tran CT, Hall BM, Hodgkinson SJ P0406 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Suzanne Hodgkinson Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Presentations A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses of Pregnancy and Fetal Outcomes in Women with Multiple Sclerosis. IMI2 ConcePTION Lopez-Leon S, Geissbuehler Y, Sabido M, Turkson, M, Wahlich C, Morris J P0278 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Meritxell Sabido Post-approval Safety of Subcutaneous Interferon -1a in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, With Particular Reference to Respiratory Viral Infections Freedman M S, Guehring H, Murgasova Z, Jack D P0370 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Effect of Neutralizing Antibodies on Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers of Subcutaneous Interferon -1a in REFLEX and REFLEXION Freedman MS, Holmberg KH, Fluck M, Hyvert H, Stinchi S, D'Urso V, Dangond F P0323 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Baseline Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels Predict Conversion to McDonald 2005 MS Within 2 yrs of a First Clinical Demyelinating Event in REFLEX Kuhle J, Leppert D, Comi G, De Stefano N, Kappos L, Freedman MS, Issard D, Roy S P0032 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Sanjeev Roy Effect of age on Effectiveness and Discontinuation of Subcutaneous Interferon beta-1a, and Healthcare Utilization, in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Sabido M, Allignol A Marhardt K, Vermersch P, Boutmy EF P0320 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Patrick Vermersch Comparing Infection-related Outcomes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Matched Controls Using Administrative Claims Data Bove R, Kozma C, Phillips AL, Harlow DE, Lobo C P0451 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Riley Bove Assessment of the Effectiveness of a Cognitive Behavioral Program for Fatigue (FACETS +) in 110 French Patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR MS): A randomized, controlled trial (RCT) Hemelin F, Marie Claire G, Olivier H, Marie B, Frederic B P1095 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Fanny Hamelin Impact of Interferon-beta Exposure During Early Pregnancy on Relapse Rate Tokic M, Thiel S, Litvin N, Ciplea A, Gold R, Hellwig K P1126 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: M Tokic Evobrutinib Presentations Clinical Relapse Rates in Relapsing MS Patients Treated with the BTK Inhibitor Evobrutinib: Results of an Open-Label Extension to Phase II Study Montalban X, Arnold D L, Weber MS, Staikov I, Piasecka-Stryczynska K, Martin E C, Mandel M, Ona V, Dangond F, Wolinsky JS P0197 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Fernando Dengond Safety of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Evobrutinib in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis During an Open-label Extension to a Phase II Study Montalban, X Arnold D L, Weber M S, Staikov I, Piasecka-Stryczynska K, Martin E C, Mandel M, Ona V, Zima Y, Dengond F, Tomic D, Wolinsky JS P0235 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Fernando Dengond Effect Of Evobrutinib, a BTK Inhibitor, on Immune Cell and Immunoglobulin Levels in Relapsing MS: An Open-Label Extension to a Phase II Study Montalban X, Shaw J, Dangond F, Martin EC, Grenningloh R, Ying Li, Weber MS P0070 Session: ePoster Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Jamie Shaw Evobrutinib, a Highly Selective BTK Inhibitor, Prevents Antigen-activation of B Cells and Ameliorates B Cellmediated Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Torke S, Pretzsch R, Hausler D, Grenningloh R, Boschert U, Bruck W, Weber MS P0334 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Sebastian Torke Expression of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase in B Cell-rich Meningeal Infiltrates in two Models of Progressive MS Kebir H, Ceja G, Miller MC, Li C, May MJ, Vite CH, Church ME, Grenningloh R, Boschert U, Alvarez JI P0962 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Kebir Hania T-bet+ B-cell Development in MS: Association with Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Activity and Targeting by Evobrutinib Rijvers L, Melief MJ, van Langelaar J, Wierenga-Wolf AF, Marieke van Ham S, Boschert U, Grenningloh R, Smolders J, van Luijn MM P0403 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT 11 September 2020 Presenter: Liza Rijvers The Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Evobrutinib Ameliorates Meningeal Inflammation in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Kim S, Boschert U Grenningloh R, Bhargava P P0404 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Pavan Bhargava The Validity and Applicability of the PROMIS SF v2.1 - Physical Function (MS) 15a: A new PROMIS Short Form for Assessing Physical Function in Relapsing and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Types Kamudoni P, Amtmann D, Johns J, Cook K, Salem R, Salek S, Raab J, Middleton R, Repovic P, Alschuler KN, von Geldern G, Wundes A, Henke C P1062 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Paul Kamudoni The Interpretation and Clinical Application of the PROMIS SF v1.0 - Fatigue (MS) 8b: A PROMIS Short Form for Assessing Fatigue in Relapsing and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Kamudoni P, Johns J, Cook K, Salem R, Henke C, Salek S, Raab J, Middleton R, Repovic P, Alschuler KN, von Geldern G,Wundes A, Amtmann D P1061 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Paul Kamudoni General MS Franchise Identifying Gaps in Knowledge, Skills and Confidence Among MS Specialists to Facilitate Improved MS Care Schmierer K, Peniuta M, Oh J, Leist T, Lazure P, Peloquin S P1100 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Klaus Schmierer An Investigation Into the Role and Impact That Carers Play in Consultations Between Healthcare Professionals and People With MS Langdon D, Sumelahti M L, Potra S, Alroughani R, on behalf of the MS in the 21st Century initiative, Verdun Di Cantogno E P1006 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Dawn Langdon Characterization of Age-related Changes in Circulating T cells in Multiple Sclerosis and Normal Controls: A Pilot Study Zuroff LR, Li R, Shinoda K, Rezk A, Bar-Or A P0952 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: LR Zuroff Treatment and Care Management, Clinical Outcomes and Mobility Impairment in People With or Without MS Aged 50 Years: Observational 6-year Analysis Freeman L, Lucas A, Zhou J, Hayward B, Livingston T P0176 Session: ePoster Date: 11-13 September 2020 Time: Available from 9am EDT on 11 September 2020 Presenter: Terrie Livingston About MAVENCLAD MAVENCLAD is a short-course oral therapy that selectively and periodically targets lymphocytes thought to be integral to the pathological process of relapsing MS (RMS). In August 2017, the European Commission (EC) granted marketing authorization for MAVENCLAD for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) in the 28 countries of the European Union (EU) in addition to Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. MAVENCLAD has since then been approved in 79 countries, including Canada, Australia and the US. Refer to the respective prescribing information for further details. The clinical development programme for cladribine tablets includes: The CLARITY (Cladribine Tablets Treating MS Orally) study: a two-year Phase III placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cladribine tablets as a monotherapy in patients with RRMS. The CLARITY extension study: a Phase III placebo-controlled study following on from the CLARITY study, which evaluated the safety and exploratory efficacy of cladribine tablets over two additional years beyond the two-year CLARITY study, according to the treatment assignment scheme for years 3 and 4. The ORACLE MS (Oral Cladribine in Early MS) study: a two-year Phase III placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cladribine tablets as a monotherapy in patients at risk of developing MS (patients who have experienced a first clinical event suggestive of MS). The ONWARD (Oral Cladribine Added ON to Interferon beta-1a in Patients With Active Relapsing Disease) study: a Phase II placebo-controlled study designed primarily to evaluate the safety and tolerability of adding cladribine tablets treatment to patients with relapsing forms of MS, who have experienced breakthrough disease while on established interferon-beta therapy. PREMIERE (Prospective Observational Long-term Safety Registry of Multiple Sclerosis) study: a long-term observational follow-up safety registry of MS patients who participated in cladribine tablets clinical studies. In the two-year CLARITY study, the most commonly reported adverse event (AE) in patients treated with cladribine tablets was lymphopenia (26.7% with cladribine tablets and 1.8% for placebo). The incidence of infections was 48.3% with cladribine tablets and 42.5% with placebo, with 99.1% and 99.0% respectively rated mild-to-moderate by investigators. Adverse Events reported in other clinical studies were similar. About Rebif Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is a disease-modifying drug used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is similar to the interferon beta protein produced by the human body. The efficacy of Rebif in chronic progressive MS has not been established. Interferon is thought to help reduce inflammation. The exact mechanism is unknown. Rebif, which was approved in Europe in 1998 and in the US in 2002, is registered in more than 90 countries worldwide. Rebif has been proven to delay the progression of disability, reduce the frequency of relapses and reduce MRI lesion activity and area*. Rebif can be administered with the RebiSmart electronic auto-injection device (not approved in the US), or with the RebiDose single-use disposable pen, or the manual multidose injection pen RebiSlide. Rebif can also be administered with the autoinjector Rebiject II or by manual injection using ready-to-use pre-filled syringes. These injection devices are not approved in all countries. In January 2012, the European commission approved the extension of the indication of Rebif in early multiple sclerosis. The extension of the indication of Rebif has not been submitted in the United States. Rebif should be used with caution in patients with a history of depression, liver disease, thyroid abnormalities and seizures. Most commonly reported side effects are flu-like symptoms, injection site disorders, elevation of liver enzymes and blood cell abnormalities. Patients, especially those with depression, seizure disorders, or liver problems, should discuss treatment with Rebif with their doctors. *The exact correlation between MRI findings and the current or future clinical status of patients, including disability progression, is unknown. Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is approved in the United States for relapsing forms of MS. About Evobrutinib Evobrutinib (M2951) is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). It is an oral, highly selective inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) which is important in the development and functioning of various immune cells including B lymphocytes and macrophages. Evobrutinib is designed to inhibit primary B cell responses such as proliferation and antibody and cytokine release, without directly affecting T cells. BTK inhibition is thought to suppress autoantibody-producing cells, which preclinical research suggests may be therapeutically useful in certain autoimmune diseases. Evobrutinib is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for any use anywhere in the world. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. Merck in Neurology and Immunology Merck has a long-standing legacy in neurology and immunology, with significant R&D and commercial experience in multiple sclerosis (MS). The company`s current MS portfolio includes two products for the treatment of relapsing MS, with a robust pipeline focusing on discovering new therapies that have the potential to modulate key pathogenic mechanisms in MS. Merck aims to improve the lives of those living with MS, by addressing areas of unmet medical needs. The company`s robust immunology pipeline focuses on discovering new therapies that have the potential to modulate key pathogenic mechanisms in chronic diseases such as MS, systemic lupus erythematosus osteoarthritis and psoriasis. All Merck Press Releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck Website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service. About Merck Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck generated sales of 16.2 billion in 66 countries. Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Contact [email protected] +49 151 1454 2694 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1136775/Merck_Logo.jpg SOURCE Merck A day after India banned 118 more Chinese apps, the Chinese Embassy in India criticised the move and said that it is seriously concerned and firmly opposes the action taken with the excuse of national security. The Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in India, Ji Rong urged the Indian government to rectify its 'discriminatory practices' violating global trade rules, and provide an open, fair and impartial business environment for all market players from various countries, including China. "The Chinese government has always required Chinese overseas companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations. The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment. Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country's development. It's the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent," said Rong while responding to media query on the Indian government's decision of blocking 118 Chinese mobile applications. "China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than strategic threats. The essence of economic and trade cooperation between China and India is for mutual benefit and win-win results. We hope that India will work with China to maintain the hard-won cooperation and development situation, and return to the right path of win-win cooperation," he added. The central government on Wednesday blocked PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite along with 116 other Chinese apps for Android and iOS devices. The banned apps also include Baidu, Baidu Express Edition, Tencent Watchlist, FaceU, WeChat Reading and Tencent Weiyun. The development came while India and China are engaged in a military standoff at Pangong Lake in Ladakh. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said that these banned applications are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". The Ministry said that it has received several complaints from various sources about misuse of some mobile apps for stealing and transmitting users' data without authorisation to servers located outside India. The Centre had earlier banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and UC Browser, days after the violent conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June this year. Similar action against 49 other Chinese apps were taken a few days later. By Chitranjan Kumar Also Read: India's actions violate legal interests of Chinese investors: China on PUBG, other apps ban Also Read: India bans PUBG Mobile, WeChat Work, AppLock and 115 other Chinese apps as border row intensifies The Ministry of Communications has welcomed the Accra High Court's dismissal of the application by the telecommunications giant, MTN, to stop the National Communications Authority (NCA) from taking corrective measures against the company as a significant market player (SMP). The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, in an interaction with the media after the launch of the upgraded COVID-19 symptom tracker app yesterday, said it was unhealthy for any country to have a single dominant telecommunications operator that had about 70 per cent share of revenue and 60 per cent share of the total market. "We need to do something about the uneven, lopsided market that we have; it is not healthy. I expect the NCA to continue the work that it started in 2016 and complete it, so that we have a healthy competitive climate for the industry to thrive, not just for one player but for all players in the telecoms sector to succeed. I want the regulator to sit with all players in the industry and develop sustainable mechanisms to address the current imbalance and ensure that this does not happen again," the minister said. Personal vendetta Responding to the allegation that perhaps she had an axe to grind with MTN, Mrs Owusu Ekuful said she had no negative intent against the mobile phone company. "Nobody is seeking to punish MTN for its success, but some of its practices are not helping the development of the industry. We have nothing personal against it. We have specific legislation to deal with specific instances and that is exactly what the regulator is doing, she said. I urge MTN to disabuse its mind of every notion that I am out to get it. I am fully in support of every one of them. The government will do whatever it can to promote the significant investments the telcos have made in this country," she added. Collaboration The minister stressed the need for greater collaboration between her ministry and all telecom companies, saying: "We are determined to work closely with the telecommunications industry to facilitate the digital inclusion of our country. She called for the creation of opportunities for all in the telecom industry to succeed and the creation of a vibrant market that respected the investments made by all actors and was attractive for foreign direct investments. Background Pursuant to Section 20 (10) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775), on June 9, this year, the NCA classified MTN as a SMP, after the regulator had determined that the mobile network operator controlled more than 57 per cent share of the voice market, as well as more than 67 per cent of the data market. The classification means that the NCA has concluded that MTN controls more than 40 per cent of the telecommunications industry. As mandated by law, the NCA can take remedial measures against MTN to curtail its market dominance in order to promote competition in the industry and also protect the interest of consumers. Act 775 allows the corrective measures against an SMP in order to promote competition, protect other mobile network operators and consumers. As part of the corrective measures, the NCA, among other things, decided to review and approve all charges by MTN, set caps on what MTN can charge for its services, ensure that MTNs access to information did not disadvantage other operators and also impose a 30 per cent interconnect rate for two years in favour of other disadvantaged operators. Courts position The Commercial Division of the Accra High Court, in a ruling last Tuesday, held that the NCA did not breach any law throughout the processes that had led to MTN being classified as an SMP. The ruling by the court gives the green light to the NCA to take corrective measures against MTN in order to promote competition and protect other mobile network operators and consumers. Apart from dismissing the case, the court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu, a Justice of the Court of Appeal with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, also awarded costs of GH10,000 against MTN. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Rosa Sabido has spent more than three years in the Mancos United Methodist Church in Colorado to avoid deportation back to Mexico. (David Kelly / For The Times) Facing deportation to Mexico, Rosa Sabido took sanctuary on June 2, 2017, inside the Mancos United Methodist Church in this deeply conservative corner of Colorado. Supporters held vigils after her first 100 days, then the first 600 days, then the first 1,000. Still, she remains. Marooned. In the more than three years Sabido has spent in the church, her mother has died, along with five elderly dogs she left with a stepfather. Two food trucks she once operated sit idle behind her empty mobile home in nearby Cortez. She spends her days writing poetry, working on her case and walking the dark halls and green lawn of the church, careful never to step onto the sidewalk. I think we are all surprised that shes been here over three years, said the church pastor, Craig Paschal. Hopefully, it wont all be for naught. About 45 people across the country sought refuge in churches shortly after President Trump took office and lowered the bar for who would be targeted for deportation. The Obama administration focused on deporting those with criminal records, but Trump made it clear that any immigrant in the country illegally was vulnerable, even those with strong community ties and no criminal past, such as Sabido. Some who sought sanctuary had overstayed visas or lost asylum cases. A few had run-ins with the law, such as driving without a license, using false documents or, in one case, being charged and later acquitted of assault after a shoving match at work. Most who went into sanctuary remain there, including a Peruvian immigrant who gave birth in a church recreation room in Boulder, Colo., last year. A few have walked away, some have won temporary stays of deportation, and others have returned to their countries. Sabido, who grew up in Mexico City, was 23 when she entered the U.S. in 1987 on a visitor visa to see her mother, Blanca, and stepfather Roberto, legal residents living in Cortez, about 17 miles west of Mancos. Her mother filed a petition for Sabido to become a permanent resident, a process that takes years. In the meantime, Sabido traveled between the U.S. and Mexico on a visitor visa. Story continues In 1998, during questioning by immigration officers at the Phoenix airport, she admitted to working as a babysitter in the U.S. and was sent back to Mexico. A month later, she crept through a narrow tunnel into Nogales, Ariz., and made her way to Cortez, where she sold food, prepared taxes and worked as a secretary at St. Margaret Mary Church. She was eventually arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and repeatedly applied for stays of removal which she was granted six years in a row. Her seventh request was denied, and in 2017 she was ordered to leave the country. The small adobe church offered sanctuary. It was no guarantee against deportation, but the federal government rarely raided houses of worship. Sabido, single with no children, scrambled to pack. She bid a tearful farewell to her dogs. Her distraught mother told her shed be better off in Mexico than a prisoner in a church. But Mexico wasnt home anymore. Shed spent more than three decades in the U.S. She spoke English fluently. And she had faith in the system. When she entered the church, it was national news. Mancos, a rural town of about 1,400 in a county that heavily favored Trump in the 2016 election, seemed an unlikely sanctuary, making the story even more compelling. In the beginning people came every day hour after hour wanting to get to know me, to hear my story, she recalled. So I had to tell my story so many times for months and months. The media was here all the time. They wanted to watch everything I did. One asked me to crack open the bathroom door so he could film me brushing my teeth. The church installed a shower for her and converted the nursery into a bedroom. Sabido was soon inundated by supporters who included her in yoga, drum circles, singing, cooking sessions and crafting. You are surrounded by strangers, but you must build relationships because you depend on everyone for everything food, clothing, she said. You dont feel like you have any power at all. The first year, Sabidos mother visited every day. Then Blanca was diagnosed with breast cancer and returned to Mexico for treatment to be closer to her extended family. She was 72 when she died July 23, 2018. I missed being with her on the last day of her life. That stays with me all the time, Sabido said. I wanted to take care of her and I couldnt. Through it all, a small army of supporters has pressed her case. They asked local Congressman Scott Tipton, a Republican who represents the district, to sponsor a private bill to legalize Sabidos status. Private bills, often used when other remedies are exhausted, must still pass the House, Senate and be signed by the president. Tipton visited Sabido but refused to introduce a bill. He recently lost a primary to a candidate who claimed he was insufficiently pro-Trump. Tipton's office did not respond to requests for comment. Colorado's Democratic senator, Michael Bennet, also visited Sabido. But all he could offer was hope that Trump would lose in November and a new administration would take up her case. Sabido still has strong support in Mancos and Cortez. When a local police officer walked into the church one day, parishioners feared the worst. He approached Sabido, handed her his card and said to call if she needed anything. Even people who are anti-immigrant say she should be allowed to stay, said Katie Wall, owner of Zuma Natural Foods in Mancos. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased Sabidos isolation but also given her time to reflect. Shes stopped all activities and most face-to-face interactions. I was never patient but have learned patience. I have learned to be with myself, she said. I can see all the colors, forms and textures of my life that you dont see unless you are forced to. She has become an outspoken champion of immigration reform. Her story has spread nationally on social media and the website rosabelongshere.org. Each week she takes part in a Zoom meeting with some of the roughly 40 others in sanctuary. On a recent call, six joined from churches around the country. For me its like prison, the only difference is we are not with other people, said Juana Ortega, 48, of Guatemala, in sanctuary in North Carolina after being denied asylum. One of the biggest changes for me was developing diabetes and high blood pressure in sanctuary, said Alirio Gamez, 44, of El Salvador, who took refuge in a Texas church when his asylum request was rejected. The doctor said it could have been from the stress and worry of this situation." I dont know if I can go on much longer, said Alex Garcia, 39, of Honduras, who has been in sanctuary for three years in Missouri to avoid deportation for being in the country illegally. If Trump wins I dont think we have any hope. Sabido spends much of her time on the churchs back lawn, where a bamboo screen offers her privacy from the street. I worry about wearing out my welcome, she said quietly. Paschal said he cant imagine asking her to leave. He works just down the hall from where she sleeps. Their bathrooms are inches apart. She shares the cramped kitchen with the whole church. Everyone has had to make sacrifices, the pastor said. The biggest thing is really learning to share the space. Learning to work together. We have a really active church and we kind of bump into each other. If Trump wins reelection, Sabido, who is now 56, knows this much: I wont spend another four years in sanctuary. She can walk out of the church and disappear into the shadows or return to Mexico with nothing. If she could freely leave today, she said, shed go into the woods, sit by the river and listen to the wind. Then I would have to face the painful truth of how things have changed, she said. What I have lost. Tears welled up. Everything is gone. Kelly is a special correspondent. People are buying their own fire trucks on Craigslist and other websites after furious wildfires devastated California this summer and scorched through more than 1.5million acres of land. This years California wildfires sparked by dry lightning strikes have exhausted the state's fire services including firefighters, crucial trucks and other resources. Now the demand for fire trucks on online markets like Craigslist is unprecedented. Sacramento company Vans From Japan, which buys trucks from Japan and sells them in California, is also cashing in on the demand for fire services by selling old fire trucks. People are buying their own fire trucks on Craigslist following devastating lightning-sparked wildfires in California. This seller is advertising a 53-year-old Ford fire truck saying: 'With these lightning complex fires going on, mabe you could use it' This 2013 Peterbilt water truck that 'meets all Cal Fire specs' is on sale for $69,999 in Pacifica, California This fire truck with a 1985 Pierce Dash Fire engine from Skywalker Ranch is on the market for $5,000 One Craigslist listing advertises a 2013 Peterbilt water truck that can carry 2,500 gallons of water and 'meets all Cal Fire specs' for $69,000 in Pacifica, California. Another listing advertises a 53-year-old Ford 150 fire truck for $15,000. In the listing the seller says they were 'told the pump needed some seals', but they added 'with these lightning complex fires going on, maybe you could still use it.' In Napa a seller is offering a 'Type 6 Fire Truck' for $17,500 that features a Hale pump and 200 feet of hard line hose with a nozzle, SFGate reported. 'I purchased two of these trucks that were maintained as reserve units for Cal Fire but only really need one,' the seller wrote. One Craigslister posted a 1975 GMC fire truck for $7,000 or best offer with the description, 'Save yourself from a disaster,' according to NPR. Another listing advertises a fire truck with a 1985 Pierce Dash Fire engine from Skywalker Ranch for just $5,000. Sacramento company Vans From Japan, which buys trucks from Japan and sells them in California, is now cashing in on the demand for fire services by selling fire trucks One of Vans From Japan's items was a 1992 Toyota Hiace Fire Truck sold to a buyer in Hillsoboro, Oregon This 1995 Toyota Hilux Fire Truck is on sale for $17,000 On Vans from Japan a 1995 Toyota Hilux Fire Truck is on sale for $17,000. Climate changes increasing temperatures and decreased rains have only fueled wildfire season and led to a rise in insurance premiums, the growth of the private firefighting industry, and now personal fire trucks. Cal Fire has discouraged locals from hiring their own firefighting teams to protect their own land, especially during evacuation orders. 'People dont understand the ferocity of these fires that weve been dealing with the last five or so years. Theyre very unpredictable and you cant project what the fires going to do,' Cal Fire Captain Scott McLean said. Wildfires have caused insurance premiums to rise, the wealthy to hire private firefighters, and now fire trucks to protect their land. Firefighters pictured monitoring a backfire in the Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve in Guerneville, California on August 25 Today there are over 14,200 firefighters battling over 20 major fires and lightning complexes across the state and more than 18,200 people remain evacuated. A photo of the CZU Lightning Complex on August 23 in Boulder Creek, California above Firefighters head to their trucks with supplies at the LNU Lightning Complex Fire incident command center at the Calistoga Fairgrounds in Calistoga, California on August 25 The fires have led to eight fatalities and the destruction of more than 3,100 structures. Scorched cars and trailers pictured at the Spanish Flat Mobile Villa trailer park in Lake Berryessa, California on August 26 Today there are over 14,200 firefighters battling over 20 major fires and lightning complexes across the state and more than 18,200 people remain evacuated. Last month's lightning strikes sparked some of the largest wildfires in California history including the SCU lightning Complex, the second largest blaze in the states history, and the LNU Lightning complex, the third largest. The fires have led to eight fatalities and the destruction of more than 3,100 structures. California: While Mars has long been known for its rust due to the Iron, water, and oxygen on its surface, scientists were recently surprised to find evidence that the airless Moon has rust on it as well. A new paper in Science Advances reviews data from the Indian Space Research Organization`s Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, which discovered water ice and mapped out a variety of minerals while surveying the Moon`s surface in 2008. Lead author Shuai Li of the University of Hawaii has studied about water on the Lunar surface extensively from the data from Chandrayaan-1`s Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument, or M3, which was built by NASA`s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Water interacts with a rock to produce a diversity of minerals, and M3 detected spectra -- or light reflected off surfaces -- that revealed the Moon`s poles had a very different composition than the rest of it. Intrigued, Li homed in on these polar spectra. While the Moon`s surface is littered with iron-rich rocks, he nevertheless was surprised to find a close match with the spectral signature of hematite. The mineral is a form of iron oxide, or rust, produced when the iron is exposed to oxygen and water. But the Moon isn`t supposed to have oxygen or liquid water, so how can it be rusting. The mystery starts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles that flows out from the Sun, bombarding Earth and the Moon with hydrogen. Hydrogen makes it harder for hematite to form. It`s what is known as a reducer, meaning it adds electrons to the materials it interacts with. That`s the opposite of what is needed to make hematite: For iron to rust, it requires an oxidizer, which removes electrons. And while the Earth has a magnetic field shielding it from this hydrogen, the Moon does not. "It`s very puzzling. The Moon is a terrible environment for hematite to form in," Li said. He turned to JPL scientists Abigail Fraeman and Vivian Sun to help poke at M3`s data and confirm his discovery of hematite. "At first, I totally didn`t believe it. It shouldn`t exist based on the conditions present on the Moon," Fraeman said. "But since we discovered water on the Moon, people have been speculating that there could be a greater variety of minerals than we realize if that water had reacted with rocks," Fraeman added. After taking a close look, Fraeman and Sun became convinced M3`s data does indeed indicate the presence of hematite at the lunar poles. "In the end, the spectra were convincingly hematite-bearing, and there needed to be an explanation for why it`s on the Moon," Sun said. Their paper offers a three-pronged model to explain how rust might form in such an environment. For starters, while the Moon lacks an atmosphere, it is in fact home to trace amounts of oxygen. The source of that oxygen: our planet. Earth`s magnetic field trails behind the planet like a windsock. In 2007, Japan`s Kaguya orbiter discovered that oxygen from Earth`s upper atmosphere can hitch a ride on this trailing magnetotail, as it`s officially known, traveling the 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) to the Moon. That discovery fits with data from M3, which found more hematite on the Moon`s Earth-facing near side than on its far side. "This suggested that Earth`s oxygen could be driving the formation of hematite," Li said. The Moon has been inching away from Earth for billions of years, so it`s also possible that more oxygen hopped across this rift when the two were closer in the ancient past. Then there`s the matter of all that hydrogen being delivered by the solar wind. As a reducer, hydrogen should prevent oxidation from occurring. But Earth`s magnetotail has a mediating effect. Besides ferrying oxygen to the Moon from our home planet, it also blocks over 99 percent of the solar wind during certain periods of the Moon`s orbit (specifically, whenever it`s in the full Moon phase). That opens occasional windows during the lunar cycle when rust can form. The third piece of the puzzle is water. While most of the Moon is bone dry, water ice can be found in shadowed lunar craters on the Moon`s far side. But the hematite was detected far from that ice. The paper instead focuses on water molecules found in the lunar surface. Li proposes that fast-moving dust particles that regularly pelt the Moon could release these surface-borne water molecules, mixing them with iron in the lunar soil. The heat from these impacts could increase the oxidation rate; the dust particles themselves may also be carrying water molecules, implanting them into the surface so that they mix with iron. During just the right moments -- namely, when the Moon is shielded from the solar wind and oxygen is present -- a rust-inducing chemical reaction could occur. More data is needed to determine exactly how the water is interacting with the rock. That data could also help explain another mystery: why smaller quantities of hematite are also forming on the far side of the Moon, where the Earth`s oxygen shouldn`t be able to reach it. Fraeman said this model may also explain hematite found on other airless bodies like asteroids. "It could be that little bits of water and the impact of dust particles are allowing iron in these bodies to rust," she said. Li noted that it`s an exciting time for lunar science. Almost 50 years since the last Apollo landing, the Moon is a major destination again. NASA plans to send dozens of new instruments and technology experiments to study the Moon beginning next year, followed by human missions beginning in 2024 all as part of the Artemis program. JPL is also building a new version of M3 for an orbiter called Lunar Trailblazer. One of its instruments, the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3), will be mapping water ice in permanently shadowed craters on the Moon and may be able to reveal new details about hematite as well. "I think these results indicate that there are more complex chemical processes happening in our solar system than have been previously recognized. We can understand them better by sending future missions to the Moon to test these hypotheses," Sun said. The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, or APSCHE, will release the admit card for A.P. Integrated Common Entrance Test 2020 on September 3, 2020, on its official website. Once the admit cards are released, candidates who have registered for the AP ICET 2020 exam will be able to download their admit card online at sche.ap.gov.in. APICET 2020 examination is conducted for admission into the first year of MBA/MCA course and second year lateral entry into MCA course for the academic year 2020-21. The AP ICET 2020 examination is scheduled to be conducted on September 10 and 11, 2020. How to download AP ICET 2020 admit card: Visit the official website of sche.ap.gov.in On the homepage, click on the link that reads, APICET 2020 admit card A new page will appear on the display screen Key in your credentials and login The APICET 2020 admit card will be displayed on the screen Download the admit card and take its print out for future reference. China's commerce ministry on Thursday opposed the government's banning of more Chinese mobile apps including popular online game PUBG citing security issues. The recent action taken by the Indian government can violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and service providers, China's commerce ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said. China also asked India to correct its mistakes. The government on Wednesday blocked 118 more mobile applications, including popular gaming app PUBG, terming them prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of the nation. The banned apps include Baidu, Baidu Express Edition, Tencent Watchlist, FaceU, WeChat Reading and Tencent Weiyun, besides PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite, according to an official statement. The Centre had earlier banned a number of Chinese apps, including TikTok and UC Browser. The government had first proscribed 59 Chinese apps days after the violent conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June this year. Meanwhile, the traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said the move is "a major milestone step against misdeeds of China and will certainly boost the morale of the country." CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said banning more Chinese apps was necessary as they "were always a threat to country''s safety, security and sovereignty as also for the protection of individual data these apps were accruing through their usages." Also, "Apps like PUBG were spoiling the next generation as more and more people of India were consuming their more time on PUBG and other apps," they were quoted as saying in a CAIT press statement. Also read: PUBG Mobile among 118 Chinese apps banned in India: Here's the full list Also read: Why India banned PUBG Mobile I was walking by the Municipal Services Building in Philadelphia the other day, the place where the late and (by me) lamented Rizzo statue used to stand, and noticed something interesting. They had put up a mural depicting a group of BLM protesters, fists raised, at the entrance. There was no avoiding it, or mistaking it for anything other than it was: a political statement that this city supports the controversial social justice movement. Behind the mostly young, mostly people of color were the names of the persons who were shot and killed by police officers. George Floyd was there. Breonna Taylor was there. Eric Garner was there. Philando Castille was there. And on, and on, lines of names like the ones that are engraved at the Vietnam Memorial down at Penns Landing. I stood in front of the mural for a long moment, rooted to the place where things are supposed to happen in Philadelphia. The Municipal Services Building is just that, the nerve center where Municipal Services are provided, bills paid, complaints fielded. To be a bit more accurate, it is the place where people come when things are not provided, like water service, sewer service, trash removal, licenses, and all the other things that go into making a large metropolis function. It is, in other words, the beating heart of the largest urban center in the Delaware Valley. And as I stood there for that long moment, a thought formed in my mind. Quietly, at first, since those faces were staring me down in accusation and as a challenge to honor the dead. And I agreed, completely, that the dead should be honored. But as I stared at those faces, and those raised fists waving in the winds of change, pointing toward the heavens in a Victor Hugo sort of Jaccuse against perceived injustice, I realized why I felt anger. I realized why I felt that this was the wrong place, and these were the wrong faces to be floating before me in some act of urban defiance and municipal virtue signaling. In this central part of the city, in this central geographical point of five separate but interconnected counties, we should not be honoring movements so much as we should be honoring people directly connected to this place. Its nice to have murals for beloved figures, and its lovely to remember particularly stirring moments in our collective national history (many of which have a direct connection with Philadelphia and its suburbs), but the Municipal Services Building means that structure which houses the people who serve the citizens of Philadelphia. So if we are going to remember those who have been killed, perhaps it would have been a better idea to list the names of those who were killed in the service of this place, whose blood is in the mortar of the buildings and walls, in the paving and the paint, the invisible sinew and backbone of this municipal home. In other words, the police officers who gave their lives so we could live. When I looked at the list of names of people who were killed by police officers in other places, this litany of rebukes, name by name, against alleged systemic racism, my thoughts turned to the officers who were murdered by criminals, in the streets and alleyways of Philadelphia, including those just over the county lines, and I became angry that they were being disrespected by omission. They are memorialized in the hearts of their colleagues, and in the random mural or banner or street marker, but they are scattered throughout the city and region. Nothing, at the very least, as visible and central as the Municipal Services Building. Nothing in the shadow of City Hall. Nothing that says, Say Our Names. I often pass by the spot where, on Dec. 7, 1981, Mumia Abu Jamal murdered Daniel Faulkner. It is a sacred place, but lately its been crowded out by restaurant tables so diners can escape from the pandemic and breathe. I have stood in front of the mural of Robert Wilson III, gunned down as he attempted to stop a robbery in North Philly. My heart broke a little in my chest, when I heard that it had been vandalized by cop-hating social justice warriors. I have seen the spot at the 69th Street Terminal dedicated to Thomas Sewell, the only SEPTA cop murdered in the line of duty. Ive often gazed at the plaque in the cement in front of a Rite Aid in South Philly, where Officer Charles Knox was murdered trying to break up a robbery at the old Roy Rogers. These are visible reminders, but not visible enough. They are not gathered in one place. And yes, there is Fallen Officers memorial inside the lobby of the Police Headquarters at Seventh and Race, but thats not enough either. These officers should not be remembered by those who just happen to walk into a building. There should be a memorial should as large, as visible and as central as the list of names that BLM wants us to remember. And because it isnt, and because these are days when you are shamed into silence if you dare support law enforcement, here is a link to the names of all the officers killed in Philadelphia, and Delaware County, since they started keeping records. Remember these names when you happen to walk by the mural you cant miss, the one with the raised and angry fists. Philadelphia officers: https://www.phillyheroes.org Delaware County officers: http://delcoheroes.org Christine Flowers is an attorney and Delaware County resident. Her column usually appears on Sunday. Email her at cflowers1961@gmail.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York politicians are up in arms over President Donald Trumps threats to stop federal funding to New York City, citing anarchy and lawlessness as the reasons. In a five-page White House memo, Trump said he will not allow federal money to be used by cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones, the New York Post reported. The memo was sent to the U.S. Attorney General and the office of management and budget. My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. Were putting them on notice today. @RussVought45 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020 In addition to New York City, Trump also said he would cut funding to Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Portland. To ensure that federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our governments promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in Americas cities, the memo said. Rep. Max Rose accused Trump of playing politics and contributing to the defund the police narrative by threatening its federal funding. REP. ROSE, CUOMO SLAM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION With this order, President Trump is joining Mayor Bill de Blasio in defunding the police. It was wrong then and it was wrong now, Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said. City Hall did not immediately return a request for comment about Roses statement. Rose said he will be exploring options to ensure Trump isnt able to put New York City and his constituents at risk. De Blasio took to Twitter Tuesday night following Trumps statement and said he plans to take the president to court. While @realDonaldTrump spent this year hiding from COVID-19, New York City led the fight back. Now were trying to recover and hes making unconstitutional, political threats against us. Mr. President, well see you in court. Weve beaten you there before and well do it again. Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 3, 2020 The governor also slammed the president in a lengthy statement, saying hes the worst thing to happen to the five boroughs in history and that Trump has been actively trying to kill New York City since he was elected. President Trump has actively sought to punish NYC since day one. He let COVID ambush New York. He refuses to provide funds that states and cities MUST receive to recover. He is not a king. He cannot "defund" NYC. It's an illegal stunt. Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 2, 2020 Cuomo cited the SALT deduction cap, rollback of environmental regulations, lack of approval for congestion pricing, and illegally stopped funding for a subway project as damaging to the city, in addition to the deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic. As far as this statement hes going to stop funding for New York City hes not a king, Cuomo said in a statement. He thinks he a king but hes not. Hes a president. But theres the Constitution and there are laws, nothing that he knows anything about. But the federal budget is appropriated by law with conditions of funding by law. The statutes contain the conditions and he cant override the law. Look, the best thing he did for New York City was leave. Good riddance, let him go to Florida, be careful not to get COVID, he continued. MALLIOTAKIS SIDES WITH TRUMP, SAYS LAWLESSNESS CANT BE REWARDED Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis defended President Trump and said he is sending a message to the mayor and the citys left-wing elected officials. You cant break federal laws with radical far left policies and squander billions in tax dollars on pet projects like ThriveNYC, then defund the NYPD with expectations that the federal government will bail you out, Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) said. The mayor, she said, has thrown aside fiscal responsibility and has instead practiced runaway spending and higher taxes. Federal dollars need to come with commitments and restrictions to ensure that the taxpayers money is being spent on its intended purposes. The mayor needs to clamp down on lawlessness, restore the plainclothes anti-crime unit and the billion dollars he took from the NYPD. In Congress, Ill fight to restore funding to the NYPD and fiscal responsibility to our city, she said. Malliotakis is the Republican candidate for Congress, running against Rep. Rose in this Novembers election. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. Sonora, CA Have questions regarding the states new draft guidelines for businesses operating during the COVID-19 Pandemic get some answers tonight. Last Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ended the states watch list system and announced a new Blueprint for a Safer Economy using a 4-tier color-coded system based on a countys number of coronavirus cases and the percentage of positive tests, as detailed here. To navigate the blueprint, the County of Tuolumne will hold a webinar focusing on the new draft guidelines for businesses operating during the pandemic tonight (Wednesday, Sept. 2) beginning at 6 p.m. The Zoom platform will be used for the webinar. To participate, attendees can watch the webinar via a Zoom Link, here. Tuolumne County Director of Innovation & Business Assistance Cole Przybyla adds that if you have registered in the past for a Business Recovery Webinar, the same Zoom link will work for those attending todays webinar. For those that want to register, click here. Attendees will be able to ask questions live via a moderated question and answer feature on the Zoom Platform. Questions can also be emailed to cprzybyla@co.tuolumne.ca.us before and during the meeting. Johnny Depp has been romantically linked to German model and Made In Chelsea star Sophie Hermann. The Hollywood actor, 57, is rumoured to be seeing the fashionista, 33, having reportedly met her at swish London hotel, The Corinthia. According to sources, Johnny and Sophie - who lives in London and has appeared on Made In Chelsea on and off since 2013 - first came into contact earlier this year. Dalliance? Johnny Depp has been romantically linked to German model and Made In Chelsea star Sophie Hermann German press reports that, 'Sophie left her phone number on a piece of paper and slid it between the strings of his guitar,' after which the couple, 'spoke on the phone a lot'. MailOnline has approached reps for both Johnny and Sophie for comment. Bombshell Sophie first appeared on the London-based structured reality series on E4 during its sixth season. Despite taking a break from the show for two years, she is currently a main cast member, seen mostly in scenes with co-stars Ollie Locke, Olivia Bentley and Fredrik Ferrier. Chance meeting: The Hollywood actor, 57, is rumoured to be seeing the fashionista, 33, having reportedly met her at swish London hotel, The Corinthia [pictured in July] According to sources: Johnny and Sophie - who lives in London and has appeared on Made In Chelsea on and off since 2013 - first came into contact earlier this year Over the years, Sophie and Fredrik were romantically linked, but the pair are merely good friends. Sophie otherwise keeps her love life off-screen. Meanwhile, actor Depp is currently embroiled in a legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard and The Sun, which has played out publicly at the High Court in London over the summer. The sensational showdown has seen the Pirates Of The Caribbean star sue the newspaper for libel, with his actress ex, 34, giving evidence as part of The Sun's defence against Depp's claim over a December 2018 article it published that referred to him as a 'wife-beater'. Courtroom drama! Meanwhile, actor Depp is currently embroiled in a legal battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard and The Sun, which has played out publicly at the High Court in London over the summer [pictured in 2015] Sassy: Bombshell Sophie first appeared on the London-based structured reality series on E4 during its sixth season The three-week hearing delved into details of their relationship, including that Depp branded her 'Amber T***' because he believed that she had soiled the marital bed after a row at her 30th birthday party. She denied the claim. It was also alleged that Depp who is expected to begin filming on the second instalment of JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts franchise in London next month used his damaged finger to write 'I love you' on a mirror after it was severed during a clash with Heard in 2015. Depp's barrister David Sherborne described the actress as a 'compulsive liar' who had 'tailored her story to meet the evidence'. Sensational showdown! The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has sued The Sun newspaper for libel, with his actress ex, 34, giving evidence as part of the defence She is now bracing herself for a second bruising court battle with her ex-husband, according to reports. The libel case is expected to reach a verdict any day, and Heard's legal team are said to be preparing for a potential fresh clash in the American courts, thanks to her claims on the stand. The Mail On Sunday were informed that Heard's lawyers expect Depp to serve papers in America that could result in her once more giving evidence in court about their marriage and contested allegations that she suffered three years of domestic abuse at his hands. Depp denies the claims and says his ex-wife was violent towards him. Gearing up: Heard [pictured in July] is bracing herself for a second bruising court battle with her ex-husband Depp Back to work:Depp is expected to begin filming on the second instalment of JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts franchise in London next month [pictured in the second film with co-star Zoe Kravitz] Depp, who gave days of vivid evidence at London's High Court in July, is already taking action against the 34-year-old actress in the US state of Virginia over a column that she wrote for the Washington Post newspaper in December 2018. While the article did not mention Depp by name, she described herself as becoming 'a public figure representing domestic abuse' which his lawyers argue had the effect of falsely portraying him as violent. A source close to the actress said: 'Amber's team are super nervous about him suing again, this time in the States. It seems that he will stop at nothing to ruin her. 'No matter what the outcome [of Depp's case against The Sun], Amber is preparing for round two, but if Johnny wins his case against The Sun then that's it, he will go and go. This could go on for years to come.' The woman had been combative at the hospital and with deputies before she was secured in the back of a Ford Explorer, Coffey wrote in an email. As the SUV left the parking lot, he said, the female fired one round from a handgun that was in her possession. A 30-year-old man found fatally shot in a southwest Birmingham neighborhood is being remembered for his love of cars, cooking, his kids and his family. The body of Christopher Fletcher was found shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday at the foot of the driveway on Todd Avenue S.W., a home where four generations of Fletchers have lived. More than 50 people gathered outside the Fletcher home Wednesday night, dozens of candles spelling out his name marking the spot where Fletcher was slain. He was an amazing guy,' said Curtis Bell Jr., Fletchers older brother. He helped everybody in the neighborhood. Youll never find another guy like him. Birmingham police West Precinct officers found Fletcher Sunday night after a passerby called police to report a person down. No one had reported hearing any shots, and the citys gunfire detection system Shot Spotter did not register any gunfire at that location. Fletcher was pronounced dead on the scene. No arrests have been made in his slaying. Fletcher grew up on the citys southwest side and had attended Wenonah High School. He worked at a pipe company and he also worked on cars. Fletcher was a father to two children, one of whom died four years ago. He had many talents,' said his cousin, Anjoinette Fletcher. He could fix cars, build houses, cook and he loved kids. He always was happy and always knew how to make you smile,' she said. He was just a blessing to whoever he encountered. She said her cousins death has been a hard-hit to the large, close-knit family. Chris, he was a wonderful person,' she said. He was always helpful in the community. He got along with everybody. Im basically distraught. Cousin Bianca Austin led the group in prayer and numerous people talked about what Fletcher had meant to them and how he had gone out of his way to help them and be there for them. Another cousin, Marshae Fletcher, said he was always happy. He was never down and if he was, he didnt show it,' she said. If you needed it, hed give you the clothes off his back. I hate this happened to him. He was taken too soon,' she said. He didnt deserve this. I pray that we get justice. They can take away his body,' Fletchers brother said, but they cant take away our memories. The family said they hope an arrest comes soon. The Fletcher family will get justice,' said Anjoinette Fletcher. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. UK transport chiefs have sounded the alarm over Brexit border disruptio. Photo: Denis Charlet, Pool via AP. Britains freight and logistics chiefs are demanding urgent talks with the UK government over Brexit border disruption, warning concerns are growing about official preparedness for the end of the transition period. Eight industry leaders signed a joint letter to minister Michael Gove, warning supply chains will be severely disrupted if preparations are not stepped up. Trade between the UK and the EU will face new obstacles once Britains EU transition period finishes at the end of the year, with disruption even greater if no trade agreement is reached. Industry figures are concerned about the readiness of an army of additional intermediaries needed to fill out customs paperwork for firms not currently required for EU trade. They are also concerned over the readiness of new IT systems needed, as well as border infrastructure for physical checks. READ MORE: Shop prices certain to rise under a no-deal Brexit The letter says it is critical supply chains are protected as Britain completes it transition out of the EU at the same time as a potential second spike of the coronavirus. The COVID pandemic has demonstrated to both government and the general public the importance of a free-flowing supply chain, it notes. The authors, which include the heads of the Road Haulage Association, Logistics UK and the United Kingdom Warehousing Association, write: As key participants in the supply chain who will be required to deliver a functional operating border for GB and EU traders next year, we have visibility of the current state of preparedness which as it stands has significant gaps. If these issues are not addressed disruption to UK business and the supply chain that we all rely so heavily on will be severely disrupted. Other signatories include the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Cold Chain Federation, the British Association of Removers, the British International Freight Association, and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association. Story continues It comes only a few days after retailers warned shop prices were certain to rise if prime minister Boris Johnsons government failed to reach a deal with the EU this year. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) also sounded the alarm over supply chain disruption if a deal to limit checks and red tape is not struck, saying it would reduce the availability of goods. Lower prices are already under threat from increased costs associated with implementing coronavirus safety measures and are certain to rise if the UK ends the transition period without a trade deal with the EU, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said in a statement. READ MORE: Pound declines after EU Brexit negotiator says UK trade deal still 'unlikely' Shop keepers are warning that prices at the tills are certain to rise if Britain fails to reach a trade deal with the EU by the end of this year. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body for UK retailers, on Wednesday warned that prices would climb if the current Brexit transition period ends in December with no trade deal in place. Lower prices are already under threat from increased costs associated with implementing coronavirus safety measures and are certain to rise if the UK ends the transition period without a trade deal with the EU, Helen Dickinson OBE, chief executive of the BRC, said in a statement. Last month the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said a trade deal with the UK by the end of the year looked unlikely. Barnier said negotiations were going backwards more than forwards. Both the UK and EU have blamed each other for the stalemate, which has dragged on since the start of the year. The next round of trade talks begin on 2 October, with Barnier warning that time is running out to reach a deal in time for it to be ratified. The UK government has been approached for comment. Governments and universities need to take swift action to ensure no one is left behind in the shift to online teaching, learning, and research prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a new survey on digital experience published by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). Significant gaps in digital engagement at different levels within universities as well as between high and low income countries point to a double digital divide that undermines the drive for inclusive and equitable access to higher education by 2030 a target of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Higher education during COVID-19: A snapshot of digital engagement in Commonwealth universities outlines recommendations for both governments and universities to use the lessons learned during the pandemic to build stronger, more resilient institutions as well as to widen access to higher education. The recommendations for governments and policymakers include: Prioritising funding for higher education, in recognition of its vital contribution to society and to post-COVID recovery worldwide Investing in tackling the digital divide in higher education through funding, financing and public-private partnerships Widening access to higher education and lifelong learning by supporting digital transformation initiatives in universities Bringing university leaders, telecommunications companies, global employers, and students together to develop a common agenda for the future of digital higher education Providing a platform for institutions to share knowledge at different stages of their digital transformation journeys and to discuss common challenges The recommendations for universities include: Providing financial and technical support to improve access to data, devices, and broadband Identifying and developing targeted policies to address the digital divides within universities to ensure no one is left behind Mainstreaming digital transformation across every element of institutional strategy and planning Recognising that the ability to move research activities online varies considerably according to discipline, putting research in particular areas at risk The ACU conducted a digital engagement survey earlier this year in order to capture the short-term impacts of COVID-19 on staff and students at Commonwealth universities. The results, taken from the answers of 258 respondents from 33 countries, provide a snapshot of digital connectivity and engagement in Commonwealth universities, as well as the pandemics impact on teaching, learning, and research.. Key findings from the survey include: The continuing digital divide between high income countries (with generally high connectivity) and low income countries (with poor connectivity) poses a major threat to equitable access to higher education and lifelong learning globally: While 83% of respondents from high income countries reported having access to broadband, only 63% of respondents from upper-middle-income, 38% from lower-middle-income and 19% from low-income countries reported having access to broadband. Gaps in digital engagement at different levels within universities highlight a double digital divide in higher education: Senior leaders were most likely to have access to broadband (74%), followed by professional services (52%), academics (38%) and students (30%). Senior leaders and professional services staff (both 82%) were also more likely than students (45%) and academics (40%) to report institutional contributions toward devices or data to support remote working. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the challenges and disparities in accessing education online, but also presents a window of opportunity to build resilience and widen access: Both individuals and institutions face a number of significant challenges in delivering and receiving online teaching and learning, with the most frequently cited challenges across all respondents being accessibility for students (81%), staff training and confidence (79%), connectivity costs (76%) and student engagement (71%). Since the start of the pandemic, the shift online as a result of COVID-19 may have boosted perceptions of the quality of online teaching and learning and looks set to lead to lasting change: 81% of respondents agreed that the quality of online learning and teaching has improved since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 90% of respondents agreed that a blended degree, involving a combination of online and face-to-face learning, is equivalent to a degree earned only through face-to-face learning. Web link to survey: https://www.acu.ac.uk/news/higher-education-during-covid-19-a-snapshot-of-digital-engagement-in-commonwealth-universities/ Khmer Rouge Prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, who ran one of the regimes most notorious and brutal prisons that resulted in the torture and deaths of thousands of Cambodians, died on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The 77-year old former head of the Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh, better known as Comrade Duch, was admitted to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh on Tuesday and succumbed to bronchitis and chronic lung disease, according to a statement by Kandal Provincial Court on Wednesday. He was serving a life sentence at Kandal Provincial Prison after becoming one of the first most responsible officials of the Khmer Rouge to be convicted by the Extraordinary Chamber in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC), a United Nations-backed court designated to prosecute those responsible for crimes committed during regimes rule from 1975 to 1979. Kaing Guek Eav was convicted by the hybrid tribunal in 2010 for crimes against humanity, murder and torture and initially sentenced to 35 years in prison, which was extended to life without appeal by a higher court in 2012. Duch and his defense team pleaded guilty for the crime but refuted the legal definition designating him as a most responsible Khmer Rouge official under ECCCs jurisdiction. During a trial proceeding in August 2009, Duch said all the records and stories of victims and survivors at the security center he directed would serve as historical facts of crimes committed by the Communist Party of Kampuchea. The historical truth differs from the nature of flowers, Duch said on August 17, 2009. The flower has its life spans that it blooms and it later dies. But historical truth remains. It does not blossom or die. The truth lasts forever. I would like to confirm that I am both morally and legally responsible for the crimes committed at S-21, and I am also morally answerable for the crimes committed throughout the country. I will never make any denial not a word. Duch converted to Christianity in 1996 by a Cambodian-American pastor Christopher Chapel. At one ECCC hearing in 2009, he compared himself to Saint Stephen, who is venerated as the first martyr of Christianity, and said he would accept a public stoning much like his biblical reference. Despite his conversion to Christianity, Duchs body was sent for cremation on Wednesday at Chak Angre Krom pagoda 12 hours after his death and in the presence of his family, who refused to talk to the media. The cremation was completed and the family members left with Duchs ashes by 3 p.m. The Khmer Rouge officials rhetoric and statements at ECCC, which included pleading guilty for crimes he was charged of committing, was just a tactic to persuade survivors and judges into reducing his sentencing, said Chhang Youk, director at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an organization documenting the Khmer Rouge period. For Chhang Youk, Duch left a notorious legacy. After Duch was sentenced to life in prison, DC-CAM conducted interviews with convicted Khmer Rouge official, which was documented in the 2014 publication, When The Criminal Laughs. We believe that he has never shown any feelings of regrets, Youk said about the interviews. What he said in courts ran contradictory to what he perceived privately, outside of the courtroom. He showed dishonesty towards the victims. Born in 1942, Duch came from an ethnic Chinese-Cambodian family in Kampong Thom province, and studied mathematics before becoming a teacher at a local school. After joining the Khmer Rouge, Duch was first assigned to run the M-13 security center and tasked with interrogating prisoners of war and suspected spies. He then continued this same work at the notorious Tuol Sleng detention center, which was converted to an interrogation center from a school. At Tuol Sleng, Duch was responsible for the deaths of at least 12,272 detainees, who were subjected to torture, forced confessions, starvation, and executions. Duch fled to remain at Thai-Cambodian borders, and kept a low profile till Irish journalist Nic Dunlop identified him in 1999, shortly before his arrest. Duch was transferred from ECCCs holding center to Kandal Provincial Prison in 2013, where he spent his days in a solitary 5-meter-by-5-meter cell with a separate private restroom, according to the prisons director, Chat Sineang. A voluntary male prisoner who was scrutinized by prosecutors and whose identity was concealed was tasked to be Duchs cellmate and look after the aging man, Chat Sineang added. It was for the sake of his security that we had to protect and ensure that he would not be harmed by anyone, Chat Sineang said. Duch left some 20 reading books inside his cell as of time of his death, Chat Sineang said, many of which are about history and memoirs. He was easy-going and was never a trouble-making prisoner. That could be understood for his high education that directed him toward modesty and being disciplinary living here. A doctor has claimed that she carried out forced abortions and womb removals as part of a Chinese government plan to control the Uighur population. The doctor, who has not been named, claims to have participated in at least 500 to 600 operations on Uighur women while working for the Chinese Government. She said the operations included forced contraception, forced abortion and sterilisation, as well as the forced removal of wombs, ITV reported. She added that on at least one occasion, a 'still-moving' baby was discarded into the rubbish. A doctor (pictured left in ITV interview with Emma Murphy) claimed that while working for the Chinese Government she carried out 500 to 600 operations on Uighur women in 'population control plans' The Uighur doctor, who later fled to Turkey, said she 'thought it was my job' and was told it was part of the Communist party's population control plan. She told ITV: 'We would go village to village, gather all the women and herd them onto tractors. Young women were fitted with contraceptive devices, pregnant women would have to have an abortion then sterilisation. We even inserted birth control implants into women's upper arms to prevent pregnancy.' She added that she feels 'such regret' and now helps those who have also fled China for Turkey, working as a doctor in an Istanbul beauty salon. Many of the women do not know what procedures were done to them and require medical assistance. One Uighur exile, who smuggled her daughter out of China to Turkey, claimed that she had to hide her pregnancy. The Uighur doctor, who later fled to Turkey, said she 'thought it was my job' and was told it was part of the Communist party's population control plan She claimed that the operations on Uighar woman included forced contraception, forced abortion and sterilisation, as well as the forced removal of wombs Kalbinur Kamal told ITV: 'I dressed very differently to hide the bump, I pulled in my stomach. I felt so scared and sad.' Turkey provides sanctuary to those who have fled from their homeland and is home to around 50,000 Uighurs who left China. The Chinese Government has detained around one million Uighurs in Xinjiang, holding them in interment camps. Around 12million Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, live in China and are an ethnic Turkic minority who speak their own Uighur language. Chinese authorities have acknowledged their detainment of Uighurs but insist it is a scheme of education. Birth rates in the mostly Uighur regions of Hotan and Kashgar plunged by more than 60 per cent from 2015 to 2018 - the latest year available in government statistics. Across the Xinjiang region, birth rates continue to plummet, falling nearly 24 per cent last year alone - compared to just 4.2 per cent nationwide, statistics show. Uighur exile Kalbinur Kamal (above) smuggled her daughter out of China to Turkey and claimed that she had to hide her pregnancy The doctor now works in a beauty salon in Istanbul helping those who have also fled China, as many of the women do not know what was done to them and need medical assistance The campaign to curb the population over the past four years in the far west region of Xinjiang is leading to what some experts are calling a form of 'demographic genocide'. Hundreds of millions of dollars poured into birth control has transformed Xinjiang from one of China's fastest-growing regions to among its slowest in a few years, according to research obtained by Associated Press prior to publication by China scholar Adrian Zenz. 'This kind of drop is unprecedented....there's a ruthlessness to it,' said Zenz, a leading expert in the policing of China's minority regions. 'This is part of a wider control campaign to subjugate the Uighurs.' Chinese officials have said in the past that the measures are merely meant to be fair, allowing both Han Chinese and ethnic minorities the same number of children. BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure Thursday to take a harder line with Moscow following confirmation that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. Merkel condemned the attempt to "silence" Navalny in the "strongest possible terms" after a German military laboratory Wednesday confirmed the use of a Novichok group nerve agent against President Vladimir Putin's most effective opposition critic, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital after falling ill in Russia last month. Even as Merkel has demanded answers from Moscow, she has also showed little sign of wavering in her support for Nord Stream 2, a planned natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that the Trump administration has vehemently opposed. It highlights the ongoing predicament for Berlin as it balances political difference with Moscow and deep economic ties. Now, as Western leaders face decisions on how to respond to the poisoning, those ties under new scrutiny, both from within Germany and among other allies. "His message is clear: Resistance to his regime is life threatening," Norbert Rottgen, a senior member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Party and head of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee said about Putin as he called for that Nord Stream 2 to be halted to punish him. "In this context diplomatic rituals are no longer enough," he said. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that Navalny's poisoning was "reprehensible" and that Washington is working with allies "to hold those in Russia accountable wherever the evidence leads and restrict funds for their malign activities." But European diplomats were already cautioning about potential complications in imposing sanctions since the poisoning took place on Russian soil, making it more difficult to investigate and determine who carried out the attack. Nerve agents in the Novichok family were used in previous attacks blamed on Russian agents and Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, blamed "state terrorists" for the poisoning. Novichok, developed in the Soviet Union, was used in the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Britain, in 2018. British authorities charged two Russian military intelligence agents over the poisoning, which British officials said was probably ordered at a senior level of the Russian state. The fact that the attack took place in Britain made it easier to investigate and prove a Kremlin connection, said two European diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential E.U. considerations. It also killed E.U. citizens, meaning countries felt they had to impose swift retaliation, the diplomats said. In Brussels, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said new sanctions were not yet being discussed because the culprit has not yet been conclusively identified. "This kind of chemical agent is not freely available. It was used on Russian territory against a Russian citizen," Stano said. "We need answers. There needs to be an investigation." Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called on Europe and Germany not to rush to judgment, adding that Russia has little information on the basis of the German findings. He said any talk of sanctions against Russia was "unacceptable." "We do not understand the reason for raising the topic of sanctions," he said Thursday. "We certainly would not want our partners in Germany and other European countries to rush to judgment. We would prefer dialogue." While Nord Stream 2 may be too close to completion for a change of course, Merkel's sharp criticism of Moscow marked a shift, said Daniela Schwarzer, director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. "There is a clear willingness to lead on the Russia issue," she said. Germany announced Wednesday it would consult with its allies on an appropriate response as Western officials expressed shock over the use of the nerve agent against the opposition leader. "The main question is how far the [European Union] and particularly the U.S. will dare to go, given the damage that could be caused to them," Ivan Timofeyev, program director at the Russian Council for International Affairs, told the business newspaper Kommersant. Navalny, who fell ill on Aug. 20 during a trip to Siberia, remains in a medically induced coma the Charite Hospital in Berlin where doctors have said his condition remains serious but is improving, though it remains unclear what the long term impact will be. "Alexei will certainly recover, and we will laugh at him again and whine that we do not want to be photographed for his Instagram a thousand times a day," his wife wrote on an Instagram post showing a family selfie taken by her husband. Russian opposition figures have blamed the poisoning on Putin, given that Novichok is believed to be available only to state agencies. But Russian officials Thursday doubled down on their denials that Navalny was poisoned inside Russia. State-controlled media outlets played down the incident and raised a whirl of doubt about the German findings. The head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said the Navalny situation could be a provocation by Western intelligence agencies. "This cannot be ruled out," he told Interfax news agency. . - - - Dixon reported from Moscow. The Washington Post's Fiona Weber-Steinhaus in Berlin and Michael Birnbaum in Riga, Latvia, and Felicia Sonmez in Washington contributed to this report. South Africa: Vaal Dam continues to plunge Vaal Dam levels have continued their steep fall this week, plummeting to levels unseen since the beginning of 2017, when large parts of the country were in the grip of a devastating drought. As the Vaal Dam persists to drop week-on-week, it now hovers at distressing levels of 37.6%, down from 38.8% last week. During the comparative period last year, the dam stood at reasonably stable levels of 59.9%, the Department of Water and Sanitation said on Thursday. The dam levels at Grooitdraai Dam have dropped from 79.4% last week to 78.9%. However, the present levels of the dam remain higher when compared to the 61.7% at which it stood during the same week last year. A reserve dam located in the Free State, the Sterkfontein Dam, held on to 93.9% for a second successive week and is higher compared with the levels of 92.0% at the same period last year, the department said. The Bloemhof Dam recorded an upsurge this week, increasing from last weeks 96.5% to 97.3% presently. Conversely, it stood lower but firm at 96.0% in the same week last year. However, the same cannot be said about the levels of both the Mohale and Katse Dams, which are both in Lesotho. Mohale Dam has deteriorated to an alarming 6.0% this week, dropping from an equally bleak 6.2% last week. At the same time last year, the dam was at 33.1%. Meanwhile, the drop in the levels of Katse Dam seem to have become a norm in the past few months as it continues to see a downward slope. It dropped from 27.7% last week to 27.5% this week while at the same time last year it was in the red at an equally low 17.8%, the department said. The Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), which consists of 14 dams, has recorded a fall again this week. Although the levels of the IVRS are impacted negatively by the falling dams, it remains stable. This is even as it has decreased from 60.8% last week to the present levels of 60.4%. The IVRS was much healthier at 66.3 in the same week last year. As the levels of the Vaal Dam persist to plummet to lower than expected, the Department of Water and Sanitation warns Gauteng water consumers to heed calls to curtail excessive usage, the department said. The department has emphasised that it will take time for dams such as the Vaal Dam to be replenished by the summer rain falls that are expected and given the fact that South Africa experiences one of the most erratic weather conditions. Accordingly, water consumers are urged not to let the guard down but to continue working with their local municipalities to ensure that every drop of water is saved, the department said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. KAMPALA Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake has hit back at accusations by President Museveni that the People Power movement he belongs to is bankrolled by foreigners intent on destabilising Uganda. In a bullish reply on Thursday, September 3, Mr Zaake counter accuses Mr. Museveni of handing over the Ugandan economy to foreign interests placing the telecommunications sector and other key sectors in the hands of foreign companies and foreigners who repatriate profits. In his criticism of Mr. Museveni playing to foreign interests, Mr. Zaake pointed out the Coffee Bill currently before Parliament which he insinuates Mr. Museveni wants to use to ring fence coffee growing for foreigners. That Bill, if passed, will literally make it criminal for any Ugandan farmer to grow, sell or consume coffee without permission from Government. If your government is making it impossible for ordinary Ugandan farmers to deal in coffee, would one be wrong to conclude that you are ring-fencing the coffee sector for foreigners? Mr. Zaake asked. He signed off: Lastly, I expect you to discard the hat you put on your head as it is associated with war-time cowboys from Northern America. If this isnt agreeable to you, neither should you keep making a fuss about our red berets. ========= *Full Letter below:* ========= OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUSEVENI NO BODY HAS COLLUDED WITH FOREIGNERS MORE THAN YOU MR. MUSEVENI. Dear Gen. Museveni, I appreciate that you took time to read and respond to the post I wrote to you here on Facebook a couple of days ago. It appears that whereas you read that post, you made no effort to process what you read. And so I am not surprised that you conveniently mistook the questions I put to you on behalf of citizens to be conclusions that there is no #Covid19 in Uganda. Perhaps you know something we dont know. In your response to my post, you made several baseless claims that I feel are best ignored altogether as no reasonable person can find logic in them. But while that may be so, I am compelled to dispute the racist and ludicrous allegation you made against my comrades in the People Power movement / National Unity Platform and I that we are being used by foreigners to destabilize Uganda. This claim is particularly strange because those you call foreigners have controlled our economy throughout the 35 years you have spent clinging on power. About 40% of Ugandas annual budget is funded by foreigners. This includes the money you use to buy teargas and other ammunition that you routinely employ against us who oppose you. In case youve not noticed, most critical industries and sectors in Uganda are dominated by foreigners. This compromises our sovereignty but you dont care about that because you personally benefit from such an arrangement. Our telecommunications industry is controlled by MTN and Airtel companies, both of which are owned by foreigners from South Africa and India, respectively. These foreigners repatriate to their home countries most of the profit they earn here to our detriment yet I have never heard you complain about them. By contrast, our locally-owned Uganda Telecom (UTL) has been steadily collapsing without any genuine intervention from your Government. Constituting about 31% of Ugandas total foreign exchange earned last year, Gold has been our leading export for the past many years. Strangely, this key sector is controlled by the African Gold Refinery Ltd, a Belgium-owned company with questionable business practices. Rather than protect and empower Ugandan entrepreneurs in this sector, your security forces have instead presided over the torture and illegal eviction of Ugandan gold miners such as those in Mubende, Kassanda and other Districts off their mineral-rich land for the benefit of foreign-owned companies. Sometime in 2018, your government tabled in Parliament the National Coffee Bill that was purportedly meant to streamline the coffee sector, Ugandas 2nd largest foreign exchange earner. That Bill, if passed, will literally make it criminal for any Ugandan farmer to grow, sell or consume coffee without permission from Government. If your government is making it impossible for ordinary Ugandan farmers to deal in coffee, would one be wrong to conclude that you are ring-fencing the coffee sector for foreigners? Every other day, we get reports of local fishermen being tortured or murdered by UPDFs Fisheries Protection Unit that was ostensibly set up to fight illegal fishing. In mid-2017, Ivan Katongole a prominent fish maw exporter was arrested by your men on allegations that he was behind the serial murders of women that were rampant in Entebbe Town at the time. If it were not for Court to declare his prosecution malicious, Ivan would still be in Prison. Yet what is saddening is that by the time he regained his freedom, Ivans business had been taken over! Several other local entrepreneurs in this sector have suffered the same fate. Those who have been following this pattern of events have concluded that your government wants to lock Ugandan fishermen out of the fishing industry for the benefit of foreign-owned companies, particularly those from China. Gen. Museveni, American authorities in 2017 arrested and later jailed Chi Ping Patrick Ho for, among other reasons, allegedly bribing you through your foreign Minister Sam Kuteesa to corrupt our 2016 electoral process. Was Mr. Chi Ping Ho a Ugandan? For the 2 years you spent in the 1970s training with Mozambiques FRELIMO army in preparation for your NRA war, were you training with Ugandans on Ugandan territory? Was it Zaake, let alone People Power, who led you to Tanzania, Zambia, Libya, Mozambique etc in search of foreigners help in overthrowing Amin, Obote, etc? The proxy wars that you are fighting in C.A.R., South Sudan and elsewhere, in whose interest are they? It is interesting to see you referring to me as mis-educated and accusing me of misleading my fellow youth whenever I point out facts such as these. But let me remind you Mr. Museveni that I have lived my entire lifetime with you as at the helm of Uganda. I am a product of the very education system operated by your regime. Many of the schools I studied from are UPE schools. It goes without saying, therefore, that you are responsible for the mis-education you accuse me and many other opposition members of. To routinely implore us to do as you and your Ministers say, but not as you do, is utter hypocrisy. Hypocritical leadership has no place in the New Uganda we want to build with H. E. Robert Kyagulanyi as our President. You should not excuse your Ministers violation of the COVID-19 guidelines, on one hand, as simple mistakes while on the other hand you send your security criminals to kill me for allegedly making the same mistake. You pass yourself off as a tolerant, just and peace-loving leader but you are not. You pretend to have Uganda and Ugandans at heart, but you dont. If that were the case, you would not be rewarding Gen. Moses Elwelu who massacred innocent children in Kasese with promotion after promotion! You would not have blocked the prosecution of your guards who tortured us and murdered Yasin Kawuma in Arua! You would not have let the businesses of Ugandan investors such as WBS TV and Ssembule Steel Mills to collapse because of heavy taxes while foreign investors are given incentives and tax holidays. If you really cared, you would not be looking on as tens of thousands of your grandchildren are sold into slavery in the Middle East! Next time you wish to accuse us of colluding with foreigners as you ride your high horse of Pan-Africanism, take a long hard look in the mirror. You have no moral authority to accuse anybody of colluding with foreigners. Lastly, I expect you to discard the hat you put on your head as it is associated with war-time cowboys from Northern America. If this isnt agreeable to you, neither should you keep making a fuss about our red berets. ====== _Zaake Francis, MP Mityana Municipality Youth Leader, National Unity Platform/People Power movement_ Related Syracuse, N.Y. A Syracuse man with Iraqi citizenship is facing at least five years in prison for allegedly lying to immigration officials about his association with an Iran-backed militia as part of his application for a green card here, according to the United States Attorneys Office. Chasib Hafedh Saadoon Al Fawadi, 35, has been in the United States since roughly early 2016 after applying for refugee status while in Turkey. He claimed he and his family faced persecution in Iraq because he refused to help Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a Shiite militia group, kidnap Sunni Muslims, according to a federal indictment. Al Fawadi has lived in Syracuse since around January 2016. While here, hes been subject to additional screenings and interview with officials from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. In his application for citizenship, Al Fawadi said hed had no associations with the Iran-backed militia group. He also said hed never traveled outside of Iraq and Turkey, when in fact hed traveled to Iran, Syria and Jordan, the indictment alleges. Prosecutors allege Al Fawadi claimed hed never been a member of the militia group in application forms and two subsequent interviews while here. But investigators allege he actually provided material support to the militia, in addition to receiving military and weapons training from them. Lying on application forms and in interviews is a federal crime. The eight-page indictment filed yesterday in federal court does not spell out how investigators determined he was involved in the militia group and lied in his application. The militia, which is translated to the League of the Righteous, is one of the major militias operating in Iraq to advance Irans interests, according to the the Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation. It has been around since 2006. Since then, it has conducted thousands of attacks against American and Iraqi forces, including rocket attacks on the United States embassy, and conducted kidnappings of Westerners, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a defense think-tank. If convicted, Al Fawadi faces up to five years in prison on each false statement charge, plus three years of probation and a fine up to $250,000. Contact reporter Patrick Lohmann at (315)766-6670 or PLohmann@Syracuse.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:17:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thai authorities said Thursday's discovery of an inmate who tested positive for COVID-19, if verified, could end the country's record of 100 days with no local infections. A male inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus and has been moved from the prison to a hospital run by the Thai Corrections Department, said the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). It was the first test on the inmate conducted by Mahidol University on Wednesday. He was found infected with the virus and was immediately transferred to the hospital that night, confirmed CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin. The Ministry of Public Health's Disease Control Department collected a sample from the patient on Thursday for a second test. Wednesday marked Thailand's 100th day free from local COVID-19 infection. The 37-year-old inmate was imprisoned at the Central Special Correctional Institution on drug charges on Aug. 26 with around 30 other prisoners, whose results turned negative, according to a report by the disease control department. Enditem On the dark web and in the deeper corners of the public Internet, hackers tell stories of a vigilante who scoured the Internet for insecure devices, hacked into them, and disabled them so that other hackers couldnt use them to launch attacks from. One of those stories is of how this hacker exploited vulnerabilities in the Aztech and D-Link ADSL routers Telkom sold to its customers. The hacker went by the moniker Dr Cyborkian a.k.a. janit0r and claimed to be the same hacker who created the infamous BrickerBot malware in 2017. Although the BrickerBot part of the story is relatively well known, less well-known is the fact that Janit0r wrote detailed reports about what they did after the success of BrickerBot. Part memoir and part technical guide aimed at fellow hackers who would like to try their hand at cleaning up the Internet by euthanising insecure devices, Janit0r posted nine reports on the dark web over several months. In an interview with Bleeping Computer in April 2017, Janit0r described their work as Internet Chemotherapy. I consider my project a form of Internet Chemotherapy. I sometimes jokingly think of myself as The Doctor. Chemotherapy is a harsh treatment that nobody in their right mind would administer to a healthy patient, but the Internet was becoming seriously ill in Q3 and Q4/2016 and the moderate remedies were ineffective. The side effects of the treatment were harmful but the alternative (DDoS botnet sizes numbering in the millions) would have been worse. I can only hope hope that when the IoT relapse comes well have better ways to deal with it. Besides getting the number of IoT DDoS bots to a manageable level, my other key goal has been to raise awareness. The IoT problem is much worse than most people think, and I have some alarming stories to tell. Janit0rs memoir is also titled Internet Chemotherapy. The first nine parts of the memoir were published between 10 December 2017 and 7 July 2018. After a long hiatus, Janit0r returned to the dark web and started posting updates again on 22 June 2020. The latest instalment was published on 31 July 2020. The hacker stated that the intention behind BrickerBot and their subsequent hacks on ISPs and telecommunications service providers was to make the Internet a safer place. With so many vulnerable Internet-of-Things devices online that could be turned into bots, Janit0r said that there was a serious risk should these devices continue to be left online in their insecure states. The dirty case of Telkom South Africa On 2 February 2018, Janit0r published the fourth instalment of Internet Chemotherapy which was subtitled The dirty case of Telkom South Africa. In it, Janit0r explained how they used the TR069/64 SOAP vulnerability (CVE-2016-10372) to hack into insecure Telkom-branded Aztech routers and render them inoperable. While going through the device pool on the Telkom network, Janit0r said they noticed a large number of D-Link devices that you could log into with default passwords and reconfigure over the Internet. MyBroadband reported about vulnerabilities in Telkom-deployed D-Link routers as early as May 2013, but the problem was never fully addressed. In addition to hacking and soft bricking the exposed Aztech routers on Telkoms network, Janit0r said that they also targeted some D-Link and Huawei routers. Janit0rs hope was that the disruption would cause Telkom to realise that there was a significant security problem on its network and fix it. However, that is not what happened. Since Janit0r did not leave the routers in a state where they were permanently destroyed, Telkom simply advised customers to restore them to factory default settings. Janit0r executed his attacks against the vulnerable routers frequently, which means that even if Telkom subscribers factory reset their routers, they would soon find themselves disconnected from the Internet again. If subscribers complained about the repeated problems with their router, Telkoms support staff would advise that customers buy a new router. The hacker broke down the effect of their attacks on a daily and monthly basis. The following table shows how, according to Janit0r, the number of vulnerable devices on Telkoms network declined between July 2017 and January 2018: Month Aztech (TR069 exploit) D-Link (default password) Huawei (MediaTek RPC exploit) Other July 2017 246 0 0 783 August 2017 159411 1771 0 31519 September 2017 11203 4249 3180 20394 October 2017 8196 2145 2577 14997 November 2017 9225 2303 2077 15492 December 2017 4278 765 604 8925 January 2018 3716 670 268 7245 Although you might call the 94% reduction in vulnerable devices between August and January a big improvement, it should be noted that it took 6 months to realize this result, Janit0r stated. In contrast, Janit0r reported that they saw Rogers in Canada respond decisively to similar attacks within 48 hours, while Infostrada Italy had a five-day turnaround. Based on the social media record Telkom simply took a not our problem, buy a new modem approach to any Telkom-supplied device that was out of warranty, and the mitigations were left to the user community to figure out on their own, Janit0r reported. Complaints on social media Many of the social media posts from 2017 which Janit0r refers to in the original dark web post are still online to serve as proof of the Telkom hack. It seems that we have been picking up some issues with the Aztech routers that we have in the field. We are busy investigating the cause of the problem, but in the meantime it seems that resetting your router to the Factory Defaults and then reconfiguring it will solve most, if not all the issues, a Telkom community manager said on the companys support forum. In response, several users continued to complain. One reported: Ive done the factory reset as per the instructions a few times already. It only lasts for an hour or two, and then the same problem rears its ugly headno internet. In a different thread on the same forum, another user posted that a support desk agent informed them that 80% of the complaints Telkom was getting related to Aztech routers, and 20% to Huawei routers. On MyBroadband, one of the forum members posted about how they solved a problem with a D-Link router during the attacks: Client complained about no internet. Went to site to find SSID changed to TELKOMHACKED, password still the same, and the Internet Connection (pppoe under WAN connection) completely gone. Routers admin password wasnt on default. Support users password however was still on TelkomDlink12345. Suppose thats how they got in. Telkom as ISP. Just FYI to change support password as well when configuring these modems. Telkom, Aztech, D-Link, Huawei router vulnerabilities not unique Janit0r noted that the situation on Telkoms network was, unfortunately, not isolated or unusual. Admittedly the case of Telkom of South Africa isnt that unique or even interesting, but its a story that has to be told in order to give you a better perspective of the complexities involved in forcing negligent ISPs to correct their security problems, stated Janit0r. The problems involving Telkom are representative of the issues with many large ISPs outside the US and RIPE network space. Last year South African ISPs faced multiple waves of devastating distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Cool Ideas was especially hard hit, with subscribers left unable to connect to the Internet for days at a time. These attacks were enabled by poorly configured MiktoTiK routers on entirely different networks than the ISPs who were targeted. In an unrelated matter, the Hawks also investigated cryptojacking attacks last year that were perpetrated through MikroTik routers that were not properly secured. The DDoS and cryptojacking attacks in South Africa happened despite the fact that MikroTik offers excellent support and timely security patches for its devices, unlike some other Internet router manufacturers. The issue was therefore not the MikroTik devices themselves, but the fact that Internet service providers and network operators had not configured them correctly or kept them properly updated. The retirement of Janit0r Janit0r announced their retirement from hacking and bricking IoT devices at the end of 2017. They stopped posting updates on the dark web in July 2018 and, after a long hiatus, Janit0r returned and started posting again on 22 June 2020. The latest instalment of Internet Chemotherapy was published on 31 July 2020. MyBroadband asked Telkom how it has secured its network against hacks such as the one Janit0r launched on vulnerable routers, but the company did not respond by the time of publication. Thanks to Defplex for the tip. Now read: How to protect yourself after the Experian data breach The Australian political and media establishment treated last weeks sentencing of Brenton Tarrant, the fascist gunman who killed 51 people in two Christchurch, New Zealand mosques in March, 2019, as a non-event, with no significance for domestic politics. From the press coverage, and the statements of senior politicians, the uninformed observer would have no idea that the Australian-born Tarrant is the countrys most prolific terrorist, or that his extreme-right views and activities had any connection to the many years he spent in Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, along with representatives of the Labor opposition, stated again that Tarrant was a monster, and expressed relief that he would never be released from prison. They made mealy-mouthed statements of sympathy for the victims, but said nothing of Tarrants political perspective, other than to describe it as hateful. The federal government is considering calls from New Zealand that Tarrant be transported to Australia to serve out his sentence. The Australian media coverage was no less muted. It consisted largely of syndicated articles from foreign news agencies, and the most limited factual reports. This was not the occasion for the type of national soul searching so often confected by the corporate press and usually over secondary issues. Any examination of the roots of the terrorist attack, or the social, economic and political processes in Australia that contributed to it, was off the table. The WSWS has extensively refuted the depiction by New Zealands Labour Party-led government and that countrys political establishment of Tarrant as an unhinged Australian who intruded into an otherwise peaceable and tolerant society. This is aimed at covering up the fact that Tarrants xenophobic views parallel the anti-immigrant rhetoric of Labour, and its coalition partner New Zealand First, as well as the existence of longstanding fascist networks within the country. It is nevertheless the case that Tarrant, who was 28-years-old at the time of the Christchurch attack, spent his formative years in Australia, travelled the world on an Australian passport, as he made contact with fascist forces internationally, and was involved with extreme-right Australian organisations in the years immediately preceding his rampage. The bare details of his biography demonstrate the unquestionable impact of the Australian ruling elites dramatic lurch to right over the past three decades on Tarrants development. The future terrorist was born in the New South Wales country town of Grafton in 1990, roughly the midpoint of two federal Labor governments that were in office from 19831996. Headed by prime ministers Bob Hawke and then Paul Keating, the Labor governments carried out in Australia the social counter-revolution associated with Margaret Thatcher in Britain and Ronald Reagan in the United States. The economy was deregulated, hundreds of thousands of jobs were destroyed and working conditions torn up. The previous program of the trade unionsto defend capitalism by pushing for limited, nationally-based social reformhad been rendered unviable by globalisation. They became the enforcers of the corporate offensive, a role that has only deepened over the decades since. The assault on the working class created a social crisis across the country, including in regional centres such as Grafton. There is no evidence from the opaque details of Tarrants publicly-available biography indicating that he came from a background of substantial social hardship. He appears to have hailed from a lower-middle class family, and came into a substantial sum of money at some point in his 20s. This was reportedly the result of his fathers early death in 2010, as well as cryptocurrency investments. The social devastation, however, combined with the transformation of Labor and the unions into openly corporatist entities, and their smashing up of the organised workers movement that had previously existed, created a toxic political atmosphere. It presented right-wing populist forces with an opportunity to posture as defenders of ordinary people and to capitalise on the mounting social misery. The assault on the working class went hand in hand with a program of militarism and the persecution of refugees. Australia, under the Labor government, was among the first countries to join the illegal US attack on Iraq in 1991. Shortly thereafter, it introduced mandatory detention for asylum-seekers. Labor and the unions, reprising their founding White Australia program, scapegoated migrants for the mounting unemployment and poverty that they enforced. They fraudulently asserted that the defence of jobs was a struggle against foreign workers, not the corporations and the ruling elite. In 1997, Pauline Hanson formed the One Nation Party. Hanson had stood as a Liberal candidate in the 1996 federal election, but was disendorsed during the campaign after making racist comments. She was elected as an independent. Based on anti-immigrant and anti-Asian demagogy, One Nation sought to capitalise on widespread disaffection with the political establishment. Its claims that Asian migration threatened to overwhelm Australians anticipated the racist theories of a great replacement of Anglo-Saxons later adopted by Tarrant, and paralleled the chauvinism of the unions. The early 2000s, when Tarrant would have become aware of political developments, were dominated by Australias participation in the illegal US wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. The accompanying anti-terror campaign, endorsed by the entire political establishment, involved the passage of dozens of repressive laws and the continuous vilification of Muslims. On December 11, 2005, extreme-right forces staged a race riot, targeting people of Lebanese origin, in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla. The event, which involved openly fascistic political organisations and a crowd of several thousand alcohol-fuelled youth, was incited by the state Labor government, the federal conservative government and powerful sections of the media. Tarrant would have been about 15-years-old at the time. The riot had a formative impact on right-wingers of his generation (see: The class issues behind Australias race riots) An infamous image from the Cronulla Riot. A man is beaten with beer bottles by up to a dozen attackers. He was targeted because he looked "foreign." (Credit: Andrew Meares) Over the ensuing years, brutal government attacks on refugees were escalated, with Australia becoming a model for repressive measures targeting asylum-seekers. Tarrants emergence as a violent fascist activist coincided with, and appears to have flowed out of, the official promotion of extreme-right movements beginning in 2015. In 2011, the Greens-backed Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard had aligned Australia with the US pivot to Asia, a vast American military build-up in preparation for war with China. This would be accompanied by the development of a xenophobic anti-Chinese campaign, targeting supposed foreign interference, and the militarist celebration of the centenary of World War I, which began under a conservative government in 2014 but had been planned and launched by Gillards Labor administration. It was in this context that in 2015, an organisation named Reclaim Australia began holding public protests against immigration and Muslims. Indicating the broad hostility to its xenophobic positions, most of the rallies were attended by fewer than 200 people. They received an inordinate amount of media coverage, however, much of it insinuating that the handful of racists was giving expression to legitimate broader public concerns. A plethora of extreme-right groups would emerge from Reclaim Australia, including the United Patriots Front (UPF), the Lads Society and Antipodean Resistance, which claimed to model itself on the Nazi youth movement. After Tarrants attack, it emerged that he was well-known to the leaders of the UPF and its successor organisation, the Lads Society. In 2016, Tarrant had publicly posted on Facebook: Globalists and Marxists on suicide watch, patriots and nationalists triumphantlooking forward to Emperor Blair Cottrell coming soon. Cottrell, the then leader of the UPF, had an extensive criminal record and had previously expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler. Because of his involvement with Reclaim Australia, however, he was given substantial press coverage, including by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and his more unsavoury comments were airbrushed. After the Christchurch attack, another leader of the UPF, which had by that stage been wound-up, revealed that he unsuccessfully sought to recruit Tarrant to the Lads Society. Thomas Sewell told his followers that Tarrant had been on the scene for quite a while. Two months after the Christchurch attack, Sewell responded to media inquiries about his connections with Tarrant by stating he did not condone violence at this stage, but that if you make the peaceful alternative impossible, you leave only the other option. The extent to which the Reclaim Australia milieu was nurtured by the highest levels of government is indicated by several developments. In October 2018, five months before the Christchurch attack, the Liberal-National government endorsed a motion declaring that it is OK to be white, one of the slogans of the alt-right. Its ministers later claimed the vote had been the result of an administrative error. The same month, it was revealed that the New South Wales branch of the Young Nationals had been successfully infiltrated by extreme-right elements, including members of the Lads Society and Antipodean Resistance. They had secured state executive positions, to which they were nominated by senior members of the party, and were only expelled after being exposed by anti-fascist researchers (see: Fascist group exposed in youth wing of Australias National Party). Cottrell and Sewell would also closely collaborate with Senator Fraser Anning, who was installed in federal parliament by Pauline Hansens One Nation Party in 2017 as the result of a vacancy. Anning would alternatively sit as a representative of another right-wing populist outfit, Katters Australia Party, and then as an independent. In his maiden parliamentary speech in August, 2018, Anning called for a final solution to the immigration problem, in language borrowed from the Nazis description of their extermination of European Jewry. Still a parliamentarian, Anning responded to Tarrants attack by declaring that it was the result of Muslim fanatics being allowed to migrate to the west. The connections between the small fascist milieu and sections of the political establishment have continued. Last month, it was revealed that a candidate in the 2019 federal election for Pauline Hansons One Nation later applied for membership in The Base, an international fascist organisation connected to terror plots. The bringing forward of extreme-right forces is an international phenomenon, exemplified by US President Donald Trumps attempts to cultivate an American fascist movement. It is the response of the ruling elite to the emergence of mass working-class struggles and mounting social and political opposition. The context in which Tarrant emerged further underscores the fact that the danger of fascism stems from its promotion by the political and media establishments, rather than any mass shift to the right from below. The role of Labor and the unions in creating the social crisis upon which the extreme-right prey demonstrates that fascism can only be fought through the mobilisation of the working class against social inequality, the capitalist system and all of its defenders. A final point about Tarrants connection to Australia should be made. It is inconceivable that he was not well known to the Australian intelligence agencies. In the years prior to his attack, Tarrant travelled the world, after claiming to have made money through cryptocurrency investments. The fascist journeyed throughout Europe, especially the east of the continent, where he appears to have made contact with right-wing movements. He would also make trips to Pakistan and North Koreaunlikely holiday destinations for a white supremacist. The intelligence agencies undoubtedly recognised what any informed observer would surmise. Namely that Tarrants travels were not those of a restless individual, but were connected to political activities that would have required substantial contacts, funds and organisational support. The author also recommends: One year after the New Zealand fascist terrorist attack [14 March 2020] Australian spy chief reveals fascistic networks, but minister attacks left-wing lunatics [28 February 2020] For the first time in five months, Sandy Cilone could sit across from her 95-year-old father Wednesday and do something she once took for granted but now considers precious chit-chat with him about mundane things, with no pane of glass separating them. Did you watch Americas Got Talent last night? Cilone asked Eldon Webb, a resident of Kaulbach Assisted Living Center at Morningside Ministries, a faith-based senior living community on Babcock Road. Webb nods, said hes not sure which contestants should advance. He sat in his wheelchair under one of several canopies that had been erected in the facilitys parking lot, where others were conducting their own family visits in 20-minute intervals. Look what I brought you! Cilone had exclaimed at the start of the visit, as she handed a potted purple orchid to her dad, a World War II veteran who has lived at Kaulbach since May 2019, having moved from the Meadows, the complexs senior living apartments on the same campus. Cilone is among countless family members in San Antonio whose loved ones in long-term care essentially have lived in lockdown since the coronavirus pandemic landed here in March. Recognizing that elderly people in congregant settings would be among the most vulnerable to infection, the state clamped down on outside visitors. As coronavirus infections have subsided, that restriction recently was relaxed to some extent. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission said assisted living centers and nursing homes could resume some visits as long as facilities applied for permission and agreed to abide by a host of safety protocols to prevent the spread of infection. Cilone was thrilled when Morningside said it would allow in-person, outdoor visits at its assisted living center. Indoor visits will happen soon. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio changes rules, allows nursing home and assisted living facility visits There are rules: No hugging or touching. Indoor visits must employ plexiglass shields. Physical distancing required in all settings. No coronarvirus infections detected for two weeks. Family members must be screened for coronavirus symptoms and have their temperature checked. So far, 680 assisted living facilities in Texas have been granted permission, with 64 pending. Twenty-three nursing homes where visits only can be outdoors have been approved, with six pending. And 81 intermediate care facilities, which serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, have gotten the green light. Bob Owen /Staff photographer Together at last It couldnt come soon enough for Cilone and other family members, whove been worried that the extended isolation could harm their relatives in long-term care. Not being able to hug or touch or even sit in the same room with them has been frustrating. On ExpressNews.com: Separation and solitude in nursing homes You didnt know what was going to happen about visits, said Cilone, whose mother, Eldons wife of 50 years, died in 2014, shortly after the couple moved to San Antonio from Houston. It means so much to know that my father is safe. Their Wednesday visit dwelled on happy things. Prior to the lockdown, Cilone visited her father regularly, taking him on walks around the facility (using a special belt to help steady him) or to restaurants for pizza, ribs or Mexican food. As soon as they can, they plan to go to Mamacitas for cold beer and Margaritas, chips and green sauce. Webb said hes doing fine, that seeing his daughter in person is wonderful. They are some here who are depressed, despondent, he said. I try to shake them out of it. Make the best of what we have. I have a lot of friends here, and I know all of the women. Patrick Crump, president and CEO of Morningside Ministries, said there never was any question the center would apply to have the visits. For most residents, meaningful interaction is more important to their overall well-being than their medications, he said. It is the right thing to do. Morningside will continue to have the visits every two weeks, staff said. Taking it one day at a time also is the mantra of Carl Weekley, who visited his 92-year-old mother, Anny Weekley, on Wednesday. Bob Owen /Staff photographer He came bearing gifts a party-size package of Cheetos, his mothers favorite along with German bread and German waffle cookies. Anny was born in Germany, relocated to the U.S. in her 20s and married Carls father, an Air Force veteran who died in 1989. Guten morgen! Carl exclaimed in German as an aide pushed Annys wheelchair to the canopy. I brought you some yellow roses! Like Cilone, Weekley had been visiting his mother, who has lived at Morningside since 2018, through a window at the Kaulbach activities room. But she had to be hospitalized for an infection and then was quarantined to her room for a while. This was the first time hed seen her in six weeks. You look good, he said to his mother, who has soft silver hair and an even softer voice. This fresh air and sunshine are good for you. She extended her hand across the table, palm down. Carl explained they couldnt touch not yet. Annys shoulders caved. But she brightened when asked what this in-person visit meant to her. No words, she said, barely audibly. If everyone had a son like mine, there would never be any arguments, she said. He is my one and only. When the 20 minutes were up, Anny blew kisses to her son through her mask. I love you, she said. I love you, too, said Carl. This has been a difficult road, Carl Weekley had said the day before the visit. But I applaud the staff at Morningside. They have really done yeoman's work, keeping everyones spirit up as much as they can. At the conclusion of each meeting, Morningside staff swarmed in to quickly sanitize the visiting stations before the next resident rolled or walked up. Bucket list for future At the Etta, a retirement community in Shavano Park, Mary Cramer, 90, used her feet to slowly roll her wheelchair along a long corridor to meet with her daughter, Janet Cramer on Wednesday afternoon. Look what I brought you, said Janet, 66, handing her mother a plastic stand with a print of the Beatitudes on one side and an idyllic picture of the Texas Hill Country on the other. Oh, this is so beautiful, said Mary, who wore an attractive, calf-length print dress and gold-buckled black shoes. A widow, shes lived at the facility since 2015. Where should I put this in my apartment? Well, Mom, you can move it around because its on a stand, said Janet. The two met indoors at a visiting station complete with a plexiglass divider and microphone, although the two could hear each other perfectly well without it. When the shutdown happened suddenly, Janet didnt have a system in place, she said. All the little things she was used to doing for her mother making sure her cellphone was charged, stocking hygiene products she no longer could do. And then there were those things her mother was used to doing shes part of that generation of women who made weekly visits to the beauty shop for a freshened coiffure. Janet brought along a picture of her mother prepandemic showing a head full of carefully sculpted silver curls. After the lockdown, when Janet regularly visited her mother through the window on the Ettas front porch, she noticed shed stopped wearing lipstick. That was a signal to me that she might be depressed, she said. Bob Owen /Staff photographer But the two have done their best to stay connected during the pandemic. Janet calls every night and reads to her mother for an hour. And theyve created a bucket list of all the fun things theyre going to do. That Texas Hill Country picture? Its an actual wooden swing that hangs behind a church in Bulverde that affords a panoramic view of the valley. Janet tells her mother theyre going to drive there, just as soon as they can. Oh, that would just be so lovely, Mary said. Were already one day closer, her daughter said. 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 The Chinese government on Thursday objected and expressed concerns over India's decision to ban 118 mobile applications. Beijing [China], September 3 (ANI): The Chinese government on Thursday objected and expressed concerns over Indias decision to ban 118 mobile applications. Speaking at a press briefing, Gao Feng, the spokesperson of Chinese Commerce Ministry, said India has abused national security by imposing discriminate restrictions on Chinese companies, state-run Global Times reported. Urging India to reconsider its move, Gao said, China-India economic and trade cooperation yields mutual benefits. He asserted that China has always asked its companies to comply with international and localrules and regulations in their overseas operations. ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi criticizes Modi govt, calls demonetisation an attack on the unorganised sector ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput death case LIVE news updates: Maharashtra HM accepts PIL filed by ex IPS officers over Mumbai Police being targetted We hope that the Indian side will work with the Chinese side to maintain hard-won bilateral cooperation and development so as to build an open and fair business environment for international investors and services providers including Chinese companies, he was quoted as saying. The Indian government on Wednesday decided to block 118 mobile apps including PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik, WeChat Work and WeChat in view of the information available that they are engaged in activities, which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity, defence and security of India and public order. The decision came amid border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh and nearly two months after the government banned 59 China-linked apps. Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a release that the decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. The ministry said it has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers, which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern, which requires emergency measures, it added. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre of Home Ministry has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps. (ANI) ALSO READ: Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 38L mark with highest single-day spike of 83k+ cases Ethnic Mongolians, including students and parents, in China's Inner Mongolia region are demonstrating their anger in rare public protests against a new bilingual education policy that they say is endangering the Mongolian language. A high school student in the city of Hulunbuir said students rushed out of their school on Tuesday and destroyed a fence before paramilitary police swarmed in and tried to return them to class. We senior students were talking and we thought we had to do something, said the student, Narsu, who like most Mongolians has only one name. Although this doesn't directly affect us now, this will have a huge impact on us in the future. The policy, announced on Monday ahead of the start of the new school year, requires schools to use new national textbooks in Chinese, replacing Mongolian-language textbooks. Protesters say they were aware of demonstrations and classroom walkouts in Hohhot, the provincial capital, as well as in the cities of Chifeng and Tongliao and Xilin Gol prefecture. Nuomin, the mother of a kindergarten student in Hulunbuir, said she saw police in places she normally wouldn't and a metal barrier in front of one school. She has kept her child home since Monday. Many of us parents will continue to keep our kids at home, until they bring Mongolian back in those classes, she said. In 2017, the ruling Communist Party created a committee to overhaul textbooks for the entire country. Revised textbooks have been pushed out over the last few years. The new policy for Inner Mongolia, a northern province that borders the country of Mongolia, affects schools where Mongolian has been the principal language of instruction. Literature classes for elementary and middle school students at the Mongolian-language schools will switch to a national textbook and be taught in Mandarin Chinese. Next year, the politics and morality course will also switch to Mandarin, as will history classes starting in 2022. The remaining classes, such as math, will not change their language of instruction. Students will also start learning Mandarin in first grade. Previously, they started in second grade. Similar changes have taken effect in other ethnic areas. In Tibet and Xinjiang, the primary language of instruction in such schools has become Mandarin, and the minority language is a language class. The education bureau in Inner Mongolia did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. China has been changing education under a new model of assimilation into the Han majority culture that leaves behind Soviet-inspired policies of promoting minority language education. President Xi Jinping has said that if people don't speak the same language, it is difficult to communicate and achieve understanding. The ethnic minority schools, if they study well the language of communication in the country, it will be of great benefit to them in employment, in learning modern scientific and cultural knowledge and allow them to integrate into society, he said at a Central Ethnic Work conference in 2014. His words were quoted in the most recent policy document. But for ethnic Mongolians, the new directive is creating fear they will lose their mother tongue. In the city of Tongliao, parents decided to take their children home from a boarding school on Monday. Many parents only learned about the policy after they had dropped off their children at school, said Nure Zhang, a Tongliao resident. But authorities at one elementary school, backed by police, refused to let parents take back their children, according to Zhang, who attended the protest. There were multiple clashes as parents and others rushed at the police, trying to get into the school, Mr Zhang said. They used a human wall to block us. We kept on singing and shouting slogans, he said. The police used pepper spray twice on the protesters, he added. At 9pm, the school principal and local officials said parents could take their children home. Now the Mongolian-medium schools sit quiet in Tongliao. Local Communist Party leaders have been visiting each family to try to get the students to return, Zhang said. Authorities have banned a popular Mongolian-language social media platform called Bainu. Mr Zhang, a parent as well, said he already felt they were heavily influenced by the Han, who make up 79 per cent of Inner Mongolia's 25 million residents, according to the most recent census data from 2015. Ethnic Mongolians make up 17 per cent. Now Chinese class is literature class, Chinese is the primary language and Mongolian has become a supplementary language, he said. If this continues for 10 years, 20 years later, our language will slowly be forgotten. AP As precursor to upcoming nationwide expansion, Farmsteads new and expanded microhub in Burlingame enables grocer to expand same-day delivery service to 32 new Bay Area zip codes eastward alongside routes CA-24 and I-680 Online grocer responds to demand from East Bay and Valley with major delivery-area expansion Farmstead has added 32 new cities to its delivery area, mostly east and south of San Francisco, doubling its geographic coverage. Farmstead has added 32 new cities to its delivery area, mostly east and south of San Francisco, doubling its geographic coverage. BURLINGAME, Calif., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmstead , the first online grocer to offer fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, at better prices than local supermarkets, announced today that has expanded its delivery area, adding same-day delivery from Oakland east to Walnut Creek and southwards down to Pleasanton and Livermore, and extending San Jose coverage to South San Jose and Los Gatos. The expansion doubles the companys delivery area. Farmstead formerly served greater San Francisco only. See Farmsteads updated delivery map, including delivery to 19 new cities and towns and 32 new zip codes, here . Farmsteads recent move to a new, greatly expanded microhub space in Burlingame enabled the delivery expansion. The space is 6x bigger than Farmsteads previous microhub in San Francisco, and enables the company to serve tens of thousands of Bay Area households per week. Farmstead CEO and co-founder Pradeep Elankumaran said, Farmsteads mission is to make fresh, high-quality food accessible to everyone. Weve had thousands of requests from potential customers in the broader Bay Area, both before and during the pandemic. Until now, neighborhoods east of the Diablo mountain range have lacked an online grocer that offers both local and national brands, at better prices than local supermarkets, with free delivery and a subscription option. Were thrilled to bring Farmstead to over half a million more Bay Area households. Farmstead is known for its locally sourced fresh produce in particular - something other online grocers have struggled to provide at reasonable prices. Farmsteads proprietary AI-based software tied to their smaller format warehouses helps determine optimal inventory levels, ensure efficient order picking/packing/delivery, and reduce food waste by 6x compared to grocery stores. These efficiencies enable Farmstead to deliver for free while keeping prices lower than local supermarkets, and making fresh, high-quality groceries accessible to all. Story continues Cities and towns included in the expansion are: Alamo, Castro Valley, Concord, Crockett, Danville, Dublin, Hercules, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Richmond, Rodeo, San Ramon and Walnut Creek. Customers can create an account and place their first order at https://www.farmsteadapp.com . About Farmstead Farmstead is the first online grocer to offer fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, at better prices than local supermarkets. Using AI technology, Farmstead has reinvented the grocery buying experience and rewired how food moves across the country, to significantly reduce food waste and fulfill its mission of making high quality, locally sourced food accessible to everyone. Visit https://www.farmsteadapp.com or follow @ farmsteadapp . Media contact: Michelle Faulkner 617-510-6998 michelle@big-swing.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0edb3666-f0fc-42b6-8cff-c23ed69d41c6 Were not even done with 2020 and its already a strong candidate for Worst Year Ever. A global pandemic. Racial injustice. Shattered economy. Heartbreaking losses. It makes you wonder if well ever see good times again. Actually, history says we will. The last time San Antonio saw a 20 at the end of a calendar year, the city was booming with Jazz Age energy after a debilitating world war and the deadly influenza pandemic of 1918. In fact, San Antonio has seen quite the 20 milestones every century since its founding in 1718. Heres a look back at the better 20s in San Antonio. Because if hindsight really is 20-20, it sure beats the 2020 were looking at now. 1720: Mission San Jose is founded. Just two years after San Antonio was established, Father Antonio Margil de Jesus founded Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, on Feb. 23, 1720. Moved twice since its founding, the Queen of the Missions has reigned at its current South Side location since around 1730. Mission San Jose got its regal title for its sprawling size and ornate architecture, which includes the famous Rose Window built in 1775. The missions present church was completed in 1782. On ExpressNews.com: My Neighborhood: Mission San Jose The site got a major face-lift in the 1930s when the Works Projects Administration restored Mission San Jose to its original design. Earlier this year, work had begun on a $750,000 restoration of the ruins behind the missions church. The pandemic may have impacted Mission San Joses tricentennial, but you still can celebrate online at msj300.org. 1820: Texas is conceived in San Antonio. Stephen F. Austin may be known as the Father of Texas, but it was his dad, Moses Austin, who originally secured the land to make the Lone Star State a reality. And he did it in the Alamo City. In 1820, Moses Austin was a bankrupt merchant trying to launch his own colony in what was then Spanish Texas. That year, the desperate businessman traveled to San Antonio, where he persuaded Spanish-ruled Mexico to grant him 200,000 acres of Texas soil to settle 300 Anglo families. But the elder Austin never lived to see his dream. On his deathbed, he persuaded his son Stephen F. Austin to take over the colonization. On ExpressNews.com: Texas independence led to clashes between Anglos and Tejanos It would take Austin several years to realize his fathers plans because of Mexicos independence from Spain. But by the end of 1825, Austin finally brought the first American settlers to Texas with the group known as the Old Three Hundred. Austin tried to maintain good relations with the newly independent Mexico, but ultimately he led forces against Mexico during the Texas Revolution. Texas won its independence in 1836, with Austin dying later that year. Texas joined the United States in 1845. In 1936, the state erected a statue of Moses Austin at San Antonios City Hall to celebrate a century of Texas independence and Austins role in state history. 1920: Fiesta returns! Fiesta 2020 may be canceled, but historys on its side when it comes to a post-pandemic comeback. In 1920, Fiesta made its triumphant return following the great influenza pandemic of 1918, which had scrapped the citywide celebration in 1919. On ExpressNews.com: Fiestas on pause, but the spirit lives on in the hearts of its biggest fans It was a long time coming. World War I had reduced the 1918 Fiesta celebration to a limited formal affair that favored the patriotic over pageantry. When the flu pandemic hit later that year, a city already tapped financially by the war effort opted to skip Fiesta 1919 altogether. But Fiesta roared back in 1920 in true Roaring 20s fashion. As Paula Allen recounted in a recent history column for the Express-News, San Antonio in 1920 saw Edna Steves rock a short Jazz Age dress for her crowning as the queen of the Court of the Birds at the Majestic Theatre, while the Battle of Flowers parade blossomed once again and the city lit up with evening dances at hotels and just as much dancing in the streets. Rene Guzman is a features reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. He writes about pop culture and what makes San Antonio so uniquely puro San Antonio. To read more from Rene, become a subscriber. rguzman@express-news.net | Twitter: @reneguz We have yet to see action. I was always raised to go off action and not words because youll be let down every single time. And the action we want are hold these officers accountable to the same things that we get held accountable to. If I was that officer, I would be in the Kenosha County jail right now, she said in reference to the Blake shooting. Examinees will have to upload their answers in PDF format and send them via email or WhatsApp to their respective colleges with 24 hours The University of Calcutta will conduct the online final semester examinations for postgraduate and undergraduate programmes in its affiliated colleges from 1 to 18 October. The announcement was made by the University vice-chancellor Sonali Chakraborty Banerjee. According to a report by The Telegraph, the varsity will send the questions to undergraduate students through email or on their WhatsApp at the commencement of the exam. Examinees will have to upload their answers in PDF format and send them via email or WhatsApp to their respective colleges with 24 hours. Examinees who are not able to manage a smart device or unable to upload the answers due to poor internet connectivity, will have to write the answers on paper and submit the hardcopy in sealed envelope to their college within 24 hours. This is the first time Calcutta University has adopted the open-book exam for UG and PG programmes. More than 1.10 lakh students will take the exams this year. The detailed time table and other relevant instructions for the colleges, teachers and students will be announced soon after discussing the faculty council decisions at the universitys syndicate body. A report by Times Now said that the result of both UG and PG courses will be declared by the University by 31 October. The answer sheets submitted by the UG students will be evaluated by teachers of the same institute, unlike the usual external evaluation, conducted previously. The change has been introduced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has made the world a much smaller place. Few sectors have been as badly hurt as tourism and international travel. The impact on London, one of the world's great entrepot cities, is underlined by the sobering letter from UK Hospitality to the Prime Minister and the almost invisible mayor, Sadiq Khan. It is loss of tourism, not just emptied offices, which is threatening a 'downward economic spiral'. A new UN report shows that if the closure of air routes and tourism were to last eight months then the output loss to the world economy would be 1.65 trillion, or 2.8 per cent of the total Pre-Covid, some 40m visitors came to Britain, spending 30billion, with around 55 per cent of them spending time in the capital. Spending this year is down 79 per cent to just 6billion. Even the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, who has been optimistic about recovery, warns that 'social spending' on restaurants and theatres could take longer to recover. What is going on in the UK is frightening enough but it is a global phenomenon. A report just released by the United Nations' trade arm UNCTAD shows that if the closure of air routes and tourism were to last eight months then the output loss to the world economy would be 1.65 trillion, or 2.8 per cent of the total. The scarring already stretches beyond the hospitality industries with major airlines staring into the abyss. Virgin Atlantic has just been saved after a 1.2billion deal with creditors supported by Richard Branson. Even rich state-flag carrier Qatar Airways is delaying orders of new aircraft, clogging up aerospace supply lines. UNCTAD argues that the tourism crisis offers opportunities for fundamental change, including digital transformation and more carbon-neutral travel. But nothing will be more important than a co-ordinated effort to ease and lift current travel restrictions. The constant chopping and changing by the Foreign Office is a travel nightmare. A rigorous test and trace system at UK airports, taking advantage of the data management of airline booking systems, should have been in place months ago. Instead, livelihoods and output in the UK's services-dominated economy are at serious risk. Good housekeeping Of all the measures Chancellor Rishi Sunak put in place in the summer, the decision to support housing with a temporary cut in stamp duty may prove the most effective. Even though the number of UK renters has more than doubled in the last two decades to an estimated 4.6m, home ownership and your own space is still an aspiration for people in Britain. Data from Nationwide shows house prices rose at their speediest rate in 16 years in August, illustrating that in spite of furlough and unemployment Sunak has uncorked a bottle. The combination of pent-up demand from lockdown, cheap mortgage deals and a big tax break on houses under 500,000 has done the trick. The impact of rising demand for homes on the broader economy should not be underestimated. The increase in the average house price to 224,100 will not be helpful to younger citizens taking the first step on the housing ladder. They also are suffering from a tightening of lending terms requiring bigger deposits and discouragement of the bank of Mum and Dad. Houses are the biggest purchase in most people's lifetime, and when the price of your home goes up, people feel more confident and it unlocks a willingness to spend the so called 'wealth effect'. Similarly, when people buy a new home it doesn't stop there. What follows are decorations, new appliances, soft furnishings and much else. Results from housebuilder Barratt Developments give insight into why the bubbling up of prices may eventually ease. Barratt disclosed a 30 per cent drop in housing completions and revenues due to the pandemic. Replicated across the home construction industry, this represents a big supply shock pushing up the price of existing homes. Chief executive David Thomas sounded upbeat about prospects in the light of eased planning regulations. Barratt shares shot up but the decision to leave the dividend suspended suggests jitters remain. Missing magic Lego has come through the pandemic with flying colours with revenues and profits sharply up in the first half of the year. The plastic brick maker continues to capture the zeitgeist through alliances with gaming group Nintendo, digital-related bricks and learning through play. How disappointing that when Merlin, operator of the Legoland franchise, was struggling for funding at the height of Covid-19, the billionaire Kristiansen family behind Lego (part of a 6billion buyout consortium) did not rush in. Scared of stepping on the bricks... Saving Central Asias Ice Age antelope Third Pole Russias permafrost is melting Intellinews. On permafrost, see NC here. Corporate zombies: Anatomy and life cycle Bank of International Settlements. We find a rise in the share of zombie firms from 4% in the late 1980s to 15% in 2017. I thought the whole point of being a zombie was not to have a life cycle. Apparently not! Wirecard and me: Dan McCrum on exposing a criminal enterprise FT Danske Debt Scandal Triggers FSA Probe and Police Scrutiny Bloomberg #COVID-19 China? The Koreas Application of Safeguards in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (PDF) International Atomic Energy Agency. However, no operation of the plant that provides the steam necessary for reprocessing activities was observed. Therefore, it is almost certain that no reprocessing activity took place and that the plutonium produced in the 5MW(e) reactor during the most recent operational cycle has not been separated. Will Grab ride out the pandemic, or crash without a single dollar in profit? Globe_ The New Normal: VIDEO: Indonesian dentist boosts patients' mood with colourful hazmat suits pic.twitter.com/TcD0SDJMrd AFP news agency (@AFP) September 3, 2020 India Australian special forces Instagram account mocks war crime allegations, calls to Make Diggers Violent Again ABC Australia Syraqistan UK/EU More than 200 lawyers file judicial complaint against Judge Lewis A. Kaplan over abusive targeting of human rights advocate Steven Donziger International Association of Democratic Lawyers. See also here. New Cold War RussiaGate Fuming Rachel Maddow Spends Entire Show Just Pointing Wildly At Picture Of Putin The Onion. From 2018, still germane. Trump Transition 2020 Democrats in Disarray Pelosi claims hair salon scandal was a set-up Politico. Who set her up? Putin? No but seriously, why not just have a stylist come to her house? She could offer them ice cream as an extra inducement.. Legislature leaves much undone CalMatters. [L]egislative leaders and Newsom opted for risk-avoidance and hope that Democrat Joe Biden will unseat Republican President Donald Trump in November and then provide California with many billions of dollars to buy its way out of difficulty. California Democrat oligarchy slipping some cogs. Police reforms face defeat as California Democrats block George Floyd-inspired bills Sacramento Bee. But of course. Big Brother Is Watching You Watch Protests and Riots Black Injustice Tipping Point Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare All of a Sudden a Lot of These Families Wanted a Yard: How the Pandemic Gold Rush Is Remaking the Housing Market Vanity Fair. The pandemic is treating some people very, very well. None of them essential. Upper West Sider Who Broke Her (Rent-Stabilized!) Lease to Flee to Vermont Finds Rural Bliss Didnt Last West Side Rag Antidote du jour (via): Bonus antidote: Please enjoy a 1-minute respite from this Twitter cesspool. This is amazing. Birds, bruhpic.twitter.com/O5N3O9fZIG Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) September 1, 2020 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. The Delhi government on Thursday issued orders to commence Metro operations in the city and notified the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the Central government and the Delhi Metro rail corporation (DMRC). The order was issued by chief secretary Vijay Dev after transport minister Kailash Gahlot held a review meeting with DMRC officials, including its chief Mangu Singh on how train services will be resumed. The DMRC today presented its SOP before the Delhi government. I directed the corporation to carry out an extensive campaign where people are informed about the new norms of the Metro. The DMRC MD informed the government that some of the stations may be skipped if sufficient passengers are not likely to use them. Decision on which station will be skipped will depend on the number of people waiting there. It will have to be communicated by the operations control centre (OCC) from time to time, Gahlot said after the meeting. The DMRCs SOP, seen by HT, also stated that stopping time of trains at each station will be increased so that passengers have sufficient time to board and alight. Train doors shall remain open at terminal stations to let fresh air infuse in the train Even penalties on violation of any norm under the Delhi Metro rules will be taken only through digital payment methods Validity of all parking passes will be extended as parking will remain operational at stations which have such facility Alcohol based sanitiser cans provided at stations will be kept at 2-3 well ventilated locations/rooms equipped with fire detection and suppression system, the Delhi Metros SOP read. It further said DMRC officials shall be deputed at every station initially for two weeks to monitor that social distancing is strictly observed by the commuters, all of them wear masks and that all things are being run in order with cleanliness being maintained. After two weeks, the concerned station manager will continue the monitoring. Train operators will monitor crowd inside trains through CCTV for ensuring social distancing, the document read. CCTV CAMERAS AND GPS IN ALL BUSES BY NOVEMBER Gahlot also said that the Delhi government will install CCTV cameras and GPS trackers in 5,500 of its Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses by November this year. We are trying to bring our focus on petty and unnoticed crimes faced by women commuters in the buses. Today, I have personally inspected the working of the Command & Control Centre and I am glad that even the smallest incident of any crime can be captured and recorded. The presence of our Bus Marshals, have already reduced crimes in buses. Now, with this initiative, we are confident that commuters in Delhi can confidently use public transport any time of the day, the minister said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Patriot Prayer supporter killed in Portland Saturday night had cancelled his 40th birthday plans to go to the pro-Trump rally, according to reports. Aaron 'Jay' Danielson, 39, is said to have been gunned down just before he got home as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with Trump supporters who drove in a caravan through the city. Joey Gibson, the leader of Patriot Prayer, said: 'He loved to go to demonstrations.' But Danielson's friends and family say they do not know why he would have canceled his birthday plans to go camping as he loved nature, The Oregonian reports. Stephanie Wilcox, 37, told the paper: 'He liked to watch and take videos. He was not one to start a fight or get loud in somebodys face.' Aaron 'Jay' Danielson, 39, cancelled his 40th birthday plans to go to the pro-Trump rally, according to reports; he was later shot dead in during clashes Saturday night Police arrived on the scene 'within a minute' of when gunshots rang out. The victim, later identified as Danielson, 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 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. 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. Several people are seen rushing over when a car turns a corner and skids to a stop in front of the victim, Danielson, who Gibson said kept a low profile and was only armed with bear spray, was shot in the chest and died at the scene. Danielson's friends and family say they do not know why he would have canceled his birthday plans to go camping as he loved nature 'He was not one to start a fight or get loud in somebodys face', one friend said Street medics and protesters help to treat Danielson, who was shot near a Pro-Trump rally Gibson said Danielson had earlier spent time 'just talking to random BLM supporters' in 'ususally friendly' chats at a pro-police demonstration in Camas on Friday night. 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. Reinoehl is also said to have been at the event in Camas the night before; it is not known if the two men met that night. In an interview at her Oregon home, Michael's sister April told DailyMail.com her brother had been estranged from their family for three years after stealing medication from their mother who has dementia. Michael Forest Reinoehl, the Antifa member under investigation for shooting dead a Trump supporter in Portland, was abusive to his mother and stole from his family, his sister claimed to DailyMail.com Danielson's friend Chandler Pappas, who was with him on the night he was shot, told The Common Sense Conservative: 'They recognized our Patriot Prayer hats. They executed my partner. They hunted him down.' Just hours before he was shot in the chest Saturday night, Danielson and his friend were seen heading downtown to protect a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters. They wore hats with the insignia of Patriot Prayer 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.' Luke Carrillo, center, speaks about Aaron Danielson at a news conference Monday Portland police hold back a man who was friends with Danielson, the victim of Saturday night's fatal shooting, minutes after the incident What to know about Patriot Prayer as Trump supporters take stand in Portland Since 2016, Patriot Prayer has hosted dozens of pro-gun, pro-Trump rallies in the Pacific Northwest and attendees have repeatedly clashed with left-wing groups in the Portland area. In August, the group's supporters have staged counter-rallies which have sometimes turned violent. Supporters have echoed Trump's characterization of Portland protesters as 'radical anarchists.' Patriot Prayer, founded by right-wing activist Joey Gibson, says it is on a non-violent mission to prevent the United States from becoming a 'Godless, socialist' country, but its opponents accuse it of provoking clashes. The group's rallies have been attended by the Proud Boys and other anti-government extremist groups with records of violence, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. On Sunday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown denounced Patriot Prayer supporters as instigators of the violence. 'The right-wing group Patriot Prayer and self-proclaimed militia members drove into downtown Portland last night, armed and looking for a fight,' Brown said in a statement. 'I will not allow Patriot Prayer and armed white supremacists to bring more bloodshed to our streets.' Gibson denies that the group espouses violence, white supremacy or xenophobia. On local radio this week, he described the shooting victim, Danielson, as a 'very gentle, very courageous' person. Gibson faces felony riot charges stemming from a 2019 clash with left-wing activists outside a pub in Portland to which he has pleaded not guilty. He did not return Reuters' request for comment. Patriot Prayer has some 3,000 members in a private Facebook group and more than 34,000 followers on a public Facebook page. Advertisement Ex-girlfriend Christine Banks said Monday Danielson didn't discuss politics much but of the weeks-long protests in Portland: 'He didn't 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 they'd 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?' The national capital is now witnessing the beginning of a second surge of Covid-19. Even as the city is poised to enter the next stage of reopening through the resumption of Delhi Metro, daily coronavirus cases cases are once again rising. On Wednesday, Delhi registered 2,509 cases, the highest number recorded since early July. The tally of active cases has reached 16,502. There had been no spike of inspection since mid-July when the Delhi government, in collaboration with the Union Home Ministry, had ramped up testing to effectively track hotspots. The average daily case fatality trajectory over the last two weeks has risen by 50%, said Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, Rajesh Bhushan, on Thursday. After active cases rose in Delhi, the Home Ministry engaged with the Delhi government to curb infection and the Lieutenant Governor held a meeting with the Chief Minister and officials from AIIMS and Niti Aayog, said Bhushan. The Delhi governments health bulletin also showed that a record 28,835 tests were conducted. However, 20,965 of these were rapid antigen tests and the rest comprised RT-PCR, TruNat and CBNAAT tests. Hospitals have seen a rise in admissions of Covid-19 patients and authorities are working on what they called a revamped" strategy to curb infection amid the increased economic and social activities. As cases rise, authorities maintained the surge has not reached alarming proportions but also admitted they are keeping a close eye on the developments and strategies are being reworked to control the surge. We had a detailed review of the situation in Thursdays meeting with the lieutenant-governor. A revamped strategy and comprehensive effort is being planned on important fronts - containment, surveillance, hospital management, testing strategy, ambulance preparedness and engagement with the pubic regarding Covid appropriate behavior, said Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul. When asked about the reasons behind the sudden spike in case, Paul credited the resumption in activities. There has been a general uptick in activities; the labourers who had gone to their home states have started returning for work. I would say this is happening largely because we are moving towards new activities. We also need to remember that nearly 70 per cent of the citys population is still susceptible," he added. At Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, Delhis biggest Covid facility, admissions of coronavirus patients are also increasing. We have seen an increase in the number of cases. In the last seven days or so we have seen 15-20% more caseload and we are also reporting a fair share of admissions of people who are from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Middle-aged and elderly people form the biggest chunk of the new patients we are admitting, said LNJP Hospital Director Dr Suresh Kumar. Officials from the Delhi health department said that while activities increase, the department is facing a few hiccups in contact-tracing. People need to realise that unlocking is primarily for economic activities and not for social activities. We have been noting instances where people, when called to collect information on their movement are not forthcoming with details. This is an impediment in tracing contacts and isolating those who might be at risk, said a senior official. However, a few experts said that the surge in Covid-19 infections was not completely unexpected, as similar surges had been witnessed in other nations. They emphasised that it was important to act fast. There can be multiple causes for the surge. It has been in seen in Hong Kong, London and Singapore. But it is important to note that mortality rate is not out of control even as the spread is wider," said Dr Mahesh Verma, member of Delhi governments expert committee on hospital preparedness and Vice-Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. He added that measures to curb cases could not be slackened, especially as economic activities continued to resume in a phased manner. We have to be to even more vigilant now," Dr Verma said. An oil tanker carrying crude from Kuwait to India burst into flames off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka on Thursday, leaving one of its 23 crew members missing and another injured, a navy spokesman said. Photograph: @IndiaCoastGuard/Twitter The Panama registered tanker New Diamond was carrying 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil from Kuwait to India when its engine room caught fire off the coast of Sangamankanda in the eastern district of Ampara, Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Capt Indika Silva said. The Navy said that one Filipino crew member remains missing, while they have rescued another Filipino national, a third engineer, who was injured. He was sent to hospital in Kalmunai in the eastern province. The Navy also rescued the captain of the tanker and a crew member whose nationalities have not been given. MV Helen, a vessel sailing in the area, rescued 3 Greeks and 16 Filipino crew members from the distressed vessel. The Navy spokesman said that at least four ships had been dispatched to carry out the rescue operation. The naval ships were dispatched from the eastern port of Trincomalee and the southern port of Hambantota. The Indian Coast Guard also pressed into action three of its ships and a Dornier aircraft after the Sri Lankan Navy sought assistance to control the fire onboard the oil tanker. In a swift sea and air coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation, the Coast Guard said it immediately diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang and Samudra Paheredar, besides a Dornier aircraft for the firefight on the oil tanker. Two Russian anti-submarine warfare ships which were anchored at Hambantota Port since August 31 were also dispatched to the area to douse the fire, the spokesperson said. Silva said there were 24 crew members on board 'New Diamond' when its engine room caught fire. The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said the oil tanker was carrying 270, 000 Metric Tonnes of oil from Kuwait to India. MEPA Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura said that 100,000 liters of water was provided to the Naval vessels to try and douse the fire. Sri Lanka Air Force was also deployed to provide assistance and a helicopter joined the rescue operation. The crew members, except two, have left the tanker and are staying on rescue craft at sea, according to Russia's official Tass news agency. At the time the fire broke out, the Panamanian-registered ship was about 38 nautical miles (70 kilometres) east of Sri Lanka. LONDON: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. That has prompted some politicians and diplomats in Germany to suggest a European response involving the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Here are some details about previous incidents in which opponents of the Kremlin have been victims of poisoning or suspected poisoning, or have cried foul after suddenly falling ill. SERGEI SKRIPAL A former Russian double agent who passed secrets to British intelligence, Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the English cathedral city of Salisbury in March, 2018. They were taken to hospital in a critical condition and British officials said they had been poisoned by Novichok, a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. Russia has denied any role in the poisoning and says Britain is whipping up anti-Russian hysteria. The chemical causes a slowing of the heart and restriction of the airways, leading to death by asphyxiation", said pharmacology expert Prof. Gary Stephens at the University of Reading. One of the main reasons these agents are developed is because their component parts are not on the banned list." VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA The Russian opposition activist says he believes attempts were made to poison him in 2015 and 2017. A German laboratory later found elevated levels of mercury, copper, manganese and zinc in him, according to medical reports seen by Reuters. Moscow denied involvement. ALEXANDER LITVINENKO The ex-KGB agent and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin died aged 43 after drinking green tea laced with polonium-210, a rare and potent radioactive isotope, at Londons Millennium Hotel, British officials have said. Putin probably approved the killing, a British inquiry concluded in 2016. The Kremlin has denied involvement. An inquiry led by a senior British judge found that former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoy and another Russian, Dmitry Kovtun, carried out the killing as part of an operation that he said was probably directed by Russias Federal Security Service (FSB), the main heir to the Soviet-era KGB. Litvinenko fled Russia for Britain six years to the day before he was poisoned. ALEXANDER PEREPILICHNY The 44-year-old Russian was found dead near his luxury home on an exclusive gated estate outside London after he had been out jogging in November 2012. Perepilichny had sought refuge in Britain in 2009 after helping a Swiss investigation into a Russian money-laundering scheme. His sudden death raised suggestions he might have been murdered. British police ruled out foul play despite suspicions he might have been murdered with a rare poison. An inquest into his death has yet to give a definitive conclusion as to how he died. A pre-inquest hearing heard that traces of a rare and deadly poison from the gelsemium plant had been found in his stomach. Perepilichny had enjoyed a large bowl of soup containing sorrel, a popular Russian dish. Russia denied involvement. VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO Yushchenko, then a Ukrainian opposition leader, was poisoned during the campaign for the 2004 presidential election in which he stood on a pro-western ticket against the pro-Moscow prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich. He said he was poisoned while having dinner outside Kiev with officials from the Ukrainian security services. Russia denied any involvement. His body was found to contain 1,000 times more dioxin than is normally present. His face and body were disfigured by the poisoning and he had dozens of operations in the aftermath. He won the presidency in a re-run poll after Ukraines Supreme Court struck down results declaring Yanukovich the winner amid street protests dubbed the Orange Revolution". GEORGI MARKOV A Bulgarian writer, journalist and opponent of his countrys then-communist leadership who defected to the West in 1969, Markov died on Sept. 11, 1978 after he felt a sharp sting in his thigh while he waited for a bus on Londons Waterloo Bridge. According to accounts of the incident, Markov looked behind him and saw a man picking up an umbrella that had fallen on the ground. The man mumbled sorry" before walking away. Markov later died of what is believed to be poisoning from ricin, for which there is no antidote. Dissidents accused the Soviet KGB of being behind the killing. (Editing by Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher and Mike Collett-White) 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 Germany has added the Canary Islands to its list of Covid-19 risk areas, extending its official recommendation not to travel to the whole of Spain. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the rebound in cases throughout the country to more than 50 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the 7 days, was a deciding factor. When the German Government first issued its travel warning for Spain, German citizens were advised not travel to Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre, then Madrid and the Basque Country were added and eventually the rest of Spain, but the Canary Islands was exempt until now. Germany is the second largest source market for tourists and its travel warning for Spain will have enormous economic consequences. Owners of cargoes carrying Iranian fuel challenge US loot in court Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 9:07 AM The owners of four cargoes carrying Iranian fuel that was looted in high seas by the United States last month have mounted a legal challenge to reclaim them, a report says. The US government has said it seized 1.116 million barrels of fuel because it was bound for Venezuela which is under American sanctions as part of Washington's bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, but the owners have disputed it. According to a filing with the US District Court for the District of Columbia Tuesday, "at the time they were seized, the Defendant Properties were destined for Trinidad for sale to customers in Peru and Colombia." When the news of the loot was first broken last month, Iran put down its foot to assert that neither the ships were Iranian nor their owners or their cargo had any connection to the Islamic Republic. US reports had also claimed that the ships were owned by Greece, but the court filing on Tuesday showed otherwise. United Arab Emirates-based Mobin International Limited said it was the owner of the cargo aboard the Bella and Bering tankers, UK-registered Oman Fuel said it owned the cargo aboard the Pandi and Luna tankers, and Oman-registered Sohar Fuel said it part-owned the cargo aboard the Luna. The companies said they had sold the cargoes onwards to UAE-based Citi Energy FZC, but payment was due upon delivery, which was disrupted by the seizure, Reuters reported. "Therefore, Claimants Mobin, Oman Fuel, and Sohar Fuel retain a financial stake in those agreements and have immediate right to title, possession, and control of the Defendant Properties," they wrote in the filing. US claim of victory dealt a blow The legal challenge puts yet another damper on the US government's victory lap which came with the much-hyped claim that Washington had finally found a way to block Iran and Venezuela from evading American economic sanctions. Over the past two years, the Trump administration has repeatedly placed sanctions on Iran's oil and other lucrative industries with the express aim of shutting Tehran out of global markets and causing an economic collapse. But far from collapsing as American leaders had predicted, Iran's economy keeps humming and is getting back on its feet. Meanwhile, Iran sent five oil tankers 1.5 million barrels of gasoline and diesel fuel to Venezuela in May and June despite American threats to stop them. "We showcased our might, and our biggest display of power was the imposition of our will and the sailing through high seas from the Persian Gulf to Venezuela," Major General Hussein Salami said last month. An Iranian news agency said Iran's naval forces were preparing to target US commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf in case US forces interfered with Venezuela-bound Iranian oil tankers. When the New York Times first reported the seizure of the four cargoes last month, the newspaper headlined it as a "diplomatic doubleheader" which blocked Iran and Venezuela from evading American economic sanctions. Iranian officials brushed aside the claim, with Iran's Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjat Soltani saying the report was an "act of psychological warfare perpetrated by the US propaganda machine" trying to compensate for the Trump administration's "humiliation and defeat by Iran using false propaganda." "The United States is seeking to contrive a victory for itself. Neither did the ships nor the cargo belong to Iran," Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh told reporters in Tehran. Aiming to cut Iran's sales to zero, Washington in May 2019 ended sanctions waivers for importers of Iranian oil. Tehran reacted with typical defiance, saying it would find ways to sell its oil. Last month, NBC News cited data from online service TankerTrackers.com showing that Iran was exporting a lot more crude oil than US figures suggest. According to the data, Iran is exporting as much as 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil thrice more than an estimate of 227,000 bpd made in a US congressional report. Iran, NBC News said, is coming up with more innovative techniques in wiggling its way around the draconian American sanctions. Iranian officials have said the country is in an economic war with the United States which has forced international payment networks to cut off the Islamic Republic, making trade all but impossible. $10 billion of oil, petrochemical investment in 5 months On Tuesday, Iran's Ministry of Petroleum said oil and petrochemical investment in the country has reached $10 billion since the beginning of the Iranian calendar year in March. The government plans to officially launch 17 petrochemical projects, which are expected to produce 100 million tonnes annually and generate $25 billion per year in revenues by the end of the year, it said. Iran also plans to launch by the end of its current calendar year in March 2021 an oil terminal designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian oil exports. The country has already started building an onshore oil pipeline worth $1.8 billion to Jask which sits just east of the Strait of Hormuz. As much as $700 million of the investment will go to develop the port terminal. The 1,100-kilometer pipeline will be capable of carrying 1 million bpd of crude oil from the Goureh oil terminal in the northwest to Jask 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 Republic's oil production capacity by 185,000 barrels per day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A new UNHCR report warns that many refugee children, especially girls, will not be able to return to school. The United Nations has warned that the coronavirus pandemic risks deepening a schooling crisis for refugee children, nearly half of whom were already out of school before the emergence of COVID-19. A new report published on Thursday by the UNs refugee agency (UNHCR) cautioned that many refugee children especially girls who had attended school before the pandemic would not be able to return. After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement, calling for action to support refugees right to an education. The report, using data from 12 countries that host more than half of the worlds refugee children, found that more than 1.8 million of them or a full 48 percent of all refugee children of school age are out of school. Attendance is particularly lacklustre in secondary school and higher. About 77 percent of the refugee children were enrolled in primary school, but only 31 percent attended secondary school and 3 percent were in higher education, according to the report. While the UNHCR said a shift in methodology made it difficult to compare with data from previous years, it noted the statistics, dire as they look, actually represent a small improvement. A 2019 report indicated that only 1 percent of refugees worldwide were in higher education. But the pandemic is now threatening to undo even the small advances made, it said. Chilling prediction The report found that while children in every country have been hit by the impact of the pandemic and containment measures put in place to rein in the virus, refugee children have been especially disadvantaged. They are far more likely than others to face difficulty returning to their studies, with many refugee families no longer able to afford school fees, uniforms and books as income sources dry up. They are also less likely to have access to the technologies needed for remote learning and could be required to work to help keep their struggling families afloat. This is particularly true for refugee girls, who already had less access to education than boys. By the time they reach secondary level, refugee girls are half as likely as their male peers to be enrolled in school, according to the UNHCR, which warned the coronavirus crisis risked widening the gender disparities. Using UNHCR data, the Malala Fund, which works towards removing barriers preventing girls from going to school, estimated that half of all refugee girls who were attending secondary school when the pandemic hit will not return when classrooms reopen this month. And in countries where less than 10 percent of refugee girls were enrolled in secondary school, all of them were at risk of dropping out for good. That is a chilling prediction that would have an impact for generations to come, the UNHCR said. Matthew Saltmarsh, a UNHCR spokesman, told Al Jazeera from London on Thursday: We think there are a number of steps that need to be taken. First of all, we think inclusion is the most important thing and a number of countries have included refugees in their national education system. More can be done by the international community to provide a medium-term sustainable aid for education, but also for education in emergencies. Private sector and other actors can come in, he said. A researcher at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Giulio Bernardi, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant, a competitive source of financing attributed to young researchers who pursue innovative research ideas. Bernardi has been assigned about 1,5 million euros to organize its own multidisciplinary team for studying the deep mechanisms that regulate sleep and dreaming, and eventually use the acquired knowledge to find new strategies for treating sleep-related disorders. The project, entitled "TweakDreams", will make use of new techniques and methods of analysis to investigate the functioning of the brain during sleep, and to understand the relationship among regional variations in brain activity and subjective experience at night. While the mechanisms and the purpose of sleep have been studied for decades, many aspects of it remain a mystery. Traditionally, sleep and wakefulness have been described as two mutually exclusive states characterized by differences in consciousness and responsiveness to the environment. However, the more recent view is that sleep is a phenomenon with a local regulation in the brain: "islands" of sleep- and wake-like activity can often coexist across distinct brain areas, either during behavioral wakefulness or sleep. According to this view, this mosaic of activity is also directly related to the presence and content of mental activity during sleep. In other words, dreams would be the result of "local awakenings" in the otherwise sleeping brain. What is still to understand, though, is whether these local awakenings and their related mental activity have a specific function, and what that function is. This is especially important as a growing body of evidence indicates that many sleep disorders, including for instance particular forms of insomnia, may depend on the loss of the fine balance between wake- and sleep-like activity within particular regions of the brain during sleep. In the "TweakDreams" project, Bernardi proposes to use non-invasive methods based on an adaptation and optimization of previously developed sensory stimulation protocols to interfere with the brain waves produced during sleep, and thus modulate sleep intensity in a local, region-specific manner. Such an approach will allow investigating the relationship between local changes in brain activity and corresponding mental activity during sleep, potentially revealing new ways to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. More in general, the project will open new avenues for investigating sleep-related functions in humans, including those related to learning, memory and emotional regulation. Giulio Bernardi is a researcher in neuroscience, and an Assistant Professor at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, one of the six higher education institutions in Italy, where he is a member of Molecular Mind Lab (MoMiLab). Bernardi earned his PhD in Neuroscience and endocrine-metabolic science at the University of Pisa. Between 2012 and 2017 he conducted his research first at the Center for Sleep and Consciousness, University of Wisconsin, USA, and then at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. The ERC Starting grants are awarded top young researchers who pursue innovative research projects. In 2020, the resources attributed through the grants amounts to 677 millions euros, distributed among 436 young scientists based in 25 European countries. This year, the success rate for the competition in the three domains covered by the grant - life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities - has been about 13 percent. ### The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Federal, state and local governments have approved eviction moratoriums during the course of the pandemic for many renters, but those protections are expiring rapidly. A recent report from one think tank, the Aspen Institute, stated that more than 20 million renters live in households that have suffered COVID-19-related job loss and concluded that millions more are at risk of eviction in the next several months. The administrations action stems from an executive order that President Donald Trump issued in early August. It instructed federal health officials to consider measures to temporarily halt evictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed up Tuesday by declaring that any landlord shall not evict any covered person from any residential property for failure to pay rent. Senior administration officials explained that the director of the CDC has broad authority to take actions deemed reasonably necessary to prevent the spread of a communicable disease. Renters covered through the executive order must meet four criteria. They must: Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers. Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments. Affirmatively declare they are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships. Affirm they are likely to become homeless if they are evicted. Officials said local courts would still resolve disputes between renters and landowners about whether the moratorium applies in a particular case. Brian Morgenstern, a deputy White House press secretary, said Tuesdays announcement means that people struggling to pay rent due to COVID-19 would not have to worry about being evicted and risking the spread of the disease or exposure to it. Trumps Democratic rival, Joe Biden, called on Aug. 1 for Congress to enact a broad emergency housing support program to prevent evictions and shore up landlords. Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March that paused evictions in most federal subsidized housing, but that moratorium has expired and Congress and the White House have been in a monthslong stalemate over new relief legislation. Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said the order will provide relief for millions of anxious families, but added that the action delays rather than prevents evictions. While an eviction moratorium is essential, it is a half-measure that extends a financial cliff for renters to fall off when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed, Yentel tweeted. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. PHILADELPHIA With concerns about an Election Day debacle rising in this critical swing state, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf privately convened a group of Philadelphia Democrats recently to underscore the consequences of another vote-counting fiasco like the one that took place in the June primary. The city took more than two weeks to count all of its votes due to a massive surge in mail voting amid the coronavirus pandemic and a repeat performance might make it unclear who won the presidential election in the key battleground state long past Nov. 3. Wolfs intervention accentuated the fears that state Democrats have of the nation being forced to wait on Pennsylvania to call the election and that President Donald Trump might exploit the fact that it could take days or weeks to count mail ballots in states across the country. Trump has already stoked fears of mail-in voting, and Democrats worry that he could falsely claim that delays in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are proof of fraud, or perhaps even declare victory before all of the votes are tallied. Wolf isnt the only one concerned about Election Day mayhem. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is going to reach out to his supporters in the coming days and deliver an address on what he fears will be Trumps unwillingness to leave office if he loses the election, according to a person familiar with his plans. Hawkfish, a digital firm that works for the Democratic National Committee and pro-Joe Biden outside groups, warned this week of a red mirage: It could appear as if Trump is leading on Election Night even if he lost because Republicans are more likely to vote in person than Democrats. Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said he raised concerns about that scenario in Pennsylvania with Wolfs office. Pennsylvania is likely to be ground zero for the red mirage, said Ellen Konar, vice president of voter research at Hawkfish. Ninety percent of Trump supporters plan to use the polling place; only 10 percent [vote-by-mail]. And for Democrats, its 36 percent in the polling place versus 64 percent by mail. Story continues Top Democrats here are intent on not giving Trump any ammunition for his expected claims of fraud. Its just unacceptable, said a high-ranking state Democrat of the citys handling of the primary. Can you imagine if were waiting on Pennsylvania and theres still 300,000 uncounted votes in Philadelphia? Can you even imagine? At the phone meeting in July with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and City Commissioners Lisa Deeley and Omar Sabir, Wolf said the problems that arose in the primary must be fixed, according to two people familiar with the conversation. Wolf, a multimillionaire businessman, also made clear that he would help fund better equipment that would help process mail ballots more quickly, the sources said. Election administrators in the city have said they were understaffed, underfunded, and lacking state-of-the-art equipment. Voters wait in line to vote in the Pennsylvania primary outside the North Braddock Municipal Building on June 2, 2020. Philadelphia, the largest Democratic stronghold in what strategists say could be the countrys tipping-point state, is critical to Bidens campaign. Because of its electoral significance, the GOP has long scare-mongered about elections in the city, often in racist ways. Philadelphia has also come under fire for its history of corrupt Democratic politicians and some high-profile, though rare, cases of voter fraud, including a poll worker pleading guilty to stuffing ballot boxes this year. In 2012, conspiracy theorists claimed that then-President Barack Obama receiving 99 percent of the vote or more in some heavily Democratic wards in Philadelphia was evidence of fraud. Four years later, Trump singled out the city, saying, I just hear such reports about Philadelphia. ... I hear these horror shows, and we have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us and is not taken away from us. In Harrisburg, Democrats are pushing Republican leaders in the General Assembly to adopt legislative changes that would speed up the tally in Philadelphia and elsewhere, such as allowing mail ballots to be opened and scanned three weeks before Election Day. But few are hopeful that a significant compromise will be reached, which has only led to increased pressure on the city. Its unfortunate because it really isnt a partisan issue, said Deeley. Its an issue about democracy. In a statement last week, Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman defended an election reform bill they introduced, saying, Our proposal to increase election access, accountability and security goes further than the Governors plan. We look forward to working with him to fulfill the legislative responsibility to ensure fair elections and trust in the election process. The GOP legislation would allow election officials to start opening mail ballots three days before Election Day. But Wolf opposes the legislation because it would limit the amount of time voters have to request the ballots. Since their July meeting, Philadelphias city commissioners, who run the local elections, have received a $10 million grant from the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life to help fund upgraded equipment, satellite offices, personal protective equipment and other materials. Wolf has also raised more than $5 million to help municipalities implement mail-in voting and educate voters about their options, said Jeff Sheridan, his political adviser. City election officials said the additional money puts them in a vastly better position than they were in June. They expect to open at least 800 polling places in Philadelphia in November, compared to fewer than 200 during the primary. Most of the $10 million in nonprofit funding is going toward costly equipment that will enable them to print, sort and scan ballots more quickly, according to the citys grant agreement. We'd all like it to be much faster than we saw in June," said Jim Engler, Kenney's chief of staff. "We learned a lot from the primary election and how we can do things differently. Weve purchased new materials, new machinery to make that process faster. However, election officials said they still needed an additional $6 million, more staff and legislative fixes, such as the ability to count mail ballots before Election Day, and the elimination of so-called secrecy envelopes for ballots, which they said are burdensome to process. Even with all that equipment, with nearly 400,000 ballots that we expect to receive, it's physically impossible that they will all be opened and scanned before the polls close on Election Day, said Deeley. The new reality is winners and losers are not going to be known at the end of the night. Most everyone agrees that it shouldnt take upwards of two weeks again to count Philadelphias votes. At the same time, Wolf aides and election officials said people should understand that results will not be known on Election Day. Beyond that, though, Democrats and city election officials are reluctant to state when, exactly, they think the vote tally should be completed, in part because outstanding lawsuits and legislation are still leaving many details about the election up in the air. Sheridan said Wolf is most concerned with ensuring that a free and fair election is executed across Pennsylvania and making sure every vote is counted is more important than getting results quickly. Voting results will not be known on Election Day due to the reality of the times, he warned. However, he said, Wolf wants votes to be counted as expeditiously as possible. Sabir, who was more forthcoming than other Democrats, said he expects it will take within seven days, though the hope would have it be done within maybe two days, three days. Despite their fears, some Democrats and voter groups are also seeking to assure voters that Trump cant do much beyond make a lot of noise. He says all manner of things. I think you just have to ignore it, said Nutter. The federal government doesnt run elections. At the same time, Nutter said, people should be prepared for a potential red mirage in Pennsylvania. "The fact that we won't know for some period of time what those tallies are on the mail-in ballots gives further ammunition to Donald Trump and his people to raise questions, as illegitimate as those questions are, and create fear and doubt in the process, he said. And that is what I am very worried about. And that is certainly very possible in Pennsylvania because of the current restrictions that we have." RNC spokesperson Michael Joyce dismissed those concerns. Sounds like someone is worried about losing Pennsylvania this November and it isnt President Trump, he said. "While Democrats zero in on pushing theoretical conspiracy theories, Pennsylvania Trump Victory continues to focus on the voters who will put President Trump over the top once again in the Keystone State. Menthols, Swisher Sweets and Other Flavored Cigarettes Are Now Illegal in California California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793 into law on Aug. 28. The legislation is one of the countrys strongest restrictions on flavored tobacco. The bill makes it a crime for any retailer or individual to sell a flavored tobacco product or any tobacco product flavor enhancer in the state. Violation will be punishable by a fine of $250 for each infraction. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021. I have been expressive in terms of my absolute condemnation of this tobacco industry that continues to find ways to target our youth, Newsom said before signing the bill. And it will be a point of deep pride and personal privilege as a father of four and as someone whos had many, many family members die at the hands of the tobacco industry to sign that bill. I cant be more explicit. I cant wait until it becomes law in the state of California. ADVERTISEMENT SB 793 breaks Big Tobaccos death grip, on longtime users hooked on nicotine, said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), who is the author of the bill. He said that the addition of fruit and other alluring flavors to the products are tactics tobacco manufacturers are using to entice a new generation of smokers the youth. The action by Gov. Newsom and by the California Legislature this week is a huge win for our kids and the health of our communities, Hill said in a written statement. SB 793 will save lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 7 out of 10 African American youth between ages 12 and 17 who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes. In addition, African American adults have the highest percentage of menthol cigarette use compared to other racial and ethnic groups, the CDC says. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), agrees with proponents of the bill and condemns notions that menthol-flavored cigarettes are strictly associated with the Black community. I too rise in support of SB 793. I am insulted that the tobacco industry would make an effort to have us believe that mentholated cigarettes are a part of Black culture, she said. Someone wants to save us and our children and finally focus on African Americans. Some individuals and organizations opposed to the bill say they are concerned about the bills narrow focus. While menthol cigarettes are included in the ban, shisha tobacco used in hookah water pipes, premium tobacco, and loose-leaf tobacco is exempted. ADVERTISEMENT The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) say the bill is discriminatory because merchants will continue to sell some other adult tobacco products that are not popular among African Americans and other minorities. In addition, other opponents of SB 793 say the new law could possibly start a new wave of illegal activities, such as the underground sales of the banned products out of backpacks or the trunk of a car, said representatives of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternative Association (CASAA). While activists are claiming victory, California residents already know that the foundation of an informal nicotine market is already in place, CASAA said in a written statement after Newsom signed the bill. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that young people, those whom this legislation is supposed to protect, will now have more access to products intended for people who smoke. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday held a virtual meeting with Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O Farrell, to discuss matters concerning education policies of the two countries. During the meeting, both leaders committed to taking forward India-Australia education relations under the newly introduced National Education Policy (NEP). Had a virtual meeting with Mr Barry O Farrell, Australian High Commissioner to India. Both sides expressed commitment to take forward India-Australia education relations under the National Education Policy, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank tweeted. The major reforms in school education brought by NEP 2020 include universalisation of Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE), national mission to focus on basic literacy and basic numeracy, no rigid separation between arts and sciences streams and removal of separation between vocational and academic and curricular and extracurricular. An Australian live export ship has disappeared off the Japanese coast after being hit by a ferocious typhoon. Two Australians and two New Zealanders along with 39 people from the Philippines are on board the vessel as well as 5,800 head of cattle. The Japanese coast guard are now searching for the Gulf Livestock 1 that sent a distress signal after being hit by Typhoon Maysak in the East China Sea on Wednesday. A lifeboat and a Filipino crew member were found drifting in the water on Wednesday night, the ABC reported. The Gulf Livestock 1 has gone missing in the East China Sea carrying 43 crew on board along with 5,800 cattle The Gulf Livestock sent out a distress signal at 1.20am on Wednesday while travelling west of the Amami Oshima island in south-western Japan A Filipino crew member believed to be on board the Gulf Livestock 1 is rescued by Japanese Coast Guard teams Rescue teams are still looking for the vessel that was due to arrive in the the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China on Friday The crew member had not sustained any life-threatening injuries. The vessel had left New Zealand on August 14 and was due to arrive at the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China on Friday. Rescue teams are continuing their search for the ship but are struggling against strong winds and rain from the typhoon. Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor said he was made aware of the ships' disappearance on Wednesday night, the NZ Herald reported. 'I very much hope all the crew on board are safe. My thoughts are with their families; this will be a very difficult time for them as the search continues,' he said. 'Officials from MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] are working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the exporter. I am awaiting an update on the situation.' Satellite images over South Korea show Typhoon Maysak. The white circles indicate storm systems Hugh waves are seen crashing against the shore in Jeju Island in South Korea from Typhoon Maysak The Gulf Livestock 1 had been travelling west of the Amami Oshima island in south-western Japan before it went missing. The typhoon has killed one person in neighbouring South Korea and forced 2,000 to evacuate. A woman was killed after ferocious winds shattered the window in her apartment in Busan. Another man aged in his 60s has been badly injured after being crushed by a refrigerator that fell due to extreme winds. Across South Korea, around 120,000 homes have been left without power. Amid border standoff with China, Army Chief General is visiting Leh to review the ongoing security situation there, Army sources said. He will be briefed by the senior field commanders on the ground situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), sources added. Naravane's visit comes at a time when Indian troops have thwarted the Chinese Army's attempts to transgress into areas in Ladakh. According to sources, during the two-day visit, the Army Chief will also review the operational preparedness of the troops who are locked in a standoff with Chinese troops for over three months now. On the intervening night of August 29-30, the thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh. A few days later on August 1, Indian security forces foiled an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into the Indian side of the LAC in the general area of Chumar in Eastern Ladakh. 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 situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June. 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. (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.) There are at least 30 countries which offer or accept coronavirus tests at airports. Many have introduced systems where a negative test will either end the need to quarantine or reduce its length. Some carry out testing on arrivals at the airport. Others also accept recent tests carried out before departure. In ICELAND, for example, arrivals are swabbed at the airport and then told to go by car or taxi not public transport to their homes or accommodation. If they test positive they must self-isolate for 14 days. With a negative result they get a text message on their fourth day of quarantine telling them how to get a second test. If that is negative, they can leave quarantine. Other countries where testing before flying or on arrival can reduce quarantine times include Germany, France and Austria. In GERMANY, tests are free for EU residents arriving from high-risk countries. Testing centres are located in arrivals near the baggage belts. Some travellers can avoid quarantine if they tested negative in the country they flew from 48 hours before landing. But testing on arrival is also offered at most airports. A second negative test is usually required within a week in order for the 14-day quarantine requirements to cease. At international airports in FRANCE, compulsory testing for those arriving from high-risk countries has been in operation since August 1, although those with proof of a recent negative test can avoid it. The list of countries linked to the tests includes the US, Israel and Serbia, but not the UK. A controversial aspect of the system is that passengers do not face compulsory quarantine while waiting for the results of their tests, which can take between 24 and 48 hours. If people test positive, they are supposed to quarantine for 14 days. If tests come back positive, we ask for infected people to isolate immediately, and to trace anybody else they may have been in contact with, said a spokesman for Frances public health agency. In ESTONIA, travellers arriving from high-risk countries who test negative for the virus at an airport are allowed to break quarantine for essential purposes such as work or food shopping. A second negative test within a week allows them to be fully exempt. In the FAROE ISLANDS, all arrivals are required to take a test apart from children under 12. They have to quarantine at their home or hotel while waiting for results, which usually arrive the same day or before midday the day after. Arrivals are encouraged to get another test six days after landing to make sure the one at the airport was accurate before moving around freely, meaning the 14-day quarantine can be drastically cut. Pictured: Medical staff in full PPE conduct a swab test on travellers after their flight from Ibiza, Spain to Turin, Italy. At Italian airports, all travelers from countries at risk of Covid-19 are tested with swabs to prevent the spread of Covid 19 JERSEY a British Crown dependency is operating the same scheme proposed for Heathrow. Tests are couriered to a lab 40 minutes away from the terminal, with results in 24 to 72 hours. If they test positive, travellers are called by a contact tracing team and told to self-isolate for 14 days. Those who test negative are free to move around without taking a second test. However, they are texted by phone every day for 14 days asking how they feel. They are asked to reply either WELL or COVID. If it is the latter, they are contacted by the tracing team. Industry body Airlines UK says there are around 30 European countries offering testing to passengers at airports or accepting tests taken before arrival. In around 19 of them a negative test either before or on arrival can reduce or cut the need for quarantine. ITALY, CROATIA, HUNGARY, MALTA, CYPRUS, SLOVAKIA and SLOVENIA also have their own test-on-arrival programmes, according to the Airlines UK analysis. Pictured: A member of the Johanniter tests a traveller arriving from abroad at a Covid-19 testing station set up at Hanover-Langenhagen Airport Testing negative does not reduce quarantine restrictions in all countries. But having testing in place means they are prepared to use results to ease quarantine measures, should they decide. In HOLLAND, for example, arrivals can get tests at Schiphol Airport but still have to quarantine for ten days if testing negative. Beyond Europe, HONG KONG tests all inbound travellers at its international airport. Arrivals have to wait around eight hours for their results and are allowed home to quarantine if negative. In TURKEY, Istanbul airport has labs in terminals, with results being given within two hours. In JAPAN, Tokyos airports have tested arrivals since April. Results come back in about an hour. UKs being strangled as rivals steal our business Commentary by John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport Global Britain is one of the three pillars of this governments post-Brexit vision for this country. The idea that Britain, freed of the shackles of the EU, will stride the world as a great trading nation a bridge between East and West is truly inspiring. After all, we have so many natural advantages in our language, our location (within a direct flight of 96 per cent of the global GDP), our legal system and most of all in the ingenuity and entrepreneurialism of our people. A small island doesnt become the fifth-largest economy in the world, or support 33million jobs without being brilliant at international trade. As chief executive of Heathrow Airport, I see this every day, as 40 per cent of the UKs physical exports travel through the airport in the bellyhold of passenger planes. The same planes that carry fresh salmon from a Scottish farm to the sushi markets of Tokyo within 24 hours also carry language students, tourists and the motor company executives who have invested billions in this country. Those plane seats are also packed with engineers, lawyers and accountants that make Britain one of the worlds great service exporters. It is these exports of goods and services that will be the foundation of Global Britain. And they all travel by air. Heathrows position as the best-connected airport in the world is a huge competitive advantage for this country. No one else can beat a service to New York every 30 minutes, direct flights to over 30 cities in the US, or 12 to China. Except that those flights and the millions of jobs that rely on them are grounded. Over 860,000 passengers travelled through Heathrow in July down 88 per cent on the previous year. Pictured: Terminal 5 at Heathrow was devoid of tourists as business chiefs call for Britain to get flying again. Heathrow would normally handle around 1,300 flights every day in September, with 220,000 passengers coming and going. Yesterday there were just 504 flights landing and taking off, with many planes far from full Naturally, we all understand that when you are in the middle of a pandemic you need to be very cautious about importing disease from overseas. That is why we supported the blanket quarantine during lockdown, where passengers had to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival into Britain. And we supported the Governments pragmatic approach to reopening borders by later allowing free travel from low-risk countries. Most of these were short-haul European markets, which opened just in time for the summer holidays. But our long-haul markets, such as the United States, which are so critical for the success of Global Britain, remain closed. The problem with a blanket quarantine is that it assumes that everyone is carrying Covid-19 which is just not true. Over 99 per cent of the worlds population has never even had the disease. A much better alternative is to test people to make sure that only people without coronavirus are allowed in. At Heathrow, we have already set up a testing facility to administer Public Health Englands preferred PCR (polymerise chain reaction) swab tests for arriving passengers. They are currently sitting idle, as the Government has not given permission for passengers to exit quarantine early if they can prove they dont have the coronavirus. I have even been part of a trial of a 20-second Covid-19 test developed by a British company, which is quicker, cheaper and more accurate than the PCR test. Germany, France and around 30 other countries are moving to testing as an alternative to quarantine. This is starting to get their economies moving again and, in fact, both Frankfurt and Charles de Gaulle airports carried more passengers over the last few months than Heathrow. The first time that has ever happened. And this is what will happen if the Government doesnt get a grip and reopen our borders safely. John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport (pictured): 'The problem with a blanket quarantine is that it assumes that everyone is carrying Covid-19 which is just not true. Over 99 per cent of the worlds population has never even had the disease.' Britain will fall behind. Think about that. If EU airports thrive, while the UKs hub declines, then Brexit Britain will rely on European hubs to get their global goods to market. And when France chooses to close routes to the UK, what do we do then? Britain will become a vassal state of the EU, just after we have left. British businesses that rely on trading around the world are already being strangled while our rivals in France and Germany power ahead. I have already had to cut 1,200 jobs and have just started consulting on further cuts. I want to fight for every job and it makes me angry to see the Government doing nothing to protect jobs when the solution is so obvious. What makes me more angry is that we are putting this countrys future at risk. We werent born as one of the worlds great trading nations. We got there through hard work and ingenuity over decades of patiently building up international markets. And all that work will be lost if we stand by and do nothing. Once customers have switched to trading with other countries, it will be twice as hard to get them back. And we shouldnt be waiting to start testing until every other country has done it. Global Britain should be taking a lead. Back in May, I called on the Government to develop a common international standard for aviation testing, so that passengers could be tested for Covid-19 in their home country before they fly and quarantine there if need be. We dont need to negotiate this with every country, just doing it with the US and the EU would bring most other countries with us. With our economic and diplomatic skills, this is where Britain can act as a bridge between East and West. We could start with a pilot of testing at both ends of the LHR-JFK route the most valuable aviation route in the world. I love the vision of Global Britain. But it has to be backed up with action. Lets start by testing on arrival to reopen our borders. Lets help get businesses back to work. And lets do it today. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Future Market Insights delivers yet another unbiased, comprehensive and insightful report titled Folding Boxboard Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017-2022). In this report, the global folding boxboard market is explored in great detail, and the market dynamics of the global folding boxboard market has been covered comprehensively, explaining to the report readers the drivers, restraints and trends operating in this highly competitive market. Also, analysis of the data over different parameters has been done in order to arrive at market numbers concerning the global folding boxboard market. Besides, competition landscape of the global folding boxboard market is also covered in this report, giving information about the key companies operating in the global folding boxboard market. For more insights into the Market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-5151 Report Structure In the first part of the report, the executive summary and the introduction are given. The executive summary gives a summary of the global folding boxboard market and gives the pertinent market numbers that are most significant, which include the historical CAGR growth from 2012 till 2016 and the forecasted CAGR from the year 2017 till the end of the forecast period in the year 2022. Information about lucrative markets from the point of view of leading revenue share and highest CAGR are also given in the executive summary. In the introduction section, the folding boxboard market is defined in detail so that the report readers are clear about the scope of this market. The next section of the report gives information on the key dynamics of the folding boxboard market. Key points covered in this section include the global economy, fiscal stimulus and bottom line of enterprises. In the subsequent section of the report, information is given on the cost structure analysis and pricing analysis of the global folding boxboard market. An analysis on the market presence of key participants (intensity map) is also offered in this section. Market Segmentation The next part of the report consists of the global folding boxboard market analysis and forecast by material, application type and region. This section of the report contains important market numbers in the form of year-on-year growth comparison, market share comparison and revenue comparison. The global folding boxboard market is also analysed across key regions- North America, Latin America, Europe, Japan, APEJ and MEA. Competition Landscape The last section of the report contains the competition landscape, where leading market players operating in the global folding boxboard market are profiled in detail. This information is in the form of company overview, product overview, key financials and key developments pertaining to that particular company. The competition landscape also features the SWOT analysis of the selected companies, which gives the report readers information about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats that such companies operating in the global folding boxboard market are facing. The competition landscape is an invaluable part of the report as it contains all the necessary information to study the leading companies operating in the global folding boxboard market and how they implement their strategies and vision to stay in the pole position in this highly competitive market. Research Methodology The report on the global folding boxboard market is backed by an exhaustive research methodology that relies on both primary and secondary research to gain all the necessary insights into the global folding boxboard market. This report is validated several times by the team of diverse, expert analysts of Future Market Insights using proprietary tools so that it can be used as an authoritative source by the esteemed clients of Future Market Insights. For Information On The Research Approach Used In The Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-5151 Market Taxonomy 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. CGTN's Su Yuting visited the Museum of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and interviewed the curator. Here's her report on the stories of Chinese heroes who defeated Japanese invaders and safeguarded China's independence. Remembering history, commemorating martyrs, cherishing peace and ushering in the future. That's the main purpose of the Museum of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression after it was built in 1987. Luo Cunkang, the curator of the museum, has been working here for more than two decades. He said the museum is an important window for people from various countries to learn about China's anti-aggression war history. LUO CUNKANG, CURATOR Museum of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression "We launched the large-scale exhibition with the theme of 'Great Victory and Historical Contributions'. 1,170 pictures and 2,834 cultural relics are on display, depicting the 14-year-long battle. Lots of the relics are very impressive, for example, there is a helmet where bullet shells were left by soldiers of the 29th Army Corps of China during the war. There is also a letter engraved on a lamp cabinet, written by a chief staff to his wife and children, which is an important piece of evidence of the troops' devotion in the war. And there are also lots of files of the Chinese laborers who were forced by Japanese troops to engage in military construction projects. In 1943, the chiefs of China, the US and the UK held a meeting in Cairo, the capital of Egypt and issued the Cairo Declaration. You can see coverage of that event on the first page of the New York Times in America." Past experience can serve as a guide for the future. Luo said these relics displayed in the museum are not only shown to Chinese people and Japanese people, but people from all across the world. The aim is to commemorate the sacrifices made in the war while avoiding a repeat of those catastrophes. LUO CUNKANG, CURATOR Museum of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression "The Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression was a war of justice against external enemies, and was an important part of the world anti-fascist war. It's not only the first great victory that China won in its resistance against external aggression since ancient times, but also made enormous historical contributions toward the victory of the world anti-fascist war and the world peace." SU YUTING Beijing "Never forgetting the history and looking forward to the future has become the common aspirations of the people around the world. Peace and development are the main themes of the modern era. The Chinese government and people are determined to join hands with people from all other countries to build a harmonious world with long-lasting peace and common prosperity. Su Yuting, CGTN, Beijing." A school principal has slammed the Queensland government for asking her to treat her students worse than prisoners by forcing them into solitary confinement for two weeks. Linda Evans, the head of Fairholme College in Toowoomba, said the demand to make borders as young as 12 quarantine when they return from school holidays with their families interstate is inhumane. 'We would not do that because, from a mental health perspective, to place a child in a room on their own for two weeks and place their meal outside their door constitutes solitary confinement,' she told Sunrise. 'We don't treat our prisoners that way we won't treat our children that way.' Mrs Evans slammed premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's tough stance on borders, saying: 'If we can't approach the leader of our state and seek advice and seek empathy and compassion, I don't understand why she is leading our state.' The principal said the quarantine requirements were impossible to adhere to. 'Our chief health officer has said that boarding schools will place those girls into quarantine within the boarding house,' she said. 'They must have their own single room and their own bathroom facilities.' 'I don't actually know any school in Queensland that would have 33 en-suite rooms where that would be possible. We don't have those facilities.' Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan will today host a meeting with state education ministers on the issue. He will push for a 'boarding school bubble' that will allow children to return to their families, isolate at home, then go back to school with no quarantine required. A school principal has slammed the Queensland government for asking her to treat her students worse than prisoners. Pictured: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk Liberal-National MP Andrew Laming, who chairs the federal parliamentary committee on education, said yesterday the current rules were comparable to US military camp Guantanamo Bay. 'This verges on cruel and unusual punishment belonging in Guantanamo Bay', he said. 'We don't know the depth of the mental health damage that is done.' 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 Australian Boarding Schools Association chief executive Richard Stokes wants the quarantine requirements to be scrapped. 'They will come back and live in an individual room and bathroom and be fed a meal in their room for two weeks. 'It is criminal to do that to an 11-year-old, or to a 17-year-old doing their first ATAR exam.' There are 1,614 boarders whose families live in another state, according to the Courier-Mail. They include 816 in NSW, 109 in Victoria, 98 in Queensland, 18 in Tasmania, 50 in South Australia, 77 in Western Australia and 408 in the Northern Territory. Scott Morrison will today try to persuade state and territory leaders to open up their borders. The prime minister accepts Victoria must be sealed off due to its second wave outbreak, which is behind 87 per cent of all Australia's Covid-19 deaths and still ongoing with relatively high levels of community transmission. But increasing movement between other states is essential to save the nation's dying tourism industry, which employs one million workers and is set to lose a staggering $54.6billion this year due to lockdowns and border restrictions. Greater freedom will also help farmers, residents in border towns, and hundreds of thousands of Aussie families who are trapped apart in different states. From a conference room in Parliament House Scott Morrison (pictured) will host a video call with the state and territory leaders and try to persuade them to open their borders Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, who faces election on October 31, has closed her border to areas of New South Wales and the ACT which have no cases of coronavirus at all even though there is transmission in Brisbane. At the same time she has adopted nationalist rhetoric, pitting her state against the rest of Australia and even declaring that Queensland hospitals are 'for our people'. Ten days after that comment, a mother from Ballina, near the Queensland border, lost her unborn twin after she was flown 700km to Sydney for surgery because an exemption allowing her into Queensland took too long. Then on Wednesday, the premier let hundreds of AFL players, WAGs and officials waltz into Queensland after clapping and wooping when Brisbane was handed the AFL grand final scheduled for 24 October. Queensland grandmother Jayne Brown, 60, who was made to do hotel quarantine in in Brisbane following brain surgery, said the unfairness was 'mind-blowing'. Today, Russia marks the International Day of Solidarity in the Fight against Terrorism, established in memory of the tragic events in Beslan on September 1-3, 2004. In the center of Moscow, in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kulishki (Alan courtyard), a memorial service was held in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan. Then, the action took place in front of the Alan courtyard, which began with a moment of silence. The participants laid flowers and released into the sky 334 white balloons, symbolising the number of victims of the school siege in Beslan. Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central has predicted massive victory for the New Patriotic Partys presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 elections. Kennedy Agyapong is confident that Ghanaians will reward the works of the government with an overwhelming endorsement in the December 7 polls. Speaking on Net2 TV, Kennedy Agyapong said he expects the NPP to garner more votes in the 2020 elections than they did four years ago. Despite their confidence and permutations of winning by a landslide, the NPP will not be complacent and use every available means to campaign. We are going to win and Akufo-Addo will get more votes than he did in 2016. We are not going to be complacent. We will work hard but I can assure you that Akufo-Addos votes will exceed 2016. Kennedy Agyapong praised the president for successfully implementing the Free SHS program. He however urged him to switch focus to industrialization when he retains power in the 2020 elections. He called for an expansion of the governments one-district-one-factory initiative. The maverick lawmaker intimated the need for government to support Ghanaian-owned companies. If you comeback again as president, industrialization should be your main focus just as you have done for free education. We should open up the one-district-one-factory initiative. Government should make it a point to support local industries , he said. 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 NEW YORK, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of investors that purchased Wirecard AG (Other OTC: WCAGY, WRCDF) securities between August 17, 2015 and June 24, 2020 (the Class Period). Investors have until September 8, 2020 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Click here to participate in the action. On June 18, 2020, Wirecard announced that it would delay publication of its annual and consolidated financial statements for 2019 and revealed that about 1.9 billion ($2.1 billion) in cash had gone missing. The Company also warned that loans up to 2 billion could be terminated. Additionally, the Company stated that Ernst & Young, the Companys auditor, was unable to confirm the location of the cash in certain trust accounts and there was evidence that spurious balance confirmations had been provided. Following the Companys announcement, Wirecards American depositary receipts (ADRs) fell $38.30 per ADR, or 65.47%, to close at $20.20 per ADR on June 18, 2020. Then, on June 23, 2020, multiple news outlets reported that former Wirecard Chief Executive Officer Markus Braun was arrested in Germany on suspicion of having inflated the Company's balance sheet and sales. Wirecards ADR price has fallen over 75% following these revelations. The complaint, filed on July 7, 2020, alleges that throughout the Class Period defendants, including the Companys auditor, made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Wirecard overstated its cash balances during the Class Period, falsely claiming 1.9 billion of cash in a trust account that was missing; (2) Wirecard overstated its financial results, including revenue and EBITDA; (3) Wirecard did not have adequate risk management or countermeasures; (4) Wirecards auditor failed to audit the Company in accordance with applicable auditing principles; and (5) as a result, defendants statements about Wirecards business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. If you purchased Wirecard securities during the Class Period and on an American Exchange, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Melissa Fortunato, Marion Passmore, or Brandon Walker by email at investigations@bespc.com , telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you. About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. The federal government told public health officials across the country last week to prepare to distribute coronavirus vaccines as early as late October, news outlets reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent three planning documents to officials in all 50 states as well as five large cities - Chicago, Houston, New York, Philadelphia and San Antonio - on Aug. 27, telling them that limited COVID -19 vaccine doses may be available by late October or early November 2020, The New York Times first reported. That supply is expected to increase substantially in 2021, according to the Times. Roughly 45 million does of two unnamed vaccines may be available by the end of December, the CDCs planning documents said. In its documents, the CDC told state and municipal authorities to prioritize health care workers and national security populations as well as other essential workers and longterm care facility staff and residents in its vaccine distributions, the newspaper reported. The news about the agencys notifications to public health officials comes as three vaccines for the viral respiratory infection are in large-scale clinical trials in the United States. The sprint for a vaccine is particularly pressing in the U.S., where coronavirus cases and deaths linked to the virus are the highest in the world. More than 6.1 million individuals have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the country, and nearly 186,000 people have died from it, according to Johns Hopkins University. At the same time, the Times noted in its reporting that there are concerns the White House is trying to speed the distribution of a vaccine along before Election Day on Nov. 3. In numerous polls, Americans have given Republican President Donald Trump poor marks on his handling of the pandemic. The CDCs documents were sent out the same day that Trump said in his speech at the Republican National Convention that a vaccine may be developed before the end of 2020, the Times reported. The documents the agency sent out detailed planning scenarios for how states and the five cities should distribute two vaccines, which were labeled by the CDC as Vaccine A and Vaccine B. Both immunizations, though unnamed, match the descriptions of Pfizer and Modernas vaccines, which are furthest along in development in the United States, the Times reported. According to the agencys documents, the theoretical vaccines would require two doses administered multiple weeks apart at hospitals, mass vaccination clinics, mobile sites and other facilities. The products must also be stored frozen on site, though storage and handling requirements for the vaccine may shift, according to the Times. The requirements in the outlined scenarios are likely the strictest for which planning is needed, the CDC noted. The scenarios describe potential COVID-19 vaccine requirements, early supply estimates after vaccine product approvals and populations that may be recommended for vaccination during this early period, the agencys documents said. These scenarios are designed to support jurisdictional, federal, and partner planning, but they are still considered hypothetical. The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available. Along with the three documents the CDC sent out, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the agency, also penned a letter last week to governors in all 50 states requesting that they fast-track permits and licenses so that vaccine distribution sites can be fully operational by Nov. 1, McClatchy reported. The normal time required to obtain these permits presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program, Redfield wrote, according to the news outlet. Related Content: Donald Trump visited Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday to survey businesses damaged by recent unrest over the shooting of Jacob Blake but he was unable to convince all the owners to pose with him. And when one owner in particular refused to take part in Mr Trumps appearance, the presidents team instead welcomed the previous owner as if he were the current one. According to local station TMJ-4, Tom Gram, of the burned-out Rodes Camera Shop, rejected a request from the White House to meet the president on camera, later telling the station he wanted no part in an appearance he expected would turn into a circus. But instead of leaving the shop out of Mr Trumps stop, the White House team invited the previous owner, John Rode III, who was introduced by the president as if he currently owned the store which Mr Gram bought from him eight years ago. Mr Rode posed with a picture of the 109-year-old store and thanked Mr Trump for coming to see the damage, as well as for sending federal troops to calm the violence in the city. He also appeared later in the day at a roundtable with the president and attorney general Bill Barr, at which Mr Trump repeatedly complained about the Wisconsin governors reticence to call for federal help during the protests. Mr Gram, meanwhile, told TMJ-4 that he had a different message for Mr Trump: Do your job. I think he needs to bring this country together rather than divide it, he said. The protests in Kenosha are some of the most intense of the summer, coming after months of unrest across the US sparked by the death of George Floyd. Numerous businesses have been damaged by fire; others have been sprayed with graffiti and had their windows smashed in. The Kenosha police have said they arrested 175 people last week, around a third of them for violating a curfew. Among them was Kyle Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old who arrived from Illinois with an assault rifle and shot two people dead. He was one of numerous self-styled militiamen who had answered a call from a right-wing group to come and help police the protests. Video emerged after the shooting showing police officers handing out water to one such group and thanking them for their help. A Dartmouth-led study using multisensor drones has revealed a large circular earthwork at what may be Etzanoa, an archaeological site near Wichita, Kansas. Archaeologists speculate that the site was visited by a Spanish expedition, led by Juan de Onate, a controversial conquistador, in 1601. The earthwork may be the remains of a so-called "council circle," as it is similar to several other circular earthworks in the region, according to the study's findings published in American Antiquity. "Our findings demonstrate that undiscovered monumental earthworks may still exist in the Great Plains. You just need a different archeological approach to recognize them," explained lead author, Jesse J. Casana, a professor and chair of the department of anthropology at Dartmouth. "Our results are promising in suggesting that there may be many other impressive archaeological features that have not yet been documented, if we look hard enough," he added. Archaeological features have various thermal effects. After the ground cools at nighttime, things below the ground cool and emit heat at different rates, enabling researchers to identify features based on thermal infrared radiation. The researchers obtained thermal and multispectral imagery of the site using drones. The 18-hectare area of the site where the drone survey was conducted is currently home to a ranch property in the lower Walnut River valley, which has been used as a pasture. Topographically, the area is flat with no visible archaeological features. Yet, imagery shows that underground there is an ancient, circular shaped ditch measuring 50 meters wide and approximately 2 meters thick that has been infilled. As the soil erodes, it fills up the ditch with a different type of soil than was there before, and therefore retains water differently giving it unique thermal properties. The water retention levels also impact vegetation. Using near-infrared imagery, the researchers were able to identify areas that had been infilled because grass growth was more vigorous. As the study reports, the results provide evidence for what may have been a "single, sprawling population center" back in its day. To confirm that the findings were not an anomaly, the team collected a time series of aerial and satellite images of the area from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies. They found that the circular feature was "faintly visible in June 2015 and July 2017 but not in June 2012 or February 2017." The debate is widespread as to what council circles were used for, whether they were astronomical in nature or made for ceremonial, political and/or defense purposes. Casana added, "While we may never know what the council circles were used for or their significance, new archaeological methods allow us to see that people made these earthworks." ### Casana is available for comment at: jesse.j.casana@dartmouth.edu. The study was co-authored by Elise Jakoby Laugier, a Dartmouth graduate student; Austin Chad Hill, a Dartmouth post-doc at the time of the study; and Donald Blakeslee, a professor of archaeology at Wichita State University. After overcoming the recent political crisis in Rajasthan, the state Congress has started working on an enduring plan to address dissatisfaction among MLAs and other party leaders. The party is planning to ensure maximum participation of MLAs, senior leaders and workers in the government and organisation. Around 1.30 lakh workers have been identified in districts and blocks. They will be given an opportunity to work with the government. The government will accommodate maximum legislators for governance in cabinet, as parliamentary secretaries and chairpersons of boards and commissions, according to a senior Congress leader familiar with the development. Rajasthan can have a maximum of 30 ministers. At present, there are 22, including the chief minister. Recently, the Chhattisgarh government appointed 15 parliamentary secretaries. In Rajasthan also, the possibilities are being explored, the parliamentary secretaries will assist the ministers in working, the party leader said. Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra has now been made state party chief, another minister Bhanwar Lal is unwell, the post of deputy speaker is vacant, eight posts of ministers are to be filled and some ministers on the basis of performance are likely to be replaced. This way, around 13-15 in the ministry, including those who came from BSP and independents will be accommodated and a dozen can be made parliamentary secretaries, the party leader said. He said the state government will bring an amendment in the Prevention of Disqualification Act to avoid office of profit violation, while accommodating MLAs in board and commissions. The party leadership does not want repetition of what happened when 19 MLAs, led by Sachin Pilot, turned rebel. The move is to address resentment and ensure active participation in the government, he added. Besides, the Congress leader said the party has identified over 1.30 lakh workers, who actively worked at booth level and helped the party in elections. These workers will be accommodated at block and district level in various committees such as MGNREGA, Swasthya Rakshak, 20-point programme, school and hospital boards to help provide good governance, he said. A good number of senior leaders including ex-MLAs, ministers and chairpersons will be given positions in organisations, other than political appointments in the government, said the party leader. AICC general secretary and the party incharge for Rajasthan, Ajay Maken said when there are various statutory positions which have been occupied in past by the MLAs in Rajasthan as also in the Congress-ruled states such as Punjab has six advisors to the CM and Chhattisgarh has 15 parliamentary secretaries. Holding such positions helps MLAs to exercise their authority more effectively for development. When provisions are available, why leave them empty, he said. The appointments will be both a mixture of MLAs and non-MLAs, Maken said. Political analyst Narayan Bareth said in democracy, power sharing is a big thing, where workers feel themselves as part of the system, but stopping resentment through this is difficult. Till the time, the workers or leaders are ideologically dedicated, it will not solve the purpose. Power is not a solution for resentment, he said. BJP Spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said it is unfortunate that the state exchequer will have to bear the burden of Congress pleasing its MLAs. To save their government, Congress is trying to please MLAs, the burden of which will come on state exchequer, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In this file photo taken on Dec. 9, 2019, actor Dwayne Johnson arrives for the World Premiere of "Jumanji: The Next Level" at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his entire family tested positive for coronavirus, he said on Sept. 2, 2020. AFP Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his entire family tested positive for coronavirus but have made a full recovery, the professional wrestler turned Hollywood A-lister said Wednesday. Johnson, the world's top-paid actor, urged his 196 million Instagram followers to wear masks and avoid "politicizing" the pandemic after revealing that he, his wife and two young daughters had picked up Covid-19 from close family friends. "This has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family," said Johnson. "I wish it was only me who tested positive. But it wasn't it was my entire family, so this one was a real kick in the gut," he added. I am just terrified that small little trip could cost one of my kids their lives, she said. While she hasnt been infected with the virus, Britt said she knows people who have recovered from the illness. She said it leaves a toll on the body with symptoms like chest pain and exhaustion, along with the mental aspect of quarantining and self-isolation. Asking for help Worrying whether or not her children will get sick hasnt been the only concern for Britt. Wirtz, who was the breadwinner for the couple, was let go from her job as a table games dealer for Ho-Chunk Casino in March, when the state ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down to limit the spread of the virus. It was pretty devastating for us, Wirtz said. Wirtz said she also fears for Kennedy and what would happen if she were to catch the virus. Britt said the couple couldnt afford to continue paying the health insurance premiums, about $2,500 a month. They ended up losing their health coverage. The United States suspended Wednesday a portion of its financial aid for Ethiopia citing the lack of progress in talks with Sudan and Egypt over a huge new dam on the Nile river. Washington has become increasingly concerned about the dispute over Ethiopia's move to keep filling the reservoir behind the 145-meter (475-foot) tall hydropower dam, which the two downstream countries say threatens their water supplies, the State Department said. "Due to Ethiopia's unilateral decision to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan, the Secretary of State, based on guidance from the President, has decided to put a temporary pause on certain US foreign assistance for Ethiopia," it added. The aid cut came after Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia failed Friday to agree on a unified text on the management of the dam following 10 days of negotiations. The State Department said that commencing the filling of the reservoir before necessary safety measures were implemented "created serious risks for the populations of the downstream countries." In addition, it said that by continuing to fill the dam, Ethiopia was undermining confidence in the negotiations. Ethiopia has pressed forward with filling the reservoir to be able to test the dam's first two turbines. The State Department did not say how much aid was being cut off, and for what programs or projects. But it noted that the United States is Ethiopia's "largest bilateral development partner," and said it would continue its support to Addis Ababa for HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 programs, for drought relief and other humanitarian needs. Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia's ambassador to Washington, said Tuesday on Facebook that he had been informed that the US aid cuts would be temporary. "They told us the issue is a 'temporary pause,'" Arega said. "The dam is ours. We will complete it through our efforts. Our Ethiopia will have a bright glow through our efforts," he said. A not for profit organization that mentors and tutors young women in high school and college MAITLAND, Fla., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConcordRENTS announces a partnership with Support Our Scholars by donating meeting space in their corporate office for the AdventHealth for Women Launch Pad/Study Center sponsored by AdventHealth for Women. Starting September 1st, this space will be utilized as a campus to provide mentoring and tutoring to young women as they graduate high school and continue to further their educational career. Support Our Scholars also provides financial and emotional support to help these young women reach their fullest potential. Each scholar receives a stipend and dorm essentials, financial and leadership guidance, business contacts for professional opportunities, and a trained mentor who remains with her through her college career. Support Our Scholars is a not for profit organization whose mission is to support underprivileged young women with extraordinary potential. Our organization selects young woman at the top of their high school graduating class and mentors them throughout their four years of college and beyond. AdventHealth for Women is part of one of the largest health care providers in the United States and provides comprehensive health and wellness services and minimally invasive procedures for women at every stage of life bringing world-class physicians, cutting-edge technology and a full spectrum of nationally recognized womens health care services together in a single location. ConcordRENTS is a national leader in high quality, customer-focused property management of affordable multifamily rental housing. ConcordRENTS oversees over 100 properties in Florida. Media Contact: Ammon Smith Ammon.Smith@ConcordRENTS.com 407.620.6791 A Government plan to make terrorists take lie detector tests before they can be paroled from prison is being blocked in Scotland by Nicola Sturgeon's SNP. The UKs independent reviewer of terror legislation, Jonathan Hall QC, suggested the tests could be used to assess a convicted terrorist's threat after they are released from jail. Mr Hall stressed that the tests called polygraphs could be a sensible additional tool. It was part of a raft of recommendations he made after ministers ordered a study following the stabbing to death of two people on London Bridge by a convicted terrorist in 2019. Mr Hall recommended a change in the law to permit lie tests. Nicola Sturgeon's SNP is blocking attempts to force convicted terrorists to undertake a lie detector before they're released from prison to gauge what danger they pose to the public However, plans to make it UK wide have hit a stumbling block after Scotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf denied the UK Government's request to use the detectors north of the border. Mr Yousaf told the Government he was 'unconvinced by policy merits of the use of polygraph in Scotland,' The Sun reports. Scottish Government sources told the paper a phone call to discuss the topic was cancelled at the last moment and will be 'rearranged'. UK ministers would have to seek permission to amend Scottish laws - but the Scottish Party is reportedly saying no. Condemning the move, Scotland Conservative MP Andrew Bowie said: 'When you look back on the history of the SNP and terrorists - not least the release of the Lockerbie bomber - they have consistently been weak on protecting the safety of Scots. Under the plans, terrorists could be attached to monitors and quizzed to find out if they have broken strict parole conditions, such as whether they have entered an exclusion zone or been in contact with other extremists. Culprits could be sent back to prison if the 4,000 machines uncover fresh evidence they have reoffended. More than 160 sex offenders have been sent back to prison since 2014 - when the government started using polygraphs to quiz them after they were freed Polygraphs have been used by the Ministry of Justice since 2014 to quiz serious sex offenders after they are freed resulting in more than 160 being sent back to prison. Mr Halls 66-page report, published yesterday, was also critical of a scheme used to assess the risk posed by freed terrorists. He said in some cases the scheme, called ERG 22+, minimised the seriousness of terrorist offences and accepted the offenders characterisation (and in some cases denials) of offences of which they had been convicted. It was not clear that sufficient attention was paid to the facts of the offence or the judges sentencing remarks, he wrote. Dr Alan Mendoza, of counter-extremism think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: After last years attacks, the introduction of lie detectors are a welcome change. They will prove an important line of defence in working out if a terrorist due for release has truly deradicalised. Tools like this will help reduce the danger to public safety of reoffending in these cases to as near as zero as possible.' Under a scenario described in the eighth national power development master plan (Plan 8), which is now being compiled, Vietnam would not build more coal-fired thermopower plants from 2026 to 2030. Under draft Plan 8, more than 17 GW of imported coal-fired electricity approved in the revised Plan 7 would be moved forward or removed. Of this, 7.6 GW of coal-fired electricity would be delayed to after 2020, including Hai Ha, Quang Ninh II, Quynh Lap 1 and Quynh Lap 2 projects. The removed 9.5 GW belongs to Hai Phong III, Vung Ang III, Long An I and Long An II projects. The coal-fired thermal power projects with traditional technologies (with high emissions) would use domestic coal, if the coal cannot be used for furnaces that have higher technologies. A series of coal-fired power projects could not be executed, while hydropower resources have become exhausted. Gas-fired power is still not common and imported power accounts for a small proportion. As a result, the southern region has run out of backup power. Under the plan, in 2025-2035, only coal-fired power plants using ultra super-critical or higher technologies would be built, while after 2035 only projects using improved ultra super-critical technologies would be developed. As such, Plan 8 eliminates coal-fired thermopower projects using low polluting technologies. Coal-fired thermal power, an important part of Plan 7, was to serve as a low-cost power source to satisfy a power demand growth rate of at least 10 percent. However, with Plan 8, things will be different. One of the biggest differences between the power development plans for previous years and the plans for 2021-2030 is that coal-fired power has become secondary. A series of coal-fired power projects could not be executed, while hydropower resources have become exhausted. Gas-fired power is still not common and imported power accounts for a small proportion. As a result, the southern region has run out of backup power. So, with the view of developing many coal-fired power projects, the previous power development master plan has actually failed, an expert said, stressing that reducing coal-fired power is the right decision as Vietnam has opportunities to develop other energy sources. In late 2019, in its joint statement, an alliance of organizations asked the government to suspend the implementation of some coal-fired power projects in order to assess the feasibility of the projects in terms of finance, impact on health, environment and social security. A series of cities and provinces, including Bac Lieu, Long An, Thua Thien Hue and Tien Giang, have rejected coal-fired power projects in their localities as planned under Plan 7. Ngo Duc Lam, an independent energy expert, said in addition to concerns about environmental pollution, Vietnam should not continue to develop coal-fired power projects because the conditions for coal-fired power development are no longer favorable. The World Bank, which is a big lender, does not encourage coal-fired power. Kim Chi Vietnam to stop new coal-fired thermal power projects in 2020-2030 As planned, the generation of renewable power will soar to 32% of total energy produced in 2030 and to 40.3% in 2045, while coal-fueled power will dip to 36% in 2035 and 31% in 2045 from the current 42%, Rating Action: Moody's assigns Aa2 und./Aa1 enh. to Fort Mill School District 4, SC's GO Bonds Global Credit Research - 02 Sep 2020 New York, September 02, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aa2 underlying rating and a Aa1 enhanced rating to Fort Mill School District 4 (York County), SC's $16.6 million General Obligation Advanced Refunding Bonds, Series 2020B (Taxable Series) and $54.9 million General Obligation Bonds, Series 2020C. Moody's maintains the Aa2 underlying rating on the district's outstanding rated parity general obligation debt. The outlook is stable. RATINGS RATIONALE The Aa2 underlying rating reflects the district's healthy financial position evidenced by increasing reserves and liquidity despite expenditure pressures from enrollment growth. The rating also incorporates the district's sizeable and rapidly growing tax base, strong resident wealth levels, and an elevated debt burden. The Aa1 enhanced rating is based on the additional security provided by the South Carolina School District Enhancement Program (SCSDEP). As the SCSDEP is a state-backed program, the enhanced rating shadows the State of South Carolina's rating (Aaa stable) and consequently carries the stable outlook. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk consideration under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. The coronavirus crisis is not a key driver for this rating action. The district is not susceptible to immediate material credit risks related to coronavirus given the limited exposure to positive cases as well as the brief duration of the states stay at home orders. The longer-term impact will depend on both the severity and duration of the crisis. The situation surrounding coronavirus is rapidly evolving. If our view of the credit quality of the district changes, we will update the rating and/or outlook at that time. RATING OUTLOOK The stable outlook reflects the likelihood that the district's financial position will remain stable and its elevated debt burden will remain manageable, despite sizeable additional borrowing plans driven by enrollment growth. Story continues FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATING -Significant reduction in debt burden -Material growth in tax base coupled with improvement in resident income levels FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING -Further increases in debt burden -Trend of operating deficits and narrowing reserve levels -Material declines in tax base values and resident income levels LEGAL SECURITY The general obligation bonds are secured by the district's unlimited property tax pledge. USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds of the 2020B bonds will be used to refund outstanding bonds for debt service savings. Proceeds of the 2020C bonds will be used to finance various districtwide capital projects. PROFILE Fort Mill School District No. 4 serves the northeast portion of York County (Aaa stable) in upstate South Carolina (Aaa stable). The district is located 25 miles south of downtown Charlotte (Aaa stable) along Interstate 77. The district is the second largest of the four school districts located in the county, and is comprised of the town of Fort Mill and the City of Tega Cay (Aa3). Enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year is 16,829 students, which represents a 5.6% increase from the prior year. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in the underlying ratings was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in July 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1230443. The principal methodology used in the enhanced ratings was State Aid Intercept Programs and Financings published in December 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1067422. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure. These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Kimberly Lyons Lead Analyst Regional PFG Northeast Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich Street New York 10007 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Valentina Gomez Additional Contact Regional PFG Northeast JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. 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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 15:40:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- One Afghan police officer and three militants have been killed in two separate incidents in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, authorities said Thursday. In one incident, Taliban gunmen riding a motorcycle shot dead a police officer in Police District 7 of provincial capital Lashkar Gah early Thursday, provincial government spokesman Omar Zwak told Xinhua. The assailants fled the scene after the shooting and relatives of the slain officer were notified, the spokesman added. In neighboring Garmser district, three militants were killed and four others wounded after Afghan Air Force struck a Taliban's position Wednesday night, Defense Ministry said in a statement. "The precise strike was launched based on a confirmed tip that showed the targeted militants tried to attack security forces' checkpoints in the desert district," the statement said. Among those killed was a local Taliban leader named Shakir Aqa, the statement said, adding a weapons' depot, a vehicle, three motorcycles, five AK-47 guns and two heavy guns were also destroyed by the sortie. The Taliban militants have tried to overrun small towns or districts across Afghanistan and consolidate their position since the signing of a Taliban-U.S. peace agreement in late February. The militants have intensified attacks, frequently launching hit-and-run ambushes against security forces. Enditem Damascus: Syrian air defences have opened fire on missiles launched by Israeli warplanes at a military airbase in the central province of Homs, shooting down some of them, state media said. State news agency SANA said the Israeli warplanes fired the missiles from southern Syria soon after 10 pm on Wednesday, Damascus time. The missiles were aimed at the T-4 airbase in Homs province, SANA said. The Syrian shields intercepted most of the incoming missiles, SANA added. It said there was only material damage but didn't specify if it was inside the base. Boys sit amid the rubble of a house that, according to the Syrian authorities, was attacked by an Israeli air strike in Damascus in April. Credit:SANA/AP The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, also reported the strikes. There were also Israeli strikes on Monday night, reportedly hitting military posts south of the capital of Damascus and killing two Syrian soldiers and wounding seven others. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:00:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for jointly overcoming challenges and safeguarding stability in the South China Sea. Wang made the remarks in his message sent to a symposium themed "The South China Sea: From the Perspective of Cooperation" which was held in Beijing on Wednesday. Having a common stake in a peaceful and stable South China Sea, China and ASEAN countries are a natural community with a shared future, Wang said in his message entitled "Working Together to Make the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation." "I am truly happy to see that countries in the region have kept up the momentum of dialogue and cooperation, and made good headway," Wang said. Noting there are still risks and challenges, both sensitive and complex, in the South China Sea, Wang noted that the South China Sea should not become a tool of certain country for China bashing, still less a wrestling ground for major-country competition. "China and ASEAN countries must work together to meet the challenge and fulfill our due responsibility, as host in the region, for peace and stability in the South China Sea," Wang said. "We should continue to let the countries directly concerned resolve their disputes through consultations and negotiations," Wang proposed, adding that efforts should be made to conclude the Code of Conduct (COC) at a faster pace, and to pursue joint development while setting aside disputes. The participants are of the view that, currently the COVID-19 pandemic is widely spread, unilateralism and trade bullying prevail, the United States openly interferes in the South China Sea, and uncertainty is increasing in the region. The participants made proposals that countries in this region to accelerate the process of the COC consultation. They also called on countries outside the region to refrain from creating tensions. The 1.5 track virtual international symposium was jointly held by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Enditem I dont think they should lift it, she said. If they lift that, were doomed. The way people are coming in here and buying houses, people are being displaced. It should not be lifted. They need to go back and talk to the community, see what we need. This is our community and its not fair to just flip a house and move on. Thats not the way it works in Atlanta. Google is giving employees another day off to avoid burnout as the Covid-19 Pandemic enters its seventh month. The company is marking Friday as a one-time paid holiday for "collective wellbeing" that applies to full-time employees and interns, according to documents viewed by CNBC. The added off day turns the Labor Day holiday into a four-day weekend. "We strongly encourage you to take this day off and managers should actively support their team to reprioritize work commitments in order to do so," an internal forum for employees says. "If your manager identifies an urgent business-critical need that requires you to work at the last minute, you should take the next available working day off instead." The company's note comes as executives try to find ways to support employees who will be working remotely until at least mid-2021. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai called for a day off earlier in the summer. Since then, the country has faced heightened social and political tensions and California has recently been plagued by wildfires. Last month, Pichai sent a note to employees telling them to sign up for an internal emergency alert system as fires blazed across the state. Workers who are considered temporary or are vendors or contractors don't qualify for the day off on Friday. Their actual employer would have to make that determination, the documents say. The contingent workforce makes up roughly half of Google's overall workforce. Some support teams will not be able to take the day off so they can respond to customer needs, but those groups are "exploring something similar," one internal note read. Google said the holiday is tied to the pandemic and won't be added to the annual calendar. "This extra holiday is specific to 2020 to support Googlers' wellbeing in light of Covid-19," the company said. "Please take the time to do whatever you need for yourselves." In an internal message chain, some employees said they'd prefer to take off another day. The company said that's not an option. "We'd like you to take this time off together as one team to better allow for detachment as a global community," Google said. If employees already booked the time off for vacation, the company advised them to cancel the request for that day and reschedule to "take advantage of this additional holiday." WATCH: Why tech companies struggle with diversity and inclusion The 90-year-old Radio Flyer factory in Chicago is an exemplar of onsite innovation. Brainstorming takes place in the Engine Room, which is awash in whiteboards and Post-it notes. CNC machines and 3-D printers chug away in the Prototype Shop. In the bright, airy Play Lab, staff members observe children scooting around on the company's newest children's wagons, trikes, and electric cars. "Our products are very physical," says Robert Pasin, CEO of the business his grandfather founded in 1917. "We need to see and touch them. We need to see kids riding them." Radio Flyer--with annual revenue in the $150 million range--reliably develops 20 to 30 new products each year. In 2020, with the company's 80-some employees dispersed to their homes as a result of Covid, it maintained that pace with 25. Designers and engineers adopted a virtual whiteboard tool called Miro to collaborate on sketches. Two employees remained in the plant to mock up prototypes, which staff members passed around among themselves, making contactless handoffs in parking lots. In their homes or on deserted schoolyards, employees filmed their kids (and occasionally petite wives and girlfriends) using the toys and shared the results online to make changes. Post-Covid, Radio Flyer employees will return to their beloved building. But Pasin expects some changes wrought by the pandemic to stick. Among other things, the company will use video sessions to bring in customers like Walmart, Amazon, and Target at more points in the product-development process. Teams will still use Miro, allowing some people to work from home. As a result, for the first time, Pasin is open to hiring geographically dispersed design and engineering talent. "These kinds of blended situations give us much more flexibility," he says. "There are definitely things worth keeping." Depending on whom you ask, working from home has been a blow or a boon to innovation. Among the pessimists is Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bloom says he has spoken with dozens of CEOs and employees who report that while work-from-home is effective for continuing current activities, creativity has suffered. And while "change and crisis" will drive some innovation, he doubts it will make up for constraints on creativity created by working from home. "I fear 2020 will be the year of little innovation, and 2021 the year of disappointment," he says. Yet some companies say productivity is up since employees disbanded to their dens and back bedrooms. Tempted by the opportunity to save money on rent, many businesses plan to continue at least some professional distancing post-pandemic. A recent survey of the Inc. 5000, our ranking of America's fastest-growing private companies, found that two-thirds intend to somewhat or greatly increase employees' ability to work from home. Around 2 percent will go all in on virtual. How, then, to keep creativity thrumming within digital work teams? Several innovation experts offered advice. Embed in people's lives. Innovation starts with understanding and empathy, achieved by observing in action those whose problems teams want to solve. That kind of research might actually expand under virtual business models. Companies can redirect budgets to dispatch small teams into the field, says Jay Erickson, chief innovation officer and a founding partner at Modus, a digital design firm based in New York City. "The screen lets you talk to people more efficiently," he says. "But the gems of insight come when you see a physician do something in a consulting room and ask, 'Why did you do that?' That's how you discover something you would not have known to ask about." Such fieldwork is the lifeblood of IDEO, the iconic global design and innovation company. Employees there have temporarily replaced visits to end users' homes and workplaces with diaries that research subjects create with photographs and notes captured on phones. With the diaries, which have always been part of IDEO's toolset, innovation teams can collect data over weeks and months, compared with site visits, which are time-constrained, says Bryan Walker, managing director of design for change. And the practice is equally effective for businesses with and without offices. Get physical, sometimes. Innovation requires trust: People must feel safe to proffer out-there ideas. One signal that you are among friends is eye contact, hard to achieve in Zoom where you can't look simultaneously into the camera and at the faces on the screen. Erickson recommends that virtual innovation teams come together periodically in-person for activities like ideation--but also to build their relationships. Such gatherings also help replace that sense of place lost along with a physical office. "The idea of place creates a sense of belonging to each other," he says. "If you are gathering somewhere with some frequency, you can create that cultural connectivity." Bring in more viewpoints. Innovation thrives on varied perspectives and experiences. Digital collaboration can be almost endlessly inclusive. IDEO, Walker says, has invited in experts from around the world and "curated interesting, open conversations around topics we are interested in." Erickson believes digital dispersion will lead to more joint ventures with employees from different companies coming together fluidly for projects. Scott Anthony, senior partner at the Boston-based strategy and innovation firm Innosight, recommends opening innovation sessions to more people within the business. "The more transparent you are about what you're working on, the more likely someone will say, 'That is interesting and there is something I can contribute,'" says Anthony, co-author of the new book Eat, Sleep, Innovate: How to Make Creativity an Everyday Habit Inside Your Organization. Give voice to the voiceless. Innovation also benefits from contributions from all levels. Digital tools like Zoom have what Anthony calls a "democratizing effect" that may level creativity-killing hierarchies. "There is not someone sitting at the head of the table. Everyone is in their own little squares," he says. "That gives a voice to someone with a contrarian view or who has less experience in the organization." Introverts, too, may be more comfortable expressing themselves through Zoom chat and other digital tools, according to Walker. Like Radio Flyer, IDEO uses the collaborative whiteboarding tool Miro. "Someone who doesn't normally want the spotlight will drop in a visual and that will become the center of the conversation," he says. Find ways to build. Innovation advances through constant experimentation and prototyping. Digital products don't pose much difficulty to dispersed teams. Companies that build physical goods, by contrast, need to bring people and products together for tests, limiting their ability to innovate virtually. But even then there are workarounds. In the past six months, IDEO has been using more computer-aided design (CAD) and 3-D modeling, and its in-house prototyping shop is large enough to allow for social distancing. But the company has also provided one member of each project team with a home 3-D printer and distributed to designers prototyping sets that include things like foam core, X-Acto knives, and glue guns. "We've seen some pretty sophisticated prototypes built that way," Walker says. Keep individuals creative. Innovation declines along with team members' energy and focus. To prevent participants from turning up drained, all the experts recommended setting aside at least one meeting-free hour before an innovation session. IDEO also suggests that some sessions take place over the phone, so participants can wander around while they talk. Erickson recommends sessions allow for solo ideation, in which participants remain--muted--on the virtual hangout, sketching ideas before coming back to share. He also suggests building in group stretches and other opportunities to get up and move around. Two children were hit by a car in North Portland on Wednesday evening, and one sustained life-threatening injuries, Portland police said. Around 6 p.m., police responded to North Fessenden Street just west of Fiske Avenue after receiving reports that two children had been struck by a car. Police said a 3-year-old was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police did not give an update on the childs condition. The other child was treated at the scene. Police say the children were playing nearby when they ran in between two parked vehicles on North Fessenden Street and into traffic. The driver of the car stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police said the driver did not appear to have been impaired or driving too fast. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. President Trump announced Wednesday night he plans to nominate as secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Chris Liddell, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for policy coordination at the White House. What they're saying: The White House said in an emailed statement that the New Zealand-born Liddell "will draw upon decades of executive-level experience in the public and private sector to lead the OECD as it navigates post-COVID challenges." (Newser) "We have been living a lie for far too long," a man announced at a city council meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, this week. That lie: boneless chicken wings. "We have been casually ignoring a problem that has gotten so out of control that our children are casually throwing around names and words without even understanding their true meaning," Ander Christensen explained Monday, per KRVN, before footage of the meeting went viral. After chiding an audience member who chuckled, Christensen explained his stance: "Nothing about boneless chicken wings actually comes from the wing of a chicken. We would be disgusted if a butcher was mislabeling his cuts of meats but then we go around pretending the breast of the chicken is its wing?" story continues below But, really, it's all about our children, who we should be raising better. "Our children are raised being afraid of having bones attached to their meat. Thats where meat comes from. It grows on bones," said Christensen, the son of council member Roy Christensen. "We need to teach them that the wing of a chicken is from a chicken and it's delicious." Therefore, Christensen proposed that the city rename boneless chicken wings as "Buffalo-style chicken tenders," "wet tenders," "saucy nugs," or perhaps just "trash," per USA Today. He'll be pleased to know that traditional wings make up the majority served64% in 2018, according to the National Chicken Council, per Newsweek. Christensen is now asking that wing recommendations be sent to "saucynugsforpresident@gmail.com" while he awaits a public statement from the city. (Read more viral video stories.) As Hurricane Laura recovery rolls into its second week, weary residents in Louisianas hardest hit areas find electricity, air-conditioning and clean, running water still in short supply. Theyre not sure when exactly we can get electricity here, said Cindy Holland Demaskey, who lives in Hayes in east Calcasieu parish. Theyre telling us it might be two weeks because of all the damage. Its just been rough, she said Wednesday, her voice breaking. Another two weeks would make it three full weeks after Laura roared ashore with 150 mph winds about 25 miles south of her home. Martha Tootie Welch, 66, ripped out carpet in her home on Wednesday in Hackberry, in Cameron Parish, moving slowly but surely. Hurricane Laura's high winds wreaked havoc on these transmission towers and big kilovolt lines in Moss Point, Louisiana. The repairs to the area's power infrastructure will take week. She could be weeks without power, some say, and she has no running water. But she doesnt plan to leave. Well probably stay right here, said Welch, who's lived on the property all her life, sharing a street with family members. Its home. Its my roots. Everybodys got it a lot worse than me," she said. Demaskey and Welch are among about 270,000 customers in the state who remained without electricity a week after the storm passed. Power has been restored to about 75% of the customers in the region, said the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, an industry association. But getting the remaining 25% of customers back online will be a major challenge. Martha Welch talks about her experiences of living with Hurricanes in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. Gov. John Bel Edwards said that task could take another four weeks. One of the two most intense hurricanes ever to make landfall in Louisiana, Laura toppled more than 500 massive towers with the high voltage transmission lines that carry electricity from power plants to communities like Lake Charles. It also damaged water and wastewater systems and knocked out cell towers that provide mobile phone service. Hurricane Laura toppled towers that support Entergy's major transmission lines for the area. Entergy, the states largest electricity provider, completed its damage assessment Wednesday, concluding Laura took out 219 transmission lines, 1,108.17 miles of line and damaged 292 substations. The hurricane damaged 9,760 of the companys poles, 3,728 transformers and 18,706 spans of wire. Story continues To put the task into perspective, Scott Aaronson, vice president for security and preparedness at the electric institute, said just one 500 kilovolt transmission line in Southwest Louisiana had 72 structures damaged beyond repair. Just one of those structures takes three 18-wheelers worth of materials and 1,300 man hours to replace, said Aaronson. That is effectively 72 construction projects, in an emergency situation, as quickly as possible. Nearly 29,000 workers from 29 states and Canada are in Southwestern Louisiana working to help restore and rebuild the electrical system damaged by Hurricane Laura. 'Extraordinary work' Each project takes roughly 80 people and typically involves cranes and helicopters to lift pieces, he said. In some cases, those towers are in remote locations, presenting logistical challenges such as forcing workers to get to the site via air boat. Each of those lines must be rebuilt and each component inspected before electricity can flow through, said Entergy spokesman Neal Kirby. This week, through pre-storm cooperative agreements, utility companies had 29,000 workers from 29 states, the District of Columbia and Canada working across the region, including Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. Entergy had 8,300 workers in its Southwestern Louisiana service area. Nearly 29,000 workers from 29 states and Canada are in Southwestern Louisiana working to help restore and rebuild the electrical system damaged by Hurricane Laura. The crews are working in extreme conditions. Heat advisories from the National Weather Service keep warning it feels as hot as 106-114 degrees outside. The workers also are maintaining procedures to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Rest assured, there are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work to get that transmission system up and repaired and getting power delivered to those neighborhoods, Aaronson said. How to help: Relief efforts by Acadiana businesses aiding those impacted by Hurricane Laura Every other day, Demaskey loads up her six gas cans and drives to the closest open gas station to replenish the gas shes using to keep her life-saving generator going, she said. Thank God its only 10 miles away. 'Air to breathe' Diagnosed with lupus after three trips to the emergency room in June, she considers herself blessed the roof of her home was only missing a few shingles. But the first night back in the house, she said the thermometer climbed to 102 degrees, in part because the windows have to be closed so the mosquitoes don't "carry you away." The next day she bought a generator at a stand on the side of the road, putting $1,600 on a credit card she had just paid off, she said. I have to have the air to breathe. Utilities also are working to get water systems and cell phone service up and running, but experts say those efforts aren't as organized or collaborative as the electric industry. Lessons learned after other major hurricanes on the Gulf Coast Rita, Katrina and Michael helped lay the groundwork for Laura recovery, the experts said, but also show that rebuilding takes time. Highway 27 north of Holly Beach, LA. Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. A Federal Communications Commission report after Michael, which hit the Florida Panhandle with 160 mph winds in October 2018, concluded nearly half the cell towers in Bay County, Florida were still down a week after the storm. Local officials found slow progress in connecting cell service, the report stated, with a significant disconnect between the urgency those leaders conveyed in conversations with providers, and providers actions in the worst affected areas. In one case, cell phone providers reported that even after they restored service, it often failed again when crews restoring electricity and other utilities accidentally cut fiber cables dozens of times.The FCC report urged better communication among companies. Even before Laura arrived, utilities experts were concerned about the impacts of a natural disaster on water and wastewater facilities. Weve got a long way to go to restore the water, Edwards said this week. President Donald Trump speaks with Gov. John Bel Edwards and others as he tours damage from Hurricane Laura, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Lake Charles, La. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Aging water systems As of Wednesday, an estimated 137,472 utility customers had no running water and another 419,304 customers were under boil water notices. Some of those wells, treatment plants and distribution lines were already teetering, even before hurricane season, Edwards said. And quite frankly, we dont know the degree to which it was the storm or pre-existing problems that were dealing with. In a 2017 report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D+ grade on the state of its infrastructure, including the water and wastewater systems. The report found the state had made little progress since earning a D on the societys 2012 report card. More: Hurricane Laura damaged a Lake Charles Confederate monument, after parish officials voted to keep it The committee saw the kind of impacts a natural disaster could bring, especially given the lack of investment in repair and replacement, said Kirk Lowery, a Baton Rouge civil engineer, who served on the committee that wrote the report card. About 58% of the water systems in the state were built before 1960, and the design lives for such systems is typically anywhere from 50 to 75 years, Lowery said. He estimated it could take up to six weeks to get water and wastewater systems fully back online. The water and wastewater industries dont bring in a SWAT team of workers like the electrical utilities do, he said. And they have to wait until electricity is restored in some cases to determine what has been damaged and then order the equipment necessary for repairs. Power lines block roadway on Hwy 82 near Holly Beach, LA. Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. Replacing equipment during an emergency raises its own challenges, the experts said. The big transformers attached to high voltage transmission systems are much harder to acquire, said Granger Morgan, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and chairman of a 2017 National Academies of Science report on improving resiliency in the electrical industry. Over the past several years, Morgan said utilities in the nation have made quite a bit of progress" in terms of tracking stockpiles of some of those bigger pieces of equipment. If utilities have to order new equipment, thats more of a challenge, he said. Were not making a lot of these in this country anymore. Hurricane Laura's high winds played havoc with these transmission towers and big kilovolt lines. Questions about improving the ability to reduce damage or bounce back faster come up after every storm, Morgan said. One frequent topic is burying more utility lines. That presents its own challenges, he said, especially in low-lying areas subject to sea level rise or storm surge. Hes recently worked on improving the electrical grid on Guam, which gets hit regularly by typhoons, he said. They have pretty much replaced all of their old wooden poles with reinforced concrete poles. The problem is, when you have a system thats been completely flattened, you dont want to screw around trying to figure out how to get more robust poles, you want to get stuff in place as fast as you can," he said. If youve got people sweltering with refrigerators that dont work, you dont want to fool around with supply chains. Hurricane arent an efficient time to try to upgrade systems. Martha Welch talks about her experiences of living with Hurricanes in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. With her candles and flashlights in Hackberry, Welch planned to continue to rip carpet staples from her floor after nightfall. Im slow-moving," she said. "But the longer you leave it like that the more trouble youve got. She speaks from experience having weather hurricanes Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008. In Hayes, Demaskey looks forward to the day electricity is restored. "I have it better than some. I'm not complaining," she said. "I'm thanking God for everything but it's just hard." Lafayette Daily Advertiser reporter Leigh Guidry contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Hurricane Laura damaged utility grid, to take weeks to repair U.S. plan to restore Iran sanctions will fail: Russian FM People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:36, September 02, 2020 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The government approves a law proposed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. All bodies will now be detained, not just those belonging to extremist factions (Hamas). Human rights activists and NGOs criticize the provision, calling it "problematic" and guided by "motives for revenge". Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Israel no longer intends to return the bodies of Palestinians killed to their families, in the context of attacks on their fellow citizens or their assets and property. The measure, voted on yesterday evening during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, will affect not only the militants of the extremist group Hamas but all the perpetrators of anti-Israeli attacks and violence. Human rights activists and NGOs have attacked Israel in the past for its policy of "kidnapping" corpses. Yesterday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz asked that this practice, used as a deterrent, be extended "to all Palestinians" regardless of their political affiliation, not just to those who appear to be members of fundamentalist groups or fighters. The refusal to return the bodies of terrorists - emphasized Benny Gantz - is part of our commitment to maintain the safety of Israeli citizens, and to bring home [the bodies of killed soldiers]. I hope our enemy understands and internalizes the message well. The human rights association Adalah strongly attacks the Israeli government's decision, "The Israeli security cabinets decision to withhold the bodies of Palestinians is extremely problematic and is driven clearly by motivations for vengeance,a statement read. The policy of using human bodies as bargaining chips violates the most basic universal values and international law, which prohibit cruel and inhuman treatment. Israel first implemented in 1967 the practice of holding the remains of Palestinians killed in the context of attacks; in recent years hundreds of corpses have been retained and never returned, still kept in morgues or buried in shabby graves in what has become famous as the cemetery of numbers. A practice in clear violation of international law, such as the Geneva Convention according to which the parties involved in an armed conflict must honourably bury the dead of the enemy front. The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that it wants to keep the bodies to use them as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Palestinians; in some cases, restitution to families of origin takes place following legal action. Israeli pacifists and human rights NGOs have called this "post-mortem arrest" a practice unique to Israel. HOUSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- inDemic announces the launch of its COVID-19 knowledge management system. inDemic is a non-profit organization that provides information and synthesis related to a wide range of pandemic solutions to help medical researchers, policymakers, and the public make informed decisions. inDemic's initial focus is on COVID-19 therapies and vaccines. The site provides in-depth news and analysis of therapies that are being tested to treat COVID-19. The inDemic Watchlist highlights therapies that warrant particular attention. The system allows users to view therapies by patient segment (severity of disease), by mechanism of action (e.g. anti-viral vs. immunomodulatory), and by availability (including time-to-market for developmental therapies). Details on vaccines includes assessment of the path to approval and use, with a detailed timeline for the lead vaccine candidates. The inDemic system is curated by Sam Sun, the inDemic Director. Dr. Sun is a resident physician at Texas Medical Center. Dr. Sun previously worked at the McDonnell Genome Institute, where he contributed to publications in Cell and Nature Genetics, and co-founded Sling Health, a medtech incubator. He received an MD from Washington University and a BS from Olin College of Engineering. Assessments are performed by the inDemic Scientific Advisory Board: Dr. Robert Dickson , pulmonologist and critical care physician, and Associate Professor at University of Michigan , pulmonologist and critical care physician, and Associate Professor at Dr. Marc Lipsitch , epidemiologist, and Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist, and Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dr. Leon Henderson-MacLennan , clinical geneticist and internist, and Medical Advisor to inThought Research. Scientists, clinicians, and other interested parties can register for a free account at www.indemic.org that will allow access to the inDemic system as well as email alerts when new content is added. About inDemic inDemic is a new non-profit organization that is creating a knowledge management system to compile, organize, and analyze specific information relevant to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, inDemic will focus on the best practices of testing COVID-19 therapies, the timeline for data and approval of the most promising therapeutics and vaccines, issues concerning the secondary impact of the pandemic on physical and mental health, and lessons learned that may improve response to future outbreaks. inDemic was founded by inThought Research, a leading pharmaceutical and life science consulting firm providing analytical, forecasting, and competitive intelligence services to support strategic and tactical decisions of biopharmaceutical and financial firms. www.inthought.com Media Contact: Julie Hoggatt 504.220.9366 SOURCE inDemic Related Links http://www.indemic.org She's the beauty who won the heart of Matt Agnew on last year's season of The Bachelor. And on Thursday, Chelsie McLeod revealed the exact workout behind her sensational physique - and it only takes 30 minutes. The 28-year-old chemical engineer shared an image of her exercise plan to her Instagram Stories. Stunner! On Thursday, former Bachelor star Chelsie McLeod (pictured) revealed the EXACT workout behind her sensational physique and it only takes 30 minutes The hardcore workout shows that Chelsie favours high-intensity interval training. Chelsie's routine includes skipping for 100 jumps, before running two laps of her driveway, and then completing a series of gruelling bodyweight exercises, including burpees, mountain climbers, bench jumps and high knees. Chelsie revealed she runs through the high energy workout three times. Energetic: The hardcore workout shows Chelsie favours high-intensity interval training. Chelsie's routine has her skipping for 100 jumps, before running two laps of her driveway, then completing a series of gruelling bodyweight exercise including burpees, mountain climbers, bench jumps and high knees The stunner appears to love her workout as she beamed while flaunting her trim figure in a peach crop top and teeny shorts in an image shared to Instagram. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Matt split last year shortly after she won his heart on The Bachelor. Last month, she took a massive swipe at her ex while watching the new season of the show. Rise to fame: Chelsie won Matt Agnew's heart on The Bachelor last year, but the pair broke up a short time later The blonde stunner said Locky Gilbert was more her type in a video she filmed with her male pal. Chelsie agreed she went on the wrong season of the reality show, and claimed she she was more of 'an adventurer' like Lachie rather than a 'science nerd'. 'I think he (Locky) is more my type in that he is more adventurous and fun,' she quipped. Savage! 'I think he (Locky) is more my type in that he is more adventurous and fun,' she quipped. Matt and Chelsie unexpectedly announced their break-p in November last year, just six weeks after The Bachelor finale had aired on TV. They each released statements on Instagram, with Matt describing Chelsie as a 'very special woman' who 'deserves to find happiness'. He clarified that there was no third party involved in the split. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:31:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The government of Afghanistan has freed the remaining 400 Taliban inmates, paving the way for peace talks with the armed group to find a negotiated settlement to the country's prolonged crisis, spokesman of Office of Afghan National Security Council confirmed on Thursday. "The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received our commandos held hostage by Taliban, after which the government released the remaining 400 convicts, except the few for which our partners have reservations," spokesman Javid Faisal said in a statement. At least seven out of the 400 prisoners will reportedly remain in custody. After the latest release of the inmates, several hundred more Taliban members are still serving in Afghanistan's prison. "Diplomatic efforts are ongoing. We expect direct talks to start promptly," Faisal noted. Since March, the Afghan government had released some 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban had freed 1,000 Afghan soldiers or government staff. But the Afghan government suspended the release of 400 Taliban inmates over their involvement in serious crimes. On Aug. 10, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani issued a decree to pardon and release the 400 Taliban inmates, one day after the 3,400-member Loya Jirga voted in favor of the release. Under the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, U.S. and NATO-led coalition forces would leave Afghanistan by July next year depending on whether the Taliban outfit meets the conditions envisaged in the agreement, including severing ties with foreign terrorist groups. A 22-member negotiation team of the government has already reached the Gulf state of Qatar to start talks with a Taliban delegation there. Enditem ThruWaves groundbreaking millimeter wave technology addresses major pain points in both automated and manual material handling operations. ThruWave, the pioneer of 3D millimeter wave (mmWave) imaging for supply chain and logistics, announced that it has closed $6.4 million in Series Seed funding. The funding round was led by E14 Fund and Ubiquity Ventures, and joined by Root Ventures, Blue Sky Capital, WRF Capital, and Tsingyuan Ventures. In-Q-Tel, Inc., a not-for-profit strategic investor for United States Government agencies, joined the round as an investor and customer. ThruWave was additionally awarded a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to accelerate the development of its unique millimeter wave technology. ThruWaves high throughput X2 mmWave Imaging System provides unprecedented supply chain visibility by enabling warehouse and fulfillment center operators to see through packaging to the items inside. Unlike existing X-ray inspection systems, ThruWaves sensors use human-safe millimeter waves to enable safe operation alongside human workers in busy warehouses and fulfillment centers. ThruWaves analytics layer automatically interprets images to measure cube utilization, count items, and detect missing or damaged items, all at conveyor speed. ThruWave systems can automatically image and analyze up to 20,000 boxes per hour. ThruWave makes the invisible visible, said ThruWave founder and CEO Matt Reynolds. Our sensors do what existing cameras cant do - we see through cardboard boxes and plastic totes to look at the items inside. We also detect anomalies such as missing or damaged items. Our computer vision layer analyzes the images to extract critical process variables like item counts, or fill volumes. We enable our customers to dramatically improve accuracy and efficiency in their warehousing and order fulfillment operations. ThruWaves groundbreaking millimeter wave technology addresses major pain points in both automated and manual material handling operations, said Calvin Chin, Managing Partner of E14 Fund. Industry-wide, it is estimated that a typical e-commerce shipment is only 40% full, leading to tremendous waste in packaging material, shipping cost, and carbon footprint. ThruWaves unique sensors and software enable customers to regain control over their shipping cost and environmental impact. ThruWaves high-throughput millimeter wave sensors have the potential to enhance national security by enabling the detection of items concealed by packaging, said Eileen Tanghal, Senior Partner at In-Q-Tel. We are excited to partner with ThruWave to bring this `x-ray vision capability to government customers who need high throughput, human-safe screening of mail, packages, and other items in an easily deployed form factor. About ThruWave Based in Seattle, Washington, ThruWave makes the Invisible Visible with human-safe, 3D millimeter wave imaging. ThruWave sensors and software analytics are an easy retrofit for existing conveyor and robotic material handling systems, enabling supply chain and logistics customers to measure and improve their inbound and outbound item handling. For more information, visit http://www.thruwave.com. About E14 Fund E14 Fund is the early stage venture capital firm for the MIT Media Lab community. E14 Fund invests in deep tech startups that are transforming traditional industries across a broad array of market-ready, scalable innovation such as sensors, AI/ML, robotics, health, synthetic biology and more. Officially affiliated with MIT, E14 Fund builds and supports a vibrant community of founders and companies with resources from across the MIT ecosystem. For more information, visit http://www.e14fund.com. About Ubiquity Ventures Ubiquity Ventures is a seed-stage institutional venture capital firm that invests in software beyond the screen startups. Ubiquity portfolio companies leverage smart hardware and machine intelligence to bring software into the real world, not just buried within computers and smartphones. See more details on the Ubiquity Ventures website at http://www.ubiquity.vc. About In-Q-Tel In-Q-Tel, Inc. is the nonprofit strategic investor serving as a trusted partner to government intelligence and national security agencies by sourcing, funding, and accelerating innovative technologies from the commercial startup community to strengthen the security of the U.S. and its allies. Learn more at http://www.iqt.org. RTHK: Ship with 43 crew and 6,000 cattle sinks off Japan A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japan's coastguard on Thursday. The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak headed through the region towards the Korean peninsula, bringing strong winds, heavy seas and drenching rains. Japan's coastguard said it had rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, on Wednesday night while searching for the ship. According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. Three vessels, five airplanes and two divers had been deployed to continue the search, the coastguard said. The crew included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, it added. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3 2020 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 to 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. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login By Muhammad Zuhair Recently, Najmul Hoda (an IPS officer) has written his opinion in The Print, Indian Muslims and Liberals are trapped in a toxic relationship. On reading the title, I started anticipating this article would bring new insights into how and why in contemporary India, liberals and Muslims are fighting the ideological battle. I was expecting this article balanced in its approach and would conclude how this deteriorating relationship between the two could be invigorated. However, this article begins with reproaching Muslims. It reminds them how they were responsible for partition and goes on bashing them. I was still hopeful that in the following paragraphs, he would highlight the loop-holes in the existing approach of liberals that led to effluent toxicity. I was expecting he would address why Muslims feel sabotaged by such liberals and how the trust among them was lost. Support TwoCircles But the article fails to address the intricacy and mental violence Muslims face from such self-claimed liberals, and he goes on to remind Muslims that how backward they were. They are the ones who lost their trust to Indian majority, according to him. At one point, I felt whether this article is written to address the roots of such toxicity or just to revile and demonize Muslims, and to please Indian majority. I felt the author is entirely unaware of the development and reformations that took place in the last few decades within the Muslim community. He is oblivious how several researchers pointed out Muslims are being left out from educational mobility in India through structural political marginalization. The rest of the article deficits argumentative cohesiveness. It provides no supporting facts and data that could support his conclusion that Muslims are not putting efforts to become Atma Nirbhar. His unrelenting approach in addressing the Muslim issues, by pointing the finger back at them and not blaming the political backstabbing and incompetence of political circles both within and outside the community will fan more toxicity, in my opinion. While arguing that the Muslim community wanted a separate nation before Independence, he ignored the facts that the rivalry between Hindus and Muslims surged because of the Arya Samajs systematic attack on Islam. On the other side, the rise of a section of Muslim leadership led by Jinnah that realized the incompatibility of the two religious ideologies amplified the conflict. This conflict manifested in the fifteen major riots between 1883 and 1891, as historian N Gerald Barrier mentioned in his research published in Journal of Asian Studies, in 1968. He forgot to mention why an intellectual like Allama Iqbal, who once celebrated Indias multiculturalism and called Ram Imam-e-Hind and India the land of Chisti and Nanak, later became an adherent advocate of a separate Muslim nation. Najmul Hoda smartly left the reader to imagine that the Muslims wanted a separate country because they didnt want to assimilate with non-Muslims. He also forgot to mention the contribution of Muslims who were against the Muslim league and vehemently criticized the idea of Pakistan a Muslim nation. Ali Usman Qasmi and Megan Eaton Robb in his book Muslims against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Idea of Pakistan have addressed this issue. I would refer to you and others this well-researched and informative book written from a scholarly perspective. According to Najmul Hoda, the subjugation of Muslims and structural discrimination in each field are century-old tropes. He is not aware of the current advancement in the Indian political dispensation and drawing conclusions based on his understanding dated back to pre-Independence India. I would encourage him to read political scientists, especially Christophe Jaffrelots work on Hindu Nationalism and its impact on Indian Muslims. According to his research, attacks and discrimination against Indian Muslims have gained momentum in recent years. Such heinous acts have become more systematic and conventional because of the post-2014 political dispensation that allows the rise of vigilantes, like Gau Rakshaks. Christophe, in an interview with Edward Anderson published in Journal of Contemporary South Asia, argues that these developments of discrimination and attacks on Muslims are not new. However, their magnitude is unique, which is alarming. He further argues that with gau rakshaks, parallel police is becoming legitimate across India. He cites the examples of gau rakshaks using police jeeps or policemen looking at people being lynched by mobs without making any efforts to intervene. He also mentions the blessing of ministers on such cohort, who even, sometimes, garland them. According to Christophe, a parallel state structure is being established. Therefore, the idea of Hindu Rashtra is materializing. Besides, I would also encourage Najmul Hoda to explore research in terms of psychological impacts of Hindu nationalism on Indian Muslims, if he can muster the courage to challenge his fixated views on Indian Muslims systematic marginalization. Further in the article, he made a claim Muslims love Hindu liberals conditionally. The fact is, Muslims are forced to love such liberals or any liberal, who stand with Muslims only on their terms and conditions. Such liberals neither try to research nor listen to the solutions given by Muslims and are always ready to provide ineffective solutions without delving into the complexity of the issue. On top of that, they push atheism down the Muslim throats day in and day out. For them, a cool Muslim, who is away from religion could only be a good Indian Muslim (sounds familiar as Sanghis definition of a good Muslim?). This practice to contain Muslim identity facilitates crystallizing the good Muslim and bad Muslim binary. Such liberals set boundary conditions, and if Muslim refuses to constrain his/her identity within the defined conditions, these Muslims are pigeonholed as extremists. For them, a Muslim who proudly wears his/her Muslim identity cant be a good Muslim until he/she strictly follows their set bars. This regressive and un-humanist approach is the primary reason that led to the surge in toxicity from the Indian Muslims side. From the encyclopaedic definition, Liberalism is a political and economic doctrine that emphasizes individual autonomy, equality of opportunity, and the protection of individual rights (primarily to life, liberty, and property), originally against the state and later against both the state and private economic actors, including businesses. But the self-proclaimed liberals of an en-route Hindu state have very clearly gone against each of the above basic principles of Liberalism. They have actively supported the Uniform Civil Code, thus hampering the individual right to follow religious laws. They have openly supported the removal of the reservation system meant for the upliftment of the marginalized classes that include a significant section of the Muslim population, jeopardizing equality of opportunity in the name of saving equality. And many such stances can be found to follow suit. And thus, apparently, the last surviving goal of them seems to be the massive task of liberating Indian Muslim women of the oppression of their headscarves! Such liberals (categorized as pseudo-liberals here) should understand the sensitivity of religious identity for Indian Muslims and must stop forcing them to keep their religious identity aside. On the one hand, right-wingers perpetrate physical violence. On the other hand, such liberals take the lead on mental violence against Muslims. They leave no stone unturned to demonize Muslims. Let it be when ISIS attacks innocents thousands of kilometres away or when Tablighi Jamat makes mistake at home. Indian Muslims are on the verge and are subjected to all sorts of violence, physical and mental, not only from right-wing, but also from such self-claimed liberals, and liberal Muslims like Najmul Hoda. I believe the deteriorating relationship between the two could be rejuvenated if such liberals ponder on what has been said here, and liberate themselves from such oppressive practices. So, the question pops up: Why no one bats an eye on such structurally institutionalized discrimination and violence against Muslims? The answer is: because of the irrational fear of Islam and Muslims, i.e. Islamophobia, as coined by Prof. Todd H. Green, which is ossified in almost everyones mind through continuous anti-Muslim propaganda. Islamophobia is a contrived fear or prejudice fomented by the existing Eurocentric and Orientalist global power structure. It is directed at a perceived or real Muslim threat through the maintenance and extension of existing disparities in economic, political, social and cultural relations, while rationalizing the necessity to deploy violence as a tool to achieve civilizational rehab of the target communities (Muslim or otherwise). Islamophobia reintroduces and reaffirms a global racial structure through which resource distribution disparities are maintained and extended. (Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project 2016, UC Berkeley). Muhammad Zuhair lives in Melbourne and pursuing PhD in Geosciences at Monash University, Australia. He is an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University and IIT Kharagpur. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jackie DePeppo Mortensen, 32, always looked up to her mother, June Palo, 67, a teacher and entrepreneur who was a breast and bone cancer survivor. My mother had gotten breast cancer; she was Stage 4, but she was over that for about eight years. Thats when it metastasized and she ended up with bone cancer, said Mortensen, a Westerleigh resident. A huge number of sick, neglected cats need adoptive homes after being rescued from a cruel situation in Sedalia, Missouri. Police arrived at a small home on Aug. 26 after an anonymous caller tipped them off, speculating that the residents were keeping too many animals, reports KOLR. Officers arrested a man and a woman on charges of animal cruelty and lifted a total of 78 cats, many of whom were suffering from respiratory illnesses, from the 941-square-foot abode. In addition, a number of deceased kittens were found inside bags on the property. The rescue was overseen by the Sedalia Police Department with help from the Sedalia Animal Shelter, the local fire department, and a number of Missouri-based animal care and veterinary organizations, reports KCTV-5. At the end of the day, people were taken to jail and all that, but were more worried about the animals that were living there, Detective Davis Mittlehauser reflected. Making sure that the cats all experience a good outcome by finding safe, loving adoptive homes is really what all this was about, he added. Many of the cats, as detailed in the police report, were in dire need of immediate medical care. Some, despite receiving treatment from a diligent team of shelter veterinarians, died as a result of their illnesses. [A] search of the exterior of the residence, the report continued, found that approximately 27 deceased cats were buried in the back yard in several locations. Around 20 of the buried cats were identified as kittens. The two people arrested were later identified as Ferdinand M. Bucayan, 37, and Teodora Dalumpines, 57. Both suspects were detained at the Pettis County Jail and are facing multiple charges of animal abuse and neglect. All 78 rescued felines, including kittens and adults, were taken in by the Sedalia Animal Shelter for assessment, medicine, food and water, and much-needed care. The cats will be transferred to a number of shelter sites to be put up for adoption after recovering from the ordeal. The Sedalia Animal Shelter shared photos of two of the rescued animals on Facebook, a long-haired ginger tom and a calico kitten, two days after they were lifted from the home. Previously known as 041 and 023, they have been named Merlot and Sonando, staffers shared. Weve had many phone calls about adopting cats from this particular situation, they added. These kitties will be receiving medical care to get them healthy before adopting them out. The Sedalia Animal Shelter, a municipal shelter that relies upon donations for its ongoing efforts, reminded its patrons that there are myriad deserving cats, kittens, and dogs in their kennels looking for forever homes. If you want to specifically help the cats from this situation, staffers clarified, please consider donating monetary donations to put toward their medical treatments. Merlot, Sonando, and their surviving siblings now have the chance to recover in safe surrounds and enjoy a better, brighter future. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Share price of SpiceJet gained 5.6 percent intraday and IndiGo operator InterGlobe Aviation 4.5 percent on September 3 after the central government allowed domestic airlines to operate at 60 percent of their pre-COVID level capacity. Up till now, airlines were operating at 45 percent of their pre-COVID level capacity. After resuming domestic passenger flights in India from the May 25, the Civil Aviation Ministry had allowed Indian airlines to operate at 33 percent of their pre-COVID levels which was increased to 45 percent from the June 26. "While this move is sentimentally positive for airline companies, we believe that demand will remain muted in the near future and is expected to pick up post the festive season and maintain a neutral rating on the sector," Jyoti Roy, DVP-Equity Strategist at Angel Broking told Moneycontrol. He said markets would be keenly awaiting data for the domestic aviation industry for August which would be released in a few days by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Also Read: Domestic airlines permitted to operate at 60% capacity with immediate effect The aviation ministry issued an order on September 2 stating that, "45 percent capacity may be read as 60 percent capacity," modifying its June 26 order where it had put a 45 percent cap on the number of domestic flights. Over 1.20 lakh passengers took to the skies across the country on September 1, the Civil Aviation Ministry has said, adding that domestic aviation operations continue to grow steadily. SpiceJet was trading 2.85 percent higher at Rs 52.30 and InterGlobe Aviation climbed 2.02 percent to Rs 1,273.20 on the BSE. As a sentimental effect, Jet Airways was up 4.34 percent at Rs 28.85. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. A national flag salute ceremony was held in front of President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi capital on September 2 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Vietnams National Day. At 6 am every day, the flag salute ceremony takes place at Ba Dinh Square, in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi capital. The ceremony on September 2, 2020 is of great significance as it marks the day when President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence 75 years ago, proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The team in charge of the ceremony is led by 34 soldiers of the guard of honour force, representing the first 34 soldiers of the Vietnam Peoples Army. The soldiers march in front of the mausoleum, showing their respect for President Ho Chi Minh who founded the Communist Party of Vietnam. When the flag salute ceremony takes place, the mausoleums doors remains open, and President Ho Chi Minhs immortal words Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom can be seen. The flag raising ceremony is held in a sacred, respectful and solemn atmosphere. The national anthem is played during the solemn ceremony. Soldiers of the High Command in charge of protecting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum are proud to take part in the flag salute ceremony every day. After the flag salute ceremony, people move and offer incense to the late President in front of this mausoleum. September 2, 2020 also marks the 61st death anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh. VOV Hanoi flag hoisting ceremony marks ASEANs 53rd founding anniversary An ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony was held in Hanoi on August 7 to mark the 53rd founding anniversary of the association and 25 years of Vietnams ASEAN membership. Ayodhya: The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) on Wednesday approved the layout of the grand Ram Temple after holding a meeting with officials in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. The total area of the layout is 2.74 lakh square metres or 67 acres and the temple covers 12,879 square metre area, a little more than 3 acres. In the 76th meeting of the Ayodhya Development Authority, the layout submitted for 67 acres of land had been cleared. For this 67 acres, a development charge of Rs 2,11,33,184 has been deposited by the Trust. Another amount of Rs 15,00,363 as Labor Cess will be deposited soon, Dr Neeraj Shukla Vice-President of the ADA told Zee News. He furtehr informed that the total amount includes a development fee of Rs. 1,79,45,477; building permit fee of Rs 64,400; development license fee of Rs 1,50,000; Supervision fee of Rs 29,73,307 and Rs 65,000 for the map. The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra had on August 29 submitted the layout of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and other documents related to it, to ADA for approval. The Trust on August 20 had said that the construction of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir has "begun" and the engineers are now testing the soil at the site. According to Trust, the shrine will be built by adhering to the country`s ancient and traditional construction techniques. It will also be built to sustain earthquakes, storms and other natural calamities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ayodhya on August 5 to attend the `Bhoomi pujan` at Ram Janmbhoomi site. In February 2020, PM Modi had announced the constitution of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, to oversee the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Nation reports that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Kwara state has arrested a suspected female child trafficker and her accomplice for alleged trafficking of a 15-year-old girl. The suspected child trafficker simply identified as Madam Hauwa, allegedly brought her victim from Togo to Nigeria. The name of her accomplice is Bala Suleiman. Two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), Women Environment and Youth Development Initiatives (WOYODEV), and Child Protection Network (CPN-Kwara) brought the case to the attention of the civil defence corps in Kwara state. They revealed that the victim of the trafficking was taken from Togo to Nigeria to work as house-help. Speaking with reporters in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, Executive Director, WOYODEV Mrs. Tosin Apiriola-Ajayi, and Spokesperson of another NGO, CPN-Kwara, Angela Okoye, said that the suspected child trafficker, identified as Madam Hauwa, was discovered to have been in long time practice of bringing in children from neighbouring countries to work in Nigeria. She is in the habit of telling the children to abscond from those they work with before expiration of date on the contract and then sends them to another place to work, she said. Mrs. Apiriola-Ajayi also said that it was during the girls escape from her place of work that she got raped and impregnated by one Bala Suleiman on her way to Ilesha-Baruba to meet Madam Hauwa. NSCDC has asked Bala Suleiman to foot the medical bill for the girls health and upkeep, pending when investigation on the matter is concluded, it was gathered. Apiriola-Ajayi said: On July 21, 2020, a case was brought to WOYODEV of a 15-year old girl name Mebuma Hammed (not real name) who was said to have been raped and now impregnated. The girl is said to be a Togolese who was brought to Kwara State by a woman named Hauwa who was into girl trafficking. Hauwa brings girls to Kwara and makes them work as maids in a particular place and ask them to abscond after less than three months after having collected money for a whole year from the guardian. On the night when Memuna (not real name) was raped, she was about traveling to Ilesha-Baruba where Hauwa stays following the usual trend. She got to the motor park only to find out that there were no more vehicles as it was already late at night. Confused that night, not knowing where else to go, she called Suleiman Bala who happens to be one of the workers who transport foodstuffs at the park. Bala came for her that night and advised that she sleeps over at his place before her take-off the next morning. She later got raped, according to her. In order to seek redress for her, the WOYODEV team reported the case to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), where she was interviewed and a statement was written on her behalf by the WOYODEVs Executives Director as the girl only had primary school education. The NSCDC gave an order for the arrest of Suleiman Bala after which he was brought to the station and interrogated. He admitted having sex with her and accepted the responsibility of her pregnancy but claimed ignorance of the fact that sex with a minor was rape. The parents of the victim are being expected to come from Togo to help conclude investigations before further steps would be taken. Rajesh Asnani By Express News Service JAIPUR: A day after his release from prison on the orders of the Allahabad High Court, Kafeel Khan arrived in Jaipur with family on the promise of a safe haven. The UP doctor was jailed under the tough National Security Act (NSA) for an alleged speech against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, was freed from a jail in Mathura on Wednesday. In a press meet, Dr. Kafeel Khan confessed that though the court had also dropped all charges against him under the National Security Act (NSA), his decision to come to Jaipur, instead of going to his home-town Gorakhpur, had been prompted over the fear that the Yogi Adiyanath-led government in UP may once again imprison him under some fictitious case. Despite suffering a harrowing prison term, Dr. Khan spoke without a trace of bitterness against anybody. However, he revealed that the decision to come to Jaipur for a safe stay had been on the advice of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. ALSO READ | Freed from jail, Dr Kafeel Khan says he fears for his life in UP, wants to serve nation "Priyanka Gandhi had called me and advised me to come and stay in Rajasthan and we will give you a safe place. She said UP government may try and implicate you in some other case and it is not safe to be there. As such I have decided to stay away from UP," said Dr.Khan. "Since Bharatpur is adjacent to Mathura, I decided to come here. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra helped me a lot. Since there is a Congress government in Rajasthan, I feel I will be safe here. My family also feel it will be safer for us to stay here because in past seven-and-half months I have suffered a lot of mental harassment and physical torture" Allahabad High Court had termed his jail sentence as a conspiracy to defame the good doctor wherein the Aligarh District Magistrate had misused the powers bestowed by the Indian Legal System. Kafeel said he was told not to speak against the government. "I will send off a letter to my CM (Yogi Adityanath) and request him to reinstate me in my job and I would like to be useful in helping my state tonight Corona crises," Dr. Khan said. Melania Trump lashed out at 'delusional & malicious gossip' on Thursday after her former best friend revealed the first lady's bitter rivalry with Ivanka Trump and a secret email account. Trump's criticism of the stories surrounding her tenure in the White House comes as she prepares to host an event at the White House on drug addiction crisis, which is one of the pillars of her Be Best campaign. 'This afternoon I will be hosting a roundtable with some incredible citizens in recovery & the amazing organizations that support them. I encourage the media to focus & report on the nation's drug crisis, not on delusional & malicious gossip,' the first lady wrote on Twitter. Melania Trump lashed out at 'delusional & malicious gossip' after her former best friend's book was published Melania Trump hosted a 'Recovery at Work: Celebrating Connections' Roundtable to talk about drug addiction and recovery The book revealed Melania's rivalry with first daughter Ivanka Trump Ivanka Trump, President Trump and Melania Trump together last week for the president's address to the Republican National Convention Melania Trump has increased her national profile in the past week as her husband enters the final phase of his re-election campaign. She addressed the Republican National Convention last week as part of her effort to win President Donald Trump a second term. On Thursday at the White House she hosted a 'Recovery at Work: Celebrating Connections' Roundtable to talk about drug addiction and recovery. 'The coronavirus pandemic has increased feelings of loneliness and sadness. For vulnerable populations, it has also increased the risk of substance abuse. But the American people are strong and always set-up to help one another in times of need. My husband and this Administration are also committed to making sure no one is left behind and the forgotten man and woman are forgotten no more,' she said. But she's also seen numerous headlines surrounding the publication of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's memoir 'Melania & Me.' Wolkoff, who worked on the Trump inauguration and as an unpaid adviser in the East Wing in the early days of the administration, offered details on the tense relationship between Melania Trump and her stepdaughter Ivanka Trump. She also revealed Melania uses a private email account, which President Trump criticized Hillary Clinton for doing during their bitter 2016 campaign. Author Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, pictured, told The Washington Post: 'Melania and I both didn't use White House emails.' Wolkoff told The Washington Post: 'Melania and I both didn't use White House emails.' The first lady is said to have used a private Trump Organization email account and an email from a MelaniaTrump.com domain as well as iMessage. The messages were said to show her discussing government hires, state visits and schedules, the Easter egg roll and her Be Best initiative. The East Wing said Melania Trump has followed the requirements of the Presidential Records Act. 'In consultation with White House ethics officials, from the beginning of the Administration, the First Lady and her staff have taken steps to meet the standard of the Presidential Records Act, relating to the preservation of records that adequately document official activities,' Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff to the first lady, said in a statement. In 2018 The Washington Post reported that Ivanka Trump sent hundreds of emails about government business from a personal email account to White House aides, Cabinet members and her assistant. Ivanka dismissed any comparison to the use of private email by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which prompted an FBI investigation and inspired the 'Lock Her Up' chant at Donald Trump's 2016 campaign rallies. Use of personal emails is allowed but it is illegal to discuss anything classified. Wolkoff also admitted to recording her conversations with Melania, but defended doing so, saying she did it for protection. She told The Post she started recording Melania in February 2018 until they stopped talking or texting on Jan. 1, 2019. She said she decided to do so the day after the White House terminated her contract, out of fear of becoming a 'fall guy' amid scrutiny of inaugural spending intensified. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's book 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady' was released on September 1 'I didn't record a friend. I would never record a friend,' Winston Wolkoff told The Post. 'But this is very important she was no longer my friend when I pressed record. Wolkoff left the East Wing in February 2018 after The New York Times, in February 2018, published an article revealing the inauguration cost $107 million - twice what Barack Obama's first inauguration cost - and that Wolkoff's firm received $26 million of that money. Most of that money went to vendors Wolkoff's firm hired to produce the events. Wolkoff argues the story was planted by her enemies in the White House and by those who didn't want to answer to the where much of the inaugural money went. 'That's the question that everyone should be asking,' she told ABC News last week of the $107 million raised. She said she received $480,000 for her three months of work on the inauguration - 'a fee of less than one half of one-percent.' Her memoir details her 15-year friendship with Melania, who she first met while she was working at Vogue magazine. It's the first book about Melania Trump to emerge from her inner circle and Wolkoff charts a disillusionment with the first lady, writing that she thought Melania was different but realized 'A Trump is a Trump is a Trump. All along, I thought she was one of us. Bat at her core, she's one of them.' There are several gossipy bits in the 339-page book, including the revelation Melania laughed during the 2016 campaign after the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape came out and revealed Trump saying he liked to grab women 'by the p****.' Wolkoff claims the first lady also scoffed at Michelle Obama's time in office. She reportedly once said 'Did Michelle Obama go to the border? She never did. Show me the pictures!' The book also paints an unflattering portrait of Ivanka Trump, showing her as eager to run the show and claiming she was trying take over many of Melania's first lady duties. 'Ivanka was very focused on Ivanka,' Wolkoff writes. The White House has disputed much that is in the book, arguing Wolkoff has some 'imagined need for revenge.' 'Anybody who secretly tapes their self-described best friend is by definition, dishonest,' Grisham told DailyMail.com in a statement last week. 'The book is not only full of mistruths and paranoia, it it is based on some imagined need for revenge. Wolkoff builds herself up while belittling and blaming everyone she worked with, yet she still managed to be the victim. Sadly, this is a deeply insecure woman who's need to be relevant defies logic.' Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump's former friend, said she and the first lady laughed during the 2016 campaign after the infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape came out Stephanie Winston Wolkoff came under fire after details were revealed about the money she was paid for her role in planning Donald Trump's 2016 presidential inauguration - above she's seen with Melania Trump at a January 2017 dinner ahead of the inaugural The book claims Melania Trump plotted to keep Ivanka Trump out of the photos of President Donald Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day with her 'Operation Block Ivanka.' The first lady approved seating arrangements for the inauguration platform that would keep Ivanka Trump out of the camera shot during the moment her father was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Wolkoff writes that: 'Ivanka texted me a photo of Barack Obama's swearing-in, his hand on the Bible, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha standing to his left. She wrote, 'FYI regarding the swearing in. It is nice to have family with him for this special moment.'' But, instead, Wolkoff and the incoming first lady launched 'Operation Block Ivanka' to keep the first daughter out of the shot. The two women went to great lengths to thwart Ivanka. They took advantage of Wolkoff's position on the inauguration planning committee to gain advance information on how the day would play out in order to make their scheme work. Melania Trump plotted to block Ivanka Trump from being in photos of President Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day, in what was dubbed 'Operation Block Ivanka' Melania Trump wanted an image like the one above - with her Trump and their son Barron Wolkoff, a former Met Gala planner and personal friend of Melania's, was tapped to help produce Inauguration Day and the events surrounding it. Using her position, she had an executive of her company, WIS Media Partners, take detailed notes on the inauguration platform at the U.S. Capitol building during one of the walk throughs that proceed such events. Walk throughs allow organizers and staff of the attendees to do a practice run of how the day will play out. It allows all the details of the day to be worked out: what time people arrive and in what order, where they will sit, and how the day will play out in precise order. Using the detailed sketch her employee drew up of the platform on the East Front of the Capitol, where Trump was sworn in with his family and VIP guests behind him, Melania and Wolkoff were able to work out where the cameras would be located on and how the chairs for the family should be positioned to get the images they wanted. 'Using his sketch, we were able to figure out whose face would be visible when Donald and Melania sat in their seats, and then when the family stood with Chief Justice John Roberts for Donald to take the oath of office,' Wolkoff wrote. 'If Ivanka was not on the aisle, her face would be hidden while she was seated. For the standing part, we put Barron between Donald and Melania.' Melania and Wolkoff then arranged for Donald Trump Jr., the president's oldest son, to be stand next to Melania instead of Ivanka, further keeping her out of the shot. Wolkoff blames 'exhaustion and stress' for some of the drama but also acknowledges the pettiness of it. 'Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty. Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn't have made herself the center of attention in her father's inauguration,' she wrote. David Wolkoff, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump and Donald Trump pictured in 2008. The two women had a falling out over Wolkoff's work for the inauguration and reports on how much money she was paid for the gig. She notes their Operation Block Ivanka was a result of the first daughter trying to control the schedule for inauguration day and make sure her family - husband Jared Kushner and their three children - had prominent positions on the big day. 'It was Donald's inauguration, not Ivanka's. But no one was brave enough to tell her that. Melania was not thrilled about Ivanka's steering the schedule and would not allow it. Neither was she happy to hear that Ivanka insisted on walking in the Pennsylvania Avenue parade with her children,' she noted. Wolkoff's book gives legitimacy to years of talk of a rivalry between Melania and Ivanka that has accumulated in an intense, competitive relationship between the two women. The two most prominent women in President Trump's life - his 50-year-old wife and his 38-year-old eldest daughter - have little overlap in the White House complex: Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to her father, has an office in the West Wing. Melania Trump works out of the East Wing on the opposite side of the building. They have never hosted a joint initiative or event. And are rarely seen together at events. A high court in Pakistan on Thursday directed the federal government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav as it adjourned hearing for a month. IMAGE: Supporters of Kulbhushan Jadhav in Mumbai. Photograph: Prashant Waydande/Reuters The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the case of appointment of lawyer for Jadhav to hear the review of the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 'espionage and terrorism' in April 2017. Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan told the court that to comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Pakistan granted consular access to India, however, it has not replied to Pakistan's offer to appoint a lawyer for him. The IHC, after hearing the arguments, ordered the government to send its order on Jadhav to India and adjourned the hearing until October 3 when the case would be heard again. Pakistan has introduced a special law to allow Jadhav to get his sentence reviewed as asked by the ICJ. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an 'effective review and reconsideration' of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. New Delhi: After thwarting the Chinese army's infiltration attempt on the southern side of Pangong Lake in Ladakh, India Army remains on high alert to foil China's nefarious designs to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC). So far, China has been known for its action in the border areas, but the Indian Army's move has surprised the world's largest army, which is likely to retaliate in the coming weeks to reclaim the heights it has recently lost. The next four weeks are understood to be very crucial for the Chinese Army to repel Indian soldiers because the onset of winter season would rather be favourable for the Indian Army, which is considered to be best in the world in mountain warfare. If China fails to act in the next four weeks, it will have to wait until the next year, and by that time India will establish its base in the region. According to sources, arrangements are being made to keep 20,000 soldiers around Leh during winters. Notably, the temperature of Chushul falls from zero to minus 30 degrees, and on the hills, it falls further. Currently, there are four times more troops (around 60,0000 are deployed in Ladakh than the last year, but the biggest challenge is to keep them safe in temperatures below zero to minus 40 degrees, and also keep the supply line operational. The first snowfall starts in Ladakh by mid-September, and it continues for the next 7-8 months. Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Narwane arrived in Leh on a two-day tour. The Army Chief's presence on the front is a clear message for the enemy conveying aggressive intentions of the Indian Army. The threat of China is not just in Ladakh, it can also act in the eastern border of the country--Sikkim and Arunachal. Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria was on a tour of the Forward Air Bases of the eastern border on Wednesday. Assessing the threat, the Indian Army is closely monitoring the border areas with China from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Army has also assessed that the threat is not just from China, but Pakistan may also join China against India, therefore, it is ready to meet any misadventure on the western borders. India's Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat said that India wants peace on the border, but reiterated to face any challenge during an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. Rawat said, "India faces the threat of coordinated action along northern and western fronts which we have to be considered in our defence planning. We have devised our strategy as primary and secondary and conceptualised our strategy for both our borders." In a warning to Pakistan, CDS Rawat said the country will suffer "heavy losses" if it attempts any misadventure against India taking advantage of the border row with China. The CDS added, "Pakistan has been launching proxy war...want to expand terrorism in other regions...Pakistan could take advantage if a situation develops in northern border...adequate precautions have been taken and they will suffer heavy losses if they attempt misadventure." Overall, India has gained a strategic edge over China, which has to think about whether it will go to war or come to the negotiating table. The DNA report will also tell you about the situation under which the Chinese army has been trapped. Any action on its part during the winter season on the Line of Actual Control will be very difficult. By the next year, the Indian Army will adequate time to strengthen its position, therefore, the current situation at LAC is understood to be favorable for the Indian troops. A few days ago, a Chinese defense expert praised the Indian Army's ability to fight in the mountains. India's Mountain Force, comprising more than 2 lakh soldiers, is considered the most powerful in the world. China must realize that any misadventure on its part would be disastrous for it, as the India of 2020 is miles ahead of the India of 1962. Amid the Sono-India standoff along the LAC, the crucial role played by the Special Frontier Force (SFF) has also come to the fore. The valiant soldiers of the SFF are credited to have captured the Black Top and the adjoining hills on the 29th and the 30th August. Also known as the 'Development Regiment', which was established in the year 1962 after the Sino-India war, the SFF is currently deployed on the LAC. Major General Sujan Singh, who was the leading 22 Mountain Division, established this force, it therefore got the name of 'Establishment 22'. The headquarters of the 'Vikas Regiment' is currently in Chakrata, Uttarakhand. After India's debacle in 1962, the US intelligence agency CIA trained the soldiers of this force. Initially, residents from Tibet were only recruited in this force, but Gurkhas are nowadays being recruited as they are adept at fighting in the mountainous regions. Although the SFF is not part of the Indian Army, it often operates in collaboration with the army, after getting instructions from the PMO. It is known to have participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and the Kargil War. The 'Development Regiment' participates in such military operations which are considered top secrets, and most of the information related to them is classified. There are merely 5000 Commandos in this force, but they are deployed to achieve the impossible-targets. A plain-clothed police officer has sparked outrage after he was filmed pointing a taser at a suspect seated on the ground in handcuffs while shouting 'Get down or you're going to re-energised'. In a video taken by a witness, three plain-clothed police officers were seen arresting a man believed to be in Custom House in the London borough of Newham, according to online reports. While the officer was placing the suspect in the handcuffs face down to the ground, he repeatedly asked: 'What drugs?' to which the officer replied: 'There's loads of drugs in this vehicle.' One officer wearing a blue coat pointed a taser at the suspect during the arrest, prompting the detained man to sit in an upright position and begin shouting at officers. The officer pointing the taser gun, which appeared to have been discharged once already, demanded the suspect get back down on the ground, and said: 'Get down or you're going to re-energised, get back down!' The suspect replied: 'I'll get tasered! I'll get tasered. So what?' The video has gained more than 14,900 views on Twitter as users lashed out at the officer for pointing a taser at the suspect even though he was already arrested. One said: 'Bit ridiculous to have a taser aimed at a man who is on the floor and handcuffed around however many fully grown men is it not?' Another wrote: 'Why are they posing with their tasers? Since when do the UK police cuff people's hands behind their back?' It is not known if any charges were made. A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'We aware of a video circulating on social media showing officers arresting a man. The incident took place on May 14, 2020 in Canning Town. 'Officers who were on patrol in the area were alerted to a car that was flagged as having not had a registered keeper for some time. They indicated for the car to stop but it did not and a short pursuit was initiated. During the pursuit a number of items were seen to have been discarded from the vehicle. The officer pointing the taser gun, which appeared to have been discharged once already, demanded the suspect get back down on the ground, and said: 'Get down or you're going to re-energised, get back down!' 'The car subsequently stopped when it collided with another vehicle and three male occupants fled on foot. Despite warnings to stop for officers, the males continued to flee. An officer attempted to detain one of the males but he resisted in an aggressive manner. A second officer discharged his Taser following several warnings. 'He was subsequently arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs. A quantity of drugs, believed to be cannabis, were found in the vehicle. 'The vehicle was seized by police and, to date, nobody has come forward to claim its possession. The arrested male was subsequently released without charge. 'The other males were not traced. The matter was reviewed by the Mets Professional Standards and no misconduct issues were identified. 'Our officers have to make difficult judgement calls regularly on a daily basis, often in complex circumstances. 'They understand that their actions will rightly be scrutinised as they go about their work and that the public have the right to hold them to account where appropriate. 'However, it is also important to remember that everyone is responsible for not automatically judging officers, or their decisions, until the full circumstances have been made clear.' WASHINGTON (AP) Echoing a discredited conspiracy theory, vulnerable Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is suggesting government statistics on coronavirus infections and deaths have been inflated. Ernst, who is facing an unexpectedly tough reelection fight, made the comment after a man at a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, said he believes the numbers of cases and deaths are much lower than reported. Experts refute that and new data suggests that the toll is probably significantly higher than the official count. Ernst said she, too, is so skeptical of the official numbers. These health care providers and others are reimbursed at a higher rate if COVID is tied to it, so what do you think theyre doing? she said to the crowd on Monday, according to a report by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the disease has infected more than 6 million people in the U.S. and killed about 185,000 Americans. Of those deaths, 1,125 were reported in Iowa, according to the state website at midday Wednesday. Asked later what she meant, Ernst said she was repeating what she's heard. I heard the same thing on the news. ... Theyre thinking there may be 10,000 or less deaths that were actually singularly COVID-19. ... Im just really curious. It would be interesting to know that. Later Wednesday, Ernst said in a statement, Over 180,000 Americans have died because of covid-19, adding that what matters is that Iowa gets the resources it needs. The White House Coronavirus Task Force report from Sunday said Iowa had the highest rate of new cases per 100,000 population at 100, and the state has the fifth-highest positivity rate in the country. That's the percentage of those tested getting positive results. The state has a 14-day average positivity rate of 11%. The task force recommended closing bars in 61 counties, limiting gatherings to 10 or less in 28 counties, requiring masks statewide and testing all college students. Story continues Nationally, as many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll, according to an analysis of CDC data by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. And half the dead were people of color Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree, Asian Americans. Playing down the severity of the pandemic is a favorite ploy of President Donald Trump, who has said he expects the virus to disappear. And it echoes a conspiracy theory that's been widely debunked by experts. In recent tweets, supporters of QAnon misrepresented CDC figures, stating that the government's health agency had reduced the number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths to just over 9,000. Trump tweeted the false information, which was later taken down by Twitter for violating platform rules. The CDC data table is based on an analysis of death certificates that mention COVID-19 as a cause. For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. The other 94% list COVID-19 and other conditions together. Among those deaths, there were, on average, 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death, the public health agency said. It is rare for people not to have multiple medical issues at death. Ernst's Democratic opponent, Theresa Greenfield, said the incumbent's remarks were appalling. We need leaders who will take this seriously, Greenfield tweeted. ___ Follow Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman Amazon brought a little cheer to Britain's troubled labour market on Thursday, saying it will create a further 7,000 permanent jobs in 2020, taking total new hires this year to 10,000. Last month the number of people in work in Britain suffered the biggest drop since 2009 and the coronavirus is expected to take a much heavier toll on unemployment when the government winds down its huge job-protection scheme. The one bright spot however has come from online retail and logistics as orders surged during lockdown. Amazon's latest recruitment will take its total UK workforce to over 40,000 by the end of the year. The U.S. internet giant said the 7,000 new roles will be for warehouse workers, as well as engineers, HR and IT professionals and health and safety and finance specialists. Also read: COVID-19 crisis: UK suffers greatest job losses since 2009 The jobs will be in over 50 sites, including two new distribution centres in the north east and central England and at corporate offices. It said it needed more staff to meet growing customer demand for its services and to enable small and medium sized enterprises selling on Amazon to scale their businesses. Amazon has also started recruiting for more than 20,000 seasonal positions across the UK for the festive period. Last month the Confederation of British Industry said British retailers had cut the most jobs since the depths of the financial crisis and expected the pace of losses to accelerate. Also read: COVID-19 fallout: Britain's public debt crosses $2 trillion for first time Well-known British retailers Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Debenhams, WH Smith and Dixons Carphone have all announced job cuts in recent weeks, reflecting the rapid shift in demand to online sales. Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket, said it would create 16,000 permanent roles to meet the surge in home deliveries. KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Thursday added at least nine more countries, including the United States, Britain and France, to its list of long-term immigration pass holders to be barred from the country, national news wire Bernama reported. Malaysia's government on Tuesday said it would from Sept. 7 bar entry of pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines in a bid to curtail imported coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy. The ban will now include all countries that have reported more than 150,000 coronavirus cases, the report said, citing senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Malaysia, which has reported just 9,374 COVID-19 cases and 128 deaths as of Thursday, has banned tourists and business traveler from entering the country since March, when it imposed strict curbs on movement and commerce to contain the spread. The move to further tighten entry restrictions follows the discovery of new clusters sparked by infections among returnees and undocumented migrants. The expanded list also includes Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Bangladesh. "We will add more (countries) that are considered high risk," Ismail Sabri was quoted as saying by Bernama. Ismail Sabri had earlier said that the ban would include permanent residents, expatriates, students and those on spouse visas and participants of Malaysia's My Second Home programme. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Martin Petty) As the U.S. election looms, it is time for both sides of the Atlantic to repair outstanding divisions, the former EU trade chief told CNBC Thursday. The White House and the European Union, which encompasses 27 nations, have clashed in recent years over international trade, foreign policy and taxation to name but a few points of tension. However, as the U.S. gets ready to head to the polls in November, there's a chance to overcome some of these differences, Cecilia Malmstrom, a candidate for the top job of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), said. "Despite some tensions right now we need to try to repair it, to strengthen it, with whoever is at the White House after the elections in November," Malmstrom told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe. Tweet 1 Malmstrom served as the European trade chief between 2014 and 2019 and during that time, she tried to negotiate a broad agreement with the United States under former President Barack Obama. Any progress was ended by President Donald Trump when he was elected in 2016, however, as he argued it was a "bad deal." Since then, European efforts to develop new trade arrangements with the U.S. have mostly been in vain. "I am sure that Europe, the country I come from Sweden, and the OECD whoever leads it can cooperate with the U.S.," Malmstrom said, adding that it might be with "different tactics and priorities depending on who is at the White House." Demanding restoration of the monthly flat rate or fixed rate electricity bill, the weavers of the city went on an indefinite strike from Tuesday. The strike call was given by Uttar Pradesh Bunkar Mahasabha and Varanasi-based organisation Biradarana Tanzim. They claimed that the powerloom weavers were being charged as per electricity meters since January 2020 after the government withdrew the flat rate subsidy. There are about 5 lakh weavers associated with weaving of Banarasi sarees, stoles and other clothes in the city and they claim the government move was burning a hole in their pocket. The groups have announced that all sorts of weaving would remain suspended between September 1 and 15. The effect of the strike was visible everywhere with powerlooms in all localities remaining closed. The weavers also formed a human chain and decided to stage demonstrations from Friday. Top members of the Tanzim, Maqbool Hasan and Ishrat Usmani said a strategy would be evolved to intensify the stir further if the government does not accept the demands. Weavers from across the state will collectively apply to get their electricity lines disconnected. Social worker and master weaver Mateen Kaifee said: Under the flat rate scheme, 145 each was fixed for every powerloom. But now weavers are made to pay per unit electricity every month. For example, if a powerloom consumes 300 units, the weaver will have to pay a bill for all 300 units. In the new arrangement, he added, on consumption of 120 units by a half horsepower motor operated powerloom and one horsepower motor operated powerloom, the weaver will get monthly subsidy of 350 and 240, respectively. The government should make it clear whether the weavers would get subsidy in their accounts or the amount will be adjusted at the time of deposition of the bill, Kaifee said. He further said if the government thinks that 145 monthly bill for each powerloom was very little, it may increase it to 300 per month per powerloom. Echoing the sentiment, another weaver Saif Ansari said, We need electricity at subsidised rates in order to survive and preserve the art of weaving which we have been doing for generations. If the flat rate system is not restored many powerlooms in the city would fall silent. Opposition Congress has extended support to the cause and said they will take up the issue with the government. Weaving is an art and weavers are the keeper of this art. The government should restore the flat rate in order to save this art. If weavers dont get electricity on flat rate, many weavers may quit the field and look for other options to earn their livelihood. This will be a great loss, former Congress MLA Ajay Rai said. He said the government representatives should speak to the weavers to assess the situation. He said on the invitation of weavers, Congress state unit president Ajay Singh Lallu had recently called on the weavers and assured them of raising their issue with the authorities and extended them all possible support. Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, director commerce, OP Dixit, confirmed that the metered electricity bill was launched in January following government order. Harry and Meghan's $150m Netflix TV deal to produce woke documentaries has 'no chance to fail' and there is huge pressure on them to deliver a hit amid hype that could backfire, industry insiders have warned. The Royal couple's fans have welcomed new of the deal enthusiastically, but TV experts warn they now have to prove their right-on agenda can attract viewers if their new TV production is going to provide a long-term income. One industry expert called the project 'incredibly dangerous and overhyped' and added: 'they have got no chance to fail, they have got to succeed. If they lose they have got a lot of egg on their face.' But another said they confident it would be a huge success and the pair were capable of managing the pressure because they were 'bright and intelligent young people'. Harry and Meghan announced yesterday they had founded a production company to make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming and inked a deal with the streaming giant. A statement from the pair vowed to make 'impactful content that unlocks action' and name-checked Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos and spoke of the firm's 'unprecedented reach' They are expected to create content including a series on 'mental health', an animated series about inspirational women, a nature documentary, and programmes looking at community service. Their deal has been compared to the Obamas $65m Netflix deal which saw the former president's production company win an Oscar with his first film American Factory. It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who recently bought a $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara on a mortgage, stepped into Hollywood after ditching royal duties in March. But public relations expert Mark Borowski said today the couple had put a lot of pressure on themselves to succeed. He told MailOnline: 'An old Hollywood friend of mine once told me you can never have too big a hit. But you have got to manage expectations. 'When you switch on the hype machine you have got to deliver. If it's something that lets people down it's going to backfire. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plant flowers during an LA pre-school visit last weekend Harry and Meghan's new $14million home in Santa Barbara where they moved this year 'If you pull it apart, who wouldn't want Harry and Meghan it's huge publicity for Netflix. 'But for Harry and Meghan, they just understand this media circus. They have been naive. 'This is a money-raising exercise. They have got this inferiority complex they are going to have to come back cap in hand to the Royal household. 'It all sounds great, but what have you got? What names are attracted, what is the first project? What to expect from Megflix? Harry and Meghan's film projects in their own words Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection,' they said. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens. We are pleased to work with Ted and the team at Netflix whose unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action Advertisement 'It's like someone in the pub saying 'I am going to start making productions for Netflix'. 'This is incredibly dangerous and overhyped, they have got no chance to fail, they have got to succeed. If they lose they have got a lot of egg on their face. 'For Harry and Meghan, this whole shooting match that they get involved with, it heaps a lot of pressure on them. They are looking for attention all the time. On this occasion I think they may have overstepped the mark. 'The proof is obviously in the pudding. It's going to be very difficult, hits are very hard to come by. How many Downton Abbeys, The Crowns and Ordinary Peoples are there? They are from British producers who will tell you that you have got to have a few flops to make before you get a hit. 'This is a naive double-act, who are living on hype.' Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, Chairman of InterTalent, said he thought the par would be a hit. He told MailOnline: 'Of course they have to deliver. They are going to have a fantastic time working with them, they are both bright, intelligent, young people. 'I think it will be a huge success, when you are judging success on Netflix it's different from a terrestrial network. 'Netflix are not driven by ratings, it's more about the portfolio they offer. 'Meghan and Harry will be appealing to subscribers and they are alongside the Obamas. 'I think it's an equally brilliant deal for both the couple and Netflix. 'It also solves their financial problem overnight.' Top British TV producer Gub Neal, of award-winning hits The Fall and Cracker, said he thought it was a good move and Netflix could have been attracted to their woke credentials. Neal, currently creative director of Ringside Studios, told MailOnline: From a branding point of view Harry and Meghan, they are kind of woke and there is a lot of appetite for them. Prince Edward at the launch of his production company Ardent, later closed in 2009 A lot of people have had very successful conversions in the market whether its the Obamas or Michael Portillo, why should Harry and Meghan be any different? If I was at Netflix I would think the deal was a no-brainer. The question is really will Meghan and Harry be persuadable to the right people and right subjects. Viewers will by buying into them, not particularly their production skills. I think what Meghan and Harry will have the advantage of is being more relaxed and less restrained away from the Royal family. I would think its a great deal for Netflix and its not a bad deal for Meghan and Harry. To be seen to be working and not just living a playboy lifestyle this is a great way to declare they are working. This is conspicuous way of saying we do have a purpose. You can do woke and adventure at the same time. You can be environmentally crusading and at the same time making exciting programmes. For Netflix it is going to be very appealing I think its great recipe for both sides. Public paperwork for their Archewell firm in America, gives a flavour of the topics the Sussexes are likely to focus on in their films. Filings mention the areas of sport, mental health, as well as physical fitness, children's programming and even cartoons. Royal expert Ingrid Seward said: 'This proves it's not what you can do, it is who you are. It's very nice for them to be able to just step into that. Steve Bognar, Michelle Obama, Julie Reichart and Barrack Obama celebrate their Netflix hit 'I imagine Prince Charles will be relieved as they will be off his payroll now, and the British public will be relieved because they can pay back what they owe now on Frogmore Cottage, so it's a win-win situation.' They will be hoping to avoid the bad publicity given to Prince Edward's production company after he founded it in 1993. Ardent Productions had started well with a documentary on Edward VIII's abdication but was later branded a 'sad joke' by some industry insiders. Backers pumped 2.2million into the project but when it folded in June 2009 only 40.27 was left over. Media analyst Rich Greenfield said: 'The total deal could be hundreds of millions of dollars.' The Sussexes decision to work with Netflix is also a move reminiscent of former President Barack Obama and his lawyer wife Michelle. In January, sources confirmed the couple had discussed their plans with the Obamas and wanted to mimic the way they had managed to build a successful, but dignified, life for themselves after the White House. Since leaving the White House, the Obamas have earned a small fortune by selling rights to their autobiographies and setting up their own production company, which has bagged a lucrative deal with Netflix. A source said: 'They have found huge commercial success without actually looking like they are getting their hands dirty, to put it bluntly, and retaining their popularity. 'In fact it is fair to say that their star has soared since leaving the White House, particularly Michelle's, and this is something Meghan admires very, very much.' After stepping down as senior royals, Meghan and Harry signed with New York-based Harry Walker Agency in June, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons. Meghan has made several appearances as a speaker at various online summits, however it is understood that she did not receive payment for these engagements. Tom Harrington, a broadcast industry expert at Enders Analysis said 'The Sussexes may imagine they will dictate the shows they want to make but Netflix will have a firm hand on the tiller. A senior industry source said that Meghan would 'believe she's getting full creative control' but that the executive producer's credits she was likely to receive were 'thrown around like confetti'. 'TV networks, Netflix included, don't let the lunatics run the asylum,' the source said. 'Meghan will no doubt want to cast herself as Mother Teresa but that's not how it's going to pan out.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 12:39:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Germany's COVID-19 cases have risen by 1,311 over the past 24 hours to 246,166, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Thursday. The death toll from the disease has increased by eight to 9,321 nationwide. As there has been daily increases in infections in recent weeks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states have agreed to step up COVID-19 measures. Enditem SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone, has welcomed what he has called a 'belated' acknowledgement from a DUP MLA of the need for an extension to the Brexit transition period. At this morning's meeting of the Agricultural, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, William Irwin, DUP MLA for Newry and Armagh, said a six-month lead-in period could be necessary. "There are a lot of unknowns in this all. Given that, possibly, negotiations could go to the wire on this, and maybe no one knows what way this is going to end up, it would be almost vital that there is a lead-in period," he said. "Things just can't change on the 1st of January. I think it's vital, and I've heard it said in the past, that there has to be a six-month lead-in period. "It's important for both the EU and the UK to come to some arrangement, because given the negotiations may run to the wire, I would have thought a drop of the cliff on the first of January will not work. "I would hope there will be some sort of a lead-in period. I think there has to be." With the transition period set to end on December 31, Mr McGlone said DUP MLA William Irwin's comments were a case of too little, too late. "I could scarcely believe my ears when I heard DUP MLA William Irwin say that an extension to the Brexit transition period would be of benefit to businesses, communities and wider society," said the Mid Ulster representative. "It is highly regrettable that Mr Irwin and his party colleagues did not come to this view some months ago, when the SDLP proposed an extension to the transition period, both in the Assembly and in the Executive. "The DUP voted against on both occasions and now the time and deadline has passed for such an extension. The implications of Brexit on people across the North, particularly our farming and agriculture industry, is not a surprise to the SDLP. "That is the very reason why we were vociferously opposed to Brexit from the beginning and have sought to mitigate against its damage at every opportunity since. However belated, I welcome the acknowledgement from DUP MLA, William Irwin, and I expect his colleagues in the Executive and Westminster will echo his calls for clarity and certainty from the British Government, as we hurtle towards December 31st. Communities across the North demand nothing less. China Uses Tactics Short of Armed Conflict to Pursue Territorial, Maritime Claims - Pentagon Report Sputnik News Nair N.B.. Sputnik International 07:03 GMT 02.09.2020 Leaders of China's Communist Party want to create a favourable international environment for their country's national rejuvenation, a Pentagon report has told the US Congress. The report, titled "A 20 Year Retrospective on China's Strategy and Armed Forces", revealed the national goal and the role of the Chinese army in achieving it. According to the Pentagon's Annual Report, presented to the US Congress, China uses tactics that are short of armed conflict to achieve its objective of pursuing territorial and maritime claims in the South and East China Seas as well as along its border with India and Bhutan. It says Beijing, in recent years, has employed "a more coercive approach to deal with several disputes over maritime features and ownership of potentially rich offshore oil and gas deposits". Stating that in recent years, the PLA has also increased patrols around and near Taiwan using bomber, fighter, and surveillance aircraft to signal Taiwan, the report says: "China also employs non-military tools coercively, including economic tools during periods of political tensions with countries that China accuses of harming its national interests." China's nuclear policy, the Pentagon report further states, intends to ensure the viability of its strategic forces in the face of continued advances in the US and, to a lesser extent, Russian strategic ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and precision strike and missile defence capabilities, as well as India's nuclear capabilities. "Chinese and Indian patrols regularly encounter one another along the disputed border, and both sides often accuse one another of border incursions," the report observed. China's tensions with India persist along the north-eastern border near the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing asserts is part of Tibet and therefore part of China, and near the Aksai Chin region at the western end of the Tibetan Plateau. India lost 20 soldiers in mid-June during a violent clash between Chinese and Indian army men in the Galvan Valley, in the east of the Ladakh Union Territory. Subsequently, the two countries have engaged in talks at military commander and diplomatic levels to disengage the armies, returning them to their peacetime positions. The Chinese army had reportedly withdrawn from all, but two friction points following the talks. However, on the night of 29-30 August, according to the Indian External Affairs Ministry, the Chinese army allegedly attempted to transgress into territory which New Delhi perceives to be under its control. "....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 Defence Ministry stated on 31 August. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, however, said, his country has always been committed to maintaining stability along the China-India border and would not be the first to complicate or escalate the situation. China was ready to work with its neighbors to resolve issues left over from history through friendly consultation in the spirit of building friendship and partnership, said Wang during a recent visit to France. India and China have unresolved border disputes over Arunachal Pradesh and in Ladakh. Both neighbours have been engaged in dialogues to resolve the issue, albeit without much success so far. The India-China border is defined by the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), mainly a land border in most regions. But in the Pangong Lake area in eastern Ladakh, the LAC passes through a lake. India controls the western portion of the 45-km long lake, while the rest is under Chinese control. Most of the clashes between the two countries have taken place in the Galvan Valley, in Ladakh. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address There is a strange long-distance chess game going on between Dublin and Brussels focused on picking a replacement for Phil Hogan. And this chess game has compounded the already messy political wrangling going inside the three-party Coalition. The Government's focus has been on trying to figure out what the EU Commission President's next move would be - once they have shown their hand. If they comply with a request to send the name of a man and a woman, is the man definitively not going to get the job? And just what calibre of job might be available? For those of us who like our politics, this one carries more than a hint of intrigue. People around Government Buildings keep stressing that Brussels has no legal right to demand two nominations, male and female. This is true - but it does not help things. Realpolitik is that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has the final decision on who gets what. Given the recent history of this one, it would be prudent to comply with her wishes. Ireland will not keep Phil Hogan's trade portfolio, but two high-calibre names could secure a meaningful role for his successor, maintaining Irish political heft. Informal talks are going on between European experts in Government Buildings and Ms von der Leyen's advisory team, while Ireland's EU embassy is heavily on the case. But hard information is scarce - and there can be no guarantees. In the simplest terms, it means Simon Coveney has no guarantee of anything much. If he lets his name go forward as one of two, he could be rejected in favour of the female nominee. Or, he could come through and be handed a portfolio with little political relevance. Yesterday in Brussels, Ms von der Leyen hosted the big return-to-work, meeting her Commission team. It was an informal affair focused on identifying the many challenges facing the European Union in the coming months. Ireland's Commission nominee was at best a sidebar, viewed through the prism of who might be getting promotion now that one of the heavy-hitters, Mr Hogan, had unexpectedly departed. Ms von der Leyen's immediate focus is on her first so-called 'State of the Union' address, to be delivered to the European Parliament next Wednesday week, September 16. You're already forgiven if you have not heard about this before. It is a product of the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, borrows heavily from the USA, and is an effort to put more political transparency, and indeed some political oomph, into the EU's sometimes byzantine politics. Suffice to say this is big stuff for the woman known increasingly as 'VDL' since it is her first of these and she needs to show leadership on Covid-19, Brexit, climate change and a plethora of other pressing issues. When it comes to Irish issues, she can afford to wait. Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis has taken temporary responsibility for trade. The former Latvian prime minister has been briefed by Mr Hogan and is familiar with the big-picture issues. A conference room in Parliament House on Friday is where Scott Morrison will face perhaps his toughest test yet as PM. From there he will host a video call in which he will try to persuade state and territory leaders to end the political games and open up their borders. The time for State of Origin politics is over - the livelihoods of millions of working Australians are now at stake. From a conference room in Parliament House Scott Morrison (pictured) will host a video call with the state and territory leaders and try to persuade them to open their borders Annastacia Palaszczuk's shameless political motives for her borders were exposed when she let hundreds of AFL players, WAGs and officials waltz into Queensland. Pictured: The premier The prime minister accepts Victoria must be sealed off due to its second wave outbreak, which is behind 87 per cent of all Australia's Covid-19 deaths and still ongoing with relatively high levels of community transmission. But increasing movement between other states is essential to save the nation's dying tourism industry, which employs one million workers and is set to lose a staggering $54.6billion this year due to lockdowns and border restrictions. Greater freedom will also help farmers, residents in border towns, and hundreds of thousands of Aussie families who are trapped apart in different states. In short, ending the border closures is the most crucial step to Australia returning to a semblance of normality in the new 'Covid-normal' world. 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 But Mr Morrison faces the mammoth task of convincing two recalcitrant premiers who are using border closures to gain votes ahead of state elections. Queensland leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, who faces election on October 31, has closed her border to areas of New South Wales and the ACT which have no cases of coronavirus at all even though there is transmission in Brisbane. At the same time she has adopted nationalist rhetoric, pitting her state against the rest of Australia and even declaring that Queensland hospitals are 'for our people'. Ten days after that comment, a mother from Ballina, near the Queensland border, lost her unborn twin after she was flown 700km to Sydney for surgery because an exemption allowing her into Queensland took too long. Then on Wednesday, the premier's shameless political motives were exposed when she let hundreds of AFL players, WAGs and officials waltz into Queensland after clapping and wooping when Brisbane was handed the AFL grand final scheduled for 24 October. Queensland grandmother Jayne Brown, 60, who was made to do hotel quarantine in in Brisbane following brain surgery, said the unfairness was 'mind-blowing'. Passengers arrive on a charter-flight containing partners, wives and family members of AFL players at the Gold Coast Airport in July. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been accused of 'double standards' for letting them in while keeping out border residents The tourism industry is terrified that Mark McGowan, who is fiercely popular in the polls, will keep the WA border shut until after the state election on 13 March. Pictured: Qantas workers protest in Canberra after losing their jobs Meanwhile, Western Australia's Mark McGowan has flat-out refused to open his borders to any jurisdiction, WA Premier Mark McGowan has flat-out refused to open his borders to any jurisdiction including areas without community transmission. The tourism industry is terrified that Mr McGowan, who in one poll recorded a 91 per cent approval rating, will keep the border shut until after the state election on 13 March. In August, he alluded to this timeframe, saying: 'As to whether it's before the end of the year, as to whether it's before the middle of next year, I cannot put a date on it.' Tasmania's Peter Guttwein has also refused to open his borders, but at least he's reviewing the situation every day and has penciled in 31 August as a potential date for relaxing the rules. The debacle has exposed a major flaw in Australia's federal system, which leaves the Morrison Government powerless to bring down state borders. While Mr Morrison will have to persuade the premiers to change their minds, he does have one trick up his sleeve. The prime minister has asked a medical expert panel to come up with a definition of a coronavirus 'hotspot'. This would allow him to expose premiers who are keeping their borders closed to places that scientists do not deem dangerous. Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said today a hotspot will be an area that suffers a fixed number of cases over a three-day period. Western Australia's Mark McGowan (pictured) has flat-out refused to open his borders to any jurisdiction, even Tasmania which has not had a single Covid case since 15 May A heavily pregnant mother was forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border, before losing one of her unborn twin babies Another option open to the prime minister is to restart travel bubble talks with Covid-safe nations such as New Zealand, Japan and the Pacific islands. Not all states will agree to be involved, but public opinion may turn against the stricter premiers if they see fellow Australians being allowed to holiday abroad. Until now Mr Morrison has repeatedly hailed the 'good faith co-operation' of the national cabinet - but his opponents deride this as spin by 'Scotty from marketing' and say the meetings have achieved little. So now's the time for the PM to put his money where his mouth is and really achieve something big. Most observers don't like his chances, but if he succeeds in re-opening the country, Mr Morrison could go down in history as one of Australia's great leaders. WARSAW, POLAND, Sept 3, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi ABB Power Grids has been awarded projects by French company, EDF Renewables, a global leader in renewable energy, to deliver three 110/20 kV power substations for three new wind power plants that it is building in Northern and Western Poland. The plants are near Ustka (28 MW), Parnowo (15 MW) and Gorzyca (24 MW). In addition to the three substations, which are key ele- ments of the windfarms, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will also deliver a 110kV substation in Parnowo, which will be used by the distribution system operator."What is important is that we have managed to optimize the original project in order to reduce the cost of its implementation, while maintaining high functionality," said Hubert Krukowski, Marketing and Sales Manager and Vice President of the Management Board of Hitachi ABB Power Grids Poland.Hubert added, "These are the next in a series of projects that we are implementing in Poland for the EDF Group - our systems and apparatus have been working well for several years in another windfarm built by EDF. The customer can be confident that they have appointed an experienced contractor that understands their needs."The 110/20 kV power substation are the 'brain' of windfarms and are used to off-take and transform generated energy into the grid level. The substations will be equipped with Hitachi ABB Power Grids' high voltage equipment, including high voltage circuit breakers, current and voltage instrument transformers and surge arresters.Hitachi ABB Power Grids is the leader in power substation solutions, delivering a broad portfolio of power substation projects for windfarms. In recent years the business has completed a number of projects within Poland's wind energy sector. In June 2020, Hitachi ABB Power Grids became a Supporting Member of the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society, contributing to the acceleration of the nation-wide debate on the development of the country's offshore wind energy sector.EDF Renewables have commissioned the three new investments for 2021.About Hitachi ABB Power Grids Ltd.Hitachi ABB Power Grids is global technology leader with a combined heritage of almost 250 years, employing around 36,000 people in 90 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, the business serves utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain, and emerging areas like sustainable mobility, smart cities, energy storage and data centers. With a proven track record, global footprint and unparalleled installed base, Hitachi ABB Power Grids balances social, environmental and economics. It is committed to powering good for a sustainable energy future, with pioneering and digital technologies, as the partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid. https://www.hitachiabb-powergrids.comSource: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. Pakistans powerful generals have for decades cited political corruption as a leading problem in the country that justified the toppling of governments through repeated coups and the military's manipulation of power. But a recent report about the vast family business of a former army general who is a senior government adviser has prompted debate about alleged corruption among military elites and the apparent impunity they enjoy in contrast to civilian elites both of which have taken turns ruling the country during its 73-year history. Just days after independent journalist Ahmad Noorani published his August 27 article linking former Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwas rise through the military to his familys estimated $100 million fortune, Pakistani officials were scrambling to come up with a response amid public pressure. Bajwa declared the report a malicious propaganda story and government supporters and former army officers have called it a conspiracy against their country as well as the Chinese investments Bajwa oversees. Late on September 3, Bajwa issued a detailed press release to counter Nooranis report. Noorani, a fellow at the Missouri School of Journalism, says the wealth of Bajwas family grew unbelievably after he joined the staff of military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 2002 and later headed the militarys public relations wing. He eventually led troops in the restive southwestern Balochistan Province until retiring in September 2019. The narrative about corruption is changing in Pakistan after my investigation came to light, he told RFE/RLs Gandhara website. The corruption debate was limited only to graft allegations about politicians, but now people are discussing this issue in relation to the military and its powerful officers. Noorani says he hopes his expose will break the atmosphere of fear in Pakistan, where the military is frequently accused of blanket censorship and severe intimidation of activists and journalists. My story proves that while [the military does] not allow anyone to investigate their dealings and most of their dealings are not part of the public domain, it is possible many similar stories are out there, he said. He argues that the financial dealings of officers should be made public. You can bar reporting on some [sensitive] national-security issues but allow the press and government accountability organizations to look into the financial dealings of top officers, he said. It will establish transparency. But Pakistans current accountability laws exclude the military and the judiciary. Senior military figures have maintained they do not need external oversight because they have internal accountability mechanisms. They point to the many sackings and punishment of officers as evidence of the systems effectiveness. Author Ayesha Siddiqa, a research associate at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, says Nooranis investigation is the first of its kind to attempt to undo a decades-old narrative about corruption in public life in Pakistan. What this story has done is at least partly puncture the myth that military generals are honest and that they shouldnt be accountable, she told Gandhara. There is a case to be made for their accountability. Siddiqas 2007 book, Military Inc: Inside Pakistans Military Economy, argues that decades of political dominance have turned Pakistani generals into a privileged class with the lions share of power, wealth, and privileges. She says corruption and anti-corruption have dominated politics ever since military dictator General Ziaul Haq dissolved a civilian government over corruption allegations in 1988. In the 1990s, the two leading political parties -- the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) -- accused each other of graft and targeted each others leaders over the issue. Corruption allegations figured prominently in General Pervez Musharrafs military coup in 1999. He later formed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an antigraft body focused on politicians and civil bureaucrats. In recent years, the main political rhetoric has been that there is no left-wing or right-wing ideology and the main struggle is over corruption and anti-corruption, she noted. The [Pakistan Tehreek-e Isnaf] took benefit of this and made it to power, she said, referring to Prime Minister Imran Khans PTI party, which campaigned against alleged corruption by the PPP and PML-N to eventually win parliamentary elections in July 2018 by incorporating many turncoat leaders from the two parties. Opposition leaders blamed the military for orchestrating the PTIs win through rigging and manipulation. As chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority and Khans media adviser, Bajwa holds an important position within Khans administration. But minutes after Nooranis story was posted on his website, Factfocus.com, Bajwa rejected the report. A malicious propaganda story published on an unknown site, against me and my family, (just uploaded on social media) is strongly rebutted, he tweeted. In a detailed response issued late on September 3, Bajwa called Nooranis report incorrect and false. He denied his wife is a shareholder in the family business or that the family business is linked to his rise in the military ranks. If one were to look at the actual figures, the inescapable conclusion would be that the news item has been spread with a view to malign my reputation, he wrote in a four-page press release. Amjad Shoaib, a former army general, declared the expose a conspiracy against Pakistan hatched by Islamabad's archrival, India, and others. Has Noorani conducted any investigative story about many megacorruption cases in this country? he asked. As a leading investigative reporter, Noorani has distinguished himself by probing sensitive stories. He says his reporting led to years of harassment by the military, which culminated in a violent attack by unknown men in October 2017 that left him with head injuries. In a statement on September 1, the global media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists condemned threats against Noorani after he published his report. Opposition politicians stung by the governments accountability drive through NAB cases are gradually raising questions about Bajwas alleged fortune. "Allegations have been made against him [Bajwa] and he should answer them," PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said. Nawaz is seen as the heir apparent of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In July 2017, the Supreme Court ousted him from office over undeclared assets. But Sharif insisted his removal was part of an effort to undermine democracy and civilian supremacy. "If you have been appointed to a government post on taxpayers' money and allegations are made against you and evidence is presented, you should face them," she said. The PPP has also called for a probe of the alleged wealth of Bajwas family. On September 1, a Pakistani court gave Sharif a chance to surrender if he returned home within 10 days or else risk being declared a fugitive from justice. The court wants him to appear for a corruption hearing. Sharif has been in London since being allowed by the court in November to fly there for medical treatment. Editor's note: This story has been updated to include former Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa's response issued late on September 3. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:11:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Thursday, with its total confirmed cases standing at 1,046 while confirming one more death from the disease, according to its Ministry of Health. The latest COVID-19 death raised the death toll in the country to 35, said the ministry, noting that the 83-year-old woman had underlying medical conditions. Meanwhile, nine more COVID-19 patients have been given all-clear, raising the total cured cases in the country to 755, the ministry said, noting that nearly 63,700 people are being quarantined and monitored in the country. Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority has proposed the reopening of international flight routes with countries and regions including Cambodia, Chinese mainland and China's Taiwan region, Japan, Laos and South Korea from Sept. 15, Vietnam News Agency reported on Thursday, noting that each week there will be an estimate of about 5,000 passengers entering Vietnam from these proposed routes. Enditem Three Maryland men were arrested and charged for wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. Dennis Mbongeni Jali, John Erasmus Frimpong, and Arley Ray Johnson posed as fake pastors to gain the trust of many churchgoers and "allegedly preyed on their victims with false hope of financial security." FBI Special Agent in Charge, Jennifer Boone, said, "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." Jali, Frimpong, and Johnson allegedly scammed around 1,200 investors out of $28 million, including but not limited to: nurses, accountants, engineers, and car dealership managers. NBC later reported that Jali presented himself as a pastor who was also an expert trader and a self-made millionaire. The lawsuit states, "Jali preached at local churches, including the church Frimpong attended, and solicited investments from parishioners during church services." Johnson, a confessed Christian minister, overlooked and participated in similar actions. Frimpong also posed as an expert trader in cryptocurrency markets and foreign exchange markets while preaching at different churches. According to the indictment, the three men operated as fake pastors under Jali's company, The Smart Partners LLC, or "1st Million." It also stated that the accused "told prospective investors that 1st Million's work was in furtherance of God's mission as it helped churches and their members achieve personal wealth and financial freedom." Joli faces up to 10 years for each of three counts of money laundering, and they collectively face up to "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." SOFIA -- Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev fell into a coma in Sofia in April 2015 after someone smeared the door handles of his car with a substance similar to Novichok -- the nerve agent that hospitalized former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. Bulgarian officials eventually charged three Russian agents in absentia with attempted murder by using a phosphorus-organic substance that poisoned Gebrev, his son Hristo, and the production director of Gebrevs Sofia-based firm, EMCO Production. All three were hospitalized and fell into comas but survived. But amid the international furor over the recent poisoning in Russia of the outspoken Kremlin critic Navalny, Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev has suddenly ordered the suspension of Sofias probe. Im not a KGB agent or a politician, Gebrev told RFE/RL after being told the investigation had been suspended. Prosecutors said the direct perpetrators were Russian officers. OK. Russian officers, Gebrev said. I may be extremely low in the hierarchy, but what has happened to me is a pure act of terrorism. For years, Gebrev has been pushing for Bulgarian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into who tried to kill him. His prodding led to revelations that have helped link his case to the Novichok attack against the Russian former double-agent, Skripal, in Salisbury, England. Bulgarian investigators initially said theyd found traces of the highly toxic insecticide chlorpyrifos in Gebrevs coffee and food at his home, but no substance banned by the international Chemical Weapons Convention such as Novichok. Gebrev said that about six months after he fell into a coma with Novichok-like symptoms, the Bulgarian Prosecutor-Generals Office stopped any serious attempt to discover the culprits or learn more about what was used to poison him. At my request and insistence, [the investigation] was continued, and it ended again after about another six or seven months, Gebrev told RFE/RL. There was a big lull until 2018. Salisbury Hit Squad Then -- on March 4, 2018 -- Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by Novichok thought to have been spread on the front door handle of his home in Salisbury. It was Gebrev himself, reading press reports about the Skripals symptoms, who made the connection between the Salisbury attack and his ordeal. International media picked up on Gebrevs story after he spoke out publicly about their similar symptoms. British allegations that Russia had sent a hit squad to Salisbury to poison Skripal brought fresh impetus to the investigation in Sofia. In October 2018, Bulgarian authorities created a special investigative team and reopened the Gebrev case. FBI and British intelligence agents joined the team. They reviewed security-camera footage of the parking garage below Gebrevs company headquarters and determined someone had slipped inside to smear poison on his car-door handles. In January 2019, formal charges of attempted murder were announced in absentia against three Russian suspects initially identified as Sergei Pavlov, Georgy Gorshkov, and Sergei Fedotov. Fedotov was then identified by the Britain-based research group Bellingcat as the purported commander of the Novichok attack in Salisbury. Bellingcat and the German news site Der Spiegel also confirmed in a joint investigation that Fedotov was a false identity used for traveling outside Russia by Denis Sergeyev -- a major general from an elite overseas clandestine-operations team that is part of Russias GRU military intelligence unit 29155. Western intelligence agencies say the secret unit has been active in Europe for years, carrying out subversive activities that included coup attempts and assassinations. They say the GRU unit had been unknown to them before the attack on the Skripals. But the investigation into Gebrevs case shed light on its activities. With agents from the FBI and British intelligence involved, the reopened Bulgarian investigation determined Sergeyev had used the same false name, Sergei Fedotov, when he and the other Russian suspects stayed at a Sofia hotel near Gebrevs company headquarters in April 2015. They were staying there the day Gebrev was poisoned, and one of their rooms had a view of the entrance to the underground garage where Gebrevs car was parked. When the state wants to investigate, then it can, Gebrev told RFE/RL shortly before Bulgarian prosecutors announced the attempted murder charges against the Russian suspects. The more I analyze what has happened so far, however cruel and ugly it sounds, it is the result of an extremely thought-out, purposeful, and consistent war against me, the company I lead, and, analyzing the whole situation, against companies in the defense sector, Gebrev said. Deja Vu Gebrev had a sense of deja vu on August 20 when Navalny fell ill while traveling aboard a domestic commercial flight from Siberia. Russian doctors who initially treated Navalny said there was no sign of poisoning, and Russian investigators appeared reluctant to check claims by Navalnys associates that the Kremlin was involved. But German doctors treating Navalny after his transfer to Berlin announced on September 2 that there were traces in his body of Novichok, a phosphorus-organic chemical warfare agent that was first developed in the Soviet Union. Gebrev had told RFE/RL the previous day that he expected medical tests in Germany would lead to that conclusion. For one reason or another, in the Skripal case, the British side came out with clear information that it was the same or a similar [chemical] warfare poison [that was used against me], Gebrev told RFE/RL on September 1. In the case of Navalnyfor all the symptoms, statements, and initial comments, things lead there. Weeks earlier, in late July, Gebrev said in an open letter that he saw deliberate procrastination by Prosecutor-General Geshev on the investigation into his poisoning. Gebrev linked the situation to his arms-trading business, but said there also were geopolitical factors behind Sofias failure to hold a trial for the three suspected Russian agents. Gebrev wrote: Behind the ostentatious, half-hearted, and declarative actions" of Geshev lies a fear of geopolitical consequences." More recently, Gebrev told RFE/RL he has reviewed Geshevs August 26 order to suspend the Bulgarian probe, as well as other documents related to his case. He said things there are not right. In the name of truth, I am familiar [with the progress of the investigation], Gebrev said. When an investigation is terminated, you have the right as a victim to review the documentation on it, he explained. I was familiar with the investigation and there were a lot of omissions and mistakes. Although Bulgaria is a member of the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Gebrev accused Bulgarian investigators of being neither credible nor transparent with OPCW experts. Every effort has been made not to involve the [OPCW] as a side that has these strengths and capabilities to prove the exact source material, he said. [The Bulgarian side] hid documents. They said they were connecting [with the OPCW]. But they did not connect. And they think that no one is watching what they are doing here in the puddle, Gebrev said. Thank God there are other investigators who are aware of every single thing that is done in our country. The Kremlin denies any role in the poisoning of Gebrev, the Skripals, or Navalny. The Bulgarian Prosecutor-Generals Office has not responded to questions from RFE/RL about what cooperation, if any, it has sought from the Kremlin to bring the Russian suspects to trial in Sofia. Gebrev said that is a question he is unable to answer. But he told RFE/RL: If the Bulgarian side was looking for [cooperation from Russia in the investigation], it did it with fear -- not with dignity -- of a state, of a former ally, of a current partner. When you are a serious person and ask a serious person a question, you get a serious answer, he said. When you shrink and do something else, the reaction is different. Gebrev said the suspension of his case could be related to domestic politics in Bulgaria rather than any direct connection to the Navalny poisoning. He pointed to Bulgarias embattled prosecutor-general and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Both have faced calls to resign at mass demonstrations across Bulgaria since early July -- with allegations that government ministries and the judiciary, including the Prosecutor-Generals Office, are controlled by criminal organizations. Things are very simple, Gebrev said. Maybe they are related to this long-standing discontent in the country.... Discontent of two figures in our society. In any case, these two figures are directly related to the case. The prosecutor-general cannot be unaware of how such a landmark case is developing, Gebrev said. Not that I am a significant person, but the case is significant because it does not happen every day in Bulgaria or in Europe. And there is no way from a purely political, politico-economic, and geopolitical point of view that the prime minister of the country is not interested, Gebrev concluded. Written by Ron Synovitz in Prague with reporting from Sofia by Polina Paunova and RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service A Filipino sailor is rescued by a Japan Coast Guard boat after a cargo vessel carrying 42 other crew members and thousands of cattle sank in the East China Sea off Japan, Sept. 2, 2020 A livestock ship carrying 43 crew members 39 of them Filipinos has sunk after encountering engine trouble amid stormy seas off Japan, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. The Gulf Livestock 1, a Panamanian-flagged vessel transporting thousands of cattle, sent out a distress call on Wednesday from the East China Sea that its engine had stopped working. The area is believed to be west of Amami Oshima Island in southwestern Japan. By late that day, a lone Filipino officer of the boat, Sereno Edvarodo, 45, was plucked from the sea by Japans coast guard. The Japanese coast guard immediately deployed patrol boats and airplanes to conduct the search for the missing vessel, which is still ongoing, the Philippine foreign office said in a statement. So far, one Filipino was reported to have been rescued by the Japanese coast guard, it said. The weather was rough on Wednesday due to Typhoon Maysak but has since improved, according to reports. The Philippine consulate in Osaka said it was monitoring the situation while the Japanese coast guard continued with the search effort. The consulate was also in close coordination with Philippine-based agency Kopil Ship Management and Manning Corp., which had deployed the seafarers. Apart from the Filipino crew, the stricken vessel was also carrying two Australians and two New Zealanders, the department said. Edvarodo was hospitalized but in good health, according to the Associated Press. He told rescuers that the ship stalled when an engine stopped, then capsized and sank after being hit by a powerful wave, coast guard regional spokesman Yuichiro Higashi was quoted as saying. The survivor put on a life jacket and jumped into the sea in response to an emergency announcement, and did not see any other crew members after that, Higashi said. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had contacted families of its nationals aboard the stricken vessel. Owned by United Arab Emirates-based Gulf Navigation Holding, the vessel left New Zealand on Aug. 14 with 5,867 cattle on board. It was en route to Tangshan, in China. The Philippines is a top supplier of seamen around the world. Last year alone, nearly 500,000 were deployed to work in ships, from cargo vessels to cruise ships, according to data from the government. BANGALORE, India, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The major factors expected to increase the industrial robot market size are technological developments, labor shortages, and increased manufacturing requirements. The global Industrial Robots market size was 11300 Million USD in 2018 and is expected to 24500 Million USD by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 10.2% between 2019 and 2025. The Industrial Robots Market report studies the global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors, and Porter's Five Forces Analysis. Get Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Industrial Robots Market https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Othe-3D310/Industrial_Robots_Market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS MARKET SIZE The rapid expansion of the automotive industry around the world, and the rising adoption of robotics in the non-automotive sector, including food & beverage, chemicals, rubber & plastics, and electronics / electrical, are boosting the growth of industrial robots market size. Consumer's preference for shopping online is improving the e-commerce industry. Distribution centers, manufacturers, distributors, and facilities owners are now underlining the incorporation of automated robotic solutions. The integration of industrial robots to the e-commerce industry will help achieve on-time delivery, reduce labor costs, and increase efficiency and productivity. This increasing use of automated robots in the e-commerce industry is expected to drive the industrial robot market size. Another factor driving the growth of industrial robots market size is the growing penetration of collaborative robots in various industries. Collaborative robots allow robots and humans to work effectively together in open or uncaged environments. Using collaborative robots makes it possible to involve a human operator and robot in the same process together. The coordination of management, output, and control is crucial for the smooth running of the workflow in the industrial sector. The current transition from manual to automation is increasing demand for such industrial robots. The market for these robots is catching up due to the development of small and medium-sized businesses, growing technology investments in manufacturing, and imposing tight government restrictions on handling toxic materials and goods. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-3D310/industrial-robots INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS The Healthcare & pharmaceutical segment is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. The rapid growth is attributed to the growing trend of synergizing robots and humans to perform various medical activities. This involves helping surgeons conduct surgery, usually minimally invasive procedures. These robots are integrated with advanced 3D HD technology, enabling the operator's spatial references for highly complex operations. Moreover, speed and accuracy characteristics are major factors that are expected to propel the growth of the industrial robot market size. Based on the region, North America is expected to hold the largest market share due to the emergence of industry 4.0. The increasing adoption of robots, along with the introduction of smart factors, would increase the market share of industrial robots in the coming years. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. This rapid growth of the region is attributed to the favorable government policy programs addressing R&D funding, tax incentives, loans, and investment in skills. Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Othe-3D310/Industrial_Robots_Market The key manufacturers in this market include FANUC( Japan ) ) KUKA( Germany ) ) ABB( Switzerland ) ) Yaskawa (Motoman)( Japan ) ) Nachi( Japan ) ) Kawasaki Robotics( Japan ) ) Comau( Italy ) ) EPSON Robots( Japan ) ) Staubli( Switzerland ) ) Omron Adept Technologies(US) DENSO Robotics( Japan ) ) OTC Daihen( Japan ) ) Panasonic( Japan ) ) Toshiba( Japan ) ) Mitsubishi Electric( Japan ) ) Yamaha( Japan ) ) Universal Robots( Denmark ) ) Hyundai Robotics(Korea) Robostar(Korea) Star Seiki ( Japan ) ( ) CLOOS( Germany ) ) IGM( Australia ) ) JEL Corporation( Japan ) ) Foxconn(Foxbot)( China ) ) Siasun( China ) ) Anhui EFORT Intelligent Equipment( China ) ) Estun Automation( China ) ) Guangzhou CNC Equipment( China ) ) STEP Electric Corporation Codian Robotics( Netherlands ). By the product type, the market is primarily split into Articulated Robots Parallel Robots SCARA Robots Cylindrical Robots Cartesian Robots. By the end users/application, this report covers the following segments Automotive Electrical and Electronics Chemical, Rubber and Plastic Metal and Machinery Food, Beverages and Pharmaceuticals Other. Buy Now for Single User: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Othe-3D310&lic=single-user Buy Now for Enterprise License: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Othe-3D310&lic=enterprise-license SIMILAR REPORTS : Industrial Controls and Factory Automation Market Report The global Industrial Controls and Factory Automation market size is valued at 128000 Million USD in 2020 is expected to reach 210250 Million USD by the end of 2026. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-0O1583/global-industrial-controls-and-factory-automation Collaborative Robots Market Report The market size for Collaborative Robots was valued at USD 590 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 17100 Million by 2025, at a CAGR of 52.4% over the forecast period. The demand for collaborative robots is profoundly dependent on the growth of the automation industry. Major players in the Collaborative Robots Market are Universal Robots with a share of 47.60%, ABB with a share of 18.41%, and Rethink Robotics with a share of 12.30% of the global collaborative robots sales market share in 2016. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-7U395/global-collaborative-robots Articulated Robots Market Report The global Articulated Robots Market size is valued at 7041.6 Million USD in 2020 is expected to reach 13300 Million USD by the end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.4% during 2021-2026. The global revenue of the Articulated Robot Market was valued at 5254.52 Million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 10939.42 Million USD in 2025 at a CAGR of 9.60%. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-24C1241/global-articulated-robots Parallel Robots Market Report The food and beverages segment accounted for a major share of the Parallel Robots Market. To provide for the increased demand from customers, food processing companies have started to focus on optimizing and automating their process lines. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0J306/parallel-robots SCARA Robots Market Report The global SCARA Robots market size is projected to reach USD 5055 Million by 2026, from USD 4641.9 Million in 2020 View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0F305/scara-robots Cartesian Robots Market Report View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-18B927/global-cartesian-robots 3C Industrial Robots Market Report View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-12L2227/global-3c-industrial-robots Mobile Industrial Robots Market Report View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-23H2020/global-mobile-industrial-robots Multi-Axis Industrial Robots Market Report View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-14I908/global-multi-axis-industrial-robots Vacuum Generator for Industrial Robots Market Report View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-4Z300/vacuum-generator-for-industrial-robots ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. 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Each sample we share contains detail research methodology employed to generate the report, Please also reach to our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources CONTACT US: Valuates Reports sales@valuates.com For U.S. Toll-Free Call +1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp: +91 9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Linkedin - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg Chechen Leader Kadyrov Appoints His Daughter First Deputy Culture Minister By RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service September 02, 2020 GROZNY, Russia -- Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian leader of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, has appointed his eldest daughter as first deputy culture minister. Kadyrov announced the appointment of his 21-year-old daughter to the post on Telegram on September 1, saying that it was his "firmly weighed decision." "Despite her young age, she has a wealth of experience managing very complex and large projects, including those linked to culture," Kadyrov wrote. Aishat Kadyrova manages the Firdaws fashion salon, which presented its collections in Paris, Dubai, Moscow, and Grozny. In July, the U.S. State Department introduced new sanctions against Kadyrov for human rights violations in the region, including torture and extrajudicial execution. The new sanctions also targeted Aishat Kadyrova, her sister Karina, and mother Medni Kadyrova. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-leader- kadyrov-appoints-his-daughter-first- deputy-culture-minister/30816748.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Her standout looks catapulted her to fame over 10 years ago. And Kim Kardashian paid a visit to the man in charge of keeping her mega watt smile shining, on Wednesday. The 39-year-old reality TV star documented her trip to the dentist on her Instagram stories. Shiny teeth: Kim Kardashian paid a visit to the man in charge of keeping her mega watt smile shining, on Wednesday The keeping up with the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star recorded herself in the chair as her Beverly Hills dentist Kevin Sands made his entrance. 'Look who stayed open for me,' she said adding she needed to get her retainer fixed. Kim look glamorous for her visit with a full face of makeup, flawless contoured skin, strong brows and winged eyeliner. She showed off her teeth that looked bright white especially contrasted to her dark nude lipstick. Best ever: The keeping up with the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star recorded herself in the chair as her Beverly Hills dentist Kevin Sands made his entrance Real here: After flashing her teeth, Kim asked her dentist if she had veneers, to which he denied her having After flashing her teeth, Kim asked her dentist if she had veneers, to which he denied her having. 'People always think I have veneers,' she said, though she assured fans it was her real teeth in her mouth. After her visit she spotted a full building sized advertisement of her modeling her shape wear line SKIMS. Larger than life: After her visit she spotted a full building sized advertisement of her modeling her shape wear line SKIMS, ahead of the brand's one year anniversary on September 10 The brand will celebrate its one year anniversary on September 10. She recently revealed the secrets to wearing the right undergarments. In recent video clips posted to her Instagram Stories, Kim showed fans a new clay-colored underwear ensemble from her SKIMS line, that she claims is great for when you want your body to look 'snatched.' 'I wanted to show you guys my go-to shapewear, when I wear something underneath,' she explained in the video, while posing in her underwear. Secrets: In recent video clips posted to her Instagram Stories, Kim showed fans a new clay-colored underwear ensemble from her SKIMS line, that she claims is great for when you want your body to look 'snatched' She explained: 'I love this shapewear bra, if you don't want to wear an underwear bra, but you need something that snatches you, that is so supportive, then this bra is the best.' 'And the shapewear brief just snatches you and makes you feel really secure, because sometimes you can't wear a thong, especially if you're wearing a sheer something and you need to show like a full bottom,' she continued. Meanwhile, it was revealed over the weekend, that Kim's husband Kanye West is keen to purchase another ranch in Wyoming. 15 Deaths, 113 New Cases in Victoria, Leaked Draft Exit Plan out of Date Victoria has suffered a spike in COVID-19 deaths and cases, with the latest 15 fatalities taking the state toll to 591 and the Australian figure to 678. There are also 113 new cases, the first time since Aug. 30 that the daily tally has been above 100. The death toll is also back in the double figures. The numbers released on Sept. 3 come after the state government warned a purported draft of Victorias plan to exit its coronavirus lockdown this month was out of date. The document, leaked to and published by the Herald Sun, indicated metropolitan Melbournes stage-four lockdown would be extended by a fortnight to Sept. 28. It outlined a range of small concessions that could be made for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria when Premier Daniel Andrews on Sept. 6 announces a pathway out of the state-wide lockdown. This is an out of date draft document, a state government spokesperson said. We know every Victorian wants certainty about the futurefor them, for their family and for their work. By the end of the week, we will lay out a plan to re-open our state. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is one of business and industry groups still negotiating with the state government on the easing of the stage-four lockdown in Melbourne and the stage-three measures in regional Victoria. VECCI chief executive Paul Guerra said his group knew nothing about the contents to the leaked document. Nothing like itin fact my phone blew up this morning with text messages (from) many aggrieved people, Guerra told 3AW. Im happy to say I have never seen that template beforehand and its certainly not the template we have been working with, in conjunction with unions and other industry leaders and the state. Federal Treasurer and Victorian MP Josh Frydenberg on Sept. 3 played down the leak, saying I will wait for the final plan from the premier on Sunday. Pranab Mukherjee was a perfect Bengali gentleman politician. My endless respect must go to this son of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style of India. And also my deepest commiserations to his family, his near and dear ones. by Anwar A. Khan Pranab Mukherjee was an octogenarian Indian politician, statesman, former President of India and an unfeigned admirer of Bangladesh passed away on 31 August last at the age of 84. Her wife Shuvra Mukherjee was from Bangladesh. And his first official visit as Indias President was Bangladesh. Mukherjee was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2019, after being given its second-highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. He was a strong-boned supporter of Bangladeshs glorious Liberation War in 1971 to establish Bangladesh, frequently visited the refugee camps of our millions of people who took shelter in different parts of India during those very arduous times and helped us a great deal in various ways. The common traits of accomplished people-intelligence, perseverance, and stimulating social environments are hardly found like him in in India. He will not now see the shadows, he will not feel the rain; he will not hear the nightingale sing on, as if in pain; and he will not dream through the twilight that doth not rise nor set. As sunlight on a stream; come back in tears, O memory, hope, love of finished years. Watch the slow door that is opening, letting in, lets out no more. Yet, come to us in dreams, that you are living. A farewell flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea, our tribute wave deliver: no more by your steps shall be, forever and forever. Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea, a rivulet then a river, nowhere by your steps shall be forever and forever. A thousand suns will stream on him, a thousand moons will quiver; but not by your steps shall be, forever and forever. The beauty of Pranab Mukherjee is lying upon thy high places. How are the mighty fallen; and the flow of tears are not and will not be perished. His ideal, as we find, embodied the necessary or important tenets of humanism, which considered Pranab Mukherjee the centre of the universe, limitless in his capacities for development, and led to the notion that men should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own capacities as fully as possible. His human being is the central or most significant entities in the Southeast Asian world. Pranab was polymath like an individual whose knowledge spans a significant number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. People should idolise him, but his venerate is the reverence due to the ideals of perfect beatitude; it ought not to be inspired either not only by hope or anything else. He shot an arrow into the air that fell to earth, he knew where; for, so swiftly it flew, the sight which could follow it in its flight. Long, long afterwards, I think in an oak tree, we shall find the arrow, still unbroken; and the song, from beginning to end, we shall find again in the heart of a great Bengalee friend like him. To him Secularism has a broad range of meaning. Like our old songs, those golden days shall forever remain cherished and nostalgic; and as a part of a senior citizens waking dream! Now he is going to an endless sleep! His life was the song of life in our lifes long journey, dear fellow traveller, we met you for a while only to depart! What remains are the sweet memories to torment our lonesome heart! Since beauty is only skin deep, and fades with the passing of time, let us stay away from such come-ons as we journey on this road of life. Plenteous rich tributes have poured out for Pranab following his death. But death is nothing at all. It does not count. He has only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. He is he, and we are we, and the old life that he lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever he was to each other, that we are still. Call him by the old familiar name. Speak of him in the easy way which we always used. Put no difference into our tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Think of him, pray for him. Let his name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. Why should he be out of mind because he was out of sight? He was but waiting for you or us, for an interval, somewhere very near just round the corner. All is well. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again! When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses, and even elephants lumber after safety. When great trees fall in forests, small things recoil into silence, their senses eroded beyond fear. When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity. Our memory, suddenly sharpened, examines, gnaws on kind words unsaid, promised walks never taken. Great souls die and our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us. Our souls, dependent upon their nurture, now shrink, wizened. Our minds, formed and informed by their radiance, fall away. We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of dark, cold caves. And when great souls die, after a period of peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration. Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us. They existed. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For, they existed. Every age has its great men. Every period of history has had its great men. In every emergency of the nation, thus far, men have not been wanting who were equal to the emergency. Men who could grapple with great facts, and great difficulties, and out of danger could bring safety to the nation. When passions have raged, and political whirlwinds have swept the nation; when political faction has risen against faction and party against party, and the fabric of government has rocked in the tumult; when enemies have assaulted our peace, by wars from without or seditions from within; there have always been found men of courage and capacity to ride the whirlwind and direct the storm. Such men are the "glory and honour of a nation." Humanly speaking, they are its rock of defence, the bulwark of its security. When men of great ability and great integrity man is the ship of state, there is safety to those on board. But when such men fail; when the material out of which such men are forged in the furnace of great affairs is wanting; whenever in any crisis a hero is not found equal to the need; then may that nation count that the day of its strength and glory is gone by. We shall, therefore, first speak of the moral courage, the heroic persistency, the tireless continuity, of that group of statesmen, among which Pranab Mukherjee held a foremost place, and of which he was the last on Indian earth. There is a grandeur in the heroism of men in great emergencies, which excites the admiration of noble minds, and compels the tribute of historic praise. The statesmanship, the sagacity, the individual worth, of the men who form the central group of him command the respect and challenge the admiration of the world. But when to these are added the sublime courage, the moral heroism which, for the sake of civil liberty and national independence, moved these men to defy the power of other mighty nations, swollen with the pride of great victories; a power which held undisputed empire of the seas; already encircling the world with his morning drum-beat, and among all nations politically omnipotent, they rise to the dignity of heroes who would, in a simpler age. As a scholar, as a statesman and a secular Indian politician, the world will ever admire Pranab Mukherjee. Pranab was a statesman of no mean order. He was an orator, clear, forcible, comprehensive, compact, and sometimes eloquent; he had vast powers of concentration, organisation and man-agreement; his capacity for running the state affairs was almost equal to none in the present-day India. He was the soul of honour, integrity and manliness. In any phase of politics, and in any stage of history, he would have taken a respectable rank, if given the opportunity. Pranab that which made him a great leader in his day; that which made him heard and respected in the councils of the Indian nation; that which raised him to the governments first place within the gift of the people; that which gave him his distinctive place in history; that which has moved with profound emotions of sorrow the whole people of India and Bangladesh at the tidings of his death; was the cool courage, the unflinching devotion and the consummate skills with which he fought arduously in his country and government. This was his life-work. He did reach his full potential, but the memories he made in his long time, he will live in the hearts of his friends and loved ones. Remember him when he was gone away, gone far away into the silent land; when we can no more hold him by the hand, nor we half turn to go yet turning stay. Remember him when no more day by day. We tell him of our future that he planned, only remember him, as we understand. It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet, if we should not forget him for a while and afterwards remember, do not grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave, a vestige of the thoughts that once we had, better by far we should not forget and smile than that we should remember and be sad. Time does not bring relief; we all have lied. Who told us time would ease us of our pain! We miss him in the weeping of the rain; we want him at the shrinking of the tide; the old snows melt from every mountain-side, and this years leaves are smoke in every lane, but last years bitter loving must remain heaped on our heart, and our old thoughts abide. There are a hundred places where we fear to go, so with his memory we brim. And entering with relief some quiet place where never fell his foot or shone his face. We say, There is memory of him here! And so stand stricken, so remembering him. Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rage at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is not right, because their words had forked no lightning they do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, and learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight, blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, our dear friend Pranab Mukherjee, there on the sad height, bless you now with our fierce tears, we pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Now, and with no need of tears, here we left him, full of years, -- left him to his quiet rest in the region of the blest. We know his name, his happiness and sorrow we know; while we pause on the crossing we lived it once more, and back to our heart surge that river of woe; that but in the breast of a mother can flow; for the little white hearse has been, too, at our door. We count his life a grand and noble thing, that a great statesman with strong passions, and magnificent powers, who has been for more than five decennaries in public life, and has stood for the greater part in places so hymnal that all men could look at him; who has sustained the most intimate relations to public honour and private virtue; who has been a husband, a father, a neighbour, a citizen, a reformer, a statesman has died at his post, in the midst of his toil, on the scene of his victories, and has left a name and a fame unsoiled by any private vice or public crime. For the sake of the state of India, for the sake of his good politics and Indias national honour, for the sake of the rising generation of public men, may the mantle of Pranab Mukherjee not fall upon a worse man. Still then, let us express grief and sing a sorrowful song, while those songs shall not gladden our hearts! Pranab Mukherjee was a perfect Bengali gentleman politician. My endless respect must go to this son of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style of India. And also my deepest commiserations to his family, his near and dear ones. A mournful poem; a lament for the dead we now sing or read. And the song of his long life of politics shall be remembered by people of all religions. -The End The writer is an independent political observer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs. A drone dropped packets of what looked like cannabis over a main square in Tel Aviv on Thursday after activists seeking to legalise the drug in Israel promised free weed from the air on social media. Police said they arrested two men who operated the quadcopter that flew over Rabin Square, a site often used for street protests and political rallies. The time has come, the Green Drone pro-legalisation group said on its Telegram web messaging channel. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its the Green Drone sending you free cannabis from the skies. In a statement, police said they suspected the baggies were filled with a dangerous drug and that officers managed to recover dozens of them. Photos distributed by the police showed what appeared to be cannabis inside. The Maariv news website, which carried photos of the drone dropping the packets, said passersby took some of them before police arrived. Footage showed people walking through busy traffic to pick up packets that had fallen on a road. Currently, medical use of cannabis is permitted in Israel while recreational use is illegal but largely decriminalised. In May, Israel gave approval for exports of medical cannabis, paving the way for sales abroad that the government expects to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty ImagesBy BEATRICE PETERSON, ABC News (WASHINGTON) -- "We're Listening" is the name and sentiment of the new ad released by former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., hours before Biden travels to Wisconsin. Biden starts the video asking, "Why, in this nation, do Black Americans wake up knowing they can lose their life in the course of just living their life?" Moments later, Harris says, "Part of the point of freedom is to be free from brutality, free from injustice, free from racism and all of its manifestations." Biden declares in the new ad that "now is the time for racial justice." Viewers throughout the one-minute ad see multigenerational African American families, doctors and teachers as Biden and Harris talk about policing and racial injustice. The California Senator says "reforming policing in this country means creating a national standard on use of force and conditioning federal funds for police departments on adoption of that standard. She adds that "it's about reigning in qualified immunity." The new ad's debut comes just hours before Biden's trip to Wisconsin. The trip to Kenosha Thursday will be the first time Biden has visited the state since announcing his bid for president. The last time he visited the Badger State was October 2018. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday. The former vice president is expected to meet with Jacob Blake Sr. and other members of Jacob Blake's family in Kenosha, according to a spokesperson for the Blake family. Jacob Blake is a Black man who became paralyzed after being shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha. "The American people are battling a public health and economic crisis with no clear end in sight, and Black Americans are bearing the brunt of the current administration's many leadership failures," Kamau Marshall, the Biden campaign's director of strategic communications, said in a statement to ABC News. "Through COVID-19 and recent tragedies that have inflamed racial tensions, Black Americans have reignited their roles in fighting for justice, equality and peace. It is important during this crucial time that people know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are standing with Black Americans not only in this moment of adversity, but in the moments ahead as we work collectively to dismantle systemic racism and injustice." Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped that his visit would be a positive influence. During his visit, Biden said he wants to "talk about what need be done, and try to see if there's a beginning of a mechanism to bring the folks together." "What we want to do is we've got to heal," he said. "We've got to put things together, bring people together. And so my purpose in going will be to do just that." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. (Natural News) A couple dozen former McDonalds Corp. franchisees, all Black, are suing the fast food chain for supposedly discriminating against them based on the color of their skin. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that McDonalds steered Black franchisees to open their restaurants in undesirable locations of inner cities meaning areas where a lot of Black people live. These Black former franchisees claim their restaurants were destined to fail because they brought in lowers sales and had higher operating costs. Stores that should have brought in about $2.7 million annually, the suit claims, only brought in about $2 million. Many of these former business owners say their stores closed within the past four years because they underperformed, all due to being located in Black neighborhoods. These stores were located in 18 different states, including Georgia, Texas and New York. While back in 1998 there were 377 McDonalds locations franchised by Black people, that number has since fallen to 186. This, plaintiffs claim, is evidence that McDonalds wanted Black franchisees to fail because the company supposedly hates Black people. McDonalds intentionally and covertly deprived plaintiffs of the same rights enjoyed by white franchisees, the suit alleges, seeking anywhere from $4 to $5 million in compensatory damages per failed store. Even after shelling out millions to Black Lives Matter (BLM) following the George Floyd incident, McDonalds continues to be under fire by Blacks who insist the burger joint has had it out for them since the beginning. For more related news about Americas continued downfall at the hands of social justice warriors (SJWs), be sure to check out Collapse.news. When Blacks experience any problems, the cause is always racism In response to the suit, McDonalds says it is 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. In other words, McDonalds is denying all allegations, instead pinning consolidation within the company for an overall decrease in store ownership all across the board. Both Black-run and white-run McDonalds stores have seen closures over the years, and yet the percentage of those still open and run by Blacks has remained roughly the same, the company insists. One of the first restaurants to ever sell franchises to Black people, McDonalds has faced a barrage of complaints from Blacks who say the company should have done more to help their stores succeed. And apparently some company executives agree, according to the suit. In a letter from 1996, Tom Dentice, a former McDonalds executive vice president, wrote that many Black store owners did not achieve the same level of success as their white counterparts. This, he alleged at the time, was due to the fact that McDonalds is racist against Blacks. I am personally tired by the lack of progress by my company, Dentice contended. Soon after, a parity agreement was made between the company and its franchise stores that some Black owners say helped their stores. But in 2002, the National Black McDonalds Operators Association approached the company again to negotiate for more help. The trajectory of the treatment of African American owners is moving backwards, wrote Larry Tripplett, head of the group, in a letter sent to McDonalds just last year. In another lawsuit, Black store owners accused McDonalds of providing them misleading financial information in order to misguide them into purchasing bad stores in the least desirable locations. This same suit claimed that McDonalds required lofty investments into these stores for renovations or rebuilds in too-short time periods compared to white-owned stores. Countering this, McDonalds has said that franchisees are not placed into stores, but rather have the option to choose whatever locations they wish. Further, most restaurant sales occur directly between franchises, meaning McDonalds as a corporation is not typically directly involved. Sources for this article include: WSJ.com NaturalNews.com OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - At 8:30 am ET Thursday, Statistics Canada will release Canada trade data for July. Ahead of the data, the loonie traded mixed against its major counterparts. While the loonie held steady against the the yen, it climbed against the aussie. Against the euro and the greenback, it fell. The loonie was worth 81.23 against the yen, 0.7288 against the aussie, 1.5498 against the euro and 1.3111 against the greenback as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Transnational couple train 200 rural leftover children in Yunnan By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-03 13:50 A transnational couple has gone viral due to their 10 years dedication to rural leftover childrens vocational education in Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture in Yunnan. Li Yang and her Dutch husband Anton Lustig, started the education program prop roots in 2009 in order to help the local children who were not admitted to high school have more career choices. Through forms like photography, painting and camps, the rural participants get the basic know how of various professions in cities that they never knew of before. Besides diversified courses, the couple also concern themselves with helping the teenagers emotionally, since they have been apart from their migrant worker parents for a long time. Jingpo autonomous prefecture, on the border, has a complicated social atmosphere. Children who do not stay with their parents are more vulnerable to adverse influences, explained Li as her reason for following her husband, a language researcher who had been studying in the area for 20 years, to settle in the rural area in spite of her parents disapproval. Li said that the first time she went to the village in 2007, the children reminded her of her own childhood.What rural leftover children lack most is family care. Up to now, 200 teenagers that have taken part in the program have started a career they like in various cities across China. The BBC's new Director-General has told staff if they want to be opinionated columnists or a partisan campaigners on social media they 'should not be working at the BBC'. Tim Davie, who took over this week, said the broadcaster needed to 'urgently champion and recommit to impartiality'. He insisted his drive was 'about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda'. But it came just days after he floated a radical overhaul of the broadcaster's comedy output in the coming months, over fears it is seen as 'too one-sided'. His latest remarks - widely seen as a swipe at woke presenters mouthing off on Twitter - came after he ordered a u-turn on a ban on Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory at Last Night of the Proms. The comments were in his first official speech in Cardiff on Thursday lunchtime and follow controversies over impartiality, including Newsnight host Emily Maitlis sparking a furore with a monologue on the Dominic Cummings lockdown row. The BBC later said the episode 'did not meet our standards of due impartiality'. BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty was also rebuked last year after commenting on remarks made by US President Donald Trump. Match of the Day host Gary Lineker is also known for tweeting political views and opinions on his social media. Mr Davie said: 'We urgently need to champion and recommit to impartiality. It is deliverable and it is essential. 'If you work here, nothing should be more exciting than exploring different views, seeking evidence with curiosity and creatively presenting testimony. Making use of our own experiences but not driven by our personal agendas. I wonder if some people worry that impartiality could be a little dull. 'To be clear, this is not about abandoning democratic values such as championing fair debate or an abhorrence of racism. But it is about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda. 'If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC.' New BBC Director General Tim Davie delivers his first speech with a few warning shots Both Gary Lineker and Emily Maitlis have prompted controversy and accusations of partiality BBC's new Director-General Tim Davie made his first speech in his new job today New BBC DG's TV highlight so far 'If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC' 'I want a radical shift in our focus from the internal to the external, to focus on those we serve: the public. From Cornwall to Shetland, from Suffolk to County Fermanagh' 'I want staff to spend much more time outside the BBC listening to those who pay for us' 'We must pick our battles carefully and make sure we get the biggest bang for limited bucks' 'It is so easy to roll your eyes when we hear of bureaucracy and internal politics as if it cannot be changed. But we can and should be better than that' Advertisement He warned there was 'no room for complacency' over the broadcaster's future. The new director-general added that it was 'still relevant in millions of people's lives'. But he insisted that 'as we look to the future, there is no room for complacency. The truth is that for all our extraordinary efforts there is significant risk. 'If current trends continue we will not feel indispensable enough to all our audience. We must evolve to protect what we cherish. 'The evidence is unequivocal - the future of a universal BBC can no longer be taken for granted.' He also said the broadcaster has spread itself 'too thinly' amid competition from streaming giants. He suggested it is time to 'stop' making some shows and called for an end to 'dangerous' navel-gazing at the BBC. His speech, as questions are raised about the future of the TV licence, made clear that he opposes the idea of 'a subscription' model, saying it would 'serve the few'. But the 'deep attachment' the audience have with the BBC 'is under pressure and cannot be taken for granted', he added. He said there are no short-term plans to shut channels but 'this moment marks the end of linear expansion for the BBC'. Mr Davie had reversed the BBC ban on patriotic anthems at the Last Night of the Proms New Director General says BBC must 'make less' as he suggests there could be cull of content at broadcaster The BBC's new chief has suggested there could be a cull of content at the broadcaster. The corporation has responded to competition from US giants by making more and more, Tim Davie said. But it was time to 'make less', the director-general said in his first speech to staff. 'The truth is that we have tried to cope with increasing competition by making more and spreading ourselves too thinly. 'Of course, we need to offer a broad choice as the BBC, and we should not retreat to a narrow offer,' he added. 'But we have been too slow to stop things that don't work.' Davie, the 17th director-general, said: 'We are going to look in all areas and identify how we can have more impact by making less. 'I want us to consider what we would do if we could only make 80% of our current hours. What would we stop?' He said the 'simple' move was not 'about cuts to save money'. Davie praised dramas such as Normal People, Line Of Duty, Fleabag, an EastEnders special, and documentaries Blue Planet 2 and Once Upon A Time In Iraq. He said Strictly Come Dancing, Wimbledon, comedy This Country, the BBC's VE Day 75 coverage, educational service BBC Bitesize, the World Service and regional and national news were all examples of where the broadcaster builds a connection with the audience. Advertisement And 'we will not hesitate to close channels if they do not offer value to our audiences', he added. Mr Davie is also looking at options for alternative funding for the organisation. The BBC's current licence fee model is guaranteed until 2027 under a royal charter. But speculation is growing that Mr Davie could opt to change the funding model earlier for a new long-term option, reports The Guardian. The Swedish-style income tax model is one option, while Mr Davie's predecessor Lord Tony Hall has previously mentioned an option which would see the fee added to council tax bills. Lord Hall's exit after seven years in the role came amid a turbulent time for the BBC. The broadcaster faces scrutiny over equal pay, diversity, free TV licences for the over-75s and competition from streaming services such as Netflix, as well as the on-going coronavirus crisis. Davie was acting director-general for four months following George Entwistle's resignation in November 2012 before Lord Hall's appointment, and previously served as the corporation's head of audio. Before joining the BBC in 2005, he worked in marketing. Davie started as the BBC hit controversy over the decision to play orchestral versions of Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory at the Last Night Of The Proms. The BBC is also expecting to receive a report into the use of social media by its staff, including presenters, written by Richard Sambrook. It comes as The Mail on Sunday revealed how a former Downing Street adviser is behind a secret new project to set up an 'impartial' television news channel to rival the crisis-hit BBC. Sir Robbie Gibb who was a senior BBC executive before becoming Theresa May's director of communications at No 10 is spearheading a drive to raise funds for GB News. The 24-hour station, due to launch early next year, aims to capitalise on growing discontent over the BBC, with sources describing it as an antidote to the 'woke, wet' Corporation. Former BBC Director Lord Tony Hall had the role before Mr Davie and departed last month Sir Robbie's channel will use standard digital platforms such as Freeview, and has already been given a licence by broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Pressure on the BBC will further increase with the development of a second rival news channel from Rupert Murdoch's News UK company, likely to be streamed online in a similar way to Netflix. Sir Robbie's venture comes amid growing tensions between No 10 and the BBC, with Downing Street saying the Corporation speaks only to a 'pro-Remain metropolitan bubble' and Boris Johnson accusing the BBC of 'cringing embarrassment about our history'. The Government periodically boycotts flagship news programmes such as Radio 4's Today, while Downing Street is also considering accelerating its plans to decriminalise non-payment of the 157.50-a-year licence fee. She recently debuted a striking new look. And TV presenter Rose Jacobs showed off her new short blonde pixie cut while running errands in Sydney on Wednesday. The 41-year-old ex wife of weatherman Steve Jacobs, was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans and a mustard coloured cardigan. Stepping out: Rose Jacobs, who is the ex-wife of weatherman Stevie Jacobs, showed off her short blonde pixie cut while running errands in Sydney on Wednesday She paired it with a grey tank top and white sneakers, and styled her hair with a scarf. Rose was walking her dog, which she dressed in a cute pink coat. The journalist recently returned to media with the launch of her new financial podcast, Clever Money. Casual: The 41-year-old was dressed casually in a pair of denim jeans and a mustard coloured cardigan She's also partnered with Together Australia for an online show, which is aimed at helping everyday people through difficult financial times. 'Im beyond delighted to be behind this campaign that is helping all of us through tough times, coming out stronger from the pandemic and being in charge of our own futures,' Rose announced on Instagram recently. 'Thank you everyone for your support. Heres the link for the new online show. I hope it inspires you to rise strong and stick together during tough times,' she added. Good company! Rose was walking her dog, which she dressed in a cute pink coat Helping hand: Rose carried her beloved pet pooch in her arms as she strolled across the road 'And dont forget the podcast series also #clevermoney this project has helped me personally on an enormous level, so hopefully you can gain from it also. Please check it out and show your support, share with loved ones!' Rose told News.com.au this week that she decided to trim her brunette locks after she contracted dengue fever while living in Vanuatu with her family. 'When I was living in Vanuatu, I unfortunately contracted dengue fever, which is something that is similar to malaria. It's a mosquito-born virus that's really common in tropical environments,' she began. She's back! The acclaimed journalist recently returned to media with the launch of her new financial podcast, Clever Money 'The reason I cut my hair initially was that I actually had a health situation which most people don't know about,' the mother-of-two explained. Rose said it was much easier to maintain shorter locks and feel comfortable amid Vanuatu's soaring temperatures. 'I was extremely unwell for a period of time,' she said. The former Channel 10 star relocated from Sydney to Vanuatu in 2017 with her then-husband Steve, in a 'last-ditch' attempt to work on their marriage. The couple eventually split in 2018. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/03/2020 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. couple Evelyn Halas and Justin Halas have welcomed their first child together.Evelyn and Justin took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce they are now the proud parents of a baby boy."Hi everyone! #BabyHalas is here," Evelyn captioned a photo of the newborn's feet in her Instagram Stories, according to Us Weekly.Evelyn subsequently wrote, "Thank you everyone for all your good wishes. I really appreciate it!"Evelyn and Justin, who starred on Season 2 of and got married in 2014, announced they were expecting a child together in April."Surprise!!! #BabyHalas is coming! Estamos esperando baby!" Evelyn wrote on Instagram at the time alongside a photo of two large safety pins representing the couple, one of which had a tiny safety pin inside it, resembling a baby inside a pregnant woman's belly.Several days after making her April 20 announcement, Evelyn showed off her growing baby on Instagram."It's not an easy time [to be] pregnant... but I appreciate every single moment!" Evelyn captioned the photo, first in Spanish."Learning how to be again!" she added.Evelyn and Justin revealed they had a baby boy on the way the following month."Never imagined [a pregnancy] was going to happen [amid] all this madness in the world [during the coronavirus pandemic]... but we are happy with my pregnancy. I'm well, healthy and happy to see my belly grow day after day," Evelyn told In Touch Weekly.Evelyn and Justin met while they were both attending a rugby match at the 2013 World Games in Colombia. They spent seven days together after meeting and fell in love during that short period of time.After the World Games and Justin flew home to the United States, the couple tried to make a long-distance relationship work. Justin later returned to Colombia for a visit and proposed marriage to Evelyn.Justin was a 34-year-old from San Jose, CA, and Evelyn was a 29-year-old from Cali, Colombia, when she arrived in America on a K-1 visa. Once settled in the United States, she changed the spelling of her name from Evelin to how everyone sees it now, Evelyn.Evelyn and Justin decided to live in California together after tying the knot, and they've seemingly remained a strong couple ever since.The pair just celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in August, and Evelyn has said she is happiest when snuggling with her husband and watching TV or movies.The fifth season of : Happily Ever After? is currently airing Sunday nights at 8PM ET/PT on TLC. The second season of : The Other Way just aired its mid-season finale earlier this week and will return to TLC on October 11.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our webpage! UK Government ministers were challenged after photos apparently showing unpublished papers on controversial plans for a post-Brexit internal trade market appeared on social media. Scottish Constitution Secretary Mike Russell said he raised the issue after a picture on Twitter appeared to show a press release concerning the UK Governments Internal Market Bill. Jenny Gilruth, the Europe minister for the Scottish Government, had noticed the tweet by Political Pictures, and alerted him to it, he said. Mr Russell said it broke in the last few minutes of the Joint Ministerial Council meeting on EU Negotiations which brings together UK Government ministers and their counterparts from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He added: I was able to raise it given that devolved administrations had just been asking (with no success) to see the bill. Mr Russell said instead of asking to see the proposed legislation for which he has already vowed to fight tooth and nail he should just have ambled past Dover House, where the Scotland Office has its London office. STRICTLY EMBARGOED !!!!! really, document seen being read by a person that popped out of the Scottish office for a smoke this lunchtime. pic.twitter.com/i0IsuOT1tb PoliticalPics (@PoliticalPics) September 3, 2020 The Scottish Government has already spoken out strongly against the UK Governments plans for an Internal Market Bill, branding the move a Westminster power grab. In contrast, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has insisted the proposed legislation, which will set out arrangements between the four nations of the UK after the Brexit transition period comes to an end, will result in a power surge for Holyrood. Story continues However, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: The leaked pictures confirm what we have been warning about since these proposals first emerged the Tories are preparing to overrule the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament and are laying the groundwork for the biggest raid on devolution since 1999. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford (Jane Barlow/PA) He added: Despite the decisive rejection from the Scottish Parliament the Tories are intent on undermining devolution and continuing with their power grab plans. The SNP remain firmly opposed to this power grab and the Tory government must step back from these plans that will take a wrecking ball to the very foundations of the devolution settlement. Meanwhile, Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie said: The Tories internal market proposal was subject to a very short consultation, with no draft bill presented, and which took place while the Scottish Parliament was in recess. Now just three weeks after the consultation closed it seems ministers are already singing off the press release, but still nobody has seen the legislation. The Green MSP added: The proposals are completely incompatible with devolution, threatening a huge range of policy areas including environmental, food and farming standards. If allowed to proceed these plans would even threaten Scotlands decisions to ban fracking or prevent new nuclear power stations. The internal market could also put at risk bold public health measures such as minimum unit pricing, and it certainly could allow further private sector involvement in our NHS. He hit out: The UK Government has taken its contempt for Scotland to new levels during this process. It has refused to discuss this assault on devolution with MSPs and it has declined to show the draft legislation to devolved administrations. A UK Government spokesman said: Weve been clear that we will be legislating to protect the UKs vital internal market when the Transition Period ends. This will protect trade and jobs and ensure that goods can continue to travel barrier-free throughout the UK, as has been the case for hundreds of years. Following our consultation, we are now preparing this legislation. Further details will be confirmed in due course. It highlights the ongoing predicament for Berlin as it balances political differences with Moscow and deep economic ties. Now, as Western leaders face decisions on how to respond to the poisoning, those ties are under new scrutiny, both from within Germany and among other allies. Washington: The United States will require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting American university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. Washington cast the move as a response to Beijing's restrictions on American diplomats in China. It comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage. The Trump administration designated the Confucius Institute US Centre as a foreign mission of the Chinese Communist Party last month. Credit:AP The State Department said it would also take action to help ensure all Chinese embassy and consular social media accounts were "properly identified". "We're simply demanding reciprocity," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. "Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today's steps will move us substantially in that direction." Most Businesses in Downtown Kenosha Boarded Up; Business Owner Says Shes Heartbroken KENOSHA, Wis.More than two dozen stores in the business district of Kenosha, Wisconsin, have been forced to close because of recent unrest in the city, but some business owners are still optimistic that things will turn around. Businesses in this particular arealocated downtown within walking distance from the Kenosha County Courthousewere targeted by rioters last week. Some were set on fire, many were broken into, while a few lucky ones remained untouched. At least 90 percent of all stores in the area were fully boarded up. Kelly Deem, owner of Elsie Maes Canning and Pies, said that it wasnt the people of Kenosha burning their own city to the ground, adding that their community is very supportive to each other, very tolerant of different views. Her store was one of just a handful that were left unscathed by the unrest and remained open for business. We live here together in one city and know how to communicate different views without leaning towards violence, so we were very saddened to see people from other cities come in and take a lot of negative actions towards our town, Deem told The Epoch Times. The feeling is just heartbroken. We have been downtown for nearly 10 years, she said. Seeing my neighbors coming in on Monday morning just being overwhelmed with the smell of smoke from burning buildings, the car dealership getting burnt to the ground. Out of the 175 recent arrests in Kenosha, 100 of the people were from out of town, according to Attorney General William Barr. These are the same people using the same tactics that have been used in various cities: Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, now Kenosha, Portland, Barr said at a Sept. 1 roundtable in the city. The entrance to Elsie Maes Canning And Pies in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 2, 2020. (Bowen Xiao/The Epoch Times.) Deem said the most important thing they can do is be there for their neighbors and to stay strong and positive and see this through. She urged everyone to come together in a positive way, noting that the rioters want to see drastic changes right away and that they are driven by raw emotions. Our message is very clear: You take all of that raw anger and unrest, and you put it into something thats positivegood deeds, she said. Hopefully, that will be the tide that turns us around. All of this negative, all of this burning, its not going to send the message that you want. If you want to see real change, put that kind of energy into something thats positive and see if you dont get your message out a little faster, a little stronger, and with a lot more support, she continued. She described how some of the neighboring businesses lost in 35 seconds what the owners had taken 10 years to build. Deem said, however, that once the National Guard arrived, we were not afraid of our businesses being destroyed any further. President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he tours an area affected by civil unrest, in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) She also felt it was important that President Donald Trump came to see what was happening firsthand. I am appreciative that [Trump] is open to having dialogues with places that this is happening at, she said. Everyone has to come and meet. The governors need to meet with the president; these need to be conversations that are happening. Another business owner, who requested anonymity for privacy reasons, said it was sad to see that people have lost the ability to sit down and talk. Right away, everybody takes sides, the owner, whose store has been in the area for 100 years, told The Epoch Times. Youre not supposed toyoure supposed to join in the middle. The owner said he was optimistic that the mayor, governor, and president will come together to make things work, adding that it cant continue the way that it is. He also felt that the recent riots wouldnt have happened or at least not to the extent they did if the governor had been quicker to accept National Guard assistance. This would not have happened because when [the National Guard] came in on Wednesdayboom, it stopped, the owner said. By Trend Tijjani Muhammad Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan, as Chair of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), for pushing for this very important session and the General Assembly for accepting to hold the special session, Trend reports with reference to UN General Assembly. Bande made the statement during first informal consultation on the draft resolution on the modalities for the 31st Special Session of the General Assembly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized that the proposal to hold a special session on the pandemic by the General Assembly is a veritable platform to mobilise global commitment against the pandemic. I trust that the special session will ensure greater involvement of world leaders toward a result-oriented response to the pandemic. This will further strengthen the General Assembly as a critical global partner in the fight against the pandemic and its impact on lives and livelihood. Indeed, I trust that this special session will be a vehicle for a coordinated response from the international community, he said. He reminded that before the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation, the General Assembly had already started consultations on how to respond to the evolving situation in a sustainable manner. We recognised very early that the dire nature of the pandemic demanded the prompt reaction of the General Assembly. On 27th of March, we passed GA resolution 74/544 authorising silence procedure in response to the pandemics threat to in-person meetings. Since then, we have proceeded with our business and passed around 70 decisions and resolutions in continuation of the work of the General Assembly in these abnormal circumstances, he said. In Bandes words through these initiatives, a lot of grounds amidst all the uncertainties were able to be covered. I believe that with more focus and commitment at the highest levels of governance, we would make significant progress in the race to defeat the pandemic. The co-facilitators with your cooperation and support, have produced a solid draft as a good basis for negotiation. And I trust that the special session will ensure greater involvement of world leaders toward a result-oriented response to the pandemic. This will further strengthen the General Assembly as a critical global partner in the fight against the pandemic and its impact on lives and livelihood, Bande said. He called on all Member States to work closely with the Co-facilitators in the spirit of cooperation during the process. I enjoin you to avail yourself of todays deliberations as a platform to share experiences on modalities to address the pandemic. The current situation underscores the necessity to work together to defeat COVID-19, and to strengthen multilateral cooperation, he said. Indeed as you strive to ensure a better world for all, the Office of the President of the General Assembly will remain your partner, enhancing global partnerships for sustainable development, he said. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:36:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a phone conversation with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, explained his decision to resign due to health issues, the country's Foreign Ministry said. According to the ministry, in the conversation lasted for 20 minutes, Abe emphasized the importance for Japan to work and cooperate with international organizations in the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Guterres expressed his wish for Japan to continue its collaborative approach in combating the pandemic, the ministry said. Abe announced his decision last week to step down owing to an intestinal disease. Enditem Jane Moore has claimed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'don't deserve' their deal with Netflix, which could be worth as much as $150 million. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who recently bought a $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara, have signed a new deal with the streaming service, and say they want to provide 'hope and inspiration' with their upcoming projects. The couple founded a yet-to-be-named production company which will make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children's programming, and the pair will reportedly follow similar deal to the Obamas. However Loose Women panellist Jane, 58, believes the couple have bagged the deal because of 'who they are' not 'what they have proved they can do' and admitted on today's show that it 'irritates' her to see the couple chosen over 'young talent'. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, pictured during a discussion on social media with The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, fro their $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara, have signed a new deal with Netflix Loose Women panellist Jane, 58, told on today's show the couple have bagged the deal because of 'who they are' not 'what they have proved they can do' Speaking of the deal, host Charlene White asked: 'Do they deserve it?' 'No,' replied Jane immediately. 'End of discussion.' 'It irritates the hell out of me. I'm a writer myself. I know there are so many writers producers, there is so much young talent out there trying to come through, who would love to get into Netflix's door - let alone be given this deal. 'They have been given this deal because of who they are, not because what they have proved they can do.' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced they have signed deal with Netflix. Pictured, in a video supplied on Monday July 6, 2020 by The Queen's Commonwealth Trust She went on to insist that if after stepping down as senior royals the couple had spent their time building their portfolio of work in the same way as other creatives, she would have no problem with the deal. 'I'm all for if, ten years down the line, they have made lots of programmes and come up quietly and got the deal then [that would be different],' she said. 'But I think them just parachuting in is not good for the creative industry as a whole, Ryan Murphy has a deal, Shonda Rhimes, these are proven really good creative writers, producers, creators.' Fellow host Gloria Hunniford, 80, went on to share her opinion on the deal, admitting she felt it was 'inevitable'. 'I am not surprised at all, said Gloria, 'Because when you talk about giving hope, I think the 100 million dollars might give Meghan and Harry a bit of hope. 'We knew when they went back to America, that commercialism was coming in. They have to make their money and it was inevitable they were going to make it in some kind of commercial way. 'I disagree with Jane in a way, I understand about new talent but you can't blame Netflix for getting Harry and Meghan, worldwide that is an immediate attraction.' Gloria finished by saying: 'Shes got what she wanted in the end so Im not surprised one little bit.' Jane then quipped: 'And the good news is they can pay back the 2.4 million the British taxpayer gave to used to refurbish the house they no longer live in'. Jane admitted on today's show it 'irritates' her the couple are being chosen over 'young talent'. Pictured hosts Gloria Hunniford (bottom left) , Judi Love (top right) and Charlene White (top left) Fellow host Gloria Hunniford, 80, went on to share her opinion on the deal, admitting she felt it was 'inevitable' and feels Meghan has 'what she wants' Rumors of Harry and Meghan seeking to gain a foothold in Hollywood have run rampant ever since the couple announced their plans to quit as senior royals, seek financial independence and move to North America in January. Meghan's first post-Megxit job in showbiz was as a narrator of the Disney Plus docuseries Elephants, which came out in April. The 39-year-old Los Angeles native nabbed the job after Harry bragged about her voice-over skills to Disney chairman Bob Iger at the London premiere of The Lion King live-action remake last summer. Her fee for the project went entirely to the Elephants Without Borders charity - an organization dedicated to conserving wildlife and helps protect the animals from poaching. (Photo : Screenshot from: Dinosaur Pictures Website ) Google Map-Alike App Allows You to Look For Your Address 750 Million Years Ago (Photo : Photo by NASA on Unsplash) Google Map-Alike App Allows You to Look For Your Address 750 Million Years Ago A new Google Map-alike software is now trending in social media, and everyone's using it to find their addresses. Compared to the standard Google Map, this new 'Ancient Map' shows your country's placement from way years ago-- specifically up to 750 million years ago. Here's how you can use it. Have you tried the Ancient Earth Globe? In 2018, a lot of people wanted to know how their countries were like a million years ago. And the software was there to guide them called the Ancient Earth Globe website. If you wanted to know how your country was like before the dinosaurs or the Pangaea (a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras), this software helps to identify the position and structure of your area before all the histories happened. The Sun reported that the Ancient Earth Globe might be one of the coolest apps you will see today. Since its all pandemic, it is pretty great to see countries, way million years ago. Paleontologist Ian Webster releases this software via Hacker News and it is now gaining more popularity than ever. According to his narrative, he was amazed to see software that could track his place before Pangaea even started to be divided into continents. "I'm amazed that geologists collected enough data to actually plot my home 750 million years ago, so I thought you all would enjoy it too. Even though plate tectonic models return precise results, you should consider the plots approximate (obviously we will never be able to prove correctness)," said by him. "In my tests, I found that model results can vary significantly. I chose this particular model because it is widely cited and covers the greatest length of time." How to use the map to track your place? If you want to know how your place was million years ago, here's how you can use the Ancient Earth Globe software. Just go to the link of the website named dinosaurpictures.org, and you will see a standard-looking world map. A question will pop at the website's upper side, asking you, "What did Earth look like (number of years) million years ago?" At the 'enter the city' tab, type your country's name-- or even your city if you can. Then choose the number of years you want the map to rewind, and that will do the trick. Walk from New York to Kenya How cool is this map? Technically, this ancient map can make you walk from New York and head to Kenya, Africa. Of course, this will happen once you set the timeframe 240 million years ago, wherein the Pangaea was not yet breaking apart. The super continent started to divide into seven continents until about 175 million years ago. So that map seemed to be right on that part. This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Jamie Pancho 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. French members of Parliament have been accused of putting around misconceptions about life in the UK for undocumented migrants on small boats. Answering questions from MPs, the Home Offices new clandestine Channel threat commander Dan OMahoney praised the work of French authorities in tackling the migrant crisis. However he acknowledged that migrants were being given false ideas of what it is to live in Britain undetected. He and other senior officials were appearing before the Home Affairs Committee to give evidence about the recent rise in small boat crossings. Questions were also raised over whether the Home Office will have any legal authority to return migrants to countries like France after December 31. It comes after a record 416 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats on Wednesday, the most ever on a single day. The figure was revised up from 409 by the Home Office on Thursday morning. The total number of migrants who have crossed the sea to Britain in 2020 is now more than 5,600, analysis by the PA news agency shows. The committee is investigating the Governments approach to combatting organised crime that facilitates border crossings outside the standard immigration control process, and its co-ordination with agencies in other countries. Expand Close A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, asked about suggestions made by a French politician that migrants come to the UK because it is easier to work illegally and live undercover. He said: It would appear that French members of parliament are party to putting around these misconceptions about how they are actually going to be looked after if they do make it to the UK. Thats part of the problem, isnt it, that people are coming here on a false premise? They have prevented 3,000 people from crossing this year, including yesterday close to 200 Dan O'Mahoney on French assistance Mr OMahoney replied: I think thats absolutely correct. Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont previously told the PA news agency that he believes there is no link between police evictions of migrants in northern France and attempts to cross the Channel. He said the huge number of migrants trying to reach the UK is down to British law and way of life and said migrants would rather live secretly in the UK than claim asylum in France. Former Royal Marine Mr OMahoney praised the overall efforts of his French counterparts to tackle the migrant crisis. He told the committee of MPs: They are as committed as we are. They have prevented 3,000 people from crossing this year, including yesterday close to 200. Citing an example from Wednesday, he added: (They) stopped a very large Rib (rigid inflatable boat) with unbelievably 63 people on it from leaving the beach. He acknowledged that the crossings are nowhere near the level that we want it to be. The engagement with the French is occurring at every level from political right through to the front line. Its happening daily, its intensive, I am in contact with my interlocutors in France and going there in person. Responding to questions about migrants landing on beaches, Mr OMahoney said: I can say with a high degree of certainty there are no known situations where a boat has landed on a beach and the migrants have made off and we havent apprehended them. I think thats very unlikely. Expand Close A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent, by the RNLI on Wednesday PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent, by the RNLI on Wednesday Chairwoman Yvette Cooper MP also called for answers on what the end of the Brexit transition period will mean for the Home Offices vow to remove migrants from the UK. Questioning immigration enforcement director general Tyson Hepple she said: Under existing international law and the default position will you have any legal ability to return people to other European countries, yes or no? He replied: I dont know. I will have to let you know The committee also heard how criminal gangs use end-to-end encrypted chats on social media to organise migrant boats, and that hundreds of pages flagged to social media companies as being related to immigration crime were found not to breach sites terms and conditions. Commenting on recent remarks by the Prime Minister, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UKs refugee and migrant rights programme director, said: The Prime Minister says hes sympathetic toward people needing to cross the Channel to seek asylum, but his constant talk of criminal gangs deflects attention away from the UKs responsibility to cooperate with the French authorities in establishing safe procedures for desperate and often very vulnerable people. What smugglers are actually profiting from is the lack of a proper Anglo-French responsibility-sharing system by which people can safely seek asylum, including in the UK something the Prime Minister must surely realise. President Donald Trump wants more coronavirus relief aid even after issuing a house protection order banning landlords from evicting tenants who can no longer afford to pay. More Relief Aid Trump and his administration continue to urge Congress to act on more coronavirus relief aid. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said during the House subcommittee panel that the President still supports another round of coronavirus relief aid. The new bill for the coronavirus relief aid proposed by the White House and the Republican lawmakers is worth $1.3 trillion. It will include unemployment claims and other financial aids that the Trump's administration wants to deliver to millions of Americans before the federal government operations shutdown on Oct. 2. Mnuchin asked Congress to act on the new stimulus bill. He explained that Trump's power to execute order is limited and it does not include spending of stimulus checks and unemployment benefits using the federal fund. It can be recalled that Trump has long been asking Congress to act and even signaled that he will sign any stimulus bill once it is on his table. Trump has already issued an executive order last month extending the unemployment benefits using the unspent budget of FEMA. House Eviction Protection Trump issued an order on Tuesday banning landlords from evicting tenants who can no longer afford to pay their rent as they probably face job loss because of the global pandemic. The order was made to protect millions of Americans in getting homeless amid the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the country. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the order on Tuesday. In the order, it stated that it would make it illegal to evict any individual who expects to make less than $99,000 or a joint-filing couple that expects to make less than $198,000 in 2020. Meanwhile, the tenants will still pay the rent owed per term but they should also be allowed to stay in their rented property until the end of the year. This is to make sure that Americans will not be homeless amid the coronavirus pandemic because if it happens it could be another problem in the country. According to a published report in The Hill, the national eviction ban was issued under a federal law that gives the CDC director authority to impose measures to prevent the spread of communicable disease "as he [or] she deems necessary." However, a tenant must declare his or her 2020 income to qualify in the house eviction protection program. They should also declare that they cannot afford to pay the rent due to a pandemic-related job loss or expense despite their efforts. Moreover, senior administration officials said that it is up to the local courts to settle eviction filings but they reminded that the national order for house eviction protection was issued to protect qualified individuals from getting evicted if ever they will face judicial proceedings. This action of Trump's administration was praised and appreciated by housing advocates for making sure that Americans will not lose their homes amid the economic crisis caused by the global pandemic. Check these out! Recent stretches of warm, calm days along the sea border between Britain and France have led to a steep increase in the number of small boats attempting the crossing. At the Strait of Dover, the Channel is only 21 miles wide, but it can be dangerous, hammered by high winds. The strait is also one of the busiest commercial shipping lanes in the world. Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday met with the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, on the second day of the Romanian official's visit to Israel, the two addressing the Peace Process in the Middle East and the Iranian File, a release from the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent to AGERPRES reads. In their talks, "the contribution of the Romanian-born community in Israel to the progress of Israeli society was particularly appreciated, with Minister Aurescu pointing to his vocation as a bridge between the two countries and the need to support the preservation of his Romanian cultural identity, especially among young people," the MAE release says.At the same time, the perspectives of the Middle East Peace Process were discussed, Aurescu reiterating Romania's position and our country's willingness to support positive developments in this dossier.Minister Bogdan Aurescu also held a meeting on Thursday with Ofir Akunis, Minister of Regional Cooperation, their talk reconfirming the common interest of the two countries for increasing cooperation in the economic sectors, with a focus on the need to identify concrete projects that stimulate the two economies, including in the field of science, research and innovation.During his official visit, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs also met Wednesday with the deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence of Israel, Benjamin Gantz. The two officials appreciated the excellent level of cooperation in the field of defence, reflected by the political-military dialogue, and highlighted the potential for cooperation in the field of the defence industry. Interest has also been expressed in strengthening the Strategic Dialogue in the military field and in identifying new investment opportunities in the sector.The two high officials also had discussions on regional security developments, with a focus on the Middle East Peace Process and its prospects and the Iranian nuclear file.Minister Aurescu also had a meeting on Wednesday with Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid-Telem band in the Knesset. Discussions included the state of Romanian-Israeli relations and the prospects for their development, as well as the Peace Process and the security situation in the region.In this context, Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy. The two dignitaries also reconfirmed their interest in the peace-based resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as Romania supports the two states' resolution and the resumption of direct negotiations between the parties. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The shooting by police of 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times after a domestic disturbance report, has ignited the kinds of protest and riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin as weve seen in Ferguson (MO), Baltimore, Louisville, Minneapolis, and elsewhere. As details surrounding this shooting continue to emerge, violence continues to escalate. In Kenosha, a 17-year-old boy from Illinois shot and killed two protesters. While the boy has been charged with murder in the first degree, his attorney says he acted in self-defense. Over the weekend in Portland, a city thats been on edge for weeks upon weeks, a Trump supporter was shot and killed after a conflict with Antifa protesters. As the Washington Post reports, people on both sides of the United States political and cultural divide have been filmed exchanging punches, beating one another with sticks and flagpoles, or standing face-to-face with weapons, often with police appearing to be little more than observers. One Anti Defamation League historian described the state of the Union this way: We are not just a polarized society we are increasingly a confrontational society Last Wednesday, while leading our weekly prayer webinar for the Church and our nation, Bishop Garland Hunt tackled a question most of us have, Is it even possible to find racial healing in a nation so deeply divided? His answer to that question was about as biblically grounded as any Ive heard thus far. (Go to the resources below this article, and you can click on a video of his presentation.) Only the Church, he said, has the path to healing. Or, another way to put what should be obvious by now, no other institution offers a real way forward for the sins of our past and the conflict of our present. Only the Church. If not the Church, then who? We start, Bishop Hunt said, by mourning with those who mourn. The African American community, of which Bishop Hunt is part, is in mourning, he reminded us. Racism in all of its forms, Bishop Hunt also reminded us, is rooted in pride, which makes it fundamentally a spiritual battle. As Paul told the Ephesians, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Those forces are at work anytime there is dehumanizing injustice, in any form, including when peaceful protest becomes indiscriminate violence, as we have seen so often in recent months. And thats why the Church must be the Church, Christians must have a worldview big enough to understand that, in this case, neither politics nor policy offer long-term solutions. Only the Church has the resources of reconciliation. In particular, the Church carries the effective weapons of prayer and repentance. Approaching God in prayer, as Bishop Hunt reminded us, begins with dying to our [own] agenda to what we think we know to whatever would give us a superior attitude over another person. Echoing Paul, Bishop Hunt said, we have all sinned, black and whitein our attitudes toward one another, our hatred, our unforgiveness. The black community is mourning and, he said, must appeal to the Lord to get rid of unforgiveness, get rid of hatred, release people from the past, and love unconditionally. The white community should repent, he said, for a lack of sensitivity, a lack of willingness to even care whats going on in the black community . . . unwillingness to even speak out on racial justice. And in the most important thing I think he said, Bishop Hunt said, This [racial] thing is not going away unless the Church grabs hold of the cross like never before. As he prayed, his words sounded so much like Nehemiahs: Were so sorry because the Church has not been the example it should be. Weve been a part of the problem, weve allowed ourselves to not care Were sorry for the sins of our nation, were sorry we havent forgiven. And then, echoing the words of Jesus in John 17, Lord, let it be that the Church can be one, even as you and the Father are one. The Colson Center established these prayer times, which you can join, because we need to pray more than anything else right now. We need to pray more than we need our narrative confirmed or our side vindicated. We need to pray right now even more than we need a particular result in the November election. Originally posted at breakpoint.org I ncredible footage shows a booster rocket that will help send Americans back to the Moon in 2024 being fired up as part of a critical test ahead of the mission. The booster expelled a huge column of fire and smoke as it was powered up while secured to the ground at a test site in Utah on Wednesday evening. These Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) will provide most of the thrust for the rocket in the first two minutes of the space flight in 2024. Its the largest and most powerful solid propellant booster ever built, measuring 54m in length and 4m in width. Incredible footage shows the booster being fired up as part of a test in Utah / Nasa Engineers are evaluating potential improvements for the boosters, with the test designed to try out the performance of their motors. The boosters will form part of Nasa's massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the biggest launcher built since the Saturn V in the 1960s. NASA plans to launch the giant rocket on its maiden flight next year in a loop around the Moon. (Natural News) Honest, fact-based reporting on the Wuhan coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic is virtually non-existent today. Instead of real news on the subject, we now have a bipolar world where news reporters suffer from Covid Derangement Syndrome (CDS), which results in people descending into camps of tribal fanaticism where logic is abandoned in favor of cognitive obedience and narrative pursuits. In the mainstream media, Covid Derangement Syndrome causes reporters to claim that the COVID-19 pandemic will kill everyone unless we lock down all of human society to the point of economic strangulation. In the view of mainstream reporters, sacrificing the entirety of human freedom, joy and productivity is worth it as long as one life is saved from the coronavirus. In the alternative media, Covid Derangement Syndrome is inflicting reporters who claim theres no virus, that no one died from any virus, and that the entire global pandemic has been faked from the start. These CDS sufferers also tend to get extremely emotional when they see someone wearing a mask, even by choice. Almost every news source on the internet today falls into one of these two camps, with an extremely small number of news publishers navigating the fanaticism and producing reliable, fact-based reporting on the Wuhan coronavirus situation. But those publishers are extremely difficult to find, and most of them are banned from Big Techs networks, because Big Tech only allows mainstream media lies (or left-wing narratives) to survive their censorship purge. Willfully blind Pulling off tribal fanaticism requires willful blindness to reality. The LGBT movement is really good at this, as theyve convinced themselves that biology isnt real and that men can magically become women by merely wishing it so. This is absurd nonsense that contradicts reality, but the LGBT community isnt alone in such delusions. The mainstream media operates under the delusion that hydroxychloroquine is an extremely dangerous drug which doesnt even work as a treatment for COVID-19. In doing so, they willfully participate in a Big Pharma junk science scheme that has already cost tens of thousands of Americans their lives by denying them access to a safe, low-cost drug that has been repeatedly proven to work. The alternative media has a different delusion: They pretend that 223,000 excess deaths have not occurred in America so far this year, instantly dismissing nearly a quarter of a million dead Americans as if they never existed in the first place. When they say, Nobody died from COVID-19, and you point out that national death statistics from all causes show that an extra 223,000+ Americans have died this year from something, they reply with something like, We dont believe those numbers. This is like LGBT advocates saying they dont believe in genetics. It demonstrates the level of self-delusion that tribal fanaticism can evoke in people who are intensely tied to the emotional pull of their tribe. How did a non-existent virus kill elderly people in New York nursing homes? Covid Derangement Syndrome is so bad in the alternative media now that the very same media outlets which are reporting the virus to be a hoax that killed no one are simultaneously reporting that NY Gov. Cuomo killed thousands of elderly people by putting them in nursing homes where they got infected and died. If the virus doesnt exist, how did these people get infected by it? And if COVID-19 is a total hoax, then isnt Gov. Cuomo completely innocent of such accusations? Read my list of 12 questions and contradictions that continue to persist in media reporting about the coronavirus. Some of these will really surprise you. For example, why is independent media claiming hydroxychloroquine works to treat COVID-19 when they are simultaneously reporting the entire COVID-19 pandemic to be a complete hoax? What is hydroxy successfully treating if its not the virus? (You cant claim theres no virus one day, and then the next day claim Big Pharma is covering up a low-cost treatment that beats the very same virus you just argued doesnt exist.) Of course, bizarre, irrational contradictions are also found in the mainstream media. MSM reporters professional liars and propagandists claim hydroxychloroquine should never be prescribed without rigorous testing in long-term clinical trials, but when the FDA says coronavirus vaccines may now skip phase three trials and leap right to emergency approval status, the media pundits cheer. Long-term testing, it seems, is only required for medical interventions that dont earn billions of dollars for the same pharma giants they largely fund mainstream media outlets through drug advertising. Deaths only count when you want them to? But the best example of Covid Derangement Syndrome was on display this week when virtually the entire alternative media industry declared that the CDC had corrected their numbers down from 155,000+ deaths to just 9,000 covid deaths. Thats not at all what happened, of course: In reality, the CDC released data listing the other chronic health conditions (like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.) which were present in the people who died from the Wuhan coronavirus. This set off a tsunami of fake news across alt media which proclaimed that the only COVID-19 deaths which should be counted as real deaths are deaths from perfectly healthy people who had no underlying health conditions whatsoever even though such individuals hardly exist in America at all. Whats so noteworthy about this irrational reasoning is that its the same excuse Big Pharma and vaccine companies use to explain away the deaths caused by their own toxic products. When prescription drugs kill people, Big Pharma argues that its really just the underlying health conditions that killed those people, not the medications. And when coronavirus vaccines start killing people later this year, the vaccine industry will use the exact same argument the independent media has now championed: Namely, that the vaccines arent really killing anyone since those people all had underlying health conditions to begin with. Mainstream media and alt media now completely agree, and theyre both wrong So now we have complete agreement between the pharma-funded mainstream media and the anti-covid alternative media: They both agree that deaths dont count unless you want them to, and they are both capable of incredible feats of self-delusion that require ignoring the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. The realization of all this should horrify any thinking person reading this. Because it means that there are virtually no information sources in the world today where you can acquire news or analysis that isnt produced by someone suffering from Covid Derangement Syndrome on one extreme or the other. There are a few sources Im aware of that have a respectable track record in the analysis of COVID-related events, and both of these sources have strong backgrounds in the sciences. One is Dr. Paul Cottrell, whom Ive interviewed numerous times on Brighteon.com (see the latest interview below), and the other is Chris Martenson from Peak Prosperity. You might also put Dr. Judy Mikovitz in this category, as she is highly experienced in the realm of virology and vaccines, and she knows very well that the Wuhan coronavirus is real and has been killing people around the world. (Dr. Mikovitz, in other words, isnt a virus denier.) There may be others who offer informed, scientifically-accurate analysis of the COVID situation, but Im not aware of any at this moment. (Apologies if Im forgetting anyone who deserves to be named here.) Almost everyone talking about COVID-19 on the internet, it turns it, is grossly under-qualified to even approach such a subject, which is why their coverage of genetics, PCR testing, virology and epidemiology have real scientists nearly bursting with laughter (or vomiting in disgust). Earlier today I posted a friendly public warning to Alex Jones, Del Bigtree, Lisa Haven and others who are commenting on the COVID-19 situation, urging them to avoid falling into the vaccine industry trap of claiming deaths dont count when people have underlying health conditions at the time of death. The vaccine industry, you see, is going to use that argument against all these people (and more), when the vaccine starts killing large numbers of victims in America and around the world. How is Alex Jones going to argue that vaccines are killing people when his own argument all this time has been that deaths dont count when people have underlying health conditions? And since nearly everyone in America has at least one underlying health condition, hes just created the perfect excuse for the vaccine industry to disclaim any responsibility for vaccine-induced deaths. Give this podcast a listen to hear the very important argument Im laying out here. This isnt an attack on anyone, but this is a very serious subject, and Im concerned that many people in the independent / alternative media are being misled into a false argument thats going to be used against us all once the deadly vaccines are released. Brighteon.com/fd1983eb-e3d1-4d20-a2b1-e080003e146c Heres the latest interview with Dr. Paul Cottrell, which youll probably find very informative: A schoolboy has boasted on TikTok about partying in Zante, not wearing a mask and how his mates caught coronavirus before his school was closed. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, delayed Wednesday's start of term after 20 students returned from the Greek island with covid. The latest cluster and the teenager's showboating TikTok post will only heap more pressure on Boris Johnson to remove Greece from the Government's travel corridor after Wales and Scotland imposed restrictions this week. In the short clip obtained by The Sun, photos show the group of teens huddled together in a nightclub with the caption: 'Goes to Zante with virtually no social distancing and virtually no corona.' The TikTok video shows the group huddled together in a nightclub (left) and a schoolboy posing on a flight without his mask on (right) It then cuts to the schoolboy taking a selfie on a flight with his face mask slung around his chin, with the caption: 'No mask government can't kill me.' The next shot shows a number of text messages from the NHS, presumably sent to the TikToker and his friends, informing them that they must self-isolate because they have tested positive for coronavirus. It was revealed today that headteacher Kay Mountfield made the decision with health officials to delay the start of term last Friday. She cited Covid-19 infections 'in the school community' and insisted she was 'prioritising safety'. It is a further blow to the school which was left bruised by the A-Level exams fiasco when 85 per cent of its pupils had marks downgraded. Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, was set to welcome back pupils today but will now return on September 10 In a newsletter to parents seen by the Maidenhead Advertiser, Ms Mountfield wrote: 'In the last 24 hours, the school has been informed of a number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the school community following travels overseas.' Her decision to push the reopening back has been supported by Public Health England, Buckinghamshire Council and the Department for Education. 'All the organisations, along with our Chair of Governors, support my decision to prioritise safety and delay the opening until Thursday, September 10,' she added. Ms Mountfield further stressed the need for pupils and parents to observe robust social distancing Following talks with health officials, headteacher Kay Mountfield decided to squeeze the brakes and broke the news to parents last Friday (school pictured) This was echoed by the local council, which revealed there had been a cluster of positive tests from young people in the area. Buckinghamshire Council tweeted: 'There are some linked cases of coronavirus amongst a group of young people & their families in the Marlow area. 'All households are isolating, no cause for wider alarm but pls stay vigilant. 'Self-isolate straight away if you get symptoms and follow NHS advice.' Millions of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are going back to classes this week after almost six months out of school. An Antifa member under investigation connected to the death of a man shot at a Portland protest claimed he served in the Army but the Pentagon says otherwise, DailyMail.com can disclose. Michael Reinoehl is being reportedly being investigated by Portland police over the killing of Aaron Jay Danielson, a member of the right wing group Patriot Prayer who was shot to death at a protest on Saturday. Reinoehl had previously claimed on social media and in an interview with Bloomberg that he was in the army. I was in the army and I hated it. I did not feel like fighting for them would ever be a good cause. Todays protesters and antifa are my brothers in arms, Reinoehl wrote in a post about violent protests. Every Revolution needs people that are willing and ready to fight. I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters! But a US Army spokesperson told DailyMail.com they searched their service records for a 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl and were unable to locate this individual in our database. Michael Reinoehl is being reportedly being investigated by Portland police over the killing of Aaron Jay Danielson, a member of Patriot Prayer who was shot to death at a protest on Saturday. Reinoehl had previously claimed on social media and in an interview with Bloomberg that he was in the army. But a US Army spokesperson told DailyMail.com they searched their service records for Reinoehl and were unable to locate this individual in our database' The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 states it is a federal crime to fraudulently claim military service in order to get money or any other kind of benefit. Police have not commented and Reinoehl has not been charged with any crime in connection to Saturday night's violence. However his sister told DailyMail.com she believed he was the man in a video of the deadly shooting and had identified her brother to Portland detectives investigating the murder In this post, from June 16, he claimed to have served in the army and 'hated it'. He also wrote he was 100% 'ANTIFA' and says 'We do not want violence but we will not run from it either' The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 states it is a federal crime to fraudulently claim military service in order to get money or any other kind of benefit. Police have not commented and Reinoehl has not been charged with any crime in connection to Saturday night's violence. However his sister told DailyMail.com she believed he was the man in a video of the deadly shooting and had identified her brother to Portland detectives investigating the murder. Reinoehl had been previously accused of taking a loaded gun to an earlier Portland protest and social media posts show him attending Black Lives Matter protests. And the 48-year-old former professional snowboarder has had several previous run-ins with the police. In June, he was charged for allegedly racing with his 17-year-old son at speeds of up to 111mph on Interstate 84 with his 11-year-old daughter in the passenger seat. Police said they found usable amounts of marijuana and unidentified prescription pills in Reinoehls 2005 Cadillac STS and a loaded, concealed Glock pistol. The father of two was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm. The victim of Saturday night's shooting in Portland was Aaron 'Jay' Danielson. He was a member of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer and also used the last name Bishop Reinoehl's sister April, 36, believes the man caught on camera in a shooting in the downtown area of the riot-torn Oregon city was her brother and even identified him to local police. 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 April had seen Police arrived on the scene 'within a minute' of when gunshots rang out. The victim, later identified as Danielson, 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 Danielsons ex Mindy Kobata told DailyMail.com she was shocked not only to hear her former boyfriend had been shot dead, but that he had been a member of a right wing religious group The 39-year-old victim of Saturdays deadly shooting was part of a caravan of Trump supporters that drove through downtown Portland that night in an event organized by right wing group Patriot Prayer. Danielsons ex Mindy Kobata told DailyMail.com she was shocked not only to hear her former boyfriend had been shot dead, but that he had been a member of a right wing religious group. Kobata, who dated Danielson in the mid 2000s, said he was liberal and never religious. I dated him over 10 years ago, so when I saw the news about him it was a shock, but I havent had contact with him for years, the 38-year-old said. Back when I knew him he was never really into politics, he was never religious or any of that. He didnt have strong views on any of those things. 'When I knew him he was a free thinker, more on the liberal side. So I was surprised to hear everything. He was never strongly for or against anything. He was just open to everything, though I dont know which way he voted. He wasnt part of [Patriot Prayer] when I knew him, I didnt know about any of that. Two Perth companies face combined fines of up to $4.7 million over an incident in 2018 where a young plumber drowned in a flooded trench on a Mosman Park construction site. It is the first case to be prosecuted by Worksafe since tougher penalties for workplace deaths were introduced by the West Australian government two years ago. Ryan Duffus with fiancee Anita Condran. Credit:Facebook Bennett Springs plumber Ryan William Duffus drowned on a construction site in Mosman Park in 2018 when a two by one-metre trench he was working in filled suddenly with water and mud. Workers tried desperately to pull the 26-year-old from the trench, using a nearby pipe as a snorkel and screaming for help as he sank out of sight. The Alamo usually is a magnet for tourists, but a sixth-generation Texan was the first in line for the reopening of the historic mission church on Thursday. It gives me peace, said Elaine Milam Vetter, 68, holding back tears. It makes me feel like things are going to be OK. Vetter is a descendant of both Ben Milam, a hero of the Texas Revolution, and Collin McKinney, a drafter and signatory of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Her father brought her to the Alamo when she was a child, and she and her husband, Lewis Vetter, brought their kids and grandkids to the site, making sure to visit several times a month. That was before COVID-19. Its like coming back home, Lewis Vetter, 69, said. The Alamo buildings and grounds were closed soon after the pandemic hit in March; the site has slowly been reopening as the spread of the virus has eased. Guests were welcomed back to the Alamo grounds two weeks ago; then the gift shop opened. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo remains closed due to coronavirus restrictions The nearly 300-year-old church had been closed for six months; it reopened at 9 a.m. Thursday. The Long Barrack, which functions as a museum, remains closed for conservation work. On a typical pre-pandemic day, Alamo officials said, the church would see 5,000 visitors, sometimes as many as 10,000. On a busy holiday, such as the Fourth of July, as many as 50,000 people have walked through the fragile structure. Now, the Alamos caretakers are limiting visitors to the church to 750 a day a maximum of 50 people every 30 minutes using a reserved-time ticket system. Access is still free. To visit the church, guests must reserve a time online by visiting TheAlamo.org and clicking on book your tour, and then Alamo Free Timed Entry. The church is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, and masks are required. On ExpressNews.com: New rendering shows vision for Alamo Plaza makeover The church had 350 tickets reserved Thursday, and additional sightseers reserved time on a walk-up basis, said Alamo spokesman Kevin Femmel. Guests can purchase an audio tour, which costs $7 per person or $6 for military personnel and dependents. Listening equipment is sanitized between uses. Thirty-minute history talks are available in the Cavalry Courtyard five times a day. Admission to one of the talks is $10 for adults and $5 for children, with a $1 military discount. Although there is no limit on how many people can visit the grounds, staff monitor the area to ensure social distancing and other safety precautions are being followed. When the Alamo grounds were closed in March, the Vetters were bummed. Elaine missed visiting the church during its most tranquil time, in the evening. Its more than a museum, its an environment, she said. This is San Antonio. On ExpressNews.com: Alamo grounds open, but buildings remain closed Even after the pandemic, the Alamo might retain the timed ticketing system, to keep things more organized and so visitors dont have to wait outside in the sun, said Sheila Mayfield, the historic sites director of marketing and communications. Visiting the Alamo was an educational opportunity for 10-year-old Cheyenne Tricker from Clarksville, Tennessee. The girl wore a face mask decorated with likenesses of a dog and cat. She said she was surprised the Alamo was still standing, considering all it had been through. Her parents, Tom and Jozette Tricker, admired the churchs architecture and marveled at the many and varied activities conducted at the site over the years. After the Spanish mission era, it hosted a military garrison, stables, a blacksmith shop and a wholesale grocery business. Its a great home-school lesson, Jozette said. For those who arent comfortable visiting the Alamo in person just yet, virtual tours are offered twice a day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The virtual tour costs $10 and lasts an hour, with the opportunity to talk to a tour guide in real time. To book a tour, go to tickets.thealamo.org/events. Liz Hardaway is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Liz, become a subscriber. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway Since August 14, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased sharply in South Korea with hundreds of new infections per day. Most of these have been located in the densely-populated Seoul metropolitan area, which is home to half of the countrys 51 million people. As of September 2, there had been 5,679 new cases over almost three weeks. This has brought the total since mid-last month to 20,449, or nearly 30 percent of all cases during the course of the pandemic. By Wednesday, the number of critically-ill patients had also grown from 12 on August 19 to 124. Hospital beds are lacking, however, despite the ongoing pandemic. In Seoul, there were 55 beds available by the middle of this week for COVID-19 patients in a serious or critical condition and only 16 in the neighbouring Gyeonggi Province. Gangwon Province and North and South Jeolla Provinces, as well as the cities of Gwangju and Daejeon, had no available beds. In response to the surge in cases, the central government raised its three-tier social distancing scale from Level 1 to 2.5, enforcing stricter measures in the capital region, but not implementing a full lockdown. Public schools and private academies have been shut for students, while restaurants, indoor gyms, churches, and other places where large numbers gather have been closed or had their hours reduced. The government is attempting to justify not going to Level 3 social distancing, which would ban gatherings of ten people or more. President Moon Jae-in stated last week that in the event of a lockdown, Daily lives will come to a halt, jobs will be lost, and we will have to indeed deal with a huge economic blow. In other words, Moon is stating that no aid will come to those who lose their jobs, while the actual concern is for the impact on the economy, i.e., big business and the banks. In the second quarter of this year, the economy contracted by 3.3 percent. The annual contraction is expected to be 1.3 percent, according to the Bank of Korea. The governments implementation of limited social distancing measures is meant to give the veneer of safety while most people are kept on the job and therefore placed in danger. Workers are being forced into factories where COVID-19 has a high chance of spreading. Call centers, shipyards and distribution centers have been at the center of numerous COVID-19 spikes throughout the year. The Samsung Group, for example, issued a statement on August 24 indicating that no genuine safety precautions would be taken: At Samsung Electronics, most of the employees in offices and production lines continue to come to work. It is impossible for production-line employees to work from home. Hyundai Motors stated that it would respond flexibly to new government guidelines, essentially an admission that it would pay lip service to social distancing while also keeping workers on the assembly lines and in danger in order to turn out surplus value. At least one worker from a Hyundai subcontractor earlier this year died after contracting COVID-19. That measures are being implemented at all is in part due to the fact that safety is a major political issue in South Korea. In 2015, it was one of the hardest hit countries outside of the Middle East during the MERS epidemic. The indifferent response by the authorities at the time helped contribute to the massive protests that broke out a year later. Workers and youth were beginning to draw the connection that it is capitalism itself that is at the heart of these crises. While the protests were kept within the bounds of bourgeois politics by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which is aligned with Moon and the Democratic Party of Korea, Seoul does not want to risk a new outbreak of social anger. The Democrats also feared that an outbreak would trigger unrest shortly before Aprils general election. The government therefore implemented police-state measures to track patients and invaded the privacy of countless people. Now, with the ruling Democrats firmly in control of the National Assembly, and previously credited as preventing a wider outbreak, it has turned its attention firmly to protecting big business. The current outbreak has been traced to the Sarang Jeil Church in northeastern Seoul, with 1,083 members testing positive for COVID-19 as of September 2. Many of its adherents participated in a right-wing rally in Seoul on August 15, the anniversary of Japans defeat in World War II, which has contributed to the spread. Far-right churches like Sarang Jeil are bases of support for the conservative United Future Party, the current main opposition. While Christian superstitionsuch as the belief that the virus can be stopped by prayercertainly played a role in the transmission of COVID-19 among its members, the government has attempted to place blame for the current outbreak squarely at the feet of the church and its political opponents. On August 27, Moon stated, Still, some churches are sticking to face-to-face worship services, while adding that a specific church is rejecting and obstructing the governments coronavirus-related guidelines, a reference to Sarang Jeil. He continued, As a result, South Koreas antivirus fight, which has been exemplary for the worlds antivirus fight, is facing a crisis at the moment, and the whole country is going through big difficulties. This is an attempt by Moon to hide the fact that it is the governments own policies that created the conditions for the spread of the virus in the first place, despite numerous close calls throughout the summer. Since Seoul seemed to have the spread of the virus under control in March, the government has been content with having anywhere from 20 to 60 new cases a day. There was no mass testing campaign to identify those who may have contracted COVID-19 and were spreading it to others in the event they were asymptomatic. Only those who are suspected to have come into contact with a positive patient or those showing symptoms have been able to get tested, while the number of new tests has fallen dramatically. The new outbreak is ultimately a result of the governments indifference towards the working class and its decision to put big business first. New Delhi: In the view of the current border tension with China, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief RKS Bhadauria visited air bases in the eastern sector while Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived in Leh to review the operational preparedness of the troops along LAC in eastern Ladakh where armies of the two nations are in a standoff position for over three months. The Air Force chief is visiting premier air bases in the eastern sector to review the level of operational preparedness and capability enhancement. () pic.twitter.com/uweeFSmFja Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 3, 2020 RKS Bhadauria also interacted with air warriors serving at these bases. Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 3, 2020 Meanwhile, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane reached Ladakh to review the ongoing security situation along the Line of Actual Control in the region. Army sources said that during his 2-day tour of Ladakh, General Naravane will be briefed by senior field commanders on the ground situation along the LAC. The visits of Bhadauria and Naravane come at a time when the border row between India and China is at its peak following the Indian Army's move to occupy the southern part of Pangong lake in Ladakh. Indian Army also managed to occupy several mountain peaks which had been snatched away from India in the 1962 war, without firing a single shot. General Naravane, who is visiting Leh to review the ongoing security situation there, will be briefed by the senior field commanders on the ground situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). On the intervening night of August 29-30, 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. A few days later on August 1, Indian security forces foiled an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into the Indian side of the LAC in the general area of Chumar in Eastern Ladakh. 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 situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June. 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. Tax Credits For Immigrants Hiring Tax Credit Cal Expo Bailout Pandemic Outreach Unemployment For Caregivers Repeal Court Fees (TNS) Despite a looming budget deficit, lawmakers on the final day of their legislative session sent California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposals to add more than $600 million in spending and reduce some revenue with tax breaks.Bills to expand tax credits for immigrants, add money for COVID-19 outreach and give tax breaks to businesses that hire more people are among those lawmakers passed Monday.The proposals build on the $202 billion budget lawmakers and Newsom enacted in June, for which they had to cut spending to make up for a $54 billion shortfall triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn.Since the initial budget passed, the state has collected more in taxes than expected, although budget experts caution that the strong returns reflect pre-recession economic activity in 2019 taxes. Tax revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which ended in June, came in more than $1 billion higher than projected, according to the California Department of Finance. Revenue from July came in $2.5 billion higher than forecast.The Department of Finance still projects the state faces an $8.7 billion deficit next year.Heres a look at some of the costly proposals awaiting Newsoms action:One of the bills passed Monday would extend access to the states earned income tax credit for low-income working families to more immigrants, including many living in the country illegally. It allows people to file for the credit using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, which are given to people who do not qualify for Social Security Numbers.It would build on an expansion passed through the budget in June, which allows immigrant filers with children under 6 to claim the credit regardless of immigration status.Lawmakers estimate that the bill would allow about 200,000 more people to get the credit, said Assemblyman Phil Ting, the San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Assemblys Budget Committee.These are working individuals here in California who, if they are unemployed or have been laid off, cannot access our federal unemployment insurance program, Ting said Monday on the Assembly floor during debate on the bill. During this very challenging time of COVID, we wanted to make sure those who are working and adding to the California economy have every right and ability to access one of the most important programs in our state.Assemblyman Jay Obernolte of Big Bear Lake, who serves as Tings Republican counterpart on the Budget Committee, opposed the expansion because he said its harder to verify the identity of people without Social Security Numbers.The proposal, Assembly Bill 1876, would cost an estimated $60 million annually, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office.Another proposal would authorize up to $100 million in tax credits for small businesses that hire or rehire employees in the next three months.Companies with fewer than 100 employees that lost at least half their typical revenue between April and June would be eligible under the proposal, Senate Bill 1447. Theyd get $1,000 in credits for each worker hired.Lawmakers also sent Newsom a bill that includes a $6 million bailout for Cal Expo fairgrounds in Sacramento, which have taken a financial hit during COVID-19 even as it is used as a coronavirus testing site.The funding would help pay for emergency operations at the fairgrounds. In addition to the testing site, the site is also used to house homeless people in trailers during the pandemic and could be used for evacuees as fire season ramps up.The state would loan Cal Expo half the money and provide the other half in a one-time payment. The bill also includes an option to add $3 million more if needed.Senate Bill 115 would allocate money for COVID-19 education outreach. About $32 million would fund pandemic education outreach aimed at slowing spread of the virus in workplaces, and another $30 million would fund outreach to communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put our immigrant and communities of color at an increased risk of getting sick and dying of COVID-19, Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, said. SB 115 allocates funds to invest in community outreach efforts and help protect our essential workers who are the backbone of our state.Under another proposal, people paid through state programs to care for their spouse or child with disabilities would be eligible to collect unemployment benefits if the family members they care for die.The Legislative Analysts Office estimates the proposal would cost $28 million annually.Another proposal would repeal administrative court fees that Ting argued during floor debate would harm low-income people and people of color.Obernolte opposed the measure, arguing that many of the fees that would be repealed are already means tested, meaning low-income people already do not pay them.I think we can all agree that poverty should not be criminalized, he said. However... what we are actually doing is preventing county courts from collecting these fees from people who can pay them.The bill would appropriate $50,000 in the current budget year and then $65 million in subsequent years to compensate courts for the lost revenue. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions Wednesday on the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, objecting to an investigation of US soldiers for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Also added to the US sanctions blacklist was Phakiso Mochochoko, director of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementary and Cooperation Division, for 'having materially assisted Prosecutor Bensouda,' Pompeo said. Pompeo said other ICC officials have already faced denial of visas to the United States over the investigations of US military personnel. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions on the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda 'Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly,' he said. He added that visa restrictions and broader sanctions could be applied to those helping Bensouda and Mochochoko. The move came after President Donald Trump authorized sanctions on the Hague-based tribunal on June 11 for probing and prosecuting US troops. Pompeo at the time referred to the ICC as a 'kangaroo court' and warned that if US soldiers are investigated by it, those of US allies in Afghanistan risk the same threat. US Attorney General Bill Barr said in June that the ICC has become 'little more than a political tool employed by unaccountable international elites.' US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions on the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, pictured left Also added to the US sanctions blacklist was Phakiso Mochochoko (pictured), director of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementary and Cooperation Division, for 'having materially assisted Prosecutor Bensouda' The sanctions were announced just two months before US elections, in which Trump is running in part on his record of standing up to international institutions which don't bow to US demands. But Washington's move also added to the broader pressure on the ICC to shore up its legitimacy, 18 years after it was founded to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The United States -- like Russia, China, Israel, Syria and a number of other countries -- is not a member of the ICC, and its opposition to the court is longstanding. In 2002 the US Congress even passed the so-called 'Hague Invasion Act' allowing the US president to authorize military force to free any US personnel held by the ICC, in theory making an invasion of Dutch shores a possibility. But the investigation into alleged wartime atrocities in Afghanistan possibly involving US military and civilian officials has turned Washington's low-level opposition into a concerted campaign against the institution. US Attorney General Bill Barr (pictured) said in June that the ICC has become 'little more than a political tool employed by unaccountable international elites' The United States argues that it has its own procedures in place to investigate accusations against troops. Trump, however, used his executive powers last year to clear three military members over war crimes, including in Afghanistan. Also underpinning Washington's enmity is the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by US ally Israel against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Last year the Trump administration revoked Bensouda's US visa, but the court has continued with the probe, leading to the president's June decision to permit economic sanctions against the court. Balkees Jarrah, senior counsel at Human Rights Watch, said the sanctions move Wednesday 'Marks a shameful new low for US commitments to justice for victims of the worst crimes.' FALLOUT: The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, by Lesley M. M. Blume. (Simon & Schuster, $27.) For months after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Americans were told little about the devastating effects on survivors. Blumes magisterial account of how John Hersey broke the story in The New Yorker is also a warning about the ever-present dangers of nuclear war. Our reviewer, William Langewiesche, calls it a tightly focused new book that unpacks the full story and describes Blume as a tireless researcher and beautiful writer, who moves through her narrative with seeming effortlessness a trick that belies the skill and hard labor required to produce such prose. POLAND 1939: The Outbreak of World War II, by Roger Moorhouse. (Basic Books, $32.) This exemplary military history shows why Polands choice to resist the invading Germans was a decision of world-historical significance that shaped the future course of the war. The heart of this book is the description of the fighting, which is about as good as military history can be, Timothy Snyder writes in his review. Moorhouse is rehabilitating an everyday kind of patriotism, of people who did what they thought was right in conditions of terror and ever-growing certainty of defeat. He is seeking to restore agency to Poles, to show that their countrys policy of resisting Germany (and the Soviet Union) and the willingness of soldiers and officers to fight were decisions that made a difference. LAST MISSION TO TOKYO: The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raiders and Their Final Fight for Justice, by Michel Paradis. (Simon & Schuster, $28.) Paradis examines the difficult issue of wartime justice by looking at the Japanese trial of American fliers who were captured following the 1942 Doolittle raid. In his engrossing procedural of a war crimes trial, Paradis offers a more troubling history than some triumphalist American chronicles, Gary J. Bass writes in his review. While Paradis avoids lazy moral equivalences, his book, like any true war story, has something to disquiet nationalists of all stripes. WE GERMANS, by Alexander Starritt. (Little, Brown, $27.) I wasnt a Nazi, says the narrator of Starritts novel as he recalls his years as a German soldier on the Eastern Front in a letter to his grandson. His story unspools like a roll of film, rich with sensory detail and unsparing in its depictions of cruelty. Georgia Hunter, reviewing it, calls the prose riveting and says that the storys concerns feel timely: How do we hold ourselves and our ancestors accountable for past wrongs? How do we acknowledge and atone for a nations violations? Starritts daring work challenges us to lay bare our histories, to seek answers from the past and to be open to perspectives starkly different from our own. LITTLE SCRATCH, by Rebecca Watson. (Doubleday, $23.95.) Profundities leap out from the business of an ordinary day in this experimental novel, told in helixes of text meant to immerse the reader in the protagonists thoughts. A deep trauma at the storys core makes for moving and richly layered reading adventurous typography notwithstanding. Dustin Illingworth, reviewing the novel alongside three other experimental books, says that its nameless protagonist offers consistently sharp and often melancholic treatments of contemporary existence: the theater of joy and disappointment represented by text messages, say, or the depressive signifiers of corporate office life. Mr. Donghui Wang, also known as Kevin Wang, is the founder and managing partner of Ameba Capital. Prior to the establishment of Ameba Capital, Kevin worked in Ernst & Young and PWC from 1997 to 2005 with progressive leadership roles and held a position as executive director and CFO of Kingsoft (HK3888) from 2005 to 2011. He won the honorary title of "2016 TOP30 Best Angel Investor in China" and "Best Young Investors in China's TMT Industry". For past three years, he successfully invested in several companies, including Mogu Inc, Didi Kuaidi, 2dfire, Weltmeister and Xinhe Media. Mr. Daxue Li is the honorary lifetime technology advisor of JD.com. He also worked as Senior Vice President and CTO of JD.com. Under his leadership, the company optimized the website and improved user experience, becoming an industrial benchmark. He was also responsible for the enterprise informatization and the ERP implementation, to achieve all business online and to greatly increase the core competitiveness. Mr. Daxue Li was given the title of "2005 Domestic Model Worker", "2009 Best CIO in China", "2012 Zhongguancun Leading Talents" and "2014 Most Valuable CTO & Best Leading CTO". Mr. Pijun Liu, the CEO of WeTrade Group, expressed welcome for the joining of two new independent directors. He said, "We are excited to have Mr. Donghui Wang and Mr. Daxue Li join WeTrade Group. They are visionary business leaders with a broad commercial, innovative and technological experience. Their appointment marks a milestone for WeTrade in pursuing our vision in building a benchmark for social e-commerce field." Mr. Donghui Wang and Mr. Daxue Li conveyed the excitement to join the company. They look forward to striving to boost the development of the company and to experience the opportunity for explosive growth. About WeTrade Group Inc. WeTrade Group Inc. provides technical services and solutions based on membership social e-commerce. Through big-data, social recommendation relationships, multi-channel APP data statistics, etc., the Company developed a social e-commerce revenue management system, The main functions of the system are user marketing relationship implementation, CPS commission profit management, multi-channel APP data statistics, etc. the system has been applied in the retail, tourism, hospitality and beauty industries, focusing on 100 million micro-business users in China. WeTrade conducts its business operations in mainland China and trial-operations in Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore etc. For more information and product demos: http://www.wetradegroup.net Media Contact: +86-186-1124-1126 [email protected] IR Contact: [email protected] SOURCE WeTrade Group INC Related Links https://www.wetradegroup.net/ MOUNT VERNON, Mo., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- It looks like the presidential running race is going to the dogs. Literally. Owners can get their pooches ready for the political season with doggy ties, toys, T-shirts, bandanas, harnesses, collars, and even dresses supporting either Biden, Trump, the Democrats, or the Republican party. All political dog products are made in the U.S. Mirage Pet Products manufactures about 100,000 original products such as dog and cat collars, pet apparel, leashes, toys and all sorts of fun stuff for pets. They sell to stores on every continent except Antarctica. Every election, millions are spent polling Americans to predict the future president but there's one sure way that's far less expensive and perhaps more accurate. Just look at who man's best friend is supporting during election time. "We've been manufacturing popular dog election T-shirts and other gear since 2008 and we've been able to accurately predict the next President every time," said Mirage Pet Products owner Stephanie Davis. Owners can get their pooches ready for the political season with doggy ties, toys, T-shirts, bandanas, harnesses, collars, and even dresses supporting either Biden, Trump, the Democrats, or the Republican party. All political dog products are made in the U.S. Mirage Pet Products manufactures about 100,000 original products such as dog and cat collars, pet apparel, leashes, toys and all sorts of fun stuff for pets. They sell to stores on every continent except Antarctica. The family-owned American business has been operating for six generations. "My great-great-grandparents all the way to my kids have worked here. My grandparents started working here as teenagers when it was a belt manufacturing facility. One day a customer came in and asked if they could put crystals in a dog collar like they did for belts," said Davis. When the original owner retired, her grandparents bought the company. Ever since, the company has been growing and she attributes the success to her loyal employees and customers. "We treat our staff well. That's a lesson that I learned from my grandparents. It makes a huge difference in the success or failure of a business. We are as flexible as we can be. We pay them as much as we can. For both our employees and customers, we listen and value their feedback in how the company runs. Most of our best ideas have come from our customers and staff. "We enjoy what we do. Most of our revenue comes from small independent businesses. Our core base is the mom and pop shops - we love working with them. It's rewarding to work with a family to put food on the table and make dreams happen," said Davis. Her business has been affected just like any other business during the pandemic except with a double whammy. They were also recovering from a devastating fire last year when the pandemic hit. So, they really understand the hardships that their partners are going through. "We've got several different projects in the works to try and help pet stores that are re-opening. A lot of times customers will call saying here's our situation and we'll do our best to help them," said Davis. Davies believes her company has a leg up on the competition because they're small and able to change quickly to customer needs. Being the manufacturer as opposed to a middle-man, allows them to change quickly if someone needs something different or if things need to be improved. During these COVID times, a lot of animal charities, pet rescue and animal shelter organizations have lost important funding opportunities. Dinners and live events that were so crucial are not happening because of pandemic gathering restrictions. "We're doing more sponsorships during COVID. We can't do the same as the bigger corporations that are donating millions. We're doing donations and sponsorships because we're trying to help these organizations make up for those missing funds," said Davies. They sponsor events in the U.S., Canada and all over the world. They believe in giving back to help social issues facing our world. From drilling wells for clean water and working to help increase the population of endangered animals in Africa and assisting in natural disasters. "We're working on conservation projects and recently sponsored three cheetahs in South Africa. The best way for organizations looking for donations or sponsorships is to email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to accommodate them," said Davis. For further information or to schedule an interview contact Stephanie Davis at 1-800-890-5733 or [email protected]. SOURCE Mirage Pet Products Related Links https://www.miragepetproducts.com The Indian government continues to ban 118 other Chinese apps, as the tension prevails at the India-China border. The government's decision to block the Chinese apps from its huge domestic market in order to strike back against China. Post the border clash occurred in June, India banned nearly 59 mobile apps that include Shareit, TikTok, Tencent's, and many more. Further, India's ban on 118 Chinese apps would restrict Indians from accessing it. The banned apps also include the most popular video game PubG, which has more than 50 million players in India. Other banned apps include Alipay, WeChat, Baidu are being operated by Chinese Internet companies Ant Financial and Tencent that have a huge market in India. Sonit Jain, CEO, GajShield Infotech states, "Understanding the severity of recent major incidents on the border, the announced ban on the list of Chinese apps puts out a bold statement by the Government that it will not compromise on national security and calls out more Indian developers with a stronger Vocal for Local sentiment. These Indian developed apps will not only replace the banned apps but will also ensure stronger security, better user policies, and personal data protection compliances." The Government did not associate the ban on Chinese application with the ongoing border fight. Instead, it has announced that the Indian's personal data are being stolen through these applications and hence the country is banning these applications. While the Indian soldiers' death has been reported in the media. But, the government has not provided any information over the issue or even confirmed the loss of soldiers. LONDON Burberry has won a 573,000-pound contract to make gowns and personal protective equipment for the U.K. National Health Service, according to government records released on Wednesday. This agreement with the government is in addition to the 160,000-plus pieces of PPE manufactured at its trenchcoat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, which Burberry has already donated to the NHS and health-care charities over the past few months. At the time, Marco Gobbetti, chief executive officer of Burberry, said, the whole team at Burberry is very proud to be able to support those who are working tirelessly to combat COVID-19, whether by treating patients, working to find a vaccine solution or helping provide food supplies to those in need at this time. He added that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our everyday lives, but we hope that the support we provide will go some way toward saving more lives, bringing the virus under control and helping our world recover from this devastating pandemic. Together, we will get through this. This contract was not advertised to other suppliers, according to the newspaper the Evening Standard. This is likely because European Union rules allow the government to circumvent the usual processes if only one supplier is capable of delivering on the contract, or facing unforeseen events mean that speed is vital. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. When Joe Prude called the police on his brother, he was asking for help: Daniel Prude, who suffered from mental health problems, had run naked out of his Rochester, New York, house into the snow. When officers arrived, new video footage shows, the March 23 encounter quickly turned violent, and Prude died from asphyxiation under a hood officers had put over his head. Two years prior, in 2018, Shukri Ali Said of Georgia also wound up dead after leaving her house during a mental health crisis on April 23, 2018. Police, called in to help, found Said standing at an intersection holding a knife. Officers shot her five times in the neck and chest, killing her. That same month, in New York, officers answered a 911 call about a black man waving something that looked like a gun. In fact, it was a pipe. But when Saheed Vassell, a 34-year-old father with mental illness who was well known in his Brooklyn community, pointed it at police, they shot him dead. Prude, Vassell and Said are among the hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses in the United States killed by police every year. According to The Washington Post, 197 of the 999 people shot by police last year had a mental illness. Police are almost always the first responders in cases of mental health crises in the United States, as they are in criminal and medical emergencies. But the police who are trained to give orders and use force when they feel endangered are generally ill-equipped to handle people with mental health challenges. From deinstitutionalization to disarray As a disability and ethics scholar who focuses on criminal justice, I know this country has long failed to justly and humanely care for people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. For most of American history, people with mental health disabilities were locked away in hospital-like institutions, many of them state-run. Starting in the 1950s, the physical and sexual abuse common in these facilities, as well as other inhumane practices, spurred a decades-long effort to close them down and return residents to the community. Story continues This process, called deinstitutionalization, was meant to replace institutions with local mental health centers that would provide community-based mental health treatment and assistance for those recently released from institutions. However, in 1981 Ronald Reagan cut most funding for these centers. And since other existing community services like schools, housing and health services were not adapted to meet the needs of these new community members, many were left jobless, homeless and unable to get a good education. Today, the 15% of Americans with these disabilities still have very little support. Some people are fortunate enough to live with their families or in one of the United States roughly 500 private residential facilities places that can cost up to US,000 a year. Others end up homeless, in poorly run facilities or even in jails. But everyone with these disabilities is at high risk of interacting with police. Too often, these interactions go poorly. Nothing about us without us In hopes of identifying practices that prevent avoidable deaths, Ive been interviewing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities about their experiences with the criminal justice system. Under the terms of the academic ethics boards overseeing my research, the names of all my interview subjects are protected. One reason police encounters can go wrong, Ive learned, is that people with intellectual disabilities often struggle to comprehend spoken instructions particularly in a high-stress situation. People who dont have [an intellectual disability] dont have a hard time understanding what the police are asking them to do, one man told me. Its different for me. Being overwhelmed can cause people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities to shut down. If this behavior is interpreted as obstinate, it can lead to arrest, detention or police aggression. People with these disabilities are also often disbelieved by the police. A woman I interviewed who communicated slowly due to her disabilities said she called 911 on her boyfriend for hitting her. But the police believed the boyfriends story that she was the violent one and arrested her instead. When they find out that youre not capable of understanding whats going on, its a free-for-all, another interview subject told me. People with intellectual disabilities may struggle in court, too. When one interviewee didnt understand a judges question, he told me, he was sentenced to three months in county jail for disorderly conduct. Judges and lawyers need to listen to people thats on disability, said the woman arrested after calling 911 on her abusive partner, urging patience. Strategies for change Recognizing that they struggle to handle people in mental crisis, many U.S. cities are making efforts to improve outcomes. New York City trains some officers in crisis intervention and recently mandated that a social worker must accompany officers to such cases. Denver is looking to adopt a mobile crisis intervention program started in Oregon that ensures medics and crisis workers, not police, respond to mental health calls. These and similar efforts nationwide are a step in the right direction. But my research indicates they may not go far enough. Police frequently encounter people with psychiatric disabilities when someone calls 911 about a person acting unusually in public. If police perceive that person as potentially violent, the situation can quickly escalate. Thats how Anthony Hill, a black veteran found wandering around his Atlanta apartment complex naked, died in 2015. Hill, who had gone off his medication, ran toward Officer Robert Olsen, who shot him. Olsen was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Nov. 1, 2019, for aggravated assault and violating his oath of office. Nor do laws targeting police violence address the factors that lead people with mental health disabilities to need emergency assistance in the first place. Despite growing recognition of the stigma around mental illness, people with mental health disabilities are often still feared, pitied and associated with violence in TV and movies. This social stigma can lead to societal rejection and isolation. And the difficulties people with mental health challenges face finding adequate housing, health care and employment all increase their risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. One lesson from the history of American mental health care is that reforming just one problematic aspect of the system doesnt work. To serve this populations needs, other institutions from education to housing must also be made more flexible, responsive and accessible. Just as shuttering institutions 60 years ago solved little, simply targeting police responses wont suffice now, either. This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Read more: Jennifer Sarrett 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) President Rodrigo Duterte was simply advocating for a free marketplace of ideas when he suggested public discussions on the proposal to establish a revolutionary government, his spokesperson said on Wednesday. In an interview with CNN Philippines The Source, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque maintained the chief executive is not for and does not need the proposed change in government. Well I think its because of his dedication to the free marketplace of ideas," Roque said on Duterte's remark. "If there are those who feel theres a need for a revolutionary government, they should be heard in a public debate, in a public discussion of the issue. In his address to the nation on Monday, the President said he wanted the proposal to be discussed publicly and not in sub rosa or secrecy. But as far as his personal conviction is concerned, he was clear: he does not need a revolutionary government because its a constitutional government," Roque stressed. "He will finish his term and go home to Davao. The controversial movement surfaced in August, with the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee launching an event to express support for a Duterte-led revolutionary government. The group argued this will help fast-track the establishment of federalism before Dutertes term ends in 2022. However, officials and netizens have slammed the political stunt, saying it is ill-timed especially with the country battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Roque himself called the proposal strange and incomprehensible and echoed beliefs that it is unconstitutional. In fairness, I dont know what they want." Roque said. "They claim to be supporters of the President, so why would they want to unseat a constitutional president? So I find it strange, the whole exercise to me is incomprehensible. So far, there are no moves to tackle constitutional amendments in Congress after lawmakers stressed the need for the government to focus on the health crisis. The House of Representatives, for its part, said it wont deliberate on any charter amendments for the rest of the year to concentrate on the pandemic battle and budget talks. Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed the German government's determination to complete the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, despite attempts by the United States to kill the project, Daily Sabah reports. Merkel was visiting her constituency in northern Germany when she spoke about the sanctions Washington has imposed on entities associated with the Baltic Sea pipeline which, once completed, will deliver natural gas to Germany and the broader European market. "We do not consider these extraterritorial sanctions, that is those that go beyond the territory of the United States, to be legal," Merkel said in Stralsund. Health officials claimed last week's cases were the lowest 'in a very long time' In the capital, 250 of 14,000 people tested last week were infected with the virus Stockholm registered its fewest cases since early March last week, officials said Stockholm, the epicentre of Sweden's coronavirus outbreak, registered its fewest cases since early March last week, officials said. In the Swedish capital, 250 of 14,000 people tested last week were infected with the virus, a positive rate of 1.8 percent. Lockdown-free Sweden has been controversial for its liberal attitude to controlling the pandemic, preferring instead to let run through the population to create a 'herd immunity'. Sweden recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus on September 2, bringing the total number of cases up to 84,532. There were also seven new deaths, with a total of 5,820 overall fatalities Its measures focused on voluntary social distancing guidance and hygiene recommendations, and it also refused to recommend the use of face masks, but has said they may be advised in the future. Many businesses have also continued to operate, meaning the economy has fared significantly better than most. But unlike many countries in Europe seeing a resurgence of cases, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy - Sweden's figures seems to be continuing to head downwards. Per Follin, department head at Stockholm's Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, said last week's testing was the 'lowest level in a very long time'. He told AFP in an email that they can't 'really compare now and then' as widespread testing was not underway in Sweden until June, but they could say that figures have declined 'since week 10 or 11, possibly even earlier'. Before June, Stockholm only tested serious cases which were admitted to hospital. 'The reason we have relatively low transmission now is largely due to the fact that so many Stockholmers are following the recommendations to stay home when you're sick, wash hands and keep your distance,' Follin said in a statement. The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care is also currently low, with six patients in Stockholm hospitals as of August 31. This is compared to 225 at the end of April, according to local health authority Region Stockholm. Stockholm, the epicentre of Sweden's coronavirus outbreak, registered its fewest cases 'in a very long time' last week as just 250 of 14,000 people tested were infected with the virus Lockdown-free Sweden adopted a liberal approach to the pandemic, encouraging voluntary social distancing guidance and hygiene recommendations As of Thursday, Sweden had the world's eighth-highest death toll at 577 per million inhabitants, mainly due to its failure to protect the elderly in nursing homes in the early stages of the pandemic. Sweden recorded 11 new cases of coronavirus on September 2, bringing the total number of cases up to 84,532. Yesterday's figures also saw seven new deaths, with a total of 5,820 overall fatalities. The number of coronavirus cases have been in steady decline since early June, and its R-number has largely held below 1 since early July. Public health agency officials have said they don't expect to see a large virus resurgence in Sweden, where schools reopened in mid-August. But face mask sales are seeing a spike in demand in Sweden, several drug stores said, ahead of a possible U-turn decision by authorities. Swedes appear to be stockpiling after the public health agency (FHM) said two weeks ago that it may issue new recommendations. Face mask sales at online pharmacist Apotea have increased to around 400,000 units a week in the past two to three weeks from 150,000 in previous weeks, CEO Par Svardson said. Sweden could make a U-turn in its face mask policy and encourage their use in certain spaces, after it refused to recommend the use of face coverings At drug store Apoteket, with total annual sales around 20 billion crowns ($2.32 billion), face mask sales have jumped about 30% in the same weeks, to weekly levels equivalent to an entire year's turnover, according to a spokesman. Sweden has so far rejected recommending or mandating the use of face masks in public spaces, as many countries in Europe have done. But health agency director-general Johan Carlson told a press conference on August 18 that there may be situations - such as doctor and dentist visits and on public transport - where face mask recommendations could be issued. Sweden's Nordic neighbours were long holdouts on the mask issue as well, but they have all changed their tune in recent weeks. Finland now recommends wearing masks in public places, Norway advises it on Oslo public transport, while Denmark has made it mandatory on all public transport and in taxis. During the 2016 campaign, Trump regularly said Mexico would pay for the wall, but after failing to obtain sufficient funds from Congress, he resorted to taking money from the Pentagon budget without congressional approval. To do so, Trump declared a national emergency to take $3.6 billion in funds approved for more than a hundred military construction projects and also relied on an obscure counternarcotics law that allows the Defense Department to pay for fencing in drug-smuggling corridors. ROCKLAND, Mass, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, announced today it will present data on its approved and investigational multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments at MSVirtual2020: 8th Joint ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS Meeting. The Company will present 54 abstracts at the meeting, taking place virtually from September 11-13, 2020, including new efficacy and real-world safety data on MAVENCLAD (cladribine) tablets and new safety data for Rebif (interferon beta-1a). In addition, data will be presented on the efficacy profile of evobrutinib, an investigational, oral, highly selective Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor (BTKi), through 108 weeks of treatment in the Phase II open-label extension (OLE) in adult patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). Preclinical data will also be presented providing insights into evobrutinib's potential impact on progression in MS. "The broad range of research revealed through these data demonstrate our strategic approach to advancing the MS treatment landscape through new medicines and patient-focused research initiatives," said Luciano Rossetti, Global Head of Research & Development for EMD Serono. "Much of our data provide insights on how MAVENCLAD and Rebif affect the risk of respiratory viral infections and COVID-19 outcomes in MS patients. These insights will help support clinicians as they make treatment decisions for their patients living with MS." Key MAVENCLAD (cladribine) tablets data include: Efficacy results from the Phase IV MAGNIFY-MS study and its impact on a reduction in mean combined unique active (CUA) lesion count in the first six months of MAVENCLAD treatment for highly active RMS treatment for highly active RMS New data evaluating cumulative relapse incidence over five years in patients enrolled in the MAVENCLAD CLARITY and CLARITY Extension trials CLARITY and CLARITY Extension trials Late-breaking interim data from the CLASSIC-MS study on the long-term efficacy and real-world treatment patterns for patients receiving MAVENCLAD , with eight to 14 years of follow up, will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from September 25, 2020 , with eight to 14 years of follow up, will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from Results from a post hoc analysis from the CLARITY Extension and the impact of MAVENCLAD on the prevalence of disability improvement over five years, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) on the prevalence of disability improvement over five years, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) Results from the MAGNIFY and CLARIFY studies regarding clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 infection during these Phase IV studies of MAVENCLAD for the treatment of MS will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from September 25, 2020 for the treatment of MS will be available as part of the late-breaker sessions from Updated post-approval safety data of MAVENCLAD in the treatment of MS, including respiratory viral infections and findings that the safety profile was consistent with that from the clinical development program Key Rebif (interferon beta-1a) data include: Post-approval results on the safety of Rebif in the treatment of MS, showing no new safety signals Key evobrutinib data include: Efficacy results of the Phase II OLE in patients treated with evobrutinib 75 mg BID (twice a day) as measured by annualized relapse rate from Week 48 to Week 108 Safety results from the 60 week Phase II OLE Preclinical data demonstrating evobrutinib's potential to reduce CNS compartmentalized inflammation thought to drive the progression of disability seen in MS Additional EMD Serono activities at MSVirtual2020: Live presentation "Exploring the role of real-world data in multiple sclerosis" chaired by Prof. Gavin Giovannoni , Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry ( September 12, 2020 , 14:3015:30 EDT; recording available after the event) , Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry ( , 14:3015:30 EDT; recording available after the event) Two product theatres on demand throughout the congress starting from September 11, 2020 , 11:45 EDT , "Multiple sclerosis patient management: update from the UK" by Dr. Wallace Brownlee , MS Specialist Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and MS researcher at Queen Square MS Centre, University College London Institute of Neurology , MS Specialist Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and MS researcher at Queen Square MS Centre, University College London Institute of Neurology "Real-world multiple sclerosis management: what can we learn from MSBase?" by Dr. Suzanne Hodgkinson , Associate Professor, University of New South Wales , and a senior consultant neurologist at Liverpool Hospital, New South Wales, Australia Following the conclusion of MSVirtual2020, EMD Serono will be hosting "Mastering the Neuroscience of Unconscious Bias," the inaugural virtual event for the company`s I'M IN initiative, a diversity, equity and inclusion effort started in February 2019. I'M IN is a US-based initiative started by the Neurology & Immunology franchise, which aims to explore solutions together with healthcare providers to improve equity within the healthcare ecosystem. Below is the full list of EMD Serono abstracts accepted for presentation at ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS 2020: MAVENCLAD (cladribine) tablets Presentations Title Authors Presentation ID Presentation Details Reduced Grey Matter Atrophy in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Cladribine Tablets Battaglini M, Sormani M P, Luchetti L, Gentile G, Cortese R, Alexandri N, De Stefano N P0231 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Marco Battaglini Reduction in CUA MRI Lesions in the First 6 Months of Cladribine Tablets Treatment for Highly Active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: MAGNIFY-MS Study De Stefano N, Barkhof F, Montalban X, Achiron A, Derfuss T, Chan A, Hodgkinson S, Prat A, Leocani L. Schmierer K, Sellebjerg F, Vermersch P, Wiendl H, Keller B, Roy S P0382 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Nicola De Stefano Durable Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets: Cumulative Relapse Incidence Over 5 years in CLARITY and CLARITY Extension Giovannoni G, Rammohan K, Leist T, Coyle P K, Keller B, Jack D, Alexandri N P0202 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Gavin Giovannoni Disability Improvement in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Receiving Cladribine Tablets, Evaluated by Expanded Disability Status Scale Sormani M P, Signori A Giovannoni G, Alexandri N P0201 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Maria Pia Sormani Updated Post-Approval Safety of Cladribine Tablets in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, With Particular Reference to Respiratory Viral Infections Giovannoni G, Berger J, Leist T, Jack D, Galazka A, Nolting A, Damian D P0415 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Gavin Giovannoni Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19 Infection During Phase IV Studies of Cladribine Tablets for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Karan R, Roy S, Alexandri N LB1151 Session: Latebreaker ePoster Date: September 25- 26, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 25, 2020 Presenter: Radmila Karan Treatment Satisfaction in Patients With Highly- active Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Cladribine Tablets: CLARIFY-MS Study Interim Analysis Brochet B, Hupperts R, Langdon D, Solari A, Piehl F, Lechner-Scott J, Montalban X, Selmaj K, Valis M, Rejdak K, Havrdova EK, Patti F, Alexandri N, Nolting A, Keller B P1066 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Bruno Brochet Initial Findings From a Dynamic Cohort Study of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Proactive Approach for Safety and Comparative Effectiveness Sabido, M, Batech M, Foch C, Boutmy E, Verpillat P P0470 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Meritxell Sabido Characteristics of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Cladribine Tablets in Five European Countries: Multi-year Chart Review Zeng F, Harty G, Wong SL, Maslova E, Schade R, Row B P0846 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Feng Zeng Characterization of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated With Cladribine Tablets in Germany Since Marketing Authorization Zeng F, Harty G, Wong SL, Uebler S, Maslova E, Schade R, Row B, Ellenberger D, Stahmann A P0847 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Feng Zeng CLASSIC-MS: Long- term Efficacy and Real- World Treatment Patterns for Patients Receiving Cladribine Tablets - Interim Data with 814 Years Follow-up Giovannoni G, Leist T, Aydemir A, Verdun Di Cantogno E, on behalf of the CLASSIC-MS Steering Committee LB1229 Session: Latebreaker ePoster Date: September 25- 26, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET September 25, 2020 Presenter: Thomas Leist Age-related Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets in Patients With Relapsing- remitting MS in the CLARITY Extension Study Freedman M, Pardo G, De Stefano N, Aldridge J, Hyvert Y, Galazka A, Lemieux C P0284 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Cladribine Tablets in Patients with RRMS and Active SPMS After Suboptimal Response to Prior DMD (MASTER-2 and CLICK-MS): Initial Baseline Demographics Miravelle A, Katz J, Robertson D, Hayward B, Walsh JS, Harlow DE, Lebson LA, Sloane JA, Bass AD, Fox EJ P0310 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Augusto Miravelle Treatment-emergent Adverse Events Occurring Early in the Treatment Course of Cladribine Tablets in two Phase 3 Trials in Multiple Sclerosis Oh J, Walker B, Giovannoni G, Jack D, Dangond F, Nolting A, Aldridge J, Lebson L, Leist TP P0411 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Jiwon Oh Identification and Characterization of Adherence Trajectory Subgroups in Patients With MS Initiating Once- or Twice-daily Oral Disease-modifying Drugs Cisternas MG, Rajagopalan D, Leszko M, Andrade K, Phillips AL P0967 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Amy Phillips Real-world Patient-level Costs of Administering Infusion Disease- modifying Drugs: A US Retrospective Claims Database Analysis Kozma CM, Roberts NL, Phillips AL P1052 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Chris Kozma Value-added Benefits of a Nurse/Pharmacy-led Service for Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Treated Over 2 Years With Cladribine Tablets in the UK Morgan K, Vernon K, Ayer M P1069 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Kate Morgan Demonstrating the Value of a Patient Support Program for Multiple Sclerosis Patients Prescribed Cladribine Tablets in Ireland at the end of Year 1 Morgan K, Joseph B, Williams V, Kelly M P1015 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Kate Morgan Low Discontinuation Rate and Side-effect Burden After Switching to Cladribine Tablets: Canadian Experience from the adveva Patient Support Program Oh J, Giacomini P, Devonshire V, Clift F, Lemieux C, Sabido M, Allignol A, Freedman M P0880 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Jiwon Oh Cladribine Tablets Versus Other Disease- modifying Therapies in Achieving Disability Improvement in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Network Meta-analysis Piasecka- Stryczynska K, Rolka M, Kaczynski , Gorecka M, Wojcik R, Adamek I, Kaczor MP, Rejdak K P0040 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: K. Piasecka-Stryczynska MS Disease-modifying Therapy Sequencing Natalizumab to Cladribine Tablets Experience in 46 Patients Ziemssen T, Penner IK, Wagner T, Huebschen M, Mueller B, Buescher T, Richter J, Posevitz-Fejfar A 566 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Tjalf Ziemssen Switching disease modifying treatment in relapsing multiple sclerosis: Delphi consensus of the Demyelinating Group of the Spanish Society of Neurology Saiz A, Aguera E, Moral E, Brieva L, Rodriguez- Antiguedad A, Casanova-Estruch B, Jordi R, Meca- Lallana V, Garcia- Merino JA, Costa- Frossard L, Arnal- Garice C, Landete L, Meca-Lallana J, Blanco Y, Matias- Guiu J, Ares A, Martinez-Gines ML, Ara JR, Llaneza M, Castillo-Trivino T, Romero L, Perez- Sempere A, Gonzalez-Platas M, Mendibe-Bilbao M P0401 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Luis Brieva CLADQoL (CLADribine Tablets evaluation of Quality of Life) Study: Evaluating QoL 12 Months After Treatment Initiation with Cladribine Tablets Penner IK, Pul R, Kallmann BA, Raji A, Richter J, Wagner T, Mueller B, Buescher T, Posevitz-Fejfar A P0849 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Iris- Katharina Penner Effects of Cladribine on Proliferation, Survival and Cytokine Release of Human Astrocytes Eixarch H, Calvo- Barreiro L, Fissolo N, Boschert U, Comabella M, Montalban X, Espejo C P0330 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Herena Eixarch Real-world Experience With Cladribine in the MSBase Registry Butzkueven H, Spelman T, Verdun di Cantogno E, Fabris J, Zeng F, G Harty P0907 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Helmut Butzkueven 2- Chlorodeoxyadenosine (Cladribine) Preferentially Inhibits the Biological Activity of Microglia Cells Aybar F, Marcora S, Eugenia Samman M, Perez MJ, Pasquini JM, Correale J P0270 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Jorge Correale Cladribine to Halt Deterioration in People With Advanced Multiple Sclerosis (ChariotMS) Lieberman D, Mangat H, Allen- Philby K, Baker D, Barkhof F, Chandran S, Chapman C, Chataway J, Ford H, Giovannoni G, Hobart J, Hooper R, Hussain T, Walker N, Macmanus D, Mihaylova B, Pavitt S P0196 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: David Lieberman Predicting Long-term Sustained Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: Application in the CLARITY Trial Sharmin S, Bovis F, Sormani MP, Butzkueven H, Kalincik T and the MSBase study group P0131 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: S Sharmin A Clinical Data Summary for Cladribine Patients Treated at least 12 Months - A Swedish Nationwide Study of the Long-Term Effectiveness and Safety of Cladribine (IMSE 10) Forsberg L, Kagstrom S, Hillert J, Nilsson P, Dahle C, Svenningsson A, Lycke J, Landtblom AM, Burman J, Martin C, Sundstrom P, Gunnarsson M, Piehl F, Olsson T P0276 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: L Forsberg Impact of Cladribine Tablets on Brain Volume Protection in Highly Active MS Raji A, Winkler G P0586 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: A Raji Early Real-World Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Cladribine Tablets: A Single Center Experience Bain J, Jones A, Overholt S, Guenette M, Selchen D, Jiwon Oh P0319 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: J Bain Switching From Ocrelizumab to Cladribine: Real-world Data O'Neill DTD, Sharma M, Gonzales B, Vandenheuvel M, Tse B, Hodgkinson SJ P0399 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: D O'Neill The Effect of Cladribine Upon Naive and Activated CD4+ T Regulatory Cells in MS Patients Verma ND, Al- Atiyah R, O'Neill D, Sharma M, Tran CT, Hall BM, Hodgkinson SJ P0406 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Suzanne Hodgkinson Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Presentations A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses of Pregnancy and Fetal Outcomes in Women with Multiple Sclerosis. IMI2 ConcePTION Lopez-Leon S, Geissbuehler Y, Sabido M, Turkson, M, Wahlich C, Morris J P0278 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Meritxell Sabido Post-approval Safety of Subcutaneous Interferon -1a in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, With Particular Reference to Respiratory Viral Infections Freedman M S, Guehring H, Murgasova Z, Jack D P0370 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Effect of Neutralizing Antibodies on Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers of Subcutaneous Interferon -1a in REFLEX and REFLEXION Freedman MS, Holmberg KH, Fluck M, Hyvert H, Stinchi S, D'Urso V, Dangond F P0323 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Mark Freedman Baseline Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels Predict Conversion to McDonald 2005 MS Within 2 yrs of a First Clinical Demyelinating Event in REFLEX Kuhle J, Leppert D, Comi G, De Stefano N, Kappos L, Freedman MS, Issard D, Roy S P0032 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Sanjeev Roy Effect of age on Effectiveness and Discontinuation of Subcutaneous Interferon beta-1a, and Healthcare Utilization, in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Sabido M, Allignol A Marhardt K, Vermersch P, Boutmy EF P0320 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Patrick Vermersch Comparing Infection- related Outcomes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Matched Controls Using Administrative Claims Data Bove R, Kozma C, Phillips AL, Harlow DE, Lobo C P0451 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Riley Bove Assessment of the Effectiveness of a Cognitive Behavioral Program for Fatigue (FACETS +) in 110 French Patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RR MS): A randomized, controlled trial (RCT) Hemelin F, Marie Claire G, Olivier H, Marie B, Frederic B P1095 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Fanny Hamelin Impact of Interferon- beta Exposure During Early Pregnancy on Relapse Rate Tokic M, Thiel S, Litvin N, Ciplea A, Gold R, Hellwig K P1126 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: M Tokic Evobrutinib Presentations Clinical Relapse Rates in Relapsing MS Patients Treated with the BTK Inhibitor Evobrutinib: Results of an Open- Label Extension to Phase II Study Montalban X, Arnold D L, Weber MS, Staikov I, Piasecka- Stryczynska K, Martin E C, Mandel M, Ona V, Dangond F, Wolinsky JS P0197 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Fernando Dengond Safety of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Evobrutinib in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis During an Open-label Extension to a Phase II Study Montalban, X Arnold D L, Weber M S, Staikov I, Piasecka- Stryczynska K, Martin E C, Mandel M, Ona V, Zima Y, Dengond F, Tomic D, Wolinsky JS P0235 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Fernando Dengond Effect Of Evobrutinib, a BTK Inhibitor, on Immune Cell and Immunoglobulin Levels in Relapsing MS: An Open-Label Extension to a Phase II Study Montalban X, Shaw J, Dangond F, Martin EC, Grenningloh R, Ying Li, Weber MS P0070 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Jamie Shaw Evobrutinib, a Highly Selective BTK Inhibitor, Prevents Antigen- activation of B Cells and Ameliorates B Cell mediated Experimenta l Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Torke S, Pretzsch R, Hausler D, Grenningloh R, Boschert U, Bruck W, Weber MS P0334 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Sebastian Torke Expression of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase in B Cell-rich Meningeal Infiltrates in two Models of Progressive MS Kebir H, Ceja G, Miller MC, Li C, May MJ, Vite CH, Church ME, Grenningloh R, Boschert U, Alvarez JI P0962 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Kebir Hania T-bet+ B-cell Development in MS: Association with Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Activity and Targeting by Evobrutinib Rijvers L, Melief MJ, van Langelaar J, Wierenga-Wolf AF, Marieke van Ham S, Boschert U, Grenningloh R, Smolders J, van Luijn MM P0403 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Liza Rijvers The Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Evobrutinib Ameliorates Meningeal Inflammation in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Kim S, Boschert U Grenningloh R, Bhargava P P0404 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Pavan Bhargava The Validity and Applicability of the PROMIS SF v2.1 - Physical Function (MS) 15a: A new PROMIS Short Form for Assessing Physical Function in Relapsing and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Types Kamudoni P, Amtmann D, Johns J, Cook K, Salem R, Salek S, Raab J, Middleton R, Repovic P, Alschuler KN, von Geldern G, Wundes A, Henke C P1062 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Paul Kamudoni The Interpretation and Clinical Application of the PROMIS SF v1.0 - Fatigue (MS) 8b: A PROMIS Short Form for Assessing Fatigue in Relapsing and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Kamudoni P, Johns J, Cook K, Salem R, Henke C, Salek S, Raab J, Middleton R, Repovic P, Alschuler KN, von Geldern G,Wundes A, Amtmann D P1061 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Paul Kamudoni General MS Franchise Identifying Gaps in Knowledge, Skills and Confidence Among MS Specialists to Facilitate Improved MS Care Schmierer K, Peniuta M, Oh J, Leist T, Lazure P, Peloquin S P1100 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Klaus Schmierer An Investigation Into the Role and Impact That Carers Play in Consultations Between Healthcare Professionals and People With MS Langdon D, Sumelahti M L, Potra S, Alroughani R, on behalf of the MS in the 21st Century initiative, Verdun Di Cantogno E P1006 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Dawn Langdon Characterization of Age- related Changes in Circulating T cells in Multiple Sclerosis and Normal Controls: A Pilot Study Zuroff LR, Li R, Shinoda K, Rezk A, Bar-Or A P0952 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: LR Zuroff Treatment and Care Management, Clinical Outcomes and Mobility Impairment in People With or Without MS Aged 50 Years: Observational 6-year Analysis Freeman L, Lucas A, Zhou J, Hayward B, Livingston T P0176 Session: ePoster Date: September 11- 13, 2020 Time: Available from 9am ET on September 11, 2020 Presenter: Terrie Livingston About MAVENCLAD MAVENCLAD, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 29, 2019, is the first and only short-course oral therapy for the treatment of adults with relapsing-remitting disease (RRMS) and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS). Because of its safety profile, use of MAVENCLAD is generally recommended for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, an alternate drug indicated for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), and MAVENCLAD is not recommended for use in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Patients should follow healthcare provider instructions including cancer screening, contraception and blood tests. The approved dose of MAVENCLAD is 3.5 mg per kg body weight over two years, administered as one treatment course of 1.75 mg per kg per year, each consisting of two treatment weeks. The mechanism by which cladribine exerts its therapeutic effects in patients with multiple sclerosis has not been fully elucidated but is thought to involve cytotoxic effects on B and T lymphocytes through impairment of DNA synthesis, resulting in depletion of lymphocytes. MAVENCLAD causes a dose-dependent reduction in lymphocyte counts followed by recovery. Because cladribine is cytotoxic, special handling and disposal instructions should be followed. MAVENCLAD has been approved in 79 countries, including the European Union (EU), Canada, Australia and Switzerland, for various relapsing MS indications. Visit www.MAVENCLAD.com for more information. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION BOXED WARNING: MALIGNANCIES and RISK OF TERATOGENICITY Treatment with MAVENCLAD may increase the risk of malignancy. MAVENCLAD is contraindicated in patients with current malignancy; evaluate the benefits and risks of the use of MAVENCLAD on an individual patient basis for patients with prior or increased risk of malignancy. MAVENCLAD is contraindicated for use in pregnant women and in women and men of reproductive potential who do not plan to use effective contraception because of the potential for fetal harm. CONTRAINDICATIONS Current malignancy. Pregnancy, and women and men of reproductive potential who do not plan to use effective contraception during MAVENCLAD dosing and for 6 m after the last dose in each treatment course. after the last dose in each treatment course. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Active chronic infections (e.g., hepatitis or tuberculosis). History of hypersensitivity to cladribine. Breastfeeding while taking MAVENCLAD and for 10 days after the last dose. DOSING CONSIDERATIONS: After the completion of 2 treatment courses, do not administer additional MAVENCLAD during the next 2 years. The risk of malignancy with reinitiating MAVENCLAD more than 2 years after completion of 2 treatment courses has not been studied. ADDITIONAL WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Lymphopenia: In clinical studies, 87% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients experienced lymphopenia. Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with hematotoxic drugs may increase the risk of adverse reactions because of the additive hematological effects. Monitor lymphocyte counts before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. In clinical studies, 87% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients experienced lymphopenia. Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with hematotoxic drugs may increase the risk of adverse reactions because of the additive hematological effects. Monitor lymphocyte counts before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. Infections: Infections occurred in 49% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients compared to 44% of patients treated with placebo in clinical studies. The most frequent serious infections included herpes zoster and pyelonephritis. Single fatal cases of tuberculosis and fulminant hepatitis B were reported in the clinical program. Administer live-attenuated or live vaccines at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to starting MAVENCLAD. Screen patients for latent infections; consider delaying treatment until infection is fully controlled. Vaccinate patients antibody-negative to varicella zoster virus prior to treatment. Monitor for infections. Administer anti-herpes prophylaxis in patients with lymphocyte counts less than 200 cells per microliter. In patients treated with parenteral cladribine for oncologic indications, cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been reported. No case of PML has been reported in clinical studies of cladribine in patients with MS. Infections occurred in 49% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients compared to 44% of patients treated with placebo in clinical studies. The most frequent serious infections included herpes zoster and pyelonephritis. Single fatal cases of tuberculosis and fulminant hepatitis B were reported in the clinical program. Administer live-attenuated or live vaccines at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to starting MAVENCLAD. Screen patients for latent infections; consider delaying treatment until infection is fully controlled. Vaccinate patients antibody-negative to varicella zoster virus prior to treatment. Monitor for infections. Administer anti-herpes prophylaxis in patients with lymphocyte counts less than 200 cells per microliter. In patients treated with parenteral cladribine for oncologic indications, cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been reported. No case of PML has been reported in clinical studies of cladribine in patients with MS. Hematologic Toxicity : Mild to moderate decreases in neutrophil counts, hemoglobin levels, and platelet counts were observed. Severe decreases in neutrophil counts were observed in 3.6% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 2.8% of placebo patients. Obtain complete blood count (CBC) with differential including lymphocyte count before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. : Mild to moderate decreases in neutrophil counts, hemoglobin levels, and platelet counts were observed. Severe decreases in neutrophil counts were observed in 3.6% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 2.8% of placebo patients. Obtain complete blood count (CBC) with differential including lymphocyte count before and during treatment, periodically thereafter, and when clinically indicated. Risk of Graft-versus-Host Disease With Blood Transfusions : Irradiation of cellular blood components is recommended. : Irradiation of cellular blood components is recommended. Liver Injury : Obtain liver function tests prior to treatment. Discontinue MAVENCLAD if significant injury is suspected. : Obtain liver function tests prior to treatment. Discontinue MAVENCLAD if significant injury is suspected. Hypersensitivity : In clinical studies, 11% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients had hypersensitivity reactions, compared to 7% of placebo patients. Serious hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 0.5% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 0.1% of placebo patients. If a hypersensitivity reaction is suspected, discontinue treatment. Do not use MAVENCLAD in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to cladribine. : In clinical studies, 11% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients had hypersensitivity reactions, compared to 7% of placebo patients. Serious hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 0.5% of MAVENCLAD-treated patients, compared to 0.1% of placebo patients. If a hypersensitivity reaction is suspected, discontinue treatment. Do not use MAVENCLAD in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to cladribine. Cardiac Failure: In clinical studies, one MAVENCLAD-treated patient experienced life-threatening acute cardiac failure with myocarditis, which improved after approximately one week. Cases of cardiac failure have also been reported with parenteral cladribine used for treatment indications other than multiple sclerosis. Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions with an incidence of >20% for MAVENCLAD are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and lymphopenia. Drug Interactions/Concomitant Medication: Concomitant use of MAVENCLAD with immunosuppressive or myelosuppressive drugs and some immunomodulatory drugs (e.g., interferon beta) is not recommended and may increase the risk of adverse reactions. Avoid concomitant use of certain antiviral and antiretroviral drugs. Avoid concomitant use of BCRP or ENT/CNT inhibitors as they may alter bioavailability of MAVENCLAD. Please see the full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING for additional information. About Rebif (interferon beta-1a) Rebif (interferon beta-1a) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease, in adults. It is used to decrease the frequency of relapses and delay the occurrence of some of the physical disability that is common in people with MS. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Rebif is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to natural or recombinant interferon beta, human albumin, or any other component of the formulation. Rebif should be used with caution in patients with depression, a condition that is common in people with multiple sclerosis. Depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts have been reported to occur with increased frequency in patients receiving interferon compounds, including Rebif. Severe liver injury, including some cases of hepatic failure requiring liver transplantation, has been reported rarely in patients taking Rebif. The potential for liver injury should be considered when used in combination with other products associated with liver injury. Monitor liver function tests and patients for signs and symptoms of hepatic injury. Consider discontinuing Rebif if hepatic injury occurs. Anaphylaxis and other allergic reactions (some severe) have been reported as a rare complication of Rebif. Discontinue Rebif if anaphylaxis occurs. In controlled clinical trials, injection site reactions occurred more frequently in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated and Avonex-treated patients. Injection site reactions including injection site pain, erythema, edema, cellulitis, abscess, and necrosis have been reported in the postmarketing setting. Do not administer Rebif into affected area until fully healed; if multiple lesions occur, discontinue Rebif until skin lesions are healed. Decreased peripheral blood counts in all cell lines, including pancytopenia, have been reported in Rebif-treated patients. In controlled clinical trials, leukopenia occurred at a higher frequency in Rebif-treated patients than in placebo and Avonex-treated patients. Thrombocytopenia and anemia occurred more frequently in 44 mcg Rebif-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients. Patients should be monitored for symptoms or signs of decreased blood counts. Monitoring of complete blood and differential white blood cell counts is also recommended. Cases of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), some fatal, have been reported with interferon beta products, including Rebif, up to several weeks or years after starting therapy. Discontinue Rebif if clinical symptoms and laboratory findings consistent with TMA occur, and manage as clinically indicated. Caution should be exercised when administering Rebif to patients with pre-existing seizure disorders. Seizures have been temporally associated with the use of beta interferons, including Rebif, in clinical trials and in postmarketing reports. The most common side effects with Rebif are injection-site disorders, headaches, influenza-like symptoms, abdominal pain, depression, elevated liver enzymes, and hematologic abnormalities. Epidemiological data do not suggest a clear relationship between interferon beta use and major congenital malformations, but interferon beta may cause fetal harm based on animal studies. Data from a large human population-based cohort study, as well as other published studies over several decades, have not identified a drug-associated risk of major birth defects with interferon beta products during early pregnancy. Findings regarding a potential risk for low birth weight or miscarriage with the use of interferon beta products in pregnancy have been inconsistent. Please see the full Prescribing Information for additional information: https://www.emdserono.com/us-en/pi/rebif-pi.pdf About Evobrutinib Evobrutinib (M2951) is in clinical development to investigate its potential as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). It is an oral, highly selective inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) which is important in the development and functioning of various immune cells including B lymphocytes and macrophages. Evobrutinib is designed to inhibit primary B cell responses such as proliferation and antibody and cytokine release, without directly affecting T cells. BTK inhibition is thought to suppress autoantibody-producing cells, which preclinical research suggests may be therapeutically useful in certain autoimmune diseases. Evobrutinib is currently under clinical investigation and not approved for any use anywhere in the world. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately 2.3 million people have MS worldwide. While symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms of MS include blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the limbs and problems with strength and coordination. The relapsing forms of MS are the most common. EMD Serono, Inc. and Multiple Sclerosis For more than 20 years, EMD Serono has been relentlessly focused on understanding the journey people living with MS face in order to create a meaningful, positive experience for them and the broader MS community. However, there is still much that is unknown about this complex and unpredictable disease. EMD Serono is digging deeper to advance the science. About EMD Serono, Inc. EMD Serono - the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada - is engaged in the discovery, research and development of medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases. The business is committed to transforming lives by developing and delivering meaningful solutions that help address the therapeutic and support needs of individual patients. Building on a proven legacy and deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, EMD Serono is developing potential new oncology and immuno-oncology medicines while continuing to explore potential therapeutic options for diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and MS. Today, the business has approximately 1,500 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts. www.emdserono.com. Your Contact [email protected] 1-781-206-1951 SOURCE EMD Serono Related Links www.emdserono.com By Trend An informal online meeting of the leadership (Bureau) of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) was held on September 2, Trend reports. During the meeting, extensive discussions took place on a number of areas of the assemblys activities. A report by OSCE PA President Georgy Tsereteli on events in the OSCE region was presented. Secretary General of the organization Roberto Montella spoke about the possible contribution of the OSCE PA to improving the efficiency of the organization's structures and the work that should be done by the assembly by December 2020. OSCE PA Vice-President, Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA Azay Guliyev commented on the agenda of the meeting. Noting the provocation carried out by Armenia in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, the illegal resettlement of Lebanese Armenians to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the fact of arming Armenia by Russia, Guliyev brought to the attention of the Bureau members that such events contradict the norms and principles of international law. Guliyev said that the initiative of OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella on "Operations of Lazarus" could be useful in systematizing the ideas and proposals collected and put forward by the OSCE PA over the years, in order to achieve certain results in strengthening the OSCE's activities and ensuring its effectiveness. The vice-president brought to the attention of the meeting participants his views on the steps to be taken on security issues, which are the main focus of the OSCE. "Firstly, as is known, a fact-finding mission was sent to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in 2005 under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. The final report of the mission reflected a number of violations of international law, including the illegal settlement of people on the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia," said Guliyev. Unfortunately, the OSCE Minsk Group didnt take concrete steps to resolve any issues raised in the mission's report, and this shows that the co-chairs arent interested in the soonest achievement of a just and peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, he noted. "Armenia continues the process of illegal resettlement of Armenians from the Middle East to the occupied Azerbaijani territories. At present, Armenia, using the recent explosion in Beirut, is carrying out the process of illegal settlement of its people in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts," said the vice-president. In this regard, I sent a letter to President Tsereteli, and I hope that the OSCE PA and other international organizations will condemn these illegal actions of Armenia, which contradict a number of international documents, including the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute. Illegal settlement of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh under the pretext of "repatriation" and "humanitarian aid" is part of the policy of annexation of Armenia, Guliyev said. The second issue is the lack of real cooperation between the OSCE PA and the Minsk Group. For some unknown reason, the co-chairs have not yet submitted a report on the activities of the Minsk Group, despite our repeated proposals and invitations from the Azerbaijani side, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation said. The current situation shows that not all the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are committed to achieving a common goal - the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict through negotiations. On the contrary, the arming of Armenia by one of the co-chairs, Russia, causes concern and contradicts the mediation mandate of this country in the Minsk Group, as well as its obligations reflected in a number of international documents on arms control and regional security, said Guliyev. The atmosphere of impunity and the lack of an adequate response to the illegal actions of Armenia create favorable conditions for the aggravation of the situation. As an example, I can point to the provocative attacks of Armenia on July 12-16, 2020, the shelling of our military and civilian facilities located on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district. As a result of the provocation, servicemen and civilians, including a 76-year-old resident of Tovuz district, were killed. The attacks by Armenia created an existential threat to oil and gas pipelines and other strategic economic infrastructure in the region, the vice-president emphasized. The third important issue is the need for the OSCE PA to establish institutional relations with the OSCE Minsk Group and close cooperation with it to build peacec he said. The OSCE PA can facilitate the convening of the Minsk Conference with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group members, at least within the OSCE PA we can hold a meeting with the participation of the Minsk Group member states. During the meeting, it is necessary to find an answer to one question - Why the co-chairs have not yet been able to find a solution to the problem, while Armenia still does not comply with the UN Security Council resolutions and other international documents? I believe that the intervention of the OSCE PA can be useful for identifying obstacles and failures in the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as achieving certain progress in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Guliyev said. The vice-president also said that for almost 30 years Armenia has been ignoring documents of international organizations, including four resolutions of the UN Security Council, OSCE and OSCE PA resolutions, requiring the unconditional withdrawal of the armed forces of the occupying country from internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Therefore, we must always remember about the tools and mechanisms offered by the OSCE, an organization uniting 57 countries, for resolving the conflict, about the mandate of this organization, and must ensure the implementation of the above resolutions requiring the withdrawal of armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. I believe that all these issues will be reflected in the proposals and action plan that will be presented to the OSCE, noted Guliyev. Several members of the Bureau who spoke further at the meeting supported Guliyev's proposals that the OSCE PA should be more active in connection with the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz "Out of love" is both timely and daring as the theme is open to multiple interpretations; artists can choose to either focus on the word "love" and create work from a point of passion, or conversely the inspiration could stem from the word "out" as in all out of love, suggesting frustration and a desire for change. Artist work must be designed with consideration for the OOH display environment, meaning a large digital billboard predominately along roadways with a vehicular audience in mind. The winning artwork will be displayed on digital out of home assets across the United States in November. Utilizing its platform for good, OUTFRONT will also donate a one month digital OOH campaign to the charity of the winner's choosing. OUTFRONT encourages all creative talent to participate whether associated with an ad agency, a brand, a freelancer, or simply an artist with heart. This year's panel of judges is an elite and diverse group of experts from the advertising and street art world; including last year's OUTFRAME winner, Ryan Artell from 160over90, and acclaimed artist, Peter Tunney, of The Peter Tunney Studio. They have all been invited to help kick off the competition with their own interpretation of "out of love," which are being displayed on OUTFRONT billboards and amplified on social media channels. Peter Tunney, the lead judge, has very effectively used billboards to promote themes like "courage," "unity," and "appreciation" for many years. "OUTFRONT Media has been an unbelievable media partner to me for years," said Peter Tunney. "The 'Courage' billboard is the single greatest moment in my artist career. I'm so happy and honored to be involved in OUTFRAME." Joining Tunney and Artell on the judging panel are: Ray Smiling , Creative Director, Johannes Leonardo , Creative Director, Anne Di Lillo , Design Director, Selman , Design Director, Selman Matthew Ryan Herget "Mr Herget," Street Artist Chris "Daze" Ellis, Street Artist Wilfredo "Bio" Feliciano, Street Artist Tim Wasicki , East Region Creative Director, OUTFRONT Media "This year's OUTFRAME competition has a very special sentiment to it," said Tim Wasicki, East Region Creative Director of OUTFRONT Media. "Artists get a chance to be highlighted not just for their passions and their respective discipline, but also have a unique opportunity to provide a sense of comfort to those around who will see their work. With OUTFRAME, creatives now have a chance to express themselves the best way they know how, in such an important time in history, and on one of the biggest and most powerful devices they can possibly haveout of home." The OUTFRAME 2020 Winner will be announced in November. To learn more about this competition and all entry details, terms and conditions, please visit wegetyou.com/OUTFRAME. Follow OUTFRAME on Instagram: @OUTFRAME2020. No purchase is necessary to enter this contest. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. Contact: Investors: Media: Gregory Lundberg Courtney Richards Senior Vice President, Investor Relations PR & Events Specialist (212) 297-6441 (646) 876-9404 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc. Related Links http://www.outfrontmedia.com 24 Hours In A&E Rating: Reported Missing Rating: Before long, every other show on TV will be a fast-paced, fly-on-the-wall documentary following the lifesavers of Britains emergency services. In fact, we may already have reached that point. This year has seen series about paramedics, doctors and nurses battling the Covid-19 pandemic, traffic cops, lifeboat men and murder detectives. Earlier this week it was the turn of Devon and Cornwall police, struggling to prevent people trafficking through West Country fishing ports. Now 24 Hours In A&E (C4) returns for its umpteenth season, watching the dramas unfold in the emergency room at St Georges, London, and teasing out the human stories behind the medical crises. 24 hours in A&E, pictured: (L-R) Anthony - Porter, Julie - Receptionist, Ahmed - Consultant, Georgina - Resgistrar, Georgina - Nurse,..Masha - Plastic Surgeon, Sarah - Consultant and Chris - Nurse. The latest series watches dramas unfold at St. George's hospital in London The show had a couple of melodramas to begin with, both on the theme of fatherhood. Dad Grants love of fast motorbikes hadnt been quelled by a high-speed smash years ago. But all his nightmares piled up when he and his 22-year-old daughter Hazel were out for a Sunday ride. Grant glanced in his mirrors and Hazel was gone. Another vehicle had clipped the rear of her bike, hurling her into the central reservation of a dual carriageway. Two Weeks to Live Off-beat concept of the week: How do you cope with a talent like Maisie Williams, runaway star of Game Of Thrones? The odd comedy-drama Two Weeks To Live (Sky 1) gives her a bucketlist, a gun and a box of her dads ashes. Lets see what she does with that lot. Advertisement The young woman, a British Transport police officer, was badly bashed about, but survived to make a full recovery. Sitting in front of the camera, Grants emotions flooded out. He seemed deeply relieved to describe his unhappy childhood, his distant relationship with his father and his determination to be a better dad for his own children. Any health crisis can trigger that therapeutic unburdening of memories. As a reporter, Ive encountered it many times, and I know Ive often done it myself I call it my Ancient Mariner syndrome, that need to grab someone by the lapel and pour out a story. The story told by 85-year-old Johns three children would take some beating. As their dad lay seriously ill with internal bleeding after a fall, they remembered their shock in the Seventies when he and their mum split up. After a few weeks, there was a reconciliation and John, a former Army athlete, returned to the family home. The children were not told the reasons and didnt dare ask. It was 30 years before they caught a hint of the truth . . . when their half-sister, Johns secret daughter, got in touch with the family. The old fellow slipped away, the day after admission to A&E. To see him lying there, calm but a little bewildered, nobody could have guessed at the dramas of his long life. Thats why we need these stories. Pictured above: BBC1's 'Reported Missing', which follows live police searches for missing people and details the quick thinking necessary in such investigations All the tales underlying the manhunts in Reported Missing (BBC1) could be summed up in two words: drug abuse. Gloucester police were doggedly searching for two men, whose absence was spotted by clinics trying to help them beat addiction. One, James, left rehab in a wheelchair to score heroin. The other, Aaron, had been turfed out of his sisters home after his drug habit put her children at risk, and hadnt been seen at his walk-in centre for months. The professional compassion of officers, as they questioned homeless sleepers and addicts in squalid dens, was impressive. They tracked down both men, arresting one for theft and urging the other to return to hospital. Both seemed beyond repair but it isnt the job of the police to give up hope. We had a pitiful glimpse of what happens to those who cant be helped, when a body was discovered in a sleeping bag, huddled against a wall beside a wood. These documentaries may be endlessly interesting and varied, but they arent always easy viewing. Iran Looks To China For Development Of Intranet Radio Farda September 02, 2020 The head of the Council and Internal Affairs Commission of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Saleh Jokar, says that launching an Iranian national intranet is included in the new partnership being planned between Iran and China. Speaking to the pro-reform website Entekhab (Choice), Jokar said on Tuesday, September 1 that Tehran had welcomed the cooperation of countries such as China and Russia in its internet development, and that the proposed document detailing Iran and China's potential partnership contains details about Iran's national intranet under the title of "cooperation between Iran and China for development of cyberspace." The draft of the Iran-China cooperation document, which the Iranian cabinet approved on June 21, is a controversial proposal that has been strongly criticized by some critics of President Hassan Rouhani's government as well as opponents of the Iranian regime, though China has so far avoided any reference to the existence of the document. If the partnership is established, China will offer for the first time its assistance in establishing an intranet in Iran, with the Iranian government trying for years to implement a "national network" separate from the global Internet, allegedly for security reasons. The Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly last May estimated that about 190 trillion rials (approximately $4.5 billion) had previously been spent on creating a national Internet in Iran. In the meantime, Jokar defended the newly-elected Majlis parliament representatives' motion to "nationalize the Internet," citing the fact that social media servers are located in "the United States or Canada." He also referred to Turkey's history of restricting social networks, saying, "Social networks must respect the Islamic protocols and laws, as they do in Turkey." Forty members of the Iranian parliament have presented a double-urgency parliamentary motion entitled "Organizing Social Media," which is currently in line for a public debate on the Majlis floor. The proposed parliamentary motion would require "all domestic and foreign messaging apps" to fall in accordance with Iranian law. The use of filter breakers is currently considered a crime and is punishable by fines and imprisonment. The Iranian government, which notoriously shut down Internet access in the country during the November 2019 anti-regime protests, has been named by international institutions as one of the world's most egregious practitioners of cyberspace suppression. A report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on March 11, 2020, named Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace (ISCC) as a leader of cyberspace suppression within the country. Established by Khamenei, ISCC controls cyberspace policy in Iran, uses various methods to control the Internet by filtering news websites and applications such as Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter. The Islamic Government has so far not commented on Jokar's revelation. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-looks -to-china-for-development -of-intranet-/30817282.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Switzerland's consumer prices continued to decline in August, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed on Thursday. The consumer price index decreased 0.9 percent year-on-year in August, the same rate of fall as seen in July. Economists had expected a 0.8 percent fall. On a monthly basis, consumer prices remained unchanged in August. Economists forecast a 0.1 percent rise. Prices for clothing and footwear, accommodation, and communication increased in August, while those for air transport, travel package and housing rent declined. The core CPI fell 0.4 percent annually in August and remained unchanged from the previous month. The EU measure of harmonized index of consumer prices rose 0.1 percent monthly in August and declined 1.4 percent from the previous year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The Indian government continued its crackdown on Chinese technology firms by banning 118 apps, citing security concerns threatening Indias sovereignty. Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a statement, it received complaints on misuse of mobile apps on Android and iOS devices, claiming specific apps were stealing and surreptitiously transmitting user data without permission to servers outside of India. In the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security of the State. And using the sovereign powers, the government of India has decided to block the usage of certain apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet enabled devices, the ministry said in a statement. Among the freshly banned 118 apps were: popular online game PUBG, video hosting service Youku, enterprise messaging app WeChat Work, news source Sina News and a VPN for TikTok. All of which the Indian government labelled malicious. It added the move will safeguard millions of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. The ban follows the governments previous move to block 59 Chinese apps in June and a further 47 in July. The banned apps then included TikTok, UC Browser, Helo, Likee, Shareit, Mi Community, WeChat and CamScanner. The following Lancaster County restaurants were found to have violated Pennsylvanias health and safety regulations during inspections between Aug. 9-15. Inspections are overseen by the Department of Agriculture. The department notes that in many cases violations are corrected by the restaurant before inspectors leave. BOOTHYS BBQ 901 Turnpike Road, Elizabethtown Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Drinking water quality obtained from a non-public water system does not meet DEP water quality standards. BURGER KING #817 2370 S. Market St., Elizabethtown Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed food in walk-in freezer with ice build-up on the outside of the box. --Observed equipment (fryers) with grease and debris build-up on the interior and around wheels. --Ceiling vents by hand wash sink have residue accumulations. --Walls and floors and hard to reach areas have residue accumulation. --Trash receptacles used inside the food facility extremely soiled, dirty, sticky and attracting insects. --Food facility has an original certificate posted, but the location is not conspicuous for public viewing. --Observed (three) bucket of quat sanitizer at 50ppm and zero ppm rather than the 150-300 --The quaternary ammonia concentration in the sanitizing solution of the three-bay warewash sink was 50 ppm, rather than 150-300 ppm as stated on the manufacturers use directions. --Observed missing coving in the downstairs storage area. --Mops are not being hung to air dry. MELISSAS COUNTRY GRILLE 1426 Lancaster Pike, Quarryville Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed food debris accumulation in the seams of the two bain-marie door gaskets. DOLLAR GENERAL STORE #7985 1627 S Market St., Elizabethtown Date: Aug. 12, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed (eight) cans of tuna fish severely dented for sale on the sales floor in the facility. --Wall board, corners and cove molding in dry storage stock room are damaged and have significant holes. --Rear loading ramp doors have large gap at bottom and are not sealed tightly. --Toilet rooms do not have a self-closing door. LONG COMMUNITY AT HIGHLAND 600 E Roseville Road, Lancaster Date: Aug. 12, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed a grease build-up inside the fryer cabinets. --Static dust observed on the fan guards of the walk-in cooler. Shutterstock illustration LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE #5589 2310 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster Date: Aug. 12, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed missing floor tile under the hand wash sink in the food prep area and stagnant water observed in the area. Repeat violation. FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES #1406 584 Centerville Road, Lancaster Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Womens toilet room is not provided with a covered waste receptacle for sanitary napkins. --The hot water at the three compartment sink does not turn off. KNEPPS CARAMEL CORN 705 Graystone Road, Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed cups with no handle stored in two containers of cotton candy mix used to scoop out product. --Observed bucket of cleaning solution sitting inside hand sink. THE BBQ SHACK 705 Graystone Road, Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed hot wings holding at 107 degrees rather than the 135 degrees or above as required. COMFORT SUITES MANHEIM 543 Champ Blvd., Manheim Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed raw chicken and eggs stored above ready-to-eat foods in the upright cooler in the prep area. --Observed excessive sticky residue on the underside of the juice machine. --Observed ceiling vent above prep table with excessive static dust. A stack of clean glasses sits on a counter.Rachel Sonnenshine | MLive.com file photo COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT 1931 Hospitality Drive, Lancaster Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed static dust on the ventilation system above the mechanical dishwasher. Static dust observed on two ceiling air vents in the kitchen. DRAGON HIBACHI AND SUSHI BUFFET 1858 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: Out Violations: --The mechanical dishwasher drainboard, does not allow for self-draining as evidenced by pooling water. --Observed the lids of the outside dumpster open at the time of this inspection. --No sign or poster posted at the hand-wash sink in the sushi preparation area to remind food employees to wash their hands. --The Person in Charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. --Observed raw chicken stored above sauce in the small cooling unit. Raw oysters observed stored above cantaloupe in the walk-in cooler. Raw shell eggs observed stored above fish in the walk-in cooler. --Observed old, hardened food residue on the can opener blade. --Outside waste handling unit had drain plug removed. --Cinder block wall in the storage area, has a hole and is in need of repair. --Ceiling tiles missing in the storage area, and need to be replaced. --Working container on a shelf with food, used for storing cleaners taken from bulk supplies, were not marked with the common name of the chemical. --Chlorine chemical sanitizer residual detected in the final sanitizer rinse cycle of the low temperature sanitizing dishwasher was five ppm, and not 50-100 ppm as required. --Employees were unable to wash their hands properly, due to the hot water being turned off at the hand-wash sink near the wok area. --Observed water leaking from the pipe beneath the hand-wash sink across from the wok area. --Outside waste handling unit and storage area was extremely dirty, sticky, and attracting insects and rodents. --The screen door in the back is not connected to the frame of the door and does not protect against insects. --Observed a bottle of sanitizer stored on the same shelf and above food across from the cook-line. Observed hand sanitizer stored on the same shelf with cooked chicken. FRANCESCOS PIZZA 30 S. Main St., Manheim Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed (two) vents on the cook-line above a three door reach-in freezer with heavy grease and dust accumulation. --Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration. --The floor/wall juncture in dish area is not coved and closed to 1/32 inch. --Observed employee drinks with twist off caps stored above food prep table. --Observed ledge under the oven with accumulation of grease and crumbs. --Observed fan guards in walk-in cooler with black matter accumulation. --Observed low and missing floor grout under the three-compartment sink, making the floor not easily cleanable. --Observed excessive fly activity in the dish area under the three compartment sink. LANCASTER INN & SUITES 1475 Lancaster Road, Manheim Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed a yellow liquid in a bottle under three bay sink with no label or common name of what the product is. Shutterstock illustrationShutterstock STRASBURG MARKET PLACE 214 Hartman Bridge Road, Strasburg Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Complaint Compliance: In Violations: --Food employee observed in the meat department, not wearing or beard cover. VFW POST #5956 149 S. Charlotte St., Manheim Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: --Observed interior of (two) microwaves with encrusted debris on the inside. The following establishments had no violations BREAKAWAY FARMS 2084 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster Date: Aug. 14, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found HEMPFIELD FIRE DEPT 19 Main St., Salunga Date: Aug. 14, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found LANCASTER MORAVIAN CHURCH 227 N Queen St., Lancaster Date: Aug. 14, 2020 Type: Follow-up Compliance: In Violations: None found MORAVIAN CENTER ADULT DAY 227 N Queen St., Lancaster Date: Aug. 14, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found BEE BEES ALL NATURALS 342 N Queen St., Lancaster Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found BOOTHYS BBQ MFF TYPE 3 901 Turnpike Road, Elizabethtown Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found BUILDING CHARACTER 342 N Queen St., Lancaster Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found SOLANCO MARKET 1844 Lancaster Pike, Peach Bottom Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found WEIS MARKETS #049 740 S Broad St., Lititz Date: Aug. 13, 2020 Type: Complaint Compliance: In Violations: None found GENE WENGERS MEATS 935 Groff Ave., Elizabethtown Date: Aug. 12, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found WEIS MARKETS #098 1786 J Columbia Ave., Columbia Date: Aug. 12, 2020 Type: Complaint Compliance: In Violations: None found ABSOLUTE ORGANICS 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found BYERS BUTTERFLAKE BAKERY 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPS # 7064 2350 Lincoln Hwy, Ste 200 Lancaster Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found CORNER BUTCHER 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found HUGHES FARM FRESH MEATS 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found HUMMERS MEATS AT ROOTS MKT. 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 3 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found LIVING FOODS 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found MURPHYS GROCERY OUTLET 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 3 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found PASTA PLUS AT ROOTS MKT 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found PIERSOLS NUTS 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 3 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found ROSS DRESS FOR LESS #1431 2350 Lincoln Hwy, East Ste 400 Lancaster Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found SMITHS CANDIES AT ROOTS MKT 705 Graystone Road, Bldg, 2 Manheim Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: In Violations: None found ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 85 E Brandt Blvd., Landisville Date: Aug. 11, 2020 Type: Opening Compliance: In Violations: None found BOUNCING BODEGA MMF2 415 Elmshire Drive, Lancaster Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Opening Compliance: In Violations: None found MCDONALDS RESTAURANT 866 E Main St., Ephrata Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Complaint Compliance: In Violations: None found TABAREK INTERNATIONAL FOODS 798 C New Holland Ave., Lancaster Date: Aug. 10, 2020 Type: Complaint Compliance: In Violations: None found Australian universities are notoriously afraid of upsetting governments. So we should all note how forcefully Margaret Gardner, the acting chair of the Group of Eight leading research universities, responded to the Morrison governments latest proposed intervention in universities. She said: We are concerned with the danger that in the name of security Australia may be inadvertently threatening the very democratic principles it holds dear. Academic freedom on the line? Credit:Louise Kennerley Gardner said she couldnt think of other universities in advanced democracies that were subject to a similar level of intervention in how they conduct their relationships with universities and other agencies across the world. She added: Its the sort of thing you see in authoritarian dictatorships. The backdrop to Gardners remarks is that the Morrison government is due to introduce its Foreign Relations Bill on Thursday. If passed, it will give the government the right to cancel agreements that state and local governments and universities reach with overseas governments and entities. The details of all existing and new agreements will have to be notified to the Commonwealth. This will cover everything from trade and investment to cultural exchanges, university research partnerships, sister city arrangements and much more. Although not specifically named, China is the target. Maharashtra Police, which has been at the forefront in battling the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the countrys worst-affected state as far as the viral outbreak is concerned, has reported 424 fresh cases in the past 24 hours. This is the highest single-day spike in the state police department since the lockdown restrictions were imposed from end-March in a bid to contain the spread of the contagion. Earlier on August 24, 351 Maharashtra Police personnel had tested Covid-19 positive. So far, 16,015 Maharashtra Police personnel, including 1,736 officers, has been found to have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. Fortunately, 13,014 police personnel has recovered from their viral infection and many have already resumed their duties, said Vinayak Deshmukh, assistant inspector general of police (law and order), Maharashtra Police. The Covid-19-related death toll among Maharashtra Police personnel has risen to 163, including five fresh fatalities between Monday and Wednesday. So far, 15 police officers have died of Covid-19. Wardha, Nanded, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur Rural and Thane City police authorities reported a death each due to the viral infection. In Wardha, Vilas S Balpandey (46), a head constable, died of Covid-19 on Wednesday. He was posted at Dahigaon police station and was admitted to Kasturba Hospital in Sevagram on August 27 after he had tested Covid-19 positive. Karbhari Rambhau Khade (52), a head constable posted at Mumbra police station in Thane city, also died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at Saffire Hospital. He had tested Covid-19 positive on August 23. Balaji Tukaram Denge, a head constable, died of the contagion in Nanded district on Tuesday. He was posted at the district police headquarters in Denge and was being treated at the government-run hospital in Wajirabad. Ganesh Shankarrao Surpam (47), a head constable, died at Nagpur Medical College & Hospital, where he was admitted since August 26 after he had tested Covid-19 positive. While Suresh Shona Mhatre, an assistant sub-inspector posted at Kalamboli police station, died at DY Patil Hospital in Navi Mumbai. He was undergoing treatment since August 20. So far, Mumbai Police has reported over 4,800 Covid-19 cases and 69 deaths because of the viral infection -- the highest in the state police department. An internal study conducted by the state police department has found that most of the deceased police personnel were aged above 50 years and had comorbidities such as blood pressure and diabetes. . /* custom css */ .tdi_75_5c1.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_5c1 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_5c1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_5c1.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_5c1.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement The Nigerian Police, on Wednesday, failed to honour the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, directing it to produce the Bayelsa governorship candidate, Vijah Opuama, who had been in police detention since Aug. 15. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Taiwo Taiwo had, on Monday, ordered the police to produce Opuama in court on Wednesday following an ex-parte application by his Lawyer, Michael Odey, asking it to show cause why the detainee should not be released unconditionally. While the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, Mr Adamu Mohammed, is the 1st respondent, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge-of the I-Gs Monitoring Unit is the 2nd respondent in the suit. Besides failing to produce the detainee in court at the Wednesdays sitting, the police was neither represented in court nor filed any defence as earlier ordered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_010.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_010 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_010.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_010.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_010.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } The judge, however, frowned at the police violation of his Mondays orders. After hearing, Justice Taiwo issued a fresh order, directing the two respondents to provide the detainee in court on Sept. 7 unfailingly. The applicant shall be produced unfailingly in court on Monday September 7, 2020 at 10am prompt by any person holding him or the respondents named on the court processes i.e. the Inspector General of Police and the Assistant Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit, he ruled. According to the judge, the IGP and his subordinate joined as the 2nd respondent in suit risked being personally summon should they fail to comply with the fresh order. That if the applicant is not brought before the court as specified on September 7, 2020, this court will not hesitate to order the appearance of the respondents before it, the judge said. NAN reports that Opuama, the Liberation Movements governorship candidate in the Bayelsa States Nov. 16, 2019 election, was said to have been arrested by the police at the premises of the states Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, on Aug. 15 while waiting for judgment to be delivered on his petition, challenging the outcome of the disputed poll. Opuamas wife, Ebikoboere Amaebi, stated in the affidavit filed in support of her husbands application that she was with the governorship candidate at Wuse Zone 6, Magistrate Court, Abuja, venue of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, waiting for the tribunals judgment to be delivered in his case, when some unidentified men allegedly violently arrested him. Sugano Sword System Experiences High Volume Digital Downloads "We are experiencing a high volume of requests for the Sugano Sword System as aikido students and teachers around the world are looking for a reputable source of aikido swordsmanship training to offer to their students," says Gentil Pennewaert Shihan, Dojo Cho of Newport Beach Aikikai Since March 2020 when the world declared a pandemic, martial artists around the world were looking for solutions for online training. Newport Beach Aikido has a unique samurai sword training system developed by the late Seichii Sugano Shihan, captured in two volumes available for download. As dojos around the country are limiting their practice and many studios closing down, aikido practitioners are looking to stream or download digital aikido lessons. The Sugano Sword System 1 and 2, has increasingly become more popular with requests for downloads peaking at over 300% in sales. Most aikido instructors don't have the weapons training experience to teach the lessons properly and often gain bits and pieces from attending seminars. Only a few seniors in the Aikido community have developed weapons systems to help their students understand aikido better. Newport Beach Aikido has been very fortunate over the past few decades before the passing of the late Seichii Sugano Shihan (a master swordsman in aikido). In fact, Gentil Pennewaert Shihan was his otomo for many years (a traveling deishi and apprentice) and was able to film the Sugano Sword System at Newport Beach Aikido in California. "We are experiencing a high volume of requests for the Sugano Sword System as aikido students and teachers around the world are looking for a reputable source of aikido swordsmanship training to offer to their students. With the social distancing measures in place, practicing the samurai sword is a great alternative to hand techniques. Many of the hand techniques in aikido are developed from the Samurai sword techniques. Our dojo, in particular, has pivoted our training strategies to an all weapons-based training. Our students are loving the deeper focus on weapons training and seeing the correlations to the hand techniques that they are so familiar with. It is a great opportunity to improve your timing, distance, and direction." Gentil Pennewaert Shihan, Dojo Cho at Newport Beach Aikikai The late Sugano Shihan was from a nearly lost generation (only a few are left) of key uchi deshi (live-in-students) who studied daily and directly with the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, otherwise known respectfully as O-Sensei to aikidoist worldwide. As part of his training with O-Sensei, Sugano Shihan studied weapons and particularly with the bokken. Unfortunately, O-Sensei never established a systematic way of practicing with the sword. Sugano Shihan was a master swordsman and, like the rest of his aikido technique, known for his power, speed and uncanny sense of timing. There five fundemental patterns (icho no ken, ni no ken, san no ken, yon no ken, and go no ken) presented over the course of two volumes (taped several years apart). These two volumes (available on DVD or for download) are available now from the Shin Do Kan Aikido dojo in California. Even as Sugano Shihan worked to create a systematic approach to practice with the sword, his instruction had always remained incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving. Sugano Shihans weapons instruction was organic and free from any kind of formal kata. At the Shin Do Kan dojo in Newport Beach, California (where Sugano Shihan would teach twice a year), he would pair off the students and have them practice basic sword patterns with the bokken designed to develop correct body positioning (hanmi), timing, and increased awareness of distance. These patterns would have been lost to the world of aikido if it were not for his key students Tony Smibert Shihan, Robert Botterill Shihan, and Hanan Janiv Shihan, but chiefly Sensei Gentil Pennewaert who supervised the video taping of Sugano Shihans way of practicing with the bokken. About Newport Beach Aikido As Orange County's #1 Rated Aikido dojo, Gentil Pennewaert Shihan, 6th Dan and Dojo Cho founded Shin Do Kan Dojo in 1987 in Belgium with a second satellite location in Newport Beach. Sensei Pennewaert insures a high standard of safety at all times and provides a solid foundation in the basic fundamentals of aikido technique and etiquette. Students have unlimited monthly training with seven days a week classes for adults, teen, and children. Weapons training with the jo, bokken, and tanto are also offered to increase the understanding of timing, distance, and direction in Aikido. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India | Though almost all of Indias Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters, writes Karl Vick, Time editor. (Image: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated Rs 2.25 lakh to PM CARES as per an account statement of the fund that was made public on Wednesday. The opposition, led by Congress leader and Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has raised questions on PM CARES fund as it was reported, as per the account statement, that the fund which was setup in March received as much as Rs 3,076.62 crore in just five days of its formation. Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modis donations to the PM CARES fund, his contributions to a number of public causes, ranging from girl child education to the cleaning of Ganga, from his savings and the proceeds of auctions of the gifts he received exceed Rs 103 crore sources said on Thursday. Highlighting Modis donations to public causes, sources noted that he gave Rs 21 lakh in 2019 from his personal savings to the corpus fund set up for the welfare of sanitation workers of Kumbh Mela. After receiving the Seoul Peace Prize in South Korea in 2019, the prime minister had announced that the entire prize money of Rs 1.30 crore would be given to the Namami Gange project, aimed at cleaning Ganga river, they added. PM Modi has contributed to many public causes. These donations have now exceeded Rs 103 crore, the sources said. During a recent auction of mementoes received by Modi as Prime Minister, Rs 3.40 crore was collected and donated to the cause of Namami Gange. The sources said Modi had donated Rs 21 lakh from his personal savings towards the education of a Gujarat government staffs daughter after he quit as the state chief minister in 2014 to take over as the countrys prime minister. He had also raised Rs 89.96 crore by auctioning all gifts he received as chief minister and donated this to the Kanya Kelavani Fund, a scheme for education of the girl child. The prime minister had also initiated the auctioning of gifts he received till then in 2015, and Rs 8.35 crore were raised, with the amount channelled to the Namami Gange Mission, sources said. The PM CARES Fund was set up in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak to support relief of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nathan Frandino (Reuters) California, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 08:09 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c42598fb 2 Science & Tech baby,parents,Cradlewise,united-states Free As every new parent knows, sleep can go out the window after the arrival of a newborn. That was certainly the case for parents Radhika and Bharath Patil, who seeking relief for their own disrupted sleep patterns, put their electronic engineering backgrounds together to create a "smart crib". Their crib, powered by artificial intelligence, combines a baby monitor, rocker, bassinet and crib in one. "It's not the amount of work around the baby that tires the parents, it's the lack of sleep," Radhika Patil, Cradlewise chief executive, told Reuters in an interview. According to a recent study, new mothers lose an hour of sleep per night on average and it can take them up to six years to regain pre-pregnancy sleep levels. It was for their first child that Patils built the Cradlewise smart crib, using a patented silent rocking mechanism combined with a set of cameras to monitor the baby and transmit live through a smartphone app. "So we have a baby monitor that's looking at the baby and detecting the early signs of wake-up, and it starts the rocking as well," Radhika Patil said. Read also: Babies' behavior could predict their personality more than 20 years later Early detection is key, she said, adding that the sooner parents can detect the baby waking up, the easier it is to get the child to fall back asleep. The Patils used AI to come up with the sensing feature. They say that allows parents to learn and log the baby's sleep patterns and monitor for breathing and physical movements indicative of disrupted sleep. It also records how much rocking is needed for the baby to fall back asleep. The crib also comes with a library of music that will play based on the settings. There is already a "smart" bassinet on the market that logs sleep patterns and provides rocking for babies up to 6 months old. The Patils' smart crib includes cameras and is designed for children up to age 2. They hope to deliver the product, now in pre-order, to the market by late October, priced at $999. "Once you put the baby in, the crib takes care of everything. That's the aim," Bharath Patil said. Of course, a parent's work is never done. "Sometimes you need to intervene," he added. "Sometimes you need to change some settings." MILWAUKEE, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wanting to help people discover their authentic voice, Rich Melcher wrote 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic: Explore the Faith Journey of a Poetic Bipolar Believer (published by AuthorHouse) to share his prose along with the vast number of spiritual reflections and poetic expressions he has accumulated concerning a variety of topics. One out of 50 people in America have bipolar disorder, and the book has 6-7 readings about the troubles and triumphs of dealing with bipolar. Also, the reflections on segregation and not-being-enough fit well with the challenges of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the author says about the relevance of his book. Melchers diverse collection of spiritual commentary, poetic expression and pieces deal with the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and dozens of other topics that include anger issues, humility, and hope. The book is designed to stimulate the mind and comfort the soul: from pointed spiritual commentary to personal experiences, to encouraging motivational strategies. 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic is available for purchase online at: https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/784355-55-reflections-of-a-searching-skeptic. 55 Reflections of a Searching Skeptic By Rich Melcher Hardcover | 8.5 x 11in | 168 pages | ISBN 9781728312361 Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 168 pages | ISBN 9781728312347 E-Book | 168 pages | ISBN 9781728312354 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Rich Melcher graduated with a bachelors degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 1984 and joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after graduation to become a volunteer teachers aide at an all-black grade school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Melcher was immersed, as a white man, into the African American culture, and came to love the new people, places and things immediately. This experience led him to begin writing about his experiences about African American life. He soon joined a black Catholic church and began singing in their gospel choir. He married a black woman, Sandra, in 2007 and six of his books have been written between then and now. His other works include A Work in Progress, Teachable Moments, Just a Little Somethin, Discerning Bipolar Grace and Journey with the Expanded Rosary. More information is on his website at: https://www.55reflections.com. AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 833-262-8899. Attachment West Monroe, N.Y. -- Troopers were able to find a 67-year-old man Tuesday who got lost in the woods while looking for his dog, according to New York State Police. On Sept. 1 at 6:42 p.m., troopers were dispatched to 10 Cusson Drive in West Monroe to look for the man, who was believed also be having trouble breathing and was low on oxygen, police said. Troopers with the West Amboy Fire Department interviewed family who said the man had gotten lost while looking for his dog, according to police. The mans wife said her husband had his phone but wasnt sure where he was, police said. Troopers were able to find the man in the woods, about half a mile from the West Amboy Fire Department, according to police. He was evaluated but refused any further treatment, police said. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. In an effort to bring accessible internet to students, Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) is expanding wireless internet coverage in order to assist students who may have unreliable internet access at home.As of Sept. 1, Wi-Fi internet access is available to all students in designated areas in the parking lots of GNTCs Floyd County, Gordon County, Walker County and Whitfield Murray Campuses.During this global pandemic we are trying to provide students with internet access for their online classes at a time when student technology common areas are not available for use due to health and safety precautions, said Dennis Thomas, director of Information Technology.Students will be able to use the internet with the same reliable bandwidth that they are used to in campus buildings."In trying to determine ways GNTC could further assist its students, internet access was consistently mentioned as a point of concern," said Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president. In order to address this concern, the college developed a plan to provide a vital utility in a time of uncertainty.We are hopeful that by providing Wi-Fi access in several of our campus parking lots we will reduce the number of students and community members that have limited or no access to the internet."Students are also welcome to come onto campus to use the wireless internet inside campus buildings," said Selena Magnusson, vice president of Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success. However, due to social distancing guidelines, many common areas are currently closed.Another reason we are doing this is if we have a sudden campus closure, students will still be able to have internet access from outside the campus buildings without having to enter, Mr. Thomas added. In the current climate we dont know what might happen, but we want to make sure we are prepared to assist our students. Burma Myanmar in Chinas Plans for Expanded Overseas Network of Military Facilities, US Says A PLA Navy guided-missile frigate is seen in the South China Sea in March 2020. / Chinese Military / PLA YANGONChina is seeking to put infrastructure in place in a dozen countries including Myanmar to extend the reach of its armed forces, according to a new Pentagon report, which adds that military bases are among the options China may be pursuing. Submitted to the US Congress, the annual report titled Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) 2020 was released on Tuesday by the US Department of Defense. Beyond its base in Djibouti, China is very likely already considering and planning for additional overseas facilities to support its naval, air and ground forces, the Pentagon said in the report. China has likely considered locations in Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola and Tajikistan, it said. A global Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) logistics network could interfere with US military operations and help China conduct offensive operations against the US, the report said. The Pentagon said Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects could create potential military advantages for the PLA to access foreign ports. This would allow it to put in place the logistical support needed to deploy its navy in waters as distant as the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to protect its growing interests, according to the report. In Myanmar, China is planning to construct the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) deep seaport project, which will boost its presence in the Indian Ocean. The development of the SEZ is part of Beijings wider plan to expand its footprint in South Asia, which has seen it invest heavily in Indian Ocean ports through the BRI. Granting China direct access to the Indian Ocean and allowing its oil imports to bypass the Strait of Malacca, the Kyaukphyu port is a crucial component of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), which is a part of the BRI. It also serves Beijings goal of developing Chinas landlocked Yunnan province. Located in northern Rakhine State, Kyaukphyu is a strategic hub for China, and already serves as the terminus for twin cross-border oil and gas pipelines between the two countries. During Chinese President Xi Jinpings trip to Myanmar in January, the two countries signed a concession agreement and shareholders agreement for the project. Last month, the Myanmar governments investment agency, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), approved the registration of a joint venture between a Chinese company and a government-backed committee, taking the long-delayed backbone project of the CMEC one step closer to actually getting off the ground. Even with the COVID-19 epidemic raging in Myanmar, China has pushed the country several times to speed up implementation of the backbone projects for which agreements were reached during Xis trip, including the Kyaukphyu SEZ. In May, during a phone conversation with Myanmar President U Win Myint, Xi expressed hope that Myanmar would speed up the process of implementing its BRI projects. As a part of the BRI, the 1,700-km-long CMEC will connect Kunming, the capital of Chinas Yunnan province, with Myanmars major economic hubs, linking first to Mandalay in central Myanmar before branching east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu SEZ in Rakhine State. In June, Deputy Minister for Planning and Finance U Set Aung said Myanmar would only implement BRI projects that are commercially viable and strategically important to Myanmar. In the report, the Pentagon said Beijing may be looking at a mixture of models for the overseas facilities, including securing access to commercial infrastructure, exclusive PLA logistics facilities, and bases with stationed forces. The Chinese armys approach likely includes consideration of many different sites and outreach to many countries, but only some will advance to negotiations for an infrastructure agreement, status of forces or visiting forces agreement, and/or basing agreement, the Pentagon said. Host nations can perform an essential role in regulating the PRCs military operations, as PRC officials very likely recognize that a stable long-term relationship with the host nation is critical to the success of their military logistics facilities, the report said. According to the report, critical organizations involved in planning and negotiating for military logistics facilities are the Central Military Commission (CMC) Joint Staff Department, CMC Logistic Support Department, and service headquarters. Currently, the PRC uses commercial infrastructure to support all of its military operations abroad, including the PLAs presence in other countries territories, including its base in Djibouti, it said. According to the report, in August 2017, China opened its first PLA base in Djibouti, a country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It said PLA Navy Marines are stationed at the base with wheeled armored vehicles and artillery but are currently dependent on nearby commercial ports due to the lack of a pier on the base. The PLA personnel at the facility have interfered with US flights by directing lasers at pilots and flying drones, and the PRC has sought to restrict Djiboutian sovereign airspace over the base, it said. According to Chinas state-owned Xinhua News Agency, the Information Office of Chinas Ministry of National Defense rejected the Pentagons report, describing it as extremely erroneous. It said that the US report overestimated the so-called Chinese military threat and misinterpreted Chinas national defense policy and military strategies. You may also like these stories: China to Double Nuclear Warhead Stockpile Over Next Decade, US Predicts LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Talisman Casualty Insurance Company, a Las Vegas, Nevada insurance provider, would like to announce the availability of their casualty programs. As one of the most well-known cell captive insurance companies in Las Vegas, Talisman Casualty seeks to provide specialty insurance (through protected cells) to underwriters who have seasoned books of business and need a regulated vehicle to transfer risk and direct access to capacity through reinsurance and alternative risk finance markets. All of Talisman Casualty's coverage is commercial, and available only to businesses that participate in an underwriting cell. Find out more about Talisman Casualty Insurance Company by visiting the following link: Talisman Casualty Claims. The insurance provider views service as their number one priority. "In today's insurance environment, many people wonder what happened to the service part of customer service," says the insurance provider. "Taking control of your insurance experience means expecting the service that managing the most critical parts of your business risk deserves. Connecting with insureds involves spending time understanding their business and understanding when they want to take more risk as well as when they want to be conservative. We believe that great service involves providing business resources and analytics to insureds that help them understand and manage risk more intelligently. In addition, local knowledge and valuable feedback received directly from our insureds allows us to adjust quickly and support greater flexibility-especially given that the market never stops changing." Insurance is an old business, dating back to the very dawn of man, and Talisman seeks to provide the best that modern insurance can offer. The modern insurance landscape is always expanding, but it still uses all the same fundamental ideas that insurance has been historically based on. Today, insureds are looking to be more involved in the design of their own policies. This makes protected cell captive insurance companies, like Talisman Casualty, the solution for those looking to launch a new product or expand capacity in restricted markets. "By establishing unique underwriting cells, the risk can be segregated, collateralized, and ceded all within a legally ring-fenced structure," the insurance provider says. "Many experts believe that half of the property and casualty insurance premium in the United States has captive insurance company involvement. Most S&P 500 companies utilize captive insurance, but the use is becoming much broader as insurance agencies, associations, and smaller companies partner with existing captives." With access to all the necessary infrastructure, Talisman allows clients to take advantage of the Protected Cell model. The process of establishing captives can be very difficult, but it offers a number of benefits. Insureds can gain direct access to international reinsurance markets as well as negotiate pricing based on experience of a particular small to medium sized book of business, or even final capacity, for an entirely new concept. With Talisman's brand of insurance, claims can be managed in a highly efficient manner within the cell, and security can be structured in such a way as to ensure that no risk is retained. The insurance provider also offers a General Liability (GL) program for small businesses. "The small business owner General Liability program is designed with the modern small business owner in mind," the insurance provider says. "So many people are working both full and part time in organizational structures that only include themselves or a handful of people. More and more people are working from home and looking to reduce the burden of starting and maintaining a small business. The small business GL protected cell has the design flexibility to look at emerging small business markets, such as pet sitters and other pet-related services, by combining risk expertise, unique claims management, and a high degree of insured interaction with underwriters and claims personnel." For more on Talisman Casualty, visit the insurer's website. They will be more than happy to work with companies in need of their particular brand of insurance. One can find out more about the company through the Talisman Casualty Rating on 500PX as well. Businesses searching for a partner that offers premium captive insurance and underwriting services can find what they are looking for at Talisman Casualty Insurance Company. ### For more information about Talisman Casualty Insurance Company, contact the company here: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 800-318-5317 info@talismancasualty.com Talisman Casualty Insurance Company 7881 W. Charleston Blvd, Suite 210 Las Vegas, NV 89117 SOURCE: Talisman Casualty Insurance Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604721/Talisman-Casualty-Insurance-Company-LLC-Offers-Casualty-Programs An Australian veterinarian is among 42 crew still missing after a live export ship capsized in the East China Sea. Lukas Orda, 25, from the Gold Coast, was on board Australian-owned Gulf Livestock 1 when the captain sent a distress call to the Japanese Coast Guard at about 1.20am on Wednesday. Mr Orda and his wife Emma welcomed their first child, Theo, six months ago. Young father and veterinarian Lukas Orda (pictured with wife Emma) is among 42 crew members still missing after their live export ship disappeared in the East China Sea A Filipino crew member (pictured) who was rescued after a distress signal was sent by the Australian owned Gulf Livestock 1 said the ship capsized and sunk in rough weather caused by Typhoon Maysak He moved to Queensland from Germany as a child before taking up studies at James Cook University after attending high school in Mount Isa. Mr Orda was working with horses on the Gold Coast before joining the live export carrier as a vet in June, the Townsville Bulletin reported. The Gulf Livestock 1 left New Zealand on August 14 and was due to arrive at the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China on Friday. The vessel had almost 6,000 cattle on board when it disappeared west of Amami Oshima in south-western Japan. Japan's coast guard dispatched planes and rescue boats to hunt for the ship and late Wednesday found a sole survivor, Sareno Edvarodo, the ship's 45-year-old Filipino chief officer. Dramatic photos released by the coast guard showed Edvarodo floating in the darkness in an orange life jacket and being pulled onto a boat with a rope as rescuers battled violent, rolling waves. Lukas Orda and his wife Emma (pictured together) welcomed their first child, Theo, only six months ago before he joined the live export ship in June Rescue teams are continuing their search for the ship and the remaining 42 crew members which include 38 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia He was quickly brought to a large vessel, where coast guard personnel with surgical masks and gloves wrapped him with blankets. 'Water,' he said, identifying himself as a Filipino in the video. 'Thank you, thank you very much.' According to Edvarodo, the vessel lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. The crew were instructed to put on life jackets and Edvarodo said he jumped into the water and didn't see any other crew member before he was rescued. Rescue teams are continuing their search for the ship and the remaining 42 crew members which include 38 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia. Based on the last known location of the ship it would have been sailing in high winds of 58 knots (107km/h). The Indian Army has rejigged its deployments at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, including the northern bank of Pangong Lake, to prevent the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from making aggressive manoeuvres to unilaterally alter the status quo in contested areas, officials familiar with the developments said on Wednesday. Tensions flared in the sensitive sector after the Indian Army occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake four days ago to stop PLA from grabbing Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move. Some readjustments of military positions have been carried out as part of precautionary deployment on the lakes northern bank and other sensitive areas along the LAC. In the Finger area, we have moved up from our base at the lake level, said one of the officials, asking not to be named. To be sure, the PLA holds dominating positions in the Finger area on the lakes northern bank. The situation on the lakes southern bank remains extremely tense with both armies sending in reinforcements to the area where the Indian Army now controls ridgeline positions that allow it to completely dominate the sector and keep an eye on Chinese military activity -- India holds a series of positions near Black Top (a hill feature) and on Rezang La and Reqin pass. The PLA made a second provocative move on August 31 targeting these positions but the Indian Armys swift defensive action thwarted the Chinese attempt. Both sides have concentrated a significant number of soldiers, tanks and artillery pieces; and are within each others rifle range, as reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday. Brigade commander-ranked officers from the two sides met for the third time in Chushul on Wednesday to de-escalate tensions but the talks have hit a wall with neither army prepared to make concessions, said a second official. From Depsang to Chushul and Chumar to Demchok, we have strengthened our military posture in all sensitive areas and are on high alert to deal with any adventurism by the PLA, he said. 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. Experts said the taking of heights on the lakes southern bank and the ensuing readjustment of deployments to hold positions in the higher reaches in other areas was a calculated move by the army. We will talk to China from a position of relative strength when military and diplomatic negotiations happen. The heights we have occupied on the southern bank are operationally very important as they offer a sweeping view of Chinese military activity in the sector, said Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations.. Experts said the PLA would attempt to change the status quo in new areas and stressed that India has to stay prepared to fend off such moves. We are in for a long haul. The development on the lakes southern bank is not the end of the ongoing tussle. They will occupy heights in other areas and so will we. Friction will continue till talks yield results in the long run, Bhatia said. Officials familiar with developments said New Delhi will continue to focus on finding a resolution to the border standoff even as it takes steps to thwart all Chinese efforts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC. We want a resolution, which is something we have repeatedly said over the past few weeks, said a third official who spoke on condition of anonymity. At the same time, he said, the Indian side will not accept any move by the Chinese side to transgress the LAC or to change the status quo in the Ladakh sector or elsewhere, as the external affairs ministry has pointed out several times. Although defence minister Rajnath Singh is in Russia to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), there are no plans to hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe. Since the fresh face-off emerged in public over the weekend, the Chinese side has repeatedly claimed the Indian troops had transgressed the LAC on the southern bank of Pangong Lake and near Reqin Pass, and called for the immediate withdrawal of Indian troops. A fourth official said the Indian troops were in possession of strategic heights which were within the Indian perception of the LAC and there had been no transgression of the disputed border. The Chinese side is making these demands because the Indian side has made key gains by taking these strategically positioned hilltops and heights, he added. 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 is a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap range overlooking the lake. Before the PLA grabbed positions on Finger 4 overlooking Indian deployments, the army would patrol up to Finger 8 that New Delhi considers as an integral part of its territory. The new positions held by the PLA have curtailed the scope of Indian patrols. A mother has given her dining room chairs a clever upgrade with stylish grey fabric covers for $196 - a fraction of the price she would have paid for a new set. Karly Meljak had grown tired of the black leather seats in the kitchen of her Port Macquarie home, but 'didn't want to spend a fortune' on new furniture in case her three-year-old daughter ruined them. Instead, the budget savvy mum-of-one from New South Wales gave them a new lease of life with fabric covers from Spotlight, Australia's leading supplier of arts, crafts and home interiors. Ms Meljak shared her idea in a Facebook cleaning group, revealing she had bought eight Ardor Surefit Urban Dining Covers in an online sale which saw them marked down from $35 to $24.50. Scroll down for video Tired of the black leather dining chairs (left) in the kitchen of her Port Macquarie home, mother-of-one Karly Meljak gave them a new lease of life with covers from Spotlight (right) 'Spaghetti nights - no problems, just remove darling daughters cover during dinner,' she wrote in the caption. 'However if there is a stain just remove, treat and put in washing machine. So in love with my new chairs.' Available in 'Grey Marle' and 'Seafoam', a shade of eggshell blue, the covers are stitched from elasticated polyester that's 'easy to work with' and 'instantly gives your room a fresh new look'. And in good news for those who want to follow Ms Meljak's lead, they are still reduced to $24.50, while stocks last. Covering eight chairs like she did would cost just $196, a reasonable price for stylish new upholstery. The budget savvy mother bought eight Ardor Surefit Urban Dining Covers (pictured) in Spotlight's online sale which saw them marked down from $30 to $24.50 Hundreds of comments under photos of the revamped dining chairs praised the idea, with many saying it's exactly what they need for their own homes. 'Wow I have the same chairs and I'm not a fan anymore either. These could be a good compromise until I replace them!' one mother replied. 'This is what I did when our five-year-old came along. So easy to wash,' said another. A third added: 'Yassssss (sic)! I have a pretty similar set and have wanted to change the chairs for a long time. Thank you so much for posting this!' Others said they had bought similar covers on eBay for a fraction of the cost. 'It was around $26 for six, I grabbed two sets,' one woman said. Roland Davidson Uncle Roland Roland was born on October 14, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the only child of Henry Joseph Davidson and Wilna Angelain Davidson. He attended Joseph A. Craig Elementary School Albert Wicker Junior High School, and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He was born in a section of the city known as The Treme, and grew up in St. Peter Claver Parish. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and the Korean War. On July 1, 1946 he married his high school sweetheart Beryl Davis, who was the love of his life. They set up a home in New Orleans, and in December 1947, they were blessed with a son; Kerry Joseph. Then in May 1949 they were blessed with a daughter Louise Genevieve. The Family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1956, and in 1961 they purchased a home. The morning after they moved into their new house, they were blessed with son, Eugene Gerard. Beryl was affectionally known as Auntie Beryl, and Roland was known as Uncle Roland. He always said his wife was an outstanding cook, and an outstanding teacher. He said she taught him to never leave the toilet up: how to beg; how to sit up; how to roll over; but she never taught him how to catch a Frisbee. ADVERTISEMENT Roland pursued a number of jobs in his life before settling on a career as a Human Resources Executive. He was an avid reader, and read all printed material he could get his hands on. Books, newspaper, magazine, even match book covers. He has served as a Board member of the Brotherhood Crusade, the Los Angeles Urban League, The California State University Los Angeles Development Board, the Los Angeles Project with industry for the Disabled. He was a referee for the California State Bar, and an arbitrator for the National Associated of Securities Dealers. Roland is survived by his son Kerry, Sr. his daughter Louise Mills, and his son Eugene. Also, his daughters-in-law Cynthia Davidson, and Debbie Davidson, a son-in-law Jack Mills, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Hopefully he will be fondly remembered by his numerous cousins and dear friends. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said the optimal capacity of the RT-PCR tests for detection of COVID-19 is not being utilized in some states and that it has asked them to scale it up. "There are states where the optimal capacity of RT-PCR off late is not being utilised and we have in the health ministry drawn their attention to the fact that they do have an installed capacity of conducting more RT-PCR tests and hence they need to scale it up," Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, said at a press briefing on Thursday. Over the antigen tests being carried out in the country, Bhushan said there is no uniform practice being followed across the states. In Tamil Nadu more than 90 per cent tests today are RT-PCR tests while there are other states where the RT-PCR testing, TrueNat and CBNAAT testing capacity is limited, he said. Therefore in those states if there are containment zones or buffer zones, one cannot be satisfied with limited testing, he stressed. "The ICMR's guidelines clearly lay down that rapid antigen tests are ideal screening tests for densely populated areas, containment and buffer zones, so why not use them there," he said. Cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 surged to 4,55,09,380 in the country with a record 11,72,179 tests being conducted in a single day on Wednesday, the ministry said, underlining that "India's daily testing numbers are one of the highest in the world". The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), has declared support for Mike Igini, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner (Akwa Ibom) to oversee the September 19 election in Edo. The Chairman of the party, Dan Nwanyanwu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that Mr Igini should be sent to Edo. He made the call while reacting to allegations by some All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains claiming that Mr Igini had been compromised by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo. Mr Nwanyanwu said that Mr Igini was reputable for conducting credible elections acceptable to winners and losers and should be sent to Edo for the September 19 elections. I will say INEC should send Igini to Edo; we are also contesting in that election; the election in Edo is not only APC and PDP; ZLP is the third option in the state and we are saying we need Igini there. There are plans to carry ballot boxes, hijack electoral materials with youth members; Igini will cancel the election, he will never allow bad behaviour to be rewarded, he has done that several times and that is their fear. Let us redo it as many times as possible until we get it right; we cannot continue to reward bad behaviour and that is why we are calling in INEC to make sure that appropriate directives are given to officials, he said. Mr Nwanyanwu recalled that in 2011, Mr Igini conducted elections in Cross River and insisted on credible elections and the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), won a ward each in the state for the first time. The chairman recalled that Mr Igini was seconded to finish the second phase of the 2011 governorship election in Imo and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) won and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost. Mr Nwanyanwu said that in the Anambra 2012 senatorial elections, Mr Igini was there and PDP won the election and APGA lost. The ZLP chieftain said that the then governor of Anambra, Peter Obi, congratulated Mr Igini for the transparent manner he conducted the election notwithstanding that his party lost. He recalled that in 2015, there was another inclusive election in Imo when Rochas Okorocha had moved from APGA to APC and APC won and PDP accused Mr Igini of manipulation. You can see that when Igini is involved, PDP won some, APGA won some, APC won some CPC won some and they all lost some. READ ALSO: In Edo, when Oshiomole was governor, Igini insisted on the peoples might, PDP did everything to get majority in the State House of Assembly but APC got the Majority. Oshiomole congratulated Igini for his transparency; it is only in that election of the 11 states that make the South East and South South that Buhari won 46 per cent of the votes, this time APC. Now in 2020, it is the same APC that is accusing Igini, he said. Mr Nwanyanwu urged Edo electorate and residents not to allow themselves to be provoked by anybody. He urged Edo people not to be violent, saying that they should go out, get accredited, vote, wait and defend their vote. The chairman also raised alarm over intelligence reports claiming that thugs had been armed to disrupt the elections. He called on the security agencies to be on red alert and challenged the Inspector General of Police to ensure there would not be fake policemen or military men on duty on the day of elections. Mr Nwanyanwu charged President Muhammadu Buhari to send a clear signal to the security agencies to ensure that the election must be free, fair and credible. The chieftain said that the September 19 Edo election was an opportunity for Mr Buhari to leave his legacy behind. (NAN) Advertisements Over the last few months, millions of Americans have been diligently working to slow the spread of COVID-19. Due to the fact that there is not yet a vaccine available, we have been relying on the fundamentals recommended by Dr. Anthony Fauci and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: staying six feet away from others, mask wearing, practicing hand hygiene, avoiding crowded areas, and staying outside versus inside whenever possible. While numbers might be spiking in several states across the country, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, explains that there is a bit of good news surrounding the pandemic and how it is being handled. Read on, and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus. "There's Good News in the Public Health Area" In an interview on Thursday, the nation's top infectious disease expert told CNN's Jim Sciutto, when prompted, that there is good news in two areas of response to the pandemic. "There's good news in the public health area," he explained. "We see that where we have states and cities and counties and areas, that do abide by the public health mandates that I'm speaking about, that they do turn around the surges." "That tells me that we can do it. We have proven that you can actually control the outbreak. To me that's good news. Even though there are certain areas of the country that are hot, we know that if we apply certain health measures that they work." A Vaccine is "On the Right Track" The other good news? According to Dr. Fauci, we are close to getting an effective vaccine. "We now have three vaccines in phase three trial. We are on the right track. Things look like they are really going in the right direction," he attests. Over the last few days, Dr. Fauci has been expressing concern about the upcoming holiday weekend, due to the fact that major surges of the virus occurred directly following Memorial Day weekend as well as July 4th. Story continues "There are several states that are at risk for surging," Fauci revealed in an interview, explaining that the following seven statesSouth Dakota, North Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, and Missouri"are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there's going to be a problem." "We know from prior experience that, when you get into holiday weekends the Fourth of July, Memorial Day there is a tendency of people to be careless somewhat with regard to the public health measures that we keep recommending over and over again," Fauci said in an interview with CNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports While he still endorses having "an enjoyable weekend," he pleads with Americans to do their part and abide by the fundamentals of infectious disease control measures. "We really still need to get our arms around this, and to suppress the types of surges that we have seen," he said. As for yourself, do everything you can to prevent gettingand spreadingCOVID-19 in the first place: Mask up, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars, and house parties), practice social distancing, only run essential errands, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, once again don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus. Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, address of the head office Tilzes str. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania. Siauliu bankas AB has received the notifications of manager on transactions in securities issued by the bank (see attachment). Director of Securities Accounting Department Jolanta Dobiliauskiene is authorized by the Issuer to provide additional information and is available on tel.: +370 41 595669. Attachments Sustainability Aspiration to Action: Gen Zs Call for Change The sustainability and climate change movement has gained momentum due to the enthusiastic voices of Generation Z. This generation, born between 1995 and 2015, believes that climate change is the single most important issue facing the world and that its evolution will determine their future. Climate change has created uncertainty for this generation, specifically related to jobs, education, and the state of the environment, and they are demanding immediate action. Most of Gen-Z are school aged or recent graduates, an unexpected demographic to lead the charge. Seventeen-year old climate activist, Greta Thunberg, among many others, has stood out as a vocal leader of the current movement. During a TED talk she explains, We've had 30 years of pep-talking and selling of positive ideas, and I am sorry, but it doesn't work. Because if it would have, the emissions would have gone down by now. They haven't. She continues to explain that while we need this kind of hope, the one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. Gen Z is advocating for immediate action to secure their future. However, limited by their age, Gen Z is looking to older generations to support them through social and legislative change and conscientious transformations socially, educationally, and within the built-environment. Show support for social change and legislative action Greta Thunberg was named Time Magazines 2019 Person of the Year for her climate activism. Young people from all over the world have joined Thunberg and the School Strike for Climate movement by skipping school on Fridays to participate. They are leveraging school, the most significant thing within their control, to gain support, and it is working. On March 15th, 2019, one rally garnered support from one million participants in 125 countries. A commendable example of support for Gen Zs effort occurred in New York City last September. New York City Public Schools announced that their 1.1 million students could skip school, without penalty, to participate in the Friday march. After the citys announcement, other districts around the United States followed suit. This decision was a product of small actions that gained momentum and resulted in the largest climate strike in history. There are other actions being taken that do not include strikes. For example, in March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, School Strike for Climate suggested numerous acts that could be done, while respecting social distancing and quarantine rules. Some include emailing politicians, posting on social media, and working to plan and organize future activities. No action is too small. It is the coming together of many voices that leads to changes at the systemic level. Education for a Sustainable Economy The social and legislative change Gen Z is calling for, is linked to their financial future. The most recent Future of Jobs report lists, the move toward a greener global economy through advances in new energy technologies as a socio-economic trend driving business. Moreover, rapid advancement in technology means many jobs will require a greater understanding of robotics, software, coding, engineering, and the sciences. Implementing curriculum that provides students with these skills is critical to keep up with the evolution of the employment landscape. Gen Z will be competing in a global market that is different than today; preparing them requires prior generations to act on their behalf by advocating for STEM education for all. Introduced a couple of decades ago, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum remains a choice rather than a mandate for many K-12 schools. Traditionally, science and math are part of the core curriculum, but technology and engineering are provided as electives, if at all. The four branches of STEM are intrinsically connected and are crucial to preparing students for new technologies and future jobs. Education about Sustainability In addition to emerging energy technologies, Gen Z is relying on their schools to help them make informed decisions about future education and jobs, as they continue to lead the movement on the global stage. Italy has responded by implementing sustainability and climate change into their educational curriculum for every grade. Italian students are learning about the cause and effects of sustainable behavior based on facts rather than through slanted political and social platforms. With seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims totaling 881,000 last week, millions of Americans are still in need of financial assistance from the federal government. Congressional Democrats and the Trump administration are deadlocked, leaving Americans unsure if more help will arrive soon. Less than a month ago, President Donald Trump tried to do it on his own when he signed four executive measures related to unemployment benefits, payroll tax holiday, student loan deferment and federal eviction protections. "The only one of these executive orders that spends money or reduces taxes and has any fiscal effect is the one concerning unemployment," said David Super, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University. "I don't think it is constitutional, but to try to claim that it was constitutional, he looked around for money that Congress had appropriated that he could claim he was using. And what he came up with was some money at the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which was for disaster relief." That money was for $44 billion and would run out within five to six weeks, according to Super. In comparison, the CARES Act from March included $250 billion in unemployment insurance alone. "That right there shows you how limited executive orders are," Super said. "There's not endless amounts of money lying around. To actually make a fiscal difference to rescue the economy you need much more. You need Congress." It is not the first time that presidents have tried to use executive action to bypass Congress. Many presidents including Democratic predecessors such as Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton used their pens to make policy. Obama's executive memorandum on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is one example. Opponents argued that he went beyond his constitutional power, and the Trump administration vowed to rescind the program. According to the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, cutting the program could shrink the economy by $280 billion over the next decade. In June, the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration's attempt to rescind the policy. Even more than Obama and Trump, Super said President Ronald Reagan was the grand master of executive orders "because he knew what you can and cannot do." His Executive Order 12291 required a cost-benefit analysis to be applied to every "regulatory action" undertaken by the federal government. "On the face of it, that sounds sensible," said Super. "Why would one want to do something that costs more than it benefits us? But if you have an environmental regulation that makes the air less dirty, we may not immediately notice that we're breathing better air. And it may be very hard to guess how many fewer of us will get cancer or emphysema because of the reduced pollution." While saving the economy outright may be impossible without Congress, presidents do have a lot of power to make an economic impact through unilateral action. Watch the video to learn more about how executive orders can impact the economy in positive and negative ways. A researcher at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Giulio Bernardi, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant, a competitive source of financing attributed to young researchers who pursue innovative research ideas. Bernardi has been assigned about 1,5 million euros to organize its own multidisciplinary team for studying the deep mechanisms that regulate sleep and dreaming, and eventually use the acquired knowledge to find new strategies for treating sleep-related disorders. The project, entitled "TweakDreams", will make use of new techniques and methods of analysis to investigate the functioning of the brain during sleep, and to understand the relationship among regional variations in brain activity and subjective experience at night. While the mechanisms and the purpose of sleep have been studied for decades, many aspects of it remain a mystery. Traditionally, sleep and wakefulness have been described as two mutually exclusive states characterized by differences in consciousness and responsiveness to the environment. However, the more recent view is that sleep is a phenomenon with a local regulation in the brain: "islands" of sleep- and wake-like activity can often coexist across distinct brain areas, either during behavioral wakefulness or sleep. According to this view, this mosaic of activity is also directly related to the presence and content of mental activity during sleep. In other words, dreams would be the result of "local awakenings" in the otherwise sleeping brain. What is still to understand, though, is whether these local awakenings and their related mental activity have a specific function, and what that function is. This is especially important as a growing body of evidence indicates that many sleep disorders, including for instance particular forms of insomnia, may depend on the loss of the fine balance between wake- and sleep-like activity within particular regions of the brain during sleep. In the "TweakDreams" project, Bernardi proposes to use non-invasive methods based on an adaptation and optimization of previously developed sensory stimulation protocols to interfere with the brain waves produced during sleep, and thus modulate sleep intensity in a local, region-specific manner. Such an approach will allow investigating the relationship between local changes in brain activity and corresponding mental activity during sleep, potentially revealing new ways to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. More in general, the project will open new avenues for investigating sleep-related functions in humans, including those related to learning, memory and emotional regulation. Giulio Bernardi is a researcher in neuroscience, and an Assistant Professor at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, one of the six higher education institutions in Italy, where he is a member of Molecular Mind Lab (MoMiLab). Bernardi earned his PhD in Neuroscience and endocrine-metabolic science at the University of Pisa. Between 2012 and 2017 he conducted his research first at the Center for Sleep and Consciousness, University of Wisconsin, USA, and then at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. The ERC Starting grants are awarded top young researchers who pursue innovative research projects. In 2020, the resources attributed through the grants amounts to 677 millions euros, distributed among 436 young scientists based in 25 European countries. This year, the success rate for the competition in the three domains covered by the grant - life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities - has been about 13 percent. The idea of faithful adaptations is overrated. Any writer who turns a book into a screenplay is entitled to put a stamp of individuality on it, and Charlie Kaufmanwhose script for the 2002 film Adaptation turned a nonfiction book about orchid obsession into a paean to his own blocked creativityavails himself of the privilege more freely than most. To that end, Kaufmans Im Thinking of Ending Thingswhich he wrote and directedis less an adaptation of Iain Reids novel of the same name than it is another invitation into Kaufmans own brain. That will make some people very happy: Kaufmans brain is an adequately not-uninteresting place, like the apartment of a reclusive eccentric thats packed to the gills with unfinished symphonies, half-painted puppets, a wide selection of rusty frying pans, two dozen uncaged hamsters each with its own exercise wheel and 20,000 books. Welcome! Sorry for the mess! Ill try to make a place for you to sit! You can never have too many books. But how many hamster wheels is too many? Kaufmans reading of Im Thinking of Ending Things may provide a rough answer. Reids novel is slim and tense, a low-commitment dose of mental-illness horror. Its efficiency, at least, is gratifying; you can almost read it in less time than it takes to watch the movie. Kaufman has poked many holes in its surface, the better to fill it with extra stuff, like youd pierce the skin of an uncooked chicken to add pats of butter. But the result isnt extra tenderness, just more lumpy baggage. For every moment of raw, affecting insight there are zillions of milliseconds of Kaufmans proving what a tortured smartie he is. Im Thinking of Ending Things must have been arduous to make, and its excruciatingly tedious to watch. Which isnt to say the lead actors dont give their all, even when Kaufman hasnt made it clear what were supposed to make of any of it. Jessie Buckley, the Irish actor who was so captivating in 2018s Wild Rose, plays a character known as the Young Woman, whos having doubts about a guy shes been seeing for about six months. The guy is Jake (Jesse Plemons), and hes invited the Young Woman to meet his parents, who live somewhere out in the country. He picks her up in his car just as a snowstorm is threatening. Right at the beginning, in a statement we dont yet know how to parse, she lets us know that shes thinking of ending things. Kaufman also signals early on that none of this should be accepted as realism; the story is an examination of psychological see-sawing, maybe even a kind of disintegration. The Young Woman thinks Jake can hear her thoughtsand maybe he can. She also keeps receiving strange calls on her cellphone, from her own number. A male voice offers an imploring riddle: Now is the time for the answer, just one question, one question to answer. Story continues Who is this Young Woman, what are those phone calls about, and what does she want from Jake? What does Jake want from her? The drive to the parental homestead is stacked with prickly arguments, occasionally simpatico repartee and numerous awkward silences. Jake is seemingly attentive to this woman; he takes an interest in her work, or at least convincingly pretends to. But does he really see her? The Young Woman is not so sure. Things get weirder once they arrive. There are some dead sheep in the barnJake comes from a farm familyand he tells a story of how the resident pigs also met a bad end. Life isnt always pretty on a farm, he tells the Young Woman, with ominous solemnity. That point gets another bang from the figurative hammer when we meet Mother and Father (played by Toni Collette and David Thewlis, who strive to bring some subtlety to what are garishly unsubtle characters). Their relationship with their child is clearly strained. They seem to be closer to one another than they are to him, and Mother stresses, repeatedly, how Jake isnt really that smart, but deserves credit because hes worked awfully hard. As the Young Woman suffers through the eveningshe needs to get back for work the next day, despite the intensifying snowstorm outsideshe has visions (or are they reality?) of what will happen as Jakes parents age, and how hell care for them. This section of the movie radiates some hypnotic warmth, a respite from films tight, cursive loops of angst. Through it all, Jake and the Young Woman talk around and at each other, but rarely to each other. Their inability to merge, even momentarily, may be a clue to the endingif you can figure out what on Earth the ending is. Some of the storys details are straight from the book: A creepy school janitor, a nervous young woman who works at the local Dairy Queen-style ice-cream joint. Others are pure Kaufman-esque embroidery, and they dilute the potential power of the movies conclusion: theres a version of the dream ballet from Oklahoma, and an elaborate fantasy sequence involving a Nobel prize acceptance speech. (Prizes and honors seem to be one of Kaufmans obsessions: In his 2008 Synecdoche, New York, Philip Seymour Hoffmans jittery theater director receives a MacArthur grant.) Like all of the films Kaufman has written or directed, Im Thinking of Ending Things is unreal and hyperreal at the same time. As the Young Woman, Buckley does all that the movie asks of her, maybe moreshes bracingly sympathetic in a story that treats her largely as a vehicle for moving ideas around. The relationship between Jake and the Young Womanwhether its deepening or falling apartis beside the point here. Its unclear whom were supposed to sympathize with, or even if our sympathies are supposed to shift from one character to another. That makes the ending less a jolt than a muddled murmur. But these two sure do talk, a lot. They talk about William Wordsworth and David Foster Wallace, about Guy Debords Society of the Spectacle, about viruses and insects that blow themselves up for the good of the colony. At one point, the Young Woman launches into a precise and damning critique of Gena Rowlands performance in John Cassavetes A Woman Under the Influence; a real-yet-not-real lit cigarette appears in her hand, and she waves it around for emphasis. Jake is taken aback. He disagrees, but shes articulated her argument so well that cant fight backshes emasculated him. The Young Womans words spin out not as off-the-cuff observations but as crisp, written sentences. As it turns out, theyre lifted directly from Pauline Kaels 1974 New Yorker review of the film, Kaufman drops this little bonbon seemingly as a kind of test, though he hints at it earlier in the movie when we see a copy of Kaels essay collection For Keeps on Jakes shelf. (The essay is also fully acknowledged in the credits.) Who, out there, still reads Kael? Who will get his tricky little joke, and if you do, what do you win? Kaufman doesnt care how smart you are, as long as you know how smart he is. Yet as much as Ive disliked, or only partially liked, almost all of Kaufmans movies, I can never fully dismiss him. Im Thinking of Ending Things is so emotionally laborious, I came away thinking Id watched six hours worth of movie, instead of one running just a little over two. But Kaufman isnt totally wrong: Feeling anything is work. Its not-feeling that lets you off the hook. At the same time, how much self-pity can we tolerate in even the most personal of filmmakers? With every movie, including this one, Kaufman seems to be inviting us into his psyche just so he can ask, You see how hard it is to be me? We can witness and marvelor notbut were really not of much use at all. We cant think our way off of his whirring wheel of anxiety any better than he can. 226 Shares Share The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent drop in patient visits have led some observers to conclude that primary care physicians would be better off financially if they were capitated than if they were paid fee for service. If they received a fixed amount of money per health plan member per month, theyd have a guaranteed income stream regardless of how many patients came to their offices. However, a growing number of physicians have found a different way to garner predictable revenue: direct primary care (DPC). As Alec Wilhelm, MD, explains in a recent KevinMD post, DPC practices dont accept insurance. Instead, they capitate themselves by charging patients between $50 and $200 a month for all primary care services. Primary care physicians in DPC practices provide longer visits and greater accessibility via phone and telehealth. They have fewer patients than those in conventional practices, but their overhead is also much lower. Rob Lamberts, MD, a Georgia primary care doctor (and frequent KevinMD contributor) whom I interviewed for my new book on healthcare reform, launched his solo DPC practice in 2012 after leaving a group practice. Hes much happier now and feels that he delivers better care to his 800 patients than he did before to a much larger patient panel. The majority of his interactions with patients occurred via text messaging or email, even before the pandemic. At that time, he was averaging eight to 10 face-to-face encounters with patients each day. Despite this, he is earning as much as he was in the group practice because he has such low administrative and billing-related overhead. He can also spend more time with patients because he doesnt have to deal with insurance companies. Lamberts charges only $50 a month, which he says most patients can afford. At that rate, 800 patients generate nearly $500,000 a yeara respectable gross for a primary care soloist. To date, though, these compelling numbers havent led to a tsunami of physicians embracing direct primary care. According to the DPC Journal, which covers the field, there were only 1,200 locations of DPC practices across the U.S. in November 2019. Its a leap for physicians to give up all insurance payments, but there seems to be a market for DPC practices. There are also some reports of successful cash-only practices, which charge fee for service but eschew insurance. The growing acceptance of telehealth among doctors and patientsmainly due to the pandemicalso bodes well for the DPC approach. Physicians now commonly use telehealth to diagnose and treat minor acute complaints, and some of them use it to check in with chronic disease patients for routine follow-up care. Because telehealth supports the economics of DPC, it can help more physicians switch to this relatively new mode of practice. Nevertheless, DPC has a couple of serious downsides for patients. As Wilhelm notes, it is recommended that patients utilizing DPC carry a high-deductible (HD) wraparound policy to cover catastrophic medical emergencies. He argues that if health insurers incorporated DPC into bundled health coverage with an HD wraparound, many employers might offer this option to employees. The problem is that high-deductible plans frequently limit access to care. More than one in four workers now have deductibles of over $2,000 a year, four times the number in 2009. In one survey, 40 percent of people with high deductibles said they hadnt visited a doctor when sick or had skipped tests because of the deductible. DPC payments cover only primary care. If a patient has an emergency room visit or a hospitalization, or has a high-cost medication, the person might have to cover the first $2,000 of the bill each year. So even if self-insured employers glommed onto this trend, it would not necessarily benefit their workers. Moreover, the uninsured, who are often unemployed, might not be able to afford high-deductible insurance. A more frequently voiced criticism of direct primary care is that it inherently limits access to care, because DPC physicians have smaller patient panels than those who accept insurance. Wilhelm says we shouldnt worry about that, however. The DPC model, he maintains, reduces burnout and improves work-life balance, so fewer doctors who subscribe to it will retire early. In addition, the model could help attract more young doctors to primary care. Thus, in his view, well continue to have enough primary care physicians to serve the population. This viewpoint omits the fact that the U.S. already has a serious primary care shortage. In addition, if DPC practices care for less than half the number of patients that traditional practices have, its hard to see how fewer doctors retiring early would make up for that shortfall. Also, the biggest reason why young physicians gravitate toward specialties is that they pay better than primary care does. There is no evidence that DPC practitioners earn more than other primary care doctors, on average. On balance, direct primary care looks like an attractive proposition for physicians with a certain mindset, especially those who prefer to remain independent. But DPC will not solve any of the serious problems confronting our healthcare system. If it ever caught on widely, DPC would also make it more difficult for patients to access primary care when this is already a daunting proposition for many. Ken Terry is a journalist and author of Physician-Led Health Care Reform: A New Approach to Medicare for All. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Berlin, Sep 3 : Qualcomm on Thursday announced its plans to accelerate 5G global commercialisation at scale by expanding its portfolio of 5G mobile platforms to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4-series in early 2021. The new Snapdragon 4-series is designed to be truly global, supporting the rapid proliferation of 5G, which is already available with more than 80 commercial networks in more than 35 countries, said Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon during the opening keynote at IFA 2020. The company also launched Qualcomm 'Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a new technology designed to deliver an improved user experience for earbuds with integrated ANC. Qualcomm Adaptive ANC is designed to enhance user comfort and provide consistent sound quality for true wireless earbuds by adapting its performance to meet variations in how an earbud fits in a user's ear, and adapt in real-time to changes in fit as the earbuds are in use. The company also showcased the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G compute platform. The users will benefit from superior performance and multi-day battery life, 5G connectivity, enterprise-grade security and AI acceleration, as well as advanced camera and audio technology," the Qualcomm CEO said. (CNN) Just a day after marking the significant milestone of 100 days without local coronavirus transmission, the virus has reared its head once again in Thailand. News of a fresh infection came as the Thai government faces growing pressure from businesses to reopen borders to international tourists, as months of travel restrictions have devastated its heavily tourism-dependent economy. The latest case was revealed to be a 37-year-old man who was arrested in Bangkok on drugs charges and tested positive after arriving at a Bangkok correctional center. Health officials say that he had no recent travel history and that his quarantine cellmates had all tested negative. "This case is a local transmission case after over 100 days were passed with no report of locally transmitted infection," Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayincharoen, director of Thailand's Disease Control Department, told a press conference on Thursday. Until the announcement, the Southeast Asian country has not recorded any local infections since late May. It is still finding coronavirus cases in overseas arrivals, who are subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period. Patients remain in quarantine until they've recovered. So far, the country of 70 million people has a caseload of just 3,427, with 58 deaths. More than 28% of the reported infections are overseas cases, according to the Health Ministry. Thailand was the first country to detect the coronavirus outside China, confirming its first case on January 13 -- a Chinese tourist who had flown to Bangkok from Wuhan. The country had first refrained from banning Chinese tourists, but in late March, when its caseload surged close to 1,000, the Thai government declared a state of emergency and banned all non-resident foreigners from entering. The border closure has helped protect the country while the virus rages across the world, but it has also dealt a huge blow to its tourist sector, which according to the World Bank normally contributes close to 15% of Thailand's GDP. In June, the Tourism Council of Thailand said it expected to see an estimated 8 million foreign tourists this year, an 80% drop from last year's record number of 39.8 million. Thailand's economy shrank 12.2% in the second quarter of this year, its worst in 22 years since the Asian financial crisis in 1998. "We hope that we can find ways to bring back tourists in the future. Bringing tourists back is one of the key factors to revive the Thai economy in the remaining part of this year and next year as well," said Don Nakornthab, Senior Director of Economic and Policy Department at the Bank of Thailand. "But we have to do it carefully, because if the second wave happens, especially as a result from opening up for tourists, it will put Thailand into trouble again," he said at a press conference Monday. "Safe and Sealed" Thailand's Minister of Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said late last month the country is aiming to allow foreign tourists to enter the country through a program dubbed "Safe and Sealed." "I have asked the prime minister for approval to set October 1 as the date to allow (inbound) tourists to enter," he said. "I also have requested to use Phuket as a pilot model ... and have received approval from the Center for Economic Situation Administration." If successful, the project will be expanded to include other destinations. In the beginning, tourists will be permitted to fly into Phuket -- Thailand's largest island -- and will need to quarantine in a designated resort for 14 days. Phiphat cited popular Patong Beach as an example of an area where this could work. Special one-kilometer zones consisting of three-to-four resorts could be set up there, allowing quarantined tourists to spend time on the beach -- so long as they stay in their designated area. Travelers will need to get tested for Covid-19 at the beginning and end of their quarantine period. Then, they will be free to travel on the island. But the minister says tourists who wish to travel beyond Phuket will have to stay in quarantine for an additional seven days and will have a third Covid-19 test at the end of that 21-day quarantine period. Hotel staff who work in these designated zones will not be permitted to leave without first going into quarantine and will be tested regularly for Covid-19 as well to prevent the spread of the virus. Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told CNN Travel last month the plan had been approved by the government and the next step involves holding a public hearing to get approval from local residents -- which is expected to take place in early September. As October draws closer, however, Yuthasak said on Thursday that Phuket might not be able to receive tourists on October 1 as planned. "There is still a lot to be done. The prime minister has just said that we have to make preparations," he said. Vichit Prakobgosol, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said most members of the association strongly support the program and hope to see tourists returning to Thailand in the last quarter of the year. "This must be done urgently, (otherwise) Thailand will really be in deep trouble. There will be even more people losing their jobs," he said. Balancing risks While the tourism and hospitality sectors are keen to reopen borders, many Thai residents remain concerned about the potential health risk. According to a poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration in July, over 55% of the 1,251 people surveyed across Thailand were against a proposed "medical and wellness" program, which would open the country to foreigners who test negative for Covid-19 for medical treatment. Thais don't need to look far for a cautionary example of how easily the virus can resurface in countries where it has seemingly been eliminated. Vietnam, another tourist hotspot in Southeast Asia, also had a 100-day streak of no local transmitted infections -- and a proud record of zero coronavirus deaths. But that ended in late July, when a fresh outbreak emerged in its popular resort city of Danang. Since then, Vietnam has recorded 34 coronavirus deaths. Further away in the Pacific, New Zealand had gone without any local transmitted cases for 102 days, before a new outbreak last month placed its most populous city Auckland under lockdown. In June, Thailand proposed the idea of a "travel bubble" with select countries where infection numbers were kept low. The plan would have allowed travelers to move between those destinations without having to go through quarantine. However, the proposal was shelved after new waves of infections hit multiple potential destinations under Thailand's consideration, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. Yuthasak told CNN on Thursday that the plan hasn't been revived. "We are not looking at that option for now," he said. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Thailand managed 101 days without local coronavirus cases. Will it open borders soon?." Published on 2020/09/03 | Source Korean movies opening today 2020/09/03 in Korea: "Journey to Kailash" and "18 Year Old Joo-ah's Hot Day" Advertisement "Journey to Kailash" (2018) Directed by Jung Hyungmin Synopsis 'When can I come here again? I am the happiest grandma in the world' -Grandmother's 'Pamir Diary' We went to Kailash, the holy land of Tibet where we can meet the most beautiful sunrise and blue dawn of Mother Earth, where we wanted to pray for those who could not return. From Lake Baikal to Tibet, on a beatiful path that resembles life, "Happy 84th Birthday!" "18 Year Old Joo-ah's Hot Day" (2020) Directed by Choi Jin-chul With Joo Ah-I, James, Kang Dae-ho,... Synopsis Dong-hoon moves to a new house. On the day of moving, he comes to the landlord to pick up the keys he didn't receive. He is happy to be seeing the beautiful Ji-hyeon. Ji-hyeon noticed Dong-hoon's interest. Dong-hoon had a housewarming celebration with his friend Min-soo. Ji-hyeon started to take a hold on the drunk Min-soo and then passed out in no time. The next day, Dong-hoon happily welcomes Ji-hyeon, who came to him without knowing what happened. The pandemic has stretched the usually busy spring real estate season right through the summer with GTA home prices hitting another record last month as the market saw a surge of condo listings, and buyers competing for detached and semi-detached houses. The average selling price of all home categories ground level housing and condos rose 20 per cent year over year in August to $951,404, up $7,738 from Julys average. Transactions also soared to a record 10,775 sales in August, a 40.3 per cent increase over August 2019, said the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) on Thursday. There were further signs that COVID-19 has people seeking space on the ground. Detached houses in the City of Toronto sold for about $1.5 million on average, a 21.4 per cent increase compared to last August. The 1,099 detached house transactions in Toronto represent a 63.5 per cent year-over-year increase. The 337 semi-detached home sales were 80 per cent above last August levels. The average selling price of a detached house in the 905 areas surrounding the city was about $1.1 million, 18.5 per cent higher than August 2019. In an overall tight market, a 68.5 per cent increase in the number of new apartment condo listings this year compared to last, resulted in a more moderate 9.5 per cent rise in the average condo sale price in the GTA: to $629,643. There were 5,999 new condo listings in the GTA last month. With growth in condominium apartment listings well outstripping condo sales growth, condo market conditions were comparatively more balanced, which was reflected in a slower pace of price growth in that segment, said the real estate boards chief market analyst Jason Mercer. For a second month, TRREB president Lisa Patel attributed high levels of activity in the housing market to COVID-related travel restrictions. Low interest rates and improved economic conditions have also added to the demand for homes, she said. Condo sales rose 10.9 per cent across the GTA, but the 905 communities saw the biggest jump in condo transactions of 14.5 per cent, compared to 9.2 per cent in the city of Toronto. Prices also rose more steeply in 905-area condos: 12.9 per cent, compared to 8.7 per cent in the city. Condo sales this year to date are down 16.7 per cent, according to the real estate board. Home prices have been gaining since the economy began opening up after the COVID-19 shutdown. In June, TRREB reported that the GTA average selling price of $931,000 had surpassed the previous April 2017 record of $920,791. I have been thinking a great deal about what it means to be from somewhere. When I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, a very bless-your-heart older Southern woman told me, sotto voce, at a luncheon that nobody got to be from Charlottesville unless they had been born there, even if they had arrived there as a child. By the same token, when the Nazis marched there, in the summer of 2017, followed by the Proud Boys, then followed by the KKK, and followed by yet more Nazis, those of us who lived in Charlottesville were always quick to point out that the racists and white supremacists and anti-Semites who thronged the parks and streets and University of Virginia campus that summer were decidedly out-of-towners, a kind of marauding invading force that had flown and driven in from around the country. They were not a part of this little college town we all called home, we said to one another, again and again. And again, this was all somewhat ironic, in light of the fact that when the Nazis did march, their chants toggled between you will not replace us and Jews will not replace us. Apparently these bottom-dwellers who had parachuted in from Oregon, California, and South Carolina shared a conviction that we were the ones taking over their spaces and their places, and that no matter where they lived in America, they were somehow entitled to be domiciled wherever they saw fit, including places in which others actually were domiciled. We, the residents of Charlottesville, were thus the invading force, and our invasion required repulsion with weapons of war. We were attempting to replace them, the white guys in the flat front khakis. Even if they came from California, it was their city, not ours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The relief of August 2017 was that one could finally differentiate the locals from the actual Nazis on the basis of who was brandishing flaming torches and carrying guns. I am struck, once again, witnessing the events this week in Portland, Oregon, and in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by that same dynamic, as gaggles of largely white men in trucks organize to stake out racial justice protests and variously assist the police or protect local businesses or restore law and order. These self-appointed vigilantes and quasi-militias feel they are justified in carrying weaponry, deploying pepper spray, shooting paintballs at civilian protesters, and, at least in the case of one such individual, shooting and killing protesters refusing to accede to their authority. In Idaho and Michigan, similar gangs of white men have stormed capital buildings, demanded entry, and been seated.* They have threatened elected officials, all under color of some vague claim that they belong in these spacesthat they have a kind of unfettered right of access to government buildings, even in violation of public health regulations and public safety directives, because they belong there. Advertisement Advertisement In the summer of 2017, one enduring feature of living in Charlottesville, as the misfits and the racists took turns lolling around town, was that those of us who resided there became fearful of looking strangers in the eye. Sometimes we could tell who the outsiders were: They favored big trucks with flags and assorted racist bumper stickers, and some of them wore mildly alarming T-shirts. But the real quandary came when you walked through town and just couldnt tell whether someone was merely running an errand or there to harm you or harass your children (they were mostly hes). The abiding worry was that the insiders and the outsiders could not be readily identified, that the outsiders posing as locals because they believed themselves entitled to occupy an entire town were impossible to identify. The city stopped feeling like home and began to feel unrecognizable, and unsafe. In a perverse sense, the relief of August 2017 was that one could finally differentiate the locals from the actual Nazis on the basis of who was brandishing flaming torches and carrying guns. The guesswork was, at minimum, gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All this has resurfaced in the fragile summer of 2020, chiefly because everyone I know in Portland has assured me that the city is not in fact under attack or on fire and also that the people who have come from afar to play at volunteer law enforcement are not from there at all. Self-appointed gangs of enforcers, in other words, are again laying claim to a small city, even though they are outsiders, and are again terrorizing protesters and locals under some imagined authority they think they have to go wherever they please, waving weapons and imposing what they believe to be law and order, even though their actions are neither lawful nor orderly in some cases. They have an unlimited right of access anywhere in the country, extending stand your ground or castle laws to any ground on which they stand. Advertisement Advertisement One theme of modern life in America, documented in video after video, is that if you are Black or brown, the assumption is that you do not get to belong anywhere, whether you live in that place, pay your taxes in that place, or in fact own that place. You dont belong in your own car or in your own apartment. You certainly dont belong at a peaceful protest. This administration, and many administrations before it, have tried to force this theory into formal policyif you are a parent being separated from a child at the border or being redirected to Mexico, that is because you do not belong here; you do not belong anywhere. You belong someplace other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is perhaps more disturbing about the current mood in parts of America, as opposed to much of Americas recent past, is the way in which this claim to belonging is being reasserted more broadly by those who are utterly convinced that they belong everywhere because they have always been told that they belong everywhere. And now, often thanks to reassurances from law enforcement and government power itself, the members of these self-appointed militias feel they ought to make determinations about who else belongs. There is no illusion that everyone might find a place here. It is the old arrogance of white men taking Native lands being performed anew, with the same tools of violence. And if Stephen Miller has arrogated unto himself the power to decide who does and does not belong in America, and if Bill Barr has arrogated unto himself the power to decide who does and does not belong at a peaceful protest in Lafayette Park, and if Donald Trump has arrogated unto himself the power to decide who does and does not belong enough to cast an absentee ballot, well, that is because these men genuinely believe that America belongs to them and they can dole out bits and pieces of it as they see fit. Andmost terriblythey are implicitly and explicitly empowering their supporters to do the same. Indeed, Donald Trump, much like the militias and fake policemen he has emboldened across the country, has gone so far as to suggest that not only does he belong in the White House, but it somehow belongs to him, claiming last week at the RNC that he was entitled to use it as he saw fit because he was there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is, in short, not just an asymmetry in morality at work here, but an asymmetry to the force of the property claims. Donald Trump has devoted his tenancy in the White House to the proposition that certain people belong in America, to all of it, to any of it, and that belonging is nine-tenths of the law. As such, they may do what they need to secure those claims (hence his pardons of the grifters and the looters). Any other people never belonged here; they perch here only at his sufferance. Thats why he performed ritual acts of welcoming new citizens and reformed criminals at the Republican National Conventionbecause he wants to emphasize that who belongs is up to him. Its why anyone who is anywhere he wants to be (including Lafayette Square) is a looter. He is deciding who belongs and who doesnt belong. And he is telling anyone who agrees with him to clear the streets and the parks as they deem fit. And because this has scrambled our ideas about who is an invader and who is a local, this is getting resolved, suddenly, on the streets. And as a consequence, we may not be able to look one another in the eye again for a long, long time. The Algonac City Council discussed a number of items at its recent meeting, including a rental housing ordinance amendment, water plant items and the Tie Michigan Teal campaign. Council members unanimously approved an ordinance amendment regarding rental housing in the city on Sept. 1. Council member Jacob Skarbek was absent. The amendment was introduced at the councils Aug. 18 meeting, where it was also unanimously approved. This rental housing ordinance change was simplified and it was reorganized by our city attorney and has lots of input from our staff, Mayor Terry Stoneburner said. There were no changes to the fee structure at all. The amendment makes it so that the procedures followed for single-family and multiple-family residences are now the same; the references to city clerk are replaced with rental housing inspector; single-family rentals are now required to keep records of repairs and tenant complaints, just like multiple-family rentals, and the property owner may choose to have Notice of Violations sent via email. Additionally, the previous ordinance required a registration for single-family residences and a license for multiple-family residences. Now, both require a license. I think its excellent, council member Michael Bembas said. Its part of the overall picture of all of the other things weve been doing for the city to increase property values, to make Algonac a very nice place to live. Mayor Pro Tem Rocky Gillis agreed and thanked Fire Chief Joe Doan, who is also the rental housing inspector, for the work that he does. Water plant items The council also unanimously approved to award a bid for water plant high service pump upgrades to Murphy Electrical Services in the amount of $29,986 and to award a contract for 24-hour monitoring of chlorine levels to Hach in the amount of $4,074. Hubbell, Roth and Clark, the citys engineering firm, received two bids on behalf of the water plant for upgrades to the high-water pumps: one from Murphy Electrical Services and one from DF Best Co. for $39,950. All water plant expenses over $20,000 must be approved by Clay Township, as well, Stoneburner said. Clay Township did approve this expense on Aug. 17. Council member Corey Blair asked if that meant the cost is split between the two. Stoneburner said yes. Its nice seeing that were upgrading or getting new things without saying, Oh my goodness, we had an emergency repair,' Bembas said. Too often we see that, and I know that sometimes equipment gets old, but I love the fact that were being proactive and getting the new equipment before we absolutely have to get it. In regards to the monitoring of chlorine level contract, the water plant has three CL-17 online chlorine analyzers that monitor the chlorine in the distribution system. The current maintenance contract with Hach had expired and the recommendation was to renew the contract to keep the system complaint with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy requirements. The state of Michigan requires that we have the 24-hour monitors of these analyzers and it must be online, Stoneburner said. Tie Michigan Teal campaign Additionally, the council granted permission for volunteers to tie teal ribbons throughout the city in September in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and to have Stoneburner sign a letter of support on the councils behalf. The ribbons are a part of the Tie Michigan Teal campaign, which is sponsored by the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance and aims to bring awareness to ovarian cancer. There is no cost to the city and the ribbons will be taken down at the end of the month. Stoneburner said the campaign does its job in raising awareness, as people last year were curious about them and talking about them. This plan will require the intervention of 2,400 members from the National Police (PNP), Armed Forces, municipalities and other State-run entities, who will conduct joint operations to guide, supervise and raise awareness among shopkeepers and consumers. Operational actions kicked off today with a trial phase in the districts of Los Olivos, Comas, Carabayllo and Puente Piedra, where authorities visited markets, hostels, restaurants, bus stops, bus terminals, among others, providing guidance on preventive measures to their managers. The awareness-raising activity collected information on compliance with the documentation and health protocols decreed to prevent infections, including the use of face masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and measures to guarantee social distancing. The second phase of this plan will include control operations to be carried out by the municipalities, with the support of law enforcement officers, starting the second week of September. During this stage, fines will be imposed and premises will be shut down, if needed. Said activities will continue progressively in other districts within Lima, Callao and the interior of the country, where law enforcement officers and inspectors will continue to meet with business managers and verify compliance with preventive measures. In this respect, Peruvian National Police General Orlando Velasco remarked that these actions aim to strengthen the control capacity of local governments at the national level, as well as instruct shopkeepers and consumers. El plan Fiscalizando por la salud 2020 reforzara la prevencion en los comercios ante la COVID-19. La @PoliciaPeru, el @CCFFAA_PERU, los municipios y otras entidades orientaran y velaran por el cumplimiento de los protocolos de bioseguridad. ?? https://t.co/oQXaQgJWoG pic.twitter.com/WPtM42NsPp New Delhi, Sep 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday concluded the arguments on the change of land use in connection with the government's Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista project, which includes a new Parliament building. A bench comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna said: "Arguments in respect of challenge to the impugned notification(s) on the ground of impermissibility of change of land use as proposed have been concluded today." From the next hearing, the bench will begin hearing arguments on violation of municipal laws. "On the next date, as requested by the counsel for the parties, we will proceed to consider the second broad issue as noted in our order dated August 20, namely, Violation of Statutory/Municipal Laws," added the bench. The top court has asked the Centre to file a consolidated response before September 5 in the matter, and the petitioners would have to file the rejoinder, if any, within one week thereafter. The bench has listed the matter for further hearing on September 14. On August 20, the apex court had said: "We make it clear that the Court will first begin with the hearing of broad issue regarding challenge to the change of land use being contrary to the provisions of Delhi Development Act, 1957." The observation was made by the bench during hearing a batch of petitions challenging several aspects including environmental clearance (EC) given to the project, which covers a three-km stretch from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate in Lutyens' Delhi. The top court had put out a draft flow chart indicating the heads of broad issues. "For the sake of convenience, a draft flow chart has been prepared by the office indicating the heads of broad issues in different petitions filed and listed so far for hearing and, in particular, referring to the specific notifications/notices challenged therein," said the court. It had also said that the parties involved in the matter are made free to give suggestions to improve or modify the flow on the next date of hearing. Taking up the matter, the apex court had said it will hear the plea challenging the Central Vista project on three counts - changes in land use, violation of municipal law and violation of environmental law even as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, had questioned the challenge made in the pleas to the project. Activist Rajeev Suri and Lt Col. Anuj Srivastava (retd.) had moved the apex court against various permissions given to the project. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Old Navy Will Pay Employees to Work Polling Stations on Election Day 2020 Old Navy Has Pledged to Pay Their Employees to Work the Polls While some companies have pledged to give their employees time off to vote this upcoming Election Day, Old Navy is encouraging their employees to rock the vote in a completely unprecedented and, frankly, generous way. Old Navy announced on Tuesday which was, appropriately, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day that they will pay their store employees for eight hours of work if they serve as poll workers this Nov. 3. In an effort to address the nationwide shortage, the casual fashion retailer is partnering with the Civic Alliance and Power the Polls with the goal of recruiting 250,000 new poll workers this election cycle. RELATED: Voting Just Might Be 2020's Biggest Turn-On "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. The company is putting out this urgent call for volunteers to its nearly 50,000 field employees across more than 1,000 stores in the U.S. The push for new poll workers comes as the pandemic has forced those with a higher risk of coronavirus complications to cancel their plans to work the election. From activating the National Guard for assistance to lowering the minimum age to serve as a poll worker, several states across the country are pulling out all the stops to get more people to work their local booths this November. Old navy noted that, in addition to their pay from the company, employees would still be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction, as well. (Because yes, you can get paid to work these polls.) The retailer also stated that they will reach out beyond their employees by inviting eligible consumers to participate in the polls as well. Unfortunately, they wont be paying those consumers for their services to U.S. democracy, but being a poll worker is something that one should do for their country, not for the pay, right? For the record, anyone can sign-up to apply to serve at a nearby polling station here. You Might Also Dig: The revelations that Russian intelligence may have hired criminals to attack NATO forces in Afghanistan underscores the complex nature of Moscows Afghan policies. Though what happened or why remains disputed, the reports highlight the Russian governments weak tools for shaping the future of Afghanistan despite the countrys pivotal place in Russias Eurasian agenda. BACKGROUND: According to unauthorized media leaks apparently aimed at galvanizing a stronger U.S. official response to the allegations, starting around 2018 and 2019, Russian military intelligence (the GRU) hired Afghan middlemen to offer cash rewards to various Taliban-linked criminal militants who harmed NATO soldiers. The intelligence concerning such bounties comes from Afghan and U.S. Special Operations interrogations of captured extremists as well as evidence of covert financial transfers through the formal and informal Hawala financial systems. Foreign powers have bought loyalties within the Afghan patronage network for decades. Moreover, the GRU Unit 29155 is notorious for its attempted assassinations, cyber attacks, and foreign election interference. Still, the number of Russian-hired killers and their results remain under investigation. Moscows involvement in Afghan affairs has been growing for years. Following the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan during the 1980s, the Russian presence remained minimal. Throughout the following decade, Russia gingerly reengaged after the U.S. military intervention deposed the Taliban regime, which the Kremlin had opposed due to its support for Islamist militants in the North Caucasus and other anti-Russian policies. Between 2002 and 2005, Russia supplied the Afghan government with some US$ 200 million worth of defense aid. The assistance included repairing Afghanistans former Soviet technology, such as military transport planes and the anti-aircraft defenses around the Kabul Airport. Although the military aid subsequently decreased, in 2007, Russia reopened its Kabul embassy. Russian economic ties with Afghanistan also expanded, with Russia becoming an important energy supplier, though most Russian-Afghan commerce constituted illicit trafficking in narcotics. Although Western and Chinese involvement in Afghanistan was substantially greater, Moscow made suppressing the inflow of opiates through this northern route a major theme in its engagement with NATO under President Medvedev, but the drug issue has lost salience in recent years. Over the past decade, Moscows policy has become more complex, due in part to the Russian leaderships ambiguous view about the NATO combat presence in Afghanistan. At various times, Russian leaders have urged Western troops to leave as soon as possible yet stay as long as necessary. In 2001, Moscow acquiesced in the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan since it really had no choice the Pentagon was going in with or without the Kremlins approval. Furthermore, many Russians who were concerned about the terrorist threat to Russias South hoped that NATO would suppress it and then leave. Through its participation in the Northern Distribution Network, the Russian government helped NATO deliver non-lethal supplies from Europe to the Western military contingents in Afghanistan, generating transit revenue and logistical advantage. However, Russian officials have been dissatisfied with NATOs inability to subdue the Afghan insurgency or the large-scale northward flow of Afghan opiates. In addition, they have firmly opposed permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan or Central Asia. As relations deteriorated with the West, so did Moscows tolerance for having a NATO military force stationed along its soft strategic underbelly. Likewise, many Russians would welcome a U.S. military humiliation in its longest war. IMPLICATIONS: In its Afghan policies, the Russian government has cultivated diverse local and foreign partners in order to gain near-term influence and position Moscow for post-NATO scenarios. Russias diplomatic engagement initially focused on building ties with the central government, then led by President Hamid Karzai. Though he had decent ties with the George W. Bush administration, Karzais strained relations with the Obama administration drove him toward Moscow. In January 2011, Karzai made the first state visit by an Afghan president to Russia and, in 2014, ingratiated himself by becoming one of the few heads of state to openly support Moscows illegal annexation of Crimea. Since leaving office in 2014, Karzai has participated in many Russian-led intra-Afghan peace dialogues, while his successor, Ashraf Ghani, has sought deeper ties with China and other foreign partners. Additionally, the Russian government has reestablished Soviet-era ties with the Tajik, Uzbek, and Turkmen ethnic minorities in northern Afghanistan since they could provide a buffer for the neighboring Central Asian states. At first, the Russian government opposed any negotiations with the Taliban. After a few years, Russia backed inter-Afghan peace talks provided it was led by Afghan officials, not Western governments. Since around 2015, the Russian government has pursued formal ties with the Taliban. These contacts serve the immediate objective of boosting Moscows influence while simultaneously hedging against a Taliban victory after NATO departs. Russian officials initially justified the outreach as designed to share intelligence about the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which Moscow saw as posing a more serious threat to Russia. Whereas the Taliban profess to have political ambitions only in Afghanistan, ISIS overtly strives to establish a jihadist regime throughout Eurasia. Fundamentally, Russian and Taliban leaders share the immediate objective of showing they have diplomatic alternatives and the long-term goal of removing all foreign military forces from Afghanistan. Ending decades of hostility from the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the Kremlin has also managed to improve ties with Pakistan in recent years. There have been joint military exercises, Russian weapons sales, other defense industrial cooperation, and improved economic exchanges. These closer ties give Moscow greater diplomatic leverage and indirect leverage with the Taliban, whose leadership has strong ties with Pakistans intelligence services. Moscows outreach regarding Afghanistan has also extended to China, Iran, and other countries. These activities have mostly comprised multilateral meetings and declarationshelping, though not ensuring, that Moscow has a seat at the negotiating table of any peace agreement. Russian leaders want to avoid a return to the 1990s, when they were mere spectators to Afghan developments despite the countrys significance for attaining Moscows goals in Eurasia. Lastly, Moscow has shored up its regional security ties, by increasing its military deployments and security assistance in neighboring Central Asian countries. Besides bilateral defense ties, multilateral security ties have expanded within the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. Russian diplomats have found it useful to highlight the terrorist threat in Afghanistan and elsewhere to justify these military deployments. CONCLUSION: Speculation over what Russians did and why continues, with popular explanations for the alleged killer-for-hire scheme being revenge for setbacks in Syria or elsewhere; unsanctioned freelancing by local Russian operatives; an effort to accelerate a U.S. military withdrawal; or, conversely, to sabotage the peace process in order to keep NATO bogged down in an Afghan quagmire. Though paying Afghans to kill NATO soldiers would represent an unprecedented step for Russian policy in Afghanistan, there have been reports for years that Russians entities have provided intelligence, money, and arms to the Taliban. Moreover, they have allegedly employed criminals and mercenaries in Ukraine, Syria, and Libya. In any case, the recent actions had minimal impact, in either Afghanistan or elsewhere. Each month, Taliban and other Afghan terrorists launch thousands of attacks against NATO and other targets (though refraining from attacking NATO soldiers since Februarys peace agreement). Meanwhile, Russian-U.S. and Russian-UK relations are so poor that the latest incident could hardly make them worse. Russias conflict with the West in Afghanistan has remained limited, as has the level of cooperation. Revealing, even if Moscow can hire freelance murderers in Afghanistan, its tools of influence in Afghanistan are weak compared with the far greater U.S. diplomatic and military power and Chinas vast economic potential in the country. AUTHOR'S BIO: Dr. Richard Weitz is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute. Image Source: DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando accessed on 9/3/2020 Much of the Russian electorate is still seething over a package of constitutional amendments that were foisted on the country this spring, and could pave the way for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. And anger against the ruling United Russia party over a reviled reform that raised retirement ages has not abated. The Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk has been rocked by mass protests for months, after the region's popular governor was arrested in connection with killings that happened well over a decade ago. And the example of neighboring Belarus, where hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the resignation of authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, is increasingly hard to ignore. It has been more than a decade since the political landscape in Russia seemed so promising for the country's liberal opposition as the country heads into local elections on September 13 that are seen as a harbinger of the national elections for the State Duma set for 2021. But the opposition goes into the fight without its charismatic leader, the lawyer, anti-corruption crusader, and politician Aleksei Navalny, who was poisoned on August 20 and is currently in an induced coma at a hospital in Berlin, where doctors say he is expected to survive but could be incapacitated for months. German doctors say he was poisoned by a substance from the Novichok group of nerve agents, the same type of toxin that was used to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter in England in 2018. "[The authorities] want to sideline Navalny so that his 'smart-voting' project would collapse," political analyst Fyodor Krasheninnikov told Current Time, referring to a Navalny initiative designed to defeat United Russia by creating a list of candidates deemed most likely to defeat rivals from the ruling party and urging opposition-minded voters to vote for them. "Without Aleksei, it will be much harder to carry out this campaign." Anlayst Abbas Gallyamov agreed. "Navalny was genuinely dangerous to the Kremlin in the context of the [2021] Duma elections," he said. "Thanks to his smart-voting project, the Kremlin's plans to take control over the next Duma could have been foiled." Recalling Nemtsov Russia's liberal opposition is still stinging from a similar situation, in which former Deputy Prime Minister and popular opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead outside the Kremlin in February 2015. "I see a parallel with the murder of Boris Nemtsov," said Vladimir Milov, a former deputy energy minister who is a leading activist in Navalny's movement. "He was murdered a little over a year before the [September 2016] Duma elections. The purpose was obvious -- he couldn't be given a chance to form a powerful coalition. If Nemtsov had lived, we would be in the Duma now." "Now it is clear that Navalny is the leader who is in a position to unite people," Milov added. Krashennikov also points to Nemtsov's assassination. "The authorities hate people who can organize things and they attack them," he said. "Recall the murder of Boris Nemtsov. He was murdered at the very beginning of the election campaign for the State Duma so that he would not be able to organize a strong list for the PARNAS opposition party, which by the way most likely would have included Navalny. Nemtsov was killed and the project fell apart." But there are reasons to think that this time things could be different. Navalny's smart-voting project is already well developed and has shown encouraging signs of success. In 2019, the initiative was able to win 20 of 45 seats on the Moscow City Duma. "Although we weren't able to break United Russia's majority in the Moscow City Duma, the deputies that we did get in there are making our work in future elections in Moscow much easier," Milov said, arguing that such success leads to increased opposition activism. "First there is 'smart voting'; then we get access to power at the regional level; and then people will come out into the streets to defend that power." The 2018 gubernatorial election in Khabarovsk Krai is another example. Navalny hailed the election of Sergei Furgal, who was on the smart-voting list and who soundly defeated the longtime United Russia incumbent. When authorities from Moscow arrested Furgal in July and whisked him off to the capital for trial on murder-related charges, the Khabarovsk region rose up in a wave of protests that continues to this day. Grassroots Organization A key test for Navalny's organization is whether it will be able to amicably create its list of smart-voting candidates, which the group normally announces just days before the elections in order to prevent the authorities from disqualifying the listed candidates. It remains to be seen if the list can be developed and promoted without divisive infighting. Although Navalny has been enormously popular on social media and as a public speaker at protests and regional rallies, he has been blocked by Kremlin-controlled television and other media from developing a national image. His name recognition in many regions is low and when people do know of him, they often associate him with Kremlin smears, such as that he is a tool of the West. His real strength as a leader has been his ability to develop a genuinely grassroots organization that has proven it is capable of working without him during his many trials and spells in jail. "A clear plus regarding Aleksei Navalny is that he is really a good manager," said supporter and political analyst Aleksandr Kynev. "He has been able to create one of our country's very few networked organizations that can work even when he is not around. He has been arrested many times and there have been situations when virtually the entire leadership of the organization has been knocked out of commission, as happened last year and a few times earlier. But nonetheless, the organization worked." "In this regard, he is a unique talent in Russian politics as a political manager," Kynev added. "I don't think that even this extremely difficult situation will lead to the destruction of this unique network." Kremlin-connected political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky also credits Navalny with building a powerful national network. "This is a person who was chosen by history," Pavlovsky told RFE/RL's Russian Service. "He has done his part, but history selected him. History made him unique in his own way. The fact that he has been able, as this unique person, to build up a team, a strong team, and not only in Moscow, but all over Russia -- that is a rare quality that few people have. That is why I think he is doing a great thing." "We are in a whole new situation," he added. "What has changed compared to what Aleksei himself said? The fact that he himself cannot say it now -- that has changed." Milov said pro-Kremlin sources have already begun spreading false rumors that the opposition has been "paralyzed" by Navalny's absence. "Nothing has been paralyzed," he said. "We will see what nonsense it is to accuse Navalny of building a leader-based structure. Look how many bright, hard-working, independent people are on Navalny's team. It is a genuine, broad structure and not some leader-based structure. And we know what to do. We have prepared ourselves for situations, such as we have seen in the past, when Navalny is removed from the scene. He always says: 'There is a plan and all we need is for everyone to do their work.'" Navalny himself emphasized this in a post to Instagram made just hours before he boarded the flight from Siberia to Moscow on which he very nearly died. Posting a selfie with a group of young volunteers in Tomsk, he wrote: "In order to defeat the United Russia candidates, we need more volunteers. The party of power has a lot of money, but we have to rely only on the help of good, honest people. The thieves aren't going to drive themselves from power!" Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson. RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time contributed to this report. A woman who says she was intentionally struck in the elbow by a pickup truck sporting pro-police and Trump flags in downtown Portland last Saturday has filed a $45,000 lawsuit against the trucks driver. According to her lawsuit filed Wednesday, Holli Parulski was peacefully observing a pro-Trump caravan traveling through the citys core when the truck struck her arm. She was standing in a crosswalk at Southwest Washington Street and Third Avenue as the pedestrian signal read walk, the suit states. The suit also alleges that after Parulski promptly reported what had happened to Portland Police Lt. Jeff Niiya, he refused to cite the driver and refused to take a report. Police spokesman Lt. Greg Pashley declined comment Thursday. Parulskis attorney, Michael Fuller, said he plans to file complaints about Niiya to the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office and the Independent Police Review. In 2019, Niiya found himself in a firestorm of criticism after texts and emails that hed sent right-wing Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson in 2017 and 2018 publicly surfaced. Critics said Niiya colluded with Gibson to the detriment of left-wing antifa protesters. The Independent Police Review didnt find sufficient evidence to prove allegations that Niiya engaged in unprofessional behavior, wasnt objective and inappropriately disclosed information to Gibson that allowed people to avoid arrest. But Parulski isnt suing Portland police. She lists Tim Hollister as the sole defendant in her lawsuit, saying that he leased the 2017 Chevy Colorado. The lawsuit doesnt identify the driver and Tim Hollister declined to speak to The Oregonian/OregonLive Thursday. But his wife, Brenda Hollister, spoke on his behalf. She said she was sitting in the back row of seats in the truck and her husband was the driver. Their son was in the passenger seat, she said. Brenda Hollister said her husband didnt hit anybody with the truck. Theres a video that pretty much shows nobody was struck by anyone, so Im not too worried, Brenda Hollister said of the lawsuit. Hollister said as her husband drove through the intersection, someone rammed the pickup twice with a bicycle and someone else kicked it. It was scary, extremely scary for us, Hollister said. ...We didnt hit anybody. They hit us. Video posted by multimedia journalist Cory Elia shows a white truck turn left to avoid driving through six or seven people who are standing in a crosswalk and facing the caravan. Then the Hollisters truck slowly proceeds toward the people. The people move out of the way at the last second, when its clear the truck isnt going to stop. The truck appears to have gone through a red light: Although the vehicular traffic signal cant be seen in the video, two pedestrian signals that are visible appear to indicate that traffic traveling in the trucks direction should be stopped. One rally member turns to avoid counter-protesters but another drives right through them hitting several people. pic.twitter.com/i3aLRQg9tJ Cory Elia (@TheRealCoryElia) August 30, 2020 Fuller, Parulskis lawyer, said Parulski is at the front of the group of people. She is wearing a black top and can barely be seen because the other people are blocking the cameras view of her for much of the video. Fuller said he hopes to find other video showing the truck striking Parulskis elbow. Parulski was struck at about 7 p.m., according to her lawsuit. Earlier, about 1,000 vehicles had gathered at Clackamas Town Center to support President Trump in his bid for reelection. The vehicles then formed a caravan that made its way north and crossed the river west into downtown Portland, where violent clashes ensued. Those confrontations included protesters trying to block the caravan by standing in front of cars, objects thrown, and paintballs fired and chemical sprays unleashed from passing trucks. At about 8:45 p.m., after most Trump supporters had left downtown, a 39-year-old man affiliated with Patriot Prayer was shot and killed on the street. Brenda Hollister said the caravan hadnt intended to drive through the heart of downtown -- rather the route was supposed to cross the Willamette River and then turn directly south onto Interstate 405. But she said protesters blocked the road leading to the freeway, and so her husband and others made their way through the downtown core. She said she, her husband and their son didnt throw or spray anything at the protesters. She thinks protesters targeted the truck because of the Trump, American and Thin Blue Line flags flapping from its tailgate. People would scream Racist! and we would scream I love you! Brenda Hollister said. She said her family immediately headed home to Salem after that. The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. In addition to Fuller, Portland attorney Kelly Jones is representing Parulski. The suit seeks damages for alleged assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee W e want a Britain thats open to the world, attracting the best talent. So the fact that the chisel-jawed former politician our country may be about to hire for trade talks is Australian shouldnt rule him out. Unlike some in the Government, we think immigration works. But when the Australian in question is the cast-off prime minister Tony Abbott there are two problems. The first is that hes not, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock tried to suggest in an interview this morning , an expert on trade. The Asian deals his country signed while he was PM were in the works long before his brief time in charge. But then they are not the real reason he is being tipped for the job. Mr Abbotts attraction is that he is an Anglophone deep social conservative of a kind sadly welcome in parts of todays Conservative party and President Trumps Republicans. He doubts the equality of women, thinks homosexuality is something society has to endure and questions the significance of climate change. Is this really who we want representing our country? His views arent side-issues unrelated to a stellar career. They were fundamental to his rise and rapid fall in Australian politics and they would be central to any role he plays for Britain, too. Next year we are due to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference. How does that sit with a trade adviser who just two years ago said in a speech in London that climate change itself is probably doing good, once called it absolute crap and scrapped a useless, destructive carbon tax when he was in power? Our Government likes to talk of its commitment to equality. How does that sit with hiring a man who once wrote it would be folly to expect that women will ever... approach equal representation...simply because their aptitudes, abilities and interests are different? That was back in 1979. Maybe he has moderated his views since then? Or maybe not. I probably feel a bit threatened, as so many people do, he said in 2010 about homosexuality. There are a lot more quotes like these. Of course its easy to pick out lines from a man who likes to speak his mind and burst the consensus on things. Maybe its an unfair game. Tony Abbott doubts the equality of women and questions the significance of climate change But then our Government doesnt have to choose Mr Abbott. If it wants a former world leader on its side, others are also available, with less primitive opinions. The fact that hes being tipped for the role is a choice and it risks defining our Government. Boris Johnson still talks of wanting an open, socially-liberal modern Britain but his ministers are drifting away from that fast. Our bet is that Mr Abbotts hiring will turn out to be a flop. He wont help us get any trade deals at all. But the damage to the Tory partys standing will be real. Perhaps Mr Abbott knows it himself. After all, theres another telling quote from him, too. I dont really do diplomacy, he said after losing power. Time to take the Tube You can imagine the panic in ministerial offices. Every politician will want to be snapped using the Tube to show they are back in the office like normal people. Loading.... But only Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, and one other Cabinet minister, have managed it. Where are the rest? Wheres Labours leader, too, and the Mayor? Still, it seems, in their cars. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Most people with COVID-19 have relatively mild disease, but a subset of people develop severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, potentially leading to death. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) immunologist Dan H. Barouch, MD, Ph.D., and colleagues showed in recently published previous work that a candidate COVID-19 vaccine raised neutralizing antibodies that robustly protected non-human primates (NHPs) against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Now, in new research published to-day in Nature Medicine, Barouch and colleagues demonstrated that the optimal vaccine elicited robust im-mune response in Syrian golden hamsters and prevented severe clinical diseaseincluding weight loss, pneumonia and death. "We recently reported that an Ad26-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine provided robust protection in rhesus ma-caques, and this vaccine is currently being evaluated in humans," said Barouch, who is Director of BIDMC's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research. "However, nonhuman primates typically don't get severe clinical disease, and thus it was important to study whether this vaccine could prevent severe pneumonia and death due to SARS-CoV-2 in hamsters, which are more susceptible to clinical disease." The vaccinedeveloped through a collaboration between BIDMC and Johnson & Johnson (J&J)uses a common cold virus, called adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26), to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into host cells, where it stimulates the body to raise immune responses against the coronavirus. Barouch's group and J&J developed a series of vaccine candidates designed to express different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which is the major target for neutralizing antibodies. In the current study, the researchers immunized Syrian golden hamsters with a single injection of the Ad26-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which induced neutralizing antibodies in all animals. Four weeks later, the ani-mals were exposed to a high dose of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccinated animals lost less weight and had less virus in their lungs and other organs than unvaccinated control animals. Vaccinated animals also demonstrated lower mortality. Moreover, the researchers found that neutralizing antibody responses were inversely correlated with weight loss and viral loads in respiratory tissues. The Ad26.COV2.S vaccine is currently being evaluated in clinical studies to establish the performance of the vaccine candidate in humans. "This hamster model of severe COVID-19 disease should prove useful to complement current nonhuman pri-mate models in the evaluation of candidate vaccines and therapeutics," said Barouch, who is also the William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, and the co-leader of the vaccine working group of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness. In July 2020, investigators at BIDMC and other institutions initiated a first-in-human Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine in healthy volunteers. Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPH, is the principal investiga-tor for the trial at BIDMC, which is funded by Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, B.V., a pharmaceutical re-search arm of Johnson & Johnson. Pending clinical trial outcomes, the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine is on track to start a phase 3 efficacy trial in up to 60,000 participants in September 2020. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak More information: Noe B. Mercado et al, Single-shot Ad26 vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques, Nature (2020). Journal information: Nature Medicine , Nature Noe B. Mercado et al, Single-shot Ad26 vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2607-z Hong Kong, Xinjiang Crackdowns Haunt China FM Wang's Europe Tour By Paul Eckert 2020-09-02 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's five-nation tour of Europe was billed as a charm offensive to court key Western nations amid a deepening China-U.S. standoff, but the trip was dogged by Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang and other issues that have straining Beijing's ties with Washington. Against the backdrop of street protests outside uniting exiled Hong Kong democracy activists and the Uyghur diaspora, Wang's final stop, in Berlin, also featured confrontation with German counterpart Heiko Maas over Chinese internment camps in Xinjiang and the draconian national security law it imposed on Hong Kong. Germany's top diplomat urged China to allow a UN mission to investigate the internment camps holding Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and called for the withdrawal of the national security law in Hong Kong that has led to the arrests of top pro-democracy figures, German media reported. "We would very much welcome it if China granted an independent UN observer mission access to the camps," said Maas, adding that he had noted a "willingness to do so" on China's part, Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. 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 the camps as voluntary "vocational centers," but RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are mostly held against their will and forced endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination. On Hong Kong, "We want the principle of 'one country, two systems' to be fully applied, DW quoted Maas as telling Wang on Tuesday, in reference to a sweeping national security law that bans subversion, separatism, terrorism and collusion with foreign countries. "You know that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not been allayed," Maas said. Maas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also said that Europe wants the Hong Kong election this month that was postponed on purported coronavirus concerns to take place "quickly and unhindered," and said the EU should agree on a common set of sanctions in case the vote is put off. DW reported that Wang rejected "foreign interference" in domestic affairs in the exchange at a villa on the outskirts of Berlin. "Whether Hong Kong or Xinjiang, both fall into the category of internal Chinese matters. We do not want any foreign interference in Chinese society," Wang was quoted as saying. He had also visited Italy, France, the Netherlands and Norway. Wang was criticized by Maas for saying the Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil would pay a "heavy price" for his visit to Taiwan with a 90-member delegation. "We as Europeans act in close cooperation -- we offer our international partners respect, and we expect the exact same from them," Maas said in Berlin alongside Wang. "Threats don't fit in here." The diplomatic confrontation followed a protest rally of about 100 to 150 demonstrators gathered outside the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, uniting Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, Uyghur and Tibetan exiles and other critics and opponents of Beijing. Prominent activist Nathan Law, who fled Hong Kong for Britain shortly after China imposed the national security law, joined hands with Dolkun Isa, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress. Hong Kong, which was guaranteed autonomy for 50 years under the "one country, two systems" deal signed before its handover from Britain in 1997. "The authoritarian government is going the opposite way," he said. Isa told RFA's Uyghur Service that the WUC had rallied in Berlin to "urge the government of Germany that it cannot remain silent on the issue of China's genocide of Uyghur people because of its trade relations with China." "By holding this rally in front of the German Foreign Ministry, we also urge the German government to promptly and seriously raise this issue with China to stop the ongoing Uyghur genocide," he added. Additional reporting and translation by Alim Seytoff for RFA's Uyghur 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 September not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shillong, Sep 3 : The Union Jal Shakti Ministry has prepared a bill which is likely to be tabled in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament for better utilisation of the water resources of India's northeast region, which can provide 60,000 MW clean energy to the country, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said. Kumar said that the bill, which would facilitate the formation of the North East Water Management Authority (NEWMA), is ready in consultation with the Chief Ministers of the eight northeastern states, experts and all stakeholders. "At the initiative of the NITI Aayog, work for the 2,000 MW electricity generation capacity Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project has been started." "The commissioning of the mega power project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border would be the beginning of the full exploitation of 60,000 MW energy potential of the northeastern region," Kumar said while speaking at a seminar from a virtual platform on Wednesday. "Northeast can be a big provider of clean energy to the rest of the country. Besides the Centre, both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh would work mutually to complete the project in its timeline." The seminar on the theme "India's North East: Development Challenges and Strategies in the post COVID-19 Era", was organised by the Shillong based think tank and research body "Asian Confluence." Kumar said that the Brahmaputra Board would be subsumed within the NEWMA and all out efforts would be made for the better utilisation of the water resources of the northeastern region, flood mitigation, erosion and environment management in a people friendly manner. "I have consulted with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Brahmaputra Board Chairman Rajiv Yadav on the progress of NEWMA. The minister informed me that the bill is ready," he said. Rajiv Kumar said that after the formation of the NITI Forum, two meetings were held in Guwahati and Agartala which identified five areas - tea, tourism, bamboo economy, fisheries and dairy - to boost the economy of the northeastern region. To develop the infrastructure for the five identified sectors, Kumar suggested funding from the New Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Bank besides private investment and Foreign Direct Investment. "We have to make Northeast India attractive for more and more private investment as well as foreign investment. Public-Private Partnership initiative must be undertaken to develop the infrastructure and to reduce the project risk for the investors. Agriculture and horticulture dominate a large part of the economy of the region. Diversification of agriculture is essential and the Sikkim model in organic farming and agro processing must be followed," Kumar pointed out. He informed that a joint working group was formed by the NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) to push forward the five identified sectors. The NITI Aayog deputy chief said as the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector has been suffering, the states can take collaborative initiatives with the small industry associations to boost the sector. "Money and credit with reasonable rates are available. States must take a lead to facilitate them to the small, micro and medium enterprises individuals and groups. A model of funding similar to Bangladesh's Grameen Bank for extending credit to the MSME sectors is being considered," he said. Kumar said that the NITI Aayog has the mandate of overseeing the adoption and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals in the northeast region by 2030. Former union Tourism Ministry secretary M.P. Bezbaruah participating in the discussion said that amidst the gloomy economic situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, funding is a big problem for the northeastern states while the region is heavily dependent on the other states of the country and central assistance. He emphasised the need for regulatory reforms, private investment and good governance for implementation of the viable schemes and projects. "Asian Confluence" Executive Director Sabyasachi Dutta said that his organisation has been holding a series of dialogues and interactions on the common theme for better use of the resources and better linkages with the neighbours of the region. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) Nancy Pelosi has great hair. Say what you will about the 80-year-old speaker of the House that she is a cynical crackpot, a content-free culpably vicious partisan hack, the kind of ward-heeler who gives ward-heelers a bad name her hair is perfect, like that werewolf drinking pina coladas at Trader Vics. But nothing great comes without a cost. Madame Speaker is in an embarrassing position. In San Francisco, where her nominal constituency is located, it currently is illegal for hair salons to offer services indoors, owing to the epidemic. But members of the nomenklatura are entitled to their petty privileges: Bernie Sanders has his lakeside dacha, where he retires to practice his jeremiads against economic inequality, and Nancy Pelosi has her hair appointment. The salon in question is closed, officially. It has to be. But the stylists who work in such salons are usually independent operators who simply rent a chair from the salon owner, who is more of a landlord than a cosmetological entrepreneur as such. Representative Pelosi was caught on camera getting serviced indoors, and angels and ministers of grace defend us! going about her beauty business without a mask. Pelosi is not the first politician to have a sacrosanct tonsorial engagement. Bill Clinton as president famously sat on Air Force One at LAX getting a $200 trim the most famous haircut since Samsons, the Washington Post called it. Clinton being Clinton, there were rumors at the time that it wasnt a haircut that the president was getting. You never knew with that guy. Texas governor Ann Richards had a very famous hairdo, and staff interrupted her regular hair appointments at their peril. Thanks in part to the work of some of my college-newspaper colleagues in Austin, a story broke that the governors protege had lied on her resume: She had not, as claimed, graduated from the University of Texas and particularly embarrassing for a former member of the legislature who presented herself as an expert on Hispanic issues she had failed courses in Mexican-American studies and the history of the Texas legislature. (She had also claimed to have been Phi Beta Kappa, an honor for which she, as a journalism major, was ineligible.) The governor had to be informed during her hair appointment, and her response, I was told at the time, was: Somebody get that f*****g bitch on the phone! Story continues Youre always the bitch when you get in the way of a politician or a bimbo or trailer trash, if the politician in question is a Clinton. Pelosi protests that she was set up by the salon owner. There is nothing new in politics: Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry, caught on film smoking crack in a hotel room with a hooker, raged over and over again: The bitch set me up! The bitch set me up! The bitch set me up! That didnt play as well in the courtroom as he might have hoped, but, being a Democrat in the District of Columbia, he was reelected after serving his time. Pelosi is demanding an apology from the salon owner for allegedly setting her up. It takes a special kind of chutzpah to do something obviously sketchy and then demand an apology for being exposed. But here, too, there is precedent. When young Barack Obama was first running for president, he was criticized for belonging to the congregation of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who preached crackpot racist sermons from his pulpit. A lesser politician might have tried to wiggle around some, but Barack Obamas political instincts are almost as on-point as Nancy Pelosis hair. Embarrassed by his own association with a vicious racist, Obama went on television and lectured the rest of the country on their supposed racism. This was an elevated version of I know you are, but what am I? and damnably it worked. Little scandals often matter more than big scandals. The Obama administrations IRS abuses and related shenanigans, which went almost nowhere as a scandal, were in substance more corrosive than the relatively minor check-kiting scandal that rocked Congress back in the 1990s. Donald Trump may have led audiences in chanting Lock her up! but it is an obscure Democrat-run prosecutors office in Texas that has in fact corruptly indicted major political figures (Tom DeLay, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Rick Perry) on laughably trumped-up felony charges, only to see them thrown out. Back in the 1990s, Hillary Rodham Clintons dodgy cattle-futures profits spoke to a much more serious kind of corruption than did Bill Clintons intern-bothering. But most people who are not members of the Ayn Rand Society know what sex is, and nobody gets futures trading. Try explaining it to Joe Voter and see how far you get before hes lost in Drakes latest Instagram post. On the other hand, relatively minor scandals that are easily comprehended can be major problems. The most easily comprehended of such scandals is the scandal of hypocrisy, which is what Nancy Pelosi is guilty of. There are worse things than hypocrisy, and Pelosi will brazen through this. She has a pretty good poker face to go along with the first-rate hair. More from National Review Satish Maneshinde, the lawyer representing Rhea Chakraborty, has responded to a Wednesday press conference held by Vikas Singh, the lawyer hired by Sushant Singh Rajputs family. Maneshinde said that Vikas Singh has presented a belated defence. He told Aaj Tak that statements of Sushants three sisters, and two brothers-in-law were recorded on June 16 by the Mumbai Police. He asked why the family has stayed silent about its objections to their statements being recorded in Marathi. This is a belated defence. The truth is slowly emerging, he said. In his press conference, Vikas Singh had said that the family had objected to their statements being recorded in Marathi. The family has never given any statement of Sushant dying by suicide. These statements were recorded by the Mumbai Police in Marathi. The family also objected, Please dont write in Marathi if you want us to sign. They were forced to sign a statement written in Marathi. They had no clue of what was being written. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs family was forced to sign a statement written in Marathi by Mumbai Police, says lawyer Vikas Singh According to him, the statement has not been shared with the family. We have not been supplied that statement. We dont know what was recorded by the Mumbai Police, we know what we said, he said. On being asked if the statement was read out to Sushants family in Hindi before their signatures were taken, the lawyer said, It was just written in Marathi, thats it. There was nothing read out to anybody. Even if you read out in Marathi If I write something in a language you dont know and I then read out whatever I want you to hear If I dont know Marathi, how will I check if what you are telling me is what is written. Its simple logic! Asked about the allegations of a malicious campaign being conducted against Sushants family, Maneshinde said that Rhea and her family believe that a campaign has been conducted against them. Sushant died on June 14. His father has accused Rhea of abetment to suicide. The case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Big Brother Naija housemate, Dorathy has clarified why she shared a bed with Laycon last week Tuesday. Recall that Dorathy in a viral ... Big Brother Naija housemate, Dorathy has clarified why she shared a bed with Laycon last week Tuesday. Recall that Dorathy in a viral video stirred reactions after she was seen touching Laycons hair on the same bed and asking him not to leave when he made an attempt to move away. But, speaking with Prince in the kitchen on Thursday, Dorathy said she slept on Laycons bed because she was cold that night and needed warmth. She said this after Laycon jokingly said she dumped him. Dorathy said: I told Laycon I wanted to sleep on his bed because I was cold that night. I just wanted to feel some warmth nothing more. The night before I had cough, dont let them think theres anything more. A different man every week, Im not a preacher of love but war. Video: A woman arriving back from holiday in Turkey rushed to disembark from the plane - and went for a walk on the wing. The mother-of-two was said to be 'too hot' after landing in Kyiv on a flight from Antalya. She opened an emergency exit on the Boeing 737-86N and climbed onto the wing 'to get some air'. Videos show stalling on the wing before climbing back inside the cabin. A woman climbed on to the wing of a plane after landing in Kyiv on a flight from Antalya, bizarre video footage shows The mother-of-two opened an emergency exit on the Boeing 737-86N and climbed onto the wing 'to get some air' She has now been banned from flying with Ukraine International Airlines. Another returning holidaymaker said: 'The aircraft landed and almost all the passengers got off. 'She walked almost all the way from the tail to the emergency exit row, opened the door and went out. 'By that time her two children were outside the plane, and standing right next to me... 'They were surprised, saying: 'This is our mum'.' The woman, who was travelling with her husband and two children on family holiday, has now been banned from flying with Ukraine International Airlines The pilot called for an ambulance, police and border guards but the woman was reportedly unable to explain to police her behaviour other than saying she was too hot Boryspil Airport in Kyiv (above), where the Ukraine International Airlines plane had landed, have confirmed the incident The pilot called for an ambulance, police and border guards. Boryspil Airport in Kyiv confirmed the incident. The woman - who went safely back into the aircraft - was unable to explain to police the reason for her behaviour other than saying she was too hot, it was reported. Tests showed she was not drunk, nor on drugs. She was travelling with her husband and two children for a family holiday before the start of the new term. People arrive to watch Air Force One land, on Aug. 18, 2020, as President Donald Trump visits with Iowa leaders after a derecho on Aug. 10, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. People arrive to watch Air Force One land, on Aug. 18, 2020, as President Donald Trump visits with Iowa leaders after a derecho on Aug. 10, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Credit - Joseph CressIowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY NETWORK/Sipa USA This article is part of the The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday. President Donald Trump has worked hard in recent weeks to keep voters attention on American cities, which he describes as violent, chaotic places. That strategy conveniently keeps Americans from looking too closely at whats going on in more rural locales. For the past three years, Iowans have faced a string of devastating setbacks, from trade tensions with China that cut farmers off from a key market to a slew of climate-related disasters that have flooded cities, destroyed crops, and forced farmers into bankruptcy. And while the Trump Administration has responded with federal aid, helping farmers make ends meet in the short term, it has done little to address the issues at their core. I think its fair to say that for all of us in the state, regardless of your size, or what youre growing, these are really challenging times, says Matt Russell, an Iowa farmer who advocates for action on climate change and has hosted Democratic presidential candidates at his farm. In Iowa and elsewhere, many rural Americans have so far been forgiving of Trump for the way his policies have affected their livelihood, but its not clear to what degree this lenience will last. Trump won the state handily in 2016, by 10 percentage points, and was widely expected to do so again this year. But recent polls show a neck-and-neck race between him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Many local political observers wonder whether the President may finally be feeling the effects of a deteriorating situation in rural America. The most visible, obvious challenge to rural Iowa is the spate of extreme weather events attributed in large part to climate changethat have rocked the state in recent years. Last year, I visited after torrential flooding left an estimated 100,000 acres of farmland underwater. This years devastation has arguably been worse. In August, a giant wind storm known as a derecho destroyed some 14 million acres of farmland, many just before harvest, as well as thousands of structures. The damage will total billions of dollars. This is in a sense the new normal for the state where precipitation has spiked notably in the last decade, and dramatic flooding has occurred year after year as global temperatures have risen. Story continues Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter. Many farmers remain hesitant to talk about the human role in global warming, but theres also a growing conversation about how farmers can be a part of the climate solution. Nonetheless, in all quarters, theres little debate that something needs to be done in response to protect against extreme weather. And while Trump has earned praise from state Republican officials, many have questioned his decision not to approve the full package of aid requested by local officials. Families lost homes and businesses and saw their communities turned upside-down by the hurricane-force winds, said Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat, in a statement. Trumps partial approval of emergency funds, she added, falls short. Trade tensions have also hit farmers hard. Much of Iowas corn and soybean harvest is typically exported to China. When Trump launched his trade war, China pulled back its purchases, leaving American farmers crops to rot. The Administration offered lifeline payments to help farmers make ends meet, and in January signed a deal with China in which the country agreed to buy billions in U.S. agricultural products as part of a preliminary trade deal. But the purchases have yet to materialize in full, and farmers have been left in the lurch. And then theres the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires oil refiners to blend oil with ethanol when making gas to be bought at the pump. The policy is intended in part as a lifeline for Iowas corn farmers, who sell much of their harvest to be turned into ethanol. In response to pressure from allies in the oil and gas industry, the Trump Administration has weakened enforcement of the rule and granted exemptions to refiners so they dont have to buy ethanol made from the farmers corn. This may sound like a wonky piece of regulation, but to many farmers, its key to financial viability. Iowa may very well hang in the balance, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and other trade groups wrote in a letter to Trump late last month, calling for him to change his tune on ethanol. Iowa is not alone. Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsinall swing states with greater significance than Iowa in determining the outcome of the Presidential electionrank in the top ten corn-growing states, and their rural communities similarly benefit from the RFS. Biden has sought to leverage rural voters sense that Trump has left them behind. His rural plan hits the key complaints from voters Ive encountered in rural Iowa, promising a new trade agenda, support for ethanol and a push to address climate change. We dont have a platform from the Trump Administration because theyre just going to try to do what theyve been doing, said Darin Von Ruden, the president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union at a Biden campaign virtual roundtable on Aug. 28. That really hasnt been good for rural America, when you look at the number of farmers that have gone out of business. Despite all this, its safe to assume that many farmers will stick with Trump regardless, some 80% said they approved of the President in a June poll. For some, other regulatory issues, like an Obama-era policy that regulated many streams in rural communities, are enough to keep them on Team GOP. For others, its as simple as the media they consume: Fox News and conservative radio often portray the President as doing no wrong. But, in a close race, which will no doubt be decided in a handful of districts in a handful of states, even a small number of defections, or even just voters who choose to sit this one out, can make a big difference. Rural America has supported the President and continues to overall, Ray Gaesser, a corn and soybean farmer in Corning, Iowa, told me before the 2018 midterm elections. As you have more and more financial pressure, that might change. Two years later, its clear many farmers finances have taken a turn for the worse. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for the new coronavirus and is self-isolating at home, his deputy at the helm of the Forza Italia party said Wednesday, Sputnik reports. "The Forza Italia has rallied around its leader to wish him the soonest victory over COVID-19. Berlusconi will continue to guide us in this election campaign," Antonio Tajani tweeted. The regional elections are set for September 20-21. Tajani said the center-right party planned to celebrate its victory in the polls together with the end of the 83-year-old's quarantine. Berlusconi is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose spokesman told Sputnik on Wednesday that the Italian could count on Russia's assistance. "I am certain that the president [Putin] would make orders if needed," Dmitry Peskov said in response to whether Russia was ready to provide the Italian veteran politician with medical care. Angela Merkels call to action over the nerve agent attack on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been turned around on her: demands that the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas project be scrapped are growing louder. Why it matters: The pipeline is nearly complete, and it would double Russias capacity to export gas directly to Germany. Driving the news: Merkel was strikingly swift and forceful in condemning the attack on Navalny, who remains in a coma at a Berlin hospital. But she insists the pipeline is a separate issue. Not everyone agrees. Germanys biggest daily newspaper, Bild, published an editorial arguing that Merkels rhetoric on Russia was meaningless as long as she continued to work in collusion with Putin on the pipeline. Norbert Rottgen, chairman of Germanys parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a candidate to replace Merkel next year as CDU party leader, said anything short of canceling Nord Stream 2 would be the maximum confirmation and encouragement for Putin to continue this kind of politics. The leaders of two opposition parties the Greens and the FDP also argued the project should not move forward. The backstory: President Trump has long claimed the pipeline would make Germany "totally reliant" on Russia. The threat of U.S. sanctions has delayed its completion while provoking backlash over U.S. interference in Europe. Between the lines: Merkels support for the pipeline is echoed by some in her party, and many in German industry. Even if she were to change her tune, its unclear how she would block it, says Nikos Tsafos of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Neither Merkel nor the European Union has a good way of saying, We dont like this project, so stop it, he says. You can do sanctions, but what are you sanctioning? Im sure there are people trying to figure out how on Earth you do that, but its not clear how. Even without Nord Stream 2, he notes, Russia will remain Europe's largest source of gas. The big picture: The Nord Stream issue should not obscure the fact that Germany's political consensus on Russia has shifted, says Constanze Stelzenmuller of Brookings. Merkel is moving much more swiftly on the Navalny issue than she did over Russias 2015 hack of the German Bundestag, the 2018 poisoning of ex-double agent Sergei Skripal in the U.K. (also with Novachuk), or the assassination in Berlin last year of a Chechen separatist. I think all of that is informing the chancellors decision to make this very harsh condemnation and to ask the Russian government directly for an explanation, which is without precedent, Stelzenmuller says. She agrees, though, that the legal grounds for canceling Nord Stream 2 are murky. What to watch: As Merkel works to rally responses to the Navalny attack from the EU and NATO, fingers will continue to point to the pipeline in her backyard. Ontario is easing restrictions for visitors to nursing homes after Labour Day as new COVID-19 infections topped 100 for the eighth straight day and cases with no known source of transmission jumped an alarming 20 per cent in two weeks. Chief medical officer Dr. David Williams acknowledged the two unfavourable trends have caught his attention, particularly the increase in cases with no epidemiological link, which have risen to 43.4 per cent of all cases from 36.1 per cent in mid-August. Were looking into that to see why that is the case, he said in response to a question at a news conference Thursday. Public health authorities like to pinpoint where and from whom people catch the highly contagious virus such as from a confirmed case to better keep track of its spread and shut down chains of transmission. In an increasing number of cases, when we ask people they say, Well, I dont recall any contact and I wasnt that symptomatic I just was worried and I wanted to get tested, Williams added. The Ministry of Health reported 132 new cases Thursday, down one from Wednesday, for the third-highest daily increase since July 31. The increase pushed the number of people with active infections across the province to 1,249 the most since Aug. 3. It does concern me because we were well under 100 for a week or so (in August) and then we bumped up higher. Im glad weve stayed below 150, Williams said of the daily numbers. Health Minister Christine Elliott emphasized that most of the new cases are in the GTA and the nations capital with many areas having no new infections, according to the ministry statistics released Thursday. Peel is reporting 45 new cases, with 31 in Toronto and 22 in Ottawa. Every other public health unit is reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 units reporting no new cases, she tweeted. There are 34 regional public health units in Ontario. Williams said new cases are rising because of clusters related to social gatherings, such as a church function in Peel that initially resulted in seven new infections that quickly grew to 17. There was a similar result from a recent family gathering in Windsor-Essex. The numbers can stack up pretty quickly, Williams said, urging people to wear masks, maintain their physical distancing and wash hands frequently to wrestle these numbers back down again. The Ministry of Long-Term Care issued an updated policy clarifying that the 626 nursing homes in the province can allow caregivers including family or friends of residents to visit and help them at any time, including during an outbreak, subject to direction from the local public health unit starting Tuesday. Each resident, or their substitute decision maker, can designate a maximum of two caregivers who can visit without time limits, the ministry said in a statement. A caregiver can also be someone hired to help a resident with feeding, grooming and hygiene, mental stimulation and mobility issues. Families have complained that loved ones in nursing homes have been neglected or are losing cognitive function because of a lack of visitors, and that some nursing homes have been unnecessarily restrictive. The updated policy will ensure guidelines for caregiver visits are applied consistently across homes so that all residents get the support they deserve, said Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton. Caregiver activist Vivian Stamatopoulos applauded the uninterrupted access but questioned why the measure isnt effective immediately and urged the government to hold homes accountable if they continue to lock family out. Toronto leads the province with 330 active cases of COVID-19, three more than Peel. Ottawa has 192, according to the Ministry of Health numbers based on reports from health units at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The number of patients in hospital for the virus was stable at 60 with 12 patients in intensive care, down from 13 the previous day, and nine on ventilators to assist with breathing, also unchanged from Wednesdays report. Another 119 cases of the virus were considered resolved, meaning the people are 14 days past their positive test, but some may still be in hospital or recovering from their symptoms, which can linger. A Star compilation of data from health units at 5 p.m. Thursday also showed cases rising, with 146 confirmed and probable infections in the previous 24 hours, including 70 in Peel, bringing the tally to 44,853 since late January. There have been at least 2,850 deaths. Read more about: MIAMI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- We're still in Q3, but in 2020 we have already seen more changes to our industry than in the previous five years, and there's no sign that things will slow down anytime soon. But in chaos lies opportunity - and for video, the opportunity is to design a better blueprint for a stronger and more data-driven approach during our turbulent 2020 and beyond. Join media innovators from all over the world at Data-Driven Video Summit 2020, an event designed to rethink how video will continue evolving in this new disruptive era. Encouraged by the sector's warm reception of data-driven related topics, Streann, MPP Global, and Jump Data-Driven joined forces to organize the invite-only event, which will include the participation of key technology players like Accedo ONE, 24i, MUX, and Kaltura, as well as seasoned professionals from the video industry, including Blockbuster, Globo, M7, Mediapro, Topic, Vodafone, Watch TV, and ZDF. The event will provide a global perspective on how companies in the sector can use data in every facet of their businesses. Technical sessions will offer discussions about the new groundbreaking developments to be seen over the next 12 months, while business-focused panels will offer executives the chance to learn about the state of data-driven video in the post-COVID world. Media companies generate vast amounts of data, and this event will showcase how best to handle data storage, ingestion, processing, and management for data at scale. There will be sessions on how to add value by turning your data into actionable insights, based on lessons learned in the last few months of massive lifestyle changes worldwide. You will learn how to set up your data architecture and offer the best data-driven content curation, all with the aim of maximizing ROI by leveraging AI and machine learning solutions. "The video industry is moving faster than ever before; consumers are more and more demanding, and the competition continues to grow. Artificial Intelligence is putting us in a position to know exactly what each of our customers wants, even before they know it themselves. This predictive capability allows us to make an impact on them, influencing their behavior, and as a result, maximizing profits for any video service," Jeronimo Macanas, CEO of Jump said. "Content providers are experiencing a 10-year acceleration of OTT adoption in only a few short months. What have we learned? The most successful video companies aren't media companies; they're data companies! We have a mathematical formula for content providers to win in digital: C (DxE) = M. It's not only the technology that counts; it's getting all the components of the formula right." said Gio Punzo, CEO of Streann . "We talk to so many companies who simply do not have access to their own data and is why one of our key company objectives is to 'Make Data Available.' We help our clients maximize their use of data to unlock behavioral and actionable decisions and insights to optimize their subscription services. For MPP Global, supplying easy access to data via structured, repeatable and secure processes, is key to us empowering our Clients to fulfill their dynamic data strategies," said Paul Johnson, CEO of MPP Global . About the Event Presented by Jump, MPP Global and Streann Media, the Data-Driven Video Summit is the professional video industry's authoritative benchmark for assessing the progress and debating the future of television's digitally-driven distribution transformation. For more information about the summit please visit: http://streann.com/data-driven-video-summit-2020/ SOURCE Streann Media Related Links http://www.streann.com Japan has decided to dispatch the third Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Expert Team, which consists of 6 members, to the Republic of Mauritius to deal with the consequences of the oil spill from the bulk carrier MV WAKASHIO which has been stranded off the south-east coast of the country since July 25th. The team left Japan on the 2nd of September to undertake on site environmental assistance activities after arriving in Mauritius on the 4th of September. 1. The accident caused serious damage to the environment in the Republic of Mauritius, which could have a serious impact on the countrys tourism industry as well. Japan has decided to dispatch the team out of comprehensive and holistic consideration of all circumstance, including the request of assistance from the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the friendly relationship between the two countries. 2. Japan will continue to closely cooperate with the Government of the Republic of Mauritius as well as relevant countries and organizations, and make utmost efforts to contribute to the restoration of natural environment and the recovery of economic activities to the Republic of Mauritius. [Reference] The first JDR Expert team left Japan on 10th August and engaged in assistance activities including oil removal on site, and returned to Japan on 23rd. The Second JDR Expert Team left Japan on August 19th, and has been engaging in on-site environmental assistance activities. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Invoking Rabindranath Tagore and yoga, China on Thursday criticised Indias ban on 118 Chinese mobile apps and warned New Delhi against joining the USs clean network" programme. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Chinas spokesperson Hua Chunying, reciting a line from a Tagore poem, said: "We read the world wrong, and say that it deceives us." Hua said Tagore and yoga were both popular in China, but that Beijing did not consider them a threat, unlike India that considers things of Chinese origin a threat. As I said both are ancient civilisations with splendid cultures that we are proud of, and the exchange between the two sides have been going on for thousands of years. Also, yoga is becoming more and more popular in China; including myself, I am very fond of Indian culture. But we do not think that Indian culture or the poems or other things are infiltrating here or are posing any threat to Chinese culture," said Hua. What we believe is that the intermingling of different cultures is conducive to promoting peoples mutual understanding and friendship," she added. Hua also subtly warned India over its ties with the US, wondering if the ban in India had any relation with Washingtons initiative. I have noted that the US state department on the same day said that India banned more than 100 Chinese apps and called on other countries to join India to roll out the clean network initiative," she said. So, I dont know if there is any correlation or interaction between India and the US. But India is an ancient civilisation with wise people. They should know what the US has done in Cyber Security for example Dirtbox, Prism, Irritant Horn, Muscular and under-sea cable tapping. Indian people must have the wisdom to tell whether the US practice on cyber security is clean or dirty," she said. We hope India could stay committed to its precious independence decision making." The response came a day after India banned 118 mobile apps with Chinese links, including popular game PUBG, citing data privacy concerns and a threat to national security. This takes the total count of Chinese-linked mobile apps banned by India to 224. The 118 apps banned on Wednesday include Baidu, Baidu Express Edition, Alipay, Tencent Watchlist, FaceU, WeChat reading, Government WeChat, Tencent Weiyun, APUS Launcher Pro, APUS Security, Cut Cut, ShareSave by Xiaomi, and CamCard, besides PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite. While Pune is known for its lavish and traditional Ganesh celebrations every year, this year in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, government authorities urged people to stay indoors and even bid goodbye to bappa in a sombre way inside their homes. However, it was seen that people started coming out for festival shopping and some were even seen arguing with police officials at the riverbanks to carry out visarjan as usual. This lack of discipline form people could have led to a rise in the new cases that the city is seeing. As per the state health department, for every 1,000 new cases reported from the district 23 deaths are reported. As per figures by the state health department, with the eleven-day celebrations, the district recorded 37,968 cases in 12 days between August 22 and September 2nd while in the same period of 12 days between August 10 and August 21, the district reported 31,110 cases which is 6,858 cases more during the festivities as compared to the weeks before. While the police authorities and district administration had urged people to stay indoors and celebrate this years Ganesh Chaturthi in a simple way following social distancing norms and wearing masks, however it was seen across the city especially in peth areas that the jubilations continued. State director of health services Dr Archana Patil said, Due to increased movement among people after the lockdown was lifted and also Ganpati festivities, we saw crowded marketplaces and public areas which is what has led to an increased number of cases. It is true that we are observing people not following social distancing norms or not even wearing masks. The common crowded places were Shivaji road, Mandai and Bajirao road for shopping and during visarjan crowded roads included peth areas namely Kasba peth, Tambdi Jogeshwari and Tulsibaug. On social media, photos of politicians including Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol not wearing masks and surrounded by crowds were seen. Mohol recently tested his blood sample to donate plasma after he completely recovered of Covid-19 infection almost a month ago. Pune police too have urged people to stay indoors but at many places including along the river or at prime shopping areas including Laxmi road and Tulsibaug where crowded streets were a common site during and before the festivities began. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Vodafone Idea said on September 3 its board had no investment proposal to consider from US wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc or Amazon.com Inc. The Indian mobile firm added, however, that it constantly evaluates opportunities for enhancing stakeholders' value. Vodafone Idea's statement followed a report in local newspaper the Mint that Verizon and Amazon may invest more than $4 billion for a stake in heavily indebted Vodafone Idea. The telecoms carrier's shares rose as much as 30 percent following the report. Vodafone Idea won something of a reprieve this week as India's top court gave mobile carriers 10 years to settle government dues, but the company's longer-term problems are not over. Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between Britain's Vodafone Group and India's Idea Cellular, still owes roughly $6.8 billion to the Indian government. Vodafone Idea's stake-sale talks had been paused pending the court ruling, but Amazon and Verizon are now set to resume them, Mint reported, citing two people aware of the negotiations. Amazon and Verizon did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Shares in Vodafone Idea hit a more than one-year high before closing up 26.77 percent amid a flurry of news about its fundraising plans. CNBC-TV18 reported Vodafone Idea could "take stock" of a sale of its optic fibre business at a Friday board meeting scheduled to discuss fundraising plans. Canada's Brookfield Asset Management Inc and private equity group KKR & Co Inc were contenders for the business, CNBC-TV18 said. Vodafone Idea was planning to raise about $1.5 billion and was working with advisers as it seeks investors, Bloomberg News reported. Vodafone Idea and KKR declined to comment, while a representative for Brookfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Amtraks announcement that they will furlough over 2,000 employees is disappointing and unacceptable, said Representative Daniel Lipinski, Democrat of Illinois and a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Amtrak workers provide an essential service to travelers and communities. These workers deserve better from Amtrak leadership. In a statement, an Amtrak spokeswoman said the job cuts were necessary because the rail agency was experiencing slow recovery of ridership and revenue from the pandemic. Amtrak receives federal funds but is independently run. Since March, ridership on Amtrak has fallen by 95 percent, and projected revenue for 2021 has declined by 50 percent. In response, Congress has bailed out the rail network with nearly $1 billion in emergency funds. But William J. Flynn, Amtraks chief executive, has asked lawmakers for an additional $1.4 billion in emergency funds, predicting revenue and ridership will continue to remain low into 2021. Mr. Flynn has told congressional leadership that Amtrak is prepared to cut $500 million in operating costs if it does not receive more emergency funding. In June, he outlined a plan that would cut up to 20 percent of the companys work force and reduce service on long-distance routes that serve the middle of the country. Federal lawmakers responded with intense skepticism, asking why Amtrak needed to enact such steep cuts when it had already received nearly $1 billion in emergency aid. The agencys request for an additional $1.4 billion is on top of its standard $2 billion budget request for 2021. The case of a murdered investigative journalist delivered a new shock in Slovakia Thursday, as a high-profile businessman was acquitted of ordering the killing that ultimately exposed high-level political corruption and toppled the governing party. Multi-millionaire Marian Kocner and two suspected accomplices had faced up to 25 years in prison for the double murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in February 2018. "The crime was committed but it has not been proved that Marian Kocner and Alena Zsuzsova ordered the murder," Judge Ruzena Sabova said in her verdict. "The court therefore acquits the defendants," she said, only sentencing Kocner to a 5,000-euro ($5,900) fine for illegal weapons possession as 60 bullets were found in his house. State prosecutor Vladimir Turan said he has already appealed to the Supreme Court, while a lawyer for Kuciak's family said the verdict was "factually incorrect". - 'Major setback' - The victims, both 27, were gunned down at home after Kuciak wrote several stories on graft and the shady dealings of high-powered entrepreneur Kocner, who had ties to then senior government politicians. Prosecutors demanded 25 years behind bars for the businessman, alleging he ordered Kuciak's murder in revenge for articles detailing his various property crimes. They wanted similar sentences for alleged accomplices Zsuzsova and Tomas Szabo. While Zsuzsova was acquitted, Justice Sabova sentenced Szabo, the getaway driver, to 25 years in prison and to pay 70,000 euros ($83,000) each to the Kuciak and the Kusnirova families. Kuciak's father Jozef said he was "left paralysed" by the verdict, adding that "we can only hope that justice will eventually prevail". "They're guilty, I'm convinced about that. We'll keep fighting," Kusnirova's mother Zlatica told reporters before leaving the courtroom in tears. President Zuzana Caputova, a liberal elected on the back of an unprecedented wave of protests in the wake of the murders, said she was "shocked" by the verdict. Story continues The case in Slovakia, a European Union country, is being followed closely by the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm. "We understand that the judicial proceedings are not final yet," European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova tweeted, urging those responsible to be brought to justice. For her part, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic said on Twitter the verdict "shows that there is still work to do to ensure justice & prevent impunity." The Vienna-based International Press Institute dubbed Kocner's acquittal "a major setback for justice and the fight against impunity" while global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called it "shocking". - 'I am not a murderer' - In his closing speech in July, Kocner denied murder. "I am not a saint, but I am not a murderer either. I'm certainly not a fool who wouldn't realise what a journalist's murder would lead to," he told the jury. In June, he had addressed Kuciak's father in court saying: "I'm sorry about what happened to your son, believe me, but I have nothing to do with it." Of the five suspects charged in the case, two had confessed their guilt and had already been sentenced. Zoltan Andrusko, an intermediary in the murder plot, was sentenced to 15 years in jail in December 2019 after agreeing to a plea bargain. Ex-soldier and contract killer Miroslav Marcek received a sentence of 23 years in April for gunning down the couple. - 'Faith in democracy' - Prosecutors argued that Andrusko served as a go-between, hiring gunmen Marcek and his cousin Szabo at the request of his friend Zsuzsova, who was in turn following Kocner's orders. The double murder plunged the country of 5.4 million people into an unprecedented crisis, triggering the largest demonstrations seen since the fall of communism. Then-premier Robert Fico was forced to resign in March 2018 and was replaced by his populist left Smer-SD party deputy Peter Pellegrini. But the opposition won this year's election, paving the way for a new centre-right government led by Igor Matovic from the anti-graft OLaNO party. Bratislava-based political analyst Juraj Marusiak told AFP he expected the verdict "will shake Slovak citizens' faith in democracy and the existence of justice". juh-mas/lc The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has told Nigerians to disregard the Unions resumption rumors, saying that even though schools were to resume, that their members would cease to work unless demands that caused the March 23rd, 2020 strike are met by the Federal Government. ASUU also requested that facilities should be made available by the government, one that will ensure strict compliance of the COVID-19 safety protocols by the students upon resumption. This revelation was made during a news conference in Ilorin by ASUU zonal coordinator of Ibadan zone comprising of several Universities, Professor Ade Adejumo. It is quite lamentable that the government are yet to address outstanding issues with the union, despite break broke by the COVID-19 pandemic. Should University education resume today, the government will still be held to address Its Memorandum of Association (MOA) with us, while adding that they are simply performing their part responsibility of bringing to attention of government to duties it owes to citizens, he confirmed. The government we thought would act on the COVID-19 break and address issues held with the union. Unfortunately, they are yet to call us for any kind of meeting. Except the demands of our union are met, our members will not resume duties. The governments main bone of contention, which is the idea of incorporating the IPPIS. IPPIS is practised in Nigeria only, as other countries we copied from dont even make use it. He said that the union has so far succeeded in meeting challenges posed by the government to come up with working system that will handle some things in the system. Of course we are not against the resumption of universities, we only want government to provide amenities that will help nullify spread of the virus. We however think that reopening of schools while the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much around, is like asking for trouble where there is none, he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) It is now up to presidential appointees to announce their new posts as Malacanang will not be publicizing the release of their appointment papers anymore. "Kino-confirm namin ang mga appointments, pero kasi the appointment paper itself is addressed to the appointee," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on the new policy during his virtual press briefing on Thursday. "It's up to the appointee kung gusto niyang ilabas iyan." [Translation: We can confirm the appointments, but the appointment paper itself is addressed to the appointee. It's up to the appointee whether he wants to publicize it.] Under the old policy, Malacanang would release copies of appointment papers of officials designated by the President. Roque insisted that there will still be "transparency" because they can still make the confirmation once asked. "Meron pa rin pong transparency kasi ina-announce naman namin kung sino yung naappoint," he said. [Translation: Transparency will still be there because we announce the new appointees anyway.] Roque added that it was Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea who decided to change the policy. Earlier in the day, newly-appointed Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) chief Dante Gierran admitted that he still does not have a copy of the appointment papers of his new regional vice presidents, following the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to implement a reshuffle within the agency. During the Laging Handa briefing, Gierran said: "To be technical about it, I don't still have the appointment papers at the meantime," Gierran said at the Laging Handa briefing. "Wala pa akong papel (I don't have the papers)." It was not clear whether the new PhilHealth chief himself did not receive his own appointment paper on time, days after Duterte announced that Gierran will lead the embattled agency due to numerous irregularities. Roque maintained that Gierran has his appointment papers. Gierran replaced Ricardo Morales, who stepped down due to medical reasons. The 2020 election is like no other. The coronavirus has altered the very way elections operate. The pandemic, the accompanying economic crisis, and a nationwide reckoning over systemic racism have helped create the most volatile and unpredictable political environment the United States has seen in decades. We want to understand, and serve, all the voters of Pennsylvania. That is why we are unveiling a new project: The Inquirers Election 2020 Roundtable. Pennsylvania is a critical swing state in the presidential election again, after being decided by less than 1% of the total votes cast in 2016. Pennsylvania is also a sprawling, politically complex state. It encompasses so much of America in one place, reflecting the varied and often divided facets of the countrys culture, workplaces, lived experiences, needs, and political views. From big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to small ones like Wilkes-Barre and Johnstown. From suburban cul-de-sacs to rural areas across the state. From the Center City skyline to the manufacturing row in Erie. And from the urban landscape of West Philly to the country roads in Westmoreland County. The Roundtable brings together 24 voters from all over Pennsylvania for a series of open, virtual conversations about what matters most to them. Well talk about the issues. Well talk about the candidates. Well ask them what they want to talk about. Well endeavor to answer their questions and share those answers with you. Meet the Roundtable members here. Our journalists will regularly interact with Roundtable members. Their voices will help inform our coverage. They will connect us with their communities. Well share their insights and perspective with you, in regular updates on our Zoom convenings. This is even more important now, when the pandemic has made it more difficult for us to meet voters where they work, where they play, where they shop, and where they live. How we built the Election 2020 Roundtable Building a representative group of Pennsylvania voters isnt easy. We got as close as we could. Heres what we did. First, we invited every person we could to apply to be a Roundtable member. We created an application, and invested the resources to promote it in every corner of the state, on Inquirer.com and across our social media channels. In the end, more than 500 people applied. We are grateful to every single one of them. They became the self-selecting pool from which we could draw. Then we tried to build the best Roundtable we could. Deputy Editor for Audience Development Ray Boyd and Senior Politics Editor Dan Hirschhorn got to work looking at applications. Ray and Dan looked for applicants who voiced a special desire to have civil, substantive conversations with people who are different from them. They interviewed finalists. And they always kept in mind the states geographic, political, and racial diversity. In the end, we have 24 people. They are Democrats, Republicans, and independents. They are from Scranton and Allentown, Williamsport and Easton, Bloomsburg and Gettysburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. They are Black, white, Asian, and Latino. Some have consistently voted for Democrats or Republicans in recent presidential elections. Others have voted for both. Some supported Barack Obama before casting a ballot for Donald Trump. Some backed Mitt Romney before pulling the lever for Hillary Clinton. Some plan to vote for Trump. Some plan to vote for Joe Biden. Some are undecided. Our group is not a perfect picture of the Pennsylvania electorate. Philadelphia voters are overrepresented in the Roundtable, as are those in northeast and northwest Pennsylvania. Voters in southwest and central Pennsylvania are underrepresented. Our partisan makeup is close: 50% registered Democrats (compared with about 47% in the state currently) and 33% registered Republicans (compared with about 38%). Same with gender: 54% female (compared with 52%) and 46% male (compared with 48%). Demographically, Pennsylvania is one of the oldest states in the country, but Roundtable members are younger on average. Black voters make up about 21% of the Roundtable, compared with about 10% statewide. Voters without a college degree, an important part of the presidents support, are significantly underrepresented on our Roundtable, for only one reason: Very few applied. We will continue to seek out their voices as we do all others, and as we did during a recent trip to Carbondale, in far northeast Pennsylvania. Many of our Roundtable members are what you might call regular voters who rarely if ever get involved in politics. Some have volunteered for or contributed to campaigns over the years. Only a few are more active, like a longtime local and state Republican Party committeeman in Lancaster County, or a social justice advocate who ran for City Council in Philadelphia. For a full breakdown of how our Roundtable compares with the Pennsylvania electorate, see the chart accompanying this article. All 24 Roundtable members have something in common: a desire for space to have respectful conversations about politics and policy with people who have different beliefs. We hope youll join us keeping that conversation respectful. In an effort to make sure this is a safe space, we will be closely monitoring comments within this project. We invite you to follow along for updates on the Roundtable. You can also stay in the know with all our Election 2020 coverage and our free Election 2020 newsletter. And we want to hear from you: Email us at election@inquirer.com. The boss of Victoria's workplace watchdog has vowed his organisation will take a muscular approach to enforcing the state's wage theft laws. Robert Hortle, director of the Wage Inspectorate Victoria, said it was taking a more serious compliance approach under his leadership. A woman who ran a fashion show involving 129 children without proper permits has been fined. Credit:Justin McManus "This is what people can expect when the wage theft laws come into place as well," Mr Hortle said. "We're taking a more active view when it comes to prosecuting these matters." Legal experts have raised concerns Victoria's wage theft laws, which come into effect next year, may be superseded by laws being developed by the Morrison government. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:00:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 pro-government fighters were killed by airstrikes that hit their positions early Thursday in eastern Syria, a war monitor reported. Airstrikes, believed to be Israeli, targeted positions of the Iraqi Hezbollah militia on the outskirts of the al-Mayadeen city in the countryside of Deir al-Zour at an early time Thursday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At the same time, other warplanes struck positions of the Iraqi Hashd Shaabi south of the city of al-Bukamal in Deir al-Zour countryside, the UK-based watchdog group added. The airstrikes destroyed three military vehicles and an ammunition depot. The strikes came hours after Israeli warplanes fired missiles on the T4 air base in Syria's central province of Homs. According to the state news agency SANA, the airstrikes on the T4 left damage only, adding that air defenses intercepted most of the missiles. On Monday, a total of 11 people, mostly military personnel, were killed in overnight Israeli missile strikes on the capital Damascus and Daraa province in southern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 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 A year into his re-appointment as the minister of science and technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, just like his predecessors in office, has not fulfilled a number of promises made to Nigerians. Mr Onu, a former Abia State governor, is arguably one of Nigerias ministers with rigorous drive for home-grown-technological solutions. Unlike some of the ministers currently in President Muhammadu Buharis cabinet, the minister has marked his fifth year in that same office. He was sworn-in for the second time on August 21, 2019, six months after Mr Buharis assumed power, to pilot the affairs of the 17 parastatals under the ministry. Reviewing his general performance in the last one year, one cannot holistically say the agencies have recorded unprecedented strides in the last one year. Mr Onu has made major unfulfilled promises from his previous four years in office. One of such promises is that the country would start its production of pencils with 2018 as the time stamp. PREMIUM TIMES surfed through the almost redundant website of Projects Development Agency, and of the 16 other agencies under the ministry for a clue on pencil manufacturing projects promised to generate over 400,000 employment opportunities, nothing surfaced. Meanwhile, January 2020 marked the fourth year since the minister made the promise. However, when quizzed in 2019 by the Senate on his achievements in the last four years in office, he said he had set Nigerias economy on an innovation-driven path which will make it as advanced as China in the next 30 to 50 years. Also among his promises on bridging the technology gaps needed to boost agriculture, advance health, improve education and manufacturing in the country was to build nuclear plants, a project yet to materialise. Asides his outstanding promises made during his first term, flipping through documents, interviews, videos and news reports, he has not made any weighty promises since his reappointment in 2019. Nevertheless, PREMIUM TIMES identified a few achievements and failures based on Mr Onus promises. Achievements Quoting the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, the minister said over 900, 000 jobs have been created through the implementation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies of the Federal Government while over N1 Trillion has been saved through the reduction in imports of raw materials. The ministry also held the 2020 edition of the National Science and Technology where the top three winners from secondary schools were rewarded with N1 Million, N750,000 and N500,000 respectively while scholarships till doctorate level were also awarded to another three young scientists who came tops in the competition tagged 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (774 YONSPA). Also among the ministrys achievements in the last one year were the first made in Nigeria ventilators and disinfectant safety sprayers by NASENI, an agency under the ministry, to combat the coronavirus. It also signed an MoU with the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for update of the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL2050) and the China-Arab States Technology Centre (DASTIC) to boost Science, Technology and Innovation in Nigeria. Failures, rating Despite Mr Onus promising clamour for patronage of local manufacturers and inventors in his first campaign, his performance from different indications in last 12 months still reflects a ministry lagging behind in the promotion of indigenous products. While Nigeria continues to largely depend on assemblage, importation rather than manufacturing, the Ministers promise of delivering nuclear technology for power in the country remains uncertain. The minister has also been a butt of jokes over his plans to ensure Nigeria manufactures basic items like pencils and even toothpicks when other nations are basking in advanced technological breakthroughs. Idowu Farai, a professor of Physics at the University of Ibadan, told PREMIUM TIMES the country has not been living up to its potentials in terms of science and technology. But he rated Mr Onus general performance as better when compared with that of his predeccesors in the same office. Mr Farai said Nigerias science and technology industry is not the way it is not due to lack of local inventions and innovators but lack of enough industrialists. We are not lacking in inventions, we are lacking industrialisation. The inventions are there in our research institutes and universities gathering dust because our local industralists do not want to take risk with our local inventions to produce them for commercial usage, he said. He urged the ministry to complement the efforts of local innovators and their inventions by working hand in hand with private investors. Advertisements If you visit our research institutes, you will see prototypes of inventions made by Nigerians but that is where everything stops, Mr Farai added, citing shades of inventions that died due to lack of attention from the ministry. Jeffrey Smith is pretty sure his latest movie would have been a blockbuster if it hadnt been released in the midst of a global pandemic. I think it would have, for sure, said Smith, who grew up in St. Catharines. Its a really great film. Its well made, and Louis Gossett Jr. is at his best. His portrayal of the old man at an old-age home is sublime, really. Smith, now a Toronto resident, plays a prominent supporting role in The Cuban, a movie focused on the care of an aging musician in a long-term care home, directed by Sergio Navarretta. Its a masterful movie. Its beautifully done, he said. After at least four years in development, the movie that also stars Canadian actor Ana Golja was to be released in mid-July. All of the sudden it was release time, and boom, Smith said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down movie theatres all over the world, and put his nearly 30-year career as an actor and producer on hold. Everything I do was affected. Its everything. I have to say, as a Canadian artist, thank goodness for CERB. That helped me because otherwise I would have been in a panic, he said. He said the movies director has been great in working around the theatre closures, getting the movie out to as many audiences as possible with limited releases through film festivals and drive-ins. But its a far cry from the audiences Smith feels the movie should have garnered. Next week the movie will be played on a screen that holds place in Smiths heart. It will be shown for one night only on Sept. 23 at Canview Drive-in in Thorold. Its phenomenal, he said. Smith is planning a trip back to his hometown, to watch his movie with his parents who still live in St. Catharines. That would be fun to do, he said. The kid in me, who is still shocked that I get to do these things, would like to be able to watch it with my mom and dad at the drive-in they used to take me to. Its going to be a special thing. RELATED STORIES Movies The cursed films continue for Niagara director Jay Cheel As California continues to struggle with COVID-19, Smith is hoping the movie industry in Toronto will start to rebound soon. But even then, Smith suspects there will be significant changes to the way movies are filmed. People are trying to sort of renegotiate how sets work, he said. Although audiences only see a few actors on screen, Smith said there are typically up to 50 people working behind the scenes. But in the future, he expects to see far fewer people working on film sets. If they have to do crowd shots, maybe theyll use more CGI. Ive heard horrible rumours of using mannequins in the background. That would be horrible. But then the artist in me would say, well, at least wed know that this was COVID video. This was in the times of COVID. Note: This story has been updated to include a new date for the showing of The Cuban at the Canview Drive-in, after a schedule change. In mid-October 2016, while on business in New York, I swung over to New Jersey to visit with my relatives. At dinner that evening, my brother, then in in the early stages of TDS it has since metastasized; pray for him was gloating over Hillary's impending victory. I asked my brother if he were willing to bet on it. He most certainly was. He was sufficiently confident to give me 7 to 1 odds. I took it. Based on what I knew, I would have taken the bet at even money. I had inside info. Earlier in the day, I had popped up to visit James O'Keefe at the Project Veritas offices north of the city. My timing was excellent. O'Keefe was in the middle of rolling out his "Rigging the Election" series of undercover videos. A few days earlier, O'Keefe had released as part of the series a video recorded by the irrepressible Laura Loomer. Laura was twenty-three at the time. If there is a ballsier journalist/activist in America, I have not met him. Today, Loomer is the Republican candidate for Congress in Florida's 21st District. Loomer caught Alan Schulkin, a Democrat on New York's Board of Elections, in a moment of rare candor. "I think there is a lot of voter fraud," admitted Schulkin. "People don't realize, certain neighborhoods in particular they bus people around to vote." When Loomer asked him to identify the neighborhoods, Schulkin specified black, Hispanic, and Chinese. This was not a lead the major media were prepared to follow up on. The New York Daily News attacked Project Veritas. The New York Times did its best to ignore it. O'Keefe's next bombshell was harder to ignore. A Project Veritas reporter had been posing as a young Democrat organizer named "Steve" in Wisconsin and gained the trust of the higher-ups, most notably Scott Foval. Foval was then deputy director of People for the American Way, an outfit founded by TV producer Norman Lear and funded by George Soros among others. Like many campaign strategists, Foval liked to boast. He began by sharing with Steve the many ways in which Democrats move people around to affect the outcome of an election. As though speaking to an imagined Republican, Foval claimed, "Well you know what? We've been bussing people in to deal with you f------ a------- for fifty years and we're not going to stop now." Vote fraud is old news, but Foval moved into new territory: a phenomenon he called "bird-dogging." "You remember the Iowa State Fair thing where Scott Walker grabbed the sign out of the dude's hand, and then the dude kind of gets roughed up right in front of the stage right there on camera?" Foval asked Steve. "We train our people, and I work with a network of groups," explained Foval. "We train them up on how to get themselves into a situation on tape, on camera, that we can use later." Unwittingly, Foval was committing to video the way Democratic operatives were using their own people to foment violence at Trump rallies, for which Trump people were inevitably blamed. "I'm saying we have mentally ill people that we pay to do shit. Make no mistake," Foval continued. "Over the last twenty years, I've paid off a few homeless guys to do some crazy stuff, and I've also taken them for dinner, and I've also made sure they had a hotel and a shower, and I put them in a program. Like I've done that. But the reality is, a lot of people, especially, our union guys, a lot of union guys, they'll do whatever you want. They're rock 'n roll." Foval conveniently laid out the hierarchy of the bird-dogging network. "The [Clinton] campaign pays DNC," he told Steve. "DNC pays Democracy Partners. Democracy Partners pays The Foval Group. The Foval Group goes and executes the s--- on the ground." Foval reported directly to Bob Creamer at Democracy Partners. "Bob Creamer is diabolical," said Foval, "and I love him for it. I have learned so much from that man over the last twenty years, I can't even tell you." Bob Creamer, the husband of a Chicago-area congresswoman, had already served time for bank fraud, a useful credential for running the dirty tricks campaign against Donald Trump. According to White House visitor logs, Creamer had made more than 340 trips to the White House while Obama was president, occasionally with Obama present at the meeting. Foval described Creamer as "the black hat" to his "white hat." O'Keefe sat on the Foval video for months. In the interim, through a clever and involved strategy, he and his Project Veritas team succeeded in getting a 21-year-old reporter, "Angela," an internship at Democracy Partners. Creamer took a shine to Angela, bringing her to the DNC offices and even inviting her to the White House, which opportunity she ducked lest she get busted for entering under a false identity. Creamer shared some of the secrets of bird-dogging with his new intern. He explained that "DREAMers" were some of their most effective troublemakers. "They're just pros at this," said Creamer. When Angela asked for clarification, Creamer explained, "Dreamers are the category of people brought here as children, as immigrants." He singled out one particular individual whose "crew is spectacular at it." For the record, these "pros" were in the country illegally. That did not seem to bother Creamer. "So Hillary is aware of all the work that you guys do, I hope?" Angela asked. "Oh yeah," said Creamer. "Yes. The campaign is fully in it." When I headed back to New Jersey that day, I knew that all this and more was about to hit the news, and it hit powerfully enough to shift the momentum. During the final Las Vegas debate, Trump did not hesitate to bring up the dirty tricks campaign Hillary and her people had orchestrated. As I relate in my new book, Unmasking Obama, O'Keefe, Loomer, and scores of other irregular journalists did the investigative work the major media refused to during the Obama years. Their efforts ultimately paved the way to Trump's victory. Let me conclude with a tip: if you're taking book on 2020, factor in some more good dope from Project Veritas. Jack Cashill's new book, Unmasking Obama: The Fight to Tell the True Story of a Failed Presidency, is now widely available. Also see www.Cashill.com. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to Russia to take part in the meeting of defence ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Singh was received by Major General Bukhteev Yury Nikolaevich at the airport on Wednesday. He is in Moscow till September 5 to attend the combined meeting of defence ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member States in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of victory in the World War II, the government said in a statement. The SCO comprises eight member states -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The aim of the SCO, of which India became a part in 2017, is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. The defence ministers of all eight SCO member nations are expected to deliberate on regional security challenges like terrorism and extremism and ways to deal with them collectively, officials said. In his second visit to Moscow since June, Rajnath Singh is also likely to hold crucial talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on further boosting bilateral defence cooperation. I shall also be meeting Russias Defence Minister, General Shoigu to discuss bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest. India and Russia are privileged Strategic Partners. Looking forward to further this partnership during my visit, the defence minister had said in a tweet before heading to Russia. Chinese defence minister Gen Wei Fenghe and Pakistans Pervez Khattak are also 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, officials said there is no such plan, according to PTI. Earlier on June 24, Singh 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. (With agency inputs) Virgin Atlantics 1.2billion rescue has been signed off by a High Court judge. Last week, the airlines creditors voted to approve the deal, which the firm said was a significant milestone in safeguarding its future. At a remote court hearing on Wednesday, Mr Justice Snowden sanctioned the restructuring plan a key step of the process for Virgin Atlantic to implement the rescue package. Cleared: Last week, Virgin Atlantic's creditors voted to approve the deal, which the airline said was a 'significant milestone in safeguarding its future' The judge said this will allow the airline to make the plan effective by Friday. The 1.2billion rescue deal, announced in July, involves only private funds, and includes a cash injection of 200million from founder Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group. David Allison QC, for Virgin Atlantic, told the court that four creditor meetings were held last week, with 100 per cent attendance and 100 per cent approval at three of them. The fourth saw the deal approved by the vast majority of those present and voting. Allison said it was in the best interests of all stakeholders to reach an agreement. A US procedural hearing will follow today. Green light: an artists impression of the new 12m aquarium planned for Belfast Plans for a 12m aquarium have been given the go-ahead by Belfast City Council. The decision to green light the reefLIVE aquarium was made at August's planning committee meeting, with the attraction to be located on Queen's Road opposite the Titanic Hotel and a short distance from Titanic Belfast. Keith Thomas, managing director of reefLIVE Ltd, said: "We are thrilled with Belfast City Council's decision to approve our aquarium, which has received a tremendous amount of public support since its original announcement last year. "Our commitment to building our first reefLIVE aquarium in Belfast is testament to the city's track record for tourism excellence and an unwavering confidence that sustained investment in Northern Ireland's tourism and leisure sector will prove vital for the region's recovery in a post-Covid world." The investors hope it will become the largest marine life attraction for tourists across Ireland. There was opposition to the proposal with Ards and North Down Borough Council saying it would impact the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry. Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon was urged to intervene with the council pointing out the difficulty in getting specialist staff and how a drop in visitors could affect Portaferry and the borough. With an opening date set for 2022, it's hoped the prime location can help reefLIVE attract 300,000 visitors each year and create 50 jobs. The aquarium's exterior has been designed by Ethos Architects, while the interior has been devised by a world-leading design team led by Kay Elliott Architects and Theme 3 to create "an aquarium for the 21st century". The council has also approved plans for the 500m Tribeca scheme in the centre of Belfast. The scheme has attracted controversy, with over 500 letters of objection having been received by Belfast City Council since July. The decision, however, was welcomed by Belfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton. "This 500m investment will create 600 jobs during construction and 1,600 when finished and regenerate this important part of the city. It's a much needed boost for the Belfast economy," he said. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is moving on. The RHONJ mainstay is putting her home on the market and making her split from Joe Giudice official. Teresa, 48, will list her home for $2,499,000, the Westfield-based Michelle Pais Group at Signature Realty NJ tells NJ Advance Media. Teresa first took viewers inside her house in 2009, during the shows first season. She shares the 10,000-square-foot home in the Towaco section of Montville with her four daughters, Milania, Gia, Gabriella and Audriana. The house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms (and one half-bathroom). Her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, 48, lives in Italy. Joe lost his third appeal of a deportation order in April. The Giudices have been separated for nearly a year. Teresa Giudice's house in Towaco/Montville, a frequent setting for Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey."Realtor.com Us Weekly reports that Teresa and Joe have now finalized their divorce after almost 21 years of marriage. Teresa reportedly started divorce proceedings this past spring. The outlet cited a source who said they are supporting each other 100% as they each pursue their happiness. Joe Giudice, who has lived in Salerno, Italy since the fall of 2019, was born in Italy and came to the U.S. with his family when he was 1, but never became a citizen. Permanent U.S. residents who commit aggravated felonies or crimes of moral turpitude are subject to deportation. In 2014, Joe and Teresa Giudice pleaded guilty in federal court to bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Teresa was released from prison in 2015 and Joe reported to prison in 2016, for three years and five months. Inside Teresa Giudice's house: the entryway and dual staircases, often seen in "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."Realtor.com He was ordered to be deported following the completion of his prison sentence in March 2019. Instead, he chose to stay in the country in the custody of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Pennsylvania in order to appeal the decision on the order. After a second appeal failed and Giudice was denied bond, he decided to go to Italy rather than stay in ICE custody. See more photos from the Giudice home below. Bedroom.Realtor.com Bathroom.Realtor.com Wine cellar.Realtor.com The kitchen area.Realtor.com More of the ktchen.Realtor.com Inside Teresa Giudice's house: more of the kitchen.Realtor.com Teresa and Joe Giudice shared the home with their four daughters. Realtor.com Inside Teresa Giudice's house.Realtor.com Inside Teresa Giudice's house.Realtor.com Inside Teresa Giudice's house.Realtor.com 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. Subscriber content preview Photo courtesy of Kate Krafft and Tonkin Architecture [enlarge] Aerial view of the former Building 9 at Magnuson Park. Mercy Housing Northwest's conversion of former Sand Point Naval Air Station barracks into 148 low-income apartments was honored in Historic Seattle's 2020 Preservation Awards. . . . New Delhi: As COVID-19 cases spike in the national capital, Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday claimed Delhi is not witnessing a second wave of COVID-19, a day after 2,509 fresh cases were recorded. It was the highest single-day spike in nearly two months. Speaking to reporters, Jain said people "should not stress about numbers". The minister said the Delhi government is increasing the testing for COVID-19 and it wants that there should be no positive case in the city. After a brief lull, Delhi has seen a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases over the last few days. Wednesday's 2,509 fresh cases pushed the city's tally to 1,79,569, while 19 more fatalities took the toll to 4,481, according to authorities. Asked if Delhi is heading towards a second wave of coronavirus infections, Jain said, "You cannot say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases would have started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi. You should not stress about numbers." He said Delhi's case fatality ratio was 0.75 per cent on Wednesday, which is a good sign. "Overall, it is 2.5 per cent. Yesterday, it was less than one per cent, which is a good sign. At one time, it was 3.5 per cent," he added. Jain said the Delhi government is working to increase testing for COVID-19. "We are increasing (the number of) tests. We are emphasising on testing and working aggressively on it. Yesterday, the number was around 30,000 and today the number of tests will be around 35,000. If a case is isolated at home or hospital, he won't be able to infect 10 people. We want that not one positive case should be there," he said. Last week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that his government will double COVID-19 tests from 20,000 to 40,000. On Wednesday, a total of 28,835 tests were conducted, the maximum since March. On certain private hospitals in Delhi facing a shortage of ICU beds, Jain said over 70 per cent of the 14,000 beds allocated for COVID-19 in the city are vacant. "We asked five to six hospitals and learnt that 70 to 80 per cent of patients there are from outside Delhi. There might be issues in some hospitals but there is no shortage of beds," he said. Jain also said the government is formulating protocols for travelling in the Delhi Metro, which will resume from September 7 after a hiatus of over five months. "A dry run is also being conducted so that it can be ensured that people wear masks, clean their hands, follow social distancing norms and a COVID-19 appropriate behaviour," he said. The Delhi Metro will resume services in three stages between September 7 and 12, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Trains will be available from 7-11 AM and 4-8 PM, it said. Metro services in Delhi-NCR were suspended on March 22 in view of the pandemic. By Radovan Stoklasa PEZINOK, Slovakia (Reuters) - A Slovak court on Thursday found a politically connected businessman not guilty of charges that he ordered the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, a case that shook the nation and brought down longtime premier Robert Fico. The court convicted another defendant of taking part in the murder but found no evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the February 2018 hit was ordered by businessman Marian Kocner - a judgment that shocked the victims' families, who left the courtroom in tears, and drew criticism from political leaders. President Zuzana Caputova, a former human rights lawyer, said she was stunned and expected appeals to the Supreme Court. The killing of Kuciak, 27, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova forced then-Prime Minister Fico to step down, sparked the biggest public protests since the end of Communist rule in 1989 and ushered in a new government in March this year whose main election promise was to clean up corruption and sleaze. The couple were gunned down in their home outside Bratislava, four months after the murder in Malta of another journalist investigating corruption, Daphne Caruana Galizia. Bringing Kuciak's killers to justice has been a test of Slovakia's judicial and political system, long regarded as susceptible to corruption. SHOCK, TEARS OVER ACQUITTAL OF KOCNER Prosecutors said Kocner, the subject of Kuciak's reporting on graft involving politically connected business people, had ordered the killing of the reporter. Kocner denied the charge. The court also acquitted Kocner's acquaintance Alena Zsuzsova, who was accused of helping arrange the hit. Stunned and reduced to tears by the Kocner verdict, relatives of the victims left the courtroom as Judge Ruzena Sabova kept reading out details of the judgment. "I had planned to go to Martinka and Jan's grave to tell them that, finally, all who had done this to you will be punished. Unfortunately, as you see, this is impossible," a weeping Zlatica Kusnirova, the mother of Martina, told Czech Television outside the court building. Story continues Prime Minister Igor Matovic was also critical of the verdict, saying on Facebook: "It seems that the apparent plotters of murder want to escape the claws of justice...Let's hope that justice awaits them both." The court sentenced another defendant, Tomas Szabo, to 25 years in prison for helping carry out the murder. Two others have already been convicted in the murders after admitting involvement, one - a former soldier who was the gunman - getting 23 years in prison, and the other 15 years. Kocner, well known in Slovak business and political circles, has already received a 19-year prison term in a separate case for forging 69 million euros in promissory notes. He has appealed that decision but remains in custody. The Kuciak murder investigation has forced the resignation of several senior politicians and judicial officials on account of their previous links to Kocner. (Reporting by Radovan Stoklasa, and Jason Hovet and Robert Muller in Prague; Writing by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has urged telecoms giant, MTN, to provide more data on its operations to the regulator, National Communications Authority (NCA), for informed decisions on the appropriate measures to be taken to streamline the operations of the company. She advised the company to return to the table with the regulator in order to complete a dialogue process that saw the company heading for the court to challenge the decision of the NCA to declare MTN as a significant market power (SMP) in Ghana. MTN has since lost the court action against the regulator and the minister is urging it to corporate with the authorities. According to the NCA, MTN has, as at the first quarter of 2020, held approximately 58 per cent of the voice market and 68 per cent of the data market. Speaking at the relaunch of the GH Covid-19 Tracker app yesterday in Accra, the minister indicated that government has no intention of punishing MTN for its dominance but rather it is only interested in ensuring the creation of a level-playing field for the industry players and protect investments of all actors. She said the current Covid-19 pandemic had also forced many multi-nationals to review investment strategies in various markets which in effect would have an implication on the telecommunication sector in the country. It was, therefore, necessary for the government to build resilience in the industry in order to protect the fabric of the economy, adding we need to be in the position to ensure no jobs are lost and no livelihoods are lost and we are not overly exposed to one operator who may decide it does not want to work in Ghana anymore and it is pulling out of Ghana. She said, And if it holds 70 per cent of our telecoms traffic that means our entire economy is grinding to a halt since we're using the telecommunications infrastructure to deliver online services to all aspects of our socio-economic life. The minister said it was not the first time for a telecom operator to be declared SMP as Ghana Telecom, now Vodafone, was at some point declared SMP which led to the implementation of certain measures which partially accounted for the reason that led to MTN taking over the market. She said even though NCA as a regulator could be faulted for acting late despite clear indications of imbalance which was noticed in 2016, the time was not late to ensure corrective measures had been taken to address the situation. She said the brouhaha would not affect the good working relationship that the government, through the ministry, has with the telecom network as it looked forward to collaboration on mutually beneficial projects. In all our industry, we depend on active private public-partnership to develop and so it is a symbiotic relation. It is nothing personal so when people say I have something against MTN I ask myself why will I have anything against them? she said. While government is known to have collaborated with the company on rural telephony project in the past, she said the state within the next 18 months intends to roll out a telephony infrastructure project to 2000 rural communities without the funding of telecom operators. The minister said the telecom operators could not dictate to the regulator how it does its work and so for companies to say the NCA cannot do this or that when the law gives them the power to do so is wrong (sic). By Issah Mohammed Max D. Cooper, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, will present this years John F. Morgan Sr. Distinguished Faculty Lecture. The lecture is entitled "How Did Our Immune System Evolve?" It will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, Sept. 8, beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. The Distinguished Faculty Lecture is hosted by the Emory University Faculty Council. Please register for the event here, as Zoom capacity may be limited. The lecture will be recorded, and details of where to access the recording will be shared after the event. Cooper has a unique perspective on the evolution of the immune system, as his ground-breaking research spans a variety of species: birds, mammals and jawless fish. Many of the advances of modern immunology, such as monoclonal antibody drugs for fighting cancer, Ebola and (possibly) COVID-19, are made possible, at least in part, by Coopers discovery of B cells. As a young physician-scientist in the 1960s, he discovered in chickens that there are two distinct cell lineages in the adaptive immune system, now known as T cells and B cells. The T cells use cell-to-cell contact to sniff out viral infections or cancer, while the B cells produce antibodies that glob onto invaders. In 2019, Cooper received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. This distinguished honor recognizes researchers with contributions that represent major advances in medical science, and frequently precedes a Nobel Prize in Medicine. Cooper was honored with the Lasker Award together with Jacques Miller from the Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia, who established the importance of thymus, an organ where T cells develop. Cooper showed that an avian organ called the bursa of Fabricius is the site where B cells mature, and he characterized their different stages of development. Later, Cooper and colleagues showed that, in mammals, B cells are generated in the fetal liver and in the bone marrow after birth. Cooper came to Emory in 2008, from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Recently, his laboratory has been studying lampreys, primitive-looking aquatic creatures with surprisingly sophisticated immune systems. Lampreys and hagfish diverged from sharks and fish around 500 million years ago. To defend themselves against microbes, lampreys immune cells produce proteins that grab onto foreign substances, much the same as human antibodies. However, these proteins dont look anything like the antibodies found in mammals, birds or jawed fish. Through a collaboration with Thomas Boehm, an immunologist from Freiburg, Germany, Cooper has established that lampreys use a different form of DNA recombination to create their vast array of antibody-like proteins, called VLRs (variable lymphocyte receptors). Studying lampreys thus provided scientists a glimpse of where the human immune system came from, as well as how it might have looked if evolution took a different path. Cooper is part of the Emory Vaccine Center, Emory Center for AIDS Research and the Winship Cancer Institute. He is a former president of the American Association of Immunologists and of the Clinical Immunology Society. He also is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2017, he was elected to the Academie des Sciences of the Institut de France and to the Royal Society of London. In addition to the Lasker Award, Coopers honors include the Founders Award of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (1966), Sandoz Prize in Immunology (1990), American College of Physicians Science Award (1994), AAI Lifetime Achievement Award (2000), AAI-Dana Foundation Award in Human Immunology Research (2006), Avery-Landsteiner Prize (2008), the Robert Koch Prize (2010)and the Japan Prize (2018). Tripp Lites power banks have an internal lithium-ion battery to provide power to mobile devices. The newest models have a USB-C charging port (one model supports up to 45W) and one or two USB-A ports for fast and reliable charging of smartphones, tablets and other small USB devices. 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Key Features of Tripp Lites Power Banks with USBC Charging 5,000 mAh to 20,000 mAh of power for mobile devices Internal lithium-ion battery Protection against short circuits, overheating and overcharging USBC input/output port for compatibility with the newest devices USBA port(s) for charging a wide variety of devices Simultaneous charging of two or three devices (varies by model) Travel-friendly size fits comfortably in a backpack or handbag See Tripp Lites full line of USB power banks at tripplite.com. Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter About Tripp Lite Since 1922, Tripp Lite has established a global reputation for quality by providing reliable products and exceptional service to customers worldwide. From desktop to critical infrastructure, Tripp Lite products and solutions power and connect the computers, networking equipment and electronic devices that form the foundation of our digital world. Headquartered in Chicago, Tripp Lite manufactures UPS systems, cables, connectivity solutions, PDUs, racks, cooling solutions, KVM switches, console servers, charging stations, display mounts, surge protectors, power strips, network switches, power inverters and specialty products for data center, healthcare, government, education and digital signage applications. Learn more at tripplite.com. Dublin, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Rheumatoid Arthritis - 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 RA, historical and forecasted epidemiology as well as the RA market trends in the United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan. The RA market report provides current treatment practices, emerging drugs, RA market share of the individual therapies, current and forecasted RA market size from 2017 to 2030 segmented by seven major markets. The report also covers current RA 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 RA epidemiology division provides the insights about historical and current RA 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 In the year 2017, the total prevalent cases of RA was 4,356,793 cases in the 7MM which are expected to grow during the study period, i.e., 2017-2030. The disease epidemiology covered in the report provides historical as well as forecasted RA epidemiology segmented as [Total Prevalent Cases of RA, Diagnosed cases of RA, Gender-specific cases of RA, Diagnosed cases of RA by Age Distribution, Severity-specific cases of RA, Patients on targeted therapies of RA, and Line-Wise Treated Cases of RA] scenario of RA in the 7MM covering the United States, EU5 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan from 2017 to 2030. Country-Wise Epidemiology Estimates show that the highest cases of RA in the 7MM were in the United States, followed by Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain in 2017. Story continues The United States, in 2017, accounted for 1,333,290 RA prevalent cases, which are expected to grow during the study period, i.e., 2017-2030. In the year 2017, the total prevalent cases of RA in EU5 were 1,956,920, which are expected to grow during the study period, i.e., 2017-2030. In the year 2017, the total prevalent cases of RA in Japan were 1,066,584, which are expected to grow during the study period, i.e., 2017-2030. Drug Chapters Drug chapter segment of the RA report encloses the detailed analysis of RA marketed drugs and late stage (Phase-III and Phase-II) pipeline drugs. It also helps to understand the RA 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. Approved Drugs Olumiant/Baricitinib (Eli Lilly and Company/Incyte Corporation) Rinvoq/Upadacitinib (AbbVie) Xeljanz/Tofacitinib (Pfizer/PF Prism CV) Remicade/Infliximab (Janssen Biotech/Centocor) Enbrel/Etanercept (Immunex/Amgen) MabThera/Rituxan/Rituximab (Genentech/Biogen) Cimzia/Certolizumab-pegol (UCB) Simponi/Golimumab (Jannsen Biotech) Humira/Adalimumab (Abbvie) Orencia/Abatacept (Bristol Myers Squibb) Smyraf/Peficitinib (Astellas Pharma) Actemra/Tocilizumab (Roche) Kineret/Anakinra (Amgen/Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB) Kevzara/Sarilumab (Regeneron and Sanofi/Asahi Kasei Pharma) Emerging Drugs Otilimab/GSK3196165 (GlaxoSmithKline) Filgotinib/GS-6034/GLPG0634/Jyseleca (Gilead and Galapagos NV) Olokizumab (R Pharm) Ozoralizumab/TS-152 (Taisho Pharmaceuticals/Ablynx) ATI-450/CDD-450 (Aclaris Therapeutics) VIB4920 (Viela Bio) Branebrutinib (Bristol Myers Squibb) ABBV-3373 and ABBV-154 (AbbVie) Dekavil/F8IL10 (Pfizer/Philogen) PF-06651600/Ritlecitinib (Pfizer) JTE-051 (Akros Pharma/Japan Tobacco) Evobrutinib/M2951 (Merck) PF-06650833 (Pfizer) Fenebrutinib/GDC-0853/RG7845 (Roche/Genentech) MPC-300-IV/ Allogeneic Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (Mesoblast) Bimekizumab (UCB Pharma/PRA HEALTH SCIENCES) Namilumab/IZN-101/AMG203 (Izana Bioscience/Takeda) ABX464 (Abivax) HB-AdMSCs (Hope Biosciences) SKI-O-703 (Genosco/Oscotec) RA Market Outlook RA is an autoimmune disease for which several effective treatment options are present. Currently, there are three primary treatment options for severe and advancing RA which include DMARDs, NSAIDs, and corticosteroids. Early treatment of RA patients with DMARDs significantly decreases these complications. Methotrexate is an excellent, economical first-line DMARD used to treat a majority of RA patients. While most patients respond well to MTX, many continue to have active disease. DMARDs are immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents and are classified as either conventional DMARDs or biologic DMARDs. Biologic DMARDs are rapidly effective in retarding the progression of the joint damage caused by RA. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a messenger protein that promotes inflammation in joints. Biologic medications such as Enbrel (etanercept), Remicade (infliximab), Humira (adalimumab), Simponi (golimumab), and Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) are all TNF inhibitors that prevent the recruitment of the cells that cause inflammation, bringing rapid symptom relief. It is worth noting that, prior to 2009, Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira were only three TNF inhibitors dominating the market of RA in the United States. Apart from this, T-cell costimulatory blocking agents (Orencia), B-cell depleting agents (Rituxan), interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitors (Actemra), and interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonists (Kineret), have also been approved over the past few years for the management of RA. Companies like GlaxoSmithKline [Otilimab (MOR103/GSK3196165)], Taisho Pharmaceutical [Ozoralizumab (TS-152)], Gilead and Galapagos NV [Filgotinib (GS-6034; Jyseleca)], and R-Pharm (Olokizumab) with their key candidates are in registrational or late clinical-stage. In addition to this, companies like Merck KGaA (Evobrutinib), Pfizer (PF-06650833, and PF-06651600), Roche (Fenebrutinib), and several others in phase II clinical development stage with their investigational candidates. In conclusion, it can be summarized that as many potential therapies are being investigated for the management of RA, it is safe to predict that the treatment space will experience a significant impact during the forecast period of 2020-2030. Key Findings The RA market size in the 7MM is expected to change during the study period 2017-2030. The therapeutic market of RA in the seven major markets was USD 21,184.4 million in 2017 which is expected to increase during study period (2017-2030). According to the estimates, the highest market size of RA is found in the United States followed by Japan and Germany. The United States Market Outlook In 2017, the total market size of RA therapies was USD 13,152 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 RA therapies was USD 5,038.2 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 RA therapies in Japan was USD 2,994.6 million in 2017 which is expected to increase in the study period (2017-2030). Drugs Uptake Among the recently launched and upcoming therapies, upadacitinib and filgotinib has the potential to impact the market owing to more selective oral JAK1 inhibitor and better clinical profile compared to already approve JAKi. Although upadacitinib will have slight edge over filgotinib owing to order of entry and slightly better efficacy data. Access and Reimbursement Scenario European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) updated recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with synthetic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Leflunomide or sulfasalazine was considered as part of first-line treatment if patients experience early intolerance. Other conventional synthetic DMARDs in the absence of poor prognostic factors was recommended if the treatment target was not achieved after the first-line conventional synthetic DMARD strategy. A biologic DMARD or a targeted synthetic DMARD was recommended if poor prognostic factors were present, and the treatment target was not achieved with the first conventional synthetic DMARD strategy. The targeted synthetic DMARDs include tofacitinib and baricitinib, synthetic DMARDs specifically designed to target Janus kinases. EULAR recommended that biologic DMARDs and targeted synthetic DMARDs be combined with a conventional synthetic DMARD as all biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs are more efficacious in combination therapy compared with monotherapy. According to EULAR, if a biologic DMARD or targeted synthetic DMARD therapy fails, treatment with another biologic DMARD or targeted synthetic DMARD should be considered. Similarly, if treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) fails, patients may be effectively treated with a different mode of action or a second TNFi therapy. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended Rinvoq, added to standard-of-care methotrexate, for coverage on the National Health Service as a treatment for severe rheumatoid arthritis in January 2020. In the UK, Sarilumab with methotrexate, was recommended by NICE in 2017 as an option for treating active rheumatoid arthritis in adults whose disease has responded inadequately to intensive therapy with a combination of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), only if: The disease is severe (a disease activity score [DAS28] of more than 5.1) and The company provides sarilumab with the discount agreed in the patient access scheme. In 2018, an added benefit for Tofacitinib in combination with methotrexate after pretreatment with a conventional synthetic DMARD or with a biological DMARD was not proven for the treatment of adults who have had an inadequate response or who have been intolerant to a prior DMARD therapy by IQWIG, Germany. In 2019, IQWIG reported hint of minor added benefit after pretreatment with a conventional synthetic DMARD for Tofacitinib in combination with methotrexate in adults who have had an inadequate response or who were intolerant to a prior DMARD therapy. In 2017, IQWIG reported hint of an added benefit for Sarilumab in patients for whom treatment with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) is indicated for the first time and who do not tolerate MTX. Added benefits were not proven for other patient groups. KOL Views To keep up with current market trends, the publisher takes KOLs and SME's opinion working in RA 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 RA 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 publisher performs Competitive and Market Intelligence analysis of the RA 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 RA, explaining its causes, signs and symptoms, pathophysiology and currently available therapies. Comprehensive insight has been provided into the RA epidemiology and treatment in the 7MM. Additionally, an RA-inclusive account of both the current and emerging therapies for RA is provided, along with the assessment of new therapies, which will have an impact on the current treatment landscape. A detailed review of RA market; historical and forecasted is included in the report, covering drug outreach in the 7MM. The report provides an edge while developing business strategies, by understanding trends shaping and driving the global RA market. Report Highlights In the coming years, RA 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 RA 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 RA. Launch of emerging therapies, will significantly impact the RA market. A better understanding of disease pathogenesis will also contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for RA. 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 Abivax Aclaris Therapeutics Akros Pharma/Japan Tobacco Bristol Myers Squibb Genosco/Oscotec Gilead and Galapagos N.V. GlaxoSmithKline Hope Biosciences Izana Bioscience/Takeda Merck Mesoblast Pfizer/Philogen R Pharm Roche/Genentech Taisho Pharmaceuticals/Ablynx UCB Pharma/PRA HEALTH SCIENCES Viela Bio For more information about this drug pipelines report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/826guu 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 As the country celebrates the 150th birth centenary of Gandhi whose commitment to environment is well known, the Maharashtra governments act of indiscriminately destroying hundreds of trees around Sevagram Ashram in Wardha where the Mahatma spent the last 12 years of his life, shows how opaqueness during Covid-19 is allowing administrations to act authoritatively and unilaterally. On Wednesday, Mahatma Gandhis descendants appealed with folded hands" to the government to refrain from axing the remaining trees planted on a stretch of the Wardha-Sevagram Ashram road to widen it for tourism. Among those who wrote to the government were Mahatmas grandchildren, former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, historian Rajmohan Gandhi, peace activist Ila Gandhi, socio-political activist Arun Gandhi, and his great-grandson Tushar Gandhi. On Thursday, Congress leader Jairam Rames took to Twitter where he shared the report by News18 and appealed to Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackerey to intervene in the matter. Hope my good friend and eco-champion @AUThackeray will intervene immediately, and get the tree felling stopped near the Mahatma's Ashram.https://t.co/DUba5udQck Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 3, 2020 People of Wardha and Sevagram have taken to the streets to physically guard the remaining 235 trees along the road that Gandhi traversed between Maganwadi in Wardha to Sevagram. They want the road to be named Shantipath". Over 4,000 villagers and ashramites have given a signed letter to the Wardha collector, registering their protest against this callous action of the administration. On Raksha Bandhan day, women tied rakhis to the trees to protect them from extinction. They said that reducing by one metre the proposed width of the said historic road will save all the trees that were planted and nurtured by ashramites and stalwarts on the directions of Gandhi and Kasturba during their stay at the Sevagram Ashram in this water-scarce region of Vidarbha. Gandhi made Sevagram in Wardha district in Maharashtra his abode in the last years of his life. He lived there for 12 years from 1936 to 1948 as he spearheaded Indias struggle for independence from the British and was visited by all prominent leaders of the time and foreign dignitaries. Political expediency had made the Shiv Sena take a position before the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2019 on the felling of trees in Aarey Colony for a metro shed in Mumbai. But after coming to power, the Sena-led coalition government seems to be doing exactly what it opposed: tinkering with the environment and the sentiments of people, whether it is in Aurangabad or in Sevagram. Considering that the PWD minister in Maharashtra is a Congressman and so also the guardian minister of Wardha, it comes as a surprise that the administration is displaying such insensitivity to the fact that among the trees axed were those planted and nurtured by the Mahatma himself and his wife Kasturba. No rules were followed. No meetings done with panchayats or NOCs (no-objection certificates) obtained from the four affected villages of Sevagram, Varud, Masada and Barbadi. When people of Wardha and Sevagram turned up in thousands to protest, the administration and the guardian minister kept giving empty assurances that the trees wont be harmed. But, to the peoples surprise, taking advantage of the Covid-19 situation, hundreds of fully grown trees were chopped off surreptitiously. Struggling to save the last vestiges of national heritage, several organisations have written to the chief minister of Maharashtra, union minister of road and highways, PWD and environment ministers of Maharashtra, local guardian minister, without any action. Letters have gone from Sevagram Ashram, Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Vriksha Bachao Nagrik Samiti, Magan Sangrahlaya Samiti, and now Gandhis own kin. The three-kilometre stretch of Sevagram road, which is off the main highway, was used by Gandhi. He encouraged people to walk. The trees not just provided shade and shelter to the Mahatma and karyakartas but most were planted on his direction by the Charkha Sangh, Nai Talim Sangh and by stalwarts like Annasaheb Sahasrabuddhe, Aryanayakamji and Prabhakarji. The Wardha Nisarg Mandal also planted 150 trees as a tribute to freedom fighters; such is the sentiment behind tree plantation and conservation in this place of historical significance. Urging authorities to be sensitive, Gopalkrishna Gandhi was reminded of Gandhis clear and uncompromising code about not harming trees in the least". Opposing the modernisation" of Bapus monumenting, Arun Gandhi, who had lived with Gandhi and Ba at Sevagram in 1945 and planted trees, said, When Bapu acquired the land from Jamnalalji (Bajaj) it was not only barren but was almost a desert. It was the toil of the people who lived in the ashram under Bapujis supervision that Sevagram became verdant and a testament to preservation of the environment and ecology." Residents of Sevagram planted and nurtured these trees by carrying water manually to water the saplings since the area was water-scarce one. These trees were reared by ashramvasis as if they were their children. They bear witness as history was made at Sevagram. Unfortunately we have lost many of these historic heritage trees already; our plea to you is please no more," said Tushar Gandhi. Local media reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Sevagram Ashram on Gandhis birth anniversary on October 2, but there is no confirmation yet. And if all this is being done in his name, then all the more reason that he should put a stop to this. The State Capitol Police have dispatched security details to the Norwalk home of Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff in the wake of allegations that police officers tried to intimidate the veteran member of the General Assembly over recent police accountability legislation. A Capitol Police vehicle was stationed at Duffs house Wednesday night and again Thursday morning, as part of the agencys mission to protect lawmakers and investigate threats. Its unclear whether the presence of Capitol Police were limited to security, or also part of a probe into the allegations of incidents that at Norwalk police headquarters from officers opposed to a bill Duff supported in the state Senate. Capitol Police Chief Luiz Casanova ordered the security presence after Hearst Connecticut Media reported of a July 24 incident in which police officers shouted expletives at Duff, then visiting Norwalk Police headquarters the day after the state House of Representatives approved a wide-ranging bill banning choke holds, opening disciplinary records and setting standards that could bar rogue officers from ever serving again in Connecticut law enforcement. During that visit in which he met with the executive board of the police union, Duff said he was greeted in the building by expletives from officers, was spat at by an officer, escorted from the building by a senior officer, then intimidated in the parking lot by as many as 30 officers. In a statement Thursday morning, Capitol Police said extra patrols and safety were extended to Duffs home, where for weeks after the Senate passed the legislation on July 28, Duff has said, a driver regularly passed by shouting expletives that could be heard by his family. This measure was taken as a precautionary step to aid in safety and protection, Capitol Police said. This patrol is not the result of any specific threat or incident and there is no reason for concern on behalf of the neighborhood or community. State Capitol Police, and all police departments, are committed to providing assistance and a safe community. Norwalk Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik said Thursday morning that he did not know why Capitol Police were at Duffs home. I dont have any information other than we were made aware they may be in the area, Kulhawik said in an email. Kulhawik and Duff have a meeting on the issues scheduled for Friday. Duff on Thursday was unsure of the State Capitol Polices involvement beyond the obvious presence at his home. The State Capitol Police are a wonderful and dedicated group of men and women, Duff said Thursday morning. I cannot comment on the measures these professional officers take to ensure the safety of those they are sworn to protect. Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, the citys former police chief, said Thursday that he had heard conflicting stories out of the encounters in headquarters, and has seen some social media posts that seem to be fueling further bad blood. It is quite clear there was tension and unfortunate incidents at the police department on the day of Senator Duffs visit, Rilling said in an email. I have already spoken with Chief Kulhawik who is looking into this matter. I am hopeful there can be a civil resolution to this situation. All of the social media comments are counterproductive to finding a resolution, Rilling wrote. If necessary, I will facilitate a meeting between Senator Duff and the Police Union Executive Board. This is very disruptive and it is imperative we resolve this once and for all so we can move forward. It was at the time of a meeting between police union officials and Duff in headquarters on July 24, when the incidents began and escalated. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Charles Butt, the billionaire owner of the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, sent a letter to the Texas Supreme Court this week, siding with Harris County on its original plan to send mail ballot applications to all registered voters ahead of the November election. In the letter, Butt argued that Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins plan was permissible under the Texas Election Code. Clerk Hollinss efforts to make absentee ballots widely available trusts voters, protecting those who are vulnerable from unnecessary exposure in this new Covid world in which were living, Butt wrote. Its always been my impression that the more people who vote, the stronger our democracy will be. Hollins first announced plans on Aug. 25 to send the applications to all 2.4 million registered voters in Harris County. The announcement immediately drew pushback from top Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who claimed that the distribution of the applications would lead to voter fraud. Several legal battles ensued. On Monday, the Harris County GOP joined a lawsuit asking the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on the matter. The same day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Harris County in district court over the plan, asserting that the Harris County clerk decided to knowingly violate election laws. On Tuesday, the clerk said his office would only send applications to registered voters 65 and older. That group automatically qualifies for mail ballots under state law. Hollins said he adjusted the plan pending resolution of the attorney generals lawsuit. On Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the county from sending applications to all its voters. The outcome only sending ballots to those 65 and older was the same plan Hollins already had announced. Texas voters are eligible for mail-in ballots if they are at least 65, have a disability, are out of the county or incarcerated during the voting period. The disability clause has been the subject of debate during the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Supreme Court in May ruled that while the possibility of contracting the coronavirus alone is not enough to qualify for an absentee ballot, a person could be eligible by weighing the virus threat against their medical history. Harris countys plan would not automatically distribute ballots to every Texan only applications, which the voter would then have to fill out and submit. Any voter can request an application for a mail ballot online, or even download the form in its entirety from the states website. Since county clerks and elections administrators in Texas lack a duty to vet mail ballot applications, voters effectively are left to decide for themselves whether they qualify. Nathan Hecht, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, reiterated that to the Houston Chronicle editorial board last month. In a separate legal challenge before a federal appeals court this week, Texas Democrats argued that the state is discriminating against most voters by only allowing seniors to request a mail-in ballot without an excuse. They say that election law violates the 26th Amendment, which says the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged. Based on our experience at H-E-B, many people, including those of all ages, are nervous about contracting the virus, Butt wrote. By extension, in my opinion, many would be anxious about voting in person. Clerk Hollins has reasonably given these voters a chance to guard against perilous exposure in a manner consistent with this Courts opinion and the Election Code. The move was unusual for Butt, who has historically kept a low public profile. Any political statements are usually made through donations he is a top political contributor during election cycles and a prominent advocate for public education. In 2017, he donated $100 million to establish a new training institute for Texas school principals and superintendents. Butts Wednesday note was submitted as an amicus curiae letter, a friend of the court filing that intends to present new insight to the court from someone who is not a party in a case. It is up to the court to consider the letter. cayla.harris@hearst.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 11:30 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426f3ee 2 World US-China,US-China-tension,diplomat,diplomatic-spat,diplomatic-tension Free The US State Department announced tighter limits on the movements of Chinese diplomats in the country Wednesday, saying it was in retaliation to Beijing's controls on American officials based in China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China had limited US diplomats' movement and ability to meet with Chinese people for years with rules "far beyond diplomatic norms." "In the United States, by contrast, PRC diplomats have enjoyed open access to American society, while ignoring sustained US entreaties to improve the balance," he said. With the announcement the State Department will require senior Chinese diplomats to seek approval to visit US universities and to meet with local government officials. The department will also have to approve any cultural event hosted by the Chinese embassy outside embassy properties that more than 50 people attend. In addition, Pompeo said, any Chinese embassy social media accounts will have to be identified as accounts of the Chinese government. The new requirements of People's Republic of China diplomats "are a direct response to the excessive restraints already placed on our diplomats by the PRC," Pompeo said in a statement. "Should the PRC eliminate the restrictions imposed on US diplomats, we stand ready to reciprocate." Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:50:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YANGON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities seized 8.8 kg of heroin in Mandalay region, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, the joint anti-narcotic police force made a seizure in Pyin Oo Lwin township on Wednesday. Heroin worth 616 million kyats (456,296 U.S. dollars) were confiscated from two vehicles and four suspects were arrested. The township police filed a case against the suspects and further investigation is underway, 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 Aug. 29 this year, since the formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department on in June 2018. Enditem A federal judge on Wednesday declined to grant special rights to volunteer street medics beyond that of general demonstrators who must disperse when police declare an unlawful assembly or riot. Although Plaintiffs goal of providing aid to protesters is undoubtedly admirable, this Court has found no legal authority for affording protest medics, as defined by Plaintiffs, unique recognition under the First Amendment beyond that afforded any individual who attends a protest, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled. Protest medics may continue to protest, and provide medical aid during the protests. They simply have no unique status under the First Amendment that allows them to disregard lawful orders. The judges decision comes as the city enters its 98th consecutive night of protests, which began shortly after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Her written decision denying a temporary restraining order followed a hearing held on Tuesday. Four street medics sued the city, arguing that Portland police have used excessive force and unfairly arrested them and other clearly identified medics who wear red crosses on their clothes or helmets. Theyre often the first responders ready to offer immediate medical care, as one did Saturday night when a 39-year-old man was shot in the chest and died on Southwest Third Avenue, their lawyers said. The court must end the direct targeting of medics by police -- including shooting pepper balls, launching tear gas canisters, unleashing pepper spray and bull-rushing them in an apparent attempt to chill the overall protests, attorney Nathan Morales told the court. He and attorney Rian Peck argued that the medics hold a First Amendment right to render emergency aid to demonstrators. They said medics who stick around to care for someone when police issue a dispersal order are engaged in passive resistance and arent a threat to police. Everyone who attends a protest is engaged in protected speech. Our clients protest by rendering medical aid. That is their own form of free speech and their interests are so much stronger here because they are facilitating the protest, Peck said. Rendering aid is expressive conduct. Senior Deputy City Attorney William Manlove countered that the medics are violating lawful police orders to disperse. No one is saying that they cant show up with their red medical crosses or that they cant render medical first-aid,' he said. What the city is saying, when theres a riot or dispersal orders, they need to comply. They can provide that care elsewhere. They dont need to be right there in the middle. Immergut asked if the medics have tried to reach a resolution with the city to allow a medical facility or tent to remain untouched outside of areas of dispersal. In sort of a war zone, I dont think doctors run around the front line. They stay positioned somewhere else, Immergut said. The judge added that shes not an expert and surmises that largely from what shes watched on TV. Peck, on behalf of the medics, told the judge that OHSU student medics had set up a tent of medical supplies at Chapman Square in downtown Portland, but one of the medics and a plaintiff in the case, Michael Martinez, was arrested and supplies were confiscated one night when he didnt leave fast enough. The medical tent in Chapman Square was taken down. Manlove said there was no permit obtained for it. Why it was dismantled or where it was taken, I dont know, he said. He said once someone is arrested, the city is obligated to get the person medical care if needed. There are fire medics embedded with police crowd control teams and emergency ambulance medics who are available to respond to significant injuries, but they are going to wait for the scene to be safe or made safe before they put hands on a patient, Manlove said. The judge said the evidence didnt support the allegations that police were acting in retaliation against the medics. Immergut also pointed out plaintiffs waited nearly one month before seeking such emergency relief. The line between protester and protest medic is not sufficiently clear such that granting them the relief they request would not sow confusion or create additional risks., she wrote. The protest medics wear no particular uniform, offer no particular type of aid, and possess no particular level of medical training. When they attend the protests, many deliberately stand in the spaces between law enforcement and the protesters, or even enmesh themselves with other protesters. Immergut said she doesnt want to discredit or diminish the efforts of the protest medics, or question their right to participate in the protests. Certainly, the safety of all protesters is clearly in the public interest. But the safety of all protesters isnt the sole responsibility of the volunteer medics, the judge noted. Upon consideration of the record before this Court, at this time, Plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that the public interest and the balance of equities support their position, Immergut wrote. Like ordinary protesters, however, the protest medics must abide by lawful police orders. During the hearing, the judge questioned if she had the authority to order the city to reach an agreement with the medics who filed suit to allow for a neutral zone for medical supplies to be set up at protests, stationed at a safe distance from any area where police would be dispersing a crowd. Both sides said they hadnt discussed such a resolution but told the court theyd be open to pursuing such an agreement. The judge made no mention of it in her 23-page ruling. Peck, after the ruling, said in a statement, Just like our clients continue to fight in support of Black lives, this is just the beginning of our fight for protest medics in Portland. Immerguts decision follows a ruling last week by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which put an emergency hold on a federal judges preliminary injunction that exempted journalists and legal observers from federal officers dispersal orders, arrests or threatened arrests. The hold will be in place as the Department of Homeland Securitys challenge is heard by the appellate court. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) threatened to shoot armed protesters coming into Louisiana. US Republican politician Representative Clay Higgins said hed be more than willing to shoot any armed demonstrators in Louisiana in a Facebook post Tuesday that was accompanied by a picture of Black men with guns. One way ticket fellas, he wrote on his campaign account. Have your affairs in order. Me?... I wouldnt even spill my beer. Id drop any 10 of you where you stand. We dont care what colour you are. We dont care if youre left or right. If you show up like this, if We recognise threat ... you wont walk away, added Higgins, a former police officer. Heres Clay Higgins threatening to shoot on sight a Black militia rumored to be coming to LFT. And heres the militia that showed up. Higgins appears to have deleted the post. pic.twitter.com/yfzg7iZJh4 Christiaan Mader (@xnmader) September 2, 2020 Facebook confirmed to The Acadiana Advocate that it took Higgins post down for violating the companys violence and incitement policies. Higgins also put up a picture of an eagle and wrote that he did not remove the post: No, I did not remove my post. America is being manipulated into a new era of government control. Your liberty is threatened from within. People are allowed to openly carry firearms in Louisiana, and Higgins is a vocal advocate for gun rights. Higgins initial post came in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Tuesday night. The event was peaceful, according to the Advocate, and was basically a barbecue. A small group with guns known as the Louisiana Cajun Militia did show up. They appeared to be all, or mostly, white. Thats their right to protest as long as they keep it peaceful, said Michael Sauce McComas, who said he was the leader of the group. Were just not gonna let them go around burning flags and intimidating. Continue reading on HuffPost You are here: China Chinese Internet regulators have punished 338 illegal livestreaming platforms amid a nationwide crackdown on irregularities in the industry in the past month. About 74,000 livestreaming studios have been shut down and 105,000 streaming accounts closed during the campaign targeting commercial websites, self-media and livestreaming, the Cyberspace Administration of China said. Internet watchdogs across the country have removed around 72,000 unlicensed news service applications from app stores, said the administration. Meanwhile, regulators have also removed 6.03 million posts containing illicit content and dealt with 5.59 million illegal accounts, including 169 accounts with more than 1 million followers. Millions of Britons who never checked their favourite takeaways hygiene rating as long as the food was good are now more vigilant about cleanliness, a poll has found. A study of 2,000 adults found eight in 10 were previously happy to take their chances, often buying a takeaway without looking into how clean the shop was. Instead, three-quarters admitted the quality of the food was their main priority. Now, more than one-quarter said they would "always" check a takeaways hygiene rating before putting in an order. And 64 per cent of those polled by P&G Professional said a clean shop and a good hygiene rating were now the most important considerations when choosing where to purchase food from, above the cost (58 per cent) and customer service (45 per cent). In comparison, research carried out in 2019 saw just 55 per cent name hygiene as a priority. John Molnar, owner of award-winning chain The Cods Scallops, in Nottingham, said: The heightened awareness surrounding infection control means business owners should be paying more attention to their hygiene practices than ever before. Cleaning, and the brands you choose, should be a critical part of your business strategy, especially since these results show the clear impact a low rating or bad impression can have on your bottom line. Kelly Barnes of Krispies, a fish and chip shop in Exmouth, added: To operate successfully, its clear that businesses need to show clearly how processes are managed so visitors feel confident about cleanliness. To keep both customers, and staff safe, were following three simple steps: frequent cleaning, enforcing social distancing, and regular hand washing. The study also found that one in four were likely to pay attention to a restaurants hygiene rating for a quick meal from a takeaway while on the move. But this figure nearly doubled if it was somewhere they wanted to visit for a family meal. The end of a night out is when Britons are least likely to worry about the hygiene score (22 per cent). It also emerged one in three respondents would be more likely to frequent a restaurant or takeaway if the staff used cleaning brands they recognised. Another 68 per cent would feel reassured about how hygienic a fish and chip shop or takeaway is if they see staff physically cleaning while they are in there. A chip shop or other takeaway looking clean and tidy was also found to be what would make adults feel most comfortable when visiting (57 per cent). This came above staff wearing masks (51 per cent), customers wearing masks (29 per cent) and even employees wearing gloves (53 per cent). It also emerged that since the coronavirus outbreak, four in 10 adults are more likely to report breaches of cleanliness in their local takeaways. The study also found that the pandemic hasnt dampened the nations love of a takeaway, with a fifth tucking into a dish like fish and chips once a week or more. And proving the concept of fish and chip Fridays is still relevant, that day was the most likely for people to treat themselves. Fish and chips was also found to be the most popular takeaway during lockdown, with 29 per cent of the vote closely followed by pizza (26 per cent). Two-thirds of chip lovers are also trying to frequent their local chip shop as a way of supporting the local economy, according to the OnePoll figures. Greg Elmore, UK & Ireland country sales lead at P&G Professional, said: As the UK slowly starts to emerge from lockdown, its a great opportunity to support local businesses, and these results show that two thirds of chip lovers are doing just that by frequenting their favourite chippy to boost the economy. Yet the last few months have made a lot of people think more about cleanliness and hygiene, which can only be a good thing particularly where their food is concerned. These statistics show that customers want to know and see how businesses are managing cleanliness, and it is critical that this is communicated clearly to the public. Transparency surrounding cleaning processes will have a profound impact on the success of the food service industry over the next year." SWNS BANGOR TWP, MI Police have raided a Bay County business accused of illegally selling marijuana. On Thursday, Sept. 3, the Michigan State Polices Marijuana and Tobacco Investigation Section executed a search warrant on Deeply Content, 808 N. Euclid Ave. in Bangor Township. Police allege the business was selling marijuana without a state facility license as required under Michigans Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act of 2016 and the Taxation of Marihuana Act of 2018. Logs from the Bay County Jail indicate police arrested the business owner. His name is being withheld pending arraignment, which could occur Friday, Sept. 4. Deeply Contents website states it sells premium cannabis smoking supplies and apparel. Troopers said they will continue to conduct investigations and actively pursue criminal charges throughout Michigan, against businesses and individuals who continue to cultivate, manufacture and distribute unlicensed and black market marijuana and marijuana infused products. Read more: Central Michigan University drops professor who used racial slur from website, report says hes gone Man charged after police say he tried robbing 2 Bay County gas stations within minutes State police release report on fired Saginaw police officer, but you cant read most of it (Bloomberg) -- The electronics sector has found a way to thrive amid the global pandemic, with 5G demand helping the industry remain a rare catalyst for Asian factories. South Korean computer sales surged 107% in August and semiconductor shipments grew for a third month in the past four, even as smartphone sales declined and overall exports fell 9.9% from a year earlier, figures out Tuesday showed. Taiwans manufacturing output rose 2.6% in July, while production of computers and integrated circuits climbed by double digits. Shipments of electronics products from Singapore rose in July for a third straight month. The latest data bolster forecasts that this years electronics rebound will persist, even as a U.S. ban on Huawei Technologies Co., further U.S.-China trade tensions and an eventual tapering of demand for work-from-home equipment present obstacles for the industry. Relentless demand for 5G-related applications, including infrastructure and smartphones, is poised to keep electronics production humming as other output struggles to recover from the pandemic. Even the latest technology bans on Huawei look to be just a stumbling block. Its kind of a little bit of a bump, Rajan Rajgopal, chief executive officer of Singapore-based DenseLight Semiconductors Pte., said in an Aug. 28 interview. Two areas of business especially have been booming since before the pandemic: data centers and 5G infrastructure, said Rajgopal, whos worked in semiconductors for about 25 years. China accounts for about half of DenseLights customer base and could take an increasing share as it builds out its next-generation wireless infrastructure across the country -- boosting demand for semiconductors that go into devices as diverse as street cameras and oil-pipeline sensors. Global semiconductor industry revenue is set to slip by only 0.9% this year to $415.4 billion amid pandemic-related disruptions, according to Gartner Inc. estimates. Still, significant risk factors are keeping electronics watchers on guard. U.S. President Donald Trumps potential re-election in November could mean more headaches for Asian supply chains, while its unclear how his rival for the White House, former Vice President Joe Biden, would alter U.S. strategy toward China. And retailers across sectors are bracing for a holiday season that could disappoint if government stimulus wears off and labor markets worsen. Story continues For now, though, companies expect the electronics boom to overcome the risks -- with Taiwanese firms seeing themselves particularly well-placed to ride out the storm. Industry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is charting a PC resurgence amid Covid-19, C.C. Tsai, senior director of the companys Asia-Pacific business, said in a video for a company symposium Aug. 25. Despite concerns that increased work-from-home orders for things like laptops and webcams would prove temporary, computer demand continues to remain robust, and many consumers spending more time at home are also upgrading their television sets, Chairman Fang Leuh of Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp., a TSMC affiliate that specializes in power management chips and display driver chips, told reporters Aug. 29. That matches the read of Quanta Computer Inc., which makes Apple Inc. MacBooks, HP Inc. notebooks and servers for Amazon.com Inc.s AWS and Google. Elton Yang, chief financial officer of Taiwan-based Quanta, says notebook shipments are expected to grow by double digits in the third quarter. Strong orders from our customers confirm shelter-in-place demand is long-term, Quanta Chairman Barry Lam told reporters Aug. 13. We will create more products for the shelter-in-place economy to optimize our profitability. This is a big change. We will grab it and gain better opportunities. Industry executives acknowledge greater uncertainties around the trade war, U.S. elections and Covid-19, while taking a longer view on the prospects for electronics. Apple, for example, has asked suppliers to build at least 75 million 5G iPhones for later this year -- roughly in line with last years launch -- a sign that demand for the companys most important product is holding up despite the pandemic and recession. Vanguards Fang emphasized very strong demand into 2021 for the type of semiconductors his company makes, aided by rollout of 5G technologies. And even if Trump wins another four-year term, complicating DenseLights China business, Rajgopal sees a brighter outlook. The electronics industry is a lot more resilient than eight years, he said. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Australians are drinking more in lockdown. Images: Getty Restaurant, cafe and hotel spending across Australia has plummeted 56 per cent, new GDP figures released on Wednesday revealed. But at the same time as Australia entered its first recession in 30 years, spending on alcohol away from bars and restaurants increased a staggering 17 per cent. Now safe consumption advocates are calling on Australians to reconsider their intake. Research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology finds it takes around 66 days on average to form a new habit. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has also found that one in five Australians have increased their alcohol consumption during lockdown. And while its bad news for the liver, it also presents problems for the hip-pocket. Research from the Foundation found that the average beer-at-home drinker will spend $1,440 a year and the average wine-at-home drinker will spend $2,580. Over a month, thats $120 for beers at home and $215 for wine at home before any drinks consumed outside of home are counted. The costs for drinking alcohol outside of the home, such as in restaurants and bars, are obviously much higher, Alcohol and Drug Foundation CEO Dr Erin Lalor told Yahoo Finance. Many Australian drinkers are also likely to consume above the average standard. So you can see how for some, the costs can really stack up and easily equate to thousands of dollars over the course of a year. This year has been incredibly hard for everyone, particularly for those who have experienced a loss in earnings, unemployment, social connections and especially those who have lost loved one. Weve all been trying our best under challenging circumstances. Its not surprising some people have been looking for different ways to cope, including increasing their alcohol consumption. She noted nearly one in five Australians also regret how much they drank during lockdown, and said the expense may also have contributed to the feelings of regret. Cutting down on the amount of alcohol a person consumes can have many positive impacts on health and wellbeing, as well as savings, she said. Story continues If youre looking for a simple way to help improve your finances, cutting down your alcohol consumption is a good starting point. Lalor said there is plenty of support available for those looking to kick the habit, pointing to the Foundations Little Habit campaign.Want to take control of your finances and your future? Join the Womens Money Movement on LinkedIn and follow Yahoo Finance Australia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. CLEVELAND, Ohio This week brought more bad news for Clevelands beleaguered hotel industry. The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, the citys highest-end hotel, announced it would lay off 74 workers next month, the result of the continued downturn in the hospitality industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came just weeks after the citys largest hotel, the county-owned Hilton Cleveland Downtown, announced plans to permanently lay off 178 employees. Adan Medranos new film opens with scenes of Central and South Texas in its most natural state, in places that appear to be untouched by modern life. The sounds are crisp and the views clear, setting a scene for the stories about to be told. Over the next 90 minutes, Truly Texas Mexican: Cuisine and Culture, a New Encounter, traces the indigenous roots of Mexican food in Texas. Its the first film produced by the Indigenous Food Project, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of the indigenous foods of Texas and the Americas. Early in the film, as Medrano walks along a busy, pre-COVID-19 Riverwalk, he makes a distinction between the films focus and anything known as Tex-Mex. Thats food made by Anglos for Anglos, he says. Then begs them to, please, stop with the cheese! At a time when the country has divided itself over race and racial injustice, the films outlook on history may make some people on the right uncomfortable. Theyre supposed to. The point is to come to grips with the ways in which cultural erasure was attempted, or how culture and foods were co-opted, appropriated and commercialized. Medranos film will fill the hearts of those whove felt betrayed by the history untold in schools and textbooks. Its a history being unearthed and reclaimed at rapid speed. For me, its a bigger story of cultural resiliency. Viewers will see it in the films subjects as they share their mothers or grandmothers molcajetes, mortar and pestles made of volcanic rock, passed down from one generation to another. You can hear the pride and resolve in Medranos voice when he says, Our food is American food. Its the first food of Texas. The film connects indigenous customs and cuisine with their hunts and harvests to the present in people such as Christine Ortega of San Antonio. Hers was my favorite vignette. It showcased her family preparing barbacoa by digging a pozo, or hole, in her back yard. They wrapped a cows head in cloth and then in burlap and lowered it into the ground, surrounded by heated rocks and brasas, or burning coals. They covered it with a large piece of lamina, or sheet metal, that seals the heat in. By early morning, they open the earth oven and have barbacoa tacos. None of what they prepared could be called Tex-Mex. Medrano has fused his many skills in this film. The San Antonio-born chef and author who trained at the Culinary Institute of America had a long career in television production and founded what became the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Centers long-running film festival, CineFestival. He shares credit for the film with a small crew based in Texas and Latin America. Virginia Diaz-Laughlin served as producer. Shes a native San Antonian who has worked on many feature films, including Selena, and mapped out the arduous nine-day shoot through Central and South Texas. Cinematographer Gabriel Bendahan and director Anibal Capoano are both from Uruguay. Medrano said Capoano was instrumental in convincing him to do the film. Its based on his two books, Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage in Recipes and Dont Count the Tortillas: The Art of Texas Mexican Cooking. The first book provided the films archaeological, historical and geographical story. The second book gave the film its cooks and storytellers. One of the films most powerful vignettes focuses on the famed Chili Queens of San Antonio, the citys first vendors, caterers and restaurateurs. In their day, the comida casera, or home-cooked meals, they served up in the citys plazas were so delicious that early Texans made San Antonio a destination. Medrano said the only problem was, They wanted Mexican food without the Mexicans. The businesswomen were ultimately displaced and their dishes co-opted, a phenomenon Medrano calls cultural poaching. It made me think of all the cutesy food trucks around town that appropriated a business model long standard in the citys poorest neighborhoods. The film makes note of how bigotry worked in other businesses, showing a 1915 advertisement for the Palace of Sweets, a confectioner, bakery and lunch parlor across from the Alamo, owned by C.S. Corrigan, the originator of the famous Mexican pecan candies, made by white people only. The film will be released in December or January and available to rent or buy on Vimeo on Demand. Medrano is working on other potential streaming services. Medrano said the film has been endorsed by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the Smithsonian Institution. All the home cooks in the film share a trait: hospitality. Theres hope in that, especially amid the nations strife. It shows us how to encounter the other in a new way, Medrano said. Thats the fundamental message of the film. 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 The leading operator in Ghana has failed in its attempt to challenge its recent classification as a Significant Market Power by the regulator, the National Communication Authority (NCA). As readers may remember, in early June the regulator deemed MTN Ghanas market dominance to be of a sufficient level that specific regulatory restrictions should be enforced on the operator. What sort of restrictions these might be is not yet clear. The operator, however, asserted that the manner of the recent declaration of MTN as a Dominant/SMP player raises concerns about clear procedural breaches and substantive issues". It also insisted that it had never engaged in an anti-competitive behaviour. In the event, TeleGeography's CommsUpdate reports that the Commercial High Court in Accra has dismissed MTN Ghanas case. It seems that MTN had argued the declaration was in breach of its right to be heard and a violation of procedural fairness. However it seems that the NCA was able to satisfy the court that it had held consultations for about five years. In addition research conducted by consulting and research specialist Analysys Mason in 2016 found MTN to have market share of around 46 percent. This has since increased, according to the NCA, to approximately 58 percent of the voice market and 68 percent of the data market. According to Ghanaian press reports, MTN Ghana says its concerns regarding the NCA declaring it as a Significant Market Power remain unresolved and that it will explore all available options and next steps in this process. According to the GSMA, Ghana has the highest mobile penetration in West Africa. The countrys operators include a number of major regional players not just MTN Ghana but Vodafone Ghana and AirtelTigo. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have had a rough few months, if reports are to be believed. The couple reportedly hit a rough patch in their marriage earlier in the summer when West revealed personal details about their lives to the public. Amid speculation that they were headed for divorce, the Wests allegedly began taking several measures to save their relationship, including several vacations together with their four children. Reports say that they allegedly are also living in different spaces, with the Yeezus rapper hunkering down at his ranch in Wyoming and Kardashian West spending her time at their Calabasas home. Neither of them has addressed the reports, but heres what we know so far. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at a party in February 2020 | David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests reported marital problems date back to July 2020 The drama began on July 19, when West held his first campaign rally for his 2020 presidential campaign in South Carolina, where he revealed he and his wife had considered aborting their eldest daughter, North, who was born in June 2013. As the rally attracted global attention, sources claimed Kardashian was upset and that her marriage to the Yeezy designer had allegedly started to deteriorate due to his behavior. The makeup mogul herself did not comment at the time, but West claimed on Twitter that she had been contacting him and trying to fly to Wyoming with doctors to lock him up. After days of public silence, Kardashian West later shared a statement on Instagram implying that West had been struggling with bipolar disorder before asking the world for compassion. She went to see him on July 27 at his ranch and was seen crying as they conversed. RELATED: Kanye West Will Reportedly Go Public With Family Secrets If the Kardashian-Jenners Try to Stage an Intervention, Including Alleged Feuds, Secret Hookups, and More Kim Kardashian and Kanye West took several family vacations after the blow-up As their rumored marital woes continued to make headlines, West offered up an apology to the reality star via Twitter. In early August, he reportedly traveled to the Caribbean with her and their kids in what a source told People was an attempt to work and focus on their marriage. RELATED: Inside Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests Caribbean Getaway To Save Their Marriage Page Six reported that they spent a week in the Dominican Republic before flying to Colorado in mid-August to continue their family trip. The couple reportedly stayed in a $43,000 ranch in the San Juan Mountains before West returned to Wyoming and Kardashian West went back to California, per TMZ. A source told People that Wyoming is where West wants to live and that his wife was happy to be back in L.A. Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests plans for their future are not known So far, the Wests have not commented on the state of their marriage or their plans for the future. In recent weeks, the Graduation rapper has limited his social media presence while Kardashian West has shifted her attention back to her business pursuits. At this point in time, Kim doesnt feel like talking about it, a source who is supposedly close to the family told HollywoodLife in a recent report. She doesnt bring him up and is keeping whats happening with him very, very private. Shes in her normal, good mood, and you wouldnt know if something was going on with her or her marriage. Though it might sound like they are on two different trajectories, their recent moves suggest that they really do want to stay married and are trying to find a system that works best for them. Kenosha police have released pictures and videos of seven suspects wanted for arson after several fires were started during the week of riots following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Law enforcement want to speak to four men and three women in connection with at least six fires started at various locations - including a garbage truck which was set ablaze on August 23. Another clip shared by police showed a protester pouring liquid into a car as it erupts into flame while a third shows a fire inside the Kenosha Probation and Parole Building. In total 20 building and seven vehicle fires are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT), the US Attorney's Office and local law enforcement. Kenosha, Wisconsin, emerged as the latest flashpoint in a summer of US demonstrations against police brutality and racism after 29-year-old Blake was shot seven times in the back by police officers on August 23, leaving him paralyzed. Kenosha police have released pictures and videos of seven suspects wanted for arson after several fires (one pictured) were started during the week of riots following the police shooting of Jacob Blake Law enforcement want to speak to four men and three women in connection with at least six fires started at various locations - including a garbage truck which was set ablaze (pictured) on August 23 Another clip shared by police showed a protester pouring liquid into a car as it erupts into flame Police want to identify this woman in relation to an arson that occurred at TCF Bank on August 24 Police wish to speak to this woman (left) in relation to multiple arsons that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24. They also want to talk to a man (right) in relation to an arson which occurred at Kenosha Probation and Parole Building Police want to identify this woman (left) in relation to an arson that occurred on August 24. They wish to speak to this man (right) in relation to a fire which occurred at B&L Furniture store that same day A third clip shows the inside of Kenosha Probation and Parole Building in flames (pictured) Anger at Blake's shooting, captured on video that went viral, led to street skirmishes with protesters hurling firecrackers and bricks at police in riot gear who fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets. Protests devolving into violence left countless buildings burned, businesses looted and destroyed, cars charred and streets littered with debris. The situation escalated on August 25 when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who is white, opened fire on demonstrators with a semi-automatic rifle, killing two people and injuring a third. Police stand near a garbage truck ablaze on August 24 during protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha A vehicle burns after a car was set on fire in Kenosha. Law Enforcement want to speak to four men and three women in connection with at least six fires started at various locations - including a garbage truck which was set ablaze on August 23 In total 20 building and seven vehicle fires (a garbage truck on fire, pictured) are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT), the US Attorney's Office and local law enforcement Protests which devolved into violence left countless buildings burned, businesses looted and destroyed, cars charred and streets littered with debris Kenosha, Wisconsin, emerged as the latest flashpoint in a summer of US demonstrations against police brutality and racism. Pictured: A department of corrections building that was on fire during protests Officials instated a 7pm curfew the same day as the Rittenhouse shooting in an effort to curb the violence as more than 1,000 National Guard troops descended on the city. Those troops have not yet been withdrawn. The 7pm curfew was lifted by officials on Wednesday. United States Attorney Matthew Krueger said in a statement today: 'With remarkable speed, the ATF's National Response Team has already processed the fire scenes and isolated images of individuals who may have important information. 'Now we need the public's help in reviewing these images. The U.S. Attorney's Office, with the ATF and our state and local partners, will continue working to hold accountable anyone responsible for the arsons that devastated Kenosha.' Special Agent in Charge Kristen de Tineo of AFT's Chicago Field Division said: 'We are asking the community to look at these images and videos and provide information to help solve these arsons. 'Engaging the community is imperative to not only solving these arsons, it will help the community heal and build trust among all Kenosha stakeholders.' Speaking after the curfew was lifted yesterday, Mayor John Antaramian said: 'After consulting with local law enforcement agencies, I have decided the curfew is no longer needed. 'The last several nights have been relatively peaceful in the community, and in the judgment of law enforcement, it is appropriate to remove the curfew.' But Antaramian warned that he would not hesitate to reinstate the curfew if more violence erupted in its absence, saying: 'Criminal activity will not be tolerated and arrests will be made if needed.' The move to lift the curfew, which was originally set to expire next week, came the day after President Donald Trump visited Kenosha and toured property damage and held a roundtable discussion with law enforcement and local officials. Burned out vehicles are seen Monday, August 24, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Many were set on fire during the protests A car on fire on August 26 in Kenosha. Anger at Blake's shooting, captured on video that went viral, led to street skirmishes with protesters hurling firecrackers and bricks at police in riot gear who fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets The situation escalated on August 25 when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who is white, opened fire on demonstrators with a semi-automatic rifle, killing two people and injuring a third. Pictured: A store on fire in Kenosha Jacob Blake (pictured with one of his six children) was left paralyzed after cops shot him multiple times in the back as he entered his car on August 23 Wisconsin's governor and Kenosha's mayor, both Democrats, had urged Trump not to visit because they feared it could exacerbate the unrest in the city. 'While presidents are always welcome to come to this great city, this is not the best time for a visit,' Mayor 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.' But the president ignored his plea and in the end concerns about stoking violence were not manifested. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden followed Trump's lead and is planning to visit Kenosha with his wife Jill on Thursday. An incendiary device goes off in front of a Kenosha Country Sheriff Vehicle as demonstrators take part in a protest on August 25 A sign with the phrase '#KenoshaStrong' is seen among the rubble of a building that was burned down during riots that erupted after Blake was shot Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian (pictured) on Wednesday lifted a curfew in the city that was roiled by a week of riots and unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake The move to lift the curfew, which was originally set to expire next week, came the day after President Donald Trump visited Kenosha and toured property damage on Tuesday (pictured) The Biden campaign said that the former vice president will 'hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face.' Afterward, both Joe and Jill Biden will make a 'local stop.' Biden had hinted on Monday after delivering a speech in Pittsburgh that he was considering going to the Wisconsin city. His campaign has already reached out to Blake's family and plans to meet with them on Thursday during his visit. 'Biden's contacted the family,' Jason Blake, Blake's uncle, told DailyMail.com. 'They've had a phone conversation with my brother. I'm sure they're going to make their way to meet with my family.' 'We want someone in the White House that will unite the whole country,' he added. 'We believe Biden is trying to united all Americans. I'm grateful to be able to meet him. I'm going to demand from him what we demand from anyone else - that there be legislation and laws protecting African Americans' safety and well being and that we have economic opportunity to build up our own communities.' SEATTLE, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Odds of success just improved for entrepreneurs and startups everywhere with the publication of Startup Law and Fundraising for Entrepreneurs and Startup Advisors. Available on Amazon in paperback and e-book. The No. 1 challenge for startups is building something people want. But entrepreneurs are vexed by two other challenges: staying out of trouble and raising money. Startup Law and Fundraising teaches both like no other book - a master course brought to life by 51 colorful startup case studies. Startup Law and Fundraising for Entrepreneurs and Startup Advisors Author, lawyer, startup-fixer, and adjunct law professor Paul Swegle wrote Startup Law and Fundraising as a 580-page follow-up to talks by the same name he has given 25 times in 15 cities. Swegle says: "I gave my talks and wrote this book to help entrepreneurs and their advisors do three things: build on a solid foundation, avoid costly and distracting mistakes, and raise money needed for success. In other words, build more and fix less." The result is a powerful text with all the heft for any law or MBA class, but with an entrepreneur-friendly style, practicality, and readability. About the Author. Paul Swegle, a former SEC/DOJ attorney, has counseled more than 100 companies through good times and bad. He has served as general counsel to several startups ultimately acquired by household brands like Capital One, Abbott, ING, and Nortek. His 2018 book, Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals, is an Amazon business law top-seller. Paul lives in Seattle and helps build startups all over the country. Business Law Seminar Group, LLC 9416 24th Ave NW Seattle, Washington 98117 (206) 300-7165 [email protected] www.amazon.com/author/paulswegle www.facebook.com/lawtalks/ SOURCE Business Law Seminar Group, LLC SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation grew a little larger Thursday morning, as the firm added 60 more devices to the network. The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 8:46am ET from Launch Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center carrying the new batch of broadband satellites. The mission was originally set for Sunday, but was unable to get off the ground due to poor weather plaguing the Florida coast. Filled with one million pounds of kerosene, Falcon 9 took over the launch countdown with just 60 seconds on the clock and at 30 seconds, all systems were go for launch. The rocket successfully soared into space, marking its 12th Starlink mission that brings the mega constellation to 713 internet-beaming devices. SpaceX also revealed that its satellites have shown 'super low latency and download speeds greater than 100 mbps,' but the speeds are still off from what the firm had originally promised. Scroll down for video SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation grew a little larger Thursday morning, as the firm added 60 more devices to the network. The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 8:46am ET from Launch Complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center carrying the new batch of broadband satellites 'What a beautiful sight,' SpaceX engineer and launch commentator Kate Tice said after the satellites floated away after a smooth deployment. Falcon 9 took off on time, roaring its engines and releasing a stream of while smoke. SpaceX had originally set Sunday as the launch day, which was set to see two separate Falcon 9 rockets take off from the Florida launch pad and would have been a first for the firm. Stormy weather rolled in and thunderstorms forced the team to abort the mission, but the crew was able to send the new batch into orbit Thursday. SpaceX confirmed the 60 Starlinks successfully deployed from the rocket's upper stage and are now floating in orbit. 'What a beautiful sight,' SpaceX engineer and launch commentator Kate Tice said after the satellites floated away after a smooth deployment. Falcon 9 took off on time, roaring its engines and releasing a stream of while smoke Filled with one million pounds of kerosene, Falcon 9 took over the launch countdown with just 60 seconds on the clock and at 30 seconds, all systems were go for launch Shortly after deployment, the Falcon 9 booster returned to Earth and landed on SpaceX's drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You.' The firm shared a tweet shortly after the mission regarding the satellites: 'In initial tests of Starlink, the team has been collecting latency data and performing standard speed tests of the system.' 'Results from these tests have shown super low latency and download speeds greater than 100 mbps fast enough to stream multiple HD movies at once and still have bandwidth to spare.' Internet service will first rollout as a pilot, which the firm said it needs about 800 satellites to start and has begun signups to test the technology. This is SpaceX's 12th Starlink satellite mission Falcon 9 took off successfully and deployed the new batch into orbit SpaceX has hit a few bumps along its career, but has recently made strides in launching rockets. Just two weeks ago, it completed the first test flight of the massive Starship rocket that soared nearly 500 feet into the air Internet service will first rollout as a pilot, which the firm said it needs about 800 satellites to start and has begun signups to test the technology. CEO Elon Musk has said that the price for the Internet - which promises gigabit speeds with 15 to 25ms latency - will be about $80 per month, making it competitive with other traditional high-speed providers like Verizon Fios. The firm aims to have more than 1,000 satellites in orbit by the end of the year and has also been approved by the FCC to launch over 12,000 in total. SpaceX has hit a few bumps along its career, but has recently made strides in launching rockets. Just two weeks ago, it completed the first test flight of the massive Starship rocket that soared nearly 500 feet into the air. None of SpaceX's recent accomplishments can compare to their joint mission with NASA in May that sent astronauts Doug Hurley(left) and Bob Behnken (right) to the International Space Station The crew took off in an America rocket from Florida a feat that has not been done in nearly nine years The rocket, which aims to one-day bring humans to Mars, has experienced a number of setbacks specifically exploding during testing. And the SN6 prototype could make its first 'hop' today at the SpaceX testing facility in Boca Chica, Texas. However, none of SpaceX's recent accomplishments can compare to their joint mission with NASA in May that sent astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. The crew took off in an America rocket from Florida a feat that has not been done in nearly nine years. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 11:18:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- "The spirit of the World Anti-Fascist War characterized by concerted efforts, unity and mutual assistance should be carried forward," Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai and Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov have said. In the face of global threats and challenges such as climate change, terrorism, economic recession and pandemics, the winning nations of World War II, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council, based on their shared memory of fighting side by side, "should ponder on their special responsibilities, strengthen mutual trust and cooperation, and follow the principles of mutual respect, equality, peaceful development and common prosperity," said the ambassadors to the United States in their co-authored article published by Defense One on Wednesday. "This is urgently relevant in the context of the raging COVID-19," they said in the article titled "Honor the History for a Better Future" to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On Sept. 3, Russia commemorates the end of World War II, and the Chinese people celebrate the great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. "Since that day in 1945, the sun of peace once again shone on the earth. On the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Allies in World War II, we are remembering the historic contribution of the earlier generations of our two countries," they said. "In the meanwhile, we want to congratulate our ally at the time, the representatives of the American 'Greatest Generation', and thank them for their self-sacrifice." At the historic moment of the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, this joint article is a continuation of the fine tradition of Russia and China to jointly commemorate the victory and an implementation of the important consensus between Russian and Chinese leaders, said the ambassadors. "History is a mirror to the future. Honoring history, we aim to create a better future." "History should not be distorted and lessons from history must be learned. The law of the jungle leaves the weak at the mercy of the strong; it is not the way for countries to conduct their relations. Those who adopt the high-handed approach of using force will find that they are only lifting a rock to drop on their own feet," they said. "We should give up the thinking of zero-sum game, strive for win-win cooperation and realize the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind," they said. "This is the only right choice if we are to turn into reality the ideal 'to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind', as enshrined in the UN Charter." As a historical achievement of the World Anti-Fascist War, the international order and system with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as the core must be maintained, said the ambassadors. "Seventy-five years ago, our fathers laid the cornerstone of the modern international order, with the wisdom of all parties, by establishing the United Nations and formulating the UN Charter. Seventy-five years on, we still have the obligation to maintain and develop this order and system that has made great contributions to world peace, security and stability," they said. "The basic norms of international relations, such as the inviolability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and non-interference into their internal affairs, should be respected. And multilateralism should be put into practice," they said. "Russia and China have made the right choices. We will stay committed to our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, push forward cooperation as good neighbors and friends, promote global stability and security, and contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of all countries. We believe that the best way to commemorate the war is to avoid a repeat of the tragedy and join hands to open up a better future," they said. The ambassadors pointed out World War II was an unprecedented calamity in human history. The Soviet Union, China, the United States and other peace-loving countries supported each other and fought side by side in the war. In the end, justice prevailed over evil, light over darkness and the progressive over the reactionary. As the main theaters in Europe and Asia, the Soviet Union and China suffered more than 27 million deaths and 35 million casualties respectively, making indelible contributions to the victory of the war and the future of mankind, they said. "The friendship developed between the Russian and Chinese people in World War II represents an inexhaustible driving force for Russia-China relations and would last throughout the times," read the article. "It has become a tradition for the two countries to jointly commemorate the war, with leaders attending the celebrations held by the other country many times," said the ambassadors. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on May 8 that both as major victors in World War II and permanent members of the UN Security Council, the two countries shoulder the special missions of maintaining world peace and security and promoting human development and progress. China, Xi said, stands ready to work with Russia to firmly safeguard the fruits of the World War II victory as well as international fairness and justice. Enditem Democratic presidential candidate has urged charges against police who shot two black Americans, Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor. Speaking in Delaware on Wednesday, Biden did not specify what counts should be brought in the cases, which have fuelled racial justice protests nationwide, the BBC reported. The Democrat spoke after notching up a record fundraising haul in August. He has a lead over President Donald Trump, a Republican, in opinion polls ahead of November's election. During a news conference in his hometown of Wilmington on Wednesday, Biden was asked whether he agreed with his running mate, Kamala Harris, that the officers in the Blake and Taylor cases should be charged. "I think we should let the judicial system work its way," he said. "I do think at a minimum, they need to be charged, the officers." Blake, 29, was shot seven times in the back and paralysed during an arrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 23 August. No action has so far been taken against the officer involved, pending investigations by the Wisconsin and US departments of justice. Taylor, 26, was fatally shot in her home during a drug raid in Louisville, Kentucky, on 13 March. One of the officers is losing his job; two others have been placed on administrative leave as the investigation into their actions proceeds. Biden also mentioned the gunman, identified in US media as a far-left activist, who fatally shot a Trump supporter on the streets of Portland, Oregon, last weekend. The Democratic nominee stopped short of calling for charges in that case, but said: "They should be investigated and it should follow through on what needs to be done. "Let the judicial system work. Let's make sure justice is done." Biden had been delivering remarks about how to open schools safely in light of the coronavirus pandemic. His comments came a day before he travels to Kenosha, where he says he wants to help "heal" the city after it was rocked by days of violent protests. Biden said he had received "overwhelming requests" to visit this latest flashpoint in America's racial reckoning over law enforcement shootings. The Democrat will meet the Blake family during the visit, a campaign official told the Washington Post. President Trump, a Republican, did not meet the family during his own visit to Kenosha on Tuesday, saying he decided not to because of plans to have lawyers attend with the relatives. Biden's visit to Wisconsin comes four years after the previous Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, overlooked the state during her campaigning, and it turned out to be pivotal in Trump's against-all-odds 2016 election victory. At his own event in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump continued to talk tough about "violent mobs" at protests. "These people know one thing - strength," he said. On Wednesday, the Biden campaign announced a $364m (272m) fundraising haul for August, more than both he and Trump pulled in in the previous month. He will spend $45m of his war chest on an ad rebutting opposition claims he will not stand up to rioters and looters. The Biden ad will splice clips of him condemning violence at protests, which he has done several times since the demonstrations began with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May. Trump, meanwhile, will air a duelling ad in Minnesota with the message: "Communities not criminals. Jobs not mobs." Biden has a clear single-digit lead in opinion polls nationally and is ahead by a somewhat smaller margin in the handful of swing states that will actually decide this election. A new survey covering the critical state of Pennsylvania, by Monmouth University on Wednesday, showed Biden's lead over Trump had shrunk from 10 points in July to three points now. --IANS rt/ (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 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, announced in a an op-ed for USA Today on Thursday he is supporting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the upcoming election. He wrote that Republican President Donald Trump is a bully who is verbally abusive to those who oppose him and divides, rather than unites the nation. Being strong is standing up for your convictions. Being a bully is trying to intimidate those who are perceived to be weaker or a threat. As a proud nerd, I had to deal with bullies over many years; it is tragedy watching our world suffer from one, Snyder wrote. He instead is endorsing Biden, who he interacted with when Biden was Vice President under former President Barack Obama. He has shown the desire to heal a deeply divided nation; has demonstrated strong moral character and empathy; and he seems willing to listen to people who have different perspectives from his own, Snyder wrote. He notes that he is still a Republican who has supported other Republican presidential candidates and will continue to support other Republicans. While I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level, Snyder wrote. Snyder came into office branding himself as a nerd, and didnt engage in the public vitriol that sometimes marks the political sphere. His motto was relentless positive action, something he repeatedly called on instead of going negative. As Snyders term as governor drew to a close he spoke publicly about wanting to increase civility in politics. In a 2018 speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference, he cited it as his greatest concern. My greatest concern for our nation is the lack of civility that we have. How can you be the worlds greatest country if you cant get along with yourself? he said at the time. Related stories: 11 years later, the auto rescue is still a campaign issue in Michigan. Heres why Joe Biden is leaning into it. Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as vice presidential running mate Why Michigan Trump supporters are sticking with the president in 2020 If the Black Lives Matter movement has an anthem, its probably Kendrick Lamars Alright. Five years after its release, its still chanted en masse by demonstrators and blasted from car stereos at protests, fluttering in the air like a liberation flag. Like many revolutionary anthems past, this one is the work of young jazz-trained musicians. Terrace Martins shivering alto saxophone and Thundercats gauzy vocals are as powerful as the tracks spitfire refrain: Can you hear me, can you feel me?/We gon be all right. Mr. Martin, Thundercat and the famed saxophonist Kamasi Washington came up together in Los Angeless Leimert Park scene, where Black music, poetry, theater and dance have blended for decades. Romantically, its the kind of place youd imagine as the backbone of the jazz world, like Spike Lees Bed-Stuy of the 1980s or Dizzy Gillespies Harlem in the 40s. But today, local scenes like this one are barely surviving. Its the Ivory Tower, not the city, that has become the traditions main thoroughfare. The music known as jazz grew up in New Orleans, in the decades after Emancipation, as Black and Creole people founded social clubs with their own marching bands. As it evolved, jazz remained a resistance music precisely because it was the sound of Black Americans building something together, in the face of repression. But at the end of the 1960s, just as calls for Black Power were motivating musicians to create their own publishing houses, venues and record labels, a new force emerged: Schools and universities across the country began welcoming jazz as Americas so-called classical music, canonizing its older styles and effectively freezing it in place. Hyderabad, Sep 3 : After more than five months, Hyderabad Metro Rail is all set to resume its operations from September 7 by operating trains on one of its three corridors. Following the Unlock 4.0 guidelines issued by the Centre and the permission accorded by the state government, Hyderabad Metro Rail on Thursday announced resumption of services in a phased manner. Under the first phase, the Miyapur to LB Nagar corridor would be made operational from September 7. However, the services would be operated from 7 a.m. to 12 noon and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Nagole to Raidurg stretch would also be made operational from the next day. Under the third phase, all three corridors would be operational from September 9 with services from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Frequency of trains will be around five minutes. It will be improved or decreased based on passenger traffic and to avoid crowding, said Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy. Five stations falling in the containment zones will remain closed. They are -- Gandhi Hospital, Bharat Nagar, Moosapet, Musheerabad and Yusufguda. N.V.S. Reddy held a meeting with L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited MD K.V.B. Reddy and senior officials of HMRL and L&T MRHL on the preparedness and safety measures to be taken for resumption of services. The meeting evolved the broad guidelines and the standard operating procedures (SOPs). In order to ensure social distancing, suitable markings will be made at the stations and inside the trains. Alternate seats will be marked 'X' inside the train and kept vacant. "Wearing face mask is mandatory for all passengers and staff. Metro Rail will make arrangements for supply of masks on payment basis to the persons arriving without mask. Suitable penalty as per the regulations shall be imposed for any violation," Reddy said. Only asymptomatic persons will be allowed to travel after thermal screening at the entry point of the stations. Symptomatic persons would be advised to go to a nearby Covid Care Centre/hospital for testing/medical attention. Pedal sanitisers will be kept at the entry points for the passengers. Proper PPE kits and sanitisers will be provided to the employees/security personnel, who are likely to be in proximate contact with the commuters for longer duration. Smart cards and mobile QR tickets with cashless/online transactions will be encouraged. Hyderabad Metro, which had suspended commercial operations from March 22, will be resuming the services after 169 days. It was operating 55 trains carrying about 4.5 lakh passengers every day before the lockdown. The 73-km elevated metro is the biggest metro project in the world in public private partnership (PPP) model at a total cost of Rs 20,000 crore. L&T MRHL, the private partner in the project, is estimated to have suffered Rs 300 crore loss during the last five-and-a-half months. However, those associated with the project say that it will take a very long time before the Metro could get back to pre-Covid days as business activities are yet to return to normal and people are still scared to travel. L&T MRHL is reported to be looking for the state government's support till things completely return to normal. The government has reportedly assured L&T that it will extend all subsidies and financial support to recover the earnings lost during the lockdown period. Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the project was doing well by breaking new records in terms of passenger patronage. The L&T MRHL was making operational profits but the officials had estimated that it could take another 7-8 years for the project to reach break-even. Now with Covid-19 and its long-term impact, this is likely to get further delayed. In February this year, with the launch of the 11-km stretch from the Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), Hyderabad Metro Rail had become the second largest metro rail network in the country after Delhi, covering a distance of 69.2 km. Barring the 3.78 km stretch from MGBS to Falaknuma, the famous palace in the old city, the entire project has been completed. The project was inaugurated in November 2017 with the opening of the Miyapur-Ameerpet-Nagole section. Subsequently, three other sections were opened. After a lengthy career in the construction business, Greg Barrineau decided to open Drink Texas in 2014 downtown on the corner of Navarro and Market streets. He considered bars a safe, recession-proof industry that would have patrons in both the good times and the bad. But then came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the closure of both of Barrineaus Drink Texas bars, the second located in Boerne. He previously had locations also in Stone Oak and Broadway, but they closed before the pandemic. On June 26, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars closed. Those with kitchens could continue selling food, but only for takeout. It was the second time he had shut down bars during the pandemic while restaurants have stayed open since May and that policy disparity has had bar owners crying foul ever since. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on July 30 issued new guidelines allowing businesses classified as bars but that also serve food the chance to reclassify themselves as restaurants. The decision allowed many bars to reopen their dining rooms after five weeks of drastic losses. The TABC further loosened the rules for bars to reclassify as restaurants on Aug. 26, lifting the requirement for an on-site kitchen and letting bars count the sales from prepackaged food and food trucks as food revenue. But Barrineaus Drink Texas bars do not serve food, any food. Its now been nearly 130 days through the two shutdowns that neither property has been able to produce any income. As one of six members on the board of the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance, a group that has been actively advocating for Abbott to reopen bars, Barrineau has been such a vocal advocate, industry peers have given him the nickname The Governor. Barrineau knows coronavirus is serious; he contracted COVID-19 in June. Now recovered, he regularly donates plasma to help other coronavirus patients recover more quickly. The Express-News sat down with Barrineau inside his downtown bar and talked about the state of affairs of an industry that has been on perpetual lockdown with seemingly no end in sight. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. On ExpressNews.com: TABC allows Texas bars with kitchens to reopen their dining rooms after reclassifying as restaurants Was it a surprise to you when they initially shut down the bars with the restaurants because of a virus, and did you see it originally as a short-term deal? Yes, it was surprising it happened, but (the first shutdown) understandable. When restaurants were allowed to reopen, and we couldnt, that was something that was a bitter pill to swallow. Restaurant bars were able to open, so it was a case of one entity was allowed to have different rules than another. It wasnt, and still isnt, fair. They are drinking the exact same drinks, and I need somebody to explain to me how food is a buffer for coronavirus. Why were bars singled out in the way that they were? Bars were an easy target politically. There are enough people in government who dont really care if we ever get to reopen, and might just say to drink at home. Thats the only answer that I can have. I dont have anything else, because it just doesnt make sense. When we were open, tables were 6 feet apart, patrons were required to wear their masks when they stood up, there were (four) barstools at the bar, and our staff wore masks. We made sure that our customers and our staff were safe. We did everything we could to practice social distancing and make sure customers could enjoy the time they had with us and be safe. How is that different from a restaurant bar? Was it the second shutdown June 26 that really kind of hit you over the head like a sledgehammer, when Gov. Abbott gave everybody about two hours notice that you had to close again on a routine Friday? The second shutdown was disturbing because we were the only business singled out by the entire state of Texas, with the exception of tubers. We were the only ones closed. Thats not right. Do you think in the future, owners and workers will be less likely to enter the bar industry as a result of this? I hope that we get beyond this and the political powers realize that it was a mistake to single out a particular type of business, purely because of a license type. Politically, people have decided in Texas, you are more likely to catch the corona (at a bar). We dont sell food here, but a lot of bars that did sell food were closed also. They could have been considered a restaurant, and now some are, but it all goes back to the (license). On ExpressNews.com: Texas bar shutdown likely dooms many San Antonio-area bars The TABC passed the food provision for bars to reopen if they could prove that alcohol sales were less than 50 percent of their income. To what degree are you considering adding food? Honestly, I dont want to do it. I like being just a bar. Ive done food. Ive had locations where I had food programs. Its not my thing. Im good at the bar business and prefer to stay out of the restaurant business. Im considering it because I dont know how many waves of this coronavirus were gonna have. And if I can get open again, I dont want to get closed back down because politically, somebody needs to get closed. What does the optimist in you say? When do you think you can realistically open back up? What we are hearing is that Jerry Jones has convinced the governor that 50 percent occupancy at (Dallas) Cowboys games will be allowed. We are wondering how he can allow that, but not allow bars to be open? The governor has also made comments that he wants to get through the hurricane, schools being reopened and Labor Day weekend. And if the trends of (coronavirus) going down continue, he will consider more openings. Well, there is only one thing left to consider to open: bars. We are hopeful in the next couple weeks, we dont have to fight this fight anymore. How has staffing been affected? Will it be a problem to bring staff back, and could this lead to a massive shortage of workers in the industry? Im not saying that yet. In our initial closure round, our entire staff found a way to survive for 60 days, whether it was through unemployment, or other means. This round, Im seeing more of them finding other jobs to do, so Im not sure how many will come back. And who can blame them? There has been so much time. Some staff has gone on to work at other bars that serve food. Its kind of sad that my staff can go to other bars, and my patrons are free to go to other bars, and all we can do is sit here closed. You are one of six on the board with the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance, and the organization put a platform together that was presented to the governor with industry recommendations. A lot of those were adopted when restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen in regards to service standards and social distancing. Why the stall now? The governor doubled-down when he admitted he made a mistake of opening the bars the first time. So hes being very careful when he will announce they can open again. Its as simple as that in my opinion. Would you say the relationship between the TBNA and state was healthy going into this? Weve always worked with the state and the TABC. Weve been working hard with the governor and the task force. We pushed hard that first (shutdown to reopen), but this time, they havent been very responsive or receptive to any dialogue. When you do get to reopen, how important will it be for the bar owners to adhere to the guidelines? Its incredibly important, so we can show that our industry is an industry of professionals, and we take it seriously. There is an opinion out there that is not what we are. Ive heard comments that people go into bars and drink too much, and nobody can control them. Well, thats our jobs. Thats what we do every single day, and were good at, to control what people drink. Theres no reason we cant keep our customers and staff in compliance. Is this a situation that will lead to catastrophic consequences for bar business owners, or do you think there is still time to get through this? It depends on who you are talking about, but the bars are closing on a regular basis throughout Texas. People are giving up. Its almost like there is an effort to eliminate the local neighborhood bar. Because at this point, thats what we are down to: the noncorporate neighborhood bars that are being effected. You can name corporate after corporate Chilis, Appelbees, Hooters, Twin Pinks and all of them are open. There arent many bar owners who can afford to be closed for a quarter or more of the year with zero revenue. And if we go to half a year, even the corporate restaurants will start closing up. Theres no breaks on leases, and you have to pay to open the locks whether you are open or not. Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.comTo read more from Chuck, become a subscriber. cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver The view of the Isle of Rum, as seen from Laig Bay on the Isle of Eigg, Small Isles, Scotland. (Getty) Hundreds of people from across the globe have applied to live on a remote Scottish island with COVID-19 being mentioned as a factor in some applications. The Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides, put out a call for tenants to join the population of around just 30 people after building four new two-bedroom eco homes. More than 3,000 applications came in from countries around the world including Argentina, USA, Australia, Spain and Italy as well as a number of bids made by Londoners looking to swap the city for island life. The Isle of Rum Community Trust, which launched the search for new residents, hopes to raise the population of the island to 60 people with the new accommodation. The Isle of Rum has just 30 residents. (Photofusion/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) The greater resident numbers will support the island school, which has a roll of just two, as well as future investment and infrastructure projects. Steve Robertson, development manager at the trust, said he was very pleased with the response and said the pandemic may have helped to drive the high level of interest. He said: "Perhaps COVID-19 has helped and certainly it has been mentioned a few times. If there is further lockdown, you have all the space on the island, the beaches, the cliffs. "There does seem to be something special about the idea of completely breaking from whatever life you have and moving to a small island. "It can work really well for people. Robertson said consideration would particularly be given to small families and those who had a business they could take to Rum. He said some applicants had shown interest in taking up one of the homes and building other properties on the island, to help drive further population growth. All homes on the island are fitted with high quality fibre broadband, allowing people to work from home, with other jobs in childcare, food production and house maintenance. Care will be taken to get the right fit of people for the island, where challenges include the lack of healthcare. Robertson added: We might not get it perfect but we will do our best to make it clear to newcomers as to what they might expect from moving to Rum. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 surged to 4,55,09,380 in the country with a record 11,72,179 tests being conducted in a single day on Wednesday, said the Union Health Ministry underlining that Indias daily testing numbers are one of the highest in the world. Higher testing numbers subsequently result in lowered positivity rate, it said. India has witnessed an unprecedented surge in testing. Over 11.7 lakh tests were done in 24 hours,the ministry said. From conducting merely 10 tests per day on January 30, the daily average has crossed more than 11 lakh, the ministry adding this demonstrates an exponential increase in the daily COVID-19 testing in the country. From conducting merely 10 tests per day on January 30, the daily average has crossed more than 11 lakh, the ministry adding this demonstrates an exponential increase in the daily COVID-19 testing in the country. "Such highlevels of testing on a sustained basis over a period of time in widespread areas enables early diagnosis, and in turn facilitates seamless isolation and effective hospitalisation. This eventually leads to lower mortality rate". 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 Higher numbers of testing also subsequently result in lowered positivity rate, the ministry said. Indias COVID-19case fatality rate due to the disease has further dropped to 1.75 per cent as on date, while the national recovery rate has risen to 77.09 per cent. There are 8,15,538 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 21.16 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The surge in testing has been made possible by an equally speedy expansion in the testing lab network across the country. India has as on date 1,623 labs in the country with 1,022 labs in the government sector and 601 private labs, the ministry said. With a record single-day spike of 83,883 infections, Indias COVID-19 caseload mounted to38,53,406,while the deathtoll climbed to 67,376 with 1,043 people succumbing to the disease ina day,the ministrys data updated at 8 am showed. Your browser does not support the video tag. In this special issue of Science, a series of Insights pieces examines the current state of democracy worldwide. "20 years ago, it seemed inevitable that democracy would reach every corner of the globe," write Science Senior Editor Brad Wible and Science Associate Editor Tage Rai, in an introduction. "In this moment we are reminded that we must fight for democracy and work to improve it." Wible and Rai make the stakes clear: "A scientific understanding of the social and behavioral phenomena that underlie [democracy's] operation will help us enhance democracy and, by doing so, improve human lives and societies globally." In a Perspective, David Nickerson and Todd Rogers discuss how political campaigns, which can raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle to maximize the chances of victory, have far less influence on real-world election outcomes than it may seem. A Policy Forum by Wendy Cho and Bruce Cain reviews the topic of gerrymandering, which artificial intelligence (AI) has been proposed to help alleviate. Cho and Cain argue that leaving redistricting to the machines does not guarantee a fair outcome; the role of AI is to augment human capabilities by regulating nefarious intent with increased transparency, they say, and human-AI collaboration is key. In a second Policy Forum, Vesla Weaver and Gwen Prowse highlight a phenomenon overlooked by scholars of U.S. politics; namely, that when authoritarian modes of governance are concentrated on racialized and historically oppressed Americans, they are rarely seen as violations of democracy. According to the authors, this type of governance - including violent police responses to peaceful protests - may provide an opportunity for more traditional forms of fascism to grow, leaving some segments of the population to experience differential citizenship. Weaver and Prowse propose ways to improve how democracy operates in policed societies. In the first of four Reviews, Rohini Pande asks if democracy can work for millions of the world's poorest living in "middle-income" democracies where citizens have yet to use their vote to ensure adequate redistribution of wealth. Since the political voice of the poor is often limited by social and economic disadvantages, Pande argues that the democratic state needs to be reformed so that it can better serve these populations. A second Review by Deen Freelon and colleagues highlights the differences between online activism from both the political left and political right. It's clear that left-wing and right-wing activists use different socio-technical channels and methods to organize and spread their messages, and such ideological asymmetries, say the authors, hold critical implications for democratic practice and social media governance. Delia Baldassarri and Maria Abascal discuss social cohesion in multi-ethnic societies in a third Review. They argue that fostering prosocial behavior within such societies requires economic inclusion. In the final Review, Susan Hyde provides an overview on how the growth of democracy around the world has slowed, and in some cases, declined. This is an important time for scholars to study "democratic backsliding," she says; as compared to past decades, when support for democracy was more roundly felt worldwide, the precipitous decline in international support for democracy in recent years should provide new insights into important questions, including which cases that had previously been interpreted as democratization were illusory to begin with. ### Black Indianapolis, like most other large Black populations, faces the prospect of microaggressions, discriminatory action and even outright abuse each day by a variety of institutions including at work, neighborhoods, schools, financial institutions, social service agencies and other public places. In fact, when Black people show up in economics its usually in the form of discrimination in markets, be it labor force, housing, access to capital, etc. Black economic and social reality include the nearly certain possibility of invidious discrimination at any moment regardless of personal success, comportment or social position. Right now, if something happened most of us wouldnt know the first place to go or even the information we would need to file a discrimination complaint. There is also the issue of whether or not complaints are even taken seriously and resolved in a timely fashion. Of course, entities like the citys Equal Opportunity Advisory Board or even the states Civil Rights Commission will note the limited resources and broad lack of awareness on how to file an actual complaint that stymies their potential impact. They are under-resourced institutions tasked with a big job. To be clear, both our government and private sector, or nonprofit agencies, are doing the best they can in a political environment that hasnt been as focused as it shouldve been in the past. We need more from our civil rights entities, including better policies, but for now lets focus on the infrastructure. The Equal Opportunity Advisory Commission should have a much larger role in the citys diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. People need to know that the organization exists and understand the value of the work this entity can bring to addressing the discriminatory acts Black Indianapolis must endure. We need more capacity within our system for addressing discrimination, which would mean better use of government resources, but perhaps there is more of an opportunity to leverage the private sector as well. Can we shift our view of the goals of the various boards and commission we have at the city? Imagine if the board that licensed security firms knew about some of the alleged activities involving Melvin Hall and his company. Even if the allegations are unfounded, an investigation shouldve happened and it shouldnt always require citizens to file a complaint. What if the Metropolitan Development Commission or the Public Works Board or even the Historic Preservation Commission saw in their work the possibility to address invidious discrimination happening to Black people? A 2018 report from Brookings Institution found that homes in majority-Black neighborhoods were devalued by as much as $18,000 relative to similar homes in predominantly white neighborhoods. What if the Marion County Assessors Office saw the undervaluing of Black homes by local assessors as a clear issue of wealth destruction and acted as an anti-discriminatory agent? This might mean challenging prevailing norms, but havent we already decided we need a new normal? On some level when we consider the compounding effect of racial injustice, I should hope these entities and others would be open to the prospect of their work including some attention to racial justice moving forward. City government should also consider outsourcing some enforcement roles with violators paying fixed fees to government and fees to victims of invidious discrimination. Discrimination is really difficult to prove based on the current legal regime, and when there really is only the economic incentive for companies to avoid punishment the scale is tipped. Government should be incentivized to proactively look for discrimination in the private sector. Fees are one way to do this, but to be clear these fees should not reduce any penalties or settlements a citizen who has suffered from discrimination might be entitled to after an investigation and verdict. Outsourcing of anti-discrimination work might look like contracts with nonprofit civil rights organizations for testing for discrimination in employment, housing and financial markets on a regular basis. It might also look like contracts to plaintiff law firms where the city funds initial investigations. The private sector needs to be engaged more in addressing discrimination. Its necessary. Before I get accused of advocating for a nanny state, I recognize the limits. Id love for MIBOR to somehow get predatory investors to stop the reverse redlining happening in Black neighborhoods. And while I recognize that I dont have the mechanism to forestall this activity, even if I did, these are still private transactions. I also think the city prosecutor, not the county prosecutor, has a role to play in this. The city prosecutor might actually be the ideal agency to coordinate city anti-discrimination efforts. Weve seen the numbers on housing discrimination produced by the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana investigation, which was funded by the city. Ive written about what happened in the Payroll Protection Program and Black businesses. We know whats happening. The city knows what is happening. I get it. We wont be able to stop it all, but are we really even trying to stop much now? Now is the time for the implementation of an improved anti-discrimination system in Indianapolis. Marshawn Wolley is a lecturer, commentator, business owner and civic entrepreneur. Contact him at marshawnwolley@gmail.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police arrested a 50-year-old man described by his lawyer as an ardent collector of firearms after, authorities say, cops found a cache of semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shot guns and almost 3,000 rounds of ammunition in his Tottenville home. Police arrested Nicholas Remi, of the 400 block of Loretto Street, on Tuesday and he is now facing a lengthy list of felony charges after police found five semi-automatic rifles, five semi-automatic pistols, two shot guns and 2,824 rounds of ammunition spread between a bedroom closet and in a safe in the garage, the criminal complaint alleges. Among the semi-automatic rifles found in the closet in the bedroom was an AR-556 with a threaded-barrel tip, pistol grip and a bayonet attachment, according to the complaint. Spread between all three bedrooms of the home, police also found 84 assorted magazines and 2,824 cartridges of assorted caliber ammunition, the complaint alleges. Remi, who was allegedly found with a handheld taser on him at the time of the arrest, is now facing multiple felony charges, including 10 counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and six counts of criminal possession of an assault weapon in the third degree. According to the complaint, Remi does not have a permit to possess any of the firearms found in his house, but his lawyer Louis Gelormino disagrees, describing his client as a very respected member of the Staten Island community. He had both a valid New York State pistol permit and a valid New York State rifle permit, Gelormino said. He is simply an ardent collector and has never sold a weapon. Remi was arraigned on Wednesday and held on $200,000 bail, according to public records. He is due back in court on Friday, public records indicate. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 11:07:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Wednesday urged the U.S. side to revoke its unjustified restriction on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel. "With the excuse of reciprocity, the U.S. imposed yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel," said the embassy in a statement. "This has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and China is firmly opposed to it," the embassy said. "It also runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the U.S. side. China has always supported and provided necessary facilitation for foreign diplomatic and consular personnel, including those from the U.S., to perform their official duties in China," it said. "We urge the U.S. side to correct its mistake, revoke this decision and provide support and facilitation for Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel in the U.S. to perform their duties as well," it added. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the State Department "has established a mechanism requiring approval for senior Chinese diplomats in the United States to visit university campuses and to meet with local government officials." "Cultural events with groups larger than 50 people hosted by the Chinese embassy and consular posts outside our mission properties will also require our approval," Pompeo said. Enditem Iran diplomat: JCPOA won't survive unless Iran enjoys sanctions removal benefits Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 7:34 PM Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says the only practical way to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is for Tehran to reap the full benefits of the agreement arising from sanctions-lifting. "The only basic solution to safeguard the JCPOA (the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is for Iran to enjoy the benefits of the agreement with respect to the sanctions-lifting, which will materialize only through the adoption of practical and tangible measures by the JCPOA signatories," Araqchi said on Wednesday. He described as "constructive" the recent meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission and praised the consensus of the remaining JCPOA signatories on the need to take a united action against the US' reneging on its obligations stipulated in the historic accord. The meeting was held under specific conditions amid the developments at the UN Security Council regarding the JCPOA and the US' illegal and unjustifiable moves to extend an arms embargo against Tehran and to snap back international sanctions against Iran, the Iranian diplomat said. Therefore, the agenda of the JCPOA Joint Commission focused on the need for solidarity and coherence against the US move, he added. Araqchi said that the JCPOA Joint Commission members "were unanimous in their belief that the US has ceased its participation in the JCPOA since May 8, 2018 and is no more considered a party to the agreement, and therefore cannot use the rights enshrined in the JCPOA, including those that would reinstate sanctions." The meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission was co-chaired by Araqchi and European External Action Service Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday. In a post on her Twitter account at the end of the talks, Schmid wrote that it was "important" that the participants Iran, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China were "united in resolve to preserve" the nuclear deal. She added that the parties were also determined to "find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges." Since its withdrawal from the JCPOA, the US has been resorting to its so-called maximum pressure policy, threatening them to end their business with the Islamic Republic or face punishment. As part of its maximum pressure policy, Washington has been trying to invoke the snapback mechanism in the JCPOA to reinstate international sanctions against Tehran irrespective of the fact that it has forfeited its right to use the privilege as it is no more a party to the agreement. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday dismissed the US push to trigger the mechanism. "I don't think that anyone who is cognizant of the ABC of law and politics and accepts the ABC of interaction does not realize this that if one completely left an agreement he cannot return to it after two or three years and claim that I want to use this privilege. All understand this even a child," he said during a cabinet meeting. Rouhani noted the US claim that it can use the sanctions snapback mechanism against Iran has domestic consumption and is part of a propaganda campaign ahead of the November presidential election in the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Apathy a greater threat to religious belief than atheism: J. Warner Wallace Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Apathetic views on spirituality are a greater threat to religious belief than atheism, according to notable Christian apologist and author J. Warner Wallace. Apathy-ism probably is the biggest challenge to theism, not atheism, said Wallace, who talked about annually taking students on a trip to University of California, Berkeley. What were going to encounter most of the time is just apathy. Students on campus, maybe groups on campus are strongly atheistic in some groups. But generally speaking, students were like, Eh, dont really care. Wallace, along with fellow apologist Sean McDowell of Biola University, were interviewed on an episode of the Dallas Theological Seminary podcast The Table posted online last week. Wallace and McDowell had recently released an apologetics book aimed at reaching out to Generation Z Americans, the generation that is currently entering adolescence and adulthood. Titled So the Next Generation Will Know, the authors hope that adults and parents could use their book to help keep Gen Z from leaving their churches. According to a survey by the Barna Group released in 2018, Generation Z (normally defined as those born between 1999 and 2015) are the least Christian generation in United States history. Barna found that 35% of Generation Z teens considered themselves atheist, compared to 30% of millennials, 30% of Generation X and 26% of Baby Boomers. Wallace explained that making an intellectual case for Christianity is only the first step in reaching out with students, calling the first of two why questions. Why should I care? I get it. To you 58-year-old nut jobs or interested in theology, it might be interesting to you guys. But I dont care about that. It has no impact on me, he said. When a 17-year-old calls you to say, what do I do now? You want to be able to show that it turns out that that issue youre talking about on Instagram is described thousands of years ago in a book that describes you the way you really are and your friends the way they really are, and your interaction the way it really is. McDowell noted that another important factor in young people leaving churches was the absence of fathers in the home, citing a 2013 study led by the late social psychologist Vern Bengtson. Across faith practices, the number one factor that would shape why a young person stays in the faith and/or leaves on the reverse, is a quote, warm relationship with the father, McDowell explained. Theres something powerful about relationships in the Body of Christ [and] with a father and teaching kids how to navigate reality. So if one or both of those are missing, the chances sky rocket that a kid is going to walk away from the church and/or their faith. Wallace agreed with the familial influence factor, noting that most people, globally, believe what they believe primarily because their parents believe it. So what happens is, this becomes an exponential problem for us going forward as Christians. The fewer Christians we have in the next generation the fewer Christian parents [we have] to raise up another generation, said Wallace. As a way to help evangelize Gen Z, McDowell explained that forming good relationships is an important part, referencing the work of his father, noted apologist and author Josh McDowell. Today, when everybody has a voice, trust is one of the most important commodities that we have, he noted, and my dads faithfulness in ministry: people hear his name, they see evidence, and to so many people they go, you know what? Thats a voice I can trust. If I build a relationship with these people and they know that I care, theyre going to listen to me. So I work hard to be involved in the conversation with my kids regularly talking about stuff. So when they have a question, they dont first Google. Hopefully, theyll come to me. In 2011, then president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Research Thom Rainer released a book along with his son titled The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation. Rainer concluded that the Millennial generation, often defined as those born between 1981-1998, were not overtly hostile to religion, but rather were simply not interested in the matter. They are not anti-religious or anti-Christian, but they tend to be totally ambivalent towards anything religious or Christian, said Rainer to The Christian Post at the time. Children here are being increasingly targeted online by sex offenders, with an average of five cases per week recorded by the PSNI last year Children here are being increasingly targeted online by sex offenders, with an average of five cases per week recorded by the PSNI last year. In 2019/20 a total of 265 recorded sexual offences against children were flagged by the PSNI as having an online element, an increase of over 90% in five years from 138 offences in 2015/16. PSNI figures obtained by the NSPCC reveal that in 2019/2020 there were 2,082 recorded offences against under-18s. However, the charity is warning that this figure is likely to significantly understate the true extent of the problem due to potential under-recording by police forces of the role of the internet and variation in the way different forces log these crimes. Police across the UK recorded more than 10,000 online child sex offences in 12 months for the first time last year. SDLP Policing Board member Dolores Kelly said that when the data was analysed alongside National Crime Agency statistics from earlier in the summer - which estimated that at least 300,000 individuals pose a sexual threat to children - the figures were "astonishing". "I'm horrified, and I know other parents will be too," Ms Kelly said. "And it shows that there needs to be a greater education of and understanding from parents on what the dangers are. "I know people call for more police visibility, but the reality is that the biggest dangers can lie behind the computer screen. "What's needed is the best equipment to deal with it. "Online crime is spreading so fast that police have to be given the tools to keep up with it." Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher from the PSNI's Public Protection Branch said the safeguarding and wellbeing of children and young people remains a key priority. "The internet has become part of our children's daily routine, an effective educational tool, a way of connecting and communicating with others, and a means by which to have fun," he said. "However, we recognise there are many ways that children and young people can be contacted and exploited online and we would welcome any efforts to limit online dangers to our young people. "I continue to appeal to parents to talk to their children, know what their online presence is and how to report wrongdoing." The NSPCC is calling on the UK Government to publish its final plans to have an Online Harms Bill on the statute book by the end of 2021. "These figures suggest that online abuse was already rising before lockdown, and the risks to children appear to have spiked significantly since," said Natalie Whelehan of the charity. "It is now almost 17 months since the UK Government's original proposals for social media regulation and children continue to face preventable harm online. "The Prime Minister needs to prioritise a comprehensive Online Harms Bill this autumn that sees tech firms held criminally and financially accountable if they put children at risk." While the data does not include the lockdown period, Childline counselling sessions about sexual abuse in the family tripled during the last six months. What can be done to improve the efficacy of vaccines? How can we predict our future climate? What is the environmental impact of nanoplastics? Are there alternative economic models to endless economic growth? What is the nature of dark matter in the Universe? Four hundred thirty-six laureates of the 2020 European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants competition will now be able to tackle these and other big scientific questions at universities and research centres across Europe. The funding, worth in total 677 million, will help these early-career scientists and scholars to build their own teams and conduct pioneering research across all disciplines. The grants are part of the EU's Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: "With European Research Council grants, the EU is leveraging the talent and curiosity of some of the best young researchers in Europe. Their ideas are set to break fresh ground and open new ways to deal with pressing challenges in the areas of health, energy and digital technologies, as well as many other fields. Our ambition to effectively tackle current and future crises depends on our strong will to continuously and increasingly support top research at the frontiers of our knowledge." President of the European Research Council (ERC), Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, commented: ""The present health crisis showed that despite spectacular progress in research over the past decades, there still remain plenty of unsolved scientific mysteries, as well as lessons to be learnt from the past. Therefore, the best strategy to tackle it is to enable some of the brightest minds to pursue their most innovative ideas, in order to create opportunities for serendipitous discoveries. This is what the European Research Council is for. It's clear that, if Europe is to be competitive globally, it needs to give excellent prospects to the next generation of researchers as these ERC Starting Grants do, and to invest much more in top blue sky research." The grantees are a diverse group with 40 different nationalities. Amongst the winners, 20 researchers are moving to Europe from further afield thanks to the funding. The new grantees will be based in 25 countries across Europe, with Germany (88 grants), the UK (62), the Netherlands (42) and France (38) as top locations. Some 13% of applications were selected for funding in this round. These Starting Grants will create an estimated 2,500 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and other staff at the host institutions. ### By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said demonetisation was an attack on the India's unorganised sector and the country will have to fight it together after recognising it. He also said the decision to scrap high-value currency notes was an attack on the country's poor, farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. Speaking on the economy in the second part of his video series on social media platforms, Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes to make India a cashless economy while pointing out that the unorganised sector, which comprises the poor, farmers, labourers and small traders, works on cash. "Demonetisation was an attack on India's poor, its farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers. "Demonetisation was an attack on India's unorganised economy and we must recognise this attack. The entire country will have to fight against it together," he said. On November 8, 2016, the prime minister announced demonetisation, making old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes useless, and the entire country stood in front of banks to deposit their money and savings. Gandhi claimed that the move neither erased black money nor did the poor benefit from it. "So who got the benefit? The advantage was given to India's biggest billionaires. How? The money that you had in your pockets, that you had in your homes was taken away and used by the government to waive the debts of these people," he said, noting that this was just one of the goals. "The second goal was to wipe out cash from the system. Our informal sector, which is the sector of the unorganised economy, runs on cash. Whether it is a small shopkeeper, farmer or labourer, he or she works with cash. "The second goal of demonetisation aims to wipe out cash from the system, including from the informal or unorganised sector. The prime minister himself said he wanted a cashless India, but if there is a cashless India, the informal sector will be destroyed," the former Congress chief said. He said farmers, labourers, small shopkeepers, small and medium businesses, who were dependent on cash, have suffered due to this. The Congress has stepped up its attack on the government after the country's economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 per cent as the coronavirus-related lockdowns weighed on the already-declining consumer demand and investment. The GDP contraction in the world's fifth-largest economy compared with a 3.1-per cent growth in the preceding January-March quarter and a 5.2-per cent expansion in the same period a year ago, according to official data released on Monday. PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rodda Paint Company, the largest family-owned paint manufacturer in the Northwest, announces the release of SharkSkin Primer/Sealer a new flexible, semi-elastomeric, acrylic water-based Primer/Sealer designed to stabilize surfaces and increase the adhesion of solid top coats, such as SharkSkin Solid Hide stain. SharkSkin Primer/Sealer is formulated to promote adhesion to structurally sound surfaces, such as CMU, plaster and concrete as well as horizontal and vertical wood surfaces. SharkSkin Primer/Sealer - a new flexible, semi-elastomeric, acrylic water-based Primer/Sealer designed to stabilize surfaces and increase the adhesion of solid top coats, such as SharkSkin Solid Hide stain. Rodda Paint Company is the largest family-owned paint manufacturer in the Northwest with offices and manufacturing facilities located in Portland, Oregon. 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Product Features: Recommended Uses: Penetrates into cracked and weathered surfaces Adhesion promoter for exterior horizontal and vertical wood surfaces, composite or cement board siding, stucco, concrete, CMU and other cementitious surfaces Promotes adhesion and extends the longevity of top coats Great for exterior wood decks, deck railings, fences, patios, stair treads, soffits and trim Helps reduce future cracking and peeling Excellent for use on weathered, worn or previously coated decks and siding Seals porous surfaces Ideal for residential and commercial projects Locks down deteriorating surfaces To learn more about SharkSkin Primer/Sealer or to locate a Rodda Paint retailer, visit: https://www.roddapaint.com/professionals/product-profiles/primers-sealers/exterior/sharkskin-primer-sealer About Rodda Paint Company Rodda Paint Company is the largest family-owned paint manufacturer in the Northwest with offices and manufacturing facilities located in Portland, Oregon and is an independent subsidiary of the Cloverdale Group based in Surrey, BC, Canada. Rodda Paint Co. manufactures and distributes quality paints, high-performance industrial coatings, and professional painting supplies demanded by the industry's various customer segments through its 99+ retail locations across the Northwest, including 60 full-service company stores. Rodda Paint Co. is a service oriented company that has been building lasting relationships with customers, partners and vendors for more than 80 years and recognizes the value of long-term, experienced and well-trained employees to become a sustaining resource for every customer segment. Rodda Media Contact: Jason Lawrence, Director of Marketing; [email protected] Priya Bhagat, Marketing Program Manager; [email protected] 971.291.3179 SOURCE Rodda Paint Related Links https://www.roddapaint.com When New York City abandoned its plans to reopen indoor dining in July, even as other regions of the state proceeded with restricted eating indoors, restaurant owners in the city thought it might be a temporary pause. But two months later, theres no sign that restaurants will be able to welcome patrons inside anytime soon. Asked about the topic this week as New Jersey moved to reopen indoor dining, neither Gov. Andrew Cuomo nor Mayor Bill de Blasio seemed inclined to suggest that New York City would follow in its neighbors footsteps. At a press conference on Wednesday, de Blasio announced that he would make a decision on allowing indoor dining by the end of September, whether its good or bad news. We owe the industry as clear an answer as humanly possible soon, but its always going to be about health and safety first, he said. The public health risks of indoor dining are well documented. Restaurants across the country have had COVID-19 outbreaks among staff, and public health experts have warned that eating indoors poses unique risks when it comes to transmitting the coronavirus. Not only are patrons seated in an enclosed space for an extended amount of time, but theyre also not able to wear masks while eating. Some have also suggested that drinking alcohol can make people less vigilant about taking safety precautions such as social distancing. Still, the restaurant industry says that the inability to serve patrons indoors has led to further economic devastation, and they continue to call on Cuomo and de Blasio to allow indoor dining in the city. Over 300 restaurant owners filed a class-action suit over the continued ban on indoor dining seeking $2 billion damages, and the NYC Hospitality Alliance, an industry group representing restaurants and bars across the city, has threatened its own lawsuit. City & State caught up with Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, to discuss the future of indoor dining, as well as other steps the city and state could take to ease the financial burden many in the industry now face. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Indoor dining is still not allowed in New York City, despite it being allowed in other parts of the state. What are restaurant owners feeling right now, what are you hearing from your members? Its devastating, its absolutely devastating. Small business owners are exhausting their personal savings with the hopes of being able to keep the restaurant open and hire their employees back. But they're getting absolutely no guidance on when they will potentially be able to open up indoors. Its been more than five months since they've been shut down by government. And now that same government is not providing them rent relief, nor are they providing them a plan to reopen as we enter the cooler months, and outdoor dining won't be a reality for those restaurants that are currently participating. But even then, there are more than 25,000 eating and drinking establishments in the five boroughs and less than half of them are participating in outdoor dining. And that's no way to sustain your business. The anger is starting to boil now, because the reasoning for keeping them shut makes no sense to anyone. New York City has met, sustained and exceeded all the health metrics that have allowed restaurants throughout the rest of the state to open up safely for the past two months. And we haven't seen a spike of infections. In fact, it's the opposite. We've seen infection rates continue to go down. In fact, there's places throughout the state that have higher infection rates that are doing indoor dining than New York City, where we don't have indoor dining. Now, with the news that New Jersey's opening restaurants for indoor dining, it's compounded the uncertainty, the fear and the anger. New York City will now be surrounded by indoor dining, yet we will be locked out of participating in it. You mention New York Citys low infection rate, but some of the people with concerns about indoor dining would argue that allowing people to start eating indoors at restaurants could ruin the citys low infection rate. Part of the impetus for delaying indoor dining in New York City was watching states like Texas and Florida experience a surge in COVID-19 cases after allowing indoor dining earlier this summer. How do you contend with the unique risks that public health experts say indoor dining poses? I should have prefaced it before, but public health and safety has to be paramount. The call to open indoor dining in New York City is not saying that we should have a disregard for public health and safety. Its actually the opposite. I think we need to look at New York state's experience with indoor dining before we start looking everywhere else. The fact is, New York state has had indoor dining under the safety protocols developed by the state for more than two months, and infection rates have continued to go down. The NYC Hospitality Alliance has threatened to sue over the continued pause on indoor dining. Has that suit happened? If not, is it still an option on the table? It is certainly on the table, we're exploring all of our options. Our number one goal is to work collaboratively with Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to safely open up restaurants. But we are at a boiling point, and the industry is in the midst of a crisis. Theyre not receiving the financial support that they need, and they can't make sense of why they are being treated differently concerning indoor dining than every jurisdiction surrounding them. What does an ideal, safe reopening of indoor dining look like in New York City? We believe that the requirements that apply to the rest of the state (should) also apply to the city. That means that youd operate at a 50% reduced capacity, and tables six feet apart. Fifty percent reduced capacity with tables six feet apart is the same in Staten Island as it is in Schenectady, New York. Masks for employees are the same, and other procedures are the same. I think restaurants while not required many of them will use digital menus, providing hand sanitizer. Some, voluntarily, will install different types of filtration or other systems. Summer is ending pretty quickly now, and while outdoor dining has been extended through the fall, presumably restaurants cant do that through the winter or during inclement weather. What happens if the city does not allow indoor dining by the time it gets cold out and outdoor dining ends? Its just an absolutely dire situation. You have to imagine thousands upon thousands of more restaurants will close and hundreds of thousands of people are out of work. I think the last Department of Labor (report) I saw was that there are still somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 New Yorkers that worked in food and drink establishments still out of work. If we don't get indoor dining, they're not coming back. Outdoor dining is not a replacement for indoor dining, essentially? Outdoor dining is incredibly important, but it was never intended to be the sole solution to save restaurants. Initially, we knew there would be reduced capacity indoors. So the idea was to gain some of that capacity back using the outdoors. It was never intended to just be outdoor dining as your sole revenue stream. And takeout and delivery is helpful, but again, its not something that is going to sustain any business. Do we know how many restaurants have fully closed during the pandemic? Unfortunately not yet. I know that there was a report out of Comptroller Scott Stringers office last month that said something like 1,300 restaurants. But unfortunately, you have so many restaurants that havent reopened at all yet, so you dont really know which ones are going to come back. So many of the ones currently open are being kept open artificially, because they received some PPP money, they have the moratorium on evictions, the (city) law suspending the enforcement of personal liability guarantees in leases. These have all given them a little bit of a lifeline. But every day that goes by, their time gets closer to an expiration date. They just can't do it. At this point, we need more support from the federal government. We have been urging the federal government to pass the Restaurants Act, which is a $120 billion program to give grants to restaurants to pay rent, utilities, payroll, vendors and others, and help them sustain their business. Given the delay in the federal government getting another stimulus package together, to what extent are you able to pin your hopes on the federal government providing assistance to restaurants? Its my job to stay optimistic and keep fighting. We have the support of our U.S. senators and many of our members of Congress, but it's gonna come down to getting support from other states around the country. So it's hard to know what's exactly going to happen. But thats why we cannot count on the federal government to help save us. We need the state and city of New York to step up to the plate and do everything they possibly can. Otherwise, were going to exacerbate the financial crisis. Apart from allowing indoor dining, what are the steps the city and state could take to help restaurants? We need rent forgiveness. There's no way small business owners are going to be able to pay back multiple months of missed rent, nor will they be able to pay pre-pandemic rents moving forward. We conducted a survey in July of about 500 restaurants, and four out of five of the respondents did not pay any or only paid partial rent in the month of July. And only 1 out of 10 had renegotiated their lease. And I'm concerned that if we don't find a way to forgive rent, you will see defaults throughout the system. And what does it mean for even the smaller landlords that aren't able to absorb this and that have mortgages? They could default on their mortgage obligations. And then the financial situation of the state and city if these businesses and landlords are unable to pay their property taxes, it's going to make it more and more difficult for our state and city to fund our essential services. Any final thoughts you want to relay on what the restaurant industry is going through right now? Restaurants are vital to the economic footprint and social fabric of the city. Some feel forgotten, and others feel like they're being beat up. We need our government leaders to do everything to support them, and that includes getting indoor dining opened up safely, and providing rent relief and working collaboratively with the industry on all these issues to ensure the hospitality industry and our city are able to recover as soon as possible. "Plans tonight include positioning resources where they can do the most good protecting structures, and trying to head off this fire before it approaches buildings," according to the release. "Engines cannot go in front of a fire in high wind." Highway 212 was closed at Lame Deer and Busby, except to area residents and fire personnel, according to the Northern Cheyenne BIA Forestry and Wildfire Management. The closure is mostly because of smoke. Drivers were asked to seek an alternative route, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. Parts of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation were evacuated as of about 6:30 p.m. An evacuation order was put into place from Iron Bridge, the Rosebud subdivision, to the Crow-Northern Cheyenne reservation line. A wind shift at about 6 p.m. began to push the fire south toward Highway 212, he said. The fire was an estimated 5 miles south of the highway. There are several houses along the the highway, said Randy Pretty on Top with Crow Bureau of Indian Affairs Wildfire and Land Management. "That's our concern right now," he said. India will host a summit of the council of heads of government of the SCO on November 30 with a focus on contributing to the trade and economic agenda of the influential grouping, a senior official in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said. India has been focusing on expanding its cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an eight-nation regional grouping that represents around 42 per cent of the world's population and 20 per cent of the global GDP. "India's chairmanship of the SCO council of heads of government during 2020 culminating in the summit in India on November 30, affords us an opportunity to contribute in a substantive way on the trade and economic agenda of SCO - that will be the main mandate of the summit," Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West) in the MEA, said on Wednesday. Speaking at an online seminar on ties between India and the SCO, he said the renewed momentum in building regional synergies by the bloc is reflected in addressing common security challenges and building long-term economic and energy linkages. India, which was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and became its full member in 2017, has been strongly pushing for connectivity projects like the International North-South Transport Corridor to gain access to resource-rich central Asian countries. "More than a decade of engagement with the organization, underscores India's willingness to play a more meaningful role in this regional grouping," Swarup said. "This optimism also stems from India's desire to deepen its Eurasian partnerships. In this context, SCO provides a springboard for India to reconnect to this extended neighbourhood, with which we are bound by the enduring bonds of centuries of common history," he said. Swarup said India hopes to play a "constructive" role in enriching the agenda of the SCO by placing human beings at the center of its "thought and actions" to foster greater prosperity and well being of the region. In his address, Swarup also talked about India's civilisational links with the central Asian nations. "Acknowledging the strength of these umbilical bonds, India's growing economic potential and vast experience and expertise in building institutional capabilities, can add greater value to SCO's ongoing projects and share best practices in newer areas to forge a common vision for the region," he said. The seminar was organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs, a leading think tank. Also read: PM-CARES Fund: PM Modi donated Rs 2.25 crore from own pocket 03.09.2020 LISTEN The President of the Compliance Officers Forum of GIABA Member States Other members of the Executives of the Forum Esteem participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to make this Opening Remark on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Regional Virtual Meeting of Chief Compliance Officers of Reporting Institutions on Emerging Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing Issues. May I use this opportunity to thank and commend the President and Executive Members of the Compliance Officers Forum of GIABA member States (COFGMS) for the progress made since they were elected in 2018. We have noted with satisfaction your efforts to put in place appropriate structures for the full operationalization of the Forum, including the recent engagement of the Executive Secretary to manage and coordinate activities of the Forum. As I noted in June 2019, this initiative (Forum) is an important one in our region and is a best practice amongst many FATF Style Regional Bodies across the globe. The Secretariat will continue to provide necessary technical and administrative support will facilitate effective implementation of AML/CFT preventive measures in the region. To our resource persons, I would like to express our appreciation to facilitate at this programme. This is a clear demonstration of your support to GIABA and the fight against ML/TF in our region 2. This workshop was earlier planned for June 2020 but postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, to ensure business continuity, some of the programmes planned by GIABA, including this Workshop have been redesigned to be delivered through a virtual platform without compromising the objectives set out to achieve. As the situation evolves, we expect to see a paradigm shift in focus and reprioritization of some activities. 3. Ladies and Gentlemen, the COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned changes in business operations including the compliance culture with attendant implications on the ability of both public and private sector to implement their AML/CFT obligations. This new NORMAL informed the theme for this years workshop tagged Compliance in the Era of Covid-19. 4. Key findings from our 2nd round of mutual evaluation reports of assessed member States indicate that reporting institutions are still grappling with several compliance challenges, including understanding and mitigating ML/TF risk, effective implementation of customer due diligence and beneficial ownership requirements, and reporting of suspicious transactions which impacted adversely on the assessed countries level of performance under Immediate Outcomes (IOs) 4 (Preventive measures), 5 (legal persons and arrangement particularly beneficial ownership), and 6 (financial intelligence), thus contributing to their placement under the Enhanced Follow Up process. COVID-19 pandemic has added to these challenges by causing severe disruptions to critical sectors of our economies, including the financial system. Criminals are therefore exploiting the emerging vulnerabilities to continue their illicit activities. In particular, criminals and terrorists are exploiting COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic downturn to move into new cash-intensive and high-liquidity lines of business in developing countries to launder proceeds of crimes as well as to fund their operations. Consequently, the emerging ML/TF risks will shape the global compliance environment, and no doubt, add to the current AML/CFT implementation challenges in the region. Thus, reporting entities must adapt rapidly and keep abreast with these developments, and where necessary, make a shift in focus and reprioritization of some activities to mitigate these emerging ML/TF risks. 5. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is important to mention that GIABA is not immune to the impact of Covid-19. As an institution, GIABA has adopted strategies to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on its programmes, to ensure that member States effectively implement their AML/CFT obligations. These include the proactive engagement with member States on the application of their AML/CFT measures and working constructively with them to minimize the potential impact of Covid-19, and the use of the virtual space in programme delivery, including the organization of this workshop. 6. The private sector remains our strategic and formidable ally in the implementation of effective measures against money laundering and terrorist financing. GIABA will continue to engage with the sector through the Forums platform and will also continue to provide the required technical support to reporting institutions, especially the non-bank financial institutions, which constitute a weak link in member States AML/CFT regime, to accelerate their compliance with international standards on AML/CFT. 7. Ladies and Gentlemen, the primary objective of the programme is to provide a platform for participants to share experiences and foster cooperation and collaboration toward effective implementation of AML/CFT preventive measures in the Era of Covid-19. To achieve the objectives of the programme, a team of seasoned professionals has been carefully chosen to lead the discussions in these subjects. 8. To you participants, I wish to call on you to take full ownership and actively participate in the programme. It is our expectation that the interactions and exchange of experiences during this workshop will further deepen your knowledge, and enable you to effectively respond to current and emerging threats of money laundering and terrorist financing in our region. I wish you fruitful deliberations. On this note, it is my honour to declare open GIABA REGIONAL VIRTUAL MEETING OF CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICERS OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS ON EMERGING MONEY LAUNDERING & TERRORIST FINANCING ISSUES Thank you GIABA Secretariat September 2, 2019 Protesters burned the French flag in Pakistan amid backlash over Charlie Hebdo republishing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The cover of the latest satirical weekly shows a dozen cartoons first published by Charlie Hebdo in 2006, which caused anger in the Muslim world. Its republication marked the start of the trial of 14 alleged accomplices in the 2015 attack on the newspaper's offices. 'We will never lie down. We will never give up,' Charlie Hebdo director Laurent Sourisseau wrote in an editorial alongside the cartoons. Dozens gathered in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, in protest of the newspaper's action. Dozens in Muzaffarabad (above), capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, burned the French flag in protest of Charlie Hebdo republishing controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed The anti-France protesters yelled slogans including 'Stop barking, French dogs' and 'Charlie Hebdo, stop'. The protest ended peacefully after the men stomped on a French flag, dowsed it in petrol and then set it ablaze. 'The government of Pakistan should immediately end its diplomatic relations with France as a protest,' Sunni cleric Mohammad Zaman said at the rally. This comes as Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a video message that he condemned Charlie Hebdo's action. He added that he had lodged a protest with the French ambassador in Islamabad. He said: 'The published caricatures have hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims. 'I hope that this despicable act will not be repeated and those responsible for it will be taken to a court of law.' Far-right Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan said it was organising a protest after Friday prayers in the eastern city of Lahore. TLP has organised huge protests over alleged blasphemy in the past. It paralysed much of Pakistan in 2018 with violent protests against the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. 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 Other protests were also expected to take place in the Pakistani cities of Rawalpindi and Karachi. On January 7, 2015, at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, 12 people, including some of France's most celebrated cartoonists, were killed when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi went on a gun rampage. 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, started in Paris yesterday. Charlie Hebdo's editorial team wrote earlier this week that now was the right time to republish the cartoons, saying it was 'essential' as the trial opens. 'All of this, just for that,' the front-page headline says. 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. '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.' Two masked gunmen brandishing Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers attack the headquarters of French satricial newspaper Charlie Hebdo 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'. In the 2015 attack, Said and Cherif Kouachi 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. 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. 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 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'. 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. A mural depicting victims of the deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper near its offices in Paris 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 - is being 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. 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. New Delhi, Sep 3 : A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of certain provisions of the Special Marriage Act, which make two adults share their personal details in public domain for scrutiny before marriage, as these may have a "chilling effect on the fundamental right to marry and privacy". The PIL has been moved by Kerala-based law student Nandini Praveen, who contended that couples are asked to waive the right to privacy to exercise the right to marry. "This infringes the rights of autonomy, dignity and the right to marry, of various couple," said the PIL. "Publishing details of notice of marriage by the marriage officers include the details of the parties like names, date of birth, age, occupation, parents' names and details, address, pin code, identity information, phone number etc. This is a peculiar requirement of the Act...," added the plea. The petition challenges certain provisions of the Special Marriage Act for those violate the fundamental rights of the citizens under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution, as the parties are required to publish their private details, open for public scrutiny, 30 days before the intended marriage. "The provisions also allow anyone to submit objections to the marriage and empower the Marriage Officer to inquire into such objections," added the plea. The petitioner argued that these provisions violate the fundamental rights of couples intending to marry. The plea sought striking down of sections 6(2), 7, 8 and 10 of the Special Marriage Act as they were unconstitutional and illegal "The requirement of notice before marriage is absent in the Hindu Marriage Act and customary laws in Islam. Therefore, the said provision is also discriminatory and violative of Article 14 (right to equality)," said the plea. In mid-August, 2020, an unusual heat wave fixated over California, leading to a series of lightning storms across the state and numerous wildfires. Hundreds of thousands of acres were burned and tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Below is an account of how the fires spread and officials responded to the emergency. Read the previous batch of updates from Aug. 23-24. Read the next batch of updates from Aug. 27-28. Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 25 9:06 p.m. Firefighters gradually beat back the SCU Lightning Complex Fire: After steadily making progress all day on a wildfire that scattered through Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, Cal Fire announced Tuesday night that the blaze is 20% contained, after devouring 365,772 acres. During the battle firefighters had to contend with falling trees and branches that often blocked roadways as they prepare for the possibility of high temperatures in the days ahead. 9 p.m. Three people cited for being in CZU Lightning Complex evacuation area, five people missing: Three people were cited for being in the CZU Lightning Complex evacuation area on Tuesday, said Chief Deputy Chris Clark of the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office. Clark said deputies responded to four welfare checks and 13 reports of suspicious people, but said no arrests were made on Tuesday. Clark said sheriffs detectives are still investigating five missing persons reports down by 2 reports from 7 reports earlier Tuesday morning three of whom are from Bonny Doon, one from Ben Lomond and one from Boulder Creek. Eighteen sheriffs deputies will be joined by 48 other personnel from other Santa Cruz County agencies and neighboring agencies to patrol the San Lorenzo Valley area on Tuesday night, Clark said. He also reported that detectives are making significant progress in the investigation into the wallet that was stolen from a Santa Cruz firefighter battling the fires, and says he hopes to provide additional information as the investigation continues. 7:48 p.m. SCU is 20% contained, still threatening homes: The SCU Lightning Complex has burned 365,722 acres since it began last week and continues to threaten 20,000 homes in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. It is now 20% contained. It has caused injuries to three first responders and two civilians, and has destroyed 18 homes or other buildings. 7:40 p.m. Relative, neighbors name LNU fires victim: A relative and neighbors told NBC Bay Area that a man who died on his property in Vacaville was James Leon Bone, a 64-year-old resident who was visually impaired. 7:10 p.m. Firefighters make progress in CZU Lightning Complex: Cal Fire officials said the weather conditions in and around the CZU Lightning Complex have cooperated with firefighters and have allowed crews to make progress in containing the fires. Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said that, Every percent of containment is hours and hours of sweat and blood up on those lines. Cal Fire said the fires continue to actively burn above the marine layer in the heavy timber and thick undergrowth in Southern San Mateo County and Northern Santa Cruz County, Cal Fire said in an incident update on Tuesday evening. As of before 6 p.m., Cal Fire said they had dropped about 195,000 gallons of retardent on Tuesday and expected to meet or exceed by Tuesdays end the 200,000 gallons that were dropped the day before on Monday. 7 p.m. LNU Lightning Complex burns 356,326 acres: The LNU Lightning Complex burned 356,326 acres and was 27% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire has recorded five fatalities among civilians, three from Napa County and two in Solano County. Four civilians have been injured, Cal Fire said. The fires have destroyed 978 structures, damaged 256 structures, and are currently threatening another 30,500 structures. Cal Fire said in an incident update Tuesday night that extreme fire behavior with short and long range spotting are continuing to challenge firefighters battling the blazes. Fires continue to make runs in several directions, impacting multiple communities, Cal Fire officials said in an incident update. Firefighters are expected to continue to contain the fires overnight. Cal Fire said 2,207 personnel are responding to the complex, along with 293 engines, 66 water tenders, 11 helicopters and 56 dozers. 6:45 p.m. 1.25 million acres burned in California so far, Cal Fire says: Across California, Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said, 1.25 million acres of land have burned since Aug. 15. Thats larger than the state of Delaware that weve seen consumed in the state of California over that period of time, Cox said during a Tuesday night news conference. Across the state, more than 136,000 people have evacuated from their homes. More than 100 aircraft have been assigned to fight the fires across the state, Cox said, and more than 2.7 million gallons of retardant has been dropped on fires across the state in the past ten plus days. 6:10 p.m. CZU Lightning Complex burns 79,640 acres: The CZU which is burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties burned 79,640 acres and was 19% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire officials. Cal Fire officials said 443 structures have been destroyed, 11 of which were in San Mateo County and 432 in Santa Cruz County. Another 24,000 structures are treated by the fires, said Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox. 5:52 p.m. Sonoma County supervisor to tourists: Please stay home. I want to remind any potential visitors that we are still in the midst of a major fire disaster, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who represents the western swath of the county where the Walbridge Fire has torn through wooded hillsides and forced residents in several towns to evacuate. She noted that an influx of new people could prompt more calls for emergency services, overloading first responders at a time when they should be focused on battling the fires. We love you, visitors in west county, we know that you support our local businesses, but for now, it is not the time to visit, Hopkins said. 5:40 p.m. Evacuation orders reduced to warnings, warnings lifted in portions of Alameda County for SCU Lightning Complex: In Alameda County, Cal Fire changed evacuation orders to evacuation warnings related to the SCU Lightning Complex in the following areas: south of Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter and the Alameda/Santa Clara County line east of Calaveras Road at Welch Creek Road to the fire perimeter; and the countys Zone 19, which is inside of the Ohlone Fire Perimeter, Cal Fire said. Evacuation warnings have been lifted in the following areas: Mill Creek Road from the 196 block to the 9000 block, east of Mission Boulevard from the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Mission Road, south to the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Curtner Road; east of Curtner Road south along Interstate 680 to the Scott Creek Road/Santa Clara County line; Tesla Road, north to Interstate 580 in-between Greenville Road and the San Joaquin County Line; and Calaveras Road, west to Mill Creek Road, south of Interstate 680 to the Ohlone Fire perimeter. 4:55 p.m. All CZU-related evacuation warnings lifted in Santa Clara County: All evacuation warnings related to the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Clara County have been lifted. Cal Fire warned that changing conditions in fire activity may cause this area to return to an Evacuation Warning or Evacuation Order at any time. There are still evacuation warnings and orders in the county due to the SCU Lightning Complex. An evacuation map with details for the active warnings and orders for the SCU Lightning Complex can be found here. 3:55 p.m. Mutual aid from nine states assisting California fires:Firefighters and strike teams from nine states are assisting firefighting efforts in California, according to the California Office of Emergency Services. Teams from Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington are assisting, officials said. 3:50 p.m. Short-lived relief from smoky air: The relief from smoky air felt early Tuesday in parts of the wildfire-besieged Bay Area didnt last long: By late morning air quality had taken a turn for the worse, hitting unhealthy levels again in the East Bay and Peninsula. Read the story here. 3 p.m. Spare the Air alert extended through Friday: A Spare the Air alert and ban on burning have been extended through Friday. People are urged to stay inside with doors and windows closed, unless heat is an issue, until smoke levels decrease. 2:32 p.m. Santa Clara County evacuation warning lifted for some areas: Wildfire evacuation warnings were lifted Tuesday in the Morgan Hill area south of Eagle View Drive, East of Peet Road., North of Half Road, West of Cochrane Road and West of Coyote Creek. 2:15 p.m. Oakland Zoo offers to rebook tickets: The Oakland Zoo is offering to reissue tickets that went unused by non-members when the Zoo closed early due to bad air quality Sunday and Tuesday and didnt open at all on Monday. Tickets can be rebooked for up to 30 days. 1:42 p.m. Evacuation orders, warnings lifted for parts of Sonoma Coast: Wildfire evacuation orders and warnings were lifted Tuesday along the Sonoma County coast south of the Russian River, east of Dry Creek, the county sheriffs office said. A full list of the roads and areas removed from the evacuation restrictions is here. 1:15 p.m. Santa Cruz area sees 77,000 evacuated: Rampaging fires forced evacuation of 77,000 people in Santa Cruz County as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. Three of nine official evacuation shelters those at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, the Seventh Day Adventist Campground and the Half Moon Bay High School were filled to capacity. 1:11 p.m. San Mateo County seeks help for wildfire victims: San Mateo County officials are asking for new, unopened diapers, baby formula and school supplies to help those impacted by the CZU Lightning Complex fires. Items can be dropped off until Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the San Mateo Event Centers Expo Hall, on Saratoga Drive. The county tweeted that monetary donations can be sent to @PuentePescadero and @RedCrossNorCal. 1:04 p.m. Meyers Fire almost completely contained: The Meyers Fire, which is part of the vast LNU Lightning Complex, was 97% contained, having consumed 2,360 acres along the Pacific Coast in Sonoma County, Cal Fire said Tuesday afternoon. 12:57 p.m. LNU Complex spreads in Napa, Lake, Sonoma counties:After two days of favorable weather enabled strides against the LNU Complex fires, flames continue to spread from the Hennessey Fire in Napa and Lake counties and the Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County, Cal Fire Chief Sean Kavanaugh said Tuesday. The Hennessey Fire is 29% contained after consuming 296,050 acres, the Walbridge Fire 17% contained at 54,503 acres. Firfighting efforts entail 2,194 firefighters, 304 fire engines and 12 helicopters. The LNU Complex overall was 27% contained Tuesday, at 352,913 acres. 12:42 p.m. Blazes in San Mateo, Santa Cruz counties: Firefighters report 17% containment of the CZU Complex fires burning across western parts of San Mateo County and the Santa Cruz Mountains as of late morning Tuesday. The fire complex has consumed 78,869 acres. The progress followed the fires first air support Monday, with six helicopters dumping water near Boulder Creek. 12:36 p.m. SCU Complex blaze is 15% contained: Cal Fire reports that the SCU Complex fires now have spread across 363,772 acres, with containment at 15% as of midday Tuesday. The massive cluster of fires is burning in the East Bay, South Bay and San Joaquin Valley. 12:27 p.m. Facebook launches wildfire relief fundraiser, donates meals: Facebook is matching community donations up to $500,000 and raised over $40,000 for wildfire relief as of Tuesday morning, with funds going to the American Red Cross. The companys chefs are also donating hot meals, water and non-perishable food to evacuees, first respondents and volunteers through the Red Cross. 12:12 p.m. Experts tell how to lessen impact of bad air: Even when air quality conditions are moderate, wildfire smoke has become an unpleasant part of life for Bay Area residents, ranging from a nuisance for some to a health risk for others. Experts offer ideas on what to do to lessen the impact in your home, your car and daily life. 11:39 a.m. Air quality still a problem: Smoke wafting over the Bay Area from wildfires continues to make air quality unhealthy in many parts of San Francisco, the South Bay, the East Bay and the Peninsula. To check the air quality in your area, see The Chronicles tracker here. 11:28 a.m. Fire complexes grow in northern state counties: The many fires making up the Butte, Tehama and Glenn Lightning Complexes spread across 49,820 acres as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. Firefighters had the blazes 13% contained. 11:13 a.m. Carmel Fire is 30% contained: Firefighters have managed to get the Carmel Fire 30% contained, as it stretched across 6,695 acres as of Tuesday morning. Progress enabled the lifting of evacuation orders and warnings in some areas. Cal Fire said vegetation still burning inside the containment lines will cause smoke and flames to be visible but not an imminent danger. 11:04 a.m. Lifetime of classic cars, hobby collections torched: Little is left besides melted carcasses of classic Chevys, along with the ashes of Ginny dolls, a stamp collection and a 500-piece train set, after voracious flames destroyed the Vacaville home of a couple in their 70s who were lifelong collectors. Read The Chronicles story about the tragedy here. 10:16 a.m. Smoky taste already impacts grapes: As Northern California winemakers face early wildfires spreading at harvest time, owner Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines says hes already tasting the impact on grapes near the Walbridge Fire. I think theres a better chance than not that we make almost no wine this year, he said. Read The Chronicles story here. 9:59 a.m. Point Reyes fire growing despite cooler weather: Marin Countys Woodward Fire is growing in Point Reyes National Seashore, burning in thick brush, timber and chapparal that has no history of fire. It covered 2,739 acres in the northwest corner of the national seashore, and was just 5% contained Tuesday morning with the ocean providing most of that containment, U.S. Forest Service fire officials said. The park remains closed. Residents of Silverhills Road, Fox Drive and Noren Way south of Inverness Park were ordered to evacuate Monday night. 9:08 a.m. Where to find rescue resources for animals: From horses to hamsters to everything in between, livestock and pets are being displaced in the path of rampaging wildfires and smoke. The Chronicle has compiled a list of resources available in the Bay Area as organizations, agencies and volunteers step up to offer shelter for animals. 8:57 a.m. Cooler, moister weather to continue: Cooler temperatures and the marine layer that helped firefighters overnight are expected to continue through at least Thursday. Coastal fog and clouds moved further inland overnight, said David King, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The wind direction shifted, with light winds pushing much of the smoke to the east. It will still be hazy, King said. But its good news for San Francisco and the Bay Area, not so much for the Central Valley. 8:51 a.m. Battered schools now dealing with fire: Distance learning has been hard enough. On the Fifth & Mission podcast, education reporter Jill Tucker talks about the heartbreaking new trouble for schools in the remote communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Students and teachers have had to evacuate to escape the CZU Complex fires. Some have lost their homes. Some teachers are trying to keep their classes engaged in learning while not having a stable place to stay. Click here to listen. 8:41 a.m. Animal-rescue network saves animals large and small: A sweeping network of sanctuaries, agencies and animal rescue groups from Daly City to UC Davis to Santa Cruz is in full-combat mode as massive fires burn in the Bay Area and beyond. Steeped in practice from previous fires, they coordinate and shelter animals as farmers and ranchers are forced to move them away from danger. Read the story here. 8:24 a.m. Lake Berryessa, an escape during pandemic, is blackened:All but the eastern portion of Napa Countys Lake Berryessa was ravaged by fire last week, turning the lovely greenery into black and ashy swaths of land. The lake area had been abuzz with visitors during the pandemic as Bay Area visitors turned to its flowers and bucolic waters for day trips and quick getaways during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the story here. 8:00 a.m. SCU Complex spreads, but not much: The massive SCU Lightning Complex fires, burning mostly in dense dry brush in seven counties in East Bay, South Bay and San Joaquin Valley, grew slightly overnight while firefighters maintained 15% containment, officials reported Tuesday morning. The fires now cover 363,772 acres, have destroyed six structures and are threatening 20,000. Cooler temperatures and the return of the marine layer helped limit its pread overnight but flames were burning above 1,000 feet. Fallen trees and branches blocked roadways, hampering firefighters. 7:49 a.m. LNU Complex fires grow slightly overnight: The LNU Complex fires burning across the North Bay grew a little larger Tuesday as firefighters slightly increased their control of the conflagrations. Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning that the LNU fires now have consumed 352,913 acres, with containment at 27%. Five people have died and 937 structures have been destroyed with nearly 30,000 still threatened. Fire officials warned of extreme fire behavior and said thousands of people remain evacuated, particularly in the areas near the Walbridge Fire near the Russian River and Dry Creek Valley. 6:34 p.m. Santa Cruz mountain residents defy evacuation, save homes: A group of residents in rural Bonny Doon have whipped up their own fire brigade, pooling together bulldozers, tractors, hand crews and water lines, creating firebreak lines that halted flames, sometimes within feet of homes. Theyre now credited with saving dozens of homes after doing what fire officials and their own families begged them not to: fight the flames themselves. 6:26 a.m. Trauma on top of trauma Bay Area students under pandemic stress face wildfire risks: School had only just gotten underway last week when clusters of wildfires ripped through Northern California. Already struggling with the stress of the pandemic and the challenges of virtual learning, the wildfires pose new threats to childrens well-being. The trauma, experts say, is piling up with potential lifelong consequences affecting their mental, emotional and physical health as well as their ability to learn. 6:07 a.m. Firefighters tout significant progress on CZU Complex: Cal Fire officials said Tuesday morning that the CZU Complex burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties is now just under 79,000 acres in size and is 17% contained. Overnight, that marks only a slight growth of the fire clusters size and a 4% jump in containment. Cal Fire officials said theyve made significant progress against the blazes and have been receiving a steady trickle of resources theyve rapidly put to use. Still, 25,000 structures remained threatened and 330 have been destroyed, most of which in Santa Cruz County. Updates from Wednesday, Aug. 26 9:15 p.m. Successful day of firefighting efforts for CZU Lightning Complex: Cal Fire Operations Chief Mark Brunton said that firefighters had another good, successful day of suppression of the fire on Wednesday, but said weather conditions did not allow for the desired amount of aircraft support on the CZU Lightning Complex. Brunton said that crews were only able to drop about 10,000 gallons of water on the fires, but said Cal Fire officials are hopeful about weather conditions over the next few days that may allow more aircraft operations. 7:45 p.m. LNU Complex burns 360,868 acres: Cal Fire said the LNU, which is burning in Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo and Lake counties, has burned 360,868 acres and was 33% contained as of Wednesday evening. The fires have destroyed 1,080 structures, damaged 272 structures, and are threatening another 30,500 structures. Cal Fire said 2,292 personnel are battling the blazes along with 292 engines, 68 water tenders, 13 helicopters and 68 dozers. Officials said extreme fire behavior with short and long range spotting continues to challenge firefighters. The Hennessey and Walbridge fires, which are part of the complex, are making runs in several directions, impacting surrounding communities, Cal Fire said in an incident update on Wednesday evening. Five civilians have died in connection to the complex, and four civilians have been injured, Cal Fire said. 7:30 p.m. One man cited for returning to CZU Complex evacuation area, getting lost, requiring rescue: Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Chris Clark said that one man in his 70s was cited today for trying to return to his evacuated home and getting lost while navigating a trail in the outskirts of the evacuated zone. He got into an area that was very steep, Clark said. Luckily for him, he literally survived two nights in the woods. 7:15 p.m. CZU Complex burns 81,137 acres: Cal Fire said the CZU, which is burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, burned 81,137 acres and was 21% contained as of Wednesday evening. The fires have destroyed 408 residences, damaged 39 residences, and are threatening another 24,323 structures. Cal Fire said an infrastructure crew is working to open roads, clear hazardous trees and restore utilities. Damage inspection teams have inspected 55% of the burned area, according to Cal Fire. Officials said 1,982 personnel are currently responding to the fires along with 198 engines, 32 water tenders, 12 helicopters, and 23 dozers. 7:10 p.m. SCU Complex burns 367,371 acres: The SCU Lightning Complex which is burning in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and San Benito counties has burned 367,371 acres and was 30% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to a Cal Fire incident update. The fires have destroyed 20 structures, damaged six structures, and are threatening another 20,065 structures. 6:24 pm Uber and Lyft offer free rides in fire areas: Uber and Lyft are both offering free rides in areas affected by wildfires. Uber riders in the affected cities can use the code CAFIRE2020 for rides anywhere. Lyft riders can use CAFIRERELIEF20 for rides to designated evacuation centers. Each service offers two free rides per person. 6 p.m. When is it OK to go outside if its smoky in the Bay Area? Wildfire smoke across the Bay Area has made outdoor activities difficult and even dangerous at times. Air quality and health experts offer advice to help assess when adults and children can safely go outside, and what level of activities they can engage in. 6 p.m. Evacuation orders for CZU Complex lifted for UC Santa Cruz: Cal Fire officials announced Wednesday evening that evacuation orders related to the CZU Lightning Complex have been lifted for UC Santa Cruz. Cal Fire said that the university will resume operations through a phased opening as determined by the chancellor and the chief of police. Officials warned residents to be cautious of emergency vehicles and crews are still operating in the area. 5:38 p.m. Quinlan Temporary Evacuation Point in Santa Clara County to close tonight: Santa Clara County officials said Wednesday that the Quinlan Temporary Evacuation Point will be closed at 10 p.m. tonight. Evacuees impacted by the SCU and CZU Lightning complexes can instead seek assistance at two other temporary evacuation points at Milpitas Library (located at 160 N. Main Street in Milpitas) and Ann Sobrato High School (located at 401 Burnett Avenue in Morgan Hill), county officials said. 5:20 p.m. State Insurance Commissioner directs companies to expedite claims filed by wildfire victims: Wildfire survivors need immediate help as they start on the long road to recovery, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said as he issued an emergency notice Wednesday, requesting that all property and casualty insurance companies operating within the state speed up claims related to these out-of-control blazes. He also asked companies to ease deadlines and documentation requirements for fire victims, allowing them to rebuild and restore their lives more quickly. 5:20 p.m. Residents in eight Northern California counties can apply for federal aid: Residents impacted by the fires blazing in Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties can now apply for federal assistance. To apply for individual assistance from FEMA, go to www.disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621- 3362. See Kathleen Penders Net Worth column for details. 5:10 p.m. Governor signs executive order to extend deadline for 2022 elections: Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires raging across the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to extend the deadline for county officials to count and certify signatures for initiatives seeking to qualify for the November 2022 ballot. Such flexibility will allow counties to focus on this years general election, much of which will be conducted by mail. 4:45 p.m. Vacaville man identified as a victim of LNU Complex: Vacaville resident Douglas Mai , 82, was identified by the Solano County Sheriffs Office as one of the countys victims who died in the LNU Lightning Complex fires blazing in the county, according to sheriffs spokesman LeRon Cummings. The mans remains were found in his Vacaville home, Cummings said. 3:30 p.m. Evacuation order reduced to evacuation warning in portions of Napa County for LNU Complex: Cal Fire reduced an evacuation order to an evacuation warning for the area between Rosedale Road and south to Deer Park Road. Evacuation orders remain in place for Crystal Springs Road, Glass Mountain Road and Deer Park Road. All other evacuation orders remain in place, Cal Fire said. 3:15 p.m.: Cal Fire officials said theyve made good progress on the SCU Fire, which covers seven counties. Officials said while they are seeing more containment, theres still a long road ahead of us. They also mentioned how fatigued firefighters are after more than a week of battling the blazes. About 1,600 firefighters are fighting the conflagration. Cal Fire Unit Chief Jake Hess said that his agency is coordinating with many others on decisions about when residents can return. We are not going to keep those warnings out there any longer than we have to, Hess said. 2:30 p.m. NASA satellites show wildfire smoke spreading far beyond California borders: Recent satellite images released by NASA vividly show the impact of Californias huge lightning-sparked wildfires not just across the state but across the country. The space agencys Terra satellite on Monday captured a view that showed a pall of wildfire smoke covering most of California. NASAs Suomi NPP satellite provided another sobering image showing heavy levels of aerosols from California wildfire smoke extending all the way to Minnesota and Nebraska. See the images and read more. 1:14 p.m. Twelve condors missing after sanctuary destroyed: The Ventana Wildlife Society, which helped bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction four decades ago, was destroyed by wildfires. The fate of a dozen condors is currently unknown, sanctuary officials said. Condor Camera footage shows what could be one chicks last moments. 11:25 a.m. Middletown area the top priority for LNU Complex fire: Cal Fire officials overseeing the LNU Complex blazes covering areas of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties said the top priority for firefighters Wednesday would be an area just south of Middletown, where the Walbridge fire continues to burn. That region, on the northwest part of the fire cluster, represented the last significant piece of the LNU Complex, fire officials said. They were working to marshal additional bulldozers, planes and other resources to assist in that effort. 8:25 a.m. Historic one-room school house destroyed by Walbridge Fire in Sonoma County: The loss of the Daniels Schoolhouse in Venado, which dates back to 1883, comes months after a renovation was completed at the school, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported. Venado has seen both extremes of the climate spectrum in recent years; it was hit with 20 inches of rain in less than 48 hours during a February 2019 storm. 8:08 a.m. Marin Farmer: image of resilient farmer conflates sacrifice with success: Images of masked farmworkers harvesting berries in smoky fields and brave farmers discing firebreaks emerge again on social media, with the hashtags #countystrong and #farmersareresilient. But one Marin County farmer, who had to evacuate his farm due to wildfire, says we need to reevaluate what it means to be resilient. A food system that falls apart without people breathing smoke to get strawberries on the table is not resilient, he writes. 7:41 a.m. Containment grows for SCU Complex: Firefighters increased their containment of the SCU Lighting Complex fire overnight by 5%. The blaze is now 25% contained, according to Cal Fire, and did not apparently grow at all overnight. Three first responders and two civilians have been injured, while 37 structures have been destroyed. 7:35 a.m. Woman found dead in Felton home: An official with the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office said investigators were looking into the death of 63-year-old woman who died in her Felton home on Tuesday. She was found after authorities were called to perform a welfare check. Its not yet clear whether the womans death is directly related to the fires, but it is not being considered suspicious. 7:26 a.m. Bay Area farms scrambling to save summer harvest: Small farms on the San Mateo County coast have narrowly escaped destruction from the CZU Lightning Complex fires. But with roads still closed off, those farmers now face a different challenge: figuring out how to harvest whats still growing abundantly in their fields and transport it out of fire evacuation zones to farmers markets and donation sites. 6:14 a.m. Firefighters save ancient redwood at Armstrong park: Firefighters and state natural resources crews on Tuesday guided the Walbridge fire that has been blazing through wooded hillsides in Sonoma County largely around the towering redwoods in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Some trees sustained damage in their cavities, but the Colonel Armstrong tree the oldest tree in the grove estimated to be 1,400 years old was not damaged by the blaze. The historic Colonel Armstrong tree was happy on Tuesday, said Brendan ONeil, a natural resources manager for California State Parks Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District who oversees the reserve. 6:04 a.m. CZU Complex fire grows only slightly: The CZU complex fire burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties grew by less than 500 acres overnight, standing at just over 80,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, Cal Fire officials said. The fire is still 19% contained, but cooler weather conditions are making firefighters optimistic they can continue to make progress against the blaze. Some 538 structures have been destroyed by the CZU Complex, all but 11 of which are in Santa Cruz County. Pupils set to return to school with attendance compulsory Thousands of pupils across the Island will be welcomed back to their classes next week, for the start of the new school year. With the risk of children becoming ill from coronavirus currently considered very low, the attendance of all pupils will be compulsory when schools open next Wednesday. Dr Alex Allinson MHK, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture said: Attending school is vitally important for our childrens education and just as importantly, their mental wellbeing. Current international evidence has shown that COVID-19 infections and outbreaks are uncommon across all educational settings and the re-opening of schools has been associated with very few local outbreaks." As attendance rules return to normal, parents must ensure their child attends the school at which they are registered when the autumn term begins with schools again required to record attendance and follow up absence. Schools will also have the option to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices to parents whose children fail to attend without good reason. WASHINGTON: The White House said President Donald Trumps latest threat to cut federal dollars for certain big cities is aimed at spurring them to do more to quell violence, but local leaders dismissed it Thursday as a political gimmick and unlikely to stand up in court if implemented. Trump has made a number of other threats that were either struck down by judges or that the president paused on his own. Trump issued a memorandum Wednesday calling on the attorney general to publish a list of jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities. Subsequently, agency heads are to get guidance about how to restrict federal grants to those jurisdictions. The memorandum comes as Trump seeks to cast his Democratic rival Joe Biden as weak on crime amid some of the violence that has accompanied protests against racial injustice. The intent is to incentivize cities to follow in the way of Kenosha and Minneapolis who, when they were in the midst of a situation that they couldnt handle just at the local level, they requested federal assistance and it worked, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. Previously, Trump threatened to cut funding for sanctuary cities to force them to comply with more stringent immigration policies. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the effort violated separation of powers provisions enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the presidents new order had no legal standing. If it were implemented, he added, it would slash resources for police and firefighters and other essential services the very thing Trump has claimed Democrats are trying to do when it comes to law enforcement. This effort is intended only to inflame tensions and divide us, Cochran said. In his memo, Trump singled out Seattle, New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., for possible loss of federal dollars. None are competitive areas for Trump in the coming presidential election. The memo was denounced by Democratic leaders including Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is just the latest baseless, petty and divisive move by President Trump to distract from his abject failure to protect Americans from COVID-19, Inslee said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a favorite target of the president, called Trumps effort dangerous, destructive, and divisive. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the president was trying to score political points. I think this is another one of his blusters thatll go nowhere. But if he really tries it, we will go to court and I guarantee you well beat him again," de Blasio said. McEnany rejected suggestions that the presidents memorandum was for show in the lead-up to November 3. No, the president will follow through, McEnany said. ______ Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Karen Matthews in New York City 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 Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal When COVID-19 first appeared on the Navajo Nation in March, a dozen Indigenous women began bringing food and supplies to those most affected. Nearly six months later, the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund has grown to more than 160 volunteers. The group has raised $5.8 million, and has distributed supplies to more than 23,000 families. We provide enough food, PPE and supplies for two weeks, so people dont have to expose themselves in border towns, said deputy director Cassandra Begay. We focus on elders, immunocompromised people, single-parent homes and families that have been impacted by this economy. Separate isolation kits for COVID-19 patients include tents, cots and hand-washing stations. The kits allow virus patients to quarantine at their own homesites. A $50,000 donation from a group of Arizona nurses helped purchase the kits. The nurses made headlines in April as counterprotesters for donning their scrubs and masks during a Phoenix protest against business restrictions. More than $930,000 has come from Irish donors, who view the donations as repayment for the Choctaw Nations financial help during the potato famine. Whats been amazing in this journey is seeing how we are all recognizing the humanity in each other, Begay said. If we do that, we can come back better and stronger. The Navajo Nation has reported 20 or fewer cases each day for two weeks. But winter and flu season are fast approaching, and the threat of another spike in COVID-19 infections looms. Nothings really changed in our communities since the start of the pandemic, Begay said. What was exacerbating this crisis to begin with, mainly the lack of infrastructure and PPE, those variables are the same. The group is making the transition to an official nonprofit, Yee Haoolniidoo, which translates to May the Navajo people have fortitude. Plans include hiring staff for permanent distribution sites. Boosting those efforts is a $200,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to address food insecurity on tribal lands. The group also worked with AirServ International this summer, delivering 48,000 pounds of supplies on 24 flights to the most remote communities. The Navajo Nation reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and no deaths. More than 7,100 people have recovered, and 503 people have died from the disease. Dr. Jill Jim, director of the Navajo Nation Department of Health, said residents should be cautious. The reservation will have partial weekend lockdowns throughout September, starting at 9 p.m. on Saturdays. All businesses are closed during the lockdowns. Nightly curfews remain in effect. The pandemic is still here, Jim said during a video update Tuesday. COVID-19 has not gone away. Theres no treatment, theres no cure for it, so continue to do prevention every day. Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury will present an outdoor book talk with Kerry Arsenault Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. The local author will discuss her new book, Mill Town, at the South Street library. A rain date of Sept. 6 is planned. Attendees are invited to bring a picnic lunch, a blanket or chair and a cup for beverages, which will be provided by the library. Space will be limited; social distancing measures will be followed and masks must be worn. Mill Town is an American story, human predicament, and a moral wake-up call that asks: what are we willing to tolerate and whose lives are we willing to sacrifice for our own survival? In Mill Town, Arsenault undertakes an excavation of a collective past, sifting through historical archives and scientific reports, talking to family and neighbors, and examining her own childhood to present a portrait of a community that illuminates not only the ruin of her hometown and the collapse of the working-class of America, but also the hazards of both living in and leaving home, and the silences we are all afraid to violate. In prose, Arsenault explores the corruption of bodies: the human body, bodies of water, and governmental bodies, and what its like to come from a place you love but doesnt always love you back. Arsenault will be joined in conversation with Lisa Huber, PhD, discussing Maines nickname Vacationland and how that myth silences communities living in the periphery of tourism. For more information and RSVP, call 860-350-2181 or visit www.minormemoriallibrary.org. The efforts are scheduled to continue, and Garza said the goal is to get masks into the hands of people who need them most, regardless of whether they live in communities served by Aunt Marthas locations. The Chicago Heights distribution was the only one that took place outside of one of the organizations own facilities, he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 01:46:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VALLETTA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Sudanese migrant died during his attempt to escape one of Malta's detention centres, the Maltese police said on Wednesday. The police said in a statement that the migrant died after he fell off a fence and hit his head while trying to escape the Hal Far detention center. The incident happened at 5 a.m. local time (0300 GMT). He was given first aid by nurses on duty at the center and later rushed to hospital where he died of injuries. A police investigation is underway while a magistrate has launched an inquiry into the incident. Migrants are taken to detention centers upon their arrival on the island, where they remain until their asylum applications are processed. Enditem SHARP divisions have emerged in the ruling Zanu PF party with hardliners rubbishing South African President Cyril Ramaphosas efforts to intervene in the Zimbabwean crisis while moderates have welcomed the move. The hardliners, led by presidential spokesperson George Charamba yesterday said South Africa was too young a democracy to intervene in Zimbabwes internal affairs and had no capacity to help any Sadc country, except simply offering solidarity messages. But in sharp contrast, Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu said the ruling party had no qualms with the coming in of an African National Congress (ANC) delegation to meet whoever they want. This discord in the ruling party came following Ramaphosas announcement on Monday that he would soon dispatch his special envoys back to Harare to meet all key stakeholders, including the opposition, civic society and the church to resolve the deep-rooted crisis before it morphs into a regional crisis. Charamba said South Africas actions raised suspicion that Pretoria was being used as a pawn in United States diplomacy, adding that only Zimbabwe had the capacity to play a stabilising role in the Sadc region. Lastly, whence comes this impression that South Africa can intervene in Zimbabwe, assuming there are grounds for such intervention? Charamba tweeted yesterday under a pseudonym @Jamwanda2. On what basis, what might, what capacity, beyond that of solidarity, camaraderie and good-natured concern by a neighbour? South Africa is the youngest State in our region. It faces myriad problems of along apartheid. It has no capacity to help any African State in Sadc, beyond friendly solidarity. South Africa last month deployed three envoys to Zimbabwe after its own ruling ANC party and the international community raised alarm over worsening human rights violations under Mnangagwas watch. The position was taken after ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, chairperson of the international relations committee Lindiwe Zulu and Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Naledi Pandor warned that the Zimbabwean crisis could spill into the region. Mnangagwa has, however, denied that the country is in a crisis. Let that sink into minds of all and sundry. In any event, Zimbabwe, alongside many Sadc countries which got their independence before South Africa, has gone quite some way in resolving its colonial legacy and empowering its people, something the ANC government is grappling to do just now, Charamba added. South Africa is no donor State in Sadc. If anything, its long apartheid legacy makes its post-1994 sub-regional role quite problematic for the rest of Sadc States who know the continued dominance of Afrikaner capital in Sadc. South Africa got her independence in 1994. But Mpofu yesterday said Zanu PF had no qualms with the coming in of an ANC delegation as they always met as sisterly parties. We are always collaborating with the ANC on a regular basis and this is really not a new development as indicated by yourselves. We are colleagues so there is nothing new to this kind of collaboration, Mpofu said. On this particular one we have been communicating with the ANC on this and engagement to address issues as we have done before with them, so we are ready for this meeting which is sanctioned by our principals. Mpofu said it was time to be honest with each other on the crisis in Zimbabwe because We dont want to allow social media to draw up an agenda for us. Contacted for comment over the conflicting statements, Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa referred all questions back to Charamba. A response on the matter has already been pronounced by Charamba, he said. MDC Alliance secretary for international affairs Gladys Hlatywayo said the ANC and South African government were clear on the Zimbabwean issue and their move to engage all stakeholders was welcome. It shows you that the Zimbabwean crisis is more of a domestic policy problem for South Africa than a foreign policy issue due to the impact it has on South Africa. That is why President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to the crisis on the Beitbridge border, she said. ...we certainly welcome this move and hope it will help us as Zimbabweans to move forward and resolve the crisis. Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said: The ANC has broken a psychological barrier of seeing Zanu PF as a rational fellow liberation movement to seeing the Zimbabwe crisis for what it is, that is a crisis of governance rooted in poor leadership. The reason the ANC supported the 2017 coup was to see a change in Zimbabwe governance not more of the same as under (the late former President Robert) Mugabe. To this end, the ANC has removed its political blinkers as the Zimbabwe crisis is equally affecting South Africa and the whole region. He said Zanu PF should look at the ANC position positively as an escape route from the trap they have put themselves into and which they have no capacity to self-extricate. Another political analyst Alexander Rusero said diplomacy deals with reciprocity and South Africa could only intervene in the Zimbabwe crisis if Zanu PF accepted, which was not the case. For starters Zimbabwe government has vehemently denied and declared that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe, something ANC refutes. So already, the two cant walk together when there is no consensus, Rusero said. Zanu PF is back to its default mode. On its part, ANC has its own problems and is also heavily divided, as evidenced by the discord and breach of protocol on officials commenting on Zimbabwe. Put simply, there is nothing to celebrate or write home about in a mere resolution. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition director Blessing Vava said the ANC position was a step in the right direction. (Natural News) In an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump said that he does not want his supporters to confront leftist Black Lives Matter rioters and agitators during demonstrations. Instead, Trump says that the matter should be left to law enforcement officials. During the interview, Foxs Laura Ingraham asked the president if he wanted his supporters to confront the demonstrators, to which Trump responded negatively. No. No, I dont want them [to confront protesters], he said. I want to leave it to law enforcement. But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people, he continued. 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? One hundred and fifty percent? Theyre looking at all of this, and they cant believe it. Trump was referencing the violence currently going on in cities like Portland, Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin, where several people have already been killed during the rioting, including two Antifa and Black Lives Matter supporters who were shot in an act of self-defense by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. Earlier that day, the president commented that Rittenhouse would probably have been killed by the violent mob if he had not been armed and fired back. This was an interesting situation, Trump said at a White House press conference. He was trying to get away from them He was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed. Trump has repeatedly criticized Democrats, such as the mayors of Kenosha and Portland, for their poor handling of the engineered rioting. He has urged both of these cities, which continue to remain hot spots for Antifa- and Black Lives Matter-instigated violence, to ask the federal government to intervene so that he can send in the National Guard and other federal law enforcement troops. In addition, Trump also slammed Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for being incompetent, after the mayor blamed Trump for fanning the flames and leading to the killing of a Patriot Prayer member by a man who openly identified as being a member of Antifa. (Related: Portland police begin investigation on Michael Reinoehl, main suspect in shooting of Patriot Prayer member.) Trump plans to visit Kenosha to survey damage, talk with community leaders In response to the violence in Kenosha, Trump has planned to visit the restless city. The Democrats have criticized this move by saying that the visit is nothing more than an election stunt and that it will do nothing to help fix the racially-motivated unrest that is plaguing the city. Despite this criticism, Trump still plans to head to Kenosha to figure out what can be done to end the rioting. He has also pushed back against the claims that his visit would only make the tension in the city worse. He told reporters that his visit could increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country. Trump said that, during his visit, he will survey the parts of the city that have been heavily affected by the riots and that he plans to hold a roundtable on Wisconsin Community Safety with community leaders and first responders. Democrats criticize Trump visit Prominent Democrats have weighed in on Trumps visit to Kenosha. His rival for the upcoming presidential election, former vice president Joe Biden, said that Trump is attempting to root for chaos and violence with these visits. Fires are burning, and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames, said Biden on Monday in Pittsburgh. Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline. Local Democrats have expressed similar views. The mayor of Kenosha, John Antaramian, said that the timing is wrong for Trump to visit. Antaramian argued that Kenosha needs peace and some space in order to heal from the wounds caused in recent days and that Trumps visit might not be helpful for the community. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers asked the president to reconsider his decision to visit Kenosha, stating that Trumps presence might only hinder our healing and that it might require a massive redirection of resources, especially at a time when it is critical that all of the city and states focus is kept on maintaining law and order. In response to Evers criticism, Trump said that he was going to Kenosha to show his support for local law enforcement, who he said has done a good job. When the governor says that I shouldnt come or hed prefer that I not come, Im the one that called him and said Tony, you got to bring out the National Guard. [And then he said] Well I dont really want to do it. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com FoxNews.com NYPost.com USAToday.com Chicago.CBSLocal.com By Elvira Pollina and Marine Strauss BRUSSELS/MILAN (Reuters) - The European Union's top court ruled on Thursday that an Italian law forcing French Vivendi to forfeit a stake in Milan-based TV group Mediaset violated the bloc's rules, potentially allowing a shake-up of the country's media industry. The Court of Justice ruling strengthens Vivendi's hand in a long-running dispute, helping it regain voting rights for its full 29% stake in Mediaset, which is 44% owned by the family of Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The ruling brought an immediate response from Mediaset which said it could now consider its own investments in the telecoms sector. Vivendi is the biggest shareholder in Telecom Italia . Vivendi, led by French billionaire Vincent Bollore, has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Mediaset since it withdrew from a deal to buy the Italian group's pay TV unit in 2016 and built up a stake which Mediaset considers hostile. Vivendi's U-turn on the pay-TV sale, a deal which was widely seen as a first step to building a Southern-European media powerhouse, prompted Mediaset to seek multi-billion euro damages. A legal case has been ongoing ever since, while attempts to clinch a wider settlement and break the stalemate have so far proved unsuccessful. Sources said the new developments could prompt the two sides to try again to resolve their disputes. Mediaset shares rallied up to 7% after the ruling as investors speculated over possible new M&A scenarios for the Italian broadcaster stemming from Thursday's court decision, a Milan-based trader said. Vivendi welcomed Thursday's ruling saying it was forced to defend its interests in court while it remains committed to the Italian market. The EU ruling is the culmination of a case dating back to 2017 and a decision by Italy's communications watchdog that Vivendi's stakes in Mediaset and former phone monopolist Telecom Italia broke rules designed to prevent a concentration of power in the telecoms and media sectors. It ordered Vivendi to reduce one of its holdings to below 10%. Story continues Vivendi challenged the decision in an Italian court, which referred the case to the EU court. To comply with the Italian regulator's request, Vivendi transferred two-thirds of its voting rights in Mediaset into an arm's-length trust, which has been barred from voting at the Italian group's shareholder meetings. This year however, Vivendi has managed to block in the courts a Mediaset plan to merge its domestic and Spanish units under a Dutch holding company aimed at forging tie-ups with other European peers and taking on increasing competition from streaming services like Netflix . Mediaset said on Thursday it was ready to assess any opportunity to invest in the Italian telecom sector, including a government sponsored plan to create a single ultrafast broadband network - something the broadcaster was prevented from doing in the past. Italy's existing media laws grew partly out of parliamentary concerns in the 1990s over the combined political and media power of Berlusconi. Fininvest, the Berlusconi holding company that controls Mediaset, declined to comment. (Reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan, Marine Strauss in Bruxelles, additional reporting by Giancarlo Navach; Editing by Keith Weir, Elaine Hardcastle and Lisa Shumaker) ABC NewsBY: KELLY MCCARTHY, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- Restaurant owners in New York City have filed a $2 billion lawsuit against city and state officials as the hard-hit industry continues to call on lawmakers for a timeline and plan to reopen for indoor dining amid the pandemic. The class-action suit filed Friday in Manhattan's Supreme Court, led by Il Bacco in Queens, alleges that the state is violating the constitutional rights of the owners of over 150,000 New York City restaurants, ABC News New York City station WABC reported. As other neighboring counties, cities and states have began allowing restaurants to welcome diners back inside, industry leaders like Andrew Rigie at the New York City Hospitality Alliance have demanded answers from government and said that legal action was not out of the question for his organization. "Its been nearly six months since New York City restaurants were mandated to shutdown indoor dining, and Mayor de Blasio still does not have a reopening plan, even though the rest of the state has been dining indoors since June," Rigie told ABC News in a statement. Hundreds of restaurants have joined the three-story Italian restaurant -- which is located just under two blocks from the Nassau County border where customers can be seated indoors at 50% capacity -- in the suit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the office of the attorney general for "irreparable harm" to the food and beverage industry across the five boroughs. As of Monday, 350 additional restaurant owners joined the lawsuit according to attorney James Mermigis, Gothamist reported. "If a restaurant patron travels five hundred feet east or one city block east from [Il Bacco], patrons are in Nassau County and can enjoy indoor dining in an air conditioned room, the suit states. According to Governor Cuomo, it is dangerous to eat at [Il Bacco] in Little Neck, Queens, but it is safe to dine indoors a few hundred feet east. New York City is currently the only city in the entire state without any form of indoor dining. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced earlier this week that restaurants will resume indoor service at 25% capacity on Friday with other COVID-19 safety measures, like facial coverings and social distancing in place. Other concerns cited in the suit included "the small footprint many of these city restaurants occupy, and fears that authorities won't be able to enforce capacity limits," WABC said. In a press conference on Wednesday, de Blasio offered only a vague idea that an announcement could come this month. "I think it's our responsibility to give them as clear an answer in the month of September as possible, of where we are going," the mayor said. "If there can be a timeline, if there can be a set of standards for reopening, we need to decide that in the next few weeks and announce it, whether it is good news or bad news." Cuomo said that there can't be a timetable to reopen indoor dining without the ability to enforce rules. "My opinion is restaurants should open. The question is how?" he said Thursday. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson issued a statement in support of restaurants to resume indoor dining with proper safety precautions. "It's time to allow indoor dining in New York City with reduced capacity and clear guidance to ensure social distancing and safety," he said. "This is crucial for restaurant owners, who have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and the resulting drop in tourism. Summer is winding down, and they need to begin planning for the colder months." Johnson also said the city will continue to monitor COVID-19 rates adding that the health and well-being of the industry's workers "are imperative to our city." "The rest of the state has been allowed to reopen their restaurants for indoor dining, and New Jersey is allowing indoor dining come Friday. Now is the time to allow it in New York City. Our restaurants and our City's economy can't wait," he said. Cuomo said he plans to speak with Johnson about the needs in order to allow indoor dining. "If New York City can say this many police can be put on a task force to monitor the compliance, that's something we can discuss. I'm going to say to the restaurant association, tell me how we are going to enforce it and how we are going to monitor compliance because the facts on how we will monitor bars are damning," Cuomo said. "The plan is only as good as your ability to enforce. Right now, we have no ability to enforce it." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. MORROW, Ga., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stein & Fox Accident Attorneys is pleased to announce the firm's attorneys who were recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, the leading peer-review-based directory of legal practitioners, as 2021 Best Lawyers: "Ones to Watch": Melody M. Fox, Managing Partner, received a 2021 Best lawyers: Ones to Watch recognition for Personal Injury Law. Chris J. Fox, Attorney, received a 2021 Best Lawyers: One to Watch recognition for Personal Injury Law. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. "Ones to Watch" recipients typically have been in practice for 5-9 years. About Best Lawyers Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation. Almost 108,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received over 13 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 9.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 67,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Visit www.bestlawyers.com for more information. About Stein & Fox Accident Attorneys The experienced attorneys at Stein & Fox Accident Attorneys have over 50 years of combined experience representing personal injury victims in Atlanta, GA who have been injured as a result of an auto / truck / motorcycle accident, slip and fall, dog bite, wrongful death, brain injury and more. Visit steinfox.com for more information. SOURCE Stein & Fox A Belfast DJ has shared his memories of the former Bay City Roller Ian Mitchell, who has died in Los Angeles at the age of 62. Mitchell from Northern Ireland was just 17 when he joined the world famous Scottish pop sensations for a seven-month stint in 1976. During this time they released the album Dedication and a cover version of the Dusty Springfield song I Only Want To Be With You. The tartan-clad band had previously dominated the charts with songs such as Saturday Night, Shang-a-Lang, Bye Bye Baby and Summer Love Sensation, selling almost 300 million records worldwide. When the band played a sold-out gig in Belfast, record store owner and future radio broadcaster Ivan Martin was tasked with saving them from hordes of screaming fans who ripped their van apart. After supporting The Rollers with his first band from Downpatrick, Mitchell was asked to join by manager Tam Paton. "It was a bit like somebody playing for Cliftonville getting a call to play on the first team for Manchester United," Martin told the Belfast Telegraph. "I was given the job of looking after them for the day and getting them to the gig in one piece. They couldn't go out at this stage and were staying in the Secretary of State suite in the Culloden Hotel." A decidedly un-rock and roll afternoon of horse riding on the Ards Peninsula was arranged, with the stable owner promising secrecy in exchange for gig tickets. In a ploy to beat the crowds outside the former New Vic Cinema on Great Victoria Street, an empty stretch limo was sent into Belfast as a decoy. "The place was teeming with young girls, who all chased the limo," recalled Martin. "I had The Rollers in a Transit van and drove round the back. They jumped out and into the stage door and were away. "There were crash barriers on the street and the fans just ran through them - flattened them - and were heading our way. "About half-an-hour later I came out to get something in the van. "The wing mirrors, wipers and hubcaps had all gone, with the fans taking them as souvenirs." The hysteria continued inside as soon as the band appeared on stage. "After the first two notes you couldn't hear anything because the crowd just went absolutely bananas, it was like the early days of The Beatles," Martin explained. "In the midst of all this hysteria I was astonished to see one of our local MPs in the middle of the audience in his pinstripe suit." Asked about Mitchell's appeal, he said: "He was hugely photogenic, the camera loved him. "He slotted into the band perfectly and he was a shrewd choice by Tam Paton to fill the gap left by bassist Alan Longmuir. "All the young girls went for him. "The music business is a bit about talent and a lot about marketing. "And in terms of marketing, Ian Mitchell was an absolute dream for The Bay City Rollers, because he was young, he was good looking, he could play and the fans loved him." Although the band had "already been to the top of the mountain" by the time Mitchell joined, he said the teen still got to see huge success abroad. "So Ian enjoyed that aspect of it, and spent a lot of time in the Orient. "I think, at the time, Japan was the fourth biggest market, so it was a big deal. "Any time The Rollers were around I would have chatted to him and the rest of the band. They were very ordinary lads who had hit the big time." As the group's popularity waned Mitchell quit and was replaced by guitarist Pat McGlynn. A statement on the band's Instagram page said yesterday: "We are deeply saddened by the news of Ian Mitchell's death. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Wendy, their family and friends. Rest In Peace, Ian." Stuart 'Woody' Wood, who was among the founding members and still performs with the band, wrote on Facebook: "Very sad, sad news about Ian Mitchell. "We'd like to send our love and condolences to Wendy and all Ian's family and friends... you are in our hearts. "I have many fond memories of Ian not only in the BCR days but also when we played together in the Eighties with The Passengers... "Great guys and great days! You will sorely be missed Ian..." The French have a saying for what is going on in the streets of Americas cities these days: Epater les bourgeois. It doesnt translate well into English, but basically it means pester the hell out of the respectable citizens. This is great fun for those doing the pestering, such as the protesters who seem to have taken up permanent residence in Portland. But the practical effect is to let the opposition make a play for all those who identify with those being pestered. Donald Trump campaign manager and Jersey guy Bill Stepien held a conference call with journalists the other day during which he and campaign advisor Jason Miller addressed that issue. Democratic candidate Joe Biden has a big problem, the two said. He finds himself playing defense when he should be playing offense. This is most pronounced in the Rust Belt, where Trumps upset victories in 2016 put him over the top. Traditionally the Upper Midwest has served as a firewall for Democratic candidates, they argued. But now those states are a battleground. In battleground states with likely voters, we believe were either leading or inside the margin of error to get 270 electoral votes, said Miller. Miller said that even Minnesota, which hasnt gone Republican in a presidential race since 1972, is in play this cycle. The reason is Bidens leftward lurch when he would should have been moving to the middle, Miller said. Biden is so worried about his liberal base he will do anything, he said. Stepien, who was behind Chris Christies two successful runs for governor here in New Jersey, said the Biden campaign has been playing into The Donalds hands. We want to be on the offensive, Stepien said. We want to be controlling the narrative. He made that comment a couple of hours before Trump dominated the news cycle yet again with a visit to Kenosha, Wis., during which he made as strong a law-and-order pitch as any president ever has. This outraged the New York Times, among others. Any traditional president would be expected to play a calming and consoling role while visiting an American city that is still reeling from a police shooting and ensuing civil disorder, the Times article stated. True enough. But Trump is not a traditional president. A traditional president one named Bush, for example would consult with his consultants and try to find some middle ground between police and protesters. Not Trump. He follows his instincts - on the apparent assumption that those instincts line up with those of middle America, which they often do. As for Biden, Stepien and Miller repeated something that I observed a couple weeks ago: Biden needs a Sister Souljah moment. This is a reference to the tactic employed by Bill Clinton back in 1992. He denounced the extremism of a popular rapper to gain the support in middle America that he so badly needed in his race against the first President Bush. As for Biden, He has made a deal with the devil and hes trapped, Miller said. Though it comes from a Republican, thats an analysis Biden should have been hearing from his Democratic advisers. The devil in question is Bernie Sanders, and he forced Biden to go so far to the left that he may not be able to make it back to the middle. Biden holds a lead in the polls. But on a state-by-state analysis of the sort that Stepien and Miller described in some detail, that Rust Belt battleground will probably be the decisive factor. Those demonstrators arent helping the cause, especially when they do things like surround a U.S. senator on the D.C. streets near the capital to the point he has to be rescued by the police. Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky went on Fox News yesterday and pinned the blame for the incident on the Democrats. This is their base, Paul told host Jessica Rosenthal. These marauding people in our streets are all supporters of Joe Biden. I doubt it. Having covered such crowds in the past, I would say many of them the Democratic Party to be only slightly less bourgeois than the Republicans. That was certainly the case with the protesters outside the Democratic convention in Philadelphia in 2016. Many were disgruntled Sanders supporters. They made it clear they were not backing the Democratic nominee. So why did the Democrats let Sanders dominate their primary process in 2020, causing them to back a candidate who excites no one? That is a question Im sure theyll be asking if they lose what many think to be a very winnable election. Id suggest they brush up on their French if they want the answer. Long lines to vote in person, as occurred at Pembroke Lakes Elementary School in Pembroke Pines on Nov. 6, 2012, occur much less often than they used to because more people vote by mail or use regional early voting centers before Election Day. President Donald Trump has suggested that people vote by mail and then attempt to vote in person to see if security protocols preventing double voting actually work. If enough people went along with the president's idea, it could produce delays for everyone else. (Cristobal Herrera / Sun Sentinel) WASHINGTON - A new complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission alleges that a national network of local media websites must register as a political committee because of its ties to a Democratic-aligned group. Courier Newsroom, which includes seven news sites concentrated in presidential swing states,is backed by ACRONYM, a politically active nonprofit run by Democratic strategist Tara McGowan. Federal election laws and regulations do not apply to media outlets unless they are "owned or controlled by" a political party, committee or candidate and are acting as a media outlet rather than a political one. But the complaint, filed by Americans for Public Trust, a watchdog group affiliated with former Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt, a Republican, alleges that Courier Newsroom is not eligible for that exemption and that the media group failed to register as a political group and report its donors and expenses as is required of political groups under federal law. The complaint points to a June 2019 ACRONYM internal memo, in which McGowan wrote that the group was launching a "for-profit digital media company building out online news properties in seven 2020 battleground states" of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona. In the memo, McGowan warned that Democrats are "losing the media war" online to the Republican Party and to President Donald Trump's campaign, and laid out her plan for Courier Newsroom to counter that GOP advantage. "Building this media content network - majority owned by ACRONYM - will: Enable Democrats to compete with Republican echo chambers online; Build nimble communications infrastructure for Dems in critical states; Reach voters with strategic narratives + information year-round; Make cyclical investments in paid advertising more cost-efficient + effective over time," according to the memo, which is included in the legal complaint. "Through digital storytelling framed to both elevate Democratic candidates and issues important to core audiences, ACRONYM News Corp will finally compete with Republican news properties and narratives where they are already reaching voters online," the memo reads. On its website, Courier Newsroom describes itself as "a progressive media company." On its website, it states: "We believe that by investing in the work of local journalists across the country we can positively impact civic participation and build a healthier democracy from the ground up." A staff of reporters and editors work for Courier Newsroom and its affiliated websites, both through aggregating news coverage and through writing original stories, ranging from concerns over the politicization of the Postal Service to the impact of Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The local websites under the Courier Newsroom umbrella include the Copper Courier (Arizona), The Keystone (Pennsylvania), Cardinal & Pine (North Carolina) and The 'Gander (Michigan). Rithesh Menon, the chief operating officer for Courier Newsroom, said in a statement that while the newsroom is left-leaning, it is neither partisan nor political. "Courier Newsroom is a for-profit media corporation that is filling the void left by shuttering local news," Menon said in the statement. "We are a progressive newsroom but we are neither a partisan nor political organization, nor are we controlled by any candidate, political party, or political organization." He called the complaint politically motivated. "This complaint, filed by a Republican-led organization in an effort to undermine our values and journalistic integrity, is completely without merit and we have confidence the FEC will come to the very same conclusion," Menon said. The complaint comes as researchers raise concerns about the proliferation of websites and groups that purport to be local or business news publications but have ties to politically active groups, including so-called "dark money" groups like ACRONYM that do not disclose their donors. More than 1,200 such websites have cropped up in recent years, sparking worries that political operatives may be using the demise of local news organizations to create "partisan outlets masquerading as local news organizations," according to research by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. These efforts have been tied to conservatives as well, such as a network of entities covering news critical of elected Democratic representatives and supportive of conservative candidates in Michigan, which was traced to a conservative businessman. The FEC's media exemption is applied broadly to account for First Amendment activity, to make sure that anti-corruption rules designed for political candidates and groups do not infringe upon the freedom of the press, legal experts say. The FEC's test hinges on whether the entity is a bona fide news outlet that is producing and disseminating the news to inform the public even if it has a political tilt, rather than a political group acting on behalf of a party or candidate. In a 2019 interview with Bloomberg News, McGowan rejected criticisms that her Courier Newsroom endeavor is a politically motivated effort to sway Democratic voters. "A lot of people I respect will see this media company as an affront to journalistic integrity because it won't, in their eyes, be balanced," she told Bloomberg News. "What I say to them is, balance does not exist anymore." Through a spokesman, McGowan declined to comment for this article or on the content of the FEC complaint. ACRONYM and its affiliated super PAC, PACRONYM, have gotten the attention of many of the Democratic Party's wealthiest donors, some of whom have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the groups' efforts, according to interviews with donors and FEC records. Their donations finance an array of initiatives under ACRONYM and PACRONYM, not just Courier Newsroom. From May 2018 through April 2019, ACRONYM had 100 percent of ownership in Courier Newsroom, according to its 2018 tax return. ACRONYM said Courier Newsroom now has other investors and that ACRONYM no longer has full ownership. Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said in an interview that her group is seeking an FEC investigation because it believes that Courier Newsroom is "actually a political committee masquerading as a newsroom and hiding behind a news exemption." "The key issue that we are looking to highlight is that they are an unregistered political committee," Sutherland said. "It's been well documented since their inception that they were never set out to function as a newsroom. Tara McGowan herself said that they decided to counter the Trump and RNC digital spending, not to disseminate news." However, the FEC currently does not have enough commissioners to take a formal vote on the complaint. The independent agency, responsible for enforcing election laws, is facing a mounting backlog of complaints relating to campaign activity. Axios reported last month that Facebook executives plan to crack down on content creators that have "direct, meaningful ties" to a political entity or group. Courier Newsroom has purchased at least $1.8 million in Facebook advertising, the complaint notes, citing data from the Facebook Political Ad Archive. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:49:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MINSK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia fully supports Belarus' sovereignty and independence, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said here Thursday while meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. "While we are in hospitable Minsk, we would like to stress that Russia fully supports Belarus' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," Mishustin said. Pointing out that Belarus shares a close relationship with Russia, Mishustin said, "This is also about hundreds, thousands, or millions of people who are practically one nation." Mishustin also said the governments of the two countries are in regular close contact. Enditem China is planning a set of new government policies to develop its domestic semiconductor industry and counter restrictions imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Bloomberg News reported https://bloom.bg/31Rwwvm on Thursday. The Chinese government is preparing broad support for so-called third-generation semiconductors for the five years through 2025, the report added, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Measures to bolster research, education and financing for the industry have been added to a draft of Chinas fourteenth five-year plan, according to the report. It said that the plan will be presented to the countrys top leaders in October. The Trump administration has restricted technology exports to Chinese companies in particular, notably Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, citing national security risks. The Bloomberg report comes amid increasing U.S.-China tensions over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak, the ongoing trade war between the two countries, Chinas imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong and the subsequent end to Hong Kongs special status under U.S. law by Trump. The government on Thursday said it will answer every question asked in Parliament and 160 'unstarred' questions will be answered every day during the upcoming Monsoon session starting September 14, sources said. Countering the Opposition charge of curtailing the Question Hour, the sources in the government said this is not the first time that the Question Hour will not be taken up during a session as it was dispensed with in 2004 and 2009, besides also in 1991 as well as in 1962, 1975 and 1976 for various reasons. A research conducted by the Rajya Sabha also revealed that 60 per cent of Question Hour time was not availed during the last five years with only 40 per cent utilisation. Sources said the Question Hour was first done away with during the Emergency in 1975 and 1976, when everything was functioning normally except opposition leaders, who were put behind bars, and the media, which was censored. Unlike then, the government has argued that it is a real health emergency in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the session is being held under extraordinary circumstances even as there is a paucity of time. The presiding officers of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have received a letter from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, informing them that the government has consulted different political parties and that there is a broad consensus, barring one political party, on doing away with the Question Hour. It is based on this consensus among the opposition parties that the government has requested the presiding officers to do away with the Question Hour and Private Members' Business for this session, the sources said. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi had not consulted all the opposition leaders. He said doing away with the Question Hour, not holding the government accountable to the questions of public interest raised in Parliament in the 'starred' category 'is an assault on India's democracy and a sinister design to undermine the Parliament of the country and Parliamentary practices'. He said in the 'starred' question category, the minister concerned has to answer supplementary questions. The idea is to hold the government accountable to ensure that public welfare steps are taken and fix accountability of the government to Parliament and through it, to the 130 crore people of India, the Congress leader said. Besides the 'unstarred' questions, up to 10 special mentions would also be taken up to bring matters of importance to the government's notice, the sources said. Both houses will also discuss important issues like the pandemic, the state of the economy and other developments and there will be provisions for short-duration discussions, besides calling attention notices will also be taken up, they said. The Opposition has criticised the government for its decision not to have the Question Hour and the Private Members' Business, alleging that it is trying to 'murder' democracy in the name of COVID-19 and the session is being convened to bring legislative proposals to replace ordinances. "By abolishing the Question Hour, the government is running scared of answering relevant questions to the people of India through their elected representatives. The Modi government does not want to answer questions on the transgressions by China, about India's economy and the free fall of the GDP. "The Modi government does not want to be held accountable in the coronavirus (pandemic). It does not want to be held accountable for the closure of businesses and industries. "The Modi government does not want to be held accountable for the sinister stifling of democracy and that is why it wants to end the Question Hour. The Congress party will oppose it tooth and nail," Surjewala said at an online media briefing. Government sources have argued that there has been no Question Hour in assemblies in states ruled by the Congress or other opposition parties during the pandemic and that sessions are being held for only one to three days. The research conducted by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat revealed that during 2015-19, only about 40 per cent of the Question Hour time was available to raise questions and obtain oral responses of the government and 60 per cent of it went unused on account of disruptions. In the said period, the Rajya Sabha held a total of 332 sittings, during which a total time of 332 hours was available for the Question Hour, but only 133 hours and 17 minutes were spent on raising questions and obtaining oral replies from the ministers concerned. The actual time spent on the Question Hour was 18 hours and seven minutes in 2015, 34 hours and 48 minutes in 2016, the maximum of 35 hours and 13 minutes in 2017 and the minimum of 14 hours and 29 minutes in 2018. Only 30 hours and 40 minutes were spent in 2019. A former Big Brother star has opened up about being forced to wear glasses in order to appear intelligent to her co-workers. Lisa Clark, who appeared on the reality series back in 2014, revealed on Instagram this week that pressure from society led her to wear fake glasses while working in the real estate industry. 'Fun fact: I used to wear fake glasses when I was in real estate to seem smarter because society and the industry told me that being young and blonde was a disadvantage,' the 35-year-old wrote. Surprise: Former Big Brother star Lisa Clark revealed that she was forced to wear glasses in order to appear intelligent to her co-workers 'Well. I showed them! I now need them to see, I love that for me. #Ironic,' she added. The former influencer accompanied the post with a selfie of herself posing in an elevator in a pair of stylish glasses. Before starring on Big Brother, Lisa worked at General Pants as a PR assistant and managed a strip club. The Penrith-born beauty has come a long way since those days, and now lights up Bondi's social scene and rules Instagram with photos of herself dining at cafes and going to the beach. 'I used to wear fake glasses when I was in real estate to seem smarter because society and the industry told me that being young and blonde was a disadvantage,' she admitted Back in 2014, she opened up about being forced to change her Penrith accent after getting a job in Bondi. 'The girls at the office used to tease me as I spoke with a westie drawl and I ate McDonald's most days for lunch,' she told the Daily Telegraph. 'I decided that I wanted to be more like them so I began to read magazines and teach myself how to dress and speak properly.' Lisa has continued to evolve over the years and attended her first political protest in January. Flashback: Lisa appeared on Big Brother back in 2014 with Skye Wheatley The entrepreneur joined a climate change protest, where she urged for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to be fired. Sharing several photos from the event to Instagram, Lisa gushed: 'My first rally ever!' 'I have strong opinions on many things, but I always thought rallys (sic) were (sic) unsafe and the people agressive (sic). Not so. Every sex, colour, religion and age were here united by 2 things,' she continued. '#1 Scott Morrison you gotta go buddy and #2 Global Warming is a real thing, with catastrophic results for humankind. We MUST demand change, we MUST NOT become complacent, we MUST vote for leaders who hear us.' The aspiring activist later shared a stunning photo of herself flashing a peace sign in the middle of the protest. 'Scott Morrison, well be less activist if you be less s**t,' she raged. By Arjuna Ranawana and Nidhi Verma COLOMBO/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka, spokesmen for the country's navy said on Thursday, adding that one of its 23 crew was missing and another injured. Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said flames had spread to the New Diamond's bridge, but there was no damage to the cargo area. "We will need an international effort," de Silva said. He said earlier navy personnel at the scene had reported the fire was under control. A statement released late on Thursday by the navy said the New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was crewed by 5 Greek and 18 Philippine nationals. One Philippine national was injured and another was missing following the fire, the statement said. Two Russian anti-submarine ships and four Indian ships were assisting in the operation. Authorities "are taking steps to mitigate and manage the risk of possible oil spills in future due to this disaster," the statement said. The New Diamond, chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was fully loaded with about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. Photographs taken by Sri Lanka's air force showed extensive damage to the tanker's funnel, and thick black smoke and flames coming from the bridge, which is just behind the cargo area. Another spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka and that the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to assist. On Twitter, India's coast guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help fight the fire. New Diamond sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. It was heading for the Indian port of Paradip, where state-run IOC has a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Graphic: Path of the VLCC New Diamond, which caught fire off Sri Lanka https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/rlgpdoqjgvo/NewDiamond.png Story continues Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker. Such a spill could cause an "environmental disaster," Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore, said. "No double-hull VLCC has spilt oil to date, but (it) depends on the damage to the ship," he added. Thursday's incident happened just over a month after a state of "environmental emergency" was triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. De Silva said some of the New Diamond's crew were rescued by oil product tanker Helen M, which an industry source said was on a time charter with India's Reliance Industries. "The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew." In a statement, the vessel's insurer, West of England, said: "We can confirm that these two vessels are entered in the West of England. The Club is liaising closely with our members and the relevant authorities and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time." The second vessel referred to was the Gulf Livestock 1, sailing to China from New Zealand with 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that sank off Japan on Thursday. IOC, Reliance Industries and Kuwait Petroleum Corp had no immediate comment. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma in New Delhi, Waruna Karunatilake and Arjuna Ranawana in Colombo, Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore and Jonathan Saul in London; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Jason Neely, Clarence Fernandez, Catherine Evans and Barbara Lewis) In planning documents sent last week to public health agencies around the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described preparations for two coronavirus vaccines they refer to simply as Vaccine A and Vaccine B. The technical details of the vaccines, including the time between doses and their storage temperatures, match well with the two vaccines furthest along in clinical tests in the United States, made by Moderna and Pfizer. Heres what you need to know about how the vaccines work, how theyre being tested and how they might be rolled out to the public if, and its still a big if, they are proven to work. How do these vaccines work? Vaccines can take many different forms. The most common in use today contain inactivated viruses, weakened live viruses or pieces of proteins. Moderna and Pfizer are testing a new kind of vaccine that has never before been approved for use by people. It contains genetic molecules called messenger RNA. The messenger RNA is injected into muscle cells, which treat it like instructions for building a protein a protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. If all goes well, the proteins stimulate the immune system and result in long-lasting protection against the virus. What do we know about how well these vaccines work? Both vaccines have gone through extensive early tests, but we still dont know for sure if theyre safe and effective. Once vaccines are designed, they go through four stages of testing. In the preclinical stage, researchers test them on animals. For COVID-19, these animals include hamsters and genetically modified mice, both of which can experience some of the same symptoms as humans. If these tests yield promising results, then the vaccines go into three phases of clinical trials in people. In Phase 1, doctors give the vaccine to a small number of volunteers. They keep an eye on them to make sure they dont have any immediate negative reactions. Its not uncommon for people to feel achiness in their muscles or even a mild fever, but these mild symptoms typically dont last long. In Phase 2 trials, scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people split into groups, like children and older adults, to determine whether the vaccine acts differently in them. In both Phases 1 and 2, researchers analyze the blood of volunteers to see if their immune systems are learning to fight the virus with antibodies and immune cells that can kill infected cells. Finally, in Phase 3 trials, scientists give the vaccine to tens of thousands of people and a placebo to tens of thousands of others. Moderna and Pfizer are currently testing their candidates in Phase 3 trials. In their earlier human studies, neither vaccine produced serious side effects. Both vaccines provoked peoples immune systems to make antibodies that can neutralize the coronavirus. Thats encouraging. But that alone does not reveal whether a vaccine works or not. Why is a Phase 3 trial important? Only a Phase 3 trial can establish whether a vaccine is safe and effective enough to be approved for widespread use. In such a trial, volunteers are randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or the placebo. They dont know which one they are given nor do their doctors. By blinding the trial, researchers ensure that no bias creeps into the study. A Phase 3 trial collects data about the symptoms volunteers experience after their injection and whether they become infected with the coronavirus. After unblinding the data, researchers compare the rates of infection and adverse side effects between people who receive the vaccine and those who receive the placebo. If significantly more people get COVID-19 on the placebo than the vaccine, that is evidence that the vaccine is effective. The Food and Drug Administration has indicated that vaccine makers should aim for 50 per cent protection in order to be considered effective. If significantly more people who receive the vaccine suffer serious side effects, that may indicate that the vaccine isnt safe or may be safe only for certain groups, like people under age 65. Could a vaccine be approved before clinical trials are completed? In recent days, some federal health officials have said a vaccine could be made available to at least some groups before clinical trials have been completed. An independent body called a Data and Safety Monitoring Board is charged with checking in on clinical trials at certain points to ensure there are no serious safety issues. If the vaccine is harming participants, the trial may be ended early. But if it appeared to be working incredibly well a scenario that the governments top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, floated in an interview with Kaiser Health News this week the board could also decide it would no longer be ethical to continue giving some participants a placebo and could end the trial early. What have companies said about when their vaccines may be ready? Companies have given varying estimates. Pfizer recently said it was on track for seeking government review as early as October 2020. Moderna has said it expects to complete enrolment in its Phase 3 trial in September but has not provided an estimate about when the vaccine might be ready for the public. Federal officials said in May that the first doses of a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca, in partnership with the University of Oxford, could be delivered by October. But AstraZeneca, which recently began Phase 3 trials of the vaccine in the United States, is now saying it could supply the first doses of the vaccine in the United States by the end of 2020. In a recent statement, Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said the company was putting science and the interest of society at the heart of our work, adding, we are moving quickly but without cutting corners. How would a vaccine reach the public? The pandemic has prompted a drastic change in how vaccines are developed. Normally, vaccine makers would wait for clinical trials to yield definitive results before moving forward with plans to manufacture a vaccine. This time, many manufacturers have begun preparing in advance for production, getting money from governments to buffer the risk. The CDCs planning documents give an indication of the extraordinary complexity of distributing vaccines to hundreds of millions of people in a country with a fragmented health care system. Past experiences serve as a warning about how this undertaking can go awry. In March 2009, a pandemic strain of influenza known as H1N1 emerged, raising the prospect that huge numbers of people might die. Scientists worked hard to create and test a vaccine for the new flu strain as fast as possible. But large deliveries of the vaccine didnt start until December, and only 24 per cent of Americans received it by April 2010. Fortunately, the new flu strain turned out to be much milder than expected. Thats not the case with COVID-19. So far, over 25.7 million people have been infected worldwide, and 857,920 have died. With the prospect of many more infections ahead, the rapid deployment of a safe and effective vaccine is all the more urgent. When might the first vaccines be distributed? The CDC told public health agencies last week that limited doses of a vaccine may be available beginning in late October or November, although that would only be if a vaccine is shown to be safe and effective. According to the documents the agency sent to the public health offices, two million doses of what the CDC labelled Vaccine A most likely the Pfizer vaccine may be available by the end of October, with 10 million to 20 million doses possibly available by November, and 20 million to 30 million by the end of December. The CDC said the other potential vaccine, Vaccine B which matches the details of the Moderna vaccine could have about 1 million doses available by October, 10 million by November and 15 million by December. Each of the vaccines would require two doses to be effective. Pfizer and Moderna did not respond to questions about the CDCs recent guidelines. Who will get it first? In the documents sent to public health agencies, the CDC said certain groups would have priority, beginning with health care workers, essential workers (like police officers or those who work in critical industries like food production), national security populations, and workers and residents of long-term care facilities like nursing homes. Those priority groups include millions of people. At a meeting last week of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC, an agency official presented a slide showing that in the United States, there are about 17 million to 20 million health care workers, 60 million to 80 million essential workers, and about 53 million people older than 65. On Wednesday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine unveiled a 114-page plan, sponsored by the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, that proposed a complicated four-phase system for priority. Will these two COVID-19 vaccines be the only ones available? Probably not. Aside from Moderna and Pfizer, there are 34 other vaccines in clinical trials worldwide. There are over 90 more vaccines confirmed to be in active preclinical testing. Over the next year, 69 of them are slated to go into clinical trials. Among all of these other vaccines, some may prove more potent than the first ones that are approved. Some may be better in particular for children or older people. Some may turn out to provide a valuable booster to immunity. Moderna and Pfizers vaccines also require a lot of care in their handling. For example, Modernas vaccine requires storage at minus 20 degrees Celsius; Pfizers has to stay at minus 70. Some of the other vaccines now being developed may be kept at much warmer temperatures, making them easier to distribute in places that dont have advanced medical facilities. This satellite image released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Nana approaching Belize on Sept. 2, 2020. (NOAA via AP) Hurricane Nana Hits Belize, Drives Across Guatemala PUNTA GORDA, BelizeHurricane Nana made landfall in Belize, pelting a relatively sparsely populated stretch of the countrys coast with heavy rain and wind before weakening to a tropical storm while pushing across Guatemala on Thursday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Nana hit land between the coastal towns of Dangriga and Placencia shortly after midnight at an area around 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), making it barely a hurricane. The storm was moving west-southwest at 15 mph (24 kph). Later in the morning, Nana weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kph). It was centered about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north-northeast of Guatemala City and neared the border with Mexico. Belize authorities did not immediately report injuries when Nana when landfall shortly after midnight Thursday. More than 4,000 people, primarily in the south of the country moved to government shelters. Thousands of people stocked up on food, water and construction materials Wednesday ahead of the landfall. Long lines stretched through supermarkets and hardware store shelves were nearly bare as residents of Belize bought materials to board up windows and doors. Heavy rains were expected in Belize, as well as in northern Honduras. Forecasters said Nana would weaken rapidly as it moved inland. Belize hurricane watch for the nations entire coast. (CNN Weather) Hurricane Season This record-breaking hurricane season continues to churn out storms. Nana and Tropical Storm Omar are the earliest 14th and 15th named storms in the Atlantic basin, respectively, each breaking a record from the 2005 season. The previous record for the earliest N storm was Nate on Sept. 6, 2005. The old record for the earliest named O storm was Ophelia, named a day later. Omar on Wednesday was out over open water in the Atlantic and moving away from the United States. It is expected to weaken throughout the day on Thursday. Meantime across the Atlantic, the hurricane center is watching two areas of possible formation this week. If either becomes tropical and gains enough strength to earn a name, it would be the earliest 16th named storm. The previous record is held by Philippe, which formed on Sept. 17, 2005. On average, the Atlantic only sees 11 named storms throughout a hurricane season. The 2020 peak is still more than a week away. CNN Wire contributed to this report. Of the 12 faculty welcomed to Lee University this fall, three join the School of Music, three join the School of Nursing, and one joins the School of Religion. Dr. Chery Brendel joins Lees School of Music as an assistant professor of voice. Dr. Brendel has served as adjunct faculty at Lee since 2005, along with serving as an adjunct voice faculty for Carson-Newman, Georgia State, Arcadia, and Evangel University. While working at Southeastern University, she developed a new opera program, created and coordinated a university-sponsored community concert series, and developed curriculum for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music and a Bachelor of Music in performance. Dr. Brendel earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in voice performance from the University of Georgia, a Master of Music from Temple University, and a BM from Evangel University. Dr. Luke Gambill joins the School of Music as an assistant professor of music, having served previously as a part-time instructor. Dr. Gambill has been a full-time assistant professor of music and coordinator of contemporary worship at William Carey University, a church worship leader, a publisher, writer, and arranger of church music, and has developed faith-based and church-focused worship music resources in multiple genres. At William Carey University, Dr. Gambill oversaw the audio/video aspects of the academic programs and fine arts facilities, the 110-voice campus worship choir, Restoration Band, recruiting events, and served as advisor to all worship music majors. Dr. Gambill earned a Doctor of Worship Studies from Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, a Master of Arts from Liberty University, and a BA from Southeastern University. Dr. Nathaniel Olson joins the School of Music as an assistant professor of voice. Prior to Lee, he served in visiting or adjunct roles at Wingate University, Elon University, Radford University, and Universitas Pelita Harapan in Indonesia. Dr. Olson recently presented as baritone soloist for Vocal and Instrumental Laments: Claudio Monteverdi and Matthias Weckmann at the Society for Seventeenth-Century 27th Annual Conference at Duke University. He is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists, College Music Society, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Dr. Olson holds a DMA from the University of North Carolina, an MM from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a BM from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. Misty Humberger joins Lees School of Nursing as full-time lecturer in nursing, having previously served as an adjunct clinical instructor. She has been a clinical documentation improvement specialist and orthopedic/surgical case manager at Parkridge/HCA in Chattanooga and a physician educator at HCA Healthcare. She has also served as director of operations with Amedisys Home Health in Murfreesboro and director of Patient Care Services in McMinnville/Manchester, Tn. Ms. Humberger earned the Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Middle Tennessee State University. Glenna Lashley joins the Lee School of Nursing as an assistant professor of nursing with 16 years of professional nursing experience, including her current role as family nurse practitioner and provider/owner of A Plus Care Family Practice in Jasper, Tennessee. In addition to her training and wide range of professional experience, Ms. Lashley has served as an adjunct clinical instructor at South University and as adjunct faculty for the Licensed Practical Nursing program at Central Georgia Technical College. Ms. Lashley earned her MSN from Southern Adventist University and her BSN from Georgia College. Dr. Samantha Spinks also joins the SON faculty as an assistant professor of nursing. Prior to this appointment, she worked as an acute care nurse practitioner at East Tennessee Gastroenterology. She has served in multiple and diverse units and roles, including managerial responsibilities, at Tennova Heathcare in Cleveland, where she was named Employee of the Year in 2012. She also received the Clinical Excellence Award in 2016 at SAU. Dr. Spinks currently serves on Cleveland States Medical Assistant Advisory Board and is a board member for Foundation House Ministries. She earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice and an MSN from SAU. She is licensed as a registered nurse, advanced practice nurse, and a critical care registered nurse. Dr. Julie Martinez joins the School of Religions Department of Christian Ministries as an assistant professor of intercultural studies and director of Lees intercultural studies program. She comes to Lee from the organization Serving Orphans Worldwide, where she was the transitional program director. She has also worked with People for Care and Learning as the Cambodian country director. During her time in Cambodia, Dr. Martinez developed the vision and led in the start-up, development, and governance of an international primary school for the children of cross-cultural workers. She has also worked in Chile, Honduras, and Zambia. Dr. Martinez earned a Doctor of Philosophy in intercultural studies from Biola University, a Master of Education from Liberty University, and a BS from Lee University. Jeffrey Dobrin kept giving himself a chance, and it finally paid off big. One of the most persistent grinders throughout the online bracelet events on both WSOP.com and GGPoker this year, Dobrin racked up an impressive 15 cashes over the course of the dozens of tournaments held on the two sites. However, none of the runs were particularly deep, with the best of the bunch being a 31st-place finish back in early July. Finally, Dobrin had the breakthrough he undoubtedly craved. It came in Event #80: People's Choice Event [Pros Vote], which turned out to be a $600 six-max event. Dobrin won $189,666 and a WSOP Europe package thanks to beating a field of 2,408 for his first bracelet. Place Player Country Prize 1 Jeffrey Dobrin USA $189,666* 2 Idris Ambraisse France $144,998 3 Vahe Martirosyan Armenia $104,255 4 Joao Santos Brazil $74,960 5 Marc MacDonnell Ireland $53,897 6 Sergio Veloso Croatia $38,752 7 Arvhin Malinab Canada $27,863 8 Hiroki Morishita Japan $20,034 9 Chris Ferguson USA $14,404 *also won a WSOP Europe package Dobrin was certainly far from the headliner at the final table, despite coming in with a slight chip lead. All eyes were on Chris Ferguson, gunning for bracelet No. 7, with some of those eyes undoubtedly anti-sweating the veteran pro. However, Ferguson attempted a sizable hero-call with ace-high that went awry, leading to his early bust. Meanwhile, Dobrin chose to take a very aggressive approach. As chip leader, he got the option to choose his seat last, and he made what looked to be a very prudent choice to put most of the other big stacks on his right. This frequently allowed him to just shove and put everyone behind him at risk, padding his stack without much fight. However, the tournament looked to be Vahe Martirosyan's to lose as he had about half of the chips four-handed. That's when Dobrin revitalized himself after having sunk below an average count. He picked up nines to double through Joao Santos, who was dealt eights. Then, he and Idris Ambraisse left Martirosyan in their dust three-handed to set up a fairly even heads-up match. The shallow stacks meant the first heater might take it and that went to Dobrin as he turned a gutshot to the nuts versus top two pair and then rolled from there, with a kings-over-nines cooler to finish it. Dobrin can put his freshly won bracelet on the trophy case next to his two WSOP Circuit rings, which he won in 2012 and 2016. And the way Dobrin's been grinding, expect to see him stay in contention for more cashes as the GGPoker bracelet series winds down in the coming days. India on Thursday accused Pakistan of attempting to politicise the UN Security Councils 1267 sanctions committee procedure after members of the world body rejected Islamabads call to designate two Indian nationals as terrorists. The UN Security Council had on Wednesday rejected Pakistans efforts to get the two Indians designated as terrorists after Islamabad failed to produce evidence to back up its allegations. The proposal from Pakistan was objected to by some Security Council members and thereafter, the secretariat blocked this proposal...and issued a notification, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly news briefing. What has happened is [that] Pakistans attempt to list four Indian nationals in this 1267 sanctions list has failed, he said, adding the move was a blatant attempt by Pakistan to politicise the working of this 1267 procedure by giving it a religious colour. Pakistans move was widely perceived as retaliation for Indias success last year in getting Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist by the 1267 committee, which focuses on the designation of terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, Islamic State, the Taliban and their affiliates. Pakistan has launched moves to designate a total of four Indians as terrorists since 2019, telling the UN Security Council they were allegedly involved in state-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan also alleged the men were part of an Afghanistan-based group that helped organise terror attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. The efforts to designate two Indians identified by Pakistan as Venumadhav Dongara and Ajoy Mistry were rejected by the Security Council in June and July, largely because of efforts by the US, Britain, France and Germany, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity. A recent effort to designate two more Indians identified by Islamabad as Gobinda Patnaik and Angara Appaji were initially blocked through a technical hold by the US, the UK, Germany, France and Belgium as they wanted Pakistan to provide evidence to back its allegations, the people said. During consultations behind closed doors on Wednesday, when the term of the hold ended, Pakistans effort to designate the remaining two Indians was rejected by the Security Council after it failed to furnish any proof, the people added. Indias permanent representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, tweeted: Pakistans blatant attempt to politicise 1267 special procedure on terrorism by giving it a religious colour, has been thwarted by UN Security Council. We thank all those Council members who have blocked Pakistans designs. Some of the Indians that Pakistan had sought to designate as terrorists had been working in Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly sought to rake up what it claims is Indias alleged role in fomenting terrorism on its soil at various UN bodies in recent months, but without any takers. It even made a false claim that its envoy to the UN had delivered a statement at a UN Security Council meet on terrorism. Chennai, Sep 3 : The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday said it has diverted three of its ships and a Dornier aircraft to assist the Sri Lankan Navy to douse a fire on board an oil tanker 'MT NewDiamond'. According to the Coast Guard, the Sri Lankan Navy had sought assistance to fight the fire and explosion on board MT NewDiamond. The tanker is 37 nautical miles off the Sri Lankan coast. The Coast Guard said it had diverted three of its ships - Shaurya, Sarang, Samudra Paheredar and a Dornier aircraft for firefighting operations. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. __________________ Chef Aaron Thayer and Abby Fuhrman were fully expecting to open their fine dining restaurant Patria in the heart of Northamptons business district in the spring. But in March, the husband-wife duo were thrown the most massive of curveballs: the coronavirus pandemic. Like so many business owners throughout Massachusetts and the country, the couple had to readjust. I think any time youre starting something new, you have to be prepared for curveballs, for things to be thrown at you that you didnt expect, so I just see this as a big learning experience, Fuhrman said. Starting a brand new restaurant is a difficult process under normal circumstances, she added, but opening one during a global public health crisis comes with its own special set of challenges. We were taken off our feet for a little bit and had to re-access, Thayer, clad in a face covering, told MassLive during an interview last month inside the couples newly opened restaurant. Its impossible to kind of predict whats going to happen, so you have to just stay focused and hope for the best and plan for the worst. After months of preparations, though, and after completely redesigning their restaurant space at the bottom level of Thornes Marketplace, the couple is excited to say Patria is now open for business. Open three days a week, Patria can be found at 150 Main St. in downtown Northampton and is offering a menu based on Thayers many years of fine dining experiences in Boston, Easthampton and San Fransisco, California. An outdoor dining space is set up in front of the restaurant, where patrons can sit and scan a QR code to see Patrias food and cocktail menus as well as its diverse list of beers, red and white wines, roses, champagnes and sakes. The wine list includes everything from Rieslings from Germany to Burgess Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain in Napa Valley, according to Jeff Bagnell, the wine director at Patria. Its decadence without being too indulgent, said Bagnell, who expressed his pride for the wine selection. All the voices are heard in terms of the pallet. I dont want the drinks to overshadow the food. They sing together. I love it. Thayer and Fuhrman are serving both entrees and small bites, from short rib buns to Kumamoto oysters, as well as Prohibition-era and modern craft cocktails. They change the menu every week, though, and are now serving up dishes that range from tempura Maitake mushrooms to a dry-aged rib of beef. The couple is also offering a personal flare that is recognizable throughout their restaurant. Thayers aunt, for instance, made many of the cushions that are sitting on top of the businesss benches, and his cousin, Doug, constructed the entire back bar of the restaurant. A portrait of rapper Kendrick Lamar, one of Thayers favorite musicians, hangs on the restaurants white brick walls, and a replica of the Star Wars villain Kylo Rens helmet sits on a liquor shelf behind the bar. Thayer dressed up as the sci-fi character for Halloween last year, Fuhrman pointed out. Another portrait of the couples dog, named Cooper, hangs in the bathroom of the restaurant well. A cocktail on Patrias drink menu, called Coopers Cup, is also named after the pup. This is definitely our space. We wanted it to feel comfortable for us, Thayer said. We like being at home, and we know how much time were going to spend here, so we want to be comfortable here too. Fine dining can feel pretentious sometimes, Fuhrman added, noting that she and Thayer wanted to avoid that type of atmosphere at Patria. However we can bring a homey kind of vibe to it is helpful, Fuhrman said. Along with being Northamptons newest business, Patria is also the citys only Black-owned restaurant. Fuhrman is white, and Thayers Black. People want to support local businesses right now and Black-owned businesses right now, Fuhrman told MassLive during a walkthrough of the restaurant. Thats pretty special right now as well. Notably, Patria is situated in an overwhelmingly white area. Hampshire County is nearly 90% white. In an interview with Eater Boston, Thayer acknowledged that factor played a part in why he had not opened a restaurant in the county until this year. For years, Thayer said, he never thought the Pioneer Valley was where he was going to open his restaurant, according to the news outlet. But moving home three years ago and seeing the shift in culture was really eye-opening for me, he told Eater. You know, there are Black Lives Matter parades here now. Were the only Black-owned restaurant in Northampton, and the outpouring of support weve already felt from people has been amazing. Instead of a theme for the restaurant, Patrias dishes and general atmosphere are rooted in Thayers experiences as a fine dining chef on both the east and west coasts of the United States. The 33-year-old chef has known he wanted to be a chef since he was a child. Thayer has cooked across the country and across cuisines, from Asian to French, working at multiple Michelin Guide-listed restaurants along his culinary journey. The couple returned to the Pioneer Valley two years ago from San Francisco, where Thayer worked at the French restaurant Atelier Crenn with Dominique Crenn, a three-star chef. He later helped Crenn open a second restaurant, Petit Crenn. Thayer also worked at the high-end steakhouse Mooo and the modern Asian cuisine restaurant Clio, both located in Boston, as well as Coco & the Cellar Bar in Easthampton, where Thayer and Fuhrman developed a close relationship with the owners, Unmi Abkin and Roger Taylor. Bagnell, the wine director at Patria and a close friend of the couple for many years, met Thayer at Mooo in 2009. The two worked countless hours together at the restaurant, Bagnell as a captain and Thayer in the kitchen, and developed their dedication to fine dining there. They have now brought that passion to Patria. As our friendship developed, we volleyed it with this idea of our shared passion for fine dining, Bagnell said. Because Thayer was so highly regarded at the steakhouse, management let him and Bagnell create a multiple-course tasting menu of his dishes and Bagnells wine selection. So that was the first time we did it, and here we are 11 years later doing it for real, Bagnell said. Adding to the personal touch of the restaurant is the fact that Thayer and Fuhrman are both natives of Western Massachusetts. Thayers from Hadley, and Fuhrman, a 29-year-old social worker, is from Amherst. Fuhrman recalled going to Thornes Marketplace as a kid and shopping with her dad at the record store that used to be in the space where her restaurant now is located. To own a business now inside the small shopping center is really special, she said. Knowing that we have the support of the Thornes community has been really great, and when the space first opened up it felt like a no-brainer, Fuhrman said. Opening a new restaurant for Thayer and Fuhrman has not been an easy experience, though. In fact, it has been an uphill battle. The couple previously planned to open a restaurant called Hunt & Gather in Easthampton at the end of 2019. Due to cost-prohibitive renovation estimates from contractors, though, Thayer and Fuhrman had to change their plans. They then planned to open their restaurant in the spring in the bottom-level space of Thornes, formerly occupied by the wine bar ConVino, which closed its doors in August. In March, the couple was forced again to place their plans on hold, due this time to the COVID-19 outbreak. I just keep thinking of this as: Opening a restaurant is a crazy endeavor, and now were doing it during a pandemic, Fuhrman said. I think for Aaron, hes been able to remain flexible and retain his creativity. More than eight months after Thayer and Fuhrman first announced their plans to open Patria, the restaurant is now officially in business. A soft opening of family and friends was held at Patria on July 31 and Aug. 1, but the couple found the restaurant was not adequately staffed in the kitchen, so they decided to cut back on the menu and focus on doing a couple things really, really well, Thayer said. As were training and as were hiring more employees, we can continue to expand the menu and eventually open as a full-tasting menu restaurant. In early August, Patria opened its doors to the general public, and although the restaurants menu has remained abbreviated, patrons have been super happy and excited about the new business. It went really, really well, and it felt super positive, Fuhrman said about opening Patria. I think whats so special about opening right now is the amount of people who have said, This is my first time eating someone elses food, or this is my first time on a date in four or five months. To be able to provide someone with the utmost comfort and to be able to serve someone for the first time in six months has just felt very special. Patria could have opened earlier this year with takeout, but Thayer did not want to do that, as serving fine dining via takeout would not mesh well with the restaurants business model, according to the chef. So much of how people order takeout is brand recognition, he also noted, and being a new restaurant, Patria is still working on getting its name and caliber of dining known widely in the community. We could have started with something, but we wanted to make sure that we had hired the right staff and that everyone felt supported, comfortable and safe, Furhman added. Thats why our opening got pushed out more. One of the biggest lessons learned from opening Patria was knowing how to accept help, Fuhrman said, whether that help was from family members or other business owners nearby in the Pioneer Valley. Abkin and Taylor at Coco & The Cellar Bar have been incredible supports, Fuhrman said. The owners of Thornes and other businesses in the shopping center, like Paul & Elizabeths restaurant, as well as Daily Operation in Easthampton have helped the couple along the way too. Forest Flowers, another Northampton business, also helped provide the restaurants decor, and Hired Hand Signs, also based in the city, made Patrias signage. If anybody realizes how hard it is to operate a restaurant is other restaurant operators, I mean at this point in time, Thayer said. So weve felt welcomed by the community. Having been set up for nearly a month now and seeing regulars come back to the restaurant every weekend too is such a cool feeling, Fuhrman added. People are appreciating how much effort Aaron puts into the menu, even though its a small bites menu, she said. Its perfect. Its really incredible. Patria is open for outdoor dining Thursday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Reservations must be made ahead of time. Watch MassLives walkthrough of Patria. MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Related Content: CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro declined against its major counterparts in the Asian session on Thursday, following a media report that the European Central Bank is concerned about the strength of the currency. The Financial Times reported that the ECB is worried about the euro's rise, which threatens the bloc's economic recovery. The report came after remarks from ECB chief economist Philip Lane on the exchange rate level that sparked a reversal of some of the euro's recent strength on Wednesday. Lane said that the euro-dollar rate 'does matter' for monetary policy, hinting that policymakers are uncomfortable with the currency's strength. The ECB will meet next week, with investors expecting further action to boost the economy. Investors await U.S. weekly jobless claims and jobs report for more direction. The euro depreciated to 1-1/2-month lows of 1.5429 versus the loonie, 1.6138 versus the aussie and 1.7470 versus the kiwi, after rising to 1.5470, 1.6181 and 1.7523, respectively in early deals. The next likely support for the euro is seen around 1.52 versus the loonie, 1.57 versus the aussie and 1.72 versus the kiwi. The European currency slid to 0.8866 versus the pound, its lowest level since June 9. If the euro drops further, 0.86 is possibly seen as its next support level. The single currency fell to a 3-day low of 1.0771 against the franc from Wednesday's closing value of 1.0795. Versus the yen, it recorded a 6-day low of 125.29. Next key support for the euro is likely seen around 1.05 against the franc and 121.00 versus the yen. The euro fell below the key 1.18 level against the U.S. currency, touching a 1-week low of 1.1789. The euro is likely to find support around the 1.15 region. Looking ahead, PMI reports from major European economies and Eurozone retail sales for July are due in the European session. U.S. and Canadian trade data for July, U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended August 29 and ISM non-manufacturing composite index for August will be out in the New York session. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Victrola Coffee and Noren Sushi buildings, at 310-320 E. Pike St., sold for $8 million, according to King County records. The buyer was Da Li Properties LLC, which has been an increasingly active buyer and developer in our market. . . . The lead prosecutor in the trial of alleged genocide financier Felicien Kabuga said Thursday his team is on a fact-finding mission in Rwanda to seek fresh evidence to bolster their case in an international court. Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor for the international tribunal handling the 1994 genocide trials, is leading an on-the-ground investigation to update the case against Kabuga, described upon his arrest as Africa's most wanted man. Kabuga, who is 84 according to officials, but claims to be 87, was arrested in May at his home outside Paris after 25 years on the run. He is accused of financing the genocide that saw Hutu extremists massacre some 800,000 Tutsis and also moderate Hutus. A French court ruled in June that Kabuga should stand trial at the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) based in Arusha, Tanzania, but his lawyers have appealed. Brammertz -- a Belgian magistrate and lead prosecutor of the MICT, which took over when a prior international tribunal for Rwanda ended in 2015 -- says his team in Rwanda is leaving no stone unturned as they seek a guilty verdict. Brammertz, pictured in 2016 when he was chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. By Jan HENNOP (AFP) "We are working hard to update the file in order to obtain a conviction at the end of the trial," the prosecutor told AFP in Kigali on Thursday. The evidence used to obtain an arrest warrant for Kabuga -- who was indicted by a previous tribunal in 1997 on seven counts, including genocide -- was "very old" and needed updating, Brammertz said. Hunt for witnesses His recently-expanded team is seeking access to key Rwandan files on Kabuga's case and firsthand sources during their month-long research mission to bolster the dossier against him, Brammertz added. "We must therefore go back to the witnesses of the time, see who is still available," he said. "We're obviously taking advantage of this to look for new evidence," he added, saying no aspect of the indictment against Kabuga had been ruled out as yet. A sketch of Felicien Kabuga wearing an anti-coronavirus mask when he appeared at the Paris Court of Appeal on May 20. By Benoit PEYRUCQ (AFP/File) The team arrived in Kigali on August 25. The Cour de Cassation, France's supreme court for criminal cases, is expected to rule on September 30 whether Kabuga should be transferred to Tanzania to stand trial. His lawyers say a UN court in Africa would be biased against their client, who they also say is in poor health, and want him tried in France. Brammertz said he was confident the court would approve his trial at the MICT. Kabuga, once one of Rwanda's richest men, was indicted by the tribunal in 1997 on seven counts, including genocide. He denies all the charges. He is alleged to have funnelled money to militia groups as chairman of the national defence fund. Kabuga is also accused of setting up the Interahamwe militia that carried out massacres and the Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines, which incited people to murder. The US State Department hailed the arrest as "a milestone for international justice, and a message to all fugitives indicted for genocide that they will be brought to justice." This is the shocking moment two police officers come under attack and are forced to defend themselves with pepper spray while trying to make an arrest. Dramatic footage captured the ugly clashes with officers after they stopped and questioned a man outside a newsagent in Telford, Shropshire, on Tuesday afternoon. It shows a male and female officer frantically calling for backup as they fight off a frenzied mob of attackers. West Mercia Police has since charged three men, all aged 18, with seven counts of assaulting an emergency worker. A 31-year-old woman has also been charged with obstructing police. All four are due to appear in court today. The force said it will be increasing the number of patrols in the area to reassure the public and vowed attacks on its officers 'will not be tolerated'. Dramatic footage captured the ugly clashes with officers after they stopped and questioned a man outside a newsagent in Telford, Shropshire, on Tuesday afternoon Backup eventually arrives and several officers are seen tackling the other man to the ground before quickly subduing him Footage of the incident was posted anonymously on social media yesterday and has been viewed more than 70,000 times. It shows a male and a female police officer speaking to a man at the side of the road, who tells them: 'I don't give a f***. You gonna arrest me? Go on, then.' They take hold of him and the female officer appears to take out a spray canister, as angry bystanders shout: 'He hasn't even done nothing. Why you spraying him?' As the officers drag the suspect towards their car, they are confronted by a man and a woman who try to stop the arrest. The female officer orders them to 'get back' and appears to spray the man as he advances towards her. Her colleague warns 'there'll be more officers' as the scene become more chaotic and two male suspects are seen wrestling with police in the street. The officers grapple with the mob, before the female PC desperately radios for back-up One of them then appears to hit the officer in the face, sending his glasses clattering to the ground. The other suspect - who was previously sprayed - howls in pain as he clutches his face, unable to see, and is heard furiously thumping the police car. Meanwhile, backup arrives and several officers are seen tackling the other man to the ground before quickly subduing him. Superintendent James Baker, of West Mercia Police, said: 'This incident is unacceptable. 'My colleagues were on patrol, keeping the community safe - we do not come to work to be assaulted. 'This type of behaviour will not be tolerated in Telford and we will be increasing the number of uniformed patrols in the area. 'This was undoubtedly a very distressing incident for anyone who witnessed it and I am pleased we made four arrests, having gained control of the incident quickly. 'Our staff are committed to keeping the public safe and these events will not deter police from patrolling the area and continuing to do their jobs. 'All our officers are dedicated to their roles and we will continue to engage with the communities we serve and be there when they are in need.' By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Justice Arun Mishra retired from the Supreme Court after six years stint on Wednesday and attended the last day proceedings by sharing the ceremonial bench with Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde a long-standing tradition of the court. CJI Bobde described Mishra as a beacon of courage, one who was leaving behind a legacy of hard work, erudition, great courage and fortitude. He commended Mishra for the courage he displayed, even in tough times. The CJI, who incidentally shared the bench with Justice Mishra for the first and the last time in the top court, praised the retiring judge by terming him as a "beacon of light", "beacon of courage" and "beacon of fortitude" even in the face of all adversities. "Justice Mishra is leaving behind a legacy of hard work, erudition, great courage and fortitude", the CJI said. It has been a privilege to have him as a colleague. It is a peculiar thing that this is the first time I am sitting with him in the court, and this happens to be his last time. You have been a beacon of courage and fortitude in discharging your duties, the CJI told justice Mishra. Justice Bobde said "I wish you Justice Mishra a very happy joyous and prosperous life ahead and I hope you remain in touch with us and we certainly endeavour to do that," Justice Bobde said and added that he was privileged to have a worked with Justice Mishra,. "I don't know many people who have carried out work so bravely despite so many difficulties," the CJI said. In his farewell speech, Justice Mishra said he dealt with every case with his conscience and implored not to give colour to his judgments. My judgments may be analysed but dont give this colour or that colour to them, he said during the virtual send-off. Justice Mishra added that there was not a single case he decided in which he felt he was doing something that wasnt just and proper. ALSO READ | Wasn't allowed to speak at Justice Arun Mishra's farewell: Dushyant Dave writes to CJI Bobde The last day of Justice Mishra, who delivered many key judgements including the AGR dues case granting 10 years time to telcos and the imposition of one rupees fine on lawyer Prashant Bhushan for contempt of court, has had the share of controversy as well. He also made a brief mention about the Prashant Bhushan contempt case, saying he did not want to punish anyone but had to do so in this case. Attorney General K K Venugopal on Wednesday said he has not seen a Supreme Court judge so firm and unshakeable as Mishra and described him as an "iron judge" who delivered many significant judgments. Justice Mishra, sharing the ceremonial bench on his last day as an apex court judge with Chief Justice S A Bobde, bid farewell to the bar and the judges, saying he dealt cases with "conscience" and took every decision with "conviction". Addressing the court through video conferencing, the outgoing judge urged the legal fraternity to "analyse (his) every judgment but do not give them this colour or that colour." Venugopal, speaking at the occasion, said, "It is disappointing that this farewell is done through video conferencing. We are hoping he will be in Delhi, after all, he is only 65 years of age." "I have had a good relationship with Justice Mishra for the last 30 years. He is the iron judge of the Supreme Court. We will miss him in Supreme Court and we wish him good health." The top law officer began his address by saying that Justice Mishra deserved a physical farewell with several advocates of being physically present. "I have not seen in the Supreme Court a judge so firm and unshakeable. I would describe him as an iron judge of the Supreme Court," he said. He also referred to the Prashant Bhushan contempt case and said "Personally, I would have been happy if no punishment was imposed." The judgment in the contempt case has laid down the law which will be a subject matter of debate, he said. Lawyers including former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi also wished Justice Mishra who thanked them and colleague judges by saying that he always tried to borrow the "weapon of power given" from Bar and fellow judges. "All of you were the power behind whatever I have done. Have learnt so much from the members of the Bar. So many branches of law I have learnt from the Bar members," he said. He said, "sometimes I have been very harsh in my conduct directly or indirectly. Nobody should feel hurt. If I have hurt anybody then please pardon me, pardon me, pardon me." Shivaji Jadhav, President of Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA) read out the brief outline of Justice Mishra's career especially his judicial career. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and few other bar leaders also attended it. Earlier on August 30, Justice Mishra had declined farewell invitations of bar bodies - the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Confederation of Indian Bar - citing "severe situation and sufferings the world over" on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice Mishra had become an apex court judge on July 7, 2014. Justice Mishra's key verdicts From rejecting the plea seeking SIT probe into the alleged bribery allegations against high functionaries in the Sahara-Birla diaries case to convicting activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan in a contempt case, Justice Arun Mishra's tenure as a Supreme Court judge would be remembered for passing several key verdicts. Justice Mishra, who demitted office on Wednesday after over six years as apex court judge, also had his share of controversies, including the one when a section of bar criticised him for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event. Another controversy had erupted over the listing of a plea seeking independent probe into the death of a special CBI judge B H Loya before a bench headed by him and the issue shot into limelight when four setting most senior judges of the apex court held an unprecedented press conference in January 2018. Elevated to the Supreme Court as a judge on July 7, 2014, Justice Mishra, who as per his profile uploaded in the apex court website had decided around 97,000 cases as a judge of high courts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Calcutta, dealt with several high profile cases and rendered judgements and orders having far reaching impact. Some of the key verdicts rendered by Justice Mishra include the January 2017 order wherein a two-judge bench headed by him dismissed a plea seeking setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged incriminating material seized in the raids conducted on the Birla and Sahara Group of companies. Days before his retirement, Justice Mishra-led bench imposed a nominal fine of Re 1 on Bhushan who was convicted in a criminal contempt case for his two tweets against the judiciary. Besides penning several verdicts and orders on issues ranging from protecting environment, interest of hassled home buyers and issues related to the telecom sector, Justice Mishra's tenure would also be remembered for the controversies surrounding him. Justice Mishra's address during the inaugural function of International Judicial Conference 2020 - 'Judiciary and the Changing World' at the Supreme Court, in which he had praised Modi, had come under criticism from some sections of the bar. During his address, he had termed Modi as an "internationally acclaimed visionary" and a "versatile genius, who thinks globally and acts locally". He delivered orders and verdicts in a matter which had far reaching impact on the telecom sector. A day before his retirement, a bench headed by Justice Mishra delivered an important judgement giving 10 years to telecom firms to pay over Rs 93,000 crore of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) related dues to the government. The last verdict penned by him as an apex court judge was related to the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain. The verdict, while taking note of the deterioration and erosion of Shivalingam at the Mahakaleshwar Temple, directed that devotees should do no rubbing of the lingam. Justice Mishra was also a part of bench which had held an extraordinary hearing on a Saturday in April last year in a matter pertaining to allegations of sexual harassment against the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. Later, a three-member In-House Inquiry Committee of the apex court found no substance" in the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Justice Gogoi, now a Rajya Sabha member, by a former woman employee of the top court. Controversy had also erupted over listing of a plea, seeking an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge B H Loya who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, before a bench headed by Justice Mishra. The listing of this plea before Justice Mishra-led bench came into limelight when four sitting senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had held an unprecedented press conference on January 12, 2018 and said that situation in the apex court was "not in order" and many "less than desirable" things have taken place. Later, the bench led by Justice Mishra said that the plea be listed before an "appropriate bench" of the top court. A bench headed by Justice Mishra dealt with the plight of several hassled home buyers of Amrapali Group and passed several orders to protect the interest of investors. The apex court in its July 23 last year verdict had cracked its whip on errant builders for breaching the trust reposed by home buyers and ordered cancellation of registration of Amrapali Group under real estate law RERA, and ousted it from prime properties in the NCR by nixing the land leases. As per Justice Mishra's profile uploaded on the apex court website, he was elected as the youngest Chairman of the Bar Council of India (1998-99) and he had worked for improvement of legal education among others. He was appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 25, 1999 and was later appointed as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court on November 26, 2010. He was later appointed as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on December 14, 2012. (With PTI Inputs) While weve been shuddering at the infiltration of the GOP by quacks and conspiracy theorists like QAnon, millions of sane and rational voters are there, too people and prescriptions I may not agree with but whose perspectives are hardly fringe. While weve been correctly cataloging every one of Trumps colossal failures, his naked corruption, his rank abuse of power, plenty of ordinary people still believe that hes better than the alternative. And while weve been hammering away at Trumps obvious racism and fomenting of white supremacist rage to gin up his base, we may forget that some of his voters really do just care about the fate of their small businesses, the burden of unfair trade deals on their manufacturing industry, the ravages of an opioid crisis in their community. The first half of the RNC was, in many ways, a total whitewashing of Trumps first term, dishonestly ignoring the many demonstrable failures of his administration. But it was also an important reminder that as much as Trump props himself up with baseless boasts and an artificial edifice of success, there are real people supporting him for real reasons. And if 2020 is anything like 2016, they may be undercounted and underreported. Editor-in-chief of Lebanons Aztag Armenian Daily Shahan Kandaharian told Armenian News-NEWS.am that some Armenians of Lebanon wish to move to Armenia, but arent panicking. According to him, all crises become a reason for emigration of the population, and this has been noticed in Lebanon in different periods. Kandaharian added that this means there will be fewer members of the Armenian community, but the community continues to accomplish its mission. We need to gear those wishing to leave Lebanon towards Armenia where there are support programs for them, he said. Kandaharian says Frances efforts to have a serious impact on the processes unfolding in Lebanon and against Turkeys ambitions surely favor the Armenian community. There are active political processes unfolding in Lebanon, talks over the formation of the new cabinet are underway in order to help the economy recover and overcome the banking, financial and coronavirus crises. There is also pressure from the international community, which aspires to accelerate the processes. Simultaneously, Lebanon continues to receive humanitarian aid from all parts of the world. This, in its turn, has reduced the risks of scarcity of food, including bread. There are recovery efforts on one side, and active political processes on the other side, the editor-in-chief added. A blast took place in Beirut on August 4, taking the lives of more than 200 and leaving more than 5,000 injured. Based on the latest data, 15 Armenians died as a result of the blast. On the backdrop of the blast, the Government of Armenia has expressed willingness to consider the possibility of helping some Lebanese-Armenians move to Armenia. BENGALURU : Cloud infrastructure including content delivery networks (CDNs), storage lakes, KYC management and natural language processing (NLP) for chatbots saw a spike in adoption by fintechs and NBFCs during the initial phase of the lockdown as many of them were on a race to bring uninterrupted services to customers, said a top Amazon Web Services executive. Navdeep Manaktala, Director, Startup Business, Asia-Pacific at Amazon Web Services (AWS) said that apart from fintechs and NBFCs, edutech, and mobile gaming startups were also their most active customers during the lockdown phase. Ahmedabad-based fintech startup EasyPay, which offers a point-of-sale (PoS) based retail payment solution for offline store owners in remote towns and villages recently pivoted to a cash withdrawal service after the first phase of lockdown was announced in late March 2020. EasyPays Paisa Nikal currently allows users in Tier-2, 3, and other remote areas to draw-out cash by visiting local retailers instead of ATMswhich is scarce in remote towns and villages. By integrating with Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), Paisa Nikal enables customers to visit any registered retailer without the app installed, and avail basic banking services without visiting a banks branch," Nilay Patel, Founder and MD, EasyPay said in an email interview. The Paisa Nikal cash withdrawal service is rather similar to the mobile ATM products that were launched by many banks after 500 (old note) and 1,000 banknotes were demonetized in November 2016. The app facilitated more than 1400 crore of cash withdrawals from 15 million people using this model during the lockdown period. However, transactions took anytime between 45 to 50 seconds to go through, and users were unhappy Paisa Nikal adopted Amazon CloudFront, a CDN to help bring down the transaction processing time to just 5 to 6 seconds. Their transactions processing time were unacceptably long for users since the app earlier depended on a traditional data center to process transactions," Manaktala said during a phone interview. CDNs are an alternative to physical data centers operated by a company. Amazon CloudFront operates a large distributed network of more than 188 CDN server locations around the world referred to as points of presence (PoPs). Around 18 of these PoPs are currently distributed in India. Apart from CDNs, video-based recognition infrastructure offered by AWS which reads human emotions were also on the top list of products used by online lenders and banks. Pune-based Workapps which provides enterprise-grade customer messaging platforms to banks, NBFCs fintechs, and insurance firms turned to Amazon Rekognition service to offer video-based KYC for their clients. Video-based KYC saw large scale adoption by banks, fintechs, and online lenders after the lockdown. On Jan 10, 2020, the RBI put out detailed operating guidelines for regulated entities to perform video-call KYC instead of customers physically verifying their identity at offline branches. Amazon Rekognition service can inspect video calls in a real-time basis, and using more than 50 predetermined facial data points, the platform can recognize if the user has "grown a long beard or if they are wearing glasses", Manaktala said. The video KYC also works in combination Amazon Textrack which is an optical character reader (OCR) platform provided by AWS. It automatically reads text from KYC documents submitted by the user. This helps banks and online lenders to recognize users by matching biometric data pulled from government ID cards and matching it with the video-call placed during KYC process. However, policy researchers and privacy experts have sounded alarms on potential misuse of such technology. The RBI in its detailed guidelines in January said that regulated entities (banks, NBFCs, online lenders) will have to ensure that the video recording is stored in a safe and secure manner and bears the date and time stamp". Shashidhar K.J. an associate fellow at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) told Mint that on the absence of comprehensive biometric data storage and processing law, it is unclear if any amount of self-regulation is followed while storing video calls and biometric data". "Earlier many banks like ICICI Bank had set a precedent for some sort of video-KYC through their tablet banking initiative long before the RBI guidelines in January. ICICI Bank offered this as a convenience option for customers. But it is still not clear if the video recording for KYC purposes stored by one bank or an NBFC can be accessed by another bank or lending institutions when customers avail multiple products of same nature", Shashidhar added. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to Moscow, Russia where he will attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu on boosting bilateral defence cooperation. This, at a time, when the pandemic has ended most physical meetings across the world. A viral video of Singhs interaction with Russian officials on arrival at the airport has raked immense praises from Indians, thanks to yet another Namastey! When the defence minister was received by Major General Bukhteev Yury Nikolaevich, he greeted everyone around him with folded hands. As Singh started proceeding he was introduced to several other officers and one among them extended his hand for a handshake. In no time, he quickly pulled it back and Singh reciprocated with the Indian Namastey. Taking to Twitter, Singh shared the video and said, Reached Moscow this evening. Looking forward to my bilateral meeting with the Russian Counterpart General Sergey Shoygu tomorrow." Russia!Reached Moscow this evening. Looking forward to my bilateral meeting with the Russian Counterpart General Sergey Shoygu tomorrow. https://t.co/FgayfbJIIR Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 2, 2020 Following fears that the Coronavirus may spread through physical contact with an affected person, many across the world have limited their physical contact and the effect can be seen in the way people are now greeting each other. And one type of greeting which has been winning the world is the Indian way of saying hello with folded hands and a namaste. And once more netizens couldnt stop gloating and preening over Singhs namaste, and lauded the minister for popularising the Indian culture and style across the world. The Namaste salutation will reach every corner of the world one day. Laksh Patil (@Laksh_Patil_) September 3, 2020 Better to convey that he doesnt want to handshake by doing namaste well in advance to avoid instant tempting handshakes..anyway pratice makes it perfectworld will learn soon..well done Sir. Sampath Sundararajan (@cssk5thpillar) September 3, 2020 Well done sir. Namaste is the best greeting during these times. It is also the best way of diplomacy. Firoz Rangwala (@FirozRangwala1) September 3, 2020 Namaste karna shikha rhe h duniya ko. Himanshu Singh (@Himansh05983243) September 3, 2020 The meeting is taking place under the shadow of a fierce border row between India and China, both members of the influential bloc. The SCO comprises eight member states India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. However, this isnt the first instance when the Indian namaste became a popular choice amond world leaders while greeting each other. Early this year, in June, UK Prime Minsiter Boris Johnson and Prince Charles greeted French President Emmanuel Macron with folded hands. Macron was in London to mark the 80th anniversary of former French President Charles de Gaulles famous appeal to resist the Nazis during the World War II.It was observed that all of them greeted each other with folded hands embracing the Indian style of namaste. In August, Macron was hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks at his summer residence in a medieval island fortress in the Mediterranean when he greeted the Merkel by replacing the traditional handshake with an Indian-style namaste, pressing his palms together and bowing slightly. Merkel responded in a similar fashion, bowing slightly while pressing her hands together. Back in early 2016 as the U.S. presidential race was heating up, I wrote a column with the headline: Relax, Donald Trump wont win. In the column I predicted Trump wouldnt even win the Republican Party nomination, let alone the presidency in November of that year. At that time, I argued that Trump was too far down in the polls to win, that he had little room to grow beyond his core backers, that he had no real political organization and that the more American voters learned about Trump, the more the broader Republican electorate would despise him. I was dead wrong on all counts, much to the glee of Trump supporters here in Canada and there are many of them, some of whom remind me to this day of that column. I may be dead wrong again, but in 2020 I believe (fear?) Trump may win again, despite the wishful thinking by many Canadians and polls showing Democratic candidate Joe Biden leading the race right now. Indeed, Canadians need to wake up to the fact that Trump could be headed for victory. If that happens, there may be serious ramifications for Canada. Thats because Trump has repeatedly taken unilateral steps that have adversely affected Canadas national interests. Over the past four years he has gone after Canadian exports, slapping unwarranted tariffs on everything from steel to aluminum. Even now, he is threatening lobster exports to the U.S. He has denigrated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and treated Canada as some minor backwater not worthy of special attention. If re-elected, Trump may be even more emboldened to pick fights with Canada. At risk could be some $2-billion worth of goods and services that cross the Canada-U. S. border every day. That could translate into thousands of lost jobs. The reasons why Trump could win are obvious and growing more possible as the Nov. 3 voting date draws nearer. First, Trumps strategy of branding himself as the law-and-order president in dealing with demonstrators is a potentially winning one. If our opponents prevail, no one will be safe in our country, Trump said recently, trying to stoke fear among the electorate. Such a tactic has proven successful in past elections. The best example is 1968 when Richard Nixon defeated Democratic challenger Hubert Humphrey. Riots raged across the country that year, sparked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy as well as the Vietnam War. Nixon ran on a law-and-order platform, similar to what Trump is doing today. Nixon later claimed the silent majority who supported his get-tough approach was the key to his election. Second, Trumps racist appeal to suburban white voters may be working. He insists Biden wants to destroy suburbs by ordering low-income housing to be built in those neighbourhoods, which he insinuates will result in more crime and lower property values. Cynical, despicable and untrue? For sure! But it could well resonate with a good part of that silent (white) majority to whom hes trying to appeal. Third, dont believe the polls they were wrong in 2016 and they could be again. After Trumps popularity slipped several months ago over his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and national protests after the death of George Floyd, his ratings are starting to climb and dramatically close the gap with Biden. The most critical polls are in swing states that Trump won narrowly in 2016, such as Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Trump dismisses most polls as fake and insists his private polls show hes in the lead. He may be proven right. Fourth, massive voter suppression, simply preventing people from going to the polls or having their votes counted. There is deep concern that Trump and his buddies at the head of the U.S. Postal Service are planning to deliberately slow down mail delivery so that mail-in ballots from heavily Democratic regions dont arrive in time to be counted. Fifth, toss in everything else, from Bidens history for making mistakes to Trumps rock-solid base, a resurgent U.S. economy and a possible easing of the coronavirus pandemic. All would work in Trumps favour. So wake up Canada, Trump may win again. Gbajabiamila Travels To Ghana Over Unfair Treatment Of Nigerians The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has arrived in Ghana in a bid to resolving the issues arising from the $1m levy imposed by the West African country on traders from Nigeria. Gbajabiamila announced his arrival via his Twitter handle on Wednesday. Initial meeting with my host the Speaker of Ghanian Parliament who met me at the airport Hon Prof Mike Oquaye. We will meet again this evening, he tweeted. The Nigerian speaker had told State House correspondents at the end of a meeting he had with the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday that he had received Buharis nod to embark on the trip. Recall that the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had last week protested the development, saying it would no longer accept humiliation of Nigerians by Ghana. Ghananian authorities had since responded to the statement, saying Mohammeds claims on the issue and previous ones were inaccurate. But Gbajabiamila said he would be embarking on what he called legislative diplomacy to Ghana. Gbajabiamiala, who had earlier said the closure of Nigerian shops in Ghana contravened Economic Community of West African States trade protocols, told reporters that he would find a way forward during his trip. He said, I am leaving for Ghana tomorrow (Wednesday) to meet with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana to look at the issues on ground as they affect our citizens, and to try and calm things down. I informed the President and he is aware of every single step that we are taking, and we hope that we will come to an amicable settlement one way or the other. Gbajabiamila recalled that he had led a similar delegation to South Africa at the peak of a crisis involving Nigerians there. It is called legislative diplomacy. If you remember very well, during the days when I was Leader of the House, I led the delegation to South Africa during the crisis there with Nigerians and we were able to accomplish quite a bit, to simmer things down at that time, he said. Gbajabiamila said the President was happy about his trip. A major search operation has been launched off the coast of Japan after a ship carrying nearly 6,000 cattle and 43 crew members capsized in stormy weather. The cargo vessel sent out a distress call late on Wednesday as it was caught up in Typhoon Maysak, a storm that has been lashing Japan and the Korean peninsula. Japans coastguard said it had found one member of the crew in the East China Sea, bobbing in the ocean wearing a life vest and waving to a naval surveillance aircraft. Dramatic images provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The 45-year-old Filipino chief officer, Sareno Edvarodo, told his rescuers the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized. He said crew members were ordered to put on lifejackets as the ship capsized, and that he jumped in the water before watching it sink. He said he did not see any other surviving crew members before he was rescued. Of the 42 missing crew members, 38 are from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia, the coastguard said. The vessel, named Gulf Livestock 1, was transporting 5,867 cattle from Napier in New Zealand to the port of Tangshan on Chinas eastern coast. Owned by Gulf Navigation Holding, a UAE-based company, it departed Napier on 14 August. Japans coastguard said three vessels, five aircraft and two divers had been deployed in the ongoing search, which was taking place on Thursday in good weather after the typhoon completed its passage through the area. The incident has put a spotlight on the practices of the live cattle export industry, with New Zealand authorities saying they have put a temporary suspension on all permit applications in light of the ships sinking. Last year the country launched a review of its live export trade, worth an estimated NZ$54m (27.4m) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit. The New Zealand animal rights organisation Safe said the incident demonstrated the risks involved in the trade, to both humans and animals. These cows should never have been at sea, campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald told the Reuters news agency. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Windy with rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 38F. Winds NNE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Windy with rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 38F. Winds NNE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible. Kolkata: National Investigation Agency (NIA) with Border Security Force (BSF) assistance arrested a fake currency racketeer, Enamul Haque from West Bengals Malda district on Thursday. Haque had been absconding since 2018 in connection with an NIA case from Hyderabad for his role in running a well-organised FICN racket along with his Bangladeshi associates for circulation of FICN in various parts of South India. He was also carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 bounty. Haque will be produced before the court on September 4 (Friday). According to officials in the agency, the accused Enamul Haque had played a key role in procuring FICN from his associates across the Indo-Bangladesh border and providing it to his associates Mohammed Mahaboob Baig and Syed Imran for circulation in India. A dedicated team of NIA officials was constituted to nab the absconding accused Enamul Haque and he was arrested from Malda today with the assistance of BSF. The accused will be produced before the NIA Court at Malda for remand. Further investigation in the case is continued, said a release from NIA. Taiwan-U.S. dialogue to be held by year-end: economics minister ROC Central News Agency 09/02/2020 09:15 PM Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) The newly announced Economic and Commercial Dialogue between Taiwan and the United States will be held by the end of this year, Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua () said Wednesday. According to Wang, topics to be discussed will include semiconductors and 5G, as well as strategies in the Indo-Pacific region and supply chain restructuring. The two sides are still discussing when and how to launch the dialogue, Wang told the press before attending a press conference held by the semiconductor industry. She also said the dialogue will be launched before formal talks are held under the existing bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) framework. The last time such talks took place was in October 2016. Meanwhile, a senior official familiar with the matter said on the condition of anonymity that the dialogue could be held in September or October at the earliest. David Stilwell, assistant secretary of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, announced on Monday the planned launch of the new senior-level dialogue in a statement released by the American Institute in Taiwan. The Department of State's Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Keith Krach will head the dialogue, according to the statement. The announcement was made after President Tsai Ing-wen () on Friday said her administration will set maximum residue levels (MRL) for the controversial veterinary drug ractopamine in pork to allow imports of such pork from the U.S., starting Jan. 1, 2021. Taiwan will also open its market to U.S. beef from cattle aged over 30 months, which had been banned because of fears of mad-cow disease, according to the president. Tsai said on Wednesday at the ruling Democratic Progressive Party headquarters that she welcomed the U.S. decision to launch the dialogue and added that details will be made public when specific dates and arrangements are decided. She said Taiwan seeks to strengthen bilateral investments and broaden cooperation in infrastructure and energy through the dialogue. According to Taiwan's representative to the U.S., Hsiao Bi-khim (), who met with Chinese-language media outlets in Washington on Tuesday, talks under TIFA fall under the purview of the U.S. Trade Representative, while the new dialogue platform will cover issues beyond trade, such as energy and information technology. Hsiao said the new platform does not clash with the TIFA framework, which deals with trade issues, because the U.S. State Department works on an overall strategic and economic level. As a result, it will be a cross-ministry effort on the Taiwan side, she said. The ban on U.S. pork containing ractopamine was a thorny issue in the 2016 TIFA talks, Wang said at that time when she was the deputy economics minister leading the Taiwanese delegation. The leanness enhancing ractopamine is currently banned for use in pigs in Taiwan as well as in the European Union and China because of concerns over its safety for both animals and humans. However, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture unveiled on Wednesday a planned revision of current regulations regarding the drug, easing the ban on foreign meat imports that use ractopamine. Nevertheless, the import, production, and use of such drugs will remain banned domestically. (By Liang Pei-chi, Yeh Su-ping, Stacy Hsu and Kay Liu) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:47:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MiG-31 fighters fly in formation during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) After the Norwegian plane flew away from the Russian border, the Russian jet safely returned to its airfield. MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Russian MiG-31BM interceptor jet has prevented a possible violation of the country's border by a Norwegian Air Force plane over the Barents Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday. "A Norwegian P-3C Orion patrol aircraft has been spotted over neutral waters. It was established that the plane was approaching the state border of Russia," the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said in a statement. After the Norwegian plane flew away from the Russian border, the Russian jet safely returned to its airfield, Zvezda said. The Russian aircraft flight proceeded in strict compliance with international airspace rules, it added. The ministry has recently reported regular interceptions of Norwegian patrol aircraft over the Barents Sea. Construction of the Ho-Sokode dual carriage bypass and the upgrading of internal roads on the campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho in the Volta Region have started. This was after the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had cut the sod for the commencement of the projects in Ho last Tuesday as part of activities of his one-day visit to the region. Scope Under the dual carriageway project, there will be an upgrade of the 5.2-kilometre Sokode Titrinu bypass to a dual carriageway to link Sokode Etoe through the entrance of the UHAS Main Campus and the creation of a roundabout behind the Ho Technical University (HTU) at a location known as Mirage, which will eventually terminate at the main entrance of the HTU. The GH66.43-million project, which is being undertaken by First Sky Construction, is expected to be completed in 24 months. The other component of the project is a bypass for vehicles traversing the Ho municipality to Accra, which will also give access to communities in and around the UHAS and the HTU campuses. The project includes ancillary works such as street lights. Appreciation The Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, Prof. John Gyapong, expressed appreciation to the government and said the completion of the project would help the institution remain focused on community service and care. He said UHAS was a COVID-19 testing centre that was providing services for people in the Eastern corridor, such as the Volta and the Oti regions, including some parts of the Eastern Region. However, he said, health facilities had difficulty transporting samples to the university due to the bad nature of roads. He, therefore, thanked President Akufo-Addo for his quick response to the needs of the university. "Mr President, when the success story of UHAS is written, the resolution of our commuting nightmare will feature prominently as your responsiveness to the needs of this university," Prof. Gyapong said. Ongoing projects Earlier at a press conference, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, said the region had 38 road projects going on simultaneously, adding that "it is among the regions that are doing well in terms of road construction. He mentioned some of the ongoing projects as the upgrading of the Bame-Dzolokpuita, Have-Kpando, Shia-Honuta-Kpedze, Ho-Adidome, Juapong-Adidome, Golokwati-Wli, Ho-Fume and Abutia-Juapong roads. Currently, he said, seven contractors were on the Eastern Corridor Road working earnestly to complete the various stretches awarded to them. He said 13 new projects would soon be added to the ongoing ones. Volivo bridge On bridges in the region, the minister said the President was particular about the Volivo Bridge, hence the decision to construct the bridge on the River Volta, for which funding had been secured from Japan. "We have gone through rigid processes and the companies selected are of standard and we hope that they will be able to perform, he said, adding that the Eastern Corridor Road is important and so all contractors working on that portion are being monitored." Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video She recently returned from a sun-soaked Crete holiday with on-again beau James Lock. And Yazmin Oukhellou is already pining for another exotic getaway as she shared a sizzling throwback bikini snap to Instagram on Thursday. The TOWIE star, 26, stunned in a busty black two-piece as she posed for a mirror selfie, before sharing another snap of herself reclining by the pool. Sensational: Yazmin Oukhellou is already pining for another exotic getaway as she shared a sizzling throwback bikini snap to Instagram on Thursday Yazmin oozed confidence in the image as she showed off her sensational figure in the skimpy swimwear which featured gold hoop detailing. The stunner ditched the accessories for the snap save for a pair of tiny diamond stud earrings. She added to her glam look by sweeping her raven tresses into a sleek bun, while she coated her face with a glamorous palette of make-up. Captioning the selfie, Yazmin penned: 'Take me back' as she recalled her recent getaway. Hot stuff: The TOWIE star, 26, stunned in a busty black two-piece as she posed for a mirror selfie, before sharing another snap of herself reclining by the pool Meanwhile, it is said that Yazmin is set to appear on an upcoming episode of Celebrity Dinner Dates. The beauty will choose three blind dates to go on, where her dates will attempt to wow her with their culinary skills. A source told MailOnline that talk during one of dinner dates gets a little intimate as Yazmin suggests that her date should 'have a circumcision'. The scenes were likely filmed before her recent reconciliation with co-star beau James, 33. Back on: The on-again couple recently packed on the PDA during a holiday to Crete after they rekindled their romance earlier in the summer following an acrimonious break-up in 2019 The on-again couple recently packed on the PDA during a holiday to Crete after they rekindled their romance earlier in the summer following an acrimonious break-up in 2019. Last month they confirmed they were back on while shooting scenes for the new series of TOWIE in South Woodford, east London. A week earlier, they were seen putting on a cosy display during filming for their show, hugging and giggling as they attended a food festival in Chelmsford, Essex. While days before that, Yazmin and James did little to dispel rumours they had rekindled their relationship as they enjoyed dinner together at Sexy Fish in London's Mayfair. Holiday bliss: The pair reconnetced during a romantic getaway to Greece last month Soon after lockdown travel restrictions were lifted in June, Yazmin and James, who were together for two years, were seen kissing at a beach club in Mallorca. A source told The Sun at the time: 'They're not officially back together but they're getting closer and everyone around them wouldn't be surprised if they got back together. 'They're getting along really well and sparks are flying it's like the old days. They're on holiday with a large group of people but they're really reconnecting.' By Nam Hyun-woo Hyundai Glovis agreed with Norwegian shipping group Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holdings ASA on concerted joint efforts for shipping eco-friendly energy resources such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen, the Korean company said Thursday. Wilhelmsen is a maritime industry group headquartered in Lysaker, Norway. It operates one of the world's largest maritime networks, providing shipping, logistics and vessel management services at more than 2,000 locations. According to Hyundai Glovis, its CEO Kim Jung-hoon and Wilhelmsen CEO Thomas Wilhelmsen signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during a video conferencing call on Wednesday. The agreement was on the two sides' partnership in shipping of LNG and hydrogen. Following the signing, the companies will jointly pursue LNG shipping, which requires efficient fleet management and technical education for crews. Hyundai Glovis said its knowhow in fleet management and Wilhelmsen's expertise in vessel management will create synergy for them to secure a greater market share in LNG shipping. Along with LNG, the two sides will stand together to establish a hydrogen ecosystem in the shipping industry, specifying business plans for shipping hydrogen and running hydrogen-propelled vessels. Hyundai Glovis expects its moves to establish a hydrogen logistics chain will gain momentum thanks to the partnership. In July, the company participated in a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport program on exploring policies encouraging hydrogen use for the logistics industry. In June, the company partnered with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on importing hydrogen and building supply chains. The company seeks to develop as a hydrogen supply chain management business controlling hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution with a single system. "To meet the increasing LNG demand and strengthening environmental regulations, Hyundai Glovis and Wilhelmsen formed a partnership," a Hyundai Glovis official said. "Based on each company's expertise, we are expecting synergy in the advanced and eco-friendly shipping businesses." A year ago, two strangers Ken Earle and Rasmi Kokash made a deal: Earle would give Kokash a low-rent room in his apartment in exchange for Kokash giving the 82-year-old company. In 2017, Earles spouse of 32 years had moved into long-term care, and he became very lonely. Kokash had arrived in Canada from Syria only two years prior, was a postdoctoral research fellow at McMaster University and needed an apartment within his budget. Little did they know that they would end up helping each other get through stress, isolation and a surgery during the pandemic. Symbiosis Co-housing began in 2017 as a project matching seniors with students at McMaster. The seniors offer space in their home for low rent in exchange for companionship or help around the house. While the pandemic meant participants living in existing matches had to take extra precautions, the programs founder says theres been a surprising demand from new seniors to participate to help them cope with isolation. I was thinking that maybe seniors are a little bit reluctant to have students around (during the pandemic), said Soumeya Abed, founder and director of Symbiosis Co-housing, noting that most of the seniors said they would take precautions within their homes. I really felt that there was a need actually to have somebody to live with them. She said volunteers are hoping to make some matches for the fall and have begun promoting the program for the winter term. Once the pandemic hit, Earle and Kokash had to rework their routines to keep each other safe. It really affected our living dynamic, said Kokash, whos 50. We used to sit together eating. Not anymore. Earle began self-isolating to protect his spouse during visits to the long-term care home. Kokash handled shopping and would shower whenever he came home from the outdoors. The two keep a distance within the apartment, including taking turns using the kitchen. I was and I still am the only person that my husband has here in Hamilton to stay in contact with, so I was quite worried that I might get it, Earle said. Soon, the long-term care home went under lockdown. Even though Earle could speak to his husband over the phone, he couldnt see him for almost three months before the home began allowing weekly video calls at the end of May. During those difficult months, Earle said it was helpful having Kokash there. Kokash got a free trial of Amazon Prime Video and said the two binged on shows together. Kokash also accompanied Earle to the hospital when he had lung cancer surgery in May. When I first came home, I was very, very weak. I couldnt do much of anything, so (Kokash) did feed me a bit, he did clean the house, doing the things that I couldnt do, Earle said. Earle would also take Kokash out for drives or to a restaurant when they wanted to get out of the apartment. The experience didnt come without hurdles, though. Besides disagreements over chores, Kokash said that for two months when he had to work from home, he was confined to his bedroom since Earle would be watching TV in their open-concept apartment. It was quite challenging for both of us, Kokash said. But we managed to get through. Symbiosis could help a lot of lonely men and women whove lost their spouse for one reason or another or are no longer in a situation where they have family or friends living with them and they need some company, said Earle. (It) provides someone coming home someone at night to say how was your day? And thats very important. EPIC EVERYDAY Created by Sisters Cara and Jenae Its a Family Business from the Ground Up! Siblings Cara and Jenae both moms who grew up in the Midwest decided to create a lifestyle brand that positively represented themselves and others like them in a space where people of color are often overlooked and under-represented. Did they have any experience in fashion or retail when they began? The answer is no, but these women had the courage to shape things up and shakes them up, image-wise. Cara and Jenaes EPIC EVERYDAY lifestyle brand that positively represented themselves and others like them in a space where people of color are often overlooked and under-represented. ADVERTISEMENT The historically Black college/university (HBCU) graduates Cara and Jenae knew the importance and impact of inclusion and as mothers, they really wanted the next generation to thrive in self-expression and celebrate diversity. Again with no experience in the retail space, these two sisters have turned boring, ordinary school and home products into EPIC positive self-reflection with fun character designs recognizing all mocha skin shades, hairstyles, and textures. The 2020 season designs include backpacks, fanny packs, and lunch bags featuring boys or girls representing multi-racial and mocha-hued diversity including different hairstyles and textures. The backpacks come in 3 different sizes: Classic, Junior and Mini and feature a padded one-zip compartment design to hold your childs school electronics: a 9-inch tablet (Mini); 13-inch laptop (Junior); and 15-inch laptop (Classic). Lunch bags come in two different zipper closure styles, both with inner aluminum coating for thermal insulation to keep lunches cool all day and made with durable waterproof nylon with four bright & bold colors to choose from. The Happy Hues collection also includes towels, bedding, totes, chest bags, and kids apparel. ADVERTISEMENT Here is what sisters Cara and Jenae, the creators of EPIC EVERYDAY had to share about their school and home essentials designed to empower children and parents of color and their Happy Hues collection of backpacks, fanny packs, and lunch bags featuring mocha-hued boys and girls proudly displaying their skin color, hair, and their own unique, inherent style. LOS ANGELES SENTINEL: I love the bright colors that are part of your EPIC EVERYDAY line of school and home essentials. The Happy Hues bedsheets made me giggle just like a kid. I mean who doesnt love color? CARA JOHNSON-GRAVES & JENAE JOHNSON-CARR: (laughing) We love color. We do! LAS: Congratulations on being able to work together as siblings, I mean hello! CJG & JJC: (laughing) Oh, thank you. I must have siblings, so you know. Its a challenge, its a challenge. LAS: I can imagine. I love your laugh. CJG: Thank you. LAS: How did this all begin? Take me back, sisters who are really sisters! CJG: Im the older sister. Were no spring chickens. LAS: No, dont say that. Wait. Say that, it will inspire people of all ages. Sorry, please continue. CJG: We [were] both raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. We both went to HBCU colleges and then we parted ways. We both have worked in other fields. Jenae has worked in technology and the engineering field. I worked in the healthcare field. This is totally new for us. Jenae has been living in the U.K. for almost four years. In fact, she just returned to the U.S. last week. LAS: Wow. Thats whats up. A sister abroad. CJG: During her time [there] she had two girls. I have two boys. While still living in Europe, she approached me and said, you know, we really need to think about creating something that will fill the void for underrepresented children. LAS: I agree and we represent a big part of the population. When you combine Black, Brown, and the other mixed hues. CJG: Exactly. There is less than 1% of apparel, accessories, and home design that includes those under represented kids. So we wanted to step up and fill that void and not only for our children but what we call the multi-hued children all over the world. Our tones and textures are all over the world. LAS: What other factors do you think contributed to Jenae wanting to step into this challenge? CJG: The fact that she was living in Europe (Scotland) and then traveling the world. Her girls have been everywhere and they wanted to carry something (on their travels). To take all of the worlds with them that shows their pride, to show their positivity no matter where they were in the world. LAS: What a great origin story. I bet that pop of color caught eyes. CJG: You were right. They have been stopped all over the world with a lot of people asking where they could buy the items. We do not have background in retail or in art. LAS: This is the second reason that I love EPIC EVERYDAY and the Happy Hues collection. You didnt have experience in that area but it did not stop you. CJG: (laughing) No. I did not. Im a boy mom and I recognized even more of a lack of merchandise. Its hard for them to find something that they can relate to. Jenae is there something that you might want to add to that? JJC: No. You covered it all. Its important for people to know that we are everywhere (people of color), and we [my family] traveled a lot when we were living in Scotland. I think we went to 14 different countries and everywhere we went everywhere we saw multi-hued, multi-colored people. And we would get stopped and asked about our [Epic Everday] bags. One of our first sales came from a trip to Dubai. We were literally stopped as we were exiting our taxi. We were just carrying samples. She was in Kuwait, teaching and she purchased a backpack and a lunch bag for her daughter. That showed us that we were on to something. This is without advertising our publicity. LAS: I love that story. Word-of-mouth or in this case, its the flash of color. I love that you are both women of color. You are not White people coloring us in and making a profit from us again. JJC: You will find many industries selling to our market thats not part of our culture. That was important to us as well. We want the world to know that these are designed by multi-hued parents for multi-hued children LAS: I love it. I think I am going to cry. JJC: Everything we choose is for a reason. Even the hairstyles of the little girls. These are hairstyles that we wore when we were little. LAS: What I appreciate is that neither of you didnt have any experience in fashion, art, manufacturing or retailing. JJC: Like none. CJG: Like, really none. JJC: We had to find someone to do our illustrations and everyone on our team is people of color. LAS: What year did you start the business? JJC: In 2017, we started the process. We did our research. I did the research for two-years. After the beta testing which was less than a year ago, then we felt comfortable to start the line. LAS: So EVERYDAY EPIC is just a year old. Brilliant. LAS: I love that you have bedsheets, and the hooded towels, I can tell that someone loves to swim in your family. CJG: (laughing) Jenaes girls love the ocean. They have swum in, I dont know how many oceans. They are swim babies and we had to make sure that we had something for kids of color all over the world. JJC: We wanted to encourage swimming as well because, in our culture, we arent encouraged to swim. LAS: Ok. Big question. Are you open to working with artists and even artists that come from the street art graffiti world. CJG & JJC: Yes because we are very flexible and we try to be open to new ideas. Also, we do want to create a line for older kids in the future. LAS: Good to know. I will pass that along. Anything that I forget to ask that you both might want to add? JJC: Well epic actually stands for something. LAS: Thats whats up. What does epic stand for? JJC: The E stands for empowered. The P stands for positive. The I stands for innovative and the C, it stands for creative and thats what we want kids to feel every day and thats why its EPIC EVERYDAY. LAS: Thank you Cara and Jenae creators of EPIC EVERYDAY and the Happy Hues collection. To shop and learn more go to https://shopepiceveryday.com This interview has been edited for length and clarity. New Delhi : India's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals surged to a record 5-year high at USD 61.44 billion (about Rs 4 trillion) in 2016, says a report. According to the latest report by News CorpVCCEdge, the number of M&A deals remained robust this year with 1,002 such transactions worth USD 61.44 billion. The deal value in 2016 is not only a record five-year high but is also 159 per cent more than USD 23.71 billion witnessed from 995 deals in 2015, the report said. As per the report, there were 633 domestic M&A deals amounting to USD 32.77 billion -- a jump of over 278 per cent in value terms -- in 2016. Besides, inbound deals (143) value surged over 133 per cent this year to USD 18.78 billion, while outbound deals saw a 8 per cent dip to USD 4.9 billion in value terms. "The hike in the M&A deal value can be attributed to the three deals worth USD 27.7 billion which includes, Essar Oil Ltd, Max Life Insurance Co Ltd and RelianceCommunications, Wireless Telecom Business acquisitions contributing 45 per cent of the overall deal value," it said. Private equity investors unlocked investments worth USD 6.79 billion across 239 exits in 2016. This is nearly 17 per cent more in value terms compared to 2015 and also is the highest in the past five years, the report said. The year gone by was also a record year for initial public offers and fund raising through such issues surged to a five-year high at USD 4.12 billion across 93 IPOs. "While M&A activity perked up in 2016 due to a few multi-billion dollar deals that firms struck either to slash debt or consolidate their market share, what we are seeing is the flow of angel/seed money into enterprises in sectors like fintech, healthcare, education and travel which will continue into 2017," News Corp VCCircle CEO Nita Kapoor said. "There is a huge funding opportunity for start-ups operating in these sectors that succeed in delivering a good consumer experience," Kapoor added. Angel and seed investors drove the deal activity during the year, contributing 57 per cent of the total private equity investments in 2016. "This figure stood at 32 per cent in 2012 and has been rising every year. They accounted for 748 deals amounting to USD 324 million," the report said. The number of PE deals slumped almost 25 per cent to 1,309 deals, while the value of such transactions dropped by 44 per cent to USD 12.38 billion, for the period under review. "Early stage investments in start-ups has shown a significant decline of 39 per cent to USD 1.59 billion in the year gone by, as compared to USD 2.62 billion in 2015," it noted. For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Magisterial district courts in Pennsylvania have become increasingly dangerous places in recent years, prompting a task group of court and other officials to call for beefing up security in them. In a report issued by states Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, it is calling for posting at least one armed court security officer at each of the 500-plus court facilities during regular office hours to achieve better safety and security for the general public, court staff, and judges, according to its executive summary. It also recommends installing a screening station staffed by a security officer to reduce the number of weapons coming into a court facility. The full report has not been made public due to concerns about security information it contains, said courts spokeswoman Stacey Witalec. The nine-page executive summary, however, contains eight recommendations the task group made The safety and security of a court facility is fundamental to a well-functioning court system especially during times of judicial emergency and civil unrest, the document states. Since the magisterial district courts are located within county-owned or leased facilities, the safety and security of those courts is a shared responsibility between the commonwealth and the counties. To justify the need for improving security, it cites 305 security incidents have occurred in magisterial district courts in 2019 alone. That brings the total number of incidents that have occurred in these court facilities to 751 from 2017 through last year. It highlights three of them: On Dec. 3, 2019, a man shot and seriously injured himself in a waiting room of a Lower Paxton Township magisterial district court in Dauphin County. On June 28, 2019, a defendant who fled a holding cell in a Delaware County magisterial district court was killed in the parking lot while attempting to wrestle a gun from an officer. On Sept. 19, 2018, a gunman opened fire in a Fayette County magisterial district court wounding four people before police shot and killed the gunman. The lax security in the Fayette County magisterial district court is now the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by one of the individuals who was wounded in that shooting, according to a TribLive article. It states the lawsuit cites improper, lacking and non-existent security in the building, which increased the likelihood that a violent incident may occur. Last year, following the shooting incident in District Judge Joseph Lindseys office in Lower Paxton Township, District Judge Michael Defino Jr., who was president of the Special Court Judges Association of Pennsylvania at the time, called court security their top priority. That association represents the district judges in 66 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties, the exception being Philadelphia. Were at a point where something needs to be done. Action has to be taken, Defino told PennLive. Its unfortunate people dont look at this proactively. Other recommendations the task group made include expanding the use of video conferencing for judicial procedures, updating the equipment and security guidelines for magisterial district court facilities, establishing minimum security standards at those facilities, changing the law to eliminate the need for these courts to have weapons lockers for the public to check their weapons when entering the facility, updating internal procedures for monitoring security concerns, and having regular training on emergency procedures. The executive summary fails to provide any cost estimates for implementing all eight recommendations but it did provide hourly rates for an armed security officer that range from $13 for a constable to $30 for a contract security officer. The costs of implementing this recommendation will vary depending upon the type of security personnel that is hired by the counties, the document states. Witalec said court representatives met with representatives from the governors office, General Assembly and county commissioners to discuss the recommendations but the discussion did not include specifics about paying for them. She said the courts have discussed with the Legislature the possibility of using federal CARES Act funds to address security screening needs. The task group that compiled the report relied on best practice recommendations from the National Center for State Courts in developing its recommendations, Witalec said. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin County, who held a committee hearing on the issue of district court security last year, said on Tuesday he hadnt had time to review the full report to offer a comment about it. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne County, said the report offers important recommendations for the General Assembly to consider. We will look very carefully at the recommendations to see what steps we can take to address the concerns, Baker said. Rep. Dan Miller, D-Allegheny County, last year introduced a House Bill 581 in response to the shooting in the Fayette County district court. His bill would require a safety assessment for all magisterial district court offices as well as state legislative district offices. Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The city on Wednesday ended a curfew that had been in place since Aug. 24, a sign of calming tensions in the city of about 100,000 midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday to thank law enforcement for their efforts and his Democratic rival Joe Biden was in Wisconsin on Thursday and met with members of Blakes family and Kenosha community leaders. In response to Vincent Puleos opinion, Sleeping Joe Bidens supporters - (Trumps nickname) are wrong, not evil. Gee, thanks for giving us a pass on evil. Trumps sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, didnt give him a pass on cruelty. . . . .His g-------d tweet and lying, . . . . Its the phoniness of it all and this cruelty. Donald is cruel. As to children separated at the border, she laments: All he wants to do is appeal to his base. . . . He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean, my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this. -- the Washington Post. Earlier this month, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio released a bipartisan, years long, 1,000-page Senate report confirming that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the election and that the Trump campaign welcomed it. It also noted that he and Roger Stone discussed dumping emails, but when it came time to answer written questions submitted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump could not recollect that discussion in his under-oath (never in person) written responses. He recently urged people to boycott Goodyear tires because it asked employees to refrain from workplace expressions involving campaigns, like wearing MAGA hats, causing their stock to go down. Craziness, corruption, incompetence, cruelty, and abuse of power, etc., etc., etc., are the hallmarks of his presidency and his character. Sadly, Trump supporters willfully ignore and overlook them. (Michele Corelli is a New Springville resident.) A transvestite son told police he was putting his frail mother 'out of her misery' when he stabbed the 86-year-old through the heart before decapitating her, a court heard. Philip Tarver, 47, put Angela Tarver's head in the freezer because he 'couldn't bear to look at her,' the Old Bailey heard. Tarver, who was wearing a see-through negligee, sliced off the finger on which his mother wore her wedding and maternity rings and put it in the kettle, prosecutors claim. The court heard he then turned on his father Colin Tarver, 83, with a 'demented look' in his eyes and threatened to kill him during the rampage in their family home in Woking, Surrey. 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 But the pensioner managed to wrestle the weapon away from his son and call the police, the Old Bailey was told. Tarver, who had lived with his parents in the four-bedroom property most of his life, bought six cans of beer and a bottle of vodka with their money on December 18 last year. He came downstairs in a transparent floral nightgown the following morning and claimed the drinks had been 'poisoned' before unplugging the phone and television. His father was reconnecting the cables in the living room when he heard a scream and saw his wife's feet lying motionless on top of an upended chair on the kitchen floor, prosecutors claim. Mrs Tarver, who had a stroke in 1991 which left her struggling to speak and using a Zimmer frame to help with her mobility. Tarver later told police he wanted to 'put her out of her misery' after he came downstairs and thought she looked 'half-dead' as she sat at the kitchen table, the court heard. The killer said to officers after his arrest that he had struggled with his sexuality since he was five and dressed in women's clothing, the court heard. Tarver said he greeted his father wearing the see-through negligee earlier in the morning to which Mr Tarver responded: 'Oh no, you're dressed like that again,' jurors were told. Grey-haired and bespectacled Colin Tarver appeared in the witness box on Thursday wearing a black suit as his son sat in the dock. Giving evidence the widower said his late wife had mainly used written notes to communicate with people after suffering a 'severe' stroke when she was in her 50s. Ms Healy asked: 'Had he always lived with you?' 'Yes most of the time he lived with us. Sometimes he worked away from home and didn't live in the house,' Mr Tarver said. 'When Philip was 18 did Mrs Tarver suffer a severe stroke?' Ms Healy asked. 'Yes,' the widower said. 'Did that affect her ability to speak?' the prosecutor asked. 'Yes, she couldn't really speak at all. She tried to answer things but it was difficult to communicate. 'She would write notes and eventually you would understand what she was getting at,' Mr Tarver said. 'So she could understand you but had huge difficulty communicating orally to people?' the QC said. 'That's right, yes,' the father replied. The prosecutor told jurors they would consider evidence about an acute psychotic episode allegedly experienced by Tarver during the attack. Ms Healy said the question was whether it had been triggered by his own use of cannabis, or was an 'independent psychotic episode which coincidentally developed against a background of cannabis and cocaine use.' Tarver allegedly made a series of 'significant' comments and ranted about needing to 'make sure' his mother was dead while he was in police custody. Ms Healy said: 'He said: "She's in the freezer, she's in bits." He's blinking repeatedly with his eyes and he says "put a patch over my left eye, the f***ers been possessed. I need a drink. Holy water of course. Whiskey, just Irish whiskey." 'He said: "I had a moment of madness." 'He described struggling with his sexuality since the age of five and he dressed in women's clothes but his father didn't mind. 'He described his mother sitting at the kitchen table and looking half dead so he said he put her out of her misery. 'He said he stabbed her in the heart and he had to make sure she was dead. He said it was all a blur and hazy and he was trying to process what had happened. 'He said his dad said: "Oh no you're dressed like that again." He said his dad was used to seeing him dressed in women's clothing. 'He saw his mum still in the kitchen staring blankly at a wall not looking at it. She didn't acknowledge him - he got a knife, he pushed her onto the floor and stabbed her in the heart. He then said he cut her head off with a knife to make sure she was dead. 'He said he was very confused at the time and still doesn't know what happened. 'He was described as shaking with his head in his hand and sobbing saying: "What have I done?" Asked why he put her head in the freezer, Tarver allegedly replied: 'I couldn't bear to look at her so I had to get the head away from me.' Tarver, who is on trial at the Old Bailey (pictured) in London, denies murdering his mother and making a threat to kill his father Ms Healy added: 'A scabbard was present on the floor of the dining room. Two rings had been identified in the washing up bowl in the kitchen. 'The stab wound to the left chest wall, this was the fatal injury.' Tarver appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey today wearing a grey jumper with long hair. Tarver of Julian Close, Woking, denies murder and threats to kill. The trial continues. The World Uighur Congress, an international organisation representing Uighur exiles, has provided initial evidence and funding to the London tribunal London: A prominent British human rights lawyer is convening an independent tribunal in London to investigate whether the Chinese governments alleged rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in the far western Xinjiang region constitute genocide or crimes against humanity. The tribunal is expected to reveal new evidence and testimony over several days hearings next year. While the tribunal does not have government backing, it is the latest attempt to hold China accountable for its treatment of the Uighurs and ethnic Turkic minorities, who have been subject to an unprecedented crackdown since 2017. Barrister Geoffrey Nice, who previously led the prosecution of ex-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic over the Balkans war and worked with the International Criminal Court, was asked by the World Uighur Congress to investigate ongoing atrocities and possible genocide against the Uighur people. Allegations against China about potential genocide are questions that should be asked and answered but such claims have never been legally scrutinised in public, Nice told The Associated Press. Organisers are in the initial stages of gathering evidence, and expect to receive a substantial number of submissions from Uighurs exiled abroad over the next few months. New evidence that may emerge includes testimony from several former security guards who were involved in the Xinjiang detention camps. At the moment, the strongest evidence would appear to be evidence of incarceration and possibly evidence of enforced sterilisation, Nice said. A recent investigation by the AP found that the Chinese government is systematically forcing birth control on Uighurs and other Muslims in an apparent effort to reduce their population. The report found that authorities regularly subject minority women to pregnancy checks and force intrauterine devices, sterilisation and abortion on hundreds of thousands. While scores have been thrown in detention camps for alleged religious extremism, many others were sent to the camps simply for having too many children. Such enforced sterilisation practices could breach the Genocide Convention, Nice said. The Chinese Embassy in London did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Chinese officials have repeatedly derided allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang as fabricated, and insist that all ethnicities are treated equally. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harbouring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion. In a lengthy press conference in August, the Chinese ambassador to the UK played graphic videos of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang to show that the Chinese government's measures there are necessary and important". Ambassador Liu Xiaoming also called allegations about rights abuses in Xinjiang made in Western media lies of the century", and denied that nearly 10 lakh Uighurs have been detained in Xinjiang. The London tribunal's judgement is not binding on any government. However, Nice said that the process will nonetheless be one way to address the lack of action in tackling the alleged abuses by filling the gap with reliable information". There is no other way of bringing the leadership of the (Chinese) Communist Party collectively or individually to judgement, Nice said. In July, lawyers representing exiled Uighur activists filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against China, asking the court in The Hague, Netherlands, to investigate the forced repatriation of thousands of Uighurs from Cambodia and Tajikistan and alleged genocide in Xinjiang. However, Beijing does not recognise the international courts jurisdiction, and Nice who is not involved in that case said it will likely focus more on the repatriating countries culpability and less on that of Chinese authorities. The World Uighur Congress, an international organisation representing Uighur exiles, has provided initial evidence and funding to the London tribunal. Organisers expect to hold two public hearings in London next year. The tribunal will comprise of at least seven members who will act as jury. They include British property businessman Nicholas Vetch, one of the organizers. A verdict is expected by the end of 2021. Joanne Smith Finley at Newcastle University, an expert on Uighur studies, said the tribunal's findings may help pressure governments to impose sanctions such as bans on cotton from Xinjiang. It does not have any true legal teeth in the sense that its determination will not be able to force any government to take any kind of action, she said. However, I do think that its determination will be important in terms of putting pressure on the U.K. government and hopefully also other governments to take clear measures to persuade China to desist from these abuses. Darren Byler, an academic at the University of Colorado, said an independent investigation would add a new perspective to the prevailing U.S.-centric reaction to the issue. So far the world response to what is happening to the Uighurs and Kazakhs in northwest China has been largely confined to unilateral actions by the United States and been associated with President Trumps more general anti-China position, Byler said. In July, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior Chinese Communist Party officials for alleged human rights abuses targeting Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other minorities in Xinjiang, including mass detentions and forced population control. The Singapore State Courts. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE A domestic helper convicted in Indonesia for the murder of a Singaporean couple had disliked being scolded by them and wanted to return to her home country as she was unhappy with her employers. Khasanah, then 41, had not intended to cause the deaths of Chia Ngim Fong, 79, and Chin Sek Fah, 78, but had assaulted them in response to their struggles, according to the State Coroners findings into the death of the couple, delivered on Wednesday (2 September). State Coroner (SC) Kamala Ponnampalam noted that the Indonesian maid had been prosecuted in Indonesia. The individual pieces of evidence from the link of the chain of circumstances support the inevitable conclusion that the death of (the couple) was a result of an unlawful killing perpetrated at the hands of their domestic helper Khasanah. It was a cruel and vicious attack on her defenceless and elderly employers, said SC Kamala. According to an autopsy report, Chia died from blunt force trauma to the head, while Chin sustained blunt force trauma to both her head and chest. Khasanah is currently serving a 20-year-jail term in Indonesia for the couples murder. She had been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Indonesian courts but appealed and had her term reduced to 20 years by the Jakarta High Court on 15 August 2018. Khasanah started working for the couple on 25 May 2017. Chia had difficulty walking and required support while his wife was generally healthy. On 21 June 2017, Khasanah saw her passport as she was tidying the cupboard of the couples son who was living with them. She then decided to run away as she did not like being scolded by Chin. Khasanah then tried to think of a way to flee without being stopped and decided to tie the couple up and cover their mouths with duct tape. She entered Chias room intending to gag him. She thought that the elderly man would be drowsy from his medicine and would not be able to resist. She found the man sleeping sideways on his bed with his back towards her. She then approached Chia and pasted the duct tape over his mouth. As she began tying up his hands with raffia string, Chia woke and began to struggle, causing the duct tape to loosen. Chia began to scream. Story continues In response, Khasanah turned on the television to drown out his screams and punched him in the face. When Chia continued to struggle, his skin tore off and he began to bleed profusely. On seeing the blood, Khasanah panicked. She picked up the wooden dressing table stool and used it to strike him repeatedly on the head. Chin, who was in the room by that point, pushed the maid from behind. Khasanah then turned around and pushed the elderly woman, who fell into the ensuite bathroom and hit her head on the wall. As she was on the floor, Khasanah tied her limbs with raffia string and anchored it to the towel railing. Chin continued to struggle and Khasanah stepped on her body while holding onto the sink until the woman was motionless. She then covered her victims mouths with towels and secured the towels with duct tape. Khasanah then took her passport, cash and other items, and fled to Batam via ferry at the Singapore Cruise Centre at Harbourfront. The ferry left Singapore at 1.20pm. At about 2.50pm, Khasanah called her employment agency using an unfamiliar number. She said she had made a mistake and asked for the residents of the flat to return home straightaway before hanging up. Sensing that something was wrong, the staff at the employment agency alerted the couples daughter, who tried to call her mother, and the house phone, to no avail. The daughter then told her husband to check on her parents. Before the murder of his parents, the couples son had left for work at about 9am. He was only alerted to the incident through his sister, who informed him that their parents had been found unconscious in their Bedok flat, with Khasanah missing. By the time the son returned home, police officers were processing the flat as a crime scene. Belongings, including cash amounting to $500, jewellery, handphone and watches and a laptop with a portable keyboard, were missing. He had not noticed anything unusual in Khasanahs behaviour leading up to the incident. Khasanah said that she intended to sell the money for items. She told investigators that she had no intention to cause the death of the couple and only assaulted them as they struggled. She also admitted to calling the employment agency after the incident. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related story Bedok double murder: Indonesian maid serving 20 years' jail in home country A convicted sex offender was today jailed for at least 38 years after being convicted of murdering two women whose bodies were found inside a freezer in his flat. Zahid Younis, 36, battered Hungarian prostitute Henriett Szucs, 34, to death in 2016 then stored the body of mother-of-two Mihrican Mustafa, 38, in the same freezer two years later when he strangled her. When police caught up with Younis, they found the bodies had been frozen for so long at his flat in Canning Town, East London, that they had become fused together. Bodycam footage released by Scotland Yard today showed police officers searching the flat before they made the grim discovery in April last year, with one detective heard saying: 'There's a freezer here I want to get into but it's locked.' The manipulative killer has a history of abusing women and was previously jailed for getting a child bride pregnant when she was 14 after marrying her in a mosque. He showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out while members of Ms Mustafa's family, who attended every day of the three-week trial, said 'yes' in the public gallery. Convicted sex offender Zahid Younis, 35, was today found guilty of murdering two women whose bodies were found stuffed inside a freezer in his flat in Canning Town, East London The bodies of Henriett Szucs (left) and Mihrican Mustafa (right) were found together in London Mihrican Mustafa's cousin Ayse Hussein, niece Zeyhal Ozulku, sister Mel Mustafa, Jade and Kazim Salih speak outside Southwark Crown Court, south London, today Bodycam footage released by Scotland Yard today showed police officers searching the flat before they made the grim discovery in April last year, with one detective heard saying: 'There's a freezer here I want to get into but it's locked' Her older sister, Mel Mustafa, said: 'Thank you God, thank you.' The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb gave Younis a life sentence with a minimum of 38 years. The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, said: 'It will surprise no-one in this room that the defendant has declined to attend his sentence, while he sits in the cells below, but I will address these remarks to him so when he has the courage to read them he will understand why the court has reached the conclusion it has.' She branded Younis an 'arch-deceiver', calling him a 'heartless man and a narcissist', adding: 'You have preyed upon the vulnerable with superficial charm. 'You have been convicted by the strong prosecution case. Not only were the bodies of two women found in your home, hidden in a locked freezer purchased for that purpose, they showed signs of violence which you failed to explain.' The judge said Younis had 'robbed' his victims of 'all happiness in life and dignity in death,' and said: 'You have no remorse.' Freezer packaging found inside Younis's one-bedroom flat following a police search last year The front door (left) and a cupboard door (right) at Younis's flat in Canning Town, East London Evidence markers are laid across Younis's bedroom floor after police searched the flat last year Younis refused to leave his cell to be sentenced this afternoon, with his barrister Icah Peart QC telling Southwark Crown Court: 'I have been downstairs to speak to him to try to persuade him to return to court. He feels unable to do so.' How the double murderer preyed on vulnerable women Double murderer Zahid Younis has a history of preying on the vulnerable. Both of the women he murdered and left in a freezer had led somewhat chaotic lives - they had been homeless at times and had struggled with drugs. They were easy to manipulate. Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'Zahid Younis is a particularly dangerous and what I would describe as a repugnant individual who preys on vulnerable women in particular and abuses them, brings them into his control and causes them significant injury.' He described Younis's life as 'a pattern of lies', adding: 'He is a person who uses drugs and would manipulate and lie to people to get money.' Younis, 36, murdered Hungarian national Henriett Szucs, 34, and mother-of-three Mihrican 'Jan' Mustafa, 38. Ms Szucs had last been seen in August 2016 and Ms Mustafa in May 2018. Their bodies were found in a padlocked freezer with flies swarming around it at Younis's flat in Vandome Close, Canning Town, in April 2019. The grim discovery was made by a uniformed police officer who had only gone to the flat in search of Younis after he had been reported as missing. DCI Harding said the freezer was forced open by one of the officers on 'an old-fashioned police hunch' about what was inside it. He said: 'He broke open the freezer and discovered what could only be seen, at the time, as only one body. 'It actually took the freezer being taken away and X-rayed for it to be seen there was another body underneath that. It was a gruesome discovery for the officers.' The 'horrendous scenes' faced by his team, who are trained for their jobs, is nothing compared to the 'bravery' of the victims' families whose ordeal has spanned, not just their loved ones' disappearance and killing but now also this court case, he said. Members of Ms Mustafa's large family have been at the trial at London's Southwark Crown Court every day and Younis showed no remorse as he denied murdering them. DCI Harding said: 'It is incomprehensible to imagine what the families are going through. 'They have been incredibly brave throughout this entire ordeal. It is an ordeal in court listening to his lies. It is hard to listen if you are a family member to hear what he is saying about your daughter, sister or mum.' DCI Harding described Ms Szucs as someone who had been in abusive relationships before and was then preyed upon by Younis. She moved in with him and Younis denied having a long-term relationship with her but 'we have shown that she was really in love with him in her own way,' DCI Harding said. 'She wrote him letters that we found. Unfortunately to him, she did not mean anything. She was just another person that he was abusing physically and mentally, resulting in her death 10 months after she met him.' Younis waited a year before he told anybody including the police or prosecution exactly what his defence was. He waited until all the evidence had been served. Then he came up with his 'story' which included blaming someone as having helped him put the bodies in the freezer even though they were in prison at the time, DCI Harding noted. The court heard that Younis has several previous convictions for assaulting partners. When he was 17, Younis was controlling, violent and overbearing towards his then-girlfriend, including waiting outside her house and escorting her everywhere. In 2004 he married a 14-year-old in an Islamic ceremony at a mosque in Walthamstow, east London. He was eventually jailed for 30 months for assaulting the teenager and unlawful sexual activity with a child and was put on the sex offenders' register. The prosecution said that in 2007, following his release from prison, Younis got into a relationship with a 17-year-old girl whose father had recently died. The jury heard the violence began with slaps, before escalating into punches and kicks, leaving the teenager with large bruises. The girl's family eventually tricked Younis into allowing her to leave the home they shared, following an assault that fractured her arm in three places. He was later sentenced to four years and 11 months for two counts of wounding and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Advertisement Police visited him at the tiny one-bedroom flat he rented as a registered sex offender in 2016, not knowing the body of Ms Szucs was entombed in ice yards away. The flat was in a mess and they left without interviewing Younis after he told the officers he was using a bucket as a makeshift toilet. Hungarian prostitute Ms Szucs disappeared after moving in with Younis and was last seen alive with him in the summer of 2016. Ms Mustafa had also been visiting Younis before she disappeared in May 2018. Police only found their bodies when he fled the flat and was reported missing in April 2019. They had to crowbar open the locked freezer, which had been hidden in the electricity meter cupboard, and found the two bodies which were decomposing rapidly after the electricity was cut off. Both victims had suffered appalling injuries including multiple broken ribs. Ms Mustafa had suffered a fractured larynx and Ms Szucs's skull had been fractured. Younis tried to hijack his trial by firing his lawyer, demanding more time to review case documents and shouting abuse from the dock. But the jury a Southwark Crown Court in London convicted him of two counts of murder this afternoon after deliberating for 16 hours and six minutes. Younis, who has flower tattoos on both sides of his neck, had abused girlfriends for many years and left one partner with a broken arm in 2007. He married a 13-year-old girl in a Walthamstow mosque when he was 20 and admitted unlawful sexual activity with a child the following year in 2005 when she fell pregnant. Younis also admitted common assault after he put the teenager in a headlock to drag her out of a supermarket. She was introduced to him when she was 12 and they began a sexual relationship when she was 13. A year later they were married in an Islamic ceremony at the mosque. Younis was given 30 months for having sex with her in 2005 and in 2008 he was jailed for breaking the arm of another teenage lover in three places. He was sentenced to nearly five years in jail after admitting two counts of wounding and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against the 17-year-old. Younis left her covered in bruises and isolated from her friends while threatening to set her family home on fire if she confided in anyone about the abuse. Another girlfriend who went on to have his child was locked in an airing cupboard for hours by Younis. He also imprisoned her in a telephone box when she tried to call her mother and threatened to throw her in front of a train. Both of his murder victims were vulnerable women 'living somewhat chaotic lives' characterised by periods of homelessness and addiction to class A drugs. Before she died neighbours had seen Ms Szucs at the flat with a badly bruised face and heard 'disturbing noises' coming from the flat. She had been forced to convert to Islam by Younis but wrote to him begging forgiveness for doubting him saying: 'I got disillusioned just because of some slaps to the face.' Neighbours also saw Ms Mustafa with marks around her neck but Younis claimed she had been drinking too much and tried to kill him. Bodycam material played to the court showed PC Omar Naeem shining a torch through Younis' abandoned flat to find the locked freezer with a zimmer frame on top of it. The officer could be heard saying: 'Wait, there's a foot there,' to his colleague before bodies came into view. Younis claimed Ms Szucs died mysteriously on his sofa and said two men, called Ted Jolley and Tommy Farmer, turned up outside his home with Ms Mustafa's corpse stuffed in a wheelie bin. He said they told him to burn Ms Mustafa's body and dispose of her clothes off Southend Pier in Essex. He also said he was out when Ms Szucs died at his flat and did not tell police because he was 'panicking'. He told jurors he did not kill Ms Mustafa and did not know how she died. Younis also said he paid a man to help him get Ms Szucs's body into the freezer and that his accomplice later blackmailed him into putting Ms Mustafa's corpse in the same place. Duncan Penny, QC, prosecuting, slammed the double killer for telling 'fairy tales' and told him: 'You were responsible for those deaths and the stories about these two characters, with all these elaborations, is nothing more than that. It is a story. It is a yarn. It is a tall tale.' Mr Penny told jurors: 'The sad truth in this appalling case is that just like those who survived and who spoke of their experience at the hands of Younis, Henriett Szucs and Mihrican Mustafa were the victims of Zahid Younis. Ms Mustafa's handbag was found during a police search of the flat. She went missing in 2018 A ripped up photograph of Ms Szucs was found in Younis's flat during the police search Ms Mustafa (pictured) had last been seen in May 2018, before the grim discovery in April 2019 'They were murdered by him and their bodies were treated with the same disrespect and indignity by him. 'We have lost a precious jewel': Full statement from Mihrican Mustafa's family 'Jan's death has changed our family forever. From the moment we found out that she was missing, we spent every moment of every hour looking for her and we never for one minute gave up. 'When Jan didn't come to her daughter's birthday, she wrote: 'To mummy - Please come back I really miss you. You missed my 11th birthday party (it was the worst party ever) I sat in the corner crying my eyes out looking at your pictures and reading your poems while in my head screaming, 'where are you! Please mum, come back home.' 'Deep down I knew something wasn't right because you would never leave your children. They were your world. 'The call from the police will never be forgotten, hearing them words confirming they found my Jan was never real, I still don't believe it. The moment we told my Auntie and Jan's children, with an ambulance on standby, breaks every part of me; seeing the pain and tears in their eyes. 'She was a gentle being, who still had her whole life ahead of her, to live and watch her children grow. My heart deeply goes out to her children, who are the strongest people that I know. The grief that they are going through compares to no other pain. 'Our family have lost a precious jewel; my Aunt Mary Jane Mustafa was an incredible Aunt, Mother, Sister and Daughter to her family. 'Jan was a fantastic mother. She adored her children. She loved to dance. She was artistic. She was creative. She was beautiful. She was friends with everybody and very funny. She celebrated life. She was optimistic. She never said anything bad about anybody. She would give her last penny to someone in need. She was an angel. She is an angel. 'Sister my angel. God has given you your assignment. Always my sister, forever my angel, you fly into my dreams when I'm asleep. I feel your wings brush against my face, wiping away the tears I shed since I can no longer hold you in my arms, but only in my heart.' 'The trial is over, justice has been done. 'Closure,' they say. Never. It will not bring my Jan back. I love you my Tilly and I know you are with me.' Advertisement 'He will not face up to what he has done because he has demonstrated in this process, and let's face it, over the years, because he is capable only of thinking of himself and capable of going to any length to protect himself.' Younis, who hobbled into court each day using crutches, denied but was convicted of two counts of murder. Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'Zahid Younis is a particularly dangerous and what I would describe as a repugnant individual who preys on vulnerable women in particular and abuses them, brings them into his control and causes them significant injury.' Mr Harding said the officer was acting on 'an old-fashioned police hunch' when he discovered the women's bodies, which had started to decompose after periods when the flat's electricity had been cut off. The victims had been subjected to 'very significant violence' and suffered injuries consistent with kicking or stamping, Mr Penny said. Mr Harding said Younis had shown no remorse as he subjected his victims' families to a trial. 'They have been incredibly brave throughout this entire ordeal. It is an ordeal in court listening to his lies. It is hard to listen if you are a family,' he added. The family of Ms Mustafa said: 'Jan's death has changed our family forever. From the moment we found out that she was missing, we spent every moment of every hour looking for her and we never for one minute gave up.' They added that she was did not come to her daughter's birthday, she wrote: 'To mummy - Please come back I really miss you. You missed my 11th birthday party (it was the worst party ever) I sat in the corner crying my eyes out looking at your pictures and reading your poems while in my head screaming, 'where are you! Please mum, come back home.' The family statement continued: 'Deep down I knew something wasn't right because you would never leave your children. They were your world. 'The call from the police will never be forgotten, hearing them words confirming they found my Jan was never real, I still don't believe it. 'The moment we told my Auntie and Jan's children, with an ambulance on standby, breaks every part of me; seeing the pain and tears in their eyes. 'She was a gentle being, who still had her whole life ahead of her, to live and watch her children grow. My heart deeply goes out to her children, who are the strongest people that I know. The grief that they are going through compares to no other pain.' Ms Szucs' mother, Maria, who is in Hungary and could not attend court because of the coronavirus pandemic, said in a statement: 'Henriett was a beautiful, kind, young woman and nobody deserves to be killed in such brutal circumstances.' Forensics officers leave the flat in Canning Town, East London, in April 2019 following the grim discovery in the freezer, where the bodies of the two women had fused together Police on the scene outside the flat in Canning Town in April 2019 after two bodies were found A statement released on her behalf by the Metropolitan Police said: 'Maria, Henriett's mother, has been hugely overwhelmed by the death of her daughter. Not only because she was murdered but because it happened in another country. A country where she doesn't know the law or know the police investigation and court processes. 'Maria lost touch with Henriett when she came to the UK but that only exacerbates her grief. The fact that Henriett lay deceased in a freezer for two and a half years with no-one looking for her or realising she was missing, torments Maria on a daily basis. 'The inner turmoil she suffers is as you would expect for a mother mourning the death of her child and to make matters worse, she hasn't been able to see her or lay her to rest. This is most unimaginable for any family member but particularly a mother.' A parliamentary election campaign Kyrgyzstan is set to officially begin on September 4, with 15 political parties to contest 120 seats in the Jogorku Kenesh, or the Supreme Council. The elections will take place on October 4. Kyrgyzstans Central Elections Commission (CEC) said on September 3 that applications by two parties, Aktiv and Butun Kyrgyzstan, had been rejected as they didnt meet the requirements. The CEC cited "violations" and discrepancies in the documents including the list of candidates submitted by Butun Kyrgyzstan. The newly established Aktiv was unable to provide the registration fee of 5 million soms ($63,500). Pro-government parties, including Birimdik, Mekenim Kyrgyzstan, and Kyrgyzstan as well as the opposition Ata Meken are widely expected to do well in the race. No party is allowed to hold more than 65 seats in the Supreme Council. Career Scholarships: Connecting the next generation of Nebraskans to great opportunities in our state is key to helping our kids make Nebraska their home. This year, the Legislature funded my proposal to invest in Nebraska Career Scholarships for students at our community colleges, state colleges, and university system. These scholarships will help to equip young Nebraskans to enter careers in fields with high-demand for new talent, such as engineering, healthcare, and IT. This adds to the pipeline weve been building to connect young Nebraskans with great-paying careers so that they can enjoy the Good Life. This pipeline starts in middle-school with the Developing Youth Talent Initiative, continues in high school career academies, and culminates in earn-while-you-learn apprenticeships in postsecondary education. Now, students will also have the opportunity to apply for a Career Scholarship as they prepare for to enter fields where our state has a workforce shortage. KEY HIGHLIGHTS WHO recommendation based on own analysis of 7 trials, including 3 new trials The studies show deaths can be reduced by 20% Zydus Cadila and Wockhardt are main Indian makers of dexamethasone Hydrocortisone another drug to have proven successful in recent studies The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended doctors to use anti-inflammatory drug corticosteroids like dexamethasone and hydrocortisone in the treatment of COVID-19, following an analysis of various trials that proved to reduce deaths in critically ill patients by 20 per cent - a drop from two deaths per five patients to one in three. It has also warned the doctors not to use these drugs in non-severe COVID-19 patients. "Work on this guidance began on 22 June when the recovery trial published a preliminary report on the impact of corticosteroids. To supplement the results, WHO partnered with investigators of seven trials on corticosteroids to conduct a meta-analysis of these trials, in order to rapidly provide additional evidence," said WHO. The recommendation is based on three new studies, plus four other earlier trials, all involving a drug from the family of corticosteroids. The three new trial results were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association - one with dexamethasone in 299 patients in Brazil, another in France using hydrocortisone in low doses in 76 patients and a 379-patient study with hydrocortisone in the United States and seven other countries. At present Gilead's Remsedivir is the only widely accepted medication to treat severe COVID-19 patients. Another cheap drug Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which was seen as a potential COVID treatment, was later proved to have no benefit in hospitalised patients. Various countries removed it from the treatment protocol, including India. Dexamethasone, a cheap and six-decade old molecule mainly manufactured by numerous Indian generic companies, is used to reduce inflammation and treat auto-immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and some forms of cancer. Zydus Cadila and Wockhardt are the main manufacturers of this drug with a current domestic market of over Rs 100 crore and an export market worth $15.34 million in the year 2019-2020 (April-January). The global tropical corticosteroids market is expected to reach $4,440.38 million by 2024, from $2,828.36 million in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 5.8 per cent, says a Research and Markets study. There are several types of corticosteroids, including cortisone, prednisone, dexamethasone, prednisolone, betamethasone and hydrocortisone. Cortisone was the first corticosteroid drug approved for use in the US, which happened in 1950 Fludroxycortide mainly used in skin irritations, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus drug betamethasone and hydrocortisone to treat redness, swelling, itching, and discomfort of various skin conditions etc are some of the popular cortico-steroid drugs. A large trial conducted by Oxford University in June in the UK had shown dexamethasone could reduce deaths by up to one third in hospitalised patients with severe respiratory complications of COVID-19. The US National Institutes of Health also had recommended use of dexamethasone to treat hospitalised patients who require ventilators or oxygen. Although doctors in many countries started using dexamethasone following the news, the WHO said it was a preliminary data and more understanding was needed on how dexamethasone works on COVID-19 patients. ALSO READ: COVID-19 pandemic: Sanofi, GSK kickstart trial for protein-based vaccine ALSO READ: COVID-19 pandemic: Opening up societies too quickly 'recipe for disaster': WHO D-G ALSO READ: India offers to collaborate with ASEAN for COVID-19 drugs (Alliance News) - The next round of British-US trade talks will begin on September 8, London said Thursday as it scrambles for a deal before a year-end Brexit deadline. Greg Hands, a trade department minister, said the two sides would meet next week and Britain has been talking to representatives from both main US political parties before November's presidential election. "I can announce today that the next round (of talks) will start next Tuesday, 8th September," Hands told MPs during questions on international trade policy. He added: "We talk with all parts of the US political system.A "We make sure that senators, members of Congress, governors from both parties right the way across the US... buy into a future UK/US free trade agreement." Britain has made a US trade deal a major target to coincide with its exit from the EU on December 31, but hopes of concluding a deal before then appear increasingly unlikely. The US Congress is required to approve any comprehensive trade agreement but presidential and congressional elections take place on November 3, restricting hopes of a quick deal. The UK voted in a landmark referendum in June 2016 to leave the EU, and finally quit on January 31 this year. The country is currently in a standstill transition period until the end of the year as it tries to negotiate the terms of its future relationship with Brussels. Its formal departure from the now 27-member bloc nonetheless allowed London to start trade talks with other countries. Talks have been complicated by several issues, including US agricultural exports. But trade secretary Liz Truss also told MPs Thursday that American chlorinated chicken a a totem for opponents fearing weaker food import standards a would remain banned under any deal. Bilateral trade between the two countries was worth GBP221 billion last year, and a free trade deal could increase this by GBP15.3 billion over 2018 levels in the long run, according to the British government. At the same time as the Commons met, a political row rumbled on over the UK government's possible appointment of Australia's former prime minister Tony Abbott as a trade envoy to help with post-Brexit deals. London-born Abbott has been criticised for being a climate change sceptic, and for positions considered misogynist and homophobic. The main opposition Labour party has called him a "Trump-worshipping misogynist". Ministers were forced to back his record on Thursday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended Abbott's views to Sky News television, saying he was also an expert in trade. Questioned about any appointment in the Commons, Hands told MPs that he welcomed "the fact that a former prime minister of Australia is willing to help this country out". source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Beautiful Pregnancy Overall: BOE Member Malia Cohen Prepares to Give Birth Amid a Virus and Violence About 41 weeks into her pregnancy now, California Board of Equalization (BOE) member Malia Cohen, who is the states only African American woman constitutional officer, is preparing to give birth on Sept. 3. Motherhood will be a new role for Cohen, a veteran leader and elected official, who served two terms on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and now administers Californias $70 billion property tax system as a Member of the BOE, representing 10 million people in 23 counties. Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Cohens nomination to serve on the citys Police Commission. Although Cohen could not host the fancy themed baby shower she had once imagined because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Fathers Day Cohen hosted a gender reveal on Zoom instead. ADVERTISEMENT Before that virtual event, Cohen and her best friend mailed party poppers to her close friends and family members, including her mother, mother-in-law and sister. On the video call, her loved ones chanted a countdown with Cohen and her husband before the couple announced that they are having a girl to a Zoom room of cheering loved ones and streaming popper confetti. She has assembled a birth team for her delivery, too. It is scheduled to happen at the San Francisco Birth Center. The birth center allows me to deliver with a team of trained midwives, a Black pediatrician and my birth team, who are my mother, my husband, my sister and my doula, said Cohen. Its a professional emotional support system. They will all be around me when Im laboring. Cohen says being allowed to have other close relatives in the delivery room besides her husband was one reason for choosing a birth center over a traditional hospital. Another was safety. An uptick in coronavirus cases in California over the summer sealed that decision. In addition to planning her birth, working out to stay in shape, and meditating to keep her stress low, Cohen has managed to balance her BOE responsibilities with keeping public speaking commitments and staying involved in state policymaking. She has worked with the governors office to get several executive orders in place to provide relief for taxpayers. She also watches and has called into legislative committee hearings to testify on various issues, and she has written letters to support or oppose a number of bills. Cohen lent her voice in support of ACA 5, authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), that would repeal Proposition 209, and bring affirmative action back to Californias public agencies. ACA 5 is now on the November ballot as Proposition 16, and Cohen is campaigning hard for its passage. ADVERTISEMENT Ive had to rely on technology to get things done, says Cohen whose home office, she says, has been upgraded with a ring light for Zoom or Microsoft Team calls, two laptops, a scanner-slash-printer and the fastest internet speed possible to make her telecommuting seamless. These coronavirus times are sure different, says Cohen, recalling the rush to jump on the train to Sacramento and attend government meetings in person. I really miss reaching out and working to solve problems face to face, she says, citing another impact of the pandemic. Cohen says, overall, she has managed to keep her life and responsibilities in order. But there are times when those cravings hit, Cohen says. They are not so manageable. For the most part Ill say 85-90% of the time Ive been conscious and healthy. But there is that 10 or 15 % when I have to have Doritos or Oreo Cookies. My mom makes the Rice Krispies treats for me, Cohen laughed. Yes, my mom is my enabler. At work, Cohen says right now one of her main priorities at the BOE is working on providing safe remote hearing for the Assessment Appeals Boards. That body resolves property value disputes between taxpayers and assessors who appraise properties. How do we take things we use to do in-person and bring them online? She asked. That way, we are protecting due process. We are protecting the integrity of sensitive documents. We are protecting the health and safety of the petitioner and of our staff. Because of the pandemic, Cohen says the BOE has had to make major adjustments. To use the expression, she explains, we are building the plane while were flying. Away from work, Cohen says watching George Floyds murder on TV and seeing reports about Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery murders, as well as following the protests across America and the world, have taken a toll on her. You begin to wonder: What kind of world am I bringing a baby girl into? There are days when I watched the protests and I just sat on the couch crying, just weeping, says Cohen, who was able to get out to speak at one Black Lives Matter protest in San Francisco. I wanted to march, too, but I realize that I had to protect myself and my baby. Cohen says a source of stress that has always been in the back of her mind is looking honestly at how the country cares for Black women. There is a disparity between Black women and White Women. Less Black women carry their babies full term, Cohen pointed out. Through it all, Cohen says she stays positive and remembers all the things she can be thankful for like being able to take naps when she gets overwhelmed by sleepiness or not having to commute from her home in San Francisco to weekly meetings in Sacramento. Then theres the inspiration of Kamala Harris. Cohen says she been a supporter of the former California Attorney General since she was a DA in San Francisco. Cohen served on the citys Board of Supervisors and worked with Harris on more than one occasion. Cohen says that Harris selection to run as Vice President Is but one more step in a long road towards justice and representation for African Americans. For now, Cohen says she is preparing to go into labor and for all the joys and challenges that are bound to follow. I cant wait to pour into her everything that Ive learned, my understanding of the world, says Cohen. Pouring into her curiosity; a respect for other people and cultures; a desire to travel; and resiliency. Our daughter will inherit the world we will make better through our struggles and our commitment to justice. As we ended our interview, Cohen added, Every day I have a smile on my face and joy in my heart when I think of her. I cant wait for her to be born! Advertisement Deon Kay was shot dead by police on Wednesday afternoon Black Lives Matter protesters marched on Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's house and surrounded a police precinct after police shot and killed an 18-year-old black man Wednesday afternoon. Deon Kay, who had just turned 18, was shot at around 4pm yesterday amid nationwide unrest over police violence. Early this morning, a group of around 20 protesters made their way from the scene of the original demonstration outside a police precinct in DC to the street where Mayor Bowser lives. The demonstrators can be heard in a video posted by N2Sreports chanting: 'If we dont get no justice, you dont get no sleep.' They spent around an hour outside the property, arguing with cops who arrived at the request of a neighbor, before a larger police presence drove to the scene and they left. Earlier Kay's mother Natasha told The Washington Post: 'They took my baby, they just took my baby from me. I need my son back, I want my son back.' Black Lives Matter D.C. tweeted: 'Don't let MPD control the narrative! Police lie! We're on our way.' Footage from the scene shows protesters confronting officers outside a police precinct. The shooting comes as police killings of black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform. Washington DC saw violent protests in the weeks following police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota back in May, and the chaos re-erupted last Thursday, the final night of the Republican National convention, when six officers were hospitalized in demonstrations across the city. The unrest continued into Sunday night, with a group of heavily armored officers seen moving in on a hundred-strong crowd of protesters gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza shortly before midnight. Last week a large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters also accosted white diners outside several Washington, DC restaurants, demanding that they raise their fists to show solidarity with the movement. Footage showing the demonstrators aggressively yelling at one woman in the Adams Morgan neighborhood went viral on social media and sparked a widespread backlash. Scroll down for video Washington DC - BLM terrorists facing off with Police after an officer involved shooting today #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/hXmyNGeg8d Kitty Shackleford (@KittyLists) September 3, 2020 Black Lives Matter protesters have gathered outside a police precinct in Washington DC after police shot and killed an 18-year-old black man Wednesday afternoon Protesters face off with MPD officers at the 7th District police station after an officer shot and killed a man in southeast Washington The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence An MPD officer shot and killed a man Wednesday afternoon in Southeast DC Relatives identified the person killed as Deon Kay, who turned 18 years old last month Police shoved protesters out of the way to form another line in front of the 7th District police station pic.twitter.com/ZBSawt8R6p Debbie Truong (@debbietruong) September 3, 2020 Police said Kay had been in possession of this gun Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said of the shooting Wednesday afternoon that uniformed officers approached a vehicle, acting on information that there were weapons in a car in the area. As they approached the vehicle, Newsham said, two passengers fled on foot. Kay was shot and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In a press conference Newsham said: 'Uniformed police officers had information that there were guys in the neighborhood with guns, specifically. That's what they were looking for and evidently that's what they found.' Newsham said it would be 'improper' to speculate on what prompted the officers to open fire, but he said two firearms were recovered from the scene. 'We believe the suspect had a gun at the time,' Newsham told reporters during an impromptu news conference. Members of the community on the scene disputed that contention. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests Wednesday night outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, 'DC police murdered a Black man today.' The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence. The victim has been named Deon Kay, who just turned 18 Black Lives Matter D.C. tweeted: 'Don't let MPD control the narrative! Police lie! We're on our way.' Footage shows protesters confronting officers outside a police precinct A man was shot dead by police in Washington DC Wednesday afternoon. The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence Councilmember Trayon White said the victim was a 'young' African American man Kay's aunt Marie McNeil, 57, said her nephew had told her he loved her when she last saw him Wednesday morning. Police had earlier tweeted: 'Preliminary information in reference to an MPD Officer Involved Shooting in the 200 blk of Orange St SE. An adult male was taken to a local hospital. A firearm has been recovered on the scene. Chief Newsham will provide an update momentarily.' The shooting comes a day after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she fears the US is 'descending into a race war'. Donald 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. Kay's aunt Marie McNeil, 57, said her nephew had told her he loved her when she last saw him Wednesday morning Protesters face off with MPD officers at the 7th District police station Wednesday It also comes in the wake of new police reform legislation in Washington, designed to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. Stevie Wonder was pictured leaving Nobu in Malibu on Wednesday night after celebrating his beloved son Kailand Morris's 19th birthday. The singing sensation, 70, cut a low profile while leaving the restaurant, wearing a face mask as he headed into his car. Kailand's mother, Kai Milla was in attendance, as well as his brothers, Kwame, Chad and Mandla Morris and manager, Shawn Mann. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life: Stevie Wonder, 70, (centre) was pictured leaving dinner at Nobu in Malibu on Wednesday after celebrating his son Kailand Morris's 19th birthday On his way: The singing sensation, 70, cut a low profile while leaving the restaurant, wearing a face mask as he headed into his car The group bumped into iconic photographer David LaChapelle, who gifted Kailand a signed book as a present. The group also celebrated with Paris Bronsan, Sean Koon, son of artist Jeff. Nobu appears to be a favourite haunt of the father and son because Stevie treated Kailand to a family dinner there back in June, to celebrate his graduation. Loves it: Nobu appears to be a favourite haunt of the father and son because Stevie treated Kailand to a family dinner there back in June, to celebrate his graduation Proud Stevie had appeared in high spirits at that family dinner, which was also attended by son Mandla, 15, and the boys' mother, fashion designer Kai. Last year, Stevie's son interned with Kim Jones at Dior Men's during Paris Fashion Week. Meanwhile, in July last year, Stevie revealed that he was due to have a kidney transplant in September and had a living donor lined up. Treat for later: The group had doggy bags in hand as they prepared to make their way home In the groove: Stevie had been listening to music when he made his way inside earlier on in the evening Popping corks: Kailand was celebrating his special night in style 'Ha-ppy graduation to you!' In June, Stevie adapted his iconic Happy Birthday song to serenade son Kailand in Nobu as he celebrated his graduation However, he has not yet revealed if the operation has taken place. The chart-topper told fans of his condition as he wrapped up his set at British Summer Time in London's Hyde Park last summer. Finishing his song, Superstition, he had said he wanted to clear up rumours about his health. He told the crowd: 'I'm all good, I'm all good, all good, I have a donor and it's all good. 'I want you to know, I came here to give you my love and thank you for your love. I love you and God bless you.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adityastha Rai Wratsangka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 11:53 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426fed0 4 Books spice-island,spices,spice-trail,Nurdiyansah-Dalidjo,Maluku,history,colonization,colonialism,colonial-era,book-review Free Spices are a big part of Indonesias identity. During the archipelagos European colonial period, they were the driving force of colonization. Hundreds of years before that, spices from Indonesia were one of the main commodities Chinese and Arab traders sold to Europeans. They not only gave flavor to dishes but also preserved food, something that was crucial during the middle ages, as Europe was regularly ravaged by war instigated by its ruling classes. Europeans dreamed of direct access to spices and sent expeditions to find their source. In 1512, the Portuguese became the first European explorers to reach the islands of Molucca, now known as Maluku, which boasted an abundance of rare spices. Soon after the Portuguese, the Spanish arrived in Maluku in 1521 by crossing the Pacific. The two nations, which had conquered many parts of the world, fought for dominance over the islands. By the end of the 16th century, explorers from other European nations had begun to hoist their flags on the islands of what is now Indonesia. Then began the era of Dutch and British colonization. The Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) and the British East India Company (EIC) imposed forced labor on native populations for spice production. This spice-driven history of colonization is what pushed 33-year-old interdisciplinary writer, researcher and journalist Nurdiyansah Diyan Dalidjo to write a travelogue titled Rumah di Tanah Rempah (Home in the Land of Spices). Nurdiyansah Dalidjo. (Nurdiyansah Dalidjo/-) Spices have been a big part of Diyans life since he was a boy. He grew up with a single mother who would cook him his meals and then have conversations with him while they ate. Diyan became curious about the role of spices in Indonesias history. In history classes at school, he was told to memorize historical events and figures without context, and he wondered how they were connected to the spices that brought Europeans to the islands that would constitute Indonesia. He believed that behind the iconic foods and fragrant spices, every region of Indonesia had a history, from the colonial era to social revolutions. As someone who grew up during the New Order era, I did not understand why spices were so valuable that they caused Indonesia to be colonized and led the people into slavery and other human rights violations, said Diyan, who also blogs about human rights and was once a journalist for Indonesian feminist publication Jurnal Perempuan (Womens Journal). Old gold: Nutmeg was once a prized commodity among European colonizers. (Nurdiyansah Dalidjo/-) Each chapter of the book covers an island of Indonesia and each subsection tells a story from the 21 different regions that Diyan visited, from Aceh to Ambon. Diyan independently traveled and collected the data for his book from 2014 to 2018. The book explores sensitive and provocative subjects such as the rise and fall of communism and how Soehartos New Order started a new revolution, but Diyan focuses his narrative on the issue of how human rights violations and social gaps are present in historical events and how they reflect parts of modern Indonesia. Diyan titled one of the travel stories in the book Tahun tanpa Pempek (a year without fish cakes). It explores the large role of South Sulawesi in the creation of the Republic of Indonesia and the historical events transpired there. While in Jambi, Diyan stopped by the Muarojambi Temple Complex, a place that, according to a Chinese Buddhist monk named I-Tsing who visited Sumatra in 671 AD, was once the worlds greatest center of Buddhist learning after Nalanda University in India. The complex stretches 30 square kilometers and has numerous temples, remnants of the once-great kingdom of Srivijaya. Srivijayas rule influenced most of the land and maritime areas of Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula and its surroundings. It was the Musi River that made Palembang, a city famous for its pempek, the heart of international trade in the kingdom. In South Sumatra, Diyan learned about the impact that the kingdom of Srivijaya had on Indonesian culture. The Malay language or Bahasa Melayu was the main language of the empire. The language was used for trade along the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait and on the beaches of Sumatra and Java. Indonesias national language is essentially a dialect of Malay, and Srivijaya played a big role in its transmission. The Musi River contributed to this historical change, making South Sulawesi the center of international trade in the area at the time. Centuries later, the river became a part of another, bloodier historical event. Standing on the small island of Kemaro, located on the banks of the Musi River, Diyan pictures how the island was a silent witness to the systematic killing of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members in 1965 and 1966. I would like to tell this story in a they said quote, because it is believed that in 1965 to 1966, Kemaro Island was the place where the bodies of members and sympathizers of the PKI were thrown away or buried, Diyan said. According to Diyan, the idea of rotting bodies and blood in the river caused people in the area to avoid their fish-based iconic dish, making the period from 1965 to 1966 the year without pempek. This shows how history is not binary, and just like Indonesias culture, it is very diverse, Diyan added. With a masters degree in tourism management and a bachelors degree in journalism, Diyan has a passion for travel and a knack for storytelling. He said he had written several scholarly travel books, noting that such books did not tend to appeal to the general public because they were boring to read and write, so the books only circulated in the academic community. Rumah di Tanah Rempah is Diyans second published travelogue. His first was titled Porn(O) Tour: Sisi Lain Sebuah Perjalanan (Porn(O) Tour: The Other Side of Travel). In this book, he examined the disruptive effects of tourism on popular sites. The drive that made me write [] was my emotional ambition to travel all over Indonesia, Diyan said. The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post. The South was hit hard on Sunday with the first real winter storm of the year, a brutal and bitter blast of cold and wind that predictably knocked out power and coated roads. Depending on where you lived in the Piedmont Triad, you either felt the full force of it ... or streamed The Matrix Resurrections. L abour has demanded ministers give a "cast-iron guarantee" that no child will be allowed to fall behind with their learning as a result of the pandemic school closures. Some pupils were out of a classroom setting for almost six months after schools were shut in March as part of the coronavirus lockdown. The party called for the Government to produce what it labelled a "close the gap" strategy after newly-published studies suggested the Covid-related closures significantly widened the attainment gap between pupils. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds were left worst off as a result of the time spent away from school, studies claimed. Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic 1 /16 Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils wash their hands on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young A sign shows the different drop off times for pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils wash their hands as they arrive on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA Shadow education secretary Kate Green said the catch-up strategy should be monitored by an independent body, such as the Children's Commissioner. She also said there should be a new legal requirement introduced ensuring data on the attainment gap was regularly published. Ms Green said: "The Government's incompetence this summer (with A-level results) put a generation's future at risk. "Unless ministers finally get a grip, with a national strategy for catch-up, many more children risk being robbed of their future. Next year's GCSE and A-Level exams delay decision will be made soon says schools minister "Parents need a cast-iron guarantee that any child who has fallen behind will get the support they need to catch up. "We need independent oversight and transparency, to compare the gap between pupils in different parts of the country and against the pre-Covid generation. "The last six months have been incredibly difficult for children and families across the country. "No child should be left behind because of this crisis or Government incompetence." National Foundation for Educational Research showed a widening attainment gap, with pupils in deprived schools three times more likely to be four months behind in their studies than more affluent peers. Previous studies have found school closures may have widened the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates by up to 75 per cent, and that the largest gaps appear to be emerging between primary-aged pupils. The Opposition party said the Prime Minister's promised "massive catch-up operation" did not materialise over the summer holiday and that the Government's 350 million national tutoring programme will not be fully operational until next spring. Pupils will not be able to benefit from tutors until November - a full eight months after schools initially closed, Labour said. A Department for Education spokesman said: "We are determined to make sure no child is held back because of coronavirus. "That's why getting all children back into full-time education this term is a national priority, because it is the best place for their education, development and wellbeing. "Announced back in June, our 1 billion Covid catch up package will tackle the impact of lost teaching time as a result of the pandemic, including a 650 million catch up premium to help schools support all pupils and the 350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged students. "Headteachers and school leaders are best placed to make decisions about their pupils and which of them need the most support, which is why they will have the flexibility to decide how to spend the premium in their best interests. "Advice on the most effective interventions has been provided by the Education Endowment Foundation." Some days the rage inside of me boils over to the point where I want to scream. Other times, I just want to crawl into a ball and weep. The anger and frustration at the mistreatment often brutal treatment of Black Americans since this countrys beginning and continuing through today is overwhelming and unbearable at times. Thats if you really think about it and I do. Ive always thought about it. Im just wired that way. Ive always placed myself in my ancestors place, marveling at their survival and triumph over their enslavement, poverty and struggle. I smile when I think about how weve not only persevered but weve managed to find joy in life despite all attempts to squash the humanity in us. Im filled with pride when I see how much we continue to accomplish when obstacles are stacked against us. While I praise and marvel at our collective strength and resilience, I am deeply saddened that everything we do is in spite of this adversity or that obstacle especially when you realize how long weve been fighting this fight and how much weve endured. The other day I wanted to scream. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, drove from Illinois to Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a military-style, semiautomatic rifle and a plan. Rittenhouse shot and killed two people. Rittenhouse then walks past police officers while people tell the cops he just shot people. They dont stop him. He drove home and turned himself in the next day. His lawyer says hes a law-abiding patriot and it was self-defense. Conservatives are actually defending this boy and spewing the same rhetoric. So, now its legal for 17-year-olds to carry guns? If thats the case, I never want to hear another word about 17-year-old Black boys carrying guns and shooting people. Im sure many young Black males convicted of shooting someone will say they acted in self-defense as well. Oh, the hypocrisy! I remember when another 17-year-old was armed with Skittles. Trayvon Martin lost his life because someone decided he didnt have a right to defend it with his fists, by the way. Although Trayvon was an unarmed teen, he was portrayed as some sort of super powered villain able to beat up a grown man with a single punch. Trayvons murder was justified because his murderer said he acted in self-defense. Juxtapose the treatment of Rittenhouse by police with how they treated Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back while the officer held his shirt. Blakes shooting was justified, they say, because he had a knife on the floorboard of the car. A knife on the floorboard of the car means it wasnt on Blakes person. Rittenhouse walked right past police with an AR-15. Yet its Blake who was shot seven times and now paralyzed. Oh, but Blake was tased twice, had a warrant and resisted, say those who justify the police shooting. Well, let me tell you about a video of an incident between a white man and a white police officer at a local Kroger I recently watched. The tussle began in an aisle of the grocery store. They eventually fell to the floor and continued wrestling while the cop yelled stop resisting multiple times. He then tased the man about four times. Eventually, the man was able to actually grab the officers Taser. He has my Taser, the officer says at least two times. Civilians some Black came to the officers defense to help him subdue the white man, who was no spring chicken. That man did a lot of resisting almost four minutes worth of it captured on video. You know what I didnt see? The officer shoot the man with his gun. I didnt see him kneel on his neck or back. Resisting is always the reason given for using excessive force against Black people, but this white man resisted for at least 3 minutes and 44 seconds. By this standard he shouldve been shot. When will we own up to the hypocrisy? Ex Ministries founder warns Black Lives Matter movement cannot be separated from organization Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor G. Craige Lewis, founder of Ex Ministries, is warning Christians to stop supporting the black lives matter movement, an unstructured protest against racial inequality, because it cannot be separated from the Black Lives Matter organization founded by three lesbian witches. If you are a born-again believer, you cannot be associated with BLM in any kind of way. You cannot promote it in any kind of way. I mean, Ive passed by churches and seen BLM signs on there. Somebody doesnt pray at all. Somebody doesnt have a relationship with the Lord that I read in the Word, Lewis, who is pastor of Adamant Believers Council in Grand Prairie, Texas, said Monday in a Facebook Live broadcast. Listen people, stay away from this BLM movement. Dont fall for it; its pure emotional. It gets into your emotions that make you see things that arent true. Theyre showing you things in the media that arent true. They are saying things that arent true. They are getting you riled up all to just pull you away from the God you serve, he said. In June, the Black Lives Matter movement was supported by two-thirds of U.S. adults across the racial spectrum with the strongest support coming from blacks, according to a Pew Research Center poll. The poll showed 86% support for the movement among blacks, 60% support among whites, 77% among Hispanics, and 75% support for the cause among Asians. A new Politico-Morning Consult poll released Wednesday, however, shows support for the Black Lives Matter movement waning by nine points to a 52% favorable opinion among voters. Among Republican voters alone there was a 13-point drop. Earlier this summer, J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, endorsed the black lives matter movement as a Gospel issue while denouncing the Black Lives Matter organization founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi in 2013. The Black Lives Matter organization gave rise to the movement. Black lives matter, Greear said after acknowledging the SBCs racist past in the wake of ongoing civil unrest over racial inequality following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. I realize that the movement and the website have been hijacked by some political operatives whose worldview and policy prescriptions would be deeply at odds with my own, but that doesnt mean that the sentiment behind it is untrue. I do not align myself with the Black Lives Matter organization, Greear said, drawing the distinction. In addition to pushing for racial equality, the Black Lives Matter organization says its goals are to "disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure," and "dismantle cisgender privilege." The organization also promotes ancestral worship. Lewis argues that because the movement was spawned from the work of the Black Lives Matter organization, the two groups cannot be separated. Their agenda is right before our eyes. It is a shame that so many churches, especially pastors and shepherds that are supposed to be leading Gods people, are leading them right into this witchcraft lesbian demonic movement called Black Lives Matter, Lewis said. You cannot separate the movement from the founders. You cannot separate the movement from its intent. This was created to steer you away from God into ancestral worship, worship of color, worship of privilege. And this particular movement is even praying to the ancestors, pulling the spirits of the ancestors. All the things that God warned us not to do in the Word they are doing. Its an anti-Christ, anti-God movement, and yet church people are embracing it because the word black is in the Black Lives Matter movements title, he said citing Scripture. He further suggested that the distinction being made between the Black Lives Matter movement and the organization is just a ploy to gain support for the organization and its agenda. This is the biggest movement our African American community has seen and yet it has captured the hearts of so many because theyre trying to separate it. Well, I dont believe in the things theyre saying. I just believe that black lives matter, he said, mimicking the popular argument of many who say they dont support the organization but support the movement. What you dont understand its all intertwined, Lewis insisted. These beliefs are on their website. This is what they are leading you to. You cannot divorce the leadership of the movement from the movement. They created the movement. They are the founders. They created it for this purpose. TAIPEI, Taiwan - The Czech Senate president met with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday morning during a rare trip by a foreign dignitary to the self-ruled democratic island that rival China called an open provocation. Tsai presented a medal for Jaroslav Kubera, the recently deceased predecessor of Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil. Kubera died in January before making the trip and Vystrcil said Chinas pressure, including a warning from the Chinese Embassy against congratulating Tsai on her reelection, contributed to his decision to travel to the island. Tsai called Kubera a great friend and gave a nod to Vystrcils speech Tuesday, saying his words Im a Taiwanese had touched many hearts. Our actions are telling friends in Europe and all over the world, whether Taiwanese or Czechs, we will not succumb to oppression, will bravely speak up, actively participate in international affairs, and contribute our capabilities, she said. Beijing is furious about the Czech delegations visit, with the foreign ministry summoning the Czech Republics ambassador to lodge stern representations and saying the trip 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. Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Vystrcils visit is an open provocation. China must tell the Czech Senate leader: Youve crossed the line! Wang said. Tensions between the Czech Republic and China have simmered since last year, tracing back to a dispute between Beijing and Prague. The two capitals ended a sister-cities agreement because Beijing had wanted Prague to agree to the One China principle, which says Taiwan is part of China. In his address Tuesday, Vystrcil directly referenced former President John F. Kennedys famed 1963 anti-communist speech in then-divided Berlin, 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. BED-STUY, BROOKLYN A Bed-Stuy school readying to welcome students back for in-person classes got the stamp of approval this week from Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city's school chief, who toured the building as part of a series of tours to prepare for the new year. "This is exactly what we want to see all over the city," de Blasio told school officials Wednesday. "You're not going to find better examples of what a school should look like and should offer than what you saw on this tour." The mayor, Chancellor Richard Carranza and other officials stopped by P.S. 59 William Floyd elementary school just days after their administration delayed the return of in-person classes after teachers threatened a strike for the original Sept. 10 start date. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. The new start date, Sept. 21, aims to give more time for schools to prepare for returning to classes amid the coronavirus pandemic. For P.S. 59, at least, that will mean finishing touches on teaching staff, parents and students about remote learning platforms, Principal Cherry-Ann Joseph-Hislop said. "It's just giving us time to get the curriculum and the internet platform ready for learners," Joseph-Hislop said. About 60 percent of the school's families chose to stick with full-time remote learning, meaning the school will have room to welcome the other 40 percent back for in-person classes five days a week. The set-up is unique from many of New York City's schools, where students who chose to return to school buildings will switch between in-person classes and remote learning throughout the week to allow for social distancing. Across the five boroughs, about 37 percent of students chose to stick with full-time remote learning. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. P.S. 59 is among the majority of New York City's 1,500 school buildings that have gotten the OK from city officials during a round of safety inspections. Carranza said Wednesday that all 1,500 inspections were scheduled to be completed by the end of the day and that so far, only a "very small list" will need to make changes before the Sept. 21 start date. Story continues At P.S. 59, classrooms typically meant for as many as 24 kids were set up for classes of about nine students. Hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment, the use of "electrostatic cleaning" machines and other safety measures have also been put in place at the school, officials said. "In terms of our building, we've passed all the inspections, the building has been approved and we're ready to go," the principal said. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. P.S. 59 is also among 300 or so schools that have been approved, as of this week, to use outdoor space for classes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The elementary school plans to use its backyard playground for physical education classes and explore using it for other subjects, Joseph-Hislop said. De Blasio gave the OK just last week for New York City's schools to submit applications for using outdoor learning space after weeks of calls from school and elected officials to do so. Public school staff are scheduled to make final preparations for starting school Sept. 10, 11, 14 and 15 before entering a three-day "transitional period" on Sept. 16, when all instruction will be remote, de Blasio said. In-person classroom instruction will begin Sept. 21 under the much-discussed "blended learning" model. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. This article originally appeared on the Bed-Stuy Patch Engineers India share ended 2% higher today after the company won an order from GAIL (India) for the execution of PDH/PP project at Usar, Maharashtra. Engineers India share touched an intraday high of Rs 68.4, rising 3.56% on BSE. The share has gained 3.05% in the last 2 days. Engineers India share stands lower than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages. The PSU share has lost 34% in one year and fallen 31.73% since the beginning of this year. Total 3.26 lakh shares changed hands amounting to turnover of Rs 2.20 crore. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 4,268 crore. Later, the share closed 2.27% higher at Rs 67.55 on BSE. The company said it would execute this project as EPCM Consultancy Services for 500 KTA PDH-PP project. The project involves setting up of PDH and PP plant at Usar and pipeline from Usar to Uran and storage facilities at Uran. The timeline for completion of the project is within 48 months. Adani Green Energy share rises 26% in three sessions, here's why "The project involves setting up of PDH and PP plant at Usar and pipeline from Usar to Uran and Storage facilities at Uran. The estimated order value is Rs 448 cr with a total project completion schedule of 48-months," the company said. Meanwhile, Indian equity market ended in red after two days of gains led by losses in banking stocks. Sensex closed 95 points lower at 38,990 and Nifty lost 7.55 points to 11,527. Sensex, Nifty end lower after two sessions; PowerGrid, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank top losers In Tibet, they learned how to draw Thangka painting with local artists, met "Living Buddha" Kyungpo in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, spent a day with Tibetan internet celebrity Lhamo, fed the Tibetan bulls, learned to ride a horse and explored the region through different routes. Three teams with fan bases CGTN reporter Li Jingjing, Canadian Youtuber Daniel Dumbrill and French journalist Manuel Rambaud are three members from Team DJ. Li Jingjing and her team met "Living Buddha" Kyungpo in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, reached the base camp for Mount Qomolangma, and visited Rongpo Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. Beard Brothers team consists mainly of CGTN's reporter Marco Shan, journalist Oscar Margain and a Bahraini "China Expert" PhD Yaser Ali Taher Jawad. On August 29, they talked to Tibetan internet celebrity Lhamo, who has nearly 1.5 million followers. She lives a quiet life in Qonggyai County but built up a huge following just by sharing her everyday routine. The team spent a day with Lhamo and tried to find out the secret to her online success. Their route covers Tibetan folk dance, local musical band, thousand-year-old crafts, a lake "in the sky," yaks on a plateau and more. The third team named themselves A.N.T., which has CGTN reporter Yang Xinmeng, Spanish vlogger Noel and digital guru of CGTN Russian Sergei. Yang and Noel learned how to draw Tibetan Thangka paintings with local artists on August 21, the sacred art of such religious painting has been passed down the generations. They met Sithar Dorje, who is one of the representative inheritors who has contributed to passing down the legacy. "The Epic of King Gesar" he performs is one of the world's oldest epic poems. During the trip of CGTN's three teams, a vivid and colorful Tibet is presented to the audiences. The veil of the mysterious "Roof of the World" was lifted. For people who live in this ancient land, we are separated not only by distance but geography as well. However it's our emotions that bind us together. Original article: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-02/Into-Tibet-2020-Explore-the-Roof-of-the-World-with-three-teams-TskKImVody/index.html?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0 SOURCE CGTN New Manchester United signing Donny van de Beek had an agreement to join Real Madrid before the coronavirus pandemic, according to his agent. The Dutchman had been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu and was expected to join Los Blancos this summer, but the financial ramifications of the pandemic saw the deal fall through. Van de Beek signed a five-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year for around 107,000 a week before bonuses with Manchester United instead. Donny van de Beek is officially now a Manchester United player after leaving Dutch giants Ajax Van de Beek's agent Sjaak Swart told Marca: 'There were many clubs interested in Van de Beek. 'There was Madrid, Barca, Juve, Arsenal in March everything was ready for him to go to Real Madrid, but with the pandemic everything was postponed. The clubs have no income. The whole scene changed.' After completing his move to the Red Devils, Van de Beek said: 'I cannot begin to explain how incredible an opportunity it is to join a club with such an amazing history. The 23-year-old was meant to sign for Zinedine Zidane's side before the coronavirus pandemic Van de Beek scored 41 goals in 175 appearances for Ajax after coming through their academy 'I would like to thank everyone at Ajax. I grew up there and I will always have a special bond with the club. 'I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.' Having coming through the Ajax academy, the midfielder has made 175 appearances for the Dutch club, scoring 41 goals. The 23-year-old became one of the stars of the team and will hope to recreate such form at Old Trafford. On arrival at United, Van de Beek will line-up alongside the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in midfield. By Zhao Guojun Four US military personnel were injured when their vehicle clashed with a Russian military armored vehicle in northeastern Syria on August 25, the second such clash between the two countries in Syria since February this year, and the first time American personnel were injured. On the surface, the clash seems to be an accident arising from the tense encounter between American and Russian front-line troops, however, it actually reflected the deep-rooted, irreconcilable strategic conflicts between Washington and Moscow. Since the end of the Cold War, the US has been squeezing the strategic space of Russia by pushing NATOs eastward expansion. Since the reset strategy aimed at recalibrating the US-Russia relation during Obamas term didnt succeed, the US and NATO under its lead have stepped up the strategic suppression of Russia after the Ukraine crisis in 2014. Although Trump hoped to ease the relation with Moscow after taking office, the US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy have both regarded Russia as a chief threat to American security. Washington has continuously intensified the sanction and containment of Russia leveraging such issues as the Ukraine crisis, Iranian nuclear deal and Russias natural gas pipelines, and has kept sending military ships and aircraft to conduct close-in reconnaissance of Russia. Recently it decided to send about 1,000 more troops to Poland, whose new National Security Strategy issued in May this year was directly targeted at Russia. These moves made by the US were a continuation of its policy of squeezing Russias strategic space. On the Syrian issue, although the US and Russia have common interests in combating the extremist Islamic State, they also face significant conflicts over geopolitical interests. Syria is a strategic springboard for Russia to get involved in the Middle East and it still maintains naval and air bases there. While Moscow consistently supports the Bashar Assad regime, Washington has spared no effort in backing the anti-government armed forces in Syria, even indulging their extremist sects. Under such circumstances, there is hardly any mutual trust between the American and Russian military forces in Syria, and the military vehicle clashes are nothing but logical consequences of the strategic confrontation between Washington and Moscow. Nevertheless, the subsequent development of the military vehicle clash was intriguing. The US vehicles left the site soon afterwards even though the US side was bent on pinning the blame on the other side, and it tried to downplay the aftermaths by calling the incident an issue between the multinational forces and the Russian troops that were jointly fighting IS, rather than one between American and Russian troops. Senior officials of the two militaries talked over the phone to keep the situation from getting out of control, which indicated that neither side was willing to let the incident escalate their strategic confrontation. US White House National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement that neither the multinational forces nor the US wanted to see escalated conflict with any countrys military forces. An important reason why the US downplayed the vehicle clash was that its NATO allies had serious divergences on the stance toward Russia. While members like Poland hope to counter Russia through NATO, countries like France and Germany still wish to strike some kind of balance with Moscow regarding security concerns and economic interests, especially energy interests, as demonstrated by Berlins recent condemnation of Washingtons sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. Meanwhile, the political factors within the US have dampened the fermentation of this incident. Desperate to win re-election, Trump needs not only to pacify the opposition forces at home and refute the Democratic candidate Bidens accusation of him being soft on Russia, but also refrain from being too taking a tough line against Russia as that may worsen bilateral ties, which would be interpreted as his failure on Russia. Therefore, Washington really finds itself in a hard position as it has to remain tough on Russia while keeping the US-Russia relationship from derailing at the same time. It must be pointed out that although the military vehicle collision may be resolved peacefully, similar incidents will likely happen again as long as the deep-level strategic confrontation between the US and Russia is not fundamentally eliminated, and the strategic stability in relevant regions wont be fundamentally guaranteed either. (The author is from the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.) COLUMBUS, OhioAfter months of work, state and federal officials have set up a coronavirus wastewater monitoring network in 22 Ohio cities to detect early-warning signs of possible COVID-19 cases, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday. Under the initiative, researchers at sewage treatment plants in Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Sandusky, Newark, and Lancaster, among other cities, will look for gene copies or fragments of non-infectious RNA from the coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. Sampling efforts have also been underway in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Such genetic material can indicate the disease is present as many as three to seven days before those infections lead to increases in case counts or hospitalizations, DeWine said during a televised coronavirus briefing Thursday. Given advance warning, officials can better plan for an outbreak and have time to warn the public and stockpile supplies, experts say. Wastewater monitoring helped the University of Arizona find a potential coronavirus outbreak last month, according to multiple reports. Dutch scientists at the KWR Water Research Institute found the virus in a local sewage system in March, three weeks before the Netherlands confirmed its first case of the coronavirus. Ohios coronavirus wastewater monitoring network is a collaboration between the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio and U.S. environmental protection agencies, and several universities, including Ohio State University, the University of Toledo, Kent State University and the University of Akron, DeWine stated. NORRISTOWN Montgomery County officials said its important not to let the coronavirus work overtime on Labor Day, and to avoid a surge in virus cases like those recorded in many places nationwide after the Memorial Day and July 4th holidays. Unfortunately, I do expect that we will see a bit of a spike after Labor Day weekend. I just hope that people have learned from our last two summer holidays that just because its a holiday from work, its not a holiday from the coronavirus, county Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said this week as the late summer holiday approached. In fact, if people are lax in their behavior, it just increases the chances that coronavirus will get to work overtime on Labor Day, Arkoosh added. As of Sept. 2, the countys total number of positive coronavirus cases had reached 10,933 since March 7, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county. The countys death toll from the virus stood at 827. Overall, officials said, residents appear to be reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the county and they hope residents actions over the Labor Day holiday dont reverse that trend. The overall 14-day positivity rate for the county, as of Aug. 28, was 3.04 percent, according to county data. Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5 percent indicates the county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed. To keep the positivity rate below 5-percent, Arkoosh stressed residents should continue to abide by all mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing recommendations. As we head into the Labor Day weekend, please, please take extra precautions to stay safe. We continue to have 40 to 45 new cases every single day, which means there is still plenty of virus circulating in our community, Arkoosh said. We seem to be in pretty much a steady state at this point but all of us would like to see those daily case numbers get a little bit lower than they are now. I really want to urge people to follow all the guidance and keep those masks on, keep that social distancing and be very, very careful at any social gatherings and do your best to not bring this virus back to our community, added Arkoosh, who as a physician has been at the center of the countys efforts to combat coronavirus and provide citizens with the latest information regarding the outbreak. County officials are closely monitoring data that indicates positive COVID-19 cases have continued to increase among younger individuals during the last several weeks. This is very consistent with what weve been hearing about both in the Commonwealth and nationally. People from 30 years and younger are being increasingly impacted by this disease, said Arkoosh, a graduate of University of Nebraska College of Medicine who also has a masters degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. According to the data, those aged 25 to 34 represented 12.74 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the county on May 1 and increased to 13.77 percent of all cases on July 29. On Aug. 12, that age bracket accounted for 13.79 percent of all cases in the county and increased to 13.84 percent on Sept. 2, according to county data. Those aged 20 to 24 accounted for 4.6 percent of all COVID-19 cases on May 1 and jumped to 6.75 percent of all cases on July 29. On Aug. 12, that age bracket accounted for 7.26 percent of all cases and on Sept. 2 accounted for 8.0 percent of all cases, according to the data. Comparatively, those aged 55 to 59 accounted for 8.5 percent of all COVID-19 cases on May 1 but decreased to 7.14 percent of the cases by Sept. 2. Those aged 60 to 64 accounted for 7.89 percent of all positive cases on May 1 but decreased to 6.72 percent by Sept. 2. This just continues to serve as a reminder that nobody is immune to this disease and while younger individuals do not appear to be getting hospitalized as often as older individuals do, younger individuals can certainly transmit the disease to parents, grandparents or others who might be at risk of a much more serious case of COVID-19, said Arkoosh. So, we need to take these numbers very seriously and continue to remind everyone how important it is to wear that mask and stay socially distant, particularly if you are attending any type of social gathering where its quite easy to get close to people without really even being conscious that youre doing it, Arkoosh added. A U.S. Postal Service board member, who reportedly played a key role in the selection of Louis DeJoy to lead the agency, called the Black Lives Matter movement violent and floated a conspiracy theory that it may be financially backed by foreign entities. In June, John M. Barger, who serves on the Postal Services six-member Board of Governors, engaged in a back-and-forth on LinkedIn with a contact in Hong Kong. The exchange is publicly accessible on Bargers profile on the platform. It began with that contact posting a photo of the strict public health measures in effect in Hong Kong due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Bargers contact offhandedly mentioned Black Lives Matter in the course of explaining the Chinese governments aggressive posture toward Hong Kong, Barger teed off. Ummmm BLM is a movement that is neither state sanctioned, nor about race these days, responded Barger. Further, its divisive violent core may be receiving foreign funding. Facebooks Internal Black Lives Matter Debate Got So Bad Zuckerberg Had to Step In There is no evidence that the Black Lives Matter movement, which includes an official foundation of the same name but also many decentralized, unofficial groups nationwide, is benefiting from any kind of organized funding effort orchestrated from abroad. In his post, Barger cited nothing specific. The Black Lives Matter Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, bills itself as a global movement, but accepts donations through the online fundraising platform ActBlue, which prohibits non-Americans from making contributions. Barger did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast. But his comments could spark additional criticism that the USPS board of governorsalready under scrutiny for DeJoys handling of postal reformsis stacked with overtly partisan conservative figures. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty Bargers theory about Black Lives Matter echoes some writings from conservative media, which hold that the movement is the beneficiary of shady foreign interests. Pro-Trump corners of the Internet are rife with theories that BLM is a front for a left-wing coup or revolution. More established Republicans have raised broader questions about who is funding the movement. This week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for a federal investigation into that very question. Story continues A recently deleted Twitter account, accessed by The Daily Beast via web cache, that appears to have belonged to Barger contains endorsements of Black Lives Matter criticism. On June 30, the account shared a post from the right-wing personality Ian Miles Cheong, which purports to show a BLM supporter assaulting a Black man who was removing BLM signs. Outrageous, was Bargers apparent comment in retweeting the post. Rep. Katie Porter Grills Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Basic Facts About the Post Office Barger, a Los Angeles-based financier, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve on the USPS Board of Governors and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2019. He is an active GOP donor, having given over $70,000 to Republican candidates for office since 1989, according to federal campaign finance records. Barger has continued making campaign contributions since joining the USPS board, cutting a $10,000 check to the Republican National Committee in December. An August 2020 investigation from House Democrats into the tenure of Postmaster General DeJoy, who took over the post in June, claimed Barger played a significant role in getting DeJoy in that post. Barger was the USPS board member tasked with leading the search for a replacement for Megan Brennan, who held the Postmaster General position until October 2019. DeJoy, a fellow GOP mega-donor with no USPS experience, was not on an initial list of potential candidates provided to the board by an independent agency, Russell Reynolds Associates. The Democratic probe found evidence that Barger got DeJoys resume in the mix. An Aug. 20 letter to Barger from Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Katie Porter (D-CA) cited individuals familiar with the process in saying DeJoy was never recommended by this firm but was rather introduced by you to the selection committee. It would have been irregular for a member of the USPS Board of Governors, such as yourself, to recommend Mr. DeJoy without the consultation, research, or support of the contracted hiring firm Russell Reynolds Associates. A former member of the USPS Board of Governors who briefed House Democrats on the selection process, David C. Williams, said he raised concerns about DeJoy to Barger. When Williams resigned in April, he cited concerns over the process in his letter. Barger claimed to the New York Times that Williams had never expressed concern over the Boards consideration of DeJoy, and that if he had heard Williams concerns, he would have taken them seriously. He also told the Los Angeles Times that it was the Boards chairman, Robert M. Duncan, who had brought DeJoy to the selection committees attention. Duncan, who appeared alongside DeJoy on August 24 in heated testimony before the House Oversight Committee, has himself come under fire for partisan ties. On August 31, Duncan, a former chairman and general counsel for the Republican National Committee, was listed on official filings as the director of the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC that works to elect Republicans to the Senate. The native Kentuckian has a long history with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who reportedly recommended Duncan to Trump as a USPS board member before he was nominated in 2017. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. This year's annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Jim Urquhart for Insider. A man in Minnesota died of COVID-19 on Wednesday after returning from a motorcycle rally that attracted more than 400,000 people to Sturgis, South Dakota, according to a representative from the Minnesota Department of Public Health. It's the first coronavirus fatality thought to have arisen from the bike rally, according to The Washington Post. Residents pushed for the rally to be postponed because of spiking COVID-19 cases in the state, but event organizers pressed on. South Dakota continues to see rising infection rates. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A man in Minnesota died Wednesday from COVID-19 after participating in the annual South Dakota motorcycle rally last month that hosted hundreds of thousands of people from throughout the US. The man is believed to be the first coronavirus fatality tied to the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the story. The man, who has not been identified, was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions, the Minnesota Department of Public Health told Insider. Upon his return from the 10-day event, the man checked in to a hospital and remained in its intensive-care unit until he died. Related: 250,000 crowd SD town for motorcycle rally amid pandemic More than 400,000 people visited South Dakota to participate in the biker festival, which ran August 7-16. Because of the shutdown of most large events nationwide, the biker event is likely to have seen the largest crowds of any event in the country in recent months, The Post reported. Days before the rally, residents in Sturgis and local officials pushed for its cancellation, knowing that the number of confirmed cases in South Dakota was rising at the time. More than 60% of residents said in a survey that they hoped the event would be postponed, The New York Times reported. At least 260 new cases across almost a dozen states have been linked to the Sturgis rally, The Post said. Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, insisted in a Fox News interview that the event in her state would be safe to attend. Story continues Noem cited other celebrations the state had hosted this year, like the controversial Fourth of July event that also drew large crowds, as a reason to attend Sturgis. President Donald Trump made an appearance at that Fourth of July celebration. Noem's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. Neither the Sturgis motorcycle rally nor the Fourth of July event mandated that people show up in face masks, and social distancing was not enforced. Those who attended the event frequented packed bars and concerts, NBC News reported. Many people were not wearing masks, multiple news outlets reported. COVID-19 has infected more than 6 million people in the US, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Of that figure, more than 184,000 people have died. South Dakota continues to see rising infection rates. On Tuesday, there were at least 240 new cases reported in the state. On average, the state has seen about 300 new cases a day in the past week. Read the original article on Insider The pampered pooches of 20 and 30-somethings have been the few winners from the global pandemic, as their owners spend more time at home and more money on pet care. That's according to Michael Burke, founder and managing director of drug manufacturer Chanelle Pharma. People are investing a "huge amount" of money in dogs, he says. "You can see when you go out for a walk how many people have dogs, and a lot of young people now have dogs whereas before it was mainly the older people," he says. Shortages of dogs, especially in-demand Instagram friendly breeds, has seen prices for animals soar. "You know, a similar situation happened back in 2008 in the Celtic Tiger crisis. And now it's [happening] much more," according to Burke. Expand Close Strong growth: Michael Burke. Photo: Arthur Carron / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Strong growth: Michael Burke. Photo: Arthur Carron In the large animal sector, whether it's cattle or sheep, there's also strong demand. The industry that is "very buoyant at the moment." "I think the sector we're in, we're very fortunate," the father of five grown-up children says. Having established Chanelle Pharma in 1985, originally as a veterinary medicine business, today the company is evenly split between animal and human health. The business, he says, has experienced "strong growth all along," but particularly in the last two years. "We've had strong growth that last year, medical was up I think about 30pc. Overall the company is up about 11pc," Burke says. Last year the main manufacturing company reported profits of 4.9m, while revenue increased 14pc to 51.5m. Having qualified as a vet in 1970, the Galway native was always interested in setting up a business. "I came from a business background, my mom was a brilliant businesswoman," he says. "I bought a practice and set up an animal health centre in 1978. I started manufacturing on the 1st of May 1985, just with just two people." The company initially started by manufacturing generic pharmaceuticals in the "good country farming town" of Loughrea. In the early days Burke headed to the Middle East in search of markets. "I went to an exhibition in Saudi [Arabia] and did a number of other exhibitions in different places around the world. That's what started us off." A few months later - still in 1985 - Burke was back in Saudi Arabia and got "quarter of a million pounds (Irish) worth of orders." "That really set us on the line, I continued to develop and take on more and more people and that's how I built the company. I saw a lot of opportunities and I just took advantage of those opportunities, because at the time there was very little manufacturing of generic pharmaceuticals and most of the products at that stage were manufactured in Holland," Burke says, his laid-back manner belying the ambition. "We had huge business in Saudi and the United Arab Emirates, it was through tenders, at that time I use get 80-90pc of the tenders. Because at that time there were really no European companies going out to the Middle East, and it was totally unexposed," he says. It was an agricultural exhibition that first inspired Burke to head east. "I thought that would be an ideal place to go, because I knew it was a huge market, particularly for sheep and goats and camels." As the company expanded Burke started registering the products he was producing. And then in 1994 Chanelle got into human pharmaceuticals. The global market for veterinary products is worth around 30bn, while the human business is worth about 1.4tn, according to Burke, however the latter brings with it "so much more competition" and is "very price competitive." Chanelle Pharma holds over 4,000 human and veterinary pharmaceutical licences in Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan. In the European Union, which now accounts for 70-75pc of its business, it claims to hold the largest number of veterinary licences of any animal health company. Earlier this year Chanelle shipped its first products to the United States after being accredited by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for the manufacturing facility that produces Spot On, a treatment used to protect dogs and cats against harmful parasites. An 85m investment announced in 2018 was the single largest investment ever made by any Irish owned company. It will double manufacturing capacity - and since then the business has launched almost 100 new products. The workforce is up from 550 to 850 people in the past five years. Burke had hoped construction on a new facility that will focus on the United States market would start this year, but Covid has delayed building work. He says that Chanelle has a "very strong research and development area." It has R&D facilities both in Ireland and Jordan, which he describes as "a fantastic country, highly educated, [with] very strong pharmaceutical companies". "We put a lot of money into research and development and new products. In our five year strategic plan going forward we have 64 veterinary products and there are about 30 human products [being developed]." "And that's really the future of our company, we see a lot of opportunities for our business going forward and it's all down to new products," Burke adds. Included in the pipeline is a "really unique product," which the company will launch in October. "We are taking advantage of research and development and innovation, which is critical, because you have to be a little bit different than other companies in some areas. It costs a lot of money but, if you don't invest, you don't get the return." But that's risky too. "From start-to-finish and development you'd be lucky to know in two-and-a-half to three years if a product will be a success." "Then you would have another year and a half for registration. It's a long process. You don't get a return on your investment, until probably after five years," Burke adds. Manufacturing, particularly in products for humans is also expensive, and highly regulated. The immediate priority for Chanelle is ensuring that its facilities and staff stay free of Covid-19. The company does not expect to experience huge growth over the next 12 months because of the impact of the global pandemic. "If we can do what we did last year, it would be fantastic. You know, and that's our goal," he says. "We [also] want to build a facility for the US for tablets and liquids." As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, the UK's exit from the European Union is looming large. While Burke is not particularly concerned about the impact Brexit will have on his pharma business, he worries about how it will impact Irish farmers.. "They're talking now about getting everybody in the UK to buy UK beef and lamb. It's very hard to know what's going to happen until next year. But I would say that it's going to be difficult for the Irish farmer." "We might have a decrease in sales on the Irish and UK market, it's hard to say if we can make that up in other countries that we're in," he adds. Whatever way Brexit goes, Burke says he will be at the helm of his company as it navigates any potential changes. "Not at the moment," his short reply to a question about possible retirement. The horse-racing and hurling enthusiast adds "we just need to strengthen our teams. We're bringing in quite a lot of people at the moment, with a lot of experience and we will continue to do this". Sixteen years ago, India purchased from Israel three Phalcon AWACS developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The $1.1 billion deal was inked in 2004 and the aircraft delivered in 2009 and 2011. Next week, the Indian Cabinet is expected to approve another such deal, valued at around $1 billion. The Israeli airborne warning and control system is mounted on Russian-origin Illyushin-76 transport aircraft. Experts call the plane an eye in the sky because of its surveillance capabilities for tracking enemy aircraft, hostile missiles, drones and troops on the ground. The megadeal was previously derailed several times due to high costs. Now it seems that India is determined to go through with the purchase. Indian newspapers reported that the Cabinet Committee on Security is set to give its final nod to the deal after extensive inter-ministerial consultations. With tensions vis-a-vis China and Pakistan growing high, India is interested in acquiring two AWACS, to be delivered in three to four years. This would be a significant boon to Israels aeronautic and security industries, as Israeli defense exports were $7.2 billion in 2019, down from more than $9.3 billion in 2017. According to the report, the top three customers of Israeli arms in the past year were India, Azerbaijan and Vietnam. In fact, for a few years now, India has been the largest buyer of Israeli military equipment, and Israel is the second-largest defense supplier to India after Russia. Israel has sold to India in recent years warships, missiles, electro-optic equipment and more. The defense aspect is a major element in Israel-India bilateral ties, but by far not the only one. In recent years, India has been one of Israel's top 10 trade partners. The rapprochement between the countries has also been accompanied some may say generated by the rapport between the two leaders. Photos of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israels Benjamin Netanyahu taking a barefoot stroll on an Israeli beach in 2017 went viral. It was the first-ever visit in Israel by an Indian prime minister. During the visit, the two leaders presented a series of agreements for cooperation on satellite technology, water and agriculture, as well as the creation of a $40 million innovation fund. Modis visit was followed by a Netanyahu trip to India in 2018. This was the second visit to India by an Israeli premier since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. Here, too, the two leaders exhibited especially warm relations. In a move described by the Indian Foreign Ministry as a "departure from protocol," Modi received Netanyahu upon arrival at the Delhi airport. BRANFORD At midday on a sunny, wind-swept day, 15 women stood silent, dressed in white, assembled in a circle around the flagpole on the Green. The women behind you are dressed as the Silent Sentinels, state Rep. Robin Comey told the crowd of roughly 100, during a ceremony to commemorate the Centennial Celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which in 1920 granted women the right to vote. The Picket at the Flagpole, as organizers dubbed it, was positioned separately from the official Town Gathering, which was on the steps of the town hall, among the events held around the nation to mark the occasion. For two-and-a-half years, Comey said, these women used silence as a strategic form of protest. They were harassed, arrested, jailed, and tortured with force-feeding and beating for the right to vote. The movement was divided. Some stood beside them as brothers and sisters, bringing them food and drink, she said. Others formed mobs to deter their efforts. Men threw rotten fruit and hurled insults, and the New York Times and other newspapers called them names and condemned their efforts publicly. Over by the flagpole, Gaile Ramey, a Branford photographer, stood silent, dressed in white, to recognize the peaceful nature of the Sentinels protest. Their leader, Alice Paul, was trained in the tactics of civil disobedience while involved with the British womens suffrage movement, she said after the ceremony. Upon her return to the United States, she gave her troops strict instructions to remain nonviolent and also led the practice of going on hunger strikes when imprisoned to protest unfair treatment. Instead of holding banners demanding the right to vote, as Pauls Silent Sentinels did, the 15 Shoreline women held signs reading VOTE, the O and T forming the symbol for a female. We are excited to mark this centennial, but not just as a historic remembrance of things past, but also a clarion call to all citizens to defend democracy and participate fully in their government, speaker Carol Reimers, president of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, told the crowd. We wanted to bring to everyones attention at the same time the right to vote is being celebrated, how easily it can be taken away, said Silent Sentinel organizer Wanda Bubriski, standing alongside a woman with a sign that read Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Never in our lifetimes has our right to vote been more threatened. Speaker Roberta Gill-Brooks, Branfords tax collector, reminded the crowd that Black women only secured the legally protected right to vote with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She noted white suffragettes, many of them descendants of slaveowners, found it hard to consider Black women as being their equal. While noting Sen. Kamala Harris historic run for vice president, she added that the fight of Black suffragettes stands as a reminder of how Black womens fight for the ballot has been and continues to be about a more fundamental issue that being access to political power. The most senior of the Silent Sentinels, Branfords Beverly Willis, 92, sat near the back, holding an American flag. A renowned architect who designed, among other structures, the San Francisco Ballet Building, she was one of the only females in her profession when she started, she said. Men were dismissive of women then, she said. It couldnt be a good design because it was designed by a woman. To smooth the path for younger female architects, she founded, at 75, the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to change the culture for women in the building industry through research and education. Its not as bad as it once was, but there are still many problems, she said, as her American flag fluttered in the breeze. There is still so much work to be done. realtor.com "House Party is realtor.coms official podcast about the overlapping worlds of real estate and pop culture, hosted by Natalie Way and Rachel Stults. Click the player above to hear our take on this weeks hot topics. Netflix's real estate reality juggernaut "Selling Sunset" has been dominating headlines recently, thanks to a boatload of behind-the-scenes drama with its stars. The latest pop-the-popcorn moment? Chrissy Teigen called out the women on Twitter, casting doubt on whether they're actually real estate agentsand the cast is clapping back. We discuss the drama on this week's episode. New details have emerged in a two-week effort last month that located 39 missing and endangered children, some of whom were said to have been sex-trafficking victims. In all, 39 children were found across seven states in an operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service. Information in a news release from the Marshals Service made national headlines last week. The news release said all of the children had been found in Georgia. But it turns out that six of the children were found across six states Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee a federal agent involved in the operation told The Telegraph this week. Nine arrested All told, 26 children were said to have been rescued and 13 others were safely located. None involved a stranger abduction and one case involved an alleged parental kidnapping of a 3-year-old child. So far nine arrests have been made in the effort, four of them in Florida, the agent said. Some were traffickers and some were just kind of collateral arrests ... where maybe we were in the process of rescuing some these kids (and) we ran across people who had a firearm and maybe were a felon so they were charged with that, said Josue Rivera, a senior inspector with the Marshals Service. Running away from foster care Asked to clarify the nature of what constituted a missing child in the effort which was dubbed Operation Not Forgotten Rivera said the optics of the word missing can be pretty strong. Many if not all of the children located, he said, were deemed at-risk when they ... ran away from [Division of Family & Children Services] custody and fell into that human-trafficking realm. He added: And after they ran away, DFCS would report them missing to local agencies. So they were reported missing because no one knew where they were. The Marshals Service said its operation classified the children it searched for as critically-missing, those ages 17 and under, including runaways who were at-risk to be trafficked. Story continues The three children rescued in Macon were believed to be victims of suspected sex trafficking, Rivera said, as were two of the four victims located in Columbus. Of the 33 children found in Georgia, eight were in Fulton County, which had the most children located after Columbus. Other Georgia counties where children were found were: Cobb and DeKalb with three each; Clayton and Rockdale with two each; and Bartow, Carroll, Gwinnett, Harris, Lumpkin, Pickens, Polk and Sumter with one each. Arrests People arrested in the case, according to the Marshals Service, were: Moradeyo Amos Bandele, arrested in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on rape charge in Conyers, Georgia. Trayon Moore, arrested in DeKalb County, on a sex-trafficking charge and on probation-violation warrants. James Garcia, arrested in Clearwater, Florida, on charges from Whitfield County, Georgia, that included aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy and incest with a minor. Faye Smith, arrested Clearwater, Florida, for an alleged probation violation. Sally Garcia, arrested in Clearwater, Florida, charged with interference with child custody. Zachary Bailey, arrested in Columbus, accused of charges that include human trafficking, enticing of a minor for indecent purposes and enticement of a minor for solicitation. Stanson Causey, arrested in the Georgia city of Jasper, said to be a registered sex offender wanted for an alleged probation violation. Kirk Waters, arrested in Newton County, accused of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Trevonte Shareef, arrested in Newton County, charged with interference with child custody and obstruction. Earlier this year the author J K Rowling was subjected to a torrent of abuse on social media after she had raised questions about transgenderism. She is only one of many public figures to experience the ire of the activists, and no one can dispute that transgenderism is a deeply divisive issue. There are strong views on both sides of the debate, but when it comes to the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Assembly, only one side of the debate is being heeded. The new Civil Service staff handbook has a section entitled Trans equality policy statement and it applies to all the 23,000 civil servants in Northern Ireland. Now, this is about more than just people who have undergone hormone treatment and surgery in order to look like the gender they wish to be. It can apply to anyone who identifies as a gender other than their biological gender, and even to those who say their gender alters over time. The choices are endless. According to the handbook: Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer, gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, two-spirit, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois. This, of course, is an issue for the transgender person, but it is also an issue for everyone else. How do you address someone you know to be a biological male, but who identifies, whether permanently or temporarily, as a female? Is it he or she, or one of those newly invented words like ze and zir? According to the Civil Service staff handbook, you need to get this right or there could be repercussions: Names and pronouns should be followed in accordance with the individuals wishes. Intentionally and persistently mis-gendering, or using colleagues previous names, would amount to harassment and should not be tolerated... Breaches of this policy will be treated in a serious manner and be dealt with under the Dignity at Work Policy. Civil servants are now being told: you must buy into this, whatever moral, social, intellectual, or religious, reservations you may have or else. The liberal-Left is certainly intent on imposing on us a culture of chaos and confusion. So, where is all this coming from? There are several local pressure groups that campaign as transgender activists. But the principal driving force is Stonewall, the largest and most powerful LGBT pressure group in the United Kingdom. It works closely with the Rainbow Project, the principal LGBT group in Northern Ireland, and operates a Diversity Champions programme. Government departments, public services and private companies indeed, any organisation that employs people is then encouraged to sign up as a Diversity Champion. That involves a general commitment and several specific commitments, including the creation of LGBT staff networks and embedding transgenderism in the organisation. There is also an annual fee and, according to Stonewalls website, both the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Assembly have been signed up as Diversity Champions. Now, I follow our local news fairly closely, but I certainly cant remember any debate at Stormont, and neither can I recall seeing any consultations. In fact, both the Civil Service and the Assembly signed up as Stonewall Diversity Champions during the recent rather extended period when devolution was suspended, and that raises a whole series of questions. Who in the Assembly decided that it should become a Stonewall Diversity Champion? And who decided that the Civil Service should become a Stonewall Diversity Champion? They are two separate questions, because both entities are listed by Stonewall. How were those decisions reached? What factors were taken into consideration? What consultation took place with transgender activists? What consideration was given to the impact on those who believe that gender is biological? Those are just a few of the questions that could be asked and should be asked and many of us will be awaiting the answers. These days, representative of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party in Armenia Ishkhan Saghatelyan and member of the Supreme Body Ashot Simonyan took 1,000 boxes of humanitarian cargo of food made through the Help Your Brother-Lebanon Program of the ARF-D Armenia Supreme Body and Yerkir (Land) Foundation to Lebanon via a plane. This morning, Saghatelyan and Simonyan, along with members of the Central Committee of ARF-D Lebanon Hagop Havatian and Melik Karakavorian, visited His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See. Saghatelyan provided details of the Help Your Brother-Lebanon Program and stressed ARF-D Armenias willingness to support the Armenian community of Lebanon during the crisis. The Supreme Patriarch highly appreciated the Supreme Bodys initiative and affirmed that the assistance is of moral significance and proves the manifestation of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora triumvirat. Saghatelyan expressed gratitude to His Holiness Aram I for his care for and generosity towards the Armenian community of Lebanon and for the pan-Armenian fundraiser that he organized and sponsored for the recovery of the Armenians of Lebanon. In this regard, the Supreme Patriarch stressed the need to help the Armenian community of Lebanon recover and the importance of the role of all Armenians around the world. The meeting also served as an occasion to discuss the urgent issues in Armenia and Artsakh. Saghatelyan talked about the ARF-Ds views and position on Armenias domestic political situation, and in his turn, the Catholicos considered healthy and goal-oriented Armenia-Diaspora relations and the creation of wide opportunities for this as necessary. Colleges have been starting off their new school year just as school districts have, and many of the northwest college campuses are making accommodations to continuing providing education to their students. Four colleges met with the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce to discuss their reopening plans and how they have adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic Lone Star College-University Park, Our Lady of the Lake Universitys Houston campus in Greenspoint, Prairie View A&Ms northwest Houston campus and University of Houston-Downtowns northwest Houston campus. Back to school amid the pandemic: Spring ISD kicks off new school year virtually Our colleges, like our K-12 schools, are of course experiencing many of the same challenges, some a little bit different, with regards to being able to deliver quality education in this pandemic environment, Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce President Bobby Lieb said. Also, like ISDs, they have been very innovative in the programs and pivoting what theyve been doing to roll these programs out in order to draw as many students into school as possible. Shah Ardalan, Lone Star College-University Park president, said things have changed but that the school is committed to safety and quality right now. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas A&M President Michael Young to retire, join university faculty COVID is just a pandemicits only one of the challenges college students are facing, Ardalan said. The college recently bought millions of dollars worth of personal protective equipment and took all their classes online so students can continue their education from home. For online classes, Ardalan said they offer both live classes as well as traditional online courses where students can work on their own time. But he said they are preparing to open some buildings and are following steps to prepare buildings to be opened like deep cleaning facilities. I know online is scary to a lot of people, but online is not new to us, Ardalan said. We have been at it many years. We offer 30 fully online programs. Elections: 2 contested seats top Lone Star College election slate for November Melinda Kirtley, director of Our Lady of the Lake Universitys Houston campus, said they have been taking preventative measures to limit the impact of COVID-19 by increasing their cleaning effortsusing hospital-grade disinfectants, adding mounted hand sanitizer units, limiting the number of people who can use classrooms and meeting rooms at a given time, and providing teachers with face shields. Preventative measures can be very effective mitigators to limit the spread, but only coupled with educational training and personal responsibility for staff, Kirtley said. Staff training covers masks and shields required by students and faculties and encouraging social distancing in the classrooms on campus. Floors on campus are also marked to encourage social distancing. Our housekeepers are very well versed in CDC protocols and have been trained on proper cleaning and disinfecting, Kirtley said. We also make sure there are containers full of disinfectant wipes for students concerned about their immediate environment. Kirtley said their campus isnt traditionally an online school, but they would be offering classes this semester with both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Classes in person are made small enough to keep social distancing in place. Louis Evans, UH-Downtowns executive director of off-campus and online coordination, said they would begin bringing some in-person classes back to class Sept. 8, while providing wipes in every room along with masks and plastic shields for students and faculty. They also reduced the maximum size of their classrooms to follow social distancing protocols. To make professors and advisors more accessible to students, Evans said the school partnered with Navigate, a platform which makes faculty schedules known so students can make appointments and communicate with their professors or advisors over phone or by Zoom. Tyrone Tanner, executive director of PVAMUs northwest Houston Campus, said the campus created a partnership with tutor.com to offer 24/7 academic support to their online students, along with an alert system that allows the school to collaborate with students and faculty. Its so important we move to a remote platform, Tanner said. We have to make sure our students are remaining engaged and the interaction is there and that students are feeling that sense of connectivity. Tanner said they found they need to be in constant communication with students during the pandemic. It feels like weve had to quadruple our communication efforts just to really stay connected with students, Tanner said. After the recession, higher education became the means by which people gained new skills to move forward. Out of the pandemic, I think we are going to have to be that catalyst for change. Higher education is going to be that catalyst for change. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com Electoral Officer, Tunis, Tunisia Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme Country: Tunisia City: Tunis, Tunisia Office: UNDP Tunis Grade: P-3 Closing date: Wednesday, 16 September 2020 Job ID: 32491 Practice Area - Job Family: Management Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 16/09/2020 Duty Station: Tunis, Tunisia Education & Work Experience: I-Masters Level Degree - 5 year(s) experience Languages: English Grade: P3 Vacancy Type: TA Local Posting Type: External Bureau: Arab States Contract Duration: Less than a year Background Following the revolution in 2011 that led to the overthrow of 40 years of authoritarian rule, the lives and livelihood of the Libyan people has been severely impacted. Since 2011, Libya has witnessed periods of intense fighting and clashes, resulting to political and economic insecurity and affecting the macro-stability of the country. Since the countrys first free elections on 7 July 2012 for the General National Congress (GNC), two subsequent electoral events took place: The Constitution Drafting Assembly election on 20 February 2014 amidst violence and boycott by some minority groups, and the election of a new legislative body, the House of Representatives (HoR) in July 2014. In addition, Libya conducted 95 municipal council elections during 2014 and 2018, as well as 25 first and second generation municipal council elections in 2018/ 2019. The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2009 established the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in September 2011. Since then, UNSMIL commenced its support to the countrys transitional authorities in their post-conflict efforts. These range from assisting the Libyan authorities restore public security and the rule of law, to promoting inclusive political dialogue and national reconciliation, helping Libyans to embark on the drafting of a new constitution and lay the foundation for elections. UN Security Council Resolutions 2434 and 2486 mandate UNSMIL to support the organization of elections in Libya, in full accordance with the principle of national ownership. With an overall goal of building the capacity of Libyas transitional governance structures and facilitate inclusive citizen participation in political processes, this UNDP/UNSMIL joint initiative is designed to support Libya in holding municipal council elections. Through support to the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE), the designated body responsible for Local Elections, the project contributes to the planning, preparation and conduct of the second round of municipal elections after those conducted in April/May 2019. The project focuses on building the institutional capacity of the CCMCE, while supporting it to prepare, conduct and manage technically sound democratic elections. This translates into provision of support and advisory services on electoral operations and planning, procurement and logistics, election technology, civic and voter education, public outreach and communication, training and procedures, and on inclusion, with emphasis on participation of traditionally marginalized groups, such as women, youth, differently-abled people and minorities, through support to awareness raising activities for inclusive citizen participation to political and electoral processes. In light of the above, the project seeks to achieve the following outputs to be implemented over 2020, with a likely extension until the end of 2021: Output 1: Support to the planning and implementation of inclusive election operations including voter registration; Output 2: Facilitate democratic participation through support to voter and civic education and through awareness raising activities. In addition, the project supports newly elected municipal councils in Libya in order to strengthen their capapcity and enhance service delivery to citizens. Through the implementation of the innovative Post-Election Initiative, newly elected municipal councils are supported in their outreach and communication efforts in terms of strategy and planning in the post-election period. This support is closely coordinated with other support from UNDP and international partners to municipalities. Lastly, a conflict sensitive approach is integrated in the projects strategic framework, which aims at supporting national stakeholder engagement and dialogue on conflict prevention in the context of elections and electoral violence in pre and post electoral periods. Duties and Responsibilities Under the overall responsibility and supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor, the Electoral Officer for the Local Elections Project (LEP) contributes to, and advises, regarding the planning, implementation and monitoring of electoral programmes and processes for local municipal council elections and the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE). S/he supports the implementation of the projects post-election initiative strengthening newly elected municipal councils and supports the CTA in the overall management of the project. Expected outputs are: Project implementation strengthened including planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities; Overall project management strengthened including through coordination with internal and external stakeholders and partners; Project monitoring initiated and established; Systematic reporting on project activities ensured and strengthened; Project visibility increased and strengthened towards internal and external stakeholders and partners; Effective liaison and communication ensured and strengthened inter-alia with project stakeholders, UNDP Country Office projects, UNSMIL relevant units and CCMCE, where applicable. S/he will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Support electoral operations for local elections Support the planning, implementation and monitoring of electoral programmes and processes for local municipal council elections in Libya; specifically: Provide advice on processes / activities for civic and voter education with a specific focus on womens political participation and representation; also, provide advisory inputs to the CCMCE on appropriate gender mainstreaming measures, where applicable; S/he works closely with the Civic and Voter Education Coordinator for the successful implementation of the programme and accompanies the work from a UNDP project management perspective; Ensure and foster productive partnerships with national counterparts and other key stakeholders of the electoral process such as media and civil society, observer organization, where applicable; Contribute to capacity building and capacity development strategies and activities for national counterparts and the strengthening of the national institution in collaboration with the capacity building Project Coordinator, where applicable; Tags advisory services capacity development citizen participation conflict prevention development strategies elections electoral electoral assistance gender mainstreaming logistics monitoring and reporting political participation procurement project implementation project management project monitoring reconciliation rule of law social policy voter registration Support the CCMCE on electoral operations with targeted assistance on public outreach, external relations and media, where applicable and as required. 2. Support the Post-Election Initiative Support and promote the capacity development of newly elected municipal councils in their immediate post-election period, in collaboration with the Post-Election Initiative Project Coordinator; S/he works closely with the Post-Election Initiative Project Coordinator for the successful implementation of the programme and accompanies the work from a UNDP project management perspective; S/he supports the Post-Election Initiative Project Coordinator ensuring coordination across UNDP projects and units with relevant programmatic support to municipalities, as well as with other international partners to support synergies among projects; 3. Project Management Functions: Ensure effective liaison and communication in the framework of the United Nations Electoral Support Team (UNEST) and the Electoral Assistance Service (EAS) of the United Nations Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL), where applicable; Ensure implementation of a standardized project reporting mechanism including effective and timely reporting to internal and external stakeholders; Ensure and foster productive partnerships with international counterparts and key donors, as applicable; Provide project management support as well as monitoring and reporting of results to national counterparts, donors and UN bodies, where applicable; Support in organizational learning and improved performance of the team; As required, supervise and manage the performance of national staff assigned to the area of responsibility; Assist and represent, as required, the Chief Technical Advisor in the overall management of the local elections team during the CTAs absence and supervise, manage and coordinate delegated tasks in relation to the different project components in assigned areas of responsibility Competencies Core: Innovation Ability to make new and useful ideas work Leadership Ability to persuade others to follow Pepole Managment Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Communcation Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Delivey Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Technical/Functional: Competency Name Replicate reliably Competency Name Ability to apply technical expertise to ensure seed and quality of supporting or advising on electoral processes Competency Name Ability to capture, develp and share and effectvly use information and knowldge Required Skills and Experience Education: Masters degree in social policy, public policy, politics, economics, development studies or a related area. Experience: A minimum of five years (with Masters degree) of progressively responsible experience in elections and related areas in respect to the Job describtion; Electoral experience in at least two field operations of the United Nations Common System or a comparable international organization or other relevant electoral experience required; At least two years of experience in implementing, supporting or advising on electoral processes is required; Experience of at least one year in civic and voter education including on womens participation in electoral processes; Work experience in post conflict situations and/or developing countries. Language Requirements: Proficiency in English. Working knowledge of other UN language desirable Others: Describe any additional qualifications Fifteen days after Connecticut eased several COVID-19 restrictions in May and prospective buyers came for a tour, Tim and Nicole Connors got two offers on their house. One was from a New York City couple with two young children; the other came from a fellow Ridgefield homeowner looking for more space. The Connors accepted the latter, which was for full asking price. "It actually happened too fast," Nicole Connors said. "We were planning to rent a place in Ridgefield until the end of the school year [the couple have a son who is a high school senior] before moving to Arizona. But we thought it might be six months or longer before our house sold. Instead, we had to find a place to rent and pack up everything in a hurry." SOLON, Ohio, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ECRM, the global leader in driving long-term, critical business relationships for retail, foodservice and pharmacy/medical markets, announced it has hired global B2B marketing veteran John van der Valk as CEO of its European business. In his role, Van der Valk will lead ECRM Europe's expansion, and will further develop the portfolio of products that streamlines the interactions between buyers and sellers. He reports to ECRM CEO Greg Farrar. "John's wealth of industry experience and relationships makes him ideal for creating an authentically European business that best serves local markets and maximizes buyer and supplier engagement," said Farrar. "He has a track record of building high-performance teams and establishing a culture of excellence within them. We're thrilled to have him leading the charge in Europe." ECRM launched its European business unit in 2017 to expand its capabilities to assist European retailers and distributors in discovering new and emerging global brands in food, health and beauty care, and general merchandise. Headquartered in Utrecht, The Netherlands, it consists of a team of multilingual staff. Van der Valk was most recently President Advance of Informa Market's Digital division, where he spearheaded the expansion of its digital products and services across the exhibition portfolios, as well as the expansion in advanced analytics within the Informa Intelligence division. Prior to this role he was Managing Director of UBM Amsterdam, and was responsible for global trade exhibitions and online activities, primarily in Food and Pharma. Prior to joining UBM, van der Valk held senior management positions at VNU/Nielsen, both in Europe and in the US. "For years I have tracked the development of ECRM as an innovator in boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of buyer-seller relationships, both in the U.S. and abroad," said Van der Valk. "The ECRM Connect platform is the latest example of this innovation, enabling its customers to conduct meaningful business discussions in the face of travel restrictions. I'm looking forward to helping them accelerate the growth of its programs in Europe." About ECRM: ECRM brings efficiencies and effectiveness to the buying and selling process by propelling connections between buyers and suppliers through key programs that utilize virtual and face-to-face platforms. Rachel Mayfield 440-498-0500 x1253 RMayfield@ECRM.MarketGate.com www.ECRM.MarketGate.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0a453484-450a-4d8d-858f-6356ee2df17f House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touted she was the victim of a setup when footage of her inside a San Francisco salon revealed she did not wear a face mask when she got her hair done. The official went to the establishment on Monday despite ongoing local guidelines that ban salons from operating and taking customers during the coronavirus pandemic. Salon appointment amid the pandemic According to USA Today, Pelosi said on Wednesday that she takes full responsibility for falling for what she called a setup the salon trapped her in. She added that the establishment owed her an apology for mistakenly portraying her as the offender. On Tuesday, footage acquired by Fox News showed Pelosi inside the salon and was supported by the establishment's owner, Erica Kious, during an interview. Kious continued to criticize the house speaker for getting the salon to operate and service her when others were banned from doing so. Coronavirus restrictions on salons in San Franciso and several other small businesses were revised on Tuesday, which allowed appointments to be made but only if they were conducted outdoors. The new rules also required establishments only to serve one customer at a time and necessitate them to wear face masks. On Tuesday, Pelosi's spokesperson, Drew Hammill, said that the house speaker decided to make an appointment with the salon because the establishment said it would be able to serve her the city's new guidelines. The video shows House Speaker Pelosi walking across a salon section with what appears to be her face mask tied around her neck with her hair wet. On Tuesday, Hammill said that the Pelosi only took her mask off temporarily while her hair was washed. On Wednesday, the speaker said that she always wears her face mask in public. Also Read: Plasma Therapy Not a Standard Treatment for COVID-19? The other side of the argument During an interview on Wednesday, Pelosi told a reported that that footage showed her when she had only gotten her hair washed and asked the interviewer if you wear a mask when washing your hair, as reported by The Guardian. Kious told reporters that the one who took Pelosi's appointment was one of the salon's stylists who rents out a chair. She added that she had no power over the stylists' actions but said that she had prior knowledge of the speaker's appointment. On Twitter, United States President Donald Trump weighed in on the incident and said that House Speaker Pelosi was decimated about the opening of a beauty parlor when several other businesses and establishments were forced to close. The Republican leader also noted how Pelosi was seen in the footage as not wearing her face mask and criticized her for her continuous lecture of citizens for not complying with the same regulation. After Trump's initial resistance towards wearing face masks in public, he has since recommended citizens to wear facial coverings to help fight against the spread of the coronavirus. The US president has refused recommendations of a national mandate which would require everyone in the country to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 health crisis. Last week, Trump and other Republican politicians held the RNC, where coronavirus safety guidelines were observed inconsistently. Related Article: Trump Pushes for Nationwide Eviction Moratorium Through 2020 to Keep Americans Off The Streets @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) said it should be allowed to regulate contents of online streaming platforms as required by the law. MTRCB legal affairs chief Jonathan Presquito told a Senate hearing on the proposed Internet Transactions Act that the MTRCB law defines motion picture as a series of pictures projected in a screen or any medium, may it have color or not, may it be silent or not. The agency requires registration of entities that produce such content to assure viewers that these materials are age appropriate, with no prohibited content, and video distributor is authorized. There is necessity for us to proceed with the regulation, especially during the lockdown most of us ang nag-maintain ng sanity natin yung mga (what kept our sanity are) streaming services, Netflix, iflix, but all those movies are unrated, Presquito said. Presquito noted that distribution of unrated motion pictures is considered illegal under the MTRCB law. Moreover, no material should be sold or distributed in the country without being passed upon by the MTRCB, he added. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the main author of the bill, noted that since the proposed law only covers buying and selling of video-on-demand, a separate measure should be formulated that will cover the issue of unrated motion pictures and regulating streaming sites. However, Presquito said another issue would be balancing regulation while allowing streaming services to grow, noting that in South Korea, all contents of Netflix go through prior review. We want an environment of growth Lets allow streaming services to flourish but how to balance that with the regulatory mechanism (is a concern), he said. The City of Roswell, Chaves County and American Airlines reached an agreement on Aug. 26 to keep air service intact between Dallas-Fort Worth and the Roswell International Air Center, according to Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh. American Airlines announced on Aug. 20 flights would be grounded from Oct. 7 to Nov. 3 to 15 cities, including Roswell due to COVID-19, per an American Airlines spokesperson. In the absence of an extension of the Payroll Support Program were faced with a host of difficult decisions to right-size our airline, given the significant and sustained drop in demand weve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Stacy Day. Kintigh said the City of Roswell got some help from Denver-based consulting firm Mead and Hunt to mediate the issue. During the conversation last week, Kintigh said all sides discussed revenue support. He said American Airlines has over 100 airplanes parked in Roswell for maintenance. The parking fee for the month of August is going to be around $53,000, Kintigh said. He said waiving the parking fees was an option that was discussed among Roswell city officials. Something like that would require some (Roswell City) Council action and City Manager action. We were actually working on trying to finalize that, Kintigh said. On Aug. 26, he said he got a phone call from American Airlines that the flights wouldnt be suspended. We had not entered into an agreement yet and planning to have a proposal we would present (to the City Council) the next day. But, they went and eliminated the suspension for Roswell, Kintigh said. As far as we know we are the only one of the 15 cities they have done this for. Kintigh said service between Roswell and Dallas-Fort Worth benefits around 20 American Airlines maintenance personnel who work on the planes parked at the Roswell International Air Center. They come in and they stay for a week or two weeks, then they leave are replaced by somebody else, he said. Theres constant in-flow and out-flow. The air service goes away and then theyre going to have to drive three hours to Albuquerque or Lubbock. Kerry Gladden, Village of Ruidoso spokesperson, expressed relief that Roswell and American Airlines reached an agreement. We believe the flights are very important not only for our tourism industry but also for the many second homeowners that we have up here who come here from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she said. WOLVERINE, MI Two men are charged in the poaching of cow elk in Northern Michigan. One of the men fled the state after authorities executed a search warrant on his home. He recently turned himself in to law enforcement. A investigation spurred by an anonymous tip led Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers to arrest Jakob Edward Gagnon, 21, and Logan Nathan-Edward Turbin, 22, both of Wolverine. Gagnon was recently arraigned in Cheboygan County District Court on two charges related to the alleged poaching, and a drug charge. Turbin has been sentenced. The investigation began in September 2018 after a tipster called the DNRs Report All Poaching Hotline. An elk had been shot in the Pigeon River Country that month. RELATED: Father, son accused of poaching elk, other game at Northern Michigan hunting camps Conservation officers followed up on the tip. In October 2018, a search warrant was executed on Gagnons residence. The search yielded evidence supporting the elk poaching. Illegal narcotics were also found. Gagnon allegedly shot the elk and took it to his residence where he processed it. Turbin was accused of assisting Gagnon in processing the elk and taking several bags of illegal elk meat for himself all while knowing the elk was poached. Gagnon fled the state after the search at his home. He recently turned himself in to law enforcement. He was arraigned on Aug. 28 on misdemeanor charges of taking an elk without a license and possessing stolen property, and a felony of possessing cocaine. If found guilty on the elk charges, Gagnon could face penalties of up to $5,000 in restitution, loss of hunting privileges for 15 years and 5-90 days in jail, plus court fines and costs. Turbin was charged with possessing an elk without a license. On March 11, 2019, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of a general wildlife crime. He paid $795 in court fines and costs and $2,500 in restitution. His hunting privileges were revoked for one year. Neither Gagnon nor Turbin have been connected to five elk that were poached in three separate incidents during November and December 2019. Those incidents remain under investigation. Anyone with information regarding poaching incidents should call or text the Report All Poaching Hotline line at 800-292-7800. Information can be left anonymously; monetary rewards may be offered for information that leads to the arrest of violators. READ MORE: Wayne County Sheriffs corporal dies after attack by jail inmate $3.9M dredging project to protect Michigans Buffalo Reef complete Argument leads to 2 crashes on U.S. 10, two women killed, police say Storm Warning issued for Lake Superior, 20-foot waves possible MSP stops driver doing 120 mph as part of increased patrols up north KABUL, Afghanistan The Afghan government said that a repeatedly stalled prisoner swap with the Taliban had largely been completed on Thursday, potentially removing the final hurdle for direct negotiations with the insurgents to end the countrys long war. Preparations have been underway for months in Doha, Qatars capital, for the two sides to meet there and begin negotiating an end to the war. But the Taliban refused to start those talks until the Afghan government released the last of 5,000 prisoners whom the United States had committed to freeing in a deal with the insurgents in February, and instead intensified its attacks across Afghanistan. Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan national security council, said all but a few of the 400 remaining Taliban had been freed after the Taliban released Afghan commandos they had been holding. The remainder are about a half-dozen prisoners who are said to have killed American, Australian and French citizens, and whose release the three countries lobbied to block even as other American officials pushed the Afghans to speed up the freeing of prisoners. EastEnders has not been on air since it ran out of episodes nearly three months ago. But now, with the national lockdown gradually lifting, its due back on screens very soon. Heres everything you need to know about when the beloved soap was last on, when its returning, and what storylines to expect When was EastEnders last on TV? The last episode of EastEnders aired on BBC One on 16 June. It officially ran out of episodes due to the coronavirus lockdown forcing all UK soaps to cease production in March. When will EastEnders be back on TV? Filming resumed at Hertfordshires Elstree studios on 29 June with new social distancing measures; protective screens were placed between actors to help cheat social distancing rules, and actors real life partners were enlisted as body doubles for physically intimate scenes. The show will be back on air on Monday 7 September at 8pm on BBC One. EastEnders will air four nights a week, however the episodes will be shorter than usual at just 20 minutes each. Ben and Lola in EastEnders (BBC) What storylines can viewers expect? Some publications have speculated that EastEnders bosses plan to scrap most current storylines and start over from scratch. While there is no evidence to support this, it remains unclear how writers will deal with the unprecedented time jump of almost three months. Be prepared for flashbacks. The last episode we saw left many questions unanswered, such as What will Phil do now that Ian and Sharon are the new owners of the Queen Vic? Whitneys court case for the murder of Leo still on the horizon will she go to prison? Will Bens operation to help restore his hearing loss go smoothly? Fans have also been left wondering if Karen and Billy stay together, how far Ian will go to silence Dotty, and if Bobby is plotting revenge on Peter. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding the plot of future episodes, as always, but we do know that Kat will be back following Jessie Wallaces reported suspension from the cast back in January. Martin and Ruby, meanwhile, are all loved up after staring an affair during lockdown. Stacey is coming home to Walford, too, and Denises dark past will be explored. Danny Dyer also recently revealed Mick and Linda will be facing difficulties, having sold the Vic to Sharon, and he believes its one of the best storylines hes had in all his years on the show. A session of Vietnam National University's Medical School students in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Vietnam National University. Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi has retained its top 1,000 spot in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking, released Wednesday. This is the second consecutive year VNU Hanoi has ranked among the top 801-1000 on the list, with an overall score of 25.1-30.1. Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and VNU Ho Chi Minh City are ranked outside the top 1000. Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2021 includes over 1,500 universities across 93 countries and regions, making it the largest and most unique ranking of its type to date. The table is based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution's performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. This year's ranking analyzed over 80 million citations across 13 million research publications and included survey responses from 22,000 scholars. The University of Oxford tops the ranking for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Stanford University and Harvard University. Chinas Tsinghua University, leading Asia, broke into the top 20 for the first time. Southeast Asia's number one National University of Singapore ranked 25th overall. The U.S. claims a record eight places in the top 10. There are also 141 first-time entrances in the rankings this year. Times Higher Education World University Ranking is an annual publication of university rankings by Times Higher Education (THE) magazine, specialized in higher education. In last years ranking, both VNU Hanoi and HUST ranked in the top 1000, while VNU HCMC ranked outside. Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation Regulatory News: Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE) 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE) Information closing date Total number of shares forming the share capital Total number of voting rights August 31, 2020 567,266,539 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 602,732,486 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 589,905,313 Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of August 31, 2020 (35,465,947 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of August 31, 2020 (12,827,173 shares). (2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of August 31, 2020). Veolia Environnement Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France Adresse postale/Correspondence address 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France tel. +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45 www.veolia.com A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 2,836,332,695 euros 403 210 032 RCS PARIS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005746/en/ Contacts: Veolia Environnement Australians are losing their will to maintain social distancing measures as restrictions arising from the coronavirus pandemic drag on, new data shows. Victoria is also the only state to maintain the highest level of vigilance as it fights its way through a second-wave of COVID-19 and harsh lockdown. The Australian National University (ANU) survey of more than 3,000 people showed 'worrying' trends related to physical distancing behaviour nationwide. The Australian National University's latest survey found loneliness, psychological distress and worry surrounding potential job losses had increased from May to August. Pictured: Melburnians walking in public with masks on The survey forms part of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods COVID-19 impact monitoring program and was released to the public on Thursday. When it comes to always or mostly avoiding crowded places, 72.2 per of those surveyed in August said they were doing so but that was markedly down from the 94.3 per cent in April. There was an even greater drop in the percentage of respondents who were avoiding public places, crowded or not; dropping from 86.5 per cent in April to 55.8 per cent in August. Fewer people were also diligently keeping 1.5 metres away from others, with 96 per cent in April dropping to 86.9 per cent in August. As well as behaviour, the survey also addressed respondents' state of mind, and found loneliness, psychological distress and worry surrounding potential job losses had increased from May to August. This is despite Australians working an additional 1.2 hours per day over the period. It also found overall life satisfaction dropped from 6.96 out of 10 to 6.85 in August. This decline was evident across all states and particularly in Victoria, which dropped from 6.78 to 6.08 out of 10. The survey found overall life satisfaction dropped from 6.96 out of 10 to 6.85 in August. This was evident across all states - except for Victoria, which dropped from 6.78 to 6.08 out of 10. Pictured: Australians not adhering to the recommended 1.5 metre rule in Sydney Study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said given Victoria's circumstances, it was 'unsurprising' there had been a greater increase in worry and anxiety among people in the state. It has jumped from 58.9 per cent in May to 68.1 per cent in August, he said. Across the nation, Professor Biddle added the biggest increase in anxiety and worry was in females - jumping from 60.9 per cent in May to 68.3 per cent in August. 'Young Australians also continue to have the highest rates of anxiety and worry in terms of age groups,' he said. 'Worry and anxiety among Australians aged 25 to 34 years increased from 63.4 per cent in May to 69.2 per cent in August.' Study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said given Victoria's circumstances, it was 'unsurprising' there had been a greater increase in worry and anxiety among people in the state. Pictured: Australians not being socially distanced The study found more than three-in-five Australians overall - equivalent to 62.2 per cent of those surveyed - felt anxious or worried about coronavirus. The figure has increased from 57.3 per cent in May. The poll showed more Australians thought they were likely to be infected by COVID-19 due to the second wave of infections. This was particularly evident among males, Professor Biddle said. '34 per cent think they are likely to be infected. This is up from 29 per cent in May,' he said. 'Among females, 36.3 per cent now think infection is more likely - up from 35.6 per cent.' WATERLOO REGION Six siblings shared three laptops to get their school work done in a Waterloo apartment this past spring. Ahlam Al Silo said distance learning with five other siblings in a small space was chaotic at the best of times after the pandemic forced schools to shut down. The libraries were closed, Tim Hortons was closed, we couldnt go anywhere to do our work, she said. You cant disconnect from your family. It was crazy. She hopes schools wont close again as four of the Al Silo children head back into classrooms next week and Al Silo and her younger brother start college courses at home. Lisset Jacinto said Al Silos story is all too familiar to her. As a school settlement worker with the YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo, she helps new immigrant and refugee families navigate the tricky, constantly changing world of schooling during a pandemic. Settlement and Education Partnership in Waterloo Region (SEPWR) is a partnership between both school boards, the YMCA, and Citizen and Immigration Canada. These days, Jacinto is helping families complete return to school surveys and updating them on new protocols that will be place when they go back into the classroom. Although an analysis of the number of students returning to school shows more children intend to stay home at schools in areas where more students are recent immigrants, and where the first language of more students is not English, Jacinto says she is hearing the opposite from families she works with. A lot of them are saying yes, we want to send our kids to school. We know where these families are coming from. Some of them are coming from refugee camps and have limited, interrupted schooling, Jacinto explained. The hurdles were greater for students who arrived to Canada recently compared to other students, Jacinto said. Families were worried in the spring when many students struggled with the most basic aspects of distance learning, such as setting up an email address and reliable internet access. Jacinto said some parents cannot read and write in their first language, let alone English, so they were unable to help their children complete school work. They are worried about their kids falling behind. How will they learn what has been missed? Jacinto said about 80 per cent of the hundreds of families the settlement program works with with have indicated they will send their children back to school. Because they were not learning at home. They say they trust the schools to know what to do with COVID protocols, she added. At the same time, these parents worry about the risk of infection, too. There is a lot of tension. If students end up back at home this fall, many of these worries will resurface. Distance learning Al Silo said it was a struggle to keep up with everyones school work this past spring. Internet access was spotty at their Waterloo apartment. They took turns submitting work on three laptops. At the same time, she needed to figure out how to prepare for college in the fall. Al Silo, her college-bound brother and sister going into Grade 12 would put their own work aside to help the familys younger students. Their younger siblings are going into Grades 1, 5 and 9. Al Silos parents limited English language skills meant they were unable to help. They felt badly about it, that they could not help, she said. It was a stressful time for the entire family. The Al Silos arrived in Canada as government-assisted refugees from Lebanon in 2016. Their education was intermittent at times and interrupted. Al Silo repeated Grades 9 and 10 to catch up when she first arrived in Waterloo Region. Now she is headed to Conestoga College to study architectural project management. Her siblings are eager to get back into classrooms, but she worries about whether the threat of a second wave will shut schools down again. We feel more comfortable sending them back now, Al Silo said. Im sure the teachers and the schools will do the right thing and keep them safe. Jacinto said the transition to distance learning in the spring was a whirlwind of confusion, fear and uncertainty. There hasnt been a day we have not been busy, she said. Her job is to help new students adapt to their new school environment, and the pandemic made this a challenge. Most of the families she helps are government-assisted refugees from places like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. We had families arriving just before the lock down, Jacinto said. When we were reaching out to the families the last thing on their minds was school. How do I get groceries, how do I keep my kids safe? In the priority of needs, it was not there. Jacinto said her job quickly transformed into that of a social worker: How can we help students with access to technology and Internet? Does the family understand public health protocols? Does the family need help applying for government benefits? We had families with babies, families with three, four, five kids with multiple teachers calling to check in on them. There were some families that were so overwhelmed, Jacinto recalled. We were not only thinking about learning, but we were also thinking about the mental health of families. Trying to help new immigrant and refugee students was a team effort: both school boards handed out Chromebooks and Wifi hot spots to families who needed them. English as a Second Language teachers answered questions for families over email, text and phone with the help of interpreters from the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre. Some students havent had a lot of computer experience. Some were very adept and some struggled, said Barbara McCourt, an elementary ESL teacher with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. We tried to support students as much as possible. Sometimes that meant three-way phone conversations with an interpreter to help families navigate their Chromebook, set up an email address and access Google Classroom, the application used by schools for distance learning. A lot of ESL is about relationships, McCourt said. The motto that we will not give up on you. That was kind of our motto with the whole thing, McCourt said. McCourt said the Settlement and Education Partnership in Waterloo Region is a lifeline for ESL teachers. The YMCA has provided support to both school boards through this program for 12 years. At the Catholic board, school settlement workers are paired with students when they are assessed for literacy skills upon arrival. Jacinto is unsure of what school settlement services will look like in the fall, but settlement workers have been busy helping families prepare for the new school year virtually. Her newest worry is about newcomers to the region who will start school for the first time this fall. It will be different for them, she said. McCourt said she is looking forward to seeing students again, but acknowledges it will be different trying to teach English language with a mask over her face. Every student will have their plan with support of ESL teachers as needed, she said. Were excited to get to be with them again. Homework club A homework club for newcomers has been a rock for the Al Silo family during the pandemic. Twice a week, the New Canadian Youth Connections Programs drop-in pairs students with volunteers who can help them understand their homework. The New Canadian Youth Connections program is run by Reception House Waterloo Region and Community Justice Initiatives. It helps refugee youth between 12 and 25 to create meaningful relationships with other youth and have a social outlet outside their home and school lives. RELATED STORIES Click here for more stories on the return to school The programs homework club quickly became a popular weeknight drop-in for youth who wanted extra help outside of the classroom. ESL teachers do their best to help, but sometimes there isnt much help, said Hoda Al-Obaidi, service coordinator with the youth connections program at Community Justice Initiatives. Hoda Al-Obaidi remembers what it feels like to be the new kid in class. She came to Canada in 2003, originally from Iraq but she arrived to Canada through Jordan where she had been living since her family was displaced from their home in Iraq. It was a struggle to keep up. She didnt know the English language very well and was often paralysed with fear in the classroom, unsure of how to say what she wanted to say. She said she sees herself in the youth who attend the drop-in homework help program. These students are ambitious and smart. If they have the right supports they can do great things, she said. Not only is the homework club important, so is the opportunity to make social connections with other newcomer youth, Al-Obaidi said. It brings us to the goal we wanted, to make connections in Canada outside of their family and school, she said. A lot of these youth didnt have any outside outlets. Al Silo said this program has been a huge support for her family during the pandemic. The older siblings started going to the drop-in in 2017. Homework club, like nearly every other program, went online during the pandemic. It was a bit difficult to get individual tutoring through Zoom meetings, but Al Silo said it was reassuring to know the volunteers and youth workers were there for them. She remembers how terrifying her first days of school were, when she was a newly arrived refugee who couldnt speak or understand much English. I remember I was crying every day. It was a big shock, Al Silo said. It even took time for me to know where my home was and how to get home. She said through support from her high school and programs like New Canadian Youth Connections helped her and her siblings feel at ease. They have been really amazing. Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session After opposition uproar, 30 minute Question Hour permitted during Monsoon Session of Parliament India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Sep 03: After an uproar over the Centre's decision to do away with the Question Hour during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, a 30-hour timeframe has now been granted for the same. Only unstarred questions will be taken up in the half-hour long Question Hour, reported news agency ANI on Thursday. Several Opposition leaders have stepped up their attack on the government over the decision of not holding the Question Hour in Parliament''s upcoming monsoon session, alleging that it was an attempt to "suppress" their voices. Congress again hit out at the decision with party''s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleging that it was an attempt to "throttle democracy" and "enchain" parliamentary system. At a briefing , he said the party will oppose the move both inside and outside Parliament. Bahujan Samaj Party''s Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali hit out at the decision saying in a tweet that, "Contempt if one tweets, treason if you ask questions on the streets. The country''s biggest panchayat was left to raise questions of the people. There, the government has done away with the Question Hour....This is the scary picture of ''New India''." As Parliament gets Covid ready, here is list of all that is being done All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal alleged that by cancelling the Question Hour from the ensuing Parliament Session, the government is trying to deprive "us from our democratic rights". "We have the responsibility, as public representatives, to raise questions on behalf of the people of our country, on important issues," he said. "Pandemic is just an excuse, the real motive is to suppress our voices so that the Govt shouldn''t have to answer questions on burning national issues," Ajmal tweeted. Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also hit out at the decision of not having the Question Hour this monsoon session. "PM Modi has cancelled the Question Hour & Private Members'' Business in the forthcoming Parliament session. Even at the peak of COVID-19 outbreak UK PM Boris Johnson faced weekly PM''s Question Hour in the House of Commons," he tweeted. The Nationalist Congress Party accused the BJP of using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour to "hide its failures" on multiple fronts. The NCP also called for using other electronic means to let parliamentarians question the Centre. "The BJP is using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the monsoon session of Parliament to hide its failures on multiple fronts," NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged. There will be no Question Hour, a curtailed Zero Hour and no private members'' bills during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats have decided, prompting opposition leaders to hit out at the government calling the move "undemocratic". The government, however, has said it is not running away from any debate and provisions are being made for allowing written answers for the questions put up by MPs. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 23:06 [IST] Wrapping up his first overseas trip during the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on Europe to resist US efforts to decouple economically from China and to renounce the unilateralism promoted by US President Donald Trump. But Wang made only limited diplomatic gains in talks that were weighed down by "promise fatigue", analysts said. He secured a meeting in France with President Emmanuel Macron, but in Germany there was no public event with Chancellor Angela Merkel or any officials from her Christian Democratic Union party. As the US withdraws from the World Health Organisation - which, it says, enabled China's mishandling of the coronavirus - Wang promoted China as a multilateral player during his eight-day trip, which also included Italy, the Netherlands and the non-European Union nation of Norway. Wang also called on Europe to work together in reviving the economy after the pandemic, drawing attention to the fast-rebounding official economic figures released by China, the world's second biggest economy. Noah Barkin, an EU-China specialist at Rhodium Group, a policy research firm, noted the growing sense of "promise fatigue" among European governments, despite frequent Chinese references to multilateralism. "It has been nearly four years since Xi [Jinping] preached the virtues of multilateralism in Davos and Europe is still waiting for deeds to follow," he said. For example, he noted, "Berlin and Brussels have been pressing Beijing to agree to joint climate action for nearly a year without results." Europe has in recent months sought diversification from the Chinese market, especially in medical equipment. The EU has also called for more scrutiny on Chinese investments in Europe's strategic assets, as fears deepen over possible Chinese takeovers of sensitive sectors during an economic downturn. Reiterating the message he has delivered everywhere he visited on this trip, Wang said on Tuesday in Berlin, the last leg of the tour, that China and Europe "should strengthen unity and cooperation and reject division and decoupling". Story continues But even during the trip the divide between Wang's words and Europe's wariness was starkly evident when the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, warned in print of China becoming a "new empire". "Russia, China and Turkey share three common characteristics: they are sovereignists on the outside and authoritarian on the inside," Borrell said in an article in Le Journal de Dimanche. "After 30 years where the European vision seemed to gain ground, the sovereignist vision has regained the upper hand with these new empires." The European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell says China is becoming a "new empire". Photo: dpa alt=The European Union Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell says China is becoming a "new empire". Photo: dpa China's state-controlled economy and its technological advancement form the EU's biggest concerns. While EU and China are scheduled to wrap up an investment agreement by the end of this year, EU negotiators have complained about a lack of commitment by the Chinese side. At issue is whether China will agree to European demands on market access and a level playing field for European businesses operating in China. The EU in particular seeks an end to policies that favour China's massive state-owned enterprises. In a speech at a think tank in Paris on Sunday, Wang said he had called on Macron to intervene personally if necessary - after the European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, made a plea to Xi to provide the political impetus to finish the deal. "Already, the China-EU investment agreement's negotiations have entered the final stage," Wang said. "Both sides should increase the input and, when necessary, make the political call to resolve the remaining issues in a timely fashion in order to ensure completion of the negotiation as scheduled." Wrapping up a deal would be a big win not just for European businesses. For Beijing, this creates an image of a geopolitical partnership with the 27 countries of the EU - which constitutes China's biggest trading partner - as the US tries to weaken it economically. The EU counts on Chinese support for multilateralism in a range of issues, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend a virtual EU summit organised by Merkel on September 14. However, its main concern rests on China's willingness to abide by international norms - from the South China Sea to Hong Kong to technological issues and standards like artificial intelligence. Wang's remarks in Berlin also acknowledged China's sensitivity to the EU's policy issues, especially on climate change as the US under the Trump administration has derided and doubted the science. "China and the EU should build up to be green partners. Both sides should resolutely push forward international cooperation on tackling climate change, and should adopt new moves for this purpose," the Chinese foreign minister said. He added that China had "fulfilled its 2020 emission reduction targets two years early", even though China was widely criticised for investing in coal power plants in other countries through its Belt and Road Initiative and for failing to endorse key reduction targets at the United Nations climate change conference last year. While Wang hit some of the keywords dear to the EU's heart, his condemnation of a leading Czech lawmaker for making a trip to Taiwan has backfired. After Wang threatened to make Milos Vystrcil, president of the Czech Republic's senate, "pay a heavy price" for the visit, Germany and Slovakia criticised his remarks. "Slovakia stands by the Czech Republic," Zuzana Caputova, the nation's president, wrote on Twitter. "EU-China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable." Speaking alongside Wang in the news conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the German foreign minister had a similar message. "We as Europeans act in close cooperation - we offer our international partners respect, and we expect the exact same from them," Heiko Maas said. "Threats don't fit in here." 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 these troubled times, when we are overwhelmed with various sorts of information, we are not sure anymore what is the right type of advice that we should listen to about masks. Are they effective or not and can they slow down the spread of COVID-19? Those are questions that we may ask ourselves. We will discuss their efficiency and are they practical when it comes to protecting our well being. WHO According to the World Health Organization, masks should be used as a part of a strategy. The idea is to suppress the transmission and save lives by following their guidelines. Since wearing masks alone is not enough, people should maintain a physical distance of a minimum one meter or around three feet from others, should frequently wash their hands, and avoid touching their faces and the outside of the mask. WHO is encouraging research and constantly studying the science of masks. They are looking into types of fabrics, their composition, and the number of layers the masks have. A 3 ply collection mask has three layers and is made out of melt-blown polymer, known as polypropylene that is being placed between the non-woven fabric. So, their research implies that they are trying to determine what masks are the most efficient. How Can They Protect Me? United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the WHO, included face masks in their recommendation for sowing the spread of the virus. The CDC recommends cloth face masks for the public, not the surgical one, while N95 masks are needed by healthcare workers. We are about to cover the question "Are they any different?". Surgical Masks Another name for it is a medical mask. It is loose fitting and disposable. The most common material that is used for its production in a non-woven fabric that is created by using a melt blowing process. It protects the wearer's nose and mouth from contact with droplets that can potentially be carriers of germs. It filters out large particles that are in the air. The surgical mask protects others from you, in case you are the carrier, by reducing the exposure to saliva and respiratory secretions. N95 The N95 mask has more defense than a surgical mask in a sense. They are made out of synthetic plastic fibers. These fibers are comparable to those that can be found in polyester shirts. It is a type of respirator and it can filter out small and large specs when the wearer inhales. It is designed, as the name would imply, to block out ninety-five percent of tiny particles. Some of them may have valves. That enables the person to breathe easily through them. When the wearer of the N95 mask exhales, the air that comes out is unfiltered. Cloth Masks The function of a cloth mask is to trap droplets that are being released during a conversation or sneezing and coughing. In case you want to make your cloth masks, use tightly woven cotton. For example a cotton sheet or a quilting fabric o. The T-shirt material is not preferable but can work in a pinch. By wearing a cloth mask, it can help reduce the extension of the virus by people that are unaware of having COVID-19. We have learned that using a mask is more than useful in this day and age. We should all take accountability and think about other people's health as much as we do about our own. By having them always with us when we are out and by following other precautionary measures, we will come to a point that they will not be needed anymore. We should all be patient for a while even though it may be a struggle and only good things will follow. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As required by National Instrument 62-103 of the Canadian Securities Administrators, Alex Shnaider announces that on August 17, 2020 a ruling was handed down in a proceeding between Mr. Shnaider and Mr. Gil Blutrich in the Economic Department of the Tel Aviv-Yafo District Court which determined that the joint control agreements previously entered into between the parties in respect of Mishorim Real Estate Investments Ltd. (Mishorim) was not valid (the Ruling). As a result of the Ruling, Mr. Shnaider is deemed to be the controlling shareholder of Mishorim and accordingly a person that exercises, indirectly, control or direction over the common shares (Common Shares) of Skyline Investments Inc. (Skyline) held by Mishorim. Pursuant to section 1.8 of National Instrument 62-104, prior to the Ruling, Mr. Shnaider beneficially owned or exercised control or direction over 256,045 Common Shares of Skyline, representing a 1.5% ownership interest in Skyline. He also held a significant interest in Mishorim through the direct ownership and control or direction over of 44.66% of the voting rights of Mishorim, but was not considered a controlling shareholder of Mishorim, and therefore did not have control or direction over the Common Shares of Skyline held by Mishorim. Pursuant to section 1.8 of National Instrument 62-104, after the Ruling, Mr. Shnaider beneficially owns or exercises control or direction over 8,522,825 Common Shares of Skyline, which includes the 8,266,780 Common Shares of Skyline held by Mishorim and the 256,045 Common Shares held directly by Mr. Shnaider, representing an aggregate 50.9% ownership interest (direct and indirect) in Skyline. The Common Shares held by Mr. Shnaider are being held for investment purposes. Mr. Shnaider may, from time to time, subject to market conditions and in compliance with applicable securities laws, make additional investments in, or dispositions of, securities of Common Shares, including additional purchases or dispositions of Common Shares or securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, Common Shares. The head office of Skyline is located at: Skyline Investments Inc. 36 King St. East, Suite 700 Toronto, Ontario M5C 2L97 Mr. Shnaiders address is: 259 Yorkland Road 3rd Floor Toronto, ON M2J 5B2 For further information or to obtain a copy of the early warning report, please contact : Rob Waxman, CPA CA, CFA Chief Financial Officer robw@skylineinvestments.com 1 (647) 207-5312 Ben Novo-Shalem VP, Asset Management & Investor Relations benn@skylineinvestments.com 1 (416) 368-2565 ext. 2222 About Skyline Skyline is a Canadian company that specializes in hospitality real estate investments in the United States and Canada. The Company currently owns 18 income-producing assets with 3,301 hotel rooms and 89,869 square feet of commercial space, and development lands with rights for approximately 2,315 residential units located in three main areas north of Toronto, Canada. The Company is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (ticker: SKLN) and is a reporting issuer in Canada. ALBANY David Cornell will be Albany-Hudson Valleys new Bank of America market president, succeeding Jennifer MacPhee, who retired after nearly 20 years with Bank of America. Cornell, a Saratoga Springs native, will be responsible for marketing banking and investment resources to customers across the Capital and Hudson Valley Regions. He will also lead Bank of Americas effort to address social concerns and strengthen economic opportunities. Featured stories Canton couple accused of keeping child in dog cage (Akron Beacon Journal) Ohios colleges not likely to shut down as COVID-19 cases spike on campuses (WKYC Channel 3) Cleveland VA, Ohio State join clinical trials testing experimental COVID-19 vaccines in humans (cleveland.com) Cleveland metro job market hit worse than most during coronavirus, Cleveland State University study finds (cleveland.com) Coronavirus deaths have now have been reported in 84 of Ohios 88 counties (cleveland.com) Coronavirus in Ohio The coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, is shown in an image from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.CDC images Ohio has 1,157 newly reported coronavirus cases: Wednesday update (cleveland.com) Ohio Senate approves bill granting $650 million in coronavirus relief to local governments (cleveland.com) Bill granting Ohio businesses legal immunity against coronavirus lawsuits headed to Gov. Mike DeWines desk (cleveland.com) Ohio could seek federal waiver to cancel 2020-21 state testing, freeze report cards, teacher assessment (cleveland.com) The flu shot does not prevent COVID-19, but it could help your body fight off the virus (cleveland.com) Crime Henry Taylor/MLive.com Man shot to death in Garfield Heights, police say (cleveland.com) Former Indian Trevor Crowe admits to lying on taxes, must pay $85,000 in restitution (cleveland.com) Man killed after gunman shoots into group sitting on porch of Cleveland home, police say (cleveland.com) Father charged after South Euclid police rescue 2-year-old girl left unattended in hot car (WEWS Channel 5) Bedford man accused of molestation; police seek other victims (WEWS Channel 5) Cleveland / Cuyahoga County Three Cuyahoga County Jail officers were disciplined after three inmates were released by mistake in one day. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com Three Cuyahoga County Jail officers disciplined for releasing three inmates by mistake in one day (cleveland.com) Woman dead, 5-month-old hurt in crash in Clevelands South Collinwood neighborhood (cleveland.com) Cleveland reports 19 new coronavirus cases, 1 death Wednesday (cleveland.com) Cuyahoga and Summit county airports get federal grants to improve runways (cleveland.com) Fox News Chris Wallace to moderate first presidential debate in Cleveland (cleveland.com) Cleveland artist creates portrait of Donald Trump using thousands of sex toys (cleveland.com) 50-year-old man injured after escaping apartment fire (WEWS Channel 5) Want a dog? After initial rush of adoptions, Northeast Ohio shelters now have pets for you (cleveland.com) Local news East Murder-suicides involving family members often share characteristics and risk factors, experts say (cleveland.com) Richmond Heights deer population problem could cost up to $200,000 to resolve (cleveland.com) Local news West Parma City School District addresses parental concerns about Parma Virtual Learning Academy (cleveland.com) Fairview Park Senior Center starts Zoom meetings, eyes van service and possible venue reopening (cleveland.com) Akron / Canton area Uptick in COVID-19 patients under 19 in Medina Co. caused by social gatherings, health officials say (WEWS Channel 5) State Cleveland attorneys Mark Marein, Steven Bradley to defend ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (cleveland.com) Sen. Sherrod Brown questions whether HUD Secretary Ben Carson violated the Hatch Act (cleveland.com) Rep. Jim Jordan questions DC mayors response to crowd that swarmed Sen. Rand Paul outside the White House (cleveland.com) Attorneys for Kanye West, Sec. of State Frank LaRose trade arguments in Ohio Supreme Court case (cleveland.com) Ohioans with hyphenated names can face voter registration hurdle, but shouldnt have problems voting, officials say (cleveland.com) New bar association serving increasing numbers of Ohio Arab attorneys, law students (cleveland.com) In a city such as Houston where the dining scene is revered across the country, it's a common sight to see young social media mavens flocking to trendy and top-rated restaurants in search of aesthetically-pleasing food photos to spice up their blogs or foodie accounts. Many bloggers with significant followings ask for free food in exchange for a social media shoutout. Apparently, the pandemic has not kept some of those people for asking for the same service -- and James Beard award-winning celebrity chef Chris Shepherd has a message for them: don't do it. "The best way to support restaurants right now is not to ask for free food and write about it on your blog but to purchase food and drinks so they can stay open amid this crisis," Shepherd said in a recent Instagram post. "Its not possible for restaurants to give free food to anyone right now." PREVIEW HOUSTON: Houston restaurants, bars suffer new setback as coronavirus surges In his plea, Shepherd had screenshot another Instagram user's conversation with an unknown food blogger asking for some freebies in exchange for a post. Shepherd thanked the person for their post, which read: "Friendly reminder to not be asking independent restaurants for free food ever, but especially right now. Restaurants have the tiniest profit margins and are hanging on by a thread right now. Millions of people are without jobs. Millions more are about to be without jobs. This is extremely tone-deaf. Be better. Support restaurants by dining in, ordering to-go or getting food delivered. Support local." The restaurant industry is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Shepherd said restaurant revenues have been cut by more than 70 percent due to COVID and that "every dollar we have is going to pay rent or our staff to keep them employed." CHRIS SHEPHERD: The world's best chef? He's right here in Houston Shepherd encouraged anyone that can to donate to the nonprofit Southern Smoke Foundation, which helps restaurant workers across the country who are facing financial hardship, and which Shepherd helped found. Shepherd said the foundation has received more than 30,000 applications for assistance since the pandemic began. "I would like to thank all of you fine folks that come in and post our dishes and restaurants all over you[r] social media platforms because you like us and what we do," he said. "My hat goes off to you." rebecca.hennes@chron.com Authorities say that a new fire broke out on a massive and fully loaded oil supertanker off the coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Navy said on Thursday (September 3) that flames had spread to the bridge of the ship. One of its 23 crew was injured and another missing. Two Russian warships had left a Sri Lankan harbour to assist in the firefighting. The cargo area is reportedly still intact. Only the engine room and surrounding areas were damaged. A navy spokesman said the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to aid in the rescue. The New Diamond is what's called a "very large crude carrier" -- that's the naming classification for the second-largest type of oil tanker in the world. It's chartered by Indian Oil Corp and was carrying the equivalent of about two million barrels of oil. The ship had sailed from Kuwait and was headed toward India, according to ship-tracking data. 03.09.2020 LISTEN Early Life Senior Dr. Douglas Antwi was born in Chine, a community in the Bibiani Anhwiaso, Bekwai District, and come from Edwinase- Kokofu. He grew up in Sefwi- Surano, a village in the mining area of the Bibiani Anhwiaso, Bekwai District, where he had his primary school education at Sefwi Surano 'A' Anglican Primary. Snr. Dr. Douglas Antwi is the seventh of tenth children of his parent. His Dad passed away when he was in JHS 2. His Grandpa visited them at the village and upon seeing his school terminal reports suggested that, Snr Dr. Antwi should be moved to Kumasi to further his studies. He then moved to Kumasi after his primary school to stay with his elder sister Mercy and till date, stays with her. Educational background (Primary-SHS) Upon arriving in Kumasi, he stayed home for two terms and continued JHS 1 at Ohwimase M/A Basic 'B' in the year 2004 and 2005. Snr. Dr. Antwi again changed school to Forces Basic School where he had to repeat the year, not because he failed the entrance examination due to the school rules of not admitting students in the second year and continued through to JHS 3 (2005-2008), where he came out with flying colors (9 Ones and 2 in French). During the selection of senior high schools, he told his teachers to select General Science at Prempeh College. His teachers advised him to choose Visual Arts since, that would be easy for him to be admitted to the college. He gained admission to Prempeh College in the year 2008. He studied hard and had an excellent terminal result and was privileged to have a change of Programme to General Science in the 2nd year by the senior house master by name Mr. Atiamo A.K.A Internet Man and eventually ended up as one of the Maths and Science quiz boys known as Brilla Boys meaning brilliant boys. He wrote the Nov/Dec examination in form 3 (2011) and had 7As, and 1 B2 (Physics) and completed finally in 2012 WASSCE with 8As by God's grace. University Snr. Dr Douglas Antwi applied for admission to the medical school in the same year (2012) at KNUST, where he was called for an entrance examination and an interview, at the end of which, He given placement in pharmacy, which happened to be his 2nd choice programme. He was initially unwilling to go, but was encouraged by his family to do so. With the hope of getting a change of Programme at the end of the first year, he performed very well with a CGPA of 69.5% , of which only seven pharmacy students had 70%. At the end year, He was told by KNUST officers after several attempts for a change of programme that getting the change was not going to be possible, because two final year SHS groups were completing (2013/2014). Snr. Dr. Douglas Antwi went ahead and bought new forms altogether for KNUST, UG and as well as UDS (2013). He was called for an entrance examination and an interview at KNUST, and UG, Legon,. But unfortunately, he was again turned down at the end of the interview; even after successfully going through with the examinations. University of Ghana on the other hand, included his name among the list of 150 students who passed the examination. And after the interview, his name was taken from the list. Thankfully, he finally gained admission to study his dream programme at UDS, Tamale campus in 2013. And surprisingly, even without an interview, his good grades spoke for him. He was finally getting closer to achieving his dream of becoming a medical doctor. And by God's grace, he is officially Senior Dr. Douglas Antwi at the end of his 7-yr journey (2013-2020). Motivation Snr. Dr. Douglas Antwi knew he wanted to be a Medical Doctor from way back in Primary school. Back then, his dad had chronic conditions: Diabetes and Hypertension, and would always encourage him to study hard to come out and take care of him. He would say, I don't mind selling my cocoa farm, if I have to, to push you further through education. The Grandpa too kept re-echoing the fact that he believed in him and kept supporting him. Snr. Dr. Antwi Douglas kept on thanking God for his Sister, Mercy, who sacrificed so much to make his dream a reality. The family didn't have much, but offered they had to bring him this far. Secret His secret to success is a scripture from Proverbs 22:29, Do you see a man diligent at what he does. He will not stand before ordinary men. Rather, he will stand among princes. Snr. Dr Antwi Douglas also learns from everyone and every circumstance: There's always something to be learned. He says. And the other thing about him is that, he doesnt mind being different or doing things differently; provided he knows it's the right thing. And regardless of what others do or say. He is a determined person and does not give up easily (An admirable quality about him). My current state is just the foundation for the great gifts God has entrusted me with. There are doctors, and there are good doctors. I will continue to work hard, learn more and remain humble and become that doctor whom the patients specifically request to see. - Snr. Dr. Antwi Douglas Snr. Dr Antwi Douglas has an advice to friends and youth out there, I want you to know that you are not ordinary. God has put a special gift in each of us. Believe in your capability, work hard at it and keep trusting in God. Remember, that you won't always have things working out the way you expect them, but in all, don't give up, since God is working in the background to bring you to an expected end. In short, try once, and if it works, keep it up. And If it doesn't, keep trying. Elias Nechachby B. G., Opalesque Geneva: There is a quant manager in Zurich that does things a little differently, which has helped a lot so far this year. ICON Asset Management, which was mentioned in the Corona Fighters series, was founded in 2006 by Richard Toolen, CEO, and Elias Nechachby, MoSAIQ founder, joined later. Before ICON, Toolen worked at Daiwa Securities Europe in Frankfurt and Nechachby at PWC, Sunguard, and TradingScreen. ICON is a platform that incubates and supports emerging managers with outperforming strategies, explains Toolen. The support includes regulation, compliance, fundraising, and pairing with investors. ICON and MoSAIQ also have their own products that are based on behavioral finance and use artificial intelligence (AI), genetic algorithms, and neural networks to design and develop their models. The partnership ICON-MoSAIQ got a third partner in 2019, London-based hedge fund manager Carmika Partners, to improve on the strategies' robustness. Opalesque paid ICON-MoSAIQ and Carmika a visit on the inaugural Virtual Manager Visit. You can view the visit here: www.opalesque.com/virtualmanagervisit/index.php Doing things differently Nechachby, who has spent more than 2...................... To view our full article Click here A hundred geographical indications (GIs) from 27 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are currently protected in the European Union (EU), and a huge batch of quality agri-food products are expected to hit the dinner tables of European consumers, such as white tea from Anji, navel oranges from southern Jiangxi, black vinegar from Shanxi, bean paste from Pixian and raisins from Turpan. At the same, 100 European GIs are also protected in China, including Bavarian beer, feta cheese, Parma ham and Vinho Verde wine. These European GIs will see increased competitiveness in the Chinese market, presenting genuine products from Europe to Chinese consumers. GI is an important intellectual property that protects the characteristics, reputation and other features of products that have a specific geographical origin. Stemming from traditions, cultures and origins, GI is to some extent a guarantee for products' characteristics and quality. The China- EU negotiation on GI agreement started in 2011 and concluded 8 years later. So far, the two sides have completed all approvals in accordance with their respective laws and regulations. Another 175 GI names from both sides will be protected under the scope of the agreement four years after its entry into force. "It's an important opportunity for China to enhance the internationalization and brand influence of its agricultural products," said Fu Tianlong, chairman of board of Chunlun Tea Group in southeast China's Fujian province. According to him, the jasmine tea produced in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, has a high reputation in the European market, and has been exported to France, the UK and Germany. "The recognition of European consumers for Chinese GIs such as the Fuzhou jasmine tea is an 'entrance ticket' for Chinese agricultural products," Fu told People's Daily, adding that Chinese tea products will earn more trust and better build their brands in Europe. "It also reinforced our confidence and resolution to explore foreign markets for Chinese farm products," he said. Benedit Chaland, who's in charge of international business of French cheese enterprise Gaborit told People's Daily that the export of European agricultural products would embrace an important opportunity that benefits both businesses and consumers. Comte cheese and Roquefort cheese from France have made it into the list of the first 100 GIs protected in China, and more products will be considered for protection. "As China continues optimizing its business environment and opening its market, we are placing more importance on the Chinese market," said Chaland, adding that his company will be present at the third China International Import Expo. China and Europe have witnessed constant expansion of agriculture and trade of farm products in recent years. China is the second largest destination of farm produce export, as well as a major source of farm produce import for the EU. Statistics indicate that the EU exported agricultural products worth 15.3 billion euros ($18.25 billion) to China in 2019, an increase of 37.9 percent from a year earlier. GI is a golden "signboard" for agricultural products. China, boasting a vast territory, rich resources and diverse culture, enjoys abundant GI products, and the value of relevant industries has exceeded a trillion yuan ($146 billion). GI is one of the most effective ways for many regions to develop featured economy and achieve targeted poverty alleviation. As of the end of June, China had approved 2,385 GI products and 5,682 GI trademarks had been registered. The number of GIs is on a steady increase, and relevant market entities are also emerging. The steady growth of GIs demonstrated the increasing importance paid by the Chinese government on the protection of intellectual property right (IPR), said Chairman of Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Bernard Dewit. He believes the China-EU negotiation on GI agreement will definitely drive the progress of China's IPR protection, consolidate the legal framework for China-Europe trade, enhance the confidence of foreign investors in China and attract more foreign investment. Ye Bin, chief of the Department of EU Legal Studies under the Institute of European Studies (IES) at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), noted that the agreement explains China's attitude to promote the building of an open world economy. By carrying out more cooperation with each other in economy and trade and launching better IPR protection, China and the EU will further facilitate their trade and release a positive signal for global multilateral cooperation. On December 17, 1903, in a field outside Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright showed the world that fixed-wing powered flight of a heavier-than-air craft was possible - and changed warfare forever. Just eight years later in October 1911 the Italian army used planes in its battles with Ottoman Turkey which prompted Britain to create, in April 1912, the Royal Flying Corps, with the Air Battalion as its military wing. It was the brave airmen of the Royal Flying Corps who took to the skies over the blood-soaked fields of Belgium to do battle with German flying aces like the infamous Red Baron. An Royal Flying Corps officer in the First World War, with his Sopwith Snipe biplane The Corps' biplanes, including the iconic Sopwith Camel, were kept aloft by a single propeller and the plane's machine gun, fired from the open cockpit, was engineered to shoot its bullets through the propeller between rotations. When the RAF was founded in April 1918 out of the Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, Britain became the first country in the world to have an independent air force - and one which already had more than 20,000 aircraft and 300,000 personnel. In the lean and largely peaceful inter-war years the need for a separate air force was frequently questioned but the RAF clung on and then expanded rapidly as conflict with Germany loomed. An RAF airfield in 1939. Tens of thousands of fighter planes were built during the war Pictured: a Mk V Spitfire in 1941. The battle of Britain was won by the RAF flying Spitfires and Hurricanes. Their victory prevented a German invasion Aerial battle: A Spitfire flies past the window of a German Heinkel HE-111 bomber, 1941 Tens of thousands of planes, including around 20,000 Spitfires and 15,000 Hurricanes were produced between 1939 and 1945, but the RAF's defining moment came early in the war, over the skies of Kent in 1940. Luftwaffe pilots fought for air supremacy which would allow a sea-borne German invasion of Britain to avoid being bombed to the bottom of the English Channel. But the RAF's few-thousand pilots triumphed, leading Churchill famously to say that 'never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many, to so few.' An RAF plane flew at less than 100 feet to take this reconnaissance photo of the Knapsack power station in the German industrial heartlands. Destroying German means of production was a key war aim of the RAF Aerial photograph of an RAF attack on German warships docked at Brest, France Later in the war Bomber Command mounted increasingly large-scale raids, often involving more than 1,000 aircraft at a time, to decimate German centres of manufacturing and production. They also carried out firebombing raids on German cities including Dresden, result in the loss of tens of thousands of civilian lives. At its peak during World War II, there were over one million RAF servicemen. Following the demobilization after World War II, the RAF has steadily declined in numbers and the RAF changed with the development of jet fighters and nuclear weapons. Between 1958 and 1968 the RAF's bomber squadron took sole responsibility for carrying the UK's nuclear deterrent, before it was passed to the Navy's Polaris submarines (the forerunner of Trident). The primary role of the RAF in the Cold War years was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the USSR with many squadrons based in West Germany. In 1985 the RAF still had around 90,000 personnel, down from 150,000 in the 1950s. Final Flight for the Harrier Jump Jet, RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, December 2010 Both the RAF and the Royal Navy were augmented through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s by the iconic British-made Harrier jump jet, which was capable of vertical take-off and landing. The 1982 Falklands conflict was fought mainly by the Navy (and the planes of the Fleet Air Arm) and Army; the south Atlantic battlefields being out of reach of friendly airbases. But during the first Gulf War, more than 100 RAF aircraft joined the coalition which pushed Saddam Hussein back out of Kuwait, using new precision-guided missiles, and RAF jets patrolled the internationally-enforced no fly zones for years afterwards. RAF planes also enforced no-fly zones over Bosnia during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, and RAF Harriers and Tornados joined the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. British United Nations Peace Keeping forces in Bosnia in the 1990s. Pictured: RAF Tornados and pilots at Gioia del Colle base, near Bari, Italy, waiting to be deployed An RAF Tornado in Cyprus in April 2018, when the UK, US and France launched strikes in Syria to punish President Assad for an apparent chemical attack against civilians By the late 1990s the RAF had halved in size again, down to around 50,000 personnel. The 2003 invasion of Iraq saw a large RAF deployment to the Gulf, including RAF strike aircraft, and in the aftermath of the invasion RAF helicopters were based at Basra in the British-controlled south of the country. Most recently, RAF Tornados, Typhoons, and in the last two weeks F-35B Lightning jets have been deployed to the middle east in the fight against ISIS. Pakistan has approved the domestication and commercialisation of medicinal and industrial cannabis and hemp at a Herbal Medicine Park in Jhelum, minister for science and technology Fawad Chaudhry tweeted. Chaudhry called it a landmark decision that will help Pakistan enter the billion-dollar Cannabidiol (CBD) market. Cabinet has approved first license for @MinistryofST and PCSIR [Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research] for industrial and medical use of Hemp [The] landmark decision will place Pakistan in billions of USD CBD market, he posted from his Twitter handle. The move comes after comprehensive deliberations between different government departments. To produce the CBD, Pakistan plans to import a specific variety of cannabis seeds. CBD compound plays an important role in therapeutic medicine. After 2016, a breakthrough research was unveiled which prompted China to set up a cannabis research department and is now cultivating hemp on 40,000 acres, and Canada is cultivating it on 100,000 acres, Chaudhry told reporters during a press briefing in Islamabad. Also read: China threatened Czech leader for crossing red line. He jumps over another He said that the plant Pakistan plans to grow contains legal levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) around 0.3 percent or below. At higher levels, THC is intoxicating and illegal in many parts of the world. The minister said that hemp seeds are used for producing oil, leaves for developing medication, while stems are used for fibres which are gradually replacing cotton in the textile industry. Worldwide, this fibre is replacing cotton. Clothes, bags, and other textile products are being made using this plants fibre. This is a $25 billion market and Pakistan can take a big share in this market, Chaudhry said, adding, this is under government control, so further research can be done and adequate safeguards through ministry of narcotics can be placed. The minister expected the hemp market to generate $1 billion in revenue for Pakistan in the next three years when research, cultivation, production, and exports for medical and industrial purposes are underway. The ministry has scouted areas in the Potohar region in northern Punjab, which is considered adequate for growing hemp due to its climate. This is part of the science ministrys larger initiative on precision agriculture under which niche projects focused on non-traditional agriculture are under development. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid the ongoing border standoff between India and China, Beijing on Thursday accused the United States of meddling in the dispute, warning it will endanger regional peace and stability. Opposing any third-party involvement, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy said, China and India have the ability to resolve their border disputes bilaterally. We dont accept countries outside the region pointing fingers, let alone meddling or making instigation, which will only endanger the regional peace and stability." The spokesperson said the country advocates finding a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through peaceful and friendly consultations. For a period of time, the two sides have been in touch and in talks at various levels to seek peaceful settlement of the boundary issue," the spokesperson added. The Chinese side further took on the US, saying, It is regrettable that, out of the zero-sum Cold War mentality, some senior US officials ignored the basic facts, violated the norms of international relations and basic principles of diplomacy, picked up fights virtually on every front and exploited every opportunities they can to slander and smear China, instigated other countriesrelations with China." Reiterating its earlier claim, China said it has never provoked a war or conflict over the past 70 years since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. China has always insisted on resolving territorial and maritime disputes with neighbouring countries through consultations and negotiations on the basis of respecting historical facts, to maintain regional peace and stability," the spokesperson added. In a welcome decision, the Maharashtra government has decided to reserve 600-acre Aarey land near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in suburban Mumbai as a forest and conserve the same. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who said the forest would be the first example of a "huge jungle" being conserved at the centre of a megapolis, an official statement said. The chief minister instructed during the meeting to safeguard the rights of adivasis (tribals) while the area is reserved as forest. According to an official statement, Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar and others were present for the meeting. Agencies In another development, the area to be excluded from the forest will be demarcated after seeking suggestions and objections from citizens. Also, construction of all types, roads, slums, adivasi pockets and government facilities will be excluded from the first phase of the initiative. The slum-dwellers within the area will also be rehabilitated immediately. In a series of tweets after the meeting, Aaditya Thackeray said, approximately 600 acres of open land being declared as forest while all rights of Adivasi communities will stand protected. A meeting held by Honble CM Uddhav Thackeray ji with Aarey, Forest& Environment Depts has decided to apply Section 4 of IFA to approximately 600 acres in Aarey land near SGNP. This implies that it will be declared a reserve forest after a hearing for suggestion/ objections(1/n) Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 2, 2020 "Rehabilitation of slums within the area would be expedited. This would be phase 1 for which the Forest Dept will move a proposal. Phase 2 survey for additional open/forest land in Aarey, post Phase 1 will begin soon. This would help the State protect the flora & fauna existent in SGNP and Aarey, Aaditya Thackeray added. The forested Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon is a prominent green lung of Mumbai. The fire erupted on the administrative boundaries of the Homs, Hama and Tartous provinces A Homs firefighting team has been able to control a wide fire that erupted in the woods of the village of Qurb Ali in Wadi Al-Nadara in the Homs western countryside. Commander of the firefighting brigade in Homs colonel Othman Juda told SANA that following two days of efforts the firefighting teams were able to control the fire and to extinguish it from the area. Colonel Juda pointed out that members of the firefighting team, the civil defense and the Agriculture Directorate spare no efforts over this period to control the fire. On Monday, a fire erupted on the common administrative boundaries of the Homs, Hama and Tartous provinces, targeting the perennial forest trees in a rugged geographical area. 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. MONTREAL - The Quebec government will reconsider keeping bars open if the province continues to see an upward trend of new daily COVID-19 cases, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk down Montreal's Sainte-Catherine Street, on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The Quebec government has expressed its concern over an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - The Quebec government will reconsider keeping bars open if the province continues to see an upward trend of new daily COVID-19 cases, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday. He told reporters that if authorities need to confine Quebecers once again, they will close off specific regions of the province or smaller areas within regions as opposed to locking down the entire population. Legault was reacting to news that health authorities reported 187 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, representing a significant jump compared to a few weeks ago when the province was reporting fewer than 100 cases a day. "Over the past two weeks we've seen an increase in confirmed cases," Legault said in St-Raymond, about 60 kilometres west of Quebec City. "We have to be prudent." He said there are no immediate plans to close any bars in light of an outbreak at a Quebec City bar that has been connected to nearly 50 recent cases of COVID-19. Legault said if the number of new daily cases continues to increase, authorities will revisit recent decisions to open bars and to allow indoor public gatherings of up to 250 people. "Do we have to go back on those decisions? For now, no, but eventually we can't exclude that." Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Legault said the province's testing capability has increased and health officials are able to better detect where infections are occurring. If need be, he said, authorities will close off specific territories. "We will do tests to identity the territory where we have outbreaks," he said. "And if ever and we're not there yet we need to confine people, we'll go by region and subregion." The province also reported Thursday three additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. Quebec has had a total of 62,933 COVID-19 cases and 5,767 deaths linked to the virus since the pandemic began. Hospitalizations decreased by nine compared with the prior day, for a total of 100. Of those patients, 20 are in intensive care. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has held talks with the leadership of the European Medicines Agency on the establishment of cooperation. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, Deputy Health Minister for European Integration Ihor Ivashchenko said this at a briefing on Thursday, September 3. "The Ministry of Health has held talks with the leadership of the European Medical Association on establishing mechanisms for cooperation and interaction. In particular, the key issues on which agreement has been reached include the possibility of access to the information systems of the European Medicines Agency. The second point is the participation of domestic specialists and experts in the training programs of the European Medicines Agency. The issue also concerns expert support from the European Medicines Agency for the Ministry of Health in developing regulations and policies to continue bringing our legislation into line with EU regulations," Ivashchenko said. According to him, cooperation with the agency allows domestic experts to cooperate with the European Medicines Agency in matters of drug registration, pharmacovigilance, clinical trials, inspections of compliance with the requirements of good manufacturing practice in pharmaceutical companies and more. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) coordinates the supervision of the quality of medicines and veterinary medicinal products throughout the European Union. op Intersec, the worlds leading security, safety, and fire protection trade fair, will open doors early next year in Dubai, with organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East providing a safe and vital environment to reconnect and restart business in 2021. The 23rd edition will take place from January 24 to 26, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, DWTC, reported Wam. Intersecs Patron HH Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum offered a heartfelt message for participants to the annual three-day event: "For more than 20 years, Intersec has played a pivotal role in the development of the international security, safety, and fire protection industries, and its relevance only grows stronger as we together chart a course toward a post-pandemic world. "We welcome attendees from across the globe to Intersecs 23rd edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre, where they can reconnect and position themselves for a commercially successful start to the year. "Dubai is safe, Dubai is secure, Dubai is open, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to their second home in January 2021," said Sheikh Mansour. At the forefront of returning exhibitors to Intersec 2021 are its key government partners and supporters the Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency, SIRA, Dubai Police Academy, and Dubai Municipality. "We also have a great mix of returning brands and quite a few new brands next year," said Alexandria Robinson, Intersecs Show Director. Intersec will have a fresh look to it next year, with a number of new developments. First, the event will adopt a hybrid format in 2021, meaning visitors and exhibitors can participate physically or virtually. "An important part of the hybrid offering is an AI-powered matchmaking app using behaviours as well as interests to match suppliers and buyers together, whom can then go on to a one to one communications platform for further discussion." Intersecs revamped conference line-up includes the technical Fire Summit, which has been created to not only cover a wider range of essential topics including passive fire learnings, but also to allow professionals to delve deeper into industry specific fire challenges and trends such as the energy and utilities industries. "The Future Security Summit this year returns afresh with a different module format targeting different groups of security professionals from task force to c-level," concluded Ms. Robinson. Intersec 2021 is set to feature close to 1,000 exhibitors from 50-plus countries at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and will take place with all the appropriate health and safety measures in place to keep attendees safe.TradeArabia News Service Some wines carry stigmas. Theyre bottles snobs love to snub. Black Tower and Yellow Tail are obvious examples. But even wines that cost $50-plus can fall into this category. NV Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne from France (LCBO 453084 $69.85/750mL), for example, was always less impressive than other houses non-vintage brut champagnes such as Louis Roederer, Taittinger or Billecart-Salmon. And connoisseurs knew it. But Moet is actually quite good now. When I retasted it recently, I was struck by just how balanced, elegant and nuanced it was. A lovely little champagne, actually and much improved. And other wine writers have noticed the change, too. Last year, U.K. wine critic Jancis Robinson MW wrote that Moet went from naff to nice in her Financial Times column. She added that Moet was rarely the choice of wine insiders. But now it should be. The champagne industrys flagship has undergone an impressive makeover. Today Moets Brut Imperial, the non-vintage blend that is made in almost unimaginable volumes, is a thoroughly respectable champagne, and much drier than it used to be. To remain competitive and relevant to wine drinkers, big brands do tweak their winemaking to ensure bottles deliver value for money. Of course, consistency is important and forms the cornerstone of big brands successes like Big Macs, people expect them to taste the same every time. But slight improvements here and there over the years polish them up and keep them shining, which is why its important to revisit big brands from time to time with an open mind. So I recently retasted the full range of Black Tower and Yellow Tail wines listed here in Ontario to see how they fare. The 2019 Black Tower Rivaner from Germany (LCBO 336503 $9.95/750ml; LCBO 215012 $11.50/1,000ml until Sept. 13, regular $14.50; LCBO 336529 $18.95/1,500mL) streams in with juicy-crisp flavours of poached pears and lemon-lime laced with a touch of honeysuckle. Yes, its sweet with 28 g/L of sugar, but that sweetness is offset by mouth-watering acidity that cleanses the palate nicely. Its smooth, refreshing and relatively low in alcohol with just 9.5 per cent ABV. Frankly, this is an entirely respectable $10 bottle of wine certain to appeal to those with a preference for sweeter wines. And in case you were curious, Rivaner is the grape variety from which the wine is made, also known as Muller-Thurgau. Score: 89 The 2019 Black Tower Dornfelder Pinot Noir tastes lovely too (LCBO 580118 $11.95/750mL). Much drier than the white with a moderate 13 g/L of sugar, this wine tastes glossy with flavours of black cherries and damson plums. Not complex but clean-tasting, easy-drinking and well-balanced; no rough edges. Dornfelder and Pinot Noir are two black-skinned grapes well-suited to Germanys cold climate. And the final blend delivers a refreshingly low 12 per cent ABV, which is a level hard to find these days in red wine. This isnt a fancy wine, but it delivers honest value for money. Score: 89 The Yellow Tail range of wines didnt fare quite as well. Of the 12 Yellow Tail wines in the range, which includes two sparkling, one rose, four whites, four reds and a sangria, the two I would recommend are the Chardonnay and the Moscato. The 2019 Yellow Tail Chardonnay from Australia (LCBO 627802 $11.95/750mL, LCBO 20321 $19.95/1,500mL) is clearly the most popular white of the range in Ontario for a reason. Its tasty. On the nose, it offers toasty aromas of buttered popcorn. The palate suggests more of the same with a touch of lemon curd and orange zest. And each sip is lit with lively acidity that balances the kiss of sweetness. Whats more, the finish lingers. Good value. Score: 88 The NV Yellow Tail Moscato, also of course from Australia, (LCBO 443713 $11.95/750mL) is actually a delightful dessert-style wine to serve well-chilled or frozen as slushies. Its sweet with 76 g/L of sugar with piercing acidity that keeps the wine well-balanced and scrapes the palate clean. The nose brims with candied lemons, orange marmalade and stewed peaches, all of which echo on the palate along with notes of lychee, elderflower and a touch of rosewater. Score: 89 So there you have it: a handful of wines that may be (surprisingly) worth your attention. CHARIKAR, Afghanistan -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has pledged an urgent aid and recovery package to the residents of Parwan Province, which has been hit by heavy flooding in recent days. During a visit to Parwans capital, Charikar, on September 3, Ghani said that his government "will make a sizeable investment" into various projects to help rebuild roads, clean canals, and provide financial help to those affected by the floods. "Weve received a proposal from the province to allocate 90 million Afghanis (about $1.2 million) to clean the canals [destroyed by the floods], and were providing this money immediately," Ghani told a gathering in Charikar. Heavy rainfall that caused floods and mudslides killed some 200 people in Afghanistans northern and eastern regions, the disaster management agency said. Parwan was the area most heavily affected by flooding that displaced thousands of large rocks, causing deaths and injuries, destroying entire homes, and burying people under the rubble. Parwan officials say 157 people were killed and 130 wounded in the province. Five people remain unaccounted for. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap By Park Han-sol President Moon Jae-in's message of gratitude to nurses for their contributions to the fight against COVID-19 amid a doctors' strike has sparked anger among doctors and even embarrassed nurses, as some see it as creating a division between the two professions. In a message posted on Facebook, Moon extended his sincere appreciation to nurses for their dedication, pointing out that they must be going through difficult times as "they are faced with shouldering the burden of doctors who have launched a nationwide strike" against a government medical reform plan. "It was heartbreaking that medical personnel were collapsing because they couldn't take off their protective suits at outdoor COVID-19 testing booths during the heat wave, and people are well aware that most of such staffers were, in fact, nurses," he wrote. Doctors' groups and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) denounced the President for creating an unnecessary division between doctors and nurses by implying that the latter were facing mounting difficulties because of the formers' strike. Packed To The Rafters star Hugh Sheridan has revealed he has now tested negative for COVID-19, after initially returning a positive test for the virus last week. The 35-year-old actor, who recently returned from Los Angeles to Australia, explained that doctors told him on Thursday night his result was actually a 'false positive'. The star described the whole ordeal as a 'rollercoaster of emotions' and incredibly confusing. 'I've been on the phone all night!' On Thursday, Hugh Sheridan shared an update on his positive COVID-19 results after dealing with a 'whirlwind of emotions' 'My latest test shows a NEGATIVE result for Covid,' Hugh wrote on his Instagram account on Thursday night. 'I've been on the phone all night with the RPA Virtual hospital, it looks very much like it was a false positive on the 28th of August, which makes a lot of sense.' He continued: 'The process has been a rollercoaster and it's caused whirlwind of emotions.' 'Its late now so I wont know the next steps till the morning, but I wanted to share with you as so many people have shown SO MUCH kindness.' Hugh went on to thank his followers for showing so much concern. 'My latest test shows a NEGATIVE result for Covid,' the 35-year-old wrote on his Instagram account on Thursday night, just hours after the star told fans he had previously tested positive Earlier in the day, the actor revealed he had tested positive and that he'd somehow caught the deadly virus in transit from Los Angeles to Australia, last month. 'I've been quiet for the last few days because I've been feeling all the varied emotions about my positive Covid test. I haven't felt like talking to anyone much yet,' he wrote. Hugh had jetted into Australia from Los Angeles in mid-August, and at the time was forced to undergo a mandatory 14-day stint at a quarantine hotel. 'I had a negative result when I arrived [in Australia]. I now know all my friends including [those] who took me to LAX airport are all negative so it's been confusing for me. It's scary, frustrating and lonely,' he said. 'I got it in a very short space of time': In a lengthy Instagram post, Hugh thought he'd somehow caught the deadly virus in transit from Los Angeles to Australia last month The House Husbands star confirmed he was not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. 'I am SO LUCKY & I keep reminding myself to count each blessing 1 by 1. To everyone: this virus is seriously clever. Knowing now that no one I saw back home overseas has it means I got it in a very short space of time (in transit or a surface) while I had minimal human contact,' he wrote. At the time he admitted his mental health had suffered as a result of the diagnosis. 'I wanted to be honest with you because we all have good days and not so good days': Hugh admitted his mental health had suffered as a result of the diagnosis 'Why oh why did I not come with a friend?' Hugh uploaded this post last month as he began his 14-day stint of quarantine hotel, after arriving in Australia from Los Angeles 'I wanted to be honest with you because we all have good days and not so good days and without days like my last few the good ones wouldn't feel as good!' he explained. 'To everyone that received a positive Covid test, I now know how that feels, I wish we could all be together so we could offer each other a shoulder or even better a HUG!' Hugh concluded by saying that he would be taking time out from social media and focusing on editing his new script. 'If I'm not on social media as much it's not necessarily because I'm down, it's because it can make me feel a little worse for the moment,' he confessed. 'This too shall pass. I AM OK! #somuchlove.' Hugh's celebrity friends rushed to share messages of support. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 14:04:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan Border Forces members were killed and two others wounded after militants stormed a border forces' camp in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province Wednesday night, local police said Thursday. "The armed militants stormed the camp in Ghashi Pass Kando locality of Marawara district, triggering clashes lasting for hours. The attackers fled after fighting and soldiers manning the camp forced them to leave the area," provincial police spokesman Farid Dehqan told Xinhua. The spokesman added that the relative of the affected soldiers will be notified at the earliest proper time. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Taliban militants and militants of Islamic State (IS), however, have presence in the mountainous region, 180 km east of the country's capital, Kabul. Enditem BROWARD COUNTY, Fla., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- South Floridians of all ages are invited to share their COVID-19 experiences by submitting original work to the South Florida COVID-19 Project being assembled by Broward County Library. In the interest of supporting the community, Broward County Library is gathering material for the South Florida COVID-19 Project, creating a capsule for residents to share their unique work and COVID-19 experience. The library hopes to capture a diverse range of submissions that reflect how the pandemic has impacted the local economy, culture, behavior and values. The capsule as a historical record will memorialize this unique time for future generations. Journal entries, poems, drawings, music, videos, photos and other media are welcome for consideration in this historic South Florida archive. The submission process is free and requires little time to upload. All materials may be submitted electronically at the South Florida COVID-19 Project web page. While there is no limit to the number of submissions, creatives are encouraged to be selective. Project guidelines require that the work be original; all rights to the work be owned by the contributor; a short description accompany the work; and that content be appropriate for all ages. About Broward County Libraries Division Broward County Libraries Division, named 2020 and 2015 Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association, was founded in 1974 and is the largest library system in Florida by square footage and one of the busiest, with more than 7.5 million walk-in customers visiting its 38 locations annually. Broward County Libraries Division provides convenient access to a full range of innovative and cost-effective services that satisfy the changing needs of the people of Broward County for information, education and recreation. Visit our website, Broward.org/Library, or follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter. SOURCE Broward County Libraries The on Thursday said it expects media organisations to exercise restraint while publishing or reporting any details about investigation in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. A division bench of Justices A A Sayed and S P Tavade said the media should report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation. The court was hearing two petitions which claimed a "media trial" was going on in the case of Rajput's death and sought for it to be stopped. One of the petitions was filed by eight former IPS officers against the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against Mumbai Police. The petitioners include former director generals of police M N Singh, P S Pasricha, K Subramanyam, D Sivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal and Satish Mathur, former additional DGP K P Raghuvanshi and former Mumbai police commissioner D N Jadhav. The other petition was filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha and two others who claim to be social activists, seeking direction to media organisations not to sensationalise reportage in the case. "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint before publishing or reporting on details of the investigation, and report in such a manner that it does not hamper the investigation," the court said. The bench said before hearing the matter further, it would like to first see what the Union government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, have to say in response to the pleas. The high court posted the petitions for further hearing on September 10. The court also said Navlakha shall once again serve copies of his petition to news media channels that are respondents in the petition. Navlakha's advocate Devadatt Kamat told the court that they are not demanding a prohibition on reporting in the case, but only seeking the media to adhere to journalistic standards and ethics. The plea filed by the retired IPS officers said a section of TV channels has been trying to influence the course of investigation being carried out by central agencies like the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and is running a false propaganda against the Mumbai Police. Senior counsel Milind Sathe, appearing for the retired police officers, on Thursday argued that the media was running a "parallel investigation and the reporting is completely defamatory towards the city police". "We (petitioners) are not concerned about which agency is probing the case or who the accused persons are...we are only concerned about the media trial being conducted," Sathe said. The retired IPS officers have sought a direction to news media organisations to refrain from publishing or circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments which may jeopardise the reputation of the city police. Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 following which the Mumbai Police e registered an Accidental Death Report and recorded statements of over 50 people, including some of his family members and Bollywood personalities. The late actor's father on July 25 lodged a complaint with Patna Police, accusing Rajput's girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court last month upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the CBI, which is currently probing the case. Besides, the ED is probing allegations of money laundering against Chakraborty and her family, while the NCB is probing a drugs trafficking case linked to the case of Rajput's death. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A coalition of 50 states and territories support antitrust action against Google, a reflection of the broad bipartisan support that a Justice Department case might have. But state attorneys general conducting their own investigations into the company are split on how to move forward, with Democrats perceived by Republicans as slow-walking the work so that cases can be brought under a potential Biden administration, and Democrats accusing Republicans of rushing it out under Trump. That disagreement could limit the number of states that join a Justice Department lawsuit and imperil the bipartisan nature of the investigation. Opalesque Industry Update - Alcentra, one of the world's largest managers of private debt with over US$40 billion of assets under management and part of BNY Mellon Investment Management, announced today the appointment of Jonathan DeSimone as its CEO and to the Alcentra Board of Directors, subject to Financial Conduct Authority approval in the UK. This follows David Forbes-Nixon's decision to step down as CEO of Alcentra to focus on his investment responsibilities. Jonathan brings significant experience to the role, having worked with institutional investors globally to deploy capital into the high yield, leveraged loan, structured credit, private credit, distressed and special situations markets. He joins Alcentra following a 17-year career with Bain Capital Credit where he was most recently portfolio manager of the Liquid Credit strategy and a member of the Bain Capital Credit Committee. Prior to Bain Capital Credit, Jonathan spent a decade at Bain & Company working with the firm's clients across the consumer, industrial and private equity sectors. David will continue as interim CEO of Alcentra until Jonathan's appointment is approved by the FCA. Jonathan will join Alcentra immediately as CEO designate and over the next few months will work closely with David to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Mitchell Harris, chief executive officer of BNY Mellon Investment Management, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to Alcentra as the new CEO. He is a proven leader with experience in private debt markets and building high calibre investment teams, who is ideally suited to drive the firm's next chapter of growth. We thank David for his extraordinary leadership and dedication in building Alcentra into a leading global credit manager. He has played a pivotal role in Alcentra's success over the past 17 years and will step down as CEO with our sincere gratitude." Jonathan DeSimone commented on his new appointment: "I am honored to be joining Alcentra to build on the tremendous success that David and the team have already achieved for clients. With its wide range of leading investment capabilities and global reach, Alcentra is well positioned to help investors access the compelling credit opportunities available in this unprecedented economic environment." David Forbes-Nixon, interim chief executive officer of Alcentra, said: "It has been a tremendous privilege to lead Alcentra and I am enormously proud that, having co-founded the business in 2002, the firm is now one of the leading global sub investment grade credit managers with over $40 billion of assets under management on behalf of more than 400 blue chip institutional clients and an incredible team of world class professionals. Given the strength of the business today, this is the ideal time to hand over the management reins to Jonathan. Alongside Alcentra's exceptionally talented management and investment teams, I look forward to supporting Jonathan as we continue to meet the investment needs of our clients." Shocking footage shows a teenage schoolgirl swinging a small family dog around her kitchen before stuffing him in the fridge. NSW Police and the RSPCA are investigating the Sydney girl and her friend after they shared the shocking animal abuse on Snapchat. Video shows the private school student grabbing the brown Pomeranian named Oscar by the neck and roughly swinging him around the room. She then taunted the agitated pet by appearing to bite him on the nose, with the mocking caption 'get mad, tiger'. Shocking footage shows a teenage schoolgirl swinging a small family dog around her kitchen before stuffing him in the fridge Finally, the girl carried Oscar to the fridge saying 'you want to go in there?' before shoving him on to a shelf inside and closing the door. The second girl filming the abuse laughed hysterically as the helpless pup was trapped inside. The school's principal strongly condemned the footage and said the school had dobbed the girls in to police and the RSPCA. 'The College finds this footage most disturbing and does not condone this behaviour at all,' he said. 'Indeed we will be taking appropriate action and we will be informing the relevant authorities as you would expect.' Finally, the girl carried Oscar to the fridge saying 'you want to go in there?' before shoving him on to a shelf inside and closing the door In a further statement to parents, he said the school was 'deeply disappointed' with their behaviour and would take swift action. 'Two students from the College recently shared online footage of the mistreatment of a family pet,' he said. 'The College has been working closely with the family of the students to respond to this distressing incident. 'Though this incident happened away from the school, the College has high expectations of students at all times. 'The police and RSPCA have also been informed about this matter.' The video was met with widespread outrage when it was shared on other social media channels. New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will conduct day-to-day hearing on the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water. Reiterating the October 18, 2016 order, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra, Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar said that it will remain effective till further orders and fixed the pleas on the vexatious dispute for final hearing on February 7. The apex court on October 18, had directed Karnataka to keep releasing 2000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till further orders. While the apex court on December 9 upheld the maintainability of appeals filed by the riparian states, saying it has the "jurisdiction to decide the parameters, scope, authority and jurisdiction of the tribunal". ALSO READ: (Cauvery Water Dispute: SC upholds maintainability of appeals by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala) Earlier, the Court had said that it will only hear the arguments related to the ground reality report filed by Supervisory Committee after looking into the issue of maintainability of appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the award of tribunal. Centre, on the other hand had raised a preliminary objection claiming that the CWDT award amounted to a final decree in the dispute and the apex court had no jurisdiction to hear appeals against the award of the tribunal. States however, contended that their appeals were maintainable saying the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to adjudicate the appeals filed by the states against the award of tribunal and that no statute can take away the appellate powers of the apex court under Article 136 of the Constitution. With PTI Inputs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya Na Abukari II has expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for the immense role he played towards ensuring peace and stability in the area. Ya-Na Abukari expressed the appreciation when Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia paid a courtesy call on him at the Gbewaa Palace on Thursday. He lauded President Akufo-Addo for masterminding the current wind of peace blowing in the Dagbon Kingdom, and his commitment towards socio-economic development of the area. "Today is a special day in the life of the people of the North. A moment of pride which reflects the development through which Yendi, and for that matter Dagbon, has gone through the last three years," the Ya-Na Abukari stressed. "His Royal Majesty Ndan Ya-Na Abukari II wishes to express his gratitude for the inviable contribution of Dagbon Malti Naa I, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the people for the ensuring peace we enjoy today in Dagbon. "I wish to state categorically that the state of Dagbon is being affirmed with each passing day and is a factor of peace and stability in the country," the Prominent Chief stated. Ya-Na Abukari acknowledged President Akufo-Addo's commitment towards the progress of Dagbon, and commended the President for his presence at last year's Damba Festival. "Dagbon is particularly grateful President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for gracing last year's Damba Featival and most importantly, his accompanied august guest, Mia Amar Motley, QC, MP, the Prime Minister of Barbados and her high level dignitaries and Ambassadors, which automatically catapulted our previously local Damba celebration onto the international arena." "We are also deeply grateful for the commissioning of the Yendi Water Supply Project in July, 2020," he added. The Ya-Na was full of plaudits for Vice President Bawumia for his efforts at ensuring development in the north. Addressing the Ya-Na and his elders, Vice President Bawumia assured Dagbon and the entire northern regions of President Akufo-Addo's commitment to ensure more development in the area, especially in the areas of providing critical infrastructure and education. Apart from countrywide social intervention programmes of the government including; the Free Senior High School Policy, One-Constituency, One-Ambulance,Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One- Factory. Dr Bawumia listed a number of development projects the Akufo-Addo led government was undertaking in the north and the Yendi Kingdom, as a demonstration of its unalloyed commitment towards the progress of the north. The Vice President announced that government was in discussion with the University for Development Studies (UDS) to set up a satellite campus in Yendi. He also announced government's decision to convert the Pong Tamale Veterinary College into a university for agriculture. Vice President Bawumia is on a working visit to the five regions of the North to meet chiefs and community leaders. He will also inspect and commission government projects during his tour. Some government officials accompanying the Vice President are; Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence, Hajia Alima Mahama, the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Mr Anthony Karbo, a Deputy Minister of Roads, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, a Deputy Energy Minister, Hassan Tampuli, the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority, and Hajia Abibata Shani Mahama Zakaria, Deputy CEO of MASLOC. GNA "In fact, this is the first project in Marib province or in the Republic of Yemen as a whole that we have signed with a woman who is in charge of many projects to empower Yemeni women economically, as well as to empower young people and enhance their abilities," remarked Al Jabir at the signing. Al Jabir noted that the Saba Enterprise Incubator prepared for Marib would prove an exemplary step in empowering youth in Marib, ultimately enriching the rest of the country. The incubator would foster new ideas and business practices boosting the performance of the Yemeni woman, he said, as well as supporting emerging projects with a business incubator providing entrepreneurs with a headquarters. "This cooperation proceeds from several principles aimed at strengthening the role of the Yemeni woman and her contribution to society by supporting emerging projects and qualifying women to launch projects and lead free enterprises," said Al Qadhi, adding that joint efforts to highlight female Yemeni creativity and innovation in implementing and leading small projects would help women to become leading entrepreneurs in Yemen. "This is in addition to emphasizing women's talents," she added, "honoring their pioneering spirit, and drawing the attention of decision-makers toward integrating concepts of empowerment into all stages of education." In 2020, Yasmin Al Qadhi was presented with the International Woman of Courage Award by the US Department of State. She has extensive experience in the development of civil society institutions, volunteer work and project management. The project also includes various forms of support to enable the foundation to communicate with international donors, thus improving its fiscal efficiency. Furthermore, it contributes to increasing the minimum wage of working women by prioritizing those who are heads of their households or care for persons with special needs or the elderly. SDRPY has already implemented many projects in vital sectors in Marib Governorate. Al Jabir stressed that these sectors would continue to receive development support. "The education sector in Marib has received support as well through the construction of several colleges at Saba University and a school for the gifted, and the Saba University Bus Project to facilitate transportation," he added. "Also, in the agriculture sector, many wells have been fully prepared to serve the people of Marib Governorate." Hospitals and health centers in Marib have been fully outfitted with essential medical devices, ambulances and fully equipped ICUs. These include Marib General Hospital, 26th of September Hospital and Kara Hospital. In the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, SDRPY has made clean water accessible and available by supplying fleets of water tanker-trucks and by implementing projects to dig and equip wells. SDRPY recently conducted a campaign to spray and sanitize 14 districts in Marib to promote public health and limit the spread of disease. SOURCE Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen Kathmandu, Sep 3 (UNI) Sri Lanka, which is currently chairing the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), has suggested to host the fifth summit of the grouping in January 2021, subject to an improvement in the Covid-19 scenario. Sri Lanka made this proposal during the 21st Session of Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) on Wednesday. The fifth edition of the BIMSTEC summit was initially scheduled to be held in this month, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Member states would finalise the summit dates and other agendas like holding the ministerial level meeting in Colombo ahead of the Summit, Kathmandu Post quoted Nepal's Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi claiming that the member states have agreed to Sri Lankas proposal to host the Summit and the ministerial level meeting next year, though the dates of these two events will be confirmed later. The SOM which took place at the foreign secretary level of all seven member states, also discussed the much-awaited BIMSTEC charter, reviewed the progress made in the last two years and discussed issues of legal instruments of the regional grouping. As the BIMSTEC does not yet have a charter of its own and it is operating on the spirit of the Bangkok Declaration of 1997, the charter is now in the final stage, and is expected to come out from the Colombo Summit. The foreign secretary level meeting also approved the nomination of new secretary general from Bhutan. UNI XC RKM JW1414 Cambodian authorities on Thursday arrested three members of the Mother Nature environmental group who were planning to march to the home of Prime Minister Hun Sen to demand an end to plans to fill in a lake in the capital Phnom Penh which hundreds of families depend on for their livelihood, sources said. The three activistsThun Ratha and his female colleagues Long Kunthea and Phuon Keoraksmeywere taken into custody separately, with Thun Rathea seized by police while preparing a video to livestream the protest, Mother Nature founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson told RFAs Khmer Service. Police have accused the group, who have not yet been charged or released, of operating a recording studio without a permit and with distributing false information on Facebook, Gonzalez-Davidson said, adding, From a legal and constitutional point of view, the detention of these three activists is arbitrary and completely illegal, and is nothing more than a state-sponsored kidnapping. We regard this as yet another serious crime by the Hun Sen dictatorshipone that was designed to silence Cambodias civil society, but which will have the completely opposite effect, he said. Hun Sen and his gang of thugs masquerading as a so-called government really want to be careful, as people are getting angrier with them now with each repressive move they make. Reached for comment, Phnom Penh Municipality Police spokesperson San Sok Seiha told RFA that Ratha was being questioned about his studio, which police said was being operated illegally, and that his colleagues were being asked about information they had posted on Mother Natures Cambodian Facebook page. He declined to comment on any charges that might be brought against the group. Violation of democratic rights Am Sam Ath, deputy director of the Cambodian rights group Licadho, called the groups arrest a violation of democratic freedoms in Cambodia, adding that the move will now draw even more criticism of the Cambodian government from the international community. As a human rights group, we would like the authorities to respect [Cambodias] constitution. We are obligated to respect the constitution and international treaties on human rights to ensure that people enjoy their freedoms and basic human rights, he said. Government development on Boeung Tamok Lake, one of the last large lakes in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh, is impacting communities that rely on the lake for their livelihoods and is causing significant flooding in the city as a result of runoff during heavy rains, Mother Nature said in July. In a video posted to Facebook, Mother Nature said that despite a 2016 decree signed by Hun Sen designating the 8,000 acre lake as public land, the government in June authorized the Ministry of Defense to fill in around 740 acres of the lake to build a military base. The group also noted that more than 300 families depend on Boeung Tamok Lake to earn a daily income through fishing and growing lotus, and development has now proceeded despite a law which says that public landincluding lakescannot be sold or leased unless they have lost their public interest value. Additionally, Mother Natures video said, the filling up of Boeung Tamok Lake and other lakes in the capital for development is eliminating crucial reservoirs for rainfall, causing severe flooding in the city during weather events. Land disputes are a bitter problem in Cambodia, where rural villagers and urban dwellers alike have been mired in conflicts that a U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia has warned could threaten the countrys stability. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney. Mijenta is a new player with a unique proposition, that celebrates the traditions of Mexican culture and embodies the best of the land and its people. No other tequila looks like it or tastes like it. The spirit's unique journey begins with its passionate community of craftsmen and jimadores who have perfected the ancient art and love of harvesting agave over generations. Mijenta is crafted using the highest quality ingredients, including fully mature certified Blue Weber Agave from Mexico's maguey plants, which are grown in deep red clay soil and are only harvested at their ripest by a specialist team. Mexico-based Maestra Tequilera, Ana Maria Romero, designed and oversaw the entire creation process, from harvest to bottle. One of the most trusted, respected and awarded tequila authorities in Mexico, Maestra Tequilera Romero brings over 25 years of experience in the tequila industry. "It brings me great pleasure to be able to share our creation, Mijenta, with the world. Mijenta is meant to unite all kinds of people under the same flavor, whether it is for tasting, pairing with food or tasting with friends. Each element of the journey has been crafted in order to celebrate the best of the land and its people from the earth that graces us with its gifts, to our community who share their skills, to our customers who give us their trust," shares Romero. Mike Dolan, former CEO of Bacardi joins Romero as Co-Founder and Lead Investor to help pave the way for Mijenta. "It has been incredible to work closely with Ana Maria to foster her vision and help bring together the unique local ingredients, traditional storytelling and bespoke design elements that make up Mijenta for its launch in the U.S. Mijenta distinguishes itself first and foremost with its unparalleled tasting notes, but I'm extremely proud of the way this company does business, focusing on sustainability, community and support for local businesses throughout every step of the process. I'm excited to see where the next steps in our journey lead as we launch further expressions and reach new markets." Blanco, the first expression from Mijenta, presents the brand's core offering. Priced at $50 and available online at reservebar.com and shopmijenta.com, Mijenta Blanco, offers the purest form of the agave plant and is a true expression of Mijenta's quality and artistry. The Reposado, which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2020, is aged up to 6 months in oak casks, and will offer a softer and fuller expression of Mijenta. Two more expressions will be announced in the future. FLAVOR PROFILE The unique taste of Mijenta is a story that unfolds from within, which celebrates the agave and enhances its aromatic, sensual aromas. The outstanding tequila is bright and transparent with a powerful body that features, honey, vanilla, caramel and floral notes, along with flashes of tropical fruits such as peach, melon, pineapple and light touches of soursop. The palate confirms its olfactory promise, with a complex, silky and generous finale, perfected by Mijenta's preeminent Maestra Tequilera. Each element of the unique tequila crafting journey is carefully calibrated to create Mijenta's signature aromatic palette. Mijenta exclusively uses fully mature, certified Blue Weber Agave from the highlands of Jalisco. It achieves its distinctive flavor profile through a meticulously slow process and traditional methods, ranging from the selection of agaves from the best plots, to rich fermentation of slow cooked unfiltered agaves to the delicate distillation and pot stills. Precise cuts in the heads and tails of the plants help control temperatures and account for the cool mornings in the highlands. Mijenta's products are handmade, numbered, and embrace traditional methods, crafting excellence through a bespoke distillation process. Mijenta is harvested by a dedicated team of jimadores at higher elevations which produces a smoother tequila with more fruitiness. SUSTAINABILITY Mijenta is built on the desire to maintain nature and all the wonders it has to offer, seeking to reverse environmental impact through actions carried out at all stages of the life cycle. That is why sustainability is at the heart of Mijenta's process, including its design and packaging. All paper-related components (label and box) are made of agave waste and the organization actively supports local businesses and communities by purchasing all packaging elements from Mexico. From farm to bottle, Mijenta is committed to sustainable practices, minimizing our environmental impact, and maximizing the community's energy efficiency. COMMUNITY Community runs central to Mijenta's philosophy, and we are humbled to partner with some of the best and brightest at what they do. The Mijenta Foundation was created to support local members of the community - such as Don Jose Amezola Garcia, a third generation jimador, and his son - in the protection and preservation of their ancestral skills. Mijenta works hand in hand with local businesses and communities, directly re-investing a portion of profits, offering healthcare assistance, and providing assistance for team members and their families. CULTURE Preserving and sharing the cultural heritage of the people of Jalisco's history and traditions, Mijenta collects legends and myths that are centuries old and have been passed from farmers to jimadores and craftsmen to artists. Notably, the "Centzon Totochtin" is a folk story that tells the legend of Mayahuel, the goddess of the agave plant, and Patecatl, the god of Pulque, whose union produced 400 mischievous rabbits with a taste for good company, good spirits and good times. This fable is the inspiration behind Mijenta's logo. Legend says that when the sun secretly meets with the moon, the most beautiful maguey plants are born. When they grow, the fields blend with the sky and they become a mesmerizing gift to humankind. For centuries, loving hands of ancestral farmers carefully harvested the precious agave and turned it into a masterpiece. PR ENQUIRIES PURPLE New York: +1 212 858 9888 Los Angeles: +1 424 284 3232 [email protected] ABOUT MIJENTA Mijenta is an artisanal small batch tequila from the highlands of Jalisco, offering a unique super premium proposition. The spirit was created by a passionate collective who believes in doing well by doing right, and is crafted by Mexico based Maestra Tequilera Ana Maria Romero. Inspired by legends, Mijenta celebrates the best of the land, culture and people of Mexico, exclusively using fully mature, certified Blue Weber Agave from the highlands of Jalisco, a region renowned for its rich red soils and microclimate. Mijenta launched late August 2020 with first expression, Blanco, available online at shopmijenta.com and reservebar.com, and with second expression, Reposado, launching at the end of 2020. www.mijenta-tequila.com www.instagram.com/mijentatequila www.facebook.com/mijentatequila SOURCE Mijenta Tequila Related Links https://mijenta-tequila.com The Ambassadors of the G7 countries in Ukraine stressed the need to select heads of anti-corruption institutions through transparent and politically neutral selections processes. "The ambassadors of the G7 countries in Ukraine underscore the need to select heads of anti-corruption institutions through transparent, merit-based and politically neutral selections processes," the G7 Ambassadors to Ukraine said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday. Also in the statement, the diplomats recalled that ensuring the independence, integrity and strong legal status of these institutions is an important element of Ukraine's international obligations, including in the framework of cooperation with the European Union and constant support from international financial institutions. "The G7 Ambassadors have consistently supported Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions, which must be allowed to pursue their work independently and with the necessary powers and resources to investigate, prosecute and convict those responsible for corruption effectively. Ensuring independence, integrity and strong legal status of these institutions is an important element Ukraine's international commitments, including as part of cooperation with the EU and continuing support from international financial institutions. It is essential for Ukrainian citizens' quality of life and for Ukraine's business and investment climate," the G7 Ambassadors said. Meanwhile, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas said that the principles expressed in the statement of the G7 Ambassadors should be applied when the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appoints representatives to select new head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). "Fight against corruption, with strong and independent institutions, is a central part of EU-Ukraine cooperation in areas from visa freedom to macro-financial assistance. These principles [expressed by the G7] also need to apply when the Ukrainian parliament nominates representatives to pick new Head for SAPO," Maasikas wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday. Saudi state oil giant Aramco has delayed a petrochemicals project and a stake purchase in an LNG facility to conserve cash, Bloomberg reported, citing sources in the know who wished to remain anonymous. The Yanbu crude-to-petrochemicals project is worth an estimated $20 billion, but the decision to go ahead with it has been reconsidered in light of the impact the company suffered from the combination of low oil prices and demand hit by the pandemic. Instead of the large-scale project, according to the Bloomberg sources, Aramco is now mulling over adding petrochemical facilities to already existing refineries in eastern Saudi Arabia. The second project that Aramco may shelve is its acquisition of a 25 percent stake in Sempra Energys LNG terminal in Port Arthur, Texas. Sempra and Aramco announced a preliminary partnership agreement for the facility in January this year, with Aramco agreeing to also buy some 5 million tons of liquefied gas from the LNG terminal when it gets built. The Saudi major reported a profit for the second quarter, when many other large oil companies slipped into losses, but the profit was just $6.6 billion versus $24.7 billion a year earlier. Despite the drop, Aramco stuck to its dividend plans to distribute $18.75 billion to its shareholders and is now apparently looking for ways to make this happen without stripping itself of cash. The company said its free cash flow stood at $6.1 billion at the end of June this year. We will continue to pursue our long-term growth and diversification strategy to capture unrealized and additional value from every hydrocarbon molecule we produce driving global commerce and enhancing peoples lives, Aramcos chief executive Amin Nasser said in comments on the second-quarter report. Expansion plans, however, are being revised. Last month, Aramco suspended another major investment, in a refining and petrochemicals project in China that was estimated to require total investments of $10 billion. Story continues By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com I like to say I never cast aspersions on anyone, nor do mock those I firmly believe are rock-solid stupid. It is not Christian as my Lord reminds me often and is hardly akin to the gentleman I aspire to be. Further, in my particular case, were it not for stupid people, who else would I write about? When I pull up the covers at the end of the day and take an honest accounting of myself, I cant remember one time when my blemishes for that day granted me the right to accuse one soul of being dumber than me. Yet I persist. On certain days Ill agree the comparison is close. Latest example? Nancy Pelosi, this nations Speaker of the House, just went to a hair salon and got done what any other addled 80-year-old thinks with their withered brains will cause them to look 30 years younger. It never works, but regardless: As my girl Judge Judy once famously declared, Beauty fades, but stupid is forever. There is a popular consolation line that men the world over share with the downtrodden, Always remember, there is somewhere a Mr. Pelosi, and -- of course -- the beauty-shop video will soon be revealed to be, this by a select Democratic Senate subcommittee, as a mean-spirited plot born by the President himself. The real fact is that Old Nancy is now loathed by women in every state who would darn near give up their grip on the rope just for one hour in their favorites beauticians chair. Make no mistake: Nancy flaunted breaking her own rules. Period. And must wither the scorn. No way it is untrue. Speaker Pelosi is now blatantly revealed as sit-in-the-floor-bare-naked stupid and if, in Congress, they were to pass out mandatory cognitive testing, Nancy would draw Seat 1-A after this latest premeditated affront to all of America. Every year for the past many, I have eagerly awaited the announcement of The Darwin Awards, As my longtime readers know, The Darwins are named for the Father of the Theory of Evolution, Charles Darwin, and recognize those certain individuals who have removed themselves from the human gene pool. Mind you, each of The Top Ten is based on a true-life event, documented by reliable media reports. * * * THE 2020 DARWIN AWARD WINNERS Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here is the glorious WINNER: 1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked. And now, the HONORABLE MENTIONS: 2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved. 3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her. 4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for three days. 5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit. 6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer ... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?] 7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So, he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape. 8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from." 9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast... The man, frustrated, walked away. (*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER) 10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had. * * * * -- Remember, when you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It is only painful for others. The same applies when you are stupid. -- Ricky Gervais * -- My Aunt is having a daughter, hope it is a girl. Anonymous * -- Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it. -- Pope John Paul II * -- He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot. -- Groucho Marx * -- The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets. -- Al McGuire * -- It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that money is desperately needed for political ads. -- Andy Borowitz * -- At every party there are two kinds of people those who want to go home and those who dont. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other. -- Ann Landers * -- Have you noticed that all the people in favor of abortion are already born? -- paraphrased from Benny Hill * -- The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. -- Bill Watterson * -- Life is hard. It is harder if you are stupid. John Wayne royexum@aol.com By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi University to submit the data relating to number of students who have applied online for seeking digital degree certificates and figures of such certificates which have been issued. The high court's direction came on being informed that despite judicial order, students have not been issued digital degrees by the varsity. This is completely violative of the order of this court. The timelines as set out in the order dated August 7 shall be adhered to strictly by DU, Justice Prathiba M Singh said. The high court directed the university to issue digital degree certificates of the two students, who filed the pleas, before September 7. In the affidavit to be filed by the DU, the data relating to number of students who have applied online for seeking digital degree certificates and the number of digital degree certificates issued online shall be clearly mentioned, the judge said. The high court also directed Dr Sanjeev Singh, Joint Director of Delhi University Computer Centre (DUCC), to join the proceedings by video conferencing on September 7. The high court on August 7 had passed an order on a bunch of petitions, putting in place a proper procedure for issuance of degree certificates through an online mechanism to ensure that delay in printing of degree certificates does not become an impediment to students who need it. It had then recorded satisfaction in respect of the digital certificate that was filed by DU and noted that an online platform www.digicerti.du.ac.in was also created for enabling students to apply for issuance of such certificates. It had directed that DU shall ensure that students' digital degree certificates are issued within a period of one week from registration. However, on Wednesday the high court was informed by final year law student Shubham Kumar Jain that he had graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce, DU in 2017 and was seeking a digital degree for the bachelors course which has still not been issued. He submitted that despite the online submission of the application for issuance of digital degree certificate and completion of all formalities, the university was insisting on physical submission of a hard copy of the application. He said he has applied for the digital degree on August 14, but it has not been issued. Advocate Sarthak Maggon, representing petitioner Dhritiman Ray on whose plea the earlier order on issuance of digital degree was passed, said even he has not yet got his digital degree certificate. He said he has received more than 30 calls from the students who are similarly situated. The high court said the purpose of directing issuance of the certificates digitally and through an online mechanism was to dispense with the need for physical presence of students at the university during the COVID-19 pandemic and also to streamline the process for students who are not in Delhi and need the document either for employment or for further educational purposes. The high court said as per the August 7 order, it was clear that after registering on the portal, the digital degree certificates have to be issued within one week and the insistence on physical filing of the same documents which are submitted online, defeats the entire purpose of the order. It is made clear that DU shall not insist on submission of hard copies of the application or other related documents, for the purpose of issuing digital degree certificates. Insisting on the submission of a hard copy would again set the whole process at naught and create further inefficiencies. It would also force students to visit the university, which ought to be completely avoided, Justice Singh said. The judge noted that earlier the senior officials of DU had informed it that the data of all students who have graduated till November 2019 is available with the university and had assured that online filing would be sufficient. There is no permissibility for DU to insist on physical filing of documents. Accordingly, the verification of the applications, which have been filed online for digital degree certificates, shall be done on the basis of online filing. Insistence on physical presence of the students or the submission of hard copies would be contrary to the order dated August 7. Let a reply to this application be filed before the next date, it said. Amnesty International: Iran Protesters Were Flogged, Sexually Abused And Given Electric Shocks Post-Protests Radio Farda September 02, 2020 A new report released by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Wednesday says that following the Iranian protests in November 2019, some detainees were extensively tortured and subjected to grossly unfair trials, with officials using torture-tainted "confessions" to sentence prisoners to death. According to the report, Iran's police, intelligence and security forces, as well as prison officials with the complicity of judges and prosecutors, collectively committed "a catalogue of shocking human rights violations" including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and other atrocities against citizens detained in connection with the nationwide protests. The report documents the harrowing accounts of dozens of protesters, bystanders and others who were violently arrested, forcibly disappeared or held incommunicado, and then systematically denied access to their lawyers during interrogations or repeatedly tortured to "confess." In mid-November of last year, widespread protests erupted across the country, driven by the sudden near-tripling of fuel prices. Thousands were arrested during the protests by security forces, and according to officials, around 200 protesters were killed. The real figure of protester deaths may be much higher than the 200, that Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli implicitly admitted, with some estimates placing the number of protesters who were killed as high as 1,500. Victims included children as young as 10, and some injured protesters and bystanders were dragged by security forces from hospitals where they had been taken to seek medical treatment. Since then, hundreds of Iranians have been sentenced to prison terms and flogging, and several, including three young men, were given the death penalty. Many victims said they were subjected to torture in order to extract "confessions" and make the court's work easier, with their trials presided over by biased judges behind closed doors. Other citizens reported not having access to legal representation while they were in custody other than court-appointed lawyers who were only present as a formality. "Instead of investigating allegations of enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment and other crimes against detainees, Iranian prosecutors became complicit in the campaign of repression by bringing national security charges against hundreds of people solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," the report said. Amnesty International has recorded the names and details of more than 500 protesters and others, including journalists and human rights defenders, who were subjected to unfair criminal proceedings in connection with the protests. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/amnesty-international-iran- protesters-were-flogged-sexually-abused-and-given -electric-shocks-post-protests/30817381.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Elle Fanning revealed she was 'made fun of' as a schoolgirl for her 'crazy outfits' and 'eccentric' style 'but I didn't care.' The 22-year-old has established a reputation as both an acclaimed actress and a fashion plate amid her rise to stardom. Covering the 15th anniversary issue of C magazine she dished about her childhood dress sense: 'When I was young, I was allowed to be eccentric.' Throwback: Elle Fanning revealed she was 'made fun of' as a schoolgirl for her 'crazy outfits' and 'eccentric' style 'but I didn't care'; pictured at a premiere in 2003 aged five The sister of Dakota Fanning shared: 'My mom would let me put on crazy outfits and go to school. I think I had an appetite for it more than Dakota did.' Elle dished: 'There are things that I would wear, and she would say: "That looks insane." Kids definitely made fun of me, but I didnt care.' As for her current style: 'Im not usually the T-shirt and jeans type of girl. But I have a Gucci sweater that I can wear over it and Chanel loafers, so thats OK.' Her clothing hit the headlines last year when she fainted at Cannes and revealed it was because of her 'time of the month' along with how tight her Prada dress was. Looking fab: Covering the 15th anniversary issue of C magazine she dished about her childhood dress sense: 'When I was young, I was allowed to be eccentric' She can also be seen in a string of extravagant ensembles on her new darkly comic Hulu show The Great which she leads as Russian Empress Catherine II. The series was created by Tony McNamara, co-writer of the similarly acid-tongued historical comedy The Favourite, who thought of Elle in the part. She was similarly enthusiastic about his work saying when she read the script: 'I just found it bonkers and incredible. It was so special. Tonys writing is so against sappy or cliche. Hes very dry. Well have this romantic scene and snot will be coming out of Catherines nose. Its with a bit of a wink.' Elle has also said she would love to do a project with The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos as well as with the Safdie brothers of Uncut Gems fame. So sweet: Elle is pictured in a tea-set themed set of overalls attending the Hollywood premiere of The Santa Claus 2 in October 2002 when she was four Showbiz family: Elle is pictured aged eight with her elder sister Dakota, then aged 13, attending Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards in 2007 Season one of The Great follows Catherine's marriage to Tsar Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) leading up to her coup against him. After his forced abdication Peter III was packed off to Ropsha where he was eventually apparently assassinated. His death was officially attributed to 'hemorrhoidal colic,' which historian Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote became 'a humorous euphemism for political murder.' She and Dakota are starring in an upcoming movie called The Nightingale in which they will play estranged sisters navigating the dangers of life in Vichy France. Flashback: Her clothing hit the headlines last year when she fainted at Cannes and revealed it was because of her 'time of the month' along with how tight her Prada dress was Although it was originally slated for release this year the coronavirus pandemic has caused it to be bumped to December 2021. The director is French film star Melanie Laurent, who starred in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 movie Inglourious Basterds also about the Nazi occupation of her country. This is also not the first time Elle has worked with her sister - she made her film debut as a younger version of Dakota's character in the 2001 drama I Am Sam. Fantastic: She can also be seen in a string of extravagant ensembles on her new darkly comic Hulu show The Great which she leads as Russian Empress Catherine II Rick & Nora Bowers / Alamy Stock Photo More than 45 million people in the U.S. watch birds around their homes and farther afield, according to the most recent U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recreation survey, and there are more than a dozen podcasts aimed at educating and entertaining them. Whether you're a casual observer fascinated by the hummingbirds in your backyard or a die-hard birder with state-of-the-art binoculars and a field guide always at hand, you're likely to enjoy these four top shows (available on Spotify, your Apple podcast app and other popular podcast platforms). 'American Birding Podcast With a nice balance of expert insight, casual banter and host Nate Swick's self-described bad jokes, the official podcast of the American Birding Association manages to take deep dives while keeping things fun and light. There is very little about birds that I don't find interesting, says the affable Swick, a longtime birder whose roughly 40-minute weekly episodes cover topics like the best bird-friendly coffee (grown sustainably) and the humble feral rock pigeon (otherwise known as the city pigeon). He recently talked to Vermont naturalist Bridget Butler about slow birding, which, like the slow food and slow travel movements, is all about being present and enjoying the moment connecting with the nature around you, rather than focusing on ticking off the species. During a Wednesday rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to vote twiceonce by mail, then a second time in personin order to ensure their ballots were counted. This approach to voting would be a felony under North Carolina law. Subsequently, Trump claimed that officials will just throw out duplicate ballots. No harm, no foul. In North Carolina, there are a number of checks in place to make sure no one votes twice, including electronic poll books and post-election audits. Results of such checks are referred to local prosecutors who then decide how to move forward. Advertisement And, considering the overzealous nature of some district attorneys in North Carolina when it comes to voting, Trump is potentially doing his supporters a disserviceor at least ignoring recent historyby suggesting they can cast an unlawful ballot in the state without consequence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. In 2016, Keith Sellars, Whitney Brown, and 10 others who became known as the Alamance 12 werent aware that they couldnt legally cast ballots in that years election. The members of the Alamance 12, most of whom are Black, were on parole or probation for felony charges and said that they were not informed by their probation officers or the elections board that it is illegal to vote before the full completion of a criminal sentence in the state. State voter rolls were of no help in checking their status; they were not struck from the rolls until after the election. Advertisement Advertisement A similar experience befell Lanisha Bratcher, who is being charged for voting illegally in the last presidential electiondespite state documents obtained by the Guardian indicating that her illegal ballot was most likely unintentional and a report indicating that the states system for informing the formerly incarcerated that they cannot vote was deeply flawed. The evidence indicating that these were misunderstandings didnt stop their respective county prosecutors from going after them anyway. These violations of voting law are exceedingly rare instances, but ones taken very seriously by officials, explained Dustin Chicurel-Bayard, a spokesperson for the states ACLU chapter. Advertisement Such gusto is a direct extension of historical efforts to prevent Black Americans from casting ballots; the law under which Bratcher is being prosecuted dates to the Jim Crow era. Advertisement Since Reconstruction, voter suppression throughout the Southand especially here in North Carolinahas taken the form of overt and subtle forms of intimidation, said Chicurel-Bayard. And casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election is another form of that. Felony charges were dropped against a majority of the Alamance 12 in 2018 after the group pleaded down to misdemeanor obstruction of justice. Charges against Bratcher have been doubled. So it was a peculiar choice for Trump to try to animate his supporters to purposely do what other people have been prosecuted for mistakenly doing. There are serious concerns about comments that would encourage voters to commit a felony by voting twice, Chicurel-Bayard said. And ultimately such comments aim to cast doubt about the legitimacy of the election, and that is dangerous for our democracy. For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. Suga, a longtime loyal assistant and the public face of outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in daily media briefings, has emerged as a favorite to succeed him in an upcoming internal party vote. AP KITCHENER A teenager connected to a shooting at a Subway shop in Waterloo last year that sparked chaos after 30 gunshots were fired into the restaurant full of customers was found guilty. In a Kitchener courtroom on Wednesday, Justice Craig Parry found the teen guilty of multiple charges, including discharging a firearm with the intent to endanger life, aggravated assault, possessing a prohibited weapon and breach of probation. The crowns case is overwhelming. The identity is established, he said. Parry will provide detailed reasons for his finding of guilt next month. The teenager, who was 17 at the time of the crime, cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Waterloo Regional Police were called to the Subway shop on King Street North in Waterloo just after 2 a.m. on April 19, 2019 when gunshots were fired into the restaurant. It was a wild scene with 17 people inside, many of them young people who had come to the restaurant after partying at Waterloo bars. As the shots flew into the restaurant, some were sitting at tables eating and dropped to the ground, ducking for cover. One man pulled a table over to protect him and his friends from gunfire. Some hid behind a refrigerator, others took cover in a walk-in fridge and some ran to the washroom. One man was shot in the forearm, a woman had cuts from shattered glass and another woman was trampled as customers dispersed. Four suspects took off in an SUV. Two were arrested about a month later, the teen in Kitchener. On May 16, 2019, police stopped a BMW on King Street and Fairway Road at about 11 a.m. The teen was using his cellphone while driving and stopped for distracted driving. The teen took off and crashed into a pole about a kilometre away at King Street and River Road. He ran off and police found a loaded Glock pistol in a jacket in a nearby wooded lot. A pair of Nike running shoes was found in the mud. Video surveillance showed the teen hailing a cab to an apartment in Waterloo. He arrived there barefoot. At the heart of the case was the question of who had committed the shooting. The crowns case, which finished with closing arguments Wednesday, suggested the shooter in the video surveillance was the same person in a video at a Waterloo apartment minutes before the shooting and the accused in the prisoners box. The only reasonable inference is guilt, said Crown prosecutor Aaron McMaster. McMaster pointed to video footage at an apartment building on Hickory Street which showed four men at the elevator just minutes before the shooting. In the footage, the teen is clearly visible. He is wearing a Puma track suit and high top black sneakers. The same clothing can be seen in video surveillance from the Freshii restaurant next door to the Subway shop where the shooting occurred. It is beyond coincidence that there could be two groups of males with the same clothing in separate videos eight minutes apart, McMaster told the court. A second suspect was arrested weeks after the shooting by York Regional Police. Levi Alexander, 23, of Toronto is charged with discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life and aggravated assault. Two men remain at large. They are between 19 and 25 years old, police say. York police also seized an SUV and inside the vehicle were bullet casings from the same gun used at the shooting. Phone records also show the teen was in Waterloo and show a flurry of text messages and calls before the sub shop shooting. GPS location data also indicate the teen was in Waterloo a day before the shooting and left the area after the shooting. It also showed him in Kitchener on May 16, 2019, the day he was arrested. Police seized a phone from the BMW which belonged to the teenager. In her closing arguments, defence lawyer Sharon Jeethan said there were other Black men around the area similarly dressed. We just dont know who else was around, she said. McMaster told the court he will be asking the court that the teen, who is now 19, be sentenced as an adult. Jeethan said she will fight that application. The teen has been in jail since his arrest. UN acting Libya Envoy Stephanie Williams warned on Wednesday that Libya is at "a critical juncture" as foreign powers flood the oil-rich country with weapons and coronavirus infections spiral out of control. Since July 8, some 70 resupply flights landed in eastern airports in support of Gen. Khalifa Hifters Libyan National Army (LNA), while 30 resupply flights were dispatched to airports in western Libya in support of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), Williams told the UN Security Council. During that period, nine cargo vessels arrived in support of the GNA and three in support of Hifters forces, said Wiliams, describing the arms buildup as a clear breach of Libyas sovereignty. The stockpiling of advanced weaponry and equipment, she said, is also a violation of the UN arms embargo that has been in place since the uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Foreign sponsors are fortifying their assets at key Libyan air bases in the east and west, Williams said, without specifying which countries. The [UN Libya] mission continues to receive reports of a large-scale presence of foreign mercenaries and operatives, further complicating local dynamics and chances of a future settlement. Libya is now embroiled in an escalating proxy war between two rival administrations and their array of foreign backers. Hifters self-styled army is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, and the government is supported by Turkey. The fighting has slowed since a more than yearlong offensive ended in June with the GNA regaining full control of the capital of Tripoli. Now, a battle is looming over the oil-rich city of Sirte, which Hifters LNA has occupied since January. Earlier this year, a UN report said as many as 1,200 military contractors from Russian private security firm Wagner Group were operating in Libya to bolster Hifters forces. Moscow dismissed the report as biased. A newer report obtained by Reuters, which was submitted to the UN Security Council Libya sanctions committee, found that Russia sent some 338 cargo flights from Syria to Libya between November 2019 and July 2020. Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar had all breached the arms embargo, according to the sanctions monitors. Turkey, meanwhile, has enlisted Syrian rebels to join the fight against Hifter. A recent US government watchdog report said Ankara had sent to Libya at least 5,000 mercenaries from Syria, whose continued presence will continue to negatively affect the overall security situation. Williams also expressed concern over Libyas spiraling COVID-19 outbreak, noting that the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled in the last two weeks. As of Sept. 1, the conflict-ridden country has reported 15,156 cases and 250 recorded deaths, but the true number is believed to be much higher. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: All paramilitary forces securing the borders have been asked to remain extra alert amid tension along the LAC, sources in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday. The MHA has called for heightened vigilance on the India-Nepal border and the tri-junction areas in Uttarakhand and Sikkim as there are concerns that China might use its influence with neap to create trouble, sources said. Officials added that more troops have been deployed at places to strengthen security in some of these areas. Intelligence agencies have also shared inputs on possible trouble at the border areas with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). The Sikkim tri-junction area, where territories of India, China and Tibet meet, is considered a crucial area. This tri-junction is located on the southern side of Doklam, where the Indian Army was engaged in a long, tense stand-off with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army in 2017. The Chinese transgression near Ladakhs Chushul could be a diversionary tactic, so all forces guarding the borders have been asked to remain extra vigilant, a senior security official said. The border patrol teams have also been asked to remain extra alert in Uttarakhand near the Kalapani area. While the ITBP guards the India-China border, the SSB guards the Indo-Nepal and Bhutan border to heighten vigilance. AKWESASNE. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) announced it has expanded the travel radius and removed the curfew for the southern portion of Akwesasne. Travel is now permitted up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) into bot... Ahead of Ghanas General Elections in December, selected youth of the two main Political Parties in the West African country have affirmed in the presence of their Religious Leaders their readiness to adhere and uphold national peace and harmony as they also pledge commitment in ensuring a peaceful election devoid of violence. The youth of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the major Opposition Party National Democratic Congress (NDC) numbering 40 who attended a days forum with Religious Leaders in Tamale in the Northern Region, individually pledged to be responsible citizen and will contribute to peaceful co-existence before, during and after the 2020 General Elections. Individually, they said I further promise to distance myself from all kinds of violent activities that have potential to destabilize my community and the country at large... I make this pledge in the presence of my Religious Leader. The August 26 Meeting was organised by Caritas Ghana, the Development Agency of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, also serving as the coordinating Secretariat of the interfaith platform called the Forum for Actions on Inclusion, Transparency and Harmony (FAITH) in Ghana Alliance. It sought to bring the youth of Political Parties and Religious Leaders together to discuss ways to prevent violence through vigilantism ahead of this years General Elections. The main purpose of this meeting is to facilitate an interface between these Political Party Youths and Religious Leaders to have a conversation about promoting peace before, during and after the 2020 General Elections, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, the Executive Secretary stated in an interview on September 2, 2020 in Accra. This is a practical contribution of Religious Leaders towards ensuring that national efforts at disbanding the spate of vigilantism are effective, he stated, adding that It is expected that the engagement will lead to the youth making firm commitment to their respective Religious Leaders to promote peace in Ghana. According to Caritas Ghanas Head, This intervention is part of the interfaith project dubbed Educating, Training and Healing Individuals, Communities and Society (ETHICS) Against Vigilantism in Ghanas Elections funded by Star Ghana Foundation. The project being an undertaking of FAITH in Ghana, an interfaith alliance comprising different religious organizations in the country was launched on February 28, 2020. The Members of the Interfaith Alliance comprises the Office of the National Chief Imam, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Ghana (FOMWAG), Marshallan Relief and Development Services (MAREDES), Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana (AMM) and the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) which is represented by their National Catholic Secretariat. Civil society organisations in the West Africa country have cautioned of imminent political disturbances in the 2020 General Elections if existing laws are not enforced to deal with vigilantism and other related violence. The National Peace Council (NPC) last year instituted a dialogue between Political Parties especially the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) following the violence that marred the January 31, 2019 Ayawaso West Wuguon Constituency by-election. Similar violence occurred in some electoral centres during the recent nationwide voter registration exercise. Sharing the outcome of the August 26 Tamale meeting, Mr. Akologo said that These Political Parties Youth Activists, who are ex-vigilantes surprised everyone; including the Religious Leaders when they themselves offered to sit together as a mixed group of NDC and NPP Youth Activists. As organizers, we had put in place all sorts of risk management measures in anticipation of managing a difficult relationship but the youth proved us wrong, he noted, but asked Or was it the sheer presence and influence of the diverse and respectable Religious Leaders? Mr. Akologo, who is also the Coordinator of the interfaith coalition, said In any case, to have assembled the caliber of Religious Leaders to meet with young people and admonish them was in itself a great outcome, adding that Following the exhortations by the Religious Leaders, the individual Youth pledged to their respective Religious Leaders to be of good behaviour to ensure peace in the Country; especially for the 2020 General Elections. With the key stakeholders in this endeavour being the Northern Regional Peace Council and National Commission for Civic Education, he pointed out that The whole experience and especially the personal testimonies of these Youth on how they had been previously misused, remain dominant in my mind. May God and Allah grant them the strong will to stand by their resolve and pledges to their Religious Leaders, it gives me joy that Caritas Ghana could facilitate this on behalf of the FAITH in Ghana Alliance, he prayed. The Religious Leaders took turns to admonish the youth to avoid political insults that could trigger violence during this electioneering campaign. According to the Religious leaders said Ghana has no doubt received praise from international observers as the model of democracy in Africa, hence since the future of Ghana lies in the hands of the youth, they have a key role to play in promoting peace, before, during and after the 2020 December polls. The European Union's top diplomat told Egypt's foreign minister on Thursday as long as arms flow into Libya, it will be "quite difficult" to stop the fighting there. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said despite a UN arms embargo, weapons were still reaching the North African country. He spoke to reporters about Libya at a press conference in Cairo, where he also met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. In March, the EU announced the launch of a new naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea aimed at enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya. 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. Egypt, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are all involved, supplying variously troops, fighters and military equipment to the warring factions. President Donald Trump speaks during a speech on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Wilmington, N.C., as the U.S.S. Battleship North Carolina is seen behind. Read more President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday during a trip in battleground North Carolina that voters should vote twice, once by mail and once in person, to test the protections intended to guard against double voting. Trump, who has claimed the 2020 election will be rife with fraud and rigged against him, was asked by a local television reporter if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system. "Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote," Trump said. Intentionally voting twice is illegal, and in many states, including North Carolina, it's a felony. The president also greeted supporters on the tarmac upon landing in Wilmington, N.C., and made nearly identical comments, encouraging them to send in their ballot "and then go in and vote." "So send it in early and then go and vote," Trump said. "You can't let them take your vote away, these people are playing dirty politics. So if you have an absentee ballot . . . you send it in, but I'd check it, follow it and go vote." Trump has insisted, without evidence, that widespread mail-in voting, expanded in many states to accommodate fears around the coronavirus pandemic, will result in corruption, miscounting and delays, making it impossible to know who won the November election. Attorney General William Barr was asked during a CNN interview to respond to Trumps comments in North Carolina, particularly the suggestion that voters partake in illegal activity. Barr skirted the question, saying he didnt know the election laws in every state. He then echoed Trumps rhetoric, claiming that widespread vote by mail is very open to fraud and coercion, is reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire. The data in states that already have universal mail-in voting doesn't back up Trump or Barr's claims. A Washington Post analysis of three vote-by-mail states found that officials identified just 372 possible cases of double voting or voting on behalf of deceased people out of about 14.6 million votes cast by mail in the 2016 and 2018 general elections, or 0.0025 percent.' Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who was asked broadly about voting issues on Wednesday during a local Atlanta television interview, accused Trump of "trying to delegitimatize" the election results and urged people to"vote as early as you are permitted to be able to do." The way to overcome this is to vote. Vote vote vote. And theres not a shred of evidence not a shred of evidence that mail in voting is fraudulent, Biden said. Not a shred. (Natural News) If you try to search for anything truthful about Black Lives Matter (BLM) on Google, the search engines autocomplete feature has been deliberately programmed to turn up no results, we have learned. What we call truthful, of course, Google calls negative or misinformation, which naturally is the justification behind the tech giants latest censorship endeavor, which aims to prevent truth-seekers from learning the dark truth about this Marxist movement. Try it out for yourself to see what happens. According to Breitbart News Allum Bokhari, when he typed the letters BLM into Google, followed by the letters is, the only suggestion returned was BLM israel, which he says is unusual for a popular search term and suggests that a list of suggestions formerly existed but was removed. When this writer typed the letters BLM into Google, sure enough the only returned result was blm israel, which in and of itself is strange considering that BLM has no seeming connection to Israel, at least as far as we know. Even weirder is that when you type BLM is into Google followed by a space, nothing shows up in autocomplete. Much like how Google does not want people to watch the Plandemic film, it likewise does not want anyone investigating BLM. This is apparent from the fact that normally something would show up in autocomplete, if not an extensive list of somethings. More of the latest news about Google censorship is available at Censorship.news. Even Yahoo! tells the truth about BLM being a terrorist organization According to Google, the platforms autocomplete feature is an auto-generated module that pulls up suggestions based on the popularity and frequency of various search terms. Seeing as how BLM and Black Lives Matter is arguably one of the most popular search terms currently, Googles autocomplete should be pulling up all sorts of suggestions. Instead, it is pulling up nothing, which is highly suspicious. The same is true when typing Black Lives Matter followed by is into Google, which pulls up only two autocomplete suggestions: black lives matter is not a design challenge and black lives matter is a revolutionary peace movement. In DuckDuckGo, on the other hand, typing BLM is pulls up a slew of suggestions. The privacy-focused competitor of Google makes search suggestions such as: blm is Marxists and blm is a cancer, which are more than likely an actual reflection of the actual search terms that millions of web users are typing. DuckDuckGo also pulls up numerous conservative websites like Breitbart News when searching for BLM is funded by, something that would never happen on Google, where Breitbart has been totally blacklisted. On the other hand, the first links to come up on Google when searching for BLM is funded by are those provided by none other than far-left Wikipedia, which of course paints BLM in a positive light. Even Yahoo! and Bing are more honest than Google, showing some negative results when searching for BLM is. The first autosuggestion for BLM is on Yahoo! actually pulls up blm is a terrorist organization, which is more than likely what plenty of people are there searching. Google, it turns out, is the only major search engine that patently censors these types of results, creating the illusion that everyone who matters is in full support of BLM, and that only racist conservatives are against the movement. As you may recall, Google did a similar thing back in 2016 to searches involving failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Users who tried to find negative information about Hillary were instead shown only positive results, or no results at all. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Oversubscribed SPP Raises $2 Million Perth, Sep 3, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alta Zinc Limited ( ASX:AZI ) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Share Purchase Plan (SPP), on 28 August 2020 (Closing Date).HIGHLIGHTS- Alta's Share Purchase Plan (SPP) closed oversubscribed with valid applications of $4.0 million received- To accommodate excess demand, Alta has increased the size of the SPP by $1.5 million above its original target of $0.5 million, raising a total of $2 million- Together with existing cash reserves and the recent $3.6 million Placement, Placement, Alta has a strong cash balance to continue their ongoing exploration and drilling activitiesIn response to the strong demand from shareholders (and as set out in the SPP Offer Document), the Company has increased the size of the SPP by $1.5 million above its original target of $0.5 million, raising a total of $2 million. The Board would like to thank existing shareholders for their strong support of the SPP, evidenced by this high level of oversubscription.The SPP proceeds, together with the $3.6 million share placement to institutional investors (Placement) completed on 27 August 2020, brings the total of funds raised under the Placement and the SPP to $5.6 million, ensuring that Alta is well funded to continue the ongoing exploration drilling activities at the Gorno Project.Managing Director Geraint Harris commented:"We are delighted to have received such strong support for the Share Purchase Plan from our existing shareholders and are most pleased that they have had an opportunity to participate in this substantial raising on the same terms as institutional shareholders in the recent Placement. The combined funds raised under the SPP and Placement have put Alta in a strong financial footing to deliver on our exploration plans."The strong interest in the SPP has required a scaling back of valid applications that Alta received in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the SPP Offer Document. The scale-back was applied pro-rata to each Eligible Shareholder's shareholding at the Closing Date. No allocation was made where the shareholding was calculated to be an unmarketable parcel. The Directors consider that the scaling methodology applied allowed for the most equitable allocation of bids across the shareholder base.The Company will refund applicants the difference between the New Shares issued to them and the parcel of shares the applicant applied for (calculated at the issue price) on or around 7 September 2020.The SPP was opened to 1,168 Eligible Shareholders. The Company received valid applications from 272 Eligible Shareholders representing a participation rate of 23.3% and an average application amount of approximately $14,592.A total of 500,000,000 New Shares will be issued at $0.004 (New Shares) together with 166,666,667 options representing one free attaching option for every three New Shares issued (SPP Options), to raise $2 million. The SPP Options have an exercise price of $0.010 and expire on or before 31 January 2022. The New Shares are expected to tradeable on 7 September 2020 and Alta has applied for official quotation of the SPP Options.Holding statements will be dispatched on or about 7 September 2020. The Company recommends shareholders confirm their actual holdings prior to trading in New Shares or SPP Options.About Alta Zinc Limited Alta Zinc Limited (ASX:AZI) (FRA:8EE) is an emerging ASX-listed exploration and development company focused on unlocking dormant value at the Gorno Project. Gorno is an historic high-grade zinc mine in industrialised Northern Italy, proximal to smelters and key infrastructure and with a track record of producing high quality clean concentrates to European Smelters. Drilling of known brownfields high-grade targets is underway and aims to strengthen the current Resource inventory. Subsequent project development will leverage off the existing underground infrastructure, simple metallurgy and advanced technical studies to de-risk a future feasibility study. The Company also has a portfolio of other mineral exploration projects in northern Italy and Australia. Mumbai, Sep 3 : The Bombay High Court on Thursday urged the media to exercise "restraint" while reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput case, and not report in a manner which may hamper the investigations. "We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint in reporting of the investigation with respect to the (Sushant) death, which should not hamper the investigation in any manner," a Division Bench comprising Justice A.A. Sayed and Justice S.P. Tavade ordered. Hearing two public interest litigations (PILs) -- one filed by eight retired IPS officers of Maharashtra, and another by three activists -- the court also issued notices to the respondents, and said it would consider the reliefs sought in the matter after getting the version of the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the probe. Arguing for the PIL by the former IPS officers, Senior Advocate Milind Sathe termed the media reporting, especially by the electronic media as a "parallel media trial" in which there was vilification of the Mumbai Police. "Media has virtually taken over the investigation, conducting a parallel probe and a parallel trial... Mumbai Police is being called a 'co-conspirator', there is a malicious vilification campaign," said Sathe. He contended that the petitioners are not concerned about who is investigating the case, the accused or the victim but are concerned about the reporting in the case which violates journalistic ethics. Sathe referred to the Supreme Court judgement on August 19, which found no fault with the procedures adopted by the Mumbai Police in the probe, but despite this the media was engaged in falsely tarnishing the city police's image. He also pointed out how some media were calling witnesses and asking them questions which was like a 'parallel investigation', an attempt to influence the probe and prejudice the case. In the second PIL filed by filmmaker Nilesh Navlakha, journalist M.D. Shaikh and retired bureaucrat S.C. Chaba, filed by lawyers Rajesh Inamdar and Shashwat Anand, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat said that the media has flouted the norms of Press Council of India and Program Code under the Cable TV Act. "While one TV channel said Sushant's suicide was a ahit wicket', another showed the body of the dead actor, one channel circulated fake tweets as Sushant's last message and later when found false, deleted them, and channels discuss the private chats between the late actor and Rhea Chakraborty,a Kamat argued. Contending that the media is not after truth but for TRPs and more commercial gains, Kamat pointed out how, when one witness stepped out of the CBI probe, the media hounded him on what questions he was asked. In an unprecedented gesture, eight retired IPS officers rallied together on behalf of the beleaguered Mumbai Police to save its reputation being maligned in the ongoing high-profile probe in the Sushant death case and the subsequent amedia trial'. The eight former officers - who held top positions in the Maharashtra Police - have filed a public interest litigation in Bombay High Court seeking directions to halt the "unfair, malicious and false media campaign" against the Mumbai Police in the matter. The petitioners are: M.N. Singh, P.S. Pasricha, D.N. Jadhav, D. Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, K. Subramaniam, S.C. Mathur and K.P. Raghuvanshi - all Directors-General level at the time of their retirement and enjoying an envious reputation. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh lauded the move by the retired IPS officers on Thursday. "Maharashtra and Mumbai Police have a reputation. They are compared to the Scotland Yarda The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in the (Sushant) case, I welcome the PIL," Deshmukh told mediapersons. Filed through a prominent law firm, Crawford, Bayley & Company's Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, the PIL named the Union and State Governments, Press Council of India and News Broadcasters Association as respondents. The PIL sought guidelines for the media houses, whether print, electronic, radio, Internet or television or any other form, to refrain from publishing and circulating any false, derogatory and scandalous comments, social media posts, news stories, etc, that could jeopardise the police's reputation and may cause the people to lose faith in the system and the police administration, or hinder the cause of administration of justice. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed The CBI has so far remained tight-lipped about details of its probe into #SushantSinghRajput's case, which has been hogging media limelight Sushant Singh Rajput's family lawyer Vikas Singh Wednesday said a malicious campaign was being run by few channels to defame his family and benefit actress Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused of abetting the actor's suicide. The senior advocate told the media that Sushant's three sisters Priyanka, Mitu, and Rani told him that they are extremely pained by the negative and false campaign related to his mental health which has been started by some news channels. The 28-year-old actress and her family members are accused of abetting the suicide of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his flat in suburban Bandra on 14 June. In an ongoing investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rhea's father was called for questioning by the CBI for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, 2 September, in connection with the case of Rajput's death. On Tuesday, the probe team questioned the actress' parents for over eight hours in connection with the case. The actress was earlier questioned for around 35 hours over four days from last Friday till Monday. The late actor's father subsequently filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the central agency. The CBI has so far remained tight-lipped about details of its probe into the high-profile case which has been hogging media limelight. * The way state health officials see it, it's now safe for Tucson schools to have children return to campus for a hybrid model of in-person and virtual learning. As some of Tucson's nine major school districts are planning for what this next phase of reopening will look like, the Pima County Health Department argues that the community is not ready for that. The latest report from the Arizona Department of Health Services on Thursday shows that Pima County and nine other counties throughout the state are now meeting a three-part test for school reopenings, reflecting that the spread of COVID-19 is now only "moderate" at worst. That includes fewer than 10% of hospital visits being for COVID-like symptoms, fewer than 7% of tests conducted coming back positive in the past two weeks, and either a two-week decline in the number of cases or a case rate of fewer than 100 for every 100,000 residents. The state, however, also urges school leaders to consult with local health departments as the best source of information on local coronavirus conditions. Pima County has additional metrics in both hospital and public health capacity, which officials are urging school leaders to consider prior to moving to the hybrid phase. And right now, those benchmarks continue to be concerning, said Pima County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia in a Thursday morning letter to local school leaders. DALLAS - Sept. 3, 2020 - A new technology that allows researchers to peer inside malignant tumors shows that two experimental drugs can normalize aberrant blood vessels, oxygenation, and other aspects of the tumor microenvironment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), helping to suppress the tumor's growth and spread, UT Southwestern researchers report. The findings, published online in Cancer Research, highlight the use of this novel visualization tool as well as the promise of these drugs for NSCLC, a disease that remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. despite decades of research. NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer, comprising about 85-90 percent of the nearly 230,000 cases of lung cancer diagnosed each year in the U.S. However, despite state-of-the-art treatments for this disease, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer remains at only 10-20 percent - far lower than for many other cancers including breast (90 percent) and prostate (99 percent.) The experimental drugs cyclopamine tartrate (CycT) and heme-sequestering peptide 2 (HSP2) have shown promise in inhibiting cancer growth and progression in mice bearing human NSCLC tumors. Although it's known that both of the drugs target heme, the molecule that carries oxygen in red blood cells - CycT inhibits heme synthesis and HSP2 inhibits heme uptake into cells - how these therapies work to suppress NSCLC was unknown. To answer that question, Li Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiology at UTSW, and her colleagues used a new tool called multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) to examine the inside of human NSCLC tumors growing in mice. (The imaging technology uses light pulses to generate ultrasound waves.) They looked specifically at tumor blood vessels and how well they carried oxygen to the cells within, comparing tumors in animals that received injections of either CycT, HSP2, or saline every three days. After three weeks, tests showed that either drug significantly suppressed the growth of the tumors compared with mice that received just saline, supporting previous studies. But Liu, a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and her colleagues showed that while untreated tumors consumed copious amounts of oxygen, lowering this blood gas in the tumor microenvironment, tumors in mice treated with CycT or HSP2 consumed significantly less. Similarly, these animals generated less ATP, a molecule that cells use for energy that requires heme for its formation. Using MSOT, they found that treatment with either drug reduced the abnormally large amount of blood vessel formation in these tumors and increased blood oxygen saturation and tumor oxygenation, bringing both of these measures closer to that of healthy tissue. The treatments also reduced the amount of total hemoglobin, a measure that reflects the amount of blood circulating through tumor tissue. Further experiments showed that cells isolated from the tumors of mice treated with CycT and HSP2 had reduced amounts of molecular markers for low oxygen and molecules associated with blood vessel formation. Together, Liu says, these findings suggest that these two heme-targeting medications can attack NSCLC tumors from multiple angles: inhibiting the production of ATP and the oxygen consumption they need to live and grow, reducing blood circulation and oxygen levels to that of healthy tissue, and decreasing the tumors' ability to create new blood vessels. This study also shows the utility of MSOT as a noninvasive tool to survey tumors and track how well drugs such as CycT and HSP2 are working in real time. "The more we learn about these deadly tumors and potential new treatments," says Liu, "the more hope we can offer patients, who currently have few effective options for therapy." ### Clinical trials are underway at other institutions to explore the feasibility of using MSOT to evaluate tumors in patients, she added. Other UTSW researchers who participated in this study were Yihang Guo, Jingyu Chen, Shigen Zhong, James Campbell, Jeni Gerberich, and Ralph P. Mason. Other contributors from local or international institutions or companies included Poorva Ghosh, Adnin Ashrafi, Sachareeka Dey, Jie Liu, Purna Chaitanya Konduri, Li Zhang, and Massoud Garrossian. This study was funded by Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grants RP160617 and RP200021 and infrastructure provided by the Southwestern Small Animal Imaging Research Program (SW-SAIRP) supported in part by P30 CA142543 and Shared Instrumentation Grants 1S10 RR024757, S10 OD018094-01A1. 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. In a change from previous statements that the University of Montana would not release campus-specific COVID-19 data, President Seth Bodnar announced Tuesday the flagship is working with the Missoula City-County Health Department on a plan to monitor and report campus cases to the public. ...(W)e are working closely with the Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD), as the statistical reporting entity for our community, and have asked that they share the data they are able to regarding campus-specific cases and the information that is most relevant and accurate for our campus community, Bodnar said in the letter to the campus community. The health department is hoping to be able to begin releasing numbers sometime next week, said Cindy Farr, incident commander for the COVID-19 response team, adding theyll likely update numbers on a weekly basis, similar to what Gallatin Countys health department is doing for Montana State University. Wednesday, however, Faculty Senate Chair Chris Palmer said UM wasn't going far enough in the details it plans to make public. He said it would be in UMs favor to release a full picture of campus COVID-19 data to the community and said he hopes UM could update the information daily. In the absence of information, people start to generate all sorts of crazy ideas," Palmer said. "I would just prefer to quell any rumors that might be out there by providing the most accurate information we can. Last month, the UM Faculty Senate held an emergency session and passed a resolution on a 46-1 vote urging the university to make specific campus COVID-19 data available to the public. The resolution asked administrators to set up a dashboard on UM's website similar to what other colleges have done across the country reporting COVID-related data like case counts, test numbers and how much quarantine living space on campus is occupied at any given time. The resolution asked UM to use the University of Daytons COVID reporting dashboard as an example, which includes active cases, daily new cases, and seven-day moving averages for new cases and recovered cases. It also includes a system of Status Levels based on case numbers that indicate how the university will respond to rising infections. Thats information that people would like to have, Palmer said. He said the Faculty Senate wants the same data UM's COVID-19 Response Team is tracking to be made public in one place on the universitys website. I think we should be sharing that information with the entire community, he said. The whole community should have this information so they know sort of whats going on on campus and the extent to which campus is having any kind of an outbreak. *** UM spokesperson Paula Short said UMs COVID-19 Response Team, which meets daily, is monitoring qualitative data like testing numbers and quarantine availability, but she said there aren't yet plans to release that data, although discussions are ongoing. She also said the plan is for the health department to release what it's calling university-affiliated cases on its website, which includes students, faculty and staff, but details are still being worked out in terms of how far the definition of affiliated stretches. We actually dont have an answer to that right now, Farr said, adding the health department and university officials are meeting Thursday to discuss details further. It will definitely include students, faculty and staff, but then we have to figure out, well, are we going to then include online students? Well, they could still use the Food Zoo or they could still use the Mansfield Library. We dont know that just because theyre online doesnt mean that theyre not going to campus for different things. So those are some of the details we have to try and sort out, is exactly what do we want to define as a university-affiliated case. Under the plan, the data will be released through the health department website similar to how it releases county data. Currently, UM does not have plans to post the data to its own website, Short said, adding the health departments site will provide the most comprehensive picture of COVID-19 within the campus community, as well as the county as a whole. At this point, were going to point people to the county health site, Short said. We believe that the county website is the place to house that statistical reporting both for UM data but nested in the greater county data as well. She said they will give the link to the health department's COVID reporting website page a prominent space on the university's COVID-19 response homepage so it can be found easily. She added the county has been tracking and releasing COVID-19 data since the start of the pandemic, giving it the best position to report UM-affiliated cases. *** Curry Health Center is currently offering free testing for symptomatic individuals, but the president's letter notes a majority of students live off campus, so working with the health department is essential to getting an accurate picture of cases on campus. The data that we have represents a sliver of the picture, so this collaboration with city-county health is just going to enable better information to be available, Short said, adding UM does not receive data for students or faculty who test positive off-campus, but the county does. The health department is responsible for conducting contact tracing on campus and will notify close contacts of individuals who test positive. Farr said during the contact tracing process, the health department will conduct a thorough interview with the positive student to determine what classes they attended in person and if they were staying six feet away from other students. Basically the close contact definition doesnt change from what it has always been, which is within six feet for a cumulative 15 minutes or more, and so it really kind of depends on how the university structures their in-classroom learning and how well they manage that social distancing, Farr said. Short earlier said depending on certain factors, students studying in the same classroom generally would not be considered close contacts due to the mask requirement and spaced out classroom designs. She also said the decision to work with the health department to release campus COVID-19 data is an effort to be transparent, but its also understanding how COVID is impacting the community and the campus to be able to make personal level decisions about your risk. We want people to have information so that they can make good informed decisions about their health and how they can stay safe. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In the last part of Isaiah 14, God asks a very interesting question. It is unbelievably relevant and applicable to the modern world be it in Asia, Africa, North America, or anywhere else for that matter. Thoughtful residents of every place on the globe have many questions regarding the state of the world in general and their particular locale. We want to know what is happening, why it is happening, and what will come next. The setting of Isaiah 14:28-32 is Philistia. The Philistines were rejoicing that the Assyrian King Shalmaneser V had died. The oppression he brought would come to an end. However, God had a word for them. He told them that they had better hold off on the rejoicing. The Philistines were misinterpreting events. In fact they had no way to know what would come next. God has not left the world alone completely to its own devices. He has not removed His guiding hand. He superintends the earth. Nations rise and fall at His command. Things would get worse not better for the Philistines. Another more powerful Assyrian ruler would arise to torment them. Famine was headed their way as well. In Isaiah 14:32 God pops the question and then answers it, What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge. (NIV) On the surface, the answer seems to have little to do with the question. The Philistines are rejoicing because the Assyrians who have oppressed them have lost their king. God told the Philistines that they will not be better off. What does Zion being established as a place for Gods chosen people have to do with the Philistines and the Assyrians? God is pointing out some facts that the Philistines ought to remember. God causes some nations to fall and others to rise. He causes the fortunes of countries to rise and fall in accordance with His perfect will. This rising and falling is often not about any one country; it is always about Gods purposes. In this case, God had enabled Israel to break the rod which had oppressed Philistia. Soon, God would allow Assyria to return in even greater strength. Again, this would have little or nothing to do with Philistia. In the first case, God was protecting His people; in the second case He would be chastising His people. Philistia was just caught up in the periphery. The lessons for Philistines (those who are not Gods people) are these: often your circumstances are the way they are because of how God is dealing with His people; and, the only safe place is with Gods people. In todays world, we see the Church as Gods people. God said His people would find refuge in Israel then, in the Church now. The Lord established or founded Zion. That is where the Israelites were to find refuge. In this age, the Lord has established His Church. That is where Christians are to find refuge. Maybe it seems to you to be simply a matter of semantics but it seems to me that there is an important distinction being made here. The Jews were not to trust in Zion. In the same way, Christians are not to put our trust in the Church, but rather in the Lord. However, the Church is still important, very important. The Christian seeks refuge in the Church because God founded it, established it, protects it, preserves it, and blesses it. If the Christian desires refuge in God, he will find it in Gods Church. If you cannot make sense of world or local events, you would do well to seek refuge in the Church. It is there that you will find the Lord and the answers you seek. 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 Amid what she describes as a global reckoning when it comes to inequality generally and anti-Black racism specifically, Charlene Theodore sees the possibility of making the legal profession better and more inclusive. As she says herself: If not now, when? On Sept. 1, she became the first Black lawyer, and only the 10th woman, to assume the presidency of the 113-year-old Ontario Bar Association, the provincial organization representing more than 16,000 legal professionals. Her ascendance to the presidency in 2020 highlights, I think, the slow pace of change within our profession, she says, as she prepares to chart the organization on a course to substantially change the legal profession within the next 10 years both in terms of its makeup and its workplace culture. Its bold, she agrees, but stresses that the time for reports and debates on the existence of systemic racism in the profession must come to an end and make way for actual solutions. I had to think about it as a Black woman that has the lived experience of being Black in this profession, she said in an interview with the Star this week. As many advantages as I have, I am not immune from some of the discrimination and bias....both as a woman and by virtue of being Black. With that in mind, one of her first moves as president is to launch Not Another Decade, which she said will become a core part of the OBA and outlive her one-year term as president. Its basically weve done a lot of talking, theres a lot of reports, we want to set goals every year and want to see a shift in the legal profession at the end of 10 years, she said. Listen to Ryan Watkins discuss why there are not enough Black lawyers This year, the focus will be on Work that works, aiming to provide tools, education and other resources so legal professionals can take advantage of this moment, she said, and re-imagine their workplaces to make them modern, healthy and productive. Were at a crossroads of what we see is a younger, more diverse workforce and quite frankly a homogenous boardroom culture that leaves many people on the outside looking in, she said. So when it comes to legal workplaces...if youre a lawyer who is an employer of other lawyers, you are really facing tough dilemmas and have been for some time about how to implement tangible and measurable diversity initiatives. Like most professions, law has lagged in improving diversity among its ranks. Black people make up about 3.2 per cent of Ontarios 55,000 lawyers, while women, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour continue to be underrepresented in the senior ranks of most major firms. Born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Theodores interest in law developed in high school when she came across a book about Steven Truscott at a garage sale, one of Canadas most notable wrongful murder conviction cases. It struck me as I read the book as a kid that the law was the tool for this huge travesty, and the law was also the only tool to use to right that wrong, she said. Educated in law at Dalhousie University, Theodore has pursued a career that has seen her focus on issues including international human rights, diversity and inclusion. Her work has taken her all over the world, including time spent working for the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination. She currently serves as in-house counsel for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Her term as president at the OBA also comes as the board of the Law Society of Ontario the legal regulator that licenses and disciplines lawyers and paralegals continues to be split on issues including systemic racism in the profession, with some board members openly questioning whether it exists. The board scrapped last year what was known as the statement of principles. The key diversity initiative mandated each lawyer and paralegal to adopt a statement (which they could write themselves) acknowledging their obligation to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Theodore described the drawn-out debate over the statement of principles as hurtful and divisive. On Blackout Tuesday in June, when the law society tweeted that it supports the need to address the barriers facing Black lawyers and paralegals, Theodore quickly shot back: How has your organization supported your diversity partners? Where is the recognition of your own obligations in this area? You govern Black lawyers. The public interest you serve includes Black Ontarians. Solidarity is important but you have your own work to do. She reiterated this week that the law society still has its own work to do on these issues, while shes focused on her work finding solutions at the helm of the OBA. She believes that overall, lawyers will be receptive to what shes proposing. Whats especially true of lawyers is we recognize the fundamental importance of everyone being able to trust that the justice system works for them, she said. And lawyers never see the work of justice as being done. We always see room for improvement. Government struggles to secure sickbeds By Jun Ji-hye The government is scrambling to secure hospital beds for COVID-19 patients suffering severe symptoms as their numbers are soaring amid a second wave of infections here, the health authorities said Thursday. Considering the possibility of further increases in the number of critically ill patients, the government will convert some sections of a military hospital to intensive care units to provide more beds, the authorities said. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 195 additional infections Wednesday, including 188 locally transmitted ones, with the total caseload now reaching 20,644. It added that three more patients had died from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 329. The number of daily new cases fell to below 200 for the first time in 17 days, but the number of seriously ill patients hit a record high of 154, increasing by 31 in just a day. The figure has increased rapidly from the 9 recorded Aug. 18. "We will designate hospitals to treat virus patients in a serious condition to secure 110 additional beds for such patients by the end of the month," Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official in charge of containment measures, said during a media briefing. "The Ministry of National Defense will designate eight beds at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital as intensive care beds, Friday." The authorities said they are staying on high alert as the number of serious ill patients has already exceeded a prediction from a panel of health experts who expected the figure to reach about 130 at the beginning of September. They said the government will set up a taskforce with the National Medical Center and other research institutions to analyze how many more seriously ill patients may emerge, and establish appropriate countermeasures. The authorities are also staying vigilant over continuous reports of sporadic infection clusters traced to a variety of places including apartment blocks, nursing homes and gyms as well as churches. Among the virus hotbeds is the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul led by conservative pastor Jun Kwang-hoon who has led several anti-government rallies, with the most recent one held in central Seoul Aug. 15. The rally brought together thousands of demonstrators despite the government's advice to follow social distancing guidelines. According to the KCDC, 22 more infections were traced to the church, raising the total related cases to 1,139, as of noon Thursday. The government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government filed a complaint against Jun, Aug. 16, for violating the country's Infectious Disease Prevention Law by intentionally concealing a list of the names of the church's congregants. Jun himself tested positive for COVID-19, Aug. 17. On Wednesday, when Jun was discharged from a hospital, police raided his house and three other facilities related to the church to secure evidence that the church has disrupted the government's efforts to stem the virus spread. Meanwhile, Lee Jae-hyun, the head of Incheon's Seo-gu, tested positive for the virus, also Wednesday, becoming the first head of local governments confirmed to have COVID-19. Eleven teams of scientists from India and the US will soon start jointly scouting for out of the box solutions for COVID-19. These solutions will include novel early diagnostic tests, antiviral therapy, drug repurposing, ventilator research, disinfection machines, and sensor-based symptom tracking. Reuters The teams have been selected for these initiatives through a binational review process of proposals. The proposals were received for an invitation under COVID-19 Ignition Grants in April 2020. These grants were issued by the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF), states a release by PIB. The USISTEF has been established by the Government of India (through the Department of Science & Technology) and the governments of the United States of America (through the Department of State). The purpose of the USISTEF is the promotion of joint activities in the field of science and technology that would lead to innovation and entrepreneurship. This means that the USISTEF is meant to support joint applied R&D aimed towards the commercialization of technology. Partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers and entrepreneurs through the initiative can thus help combat this pandemic on a whole new level. Eleven winners (Representative Image: Reuters) The USISTEF announced the grants to eleven bilateral teams proposing out-of-the-box, innovative ideas to address the COVID-19 challenge. The joint U.S.-India science and technology based entrepreneurial teams will work on the development and implementation of new technologies, tools, and systems to address COVID-19 related challenges. Through these initiatives, the teams will look to solve monitoring, diagnosis, health and safety, public outreach, information and communication around COVID-19. The crux of the initiative is that the innovations in Science, Engineering, and Technology will play a critical role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The solutions to the global challenge can be sought in the development of new vaccines, devices, diagnostic tools, and information systems, as well as strategies to help communities and nations manage and deploy resources to combat this pandemic. Government Supports Launch of Business Plan for Main Street Business Improvement District The Minister for Business has today delivered an address at the official launch of the Business Plan for the Main Street Business Improvement District (BID). 'The BID is an exciting project which will encourage local businesses to enhance their trading services and improve the general product for customers.' The Government says it is financially committed to supporting this project on a pound for pound basis. The Minister for Business, the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, said; Coming from Main Street myself, I am very excited to be the Minister leading on this magnificent project. I would like to reassure everyone that the Government fully supports the Main Street BID, especially during these tough times. It was this Government that introduced the BEAT COVID measures, it was this Government that reduced rates and it was this Government that introduced life saving measures for businesses. We are very proud of that and we will continue to support businesses, who, at the end of the day are the backbone of our economy. IGNOU 2020 June TEE date sheet and admit card news India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has released the date sheet for the June 2020 term end examination. The TEE exams are generally conducted in the months of June and December. The exam was postponed due to the pandemic. The exam will be conducted from September 17 to October 16. The exams will be held in two sessions daily and all precautions will have to be followed by the students. Those students unable to attend due to COVID-19 related reasons will be able to take the December TEE exam. The admit card for the same will be issued soon. Fact check: Who desecrated this Kali idol in Bengal Temple? There are reports that say that the hall ticket is likely to be released by September 8. The date sheet is available on http://www.ignou.ac.in/userfiles/DATE%20SHEET%2020_7_20%20%282%29.pdf For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 13:49 [IST] The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday defended the governments decision to do away with the Question Hour during the upcoming monsoon session that starts on September 14. The party said that this was not the first time when a set procedure had been dispensed with owing to exigencies. While the government has given its nod to allowing unstarred questions, or written questions that ministers need to reply to instead of allowing answers to be given in person, the Opposition has criticised the move and alleged it as an attempt to throttle the Oppositions voice in Parliament and amounted it to murder of democracy. As per BJP functionaries aware of the details, 160 unstarred questions will be answered by the government, apart from Special Mentions by MPs to bring matters of importance to the notice of the government. A senior functionary aware of the details said, Question hour was done away with in the years 1962, 1975, 1976, 1991, 2004 and 2009 for various reasons. While in 1975 and 1976 it was on account of the Emergency. Also read: No question hour at 2-day Bengal assembly session, BJP claims, it shows TMCs double standard The party has been vociferously defending the governments decision by pointing out that the ongoing pandemic has imposed restrictions on every aspect of daily life and its impact can be felt on Parliamentary proceedings as well. The party also maintained that the decision has not been made without consulting other party leaders. Almost all the opposition leaders accepted that the country is in an extraordinary situation because of this health emergency. The Presiding Officers of both the Houses have received a letter from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs informing that the government consulted different political parties and that there was a broad consensus, barring one political party, on doing away with the Question Hour. Based on that consensus among the opposition parties, the government requested the Presiding Officers to do away the Question Hour and Private Members Business for this session, the functionary said. As per the expected schedule, Parliament is likely to take up issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the state of the economy and other developments that will be brought before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and agreed upon. Parliament will also take up as many as 11 ordinances that were passed between March and September. Congress partys Adhir Ranjan Choudhary had written to Lok Sabha Speaker OM Birla last week urging him to reconsider the decision and said 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. The BJP, however, lashed out at the Congress and the other political opponents including the TMC and the NCP, by pointing out that state assemblies, including Kerala, Rajasthan and Punjab, all non-BJP ruled states have held sessions where the laid down procedures were deviated from. Punjab is ruled by the Congress party. In Rajasthan, where the Congress is ruling, the Assembly met just for 4 days. There was no Question Hour and No Zero Hour and 13 bills were passed without much discussion. In Maharashtra, where a 2-day session is proposed, there is going to be no Question Hour and no Zero Hour. In Uttar Pradesh, a bigger state, there was no Question Hour and No Zero Hour and also in many other states like Andhra Pradesh, the functionary said. To counter posers that the business hours could be stretched to accommodate Question Hour, the party said with each House meeting only for 4 hours a day, it would take away the time required for transacting other business, including taking up ordinances. Referring to the disruptions that have led to the loss of working hours in both Houses, the party said during 2015-19, only about 40 percent of the total available Question Hour time was availed to raise questions and obtain oral responses of the Government during the Question Hour. As a result, 60 percent of the Question Hour time went unused on account of disruptions etc. During 2015-19, Rajya Sabha held a total of 332 sittings. During this period, a total time of 332 hours was available for the Question Hour at the rate of one hour for each sitting, the functionary quoted above said. The opposition parties, however, continued to attack the government. The NCP on Thursday accused the BJP of using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament to hide its failures on multiple fronts. Chakshu Roy, Head of Legislative and Civic Engagement, PRS Legislative Research said, American Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis once remarked that sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman. The role of Question Hour in a legislature is similar. MPs by asking questions shine light on the functioning of the government. This parliamentary mechanism also allows government to widely disseminate authentic information about its functioning and dispel rumours. Effectively utilised, it enables MPs to discharge their constitutional duty of keeping a check on the functioning of the government. He said responses to the questions of MPs also allows the government to review its work and determine whether its on the right path. As per an official blog, Google is now rolling out Secure DNS for safe and private browsing for Google Chrome on Android. Note that this feature is arriving with Google Chrome 85 on Android. Back in May, Google released the Secure DNS feature for the desktop versions of Google Chrome. And now it is the time for the Android client of Google Chrome to pick up the feature. For the unaware, this feature makes use of DNS (Domain Name System) over HTTPS to encrypt browsing experience. This blocks any third-party websites to know what you are visiting. Advertisement Moreover, it also protects you from third-party websites redirecting you to phishing sites. Overall, this enhances safety and provides a secure browsing experience. Notably, Google Chrome 85 for Android is based on the principles of the desktop version. Google Chrome will automatically switch over to DNS from HTTPS if your network provider supports it. However, one thing to note is that Google is not switching its users to own 8.8.8.8 DNS provider. In fact, it will upgrade its users to DoH service from their current DNS provider. Advertisement Automatic mode will ensure Google Chrome does go back to the regular DNS service Well, there are certain important advantages of this new automatic switch over to Secure DNS. Basically, this automatic mode will ensure that Google Chrome does not fall back to the regular DNS server. This will negate any disruption in the browsing experience of the customers. Besides, Google is also giving a manual configuration for users who do not find this arrangement correct. Under the Settings menu, users can disable Secure DNS entirely. Additionally, for those who have enabled Secure DNS will be able to set a custom provider. Advertisement For IT administrators, Google Chrome will disable Secure DNS if it detects a managed environment. Google has also introduced new enterprise policies that would encourage administrators to deploy DNS-over-HTTPS for its users. Chrome update for Android will be rolled out gradually Note that this feature will not be available to all the users at once. This is done to ensure stability and performance. Meaning that it will take some time to come to effect for the masses. According to the official blog, this gradually phased rollout of Google Chrome Secure DNS update for Android will help the DoH providers to scale their services accordingly and they dont have to rush things at once. Advertisement Furthermore, the blog also highlights that the company is open to feedback and collaboration with interested parties. Mobile operators and other ISPs, DNS service providers, and Online Child Safety advocates can reach out to Google for further usage of Secure DNS. The President of the Association of Music Artiste Managers of Nigeria (AMAMN), Obasijuade Adedokun, has lamented the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerian show promoters. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos on Tuesday, Mr Adedokun, who was a talent manager for the All Africas Music Award (AFRIMA) for five years, noted that the pandemic has dimmed the light on live shows within and outside Nigeria. There were so many events that were billed to hold this year. I know the Lagos State government was supposed to have an event for Easter. But it couldnt happen. I know there are some couple of concerts that have been slated for this year but couldnt happen. When events are being planned, the communications and promotions dont start immediately. The sponsors need to study the year and if you agree with me, the new year for each company is different. This makes it very difficult for show promoters. According to him, show promoters often invest their own money into promoting an event while waiting on sponsors to get back to them. This, he says, poses a huge challenge to him and his colleagues. Sometimes, sponsors will tell you to go ahead with organising an event whilst promising to pay them after the event. Some will tell you theyll pay 50 per cent upfront for the promotion of the event, he said. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 pandemic broke out, nobody could risk it because most companies were packing up and couldnt commit funds. And you know our target audience are basically the youth. Because of the pandemic, its been difficult to reach out to them. Mr Adedokun, who is an experienced brand and talent manager, said the pandemic has made it difficult for show promoters to put events together and drive revenue growth. Way forward Speaking on the sidelines of a music interaction network for the music industry professionals and music lovers, Show4me, he charged his colleagues and musicians to rise to the occasion by coming up with creative and legal means of generating consistent income even during this pandemic. People have moved from having events physically, in large gatherings. In the UK recently, they had an event and made something like a cubicle where people would sit with all the physical distancing and other protocols. There is something presently that some people have started using. You know normally, artists host Instagram live videos, and people watch for free, he said. Mr Adedokun, who is also a talent manager for gospel musician Ada Ehi, also said, The industry needs to wake up. We have a lot of Burna Boys, Davidos, Wizkids, and even people better than these guys. We need to wake up and see beyond our noses. File photo According to a report by Daily Post, some unknown gunmen have allegedly kidnapped three persons, including one Dr. Anthony Egbe, a staff of the University of Calabar in Cross River State. Egbe was kidnapped on Saturday, August 29, 2020, at Etak Ukana in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the state. Another victim, one Mr. Effiom Edem Asuquo, was also abducted on September 1, 2020, at Akwa Ikot Effanga, in the same Akpabuyo Local Government Area, three days after Egbes abduction. Asuquo, according to sources, was kidnapped in the evening by some gunmen who took him to an unknown destination. DAILY POST learnt that an unnamed Pastor was kidnapped on the night of September 1, 2020, at Atu Street, Calabar South Local Government Area. This is the fourth time a case of kidnapping has been reported in Cross River State within one week after the abduction of a female pediatrician, Dr. Vivien Otu, last Friday in Calabar, the state capital. When contacted on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Irene Ugbo, lamented the rising cases of kidnapping in the last few months. She said the command was aware of the kidnap cases in Akpabuyo, We are aware of the recent kidnapping in the state, the Commissioner of Police is very sad about it because before these recent ones, the state has been quiet and calm since he came a month now and wondered the sudden increase, the PPRO said. She explained further that the Commissioner of Police, CP Abdulkadir Jimoh had a meeting on Wednesday with all the senior officers in the Command and had been having series of meetings to ensure that strategies are put in place to curb the kidnapping issues Of course, you know that the year is coming to an end and the ember month has come and the hoodlums would want to use the opportunity because of the festive period to launch attack but not to worry, we have put strategies in place and we have gotten some vital information, which we are working on. I am very hopeful that the kidnappers will be arrested and the victims rescued, the PPRO assured. 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 her trial, will remain in custody here while her extradition case moves through the courts. Farah Damji (53), who submitted that she has been working as an artist in Ireland, had earlier this week applied for bail while she awaits the hearing of extradition proceedings brought against her by the UK. However, High Court judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said this Thursday morning that if he were to ignore Ms Damji's high risk of absconding, the "the casual observer might think I had taken leave of my senses". 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, who presented herself as an Icelandic national and was living at an address at Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, is the daughter of a South African-born property tycoon and has a criminal record for fraud and theft stretching back to the 1990s. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, delivering his judgement refusing bail this Thursday morning, said that Ms Damji was at "high risk" of absconding if granted bail in Ireland. In supplemental submissions this Thursday, the applicant's barrister, Mr Leo Mulrooney BL, told Mr Justice Hunt that medical documents and emails had been supplied to the court corroborating Ms Damji's previous claim that she was not intending to "lay low in Ireland forever". Mr Mulrooney said that Ms Damji was attempting to regularise her position in Ireland and that she had to make arrangements before consenting to her arrest here. Samples of Ms Damji's artwork were also handed in to court as proof she had been working as an artist to supplement living here in Ireland, corroborating what she had said at a previous hearing, where she denied having access to her deceased father's wealth. Mr Justice Hunt said that in the case of a European Arrest Warrant issued in relation to a conviction in absence in a foreign jurisdiction, there was no presumption of bail being granted by the domestic jurisdiction. "In any realistic view, the Minister [for Justice] has established a substantial risk of absconding rooted in real evidence and the previous behaviour [of Ms Damji]," said Mr Justice Hunt. The judge said that Ms Damji had left the UK midway through a trial that was concluded in her absence, a "highly relevant" fact that he said was "intimately connected with the application for surrender". The judge said that because she had absconded from the authority seeking her and from the same trial that convicted Ms Damji that it "gives rise to a very high probability that the same situation may be faced again". Mr Justice Hunt said that "concerns had not been allayed" and noted that Ms Damji had access to and had recourse to use false documents and had also used aliases. "It's not a concern, it's a fact. It's a recent actuality and it feeds heavily into the risk-assessment in this case," said Mr Justice Hunt. The judge said that if he were to ignore this that "the casual observer might think I had taken leave of my senses, regarding the high-risk [of absconding]". The judge acknowledged matters raised by Ms Damji's counsel, Mr Mulrooney, regarding a 2019 diagnosis that she was suffering from complex PTSD but concluded that in the case of Ms Damji that it was not, on its own, enough of a factor to grant or refuse bail. Regarding a concern raised over prison conditions in the UK, Mr Justice Hunt said that all prison systems have a range of physical and mental health concerns. "Of course, custody is stressful across the board, except for those who seem to welcome it, always being in and out of custody," said the judge, who did acknowledge that visiting restrictions were in place. At a previous hearing, Ms Damji said that her delay in return to the UK had extenuating circumstances and that she was in litigation with that State over alleged unlawful detention. Mr Justice Hunt said that Ms Damji's litigation against the UK authorities was unlikely to conclude as long as she was "in effect, a fugitive" from the same authorities. The judge also took into consideration the "very considered manner" in which Ms Damji left the UK and described it as taking "thought and planning", with the use of false documents. Ms Damji had a false UK driver's licence when arrested in Ireland and had used aliases when sourcing accommodation "It is at odds, somewhat, with the condition [complex PTSD] described in the medical report," said the judge. The judge said that he did not know the source of the money Ms Damji travelled to Ireland with and said that her financial situation was "opaque" regarding any bond or independent surety offered. "Nothing goes close to satisfying the substantial risk of absconding, nothing goes close to allay those fears and concerns and in those circumstances the refusal of bail is inevitable," said the judge. The judge asked Mr Mulrooney if his client had made an asylum application, as she had told the court she had been in contact with the Irish Refugee Council, but was told no. "It seems unusual, to be from the UK and apply, but maybe it is not as outlandish as it may have once been," said Mr Justice Hunt. Ms Damji will appear in the court again on October 21 for her extradition hearing. At a previous hearing, 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'. Det Gda Kane had told Ms Emily Farrell BL for the State, that gardai challenged Ms Damji about her true identity when arrested on August 17 of this year. Ms Damji replied, "no comment" and only admitted her real name when in Garda custody. Det Gda Kane had 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 had 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 had 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 Breitling watch in her apartment when arrested. In her direct evidence to the court, Ms Damji had 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 and a cousin of hers, a GP, were in Ireland. 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. Regarding her deceased father's fortune, she said there were "no hidden trust funds, it's just not true". 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?" The allegedly drunk and drug-affected driver who killed four children walking on a footpath in Sydney's west in February is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter. Antony, Sienna and Angelina Abdallah and their cousin Veronique Sakr were killed when Samuel William Davidson's ute allegedly left the road and hit a group of seven children walking together in Oatlands on February 1. Court documents seen by the Herald allege that Mr Davidson, a truck driver who lived just around the corner from the scene of the horrific crash, had run a red light as he returned home from a service station and was driving too fast on Bettington Road "allowing his vehicle to mount a kerb and travel on a footpath before impacting with a group of seven children". OnePlus might be looking to take over the budget segment with a number of new devices codenamed Billie, Lemonade and Clover. OnePlus initially shot to fame for offering flagship hardware at significantly lower prices in comparison to the competition. However, since the fateful days of the OnePlus One, the companys latest OnePlus 8 series can be hardly considered budget-friendly. However, with the launch of the OnePlus Nord( 27978 at Tatacliq), the company has shown that they are well aware of the need for budget-friendly smartphones. Now, there are leaked reports that the company may be working on more budget smartphones. According to Android Central, OnePlus has at least two budget smartphones in the works, code-named Lemonade, Billie and an entry-level smartphone code-named Clover. The report says that Billie could likely be the successor to the OnePlus Nord (review) and sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 SoC. The Snapdragon 690 SoC is fabricated using Samsungs 8nm process and incorporates a 5G radio. The Snapdragon 690 is an octa-core CPU featuring two Cortex-A77 based cores and six Cortex-A55 based cores, with the two big cores being clocked at 2Ghz. Theres not a lot of information available about the OnePlus Lemonade, except that we should be hearing about it very soon. Same goes for OnePlus Clover, though the Android Central report does state that Clover would be a budget, entry-level smartphone. The report concludes by stating that the OnePlus 8T might be around the corner as well and would replace the OnePlus 8 (Review) and the OnePlus 8 Pro (Review). Over the years, OnePlus has been quick to evolve with the times. They moved from a one-phone-a-year strategy to a bi-annual release. The company adopted this model in order to always have a smartphone in the market with the latest, flagship component available to its customers. However, maintaining the flagship-only approach would not have worked for OnePlus in the long run, especially in a market as price sensitive as India. Currently, there is no word on when the company plans to launch the OnePlus 8T series or even the successor to the OnePlus Nord. However, the companys entry into the entry-level segment would be an interesting one, given how competitive that area has become between Samsung, Realme and Xiaomi. It expects Korea's sovereign debt to rise from W839 trillion at the end of this year to W4.9 quadrillion by 2060. Considering the expected size of Korea's population by then, per-capita sovereign debt will surpass W100 million. The forecast comes from the Ministry of Economy and Finance's own long-term forecast unveiled on Wednesday. Korea's per-capita sovereign debt is forecast to soar from W16 million this year to W140 million by 2060 unless governments slam on the brakes (US$1=W1,187). That would mean the ratio of sovereign debt to GDP spirals from 43.5 percent this year to 81 percent over the period. The ministry said that the sovereign debt ratio could rise to 92 percent by 2060 if welfare and other obligatory expenditures continue to increase incrementally by around W30 trillion after the middle of this decade. The sharp increase will be due to snowballing welfare spending as economic growth stagnates amid a low birthrate and aging population. Statistics Korea expects the country's population to decline from 51.8 million this year to 50.9 million by 2040 and to 42.8 million by 2060. More importantly, the economically active population of people aged 16 to 64 will shrink from 37.4 million now to just 20.6 million in 2060. That could result in Korea's economic growth falling from 2.3 percent in the 2020s to 1.3 percent in the 2030s, 0.8 percent in the 2040s and just 0.5 percent in the 2050s. As recently as 2015, the government projected Korea's sovereign debt ratio at 62.4 percent by 2060. But just five years on, the projection has skyrocketed by around 20 percentage points because the population decline and low growth progressed faster than expected, while fiscal spending surged due to lavish welfare programs. But even the new forecast could be too optimistic. Hong Ki-yong at Incheon National University said, "Considering the increasing trend for welfare expenditures due to an aging population, there is a high chance that sovereign debt will keep rising." The brunt will be borne by future governments. After increasing the government's budget by 8.5 percent for 2021 this week and a projected six percent or so for the following year, the ministry says increases will be limited to around four percent thereafter. But that will no longer be the current government's decision because President Moon Jae-in's single five-year term ends in 2022. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 01:52:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Negotiators from Britain and the European Union (EU) had "a useful review" of the Brexit agenda, but "major difficulties" still exist on the way to make a progress in resolving outstanding issues, the spokesman for the British prime minister said here Wednesday. David Frost, the British government's chief negotiator, and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier had a "useful review of the whole agenda before our talks" during informal Brexit discussions on Tuesday, the spokesman said as he was hitting back at the EU after France blames Britain for deadlocked Brexit talks. "But as I said, major difficulties remain and the EU's instance on progress on state aid and fisheries is an obstacle to making progress overall but we remain in close contact with the EU side and we will look forward to the next round of talks next week in London," he said. On Wednesday, Barnier said in Dublin that he is "worried and disappointed" after Frost made no concessions to end the impasse during informal talks. There will be no post-Brexit trade deal without Britain-EU agreement on fisheries, Barnier said. He warned Britain against using the issue as a "bargaining chip" in stalled talks. "We did not see any change in the position of the UK," Barnier said. "This is why I express publicly that I am worried and I am disappointed." "I've shown clearly openness to find compromise," he said, adding that "it is the UK's responsibility" to find a compromise and avoid crashing out of the EU. Frost and Barnier met in London on Tuesday ahead of the eighth round of formal negotiations next week. The EU negotiator reiterated that a deal must be brokered by the "strict deadline" of the end of next month ahead of the transition period on Dec. 31. "If they don't move on the issues which are the key issues of the EU, the level playing field, fisheries and governance, the UK will take itself the risk of a no-deal," he said. Britain ended its EU membership on Jan. 31 but is still following EU rules during a transition period until Dec. 31 to enable a permanent future trade deal to be reached. During this period, Britain would have to pay into EU funds but have no say in laws imposed by Brussels. If Britain and the EU fail to secure a trade deal before the transitional period expires, both sides will trade under the World Trade Organization terms, under which new border controls and tariffs will mean extra cost for their trade. Enditem Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, arrives at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, in Hong Kong on Sept. 3, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Hong Kong Court Says Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Not Guilty of Criminal Intimidation in 2017 Case HONG KONGA Hong Kong court declared media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai not guilty of criminal intimidation on Thursday, ending one of the several cases against him after his high-profile arrest last month under new national security law. Thursdays verdict was for a case that dates back to 2017 and was unrelated to his arrest. Lai, who is a key critic of Beijing, had used foul language when confronting a reporter from Oriental Daily News, a major competitor to Lais tabloid Apple Daily. Police however only charged him in February this year. The mainland-born media magnate had pleaded not guilty. Dressed in a light grey suit and green shirt, he smiled after the verdict was read out and shook hands with supporters who filled the courtroom. His case comes after he was arrested for suspected collusion with foreign forces on Aug. 10, making him the highest profile person to be arrested under the Beijing imposed law. Media mogul Jimmy Lai, founder of Apple Daily, arrives at West Kowloon Magistrates Courts, in Hong Kong on Sept. 3, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)hong kong The 71-year-old had been a frequent visitor to Washington, where he met officials including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rally support for Hong Kong democracy, prompting Beijing to label him a traitor. After Lais August arrest around 200 police officers searched the office of his Apple Daily newspaper. The national security law punishes anything China considers subversion, succession, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Critics say it crushes freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after prolonged anti-China, pro-democracy protests last year. Lais pro-democratic Apple Daily has vied with pro-Beijing Oriental Daily for readership in the special administrative region. In 2014 Oriental Daily published a fake obituary of Lai, claiming that he had died of AIDS and many types of cancer. Prosecutors in the case said Lai had intimidated the Oriental Daily reporter. Lais lawyers said Lai had been followed by reporters for three years and his comments were not intended to harm the reporter but expressed his exasperation. Lai is also facing separate court cases for illegal assembly relating to anti-government protests last year. Zimbabwe Investigating Deaths of 22 Elephants, More Expected HARARE, ZimbabweThe number of elephants dying in western Zimbabwe from a suspected bacterial infection, possibly from eating poisonous plants, has risen to 22, and more deaths are expected, a spokesman for the countrys parks agency said Wednesday. Most of the elephants dying in the Pandamasue Forest, located between the vast Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls, were young or weak, said Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. With food scarce, younger elephants that cant reach higher tree branches end up eating everything and some of the vegetation that they eat might be poisonous, Farawo told The Associated Press. He said the problem could persist through the dry season. Zimbabwe has been facing successive climate-induced droughts in recent years, leaving animals with less water and vegetation for food, he said. Apart from possible bacterial infection, some of the animals could be dying due to the stress of walking long distances for food and water, said Farawo. Farawo said overpopulation had become the biggest threat to the survival of wildlife in the southern African countrys parks. The animals are becoming a threat to themselves, he said. A dead elephant is seen in Hwange National park, Zimbabwe, on Aug. 29, 2020. (AP Photo) The dead young elephants were found with their tusks still on their bodies, ruling out poaching. In recent years poachers in Zimbabwe have poisoned dozens of elephants with cyanide and then have taken their ivory tusks to sell them to illegal traders. Investigations will also try to establish if there is a link between the deaths and those reported in neighboring Botswana. Farawo, the parks spokesman, said so far there is no evidence to link the Botswana incident and what is happening in Zimbabwe. Scientists are investigating the deaths last month of more than 275 elephants in Botswanas Okavango Delta area. Poaching, poisoning and anthrax have also been ruled out in those deaths. Animal welfare groups such as the African Wildlife Foundation, have expressed concern at the mysterious deaths of elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Parks rangers should urgently remove and destroy the carcasses of the elephants that are in close proximity to human settlements to prevent any potential transfer of pathogens as a precautionary measure, said African Wildlife Foundation Vice President of Species Conservation and Science Philip Muruthi, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Botswana has the worlds 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 countrys drought. Zimbabwe argues that it should be allowed to sell some of its elephants to foreign zoos to ease congestion and also raise more money for conservation, especially with COVID-19 induced lockdowns preventing visits of tourists from rich countries. The congestion of wildlife in Zimbabwes parks has also resulted in increased conflict between animals and humans living close to the national parks or forests. More than 50 people have been killed in such conflicts countrywide so far this year, the deadliest in a decade, said the parks spokesman. By Farai Mutsaka Ghana has recorded four new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 280. The country has also recorded 55 new cases, making the cumulative total now 44,713. The new cases were recorded in four regions; Eastern 21, Greater Accra 20, Bono East 8 and Ashanti 6. The number of active COVID-19 cases, however, continue to reduce significantly with the total number standing at 856 as at Thursday, September 3. This was made known by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday. According to him, the number of recoveries was 43,557. As at 3rd September, we have the active cases of 856, dropping tom 904 yesterday. Our cumulative total comes to 44,713 and 43,557 have now recovered and we have so far recorded 280 deaths bringing our case fatality rate at 0.62 per cent. Our Positive rate also continues to decline. The number of people being tested are relatively low, he added. Dr Kuma-Aboagye attributed the relatively low number of new cases and the drop in active cases to the adherence of safety protocols among the public. Currently we are doing quite well as far as the numbers are concerned and I hope we will continue doing exactly what we are doing to be there. We continue to plead with people that dont get complacent. We are down because we are doing a lot. We in the health sector will continue testing to help us contain the disease, he said. No new cases at KIA Dr Kuma-Aboagye also noted that following the resumption of international flights at the Kotoka International Airport on Tuesday, September 1, the country had not recorded any positive case at the facility. About 300 passengers have been tested since the KIA resumed operations on September 1, 2020, after being closed to international traffic for about five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. So far we have not recorded any positive cases and that is our ultimate aim. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that people arrive here negative and truly negative, he said. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has been searching for new media staff after some recent departures. Tess Salmon left after a year in the job and joined Western Sydney Airport, while Hannah Maguire has pitched up at the Australian Airports Association. Maybe the aviation industry during a global pandemic offered a more exciting career development than doing comms for our DPM and leader of The Nationals. Constructive criticism: Jo Williamson and Michael McCormack. Credit:John Shakespeare Now CBD hears that McCormack has a new recruit: former AAP deputy editor Jo Williamson. She won't be heading bush, but will be based in Sydney and Canberra. Williamson was something of an AAP lifer (well, 29 years) and it must have been a shock not to be carried across to AAP 2.0, after the wire service was saved from closure by a consortium. The Coal India stock may not generate much steam this year. As power consumption fell sharply in the first quarter, with offices and factories closed, Coal Indias dispatches were hit, sliding 22% year-on-year (y-o-y). With economic activity likely to remain sluggish, demand for coal may stay low for a while, which will weigh on its stock price. Coal India shares are down 36% from January highs. Coal Indias Q1 revenue growth contracted 26% y-o-y, higher than what analysts had pencilled in. In addition, fuel supply agreement prices fell about 6% sequentially as demand from power plants slipped. The company has also cut its production expectations to about 650 million tonnes for the year from 700 million tonnes earlier. It produced about 195 million tonnes till August. Hence, it will have to ramp up production significantly to meet its target, which seems difficult. One positive is that economic activity is recovering, and power demand is almost back to 98% of pre-covid levels, which is encouraging for Coal India. Already, the firm has shown about 9% y-o-y improvement in growth during August. Still, with coal inventory at power plants quite high, it may not see offtake improve significantly this year. View Full Image Covid slump Analysts point out that revenue could shrink by about 9% this year. With higher costs and lower revenues, operating leverage is expected to get impacted. In Q1, in fact, adjusted operating profit halved from the year-ago period to 15.1%, due to negative operating leverage. E-auction premiums have come off. Given the drop in e-auction premiums, we might witness incremental pressure on Ebitda in Q2," said Siddharth Gadekar, analyst, Equirus Securities. But the company reported better-than-expected profit growth, thanks to a write-back in overburden expenses during Q1. Analysts point out that its cash position could improve in the second half, as receivables convert to cash. The company has cash of 33 per share. We believe that with liquidation of receivables in H2, the cash position shall improve and management shall be able to declare a dividend. We expect a dividend of 9.5 in FY21," said analysts at Emkay Global Financial Services in a client note. While Coal India shares have corrected sharply post the pandemic, its valuations have risen. With profits set to shrink this year, the stocks valuations have increased to a price-earning multiple of about 7 times FY21 earnings. This is higher than its historical averages of about 5 times. But if the company is able to maintain high dividend, yields can be fairly high. Using the estimated dividend mentioned by Emkay, the dividend yield works out to nearly 7% at the current share price of 136 apiece. But for the stocks re-rating, coal prices may need to increase significantly to bolster operating profit growth in the coming quarters. But given the economy is not fully recovered, we cannot expect a considerable uptick in prices this year. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their systems as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote, Trump told reporters. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. T he Duchess of Sussex is suing a picture agency over claims her privacy was breached when she was papped on a walk with son Archie and her dogs. Meghan has launched legal action against Splash News over the pictures, taken in January as she strolled in the woods in Vancouver with eight-month-old Archie strapped to her chest. The High Court in London heard this afternoon the Duchess claims her and her sons privacy was invaded during the incident and data protection laws were broken when the images were sold on to British newspapers. Setting out the basis of the claim, barrister Jonathan Barnes, representing Meghan and her son, told the hearing she denies suggestions that she agreed to the images being taken or acquiesced when she spotted Splash photographer Steve Dennett. They were papped in this location," he said. The photographs which are the first stage of the wrongful conduct we complain about took place in Vancouver. He said the Duchess argues they were on a private recreational route on Vancouver Island, close to the 10m mansion where they were staying. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holding their son Archie / PA The day before, Mr Dennett was at the private home of the claimants, doing what might be colloquially known as casing their home, taking photos through the security fence, said Mr Barnes. He wasnt at the park by accident. Mr Barnes said the images were sold by Splash to Associated Newspapers and News Group, publishers of the Mail and The Sun, and within hours of being taken had appeared in the MailOnline under the headline Meghan Markle beams as she takes her dogs for a walk with Archie in a baby carrier. That conduct, which is essentially trading of private information or personal data, all took place here," he said. Lawyers for the Duchess sent a cease and desist letter to Splash, but Mr Barnes said pleas to withdraw the pictures were ignored, sparking an application for the court for an injunction to stop the images being used again. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle PDAs 1 /48 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle PDAs Prince Harry kisses Meghan Markle as they leave St George's Chapel after their wedding in Windsor, England on May 19, 2018. AFP/Getty Images The Duchess and Duke of Sussex at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce the birth of their newborn Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photocall in St George's Hall, May 2018 Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry having a beach date at Bondi Beach, October 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share a giggle and hold hands at the Joff Youth Centre in Sussex, May 2018. Getty Images The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry visit Redwoods Treewalk in New Zeland holding hands in October 2018. SplashNews.com Prince Harry cheekily (though it could just be the camera angle) ushers his wife onto their plane in New Zealand on October 28, 2018. SplashNews.com Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle hold hands in their wedding carriage. AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get close visiting Edinburgh Castle in Scotland on February 13, 2018. Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry walk arm in arm while attending a charity fair in Nottingham, England on December 1, 2017. Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in 2017, where they appeared publicly for the first time. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a cuddle under the umbrella while watching aboriginal dances in Australia on October 17, 2018. AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go head to head at the UK Team Trials for the Invictus Games in Bath, England on April 6, 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during the official photocall after announcing their engagement in London, England on November 27, 2017. Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend a Christmas Day church service in King's Lynn, England on December 25, 2017. Getty Images Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hold hands on a walkabout at Cardiff Castle on January 18 2018, in Cardiff, Wales. Getty Images Meghan Markle holds hands with her husband, Prince Harry at the Royal Ascot in Ascot, England on June 18, 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry gazing at Meghan Markle in Fiji, October 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arm in arm after Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in Windsor, England on October 12, 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sneak a kiss at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on July 26, 2018 in Windsor, England. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand arm in arm at the Coach Core Awards in Loughborough, England on September 24, 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry gazing adoringly at Meghan Markle during her cookbook launch on September 20, 2018. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hold hands while visiting the Nechells Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham, UK on March 7, 2018. SplashNews.com Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hold hands while participating in the unveiling of The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy at Tupou College on October 26, 2018 in New Zealand. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hold hands while arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on October 28, 2018. Getty Images Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hold hands while walking out of Te Papaiouru Marae after attending a formal luncheon on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle secretly holding hands at the Cirque du Soleil Totem premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, January 16, 2019. Getty Images The royal couple have a small cuddle as they watch students play football during their visit to Lycee Qualifiant Grand Atlas, the local secondary school in Morocco Getty Images Meghan and Harry are arm in arm while visiting the Education For All boarding house for girls in Morocco Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk hand in hand for a reception hosted by the British Ambassador to Morocco at the British Residence during the second day of their tour of Morocco Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex try some food as they visit a cooking demonstration, where children from under-privileged backgrounds learn traditional Moroccan recipes Getty Images Meghan and Harry walk arm in arm during a visit in Morocco Getty Images Harry fixes Meghan's hair while they meet with an artisan during a visit to the Kasbah of the Udayas near the Moroccan capital AFP/Getty Images The royal couple hold hands on their way to attend the Commonwealth Service on Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey Getty Images These images about which objection is raised are still being syndicated, they could be bought and sold in this jurisdiction in two minutes time if necessary," he said. At todays hearing, where details of the legal action emerged for the first time, a judge ruled the Duchess lawyers could serve court papers on the LA-based operation of Splash News. The court heard the British arm of the agency has gone into administration during the pandemic, but Mr Barnes argued successfully that the American part of the agency could properly be sued in the English courts. The photo agency was not represented today, but Mr Barnes said several points of a possible defence had already been raised by its solicitors in a letter sent in February. He said it was suggested the Duchess and her son had no reasonable expectation of privacy, they may have agreed to the photos being taken, and the images were in the public interest and public debate was being assisted by use of the photographs. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex / Getty Images The photos emerged during heated debate about the future of Prince Harry and his wife, in particular whether they were entitled to publicly-funded protection after stepping back from Royal duties. The legal claim is being brought by the Duchess of Sussex and Archie, with both mother and father acting as litigation friends for their son. Loading.... Legal papers will now be served on Splash in the US, giving it a chance to file a defence to the privacy claim. Daniel Prude, a Black man from Chicago, died on March 30, seven days after Rochester police officers put a hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes during an arrest. Prude was naked, unarmed and handcuffed when three cops held him down and he became unresponsive; the Monroe County medical examiners office classified his death as a homicide. Public outrage didnt ensue until nearly six months later, when video of the incident was released on Wednesday. In between that time, questions about police use of force and racial injustice have sparked nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. Why did it take so long for Prude to get national attention? Prudes family and Free the People ROC publicly accused the Rochester Police Department of covering up the case for months shortly after the video was released Wednesday. They called for all the officers involved in Prudes arrest and the alleged coverup to be fired, plus charges for the three officers who held him down. Joe Prude, brother of Daniel Prude, right, and his son Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y., on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. Prude suffocated after police in Rochester put a "spit hood" over his head while being taken into custody. He died March 30, after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police.AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey WHEC reports members of the Community Justice Initiative, joined by members of the Black Lives Matter movement, further called for Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and Rochester Police Department Chief LaRon Singletary to step down from their jobs. The lack of transparency, her disinvolvement and stoppage of community leaders admittance into yesterdays private press conference and not addressing nor acknowledging the Prude family shows Mayor Lovely (Warren) is disingenuine, a traitor to the Rochester Black and Brown community and can no longer be trusted to lead our city, and we demand her resignation, effective immediately, Jasmine Holliman of the Community Justice Initiative said Thursday. The group also demanded police reform, including the introduction of Daniels Law, which would create a mental health task force with medical personnel specialized in aiding the de-escalation of such incidents. Daniel Prude, 41, suffered from mental health issues and was under the influence of the hallucinogen phencyclidine, or PCP, at the time of his arrest. WHAM reports Warren and Singletary denied attempting to cover up the incident. Singletary said he called Warren the morning after Prudes arrest, and RPD launched both criminal and internal investigations immediately. Warren and Singletary said the delay in making information about the incident public was due to the case being taken over by the New York State Attorney Generals Office. I want everyone to understand and be very clear that at no point in time did we feel this was something we wanted not to disclose, Warren said Wednesday. This is not something thats in our wheelhouse, in our control, at this moment in time. However, the Democrat & Chronicle points out that the city and police department are not prohibited from conducting internal investigations or taking temporary disciplinary action as it awaits the state investigation, which can take a year or longer to conclude. As of Wednesday, none of the officers involved have been suspended or faced other disciplinary action. The Rochester newspaper reports the AGs office took on the case April 16 after Prudes death was determined to be caused in part by asphyxiation. Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order on July 15 for State Attorney General Letitia James to determine whether police conduct was proper, or criminal, in the incident; Cuomo said Wednesday that he hadnt seen the video at the time he referred the case to James. The D&C notes that nothing in Cuomos July order, or a similar executive order in 2015 related to the Eric Garner case, prevent a public disclosure of the death involved in the investigation. But there is also no rule that a law enforcement agency must issue a public statement related to deaths, including those involving people in custody, which is typically not done in cases of a drug overdose or death by suicide. The case became public Wednesday when Prudes family released the video and documentation it obtained in preparation for a civil lawsuit. Elliot Shields, an attorney representing the family, told Rochester First that a notice of claim has been filed with the city to pursue a wrongful death suit. Prudes brother accused officers of committing cold blooded murder. I placed the phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched, Joe Prude said Wednesday. When I say get lynched, that was full fledged, murder, cold blooded nothing other than cold blooded murder. The man is defenseless, naked on the ground, cuffed up already. I mean come on, how many brothers got to die for society to understand that this needs to stop? Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday welcomed a plea by retired police officers to the Bombay High Court seeking a restraint on the media trial in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. Deshmukh compared the Mumbai police to Scotland Yard Police, which is considered to be one of the best forces in the world, and condemned how they were targeted in Rajputs case. Maharashtra Police & Mumbai Police have a reputation. Maharashtra Police is compared to Scotland Yard Police. The manner in which Mumbai Police was targeted in Sushant Singh Rajput case, I welcome the PIL filed by retired IPS officers, the state home minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Five former director generals of police (DGP) of Maharashtra, two former commissioners of Mumbai police and a former anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief have moved a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court against the media trial in Rajputs death investigation. Former DGPs PS Pasricha, K Subramaniam, D Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, Satish Chandra Mathur; former commissioners of Mumbai police Mahesh N Singh, Dhananjay N Jadhav, and former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi filed the PIL on Monday. Their plea accuses the media of indulging in biased coverage of the incident and trying to influence the probe by creating false propaganda. This has created an air of suspicion in the minds of general public as to the facts of the case under investigation and also about the Mumbai Police, health services and other support services of the state, the PIL states. The retired police officers have said that the irresponsible media coverage has led to damage to Mumbai polices image. The plea also states that the media trial has resulted into a parallel investigation being carried out by private individuals, rendering opinions, exposing material witnesses and divulging crucial pieces of evidence which, in turn, hampers the work of investigating agencies. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the death of Rajput who was found dead at his Bandra apartment on June 14. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are also investigating the money laundering and drug-related angle alongside. Expands engineering services portfolio by strengthening presence in Medical devices, Consumer and Industrial markets across US BENGALURU, India and CINCINNATI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kaleidoscope Innovation, a full-spectrum product design, development and insights firm innovating across medical, consumer and industrial markets, bolstering capabilities in the design of smart products. This acquisition demonstrates Infosys' commitment to innovate for its clients, and make a meaningful impact on human lives by combining cutting-edge technologies and experiences to revolutionize patient care, treatment, diagnostics and consumer health across the world. Kaleidoscope Innovation brings to Infosys a diverse talent pool with extensive knowledge of design and engineering. The company leverages a deep understanding of clinical environments, strong product development capabilities across domains, and a consultancy-style approach addressing human factors, product design, UI/UX design, research & insight, development and visualization. It serves a marquee and diversified customer base with state of the art, in-house labs, 3D design environments and customer experience centers. Kaleidoscope designs microsurgical instruments, devices used in minimally invasive surgery, drug delivery devices for ophthalmic therapies and user-centric wearables. It also offers usability testing in support of regulatory submissions, including the delivery mechanism for aortic stents. Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys, said, "This acquisition further strengthens our digital offerings at the intersection of new software technologies and medical devices - a sector that is expected to witness significant investments and consumerization in the post-COVID era. Our clients will benefit from the combination of Kaleidoscope's strong upstream offerings of product innovation and design, and Infosys' stack of product engineering, validation and commercialisation services at a global scale. We are excited to welcome Kaleidoscope Innovation and its leadership team into the Infosys family, as part of Infosys Engineering Services portfolio." Nitesh Bansal, SVP & Global Head of Engineering, Infosys, said, "Device engineering for both the consumer and medical industries has been a critical success parameter for our clients. The addition of upstream concept design and human factors engineering, through this acquisition not only provides us end-to-end capability, but also creates an engagement engine dedicated towards innovation and growth in this sector." Matt Kornau, CEO & Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Innovation said, "We are enthusiastic about our exciting new partnership with Infosys. It allows us to scale quickly and bring expanded offerings in AI, Analytics, and Digital Infrastructure to our clients. Kaleidoscope has always valued the ability to enhance people's lives and their outcomes through innovation. We feel Infosys shares these same values and will open new avenues for our client partners, and our staff, to pursue larger opportunities together. We will remain dedicated to serving as good partners to other companies, large and small, as we continue to meet our mission." Bill Taylor, Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Innovation added, "Infosys provides an exciting platform for us to extend our relationship with our Business Partners to address the productization of solutions they have been asking us to deliver. Having the technical prowess and bandwidth to offer solutions that address manufacturability and lifecycle management will benefit all parties. We can now offer them the scale needed for both front end innovation and back end implementation and sustainability" The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. About Kaleidoscope Innovation Kaleidoscope Innovation is a full-service product development firm innovating across medical, consumer and industrial markets. For over 30 years, clients have partnered with Kaleidoscope to improve the human experience. Kaleidoscope offers both consultancy-style and onsite services, across a full breadth of disciplines to meet their client's needs where needed, including insights & human factors, medical affairs, industrial design & user experience, engineering, visualization and software development. For more information about Kaleidoscope Innovation, please visit www.kascope.com 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 ISG survey finds insurers expecting significant demand for digital products and services LONDON, Sept. 03, 2020)), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. Eighty-six percent of the European insurance executives surveyed by ISG expect customer behavior to change significantly due to the COVID-19 crisis. And more than 95 percent fully or partially agree that their customers want more digital products and services. "No customer likes long waiting times, filling out numerous forms and long and confusing contract clauses," says Johanna von Geyr, partner and co-lead of the EMEA Banking, Financial Services & Insurance industry practice at ISG. "The recent digitization of everyday life-be it working from home or shopping-is also changing the expectations of insurance customers in a significant and lasting way." More than nine in 10 of those responding believe the COVID-19 crisis will accelerate digital innovations in the industry. Meanwhile, 64 percent of the respondents assume the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses will last longer than a year. Another 21 percent expect the effects to last between seven and 12 months. "The current crisis has left many insurance customers unsettled," says Bryn Barlow, partner and co-lead of the EMEA Banking, Financial Services & Insurance industry practice at ISG. "As a result, many insurance companies are questioning their long-established business relationships." More than 60 percent of those surveyed expect some of their business partners to disappear from the market as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, even as other companies take their place, with the new firms a combination of vendors, insurtechs and IT service providers. The survey results are detailed in a report, "COVID-19 Pulse Check: State of the EMEA Insurance Industry," authored by von Geyr and Barlow. The report notes that some 2,500 insurance start-ups have entered the EMEA market in the last two years, providing innovative solutions that mostly have supplemented the product portfolios and value chains of the established market leaders. About 65 percent of those surveyed see the COVID-19 crisis opening the door to these new market entrants-insurtechs and other online disruptors-to develop new, competing offerings. European insurance providers believe their competitiveness depends on improved and simplified customer experiences, according to the survey. More than three quarters of those responding rate improve customer experience as important, while more than 74 percent also see automation and digitization as important. More than 60 percent want to invest in digital customer experience technologies, and more than half want to invest in cloud transformation technologies. Meanwhile, nearly half want to invest in data analytics, machine learning, or artificial intelligence. In addition, half of those responding rated stability of operations as important. Cost savings, meanwhile, was seen as a priority by only a quarter of those surveyed. While those surveyed expect major changes because of the COVID-19 crisis, most expect traditional sales channels to remain in place. In Europe, more than half of all insurance policies are currently sold through insurance agents, and about 84 percent of those surveyed believe their companies will continue to sell through multiple channels. Only 16 percent expect a significant push toward direct insurance sales. As part of its survey, conducted in collaboration with Infosys, ISG interviewed 290 decision-makers with insurance companies from six European countries in late May and early June. The full report, "COVID-19 Pulse Check: State of the EMEA Insurance Industry," is available for download here. ISG Research subscribers may access the report on this webpage. About ISG ISG) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world's top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries-a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com. Pioneering new research has revealed the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted rings. An international team of experts, led by astronomers at the University of Exeter, has identified a stellar system where planet formation might take place in inclined dust and gas rings within a warped circumstellar disc around multiple stars. A view from a potential planet around this system will give the observer a stunning view of a tilted, multiple stellar constellation - similar to Star Wars' Tatooine. The results were made possible thanks to observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), Georgia State University's Center for High-Angular Resolution Astronomy telescope array (CHARA), and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The research is the first output of a large programme on young stellar system that uses a pioneering infrared imager, called MIRC-X, that combines the light from all six telescopes of the CHARA telescope array. MIRC-X has been built by the Universities of Michigan and Exeter as part of a European Research Council-funded research project. The instrument has been designed to give new insights into how star and planet formation is taking place within the rotating, circumstellar discs of dense dust and gas surrounding young stars. Our Solar System is remarkably flat, with the planets all orbiting in the same plane. However, this is not always the case, especially for planet-forming discs around multiple stars, like the object of the new study: GW Orionis. This system, located just 1,200 light-years away in the constellation of Orion, has three stars and a deformed, broken-apart disc surrounding them. Stefan Kraus, professor of astrophysics at the University of Exeter, who led the research published today in Science, said: "We're really excited that our new MIRC-X imager has provided the sharpest view yet of this intriguing system and revealed the gravitational dance of the three stars in the system. Normally, planets form around a flat disc of swirling dust and gas- yet our images reveal an extreme case where the disc is not flat at all.", said Stefan Kraus, "Instead it is warped and has a misaligned ring that has broken away from the disc. The misaligned ring is located in the inner part of the disc, close to the three stars. The effect is that the view of a potential planet within this ring looks remarkably like that of Tatooine, of Star Wars fame." The team observed the system with the SPHERE instrument on ESO's VLT and with ALMA, and were able to image the inner ring and confirm its misalignment. The team observed shadows that this ring casts on the rest of the disc. This helped them figure out the 3D shape of the rings and overall disc geometry. The new research reveals that this inner ring contains 30 Earth masses of dust, which could be enough to form planets. Alexander Kreplin of the University of Exeter, said: "Any planets formed within the misaligned ring will orbit the star on highly oblique orbits and we predict that many planets on oblique, wide-separation orbits will be discovered in future planet imaging surveys. "Since more than half of stars in the sky are born with one or more companions, this raises an exciting prospect: there could be an unknown population of exoplanets that orbit their stars on very inclined and distant orbits." To reach these conclusions, the team observed GW Orionis for over 11 years and mapped the orbit of the stars with unprecedented precision. Alison Young, a member of the team from the Universities of Exeter and Leicester, said: "We found that the three stars do not orbit in the same plane, but their orbits are misaligned with respect to each other and with respect to the disc." The international team, with researchers from the UK, Belgium, Chile, France and the US, then combined their exhaustive observations with computer simulations to understand what had happened to the system. For the first time, they were able to clearly link the observed misalignments to the theoretical 'disc-tearing effect', which suggests that the conflicting gravitational pull of stars in different planes can warp and break their surrounding disc. "We conducted simulations that show that the misalignment in the orbits of the three stars could cause the disc around them to break into distinct rings. This is what we see in the observations.", said Matthew Bate, professor of theoretical astrophysics at Exeter, who carried out some of the computer simulations on the system. "The observed shape of the inner ring also matches predictions on how the disc would tear." ### The research was presented in the paper "A triple star system with a misaligned and warped circumstellar disk shaped by disk tearing" that is published in the journal, Science. President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday received credentials from six envoys recently posted to Kenya. The President received diplomatic accreditation documents from Ambassadors Valentin Zellweger (Switzerland), Ole Thonke (Denmark) and Caroline Vicini (Sweden) at State House, Nairobi. Ambassadors Zhou Pingjian (China), Marten Brouwer (Netherlands) and High Commissioner John Stephen Simbachawene of Tanzania also presented their credentials. The President welcomed the new envoys and wished them a successful tour of duty in Kenya and restated the countrys strong commitment to multilateralism. The Head of State challenged the new envoys to work towards deepening existing strong bilateral ties between Kenya and their respective countries. The new Swiss Ambassador Valentin Zellweger congratulated President Kenyatta for the countrys sustained fight against Covid-19 and, outlined trade promotion and strengthening of Kenyas devolved governance system as his immediate priorities as he settles down in Nairobi. Ambassador Ole Thonke of Denmark said his focus will be to enhance his countrys support for Kenyas Covid-19 interventions, deepen support for climate change mitigation efforts and partner with the private sector in employment creation initiatives. The new Swedish ambassador Caroline Vicini said her focus will be growing Kenyas distinct profile as a regional hub for innovations and business start-ups while Amb Marten Brouwer of the Netherlands outlined expanded access of Kenyas exports into Europe through his country as his top priority. On his part, Amb Zhou Pingjian said China will continue supporting Kenyas development programs especially Vision 2030 and Big 4 agenda aligned projects. High Commissioner Dr John Stephen Simbachawene of Tanzania said his focus will be enhancing cross-border trade and increased people-to-people interactions between the two East African nations. The ceremony at State House, Nairobi was attended by Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo, Principal Secretary Amb Macharia Kamau and State House Comptroller Kinuthia Mbugua among other senior state officials. A random survey of 1,028 SME owner-managers and Senior Executives in the UK found that when freelancers make up at least 11% of a companys workforce, that firms productivity will increase. This in turn generates greater profits, as the research revealed that the average productivity of firms with at least 11% of their workforce being freelancers was 4,669 higher per employee than firms with less than 11% freelancers working for them. According to research from Professor Andrew Burke, Chair of Business Studies and Dean at Trinity Business School, and Marc Cowling, Professor of Business Economics at the College of Business, Law, and Social Sciences University of Derby, the use of freelancers enhances employment growth by improving productivity. The researchers also found that, contrary to the traditional view that freelancers take jobs from others, jobs created by firms in the UK above the 11% threshold was 914,400, which equates to 1.2 additional new jobs per firm. According to the researchers, when firms use freelancers to add-to existing workforces and output, as opposed to simply using them as a replacement for someone else, there is a clear improvement in the performance of that firm. Commenting on the research, Chair of Business Studies and Dean at Trinity Business School, Professor Andrew Burke said, "People normally associate the use of freelancers with employment destruction as they are perceived as doing work that otherwise could have been done by employees. This view overlooks another different type of freelancer who works in sync with employees but brings expertise and innovation not available within firms and on a swift basis thereby enabling these businesses to innovate, grow faster and ultimately create more employee jobs. Our research is the first empirical research to see which type of freelancing effect dominates." He added, "Using UK data, we find that there is a positive net effect of freelancing on employment creation but to generate these gains firms have needed to take a deliberate strategic initiative to adopt a freelance intensive workforce model comprising of at least 11% by freelancers." Source: www.businessworld.ie Four different actresses - including Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander - channel feminist icon Gloria Steinem in Julie Taymor's biopic The Glorias, which starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video/VOD on September 30. The 59-year-old Oscar winner - who most resembles the 86-year-old women's rights activist - portrays her after age 40. The 31-year-old Oscar winner plays Gloria from ages 2040 when she co-founded Ms. magazine and helped campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment. Double take! Four different actresses - including Alicia Vikander (L) and Julianne Moore (R) - channel feminist icon Gloria Steinem in Julie Taymor's biopic The Glorias, which starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video/VOD on September 30 The trailer - which dropped Thursday - did not include the teenage and child versions of Steinem played by Lulu Wilson and Ryan Kira Armstrong, respectively. 'They are able to interact with each other, literally sit next to each other on that Greyhound bus traveling to the next march on Washington, or rally against abortion laws, or protest against injustices or conference on the equal amendment rights,' the 67-year-old filmmaker told People on Wednesday. 'They also can take each other's place in the middle of a scene.' The legendary Bette Midler - who's only an Oscar away from EGOT status - took on the role of New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug, who co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus with Gloria. 'The truth will set you free but first it will p*** you off': The 59-year-old Oscar winner - who most resembles the 86-year-old women's rights activist - portrays her after age 40 Swedish stunner: The 31-year-old Oscar winner plays Gloria from ages 2040 when she co-founded Ms. magazine and helped campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment The 67-year-old filmmaker told People on Wednesday: 'The [different Glorias] are able to interact with each other...They also can take each other's place in the middle of a scene' Orange Is the New Black scene stealer Lorraine Toussaint portrays lawyer Florynce 'Flo' Kennedy, who also helped found the National Women's Political Caucus. R&B songstress Janelle Monae (Harriet, Hidden Figures) plays the co-founder of Ms. magazine, Dorothy Pitman Hughes. 'Gloria is a living leader - a hero because she carved out her course in life against many odds and made it work for herself and for millions of women,' Taymor told the mag. Yasss! The legendary Bette Midler - who's only an Oscar away from EGOT status - took on the role of New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug, who co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus with Gloria Lecturer: Orange Is the New Black scene stealer Lorraine Toussaint portrays lawyer Florynce 'Flo' Kennedy, who also helped found the National Women's Political Caucus 'Yes we can!' R&B songstress Janelle Monae (Harriet, Hidden Figures) plays the co-founder of Ms. magazine, Dorothy Pitman Hughes Taymor told the mag: 'Gloria is a living leader - a hero because she carved out her course in life against many odds and made it work for herself and for millions of women' 'Her humility, her ability to listen, her humor, her ease with she moves across cultural, racial and gender lines. She is the great communicator. I love her positive attitude to conflict. She is always looking to 'the upside of the downside' and one of her great expressions is, "The truth will set you free but first it will p*** you off."' The Glorias feels a bit like deja vu considering the nine-episode FX miniseries Mrs. America, which aired April-May on Hulu, also featured portrayals of Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Flo Kennedy. Mrs. America is nominated for six trophies at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards - airing September 20 on ABC - including for frontrunner Cate Blanchett who played anti-feminist Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly. Not to be confused with: The Glorias feels a bit like deja vu considering the nine-episode FX miniseries Mrs. America, which aired April-May on Hulu, also featured portrayals of Gloria Steinem, Flo Kennedy, and Bella Abzug The Supreme Court on Thursday said that Universities were free to conduct examinations for the semester or terminal examinations for promoting the first and second-year students in undergraduate or postgraduate courses. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, and MR Shah said, The University Grants Commission (UGC) has left it to the discretion of the Universities to conduct examinations for the 1st and 2nd-year students. If they want to hold the examination, we cant stop them. This is not a ground for judicial review. Read More: NEET, JEE 2020 to go on as scheduled, SC dismisses review plea by ministers against conducting exams The Court was hearing a PIL filed by a student Ayush Yesudas who claimed that as per the UGC Guidelines of April 27, 2020 students in the 1st and 2nd year of undergraduate/postgraduate courses have to be assessed purely on basis of internal assessment and not an examination. This decision was taken in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country. Also Watch | NTA officials monitor day one of JEE exams amid Covid pandemic The bench said that this issue was dealt with by its August 14 judgment where it upheld the UGCs July 6 Guideline mandating examinations for the final year students in UG/PG courses. At the same time, Universities were given the freedom to hold examinations for promoting students n the previous years. The April 27 UGC Guidelines said, For intermediate semester/year students, the Universities may conduct examinations, after making a comprehensive assessment of their level of preparedness, residential status of the students, status of COVID-19 pandemic spread in different region / state and other factors. In case the situation does not appear to be normal in view of COVID-19, in order to maintain social distancing, safety and health of the students, grading of the students could be composite of 50% marks on the basis of the pattern of internal evaluation adopted by the universities and the remaining 50% marks can be awarded on the basis of performance in previous semester only (if available). The petitioner cited this to state, The COVID-19 situation is still not normal. Holding examinations in these circumstances will amount to a violation of UGC Guidelines. The bench dismissed the petition saying, This Court cannot be expected to start monitoring the examination of each college. Holding the examination does not violate the UGC Guideline. The decision of the UGC to prescribe mandatory conduct of final year examinations as per its July 6 decision was challenged in the Supreme Court by University students and teachers associations, besides political outfits such as Yuva Sena. As per the UGC directive, final year examinations were to be conducted before September 30 through online, offline, or by combining both methods. In view of the COVID-19 situation, Delhi and Maharashtra governments issued orders canceling the examinations for final year students and directed their assessment to be done through internal assessment. The Court upheld the UGCs order directing the holding of examinations for final year students. The decision of Delhi and Maharashtra to cancel the examinations was upheld. However, the Court held that they cannot issue direction for promoting students, which falls within the jurisdiction of UGC. The Court allowed states to write to UGC seeking further extension of time for holding examinations in view of the COVID-19 situation prevailing in their respective areas. By Alan MacLeod September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Writing in the Washington Post , pro-war columnist Josh Rogin appeared relieved that Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate for Novemberas opposed to a progressive like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, who would have called for cutting military budgets, fewer US interventions and the withdrawal of troops stationed abroad. Biden and Harris, he explained, will together pursue a robust foreign policy agenda. Harris is described approvingly by one source as pragmatic (another media codewordFAIR.org, 8/21/19), and together, Rogin notes, she and Biden can prove that muscular liberalism is still the right approach. What that actually means in practice, he is a little vague on, though he does suggest that will entail aggressively confronting nuclear powers Russia and China. Muscular, along with similar words like robust, are commonly used in political reporting, especially with regards to foreign policy. They are inherently positive descriptions, conveying strength and confidence, their opposites being weak, feeble or decrepit. It is obvious which have the better connotations. This is a real problem, because all too regularly the words are used as euphemisms to sugarcoat inflicting violence around the world. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Often the consequences of such a policy are not stated, as when CBS News (6/17/16) reported that John Kerry recommended a more muscular US role in Syria, or when a guest on the Rachel Maddow Show (6/18/14) described former Vice President Dick Cheney as wishing for a more muscular policy for the US in Iraq. Thus, when CBSs Face the Nation (3/23/18) aired a segment entitled, Trump Surrounding Himself With More Muscular Foreign Policy Team, a naif or a foreigner might be forgiven for thinking Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzenegger was advising the president. And when the BBC (12/18/17) reported on the USs muscular engagement with the world, they were not describing a new workout plan. Sometimes, however, journalists made explicit what such a foreign policy would consist of. The New York Times (5/14/15), for instance, described Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio as offering a robust and muscular foreign policy, including the end of normalization with Cuba, a hike in military spending and reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. The Times is a repeat offender in whitewashing the Florida senators often disturbing policies; in 2019 it described his advocacy for further sanctions and military intervention in Venezuela as muscular policy tools (New York Times, 1/29/19). By this time, the sanctions had already killed an estimated 40,000 people and would go on to kill over 100,000. What about blocking the import of medicines is muscular? Sociopathic might be a better adjective. Support for regime change in Venezuela is bipartisan, however, with Bloombergs Eli Lake (8/3/20) recently noting that support for a democratic transition there would be more steadfast under a Biden administration. The result of muscular and robust policies can also be seen all over the Middle East. In 2017, Trump reversed his earlier promise to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, instead announcing his own surge, having just dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in human history on the country. The Washington Post (8/21/17) described his decision as muscular but vague. On Syria, the New York Times (4/21/17) pondered whether a more or less muscular approach would bring better results. And when Trump ordered B-52 bombers to Irans doorstep, CBS anchor Margaret Brennan (5/12/19) asked a guest what he thought of the presidents muscular response to Iranian provocation. Or you can also read about Saudi Arabias muscular foreign policy in Yemen (LA Times, 4/20/15, 8/11/19; BBC, 4/21/15), thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. Likewise, on one of the many recent occasions when Israel bombed Gaza, the Washington Post (3/26/19) noted that some Israeli politicians were calling for an even more muscular responsecombining the muscular media trope with the convention that the US and its allies never initiate violence themselves, but only ever respond to enemy provocation (FAIR.org, 6/6/19, 8/21/20). So reflexive is this media whitewashing of state violence that it is even applied to official enemies. For instance, in an article explaining the rise of Russian president Vladimir Putin, CNN (8/8/19) wrote: What explained Putins surge in popularity over those crucial early months? One factor was clear: Putins muscular response to domestic terrorism. That muscular response, CNN explicitly stated, included when Russian forces leveled the [Chechen] rebel capital of Grozny, which is thought to have killed around 9,000 people. The word is also sometimes used in reference to domestic programs as well, but generally only when involving oppressing the powerless. In 2012, Fox News (1/10/12) reported that immigration activists were unhappy with President Barack Obamas muscular deportation policy (which saw more people deported than ever before). Likewise, in the wake of masked federal agents abducting people off Portlands streets, the New Yorker (7/24/20) worried about the ever more muscular immigration-enforcement presence in US life. While advocating wholesale violence is robust or muscular in media speak, opposing it is inherently weak and worthy of condemnation. A case in point is Bernie Sanders, whose weak foreign policy, according to Business Insider (3/15/20), was a serious black mark against him. Examples of his weakness, it noted, include an obvious commitment to rejoin the Iran deal and ending Saudi attacks on Yemen. More scandalous, apparently, were his controversial comments on Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba, comments that amounted to not endorsing US regime change efforts against sovereign nations. This, for Business Insider columnist and former US diplomat Brett Bruen, made him a unserious presidential candidate. And while Rogin and the WaPo might have described Biden as robust on foreign policy, Trump did not see it that way; the president this month telling Fox Business (8/18/20) his opponent was weak on the issue. The reason? Biden would pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran, like Obama did. There is nothing inherently strong about destroying or terrorizing other nations, and nothing weak about opposing it. But our hawkish corporate media continue to present it as such, therefore subtly manufacturing consent for continued conflicts around the world. The next time you hear someone on corporate media praising a muscular, or robust foreign policy, be on the alert: They might be trying to sell you another war. Texas officials will gather soon for the next state legislature, and members from the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce met to discuss what some of their priorities will be going into the 2021 session. Taylor Landin, chief public policy officer at the Greater Houston Partnership, met with chamber members to talk about their priorities, and said next years session would be different due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Looking ahead: Tomball EDC, City Council discuss three-year, one-year strategic plans One of the biggest unknowns about the upcoming session is we have no idea what COVID is going to mean in terms of operations of the session, Landin said. The pandemic means there could be limited access to the Capitol. Typically, cities will have their own day where they go to the capitol to express their needs and important issues, but Landin said that may not happen this year. There could also be a limited scope of this years session due to the pandemic, he said, meaning the state legislature could just address budget items. A budget is all the Texas legislature is required to pass when they meet every other year. The state budget will also be significantly reduced from the last session, Landin said. State agencies were asked over the summer to send budgets with significant cuts and the state comptroller released his budget estimates in July, which had a $4.59 billion shortfall. Redistricting is another issue the legislature is supposed to address, but because of the pandemic, Landin said it may have to be done in a special session later in 2021. Had things unfolded normally, most of the session would have been animated by this redistricting conversation, Landin said. It gets political very quickly and slows down the pace of which things can get done in the legislature. On HoustonChronicle.com: Republicans ask Texas Supreme Court to boot Libertarians off ballot Landin said the Greater Houston Partnership would be focused on preserving HB 3 passed last session, which helped implement literacy programs, compensatory education and teacher incentives. Along with that, they will also be advocating for energy competitiveness, to help create an approach to a clear path for permitting for energy projects to attract capital investment to Texas. We need to make a handful of changes so Texas can be as competitive on these projects as North Dakota and Louisiana, Landin said. Tomball City Manager Rob Hauck said one of the important issues from last session that was damaging to Tomball was the taking away of local control from city governments. One example he gave was the taking away of cities rights to require facade standards on their major roadways, which he said helped draw businesses and developers to Tomball, knowing they wont have unsightly buildings built next to their properties. Economic development in the region: Central East Texas Alliance works to grow biomedical presence along route from Houston to Waco I just believe that we as the Houston area know whats best for our areas, Hauck said. GTACC President Bruce Hillegeist said Tomball has advocated for more local control for years. State officials still want that control and power, Hillegeist said. We just feel like (Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack) Cagle is hired and he knows our county best and Mayor Fagan is hired and she knows our city best. Colleen Gilbert, who leads the chambers government & legislative affairs committee, said the chamber would pull together priorities important to Tomball before the session starts in January. Were gonna have to figure out a way to advocate, Gilbert said. Its gonna be a weird session. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com After U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley in January publicly revealed she had alopecia, an auto-immune disease that attacks hair follicles, she was harassed by cyberbullies and Twitter trolls, whom she shot down with a selfie and a confident glare: You really think I look like Mr. Clean? Please. He never looked THIS clean. Pressley posted another viral tweet Wednesday night in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month. Let me drop an alopecia selfie flex, she said. Yall stay mad on my timeline. I get it. Who needs hair with these cheekbones? Folks want to know which bathroom I use. Obviously, the one where royalty enters. (Shout out) to my Alopecia Squad, 7 million strong. Let me drop an alopecia selfie flex. Ya'll stay mad on my timeline. I get it. Who needs hair with these cheekbones? Folks want to know which bathroom I use. Obviously, the one where royalty enters. S/O to my Alopecia Squad, 7million strong. #alopeciaawarenessmonth pic.twitter.com/2jrvAJsRXd Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) September 2, 2020 In a January interview with The Root, Pressley, Massachusettss first black congresswoman, said she wanted to be freed from the secret and the shame that the secret carries with it. As a Black woman, the personal is political. My hair story is no exception. Sharing a very personal story today to create space for others: https://t.co/1sh11Q1Qp2 Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 16, 2020 Pressley wanted to help the nearly 7 million with alopecia while also being open, because her previous hairstyle, Senegalese twists, had become such a synonymous and a conflated part of not only my personal identity and how I show up in the world, but my political brand. And thats why I think its important that Im transparent about this new normal & living with alopecia. Alopecia is a common autoimmune skin disease that can cause hair loss on the scalp, face and other areas, impacting otherwise healthy people, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. It affects as many as 6.8 million people of all ages, both sexes and ethnic groups. For Pressley, the last bits of her hair fell out the night before the House of Representatives voted on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, she said. I didnt have the luxury of mourning what felt like the loss of a limb, Pressley said at the time. It was a moment of transformation not of my choosing. She told The Root at the time that she was making progress every day and that her alopecia journey was about self-agency, its about power, its about acceptance. By Thursday morning, Pressleys selfie flex had been liked on Twitter more than 137,000 times and retweeted nearly 8,000 times. While the post generated some trolling comments, it quickly inspired hundreds of people to share their own hair loss stories either due to alopecia or chemotherapy treatments. The responses included many parents sharing photos and talking about their children grappling with the disease, and thanking Pressley for sharing her story. Thank you!!! My son has been bald since he was 5 due to this capricious disease. He initially wore durags for the 1st year. One day he just said he wanted to go naked...he took off his durag. He rocks his look with his amazing green eyes and beautifully symmetrically shaped-head! whirlwind (@nxinva) September 2, 2020 Alopecia strong! My beautiful girl. Although, she has hair now after 8 years of being beautifully bald. What a great role model you are for all of these young women! pic.twitter.com/2WR0lL6qpe Jennifer Palumbo (@jgmp1971) September 2, 2020 Thank you for being an advocate for this disease, Heather Nesle responded to Pressley. My son lost all of his hair at 6 and it was super hard. I admire your courage and strength and am so grateful for your advocacy. When you shared your story of your hair loss and final acceptance earlier this year, it was so inspiring, especially for me who has alopecia hair loss, and then loss from chemo last year. Chemo hair growing back, but Ill always have my alopecia bald spots. pic.twitter.com/IL1LgOK37k Michelle Heinz (@MikalaTweeter) September 3, 2020 Related Content: When Virginia Miller hosts a weekly cocktail hour on the front stoop of her Victorian building in San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury district, her neighbors arrive with masks, glassware and ice. Miller, a food and drinks writer, mixes up a different concoction from the alcohol samples she receives every week to review. She pours it into spirits bottles that are set outside next to hand sanitizer. Guests help themselves to both before they take a spot on the stoop or sidewalk, which are big enough for everyone to socialize at an appropriate distance. Welcome to entertaining in 2020. Your typical gathering or backyard barbeque likely looks much different today than it did last summer if it happens at all. But after spending the last six months largely under shelter-in-place orders, the value of social interaction has swelled in many peoples risk-benefit analysis. While the decision to attend or host a gathering depends on individual vulnerabilities and risk tolerance, experts say safe get-togethers are possible with the right precautions. Its so important that people do get together and try to just for their mental health, says Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease specialist at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. I understand all that, and you cant make it 100% safe, but you can really mitigate the danger tremendously. Holding any gathering outdoors in the COVID-19 era is key. The risk of infectious contamination outside is much lower in general than inside, says Dr. Mark Cullen, founding director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences. You have to worry about direct contact with people and their fluids, but you dont have to worry about whats lurking in the air because it diffuses outdoors pretty quickly. Swartzberg and Cullen recommend that the guest list is kept small for instance, 10-12 people or fewer and reflect the space available for social distancing and local public health orders. In San Francisco, for example, outdoor gatherings arent supposed to exceed six people eating and drinking within 6 feet of each other if they are from different households. Alameda County allows outdoor gatherings for up to 12 people if they are part of the same social bubble, which is a group of people from more than one household who only socialize with each other. Safeguards become more critical if any guests are high-risk, such as those with underlying health conditions or over 60. Communicate with your guests on appropriate behavior ahead of time Consider guests COVID values, says Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF. Do they share the same outlook on COVID-19 and take similar precautions? For example, a host may delicately ask potential guests whether they usually wear masks when theyre out, maintain social distance or if theyve attended many indoor parties. Inviting people in COVID times is all about trust, Chin-Hong says. Its almost like dating. You have to trust the other family that you invite. Then, reiterate to guests beforehand any rules for social distancing, mask wearing and seating arrangements. And remind everyone to stay home if they are sick. Also, be clear to your guests about who they can bring along; last-minute tagalongs like roommates or neighbors should also get this information. I think the main thing is that people should not bring unknown noses and mouths close to you, your family or your pod, Chin-Hong says. How to prepare for seating (and the need for bathroom trips) Arrange the outdoor seating so that people within a household or pod are spaced at least 6 feet apart from other pods the more space the better. Stock each pod area with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Try to reduce the number of guests who set foot in the home. Direct guests to enter through a gate if possible when they arrive. Once they take a seat, they should largely stay put, other than to use the restroom. At the risk of a few insects, Cullen recommends leaving doors open so guests can enter the house to use the bathroom without touching doors or screens. Open bathroom windows and leave out soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and disposable hand towels, along with a place for their disposal. Let one person use the bathroom at a time, and make sure they wear a mask at all times. What to do about food and drink. Once guests sit down, they should have everything they need within reach. Everyone should wear masks when they arent eating or drinking. In one scenario, the host could serve food and drinks to each pod, either individually or family style with a platter of food and a round of drinks. The lowest-risk option would be for each pod to bring its own food, drinks, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and disposable utensils, cups and plates, Swartzberg says. Avoid putting all food and drinks in one place where guests have to congregate. If thats not doable, let each pod serve itself one at a time like a buffet. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Theres no reason that alcohol cant be served in moderation. Just keep in mind that alcohol is a diuretic, which increases bathroom use, and a disinhibitive, meaning it could make people lax about following the rules. Its good practice for people to sanitize their hands after touching common utensils or surfaces and before they eat or touch their face. However, Cullen and Chin-Hong say that surface transmission appears to be less common than transmission via aerosols expelled by infected people when they cough, sneeze, talk, yell or sing. In other words, sharing salad tongs is less of a risk than singing Happy Birthday sans masks around a cake. Dont take the risk of an indoor party, no matter the weather (or air quality) The risks increase for indoor gatherings because aerosols can remain in indoor air for minutes or hours, which is why Swartzberg discourages the idea. Im not going to give advice for that because no one should be having an indoor party, Swartzberg says. Most of the transmission that weve had has been indoors as opposed to outdoors. Its much, much, much safer to be outdoors than indoors. Indoor configurations are tricky in small spaces, where ventilation is critical but not always an option, Chin-Hong says. If its San Francisco and its cold, people are not going to have their windows open, he says. And people in regular houses in San Francisco dont have high-quality air exchanges like youd have in a hospital or an institutional building, so thats what Im worried about most. What to expect for the future of gatherings COVID-19 will be around for some time. In addition to vaccines under development, other technologies may improve the safety of future gatherings, Chin-Hong says. UCSF, for example, has developed AeroNabs, a nose spray that protects against COVID-19 and could eventually be available over the counter. And in-home COVID-19 testing could allow people to test themselves frequently, especially before attending a gathering. Theyre not as sensitive as the hospital quality tests, but they do give a quick litmus test, Chin-Hong says. So one could imagine, for at least some people, you brush your teeth and then you do your COVID test. Tilde Herrera is a freelance writer in San Francisco. Email food@sfchronicle.com Tiny Eyes Comics, an online cartoon strip by Paris-based visual designer Cao Siyu, tries to foster greater understanding among people from different countries and cultures. Topics cover people's perceptions of size, refreshment, and expressions of love. [For China Daily] With a popular online comic strip, overseas Chinese artist Cao Siyu lightheartedly sets about deconstructing stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings between East and West. What is the difference between Chinese and Western cultures? For visual designer Cao Siyu, the answer is often a simple one, and it can usually be found in her comics, which highlight cultural differences and connections based on her experiences and observations while living abroad. Born and raised in Beijing, Cao, 32, left home at 20 to study in the United States for her bachelor's degree in English literature and, later, the United Kingdom for her master's degree in graphic design. She now runs a visual thinking workshop in Paris. Visual thinking is defined as "any mental process based on the visual processing capabilities of the mind", a common mode of thinking alongside verbal, kinesthetic, musical and mathematical thinking. Tiny Eyes Comics, an online cartoon strip by Paris-based visual designer Cao Siyu, tries to foster greater understanding among people from different countries and cultures. Topics cover people's perceptions of size, refreshment, and expressions of love. [For China Daily] "My experience shows that although travel is much easier and faster today, the distance between cultures doesn't shorten," Cao says, adding that she wants to build a bridge and break the stereotypes between different cultures. "After staying in three countries, I have much to tell about the usual shock while adapting to life in new cultures, so I started drawing the web comic to share my experiences and observations as a Chinese person living abroad," Cao says, adding that after 12 years overseas, she can understand situations from both sides. After she encountered many misunderstandings and came face to face with stereotypical views, about China, Cao was inspired to create Tiny Eyes Comics, an internet-based cartoon strip illustrating the "big world through tiny Chinese eyes". Since her first illustration in late 2016, Cao has posted more than 300 comics to her Instagram account, which has attracted about 41,000 followers. Tiny Eyes Comics, an online cartoon strip by Paris-based visual designer Cao Siyu, tries to foster greater understanding among people from different countries and cultures. Topics cover people's perceptions of size, refreshment, and expressions of love. [For China Daily] Focusing on everyday topics, including family relationships, food, different ways of thinking and social customs, Cao's comics feature a girl named Tiny Eyes and portray her life in a lighthearted way. "Although Tiny Eyes looks similar to me, she is not me. She can be anyone who feels related to the experience," Cao says, adding that the comics can shed light on China for foreigners who are curious about the country. A book of the Tiny Eyes comics was published in France in May last year and an English version is currently in production. Its French publisher Equateur says about the book: "In a few strokes, Siyu Cao produces scenes of everyday life and challenges the prejudices and representations we make of each other, deconstructing them with personal anecdotes." Italian magazine Grazia says: "Her simple sketches have played a big part in demystifying Chinese culture." Her comic creation has continued and COVID-19 has made her realize how important it is to help people from different cultural backgrounds to communicate with each other. Using her pencil, she hopes that her drawings can help people stay connected in a socially-distanced world. One of her comics shows the cultural differences behind the debate about usage of masks, which has been a divisive topic throughout the pandemic. To wear or not to wear, that is the question that has led to unexpected controversy and, in some cases, even physical conflict, in some parts of the world. Siyu Cao [For China Daily] At the beginning of the outbreak, Cao heard a case about an Asian woman in France wearing a mask being insulted and expelled from a train by other passengers. In a bid to illustrate the cultural approach to the wearing of masks, she posted a comic strip illustrating a Chinese girl wearing a mask on the metro being stared at weirdly by others. In the strip she explains that Chinese people wear masks to prevent infection, as well as avoid passing the virus to others, especially since the SARS outbreak in 2002-03, while before April, the French were encouraged to wear a mask only when showing coronavirus symptoms. As France has witnessed a record high COVID-19 surge in recent months, several cities, including Paris and Nice, last month made masks mandatory. "The wearing of masks is just one example of a cultural difference that can trigger tension, even discrimination, during the pandemic," she says. Many people around the world have commented on the post. An Instagram user named Carjoyflo said: "Fascinating cultural difference. That helps explain it I have a number of Chinese international students at my California school who are wearing masks." Another user, Vagabondying, said: "Exactly the same in Italy. Very well explained." One of her popular illustrations shows how complicated French cutlery compares to the Chinese tradition of using chopsticks. Chinese people can use chopsticks to eat everything, but in France, there are no less than eight types of fork, knife and spoon required to finish a single, multiple-course meal. Another culinary difference between Chinese and Westerners is hot water. In her illustration, no matter if it is winter or summer, in a French restaurant, sparkling water is always served before the meal; in the US, the default is usually water with ice; while in China, people drink hot water a lot, because unprocessed tap water is undrinkable and people believe that hot water is good for the health. Besides food culture, she also covers expressions of love in her comics. Although emotions are universal, how to express them differs between East and West. In her illustrations, while an American professes love for her mother directly over the phone, Tiny Eyes displays the same sentiment by asking after the health of her loved ones and buying nice things to make their life more comfortable. Many foreign readers say they find her illustrations enlightening, helping them to understand China, while Chinese immigrants have felt seen and understood, according to Cao. This feedback and connection with her readers has been "the biggest motivation" for her to keep creating. She remembers that her comics helped an English teacher who adopted her daughter from China in 2002 gain "great insight" about the culture behind her little girl. A neurosurgeon in Berlin, who was born in China, but grew up in Germany and studied in the US and Italy, thanked her, saying: "I really love your comics, they are not only cute and funny, but portray complex and multilayered issues and thoughts in a very intelligent and light way. "I am sure that they are also inspiration for those who have completely different upbringings and cultural backgrounds and that is the beauty of your work." (Source: China Daily) MPs today accused their French counterparts of effectively encouraging migrants to make the perilous journey by small boat across the English Channel. They claimed that French MPs were spreading 'misconceptions' about how easy it is for undocumented migrants to live undetected in the UK. Meanwhile, it emerged that Paris is dragging its feet after Britain offered the use of a surveillance plane to patrol the stretch of water to increase security. Officials giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee said the UK is still waiting for an answer from the French government on whether the plane is wanted or not. It comes after a record 416 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats on Wednesday, the most ever on a single day. The figure was revised up from 409 by the Home Office this morning. A record 416 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats on Wednesday, the most ever on a single day Answering questions from MPs, the Home Office's new clandestine Channel threat commander Dan O'Mahoney praised the work of French authorities in tackling the migrant crisis. However, he acknowledged that migrants were being given false ideas of what it is like to live in Britain undetected. Tim Loughton, Tory MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, asked about suggestions made by a French politician that migrants come to the UK because it is easier to work illegally and 'live undercover'. Mr Loughton said: 'It would appear that French members of parliament are party to putting around these misconceptions about how they are actually going to be looked after if they do make it to the UK. 'That's part of the problem, isn't it, that people are coming here on a false premise?' Mr O'Mahoney replied: 'I think that's absolutely correct.' Former Royal Marine Mr O'Mahoney insisted that the French are 'as committed as we are' to tackling the migrant crisis. 'They have prevented 3,000 people from crossing this year, including yesterday close to 200,' he said. Citing an example from yesterday, he added: '(They) stopped a very large Rib (rigid inflatable boat) with unbelievably 63 people on it from leaving the beach.' He acknowledged that the crossings are 'nowhere near the level that we want it to be'. The total number of migrants who have crossed the sea to Britain in 2020 is now estimated to be more than 5,600. Mr Loughton also pressed Mr O'Mahoney on reports that the UK had offered France the use of a surveillance plane to bolster efforts to stop crossings. The Home Office's new clandestine Channel threat commander Dan O'Mahoney revealed the UK is waiting for an answer from the French government on whether it wants to accept the offer of a surveillance plane The Tory MP said: 'Following on the point about cooperation with the French, specifically is it true that the French declined our offer of a surveillance plane?' Mr O'Mahoney replied: 'No, they haven't declined the offer. They haven't accepted it either. So it is an ongoing conversation we are having with the French.' Mr Loughton said: 'So we are offering them a surveillance plane which they haven't leapt at the opportunity to beef up their security operation by using it?' Mr O'Mahoney said: 'They haven't accepted it yet. They do have other aerial surveillance assets which are deployed over the north of France, both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters and some of the smaller drones that we have funded.' SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global inflatable pet collars market size is expected to reach USD 107.2 million by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2020 to 2027. Rising pet adoption, coupled with higher consumer spending on pets, is driving the demand for pet welfare products, thereby boosting the market growth. Negative impositions of e-collars on pet animals regarding self-trauma, discomfort, and misadventure are also paving the way for higher adoption of inflatable pet collars in case of injuries. Rising spending on pet products is boosting the market growth. The purchase of premium and high-quality pet products has increased significantly as people are willing to spend on their pets considering them as their family members. The millennial population group has a higher spending propensity as compared to the other age groups. At the global level, around 35.0% of pet owners belonged to this age group in 2018. The trend of pet humanization has been boosting the prominence of pet's health and happiness, thereby propelling demand for inflatable pet collars across the globe. Key suggestions from the report: Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth during forecast years with a CAGR of 6.2% from 2020 to 2027. Demand is anticipated to grow in the region due to rising disposable income, which is leading to increasing adoption of pets in countries, such as China , Indonesia , and India Offline distribution channel dominated the market by accounting for 86.7% share of the global revenue in 2019 The dogs application segment held the largest share of 51.8% in 2019 owing to the high adoption of pet dogs across countries. Read 80 page research report with ToC on "Inflatable Pet Collars Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Dogs, Cats), By Distribution Channel (Offline, Online), By Region (North America, Europe, APAC, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa), And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/inflatable-pet-collars-market These inflatable pet collars comfortably help support dogs with injuries, rashes, and post-surgery. They are designed to allow full visibility with machine washable and scratch and bite-resistant materials. Whereas, traditional collars or Elizabethan collars (e-collar) cause various problems for pets wearing them such as difficulty in drinking, inability to play, collar related injuries including itching, irritation, bumping into walls, falling downstairs or psychological distress, and other grooming and toileting issues. The dogs application segment led the market and held a 51.8% share of the global revenue in 2019. An increase in the number of overweight dogs, which are more susceptible to injuries, is also generating higher demand for inflatable pet collars among pet owners. According to a blog by USA Today, 55.8% of dogs in the U.S. are overweight. While 35% of dogs in the U.K. are overweight. Increasing innovation and customization related to materials and features, keeping in mind the overall wellbeing of pets, are gaining consumers' attention through high product visibility. For instance, QBLEEV offers Protective Inflatable Dog E-Collor With Splash Recovery, which is made of a short plush outer ring +6P environment-friendly PVC material. The collar is designed with an adjustable strap on the opening, which helps in fitting the pet's neck. Grand View Research has segmented the global inflatable pet collar market on the basis of application, distribution channel, and region: Inflatable Pet Collar Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Dogs Cats Others Inflatable Pet Collar Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Offline Online Inflatable Pet Collar Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) North America The U.S. Europe Germany The U.K. Asia Pacific China Japan India Central & South America Brazil Middle East & Africa & List of Key Players of Inflatable Pet Collar Market KONG Company Acorn Pet Products REMEDY+RECOVERY PetAZ Aopuwoner QBLEEV Holysteed MorTime Warmpet Well & Good Fancar Find more research reports on Homecare & Decor Industry, by Grand View Research: Air Freshener Dispenser Market The market is driven by rising inclination towards purchasing convenient devices such as fresheners that help in hassle free air care and sanitation. Glass Tableware Market Changing the purchasing behavior of consumers, along with increasing adoption of trendy homeware products, is a favorable factor for industry growth. Connected Gym Equipment Market Increasing fitness consciousness among people across the globe, along with rapid digitalization of numerous industries at a global level, is driving the market. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc. Taiwan Introduces New Passport Cover to Draw Distinction From China By Joyce Huang September 02, 2020 The Taiwan government released a new design Wednesday for its passport cover, and the island's popularly known name "Taiwan" is noticeably amplified in a bold font to avoid a connection to China, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. In a reduced size, the island's official name "the Republic of China" (R.O.C.) remains on the cover, which observers say helps de-escalate tensions with China. The official name, R.O.C., has made it difficult for its people to travel overseas since the start of the pandemic in January, as Taiwanese often are mistaken for Chinese, according to Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu. The government pushed the legislature to pass a motion in July, requesting that the Cabinet redesign the country's passport cover and the insignia of China Airlines, Taiwan's national carrier, to be more Taiwan-centric. Taiwan-centric passport Acting on the legislative motion, Wu said the new design puts Taiwan front and center on the cover while making only minimal changes. "On the passport cover, the word Taiwan is enlarged and placed right above the word passport, which stresses explicitly it's a Taiwan passport. It's now crystal clear," Wu told a press briefing Wednesday to introduce the new design. Another change involves the island's official name, which is largely downsized on the cover, but printed three times inside the ring circling the national emblem. Taiwan first added its alternative name to the passport cover in 2003 when the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) swept into power, which was widely seen as a part of the party's hidden agenda to push Taiwan toward de jure independence. Confrontations avoided The re-designed passport cover suggests another step forward, although the DPP government apparently has made concessions by retaining the official name to avoid being engaged in ideological confrontations, said opposition KMT legislator Charles Chen. "I think the hidden agenda is no more hidden. But this step is rather small, a very tiny step. So, there's a strong compromise in this design. If it really takes off the term, Republic of China, from the cover, wow, that's [will be] a significant step," Chen told VOA by phone. That could provoke China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province but so far, China's response toward the new passport design appears to be measured. DPP's tricks "Whatever tricks the DPP government is pulling, Taiwan remains an integral part of China a fact that will never change," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a media briefing when asked to respond to Taiwan's new passport design. Domestically, the KMT's Chen said the new design only serves the purpose of the DPP government to please its supporters since it won't affect the way airport customs around the world handle Taiwan's passport holders. There had been reports, however, that Taiwanese passport holders were barred from entering countries such as Indonesia, which refused entry of the Chinese people to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, a poll in March released by the New Power Party (NPP) showed that nearly 75% of Taiwanese supported the idea of removing "Republic of China" from the country's passports to draw a clear distinction between Taiwanese and Chinese. Genuine desire NPP creative media director Jerry Liu said the government's move to highlight "Taiwan" on the passport cover is positively welcomed, but not enough. "If they just put the 'Republic of China' inside the passport, like the very first page of the passport, and on the cover, only show, then it will be just much better. And I'm sure the majority of Taiwanese people will appreciate that way," Liu told VOA by phone. Liu also urged the government to find ways to modify the island's national emblem as it bears a striking resemblance to the KMT's party emblem. According to Liu, the party has kick-started a new passport cover design contest in the past few months. It says it has received more than 120 designs, which show mostly only "Taiwan" and images about Taiwan, such as a butterfly, a Taiwan deer or a Taiwan blue magpie on their proposed passport cover designs. This underscores how much the local people desire to be identified as Taiwanese, instead of Chinese, Liu added. Recent polls show that a record 83% of local people identified themselves as Taiwanese. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. My wife, Helen, and I got into a quarrel the other day about how to plan for Americas bleak future. Our family needs to replace an aging car, but Ive been hesitant, wary of making any new financial commitments as the nation accelerates into the teeth of political chaos or cataclysm. What if, after the election, we need to make a run for it? Why squander spare cash on a new car? Helen thinks Im being alarmist that Im LARPing The Handmaids Tale, nursing some revolutionary fantasy of escape from Gilead. But I think she like a lot of other white, Gen X native-born Americans whove known mostly domestic peace and stability is being entirely too blase about the approaching storm. As an immigrant who escaped to America from apartheid-era South Africa, I feel that Ive cultivated a sharper appreciation for political trouble. To me, the signs on the American horizon are flashing blood red. Armed political skirmishes are erupting on the streets, and scholars are tracking a rise in violence and instability as the election draws near. Gun sales keep shattering records. Mercifully, I suppose, theres a nationwide shortage of ammo. Then there is the pandemic, mass unemployment, natural disasters on every coast, intense racial and partisan polarization, and not a little bit of lockdown-induced collective stir craziness. The Dong Nai Provincial Forest Ranger Department on September 2 announced that a newborn elephant has been spotted in a forest in Dinh Quan District. A baby elephant with its mother at the Dong Nai Nature Reserve. Deputy head of the department, Le Viet Dung, confirmed that local people in Dinh Quan District's Thanh Son Commune recently spotted a group of wild elephants at a farm in the area. Then they found a placenta weighing some 30 kilos. "Local people said they heard and saw the baby elephant on September 1," the official said. "The group then went into the forest." Dung added that with the newborn elephant, the group now has a total of 19 wild elephants. "We have reported three baby elephants born into this group in some recent years," he said. "These elephants are growing well." In July 2017, authorities in Dong Nai Province set up an electronic fence spanning 50 kilometres around the Dong Nai Nature Reserve. The work belonged to a project to protect wild elephants during the 2014 - 2020 period. Another 20 more kilometres of such fence will be built at the end of this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Dtinews Two wild elephants spotted in Quang Nam forest Two wild elephants have been found in a forest in the central province of Quang Nams Hiep Duc District. A former Catholic brother has been extradited from his home state of Wisconsin to Mississippi, where he faces sexual battery charges in a case involving two impoverished Black boys who say they were pressured as men into accepting paltry payouts to settle their abuse claims. The men have accused Paul A. West, once a Franciscan Friar and fourth-grade teacher, of molesting them in Mississippi, Wisconsin and New York while they were elementary school students. West, 60, did not contest his extradition at a hearing in Outagamie Country, Wisconsin on Aug. 17. He arrived at the Laflore County Jail in Greenwood, Mississippi, earlier this week following an investigation by the Mississippi attorney generals public integrity division. West also has been charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child in Wisconsin. The men making the allegations, La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love, both 37, are cousins who grew up together and encountered West in the 1990s, when he was a teacher and later the principal at the St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood, Mississippi. Three years ago, the cousins reported that West sexually assaulted them on school grounds and on road trips, including one to a New York summer camp established by the Franciscans, a Roman Catholic religious order. As The Associated Press first reported, nearly two years ago La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love each agreed to settle their claims for $15,000 far less than most clergy abuse victims receive. A third man, Joshuas younger brother, Raphael, also alleged West sexually abused him and reported the abuse to church authorities in 1998, after which West returned to Wisconsin. Raphael Love rejected a settlement similar to those signed by his brother and cousin. In November, La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love filed a lawsuit in federal district court in New York, claiming the Franciscans pressured them into signing low-ball settlements that required their silence about their allegations. At the time they signed the settlements, they were not represented by an attorney. They felt they could treat us that way because were poor and were Black, Joshua Love told the AP. American bishops pledged in 2002 that, when settling clergy sex abuse claims, they would stop using nondisclosure agreements because they may contribute to clergy abuse cover-ups. However, religious orders such as the Franciscans are not bound by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which contains the provision on nondisclosure agreements. On Wednesday, La Jarvis Love said he was pleased to learn West was in custody, adding that the experience of stepping forward to identify West had taught him courage. Its crazy that you can learn something from someone you hate, he said. It took a lot of courage to come forth because you never know how people are going to take this kind of thing. Mark Belenchia, the Mississippi coordinator of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, lashed out at the Jackson Diocese and the Franciscan order for failing to take more decisive action against West in 1998, after the first abuse allegation, and for offering La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love low-ball settlements with nondisclosure clauses after they reported their abuse. They were harmed as children and they were harmed as adults," Belenchia said of the Love cousins. The Diocese of Jackson and the Franciscan order ought to be ashamed of their performance." A Wisconsin attorney who represented West at his extradition hearing did not return calls. Father James Gannon, the leader of a Wisconsin-based group of Franciscan Friars, negotiated the settlements. Last summer, he denied that racism or the Loves poverty were factors in the amount of money offered or the confidentiality agreements. Absolutely not, he told the AP. On Wednesday, he did not return a call seeking comment on Wests arrest. In 2006, the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, which includes Greenwood, settled lawsuits covering 19 victims 17 of whom were white - for $5 million. That average payout of $263,000 for each survivor is 17 times that offered to each of the Loves. Payments in more recent settlements nationally have ranged far higher. Gannon also attempted to negotiate a similar agreement with Raphael Love, Joshua Loves younger brother, who is serving two life sentences in a Tennessee prison for a double homicide he committed as a juvenile. Raphael Love refused Gannons offer because, he said, the amount was not enough to hire a criminal attorney willing to argue that he deserves a new trial. The Franciscan Friars, based in Wisconsin, have been traveling in their trademark brown robes and sandals to serve the poor among the Mississippi Deltas Black citizenry since the early 1950s. Like other Catholic religious orders, Franciscans are subject to the authority of the bishop overseeing the diocese in which they work, but they report to their leaders in the U.S. and at the Vatican. Last year, when the Jackson diocese released a list of priests and brothers credibly accused of child sex abuse, West and a second Franciscan brother, Donald Lucas, were among them. Joshua Love alleges he was also sexually abused by Lucas, who was found dead at St. Francis Church in 1999, in an apparent suicide. ___ Rezendes reported from New York. Follow him at https://twitter.com/mikerezendes 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 Scientists are proposing the use of an underwater bubble net stretched out between Mexico and Cuba at the Yucatan Channel to prevent hurricanes from forming and avoiding the devastation of property and lives in the US. Ambitious Plan This ambitious and potentially crazy but logical proposal will ask for funding to make this net with the help of a compressed air pipeline being strung along by two buoys or ships. It will be placed at a level of 300 feet below the surface. Theoretically, these bubbles will bring to the surface enough cold water that will hopefully replace warm surface water. The warm waters are the catalyst that lets tropical storms and hurricanes become larger and dangerous. It is an unusual plan, and authorities and academics have hotly debated its viability. However, its proponents say that it can potentially prevent a lot of property damage and deaths. READ: Researchers Find Massive Methane Release From Seafloor Sediments Proposed Deployment Area The plan is to test the viability of the system in dissipating such natural disasters by making a trial run at the site between Mexico and Cuba, known as the Yucatan Channel. This area stretches for 135 miles and is a natural bottleneck point where storms and hurricanes pass by as they make their way towards land and across the location of the Gulf of Mexico. Hopefully, the bubbles will prevent the strengthening of hurricanes before reaching the mainland. READ ALSO: How to Minimize Bird Deaths from Wind Farms The Proponent OceanTherm and its CSO or chief scientific adviser, Grim Eidnes, has been ardently pushing for the realization of the proposal and the system's technology. Eidnes used to be SINTEF's physical oceanographer. SINTEF is an independent research organization from Norway. Norway's government awarded a grant to OceanTherm to conduct more computer simulations. However, there is currently not enough funding to conduct a real-world trial. Eidnes floated the idea of testing the area of the Yucatan Strait to test their system. OceanTherm's Goal Eidnes and the OceanTherm team have been working on this objective as early as two years ago, when as an oceanographer at SINTEF, Eidnes set the resources needed to lessen the temperature of a large area of seawater. In their research, OceanTherm discovered that a temperature level of 26.5 C or 79.7 F causes enough dissipation of the water to prevent the formation of natural disasters such as tropical storms and hurricanes. Various hurricanes from August to September of 2017 had the water temperature of 32 C or 89.6 F. Based on this data; they set a goal of lowering the temperature of the surface water down to 26.5 C or 79.7 F, and hopefully prevent the formation of these disasters while they are still in their nascent stage. OceanTherm is asking for additional grant money to conduct their trial to see if it is a feasible tool against these natural disasters. They believe that a 20-strong fleet armed with generators and compressors will be able to stop warm currents and prevent the formation of a hurricane. Massive hurricanes are hard to control, but they can be stopped while they are still forming and gaining traction. They hope that their underwater bubble net trial at the Yucatan Channel will lower water temperatures and reduce potential hurricanes into a mere tropical depression or low-pressure area. READ NEXT: Hurricane Laura, Among the Most Powerful Storms in US History, Ravages Louisiana, Kills Six and Causes Massive Damage Check out for more news and information on Hurricanes on Nature World News. Yerzhan Elshibayev In a statement, the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan denounces the persecution and torture of political activist and leader of the unemployed movement Yerzhan Elshibayev by the state authorities. The statement is as follows: On October 18 2019 the leader of the movement of the unemployed Yerzhan Elshibayev was sentenced to Zhanaozen city in Kazakhstan to five years in prison on a fabricated in a three-year-old case. During the trial, the victim and witnesses indicated their complete innocence and refused all claims. However, the court, despite the mass protests of residents, gave him a prison sentence. Zhanaozen is the city where police on December 16, 2011 shot an unarmed rally of oil workers who had been on strike for eight months. According to official data, 15 workers were killed, and according to independent trade unions and human rights associations more than 70 people. 37 oil workers were brought to criminal responsibility for participating in the strike, and several thousands of strike participants were dismissed and never reinstated. From February to April 2019 in Zhanaozen near the city administration began daily meetings of the unemployed, in which Yerzhan Elshibayev took an active part. The protesters, joined by workers from service oil companies, demanded employment opportunities for young people, oil workers who were dismissed during the 2011 strike and raise the minimum wage for low-paid workers. In order to prevent daily rallies of the unemployed Yerzhan Elshibayev several times was arrested in March 2019 by the police, but he was released under the pressure of protest actions. Yerzhan Elshibayev was finally jailed on March 26 by the city's investigative court of Zhanaozen. After the verdict of the court, he was placed in the colony of ICH-167/9 in the city of Langer, Turkestan region. In March and August of this year, he informed his relatives and lawyers of systematic torture of him by the staff of the institution where he is being held. 15 in August, Yerzhan Elshibayev managed to pass a two-minute video to his supporters, in which he gave the names of those employees of the colony who carry out torture, and then in protest sewed his mouth shut. August 17 in Astana, Shymkent, Zhanaozen and near the colony where Yerzhanis being held Yelshibaev, there were protests by activists of various organizations who demanded bring to justice those who torture him, and release him immediately. Even earlier in March and June, activists of left-wing organizations and trade unions held an appeal Kazakhstan workers 'Union" Zhanartu " pickets at diplomatic missions Kazakhstan to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev, which demanded the authorities to punish guilty and to review the case of Yerzhan Elchibaev. 'Filthy': Duncan Bannatyne's wife Nigora Whitehorn refused to stay at a three star hotel Duncan Bannatyne's glamorous wife Nigora Whitehorn refused to stay at a luxury Italian three star hotel after branding the accommodation 'filthy and disgusting.' Influencer Nigora, 40, claimed Villa Mon Repos in Sicily was a 'total bulls*** con' after she complained to 'rude' management about the cleanliness of the rooms but was denied a refund for her four night stay with husband Duncan, 71. The multimillionaire gym tycoon's wife was particularly alarmed by the hotel's 'terrible pool,' 'disgusting room' and the fact that staff refused to wear face coverings while greeting them and handling their designer luggage. Dragons' Den star Duncan, whose wealth as of 2018 was estimated at 280 million, moved his wife out of the three star accommodation and into a five star retreat after she warned her 24K followers against staying at the 'disappointing' Italian villa. Speaking on Instagram, Nigora said: 'We just arrived to Villa Mon Repos, a total bulls*** con online, so we are moving out. 'Guys we are moving to the Belmond, which is a five star hotel, what a disappointment.' 'So you guys know, everybody knows what to expect if you ever book this place, it is absolutely atrocious and actually the manager here himself not wearing any mask. They stand in front of their staff, allowing the staff not to wear any masks.' Nigora, who married Duncan in a luxurious Portugal wedding in 2017, had booked four nights at the Villa Mon Repos in Taormina. But she said it didn't live up to its advert online and that the hotel looked nothing like the pictures shared to its Instagram account. 'Yuck!' Nigora claimed Villa Mon Repos in Sicily was a 'total bulls*** con' after she complained to 'rude' management about the cleanliness of the rooms but was denied a refund 'Absolute con': Photos of Villa Mon Repos in Sicily posted to the hotel's Instagram profile show the resort looking clean and aesthetically pleasing 'Dirty': Dragons' Den star Duncan, whose wealth as of 2018 was estimated at 280 million, moved his wife out of the three star accommodation and into a five star retreat She ranted: 'This is meant to be a swimming pool of this three star hotel, absolute con how they come across on the website and exactly what it is like inside this house/hotel, three bedroom hotel in Sicily. It's terrible. 'So we're moving out because the room was disgusting. There's no restaurant, nothing here. 'The manager was so rude, we just asked him why the room was so filthy, can you please come and have a look but he refused to come and check and now we are moving out and he refuses to refund this place, the four days and four nights that we paid for. It's not exactly how they advertise it.' 'They didn't book the suite': Manager Christian Busca told MailOnline that Duncan and Nigora believed their reservation was for a week but their secretary only booked for four days 'It's not our fault': He said after not being able to extend their stay due to the villa being fully booked for a wedding that they 'tried to find any problem in our hotel' Hotel manager Christian Busca told MailOnline: 'Mrs Bannatyne and her husband came here and their secretary made their reservation and Mrs Bannatyne was thinking it was for seven days but it was for four days. 'They asked for additional days but I didn't have availability because I have a wedding, from this time they tried to find any problem in our hotel and they said it was dirty and a lot of other things. 'Mr and Mrs Bannatyne don't understand that our villa is an old villa it's not bright like a spa, it might be different to what they're used to seeing. 'It's not our fault if you're not able to plan your holiday. They booked the smaller room that we have they didn't book the suite...' Married couple: Nigora, who married Duncan in a luxurious Portugal wedding in 2017, claimed Villa Mon Repos didn't live up to its advertisement online (pictured in Barbados in 2019) Safety first: Nigora's faith was restored after arriving at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, which is a five star establishment, alongside Duncan, who emerged from a taxi wearing a mask 'Where's your mask?': Hotel staff not wearing protective face coverings despite the rules currently in place to keep travellers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic also outraged Nigora Hotel staff not wearing protective face coverings despite the rules currently in place to keep travellers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic also outraged Nigora. She said: 'Not only was it really bad but the management was terrible and the staff didn't wear any masks for us. We arrived with masks and I was really shocked they didn't wear any masks and actually the lady said, I don't chose to wear a mask, I don't have to.' Her faith was restored after arriving at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, which is a five star establishment, alongside Duncan, who emerged from a taxi wearing a mask. She said: 'Now we're talking, Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo. 5 Star, cute, the best hotel in Taormina, absolutely gorgeous.' Photos of Villa Mon Repos in Sicily posted on Instagram show the resort looking clean and aesthetically pleasing. A four night stay at the Italian hotel will have set Duncan and Nigora back roughly 600, while the new venue the couple moved to costs that amount per night. MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / September 2, 2020 / Sphinx Resources Ltd ("Sphinx") (TSXV:SFX) is pleased to announce the execution of an option agreement with James Drolet Jolette on 35 claims of the Soufflot project (the "Project"), located in the Belleterre mining camp in the Temiscamingue, Quebec. Mr. Drolet can earn 100% of the Project in consideration of the following: Cash payments totalling $150,000, $75,000 on closing and $75,000 on or before March 1, 2021; 1% NSR royalty t that can be bought back by the prospector for $3,000,000. "With the current gold price, it's the time to monetize the Project" stated Jeremie Ryan. About Sphinx Sphinx is a mineral exploration company that focuses its activities in southwestern Quebec in search of deposits of precious metals (gold, silver, palladium and platinum) and base metals (copper, zinc and lead). Sphinx is particularly active in the MRC Pontiac where its President resides. It has a strong local shareholding that contributes towards social acceptability. For further information, please consult Sphinx's website or contact: Jeremie Ryan President and Chief Executive Officer 819 664 2632 info@sphinxresources.ca www.sphinxresources.ca Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and activities to vary materially from targeted results and planning. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Sphinx's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Sphinx from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. Sphinx does not undertake to update any such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law SOURCE: Sphinx Resources Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604608/Sphinx-Options-Its-Soufflot-Project Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 00:34:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The alleged poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is a "planned action" against Russia aimed to impose new sanctions and, as a result, to restrain its development, Russian State Duma lower parliament house speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said Thursday. "The European Union and the NATO states obviously do not like the fact that the Russian economy is strengthening every year, that its influence on world processes is growing and that Russia has its own position and is ready to defend it. They do not want our country to be strong," Volodin said in a statement published on the Duma website. On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent, the same type that was used in 2018 to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. According to Volodin, when Russia was charged with poisoning the Skripals in Britain, it was an "obvious provocation" aimed at extending the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia after its incorporation of the former Ukrainian republic of Crimea in 2014. "The parallel of what is happening with the situation of 2018 is obvious," Volodin said. He added that the situation around Navalny is taking place at the peak of tension around Belarus, in the internal affairs of which a number of European countries he said have tried to interfere. Volodin recalled that when Navalny became ill, the Russian authorities did everything to save his life, regardless of his views and political preferences. And when Navalny's family turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help to transport him to Germany, everything was formalized as soon as possible, Volodin added. But in Germany, Navalny was immediately called Merkel's guest and various officials began to make statements, insisting that he was allegedly poisoned with a nerve agent, he said. Volodin called on the German Bundestag parliament to ask Merkel why she is making steps that hinder the development of friendly relations between the two countries. "It is clear that Germany is a hostage of NATO and is forced to play the role imposed on it. However, the task of sound political forces is to sort out this situation and prevent Germany from being drawn into an anti-Russian campaign," Volodin concluded. Enditem The evidence for hormone involvement in COVID-19 infection and treatment will be evaluated and discussed by endocrine experts in a dedicated COVID-19 session at e-ECE 2020. The European Society of Endocrinology's annual meeting is going online 5-9 September 2020 and the e-ECE 2020 programme will feature cutting-edge science and the latest in clinical practice and patient care. This includes a new, dedicated COVID-19 session, where experts in the field will present, summarise and examine evidence for the role of the endocrine system and hormones in COVID-19 infection risk, disease severity and potential treatment. The global COVID-19 pandemic has massively affected how we all live and work and has become the major focus of medical research, as the scientific and medical communities strive to understand it better, develop effective treatments and create a vaccine. This has led to a huge volume of studies being pushed out to the public domain, including some that have not been subject the usual rigorous, scrutiny of peer review. This has resulted in conflicting messages in the media and has contributed to mistrust of experts. Although initially thought to be a respiratory, influenza-like condition, several studies have now implicated that the severity of COVID-19 infection is increased in people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. This raises the possibility that the consequences of viral infection are being affected by the endocrine system. Additionally, severe illness is more common in men, further suggesting that sex, possibly male and female sex hormones, are affecting coronavirus infection. More recently the glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, has shown promise as a treatment in severely ill patients with COVID-19. All of these findings indicate a key role for the endocrine system in mediating infection, disease severity and as a possible therapeutic target. In the dedicated COVID-19 session at 16:45 CET on 8 September, three experts will review the evidence for the endocrine system's role in SARS-C0V-2 infection, and discuss how to mitigate these risks, with a view to better managing future cases and saving more lives. * Daniel Drucker will discuss, 'Endocrine targets related to COVID infection' * Julia Prado will discuss, 'Managing the cytokine storm' * Matteo Rottoli will discuss, 'How strong is obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19 patients?' These sessions aim to critically evaluate the role of the endocrine system and endocrinology in the COVID-19 pandemic, with expert debate and hopes of identifying new protective strategies and treatment options, to reduce the disease severity and risk of death in the future. ### Abstracts CS1.1 Endocrine Targets related to COVID19 Infection Daniel J. Drucker, Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Canada SARS-CoV-2 infection produces greater morbidity and mortality in people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, raising the possibility that the consequences of viral infection are modulated directly and indirectly by the endocrine system. Hospitalization and severity of illness is more common in males, further suggesting that sex, possibly male and female sex hormones, modifies the host response to coronavirus infection. SARS-Co-V-2 cellular infection requires ACE2, as well as associated proteases, including TMPRSS2. These molecules are widely expressed in cardiometabolic organs, and the gastrointestinal tract, and to a lesser extent, in the endocrine and exocrine pancreas. Notably, TMPRSS2 is regulated by sex steroids, and clinical trials are examining whether disruption of steroid control of TMPRSS2 expression might be therapeutically useful in SARS-CoV-2 infection, Viral infection may also modify the host susceptibility to autoimmune disease, through dysregulation of humoral and cellular immunity and cytokine expression. Although SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been associated with widespread endocrine dysfunction beyond that commonly seen with critical illness, case reports of automimmune endocrine disease, including type 1 diabetes, have been described. The use of dexamethasone in severely ill individuals with SARS-CoV-2 prompts evaluation of potential endocrine consequences ensuing from sustained high dose glucocorticoid administration. Herein I will review the endocrine consequences of SARS-C0V-2 infection, highlight key knowns and unknowns, and discuss principles for linking coronavirus infection to disorders of the endocrine system. CS1.3 How strong is obesity as a risk factor for COVID-19 patients? Matteo Rottoli MD, PhD, Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Sant'Orsola Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy Objective Specific comorbidities and old age create a greater vulnerability to severe Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). While obesity seems to aggravate the course of disease, the actual impact of the body mass index (BMI) and the cut-off which increases illness severity are still under investigation. The aim of the study was to analyze whether the BMI represented a risk factor for respiratory failure, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and death. Research Design and Methods A retrospective cohort study of 482 consecutive COVID-19 patients hospitalised between March 1 and April 20, 2020. Logistic regression analysis and Cox proportion Hazard models including demographic characteristics and comorbidities were carried out to predict the endpoints within 30 days from the onset of symptoms. Results Of the 482 patients included in the study, 202 (41.9%) had a BMI < 25 kg/m2, 176 (36.5%) had a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2, and 104 (21.6%) were obese (BMI ? 30 kg/m2). In the group with obesity, 20 patients (4.1%) had a BMI ? 35 kg/m2. A total of 18 patients (3.7%) had a BMI < 20 kg/m2. Hypertension and type 2 diabetes were reported in 76 (72.8%) and 27 (26%) patients with a BMI ? 30 kg/m2, respectively. Among patients with obesity, 54 (51.9%) experienced respiratory failure, 38 (36.4%) were admitted to the ICU, 26 (25%) required mechanical ventilation, and 31 (29.8%) died within 30 days from the onset of symptoms. At logistic regression analysis, a BMI between 30 and 34.9 kg/m2 significantly increased the risk of respiratory failure (OR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.31-4.09, p=0.004), and admission to the ICU (OR: 4.96; 95% CI: 2.53-9.74, p<0.001). A significantly higher risk of death was observed in patients with a BMI ? 35 kg/m2 (OR: 12.1; 95% CI: 3.25-45.1, p<0.001). Conclusions Obesity is a strong, independent risk factor for respiratory failure, admission to the ICU and death among COVID-19 patients. Whereas a BMI ? 30 kg/m2 identifies a population of patients at high risk for severe illness, a BMI ? 35 kg/m2 dramatically increases the risk of death. Christians combat depression and suicide too; pastors and ministers share how they get through Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The depression rate worldwide is on a continual rise and Christians are not immune. With multiple headlines of pastors who died by suicide throughout the United States, The Christian Post decided to reach out to ministers to talk about how they combat their darkest moments. Throughout the years, several popular Christians have been vocal about their battles with depression and anxiety, from Charles Spurgeon to Perry Noble, and artists Mandisa and Lecrae. Just last year, the suicide of Inland Hills Pastor Andrew Stoecklein shook the American Church after he admitted he was dealing with depression. An alarming number of pastors and Christian leaders have taken their own lives in the last five years. Despite the increasing notice of depression and suicide nationally, the resources to help people in the church struggling with these thoughts or feelings are scarce. According to the World Health Organization, depression at its worst leads to suicide and it affects 300 million people worldwide. Its estimated that 15 percent of people will experience depression at some point in their adult lives. A 2019 survey shows a diverse mix of countries with the highest suicide rates. Among the top four are: Lithuania, Russia, Guyana, and South Korea. The U.S. is No. 27 on the list. More people reportedly die of suicide than homicide in America. Among young adults, the suicide rate for people 18 to 19 years old is up 56% from 2008-17. Depression among 20- to 21-year-olds doubled between 2009-17, and anxiety and hopelessness among 18- to 25-year-olds jumped 71% from 2008-17. Reports show that more than 253 million prescriptions were written for antidepressants in the U.S. The percentage of those diagnosed with some form of distress jumps by 30% every year. Christian pastors and music ministers offered advice and practical tools they use to combat the widespread outbreak of depression and anxiety. R escue crews are searching for a livestock ship with 42 crew that is reported to have sunk off the coast of Japan in rough seas caused by Typhoon Maysak. A survivor from the ship told the Japanese coastguard the Gulf Livestock 1 fell victim to rough weather brought on by the storm. The man, who is in good health, was spotted by a Japanese navy surveillance aircraft wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing in the water. The Filipino crew member was later named as Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer. A Filipino crew member believed to be onboard Gulf Livestock 1 is rescued by a Japan Coast Guard boat during their search and rescue operation / VIA REUTERS Mr Edvarodo told rescuers the ship capsized before sinking, said Yuichiro Higashi, a spokesman for the Japanese coastguards regional headquarters conducting the search. According to Mr Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Mr Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. The 12,000-ton ship's other crew members included 38 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and another two from Australia. It was also carrying 5,800 cows. The vessel, owned by Gulf Navigation Holding, based in the United Arab Emirates, was situated west of the western coast of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan in the East China Sea when it sent a distress call early on Wednesday. The 139 metre (450 ft), Panamanian-flagged vessel was built in 2002 (via Reuters) / via REUTERS It had left the port of Napier in north-eastern New Zealand in mid-August and was on its way to the port of Tangshan on Chinas eastern coast. The cause of its distress was not immediately known, but the weather in the area was rough due to Typhoon Maysak, which brought with it strong winds and heavy seas. The typhoon has since passed the area and the weather during the search is fine, Mr Higashi said. Three vessels, five airplanes and two divers had been deployed as part of the operation. The Philippines government said it was coordinating with the Japanese coastguard as it searched for the missing crew members ahead of another typhoon building in the region. Loading.... Typhoon Haishen is brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast on Sunday or Monday. A Filipino crew member believed to be onboard Gulf Livestock 1, a cargo ship carrying livestock and dozens of crew members that went missing after issuing a distress signal due to Typhoon Maysak, is rescued by a Japan Coast Guard boat during their search and rescue operation at the East China Sea, to the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan, in this handout photo taken on September 2, 2020 and provided by Japan Coast Guard. Picture taken September 2, 2020. 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters - Japan Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS. A ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle from New Zealand to China capsized after losing an engine in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the only crew member rescued so far told Japan's coastguard on Thursday. The Gulf Livestock 1 sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the area with strong winds and heavy seas. Japan's coastguard said it had rescued one crew member, Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the Philippines, on Wednesday night (Tokyo time) while searching for the ship. According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. Three vessels, five airplanes and two divers had been deployed to continue the search, the coastguard said. The crew included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, it added. The Philippines government said it was coordinating with the Japanese coastguard as it searched for the missing crew members ahead of another typhoon building in the region. Typhoon Haishen is brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast on Sunday or Monday. At least one person was reported killed in South Korea in the southern city of Busan after Typhoon Maysak made landfall on Thursday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. LIVE CATTLE EXPORT IN SPOTLIGHT The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug. 14 with a cargo of 5,867 cattle bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealand's foreign ministry told Reuters. The 139 metre (450 ft), Panamanian-flagged vessel was built in 2002 and the registered owner is Amman-based Rahmeh Compania Naviera SA, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The ship manager is Hijazi & Ghosheh Co. Calls to the owner and manager were unanswered. New Zealand animal rights organisation SAFE said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. "These cows should never have been at sea," said campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald. "This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue." Last year, New Zealand launched a review of its live export trade, worth around NZ$54 million ($37 million) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit. New Zealands Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it had temporarily suspended live cattle export applications after the Gulf Livestock 1 went missing. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, experts are warning that the next pandemic could arrive at any moment, and again, it could come from animals. To prevent history from repeating itself, experts say governments need to start investing heavily in pandemic prevention efforts. That means deploying teams of biologists, zoologists and veterinarians to begin monitoring animals and the people who interact with them -- an army of scientists tasked with stamping out the next deadly virus before an animal disease balloons into a global pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1 billion cases and millions of deaths each year can be traced back to diseases originating from animal populations. In the past three decades, researchers have found more than 30 bacteria or viruses that are capable of infecting humans. Over three quarters of those are believed to have come from animal populations. And while the current pandemic may feel like a very rare happening, scientists say the pace of these pandemics is accelerating dramatically thanks to humans' ever-encroaching proximity to wildlife. MORE: 2 cats in NY become first US pets to test positive for virus Beginning with SARS almost two decades ago and followed by West Nile, Ebola, Zika and currently, COVID-19, many of these pandemics originated with species of bats, and can be spread between people through coughing and sneezing or through insects such as mosquitoes. "The time between these outbreaks is getting shorter and shorter," said Dr. Tracey McNamara, a professor of pathology at Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine. And it's becoming increasingly clear that these viruses aren't just a threat to our health -- they're also a threat to the global economy. "We are only able to sustain an outbreak maybe once every decade," said Dr. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance. "The rate we are going is not sustainable." Story continues The COVID-19 pandemic did not surprise McNamara and Daszak. For decades, they, and other scientists, have been warning politicians and the public that wild and domestic animals -- and the viruses they carry -- pose a threat to humanity. PHOTO:Flavivirus (Flaviviridae family), these viruses are responsible for yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, Zika virus and West Nile encephalitis. (BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Without proper monitoring and surveillance of these creatures, they warned, we would be ill-prepared to stop a virus from spreading across the globe. McNamara was part of the "Red Dawn" group, a now-infamous email chain of top scientists that asked powerful U.S. government officials to mount a more vigorous domestic defense back when coronavirus was still considered a problem confined to China's borders. And Daszak, who has spent much of his career hunting for the next pandemic-causing virus in bat caves in Asia, saw U.S. government funding for his science slashed back in April. Perhaps most ominously, a U.S.-funded early-warning system called PREDICT, which was launched in 2009 in response to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak, saw its funding quietly lapse in late 2019. Daszak, whose group EcoHealth Alliance received some funding from PREDICT, lamented its loss at the time, arguing it's much cheaper for governments to stamp out small outbreaks than try to control a massive pandemic. But there are some signs now, with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, that funding to these crucial programs is coming back. PREDICT was granted an emergency six-month extension, and a new program, called Stop Spillover, is slated to launch in October. MORE: Scientists study coronavirus outbreaks among minks in Europe And while it may be too late to stop this coronavirus in its tracks, scientists say the threat of the spillover event grows more imminent each year. As our population continues to expand, the interactions between humans and wildlife grow closer and closer. Cutting down forests and altering habitats push animals out of their own homes and deeper into human communities. Poorly developed hygiene and sanitation systems can make it more likely for germs to build up. With humans and animals living in such close proximity, bacteria and viruses can easily jump from one species to another. Once people become infected, the increasing interconnectedness of our world makes the spread of the disease easier. People and domestic animals are able to traverse the globe in a matter of hours. Illegal trade of exotic animals can move across borders undetected, carrying with them deadly bacteria and viruses. "Several epidemiological drivers have been identified that make bacteria and viruses from animal populations suitable to emerge in a susceptible population. These drivers include climate change, industrial development, ecosystem change and social inequality," said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and contributor to ABC News. So how do bacteria or viruses go from infecting animals to infecting humans? One of the most common ways is coming into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected animal, such as a bat. This includes saliva, blood, urine and feces. Indirectly, people can come into contact with these through soil, plants, in animal habitats or by eating or drinking something that is contaminated. Mosquitoes and ticks are two animals that are known to easily spread bacteria and viruses, including West Nile and Zika virus. After biting an infected person, mosquitoes and ticks are able to spread the virus to every subsequent person they bite. According to McNamara, rabies and plant diseases that can damage crops are the two diseases under surveillance in the United States. "We don't think about it in the United States as much," said Dr. Christine Johnson, a professor of epidemiology and ecosystem health at the University of California--Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics. "There is a lot of active work to maintain vigilance for diseases. There is currently an outbreak of Ebola going on right now in the Democratic Republic of the Congo." MORE: How Animals Transmit Disease to Humans In Southeast Asia, efforts at identifying emerging diseases are focused on testing for viruses in both animals and people, especially in places where viruses can spill over, or find a new host, such as in humans, explained Daszak. "We only know how to look for known diseases," said McNamara. Her vision is for a disease surveillance system to focus syndromes, a group of symptoms that are known to occur together. By empowering veterinarians to share their findings with each other, McNamara hopes that this can help experts quickly identify the source of an outbreak before it spreads. "Future efforts in zoonotic disease surveillance should include strong integration of animal and human agencies of health, including wildlife, agriculture and public health," added Brownstein. Jonathan Chan, M.D., is an emergency medicine resident at St. John's Riverside Hospital and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit. Sony Salzman is the unit's coordinating producer. As COVID-19 continues, experts warn of next pandemic likely to come from animals originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Carlos Ponce joins others at a July 16 demonstration in Miami Springs, Florida, asking senators to support the continuation of unemployment benefits. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The fight over state and local funding "Both sides have dug in on their philosophical grounds," when it comes to supporting state and local governments, said Mark Mazur, director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Many Republicans think state and local governments should not require support from the federal government that could be used to patch up long-term funding issues, like pension shortfalls. Democrats, meanwhile, have argued that those areas have suffered revenue shortfalls of 20% or more, and will not likely recover in the short term. "The lesson from the Great Recession of '07, '08, '09 was that state and local governments were a drag on the economy in 2011 and '12 because they had such a dropoff in revenues," Mazur said. That resulted in reduced spending, layoffs, furloughs and increased taxes. Those efforts were "expedient, but didn't really help economic growth," Mazur added. States have less flexibility because they have balanced-budget requirements, which means they cannot borrow to fund spending because of a recession, said Chad Stone, chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank. In the past few recessions, the federal government has provided funding to states so they could maintain Medicaid and other social services, he said. Without federal aid, individuals and families could also be affected by the shortfalls in other ways. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards If teachers and police lose their jobs, for example, they have less money to pay their rent and buy groceries, which in turn affects local businesses, said Kris Cox senior tax policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "There's really a domino effect if states have to cut their budgets, which they are required to do by law," Cox said. But not everyone agrees that more funding is necessary. "The federal government has already sent hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to states," said Adam Michel, senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Another $1 trillion in federal debt to send to state governments just is both irresponsible and unfair to those taxpayers that would be bailing out states that have been making poor decisions for decades. Adam Michel senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation Most of that funding has not been spent, Michel noted. Meanwhile, not all states face shortfalls. While some like Wyoming have emergency reserves, others like Illinois have nothing saved. "Another $1 trillion in federal debt to send to state governments just is both irresponsible and unfair to those taxpayers that would be bailing out states that have been making poor decisions for decades," Michel said. The best way forward would be for state and local governments to take charge of the crisis and decide who needs help and when to open their economies, he said. "All of these decisions are best made and best handled at the state and local level," Michel said. Can Americans can expect more money? Small-business owners and community activists demonstrate for rent relief in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Erik McGregor | LightRocket | Getty Images Individuals and families who are just scraping by may expect more financial aid once politicians do come to an agreement. "You could easily see another round of stimulus payments," Mazur said. Both President Donald Trump and Democrats would tout those payments, which would likely be similar to the first round that were authorized by Congress with the CARES Act in the spring, he said. Body camera footage from the scene shows the man running with what appears to be a gun, then falling onto the grass in a front yard after four shots can be heard fired. The man then rolls onto his back and throws what appears to be his bag away from him before lying back on the grass with his arms above his head as officers yell at him to get down. A teachers body at Jadavpur University has urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that the institution is given the required autonomy to conduct the final semester examinations. The Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA), in a recent letter to Banerjee, also said the state government-stipulated date of October 31 for declaring results is not feasible as it falls just after the Durga Puja festivities. JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Roy said that the university should be given the autonomy to decide the dates of assessment and declaration of results. The JUTA, the largest teachers body in JU, wants a quick completion of the entire evaluation process but it should be decided by the university itself, he said. The advisory issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to mandatorily conduct final semester examinations by September 30 has put the students under stress, the teachers body said. The recent follow-up action of the state Higher Education Department, asking the universities to conduct the final semester examinations between October 1 and 18 and declare results by October 31, is further inconveniencing the students, it said. If the universities, as advised by the state government, fix the assessment in October, they will have to take the permission of the UGC, as per the Supreme Court order on August 28. Given the present scenario, where the UGC seems to be taking decisions in an arbitrary and unscientific manner, this may give rise to another set of uncertainties regarding the granting of permission to hold examinations in October which will increase the pressure on the students, Roy said in the letter. Pointing out that Durga Puja will be celebrated across the state from October 22, the JUTA said, If the assessment process commences at the beginning of October and is completed by October 18, as advised by the Higher Education Department, many students will miss the opportunity to join other higher educational institutions or take up jobs. The JUTA reminded the chief minister that the JU had initially prepared a protocol for assessment based on the Higher Education Departments advisory issued in April, which allowed the universities to prepare their own procedure for assessment. However, after most of the assessments were completed at JU, the department had issued a fresh advisory on June 27 proposing an 80-20 formula, wherein 20 per cent of the score for a paper would be awarded based on the students performance during the final semester and 80 per cent would be given on the basis of his/her results in the previous semester examinations, it said. As a result, JU was forced to change the whole assessment procedure and prepare results of the terminal semester/final year based on the June 27 advisory and the results prepared on the basis of the said advisory have now become redundant, the teachers body said. The JUTA said the Higher Education Departments previous advisory to the state universities to conduct examinations in October seemed to have been taken in haste without taking into consideration the specific issues and problems faced by different universities. Ministers are under fire from holidaymakers and the travel industry for failing to provide clarity after Portugal and Greece retained their places on Englands coronavirus quarantine exemption list. Wales and Scotland have added restrictions to passengers returning from the summer holiday hotspots, but the UK Government said on Thursday there would be no change to its list. There had been speculation that Westminster would reimpose the quarantine requirement on Portugal due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, leading many holidaymakers to pay hundreds of pounds to fly home this week. The Government was also under pressure to reimpose quarantine rules on arrivals from Greece after Scotland and Wales introduced restrictions in recent days. But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday evening that there were no changes to the Governments list, though he said he would not hesitate to remove countries if needed. The Welsh Government then revealed that it would remove the exemption from the 14-day self-isolation requirement for travellers returning from Portugal, Gibraltar and seven Greek islands. The new rule came into force at 4am on Friday. We continue to keep the Travel Corridor list under constant review & won't hesitate to remove countries if needed. However, there are no English additions or removals today. Nonetheless, holidaymakers are reminded - 14-day quarantine countries can & do change at very short notice Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 3, 2020 The Scottish Government has said passengers arriving from Portugal would have to quarantine from 4am on Saturday, as well as those arriving from French Polynesia. Scotland began requiring travellers from anywhere in Greece to enter quarantine from Thursday. There were 23 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in Portugal in the seven days to Wednesday, up from 15.3 a week earlier. A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government has considered triggering quarantine conditions. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Mr Shapps said a number of other factors are taken into account in relation to the list, including the level of change in cases, extent of testing, and whether outbreaks are contained. Industry leaders and holidaymakers criticised the Government, saying travellers are totally confused by the different approaches taken in Westminster and the devolved administrations. Kelly Jones and her family changed their flights home from the Algarve from Saturday to Friday at a cost of 900 to avoid a potential quarantine because she did not want her children to miss out on two weeks of school. The 45-year-old from Birmingham said the situation was absolutely disgusting, telling the PA news agency: The Government just change the goalposts left, right and centre at the moment. Its embarrassing. We've had another week of pundits guessing at travel corridor changes. It's caused some holidaymakers to book early flights home from Portugal (& cost them a fortune). It undermines operators too That's the governments fault. It must make the data behind these decisions public. https://t.co/4f2YDExtIY Rory Boland (@roryboland) September 3, 2020 Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: The quarantine policy is in tatters and dividing the United Kingdom. Consumers are totally confused by the different approaches and its impossible to understand the Governments own criteria anymore on when to add or remove a country. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: Days of speculation around this announcement meant many people rushed to pay extortionate prices for flights back to England to avoid having to quarantine on their return only to now find out there was no need. The Government knows this and yet it continues to offer no clarity around how these decisions are made, all while ignoring the growing evidence suggesting this system is not working. If the Government is serious about letting international travel resume while prioritising public health, a major reassessment of its approach is needed. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) It came as figures showed the number of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 being reached through Test and Trace was at its lowest since the system was launched. The latest data also indicated that a total of 6,732 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to August 26, an increase of 6% in positive cases on the previous week and the highest weekly number since the week to June 3. Thursday also saw the highest daily total of cases since June 4, with 1,735 positive results in the 24 hours up to 9am. Meanwhile, the head of Englands testing programme, Baroness Dido Harding, said a significant rise in demand for coronavirus testing was behind people being directed to test centres more than 100 miles away. Some people with Covid-19 symptoms who have tried to book tests online have been directed to centres which would take them more than three hours to reach by car. Baroness Harding, interim chairwoman of the new National Institute for Health Protection, which incorporates NHS Test and Trace, blamed the problem on rising demand. She told BBC Radio 4s PM programme: Now obviously I dont want people to be being directed to go miles and miles for a test but the reason that that is happening at the moment is because of a really significant increase in demand off a testing platform that, as Ive said, is larger than any other in Europe. A union has claimed a Coleraine firm intends to cut 77 jobs from its workforce, describing it as a "devastating blow" to the region's economy. Automotive parts manufacturer AVX Limited provided the union with a HR1 notification for redundancies of up to a third of its staff on its TTP production line. Unite's regional officer Liam Gallagher said that redundancy negotiations will begin on Monday and the union's priority will be to mitigate the impact through redeployment and facilitating those who plan to take voluntary redundancy. The Belfast Telegraph approached AVX Limited for comment last night but a response was not available. Mr Gallagher expressed his dismay after receiving the notification and said it was "devastating" for the workers and their families. "AVX is one of the few remaining manufacturers in Coleraine and the reduction of their workforce by one third will come as a significant blow to the north west economy," he stated. "AVX has been producing electrical capacitors for the automotive industry here for 50 years. "Unite has been working with the company through furlough and flexi-furlough since last November to protect the TTP product line. "The company had established a second production facility in Penang, Malaysia, which was taking away jobs but the downturn in demand in the sector for these components was the last straw." Mr Gallagher added that while there are three further production lines, the job losses throw the long-term future of AVX Limited's Coleraine plant into doubt. "We can ill afford to lose more jobs in this area and manufacturing jobs in particular are essential to sustain jobs in other sectors," he continued. "Workers are facing an uncertain time, and it's clear there is no strategy from Stormont or Westminster to save manufacturing jobs." An oil tanker loaded with two million barrels of Kuwati crude sailing toward Indias Paradip refinery caught fire Thursday morning off Sri Lankas coast, raising concerns about an oil spill. The fire in the engine room of New Diamond, a very large crude carrier, was caused by an explosion, said Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Indika de Silva. Fire is still in the engine room and hasnt spread out." Sri Lanka Navy deployed two vessels for rescue operation, Indian Coast Guard diverted three ships and an aircraft, while clean tanker Helen M has also been pressed into assistance. While, there have been no reports of large-scale oil leakage, Sri Lankan authorities are deploying equipment to prevent pollution, while India is sending ships to douse the fire. The area is south of a belt well known for whale sightings, and any oil spill could threaten marine life in the region. New Diamond is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) off the east coast of Sri Lanka, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The cargo was loaded at Mina al Ahmadi on Aug. 23 and scheduled to arrive at Paradip on Sept. 5. A slight oil leak is visible," said Dharshani Lahandapura, chairperson of Sri Lankas Marine Environment Protection Authority. We are analyzing the situation. It will be huge disaster if the spill occurs." Twenty of the 23 New Diamond crew have been rescued, with two of the remaining three accounted for, while one is missing, de Silva said. The vessel was chartered by Indian Oil Corp., a spokesman for Indias biggest state refiner said. Indian Oil operates a 15-million-ton-a-year oil refinery at Paradip in Indias eastern state of Odisha. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. FOSSASAT Deployed, Courtesy of FOSSA Systems Momentus welcomes FOSSA Systems into our growing family of customers -- Mikhail Kokorich, CEO Momentus FOSSA Systems (http://www.fossa.systems), Picosatellite manufacturer, and Momentus (http://www.momentus.space), provider of in-space transportation services for satellites, announced today that they have signed a service agreement. Two FOSSA PocketPod deployers carrying a total of nine PocketQube spacecraft (16P Total) will be launched in February 2021 on the second Vigoride demo mission onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. CSHARKPILOT-1 (FOSSASAT-2E) is a 2P satellite manufactured by FOSSA to house an Internet of things (IoT) payload by Italian technological provider CShark. This satellite aims to experiment with LoRa nodes processed through their turnkey Pongo user interface for visualizations and big data analysis. LAIKA (FOSSASAT-2B) is a 2P satellite manufactured by FOSSA and carrying an innovative new propulsion system. In partnership with Stockholm start-up porkchop, LAIKA will be using their structurally-embedded electric propulsion system. Challenger is a 3P Earth Observation and Communications satellite made using Windform, a carbon based material from CRP Technology. Challenger is designed by US based Mini-Cubes Space Development. SanoSat-1 is a 1P amateur satellite developed by ORIONSpace in Nepal to experiment with Radiation monitoring and a HAM digipeater. TRSI3 is a 1P amateur satellite developed to test an experimental SSTV imaging downlink and amateur downlink beacon. Canary Hatchling is a 1P satellite developed by Care Weather Technologies, located in Utah, USA. Hatchling is an early pathfinder mission for Care Weather's future cubesat constellation, which will map global oceanic vector winds on an hourly basis. The Hatchling mission provides in-orbit testing for Care Weather's vertically integrated satellite bus. Three dedicated FOSSA satellites (FOSSASAT-2C, FOSSASAT-2D and FOSSASAT-2F) will be the first of a constellation to provide LoRa-based IoT communications. These are second generation 2P satellites aimed at providing a high performance PocketQube platform for dedicated constellations and low-cost in-orbit demonstration. This new platform has 1P of payload space, can provide up to 9 watts of solar power, has full ADCS pointing capability and multiple storage/processing options. FOSSA is very pleased to be partnering with Momentus in these initial steps, we are looking forward to working with Momentus to establish a stable low-cost orbital access service for the long-run, said Julian Fernandez, CEO of FOSSA Systems. Momentus welcomes FOSSA Systems into our growing family of customers. This new partnership demonstrates the versatility of the Vigoride shuttle service to deploy the widest range of spacecraft, from PocketQubes to smallsats, said Mikhail Kokorich, CEO of Momentus. In May 2020, Momentus announced a launch service agreement with another Picosatellite specialist, Alba Orbital. Subsequent Vigoride missions are planned to carry Picosatellites from specialized partners who, together with Momentus, will pave the way for affordable constellations of Picosatellites in the near future. All appears to be forgiven for the Thai King's ousted mistress Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, as the pair have officially reconciled. Wongvajirapakdi, 35, was made royal consort by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 68, in a ceremony last year, where she was pictured sitting at his feet. She was given the title just three months after the King's wedding to Queen Suthida - his fourth wife. In appointing Wongvajirapakdi he became the first monarch to have an official consort since 1932. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi / AFP/Getty Images However, things took another turn in October 2019 when Wongvajirapakdi was cast out of the King's circle after accusations of 'disobedience' and alleged attempts to elevate herself to the level of the Queen. "Royal Noble Consort Sineenat is ungrateful and behaves in ways unbecoming of her title. She is also not content with the title bestowed upon her, doing everything to rise to the level of the queen," an official statement read. King Maha Vajiralongkorn putting a sash on Queen Suthida / AFP/Getty Images "She lacks the understanding of the good traditions of the royal court. She displays disobedience against the king and the queen." Thailand's Queen Suthida / Getty Images However, this week Royal Gazette published an update featuring an apparent u-turn on the decision: As Miss Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi has never been a tarnished person, His Majesty has given her the title of the royal consort, military ranks and royal decorations continuously. Sineenat Wonvajirapakdi / EPA "It will be regarded that she was never stripped of the royal consort title, military ranks and royal decorations previously" the publication wrote. Sinneenat Wongvajirapakdi / EPA Formerly Niramon Ounprom, Wongvajirapakdi is a former nurse and army officer and was given a new noble name by the King when she was made his official mistress. Paris: France called on the United States on Thursday (Friday AEST) to withdraw sanctions levelled on top officials of the International Criminal Court, saying they are a grave attack on the court and put into question the independence of justice. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions on Wednesday against the chief prosecutor of the court, based in The Hague, and a top aide, for investigations into the United States and its allies. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Credit:AP The sanctions include a freeze on assets held in the US or subject to US law and target prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the courts head of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko. The court is, notably, investigating allegations of torture and other crimes by Americans in Afghanistan. Big talent exodus from Kinzer to Lee & Assoc. Lee & Assoc. opened a Seattle office four years ago. Since then, the brokerage has gradually been gaining traction in our market. But on Tuesday, the firm announced its biggest coup to date: Stuart Williams has taken his three-person team from Kinzer Partners and over to Lee. (Williams and his team had previously been at JLL, before joining Kinzer in 2018.) Coming with the industry veteran Williams, one of the region's top brokers, are Adrienne Hunter, Alex Muir and Elizabeth Schalka. Williams said in a statement, Legitimate and willing buyers are sizing up opportunities to invest in a market that promises to correct once the COVID-19 situation subsides. Jim Bowles, who leads Lee's Seattle office, said, When we first opened our office in 2016, we knew that we wanted to focus on all aspects of the commercial real estate brokerage business, including and especially the commercial investment arena. Williams will lead its Northwest investment division. China on Thursday criticised what it described as meddling by the US in the border standoff with India, saying Beijing and New Delhi have the ability to resolve their disputes bilaterally. Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong was responding to remarks on Monday by US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun, who had said Washington will push back against Beijings aggressive actions, including its outsized territorial claims on the border with India. Ji said China favours a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through peaceful and friendly consultations. The two sides have been in talks at various levels to seek a peaceful settlement of the boundary issue, she said. China and India have the ability to resolve their border disputes bilaterally. We dont accept countries outside the region pointing fingers, let alone meddling or making instigation, which will only endanger the regional peace and stability, she added. Ji also rejected other remarks made by Biegun at the leadership summit organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum that were critical of China for its outsized demands to claim sovereign territory in the Galwan Valley on the India-Chinese border or in the South Pacific and its assertion of national sovereignty over the territory and territorial waters of other countries. Nations need to enhance mutual understanding and friendly cooperation, and it is regrettable that senior US officials had violated the norms of international ties and picked up fights virtually on every front and exploited every opportunity they can to slander and smear China, she said. The Chinese side firmly opposes it. We urge the US side to respect facts and truth, stop smearing and spreading rumours, Ji said. She reiterated Chinas assertion that it has never provoked a war or conflict over the past 70 years and always insisted on resolving territorial and maritime disputes with neighbours through consultations and negotiations on the basis of respecting historical facts to maintain regional peace and stability. Ji described Bieguns comments about predatory practices from the Chinese economy and technical theft as groundless, and said China has firmly maintained the multilateral trading system and an open global economy. Issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang are Chinas internal affairs and China does not accept external interference, Ji said. Ji also noted that 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, and the two sides should adhere to the strategic guidance of the leaders of two countries, strengthen mutual trust and cooperation, and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation. As large developing countries and emerging economies, both China and India are pursuing independent foreign policies. We believe that China and India have the ability and wisdom to handle bilateral relations properly and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, she added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worthington Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WOR) plans to release its first quarter results before the market opens on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. The Company will webcast a live discussion of these results at 2 p.m. ET that afternoon. The webcast will be available at www.WorthingtonIndustries.com and will be archived for one year. About Worthington Industries Worthington Industries (NYSE:WOR) is a leading industrial manufacturing company delivering innovative solutions to customers that span many industries including transportation, construction, industrial, agriculture, retail and energy. Worthington is North Americas premier value-added steel processor and producer of laser welded products; and a leading global supplier of pressure cylinders and accessories for applications such as fuel storage, water systems, outdoor living, tools and celebrations. The Companys brands, primarily sold in retail stores, include Coleman, Bernzomatic, Balloon Time, Mag Torch and Well-X-Trol. Worthingtons WAVE joint venture with Armstrong is the North American leader in innovative ceiling solutions. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Worthington operates 52 facilities in 15 states and six countries, sells into over 90 countries and employs approximately 7,500 people. Founded in 1955, the Company follows a people-first philosophy with earning money for its shareholders as its first corporate goal. Relentlessly finding new ways to drive progress and practicing a shared commitment to transformation, Worthington makes better solutions possible for customers, employees, shareholders and communities. Safe Harbor Statement The Company wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act"). Statements by the Company which are not historical information constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Act. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those projected. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks, uncertainties and impacts described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those related to COVID-19 and the various actions taken in connection therewith, which could also heighten other risks. Story continues Contacts: SONYA L. HIGGINBOTHAM VP, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND MANAGEMENT 614.438.7391 | sonya.higginbotham@worthingtonindustries.com MARCUS A. ROGIER TREASURER AND INVESTOR RELATIONS OFFICER 614.840.4663 | marcus.rogier@worthingtonindustries.com 200 Old Wilson Bridge Rd. | Columbus, Ohio 43085 WorthingtonIndustries.com The states workplace safety regulator has ordered San Quentins dental clinic to cease many of its operations, citing practices that have contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in the state prison. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health order comes after a massive coronavirus outbreak at the Marin County facility, which has to date infected more than 2,200 incarcerated men and 277 employees and killed 26 prisoners and one correctional sergeant. The state mandate, handed down Wednesday, laid out five workplace hazards at the clinic that officials said put workers at risk of infection due to occupational exposure. Among the allegations, Cal/OSHA inspectors said the clinic had not established a safety plan for performing aerosol-generating procedures the types of dental work, like drilling, that spray droplets from the patients mouth. Additionally, the order states that the prison failed to set up proper isolation rooms for high-hazard procedures, failed to provide air-purifying respirators, and did not clearly relay the COVID-19 infection status of the patients to the dentists, dental hygienists and correctional officers. In response to a list of questions emailed by The Chronicle, including whether prison officials disputed any of the allegations and what they would do to rectify the issues, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Dana Simas said the health and safety of inmates and staff is a top priority. Prison officials, Simas added, would work closely with the state to fully explain all of the actions San Quentins dental program has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic and to directly address OSHAs concerns. Five San Quentin dentists, who spoke to The Chronicle on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from prison officials, confirmed Cal/OSHAs allegations and detailed additional grievances. Their names were withheld in accordance with The Chronicles policy on anonymous sources. The dentists said the prison asked them to perform unsafe, nonemergency procedures during the pandemic, defying guidelines from the states dental association. If the dentists refused or questioned their directives, they said, they were given a disciplinary write-up. On about March 23 or 24, at the onset of the areas shelter-in-place orders, dentists said they were asked to perform nonurgent screenings for prisoners who had just entered the facility from county jails or other prisons. The screenings happen after 10 to 15 prisoners are first placed together in a 400-square-foot holding cell. The dentists argued that tight quarters put them, their families and the patients at risk for infection. They cited March 20 California Dental Association coronavirus guidelines that strongly discouraged nonemergency procedures, and said continuing such procedures may be unethical or illegal. Several dentists banded together and refused to perform the screenings, they said. They all received write-ups in April for insubordination, despite the fact that the statewide prison health care system itself had banned all nonemergency procedures on March 24 the same day or one day after the refused screenings. In July, one of the dentists compiled a list of health and safety questions that the dentist forwarded to the regional director the superior of the dentists immediate supervisor. The dentist received a more severe form of write-up, a letter of instruction, for failing to follow the chain of command. Cal/OSHAs Wednesday order bans aerosol-generating procedures at San Quentin until the facility can meet a list of safety conditions. The dentists who spoke to The Chronicle said its unclear what they will do if they receive a patient who requires an emergency procedure. Most such operations, they said, would produce aerosol. Were trying to take care of our patients, and not have another outbreak here, one dentist said Thursday. Were just concerned about ourselves and our patients. I dont think they care about us, and I know they dont care about the inmates. 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 complaints against San Quentins dental clinic are not the first to accuse prison brass of flouting health experts guidelines during the pandemic. Marin Countys top public health officer said San Quentin officials ignored his advice to isolate recent transfers from the facilitys native population, and was forwarded a letter that said state prisons are not under the jurisdiction of local health officials. The late-May transfer from a coronavirus hot spot at a facility in Southern California is blamed for igniting the deadly outbreak at San Quentin, which at its peak was among the largest in the nation. More Information Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on SFChronicle.com. See More Collapse The more than 120 transferred men were not tested for weeks prior to being bused to the Bay Area prison, and were placed in the same housing unit as the native San Quentin population. Corrections officials have five days from the issuance of Cal/OSHAs order to request a hearing on its actions. San Quentins active coronavirus cases have dramatically fallen since spiking in June and July. There are 13 incarcerated people with active cases, only one of whom tested positive in the past two weeks. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy News Headlines Bhutan to gradually lift coronavirus lockdown A music teacher from Pakistan was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping a minor girl at her residence in Vrindavan for three days. The accused, Anand Kumar, a resident of Karachi, has been staying on a tourist visa for years, police said. Kumar was known to sing bhajans and teach music, an official said. Vrindavan Kotwali in-charge Avadhesh Pratap Singh said an FIR has been registered and the accused was arrested from Imli Tala on Parikrama Marg and has been sent to jail. The girl, a Ukraine national, was staying with her father in the Chaitanya Vihar neighbourhood, police said. Her parents, both Krishna devotees, are divorced and live separately. Mathura SP Uday Shankar said the accused has been arrested and an inquiry ordered. The accused has been charged under the POCSO Act. Credit: CC0 Public Domain You generally take more medications as you get older. The doctor prescribes a statin to lower cholesterol, a steroid spray for allergies, a proton pump inhibitor for reflux, and a painkiller for the knee that's still sore after that running injury a few years back. But too many medications, sometimes referred to as polypharmacy, can become a problemthe more medicines you take, the greater the chances one medication will have a negative interaction with another and cause a serious adverse effect. At some point, you and your doctor may need to ask a fundamental question: Do you need all of these medications? "It's always a little bit of detective work to figure out where the medications came fromwho prescribed them and when," says Gregory Ouellet, MD, MHS, a geriatrician at Yale Medicine's Dorothy Adler Geriatric Assessment Center. Adverse drug events, or unexpected medical problems that occur during treatment with a drug or other therapy, cause 1.3 million emergency department (ED) visits in the United States each year and about 350,000 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These medical events are most common among older peoplethose over 65 are nearly seven times more likely than younger people to be admitted to the hospital after an ED visit, and most of the time that visit is due to a negative drug interaction. "It only takes one unnecessary medication or a negative drug combination to cause a serious problem," says Karen Jubanyik, MD, an emergency medicine specialist. In many cases, you may not need all the medications you're taking, says Marcia Mecca, MD, a Yale geriatrician who directs a "de-prescribing" program at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven called IMPROVE (Initiative to Minimize Pharmaceutical Risk in Older Veterans Polypharmacy Clinic). The clinic's sole purpose is to eliminate unnecessary medications and help avoid emergency room visits for patients who are 65 or older, have multiple chronic conditions, and take 10 or more medicines a day. "We look at people's medication lists carefullyespecially if they have a new concern, are having trouble with their memory, or are at risk for falling," Dr. Mecca says. It's a process that involves listening to the patient and learning about what they want and expect from a given medication, she says. Is polypharmacy a communication issue? One phenomenon Dr. Ouellet has seen is what's called the prescribing cascade. "Basically, a patient was started on one medication, had side effects from that, and then was given another medication to deal with the side effects of the first," he says. "Soon the patient has multiple medicines interacting and causing symptoms." Another scenario Dr. Jubanyik sees is a patient taking two types of the same treatmentfor instance, a primary care doctor may have prescribed a diuretic, and then a cardiologistwho didn't know about the first prescriptionprescribes another one. Yet another issue involves a misunderstanding of instructions. "I worked with a patient who had been taking an allergy medication year-round for decades only to learn it was for allergy season only," says Dr. Mecca. Many medication problems aren't diagnosed until patients end up in the ED, where they are surprised when a doctor recommends they eliminate one, says Dr. Jubanyik. A longstanding problem When Dr. Jubankyik suspects a new patient in the ED is experiencing an adverse drug reaction, she works with pharmacists to investigate, often searching the patient's electronic medical record (EMR), which she says is an invaluable tool. Before EMRs were in place, clinicians had to rely on their patients for information about current prescriptions. Or if they were lucky enough to get a paper chart for a patient, providers often had to analyze poor handwriting, buried deep in the chart, to come up with a medication list. It was often difficult to tell which medications a patient was still supposed to be taking and which medications had been discontinued. Even with EMRs, physicians still run into problems when patients see multiple providers who each prescribe a number of medications. One medical specialist may be hesitant to interfere with a prescription made by a doctor in a different specialty, Dr. Jubanyik says. "It's hard to tell a patient to stop taking a medication prescribed by another provider. We wouldn't want to undermine the therapeutic alliance between the other clinician and the patient. There is a possibility that there are legitimate reasons for the medication to be prescribed," she adds. "The explosion of specialists and hyper-specialists has made it more likely that patients will see multiple prescribing providers. Best practice dictates that they all talk frequently about each patient's medication regimen, but realistically that does not happen." She recommends using pharmacist colleagues to oversee and monitor multi-provider prescribing to best advocate for the patients. Drugs that are common culprits There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to eliminating medications, says Dr. Mecca. "Each patient is unique, and the approach for one patient is different than for another," she says. Guidelines are a starting place. One resource doctors turn to is the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria, which is updated every few years (last updated in 2019). Beers includes multiple tables of medications with recommendations on drugs to avoid or use with caution in older patients, and known drugdisease and drugdrug interactions. "There is a host of drugs that can cause problems," says Dr. Jubanyik. For older people, many of the ED visits that lead to hospitalizations are because of a handful of common drugs, such as blood thinners; opioid analgesics, which have contributed to deaths from overdoses; and medications that require routine monitoring with blood tests, according to the CDC. What's more, some medications and combinations of medications can affect a person's ability to think and concentrate, and cause confusion, memory loss, and delusionssymptoms that can be mistaken for dementia or Alzheimer's disease. For older people, sedative, hypnotic drugs such as zolpidem, diazepam, and alprazolam "can really cloud their picture and make the memory worse," Dr. Jubanyik says. "Some drugs that calm down a younger patient can have a paradoxical reaction in older patients, causing them to grow agitated and confused, and putting them at higher risk for dizziness and falls." Why drugs are so complicated for older people Drugs affect the aging body differently and having this information can help people make better choices about the drugs they take. For instance, physical changes that come with aging can cause the kidneys to take longer to clear medications, which can essentially mean they're experiencing the effects of a higher dose, says Dr. Mecca. What's more, the liver and kidneys are the major organ systems that metabolize and clear out the byproducts of medication, and a 90-year-old's organs are not going to function the same as a 30-year-old's, Dr. Jubanyik says, noting that medication that doesn't leave a person's system can accumulate and become toxic. Another important piece of information relates to a drug's long-term benefit. "Many medications for chronic diseases are focused on reducing the risk of a bad outcome in the future. In studies, we see that there is often a lag timefrom months to yearsfrom starting a medication to seeing an actual reduction in the risk of a bad outcome," adds Dr. Ouellet. "If the typical time to see a benefit is longer than a patient's life expectancy, we may be subjecting them to adverse effects with little chance of benefit." Opioid medications can raise difficult questions as well, says Dr. Jubanyik, who has seen cases where patients at the end of life were prescribed opioids for pain with the assumption that they would not need to worry about addiction. But then, because of a new treatment, a patient lived longer than expected and continued to take the opioids, she says. "Family members are surprised when their grandmother becomes dependent, but there is nothing special about an 80-year-old's brain that protects it from becoming dependent on a medication," she says. Underlying all of these issues is that there isn't always good data around how a particular drug will affect an older personclinical trials to prove safety and effectiveness usually focus on younger patients, Dr. Jubanyik says. That means a doctor prescribing a medication to an older person doesn't always have a clear roadmap of what to expect. "Drug companies, looking at a drug that will be used mostly in 50- or 60-year-olds, don't tend to include many 90-year-olds, who might have multiple chronic diseases, in their clinical trials. They are not going to study it in people who are on several other medications, either," she says. "But, once that drug is approved, you learn a lot more. In thousands and thousands of older people, you start to see side effects that weren't anticipated." Patients need to know what they're taking For these reasons, bring your pill bottles (with the original labels that include details like proper dosage) to doctor appointments and pharmacy trips, says Dr. Ouellet. Toss in over-the-counter medicines and vitamin supplements and be prepared to talk about foods or beverages that contain ingredients like caffeine. If you are seeing multiple specialists, doctors encourage you to review medications regularly with all of them. Yale Medicine doctors suggest asking the following questions: Should I continue to take a drug that doesn't seem to be helping me? Should the dosage be adjusted? Am I following the instructions correctly? Could a new symptom be related to a drug? Do the benefits outweigh the risks for a particular drug? Could one medication help with two conditions? If taking medicine feels complicated, buy a pill box Even after doctors help patients eliminate medications, the daily pill regimen can be overwhelming, says Carolyn Fredericks, MD, a neurologist. She sees this become especially problematic among those with cognitive issues or dementia and says some patients will need a family member or a hired caregiver to help. Dr. Fredericks also recommends asking the pharmacy to provide medications in a blister pack so pills can be punched out each day, leaving a record of how many were taken. Another solution is to set up reminders on a mobile phone. Or you can go low-tech. "A pill organizer box helps," Dr. Fredericks says. Pillboxes range from simple and inexpensive ones to tech-savvy ones that make a sound when it's time to take a pill; some of the tech-heavy ones can cost hundreds of dollars. "Even a basic one is better than nothing," says Dr. Fredericks, adding that for some people it's the best choice. "All the bells and whistles are great, but you want to make sure it's something you can set up that you don't have to be constantly rethinking. If the person is 90, they may not be technical or understand Bluetooth." In the end, doctors suggest trying the method of keeping track of medications that works best for you. "Missing a dose or two can lead to significant problems," Dr. Fredericks says. "Medication only helps if it's taken properly." Explore further Boomers have a drug problem, but not the kind you might think 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) Name Your Poison: Exotic Toxins Fell Kremlin Foes By Ron Synovitz September 02, 2020 The German government has announced that tests on blood samples taken from Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny showed the presence of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. Earlier, German doctors treating the Kremlin critic had been less precise, saying that the specific poison remained unknown but that they had determined poisoning by "cholinesterase inhibitors" -- toxic substances that can be found in several drugs and pesticides and, more ominously, in deadly nerve agents such as Novichok, sarin, and soman. The 44-year-old Navalny fell ill on August 20 as he traveled to the Russian capital from the Siberian city of Tomsk, where he was investigating corruption. He was initially rushed to a Russian hospital for treatment, but following outcry from his colleagues and allegations that he had been deliberately poisoned, he was airlifted to Germany. He remains in an intensive-care unit at the Charite Hospital in Berlin, where he is being kept in a medically induced coma. Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption activist who led boycotts against Russia's 2018 presidential election after his registration as a candidate was rejected by authorities, is just the latest Kremlin critic to fall ill from a toxic substance. And he is not the first to be poisoned specifically by the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. Verzilov's 'Highly Plausible' Poisoning The suspected poisoning of anti-Kremlin activist Pyotr Verzilov in Moscow -- just a few months after nerve-agent poisonings in Britain that led to one death and left three others severely ill -- conjures up memories of other Kremlin foes who have fallen victim to toxic attacks in the Vladimir Putin era and previously. Doctors in Berlin, where Russian-Canadian Verzilov was flown on September 15 after falling seriously ill days earlier, said it was "highly plausible" that he was poisoned. A longtime opponent of Russian President Putin as a member of the punk protest band Pussy Riot and dissident art troupe Voina, Verzilov's doctors in Germany said on September 18 that something disrupted the nerves that regulate his internal organs. The Skripals And Novichok Verzilov's case comes just months after former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious in a park in the English city of Salisbury. A British public inquiry found that the Skripals had been poisoned with the deadly nerve agent Novichok and alleged that the attack was carried out by Russian state agents, later identified as two men traveling under the names Aleksandr Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. Less than four months later, Britons Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess were taken to a hospital in Salisbury in critical condition and found to have also been poisoned by Novichok. Sturgess died on July 8. Skripal, a 67-year-old former Russian Army colonel, and his adult daughter eventually recovered after months of intensive hospital treatment. Skripal was convicted in 2006 by a Russian court for "high treason in the form of espionage" on charges that he had given the names of Russian agents in Europe to Britain's MI6 intelligence agents during the 1990s. The attack on the Skripals expanded the list of cases in which Kremlin opponents or critics have fallen ill from poisoning over the years, sometimes fatally, in circumstances that have raised suspicions of KGB-style assassinations. While the Skripals were hospitalized, London police assistant commissioner Mark Roley told BBC that authorities "have to be alive to the fact of state threats as illustrated by the [Aleksandr] Litvinenko case." Litvinenko, a former Russian state security service agent who defected to Britain and became a sharp critic of the Kremlin, fell seriously ill in November 2006 and died three weeks later. He was found to have been poisoned with radioactive polonium. Here's a closer look at poisons thought to have been used in prominent cases of both international and domestic toxic attacks involving Russians. Fentanyl and Carfentanyl Initial reports in British media said authorities suspected Skripal and his daughter were exposed to fentanyl, a synthetic opiate painkiller that is at least 50 times more powerful than morphine. A related synthetic opioid, carfentanyl, is 100 times as potent as fentanyl and as much as 10,000 times as potent as morphine. In addition to medical uses, and abuse as street drugs that often has deadly consequences, the chemicals have been weaponized as potentially lethal incapacitating agents. Weaponized forms include guns that shoot felt pads soaked in the substances, paint-ball type projectiles, and an aerosol spray. The chemicals can be ingested through skin contact or inhaled if they become airborne. The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that "first responder" emergency workers in cases of fentanyl and carfentanyl exposure can ingest the chemicals by touching the victim's skin. Two police officers who initially responded to Skripal's case were treated and one remained hospitalized on March 6. Moscow's 2002 Theater Hostage Crisis A report by British government scientists who tested clothing and urine samples from three survivors of the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis found that Russian special forces used carfentanyl to subdue Chechen separatists who were holding 800 people captive at the Dubrovka Theater. The raid succeeded, but more than 120 hostages died from the effects of the chemical. The same report noted that a Russian general who directed a military chemical institute had said that fentanyls were capable of delivering "a knock-out blow" to subjects within minutes. Gelsemium -- 'Heartbreak Grass' The most toxic source of Gelsemium poison is Gelsemium elegans, or "heartbreak grass," a rare variety of a plant that only grows in Asia. Lacing food with heartbreak grass is a known method of assassination by Russian and Chinese contract killers. Aleksandr Perepilichny A Russian oligarch and Kremlin critic who sought refuge in Britain in 2009, Aleksandr Perepilichny had been helping a Swiss investigation into a Russian money-laundering scheme by providing evidence against allegedly corrupt officials in Moscow. He also provided evidence against Russian officials linked to the 2009 death of anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow jail. Shortly before he collapsed and died in November 2012 at the age of 44 while jogging outside his home in Surrey, Perepilichny told his colleagues that he had received death threats. Although he was the fourth person linked to the Magnitsky case to die in strange circumstances, police in Surrey initially ruled that his death was not suspicious. But on May 18, British authorities reopened an investigation into his 2012 death after new tests discovered traces in his stomach that could only come from the highly toxic Gelsemium plant. The Surrey coroner's court was told the toxicology report raised "serious concerns" that Perepilichny may have been assassinated for helping expose a powerful Russian fraud syndicate. The court also heard there was "historical animosity" between Perepilichny and Dmitry Kovtun, one of two Russians found in January 2016 by a British inquiry to have poisoned Litvinenko in London in 2006. Polonium-210 Polonium is a rare and highly radioactive element that occurs in uranium ores. Polonium-210 is about 250,000 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide, which is itself an extremely poisonous liquid that can kill quickly in a concentrated dose. Aleksandr Litvinenko A former officer of Russia's FSB security service, Litvinenko fled to London with his family in 2000 and was granted political asylum. Litvinenko was poisoned in a London sushi bar in November 2006 and an autopsy revealed traces of polonium-210 in his body. British experts said he probably was the first person ever to die of the acute radiation effects of polonium-210. A British inquiry in January 2016 concluded there was "strong circumstantial evidence of Russian state responsibility" and that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his spy chief at the time, Nikolai Patrushev, "probably approved" Litvinenko's poisoning. The inquiry, led by a retired British judge, Sir Robert Owen, also concluded that a former KGB agent and ex-Kremlin bodyguard, Andrei Lugovoi, carried out the assassination along with Dmitry Kovtun by placing polonium-210 in a teapot that was served to Litvinenko at a London restaurant. Before he died, Litvinenko wrote a letter accusing Putin of ordering his death. He had earlier accused the FSB of staging apartment-building bombings and other false-flag attacks in Russia in a bid to bring Putin into power -- claims Russian authorities have denied. Litvinenko had also accused Putin of ordering the killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a Kremlin critic who was fatally shot less than two months before his own death. Thallium Thallium is a chemical element that is found in potassium-based ores, but also is a byproduct from refining heavy metal sulfide ores. Small, nontoxic amounts of the radioisotope thallium-201 are used in nuclear medicine scans. Thallium salts are highly toxic and have been used in rat poisons and insecticides. Thallium poisoning results in hair loss. Because of its use as a murder weapon, it is sometimes referred to as the "poisoner's poison." Nikolai Khokhlov Nikolai Khokhlov was a Soviet KGB agent who defected to the United States in 1953 and testified about KGB operations. Khokhlov was treated for thallium poisoning in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1957 after a failed assassination attempt by the KGB -- possibly the first radiological attack by KGB agents. Former KGB officers have claimed that Khokhlov was poisoned by radioactive polonium, exactly as Litvinenko was in 2004, rather than thallium. Litvinenko's poisoning by polonium-210 initially was misdiagnosed as thallium poisoning. Yury Shchekochikhin A Russian investigative journalist and lawmaker, Yury Shchekochikhin campaigned against corruption and the influence of organized crime in Russia. Shchekochikhin died in July 2003 -- just days before he planned to meet FBI investigators in the United States -- after suffering from a mysterious illness and displaying symptoms of a severe allergic reaction. Russian authorities declared that he died from Lyell's syndrome, but his medical treatment and autopsy records remain under the control of the FSB. Some researchers say the symptoms of Shchekochikhin's illness were similar to the radioactive poisoning symptoms of Khokhlov and Litvinenko. Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) -- 'Dioxin' TCDD -- commonly, though inaccurately, referred to as dioxin -- is a colorless, odorless solid compound at room temperature. It is the main contaminant in Agent Orange, the defoliation substance that was used by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War. TCDD has been classified as a carcinogen for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Viktor Yushchenko A Ukrainian politician, Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned with hazardous amounts of TCDD in late 2004 while running for president against Russian-favored candidate Viktor Yanukovych. Tests at the time showed he had the second-highest concentration of TCDD ever measured in a human. As a result, his face was disfigured for many years by chloracne, but he has been slowly recovering. Yushchenko, who favored European integration and Ukrainian membership in NATO, said that his poisoning "was not a private act" and accused Russian officials of hindering an investigation into who was responsible for poisoning him. Official election results declaring Yanukovych as the winner of the vote led to the Orange Revolution protests. The Supreme Court ruled that there had been widespread fraud in Yanukovych's favor and ordered a new vote, which Yushchenko won. Sarin And Other Nerve Agents Sarin is a colorless, odorless liquid nerve agent that causes death by asphyxia because victims are unable to control the muscles involved in breathing. It is most dangerous when it is inhaled. The liquid easily turns into a gas and vapor concentrations can also penetrate the skin. Sarin has been classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. The stockpiling of sarin is outlawed under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Ibn al-Khattab The FSB has said that its operatives killed Ibn al-Khattab, a Saudi-born militant who fought alongside Chechen militants in Russia's North Caucasus during the 1990s and early 2000s. He died in 2002. Khattab's relatives and other Chechen sources say he was poisoned after handling a letter that had been laced with a "fast-acting nerve agent, possibly sarin or a derivative." Russian press reports say the letter was delivered by a Daghestani double agent who was paid by the FSB. Microengineered Ricin Pellets The Soviet Union possessed a weaponized version of ricin poison during the Cold War, when the KGB was suspected in assassination attempts against at least three well-known Warsaw Pact defectors. Ricin is produced naturally within the seeds of the plant Ricinus communis, which are crushed to produce castor oil. The pulp from eight crushed seeds is considered a dangerous dose for adults. But deaths from eating castor plant seeds are rare because of the seed's indigestible shell and because the human body can digest the toxin. Ricin is most toxic when it is inhaled, injected, or otherwise ingested into the bloodstream. In the form of purified powder, a dose the size of a few grains of table salt is strong enough to kill an adult. Georgi Markov The most infamous case is the so-called umbrella assassination of Bulgarian dissident journalist Georgi Markov in London in September 1978. Markov, who worked for the BBC and Radio Free Europe, died four days after a microengineered pellet containing the poison ricin was injected into his leg. British investigators suspect the pellet was fired by an assassin who used a device hidden in the tip of an umbrella while Markov was catching a bus on London's Waterloo Bridge. Vladimir Kostov A similar assassination attempt had been made 10 days earlier against another Bulgarian defector who worked for Radio Free Europe, Vladimir Kostov. Kostov was shot in the back with the same type of ricin-laced pellet while walking in a Paris metro station in August 1978, but he only ingested a small portion of the ricin in his blood and survived. Boris Korczak In August 1981, an exposed CIA double agent, Boris Korczak, was struck in his kidney by a similar ricin pellet fired from an air gun while he was shopping for food in Virginia. Korczak also survived the attack and was convinced the KGB was responsible. Unidentified Poisons Hafizullah Amin Hafizullah Amin was an Afghan politician during the Cold War who served as president for three months in 1979 after ordering the assassination of his pro-Soviet predecessor, Nur Muhammad Taraki. Soviet officials alleged that Amin was an agent of the CIA. A KGB agent who infiltrated the presidential palace and became the chef attempted to poison Amin on December 13, 1979. But Amin suspected he was being poisoned and switched his food and drink with his son-in-law -- who became ill and was sent to a hospital in Moscow. Two weeks later, Amin was assassinated by Soviet forces who stormed Kabul's Tajbeg Palace. The Soviet Union then installed Babrak Karmal as Afghan president. Anna Politkovskaya Russian investigative journalist, human rights activist, and Kremlin critic Politkovskaya fell violently ill in September 2004 after drinking tea on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to southern Russia during the Beslan school-hostage crisis. Politkovskaya believed she was poisoned by the FSB, and media reports said her attackers used an unknown toxin prepared at a former Soviet secret-police poison facility. Politkovskaya survived, but she was shot dead two years later in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building. Source: Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Willamette University is saddened to announce the passing of one of its dedicated community members, Susan Hammer JD'76, who served as a trustee of Willamette from 19992012. Susan passed away on August 26, 2020, in Portland. Susan was a devoted supporter of Willamette University, particularly the College of Law, who served in many capacities to support and further the work of the law school. A trailblazing lawyer, expert mediator, a dedicated community leader, Susan will be greatly missed by the Willamette community. "Susan was an exemplary role model for our students and faculty," said Symeon Symeonides, dean emeritus of Willamette University College of Law. "She was truly brilliant, dynamic, full of creative ideas and a pioneer in her field. Our school has lost a generous benefactor and cheerful friend and supporter who made us proud throughout her outstanding career." After graduating in 1976 from Willamette University College of Law, Susan served as the law clerk for Justice James Dolliver on the Washington State Supreme Court. She began practicing commercial litigation and employment law at Stoel Rives in 1978. During her 20 years with the firm, she became just the seventh woman to become a partner, making her one of the first women to be made partner at a major Portland law firm. Susan's dedication and commitment naturally led her to leadership roles in all of the organizations she served. As became the first female president of the Multnomah Bar Association, she created the Committee on the Status of Women to respond to the needs of a growing number of women attorneys, including issues of work/family balance, parental leave, and gender discrimination. Susan also received the Professionalism Award during her time with the Multnomah Bar Association. Susan was also deeply committed to community service and did extensive pro bono work. In 1987 she became one of the earliest recipients of the Oregon Commission for Women, Women Achievement Award. Then, in 1991, she was honored by Willamette with an Alumni Citation for Distinguished Achievement in Law & Public-Service. In 1998, Susan founded Dispute Resolution Services, which focused on dispute resolution design and mediator selection. She was one of the first women in Portland to establish a practice focused on this area of the law that was little understood or used at the time. She mediated thousands of cases over two decades and served as a senior fellow at the Willamette University Center for Dispute Resolution. Since 2001, she has been a distinguished fellow for the International Academy of Mediators. She served on the academys board and received its national recognition, the Presidential Honor Award, in 2012 and 2014. Susan was listed in the top tier of The Best Lawyers in America and was named Oregon Mediation "Lawyer of the Year" in 2012. "Susan was a warm, gracious, exceedingly intelligent and sophisticated woman, and perhaps the finest representative of the mediation community in the Pacific Northwest," said Susan Smith, professor of law at Willamette University College of Law. In addition to serving as an outstanding leader in her field, Susan was a leader in her community. She served as chair for the board of Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette. Under her leadership, the organization expanded from five to nine health care centers. Susan was the first person to be honored with the Planned Parenthood Susan Hammer Award for Transformative Leadership, named in her honor to recognize her leadership. Her community service also extended to roles as president of the City Club of Portland, a trustee and then life trustee of the Willamette University Board of Trustees; board member of the Pacific Northwest College of Art; Ecotrust, Literary Arts, and Oregon Public Broadcasting. She was the first recipient of the Sally Lawrence President's Award from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and in 2007 Oregon Business named her one of the 50 Great Leaders of Oregon. "Susan Hammer was the best of what Willamette University is all about she was intelligent, committed to her community and hard working," said Lynne Saxton 76, chair of the Willamette University Board of Trustees. "Susan's grace and willingness to consider all sides of an issue were treasured by those of us who had the privilege to work with her. She was, and will continue to be, an inspiration to us every day." Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to Friends of The Columbia Gorge, Literary Arts, Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Willamette University or the charity of your choice. Sign the online guest book via Susan's obituary on oregonlive.com. Before the pandemic hit, most employers did not consider it their business to inquire about how their working parents were juggling work, their childrens school and childcare. In fact, to ask just the female population of workers about childcare could be considered discriminatory. Still, employing working parents have significantly influenced employers, especially in their ability to retain top talent. Many employers had already been implementing family-friendly policies, flexible work arrangements and greater pools of time off. Then COVID-19 hit. A combination of staying in place and closed schools caused many working parents to suddenly work remotely alongside their kids, who were asked to attend remote school programs. As a response, most employers became even more flexible and reasonable. New York State issued COVID-19 Leave and the federal government responded with the Families First Corona Response Act (FFCRA). Two of the six criteria under FFCRA outlined qualifying reasons for leave related to childcare. Employers covered under the act need to provide a total of 12 weeks of partially paid leave to employees whose childrens day care or school has closed due to COVID-19. Due to a wide variety of circumstances, companies had to quickly understand the complexities of FFCRA, such as who is eligible and allowing intermittent leave. Employers relied heavily on their human resource departments for guidance. We pity the employers with little or weak human resources departments. Since many public and private schools locally will be limited to virtual or hybrid classroom learning in the fall, we expect September and October to be crazy months for employers when it comes to their staffs schedules, qualifying leave, and school situations. To make matters even more complicated, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has challenged employers in court cases where employees were either denied leave requests or fired. Lawsuits claim employees were fired because they couldnt keep to their expected work schedules while caring for young children at home. DOL has published guidance for employers to be more flexible with approving FFCRA. Data show employees are actually working longer hours from home. DOL is also warning employers to establish better ways to collect all hours worked. How do you know if an employee is working and when they are not? Although many employers are adjusting their expectations for working parents, others may not be. Employers who dont accommodate working parents could face many negative consequences, including legal action against them. An employer could be subject to penalties and damages for unpaid wages and attorney fees and costs, as well as be required to reinstate the employee. We have always cautioned employers that they will not be measured during times of plenty and profitability but rather be measured on how they dealt with times of uncertainty and stress. During this most stressful time, employers who are inflexible and unaccommodating towards working parents may find their actions affecting their ability to attract and retain top talent. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The HR department should work with managers to develop a remote-work policy for all employees. The policy should outline expectations and flexibility guidelines, which includes the criteria on which employees can work from home and who is required to come into the workplace. The policy will state what hours they are expected to work and sets a schedule for virtual meetings. It is important that remote workers be treated the same as if they were working in the office. Moreover, the policy needs to be communicated to all employees with as much notice as possible. With school starting, now is the time. Employers should consider having the policy reviewed by a labor attorney to make sure it is compliant with local, state and federal laws. Someone has to keep up and follow the DOL court cases so they can adjust accordingly. Since there is no end in sight to the COVID-19 restrictions, now is the time for employers to look to their HR department or look to assist the department with HR responsibilities. HR should respond by putting together solutions to help ease the burden for working parents. Employees should have a trusted company contact (HR) to discuss scheduling issues and expectations versus availability. HR has the responsibility to ensure working parents have everything they need to stay productive. Employers still must balance the needs of their business and the needs of their working parents. Leading with empathy and clarity goes a long way in getting both needs met and they will be remembered when attracting and retaining top talent. Rose Miller is president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC. rmiller@pinnaclehrllc.com Zendaya gets emotional after receiving a sweet tribute from her pal Timothee Chalamet. The Oscar-nominated actor took to Twitter to greet the "Euphoria" star on her 24th birthday. Timothee Chalamet Calls Zendaya "Inspiring" In his birthday greeting for the "Spider-Man" star, Chalamet described Zendaya as "one of the most inspiring people" he has ever met. "Happy birthday to one of the most inspiring people I've met on my short journey. 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," he wrote. "The Greatest Showman" actress responded and said she almost "tear up" as she thanked the actor for his sweet birthday message. Yo, you bout to make me tear up over here man, thank you for this, I appreciate you very much... https://t.co/vbRMTQZK6e Zendaya (@Zendaya) September 1, 2020 "Yo, you bout to make me tear up over here, man, thank you for this, I appreciate you very much," she replied. Fans Shipping Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet Fans flocked to the comment section as they gushed about their friendship. "Didn't know that I needed this friendship," one fan wrote, while another user commented: "Who is cutting the onions I'm here for this friendship!! On the other hand, someone was even thrilled to see the duo in a movie: "We are very excited to see u two together!!!" Is Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet Dating? Earlier this 2020, the two sparked dating rumors after they were spotted shopping at the Bed, Bath & Beyond in New York -- just months following the actor's split with Lily Rose-Depp. However, it was another baseless speculation given the fact that the "Hot Summer Nights" actor is currently seeing 30-year-old actress Eiza Gonzalez. In June, Chalamet and the Mexican actress were photographed kissing during their vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In addition to being #friendshipgoals, both Hollywood stars are set to appear in the epic science fiction film "Dune," which directed by Denis Villeneuve and is based on the 1965 science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert. Zendaya told InStyle that she and Chalamet were excited to be in the upcoming movie. "Dune was incredible," Zendaya shared. "I wasn't in it very much, so when I was watching the trailer, I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' I called Timothee and said, 'Dude! You should be proud.' It is a big deal to even be a small part of something with such a massive cast. And I love sci-fi stuff too. It's fun to escape into another world." Timothee Chalamet on "Awe-Inspiring" Film "Dune" Meanwhile, the "Lady Bird" actor spoke about his experience shooting the movie. In his recent interview with Empire magazine, the 24-year-old mentioned that the location of the film was "awe-inspiring." He noted that shooting at the Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon in Jordan, was themost "thrilling part" of the movie. "It wasn't a green-screen or anything. That's one of the most thrilling parts of the book and the movie," Timothee explained. Chalamet also expressed his hope that the film would be able to keep its release date, which is on December 18. READ MORE: Blake Shelton Is Fake News! Fans Slam Singer Over False COVID-19 Stat OTTAWA Manitoba MP Candice Bergen has become Chrystia Freelands nemesis, as both women have been tasked with broadening their parties support amid parliamentary brinkmanship that could trigger a fall election. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitoba MP Candice Bergen has become Chrystia Freelands nemesis, as both women have been tasked with broadening their parties support amid parliamentary brinkmanship that could trigger a fall election. Newly minted Conservative Leader Erin OToole named the Portage-Lisgar MP as deputy leader on Wednesday, which she defined as his "right-hand woman," in an interview with the Free Press. Bergen said her new job is akin to Freelands, who as deputy prime minister, has handled the trickiest files for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including western alienation. "Were not going to rest until we know that our country is truly strong and united, and that everyones interests are represented," Bergen said. That includes natural resources and regional representation in cabinet, she said. The front-bench team members OToole unveiled Wednesday come mostly from areas in Ontario and Quebec that the Tories have struggled to hold, and includes supporters of OTooles unsuccessful challenger, Peter MacKay. Bergen had been the Tory House leader, in charge of negotiating legislation with other parties and helping to lead her partys drive to keep the government accountable during question period. She expects to crisscross the country soon to boost the Conservative brand, and spend House time mentoring newer MPs, after a year with almost a record-low number of parliamentary sitting days. First elected in 2008, Bergen quickly rose up the ranks of the party, after touring Canada to campaign against the long-gun registry. The Tories are struggling to gain support among female voters, and Bergen said her party will highlight women for their competence, instead of a quota system Trudeau has used to form his cabinet. "Canadian women deserve positions of authority," she said. "I hope that women look at me, a hard-working woman who has earned her way, and is providing leadership at a top level in this country. I hope that those women see themselves in me." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Standing at a distance from Bergen on Parliament Hill, OToole said Wednesday the Tories want to provide the Trudeau government with constructive solutions to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, but are prepared for a fall election. The Liberals suspended hearings on the WE Charity affair by proroguing Parliament, and will unveil a throne speech on Sept. 23, which will lead to a confidence motion that could bring the minority government down and trigger a fall election. A poll from the Angus-Reid Institute this week shows the Liberals and Conservatives tied for support nationally. In Manitoba, the Tories were ahead, thanks to a split between Liberal and NDP support. However, most Manitoba respondents who support the NDP said theyd likely switch their vote if the Conservatives were headed towards a victory. Despite ethics investigations, the SNC-Lavalin scandal and revelations of blackface, Trudeau continues to poll well among urban Canadians. Bergen said she only focuses on elections and not interim polls. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca The UK government defended appointing former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott in a trade role. Photo: Andrew Meares/Pool/Reuters A UK minister has defended plans to give Australias controversial former prime minister Tony Abbott a trade role in the British government. Sky News presenter Kay Burley pressed health secretary Matt Hancock over whether it was right to appoint an alleged homophobic misogynist to a senior role. Hancock replied: I dont think thats true. Hes also an expert in trade. He said he understood the plans would see Abbott supporting the UK on trade policy. The appointment has not been confirmed, but the Australian politician is widely expected to take up a role on Britains re-launched Board of Trade. I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love, whoever that is, said Hancock in the televised interview. But we need to have the best experts in the world working in their field and as the former prime minister of Australia, he has a huge amount of experience. READ MORE: UK shop prices certain to rise under a no-deal Brexit The potential appointment has sparked controversy because of a string of past comments by Abbott. Labours shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said it would be absolutely staggering, and questioned whether he had enough trade negotiation experience as well as his reported sexist, sleazy and misogynist behaviour. Accusations of misogyny against Abbott caught global attention in 2012, when Australias first female prime minister Julia Gillard slammed the then-opposition leaders behaviour in a speech in parliament. Gillard criticised him at the time for once suggesting men were better adapted to exercise authority, and that abortion was the easy way out, according to Reuters. Abbott has confirmed he has held some discussions with the UK government over the potential job. He told the UK foreign affairs select committee he wasnt sure he had ever made the comments about authority, the BBC reports, adding that it doesnt sound like anything Ive said. Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) Kenya will continue to play a pivotal role in the global community's fight against terrorism, including leading the Eastern African region's counter-terrorism efforts, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday Australia is in recession for the first time in almost 30 years after coronavirus curbs paralysed business activity. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the country's economy shrank 7 per cent in the three months to the end of June having contracted by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of the year. It was the biggest decline in quarterly GDP since records began in 1959 and signalled Australia's first recession since 1991. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the country's economy shrank 7 per cent in the three months to the end of June having contracted by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter A host of countries including the UK, US and Germany have also plunged into recession in the wake of the Covid- 19 outbreak. 'This crisis is like no other,' said Australia's treasurer and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Josh Frydenberg. 'Our record run of 28 consecutive years of economic growth has now officially come to an end.' Australia was the only major economy to avoid a recession during the 2008 global financial crisis, mainly due to demand from China for its natural resources. But Frydenberg told Australians that 'we have your back'. The politician said: 'We will be with you through this crisis and all the way out of this crisis.' More than a million people have lost their jobs since March when Australia shut down entire sectors of the economy, hitting private sector demand and investments. The government did step up with more than A$300billion of stimulus, though the gloomy data underlines the need for more stimulus. 'The path back from the Covid-19 recession will be protracted,' said Sarah Hunter, chief economist for BIS Oxford Economics. 'We expect it to take until early 2022 for activity to return to prepandemic levels.' * Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the project's co-lead said on Wednesday. Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccines alliance, said the coordinated plan, known as COVAX, now has Japan, Germany, Norway and more than 70 other nations signed up, agreeing in principle to procure COVID-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations. * United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders on Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a game-changer for international peace and security. The world has "entered a volatile and unstable new phase" in terms of the impact of COVID-19 on peace and security, the UN chief told a virtual meeting with world leaders. * World food prices rose for a third month running in August, led by coarse grains, vegetable oils and sugar, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday (September 3). The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 96.1 points last month versus 94.3 in July. The Rome-based FAO also said in a statement that worldwide cereal harvests remained on course to hit an annual record in 2020. * The euro zone's rebound from its deepest downturn on record faltered in August as growth in the bloc's dominant service industry almost ground to a halt, a survey showed on Thursday, suggesting the long road to recovery will be bumpy. Last quarter the bloc's economy contracted 12.1% as lockdowns imposed to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus led to businesses being shuttered and citizens staying home, official data showed. * The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday afternoon said the number of COVID-19 recoveries in the continent passed the one million mark for the first time. According to the Africa CDC, some 1,001,581 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far. It said the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has climbed to 30,065 across the African continent as the number of positive cases rose to 1,260,400. * Mainland China reported 11 new COVID-19 cases as of Sept. 2, up from eight cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Thursday. The National Health Commission said in a statement all of the cases were imported and involved travellers from overseas, marking the 18th consecutive day of no local infections. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 85,077. The death toll remained unchanged at 4,634. * The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 1,033 to 184,083 and reported 6,047,692 cases, an increase of 43,249 cases from its previous count. * Brazil's COVID-19 death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the Latin American country could be descending from a long infection plateau that has seen it suffer the world's second-worst outbreak after the United States. With nearly 4 million confirmed cases, the virus has killed over 120,000 people in Brazil. But the level of average daily deaths dropped below 900 per day last week - the lowest in three and a half months and below the rate of both the United States and India, according to a Reuters tally. * India's COVID-19 tally rose to 3,853,406, as the death toll mounted to 67,376 on Thursday, showed the latest data released by the federal health ministry. As many as 83,883 new cases and 1,043 deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours across the country. This is the highest single-day spike of new COVID-19 cases in the country so far. There are still 815,538 active cases across the country, while 2,970,492 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals. * Russia reported 4,995 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing its national tally to 1,009,995, the fourth largest in the world. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 114 people had died over the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 17,528. * Mexico's health ministry on Wednesday reported 4,921 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 575 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 610,957 cases and 65,816 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. * The Philippines' health ministry on Thursday recorded 1,987 additional novel coronavirus infections, a new five-week low, and 65 additional deaths. In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases have increased to 228,403, while confirmed deaths have reached 3,688, of which more than 43% were reported in the past 30 days. * The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 1,058 as of Thursday morning, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports. A total of 63 COVID-19 confirmed cases including 41 local transmission cases and 22 imported cases were reported on Thursday morning. A total of 164,266 samples were tested for COVID-19 so far and 7,685 patients are currently under investigation, the ministry's figures said. Myanmar reported its first two positive cases of COVID-19 on March 23 and six deaths have been reported so far. * Thailand's Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Wednesday that the country has made the 100-day mark free from local transmission of COVID-19, however the economy has been hit hard by the pandemic, as Thailand relies heavily on tourism and exports. Thailand hasn't recorded any community transmission since May 26, said the CCSA. The CCSA attributed the success in stemming the COVID-19 spread with strict measures such as strictly-policed borders that have been closed to foreigners for months. * Singapore health authorities have detected new COVID-19 clusters at foreign worker dormitories previously found to be clear of the infection, highlighting the challenge in containing the spread of the highly infectious virus. The vast majority of Singapore's nearly 57,000 cases are from cramped dormitories that house more than 300,000 mostly South Asian workers employed in sectors such as construction and ship-building. * Republic of Korea's daily reported novel coronavirus infections dropped below 200 for the first time in more than two weeks on Thursday, even as more serious cases continued to rise. The country has reported a total of 20,644 cases with 329 COVID-19 deaths. * France plans to spend EUR100 billion (US$118 billion) to pull its economy out of a deep coronavirus-induced slump, signalling renewed efforts by President Emmanuel Macron to push through a pro-business reform agenda. The stimulus equates to 4% of gross domestic product, meaning France is ploughing more public cash into its economy than any other big European country as a percentage of GDP, an official said ahead of its formal launch later on Thursday. * Australia on Thursday reported the biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases in more than a week, denting optimism that a stringent lockdown of its second-largest city will soon be lifted. Australia has now recorded more than 26,000 COVID-19 cases, while the death toll rose to 678 after a further 15 people in Victoria died. * Britain could make a decision on Friday on whether to impose a 14-day quarantine on arrivals from Portugal after cases of COVID-19 began to rise in the popular holiday destination, the UK's health minister, Matt Hancock, said on Thursday. Britain allowed holiday-makers to travel to Portugal without any restrictions less than two weeks ago but a rise in the coronavirus there has prompted speculation it will be put back on a list of countries that require quarantine measures. * Negotiators from Britain and the European Union (EU) had "a useful review" of the Brexit agenda, but "major difficulties" still exist on the way to make a progress in resolving outstanding issues, the spokesman for the British prime minister said here Wednesday. * New Zealand confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including one in the community and one imported case in managed isolation. The community case has been epidemiologically linked to the Auckland cluster, according to the Ministry of Health. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now 1,408, which is the number reported to the World Health Organization. * Russia has resumed international flights with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives, a government order published on Thursday showed. The government said it had authorized three flights a week to Cairo, as well as two flights a week to Dubai and to the Maldives's Velana International Airport. * The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,311 to 246,166, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. The reported death toll rose by eight to 9,321, the tally showed. * Peru will restart passenger air transport internationally on Oct. 1 after it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Estremadoyro said on Wednesday. Peru has the second-highest number of infections in South America after Brazil, rising to 652,037 on Tuesday and 28,944 deaths. * Turkey is experiencing the second peak of its novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, while the government announced new restrictions on weddings and other social gatherings as daily cases and deaths rise rapidly. Fatalities have jumped to their highest since mid-May, when lockdowns were in place, and new cases have risen to mid-June levels, at almost 1,600. Turkey mostly reopened the economy and lifted weekend and age-specific lockdowns in early June. The number of new cases rose by 1,596 to 273,301 in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data, while the death toll from the virus rose by 45 to 6,462 on Wednesday. * Argentina's Ministry of Health has invested ARS42 billion (about US$565 million) since March to bolster the healthcare system to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said Wednesday. The investment made it possible to expand healthcare infrastructure and provide more than 4,000 ventilators, among other things, Arnaldo Medina, the secretary of Healthcare Quality, said at a press conference. Argentina detected its first case of COVID-19 on March 3, and has reported 439,172 infections and 9,118 deaths from the disease by Wednesday. * Tropical storm Nana has strengthened into a hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday, warning it will bring dangerous storm surges when it makes landfall overnight before it weakens. The hurricane is also expected to lash parts of Guatemala and Mexico with tropical storm conditions after making landfall in Belize. Some Honduran islands may also be impacted. * Syria's air defense on Wednesday shot down most of a series of Israeli rockets launched in the direction of Tiyas airport in Homs governorate, the state news agency reported, citing a military source. An Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the incident. Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (17) Y oung Girlguiding representatives have backed a proposed new law that would force influencers and companies to declare the use of edits and appearance-altering filters on images shared on social media. The Bill, set to be put before Parliament on September 15, has been drawn up by Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, who is also a GP. Dr Evans, a member of the Health and Social Care Committee, has said he was motivated by his experiences as an NHS doctor. The MP said that edited photos on social media appeared to be fuelling a psychological well-being disaster among young people by creating a warped view of beauty. The proposed law was welcomed this week by the Girlguiding Advocate panel - a body made up of young members of the centuries-old charity aged 14 to 25. A charity spokesperson said that "labelling airbrushing is one of a number of measures girls have said can make a difference to the appearance pressures they face". The young women were motivated to back the proposals by the charity's own recent research, which suggested around half of girls and women aged between 11 and 21 regularly use apps or filters to alter the way they look in images they then post on social media. Being bombarded with images of "idealised beauty" online has impacted young people's self esteem, according to reports / PA Speaking on behalf of the panel, one 16-year-old panel member, Amanda, told the Standard: As our research published last week showed, appearance pressures through exposure to adverts and images portraying perfection are detrimentally affecting girls and young womens confidence and changing their behaviour. Were glad to see attention on how to tackle airbrushing and think clear labelling is one thing that would help remind young people that these images arent real. "It would be one of several ways I believe could help tackle the appearance pressures girls face - alongside media representing a greater diversity of women; celebrating their achievements rather than just their appearance and by making sure children have the skills they need to critically engage with images in the media." Dr Evans, who plans to hold talks with major social media companies over the issue, told the BBC: We know how damaging this is, as youre warping peoples perspective of reality, whether thats slimming down for women or bulking up for men. The Bill has already received high-profile support. Ulrika Jonsson told The Sun she believes her children are being drawn into a false world of perfection online. She said: As a mother, I'm deeply worried. If the Bill passes later this month, it has the potential to be incorporated into existing legislation, or to be debated in the Commons. Under current proposals, those breaking the new law would have to issue an apology and a correction, or face a fine. Similar legislation already exists in France, where any image shared by an advertising or other company that has been digitally enhanced must feature a label of edited photograph. The penalty is a fine. However, critics of the proposal have argued that even if the Bill became law, it would be unenforceable. Some tweaks are hard to identify, and it is not clear who would monitor millions of posts. Platinum Tremd Forecast to Follow Gold Price Higher RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Platinum may be setting up in a technical pattern that is similar to the end of 2001/early 2002. Platinum could rally more than 300%, somewhere near $3,450 or higher. This might push Gold above $7,500 an ounce and may push silver somewhere north of $125 per ounce. Rally hinges on platinum breaking out above $1,050.50. Platinum may be setting up in a technical pattern that is similar to the end of 2001/early 2002. At that time, Gold had already begun to rally above $340 and Platinum had rallied to levels above $600. Then, while Gold continued to rally, Platinum contracted to price levels near $400 on diminishing volume. Once that contraction was complete, Platinum began and upside price move with stronger volume levels which lasted almost seven years reaching a peak above $2,300. Could the same setup be happening right now? PLATINUM MIRRORING GOLD JUST LIKE IT DID IN 2003 The upside price move in Gold may be the key to understanding the potential for an upside price move in Platinum. Gold has already rallied from $1,340 to over $1,000 over the past 12+ months while Platinum has moved lower from $2,000 to $800 and has recently started forming a rounded bottom formation. The deep price decline in Platinum in March 2020 setup a very deep low near $562. We believe the diminishing volume and deep low bottom setup in Platinum are mirroring the 2002 deep bottom setup and starting a potentially strong rally for Platinum. This Platinum Monthly chart below shows the 2000 to 2010 rally, including the 2002 deep bottom setup and volume setup, suggests that once Platinum rallied above the previous high price level near $641, the opportunity for a continued upside price rally was consistent. We believe the basis for this move was the continued upside price rally in Gold. As Gold began to appreciate, Platinum continued to appreciate and trend higher following Golds lead. The current Platinum/Gold Monthly chart, below, shows a strong rounded bottom formation in Gold (the BLUE line on this chart) and the upside breakout in Gold that took place back in May 2019. Meanwhile, Platinum has extended a rounded bottom formation and recently set up a very deep spike price low with the COVID-19 price collapse. Before you continue, be sure to opt-in to our free-market trend signalsnow so you dont miss our next special report! My team and I believe once Platinum breaks above the $1,050.50 level on increasing trading volume while Gold continues to rally, a larger upside price trend will setup in both Gold and Platinum that could mirror what happened from 2004 through 2010. This would suggest Gold could rally more than 400% from current levels and Platinum could rally more than 300% from current levels. The following Weekly Platinum chart highlights the setup in Platinum we believe may prompt a big upside breakout move soon. The diminishing volume throughout a downside price trend followed by increasing volume throughout a recovery, and eventual breakout of the resistance level near $1,050.50. We would watch for Gold to continue to rally over the next 12+ weeks, while the volume levels increase in Platinum as it attempts to close in on the $1,050.50 price level. Once that level is breached to the upside, we would expect volume levels to continue to increase (on average) as both Gold and Platinum are considered as a pair of fear hedge metals and continue to rally up to a peak. If we are correct in our interpretation of the pattern, then a 400% rally in Gold from the breakout level in Platinum would put the Gold peak price level somewhere above $7,500 or higher. This would put the Platinum peak level somewhere near $3,450 or higher. As many of you may already know, we love the metals and we love to apply our technical analysis skills and pattern research onto these charts. Could you imagine the scope of the rally that is setting up in Platinum mirrors the 2003 to 2010 price rally just waiting for this breakout pattern to complete? Get ready because this could be one over the biggest upside price moves in precious metals that anyone has ever seen since the 2003 to 2010 rally. This might push Gold above $7,500 an ounce and may push Platinum above $3,400 per ounce. Guess where Silver prices should be at those levels?? (well give you a hint: somewhere north of $125 per ounce). If you found this informative, then sign up now to get a pre-market video every day before the opening bell that walks you through the charts and my proprietary technical analysis of all of the major assets classes. You will also receive my easy-to-follow ETF swing trades that always include an entry price, a stop, two exit targets, as well as a recommended position sizing. Visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter to learn more. While many of you have trading accounts, our most important accounts are long-term buy-and-hold investment accounts. Our signals can help you preserve and even grow your long term capital. If you have any type of long-term investment or retirement account and are looking for signals as to when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Long-Term Investing Signals, which includes a weekly market update and trade alerts. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., in Rayburn Building on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call Facebook removed two of Congressman Clay Higgins' posts for "violating our policies against inciting violence" after he suggested killing armed demonstrators if they showed up to a Louisiana protest. "One way ticket fellas. Have your affairs in order. Me? ... I wouldn't even spill my beer. I'd drop any 10 of you where you stand," Higgins wrote in the now removed post, according to a BuzzFeed report. Higgins is an ex-cop and resigned from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office in 2016 after backlash erupted over his contraversial videos for a Crime Stoppers program. He was elected to Congress that same year. Facebook's removal comes as the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police shooting of Jacob Blake refuels a movement of widespread demonstrations protesting police brutality in the US. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Facebook took down two posts from Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) after he wrote he would "drop any 10 of you where you stand" if armed protesters attended a Louisiana demonstration against police brutality. "One way ticket fellas. Have your affairs in order. Me? ... I wouldn't even spill my beer. I'd drop any 10 of you where you stand," Higgins wrote in the now removed post, according to a BuzzFeed report. The congressman also wrote, "we don't want to see your worthless a-- nor do we want to make your Mothers cry. You're the ones threatening, if you show yourselves, aggressively natured and armed in my presence." He seemed to suggest opening fire on the demonstrators when he wrote: "That is where your journey will end. Fast. How fast? 1,450 FPS fast," referring to the speed at which ammo can travel. After his first post was removed, Higgins penned a second one saying that "America is being manipulated into a new era of government control" and that he will "advise when it's time gear up, [sic] mount up, and roll out." Facebook removed that post as well, after BuzzFeed reached out for comment. Story continues In an email to Business Insider, a Facebook spokesperson said "the posts were removed for violating our policies against inciting violence." Higgins' initial post appeared to be directed at members of a Black militia group called Not F------ Around Coalition (NFAC), according to BuzzFeed, as he posted a photo of the group alongside his message. The group, which has protested against white supremacy and the KKK in the past, has attended police brutality protests before, with members armed with guns and wearing bulletproof vests. A rumor sprouted online that the group would attend a protest in Lafayette, Louisiana, according to BuzzFeed. NFAC did not appear, but about 50 members of a right-wing militia group called Louisiana Cajun Militia appeared at the protest in vests, camo gear, and carrying guns, local outlet The Advocate reported. Higgins is an ex-cop and a staunch gun-rights supporter, who has made appearances in promo material for the National Rifle Association. He resigned from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office in 2016 after backlash erupted over his videos to promote a Crime Stoppers program, per BuzzFeed. He has served in Congress since 2016 and has made appearances at events organized by militia groups before, like the Oath Keepers, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an extremist, anti-government group. The social network giant's removal of both of the congressman's posts comes amid widespread protests against police brutality, a movement refueled by the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Armed individuals have made appearances at protests in recent months, clashing with Black Lives Matter demonstrators, and have mostly been documented as being members of far-right extremist and militia groups. A recent altercation turned deadly when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two protesters during a Kenosha protest. He's been charged with first-degree homicide. And a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, which frequently engages "in violence against their political opponents" according to the SPLC, was recently shot and killed in Portland, Oregon, during a protest. Read the original article on Business Insider Coma: Alexei Navalny, seen here being arrested at a protest march in June last year, is being treated in a Berlin hospital. Photo: Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and prominent Kremlin critic, was deliberately poisoned with Novichok, the German government said yesterday. Angela Merkel's government said it had "unequivocal proof" Mr Navalny was targeted with the same nerve agent used in the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Germany demanded an immediate explanation from Russia and was consulting with its Nato and EU allies "on an appropriate joint response", a spokesman for Mrs Merkel said. Russia claimed it was not aware of the allegations. "Such information hasn't been relayed to us," said a Kremlin spokesman. Mr Navalny is in an induced coma in Berlin's Charite hospital. He was flown to Germany after falling ill on a flight from Tomsk, in Siberia, to Moscow last month. "This is disturbing information about the attempted murder through poisoning against a leading Russian opposition figure," Mrs Merkel said. Samples tested at a German military laboratory showed clear evidence Mr Navalny was poisoned with "a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group", Mrs Merkel's spokesman said. "The German government condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms," they added. Novichok, developed secretly by the Soviet Union from 1971 to 1993, is believed to be one of the deadliest chemical weapons ever produced. It was identified by the defence laboratory in Porton Down as the poison used in the attempted murder of Col Skripal, a Russian double agent, and Yulia, his 33-year-old daughter in 2018. It was also responsible for the death of Dawn Sturgess and the poisoning of Charlie Rowley, her partner, in Amesbury, after they came into contact with Novichok left from the Skripal attack. It is believed a cup of tea Mr Navalny drank in Tomsk airport may have been poisoned. The announcement came less than 24 hours after Mrs Merkel defended a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany and condemned US threats of sanctions as "illegal". She will now face pressure to take a clear stance against Russia. The EU and US imposed sanctions in the wake of the Skripal poisoning. Germany said it had also notified the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The Kremlin previously described claims Mr Navalny was poisoned as "empty noise", and the Russian doctors who treated him insisted toxicology tests were negative. "Russia is interested more than anyone else in determining the true causes of this incident and has repeatedly displayed willingness to cooperate," said Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee. "To poison Navalny with Novichok in 2020 would be exactly the same as leaving an autograph at a crime scene, like this one," Leonid Volkov, a longtime ally of Mr Navalny, posted on Twitter - alongside a photograph of the signature of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Read More Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] As per the global database maintained by the John Hopkins University, India has been reporting the highest number of daily cases since 2 August The Central Government said Thursday that the number of COVID-19 cases per million population in the country was "among the lowest in the world" even as India reported another high in daily cases. The health ministry on Thursday reported 83,883 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day spike so far both at home and globally. India last reported such global high on 30 August with 79,457 cases. As per the global database maintained by the John Hopkins University, the country has been reporting the highest number of daily cases since overtaking the US on 2 August. On Thursday, the total number of cases rose to 38,53,407, including 8,15,538 active cases and 29,70,493 cured patients. The toll stood at 67,376 with 1,043 new deaths. In a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country on Thursday, Union health ministry secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that India has 2,792 cases of COVID-19 per million (10 lakh) population, which is amongst the lowest in the world. Bhushan also said that five states Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh accounted for 70 percent of the total deaths so far. However, the ministry added that the average daily case fatality trajectory over the past three weeks show that only Karnataka and Delhi have recorded an increase in the trajectory. The health ministry used the scale of the last three weeks for its state-wise figures as well. "Over the past three weeks (spanning from 13-19 August, 20-26 August, and 27 August to 2 September), Andhra Pradesh recorded a decrease in deaths by 4.5 percent, Maharashtra reported a decline of 11.5 percent and Tamil Nadu showed 18.2 percent fall in deaths. "On the other hand, Karnataka recorded a 9.6 percent increase in deaths over this period while Delhi recorded a 50 percent surge in deaths over the past three weeks," he said. Meanwhile, 62 percent of the active cases have been reported from five states Maharashtra (24.77 percent), Andhra Pradesh (12.64 percent), Karnataka ( 11.58 percent), Uttar Pradesh ( 6.92 percent) and Tamil Nadu ( 6.42 percent). As per data received from these five states on Wednesday, Maharashtra has recorded 6.8 percent decrease in the number of active cases over a period of three weeks. "Starting from an average of more than 2 lakh active cases in the week falling between 13-19 August, active cases in Maharashtra decreased to around 1.66 lakh active cases between 20-26 August, and then was around 1.86 lakh in between 27 August-2 September, 2020. "Similarly, Andhra Pradesh recorded almost 13.7 percent decrease in the average number of active cases over the last three weeks. Karnataka recorded almost 16.1 percent decrease in active cases, Tamil Nadu recorded almost 23.9 percent decrease and Uttar Pradesh recorded almost 17.1 percent decrease in the number of active cases in the same period," Bhushan elaborated. However, the number of active cases has increased in Delhi over the past few days, for which the Centre is actively engaging with the Delhi government to take necessary action, Bhushan said. Bhushan also added that recovered cases of COVID-19 in the country are 3.6 times the number of active cases, and said the number of patients having recovered from the disease surged to nearly 30 lakh on Thursday. Bhushan added that states and UTs where COVID-19 positivity rate among healthcare workers "is on the higher side" are Telangana (18 percent), Maharashtra (16 percent), Delhi (14 percent), Karnataka (13 percent), Puducherry (12 percent) and Punjab (11 percent). Bhushan also said that the total COVID-19 tests conducted so far rose to 4,55,09,380 in the country, with 11,72,179 tests being conducted on Wednesday. Spike in Delhi's COVID-19 cases 'can't be called a second wave,' says govt As Delhi reported over 2,000 COVID-19 infections for three consecutive days, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said it cannot be termed a second wave of coronavirus as cases are not rising after touching zero. "You cannot say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases would have started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi. You should not stress about numbers," he told reporters. He said the Delhi government wants to ensure there is no positive case in the city and is therefore increasing the daily testing for COVID-19. After a brief lull, Delhi has seen a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases over the last few days. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 2,737 COVID-19 cases, its highest single-day spike in 67 days, taking the infection tally to over 1.82 lakh, while the toll mounted to 4,500. Additionally, the number of COVID-19 patients in home isolation in Delhi has increased by 43 percent, as active cases rose by 50 percent in a month, according to Delhi government data. Meanwhile, reports said that the state government has allowed hotels, restaurants, and clubs in the National Capital to serve liquor from 9 September. State-wise cases and deaths On Thursday, Maharashtra reported 391 deaths and 18,105 new cases. The total number of cases in the state is 8,43,844, including 6,12,484 recovered patients, 2,05,428 active cases and 25,586 deaths. Tamil Nadu reported 5,892 new COVID-19 cases, 6,110 discharges and 92 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 52,070, discharges to 3,86,173 and deaths to 7,608. In Uttar Pradesh, 5,776 new cases, 4,448 recovered cases and 76 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases stands at 2,47,101 in the state including 57,598 active cases, 1,85,812 recovered cases and 3,691 deaths. Madhya Pradesh reported 30 deaths and 1,672 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases in the state is now 68,586 including 14,888 active cases, 52,215 recoveries and 1,483 deaths. Karnataka reported 8,865 new cases, 7,122 recoveries and 104 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total count of cases has gone up to 3,70,206 including 2,68,035 recoveries and 6,054 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 96,098. Andhra Pradesh reported 10,199 new coronavirus cases, 9,499 recoveries and 75 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 4,65,730, including 3,57,829 recoveries and 4,200 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 1,03,701, according to state health department. Gujarat reported 1,325 positive cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths in the last 24 hours. With this, the state's case count has gone up to 1,00,375, including 16,131 active cases, 81,180 discharges and 3,064 deaths. With inputs from agencies The last time that Germany accused the Kremlin of illicit acts, the head of the Russian parliaments foreign affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky, decried it as another example of global fake stories, pointing to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal as a classic example of this. Slutsky made these remarks three months ago when Berlin said it was seeking European Union sanctions after new evidence had emerged of Moscows alleged culpability in the hacking of the German parliament in June 2015. This is a kind of post-pandemic cold shower, an attempt to return to square one in the western world, where Russia was accused of all sins absolutely undeservedly, based purely on conjecture, he said. Data centre operator Rack Centre has announced an expansion programme that will increase capacity in its Lagos campus in Nigeria. The company, which describes itself as the leading carrier-neutral data centre operator in West Africa, is expanding the total net lettable white space of the campus to 6,000 square metres; with this expansion it will allow for 13MW of IT power capacity. This will be in addition to the current expansion already underway to double existing capacity to 1.5MW and 1,200 square metres of white space in early 2021. Engineering consultancy Arup has been appointed for the project. The expansion is said to be in response to increasing demand for data centre space due to cloud uptake, telecommunication investment and outsourcing of IT facilities by enterprises in the region. The funding for this expansion will come from a $250 million pan-African data centre platform established by Actis, a London private equity firm, and Convergence Partners, a leading ICT infrastructure investor in Africa. In March this year, Actis announced an investment in Rack Centre, taking a controlling stake in the business alongside Jagal, a Nigerian conglomerate holding that operates leading energy businesses and manages a diverse portfolio of investments. In addition to Rack Centre, the Actis-Convergence Partners platform is also actively developing additional buy and build opportunities across Africa in order to establish a network of carrier-neutral data centres aimed at catering to carrier, cloud and hyperscale customers. A lack of cost-effective, energy-efficient IT infrastructure has been a constraint to doing business in Nigeria, despite growing demand. Rack Centre says it brings global best practice to Nigeria as the first carrier-neutral data centre in the region to achieve Uptime Institute Tier III Certification of Constructed Facility (TCCF). As for energy efficiency, the design of Rack Centres Phase 2 facility will target regional industry-leading power utilisation efficiency (PUE) benchmarks. The decision by Turkey to open a new border crossing dedicated to commercial activity is generating protests among the local community, according to Kurdish news agency North Press The Turkish government and its affiliated armed groups in Syria opened a new trade gate on the border with Turkey in Syrias northeastern town of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain). The local council of Ras al-Ain, which is affiliated with Turkey, announced on Monday the start of imports and exports through the new gate in the city, while the formal gate in the western side of the city remains open for non-commercial travel. The new gate is in the northern side of the city on land which formerly belonged to local Armenian Ara Kechichian, who fled the city after Turkey and its affiliated groups invasion in the beginning of October 2019. Kechichian had immigrated to Armenia in 2012 after the attacks of Ghuraba al-Sham and the Nusra Front, but he returned back to the city after it was liberated by the Kurdish-led Peoples Protection Units (YPG). Sources from Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) said that the Ras al-Ain city council suspended works two weeks ago to protest the decision by the Turkish Army to hand over the commercial border crossing to the al-Hamzat Division militia, which has no connection to the citys residents. The leader of al-Hamzat, Sayf Abu Bakr, appointed his brother Ahmed Bolat Abu Bakr as the manager of the new gate, which angered the city council, which demanded another person be appointed. Meanwhile, al-Hamzat held demonstrations in the city accusing the council of misappropriation of funds and demanding the formation of a new council. On Sunday, the citys council resumed work in accordance with the requirements of the public interest and the service of civilians, according to their statement. 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. PARIS - The French government on Thursday presented details of a 100-billion-euro, two-year relaunch plan with the objective of economic recovery following the coronavirus health crisis, thus preparing the France of 2030. "This plan isn't limited to healing the wounds of the crisis, but prepares the future," said French Prime Minister Jean Castex in an interview with French daily Le Figaro. The plan will inject 100 billion euros into the economy across a two-year time frame, to cope with an estimated 11% contraction this year due to the coronavirus epidemic and lockdown. The goal is to get back to a pre-crisis activity level by 2022 and start to see a drop in unemployment, quantified in 800,000 fewer jobs this year alone. Castex said he "hopes" the plan will create 160,000 jobs in 2021. Perth, Australia, Sep 3, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - Cardinal Resources Limited (ASX:CDV) (HAM:C3L) (OTCMKTS:CRDNF) (TOR:CDV) refers to the revised unconditional on-market takeover offer for Cardinal at A$0.90 cash per share ("Takeover Bid") from Nord Gold S.E. ("Nordgold") and Cardinal's announcement of 2 September 2020 in respect of the same. Upcoming Expiry of Nordgold Takeover Bid Cardinal notes that Nordgold's announcement on 2 September 2020 provides that other than the offer price, no other terms of the Nordgold Takeover Bid have changed, and accordingly the Nordgold Takeover Bid will remain open for acceptance until the close of trading on 10 September 2020, unless extended or withdrawn in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). As announced to the market yesterday, given the matching rights afforded to Shandong Gold (described below), Cardinal continues to advise Shareholders to TAKE NO ACTION at this time in relation to the revised Nordgold Takeover Bid while the relevant processes are followed. Matching Rights Process - Shandong Gold Bid Implementation Agreement Following the increase to the offer price of the Nordgold Takeover Bid from A$0.66 to A$0.90 cash per share, on 2 September 2020 Cardinal gave notice to Shandong Gold Mining (HongKong) Co., Ltd. ("Shandong Gold") in accordance with the matching rights provisions under the Bid Implementation Agreement (as varied) with Shandong Gold and Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd. Pursuant to the matching rights provisions of the Bid Implementation Agreement, Shandong Gold has the opportunity (but not the obligation) to provide a matching or superior proposal to the revised Nordgold Takeover Bid. The matching rights period expires at 5:30pm (AWST) on Monday 7 September 2020. The Cardinal Directors currently anticipate providing a further update to shareholders following the expiry of the matching rights period. Director Acceptance Intention - Shandong Gold Offer As required by the Bid Implementation Agreement, the Cardinal Directors have previously stated that they intend to accept the Shandong Gold Offer on the "Acceptance Date" (3 September 2020) in respect of all Cardinal Shares owned or controlled by those Directors, subject to there being no Superior Proposal ("Acceptance Intention"). As a result of the revised Nordgold Takeover Bid and the matching rights process currently being undertaken as described above, the Cardinal Directors who own or control Shares in Cardinal will not accept the Shandong Gold Offer today (3 September 2020). The Cardinal Directors otherwise maintain their Acceptance Intention in respect of the Shandong Gold Offer (as the Bid Implementation Agreement requires there to be no change in relation to that Acceptance Intention until such time as Shandong Gold's matching rights have been exhausted) while the relevant processes required to be undertaken under the Bid Implementation Agreement are completed. About Cardinal Resources Ltd: Cardinal Resources Ltd (ASX:CDV) (TSE:CDV) (OTCMKTS:CRDNF) is a West African gold exploration and development Company that holds interests in tenements within Ghana, West Africa. The Company is focused on the development of the Namdini Project with a gold Ore Reserve of 5.1Moz (0.4 Moz Proved and 4.7 Moz Probable) and a soon to be completed Feasibility Study. Exploration programmes are also underway at the Company's Bolgatanga (Northern Ghana) and Subranum (Southern Ghana) Projects. Cardinal confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in its announcement of the Ore Reserve of 3 April 2019. All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning this estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed. Contact: Archie Koimtsidis CEO / MD Cardinal Resources Limited P: +61-8-6558-0573 Alec Rowlands IR / Corp Dev Cardinal Resources Limited P: +1-647-256-1922 Warrick Hazeldine Cannings Purple E: whazeldine@canningspurple.com.au P: +61-417-944-616 Source: Cardinal Resources Ltd Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved. Adani said he expected the number of flyers in the country to grow five-fold, which means India would require 200 additional airports to handle over 1 billion domestic and international passengers across the tier-1, -2 and -3 cities. The Adani group plans to adopt the hub-and-spoke model and integrate its portfolio of Mumbai and six other smaller airports - Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangalore, Jaipur, Trivandrum, and Guwahati - for which it has won development and operation rights over a 50-year lease. We see our airport portfolio as a critical lever to help converge tier-1 cities with tier-2 and -3 ones in a hub-and-spoke model, Adani group chairman and promoter Gautam Adani said. The firm signed a deal with the GVK group to acquire 75 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport (MIAL). With this, it now also owns the upcoming airport in Navi Mumbai. The Ahmedabad-based conglomerate - with investments in logistics, transportation, utilities, and energy - surprised the industry with aggressive bids for the smaller airports. At Rs 115 per passenger for Mangaluru and Rs 171 for Lucknow, the groups bids were over 500 per cent more than the ones received from the GMR group and PNC Infratech, respectively. Similarly, the Adani group placed a bid of Rs 177 for Ahmedabad airport, nearly 200 per cent more than that of Autostrade Indian Infrastructure Development. The addition of MIAL and Navi Mumbai to our existing portfolio of six airports provides us a transformational platform that will help shape and create strategic adjacencies for our other B2B businesses, Adani said. Adani said he expected the number of flyers in the country to grow five-fold, which means India would require 200 additional airports to handle over 1 billion domestic and international passengers across the tier-1, -2 and -3 cities. Majority of them will connect to Mumbai, he said, adding that the company would also bid for the second airports that will be required in metro cities. Over this period, Indias top 30 cities are expected to each require two airports and Adani Airports sees itself well-positioned to help build the required infrastructure platform. "The economic value that the cities of the future create will be maximised around airports, he said. According to the plan in its annual report, the company plans to increase non-aero revenue developing "airport villages", and has assured its shareholders that it was "well-positioned" to become the leading airport operator in India. The company is banking on growing domestic passenger traffic to achieve this aim. Photograph: Courtesy, MIAL The Mile Square City could soon become New Jerseys Mile High City. With the legal recreational marijuana on New Jerseys ballot in November, cannabis companies are rushing to secure places in Hoboken. Colorado-based medical marijuana company Terrapin is the latest company to go public with plans to open a Hoboken dispensary, announcing the move in a Wednesday press release. As always, Terrapin is focused on planting local roots, Terrapin CEO Chris Woods said. We are excited to serve these communities as responsible corporate actors in meeting the needs of cannabis patients, while also leaving a positive community footprint. Terrapin is leasing a storefront at 86 River St. Last month, Harmony Dispensary, a company headquartered in Secaucus, received city approval to open Hobokens first dispensary at 95 Hudson St. The dispensary plans to open before the end of 2020. Ascend Wellness, a cannabis company with operations across the Midwest and Northeast, is also planning to open a dispensary at Hobokens 94 River St. All the locations are just blocks away from the Hoboken Terminal. In its press release, Terrapin emphasized its work with nonprofits and community groups. The company has partnered with WomenRising and Hudson Pride Center, among others, and plans to hold a job fair with an emphasis on social equity. The rush to secure spots in Hoboken is setting the scene for a battle over market share and the limited licenses. With easy access to New York City, Hoboken is poised to become a major cannabis hub in New Jersey. But under a city council ordinance, only three dispensaries are allowed to operate within city limits. But Terrapins dispensary is likely still a long ways away: the company does not yet have a license to operate a dispensary in New Jersey. And last year, a judge ordered the New Jersey Department of Health to hold off on issuing new medicinal marijuana licenses after some applications were denied due to a technical glitch. Canyon Dis\connect Scurra's Linkage Enduro Bike Marzocchi's Espresso Dropper Post Brew's NitroShox An updated version from Sea Otter 2017 with added external preload adjustment. CeramicSpeed's Chainless Shaft Drivetrain Brakeforce One's H2O brakes Across the Pond Beaver may allow us to report on all the exciting new tech that's coming out soon in the MTB world, but it does leave out some of the more weird and wonderful side of the trade show experience. Alongside shiny new kit, brands will often show off concepts and prototypes that we don't very often get a chance to see from press releases or product samples. To make up for that, we're looking back at 6 different ideas from Eurobikes gone by and trying to work out what ended up happening to them.Ever since Gwin's legendary chainless run, separating suspension action from chain forces has become the goal of engineers in the mountain biking world. We've seen some simple solutions such as Gee Atherton's neutral gear and some more complex like the O-Chain chainring spider . Perhaps the most promising was Canyon's Dis\Connect system that was first previewed at Eurobike in 2016 The bike's modified hub is home to a DT Swiss Star Ratchet clutch, and the two Star Ratchet wheels are moved apart by a complicated system of three movable pawls that extend outward from within the special axle. Once the thumb paddle is pushed, the Star Ratchet wheels separate and the freehub and drivetrain have zero influence on the bike's suspension. Of course, this means pedaling will also result in nothing; it's as if there's no chain on the bike at all.Four years and a new iteration of the Sender later , there has been no further news on the system so we're assuming it has been shelved at this point.Move over Structure Cycle Works , move over Cannondale , move over any brand that has designed a mullet bike, Austria's Scurra was arguably well ahead of the curve when it brought its wild 2 Enduro bike to Eurobike in 2017.The 170mm Trelever linkage fork is driven by a Magura shock and then directly behind that is another shock that drives the 200mm of rear travel. Other cool features about this bike were a 29" wheel up front with a 27.5" wheel out back and geometry that's adjustable without removing a bolt. This frame would have set you back 5,000 (including both shocks) but unfortunately it looks like Scurra has closed its doors for now, with no updates on the bike and no posts on social media since 2018.We've seen plenty of linkage bikes down the years and there's yet to have been one that's really stuck. We've definitely found some interesting results whenever we've tested these wild-looking machines and would have loved to have given this one a go too.In 2014, we were given a sneak peek at a dropper post that was in the works for Marzocchi . Aimed to be OE only, we saw two 150mm models with internal and external cable options. The 'Espresso' name came from Marzocchi's Kashima-esque coating, which was also featured on its forks and shocks at the time.We saw the post again at Sea Otter and Core Bike in the next six months, but in July of 2105 Marzocchi shut its doors before being bought by Fox in October. When the brand resurfaced, it came back with a new look, new products, and no Espresso dropper. It wasn't until 2018 that the Italian marque would release a dropper and that was called the Transfer, which turned out to be pretty much identical to its Fox Performance cousin.Remember Nitro Shox? It's probably hard not to given that we've written three articles on it at various trade shows since 2015. At Eurobike 2015, we saw its first-ever shock and we've been getting a slow tease of it ever since.The Nitro Shox works on the same oleo design as the Millyard Shock that has also been in and around the mountain bike scene for a number of years. It's a design that's carried over from airplane landing gear and is claimed to offer performance benefits without any of the adjustments needed that are found on traditional mountain bike shocks. There's a more in-depth look at how it works, here We saw an updated version of the shock at Sea Otter in 2017 and haven't really had any updates since. The company is still active, but a production version of the shock still doesn't exist. We'll continue to watch both Nitro Shox and Millyard's progress to see if anything ever hits the market.A genuine innovation or just a way to get journalists to visit your stand and take lots of pictures? We're still unsure as to whether CeramicSpeed has any serious intentions of developing this shaft drive concept, but there's no doubt it's an interesting idea.Instead of a chain, the Driven drivetrain uses a shaft with a roller pinion on each end to transfer the power from the chainring to the cassette. To make it work on a full suspension bike, CeramicSpeed had to make it telescoping to cope with axle paths and changing chainstay lengths of a full-suspension mountain bike. Canyon also had to build CeramicSpeed a special frame with an elevated chainstay to accommodate the telescoping shaft.When we saw it last year, the concept was nowhere near production. The shaft could only travel a small distance, but CeramicSpeed claimed that there was theoretically no travel length that would be too long. The main drawback here is that the system will only work on a bike where the pivot is above the axle, so on something like a Horst link bike this simply wouldn't be possible. CeramicSpeed and Canyon also had to redesign the rear triangle of the bike to make the system fit, something that would have to be considered on most bikes if the product ever came to market.It's only a year old but we'd be very surprised if we see an update to this project any time soon.Brakeforce One has been floating around since 2010 and we reviewed a pair of its regular brakes in 2014 but it really caught our attention in 2015 when we spotted these brakes that use H2O (and anti-freeze) instead of traditional brake fluid Why use water? Well, BF1's engineers say that the only reason we use DOT or mineral oil is because of old technology taken from the automotive where fluid temperatures can get much higher than on mountain bikes, and that water is actually more heat resistant than a hydraulic fluid with two times higher heat capacity, five times better heat transportation and less heat elongation. It also has the benefit of being more environmentally friendly and sustainable than using oil. Still, given that the boiling point of water is 100 C, and the boiling point of DOT fluid is 260 C, it's east to understand why DOT fluid is the more common choice.BF1 still makes the brakes and they can be bought for 594.00 but they're an extremely rare sight and DOT and mineral oil still reign supreme. Mumbai, Sep 3 : Actress Preity Zinta has reminisced about her days in the late nineties, when she shot with a female director for the first time. The year was 1999 and Preity, then one of the busiest young heroines in Bollywood, shot with director Tanuja Chandra for the film, "Sangharsh". On Thursday, the actress shared a clip from the film, which starred Akshay Kumar and Ashutosh Rana. "Remembering Sangharsh today. My first film with a female director where I fell in love with a criminal, caught a terrifying serial killer and broke a leg... literally. Thank you @akshaykumar @sonunigamofficial #shradhapandit #AshutoshRana #TanujaChandra and the entire cast and crew for this unforgettable experience. #ReetOberoi will always be very close to my heart. #Ting," wrote Preity, as caption with the video. Bearing shades of Jonathan Demme's multiple Oscar winner, "Silence Of The Lambs" (1991), starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, "Sangharsh was Chandra's second directorial feature after "Dushman". The film had Preity playing a young CBI officer out tracking down a religious fanatic who abducts children. Fort this, she seeks help of a dangerous jailed criminal, played by Akshay Kumar. Last month, Preity completed 22 years in Bollywood, and she has thanked her colleagues and fans. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Several Michigan political figures say theyre joining a coalition of hunters and anglers from across the nation backing Joe Biden for president. Bart Stupak, a former Michigan congressman from Gladstone, says hes helping to launch Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Biden because President Donald Trump has at times sought to slash funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. President Trump, unfortunately, has zeroed it out every time they present a budget, said Stupak, a Democrat. Weve got to protect these Great Lakes and unfortunately, President Trump hasnt been very strong on that issue at all. The nonpartisan coalition includes people like Bill Rustem, who served as Policy Director under former Republican governors William Milliken and Rick Snyder. Former Gov. Jim Blanchard, Sen. Debbie Stabenow and former Lt. Gov. John Cherry are also involved the group. Rustem, who was recently awarded the Milliken Lifetime Achievement Award by the Michigan Environmental Council, said President Trump has failed Michigan sportsmen and women by repeatedly trying to slash the budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Michigan has some of the best hunting and fishing in the world, but without investing in conservation, we stand to lose it. Joe Biden will ensure that we can protect the outdoor recreation goose that lays our golden eggs, Rustem said. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative started in 2009 as a regional collaboration that supports efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world, according to its website. The initiative was funded at $475 million for the first year and about $300 million every year after 2009, Stupak said. Related: U.S. House passes bipartisan boost for Great Lakes funding The U.S. House in February passed legislation to reauthorize the Great Lakes Initiative and boost funding each year, from $300 million in 2021 to $475 million by 2026. Michigans Republican and Democratic members of Congress worked together to secure the extra funding, which now awaits approval in the U.S. Senate, for much of the last year. President Trump recommended the program receive a 90% funding cut in his Fiscal Year 2020 budget, but Michigan GOP lawmakers convinced Trump to fully fund the program during a trip from Air Force One to a Grand Rapids campaign rally earlier this year. President Trump has been incredibly committed to the Great Lakes, thats why he fully funded the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and increased its funding this year, Michigan Republican Party Director of Communications Tony Zammit said. Stupak grew up in the Upper Peninsula and has been hunting since the age of 10. Its something he enjoys doing with his wife, Laurie, on 38 acres of land thats been in his family for 80 years. Protecting outdoor recreation and natural resources is important to Stupak. Many of the sportsmen and sportswomen in the coalition are from the Midwest, Stupak said. We need a president who will support the conservation of land and the Great Lakes, Stupak said. We need recreational infrastructure, its very essential to our economy. Hunting, alone, is nearly an $800 million industry. Stupak said not many presidents take interest in ensuring hunters and anglers have access to public land, like national parks and trails. But I know when President Obama and Vice President Biden took a lot of interest to help us put together that Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and theyve been outstanding on this issue, he said. We want to make sure we get our voices out there. We want to support Joe Biden for president because we know hell continue to help us clean up the Great Lakes and keep our national lands accessible. Biden demonstrated his commitment to the Great Lakes while he was vice president, Stupak said. Theres no doubt in my mind that Vice President Biden will continue that, he said. Its not just for Michigan. Its for all the Great Lakes region, whether youre Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin. The Great Lakes are really our lifeline and we need a president who is going to help us protect it. Scott Hassett, former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said President Trump has gutted important wildlife habitat conservation initiatives. We need a new president who will stand up for Americas hunters and anglers, Hassett said. Joe Biden is a gun owner and conservationist. He gets how important these traditions are to millions of Americans and will protect the Second Amendment rights of every responsible hunter. The group will be reaching out to sportsmen and sportswomen teams as well as writing editorials on why the coalition is supporting Biden. Stupak said environmental and conservation issues are nonpartisan, especially when it comes to Great Lakes. Democrats and Republicans have always worked together to protect the Great Lakes, Stupak said. We have all spectrums of the political rainbow working with us to support Vice President Biden. By Trend The members of the leadership (Bureau) of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) expressed concern at a meeting held on September 2 about the illegal resettlement of Lebanese Armenians to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, Trend reports. The Bureau's members are also concerned by the intensity of provocations committed by the aggressor country against Azerbaijan in recent months. A press release published on the results of the online meeting of the Bureau of the assembly on the OSCE PA website said that OSCE PA President, Giorgi Tsereteli touched upon issues related to the ongoing conflicts in the OSCE region, the escalation that has occurred in recent months on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the illegal border process continuing on the territory of Georgia, and the continuation of the illegal occupation of the territories of Ukraine. The Bureau members also discussed the existing prospects for the OSCE PA to contribute to the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the latest situation in the US, and Belarus, the importance of eliminating the consequences created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The press release said that OSCE PA Vice-President, Azay Guliyev, touching upon the current situation around the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, informed the Bureau members about the letters addressed to President Tsereteli and heads of delegations of several countries on the OSCE PA. The vice president of the OSCE PA noted that these letters contain a call to support a just resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict under international law and the principles of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. The official information disseminated by the OSCE PA in the press in connection with the Bureau meeting contains the protest of the vice-president of the structure against the policy of Armenia on the illegal settlement of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. OSCE PA Vice-President Azay Guliyev raised the issue of resettlement of Lebanese Armenians by Armenia to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan after the recent explosion in Beirut and expressed concern in this regard. At this meeting, along with the listed issues, the facts of Armenia's provocation against Azerbaijan in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz and the arming of Armenia by Russia were also discussed. The expression of the attitude of the OSCE PA to the provocative activities carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan is of particular importance for giving a more adequate assessment of the aggressor country by the international community and protecting the fair position of Azerbaijan. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Indian Army has started repositioning its troops even in the Finger area on the northern banks of Pangong Tso in Ladakh to up the ante against the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army which intruded into the area in early May. Sources said the Indian Army on Sunday climbed hills and established posts on the ridgelines between Finger 2 and Finger 3 on Pangong Tsos northern banks. These posts will help the Indian Army to track Chinese deployments on the ridgeline of Finger 4, that it occupied after its intrusion in the area. This comes after India pre-empted PLA soldiers on the southern banks of Pangong Tso on Saturday night as Indian Army troops occupied many of the peaks there to dominate the area. During the initial phase of disengagement, Chinese troops had moved its troops from the banks of Finger 4 to 5 on July 9 on the northern bank of Pangong Tso. But it continued to hold the ridgeline at Finger 4. With China refusing to vacate the entire Finger area during various diplomatic and military talks, India finally seems to have started firming up its positions. As part of the precautionary deployment carried out on 30 August, some readjustments of our positions on the north bank of Pangong Tso on our side of LAC had also been carried out, a source said. China has illegally occupied around 8 km of Indian territory in the area between Finger 5 and Finger 8. The Indian Army action comes even as Beijing is reportedly enraged that its local PLA commander had withdrawn forces when a physical conflict appeared imminent with Indian troops on Pangong Tsos southern banks on Saturday night, where India blocked the Chinese Army and pre-emptively occupied the strategic heights in the area, according to US intelligence reports. The Indian troops were better prepared to respond to the Chinese provocation after bolstering their presence following the deadly June clash in the Galwan Valley, according to a report published by US News, citing American intelligence sources. The report said Chinese President Xi Jinping would have to have known about each of the latest clashes in advance due to the nature of the Chinese militarys decision-making. Xi, besides being President, also heads the countrys Central Military Commission. Meanwhile, the brigade-level talks between India and China on de-escalation on the southern banks of Pangong Tso on Wednesday failed to achieve any breakthrough. This was the third round of brigade-level talks in the past three days. Since May, the Chinese Army strategy has been to grab unoccupied land at the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh sector to change the status quo. However, on the southern banks of Pangong Tso, the Indian Army had information that the Chinese would try to occupy some of the peaks. As soon as they saw a large number of Chinese troops moving towards the area, Indian troops late Saturday night and early Sunday morning occupied many of the peaks in the area in a pre-emptive move. The control of the peaks gives the Indian Army the advantage to dominate the area as it can monitor the movements of Chinese troops. This summer has been a disaster of epic proportions throughout our nation. That assertion is beyond debate. The question, however, is whether we can collectively drag ourselves from our current morass to reclaim some semblance of human dignity and community. The quick answer is probably. Weve been down this road before. Some of us recall blood in the streets and on our campuses during the protests of the Vietnam conflict. The assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King and the attempted killing of George Wallace still resonate from that era in recent memory. For many of us, the Port Huron Statement is more than a throwaway joke in The Big Lebowski. Students for a Democratic Society posed real threats to life and limb (sometimes self-inflicted upon SDS militants) before its surviving members became absorbed into our education and political regimes. Hard to believe all this turbulence was making headlines a mere half-century ago. But we emerged, only to end a war and become immersed in political scandals. We made it through those as well. One of the redeeming qualities of the so-called counter-cultural revolution was the plethora of great art it stimulated. Audiences flocked to movie houses to see a new breed of Hollywood actors in films made by maverick screenwriters and directors. This cinematic renaissance produced such classics as the first two Godfather films, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now all by the same man who wrote the screenplay for Patton. And it didnt matter whether or not you actually saw The Exorcist, because everyone already had an opinion about it anyway. Incidentally, that film shared a director with The French Connection and a terrific remake of Henri-Georges Clouzots 1953 French classic The Wages of Fear, by which I refer to William Friedkin and his 1977 film Sorcerer. Television also did a remarkable job of bringing the nation together with the salvific tonic of humor. Although many of the jokes and blackout sketches landed with a resounding thud, most American households tuned into Laugh-In every Monday night. Even Richard Nixon, John Wayne and William F. Buckley joined in the frivolities. We also laughed together at the Norman Lear television comedies of a more topical nature, including All in the Family, Maude, and Sanford & Son. But we also feasted on food for thought in-between guffaws. And, as long as Im waxing nostalgic, Id be remiss if I didnt mention the music for it was glorious. From Motown to the Velvet Underground, no stone went unturned musically and lyrically. Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello the list goes on and on. It was truly an embarrassment of riches. It seemed as if every turn of the radio dial revealed another Open Sesame to a vault of buried treasure. So, despite our many differences and the conflagrations and/or entropy engulfing our cities and universities, we still managed to find common ground or bridges over troubled waters. What sparked these memories other than our contemporary chaos? A good friend found some Live Aid footage of the Style Council performing in 1985, and shared it on social media this morning. It reminded me of how easily we humans fall into a pattern of finding common ground to remedy whatever ails us as a civilization and as a means to assist one another. Plus, it helps that Ive been a huge Paul Weller fan since purchasing the debut Jam album as a cutout back in the late 1970s. Once weve moved back into normal patterns of social interaction, perhaps a semblance of widespread civility may once again take hold. Live sporting events and concerts may help rebuild our community, and, Im told by knowledgeable friends, therere plenty of current music, television and film to sooth the savage beast. Bruce Edward Walker (walker.editorial@gmail.com) is a Morning Sun columnist. The judges also ruled that government prosecutors must tell criminal defendants when it plans to use evidence gathered or derived from surveillance done overseas, a large, secret effort generally referred to by the executive order that authorizes such collection, 12333. It was not immediately clear how significant an impact that part of the ruling might have on the Justice Department, because the use of such material in criminal investigations has always been closely guarded within the government. MILFORD The man charged with killing Rosali Acquefreda was arraigned in court Thursday afternoon as her friends and family say theyre still coming to terms with what happened. Andre LeFrancois, 22, of Ansonia, appeared in state Superior Court in Milford for his arraignment on charges of murder and risk of injury to a child in connection with the 20-year-olds death. He was taken into custody outside his Root Avenue home around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Judge Maureen Dennis set bond at $750,000 and continued the case to Sept. 10. After the hearing, Acquefredas family and friends held a brief press conference, where her mother said they are still in denial. My daughter suffered for over five years with this man, her mother said. All I can say is shes free now ... My daughter had such a big heart. She always made people laugh. She never hurt anyone. She was this fragile, little girl. So innocent. She said justice still isnt served since this is just the beginning of the court proceedings for her daughters accused killer. Pray for my grandson, she said, adding that the 3-year-old is going through a little adjustment. Acquefredas boyfriend, Christian Federici, said he didnt want to get into specifics about the case since he is a witness and didnt want to talk much about his girlfriends accused killer. Hes an evil person. Im just going to leave it at that, Federici said of LeFrancois. I love you Rosy and Im going to be strong for you. Were going to get justice for you. Whatever process, however long this takes, Ill be here and Ill support your son and Ill support your father and everybody. Acquefreda was found bleeding from stab wounds on the side of North Coe Lane shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses told Hearst Connecticut Media that others tried to help her, including giving CPR. Medics rushed Acquefreda to Griffin Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The woman and her accused killer have a 3-year-old son together, who is staying with Acquefredas family. Acquefreda and LeFrancois were in a legal custody battle over the child. There was a hearing on the matter scheduled for Thursday in Milford Superior Court. Her family described LeFrancois as controlling and abusive. They said he was angry Acquefreda had a new boyfriend. Acquefreda was preparing to move to a new home in Shelton this week, her father said, adding that LeFrancois did not want to see this happen. Her killing is the citys second domestic violence homicide in the past year. Last December, police found the body of Christine Holloway beaten to death in her Myrtle Avenue home. Jose Morales has been charged with her killing. He has pleaded not guilty. The case is pending. The two had a child together, Vanessa, who has been missing since her mothers death. Anyone in the Valley seeking help can reach the Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence at 203-736-9944 or 888-774-2900. Statewide domestic violence assistance can be found at www.CTSafeConnect.org or calling 888-774-2900. Schools in at least two states have cut ties with online education provider Acellus Learning Accelerator over concerns about offensive curricular material, raising questions about how districts vet digital content and respond to social-media criticism. Among the content prompting complaints from parents was an activity from a kindergarten social studies lesson in which children were asked a series of questions about families based on a pair of photos, one showing a black woman and child and the other showing a white man, woman, and child. In Peoria, Ill., a screen shot from the activity went viral; absent context , the image appeared to suggest that only one of the photos represented a family, leading the districts superintendent to complain to Acellus. Another lesson highlighted in a report by Hawaiian news organization Civil Beat showed an animated video of a bear and a duck dressed as schoolchildren, asking a female classmate where she got the nickname Sweetie Lips. The classmate, an animated pig wearing lipstick, blushes and responds, Dont ask, were not even going there. Effective immediately, Aliamanu Elementary School is cancelling all student accounts with Acellus, Principal Sandra Yoshimi of Aliamanu Elementary School in Oahu wrote to parents on Aug. 23. The safety of our students will remain our first priority, and we will not take any chances by allowing students further access to this program. State superintendent Christina Kishimoto followed that announcement several days later, however, with an FAQ document and multiple letters to Hawaii parents in which she praised Acellus as offering quality distance learning instructional materials that are used by 70 percent of the states schools. Kishimoto also cautioned against broad internet searches for controversial content that may be outdated or manipulated. In addition to a handful of schools in Hawaii, multiple school districts in California have dropped the Acellus curricular materials in recent days over concerns about offensive and inappropriate content. Acellus was founded by Roger Billings, an engineer and computer scientist who later founded his own church and whom critics derided as a preacher of polygamy with bogus academic credentials in media reports dating back to 2004. In a Facebook post last week, Acellus said that about a dozen of its lessons had been flagged as racist or sexist and had since been reviewed and revised to reflect current attitudes and usage. The group also indicated that some lessons drawing outrage on social media had already been removed from their offerings. The provider says its 985,000 lessons are used by more than 6,000 schools nationwide. Acellus content is created by teachers from all over the country and approved by a review board before being made available to schools, Billings told Education Week before abruptly terminating a telephone interview. Experts said the flap highlights the ways in which the countrys sudden shift to remote and online learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic has worsened districts long-standing struggles when it comes to reviewing curricula, especially the thousands of supplemental digital materials now on the market. Districts were already struggling with putting together a [good] vetting process said Lauren Weisskirk, the chief strategy officer for nonprofit curriculum reviewer EdReports . Given the real challenges of figuring out how to shift modes of instruction, finding high-quality content to meet the new reality is a really tough job. Vectored Instruction Acellus Academy was created in 2001 by Billings, a self-proclaimed science and technology innovator with a long history of research and inventions involving the use of hydrogen as a fuel source. The school is affiliated with the nonprofit International Academy of Science, which Billings told Education Week he helped found and currently works for part-time, without an official title and while drawing a very small amount of compensation. After leaving the Mormon church, Billings also founded his own church, the now-defunct Church of Jesus Christ in Zion, which regarded him as its patriarch and prophet. In my opinion, I no longer believe (the LDS Church) to be true and divine, Billings told the Deseret News, owned by a subsidiary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 2004 . Joseph Smith and Brigham Young taught that it was the will of God that men should have more than one wife. The International Academy of Science owns and operates Acellus Academy, a full-time private online K-12 school that was established in 2013, according to the groups website. Through its Acellus Learning Accelerator, the group also offers public K-12 schools and districts a wide range of roughly 300 courses used by Acellus Academy, covering everything from Advanced Placement subjects to social-emotional learning to credit-recovery programs. Acellus Academy is accredited by the Western Association for Schools and Colleges, and its courses are generally accepted by such groups as the College Board and the NCAA. But the private schools accreditation does not extend to the Learning Accelerator materials used in places like Hawaii. On its website, Acellus describes those materials as mostly video-based lessons that schools can use to accelerate learning, elevate standardized test scores, reduce dropout rates, and transition more students into careers and college. The secret sauce that makes Acellus work like magic, the organization claims, is its study of learning science and use of technology. The group says its approach to vectored instruction, for example, allows students to catch up on remedial skills while still working at grade level. The schools that have cut ties with the Acellus Learning Accelerator appear to have been using the groups curricular materials in a variety of ways. Californias Spring Valley-La Mesa district, for example, described Acellus to San Diego-area public radio station KPBS as a supplemental component of its online-only plan for the start of the school year. Elsewhere in the state, however, officials from the Chico Unified School District said they were doing a pilot with Acellus as a primary curricular option for parents who wanted a full-time asynchronous independent learning option amid the pandemic. But the district dropped it after hearing complaints and news reports about the offensive content. Were shifting to a different program that we feel is a lot more up-to-date and more in-sync with where learning expectations are now, Ted Sullivan, the Chico districts director of elementary education, told the Chico Enterprise-Record. Media reports peg the cost of the groups content from between $25 per student for summer school licenses in Hawaii to $100 per student in Peoria, Ill. Difficulty Vetting Materials Problems with racial bias, misogyny, and historical inaccuracies in curricula used by K-12 public schools are nothing new. Last year, for example, Education Week reported on an internal review of the popular Studies Weekly social studies curriculum, which found more than 400 examples of troubling content, including a reading passage in which a white girl directs a black boy to pick cotton to appease a plantation overseer.. In its statement posted to Facebook, Acellus acknowledged a handful of examples of recent posts that users had tagged as problematic, including a kindergarten social studies lesson that included a video clip of Walt Disney referring to Grumpy from Snow White as the dwarf that hates women. Any such examples brought to the groups attention will be reviewed and revised, usually within one business day, according to the statement. Its not realistic to expect schools, districts, and states to review every single lesson offered by providers with whom they contract, said Weisskirk of EdReports. But publishers should absolutely be held accountable for regularly reviewing and updating the content they produce, she said, and there are things K-12 officials can do to improve the curricular vetting processes they do use. For one, she said, districts need to be aware of changes in how products are being marketed amid the pandemic. A growing number of providers appear to be taking materials intended for supplemental use, which were already evaluated poorly, if at all; recasting them as core instructional offerings; then offering them directly to schools, which have less capacity to do thorough vetting than states and districts. Its also crucial to investigate providers marketing claims, especially when it comes to things like accreditation and approval, and to ask about their internal review processes. And when it comes to screening for racist and sexist content, Weisskirk said, the most proactive K-12 buyers put in place review processes that involve not just teachers and administrators, but local community members as well. Leading districts dont just try to catch whats overtly racist, she said. They look for whats high-quality and inclusive. See also: for the latest news on ed-tech policies, practices, and trends. Britains Prince Harry and his American-born wife Meghan have signed a multiyear contract with Netflix to produce programming ranging from childrens shows to scripted series, the streaming platform said on Wednesday. The couple, who moved to Southern California with their infant son Archie earlier this year after stepping back from royal duties in the United Kingdom, will produce content on issues that resonate with them and that their nonprofit Archewell is focused on. Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope, the couple said in a statement. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but it marks the couples biggest step so far to engage in paid work in their new lives. In January, they had announced plans to be more financially independent and to pay for it themselves. Meghan, formally known as the Duchess of Sussex, has no plans to return to acting under the deal. She is a former star of the USA Network television show Suits. The couple already have several projects in development, including a nature documentary series and an animated series that celebrates inspiring women, Netflix said. Were incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home - and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. A man allegedly armed with a gun and his girlfriend have been arrested following an intensive police search that saw an entire town put into lockdown as officers conducted a search. Alex Blake, 28, and his 30-year-old girlfriend allegedly entered South Australia from Queensland on Tuesday - a breach of coronavirus border closures. The pair were finally arrested late on Wednesday afternoon following high speed chases and helicopter searches in SA's far north. Blake and his girlfriend allegedly crossed the border in a stolen Toyota Hilux Utility on Tuesday. Alex Blake (pictured), 28, and his 30-year-old girlfriend allegedly entered South Australia illegally from Queensland on Tuesday He was allegedly armed with a gun, Nine News reported. Breyten Ward, Leigh Creek Petrol Station manager, said officers told people in the area to close their businesses while they searched for the accused. 'About two hours ago they told us to lock everything down,' Mr Ward told the ABC. 'We locked the pub down, the petrol station down I think the police have it under control.' The man was expected to be extradited to Queensland for local charges once the charges in South Australia had been dealt with. Blake's car was allegedly seen speeding down the wrong side of the road while being chased by a police car at Port Augusta on Tuesday afternoon. Blake allegedly almost ran over a roadhouse manager in Innamincka while speeding off after not paying for his petrol. The pair were finally arrested late on Wednesday afternoon following high speed chases and helicopter searches in the state's far north. Pictured: Vehicle allegedly driving down wrong way on road He was spotted again at 1pm on Wednesday before his arrest at 3.45pm. 'PolAir then followed the utility from the air as it continued along the Outback Highway towards Leigh Creek where it turned onto Old Beltana Road and headed north before turning onto Warraweena Station,' SA Police said in a statement. 'The vehicle then stopped in scrub.' He is also believed to be responsible for another petrol theft in Hawker, near the Flinders Ranges. The couple are expected to be charged with border breach, acts to endanger life, driving to evade police and petrol thefts. They will both appear at Port Augusta Magistrates Court on Thursday. bidadoo Inc. We are very excited to have this group of talented individuals joining our team. We continue to build our team of experts to serve our customers and provide unsurpassed value in the remarketing space. bidadoo, the largest and most trusted construction, fleet and industrial equipment auction service on eBay is expanding its sales team to meet the surge of online remarketing demand and activity. Spreading deeper into new regions and markets, bidadoo is excited to announce the contributions and appointments of several key people in strategic sales channels. Key in driving customer success with bidadoo are Len Rodriguez and Brent Birdsong. Both recently joined bidadoo and have played a significant role in bidadoos team and market growth this year. Serving the Chicago area, Rodriguez is Area Sales Manager. Rodriquez is expanding opportunities for bidadoo in the Rental and Construction segments. An equipment and rental industry veteran, Rodriguez brings a wealth of experience gained at several companies - including Generac Mobile Products North America, where he held the position of National Rental Account Manager; along with United Rentals, where he served as National Accounts Manager. Says Rodriguez, I look forward to the opportunity to work with a growing concern that has great upside potential for the company and me personally. bidadoo is an environment where every individuals contribution is valued. I have had the pleasure to work with Len on several multi million projects. I say without a doubt that I have never worked with someone that is extremely dedicated to ensuring that he met and exceeded our expectations on every project. - Dan Stegvilas, Corporate Manager of Procurement, BMWC Constructors, Inc. Out of Houston, Texas, Birdsong is Strategic Accounts Manager - Logistics. Birdsong is expanding opportunities for bidadoo in the Transportation and Fleet Management segments. A transportation industry veteran, Birdsong brings decades of logistics experience gained at Equify Auctions, JB Hunt Transport Services, Werner Enterprises, and Schneider National to bidadoo. Says Birdsong, What really impressed me with bidadoo was the company culture and the trust with everyone here. bidadoo is on the leading edge and changing the way sellers look at selling assets. Customer service is paramount in our industry and Brent proves this time and time again. Great to work with and provides smooth transactions. I would highly recommend him to others. - Scott Kring SRS Distribution We are very excited to have these talented individuals joining our team. We continue to build our team of experts to serve our customers and provide unsurpassed value in the remarketing space. Driven by the efforts of Rodriguez and Birdsong, and team, bidadoos growth continues to rise, while providing the highest net returns for its customers. To learn more about how bidadoo can help with your equipment remarketing requirements, please contact us at info@bidadoo.com / 1-877-bidadoo. About bidadoo bidadoo is the largest and most trusted online auction service on the worlds largest auction marketplace, eBay. bidadoo provides professional remarketing for used construction equipment, rental and municipal fleets, trucks, and other capital assets. bidadoo is a global online remarketing company with Auction Service Centers across North America and bidders and buyers from around the world. bidadoo works with many of the largest equipment owners in the world including Sunstate Equipment, United Rentals, JCB, John Deere, H&E Equipment, Herc Rentals, Genie/Terex, Case, Takeuchi, Komatsu, The Boeing Company, City of Seattle and many municipalities and government agencies. With eBays 183 million registered users globally, bidadoo provides equipment sellers immediate access to the worlds largest online bidder and buyer base through our long term partnership with eBay. Check out our weekly online auctions at http://www.bidadoo.com. Popular Sandalwood actress Ragini Dwivedi has reportedly been summoned by Central Crime Branch (CCB) in connection with the drug racket case in Bangalore. According to Deccan Herald, the actress will be questioned today (September 3) about her links, if any, with drug peddlers. Along with Ragini, her friend Ravi Shankar has also been asked to appear at the CCB headquarters in Chamrajpet for questioning. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sandeep Patil told the leading daily that the notice had been served to Ragini Dwivedi and her friend Ravi Shankar. Apart from the Joint Commissioner, another CCB official claimed that Ragini and Ravi had attended some parties in the past, where they are suspected to have consumed drugs. After filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh's shocking revelations about Sandalwood industry, CCB intensified the investigation and is trying to find out alleged links of several Kannada film industry celebs with drug peddlers. Apart from Ragini Dwivedi, some media reports also suggested late actor Chiranjeevi Sarja's involvement in the drug racket. Also Read : Bengaluru Cops, NCB Bust Drug Trafficking Racket; Sandalwood Celebs Under Radar However, Sandalwood stars like Darshan and Kiccha Sudeep came out in the late actor's defence and asked media not to speculate as the police investigation is still going on. For the unversed, a few days ago, Bengaluru police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had conducted a raid in the city, during which they arrested three dealers with a variety of drugs in possession. Also Read : Darshan Expresses Displeasure Over Chiranjeevi Sarja's Name Brought Up In Sandalwood Drug Racket A Virginia man says he was fired from his job at a shipyard for refusing to remove a hat supporting President Donald Trump. Dave Sunderland, 55, was fired last week from Newport News Shipbuilding, a private firm that builds the nation's aircraft carriers and some of its submarines. After he showed up to a meeting with the 'Trump 2020' branding emblazoned on his attire, Sunderland said the human resources department told him he violated a policy that bars yard workers from 'campaigning' while on the job. Sunderland said he wore the hat as he walked from his car to his work area inside the gates, and sometimes during a safety meeting at the beginning of his shift. Dave Sunderland, 55, was fired last week from Newport News Shipbuilding. He refused to remove a Trump 2020 hat after HR said he violated a policy that bars yard workers from 'campaigning' at work Sunderland said he has worn Trump hats to work every day for nearly four years and claims others have wore merchandise to support Obama and Clinton. Trump is pictured in November 2016 But by wearing the merchandise with Trump's name and the election year he doesn't see himself as part of an organized effort to influence the decision making process when it comes to how Americans will vote in November. 'I wore a ball cap. I wasnt passing out bumper stickers. I wasnt asking people to vote. I wasnt doing anything,' he insisted to the Virginian-Pilot. '... Except for wearing a ball cap going to work.' He told the newspaper he has worn Trump hats to work every day for nearly four years. Duane Bourne, a spokesperson for Newport News Shipbuilding, said shipyard workers are strongly encouraged to participate in the political process on their own time. 'However, as we have previously communicated to our employees, we do not allow political campaign or partisan political activities on company property, such as wearing attire with messages that include a campaign slogan,' Bourne told the newspaper. The private firm builds the nation's aircraft carriers and some of its submarines. 'We do not allow political campaign or partisan political activities on company property, such as wearing attire with messages that include a campaign slogan,' a spokesperson said 'Additionally, political messages, debates and commentaries on candidates and related issues should not take place on company time and interfere with normal business operations.' The policy has been in place since 2005 and workers are made aware of it during orientation and training. But Sunderland claims that when he moved from Ohio to work for the company in May 2012 he noticed workers wearing Obama shirts in the yard. Sunderland also says he has seen women wearing 'Im with Her' shirts in reference to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign but couldn't recall anyone wearing Biden merchandise recently. He also mentioned the movement for racial equality as part of his defense. 'Theres Black Lives Matter masks that people are wearing, and nobodys saying anything about that,' he added. Advocating for an end to violence against black people is not a partisan issue and not limited to the United States. In the run up to the election Trump has expressed his opposition to the Black Lives Matter social movement, which started during Obama's presidency in 2013. It was launched in response to the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. President Trump (center) speaks to members of the US Navy and shipyard workers on board the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 at Newport News shipbuilding March 2, 2017. 'Political messages, debates and commentaries on candidates and related issues should not take place on company time and interfere with normal business operations,' the shipyard said 'Theres Black Lives Matter masks that people are wearing, and nobodys saying anything about that,' Sunderland added. Racial injustice isn't a partisan issue. Pictured, protesters march on August 30 in Washington DC with one person carrying a sign that reads: 'Racism is so American that when you protest it, people think you're protesting America' Organizers say it is a 'push for black peoples right to live with dignity and respect' but Trump has labelled it a hate group and called Black Lives Matter murals organized by city officials a 'symbol of hate.' As part of efforts to win reelection he has regularly linked it to the Democrats. In a bid to clear up confusion around whether federal companies could openly denounce systemic racism, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel announced in July: 'The Hatch Act generally allows employees to engage in BLM-related activity while on duty or in the workplace. 'An employee is not prohibited by the Hatch Act from expressing support for, or opposition to, the BLM movement while on duty or in the workplace. But the employee may not say, for example, "if you believe that Black Lives Matter, then you should vote for/against X in November."' Running for office, hosting fundraisers, conducting campaign speeches and giving out campaign materials is forbidden as part of the Hatch Act. Sunderland says the shipyard company has taken away his freedom of expression 'but they dont for other folks.' 'We investigate all reported violations of our company policies, and take definitive action based on the results of such investigations,' Newport News Shipbuilding spokesperson, Bourne, continued in an email. The Mayor of Los Angeles Announces Small Cohorts Will be Hosted In-Person for K-12 Student Learning Small cohorts will gather on campus, serving as preliminary steps to study what might work for schools reopening. Wednesday, September 2, the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti updated the city with news surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. Recent statistical evidence has shown that Los Angeles is bending the curve and seeing a decrease in community transmission. The mayor expressed his concern for this progress to be derailed due to the upcoming holiday, he cautioned the danger of large gatherings can bring hinderance to the progress toward recovery. Mayor Garcetti acknowledge the challenging time and space Los Angeles has been in, he explained that solidarity and unity among residents has been the net holding L.A. together. Garcetti emphasized that COVID-19 is a threat. He referred to the data reflecting the collective effort of social distancing is making an impact. Los Angeles as a county is ranked 19 in all counties in California in cases per 100,000 residents. Garcetti stated L.A. sees fewer deaths per 100,000 residents than almost all the pier cities nationally. Within the month of August, Los Angeles reflected 100 fewer deaths than we did in July. The mayor expressed that every life is valuable, and the decrease does not take away from the loss of family members and loved ones, however it does reflect 100 more lives still here. In the last five weeks alone, Los Angeles has reported more than half of hospitalization numbers have decreased. The rate of transmission fluctuates; however, it is still reflecting less than 1% of people are contracting the virus from other people. Garcetti explained this decrease is reflective of the collective effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. ADVERTISEMENT With the numbers reflecting a decrease, the mayor shares his concern in the change of pace in the collective effort as Labor Day approaches. Garcetti stated, I cant say this enough times the virus is here and its still dangerous. I think we all learnedwhether its a holiday coming like Labor Day, celebrations are not in order. The Mayor referenced the new state issued guidelines that will work as the compass towards recovery. Garcetti explained the goal for L.A. County is to get to fewer than seven cases per 100,000 people or a testing positivity rate between five and eight percent. That would place L.A. on a tier that is based on which number is higher between the two metrics. Currently Los Angeles sees a 13-case average with a testing positivity rate of about five percent. According to the state navigation, transitions into recovery will be gradual. The mayor announced schools in L.A. County can offer on campus services for small stable cohorts for k-12 students who need the educational support. Starting September 14, the cohort approach is to monitor and observe the adjustment to see what works on a smaller scale before reopening schools. This method is being handled with caution because of the severity of what can go wrong if there was an outbreak among students and faculty. Mayor Garcetti shared the latest updates regarding the coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday. Current county statistics reflect 1,457 new infections, bringing the total to 243,935. Mayor Garcetti disclosed 578 of those reports came directly from the city of Los Angeles, bringing the total in the city to 99,054 reported cases. The average cases in the city fall over 2,000 reports; the positivity rate in the city of Los Angeles is slightly over 7%. There were 51 additional deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 5,878 fatal cases. Los Angeles is showing that it is in better shape, however public officials are promoting caution. There is no room for anyone to let their guard down. It will take a collective effort from the community to get to a place of healing and a restorative economic landscape. (Newser) Want to reach Melania Trump at the White House? You might try one of her private email accounts. Or iMessage. Or Signal. That's according to former advisor and friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who wrote the tell-all memoir Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady. Wolkoff says Melania often used unofficial email accounts from the Trump Organization or the MelaniaTrump.com domain while working at the White House. In fact, they both did: "Melania and I both didn't use White House emails," she tells the Washington Post, which has seen the messages dated after President Trump's inauguration. story continues below Which raises questionslike, is that legal? Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, said that if Melania is "doing United States government business, she should be using the White House email." The Presidential Records Act does allow the use of personal accounts, but it's risky, since private emails and messages may be irretrievable in answer to a subpoena. "It's total hypocrisy," Painter added. "They got elected acting as if Hillary Clinton ought to be in jail for using the wrong email." A rep for Melania hasn't responded to People's request for a response. (Ivanka Trump also used private email for government business, but insisted it wasn't equivalent to Clinton's email use.) Mumbai: Actor Amit Sadh says he will be less active on social media for a couple of days or perhaps weeks because he is set to start shooting for his upcoming web series, Zidd. Amit took to Instagram and shared a note for his fans and followers, sharing that he has reached Patiala and is set to commence the shoot soon. He wrote: "Because I love you guys so much, I think it's very important for me to tell you that I will be less active on social media for (a) couple of days/weeks. As you know I am prepping for Zidd and I have reached Patiala and very soon we will start the shoot!" He shared that he wants to give full attention to his work. "The bond that I share with all of you means the world to me. At this point my work and role needs all my attention and I hope your life, your work 100 percent attention and I will come back whenever I can with some news to share about my life or work. Till then sending love and good wishes for whatever you are doing in life. Keep moving forward," he wrote. The Enugu State Government has invited 27 prominent persons including representatives of schools, traditional and religious rulers as well as the leadership of security agencies in the state for a meeting on Thursday over the recent killings in the state. Two operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) and an unconfirmed number of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members were killed on August 23 during the disturbances in Emene, a suburb of Enugu town, after some operatives of the secret police tried to disperse a gathering of members of the separatist group at a secondary school in the town. The meeting is a sequel to an emergency security meeting held by the government of the state on Wednesday to address security concerns emanating from the August 23 clash. After the emergency security meeting with the leadership of all the security outfits in the state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the governor of the state, called on persons in the custody of weapons allegedly snatched from security operatives during the fracas in Emene to return them to the agencies or the nearest traditional rulers for onward delivery to the appropriate agencies. Mr Ugwuanyi said that his government is determined to unravel the true cause of the clash between the separatist group and the security agencies and put measures in place to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. As the Chief Security Officer of the state, I am at all times committed, to doing all within my powers, to ensure the security of lives and property in Enugu State. Following the emergency Security Council meeting, it has become necessary to give those responsible for getting to the root of these unfortunate developments a little more time to complete their work. The events of the August 23, 2020, which culminated in the loss of lives of members of Nigerian security agencies and residents of Enugu State as well as recent reports of attacks on Railway Police Station, Ogui on August 28, 2020, and Unity Police Station, Abakpa on August 30, 2020, where weapons were reported to have been carted away, have been matters of great concern to me, he said. Those invited for Thursdays meeting according to a statement by Simon Ortuanaya, secretary to the Enugu State government, are: Callistus Onaga, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese; Emmanuel Chukwuma, the Anglican Archbishop of Enugu; Christopher Edeh, Methodist Bishop of Enugu; Emmanuel Edeh, the chairman of the states the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Goddy Madu, the chairman Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria, Enugu; Sambo Abubakar, the Sarkin Hausa of the state; Nestor Ezeme, the chairman, Post Primary School Management Board; Ikeje Asogwa, the chairman, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board; and Robert Okolie, the state president of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Public Schools (ANCOPPS). Others include Theophilus Odo, the chairman of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Enugu State; Ernest Ugwu, the chairman of the National Association of proprietors of private Schools, (NAPPS) Enugu State; Beatrice Chukwuonye, the state president of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS); Nnia Nwodo, the president-general of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo; Alex Ogbonna, the state chairman of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo; Jude Ezegwui, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Enugu; and Paully Eze, the coordinating president-general of Towns Unions. The rest are the chairmenn of the 17 Local Government Councils of the state; Ahmad AbdulRahman, the states commissioner of police; Chris Ataki, the garrison commander of the Nigerian Army 82 Division; Brown Ekwoaba, the state director of SSS; Lawrence Agubuzor, the chairman Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council; Pascal Ugwu and Esther Ogbuefi, representatives of the Youth Council of Nigeria; former governor of the states, Jim Nwobodo and Okwesilieze Nwodo; and Justina Eze, a former ambassador and House of Representatives member. The meeting is billed for 2 p.m. at the Government House, Enugu. The plane was due to pick up Armenian soldiers and transport them to Germany for further training preceding their deployment in Afghanistan. Some 120 Armenian servicemen serve in Afghanistan under German command as part of a NATO-led multinational force. The Armenian military rotates them on a regular basis. The German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday that the Airbus 310 aircraft of the German Air Force was on its way to Yerevan in late July when Turkish air traffic controllers unexpectedly refused, without any explanation, to give it overflight permission. The plane had to return to a German military airfield as a result, it said, adding that the Armenian soldiers were flown to Germany over Russias airspace in mid-August. As far as I know, the Defense Ministry did not refute that information, said Anna Naghdalian, the spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry. It is condemnable that Turkey now also obstructs NATO-led and UN-led peacekeeping operations based on its anti-Armenian positions, Naghdalian told reporters. We have raised this issue with our international partners through diplomatic channels. Ankara has not denied the Der Spiegel report. According to the report, the German military, the Bundeswehr, regards the Turkish move as a deliberate provocation by a NATO member state. The German plane was reportedly not allowed to fly over Turkish territory just days after the outbreak of heavy fighting on Armenias border with Azerbaijan, Turkeys closest regional ally. Ankara blamed Yerevan for the weeklong hostilities, which left 17 soldiers dead, and voiced support for Baku in unusually strong terms. The Armenian government responded by accusing the Turks of trying to destabilize the region, undercutting international efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and posing a serious security threat to Armenia. The Bombay high court (HC) has asked news media to exercise restraint in its reportage of the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajputs death. The court has also asked representatives of news channels to be present for the hearing of two petitions filed by former police officers and activists. The petitioners have alleged television news channels are maligning Mumbai Police and prejudicing the general public. The case will be heard next on September 10. A division bench of justices AA Sayed and SP Tavade was hearing two petitions. In the first, filed by activists Nilesh Navlakha, Mahibub Shaikh and Subhash Chander Chaba, advocate Devadatt Kamat that the petition had a limited prayer for directing various media houses on their reportage of the the Rajput case. Kamat said some news channels had overstepped the guidelines laid down in Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and were conducting a media trial by exposing names and details of those named in the case. He submitted that that some had also gone on to name police officials and pass judgements on the accused before the investigation has been completed. Advocates Dr Milind Sathe and Chetan Kapadia informed the bench that their petition was on similar lines and had been filed by police officers, including former director generals of police (DGP) PS Pasricha, K Subramaniam, D Shivanandan, Sanjeev Dayal, Satish Chandra Mathur; former commissioners of Mumbai Police Mahesh N Singh, Dhananjay N Jadhav; and former anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief K P Raghuvanshi. Dr Sathe submitted that the media coverage of the Rajput case was irresponsible, aimed to prejudice the general public and also maligned the image of Mumbai Police. He urged the court to restrain the media and also direct the government and media regulators to lay down guidelines for the coverage of pending investigations, like the one probing Rajputs death. Additional solicitor general Anil Singh appearing for the Union of India asked for time to respond and submitted that as the petitions involved the media, media houses should be allowed to defend their actions before the court passes any order. After hearing the submissions, the bench passed a short order in which it observed, The media should practice restraint and report the case as per the investigation. The bench also directed the media channels named in the petition of the activists to be present for the hearing on September 10 and asked the News Broadcasters Association to file their reply before the next hearing. Agricultural goods imported to Nigeria rose in value by 59.01 per cent in the second quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter and by 66.28 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter in 2019, while exports dropped by 38.2 per cent in Q2, compared to Q1, but rose by 6.3 per cent year-on-year, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. This was disclosed in the Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics report of the Bureau published on Wednesday. According to the report, Nigerias total trade in agricultural goods in the second quarter of the year stood at N493.7 billion, of which exports accounted for N78.1 billion. Analysis by economic region showed that most agricultural goods were exported to Asia, Europe and America valued at N43.6 billion, N26.4 billion and N6.6 billion, the parts of the report reads. It says the key drivers of agricultural products exports were superior quality of raw cocoa beans, sesamum seeds, cashew nuts, good fermented cocoa beans and more. The main consumers of superior quality cocoa were countries such as the Netherlands (N9.3 billion), Indonesia (N3.7billion) and the United States (N2.4 billion), the report noted. Other agricultural exports were sesamum seeds exported to Japan (N6.0 billion) and to China, worth N2.3 billion, the report stated. The NBS explained that cashew nuts exported to Vietnam were worth N12 billion, while durum wheat worth N41 billion was imported from the United States, Russia (N28.8 billion) and Latvia (N24.5 billion) respectively. Overview The NBS report highlights that the value of Nigerias merchandise trade stood at N6,242.4 billion in Q2, which it says indicates a sharp fall of 27.30 per cent compared to Q1 and 27.46 per cent compared to Q2 of 2019. The value of the total trade year to date amounted to N14,829.4 billion, indicating a drop of 11.96 per cent compared to half year 2019, the NBS report noted. It says Nigerias import component was valued at N4,022.9 billion, representing a drop of 10.69 per cent in Q2 against the level recorded in Q1 but was an increase of 0.39 per cent year-on-year. The report says the export component accounted for N2,219.5 billion of the total trade, which indicated a decline of 45.64 per cent against the value recorded in Q1 and 51.73 per cent when compared to Q2 of 2019. Consequently, the trade balance recorded a deficit of N1,803.3 billion, marking the third consecutive quarter of negative trade balance. This compares with trade in goods deficit of N421.3 billion recorded in Q1, 2020 and N579.06 billion recorded in Q4 2019, the report said. Mark Zuckerberg said he's had personal conversations with President Donald Trump about the rhetoric he posts on Facebook, telling him that some of it was 'problematic.' 'I have had certain discussions with him in the past and where I've told him that I thought some of the rhetoric was problematic. If I did talk to him, you know, be clear about how - just the importance of making sure that people have confidence in the election,' Zuckerberg told CBS' 'This Morning.' His revelation of his conversations with the president - who has been accused of fanning the political flames with his heated postings on social media - comes as Facebook announced a new series of measures Thursday to prevent interference in the November election. Mark Zuckerberg said he's had personal conversations with President Donald Trump about the rhetoric he posts on Facebook Mark Zuckerberg and President Trump in the Oval Office last September; the two men also had dinner together at the White House last November The founder and CEO of Facebook said the policies would apply to President Trump, who has had previous social media posts flagged for containing misleading information. 'This will definitely apply to the president once this policy goes into place and it will apply to everyone equally,' Zuckerberg told CBS News. It's unclear when Zuckerberg had his conversation with President Trump about his social media postings but the two men had dinner together in the White House last November. In September of last year, Trump posted a picture to his Facebook page of him and Zuckerberg in the Oval Office. As part of its new policies, Facebook will ban all new political advertisements the week before the election but existing ads will still be in play on the social media platform. 'We're going to block new political and issue ads during the final week of the campaign. It's important that campaigns can run get out the vote campaigns, and I generally believe the best antidote to bad speech is more speech, but in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims,' Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. The sweeping set of actions - the biggest the company has announced to date - comes amid what is expected to be a contentious election between President Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Election Day is two months away. 'This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy,' Zuckerberg wrote. The Trump campaign on Thursday slammed the announcement: 'When millions of voters will be making their decisions, the president will be silenced by the Silicon Valley Mafia,' said Samantha Zager, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. But Democratic digital group Acronym said in a statement that Facebook's move amounted to deciding to 'tip the scales of the election to those with the greatest followings on Facebook - and that includes President Trump and the right-wing media that serves him.' The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of sweeping changes to Facebook policy to prevent any interference in the 2020 election FACEBOOK'S ELECTION PLAN All new political ads on Facebook and Instagram banned a week from November 3 - but existing ones can stay be re-used and be re-targeted Company is starting to remove 'misinformation about voting' now, not 72 hours before November 3 as had been planned Group forwarding on Facebook Messenger is suspended so users can only forward 5 messages at a time, instead of bulk groups of contacts. Simila r measures were used on the internationally popular WhatsApp in other countries including India to 'prevent spreading misinformation' Posts with 'implicit' voter suppression will be removed. Zuckerberg highlighted an example of a post saying 'I hear anybody with a driver's license gets a ballot this year'saying 'because it might mislead you about what you need to do to get a ballot, even if that wouldn't necessarily invalidate your vote by itself.' Posts with claims that taking part in voting will lead to getting COVID-19 will be removed Ads making similar claims are banned immediately A 'voting information center' will be at the top of the Instagram and Facebook feeds 'most days' before the election - although a start date was not given The 'voting information center' will tell people 'there is nothing illegitimate about not having a result on election night.' Anyone claiming victory before it has been called by Reuters will have their post flagged with a link to the official results Claims that legal voting methods will lead to fraud will be flagged - but there is no promise to remove th em Advertisement The changes were announced amid concerns about the role social media companies will play in the November contest. Facebook has become one of the main campaign battlegrounds between Trump and Biden. The president's campaign and its supporting entities have dropped ad after ad against his Democratic rival - some of which have been banned and others flagged for misleading content. Biden's campaign has been critical of Facebook for not doing more to counter the false information. Zuckerberg's announcement included a warning about possible unrest and voter disenfranchisement in the build up to November 3. 'The U.S. elections are just two months away, and with COVID-19 affecting communities across the country, I'm concerned about the challenges people could face when voting,' he wrote. 'I'm also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country.' Zuckerberg outlined a series of other changes, including information on how to register to vote and vote by mail available on the social media platform, working with officials to remove misinformation about voting, limiting forwarding on Facebook Messenger, and clamping down on attempts to claim victory should the November results not be known in a timely manner. 'If any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the results are in, we'll add a label to their post educating that official results are not yet in and directing people to the official results,' he wrote. With more than 80 million voters expected to vote by mail this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, election results may not be known quickly after the November 3 contest as ballots trickle in. Facebook will also refute attempts to delegitimize the election, something Democrats fear President Trump will try to do. The president has already claimed that voting by mail can lead to election fraud despite numerous studies showing that it does not. Zuckerberg said the network will add warnings to any content meant to 'delegitimize the outcome of the election or discuss the legitimacy of voting methods, for example, by claiming that lawful methods of voting will lead to fraud.' The company will also continue to remove conspiracy groups like QAnon from its platform. And Facebook will remove any posts that convey misinformation about COVID-19 and voting. Facebook and other social media companies have been under increased scrutiny this year for any misleading information posted to their platforms meant to influence the election. And Facebook has long been criticized for not fact-checking political ads or limiting how they can be targeted at small groups of people. Joe Biden's campaign has complained to Facebook about misleading information the Trump campaign has posted to Facebook about him The new Facebook policies will apply to President Trump Facebook has been battered by criticism, including from its own employees, since allowing several inflammatory posts by Trump to remain untouched earlier this summer, including one that contained misleading claims about mail-in ballots. Experts on disinformation have also raised the alarm, echoed in threat assessments by Facebook executives, about false claims and conspiracy theories spreading in the increasingly likely scenario that official results are not immediately available on election night. Vanita Gupta, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, tweeted that Facebook's moves were 'significant improvements and come after much pressure from the civil rights community. But everything - any impact - rests on enforcement. We'll remain vigilant.' Zuckerberg has been to Washington D.C. to defend his company before lawmakers and has shown a reluctance to take down politically-related posts, defending them as free speech. And he has faced heat from his own employees, who have been publicly critical of the company's decision not to take down false information. The social media companies were caught off guard in 2016 by attempts by Russia to interfere in the election. Facebook, Google, Twitter and others companies put safeguards in place to prevent it from happening again. Last year, Twitter banned political ads altogether. Facebook has faced pressure to remove misleading political ads and doctored videos. But the company, in the past, has shown a reluctance to make such a move. In August, Facebook removed a pro-Trump campaign ad because it contained false information about Biden - a rare take down of content. President Trump has been critical of social media companies flagging or banning posts and accused the companies of being discriminatory to content from conservatives. MBABANE Nasty! A fallout between a senior ranking prosecutor and his wife is bringing to the fore bedroom secrets that have marred the couples marriage. It all began when the prosecutor went to court to seek an order that the wife should surrender to him two mobile phones and a laptop. The prosecutor claimed that the electronic gadgets; a Samsung Galaxy S3, Huawei P30 and a black laptop, are his as they were bought for him by his employer the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs from MTN Eswatini on or about March 2013 and July 2019 for official use. He informed the court that the Samsung Galaxy S3 was delivered to him personally and the Huawei P30 Pro was allegedly received on his behalf by one Senzo Mavuso, who was his colleague at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. The prosecutor pointed out that Xolile was his wife, whom they shared a house with prior to her allegedly commencing with the recently instigated inappropriate conduct towards him. According to the prosecutor, his wife allegedly misappropriated the two work cellphones at their homestead without his consent and knowledge. I cannot readily point out a specific date or dates upon which she appropriated the cellphones on the basis that, I used same for a while to storing them safely in our bedroom, as such I would not bother checking on them on a daily basis, averred the applicant. minor disagreement He told the court that he duly took note recently that the cellphones were now being utilised by his wife without his permission. In the commencement of the month of August 2020, we had what I perceived as a minor disagreement with the first respondent (wife, just like any other married couple). It has seemingly taken a turn for the worst, as during the whole week of August 7, 2020 it escalated her untoward conduct against me, he argued. These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is still to be tested in court. According to the prosecutor, his wife used his two work cellphones to call him during the day when he was at work for purposes of hailing unpalatable words and insults in a bid to provoke peace between them. Secondly, there is work-related information data which was left in my cellphones prior to keeping them safe in our room, which I wish to retrieve urgently. It relates to a case I once handled, alleged the prosecutor. He contended that he had made this request to his wife but due to the height of her alleged malice conduct towards him, she threatened to destroy the cellphones. lawful owner The prosecutor argued that he had as a result been left with no other available option than to seek the courts assistance in getting back his cellphones. I state that, the continued possession of my property by the first respondent is unlawful as she is not the owner of same. I am advised that, as the lawful owner of these two properties, I am entitled and have a right to vindicate them from whosoever is found in possession of same, he submitted. He further alleged that he had reasonable fear that his wife might destroy the property to his prejudice. The prosecutor said his imperative work and personal data contained in the cellphones might be permanently lost to his great prejudice. An interim order was then issued by Manzini-based Magistrate Sindisiwe Zwane for the return of the electronic gadgets. However, the wife has filed her own papers in which she alleges that the prosecutor wants to gain possession of the gadgets because he suspects that she is having an extra-marital affair. She claims the prosecutor deserted their matrimonial home in June 2020, which led to her reporting the desertion to her brother-in-law (prosecutors elder brother). She alleges that the prosecutor then began accusing her of having sex with his elder brother. That is when the applicant (prosecutor) started searching for my cellphone with the hope that he would gather evidence to substantiate his unfounded and malicious allegations that I am having sex with his elder brother, the wife alleged. She said the malicious accusations by the prosecutor have been addressed in family meetings where it was explained to her husband that there was nothing sinister about her reporting her problems to her husbands relatives. She claims to have been reporting issues to her brother-in-law for the past 13 years of her marriage. Relating her side of the story regarding the electronic gadgets, the wife says the exchange of gifts between lovers is a common feature which characterises every relationship and married couples are not an exception to this habit. She alleges that around 2013 her husband bought her a new laptop which she was to use for her studies at the Institute of Development Management (IDM) where she was a student. The laptop, she claims, was brand new and sealed in its manufactures box when she received it. gift She claims that in 2015, her husband gave her the Samsung Galaxy S3 cellphone as a gift. I accepted this gift from my husband as a token of love he had for me. This cellphone was fairly used but it had no data stored in it. I used this phone for a long time until it sadly fell on the ground and it split into pieces, she alleges. She claims that thereafter, the cellphone had mechanical problems relating to its charging system and battery and, because of these, she threw it into the waste bin since it was no longer usable. She alleges to have informed her husband about this and he reportedly understood. The wife claims that the prosecutor bought her another cellphone, the Huawei P30 Pro, in 2019. While I was reversing my car, I accidentally ran over this phone as it had fallen to the ground and it was crushed into pieces. I reported the cellphone damage to the applicant and that was when the problems began. The applicant started demanding that I return all his things he had bought for me. We had serious quarrels and problems in our marriage, she alleged. The truth of the matter, alleges the wife, is that the cellphones are not the real problem underlying in the marriage. The problem is that the applicant does not accord me conjugal rights anymore and he pours his frustration on me, she alleged. She said the year 2019 continued on a rollercoaster of problems which continued unabated into 2020 when the prosecutor reported her to the umphakatsi (royal kraal) for disrespecting him. meeting She said the umphakatsi convened a meeting between the couples families. I advised the meeting that I never disrespected the applicant but the real problem was that we were no longer having sexual intercourse as a couple, she alleged. She said the meeting advised them to sort their problems but the prosecutor allegedly never made any attempt to resolve same. When I tried to engage him he would tell me that I was too talkative. Several subsequent family meetings were held and the issues would be the same he would accuse me of being too talkative and I would inform the meeting that was not the case but the fact that the applicant fails to have sexual intercourse with me, the wife further alleged. She claimed that in June 2020, the prosecutor came in the company of certain relatives in the extended family and packed his belongings. The wife said she called his parents, sister and elder brother to inform them about what had happened. She said this was then followed by the court application. She said on August 12, 2020, the prosecutor arrived at their matrimonial home to effect the interim order on her but she demanded that the police should be present because they had been cited in the proceedings and indeed, they came. interfering She accuses her husband of not only interfering with the execution of the court processes but literally took over the same whereby he even instructed the messenger of court to search her for evidence of communications she had with his elder brother. The Messenger of Court, Mr Bongani Zikalala, refused to search me. The applicant thereupon ordered the police to search me. The police also refused to search me, the wife claimed. She said the applicants actions constitute an interference with the processes of the court, reducing the entire proceedings into a mockery. She argued the fact that her husband holds a senior prosecutorial position and is also a former presiding officer did not entitle him to assume the position of the court and its officers. I humbly submit that the applicant is guilty of abuse of court processes in that he has instituted these proceedings in pursuit of an illegal objective to search for evidence of communications between myself and his family members with the hope that he will buttress his unfounded allegations of an affair between me and his elder brother, she alleged. developments She further told of developments that happened on August 12 when the prosecutor reportedly called a family meeting soon after the messenger of court had left. In that meeting, she alleged the prosecutor undertook to withdraw the court proceedings on condition that she gave him the cellphones. Since the phones were destroyed, I offered to buy the applicant new ones, he refused and insisted that he wants the one I am using because there is evidence of infidelity against me in those phones, she alleged. Assault and throttling The wife also alleged that on August 13, 2020, her husband came back to their matrimonial home whereupon he demanded that she should give him the cellphones. This is despite the fact that there was already in place an order of court whose execution is in the hands of the messenger of court, not the applicant. The applicant stood in the road blocking my way out of the homestead. I tried to reason with him but he was uncompromising. Eventually the applicant assaulted me and I fought back. The applicant twisted and broke my arm and it is currently swollen. The applicant further throttled me and twisted me and injured my neck, she alleged. cellphones required by govt She said in a further meeting held at the umphakatsi on August 16, 2020, at the prosecutors instance, he allegedly changed the story by saying the cellphones were required by government for purposes of auditing since they were the property of the State. The wife said the umphakatsi ruled that her husband should return to their matrimonial home and resolve his family problems instead of the conduct he had engaged in. I therefore humbly submit that the applicant ought not to be heard by the above honourable court for having taken the law unto himself despite the fact that he has a court order in his favour and there was no need for him to engage in the conduct he has resorted to, she argued. She said from the totality of the facts presented, it was crystal clear that her husband was abusing the court process in furtherance of his witch hunt against her. She said the prosecutor must hire a private investigator if he so believes there is such evidence he needed to collect against her. To put the issue beyond doubt, even though in his papers the applicant has sought the return of the laptop he gave me as a gift, he has not insisted on it until now. This is simply because there is no evidence in the laptop. The laptop is currently in my possession and I shall await the messenger of court to collect it, the wife said. She stated that on the day of execution of the order, the messenger of court had to leave unceremoniously after he had a misunderstanding with the prosecutor upon the messengers refusal to heed an unlawful instruction allegedly made by her husband. In the interim I humbly pray that the honourable court orders the applicant to maintain peace with me as he assaulted me, keeps on threatening me by saying that uya black-out yena (he sometimes gets to the point of losing his temper); he also calls me and hurls insults at me stating that I am a prostitute and he will collect everything at our homestead to leave me in destitution (utokuba secamgwaco ngoba uyagwadla), the wife added. The prosecutor is represented by lawyers from MLK Ndlangamandla while appearing for the wife is Dumisani Hleta of DEMHLETA Legal. The matter is still pending in court. Prosecutor evicts wife from home The fallout between the senior prosecutor and his wife reached rock bottom on August 22, 2020 when he reportedly kicked her out of their matrimonial home. According to the wife, her husband arrived at their matrimonial home in the company of the chiefs runner (umgijimi), two cousins and another relative. She alleged that without any lets, her husband ordered her to open the house and he took a duvet cover, packed her belongings and told her to leave the matrimonial home. When I protested the first respondents actions, he told me that he was expelling me for contesting the proceedings in court. In SiSwati, he said ngichudzelane naye ngebameli etinkantolo (I am competing with him through attorneys in court), she alleged. She said those accompanying her husband distanced themselves from his actions and they reportedly stated that they did not accompany him to do what he was doing. She claimed the husband could hear none of it and insisted that she should leave the homestead. The first respondent thereupon violently grabbed me and twisted my arm to force me to surrender the keys to the matrimonial home so that I could not gain entry thereto. His companions intervened and restrained him from continuing with his act of violence towards me, she alleged, and stated that when they left them in the compound she proceeded to the local police station. She said she left with her two children who saw all that was happening and, together, they slept in her motor vehicle outside the police station. She said her father, who is fully aware of what is happening, directed that she should return to the matrimonial home because customarily her family could not allow her to return to her parental homestead unless the formal process of returning her (kumuchuba) was observed. slept at police station Otherwise, my family stood to face proceedings of keeping the (husbands surnames) wife if they were to allow me to return without being accompanied by umyeni as proof that indeed it was the (in-laws surname) who were sending me back to my parental home, she said. She said eventually she had to sleep at the police station since she had nowhere to go. The first respondent chased me out together with our minor children (girls) aged six years and three, respectively, she alleged. She said on the second night (August 23) they slept at her friends house at Ka-Khuphuka Clinic where she is a nurse. She then filed a court application seeking an order for restoration of possession or occupation of the matrimonial home. I humbly submit that the dispossession of the homestead by the first respondent is unlawful and amounts to an act of spoliation in that the first respondent evicted me without a court order and without my consent, he argued. She submitted that even if the customary practice of kubopha umtfwalo was applicable in this case. It was unlawful for her husband to expel her together with their two children. Furthermore, the customary practice does not permit the ditching of the bride in the cold without any place to sleep in, customarily, the Umyeni must accompany the bride to her parental homestead, she said. She stated that this was not the case hence the dilemma on her fathers side that he could not allow her to return to her parental home because of the possibility of being fined a cow for keeping someones wife. The court has granted her an interim order to return to her matrimonial home. Prince Andrew 'has visited the Queen at Balmoral for crisis talks over billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein'. The Duke of York, 60, left lockdown at Windsor in Berkshire to rush to the Scottish Highlands' castle to see his mother for the first time since July. He has been accused of failing to help US prosecutors in their investigation into the financier and Ghislaine Maxwell. A source told the Sun: 'The Queen and Andrew will have lots to discuss. So much has come out over the summer. 'The Queen wants to be kept informed and she will not be back at Windsor until early October.' The Duke of York (left, in July), 60, left lockdown at Windsor in Berkshire to rush to the Scottish Highlands castle to see his mother (right, in Norfolk at Christmas) for the first time since July Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell at her townhouse in London on March 13, 2001 Prince Andrew has been accused of failing to help US prosecutors in their investigation into financier Epstein (pictured) and Ghislaine Maxwell Prince Andrew's sex accuser Virginia Roberts last month claimed he played a 'guessing game,' with Maxwell about her age when she was 17-years-old before comparing her to his daughters. Now known as Virginia Giuffre, the accuser spoken out in a documentary series, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, claiming she met the Queen's second son in London, describing him as an 'abuser,' and 'not the prince from the fairy tale stories you read'. Ms Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by paedophile financier Epstein, alleges the duke had sex with her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, still a minor under US law. Andrew has categorically denied he has had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Ms Giuffre. Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured in 2016, is currently facing six counts - four relating to child sex trafficking, and two of perjury for lying under oath about the trafficking during a previous lawsuit Maxwell wanted to recruit Paris Hilton for Jeffrey Epstein after seeing her for the first time, a former friend of the British socialite has claimed. Hilton, Maxwell and Trump have been pictured together around the same time in September of 2000 at a fashion show in New York (above) The Duke's friend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is awaiting trial in the US after being charged with procuring teenage girls for Epstein to abuse. She denies this. Ms Giuffre said of Andrew, who is the father of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, in a clip: 'Before he abused me, when we just met, Ghislaine does this guessing game and he guessed right, I was 17 and he compared me to his daughters, saying, 'Oh, my daughters are a few years younger than you'.' She added: 'Prince Andrew is not the prince from the fairy tale stories you read. Andrew deserves to be outed. He deserves to be held accountable. He's an abuser.' 'She'd be perfect for Jeffrey!' Ghislaine Maxwell 'wanted to recruit young Paris Hilton for Epstein after seeing her at party' Ghislaine Maxwell wanted to recruit Paris Hilton for Jeffrey Epstein after seeing her for the first time, a former friend of the British socialite has claimed. Christopher Mason said Maxwell, 58, stopped in her tracks and said, 'Oh my God' when she saw a young Hilton at a party. Maxwell said she would be 'perfect for Jeffrey' and asked a friend: 'Can you introduce us?' Mason, a British journalist based in New York who has known Maxwell since the 1980s, did not give a date for the encounter. But it appears to have been around the year 2000 when Hilton signed up to Donald Trump's modeling agency, T management, and began her ascent to celebrity. At that point she would have been 19 years old and on the cusp of becoming a star. Mason recounted the tale for a new docuseries called Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, which aired on US TV channel Lifetime earlier this month. Mason said: 'A friend of mine was at a party and Ghislaine said: ''Oh my god, who is that?'' and was looking at this pretty, younger teenage girl. 'She said: ''Do you know her?'' 'My friend said: ''Yeah, she's called Paris Hilton'' and Ghislaine said: ''Ohhhh she'd be perfect for Jeffrey. Can you introduce us?'' Maxwell is accused of being Epstein's chief recruiter and procuring teenage girls for his sex trafficking operation. Advertisement Lady Victoria Hervey, formerly friends with Andrew and Maxwell, told the programme that friendship with Epstein offered the duke a form of escapism. She said: 'Jeffrey definitely enjoyed the idea of being friends with the Queen's son and Prince Andrew had just gone through a divorce. 'There's this American billionaire that wants to fly him around the world and introduce him to people, and it was probably an escapism, really, for him.' Christopher Mason, a journalist and also a former friend of Maxwell, said he once bumped into Andrew and Maxwell while walking in Madison Avenue in New York. Mr Mason said: 'He told me that he was staying at Jeffrey's townhouse. That kind of fascinated me. It just seemed like a kind of perfect instance of the kind of people that Jeffrey was hanging out with.' Andrew stepped down from royal public life in November following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, which had led to criticism of a lack of empathy for Epstein's victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with the convicted sex offender. Maxwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls, who prosecutors did not publicly name, from 1994 to 1997, and to committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath. She was arrested on July 2 in New Hampshire, where prosecutors said she was trying to evade capture, and is being held in a Brooklyn jail after a judge called her a flight risk. In total Maxwell is facing six counts - four relating to child sex trafficking, and two of perjury for lying under oath about the trafficking during a previous lawsuit. If convicted on all charges, she is facing up to 35 years behind bars. Maxwell's trial is scheduled for next July. Epstein was found hanged at age 66 last August in a Manhattan jail, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges for abusing women and girls in Manhattan and Florida from 2002 to 2005. He had also pleaded not guilty. During her pre-trial incarceration, Maxwell is being watched by a team of prison psychiatrists who are compiling a secret file on her mental health, her lawyers have claimed. In a letter protesting about the 'uniquely onerous conditions of her confinement' in a Brooklyn jail, her legal team claim she has been kept under constant surveillance without her consent. Maxwell is asking the judge in her case to order that her lockup conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center be modified to be the same as other inmates. Surviving Jeffrey Epstein was screened on the Crime+Investigation channel with a double episode on August 25 followed by parts three and four the following evening. A spokesman for Prince Andrew told the Sun they did not want to comment on his reported trip to Balmoral. Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Eat Out to Help Out scheme helped Revolution Bars to an 188 per cent year on year sales surge last month. The scheme has given the group a major boost, after it previously told investors it expected sales to only reach just over half of last year's in the worst-case scenario. But, as with many businesses in the food and drink trade, Revolution still faces a tough road ahead. It has already given up one of its leases at a site in Liverpool and today warned that 11 of its other locations may not be reopening any time soon. Summer boost: Year-on-year, Revolution's sales were 188 per cent higher in August As of 25 August, Revolution had 39 of its sites open, while a further batch will be reopened from 7 September, leaving 11 bars that are unlikely to reopen because of social distancing rules After enjoying strong sales via Eat Out to Help Out, Revolution has now vowed to continue to run the discount scheme at its own expense throughout September, and possibly longer. The bar chain said sales in the eight weeks since reopening were 27.5 per cent lower than the same period in 2019. Chief executive Rob Pitcher said: 'Having opened two-thirds of our estate I'm pleased that these bars have outperformed our base-case scenario assumptions, however, sales in the eight weeks since reopening commenced remain 27.5% below last year. 'We have more openings planned during this week and next but will have 11 bars that are very unlikely to resume trading until there is a further relaxation of social distancing measures and late-night venues are legally allowed to reopen.' The group said it had secured rent waivers for almost two dozen venues, but added that it was disappointed that almost half of its landlords had 'refused to enter into meaningful discussions.' Shaking things up: AIM-listed Revolution saw its share price rise over 8% today Mr Pitcher added: 'We would welcome an indication from government as to their inclination to assist in the grave issues that exist with commercial rental arrears and the moratorium that is due to end on 30 September 2020 as well as an indication of further financial support for the late-night venues sector that remains closed by government order.' AIM-listed Revolution has seen its share price perform strongly today. Shares in the company are currently up 4.72 per cent to 15.18p, after jumping over 8 per cent earlier today. The company, which maintained its full-year guidance, said it will be delaying the publication of its preliminary annual results to the end of November. Last year, the company's full year results were published on 1 October. Film Critic Chuck Koplinski is The News-Gazette's film critic. His email is chuckkoplinski@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter (@ckoplinski). Francis Chan says he didn't believe in healing, miracles until recently Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Bestselling author Francis Chan said he was previously cynical of healing ministries until God illuminated the Scriptures to him. Speaking during the virtual International Association of Healing Ministries conference this week, Chan said, "What I do know is for many years I didn't believe in healing, I didn't believe in miracles, it was pretty much what I was taught in seminary. Humbly, I have to say, I used to ridicule people who spoke in tongues or prophesied or believed they could heal, even though when I personally read the Scriptures, I saw this available. Despite being in ministry for some time, Chan revealed that it would take years for him to finally delve into the spiritual side of his faith. "It took me years, to be honest, with what I saw in Scripture and start pursuing these gifts of the Spirit and I'm still somewhat on that journey. That's why when you first asked me to speak for this healing conference, I go, 'You've got the wrong guy.' I've been praying for gifts of healing for years and it was only like a few months ago that I saw healing for the first time. Earlier this year, Chan shared that he and a team of other Christians supernaturally healed several people at a rural village in Myanmar, including a little boy and girl who were deaf. "Every person I touched was healed," the Crazy Love author said in a sermon delivered at Moody Bible Institutes Founders Week Conference. OK, this is craziness to me. I have never experienced this in 52 years," he testified then. "Im talking like a little boy and a little girl who were deaf. We laid hands, she starts crying and smiling. These are not Christians who have even heard about Jesus, and shes freaking out. We lay hands on her little brother, we lay hands on him, and he starts hearing for the first time. IAHM International Director Jean-Luc Trachsel commended Chan for his humility, something he said is rare in ministers who operate in the move of the Spirit. Chan formerly led Cornerstone Community Church, a popular megachurch in California, before he made the shocking decision to step down in 2010. He explained that as he grew as a "celebrity" pastor, he felt he became everything that he believed God hated. He also expressed his frustrations with the megachurch model. In his appearance at this week's International Healing Conference, Chan, who recently moved to Hong Kong to plant churches among the poor, noted, The only way I know how to describe myself is, I'm a guy who has made so many mistakes in life. Yet the by the grace of God, He just keeps blessing me and my family, and my life and I sense His presence with me and just constantly shocked at what I get to do while I'm still on this earth for however much longer that is. I try to teach in such a way that I think to myself, 'If this is it and I'm about to see the face of God, what would I say? Did I make much of Him or did I bring glory to myself? "So all I want people to know is that we have such a holy, all-powerful God that is so far beyond us. And the thought that He is a merciful God and a loving God and desires us, that He revealed that to me, that is the greatest truth about my life. That's the greatest thing you could know about me is that somehow God has revealed His love to me and caused this human being who has made so many mistakes and rejected by so many, including my own father, to just be so secure in the love of Christ. See his full sit-down interview with Trachsel below. The May 20-23 International Healing Conference was initially scheduled to take place in Porto, Portugal, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was organized as a virtual conference bringing together some 70 healing ministries from around the world. Along with a healing rally, the event is also featuring such speakers as Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, televangelist Benny Hinn and Ben Fitzgerald of Awakening Europe, among many others. A fire that broke out on a fully loaded supertanker off the east coast of Sri Lanka has been brought under control, a spokesman for the navy of the Indian Ocean nation said on Thursday, adding that one of its 23 crew was injured. The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. It was headed for the Indian port of Paradip, where the state-run firm operates a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Our personnel on the scene are reporting that the fire on board the New Diamond is under control, the navy spokesman, Captain Indika de Silva, told Reuters. There is no damage to the cargo area, only the engine room and some areas around it. There were 23 crew on board. We are bringing one injured crew member to Sri Lanka on board one of our vessels. Another navy spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka and its military had sent an aircraft and two ships to aid in the rescue. The information we have is that 22 in the ship are accounted for. One person is said to be missing, Rajapaksa told Reuters. The different figures of the two spokesmen could not immediately be reconciled. The ship had sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. Sri Lankas Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker. A spill from the ship could cause an environmental disaster, warned Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore."No double-hull VLCC has spilt oil to date, but (it) depends on the damage to the ship, he added. Thursdays incident came a little more than a month after a state of environmental emergency triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. De Silva said some of the New Diamonds crew were rescued by oil product tanker Helen M, which an industry source said was on a time charter with Indias Reliance Industries. The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew. There was no immediate comment from IOC, Reliance Industries and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. Following the much-hyped switch of Gwalior royal family scion Jyotiraditya Scindia to the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Congress in March, the ruling BJP is putting up a brave face ahead of assembly bypolls. But the party state unit as well as the central leadership is cautious over underlying discontent around Scindia fast emerging as the BJPs face in the region. This is the reason, following a high-level review meeting in New Delhi over 27 assembly bypolls, the party high command has entrusted the responsibility of tackling dissent, especially in the Gwalior-Chambal region, to union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Rajya Sabha member Scindia who unofficially is handling the bypolls preparations in the region, his home turf. The elections might be held around the end of October. Among others, former Bajrang Dal national convener Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and ex-Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha, both known baiters of the Scindia family, are not too impressed with Jyotiradityas entry into the BJP. Jhas resentment has been compounded as he was denied another Rajya Sabha term which he was said to be pushing persistently for with the party top brass. Pawaiya, the former state higher education minister, is more vocal in his opposition against Scindia, albeit, he now takes indirect swipes at his old adversary and had posted a stinging tweet around the same time when Scindia was in town. Saanp ke do jeebh hoti hain aur aadmi k eek. Saubhagya se ham to manushya hain na. Rajneeti me waqt ke sath dost aur dushman to badal sakte hain magar jo saidhantik mudde mere liye the vo aaj bhi hain. Jai Sri Ram (sic) (Snakes have two tongues while humans have only one. Fortunately, we are humans. Friends and foes could interchange with time but for me, the issues of principles are still relevant), Pawaiya had tweeted, sending tremors in the party organisation which was busy in a membership drive in the region around a fortnight ago. Till now, leaders like chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state head VD Sharma, and home minister Dr Narottam Mishra who hail from the region have met Pawaiya, Jha and others, but they seem to have failed to persuade these dissenters. Workers and followers of several senior leaders too arent much pleased with the entry of Scindia and his loyalists whom they fought hard in the past two decades. Seniors like Dr Narottam Mishra and Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Jyotiradityas aunt) too have been missing from party activities in the region of late. This was perhaps the reason that a meeting led by BJP president JP Nadda a couple of days ago set the responsibility of placating senior leaders. VD Sharma, an RSS man, who was recently elevated as the party state head, hails from Morena, and several party seniors arent too impressed with the emergence of another satrap in the making in an already packed region. The central leadership reportedly has asked party leaders from Madhya Pradesh to make electoral visits together and devise poll strategy seat by seat, keeping in mind the caste and other equations. The party high command has also asked the IT cell to reach out to the common man ahead of the assembly bypolls and highlight failures and scams of the previous Kamal Nath government. Out of 27 assembly poll-bound seats, 16 fall in the Gwalior-Chambal region, the den of Jyotiraditya Scindia. For obvious reasons, the Congress party is desperate to hand a defeat to Scindia on his home turf. MS backs Hanmer Surgerys call for larger premises and invites Health Board Chief Exec to visit This article is old - Published: Thursday, Sep 3rd, 2020 North Wales MS Mark Isherwood is calling on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to support revised plans for the proposed redevelopment of Hanmer GP Surgery. Following a socially distanced meeting with the Practices GP and Hanmer Surgery Patients Action Group last week to discuss their well-evidenced proposal to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for the development of a new Primary Healthcare Centre to replace the Practices current unsuitable premises, Mr Isherwood has written to the Interim Chief Executive of the Health Board in support of the proposals. Mr Isherwood said: The surgery is extremely cramped, patient numbers are continuing to climb now in excess of 2000, and the revised plans for the development of a new Primary Healthcare Centre to replace the current unsuitable and deteriorating premises would enable the Practice to deliver 21st Century services to a rural and isolated community, relieving pressure on other GP Practices and Health Board services, generating better health economics. The GP and Patients Action Group have been fighting for new premises for several years now and in 2018 a petition in support of the proposals was signed by two-thirds of the population of Hanmer. The surgery is trying to deliver in accordance with Welsh Government policy but needs revenue funding to do it. In my letter to the Interim Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), I invited him to visit the surgery so he can see first-hand the restricted conditions and understand why the GP and patients are so keen to move to a larger premises, where they could extend their services, preventing patients from having to travel much further afield to access them. A new premises could provide diabetes screening, Physio, Occupational Therapy, and much more. There is just no space for such services in the current building. I have learned this week that the Interim Chief Executive, Simon Dean, has now left BCUHB, and therefore hope that the Health Boards Senior Executive Team takes up my offer of a visit and consequently supports these proposals. People living in rural settings should not be disadvantaged. They deserve a Health Board policy for rural practices that takes account of poor public transport and local population need, in order to deliver the same level of service and facilities available to those living elsewhere. Supreme Court justice Arun Mishra retired from office on Wednesday, a day before he turned 65. Justice Mishra served as chief justice of the Rajasthan and Calcutta high courts before his elevation to the Supreme Court on July 7, 2014. His six-year stint in the apex court has been marked by a few controversies, including that created by one of his last verdicts , in the Prashant Bhushan contempt matter. Here are some other key examples. Spat in open court This happened on January 8, 2016 though it largely went unnoticed. Justice Mishra was sitting as a puisne judge ( a term used for a judge who is not the presiding judge on the bench) with justice MY Eqbal, who was heading the bench, when they had a disagreement. It stemmed from a hearing of a case argued by senior counsel Salman Khurshid. The case had come up for admission and justice Eqbal wanted to issue notice, but justice Mishra wanted to dismiss it. When things were at an impasse, justice Eqbal said he had been presiding over the bench for three years. Justice Mishra responded by saying he was not going to back off since he had equal rights as a puisne judge. Lawyers and visitors present in the court room watched the episode play out, one of the rare instances when judges engaged in a verbal exchange in open court. Medical college corruption case Two petitions had been filed, seeking the formation of a special investigation team headed by a retired Chief Justice of India to investigate an alleged conspiracy and payment of bribes for procuring a favourable order in a matter pending before the Supreme Court. A three-judge bench of justices RK Agrawal, Arun Mishra and AM Khanwilkar dismissed both petitions within two weeks. One filed by Supreme Court advocate Kamini Jaiswal was dismissed on November 14, 2017 and the other by NGO Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) on December 1, 2017. The listing of the two cases stirred a hornets nest. The first petition filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation was initially listed before justice AK Sikri. However another petition was filed and mentioned before the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, justice Jasti Chelameswar, since then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra was sitting on a Constitution bench. Justice Chelameswar listed that petition before himself the same day on which it was mentioned. When the case was heard, the bench headed by justice Chelameswar went on to pass an order that the matter should be heard by a bench of the five senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. In a strange turn of events, CJI Dipak Misra constituted a five-judge bench the same day, and overturned justice Chelameswars order, saying only the CJI had the powers to list cases. Subsequently, both petitions were listed before the bench comprising justice Mishra, who dismissed the pleas. The bench imposed costs of Rs 25 lakh on CJAR. Case seeking a probe into death of judge Loya Things reached boiling point in the Supreme Court in January 2018 because of the listing of the case surrounding the death of Judge BH Loya, who had been hearing the Sohrabuddin encounter case. Current home minister Amit Shah was one of the persons accused in the case at the time Justice Loya was hearing it although he was subsequently discharged. Allegations were raised nearly three years later that the death of judge Loya was shrouded in mystery. A petition was filed in the Bombay high court seeking a probe into the death. But before the Bombay high court could pass any order, another public interest litigation was filed before the Supreme Court in January 2018 by a Maharashtra-based journalist, Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone, mentioned before then chief justice Dipak Misra, and listed before a bench headed by justice Mishra. Related cases pending before other high courts were also transferred to the Supreme Court. On the day the matter was due to be heard by justice Mishra, four senior judges of the Supreme Court held the historic press conference alleging bias by the CJI in listing cases affecting the ruling dispensation. When questioned whether listing of the Loya case was the trigger for the press conference, justice Ranjan Gogoi, who was one of the four judges, replied in the affirmative. Justice Mishra eventually recused himself from the case, which was heard by another bench. But controversy stoked by the press conference and the manner of listing of cases hasnt quite died down. Land Acquisition Act A Constitution bench headed by justice Mishra ruled in March 2020 that land acquisition proceedings initiated under an earlier law, the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 (1894 Act), will not lapse even if compensation was not deposited by the government in court after owners declined to accept the money, as long the compensation has been tendered into the government treasury. Once the compensation amount is so tendered, the states obligation is complete with respect to the payment of compensation, a five-judge Constitution Bench held in a judgment, which was a blow to landowners who had declined to accept compensation, and benefited private companies on whose behalf the government sought to acquire land. In 2014, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising justices RM Lodha, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph had held that even if the award of compensation has been made under the 1894 act, unless the compensation is paid to the landowners or deposited before the court, the land acquisition will lapse. Deposit of the compensation amount in the treasury will not be sufficient to discharge the obligation, the bench had ruled. The three-judge bench headed by justice Mishra, in February 2018, delivered a judgment in which it took an opposite view. This 2018 judgment created a controversy because it held the 2014 ruling to be per incuriam, that is, a judgment delivered ignoring the law. Under established legal principles, if a bench disagrees with the judgment of another bench of equal strength, it should be referred to a larger bench, which was not the case in this matter. Immediately after the judgment was delivered, similar matters came up before a bench comprising justices Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph who were on the bench that delivered the 2014 ruling. They took a strong objection to the 2018 judgment. Justice Dipak Misra, who was then the CJI, formed a Constitution bench to settle the issue. Because the Constitution bench was headed by justice Mishra, there were calls for his recusal which he did not heed. Two benches, same facts, different views A bench by headed by justice Mishra, in May 2019, declined to entertain a plea by former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who was seeking protection from arrest in a case related to the Saradha Chit fund fraud. Kumar approached the Supreme Court directly because the courts in West Bengal were shut due to a lawyers strike. The bench headed by justice Mishra noted that the courts in West Bengal had started functioning and Kumar was free to approach any lower forum in West Bengal. it is open to the petitioner to approach the concerned Court, as the Courts in the State of West Bengal are functioning, the court noted in its order. This would have passed off as another routine order but for another ruling passed the same day by another bench headed by justice MR Shah. That bench was also hearing a plea seeking protection from arrest filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Praveen Agrawal who, like Kumar, also pointed out that the courts in West Bengal were not functional due to the lawyers strike. It is very unfortunate that the strike is going on in all the courts in the state of West Bengal and due to which, ultimate sufferers are the litigants. By such a strike, the entire judicial function cannot be made paralysed and the litigants cannot be allowed to be suffered, the bench said while granting Agrawal relief. Thus, two benches of the Supreme Court took diametrically opposite stances on the same day on the factual position of the functioning of courts in West Bengal. CJI sexual harassment case Four news portals published reports about allegations of sexual harassment by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi. It was alleged that the victim, a Supreme Court employee, was terminated from service and her husband, a policeman, was suspended from the force after she raised allegations against the top judge. But what happened after the news was published caused great consternation among the legal fraternity. A three-judge bench headed CJI Gogoi listed a case titled In Re Matter of Great Public Importance touching upon the independence of judiciary in open court on a Saturday, rebutted the allegations and vilified the victim. Justice Gogoi sat on a bench in a case in which he was allegedly involved. One of the two other judges on the bench was justice Mishra, who threw his weight behind Gogoi and expressed his disapproval of the allegations. However, when the order in that case was uploaded on the Supreme Court website that evening, justice Gogois name was not listed. Instead, it showed the names of only two other judges as being part of the bench justice Mishra and justice Sanjiv Khanna. Later, justice Mishra heard the same case sitting in another combination and called for a report from a retired Supreme Court judge, justice AK Patnaik, on allegations that there had been concerted efforts to target the Supreme Court. Justice Patnaik submitted the report in October 2019, but the case has not been heard about since then. PM Modi a versatile genius In February 2020, at an international judicial conference organised by the top court, justice Mishra heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister is a versatile genius who thinks globally and acts locally. India is a responsible member of international community under the stewardship of internationally acclaimed visionary prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi, he said. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), which is the body of lawyers practising before the Supreme Court, condemned Mishras statements which it said reflected poorly on the independence of the top court and the judiciary. The SCBA believes that any such statement reflects poorly on independence of judiciary and so calls upon Honble judges not to make such statements in future nor show any proximity or closeness to the Executive including high functionaries, the SCBA resolution read. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Centric Software empowers womenswear brand with flexible R&D and optimized planning CAMPBELL, Calif., September 3, 2020 HOPESHOW, a leading Chinese womenswear brand, has successfully implemented Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, and Centric is celebrating with the release of a success story. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury, consumer goods and home decor companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals. Founded in 1995, HOPESHOW is a brand targeting urban women aged 25-40 that belongs to the the Hangzhou-headquartered Hongjin Fashion Group. The group has a national sales network of 1,600+ outlets, employs 4,000+ people and makes in excess of 10 million garments every year. Seeking to organize product data and optimize decision-making, HOPESHOW decided to implement a PLM solution. Centric Fashion PLM was selected for its real-time online operations, visual interface and synergy with other enterprise solutions. Ms. Liu Hua, Founder and Chairperson of HOPESHOW, explains, We could not rise to market challenges with our basic R&D model. Fashion brands need a digital R&D model to help design and R&D teams maximize their expertise, optimize business processes and improve work efficiency, while maintaining a balance of creativity and newness combined with the voice of the customer. With Centric PLM, teams can make rational decisions using detailed, organized, up-to-date product data. Preparing for a buying session used to take seven days, but now takes seconds. Centric Fashion PLM allows all teams to track the entire development process of each style, explains Ms. Wang Xiulan, Product Director of HOPESHOW. At any stage, delays or problems can be handled right away. It also gives us complete transparency on the detailed prices of fabric and trims. That helps us accurately estimate costs at the initial stage of development and ensure profit margins. Centric PLM has since been adopted by H'S, another brand in the group, and HOPESHOW intends to implement advanced applications for planning, 3D design and more. Were delighted that HOPESHOW is experiencing great results, says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. HOPESHOW is a future-focused brand that is using Centric PLM to power strategic decision-making and better meet consumer demand. Read the HOPESHOW success story Learn more about Centric Fashion PLM Request a Demo HOPESHOW (www.hopeshow.com) Established in 1995, HOPESHOW is a fashion brand of Hongjin Fashion Group. Targeting urban women aged 2540, HOPESHOW designs a full line of stylish products that fit the lifestyles of elegant, beautiful and low-key modern women. The group engages in design, R&D, production, sales and management, and also has under its umbrella excellent clothing brands for women, men and kids like HS, NEELLY, M.latin and GRSAGA. By offering consumers a range of aesthetic experiences through differentiated designs, the group aspires to stand out from the rest and lead Chinas fashion industry. The group has a national sales network of over 1,600 outlets. It employs over 4,000 people and makes more than 10 million garments every year. Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com) From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer goods and home decor. Centrics flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a new fully visual and digital experience for collaboration and decision-making and includes the Centric Buying Board to transform internal buying sessions and maximize retail value and the Centric Concept Board for driving creativity and evolving product concepts. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs. Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions. Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016 and 2018. Centric software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Media Contacts: Centric Software Americas: Jennifer Forsythe, jforsythe@centricsoftware.com EMEA: Kristen Salaun-Batby, ksalaun-batby@centricsoftware.com APAC: Lily Dong, lily.dong@centricsoftware.com Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Kolkata: In a veiled warning to TMC to mend its ways or face consequences, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday wondered whether TMC MPs and party supremo Mamata Banerjee would be able to go around the country and enter New Delhi if his party starts protesting against them. Furious over the attack on state BJP headquarters by TMC activists yesterday following the arrest of TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay, Vijayvargiya lashed out at City Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar for turning a blind eye to the attack on BJP office. He urged the CBI to investigate the alleged role of Kumar in wiping out evidences against TMC leaders in the chit fund scam, during his tenure as the head of the state government-formed SIT. Refuting allegations that CBI arrests in chit fund scams were a political vendetta against TMC as it has been opposing demonetisation, Vijyavargiya warned TMC to mend its ways and stop attacking BJP offices and workers or else the party would also not sit silently. We may not be as strong as TMC in Bengal. But in the entire country we are the strongest political force. I wonder if BJP workers in Delhi decide that TMC MPs would not be allowed to enter Delhi, would they be able to enter Delhi? The answer is no. If BJP workers decide to protest across the country, would Mamata Banerjee be able to roam the country freely? If TMC doesnt mend its ways, we will also not sit silently, Vijyavargiya, who is also BJP observer in-charge of West Bengal, told reporters. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Advertisement Deon Kay, 18, was shot dead by police on Wednesday afternoon. Cops say they opened fire on the teen after he 'brandished a gun' Protests continued outside Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's home on Thursday morning following a night of unrest after police shot and killed an 18-year-old black man on Wednesday afternoon. At least a dozen members of the Sunrise Movement DC gathered outside the Colonial Village home at daybreak holding signs reading, 'Defund or Resign' and 'No justice, no sleep', demanding Bowser fire Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham and defund the police department. Video shared on Twitter showed one protester speaking into a megaphone saying: 'If you don't defund the police then you shouldn't bother running for re-election.' It comes hours after protesters staged a rally outside the mayor's home and the MPD's 7th District headquarters overnight. Deon Kay, of southeast D.C., was shot dead by cops in the 200 block of Orange Street around 4pm on Wednesday, prompting further protests amid increased nationwide and local scrutiny over police tactics. The Metropolitan Police Department said Kay was one of two people who fled Wednesday afternoon when approached by uniformed officers who were investigating reports of a man with a gun in the area. 'During the foot pursuit, one of the suspects brandished a firearm. In response, an officer discharged their firearm one time, striking the suspect,' the MPD statement said. Activists from the Sunrise Movement rallied outside DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's home at daybreak on Thursday following overnight protests over the police shooting of Deon Kay At least a dozen protesters gathered outside the Colonial Village home holding signs reading, 'Defund or Resign' and 'No justice, no sleep', demanding Bowser fire MPD Chief Peter Newsham and defund the police DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (left) who has backed the BLM movement is yet to speak publicly on Wednesday's shooting. MPD Chief Peter Newsham (right) on Wednesday said it would be 'improper' to speculate on what prompted the officers to open fire, but he said two firearms were recovered from the scene. Body cam footage is expected to be released later today The other man who fled escaped from police, and Kay was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said Kay had been in possession of this gun Marcyelle Smith, 19, was arrested in the incident and charged with carrying a pistol without a license. Deonte Brown, 18, was also arrested and charged with no permit, according to police. The police statement included pictures of the handgun they say Kay had been carrying, as well of the gun of another of his companions who was arrested. The cop who shot Kay has not been identified. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, per MPD policy. Body camera footage of the incident is currently under review and is expected to be released publicly as early as today, police said. Mayor Bowser is yet to publicly comment on Wednesday's shooting. Following the shooting, the local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, 'DC police murdered a Black man today.' Earlier Thursday morning, a group of around 20 protesters made their way from the scene of the original demonstration outside a police precinct in DC to the street where Mayor Bowser lives. The demonstrators can be heard in a video posted by N2Sreports chanting: 'If we don't get no justice, you don't get no sleep.' They spent around an hour outside the property, arguing with cops who arrived at the request of a neighbor, before a larger police presence drove to the scene and they left. Earlier Kay's mother Natasha told The Washington Post: 'They took my baby, they just took my baby from me. I need my son back, I want my son back.' DC Council members reacted to the shooting on Twitter, demanding officials release bodycam footage to ensure 'accountability' Protesters confronted police officers outside of the 7th precinct to express their anger after Washington Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed a young black man in southeast DC The shooting prompted a late-night face-off between police and dozens of protesters outside a city police station The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence Black Lives Matter protesters have gathered outside a police precinct in Washington DC after police shot and killed an 18-year-old black man Wednesday afternoon Kay, who had just turned 18, had recently gotten into a high school equivalency program, youth mentor Omar Jackson told the Post. He said the teen 'was trying to navigate through this chaotic situation out here' and 'get himself together.' 'I feel bad. My job is to keep him out of situations like this,' Jackson said. Black Lives Matter D.C. tweeted: 'Don't let MPD control the narrative! Police lie! We're on our way.' Footage from the scene shows protesters confronting officers outside a police precinct. The shooting comes as police killings of black people have sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping police reform. Washington DC saw violent protests in the weeks following police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota back in May, and the chaos re-erupted last Thursday, the final night of the Republican National convention, when six officers were hospitalized in demonstrations across the city. The unrest continued into Sunday night, with a group of heavily armored officers seen moving in on a hundred-strong crowd of protesters gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza shortly before midnight. Last week, a large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters also accosted white diners outside several Washington, DC restaurants, demanding that they raise their fists to show solidarity with the movement. Footage showing the demonstrators aggressively yelling at one woman in the Adams Morgan neighborhood went viral on social media and sparked a widespread backlash. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham said of the shooting Wednesday afternoon that uniformed officers approached a vehicle, acting on information that there were weapons in a car in the area. The incident happened at around 4pm and comes amid nationwide unrest over police violence. The victim has been named Deon Kay, who just turned 18 Relatives identified the person killed as Deon Kay, who turned 18 years old last month In a press conference Newsham said: 'Uniformed police officers had information that there were guys in the neighborhood with guns, specifically. That's what they were looking for and evidently that's what they found.' Newsham said it would be 'improper' to speculate on what prompted the officers to open fire, but he said two firearms were recovered from the scene. 'We believe the suspect had a gun at the time,' Newsham told reporters during an impromptu news conference. Members of the community on the scene disputed that contention. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate called for immediate protests Wednesday night outside the MPD's 7th District headquarters, stating in a tweet, 'DC police murdered a Black man today.' Kay's aunt Marie McNeil, 57, said her nephew had told her he loved her when she last saw him Wednesday morning. Police had earlier tweeted: 'Preliminary information in reference to an MPD Officer Involved Shooting in the 200 blk of Orange St SE. An adult male was taken to a local hospital. A firearm has been recovered on the scene. Chief Newsham will provide an update momentarily.' The shooting comes a day after Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said she fears the US is 'descending into a race war'. Donald 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. It also comes in the wake of new police reform legislation in Washington, designed to bring greater transparency to such incidents. In June, amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation requiring the MPD to release any body camera footage from any fatal shootings or use-of-force incidents within five days. The department must also release the names of the officers involved. In July, the city released body camera footage from three separate fatal incidents dating back to 2018. , Cookies . cookies. Hichem Mechichi, previously the countrys interior minister, takes power in the wake of a severe political crisis New Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi vowed on Thursday that his government would exert maximum efforts to stop the economic bloodshed that the country is currently witnessing, as well as in combatting terrorism. Speaking during a ceremony that marked the transfer of Tunisias premiership from Elyes Fakhfakh to Mechichi, the new prime minister said that the difficult and complicated political and economic conditions would not stop his governments efforts to ensure stability in Tunisia. Mechichi, who had previously served as interior minister, also stressed that the new government will fight terrorism and crime firmly, expressing support for the Tunisian military and security forces. He described the security situation in Tunisia as stable. A former adviser to President Kais Saied who had also worked as a member of the National Commission of Investigation on Corruption in 2011, Mechichi said that he is ready to work with the parliament, president, political forces and with civil society organisations. He also emphasised that he is open to guidance to serve the countrys interests. Fakhfakh, meanwhile, warned that Tunisia is facing rampant corruption and is re-entering a phase of political instability. On Wednesday, the Tunisian parliament approved Mechichis technocratic government by 134-67 votes. The government includes 25 ministers and three secretaries of state. Eight of the members are women. The Ennahda party -- which has the highest number of seats in the parliament -- announced it would vote for the new government despite reservations. The Islamist party strongly opposed Saieds choice of Mechichi last month, believing that Tunisia needs an economist, not a legalist, in order to serve as a successful manager. There was a need for a prime minister who has actual experience and not just theoretical knowledge, argued Rached Ghannouchi, Ennahdas leader and the parliament speaker. This week, Mechichi, who will have to resume Tunisias talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a new loan programme after a previous programme expired in April, said that Tunisia is facing a debt of roughly 80 billion dinars ($30 billion), with 7.5 billion dinars due to be repaid this year. According to World Bank data published in April, Tunisias economy will expectedly contract by four percent in 2020, with poverty expected to surpass 3 percent. Official estimates also suggest that tourism revenues decreased by almost 50 percent when compared to those of last year, as the coronavirus pandemic takes a toll. In May, Mechichi -- who was then the states interior minister -- announced that terrorists on Tunisias border with Algeria had been isolated and had lost their capacity to carry out new attacks. Tunisia has seen a number of terrorist attacks in the past years, including the storming of the Bardo National Museum and shooting at the famous resort of Port al-Kantaoui north of Sousse in 2015 by militants from the Islamic State terrorist organisation. Mechichi takes office in the wake of a severe political crisis involving Ennahda and Tunisias anti-Islamist forces. In July, caretaker premier Fakhfakh removed all Ennahda ministers from his coalition government after the Islamist party reportedly managed to secure the required 109 votes to remove him from his post. Ennahda wanted to expand the coalition to include new political forces, mainly the Qalb Tounes party, and demanded political consultations be held on the issue. Fakhfakh responded by announcing a cabinet reshuffle. Opposition parties, meanwhile, gathered enough parliamentary support to start procedures for withdrawing confidence from Ghannouchi, accusing him of attempting to implement a Muslim Brotherhood agenda and expand his authority by disregarding the president. Search Keywords: Short link: Three juveniles apprehended for murder 21 Jan 2022 | 12:30 AM New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) Three juveniles, who inspired by movies like Pushpa and Bhaukaal had taken to crime, were apprehended for their alleged involvement in a murder case, police said on Thursday. see more.. First sentencing in Delhi riots, one man jailed for 5 years 21 Jan 2022 | 12:04 AM New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced one person in connection with the violent riots that swept parts of the national capital. see more.. Amar Jawan Jyoti to be extinguished after 50 years, merged with NWM 21 Jan 2022 | 12:04 AM New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate will be extinguished and merged with the National War Memorial flame in a ceremony at 3 pm on Frisday and there will only be one flame at the National War Memorial to honour fallen Indian soldiers from this year onwards, Government sources said on Thursday. see more.. A minor girl assaulted in Geeta Colony 20 Jan 2022 | 11:51 PM New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Geeta Colony area, police said on Thursday. see more.. The pulse of the fashion industry is starting to come back to life like so many other fields of work that were forced into shutdown mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With New York being the garment epicenter of the United States, many of the designers and models that call it home are relieved to feel a stitch of normalcy rushing through its veins again. On Wednesday, fashion designer Jason Wu, 37, was back in action as he and model Jacquelyn Jablonski, 29, were spotted doing a photoshoot in Midtown Manhattan for his line. Street style: Fashion designer Jason Wu and model Jacquelyn Jablonski pose for a photoshoot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. Both sporting Jason Wu designs, the pair stopped traffic as they had a glamorous socially distanced fashion shoot Jason and Jacquelyn who both call New York home, were photographed in broad daylight as they put on a fashion show of their own in the city that never sleeps Jason kept it casual in dark-wash jeans and a black 'JW' hoodie from his line, as the brunette stunner served as the poster child for Wu's elegant kimono style floral pantsuit. The black silk pants and matching plunging top are an effortlessly chic ensemble that Jacquelyn paired with a pair of patent leather slingback heels. Florals in fall: The black silk floral pants and matching top modeled by Jacquelyn are an effortlessly chic ensemble that Jacquelyn paired with a pair of patent leather slingback heels. Model behavior: Wu and Jablonski who both call New York home, were photographed in broad daylight as they put on a fashion show of their own in the city that never sleeps Mask on: With face coverings being the new norm many designers have found ways to incorporate the mandated protective shield into their lines. Jason has designed a line of masks that directly benefit the Gay Men's Health Crisis The model stood with her hand on Jason's shoulder as the too stared intently into the camera. Due to the pandemic, both of them took necessary precautions and kept their facemasks on in the streets of New York. With face coverings being the new norm many designers have found ways to incorporate the mandated protective shield into their lines. The Taiwanese-Canadian visionary recently collaborated with logo designer Fabien Baron to create a line of face masks that directly benefit the Gay Men's Health Crisis. All hands: As part of the shoot Jason showcased his talented team of seamstresses who have worked tirelessly to bring his designs to life even in the Pandemic Blooming: The backdrop was decorated with a colorful floral arrangement scaling a street-post that complimented the jumpsuit and made for an industrial glam touch Power-couple: Wu and Jablonski are both leaders in their respective fields and have been very involved in giving back to their communities Jason sported his own design -a black cotton face mask with white writing that says 'distance yourself from hate' - as he promoted the cause of both social distancing and stopping hate in his product. As part of the shoot Jason showcased his talented team of seamstresses who have worked tirelessly to bring his designs to life even in the Pandemic. The backdrop was decorated with a colorful floral arrangement scaling a street-post that complimented the jumpsuit and made for an industrial glam touch. After the photoshoot the two were seen grabbing a bite to eat at NYC's upscale Italian restaurant, Sant Ambroeus. Create at all costs: The Taiwanese-Canadian visionary has been cooking up a storm in quarantine as the designer brings his creative talents to everything he touches Passion and fashion: Jablonski recently designed a capsule collection that will be featured at the The Surf Lodge's virtual Labor Day Party this weekend Wu and Jablonski are both notable in their respective fields and have had a lot of time to get creative and also give back in quarantine. Wu, a fashion favorite among some of the most elite heavy hitters in the world knows how to showcase his creative skills in any capacity. Recently he has turned to cooking in the pandemic, showcasing his talent in a series of elaborate cooking videos. Jablonski recently designed a capsule collection that will be featured at the trendy Hamptons haunt, The Surf Lodge's, virtual Labor Day Party this weekend. All proceeds from the collection are being donated to the Equal Justice Initiative. Event coordinator Jodi Barber stands in front of a chain-link fence lined with pictures of overdose victims on International Overdose Awareness Day at the Laguna Niguel Skate Park in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) OC Parents Share Memories and Grief for Children Lost to Overdoses LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.On the last day of August, beneath a cloudless azure sky, countless photos of young people lined the chain-link fence at Laguna Niguel Skate Park, stretching off toward the horizon. Costa Mesa resident Julie May, 66, stood nearby, pointing to photos of her daughter, Jessica Marie. In one picture, Jessica, a young woman with striking green eyes and platinum blond hair, holds a small child, her niece. That picture was taken in January, May said. A month later, at age 32, Jessica perished from a drug overdose, a demise shared by all the others memorialized in the display. Every year for the past decade, on the last day of August, drug abuse prevention advocate Jodi Barber has organized an event in Orange County in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day. This year was Mays first in attendance. Many of the other attendees had been there before. Pictures of people who died from a drug overdose line a fence at the Laguna Niguel Skate Park in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Theyre All From Around Here Orange County has been hit especially hard over the past 10 years, with hundreds of young lives lost, Barber wrote in a press release for the event. For Barber, the fight for drug abuse prevention is personal. In 2010, she lost her son, Jarrod, to an overdose from prescription drugs she had never even heard of until the night he died. He was only 19. Since then, she has connected with many other families who lost their children to opioid overdoses and addictionlike May, whose daughter Jessica would have turned 33 on Sept. 9. I dont know how Im going to get through her birthday, May told The Epoch Times. I saw her the night before [she died]. It was Valentines Day. She went to see her boyfriend. She was starting a new job. A short distance away, Laguna Niguel Mayor Laurie Davies gazed at the long line of photos, which numbered well over a hundred. Pictures of people who died from a drug overdose line a fence at the Laguna Niguel Skate Park in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Pictures of people who died from a drug overdose line a fence at the Laguna Niguel Skate Park in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Most of them, theyre all from around here. Its amazing. And this isnt all of them, Davies told The Epoch Times. Barber called the proliferation and availability of deadly drugs scary. They can buy drugs laced with fentanyl on the street. These kids are buying it online, she told The Epoch Times. Barber said certain classified advertisement websites operate as platforms for peddling drugs, using code words like roofing tar. But its not roofing tar. Its heroin laced with fentanyl, she said. Since the pandemic, there has been a steady increase in overdose cases in the Orange County area. Recently a 14 year old boy and a 17 year old girl died of an overdose. Many of the overdoses involve the drug fentanyl, Barbers press release said. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California is one of 10 states that saw a significant increase in synthetic opioid overdose death rates between 2017 and 2018. Cindy Trott stands in front of a photo of her daughter on International Overdose Awareness Day in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Its Killing Our Kids Cindy Trott lost her daughter, Heather, to drugs last February. Fentanyl is a killer. Its killing our kids, she told The Epoch Times. This last time she was clean for four months, and then she got some anxiety. She pointed to Heathers photo on the fence. Everybody kept saying she just hasnt reached her bottom yet. And so this is her bottom right here. Trott said her phone is her most precious possession because of all the pictures it contains of her daughter. If I ever lost this, I would die, she said, pressing the phone to her heart. I dont care if I lost my wallet, if I lost a million dollars, I just need this. This is all I have left of my beauty. Callie Fortin lost her son, Kevin, a military veteran, in 2017, after he took heroin that was laced with fentanyl. His heart was hurting, I think, Fortin told The Epoch Times. He used [heroin] one night, and since he hadnt been using for a long time, it was fatal. She took in the long line of photos. These are great kids from great families. I mean, lookthese kids are beautiful. But drugs dont discriminate. Fortin is grateful for the fellowship she shares with other mothers who are also still grieving the loss of their children. We have each other. Were not alone. Were in this boat. We dont want to be in this boat. But yeah, we have each other, she said. Callie Fortin stands next to a picture of her son, Kevin, a military veteran who passed away from drugs in 2017, at an International Overdose Awareness Day gathering in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Everybodys Trigger Is Different As a part of her effort to raise awareness during this day of remembrance, Barber and her friend, Tanya Brown, handed out Deterra pouches to promote the responsible disposal of drugs. The Deterra drug deactivation system was developed by NIDA. It uses a combination of carbon and warm water to render any pill inert. It dissolves up to 45 pills. The second they go in here, they get dissolved, Brown told The Epoch Times. A lot of the addiction is stemming from where they know whats in grandmas closet. They know whats in mom and dads closet. But this automatically deletes the potency. Brown is the sister of murder victim Nicole Brown-Simpson. She has learned hard lessons from her own personal struggle with pain and trauma. I found myself going down the path of these kidsnot with drugs, but with alcohol, she said. Thats where it starts. It starts with numbing the pain and the grief. Brown said that everybodys trigger is different. All these kids here have battled with something, whether its anxiety or depression or maybe a loss, she said. My message to the world is Just walk through the tornado of pain as youre going through it. Youve got to face your pain as youre going through it, because if you dont, youre going to end up on a wall or on a fence or on a poster. Costa Mesa resident Julie May holds a picture of her daughter, Jessica, who died from a drug overdose, and displays a new tattoo inked in honor of her memory on International Overdose Awareness Day in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times) Ill Love You Forever On the weekend before International Overdose Awareness Day, Mays surviving daughter took her to get a permanent reminder dedicated to Jessicas memory. *Jessica* Ill love you forever, the fresh tattoo on her forearm reads. The tattoo quotes the text of a famous childrens book, Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch. It continues, Ill like you for always. As long as Im living, my baby youll be. May said the words were her daughters favorites. We had matching bracelets [that said this]. She had this tattooed circularly around her arm. We just always said that [to each other], May said. There are times I just cant believe shes gone. I mean, she was so full of life. She had a heart of gold. Hall effect plays an important role in the development of condensed matter physics. The classical Hall effect was discovered by American physicist E. H. Hall in 1879. When an electric current passes through a conductor under an out-of-plane magnetic field, a transverse Hall voltage appears in the direction perpendicular to both the magnetic field and the current. In condensed matter systems, apart from the dynamical phase of a Bloch electron, geometrical phase (Berry phase) must also be considered. The Berry curvature corresponding to Berry phase will generate an anomalous velocity that is perpendicular to the applied electric field, leading to transverse Hall signals. Recent studies have shown that in topological materials, when the magnetic field and current are coplanar, Berry curvature will induce planar Hall effect (PHE). On one hand, different from classical Hall effect, planar Hall resistivity yx is an even function of magnetic field (namely, symmetric to magnetic field, yx (-B)=yx(B)). On the other hand, PHE will vanish when in-plane magnetic field is perpendicular (B?I) or parallel (B?I) to the current, same as the classical Hall effect. Recently, Professor Jian Wang in collaborated with Professor Xincheng Xie at Peking University, Professor Haiwen Liu at Beijing Normal University, Dr. Jiaqiang Yan and Professor David Mandrus at Oak Ridge National Laboratory etc discovered unconventional Hall effect in non-magnetic topological material ZrTe5 devices. Nonzero Hall effect was observed when in-plane magnetic field is perpendicular (B?I) or parallel (B?I) to the current. The paper entitled "Unconventional Hall Effect induced by Berry Curvature" was published online in National Science Review. Professor Jian Wang and Professor Xincheng Xie at Peking University are corresponding authors of this paper. PhD candidate Jun Ge and Dr. Da Ma at Peking University contribute equally to this work. The research team performed systematic transport measurements on ZrTe5 devices (Fig. 1(a)) in both Physical Property Measurement System and a dilution refrigerator with triple axes vector magnet. With well-controlled angular-dependent transport measurements (Fig. 1(b)), the research team excluded the extrinsic influence of longitudinal resistance and classical Hall effect, and detected intrinsic in-plane Hall response of ZrTe5 devices. The observed in-plane Hall signal of ZrTe5 devices contains both symmetric (Fig. 1(c)) and asymmetric (Fig. 1(d)) components with respect to the magnetic field. More interestingly, nonzero in-plane Hall signal is detected for B?I (Fig. 2(a-c)) and B?I (Fig. 2(d-f)) situations. These discoveries are beyond the expectations of classical Hall effect and previously suggested PHE in topological materials. The origin of the observed unconventional Hall effect is revealed by theoretical calculations. The researchers find that ZrTe5 can be considered as a Weyl semimetal with tiled Weyl cones under external magnetic field. The tilt of Weyl cones, the anomalous velocity induced by Berry curvature, the chiral chemical potential, and phase volume effect together give rise to the observed unconventional Hall effect. A new formula for in-plane Hall signal is proposed, which can well fit the experimental observation (Fig. 3). The nonzero in-plane Hall signals when magnetic field is parallel or perpendicular to the current adds a new member to the Hall effect family. This work provides a new platform to investigate Berry curvature related physics in condensed matter systems. ### See the article: Jun Ge, Da Ma, Yanzhao Liu, Huichao Wang, Yanan Li, Jiawei Luo, Tianchuang Luo, Ying Xing, Jiaqiang Yan, David Mandrus, Haiwen Liu, X.C. Xie, Jian Wang Unconventional Hall Effect induced by Berry Curvature https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa163 The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State has reacted to the allegation that its governorship candidate and incumbent deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, submitted forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State. PREMIUM TIMES had, on Wednesday, reported that an Akure-based lawyer, Femi Emodamori, wrote INEC to publish the credentials of Mr Ajayi within seven days or he would compel it through the courts to do so. The deputy governor, through his spokesperson, Tope Okeowo told our correspondent that the lawyers allegations lack merit. INECs spokesperson in Ondo State, Babalola Lebile, also told this newspaper that it will take time to verify the allegations. But ZLP in a swift reaction through a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Felix Olatunde, in Akure, on Thursday, said that its candidate is qualified to run. The Zenith Labour Party is well aware of the attempt to create doubt in the minds of our ever-increasing members and indeed voters concerning our popular and widely accepted candidate, Agboola Ajayi. We just read a funny ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission by someone who claims to be a lawyer, obviously acting on the prodding of some political adventurers. We are aware of the cloud-chasing effort of those behind the lawyer in this attempt to tout an ultimatum that is futile in its entirety. READ ALSO: While we know that INEC is capable of taking care of itself and its operations we state without any equivocation that our candidate was well aware of the pre-planned effort now being executed. Hence he submitted the minimum qualification required by law. We state that such distracting darts have little or no effect on the growing popularity of our candidate. Several efforts in the past to hinder the political rise of our candidate have failed woefully and the current effort to hinder him will equally fail. We urge our teeming members and supporters to proceed without any fear with ongoing mobilisation and campaign efforts toward winning the election. We assure that by the grace of God and the votes of the teeming majority who are tired of the underperformance in the state, ZLP will win this election fair and square. No rabble-rousing litigant can change the course of history, the statement fully read. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 21:10 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4293f26 1 National #vaccines,vaccine,COVID-19,#COVID19 Free In a country battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of economics and public health, the government appears to be pinning its hopes on vaccine development, as new cases and deaths continue to soar in what experts have deemed as a never-ending first wave. In a statement on Wednesday to express President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's condolences on the deaths of 100 doctors from COVID-19, presidential spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman ended it by pointing to the government strategy of securing potential vaccines. That includes, Fadjroel said, "looking for vaccines produced by any parties in the world; research and production collaboration between [state company] Biofarma, universities and local and foreign institutions; and the Merah-Putih vaccine research by Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology." The government says it has so far secured 30 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this year, in addition to between 290 million and 340 million doses by next year, following state-owned companies agreements with Chinas Sinovac Biotech, and the United Arab Emirates' Group 42 (G42) Healthcare. Read also: Vaccines won't bring back normal life at once: Experts "As a note, the vaccines developed today for COVID-19 [is for an immunity that lasts] six months to two years. It's not a vaccine shot [for] a lifetime [protection]," said State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir in a meeting last week with the House of Representatives. Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto told the meeting that this meant the vaccine could possibly have to be injected once every six months, or one, or two years. But experts have expressed caution about this estimate, wondering where it came from given that the two potential vaccines are still in phase III clinical human trials, which would determine the vaccines' efficacy and safety. Indonesia is rolling out the trials for Sinovac's CoronaVac on 1,620 people along with several other countries, while G42 is carrying out trials in its home country on 45,000 participants of 85 ethnicities. However, determining how long immunity resulting from vaccination will last requires not only clinical trial results, but also post-use surveillance after the vaccination program is rolled out next year, said Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) biotechnology researcher Wien Kusharyoto. No matter what, we still have to monitor, even after the vaccination is rolled out, the efficacy and the impacts among those already vaccinated. It's too early to say that it will last six months to two years," he said. Experts have urged the government not to put potential vaccines on a pedestal, saying that whether it can truly rely on the vaccines will depend on their eventual efficacy and safety to be shown in the results of the trials that are still under way, and the government should rather prepare for the "worst-case scenario". The efficacy threshold would be 50 percent, though ideally it should be around 70 percent, said independent molecular biologist Ahmad Utomo, adding that past vaccine development had shown that failures were not uncommon. Lower than 50 percent, then vaccines would be out of the question, he said. If it hovered just above it then the government should reconsider whether putting in so much money into the vaccination program would be as effective as if the money was to be used on improving public health. This means scaling up tests, enhancing contact tracing, providing financial assistance to those in isolation and improving treatment, he said. "The government should look into which of these will be most cost-effective," Ahmad said. Read also: Grim picture as Indonesia enters sixth month of COVID-19 outbreak Both Terawan and Erick have said that the vaccination program could possibly put a strain on the state budget if it were to be made free for all. Erick has suggested those who can afford it pay for it themselves, with current estimated costs ranging between US$25 and $30, as the government expects to cover some 93 million Social Security Agency (BPJS) beneficiaries in a vaccination program expected to start next year. But with the race to find vaccines, the trailing economic and political interests, and the government having secured hundreds of millions of doses, experts have raised concerns that these will all affect decisions by authorities. Wien of LIPI expressed the hope the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) would remain independent from all sorts of intervention in evaluating clinical trial results and issuing permits, otherwise public health would be at stake. "If there are undesired effects [from the vaccines], there won't be trust among the people; this will put the vaccination program itself at risk and will automatically affect economic recovery efforts too," he said. BPOM head Penny Lukito hoped the trials would be successful, pointing to the fact that phase III human trials would not start if phase I and II trials were a failure. "The clinical trials we are on now are the phase III trials; this means that the phase I and II trials involved humans and have succeeded, she told a press briefing on Wednesday. The phase III is not about whether [the vaccine is] a failure or not, but about gathering more data [on its efficacy and safety]. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:26:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australians are growing increasingly concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found. Australian National University (ANU) researchers on Thursday published a poll of over 3,000 Australians taken during the height of Victoria's second wave of COVID-19 infections in August. It found that 62.6 percent of Australians felt anxious or worried about the pandemic compared to 57.3 percent during the first wave of infections in May. "Young Australians also continue to have the highest rates of anxiety and worry in terms of age groups," Nicholas Biddle, the co-author of the study, said in a media release. "Worry and anxiety among Australians aged 25-34 years increased from 63.4 percent in May to 69.2 percent in August." The survey was published as Australia surpassed 26,000 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. As of Thursday afternoon there had been 26,049 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 127. The death toll has increased by 15 to 678. All 15 deaths were in Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Six occurred between Wednesday and Thursday, with the remaining nine having occurred earlier. "14 of today's 15 deaths are linked to known outbreaks in aged care facilities. To date, 591 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Thursday. Of the new cases, Victoria confirmed 113, its most in four days. New South Wales confirmed 12 more cases and Queensland another two. Earlier on Thursday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg welcomed the Victorian government's plan to reveal a roadmap on Sunday to easing restrictions, saying that the state needs "hope." Enditem Regulatory News: Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) will host a live video webcast of the company's remarks and question-and-answer session by Emmanuel Babeau, Chief Financial Officer, at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference at www.pmi.com/2020barclays on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at approximately 2:40 p.m. ET. The webcast will be held in a virtual format and provide a live video of the entire PMI session. Presentation slides will be available on the same site. An archived copy of the webcast will be available at www.pmi.com/2020barclays until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, October 9, 2020. The webcast can also be accessed on iOS or Android devices by downloading PMI's free Investor Relations Mobile Application at www.pmi.com/irapp. Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the United States. In addition, PMI ships a version of its IQOS Platform 1 device and its consumables authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to Altria Group, Inc. for sale in the U.S. under license. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI's smoke-free IQOS product portfolio includes heat-not-burn and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of June 30, 2020, PMI estimates that approximately 11.2 million adult smokers around the world have already stopped smoking and switched to PMI's heat-not-burn product available for sale in 57 markets in key cities or nationwide under the IQOS brand. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005637/en/ Contacts: Investor Relations: New York: +1 (917) 663 2233 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666 Media: Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500 Email: Iro.Antoniadou@pmi.com A Houston man who advocacy groups say is tied to multiple white supremacist groups has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison on weapons charges, the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Texas said Wednesday. Joffre Cross III, 34, received a 57-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in February to charges of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition. Cross attorney on Thursday could not be reached for comment. During the hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal discussed Cross prior federal conviction. Cross was identified as one of two Army paratroopers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina who were accused of selling drugs and body armor in 2007 to an undercover FBI agent, according to court records. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison in that case, records show. Cross was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of that conviction. However, in February 2019, a federal search warrant revealed an AK-style rifle and about 2200 rounds of ammunition at his Houston home, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Authorities also found a homemade pistol and three homemade rifles. A 2019 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center said Cross is affiliated with white supremacist groups Patriot Front and the Aryan Renaissance Society, which SPLC said is connected with the skinhead scene in the 1990s. Cross previously listed various Nazi officers as his heroes on his Myspace page, according to the SPLC. He also posted antisemitic slurs and photos of Nazi paraphernalia on the Russian social media site VK. Additionally, in 2016, the Anti-Defamation League said Cross appeared to be providing security for white nationalist Richard Spencer during a speaking event at Texas A&M University. julian.gill@chron.com GENEVA, N.Y. - This fall, apple lovers can look forward to three new varieties from the oldest apple breeding program in the U.S. -- located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York, part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). On Sept. 2, Susan Brown, the Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Science, and research specialist Kevin Maloney announced the release of NY56, NY73 and NY109 - marketed as Cordera, Pink Luster and Firecracker, respectively. As an open-release, orchards in New York state and across the U.S. will be able to grow the new varieties without licensing exclusivity. Brown said this gives growers a competitive edge by allowing them to replace older apples with what today's consumers want -- crunch, complexity and a new twist on an American classic. With Cordera, Brown accomplished a challenging task: breeding an apple that retains both its flavor and texture while also staying scab resistant. Apple scab is a fungal disease that significantly reduces fruit yield and quality, and poses a major threat for New England growers because it's common in wet springs. In addition to test plots in orchards across New York state, Wegmans has also been testing Cordera in Canandaigua, New York, for five years. "Having access to the varieties that Susan Brown and Cornell are working on allows us to look into the future in way that will hopefully expose our customers to new and unique food experiences," said Mark Bowker, orchard crop expert at Wegmans Organic Farm. "For us, disease resistance makes the performance of NY 56 stand out in our orchard. Of course, it always comes down to flavor, and we think it has that too." Brown spent 23 years working with the best attributes of Honeycrisp and Gala apples to perfect Pink Luster. Its bright pink-red skin, crisp texture and juiciness make this new variety shine. Pink Luster also matures in mid-September, which makes it well-suited for on-farm sales and U-pick operations. Firecracker is being dubbed a "triple threat" - it's one of few varieties that works well for eating, baking and hard cider production. "Firecracker has a partial russet skin, and it has a unique combination of acidity and sweetness that produces really complex and evolving flavors," Brown said. "It's ideal for anyone who wants to go on a culinary adventure." With the addition of Cordera, Pink Luster and Firecracker, CALS will have released more than 69 apple varieties since 1880. The most recent varieties from Brown's breeding program, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, have been highly successful with growers across the state and are also exported to markets in Canada, Israel and Asia. "Research and thorough testing are crucial in making a really good apple, but that takes a whole team," Brown said. "Research specialist Kevin Maloney, the Cornell AgriTech Field crew, researchers at Cornell AgriTech and the School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York apple industry all deserve credit in collaborating to help deliver varieties that support the apple industry." ### President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to attend a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, at Andrew Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) The White House said President Donald Trumps latest threat to cut federal dollars for certain big cities is aimed at spurring them to do more to quell violence, but local leaders dismissed it Thursday as a political gimmick and unlikely to stand up in court if implemented. Trump has made a number of other threats that were either struck down by judges or that the president paused on his own. Trump issued a memorandum Wednesday calling on the attorney general to publish a list of jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities. Subsequently, agency heads are to get guidance about how to restrict federal grants to those jurisdictions. The memorandum comes as Trump seeks to cast his Democratic rival Joe Biden as weak on crime amid some of the violence that has accompanied protests against racial injustice. The intent is to incentivize cities to follow in the way of Kenosha and Minneapolis who, when they were in the midst of a situation that they couldnt handle just at the local level, they requested federal assistance and it worked, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. Previously, Trump threatened to cut funding for sanctuary cities to force them to comply with more stringent immigration policies. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the effort violated separation of powers provisions enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the presidents new order had no legal standing. If it were implemented, he added, it would slash resources for police and firefighters and other essential services the very thing Trump has claimed Democrats are trying to do when it comes to law enforcement. This effort is intended only to inflame tensions and divide us, Cochran said. In his memo, Trump singled out Seattle, New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., for possible loss of federal dollars. None are competitive areas for Trump in the coming presidential election. Story continues The memo was denounced by Democratic leaders including Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It is just the latest baseless, petty and divisive move by President Trump to distract from his abject failure to protect Americans from COVID-19, Inslee said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a favorite target of the president, called Trumps effort dangerous, destructive, and divisive. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the president was trying to score political points. I think this is another one of his blusters thatll go nowhere. But if he really tries it, we will go to court and I guarantee you well beat him again," de Blasio said. McEnany rejected suggestions that the presidents memorandum was for show in the lead-up to November 3. "No, the president will follow through, McEnany said. ______ Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Karen Matthews in New York City contributed to this report. 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. As Joe Biden visits Wisconsin on Thursday in the shadow of the unrest following the shooting by police of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, a new poll of the state shows the Democrat leading president Donald Trump on issues pertaining to policing and criminal justice. The Fox News survey sees former vice president Biden leading Trump by eight points overall among likely voters in Wisconsin at 50-42 per cent just outside the margin of error. Mr Biden is trusted by more voters on the two issues dominating the campaign at this stage the coronavirus pandemic, and policing and criminal justice. He leads the president by a 17-point margin on the former (52-35 per cent), and has a five point lead on the latter (47-42 per cent). The president visited Kenosha on Tuesday. He did not meet with the Blake family as Mr Biden did, and has not condemned the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage gunman who shot dead two protesters last week. This latest poll was conducted between 29 August and 1 September, after both the Democrat and Republican conventions, and after the shooting of Jacob Blake and the unrest and deaths of the two protesters. On the coronavirus, respondents that felt the pandemic is not at all under control favoured Mr Biden 84-10 per cent over the president. Trump won Wisconsin by just 23,000 ballots in 2016 with 47 per cent of the vote, securing its 10 Electoral College electors. In 2020, the poll suggests that it is women swinging heavily towards the Democrat that may make the difference they prefer Mr Biden by 17 percentage points, while men are split evenly between the two candidates. The same poll conducted statewide surveys Arizona and North Carolina, both of are battleground states and which could prove crucial in November. Support for Trump falls below his 2016 share of the vote in each state. In Arizona, Biden leads Trump 49-40 per cent, and in North Carolina by 50-46 per cent, though that is within the margin of error. Arizonans also trust Biden to better handle policing and criminal justice issues 47-42 per cent; but North Carolinians split almost evenly at 46-47 per cent, slightly in favour of the president. Zenith Bank Plc on Thursday declared gross earnings of N346 billion for the half-year ended June 30, 2020. This is contained in the banks audited results presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The gross earnings represent an increase of four per cent when compared with N332 billion posted in the comparative period of 2019. The bank also proposed an interim dividend of 30k per share for the period under review. READ ALSO: The groups total deposits grew by 15 per cent to N4.9 trillion, from N4.3 trillion in December 2019. This, the bank said, was driven by a 41 per cent increase in retail deposits from N1.1 trillion, to close at N1.6 trillion. The result showed that non-interest income rose to N116 billion from N110 billion achieved in the corresponding period of 2019. Its earnings per share also increased by 17 per cent to N3.30 in H1 2020, from N2.83 in H1 2019. (NAN) JNC/SOA South Africa: Discussions held with MECs, departments to curb COVID-19 corruption Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says ahead of personal protective equipment (PPE) being procured by the State, discussions were held with MECs and various departments to curb COVID-19 corruption. Responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mkhize said this was over and above several instructions being issued by National Treasury, in collaboration with the Department of Health, to determine the maximum pricing of PPE. COVID-19 procurement has come under scrutiny after government published information of the tenders that were issued since the National State of Disaster was declared in March. President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the irregularities and widespread looting of State resources and called for swift action against perpetrators. The President had raised the issue of curbing corruption with the Auditor-General and therefore, we have had engagements with the Minister [of Finance], the Director-General and the department to look at ensuring how we do risk analysis and put in place preventative and mitigation measures. In addition, this issue has been discussed with the various MECs and various departments and particularly, we had also discussed with the Minister at National Treasury that we need to keep refining mechanisms to ensure that there is control on pricing, as well as ensuring good quality, especially of PPE, where this issue has been arising of late, Mkhize said. Briefing Parliament recently, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni revealed that a brazen disregard for Treasury instructions in relation to pricing of PPE and compliance was part of the reason widespread corruption occurred. This led to National Treasury discontinuing emergency procurement last month. Addressing the House on Wednesday, Mkhize said the Department of Health - through the office of the Chief Financial Officer, in collaboration with National Treasury - through the office of the Chief Procurement Officer, engaged on the commodities pricing to curb the scourge of price taking and elements of price racketeering. Subsequent to that, market prices were reviewed and the maximum pricing of the units for personal protective equipment were kept at the maximum of 15% of the initial price, as per the Central Supplier Database, prior to the announcement of the National State of Disaster. Subsequent to that, National Treasury issued instruction note number 08/ 2019/ 20, dated 19 March 2020, to address and provide guidance on the supply chain management process. Furthermore, instruction note number 05/ 2020/ 21, dated 28 April 2020, followed to address the emergency procurement commodities to curb the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the prices per unit. National Treasury instruction note 07/ 2020 / 21 dated 26 May 2020, was issued to inform the accounting officers and authorities to establish a system of financial management, internal control risk management and internal audit under the direction of the audit committees, said Mkhize. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-09-03. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Horrifying footage shows the moment a man savagely kicked a small dog across an elevator in Russia. The tortured pet flew across the lift, hitting the wall, before the man stamped on it after the door closed. The man's partner was seen distraught at his cruelty, in tears and begging him to stop, in CCTV footage which neighbours discovered by chance at the apartment block in Yekaterinburg. The dog, named Nicole, was badly injured and an animal charity called in by police said the animal was 'in great pain'. Cruel: This man booted a dog across an elevator with his left foot as he entered the lift in an apartment block in Yekaterinburg, Russia Second attack: After the lift door closed, the man stamped on the dog despite the woman being obviously upset Police were called and the man was taken to a police station to be questioned, while the 4lb animal was examined by vets at a local clinic. The pet suffered 'numerous haematomas [a swelling of blood], a fractured tooth, and a ruptured blood vessel', the animal charity said. The man in the footage could face up to six months in prison under Russia's animal cruelty laws. The woman told animal rights campaigners she had been living with the man for six months 'and this is the first time such an incident occurred'. The man 'did not explain what had happened. He covered himself with a blanket and was silent.' The footage was filmed late last Sunday night, according to the time stamp in the surveillance recording. A neighbour said: 'We saw faeces in the lift and checked the footage from CCTV cameras to find out who did not clean up after their dog. 'When we saw what happened, we were horrified and called the police.' Recovery: The dog, named Nicole, was examined at a local vet after police were called following the discovery of the CCTV footage Distraught: The woman, who retrieved her dog after the man stamped on it, was visibly upset - but he continued to tug at the animal's head Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn't keen to break through the bubble put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island and in Canada's other three Atlantic provinces. Trudeau was on a virtual tour of Atlantic Canada Thursday, speaking by phone on CBC Radio shows on P.E.I. and Nova Scotia and a private radio station in St. John's, N.L. "The Atlantic bubble, as challenging as it has been for certain sectors of the economy, including especially tourism, has kept the numbers extremely low in Atlantic Canada," Trudeau told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Matt Rainnie. That puts the prime minister on the side of many in this region, judging by a recent opinion poll that suggested most Atlantic Canadians are not comfortable with opening up travel to the rest of Canada without a two-week isolation period being observed. 'Preoccupied with the safety of Canadians' The federal government is facing pressure to reopen the borders to widespread international travel including to the United States, Trudeau said. "We are having to say: 'I understand people want that. I understand it may be good for business.' But first and foremost we've got to be preoccupied with the safety of Canadians," he said. Trudeau said he realizes how anxious business owners and people who may be struggling financially are at this point in the pandemic. But he added: "We are focusing first and foremost on people's health." Brian McInnis/CBC The pandemic has caused problems for businesses on P.E.I. and across the country, Trudeau said. "We've been there to support Canadians from the very beginning with the CERB, with the wage subsidy for small businesses," he said. "But we know, particularly in the tourism sector, it's been a really tough summer and they're looking at a difficult fall as well." Trudeau said that is why his government did things like increase funding for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Story continues "We're looking at other programs to try and make sure that these great small businesses that are drivers of the local economy, and provide so much pleasure to people who come visit from across the country and around the world are still there in the coming years," he said. Trudeau didn't say when Canadians can expect any new programs. Calls for basic income The federal government's pandemic relief efforts have renewed interest and discussion across Canada for a basic income guarantee. "One of the things that the pandemic has shown us is that there are real vulnerabilities even when things were going more or less normally before the pandemic," Trudeau said. "The pandemic certainly brought that to light. We need to do a better job of supporting everyone." Trudeau said there is a lot of interest in the idea but there are also other programs providing support to Canadians like the Canada child benefit. Trudeau said he is talking with experts and listening to those working on different models of basic income. He said his government will have more to say in the coming weeks on "a range of things" to further help Canadians through the pandemic. More from CBC P.E.I. On the evening of May 30, when peaceful protesters gathering in the honor of George Floyd were replaced by rioters shattering the windows of several King Street businesses, photographer Paul Chelmis was at his girlfriend Jing Wen's house in Summerville. He and Wen watched on Facebook Live as riot gear-clad police officers stomped down the familiar downtown thoroughfare, as rocks and bricks were hurled into storefronts, as flames and flares and tear gas filled the stirring night air. Chelmis wanted more than anything to be in the middle of the chaos with his camera, capturing a moment in history. Instead, he was left on the outskirts, trying to make sense of it. "My camera is my greatest weapon of making a difference in the world, and it was killing me I couldn't be there to document that moment," Chelmis said. While some were quick to label the rioting as an inexplicable atrocious act, Chelmis saw it through a different lens at a distance. "I kind of saw it as a natural reaction," he said. "Like yeah, of course this is the result of our inattention. Instead of focusing on how terrible these people are who are rioting, we should focus on what we should do to prevent it from happening in the future." Chelmis and Wen ruminated more that night. Through conversation, they formed the idea to spin what was perceived as a violent, negative act into something good that could potentially illuminate the deeper issues behind the scenes. Wen came up with the concept: "Make something beautiful out of the rubble." So, the next morning, before most people were even awake, the couple drove downtown to see the aftermath with a mission already in mind: collect the shards of shattered glass lining the street. They weren't just helping to clean up, like others who gathered at sunrise that morning; they were preparing for a project. At the time, Chelmis and Wen were already in the beginning phases of starting a handcrafted jewelry nonprofit together. Chelmis, who had taken classes in jewelry making, was itching to get away from creating art at his computer screen and instead use his hands. Wen, a longtime high-end jewelry consumer who had noticed some flaws in her own purchases, had gone to graduate school in business. They both wanted to use their talents to give back to causes that were important to them. Little did they know the King Street riots would inspire their first jewelry collection. "That morning, we were thinking on a much smaller scale than we shouldve been," Chelmis recalled. "I'm kicking myself for not gathering 10 times as much glass." He took some snapshots of broken windows and of the community gathering to pick up the wreckage as he filled up a backpack with glass pieces to turn into pendants, bangles, rings and earrings back in his studio. Chelmis and Wen's jewelry nonprofit already had a name at that point, Shan Shui, inspired by Wen's Chinese roots and view of the world as a flowing tide. The ancient Chinese term, represented in old script in the nonprofit's logo, means "Mountain Water." "We're inspired by the social landscape, the ebb and flow of things, the way things work together," Wen shared. Wen, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent residency in the United States, had not experienced anything like the George Floyd protests before. "When I saw the news about the police station on fire in Minneapolis, my first reaction was, 'Why burn down a building? That doesnt benefit anyone,'" Wen recounted. "But then I realized it wasn't about the building. It was about not being heard for all these years." Chelmis and Wen wanted to make sure they were doing something that would amplify Black voices and foster positive change. So, they turned to their friend and a powerful voice in the music scene, Kanika Moore of Doom Flamingo, for assurance and advice. "When Paul came to me with the idea, he really wanted to make sure that it would be perceived the right way," Moore said. "He was cautious about it and the way it would be viewed. He wanted it to be a positive influence." Moore was in full support of the project, especially after an important detail made its way into the brainstorming phase. Each piece of jewelry was given a name, particularly the name of an innocent Black person killed at the hands of the police. There's The Tamir (Rice), The Ezell (Ford), The Tanisha (Pughsley), The Trayvon (Martin), The Gabriella (Nevarez), The Breonna (Taylor), The Eric (Garner) and The Elijah (McClain). The jewelry line is called "Wear Their Names," a play off the phrase "Say Their Names" that has become a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement. The profits from all sales will be donated to From Privilege to Progress, a national movement working to desegregate the conversation about race on social media. After fleshing out their concept, Wen and Chelmis went to work designing eight bold, minimal styles to create around the riot glass. Then, in his workshop, Chelmis sifted through the shards. He treated and smoothed the glass, sometimes torching it down, sometimes reinforcing it with epoxy resin. He surrounded the fragile pieces with a carefully crafted silver framework. The jewelry is then packaged in eco-friendly, non-plastic materials, attached to a hand-signed note made from recycled cotton shreds and shipped to the buyer. Wen's posts on social media of the project in its early stages drew the attention of Erin Glaze Nathanson, director of contemporary initiatives and public engagement at The Gibbes Museum of Art. At first, Nathanson was drawn to the "really beautifully done" craftsmanship and the nonbinary, gender-neutral feel to the line. Then, she learned of the mission behind the pieces and story behind the materials. "At The Gibbes, we strive to serve as a space for people to come in and see our entire history everything that encompasses what people should know about Charleston," Nathanson said. "Introducing this line into our store is another way we can do that while showing support to the community." Nathanson emphasized an opportunity for the duo to showcase their line in the Gibbes' rotating Visiting Artist Program series down the road. The Shan Shui "Wear Their Names" line will be available for purchase in The Gibbes' shop toward the end of next week, and Chelmis and Wen will be on The Gibbes' Instagram Live at 9:15 a.m. Thursday to talk more about it. From early online sales, all 40 pairs of earrings ("The Tamir") in the line are already sold out. There will be no more, as the glass shards remaining are limited and will be used for other pieces in the collection. If Chelmis and Wen sell every piece they could possibly make from the glass collected, they will raise $20,000 for From Privilege to Progress. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: As a step forward in the direction of setting up a Bulk Drug Park (BDP) in the State under a scheme by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Department of Pharmaceuticals, the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd (APIIC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT). The objective of the MoU is to develop a collaborative partnership between the State government and CSIR-IICT to establish Bulk Drug Pharma park in the State by seeking financial support from the Centre. As per the agreement, CSIR-IICT shall provide necessary technical support as the knowledge partner in preparing the proposal to be submitted by the Andhra Pradesh government to the Department of Pharmaceuticals. Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, who witnessed the exchange of MoU virtually from his camp office in Nellore on Wednesday, said that the State would emerge as a top destination for medicine manufacturers. With Indian manufacturers relying heavily on import of bulk drugs from China, the Centre with the objective to attain self-reliance, issued a gazette notification in July this year to set up three Bulk Drug Parks. Mumbai Around 14,600 passengers travelled within Maharashtra on outstation trains on Wednesday after the Central Railway and Western Railway permitted the trains to halt at stations within the state. Of these, 8,501 tickets were booked for services operated by the Central Railway. The decision to permit the outstation trains to operate was taken after the state government permitted inter-district movement as a part of its unlock guidelines. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The honey-trap headache: The four exclusive modules in India that report to the ISI Who is Charlie Peng, the alleged mastermind of the Chinese hawala racket in India Hawala dealer Naresh Jain in ED net is wanted in six countries India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: Hawala dealer, Naresh Jain who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate is wanted in six countries- US, the UK, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UAE, He was arrested in connection with a money laundering probe. ED officials said that Jain has been placed under arrest under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and will be produced before a local court here. Over 600 bank accounts and overseas transfers of over Rs 11,000 crore are under the scanner of the agency in this case. ED arrests hawala dealer Naresh Jain The Delhi-based businessman has been under the scanner of probe agencies for long and in 2016, the ED had slapped a Rs 1,200 crore notice against him for alleged contravention of the forex law. Jain has been alleged by investigative agencies to have laundered and routed hawala funds for many years and stated to have financed contraband networks and was also arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the past. The ED money laundering case is based on this NCB complaint. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 9:20 [IST] As mom-and-pop stores become the toast of the town following the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, wholesale player Metro Cash & Carry is tweaking its expansion strategy by putting kiranas at the centre stage. The German chain will be coming up with six new stores in the next three quarters in priority markets, namely Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which are going to be kirana-centric. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The closure of various schools in the northern Aleppo countryside is creating despair among parents, SY 24 says The Education Directorate in Aleppo has decided to close down many educational complexes and annex them to other complexes, which provoked angry reactions among many teachers and students. In its statement, the directorate issued several decisions, the first of which was to close down the Eastern Samaan Complex, the Western Samaan Complex, and the Andan Educational Complex. It recommended that the schools in the aforementioned complexes be annexed to the Atarib and Darat Azza complex, based on the populations density. The directorate requested the administrative and directive staff of the three complexes to put themselves at the disposal of the directorate, which will be assigning positions to them later on according to vacancies. Commenting on the decision, former head of the Free Teachers Syndicate in Aleppo, Professor Omar Laila, said, After thousands of honest revolutionaries studied there, and after deals between traitors and agents were carried out, the northern land is now gone and we are left homeless. Students cannot find a school to attend, and teachers cannot find anyone to hire them after eight months of displacement and tragedy. Laila added, With the stroke of a pen from a hand no less cowardly than the one that sold the land and handed it over to an enemy who knows nothing but criminality, the Andan Educational Complex is not operational due to an arbitrary decision, leaving thousands of students and hundreds of teachers in the unknown, after years of strenuous efforts made to establish it and advance its work. According to informed sources, the Education Directorate in Aleppo is nominally affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, but the Salvation Government controls completely its decisions and its work, since the institutions of the Interim Government were rendered non-operational and the Free Aleppo University was taken control of. On May 14, Laila told SY 24 that education and teachers in the liberated areas are in a deplorable state in light of the recent displacement, school closures, and governmental educational institutions shirking their responsibilities towards education and teachers. 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. Jason Neak / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm When I first launched my Beer in the Bay column almost four years ago, I had one intention. I wanted to help elevate the local beer industry and the players therein. Looking back before my last day at SFGate tomorrow, I feel that whether or not I met that goal, I at least had a lot of fun along the way. I cant even begin to count all the events, brewers, and beers Ive been honored to cover during my tenure. Its my opinion that the Bay Area is Americas true capital of craft beer. Its home to Anchor Brewing and the legendary Steam and Christmas ale. Its where New Albion catalyzed the craft beer revival and where Toronado still launches careers. Today, it boasts formative, inspirational and historic breweries like Russian River, Magnolia, Anchor, Lagunitas, Moonlight and Bear Republic, and industry heavyweights like Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, Brian Hunt, Dave McLean, Dick Cantwell and Dave Keene. By Mari Saito, Ju-min Park and Antoni Slodkowski TOKYO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - In the days leading up to Shinzo Abe's surprise resignation last month as rumors of his ill health swirled in Japan, the prime minister's right-hand man, Yoshihide Suga, was courting a ruling party boss whose backing could make him king. In a secluded dining room in an upscale Tokyo hotel, Suga met with Toshihiro Nikai, the secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), for a traditional Japanese meal. They shared stories from their youth when they both worked as secretaries for powerful politicians, according to a columnist who dined with them. The dinner, Nikai's third with Suga in as many months, came little over a week before Abe stepped down as Japan's longest-serving premier and highlighted the kind of alliance-building that has made Suga the leading candidate to replace him. At the dinner, Suga thanked Nikai for keeping a firm grip over the LDP, saying it had allowed Abe's administration to execute its policies with ease, according to Fumiya Shinohara, the political columnist who was there with them. Two weeks later, Nikai's group was the first among the party's factions to endorse Suga for the top job, support that makes him almost certain to be Japan's next prime minister. "In an environment where human relationships are paramount, that has been Mr. Suga's best weapon," said Shinohara, adding that their exchange over dinner cemented an alliance now poised to control the ruling party. Suga's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the dinner. Suga has said, when asked on television about their discussion, that he and Nikai share a similar background and that he had introduced him to various people. Nikai could not immediately be reached for comment. For the past eight years, Suga, 71, has been the public face of the Abe administration as the government's top spokesman but long kept a relatively low profile. He became better known to the public when he unveiled the name, Reiwa, of the new imperial era last year, a celebratory moment that marked the ascension of the new emperor and went viral, earning him the nickname "Uncle Reiwa". Behind the scenes, associates and analysts say Suga has been instrumental in shifting elements of decision making from Japan's sprawling bureaucracy to the premier's office and taming factional rivalries within the ruling party. Story continues Suga is widely expected to stay the policy course set out by his predecessor, maintaining the "Abenomics" pro-growth stimulus policies aimed at pulling Japan out of deflation and keeping the economy afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. "Suga will carry on the vision Abe is handing over to him," said Takashi Ryuzaki, a political analyst and former TV journalist. "So there is no need for Suga to have his own vision." 'SOMEONE YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE' In contrast to Abe, the scion of a political dynasty in Japan who staked his career on constitutional reform, Suga began his political career an outsider and rose through the ranks in local politics. At a news conference on Wednesday where he officially announced his bid, Suga spoke about growing up in a farming community in Japan's northern Akita prefecture. "He was very quiet," said Hiroshi Kawai, a former high school classmate who still lives in Suga's hometown of Yuzawa and works as a local tour guide. "He was someone you wouldn't notice if he was there or not." Suga left town soon after finishing high school and worked in a cardboard factory in Tokyo to save money for university. After graduation, he worked as a secretary for a prominent national lawmaker from Yokohama, home to Japan's busiest port. During his time in local politics, Suga pushed an ambitious project to redevelop Yokohama's waterfront, according to Isao Mori, an author who published Suga's biography in 2016. In the eight years he spent in the city assembly, Suga rose to be known as Yokohama's "shadow mayor," Mori said. 'ACTOR ON A STAGE' Suga has said he begins most days at 5 a.m., checking the news before doing 100 sit-ups and taking a 40-minute walk. Even among staffers used to the grueling schedules of politicians, he was seen as an outlier for his relentless work ethic. Daisuke Yusa first met Suga in 2004 when he was working as a salesman for a garbage company. Suga soon recruited him to work as his secretary. "He used to say, think of yourself as an actor on a stage and think objectively about what position you're in now," Yusa said, when asked about perceptions that Suga is more of a lieutenant than a leader. Yusa, now a local politician, said Suga always emphasized the importance of doing one's best no matter what the job. "I think he's been able to remain in such a position without school ties or political faction because he doesn't try to stand out," he said. Under Abe's first administration in 2006, Suga headed the ministry of internal affairs where he introduced a hometown tax program, offering tax deductions for those who donate money to local municipalities. Matsushige Ono, who served as a vice minister under Suga, said the program met fierce resistance from some bureaucrats, who opposed introducing a novel tax scheme without precedent. "He continued to make his case because he saw how this would help rural communities," Ono said. NAVIGATING BUREAUCRACY When Abe regained the premiership at the end of 2012, he again tapped Suga. In 2016, facing an ever-stronger yen, Suga created a framework for joint Bank of Japan, finance ministry and banking regulator meetings to signal to investors Tokyo's alarm over spikes in the yen. Officials had wanted to create such a framework for years, but friction between ministries prevented it from being implemented. Mitsumaru Kumagai, chief economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research who frequently speaks to Suga, said Suga has been particularly adept at navigating Japan's complex bureaucracy. "He is aware of who and where the key person is in any ministry and he understands how to move organisations by instructing that person," Kumagai said. This year, support for the administration went into freefall as the coronavirus pandemic battered an already slowing economy. When Abe's health began to visibly falter, speculation grew over Suga's ambitions. Shinohara, who joined the August dinner between Suga and Nikai, said the two men had bonded over their similar backgrounds. "There are a lot of politicians now who can give good speeches and others from bureaucracies who can manage policy, but he's the kind of professional politician who has his own distinct smell," he said. After dinner, the men left the hotel separately as journalists snapped pictures. A day later, Suga was asked on a TV programme whether he was interested in running for the prime minister's job. Laughing, he said: "Not at all." (Reporting by Ju-min Park, Antoni Slodkowski, Mari Saito, and Ami Miyazaki; Writing by Mari Saito; Editing by Nick Tattersall) Eskom wants South Africans to pay more for electricity amidst severe load-shedding and a history of corruption and mismanagement. The power utility recently said South Africans should expect a 15% electricity price increase on 1 April 2021. The price hike announcement came at a time when South Africa is suffering the worst bout of load-shedding in history. On Wednesday, Eskom implemented stage 4 load-shedding due to multiple unit breakdowns and high demand. The bad news for South Africans is that load-shedding is here to stay in the foreseeable future. Eskom told Parliament it expects power constraints to persist for at least the next year and warned that load-shedding may extend into 2022 depending on the pressure on the system. Research by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) painted an even gloomier outlook for the country. CSIR researchers said South Africa should brace itself for exponential increases to load-shedding until 2022. Not only will load-shedding continue over the next few years it will get significantly worse, the CSIR said. Price increases when Eskom cannot keep the lights on Eskom is asking South Africans to pay more for electricity when many people have lost their jobs or had to take salary cuts because of the economic downturn. Adding to the pain is that Eskom cannot even keep the lights on and that most of its problems are self-inflicted through corruption and mismanagement. Eskom is therefore expecting South Africans to give it more money in the hope that it will not simply squander or steal the money as it did previously. Instead of increasing prices, many stakeholders have urged the power utility to cut costs by reducing its bloated workforce and stopping corrupt contracts. Eskom is, however, not really looking at addressing the problem of its large and overpaid workforce. It would rather risk damage to the economy through higher electricity costs than touch the sensitive issue of staff cuts. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha admitted that the cost of electricity is increasing while the service levels are decreasing. He also admitted that load-shedding is one of the factors which led to job cuts in South Africa. Eskom explains Mantshantsha said the reality is that Eskom is operating ageing infrastructure which has been neglected over the past few years. The power utility has also had reducing sales every year which is putting financial pressure on the company. He said as South Africa, we do not have the option of doing nothing and allowing Eskom to degenerate into total rot. The current and future management teams have an obligation to invest in the business to ensure a continuous supply of electricity, said Mantshantsha. This explanation from Eskom is nothing new, but it has continually failed South Africans and squandered the extra money given to it. Mantshantsha admitted that Eskom has done a poor job over the past decade in running the company efficiently. Despite historical theft and the wasting of taxpayers money, he said there is no other option than asking for more money again. We do not have the option or luxury of pointing fingers, he said, adding that Eskom must invest in the business for the future. He confirmed they have to weed out all the efficiencies which are costing South Africans money, but said that not asking for more money was not an option. The question Eskom is not answering Mantshantsha hammered on the fact that Eskom cannot sit back and needs more money to turn the struggling company around. He added that Eskom is working hard to recover money lost through corruption and has taken steps to create a more responsible company. He said they cannot eradicate corruption and inefficiencies overnight, but that Eskom is doing everything in its power to correct the ship. While Eskom is talking a big game, many key indicators show that things are getting worse. Eskoms debt has hit a record high of R488-billion as of March 2020 and South Africa is experiencing the worst load-shedding in history. Eskoms energy availability factor, which shows the percentage of Eskoms generation capacity which is available, has also nosedived in recent years. As Mantshantsha promised South Africans that things are changing, MyBroadband asked Eskom the following question: How can we measure whether Eskom is improving or not, using publicly available data? Eskom is, however, unwilling to provide an answer to this question. The chart below shows Eskoms energy availability factor since 2016. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha interview OTTAWA - There have been some delays getting some emergency pandemic benefit cheques out the door this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 3/9/2020 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau adjusts his face mask following a news conference where he paid a visit to the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Royalmount Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre facility in Montreal, Monday, Aug 31, 2020. Trudeau continues his virtual tour of Canada today, with electronic visits to the Atlantic provinces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes OTTAWA - There have been some delays getting some emergency pandemic benefit cheques out the door this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Thursday. "We're working through some of the challenges because there was an extension," Trudeau said in an interview with Paddy Daly of radio station VOCM in St. John's, N.L. "There might be a couple little hiccups, but we have said from the beginning we'd be there for Canadians and we will continue to be there for them." The Canada Emergency Response Benefit, paying up to $500 a week to people whose jobs or hours were cut in the COVID-19 pandemic, was due to expire at the end of August. On Aug. 20, the Liberals extended it by four weeks as they promised a transition to a revised program. However some people who applied for the benefit for September did not receive it yet as expected. Trudeau's virtual visit to Atlantic Canada followed a day of digital touring around British Columbia Wednesday. Trudeau met online with Premier John Horgan and consulted with B.C. business and environmental leaders about how to ensure a green economic recovery from the devastating impact of the pandemic. Trudeau is planning to unveil what he promises will be a bold economic recovery plan in a throne speech on Sept. 23. The speech will be put to a confidence vote, which could potentially result in the defeat of the minority Liberal government. With the possibility of a fall election in mind, the Atlantic tour had a political flavour. Liberal MPs accompanied the prime minister on virtual visits to businesses that have used various federal emergency aid programs to stay afloat during the health crisis. Trudeau also spoke with Newfoundland and Labrador's new Liberal premier, Andrew Furey. Following that meeting, Furey and Trudeau announced that Newfoundland would start using the federal COVID alert app. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Trudeau then met online with the owner and employees of Louisbourg Seafoods in Nova Scotia, which used the emergency wage subsidy to continue operations during the pandemic. He also had an online stop at Distillerie Fils du Roy in New Brunswick, an Acadian company that switched from producing spirits to hand sanitizer during the pandemic to supply governments and essential workers, with the help of a federal emergency loan program. Trudeau was also to have a meeting at Tronosjet Maintenance Inc., a Prince Edward Island aerospace company that has been producing disposable 3D printed protective caps for ear thermometers to address shortages at a local hospital and is hoping to develop additional testing equipment. Trudeau normally uses the summer to travel the country and engage in outreach with community leaders and voters outside the Ottawa bubble but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put a severe crimp in his usual cross-country travels. Like other political leaders, Trudeau has been forced to find other ways to conduct regional outreach. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. Mobility and mapping have gained much relevance in the last decade, given the spike in app-based mobility services food delivery, ride-hailing, and e-commerce, to name a few. However, present-day mapping services like Google Maps have a constraint, says NextBillion AI co-founder Ajay Bulusu--the product isnt exactly built for an enterprise. Businesses use Google Maps to get around but macro-factors keep changing every other day, says Ajay, the co-founder of Singapore-based NextBillion AI, which he helped set up earlier this year. The needs for enterprises are very different, and the fact is that one map doesnt fit all, he adds. To address the pressing need for a more customized product for mobility businesses, Ajay and his partner Gaurav Bubna are working on what they are calling a hyper-local mapping solution. Their product, the duo says, will launch in a few months and will focus on everyday nitty-gritty in smaller geographies to offer enterprises a more relatable and relevant mapping solution. If the government of Jakarta, for instance, decides to implement an odd-even scheme for cars, or if Singapore shuts certain roads at the central business district to conduct Formula One races, our map hopes to capture these hyper-local alterations and present it to the user because this information is crucial to businesses like food delivery and ride-hailing which have to keep running, says Ajay. Given that existing mapping solutions do not account for these changes at the pace at which NextBillion AI hopes to cover them all, the company has signed up with 30 businesses for a pilot run. Customization, Ajay hopes will be another key feature of the map. Our AI engine captures the nitty-gritty of companies transportation needs, he says, We then work with the data in question, for the company we are servicing based on its own historical data. This lets us work on customer experiences, and deliver the product faster. The companies that have partnered with NextBillion AI are those operating in food delivery, freight, logistics, trucking, ride-hailing, and couriers across seven countries, including India. Most customers are working closely with us to figure out how to integrate our map into their infrastructure, says Ajay. Grab stint taught us lessons in product development Ajay and Gaurav both worked at ride-hailing service Grab, where they headed the companys product team. Gaurav held additional charge of ETAs and Navigation, at Grab. One of the key lessons we learned at Grab was how to build products across geographies across eight different countries speaking nine different languages and possessing varying regulations as part of local law, says Bubna, adding, we also lessons on safety at Grab, including how one of our drivers ran into trouble with locals while collecting imagery for maps, which we decided to devote attention to at NextBillion AI. In June, NextBillion AI received $7 million in Series-A funding from Lightspeed Ventures and Falcon Edge Capital. While Ajay and Gaurav are hoping to close the companys next round of funding by 2021, they say they dont have a ticket price in mind, just yet. Aside from hyper-local mapping, NextBillion AI hopes to foray into facial AI and natural language processing. Dr. Jason Chang, assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center performs a simulated intubation with the individual biocontainment unit developed by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory and UPMC. Credit: Courtesy photo The U.S. Army partnered with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to create a biocontainment unit that could help healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. Researchers from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory and UPMC created an individual biocontainment unit that uses negative pressure to suction the air from around a patient and filter out viral particles. This prevents environmental contamination and limits exposure to SARS-CoV-2. "Outside of the current pandemic, the IBU could be rapidly deployed to isolate patients with any respiratory illness." said study co-author Dr. David Turer, a plastic surgeon who recently completed his residency at UPMC. "It's easy to see this technology used to contain influenza, MERS, or tuberculosis, particularly in places lacking advanced hospital infrastructure." The device and the results of safety testing are described in a study published today in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. This research was first reported by the Army in April during an effort to identify solutions to help combat the spread of COVID-19. At that time, initial approaches to minimize viral spread involved the use of plexiglass barriers, such as intubation boxes, to limit healthcare worker exposure when inserting a breathing tube down a patient's throat. While these barriers may mitigate exposure to larger droplets, the research team hypothesized that they do little to stop the spread of smaller aerosolized viral particles. Army researcher and study co-author, Dr. Cameron Good and Turer, along with a team of colleagues, developed prototype IBUs and tested them by performing simulated medical procedures. Using validated techniques adopted from the medical research laboratory community, they tested the IBU and a plexiglass intubation box for their ability to contain virus-sized particles from a simulated COVID-19 patient. "Greater than 99.99% of the virus-sized aerosols were trapped by the IBU and prevented from escaping into the room," Good said. "When we tested the passive intubation box, we observed more than three times the aerosol concentration outside the boxwhere the healthcare provider is locatedthan inside the box. It is not safe to use these intubation boxes without actively filtering the air." The Food and Drug Administration recently revoked an emergency use authorization for passive plexiglass intubation barriers and mandated the use of negative pressure systems, such as the IBU, to prevent viral spread. The team is actively developing a portable vacuum and filter system that can run on a battery pack for use in austere environments where energy resources are limited, which is of particular interest for military and humanitarian applications. "The ability to isolate COVID-19 patients at the bedside is key to stopping viral spread in medical facilities and onboard military ships and aircraft, particularly to limit transmission through close quarters or shared ventilation systems," Good said. The FDA is considering a recently submitted emergency use authorization. Once granted, hospitals and military units will be able to use IBUs immediately to protect healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients and to prepare for future surges. "None of this would have been possible without the extremely dedicated clinicians and engineers who rapidly designed, built, tested and validated the equipment," Good said. "I want to thank Dr. Robert Turer [David Turer's brother] from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nick Karlowsky from Filtech, Inc., Drs. Lucas Dvoracek, J. Peter Rubin and Jason Chang from UPMC, and Ben Schilling and Dr. Heng Ban from the University of Pittsburg. It truly takes a team." The Pakistani Taliban have been targeting the military and civilians across the country since 2001, when this Islamic nation joined the U.S.-led war on terror following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. Since then, the insurgents have declared war on the government of Pakistan and have carried out numerous attacks, including a brutal assault on an army-run school in the city of Peshawar in 2014 that killed 140 children and several teachers. Millions of Americans are counting on a COVID-19 vaccine to curb the global pandemic and return life to normal. While one or more options could be available toward the end of this year or early next, the path to delivering vaccines to 330 million people remains unclear for the local health officials expected to carry out the work. We havent gotten a lot of information about how this is going to roll out, said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Texas Harris County Public Health department, which includes Houston. In a four-page memo this summer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by Oct. 1 to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine. But health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses. Nor do they know when, or if, theyll get federal aid to do that. Dozens of doctors, nurses and health officials interviewed by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press expressed concern about the countrys readiness to conduct mass vaccinations, as well as frustration with months of inconsistent information from the federal government. The gaps include figuring out how officials will keep track of who has gotten which doses and how theyll keep the workers who give the shots safe, with enough protective gear and syringes to do their jobs. With only about half of Americans saying they would get vaccinated, according to a poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it also will be crucial to educate people about the benefits of vaccination, said Molly Howell, who manages the North Dakota Department of Healths immunization program. The unprecedented pace of vaccine development has left many Americans skeptical about the safety of COVID-19 immunizations; others simply dont trust the federal government. Were in a very deep-red state, said Ann Lewis, CEO of CareSouth Carolina, a group of community health centers that serve mostly low-income people in five rural counties in South Carolina. The message that is coming out is not a message of trust and confidence in medical or scientific evidence. PAYING FOR THE ROLLOUT The U.S. has committed more than $10 billion to develop new coronavirus vaccines but hasnt allocated money specifically for distributing and administering vaccines. And while states, territories and 154 large cities and counties received billions in congressional emergency funding, that money can be used for a variety of purposes, including testing and overtime pay. An ongoing investigation by KHN and the AP has detailed how state and local public health departments across the U.S. have been starved for decades, leaving them underfunded and without adequate resources to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The investigation further found that federal coronavirus funds have been slow to reach public health departments, forcing some communities to cancel non-coronavirus vaccine clinics and other essential services. States are allowed to use some of the federal money theyve already received to prepare for immunizations. But AP and KHN found that many health departments are so overwhelmed with the current costs of the pandemic such as for testing and contact tracing that they cant reserve money for the vaccine work to come. Health departments will need to hire people to administer the vaccines and systems to track them, and pay for supplies such as protective medical masks, gowns and gloves, as well as warehouses and refrigerator space. CareSouth Carolina is collaborating with the state health department on testing and the pandemic response. It used federal funding to purchase $140,000 retrofitted vans for mobile testing, which it plans to continue to use to keep vaccines cold and deliver them to residents when the time comes, said Lewis. But most vaccine costs will be new. Pima County, Arizona, for example, is already at least $30 million short of what health officials need to fight the pandemic, let alone plan for vaccines, said Dr. Francisco Garcia, deputy county administrator and chief medical officer. Some federal funds will expire soon. The $150 billion that states and local governments received from a fund in the CARES Act, for example, covers only expenses made through the end of the year, said Gretchen Musicant, health commissioner in Minneapolis. Thats a problem, given vaccine distribution may not have even begun. Although public health officials say they need more money, Congress left Washington for its summer recess without passing a new pandemic relief bill that would include additional funding for vaccine distribution. States are anxious to receive those funds as soon as possible, so they can do what they need to be prepared, said Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition, a national vaccine education and advocacy organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. We cant assume they can take existing funding and attempt the largest vaccination campaign in history. WHATS THE PLAN? Then theres the basic question of scale. The federally funded Vaccines for Children program immunizes 40 million children each year. In 2009 and 2010, the CDC scaled up to vaccinate 81 million people against pandemic H1N1 influenza. And last winter, the country distributed 175 million vaccines for seasonal influenza vaccine, according to the CDC. But for the U.S. to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus, most experts say, the nation would likely need to vaccinate roughly 70% of Americans, which translates to 200 million people and because the first vaccines will require two doses to be effective 400 million shots. Although the CDC has overseen immunization campaigns in the past, the Trump administration created a new program, called Operation Warp Speed, to facilitate vaccine development and distribution. In August, the administration announced that McKesson Corp., which distributed H1N1 vaccines during that pandemic, will also distribute COVID-19 vaccines to doctors offices and clinics. With few exceptions, our commercial distribution partners will be responsible for handling all the vaccines, Operation Warp Speeds Paul Mango said in an email. Were not going to have 300 million doses all at once, said Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Health and Human Services Department, despite earlier government pledges to have many doses ready by the new year. We believe we are maximizing our probability of success of having tens of millions of doses of vaccines by January 2021, which is our goal. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said it will take time for the vaccines to be widespread enough for life to return to whats considered normal. We have to be prepared to deal with this virus in the absence of significant vaccine-induced immunity for a period of maybe a year or longer, Adalja said in August. In preliminary guidance for state vaccine managers, the CDC said doses will be distributed free of charge from a central location. Health departments local vaccination plans may be reviewed by both the CDC and Operation Warp Speed. The CDC spent two days working with vaccine planners in five locations North Dakota, Florida, California, Minnesota and Philadelphia to discuss potential obstacles and solutions. No actual vaccines were distributed during the planning sessions, which focused on how to get vaccines to people in places as different as urban Philadelphia, where pharmacies abound, and rural North Dakota, which has few chain drugstores but many clinics run by the federal Indian Health Service, said Kris Ehresmann, who directs infectious disease control at the Minnesota Department of Health. Those planning sessions have made Ehresmann feel more confident about whos in charge of distributing vaccines. We are getting more specific guidance from CDC on planning now, she said. We feel better about the process, though there are still a lot of unknowns. OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY COULD HAMPER RESPONSE Still, many public health departments will struggle to adequately track who has been vaccinated and when, because a lack of funding in recent decades has left them in the technological dark ages, said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In Mississippi, for example, health officials still rely on faxes, said the states health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs. You cant manually handle 1,200 faxes a day and expect anything efficient to happen,? he said. When COVID-19 vaccines become available, health providers will need to track where and when patients receive their vaccines, said Moore, the medical director of Tennessees immunization plan during the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009 and 2010. And with many different shots in the works, they will need to know exactly which one each patient got, she said. People will need to receive their second COVID-19 dose 21 or 28 days after the first, so health providers will need to remind patients to receive their second shot, Moore said, and ensure that the second dose is the same brand as the first. The CDC will require vaccinators to provide dose-level accounting and reporting for immunizations, so that the agency knows where every dose of COVID-19 vaccine is at any point in time, Moore said. Although the sophistication of these systems has improved dramatically in the past decade, she said, many states will still face major challenges meeting data tracking and reporting expectations. The CDC is developing an app called the Vaccine Administration Monitoring System for health departments whose data systems dont meet standards for COVID-19 response, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit based in Rockville, Maryland. Those standards havent been released, Hannan said, so health departments are waiting to invest in necessary IT enhancements.? The CDC needs to release standards and data expectations as quickly as possible, she added. Meanwhile, health departments are dealing with what Minnesotas Ehresmann described as legacy vaccine registries, sometimes dating to the late 1980s. A HISTORIC TASK Overwhelmed public health teams are already working long hours to test patients and trace their contacts, a time-consuming process that will need to continue even after vaccines become available. When vaccines are ready, health departments will need more staffers to identify people at high risk for COVID-19, who should get the vaccine first, Moore said. Public health staff also will be needed to educate the public about the importance of vaccines and to administer shots, she said, as well as monitor patients and report serious side effects. At an August meeting about vaccine distribution, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois health department, said her state will need to recruit additional health professionals to administer the shots, including nursing students, medical students, dentists, dental hygienists and even veterinarians. Such vaccinators will need medical-grade masks, gowns and gloves to keep themselves safe as they handle needles. Many health officials say they feel burned by the countrys struggle to provide hospitals with ventilators last spring, when states found themselves bidding against one another for a limited supply. Those concerns are amplified by the continuing difficulties providing enough testing kits; supplying health workers with personal protective equipment; allocating drugs such as remdesivir; and recruiting contact tracers who track down everyone with whom people diagnosed with COVID-19 have been in contact. Although Ehresmann said shes concerned Minnesota could run out of syringes, she said the CDC has assured her it will provide them. Given that vaccines are far more complex than personal protective equipment and other medical supplies one vaccine candidate must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit Plescia said people should be prepared for shortages, delays and mix-ups. Its probably going to be even worse than the problems with testing and PPE, Plescia said. Szabo is a writer for Kaiser Health News. Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith and KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber contributed to this report. This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KHN, which is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. The energy cooperative has embarked on a plan called the Carbon Free Power Project that aims to supply carbon-free energy to its nearly 50 members, mostly municipalities, in six Western states. The company plans to buy the reactors from NuScale, then assemble them in Idaho. The company is also looking to bring on other utilities that would use the power generated by the reactors. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sept. 2, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Says North Carolina Residents Can Check Their Votes in Person After Voting by Mail Media outlets interpreted president as having encouraged people to vote twice President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that voters in the state of North Carolina could check their mail-in vote by going to a polling place in person to check whether it had been tabulated. His comment was characterized by several media outlets as a form of encouragement for people to vote twice. The president was asked by WECT-TV in Wilmington, North Carolina, Six hundred thousand people could vote by absentee in this state, are you confident in that system? Trump responded, Well, theyll go out and theyll vote, and theyre going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way, because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So, let them send it in, and let them go vote, and if their system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote, he continued. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. So, thats the way it is. But send in your ballots, send them in strong, whether its solicited or unsolicited, the absentees are finewe have to work to get them, you know, it means something. And you send them in. But you go to voteand if they havent counted it, you can vote. So, thats the way I view it. Several media outlets interpreted the presidents comments as having seemingly encouraged voters to vote twice. The outlets pointed out that voting more than once in an election is illegal. Trump campaign director of communications Tim Murtaugh said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Thursday: President Trump has been working tirelessly to fight the radical changes to voting laws Democrats and radical left-wing judges have been forcing through mere months before an election. The President is now drawing attention to the reckless election law tampering Democrats are doing in states across the country, creating the very real opportunity for people to vote twice, as we know happened in Philadelphia. President Trump encourages supporters to vote absentee-by-mail early, and then show up in person at the polls or the local registrar to verify that their vote has already been counted, Murtaugh added. Its amazing that the media can go from insisting that voter fraud doesnt exist to screaming about it when President Trump points out the giant holes in the Democrats voting schemes. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News on Thursday, The president is not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful. What he said very clearly there is make sure your vote is tabulated and if it is not, then vote. He wants verification, she added. At a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, she told reporters, The President is crystal clear here that he onlyagain, to read that part of his quote: If your vote isnt tabulated, then youll be able to vote in person. This is about verifying that every vote is counted, because we know voters are disenfranchised, she continued. Just in the 2020 presidential primary, for instance, there were 100,000 ballots rejected in Californiamail-in ballots. In New York, one in fivethink about thatone in five mail-in ballots were rejected, a total of 84,000 ballots rejected in New York City alone. Read More One in 5 Mail-In Ballots Not Counted in New York City Primary And we know the thin margins by which elections are decided, and we also know that, as research has shown, young, black, and Hispanic voters are more likely to have their mail-in ballots rejected. Thats according to a Washington Post article, she added. So the President wants enfranchisement, not disenfranchisement. Thats his goal with the comments that he made yesterday. North Carolina allows any registered voter to request a ballot by mail. WECT-TV reported that it is clerically impossible for someone in North Carolina to vote twice due to a tracking mechanism that ensures that if a voter has mailed in their ballot, their vote would be recorded and they would not be allowed to cast a ballot come election day. Barr Weighs In Attorney General William Barr, in an interview with CNN late Wednesday, was asked to comment on Trumps remarks. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer commented, It sounds like hes encouraging people to break the law and try to vote twice. Well, I dont know exactly what he was saying, Barr responded. But it seems to me what hes saying is, hes trying to make the point that the ability to monitor this system is not good and if it was so good, if you tried to vote a second time, you would be caught if you voted in person. Attorney General William Barr listens during an event in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Aug. 4, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) That would be illegal if they did that, Blitzer interjected. If somebody mailed in a ballot, and then actually showed up to vote in person, that would be illegal. Barr replied, I dont know what the law in the particular state says. You cant vote twice, Blitzer responded. Barr responded, Well I dont know the law in a particular state says, and when that vote becomes final Any state says that you can vote twice? Blitzer asked. Well, theres somemaybe you can change your vote up to a particular time, I dont know what the law is, Im not going to offer it, Barr said. The attorney general said that he believes that mail-in voting faces risks of fraud and coercion, adding, The only time the narrative changed is after this administration came in. Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion, Barr asserted. He pointed to a recent indictment of a person in Texas with over 1,700 fraudulent ballots. Blitzer asserted that evidence isnt available for widespread fraud, but Barr responded by noting that this is because the United States has never attempted an election with the kind of widespread use of mail-in ballots as being proposed. Barr made a clear distinction between absentee voting and universal mail-in voting and said that absentee voting is fine. We havent had the kind of widespread use of mail-in ballots being proposed, Barr told CNN. Weve had absentee ballots from people who request them from a specific address. Now what were talking about is mailing them [the ballots] to everyone on the voter list, when everyone knows those voter lists are inaccurate. People who should get them dont get them, which is one of the major complaints in the states that have tried this in municipal elections, and people who get them are not the right people, theyre people who have replaced the previous occupant. Sometimes multiple ballots come to the same address with several generations of occupants, do you think thats a way to run a vote? he added. Election workers sort vote-by-mail ballots for the presidential primary at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., on March 10, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) Barr told Blitzer that the Department of Justice is investigating voter fraud cases in multiple states. Trumps reelection campaign has recently sued New Jersey and Nevada for expanding access to mail-in voting. Sarah Matthews, a White House spokeswoman, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement in late August, All Americans deserve an election system that is fair and balanced and President Trump is highlighting that Democrats plan for universal mail-out voting would lead to fraud. Their attempts to impose a new voting system without the proper guardrails in a hurried fashion ahead of November are reckless. Washington States Secretary of State Kim Wyman told The New York Times in April that universal mail-in voting across the nation is unlikely to be workable by this November. You cant just flip a switch and go from real low absentee ballots to 100 percent vote-by-mail, she told the paper, noting that It took 5 years to get all 39 of our counties to move to vote-by-mail. Trump has repeatedly expressed his concern over universal mail-in ballots, saying they could lead to a surge in fraud. He has also repeatedly made a distinction between universal mail-in voting and absentee voting. Absentee is great. Its been working for a long time, like in Florida. Absenteeyou request, and it comes in, and then you send it back. Absentee is great, but universal is going to be a disaster, the likes of which our country has never seen, he said on Aug. 18. Itll end up being a rigged election, or they will never come out with an outcome. Theyll have to do it again. And nobody wants that, and I dont want that. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic on Aug. 13, If you go and wear a mask, if you observe the physical distancing and dont have a crowded situation, theres no reason why you shouldnt be able to do that [vote in person] theres no reason why we shouldnt be able to vote in person or otherwise. This article has been updated to include comments from the White House Press Secretary and the Trump campaign. US Says Will Make Sure All Chinese Embassy Social Media Pages Identified as Government Accounts Sputnik News 14:34 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 16:27 GMT 02.09.2020) According to the US State Department, senior Chinese diplomats in the US will now be required to receive approval to visit US university campuses and meet with local government officials. The US will take action to help ensure that all Chinese embassy social media accounts are properly identified as government accounts, a statement by the US State Department says. It added that all cultural events hosted by the Chinese embassy and consular posts outside mission properties with over 50 people attending will also require approval from the department. Apart from this, senior Chinese diplomats in the US will have to receive permission from the State Department to visit US university campuses and meet with local government officials. Washington is responding to what it earlier described as Beijing's restrictions on US diplomats based in China. Last month, US President Donald Trump ordered China to shut down its consulate in Houston. According to officials, the move was aimed at securing US intellectual property and curbing alleged Chinese espionage. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sebastian Smith (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 11:45 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426fb5d 2 World Donald-Trump,US-presidential-election,US-presidential-race,conspiracy-theory Free Eight weeks before the US election, President Donald Trump is hurtling down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories filled with black-clad saboteurs, "dark shadows," the deep state, QAnon, and claims that he is victim of a coup and/or plans to rig the polls. The Republican's latest story is that a planeload of agitators deployed to disrupt his party convention in Washington last week -- or something like 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 told Fox News on Monday. On Tuesday, he told reporters about an "entire plane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters." The president then teased: "I'll see if I can get that information for you." He didn't. But distinct similarities emerged between Trump's plot and a conspiracy theory about airborne leftist provocateurs circulating on Facebook earlier this summer, prompting US media to ask if that was his supposedly secret source. Fact checking has become an industry in the age of Trump. Keeping up, though, is impossible. In the same Fox interview, Trump said that Biden, who leads in many polls ahead of the November 3 vote, is a puppet controlled by "people that you've never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows." "Sounds like a conspiracy theory," the Fox interviewer, Laura Ingraham, said. "They're people you haven't heard of," Trump repeated. Election rigging The men in black and "shadows" narratives are just two threads in a Trump tapestry depicting his presidency as besieged by an unidentifiable "deep state" seeking to wreck his first term and fixing the election to ensure he doesn't get a second. He characterizes official probes into his relations with Russia -- which US law enforcement has repeatedly accused of working to boost Trump's 2016 election chances -- as a "hoax" and a "coup." Almost daily, he claims that increased mail-in voting, due to the coronavirus pandemic, is a gambit to "rig" the November election against him. The scale of the claims, made without evidence, is not far off the viral QAnon conspiracy theory that has been bubbling under the surface ever since early in the Trump presidency. QAnon posits that an anonymous, high-level government insider codenamed Q is heroically working to expose an anti-Trump cabal which is somehow also running an international Satanic pedophile child-trafficking ring and controlling the world. Q has ever-growing numbers of supporters both online and in real life, including among members of the public who come out to cheer Trump at rallies or other events. A Republican QAnon believer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, just won selection to run for a congressional safe seat in Georgia. Trump, who heartily congratulated Greene, is doing nothing to tamp down Q fever. "It is gaining in popularity," Trump said approvingly last month. "They like me very much." Rich Hanley, a professor at Quinnipiac University's School of Communications, says Trump reflects -- and profits from -- a society ever more lost in the smoke and mirrors of the internet. "He may be an outlier among presidents, but not among a growing number of conspiracy theory loving Americans," Hanley said. And with presidential election results potentially coming out only days after the polls close, due to much greater use of mail-in voting, paranoia and rumor-mongering is likely poised to hit an all-time high. "It will be the Woodstock of conspiracy theories regardless of who wins, because this sort of fiction is so embedded now in the alternate reality of millions of people," Hanley said. 'We strongly condemn Charlie Hebdo magazine's decision to republish caricatures that disrespect our religion and our prophet,' the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. Turkey on Wednesday denounced the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo's decision to reprint cartoons of the prophet Mohammed and condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's "unacceptable" declaration of support. Charlie Hebdo, a target of a 2015 massacre by Islamist gunmen, marked the start of the trial of 14 suspects in the attack by republishing cartoons it originally ran in 2006 which incited outrage across the Muslim world. Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but officially secular country, joined Pakistan in officially condemning the cartoons' republication, and criticised Macron for defending the magazine's "freedom to blaspheme". "We strongly condemn Charlie Hebdo magazine's decision to republish caricatures that disrespect our religion and our prophet," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. "The efforts of French authorities, especially President Macron, to explain this within the context of the freedom of expression, are unacceptable," the ministry said, adding that the cartoons took "aim at our sacred values". Turkey's condemnation of Macron adds to the long list of disagreements between Ankara and Paris, which are on opposite sides of the conflict in Libya and at odds over maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Twelve people, including some of France's most celebrated cartoonists, were killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack, which came during a three-day killing spree in the Paris area that claimed 17 lives. Fourteen people accused of helping jihadist gunmen storm the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket went on trial Wednesday, under m under heavy security. Search Keywords: Short link: Amina Mohamed Kenyas minister of Sport, Heritage and Culture - bears Africas hopes to lead the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the first time in history. Mohamed was thrust into the spotlight by reason of the sudden resignation of WTO Director General, the Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, almost a year before the end of his term. Incidentally, Azevedo is the man who beat Mohamed for the post back in 2013. He leaves the organisation this month (August) in his own words, to allow for a successor to be chosen before WTO Council meetings in 2021. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has already endorsed Mohameds candidature for the top post of what is considered an indispensable backbone of international trade cooperation WTO, which started in the late 1940s as the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). Kenya submitted Mohameds candidature for the position on July 7, 2020 with a conviction that she will revitalise the WTO to better serve the needs of all nations big and small given her attributes as a firm believer in the strengthening of international multilateral institutions. In an exclusive interview with Kenyas Ambassador to Botswana, His Excellency Mohamed Shidiye this week in Gaborone, he waxed lyrical about the Kenyan candidates abilities. He said the post of Director General of WTO requires the skills of ambassador, vision of a politician and tenacity of a technocrat. Somehow, Mohamed fits all these qualities. She is an accomplished civil servant and diplomat boasting over three decades of service in various high-level international, regional and national portfolios; has held various ministerial portfolios in Kenya including in Foreign Affairs. During this time Kenya hosted the 10 th WTO Ministerial Conference for the first time in Africa, which she also chaired, becoming the first woman to ever chair the WTO Ministerial conference. Kenya also hosted for the first time in Africa, the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICA VI), which Mohamed co-chaired. Japan pledged US$30 billion towards infrastructure and people empowerment in Africa and $10 billion under public private partnership. Ambassador Shidiye explained that Mohamed has also chaired WTO Ministerial Committees at the highest level, thereby making her the ideal candidate among the eight candidates from Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea, Moldovia, The United Kingdom and Kenya. Mohameds prospects look bright. Africa has three candidates; Middle East has one while South America - Mexico has held the post before and was succeeded by Brazil, which discounts her. In Africa 44 members will vote 10 are observers; Asia has 34, while 40 will vote in Europe; Middle East 11 and South America 34 bringing the total to 163 votes. Only four candidates will remain after the first round. The voting is based on consensus. In the second round two will remain and then people will negotiate or bargain. Africa currently commands only two percent of the global trade. An African candidate will reform, reboot and reorganise WTO to open trade between Africa and the rest of the world. If she triumphs, Mohammed will be the first woman to hold the position of Director General of WTO. A spokesperson of SADC told Botswana Guardian that the regional economic bloc had not yet pronounced its position to back the candidate from East Africa Community (EAC). Ghislaine Maxwells quest to block the unsealing of her 2016 deposition from a civil suit brought by one of Jeffrey Epsteins alleged victims was dealt a major blow Wednesday when a federal judge in Maxwells criminal case blocked the release of critical new information that Maxwell had sought to share as justification for keeping the deposition secret. Maxwells legal team has argued that the deposition should remain under seal so that she can get a fair trial in her criminal case, for which she faces four counts of sexual trafficking of a minor and two counts of perjury. But after fourteen single-spaced pages of heated rhetoric, the Defendant proffers no more than vague, speculative, and conclusory assertions as to why that is the case, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan wrote in denying the request. Maxwell, Epsteins reputed madam, was arrested on July 2 at a 156-acre New Hampshire estate where she had been hiding out. She had toured the property under an assumed name and the property was purchased last December through a shell company. In late July, filings for the shell company were changed to list Maxwells longtime friend and Los Angeles lawyer, Leah Saffian. Maxwell is accused in the criminal case of recruiting and grooming three girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 1997. In one case, she is alleged to have participated in the abuse herself. Maxwells presence as an adult woman helped put the victims at ease as Maxwell and Epstein intended, Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, said in announcing the charges against her at a July news conference. Maxwell was arrested nearly one year after Epstein faced new sex charges. Epstein has been accused of abusing dozens of girls and the Herald reported on the extraordinarily lenient sentence he received in 2008 in its Perversion of Justice series. The renewed attention to Epsteins sentence contributed to the new charges and led then-U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who had approved the sentence as the U.S. attorney for Southern Florida, to resign from President Donald Trumps Cabinet. Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Manhattans Metropolitan Correctional Center. His death came one day after a trove of documents were released from Maxwells civil defamation suit, which was brought against her by Virginia Giuffre in 2015. The documents shed light on Maxwells alleged role in recruiting girls and young women for Epsteins abuse and taking part in the abuse. Story continues Giuffre said that Maxwell recruited her around the time of her 17th birthday when Giuffre was working as a spa assistant at President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago club. Giuffre said that in addition to Epstein abusing her, he and Maxwell directed her to have sex with their famous friends, including Prince Andrew, former Sen. George Mitchell and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, among others. The men have all denied the claims. Giuffre said she was directed to have sex with prominent attorney Alan Dershowitz, who previously defended Epstein, a claim which he has also denied. He and Giuffre have sued each other for defamation. The Maxwell suit was settled in 2017. The Herald, among others, has fought for material from the case to be unsealed. Maxwells appeal of a July decision to unseal her deposition will be heard on Sept. 22. Maxwell has argued that release of her deposition and the deposition of an unnamed J. Doe 1 from the Giuffre defamation suit will jeopardize her chances of a fair criminal trial. Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, says she was working as a locker room attendant at Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort when she was approached by Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins associate, about becoming a masseuse for Epstein. The deposition in that case formed the basis for the two perjury charges Maxwell faces in her criminal case. Her lawyers have argued that the deposition was obtained by federal prosecutors in violation of a protective order in the civil case, but federal prosecutors explained in a filing last month, how they had obtained the deposition materials. The prosecutors also said that the federal grand jury investigating Epstein and Maxwells alleged crimes is still active and suggested that more charges could be on the horizon related to their activities. SHORT HILLS, N.J., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) announced today the launch of three Spanish-language webinars in celebration of SCI Awareness Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. "Developing a webinar series for our Spanish-speaking audience was an important step in creating an educational opportunity and cultivating representation in the Spanish-speaking paralysis community. We wanted to ensure a safe space for people living with paralysis, their loved ones, and caregivers to learn more about the PRC programs and services; while working with organizations that could provide critical information during these times," says, Freddy Perez, the Associate for Community Outreach. Our speakers come from a variety of organizations. On September 15, 2020, we have Yessica M. Guardiola-Marrero of the Northeast ADA Center. The Northeast ADA Center (NEADAC) is one of the ten ADA Regional Centers that make up the ADA National Network, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. The goal of the NEADAC is to provide information guidance and training on the implementation of all aspects of the ADA across communities, businesses, and individual lives. Ms. Guardiola-Marrero will be talking about the 30th Anniversary of the ADA, along with its impact on the lives of Hispanics living with physical disabilities. A week later, on September 22, 2020, we have Betzaida Ramos, Executive Director of Movimiento para el Alcance de Vida Independiente (MAVI), a former Quality of Life Grant Recipient. MAVI is an independent living center with more than 32 years' experience providing services to people with diverse disabilities in Puerto Rico. Ms. Ramos will be talking about the importance of Independent Living Centers, its services, and the critical role they play during moments of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, our Reeve Spanish Webinar series will wrap up on September 29, 2020, with the National Coalition for Latinx with Disabilities (NCLD). NCLD is a 100% volunteer, national organization dedicated to affirming, celebrating, and collectively uplifting Latinxs with disabilities through community building, advocacy, protection of rights, resources, and education. Dr. Lisette Torres and Catalina Galvan will be discussing key issues affecting the Hispanic community and how-to self-advocate. The three webinars will cover important topics such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and its impact on Hispanic communities, the importance of the independent living movement and its critical services during a pandemic, as well as ways to advocate for a variety of issues that are important to the Hispanic community. These webinars will be exclusively in Spanish, and we ask our community to join us. Registration details can be found by visiting our events page, www.ChristopherReeve.org/Events The Paralysis Resource center houses many resources that are available in Spanish. From our Paralysis Resource Guide, to wallet cards, to blogs, there are valuable sources of information that can be helpful. Our Information Specialist team includes a Spanish-speaker who is available to respond to questions related to paralysis, including spinal cord injury, transverse myelitis, stroke, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. Visit our Spanish webpage, www.paralisis.org, for more information. September 15, 2020 3:00pm ET- Decimotercero Aniversario de la ADA Que significa la ADA para los latinos con discapacidades fisicas? (30th Anniversary of the ADA What does the ADA mean for Latinos with Physical Disabilities?) | Speaker: Yessica M. Guardiola-Marrero of Northeast ADA Center September 22, 2020 3:00pm ET- Servicios de Vida Independiente en Puerto Rico (Independent Living Services in Puerto Rico) | Speaker: Betzaida Ramos Charriez of Movimiento para el Alcance de Vida Independiente (MAVI) September 29, 2020 3:00pm ET- Nuestra voz puede cambiar vidas (Our Voice Can Changes Lives) |Speakers: Dr. Lisette E. Torres-Gerald & Catalina Galvan of the National Coalition for Latinx with Disabilities (NCLD) About the Reeve Foundation The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau's standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB's Charity Seal. The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is a program of the Reeve Foundation and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (cooperative agreement number 90PRRC0002-03-00). For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309. Media Contact: Freddy Perez 973-933-7208 [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/349951/christopher___dana_reeve_foundation_logo.jpg SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Related Links www.christopherreeve.org In 2018, a film that created a storm at the box-office unexpectedly was Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. The film starring Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha and Sunny Singh got the audiences laughing and made it to the 100 crore club. The film shot Kartik Aaryan to stardom and is one of the most loved films even today. Sunny Singh spoke to Mumbai Mirror and confirmed that a sequel for the film and also Pyaar Ka Punchnama 3 is on director Luv Ranjans mind. Sunny Singh who spoke to the daily about his recent work for a commercial and about his future projects, spilled the beans that SKTKS will turn into a franchise, Luv sir (Luv Ranjan who directed Pyaar Ka Punchnama 1 and 2 and) has something in mind, though the timelines have yet to be decided. But Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety will definitely have a sequel while Pyaar Ka Punchnama will have a part 3.This surely sounds interesting and we cant wait to see another round of bromance from. Sunny Singh says that he and Kartik have remained friends and are constantly in touch with each other. Infact since they stay in the same vicinity, their parents even catch up at times and now the two actors have become family friends. Welland councils decision to award itself a whopping 47 per cent pay hike has drawn criticism from the citys transit union, as well as the mayor. Mayor Frank Campion said raising politicians pay while some city workers continue to be laid off due to the pandemic is wrong. Theres never really an appropriate time, but now is not the best time to do something like that, he said. In early August, councillors turned down a consultants recommendation to increase their pay. That decision was reversed on Tuesday. The 46.9 per cent councillor pay hike takes effect immediately. Each of the 12 ward councillors is now being paid $27,884 a year, a massive jump of $8,903 from $18,981. Councils decision also increases the mayors salary to $76,208 from $72,99, a 4.4 per cent hike. It was the first time councils remuneration had been reviewed in 30 years but there have been approved cost-of-living increases. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1633 president Chris Moore said hes been getting calls since Wednesday when the Welland Tribune published an article about councils decision online. He said about 65 per cent of the citys transit operations were reduced in March when the city reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. One full-time employee and eight or nine part-timers have yet to be called back. Theyre entitled to it like everybody else, he said of councils decision, but it raises a lot of questions and concerns with everything else going on. Getting people back to work should be a bigger priority than council pay, he said. Why are there people still sitting at home and theyre getting a raise? Campion said he plans to return his annual salary increase to the city or donate it to a local charity. In an interview Thursday, he said the difference he receives will not line his pockets. I need to give this money back somehow, he said. Campion asked council on Tuesday night to omit the mayors salary increase. Councillors voted against the idea. Weve really been counting every penny because we dont want to see any of the costs associated with COVID-19 end up on next years tax bill, Campion said. The mayor said he hasnt been overwhelmed with feedback from the public since the raise made headlines, but has heard from some people. I didnt get any positive comments. Ward 4 Coun. Bryan Green brought forward the motion to reconsider on Tuesday. Theres never a good time for these kinds of increases, he said Thursday. He admitted the jump may have given some Welland taxpayers sticker shock when they learned about it. A pay review was initially pitched by Ward 2 Coun. Leo Van Vliet in April 2019. Voting against the increases on Tuesday were Campion along with Couns. David McLeod, Tony DiMarco, Lucas Spinosa and Adam Moote. The city has received funding from the federal and provincial governments to assist with pandemic costs, including transit. Welland is receiving transit funding of $743,580, on top of $1.4 million for other operations. Moore said he does not have a clear picture of how Welland Transit will benefit from the money, but hopes it will go toward bringing the system back to full service. Outside the transit realm, there are two full-time unionized city staffers who have not been called back, one in recreation and culture and the other a parking enforcement officer, said Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1115 president Steve Leavitt on Aug. 24. Leavitt did not respond to an interview request Thursday. The citys contract with its CUPE workers expires at the end of this year. In April, the city handed out 101 temporary layoff notices to various casual and full- and part-time staff. There are about 150 CUPE Local 1115 members at Welland city hall. Unifor Local 199 represents outside workers including parks and recreation staff, water and sewer worker and facility workers, such as those at arenas. WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Trump administration have come to an informal deal to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month when the federal government is set to run out of funding, two congressional sources said Thursday. Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin came to the agreement Tuesday during a phone call about the two sides' stalled efforts to pass another COVID-19 relief package, a source familiar with the call said. The deal would extend government funding at the same levels they are currently operating at and will likely allow both sides of the aisle to avoid a high-stakes series of negotiations before voters cast their ballots in November. Full details about the agreement were not available but staff-level talks are set to begin soon, the two congressional sources said, adding that no decisions have been set in stone on how long the bill would last. Marijuana vote: House will vote on federal marijuana legalization for the first time, bill's future in Senate uncertain While discussions have picked back up between Democrats and the administration on another stimulus relief package to help Americans and businesses weathering the coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear whether any stimulus relief might be added to the government spending bill. Pelosi and Mnuchin did not explicitly discuss the option and did not rule it out, one source familiar with their conversation said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., wears a face mask as she arrives to speak at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 26, 2020. The agreement may ease worries about another government shutdown. But it doesn't solve the issue of how to offer relief to Americans suffering the economic fallout. The two sides remain divided over what they want in a new round of coronavirus relief. Pelosi, Mnuchin, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows negotiated for weeks trying to reconcile the Democrats' roughly $3.4 trillion plan with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's $1.1 trillion package. Both proposals included $1,200 direct payments for struggling Americans, billions for schools trying to reopen and money for businesses trying to stay afloat. Story continues The inaction prompted Trump to sign four executive orders to continue some aspects of earlier stimulus bills, but they did not address all the relief sought in talks. After he signed the orders, the two sides continued to blame the other side for the impasse as Congress left for a month-long recess. The Senate returns from its recess next week, potentially the last opportunity for Congress to act on coronavirus legislation while also juggling must-pass bills to keep the government funded. Senate Republicans have said they hope to vote on a smaller COVID-19 bill next week, though the legislation is likely to face opposition from Democrats who argue more funding is needed to help state and local governments and businesses. More: Republicans say the Senate will take up coronavirus stimulus bill next week amid stalemate with Democrats More: Government shutdown sets record as longest in U.S. history. When will it finally end? More: Fed-up workers, repairs delayed, missed mortgage payments: Why the government shutdown never ended for some White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Thursday "we do believe that we will be able to get funding to avoid a shutdown." The last government shutdown from Dec. 2018 to Jan. 2019 was the longest on record, at 35 days long. Stemming from a standoff between Congress and the White House over funding for a wall along the southern U.S. border, it forced about 800,000 federal government workers to go on furloughs or without pay. Trash piled up at national parks, air travel was disrupted and repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope were delayed. Even tax revenue decreased. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated tax revenue was down $2 billion in 2019 because the IRS had halted some operations during the shutdown. But a shutdown this year would have a ripple effect unlike those before it, experts said. Sarah Binder, professor of political science at George Washington University and a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said it would be a catastrophic blow to have a shutdown in the middle of the pandemic, especially if workers at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health were furloughed. But nobody really wants to be blamed for the government shutdown, especially so close to an election, she said. Congress' few weeks in session are the House and Senate's last opportunity to pass legislation of any kind before the November elections, and Binder said the short time frame could be a way to force lawmakers hands on a deal on both funding the government and a COVID-19 relief bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens to questions during a news conference following a GOP policy meeting on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and the chair of the House Education and Labor Committee said Thursday it was definitely a legitimate question on whether the government could shut down at the end of the month, an outcome he said would be disappointing and regrettable. I don't think there's interest on either side in a government shutdown, particularly in the middle of a pandemic," he said, adding it was likely Congress would pass a measure to fund the government. I would rate the chance of a shutdown is as close as close to zero as you can get," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House, Pelosi reach informal deal to avert government shutdown ERIC BARADAT A pair of potential whistleblowers who knew the inside story of a company operated by three of the richest men in Kazakhstan were both found dead at a motel in Springfield, Missouri, midway through a Route 66 road trip on rented Harley-Davidsons. Autopsy reports initially declared that the two men had died suddenly of malaria, but an expert on the disease told the author of a new book into global corruption that the likelihood of them dying of the same disease on the same night was almost certainly nil. The deaths of the two men are now being investigated by the FBI as it emerged they were potential witnesses in a massive corruption inquiry into a mining company established by three phenomenally wealthy Kazakh oligarchs. South Africans James Bethel, 44, and Gerrit Strydom, 45, who were found dead in their rooms at La Quinta Inn in Springfield in 2015, had quit their roles at a multimillion-dollar mining group, Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC) earlier in the year. The company was, and remains, under investigation for corruption by Britains Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The events are detailed by author Tom Burgis in Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World. He told The Daily Beast: In the West, we tend to forget how connected we are in the global economy to the parts of the world where making money can be a deadly business, places like Congo, Kazakhstan and many points in between, where lives are taken in pursuit of fortunes, to protect secrets or to hurt rivals. These are exactly the kinds of places where Bethel and Strydom operated. The company was founded by three Central Asian businessmen, Alexander Mashkevitch, Patokh Chodiev and Alijan Ibragimov, known simply as the Trio in Kazakhstan. They took control of valuable mines in Kazakhstan during the wave of chaotic privatizations that occurred in the wake of the collapse of the USSR. Their wealth has been estimated by Forbes at $1.9 billion, $1.8 billion, and $1.9 billion respectively. Story continues The mining company was at one stage one of the most valuable companies in the U.K., with a market capitalization of 20 billion ($26 billion). It bought mines in troubled parts of Africa, including Congo and Zimbabwe, that later became the focus of bribery allegations, which it denies. Burgis told The Daily Beast: The billionaires who control ENRC holiday in the south of France with presidents or on superyachts half as long as the Titanic [Uzbekistan-born Ibragimov, spends much of his time on a reported 26-cabin, $200 million yacht]. They snap up Damien Hirsts and hire Craig David to serenade their birthday guests. But more importantly, their money is power in the rawest sense. In places like Kazakhstan and Congo, where life can be tragically cheap and rulers serve the cause of their own enrichment, oligarchs such as these have power like that of the old imperialists. They have extended that power into the rich democracies with the help of lawyers, bankers, spin doctors, lobbyists and spies. Concerns about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the men have been aggravated by the revelation that the two were seen by British prosecutors as potential witnesses in one of the U.K.s biggest corruption probes. The men had held senior positions in the African division of ENRC, which is at the center of a massive seven-year bribery and fraud investigation by the U.K.s SFO. Springfield police announced at the time that the cause of death was cerebral malaria; however, the case was never formally closed. In May this year, a local police spokesperson directed further inquiries to the FBI, saying the Bureau had taken over the investigation of this case, according to Burgis in a piece published in the Financial Times. Bethel and Strydom, Burgis says, were among the most senior ENRC officials running the African operation. However in 2015 they decided to leave the company; the SFO subsequently made contact with Bethel and was apparently interested in contacting Strydom, Burgis reports. In May 2015, after they had left the company, the men flew from Johannesburg via Amsterdam to Chicago, and set off along Route 66 on rented motorcycles, but died in the early stages of the trip. Burgis says that when the cause of death was announced, colleagues of the dead men were immediately skeptical that two men could die of malaria on the same night in the same motel. Sam Wassmer, a malaria expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who reviewed documents obtained by Burgis, said the likelihood of two separate people developing the disease at the exact same time and dying the same night is almost certainly nil. The CDC did not respond to questions from Burgis. The FBI and SFO also declined to comment. ENRC, which is counter-suing the SFO for alleged wrongdoing in the way it conducted its investigation, told Londons Financial Times that it denies any wrongdoing. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday refused to stay the decision of Panjab University (PU) on collecting full fee for the upcoming semester at the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS). The petition against the varsitys move was filed by Nikhil Thamman, a fifth-year student of UILS. The notice has been issued for October 5. However, court refused to stay the impugned order, universitys counsel Vijaypal said. The petitioner had challenged the August 8 order of UILS wide which students were told to pay full fee for the August-December semester. Students were told to deposit advance payment of Rs 51,000 and other charges by August 31. This has been done even as fee deposited for the February-May semester was not utilised as after March 15, no classes were held, the court was told, adding that the varsity be asked to adjust this fees towards the next semester. FINAL EXAMS OF LAST SEMESTER FROM SEPT 17 Chandigarh PU has decided to conduct the final exams of the last semester of various courses from September 17. Students will download the question paper, fill up the answers and submit the scanned copy of the answer sheet, sources said. The decision was taken in a meeting of a panel constituted for conducting the exams under the chairmanship of PU vice-Chancellor Raj Kumar on Thursday. Two engineers were suspended and another moved out after a bridge built under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) in Seoni district, 344 km south east of Bhopal, caved in amid floods, said MP Rural Development Authority officials. Construction of the new bridge near Sunwara village over Wanganga river was completed merely two months back in June. When flood water caused by incessant rains since August 27 receded on August 30, the superstructure of the Rs 3.12 crore bridge was found washed away. There was damage to another bridge too which is 10 years old and constructed over the same river near a dam at Bheemgarh, as per officials. Engineers GP Mehra and his assistant SK Agrawal, who held the posts of general manager and assistant manager, respectively, in MP Rural Road Development Authority (MPRRDA) were suspended by the bodys chief executive officer (CEO) Shashank Mishra on Tuesday. A sub-engineer and in-charge of supervision of the bridge Sonal Rajak was transferred from Seoni, as per officials. The action came based on an inspection of the new bridge conducted by a team, including technical examiner RK Yadav and MPRRDA, Jabalpur, chief general manager BS Bundela on Tuesday, as per officials. After damage to the bridge, the executive engineer, now suspended, GP Mehra had said, Due to incessant rains and flood, all the 10 gates of the dam over Wanganga river near Bheemgarh were opened on Friday night and it caused damage to both the bridges. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 21:00:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel and Italy launched a joint nanosatellite for scientific-medical experiments in space, Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) said on Thursday. The satellite launch is a joint project of both countries' space agencies. The nanosatellite includes a tiny 2.3-kg laboratory, at a size of a milk carton, manufactured by the Israeli start-up company Space Pharma. The lab, called DIDO-3, will conduct four experiments in the fields of medicine, biology and chemistry, to gain findings that are not possible to get under Earth's gravitation. The innovative lab satellite allows scientists to conduct experiments remotely in complete control and in an independent, accessible, and safe way. The first experiment will be carried out by Israel's Sheba Medical Center, in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II, and is expected to examine the development of bacterial resistance against antibiotics without gravity. The second experiment, to be held by the Technion and the University of Bologna, will monitor the speed at which enzymes break up bacterial residues that cause diseases, as part of an effort to prevent infections, mainly in hospitals. Another experiment by the Technion, in collaboration with Roma Tre University, will examine how drugs are absorbed by albumin, a major protein in the blood. The fourth experiment will be conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tor Vergata University of Rome, examining the phenomenon of "folding" DNA molecules, which may shed light on the aging of human cells. The results, expected within weeks, will be transmitted to Earth, and then they will be analyzed by the scientists. Based on the results, the scientists will transmit additional commands for further experiments to the satellite lab, in an interactive and real-time manner. At the same time, the researchers will perform the same experiments on Earth, to compare results under the different conditions. Enditem Performing random acts of kindness can improve your wellbeing more than any pre-planned act of generosity or time spent volunteering, a new study revealed. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong analysed the results of more than 200 previous studies into generosity involving over 198,000 participants. There is a modest link between doing good and mental and physical wellbeing, but not all studies confirmed the link and some found there were caveats. They found that overall unplanned actions such as helping a neighbour with their shopping was more beneficial than a regular volunteering activity. This may be because informal helping is more casual and spontaneous and may more easily lead to forming social connections, study authors explained. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong analysed the results of more than 200 previous studies into generosity involving over 198,000 participants. Stock image To better understand the link between doing good and wellbeing, Dr Hui and colleagues analysed the findings of previous studies - finding not all found a link. Lead author Dr Bryant Hui said altruism, cooperation, trust and compassion are all necessary ingredients of a harmonious and well-functioning society. 'It is part of the shared culture of humankind, and our analysis shows that it also contributes to mental and physical health.' To better understand what led to some studies finding a link and others not finding a link, Dr Hui and his colleagues looked at studies that examined that connection. Overall, they found there was a 'modest' link between doing good and wellbeing. But Dr Hui said that although the effect size was small, it was still 'meaningful' given how many people perform acts of kindness every day.' 'A modest effect size can still have a significant impact at a societal level when many people are participating in the behaviour,' Hui explained. Dr Hui found that random acts of kindness were more strongly associated with overall wellbeing than formal behaviour, such as scheduled volunteering. He said that 'informal giving' is also more varied and less likely to become stale or monotonous than 'formal giving'. The researchers also found a stronger link between kindness and what is known as 'eudaimonic wellbeing'. This focuses on self-actualisation, realising one's potential and finding meaning in life - than between kindness and 'hedonic well-being' which refers to happiness and positive feelings. Dr Hui, who began the research while at Cambridge University, noted that the effects also varied by age. They found that overall unplanned actions such as helping a neighbour with their shopping was more beneficial than a regular volunteering activity. Stock imagee Younger givers reported higher levels of overall wellbeing, eudaimonic wellbeing, and psychological functioning. However, older givers reported higher levels of physical health, Hui explained. Women showed stronger relationships between prosociality and several measures of wellbeing compared with men, according to the findings. Dr Hui said that may be because women are stereotypically expected to be more caring and giving, and so derive a stronger sense of good feelings for acting in accordance with those social norms. He said future research might also examine whether more prosociality is always a good thing, or whether there is an 'ideal level' of prosociality beyond which too much kindness and giving become detrimental to the giver. The findings have been published in the journal Psychological Bulletin. A police officer who once starred in a crime-fighting TV series has been unmasked as a paedophile who tried to groom children online. Lee Tatton, 54, appeared on UKTV's fly-on-the-wall documentary Cops UK: Bodycam Squad as a response officer covering Hanley in 2016. But the Staffordshire Police officer's career now lies in ruins after he admitted a number of child sex offences at Birmingham Crown Court this week. In the show he was nicknamed Tatts and was filmed rescuing people from a flat fire and breaking up a pub brawl in Stoke by camera crews. He was arrested in December last year while dealing with minor crime for the Northern Resolution Centre by his own force's Operation Safenet team. Lee Tatton, 54, appeared on UKTV's fly-on-the-wall documentary Cops UK: Bodycam Squad as a response officer covering Hanley in 2016 At court, Tatton pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and four counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child The dedicated unit is tasked with looking into online child abuse to protect vulnerable young people from perverts and padeophiles. Tatton was immediately suspended from duty by Staffordshire Police and remains on suspension subject to an internal force hearing. At court, Tatton pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and four counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child. He will be sentenced on November 2 this year. Production company Raw Cut spent several weeks in 2016 shadowing paedophile Tatton and his fellow officers on a range of incidents. He was filmed rescuing people from a flat fire and breaking up a brawl a pub in Stoke - where he was accidentally pepper-sprayed by a colleague. But the Staffordshire Police officer's career now lies in ruins after he admitted a number of child sex offences at Birmingham Crown Court this week (pictured: at a drugs bust in 2008) It was hoped that the crime-fighting programme - on UKTV's Really channel - would give the public an insight into the work of Staffordshire Police. Speaking when the show premiered, Tatton said: 'It was put to our shift about the camera crews coming out with us and I was happy to volunteer. After a while it became second nature explaining to them what we were dealing with. 'I hope it will give people an insight into what we do and the things we have to deal with at 4am and 5am when most people are tucked up in bed.' In a statement this week, Assistant Chief Constable Scott Green said: 'Tatton's actions are unacceptable and have caused harm and distress to the very people we should be protecting and keeping safe. 'His actions fell well below the high standards that the public and the force demands and expects of police officers.' The United Nations Security Councils 1267 sanctions sub-committee on Wednesday rejected Islamabads attempts to list 2 Indians as designated terrorists. The Council, led by France, United Kingdom and the United States blocked the designations of Angara Appaji and Gobinda Patnaik on Wednesday, who were part of a group of four Indians that Pakistan alleged were invovled in an Afghanistan-based Indian terror syndicate that were engaged in rousing banned terror groups Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-Ul-Ahrar (JuA) of Pakistan. These groups, Islamabad alleged, were planning to carry out attacks in Pakistan. Indias UN envoy TS Tirumurti hailed the UNSC decision. Pakistans blatant attempt to politicize 1267 special procedure on terrorism by giving it a religious colour has been thwarted by UN Security Council. We thank all Council members whove blocked Pakistans designs," he tweeted. Out of the four names listed, the Committee had earlier rejected two names-Venumadhav Dongara on June 19, and Ajoy Mistry had been blocked by US, UK, France, Germany and Belgium on July 16. While placing a hold on the names of Appaji and Patnaik, the panel had asked Pakistan to provide concerete evidence of their involvement in terror activities, failing which the committee then took a decision to reject all the names. Sources said although all the 5 nations putting the hold blocked the move, the primary move was made by US, UK and France. Pakistan had last week said that at an Open Debate of the Security Council on the Report of the Secretary-General on terrorism, it had accused India of indulging in four types of terrorism. However, the UNSC President had refused to entertain the letter, since Pakistan is not a member of the UNSC. In an application to the UNSC in 2019, Pakistan had named the four Indian nationals and accused them of indluging in terroist activities at Indias behest and had accused India of being a state-sponsor of terrorism. Pakistani Foreign Office had said it was disappointed after UNSC had rejected the first name on the list, that of Venumadhav Dongara. These individuals were financing, sponsoring and organising terrorism inside Pakistan by providing financial, technical and material support to terrorist groups including TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and others, the Pakistani Foreign Office had said in June, that India had denied. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is facing a backlash for urging voters in North Carolina to vote by mail and then try to vote again in person to test the mail-in ballot system in the Nov. 3 election. Trump was asked by a television reporter during his trip Wednesday to Wilmington, North Carolina, if he had confidence in the vote-by-mail system. They will vote and then they are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that," Trump told WECT. "So, let them send it in and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously wont be able to vote (at the poll). If it isnt tabulated, they will be able to vote. North Carolina's attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein, said it is outrageous for the president to suggest that people break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election. Make sure you vote, but do NOT vote twice!" Stein tweeted. I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November. Its a felony under North Carolina state law to vote twice. Once someone has cast an absentee ballot, that person may not change or cancel it, or decide to vote in person on Election Day, according to the state election boards website. Attorney General William Barr, asked during a CNN interview about Trump's suggestion, said he didnt know the election laws in every state, but that agreed with Trump's belief that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud. It's like playing with fire, Barr said. In response, Michigan' attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, tweeted: Hey folks. Attorney General Nessel here-top law enforcement official in Michigan, for those keeping track. Dont try this at home. I will prosecute you. READ MORE: Meet 24 Pennsylvania voters who will help inform The Inquirer's 2020 election coverage States that have relied on mail-in ballots say there is little evidence of fraudulent activity. Multiple studies have debunked the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process. The five states that relied on mail-in ballots even before the coronavirus pandemic Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah have said they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure against fraud and to prevent hostile foreign intruders from trying to influence the vote. More states intend to rely more heavily on mail-in voting this fall because of the pandemic. Barr cited a report from more than a decade ago from a commission led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker that said vote-by-mail was vulnerable to fraud. But the commission pointed out in a statement in May that it had found little evidence of fraud in states such as Oregon that had sufficient safeguards. The White House defended the president, saying that he has fought hard for an election system that is fair and free from fraud and abuse. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News Channel on Thursday, This idea that he is encouraging people to vote twice is yet another example of the media taking him out of context and ignoring the facts. _____ Drew reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 11:20:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Guo Yage BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, while the Cold War has been over for almost three decades. From both the deadliest hot war in human history and the ideological confrontation that used to split the world into two rival camps, the human race needs to learn one momentous revelation: peace should be cherished while aggression must be rejected. Yet it seems that, instead of heeding the tragic lessons of history, some politicians in Washington, by abusing U.S. superpower status, have now become the archenemy of world peace and stability. Those Washington zero-summers have been recklessly instigating hatred and confrontation worldwide. Over the years, they have been manufacturing and selling all kinds of so-called "China threat" theories and have stepped up such crafty deeds during the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic. To divert public rage over the White House's fouled-up pandemic response for their own political interests, those politicians have raced to use every possible chance to peddle a battery of conspiracy theories, fomenting anti-China hysteria and xenophobic sentiments within and beyond the United States. To contain China's development, those China hawks in Washington, notably U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have been busy stifling Chinese technology enterprises. They have also been travelling around the world and coercing countries into choosing sides between Washington and Beijing, seeking to stir up ideological strife and raise the specter of the Cold War. Those U.S. politicians are also unbridled practitioners of bullyism on the world stage, constantly sowing chaos and instability in almost all corners of the globe. Since the start of the new millennium, the United States has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq under the pretext of combating terrorism, and militarily intervened in Libya and Syria on grounds of humanitarianism, resulting in one hellish humanitarian disaster after another. After the current U.S. administration took power, it has been growingly obsessed with its "maximum pressure" tactic against Tehran, Pyongyang and Caracas, risking the danger of kicking those regions into the abyss of bloody wars. In recent months, it has dramatically raised tensions in the South China Sea by sending warships and fighter jets to the area more frequently. Those U.S. politicians have also been tearing down the existing world order the United States helped build in the post-war era, violating international law and widely recognized norms in international relations, and eroding the foundation for multilateral cooperation. In a world where global challenges need multilateral solutions, they tend to turn their back against the international community. Under their watch, the United States has been more willing to brandish the big stick of tariff against almost all of its major trading partners, and has cast aside its responsibility as a major country for arms control and nuclear non-proliferation by quitting the Iran nuclear deal and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. At a time when global solidarity is much needed to win the fight against the deadly pathogen, the United States has been breeding protectionism. It has blocked or diverted other countries' medical supply orders, hyped up vaccine nationalism, and decided to quit the World Health Organization, only sowing seeds of distrust and division in the international community and making the arduous global battle much tougher. Involving 61 countries with 1.7 billion people, the Second World War left more than 100 million dead or wounded, while during the Cold War decades, the race for global supremacy cloaked the whole world in the shadow of ideological divide, arms race and geopolitical tensions. Those years of chaos and carnage should never be allowed to be repeated in any form. "We are not each other's enemies. Rather, our common enemy is a tireless virus that threatens our health, security and very way of life," the United Nations vowed ahead of this year's International Day of Peace themed "Shaping Peace Together." Washington should work hard to restrain its ballooning greed for global domination, live up to its global responsibility as the world's sole superpower, and help promote a perpetual peace. That is the only way it can best serve the common interests of all mankind. Enditem Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Vikas Battalion, or the Special Frontier Force (SSF), also known as Establishment 22 (two-two in military parlance), which has played a vital role in capturing Reqin and taking control of the heights of south of Pangong Tso, largely comprises Tibetans and some Gorkhas now. Its deployment in the current standoff with China is a political statement (by India) because it is the Tibetans versus the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), according to Lt General P M Bali (retired). The SFF has been used for selective and highly-sensitive military operations such as Operation Eagle (Chittagong Hills in the 1971 Indo-Pak war), Operation Bluestar (Golden Temple in 1984) Operation Meghdoot (Siachen Glacier in 1984) and Operation Vijay (Kargil, 1999). This was an audacious move by the Army, as neither of these areas were under Indian control since we lost the 1962 war to China, Lt General Bali (retd) added. SFFs main task is covert operations The SFF comes under the purview of the Cabinet Secretariat. It is headed by an Inspector General, who is an Army officer of the rank of Major General. It was raised on November 14, 1962, and the first cadres were drawn from the Khampas (people of Kham region in Tibet, which is under Chinese occupation), who were the original bodyguards of the Dalai Lama. The primary function of the SFF was to conduct covert operations behind the Chinese lines in the event of another India-China war. On the importance of the current operation, Lt Gen Bali (retd) said that in 2017, the Indian Army had moved pre-emptively into Doklam to stop the Chinese ingression into Bhutan. Deploying troops on these ridges is of great significance as it is a quid pro quo (QPQ) action and gives us a bargaining position. These heights provide the Indian Army with direct observation into Chinese camps and areas in Aksai Chin, he said. Lt Gen Bali (retd) had commanded the Sikkim-based 33 Corps during the 2017 Doklam border standoff between India and China and is aware of the nuances of the PLA. On whether this will this lead to further military skirmishes between the Indian Army and the PLA, the retired officer said that it is advantage India at the moment. There may be a lot of statements and further talks between the two armies and diplomats, but escalation does not suit anyone, specially the Chinese, he noted. Meanwhile, the Army formations deployed in the Central and Eastern sectors are maintaining a high level of alertness and are mentally and physically well prepared for any further skirmishes along the LAC. Necessary steps to ensure adequate equipment and clothing for the extreme winters are in place, Lt General Bali (retd) said. We were some of the first Mexican-American women, and we had a hard time but we did it, said Margaret Leon Romero (no relation), who served as an educator for 38 years in the district and who retired as principal of Brichta Elementary on the west side in the mid-90s. Romero was born in Bisbee to Ramon and Guadalupe Guerrero, just as World War II was ending. But in that small Southern Arizona mining town, built on the shoulders of immigrant workers, the Guerrero family faced stiff discriminatory laws and practices common in many Arizona mining towns. Notwithstanding the challenges, Romero and her siblings prevailed. Three of her elder siblings were also accomplished educators. Her brother, Adalbert Guerrero, who survives Romero, was a UA professor in education and one of the creators of the late-1960s federal legislation that created bilingual education. Her late sister Mercedes Merci Guerrero, who died in 2011, was a pioneering bilingual education teacher who also helped spread Mexican ballet folklorico in Tucson. And Margarita Guerrero Rubi, who died in 2013, taught bilingual education and worked at several west-side schools. A fifth of UK employees are still working from home full-time. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images 1 in 5 people (20%) in Britain are still working from home full-time, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Some 57% of employees are now commuting to their place of work. It comes as Boris Johnson is pushing for more people to get back to the office to help save city centre economies and prevent a collapse in the commercial property market. The ONS data tallies with a separate survey by Morgan Stanley that found 56% of Brits have now returned to their normal place of work. However, Morgan Stanley found just 34% of desk-bound office workers had returned to normal working patterns. Over the last two months, the proportion working exclusively from home has followed a steadily decreasing trend, the ONS said. In the most recent week, the proportion of working adults who travelled to work reached 57%, its highest level since the series began, after increasing steadily over the last two months. READ MORE: UK government faces uphill battle getting people back to offices Even as people begin to resume normal working patterns, the ONSs survey found businesses continue to struggle and the labour market is weak. Over half (54%) of businesses said they were waiting on late payment of invoices as a result of COVID-19. Some 47% have seen revenues decline, with 9% of businesses saying income was at least 50% below where it was last year. And 11% of the workforce remain on furlough, the ONS estimated, down from 13% a week prior. Faced with falling revenue and an uncertain future, businesses are not hiring. Job adverts are 55% lower than a year ago, the ONS said, marking the fourth week in a row of heavily depressed recruitment activity. However, nearly all regions of the UK saw a slight increase in job ads week-on-week, bar London and the North West where vacancies continued to decline. Manitoba RCMP say a man who was in jail for crimes against young victims had tried to intimidate them, with the help of an accomplice, in an effort to get his charges dropped. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 2/9/2020 (505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba RCMP say a man who was in jail for crimes against young victims had tried to intimidate them, with the help of an accomplice, in an effort to get his charges dropped. The Mounties warned against victim and witness intimidation after laying obstruction of justice charges against the alleged offenders in that case, and in a second one involving a suspicious package at the Steinbach courthouse. At a news conference Wednesday, RCMP Superintendent Michael Koppang said charges had been laid against three people in connection with the two cases of victim and witness intimidation. On June 9, RCMP were made aware of intimidation and threats directed at witnesses in an ongoing criminal investigation. It led to the creation of Project Detract, which is aimed at protecting victims, determining the source of the threats and gathering evidence to "safeguard the integrity of the justice system," Koppang said. The investigation determined that a man in custody, who had been charged in September 2019 with a number of crimes against youths, threatened them, as well as witnesses and police officers involved in his case through "multiple avenues" in an effort to have his charges dropped, Koppang said. The investigation also revealed the man had help from a second suspect who was not in custody, RCMP said. The second suspect, a woman, was arrested and charged on Aug. 11. The man in custody was arrested and charged on Aug. 13, RCMP said. Both suspects face four counts of obstruction of justice and one count of counselling to commit an indictable offence, namely intimidation of a justice system participant. The man also faces one count of disobeying a court order. RCMP declined to give further details about the mans original charges or the nature of the threats in an effort to protect the victims identities. Meanwhile, RCMP laid charges in relation to a July 30 bomb threat at the Steinbach courthouse in which a suspicious device was found in the mens washroom. RCMP explosives disposal unit determined the suspicious item was a hoax. A 41-year-old man was arrested and charged with one count each of intimidation of a justice system participant and obstruction of justice, RCMP said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The two cases are not connected, RCMP confirmed. "These two investigations were clear attempts to challenge and undermine our justice system. We wish to put anyone considering similar actions on notice, that threats and intimidation tactics aimed at subverting justice are not and will not be tolerated," Koppang said. Manitoba Justice Minister Cliff Cullen, who attended the news conference, called both cases "very serious acts" of intimidation. He emphasized the importance of safety for all court stakeholders, including members of the public, the judiciary, Crown and defence lawyers, court staff, victims, accused persons and witnesses. "As minister of justice, I am mindful of the importance of access to justice and the need to ensure public confidence in our justice system. An important component of that is safe and secure court facilities across our province," Cullen said. While Koppang described instances of intimidation as "rare," RCMP reinforced that police will protect witnesses and victims who are intimidated. "I think theres a two-fold message and the first is: if you think that this is a good idea, its not. Secondly, if you are a victim or witness or other participant in the justice system and someone is trying to unduly influence your participation in that system, we are going to treat it very seriously because it is," Koppang said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Irine Hiraswari Gayatri, Nuri Widiastuti Veronika and Jacqui True (The Jakarta Post) Melbourne Thu, September 3, 2020 14:59 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c427c581 3 Opinion UNSC,UN-Security-Council,inclusive Free Indonesia last month assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the second time during its 2019-2020 tenure as a nonpermanent member. Consistent with the countrys campaign for a Security Council seat, which focused on Investing in Peace, Indonesia oversaw in its first presidency in May 2019 the adoption of four resolutions on UN peace operations and issued the first presidential statement aimed at strengthening peacekeeper training and capacity. Notably in its second presidency, Indonesia has explicitly taken up the issue of womens roles in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It has secured a new resolution adopted on 29 Aug. that combines the elements of the peacekeeping agenda and the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda, focusing on the differential gender impacts of conflict and the need for gender-balanced participation. This Indonesia-sponsored resolution encourages the 193 UN member states to develop strategies and measures to increase the deployment of uniformed women to peacekeeping operations, including by providing access to information and training and identifying and addressing barriers in the recruitment, deployment, and promotion of uniformed women peacekeepers. In addition, this resolution expresses concern regarding allegations of sexual harassment in peacekeeping operations and backs a zero tolerance policy on all forms of sexual harassment. It also requests UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to strengthen efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment within peacekeeping operations, in close cooperation and consultation with member states. Why is Indonesia leading the drive for gender balance in peacekeeping? Indonesia is the largest contributor of UN peacekeeping troops among the 15 UNSC members with a total of 2,840 personnel, including 158 female peacekeepers. The country is committed to growing its contribution to UN peace operations and is among the top 10 countries that pledged to contribute 4,000 personnel in various UN peacekeeping missions. Indonesia is also committed to increasing the number of female peacekeepers and enhancing the gender sensitivity of peacekeeping training., to showcase its view that women are important agents of peace. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi argued in an op-ed published last year in The Jakarta Post that female peacekeepers possess better situational awareness, can provide comfortable protection of civilians from sexual and gender-based violence, and are more easily acceptable in winning the hearts and minds of the local community. As well as promoting gender inclusion in international peacekeeping, Indonesia has advocated for greater inclusion of women in peace negotiation processes. In 2019, the Foreign Ministry organized regional training on women, peace and security for 60 diplomats from ASEAN countries, which aimed at building capacity in analyzing, preventing and establishing post-conflict peace. Further, it hosted the 2019 dialogue of the Afghanistan-Indonesia Womens Solidarity Network and in July 2020, it cohosted a meeting under UNSC auspices on women and the Afghan peace process. Recognizing the challenges to sustaining peace during the COVID-19 pandemic, Retno has emphasized Indonesias continued efforts to advance peace. Indonesia led the UNSC high-level open debate on Aug. 12, themed Pandemics and the challenges of Sustaining Peace. In its concept note for the debate, it highlighted the risk of COVID-19 deepening preexisting social, economic and political fissures in conflict-affected countries, which are especially felt by women. Women migrants, refugees and their children are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases due to their limited access to clean food, water and health care. Moreover, the gendered impacts of the pandemic in post-conflict countries increase the potential for epidemics of sexual violence in high-risk situations. Support for the WPS agenda is increasingly a standard of civilization for states seeking international recognition and influence. Indonesias willingness to put the impacts of COVID-19 on women in conflict-affected countries on the UNSC agenda and to develop concrete measures to support and increase womens roles in peacekeeping and peacebuilding is a sign of its rising international leadership. This is a positive development for the Indo-Pacific, given the significant civil conflicts and gender inequalities in the region. However, the most recent resolution on women in peacekeeping adopted under the Indonesian presidency also reflects Jakartas foreign policy strategy, which still views the military as the primary and most effective instrument in conflict resolution. The resolution reinforces the gender-parity strategy for uniformed personnel under the UN Peacekeeping Operations 2014-2019 road map, rather than setting a new agenda. Moreover, it addresses the Indonesian governments domestic critics. Many commentators criticized the focus on trade and economic growth rather than traditional ASEAN diplomacy in President Joko Widodos first term. Indonesias stint on the UNSC is therefore intended to boost its regional leadership, yet avoid highly contested issues such as the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers, which was removed from the final draft of the resolution to leave only the mention of sexual harassment. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, one of the few resolutions to have spawned a large transnational advocacy network. State actions on women, peace and security are virtually guaranteed to garner international attention this year. Indonesia has capitalized on this anniversary, showcasing its investment in peace and evolution in political diplomacy combining human rights and security and at the same time signaling its rising geopolitical leadership. --- Irine Hiraswari Gayatri and Nuri Widiastuti Veronika are Ph.D candidates at the Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) Centre of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Jacqui True is a Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA), an international relations professor and director of the Monash GPS Centre. This article first appeared on Sept. 2, 2020 in The Interpreter, published by The Lowy Institute. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. WASHINGTON The United States Postal Service has paid about $286 million over the past seven years to XPO Logistics, the former employer of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. He still holds at least a $30 million stake in the company, which has ramped up its business with the Postal Service since he took the helm at the agency. The figures, obtained by The New York Times from a public records request, shed new light on the extent to which the company where Mr. DeJoy was a top executive and in which he still has a substantial amount of money invested is intertwined with the agency he now runs, fueling questions about a potential conflict of interest. They emerged on the same day that the House Oversight Committee issued a promised subpoena for documents that the panel has said Mr. DeJoy is withholding from Congress, including information about his personal financial affairs. Through about 100 contracts with XPO Logistics and its subsidiaries, the Postal Service has paid the firm $33.7 million to $45.2 million annually since 2014 for services that include managing transportation and providing support during peak times. The documents also show a surge in revenue for XPO from the Postal Service since Mr. DeJoy took over on June 15. The Postal Service paid XPO Logistics and its subsidiaries about $14 million over the past 10 weeks, compared with $3.4 million during the same time frame in 2019 and $4.7 million in 2018. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. The Kennedy dynasty appears to have come to the end of the political line. For all but two years since 1947, a member of the Kennedy clan has served in elected office. But yesterday Joseph Kennedy III (39), a grandnephew of John F Kennedy, crashed to defeat in his bid for a US senate seat. Mr Kennedy also became the first member of the dynasty to lose a congressional election in the state of Massachusetts. The sitting congressman was running in a primary race to become the Democrat candidate for a Massachusetts senate seat in the general election on November 3. He was not allowed to be on the ballot as a candidate for both the House and Senate, so will step down as a congressman in January. Mr Kennedy, the grandson of former US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, had been seen as a rising star and was the fourth generation in the family to carry the political torch. He was defeated by Ed Markey (74), the incumbent Democrat senator. With 96 per cent of votes counted Mr Markey was 11 points clear. Mr Kennedy had been endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat speaker of the House, and in 2018 she appointed him to deliver the party's response to Donald Trump's State of the Union speech. Mr Markey had embraced liberal policies, including co-authoring the Green New Deal climate change plan with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He was also backed by fellow Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Mr Kennedy said: "To everyone who fought with us. Everyone who stood with us. Everyone who believed in us and gave their sweat and tears and hearts and souls to this fight: thank you. I am so proud of what we built together. I'd do it with you all again in a heartbeat." In his victory speech Mr Markey emphasised the urgency of tackling climate change. Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: "See, even a Kennedy isn't safe in the new radical left Democrat party. Biden has completely lost control." CHICAGO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beverage Testing Institute, conductors of the oft-imitated first international spirits competition in the United States, has completed its evaluation of 2020's Best Whiskies. Twenty-one all-trade blind tasting panels assessed the spirited contenders for quality in the BTI Lab using its proprietary methodology and custom software. From small US artisans, to Canadian distilleries, to Kentucky powerhouses, here are some of the best of category winners: Our Assistant Director in one of our many spirits archives. Beverage Testing Institute Colorado's Old Elk Distillery came out with gloves on. The 15-year Old Elk Straight Rye and Old Elk Straight Wheat dressed to impress winning Gold and leading their categories. The secret to Old Elk's success? We think it's likely the combo of the lifetime experience of Master Distiller Greg Metze (38 years at Seagram's Distillery) and the exceptional palate of Head Distiller Kate Douglas. Also, from the "The Centennial State", the Boulder Bottled-In-Bond American Single Malt from Vapor Distillery set the bar for what ASMW can produce with its 95-point, Gold Medal winning, liquid treasure. Nods to The QuintEssential ASMW from Iowa's Cedar Ridge Distillery for a great showing as well at 93 points. For the Blended Rye Whiskey category, Utah's High West Double Rye! received a golden accolade solidifying its place as a bar and consumer top-performer. Rye Whiskey craft dominators Old Potrero from California and Evanston Illinois' FEW Rye Whiskey excelled at 94 and 92 points, respectively. And Kentucky stalwart, Wild Turkey Rye 101 shined as an expert expression of the Rye persuasion. There's no denying that there's something about that Kentucky limestone-filtered, "branch" water The big winner was Kentucky scion Doc Swinson's 15 Year Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which grabbed the only BTI Platinum Medalthe beverage world's ultimate honor for a spirits brand. Heavy-medal-laden Kentucky distillery, Sazerac belted out some big Bourbon anthems. Their Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel, Weller Full Proof and Stagg Jr. all hit 95-point high notes. The Knob Creek 12-Year-Old 100 Proof Bourbon from Clermont Kentucky's legendary Jim Beam Distillery not only proved that it provides great bang for the buck, but with an sensational 95-point score, will make your taste buds sing. Flavored Whiskey nods go to the Michigan craftsmen at Journeyman Distillery for their 92-point Field Rye Fig Flavored Whiskey and the from-left-field, only-in-America Skrewball Peanut Butter Flavored Whisky, which are both delicious and far more than just guilty pleasures. For the full list of BTI's 2020 North American Whiskey Results visit their free consumer buying guide Tastings.com: http://www.tastings.com/Calendar-Spirits/Review-2020-09-01-North-American-Whiskey.aspx Across the pond in the World Whiskey Review a record 7 Platinum BTI Medals were awarded to Midleton, Redbreast, Jameson and Kavalan this year. Kavalan from Taiwan shows off its whisky finishing and how their liquid gold and barrels benefit from the region's warmer temperatures. Do you know about Jameson's Bow Street 18 Year Old Cask? It made our judges' knees buckle as they fell in love with it. At 96 points, gifting this beaut will ensure that your in-laws write you into their will. Midleton's Dair Ghaelackh Knockrath may be difficult for Americans to pronounce but even harder to put down. Savory, warming and a spiritual experience. Consistently golden Aberlour grabs 5 gold medals. On our radar, newcomer Archie Rose from Australia will be a collector's dream whiskey as we suspect the brand grow and get better and better and better. Slightly peated Irish Blended Whiskey The Legendary Silkie is highly recommended. The takeaways? No matter the size of the budget of the consumer, delicious North American drams are plentiful. Digging for gold? Get lucky in Kentucky . . Ready to venture beyond the bluegrass state? Craft distilleries Journeyman and FEW deliver and show that craft spirits producers have truly honed their technique and distilling skills. Learn to leave the Steakhouse Single Malts to the uninspired. Instead try Aberlour, the malt of the individual. And if you do have some extra dough to dish out for some quality whiskiesour results show, they should be Irish. For a full list of BTI's 2020 World Whiskey Review along with detailed tasting notes and cocktail recommendations visit our consumer-facing site. http://www.tastings.com/Calendar-Spirits/Review-2020-08-01-Scotch-Irish-and-World-Whiskey.aspx About BTI: Beverage Testing Institute was founded in 1981 with the mission of making the beverage industry better, one brand at a time. Creators of the first international spirits competition in the U.S. they have a rotating monthly category call for their unbiased, professional published reviews. For more information about BTI's reviews, competitions and other services visit: www.bevtest.com Contact: Diana Kruming-Berg, Client Marketing Manager 773-930-4080 [email protected] SOURCE Beverage Testing Institute Related Links http://www.bevtest.com Foreign tourists visit Trang An tourism complex in northern Ninh Binh province (Photo: VNA) The Ministry of Finance is assigned to coordinate with the Ministry of Health to issue instructions on the mandatory quarantine costs. At present, COVID-19 treatment fees are covered by the State budget in accordance with Point 2, Article 48 of the Law on Prevention and control of Infectious Diseases. Accordingly, persons suffering from an epidemic disease of class A are entitled to free medical examination and treatment. The PM also agreed with a proposal of the Ministry of Planning and Investment to facilitate entry of investors from the Republic of Korea on their short business trips to Vietnam. The list of these investors was submitted by the Korean Embassy in Vietnam. The PM also agreed to consider entry requests of other investors. The Ministry of Transport was asked to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to immediately to mull over resumption of commercial flights between Vietnam and Japan, the RoK, and other safe destinations, and report to the PM before August 31. Vietnams COVID-19 patient tally is now at 1,040, including 695 recovered cases and 33 deaths. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jarrett Renshaw and James Oliphant (Reuters) Wilmington, Delaware Thu, September 3, 2020 08:20 505 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c425afa7 2 World Joe-Biden,Donald-Trump,US-presidential-election,US-presidential-race Free Democratic nominee Joe Biden looked to shift the focus of the US presidential race back to the coronavirus and President Donald Trumps handling of the pandemic during a Wednesday campaign event on safely reopening the countrys schools. The health crisis, in which more than 184,000 Americans have died, has been overshadowed in recent days by civil unrest in Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a white policeman shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back last week, triggering protests. Biden's event was part of his campaign's effort to make the Nov. 3 election in part a referendum on the Trump administration's response to the outbreak and came as millions of students are starting a new school year either virtually or under restrictive conditions. "If President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on in this crisis, American schools would be open. And theyd be open safely," Biden said after receiving a briefing from health experts in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden and his Republican opponent have offered dueling arguments over which candidate can keep the country safe. Each has accused the other of fostering the sometimes violent protests over racial injustice and police brutality that have rocked the nation for months after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody. Trump, who visited Kenosha on Tuesday, has sought to leverage the volatile climate surrounding the protests to his political benefit, casting himself as a "law-and-order" president holding the line against chaos. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows his approach has yet to boost his national standing. The poll released on Wednesday showed that most Americans do not see crime as a major problem confronting the nation and a majority remain sympathetic to anti-racism protests. By contrast, 78% of Americans said they remain "very" or "somewhat" concerned about the pandemic. The poll showed that 47% of registered voters support Biden compared with 40% who said they will vote for Trump. Biden plans to travel to Kenosha on Thursday, where he will hold a community meeting, his campaign said. Trump on Wednesday flew to North Carolina, a state which, like Wisconsin, is an election battleground. In remarks to supporters in Wilmington upon landing, he argued that the country was "rounding the turn" concerning the pandemic and stuck to his law-and-order theme. Speaking later to a group of veterans while commemorating the end of World War Two on Sept. 2, 1945, Trump said, "American warriors did not defeat fascism and oppression overseas, only to watch our freedoms be trampled by violent mobs here at home." While the event ostensibly was part of the president's official business and not campaign-related, Trump used the occasion to take several shots at Biden. Relief for schools Reopening schools amid the pandemic has been a top priority for Trump, who has argued it was necessary to boost the economy and give relief to working parents. His campaign on Wednesday criticized Biden for being overly cautious on the matter. "[Biden] always casts things as an either-or situation. Either we can open up or we can be safe," Trump spokesman Tim Murtaugh said. "The president disagrees with that. It can be both. For the economy and schools, we can both be open and be safe. At his event, Biden called on Trump to bring congressional leaders together to negotiate a new aid package to assist state and local governments, which have struggled to provide services for students amid an economic downturn due to coronavirus lockdowns. Congress has been in an impasse over another round of virus-related funding. "Get off Twitter and start talking to congressional leaders of both parties," Biden said. Earlier in the day, Biden's team announced that his campaign and the Democratic National Committee had raised $364.5 million in August, shattering the record for the most money raised in a single month during a presidential campaign. The Trump campaign has yet to release its figures for the month. W hen Graham Greene died in Swiss tax exile in 1991, aged 86, his reputation as a great Catholic writer was assured. His novels reflected an awareness of sin and confronted discomfiting themes with a sombre eye. Brighton Rock, Greenes 1938 classic of gangland Britain, remains a disturbing theological parable of conscience. In his three subsequent novels The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair Greenes gift was to locate the moment of crisis when a character loses faith, religious or otherwise, and life is exposed in all its drab wonder. A writer of this stature would need a very good biographer and, at first, it looked as though Greene had found him in Norman Sherry, a Texas-based academic, who devoted more than 30 years to his reclusive subject: Greenes every depression, love affair and alcoholic spree was scrutinised in three galumphing volumes. Oh why does Sherry waste so much time talking about me? Greene grumbled, though secretly, perhaps, he relished Sherrys spaniel-like devotion to the task and might even have enjoyed the vinous associations of his surname. (Lets go to Sherrys, a hoodlum recommends a drinking club in Brighton Rock, adding, I cant stand the place.) Several biographers have tried but failed to topple Sherrys monopoly. Michael Shelden, publishing his life in the mid-Nineties, sought to arraign Greene on charges of sadism, anti-Semitism and alcoholism. Anthony Mockler offered a Boys Own hagiography and fancifully imagined Greene on his Lake Geneva deathbed: Graham looked out of the antiseptic room over the sterile Swiss sky. No vultures gazed back Thank goodness for Richard Greene, whose splendid one-volume biography offers a succinct counterbalance to Sherrys inedible trifle and conjures the man Evelyn Waugh nicknamed Grisjambon Vert (French for grey ham green) in all his perplexing variety. Where Sherry is tactless and indecorous, Richard Greene (no relation) is respectful and considered. Crisply written, Russian Roulette takes its title from Greenes vaunted flirtation with suicide as a teenager in Berkhamsted outside London, where his father was a school headmaster. Prone to bouts of self-loathing, he drank heavily, smoked opium and patronised brothels. Over the 60 years of his writing career, Greene created a gallery of shabby creatures who try to hide their weaknesses from the world and themselves. In Catholic terms he was a moralist excited by human turpitude and the presence of evil in our times. In Catholicism Greene seems to have found a sense of melodrama an atmosphere of good and evil that served him well as a writer. Greene had married a committed Catholic, Vivien Dayrell-Browning, in 1927, having converted to Rome a year earlier, but had numerous affairs with some enviably glamorous women. Excellent use is made of the thousands of letters from Graham Greene to his family, friends, publishers, agents and close associates that have come to light since Sherry published his first volume in 1989. Cogently argued and happily free of jargon, Russian Roulette offers a long-needed antidote to dirty linen biographers who have sought to expose a darker shade of Greene and, in consequence, lost sight of the books. At last Graham Greene has the biographer he deserves. Russian Roulette: The Life and Times of Graham Greene by Richard Greene (Little, Brown, 25), buy it here. There have been no negotiations since the last round broke up almost a month ago. Democrats have offered to lower their demand for a $3.5 trillion package to about $2.2 trillion. Senate Republicans originally put forth a $1 trillion plan, but are now discussing with the administration a smaller $500 billion package they say will be more focused on areas of the economy most affected by the pandemic. Mnuchin singled out the travel industry and small businesses as needing more aid. A BBMP worker sprays disinfectants at the Krishna Rajendra (KR) market, after authorities allowed reopening of wholesale market during Unlock 4, in Bengaluru. PTI photo While the Karnataka government is itching to open all sectors to boost the sagging economy, COVID-positive cases in the State is inching towards breaching the 10,000 per day mark. The state, which boasted of early success in containing COVID-19, is now slowly, but steadily inching towards the top spot among COVID-19 contributing states. For the last two consecutive days and the third time in the last one week, total positive cases have crossed over 9000. On Wednesday, the number of positive cases touched a record 9860. Bengaluru is continuing to be the main contributor for COVID-19 positive cases, with a third of daily positive cases reporting from the city. On Tuesday, out of total 9058 positive cases, Bengaluru contributed 2968. Of the total 3.61lakh positive cases in Karnataka, 1.35 lakh are from Bengaluru. Of total 94459 active cases in the State, 39911 are in Bengaluru alone. Even the death rate is the same with Bengaluru. On Tuesday, of 135 deaths in the State, 40 were from Bengaluru urban alone. On Wednesday, out of 113 total deaths in the State, Bengaluru contribution is 32. In total, of 5950 deaths so far, Bengaluru has contributed 2037. Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker LIVE Updates: Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the shots, the projects co-lead said on Wednesday. Seth Berkley, chief executive of the GAVI vaccines alliance, said the plan, known as COVAX, now has Japan, Germany, Norway and more than 70 other nations signed up, agreeing in principle to procure COVID-19 vaccines through the facility for their populations. We have, as of right now, 76 upper middle income and high income countries that have submitted confirmations of intent to participate - and we expect that number to go up," Berkley told Reuters in an interview. Here are the latest updates on the Covid-19 vaccine tracker: The Trump administration has urged US states to get ready to distribute a potential Covid-19 vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election. Dallas-based wholesaler McKesson Corp. has a deal with the federal government and will be requesting permits to set up distribution centers when a vaccine becomes available. The normal time required to obtain these permits presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program," Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told states in an August 27 letter. CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities." Redfield asked states to consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020." In the US, priority will be given to essential workers, national security officials, seniors and members of vulnerable racial and ethnic groups, according to The New York Times. Three Western drug makers are progressing with their Phase 3 clinical trials, involving tens of thousands of participants. The three are AstraZeneca, which is partnering with Oxford University in England; Moderna, collaborating with the US National Institutes of Health; and the Pfizer/BioNTech alliance. By the nature of the trials, it is difficult to predict when reliable results will emerge. Tesla Incs CEO Elon Musk met with three German ministers and other senior politicians on Wednesday to discuss the progress of a collaboration between the car maker and a German biotech company and a planned electric vehicle factory. Ralph Brinkhaus, leader of Chancellor Angela Merkels CDU/CSU conservative parliamentary bloc, said Musk was satisfied with the progress of Teslas alliance with vaccine developer CureVac. Tesla is helping to build mobile molecule printers to make the potential COVID-19 vaccine under development by CureVac. The White House pushed back on concerns expressed by the World Health Organization (WHO) after a U.S. health official said a coronavirus vaccine might be authorized for use without completing full trials. The White House also said that the United States would not join a global effort to develop, manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine because of the WHO involvement. About 172 countries are engaging with the WHOs COVID-19 vaccine plan to ensure equitable access to vaccines, known as COVAX. 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," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement on Tuesday. Disturbing photographs display African migrants stuffed into grubby cells in Saudi Arabia as part of the country's alleviation of the prevalence of COVID-19. The photos taken from inside the detention centers by prisoners show numerous men lying shirtless in the windowless rooms in searing Middle East heat. Treated Like Animals According to prisoners, they are treated like animals by Saudi Arabian guards who hit them with whips and electrical cords. Then they throw away bodies of migrants who die of heatstroke or suicide. Saudi Arabia was under searing for the deportation of thousands of illegal migrants upon the arrival of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The country has since then been piling them in prisons to stop the prevalence of the illness in their overcrowded homes, reported MENAFN. Inhumane Photographs Migrants appeared to be lying almost naked on the floor of a grubby cell with dozens packed into adjacent rooms, one photograph captured on a smuggled phone displayed. One appalling image appears to display a corpse concealed by a blanket. The migrant who captured the photograph claimed that the man died of heatstroke. He added that other prisoners are barely provided adequate food and water for survival, reported The Sun. Another photograph too sensitive to issue displays an African man dangling from a window grate. The young man committed suicide after losing hope, according to his friends. Many of them have been held in confinement since April, reported Telegraph. Other photographs display large scars on the backs of two men. Also Read: Ghislaine Maxwell's Attorneys Ask Judge to Stop Accusers From Posting Evidence Online It is alleged that prisoners are racially abused by guards as well. Abebe, an Ethiopian who has been confined at one of the centers for over four months, described the experience as hell and that they are dehumanized like animals and whipped daily. If he sees that there is no other option to escape, he plans to take his own life as others have done. He stated, "My only crime is leaving my country in search of a better life. But they beat us with whips and electric cords as if we were murderers." They are left to die in the place, according to another migrant. He added that he had not ventured beyond the area of a classroom since March. Other people indicate that they have not been provided medical treatment as several suffer from painful skin infections and the grime from the toilets was overflowing into their cells. One prisoner said the guards toss away the bodies out back as if they were trash. The disturbing photographs have been denounced by human rights organizations. They are said to have particular resonance in the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement protests across the globe. "Photos emerging from detention centres in southern Saudi Arabia show that authorities there are subjecting Horn of Africa migrants to squalid, crowded, and dehumanising conditions with no regard for their safety or dignity," according to Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in the Middle East. Related Article: Ghislaine Maxwell Case Evidences Includes X-Rated Photographs and Videos of Underage Girls @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Vietnam to reopen six international flight routes Vietnam is going to reopen six international flight routes starting from September 15, receiving some 5,000 incoming passengers a week. Vietnam to reopen six international flight routes. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam has drafted a plan to reopen flight routes to China, Japan, South Korea, Laos and Cambodia. The HCM City-Guangzhou return flight will operate once a week. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will work on this route with the 343-seat Boeing 787. Chinese authorities will assign their airlines to use the 200-seat Airbus A320. It is estimated that up to 540 people will be quarantined in HCM City each week. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will use the Boeing 787 for the flight on HCM City-Taipei route while the Hanoi-Taipei route will be operated by budget airline Vietjet using Airbus A320. Quarantine centres in Hanoi will receive a maximum of 620 people each week and HCM City facilities will receive 700 people each week. There will be a weekly return flight on the Hanoi-Tokyo route. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines can use the Boeing 787 on this route and Vietjet Air can use the Airbus 320 on HCM City-Tokyo route. Quarantine centres in Hanoi and HCM City will receive 560 people from Japan each week. Flights to Laos and Cambodia will also be held by Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines once a week. South Korean authorities recently proposed to let Korean Air and Asiana Airlines reopen flights from Seoul to Hanoi and HCM City twice a week. The Ministry of Transport also suggested reopening one weekly flight on the Hanoi-Seoul and HCM City-Seoul routes for each country. According to the proposal, Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines will use the Boeing 787 for Hanoi-Seoul flights and Vietjet Air will use the Airbus 320 for HCM City-Seoul flights. The Korean Air will use the Boeing 787 for HCM City-Seoul flights and the Asiana Airlines will use the Airbus 350 for Hanoi-Seoul flights. The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport were asked to publicise quarantine regulations for arrivals and the list of real-time PCR laboratory approved by the government. The prime minister also agreed to extend paid quarantine centres and asked the Ministry of Public Security and local authorities to ensure order at the quarantine areas. Passengers who want to go to China must have certificates show that they are Covid-19 negative five days before the departure. They will be quarantined for 14 days upon the arrival. Passengers to South Korea will also be home isolated or at quarantine centres. Passengers to Taiwan will only be quarantined for five days. A man who police say shot and killed his estranged wife and 7-year-old son before turning the gun on himself had become angry after his wife left him about five months ago, a family friend said. "He was getting upset that she didn't want to be with him," Oscar Mazariegos, the family friend, said in a story for Tuesday's online editions of The Dallas Morning News. "He got kind of a temper, but I didn't think he would do this." Police say Valentin Luna, 37, shot to death Mirna Luna, 32, and their 7-year-old son Christian outside of Mazariegos' home in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton on Monday evening. Mazariegos said Christian and Mirna Luna's daughter from a previous marriage had been playing at his house. When Valentin Luna called Mirna Luna to arrange to pick up Christian, she told him to come by Mazariegos' home. "They started arguing, and when my wife got the kids inside the house, she saw him grab her arm and shoot her three or four times," said Mazariegos, who was not home at the time. "After he killed Mirna, he walked over to his truck and shot his kid." Mazariegos said Luna knocked down the locked front door and threatened to kill Mazariegos' wife, but their daughter begged him not to. His wife, kids and Mirna Luna's daughter then sought safety at a neighbor's home. Police said Valentin Luna shot himself in the dining room. Carrollton police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Murphy said Mirna Luna, a baby sitter and housekeeper who had been living in an apartment complex in Carrollton, had two children from a previous marriage. They are in the custody of her ex-husband. Phelps, N.Y. Two children 11 and 9 years old were killed when a pickup truck crashed into a minivan they were riding in this morning on the New York State Thruway in Seneca County, sparking a four-vehicle crash. State police said the crash happened in the westbound lanes around 10:29 a.m. near the Junius Ponds rest area in the town of Phelps in Seneca County. Thats about 45 miles west of Syracuse. Police said the van the children were riding in was slowing down due to a lane closure, police said. The driver of the pickup failed to slow down and crashed into the back of the minivan, police said. That forced the van into a third vehicle, which then hit a tractor-trailer. The children, who were sitting in the rear of the van and were wearing seat belts, were killed, state police said. The driver and front-seat passenger of the minivan were airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester with serious injuries. The driver of the third vehicle was taken to Geneva General Hospital for injuries state police described as non-life-threatening. The driver of the pickup was treated at the scene for minor injuries. The Thruway remains closed to westbound traffic; traffic is being diverted through the rest area. Police have not yet identified those involved in the crash. The crash remains under investigation. Criminal charges are pending. Go to the Ark: A Modern-Day Allegory on How the Animals Got to the Ark: an engrossing narrative that unveils how the animals boarded the ark with the help of God to flee from His wrath over the sinful world. Go to the Ark: A Modern-Day Allegory on How the Animals Got to the Ark is the creation of published author Christopher A. Murray, a lead application engineer, a U.S. Navy veteran and a dedicated writer. Murray shares, Go to the Ark is a fascinating story on how the animals made their way to the ark to escape Gods judgment. All throughout their journey, the animals encounter some of the common stumbling blocks Christians face in their walk with Jesus. This story is an allegory of apologetics that will identify these stumbling blocks and help equip the believer to counteract them. This story will also cause you to think deeply about what you believe in light of Gods judgment. As you journey with the animals you will be encouraged as your faith is strengthened with each encounter. Relax, get comfortable, and begin reading a story like no other! Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Christopher A. Murrays new book also serves as a library of parables that are filled with edifying lessons on spiritual challenges as believers find their way to God and His kingdom. This book profoundly examines the hurdles of faith and seeks to aid believers in counteracting them with renewed strength and understanding of God and His purpose in their lives. View the synopsis of Go to the Ark: A Modern-Day Allegory on How the Animals Got to the Ark on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Go to the Ark: A Modern-Day Allegory on How the Animals Got to the Ark at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Go to the Ark: A Modern-Day Allegory on How the Animals Got to the Ark, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Luxembourg 1 September 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable(1) contract for work offshore Trinidad and Tobago. The contract will be recorded in backlog in the third quarter. The contract scope covers the project management, engineering, procurement, installation and pull-in of one subsea rigid flowline and flexible riser together with flexible flowlines and associated subsea infrastructure and umbilical system. Offshore installation activities are scheduled for 2021. At this time, no further details can be communicated. (1) Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million. ******************************************************************************* Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Bors (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568 katherine.tonks@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Contact for media enquiries: Tracey Miller Group External Communications Manager Tel + +44-1224-265-733 tracey.miller@subsea7.com www.subsea7.com Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, future, goal, intend, likely may, plan, project, seek, should, strategy will, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the Risk Management section of the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; and (xvii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting;. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Attachment By Express News Service PUDUCHERRY: Resident doctors of JIPMER protested in front of the administrative building housing the office of the institute's director on Wednesday over the alleged assault of a doctor by a male nurse in the COVID ward. The postgraduate student, a junior resident, while on duty in the ICU of the COVID ward on Tuesday reportedly called a male nurse and gave him some instructions. However, this led to arguments, following which the resident doctor was allegedly manhandled by the nurse, sources said. Though the nurse was taken away from the spot, it sparked protests among the resident doctors. However, there was no official response on the issue. Both doctors and nurses of JIPMER are under stress following the spurt in COVID cases. After the office-in-charge of nursing, Shanthi Tamilmani conveyed the plan of change in duty hours on August 28 in the light of increasing cases, the nurses on COVID ward protested on Tuesday by staging a dharna to draw the attention of the administration towards the reduction of duty shifts from four to three 'without proper planning'. Two armed men got away with $53,000 in jewelry from a Bergen County home after sticking up two residents at gunpoint, punching one victim in the face, police said. At 12 a.m. Thursday, police responded to a call of a home invasion at a residence on Tracey Place in Hackensack, Detective Capt. Darrin DeWitt said in a statement. When officers arrived, they found the remnants of the alleged strong-arm robbery, with glass strewn across the floor, a damaged door frame and a broken chain lock. A man who lived at the home told police two men had broken in and one suspect pointed a gun at another residents head, ordering the woman to sit down in a chair, according to the statement. Pointing the gun at the victim, the suspect then ordered the man to get down on the floor, demanding he tell him where the money was, according to the statement. When the man told the suspects he didnt have any money, one suspect punched him in the face and removed two gold chains from the victim, the statement said. The other suspect went into a bedroom and stole a Rolex watch worth $20,000, a gold chain and a gold ring encrusted with diamonds. The suspects fled with their haul, valued at about $53,000, the statement said. Police described the suspects as wearing dark clothing, with the hoods pulled tightly around their faces. Anyone with information is asked to contact CrimeStoppers of Bergenfield, Bogota, Englewood, Hackensack and Teaneck. CrimeStoppers offer rewards of up to $1,000 for information. People can also leave anonymous tips at bergencrimestoppers.org or call 844-466-6789. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 3 SEPTEMBER 2020 AT NOON (EEST) Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded an agreement to supply Marsa Maroc with a total of three Kalmar rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for use at its TC3 container terminal, located in Casablanca, Morocco. The order, which includes an option for an additional two cranes, was booked in Cargotec's Q3 order intake. Delivery is scheduled for Q2 2021. Marsa Maroc is the main operator of ports in Morocco and the concession holder of Terminal Container 3 Port Casablanca (TC3). TC3 was established in 2015 in order to modernise the port of Casablanca, and it is the customer's first terminal with Kalmar RTGs. The three new Kalmar RTGs will join eleven other units delivered to Marsa Maroc in 2016 and 2018. The company's equipment fleet also includes Kalmar terminal tractors, straddle carriers and empty container handlers. The Kalmar RTG combines the best of diesel and electric technology for fuel savings, low emissions and easy maintenance. At 1,000 hours, it has one of the longest maintenance intervals in the industry, and its modular design makes it easy to tailor to customer-specific requirements. Tawfik Chahir, Terminal Operations Director, Marsa Maroc: "We have relied on Kalmar equipment and services since the 1990's and we have built an excellent working relationship with the Kalmar team during our collaboration. We are pleased to continue this relationship and look forward to developing our operations at TC3 with Kalmar's support." Mikko Mononen, Vice President, Sales, EMEIA, Kalmar: "We are delighted to have secured yet another order from Marsa Maroc, who have chosen our RTGs three times in a row during the past five years. This order demonstrates the customer's confidence in our proven RTG cranes as well as their overall satisfaction with our solutions and world-class service expertise." Further information for the press: Mikko Mononen, Vice President, Sales, EMEIA, Kalmar, tel. +358 40 536 0596, mikko.mononen@kalmarglobal.com 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 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 Attachments /* custom css */ .tdi_75_c1c.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_c1c .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_c1c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_c1c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_c1c.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement The Maiduguri zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, re-arraigned the Chief Executive Officer( CEO) of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, Aisha Alkali Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram, before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, on amended four-count charges bordering on conspiracy, giving false information and cheating to the tune of N6million. At the sitting, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmad informed the court of a pending amended charge and urged the court to strike out the earlier charges, filed on March 3 and 10, 2020 and substitute it with that of March 18, 2020. Justice Kumaliya, substituted the charges and ordered them to be read to the defendants. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_554.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_554 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_554.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_554.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_554.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } One of the charges read, That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director respectively, of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (Non-Governmental Organisation), sometime between October and November, 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly induced one Alhaji Bukar Kachalla of Abks Ventures Limited to deliver to you a Toyota Camry 2012 Model worth N6,000,000.00 (Six Million Naira) only under the guise of executing a contract for the purchase of the said car and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 332 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State. They pleaded not guilty, following which counsel to the second and third defendants, H. Waziri, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him study the new charges with a view to applying for a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC. Consequently, Justice Kumaliya adjourned the matter till September 16, 2020 for commencement of trial. Mama Boko Haram was originally arraigned, alongside the programme manager of her Foundation, Tahiru Saidu Daura and the country director, Prince Lawal Shoyode on December 4, 2019. Their trial followed their no guilty plea to the charges. Advanced Digital Innovation, a Yorkshire, UK-based healthtech company, raised 2m in funding. Backers included NPIF Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, the UK governments Future Fund, and the companys Chair and founder Bob Gomersall. The company intends to use the funds to to enhance the product and expand the use of the app. Led by John Eaglesham, CEO, Advanced Digital Innovation provides an app, MyPathway, that helps patients communicate with clinicians remotely. It removes the need for appointment letters and calls, allowing patients to agree care plans with clinicians, who can then monitor their progress and receive feedback. Over 55,000 patients are now signed up to the system, which is already used in hospitals in Sheffield, the North West and Essex, and most recently has been adopted in Leeds. The company, which has completed a successful initial trial in Northern Ireland, currently employs 15 staff. It is planning to create 20 new jobs at its headquarters in Saltaire in the next 12 months. FinSMEs 03/09/2020 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anuj Chopra (Agence France-Presse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thu, September 3, 2020 11:00 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426b906 2 World Saudi-Arabia,Israel-UAE,Israel-Palestine-conflict,Israel-annexation,flight,airspace Free Saudi Arabia agreed Wednesday to permit UAE flights to "all countries" to overfly the kingdom, as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu signaled more direct flights linking the UAE with the Jewish state. The announcement comes after the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi on Monday, which passed through Saudi airspace, to mark the normalization of Israel-UAE ties. Riyadh's decision marks another concrete sign of Saudi Arabia's cooperation with Israel even after it refused publicly to follow the UAE in establishing diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. The official Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom had accepted an Emirati request to allow the use of its airspace for "flights heading to the UAE and departing from it to all countries". Netanyahu, meanwhile, announced that Monday's landmark commercial flight across Saudi Arabia would not be the last. "Now there is another tremendous breakthrough," he wrote in a statement shortly after the Saudi announcement. "Israeli planes and those from all countries will be able to fly directly from Israel to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and back," Netanyahu said, without giving any timeline. "Flights will be cheaper and shorter, and it will lead to robust tourism and develop our economy," he said. 'Alternative normalization' Saudi Arabia has said it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until the Jewish state has signed an internationally recognized peace accord with the Palestinians. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan insisted that Wednesday's decision does not change the kingdom's "firm and established" position towards the Palestinian issue. But the kingdom has cultivated clandestine relations with Israel in recent years based on a shared animosity towards Iran, in a shift spearheaded by de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "This is what I would call 'alternative normalization'," said Ryan Bohl, of the US geopolitical think tank Stratfor, referring to Riyadh's announcement. "Saudi Arabia will explore indirect relations with Israel until the Saudi public is better prepared for a deeper strategic change. That will be a slow process," Bohl told AFP. Allowing flights between Israel and the UAE to cross Saudi airspace save long detours around the Arabian peninsula. "Today's announcement signals... the warming of relations between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Israel," Marc Schneier, an American rabbi with close ties to the Gulf, told AFP. "While they are still deeply committed to the Palestinian people, this first step is a big one and should be celebrated." This is not the first time the kingdom has opened its airspace for Israel-bound flights. In March 2018, Air India launched the first scheduled service to Israel that was allowed to cross Saudi airspace. Sensitive politics President Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, who has led a US push for Gulf states to establish ties with Israel as it seeks to isolate Iran, led an American delegation aboard Monday's flight. Saudi Arabia's decision comes after Kushner met Prince Mohammed on Tuesday in the planned Red Sea megacity of NEOM. On Wednesday, Kushner met with Qatari ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to discuss "the peace process in the Middle East region," according to Qatar's state news agency. There was no comment by the emir on the UAE's normalization of ties with Israel, or any suggestion that Doha could follow suit. Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's biggest economy and home to Islam's holiest sites, faces more sensitive political calculations than the UAE. Not only would a formal recognition of Israel be seen by Palestinians and their supporters as a betrayal of their cause, it would also hurt the kingdom's image as the leader of the Islamic world. In 2002, Saudi Arabia sponsored the Arab Peace Initiative which called for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967 and an equitable solution for Palestinian refugees, in exchange for peace and the full normalization of relations. It matters who hears you, who says I understand this shit just writes itself. Really heard & understood us when we told you how exploitative the show was. Tried to underpay the LatinX writer who just won an Emmy meanwhile creator had never worked in tv b4 but the 3 of us had Ming Peiffer (@mingpdynasty) September 2, 2020 Sorry 2, 3 writers including me. Aforementioned tweet is just top of the iceberg. Im sickened they chose this wording for the tweet and are whoring around the American flag in the trailer as though anything about this project was united Ming Peiffer (@mingpdynasty) September 2, 2020 Netflix recently put out a trailer for their upcoming series Grand Army with the logline: Together We Rise. Together We Rage. The show is a "gritty" YA drama about five high school students who struggle with sexual, racial and economic politics.Writer Ming Peiffer, blasted them on Twitter for this exploitive marketing and revealed how the WOC writers were mistreated by the platform."Me and the 3 writers of color who worked on the show quit due to racist exploitation and abuse. The show runner and creator went full Karen and called Netflix hr on the Black writer in the room for getting a haircut. Yes you read that correctly. Who wants to interview us?'It matters who hears you, who says I understand' this shit just writes itself. Really heard & understood us when we told you how exploitative the show was. Tried to underpay the LatinX writer who just won an Emmy meanwhile creator had never worked in tv b4 but the 3 of us hadSorry 2, 3 writers including me. Aforementioned tweet is just top of the iceberg. Im sickened they chose this wording for the tweet and are whoring around the American flag in the trailer as though anything about this project was united"She's had several writers for trade outlets reply to her tweets and request an interview. "Getting to meet them, and hear their stories, is just something super special. I know from speaking with other people that they enjoyed our presence just as much as we enjoyed theirs, and they inspire us to be better." Cadet Second Lieutenant Alexis Nyce. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 20:55:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows an exterior view of the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Li Ye/Xinhua) "International organizations rarely die but they can become irrelevant. Only when enough governments see the value in doing business at the WTO will it revive," Simon Evenett, professor of international trade at St Gallen University in Switzerland, told Xinhua. by Martina Fuchs GENEVA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- In its first week without a captain, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is not only faced with an unprecedented leadership vacuum or the biggest crisis in its 25-year history, but an urgent need to stay relevant while embracing the technological and geopolitical realities nowadays, trade experts warned. The Geneva-based global trade watchdog has de facto become leaderless on Aug. 31 with the departure of Director-General Roberto Azevedo, who surprisingly announced in May that he would step down one year before the official end of his term. World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo attends a press conference at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, July 23, 2020. (Photo by Li Ye/Xinhua) Azevedo, who will join soft drinks and food company PepsiCo as chief corporate affairs officer, is leaving his successor with a massive set of challenges, ranging from intensifying trade tensions between major members, rising protectionism, to the worst economic recession, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, since the Great Depression. QUESTIONS OVER FUNCTION The WTO, which was founded in 1995 to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. While critics have warned of the imminent "death of the WTO," Bernard Hoekman, professor at the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies in the European University Institute, said such claims were exaggerated. "The real question is whether a critical mass of WTO members will be willing to engage in reform discussions that will make the organization relevant for the global governance of 21st century trade, which centers increasingly on trade in services and policies that affect the growth of the ongoing structural transformation of the economy towards digitization, disintermediation and automation," he told Xinhua in a recent interview. "There are ongoing plurilateral discussions on some of the key policy areas, for example on e-commerce and domestic regulation of services, which is a positive dynamic," he said. "International organizations rarely die but they can become irrelevant. Only when enough governments see the value in doing business at the WTO will it revive," Simon Evenett, professor of international trade at St Gallen University in Switzerland, told Xinhua. REFORMS, REFORMS, REFORMS How to reform the organization and its rule-based multilateral trading system is now hanging like the sword of Damocles over the eight candidates, who threw their hats in the ring for the top job of the WTO. The WTO is due to begin three rounds of consultations this month -- dubbed "confessionals" -- in which all of its 164 members confidentially voice their preferences, gradually eliminating the names on the list. This process is expected to last at least until November, provided that there are no delays. The candidates running for the top post of new director-general meanwhile have promised sweeping reforms of the WTO's three major functions of dispute settlement, multilateral trade negotiations and trade policy. Candidate Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh from Egypt told Xinhua in a recent interview that restoring the deadlocked negotiation function would be his number one priority. Kenya's Amina Mohamed stressed that she would update the WTO's rulebook "so that it's fit for purpose and in sync with the global developments, global aspirations and respond properly to global challenges." "The world has moved on. The question is whether trade diplomats can leave their comfort zone and embrace the realities of 21st century technological and geopolitical rivalry," Evenett said. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PARALYSIS The other pressing issue that needs fixing is the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism, which is currently paralyzed. The Appellate Body, considered as the supreme court for global trade disputes, is supposed to have seven judges and needs a minimum of three to function. The U.S. administration has been blocking new appointments for more than two years, with claims that the court had gone beyond its remit. "Without an effective system to address trade conflicts, there is no incentive to negotiate new agreements. The current crisis is an opportunity to reform the approach taken in the WTO to resolving disputes," Hoekman said. WTO members including China and the European Union set up a temporary arbitration system earlier this year that allows them to overcome the current paralysis and solve trade disputes among themselves. Jesus Seade Kuri, Mexico's candidate for the director-general, told Xinhua that restarting the dispute settlement system would be on top of his reform agenda and suggested creating a new supervision mechanism for the Appellate Body. MORE UNCERTAINTIES Irrespective of who takes the helm, the ultimate winner will have to brace himself or herself for new post-COVID-19 realities, a plunge in global trade and re-establish the WTO as an advocate for international trade. Aerial photo taken on Aug. 25, 2020 shows containers loaded with commodities at the Shihu port in Shishi, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei) According to the body's annual trade forecast published in April, global trade in goods is expected to drop by between 13 percent to 32 percent in 2020, before rebounding by 21-24 percent in 2021. In theory, Azevedo's successor should be selected by Nov. 7, four days after the U.S. presidential election, under an agreed elimination process that is based on consensus. But as the selection process for the new director-general still continues, insiders have cautioned that the leadership void could last for months. With U.S. President Donald Trump having previously threatened to pull the United States out of the WTO, although no firm plans have been announced, another great unknown remains to be how much influence the U.S. will be exerting on that process in the run-up to the appointment of the WTO chief. Chief of defence staff Bipin Rawat said on Thursday that Pakistan could try to take advantage of any threat developing along Indias northern borders but warned that the neighbours army would suffer heavy losses if it attempted any misadventure amid rising tensions between India and China in the Ladakh sector. The latest flashpoint in the north was triggered by provocative Chinese actions on the southern bank of Pangong Tso, after which India made counter-manoeuvres to occupy key heights. Speaking at a seminar organised by the United States-India Strategic Partnership Forum on Navigating New Challenges, Rawat highlighted the threat of coordinated action by the militaries of China and Pakistan along the northern and western borders, and stressed that the Indian armed forces were capable of handling the joint threat. The CDS said Indias military strategy to deal with a twin challenge would be based on identifying a primary and a secondary front for conducting operations. His comments came on a day the army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane reached Leh for a two-day security review of the Ladakh sector, where India and China armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their forward and depth areas. The Indian Army has rejigged its deployments at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, including the northern bank of Pangong Lake, to prevent the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from making aggressive manoeuvres to unilaterally alter the status quo in contested areas. Tensions flared in the sensitive sector after the Indian Army occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake five days ago to stop the PLA from grabbing Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move. Brigade commander-ranked officers from the two sides met for the fourth time in Chushul on Thursday to de-escalate tensions but the talks were inconclusive with neither army prepared to make concessions On Wednesday, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited front-line bases under the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command to review the air forces operational readiness in the eastern sector. India has strengthened its military posture across the length of the LAC --- from Ladakh to Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh to deal with any provocation by the Chinese military. India is also keeping a strict vigil on the western front to deter Pakistan from fishing in troubled waters and prevent what could turn out to be a two-front conflict. Experts said collusive action by China and Pakistan was a possibility. While hostility with Pakistan is out in the open, we are now witnessing military coercion by China in the Ladakh sector. Its not out of the realm of possibility that they could collude militarily. They already have strategic collusion, said Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd), former Northern Army commander. Reports prepared by the parliamentary standing committee on defence over the last decade have delved into the threat China and Pakistan could pose together. Pakistan was likely to step up hostilities if China were to launch offensive operations against India, a senior military officer told the committee in 2014. He, however, stressed that China might not pose a collusive threat if hostilities were to break out between India and Pakistan. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indias sovereignty was supreme and if anyone threatened it from the Line of Control (LoC) to the LAC the armed forces would respond to them in the same language. Rawat said India has border management protocols with China to promote peace and tranquility along the border but of late there have been aggressive actions by China that the Indian military is fully capable of handling. He said India was keeping track of infrastructure development by China in the Tibet Autonomous Region and its implications were being considered while devising military strategy. The CDS referred to the Quad as a good arrangement to ensure complete freedom of navigation on the high seas and overflight, and unimpeded commerce. China has also been wary of the Quadrilateral security dialogue or Quad that was revived in late 2017 by India, the US, Australia and Japan, and these suspicions have increased since the four countries upgraded the forum to the ministerial level last year. Rawat said India and the US could soon finalise the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for sharing geospatial intelligence. He said India was seeking collaboration with the US to acquire high-end technologies in areas such as aerospace, space and artificial intelligence. He added there was tremendous scope for investments in India with the foreign direct investment limit raised to 74%. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rahul Singh Rahul Singh covers military affairs. He has been a journalist for 18 years. ...view detail RUSTBURG Plans are moving forward for a $39 million veterans facility on more than 300 acres in Altavista. The Campbell County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a special use permit and rezoning request from the founders of the National Center for Healthy Veterans following a contentious hours-long public hearing Tuesday night. Citing a conflict of interest because he owns neighboring property on Peerman School Road, Altavista District Supervisor Dale Moore who opposed the project recused himself from the vote early, upsetting many Altavista residents who questioned his motivation and said they felt they had no representation on the board. Before agreeing to the permit, supervisors Jon Hardie, Charlie Watts and Steve Shockley pressed applicants after the hearing for answers to questions about safety, firearms, and the veracity of Joe Basel, who has a checkered past and is the only senior leader who would be based at the center. Man do I think theres need for this, Timberlake Supervisor Susan Hogg said in the lead-up to the vote. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bob Dees, founder of the nonprofit Stone Ridge Foundation, first brought the proposal for the National Center for Healthy Veterans before the Campbell County planning commission in July. In response to several questions from commissioners, the center presented an updated plan in August and has since created a local advisory board. The planning commission paved the way for Tuesdays hearing when it approved the project with conditions in a 4-2 vote, with Altavista District Representative Thomas Lawton and Spring Hill District Representative William Kirk opposing primarily because of safety concerns. The center is being created to help veterans transition back to civilian life and find healing using a holistic rather than clinical approach. The developers plan initially to build a farm with at least five community villages of 20 tiny homes each in a camp-style facility. Other resources include a wellness center, chapel, lodge, an equestrian center for equine therapy, an agricultural area to grow and sell produce, and space for vocational training aimed at placing veterans in jobs after graduating from the transition program. The site could accommodate up to 200 individuals on site at one time. This would have been a God-send to me, said veteran John Abbott of the proposed program, who said he struggled to find direction in life when he became a civilian. But I didnt have it. Dees said the project would be supported primarily by private donations, and there are some generous people that have already offered the required money to obtain the property. Weve had some generous people, and we have money in escrow already to carry our finances for the first two years. After one year, he said the center would apply for a $500,000 grant from the USDA. According to documents provided to the board Tuesday night, the center will have an estimated $68,691,000 in economic impact on the county over ten years. Nearly 40 residents spoke passionately for and against the project Tuesday night in the lead up to the vote around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Some residents said the center could save and change lives, while others asked supervisors for more time to discuss the project or brought up concerns about safety, firearms, duplication of services, oversight, transparency, traffic, clinical care, and lack of representation on the board. A petition with about 120 signatures from neighboring residents who oppose the project was presented to supervisors by Christie Elder, who lives directly across from the proposed center and asked supervisors who among them would be accountable if violence broke out. Spring Hill Supervisor Kenny Brown asked several times about safety, particularly related to firearms and the possibility of some program participants being prisoners coming out of jail. Dees said the center was not looking to accept referrals from prisons only, but was open to considering applicants from those situations after thoroughly vetting them. Giving second chances, he said, would be congruent with the centers mission of returning healthy veterans to America. Dees said firearms would be checked in and locked away on site and would only be checked out by participants leaving the premises to go hunting or to a shooting range. The farm manager would be one of the only individuals authorized to carry on the property. The current property owners daughter, Patti Pierucci, defended the project. My father, who is a veteran, would never sell our family farm to anybody who would endanger our community, she said. Opal Carell, a nurse practitioner, questioned how the center would operate without clinical services, indicated by the centers emphasis on faith and holistic methods of rehabilitation for veterans with PTSD and worried about the stress it would place on an overtaxed mental health care system. To think that mentorship, and community, and faith-based things alone will help people with significant PTSD and other mental health disorders is naive, Carell said. Dees said no one on mind-altering drugs would be at the center. Those patients in need of a clinical setting would not be candidates for this program, he said. Veterans on Tuesday urged the community to not view those with PTSD as monsters or inherently dangerous due to their struggles with mental health. They said support would help the most. Concord Supervisor Matt Cline, a veteran, agreed and said he was personally offended by some of the characterizations of veterans made Tuesday. Concerned residents, most of whom said they have veteran family members, said they fully supported veterans and want them to receive the help they need, but encouraged supervisors to slow down and first get open-ended questions answered and allow time for meetings between residents and the centers leaders before moving forward. In an absence of information, we draw our own conclusions, said Leticia Witcher. Supervisors said the permit request had been properly advertised and organizers said they were still in the planning stages, which is why they didnt have answers to some questions. Dees apologized he couldnt address every question and reminded the board he was only asking for a special use permit and rezoning. Referrals to the facility will come from entities such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and other veteran support organizations, Dees said. After candidates are vetted and applications are accepted, personal development plans will be created for each participant based on individual needs. We want to dot every i and cross every t to your satisfaction, Dees said in response to community concerns. He said the center would be open to organizing a meeting with community members to further address their questions. The center plans to complete two tiny home villages by the spring of 2021, build the community center, and have 20 or fewer clients on the farm at some point in 2021. On Wednesday, county attorney Tripp Isenhour said Dale Moore was legally required to recuse himself from Tuesdays vote because his land abuts that of the proposed project and that gives him a personal interest in the transaction. The potential conflict of interest was brought to the attention of county Administrator Frank Rogers by the family that owns the land and Moore agreed there was a conflict. He did the right thing, Isenhour said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Parents sending their children back to the classrooms over the coming weeks could look to Peterboroughs low rate of COVID-19 transmission as positive foreshadowing, says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Peterborough Public Healths medical officer of health. Our weekly incidence rate should be reassuring parents and staff alike, said Salvaterra. Salvaterra and representatives from the area's school boards gathered via teleconference to answer questions for the reopening of schools. So far Peterborough has had more than 100 total cases of COVID-19, though there are only a handful of active cases currently. The local incidence rate is much lower than the provincial average, at 70 cases per 100,000 compared to 286. In order to reduce transmission, schools are having staggered reopenings, meaning not every student will be returning to class at the same time. As well, Salvaterra said its critical for parents to assess their children every morning, and not send them to school if theyre feeling ill. There are physical and mental health benefits for students in returning to school, she notes, but school staff and health authorities will keep their guard up in case anyone shows symptoms. It will be the staff and the adults in the building who will be the most significant transmitters of COVID, said Salvaterra, adding the expectation is there will be cases in schools. While in long-term care homes all it takes is one case for an outbreak to be declared, in schools it will take two cases and documented transmission within the school. The health units role is to decide whether the requirements for an outbreak are met and then declare it, provide guidance to the schools if that happens, decide whether a partial or full closure of the school is needed and determine when the outbreak is over, said Salvaterra. If a student exhibits symptoms, they will be sent home and an assessment should be conducted by a health care provider to determine if testing is needed, though theres not yet a way to guarantee a parent has done that. Michael Nasello, director of education for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, said the expectation is students should be symptom-free for one full day before returning. Gina Kozak, superintendent for the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, said schools will follow up with parents on a case-by-case basis. Diane Lloyd, board chair of Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, said measures include the way students enter and exit buildings and navigate halls and the setup of desks, as well as keeping students in one group as much as possible, expanded cleaning, additional custodians and teachers and more. Students in grades four and up are also mandated to wear masks. While face coverings for younger grades are recommended by Salvaterra, compliance is more difficult. Students will be guided from buses, to entrances, down marked hallways and right to their classrooms, Kozak said. Every movement is planned, she said. For busing, Lloyd mentions that mask protocols will continue there too, and buses will be cleaned between runs. Cohorts, such as siblings, will also be kept together. If a bus driver spots a child who does not look well, they will either not be picked up or the parents will be called to pick them up, she adds. On the Catholic boards part, Nasello also highlighted mental health supports for students, and how those supports will be targeted to those most-affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Salvaterra said if parents monitor their children for symptoms, keep them home when sick and provincial guidance is followed, that will help keep people safe. We are in a good place for the reopening of schools, she said. Storyful An observatory in Hawaii captured atmospheric pressure waves created by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano on January 15.The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii was 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) away from the eruption when it captured the atmospheric pressure waves on three different cameras. They are the faintly red waves seen in the footage, NOIRLab explained.The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano erupted on January 15, triggering a tsunami on the South Pacific nation of Tonga with waves up to 15 meters, according to information released by the Tongan government. At least three people were killed and dozens of properties were damaged across the islands. Credit: NOIRLab via Storyful The number of active COVID-19 infections in Alberta has risen rapidly in recent weeks as a result of the federal Liberal and United Conservative Party provincial governments drive to reopen the economy. As of Tuesday, there were 1,398 active infections across the province, with 164 new infections recorded in the previous 24 hours. Per head of population, this is one of the fastest-growing infection rates across Canada, which registered 477 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to figures from Worldometers. Albertas capital, Edmonton, which has a population of just over 1 million, has been especially hard hit. Last week, the city recorded 56 active cases per 100,000 people. Toronto, Canadas largest city, with a population of 2.9 million, currently has an active infection rate of 8.93 per 100,000 residents. Edmonton infection data also point to the fact that lower income neighbourhoods are being disproportionately impacted. Northeast Edmonton had an infection rate last week of 136.1 active infections per 100,000, followed by central Edmonton Northgate (94.7 per 100,000) and northwest Edmonton Castle Downs (92.2 per 100,000). Edmontons north side is largely working class and contains the citys poorest neighborhoods. The resurgence of COVID-19 in Alberta is the direct product of the hard-right United Conservative Partys rapid reopening of the economy, which has seen almost all of the public health measures put in place to contain the pandemic removed. On Tuesday, Alberta Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw took this policy a step further by announcing that when schools reopen this week, they will not be required to ensure social distancing among students. The Kenney government has combined its reckless reopening drive with savage attacks on working people. In March, it announced the layoff of around 25,000 education staff, including bus drivers and administrative employees. It has also implemented authoritarian measures that allow the government to criminalize protests on public property, a measure that is above all aimed at suppressing working class opposition, including to its savage public spending cuts. The danger that the Kenney governments policies could lead to a further escalation of infections and deaths is underscored by recent COVID-19 outbreaks and several deaths at two Grey Nuns Community Hospitals. At Misericordia Hospital, where a complete shutdown was necessary on July 8 due to a full facility COVID-19 outbreak that has killed 11 patients to date, many patients and staff have been infected. The hospitals emergency department has been forced to close. Another two hospital staff at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Millwoods, in south Edmonton, recently tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Hinshaw said the staff were working in a unit caring for three patients who had contracted the virus in the community. As of late August, there were two additional deaths and 9 active cases of COVID-19 among residents at the Good Samaritan Southgate Care Centre in South Edmonton, where 31 elderly residents have died so far, and 8 staff members remain infected. 39 residents and 25 staff have recovered since the outbreak began on June 13. The World Socialist Web Site spoke to a worker who asked to remain anonymous, about conditions in her Edmonton workplace, CapitalCare Dickinsfieldan Alberta Ministry of Health seniors facility, where two nursing staff and one nursing student had just tested positive. She said all staff were tested and the facility attempted to have nurse aides fill in for the qualified nurses, but the workers refused and the facility was forced to hire replacement nursing staff. Staff have now been given sufficient PPE in an attempt to avoid a repeat of what happened at the Southgate seniors facility. Outbreaks also continue to emerge at multiple Alberta meat packing plants. At Cargill Case Ready in northeast Calgary, five workers out of a workforce of 500 recently contracted COVID-19. In an Aug. 19 interview with the Edmonton Journal, the head of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401, sought to downplay the significance of the new outbreak, labelling it an anomaly that wont require a full plant shutdown. We havent asked for a closure of the Cargill plant, said local president Thomas Hesse. The company is showing a measure of co-operation, certainly. Our representatives have had a presence in the plant, theres been testing happening and the plant is well-fitted with PPE. Another case of COVID-19 was also confirmed at an Olymel meat processing facility in Red Deer, where 13 employees were sent home as a precautionary measure and are being tested for the virus. Rushing to managements defence, Hesse said, Olymel, I would say, has done their very best thus far to act responsibly and still be able to maintain production. Referring to the meatpacking companies, including Cargill, Hesse added, I think theyve all come some distance as a result of advocacy and public pressure. There are some encouraging signs that some of these workplace cultures may have shifted. In reality, the UFCW is carrying out a despicable cover-up of the criminal role being played by the UCP government and meatpacking companies, who are insisting that production continue at all costs. Just how fraudulent Hesses claim that the culture has shifted was demonstrated last Friday when an Alberta government official ordered the Sofina Foods chicken processing plant in Calgary to remain open even though 18 workers there had been infected. A company spokesman subsequently confirmed that the total number of infections later rose to 27. Also last Friday, the infection of 38 workers at the Harmony Beef processing plant in Balzac, north of Calgary, was reported. The plant recorded two previous outbreaks in March and May. The refusal to shut down Cargills High River processing plant earlier this year resulted in over 1,000 infections and at least three deaths in what is the worst coronavirus outbreak to date at any single workplace in Canada. The company was ultimately forced to accept a temporary shutdown of the facility due to widespread public anger and outrage among the workers. Despite widespread opposition among the highly-exploited workforce at being forced back to work under unsafe conditions, the UFCW explicitly opposed waging any struggle to defend workers health and lives. Demonstrating that the union bureaucracy prioritizes its cozy relationship with corporate management over the lives of the workers it claims to represent, Hesse adamantly opposed workers taking job action to protect themselves from the pandemic, on the grounds such action would be illegal under the state-designed, pro-employer collective bargaining system. - A substantial upsurge in industrialization across the globe and the upcoming investments in various industries may bring tremendous growth opportunities for the industrial air compressor market across the forecast period of 2020-2030 - The global industrial air compressor market is extrapolated to expand at a CAGR of ~4 percent between 2020 and 2030 ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Awareness about energy-efficiency is bolstering the growth prospects of the industrial air compressor market and may further invite great growth opportunities during the forecast period of 2020-2030. Technological developments are also helping the industrial air compressor market to garner substantial growth and are also enabling the replacement of traditional compressors with modern ones. The TMR (Transparency Market Research) analysts predict the global industrial air compressor market to expand at a CAGR of ~4 percent during the assessment period of 2020-2030. The global industrial air compressor market is estimated to reach a valuation of US$ 26.6 bn from US$ 18.1 bn by 2030. Oil and gas exploration and mining activities are inviting burgeoning growth prospects for the industrial air compressor market. These tough work environemnts require large industrial air compressors. This factor may generate growth. Similarly, the growing influence of industrial air compressors across other applications is also laying a red carpet of growth. Download PDF Brochure - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php Industrial Air Compressor Market: T.E.D (Transparency Expert Diagnosis) Talk The analysts at Transparency Market Research highlight the potential of compressed air as a cause of COVID-19 spread. Therefore, based on this factor, healthcare workers and other end-users are opting for industrial air compressors that assure air purity and eliminate contamination issues. The analysts further shed light on the manufacturers' need to adhere to the various regulations framed by the government such as the energy conservation amendment. The analysts also advise the players in the industrial air compressor market to increase their production capabilities in centrifugal compressors and focus on improving the designs of oil-free units. This aspect will enable the smooth replacement of diesel-driven equipment with oil-free units. Explore 330 pages of superlative research, current market scenario, and extensive geographical projections. Gain insights into Industrial Air Compressor Market (Product Type: Reciprocating, Rotary, and Centrifugal; Lubrication: Oil-filled and Oil-free; Form Factor: Portable and Stationary; and Industry: Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Healthcare/Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverages, Energy & Utility, Consumer Goods, Metal & Mining, Transportation, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020 - 2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/industrial-air-compressor-market.html Industrial Air Compressor Market: Major Findings The rotary segment acquired a significant share of the global industrial air compressor market in 2019 and is expected to display the same between 2020 and 2030 On the basis of lubrication, the oil-filled segment is expected to account for a major share of the global industrial air compressor market Asia Pacific served as the largest growth-contributing region in 2019 served as the largest growth-contributing region in 2019 Asia Pacific may expand at a high CAGR across the assessment period of 2020-2030 Request the Covid19 Impact Analysis across Industrial Air Compressor Industries and Markets Industrial Air Compressor Market: Growth Propellers The ability of industrial air compressors to maintain smooth airflow in harsh conditions may serve as the prominent property that will invite expansive growth for the industrial air compressor market. High automobile production in various regions will prove to be a significant growth factor for industrial air compressor market Infrastructure projects and swift urbanization may sow the seeds of growth across the industrial air compressor market Escalating awareness regarding energy efficiency may prove to be a major growth prospect for the growth of industrial air compressor market through the increased installations of energy-efficient air compressors Analyze global industrial air compressor market growth in 30+ countries including US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Benelux, Nordic, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Request a sample of the study COVID-19 Impact on Industrial Air Compressor Market The novel coronavirus outbreak has affected almost every sector. Air compression has been deemed as an essential service and may observe a minimum negative impact on the growth. However, a good growth opportunity has knocked the doors of the industrial air compressor market during the pandemic. Various studies have found that compressed air is said to spread COVID-19 rapidly. Therefore, the installation of air compressors has become the need of the hour for various companies to avoid transmission. This factor may invite massive growth prospects for the industrial air compressor market. Access TMR Press Releases - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm Global Industrial Air Compressor Market: Segmentation By Product Type Reciprocating Rotary Centrifugal By Lubrication Oil-filled Oil-free By Form Factor Portable Stationary By Industry Oil & Gas Manufacturing Healthcare/ Pharmaceutical Food & Beverages Energy & Utility Consumer Goods Metal & Mining Transportation Others (Construction, Automotive, etc.) By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa & South America Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the Global IT & Telecom Industry: Digital Door Lock Systems Market - The digital door lock systems market is segmented into government, commercial, industrial, and residential. The commercial segment is expected to be the major revenue generating segment in 2027 due to the increasing demand for advanced security systems by the growing number of small scale as well as large scale enterprises amid growing security concerns. The commercial segment is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 29.2% over the forecast period. Video on Demand Market - The global video on demand market is projected to reach US$ 145,647.0 Mn by 2030. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2030. The global video on demand market is mainly driven by increasing consumer spending over the internet, and growing penetration of connected devices such as smartphones, smart TVs, and tablets for video consumption. Optical Character Recognition Market - The global market for optical character recognition is anticipated to expand at revenue CAGR of 15.2% during the forecast period from 2020-2030. The global OCR market is expected to reach US$ 51,527.0 Mn by 2030. The advancement of OCR from a special purpose reader to multi-purpose interactive system has lowered the data capturing cost and has led to the development of more reliable OCR system. Access TMR Upcoming Reports - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/upcoming.htm Access Recently Published Reports by TMR - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/latest.htm 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 analyse 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. Contact Mr Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/industrial-air-compressor-market.htm Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1085206/Transparency_Market_Research_Logo.jpg By the time the sheriffs deputy pounded on her door on Aug. 11, she was alone with her dog Kane, waiting. She had taken the girls to her exs, drained the fish tank that had belonged to her late father giving the Jack Dempseys away because she couldnt bear to flush them down the toilet and moved what she could to a storage unit. She had a dream that she and Kane were living in a box fort at the end of the driveway. 03.09.2020 LISTEN A woman in her early thirties is battling for her life at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital after she was stabbed by an assailant whose identity is unknown. The incident happened on Wednesday dawn at Ejisu Krapa where the victim DIANA AFFRIEYIE lives. Narrating the bizarre incident, a close friend of the victim, Abigail Manu recounted that the assailant came banging at the door in the late hours of Tuesday evening. According to Abigail, after failed attempts to break into the room, the assailant sneaked in at dawn, when Diana had gone out to visit a public toilet. She told Ultimate News, When she returned, the man bumped into the room and stabbed her. It took the efforts of Dianas thirteen-year-old son, a final year Junior High School student to rush her to the KNUST Hospital where she was later referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. A brother of Diana told reporter Ivan Heathcote Fumador per the narration he has gleaned from his sister who is in intensive care, she is suspecting that the act was perpetrated by her ex-lover. He has reported the issue to the Ejisu Police Station which has mounted a search for the assailant. The ongoing drug racket involving Kannada film industry (Sandalwood) has divided the industry, while the tantacles have reached to Karnataka politics as well as Bollywood. Meanwhile, Ragini Dwivedi, a leading actress in Sandalwood is dodging CCB interrogation citing health reasons, after her boyfriend was taken to custody in the same case. Another heroine Sanjana Galrani has been issued notice too. Trouble started after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce held a meeting on Wednesday and vented its ire over Indrajit Lankesh and celebrity manager Prashanth Sambaragi, who were vocal about drug mafia in Sandalwood. However, Sambaragi went ahead to charge that the drug racket in Sandalwood had connections with Karnataka political circles as well as Bollywood. Sambaragi said that the CBI had stumbled upon a drug peddler called Imtiyaz Khatri, who used to supply drugs to actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who committed suicide. In 2017, the same Imtiyaz Khan had hosted his birthday party, where Bollywood stars like Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan had attended. Among the other guests, a Karnataka MLA and his son were also present. The MLA was earlier with JD(S) and later joined Congress and won again. Besides, many Sandalwood actors also attended the party, he charged. Meanwhile, the CCB has summoned Indrajit Lankesh, who had earlier claimed that he had given sufficient information about drug racket in sandalwood to sleuths. Earlier this week, Indrajit Lankesh had given a statement to the CCB, claiming to be participants in the drug racket. However, CCB officials said that the statement had circumstantial evidences and not concrete evidences like videos, account numbers or phone numbers. On Thursday, Indrajit Lankesh was summoned to the CCB office for the second time for questioning. After questioning him for some time, the CCB sleuths came down and took two bags from his car. Notice to two actors: Meanwhile, the CCB has issued notices to two leading ladies in Sandalwood to appear before them on Thursday. While Ragini Dwivedi has sought some time till tomorrow, citing health reasons, Sanjana Ganral is expected to appear for hearing by Thursday evening. Ragini Dwivedi name cropped up after the CCB got the number of her boyfriend Ravi Shankar, who is an employee of Transport Department. When she was served notice, she was represented by her lawyer, who sought one day time for her personal appearance. Meanwhile, Sanjana Galrani's name was also in the list of phone numbers of Ravichandran, one of the three drug peddlers apprehended last week. Andrew Harnik Over two months ago, the House passed a broad COVID-19 relief package otherwise known as the Heroes Act that included necessary relief for New York families, regardless of immigration status, including mixed-status New York families, many of which were left out of economic relief from the CARES Act. In fact, it was estimated that 1,159,000 people living in mixed-status families in New York, including 359,000 children and spouses who are U.S. citizens or green card holders, did not receive these crucial payments. As Congress debates the next COVID-19 relief package, they must ensure that broad health and economic relief is provided to everyone who needs it. Economic stability should be provided to all those who file taxes, including U.S. citizen spouses and children in mixed-households. Further, the next bill must ensure coronavirus testing and coverage is afforded for all who need it with the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services office properly funded to ensure our immigration system remains intact. Immigrants are already living in a state of uncertainty, with the Trump administration going to incredible lengths to sideline the immigrant community. Now more than ever, our communities and leaders must ban together to support immigrants who came to America to find new hope and prosperity. Its time for Congress to act to provide relief and certainty to immigrants by passing a substantial relief package that doesn't leave anyone behind. DETROIT Detroit police officers are now banned from using chokeholds. The new requirement is part of sweeping changes in use-of-force policies approved by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners. The reforms are expected to have an immediate impact on policing in the city, the board said in a news release. The board approved the reforms on Aug. 27, the release states. The changes come from a proposal presented to the board by Commissioner Evette Griffie in June, amid global protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Here are the changes: A ban on chokeholds. Establishment of a de-escalation continuum. Requirement for minimal reliance on force. Restrictions on firing at and from a moving vehicle. Measures for reporting when an officer threatens to use force. Requirement for officers to intervene and report when other officers use excessive force. Creation of considerations for vulnerable people who are unable to comply with verbal commands. Requirement for quarterly reporting of use-of-force, discipline, and other types of data, which will be made available to the public via data portals The changes put the Detroit Police Department in compliance with the national 8 Cant Wait campaign, which reviewed the departments policies in July and found them to meet four of the eight recommended standards. RELATED: Use-of-force policies from major Michigan police agencies fail to meet anti-brutality demands This is definitely a great first step in terms of reducing the chance of Detroit having a situation like what happened, unfortunately, to George Floyd and so many others, Griffie told the Detroit Free Press. The public should be very pleased to hear that we now have these policies. To write policy is the first step, the next step is making sure all of our officers have adequate training. READ MORE: Wayne County Sheriffs corporal dies after attack by jail inmate Man tells police why he fired handgun 8 times at car in Bay City Muslim woman claims she was forced to remove hijab in jail, sues Genesee County, deputies No, CDC did not reduce the coronavirus death count, despite what you may have heard Press Release September 3, 2020 Transcript of interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III with Pinky Webb of The Source on CNN Philippines On PhilHealth Q: The recommendation is to file criminal charges against 8 officials that includes health secretary Francisco Duque over malversation of public funds on the issue of the IRM and other issues. You have Sec. Duque who claims ignorance. Can you expound on this further, what could be Sec. Duque's culpability? SP Sotto: That's correct. If you say that you have nothing to do with the board resolutions or you did not sign, understandable that you did not sign because you are not supposed to vote. In the Universal Health Care law, the chairman is not supposed to vote. That is one of the things that we have to remove by the way because there are 13 members and then the chairman is the secretary of health. The chairman leads the agenda and direction of the board and then you will not vote. So for many months, releases of P14.8 billion and the chairman of the board is not aware? If you say that then you are practically admitting guilt to Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code because you are negligent and that falls under the category of malversation especially with that kind of amount. Our findings prove that our recommendations are correct and even after a number of interpellations last night, those who were tentative about the participation of Sec. Duque I think their fears were allayed. And by the way the recommendations of the Committee of the Whole report is not confined to just 8 officials. Those were the named officials, but you will notice in the main committee report, we are saying that it must include, the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman when they investigate, must include all officials and employees who connived and participated in the transactions. We are talking here of 632 transactions so if you were negligent for one, you that is 632 counts of negligence. Q: And the 632 you are talking about the IRM here, the disbursements that happened from the months of March to June? SP Sotto: March, April, May, and it only became shall we say legal by June 11. That was the only time that they (unclear) and submit to the Office of the National Administrative Register of the UP Law Center and that was a requirement not only of their board but of the procedures. And therefore, they were releasing billions of the people's money from March up to June illegally and they admit to that. As a matter of fact, their legal officer admitted that it was illegal. Q: And we are talking about that transaction, yung P14.8 billion from March to June and then the resolution was actually signed in June. SP Sotto: The resolution, they came up with a board resolution after they have already started transacting or giving advance money to the HCIs the IRM. Again, let us go back to the context first. IRM supposed to be s reimbursement and it was the original idea during the time pa of Sec. Padilla, Alex Padilla president ng PhilHealth, because of Ondoy. They were trying to reimburse the HCIs or the health care institutions that were affected by Ondoy. Mga floods, mga ganyan, and then also Marawi, and also Tagaytay. The IRM was used, it is a reimbursement mechanism, note, reimbursement. PhilHealth is an insurance corporation, why will you advance the insurance? Why will you advance the reimbursement when there is no reimbursement yet, like for example, there is a hospital that they gave I think more than a P100 million and the claim now is only around P5 million, so what do we do with this? Knowing that the people, this is the people's money. They sign up for PhilHealth, they line up for hospitals, hirap na hirap sila, hindi sila makapag hospital, at inaasahan lang nila ang PhilHealth pagkatapos malalaman nila na bilyon-bilyon sa mga pera ng PhilHealth ay gagamitin sa ganoon, it is unforgiveable. That is why we say that even in this pandemic na dapat daw ay hintayin na muna naming yung pandemic saka raw yan, hindi eh. We will be unforgiven also, the Senate will be unforgiven if we know that it is happening and we will not do anything about it. That is what we call the Executive Department to look into. Q: And when you actually talk about the R in the IRM, ang tawag nga po doon ay reimbursement but what is happening is an advance payment although I understand of course that the PhilHealth officials had explained the wisdom behind this. I want to go back to what you earlier said, because there were a few senators who in the beginning were not too convinced about Sec. Duque's criminal negligence on this issue. Are they now convinced about the issue on Sec. Duque? SP Sotto: I think so because we fully discussed it yesterday. As a matter of fact, it was Sen. Pimentel who was interpellating me and Sen. Lacson was also interjecting and we explained that as chairman of the board you lead and you direct the board. In Republic Act 7875 by the way, the National Health Insurance Act, the PhilHealth shall be governed, maliwanag na maliwanag, governed by a board of directors eh ang chairman ng board of directors, si Sec. Duque. Now, when you say govern, govern is synonymous to rule, control, regulate, direct, and dictate. So how can you say that you don't know what is happening and the board does not know what is happening? Now, also in the PhilHealth law, PhilHealth is an attached agency of the Department of Health for policy coordinator and guidance and the administrative code of the Philippines, very clear, the secretary shall have supervision and control over the bureau's offices and agencies under him. Hindi pwedeng ikaila, kaya nga as I said it definitely the findings of the committee I think are very clear, it is impossible to say that it is baseless. We are basing it on law, it is so clear. Maliwanag eh at saka maliwanag din yung mga illegal na ginawa. What do you mean baseless? How can it be baseless, so these recommendations are given, and as a matter of fact, after that, we terminated the period of interpellation, there was no objection from Sen. Lacson, Sen. Pimentel or Sen. Gordon, even the Minority Leader, the Minority Leader interpellated also, Sen. Frank Drilon who is the expert in justice and law in the Senate. So he himself agrees to the findings of the committee. Q: The Senate Committee of the Whole is actually recommending to the President to appoint a new health secretary. With this recent finding from the Senate, do you think that this will probably convince the President to replace Sec. Duque? SP Sotto: Well, according to the Palace spokesman, Sec. Duque still has the trust and confidence of the President. That is the opinion of the President, but one thing is that I have submitted to Executive Secretary Medialdea the findings, the complete copy of the report, the Committee of the Whole findings report. We submitted it to them, so I am sure he will be able to brief the President on our findings. Q: When you submitted this to the Executive Secretary, did you even have the chance to speak to him? SP Sotto: No, not yet. As a matter of fact, we also submitted a copy already to the Department of Justice, the Ombudsman, and president and PCEO Dante Gierran. He was on the phone with me and he said that he is very glad that we gave him a copy because it will be a good guide for him to try to ferret out other issues in the PhilHealth that has not been covered by the committee. There are issues that we have not been able to cover, I admit that. Q: I am asking you if you think that the President will have a change of heart with Sec. Duque with this finding, because when you previously asked the secretary to resign and then this committee report, my question I guess id what if, yung inyong findings is not similar or is different from the finding of the DOJ? SP Sotto: I really doubt it but to answer your question, then I don't think the people, the Filipino people who are monitoring this will be satisfied. I am so sure that they are so agitated and irritated and angry at the way the money of the PhilHealth has been spent. And the way things are running, you know, for example, they will say na how can we change somebody like Sec. Duque we are in the middle of the pandemic. Akala ko ba hindi ba pag nagsabi ang (unclear) na hindi dawn aka ready ang administration, sinasabi ng administration there are already plans, there are programs in place, naka set up na lahat. So hindi totoong sabihin na pagka pinalitan yung kung let's say yung buong PhilHealth na officialdom is tainted, ibig sabihin kahit na tainted, hahayaan natin dahil hindi kayo nakahanda sa mga programa at plano? I don't think that is true. Q: Ano po ba yung nangyari na sinasabi ni Pangulo na whiff of corruption? SP Sotto: Yun, that is another thing. We have heard him before, he has said it. Just a whiff of corruption, sisibakin niya, di ba? Ito, hindi ito whiff, dokumentado ito. Dokumentado ang corruption. It is unexplainable. For example, go back to the IRM. Bale na yung mali ang withholding tax, mga kung anun-ano, ang dami pang ibang findings naming na nakita roon, dokumentado na. But ito ang pinaka malala sa lahat, like for example, ang proposal ng PhilHealth originally sa study na ginawa, ang magagamit nila for 2020 for Covid at hindi doon sa reimbursement na original, is P3.3 billion. Yun ang sinasabing magagamit. P3.3 billion is mind-boggling, billions, hindi ko makikita pa kung paano bilangin ang billions. So P3.3 billion. Ang inallot nila na budget is P28 billion and from March to before June, P14.8 billion na ang nadistribute. Paano mo maeeksplika yun? Merong isang hospital na isa lang ang Covid patient, binigyan mo ng P200 million. Merong hospital P168 million yata yun, P138 million yung binigay mo, isa lang ang Covid patient. There are other hospitals that have been begging them for help. Meron sa Iloilo, meron sa Region 6, meron sa Region 8, meron sa Bicol, begging them, even here sa Luzon pero hindi nakakarating pero yung nagrerequest sa kanila, all of a sudden, in seven days naka release. Milyon-milyon nakarelease in seven days. How can you say that there is no (unclear)? Q: What do you think because the House committee is looking at possibly granting the President emergency powers to address this PhilHealth issue. Is this something the President needs? SP Sotto: I do not know what is incorporated or included in their proposal, to give the President emergency powers on what the President can do and what kind of emergency powers they would give because as far as we are concerned, most of us in the Senate is concerned, we know that in this part of the globe, the President of the Philippines is the most powerful president. Mas powerful tayo kay Widodo at kung anu-ano yung powers ng Presidente sa Pilipinas. So anything that they would want the President to do he can do now, even without the emergency powers, that is what we believe, so we would rather look at what their proposal is, anong klaseng emergency powers ang ibibigay pa, idadagdag mo, na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon. Kung meron tayong makikita na hindi niya kayang gawin ngayon in order to let's say revamp, reorganize or whatever he can do sa PhilHealth, then yes, by all means, let's give it to him pero kung nandoon naman sa mga powers niya, bakit pa? Q: US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton has been ordered released by the Olongapo court after serving more than 10 years of his sentence. However, this actually includes what is called GCTA something that is very controversial, tiningnan ito at inimbestigahan ng Senado. Yung computation kasi, umabot na siya ng more than 10 years but halos kalahati noon ay GCTA. Do you agree and who is actually to monitor his good behavior in his detention center in Camp Aguinaldo? SP Sotto: I will not be in a capacity to answer that question but what I can say because I do not know how he is being treated, and hid confinement, we are not sure about that, the only thing I can say about it is that it is a good thing that the Blue Ribbon Committee of the Senate has not ended the hearing on the GCTA, if you will recall. That is the reason that Sen. Gordon has had difficulties with the hearings because of the lack of number of cases being investigated by the Blue Ribbon, but that is one of it. GCTA, suspended pa lang yung hearing niyan so I am sure we can take it up. That will be a good resort to be able to find out if it is correct but then ang titingnan natin ditto ay kung ano ang pwede nating magawa in aid of legislation thereafter, because meron tayong separation of powers with the judiciary, yun lang. Q: Should the issue of revolutionary government be discussed publicly gaya ng sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte? SP Sotto: I haven't given it a thought but gain, the question is why? Why, is something wrong? Sabi nga nung mga Amrikano, why fix it if it ain't broke? Broken nga dapat. Q: Do you suspect what is behind this revolutionary government? SP Sotto: No, I have no idea on who would be behind it but I don't see the reason why, you know, as far as democracy is concerned, it is in place in the Philippines. May mga reklamo pero ganoon lang yun. Look at the constitution, it is alright. Perhaps what we need would be amendments to the constitution, one or two points especially on the economic issues, siguro ganoon. Pero if you are talking of a revolutionary government, why? To change it into a federal form of government? Aba'y pinag aralan naming yung sa aming partido, yung federalism, maganda but it will take you about 10 years of transition period to be able to do that. It should have been done in 1987 when we were formulating the new constitution. Right now madaling sabihin, mahirap gawin. Napakahirap gawin, we have had seminars. Q: On the blacklisting of Chinese companies by the United States, Sec. Locsin said that he would strongly recommend this among Chinese companies here in the Philippines who may be involved in the reclamation or militarization in the South China Sea. Do you agree na dapat may sanctions or iblacklist itong mga Chinese companies? SP Sotto: Yes. When it comes to the issue of foreign relations, Sec. Teddy Boy Locsin would be the expert, would be the perennial expert and therefor whatever he says, I would support. I am not an expert on this. Q: Even if the President said itutuloy daw itong mga Chinese companies na may kontrata dito sa Pilipinas? Ang sabi ni Sec. Locsin he will strongly (unclear) basta't may kinalaman sa reclamation sa South China Sea, ang kanyang recommendation is to end this contract. You agree with him? SP Sotto: Yes, I agree. Tama yun, kung may kinalaman ka sa pangangamkam, sabi nga sa Pilipino, may kinalaman ka sa pangangamkam sa amin, bakit ka susuportahan? I agree with Sec. Locsin. Q: The House passed a bill proposing to declare September 11 as President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day in Ilocos Norte. Is this something that you would support? SP Sotto: A bill of local application when it comes to the Senate, usually is not really debated upon. It is a bill of local application, it is for Ilocos Norte, I doubt if there will be objections to that. If it is nationwide, baka magkakaroon ng objection yan, medyo mahihirapan yan. For us it is not a matter of whether we are going to support it or not, usually, bills of local application breeze through the Senate unless one or two objects. Q: Would you object? SP Sotto: No, I won't. It is a bill of local application, it is in Ilocos Norte, as far as Ilocos Norte is concerned, President Marcos was the past president, he has done a lot for Ilocos Norte, so I will not be surprised if Ilocos Norte agrees. AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" of Emirates Insurance Company P.J.S.C. (EIC) (United Arab Emirates). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect EIC's balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorises as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). EIC's balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level at year-end 2019, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Capital requirements are largely driven by asset risk arising from the company's investment portfolio, which is weighted toward equities in the UAE. In AM Best's view, EIC has sufficient capital buffers to absorb volatility arising from this asset class, with capital adequacy remaining robust despite the COVID-19 pandemic driven investment market turbulence during the first half of 2020. The company's balance sheet also benefits from strong liquidity and prudent reserving practices. A partially offsetting factor is EIC's moderate dependence on reinsurance, evidenced by a retention ratio of 50.5% in 2019. However, credit risk is mitigated by the excellent quality of its reinsurance panel. EIC has a track record of strong operating performance, with a good balance of earnings between underwriting and investment returns. The company's reported five-year (2015-2019) average return on equity is approximately 10%, supported by strong and relatively stable underwriting results with an average combined ratio of around 90% for the same period. AM Best notes that EIC's reported performance since 2016 will be subject to restatement following identification, in the first half of 2020, of an error in the recognition of a subset of claims over this period. As a result, earnings have been overstated by a total of AED 67.1 million (USD 18.3 million) since 2016, equivalent to up to four points on the company's loss ratio in any given year. Incorporating the impact of this restatement, the company's performance remains within AM Best's expectations for the strong operating performance assessment. The company's ERM assessment is considered as appropriate. However, AM Best expects EIC to review and strengthen its control environment in light of the accounting error identified. EIC maintains a good competitive position in its domestic market, ranking fifth in terms of gross written premiums (GWP) in 2019. The company writes a diversified portfolio of non-life insurance and reinsurance business, although there is a weighting toward domestic motor business on a net basis. EIC's profile is enhanced by geographic diversification from its specialist reinsurance arm, Emirates Insurance Company International (EIC International), which currently contributes approximately 20% of the total GWP. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright 2020 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005664/en/ Contacts: Romeo Berti, ACA, CMA Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0297 romeo.berti@ambest.com Christopher Sharkey Manager, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159 christopher.sharkey@ambest.com Alex Rafferty, ACA Associate Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0312 alex.rafferty@ambest.com Jim Peavy Director, Public Relations +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644 james.peavy@ambest.com More than 700 small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19 will receive $24.7 million in grants by Sept. 30, city officials said Wednesday. Its part of the $191 million that San Antonio was allotted in federal funding in June to respond to the economic damage caused by the novel coronavirus. About 2,700 businesses with 20 or fewer employees applied for the grant; a third of the applicants were in the service industry and 14 percent in the food industry. Businesses were given preference if they were based in areas that had low income and/or larger populations of people of color. Businesses were also given preference if theyre owned by a veteran, woman or minority. So far, 709 applicants have been chosen to receive a grant which can be up to $75,000 depending on the number of employees accounting for $22.3 million of the available funds. Funding for 501 of those businesses, half of which are owned by women, will start going out this week, with Liftfund, which partnered with the city for this initiative, reaching out to these businesses. The remaining funds will be awarded by Sept. 30. More than 75 percent of the grant funds are going to 548 small businesses in City Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, which have the lowest per capita incomes of the citys districts, according to data from SA2020.org. Over the course of the last several months, our small businesses and nonprofits have demonstrated incredible resiliency by being able to pivot their business models and adapt to changes, said Alejandra Lopez, director of the City of San Antonio Economic Development Department. This program is designed to support these microbusinesses and nonprofits located in our citys most underserved neighborhoods by providing them with financial relief so they can continue to navigate economic uncertainties and emerge stronger than before. District 5 saw the highest percentage of small businesses funded, with 117 of its 145 applicants slated to receive grants. I dont have any large employers in my district, so my district survives from the support of small businesses, said Councilwoman Shirley Gonzalez, who represents District 5. So I think its fitting that it seemed like we got a larger percentage of the funds. Meanwhile, District 8 saw 14 of its 382 applications funded, or 3 percent. To ensure financial sustainability, small businesses that receive these grants will be asked to provide a recovery plan, Lopez said, to explain how theyre going to adapt to these difficult economic conditions. Additionally, 45 nonprofits that provide direct community services such as food pantries, including social service providers and churches, are slated to receive $1.79 million. That leaves $680,000 in the pot to be divvied up in a third round of funding to be determined this month. Grants of up to $5,000 to 130 individual artists also will be awarded before the end of the month. Support for small businesses was allotted a total of $38.1 million of the citys COVID-19 recovery plan, with $27 million being grants to the businesses and nonprofits themselves. An additional $5 million is going toward on-the-job training opportunities, and $2.6 million to grants for the arts. The remaining funds are going for protective equipment, door-to-door outreach and training businesses how to financially recover and stay resilient during the pandemic. Liz Hardaway is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Liz, become a subscriber. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway Video of March encounter shows police put hood on Daniel Prude and pinned him down to the pavement for two minutes. A Black man died of suffocation in Rochester, United States, in March after a group of police officers put a hood over his head and then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released by the mans family. Daniel Prude died on March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester, New York state. His death did not receive public attention until Wednesday, when his family held a news conference and released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. Prudes brother, Joe, said he called 911 on March 23 after his sibling, who was visiting from Chicago, ran out of their home in an erratic state. Just the day before, Rochester police had taken Daniel Prude into custody for a mental health evaluation after he reported suicidal thoughts. I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched, Joe Prude said at a news conference. How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenceless, buck naked on the ground. Hes cuffed up already. Come on. How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop? Body camera footage emerged this week showing police officers holding down Daniel Prude on March 23 [Rochester Police via Roth and Roth LLP via AP] Trying to kill me The videos show Prude, who had taken off his clothes, complying when police ask him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back. Prude is agitated and shouting as he sits on the pavement in handcuffs for a few moments as a light snow falls. Give me your gun, I need it, he shouts. Then, they put a white spit hood over his head, a device intended to protect officers from a detainees saliva. At the time, New York was in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Prude demands they remove it. Then the officers slam Prudes head into the street. One officer, who is white, holds his head down against the pavement with both hands, saying calm down and stop spitting. Another officer places a knee on his back. Trying to kill me! Prude says, his voice becoming muffled and anguished under the hood. OK, stop. I need it. I need it, the prone man begs before his shouts turn to whimpers and grunts. The officers appear to become concerned after he stops moving, falls silent and they notice water coming out of Prudes mouth. My man. You puking? one says. One officer notes that hes been out, naked, in the street for some time. Another remarks, He feels pretty cold. His head had been held down by an officer for just over two minutes, the video shows. The officers then remove the hood and his handcuffs and medics can then be seen performing CPR before he is loaded into an ambulance. A medical examiner concluded that Prudes death was a homicide caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. The report lists excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors. Protests The death is now under investigation by the New York State Attorney Generals Office. It occurred two months before the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died on May 25 after a policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The Minneapolis death set off mass protests across the US and the world, with tens of thousands of demonstrators rallying against racial injustice and police brutality. Rochester activists on Wednesday demanded that the police involved in Prudes death be prosecuted on murder charges and that they be removed from the department while the investigation proceeds. The police have shown us over and over again that they are not equipped to handle individuals with mental health concerns. These officers are trained to kill, and not to de-escalate. These officers are trained to ridicule, instead of supporting Mr Daniel Prude, Ashley Gantt of Free the People ROC said at the news conference with Prudes family. A crowd of protesters gather near the site where Daniel Prude was restrained by police officers in Rochester [Adrian Kraus/ AP] A makeshift memorial is seen in Rochester near the site where Daniel Prude was restrained by police officers [Adrian Kraus/ AP] Later in the day, dozens of protesters gathered outside Rochesters Public Safety Building, which serves as police headquarters, chanting: Which side are you on? Free the People ROC said several of its organisers were briefly taken into custody after they entered the building while Mayor Lovely Warren was speaking to the media. The mayor described the video showing Prudes restraint by police as disturbing. I want everyone to understand that at no point in time did we feel that this was something that we wanted not to disclose, she told reporters. Rest assured that we are going to do everything possible to make sure that the truth comes out and that justice is held here, she added. Russia has been insisting on Ukraine holding local elections in the temporarily occupied territories before Moscow withdraws its troops and hands control of the border back to Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said he cannot imagine elections held in Donbas while the border with Russia in eastern Ukraine's warzone remains "leaky." During a Q&A on Twitter, the top diplomat was asked "Is the control of Ukraine over the temporarily uncontrolled section of the border with the Russian Federation considered a 'red line' and a precondition [...] for holding elections in Donbas?" "I can't imagine elections with a leaky border," the minister replied. Idea of local elections in occupied territories: background More than 250 people have been arrested since the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, with more than half from outside the county that the southeastern Wisconsin city is in, police reported Thursday. Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer on Aug. 23, sparking three nights of unrest that resulted in roughly two dozen fires and damage to numerous downtown businesses. Two nights after the shooting, prosecutors say 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two demonstrators and wounded a third. His attorney claims it was self defense. Kenosha police updated arrest figures Thursday, saying of the 252 people arrested, 132 did not live in Kenosha County. Rittenhouse came from his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Kenosha, to join others who walked the streets with rifles saying they were there to protect businesses from damage. Four people arrested filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that police were not arresting pro-police demonstrators like Rittenhouse who were breaking a curfew, while targeting others. The citys attorney called the lawsuit baseless and said it should be dismissed. The city on Wednesday ended a curfew that had been in place since August 24, a sign of calming tensions in the city of about 100,000 midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday to thank law enforcement for their efforts and his Democratic rival Joe Biden was in Wisconsin on Thursday and met with members of Blakes family and Kenosha community leaders. The police said damage to city property was about $2 million and damage to county property was about $385,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating more than 23 fires, police said. Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is also Awarded the Five-Star Rating Joining the Hotel in this Historic Rating PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on luxury hospitality and world-renowned expert in genuine Five-Star service, has honored Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center as the first ever hotel in the city of Philadelphia to receive the distinguished Five-Star rating in the upcoming 2021 Forbes Travel Guide. In tandem with the Hotel, Forbes Travel Guide has awarded Five-Stars to the Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, joining an elite group of under 100 luxury spas' worldwide with a Five-Star rating. "Achieving this accolade, arguably one of the hardest and most distinctive in the hospitality industry fills me with abundant pride in our special team of individuals," said Ben Shank, General Manager. "Their genuine perseverance to create a comfortable elegance, coupled with authentic service, is now recognized on the world stage. On a personal note, with Philadelphia as my original hometown, I am humbled to be part of the team that has created a historic first for our wonderful city." Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia opened its doors in August 2019 as the highest situated hotel in North America. The Hotel resides atop of the Comcast Technology Center designed by Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, the skyscraper has redefined the Philadelphia skyline. Craftsmanship and Innovation are at every turn of the property with stunning installations from Artistic Director and celebrity floral designer Jeff Leatham. Offering world-class dining from Michelin starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and James Beard Award-winner Greg Vernick, becoming an epicenter of culinary excellence in Philadelphia. With over 780 years of combined experience, the team at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, some born and raised in Philadelphia and others abroad, represent ten countries and nine languages. They create an atmosphere of hospitality and intuitive service for local and internationals guests, while Les Clefs D'Or concierge customize every stay. Wellness & Healing The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center is a luxurious retreat of wellness floating above the clouds. Home to the only infinity-edge pool in Philadelphia, spa guests feel a sense of tranquility from 700 pounds of healing crystals concealed in the walls. Crystals are a common thread on the Spa menu, with signature treatments focused around the therapeutic gemstones. "With hearts full of care and a passion for wellness, the team creates exceptional experiences for guests daily," said Senior Spa Director, Verena Lasvigne-Fox, the ultimate curator of well-being. She has led several renowned spas across the globe including Four Seasons Paris, Marrakech, Seychelles. This is Lasvigne-Fox's first time being awarded the Forbes Travel Guide's Five Star award. The Spa experience is made complete with a state-of-the-art fitness center, relaxation lounge with zero gravity chairs, salon, dry sauna, steam room and ice fountain. Forbes Travel Guide is the global authority on luxury hospitality. Professional inspectors travel the world to assess hotels, restaurants, and spas based on 900 objective standards that determine their coveted annual Star Ratings. Forbes Travel Guide will celebrate the full list of 2021 Star Award winners in spring 2021. "We offer our congratulations to the staff and leadership of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center for a double Five-Star win for both their hotel and spa," said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. "As one of the newest recipients of The Forbes Travel Guide star rating awards, our experience of the property showed staff willing to go above and beyond for their guests, a hallmark of genuine Five-Star service. It would be remiss not to acknowledge that aside from an incredible achievement in a tremendously trying year, these new accolades also place Philadelphia back on the list of cities that can proudly boast the prestigious Five-Star award," he added. To view the new Star Award winners, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com. For a detailed explanation of how Forbes Travel Guide compiles its Star Ratings, click here. Contact: Melissa Quinones DeShields 267-780-3393 melissa.quinones@fourseasons.com Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K_f9D6szKs Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247890/Sky_Lobby.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247891/Four_Seasons_Hotel_Philadelphia_Logo.jpg Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will release the admit card for the IGNOU Term-end examination (TEE) soon on its official website. A notice regarding this decision has been released on the varsitys official website. Once the admit card is released, students who have registered for the examination will be able to download their admit cards online at ignou.ac.in. The varsity on Wednesday also released the date sheet for the TEE 2020 examination. As per the date sheet, IGNOU TEE 2020 is scheduled to be conducted from September 17 to October 16, 2020. Hall tickets of the eligible students will be available on the university website soon. The students are advised to visit the University website regularly and download their hall ticket and follow the instructions printed on the hall ticket, reads the notice. The varsity in its notice has said that any students who will not be able to appear for the IGNOU TEE June examination due to the coronavirus related issue or any other reason will be permitted to appear for the December TEE 2020 examination instead. The Examination Fee submitted by the student towards the June 2020 TEE will be adjusted for the December 2020 TEE, reads the notice. Direct link to IGNOU TEE June 2020 date sheet. How to download IGNOU TEE 2020 admit card: 1. Visit the official website at ignou.ac.in 2. On the homepage, click on the link that reads, TEE June 2020 admit card 3. A new page will appear on the display screen 4. Key in your credentials and login 5. The IGNOU TEE June 2020 admit card will be displayed on the screen 6. Download the admit card and take its print out for future reference. But here is the shocking partThe unwillingness of governments of the Fourth Republic to publicly condemn, despise, deny and disband these rampaging party youth military organizations is a tacit endorsement of their illegitimacy. This is clearly so because some of these leaders owe their own legitimacy not to the Ghana Police, but to raucous party militia. Election Day gallops closer and closer, and so does the credibility of outstanding electoral violence. Somehow, Covid19 and its atrocious effects on mens pockets seem to have eclipsed all other incendiary matters, relegating them to the back burner of national discussions as issues of bread and butter take center stage on the list of national priorities. In the meantime, party myrmidons, foot soldiers, loose talkers, militant wings, fear mongers, atmosphere manipulators, youth formations, gunfighters, and die harders intensify their secret mobilizations away from the national eye as they get ready for the showdown of all showdowns. COVID-19 may have spared us as the chills of an electioneering campaign of insults, retribution, and threats of vendetta and mass mobilizations. For this, may COVID-19 be praised, for once in our generation, the campaign season seems to be enjoying some semblance of serenity and sanity, even satiety, truth be told. But the cost of COVID-19 to national security, specific to electioneering could be cataclysmic. As the fight against COVID-19 takes center stage in our national security architecture, activities of known militant groups associated with the NPP and NDC are afoot in vigor, momentum, and hardiness, mobilizing to die for their masters. The variations in their ferocious description is noticeable, but their militant intent is as clear as sunlight, for they ready themselves with enthusiasm to pounce on the foe like a swift bulldog at the first command of its master! You name them.Eastern Mambas, Invisible Forces, Azorka Boys, Bolga Bulldogs, The Hawks, Delta Forces, Kandahar Boys, Bamba Boys, Aluta Boys, Nima Boys, Salifu Eleven, Zongo Caucus, Mahama Boys, Basuka Boys, Badariba, Veranda boys, Bindiriba, Tohazie, Sese Groups, Rasta Boys, Bukurisung, Pentagon, Gbewaa Youth, Al Quaeda, Nato Forces, 66 Bench, Al Jazeera, Nana Addo Fun Club, Bugri Nabu Fan Club, John Mahama Fun Club, and so on and so forth! How these militant youth groups have flourished under our Fourth Republican dispensation remains a colossal marvel. Good governance and political legitimacy which seems is the bedrock of democracy has its own policing mechanism, different from all these motley, disorderly amalgamation of militant party apparatchiks and hangers-on, self-elect to police our elections. But here is the shocking part. These groups have flourished under the gracious supervision of elected governments, who lend them credibility by their overt and covert encouragement. The unwillingness of governments of the Fourth Republic to publicly condemn, despise, deny and disband these rampaging party youth military organizations is a tacit endorsement of their illegitimacy. This is clearly so because some of these leaders owe their own legitimacy not to the Ghana Police, but to raucous party militia. These land mine of political conflagrations have been lying dormant on our political conscience for many years, awaiting a little spark to ignite. Each time we came close to phenomenal explosions, God intervened by the loud prayers of the church. But now that Covid19 seems to have silenced the courageous prayers of the church, who will save Ghana on December 7th? The streaming company behind The Crown has signed a production deal with Prince Harry & Meghan Markle. Since their move to the USA, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been pitching movies and TV plans around Hollywood. Under their new, multi-year deal at Netflix, the couple will make documentaries, feature films, scripted television shows and childrens series. Our lives, both independent of each other and as a couple, have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection, Meghan and Harry said in a statement. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. Variety reports the couple will be focused on creating a wide variety of series about stories and issues that are close to their hearts, such as those that their newly formed nonprofit, Archewell, will highlight. Several projects are already in development, including a nature docuseries and an animated series centered on inspirational women. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens, they said. We are pleased to work with Ted and the team at Netflix whose unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action. Harry and Meghan have inspired millions of people all around the world with their authenticity, optimism and leadership, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos added. Were incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere. Markle, who previously starred in Suits, recently narrated the Disney+ documentary Elephants but is not expected to return to acting. (Natural News) One of the most underreported aspects of the current violence, unrest and chaos that continues night after night in major cities across America is the fact that the people creating the mayhem all have the same message: Revolution. Now, most Americans will dismiss such calls as nothing more than empty rhetoric being shouted by a small minority of people, and in a country of 330 million, its not something to worry about. After all, Leftists were shouting Revolution! in the streets in the 1960s too, and nothing changed; we still have the same form of government our founders bequeathed us. Well, there are some distinct differences between the 1960s mayhem and whats going on today: The chaos is the result of the same Marxist/Leninist anarchist political ideology of 50 years ago, but back then the Democratic Party, while more liberal than the Republican Party, at least favored policies like: Law and order (Richard Nixon won on this platform by a landslide in 1968); Fully funding police departments; Punishment where warranted; Prosecution of lawbreakers; Jail terms for the guilty. Todays Democratic Party, however, does not embrace any of those principles. Because its not the Kennedys party any longer, its Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs party, which means the violence we are seeing is only going to get worse because what she wants is the same thing the radical Leftists who comprise the lawless base of Antifa and Black Lives Matter want. Weve seen this transition coming. Once AOC was elected, along with her Squad, we knew that the old Democratic Party with its socially conservative blue dog faction was a thing of the past. And Joe Biden, who has stumbled and mumbled his way into becoming the partys 2020 presidential contender, will only ensure that the radical Leftist revolutionaries have the power of the White House behind them if he wins in November. We already know whats in store: More radicalism and more chaos. Biden, or whoever is running his Twitter account, posted this not-so-cryptic message recently. (Related: Biden blames Trump for BLM, Antifa violence even though not a single Democrat has condemned this monster created by the left.) Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected? Bidens account said (Biden cant speak sensibly in public for very long; what makes anyone think hes writing his own tweets?). Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected? Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 31, 2020 Was that a threat that more destabilizing violence is on the way if President Trump gets reelected? Sure it was. And it was meant to scare Americans into casting a ballot for Biden so the country can finally experience peace. But think: The violence taking place right now is occurring in Democrat-run cities, and many of the mayors and city councils who run them are extremely Left-wing. That is especially true of Mayors Jenny Durkan in Seattle and Ted Wheeler in Portland and yet the Antifa/BLM anarchists are still creating unrest, breaking into stores, lighting fires in the streets, killing political opponents and rioting. What makes anyone believe the violence in America will stop if Biden is elected? It wont; were already seeing the revolution being played out in chaotic Democrat cities like St. Louis, New York City, L.A., Portland, and Seattle. In fact, Wheeler the lib has been under assault so badly at his own apartment that hes moving as if that will stop the mob from following him and continually disturbing his peace again and again and again. This is the email Portland mayor @tedwheeler sent to residents at his NW Portland condo after antifa attacked the building in a riot & tried to burn it down. He simply announces he will move, rather than end the rioting. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/rK5nPQPtj3 Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) September 2, 2020 Heres whats happening: The Marxist, militant Left funded by billionaire instigators like George Soros sees an opening for real radical revolutionary change and they are using the Democratic Party as a base of operations. They dont really believe in the Democratic Party or its principles and view it as being just as corrupt and tied to the capitalist system they seek to destroy as the GOP. Thats how they can vote for Democrats and still attack guys like Wheeler, who knows that defunding the police can never be a real thing. But the other problem these Democrat enablers have is this: They can no longer stop the Marxist mobs they helped create. Violence is here to stay whether Trump wins or not. The Marxists need the Democrats for now but they dont really want to become Democrats. Because theyre Marxists. The difference is, Trump will put his boot in rioters rear ends and Biden wont. Sources include: FoxNews.com DailyWire.com NaturalNews.com The EU's foreign policy chief called on Moscow Thursday to cooperate on an international probe into the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and said it would not rule out sanctions. "The European Union calls upon the Russian Federation to fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ensure an impartial international investigation," the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement. Brussels "reserves the right to take appropriate actions, including through restrictive measures," Borrell said. The EU condemned "in the strongest possible terms the assassination attempt", the statement said. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight last month and was treated in a Siberian hospital before being evacuated to Berlin. Germany's claim that he was exposed to Novichok -- the same substance used against Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury two years ago -- prompted widespread condemnation and demands for an investigation. The EU said the use of chemical weapons "is completely unacceptable under any circumstances (and) constitutes a serious breach of international law and international human rights standards." The Russian government "must do its utmost to investigate this crime thoroughly in full transparency and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity must not and will not be tolerated," Borrell said. Wishing Navalny "a prompt and full recovery," the diplomat said that the EU would "continue to closely follow the issue and consider its implications." Search Keywords: Short link: The deadline for Jet Airways corporate insolvency resolution process is October 21 Jet Airways insolvency process may have entered its last stage, with two bidders submitting revised proposals earlier this week. The revised bids were submitted after several rounds of negotiations between the lenders and the two suitors. "Post the discussions, both contenders submitted revised bids. Unless the lenders ask for more revisions, we may get a decision within a fortnight," a senior executive told Moneycontrol. State Bank of India was the lead lender to the airline. Overall, Jet Airways owes over Rs 8,000 crore to the banks. Total claims, including those from vendors and employees, amount to over Rs 25,000 crore. The airline, which had suspended operations in April 2019, had received two bids on July 21. The first consortium was of Flight Simulation Technique Centre Pvt Ltd, Big Charter Pvt Ltd, and Imperial Capital Investments LLC. Both FSTC and Big Charter are led by aviator-turned-entrepreneur Sanjay Mandavia. Imperial Capital is an investment banking and wealth management company based in Dubai. The second bid was from the consortium of London-based financial services firm Kalrock Capital and entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. Both the consortiums are tight-lipped about the revised bids and declined to comment on the story. Sources, however, added that the two sides have made 'structural' changes to their proposals that could pertain to debt repayments. Earlier, the deadline of August 21 for the insolvency process was extended. In a statement on August 20, Ashish Chhawchharia, the resolution professional overseeing the process, said the Committee of Creditors, consisting of Jet Airways lenders, were engaging with the two suitors to assess the feasibility and viability of their respective plans for the airline. "Once this assessment is complete, the CoC shall vote on the resolution plans... For any plan to be considered approved, it will need to secure the votes of at least 60 percent of the CoC members," the resolution professional said. Meanwhile, the airline has sold real estate in Mumbai, worth $65 million. It later paid the US Exim Bank to get titles to six Boeing 777 aircraft. As the newly formed coordination committee of Congress members of Parliament met for the first time on Thursday, they took up the issue of the government scrapping question hour in the monsoon session of parliament. The group of ten parliamentarians from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were led by the leader of the opposition in the upper house, Ghulam Nabi Azad. Last week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi reconstituted the group for better coordination adding new members like KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Ahmed Patel from the Rajya Sabha and Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu from the Lok Sabha. It was seen as a snub to leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma who were part of the 23 leaders who had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi asking for an overhaul of the Congress party, with elections at every level. Also read: Congress likely to set up panel for internal polls `We discussed how there is complete unanimity on the issue of question hour, said one of the MPs, The government had tried to take advantage of reports of dissent within the party and announced that we had agreed to the scrapping of question hour. This is totally incorrect and everyone was agreed on it. The coordination group which is expected to decide the partys stance on all parliamentary issues is expected to meet every other day. It will then brief the strategy group which includes party president, Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former party president Rahul Gandhi. The strategy group also summons domain experts like P Chidambaram for specific meetings. We have decided that the main issues that wed like to raise in this session are the pandemic and the way the lockdown was imposed, Chinese aggression, privatisation, GDP contraction, price rise, MSME crisis among other issues, said another member who attended the meeting. Jairam Ramesh is expected to submit his report on the 11 ordinances that the government is pushing for passage as bills in the monsoon session of Parliament. The report will be submitted to the Congress President and on September 8, will reveal what position the Congress will have on each of the issues. HT had reported how the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 and The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 may be opposed by the party. The group also discussed including like minded parties in their discussions so that a coordinated strategy could be worked out by the opposition

The exam regulator launched a consultation in July, which proposed delaying the start of GCSEs until after half term, pushing them back to 7 June to allow for more teaching time.

It said any changes would be announced in August, but it has not yet made a final decision on the timetable for 2021, and is still drawing up contingency plans for next summer's exams.

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Questioned by MPs on how it planned to avoid a repetition of this summer's exams fiasco, when ministers decided to scrap exams for an algorithm to award grades, Ofqual's chairman suggested the regulator was keen for traditional exams to take place.

Richard Taylor told the Commons education committee on Wednesday it was "absolutely essential" students sit a "fair, comparative test".

And in the event of a local lockdown, he said there are "mechanisms" - including "online tests" - which offered a solution.

Ofqual, which has been considering whether to delay exams next year, has been consulting on the issue since June.

In a consultation document last month, Ofqual revealed that 37% of respondents strongly supported delaying the exams, compared with 8% who said it was a bad idea.

The regulator said: "While there was general support for a delay to the exams, to allow more time for teaching, respondents were less positive about this if it meant a potential delay to results.

"We will continue to work with the DfE (Department for Education), exam boards, regulators in Wales and Northern Ireland, and groups representing schools, colleges and higher education to consider the best approach, and we will confirm our decisions as soon as possible."

That was back on 3 August, and Julie Swan - the regulator's executive director for general qualifications - told MPs a decision would be announced in the coming weeks.

It means staff and students face further uncertainty with just two terms left to prepare for GCSEs and A-levels, having lost several months of learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mason Parkes, 15, who attends Bristnall Hall Academy in Oldbury, West Midlands, told Sky News: "It's definitely hard and challenging... I would like the government to make a decision because we don't know whether we are doing them later or if it's just certain subjects or if it's teachers' predicted grades.

"It's definitely worrying because we don't know what's going on or what to do, or what we are doing. I hope a decision is going to be made soon. I'm just going to try and get my head down and revise in every subject that I can."

Rajan Mattu, 15, added: "I feel the government needs to make a decision quite quickly so we know what we need to do for our exams so we can prepare in the right way.

"I wouldn't prefer them to be delayed. I would rather get them out of the way and done. All we can do is work, but we don't know what to work on."

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Gavin Williams, who supports delaying exams, told MPs the government is determined that exams will go ahead in 2021, adding they were working with the sector to ensure "this is done as smoothly as possible".

Labour has said next year's exams should be pushed back to mid-summer due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Shadow education secretary Kate Green said pupils starting Year 11 and 13 face "a mountain to climb" unless the timetable is changed.

She said exams due next May need to be delayed until June or July to facilitate extra teaching time.

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Some BTEC students still haven't received their grades, Labour MPs Sarah Owen and Shabana Mahmood told Mr Williamson, who said the issue was being addressed "as swiftly as possible".

"This is something that occurs each year, and the number of youngsters who received their BTEC awards was significantly higher than the previous year, but there are some centres where there continue to be some challenges," he said.

Ofqual was fiercely criticised after the "moderation" algorithm it designed meant around 280,000 students in England saw their A-level marks fall by one grade or more from their predicted results.

The algorithm, used following the cancellation of this year's exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, was claimed to have disproportionately penalised students from schools in disadvantaged communities.

The regulator faced further anger over its handling of the appeals process for students who wished to challenge their results.

Following the controversy, Ofqual and the government performed a U-turn by ditching the algorithm and announcing A-level and GCSE students would instead be handed exam grades as predicted by their teachers.

The Operation and Investigation Office of Azerbaijan's Southern Territorial Main Customs Department says that it has seized a truck carrying 305 kilograms (approximately 670 pounds) of heroin near the country's border with Iran. The seized parcels are valued at 22 million euros (more than $26 million) on the region's black market, according to local Azeri news outlets. According to an official report, the truck was driven by an Iranian citizen, who was caught and detained by customs officers at Azerbaijan's Astara customs. Documents carried by the driver referred to the truck's cargo as agricultural equipment including plows, which was headed to Kazakhstan through Azerbaijan. The truck was scheduled to leave Azerbaijan for Kazakhstan by a vessel in the Caspian Sea. Local Azerbaijani media reported that a trained dog of the Police Canine Unit inspected the iron frame of the plows, which was followed by a stationary X-ray, eventually detecting the narcotics. More than 300 kilograms of heroin was detected in 598 pieces wrapped in different parcels, hidden inside over half of the units of the agricultural equipment. While the investigation into the case is underway, the Iranian truck driver, Arazigojog Abdolrazzaq Moradgoli, is in police custody and under interrogation. After positive coronavirus tests began to emerge from people traveling from Iran to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan closed its borders with its southern neighbor on February 29, but trucks carrying Iranian goods are still allowed to cross the border. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 3, 2020) -New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV: NFG) ("New Found" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has now received all permits required to commence drilling at its Keats "Discovery" Zone at its Queensway Project, Central Newfoundland. Preparatory surface work is now under way and the first drill will be mobilized to the area shortly. Craig Roberts, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer of New Found, stated: "We are excited to return to the Keats Zone to follow up on the discovery made in November 2019 when New Found intersected 19.0 m of 92.9 g/t Au at approximately 75 m depth in hole NFGC-19-01. Since this program we have made significant progress towards understanding the geology, controls of mineralization, and likely genesis of this high-grade gold interval and we are excited to be moving into a program to grid drill this zone. More detail on the targeting and planned program at Keats will be provided in the coming days." Option Grant New Found announces that it has granted stock options exercisable for a total of 215,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, to certain officers, directors, employees, and consultants of the Company. These stock options have an exercise price of $2.07 per option and expire on September 3, 2025. The options are governed by the terms and conditions of the Company's Amended and Restated Stock Option Plan. Following the grant of the stock options, the Company has a total of 13,995,000 stock options outstanding, representing approximately 9.85% of the outstanding common shares of the Company. This stock option grant is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. QA/QC True widths of the new exploration intercepts reported in this press release have yet to be determined but are estimated to typically be 70%-80% of reported core lengths; all channel sample true widths are estimated to be close to the reported widths. Assays are uncut, and calculated intervals are reported over a minimum length of 2 metres using a lower cutoff of 3.0 g/t Au. All HQ core assays reported were obtained by either whole sample rock metallic screen/fire assay or standard 30-gram fire-assaying with ICP finish at ALS Minerals in Vancouver, British Columbia. The whole sample metallic screen assay method is selected by the geologist when samples contain coarse gold or any samples displaying gold initial fire assay values greater than 1.0 g/t Au. Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and interpretation of results is performed by qualified persons employing a Quality Assurance/Quality Control program consistent with National Instrument 43-101 and industry best practices. Standards and blanks are included with every 20 samples for Quality Assurance/Quality Control purposes by the Company as well as the lab. Approximately 5% of sample pulps are sent to secondary laboratories for check assays. Qualified Person The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Greg Matheson, P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About New Found Gold Corp New Found holds a 100% interest in the Queensway Project, located 15 km west of Gander, Newfoundland. The project is intersected by the Trans-Canada Highway and located just 18 km from Gander International Airport, has logging roads crosscutting the project, has high voltage electric power lines running through the project area, and easy access to a highly skilled workforce. With working capital of approximately C$75 million the Company is well financed for aggressive exploration with an initial planned drill program of 100,000 meters. New Found has a proven capital markets and mining team with major shareholders include Palisades Goldcorp (33%), Eric Sprott (18%), Novo Resources (11%), Rob McEwen (7%), other institutional ownership (8%), and management, directors and insiders (4%). Approximately 65% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares are subject to escrow or 180-day lock up agreements. Please see the Company's website at www.newfoundgold.ca and the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Acknowledgments New Found acknowledges the financial support of the Junior Exploration Assistance Program, Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Contact To contact the Company please visit the Company's website, www.newfoundgold.ca and make your request through our investor inquiry form. Our management has a pledge to be in touch with any investor inquiries within 24 hours. New Found Gold Corp. Per: "Craig Roberts" Craig Roberts, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer Email: croberts@newfoundgold.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to further the exploration and drilling on the Company's Queensway gold project in Newfoundland. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63149 Navidad en el Barrio is looking for a few angels to help them move forward with their annual gift-giving program. In its 33rd year, Navidad en el Barrio has been bringing the Christmas spirit to girls and boys across Houston, providing thousands of toys and a Christmas program held at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB). EVA LONGORIA LAUNCHES 'SHE SE PUEDE': Eva Longoria Baston helps launch `She Se Puede, inspiring Latinas everywhere This year, with an ongoing pandemic, that celebration will look a little different, as the founders of the program Martha and Israel "Izzy" Gomez, Jr. told Chron.com. Unable to hold the program at the GRB this year, Gomez, alongside his wife and board of directors, has been brainstorming ideas for the show to go on. "One of our ideas right now is that the liaisons for the schools that participate will pick up the toys and wrapping paper from our warehouse and wrap the toys for the children, and the party will be at each school," said Gomez. Each school brings about 40 children to the program, with about 50 schools participating across the greater metropolitan area, said Gomez. "We are also thinking of having a DVD with messages from motivational speakers pre-recorded," said Gomez. "So still incorporate a little program to where we encourage the kids to not lose hope." Most recently, they also shared a post on their Facebook page asking the community to become a "2020 Navidad angel" and donate what they can so they can purchase the toys for the children. To date, they have raised $925 of their $20,000 goal. Angelica Noyola, one of the board members for Navidad en el Barrio, said the annual Christmas program is very rewarding to witness. "I came across this organization back in 2016, I was amazed by the hard work and dedication," said Noyola. "While this year will be different, we want to make sure our kids dont miss this event, for many of them it's the only Christmas party they have." Another idea Gomez said they were thinking of was having a drive-by at each school to pass out the gifts and minimize the number of kids that are together. While they have received donations from a few corporations, said Gomez, they still need Houstonians' help to reach their monetary goal. "We want to make it as safe as possible for everybody, but bottom line our mission is to make sure our children never lose hope," Gomez said. Well, our session ended Aug. 31. There were a lot of tough bills coming up, and it was clear it would be until midnight the last night. I started getting texts from colleagues asking if I would be there. I asked the speaker directly if I could vote by proxy. He was really trying to make it work, but the legal interpretation he was advised was that it would leave us open to litigation if there was a close vote. So my husband and I talked a lot about it: Do I stay home even though I could be a deciding vote on bills about single-use plastics and housing and family leave? I felt compelled to go and decided to bring my daughter because were feeding every two or three hours most of the time shes literally on me. So I loaded the stroller, the BabyBjorn and all the accouterments in the car. What was it like when you arrived? I wanted to mitigate exposure when I got there, and there are a hundred people walking around the Assembly at any given time, so I spent the vast majority of time in my office alone. Then around 11:30 p.m. or so I was feeding my daughter on a couch in my office, looking up at the screen with the votes. I knew they were going to need my help and it was going to go fast. So I basically detached her from me, ran down to the floor and went up to the podium, to speak. The clock was ticking, and she was hungry and wasnt having it. I felt the moment of everyone paying attention to me and what I was saying. As I say my two cents, my mask is falling off, the blanket is falling off, shes crying. And I blurted out, OK, Ive got to finish feeding my daughter. I still had to drive an hour and 15 minutes, and it had been a long day. Its a long day with a newborn anyway. When you spoke to the speaker, who later apologized, how much did you push back? He basically said that maternity leave doesnt fall within the parameters of the bill that passed to set up voting by proxy. I took him at his word. I honestly think that he wanted to make it work hes a compassionate person who cares; his career was about early childhood. He was concerned about the legality of proxy voting. I dont want to paint this as his fault. I do think many institutions are trying to figure out this issue of working remotely, of parents. Coming out of this, were looking at this policy: Can we provide parameters for members who care for parents, who have spouses who are cancer survivors or are undergoing treatment? How can we provide flexibility thats still legally sound? People have called you a hero for working mothers, and your image went viral (thanks in part to your former boss Hillary Clinton) and made the news in Peru. Why do you think it resonated? A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped and beaten up with an iron rod by three men in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly, police said on Thursday. According to SSP Shailesh Kumar Pandey, the accused took the girl to a secluded place and raped her on Wednesday. When the girl tried to resist their attempts to rape her, she was beaten up with an iron rod by the three men, Pandey said. One of the three men also recorded the act and threatened to post the video on social media if she told anyone about the incident, the police said. Based on a complaint lodged by the teenagers father, a case was registered against Mohit (25), Sumit (27) and Ankit (24). While Mohit and Sumit were arrested on Wednesday, Ankit was still absconding, the SSP said. Britain formally left the European Union at the end of January, just before the pandemic struck. If you think you might have missed the consequences of that historic exit because of coronavirus, you'd be wrong. Our neighbour remains a de facto member of the EU's trading arrangements until the end of this year. That 'transition period' has allowed Irish businesses to buy stuff from British businesses exactly as they have done for decades, and vice versa. But Brexit in name only will not last much longer. 'Frictionless' trade across the Irish Sea will end on the first day of 2021. That much has been clear since Boris Johnson's government ruled out extending the agreed 11-month transition period. More time would have allowed each side's negotiators more scope to cut a detailed and comprehensive long-term deal (trade deals between modern economies are inevitably complex). Less clear is how much friction there will be for businesses trading across the Irish Sea from the beginning of next year. That is because the EU and the UK are still slugging it out on the terms of their future relationship. What's at stake and what's the problem? First, some perspective. The economic calamity caused by the pandemic is far worse than the worst 'no deal' Brexit. But that says more about the gargantuan shock the world is currently experiencing as a result of coronavirus than it does about how bad Brexit could be. Many, if not most, businesses have been negatively affected by the pandemic in one way or another. The negative impact of Brexit for businesses selling into the British market has been much discussed in recent years. Suffice to say that to erect new barriers to trade across the Irish Sea in the middle of the Covid crash would be a disaster for many companies, and could push many of them over the edge. If the plight of exporters is well known and much discussed, the risks of possible shortages of essential supplies in January need more attention. Ireland remains highly dependent on Britain as a source of imports - from the flour that goes into bread to the petrol that goes into our vehicles. In the first half of this year, one in four euro spent by Ireland Inc on foreign goods went to UK businesses, making Britain our single most important source of goods. But even this does not illustrate how significant any disruption to Irish Sea supply lines could be for Ireland. Two other factors are relevant. First, it has often been said that Ireland exports everything it produces and imports everything it consumes. This is not quite true, but it is much truer than for bigger economies, such as Britain, which produces a wider range of goods. On a per-person basis, we in Ireland import around four times more goods than the average Briton. The other additional reason a messy Brexit would amount to a second supply whammy, to add to the one inflicted by the virus, is the role our neighbouring island plays as a land bridge to and from the Continent. Most of the nuts, bolts, food products and everything else consumers and businesses buy in from the rest of the world comes from continental countries. Much of the merchandise coming to Ireland on trucks comes through Britain because that route is much faster than sailing directly from the Continent. Having well-stocked shelves in supermarkets and factories across the country depends on goods coming from or through Britain. Any significant disruption at that country's ports and/or Irish ports poses a real threat to what is an economic artery. Because every man, woman and child in the country consumes imported goods, including basics such as food, it is vital that supply lines work efficiently and that ports do not back up, which is exactly what could happen if there is no EU-UK trade deal. It could also happen even if there is a deal, and that deal includes lots of new checks and import taxes. With less than four months until the transition period ends, yesterday Michel Barnier, the man leading the EU's team in the Brexit talks, spoke at the Institute for International and European Affairs (where I work). While acknowledging repeatedly the 'particular' problems and risks Brexit poses to Ireland, he made it plain that he was not happy with the way the talks were going. The Frenchman sounded downbeat on the prospects of a deal. He said that any deal will have to be struck by Halloween in order to give the lawyers time to write it up and the legislators across the continent time to give it the thumbs up in their respective parliaments. Barnier highlighted three big blockages to a deal. One is how to divvy up fishing rights in the waters around these islands. Another is what sort of refereeing system should exist if either the EU or the UK believes the other side is breaching whatever overall deal is agreed. Both these issues are narrow enough in content to allow agreement to be reached quickly, provided the political sensitivities on both sides can be overcome. The third issue blocking a deal is cash from Her Majesty's coffers being used to subsidise businesses in Britain. This is the most important issue economically, and also the trickiest to find a workable solution to. The British say the reason they are leaving the EU pitch is so that they are no longer bound by rules of this kind. The EU see companies in Britain being able to out-compete theirs thanks to handouts from Whitehall - and we in Ireland have particular concerns that foreign companies here could get lured across the water with promises of multi-billion pound grants and incentives. If there is no deal in the weeks ahead, we will spend what is likely to be the least merry Christmas in decades fretting about shortages of a range of goods from the moment the new year is rung in. Everyone needs to refocus on this risk in the weeks ahead. A Pakistani court on Thursday directed the government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former naval officer sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, and adjourned the case for a month. The Islamabad high court, after hearing arguments in the matter, asked attorney general Khalid Javed Khan to inform the government to send the courts order to India and put off further hearings till October 3. The direction came after the attorney general informed the larger bench of the high court, comprising chief justice Athar Minallah and justices Aamer Farooq and Miangul Hassan Aurangzaib, that the Pakistan government hadnt received a reply from New Delhi on the matter till date. Khan said it appeared the Indian government was not interested in availing the opportunity of legal representation and its focus is on embarrassing Pakistan. He said that despite the passage of a month from the time that the Islamabad high court directed the government to offer a chance of legal representation to New Delhi, no reply was received from the Indian side. Khan also said Pakistan is continuing the process of implementing the Internation Court of Justices (ICJ) judgment but India is busy obstructing the right to review. The ICJ asked Pakistan to stay Jadhavs death sentence and carry out a comprehensive review of his conviction and sentencing by a military court. On August 3, a special bench headed by chief Justice Minallah had directed the registrars office to form the larger bench. The court also directed the government to make another offer to India and Jadhav through the Foreign Office to hire a lawyer. On August 6, the Islamabad high court formed a three-judge bench at the governments request to hear the matter of allowing Jadhav to appeal against the death sentence. In its order, the court said that it was refraining from appointing a lawyer for Jadhav. It added the government of Pakistan should inform Jadhav about his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The court further observed Jadhav should be informed of the ICJs decision, adding he should also be made aware of his rights under an ordinance issued by the Pakistan government to the ICJs verdict. Pakistan has alleged Jadhav was arrested on March 3, 2016 in Balochistan on charges of espionage. He was subsequently sentenced to death following a secret trial by a military court the following year. India has dismissed these charges and said Jadhav was kidnapped by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Straffan artist Kathrine Geoghegan is showing her paintings which explore the North Bull Island on Dublin Bay at a large warehouse in Dublin due to social distancing protocols. The venue, organised by Kilcock Art Gallery, is Associated Rewinds Ltd, Tallaght Business Park, Dublin D24E932 . The exhibition is laid out over 6000 sq. ft of space and will be open to the public from 15th 26th September. Afterwards, the exhibition return to the Art Gallery in Kilcock for another four weeks until 17th October. Eanna Ni Lamhna, Biologist, Environmentalist and broadcaster will open the exhibition. Kathrine uses her paintings to show the habitats, plants, marshes, mud flats of the North Bull Island which is a UNESCO site. She has spent over two years researching for this exhibition, which was postponed in April due to Covid-19. Breda Smyth of Kilcock Art Gallery said: "It's a wonderfully colourful exhibition of 43 paintings. It would appeal to people interested in these habitats, plants and this unique biosphere." WATCH VIDEO of Kathrine speaking about her new exhibition To be fully honest, we need to state the fact that there arent many professionals in Armenia. This is what deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Vladimir Vardanyan told reporters in parliament today. I wouldnt want this to be viewed as degradation of other potential candidates for judges of the Constitutional Court. Yes, there arent many qualified professionals who wish to be a part of the public service system, and this is due to the salaries and social guarantees. When all corruption risks are eliminated, it is necessary to envisage social guarantees that will make a person want to become a public servant. This is why people talk a lot about bonuses and surcharges, but we need to be honest and state that we are dealing with a situation where people need to receive good salaries in order to provide quality services. The government and the National Assembly are working actively to solve this problem, he said. Asia China to Double Nuclear Warhead Stockpile Over Next Decade, US Predicts China's JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles are displayed on Oct. 1, 2019 during a military parade in Beijing marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. / Kyodo As the race to the Queensland election heats up, millions of dollars in donations are flowing into the coffers of the state's political parties. Data on donations shows the campaign for the incumbent Labor party has a much smaller war chest than its LNP rival. The LNP has brought in a whopping $1.5 million from donors compared with Labor's $550,000 campaign stash. From August this year, political parties are limited to an election spend of $92,000 a seat, meaning no more than $8.5 million can be spent on an entire campaign. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 12:28:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, including one in the community and one imported case in managed isolation. The community case has been epidemiologically linked to the Auckland cluster, according to the Ministry of Health. The case in managed isolation is a woman in her 30s who arrived from the Philippines via Hong Kong on Aug. 29. She has been in managed isolation at the Distinction Hotel in Christchurch and tested positive around day 3 of her stay, said a ministry statement. Since Aug. 11, the government's contact tracing team has identified 3,162 close contacts of cases, of which 2,984 have been contacted and are self-isolating, and the team is in the process of contacting the rest, it said. There are 92 people linked to the community cluster who have been transferred to the Auckland quarantine facility, which includes 67 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their household contacts, the statement said. There are seven people with COVID-19 in hospital, with two in ICU, it said. There are 16 previously reported community outbreak cases who are considered to have recovered. With Thursday's two new cases, the total number of active cases is 115. Of those, 36 are imported cases in managed isolation facilities, and 79 are community cases, the ministry said. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now 1,408, which is the number reported to the World Health Organization. New Zealand's largest city Auckland entered a lower level of COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, allowing people to get in and out of the city, sparking concerns of further spreading the virus as some Aucklanders flew to resorts such as Queenstown in the South Island when restrictions relaxed. Face coverings such as masks became compulsory on public transport across New Zealand from Monday. Enditem President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his encouragement to his supporters to vote twice, first by mail and thenif election officials allowin person. Voting twiceas the president requestsis not only illegal, but a recipe for chaos in November. Perhaps that is exactly the point. Trump defended his call as a way to test the system against voter fraud, but its like encouraging his supporters to try to rob the 7-Eleven to make sure that the police can respond adequately to robberies. Advertisement Speaking briefly to WECT television in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump said the following when he was asked if he was confident in North Carolinas system of allowing people to vote absentee: Theyll go out and theyll vote and then theyre going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they wont be able to do that. So let them send it in, and let them go vote. And if their systems as good as they say it is, then obviously they wont be able to vote. If it isnt tabulated, theyll be able to vote. So thats the way it is, and thats what they should do. But send in your ballots, send them in strong, whether its solicited or unsolicited. The absentees are fine. We have to work to get them. It means something. And you send them in but go to vote and if they havent counted it, you can vote. So, thats the way I view it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president tried to clean up the statement in a series of Thursday morning tweets, suggesting that his supporters who vote by mail should also go to the polling place and only vote if election officials report that their mail-in ballots have not been received. To begin with, it is illegal to attempt to vote twice in an election. This is true under North Carolina and federal law. And it doesnt matter if one is doing it to test the system. In Texas in 2016, as reported by the Washington Post: Phillip Cook was arrested on Election Day after voting twice. He claimed to be an employee of Trumps campaign who was testing the security of the electoral system. He wasnt an employee of the campaignand the polling locations security worked perfectly well, it seems. Advertisement Trump might have even broken North Carolina law by encouraging the conduct. It is illegal in the state for any person with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, or to induce another to do so, in the same primary or election, or to vote illegally at any primary or election. Advertisement So are Trumps comments themselves a criminal inducement to his supporters to illegally vote? Or, in the language of the statute, was Trump by his comments induc[ing] with intent to commit a fraud a person to vote more than one time in the same . election? I think a case could be made that he was. He was encouraging people to vote both by mail and in person. The questionable part is about his intent. It sounds like he was suggesting an attempt at double voting as a means of testing the integrity of the system, or assuring that his voters can cast at least one ballot for him. Is that a fraudulent intent? I could see how a jury could find it to be so especially given Trumps other statements suggesting he believes that such double voting would not be caught by election officials. Trump could also argue that his statements, which offered nothing of value but only encouragement, were not an inducement to vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another possible defense is that Trump was joking or not being serious about his comments and this was typical Trumpian hyperbole. Perhaps so, and I do not expect Trump to be prosecuted, but I think many people may hear his comments and think he is serious. This is particularly true given that he repeated the comments the very next day and his attorney general, William Barr, refused to acknowledge that double voting is illegal. Advertisement Advertisement And this is the much more important point than whether Trump violated North Carolina law with his statement to WECT. Supporters of his, in North Carolina and elsewhere, could follow his advice and try to vote twice. Those people face potential prosecution for a felony, as the North Carolina State Board of Elections made clear in a Thursday statement, and it is awful for the president to be encouraging illegal conduct. Advertisement Whats worse, the comments are going to put a strain on an election system stretched to its limits by trying to conduct a presidential election in the midst of a pandemic and with one of the candidates constantly casting doubt on the elections legitimacy. Again, this is probably Trumps real intent. North Carolina, like other states, has systems in place to prevent double voting, such as electronic poll books that let poll workers know if someone showing up to vote has already cast an absentee ballot that has been returned. (It is these checks that slow down the processing of absentee ballots and explain why we might not have results on election night in a close election.) Advertisement But these systems are designed under the sensible premise that few people are going to risk felonies and vote twice. Its the same design for police departments, which would look very different if people were trying to rob every 7-Eleven every day. Advertisement Lines are already going to be long in some places on Election Day. The pandemic means it is harder to find poll workers and so there will be polling place consolidations and fewer workers, all contributing to a longer queue. Trumps suggestion for his supporters to go to a polling place to try to vote twiceand via a complex procedure of trying to get a poll worker to confirm that an absentee ballot has been tabulated, which in some cases it will not have beenwill add to those long lines. The lines will be even longer if the voter insists on casting a provisional ballot after having voted by mail. (That provisional ballot wont be counted if the voter has already voted.) Those long lines will do real damage to an Election Day infrastructure that is already looking stretched to the limitsthe ensuing chaos will benefit the candidate claiming that the whole process is rigged no matter what the outcome: Donald Trump. Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election, claiming that voter fraud is widespread in the United States when it is rare. These new statements seem calculated to create more confusion and chaos at the pollsand possibly more actual fraud. It will also cause more people potentially with COVID to congregate at the polls, exactly the opposite of what we need for a safe and fair election during November. For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX:FF)(OTCQX:FFMGF)(FRANKFURT:FMG) is pleased to report that Auteco Minerals Ltd. ("Auteco") (ASX: AUT), First Mining's partner on its Pickle Crow Gold Project in northwestern Ontario ("Pickle Crow" or the "Project") has increased its current drill program at Pickle Crow from 10,000 metres (m) to 45,000m. Highlights: Diamond drill program expanded to 45,000m Two drill rigs currently active, third expected to be mobilized in late September 19 drill holes (4,400m) completed to date As part of its earn-in agreement with First Mining, Auteco has actively been exploring the Pickle Crow deposit, with one diamond drill rig in operation since May 2020 and a second drill rig mobilized to site in July. To expedite potential resource growth and test multiple step-out targets, a third rig is scheduled to be mobilized in late September 2020. Based on initial exploration results and observations to date, Auteco's drill program has been expanded from 10,000m to 45,000m, with a 24-person, all-season camp to be established on site to support exploration activities. To date, nineteen drill holes totalling 4,464m have been completed. Assay results and drill highlights will be reported in an upcoming news release. Exploration efforts are currently focused on the definition of potential additional resources within the Core Trend, which is host to the current inferred resource and the historical mining and infrastructure. Numerous walk-up drill targets 'in the shadow of the headframe' have been identified from historical drilling datasets, and the current drilling is adding geological confidence to the significant historical intercepts to enable conversion to JORC and NI 43-101 mineral resources. Reconnaissance exploration drilling has resulted in three new, high-grade gold discoveries/extensions already, with significant step-out mineralization returned from Vein 5 extensions, Vein 11 extensions including a new footwall discovery, and a new Vein 112. Auteco's aggressive drill program is fully funded following its recent A$30.4 million capital raising. First Mining entered into an earn-in agreement with Auteco on March 12, 2020 whereby Auteco may earn up to an 80% interest in PC Gold Inc., the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary that owns Pickle Crow. Auteco can earn a full 80% interest by incurring a total of $10 million in exploration expenditures over five years, making cash payments to First Mining totaling $4.1 million, and issuing 125 million shares of Auteco to First Mining. Upon completion of the second stage of the earn-in (at which time Auteco's interest in PC Gold Inc., and thereby the Project, would be at 70%), First Mining will be granted a 2% Net Smelter Returns ("NSR") Royalty, 1% of which can be bought back for US$2.5 million. Management Change First Mining also announces that, effective September 2, 2020, Ms. Mal Karwowska has resigned from her position as Vice President, Corporate Development of First Mining. "On behalf of the Board of Directors and all the team at First Mining, I want to sincerely thank Mal for her dedicated service to the Company as VP Corporate Development and wish her the best in her future endeavours", stated Dan Wilton, CEO. Qualified Person Hazel Mullin, P.Geo., Director, Data Management and Technical Services of First Mining, is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), and she has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release. About First Mining Gold Corp. First Mining is a Canadian gold developer focused on the development and permitting of the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario. Springpole is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada, currently hosting a mineral resource base of 4.67 million ounces of gold in the Indicated category and 0.23 million ounces of gold in the Inferred category1. A Pre-Feasibility Study is underway, with completion targeted in early 2021, and permitting is on-going with submission of the Environmental Impact Statement targeted for 2021. The Company also holds a large equity position in Treasury Metals who are advancing the Goliath-Goldlund gold projects in Ontario towards construction. First Mining's portfolio of gold projects in eastern Canada also includes the Pickle Crow (being advanced in partnership with Auteco Minerals Ltd.), Cameron, Hope Brook, Duparquet, Duquesne, and Pitt gold projects. First Mining was created in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founding President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp. ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING GOLD CORP. Daniel W. Wilton Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information, please contact: Spiros Cacos | Vice President, Investor Relations Direct: +1 604 639 8825 | Toll Free: 1 844 306 8827 | Email: info@firstmininggold.com www.firstmininggold.com Note: 1.These numbers are from the independent technical report titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment Update for the Springpole Gold Project, Ontario, Canada", dated November 5, 2019, which was prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is available at www.sedar.com under First Mining's SEDAR profile. Readers are cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) ) the mobilization of a third drill rig to Pickle Crow in late September 2020; (ii) timing for the receipt of outstanding assays from the current drill program at Pickle Crow and the interpretation of the results of such assays; (iii) the disclosure of assay results and highlights of the current drill program at Pickle Crow in future news releases issued by the Company; (iv) the potential to increase the amount of mineral resources in the Core Trend at Pickle Crow through the current drill program; (v) the timing of all expenditure and payment requirements under the Company's earn-in agreement with Auteco, and the potential for the Company to be granted a 2% NSR royalty on Pickle Crow upon completion of the second stage of the earn-in; (vi) timing for the completion of a Pre-Feasibility Study for Springpole; (vii) timing for the submission of an Environmental Impact Statement for Springpole; (viii) the Company's focus on advancing its assets towards production; and (ix) realizing the value of the Company's gold projects for the Company's shareholders. All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation the Company's business, operations and financial condition potentially being materially adversely affected by the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, and by reactions by government and private actors to such outbreaks; risks to employee health and safety as a result of the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, such as COVID-19, that may result in a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations at some or all of the Company's mineral properties as well as its head office; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties.; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR. First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law. Cautionary Note to United States Investors This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. SOURCE: First Mining Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604653/First-Minings-Partner-Auteco-Minerals-Expands-Drill-Program-at-Pickle-Crow-Gold-Project-Ontario-Canada POXEL SA (Euronext POXEL FR0012432516), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), today announced that it will report and present its financial results for the first half 2020 on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. The management team will host a conference call on September 15, 2020 in English at 1:30 pm EDT (New York time) 7:30 pm CEST (Paris time) to present the financial results and provide a corporate update To access the conference call, please use the dial-in numbers below according to your location. US: +1 64 67 22 49 16 UK: +44 20 71 94 37 59 FR: +33 1 72 72 74 03 Access code: 97417835# A slide presentation to accompany the conference call will be available in the Investors Company Info Corporate Presentations section of the Poxel website: https://www.poxelpharma.com/en_us/investors/company-information/corporate-presentations Following the live call, a replay will be available for 90 days. To access the replay, please use one of the following numbers. US: +1 (646) 722 4969 UK: +44 20 33 64 51 47 FR: +33 (0)1 70 71 01 60 Access code: 418947860# About Poxel SA Poxel is a dynamic biopharmaceutical company that uses its extensive expertise in developing innovative drugs for metabolic diseases, with a focus on type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In its mid-to-late stage pipeline, the Company is currently advancing three drug candidates as well as earlier-stage opportunities. Imeglimin, Poxel's first-in-class lead product, targets mitochondrial dysfunction. Poxel has a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma for Imeglimin in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and nine other Southeast Asian countries. A Japanese new drug application (J-NDA) is under review by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) to request approval for the manufacturing and marketing of Imeglimin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Poxel also established a partnership with Roivant Sciences for Imeglimin's development and commercialization in countries outside of the partnership with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, including the U.S. and Europe. PXL770, a first-in-class direct adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, is in a Phase 2a proof-of-concept program for the treatment of NASH. PXL770 could also have the potential to treat additional metabolic diseases. PXL065 (deuterium-stabilized R-pioglitazone), a MPC inhibitor, is in a single Phase 2 trial for the treatment of NASH. Poxel also has additional earlier-stage programs from its AMPK activator and deuterated TZD platforms targeting chronic and rare metabolic diseases. The Company intends to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. Listed on Euronext Paris, Poxel is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has subsidiaries in Boston, MA, and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit: www.poxelpharma.com. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12, 2020, the Company is regularly reviewing the impact of the outbreak on its business. As of the date of this press release, and based on publicly available information, the Company has not identified the occurrence of any material negative effect on its business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, other than the delay in the initiation of the Phase 2 study enrollment for its drug candidate PXL065, which the Company initially planned during the second quarter of 2020 and was initiated on September 2, 2020. However, the Company anticipates that the COVID-19 pandemic could have further material negative impact on its business operations. The worldwide impact of COVID-19 may notably affect the Company's internal organization and efficiency, particularly in countries where it operates and where confinement measures are implemented by the authorities. In addition, COVID-19 may impact market conditions and the Company's ability to seek additional funding or enter into partnerships. Particularly, delays in the supply of drug substance or drug products, in the initiation or the timing of results of preclinical and/or clinical trials, as well as delays linked to the responsiveness of regulatory authorities could occur, which could potentially have an impact on the Company's development programs and partnered programs. The Company will continue to actively monitor the situation. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005498/en/ Contacts: Poxel SA Jonae R. Barnes Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Corporate Communications and Public Relations jonae.barnes@poxelpharma.com +1 617 818 2985 Aurelie Bozza Investor Relations Communication Director aurelie.bozza@poxelpharma.com +33 6 99 81 08 36 Investor relations Media EU/US Trophic Communications Joanne Tudorica or Valeria Fisher tudorica@trophic.eu or fisher@trophic.eu +49 171 351 2733 or +49 175 804 1816 Investor relations Media France NewCap Emmanuel Huynh or Arthur Rouille poxel@newcap.eu +33 1 44 71 94 94 India is fast becoming the worlds new virus epicenter, setting a record for the biggest single-day rise in cases as experts predict that itll soon pass Brazil -- and ultimately the US -- as the worst outbreak globally. As many as 78,512 new cases were added Monday taking the total tally to over 3.6 million. On Sunday, India reported the highest ever one-day surge among all major countries. With 971 reported deaths, the Asian country pushed past Mexico for the third-highest number of deaths worldwide. At the current trajectory, Indias outbreak will eclipse Brazils in about a week, and the US in about two months. And unlike the US and Brazil, Indias case growth is still accelerating seven months after the reporting of its first coronavirus case on Jan. 30. The pathogen has only just penetrated the vast rural hinterland where the bulk of its 1.3 billion population lives, after racing through its dense mega-cities. View Full Image Graphic: Bloomberg As the worlds second most-populous country, and one with a relatively poor public health system, its inevitable that Indias outbreak becomes the worlds biggest, said Naman Shah, an adjunct faculty member at the countrys National Institute of Epidemiology. It would not be surprising, regardless of what India does," said Shah, a member of the Indian governments Covid-19 task force. From the Philippines to Peru, the novel coronavirus poses a unique problem to poor countries: the densely packed slums where millions of their citizens live present ideal conditions for the virus to spread, while their economic precariousness means that the shutdowns necessary to contain the pathogen are intolerable. Running rampant Across the developing world, economies have been forced to open up even with the virus still running rampant, quickly overwhelming underfunded hospitals. The list of worst-affected countries globally has accordingly shifted from rich to poor as the pandemic races around the world. Where once countries like Italy, Spain and the UK had the biggest outbreaks and highest death tolls, now the US is the only advanced economy in the top ten, among other developing nations like Mexico, Peru and South Africa. Nowhere has the developing worlds plight played out more viscerally than in India, where an ambitious national lockdown imposed in March was lifted after two months as joblessness, starvation and a mass migration of workers leaving cities on foot became too much to bear. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has since counseled the population to live with the virus" while giving local officials freedom to impose restrictions on a state-by-state basis, which many have. The economy is projected to have contracted 18% in the quarter to June from a year ago, more than any other major Asian country. With antibody studies in capital New Delhi and other cities showing that the number of people with signs of past infection is between 40 and 200 times greater than the official case count, the true size of Indias epidemic is probably far larger than its reported 3.6 million infections. And there is every reason to believe that the coronavirus is still only getting started in India. Much of the countrys coronavirus burden so far has fallen on its globally connected megacities like New Delhi and Mumbai, but the disease is now starting to shift to its rural hinterland where nearly 900 million people live, and health-care infrastructure is sparse. A lack of testing and medical help will likely mean that scores of infections and deaths are going unreported. Invisible deaths The disease is moving from urban to rural areas, its moving from states with better health-care infrastructure to other places," said Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the New Delhi and Washington, DC-based Centre for Disease Dynamics Economics and Policy. That all means that there will be more death, but they will not be counted because they will not be visible anywhere." The Modi government has often pointed to Indias official mortality rate of around 1.8% -- among the lowest in the world -- as evidence that it is managing the virus spread, even if not containing it. But deaths are likely substantially under-reported, and skewed by the countrys disproportionately young population -- 65% are below the age of 35, the segment least in danger of dying from Covid-19. An age-adjusted analysis of Indias death rate by three economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Massachusetts found that Indias death rate was similar to the global average. What weve done is delayed infections, but we havent been able to curtail the transmission," said CDDEPs Laxminarayan. And that was never going to be possible in a country the size of India and with the health infrastructure India has. What has played out is almost exactly what one should have expected." Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Coalition on the Right to Information (RTI), Ghana (RTI Coalition) has expressed disappointment in responses received by institutions and individuals seeking information from some public institutions under the RTI Act. It said while some public institutions were denying access, citing excuses such as the non-existence of basic structures to aid the release of information; many other public institutions were completely ignoring requests made to them for information including some very basic public information. A statement issued in Accra by the Coalition said the developments were very worrying. It said a recent example of such a worrying trend was the demand by the National Communication Authority (NCA) to the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to pay the unreasonable/outrageous fee of GHC 2,000.00 to access some public information, which was supposed to be proactively disclosed by the NCA without prompting per provisions of the RTI Act. The coalition said it was equally troubling when the Electoral Commission (EC) allegedly turned down a request by a Member of Parliament (MP) for information on the acquisition of the Commissions Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS). It said the Commissions alleged explanation that it could not honour the said request because Parliament was yet to fix the fees, so one had to pay to request for information under the RTI Act was disturbing. It took the High Court to order the Electoral Commission to provide the information requested for, but at quite an exorbitant fee of GHC 1,500.00, it added. The statement said exercising a fundamental human right such as the Right to Information should not be costly; otherwise, it was no more a right. It said it was important for public institutions to bear in mind that, public information was already paid for by taxpayers, and therefore charging requesters to search for public information was tantamount to double charging. The statement said that was why section 23(3) (d) of the RTI Act provided that Where the Information Officer decides to give access; the notice shall state the prescribed fee for the reproduction of information. It said the Act went ahead to provide under section 75(2) (c) that Despite subsection (1), a fee or charge shall not be payable for the reproduction of information which was in the public interest. The statement said it was implied by the text of Section 75 (2), (3), (4) and (5) that the fees to be charged were the reasonable costs of reproduction of the information requested for and not the time spent in reviewing the request or preparing/searching for the information. All public institutions, without exception, were to comply with the provisions of the RTI law, including the provisions in respect of fees, it said. The statement said the RTI Coalition had noted with interest, the public declaration by the supervisory Ministry of the Act, the Ministry of Information to investigate the NCAs response to the MFWA. It said, we will, however, want to emphasize that these kinds of responses from public institutions such as the NCA, only send wrong signals to the public and suggest that the RTI Act is rather making it more difficult to obtain information instead of facilitating easy access to information, hence discouraging its use. It said the RTI Coalition condemned the developments and called on Government to take immediate practical steps to prevent such acts from happening again. The statement said the present situation directly contradicted the Ministry of Informations assertion that it had equipped public institutions with training on the importance and application of the RTI Act. It said additionally, the actions/inactions by public institutions emphasized the need for the Government to work with stakeholders including the Coalition to implement the revised RTI implementation roadmap to facilitate the effective implementation of the RTI Act to curb corruption and promote good governance in the countrys burgeoning democracy. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who became seriously ill and fell into a coma on August 20, is still being treated at the German university clinic Charite. While the circumstances of his illness and suspected poisoning are still under investigation, his case has become a focal point for the intervention of the imperialist powers, most notably Germany, in Russian politics. The German government declared on Wednesday that there was no doubt that Navalny had been poisoned with a nerve agent. The spokesman for the German government, Steffen Seibert, declared: The German government condemns this attack in the sharpest possible manner. We urge the Russian government to investigate what happened. Navalny fell ill amidst an escalating crisis in Belarus, a small country bordering Russia to the west, and the only remaining buffer between Russia and NATO-aligned countries in the Baltics, Poland, and Ukraine. Because of both the heightened conflict with NATO and the emergence of mass strikes in the working class, the crisis in Belarus has significantly escalated tensions within the Russian elites and the state apparatus. Alexei Navalny The timing of Navalnys illness, whoever and whatever may be behind it, strongly suggests that it was a political operation. It is by no means excluded that one or another agency of the imperialist powers was responsible. Whatever the case, it is abundantly clear that these powers are determined to use the case to further maximize pressure on the Kremlin and escalate the anti-Russia campaign. Why do the imperialist powers care about Navalny? One of the most striking features of the media campaign about Navalny is that not a single newspaper has critically examined or even honestly discussed his politics. Readers are expected to take at face value that no one, except for Putin, could have any interest in poisoning Navalny, and that Navalny represents some kind of principled, democratic opposition to the Putin regime. The presentation of Navalny as the leader of some kind of democratic popular movement is a conscious fraud. Navalny is not a popular leader but a creation of imperialism and representative of some of the most right-wing elements within the Russian oligarchy. Though his popularity has grown somewhat in recent months amidst the Kremlins catastrophic handling of the coronavirus pandemic, only two percent of the population named Navalny as the politician they trusted the most in a Levada poll from late July. For over a decade, Navalny and his team have been groomed and trained systematically by the agencies of US imperialism. Both Navalny and his chief-of-staff, Leonid Volkov, participated in the World Fellowship program of the elite Yale University in the US in 2010 and 2019, respectively. The program has trained leading figures of imperialist-backed color revolutions in the former Soviet Union, including the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Maidan 2013/2014 in Ukraine. Navalny has long distinguished himself from other figures in Russias liberal opposition through his determination to integrate the far-right into the anti-Putin opposition. He used to be a member of the organizational council of the Russian March, an annual event organized by the countrys fascist and far-right forces. In 2007, the pro-US party Yabloko kicked him out because of his sympathies with the far-right. He has denounced people from the Caucasus as cockroaches and has stated about immigrants, Everything [sic!] that bothers us must be carefully removed through deportation. At the 2011 Russian March, he agitated in a thinly veiled anti-Semitic manner against oligarchs before a fascist audience and was seen having a friendly conversation with Dmitry Diomushkin, a notorious neo-Nazi and organizer of the March. In other words, if Navalny was operating in the context of German or American politics, his positions would bring him in line with those of Donald Trump or the neo-fascist Alternative fur Deutschland. While Navalny has refrained from participating in these marches in recent years, he has never apologized for his earlier support for these events, let alone retracted his own statements. In all opposition-led protests against Putin that he helped organize, far-right forces were consciously integrated. Moreover, Navalny has close ties to sections of the Russian elites and the state apparatus. Among his backers have been Vladimir Ashurkov and Mikhail Fridman, two of the richest men in Russia, as well as the economist Sergei Guriev, a former ally of ex-president Dmitri Medvedev. The Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta has noted that the revelations about corruption that Navalny makes bear the imprint of the secret service FSB, which is notorious for compiling so-called kompromat dossiers with compromising material about its current and potential opponents. The newspaper suggested that many of these revelations were likely based on leaks from the security apparatus. It is precisely this orientation that has made him attractive to Washington and Berlin. In their operations in Eastern Europe, they have traditionally relied heavily on a combination of dissident factions of the oligarchy and state apparatus, on the one hand, and far-right and neo-Nazi elements, on the other. Navalny and the promotion of regionalist and separatist tendencies in Russia Another key element of Navalnys agenda is the promotion of regionalist and separatist tendencies that have festered within the Russian oligarchy ever since the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the 1990s, the violent conflicts between different elements of the rising mafia-oligarchy over the control of raw material resources frequently took the form of conflict between the regional elites and oligarchs in Moscow. In the early 1990s, both US and Russian ruling circles were openly discussing the possible secession of the Far East. A full-blown separatist movement, which enjoyed the support of US imperialism, developed in the Northern Caucasian republic of Chechnya. The Kremlin responded to it with two brutal wars that claimed the lives of a tenth of the local population to ensure that the North Caucasus remain part of the Russian Federation. A central component of the Putin presidency has been to strongly subordinate the regional elites to the federal government and state apparatus. However, these tensions have intensified significantly in recent years, and have been further heightened by the coronavirus pandemic, in which regional authorities were given significant leeway in handling the crisis. With the recent constitutional amendments, the Kremlin has tried to further restrict the authorities of regional and municipal government structures. In contrast, Navalny has publicly advocated to let the North Caucasus go. He also calls for the strengthening of regional autonomy, including the reintroduction of direct elections of regional governors. Since 2016/2017, his campaign staff, which used to be centered almost exclusively on Moscow, has made a conscious push to establish offices in the regions. In 2019, Navalny and his staff supported and helped organize demonstrations in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals, under regionalist banners together with one of the most notorious proponents of the formation of an independent Ural Republic. This year, Navalny and his staff have supported the ongoing protests in the Russian far eastern city Khabarovsk over the arrest of the regions governor Sergei Furgal, a member of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). The protests have been dominated by regionalist slogans such as This is our region and Moscow get out. They have enjoyed the support of local bourgeois layers who feel that their own interests are infringed upon by major state-owned enterprises and the oligarchs in Moscow. The arrest of Furgal was also bitterly denounced by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the head of the far-right LDPR, and a long-time de facto ally of Putin. The arrest of Furgal and the protests, coming just a few months before regional elections on September 13, have shed a light on just how fraught relations between the Kremlin and substantial sections of the ruling class are. In the German press coverage of Navalnys illness, in particular, numerous commentaries have pointed out that the Khabarovsk protests have significantly weakened the Putin regime, and that they could provide the starting point for a mass movement against Putin similar to the movement against Lukashenko in Belarus. In reality, unlike in Belarus, which has been shaken by mass strikes, there has been no involvement by sections of the working class in the Khabarovsk protests. This, however, is precisely what makes the case of Khabarovsk so appealing to the imperialist powers. Both the US and Germany have long recognized in the promotion of regionalist and separatist tendencies in Russia a powerful means to further the fracturing of the ruling class, weaken and destabilize the Putin regime, and thus advance their own interests, while at the same time preempting any independent involvement by the working class, and bolstering right-wing forces. The ultimate goal is a regime-change operation for which Navalny, thanks to his ties to the elites and state, is regarded as a useful and reliable figure. At the same time, especially due to his ties to fascist forces, he is seen as capable of dealing, if necessary with great violence, with social and political opposition in the working class. The case of Navalny and the resurgence of German imperialism While Navalny has well-documented ties to Washington, it was clearly Germany that has played the leading role in his case. In its cover story on Navalny this week, the German magazine Der Spiegel noted that discussions in ruling circles in Berlin create the impression that Germany consciously made the case its own. The magazine wrote that German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally took up his case and made his transfer to Germany possible. Merkel is reportedly receiving daily news briefs on his condition. The Charite, Germanys leading hospital, has requested the assistance of the German army (Bundeswehr) to find out the substance with which Navalny was poisoned. Navalny was flown out of Russia in a private jet that had been organized by the Berlin-based NGO Cinema for Peace. Its head Jaka Bizilj described the operation as very expensive. The NGO, which was founded after 9/11 to allegedly promote peace through cinema, is a thinly veiled imperialist front organization. It is supported by Hillary and Bill Clinton, the former German chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, and his former foreign minister, Joschka Fischer; as well as the Ukrainian boxer Vitaly Klitchko, who was installed as mayor of Kiev after the US and German-orchestrated coup in Ukraine in February 2014. The former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, is the honorary chairman of the foundation. The German media has been filled with propaganda pieces denouncing Putin and calling for a much more aggressive stance by Germany toward Russia. The German bourgeoisie is no doubt highly sensitive to the fracturing of the Russian oligarchy and state apparatus due to its extensive economic and political ties to the Russian elites. Berlin may well have decided that the time to act and destabilize the Putin regime was now. Jurgen Trittin, a leading politician of the German Green Party, suggested in an interview with Der Spiegel that the attack on Navalny may have been ordered by someone in the Russian state apparatus independent of or even in opposition to Putin, which would mean that Putin is no longer in control of the situation in the country. In either case, Trittin insisted, the case of Navalny meant that Russia could no longer be a strategic partner of Germany. The full significance of the escalation of the anti-Putin campaign in Germany and the stepped-up effort of Berlin to intervene in Russian politics over the Navalny case can only be understood in its broader historical, geopolitical and social context. At the Munich Security Conference in February 2014, the German political establishment declared that the time of military constraints on Germany had to be over. Weeks later, far-right forces toppled the pro-Russian Yanukovych regime in Ukraine with the backing of the US and Germany. The ensuing remilitarization of Germany has been accompanied by the systematic build-up of neo-Nazi forces within the state, police and army, which have been allowed to perpetrate numerous massacres and assassinations, killing dozens of people. These processes are now being accelerated by the breakdown of world capitalism and geopolitical relations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Social tensions in Germany itself are at a fever pitch as the ruling class is pushing for the premature reopening of schools and easing of lockdown measures against the opposition of the vast majority of the working population. The aggressive militarist propaganda in the media is not least of all aimed at further bolstering the far right and diverting social tensions outward. Moreover, tensions with US imperialism have been massively exacerbated in the recent period. With American society now in an unprecedented crisis, there are calls in the German ruling class to seize the opportunity to advance its own interests. German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass has recently stated in a programmatic speech that the time had come for Europe to take decisions, saying: If we dont do it [now], then we in Europe will become the plaything of third parties. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading mouthpiece of the German ruling class which has been central, in particular, to the resurgence of the far right, published a commentary headlined, The World under Americas Cudgel. It called for Germany to oppose the lawless ... American expansion under Trump, writing: To give in [to the US] is not an option. Significantly, the calls for action against Russia in the German media over Navalny have made virtually no mention of the US, but have focused on the EU and Germany. Wolfgang Ischinger, a leading figure in German foreign policy circles, emphasized in Der Spiegel that the EU had to finally become capable of acting in terms of foreign and security policy. He lamented that even though the Munich Security Conference of 2014 was a eureka experience for German foreign policy, almost nothing had been done since. Now, Ischinger said, Germany could no longer rely on the US and in the future, we wont be able to do without the capacity to also use hard power if necessary.Ischinger bluntly declared that the case of Navalny was an opportunity for us Germans to show the citizens of Russia that we dont agree with their government but are still ready to help. The imperialist operations of Germany in Russia stand in a long and bloody tradition. The so-called Drang nach Osten (push eastward) was central to Germanys strategy in two world wars. The Nazis regarded the destruction of the Soviet Union, a degenerated workers state, and the establishment of full control over its vast raw material and labor resources, as the necessary precondition for taking on the US, Germanys main imperialist rival. As a result of their war of annihilation in the East, 27 million people died in the Soviet Union, and many millions more perished in other parts of eastern and southeastern Europe. In all of these interventions, German imperialismand later US imperialismhave traditionally relied on the mobilization of local nationalist and fascist forces. The promotion of Alexei Navalny stands in this tradition. Workers across Europe and Russia must be warned of these sinister operations and their potentially catastrophic consequences. But any genuine struggle against the dangers facing the working class must be conducted independently from all factions of the capitalist class, including the Putin regime. Torn by inner conflicts, the Putin regime has been scrambling to negotiate with the imperialist powers for years, while promoting nationalism and militarism, and overseeing skyrocketing social inequality and austerity in Russia itself. The only progressive way forward lies in an independent intervention of the working class on the basis of a revolutionary and international program that is aimed at the overthrow of capitalism on a world scale. Outgoing Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway predicted that President Donald Trump's 'hidden undercover' supporters would propel him to victory again - and he'd be topping the polls a week after the conventions. 'I've gotta tell you, as the person who coined the term "hidden undercover Trump voter" in 2016, there are even more of them and they are even more committed now and they are going to surprise you to who they are this time,' Conway said in an interview for Showtime's 'The Circus.' Conway was sitting down with Jennifer Palmieri, who worked in President Barack Obama's White House before moving to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign - a campaign that Conway beat, as Trump's 2016 campaign manager. Outgoing Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway predicted that President Donald Trump would again win the White House thanks to her so-called 'hidden undercover Trump voters.' She also believed Trump would be ahead of Democrat Joe Biden in the polls one week after the conventions Conway (right) sat down for an interview for Showtime's 'The Circus' with Jennifer Palmieri (left), who worked for the Obama White House before moving over to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign Conway said Trump 'turned around' how Americans viewed his handling of the coronavirus after he told people to wear masks and cancelled rallies. He's seldomly worn a mask and has held events where crowds haven't socially distanced, like in Wilmington, North Carolina Wednesday 'Most people in this country see themselves as an outsider to the system. And that is still who Donald J. Trump is,' Conway said. Conway explained that Trump can still take on that mantle because 'Democrats really screwed up their nomination process' by picking Joe Biden, who's been in national politics since 1972. Democrats 'did not vote for somebody who would suggest forward-looking, visionary, new generation change, if you will.' 'It allows President Trump to remain and run for re-election as the "incumbent outsider,"' Conway said. Conway also said she believed Democrats already thought they had the election locked up. 'I think it all turned around five or six weeks ago,' Conway said, specifically talking about how Trump was rated in his handling of the pandemic, as she chided Democrats for using the crisis politicially. 'For some reason, cynically, the Democrats think they can win an election based on a once-in-a century tragedy that swept the nation,' she said. Conway said Trump turned the ship around when he said, and then tweeted, that Americans should wear masks. 'He also resumed the coronavirus briefings,' Conway continued. 'I said to him the briefings should be succinct and they should be technical briefings.' 'And the other thing he did that week is he said he's pulling down his live convention and I'm not going to do these big rallies. And that's the president saying, "what's good for thee is good for me,"' she went on. 'So that's called leadership.' The president did briefly encourage mask-wearing, but has seldomly worn a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. He's also held a number of events, including inviting 1,500 people to the White House South Lawn for his Republican National Convention speech, where social distancing protocols weren't practiced and few people wore face coverings. That was the scene Wednesday, when he landed in Wilmington, North Carolina and briefly addressed supporters. On Thursday he's headed to Latrobe, Pennsylvania for what the campaign isn't calling a rally - instead it's described as the president 'deliver[ing] remarks' - but will still be a large gathering. Palmieri didn't press Conway on the point. 'The Democrats thought they had this all sewed up two months ago, the media were like I'm going to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and the Hamptons, we're all suddenly like holy crap this guy's coming back,' Conway said. She pointed to a poll - likely the July survey from the right-leaning Cato Institute - that found 62 per cent of Americans are afraid to express their political views due to the current climate. 'But they express themselves at the ballot box,' she said. She also defended the president's mostly white voter base. 'I always feel a fire in my belly and bile in my throat when people who are the way I grew up are mocked and ridiculed as either irredeemable or deplorable or looked down upon because they go to church or they own a firearm, Conway said. But even if the 'hidden undercover' Trump voters don't express themselves to pollsters, Conway predicted the president would be up in polls by today. 'A week after the conventions the president will be way ahead,' she said. So far, that hasn't fully materialized. Every poll that came out Wednesday showed Biden ahead, including nine different national polls and polls from four swing states including Pennsylvania, where Trump will travel Thursday, Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina. A tracking poll that was released Monday found that Trump received no bounce from the RNC last week. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States has recommended that the authorities and five major cities prepare plans for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in late October or early November, TASS reported citing The New York Times. Its reporters got acquainted with the documents that were sent out by the TsKPZ on August 27. On the same day, US President Donald Trump announced that the development of a vaccine in the US could be completed by the end of this year. The CDC recommended that the authorities of all American states, as well as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and San Antonio, prepare to distribute the two types of vaccine to medical workers and the most vulnerable groups of citizens. The latter includes people aged over 65, ethnic and racial minorities, and prisoners. As follows from the report, the CDC recognized that the plan is hypothetical. Experts interviewed by the newspaper's reporters expressed fears that the Trump administration may seek approval of the vaccine in the country before the presidential elections for political purposes. According to Johns Hopkins University, over 6.1 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the United States, more than 185.6 thousand people have died. (Bloomberg) -- China emphasized its right Thursday to approve or block the sale of technology abroad, confirming it will play a critical role in the sale of TikToks U.S. operations to suitors including Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. Beijings assertion jeopardizes negotiations over the sale of ByteDance Ltd.s prized international asset, a complex deal already under scrutiny by Donald Trumps administration. The Chinese government on Friday added several artificial intelligence features to a list of export-restricted technologies, effectively gaining the right to block a deal by targeting features such as the recommendation algorithms essential to the viral video service. The regulatory changes arent targeted at specific companies, Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, stressed during a weekly online briefing. But companies should consult with the relevant government agencies should any technology they employ fall under the list, he added. If related enterprises are transferring technology abroad during trade, investment or technical cooperation that fall under the regulations, they are advised to immediately consult provincial-level commerce department offices and handle that in accordance with the law, he said. Read more: ByteDance Chief Reconsiders TikTok Options After New China Rules Beijings last-minute entry and its opaque deal-approval process increase the likelihood a sale could get held up and Trump will then move ahead with a TikTok ban ahead of Novembers election. Its likely the need for approval from two geopolitical rivals will push any final deal beyond the November vote in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter has said. ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is now said to be reconsidering his options and may well seize upon Beijings last-minute involvement to tie up a deal. For China, the move helps it gain leverage to prevent what state-run media called the theft of technology while underscoring to the U.S. it has intellectual property worth protecting. Story continues Read more: China Throws a Wrench Into Trumps Plan to Force TikTok Sale For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Boris Johnson's push to get Britons back to the office suffered another blow today with a poll showing that three-quarters want to keep working from home. Research by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for MailOnline found 74 per cent who had been doing their job at home during lockdown would prefer to continue to do so, at least some of the time. There is also widespread distrust of the government's claim that it is safe to return to offices, with 37 per cent saying they believe that is the case but 40 per cent saying it is not. The resistance to the drive comes despite the public overwhelmingly agreeing that remote working will damage the economy, by a margin of 42 per cent to 27 per cent. Ministers have been warning that previously thriving town and city centres could collapse due to footfall disappearing. However, a publicity campaign to encourage people to return has been delayed from this week, seemingly due to concerns that more civil servants should be in offices first. No10 caused confusion this afternoon by insisting there was not going to be a 'back to work' PR push - despite saying that adverts would have the intention of getting people into offices safely. There is also widespread distrust of the government's claim that it is safe to return to offices, with 37 per cent saying they believe that is the case but 40 per cent saying it is not Research for MailOnline found 74 per cent who had been at home during lockdown would prefer to continue to do so, at least some of the time The resistance to the drive comes despite the public overwhelmingly agreeing that remote working will damage the economy, by a margin of 42 per cent to 27 per cent The PM's official spokesman told reporters: 'There has never been a ''back to work'' campaign.' He said social media posts, along with paid adverts, would this weekend encourage employers to consult the Government's guidance on making workplaces 'Covid-secure' to ensure 'more people can spend some of their time working from the office'. A 'partnership' with regional and local media, in place since June, will carry a similar message 'shortly', said the Number 10 spokesman. 'We are promoting how to make your workplace Covid-secure so more people can work from the office,' he added. 'What we've also done is change the guidance to give employers more discretion over how their employees can work safely. 'The PM does want to see people discussing their working arrangements with their employers.' There has been growing Tory unrest at the situation, with Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 backbench committee, complaining this morning there had been a problem for 'months' with official guidance on working from home contradicting the government's stated policy. Mr Johnson was roasted at PMQs yesterday for overseeing 'mess after mess' after the latest chaotic shift of position on lockdowns. Bolton and Trafford were among a series of areas in the North West due to see restrictions eased - but the plan was abandoned at the last moment. Sir Graham said the muddle was 'disappointing'. And he warned that rumoured tax rises to fill the Treasury's financial black hole left by Covid could 'stifle' the recovery. 'The necessity is that we don't make this crisis any worse than it needs to be,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Senior figures from the Bank of England cast doubt on the prospects for a quick return to offices during an evidence session with MPs yesterday. The executive director for financial stability, Alex Brazier said it was clear that the 'people have a caution about the public health issues'. 'I feel safe coming to work, but I quite understand why many people might not,' he said. 'Public transport capacity is a related factor there.' He said the other reason was that there was simply not enough capacity when social distancing was factored in. 'It's not possible to use office space, particularly in central London and dense places like that, with the intensity that we used to use it. It's not possible to bring lots of people back very suddenly,' he said. Mr Johnson hinted yesterday that 'flexible' season tickets could be introduced soon to encourage workers to get back to offices. Mr Johnson (pictured in Whitehall today) hinted yesterday that 'flexible' season tickets could be introduced soon to encourage workers to get back to offices The PM said the government and rail companies were cooperating 'at pace' to develop tickets that can be used a few times a week. Meanwhile, the huge damage to Boris Johnson's reputation from the coronavirus crisis was laid bare today after another humiliating U-turn. The poll for MailOnline found 39 per cent of the public have a more negative view of the PM due to the shambolic handling of the pandemic. Meanwhile, just 21 per cent said their opinion had improved. Alarmingly for Downing Street, the results were starkly different for Labour leader Keir Starmer - with his stock having risen significantly. The Coca-Cola Company on Thursday named T. Krishnakumar, current president of the India and Southwest Asia business unit, chairman of Coca-Cola India Inc. The beverage major has named Sanket Ray, current chief operating officer for its Mainland China business, as president, India and Southwest Asia. The appointments follow the companys broader reorganization, first announced on 28 August. Its 17 business units were then replaced with nine larger operating units. This will become effective on 1 January 2021, subject to consultation where required under local laws. These changes will help eliminate duplication of resources and enhance the companys ability to scale new products more quickly, the company said in its release on Thursday. Last week the company also announced voluntary job cuts for close to 4,000 workers in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Krishnakumar will be responsible for building and strengthening critical local partnerships in India, supporting the new operating unit leadership team", the company said in release on Thursday. Ray was previously chief executive officer at Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam Ltd. He also worked with the companys owned bottling unit in India, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB). In India, the company works with several large bottlers apart from HCCB. Last year, the company announced that it would sell its bottling operations in four territories in north India to its existing bottlers as part of efforts to streamline business and create regional scale in north India. In all, Coca-Cola works with 14 bottlers in India and has more than 50 manufacturing units in the country from where it bottles popular beverages such as Coke, Thums-Up, Sprite, Fanta, and Minute Maid. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Fort Myers, Fla., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) welcomes Board-certified medical oncologist Ahsan Shah, MD. He is seeing patients at the FCS Fort Myers Cancer Center at 8260 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers, FL and FCS Fort Myers Colonial office at 8931 Colonial Center Drive, Suite 300 in Fort Myers, FL. Dr. Ahsan Shah earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Bridgetown, Barbados. After completing his Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, CT, he was awarded a fellowship in hematology/oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center through the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Dr. Shah has a strong background in research with a focus on diseases of the pancreas. Prior to medical school, he worked with Dr. Sohail Husain at Yale University School of Medicine for four years, yielding high impact publications in various peer-reviewed journals. He was also a recipient of a prestigious American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) research fellowship award. FCS CEO Nathan Walcker said, Dr. Shahs approach to medical care and deep experience with pancreatic diseases is perfectly aligned with community-based oncology. We could not be more pleased to welcome him to FCS. With Dr. Shahs passion for clinical research, he will make a strong addition to our Lee County practices, said FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan. ### About Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, LLC: (FLCancer.com) Recognized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with a national Clinical Trials Participation Award, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) offers patients access to more clinical trials than any private oncology practice in Florida. Over the past 5 years, the majority of new cancer drugs approved for use in the U.S. were studied in clinical trials with Florida Cancer Specialists participation.* Trained in such prestigious medical schools and research institutes as Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Emory, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, our physicians are consistently ranked nationally as Top Doctors by U.S. News & World Report. Florida Cancer Specialists has built a national reputation for excellence that is reflected in exceptional and compassionate patient care, driven by innovative clinical research, cutting-edge technologies, and advanced treatments, including targeted therapies, genomic-based treatment, and immunotherapy. Our values are embodied by our outstanding team of highly trained and dedicated physicians, clinicians, and staff. *Prior to approval Attachment Tim Davie made firm comments about employees' use of social media and impartiality on Thursday. (PA) The BBCs new director general has told employees they should not work at the corporation if they want to be partisan on social media. Tim Davie told staff on Thursday that impartiality was the corporations priority and opinionated columnists should work elsewhere. Davie, who was recently reported as wanting less left-leaning comedy in programming, is understood to have told colleagues he would rigorously enforce the policy. If you want to be an opinionated columnist, or a partisan campaigner on social media, then that is a valid choice but you should not be working at the BBC, he said. In his remarks, published online, he added the number one priority at the BBC was renewing our commitment to impartiality. He noted that while the BBC is regarded by many as trustworthy, too many perceive us to be shaped by a particular perspective. I wonder if some people worry that impartiality could be a little dull, he continued. I would just turn to our finest work: it is exhilarating, passionate and ground-breaking. Read more: Have your say: Is BBC comedy too left wing? To be clear, this is not about abandoning democratic values such as championing fair debate or an abhorrence of racism. But it is about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda. Davie went on to say he wanted to seek a wider spectrum of views, and for staff to spend much more time outside the BBC listening to those who pay for us. BBC staff have been warned about their social media use. (Getty) Well take action in coming weeks, but to be clear, there will be new guidance on how we best deliver our impartiality guideline; new social media rules, which will be rigorously enforced; and clearer direction on the declaration of external interests. Davies comments follow a row over the performances of Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory at the Last Night of the Proms. The BBC initially said the pieces would not be sung and only instrumental versions would feature, leading to Boris Johnson claiming the UK was experiencing an orgy of national embarrassment. Story continues Questions had been raised over the musics links with colonialism and slavery. However, one day after Davie took over as BBC chief, the corporation announced a U-turn and confirmed they would be sung at the event by a select group of musicians. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK JEE Main 2020:Physics paper easy, Maths was moderate level, says a student in Patna Pritam Raj of Hajipur had to wake up at 5 am to reach exam centre located near Patnas Bypass Road on time. He said, I reached Patna using my personal vehicle. Though arrangements at exam centres were satisfactory, but social distancing was not followed outside exam centre. He said, I found physics easy while mathematics moderate. Inside exam centre, precautionary measures were followed. Students of Patna find exam easy Saurav Kumar, a JEE aspirant who took exam at Patliputra centre said, Questions were easy. Physics was not difficult. Maths numerical required long calculation which consumed time. In chemistry, less questions were asked from organic section. JEE Main 2020: Students find Physics paper toughest Physics was the toughest among the three subjects. This paper was of Moderate level as per students. Students from FITJEE said that the papers were difficult compared to January session as per students. JEE Main 2020: First shift of exam over First shift of exam is over now. The exam was concluded at 12 noon. Stay tuned for students feedback Indian railways will run 4 pairs of special trains in Rajasthan for JEE, NEET candidates The Indian Railways will run four pairs of special trains in Rajasthan between September 4 and September 15 to help students appearing in the JEE Mains and NEET examinations. Read More NSUI demands re-exam for JEE Main candidates NSUI has demanded NTA to conduct re-examination for JEE Main candidates who missed their exam due to Covid-19. Several centres across India have been reporting low attendance due to the pandemic. Read More JEE Main 2020: First shift will be over at 12 noon The JEE Main exam is going on. The first shift began at 9 am and it will be concluded on 12 noon. Stay tuned for first reaction of students after exam and latest developments. After a delay due to COVID-19, the She Has Everything (S.H.E.) Event will return Sept. 12 for its eighth consecutive year. Founder Katina Washington said 250 vendors will table at the event, which will feature live performances from local entertainers, a keynote address from Indianapolis entrepreneur Linda Clemons and a fashion show by Joli Hair Salon. Washington, who owns U-Niq Custom Accessories, said the S.H.E. Marketplace like Amazon for Black-owned businesses also will launch the day of the event, which will take place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Washington said all vendors and visitors at the free event will have to wear masks and have their temperatures taken at the door. For Washington, one of the highlights of the S.H.E. Event is helping local businesses and children entrepreneurs Kidtrepreneurs as she calls them get the tools and exposure they need to be successful. This year, five adult businesses and five kidtrepreneurs will receive grants of $250 and $100, respectively to help their businesses stay afloat during the pandemic. We also started a youth cohort, Washington said. We hired 15 youth in the community who are going to work the S.H.E. Event. They all have a desire to have their own businesses, and this will be the start of them getting that experience. Well meet again after the event and come up with a business plan and strategy, and theyll get to execute that at the next S.H.E. Event. Jacala Holland, 16, said shes looking forward to getting more exposure for her business, Jacalas Beauty Essentials, at the upcoming event. Holland opened her business where she sells hair products, lashes and accessories a little over a year ago. She was a vendor at the last S.H.E. Event, after her aunt encouraged her to sign up. There were people around me who started their own business, Holland said of her inspiration. I knew I didnt want to work for anyone, so I decided to open up my own shop. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. It took just a few days for residents to scoop up the first 100 lawn signs encouraging motorists to slow down in Niagara Falls. As soon as (the Niagara Falls Review story was published online July 27), probably within the next two or three days, all of the original 100 were accounted for, so we never had to advertise them because the uptake was so quick, said Mathew Bilodeau, the citys manager of transportation engineering. He said the municipality has been authorized by city council to order another 300 signs. There should be a social media campaign starting to run any day now, advertising that theres more signs available. The city has implemented a pilot lawn sign road safety campaign, providing another tool to confront speeding on residential streets. The intent is to raise awareness of the issue and to remind motorists to drive safely and obey the speed limit. The cost to the city for each sign is about $16.50. Staff offer one sign per household, on a first-come, first-serve basis, free of charge to residents. The signs must be set back a minimum 0.6 metres from the curb or road edge; not obstruct the travelled portion of the road, median, traffic island, sidewalk, bicycle path, or multi-use trail; be inserted into the ground using the wire frame only; be placed where it will not obstruct sight lines for pedestrians, cyclists or drivers; and be placed as supplied and without further illumination or the use of reflective tape. When we look at our speed-control or traffic-calming policy, the thresholds to have speed humps installed are a little bit higher and (the lawn sign campaign) is good as an education tool, said Bilodeau, adding every time a resident requests a sign, staff collects their email and phone number. Were going to be administering a survey probably at the end of October to everybody who has taken a sign and were going to get feedback from the residents to see if theyre effective or not, if they felt the program was beneficial and if theyd like it to continue. He said a report will likely go before council in November detailing whether staff recommends the program to continue. The idea for the initiative came from Coun. Chris Dabrowski, who received concerns from residents on a weekly basis about excessive speeding on their streets. It prompted me to research what other municipalities in Ontario do to help curb speeding and there were a number of municipalities that implemented successful lawn sign road-safety programs, so I thought it would be a good idea for our city to look into as well, he said, adding hes pleased with how well received the program has been. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Niagara Falls to provide slow down lawn signs to interested residents Its been a huge success so far. Its a grassroots initiative that I believe will also help staff determine which areas of the city might be problematic. Mayor Jim Diodati said he has received nothing but positive feedback about the campaign. Those signs are just that little reminder you need because sometimes you get caught up in the distraction of your day and whats on your mind, and when you see one of those signs, it reminds you, Oh yeah, slow down. He said he encourages people to move the signs around on their property every so often, to keep the interest of motorists. Nayagarh : Two robbers in Orrisa have been lynched and another has been critically injured by a mob when the three were fleeing with cash looted from a bank in Nayagarh district, police said. The armed robbers who came in a motor-cycle stormed into a nationalised bank at Kasanda under Ranapur police station limits and looted around Rs 3 lakh, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Sarankul), Jagannath Reddy said. The three moved out of the bank with the cash after threatening its staff and customers by showing crude bombs and sharp weapons, he said adding that when locals tried to stop them the robbers hurled a bomb. However, the three were finally caught by locals who severely thrashed them. While two of them died, another was critically injured and admitted to the district headquarters hospital here, the SDPO said. The identity of the three was yet to be ascertained. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The draft proposal obtained by Al Jazeera demands change in four major areas including introducing a number of reforms. French President Emmanuel Macron headed to Lebanon this week for the second time since a massive August 4 explosion devastated Beirut and fuelled calls for political change. Macron arrived in the capital on Monday with the aim of pushing Lebanons sectarian leaders to find consensus over reforms and over the need to end decades of corruption and mismanagement. He pledged to hold an aid conference for the economically-devastated nation at the end of October if reforms are commenced. Since Macrons last visit two days after the explosion, Prime Minister Hassan Diabs flailing government resigned and a new Prime Minister, Mustapha Adib, has been appointed by the countrys establishment. Ahead of Macrons high-level talks on Tuesday, the French embassy distributed a draft programme to the heads of Lebanons political blocs, which was obtained by Al Jazeera. Below is what it said in full: First: The COVID-19 pandemic and the humanitarian situation The Lebanese government will make fighting this pandemic a priority: Preparing and disseminating a pandemic control plan that includes support for the most vulnerable and marginalised people. Enhancing social protection to benefit the people. Second: The aftermath of the August 4 explosion and the rebuilding of Beirut The Lebanese cabinet will be working on the following fronts: International humanitarian aid Facilitating the execution and delivery of humanitarian aid provided by the international community in an urgent, transparent and effective executive plan noting that the United Nations is coordinating this aid according to the recommendations of the International Conference on Assistance and Support to Beirut and the Lebanese People on August 9. This shall be achieved through full cooperation with the United Nations, especially through sharing information and needs assessment. Governance of international aid Specific governance will be put in place for the delivery of international humanitarian aid both that given in response to the Beirut explosion, as well as aid in support of structural reforms to ensure its delivery to the people in a transparent and traceable manner under the auspices of the United Nations. Commencing rebuilding based on the recommendations of the report prepared by the World Bank in cooperation with the European Union and the United Nations (Beirut Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment). The rehabilitation of Beirut port Launching tenders for proposals immediately in accordance with impartial procedures. Impartial investigation: Conducting an impartial and independent investigation within a reasonable timeline that enables the full truth to be established regarding the causes of the explosion and supported by Lebanons international partners in the areas of cooperation and expertise. Third: Reforms The government will conduct a regular exchange of views with civil society regarding its programme and the reforms it contains. Immediate resumption of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. Rapid approval of the preventive measures requested by the International Monetary Fund. This includes legislation related to capital control and the auditing of Banque du Libans accounts (by immediately initiating the audit that Oliver and Wyman have been commissioned to do). To this end, a schedule for the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund will be approved and published within 15 days (see below). 1. Electricity sector Immediate measures (within one month): Appointing officials to the electricity sector regulatory authority within the framework of law 2002/462 without amendments, while providing this authority with the actual resources to carry out its duties. Launching tenders for offers related to gas-powered plants, which are considered a priority to reduce the use of generators. Abandoning the Selaata power plant project in its current form. Short-term measures (within three months): Announcing a timetable to increase tariffs gradually provided that this affects the most financially capable consumers at first. 2. Regulating the transfer of capital Immediate measures (within one month): Parliament must complete and approve a draft law regarding capital control immediately and over four years. This law must be approved by the different departments of the International Monetary Fund. 3. Governance, and judicial and financial regulation Immediate measures (within one month): Organising a second meeting of the local follow-up commission for the CEDRE conference and launching a website dedicated to all updates related to the conference in all its parts (project components, financing and reforms), according to the terms of reference for the CEDRE follow-up. The actual launch of a full audit of Banque du Liban accounts. Executing judicial appointments (judges of Supreme Judicial Council), financial appointments (members of the Capital Markets Authority), and sectoral appointments (the regulatory bodies of the electricity, telecommunications and civil aviation sectors). The appointments will be according to transparent criteria based on competence. Parliaments approval of a proposed law on the independence of the judiciary. Launching a study on public administration by an independent international institution (the World Bank or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) with a specialised office. 4. Combatting corruption and smuggling Immediate measures (within one month): Appointing the members of the national anti-corruption commission and giving it the necessary capabilities to carry out the tasks entrusted to it and actually launching its work. Launching the process of acceding to the treaty on fighting corruption worldwide issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1997. Immediate application of customs reforms. Short-term measures (within three months) Establishing control gates and strengthening supervision at Beirut and Tripoli ports, Beirut airport and at other border checkpoints, and reduce transactions according to the deadlines followed by the administration. 5. Public procurement reform Immediate measures (within one month): Parliament will prepare, adopt and implement a bill on public procurement reform. The government will grant the Higher Council for Privatisation (HC4P) the human and financial capabilities necessary to carry out its tasks. 6. Public Finance Preparing and voting on a corrective finance bill that explicitly clarifies the status of accounts for the year 2020 within one month. Prepare and approve a harmonised budget for the year 2021 (before the end of 2020). Fourth: Elections The government will organise new legislative elections within a maximum period of one year. The electoral law will be reformed to fully include civil society, allowing Parliament to be more representative of the aspirations of civil society. International card organisations continually urged to cut fees The Vietnam Banks Association is urging international credit and debit card companies to reduce a number of fees, as the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The association in April this year proposed the transaction fees to be cut by at least 50 percent for both banks which issue cards and receive payments. (Photo: baodautu.vn) Earlier, in April this year, the association sent a written proposal to the organisations related to the issue who said it would consider the proposal but so far, no fees have been cut. The association said the pandemic has significantly affected operations and business of banks in Vietnam, including card businesses, in recent months. It cited statistics that the value of transactions by cards in the domestic market in the first three months of this year saw a drop of 21 percent while in foreign markets by 28 percent against the same period last year. Value of repayment to cards in April tumbled by 78 percent against the same period last year and 93 percent against March. Some companies and organisations which accepted card payments, including aviation, education, tourism sites and hotels, have seen the value of transactions fall by 80 percent in March against the previous month and further declines were predicted. The association urged international card organisations Visa and Mastercard to reduce the fees on Vietnamese banks for at least 12 months. Specifically, the association proposed the transaction fees to be cut by at least 50 percent for both banks which issue cards and receive payments. For the long-term, it was critical to have appropriate policies for fee collection to promote the development of Vietnams card market, the association said. It said that Visa and Mastercard were collecting three to four types of fees for each transaction, adding that the fees international card organisation were collecting were much higher than those of domestic card switching organisations. Vineet Upadhyay By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government has fixed the rate of covid-19 treatment in private medical facilities ranging between Rs 10,000-18,000 per day. This includes various kinds of packages involving ventilator and non-ventilator services depending on patient's condition. "A Letter has been sent to the private hospitals stating that they will have to reserve 25% beds for government officials/employees and those eligible for Ayushman Bharat or Atal Ayushman Yojana," Amit Negi, Health Secretary said. The hospitals have also been instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the state government on quarantine for doctors and other medical staff. The patients are categorised as three- moderate, severe and very severe. Rates have been fixed differently for National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) accredited hospitals and non-NABH accredited hospitals. If the patient falls in the 'moderate' category, they will be charged Rs 10,000 per day for isolation bed with oxygen in NABH hospitals while charges have been fixed AA at Rs 8000 per day for non-NABH hospitals. For a patient who in the 'severe' category, an ICU room without ventilator patient will be charged at Rs 15,000 per day in NABH hospitals while Rs 13,000 per day will be charged for the same facility in non-NABH hospitals. 'Very Severe' patients who need ventilator support with ICU facilities will be charged Rs 18,000 per day in NABH hospitals and Rs 15,000 in non-NABH hospitals. However, the opposition has attacked the state government over these 'high' rates saying and argued that residents may not be able to afford such expensive treatment options. Indira Hridayesh, MLA from Haldwani and leader of opposition in Uttarakhand state legislative assembly said: "The rates are exorbitant for the people of the hill who are already facing unemployment and other issues. The government should act as welfare government not an exploitative one." Uttarakhand has so far reported 22,180 cases and 300 deaths so far, according to state health department data. Vietnams Ministry of Health announced two COVID-19 cases, including one local, and 11 recoveries on Wednesday, with one fatality confirmed but not included in the death toll. One of the new patients is 72 years old and comes from Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam. He exhibited symptoms of fever, headache, and fatigue on August 19. He was admitted to a general hospital in Hai Duong where he was isolated and sampled for COVID-19 on August 30. The Hai Duong Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi confirmed his positive tests on Tuesday. He was then transferred to the Dong Anh branch of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in the capital, where he tested positive again on Wednesday. The other case is a 30-year-old Vietnamese sailor who was isolated upon entry at a port in Khanh Hoa Province, located in south-central Vietnam, aboard a ship from Japan on August 30. He hails from northern Thai Binh Province. His sample was sent to the Pasteur Institute in Khanh Hoas Nha Trang City and came back positive on Wednesday. He is currently isolated for treatment at a hospital for tropical diseases in Khanh Hoa. Eleven coronavirus patients were pronounced free of the pathogen on Wednesday, all discharged from hospitals in Da Nang, a tourist destination on the central coast, according to the health ministry. The ministry also reported that one COVID-19 patient had died on Tuesday night. This fatality was not counted in the overall death toll as he had tested negative for the virus on August 30, August 31, and Tuesday morning, the health minitry said, adding that the 67-year-old patient in Da Nang had suffered pre-existing conditions, including chronic renal failure and hypertension. Two other patients had also died after having tested negative for the pathogen at least three times, thus being excluded from the virus-related death toll. Vietnam has documented 1,046 coronavirus cases, including 691 local infections, since January 23, when the pandemic first hit the country. A total of 746 patients have beaten the virus while 34 have died, most having had serious comorbid medical problems. Since the virus re-emerged in Da Nang on July 25, Vietnam has logged 551 local cases, most traced back to the beach city. At the time of writing, Vietnam is quarantining 66,946 people who had close contact with infected patients or entered the country from pathogen-hit regions. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A POSCO steel mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of POSCO By Nam Hyun-woo Korean steelmakers' deal with domestic shipbuilders to supply vessel plates at discounted prices is expected to trigger a backlash from overseas rivals, as POSCO and other firms promised to cut prices when shipbuilders replace imported plates with their products. The move is seen as Korean steelmakers' effort to retain its market share amid heated competition with overseas rivals in the face of declining demand. According to industry officials, POSCO wrapped up negotiations recently with domestic shipbuilders on plates it will supply to them in the second half of this year. During the talks, it agreed to cut prices if shipbuilders replace imported plates with POSCO products. Shipbuilders and steelmakers in Korea engage in confidential plate price negotiations twice a year. Sources said this year's negotiations have been stalemated as both industries suffer from serious downturns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. POSCO and other steelmakers have said this year that they will increase vessel plate prices due to continued rises in the iron ore price, which reached a six-year high of $127.38 on Aug. 21. On the other hand, shipbuilders have been demanding discounts, citing plunging vessel orders. Though POSCO refused to unveil details of the price negotiations, the company confirmed it "provided discounts when clients (shipbuilders) replaced imported plates with POSCO products." In July, POSCO said in a conference call for its second-quarter earnings that it is thinking of supplying plates at "different prices" if shipbuilders replace imported plates with POSCO products, to prevent imported products from biting into their market share. Similarly, Hyundai Steel in July decided to cut vessel plate prices in the first half of this year by 30,000 won for domestic shipbuilders. The company said it made the decision after taking "imported plate volumes and shipbuilders' orders" into account. Their move came as Japanese steelmakers expanded their supply into Korea at low prices. In the first half of this year, Korea imported 1.87 million tons of hot-rolled steel and 58.8 percent of it came from Japan. Reportedly, Japanese hot-rolled steel was sold at $400 a ton in July, which was $47 lower than that of Chinese steel. Due to this, industry officials said the domestic steelmakers' plate price cut is interpreted as a compromise deal between compatriots, under which POSCO and Hyundai Steel can retain their market shares while shipbuilders can secure plates at cheaper prices. "The deals can be seen as burden sharing between compatriots under a great cause of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic all together," a steel industry official said on condition of anonymity. "Since steelmakers and shipbuilders have been partner companies for decades, they seemed to have reached this type of deal in a long-term perspective." However, questions have also been raised on the fairness of such a deal. Though the steelmakers did not reveal the price gap between Korean and Japanese vessel plates, Japanese steelmakers could raise complaints if shipbuilders decided to replace cheaper Japanese products with Korean ones. "Though we are not completely aware of the importing prices, we don't think there are big differences in the prices between Korean and Japanese plates," the official said. "Steelmakers in Korea, Japan and China have been doing business in mutual trust and we believe this will continue in the future." If you care about climate change, look down ballot. Keep going after you make your pick for president and the Senate. Down in the statewide races, cloaked by a misleading name, is a critical choice. Dont miss it. Texas voters have a power other Americans dont. A seat on the Texas commission that regulates oil and gas production is in play in 2020 and voters have an opportunity to reshape the states energy future, and Americas. Theres a lot going on right now, and its easy to miss an opportunity in an obscure race like the misnamed Railroad Commission. Bipartisan bills to rename it the Energy Commission or the Oil and Gas Commission fail every legislative session because powerful oil and gas interests dont want you to know what goes on there. Oil and gas drillers ask for permission to waste Texas natural resources by venting natural gas straight into the atmosphere or flaring it (burning it off) and the Railroad Commission routinely approves them without even so much as a hearing. One commissioner can require a hearing and require producers to prove the necessity of flaring a greenhouse gas (methane) that is 86 times more potent than CO2. Another seat on the three member commission will be up in 2022. Electing candidates to these seats that take seriously their role to regulate oil and gas could have far reaching implications. Advocates that care deeply about climate change could move our state long synonymous with oil and gas into a clean energy future that will better position the state to succeed long term. Texas is changing and there is a growing interest among Texans for elected officials to tackle climate change. According to Climate Nexus, 70 percent of Texans want their state government to do more about climate change. This shift is driven by a growing young and diverse coalition of voters. Youth voting was up 500 percent from 2014-2018. From 2002-12, 800,000 new voters were added to the voter rolls; in the last four years, 2.1 million voters have been added. In November, those who care passionately about the environment could easily be celebrating other victories and lamenting a narrow loss for the one position outside of president and control of the Senate that would have the biggest direct impact on climate change in the country. An energy transition is underway in which the world is decarbonizing (albeit too slowly), reducing the use of fossil fuels and moving to clean energy. If Texas wishes to maintain its global energy leadership, its time for leadership to navigate this energy transition. Texas leads in carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. Electing leaders to the Railroad Commission who will tackle oil and gas polluters could be the driving force to begin a process to reduce pollution and set the state up to win in the global energy transition which is underway. Climate activists and concerned citizens have a major opportunity in front of us, if we choose to seize it. In Texas, we want leaders who will tackle problems, not deny them. With the Railroad Commission election, voters have a major opportunity to set Texas on a path to a cleaner energy future. Tzintzun Ramirez is a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Texas and founder of Jolt and Workers Defense Project. Six months at UN Security Council: After the announcement of a vote at the UN Security Council was released, the ambassador of a great power forwarded to Vietnamese Ambassador Le Luong Minh a note that said: thank you for a very beautiful decision. This was described at the online roundtable talk organized by VietNamNet with Ambassador Le Luong Minh, former secretary general of ASEAN, former head of the Vietnamese Delegation at the UN, and Do Hung Viet, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Organizations. Mr Le Luong Minh The fierce competition among powers Ambassador Le Luong Minh, you were the Head of the Delegation of Vietnam to the United Nations while Vietnam assumed the role of a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2008 - 2009. Can you see any differences in the world situation and Vietnams position between that time and now? Vietnam assumed the role of the non-permanent member of the Security Council when the world was undergoing very profound and continuous changes. During the two years of undertaking the work at the Security Council, including the two-month presidency, most of the most sensitive issues related to hot spots of the world were on the agenda. These included the Iran and North Korea nuclear issue, the Middle East hotspot, political and ethnic religious conflicts in Sudan and Ivory Coast. And in dealing with those hot spots, we could see the presence of competition among the great powers. When we undertook the Security Councils work for the second time this year, the world situation continued to be very complex. While old tensions and conflicts still could not be settled, new conflicts appeared, relating to territorial and sovereign disputes. Traditional security threats such as the arms race, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as non-traditional security threats, climate change, terrorism, and epidemics have been exacerbated. In addition, the East Sea issue, trade disputes and contradictions in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic also indirectly led to an increase in US-China confrontation. Vietnam joined the Security Council two times as a member country with a high role and reputation in the international arena thanks to achievements from comprehensive renovation and extensive integration. Vietnam advocates multilateralization and diversification of international relations, proactively participates in promoting the role of the multilateral mechanism, and appears as a reliable partner of the international community, responsible member of the UN. With that mindset, Vietnam twice was elected to the Security Council with a record high numbers of votes which showed the trustworthiness of the international community. Mr Do Hung Viet, could you please tell us more about Vietnams preparations for joining the Security Council in the first six months of the year? Mr Do Hung Viet I can say that most of the issues Minh mentioned which were discussed at the Security Council 10-12 years ago are still on the agenda. And some new issues have appeared. What causes more difficulty for members of the Security Council and Vietnam in particular is the increasingly fierce strategic competition among big countries. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has upset international relations in general and UN activities as well, and deepened doubts about the role of multilateralism of the United Nations and the UN Security Council. Vietnam advocates multilateralization and diversification of international relations, proactively participates in promoting the role of the multilateral mechanism, and appears as a reliable partner of the international community, responsible member of the UN. It has also created difficulties because it is impossible to meet regularly. Countries have to organize online meetings, and delegates from countries cannot meet to exchange views. In such conditions, Vietnam began preparations very soon. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as other ministries, we must prepare, research and look back on experiences from the previous term. We have to carry out thorough research to develop policies and orientations when joining the Security Council in the context of many changes in the world. We need to build our stance on all issues that the Security Council considers, with nearly 60 different headings. Diplomats wait in line for report approval What are the challenges Vietnam faces? The Security Council is where very important decisions to international peace and security are released. How to regulate our relations with member countries is a huge challenge. Vietnam needs to express its view while not affecting bilateral relations, and even create confidence to promote bilateral relations. The new working method of the Security Council is also a challenge. Instead of offline meetings, we have to attend online meetings. The voting procedure has also changed. Minh might remember that in the previous term, we could look around the room to find out who raised hands and who voted for what. But now, with the new procedure, countries have to vote in documents within 24 hours. Therefore, we cannot know how other countries vote. These are new things we have to adapt to. However, with methodical and thorough preparations, and with effective cooperation among agencies, we can adapt very quickly. In the past, our standing delegation frequently had to work late at night. I remember the image when I went to New York on business and saw officers sitting in line to wait for Minh to approve the reports to send home. But now, with online conferences, right in Hanoi, the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can participate in more activities of the Security Council. The rewards for sleepless nights Do you have memories about sleepless nights when you had to approve reports? New York and Hanoi have a 12-hour difference. When the Security Councils meetings ended at noon or late afternoon, the international media immediately reported the meeting results and attitudes of the countries. So it was very important to have timely reports home. At the Security Council, closed consultations before official meeting is always very important, which determines the attitudes of voting countries. I remember that it was July 31, 2008, the last day of Vietnam in the presidency position. The Security Council was consulting on the extension of the UN security mission in North Darfur (Sudan). The ambassador of a great power said he still could not get the instruction from his minister and did not know what to vote for. It was 10 pm and countries all urged to organize a public meeting for voting. Ifa resolution was not approved, the UN peace mission would have to manage, which would be very dangerous. We had to organize urgent consultation. At 11 pm, the ambassador said he still had not received instructions. Finally, we had to decide to organize the voting and public meeting. Before I released the announcement, the ambassador gave me a piece of paper saying: thank you for a very beautiful decision. This is because we respected the countries and organized consultations. To be continued... VietNamNet UN Security Council looks into situation in Lebanon, Sudan The UN Security Council (UNSC) held an online meeting on August 11 to discuss the situation in Lebanon and recent developments in the Darfur region of Sudan. Martin Heydon, Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, offers farmers advice on how to keep their families safe Martin Heydon, Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development. Over the last ten years (between 2010 and 2019), some 21 children have lost their lives on Irish farms. To date in 2020, three of the 16 fatal incidents that have occurred on farms, resulted in the death of a child. These are horrific statistics and dreadful tragedies for the families involved. It is time to make a change. As the first Minister with specific responsibility for Farm Safety I am acutely aware that things need to change. As a father of three small boys who are growing up on our family farm, I also know the risks involved. Farms are the most hazardous workplaces in Ireland. While the vast majority of farms are also family homes, farms and farmyards are not playgrounds. Farms and farmyards have many risks and dangers for children. Children need to be kept under close supervision at all times. Over 80% of all incidents that resulted in the death of a child in the last ten years have involved either a farm vehicle or machinery. It is important that children are never allowed around a farmyard without a responsible adult being with them. This means not having children in tractors. Children do not see the dangers that are present, and do not understand that the operators of large farm vehicles and machinery are unlikely to be able to see them approaching. Think twice about your social media messaging It is also important that parents and family members think carefully about taking pictures of children around farm vehicles and machinery and posting them on social media. It gives the wrong impression that this may somehow be a safe place for a child to be. It is not appropriate to show pictures of children around farm machinery at any time. This does not just apply to parents and family members. It is important that all publishers and media organisations think very carefully about the pictures they publish, in any format. Children do not understand the dangers with machinery. Just because a machine is not operating does not mean that it is safe. It must become socially unacceptable to have children in the vicinity of machinery. It is only by keeping children away from machinery at all times, that the number of serious and fatal accidents involving children will be reduced. Every one of us has a role to play in reducing the number of serious and fatal incidents involving children on Irish farms. We all have a responsibility to ensure safe practices are adhered to at all times. We should call out unsafe practices when we see them. The overall responsibility for securing the safety and health of children and young people on farms rests with us adults. A secure and safe play area for young children should be provided. You might at this stage be thinking where can you get information and advice in relation to keeping my children safe on my farm. There is a huge amount of information available. My Departments website, along with the HSAs and Teagascs websites all have information in relation to child safety on farms. There is information suitable for both adults and children. There are books for adults to read with children, aimed to teach children the dangers that may be present on farms. There are videos for adults and children to watch together, to highlight potential dangers that may be present. The websites also give information in relation to your legal responsibilities around keeping children safe, and what young people can do on your farms. There are also organisations like, AgriKids and Agri-Aware that provide information in relation to child safety that can be used in both the home and at school. Agri-kids have a series of books on farm safety for children to highlight the potential dangers and give information on how to stay safe. Agri-Aware have built farm safety into both their primary and secondary level modules for agriculture for schools. Everyone involved in farming should take time to look up all the information and to watch the videos. For older children, over 14, who are looking to start working with tractors on farms, it is important that they should be correctly trained in how to drive a tractor. They should receive formal training on tractor driving. It is not appropriate to let young people start to drive tractors unless they have been formally trained by a competent training organisation. Organisations like FRS run formal tractor driver training courses for young people. It is important that they understand the dangers associated with driving a tractor and how to handle both the tractor and any machinery attached to it. Young people, start on less powerful tractors It is important that young people start on smaller tractors and in a safe environment. Putting a young person directly on to a powerful tractor is looking for an incident to occur. Remember, as the farm owner you are responsible for ensuring that anyone operating a tractor or machine has been correctly and fully trained in the operation of that tractor and machine and ensure that the operator is capable of safely using the machine. When considering safety on your farm, you should be looking at all aspects. It is not good enough to have just one aspect of health and safety dealt with. You have to ensure all areas and tasks are safe. There are different risks for adults and children, but everything needs to be addressed. It is not good enough to just be aware of the risks that are on your farm. You need to undertake the work to remove the risks. This may be as simple as fixing the bolt on the gate, changing the twine for a chain, repair the PTO cover or replacing the damaged manhole cover. None of these are expensive things to do, and all could save your life or the life of someone you love. Is it really too much to ask to take time to ensure that your farmyard and machinery is safe? By doing the simple things and keeping the farmyard clean and tidy, the risks that lead to accidents will be reduced. This also means keeping the children out of the farmyard unless they are under the close supervision of a responsible adult, not carrying children in a tractor cab or on any machinery and undertaking a detailed and honest appraisal of the safety risks on your farm. Seek expert advice on a farm risk assessment When doing a risk assessment, you should get someone in to do the risk assessment with you. Fresh eyes will see risks that you have become accustomed too and no longer realise are present. Once the risk assessment has been completed, you need to start continuously working to remove and contain all of the risks. It is not good enough to leave it on the long finger. Remember, some of the safety changes will be about how you do things, like reverse parking, rather than upgrading equipment or buildings routine maintenance is about providing a safe working environment for you and anyone visiting your farm. Remember, farm safety must be thought about every morning, before you go out into the yard. It should be a first thought and not an after thought. You should always plan your work. This means that you should stop and think how am I going to do this job and do I have everything I need. It does not cost anything and only takes a few minutes. It does, however, require conscious reflection on farm safety every single day, and before every single job is tackled. This way not only do you protect yourself, but you protect any children and other people who enter your farm. www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmsafety/ Korean dramas are the simple joys that life brings in these trying times! And thanks to those romantic and fun date scenes, we get to earn ideas on how we'll make our moments with our sweethearts more special and memorable. In K-dramas, when our favorite romantic couples make special dates that are worth remembering, their exchanges bring butterflies in our tummies too, don't you agree? If you're here because you want to make your special someone happy, this list is all you need. Once the world heals and quarantine is over, execute any of these ideas and we promise you, it'll be fun and romantic! Fried chicken & soju date "The King: Eternal Monarch" King Gon and Jung Tae Eul, on their first romantic date, had a bucket of fried chicken and her introducing the special alcoholic drink "so-maek" (a Korean cocktail of soju mixed with beer). He can't get his eyes off her while trying to persuade his true identity that he's from another parallel universe. She is busy making the drink that she loves and eventually making him taste it as well. It's nice to imagine sharing such an amazing time with your date who will make you laugh and take care of you the whole time. Hiking while crossing the longest bridge "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" Moon Gang Tae is ready to discover the fun things he missed in life. He thought of bringing his romantic date Ko Mun Young to watch the beautiful mountain scenery and crossing the longest bridge in South Korea - Sogeumsan Suspension bridge. She is wild and headstrong, except that this time, her fear of heights makes her knees weak, wobbly walking on the bridge. Nevertheless, they managed to take fun pictures together to seal the unforgettable memories they made that day. Classic movie date "When The Weather is Fine" Im Eun Seob prepared a night of classic movie to play inside his bookstore for Mok Hye Won. He intends to make her happy after hearing sad news by playing her favorite classic movie. He can't help staring at her beautiful smile as she enjoyed the night over a cup of hot tea. Customized in-house camping date "Find Me in Your Memory" Ha Jin bought a lot of items to prepare for her plan, bringing Lee Jung Hoon on his first camping date. Unfortunely, the unexpected heavy rain ruined what she had been preparing. Lee Jung Hoon thought of not letting his beloved lady be in despair, so he set up their camping gear inside his living room. They had ramen and watched movies, which are are honestly more than enough. Biking date "Crash Landing On you" Seri gets nervous as Captain Ri maneuvers the bike, and she could feel his face and his breath near her that make her heart aflutter. But of well, this is such a perfect date if you want to feel intimate and up close with your special someone. Do you know other fun date ideas inspired by K-dramas? Share them with us below! Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader - AP A man who claims to be the former bodyguard of Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader, has said he fears for his life if he is deported by to South Korea after Canada denied his asylum application. The situation is bleak, Lee Young-guk, 57, told the Toronto Star. (The North Korean regime) tried to kidnap me when I was in South Korea. If Canada returns me there, Im a dead man. Mr Lee, who published a book I was Kim Jong-ils bodyguard claims he began a ten-year stint in the security team of current leader Kim Jong-uns late father in 1978, after which he became a military adviser from 1988 to 1991. According to his account, he escaped twice, and the first time he was captured and sent to the Yodok concentration camp for five years, where he personally buried more than 300 inmates who died. In 2000, he managed to flee to Seoul, the South Korean capital, via China a common, but dangerous, route for defectors. But in 2016 he left South Korea for Canada, arriving in Toronto with his wife and two children and claiming asylum on the basis that he was facing threats for his outspoken criticism of the North while the two countries were trying to stabilise their relations. He also alleges that he faced two kidnapping attempts in South Korea, in 2004 and 2007, although he only chose to report them in 2014, long after the five-year statutory time limit for prosecution. Canadas Immigration and Refugee Board said it rejected his claim as it lacked credibility. It accused him of playing down his role as a military adviser under Kims authoritarian rule and questioned why he had waited so long to report the kidnappings. There is no serious possibility that the claimants would be persecuted or would be subjected, on a balance of probabilities, to a danger of torture or to a risk to life or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment in South Korea, said Brenda Lloyd, the asylum adjudicator. Mr Lee told the Star he was disappointed and would appeal, arguing that: In a dictatorial system, if you dont follow what the government tells you to do, your whole family and you get punished and destroyed. Story continues The case arises at a time when North Korean defector groups are facing increasing pressure from the South Korean government, keen to reconcile with Pyongyang, to tone down their activities. In July, Human Rights Watch accused Seoul of trying to intimidate defector activists who were sending leaflets across the border that strongly criticised the Norths leadership and rights record. The South Korean government suddenly imposed new red tape on these groups with the threat of increased inspections. The recent controversy regarding cross-border leaflets should not override the need to support and protect a diverse civil society that presses North Korea to respect human rights, said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. Seoul has denied that it acted in an effort to restore damaged bilateral ties after the collapse of international talks to end Pyongyangs nuclear weapons programme. Jack Kim of HanVoice, a Toronto-based advocacy group for human rights in North Korea, told the Star that Mr Lees case highlighted the complex dynamics between North and South and defectors, who were often caught in the middle of rapidly shifting politics. North Korean refugees also faced discrimination, he said, adding: It is likely there are agents of the north in the country. It is hard to quantify how many there are, but there is a subjective fear North Koreans do have. I want to commend the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu and the detectives who through the mighty hand of God arrested the killers and rapists of Uwaila, murdered in Redeemed Christian Church of God, Benin City. I have written in the earlier article that it is a disgrace to christendom and that the rapists should be apprehended before something worse happens to the church. I wrote in the piece titled Covid-19 Murder Rape in RCCG, Disgrace to Christendom that Rape and murder occurred in RCCG church amidst coronavirus pandemic and a great disgrace has been brought to Christendom, yet church leaders have not read the handwriting on the wall. Since the history of Nigerias amalgamation in 1914, for the first time a virgin girl was tied, gagged, blindfolded, raped, filmed and murdered in a church in Nigeria.-and everything is wrong with it. People have been killed in churches. In 2011, Jihadist Christmas bomber attacked St Theresas Catholic Church, Madalah and killed over fifty worshipers. Churches have been bombed in Nigeria. In Anambra State, South African based drug barons carried their killing spree into St Philips Catholic Church,Ozubulu and in the process thirteen worshippers were shot dead , even though propagandists blamed herdsmen. These are different aspects of desecration of worship places in Nigeria during conflicts, but never had someone been raped and killed in a church during peacetime. This is the initial results of the abdication of the spiritual edge of the church in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. I argued further that The churches in Nigeria have been severely struck. More strikes will come between now and when governments have the magnanimity to open up the worship space. The church in Nigeria had lost control to the Illuminatic government officials. A faithful church worker by name Uwaila Vera Omozuwa, 22- year-old and 100-level student of the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Edo state, Nigeria was murdered on Wednesday 27th May, 2020, inside the Ikpoba Hill branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Benin, Edo State. This is not a denominational problem; it is just a warning strike from the kingdom of darkness to the Nigerian church that they have arrived. Before the church receives more strikes, let them employ the services of all the spiritual resources at their disposal to ensure that the criminals, murderers and privies are apprehended. The rape and murder of Uwaila Vera Omozuwa, in RCCG church is a slap on Christendom and the earlier our religious leaders use spiritual powers to fish out the perpetrators, the better for the battered image of the church. I thank God for all the persons who prayed for the criminals to be apprehended, and thank God who answered the prayers. Those who joined the outcry against rape in Nigeria deserve commendations. Pastor Adeboye said that he will not rest till God apprehends the rapists. The police put on the garb of professionalism and brought the vermins to the law. Let the police continue this good work and apprehend all the other rapists all over Nigeria including those who sponsored the rape of Chibok school girls to death. Let us all outcry against all the injustice against women in Nigeria, including child marriage, domestic rape, sexual harassment, rape, murder and all stone age behaviors which has surfaced in the fabled Giant of Africa. According to the good news of arrest of the wicked which is worth rehearsing- The Edo State Police Command has arrested six suspects in connection to the brutal rape and murder of Uwaila Omozuwa. The 22-year-old first year student of the University of Benin, was raped and fatally wounded while reading inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) parish on May 27, 2020. She died three days later and her case became the rallying point for resurgence in the national campaign against gender-based violence in Nigeria. The Edo State Police Command paraded Nelson Ogbebor, Akato Valentine, Tina Samuel, Mary Ade, Nosa Osabohien, and Collins Ulegbe as suspects on Wednesday, August 26. The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, told journalists that the suspects have already made confessional statements to the Police. "What we are seeing today, is a result of the uniting efforts of the police to get at the root of the crime," Kokumo said. Uwa's brutal rape and murder reignited conversations about sexual crimes in Nigeria [Punch] Uwa's brutal rape and murder reignited conversations about sexual crimes in Nigeria [Punch] Osabohien, a phone repairer, was the first to be arrested by the police because he bought Uwa's phone for N17, 000, prompting him to lead authorities to Ulegbe who's been identified as the principal suspect. Ulegbe confessed to striking Uwa with the fire extinguisher that has been identified as the murder weapon and left at the scene of the crime. He named Ogbebor and Valentine as other suspects who were similarly at the scene of the crime with him. They both denied their involvement. Ade, identified as the mastermind, allegedly offered the sum of N1 million to the gang to kill Uwa for ritual purposes. She denied the allegation and said she would prove her innocence in court. Samuel was arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers who wanted to arrest her son, Lucky, who has also been identified as a suspect but remains at large. She said she hasn't seen her 21-year-old hair stylist son in five months. Ulegbe denied that the gang raped Uwa, but Kokumo said a post-mortem examination confirmed that she was, in fact, raped Obinna Akukwe , Writer, Columnist , [email protected] , @obinnaakukwe BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Many people have used the word fascist to describe Donald Trump over the past few years. I was not one of themuntil Monday night, when Trump openly defended and endorsed violence by his supporters. First, Trump shockingly defended his 17-year-old supporter Kyle Rittenhouse, who drove across state lines into Wisconsin where he illegally carried a weapon in the streets of Kenosha and then shot and killed two people. (Criminal charges filed against Rittenhouse include first-degree intentional homicide and illegal possession of a deadly weapon.) Then Trump backed his supporters who on Saturday descended in a caravan of cars on Portland, Oregon, where they were seen shooting projectiles such as paintballs and pepper spray at people in the street. Trump defended this criminal conduct as a peaceful protest, arguing that paint is not bullets. In reality, shooting people with paintballs is a crimewe all know that. It could blind a person or worse. Yet Trump defends it because the people engaged in this violence were on Team Trump. We have now entered a new reality in America where Trump, like fascists before, is embracing violence to remain in power. Lets be clear about what fascism is. As Madeleine Albright explained while discussing her 2018 book, Fascism: A Warning, Fascism is not an ideology; its a process for taking and holding power. She added that what differentiates fascism from other ideological movements is the use of violence and anger to achieve political ends. Hammering that point home, Albright back in early 2019 used a line that sums up Trump today: Fascism involves the endorsement and use of violence to achieve political goals and stay in power. Trumps New Adviser Steve Cortes Thinks He Hasnt Been Fascist Enough While Trump has embraced other methods used by fascists beforesuch as pitting Americans against one another to incite angerthat has been utilized by other modern politicians without veering into fascism. What changed this for me was Trumps embrace of violence to help him remain in power. This is fascism. Period. Story continues Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the new book Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, painted a dark picture for me of Trumps playbook. His goal between now and November is to make the U.S. erupt into true chaos so he and William Barr can justify the authoritarian crackdown they dream of, she said. To this end, Trumps senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said point-blank Thursday on Fox News that violence helps Trump. While discussing the protests in Kenosha from the night before, Conway uttered the jaw-dropping line, 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. Jared Kushner offered a similar message to Politico, noting that the violence the country saw following the killing of George Floyd could tip Minnesota voters toward Trump. If you love Trump and are looking for a way to help, Team Trump is giving you this simple message: Commit more acts of violence. Thus, it comes as no surprise that two days after Conways words on Fox News, Trump supporters sprang into action, heading to Portland where they engaged in acts of violence by shooting people with projectiles. Today it was paintballs. Tomorrow, will it be bullets? Conways words were so jarring and bluntly un-American that Joe Biden slammed them in his powerful and pointed speech Monday. First, he declared, One of his [Trumps] closest political advisers in the White House doesnt even bother to speak in code, just comes out and she says it. The more chaos, violence, the better it is for Trumps re-election. Biden then added, Just think about that. This is a sitting president of the United States of America. Hes supposed to be protecting this country, but instead hes rooting for chaos and violence. Biden is clearly stunned, as anyone who values our democratic republic should be. I understand Biden may be hesitant to use the word fascist to describe Trump because it could be dismissed as the mirror of Trumps baseless claim that Biden is a socialist. But it is absolutely necessary to alert Americans who may not be paying attention to the threat Trump posesand coming from Biden, who is more reserved in his choice of words, using the words fascist could be persuasive. At the very least, it could serve as a warning that could save lives given Trumps record of inciting violence in the past. We all remember during the 2016 campaign when Trump explicitly encouraged violence at his rallies with lines like, "If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. And since Trump took the White House, others have committed violence in his name, such as Cesar Sayoc, known as the MAGA bomber. All told, ABC News reported in May that it found over 40 cases in court pleadings since 2017 in which Trump was cited as a factor that inspired the crime, from terroristic threats against Rep. Maxine Waters to threats to kill leaders of an Arab-American organization. ABC did not find any cases that cited President Obama or George W. Bush as the reason for their attack. Joe Biden tells us that this election is for the soul of the nation. Its actually bigger than that. If Trump wins there are no limits to what he will doespecially if he can pack the Supreme Court with even more like-minded justices. This election, our democracy, our civil liberties and even our freedom is on the ballot. Those are the real stakes. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Afghans have flocked to a herbalist who offers free cure but authorities seek his arrest, calling him a fraud. Kabul, Afghanistan Mohammad Zaman travelled 335 km (208 miles) passing through Taliban checkpoints, bandits and long stretches of unpaved roads to reach Kabul for a few vials of a liquid he believes will cure COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Zaman claimed he was cured of COVID-19 last month after he consumed the liquid substance provided by a self-proclaimed herbalist, Hakim Alokozai, who is based in the Afghan capital. The 50-year-old came to Kabul from his home province of Kunduz with 12 other people with hopes of delivering the substance to hundreds of people still suffering from the disease that has killed more than 800,000 people worldwide. I was sick for more than a month; I could barely breathe. Within 10 days of using the liquid all the symptoms were gone, he said, as he downed a glass of black tea with three drops of the substance. Everywhere I go, I hand it out. I believe in my treatment, that's why I hand out for free Hakim Alokozai, herbalist Like many other Afghans across the country, Zaman and his family have suffered from what they believed to be COVID-19 without going to hospital, initially turning to a cocktail of painkillers, fruit and cold medicines to treat themselves. We tried everything, nothing worked until we took this, he told Al Jazeera. The creator of the so-called herbal medicine, Alokozai, who is from the southern province of Kandahar, said Zaman is a clear example of how his liquid, which has never gone through official clinical trials, cured what he claims is more than five million people across the country. Everyone we would give it to would take it to 50, 100 or even more people in their communities, he said of his claim of having treated millions. He has no proof of his claim, though. The only people who died from COVID-19 in Afghanistan are the ones who went to the hospitals, Alokozai said of the 1,409 fatalities the government has documented so far. Dilapidated health infrastructure The official number of infections stands at nearly 40,000 cases across the country, but experts say the number is likely to be much higher. People have generally avoided going to both government-run and private hospitals in the country, fearing that overcrowding and a lack of proper sanitation will only make them sicker. There is no treatment for COVID-19 and his mixture cannot prevent the illness. Masooma Jafari, deputy spokesman at the Ministry of Public Health In the initial months of the outbreak, there were only a handful of facilities capable of properly diagnosing the illness in each province, but by mid-June, the Ministry of Public Health allowed all private institutions to procure COVID-19 testing kits. This was seen as a way of alleviating the pressure on government-run hospitals, which could provide up to 3,500 beds for COVID-19 patients in a country of 37 million. Last month, Afghanistans Lead Ombudsperson, Ghizaal Haress, said the country had 372 ventilators and, in many provinces, hospital staff lack proper training in their use. That same month, the health ministry released results from a 9,500-person survey it conducted across the country that says up to 10 million people may have contracted and recovered from the coronavirus. Lack of institutional help in a country known for its dilapidated health infrastructure worsened by more than two decades of war means Afghans have been forced to approach Alokozai, who health officials say is nothing more than a snake-oil salesman. Arrest warrant In June, the health ministry sought Alokozais arrest after tests conducted by a government-run lab established that his concoction is a combination of opium, papaverine, codeine, morphine and some herbs. Mohammad Zaman travelled from the northern province of Kunduz to receive the so-called herbal medicine [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera] At a news conference, the acting Minister of Public Health, Ahmad Jawad Osmani, said Alokozais so-called treatment was nothing more than a mix of locally-produced narcotics and that use of it could lead to increased addiction rates in a country where more than three million people suffer from drug problems. Masooma Jafari, deputy spokesman at the Ministry of Public Health, said the ministry unequivocally rejected Alokozais claims. There is no treatment for COVID-19 and his mixture cannot prevent the illness, said Jafari, before calling on relevant security bodies to arrest him and ensure he is no longer able to distribute the substance. Alokozai, who currently lives in Kabul, has so far evaded arrest. His concoction is still distributed at no cost in the capital by people including the followers of two armed leaders turned politicians Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. I have committed no crime. I would be happy for them to arrest me, let them try, Alokozai said of the outstanding warrant for his arrest over distributing an unproven treatment. Alokozai has called on authorities to test the people he has treated and see if they still exhibit symptoms. Im not trying to build a high-rise or even a house, all I want is to make Afghanistan better, he told Al Jazeera. Alokozais pedigree, as a 62-year-old herbalist who says he received no formal training and has practised for more than 40 years, has raised further doubts about the efficacy of his treatment. He claims to have developed treatments for everything from influenza to even HIV and various forms of cancer. Despite the questions about his methods, he has a large following. Inadequate healthcare In May, when the health ministry ordered a halt to all of Alokozais COVID-19 related activities, hundreds of people staged an hours-long demonstration and blocked a major road outside a clinic in Kabul delivering the treatment. His description of how he came up with the substance he has used to cure other illnesses that exhibit similar symptoms as the coronavirus influenza, throat infections, various gastrointestinal ailments, insomnia, loss of appetite recalls the opening scenes of Shakespeares Hamlet. Like all my other treatments, it came to me in a state between dreaming and being lucid. My treatments come to me like a poet, its all inspiration, he told Al Jazeera. Alokozais claims have proven particularly troublesome in a nation like Afghanistan, which still suffers from an inadequate healthcare system. The World Bank estimates it has only three doctors for every 10,000 people. The United States, by contrast, has 26 doctors per 10,000 people. Last month, at one West Kabul distribution centre, dozens of people from three separate provinces lined up to take vials of the treatment to their home communities. Ilham, a 24-year-old Kabul resident who assists at one of the distribution centres, said there have been days where 500 to 600 people have come from various parts of the country. He alone has sent the mixture to 100 homes in his native province of Kapisa. Alokozais treatment has even divided families in the capital, where the health ministry says 53 percent of the more than five million population has contracted COVID-19. Mohammad Kakar, a government employee whose 10-member household is aged from six years old to their forties, swears by the substance. Its what saved my family, if we didnt take it, wed all be dead by now, said Kakar, whose family also avoided treatment in Kabuls dirty and overcrowded hospitals. But a close relative of Kakar baulks at the claim. We took it, all it did was make each one of us sicker, Pari Popal, the mother-in-law of Kakars sister, told Al Jazeera. With educational institutions, salons, restaurants and even wedding halls reopening in recent weeks, Alokozai says now is the time to for his alleged vaccine to become pervasive. He says he is willing to deliver the drops, taken with tea three times over 36 hours, to students and government workers as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Everywhere I go, I hand it out. I believe in my treatment, thats why I hand out for free, he says in defiance of the outstanding arrest warrant. By Jessica M. Pasko Bay City News Foundation Eleazar Sosa, a vineyard manager in Greenfield, oversees a crew of about 20 who monitor the vines for disease, control irrigation and harvest the wine grapes in late summer. This year, he and his coworkers are also confronting a new challenge: the growing threat of coronavirus. Formal programs are in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 among agricultural workers. But for now, Sosa and his crew are embracing a more direct, community approach to skirt the virus. In Monterey County, agriculture workers such as field laborers and those working in packing and processing facilities are three times as likely to be infected with coronavirus than employees in the county's other industries, according to the California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS). Many of these essential workers also lack critical social safety net supports such as health insurance and affordable housing. More than half of agriculture workers surveyed about health care issues recently by the institute reported the double-punch of no sick leave and no insurance. For those who are insured, the high cost of prescriptions, copays and deductibles present additional barriers. Sosa knows he is lucky. He and his wife live by themselves, their four kids grown and out of the house. They stay home when not working and limit their trips to just the essentials, like grocery shopping. But he worries about others in his community of Greenfield, particularly those living in crowded quarters or working in indoor produce processing and packing facilities, where social distancing is more difficult. Some employers provide basic, dormitory-style housing; other workers share motel rooms or small apartments with as many as two to three other families. To help, community organizations have launched COVID-19 education programs throughout the Central Coast. In southern Santa Cruz County, the Watsonville Campesino Appreciation Caravan, a group of local residents, regularly delivers food, masks and other supplies to workers. And in Monterey County, the Grower-Shipper Association (GSA), an industry trade organization, has been working with local hospitals to bring medical professionals directly into the fields. Abby Taylor-Silva, a spokeswoman with GSA, said the organization knew right away that they had to take action to protect agriculture workers. "In mid-March, when shelter-in-place orders came forward, we worked with Monterey County officials to put together guidance (for agriculture employers) and issue an advisory," said Taylor-Silva. "It was really important for us to do this, above and beyond just calling the county (for help)." Soon after, resident physicians and nurses from Natividad Medical Center began visiting local farms and packing facilities to disperse masks and provide training on social distancing in the home and workplace. So far, they've reached around 5,000 workers. Outreach is conducted in English, Spanish and three indigenous languages: Mixtec, Zapotec and Triqui. They also talk about what to do if a family member gets sick and how to get help. GSA has reserved a bank of local hotel rooms for those workers who need to be quarantined and about 150 workers have stayed in these rooms so far. Strict cleaning is provided by companies GSA hires, along with meals and visits from Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital health care workers. This part of the program has been so successful that it's now being replicated by the state through Housing for Harvest. Dr. Erika Romero said they also make time to speak directly with workers about their experiences and serve as a type of intermediary between them and their bosses. "It's very difficult for us to just go in and say, 'Hey, these are some of the things your entire company should do,'" said Romero, a second-year resident physician at Natividad Medical Center. "What we want to say is, 'You've been working here every day, what are some of the things you think could be changed in your specific working conditions?'" From there, Romero and her colleagues take that feedback and have conversations with employers and managers to help facilitate some of these changes, including ensuring that social distancing is followed on the buses some farms use to transport workers to the field. In addition to providing information on social distancing and wearing masks, they also provide information on where to sign up for food stamps, how to apply for unemployment insurance and ways to get mental health resources, said Romero. An estimated 90,000 to 100,000 agriculture workers populate the Monterey-Santa Cruz-San Benito area during peak season, plus their families. Not only do they face this greater risk of contracting coronavirus, but there's also a high likelihood they are undocumented. According to the Center for Farmworker Families, up to 75 percent of California's farmworkers are undocumented. Given this, many employees don't feel comfortable taking sick time even when they're entitled to it, for fear of potential retribution as well as economic loss. "Our workers are petrified," said Armando Elenes, secretary-treasurer of United Farm Workers, the nation's largest farm workers' union. "The fears we have had are coming true." Getting employers to actually adhere to regulations and provide paid time off for sickness is a significant challenge, said Elenes. From the start of the pandemic, UFW sent out letters to employers demanding they take steps to protect workers, including providing sick leave and training around COVID safety, said Armando Elenes, UFW's secretary-treasurer. The passage of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (better known as the CARES Act,) was a big step, said Elenes. It requires employers with 500 or fewer employees to provide up to two weeks' sick leave for employees unable to work due to COVID-19. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has extended those protections to employers with 500 or more employees. UFW also got the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) to issue specific COVID-19 guidance for agriculture employers, including regularly screening employees for symptoms and notifying health officials when a worker is diagnosed with the virus. However, Elenas said not all companies are following the recommendations and paid sick leave requirements. "Now we're fighting to actually get (these measures) implemented," said Elenes. "Wage theft is rampant in this industry." Wage theft, according to the union, doesn't just mean not paying for time worked; it also means withholding sick time. Elenes said he hears from as many as five employees a day reporting they aren't getting paid time off when they need to quarantine, or that they aren't being notified when coworkers test positive. Employers are often doing the "bare minimum," he said. And that means employees may go to work sick, because they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need to feed their families and pay their rent -- even as cases climb. "It's going to get uglier," he said. That's what Assemblyman Robert Rivas is afraid of, too. The Democrat from Hollister introduced a first-in-the-nation COVID-19 farmworker relief package of bills aimed at protecting the health, safety and economic security of California's agriculture workers. The package passed the state Legislature earlier this week. Rivas is also calling for the expansion of a farmworker housing assistance tax credit to incentivize the development of permanent, safe housing for agriculture workers. It's an issue close to Rivas' heart; he grew up locally living in migrant farmworker housing with his family. "We must take steps to alleviate the overcrowded housing conditions that leave farmworkers and their families constantly at risk," said Rivas. "Once one member of these cramped households becomes infected or exposed, it is too late." This package was produced as part of the COVID-19 Information Hub at LocalNewsMatters.org. The Info Hub is a collaborative project supported by JSK Fellowship Program at Stanford University. The story is by Jessica Pasko for Bay City News Foundation; the photos are by David Rodriguez for the Salinas Californian; the audio and overall package is edited by Krista Almanzan, a Senior Journalism Fellow at JSK. 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. Justice Arun Mishra is a Supreme Court judge perhaps every Chief Justice of India wanted by his side. A man, whose pet phrase Not like this, could displace the most vociferous of the arguments by some most aggressive lawyers in the Supreme Court while he set down to decide quite a few highly sensitive cases during his tenure. Justice Mishras stint has been marked by a never-seen-before hysteria and spate of controversies involving, as he would often brand himself as, a junior judge. CJI RM Lodha He was elevated to the Supreme Court along with Justice Adarsk K Goel and prominent lawyer Rohinton F Nariman in June 2014 - a month after the BJP-led NDA had come to power at the Centre. The very event of elevation witnessed a debate since the government had unilaterally segregated the fourth name sent by the Collegium - senior advocate Gopal Subramanium. The then CJI, Justice RM Lodha, criticised the government and said names cannot be unilaterally segregated by the executive in future. CJI HL Dattu The first mighty stroke of a pen by Justice Mishra came a year later. He authored a judgment on behalf of himself and then CJI HL Dattu in a petition filed by controversial IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Bhatt, claiming he was being targeted by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah because he disclosed the duos alleged complicity in the Gujarat post-Godhra riots, had asked for an independent investigation into Shahs role for allegedly trying to scuttle probe into cases of encounter killings. Bhatt also asked for an inquiry into emails of then Gujarat Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta. But the judgment not only shattered the credibility of Bhatt, it went on to hold, for the first time in a judicial order, that attempts were made through politics and activism to influence the proceedings on Gujarat riots in the top court. This was also the first time when Justice Mishra talked about attempts to exert pressure by the groups and opinion-makers in Delhi" on the top court as his judgment emphasised Bhatt was in active touch with leaders of rival political party, NGOs, their lawyers tried to play media card and was being tutored by NGOs. CJI TS Thakur and CJI JS Khehar NGO Common Cause had sought criminal investigations into the alleged recovery of various documents by CBI and Income Tax during raids at offices of Birla and Sahara. These documents purportedly reflected payments to various politicians, including Narendra Modi, during his time as Gujarat Chief Minister. Then Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had alleged that Sahara got immunity from prosecution by the Income Tax Settlement Commission in order to screen beneficiaries of the illegal pay-offs. It was CJI Thakur who had allocated the Sahara-Birla diary case to a bench of Justices JS Khehar and Arun Mishra. After this bench questioned the insufficient evidence in two hearings, the petition by NGO Common Cause raised the issue of pending appointment of Justice Khehar as the next CJI, indirectly asking for his recusal. On January 3, 2017, Justice Thakur demitted office and since Justice Khehar did not want to hear the matter further after the contentions in the past, the case went to Justice Mishra. On January 11, 2017, Justice Mishra, after a day-long hearing, declined to order a probe based on entries of alleged pay-offs. The bench stated that democracy will be hampered if investigations are ordered against Constitutional functionaries on the basis of what it called loose and inadmissible documents, and refused to order investigations. As a CJI, Justice Thakur had also assigned to the bench of Justices Khehar and Mishra the appeal against acquittal of Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the hit-and-run case. Notices were issued in July 2016 and the matter is yet to be heard again. CJI Dipak Misra In November 2017, Justice Mishras authority as the master of roster" faced a challenge when a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar passed a judicial order that the medical admissions scam case will be heard by the first five judges of the Supreme Court. A hurriedly constituted Constitution Bench had Justice Mishra sitting next to the then CJI. Justice Mishra did all the talking on the bench before declaring Justice Chelameswars order as null and void, and asserting the CJI as the master of the roster. This case was then placed before Justice Mishra by an administrative order and the plea for an investigation was junked. In December 2017, another PIL relating to medical admission scam went to Justice Mishras bench. This time, NGO CJAR, was also slapped with a penalty of Rs 25 lakh. Even before the hullabaloo over this could slow down, another controversy erupted. Four senior judges went public against assignment of politically sensitive cases to a select" bench, and held the unprecedented press conference in January 2018. In that interaction, Justice Ranjan Gogoi even nodded to a question if assignment of Judge BH Loyas death case before Justice Mishra was the trigger. There was a clamour inside the court and across the political spectrum to have an independent probe into death of Loya, who was once hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter killing case that named Amit Shah as an accused. Upon an administrative order of the CJI, this case was assigned to Justice Arun Mishra, who was tenth in seniority at that time. After the rebellion by the four judges, Justice Mishra chose to withdraw from the case. He requested the CJI to give it to a different bench. Subsequently, CJI Misra himself heard this matter along with Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, and rejected the plea for an investigation into Loyas death. However, there were more occasions to come during CJI Misras tenure when Justice Mishra had to decide hotly contested matters relating to CJIs authority. In May 2018, Congress led a petition on impeachment of CJI Misra, who then constituted a five-judge bench to hear this. This bench also included Justice Mishra. The party opted to withdraw the petition after its counsel Kapil Sibals request for a disclosure on who constituted this bench was shot down. CJI Ranjan Gogoi Justice Gogoi was one of the four judges who had openly criticised the practise of putting sensitive cases and important matters before a particular judge. But Justice Mishras role was only to grow in CJI Gogois tenure. When sexual harassment accusations hit the CJI, he sat on a Saturday in a special bench - next to him was Justice Mishra. Justice Gogoi defended himself, called allegations malicious and initiated suo motu proceedings, only to post this matter to a bench headed by Justice Mishra in future. Justice Mishra then decided to look into the larger conspiracy and appointed former Supreme Court judge AK Patnaik as the head of this inquiry commission. The report by Justice Patnaik was also submitted before his bench but there were no further proceedings while Justice Gogoi retired in October 2019. Besides, when Justice Gogoi started heading the five-judge bench in Ayodhya case, it was Justice Mishra who was made to head number of Constitution Bench cases, including land acquisition, reservation for tribals and daughters coparcenary rights. CJI SA Bobde When Prashant Bhushan tweeted against CJI Bobde sitting on a Rs 50 lakh Harley Davidson, suo motu contempt proceedings were initiated against the activist-lawyer. Justice Arun Mishra headed this bench, and his first order in the matter recorded that the case was first placed on the administrative side following which it was decided to adjudicate this on the judicial side. On the administrative side, as has been ruled by a Constitution Bench that included himself, it is only the CJI who can pass orders to assign matters to a particular bench. Not just this, another 2009 criminal contempt case against Prashant Bhushan that was last heard in 2012, got revived and placed before Justice Mishra. Bhushan now had two contempt cases being heard back to back. Justice Mishra decided the suo motu case of 2020 by sentencing the lawyer to a token penalty of Re 1 but not before he highlighted how Bhushan sought to influence pending proceedings through opinion-makers in Delhi - something that the judge had noted six years ago while condemning Sanjiv Bhatt. Justice Mishra will leave a legacy behind that will not be remembered only for his tryst with unending controversies but also for delivering a large number of Constitution Bench judgments that have become a part of legal jurisprudence in India. Retiring as number three, Justice Mishra worked with seven CJIs since his elevation from the Calcutta High Court in 2014. And in no time, Justice Mishra rose from a junior judge to a go-to judge for all the CJIs. The family of Mehdi Karroubi, one of the leaders of Iran's Green Movement who has been under house arrest without being officially charged since February 2011, say that he has been granted opportunities to meet people outside his home, but denied that he has encouraged people to vote in next year's presidential election. Karroubi was put under house arrest along with Mir-Hossein Mousavi, another reformist voice in Iranian politics, on February 14, 2011 after they called for demonstrations in Iran in the wake of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. According to Karroubi's sons, security authorities have relaxed their restrictions over the past month, allowing him to meet with friends and former associates. Karroubi began to enjoy relaxed restrictions in early 2018, his sons said, which included access to some news channels on satellite TV and occasional meetings with selected political figures, though his meetings were periodically cancelled when Karroubi would make sensitive statements related to politics. Speaking to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) on Tuesday, Mohammad-Hossein Karroubi, one of the 82-year-old politician's sons, added that the authorities had relaxed the restrictions on his father's meetings with friends earlier in 2020, but cancelled all meetings when Karroubi made a statement criticizing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran on January 8. In the statement, Mehdi said Khamenei lacked the qualifications required by the Constitution for the leadership of the country, with Mohammad-Hossein later being taken into custody after his father's statement was released. Esmail Dousti, one of the members of Etemad-e Melli Party who was present in one of Karroubi's rare recent meetings outside his own home, was quoted by Tabnak website on Wednesday as saying that Karroubi had "stressed" that next year's presidential elections must be held with "great splendor" and that Iranian citizens should be enthusiastic participants in the voting process. With most reformists choosing to boycott the February 2019 parliamentary elections after the hardline election group, the Guardian Council, disqualified most of the election's reformist candidates, Mehdi's encouragement of voting seemingly marked a change in his stance. On social media, some users have expressed their disillusionment about the idea of fair and free trials in Iran, and reacted very angrily Mehdi's call to vote in the elections. One Twitter user warned others "to be vigilante as reformists are surrendering," adding "[Reformist Leaders] Mir-Hosseien [Mousavi] and Karroubi are surrendering." However, speaking to Iran Wire on Wednesday, Mehdi's other son Mohammad-Taqi Karroubi refuted Dousti's account of Mehdi's stance about next year's election, calling it "his own interpretation." Mohammad-Taqi stressed that his father's stances will always only be expressed in writing or through family members. Karroubi, who was the speaker of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and again from 2000 to 2004 and a founding member and former secretary-general of the Association of Combatant Clerics party, founded his own party, Etemad-e Melli and a newspaper of the same name in 2005. The moderate cleric ran for presidency twice, in 2005 and 2009 against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both times alleging that the Revolutionary Guard and its Basij militia force had conspired to bring the hardliner Ahmadinejad to power at any cost under the supervision of Supreme Leader Khamenei's son Mojtaba. Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, after regular TCG meetings and its Working Groups, urged the sides to continue to make all necessary efforts to maintain a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire. "I am pleased to note that the 'Measures to strengthen the ceasefire' which that took effect on July 27, 2020, continue overall to be effective. I encourage the sides to keep making all necessary efforts to keep a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire, which is an indispensable prerequisite for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Grau said on Wednesday, according to the OSCE press release. She said that in addition to discussing the ceasefire commitments, the Security Working Group reached a common understanding upon the draft "Framework Decision on Mine Action" as well as the new areas for demining and disengagement of forces and hardware, as requested by the Normandy Four leaders at their meeting in Paris in December last year. "However, due to the ongoing discussion on the conformity of Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 795-IX on the appointment of regular local elections in 2020 with the Minsk Agreements, the TCG did not come today to final decisions. This discussion also hindered progress in other Working Groups," the ambassador said. Grau also said that the Humanitarian Working Group discussed the mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees. In addition to this topic, participants looked into the progress of preparations for the simultaneous opening of additional entry-exit crossing points in Zolote and Schastia in Luhansk region. "The Economic Working Group focused on current issues of water supplies in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, as well as environmental matters. Discussions in the Political Working Group, like at the previous meeting two weeks ago, was mainly devoted to the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 795-IX, what again did not allow to address the issues on the agenda, aimed at the implementation of the Minsk Agreements," Grau said. There is a fair amount of archaeological evidence that indicates complex behaviour among our ancestors. For instance, there are bone tools that were used as hunting projectiles, for working leather or for processing plants. Ochre remnants were used for body and rock painting. But plants and their products have rarely been reported to embody this type of complex behaviour. Now a multidisciplinary, international team of archaeologists has presented evidence that more than 200,000 years ago, at the dawn of our species (Homo sapiens sapiens) groups of humans inhabiting a cave in South Africa used grasses to create comfortable areas for sleeping and working. They also, our research suggests, understood the benefits of using ash underneath the grass to repel insects and pests. Before this there was tentative evidence of bedding being constructed using tree leaves some 185,000 years ago at Misliya Cave in Israel . Groups of Neanderthals from the Iberian Middle Paleolithic also used grasses to build their beds and rest areas about 40,000 years ago at Esquilleu Cave (Cantabria, Spain). In South Africa, plant bedding has been observed at several sites but never studied or published in detail. Until now, the oldest bedding in South Africa came from Sibudu Cave in the KwaZulu-Natal province, where modern humans used sedges (Cyperaceae) to build sleeping beds about 70,000 years ago. Our research , led by Professor Lyn Wadley of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, now shows that before 200,000 years ago close to the origin of our species people preferred the use of broad-leaved grasses to build their beds and resting areas. They also used fire, ash, and medicinal plants to maintain clean, pest-free camps. The construction of this bedding itself comes as no surprise: many animals such as chimpanzees or birds construct their beds and nests with plants. At our study site, it is the presence of ash layers underneath the bedding that demonstrates a more elaborate behaviour. These findings are important because they show that our ancestors were able to organise the space and the capacity of these early societies to develop strategies that would have had health benefits, improving their daily living conditions. This helps us to understand them better, and to develop our understanding of where we've come from in terms of cognition and spatial awareness. Plants, people and the archaeological record Plants are the most common resource exploited by hunter-gatherers. They provide a source of food and water, beverages, medicines, poison and firewood, tools for hunting, fishing, storage and transport of food and goods, shelter and protection. Plants can also be used for numerous other purposes related to social beliefs and rituals, such as making ornaments from seeds; to make musical instruments; statuary and other decorative and symbolic objects. There is little archaeological data on the types of plants and the different uses that were given to them by hunter-gatherer populations during prehistory. Globally, this is probably related to bad preservation of plant remains in the archaeological record. In South Africa, interest in studying botanical remains peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s; few archaeobotanical studies have been conducted since then. There is a need for a better understanding of prehistoric plant use in South Africa. Our research was conducted in Border Cave , located on a cliff between eSwatini and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It is a Middle Stone Age site that preserves human occupation dating from between 38,000 years and about 250,000 years ago. Clockwise from top: a panoramic photograph of Border Cave (copyright: Ashley Kruger); the view from the cave (copyright: Paloma de la Pena) and excavations at Border Cave (copyright: Paloma de la Pena). Some parts of the site have exceptional organic preservation: desiccated grass bedding, wood charcoal and charred rhizomes (rootstalks) from fires occur in different layers. The botanical remains we recovered in our research were preserved as ephemeral traces of silicified grass in the cave's oldest deposits, dating back to around 200,000 years. These siliceous remains are known as phytoliths , taken from the Greek (phyto, plant; litho, stone) microscopic remains of silica that reproduce the cellular structure of certain plants. We discovered that Border Cave is home to the highest concentration of phytoliths documented to date in the archaeological record. This high phytolith concentration is due to their good state of preservation and an intentional and intensive accumulation of grasses for bedding construction. These phytoliths tell us about the bedding our ancestors used in the cave. Ancient bedding The beds we identified at Border Cave were constructed with broad-leaved grasses from the Panicoideae subfamily, and were used both for resting and to prepare daily workspaces. We know that people worked as well as slept on the grass mats because we identified debris from stone tool manufacture and red and orange ochre microfragments mixed with the grass remains that could well have been used for body decoration or on worn objects. Using archaeobotanical, microscopic and infrared techniques, we identified sequences of burning and grass bedding indicating that people used this space repeatedly. We know the beds were periodically burned through the presence of ash, as well as burnt grass, wood and bone. Some of that burned wood came from the broad-leaved camphor bush (Tarchonanthus), a species still used as an insect repellent in parts of East Africa. Plant composition of the 200,000 year old bedding. A, Microphotograph of Panicoideae grass phytoliths; Copyright, Irene Esteban. B, Scanning electron microscope image of Panicoideae grass fragment; Copyright, Lyn Wadley. C, Photograph of modern Panicum maximum grass; Copyright, Lyn Wadley. It is likely that most of these plants were infested by ticks, among other insects and pests, as is the case today. Ticks carry many diseases, and it is probable that our human ancestors would suffer from their bites. We speculate that laying grass bedding on ash was a deliberate strategy not only to create a dirt-free, insulated base for the bedding, but perhaps also to repel crawling insects. Sometimes the ashy layer underneath the bedding was a remnant of older grass bedding that had been burned to clean the cave and destroy pests. In more recent occupations, wood ash from fireplaces was probably used as the clean surface for a new bedding layer. Irene Esteban receives funding from the University of the Witwatersrand, The Palaeontological Scientific Trust, DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences and the USA National Science Foundation. She is also an affiliated member of the African Centre of Coastal Palaeosciences. Paloma de la Pena Alonso receives funding from the DSI/NRFCenter of Excellence of Paleosciences and the Paleontological Scientific Trust. By Irene Esteban, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand And Paloma de la Pena Alonso, Senior Researcher in African Quaternary Archaeology and Hominin Palaeoecology (University of Cambridge and University of the Witwatersrand), University of the Witwatersrand Only a unified position of the international community and sanctions will force the Russian authorities to stop committing crimes, diplomats believe. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has condemned the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent from the novichok group. "We strongly condemn yet another criminal act by the Russian authorities who continue their attacks on democracy and human rights in the Russian Federation and beyond. We are convinced that the international community must respond appropriately to this inhuman reprisal by the Kremlin of an opposition politician," reads the statement published on the foreign ministry's website. Read alsoU.S. adds Russian chemical research facilities to sanctions listOnly a unified resolute position and firm condemnation on the part of the civilized world, including through imposing sanctions, can "force Russian authorities to stop committing crimes, grossly violating human rights, and destroying the legal foundations of the global order both in relation to leading opposition politicians and entire states," the ministry stressed. We strongly condemn yet another criminal act by the Russian authorities who continue their attacks on democracy and human rights Navalny poisoning: background It came as no surprise to hear on Wednesday that Australia had fallen into recession with GDP down 7 per cent, on the back of reduced economic activity in April, May and June. For much of that period, we were ordered to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19. Many businesses had to close. You only had to walk down the street to see how much the economy was hurting. It is easy to look back. It is much harder to look forward, especially when the future is clouded by pathogenic uncertainty. Yet that is what is required of our state and national leaders to pull us back from the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression. Unemployment peaked at 32 per cent in 1932. Australian families were forced to live in tents, even in caves. Children would turn up to school hungry and unable to learn. Suicide rates soared. It was a national disaster, augmented by division within and between governments about how to manage the crisis and a focus on paying off debt instead of increasing welfare. We seem to have learned our lesson. The federal governments JobKeeper and JobSeeker schemes have limited the damage of the pandemic and should not be watered down. These schemes are good for the economy but, more importantly, they are helping those among us who are suffering the most. Moral leadership is as important right now as fiscal leadership. We cannot risk a repeat of the social harms suffered by so many Australians in the 1930s. Our governments role is to care for our welfare as much as for the economy. To this aim, the government should reflect on the success of its free childcare policy and subsidise more of the cost of childcare permanently. That policy brought relief to struggling families who had lost income but also to working families, who have always had to pay far too much for quality childcare in Australia, when such care carries benefit for the whole nation. Student sues FSU over ouster as student senate president for sharing Catholic beliefs Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Florida State University student on Monday filed a lawsuit against the university over the student government's decision to oust him as senate president for sharing his Catholic beliefs. Jack Denton is suing FSU after he was removed from his leadership position in the universitys Student Government Association after a vote of no-confidence following what he previously described as "mob influence" that got students to change their votes. According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the removal came after a series of text messages written by Denton were made public. In the texts, Denton told fellow Catholics that they might want to avoid supporting groups like Black Lives Matter, Reclaim the Block and the ACLU. The Student Senate at Florida State University has failed its pedagogical purpose and breached its constitutional obligations by removing its presiding officer, Jack Denton, in retaliation for his private religious speech, the suit states in part. When Mr. Denton tried to resolve his complaint through internal procedures by appealing to the Student Supreme Court, the Student Senate intentionally prevented the Court from hearing his complaint. Furthermore, according to the suit, University officials took no action to correct the Student Senates clear violation of Mr. Dentons rights, despite having the authority and the duty to do so. To vindicate his constitutional rights, Mr. Denton asks this Court to order his reinstatement, compensation, and the expungement of all records relating to the Senates retaliatory and discriminatory actions against him, it continued. Denton is being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian law firm that represents clients in religious liberty cases. ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, said in a statement released Tuesday that students should be able to peacefully share their personal convictions without fear of retaliation. Florida State should be fostering real diversity of thought, not punishing individuals based on their religious convictions or political beliefs, he added. While FSU students claim theyre creating a safe space, theyve tried to cancel Jacks freedoms and discriminate against him because they dont like his beliefs, in direct violation of the schools SGA Ethics Code, the Student Body Constitution, andmost importantlythe First Amendment. The Christian Post reached out to FSU for comment. In response, the university emailed CP a statement on Wednesday by Carolyn Egan, the universitys General Counsel. Student governments are created by students for the purpose of experiential self-governance, stated Egan, who noted that the university plans to fight the lawsuit. Universities are protected from lawsuits stemming from student government actions, unless the universities have taken action to adopt the decision, which hasn't occurred in this case here at Florida State. We look forward to seeking dismissal of Mr. Denton's claims by the court. A second grader left her mother red-faced this week when she grabbed a bottle from her parents' liquor cabinet for show and tell. Meghan Maza Oeser from Mokena, Illinois, looked in on her daughter Penny while she attended the first day of class on Zoom on Monday and stopped in her tracks when she saw the little girl holding up a bottle of Malibu rum. The assignment appears to have been to show the class 'something that smells good' and Penny, understandably charmed by the liquor's coconut scent, held up a large bottle for her classmates. Leaning is fun! Meghan Maza Oeser from Mokena, Illinois, shared a photo of her daughter Penny attending class on Zoom on Monday She's not wrong! She was showing her class 'something that smells good' a bottle of coconut-flavored Malibu rum Meghan, a mother of six, snapped a picture of the funny moment and shared it on Facebook. 'Its moments like these that I wish I didnt go all b***s out on having children,' Meghan wrote. 'Heres Penny... Showing her class something that smells good.' She added the hashtags #InJesusNameAmen, #BlessIt, #PleaseTakeThemBackNow, #HideYoWife, #HideYoKids, and #HideYoMalibu. In the picture, an innocent-looking Penny seems oblivious that she's holding something only grown-ups should have, and is smiling at her classmates and teacher on the computer screen. Relatable: The post has quickly gone viral, earning 91,000 likes in just three days and lots of laughing emojis from commenters Planning something? Meghan also showed her daughter in a more innocent, booze-free moment Cutie: She also showed off some artwork during her class Dressed in a hoodie and pink headphones, she's lifting the bottle up to her face, so there's no mistaking what it is for anyone at home. The post has quickly gone viral, earning 91,000 likes in just three days and lots of laughing emojis from commenters. 'And this is why you dont leave random things around your house. Your kid will take it to school for show and tell,' wrote one with laughing emojis. 'Oh my god this made me literally LAUGH OUT LOUD!!! I almost spit out my mountain dew,' said another. Several said they can see their own kids doing something similar, while one mom said her daughter once brought her box of White Claw for show and tell. Meghan had another embarrassing learning-at-home moment in April when she accidentally flashed her daughter's class. Whoops! Meghan had another embarrassing learning-at-home moment in April when she accidentally flashed her daughter's class At the end of the first day of 'e-learning' at the start of the pandemic, Meghan took a shower and reached for her favorite Costco towel when she got out. 'You guys know what happens to a super huge a** heavy towel draped over the body of someone that could pretty much represent the Lollipop Guild?' she wrote on Facebook at the time. 'It slips.' Meghan was still in her bedroom in her towel when one of her kids walked in, with her phone screen facing toward her mother. '[She] whispers... "How do I end this?"' wrote Meghan. 'How does she end WHAT, you ask? The MFing LIVE GOOGLE HANGOUT with her ENTIRE classroom!!! 'So there I am... heavy towel... that fell around my waist... with my 40-something year old [breasts] staring Mrs. Definitelygonnaneedsometherapyafterthis RIGHT in the face!!!' she wrote. 'My boobs. Were in. Her face. And since my brain, now misfiring in EVERY direction as to what in TactualF to do next, is completely cashed out from e-learning... I stand up...t o flip her phone to the ceiling... and casually then don my late 70s Coronabush.' President Donald Trump talks with John Rode, former owner of Rodes Camera Shop, in Kenosha during a tour of an area damaged during demonstrations. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Joe Biden will today visit the riot hotspot city of Kenosha to present himself as a "healer" to a nation "divided" by Donald Trump, turning up the heat on the US president in one of the country's most important election battlegrounds. Mr Biden, the Democratic challenger, will hold a community meeting to "bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face," as protests continued to rage in Wisconsin and Los Angeles in the wake of police shootings. The Midwest state was one of several that narrowly flipped to Mr Trump in 2016, helping him to the White House, and could become a bellwether for what happens in November. Mr Trump said this week he believes Democrats are "worried about the election because law and order has increased my poll numbers a lot". But a Morning Consult poll released yesterday found little evidence to support that claim, putting Mr Biden ahead on 52pc to Mr Trump's 43pc in Wisconsin. Mr Biden also continues to lead in Minnesota, where violent demonstrations broke out after the death of George Floyd in police custody. Kenosha has seen protests since August 23, when police shot Jacob Blake, a black man, seven times in the back. On a whistlestop tour of destroyed businesses on Tuesday, Mr Trump described Kenosha as having been ravaged by "anti-police, anti-American riots" as he praised federal troops sent in to quell them. His visit came despite the objections of state and local leaders, as well as from the Blake family who said it would inflame tensions. The president was accused yesterday by a shop owner of exploiting his business for political gain. Tom Gram, of Rode's Camera Shop, which was burnt down in the unrest in Wisconsin, said he declined to appear with the president, and was replaced with the former owner, who praised Mr Trump. "I think everything he does turns into a circus. I didn't want to be involved," Mr Gram told WTMJ-TV. He said he later watched on television as Mr Trump appeared with the former owner, John Rode III, and the president made it look as though the store was still his. On Monday, Mr Trump defended Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old supporter accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators in Kenosha. Protesters marched for a second day at the scene where a black man was shot dead by Los Angeles deputies. A spokesman said Dijon Kizzee (29) was shot after dropping items that included a handgun. Brandon Dean, sheriff's lieutenant, said investigators had not yet interviewed witnesses or reviewed surveillance or phone video. "Give us time," he said. "We will get all the facts, and present them." ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] The national capital on Thursday witnessed two extremes with the government conducting a record 32,834 daily tests for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the city registering 2,737 new infections the highest single-day spike in 67 days. This was the second day in a row that the city has set a new record in single-day Covid-19 tests. The boost in testing numbers comes a week after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that Covid-19 testing in the city would be doubled to 40,000 a day with the city seeing a resurgence of cases since mid-August. As testing increased, 2,737 new cases were reported in Delhi the highest single-day case count since June 28, or 67 days keeping with the trend of resurgence of daily infections in the city. There were 2,889 new cases on June 28. The seven-day average of daily cases, which peaked at 3,446 on June 26 before falling to 983 on August 4, has now been rising for the 17th consecutive day and stands at 2,100. The total number of cases in the city is 182,306. The death toll from Covid-19, meanwhile, touched 4,500, with 19 new deaths lodged on Thursday. As many as 160,114 people have recovered from the disease so far. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that the current rise in cases cannot be called a second wave of the virus. You cant say it is a second wave. We could have called it a second wave if there were no positive cases for one or two months and then cases wouldve started coming again. The virus is still there in Delhi, he said. People should not stress about the numbers, he said, as he attributed the spike to the increased number of tests in the city. Members of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday, in a meeting chaired by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, discussed the rising infections in Delhi, senior government officials said. Principal Secretary (health and family welfare) Vikram Dev Dutt informed the DDMA about some probable reasons for the increase in positivity rate Delhi. The possible reasons included lack of adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour; impact of festivals in the month of August; late testing by Covid suspects; cross-infection; return of migrants and unlock measures, a DDMA official, who did not wish to be identified, said. In a statement issued late in the evening, the DDMA said the L-G advised that besides the entry points to the city (ISBTs and railway stations), large-scale construction sites should also be covered through special camps for targeted testing. These camps are to be set up within a week. Besides, he has also directed the government to prepare a policy to introduce a test on demand programme wherein people could call at a helpline number and fix an appointment at the nearest Covid testing centre without having to wait in a queue. The share of antigen tests continues to be over 70% of the total daily tests. According to Thursdays health bulletin, 24,512 rapid antigen tests (75%) and 8,322 RT-PCR tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. Antigen tests generally provide results within hours and are relatively cheap, but they can give false negatives (in other words, they can miss positive cases). RT-PCR tests, on the other hand, is the most definitive test currently available for Covid-19 and experts say it should be used to the extent possible, especially if authorities have the capacity to do so. The downside is that they can generally take 24-48 hours and need specialised machines. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Falls, Australia-China Relations to Get Worse The Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate dipped by -0.1% today, with the pairing currently trading around AU$1.818. The Australian Dollar (AUD) edged higher against a weaker Sterling today despite souring trade relations between Australia and China. As a result, we could see Aussie continue to weaken if relations with China Australias largest trading partner continue to deteriorate. Beijing has announced trade actions against Australian barley, beef, and wine, which, a senior Labour figure said, was just stage one of broader problems between the two nations. Labours agriculture and resources spokesperson, Joel Fitzgibbon, said that Australian-Chinese could get worse before it gets better as Australias industries continue to fret over souring trade relations. In Australian economic news, today saw the export figure for July fall from 3% to -4%, showing the bite of the Covid-19 pandemic on the nations exports. Pound (GBP) Falls as Concerns Over No-Deal Brexit Drag on Sterling The Pound (GBP) suffered from growing doubts over the possibility of a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the EU today. This follows critical comments from the EUs Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, who said he was worried and disappointed over the Brexit impasse. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: [T]he EUs insistence on progress on state aid and fisheries is an obstacle to making progress overall. In UK economic news, today saw the release of the final UK Markit Services PMI for August, which undershot forecast but remained strong at 58.8. As a result, GBP investors are slowly becoming more confident in Britains economic recovery. Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at HIS Markit, commented on the report: A further surge in service sector business activity in August adds to signs that the economy is enjoying a mini-boom as business re-opens after the lockdowns, but the concern is that the rebound will fade as quickly as it appeared. GBP investors are also eyeing todays speech from the Bank of Englands (BoE) Governor, Andrew Bailey. Any dovishness about the UK economy, however, could prove GBP-negative. GBP/AUD Outlook: Australian Retail Sales Figures in Focus Australian Dollar (AUD) traders will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of Julys Australian retail sales figure. If these improve, then we could see Aussie head higher. Pound (GBP) investors will be watching tomorrows release of the UK Construction PMI for August, which is set to rise from 58.1 to 58.5. Consequently, we could see Sterling rise on growing hopes for the British economy. The GBP/AUD exchange rate will continue to be influenced by Brexit developments this week, however. Any indications that Downing Street or the EU could compromise on a possible post-Brexit trade deal would prove Pound-positive. (Natural News) Australia has decreed new mandatory vaccination provisions in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic, and Know Your Rights Australia (KYRA) wants Aussies to know that they have the power to fight back against this tyranny. In an interview with Tasha David, President of the Australia Vaccination-skeptics Network (AVN) you can listen to the interview at this link KYRA reveals in-depth the incredible lengths to which the Australian government, Big Pharma, and the mainstream media are willing to go to prevent the public from learning the ugly truth about modern-day vaccines. While the independent media has been working hard to warn parents about the deadly chemicals and toxins used in vaccine production, authorities are pretending as though all vaccines are safe and effective. Consequently, they are using this as justification to force future Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines on everyone. There are so many reports around that detail issues with modern vaccinations or vaccine schedules and what they are really putting in them but many mainstream doctors, of course, all claim that they are completely safe, KYRA reports. Well, if that is truly the case then they should have no problem signing a document to that effect, should they? This document, known as a Vaccination Warranty Form, is a way for Australian parents to potentially opt-out their children from mandatory vaccines. By presenting this document, as well as Appendix 6 of the Australian Immunisation Handbook, to doctors and asking them to sign it, parents can quickly learn what medical professionals really think about vaccines when their own culpability becomes a factor in the equation. Australia to spend $5.5 million on campaign to counter anti-vaxxers The pro-health freedom movement is becoming so large and influential in Australia that the government there has already promised to spend some $5.5 million on a campaign to debunk the misinformation put forth by anti-vaxxers. The Australian government is also working to censor films like The Truth About Vaccines and Vaxxed, both of which present the other side of the story about vaccine safety and effectiveness. KYRA recently held a webinar you can watch it at this link offering insights into how Aussies can better understand their constitutional rights. By knowing your rights, you can safeguard your family against mandatory vaccination, it turns out, as well as thwart illegitimate lockdowns and other draconian impositions. So-called My Will letters can be submitted to government officials explaining that a person knows his or her rights and does not consent to illegal mandates. This includes forced Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) testing as a condition of participation in society. More and more people are being coerced into undergoing testing for COVID-19 so we have included some information to show you how inaccurate that testing is, KYRA explains. The first is a Freedom of Information response to one of our members from the Department of Health and Human Services which clearly states that there are no 100% accurate tests for COVID-19 in Australia. As it turns out, the so-called PCR test for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) was also determined to be scientifically meaningless, even though many Aussies are being forced to get it. There are many more resources provided by KYRA that are too numerous to list here, so have a look for yourself at the groups website. If you are one of the many people to be affected by the new no jab, no pay legislation, where your Family Tax Benefit is being withheld because you choose not to vaccinate, then you may also want to download a copy of our latest letter to the Minister for Social Services which explains your right to conscientiously object to anyone poisoning your children, the group adds. The latest news and updates about vaccines can be found at Vaccines.news. Sources for this article include: KnowYourRightsGroup.com.au NaturalNews.com YouTu.be Some beaches and parks scattered around the Bay Area will be closed over the Labor Day weekend as officials try to discourage the large gatherings that led to spikes in new coronavirus cases following both Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The stakes are high: plans to reopen businesses and schools over the next few months could be reversed if infection rates and hospitalizations tick up. Health experts link roughly 4 million U.S. coronavirus cases to Memorial Day weekend, which reversed what had been a downward trend of new cases. Gov. Gavin Newsom asked California residents to adhere to coronavirus safety protocols as the long weekend approaches. Its more important than ever to be vigilant as we work through the next few months, Newsom said, warning that even though infection rates are stabilizing, flu season and an inevitable new wave of infections could put the state back in the danger zone. The beach closures are inconsistent throughout the region. In San Mateo County, they will be open, except for in Pacifica. In Santa Cruz County, they will be closed to sunbathing and gathering, although surfers and swimmers will be allowed to traipse across the sand to the water. San Francisco beaches and parks will remain open, although on Wednesday, San Francisco Mayor London Breed urged residents to avoid crowds. Breed said that the best way to honor American workers over the Labor Day weekend is to follow masking and social distancing rules. Lets honor our essential workers and their families by taking action to protect them, Breed said. The mayor said its safest to stay home. She urged residents to avoid large groups and social distance if going out, adding, make sure everyone is wearing a face covering, and avoid sharing food and drinks. The long holiday weekend comes just as San Francisco is planning to move forward with another stage of reopening certain businesses, including tourist hotels, outdoor tour buses and boats, museums and zoos. That could juice case counts. Breed said enforcement of social distancing and mask wearing would be more aggressive this weekend than in the past. She also suggested that folks who pack into a few popular hangouts Dolores Park, Crissy Field and Golden Gate Park should spread out into other open spaces around the city. What we are asking people is make sure you are using good judgment, she said. If you go to Dolores Park and see it is crowded, why even step foot in that park? Some Bay Area cities arent waiting for popular spots to be flooded with people. In Pacifica, beaches and parks will be closed while the pier and hiking trails will remain open, according to Pacifica Police Capt. Chris Clements, who said with the warm weather and the holiday weekend we are concerned that the beaches would be inundated with crowds. We are trying to drive down the infection numbers so we can reopen our society, he said. Dr. Bela Matyas, the Solano County health officer, said gatherings around Memorial Day and July 4 were directly tied to disease outbreaks. But he said hes hopeful that people now better understand their risk and will avoid Labor Day get-togethers. The recent wildfires may actually be helpful in that regard, he added. Weve had a huge wildfire with horrible air and several heat events, all of which are going to contribute to people staying indoors more and not getting together, he said. Labor Day is typically for friends and family, but maybe we wont get a spike. Matyas said the early summer get-togethers came in the wake of three months of shelter-in-place, noting that and people had a pent-up need to meet with family and friends, and they exercised that in an explosive fashion. In May, June and July they were really happy getting caught up with friends and family. Others are worried that the long weekend poses additional risks. The pandemic does not take a holiday and its fair to say we are concerned that with the long weekend and expected hot weather, residents and visitors may put themselves and others at risk by not abiding by those preventative actions, said Michelle Durand, communications officer for San Mateo County. 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 concern and stern warnings come as California and the Bay Area have been making significant progress in the wake of a spike of summer cases. Californias infections have dipped by nearly half from their peak, with the daily average of new cases down to just over 5,000 per day, the lowest since early summer, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Since Aug. 1, the state has cut both cases and hospitalization by about 40%. Still, August was the states deadliest month since the pandemic started. UCSF epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford said that closing beaches makes sense in places like Santa Cruz and Pacifica, which are regional attractions on warm weekends. Its like free day at Disney everybody in their right mind is going to be there, he said. He said that while the virus is less likely to be transmitted in a park or beach, being outside is not magic. If you are going to be a foot away from someone coughing and hacking, the likelihood of an airborne transmission is greater, he said. On Tuesday, Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, asked Americans to be cognizant that Labor Day could present a stumbling block to recent progress. He advocated staying home and celebrating with family or if hanging out with others to wear a mask, stay outside, maintain social distance and keep the party brief. Weve made some incredible progress together in the last several weeks and months, he said, and we do not want to lose ground in that progress, so it is not the time to let up our guard. Its time to stay vigilant. San Francisco Chronicle reporters Catherine Ho and Erin Allday contributed to this story. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:39:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is going after its rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, not seeking tension, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday, accusing France of "bullying" the region. "There are those coming from thousands of kilometers away for bullying, claiming rights, and playing the role of a guardian angel. These are unacceptable. They will go where they have come," he told reporters during a visit to the Combined Air Operation Center in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir. Greece and France, with the support of the European Union (EU), made "illogically claims," the minister said. Akar said that the Greek government "militarizes" the Aegean islands in violation of international law, emphasizing that Ankara urges dialogue despite all these violations. The minister criticized France for interfering in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the problem is between Turkey and Greece. Athens and Ankara have been at odds over hydrocarbon rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey dispatched its seismic survey vessel, escorted by Turkish warships, to the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border agreement for the region. Greece, which has called on Turkey to withdraw vessels from the area, also deployed warships to monitor the vessel. France criticized Turkey's stance and sent reinforcement to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Greece. Enditem Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday (September 3, 2020) directed the in Pakistan government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav. The High Court also adjourned further hearing of the matter till October 6. The high court passed the order after it took up the case of appointment of lawyer for Jadhav to hear the review of the death sentence given to him by a Pakistani military court. It is to be noted that the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer has been convicted by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017 and given the death sentence. During the hearing in the case, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan apprised the court that to comply with the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Pakistan has granted consular access to India, but New Delhi has not replied to Pakistan's offer to appoint a lawyer for him. The high court, after hearing the arguments, ordered the government to send its order on Jadhav to India and adjourned the hearing until October 3 when the case would be heard again. Pakistan has introduced a special law to allow Jadhav to get his sentence reviewed as asked by the ICJ. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016, after he reportedly entered from Iran. While India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. (With Agency inputs) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has obtained a prepayment funding of circa US$1b to support the upstream operations of its subsidiary, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). The crude oil prepayment has enabled NNPC to pay NPDCs Tax obligations to the Federal Government of Nigeria, of circa US$700M with the balance utilised to fund NPDCs capital and operating expenditures. The prepayment financing is backed by future oil production of NPDC, and utilises a well-established structure to enable the purchaser of the crude, Eagle Export Funding Limited, to raise financing in the domestic and international markets, to fund an upfront payment to NNPC under a Forward Sale Agreement (FSA). The financing which funded the prepayment has been structured over two tranches: a 5 year USD amortizing tranche (Tranche 1) and a 7 year NGN amortizing tranche (Tranche 2). Both tranches benefit from a cash sweep with the 7-year tranche having a 1-year non-call period. These tranches shall be repaid by Eagle Export Funding Limited from the export sale proceeds of the NPDC crude, which in turn are backed by Letters of Credit, issued by banks with a minimum credit rating, in line with market precedent. The export price for the crude is the relevant NNPC Official Selling Price (OSP) for the corresponding calendar month and crude grade. Vitol and Matrix Energy have executed the standard NNPC Crude Oil Sale & Purchase Agreement. The participants in the Eagle Export Funding Limited deal include Standard Chartered Bank, United Bank for Africa, Afrexim Bank, Union Bank and two oil trading companies, Vitol and Matrix Energy. Despite the constrained liquidity situation in the financing markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the pricing and terms obtained for the USD and NGN funding tranches were very competitive and better than precedent transactions. Kennie Obateru Group General Manager Group Public Affair Division Nigerian National Petrolem Corporation (NNPC) 3rd September, 2020 Page Industries fell 1.78% to Rs 19,311.45 after the company reported net loss of Rs 39.55 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 110.66 crore in Q1 June 2019. Lower Q1 PAT was primarily on account of lower revenues resulting in lower absorption of wages and fixed cost. Revenue from operations slumped 65.89% to Rs 284.80 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. This quarter witnessed the full impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. As of now, more than 80% of the firm's multi-brand outlets, 96% of exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and 90% of large format stores are fully functional. Consolidated pre-tax loss stood at Rs 52.37 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with pre-tax profit of Rs 169.86 crore incurred in Q1 June 2019. The Q1 earnings were announced during trading hours today, 3 September 2020. The total operating cost was controlled effectively and reduced by 34% quarter-on-quarter and 37% year-on-year to Rs 171.70 crore. This was achieved without any employee/worker lay-offs and salary cuts. The cash & cash equivalent has increased by 56% during the quarter to Rs 173.40 crore, due to efficient working capital management. Page Industries continues to have a strong balance sheet and not borrowed any additional funds during this period. Commenting on the Q1 performance, Sunder Genomal, the managing director (MD) of Page Industries, said: "While this quarter saw a significant impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the operations partially resumed from May. We are witnessing an increasing trend of sales with greater demand in e-commerce and athleisure product category. We have seen our amazing teams put in tremendous efforts across sales and operations and are confident of getting back on track to previous year's level of sales and operations as soon as the pandemic is behind us. We continue to remain confident of the medium term given our strong business model, product portfolio and healthy balance sheet." "We are witnessing increasing propensity for online shopping, therefore, our e-commerce business has shown significant growth and is expected to remain strong. We have launched new stores that allow us to continue to serve our customers with the best shopping experience while minimising their risk of contracting COVID-19. We are confident that we will efficiently manage our business during this situation and emerge stronger due to our strong brand, loyal customers and efficient financial management." "There is a huge potential market for all our product categories. We have always continued to invest in our brands, both online and offline, as well as at point-of-sale. In addition to our strong business presence and robust balance sheet, we continue to strengthen the business across all facets. We will continue our unrelenting endeavour to satisfy consumers with the finest products in terms of style, design, comfort, fit and quality in both Jockey and Speedo. Overall, we remain very optimistic for the future and continue to strive to generate and deliver financial and non-financial value for all our stakeholders," he added. Page Industries is the exclusive licensee of JOCKEY International Inc. (USA) for manufacture, distribution and marketing of the JOCKEY brand in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the UAE. Page Industries is also the exclusive licensee of Speedo International for the manufacture, marketing and distribution of the Speedo brand in India. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) M ore than 1,700 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the UK as the death toll rises by 13. The Government said that a further 1,735 people have tested positive for Covid-19 as of 9am on Thursday. Overall, 340,411 cases have now been confirmed. While a new overall total has yet to be confirmed, a further 13 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive. The total on Wednesday was 41,514. Separate figures published by the UKs statistics agencies show there have now been 57,300 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. Meanwhile, figures released by devolved authorities found a further 17 people have died from the disease. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images A further 15 deaths in hospitals were confirmed by NHS England on Thursday. This brings England's overall hospital toll to 29,585. The victims were aged between 50 and 95 years old and all had known underlying health conditions. The dates of the deaths ranged from March 27 to September 2, with the majority on or before August 31. UK coronavirus cases rise to highest rate since June Scotland and Northern Ireland also reported one new fatality each, bringing their death tolls to 2,496 and 563 respectively. Welsh health officials reported no further deaths of people who had tested positive for coronavirus. Speaking on Thursday at the Scottish Government's regular coronavirus briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also confirmed health officials had recorded 101 new cases of Covid-19 in the country in the previous 24 hours. Ms Sturgeon said the reproduction rate of coronavirus in Scotland is now probably above one and could be as high as 1.4. The rate, which suggests the average number of people who are infected by a single positive case of the virus, was believed to have been below one for some months. Ms Sturgeon said: I said recently that the R number is of slightly less concern when overall prevalence of the virus is low, and overall prevalence of the virus is still low in Scotland right now. But nevertheless this is a reminder that the virus is spreading again here, just as it is elsewhere in the UK, across Europe and indeed in the wider world, so it is a reminder of the need for us to take this seriously and do all of the right things. She also told the briefing that 20,889 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland, up by 101 from 20,788 the day before. Provisional figures indicate some 53 of these new cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, where restrictions preventing indoor meetings where reintroduced on Tuesday. Ms Sturgeon said data being presented to officials showed a number of small, localised clusters had caused a spike in new cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area. The First Minister added cases are increasing in various parts of the country, and the enforcement of additional measures in Glasgow should serve as a wake up call to Scots. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 12:06 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c42720f6 1 City national-press-day,Jakarta-administration,host Free Jakarta will host the annual National Press Day celebration on Feb. 9 next year, Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Wednesday. The decision came shortly after the governor conducted a meeting with the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) and showed a positive attitude toward the matter. Hopefully, the pandemic will decline by Feb. 9 of next year, so that the celebratory events will be festive. Because of the pandemic, Jakarta has canceled many big festivals and events, Anies said. Anies also suggested Ancol in North Jakarta as the main venue for the event next year. Ancol meets all the requirements to be a venue for big events under proper health protocols. It also exhibits Jakarta as a special coastal city, he added. According to the head committee of the 2021 National Press Day celebration Auri Jaya, the committees for the event have planned two alternative scenarios - online and offline celebrations - for this specific annual event. We will soon conduct the next meeting to further coordinate the matter with the Jakarta administration in preparing next years event, Auri said. Among the participants of the meeting with the governor were the head of the central PWI Atal Sembiring Depari, the secretary general of the organization Mirza Zuhaldi and the Jakarta PWI committees. During the last National Press Day event in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, The Jakarta Post received two awards at the 2020 Indonesia Print Media Awards (IPMA) from the Union of Print Media Companies (SPS), including the gold award for the Best of Investigation Reporting for its Oct. 29, 2019 edition titled Wamena investigation: What the government is not telling us. TAIPEI (Reuters) - China's "vulgar threats" over a visit by the Czech Republic's senate speaker to Taiwan are like a cold, unwelcome winter wind and contrast with the courteous words the speaker offered while in Taiwan, a senior Taiwanese politician said on Thursday. China, which claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory, has condemned Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil for going. The Chinese government's top diplomat Wang Yi said this week he would pay a "heavy price" for visiting the democratic island. Vystrcil declared himself to be Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwan's parliament on Tuesday, channelling the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy's defiance of communism in Berlin in 1963, further angering Beijing but winning plaudits in Taipei. Speaking with Vystrcil by his side Taipei, Taiwan parliament Speaker You Si-kun praised his "stirring" speech at the legislature. Vystrcil "was gentle and elegant, a paragon of a cultured country, like spring sunshine, splendid and warn - Taiwan's people were deeply moved", You said. "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's vulgar threats however were like a cold, unwelcome winter wind that cause discomfort." Vystrcil said he had invited You to lead a delegation to Prague for what he termed a "working visit", and dismissed China's criticisms. "Of course I don't like the statements, but I do not feel I have crossed a red line whatsoever, as I don't think we did anything that was an infringement of the 'one China' policy as the Czech Republic has it within its foreign policy," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "As I have always said, democratic and free countries should always cooperate. There's nothing to be changed on that approach." The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China demands countries it has relations with accept that Taiwan belongs to "one China". Taiwan has shown no interest in being run by autocratic China. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Amazon.com Inc. will hire an additional 7,000 people for permanent jobs in the U. K. this year, increasing its workforce to more than 40,000 to deal with a surge in demand for online shopping. The company has already added 3,000 jobs to its U. K fulfillment centers, sort centers and delivery stations, and the additional roles will be in its corporate offices and two new fulfillment centers opening in the North East and the Midlands in the autumn, Amazon said in a statement on Thursday. Amazon is looking for engineers, human resources and IT professionals, as well as finance and health and ... How this ISIS operative from Mangaluru lured her victims and converted them to Islam How ISIS planned to use citizenship law protests to incite Indian Muslims India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: The National Investigation Agency in its chargesheet has said that an ISIS module was inciting Muslims against non-Muslims and also exhorting them to rise against the Government of India. The accused have been charge-sheeted for their affiliation with the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS/ISKP and for conspiring to create disaffection against Government of India, promoting enmity among different religious communities and for committing subversive activities. Jahanzaib Sami, Hina Bashir Beigh, Abdullah Basith, Sadiya Anwar Shaikh and Nabeel Siddick Khatri have been charged by the NIA. The case was originally registered by the Delhi Police following the arrest of Sami and his wife Hina from their rented home at Okhla Vihar in Delhi. The NIA took over the probe in March 2020. To strike in Delhi, ISIS operative stocked up 19 dangerous items The probe revealed that, Jahanzaib, a B.Tech from Ferozpur, Punjab, got radicalised and inclined towards ISIS/ISKP by reading about it on the internet. He established contact with ISIS handler Huzaifa-al-Bakistani and the latter's father-in-law through Abu Usman-Al-Kashmiri (Head of Indian affairs of ISKP) in 2017 on a secure messaging platform. Huzaifa-al-Bakistani further introduced him to Abdullah Basith, another ISIS operative, who is already in judicial custody at Tihar jail in connection with another NIA case (ISIS Abu Dabhi Module). Hina who pursued her higher education from Pune also got radicalised in 2015 by reading up on the ISIS. Sami got married to her in 2017. The accused persons were constantly in contact with the ISIS operatives based out of both Afghanistan and Syria. Based on the instructions given to them, they prepared a magazine called 'Voice of Hind'. The intent was to incite Muslims against Non- Muslims and exhort them to rise against the Government of India and join ISIS. Suicide vest, explosives recovered from home of suspected ISIS terrorist The magazine eulogised ISIS/ISKP terrorists including Huzaifa-al-Bakistani who was killed in July 2019 in a drone strike in Afghanistan and denigrates the Indian Constitution and democratic system. Further the accused conspired to utilise the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests to instigate Muslims against the Indian Government by coining seditious slogans and making graffiti at public places and highlighting the same on social and international media. They were also provoking some gullible youth to participate in anti-CAA protests actively. In case these protests failed to provoke the Muslims, they were planning to destroy government buildings and public property in a bid to instigate the people to indulge in rioting. They also aimed at exploiting Muslim sentiments, the NIA said. They also tried to make an improvised IED and were planning to carry out mass-killings in crowded places to further the activities of ISIS/ISKP in India. They also conducted reconnaissance in sensitive locations at Maharashtra, which are frequented by foriegners. Expands engineering services portfolio by strengthening presence in Medical devices, Consumer and Industrial markets across US BENGALURU, India and CINCINNATI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kaleidoscope Innovation, a full-spectrum product design, development and insights firm innovating across medical, consumer and industrial markets, bolstering capabilities in the design of smart products. This acquisition demonstrates Infosys' commitment to innovate for its clients, and make a meaningful impact on human lives by combining cutting-edge technologies and experiences to revolutionize patient care, treatment, diagnostics and consumer health across the world. Kaleidoscope Innovation brings to Infosys a diverse talent pool with extensive knowledge of design and engineering. The company leverages a deep understanding of clinical environments, strong product development capabilities across domains, and a consultancy-style approach addressing human factors, product design, UI/UX design, research & insight, development and visualization. It serves a marquee and diversified customer base with state of the art, in-house labs, 3D design environments and customer experience centers. Kaleidoscope designs microsurgical instruments, devices used in minimally invasive surgery, drug delivery devices for ophthalmic therapies and user-centric wearables. It also offers usability testing in support of regulatory submissions, including the delivery mechanism for aortic stents. Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys, said, "This acquisition further strengthens our digital offerings at the intersection of new software technologies and medical devices - a sector that is expected to witness significant investments and consumerization in the post-COVID era. Our clients will benefit from the combination of Kaleidoscope's strong upstream offerings of product innovation and design, and Infosys' stack of product engineering, validation and commercialisation services at a global scale. We are excited to welcome Kaleidoscope Innovation and its leadership team into the Infosys family, as part of Infosys Engineering Services portfolio." Nitesh Bansal, SVP & Global Head of Engineering, Infosys, said, "Device engineering for both the consumer and medical industries has been a critical success parameter for our clients. The addition of upstream concept design and human factors engineering, through this acquisition not only provides us end-to-end capability, but also creates an engagement engine dedicated towards innovation and growth in this sector." Matt Kornau, CEO & Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Innovation said, "We are enthusiastic about our exciting new partnership with Infosys. It allows us to scale quickly and bring expanded offerings in AI, Analytics, and Digital Infrastructure to our clients. Kaleidoscope has always valued the ability to enhance people's lives and their outcomes through innovation. We feel Infosys shares these same values and will open new avenues for our client partners, and our staff, to pursue larger opportunities together. We will remain dedicated to serving as good partners to other companies, large and small, as we continue to meet our mission." Bill Taylor, Co-Founder, Kaleidoscope Innovation added, "Infosys provides an exciting platform for us to extend our relationship with our Business Partners to address the productization of solutions they have been asking us to deliver. Having the technical prowess and bandwidth to offer solutions that address manufacturability and lifecycle management will benefit all parties. We can now offer them the scale needed for both front end innovation and back end implementation and sustainability" The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of fiscal 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. About Kaleidoscope Innovation Kaleidoscope Innovation is a full-service product development firm innovating across medical, consumer and industrial markets. For over 30 years, clients have partnered with Kaleidoscope to improve the human experience. Kaleidoscope offers both consultancy-style and onsite services, across a full breadth of disciplines to meet their client's needs where needed, including insights & human factors, medical affairs, industrial design & user experience, engineering, visualization and software development. For more information about Kaleidoscope Innovation, please visit www.kascope.com 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. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg 2020-09-03 The DBSA and the IDC announced today, that they have committed project development funding to Mitochondria Energy Company, a local South African business that was established with the purpose to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services. The funding is to complete the bankable feasibility study of a stationary fuel cell energy solution. The project aims to strengthen the energy sector in South Africa by providing a locally-produced fuel cell technology. The primary objectives of this project are: Design of a 250kW fuel cell system; Construct a facility to commercially manufacture the fuel cell units; and Commercial manufacturing and sale of the fuel cell units. The secondary objectives of this project include: stimulating the demand for fuel cell energy generation systems to encourage its use as a source of cleaner energy in industries; and promoting the use of combined heat and power (CHP) from fuel cells. Christo Fourie, IDCs Head of Energy, noted: The IDC is excited to co-develop this project that will localise the manufacture of fuel cell units ensuring that the technology and intellectual property is South African-based. The IDCs funding will go towards the completion of the bankable feasibility study phase of Project Phoenix. Project Phoenix will support IDCs developmental objectives by creating jobs; increasing demand of locally produced minerals like chromium, iron and zirconium; replacement of imported power generation equipment (e.g. Gas engines); localisation of the manufacture of some of the fuel cell components and supporting a Black Industrialist venture. This project will eventually contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and is aligned to the IDC clean energy strategy." Mohale Rakgate, DBSAs Group Executive for the Project Preparation Division, commented: The investment consists of a structured project preparation facility that will allow Mitochondria to enhance the country and continents energy supply security. This facility will anchor DBSA as a long-term partner to support Mitochondria with their development efforts in scaling up this highly impactful source of cleaner energy. The fuel cell project has many technical and localisation advantages ideally suited to deal with the energy challenges facing South Africa. This investment emphasises the banks strategy towards diversification of the energy mix locally and in Africa. Mashudu Ramano, Mitochondrias CEO, stated: We are thrilled to have IDC & DBSA join us in developing a solution that can harness local demand to drive new industry formation at this critical time in our country and lay the foundation for the country to be a serious player in the emerging hydrogen economy. Mitos aim is to realise South African economic and manufacturing dividend by achieving global competitiveness in fuel technology, not excluding the potential for significant foreign earnings. This partnership with our countrys leading development finance institutions, supports the long-term vision of Mitochondria to stimulate the demand for fuel cell energy generation systems in Africa. The advantages of deploying fuel cells include: Climate Change Mitigation Emissions Lower CO2 (60% less) No nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and particulate matter Minimal noise pollution Water use Zero water consumption Water produced as a by-product Operational Efficiencies - Grid operation Different operating modes Different fuel options / fuel flexibility Health and Safety Safe Technology to operate / reduces the risk of chemical exposure Operational Cost reduction High electrical efficiency (up to 60%) and Combined Heat and Power over 90% Scalable / Modular approach leads to: Highest capacity factor High levels of availability / consistent level of performance (requires continuous gas availability) Maintenance without shutting down other modules Low maintenance cost (novel electrochemical process) Ability to withstand adverse and harsh environmental conditions Fuel cell power station during Hurricane Katrina in the USA Energy Storage can be used as an energy storage Land utilisation small footprint Economic Advantages stimulate local manufacturing for balance of plant parts new Industry formation mitigate climate change impacts reskilling of the workforce Ends Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adityastha Rai Wratsangka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, September 4 2020 Spices are a big part of Indonesias identity. During the archipelagos European colonial period, they were the driving force of colonization. Hundreds of years before that, spices from Indonesia were one of the main commodities Chinese and Arab traders sold to Europeans. They not only gave flavor to dishes but also preserved food, something that was crucial during the middle ages, as Europe was regularly ravaged by war instigated by its ruling classes. Europeans dreamed of direct access to spices and sent expeditions to find their source. In 1512, the Portuguese became the first European explorers to reach the islands of Molucca, now known as Maluku, which boasted an abundance of rare spices. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login A medical worker guides people during the COVID-19 testing at a makeshift clinic in Seoul, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. AP The number of coronavirus patients in critical condition continued to rise Thursday amid a slowdown in new infections, putting health authorities on alert over a possible hospital bed shortage and more fatalities. South Korea added 195 new COVID-19 cases on the day, raising the total caseload to 20,644. It marked the first time the figure fell to below 200 in more than two weeks since Aug. 17. Yet the number of patients in serious or critical condition rose to 154, up 31 from 123 reported the previous day. The comparable figure stood at just 12 two weeks ago. The number of critically ill virus patients has been on the rise surpassing the 100 mark for the first time on Tuesday in line with the recent resurgence in the number of infections across the country. The figure is feared to climb further as the vast majority of cases recently confirmed were elderly patients who are more vulnerable to the disease. Of the patients newly confirmed Wednesday, 39 percent were age 60 or older. As of Wednesday, 87 percent of seriously ill virus patients were age 60 or older. The Pentagon has commissioned a prototype of a new supersonic Air Force One that could one day ferry the president around the world at nearly twice the speed and half the time currently required to travel. The Air Force has awarded a 24-month, $1million contract to Exosonic, a start-up aerospace company that is developing a 70-seat, passenger aircraft that can fly at Mach 1.8 speeds supersonically overland and overwater with a muted sonic boom, according to the firms website. The contract was announced on Monday by the Air Forces Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate. An aircraft that can fly at Mach 1.8 could theoretically reach speeds of 1,380mph. Exosonic will be tasked with reimagining a new presidential plane that will need to factor in variables including power, weight, dimensions, communication systems, and cabin layout, Air Force Materiel Command told Military.com. The above image shows a rendering of what a future supersonic version of Air Force One could look like The Air Force awarded a 24-month, $1million contract to Exosonic, a start-up aerospace company that is developing a 70-seat, passenger aircraft that can fly at Mach 1.8 speeds supersonically overland and overwater with a muted sonic boom, according to the firms website Air Force One, the highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft described as a three-level 'flying Oval Office,' is currently one of the fastest planes in the world. It can travel at a top speed of 600mph, which is almost the speed of sound Low-boom allows travelers to fly at supersonic speeds without generating disruptive booms for those on the ground, said AFMC spokesman Daryl Mayer. Exosonics aircraft can provide top US leaders and diplomats rapid transportation around the world to meet with world leaders or react to developing situations on the ground, the company said. By utilizing Exosonic's boom softening techniques, the passengers can travel overland and overwater at supersonic speeds, pending regulations, to roughly reduce their cruise times in half compared to existing aircraft. The future for global rapid passenger travel is low-boom supersonic flight. Low boom allows travelers to fly at supersonic speeds without generating disruptive booms for those on the ground, said Exosonic CEO Norris Tie. Exosonic is excited to win this contract as it represents not only commercial but government promise for low-boom supersonic travel. Air Force One, the highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft described as a three-level 'flying Oval Office,' is currently one of the fastest planes in the world. It can travel at a top speed of 600mph, which is almost the speed of sound. Several other firms are also working on bringing back supersonic travel after the demise of the Franco-British supersonic airliner Concorde. In July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed just after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing all 109 on board and four people on the ground. The above image shows an Air France Concorde in 1988 During flight, Air Force One is capable of reaching a maximum altitude of 45,100 ft. By comparison, a commercial airliner usually reaches about 30,000ft. It is built to support the weight of up to 70 passengers as well as living quarters for the president, his senior advisers, Secret Service officers, reporters, and guests. The current version of the plane also holds 4,000sq ft of space which includes a conference room, offices, and top-of-the-line electronics that enables the president to work in-flight. Air Force One also holds two galleys for food preparation, a doctor on board every flight, and a medical operating room. There are currently two Air Force One planes in service today. The aircraft carries the tail codes 28000 and 29000. MEET THE NEW AIR FORCE ONE - THE FASTEST AND BIGGEST BOEING 747 EVER Artist's impression: Boeing says the new Air Force Ones, which will be based on its 747-8 series, could look like this Two Boeing 747-8s will be modified to replace the existing fleet of presidential 747-200s, which are designated VC-25A by the Air Force. The planes are expected to enter service by 2024 and will be designated VC-25B. Here is how the old and new compare. Wingspan Boeing 747-200: 95ft 8in 747-8: 224ft 5in Length 747-200: 31ft 10in 747-8: 205ft 2in Top speed 747-200: 0.85 Mach - 644.5 miles per hour 747-8: 0.855 Mach - 656.0 miles per hour Range 747-200: 6,375 nautical miles - equivalent of Washington D.C. to Tokyo 747-8: 7,730 nautical miles - equivalent of Washington D.C. to Hong Kong Maximum load at take-off 747-200: 833,000lb - 427.5 tons 747-8: 987,000lb - 493.5 tons On board facilites Travel in style: President Obama in the 747-200's conference / dining room 747-200: In-flight refueling; self-contained baggage loader; two galleys providing 100 meals in one sitting; capacity for 3,000 frozen meals held in five chillers; conference / executive dining room; self-contained office for president; sitting area which converts into bedroom for president and first lady; on-board hospital; offices for staff; crew rest area; business-class style cabin for reporters. 747-8: Specifications still to be released but extra floor area - the top deck is more than twice as long as on a 747-200 - will mean more space for conference and rest areas. 747-8s can allow extra rest areas above the passenger floor at the rear called the 'crown'. Service history 747-200: Commissioned by Ronald Reagan, entered service 1990 and have carried presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. They will fly the winner of the 2020 election. Obama on board: The 44th president was one of five who have flown on the 747-200s. If Trump loses in 2020, that number will climb to six Personal space: Laura Bush and her husband President George W. Bush in the president and first lady's quarters 747-8: Need for new presidential planes first put in writing in 2009, with three requested. Airbus A380s were also considered but their manufacturer dropped out of consideration. Latest order was due to be delivered in 2024 Who else has got one 747-200: No other known VIP 747-200s exist. No 747-200s remain in scheduled commercial passenger service 747-8: Current owners of VIP 747-8s are believed to include: Qatar, four, one reserved for the emir; Kuwait, one; Sultan of Oman, one; Sultan of Brunei, one; Morocco for use by its king, one; United Arab Emirates, seven; Hong Kong real estate tycoon Joseph Lau Advertisement The current planes were purchased when Ronald Reagan was president. They were first introduced into service during the administration of Reagan's successor, George H.W. Bush. Several years ago, Boeing decided to shut down production of the 747-200 series. Thus it became diffficult to replace the aircraft's parts. During Barack Obama's second term in office, he ordered a replacement fleet be built that would be modeled on the new 747-8 series. In July 2018, Boeing received a $3.9billion contract to build two 747-8 aircraft for use as Air Force One by the president, due to be delivered by December 2024 and painted red, white and blue. The Boeing 747-8s are designed to be an airborne White House able to fly in worst-case security scenarios, such as nuclear war, and are modified with military avionics, advanced communications and a self-defense system. Last month, the Air Force reached a deal to fund the development of a hypersonic plane that could one day be used to carry top government officials in the executive branch. The contract, announced by aerospace firm Hermeus on August 6, will fund the development of a small passenger jet that could replace the Gulfstream-based planes currently in the presidential fleet. Though the current aircraft under consideration would be too small to replace Air Force One, it could conceivably someday be used to transport Cabinet members, Congressional delegations, and other officials whose transport is overseen by the Special Air Mission. Concept art from aerospace firm Hermeus shows a planned Mach 5 passenger jet. The Air Force is working with the firm to develop technology for the presidential fleet The defense contract comes after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype (Above) in February 2020 The Air Force investment, awarded through AFWERX, is worth $1.5 million and will be used to evaluate potential hypersonic military transports for an aircraft seating nine to 19 people, according to Aviation Week Defense Editor Steve Trimble. At Mach 5, which is over 3000mph, flight times from New York to London would be 90 minutes rather than seven hours. 'Leaps in capability are vital as we work to complicate the calculus of our adversaries,' said Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential and Executive Airlift in a statement on the program. 'By leveraging commercial investment to drive new technologies into the Air Force, we are able to maximize our payback on Department of Defense investments,' he continued. 'The Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate is proud to support Hermeus in making this game-changing capability a reality as we look to recapitalize the fleet in the future.' The defense contract comes after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February 2020. The engine uses a turbine-based combined cycle propulsion that can take off and land like a normal plane, but then be switched into ramjet mode for the middle portion of flight to achieve hypersonic speed. 'Using our pre-cooler technology, we've taken an off-the-shelf gas turbine engine and operated it at flight speed conditions faster than the famed SR-71,' said Glenn Case, Hermeus' CTO. The hypersonic plane could eventually replace the Gulfstream-based planes in the Special Air Mission that are used to ferry Cabinet members and Congressional delegations Hermeus' engine (above) uses a turbine-based combined cycle propulsion that can take off and land like a normal plane, but then be switched into ramjet mode 'In addition, we've pushed the ramjet mode to Mach 4-5 conditions, demonstrating full-range hypersonic air-breathing propulsion capability,' he said. The current Air Force One fleet used for presidential transport consists of two heavily modified Boeing 747s, using the military designation VC-25. Two new aircraft, designated VC-25B and based on the Boeing 747-8, have been ordered by the Air Force and are due to be delivered by 2024. Several other firms are also working on bringing back supersonic travel after the demise of the Franco-British supersonic airliner Concorde. In July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed just after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing all 109 on board and four people on the ground. The crash, the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the rising cost of maintaining the aircraft, which could reach more than twice the speed of sound, led to the service being suspended for good in 2003. NASA is currently working on a supersonic plane shaped like a pencil which doesn't have a front-facing window for the pilot to look out of. NASA is currently working on a supersonic plane shaped like a pencil which doesn't have a front-facing window for the pilot to look out of (pictured). Known formally as the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), it has garnered the nickname 'Son of Concorde' The pilot's lack of a window will be solved by the installation of a 4K ultra high resolution TV (artist's impression, pictured) screen showing a live feed from two cameras mounted on the front of the plane WHAT IS NASA'S 'SON OF CONCORDE' X-PLANE? Nasa is developing a 1,100mph (1,770kph) aircraft that has been dubbed the 'son of Concorde'. The vehicle is the first in a series of aircraft Nasa is developing with Lockheed Martin in a quest to build a commercially viable supersonic jet. It is designed to fly at Mach 1.4 (925 mph / 1,488 kph) at an altitude of 55,000 feet (10 miles). Dubbed the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), the research craft aims to cut out the sonic booms associated with supersonic travel. Pictured is an artist's impression of the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) low-boom flight demonstrator (LBFD) The aircraft is shaped to separate the shocks and expansions associated with supersonic flight to reduce the volume of the shaped signature, and was developed by Lockheed's Skunk Works over 20 years. The team is hoping to achieve a sonic boom 60 dBA lower than other supersonic aircraft, such as Concorde. Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound can generate a sound at ground level so quiet it will hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all. Advertisement This seemingly flawed concept will be mitigated by the installation of a 4K ultra high resolution TV screen showing a live feed from two cameras mounted on the front of the plane. The system is called the eXternal Visibility System (XVS) and will combine terrain data and visual input to create a comprehensive image of the plane's location. Known formally as the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST), it has garnered the nickname 'son of concord' and could be ready for test fights by 2021 and could one day fly from London to New York in just three hours. Last month, Virgin Galactic unveiled the design for its supersonic jet. Virgin Galactic recently revealed its design of a sleek airplane capable of shuttling nine to 19 passengers while traveling at speeds of Mach 3 - three times faster than the speed of sound The sleek plane is capable of shuttling up to 19 passengers, while traveling at speeds of Mach 3 - three times faster than the speed of sound. The images show a plane with a triangular 'delta wing' that will fly at an altitude of more than 60,000 feet, which is twice as high as a traditional commercial airplane. Virgin Galactic first revealed its plans for a supersonic jet earlier this year by announcing a partnership with NASA. Jonathan brings significant experience to the role, having worked with institutional investors globally to deploy capital into the high yield, leveraged loan, structured credit, private credit, distressed and special situations markets. He joins Alcentra following a 17-year career with Bain Capital Credit where he was most recently portfolio manager of the Liquid Credit strategy and a member of the Bain Capital Credit Committee. Prior to Bain Capital Credit, Jonathan spent a decade at Bain & Company working with the firm's clients across the consumer, industrial and private equity sectors. David will continue as interim CEO of Alcentra until Jonathan's appointment is approved by the FCA. Jonathan will join Alcentra immediately as CEO designate and over the next few months will work closely with David to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Mitchell Harris, chief executive officer of BNY Mellon Investment Management, commented: "We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to Alcentra as the new CEO. He is a proven leader with experience in private debt markets and building high calibre investment teams, who is ideally suited to drive the firm's next chapter of growth. We thank David for his extraordinary leadership and dedication in building Alcentra into a leading global credit manager. He has played a pivotal role in Alcentra's success over the past 17 years and will step down as CEO with our sincere gratitude." Jonathan DeSimone commented on his new appointment: "I am honored to be joining Alcentra to build on the tremendous success that David and the team have already achieved for clients. With its wide range of leading investment capabilities and global reach, Alcentra is well positioned to help investors access the compelling credit opportunities available in this unprecedented economic environment." David Forbes-Nixon, interim chief executive officer of Alcentra, said: "It has been a tremendous privilege to lead Alcentra and I am enormously proud that, having co-founded the business in 2002, the firm is now one of the leading global sub investment grade credit managers with over $40 billion of assets under management on behalf of more than 400 blue chip institutional clients and an incredible team of world class professionals. Given the strength of the business today, this is the ideal time to hand over the management reins to Jonathan. Alongside Alcentra's exceptionally talented management and investment teams, I look forward to supporting Jonathan as we continue to meet the investment needs of our clients." Note to editors: About Alcentra Founded in 2002, Alcentra is one of Europe's largest and longest tenured managers of private debt with over US$40 billion of assets under management, as of July 31, 2020 (including accounts managed by Alcentra NY, LLC, Alcentra Limited, and assets managed by Alcentra personnel for affiliates under dual officer arrangements). Strategies include senior loans, high yield bonds, direct lending, structured credit, distressed debt, and multi-strategy credit. Alcentra is a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Boston and San Francisco as well as representatives in Singapore and Hong Kong. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation holds the majority of The Alcentra Group, which is comprised of the following affiliated companies: Alcentra Ltd. and Alcentra NY, LLC. are registered with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Alcentra Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Registration number 196845 - and regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission Registration number 801-74223. Registered office for Alcentra Ltd is 160 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4LA, UK. Alcentra NY, LLC is regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission Registration number 801-62417. Registered office for Alcentra NY, LLC is 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166, USA. Assets under management reflect assets of all accounts and portions of client accounts managed by Alcentra and its affiliates. About BNY Mellon Investment Management BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's largest investment firms, with $2.0 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2020. Through an investor-first approach, BNY Mellon Investment Management brings to clients the best of both worlds: specialist expertise from eight world-class investment firms offering solutions across every major asset class, backed by the strength, stability, and global presence of BNY Mellon, one of the world's most trusted investment partners. Additional information on BNY Mellon Investment Management is available on www.im.bnymellon.com. BNY Mellon Investment Management is a division of BNY Mellon, which has $37.3 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration as of June 30, 2020. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news. Media Contacts: Stan Neve Asmita Kapadia Tel: +1 212 635 7314 Tel: +44 (0)207 163 3238 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 1 Source: US$40.9 billion, Alcentra as of July 31, 2020. The term "and/or "Alcentra Group" refers to both Alcentra NY, LLC and Alcentra Limited. Assets under management reflect assets of all accounts and portions of accounts managed by Alcentra for Alcentra and its affiliates. Specifically, certain assets under management reflect assets managed by Alcentra personnel as employees of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Mellon Investments Corporation ("Mellon"), and BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. under a dual employee arrangement. SOURCE Alcentra Representatives of primary school students attend a commemorative event marking the 82nd anniversary of the beginning of nationwide war against Japanese aggression at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, July 7, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua] The Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression has carried out a series of activities and events since the start of this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of victory in the war. On Thursday morning, a commemoration will be held of the anniversary of victory in the 14-year war that started in 1931. National leaders led by President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will take part and will be joined by representatives from all walks of life. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, which swept China this past spring and disrupted public life, the museum created online themed exhibitions and livestreaming content for members of the public. It redesigned the front page of its website to make it easier for visitors to check its contents. The website offered a series of online publications about major events and touching moments during the war and historical relics that were used by Chinese soldiers and civilians in the fight against the Japanese invaders. It also published stories of medical personnel and community workers who contributed greatly to this year's battle against the pandemic. The museum has launched several livestreaming events on its Sina Weibo account in which its guides show major exhibits, tell war stories and converse with online viewers. During the Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday in April this year, the museum opened a section on its website that included stories about war heroes and letters written by fallen soldiers, as well as videos and poems about medical workers and others participating in the fight against COVID-19. The museum also made 14 short video episodes about stories and important people during the war and shared them with some media outlets. These videos became popular on the internet, with many viewers leaving comments saying they learned much from them about the Chinese people's struggle for freedom and independence. In addition to online events, the museum has hosted several on-site activities since the coronavirus outbreak was basically contained in Beijing. On July 7, it held a commemorative ceremony and a concert to mark the 83rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Lugou Bridge incident that sparked national resistance against the Japanese invaders. The museum is located near Lugou Bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing. On July 7, 1937, soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Army attacked Chinese forces at the bridge. While the event is generally recognized as the start of the nationwide war against the Japanese invasion, the struggle actually started in September 1931, when Japanese troops began an invasion of Northeast China. The central government approved the founding of the museum in October 1984. After three years of construction and preparations, it opened on July 7,1987, the 50th anniversary of the start of Japan's full-scale invasion. Over the past 33 years, the museum has held more than 150 themed exhibitions and received over 35 million visitors from home and abroad and has become a center for patriotic education. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sits in his vehicle after arriving at a railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, at the border with China, Feb. 26, 2019. Reuters North Korea is continuing to build its long-range missile capabilities, possibly including a submarine-launched ballistic missile, a ranking U.S. defense official said Wednesday. "We don't know what the risk is because we know that North Korea is trying to increase the size of its ICBM capabilities, maybe even move to a submarine launched ballistic missile, but we don't know the extent of that," said Rob Soofer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy. Soofer's remark comes months after the South Korean Defense Ministry said the North may showcase a new intercontinental ballistic missile or a submarine-launched ballistic missile in a massive military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Party on Oct. 10. North Korea has kept a moratorium on nuclear and ballistic missile testing since late 2017 when it staged its sixth and latest nuclear test, a few months before leader Kim Jong-un held a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The communist state, however, is suspected of having maintained clandestine programs to further its nuclear and missile capabilities. Soofer, speaking in a webinar hosted by U.S.-based Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said the U.S. is enhancing its missile defense capabilities in response, partly with the standard missile-3 (SM-3) block IIA, which he said may be deployed in the near future. "We will conduct a test before the end of this calendar year, and if it works, then figure out some way to integrate into our defense," he said. "And if it does work now, we have the capability to address the North Korean threat," added Soofer. The so-called U.S. missile shield has partly been blamed for triggering an arms race, especially with nuclear states such as China and Russia, but the defense official insisted the new SM-3 interceptors will pose no threat to such countries, given their small number and the fact that they will be "spread throughout the region." When asked about ongoing discussions on the benefits of the U.S. pledging to "no first use" of nuclear weapons, the defense department official said the U.S. should not give its adversaries and those of its allies the wrong idea. "The problem with a no first use pledge is that it lowers the risk to adversaries who are contemplating a conventional attack against our allies. They may think ... if they attack us with conventional forces, overwhelming conventional forces, say, in the Korean Peninsula, that they could push us back," he told the online seminar. South Korea has been and still is under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, under which the U.S. offers nuclear deterrence against threats from other nuclear states against South Korea, a non-nuclear state. A U.S. expert on North Korea later claimed the North may unveil its first-ever solid-fueled ICBM at the upcoming Oct. 10 parade, citing White House and U.S. intelligence officials. "That seems to be the most likely of scenarios based on their history, and it's what we are expecting, but, of course, we are hoping to be proven wrong," Harry Kazianis wrote in an article published by U.S. bimonthly magazine National Interest. A solid-fueled missile would provide much more mobility, Kazianis said, adding that North Korea's current-long range ICBMs the Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15 use liquid-based fuel that requires longer preparation times and cannot be left in a fueled state due to the corrosive nature of the chemicals used. "Solid-fueled missiles carry the advantage of being able to stay in a fueled and ready-to-strike state. As a result, they are much more reliable and can be launched faster," he said. In December 2019, North Korea staged what it called a "very important test" followed by "another crucial test," both at its satellite launch site, known as the Dongchang-ri site. Kazianis noted that many suspect the tests to have been based on solid-fuel technology. Officials from Seoul and Washington have said the tests appeared to have involved liquid-fuel engines for multi-stage rockets. (Yonhap) Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. By Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA HARRISBURG On Tuesday morning, Jason Kiefer went to get his mail and found two copies of an eviction notice taped to the door, scheduling a court hearing for Sept. 10. The address of the Lehigh County Courthouse was crossed out, replaced by Zoom in scribbled red letters. That same morning, thousands of other renters across Pennsylvania were also at risk of being evicted for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state, after Gov. Tom Wolfs temporary moratorium expired and he said he was powerless to extend it. But, in a dramatic turnaround, tenants such as Kiefer will now be safe from eviction until the end of the year at least in theory because of a new federal order. That afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an order to ban most evictions nationwide through the end of the year, arguing it was necessary to slow the spread of the virus. The order caught housing advocates and landlord groups alike by surprise. The new eviction ban will prevent homelessness, help state and local governments implement stay-at-home orders, and avoid sending people who have been displaced to crowded shelters where they would be more likely to get sick, the agency said. Much remains uncertain about how the new eviction ban will work in practice and whether it will survive legal challenges. This is a completely unprecedented action and were in uncharted territory, said Mary Cunningham, an expert in housing policy at the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank. It will likely be challenged in the courts and well have to see. To qualify, tenants must fill out a form certifying that they have experienced a substantial loss of income, are making best efforts to pay as much of their rent as possible, and have tried to get help from government assistance programs. They must also declare that, if evicted, they would be homeless, forced to live in a shelter, or in cramped conditions. The ban only covers tenants who earn less than $99,000 per year. Pending guidance from the federal government or state courts, some key parts of the order remain open to interpretation. A crucial question is whether it applies to the entire eviction process barring landlords from even sending a tenant notice of an eviction or only to the final step, when tenants must leave the property or be removed, said Vik Patel, an attorney in the housing unit at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. Even in cases where an eviction filing doesnt result in a tenant having to leave the property, the filing itself can become a black mark on someones record that makes it harder for them to find housing in the future. It would be the most helpful if it covers the entire process, because then there arent any gaps that someone might fall through, Patel said. Landlord groups, on the other hand, argue that the order only applies to the final stage of the eviction process, allowing eviction filings and court hearings to continue. Were trying to get some clarification on it, said Paul Cohen, general counsel for HAPCO, a Philadelphia landlords association. He said he doubted that would come before Friday, when the order is set to go into effect. The new order does not cover tenants who face eviction for reasons other than not paying rent, and advocates said they expect to see a spike in landlords filing for eviction over relatively minor lease violations as a pretext. For Kiefer, who lives with his girlfriend and two children near Allentown, the new eviction ban offers a tentative lifeline. He said he has struggled to make rent since being laid off from his job as an auto body technician in March. He applied for food stamps for the first time. He tried to get help from the states troubled rental assistance program. For months, he said, hed been making partial payments, but still racked up about $4,000 in debt. Theres just nowhere we can go, Kiefer said. None of our family have big enough houses to take us in. Under the federal order, late fees and interest can still accrue, which could leave tenants with an impossible mountain of debt come the end of the year. This is a really positive development but the problem still remains that if people cant pay their rent, and theyre not paying it, that bill is going to come at some point, said Phyllis Chamberlain, executive director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. Lawmakers are weighing changes to Pennsylvanias troubled rental assistance program, in part because many landlords have refused to participate, citing 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. Onerous paperwork requirements have also slowed the pace of approving applications in some counties. A spokesperson for Wolf said the governor believes the state legislature should both fix the rental assistance program and reinstate the states eviction ban, which went further than the new federal order by preventing foreclosures. The eviction moratorium is important, but its temporary, Chamberlain said. Rental assistance is a longer-term solution that actually addresses the root problem. Inquirer staff writer Michaelle Bond contributed to this article. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.3 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: Some 114,000 tons gasoline and diesel fuel were imported from Azerbaijan to Georgia from January through July 2020, which is 18.7 percent of the total import volume, Trend reports referring to the Georgian Union of Oil Product Importers. During first seven months of 2020, the largest volume of gasoline and diesel fuel was imported to Georgia from Russia - 212,800 tons, which makes 35 percent of total imports. Other top five exporters include Azerbaijan - 114,000 tons (18.7 percent), Romania - 110,300 tons (18.1 percent), Turkmenistan - 55,300 tons (9.1 percent), and Bulgaria - 46,900 tons (7.7 percent). In July 2020, imports of gasoline and diesel fuel to Georgia amounted to 110,400 tons, which is 11,400 tons or 11.5 percent more than in the previous month (99,000 tons). In January-July 2020, imports of gasoline and diesel fuel to Georgia amounted to 608,300 tons, which is 27,000 tons or 4.6 percent more than in the same period last year (581,300 tons). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 Tokens will not be accepted in the Delhi Metro when its services resume after a gap of over five months on September 7, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Thursday. The minister held a meeting with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Transport department officers during the day, discussing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for metro operations. He said Civil Defence volunteers and personnel from the Enforcement wing of the Transport department would be deployed at the stations to help in crowd management and ensure proper social distancing by the passengers. "Tokens will not be allowed in Metro trains in Delhi to ensure protection against Covid-19 infection. Also, all the stations, except those in containment zones, will be open but depending on the crowd, only some gates may open," he told PTI. The Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed opening of Metro train services in the country from September 7 in a graded manner. Its guidelines allow use of the token for travel after proper sanitisation. The minister also said some trains may skip a few stations, after origin station, depending on the number of passengers in them and at the stations. After being closed for over five months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi Metro services will be resumed in three stages from September 7-12, but stations located in containment zones will remain closed, DMRC officials said on Wednesday. Train services will commence with adequate frequency as they were before March 22, which may be increased or decreased as per requirement. However, due to trains halting for longer duration at stations, there will be minor increase in time required for performing a trip, they said. The total number of entry points at the stations will be heavily curtailed to ensure compliance with Covid-19 safety norms, the officials had said. Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev issued an order on Thursday that stated Metro rail services in NCT of Delhi will be allowed with effect from September 7, in a graded manner, subject to strict compliance of broad guidelines issued by MHA and the SOP of DMRC, as well as other guidelines of the government of India and the Delhi government to contain the spread of Covid-19. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 03:51:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A seagull stands near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, March 8, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) -- Italy's COVID-19 situation "among best in Europe": Health Minister; -- Czech chief hygienist tests positive for COVID-19; -- Malta announces strict guidelines for upcoming new school year. BRUSSELS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries. ROME -- Italy's COVID-19 situation is among the best in the European Union (EU) despite a recent rise in new infections, Health Minister Roberto Speranza told the Senate in his report on the pandemic on Wednesday. "The European epidemiological picture has significantly deteriorated since my last speech here before you, on Aug. 10," Speranza said. He cited new data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), saying Italy's incidence of the virus per 100,000 inhabitants stands at 23 now, lower than some other European countries. A boy is seen in a class at a school in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 25, 2020. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua) PRAGUE -- Jarmila Razova, the Czech Republic's chief hygienist, tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in home quarantine, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday. Razova attended an event with other top health officials on Tuesday, including Health Minister Adam Vojtech. According to the Health Ministry, Vojtech and other senior health officials who were in close contact with Razova will undergo testing while remaining in quarantine. A sign which reminds customers of practicing social distancing is seen outside a hair salon in St Julian's, Malta, May 22, 2020. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA -- Malta announced on Wednesday strict guidelines for the upcoming new school year set to start at the end of September with fewer children in classrooms. Desks 1.5 metres apart and children wearing masks at all times when outside their classroom are also required, the health and education authorities said. Addressing a news conference on the "new normal" when schools reopen at the end of September, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Education and Employment Frank Fabri said the underlying principles were social distancing, keeping children of the same age together as much as possible, mask wearing and proper hand hygiene. Facebook announced a series of measures it says is to secure the integrity of the US elections by encouraging voting, connecting people to authoritative information and reducing the risks of post-election confusion. The most notable of these changes will be the banning of new political ads from the platform a week before the presidential elections in November. Today, were announcing additional steps were taking at Facebook to encourage voting, connect people with authoritative information and fight misinformation, said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. These changes reflect what weve learned from our elections work over the past four years and the conversations weve had with voting rights experts and our civil rights auditors. The social media group has been accused of facilitating the spread of misinformation that has plagued elections. During the 2016 election, many feared that fake news articles spread on Facebook, among others, swayed the results of the election with over 11.4 million American users exposed, according to the 2018 report by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller. [I]ts clear now that we didnt do enough to prevent these tools from being used for harm as well, Zuckerberg stated before a joint Senate Committee in April 2018. That goes for fake news, foreign interference in elections and hate speech, as well as developers and data privacy. We didnt take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. It was my mistake, and Im sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and Im responsible for what happens here. The US elections are just two months away, and with Covid-19 affecting communities across the country, I'm concerned... Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, September 3, 2020 A study suggests that social media plays a larger role in bringing people to fake news sites than it plays in bringing them to real news sites. More than 40 percent of visits to 65 fake news sites come from social media, compared to around 10 percent of visits to 690 top US news sites, according to a 2017 study by researchers from NYU and Stanford. One of the culprits in the 2016 presidential election is the Russian backed Internet Research Agency. In 2018, Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III indicted 13 Russians and three Russian organizations for engaging in operations to interfere with U.S. electoral processes, including the 2016 presidential election. I generally believe the best antidote to bad speech is more speech, but in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims. So in the week before the election, we wont accept new political or issue ads, Zuckerberg said. The Internet Research Agency is trying it again through ads pushing voters away from the Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden and toward President Donald J. Trump. Four years ago we encountered a new threat: coordinated online efforts by foreign governments and individuals to interfere in our elections, said Zuckerberg. This threat hasnt gone away. Just this week, we took down a network of 13 accounts and 2 pages that were trying to mislead Americans and amplify division. Weve invested heavily in our security systems and now have some of the most sophisticated teams and systems in the world to prevent these attacks. Zuckerberg added that his company has removed more than 100 networks worldwide engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior over the past couple of years, including ahead of major democratic elections. However, were increasingly seeing attempts to undermine the legitimacy of our elections from within our own borders, Zuckerberg said. Facebook is going to partner with the news agency Reuters and the National Election Pool to provide authoritative information about election results and flag any candidate or campaign that tries to declare victory before the results come in. The social media mogul also stressed that Facebook has strengthened enforcement against militias, conspiracy networks and other groups that could be used to organize violence or civil unrest in the period after the elections. Zuckerberg specifically called out conspiracy group QAnon that has caused issues for various individuals and groups with false claims and rumor. The group caused havoc earlier in the year after a baseless conspiracy theory took off after an anonymous user posted a question in an internet chatroom: What if retail giant Wayfair is using pricey storage cabinets to traffic children? As a result a national human trafficking hotline suddenly began taking calls about the imagined Wayfair scheme, stretching its resources. A woman said she posted a video of herself on Facebook to counter false claims that she was missing. One mothers pleas to Facebook and YouTube to remove a video of her young daughter that was being used to suggest she was a Wayfair victim went unanswered for days. Weve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. In line with this approach, this week we are taking further action on so-called QAnon activity across the service, Twitter said in a statement. Facebook and Twitter have long been attempting to remove and crackdown on the groups presence on their platforms. I believe our democracy is strong enough to withstand this challenge and deliver a free and fair election, even if it takes time for every vote to be counted, said Zuckerberg. We can do this. But its going to take a concerted effort by all of us, political parties and candidates, election authorities, the media and social networks, and ultimately voters as well. This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy, Zuckerberg said. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 18:20:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2020 shows the outdoor exhibition area of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) - "Trade in services is critical in increasing international trade as well as enhance the growth of trade in goods. Trade in services makes an important contribution to the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises also." - "The vibrancy and its internal market dynamics make China a potential market for Kenya's exports." NAIROBI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will leverage its participation at the upcoming China International Fair for Trade in Services to boost a post-COVID-19 recovery through increased exports of goods and services to the Asian nation, a government official said here on Wednesday. Wilfred Marube, chief executive officer of the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency, said participation at the services trade fair, scheduled for Sept. 4-9, will revitalize commercial ties and hasten economic recovery after the coronavirus-induced downturn. "Trade in services is critical in increasing international trade as well as enhance the growth of trade in goods. Trade in services makes an important contribution to the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises also," Marube told Xinhua in an interview. A staff member adjusts the equipment at the exhibition area of the CIFTIS in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) "This is a strategic event for Kenyan service providers to participate, especially those in the fields of transport and logistics, financial services, education and health," he added. Kenyan officials and investors will attend the international trade fair in China to showcase the East African nation's potential as an attractive investment destination, according to the official. "The vibrancy and its internal market dynamics make China a potential market for Kenya's exports. We can tap the potential for trade growth of both countries, to raise the quality and level of bilateral trade," he said. Marube said China's trade fair will also provide an opportunity for Kenya to increase its export portfolio to China amid the pandemic. Photo taken on Sept. 1, 2020 shows a food delivery robot working in an outdoor exhibition pavilion near the China National Convention Center, where the CIFTIS will be held, in the Beijing Olympic Park in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang) According to Marube, Kenya will utilize the trade fair to help boost market access for key products like tea, avocados, vegetables and cut flowers. The fair, he added, will provide a platform to bolster trade in key services like health, information and communications technology, logistics, banking and insurance. Marube said that China has become one of the leading consumers of tourism products in Kenya, adding that the trade fair will present an opportunity to showcase the country's scenic attractions. He said that Nairobi will strengthen compliance with international health protocols to ensure that exports to China minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Senior Kenyan policymakers, lawmakers, scholars and media representatives visit the AVIC technical and vocational training program at Kenya Technical Trainers College in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 30, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu) According to Marube, Kenya will comply with "the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements" to boost the export of fresh produce to China and develop an online portal to showcase its products and services. Nairobi also wants to harness opportunities provided by China's major e-commerce platforms to increase exports to the Asian Nation, he added. "China is a future market for Kenya and therefore we continue doing business as we grow our key exports to the market," he said. Pope Francis made his first public appearance on Wednesday after the country went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, which started six months ago. The Vatican delayed all crowded public activities and urged followers to comply with public health orders and safety requirements during the pandemic. Pope Francis addressed a crowd of 500 Roman Catholics, who were all wearing masks and socially distanced in the Vatican's San Damaso courtyard. The Pope recalled the explosion in Beirut a month ago and called for his followers to spend a day in prayer and fasting for the lives lost and the suffering of the remaining. Francis showed great sympathy for the Lebanese people as they deal with political corruption, the pandemic, and the recent tragedy that killed 190 and injured over 6,000. The pope announced the day of commemoration to be on September 4. "One month after the tragedy that struck the city of Beirut, my thoughts are still with dear Lebanon," He shared. He went on to state that "Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude," as he pleaded the international community to assist in Lebanon in any way possible. Father Georges Breidi, a member of the Lebanese Maronite Missionary Congregation, thanked the pope and added, "We greatly need your support, and of the support of the universal church. ...we cannot continue to live like his in Lebanon." Understanding the origins of extremely oblique orbital angles such as these could help reveal details about the planetary formation process Washington, DC-- The discovery that our galaxy is teeming with exoplanets has also revealed the vast diversity of planetary systems out there and raised questions about the processes that shaped them. New work published in Science by an international team including Carnegie's Jaehan Bae could explain the architecture of multi-star systems in which planets are separated by wide gaps and do not orbit on the same plane as their host star's equatorial center. "In our Solar System, the eight planets and many other minor objects orbit in a flat plane around the Sun; but in some distant systems, planets orbit on an incline--sometimes a very steep one," Bae explained. "Understanding the origins of extremely oblique orbital angles such as these could help reveal details about the planetary formation process." Stars are born in nurseries of gas and dust called molecular clouds--often forming in small groups of two or three. These young stars are surrounded by rotating disks of leftover material, which accretes to form baby planets. The disk's structure will determine the distribution of the planets that form from it, but much about this process remains unknown. Led by University of Exeter's Stefan Kraus, the team found the first direct evidence confirming the theoretical prediction that gravitational interactions between the members of multi-star systems can warp or break their disks, resulting in misaligned rings surrounding the stellar hosts. Over a period of 11 years, the researchers made observations of the the GW Orionis triple-star system, located just over 1,300 light-years away in the Orion constellation. Their work was accomplished using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array--a radio telescope made up of 66 antennas. "Our images reveal an extreme case where the disk is not flat at all, but is warped and has a misaligned ring that has broken away from the disk," Kraus said. Their findings were tested by simulations, which demonstrated that the observed disorder in the orbits of the three stars could have caused the disk to fracture into the distinct rings. "We predict that many planets on oblique, wide-separation orbits will be discovered in future planet imaging campaigns," said co-author Alexander Kreplin, also of the University of Exeter. Bae concluded: "This system is a great example of how theory and observing can inform each other. I'm excited to see what we learn about this system and others like it with additional study." ### Support for this research was provided by the European Research Council under the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program Seventh Framework program; the Science Technology and Facilities Council; the U.S. NSF; NASA; the research council of the KU Leuven; and the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science. Jammu and Kashmir based Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is holding its first meeting on Thursday post revocation of Article 370 on August 5 last year to discuss several important issues including party president Mehbooba Muftis continued detention under the PSA (Public Security Act). Almost all senior PDP leaders including Mehbooba Mufti were detained by the government coinciding with the Parliament revoking Jammu and Kashmirs special status and bifurcating the erstwhile state into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, with legislature, and Ladakh, without legislature, last August. Party officials said many important issues, including Mufti and other leaders house arrests, will come up for discussion at Thursdays meeting. Mehbooba Mufti is the only prominent mainstream leader, who is still booked under the PSA. Party spokesman Suhail Bukhari said the meeting will begin at 11 am at party headquarters. Also Read: Meet with FM Sitharaman: J&K businessmen seek comprehensive financial revival package The other mainstream J&K political outfit, the National Conference, has held a series of meetings over several political developments in J&K. It has also announced the launch of a joint political struggle with other mainstream parties including the one-time arch rival PDP for the restoration of Jammu & Kashmirs special status and its statehood. The leaders of the political parties had first signed a declaration a day before Article 370 was nullified, saying they will be united in defending the identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu & Kashmir. Also Read: High-density apple scheme: Plans afoot to boost fruit production in Kashmir Last week, PDP leaders also held a protest demonstration seeking Muftis release and for raising other issues of alleged human rights violations. After the revocation of Article 370, many leaders, especially former ministers and legislators of the PDP left the party and joined the newly-launched Apni Party by Altaf Bukhari. 03.09.2020 LISTEN A member of Parliament's Communications Committee, Sam George has questioned the rationale behind the re-launch of the COVID-19 tracker App. He explained that the app has been dysfunctional and has not achieved its intended purpose months after its first launch. The government on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, re-launched the application months after it was first launched in Ghana. Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia first launched the App on April 13, 2020, to help boost the government's fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana. Explanations given by the government is that the current App is an updated version to enhance efficiency. But the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampam, Sam George, disagrees with the explanation saying the justification is incomprehensible. Is there any testimony from the Ministry of Health and its contact tracing team about the App helping to detect contacts of positive patients? No, there is no record of any such thing happening with the App. That is why I am saying that technology exists that will help with contact tracing but the Ministry has not shown that it has deployed that level of technology. That is the point we are making and so PR gimmicks, razzmatazz and glitz of an app launch when the functionality of the App itself has not worked is not necessary, Sam George insisted. Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the re-launch had also become necessary following the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport as well as the eased COVID-19 restrictions. We are here once again to re-launch an upgraded version of the COVID-19symptom tracker, in view of the President's easing of restrictions on movement and the opening up of the airports to travellers. Our strategy of using a multi-staged COVID-19 recovery plan based on science and data requires the deployment and use of digital technology and innovation to restore every sector of the Ghanaian economy to normalcy. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the updated tracker App will enable healthcare staff to contact COVID-19 patients and track suspected cases, as well as identify COVID-19 hotpots. Under this re-launch platform, healthcare staff will be able to contact patients and track the movements of COVID-19 live cases. The new platform can also alert users on moving out of allowed areas, report case breaches to authorities and push notifications to bulk users amongst others, she added. Ursula said the COVID-19 tracker app forms part of measures to leverage technology to fight the spread of the disease. She added that the new platform is accessible to everyone and not only smartphone users. citinewsroom Story Highlights 65% of Americans approve of labor unions Latest reading is highest since 2003 Democrats' approval is 83%, Republicans' 45%; independents' is 64% WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Labor Day approaches and economic conditions in the U.S. remain tenuous, Americans' 65% approval of labor unions is once again the highest it has been since 2003. Public support for labor unions has been generally rising since hitting its lowest point of 48% in 2009, during the Great Recession. Line graph. Americans' approval of labor unions since 1936. Approval is currently 65%. Gallup's initial reading of the public's support for labor unions was 72% in 1936, at the advent of the modern U.S. organized labor movement, and approval peaked at 75% in 1953 and 1957. The lowest ratings to date have been recorded during particularly weak economic times. This includes the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s -- when support fell below 60% for the first time -- and 2009 through 2012, when it hovered around 50%. While the latest reading, from a July 30-Aug. 12 poll, comes at a time of severe economic upheaval, this has so far not had a negative impact on the public's view of unions, as it is little changed from last year's reading. Americans' support for unions is politically polarized, as it has been since 2001, when Gallup began tracking the measure annually. Democrats' current 83% approval of labor unions is the highest on record since then. At the same time, 45% of Republicans and 64% of independents approve of unions. In 2009, 66% of Democrats, 29% of Republicans and 44% of independents viewed labor unions favorably. Since the Great Recession, union approval has recovered among all three major party groups. Line graph. Approval of labor unions since 2001 among partisans. Approval is currently 83% among Democrats, 64% among independents and 45% among Republicans. Membership in Labor Unions Remains Steady Americans' reported membership in a labor union remains similar to recent years, with 10% saying they are a union member. Overall, 16% say there is a union member in their household. Americans' Labor Union Membership Are you, or is anyone in your household, a member of a labor union? Yes, respondent in labor union 7 Yes, other household member in labor union 6 Both respondent and other household member in labor union 3 Not a member of labor union 83 Net: Union household 16 GALLUP, July 30-Aug. 12, 2020 Implications Americans' approval of labor unions has been consistently high for several years and has more than recovered from low points around the Great Recession. Even as the U.S. grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, which includes record-high unemployment, support for unions remains strong. Previous Gallup data have found that while Americans largely think unions help their own workers, they are less inclined to say they are helpful to the U.S. economy overall. As such, support for unions has been weaker during challenging economic times. Americans' continued high approval of unions may result from a current focus on issues other than the economy. Generally, when economic indicators have been negative, the economy has been viewed as the most important problem facing the nation, but that is not the case now. The public is divided in its assessments of the biggest U.S. problem, with roughly one in five each citing the coronavirus, the economy, race relations and leadership. Yet, if the economy continues to struggle and it eclipses other issues in importance, Americans' views of unions could very well worsen. View complete question responses and trends (PDF download). Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works. To learn more, we reached out to cloudHQ's CMO, Naomi Assaraf, for her thoughts on the upcoming school year. "It's really unprecedented, what we're seeing," Ms. Assaraf noted. "But many of the problems that arise as part of the remote learning revolution are not new problems, per se: we're dealing with old problems on a new scale. Crises of time management, now, crises of remote communication. And there are tools to deal with these crises. We happen to have created a lot of those tools. "If you're looking to send colleagues or students digital instructionsand faster than beforethen Screencast Recording, Gmail Screenshot, or even Free Video Email for Gmail are perfect solutions. If you're a teacher trying to keep up with the huge influx of emails and digital communication, you'll be looking at Sort Gmail Inbox, Gmail Meeting Scheduler, Gmail Copilot, or Export Emails to Sheets for automated ways to save time and energy. "And if you're looking for new ways to engage digitally, a lot of teachers are taking advantage of Email Signature Generator as a way to include test date reminders for students and parents in their emails; many are using Free Online Polls and Surveys to generate feedback about new tools; and there's a lot of attention on MailKing, our mass email campaign manager, for sending out well-formatted mass communications. "We spoke to teachers about what they most need during this time, and about what the problems were last spring. We've used that feedback to create this list of resources." A veteran of digital innovation, cloudHQ boasts over 70 free email management Chrome extensions in its library. And in a digital age that has just pressed the fast-forward button, it may be high time to give some a whirl. SOURCE cloudHQ Related Links https://cloudhq.net Parents wait with children in a schoolyard in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on Aug. 12, the first day of school there. Read more When I reached prominent German journalist Anna Sauerbrey by phone in Berlin she was picking up her son from elementary school. German children started returning to school in July and classes resumed full time in early August. All across Europe, schools are reopening after months of online learning due to the pandemic (with some countries having reopened in April or never shut down entirely). So why do Germans feel safe sending their kids back to school? In large part, says Sauerbrey, because they trust their leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Ph.D. scientist, to give them the straight facts on the virus. Under her leadership,the countrys infection rate has fallen so low that its citizens believe any new spark is containable. Contrast that with America under Donald Trump, where the president has been promoting magical fixes while refusing to coordinate any national strategy for testing and tracing. Pushing quack cures and unsafe therapies, downplaying masks, Trump is still trying to delude the American public. But as Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, succinctly stated to reporters: The virus doesnt respond to spin. READ MORE: How South Korea got masks for everyone and Germany kept deaths down I Trudy Rubin Yet around 40% of the U.S. public still approves of the presidents virus performance, including 80% of Republicans, perhaps because many are still untouched by the virus (which has hit the elderly and minorities hardest), perhaps because they respond to Trump spin. Theyd do better to look at Germanys performance, which reveals what we did wrong and must do better in order to prevent tens of thousands more from dying - and get our kids back to school. Lets start with some stats. Germany, roughly one-fourth our size, has just over 9,300 deaths from COVID-19. Do the math: If we did as well as the Germans, we would now have around 37,000 dead from COVID-19 rather than 185,000 and counting. Germanys current death rate per 100,000 citizens is around 11, while the USAs is around 57, the fourth worst in the world. On Sept. 3, the United States had 44,639 new cases, while Germany had 1,256. Leadership was vital, says Sauerbrey, the deputy editor in chief of the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel. This virus is something you cant organize against from the bottom up. Merkel communicated the seriousness of the disease to her public in nonpartisan fashion. There was testing and tracing at a very high level, which is still going on, says Sauerbrey. With its excellent health system, the country was able to coordinate widespread, speedy testing and distribution of supplies, without overwhelming the system. Those who needed tests did not have to pay. Despite some debate over how quickly to reopen, overall trust in government is high, says Sauerbrey, and people do believe they are presented with facts. (There have been scattered demonstrations against any virus closures, including some support for the dangerous QAnon cult that Trump has promoted.) Of course, there is another glaring U.S. difference with Germany: its robust health insurance system. Yet, even with our dysfunctional system, a leader who cared about the country could have, and still could, resolve the coronavirus mess and not with a quack cure. Speedy testing and tracing were key to Germanys performance. Yet underfunded state public health departments in the United States cannot coordinate a mishmash of inefficient testing. READ MORE: Europeans are sending kids back to school. Why can't we? I Trudy Rubin Despite Trumps bragging about test numbers, getting a test is still far from easy in much of the country. The wait time for results makes many tests worthless. Insurers often wont pay, even for frontline workers. Add to that, a demoralized CDC is now recommending fewer tests, something Trump has been advocating. Yet reducing testing wont reduce the number of infections or deaths, just make it harder to stop the virus from spreading. Every American has relatives who could pay for these tricks. A Merkel-like leader would be linking together resources from state health systems, hospitals, private and public labs, and test sites, into a grid that would mobilize capacity across the nation. In a recent New Yorker piece, the brilliant medical writer Atul Gawande spelled out how this could be done. The feds would then use the Defense Production Act as if it were wartime, mobilizing resources to fight this pandemic and the next one. Instead, the White House sidelines its top virus experts, hypes dicey drug therapies, and promises a vaccine before the election even as it encourages anti-vaxxers just because they love Trump. No wonder Germans find Trumps virus policy mind-boggling. What most surprises Germans, says Sauerbrey, is that we wouldnt have expected Trump to put the lives of people at risk for no reason at all. It is hard to understand how he would do that, would spread misinformation from the highest levels of government. That leaves Joe Biden with the huge task of trying to get virus truths out there. If he fails, tens of thousands of Americans will pay with their lives. To learn more on the German response check out Perry World Houses virtual event Tuesday Sept. 8 on A Tale of Two Responses: Transatlantic Perspectives on the Pandemic. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 11:23 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c426dc3d 1 National Air-Force,pilot,death,accident Free The Air Force has confirmed that 38-year-old pilot Lt. Col. Luluk, who was promoted from the rank of major posthumously, has died from injuries sustained during a training accident at the Iswahjudi Air Force Base in Madiun, East Java, on Monday. Lt. Col. Luluk passed away after being treated at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital [in Central Jakarta], the Air Force information center said in a statement released on Wednesday. According to his eulogy, Luluk was born in Madiun on April 23, 1982, and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2003. He is survived by his wife and two children. The Air Force further confirmed that First. Lt. Muhammad Zaky, a student who had trained with Luluk, had survived the accident. The incident occurred at around 1 p.m. on Monday during a routine training exercise, when the T-50i Golden Eagle fighter jet skid off the runway during takeoff. Zaky was seated in the front of the cockpit while Luluk was in the back. Both managed to get out of the aircraft after the crash and were rushed to a hospital. A large crane has been captured buckling under the pressure of a heavy load while clearing soil out of a river. The crane was working on the Co Chien River in Vinh Long, Vietnam, when a particularly heavy load sent the machine crashing into the water. Footage showed the moment the crane operator pulled the soil up out of the water. The machine appeared to struggle slightly under the weight of the load and the entire barge started to tip - to the horror of the workers on board. The crane was working on the Co Chien River in Vinh Long, Vietnam, when a particularly heavy load sent the machine crashing into the water Two men were using powerful hosepipes to loosen the soil already collected on the vessel. Suddenly, the crane dramatically fell to one side. The workers abandoned their hosepipes and ran away from the crane as it crashed into the sea, turning until it was upside down when it entered the water. The 34-second clip ends with three workers standing on the platform in shock as they try to work out what to do The crane operator managed to jump out of the machine and was uninjured. The 34-second clip ends with three workers standing on the platform in shock as they try to work out what to do. One person who saw the accident on April 19 said: 'The crane that was working on the barge to scoop up soil in the river suddenly turned upside down into the river. Fortunately, the operator was able to jump out and survive.' A tourist theme park. This is one of the descriptions sometimes used by tourism sceptics or tourism opponents in Majorca. It doesnt actually refer to a theme park. It is a form of shorthand to highlight, as an example, a proliferation of holiday rentals in a particular area. The essence of the description is an over-abundance of facilities geared towards tourism. It has emerged because of the obvious fact that a real theme park devours significant amounts of land and is, by implication although not exclusively, intended for visitors. The territory is thus attacked and is taken away from the resident community. This theme park pejorative is one that has travelled the world in being applied to developments which may be theme parks or, more often than not, are simply projects aimed principally at tourism. It is one that attaches itself to some extraordinary schemes, which are far from being simple. A prime example is what happened in Dubai with The World, the construction of some 300 artificial islands for accommodating luxury villas, hotels, leisure and so on. That was the theory, as the majority of the islands havent been created. In Doha, there was a similar project, The Pearl. In Hainan, China, there is Ocean Flower, the worlds largest artificial tourism island. There is another island, which is expected to be finished by the end of the year. It will be replete with hotels, apartments, restaurants, etc. Construction started on Ocean Flower in 2012 and was temporarily suspended by the Chinese government two years ago. The reason for the suspension was the same as why the Dubai and Doha projects attracted controversy - the potential environmental damage to coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Suspension or not, the islands have been built. In the Dominican Republic, there is a far less ambitious scheme. It is on land and not in the sea. Described as a mega hotel project with some 3,000 rooms, the idea is for it to be ready by 2023. It is in Pedernales in the southwest of the country, whose president, Luis Abinader, suggests that there will also need to be an airport. The project is state-driven. If there isnt sufficient private sector financial backing, then the state will set up a trust in order to get construction going. The criticism of this scheme is less environmental and more a case of priority. Right now, the government should be focusing on other priorities. Abinader says that now is precisely the time to act, as in two and a half years time, there will be this new resort. And that will mean more income (and employment) from tourism. The president may well be right, but now is also a time when questions are being asked about tourism going forward. Covid has raised these questions as never before, albeit they arent new and revolve around, for example, the global scale, the nature of this tourism, the environmental impacts. But Covid has sharpened the questions, in particular when it comes to global scale because of the associated travel. Assuming that travel does return to normal, there remains the sheer voracity of tourism, an industry which is unquestionably vital for economies and is estimated to be worth (along with travel) 8.9 trillion US dollars at a global level. Tourism has to be restored, there can be no denying this, but at the same time there should be a pause to consider the scramble for conversion into some global theme park, for which certain projects rightfully raise more concerns than others. For the Dominican Republic, an additional 3,000 rooms may well make perfect sense, and Im not saying that it doesnt. But artificial islands? Ingenious, I dont doubt, but can they be justified in a moral sense as much as in an environmental one? The same applies to Royal Caribbean and its private island, which genuinely is a theme park. For Majorca, none of this quite obviously applies, but this hasnt prevented attempts at creating theme parks. At a very modest level, and in the sea, think about the opposition voiced against temporary water parks anchored off the coasts of some resorts. Harmless enough, but do beachgoers not minded to use such a facility really want to have to look at one? Theme park projects have come to nothing for different reasons. Questionable financial wherewithal has been one, but the biggest reason has been the environment. The Partido Popular government of 2011 to 2015 weighed up certain approaches for theme parks, but a PP tourism minister, Jaime Martinez, was to conclude that there could never be any - the environmental issues were too great. So in Majorca, we are left with theme park as a description rather than as a reality, and on balance this is probably as well, even if there is something to be said for projects that would boost low-season tourism. An artificial island there most definitely never will be. FILE PHOTO: Pavel Latushko, former General Director of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre and representative of the Coordination Council for members of the Belarusian opposition, walks to the investigation committee in Minsk MOSCOW (Reuters) - A prominent member of Belarus's opposition council said on Wednesday he had left for Poland amid a police crackdown, but that he had not emigrated, Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva reported. Pavel Latushko is a former culture minister and head of the main state drama theatre. The council, comprising dozens of people, was set up amid a series of huge anti-government protests that flared last month. He could not immediately be reached by telephone on Wednesday. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Tom Balmforth; ; editing by John Stonestreet) Even if the committee and the full City Council pass the resolution, however, its simply a request of Pritzker to declare a state of emergency in Chicago, and he would be hard-pressed to call in the guard without Mayor Lori Lightfoot asking him to do so. (Natural News) For the crime of planning a protest against Australias uber-draconian lockdown provisions in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), a 28-year-old pregnant woman was arrested by Aussie police and thrown in the slammer. Zoe Buhler, a resident of Victoria, had tried to create a Freedom Day event on Facebook calling on her neighbors to peacefully gather in protest of the regional governments stay-at-home orders. However, when she was identified and tracked down, police officers swarmed her home and took her into custody. As some of you may have seen the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the Melbourne protest, Buhler wrote in the description of the now-deleted event. Here in Ballarat we can be a voice for those in stage four lockdowns, it added. We can be seen and heard and hopefully make a difference! Video footage of the arrest that was later shared to social media you can watch it at Breitbart News shows Buhler being dragged out of her home in handcuffs, humiliated in front of both her husband and children. Buhler appeared to be exceptionally distressed as she pleaded with officers to let her go, especially since she has a baby living inside her womb. I have no idea why you guys are doing this, Buhler screamed. My two kids are here. I have an ultrasound in an hour. Im happy to delete the post. I dont really understand what Ive done wrong. This is ridiculous. I didnt realize I was doing anything wrong. Be sure to watch the news segment talking about this and other tyranny taking place in both Australia and New Zealand under the guise of pandemic response: Terrorizing pregnant women apparently cures coronavirus Buhlers pleas ultimately fell on deaf as, as she was taken into custody regardless and charged with incitement. Police also confiscated her mobile phone, reports indicate. This unbelievable act of police state tyranny took place just days after a group of anti-lockdown protesters in the state capital of Melbourne clashed with police. More than 200 Victorians were also fined in yet another incident during which they were accused of breaching the governments Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. As we previously reported, police in Melbourne have also been smashing windows and breaking into cars under the guise of protecting people against Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. None of this is surprising when considering that Victoria is currently governed by the far-left Australian Labor Party (ALP) which, much like our own Democrat Party, is hellbent on keeping everyone masked and under lockdown for as long as humanly possible. Mask-wearing is so enforced in Victoria that state police went so far as to violently wrestle a woman to the ground for not wearing one last month. Video footage of this disturbing incident, like the incident above, quickly went viral on social media. As it turns out, the woman who was assaulted by police had an exemption, and was thus not required to wear a mask. Even so, she was choked by a male police officer who threw her up against a wall and assaulted her in broad daylight. The global communists, just like our home-grown Democrat communists, are testing the waters to see just how dumbed down we are and how high we will jump when they say jump, wrote one Breitbart News commenter. They say jump I say, stick it! Especially when they say they are taking away our Second Amendment. All of this and more is discussed at length in the following episode of The Health Ranger Report with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, which you will not want to miss: Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Daniel Prude died after his life support was switched off. Credit:AP The New York state attorney-general, Letitia James, and the Rochester police chief said they were investigating the death. The officers involved are still on the force. Joe Prude, his brother, called 911 on March 23 after Daniel Prude, who was visiting from Chicago, ran out of his home in an erratic state. Prude had been taken to a hospital the previous day after he apparently began experiencing mental health problems, police reports show. He was running through the street after leaving his brother's home before Rochester police officers detained him. A truck driver also called 911 before officers arrived, according to internal police investigations of the case, to say that a man wearing no clothes was trying to break into a car and saying that he had the coronavirus. The video, first reported by the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, shows Prude, who has taken off his clothes, with his hands behind his back. He is standing on the pavement in handcuffs, shouting, before officers put a so-called spit hood on his head, apparently in an effort to prevent him from spitting on them. New York was in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic at the time. After the hood is placed over Prude's head, he becomes more agitated. At one point, he shouts, "Give me that gun. Give me that gun," and three officers push him to the ground. The video shows one officer placing both hands on Prude's head and holding him against the pavement, while another places a knee on his back, even as the hood remains on his head. One officer repeatedly tells Prude to "stop spitting" and to "calm down." After two minutes, Prude is no longer moving or speaking, and the same officer can be heard asking, "You good, man?" The officer then notices that Prude had thrown up water onto the street. A paramedic is called over, about five minutes after the officers placed the hood on Prude's head, to perform CPR on him before he is put into an ambulance. Loading The Monroe County medical examiner ruled Prude's death a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint," according to an autopsy report. "Excited delirium" and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or the drug PCP, were contributing factors, the report said. The body camera video was provided to Elliot Dolby-Shields, a lawyer for Prude's family, on August 20 through an open records request, and then released to the public on Wednesday after he and relatives reviewed the footage. At the news conference on Wednesday, activists and members of Prude's family said the officers involved should be fired and charged with homicide, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. Joe Prude called the death a "cold-blooded murder". "How many more brothers got to die for society to understand that this needs to stop," Joe Prude said. At a separate news conference, Rochester's police chief, La'Ron D. Singletary, said he understood that people were angry about Prude's death and frustrated about the lack of action in the matter, as well as about the delay in releasing the video. "I know that there is a rhetoric that is out there that this is a cover-up," Singletary said. "This is not a cover-up." Later on Wednesday, more than 100 protesters gathered for hours in downtown Rochester outside a police station and marched to the street where Prude had been detained. The demonstration grew tense at times. Police officers, some of whom wore masks with Thin Blue Line flags, shot what appeared to be tear gas or pepper spray at protesters as they stood in a line across from them. James said in a statement that a unit in her office dedicated to investigating deaths in which the police are involved had already opened an inquiry. "The death of Daniel Prude was a tragedy," James said, adding that "as with every investigation, we will follow the facts of this case and ensure a complete and thorough examination of all relevant parties". In an interview late on Wednesday, Dolby-Shields called the case a "huge misuse of force," and questioned why officers took "such a long time" to call for CPR. He also disagreed with the decision not to suspend the officers involved. "How do you watch the video and say what they did is OK?" Dolby-Shields said. "How do you watch it and say, 'You guys can still go out on the street and make arrests?'" Rochester's mayor, Lovely Warren, speaking at the same news conference as the police chief, said she was "very disturbed" by what the video showed. "This is not something that's in our wheelhouse, in our control at this moment in time," Warren said, an apparent reference to the attorney general's inquiry. "And had it been, for me this would be something that we would've talked about months ago." Governor Andrew Cuomo said late on Wednesday that he had not yet seen the video, but had been briefed on it. "The way it was described is very disturbing," said the Governor, who asked James to investigate the death, via an executive order, in July. Cuomo said he did not want to comment on the status of James' investigation, but "people should know that it is under investigation and has been for months". Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, photographed on tour in South Africa - PA The Duchess of Sussex and her baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor are suing a photo agency which "papped" them while dog walking in Canada, as a court hears claims she "knew everything that was going on" but "carried on walking". Archie, who is one, and his mother are both listed as claimants in the case, heard for the first time at the High Court in London today and the latest in the Sussexes' battle with the tabloid press. The pictures showed the Duchess carrying Archie in a sling while walking near their temporary home on Vancouver Island, Canada, in January, smiling broadly and holding her two dogs on a lead while security walked at a distance behind her. At a remote hearing on Wednesday, the Duchess's barrister Jonathan Barnes said Meghan and her son were "papped" by a photographer for the US arm of the Splash News and Pictures Agency which then sold the images. The agency argues that the Duchess "knew everything that was going on and was a volunteer in the sense that she carried on walking when she knew she was being photographed", the court heard. The case is being brought by the Duchess in her own right, and she is listed as a "litigation friend" for Archie, a legal term meaning she is appointed to make decisions about the court case for her child. Meghan and Archie, on a video for Save the Children in May They claim the photographs represent a misuse of the Duchess and Archie's private information and are in breach of the Data Protection Act. They are also pursuing action against the UK arm of the agency, but sought permission at Wednesday's hearing to serve the claim on the US-registered company which is based in Los Angeles. Mr Barnes told the court: "In a nutshell, as a claimant lawyer, I would describe what happened to the claimants as being they were 'papped'. "This was without their acquiescence or consent and it is accepted that it was by an employee of the [US agency], Steve Dennett." Story continues Mr Barnes said the pictures were taken during "a private recreational outing on Vancouver Island". He added that, the day before the pictures were taken, the photographer was "at the private home of the claimants" and said he was "casing their home, testing his light meter and taking photos through the security fence, so he was not at the park by accident". Prince Harry with Archie in Canada, in a picture shared for New Year - Sussex Royal Mr Barnes said that Splash's solicitors had suggested in correspondence that "the first claimant (Meghan) knew everything that was going on and was a volunteer in the sense that she carried on walking when she knew she was being photographed". The barrister said: "What happened immediately after the photographs were taken is that ... they were immediately offered for worldwide syndication to the media and, what's more, they were then snapped up, in particular by Associated Newspapers and News Group." He added: "That conduct, which is essentially the trading of the private information or the personal data, all took place here." Mr Barnes said this case was "not the first time" Meghan had "crossed swords" with the defendants, referring to a previous case which he described as "the Cotswolds drone episode of January 2019". At the conclusion of the hearing, Master Victoria McCloud gave the claimants permission to serve their case against the US arm of Splash. The action is the latest chapter in a fractious relationship between the Sussexes and sections of the media which began in the early period of their relationship. Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, over publication of a letter the duchess wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. In May, Harry accepted substantial damages and an apology from Splash News and Picture Agency over pictures taken of his Cotswolds home from a helicopter. The duke settled privacy and data protection claims over photographs "of and into the living area and dining area of the home and directly into the bedroom". Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is the Duke and Duchess's only child and has rarely been seen in public since his birth at London's Portland Hospital on May 6 2019. The Sussexes stepped down from their royal duties at the end of March and are now based in California. Since opening Cargo Streetwear Boutique in 2015, Cahmelan Porter has noticed a shift in the arts community in Indianapolis. I think its more celebrated, Porter, 31, said. Before, if you said you were an artist, people were just like, Oh, you dont make any money and you draw. However, Porter said a lack of equity and diversity for artists of color in the city is still very apparent. Theres a lot of inequity in how they allocate and disperse things, the fashion designer said. If you know, you know, and if you dont, its really hard to navigate the programs and resources available to you. Thats where the Arts Council of Indianapolis hopes to step in. Applications are now open for the Equity Ambassadors Program, a $20,000 grant for Central Indiana artists. The number of grant recipients will be determined after applications are received. Rishard Allen, director of grants and services for the Arts Council, is overseeing the program. He said its a way for the council to not only assess the need for equity in Indianapolis, but to plan a way to address it. While the arts council has always existed to serve the entire community, our 2016 equity statement was to address racial equity more formally with strategic goals and objectives, Allen said. We want to center all we do around equity, including staffing, board membership, and its really important for us to make sure that the work of equity was imbedded in everything we do and not looked at as a side project. Throughout 2021, selected ambassadors will do an audit of the arts council to determine blind spots when it comes to equity in its programming, galleries and resources for artists in the Indianapolis community. We want to work with artists directly instead of hiring consultants, Allen said. The concept was born out of that need. We thought this would be a great program to pursue with that rather than creating more programming. We thought it would be more important to ask [artists] What do you need? What elements of current programming might be hindering your ability to participate? Both Allen and Porter agree: When equity and diversity are prioritized, the entire community benefits. More diversity in art just means it reflects the local community, not just one facet of it, Porter said. Art is an expression. If youre silencing others, youre silencing a huge part of that community. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Apply now! Applications for the Equity Ambassadors Program will be accepted until Oct. 2. Apply at indyarts.org/grants. Georgian peacekeepers from a National Guard unit set off for their tour of duty in the European Union's Central African Republic mission on Wednesday, marking the latest deployment of servicemembers from Georgia in the effort. A platoon-size unit was sent off from the Alekseyevka Military Airfield by National Guard commanders and Lieutenant Colonel Danny Pith, France's defence attache in Georgia. The peacekeepers will serve in the sixth rotation in the country for Georgian troops. Commanded by Captain Nikoloz Asanashvili, the unit will be tasked with providing base security for Camp UCATEX in Bangui, conducting motorised patrols and carrying out convoys and escorts, Agenda.ge reported. Georgian peacekeepers have been distinguished for their service in the European Union Training mission (EUTM RCA) in the country, with military awards handed out to officers from the National Guard over the past two years. THE mother of a seven-year-old boy has told of her fears for his future health and happiness after a number of audiologists were redeployed to contact tracing duties. Fionnuala Creegan, from Athenry, Co Galway, highlighted the issue with RTE Investigates, after her adopted son, EnLe Harrrington Creegan, had his appointment cancelled at the last minute despite worsening hearing. EnLe, adopted from China in 2017, was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss when he arrived in Ireland and fitted with hearing aids. It was deemed vital at the time that his hearing was monitored regularly but during Covid-19, this hasnt been the case. Read More The story has shone a light on the fact that some audiologists were moved to take on contact tracing jobs, which has led to a cancellation of appointments, including emergency appointments. RTE said it understood both adult and paediatric audiology services have been impacted. Mrs Creegan told RTE: "When his hearing aids were first put on, they had to keep turning up the level because the only way you can tell they're working is to listen to the child's speech. "His speech wasn't progressing so they gave him stronger hearing aids to start off with and then they turned up the level of his hearing aids to the maximum point at which they could be set without damaging the hearing that he has. "The audiologist stressed the importance of keeping an eye on the level of his hearing aids - she said at that time if he ever complains of things being too loud you need to come back in here immediately. "EnLe started complaining at the end of July/beginning of August that sounds were too loud so I immediately rang audiology and was told that there were very few appointments if any available, because the audiologists had been redeployed to contact tracing. "I was shocked because I was acting on the advice of a professional and yet the professional whose advice I was following was being prevented from treating her patient because she had to go and make phone calls - I can't even get my head around that. EnLe was issued an emergency appointment for the end of August but it was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice and he has had to return to school in an environment where those around him are wearing masks and shields, further impacting his ability to communicate. "EnLe is going into a place where all the professionals in his life - his special needs assistant, his teacher, his resource teacher, his principal, are all wearing either face shields or masks or both so the quality of the sound he's hearing has reduced but even more crucially for him he's lost the ability to lip read and to read people's gestures," Fionnuala said. "Then on top of that he's straining to hear what people are saying and suddenly a lawn mower passes outside or someone turns on a hand dryer and that blasts into his ears because his hearing aids haven't been adjusted. So it must just feel like a constant onslaught of sound into his poor little brain." It was reported that sources within audiology are concerned about the staff being moved from the service, with concerns this could impact on services for babies with serious hearing loss when time is critical. The HSE Community Healthcare West told RTE Investigates it "...very much regrets that some appointments for patients have had to be cancelled at short notice due to the redeployment of two staff members as contact tracers from the 18th August..." due to the HSE's escalation plan to deal with a significant rise in Covid 19 cases. The HSE added that it would attempt to provide priority services for children and adults, with a move to reschedule cancelled appointments and a plan to fill the audiology posts. The child and his parents have received an apology from the HSE and a new appointment has been arranged for three weeks time. Thank you for subscribing! By signing up to this free newsletter you agree to receive occasional emails from us informing you about our products and services. You can opt out of these emails at any time. The results of toxicological tests on samples taken from Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny testify to "another criminal act by the Russian authorities," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement posted on its website. "The German government has released unequivocal evidence of traces of a chemical agent from the Novichok group in samples taken from Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. We strongly condemn another criminal act by the Russian authorities that continue to infringe on democracy and human rights in Russia and abroad," the ministry said. It also said it was convinced that "the international community must respond appropriately to the Kremlin's inhumane crackdown on an opposition politician." "Only a unanimous decisive position and a firm condemnation from the civilized world, including sanctions, can force the Russian authorities to stop committing crimes, brutally violating human rights and destroying the legal foundations of the world order, against leading opposition politicians and entire states," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny fell unwell on August 20 on a plane en route from Tomsk to Moscow. The airliner urgently landed in Omsk. Navalny was hospitalized. On August 22, he was taken to Berlin. Navalny is in a coma. His condition is severe but stable. The German government said on September 2 that toxicological tests on samples taken from Navalny had shown that the Novichok nerve agent had been used in his poisoning. Officials from the EU, the United States, Germany, Lithuania, and Britain have already stated the need to bring to justice those responsible for the poisoning of the opposition politician. At the same time, the Kremlin said that at the time of Navalny's transportation to Berlin, there were allegedly no traces of toxic agents in his body. op WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The National Institutes of Health has awarded a total of $129.3 million in funding to support scaling-up coronavirus testing and manufacturing new testing technologies. The U.S. health agency said it is awarding contracts to nine companies for technologies that include portable point-of-care tests for immediate results and high-throughput laboratories that can return results within 24 hours. 'Diagnostic testing is a critical component of the nation's strategy to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic,' said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. 'Just started at the end of April, the RADx initiative has moved swiftly to speed innovation and later-stage development in the biomedical technology sector. The results thus far have been outstanding.' The nine companies that received a cut in the $129 million funding included, MatMaCorp, Maxim Biomedical Inc, MicroGEM International, Aegis Sciences, Broad Institute, Ceres Nanoscience Inc, Illumina, PathGroup, and Sonic Healthcare USA. NIH said MatMaCorp, Maxim Biomedical Inc and MicroGEM International will offer point-of-care tests that produce immediate results. While, the remaining six will offer lab-based tests. In July, NIH made a similar contribution of $248.7 million to seven companies. 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. Albany, N.Y. The New York State Health Department will review any coronavirus vaccine approved by federal authorities before recommending New Yorkers get it, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. Cuomo spoke after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told states to be ready to distribute a vaccine by Nov. 1. The timeline raised concern among some experts that the vaccine approval process was being driven by political considerations ahead of the November election, rather than by science. How convenient, Cuomo said of the potential vaccine. Its going to be an Election Day miracle drug. He said the Health Department will review all protocols and research issued by any federal agencies before telling New Yorkers to get the vaccine. Cuomo has repeatedly criticized Trump over the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has often blasted Cuomo over New Yorks response, especially the number of nursing home deaths in the state. Just yesterday, Cuomo said Trump better have an army if he wants to walk down the streets in New York City. He later walked back that comment, saying he simply meant the president is not welcome in the city. Cuomo spoke after Trump issued a memo setting the stage for possible federal funding to cuts to several heavily Democratic cities that the president argued have descended into chaos, including New York City. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Winter is coming: What happens when CNY restaurants lose their outdoor dining? Child psychiatrist on back-to-school jitters: Make a plan, set a routine, be honest about uncertainty Syracuse extends Walton St. outdoor dining another month (but theres at least one critic) Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 US efforts to use JCPOA privileges despite their withdrawal from the deal laughable: President Rouhani ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 2 September 2020 / 15:11 Tehran (ISNA) - Iran President instructed the head of the Plan and Budget Organisation and the ministers of "Education" and "Communications and Information Technology" to take steps to ensure that public schools and students use the SHAD Network free of charge, given the reopening of schools on September 5th. Speaking on Wednesday in the cabinet meeting, President Hassan Rouhani emphasized that our first priority is the face-to-face education of students in schools, in strict compliance with health protocols, and said, "In the new school year, the students' education will be in the form of face-to-face and online education". Dr. Rouhani added, "As we have shown in recent months and with the outbreak of coronavirus, the distance between 'life and bread', 'life and work', 'livelihood and health' and 'religion and health' does not make sense, we will prove from September 5th that it does not make sense to say that there is distance between 'life and education and studying' by following the health protocols". The President stated that no Iranian child should be deprived of education this year, adding, "Apart from face-to-face education in schools, we have the state TV, which cooperates with the Ministry of Education". In another part of his speech, Dr Rouhani thanked the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, the maraji, seminaries, and all preachers and clerics who promoted the path of mourning with wisdom this year through their words and actions, adding, "In this year's Muharram mourning ceremony, the people combined health, wisdom, religion, rationality and tact, and recorded a glorious, special and exceptional mourning in the history of Iran". Referring to the economic and political situation in the country, especially after the US sanctions since 2018, the President said, "The gold of the Americans by imposing these sanctions and increasing the economic pressures was to make the Iranian people and government surrender to their illegitimate wishes, but with the devotion of the people, they realized that this is not possible". Dr. Rouhani noted, "Despite all the hardships, the Iranian people stood up and resisted, and the government, along with other officials and other branches, endured this pressure and performed a historic miracle because no country could have imagined a large volume of severe sanctions for the past three years, the people and the government of Iran would be able to endure hardships". "The people have shown by their resilience that their independence, freedom and principles and rights take precedence over all that the enemies thought," the president said. Referring to the recent US actions in imposing intense pressure on our country, Dr. Rouhani said, "Since one of the provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is that the arms embargo on the Islamic Republic of Iran will be completely expired in October, this is unbearable for the Americans. Therefore, they were seeking to pass a resolution in this regard, but 13 members of the Security Council opposed the US' draft resolution, and it is rare in history that the United States proposes a resolution with only one positive vote, so it was a disgraceful defeat for the United States". "After this defeat, the United States sought another plan to gain reputation in its own right, and in this regard, it called for the use of a mechanism within the JCPOA, and this is while if one is familiar with the ABC's of politics and interaction, he will understand well that if someone is out of a contract, he cannot use the privilege in that contract two or three years after the withdrawal". Dr. Rouhani said, "The United States is making such indecent remarks in order to gain reputation and prestige for its coming elections". The President added, "Yesterday in Vienna, the P4+1 countries explicitly stated that they are on the JCPOA's side and the United States has no right to abuse the deal. In addition, the President of the UN Security Council completely agreed with Iran in a telephone conversation, but at the same time, the Americans started acting in vain and childishly". Dr. Rouhani said, "Today in the UN Security Council there is a consensus on Iran's position in this regard, and this will be another great victory for Iran, which I think is unprecedented in history that a country that is in constant clash with the United States politically and legally in international forums and defeats the United States several times". "The United States will certainly be defeated at this stage as well, and what it is saying is completely meaningless and baseless. I assure people that the government will use all its power and authority in this regard". The United States has sought to defeat the Iranian people economically and force them to surrender in the face of unjust pressure, he said, adding, "The central bank has been able to raise $14.5 billion for basic and essential goods since the beginning of this year, despite the coronavirus pandemic and its problems". Dr. Rouhani pointed out, "Many countries have experienced negative economic growth during the coronavirus period and their economies have shrunk by 9, 13 and 14 percent, but despite all the pressures and sanctions in the first quarter, the Islamic Republic of Iran has experiences only 1.7 percent (i.e. Less than 2%) negative growth, indicating that everyone is working hard and production is continuing". Emphasizing that the government, the country and the system will not surrender to the pressure of the enemies, Dr. Rouhani said, "Undoubtedly, the employment and livelihood of the people will have better conditions in the coming months and other branches should know that the government is in its final 11 months, and it seeks to complete its half-finished plans, and I hope that everyone will help us to have a prosperous country together and to disappoint our enemies all over the region and the world". The President put emphasis on the close and cordial relations with the countries in the region and said, "Today, we have close relations with many neighbouring countries except one or two, and in the meeting that was held for this purpose last week, it was decided to develop our relations with the neighbouring and friendly countries as much as possible". Dr. Rouhani also described interaction as an indication that a country is strong, and said, "A powerful country can have more interaction with the world and I hope in this interaction, we can maintain our share in the global economy. Today, the whole world is a market, and if we have our share in this market, we can continue the path of development and progress quickly". "It is through constructive interaction that we can have our share of the power and wealth market of international relations," said Rouhani. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Its September, a time usually cherished by parents as they send their kids into a new school year. Unfortunately, this year, Im afraid back-to-school may kill me. Like others in Ontario, my family is struggling with what going back to school looks like in COVID-19 times. I have three children, in grades five, eight, and 10. My oldest is lucky in that his school is a new building, funded by the previous government, but my younger two go to a school built in 1959. Its ventilation system consists of a boiler and windows. It will take much more than the ten thousand dollars allotted by the Doug Ford government to update and there is no way, short of a miracle, that itll be done in time. Yes, I do have options. I can keep my children home to spend several hours in front of a screen, or send them to crowded classrooms. But whats become clear to me amid this confusion is that my younger two will not benefit from online learning. Away from their learning groups of peers with teachers who have seen them grown up and know their strengths and weaknesses I know that even if I shift all my working hours to evenings and weekends and somehow convince them to sit in front of a screen for several hours a day, how much will truly be retained is questionable. This leaves me with one option, and thats to send them to school. My kids are healthy, they are largely low-risk, however as more and more data is churned out by experts daily on this relatively new virus, it is becoming clearer that children, while low risk, are also great carriers. There lies my problem. I am a 41-year-old mother with asthma and an autoimmune disease. In addition, my heart was damaged after a flu I caught in 2017 something I discovered while working in a busy classroom when I suddenly felt weak, was unable to stand up and passed out. I was brought by ambulance to St. Michaels Hospital. I still require ongoing cardiac care to this day. These scares have taught me to try to live my life as safely as possible during this pandemic, but as I watch as COVID-19 case numbers creep up daily and consider the possibility of my kids being exposed to a minimum of 75 other children in close quarters, I worry about my chances. I go to sleep thinking about catching COVID-19 and dying alone in a hospital with only a screen to say my last goodbyes to my family via Zoom. It may seem dramatic, but if I catch it, my odds of survival under an overburdened health care sector dont seem very positive. Another factor? My partner works full-time in a school as an educational assistant in a different school board. My kids also have a blended family and their sister goes to another school in yet another school board. As keeping my kids away from either of their families is not an option, there is increased exposure and little to no direction about what to do if one of our schools has a case of COVID-19, or if we will even be told. What is perhaps most heartbreaking is that we have the power to decrease this risk. Everyone and their mother knows that social distancing works. Its what got Ontario down to 30 cases one day before we started reopening. We have all sacrificed to get our province healthy, and our federal government has given ample money to assist provinces not only bounce back, but to stay safe. Why Ontarios Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, has patently refused to fund smaller class rooms, and rejected the TDSBs plan to make all class sizes smaller is beyond my understanding. As schools from across the U.S., Israel, Australia and South Korea close again, more evidence makes it clear, that #SmallerIsSafer. This is no longer a partisan issue or a teachers versus the government issue, but a safety issue, which transcends every disagreement with a union, teacher, administrator or board. Every parent I know is scared. They are saying their goodbyes to their grandparents and members of their family who have compromised health. But we also cant forget the parents who are being asked to sacrifice their childrens education or their own health and possibly lives. I have never in my life ever hoped I was this wrong about my fears with hopes that COVID-19 in schools will fizzle out and no one will get sick. And if I am wrong, I will happily eat my humble pie. But what the experts say is true, the possible consequences are terrifying. D owning Street has denied the existence of a Government "back to work" campaign despite efforts to encourage employers to make workplaces "Covid-secure". Instead, employers are to be reminded of how to make workplaces Covid-safe in a bid to increase office numbers. Ministers fear huge job losses in town and city centre shops and cafes if workers do not return to their pre-lockdown commuter patterns. But reports surfaced suggesting there was a rift in Government over whether the timing was right to be encouraging staff to return to their desks, with the coronavirus rate still growing in parts of the country. The Telegraph reported the launch of a public information campaign pushing for home working to be curtailed was put back as a result of the splits. But the Prime Ministers official spokesman told reporters: "There has never been a back to work campaign." He said social media posts, along with paid adverts, would this weekend encourage employers to consult the Governments guidance on making workplaces Covid-secure to ensure "more people can spend some of their time working from the office". A "partnership" with regional and local media, in place since June, will carry a similar message "shortly", the spokesman said. London's empty network continues during Coronavirus 1 /32 London's empty network continues during Coronavirus Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Daniel Hambury Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA PA PA PA PA PA PA PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn "We are promoting how to make your workplace Covid-secure so more people can work from the office, he added. "What weve also done is change the guidance to give employers more discretion over how their employees can work safely. "The PM does want to see people discussing their working arrangements with their employers." UK coronavirus cases rise to highest rate since June The comments come after the Bank of England told MPs the Governments own Covid-safe guidelines for employers meant it was unlikely offices could get back up to full capacity due to the need for staff to be kept apart. Workplace advice includes introducing one-way systems, staggered shift times and limiting the number of colleagues that staff members are exposed to in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Alex Brazier, the banks executive director for risk, told the Commons Treasury Committee on Wednesday: Because of those constraints I dont think we can expect to see a sudden and sharp return of lots of people to the very dense office environments that we were used to. Downing Street said there was "no update" on how many civil servants were back in Whitehall but confirmed department bosses were having to report to the Cabinet Office about how progress was faring in terms of getting offices ready. "We would expect to see more civil servants returning to their workplaces over the next coming weeks," the Prime Ministers spokesman said. Mr Johnson has reportedly told Tory backbenchers he wants Parliament back to normal by Christmas as he looks to urge MPs to lead from the front on the return to workplaces. The new name was adopted by 90 percent of the 578 electoral members in a vote conducted across the country. The main opposition United Future Party renamed itself the People Power Party on Wednesday in a bid to recast its image as a more centrist populist force. It comes just three years after the party, in a desperate effort to distance itself from jailbird ex-President Park Geun-hye, changed its name from Saenuri Party amid fierce internal squabbles. "Our party had a strong negative image as a party that has fallen behind the times, sided with the privileged, and was divided among wrangling factions," said Kim Chong-in, the party's caretaker leader. "But it will now lead change, walk with the weak, and take the initiative in uniting the people." In the last general election, the party lost to the ruling Minjoo Party in a landslide despite a faltering economy. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global Melamine market size is expected to reach USD 2,430.4 million by 2026 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report Melamine Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report by Type (Melamine Resin, Melamine Foam); By Application (Laminates, Wood Adhesives, Molding Compounds, Paints & Coatings); By End-Use (Construction, Automotive, Chemical, Textiles); By Regions, Segments & Forecast, 2020 2026 gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth. Melamine resins provide inherent advantages such as high temperature stability thus allowing products to limit physical and chemical degradation even at extreme temperature flexibility, high bonding behavior which results in the product having excellent moisture resistance as well as chemical resistance thus resulting in high overall hardness, among others. Due to the high nitrogen content in the product, it exhibits flame retardant properties as well. All these properties have resulted in the broadening of the application portfolio of the product thus resulting in the overall melamine market demand. Melamine can be defined as a valuable and the most sophisticated part of the overall nitrogen value chain. The product is usually processed as a resin and is used to manufacture items and goods that are used on a daily basis. The product consists of hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon and is obtained by the converting urea. The product finds wide applicability in the production of synthetic resins as well. Download Sample Copy : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/melamine-market/request-for-sample Market participants are paying attention to activities such as chemical analyses, customer centric product trials, overall product development cycles, after sales service, process optimization as well as resin synthesis. This is done so as to cater to the ever-evolving customized requirements of melamine resin market customers. Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and India are witnessing substantial market growth in demand and such markets are being targeted by industry participants to increase their revenue generation. Melamine in the construction industry is utilized in products such as kitchen cabinets, countertops, walls, flooring, and furniture. Laminates manufactured by using melamine are extensively used in construction industry. Global construction market has expanded rapidly with growth opportunities in commercial infrastructure, residential, and non-residential sector in almost every part of the world thus fueling the overall melamine market growth. Another factor boosting the prospects of melamine market is the increasing trend of using durable and high strength materials in construction industry. The stringent regulations implemented by various regulatory bodies to reduce the carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency in construction sector has prompted the emergence of this trend. Industry participants are therefore required to track such trends and plan their strategies accordingly. Get Offer : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/melamine-market/request-for-discount-pricing Market participants such as OCI N.V., BASF SE, Borealis AG, Sichuan Golden Elephant Chemical Co., Qatar Melamine Co, Allnex Belgium S.A., Chemiplastica SPA, Ineos Melamines., Haohua Junhua Group Co., Ltd., Cornerstone Chemical Company, and Nissan Chemical Industries. Ltd. are some of the key players operating in the Melamine market. Polaris Market research has segmented the Melamine market report on the basis of type, application, end-use and region Melamine Type Outlook (Volume Kilotons, Revenue USD Million, 2015 2026) Melamine Resin Melamine Foam Melamine Application Outlook (Volume Kilotons, Revenue USD Million, 2015 2026) Laminates Wood Adhesives Molding Compounds Paints & Coatings Others Melamine End-Use Outlook (Volume Kilotons, Revenue USD Million, 2015 2026) Construction Automotive Chemical Textile Others Melamine Regional Outlook (Volume Kilotons, Revenue USD Million, 2015 2026) North America (U.S., Canada) Europe (France, Germany, UK, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Austria) Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia. Australia) Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina) MEA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa) Special Requirement Please Contact our Industry Expert : https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/melamine-market/speak-to-analyst The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing the review petition in the Kulbushan Jadhav case, has given India and Jadhav an opportunity to clarify their respective stances before the court in reference to the facilitation to be granted to Jadhav in line with the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Giving out the order, the IHC's larger bench, comprising of Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzaid stated that a second opportunity needs to be extended to remove any doubts and ensure the requirements of a fair trial. "In order to remove any doubt, and to fulfil the requirements of a fair trial, we feel that another opportunity ought to be extended to the Government of India to consider taking appropriate measures so as to ensure effective compliance with the judgment of the International Court. It is also important to give an assurance to Commander Jadhav that his rights, particularly the right to a fair trial, is an integral factor of a effective review and reconsideration for a meaningful compliance with the judgment of the International court. We, therefore, yet again restrain ourselves from proceeding in the matter in hand", read the court order. The court directed the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure that a copy of the order if provided to Jadhav, must be passed on to the Government of India. "They are expected to assist the court on the status of compliance with the judgment of the international court in the event that Commander Jadhav or the Government of India decide against availing the remedy provided under the Ordinance of 2020", the court order read. "We are of the opinion that these proceedings and judicial review, on the basis of the judgment of the International Court, may not be meaningful and effective if Commander Jadhav and the Government of India decide not to exercise the course of action highlighted in the judgment of the international court", the order added. The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, informed the court that "Commander Jadhav has reiterated his earlier stance and has preferred to pursue the remedy of clemency instead of invoking his right under the Ordinance 2020". AGP Khan also stated that Pakistan is still waiting for a response from the Indian side on the Kulbushan Jadhav case while Jadhav has opted to stick to his mercy plea, which is already pending with the Pakistan Army Chief. "Pakistan is continuing the process of implementing the ICJ judgment but, apparently, India is busy obstructing the right to review", he added. The IHC adjourned the hearing till October 6, giving an opportunity for Jadhav and India to respond to Pakistan's request to assist the court proceedings. DGAP-News: Vivoryon Therapeutics AG / Key word(s): AGM/EGM Vivoryon Therapeutics AG: Vivoryon Therapeutics Announces Notice of its Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on September 30, 2020 03.09.2020 / 15:09 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Vivoryon Therapeutics Announces Notice of its Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on September 30, 2020 HALLE (SAALE) / MUNICH, GERMANY, 3 September 2020 - Vivoryon Therapeutics AG (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY, ISIN DE0007921835) invites all shareholders to Vivoryon Therapeutics' ordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 11:00 am CEST, at the registered office, Weinbergweg 22, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany. The Meeting will include a proposed resolution to transform Vivoryon Therapeutics into a naamloze vennootschap (N.V) under Dutch law by changing official seat from Halle (Saale) to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All relevant documents are available on the company's website: www.vivoryon.com/investors-news/ordinary-general-meeting-of-shareholders-2020 Important notice: With regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the company will take various precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infections. The company will provide free of charge hand disinfectant as well as masks to cover the nose and mouth for shareholders and will, subject to the spatial conditions and the number of participating shareholders, arrange the seats with adequate spacing. Additionally, food or beverages will not be offered. The company will strictly monitor the current situation and developments and may adjust measures accordingly. ### For more information, please contact: Vivoryon Therapeutics AG Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO Email: contact@vivoryon.com Trophic Communications Gretchen Schweitzer / Joanne Tudorica Tel: +49 172 861 8540 / +49 171 351 2733 Email: vivoryon@trophic.eu About Vivoryon Therapeutics AG With 20+ years of unmatched understanding in identifying post-translational modifying enzymes that play critical roles in disease initiation and progression, Vivoryon's scientific expertise has facilitated the creation of a discovery and development engine for small molecule therapeutics. This platform has demonstrated success by developing a novel therapeutic in type 2 diabetes. In its current programs Vivoryon Therapeutics is advancing its lead product, varoglutamstat (PQ912), in Alzheimer's disease and its entire portfolio of QPCT and QPCTL inhibitors in oncology and other indications. In addition, the company pursues a development program for Meprin protease inhibitors with potential therapeutic use in fibrotic diseases, cancer and acute kidney injury. www.vivoryon.com Forward Looking Statements Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Vivoryon Therapeutics AG as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. 03.09.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October, documents published by the agency showed on Wednesday. The timing of a vaccine has taken on political importance as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks re-election in November, after committing billions of federal dollars to develop a vaccine to prevent COVID-19, which has killed more than 180,000 Americans. For the purpose of initial planning, CDC provided states with certain planning assumptions as they work on state specific plans for vaccine distribution, including possibly having limited quantities of vaccines in October and November, a CDC spokeswoman told Reuters./// The New York Times had earlier reported that the CDC had contacted officials in all 50 states and five large cities with the planning information. The countrys top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci earlier on Wednesday said on MSNBC that based on the patient enrollment rate in COVID-19 vaccine trials underway, there could be enough clinical data to know by November or December that one of the vaccines is safe and effective. The documents https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/covid-19-vax-planning-assumptions-8-27-2020-final/6fc8a9ec0c3e5817/full.pdf put online by the New York Times showed the CDC is preparing for one or two vaccines for COVID-19 to be available in limited quantities as soon as late October. The vaccines would be made available free of cost first to high-risk groups including healthcare workers, national security personnel, and nursing home residents and staff, the agency said in the documents. Regulators around the world have repeatedly said development speed will not compromise vaccine safety, as quicker results would stem from conducting parallel trials that are usually done in sequence. But such reassurances have not convinced everyone. Preliminary results of a survey conducted over the last three months in 19 countries showed that only about 70% of British and U.S. respondents would take a COVID-19 vaccine if available, Scott Ratzan, co-leader of a group called Business Partners to Convince, told Reuters in August. Drug developers including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc are leading the race to develop a safe and effective vaccine for the respiratory illness. The CDC documents describe two vaccine candidates that must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. Those storage requirements match profiles of candidates from Pfizer and Moderna. Last month, the U.S. health department said the CDC was executing an existing contract option with McKesson Corp to support potential vaccine distribution. CDC Director Robert Redfield has asked state governors to expedite McKessons requests for building vaccine distribution centers and to consider waiving requirements that would stop them from becoming fully operational by Nov. 1, according to a recent letter obtained by Reuters. 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 Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Calcutta University has decided tp conduct final semester exams of Undergraduate and Postgraduate students through online mode from October 1 to October 18, 2020. The result of the exams will be announced on October 31. Students who cannot appear for online exams can send their answer sheets to their respective colleges, the varsity official said. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said 75 per cent Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) Main aspirants in West Bengal were unable to undertake the exam on Tuesday due to COVID-19 situation in the state. She added that the state government had requested the Centre to review the matter again so that the students are not deprived of their right to appear for the exam. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB), Assam will release the admit card for Sub- Inspector recruitment examination (written) on Thursday, September 3 at 2 pm. SLPRB Assam will conduct the recruitment exam for 597 sub- inspector posts on September 20. Candidates can download their admit card online at slprbassam.in on or before September 16. How to Download SLPRB Assam Police SI Admit Card 2020: Visit the official website at slprbassam.in On the homepage, click on the Admit Card Portal link The link to download the SI Recruitment Admit Card will be visible on the page Click on the link and login using registration ID and password/ DOB Your admit card will be displayed on the screen Download and take its print out. Candidates who clear the written test will have to pass the physical standard and efficiency tests followed by a medical examination. Written Exam Pattern: The written test will be of 100 marks and will be OMR based. There will be 100 questions and each question will be of 1 (one) mark. There will be a negative marking of 0.5 mark for each wrong answer. The questions will be set in three parts (i) Logical reasoning, aptitude, comprehension (ii) Matters relating to History and Culture of Assam and India and (iii) General Knowledge. Physical Efficiency Test will carry 40 marks. It will have 2 (two) events: 1600 metres race for male candidates and 800 metres race for female candidates. Long Jump for male 335 cm (minimum) and for female 244 cm (minimum), 3 chances (longest valid jump will be considered). Click here for more details/ official notification Click here for admit card portal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Representative image India has banned 118 more Chinese apps, including popular video game PUBG, amid escalating tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Reports also suggest that Indian soldiers have now taken up dominating positions at Finger 4 along the Pangong Lake. The military is also reportedly keeping a close watch on the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)s build-up at Depsang-DBO. These developments come days after the Indian Army confirmed that there was a fresh incursion bid by Chinese troops at the LAC. Here are the key updates: > Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited the eastern air bases on September 2 and has reviewed operational preparedness there, reports suggest. > Indian actions (app ban) violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes, Reuters has quoted China's Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng as telling a briefing. "India's ban on mobile apps violates the legal interests of Chinese investors and service providers. China is seriously concerned, resolutely opposes it, Reuters has quoted China's Commerce Ministry as saying. > Reports suggest that Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has arrived in Leh, Ladakh to review operational preparedness. He will be briefed by senior field commanders on the ground situation along the LAC. > The Indian military is monitoring the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)s build-up at Depsang-Daulat Beg Oldi, reports suggest. > China deliberately provoked India with a new incursion into contested territory after the fresh confrontation on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, according to an American intelligence assessment. The US intelligence assessment suggests that Beijing remains enraged that its local commander withdrew forces when a physical conflict appeared about to be happened. > India has already banned 100 plus Chinese apps. We call on all freedom-loving nations and companies to join 'The Clean Network', Keith Krach, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Tension between India and China at the LAC in eastern Ladakh region has been escalating since early May amid skirmishes and leading to a military build-up. The three main friction points were Hot Springs, the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso. However, they reached another level when a violent clash broke out in the Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side is also believed to have suffered casualties but it has not given details. On August 31, the Indian Army said that Chinese troops had violated consensus and carried out provocative military movements on the night of August 29-30, aimed at changing the status quo at the LAC. The army further said that Indian soldiers pre-empted PLA's activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso and undertook measures to strengthen positions and thwart Chinese intentions. A quick response from fire crews has so far stopped a bushfire reaching homes on Brisbane's bayside on Thursday afternoon. The fire broke out in a reserve between Camille Crescent and Malabar Street in Wynnum West just after 1.30pm. A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said nearby residents could expect to be affected by smoke but there was no threat to property. Five crews remained on the scene as of 5pm, with the alert withdrawn hours later. Five more residential students at the University of Connecticuts Storrs campus have tested positive for COVID-19, a spokeswoman for the university confirmed Wednesday. Two of those cases are still being investigated to determine the source of the infections, according to Stephanie Reitz, a spokeswoman for UConn. Two students were found to have the disease after they showed symptoms, three others were found through contact testing. Two of the three identified through surveillance testing were already in medical quarantine. Three of the five on-campus positives are related to existing known positives on campus, Reitz said in a prepared statement. Are you a Connecticut student going to college during the COVID-19 pandemic? We want to hear about your experience. Email us at tips@ctnews.com The new infections are a jump from the two positive cases reported on Tuesday. The university has 62 residential students at the Storrs campus with the disease. Another 32 have already recovered, the school said. The figures reflect a 1.24 percent positivity rate across the population of 5,000 residential students at the campus. Among commuter students, the number of cases remains at 18, data from the school shows. Two staff members have also tested positive for the virus. Two commuter students at the universitys Stamford campus have also tested positive. The schools Avery Point, Waterbury and Hartford campuses all still have no positive cases. Cases have appeared at other colleges and universities around the state as students return to dorms and classrooms. At Yale University in New Haven, 10 people have tested positive for coronavirus since the beginning of August, according to the schools online database. As of Wednesday, the schools alert level remains at yellow, meaning gatherings are restricted to 10 people or fewer, and classes will be held both in person and virtually. The Ivy-League institution reported no new cases Monday, the most recent day of testing available. Trinity College in Hartford is still reporting one case of COVID-19. On Wednesday, the school sent out instructions for staff, faculty and students to submit their daily symptoms check through an online portal. The system will also allows members of the school community to sign up for testing. Connecticut College in New London currently has one active case among its student population, according to that schools database. Central Connecticut State University reported three new cases among commuter students Monday. There are currently two students in isolation at the school, and 11 people have been quarantined. Act of terror: A man looks at a painting in Paris in tribute to the members of Charlie Hebdo killed by gunmen in January 2015. Photo: AP The French intelligence service should be in the dock over failures to avert the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket terror attacks, a Paris court was told yesterday as 14 people stood trial over the atrocities of 2015. Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, a defence lawyer, said the trial was "unjust" as the attacks could have been avoided if the authorities had followed up on the leads they had on the Islamist suspects. The three days of murders that started on January 7, 2015, sparked a spate of Islamist attacks on French soil - some home-grown, some masterminded from abroad - that have since claimed more than 250 lives. Security was tight and emotions high as 11 of the defendants appeared in the courtroom while three others are being tried in absentia after fleeing to Syria days before the murders. Among the civil plaintiffs in the room was Charlie Hebdo editor Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, who survived the attack on its Paris offices by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi who killed 12, including cartoonist Jean Cabut. Also present was Malian-born Lassana Bathily, who was hailed a hero and granted French nationality for saving several customers at the Hyper Cacher store just east of Paris. Expand Close French cartoonist Jean Cabut / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp French cartoonist Jean Cabut He stepped in after Amedy Coulibaly stormed the supermarket taking customers hostage and killing four. Coulibaly, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (Isis), also killed a police officer before he was shot dead by officers. Opening the trial, Ms Coutant-Peyre, who has previously represented the convicted terrorist Carlos the Jackal, complained about the role of the security services in the attacks. She said: "I sympathise with the suffering of all victims, which is irreparable and definitive. But it could have been avoided if intelligence and surveillance services had done their job properly." Expand Close Hero: Lassana Bathily, who saved the lives of supermarket customers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hero: Lassana Bathily, who saved the lives of supermarket customers 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-Qaeda in Yemen and been convicted of an earlier terrorism offence. Lawyers for the civil plaintiffs described the remarks as an "indecent" attempt to deflect blame. Defence lawyers also argued that it was against their clients' rights to testify with protective face masks on due to the coronavirus pandemic. "You are going to judge a man whose face you cannot see," they said. The presiding magistrate promised to seek a solution before launching into a three-hour reading of the indictment. It began with an account of how the Kouachi brothers had shot their victims, including several well-known cartoonists, "at point-blank range". He said there was no doubt that the attacks were "synchronised", citing text messages between the killers. Satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo marked the opening of the trial by republishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that had stoked fury in the Muslim world. About 150 experts and witnesses will be called over the next two months in the first terrorism trial to be recorded for state archives. Only 12 French trials have previously been filmed for posterity, including that of Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie. The defendants being tried in absentia are Hayat Boumedienne, Coulibaly's girlfriend, and two brothers, Mohamed and Mehdi Belhoucine. The brothers are thought to have died while fighting alongside Isis, while officials suspect Boumedienne is on the run in Syria. The only person facing a life sentence is Ali Riza Polat, who is accused of acting as the link between the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly. Telugu superstar Prabhas is set to collaborate with director Om Raut of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior fame, for a 3D film titled Adipurush, to be shot in Hindi and Telugu, and later dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and other languages. While a teaser poster was unveiled on the films announcement, the villain of Adipurush has been revealed to be Saif Ali Khan, who plays the role of worlds most intelligent demon" Lankesh in the upcoming epic, action film. Prabhas shared the news on social media. Saif has also featured as villain in Oms Bollywood debut film Tanhaji. Prabhas had earlier said about Adipurush, Every role and every character comes with its own challenges, but portraying a character like this comes with tremendous responsibility and pride. I am very excited to portray this character of our epic, especially the way Om has designed it. I am sure the youth of our country will shower all their love on our film." The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Om Raut, Prasad Sutar and Rajesh Nair, and is currently in pre-production stage. It is expected to go on floors in 2021. The audience should get ready to experience a story they believe in, on the big screen with spectacular visuals and magnanimous characters," Bhushan had said about Adipurush. By Akbar Mammadov The Azerbaijani sailors have won the "Sea Cup" competition held as part of the "International Army Games - 2020", the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said on September 3. According to the final results of the general stages, the Azerbaijani and Russian sailors won the competition with equal points on September 3. The military sailors of the participating countries carried out exercises "Artillery firing at air targets", "Use of rescue equipment", "Ship anchoring and mooring barrel" at the combat training ground of the Caspian Sea. It should be noted that the closing ceremony of the "Sea Cup" competition and the awarding ceremony of the winning teams will be held on September 4. The "Sea Cup" international contest was planned to be held as part of the International Army Games - 2020 in the territorial waters of Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea from 25 August to 4 September this year. Azerbaijani Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov and the Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu inaugurated the opening of the Sea Cup competition at the Buta Naval base of Azerbaijans Naval Forces on August 25. On August 17, the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy arrived in Baku to participate in the International Army Games-2020. Among the Russian Caspian Flotilla arriving in Azerbaijan, are small-size gunnery ships Makhachkala and Astrakhan, and SB-738 rescue tugboat. Iran and Kazakhstan will not participate in the Sea Cup contest this year due to COVID-19, which was discussed at the video conference with the participants of the contest held in the headquarters of the Azerbaijani Naval Forces on August 13. Azerbaijan in Tank Biathlon In the meantime, Azerbaijani tankmen have qualified for the final stage of Tank Biathlon competition held within the "International Army Games - 2020. Azerbaijani tankers will compete with Russia, China and Belarus in the final stage on September 5. The Azerbaijani tank crew was competing in the first division of the Tank Biathlon contest, which also includes Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Serbia and Uzbekistan. According to the draw of the competition held on August 17 in Moscow, Azerbaijan and Russia are competing on red tanks in the first division, while Belarus and Uzbekistan on blue tanks, Serbia and Kazakhstan on yellow tanks, China and Kyrgyzstan on green tanks. The Tank Biathlon contest will take place in the Russian Alabyno military training area near Moscow until September 5. At the competition, the crews are demonstrating their driving, shooting and obstacle crossing skills. The military ground is composed of various sites with ramparts, ditches, firing emplacements and lines. It should be noted that Azerbaijani servicemen first participated in the Tank Biathlon competition in 2016 and ranked 4th after competing with the teams of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in the final relay race. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Media today announced a new interactive debate series titled "That's Debatable," to debut on Bloomberg Television Friday, October 9 at 7:00PM ET. Presented in partnership with Intelligence Squared U.S. and hosted by four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, broadcaster and Intelligence Squared's longtime debate moderator John Donvan, the program will feature industry leaders, economists, policy makers and public intellectuals debating some of today's most pressing issues. "That's Debatable" is sponsored exclusively by IBM (NYSE:IBM). Filmed in front of a live virtual audience, "That's Debatable" will be conducted in the traditional Oxford-style format with two teams of two subject matter experts debating over four rounds. The live audience will select a winner via mobile, to be announced at the conclusion of the program. The show will also demonstrate how AI can be used to bring a larger, more diverse range of voices and opinions to the public square and can help uncover new perspectives to enhance the debaters' arguments. The general public is invited to submit a short argument for or against each episode's position statement. During the debate, IBM Watson plans to use Key Point Analysis, a new capability in Natural Language Processing (NLP) developed by the same IBM Research team that created Project Debater, which is designed to analyze viewer submitted arguments and provide insight into the global public opinion on each episode's debate topic. "Bloomberg Media's global audience regularly turns to Bloomberg Television as a critical source of news and information," said Al Mayers, Global Head of Bloomberg Television and Radio. "By partnering with Intelligence Squared for 'That's Debatable,' we will provide viewers with thoughtful discourse and insights into some of the most important subjects currently at the forefront of national and global conversation." "Globally, we are facing unprecedented and complex challenges," said Intelligence Squared U.S. CEO Clea Conner. "In this era of seemingly endless soundbites and social media echo chambers, it is harder than ever before to truly engage with the other side of an issue. At this historic moment, we are calling for a return to civilized and substantive debate to help us navigate a rapidly changing world. Together with Bloomberg TV, and our exclusive sponsor IBM, 'That's Debatable' will explore multiple viewpoints of the most important topics of our time -- and give a voice to a global audience with Watson's advanced AI analysis." The debut episode's debate topic is: "It's Time to Redistribute the Wealth." As nations around the world face a reckoning on race and social justice and work to combat the economic impacts of the pandemic, "That's Debatable" will take a hard look at the hotly contested question with leading experts on both sides of the argument. Audiences can join in the discussion by submitting a short argument for or against the motion: "It's time to redistribute the wealth" starting today through September 14 at www.ibm.com/debatable. Then tune into "That's Debatable" on October 9 to see a debate fueled in part by your submission. "Our ambition for 'That's Debatable' is simple -- to showcase one of the many ways AI can be used for good by helping people understand nuanced viewpoints, discover and surface critical insights, and inform high stakes decision making," said Daniel Hernandez, General Manager, IBM Data and AI. "What we learned from over 30,000 Watson client engagements inspired IBM Research to create cutting-edge innovation in language, automation and building trust, which will be demonstrated in the series and made available in Watson for all businesses to use." About Bloomberg Media: Bloomberg Media is a leading, global, multi-platform brand that provides decision-makers with timely news, analysis and intelligence on business, finance, technology, climate change, politics and more. Powered by a newsroom of over 2,700 journalists and analysts, it reaches influential audiences worldwide across every platform including digital, social, TV, radio, print and live events. Bloomberg Media is a division of Bloomberg LP. Visit BloombergMedia.com for more information. About Intelligence Squared U.S.: A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded to address a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches millions of viewers and listeners through multi-platform distribution, including public radio, podcasts, live streaming, newsletters, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps including Roku and Apple TV. With over 180 debates and counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008. About IBM Watson: Watson is IBM's AI technology for business, helping organizations to better predict and shape future outcomes, automate complex processes, and optimize employees' time. Watson has evolved from an IBM Research project, to experimentation, to a scaled set of products that run anywhere. With more than 30,000 customers, Watson is being applied by leading global brands across a variety of industries to transform how people work. To learn more, visit: https://www.ibm.com/watson. To learn more about Natural Language Processing and how new capabilities like Key Point Analysis are designed to analyze and generate insights from thousands of arguments on any topic, visit: https://www.ibm.com/watson/natural-language-processing. SOURCE Bloomberg Media Related Links https://www.bloombergmedia.com/ DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) has been awarded a place on Highways England's Technical Advisor (TA) Framework to assist in the development, design and construction of capital road projects in the Roads Investment Strategy (RIS) 2, the strategy for investment in and management of the strategic road network in England. Highways England has appointed Jacobs to Lot 4 (South West and Midlands) of the Regional Delivery Partnership TA Framework. With investments totaling more than $1.27 billion (1 billion) over the six-year framework, it is hoped that the road schemes in the framework will boost the economy and make the network safer and more reliable. "Jacobs and Highways England have a long-established relationship and this award provides an excellent opportunity to continue assisting them in the Regional Delivery Partnership as Technical Advisor," said Jacobs People & Places Solutions U.K./Europe Senior Vice President and General Manager and Global Executive Sponsor of Digital Strategies Donald Morrison. "We believe we are well placed to support Highways England in achieving its Framework vision through our involvement at all stages of the project lifecycle." As Technical Advisor, Jacobs will work closely with the Regional Delivery Integration Partner to help Highways England create an environment that will foster project success. Jacobs' scope under the framework includes the economic evaluation, route decision, technical assurance and supervision of capital road projects. Highways England is the government organization charged with planning, improving, managing, operating and maintaining England's Strategic Road Network over 4,300 miles of motorways and major A roads connecting the country and driving economic growth. Around the world, Jacobs delivers major transportation projects as part of integrated infrastructure solutions that encompass transport planning and modelling, environmental solutions, intelligent mobility, connected vehicle and other emerging technology to full project life cycle transport infrastructure management. In the U.K., Jacobs supports Highways England's National Infrastructure and Regional Investment Programs and its Smart Motorways Program, as well as programs for Transport Scotland and the Welsh Government. At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 26, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Part I, Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Part II, Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Part II, Item 1A - Risk Factors, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com When Sarah Bray thinks about eco-friendly fashion, brown paper-bag dresses come to mind. And that just wont do. I love a big look, says Bray, sounding like the native Texan that she is. I love more is more, I love fashion and I love shopping. But Im also passionate about the environment, so its very conflicting. Her personal, layered style is what Generation Z might describe as levels. Some 36,000 Instagram followers (@sarahamandrabray) subscribe to her studied mix of high-end designers and archival vintage, with the occasional tablescape sprinkled in. During the five years she served as Town & Country magazines style writer, she popularized the hashtag #veryTandC and favored voluminous black-tie looks in bubble-gum pink or floral prints. Last March, she wore white Victorian lace and two-tone Chanel slingbacks to say I do at City Hall in downtown Manhattan. And for photo ops on Bermuda, her new home, its wicker clutches by day and full-length tunics, flat sandals and a saturated lip by night. Lately, her social-media feed has been peppered with beach-friendly sun hats, caftans and matching headbands sporting her new eponymous label, Sarah Bray Bermuda. Her coveted aesthetic is available for purchase and whats more, the line is eco-conscious, too. Her penchant for thrifting and consignment inspired the collection. Its guilt-free retail without adding more waste to the environment. These are things that I truly love but didnt necessarily exist the way I wanted them to. It all started with the sun hat. Bray says the classic accessory has been around for centuries but needed an update. I have a lot of them, but whats frustrating is when you buy the hat and only get a navy or red ribbon, she says. For someone like me, who wants to wear different outfits every single day, I had this idea: Why dont I make interchangeable ribbons? Her first product idea was born. Sarah Bray Bermuda sun hats are handwoven from seagrass or palm leaves. Most are produced in Texas. Each brass grommet is applied by hand in Houston, Brays hometown. And unlike other millinery, the opening on her hardware is large enough to pull an Hermes scarf through. That quality and attention to detail led to high demand. Not that Brays complaining. They do sell out quickly, she says. Theres limited quality, thats the beauty of the brand. Its never going to be mass production, and thats what makes them special. Growing up in the Clear Lake area and later East Texas, Bray idolized designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Ralph Lauren. I always thought it would be such a dream to be like them but didnt know how. I didnt go to fashion school or even design school, so it all felt very out of reach. Instead, while studying at Southern Methodist University, she wrote for the school newspaper and Papercity magazine. Bray built an impressive portfolio, which helped her land internships with Vogue and the New York Times. The recession hit around the time she graduated from college, and full-time work in fashion or media was hard to come by. When a position with Neiman Marcus corporate office in Dallas opened up, Bray pounced on the fortuitous opportunity. I took a job doing content for them, but they didnt call it that back then, she recalls. I was a writer for their big catalog, and they were one of the first retailers to have a blog. I also did their social media when they started to realize they should be posting on Facebook with clever captions. She returned to New York when Veranda magazine brought her on as a web editor. Bray also had stints with Elle Decor, House Beautiful and, eventually, Town & Country, which is where she was working when a story assignment led to a serendipitous meet-cute. I met my husband on Bumble, the dating app, when we were both in London for work and coincidentally swiped right, she says. I saw that he was from Bermuda, where, ironically, Id just gone for a Town & Country story. I couldnt convince him to become a full-time New Yorker, so I moved to Bermuda to start our life together in August 2019. The timing was right for a professional adventure, too. Bray knew from her experience working at fashion magazines that the way consumers shop was changing rapidly. People are shopping straight off of Instagram and various apps, she says. Now there are amazing tools on the internet like LegalZoom, where you can register a company or small business. Shopify is an amazing e-commerce platform. Less challenges exist than 10 years ago. In addition to sun hats, her website sells caftans. Bray sources the vintage fabric from estate sales, Facebook marketplace and wherever retro floral textiles are discarded. The clothing itself is produced by Renovation Manufacturing in Bellaire. Cutting-room scraps from Brays caftans are repurposed to make matching headbands or masks. For me, this is exciting to bring a maximalist, feminine look to eco-fashion, she says. Its crazy the amount of water and dye wasted on making clothes. Bray partnered with craft coin jeweler Jane Winchester to create a special Bermuda pendant necklace inspired by the coral reef surrounding the mid-Atlantic islands. Her next project is to design a bamboo handbag. Its the most renewable material for good, because its truly biodegradable theyre just leaves! When travel and tourism reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic, she plans to open a small brick-and-mortar shop on the island. Bray has several Texas pop-ups coming up, including a presence at the Round Top Antiques Fair, if all goes according to plan. Bray knows that much of her customer base will be staying at home for the foreseeable future. And shes got just the outfit for that. The sun hats have an Old World, escapism quality to them, she says. Today, more than ever, you can put one on with a caftan, sit in your backyard and dream that youre in the Maldives. amber.elliott@chron.com Myanmar President U Win Myint (R) meets with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on Sept. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Dongqiang) NAY PYI TAW, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi held separate meetings here Tuesday with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. Noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping's successful visit to Myanmar this January has advanced the relations between the two countries into a new era, Yang said China is willing to work with Myanmar to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. Yang called on the two countries to strengthen high-level exchanges, consolidate and deepen political mutual trust, advance cooperation projects of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, upgrade the bilateral trade and investment, accelerate the resumption of work and production, and jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the China-Myanmar Year of Culture and Tourism, the two countries should enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, the senior Chinese diplomat said. Yang also said that China and Myanmar have been helping each other in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and China is willing to give priority to sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Myanmar once a vaccine is successfully developed. Yang called on China, Myanmar and other related parties to bring innovation into their cooperation within the China-ASEAN and Lancang-Mekong frameworks and focus on the fight against COVID-19 and development so as to promote regional peace, stability and joint development. Lauding support from Myanmar on issues concerning China's core interests, Yang said China will continue to support Myanmar's efforts in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity. As countries who had jointly initiated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China and Myanmar should firmly uphold international fairness and justice and practice multilateralism, the senior Chinese diplomat said. Leaders from the Myanmar side appreciated support extended by China and commended China's constructive role in the country's peace process, saying that the bilateral relations are truly built on the basis of mutual understanding and respect. Myanmar is willing to work with China to overcome the impact of the pandemic, deepen high-level exchanges, comprehensively push forward the construction of the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor, enhance communications and coordination in the international arena, and build a Myanmar-China community with a shared future, said the Myanmar leaders. The Myanmar leaders said the two sides should work closely within the the ASEAN-China and Lancang-Mekong frameworks in pursuit of well-being of people in the region, and Myanmar always adheres to the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests. Yang also met with Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing during his visit. Researchers have discovered a black hole thats not only the oldest ever detected but also doesnt qualify to exist, as per current understanding of the black holes. The gargantuan black hole is 142 times the mass of our Sun. LIGO/Caltech/MIT/R.Hunt Around 1,500 researchers who are a part of this discovery, belong to two consortiums -- The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) consortium and Europes Virgo collaboration have contributed to this discovery. They discovered this gargantuan black hole with the help of LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors that spotted the gravitational wave possessing eight times the energy of the Sun, coming from roughly 17 billion light-years away. The discovery was made on May 21 and was labelled GW190521. Researchers feel that GW190521 was generated by a source which would have existed when our universe was nearly half of the age its currently at. This also makes it one of the most distant gravitational wave sources ever detected. Normally black holes are formed when a dying star collapses. Theyre normally three to ten times the solar masses. Theories have stated that black holes with mass ranging from 100 to 1000 times that of our Sun exist, but were never found, until this discovery. LIGO/Caltech/MIT/R.Hunt According to researchers, this massive black hole is formed after the fusion of a black hole with 66 times the size of the Sun with another black hole with 85 percent the mass of the Sun. They claim that when these massive black holes fused together, they released energy worth eight solar masses that created the most powerful events in the universe sine the Big Bang. They still dont know how these two even came together, but they feel that each of those black holes comprised of smaller black holes -- just like Russian dolls, according to OzGrav postdoctoral researcher Simon Stevenson, from Swinburne University of Technology. Karan Jani, an Indian-origin astrophysicist one of the several researchers with the Nobel-winning LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) consortium (led by MIT and Caltech scientists) gravitational wave experiment states, "This detection confirms that there is a vast universe that has remained invisible to us. We have very limited theoretical and observational understanding of this elusive class of intermediate black hole." Representational Image: NASA He added, "Our ability to find a black hole a few hundred kilometres-wide from half-way across the Universe is one of the most striking realisations of this discovery. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The country's top diplomat in the United Arab Emirates said Thursday that the remains of the two Filipinos killed in a gas explosion in the Gulf state cannot be released yet to their families pending completion of the probe into the incident. In a Laging Handa briefing, Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana said they are coordinating with authorities in Abu Dhabi, and have relayed the information to the families too. She said she personally spoke with the spouse of one victim and a relative of the other. After the remains are released, Quintana said they would begin to discuss what else can be done to help the families. "Ang una po nilang gustong malaman ay kung kailan po nila makukuha ang labi ng mga mahal nila sa buhay, at ito po ang aming tinututukan ngayon sa mga awtoridad at pinapaliwanag po sa tin ng awtoridad na bibilisan po nila ang imbestigasyon para mairelease po kaagad ang mga remains," Quintana said. [Translation: The first thing they (families) wanted to know was when they could get the remains of their loved ones, and this is something we are following up with authorities who have explained to us that they will hasten the investigation so the remains can be released early] She said that 10 other Filipinos were hurt in the blast, and eight had to be taken to hospital. Of the eight, she said they received report that only three are still in hospital. The embassy has not released the names of the victims of Monday's blast which happened at a fast-food restaurant located at Sheik Rashid Bin Seed Road (also known as Airport Road). A straight-shooting politician has vowed to bring down 'arrogant' Jacinda Ardern in the upcoming New Zealand election. National Party leader Judith Collins, who was been nicknamed The Crusher, said the prime minister's lack of policy change leading up to the October 17 polls will ultimately lose her the nation's top job. 'One of the things we are seeing is an enormous arrogance from the government, which after only three years in office is displaying all the arrogance of a third term government,' Ms Collins told The Sydney Morning Herald. National Party leader Judith Collins (pictured), who was been nicknamed The Crusher, said the prime minister's lack of policy change leading up to the polls will ultimately lose her the nation's top job Ms Collins said 'arrogant' New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) has put herself in the 'unenviable position of having to defend every every single COVID cock up' 'So for instance Jacinda Ardern announced some weeks back that she wouldn't be bothering to put out policies, or words to that effect anyway, because they were going to make the election all about COVID.' After New Zealand's second outbreak of COVID-19, Ms Ardern told voters her government would be focusing on the pandemic rather than a 'large-scale range of policies'. Ms Collins said 'arrogant' Ms Ardern has put herself in the 'unenviable position of having to defend every every single COVID cock up'. The political veteran, who took leadership of the Nationals in July, says Ms Ardern - who has been internationally praised for her handling of the pandemic - can't take credit for the nation's low case numbers. 'We have as a country been saved by the fact that we are so far away from any other country. It's not that hard to keep isolated a country that already is isolated,' Ms Collins said. New Zealanders were meant to go to the polls on September 19, but due to Auckland's unexpected outbreak, Ms Ardern pushed the election back a month. 'I want to ensure we have a well run election that gives voters all the information they need ... and delivers certainty for the future,' she said in August. 'I do need to provide certainty, a sense of fairness and a sense of comfort to voters to ensure them that this will be a safe election.' The Labour leader first announced September 19 as the date for a general election back in January. New Zealand, a country of five million people, has recorded just 1406 COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths. It went 102 days without a single case of community transmission. After New Zealand's second outbreak of COVID-19, Ms Ardern (pictured) told voters her government would be focusing on the pandemic rather than a 'large-scale range of policies' Fifty-four per cent of voters had faith in Ms Ardern to manage the economic recovery, compared to 26 per cent trust for Ms Collins, according to Horizon Research polling. Ms Ardern's Labor government moved Auckland from 'level three' restrictions to 'level two' at midnight on Sunday, which removed barriers on inter-regional travel. That prompted Air New Zealand to return many regular flights to their travel network, which Aucklanders jumped at, judging by photos on social media of the full-to-the-brim domestic terminal. For the first time during the pandemic, masks will now be compulsory in New Zealand for public transport. Ms Ardern has shifted the city out of lockdown despite a tail of cases still being reported there. The hearing on the bail plea of Waiz-ul-Islam, an accused in the case, was not taken up today by the special court in on Thursday as it was closed due to COVID 19 testing. Waiz-Ul-Islam had moved an application in the special court seeking bail in the case to appear for the Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exams. The bail plea was listed to come up for hearing on September 3 but was not taken up. The Investigation Agency (NIA) had last month filed a chargesheet against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar Alvi and 18 others in a special court in in connection with the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The main case is slated to come up before the court on September 15. According to NIA sources, the 13,500-page chargesheet has named several Pakistani nationals as accused in the case including Masood Azhar Alvi, Rouf Asgar Alvi, Ammar Alvi, Mohd Ismail, Muhammad Umar Farooq, Mohd Kamran Ali, and Qari Yasir. In July, the NIA had informed that it has arrested the seventh accused named, Bilal Ahmed Kuchey, whom the agency has termed as "a terror associate" on July 5. According to the agency, Kuchey a resident of Hajibal, Kakapora, and Kashmir, runs a sawmill at his place and harboured and extended logistic support to the Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) terrorists involved in the Pulwama attack. The main perpetrators in the case stayed in his house and Kuchey further introduced them to other over ground workers (OGWs) who provided safe houses during their stay and planning of the attack. In February last year, 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a JeM-orchestrated terror attack in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. The incident took place when a CRPF convoy, consisting of around 2,500 personnel, was attacked by a suicide bomber who rammed a car laden with explosives into one of the buses on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. (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 mayor of Alabamas fourth largest city has a goal to build or renovate 1,000 homes within the next six years as part of a two-prong approach aimed at boosting the citys lagging population count. The pledge was made by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson during Thursdays State of the City address hosted by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. Stimpson, during his speech, said the goal is to renovate or rebuild affordable and workforce housing in the citys oldest neighborhoods, east of Interstate 65. He said the goal to boost the inner citys housing stock by 2026 is one of two prongs to grow Mobile. The second is through annexation west of the city limits under a plan that the Mobile City Council voted down by one vote in November. We cannot talk about long-term impacts without talking about growth of Mobile, said Stimpson. One our challenges is the age of our housing stock some is old and not as appealing when compared to other areas around Mobile. Stimpson said the housing plan will be facilitated by new projects and exciting announcements coming in the next few months. Stimpson later told the media that a plan is being finalized by Jamie Roberts, senior director for Neighborhood Development, that really itemizes how we will execute that. When you look at the funding steam that we have, the availability of lots, it cant all be done at one time, Stimpson said. Theres a real challenge with going back into the existing footprints of the existing housing areas owned by the Housing Authority. A lot of it will be infill, some of it will be apartments. Mobile City Council President Levon Manzie praised Stimpsons plan, but added that he hopes it includes a mixture of renovating existing housing stock along with building new structures. I think this is a win-win for the east of I-65 communities, said Manzie, who represents downtown Mobile and surrounding neighborhoods. Manzie said that while the mayors plan evolves over six to seven years, he is pushing for a more incremental boost within the citys oldest neighborhoods through using city funds to pay for a revitalization project. Manzie said he wants to devote around $300,000 toward the initiative. He said the money would come from this years capital improvement plan, which is a portion of Mobiles fiscal year 2021 budget that pays for road and infrastructure improvements. The citys fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, and a budget has to be voted on sometime in September. Manzie said his goal is to utilize the funding, based on federal income parameters, to refurnish at least 30 to 60 homes in one community next year. He said that his efforts can coincided with Stimpsons plan. We now have two very positive initiatives being pushed forward to help make certain that the way our communities look now, that they wont look like that in the future, said Manzie. The council president, meanwhile, denied that a quid pro quo was in effect that would tie together support of the housing plan with a flipped vote on annexation. Manzie was one of three council members to vote against a proposal to annex approximately 13,000 people west of the city limits. Had the annexation moved forward, Mobile would have likely added enough residents to at least temporarily call itself the second largest city in Alabama, behind Birmingham. Huntsville, which has added over 20,000 new residents since the 2010 Census, is poised to overtake Birmingham as the states largest city within the next three years. Mobile, by contrast, is losing population from 195,111 residents in 2010, to 188,720 in 2019. 9 Mobile annexation vote A few months ago, we were just one vote shy of it passing the city council, said Stimpson, acknowledging that a fifth vote which would constitute a legally-required supermajority would have allowed Mobile to regain the title of Alabamas second largest city and would have allowed the city to be eligible for more grant money. Annexation combined with workforce housing is the way to grow our city, Stimpson said. Now is the time. Manzie said that if Stimpson has a new concept on annexation, hes willing to listen. Im willing to give them due diligence and run (an initiative) by the citizens of the community I am so bless to represent and we will judge that agenda on its own merits, said Manzie. I feel that one way we definitely grow the city is to pay attention to the neighborhoods we already have. If we do that, it will be a natural (attraction) for individual to want to come here. Manzie and other council members said a housing proposal has been in the development stages for some time. Im happy to hear the mayor make this official, said Councilwoman Gina Gregory. His goal is ambitious, and I hope its one the Administration and Council can work toward together. Councilwoman Bess Rich applauded the two-prong approach, but suggested a third prong be added that includes neighborhood enhancements such as residential traffic control, zoning code enforcement, crime prevention and beautification projects. I am seeing citizens leave our city because they feel their home investments are compromised and quality of life of being family friendly is not attended to, Rich said. < Stimpsons proposal also sparked questions as to whether the mayor will seek a third term in office in 2021. Councilman Fred Richardson has already announced that he plans on running for mayor next year, but Stimpson has been quiet about his plans of late. Asked whether the longevity of the housing plan is an indication that hes wanting to run for another term, Stimpson laughed, Read it any way you want. This story was updated at 7:44 p.m. on September 3, 2020, to include a comment from Councilwoman Bess Rich. President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sept. 2, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Signs Order to Review Funding to Anarchist Cities Portland, Seattle, Washington, and New York mentioned President Donald Trump signed a memorandum late Wednesday ordering a review of federal funds to certain state and local governments that are permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction in American cities. The presidents memo orders all federal executive departments and agencies to submit a report to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) detailing all federal funds that have been provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, or any components or instrumentalities of the foregoing jurisdictions. Within 14 days of the order, OMB Director Russ Vought must issue guidance to the federal agencies to submit their reports. The order notes that anarchy has taken over several states and cities across the nation over the past few months, adding that a number of state and local governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law, disempowering and significantly defunding their police departments, and refusing to accept offers of Federal law enforcement assistance. The memo adds that violence and destruction have as a result continued unabated. My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones, the president stated in the memo. To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Governments promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in Americas cities. It is also critical to ensure that Federal grants are used effectively, to safeguard taxpayer dollars entrusted to the Federal Government for the benefit of the American people. A rioter throws a flaming object toward the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse after breaking through the perimeter fence, in Portland, Ore., on July 22, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) The order also said that Vought must, within 30 days of the order, issue guidance to federal agency heads on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants. It also directs Attorney General William Barr, alongside Chad Wolf, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, and Vought, to publish on the website of the Justice Department a list of anarchist jurisdictions, described as [s]tate and local jurisdictions that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities. Vought praised the order, telling the New York Post in a statement, American taxpayers who fund the great programs that our cities rely on deserve to be protected by their local city officials. Protests have flared across the United States since the end of May, and while many protests have been peaceful, others have turned violent. Americans across the nation have seen their businesses destroyed, looted, and set on fire by anarchists and rioters. America needs creation, not destruction; cooperation, not contempt; security, not anarchy; healing, not hatred; justice, not chaos, Trump said in a statement. This is our mission, and we will succeed. The White House stated in an announcement late Wednesday, By identifying funds that may be redirected from jurisdictions where local politicians have permitted anarchy and violence to abound, President Trump is ensuring Americans are no longer forced to foot the bill for local politicians dereliction of duty. Four Cities Trump noted four anarchist jurisdictions in his order: Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Washington. For Seattle, Trump said the city government had allowed anarchists and rioters to take over six square blocks of the city in early June that they named CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) and later CHOP (Capitol Hill Occupied Protest). The protest zone was dismantled by July 1. [T]he local government effectively endorsed this lawlessness and taking of property by, among other things, abandoning the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct building and forbidding the police force from intervening to restore order, Trump said in the memo, noting how two teenagers had died and another was injured from gunfire before Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan acted on the matter. But such failed leadership continues to harm the people of Seattle as, in recent weeks, rioters have engaged in violence and destruction of property across Seattle, resulting in at least 59 police officers being injured and multiple businesses and vehicles vandalized, the president wrote. The abandoned Seattle Police Departments East Precinct in the so-called autonomous zone in Seattle, Wash. on June 12, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images) For Portland, he noted that for more than 80 days, state and local officials have allowed anarchists to unlawfully riot and engage in criminal activity on the streets, and have taken insufficient steps to protect the federal courthouse, as well as initially rejecting offers of federal assistance. Rioters in Portland have set fires in the area of the federal courthouse and attacked federal police protecting the building with Molotov cocktails, mortar-style fireworks, hard projectiles, and lasers that can cause permanent blindness. Trump said that at least 140 federal officers have been injured in Portland. A rioter kicks an entrance to the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse after federal officers took shelter inside, in Portland, Ore., on July 21, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) For New York City, Trump accused state and local officials of having allowed looting in the city for over a week in late May and early June, which damaged about 450 businesses. He noted a rising number of shootings, with 896 shootings as of Aug. 16 this year compared to 492 shootings in the same period in 2019, and pointed out that there has been a 177 percent increase in shootings in July compared to last year. Arrests have plummeted even though there is an unconscionable rise in violence, Trump wrote. I have offered to provide Federal law enforcement assistance, but both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have rejected my offer, he said in the order. Police officials have cited the disbanding of the NYPDs plainclothes anti-crime units as a reason behind the increase in violence, the president pointed out. Trump also noted how Mayor de Blasio and the New York City council agreed to cut funding from the NYPD budget, which he said included cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers. A man jumps from the window of a damaged store in New York City, N.Y., June 2, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters) For Washington, Trump accused Mayor Muriel Bowser of having allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence and destruction in late May and early June, which prompted him to bring in the National Guard. In a response late Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused Trump of having actively sought to punish NYC since day one. He let COVID ambush New York. He refuses to provide funds that states and cities MUST receive to recover, Cuomo wrote on Twitter. He is not a king. He cannot defund NYC. Its an illegal stunt, the governor added, without addressing the accusations presented in Trumps order. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in a Twitter statement late Wednesday said, Trump threatens to withdraw federal funds, possibly including health, education, and safety net dollars Americans need to get through the pandemic and economic crisis. Again, he targets citiesincluding ourswith democratic Mayors, which he calls anarchist jurisdictions.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also stood against the presidents memo, writing on Twitter late Wednesday, We will not allow President Trumps malicious infantile ways to hurt New York City. Instead of these foolish stunts he ought to be focused on getting our country out of the COVID crisis, he added. It only took a few thousand years for the human ability to digest the milk sugar lactose, after infancy, to spread throughout Central Europe, a study suggests. Researchers analysed genetic material from the bones of individuals who had fallen in a conflict around 1200 BC on the banks of the Tollense, a river in present-day Germany. They found that around one in eight of the assumed warriors had a gene variant that enabled them to break down the lactose in milk. Population geneticist Professor Joachim Burger, of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), said: Of the present-day population living in this same area, around 90% have this lactase persistence. This is a huge difference when you consider that there cannot be many more than 120 human generations between then and today. Bones from more than 100 individuals have been discovered on the battlefield (Stefan Sauer/Tollense Valley Project/PA) The study, published in Current Biology, found that aside from lactase persistence and a few other genetic variants, the genomes of the Tollense people are similar to those of todays inhabitants of northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region. Professor Daniel Wegmann, of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, said: The only way to explain this difference between these Bronze Age people and those of today is very strong natural selection. We conclude that over the past 3,000 years, lactase-persistent individuals had more children or, alternatively, those children had better chances of survival than those without this trait. Prof Burger added: In each generation lactase-persistent individuals have a 6% greater chance of surviving to reproductive age than non-lactase-persistent individuals. But researchers say there is still no answer to why being able to digest the sugar in milk after infancy provided such a big evolutionary advantage. The study also analysed the genetic material in Bronze Age bones found in eastern and south-eastern Europe for comparison. Scientists found these also showed low frequencies of lactase persistence. Story continues Researchers say the conflict in the Tollense valley is considered the oldest known battle in Europe. Remains were first discovered there in the 1990s, and for more than 10 years archaeologists have been systematically searching a kilometre-long section along the river. The bones of more than 100 individuals have been discovered, many of them exhibiting signs of violent combat. Many still contain arrowheads, while some skulls look to have been crushed by blunt objects. Marty Switzer has been the CEO of Contango Asset Management Limited (ASX:CGA) since 2017, and this article will examine the executive's compensation with respect to the overall performance of the company. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Contango Asset Management. Check out our latest analysis for Contango Asset Management How Does Total Compensation For Marty Switzer Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? According to our data, Contango Asset Management Limited has a market capitalization of AU$20m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth AU$448k over the year to June 2020. That's a slightly lower by 3.2% over the previous year. In particular, the salary of AU$412.5k, makes up a huge portion of the total compensation being paid to the CEO. On comparing similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations below AU$274m, we found that the median total CEO compensation was AU$373k. This suggests that Contango Asset Management remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average. What's more, Marty Switzer holds AU$356k worth of shares in the company in their own name. Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary AU$412k AU$440k 92% Other AU$35k AU$22k 8% Total Compensation AU$448k AU$462k 100% Speaking on an industry level, nearly 69% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 31% is other remuneration. According to our research, Contango Asset Management 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. A Look at Contango Asset Management Limited's Growth Numbers Contango Asset Management Limited's earnings per share (EPS) grew 68% per year over the last three years. Its revenue is up 58% over the last year. Story continues Shareholders would be glad to know that the company has improved itself over the last few years. The combination of strong revenue growth with medium-term EPS improvement certainly points to the kind of growth we like to see. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Has Contango Asset Management Limited Been A Good Investment? With a three year total loss of 60% for the shareholders, Contango Asset Management Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously. In Summary... As we touched on above, Contango Asset Management Limited 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. On the other hand, the company has logged negative shareholder returns over the previous three years. But EPS growth is moving in a favorable direction, certainly a positive sign. Overall, we wouldn't say Marty is paid an unjustified compensation, but shareholders might not favor a raise before shareholder returns show a positive trend. CEO pay is simply one of the many factors that need to be considered while examining business performance. We did our research and identified 3 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) in Contango Asset Management we think you should know about. 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. A blog post attributed to a history professor at George Washington University stated that she had assumed a Black identity for much of her career, despite being White. The author, Jessica A. Krug, said she has deceived friends and colleagues by falsely claiming several identities, including "North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness," according to the blog post on Medium. Krug, whose areas of expertise include African American history, Africa and Latin America, is White and Jewish, she admitted. "I am not a culture vulture. I am a culture leech," the post said. "I have thought about ending these lies many times over many years, but my cowardice was always more powerful than my ethics." Krug did not return multiple requests for comment. Crystal Nosal, a university spokesperson, said officials are aware of the Medium post and looking into the situation. She declined to comment further. Krug has taught history courses at GWU since 2012, including classes about the African diaspora and African history, according to the university's website. Aria Sakona, a 21-year-old senior, said she's taking Krug's class on Latin American history this semester. "I was definitely very shocked. I was just completely perplexed since I just had a class with her on Monday," Sakona said about Krug. "She definitely kind of indicated a tie to the Latinx community." Sakona, who is African American, said there are several Hispanic and first-generation students in the class, which is being taught remotely. She hopes the university will find another professor, preferably someone from the Latin American community, to teach the material. "It just breaks my heart that these students came in, very bright-eyed and eager, to learn about Latin heritage and the history," said Sakona, who is studying international affairs with a concentration in Latin American and international development. "We all placed a lot of trust in her." Krug, in the blog post, said she had been "audaciously deceptive." She expressed remorse but did not apologize for her actions. She said she has been battling "unaddressed mental health demons" for her entire life and started to assume a false identity as a child. "But mental health issues can never, will never, neither explain nor justify, neither condone nor excuse, that, in spite of knowing and regularly critiquing any and every non-Black person who appropriates from Black people, my false identity was crafted entirely from the fabric of Black lives," she said. People who reacted on social media to Krug's announcement compared her to Rachel Dolezal, a White civil rights activist and Howard University graduate who claimed to be Black. Dolezal was president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Wash., in 2015 when her family exposed the truth about her identity. Krug, like Dolezal, has focused much of her work on the Black community. She has written extensively on the subject of Blackness, and in an essay about the Puerto Rican uprising against its governor in 2019, Krug said she was a "boricua," a term used for Puerto Ricans. She described herself as "an unrepentant and unreformed child of the hood" who has spent much of her time advocating for communities of color and opposing gentrification in New York. Krug's book, "Fugitive Modernities: Politics and Identity Outside the State in Kisama, Angola, and the Americas, c. 1594-Present," earned her spots as a finalist for awards named after Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. She became part of a network of Black scholars, many of whom took to Twitter to condemn Krug's actions. Hari Ziyad, a Black author, screenwriter and editor in chief of the online publication, RaceBaitr, posted a thread of tweets about Krug. Ziyad called Krug "a friend up until this morning." "For years I defended her work, and her from her own self-loathing," Ziyad tweeted. "I always knew there was something off. It was in her persistent negativity and jealousy, her always needing to prove her authenticity at the expense of everything else." Krug said she grew up in suburban Kansas City, but has eschewed her experiences there. Family members said Krug had disassociated herself from the family decades ago but that as a young person she was very smart, active in sports, studious, and very interested in causes, including racial equality - and that today's revelation that she had been presenting herself as something other than a white, blond, Jewish woman from Kansas was astonishing. Krug, in the Medium post, said she had been alienated from her birth family. Yomaira Figueroa, an associate professor at Michigan State University did not know Krug, but knows many who did. "People who were very close to her are devastated," Figueroa said. "People who don't know her are aghast that she would perpetuate these lies and gain access to these spaces in the academy, the resources," such as grants and fellowships to advance herself and thus shutting out others from attaining them. The University of Wisconsin at Madison, where Krug earned a Ph.D in 2012, announced in 2009 that she was one of the recipients of the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowships who would be traveling to Angola and Brazil to study history. A spokeswoman for the Education Department was not immediately able to confirm that. "She was definitely trying to portray herself as having had the worst kinds of experiences," growing up, perpetuating stereotypes that people have about Puerto Rican or Black people, said Figueroa, who is a Black Latina, "and trying to take the kind of clout that would give her." Figueroa, who grew up working poor in Hoboken, N.J. said the deception from a white midwestern woman felt personal. "It's really disgusting," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report. Still, construction is underway at 932 W. Fulton St., where eventually Rose Mary will bloom. The name, which Flamm credits to his wife, refers to both the herb and the shared names of Flamms grandmothers. Rosemary is a welcome sign at Croatian weddings, Flamm said, and at our wedding, we placed rosemary on the tables as a sign of welcome and good luck. Venezuelan businessman Leonardo Santilli was gunned down on Tuesday by a motorcycle assassin in Venezuela, officials said. Santilli was charged with money laundering in Miami due to laundering millions of dollars from oil contracts. The Venezuelan businessman died from several gunshot wounds in what police said as a possible professional hit. Reports said the businessman was inside his car in a parking lot outside a pharmacy on the seaside city of Lecherias, which is east of Caracas. The assailant approached the vehicle on a motorcycle around five in the afternoon. Witnesses said the assailant fired as many as eight times at Santilli before leaving on the motorcycles, said the reports. People at the scene tried to help the Venezuelan businessman and took him in his vehicle to a hospital before he died. Santilli was charged in Miami in March for playing a role as a broken-in nearly $150 million money-laundering scheme. This involved oil contracts with the Venezuelan government under President Nicolas Maduro. According to the filed criminal complaint, five subsidiaries of the state-owned oil company sent the money to his two South Florida businesses to buy equipment and other supplies for them in 2014-2017. Santilli spent about one-third of that money on actual goods for the PDVSA subsidiaries. He then diverted the rest through South Florida bank accounts to himself, his family members, Venezuelan government officials, and national oil company executives. Federal prosecutors Michael Nadler and Michael Berger have charged over a doze Venezuelan businessman and government officials over the past four years. The charges include stealing billions of dollars from PDVSA through inflated contracts, sham loans, and currency-exchange schemes. Many business people, with Santilli included, have been charged with setting up companies and bank accounts in Miami to steer millions in bribes to state oil company executives and others. Prosecutors acquired warrants from a federal magistrate judge to freeze 17 bank accounts controlled by Santilli and his two companies in the Miami area. The total take from these was nearly $45 million. The U.S. attorney's office refused to comment on Santilli's death. Still, it is expected to seize his bank assets in Miami and continue investigating the PDVSA subsidiaries in Venezuela. Earlier in March, reports said that prosecutors detailed millions of dollars in bribes Santilli allegedly paid officials at the joint ventures to win the contracts. Emails, bank records, interviews with confidential witnesses, and some PDVSA officials acknowledged receiving bribes. U.S. authorities since then unearthed "wide-scale corruption" since opening the investigation. Former PDVSA general counsel Edoardo Orsoni and Petrocedeno's ex-procurement chief Lennys Rangel reportedly took bribes from a contractor who ran several companies to exchange awarding business to them. Orsoni and Rangel both appeared before Miami federal court on March 12. They both pleaded not guilty and were released on bond. Reports said that Rangel agreed to take over $5 million in return for awarding Petrocedeno contracts to Florida contractors. Meanwhile, Orsoni also agreed to receive cash for directing Petrocedeno, which another unnamed PDVSA subsidiary, business to certain contractors. Check these out: Why Venezuela is Latin America's Most Corrupt Country Obama Executive Order on Venezuela: President Obama Executive Order Bans Venezuela Government Officials in US, Transfer of Goods Maria Gabriela Chavez Net Worth: Hugo Chavez's Daughter Richest Woman in Venezuela, Worth $4.2 Billion There's this girl, and I love her, and I've never been more honest with anyone. Maybe my mother and that's great. Right? Here's the problem: We've been "talking" on and off for a year and a half, and she's always had feelings for me but I was afraid to take the next step, and managed to foil everything again, again and again, by hooking up. The Canadian heavy oil benchmark rose on Wednesday after a pipeline carrying diluent necessary for oil sands production was shut down following a leak over the weekend, affecting production at a project operated by an Exxon subsidiary. The discount of Western Canadian Select (WCS) the benchmark price of oil from Canadas oil sands delivered at Hardisty, Alberta relative to the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude narrowed to below $10 a barrel for the first time since August 17, according to Bloomberg estimates of NE2 Group data. On Wednesday, the October contract of Western Canadian Select closed at $31.86, while WTI Crude settled at $41.51. The shutdown of the pipeline carrying diluent has affected production at the Kearl oil sands project of Imperial Oil, which is majority-owned by ExxonMobil. Inter Pipeline, the operator of the diluent pipeline, said on Saturday that it had detected a leak along its pipeline systems east of the Fort McMurray Airport. Inter Pipeline shut down and isolated its Polaris and Corridor pipeline systems. On Monday, the company confirmed that a segment of the Polaris pipeline would remain shut down until further notice, while the Corridor pipeline system was not impacted and safely restarted earlier that day. The partial shutdown of the Polaris pipeline affected production at Imperials Kearl facility, which has ceased all production. The facilities remain ready to ramp up to full production rates once the diluent pipeline is back in service and diluent supply is restored, Imperial said on Wednesday. At this point, it is not clear when diluent supply will be restored, a spokeswoman for Inter Pipeline told The Canadian Press. If the outage is prolonged, the shortage of diluent could affect production not only at Imperials Kearl, but also at oil sands projects operated by other major Canadian firmsCenovus Energy, Canadian Natural Resources, and Husky Energy, analysts at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co warned. Husky spokeswoman Kim Guttormson told The Canadian Press in an email: Re: Polaris, we are being impacted by the shutdown, however we have other options to help mitigate the effects. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads from Oilprice.com: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 Trend: The members of the leadership (Bureau) of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) expressed concern at a meeting held on September 2 about the illegal resettlement of Lebanese Armenians to the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, Trend reports. The Bureau's members are also concerned by the intensity of provocations committed by the aggressor country against Azerbaijan in recent months. A press release published on the results of the online meeting of the Bureau of the assembly on the OSCE PA website said that OSCE PA President, Giorgi Tsereteli touched upon issues related to the ongoing conflicts in the OSCE region, the escalation that has occurred in recent months on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the illegal border process continuing on the territory of Georgia, and the continuation of the illegal occupation of the territories of Ukraine. The Bureau members also discussed the existing prospects for the OSCE PA to contribute to the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the latest situation in the US, and Belarus, the importance of eliminating the consequences created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The press release said that OSCE PA Vice-President, Azay Guliyev, touching upon the current situation around the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, informed the Bureau members about the letters addressed to President Tsereteli and heads of delegations of several countries on the OSCE PA. The vice president of the OSCE PA noted that these letters contain a call to support a just resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict under international law and the principles of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. The official information disseminated by the OSCE PA in the press in connection with the Bureau meeting contains the protest of the vice-president of the structure against the policy of Armenia on the illegal settlement of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. OSCE PA Vice-President Azay Guliyev raised the issue of resettlement of Lebanese Armenians by Armenia to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan after the recent explosion in Beirut and expressed concern in this regard. At this meeting, along with the listed issues, the facts of Armenia's provocation against Azerbaijan in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz and the arming of Armenia by Russia were also discussed. The expression of the attitude of the OSCE PA to the provocative activities carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan is of particular importance for giving a more adequate assessment of the aggressor country by the international community and protecting the fair position of Azerbaijan. 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. Businessman Deripaskas defamation action against Navalny suspended RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:42 03/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) The Moscow Commercial Court has suspended consideration of a defamation claim filed by businessman Oleg Deripaska against Alexey Navalny, the applicants lawyer Alexey Melnikov has told RAPSI. They decided it was right to wait for Navalnys full recovery, according to the attorney. The applicant seeks to oblige the defendant to refute information distributed in several videos on the Youtube-channel of Navalny. Moreover, the tycoon demands a 1-ruble moral compensation from the blogger. Earlier, Navalny filed a petition with Russias Supreme Court challenging an order to remove and refute information on the Crimean meat processing plant Druzhba Narodov he had distributed. The Moscow District Commercial Court has dismissed Navalnys cassation appeal in this defamation dispute. Navalny challenged the Moscow Commercial Courts ruling of February 2019, and the July 2019, ruling of the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals. The Moscow Commercial Court ruled in favor of Druzhba Narodov on February 12, 2019. The court declared information distributed by Navalny in one of his videos untrue and discrediting the plants business standing. The statements read that the meat processing plant inflated prices for food products purveyed for the National Guard, delivered bad quality goods and accused the plant employees of embezzlement during supplies. According to the court ruling, the defendant did not furnish evidence of credibility of the disseminated information. On July 26, 2019, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals upheld the ruling. Home and contents policyholders have been encouraged to check their insurer will cover them for working at home for the rest of 2020. As the Government encourages more people to head back to the office, this could possibly lead to dispute between insurers and policyholders, according to insurer, Urban Jungle. This is despite the fact that office-based workers who continue to work from home, due to the coronavirus pandemic, have been advised they will not need to contact their insurance firm to inform them of their change in circumstance. Meanwhile, data from a comparison website suggest that coronavirus lockdown has caused home cover costs to increase - and could continue to rise in the coming years. The ABI said policyholders shouldn't need to inform insurers about changes in circumstance It was decided by the Association of British Insurers at the beginning of the crisis that policyholders should not need to contact their insurer to update or extend their cover arrangements. This was reviewed at the end of August and the changes will remain in place until at least 31 October, when they will be reviewed again. As part of the changes, home insurance policies would not need to be changed as more people had to work from home, and their cover would not be affected by the changes. For those who have to drive to their workplace because of the impact of Covid-19, their insurance policy will also not be affected. Mark Shepherd, ABI assistant director and head of general insurance policy, said: 'Insurers are committed to helping customers throughout these challenging times. 'If you are an office-based worker who is working from home or an employee driving to your workplace because of the pandemic you are covered. 'The insurance industry plays a vital role as a final safety net for customers and the extension of these customer pledges demonstrates the industry's commitment to supporting those impacted by the crisis.' The home and motor pledges were reviewed on 1 September 2020 and will remain in place until 31 October, at which point they will be reviewed again. Home working became the norm this year, with figures from the Office for National Statistics showing nearly half of the UK's 32million strong workforce worked from home during lockdown. However, insurance customers have also been warned that there are likely to be disputes pitting the self-employed and homeworkers against the insurance industry if, when reviewed, customers must inform their insurers they are working from home. Home insurance is meant to cover those currently working from home due to the pandemic As government guidance has also changed it now encourages people to go back to their place of work it may be easier for insurers to draw a distinction between home and the office. Jimmy Williams, of insurer Urban Jungle, said: 'Some insurers aren't being very flexible and are insisting that domestic policies don't cover incidents if people are working from home or if they are running a business. 'So, if you spill tea on your laptop while writing a work email, they might say: 'you're not covered'. 'When lockdown was in place, it would have been harder for insurers to draw a distinction between the office and home. But now, government guidance is different, it is easier for them to do so. 'We don't think this is right as so many people are now working from home, either because going to the office doesn't feel safe or because they are freelancing.' As such, customers are encouraged to check with their insurer directly to ensure they will be covered should anything go wrong in the home. This is Money asked other insurers if they plan to cover home workers after 31 October. LV= is one such insurer that has assured its home insurance customers that their policies automatically cover them for working from home even after the review takes place at the end of next month. As standard, all home insurance policies with LV= automatically insure customers who are either choosing to work from home or have been made to do so. Office equipment owned by customers, such as desks, printers and chairs, are covered as standard and anyone running a business from home and doing clerical work should also be covered. Any equipment provided by their employer, such as laptops, monitors and chairs isn't covered, but this should be insured by the company. Heather Smith, Managing Director of LV= GI Direct, said: 'Through Covid-19, many people have found themselves having to work from home and even though lockdown restrictions are easing some are realising that they would much prefer to continue working this way in the future, irrespective of what happens with Covid-19. 'Our customers have always been covered for working from home as standard and this will remain the case, even after the 31 October when the pledge by the ABI is reviewed.' A Direct Line spokesperson said: 'Customers are covered under their home insurance policy to work from home, as long as their work is of a clerical nature, such as using a phone or laptop. Customers do not need to notify us of this change in working pattern. 'However, if individuals are working from home and are doing a role that isn't clerical in nature, or indeed are likely to have an increased number of visitors to their home on business matters, they should call us to see if cover is available and to make any necessary changes to their policy.' Meanwhile, Aviva said its policies cover individuals carrying out administration work from home as standard and this would not be classed as business use. On this basis, there would be no need for customers to contact Aviva to inform it that theyre working from home. A spokesperson for Admiral added: 'Customers who are normally office based but are doing clerical work at home, currently dont have to inform us. 'We are reviewing our processes beyond October and this will allow for changing working arrangements whereby the home becomes the primary place of work for many people.' Customers are encouraged to check they are covered for working from home with their insurer Homeowners paying highest rates for insurance Homeowners are paying the highest rates for combined content and building insurance since 2013, with the upward trend continuing through lockdown, according to new research by MoneySupermarket. Based on more than seven years of data and millions of home insurance customer quotes, the research shows that the average combined home insurance cost now stands at 146.72 - the highest since 2013 where prices peaked at 154.43. Some areas of the country even exceeded 2013 costs during the lockdown months of April, May and June 2020, with 21 areas witnessing the highest premiums ever. Guernsey's costs are the most expensive of these, rising 16 per cent since 2019 to over 250 per month. Combined home insurance costs are 29 per cent higher in July 2020, at an average of 146.20, than they were in early 2017 when they were at their lowest at 113.30. Premiums also rose by 4.16 per cent nationwide over the past year and 2.08 per cent between March and July 2020. Looking at buildings-only insurance, the lockdown months of April, May and June saw the highest average premiums ever recorded by MoneySupermarket at 112.59. This trend was clearly visible across the UK, with 46 per cent of all areas recording their highest ever buildings-only premium. Kate Devine, head of home insurance at MoneySupermarket, said: 'There are several possible drivers behind the continuing rise in premiums. Covid-19 lockdown which ran from 23 March until restrictions started to ease in June may have played a part. 'With many people remaining constantly at home schooling, working and even exercising the rate of accidental damage becomes significantly higher, and more claims spell higher costs for insurers. 'In the coming months, as the nation maneuvers the recession, it's likely the home insurance costs will fluctuate. 'For example, the government's stamp duty break is encouraging a spike in home moves, which could potentially cause a subsequent impact on home insurance costs.' During the past six weeks, four dogs have been killed by poisoning in the vicinity of the Yesiluzumlu Mosque. Two of the dogs were owned by local business owners of Selale Restaurant and the other two were well known and loved street dogs. The Selale pets, Gizmo and Kzce were poisoned several weeks ago, street dogs Buddy about six weeks ago and Blackie just last week. There is a very proactive animal protection group in Yesiluzumlu, Street & Shelter Dog Support Group Fethiye Area-Turkey, who are extremely concerned about this latest turn of events. Gizmo and Kzce Buddy On Tuesday 1st September a number of interested parties met in Park Alya Restaurant to discuss the poisonings and what could be done to prevent any future occurrences. Chair of the meeting was local businesswoman, Zeynep Ebru Aksoy, who expressed deep sorrow for the animals that were poisoned. Ebru invited ideas from the meeting attendees how best to proceed and what proactive measures could be taken. A number of options were discussed and it was decided that a reward of 1,111 TL should be offered for any photographic evidence, or a smaller reward, for verbal information that leads to the identity of the offending person(s). Any information received would be treated in the strictest confidence. Other options discussed and agreed were encouraging local authorities, like the Jandarma and Zabita, to make intensive investigations into the poisonings and bring those responsible to justice. The local Imam has also been approached and asked to mention in Friday prayers that taking ANY life is a sin. Information boards have also been erected adjacent to the Mosque entrance. An online and paper petition will also be arranged. Yesiluzumlu has a deservedly excellent reputation for the care of all street animals and it is feared that, unless something is done to stop the poisonings, that reputation will be somewhat tarnished. Many visitors come to the village to enjoy the local amenities and most enjoy the company and antics of the animals and some local business owners are concerned that the poisonings may make visitors think twice about coming. Featured image Blackie LOBAMBA Eswatini Ambassador to Qatar Felizwe Dlamini is expected to reimburse government about E100 000 for his dental procedures, among others. The order came from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Matsanjeni North Member of Parliament (MP) Phila Buthelezi yesterday. This was after the committee asked how much had been recovered from the ambassador by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in terms of monthly repayments. However, acting Principal Secretary in the ministry, Jennifer Neves, said they were still going to write to the ambassador informing him that since some of the medical procedures were not covered under General Orders and government circulars as observed aby the auditor general (AG), then he had to pay it back. Lenses The AG had uncovered that Dlamini had been reimbursed about E27 974 for dental treatment charges and an additional E44 200 for acquisition of eye glasses and contact lenses. Although the ambassadors name was not mentioned in the audit report, members of the PAC insisted that Neve name the officer who holds the employment number 8339166. We want to know who this officer with expensive teeth is, said Dvokodvweni MP Mduduzi Magagula, whose statement was echoed by MP Buthelezi. The PAC also learned that government was made to pay for personal DHL charges where it was uncovered that an amount of E6 653 was paid from public funds. The invoices reflected that the embassy courier service was used to transport personal items belonging to the family of the ambassador which listed a Mrs Elena Dlamini in Ngonini and one Taras Dlamini in Milan, Italy. The acting PS asked if it was necessary to give out the name of the ambassador and wondered if the same would have applied if it was just a normal officer. However, the PAC did not entertain her protest and she eventually revealed Dlaminis name. She told the PAC that the office of the ambassador and the ministry were in discussions on a waiver of the payment in particular of the medical bills because there was no health insurance cover provided in Qatar. Embassy However, we are going to write to the embassy as early as this evening (yesterday) and inform them of the PACs decision, said Neves. It was further revealed that the ambassador had medical fees of about E7 726, but there were no medical practitioners prescriptions. Member of the PAC, who is also Lubombo Region MP Lorraine Nxumalo, said it was clear that the ministry had not made any means to get refunds from officers who owed government. She said it was evident because Neves kept on saying that they would write to the officers or report on events which had only taken place within the last few days or weeks. The PAC said the ministry should within seven days show them the communication between themselves and the ambassador where he would commit to repaying the money. We expect that the deductions start being made by the end of October in the next two months said MP Buthelezi. Neves refuted that the ministry had not taken any action, but the PAC insisted that they were dragging their feet. It was highlighted that the PAC Standing Committee Chairperson Sibusiso Msibi was also not present during the sitting which was probably the reason why the ministry seemed to be behind on addressing issues. However, Neves highlighted that Msibi was on compassionate leave and outside the country. This was after MP Buthelezi had highlighted that Parliament business took precedence over all other issues. France puts jobs at heart of economic rescue plan France fears a spike in layoffs in coming months The French government said Thursday that employment would be paramount as it unleashed a colossal spending plan for its virus-hit economy that has been hemorrhaging jobs. Prime Minister Jean Castex promised 160,000 new jobs next year as part of a recovery plan worth 100 billion euros ($120 billion), launched at a time when daily virus numbers in France are again on the rise. "The ambition and size of this plan are historic," Castex told reporters after a cabinet meeting backing the stimulus package, which he said would help return the French economy to its pre-pandemic level by 2022. The economy has experienced its worst downward spiral since 1945, with gross domestic product (GDP) plunging by 13.8 percent in the second quarter, after a drop of more than five percent in the first. The government has said French companies could shed 800,000 positions this year. - 'Absolute priority' - "Our absolute priority is jobs," Castex said. The budget boost -- a combination of new spending and tax breaks, mostly for companies -- comes on top of hundreds of billions already spent in an early pandemic response. Some 40 billion euros of the plan are to be covered by funds from a 750-billion-euro EU-wide deal agreed after much acrimony in July, Castex said. France expects to present the programme next month to EU partners whose approval is needed to unblock the funds, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune said. Castex also vowed that the package would trigger no new taxes. Kathrin Muehlbronner, a vice president at rating agency Moody's, said the "reasonably large" package at around 4.5 percent of GDP would not change the agency's view on France's fiscal strength or credit profile. The new stimulus is "not just designed to dress the wounds from the crisis," Castex told Le Figaro daily in an interview before Thursday's presentation. "It lays the groundwork for the future," he said, echoing President Emmanuel Macron's assertion that its emphasis on decarbonising the economy, improving corporate competitiveness and creating jobs would usher in "the France of 2030." Story continues Castex said France would now revive the job of high commissioner for planning, more than a decade after the position was ditched, to help the government identify strategic economic choices for the next decade. He said the job would go to Francois Bayrou, a respected centrist, former government minister and presidential candidate. "The time for a relaunch has come," tweeted Macron. - 'A bygone era' - Much of the new plan targets the corporate sector, which will get 35 billion euros' worth of help. But Philippe Martinez, head of the leftist CGT union, faulted the government for failing to extract promises from companies that they would safeguard jobs in return. "They gave money to Air France and Renault and for what? Job cuts. Is that what public money is for?" he said. Some 30 billion euros are earmarked for greener policies. Activists said this was too little, and called on the government to make companies commit to environmental targets. "The government is presenting a recovery plan from a bygone era," said Jean-Francois Juilliard, head of Greenpeace France. "There's nothing about cutting road or air traffic, nothing on any reduction of meat, egg or dairy production which would be needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions," he said. - Businesses or consumers? - The government has resisted calls for specific measures to bolster consumer spending, saying its heavy financing of continued salaries for those out of work was enough. French households have accumulated 80 billion euros in savings since March, significant firepower if they could be induced to spend, analysts say. Opposition politicians meanwhile said the new money might come too late to save many companies. "This should have been done before the summer," said centre-right LR party head Christian Jacob. European stock markets welcomed the stimulus plan, seeing it as a "huge statement of intent," according to Craig Erlam, an analyst with the Oanda trading firm. "Combined with the (eurozone) recovery package, it's clear the bloc is not going down without a fight," he told AFP. mhc-jh/js/wai Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat on Tuesday bizarrely reacted to a tweet by United States President Donald Trump where the latter had demanded Law and Order in the country amidst mounting public anger over the death of a Black Lives Matter demonstrator. Quoting Trumps tweet, the Islamabad DC wrote, Noted. Action will be taken. While netizens had mixed views on Shafqaats sense of humour for mocking Trump, a Pakistani news channel slammed him. Noted. Action will be taken https://t.co/B2Fxfbcbng Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat (@hamzashafqaat) August 31, 2020 Pakistans GTV reporter thought that the Deputy Commissioners reaction to Trumps tweet was offensive and extremely serious. In a news bulletin, the reporter said, Look at the audacity of the DC of Islamabad, responding to the tweet by American President Donald Trump. When sarcasm got lost in translation. Trump tweets "Law & order", DC Islamabad quotes him with "Noted. Action will be taken." GTV thinks it was all extremely serious. pic.twitter.com/2MvRGiOsV3 Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) September 2, 2020 READ | "I Can Walk There Now": Delusions Of Pakistan's 'Kashmir Minister' Shock Interviewer READ | Bizarre: Imran's Pakistan Asked Tinder To 'remove Dating Service', Then Banned It & 4 More 'Sarcasm lost in translation' A short video of the news report has been circulating on social media, with netizens slamming the Islamabad DC. DC Islamabad is trolling Trump? Doesn't he have anything better to do in his official duty? In a Riyasat e Madina Deputy Commissioners are mere trolls who instead of doing their jobs are busy trolling Presidents of other countries. Wow. Rajinder Singh (@Rajinde22931232) September 3, 2020 You both are good on twitter ONLY. Sandhaus (@Sandhaus_) August 31, 2020 Lolz, Trump must be looking at names of members of his cabinet again to find out who is this guy taking my tweets so serious. Muhammad Sufyan Khan (@engrsufyankhan) August 31, 2020 Noted haan ? If he saw your tweet, he will not retweet but retweet you with your job too ( Retweet with comment ). . Btw high level tweet Waheed Ahmad Gandapur (@WaheedAhmadGan1) September 1, 2020 READ | Facebook Suspends 453 Pakistani Accounts 'claiming To Be Based In India'; Spreading Lies READ | Pak PM Imran's 'special Advisor' Bajwa Hid US Pizza Empire In Declaration; Clear Hypocrite Bengaluru: Former prime minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday said though demonetisation was a bold decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not prepared for the problems that have arisen out of this move, leaving people disappointed. Almost all media - print and broadcast - have termed Modis demonetisation as a total failure, which brought disappointment to the people, he told reporters. On Modis December 31 address, Gowda said he was unable to understand the nature of the announcements made, whether it was a mini-budget or mini-joint address to be given by the President (Pranab Mukherjee). What message has the Prime Minister given to the country Is it a mini-budget or mini-joint address which is going to be given on the day of the joint session I dont know. I am unable to understand, he said. Gowda came down heavily on Modis announcement of a 60-day interest waiver for farmers who have taken loans from district co-operative banks and societies. Sixty days of waiver only What do you mean by that The country is suffering from severe drought and floods in some northern states and the relief given by the honourable Prime Minister, I am unable to understand, he said. On demonetisation, he said the Prime Minister had not prepared for problems of the people as the government issued 60 modified orders, including the I-T Act, by an ordinance. On November 8, the Prime Minister had taken a bold decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to eradicate black money and teach a lesson to persons holding black money. But in just 25 days there have been nearly more than 60 modified orders, including the I-T Act by an ordinance, he said. It is my humble opinion, he (Modi) was not prepared and the Finance Minister (Arun Jaitely) continued to go on issuing modified orders, he lamented For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Amid rising tensions with China in the Ladakh sector after provocative Chinese actions on the southern bank of Pangong Tso and Indias counter-manoeuvres to occupy key heights, chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Thursday said Pakistan could try to take advantage of any threat developing along Indias northern borders but warned that the Pakistani army would suffer heavy losses if it attempted any misadventure. Speaking at a seminar organised by the United States-India Strategic Partnership Forum on Navigating New Challenges, Rawat highlighted the threat of coordinated action by the militaries of China and Pakistan along the northern and western borders and stressed that the Indian armed forces were capable of handling the joint threat. The CDS said Indias military strategy to deal with a twin challenge would be based on identifying a primary and a secondary front for conducting operations. Also read: Amid impasse on LAC in Ladakh, India says only way forward through talks His comments came on a day when Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane reached Leh for a two-day security review of the Ladakh sector where India and China armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their forward and depth areas. The Indian Army has rejigged its deployments at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, including the northern bank of Pangong Lake, to prevent the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from making aggressive manoeuvres to unilaterally alter the status quo in the contested areas. Tensions flared in the sensitive sector after the Indian Army occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake five days ago to stop the PLA from grabbing Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move. Brigade commander-ranked officers from the two sides met for the fourth time in Chushul on Thursday to de-escalate tensions but the talks were inconclusive with neither army prepared to make concessions. Also read: Dont meddle in border dispute with India, China tells US On Wednesday, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria visited frontline bases under the Shillong-based Eastern Air Command to review the air forces operational readiness in the eastern sector. India has strengthened its military posture across the length of the LAC -- from Ladakh to Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh - to deal with any provocation by the Chinese military. India is also keeping a strict vigil on the western front to deter Pakistan from fishing in troubled waters and prevent what could turn out to be a two-front conflict. Experts said collusive action by China and Pakistan was a possibility. While hostility with Pakistan is out in the open, we are now witnessing military coercion by China in the Ladakh sector. Its not out of the realm of possibility that they could collude militarily. They already have strategic collusion, said Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd), a former Northern Army commander. Reports prepared by the parliamentary standing committee on defence over the last decade have delved into the threat China and Pakistan could pose together. Pakistan was likely to step up hostilities if China were to launch offensive operations against India, a senior military officer told the committee in 2014. He, however, stressed that China might not pose a collusive threat if hostilities were to break out between India and Pakistan. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indias sovereignty was supreme and if anyone threatened it from the Line of Control (LoC) to the LAC the armed forces would respond to them in the same language. Rawat said India has border management protocols with China to promote peace and tranquillity along the border but of late there have been aggressive actions by China that the Indian military is fully capable of handling. He said India was keeping track of the infrastructure development by China in the Tibet Autonomous Region and its implications were being considered while devising military strategy. The CDS referred to the Quad as a good arrangement to ensure complete freedom of navigation on the high seas and overflight, and unimpeded commerce. China has also been wary of the Quadrilateral security dialogue or Quad that was revived in late 2017 by India, the US, Australia and Japan, and these suspicions have increased since the four countries upgraded the forum to the ministerial level last year. Rawat said India and the US could soon finalise the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for sharing geospatial intelligence. He said India was seeking collaboration with the US to acquire high-end technologies in areas such as aerospace, space and artificial intelligence. He added there was tremendous scope for investments in India with the foreign direct investment limit raised to 74 percent. Lodowick Brodie Cobb Allison, better known as Wick, once referred to in these parts as The Publisher a position he held and wielded for roughly three years following the retirement of Bill Rusher has passed away. He fought a prolonged rearguard action bravely, and quietly, against persistent cancer over a decade. He was 72. Wick is best known, rightly so, for having founded D Magazine, Americas premier and influential, city-focused publication (and, eventually, media empire). He also played a major role in the survival and thriving of The American Conservative. Both those institutions will have much to say about their friend, benefactor, owner. Of his NR years and presence: Lets say it was somewhat of a wild ride. A drama. I had a mezzanine seat. When Bill Buckley offered the publishers role to Wick then living in New York, where he had launched the successful Arts & Antiques it could not be said that he was aloof as to NRs business oddities. He had been, after all, on the board of directors for a few years. But being a very political animal, and seeing in NR a premier brand name with even greater potential, as well as a vehicle for influencing the going-nowhere-fast Capitol Hill GOP, he accepted Bills offer. That baton was passed at the same time that WFB handed over NRs editorial reins to John OSullivan, implying a new era for a storied journal. It was expected that Wick would professionalize the mom-and-pop-store nature of NRs corporate affairs. How many ships have crashed on those rocks? Flashy, bold, adamant, back-slapping, fun (his cramped office was often the locus of a game of boules), impulsive, intimidating, Wick Allison was decidedly the Un-Rusher. True, they were very alike in one major way: Both men were fixated on seeing NR sway the Republican Party. In Wicks case, there was a game plan: Dallas-area congressman Steve Bartlett would enter the GOP leadership by displacing Guy Vander Jagt (pleasant, old-school, crooning, ineffectual) as head of the National Republican Congressional Committee. A chain reaction would commence. It was not to be. Story continues As for the ways of Rusher the publisher, and the ye olde ways of doing opinion-magazine business, with ingrained traits and peccadillos well, lets say their ability to defy and confound persisted, even against the efforts of a determined man. And that is what Wick was. The history is plentiful and contentious, but the scorecard reads that Publisher Allisons efforts to modernize the fogey ways of NR had some successes. That said, his tenure was short-lived: To put it diplomatically, there were excesses, head-buttings, presumptions, over-reaches. By late 1991, Wick wasnt leaving NR and NYC as much as he was headed back to Dallas. Many good things would happen there. As for those NR excesses, one was a brilliant idea, of the kind fated to be categorized as before its time. Wicks was Town Hall. Yes, that thing you know as Townhall.com was a pre-Internet conception of Wicks. Even in the days of dial-up modems, he believed, passionately, that the movement could coalesce and expand through a technical platform that would connect conservative individuals and institutions in one place. Town Halls functions were astounding at the time: distance meetings (think prehistoric Zoom), far-flung private chats, personal communications, camaraderie enhancement, all of that and more happening in a distinct conservative environment. It actually happened. But: The money secured to build and sustain Town Hall proved fleeting. Was it undercapitalized? Was there overspending? Both? Whatever the reasons, the dough that was to last for three years was disappearing within one. Which does not refute this fact: The premise of Town Hall was brilliant. Nor this one: Wick was a visionary. As they say, ahead of his time. A young NR writer redeployed to become Town Halls round-the-clock everything, I was at Wicks side as he visited conservative-organization leaders to explain the virtues of this new undertaking. The year being 1991, it was a hard sell: Too many an eye of too many a guru (who still found the fax machine confounding) glazed over. This is no effort to tell tales of Town Halls evolutions, still, I will share one personal story. A six-week beta-testing period was scheduled before the sites formal launch. Knowing (rightly!) that the job was going to consume my every moment, on a Friday night (via MCI Mail!), I ventured to ask Wick for four hours on each of the following two Saturdays to finish a major home project. Clear the decks, if you will. Well, you could hear him yelling in his electronic reply about how grateful a schmo like me should be to have a job, how could I think to ask, etc. He had his points. Okay, Wick, I said, I will do what I am told, request withdrawn, I was only asking. Case closed? Case not closed. The first thing the following Monday, the great Ed Capano (Wicks successor, and my predecessor, as publisher) called. He was alarmed: What the hell did you do? I found it hard to believe my request might have caused a ruckus, but it had. I explained my communications with Wick, with emphasis on my commitment to be the new NR galley slave. Ill call you back, he said. At lunchtime, he did. Its fixed, Ed said. Broken things get fixed: Was I fired? I asked him. Yes, was the reply. Wick was like that. Impulsive, immediate, lashing. Yep, it could be quite unfair in my case, I was fortunate to have an advocate in Ed. What if I hadnt? Im ashamed to say it now, but when Wick left NR, I shed no tear. Time can be wonderful, a softening and healing thing. Though his departure from NR resulted from contention, Wick, like many who have had an association with this Buckley enterprise, continued to retain ties. He wrote for the magazine on several occasions in the ensuing years and was a contributing editor. He maintained a true affection for Bill: In one of the nicer experiences of my three-plus decades here, Wick hosted a table when our founder was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame in 2005. There were fond feelings all around. It had been a dozen years since I had last seen Wick he could not have been more pleasant company, more genuinely happy to be with us. The feeling was mutual. A decade later, when I visited him at Ds impressive offices a match for the successful vision Wick has had for that expanding enterprise the same goodwill was plentiful and genuine. (Fun fact: At some point between those 2005 and 2015 visits, Wick called to ask me to be the publisher of The American Conservative. I was surprised, touched, and thanked him sincerely, but told him I was quite happy being the publisher of National Review.) Last August, a pal told me he heard Wick was quite ill. That the end was near. I contacted another friend who could answer the question: Was Wick dying? Nope, came the reply, attended by a picture taken just a day earlier of Wick, the relentless fly fisher, at his place in the Catskills, with pals, waders and vests, and all the regalia on, brandishing poles, big smiles beaming. Good. False alarm. A year to the day later, another pal contacted me Wick was dying. This time I contacted my old boss directly, fearful the news might be true. It was. I did not figure on hearing back. But I did. The night is closing in, Wick wrote. He was fatigued. He spoke about his lovely family (and dog!) and shared some terribly kind, personal words. And blessings. Yesterday, September 1, in the Catskills where he was truly happy, surrounded by his wife Christine and daughters Gillea, Maisie, Chrissie, and Loddie, Wick Allisons struggle ended. A fond memory: For a spell during his tenure as NR publisher, at noon every day at the old NR headquarters on East 35th Street, the practicing Catholics would gather, usually in the office of Brad Miner, then our literary editor, to indulge in the old, holy practice of saying The Angelus. Youd find Wick (a convert) in the thick of it. It is a good way to remember him, at one with work and God. Would that we could all be remembered thusly. Rest in Peace, old comrade. It is sorely deserved. More from National Review live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More A very large crude carrier New Diamond, chartered by India's top refiner Indian Oil Corp, caught fire in the morning off Colombo, sources with knowledge about the matter told Reuters. The full loaded vessel was heading to Paradip in eastern India from Mina Al Ahmandi in Kuwait, Refinitiv's ship tracking data shows. No immediate comment was available from IOC. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Police think the same group of about 20 juveniles is responsible for more than 60 burglaries at car dealerships and cell phone stores in Grand Rapids since June. Grand Rapids police on Wednesday, Sept. 2, said they need the publics help to stop the rash of burglaries, mostly by calling 911 immediately if they see something suspicious. Police say the juveniles, along with a handful of young adults, are stealing vehicles with the sole intent of using them to break into retail stores. Since June, more than 50 vehicles have been stolen from dealerships, car repair shops and car rental centers. The areas most targeted are along 28th Street and Leonard Street. The majority of burglaries and auto thefts have happened from 1-5 a.m. These offenders are brazen and should be considered dangerous, Grand Rapids police Sgt. James Wojczynski said in a written release. We have reason to believe, based on our investigations, that these stolen vehicles are also being used in other more serious crimes, including drive-by shootings. Additionally, reckless driving incidents involving these vehicles present a public danger and have resulted in serious injuries and fatalities. Police say they have arrested some juveniles involved with the break-ins, but they need help in stopping the rest. Detectives ask the public to call 911 about suspicious activity around car dealerships and cell phone stores. Officers also are monitoring various dealerships during their shifts. Police also remind staff at dealerships, repair shops and car rental centers to secure vehicle keys and the businesses at night. Anyone with information about the burglaries can call police at 456-3380 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. More from MLive Grand Rapids man critically injured in northern Kent County crash Decision on reopening of gyms, ice rinks, theaters coming very soon, Whitmer says Stranded Vietnamese citizens before board the plane home (Photo: VNA) Hanoi Vietnam authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia and Uzbekistan, together with Uzbekistan Airways and the European countrys relevant agencies on September 1-2 arranged a flight bringing 232 Vietnamese citizens home. The flight was conducted per order of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, carrying 226 workers, four students and two stranded businesspeople. Among the labourers, some had been declared being infected with SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 but were negative for the virus after the second testing. Safety and hygiene measures were applied during the flight to ensure safety for all passengers and the crew. In the context of movement restrictions caused by the pandemic, the Vietnamese Embassy closely joined hands with Uzbekistan Airways, local competent agencies and relevant companies to help the citizens with boarding procedures. Previously, the embassy stayed in touch with the citizens and the Vietnamese community in the country also provided them with necessities. All passengers and crewmembers on board received medical check-ups right after landing in the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi before being sent to quarantine facilities. In the coming time, more flights will be operated to repatriate Vietnamese citizens with disadvantaged circumstances, depending on their need and quarantine capacity at home. MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gala Therapeutics, Inc. (Gala), a developer of medical devices to treat pulmonary disease, today announced the publication of the results from its initial study evaluating the RheOx Bronchial Rheoplasty System for chronic bronchitis. The 12-month data published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the official journal of the American Thoracic Society, demonstrate the safety and feasibility of the novel therapy. The prospective multi-center study evaluated the use of RheOx in patients with moderate to severe chronic bronchitis, a phenotype of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which affects more than 9 million Americans. The study assessed safety, changes in airway histopathology and quality of life. Performed using a minimally invasive bronchoscopic procedure called Bronchial Rheoplasty, the RheOx System delivers non-thermal pulsed energy to the airways in the lungs to reduce mucus-producing cells, improving the symptoms of cough and mucus. "Chronic bronchitis is a debilitating disease that severely impacts a patient's quality of life, and there is little we can do to treat these patients today," said Arschang Valipour, MD, FCCP, Associate Professor, Karl-Landsteiner-Institute for Lung Research and Pulmonary Oncology, Klinik Floridsdorf, Wien, Austria. "These study results demonstrate the technical feasibility of the procedure and a favorable safety profile. The improvements in symptoms and quality of life are compelling." Bronchial Rheoplasty was performed successfully in 30 patients from five centers, with no device-related serious adverse events. Clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life were demonstrated through 12 months as measured using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Mean reductions from baseline in the CAT and SGRQ total scores were 7.0 and 15.2 points, respectively, exceeding the minimal clinically important differences of 2 points for CAT and 4 points for the SGRQ. These improvements were driven by a 28% reduction in cough and 41% reduction in mucus symptoms. Histopathological analysis of the airway mucosa showed a 39% reduction in mucus-producing goblet cell hyperplasia scores in the airways. "There is a significant unmet need for a therapy that can improve the quality of life for chronic bronchitis patients," said Jonathan Waldstreicher, MD, CEO of Gala Therapeutics. "We are pleased with the results and are dedicated to continuing to build the clinical evidence for this therapy." About RheOx RheOx is a bronchoscopic system designed to reduce mucus-producing cells in patients with Chronic Bronchitis. The revolutionary technology includes an electrosurgical generator and a single-use catheter that together deliver non-thermal energy to the airways to reduce the number of abnormal mucus-producing cells in the lungs, making way for new normal cells to redevelop. Patients treated with RheOx have reported improvements in symptoms and quality of life (www.galatherapeutics.com/patient-stories/). Currently under evaluation in an early feasibility study in the United States, RheOx is limited by federal (or United States) law to investigational use. RheOx received CE certification in 2019. About Gala Therapeutics Gala Therapeutics is a privately held medical device company based in Menlo Park, CA, that is dedicated to developing disease-modifying therapies that improve survival, quality of life, and outcomes for patients with pulmonary diseases. Formed by Apple Tree Partners, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm based in New York, Gala is building a portfolio of technologies to address the needs of interventional pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and all physicians who treat pulmonary disease. SOURCE Gala Therapeutics Related Links http://www.galatherapeutics.com New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a special keynote address at the third US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Annual Leadership Summit on Thursday (September 3, 2020). PM Modi will be sharing his views on Navigating New Challenges at USISPF Leadership Summit today. The PM took to Twitter and said, I will be sharing my views on Navigating New Challenges': Looking forward to address the @USISPForum #USIndiasummit2020. Will be sharing my views on Navigating New Challenges. Looking forward to address the @USISPForum #USIndiasummit2020. Will be sharing my views on Navigating New Challenges. Do join live this evening, 3rd September, at 9 PM India time. https://t.co/2ADyPYqoQf Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 3, 2020 PM Modi will start his address at 9 PM IST through video conference, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The theme of the 5-day summit that began on August 31 is US-India Navigating New Challenges which covers various subjects such as Indias potential in becoming a Global Manufacturing Hub, Opportunities in Indias Gas Market, Ease of Doing Business to attract FDI in India, Common Opportunities and Challenges in Tech Space. It also covers the Indo-Pacific Economic issues, Innovation in Public Health and others. Union Ministers and senior officials are also participating in the virtual summit. Notably, the USISPF is a non-profit organization that works for the partnership between India and the US and was established in 2017. The USISPF plays a significant role in fostering a robust and dynamic relationship between the two countries through policy advocacy aimed to drive economic growth, entrepreneurship, employment-creation, and innovation to create a more inclusive society. The tank team finished second on September 2, just behind Myanmar, in the second match of Group 2s semi-final round in the Tank Biathlon, after completing three rounds of competition in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 6 seconds, against Myanmars 2 hours, 18 minutes and 4 seconds. The two teams and the others, from Laos and Tajikistan, will continue their rivalry in the final round. Vietnamese snipers, meanwhile, secured second place in Group A1 behind host Belarus in the third stage of the Sniper Frontier contest, called Sniper Relay. The two remaining teams are from Russia and Uzbekistan. Earlier, on August 31, Vietnams emergency rescue team finished third out of 10 teams in the first round of the Emergency Area competition. On August 30, Vietnamese combat engineers finished the Safe Route challenge in 46 minutes, ranking third and picking up a bronze medal. The team received the same coloured medal last year, when competing at the Army Games for the first time. The anti-aircraft missile team came third in the Confident Reception challenge by obtaining 89 and 82 out of 100 points in the confident reception and transfer stages, respectively. On September 2, the Vietnamese delegation held a special festival to mark their countrys 75th National Day, featuring arts and musical performances and a culinary exchange. Very Big Things, an award-winning digital product agency, announced today that the virtual interactive training agent (ViTA) system, designed in partnership with the Dan Marino Foundation, has been selected as the Product of the Year by the UX Design Awards. The ViTA system, a Dan Marino Foundation program, immerses users in a mock interview experience that is enjoyable, yet educational, technologically advanced, and comfortable. The web-based platform can be used on nearly any computer or tablet and requires no special hardware or software. The websites design, color choices, typography and text content are all designed for maximum usability and accessibility by people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Users practice social interactions during interviews and other job search-related communication. Usable in multiple languages, the platform lets teachers add their own dynamic interview questions and scripts Very Big Things accomplished this advanced engineering breakthrough with cutting-edge graphics libraries and extreme attention to the user experience. Very Big Things used Three.js, a cross-browser JavaScript library, to create the 3D computer graphics. Using custom 3D frameworks for webGL, the team created skeletons for models inside of the web browser and animated them with lifelike movements. They perfected light-based visuals by adding effects such as subsurface scattering, which mimics the natural appearance of skin. We are extremely proud of the work we were able to do with the Dan Marino Foundation, said Chris Stegner, CEO and Co-Founder of Very Big Things. We made huge breakthroughs in what is possible to be achieved in a web browser, using cutting edge graphic libraries, remarkable engineering and refining. This UX approach allows users to focus on interviews through beautiful, unobtrusive flows and visuals. The Dan Marino Foundation created ViTA, virtual interactive training agent, as a means for young people in our program to practice interviewing for potential employment, said Mary Partin, CEO of the Dan Marino Foundation. Very Big Things took the time to first get to know our team and understand what we were working to accomplish. Then they transformed the Foundations vision into reality...virtual reality! The UX Design Awards are a global competition for outstanding user and customer experience. Originating in 2008 as a show for usability, the Awards were established in 2015. The annual competition is open for products, services, environments, prototypes and concepts as well as for future-oriented visions. The awards present all nominated projects in an exhibition at the global tech show, Internationale Funkausstellung, in Berlin, Germany. About Very Big Things: Very Big Things, an award-winning digital product agency, designs and develops unique digital experiences for startups and enterprise clients. Very Big Things fuses cutting-edge technologies and techniques with innovative approaches to create amazing user experiences. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the 60-person firm has offices in three countries. For more information, please visit verybigthings.com. About the Dan Marino Foundation: Founded by Dan and Claire Marino shortly after their son, Michaels, autism diagnosis in 1992. The Dan Marino Foundation has a long and distinguished history of life-changing programs and services, with the mission to "empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. The Foundation has raised more than $84 million to create and support unique and impactful initiatives. Among these are the Nicklaus Children's Hospital Dan Marino Outpatient Center, the Marino Autism Research Institute, Marino Adapted Aquatics, and Marino Campus post-secondary schools in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. In the spring of 2020, Marino Virtual Learning will premiere offering online courses focused on social competency, independent living, and gainful employment. At the forefront of creating award winning technologies with partners like Google and Magic Leap to reach non-traditional learners, the Dan Marino Foundation continues to be a game changer for children, teens and young adults with autism and other disabilities. For more information, please visit https://danmarinofoundation.org. In addition, please follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. NEW DELHI: China on Thursday (September 3, 2020) said that Indias move to ban 118 more mobile applications violates the legal interests of the Chinese investors and service providers. Chinas Commerce Ministry Spokesman Gao Feng told a media briefing that Beijing is seriously concerned and resolutely opposes the ban on Chinese mobile Apps. The reaction from China came a day after the Narendra Modi government banned 118 more mobile apps with Chinese links, including popular gaming App PUBG, citing data privacy concerns and a threat to national security. The 118 apps banned on Wednesday include Baidu, Baidu Express Edition, Alipay, Tencent Watchlist, FaceU, WeChat reading, Government WeChat, Tencent Weiyun, APUS Launcher Pro, APUS Security, Cut Cut, ShareSave by Xiaomi, and CamCard, besides PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite, according to an official government release. With this, the total number of Chinese-linked mobile apps banned by India has risen to 224. "The Government blocks 118 mobile apps which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order," a statement from the Electronics and IT Ministry said. The move comes amid fresh border tensions with China in Ladakh. The statement cited numerous complaints received by the IT Ministry from various sources, including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data to servers outside India. "The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the government release said. Earlier on June 29, the government had banned 59 Chinese apps, including hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. That ban, applicable on apps such as WeChat and Bigo Live, had come in the backdrop of a standoff along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh with Chinese troops. The June ban was followed by blocking of 47 more Chinese apps that were clones and variants of the ones banned earlier. On Wednesday, the government said the Electronics and IT Ministry, invoking its powers under section 69A of the Information Technology Act along with relevant rules and in view of the emergent nature of threats, has decided to block the 118 mobile apps. These apps have been blocked "in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order", it said. "The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps. Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India," the statement said. The latest list also includes mobile applications such as Learn Chinese AI, Hi Meitu, VPN for TikTok, Beauty Camera Plus, along with a host of gaming apps. The move to ban the apps will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users, the statement said, adding the decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Latest released the research study by Market Research Future (MRFR) on Influenza Vaccination Market share Market Research Future added a new Report in their huge database named as Global Influenza Vaccination Market. Report include top international players success milestones, industry recent trends, demand-supply and forecast up to 2023 Experts predict that Influenza Vaccination Market will grow at an approximate CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period. also read - http:// https://www.medgadget.com/2019/08/surgical-robots-market-share-reach-19596-61-million-usd-with-driving-cagr-of-18-94-till-2024-advanced-medical-technologies-growth-value-by-top-manufacturers.html#:~:text=Market%20Research%20Future%20(MRFR)%20in,end%20of%20the%20year%202024 Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that infect the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) in humans. The symptoms and complications of flu are more severe than common cold. The symptoms associated with influenza may include fever, headache, malaise, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Influenza vaccine can prevent illness and death caused by the influenza virus. Influenza vaccine can be administrated to both young and old patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, 67.2% of all the geriatric population within the U.S. suffered from influenza in 2016. Moreover, it was estimated that the disease caused 4,605 deaths in 2014. Such trends in the prevalence of influenza are the major driver for the market growth during the forecast period. Moreover, the immune-compromised growing geriatric population, increasing per capita healthcare expenditure and rising awareness of the disease will fuel the market growth. According to the National Institutes of Health, the people who age 80 or more are expected to grow from 126.5 million in 2015 to 446.6 million by 2050. However, stringent regulatory framework along with the low accessibility of the product in the developing countries may restrain the market growth. Key Players for Global Influenza Vaccination Market Some of the key players for the global Influenza Vaccination Market share are Abbott (U.S.), AstraZeneca (Europe), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (U.S.), Novartis AG (Europe), DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED. (Asia Pacific), GlaxoSmithKline plc. (Europe). Hualan Biological Engineering Inc (Asia Pacific), Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Asia Pacific), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Europe), Sanofi (Europe), and others. Segments for Global Influenza Vaccination Market The global influenza vaccination market is segmented on the basis of type of influenza, manufacturing technology, vaccines, and others. On the basis of the type of influenza, the market is segmented into seasonal, pandemic, zoonotic, and others., on the basis of the manufacturing technology, the market is segmented into egg based, cell culture based, recombination based technology, and others, on the basis of the vaccines, the market is segmented into fluzone, flumist, fluvax, fluvirin, and others and On the basis of the end users, the market is segmented into hospital & clinics, research organization, academic institutes, and others. Regional Analysis for Global Influenza Vaccination Market The Americas dominate the global influenza vaccination market owing to the increasing prevalence of influenza and the high per capita healthcare expenditure. Moreover, the presence of the developed economies like the U.S. and Canada within the region boosts the growth of the market. Additionally, growing geriatric population within the regional boundaries of the Americas fuels the market growth. According to the National Institutes of Health, the Americas geriatric population is expected to reach 88 million by 2050. Europe is the second largest market for influenza vaccination, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Availability of funds for research, a well-developed healthcare infrastructure, and a huge patient population drives the market growth within the region. Moreover, rising healthcare expenditure along with the government support for research & development boosts the market in Europe. Additionally, the presence of the global players like F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Novartis AG within the region fuels the regional market. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the market due to the presence of developing economies like India and China. Moreover, favorable government policies and growing geriatric population will boost the market growth within the region. The Middle East & Africa has the least share in the global influenza vaccination market due to the presence of poor economies, especially in the African region. Majority of the market of the Middle & Africa region is held by the Middle East owing to the presence of developed economies like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar within the region. Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/influenza-vaccination-market-1621 ABOUT US MRFR team has supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country-level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact: https://www.marketresearchfuture.co Iraqi television says French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Baghdad for an official visit following a two-day trip to Lebanon French President Emmanuel Macron met Iraqi leaders Wednesday on his first visit to Baghdad where he stressed the war-scarred country must assert its "sovereignty" despite being caught up in US-Iran tensions. Coming straight from a two-day trip to crisis-hit Lebanon, Macron is the most prominent world leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi came to power in May. The trip aims to "launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty," Macron said on the eve of his Iraq visit. In Baghdad, he voiced his support for his Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh to help fight Islamic State group sleeper cells and resist foreign interference. "Iraq has been going through a challenging time for several years, with war and terrorism" as well as "multiple foreign interventions," Macron said. "You have a transition to lead. France will be by your side so the international community can help." But there were few details on the much-vaunted "sovereignty" initiative. Iraqi officials told AFP they were not expecting new financial or military aid. President Saleh said he looked forward to a longer visit by Macron in 2021, and Kadhemi said he hoped France and Europe as a whole could help "restore stability" to the rocky region. "We do not want to be an arena for confrontations but a zone of stability and moderation", the premier said, adding that France and Iraq would sign energy agreements in the future and deepen military cooperation. 'Essential sovereignty' Iraq was ravaged by waves of sectarian conflict after former dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled in a 2003 US-led invasion, in which France did not take part. The turmoil culminated in the Islamic State group capturing swathes of Iraq and Syria six years ago before the militants were beaten back with international support, including a US-led coalition which did include French forces. Iraq has been caught for years between its two main allies Iran and the United States -- a balancing act that has become increasingly tortured since Washington's withdrawal in 2018 from a multilateral nuclear deal with Tehran. France, one of the key remaining backers of the 2015 nuclear agreement, called for de-escalation after a US strike on Baghdad in January killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and prompted Iran to launch missiles against US troops in Iraq. France has stressed its signs of support for Iraq in recent tumultuous months. Top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was the only minister to accompany Macron from Lebanon to Iraq, had also visited Baghdad in July and urged the leadership there to "dissociate itself from regional tensions". Macron last week insisted that "the fight for Iraq's sovereignty is essential". He said Iraqis, who had "suffered so much", deserved options besides domination by regional powers or Islamist extremists. Unlike most foreign visitors, the French president will not stop over in Arbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, but will instead meet Kurdish president Nechirvan Barzani in Baghdad. French mediator role Earlier this year, in the aftermath of the Islamic State group's territorial defeat and as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the last contingent of French troops deployed in Iraq as part of the coalition pulled out. France is seeking to expand its economic ties with Iraq, despite the war-battered country's problems -- including being ranked among the 20 most corrupt countries in the world by watchdog group Transparency International. Macron was also likely to discuss the fate of 11 French nationals who were condemned to death last year by Iraqi courts for joining IS. The president's focus on sovereignty was also an indirect message to Turkey, one Iraqi official said, after Ankara launched a cross-border assault on Kurdish rebels in the north. Tensions are high between France and Turkey over the conflict in Libya and a dispute over offshore gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Macron's lightning visit follows intense talks in Lebanon -- his second since a colossal August 4 explosion at Beirut port killed more than 180 people. Karim Bitar, a political science professor in France and Lebanon, said the French leader was focusing on Lebanon and Iraq -- which have ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia -- as he believes Paris could play a mediating role if regional tensions escalate further. "Macron is definitely trying to make a push for a France-facing Middle East," Bitar said. Search Keywords: Short link: A Melbourne man has jokingly asked to be adopted after discovering his parents were once friends with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. The young man posted a TikTok video showing an old photo of his parents standing alongside Mr Andrews and a married couple on their wedding day. 'When you find out your parents were mates with Dan Andrews. Who wants to adopt me?,' he captioned the TikTok. A Melbourne man has jokingly asked to be adopted after realising his parents had been friends with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews The video quickly received lots of attention, with 346,000 views and 44,000 likes. 'Dad said he (Mr Andrews) was alright to get on the beers with,' the man added. 'But mum said he was boring.' While many Victorians agreed with the sentiment of the video, many of the 1,146 comments were in defence of the premier. 'Don't see how it's Dan Andrews' fault you Victorians couldn't stay in your house yikes,' one person wrote. 'Andrews has not stopped since this began, he is literally trying to keep up safe,' another said. 'If he does or doesn't do his job people are going to complain.' 'You should be blessed that your parents have known such greatness,' another commented. The young man posted a Tik Tok showing a group photo at a wedding where Mr Andrews was standing alongside his parents Footage shows the man zooming into the photo to show his father, mother and then a much younger Mr Andrews Meanwhile many comments slammed the premier for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 'The look you give when you're about to ruin six million Victorian's lives,' one person wrote. 'I would not be advertising that you know Dan Andrews,' another said. The Victorian premier has been accused of 'decimating' Victoria due to the state undergoing a strict stage four lockdown. The Melbourne man then turns the camera to show his face with a thumbs down When one user commented saying 'Dan looks like a good bloke', the original poster responded: 'Dad said he was alright to get on the beers with' 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'. Victorian Opposition MPs told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews has 'trashed' the state and should resign unless he comes up with a plan that can save livelihoods and restore hope. Case numbers in Victoria have been coming down in recent weeks, with 113 recorded on Thursday. But Mr Andrews still refused to talk about how to end lockdown and said he will keep Victorians in the dark for at least another week, with no plan revealed until Sunday. 'If I could provide a 100 per cent certain road map today, then I would. But that would not be responsible, frankly, and that is not the way that I operate,' he said. Daniel Andrews (pictured Monday) has been accused of 'decimating' Victoria after it emerged an extra 30,000 residents lost their jobs due to the state's second coronavirus lockdown Case numbers in Victoria have been coming down in recent weeks. Pictured: Victorian Police speak a man in Dandenong, Melbourne Mr Andrews said that even after he comes up with a plan, it may not be implemented. 'It cannot be 100 per cent certain, because everything must be based on case numbers,' he said, adding that stage four lockdown might continue beyond September 13 when it is due to end. Victorian Liberal MP James Newbury said Mr Andrews had ruined the state and should resign if he does not offer a good enough plan out of lockdown. 'Daniel Andrews has trashed the great state of Victoria,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'He let the pandemic out, crushed private enterprise and destroyed hundreds of thousands of jobs. Our state has been decimated. Mr Andrews said that even after he comes up with a plan to end lockdown, it may not be implemented. Pictured: A property for lease 'Yet the Premier has refused to soften current restrictions and instead delivers daily messages of pessimism.' Mr Newbury added: 'Is there any wonder that mental health issues have crashed over the community like a tidal wave? 'Businesses need certainty, people need to provide for their families, and the community needs a pathway of hope. 'If Daniel Andrews cannot offer Victorians a 'Back to Life' plan of hope he should resign.' Gideon Rozner, Director of Policy at free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, also slammed Mr Andrews for his 'negativity'. 'The Victorian people of deserve a message of hope from their Premier, not a daily telling off for not following the rules,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Glee alum Dianna Agron strolled past McNally Jackson Books on Prince Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday with another woman. The 34-year-old SAG Award winner made sure to protect herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a surgical mask, which New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made mandatory for public outings way back on April 15. As of Thursday, there have been over 240K confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York City leading to 23,708 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University. Out and about: Glee alum Dianna Agron (R) strolled past McNally Jackson Books on Prince Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday with another woman Agron was wearing a white puff-sleeved midi-dress with matching sandals as she toted a straw bag. Dianna was noticeably not wearing her wedding ring following Us Weekly's August 19 article that she's been 'living separately' from her husband, Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall, since 'last year.' October 15th would've marked the Georgia-born blonde and the 32-year-old Englishman's fourth wedding anniversary, but she's reportedly been 'dating.' Mandatory in public: The 34-year-old SAG Award winner made sure to protect herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a surgical mask Summery look: Agron was wearing a white puff-sleeved midi-dress with matching sandals as she toted a straw bag Single? Dianna was not wearing her wedding ring following reports she's been 'living separately' from her husband, Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall, since 'last year' And while Agron and Marshall reportedly still follow each other on Instagram, she has pretty much wiped all evidence of her ex from her page. Over the last month, Dianna has been hard at work doing ADR looping sessions for her role as American writer Laura Riding in William Nunez's upcoming movie The Laureate. In the 1920s-set biopic - which wrapped production February 12 - the Berlin, I Love You director-star plays the live-in mistress of real-life British poet Robert Graves (Tom Hughes). 'She's dating': October 15th would've marked the Georgia-born blonde and the 32-year-old Englishman's fourth wedding anniversary (pictured in 2018) Cropped! And while Agron and Marshall (L) reportedly still follow each other on Instagram, she has pretty much wiped all evidence of her ex from her page (pictured in 2017) Agron also portrays Kim in Emma Seligman's Jewish comedy Shiva Baby, which will next screen September 11-13 at the Deauville American Film Festival in France. Dianna is still mourning the 'tremendous loss' of her former Glee castmate Naya Rivera who accidentally drowned, at age 33, while swimming in Lake Piru with her four-year-old son Josey Hollis on July 8. Over 52K people have signed Erin Jordan's Change.org petition to put up signs warning swimmers about the 130ft-deep SoCal lake known locally for unpredictable currents and 'bad whirlpools.' 'ADR in the time of Corona': Over the last month, Dianna has been hard at work doing ADR looping sessions for her role as American writer Laura Riding in William Nunez's upcoming movie The Laureate (pictured July 31) 'Hard to identify as a blonde these days': In the 1920s-set biopic - which wrapped production February 12 - the Berlin, I Love You director-star plays the live-in mistress of real-life British poet Robert Graves (pictured February 7) Like so many parents across the country, Skye McLain wrestled with the idea of virtual learning for her son, Jett, 7, as school resumed amidst the coronavirus pandemic this fall. The thought of him being required to be in front of a screen for multiple hours a day was very unnerving for me, the Texas-based mom told TODAY Parents. I gave homeschooling quite a bit of consideration, because I felt that it would give us more flexibility when it came to screen time and to lessen the chances of his exposure to the inappropriate content he could easily find or be shown on the Internet. While McLain ultimately decided for Jett to attend second grade virtually through the public school system, internet safety has remained a top priority in their at-home classroom. [Schools] are going to do everything in their own power to provide a safe place to conduct a classroom, she said. But at the end of the day, if Jett is in my house, it is my responsibility to make sure he is learning in a safe environment. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. Some measures the McLain family took include opting to take a school-issued computer that came with safety measures installed versus using a personal computer, never allowing the computer to be moved from the desk, and maintaining open communication with their second grader. Like many kids across the country, Jett McLain is attending school virtually this academic year. (Courtesy Skye McLain) We have very open, very honest communication with Jett about what is and is not appropriate when it comes to using an electronic device McLain shared. He is well aware of apps that he is never allowed to use or watch, like TikTok or YouTube. He also knows that he can leave a situation where he feels uncomfortable at any time and that he can ask us or tell us anything about something he has seen online. Set expectations Corporal Kenneth Hibbert Jr., an officer in the community policing unit of Prince George County Police Department in Maryland, suggests that parents should start by setting expectations for social learning with their child. Story continues I know parents are concerned about predators, [kids] clicking on the wrong things and seeing inappropriate things, or looking up test answers on their cell phones and its hard for parents who are working to constantly monitor what their child is doing, Hibbert said. Sit them down first and go over expectations saying this is school time and strictly paying attention to what's going on in school is whats expected. Create digital boundaries Hibbert recommends setting up web browsing restrictions based on age and checking in with the school district or teacher to confirm what the student does or does not need access to in accordance with the syllabus. If the school has issued the computer, ensure age-appropriate limitations have been engaged. For added security, Hibbert recommends monitoring software like K9 Web Protection or Qustodio, which allows parents to track activity remotely. Look at the history for what theyre looking into online, he shared. Look at their cell phone, too. Youve got to stay on top of that to know whats going on. Do physical and mental check-ins Suspicious your child is still getting off track? Hibbert offered a helpful tip for parents. Watch their hand movements when you get close to their computer to see what theyre doing, he shared. Tell them dont click anything, I want to see what youre doing. If they have other windows open, see what theyre looking at. Hibbert acknowledged that virtual learning brings about new challenges for both students and parents, which can take a toll. Make sure your kids are doing okay mentally and physically, he said. You have your child thats online for 5-6 hours out of the day. They have to give their eyes a rest. Get them outside to do something. Fresh air is always good, even for parents to just check in and ask 'How was school today? I know you were at home, but what did you learn?' Kids will be honest and tell you, and theyll open up to you more. West New York teachers are requesting leave after being told they must teach their virtual classes in classrooms, according to a digital petition. At least 15 teachers had asked for temporary leave from the school district as of Tuesday, according to a Board of Education meeting agenda. Many teachers who had been waiting to see if the board would make a policy change at Tuesdays meeting then submitted leave requests on Wednesday, said West New York Education Association President Anita Kober. Administration and human resources are looking at staff leaves/accommodations on a case by case basis, said Board of Education President Adam Parkinson. Our goal is to ensure that West New York students receive the best education possible. Bayonnes school district had planned to require teachers to report to school before reaching a deal with a union, Bayonne Education Association President Gene Woods said. Bayonne teachers now have the choice to report to school buildings voluntarily or teach their lessons remotely. West New York, like Bayonne and hundreds of other districts, will start the school year with remote-only learning due to COVID-19. Most teachers are willing to report to schools, Kober said. Those taking leave are doing so because of health concerns or so that they can be home with their children, she said. Theyre willing to give their students the instruction they need from home, Kober said. I dont understand why that cannot be accommodated. Isnt it better to have 100% staff working and in front of your students? West New York parents are signing a petition urging the school district to be more flexible to avoid any teacher asking for a temporary leave. This is a crisis for our community for the students, families and for the teachers, the petition says. We have only a week until school starts and we must find resolution. Many families are considering moving from the town, urgently trying to get their children into other districts or pulling out of school altogether. West New York Superintendent Clara Brito Herrera did not respond to a request for comment. A Swedish startup named Volta Trucks has unveiled its first vehicle: an electric truck designed specifically for city parcel and freight deliveries. The Volta Zero is scheduled to start production in the UK in 2022, and the company is aiming to have as many as 500 vehicles on the road by the end of that year. While its far from the first EV designed with parcel delivery in mind Amazon plans to use electric vans from Rivian and MercedesBenz to deliver customers orders Volta Trucks has forged significant partnerships that could give it a role in shaping the future of deliveries. European delivery service DPD will launch a pilot test using the Volta Zero to service customers within Londons Ultra Low Emission Zone in the first quarter of 2021. The company also told Reuters that it has well progressed with another seven or eight customers. The Zero is a 16-tonne delivery vehicle thats larger than a van but smaller than a big rig. Its similar in size and nature to Volvos electric truck that was also designed for city use. (Another common thing between the two companies is that Volta Trucks was co-founded by Kjell Waloen who used to be a Volvo executive.) With a range of 95 to 125 miles, it cant go as far as Volvos EV that has a range of up to 186 miles. However, the company says its range is more than sufficient for lastmile deliveries within the city. The Zero will be powered by Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries that are highly modular and will allow Volta to adapt the vehicle to an operators specifications. And, in addition to being zero-emission, the EV will also be made of sustainably sourced natural Flax material and biodegradable resin in its exterior body panels. Rob Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, said in a statement: Commercial vehicles form the lifeblood of commerce and livelihoods in cities, but todays large trucks dangerously impose themselves on our streets and dominate their surroundings. With the launch of the Volta Zero, we are changing the face of road transport. Volta Trucks is redefining the perception of the large commercial vehicle, and how it operates in and integrates with, the zero-emission towns and cities of the future. This is made possible by the three pillars that define both Volta Trucks as a business and the Volta Zero - safety, sustainability, and electrification. Add to that our unique Truck as a Service proposition that reimagines a fleet managers business model. At Volta Trucks, we are directly contributing to societys migration towards an electrified future. Volta Trucks is currently building its first prototype for Zero. It expects to launch it later this year, so well get a glimpse of the actual vehicle before DPDs pilot starts, assuming everything goes according to plan. Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age at the National Gallery, London In the painting Christ Blessing the Children, earthly browns and pockets of red dominate the divinely touching scene of Jesus blessing children whom their parents so eagerly present to him. The girl being blessed by Christ appears to hold an apple, perhaps symbolic of the original sin when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The girl seems distracted by something in the distance. As she appears to pull away from Christ, he gently pulls her toward his divine blessing. These subtle gestures allude to the fact that the sins inherent in the human world pull us away from our innate divinity. Only faith in the divine offers us salvation. Christ Blessing the Children,circa 16523, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 85 7/8 inches by 60 5/8 inches. The National Gallery, London. (The National Gallery, London) To the left of the painting, a mother holds her babe who, yet untainted by the world, looks up to the heavens almost knowingly feeling such divine grace. The picture is so reminiscent of Rembrandts subject matter and painterly approach that when the National Gallery in London acquired Christ Blessing the Children in 1866, the painting was attributed to Rembrandt rather than the real painter: Rembrandts student and fellow Dutchman Nicolaes Maes. Regarded as one of Rembrandts most important students, Maes (16341693) studied in Rembrandts studio in Amsterdam sometime between 1649 and 1653. And although Maess paintings from that period reflect his masters hand, Maes moved on to a different oeuvre and often to a far more colorful palette after he departed Rembrandts tutelage. Girl at a Window, 16535, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 48 3/8 inches by 37 3/4 inches. Loan from the Rijksmuseum. (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) An Influential Dutch Master Maes found fame in his own right. His pioneering genre paintings depicting Dutch interiors with intimate, and sometimes humorous, domestic scenes directly influenced the Dutch painters Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch. And Maess portrait paintingshe painted around 900were in high demand, making him one of the most sought-after portraitists in late 17th-century Holland. Self-portrait, 16805, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 24 3/8 inches by 18 7/8 inches. Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht. (Dordrechts Museum) The exhibition Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age, at the National Gallery in London, explores Maess art through 48 paintings and drawings. It is the first international exhibition on Maes alone. The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery and the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, where the exhibition premiered. The London exhibition is supported by The Thompson Family Charitable Trust. Adoration of the Shepherds,circa 1660, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 43 1/2 inches by 38 inches. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (Digital image courtesy of the Gettys open content program) Divided into three rooms, the exhibition reflects the three distinctive periods of Maess artwork: the historic and biblical scenes he painted at the start of his career, the genre paintings (domestic scenes) he painted primarily in the mid-1650s, and the portraits he painted exclusively from just before 1660 until his death. Everyday Eavesdropping Maes was born in Dordrecht, Holland; his father was a cloth merchant. Fine textures, used in different ways depending on the subject, feature prominently in many of Maess artworks. For instance, in his 1655 painting The Eavesdropper, a fine blue-green satin or silk curtain hangs open, revealing a servant descending a staircase as she gestures to the viewer to keep quiet while she listens in on her mistress. The curtain allows a peek into another world and also indicates the homeowners wealth. The Eavesdropper, 1655, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on panel; 45.7 72.2 cm. Harold Samuel Collection, Mansion House, London. (Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London) Later, in Maess portrait paintings, immensely fine fabrics clothe the wealthy owners who peer out of the paintings. The attention Maes pays to the rendering of these fabrics is no less than that in his earlier, everyday scenes where sumptuous fabrics look silky to the touch. Maes painted these genre paintings after he left Amsterdam and Rembrandts studio and returned to Dordrecht. His genre paintings seem like theater scenes, where his subjects whisper out of the painting to gain the viewers approval of their wrongdoing or to challenge the viewers morals. For instance, in his famous eavesdropper paintings, women gesture to viewers to ssshh! as they catch others partaking in immoral activity. Or we viewers disturb a womans own unrighteous behavior. For instance, in the painting A Sleeping Man Having His Pockets Picked, a mischievous servant almost makes the viewer her accomplice as she jovially gestures for silence while she reaches over to pick a gentlemans pocket. And in the painting Two Women at a Window, a maid stops working to gossip with a friend through a window, unaware that a dog is salivating at the salmon steak she carries. A Sleeping Man Having His Pockets Picked, circa 1656, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on panel, 14 inches by 12 inches. Promised gift of Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center of Netherlandish Art Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) Two Women at a Window, circa 1656, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on panel; 22 1/2 inches by 16 3/8 inches. Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, on loan from the Cultural Heritage Agency. (Dordrechts Museum) In addition, many of Maess genre paintings effectively convey traditional feminine virtues that were held in high esteem. Women are pictured diligently carrying out their daily chores, such as a woman engrossed in embroidery or a girl concentrating hard to thread a needle. Other paintings show often-humorous scenes of idleness or exhaustion after a hard days work: An accountant falls asleep during her accounting; a maid sleeps soundly surrounded by fallen pots, as she appears to have fallen asleep while carrying earthenware to the kitchen. Flamboyant Portraits Maes returned to Amsterdam in 1673, where he began to concentrate on painting portraits in a style similar to French portraiture and that of the preeminent Flemish portrait painter Anthony van Dyck. Portrait of a girl with a deer, circa 1671, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 52 1/8 inches by 40 1/8 inches. Private collection. (2006 Christies Images Limited) Maess portraits often included fantastical costumes and idealized backdrops of parklands or ancient influences such as the mythological Greek huntress Artemis, known for her virginity, who seems echoed in his portrait of a girl with a deer. Clothed in an incredible blue dress, reflecting the color of many Madonnas depicted in Renaissance paintings, the girl looks serenely and assuredly out of the painting. Her gaze and the stags piercing eye contact with the viewer startlingly capture attention. Portrait of a boy as a hunter, 1671, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas, 52 1/8 inches by 40 1/8 inches. Private collection. (2006 Christies Images Limited) The painting is one of a pair. The other painting is of the girls brother, who could be construed as Apollo: The boy gaily bounds in a magnificent orange satin costume, while he balances a bird on his hand and carries a quiver of arrows on his back. Another fascinating aspect of the exhibition is that some of the paintings are in their original 17th-century frames, which rarely survive. Those frames allow viewers insight into how the sitters wanted to be portrayed. The portrait of Simon van Alphen is a particularly dashing example, both in the enigmatic subject and the simple, elegant frame. Portrait of Simon van Alphen, circa 1677, by Nicolaes Maes. Oil on canvas; 28 1/8 inches by 22 1/2 inches. C.H. de Koning bequest, The Hague. Rijksmuseum. (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) Overall, the exhibition Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age lets visitors view the versatility of Maess artistry as he moved beyond Rembrandts influence and made his distinctive mark on Dutch genre painting and portraiture. To find out more about the exhibition Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age at the National Gallery, in London, which runs until Sept. 20, visit NationalGallery.org.uk As we reach six months since the initial UK lockdown, many are still wondering how and when the global spread of the coronavirus may subside, especially as a vaccine is still a long way from rollout ready. What about other approaches? Is there a way we could avoid constant lockdown until a vaccine is ready? In March it was claimed that the British government was hoping to allow the virus to pass through the entire population so that we acquire herd immunity like other illnesses. Matt Hancock later denied this was the case, and emails seen by the BBC on 23 September, reportedly reveal alarm among the governments top scientific advisers at references made to herd immunity by scientists in media interviews in March. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care separately said that herd immunity is a natural by-product of an epidemic but the government denied herd immunity was ever part of government policy. On 15 March, a statement read: We have a plan, based on the expertise of world-leading scientists. Herd immunity is not a part of itthat is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy. Our goal is to protect life from this virus, our strategy is to protect the most vulnerable and protect the NHS through contain, delay, research and mitigate. But what exactly is herd immunity and was it ever a possible strategy for the UK? Here is everything you need to know. What is herd immunity? When enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, this can make it more difficult for the disease to spread to susceptible individuals who have not yet been or cannot be vaccinated. This, the NHS outlines, is called herd immunity. Academics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wrote in a 2011 paper that while some authors use the term to describe the proportion of individuals in a community who are immune to a condition, others use it in reference to a particular threshold proportion of immune individuals that should lead to a decline in incidence of infection. A common implication of the term is that the risk of infection among susceptible individuals in a population is reduced by the presence and proximity of immune individuals, they added. The Vaccine Knowledge Project at Oxford University uses the analogy of a person being infected by measles. If someone with measles is surrounded by people who are vaccinated against measles, the disease cannot easily be passed on to anyone, and it will quickly disappear again, the organisation states. This is called herd immunity, community immunity or herd protection, and it gives protection to vulnerable people such as newborn babies, elderly people and those who are too sick to be vaccinated. However, the organisation stresses that herd immunity only works if the majority of a population have been vaccinated against a condition, adding that it does not protect against all vaccine-preventable diseases. Unlike vaccination, herd immunity does not give a high level of individual protection, and so it is not a good alternative to getting vaccinated, the Vaccine Knowledge Project says. Professor Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told The Independent that the concept of herd immunity is the basis of all vaccination programmes. But what happens if there isnt yet a vaccine? Herd immunity can also occur naturally. Prof Woolhouse explained: If youve been exposed to any infection, enough people have already been exposed to it, have developed antibodies and theyre immune to it, you can have natural herd immunity, and that particular virus will not be able to cause an epidemic in the population. It doesnt mean it wont be able to spread as therell still be some susceptible people, but it wont take off and cause an epidemic, he said. But this approach for coronavirus would have required a large proportion of the population becoming ill first making it a non-starter. Tonia Thomas, Vaccine Knowledge project manager, explained that the prospect of developing immunity to a condition through infection, rather than through vaccination, could be harmful, as people may risk developing complications from the disease.Vaccines are a safer way to develop immunity, without the risks associated with the disease itself, Thomas stated. And, as time as gone on, there is still questions about how long-term Covid antibodies are anyway. Chris Witty said evidence suggests in some Covid-patients that these antibodies fade after a period of time. How many people need to have immunity to develop herd immunity? Professor Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, added that herd immunity is an indication of the proportion of people who are immune in a population. The relationship of the proportion of people that are immune that you need to prevent an epidemic varies from infection to infection, he outlined. With something like measles that is very infectious, you need something like 90 per cent of people immune, but with other infections you can get away with much less. Is herd immunity a possibility amid the coronavirus outbreak? On Tuesday 3 March, a statement released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that while many people around the world have developed immunity to seasonal flu strains, the same could not be said for the coronavirus. Covid-19 is a new virus to which no one has immunity, the statement read. That means more people are susceptible to infection, and some will suffer severe disease. In a scientific brief published by WHO in April, it further stressed that while antibodies may be detected among people who have previously tested positive for the virus, there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection. On 28 August, WHOs chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan explained the implications of allowing Covid-19 to spread around the population, stating that it is believed that at least 60 to 70 per cent of the population would need to be immune to really break the chain of transmission. If you allow this to happen naturally, it will take a long time, of course, but more importantly, its going to do a lot of collateral damage. So even if 1 per cent of people who get infected are ultimately going to die, then this can add up to a huge number of people, if we look at the global population, Dr Swaminathan said. And that is why we believe its not a good idea to try to achieve herd immunity by just letting the infection run wild in the population and infect a lot of people and that we should talk about herd immunity in the context of a vaccine. In March, The Independents health correspondent Shaun Lintern said that there was no chance of herd immunity with coronavirus. As a brand new virus, no one has immunity to it, so every human being is susceptible to the virus, he explains. Herd immunity will only come into effect once a huge majority of people have had it and survived so their bodies create antibodies to the virus. Lintern affirms that in order to achieve a good herd immunity, approximately 90 to 95 per cent of the population would need to have recovered and become immune to the infection, such as in the case of measles, which could subsequently result in a rise in the number of deaths and people in intensive care. There is also a risk coronavirus becomes seasonal and like the flu will mutate each season and therefore again herd immunity cant come into play. In Professor Hunters opinion, herd immunity is unlikely to happen until next year when we hopefully will have a vaccine. I am just making effectively educated guesses at this point, but I suspect we wont see the last of it this year, he stated. I suspect it will become whats called endemic where the virus circulates forever into the future, and in those circumstances in the future herd immunity will have a big impact, the professor said. The US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that the immune response for Covid-19 is not yet understood, and so it is not completely certain whether patients can be infected again. Recommended How to feel less anxious about the coronavirus In July, a study conducted by researchers at Kings College London concluded that coronavirus patients may lose immunity to the disease within months. The researchers found that 60 per cent of patients had a potent level of antibodies in the two weeks after their symptoms first showed. However, after three months, their antibody levels dropped to less than 17 per cent. In August, scientists at Hong Kong University claimed they had discovered the first human being reinfected with Covid-19, stating that the man had been infected twice by different versions of the coronavirus months apart. If the research proves correct, it may mean that patients may not necessarily be immune to Covid-19 after recovering from the virus. The Independent contacted the governments Department of Health for comment when this article was first published in March. NEW DELHI : Luxury hotels emerging from months of pandemic restrictions are offering wedding packages and related services, with latest rules allowing gatherings of up to 100 people. With no sign of international borders opening, destination wedding clients have also started booking domestic hotels. Typically, the wedding segment contributes 10% to a hotels overall revenue. The focus is now on quality of service, rather than the number of guests. Hotels are offering virtual assistance in wedding planning personalizing decor, food menu and gifts, starting with packages from 1.5-30 lakh a day. Many customers are also seeking assistance to live-stream the wedding ceremony for those who cannot attend. The Taj group of hotels has introduced electronic concierge to digitally assist guests with wedding planning. It includes virtual visits of hotels and locations along with video consultations with spa and beauty specialists for brides and grooms. It also offers to assist guests with private charters for easy pre- and post-wedding travel through a partnership with Vistara and other airlines. Taj is reputed for hosting luxurious royal-themed weddings at its Rambagh Palace, Jaipur and Umaid Bhawan, Jodhpur. Renu Basu, senior vice-president, global sales and marketing at Indian Hotels Co. Ltd, the operator of the Taj hotels chain, said the number of wedding bookings has not reduced, just the size is less. Delhi, for instance, has booked over a dozen weddings in the last two weeks. Other cities receiving similar interest are Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Agra. Apart from that, our hotels in serene locations like Corbett and Rishikesh have hosted quite a few small-sized weddings with a huge interest in Rishikesh," she added. Beginning June, 60-70 weddings, related events and social functions were hosted between The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa, a company executive said. Though on a smaller scale, but we are surely seeing a recovery in bookings and enquiries for the wedding season in November and December, and the months ahead look promising," said Rahul Puri, multi-property general manager The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa. The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi is also offering a complimentary staycation for newly married couples as and when they like at Westin Sohna Resort and Spa and vice versa. French hospitality firm Accor-owned hotel brands have also leveraged this segment. Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) hosted 14 weddings and related events since it reopened on 8 June, and have 11 more events booked for the next quarter. Pullman New Delhi Aerocity has received more than 65 queries/show-rounds in the last three weeks for October to December 2020. Radisson Group said demand is steadily increasing as big weddings that used to go to farms/banquets have been trimmed and demand is moving towards hotels. Rajasthan and Agra properties have already received about 25 weddings for the upcoming season starting October 2020. The number of bookings will be higher than in 2019, but the number of pax will be lower and hence lower revenue. In Agra, Radisson group has done 40% of their total business from socials in the last three months and moving forward we would see a similar trend," said a spokesperson from the hospitality chain. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Varanasi, Sep 3 : Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has done it again. When a social activist sought help from him for Varanasi boatmen who were going without food due to floods, the actor was prompt in reaching out. Social activist Divyanshu Upadhyaya on Tuesday tweeted to actor Sonu Sood about families of 350 boatmen who ply boats on the Ganga River in Varanasi, were going without food because they were unable to ply boats due to floods. Within an hour, Sonu Sood responded to the tweet and wrote, "No member of these 350 families of Varanasi Ghats will sleep hungry after today." Thereafter, Sood's associate, Neeti Goel, called Upadhyay and assured him that ration kits will be made available to them in Varanasi itself within one hour. "We got 350 ration kits from the actor within no time. Each kit contained 5 kg flour, 5 kg rice, 2 kg gram, a packet of spice and other eatables. Out of 350, 100 kits were immediately distributed among the families of the boatmen on Wednesday," said a member of Upadhyaya's team. Divyanshu Upadhyay, who runs a non-profit organisation called Hope, said that the payment to the local vendor has been done by Sood. Upadhyay said that during the lockdown, 'Hope' had been distributing relief items among the boatmen fraternity, but the 200 relief hampers that they had, proved to be insufficient. "I tweeted to Sonu Sood because I had heard of the immense work he has been doing to help people and he promptly responded to our call and took action," he said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Filmmaker Richard Curtis is set to headline a Royal Television Society event examining environmental issues and TV. It comes as a study conducted by charity Global Action Plan claimed 77% of young people surveyed in the UK said they wanted environmental issues included more often in TV dramas. Expand Close Director Richard Curtis will headline an event discussing how the broadcast industry covers environmental issues (Dominic Lipinski/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Director Richard Curtis will headline an event discussing how the broadcast industry covers environmental issues (Dominic Lipinski/PA) And the research also found 76% of 16-34 year olds are worried environmental issues are not getting enough exposure since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Curtis, whose TV work includes Blackadder, Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley, will take part in a webinar to discuss how the broadcast industry covers the subject. Curtis said: Its clear that young people havent lost sight of the urgent need to address climate change despite the global pandemic. And quite rightly as the climate emergency is central to the solutions to so many of our problems. The TV industry is going to be absolutely key to combating climate change. Id like to see commissioners respond to the concern of young viewers by placing the environment at the heart of the work theyre commissioning. Its undeniable that the climate emergency is going to dominate the next ten years, so I think for TV not to deal with it would be mad. The webinar featuring Curtis, titled Making A Drama Out Of A Crisis, is set to take place on October 1. Pitching India amongst the best investment destinations worldwide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the country's political stability and policy continuity makes it the best place for global investors looking for attractive business opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said India was among the first nations in creating a responsive system of lockdowns and to advocate the use of masks and face coverings as a public health measure while ramping up its health infrastructure. In record time, Modi said, medical infrastructure was scaled up including for COVID-19 hospitals and ICU capacities while ramping up its count of testing labs from just one in January to almost 1,600. The outcome of these efforts has been that a country with 130 crore people and limited resources has shown to have one of the lowest death rates per million in the world and also a steadily rising recovery rate, he said. Addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum through video conference, Modi said the pandemic has also shown the world that the decision on developing global supply chains should be based not only on costs but also on trust. "Along with the affordability of geography, companies are now also looking for reliability and policy stability. India is the location that has all of these qualities," he said. "It is a government, for which ease of living is as important as the ease of doing business," he said, while asserting that the prospective investors should know that his government believed in delivering results. The prime minister also spoke of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (Self-Reliant India) campaign to woo investors, saying it "merges the local with the global". "It ensures that India's strengths act as a global force multiplier. Time and again, India has shown that our goal is global good. 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is about transforming India from being just a passive market to an active manufacturing hub at the heart of global value chains," he said. He cited a slew of reforms that have made India one of the lowest tax rate destinations with a further incentive for new manufacturing units and asserted that the country is committed to democracy and diversity which, he said, investors are looking at. The prime minister said his government's reforms have made doing business easier and red-tapism lesser. The work is underway on the world's largest housing programme with renewable energy infrastructure is being expanded and rail, road and air connectivity being boosted, he said. "Our country is creating a unique digital model to build a national digital health mission. We are using the best of fintech to provide banking, credit, digital payments and insurance to millions. All these initiatives are being taken using world-class technology and global best practices," he said. Noting that the current situation demands a fresh mindset that is human-centric with a spirit of cooperation between everyone, he said India did the same by scaling up its healthcare facilities in a record time to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said India was amongst the first globally to advocate masks and face coverings as a public health measure and also amongst the first to create a public campaign about social distancing. Modi said his government launched one of the largest support programmes for the poor globally following the COVID-19 outbreak in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna, under which free foodgrains have been provided to over 80 crore people. The pandemic has impacted several things but it has not impacted aspirations and ambitions of 130 crore Indians, he said, noting that India is becoming one of the leading attractions for foreign investment. "Be it America or the Gulf, be it Europe or Australia-the world believes in us. We have received over 20 billion dollars of foreign investment flows during this year. Google, Amazon and Mubadala Investments have announced long-term plans for India," he said. The road ahead is full of opportunities in the public and the private sector, including the economic and social ones, he said, while citing examples of coal, mining, railways, defence, space, and atomic energy among those that have been opened up further, he added. Syrias government said its air defenses responded to Israeli airstrikes targeting the T4 air base in Syrias Homs desert tonight. The Syrian state-run SANA news agency said the strikes resulted in material losses. The report comes a day after SANA said Israeli aircraft had targeted southern Syria. Pro-regime media said Tuesday's attack occurred outside of the capital, Damascus. Israel is believed to have conducted hundreds of airstrikes on suspected Iranian targets in Syria throughout Syrias civil war. The Israeli government rarely acknowledges the campaign. Israeli military officials did claim responsibility for a 2018 strike on what it said were advanced Iranian air defense weapons at the T4 air base. At least seven Iranian personnel were reported killed in the strike. The United States and Israel have called on Iran to remove its military forces from Syria, where they are propping up the battered army of President Bashar al-Assad in a nearly decade-long civil war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in June that Assad would be risking his future if he did not expel Iranian troops from his country. Speaking alongside Brian Hook, the US lead envoy on Iran policy, Netanyahu said Israel would not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria. The United States has provided support for Israels air campaign against Iranian targets in Syria. Israeli aircraft have used American air corridors with Pentagon permission in the past. The US outpost at al-Tanf, officially there so US special forces can pressure Islamic State, also provides Israeli aircraft with a waypoint to penetrate Syrian airspace. James Jeffrey, the US lead Syria envoy, told Congress last year that Iran had been moving radar equipment and missiles into Syria that were considered a threat to Israel, as they were deemed unnecessary for fighting what remains of the rebellion against Damascus. Washington is engaged in a campaign of economic sanctions to pressure Iran to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal and pull its troops from Syria, among other goals. BOSTON Nathan Eovaldi no longer is expected to return from the 10-day injured list to start for the Boston Red Sox vs. the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. But he might be able to start Sunday or Monday depending on how he feels after a bullpen session Thursday. Eovaldi has been diagnosed with a calf strain. He has not pitched since Aug. 20 at Baltimore when he went 7 innings and allowed just one run, five hits and one walk while striking out six. His calf cramped up while playing catch in Baltimore in the days following that start. Probably not Saturday, Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said via Zoom on Wednesday. He threw today and actually this is the best day hes had. He didnt throw a bullpen, but he played catch today. And (head trainer) Brad (Pearson) really got into the calf with his training and trying to figure out where the problem is. And he said it was really encouraging today. Eovaldi will try to throw a bullpen Thursday. If everything goes well, Roenicke said. And maybe well only have to push him back a day or two. So thats what were hopeful of. But well know a lot more tomorrow after he throws. Eovaldi is 2-2 with a 4.98 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a .287 batting average against in six starts this season. He pitched well in his last start, Thursday, Aug. 20, in Baltimore. Related Content Boston Red Sox roster moves: Andrew Triggs promoted, Kyle Hart (hip impingement) placed on IL Nathan Eovaldi, Boston Red Sox World Series hero, is worry-free and even his wife still wonders how hes so laid-back (except during video games) Kyle Hart has 15.55 ERA through 4 appearances; Boston Red Sox rookie has given up 24 hits in first 11 major-league innings Could Jackie Bradley Jr. stay with Boston Red Sox a long time? Organization hasnt communicated it to him Whos Robinson Leyer? Boston Red Sox righty to open vs. Braves on Wednesday; Mike Kickham likely to be used as bulk reliever Boston Red Sox prospect Jarren Duran blasts fifth homer after lifting in garage during coronavirus shutdown; Tanner Houck Ks 9 Nick Pivetta isnt with Boston Red Sox despite clear rotation need; heres likely the real reason why Nick Pivetta excited for change of scenery with Boston Red Sox: Im grateful for this opportunity to be a starter East Longmeadows Nick Ahmed lashes out at Diamondbacks Mike Hazen over GMs trade deadline comments B ritish teachers in Hong Kong are considering resigning from international schools because of the national security law brought in by Beijing, reports say. According to The Telegraph, some teachers are changing what they teach and self-censoring to avoid getting in trouble under the new law, imposed by the Chinese government to bring Hong Kong under control after huge protests in the city in recent years. Under the sweeping new legislation passed this year, anything deemed to constitute terrorism, secession, subversion, or foreign collusion could now see offenders thrown in prison for life. For the first time ever, I am going to be put in a position where I may have to censor or shut down a discussion, a longstanding teacher at a British international school in Hong Kong told the newspaper. Hong Kong protests against a new national security law 1 /50 Hong Kong protests against a new national security law AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AP Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AP AP REUTERS AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images AP AP REUTERS Getty Images Under the new law, it seems that although a right to freedom of speech is still allowed, you are not allowed to criticise the government, he added. If a student decided they wanted to create a piece of art or piece of theatre which explored the protests, I would not be able to allow that direction. Teachers have not officially been ordered to change curriculums, but said they were adapting material to remove anything that could get them in trouble. One teacher said they were thinking about getting rid of a lesson on the activism of Rosa Parks, an icon of the US civil rights movement who refused to get out of her seat for a white man during a time of racial segregation and was jailed. Riot police in a protest in Hong Kong / Getty Images Another was considering altering lessons about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, when peaceful protesters were shot by government troops. Commemorations of the event have been allowed in Hong Kong, but activists fear the new law will put paid to that. Another colleague who teaches history was seeking advice on how to alter lessons about the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, when the Chinese military opened fire on peaceful student demonstrators. International schools have told teachers to be very careful about maintaining a neutral stance, and not saying anything inappropriate on social media, one teacher said. Singing political songs, displaying political slogans and forming human chains are banned at Hong Kong schools, while some books thought to be politically sensitive have been removed from public libraries and schools. Protesters in Hong Kong / AFP via Getty Images Teachers are concerned that the political climate may force them to leave their jobs, or that schools will go out of business altogether. It is a sad and scary development, a teacher said. Hong Kong has changed overnight in this respect, added another. Final double murder organization charges brought against businessman Bykov RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 10:31 03/09/2020 MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) Investigators have brought final charges against Krasnoyarsk businessman Anatoly Bykov as part of a case over double homicide masterminding, the Investigaitve Committee of Russia reports. Moreover, he is prosecuted of leading a criminal community and organization of one more murder, the statement reads. All parties in the double homicide case will soon start reading case papers and then the matter will be forwarded to prosecutors for indictment to be approved. In May, Bykov was placed in detention on charges of double homicide. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, in the first half of 1994, Alexander Naumov, the 23-year old member of a criminal group headed by Bykov, had a conflict with the gang leader because of unjust, according to him, dividing of the joint criminal income. Later, Bykovs car was exploded. The businessman suspected Naumov and his friend Kirill Voytenko of the blast organization and decided to kill them. He ordered his acquaintance Vladimir Tatarenkov to organize the murder; the latter in turn involved his gang members in the crime. On July 24, 1994, Naumov and Voytenko were shot dead, investigators claimed. One of the killers Sergey Bakurov was sentenced to life. Another one is on a wanted list. Tatarenkov was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the Investigative Committees statement read. Investigators claim that many witnesses confirmed that Bykov had business relations with Naumov and a conflict after which the latter was afraid of his life and began wearing body armour. Three witnesses said that Bykov was a mastermind of the murder. They added that failed to give testimony 26 years ago as they hoped that Bykov would provide assistance to them, according to the Investigative Committee. In late August, investigators opened one more murder case against the businessman. The entrepreneur is suspected of organizing the murder of a Krasnoyarsk citizen who was a founder of an industrial waste utilization. Allegedly, in the summer of 2004 Bykov ordered his acquaintance to kill the victim for an award totaling $50,000. In January 2005, the killer shot the businessman dead, the statement read. LOS ANGELES - Alex Trebek says hes responding exceptionally well to treatment for pancreatic cancer and expects to mark his two-year survival next February. His doctor has said hes counting on that milestone, the Jeopardy! host said, so I expect to be around cause he said I will be around. And I expect to be hosting the show if I am around. Tests evaluating his progress show Im on the right track, Trebek told ABC News Good Morning America in an interview that was conducted last week at his home and aired Monday. Trebek turns 80 on Wednesday. After interviewer T.J. Holmes told Trebek that he looked and sounded great, the TV host drolly replied: Here I am, folks. Eat me up. The experimental immunotherapy treatment Trebek is receiving is the same used by former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada in his fight against pancreatic cancer, Good Morning America said. In June, the 80-year-old Reid said his disease is in remission. On Friday, Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis lost his six-month battle with the disease at age 80. Trebek said hes had difficult days, calling his wife, Jean, a saint for her unwavering support as hes faced moments of sadness and depression. His memoir, The Answer Is ... Reflections On My Life, will be published Tuesday. Its proceeds will go to charity, Trebek said. Trebek has been host of Jeopardy! since 1984. The quiz show, which went into reruns early because of the coronavirus pandemic, plans to resume taping for its September return in a few weeks if state and local government restrictions aimed at controlling the virus spread allow. Rescuers are searching through the rubble of a building in Beirut after reports that a heartbeat was detected sparking hopes of finding a survivor. A pulsing signal was detected on Thursday from under the rubble of a building that collapsed during the horrific port explosion. A rescue team from Chile is working at the collapsed building after unconfirmed local reports say they have detected the possibility that someone is alive. Rescuers are searching through the rubble of a building in Beirut after reports that a heartbeat was detected A sniffer dog belonging to the Chilean search and rescue team first detected something as the team was going through a street in one of the worst hit areas. The team then used audio detection equipment for signals or heartbeat, and detected what could be a pulse of 18 to 19 beats per minute. The origin of the pulsing signal was not immediately known but it set off a frantic search and raised new hope. It is extremely unlikely that any survivors would be found a month after the blast but a Chilean volunteer, said their equipment detected a sign of a human. A sniffer dog belonging to the Chilean search and rescue team first detected something as the team was going through a street in one of the worst hit areas The worker who identified himself as Francesco Lermonda said it is rare, but not unheard of, for someone to survive under the rubble for a month. As night fell, rescue workers set up light projectors to work through the darkness. Every now and then, the team asked people on the streets to stay quiet for five minutes so as not to interfere with the sounds being detected by their instruments. There were 2,750 tonnes of the hazardous chemical held in the warehouse at the time of the explosion - which measured as the equivalent of a 3.5 earthquake. The team then used audio detection equipment for signals or heartbeat, and detected what could be a pulse of 18 to 19 beats per minute as they search the rubble The explosion in a port warehouse killed 191 people and injured 6,000 others in the Lebanese capital on August 4. Lebanon's president and prime minister were warned last month that a stash of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut could destroy the city if it exploded. Security officials wrote a letter on July 20 saying the industrial chemicals which had been idling in a warehouse since 2013 needed to be secured immediately. Thousands of protesters continue to take to the streets and clash with police and the prime minister and his cabinet resigned after the devastating explosion. Every now and then, the team asked people on the streets to stay quiet for five minutes so as not to interfere with the sounds being detected by their instruments Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 3) The Department of Trade and Industry says over 73,000 online businesses have registered with the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told a Senate committee hearing Thursday on the proposed Internet Transactions Act (Senate Bill No. 1591) that 73,276 businesses registered from March 16 to August 31. This is a sharp rise from only 1,753 online businesses who listed up prior to the implementation of quarantine restrictions in mid-March. There are now 75,029 registered online businesses, the DTI chief said. Moreover, Lopez said they also recorded a significant increase in consumer complaints related to online commerce transactions. He noted that from 2,457 in 2019, they have received 12,630 complaints as of end-August this year. The highest recorded was 8,000, from April to May, or when the strict enhanced community quarantine was implemented in many parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila. Six months into the pandemic, we see a new normal. Now our goal, building trust between online merchants and online consumers, has created a profound significance since e-commerce adoption has indeed accelerated over the past six months, he said. With the goal of easing the burden on all businesses, Lopez said the department and other government agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue are working together to streamline and digitize the process of registering a business. Currently, there are only parts of the process that are already done online, but they are now working to shift the whole process online, he said. Optical Media Board chair Anselmo Adriano reported during the hearing a number of issues and threats in digital media. These include selling of counterfeit software and flash drives containing pirated movies and unregulated selling or distribution of storage devices, mastering equipment, storing devices, set top boxes, and books with CD or DVD. He added that in 2019 they confiscated about 40,000 of USB drives, SD memory cards and internal hard drives from various online sellers and importers valued at over 20 million. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who is the main author of Senate Bill No. 1591, says the measure aims to address, to eliminate "abusive sellers" to protect Filipino consumers. The bill also creates the e-commerce bureau under the DTI that will be the main agency to handle the implementation and monitoring of the Philippine e-commerce roadmap. A separate bill in the House of Representatives filed by Valenzuela Rep. Wes Gatchalian has been approved at the committee level and is now awaiting plenary deliberations. China: JCPOA commission sends message of upholding JCPOA, UNSC authority IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Beijing, Sept 2, IRNA -- China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Tuesday meeting of Iran nuclear deal joint commission meeting sends out the message of upholding the deal and the authority of the UN Security Council. "China and the European side have all along been in close communication regarding upholding the JCPOA. As you said, parties, including China, Russia, Iran, France, Germany, the UK and the EU recently held this JCPOA Joint Commission meeting," Chunying said addressing the regular press conference on Wednesday. The JCPOA Joint Commission meeting was held on Tuesday at 11:00 local time in Vienna at the level of deputy foreign ministers and directors general of Foreign Ministries of the participant states. "The background of this meeting is that the US wants to hijack the Security Council to take illegal actions against Iran. Principal official of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry led a delegation to the meeting," she added. "The meeting sends out an unequivocal message of upholding the JCPOA and the authority of the Security Council," Chunying said, adding: "All participants of the meeting stressed that when the US unilaterally announced withdrawal from the JCPOA, it forfeited its right as a JCPOA participant state and with that, the right to call for a snapback of sanctions." "All parties reiterated that they would continue discussing the implementation of the deal under the framework of the Joint Commission and welcomed the consensus reached on the safeguards implementation issue between the IAEA and Iran." "The Chinese side pointed out at the meeting that the US has reneged on its international legal obligations, unilaterally walked away from the JCPOA, reinstated illegal unilateral sanctions, imposed long-arm jurisdiction against Iran, and spared no effort in obstructing other parties' implementation of the deal," Chinese diplomat said. "This is the root cause of the tensions in the Iranian nuclear situation. The US illegal attempt at the Security Council has met with extensive opposition and won't succeed," she reiterated. "China reiterated its consistent position that all parties should remain committed to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation within the framework of the Joint Commission and called on all parties to support the implementation of the consensus on safeguards implementation issue between the IAEA and Iran." "In the meantime, China supports the establishment of an alternative multilateral dialogue platform on the premise of firmly safeguarding the efficacy and authority of the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear issue, where all parties can forge new consensus on maintaining regional peace and stability." "To sum up, China will continue working with other parties to stand on the right side of the history, firmly uphold multilateralism and make relentless efforts to advance the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue." The participant states of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reaffirmed on Tuesday evening that the United States unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA on May 8, 2018 and therefore cannot invoke the UN sanctions snapback under UNSC resolution 2231. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The mother of a murdered young man has called for stiffer sentences for all killers. Deana Kitson spoke out after First Minister Arlene Foster said jail terms for people who murdered police officers and other public servants were too short. Read More But Ms Kitson, from Bangor, said steeper sentences should apply to everyone who deliberately takes a life. Her son Brian Burke (29) died from his injuries after a 12cm knife was rammed into his chest, piercing a lung before entering his heart, during an incident at a house in east Belfast. Kenneth Cowan, the young man's murderer, was jailed for a minimum of 10 years. Ms Kitson (61) told this newspaper sentencing rules were in urgent need of reform. "Don't forget about people like me. I am begging Mrs Foster not to overlook the families of other murder victims when she's pushing for the current laws to be changed," she said. "I'm pleased that this debate is happening, but I believe anyone who takes a life should be punished properly. "We are part of the UK, so why are sentences here so lenient compared to the other regions? We are British citizens, so why are we not treated the same?" Judges are bound by sentencing guidelines, which are different in each part of the UK. They must also take into account mitigating circumstances, such as early guilty pleas, co-operation with the police and remorse, as well as aggravating factors, such as intent and excessive violence. In England and Wales a statutory starting point of 30 years in prison can be applied in cases involving the murder of a police officer. In Scotland the starting point is 20 years. The tariff for capital murder in the Republic of Ireland is a minimum of 40 years in prison. In Northern Ireland it is 15 to 16 years. Ms Kitson, a mother of three, said her own life ended when her youngest son was murdered on April 8, 2018. "I have not got a life. I sit and look at the last messages my son sent me the night before (his murder) saying 'I'm on my way home, love you'," she added. "I was so close to my son. He was my baby." The former full-time foster carer said "that all ended" with the murder of Brian, who was stabbed in a first-floor bedroom after getting the better of Cowan in "horseplay" that ended with a knife piercing his heart. "I sit and think about what his life should have been," she added. "He never made it to his 30th birthday on New Year's Day. "It just destroys a family. I can't even begin to describe how badly it has affected his two brothers." Her middle son John (35) is now her oldest son Michael's (37) carer. They "fell apart after their brother's murder", Ms Kitson explained. "If I get any sleep, which is rare, I wake up and think it's all a nightmare," she said. "I wait for him to come through the door, but then I remember seeing Brian in the mortuary, covered in blood, an eye half-open. "That's when the flashbacks start again. "I'm haunted. I'm in a waking nightmare. Nothing seems to make it any easier." Ms Kitson said that while tougher sentences would not heal her pain, "it would be less of a punch in the stomach if I felt some justice had been done". "I visit his grave and I think, 'He shouldn't be there. He didn't do anything'," she added. "He was murdered just two weeks before he was due to start a new chapter of his life with his girlfriend Gemma in Malta." Since her son's murder, Ms Kitson has found daily life a struggle. "I can't seem to find a point to anything," she said. "I hang on here for my other two sons. Michael and John need me and I don't want to cause them any more pain, but I just don't feel as if we've ever got justice." The timeline raised concern among public health experts who worried about a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of elections, rather than science Providence: The federal government has told states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine to be ready to distribute by 1 November. The timeline raised concern among public health experts about an "October surprise" a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than science. In a letter to governors dated 27 August, Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said states in the near future will receive permit applications from McKesson Corporation, which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals. CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by 1 November, 2020, Redfield wrote. He wrote that any waivers will not compromise the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine. The Associated Press obtained the letter, which was first reported by McClatchy. The CDC also sent three planning documents to some health departments that included possible timelines for when vaccines would be available. The documents are to be used to develop plans for early vaccination when the supply might be constrained, according to one of the documents, which outlined a scenario in which a vaccine could be available as soon as the end of October. The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available, the document reads. Another of the documents says that limited COVID-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November and that supply will increase substantially in 2021. It also states that initially available vaccines will either be approved by the Food and Drug Administration or authorized by the agency under its emergency powers. The documents encourage health officials to work out now which groups to prioritize for a vaccine, identify providers who will administer vaccine, and take other steps to prepare. The planning documents were first reported by The New York Times. Redfield told Yahoo Finance that officials were preparing for what I anticipate will be a reality, is that there'll be one or more vaccines available for us in November, December. James S Blumenstock, a senior vice president at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said the CDC was offering an aggressive but necessary timetable" and that public health agencies were mobilising to prepare detailed plans. Several public health experts pointed out that final stage trials of experimental vaccines are still recruiting, and are at best halfway through that process. The vaccines are two doses, and each is given a month apart. The experts told they did not understand how there could be adequate data on whether the vaccines work and are safe before 1 November. Being ready is reasonable. Cutting short phase 3 trials before you get the information you need isn't, said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia immunisation expert who sits on the FDA's vaccine advisory committee. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University's tropical medicine school, said he was very concerned about whether the FDA would use an emergency use authorisation to approve a vaccine before knowing whether it works and is safe. "It gives the appearance of a stunt rather than an expression of public health concern,? Hotez said. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn previously said the agency wouldn't cut corners in evaluating vaccines, though it would aim to expedite its work. He told the Financial Times this week that it might be appropriate to approve a vaccine before clinical trials were complete if the benefits outweighed the risks. Unlike a therapeutic that is given to sick people who may have no alternative, a vaccine is given to healthy people, so you have a much higher burden of proof, said Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's public health school. I think it's reasonable to be communicating to hospitals and saying at some point late in the fall or winter," Jha said. November feels awfully early. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert, said he was concerned about an October surprise with a vaccine being rushed through ahead of the election. The public health community wants a safe and effective vaccine as much as anybody could want it, Osterholm said. But the data have to be clear and compelling. He said there was a credibility gap between doctors and the FDA about how rigorously products are being evaluated during the pandemic. Some state officials said Wednesday that they were working on the next steps while still awaiting details from CDC, and some sounded a cautious note. Kris Ehresmann, Minnesota's infectious disease director, told the AP the state would only move forward once we know it is safe. She said they would take their lead from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which she said will only recommend a vaccine that has met the safety criteria. The Oregon Board of Pharmacy said it would expedite McKesson's applications but wouldn't waive requirements necessary to maintain public health and safety. Joes Blackbook has selected the winners of its annual scholarship awards: Cody Cannon of the Fashion Institute of Technology was the mens wear winner and Julia (Hyo Min) Choi of Otis College of Art and Design, an international student from South Korea, was the womens wear winner. Both of the college juniors will receive $10,000 toward their education. Joe Medved, Joes Blackbook founder, said that although the pandemic changed the process this year, there was never a thought of not moving ahead with the program. We found a way to innovate and use technology to celebrate and support the creative talent from U.S. design schools despite the pandemic, he said. This year was a milestone as we have given away $200,000 in scholarships. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to host physical events for the scholarship as we normally would. But we were fortunate to have received all of the submissions before the lockdown started in New York, and to have industry experts review the finalists projects remotely for example, our good friend Robert Geller sent a thorough voice memo of his notes on the projects, all the way from Portugal. In addition, the company was able to hold its annual scholarship fundraiser auction in February before the lockdown, raising $15,000. Those funds were supplemented by support received from corporate sponsors: Red Bull, Todd Snyder, American Eagle, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, Aritzia, Ralph Lauren. Medved said Joes Blackbook was also able to catalog all student submissions digitally to share with employers so that they may reach out directly to the students with any internship and entry-level opportunities. Many schools filter their students works before submitting to our scholarship, so we always receive a highly talented pool of students. The Joes Blackbook Scholarship competition not only gave me a platform to display my work to others, but more importantly gave me a track to challenge myself, Cannon said. Truly, I poured my soul into this and surprised myself with the potential. I am so immensely honored to be selected as the mens wear winner. I cannot express the breadth of my gratitude. As a recent graduate with the uncertain horizon of COVID-19 stretched before me, I hope to find work, of course. Ideally, I would like to design for a company or individual with an artistic direction that I relate to, so I can develop creatively as well as professionally. Story continues Choi said she hopes to stay in the U.S. after graduating by getting a job in New York. As an international student, it makes it a little hard to stay here with fewer opportunities. But, I want to do my best to have a job experience in the United States which can give me special experience in the fashion industry. This is the 10th year of the scholarship program and 80 percent of the finalists have been from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday spoke with Jacob Blake, a Black man whose shooting by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, two weeks ago led to days of violent protests. I had an opportunity to spend some time with Jacob on the phone. Hes out of (intensive care), we spoke for about 15 minutes, Biden told a community meeting at a church in Kenosha. He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up. Upon landing in Milwaukee, which is about 72km (45 miles) north of Kenosha, Biden met Blakes father, Jacob Blake Sr, his siblings, and one of his lawyers, BIvory LaMarr. Blake, Blakes mother Julia Jackson and another lawyer, Ben Crump, joined by phone. Blake remains hospitalised after being shot seven times in the back by a white Kenosha police officer as authorities tried to arrest him. Biden, who US President Donald Trump has said would be weak in dealing with rioters, framed his visit to Kenosha as an effort to unify the country after months of protests demanding racial justice. Were finally now getting to the point where were going to be addressing the original sin of this country, 400 years old slavery and all the vestiges of it, Biden said during a community discussion at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha with business and civic leaders and at least two representatives of law enforcement. I cant say if tomorrow God made me president, I cant guarantee you everything gets solved in four years, Biden said. But it would be a whole better, wed get a whole lot further down the road if Trump isnt re-elected. Theres certain things worth losing over, he concluded, and this is something worth losing over if you have to but were not going to lose. Biden speaks during a community meeting at Grace Lutheran Church after a week of unrest in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, US [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters] Bidens visit to Kenosha came two days after Trump toured the city, albeit with a much different agenda, one that did not include a meeting with the Blake family or even a public mention of Blakes name, for that matter. Trump, who defied requests by the citys mayor and Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers not to visit, instead emphasised his law and order campaign theme, calling the violence domestic terror and anti-American. Protests broke out in cities across the US following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in police custody, with some of them turning violent. On August 23, a policeman shot Blake in the back seven times, sparking civil unrest that attracted groups of white men carrying weapons. Two nights after Blake was shot, two protesters were shot dead and another wounded allegedly by 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse, from neighbouring Antioch, Illinois. A video appeared to show Rittenhouse shooting protesters in two separate incidents, killing two white men and wounding a third, and making Kenosha a flashpoint in the presidential campaign. Trump and fellow Republicans may feel that the violence in Kenosha could have a political impact in that battleground state. Unlike protests in large cities such as Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; New York City and Chicago, which are all surrounded by areas that tend to vote Democratic and are generally not factors in deciding presidential elections, Kenosha is in a county where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 238 votes in 2016 and in a state that he won by 22,748 votes, a less than 1 percent margin. Bidens critics, including Trump, have aimed to paint him as weak on crime and argued he will not stand up to rioters, forcing Biden, whose advisers are acutely aware of the electoral importance of Wisconsin, to respond multiple times this week, culminating in Thursdays trip to Kenosha. Republicans hopes and Democrats fears that Bidens polling lead over Trump would be negatively affected by Trumps law and order focus, have not been confirmed as of yet. Polling out this week showed Bidens lead nationally and in several battleground states generally holding steady. In addition, a Fox News poll of Wisconsin voters released on Wednesday revealed that voters there prefer Biden over Trump by 5 percentage points to handle policing and criminal justice. Technavio has been monitoring the potassium permanganate market and it is poised to grow by USD 60.11 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005042/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Potassium Permanganate Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact Frequently Asked Questions- At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024? Growing at a CAGR of over 3%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024. What is the key factor driving the market? Growing demand from the textile industry is one of the key factors driving the market growth. Who are the top players in the market? Changsha Yonta Industry Co. Ltd., Chongqing Changyuan Chemical Group Co. Ltd., Chongqing Jialing Chemical Products Ltd., GFS Chemicals Inc., In-Situ Oxidative Technologies Inc., Libox Chem (India) Pvt. Ltd., Milport Enterprises Inc., Organic Industries Pvt. Ltd., Universal Chemicals Industries Pvt. Ltd., and Yunnan Qunxing Chemical Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. Which region is expected to hold the highest market share? APAC What is the year-over-year growth rate of the global market? The year-over-year growth rate for 2020 is estimated at 3.15%. The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. Changsha Yonta Industry Co. Ltd., Chongqing Changyuan Chemical Group Co. Ltd., Chongqing Jialing Chemical Products Ltd., GFS Chemicals Inc., In-Situ Oxidative Technologies Inc., Libox Chem (India) Pvt. Ltd., Milport Enterprises Inc., Organic Industries Pvt. Ltd., Universal Chemicals Industries Pvt. Ltd., and Yunnan Qunxing Chemical Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. Growing demand from the textile industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Potassium Permanganate Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Potassium Permanganate Market is segmented as below: Application Water Treatment Industrial and Pharmaceutical Others Geography 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=IRTNTR43714 Potassium Permanganate 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 potassium permanganate market report covers the following areas: Potassium Permanganate Market size Potassium Permanganate Market trends Potassium Permanganate Market analysis This study identifies the increased use of potassium permanganate from China, the US, and India as one of the prime reasons driving the potassium permanganate market growth during the next few years. Potassium Permanganate Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the potassium permanganate market, including some of the vendors such as Changsha Yonta Industry Co. Ltd., Chongqing Changyuan Chemical Group Co. Ltd., Chongqing Jialing Chemical Products Ltd., GFS Chemicals Inc., In-Situ Oxidative Technologies Inc., Libox Chem (India) Pvt. Ltd., Milport Enterprises Inc., Organic Industries Pvt. Ltd., Universal Chemicals Industries Pvt. Ltd., and Yunnan Qunxing Chemical Co. Ltd. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the potassium permanganate 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 Potassium Permanganate Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist potassium permanganate market growth during the next five years Estimation of the potassium permanganate market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the potassium permanganate market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of potassium permanganate 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 Application Market segments Comparison by Application Water treatment Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Industrial and pharmaceutical Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by Application Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024 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 Changsha Yonta Industry Co. Ltd. Chongqing Changyuan Chemical Group Co. Ltd. Chongqing Jialing Chemical Products Ltd. GFS Chemicals Inc. In-Situ Oxidative Technologies Inc. Libox Chem (India) Pvt. Ltd. Milport Enterprises Inc. Organic Industries Pvt. Ltd. Universal Chemicals Industries Pvt. Ltd. Yunnan Qunxing Chemical Co. Ltd. Appendix Scope of the report Currency conversion rates for US$ Research methodology List of abbreviations About Us Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005042/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ German Gov't Spokesman Claims Tests Show Navalny Was 'Poisoned by Novichok Group Nerve Agent' Sputnik News 13:47 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 16:42 GMT 02.09.2020) Russian opposition figure and blogger Alexei Navalny was flown to Germany from Omsk, Russia, where he was hospitalised on 20 August after falling gravely ill. Russian doctors waged an interrupted battle for 44 hours to save his life. A spokesman for the German government claimed on Wednesday that tests showed that Alexei Navalny was poisoned by a nerve agent of the Novichok group. "At the request of the Charite University Clinic Berlin, a Bundeswehr laboratory ran a toxicology test on Alexei Navalny's samples. It provided undeniable evidence of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group," a statement by Steffen Seibert read. The spokesman added that the country's foreign ministry will summon the Russian ambassador to inform him about the test results. Germany will also notify its partners from the European Union and NATO to work out a common response, the spokesman added. Responding to the claim, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that Berlin hadn't informed Moscow about its conclusions regarding Navalny's alleged "poisoning" with Novichok. At the same time, Leonid Rink, one of the developers of Novichok said that Navalny's symptoms don't resemble those that occur after poisoning with the nerve agent. "There would be convulsions and so on. Completely different symptoms," Rink said. On 20 August, Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fell gravely ill during a domestic Russian flight. Following an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk, he was taken to a local hospital where, according to an open letter published by regional doctors on Wednesday, he arrived just 17 minutes after landing. For the next 44 hours, doctors waged an uninterrupted fight to save his life, as he went into a coma and was put on an artificial lung ventilator. Immediately after Navalny fell ill, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh rushed to claim that he might have been poisoned. Upon conducting multiple tests involving experts from different fields, Russian doctors said that no traces of poison had been found, suggesting that Navalny's condition was caused by an abrupt drop of glucose in his blood due to a metabolic imbalance. On 22 August, Navalny was flown to Berlin for further treatment. German doctors claimed that they had found traces of a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors in his body, which the Russian doctors denied, citing his test results. On 26 August, the Russian medics published an open letter objecting to the criticism they have faced after Navalny's transportation to the German clinic, describing the situation around the activist as a "political diagnosis." Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition figure, is the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which has made numerous investigative movies about Russian officials, including former Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev, accusing them of corruption. All of the people featured in the videos have denied Navalny's claims. In December 2016, Navalny, who has repeatedly been arrested and was even briefly jailed in July 2013 on embezzlement charges, announced his decision to run for the Russian presidency during the 2018 election, but was barred from doing so by Russia's Central Electoral Commission due to his previous convictions. In August 2019, the Investigative Committee of Russia summoned several FBK employees for questioning over a money laundering case and announced it had ordered a freeze on the FBK's bank accounts. The authorities launched a criminal investigation into the laundering of around 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million), obtained via criminal means. As a result, in July 2020 Navalny said he would close the foundation. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Trump administration has said it won't pay more than USD 60 million in dues it owes to the and will use the money instead to pay down other contributions to the United Nations. The announcement on Wednesday came just a day after the White House announced the US would not participate in a WHO-run project to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. The decision to withhold roughly USD 62 million in outstanding 2020 dues to the is part of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the organisation over its handling of the pandemic and his allegations that the agency has been improperly influenced by China. Despite proceeding with the withdrawal, administration officials said the US will continue to participate in select meetings and make one-time contributions to specific programmes during a one-year wind-down period. Those programmes include polio eradication projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, humanitarian relief in Libya and Syria and efforts to combat influenza. The funding decisions follow Trump's announcement in July that he was withdrawing the US from the effective July 2021 and instructing his administration to wind down funding and cooperation with the agency. At the time of the announcement, the US had already paid about USD 52 million of its assessed 2020 dues of USD 120 million. During the one-year wind-down, the officials said the US would continue to participate in select WHO technical and policy meetings that have a direct bearing on US health, commercial and national security interests. We will consider those on a case-by-case basis, said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Organizations Nerissa Cook. The officials, from the US Agency for Development and departments of State and Health and Human Services, did not say which other UN agencies would get the USD 62 million being withheld from WHO or whether it would be used to pay down US arrears to the world body's general fund. Nor was it clear whether how the US would handle tens of millions of dollars in back dues it owes to the WHO. Under US law, arrears must be paid before the United States can withdraw from most organisations. The one-time exemptions for specific programmes will apply to up to USD 40 million in funding for flu vaccination programs, according to Garrett Grigsby, the director of the HHS global affairs office, and up to USD 68 million for polio and Libya and Syria operations, according to USAID's Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr Alma Golden. On Tuesday, the administration announced it would not work with the vaccine project because it doesn't want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the WHO. 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 cooperative 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 aren't successful. (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.) But people like Mr. Holmes reflect the challenges that Democrats face as they try to channel their anger over police violence into voting. In interviews with more than a dozen Black residents in the Kenosha area, many said they were outraged over the shooting of Mr. Blake, but some said they had grown dispirited and cynical about the political system. The shooting was further evidence, some residents said, that decades of promises from politicians have done little to alleviate wide racial inequalities or stem police abuses, leaving them seeing little value in one more election. Lets say I did go out and vote and I voted for Biden, said Michael Lindsey, a friend of Mr. Blakes who protested for several nights after the shooting. Thats not going to change police brutality. Its not going to change the way the police treat African-Americans compared to Caucasians. Mr. Lindsey, 29, who lives just outside of Kenosha, said he had never voted in a presidential election and did not plan to start this year, as much as he despises Mr. Trump and is fed up with feeling like he has to live in fear of the police because he is Black. Many factors have slowed voting. The states high rate of incarceration of Black people among the highest in the nation strips many African-Americans of their voting rights. Wisconsins voter identification law and other strict regulations, such as a shortened early voting period and longer residency requirements compared with 2016, also present major hurdles. Several leaders on Thursday stepped up their attack on the government over the decision of not holding the Question Hour in Parliament's upcoming monsoon session, alleging that it was an attempt to "suppress" their voices. Congress again hit out at the decision with party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleging that it was an attempt to "throttle democracy" and "enchain" parliamentary system. At a briefing , he said the party will oppose the move both inside and outside Parliament. Bahujan Samaj Party's Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali hit out at the decision saying in a tweet that, "Contempt if one tweets, treason if you ask questions on the streets. The country's biggest panchayat was left to raise questions of the people. There, the government has done away with the Question Hour.This is the scary picture of 'New India'." All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal alleged that by cancelling the Question Hour from the ensuing Parliament Session, the government is trying to deprive "us from our democratic rights". "We have the responsibility, as public representatives, to raise questions on behalf of the people of our country, on important issues," he said. "Pandemic is just an excuse, the real motive is to suppress our voices so that the Govt shouldn't have to answer questions on burning issues," Ajmal tweeted. Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also hit out at the decision of not having the Question Hour this monsoon session. "PM Modi has cancelled the Question Hour & Private Members' Business in the forthcoming Parliament session. Even at the peak of COVID-19 outbreak UK PM Boris Johnson faced weekly PM's Question Hour in the House of Commons," he tweeted. The Nationalist Congress Party accused the BJP of using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour to "hide its failures" on multiple fronts. The NCP also called for using other electronic means to let parliamentarians question the Centre. "The BJP is using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the to hide its failures on multiple fronts," NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged. There will be no Question Hour, a curtailed Zero Hour and no private members' bills during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats have decided, prompting leaders to hit out at the government calling the move "undemocratic". The government, however, has said it is not running away from any debate and provisions are being made for allowing written answers for the questions put up by MPs. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A British man was killed by a hit-and-run driver who knocked him off his motorbike in Thailand last night. The 43-year-old Briton was hit by a truck as he drove back from a meal with friends in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, police said. Rescuers found him lying face down with no pulse in a pool of blood, and attempts to revive him with CPR proved fruitless, according to the Bangkok Post. The truck driver is thought to have fled the scene but police are hoping to track them down with surveillance cameras. The Phon Lan gate (file photo) in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, close to where a British national was killed in a hit-and-run on Wednesday night The crash occurred at an intersection near the Phon Lan gate, part of an old city wall in Nakhon Ratchasima in north-east Thailand. The 43-year-old Briton had been eating with friends not far from the scene of the crash before police were called to the accident late at night. Authorities have not yet released his name while they go about informing the dead man's relatives. It is not known whether the man was a British expat, but tourists are currently barred from the country because of coronavirus. In normal times, British nationals make more than a million visits to Thailand every year, according to the UK Foreign Office. However, the borders were closed in March as the pandemic escalated around the world. Quarantine rules were tightened in July after two imported cases forced more than 400 people to self-isolate in Thailand. Thailand yesterday reached 100 days without a locally transmitted case of the virus, a stretch which only New Zealand and Vietnam have previously managed. The Sherman Chamber Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Eliot Bailen, will present a program celebrating the upcoming 250th birthday of Ludwig von Beethoven Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. The concert will take place the IGA Plaza in Sherman. A rain date of Sept. 6 at 4 p.m. is planned. The ensembles Blue Grass and will also present its annual free Bluegrass Jamboree Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. at the IGA and Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Kent Barns in Kent. The Sept. 5 program will feature Beethovens Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, one of his early works first performed in 1780 and dedicated to Empress Maria Theresa. Also on the program will be Rossini's Quartet for Arranged Winds in B-flat Major. In April 1822, Rossini, a contemporary of Beethoven, was in Vienna for a festival of his music, and the two met for the only time. Musicians Susan Rotholz on flute, Jo-Ann Sternberg on clarinet, Peter Reit on horn, Michael Green on bassoon, Eliot Bailen on cello; Jill Levy on violin, Sarah Adams on viola and Peter Weitzner will join Bailet on cello for the performance. One of the few regional organization currently presenting live outdoor concerts, Bailen said the ensemble was "preserving the feeling of community and a sense of continuity and normalcy as we do our best to keep SCE's traditions alive in the face of COVID." Attendees are asked to bring their own chairs and picnic. The outdoor event will follow CDC and State of Connecticut guidelines for social distancing and rules for events and programs. Face masks are required. Blankets must be spaced 15 feet apart. General admission is $30. Seniors and students will be admitted for $25. Children under 15 will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult purchasing a regular admission tickets. Tickets to the Sept. 5 event should be purchased in advance at www.scemusic.org or by calling 860-355-5930. A suggestion of $10 per person is suggested for the Bluegrass Jamboree Reservations are requested by visiting www.scemusic.org or calling 860-355-5930. VANCOUVERThe federal government has been quietly working on an Indo-Pacific strategy perhaps since last year and one critic says the tight-lipped approach raises questions about the plans progress. As relations with Beijing continue to sour, a renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific area is seen as a way for Canada to diversify its foreign trade away from China and towards the two-dozen-nation region, which includes countries such as India, Australia and Indonesia. The approach has been touted by foreign relations and trade experts as an initiative Ottawa must undertake in the face of an increasingly hostile mainland China. But Conservative MP and a member of Parliaments Special Committee on Canada-China Relations, Garnett Genuis, said hes concerned nothing has been publicly released about the strategy. He said he hadnt even heard the government was working on it until reached by the Star. I cant recall any mention of it being made at any point by ministers or government witnesses, Genuis said. Its further demonstration they are not taking the need for Indo-Pacific engagement as seriously as they should be. According to Statistics Canada, in 2018 Canada imported $46 billion worth of goods from China while exporting $29 billion to the country. The same year Canadas combined exports to top Indo-Pacific countries India and Japan totalled $18 billion while imports from those nations hit $17 billion. Global Affairs Canada said the strategy will involve foreign policy, trade, and development assistance, but would not say when details may be revealed. Global Affairs spokesperson Angela Savard said Canada is engaging in an Indo-Pacific strategy and it will be supported by the countrys participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The 11-nation, free-trade partnership was first signed in late 2018 and involves countries around the Asia-Pacific region. China is not part of the agreement. According to the governments online staff directory Evelyn Puxley, a former director of political and co-ordination with Global Affairs greater China division, is the lead on the strategy. A LinkedIn page appearing to be Puxleys said she was placed in the role last November. She did not return calls made by the Star to her work number. As relations between Canada and China have deteriorated in recent years following the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at Vancouvers airport at the request of the United States, pressure for Ottawa to seek out new trading partners has grown. Margaret McCuaig-Johnston is a former assistant deputy minister who spent decades helping to build relations between Canada and China and has recently called for Ottawa to focus more on the Indo-Pacific region. Reached by the Star last Friday, McCuaig-Johnston said Canada needs to deepen engagement with countries in the region via health, economics, security and build closer relations with Taiwan. This is all very hypothetical because we dont know what the government might want to do on this, she said. We havent seen any kind of announcement or anybody exploring the idea publicly. Charles Burton, a former diplomat and expert on Canada-China relations with the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said Canadas involvement with the CPTPP is a big part of the plan as members of the pact are already Indo-Pacific countries. Now, Burton said, Canada should look at the rest of the countries in the Indo-Pacific region to forge trade and security relations as a common front to counter Chinas influence. He said trade with Indo-Pacific countries could eventually surpass trade with China and lead to more reciprocity and fair trade between Canada and its partner nations. Burton said he thinks the strategy is being kept under wraps for fear of angering Beijing and because many in the civil service who encouraged Canada to grow ties with China over the years may see the plan as an admission their China strategy has failed. He said the approach has hurt Canadian interests in trade and other areas. I think that there is a misrepresentation of the significance of the Chinese economy to Canada, he said, which is then used as a justification for compromise of our Canadians interests in the security area and in the maintenance of norms of governance and fairness and reciprocity. Genuis said the Liberal government has been working on the strategy long enough for some details of the plan to be spoken about publicly, but he worries some in Ottawa have yet to move on from their original vision of Canada-China relations. He said many countries and observers who follow developments regarding China realize relations with Beijing will not snap back to where they were prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately, this government has been slow to recognize the reality that they cant have all their eggs in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) basket, he said. Theres still many people within government who would like to ignore our Indo-Pacific allies and instead focus exclusively appease the PRC and get back to what they see as normal. Read more about: In this file photo taken on March 28, U.S. President Donald Trump, with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaks during the departure ceremony for the hospital ship USNS Comfort at Naval Base Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia. AFP-Yonhap By Do Je-hae A ranking U.S. official has hinted at the need for a realignment of U.S. troops in Northeast Asia to ensure that the U.S. has the "right forces in the right places," according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Concerns are that it may signal a possible reduction in the United States Forces Korea (USFK), which U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened as he pushes for Korea to pay more for the stationing of troops here. "We are heavily concentrated in Northeast Asia," David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, said, according to a report by the DOD, Monday. "Some of these troops' placements are legacies of World War II." "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." His remark has raised concerns over reductions in the numbers of U.S. troops abroad, a move sought by Trump who has been openly critical of the U.S. having to spend too much on maintaining overseas bases. In July, he approved a plan to withdraw 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany, nearly a third of the 34,500 stationed in the European country. This raised further speculation here that he may decide to undertake a similar move in Korea. The speculation gained ground after recent media reports that the Pentagon had offered the White House an option to reduce the 28,500-strong USFK amid a prolonged bilateral dispute about the cost-sharing for maintaining the troops. Trump has used the possible reduction option as a bargaining chip to increase Seoul's share of the costs for the USFK's presence while slamming Korea for paying "peanuts" to maintain this. Observers note that that ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, the issue of a realignment of U.S. troops and cost-sharing with allies is expected to be highlighted as one of the major debate topics between Trump and his Democratic rival and two-time Vice President Joe Biden. Some experts stress the importance of progress in the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations the mechanism that determines how much Korea pays for the USFK upkeep to avoid a sudden decision by the U.S. to withdraw some troops, which could jeopardize the U.S.-ROK alliance. "In light of the changing security environment, strategic flexibility of U.S. forces is very important, but so is coordination and interoperability with allies. Washington and Seoul have significantly modernized the U.S. military footprint in South Korea and continue to transform the alliance," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University, told The Korea Times. "The problem is U.S. allies face increased burden-sharing pressure and are trying to wait out Trump. That tactic carries risks of reduced military readiness and the discussion of partial troop withdrawals. Seoul does not want to dramatically increase its cost-sharing, but it also doesn't want to find itself in Germany's situation. So making progress with the SMA should be a priority." Regardless of who wins, the increasingly dominant view is that U.S. troops will likely be affected given that the world has changed and the U.S. is seeking to adjust its Northeast Asia strategy accordingly. In particular, the rise of China in the region has emerged as primary factor in the need for the U.S. to re-design its military and diplomatic policies in the region. "It is likely that any U.S. administration will pursue a reduction and transition of U.S. troops stationed in Korea," Kim Heung-Kyu, a professor at Ajou University, said in a recent media interview. "It's just a matter of time. The current deployment of U.S. troops is aimed at coping with the Cold War after the Korean War, which is not suitable for U.S.-China strategic competition." Contractors building WestConnex have abandoned plans to blast through hard rock beneath homes in Sydney's inner west as tunnelling work forges ahead on the multibillion-dollar motorway project. Residents in Annandale were told in July that construction crews would test controlled blasting after they hit hard sandstone along a section of the route for the underground M4-M5 Link between Haberfield and St Peters. Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance at the M4-M5 Link site on Thursday. Credit:Brook Mitchell The one-day rock blasting trial involved three "small-scale controlled blasts" beneath Reserve Street to test whether the method should be used to tunnel between Annandale Street and Catherine Street in Leichhardt. It raised concerns the blasting method would lead to construction vibrations, noise and cracking damage to properties experienced by residents living above earlier sections of the 33-kilometre motorway route. Less than six months ago, it appeared Chinese telecom giant Huawei was winning over America's European allies. Now, countries that decided to allow Huawei to build their 5G networks are waking up to the dangers posed by allowing Chinese state-directed companies into their infrastructure. In July, the British government reversed its decision to accept Huawei's assistance and banned the Chinese tech giant from its telecommunications network. In France, authorities recently announced a similar ban on Huawei, which will go into full effect by 2028. Similarly, Singapore has rejected Huawei and decided to go with Ericsson and Nokia. For some, the reversal comes down to growing awareness of the serious accusations aimed at Huawei, ranging from intellectual property theft to enabling Beijing's digital authoritarianism. Until recently, too many foreign leaders dismissed warnings about allowing Huawei into their telecommunication infrastructure from the Trump Administration as bluster amid trade negotiations. However, Beijing's horrific abuses this year are showing the world the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party, forcing countries to be wary of partnering with China on sensitive projects. From covering up the COVID-19 virus in the early days of the outbreak to the crackdown in Hong Kong to its continued human rights violations in Xinjiang, China has provided zero reason for trust. The shift provides an opening for the U.S. and our partners to work together to ensure alternatives exist. Because Huawei has so far competed against private telecom firms with the force of the Chinese government backing it, legitimate competitors find it difficult if not impossible to compete. Beijing has tilted the playing field by subsidizing Huawei and providing financing to its customers. The more nations ban or otherwise restrict Huawei, the more effective market-based solutions among the no-Huawei zone will be. In a speech, Kafeel Khan had criticised Indias new citizenship law, which discriminates against Muslims. For the court, the doctor did not threaten national security. He laid bare the mismanagement of public health service. For friends and colleagues, he is a symbol of the fight against religious oppression. For the ruling party, he is in the service of the opposition. New Delhi (AsiaNews) A paediatrician from Uttar Pradesh was released on 1 September and cleared of all charges, after spending more than 200 days in Mathura prison for criticising Indias controversial citizenship law, which discriminates against Muslim immigrants. At a meeting last December at the Aligarh Muslim University, Kafeel Khan accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of engaging in sectarian politics and ignoring the real problems of the country, such as the deterioration of childrens health, rising unemployment, and the poor state of the economy. For the Allahabad High Court, Khan's words were not intended to incite hatred and violence; on the contrary, they represented a call for "national integrity and unity among the citizens." For this reason, the court ruled that his detention was illegal. The doctor was held under the National Security Act, which that allows for long periods of pre-trial detention of individuals suspected of threatening national security. For Dr Khan, this was not the first clash with Indias justice system. Three years ago, he and eight other hospital employees were jailed in connection with the deaths of more than 70 children in the Gorakhpur public hospital, where he worked as a junior doctor. Most of the young victims died from oxygen supply being cut. The hospital management defended itself saying that the supply was cut because of unpaid bills worth US$ 100,000, which the government denies. In September 2019, the paediatrician was cleared of all charges connected with this case. A government investigation found that Dr Khan had actually paid out of his own pocket for the purchase of 250 oxygen cylinders to save as many children as possible. To colleagues and friends, the government has targeted Khan because he has put the spotlight on the shortcomings of the countrys public healthcare system. His supporters consider him a symbol of the fight against religious oppression, fuelled by the Modi administration. For the Bharatiya Janata Party, in power since 2014, Khan has political ambitions and works for the opposition. The ELECTRODE project is focused on improving energy storage to increase the use of renewable energy. The ELECTRODE project, based at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant of EUR 1.5 million. The European Research Council (ERC) provides start-up support for promising scientific projects. The research is interesting on its own, as basic research, but can also be useful because it allows for better use of renewable energy. "In general, we try to solve problems related to limitations on mass transport in fuel cells. We'll use 3D printers to create porous photopolymer structures that are completely defined by a computer model. In addition, they remain stable when we process them into carbon," says Jan Torgersen, an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at NTNU. While the project's basic research may be a little difficult to understand, it's clear that the research can be useful since it can help in developing far more efficient methods for storing renewable energy. "This means that we may be able to use CAD design in electrochemistry, which gives us many opportunities to increase the effect of energy conversion," Torgersen said. More efficient storage is especially important as society tries to phase out fossil fuels, since renewable energy production cannot be regulated as easily as burning oil or gas. The energy that comes from wind power and hydropower is intermittent. To use as much energy as possible from these sources, we need to be able to store the energy from wind or hydropower plants when they generate more energy than what we can use at that time. This exact situation can when there is a lot of wind at night, for example, and energy demand is low. In that case, we need to find a way to store the energy so we can use it when wind isn't blowing, or when hydropower reservoirs are low because of little rainfall. Storing energy in electrochemical fuels such as hydrogen is a good alternative to batteries, since batteries have their limitations in how much electrical energy can be stored in one place -- a quality that energy researchers call energy density. This is where the ELECTRODE project comes in, with its goal to increase the effect of fuel cells. The results can give us smaller appliances with more power and better energy conversion efficiency, Torgersen says. A promising alternative for storing and transporting renewable energy are hydrogen and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels that can be converted into energy when and where we need it, Torgersen says. Fuel cells are alternatives to regular batteries. But the technology has limitations related to how efficiently the substances in them move in the cells. The ELECTRODE project wants to look at this more intensively so they can hopefully do something about it. "An optimized structure can mean less energy loss when we need high power from a fuel cell," says Torgersen. Carbon-based compounds can work in fuel cells, but thus far they can't be defined from a CAD model. A project like this is more than just the efforts of a single individual, of course. Torgersen is an expert in 3D printing based on photopolymers. But he is not an expert in electrochemistry and needs to work with researchers such as Robert Bock and Odne Burheim, who are a postdoc and professor respectively from NTNU's Department of Energy and Process Engineering. Torgersen is also collaborating with laboratories where he has previously work, including the Nanoscale Prototyping Laboratory at Stanford University, led by Professor Fritz Prinz, and the Additive Manufacturing Technologies group at Vienna University of Technology, led by Professor Jurgen Stampfl. The project has applied for five years of support. ### (Natural News) In its bid to become a global military power, China could double its nuclear arsenal within the next decade. The chilling prediction comes from a new Pentagon report presented to Congress. This years annual China Military Power report repeats the Pentagons previous assertion that Beijing will double its nuclear arsenal in the next decade. This time, however, the report has included an estimate on the current size of Chinas arsenal: 200. In addition, the 173-page report also states that Chinas military has already equaled or surpassed the United States in a series of key areas. China is completing its nuclear triad The report, which details Chinas military capabilities, comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing. Key issues driving these tensions include Chinas military activities in the South China Sea, U.S. support of Taiwan and the ongoing trade war. Over the next decade, Chinas nuclear warhead stockpile currently estimated to be in the low-200s is projected to at least double in size as China expands and modernizes its nuclear forces, the report says, It also adds that the number of warheads on Chinese land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) capable of hitting the U.S. is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years. The increase in warheads also shows that Beijing is nearing the completion of a nuclear triad a three-pronged approach that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs. The report warns that Beijing may be moving from its stated no first strike nuclear posture. Last years developments suggest a shift towards a launch-on-warning (LOW) posture. Chinas near-complete lack of transparency over its nuclear forces raised legitimate questions over Chinas intent as it fields larger and more capable nuclear forces, stated Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Chad Sbragia in a recent press briefing on the report. An ability to double the stockpile not only demonstrates a move away from their historical minimum deterrence posture but places them in a position where they can readily grow their force beyond this number, he added. China has resisted joining arms control talks What makes the growth of Chinas nuclear arsenal more worrying is the fact that Beijing has resisted joining in any arms control talks. In 2011, both the U.S. and Russia signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) that limits both countries to some 1,550 nuclear warheads deployed on ICBMs, submarine-launched missiles and heavy strategic bombers. The treaty, which came into force on February 5, 2011, is expected to last until 2021. While Washington has extended overtures for possible arms control talks with Beijing, the latter has so far refused to join in, insisting that the U.S. should decrease its own stockpile of nuclear weapons before it enters into any talks. I can assure you that if the US says that they are ready to come down to the Chinese level (of nuclear weapons), China will be happy to participate the next day. But actually, we know thats not going to happen, Fu Cong, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministrys arms control department, said at a press briefing back in July. Fu was referring to the White Houses attempts to renegotiate the New START treaty and its insistence that any renewed treaty should include China. Larger navy than the U.S. According to the report, Chinas objective is for the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to become a world-class military by 2049, echoing statements made by Chinese President Xi Jinping back in 2017. Although the CCP has not defined what a world-class military means, within the context of the PRCs national strategy 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 U.S. military, or that of any other great power that the PRC views as a threat, said the report. (Related: U.S. has been quietly building up military resources and firepower on a remote Pacific outpost in unmistakable signal to China.) Already, the report states that China is ahead of the U.S. in certain key areas. Specifically, the country now fields the largest navy in the world in terms of ship count, with around 350 ships. The United States Navy, on the other hand, has 293 ships. I would also draw your attention to weapons systems and its important to highlight the Chinese shipbuilding advantages in terms of its size of the fleet, is both in context of the broader modernization ambitions, virtual class military, Sbragia stated. This is a long-term challenge and its not only demarcated by a single variable, which would be total number of vessels, tonnage capacity, capabilities, location, posture, activities, and then other aspects, he told a small group of reporters in a Pentagon briefing. He added that the Pentagon expects Chinas fleet to expand to around 360 warships by the end of the decade. In addition, he also pointed out that China is flexing its naval might and looking to be more assertive, not just in the region, but in more far-flung areas, exploring potential bases in Africa and South America. The global PLA military logistics network could interfere with U.S. military operations and those of our allies and provide flexibility to support offensive operations against the United States, he told the reporters. For more on Beijings military build-up and aggressive stance, follow CommunistChina.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Media.Defense.gov [PDF] Defense.gov Edition.CNN.com News.USNI.org 'The Last Picture Show': End Credits in a Texas Town I wish that I were reviewing one of the half-dozen movies certain to be made when this pox upon our house is no more. But until that glorious return to normality has us resuming all the simple joys of life we take for granted, like going to the movies, I'll be retro-reviewing and thereby sharing with you the films that I've come to treasure over the years, most of which can probably be retrieved from one of the movie streaming services. It is my fondest hope that I've barely put a dent into this trove when they let the likes of me back into the Bijou. ............................................................. "I've been around that trashy behavior all my life; I'm gettin' tired of puttin' up with it. " Ben Johnson as Sam the Lion Even if "The Last Picture Show " (1971), a sociocultural study of angst, romantic disillusion and cultural disintegration told amidst the windswept dirt of a small North Texas town, were director Peter Bogdanovich's only movie, his legacy as an inventive, soul-searching filmmaker would be assured. Sharing screenwriting credits with Larry McMurtry, scribe of Western sagas extraordinaire, Bogdanovich taps into a foretelling rudiment of today's small-town mores and folkways. One generation from the dire exigencies of the Dust Bowl, the cluster of folks who comprise the economically despairing Anarene, Texas, circa 1951, share no collective plan, let alone a goal. For the most part uneducated, their ethos doesn't go beyond the bare realities of survival success being judged by an adherence to a provincialism so ingrained that thoughts of loftier horizons are rarely more imaginative than simply moving to the big city. Here, there is little luxury of higher thought, and whether by design, an acknowledgement to the numerical odds or convenient oversight, there is no discernible dedication to the commonweal. Rather, and to buffer any inclination for pre-tribal, dog-eat-dog competition, an emphasis on personal relationships permeates the society: i.e., Everyone knows everyone's business. But, for want of any explanation more ambitious than the basic tenets of the least funny Mr. Marx, it's all about the Benjamins. Which is why many of the males in Anarene about to graduate high school, apprehensively wafting between youth and manhood, sure would like to win the hand of Cybil Shepherd's Jacy Farrow. Her oil mogul daddy, representing the only visible wealth or source of employment for miles around, would ensure a secure future for the right son-in-law. We certainly hope this doesn't cause a bone of contention between best friends Sonny Crawford and Duane Johnson, superbly portrayed by Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges, respectively. Both favorites of Ben Johnson's Sam the Lion, who owns the town luncheonette, pool hall and the of-late failing title movie house, the story centers around their unmistakable bond and their devotion to Sam, surrogate dad, man's man and Anarene's tacitly acknowledged moral conscience. However, while it is the optimistic inkling that Sonny could actualize his greater inner potential if only the stars would cooperate that wins our greatest focus, there are few films that possess such a rich panoply of absorbingly magnetic character studies. Ben Johnson's Oscar-winning portrait of the heroic mentor is the epitome of down-home integrity and horse sense. And, at the other end of the self-worth spectrum, Cloris Leachman's love-starved wife of a neglectful gym teacher, also gifted a statuette by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, painfully dabs the quintessence of isolation. Less severe in nature but nonetheless indispensable to the tangling and unraveling of the group dynamics so absorbingly wrought by the ensemble cast of veterans and ingenues alike, Ellen Burstyn is spot-on as the sexy realist who made a certain hubby become rich. Whereas Jacy, the beautiful daughter she attempts to dissuade from the impractical notions of love and passion, is exacted with vixenish threat in Shepherd's first movie role. But there's a bittersweet secret within that dynamic that warms the cockles of your heart, causes you a tear, and groks the philosophical tenderness that lies one spiritual layer of dust beneath Bogdanovich's brilliant decision to film his masterpiece in black and white. Doubtless, no seminar in American cinema would be complete without a discussion analyzing how much of "The Last Picture Show's" success is owed to the wasteland effect the bold choice realizes. It's as atmospheric as all get out, the cowpoke heritage, an occasional tumbling tumbleweed ruffling the dust, and the quiet desperation of lonely hearts emoted through the melodic knowing of country music favorites you'd be apt to hear on that little Philco in 1951. Yet, for all the adult themes set against this backdrop of fatalism and resignation, sure as a tree grows in Brooklyn, a coming of age tale in rural Texas won't be denied its albeit brief day in the sun. Sonny and Duane laugh, squabble, dare to allow fleeting dreams and, in an economy class observance of the rites of passage, do all the hormonally inspired incautions one files for fond recollection, regret and misty second-guessing. Ah, youth, you say as they as they are about to jaunt to Mexico for the weekend in Sonny's jalopy of a pickup: two emerging men in search of emotional El Dorado. With Sam the Lion bidding them bon voyage at the curb, generously asking if they're fixed OK for cash, vague longing in his eyes for those salad days affirm the sanctity of such undertakings. And the teenager in you wants to go with them oh how you'd like to go with them. "The Last Picture Show, " rated R, is a Columbia Pictures release directed by Peter Bogdanovich and stars Ben Johnson, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybil Shepherd. Running time: 118 minutes Both of the miles programs offer eligibility to earn miles to redeem for rewards, utilization of GrandView's flexible cancelation policy, and inclusion in member-exclusive emails with one way and empty leg specials. The Altitude Miles level provides enrollment at no cost for those interested in joining the program. For more frequent fliers, the Altitude Plus Miles Program requires prepayment prior to enrollment. Members who elect to sign up for the Altitude Plus Miles Program are entitled to a 10% discount on flight charges and a $200 catering credit per day. GrandView is proud to offer the Miles Program to its members and expects to continue its expansion into new regions to provide additional geographical coverage for clients. In addition to its Baltimore, Austin, Chicago, and Atlanta locations, the company plans to launch an additional base this fall in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company's Phenom 300 aircraft provide exceptional range that outperforms most light jets. This fleet, in tandem with its rotor-wing counterpart, allows for a high degree of utility to support GrandView's dedication to charter and medical missions. GrandView Aviation GrandView Aviation operates a fleet of Phenom 300 charter jets and helicopters giving access to departure points from the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Central United States. GrandView Aviation is a FAA Part 135 certificated aircraft operator & carries the elite Wyvern Wingman safety rating. For more information about GrandView Aviation, please visit www.flygv.com. SOURCE GrandView Aviation Related Links flygv.com We Are Proud to Be In The Top 500 Fastest Growing Companies In California Inc. magazine today revealed that Digital Ink is No. 2765 on its 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. When we set up the business in late 2014, this was an accolade that I put on the list as an achievement to strive for. Something to make sure we continued to push for more and continued to grow the business, never resting on our laurels. It has been a really fun journeynot easybut fun, and I want to thank all our members of staff, my business partners and everyone who put the blood, sweat and tears into making this recognition a reality. Nick Ledue, CEO 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. Digital Inks growth has been driven by its brands BOSS Magazine and VENTURE Magazine, which have helped make it the No. 1 media company in San Diego. The company also offers a full suite of branding and agency services. 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. 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 Digital Ink: A great tattoo tells a story. Many traditional Polynesian tattoos trace lineage, reciting a family history through ink. Like a tattoo, the story of your business is ever-evolving, and you need the right artist to capture who you are, where you came from, and where youre going. Why Digital Ink? Well get to know you and understand your business before designing a marketing strategy that captures your vision. After all, you wouldnt let a tattoo artist permanently mark your skin without understanding you and your vision, so why let it happen with your business? Our team has decades of experience in drawing attention to the excellent work done by industry pioneers from Fortune 1000 companies to startups through our award-winning BOSS and VENTURE digital magazines. Whether youre a startup looking to build a new website and establish your brand. Or an established company in need of marketing support. Our team of designers, copywriters, and marketing experts are here to help develop a strategy and guide you through the process. Well design your website and drive traffic to it with expert SEO strategies. Well design a logo that creates instant recognition for your brand. Well craft copy that tells your story. Let us help you make your mark. Get inked. CONTACT: Aaron Wells, aaron@digitalinkco.com, 760-417-4809 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. Amynta Group, a provider of property/casualty insurance and warranty protection products and services, has acquired a workers compensation insurance book of business from Houston International Insurance Group (HIIG). This acquisition broadens Amyntas workers compensation practice and geographic presence in the Southwest. The business will be conducted through Dallas-based Southwest Risk Agency Services, Amyntas specialty lines insurance broker and binding authority underwriting facility built to serve the needs of independent agents for medium to small commercial accounts. Sharen Perkins, vice president of the Specialty Workers Compensation Division at HIIG, will lead the transition of the business and join Southwest Risk Agency Services. As part of the transaction, Amynta has partnered with Chicago-based Clear Spring Property and Casualty Co. to provide underwriting capacity for the business. New York-based Amynta Group has operations in North America, Europe, and Australia, and serves carriers, wholesalers, retail agencies, auto dealers, OEMs, and consumer product retailers with insurance and warranty protection products and services. Amynta operates through three segments: managing general agencies; warranty, including automotive, consumer and specialty equipment; and specialty risk services. Source: Amynta Group Topics Mergers Workers' Compensation File The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here. The former director of a branch of the El Paso Boys & Girls Clubs in Texas was sentenced to 80 months in prison in 2011 for two counts of possession of child pornography, according to Texas federal court records and a release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States OAKVILLE, Ontario, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM, GR:A2DUU8) ("Giyani" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that as part of the ongoing Feasibility Study ("FS") work, a processing trade-off study (Study) has been completed for its K.Hill manganese project in Botswana (the Project). The results from the Study do not materially change the robust project economics from the Projects Preliminary Economic Assessment, as announced on 28 April 2020 (PEA). Highlights The post-tax Project net present value at a 10% discount rate ( NPV ) from the PEA is US$275m ($359m), with an IRR of 82% and a capex of US$110m ($143m). The operating and capital cost estimates modelled in the Study are in-line with those used in the PEA. Therefore, the Project NPV is unchanged and continues to be robust. The Study was conducted by Tetra Tech, together with Royal IHC, (the Engineering Consultants ) to identify the optimal processing route for the Project in the FS. The Study only focussed on the reductant phase of the process, which occurs upstream of solvent extraction and electrowinning. The following three reductive leaching processes were considered; Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) Sulphuric acid leaching with reducing sugars Carbothermic reduction (rotary kiln), followed by sulphuric acid leaching The PEA assumed a sulphuric acid and reducing sugar-based process. The Study assessed two additional alternatives, as well as the PEA process. The study showed that the sulphur dioxide based process is the optimal route, as there is less process risk. The operating costs and capital associated with this route were also in line with those modelled in the PEA. Therefore, the sulphur dioxide process has been selected for the FS. There is no alternative trade-off to the solvent extraction and electrowinning process for the production of high purity electrolytic manganese metal (HPEMM). Story continues The study included a financial comparison of the three process options, taking into consideration capital cost, operating cost, recovery and incremental NPV over a 10-year Project life. The Engineering Consultants analysis also included qualitative considerations such as flow sheet simplicity, level of complexity, security of reagent supply and market acceptance. The PEA is considered preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and accordingly there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. The expected accuracy of costs in the PEA is within a -35% to +45% level of confidence, as is appropriate for the level of study and accuracy of the input data provided. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not by definition have demonstrated economic viability. Robin Birchall, CEO of Giyani Metals Corp. commented: "I would like to congratulate the Giyani team and the Engineering Consultants for their work on the Study. The change in the reductant process means that we have reduced our process risk, without any increase to capital or operating costs. We are fortunate that our process is simple, thanks to the deposits grade, quality and proximity to the processing plant. Following recent insights into the direction that cathode manufacturers and battery electric vehicle manufacturers are moving, we will update the PEA in due course to include high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) as an additional product stream. We expect to further increase the NPV, as well as improve the operating and capital costs as a result of this work. The Engineering Consultants will also be including the addition of HPMSM into the FS, which will be released after the updated PEA, expected in H1 2021. NI 43-101 Disclosures EUR ING Andrew Carter BSc, CEng, MIMMM, MSAIMM, SME Technical Director Coffey Geotechnics Ltd A Tetra Tech Company, is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release. About Giyani Giyani Metals Corp. is a mineral resource company focused on the development of its K. Hill, Lobatse & Otse manganese oxide prospects in the Kanye Basin, Botswana, Africa. The Company's flagship K. Hill project is a near-surface deposit currently going through a feasibility study to produce high-purity electrolytic manganese metal and manganese sulphate, both key cathode ingredients for batteries in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market. Additional information and corporate documents may be found on www.sedar.com and on Giyani Metals Corp. Website: https://giyanimetals.com/. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Giyani Metals Corp. Robin Birchall, CEO Contact: Giyani Metals Corporation Robin Birchall CEO, Director +447711313019 rbirchall@giyanimetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (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. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. persons," as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act ("U.S. Persons"), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons. Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Giyani 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", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Specific forward-looking statements and forward-looking information herein includes completion of receipt of TSXV approval for the private placement and completion of the private placement. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to certain assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Giyani's ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include their anticipated operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, and plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future. This information relates to analyses and other information that is based on expectations of future performance and planned work programs. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation: inherent exploration hazards and risks; risks related to exploration and development of natural resource properties; uncertainty in Giyani's ability to obtain funding; commodity price fluctuations; recent market events and conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of mineral resource calculations and the inclusion of inferred mineral resources in economic estimation; risks related to governmental regulations; risks related to obtaining necessary licenses and permits; risks related to their business being subject to environmental laws and regulations; risks related to their mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in title; risks relating to competition from larger companies with greater financial and technical resources; risks relating to the inability to meet financial obligations under agreements to which they are a party; ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel; and risks related to their directors and officers becoming associated with other natural resource companies which may give rise to conflicts of interests. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Giyani's forward-looking information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking information or statements. Giyani's forward-looking information is based on the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of their respective management on the date the statements are made, and Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyani's financial statements and related MD&A, all of which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . GIYANI METALS CORP. 1155 North Service Road West, Unit 11 Oakville, Ontario L6M 3E3 T: 289-291-4032 www.giyanimetals.com TSX.V-EMM Daniel Prude died in hospital on March 30 after he was taken off life support following his encounter with police in Rochester, New York. Officers were called to help Mr Prude by his brother, who was worried about his welfare and mental health. His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family held a press conference and released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request. The videos show Mr Prude, who had taken off his clothes, complying when police ask him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back. He is agitated and shouting as officers let him writhe as he sits on the pavement in handcuffs for a few moments. Joe Prude, Daniels brother, said: I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched. Advertisement How did you see him and not directly say, The man is defenceless, buck naked on the ground. Hes cuffed up already. Come on. How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop? The officers are seen putting a spit hood over Mr Prudes head despite objections, with the victim saying: Trying to kill me. These officers are trained to kill, and not to deescalate. These officers are trained to ridicule, instead of supporting Mr. Daniel Prude The officers slam Mr Prudes head into the street, then one officer holds his head down against the pavement with both hands, saying stop spitting as Mr Prudes shouts turn to whimpers and grunts. The officers appear to become concerned when they notice water coming out of Mr Prudes mouth and paramedics were called. A medical examiner concluded that Mr Prudes death was a homicide caused by complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. The report lists excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors. Rochester police officers took Mr Prude into custody for a mental health evaluation around 7pm on March 22 for suicidal thoughts around eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. But his brother said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports. Police responded again after Joe Prude called 911 at about 3am to report that his brother had left his house. One officer wrote that they put the hood on Mr Prude because he was spitting continuously in the direction of officers and they were concerned about coronavirus. But activists demanded officers involved with Mr Prudes death be prosecuted on murder charges and that they be removed from the department while the investigation proceeds. The police have shown us over and over again that they are not equipped to handle individuals with mental health concerns. These officers are trained to kill, and not to deescalate. These officers are trained to ridicule, instead of supporting Mr. Daniel Prude, Ashley Gantt of Free the People ROC said. Mr Prude, known to his Chicago-based family by the nickname Rell, was a father of five and had been working at a warehouse within the last year, said his aunt Letoria Moore. He was just a bright, loving person, just family-oriented, always there for us when we needed him, she said. Scott Morrison will push to end 'insane' border closures when he meets with state leaders on Friday, with billions of dollars in agriculture and Australia's food supply on the line if farmers remain banned from crossing state lines. But Queensland and Western Australia have already indicated they will reject the prime minister's plans to reopen the country, despite the crippling effect of border closures. Annastacia Palaszczuk has already insisted she 'won't be moved' on border restrictions, and refuses to open her state until coronavirus cases are in single digits. In Western Australia, Mark McGowan declared 'we are not going to bring down our borders', after being shut off from the rest of the country since March 24. The federal government wants a national definition of a 'coronavirus hotspot' to guide interstate travel rules, which have left families separated and wreaked havoc on the economy. Billions of dollars in agriculture and Australia's food supply are on the line if farmers remain banned from crossing state lines. Pictured: Stock image of a man carrying bananas on his Queensland farm Motorists attempt to cross into Queensland before the state shut to NSW on August 8 The prime minister will also push for an agriculture code that would allow farm workers to cross borders without facing 14 days in isolation. Mr Morrison is expected to encourage Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to use 'common sense' and introduce 'compassionate' reforms when national cabinet meets on Friday, rather than urging her to completely reopen the border. The cabinet will discuss a proposal from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee on the definition of a 'hotspot', which would be used as the framework for decisions on cross-border movements. Ms Palaszczuk deemed all of Victoria, NSW and ACT to be 'hotspots' and all travellers from those locations are required to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine at their own expense. The prime minister (pictured during Question Time on Thursday) will urge states and territories to ease border restrictions when the national cabinet meets again on Friday Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been accused of border 'double standards' after allowing 400 AFL players and officials from coronavirus-riddled Victoria into the state under special quarantine arrangements But the premier has been accused of border 'double standards' after allowing 400 AFL players and officials from coronavirus-riddled Victoria into the state under special quarantine arrangements. Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud was scathing of border closures and warned food production would take a huge hit if an agreement can't be struck on Friday. 'The insanity of this is that with freight you've got truck drivers coming out of hotspots in Melbourne and being allowed to carry freight right across the country,' he said in Canberra on Thursday. 'Yet we can't do that for a farmer or [agriculture] worker. That just doesn't make sense.' Victorian Farmers' Federation president David Jochinke said there was an urgent need for free movement of the agricultural workforce. Queensland deems all of Victoria, NSW and ACT to be coronavirus 'hotspots' and all travellers from those locations are required to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine at their own expense. Pictured: Motorists at the Coolangatta checkpoint before Queensland closed to NSW 'It beggars belief that farmers who provide the food and fibre to feed the nation continue to be hamstrung by people who simply do not understand the economic implications,' he said. Modelling by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, seen by the The Daily Telegraph, revealed the nation's agriculture industry will lose $6.83billion over the coming financial year due to the closures. National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar urged premiers to introduce a 'business-as-usual approach' for the borders and to move away from 'crisis mode'. 'With no cases west of Sydney in NSW and Brisbane in Queensland, it simply does not make sense to curtail the movement of farmers and farm workers, for example between Moree to Goondiwindi,' he said. Ahead of Friday's meeting, state government's have been urged to back a national agriculture code to ensure border closures don't diminish Australia's food production NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) said Queensland's guideline for reopening its border is a 'pretty tall order' 'The stretch of land between Mildura in Victoria and Longreach in Queensland is COVID case free.' Mr Mahar declared his message as a 'mayday call' to Australia's leaders ahead of the national cabinet meeting. The fruit and vegetable picking season has already commenced and the grain harvest will soon follow. 'We are fast approaching the time where fruit and vegetables will rot on the vine, and grains will remain unharvested,' he said. 'This is not only a devastating blow for farmers and the bush but it will impact the price and availability of fresh food across Australia. 'This is a mayday call to those who we call our leaders work overtime between now and Friday to achieve a nationally-consistent code. 'Anything less will demonstrate utter contempt for agriculture, regional communities and all Australians who depend on quality food and fibre.' Protective services officers patrol along the St Kilda Beach foreshore in Melbourne on Thursday State government's have been urged to back the agriculture code to ensure border closures don't affect Australia's food supply. 'We're not asking to tear down borders, we're just asking for common sense,' the agriculture minister Mr Littleproud said. The draft code covers workers, farm businesses and agricultural services, along with seasonal temporary migrant workers. It aims to ensure consistency in cross-border movement rules for agriculture workers while also ensuring coronavirus safety. Mr Littleproud also said he was ashamed as a Queenslander by the premier's choice to welcome AFL players and officials but keep the hardline stance with everyone else. 'When the premier of Queensland can allow 400 AFL executives to swan around a resort in the Gold Coast, but won't allow teenage boarding school children to go home to see their parents into remote New South Wales is abhorrent,' he said. 'It's wrong Australians don't do that to other Australians.' Premier Palaszczuk this week said border rules wouldn't change for at least another month. National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar urged premiers to introduce a 'business-as-usual approach' for the borders at Friday's national cabinet. Mr Mahar declared his message as a 'mayday call' to Australia's leaders Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews arrives at his daily press conference on Wednesday. Mr Morrison said Victoria is turning a corner after a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday that NSW needed to pass 28 days without any COVID-19 community transmission before the border rules would be reassessed. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that would be a 'pretty tall order'. 'I don't know anywhere on the planet where a society could function productively during a pandemic and get an assurance you're going to (get) zero cases of community transmission,' she said. 'If you have confidence in your health system, confidence contact tracing is something you can do within your state, there shouldn't be a reason for you to keep your border closed given the low rates of community transmission currently in NSW.' Pictured: Cleaners are seen walking through the street in Melbourne's CBD on Thursday The Federal Coalition, which is powerless to reopen the states, wants a national definition of a coronavirus hotspot to guide cross-border travel rules, as the pandemic continues The national cabinet will also discuss a 'road map' out of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. 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 Speaking during Question Time on Thursday, Mr Morrison said he hopes Australia will be 'whole again by Christmas'. 'It's very important for businesses and their employees to commit to ensure their doors are open and Australians get back in jobs,' he said. 'Australia was not meant to be closed, Australia was meant to be open. 'We need to come together and ensure that we are clear with Australians that we will seek to make Australia whole again by Christmas this year. 'That Australians come together the way they always would at Christmas, so they can spend their important time with family.' The prime minister said Australia has seen success in its attempt to suppress coronavirus. 'We have first sought to suppress the virus and, in seven out of eight territories in this country, Australians have come together to be able to achieve that,' Mr Morrison said. 'In Victoria, they are turning the corner and we welcome that.' On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will announce his own 'road maps' for how Melbourne will come out of Stage Four lockdown, and the way out of the Stage Three rules for regional Victoria. But there is no confirmation yet that any restrictions will be eased on September 13. There were 113 new cases on Thursday - the first time since Sunday that the daily tally has been above 100 - after 90 on Wednesday and 70 the day before. Victoria also 15 more deaths, but nine of them had happened in aged care before the last 24 hours, with the fatalities taking the state toll to 591 and the national figure to 678. Pictured: A general view of La Trobe Street in Melbourne during Stage Four lockdown on Thursday Speaking during Question Time on Thursday, Mr Morrison said he hopes Australia will be 'whole again by Christmas' Coronavirus restrictions and border closures are ripping $55BILLION from Australia's tourism industry - with thousands of businesses on the brink of collapse and a million jobs at risk By Charlie Moore for Daily Mail Australia Coronavirus lockdowns and strict border restrictions are expected to cost Australia's tourism industry at least $54.6billion this financial year, new data has shown. Modelling by Tourism Research Australia predicted Australia's tourism industry will be worth $83.8billion in 2020-21, some $54.6billion less than in 2019. The modelling assumed the industry will lose $31.4billion due to international border restrictions and that domestic tourism will decline by at least $23.2billion. Queensland's border closure is estimated to cost local businesses $17million a day in lost income. In normal times, tourism directly and indirectly employs one million Australians, accounting for one in 12 jobs. Coronavirus lockdowns and border restrictions are expected to cost Australia's tourism industry at least $54.6billion this financial year. Pictured: The Sydney Opera House Modelling by Tourism Research Australia predicted Australia's tourism industry will be worth $83.8 billion in 2020-21, some $54.6billion less than in 2019. Pictured: The Gold Coast The data, compiled in May and released by Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham today, assumed that domestic borders would begin to open from June 2020. It predicted that if state borders were to remain closed for the December quarter, tourism stands lose a further $9.8billion in interstate travel. Senator Birmingham released the figures ahead of Friday's national cabinet meeting where Scott Morrison will urge premiers to open their borders. He has ordered health experts to come up with a definition of a hotspot to guide states on managing their border restrictions. It comes as Qantas boss Alan Joyce demands a science-based approach to state border closures. 'At the moment there seems to be no fact-based criteria about which borders are opening and closing,' he said at Wednesday's CAPA Centre for Aviation industry summit. The modelling assumed the industry will lose $31.4billion due to international border restrictions and that domestic tourism will decline by at least $23.2billion. Pictured: The Great Barrier Reef The data predicted that if state borders were to remain closed for the December quarter, tourism stands lose a further $9.8 billion in interstate travel. Pictured: Uluru 'I hope in national cabinet on Friday we start defining hotspots, which is then putting the science in play. 'Then we have certainty and all those businesses have certainty when borders will open and when they will close.' Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah agreed, saying: 'I do support Alan Joyce on his urging for medical fact-based decision making around borders. 'It doesn't really make sense to have two basically COVID-free cities not being able to connect with each other.' Mr Joyce said he feared hundreds of small businesses in tourism towns such as Cairns would be forced to close. Qantas is operating 20 per cent of its flights before COVID-19 after predicting in June the figure would be 40 per cent. States led by Republican governors have been slower than those led by Democrats to require residents to wear masks to protect against the novel coronavirus - if they have adopted such rules at all.New research finds that the governor's political party is the biggest determinant of whether a state imposed a mask mandate between early April and mid-August, outweighing other factors, including a state's number of covid-19 cases or deaths from the disease caused by the virus. Taken together with The Washington Posts's tracking of covid-19 patterns, however, the study by researchers at the University of Washington also suggests that statewide mask rules alone do not always correspond to the virus's trajectory. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abott, a Republican, ordered people to wear face coverings in most of the state at the start of July as coronavirus infections and hospitalizations were spiking, after previous attempts to undercut Houston and other cities' mask requirements. Since late that month, the weekly average of new cases has tumbled, from approximately 9,000 to about half that level. But in Arizona and Florida, two other Sun Belt states in which infections soared this summer, coronavirus cases and hospitalizations also have fallen sharply since July, without statewide mask orders. They are among 17 states in which residents are not required to wear masks outside their homes. All but one of those- Hawaii - have Republican governors. The remaining states have directed people to wear face coverings, and account for about three-fourths of the United States population, according to the study, published in medRxiv, a compendium of health sciences research that has not yet been peer-reviewed. Among the 33 states with mask requirements, those with Republican governors imposed such rules an average of 30 days later than those with Democratic chief executives. Christopher Adolf, a University of Washington political scientist who is the study's lead author, said the findings reflect the extent to which the response to the worst public health crisis in a century has become politicized. Many GOP governors, Adolf said, "are trapped from above by Donald Trump, who cast doubt on the efficacy of masks, and they are trapped from below by citizens" loyal to the president. After initial ambiguity over whether masks were useful in stemming the virus's spread, epidemiologists and public health officials around he globe have coalesced around the position that face coverings are a critical tool to help prevent people from transmitting the virus to one another. Adolf said he and fellow researchers were surprised by the reticence of GOP governors to compel people to wear masks because they have been particularly outspoken about the need to reopen businesses and schools, and masks are a simpler and less expensive form of protection than various social distancing approaches. "At the end of the day," said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, "this is all about individual rights versus collective rights." The findings reflect "this fundamental difference in their view of the role of government, which is playing out in so many ways" in the pandemic," he said. Benjamin predicted that it will also play out in debates over whether people must get vaccinated once a covid-19 vaccine becomes available. For months, Trump spoke with skepticism about masks, and he first wore one in public during a visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in July. A recent addition to the president's stable of medical advisers, Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution, has said he is uncertain "scientifically" whether masks make sense. The University of Washington research looked at the influence of several factors in predicting which states have mask requirements and when they were created. It finds Democratic governors have been about seven times as likely to require residents to wear a mask as their Republican counterparts. In contrast, states with high death rates from the virus have been twice as likely to have a mask requirement than those with relatively few deaths. And while Republican-led states with such mandates adopted them nearly a month behind ones with Democratic governors, having a low rate of deaths accounted for merely a 10-day lag in creating mask rules. Other factors played little or no role, including a state's proportion of elderly residents, its percentage of people with college degrees, the health of its economy, or its supply of hospital intensive-care beds. SHANGHAI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health China[1], today announced the launch of the Skincare of the Future QuickFire Challenge in collaboration with Zhejiang Tmall Technology Co., Ltd. ("Tmall"), calling for new innovative product, service and technology innovations to help consumers tackle some of the world's toughest skincare challenges. The QuickFire Challenge is the cornerstone of a new collaboration signed earlier this year among the three parties with the aim to jointly build new concepts, products and brands for healthy personal care, aiming to better meet the everchanging and advancing needs of Chinese consumers. Pore care and anti-aging are among the top skin concerns today. Innovators around the world are invited to submit their development-stage ideas aimed to improve skin health with a specific focus potential solutions for minimizing pores and anti-aging for the chance to receive support from both the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and Tmall. Awardees will also receive help from Tmall in cultivating and commercializing their product in the Chinese market. Specific areas of interest include: Newly formulated products Consumer devices Skin health diagnostics Novel skincare solutions (i.e., non-topical, ingestible) Up to two innovators with the most promising potential solution(s) will receive up to US$50,000 in grant funding, one year of residency at JLABS @ Shanghai, mentorship from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, and a chance to launch their product(s) through Tmall, the largest e-commerce platform in China. The awardees will be announced in early 2021. "At Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, we have a wealth of experience and expertise in R&D and the operation of pore care, anti-aging brands and products," said Tim Deng, Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health China[2]. "With Johnson & Johnson Innovation's global network and Tmall's powerful consumer insights and platform, we hope to be able to commercialize the next generation of potential solutions at a much faster pace for China and the world." Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS has developed the QuickFire Challenge platform with the aim to empower and enable potential groundbreaking science and healthcare solutions by encouraging students, entrepreneurs, researchers and start-up companies to tackle some of the world's most challenging problems in healthcare.[3] "Today's consumers are sophisticated and savvy, accustomed to fast product launches, multiple product iterations and value-added innovation. We are excited to launch the first China-based consumer health QuickFire Challenge in the hope of discovering game-changing solutions for China and the world," said Melinda Richter, Global Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS[4]. The Skincare of the Future QuickFire Challenge welcomes submissions from September 3, 2020 to October 23, 2020. For more information (including the terms and conditions of entry), please visit: http://jlabs.buzz/skincare. [1] Divisions of Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. [2] Tim Deng is employed by Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. [3] Johnson & Johnson Innovation is committed to promoting a culture of ethical business practices and obeying all laws, regulations, industry standards and Johnson & Johnson policies. All parties are required to keep compliant business practices by putting the focus on consumer care and ethical competition, to support a positive environment in the health care marketplace. [4] Melinda Richter is employed by Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC SOURCE Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd. An Australian woman living in the U.S. has reposted a Facebook event for an anti-lockdown protest in Victoria that got a pregnant mother arrested. Zoe Lee Buhler, 28, was handcuffed wearing pyjamas her lounge room in front of her children in Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon. She was charged with incitement and faces a $20,000 fine for creating the 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event page, which has since been deleted. Jessica Pinkstone, an Australian ex-pat living in Los Angeles, made a new event page and bragged that Victorian Police couldn't touch her. 'I've recreated the Facebook event they made Zoe delete. I don't live in Australia, so they can't arrest me,' she wrote on her social media. Jessica Pinkstone (pictured), an Australian ex-pat living in Los Angeles, reposted a Facebook event for an anti-lockdown protest in Victoria that got pregnant mother Zoe Buhler arrested Ms Pinkstone's event page has the same 11am Saturday start time and Sturt Street location as Buhler's did before it was shut down. 'Zoe Lee was arrested in her home, in her pajamas, in front of her two kids for making this same Facebook event,' it reads. 'She was forced to delete it. I imagine there are many who are now too afraid to recreate the event in fear of getting arrested also. 'However, I dont live in Australia, so I WILL create this Facebook event for and in support of Zoe Lee and the human rights she was fighting for! 'We all should be deeply disturbed by what happened to Zoe Lee. Please know and understand that your right to peacefully protest is protected by your Australian Constitution!' The page urged protesters to follow social distancing rules and wear masks unless they had a medical exemption. Victoria Police claimed the protest would put lives at risk and anyone who showed up would be fined or arrested. 'We will have no hesitation in issuing $1,652 fines to anyone who is breaching the restrictions on the day, or making arrests if necessary,' it said. Regional Victorian towns like Ballarat are spared the ultra-tough Stage Four lockdown but are still in Stage Three, making it illegal for more than two people to gather. Police consider any protests to be in breach of these rules and have already charged three other organisers around Victoria with incitement. A fundraiser by Buhler's brother Jordan to pay for her legal fees has more than $5,000 in donations so far. Pinkstone's event page has the same 11am Saturday start time and Sturt Street location as Buhler's did before it was shut down Ms Pinkstone bragged that Victorian Police couldn't touch her because she lived overseas Her arrest has become a lightning rod for criticism of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Politicians, broadcaster Alan Jones, and thousands online have expressed outrage at her being handcuffed, and held up the arrest as an example of police overreach from special powers under Victoria's state of emergency. The video, which has since made international headlines in US and UK media, shows the confused Buhler asking why she is being arrested. 'Excuse me, incitement for what, what on Earth? I'm in my pyjamas, my two kids are here,' she asked police. 'I have an ultrasound in an hour because I'm pregnant.' The increasingly distressed mother insisted she wasn't breaking any laws by creating and then promoting the event. 'Actually you are, that's why we're arresting you in relation to incitement,' police replied. Zoe Buhler, 28, was handcuffed in her lounge room in front of her children on Wednesday afternoon and charged with incitement Buhler allegedly created this event for Saturday at 11am on Sturt Street in Ballarat Buhler offered to delete the post as her boyfriend James Timmins tried to mediate while cradling their infant child in his arms. 'How about she just doesn't do the event? It's not like she's done it, she made a post,' he said. Police were unmoved, telling her: 'You've already committed the offence.' Buhler was distressed by this point and crying so much she could barely tell officers that she 'didn't realise' she was 'doing anything wrong' in making the online event. Police seized all electronic devices in the house including those belonging to Mr Timmins and Buhler's sister. Buhler was charged with later incitement released on bail to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on January 25 next year. Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Buhler's arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign. 'Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful,' he wrote in a rant to his Facebook page after Daily Mail Australia published the video. 'The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria. 'His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom.' Buhler's alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event she created Mother-of-two Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her being arrested Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman labelled Victoria Police the 'shame of the nation'. 'The Vic Police. Shame of the nation. Unwilling to deal with youth gangs,' he tweeted. 'Compromised totally over Lawyer X. Waved through BLM protests. Found a job they can do, enforce a tyrant's draconian laws against normal Australians who simply want to earn a living and get on with life.' Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie said arresting Buhler in front of her children was 'absolute overkill' by the police. 'To come in like that and put a woman that's pregnant in handcuffs that was [acting] peaceful, there was no need,' she told The Today Show. 'They could have just knocked on the door and said 'can you please come down to the police station to take a statement'.' 'It could have been done a whole lot more peacefully.' Sunrise contributor and columnist Rita Panahi also shared her disgust at the officers' 'unnecessary' actions. Angry Alan Jones backs up Zoe Lee Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Buhler's arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign. He posted this comment to his Facebook page after seeing the video after Daily Mail Australia was the first to publish it. DANIEL ANDREWS SHOULD RESIGN TONIGHT Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful. A pregnant woman, forced into tears, handcuffed in her pyjamas, in front of her children, I think it is in Ballarat, for 'incitement'. The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria. His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom. This woman is a victim of the appalling and unlimited powers given to the Victorian police. Everyone knew it would come to this. You can only push people so far. Wherein lies the violence in what you see here? The violence towards a pregnant mother is the like of which no Australian will tolerate. Go Daniel Andrews and go now before more damage is done. Advertisement 'FFS they've put in her handcuffs after she told them she's pregnant. Victoria Police also causing unnecessary distress to her small children...all over a bloody Facebook post about a proposed protest. A post she offered to remove,' she tweeted. Host Karl Stefanovic said that while Buhler shouldn't have been handcuffed in front of her children, Victoria Police were right to arrest her. 'Everyone's been doing the right thing, and this lady - irrespective of if she's pregnant or not - has broken the law,' he said. 'I don't think there should be any tolerance to it.' Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest. 'I was scared I was being kidnapped by people, they obviously weren't in uniforms,' she told media waiting outside her Miner's Rest home on Thursday morning. 'I was just so scared, I was like oh my gosh if I disappear today I want it live on Facebook. 'I'm only very early pregnancy so obviously you're told not to stress out or strain.' Buhler offered to delete the post but was told she had already committed an offence Buhler said she was 'still yet to know exactly what [incitement] means' and planned to fight the charge claiming it was an honest mistake. 'I just wanted to feel like I was doing something to stand up for human rights,' she said. 'I had a bit of a bimbo moment and I actually didn't realise that it wasn't okay. I thought so long as we social distanced and wore masks it was okay,' she said. 'I was aware that the protest coming up in Melbourne wasn't permitted, but I thought, in Ballarat, we're in Stage Three lockdown. 'If the police had just called me and told me to remove the post I would've done so.' Bengaluru, Sep 4 : In its endeavour to develop a robust IT ecosystem beyond Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has doled out a slew of sops for IT companies, encouraging them to set up shops outside the city, a minister said on Thursday. "We aim to also strengthen the ecosystem and boost growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of the state. We project that over 60 lakh plus new jobs will be created in this sector," said IT, BT, Science and Technology Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan. As part of the sops, the government will offer financial support to IT hubs and clusters of up to Rs 3 crore outside Zone 3. Similarly, co-working and plug and play infrastructure players will be eligible for a financial support of Rs 2 crore outside Zone 3. The minister also announced stamp duty exemption -- 75 per cent in Mysuru, Hubballi, Dharwad and Mangaluru, and 100 per cent for all other zones except Zone 3," he said. Likewise, the government will also offer quality certification cost reimbursement of up to Rs 6 lakh outside Zone 3, including marketing cost reimbursement of Rs 5 lakh. Companies outside the zone will also be eligible for provident fund and ESI reimbursement of up to Rs 10 lakh. As part of the other major initiatives, the government will consider incentives for mega projects above Rs 250 crore on a case by case basis. Concessional power tariff and continued exemption from the Karnataka Industrial Employment rules and others have been offered to the eligible entities. The state offered these attractions as part of its new IT policy for the period 2020- 25. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have landed a significant development deal with online streaming service Netflix. A report from Deadline said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had launched a production company that will be on Netflix. The multi-year deal will include streaming scripted series, docu-series, documentaries, features, and children's programs. The New York Times reported that the couple would be paying Netflix a "cushy salary" to create whatever content they want. The news comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from their roles as senior members of the British royal family. They moved to California earlier this year and had been pitching movies and TV plans all around Hollywood, reported Variety. The couple noted that their lives, by themselves and as a couple, led them to "understand the power of the human spirit." Working with diverse communities and environments, the couple homes to create content that informs and gives hope to people. There are several projects in line for development under the Netflix deal. This includes a nature docuseries and animated series to celebrate inspiring women. Markle said she still has no plans to return to her previous career as an actress. The last time she had been seen on TV was on her stint in legal drama Suits. Meanwhile, The Duke was last seen closely working with filmmakers in the documentary Rising Phoenix. He also appears in the documentary, which premiered on Netflix last week. Producing Family Programs As new parents, they are also creating inspirational family programs. They said they are looking for powerful storytelling that families can relate to. They also expressed how happy they were to meet with Netflix. For them, the platform has its own unique reach that can help to create their content. Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, is also thankful to have the couple on board. "Harry and Meghan have inspired millions of people worldwide with their authenticity, optimism, and leadership," he said. Speaking on behalf of the company, Sarandos said Netflix is proud that the Sussexes chose them as a "creative home." Netflix has been a hub for many top talents in recent years. Some of them include Barack and Michelle Obama, Shonda Rhimes, and Ryan Murphy. The streaming service has shelled out hundreds of millions to seal deals with creative minds behind TV hits like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Glee." It is not yet clear how much the couple's deal with Netflix costs, but some sources claim that it went up as high as $150 million. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Aim for Diversity A report from Vulture said the couple seeks to highlight diverse voices for their works. A source familiar with the deal also said that they want to hire diverse actors in various roles for their productions. The report said they are actively filling in key roles for their company with a diverse group of actors. As the couple was stripped from the "royal" branding," they founded their own nonprofit called Archewell. It is named after their son Archie. The couple had been living in Los Angeles since March this year. The constant attention from paparazzi drew them to the small and fancy town of Montecito. It was a move that did not sit well with neighbors, who felt like their privacy was being invaded by the paparazzi that followed the Sussexes. The last time the couple had been seen in public was during a charity event in Los Angeles. Check these out! Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Close Down Sussex Charity, Plan to Establish New Organization Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's New Neighbors are 'Super Annoyed' Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Sue Paparazzi Over Photo of Son at California Home ALBANY A controversy over whether those who use mail-in or absentee ballots can still vote at the polls erupted this week when President Donald J. Trump, during a visit to North Carolina, suggested that anyone who votes by mail should "then go and vote" in person. The president later clarified in a series of tweets that he was simply urging voters go to the polls to ensure their mail-in ballots were counted. Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible, Trump tweeted Thursday. On Election Day, or Early Voting, go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizens right to do). While his critics and elections' officials seized on the president's remarks, contending it is criminal to intentionally vote twice in North Carolina and many other states, that is not the case in New York. Under state election law, a voter who has mailed in an absentee ballot can still go to an in-person polling place and vote. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Once you're issued an absentee ballot, you can choose to vote in person and we will discard the absentee ballot," Albany County Board of Elections Commissioner Rachel Bledi told the Times Union earlier this year. The option became an issue in this year's Democratic primary for Albany County district attorney when supporters of incumbent David Soares encouraged voters in their party if they had already cast absentee ballots in favor of challenger Matt Toporowski to go to the polls and change their vote. Soares' campaign began encouraging voters to change their votes after Soares' chief deputy, David Rossi, accused Toporowski of lying to the public about his disciplinary record when he had previously worked for that office. Toporowski had said that he had never been disciplined while working as a prosecutor, which Rossi said was not accurate, noting he had been suspended for a week and was subsequently asked to resign. Elections' officials said that their offices often spend the days immediately following an election or primary comparing absentee ballots to poll results; if a person voted twice, the absentee ballot is set aside and the in-person vote is counted. NEODESHA, Kan., Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cobalt Boats proudly announces Marine Connection has joined its dealer team with 5 Locations in Southwest Florida, including West Palm, Stuart, Vero Beach, Lauderdale, and Miami. Marine Connection is a full-service dealership offering a full line of new Cobalt models. Cobalt Boats is thrilled to have Marine Connection join our family. Danny and his team will bring a great deal of experience, professionalism and success to southwest Florida, Cobalts Eastern Regional Manager Bryan Holland said in a statement. Marine Connection is known for their superior service and unwavering attention to detail. Thats what we look for in a Cobalt partner, and we couldnt be happier to have them on our team. Founder and President Danny Goldenberg founded Super Boats & Yachts in 2006 and acquired Marine Connection in 2010, combining his expertise and knowledge in business and marketing with a passion and enthusiasm for boating. Danny said in a statement, The inspiration behind creating this company was to provide a premier service above the competition for all of our clients in the selling, purchase, and/or trade of their boats. We continuously strive to build strong relationships. "Cobalt Boats and Marine Connection will work closely to craft a relationship that allows customers to enjoy a lifetime of memories on the water, says Jeffrey Morales. Welcome to the family, Marine Connection! Cobalt Boats, the maker of high-quality family runabouts since 1968, operates in Neodesha, Kansas. Today Cobalt Boats leads the industry in quality, fit and finish in the 20-40 segment. Cobalt is backed by the best warranty and best dealer network in the marine industry. Cobalt Boats ranked highest in customer satisfaction every year the J.D. Power and Associate Marine Survey was conducted. Cobalt Boats is now the #1 selling stern drive boat in America in the 20-40 category. Company website: www.cobaltboats.com Story continues For Additional Information Jeffrey Morales (620) 325-2653 Improving the shelf life of Welsh lamb could help improve global demand for the product, Welsh Conservatives say. The move has been identified as a key factor in helping Welsh lambs competitiveness in the domestic retail market, and attracting new export customers. Despite a small improvement in shelf life reported earlier this year from around 21 days to 33 days, New Zealand remains the global standard. New Zealand lamb has a shelf life of over 60 days for vacuum packed chilled lamb and up to 110 days for CO2 gas flushed lamb. The Welsh Conservatives Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, has written to the Welsh government calling for better training and funding support to improve shelf life. The Shadow Minister's letter comes during Love Lamb Week, which runs from the 1 to 7 September 2020. She said: I am seeking an explicit commitment from the Welsh government to support the extending of shelf life for Welsh lamb so that this delicious and versatile product can be internationally competitive." Successfully achieving a long shelf life depends on having clean and hygienic practices throughout the supply chain, as well as good temperature control once the animal has been slaughtered. "For this to come to fruition, in both an expedient and time-limited manner, better channels of funding and training support must be offered by the Welsh government," Ms Finch-Saunders added. This iconic Welsh product has special characteristics that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Its a fantastic and sustainable product, which contributes considerably to the estimated 690m red-meat industry in Wales." She said extending the shelf life of Welsh lamb would send a powerful signal of support for the Welsh product and rural communities. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:05:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Director-General of Maputo Central Hospital Mouzinho Saide (3rd L, Front) receives the donation of medical supplies by China's Sichuan Provincial Government at the handover ceremony in front of the hospital, in Maputo, Mozambique, Sept. 3, 2020. The Sichuan Provincial Government of China through its health commission donated a batch of medical supplies on Thursday to Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest hospital in Mozambique, to support the country's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. The supplies include 20,000 surgical masks, 5,000 N95 masks, 500 protective overalls and 300 face shields. (Photo by Israel Zefanias/Xinhua) MAPUTO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Sichuan Provincial Government of China through its health commission donated a batch of medical supplies on Thursday to Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest hospital in Mozambique, to support the country's efforts in the fight against COVID-19. The supplies include 20,000 surgical masks, 5,000 N95 masks, 500 protective overalls and 300 face shields. Jin Tao, the representative of the Chinese medical team to Mozambique, said at the handover ceremony that the donation shows the friendly will of China, which will continue to share expertise in fighting the coronavirus. "I believe that our friendship of decades will transcend this difficult period, our cooperation will make a major contribution to the communities affected by the pandemic," Jin said. HCM's Director-General Mouzinho Saide recognized and thanked the donation and the training of health professionals offered by Sichuan, particularly in the area regarding the pandemic. "The West China Hospital of Sichuan University, our first-rate partner, has been providing support and collaboration in the most difficult times of this pandemic," he said. Saide said that since the communication platform between Sichuan and HCM was established, they have had more than 10 training courses online, and the Chinese doctors have shown a high spirit of dedication and friendship. The director added that the training and support is fruitful, as the local doctors have learnt how to properly use surgical equipment, the hospital management of patients and other aspects related to COVID-19. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced that so far no positive Covid-19 cases have been recorded among international air passengers arriving at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) since its reopening. KIA was reopened to international flights on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. And speaking to the media at the Information Ministry on Thursday, September 3, 2020, Director General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, says So far no positive case has been found. According to him, the ultimate aim of the Ghanaian Government is that people arrive in Ghana negative and truly negative. He stated that on day one of the airport reopening, there were three flights including KLM and Tap-Portugal. Passengers arriving through the KIA are supposed to provide a negative PCR test result and also undergo covid-19 test at a cost of $150. ---Daily Guide Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 17:03:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's parliament on Thursday passed amendments to the Public Health Act to charge quarantine fees to foreigners entering the island nation under COVID-19 protocols. The amendment will allow the nation's Health Ministry to make regulations on fees and charges for foreign visitors who require quarantine and medical services. Foreign visitors will be required to pay for costs incurred by the military for security during quarantine, the navy for sailing out to meet visitors on yachts, and accommodation and medical costs during the 14-day quarantine. Fiji's Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said that the funds will also allow the authorities to strengthen the COVID-19 containment framework. It is reported that the Fijian government has spent millions of Fijian dollars on accommodation and meals for foreign visitors quarantined in the government designated facilities. Currently, Fiji has reported a total of 29 COVID-19 cases, including two deaths. The island nation now has four active COVID-19 cases. Fiji maintains a strict travel restriction for foreign visitors and keeps a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 this year. Enditem Authorities in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang will conduct mass COVID-19 testing on representatives of over 71,000 households over five days, starting Friday, according to a plan announced by the municipal Peoples Committee late on Wednesday. The representative can be the owner or one at the highest risk of COVID-19 infection in a household, such as people exposed to possible sources of infection and those who frequently have social interactions. The selected representative must be over 18 years old and well enough to go to centralized sampling points. Households with members who have been sampled for coronavirus testing since July 25 are exempted from this sampling plan. Approval from district-level committees for COVID-19 prevention and control can be sought to take samples from such households if deemed neccessary. People with symptoms of cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, chills, decrease or loss of taste and smell, or pneumonia in the last 14 days who have not been sampled must be taken to a medical establishment for immediate testing. The mass screening is meant to trace any undetected coronavirus case in the community for prevention and early control, stalling the spread of the disease in the city. Da Nang currently has 276,000 documented households, of which more than 51,000 households have had at least one member sampled for COVID-19 testing. According to the plan, 71,424 households with no member having been tested for the virus will be sampled for group testing in the first stage of the mass screening between September 4 and 8. Before the screening plan was unveiled by the municipal Peoples Committee, Da Nang's health department director Ngo Thi Kim Yen told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday that the mass testing would start on Thursday. Da Nang will consider plans for taking samples in the next stages based on the results of the first phase. Medical facilities to participate in the mass testing include Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases, Hospital 199, the municipal Center for Disease Control, Da Nang C Hospital, Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital, and Thien Nhan Medical Clinic. Vietnam has reported 1,046 cases of COVID-19 since January, including 691 domestic infections. Among them, 551 local cases, mostly linked to Da Nang, have been logged since July 25, when the beach city reported the first domestic infection after the country had spent 99 days recording zero community transmissions. So far, 746 patients have recovered from the respiratory disease while 35 have lost their lives. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said even though there have been demands to reopen temples and other places of worship as part of the 'Unlock' process, his government is exercising caution on the issue. Thackerays comments came in the wake of demands from the main opposition BJP and other parties that places of worship be re-opened since coronavirus-enforced restrictions are being eased under the "Unlock" process. Last week, the BJP had organised a 'Ghanta Naad (ringing of bells) programme as part of its protest against the government for not opening places of worship for public. The All India Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) have also been pushing for reopening of shrines. "As part of the Unlock process, we have restarted manyactivities. There are demandsfor opening of temples and other places of worship. But we have to exercise caution," the chief minister said. Thackeray was speaking at a meeting held to review the COVID-19 situation in Western He said recent spurt in COVID-19 cases in Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts was a cause of concern and added that the focus of authorities has now shifted from the Mumbai- Thane region to these places in Western Thackeray said the present times are challenging and now after rains, the administration will have to ensure safety of citizens during upcoming festivals like Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali. He said 'chase the virus mission should be vigorously pursued and sought cooperation of citizens in the fight against COVID-19 which has already infected more than eight lakh people in Maharashtra. (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.) But Athens quickly denied any such agreement, saying neighboring Turkey must first withdraw its ships from the area where it is carrying out gas and oil prospecting. Ankara, on the other hand, said it backs NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergs initiative for military and technical talks and called on Greece to do the same. Beijings main international airport on Thursday began receiving international flights again from a limited number of countries considered at low risk of coronavirus infection. Passengers flying in from Cambodia, Greece, Denmark, Thailand, Pakistan, Austria, Canada and Sweden must have first shown a negative coronavirus test before boarding, city government spokesperson Xu Hejian told reporters. Passenger arrivals will be limited to roughly 500 per day during a trial period and all will need to undergo additional testing for the virus on arrival, followed by two weeks of quarantine. The first flight under the arrangement, Air China Flight 746, arrived from Pnom Penh, Cambodia, just before 7 a.m. Beginning in March, all international flights to Beijing had been redirected to a dozen other cities where passengers were tested and processed before being allowed to travel on to the Chinese capital. China has gone weeks without new cases of local infection and the 11 new cases recorded Thursday were all imported. Beijings last local outbreak in July was linked to a wholesale food market, and the citys customs department announced Wednesday it would test all imported frozen foods, along with other goods arriving from countries considered to be at high risk. Storage and transportation facilities for imported food would also be disinfected and Beijing customs would work with other cities to ensure the safety of the supply chain. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: A prison inmate in Thailand has tested positive for the coronavirus in the countrys first confirmed locally transmitted case in 100 days, health officials said Thursday. They identified the inmate as a 37-year-old man arrested for drug abuse who was brought to prison in Bangkok on Aug. 26 and tested positive Wednesday at the prisons health centre. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday had congratulated the nation for having achieved 100 days without any confirmed local cases of the coronavirus. Thailand has sustained relatively light health damage from the pandemic, even though in January it was the first country outside China to confirm a case. But its economy has been devastated by the absence of foreign tourists, who are banned from entry, and by a drop in exports. Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Health Ministrys Disease Control Department, stressed that the infected man had been kept in a small group of quarantined inmates in a standard procedure to limit the possible spread of the virus. India has registered a record single-day spike of 83,883 new cases, driving the country overall tally to 3.85 million. The Health Ministry on Thursday also reported 1,043 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 67,376. India has been reporting the highest daily increases for more than three weeks. The ministry said the countrys fatality rate had declined to 1.76% and its deaths per million population was one of the lowest in the world. Experts say deaths could be substantially undercounted in several states. South Korea reported its first drop below 200 new coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, but the countrys strained hospitals were treating more seriously ill patients after the prolonged recent surge in infections. Thursdays increase of 195 new cases, the first daily increase below 200 in 17 days, indicated the country was beginning to see the effects of stringent social distancing restrictions recently imposed in the greater capital area. However, the number of patients in serious or critical condition with active COVID-19 increased to 154, compared to 14 on Aug. 14 when the country began whats now a 21-day run in triple-digit daily jumps in infections. The country has added more than 5,800 newly ill people to its caseload during the streak, raising fears about overwhelmed hospitals. Hong Kong says just six people have tested positive for the coronavirus out of 128,000 residents who have taken part in the citys mass testing program that began Tuesday. Four of the six people were previous coronavirus patients who were discharged last month and still carried traces of the virus when they were tested. As of Thursday, 850,000 people in the city of 7.5 million have registered to take part in the weeklong free testing program aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus. The low number of positive cases has drawn criticism that the testing program is not cost-effective, amid privacy concerns and fears that DNA data could be sent to mainland China. Coronavirus infections surged in Hong Kong in early July. At its peak, the territory recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June. Tough restrictions were imposed, including limiting restaurant dining-in hours and shuttering bars and karaoke lounges, and cases have steadily dwindled. Apart from the six people who tested positive in the mass testing program, Hong Kong reported eight other coronavirus infections on Thursday. It has confirmed a total of 4,839 cases, including 93 deaths. Australias hot spot Victoria state on Thursday recorded its second consecutive day of increased COVID-19 cases. The state health department said there had been 113 new infections and 15 deaths in the latest 24-hour period. There were 90 new infections and six deaths recorded on Wednesday. There were only 70 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the lowest tally since June. A pregnant woman in Australia says she didnt know she was breaking any law when she was handcuffed by police in front of her children and led away in her pyjamas for allegedly inciting people to demonstrate against Victoria states pandemic lockdown. Zoe Buhlers partner helped her live stream the arrest on Wednesday at her home where she lives with two children aged 3 and 4 in the city of Ballarat. The video has been viewed millions of times. She has been charged with using social media platforms to incite others to break pandemic restrictions by attending weekend rallies to protest the restrictions. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 05:55:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday night that it has filed a protective injunction at a labor court requiring laboratory workers to end the strike launched on Sunday. The court is due to hear the ministry's request on Thursday. Israel's lab workers went on strike claiming they have to deal with low wages but high workloads. The strike includes 2,000 workers in 400 labs across Israel, with staff running only life-saving urgent tests, such as tests for critically ill patients, cancer and heart patients, as well as coronavirus tests. However, the strikers give only positive results to coronavirus tests, while those who are found negative will not receive the results. The workers also threatened to stop performing coronavirus tests if their demands were not met. The Health Ministry said in its statement that despite several discussions with the workers' representatives, including proposals for higher wages and better working conditions, no agreement was reached. Enditem Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexico is encouraging teachers to watch for signs of child abuse and neglect even in online classrooms as state agencies shift strategies to keep up with the coronavirus pandemic. The new training offered to teachers comes after a sharp drop in abuse and neglect reports earlier this year, state officials say, when shelter-in-place instructions took hold and schools moved to remote learning. The revised training is one example of how New Mexico health officials say they are responding to a potential behavioral health crisis triggered by family isolation, economic hardship and illness. Its something thats at the forefront of our minds, Brian Blalock, secretary of the state Children, Youth and Families Department, said Wednesday in a public briefing. New Mexico is preparing for a 15% to 20% surge in behavioral health issues over the next nine months, state officials said, but the early signs are mixed. Human Services Secretary David Scrase said a national survey found more than twice as many people as usual reporting anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Medical visits related to behavioral health are up significantly in New Mexico this year, he said, but they had been climbing even before the pandemic. The youth suicide rate so far this year, Blalock said, is lower than it was in 2019. But New Mexicos overall suicide rate is still high the highest in the country in 2018, according to data released earlier this summer. There is a behavioral health crisis coming, Blalock said, but in a lot of ways, New Mexico has been in a behavioral health crisis for years. Child abuse and neglect reports to CYFDs central intake center fell by 30% from March to April this year a sign that fewer people were able to look out for vulnerable kids. The calls have since bounced back almost to normal levels, according to figures released by the state. The calls were down just 5% in June this year compared with the same month last year. Blalock said his department has developed training for schoolteachers on how to spot abuse or neglect in virtual settings, including questions to ask and what to watch for. The state, he said, is also reaching out to families who have had previous contact with the Children, Youth and Families Department, even if theres no case open now, to check on kids. Scrase said the state has also adjusted its Medicaid reimbursement rates to ensure that providers arent discouraged from conducting telehealth visits. Its had some surprising results, he said. Were hearing anecdotally from therapists all over the state somehow people are actually more open to sharing the issue theyre struggling with in a remote visit, Scrase said. That was one I didnt see coming. Contact tracing The state also reported progress in its contact tracing Wednesday, and New Mexico once again meets all of its reopening criteria. The Department of Health sliced the median time to ensure someone is isolated after possible exposure to the virus from 47 hours last week to 28 hours this week. The states goal is 36 hours or less. Health officials also reported three more coronavirus deaths, pushing the statewide death toll to 790 since March. Those whose deaths were reported Wednesday were older adults, ranging in age from their 60s to their 100s, all underlying medical conditions. The state also reported 154 new virus cases Wednesday led by 33 new infections in Dona Ana County, followed by Bernalillo and Chaves counties, which reported 24 new cases each. The states seven-day rolling average now stands at 126 cases a day, well below the target of 168 or fewer cases. New Mexico meets all of its reopening standards on testing capacity, spread of the disease and other factors. Over the weekend, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration loosened the states public health order to allow indoor dining at 25% of capacity in restaurants and breweries. Vaccine expected Scrase, a physician, said Wednesday that New Mexico health officials expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be available as soon as November, starting with distribution to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. It could be available to the general public for free in January, he said, at hospitals, pharmacies, public health offices and other locations. Scrase also encouraged New Mexicans to catch up on their normal health screenings, including colonoscopies and other procedures, and to get their flu shots soon. Get those done within September and October, he said, so we can focus on COVID. Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) - Mikhail Klimentyev/ Pool Sputnik Kremlin Calls were mounting on Thursday for tough Western action against Russia over the suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny, the prominent Kremlin critic. Senior German politicians compared Vladimir Putin to Bashar Assad of Syria and demanded Europe go further than it did in response to the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury two years ago. But the Kremlin refused to back down and senior figures close to Mr Putin sought to claim Mr Navalny may have been poisoned by Germany as a deliberate provocation. Talks are underway to agree a common Western response after it emerged Mr Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok, and there are clear signs attitudes are hardening in European capitals. We are committed to working with Germany, our allies and international partners to demonstrate that there are severe consequences for the use of banned chemical weapons, a Number 10 spokesman said ahead of a meeting between Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, and his German counterpart Heiko Maas. The Putin regime is on the same level as those who have used chemical weapons against their own civilian population in Syria, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the German defence minister, said in the most outspoken attack on the Kremlin yet by a member of Mrs Merkels government. FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny delivers a speech during a rally to demand the release of jailed protesters, who were detained during opposition demonstrations for fair elections, in Moscow, Russia September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo - Shamil Zhumatov/REUTERS I expect the European Union to take a common stand to make Russia fully investigate the crime and to hold the perpetrators accountable. Once again we are brutally confronted with the reality of the Putin regime, and the way it treats people with contempt, said Norbert Rottgen, one of the contenders to succeed Mrs Merkel as chancellor next year. The question is, are the Europeans always going to end up doing nothing? If we do, we will become irrelevant and we won't be taken seriously. The EU response must go further than it did to the Skripal attack, Jurgen Hardt, foreign policy spokesman for Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU), said. The Kremlin isn't even bothering to try to dispel suspicions. Its part of the Russian system of repression to let the opposition know what can happen to them. Story continues Mr Navalny is currently in a coma in a Berlin hospital, after Russia bowed to international pressure and allowed him to be moved to Germany for treatment. The discovery of traces of Novichok in his body by a German military laboratory has made the Kremlin the prime suspect in the poisoning. Mandatory Credit: Photo by CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10751900g) German Bundeswehr paramedics at the clinic after Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny arrived at Charite clinic in Berlin, Germany, 22 August 2020. Navalny was first placed in an hospital in Omsk, Russia, after he felt bad on board of a plane on his way from Tomsk to Moscow. The flight was interrupted and after landing in Omsk Navalny was delivered to hospital with a suspicion on a toxic poisoning. The hospital management agreed on 21 August 2020 to transport Navalny to a German hospital for further treatment. Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny arrives in Germany after alleged poisoning, Berlin - 22 Aug 2020 - CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The nerve agent was developed by the Soviet Union and is thought to be so sophisticated it could only be produced by a state. It was used in the 2018 attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter and Britain is understood to have offered Germany assistance and the extensive expertise acquired from its own experience of the nerve agent. But Mrs Merkels attempts to build a united Western front over the poisoning have been weakened by domestic pressure. The opposition Green Party and Free Democrats (FDP) have called for an emergency meeting of the German parliamentary intelligence committee to find out how much her government knows about the case. And she is facing questions over her continued backing for a controversial gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. German opposition parties and senior figures from her own Christian Democrats have demanded the Nord Stream 2 project be cancelled in response to the poisoning. Pic shows: Sergei and Yulia Skripal photographed having a meal apparently in the UK - possibly Zizzi restaurant Pic supplied: Pixel8000 Ltd - Pixel8000 In the US, Democrats accused the Trump White House of failing to take a stand against Russia.Donald Trump has refused to confront Putin, Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, said. He has yet to condemn the attack on Mr. Navalny. His silence is complicity. Americans are less safe with Donald Trump in the White House. A spokesman for the National Security Council pledged the US would work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, but there was no statement from Mr Trump or a senior minister. In Russia, Mr Putin has yet to comment on the allegations. But one of his close allies claimed the poisoning was a provocation organised in Germany. This is a planned action in order to introduce new sanctions and try to restrain the development of our country, Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliament said. The EU and Nato obviously do not like the fact that the Russian economy is strengthening every year...They do not want our country to be strong, Before the patient was brought to Berlin, a battery of tests were carried out in our country in accordance with all international standards, and no toxic substances were found, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman claimed. The Kremlin said Mr Putin has no plans to speak to Mrs Merkel about the case or make any statement about it. Joe Biden has a sizable lead over President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll released Thursday, and almost everyones mind is already made up. The Quinnipiac University survey one of several this week that show Biden with substantial leads in battleground states found 52% of likely voters supporting Biden, compared with 44% for Trump. And 94% have settled on their pick for president, the poll said. If accurate, that would leave Trump little room to maneuver in the races final two months. The Quinnipiac poll paints a different picture than one released just a day earlier by Monmouth University. The Monmouth survey depicted a much tighter contest in Pennsylvania, with Biden leading by between 1 and 3 percentage points, depending on the level of voter turnout. Thats essentially a tossup and in line with strategists in both parties, who have long said they expect the contest in Pennsylvania to be close. Other August polls from Muhlenberg College and Change Research have also suggested a closer race in Pennsylvania, while Franklin and Marshall College recently found a Biden lead of 7 percentage points. Trump, who was scheduled to visit Southwest Pennsylvania on Thursday night, won the state by less than 1 percentage point in 2016, one of three razor-thin battleground-state wins that helped him secure the White House. READ MORE: Can Trump win again without winning the most votes? Yes. Pennsylvania shows how. Both parties see the state as critical to the 2020 election and have showcased its importance this week: After the presidents visit, his daughter Ivanka is stumping in Chester County on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence spoke in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday and the presidents daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, stopped in Bucks County on Monday. Biden delivered a major campaign speech in Pittsburgh on Monday. The Quinnipiac results are in line with numerous national polls released this week. The surveys suggest that the national party conventions, and Trumps increasing focus on crime and civil unrest, have done little to change the overall dynamics of the election since earlier this summer, when polls showed Biden leading nationally and in key swing states. One bright spot for Trump is that voters still favor him on the economy 52% to 45% and 29% say thats the most important issue in the election, the most of any topic. An additional 15% rated law and order as their top concern. READ MORE: Meet 24 Pennsylvania voters who will help inform our 2020 election coverage But on a range of other major issues, Biden leads. Among them: handling a crisis (52% favor Biden, 44% Trump), health care (54% to 42%), responding to the coronavirus (54% to 41%), and handling racial inequality (57% to 38%). The economy is key in Pennsylvania and a majority of likely voters approve of the way President Trump is handling it, but its overshadowed by Trumps handling of the coronavirus and his overall job approval. Both are registering double digit deficits, said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Mary Snow. Forty-three percent said they approved of the job Trump is doing, while 54% disapproved. The poll surveyed 1,107 likely voters in Pennsylvania from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Naval vessels and aircraft are conducting rescue efforts off Sri Lankan coast after a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by the Indian Oil Corp (IOC) caught fire. The fully loaded vessel, identified as New Diamond, was on its way to Paradip from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait when the incident took place. According to Srilankan navy officials, the ship is ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of the country close to Colombo. "The Sri Lanka air force has scrambled an observation aircraft and the navy has sent in two ships to help with rescue efforts," Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa of the Sri Lankan navy said. Various reports claimed that Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority assured steps will be taken to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker which is carrying 270,000 tonnes of oil. There is yet to be any comments from the part of IOC or Kuwait Petroleum Corp regarding the incident. -with agency inputs (This is a developing story. Please check for further updates.) Shortly before Daniel Prude lost consciousness while the Rochester police held him down, one of the officers had pulled a white hood from his pocket and slipped it over Mr. Prudes head. The mesh hood is a common device that the police and correction officers use, known as a spit hood or spit sock. It was intended to keep Mr. Prude, who had been spitting on the ground, from exposing them to disease. Earlier that night, Mr. Prude, who had a history of mental illness, had run out of his brothers home naked and was behaving erratically, telling at least one person that he had the coronavirus, according to police reports. The officers went on to hold Mr. Prude down on the pavement for two minutes, his head still wrapped in the sack, as he lost consciousness and his pulse stopped. Paramedics restarted his heart, but he died a week later in a hospital. An autopsy found the cause of death was complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint. Inside Hook Sex is weird. Sex during coronavirus is weirder. From glory holes to long-distance sex toys and masturbating six feet apart from each other, recommendations for pandemic-safe sex continue to pop up as health officials realize indefinite abstinence simply isnt a sustainable plan. Now, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer is throwing another recommendation into the growing pool of COVID sex guidelines: wear a mask. In a public statement Wednesday, Dr. Theresa Tam advised Canadians to limit the risk of coronavirus transmission during sex by avoiding face-to-face contact or closeness, suggesting pandemic sex-havers skip kissing and don a face mask for the duration of their sex session. Tam isnt the first to suggest wearing a mask during sex. Masking up in the bedroom was one of many ways the New York City Health Department encouraged partners to make it a little kinky while limiting the risk of COVID-19 exposure during sex back in June, and last month advice from sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust also encouraged sex partners to nix kissing and wear masks. But how much good does wearing a mask during sex really do in terms of limiting the spread of coronavirus? While Tams statement noted that current evidence indicates a very low likelihood of transmitting the virus through semen or vaginal fluids, sex is still pretty much the least socially distant activity you can commit with another person, even if youre both wearing masks. More importantly, is anyone actually going to take the time to mask up before doing the deed? While we now have some anecdotal evidence to suggest that some people have indeed taken the NYC Health Departments glory hole advice, the vast majority of these COVID-safe sex suggestions strike me as ultimately impractical, however creative or kinky they may be. Im not saying we shouldnt follow this advice, but simply questioning whether we really will. After all, an alarming number of grown-ass, sex-having adults can barely bring themselves to wear a condom during sex. Can we really expect them to put on a mask? With snow melting rapidly, Chinese may find it hard to hold on to positions at LAC Why India has decided to maintain aggressive posturing along the LAC India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 03: India has decided to continue with an aggressive military posturing along the Line of Actual Control. Sources tell OneIndia that this is aimed at forcing China to completely pull back. Further the source cited above also said that it would be helpful in resolving the border crisis when talks are taking place both on the diplomatic and military front. India decided that the Army will continue to maintain aggressive posturing in the wake of China's provocative military manoeuvres to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh who left for Russia on Wednesday had on Tuesday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in Eastern Ladakh. Singh headed a high powered meeting of the China Study Group to review the situation. During the meeting it was decided that the Indian Army would continue to maintain aggressive posturing to deal with any misadventure by China. The Indian Army has also bolstered its presence around the southern bank area of Pangong Tso. The meeting was also attended by External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M M Naravane. While additional troops have been deployed, it was also decided to bring in more weaponry like anti tank guided missiles and tanks. All eyes would be on Singh's Russia visit where he would attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Defence Ministers' meeting. However news agency ANI while quoting sources said that there is no meeting of Singh with his Chinese counterpart that has been scheduled. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 8:41 [IST] By ANI NEW DELHI: Actor Anupam Kher and filmmakers Vivek Agnihotri, Satish Kaushik, and Rumi Jaffery are joining hands for producing their upcoming project 'The Last Show' which will star Kher and Kaushik in central roles. Kher took to Instagram to announce the film and shared that the film will revolve around "friendship, love, laughters & tears." "SHOW MUST GO ON! We friends four friends @satishkaushik2178 #RumiJaffery & @vivekagnihotri and I are collaborating to rekindle the magic of cinema with an inspiring human drama #TheLastShow," Kher wrote in the caption. The 'Saaransh' actor further shared that the principle shooting for the film will begin mid-September. "The film is about friendship, human spirit, love, laughters & tears. We begin principle shooting mid-Sept. Pls bless us! #TheLastShow @ashokepandit1 @herman0707," she wrote. Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared that the film will be shot in Bhopal. P overty-stricken communities in Africa may have developed greater immunity to coronaviruses, scientists have suggested. The continent's reported death rates are a fraction of those seen across Europe. Africa has seen more than 1.2 milion cases since the start of the pandemic, and around 30,000 deaths, according to latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, nearly 1.3 million cases have been reported in the EU/EEA and the UK, with 182,183 deaths. Until now, scientists have suggested this disparity is likely to be a result of African countries having younger populations than their European counterparts. The Covid-19 strain of coronavirus has proved to be more lethal in older people, with younger people more likely to be asymptomatic carriers of the disease, or to experience mild symptoms. South Africa was hit particularly hard by the first wave of the global Covid-19 pandemic. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has implemented strict lockdowns in South Africa in recent months / REUTERS The country has recorded more than half of the Covid-19 infections in Africa, with more than 600,000 confirmed cases. There have been around 11,500 deaths reported. In comparison, the UK has reported 339,000 confirmed cases, far fewer than South Africa, but saw more than 1,000 deaths a day during two weeks in April, with 41,514 total deaths since the start of the pandemic. Despite concerns over potential under-reporting of deaths, the rate is significantly below that seen in European countries with high numbers of confirmed cases. Now experts in South Africa have suggested there may be another reason for the high survival rates. Many of the countrys citizens live in poverty in crowded conditions where social distancing is impossible. Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the head of South Africa's ministerial advisory team on Covid-19, told the BBC that age may not be the crucial factor. He said there is a new hypothesis, that he claims is supported by US scientists, that people living in such conditions, where they are exposed to a wide variety of viruses including coronaviruses, have developed some level of pre-existing cross-protective immunity He told the BBC: [It] might explain why the epidemic didn't unfold. The protection might be much more intense in highly populated areas, in African settings. It might explain why the majority [on the continent] have asymptomatic or mild infections. He added: "I can't think of anything else that would explain the numbers of completely asymptomatic people we're seeing. The numbers are completely unbelievable. The strict lockdown in South Africa has been lifted in the past month / AP A team at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Analytics unit at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto plans to test samples of blood cells to test the theory, the BBC reported. The hypothesis would not account for high death rates seen in Brazil - another country where large numbers of people live in crowded conditions in favelas, and would therefore be thought to have been exposed to similar virus strains. South Africa saw a large impact on its hospitals during the first wave. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa put in place tough lockdown restrictions, including a controversial ban on sales of alcohol and tobacco, that were only relaxed fully in mid-August. JERUSALEM, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Israeli airliners will be allowed to fly directly to the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday shortly after Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates. In a video message, Netanyahu did not explicitly say Israeli planes could overfly Saudi territory but he traced the future flight route on a map to indicate it would be so. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell) Progress on the 25R/07L runway, which had suffered serious damage, has reached 41 percent after two months. The runway was designed to handle B777-300 ERs, large aircraft used for long-haul flights, and up to 55,100 takeoffs and landings over 10 years. But in less than five years, as of April 2018, there had been a total 126,000 takeoffs and landings. Since Tan Son Nhat has two parallel runways and with the 25R/07L runway under renovation, aircraft will commence take off on the remaining 25L/07R runway. Authorities have ordered repair work to be conducted safely to not disrupt ongoing airport operations. Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Its hard not to feel disheartened as national divisions turn increasingly deadly. For months, we have been seeing armed citizens patrolling streets alongside militarized police forces, demonstrations devolving into bloody brawls between protesters and counter-protesters. But for one manipulative and malicious community, its exactly what theyve been hoping to see. On Saturday, a Trump-supporting demonstrator in Portland was shot and killedan anti-fascist activist supporter is being investigated for the crime. Four days earlier, on Tuesday, a 17-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse shot three individuals in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two, amid unrest after a police officer shot a Black man named Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse, the teenage shooter in Kenosha, was a police-defending, Trump-supporting young manthe type of mainstream MAGA fan that the extreme right sometimes rails against. Neo-Nazis and white supremacists call Trump a snake oil salesman and an ignoramus who makes money for the Jewsoften noting his support for Israel and outreach to minoritiesand thus judge his supporters as MAGAtards or cuckservatives, among other names. Nonetheless, once the teenager was named as the shooter last week, the far right launched a campaign of memes, propaganda, and fundraiser promotion on their online havens. They called him a hero and a living legend. His cause became theirs. Kyle Rittenhouse deserves The Keys to the Kingdom! as one exclaimed. It didnt matter to white supremacists and neo-Nazis that both individuals Rittenhouse killed were white, because they were still the enemy. The victims were, in the supremacists minds, antifa and Black Lives Matter-supporting race traitorsoperatives of the anti-white agenda playing out across the country. For this reason, even the most hardline of neo-Nazi groups sung his praise. The National Socialist Order, a successor to the notorious Atomwaffen Division paramilitary group, published recruitment posters using images of Kyle Rittenhouse. The graphics take a picture of Rittenhouse holding an assault rifle, doctor in a far-right-styled face mask, and place him in front of a Black Sun white supremacist logo. Slogans read MOW DOWN ANTIFA and MOW DOWN BLM SCUM. At the bottom of the posters is the groups contact information and the slogan, Join your local Nazis. Story continues Propaganda created by a neo-Nazi organization called National Socialist Order (NSO) There was, of course, more to pull out of Rittenhouses story. After he was charged as an adult with six criminal counts, including first-degree homicide, he became a poster child for what the far right has long described as oppression against white people. A message widely distributed across far-right channels and chat groups on Telegram appealed to this perception, arguing that any future shooters should not consider surrendering as Rittenhouse did: Currently in the US, White people do not have the legal right to self-defenseIf you ever DO use a weapon to defend yourself, especially against a nonwhite or Antifa, you will get locked away in a cage for decades of your life. You should consider this before surrendering to the police. So why are these extremists so eager to bend this high schoolers story to their cause? Because they dont need Rittenhouse to be a fellow neo-Nazi or avowed white nationalist. In some ways, its better for them that hes not. Rittenhouse is representative of a far larger swath of the American population and, by extension, an important benchmark in the type of instability they wish to sow. This strategy was well-explained in a post circulated across far-right Telegram channels and chat groups amid the celebration of Rittenhouses shooting: White Pill: youth are buying guns and traveling to urban war zones hungry for direct action. Huge step forward. Whatever you think about Kyle Rittenhouse, his militia friends, or even the other side of commies armed with guns or explosives, finally militancy is capturing the spirit of young men. Accelerate To the far right, Rittenhouses shooting signals a new and desired phase in the societal collapse they seek to push. Now more than ever, neo-Nazi extremists want to accelerate the instability, dysfunction, division in the country. They want to sabotage America, and armed young men like Rittenhouse are critical components in doing so. The Rittenhouses of the world help paint a picture of armed whites, cornered by violent agitators in war zone-like American cities, forced to kill to survive. Seeing these events through the far rights narrative of an existential war against anti-white aggressors, Saturday evenings killing of pro-Trump activist Aaron Jay Danielson in Portland couldnt have been a better-fitting development. Likewise, Michael Reinoehlthe 48-year-old anti-fascist activist under investigation in connection to the crimecouldnt have been a better-fitting enemy. Hes someone who can be paraded around the internet as proof of the deadly hostility emanating from these social justice demonstrations across the country. Actors like Reinoehl are just as important to the far rights accelerationist vision as right-wing counterparts like Rittenhouse. The more sides that partake in violence, the more the situation worsens. Here, the potential for a vicious cycle comes to light. One attack feeds another from the opposing sidea chemical reaction of events that sparks further action, cements resentment, seems to be harder and harder to get under control. Its the same general playbook groups like ISIS, al Qaeda, and Hezbollah have used for decades. Extremism thrives in instability, be it in terms of political, economic, domestic security, or other matters. It is in chaosnot civility and peacewhere extremists us-versus-them, all-or-nothing narratives become far easier to sell. Extremists foster chaos because it validates their very existence. When peaceful protests across America devolve into violence between demonstrators, counter demonstrators, and authorities, far-right extremists gain more and more to capitalize on. The last year has been a never-before-seen brew of circumstances: a global pandemic, chaotic political leadership, and a forceful reckoning with Americas deep-rooted racial injustices. The far right didnt create the tumult, but theyve certainly exacerbated it at every step. Phil Cole, a Senior Analyst at SITE, contributed to this article. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Bangkok: Thailand has reported its first domestic coronavirus transmission in more than 100 days, after a man recently jailed and with no overseas travel history tested positive in a Bangkok prison during a routine check for new inmates. Authorities moved quickly to locate and isolate people in contact with the 37-year-old and trace his movements over the past two weeks, including three places where had worked, the jail and the court at which he had appeared. Thailand has been credited with keeping the highly contagious virus under control. Credit:Bloomberg "We may go further back but we will examine this first," said Walailak Chaifu, Director of the country's Bureau of Epidemiology. The new case will be a setback for Thailand, which has been credited with keeping the highly contagious virus under control, while maintaining months of immigration curbs that have devastated its tourism-reliant economy. It has removed most of its internal coronavirus restrictions. Lalitha Ranjani By Express News Service MADURAI: Despite testing negative, a woman and her grandson were shifted to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) on Tuesday afternoon for Covid-19 treatment. The duo is the primary contacts of a 34-year-old techie from Palanganatham who tested positive on August 29. Speaking to TNIE, the IT professional, who was working in Mangaluru until mid-June, said that a day after he tested positive at a private hospital in KK Nagar, his close contacts - 68-year-old mother, 75-year-old father and 13-year-old nephew - underwent test at the Urban Primary Health Centre in Palanganatham and their samples were sent to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) in Madurai Medical College. Around 12.30 pm on Tuesday, the staff of Madurai corporation shifted all the three to GRH in an ambulance claiming that they tested positive for Covid-19. They were subsequently admitted to COVID-19 isolation ward at the superspeciality block at the hospital, and upon request, all of them were accomadated in a room later, he said. The techie said he was in for a shock the same evening, around 6.30 pm, when he received an SMS from Madurai Medical College saying that the test results of his mother and nephew were negative. Until Wednesday evening, we did not get any SMS regarding my fathers test result, he said. The techie said that when alerted the corporation staff on Tuesday night about the discrepancy, they had told him that the three persons were listed as Covid-19 patients in the line list they received on Tuesday morning. Upon verification of the Covid test status of the three by TNIE, it was found that the techies septuagenarian father had tested positive while his wife and grandson tested negative. GRH Dean Dr J Sangumani also confirmed that only the septuagenarian had tested positive. Commenting on the issue, City Health Officer Dr P Kumaragurubaran said that a list containing details of persons who test positive is sent by the VRDL at the Madurai Medical College to the office of Deputy Director of Health Services and to the City Health Officer every morning, while the list of those who test negative is being retained by the VRDL. It is VRDL that maintains the comprehensive list,said. For the first time Though similar mess-ups in the COVID-19 positive line list were reported earlier from pvt laboratories, this is for the first time that it is being reported from VRDL in Madurai Medical College. By PTI NEW DELHI: Scientists at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology have developed a rapid and sensitive method to detect coronavirus infection in 30 minutes using a mass spectrometer. In the study by the scientists of IGIB, an institute under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the rapid test method can detect two peptides, QIAPGQTGK and AIVSTIQRKYK, from structural spike glycoprotein and replicase polyprotein with a sensitivity of 90 per cent and specificity of 100 per cent. This method involves direct detection of the viral peptides, a compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain. "The method developed is safe since swab sample can be collected in tube containing detergent, which immediately kills the virus," said Shantanu Sengupta, one of the scientists who authored the paper which has been published in the Journal of Proteins and Proteomics. The samples for the study were provided by National Centre for Disease Control, while Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Delhi) was involved in computational work, Sengupta said. Mass spectrometry, the equipment used for diagnostics in this method is an analytical tool useful for measuring the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of one or more molecules present in a sample. "All other methods require hybridisation and/or amplification which can potentially result in a few false negative results. The test will be rapid since the time from sample to results is about 30 minutes," Sengupta said. In the RT-PCR tests, the RNA is converted to DNA using enzymes. Further primers and probes are used to amplify the DNA and detect viral nucleic acid presence. Sengupta added that the mass spectrometer based test can be used at places like airports. IGIB director Anurag Agarwal said the institute will now approach the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for introducing this test. Canadians today can no longer agree on whether Sir John A. Macdonald was one of this countrys greatest leaders or one of its most reprehensible racists. Nor can they agree on whether the many statues raised to remember Canadas first prime minister should remain standing in public places or be hidden away as objects of shame. But whether they love or loathe this monumental figure in their nations past, Canadians should be united in agreeing it was wrong for protesters to tear down his statue in Montreals Place du Canada this past weekend. Thats not how divisive debates should be settled in a democratic society where a community at large through its elected representatives is the only acceptable arbiter of such matters. The moment Macdonalds statue was toppled from its pedestal, what had started as an orderly, legitimate march for racial justice degenerated into an act of lawlessness. Vandalism is the word Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accurately used to describe the incident. His explanation of why it should not be repeated was equally on target. Actions such as that have no place in a society that abides by the rule of law, Trudeau said. And what truly socially-minded individual would disagree? The point here is not about judging Macdonald and where he fits into 21st-century Canada. Many still concur with his biographer, the late Richard Gwyn, who asserted no Macdonald, no Canada. More than anyone else, Gwyn believed, Macdonald created the Dominion of Canada in 1867, masterminded its growth from sea to sea and gifted us the country we have today. Others will as passionately condemn Macdonald for brutally clearing Indigenous communities from Western Canada to make way for white settlement and instituting the residential school system that inflicted wounds on First Nations people that have never healed. Given such contradicting assessments, its not surprising Macdonalds statues became lightning rods for bitter debate. But while Canada can handle that, his statues should not become battlegrounds. Democratically-elected councils in Victoria, B.C., and, just this summer, in Wilmot Township in Waterloo Region, have voted to remove statues of Macdonald from prominent public display. Those actions were taken after the politicians consulted the public. Thats the only sane, civilized way we can negotiate our way through such disputes, settling things according to our laws. And once a democratic decision is rendered everyone, regardless of where they stand, should abide by it. Those who would excuse the recent vandalism in Montreal should give their heads a shake. If a small number of iconoclasts can arbitrarily and unilaterally exercise force to achieve an objective other citizens may not accept, what happens when twice as many people push back from the opposite direction? For the answer, Canadians need only look south of the border where this summer cities such as Minneapolis, Portland, Ore., and Kenosha Wis., have been torn apart by people deluded into believing their right to free speech and public protest includes the right to riot, destroy private property and even physically injure others. Canada must follow a different path. It will be up to the people and politicians of Montreal to decide whether Macdonalds statue should ever be raised again. One sensible compromise that many have suggested is to leave such statues standing but add a plaque explaining the legacy, both good and bad, of the person being remembered. That would expand our understanding of Canadian history rather than erase its difficult chapters. It would also prove we can disagree agreeably. And that the hand that cradles the rock does not rule the world. Portugal is increasingly likely to be removed from the Governments quarantine exemption list after its coronavirus case rate worsened (Aaron Chown/PA) Portugal is increasingly likely to be removed from the Governments quarantine exemption list after its coronavirus case rate worsened. There were 23.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the country in the seven days to Wednesday, up from 15.3 a week earlier. Pressure is also mounting on England to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers arriving from Greece, amid reports of people returning with coronavirus. The Scottish Government is requiring travellers from the country to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday, while Wales has imposed the measure on arrivals from the island of Zante. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a decision on whether to impose restrictions on the countries would be announced on Friday. In Greece, the seven-day coronavirus case rate is 13.8. It is 15.3 in Ireland and 14.7 in the UK. Figures have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government has considered triggering quarantine conditions. One family due to fly to Portugal this weekend now faces the prospect of a second holiday cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions. Gary Hiles, 34, from Sunderland and his family originally booked to go to Alcudia in Majorca but were forced to cancel after Spain was removed from the list of exempt travel destinations. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) They then rebooked to Portugal because the country had recently been added to the list. Mr Hiles told PA: We (initially) booked in July 2019, it was supposed to be our first family holiday abroad for our children. We have an autistic son, who weve been trying to prepare for the holiday, but now we dont know if we are going or staying. He keeps getting excited about going on a plane. He doesnt understand why our holiday may be cancelled. Holidaymakers booking flights home this week to avoid a potential quarantine requirement have been paying hundreds of pounds each due to high demand. British Airways was selling air fares from Faro which serves Portugals Algarve to Heathrow for as much as 554. In Buckinghamshire, two groups of people have tested positive for coronavirus after returning from abroad including a group of teenagers from the Marlow area who are reported to have been on a trip to Zante. Buckinghamshire Council said some of them were pupils at Sir William Borlases Grammar School and all the affected households were self-isolating. Tour operator Tui also said it was aware of a small number of positive Covid-19 test results following a flight from Heraklion in Crete to London Stansted on August 27. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) One passenger on the flight, who had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace and asked to self-isolate, complained that hardly anyone on the flight had been wearing a mask. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told PA: Our flight was hideous, hardly anyone wore a mask and the crew didnt do anything about it. We raised the issue twice with the cabin crew who still didnt enforce it. My family is OK but we are having to self-isolate. Im so sad for my son because he has to miss his first week back at school. A Tui spokeswoman added: We can confirm that no guests tested positive for Covid-19 in our hotels and no symptoms were displayed before or during the flight home by any of the customers. Will Waldron 9.1 million Coming amid the depth of the coronavirus pandemic, that's the total vehicle trips on the Thruway in April 2020, compared with 21.8 million in April 2019, a 58 percent fall. Total vehicle miles fell 59 percent, Thruway Authority figures show. Since the early 1990s, Kyrgyzstan has been called an island of democracy in Central Asia, a relative statement that, despite some setbacks, remains true today. One main feature that separates Kyrgyzstan from its authoritarian, undemocratic neighbors is the countrys recent string of parliamentary elections, which have been widely judged to be largely transparent and legitimate. There has also always been an element of unpredictability in the votes, and the October 4 elections should be quite difficult to forecast as the two parties that hold the most seats in the Jogorku Kenesh -- the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan and Respublika/Ata-Jurt -- are fractured. So although the field is wide open, the legitimacy of these elections is being threatened. Reports are surfacing of voters being offered money to cast their ballots for certain parties, and there are accusations of organized crime groups funding some of the parties as well. RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, recently spoke with Zhibek, from the village of Novopokrovka, a few kilometers east of the capital, Bishkek. She said she had been offered 2,000 soms (about $25) for her vote by a representative of one of the political parties taking part in the parliamentary elections. She did not say which party, but did say there was a group of people who went to each home" on her street in the village making similar offers. Those who accepted were given 1,000 soms (about $12.50) and promised the remainder would be paid after the elections, she said. In Kara-Balta, some 60 kilometers west of Bishkek, resident Mirbek Suranchiev said voters were being offered 3,000 soms (about $37.50) for their vote. Suranchiev did not say specifically who, but he spoke of wealthy parties, so it seems more than one political party may have been at work in Kara-Balta. In Kara-Balta, they will pay 500 soms up front, promising to give the remaining 2,500 after the elections, Suranchiev said. As far as I could tell, there were only a few who declined to sell their vote. Form No. 2 The parties' financial offers come with the condition that voters register under Form No. 2 at a polling station chosen by the parties. Form No. 2 was first used in the presidential election in 2011. It was introduced to address the problem of growing internal migration in Kyrgyzstan and allowed eligible voters to register in the district closest and most convenient for them to cast their ballot, rather than in the district where they officially resided. In our party, we do not have any members of organized criminal groups, [but] we see them among the members of other parties. Some of them are even candidates to be deputies." Abdyjapar Bekmatov, the former deputy head of the CEC, explained to Azattyk that at first any person could bring a Xerox copy of the passport of another person and fill out Form No. 2 for the owner of the passport. But according to the new regulations, each voter must come personally to hand over the documents on changing their place of voting, he said. Such voters are fingerprinted and photographed to check their identities. Both Zhibek in Novopokrovka and Suranchiev in Kara-Balta said one of the conditions for being paid for their votes was to register in a district specified by these unnamed parties. To begin with, Zhibek said, I would have to go and register at the polling station that was opened in a local school. Suranchiev said that the parties paying the money told the people which district to register in and promised transportation to take them there on election day. They are massively registering residents of one district in another [district], Suranchiev said. The independent Kyrgyz news site kaktus.media posted a report on August 22 that had photos and video taken between August 19-21 of vans bringing people to School No. 47 in Bishkek, which is also the location of polling station No. 1047. An unknown man gives instructions to the small groups as they arrive, and they go five at a time into the school, it said. When they finish, the vans drive them away. Kaktus reported that among the passengers were many representatives of national minorities. No one wanted to talk about which parties might be engaging in this illegal practice, but one person is sure he knows some of the people who are helping some of the at least 16 Kyrgyz political parties that are registered to participate in the elections. Omurbek Suvanaliev stepped down from his post as Kyrgyzstans deputy security council chief on August 23 so he could run as a candidate for the Butun Kyrgyzstan party. At the Butun Kyrgyzstan party congress on August 19, he fired an opening salvo at the government by saying it had lost the battle against criminality in the country. Suvanaliev further claimed that a "number of political parties included in the preelection battle are sponsored by criminal boss Kamchy Kolbaev." The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) wrote this about Kolbaev: According to the U.S. Treasury Department, [Kolbaev] was wanted for crimes related to transnational drug trafficking and the use of weapons and explosives. More recently the department alleged his involvement in human trafficking for forced prostitution and forced labor. It added: In 2007, the U.S. State Department said he was 'considered to be the leader of the most influential criminal group in [Kyrgyzstan].'" Kolbaev, aka Kolya Kyrgyz, has served several short prison sentences in Kyrgyzstan, the last ending in 2014. His current whereabouts are unknown. Suvanaliev connected Kolbaev to what the former Security Council deputy chief called pro-government parties: Birimdik, Mekenim Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyzstan party, and Zamandash. Zamandash leader Jenish Moldakmatov said his party does not have any connection to organized crime, but he agreed the influence of criminals in the elections is growing. In our party, we do not have any members of organized criminal groups, Moldakmatov said, but we see them among the members of other parties. Some of them are even candidates to be deputies, he added, without naming any particular party or candidate. General Keneshbek Duyshebaev has served as the head of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry and its State Committee for National Security. Dyushebaev told Azattyk that Suvanaliev must have some grounds for making these allegations since he served as the deputy head of the Security Council, but questioned why, if Suvanaliev had evidence of Kolbaevs connections to political parties, he did not do something about it while he was in the Security Council. All the same, his statement is an alarm bell, Duyshebaev said. Bektur Asanov, a veteran Kyrgyz politician currently in the Butun Kyrgyzstan party, said that buying votes and the use of administrative resources has already started, and he suggested there was already sufficient evidence to officially ban three parties from the elections. Asanov did not names the three parties, but said they could be considered pro-government. In a public appeal to President Sooronbai Jeenbekov in early August, Asanov mentioned Raimbek Matraimov as being a sponsor of certain parties competing in the elections and called on Jeenbekov to take action against Matraimov and his associates. Matraimov was the subject of an extensive investigative report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, the independent Kyrgyz media outlet Kloop.kg, and Azattyk, and a report from Kloop.kg connected the Matraimov family to the Mekenim Kyrgyzstan party. It also tied him to Matraimov's brother, Iskender Matraimov, currently a parliament deputy who abandoned the floundering Social Democrats and joined Mekenim Kyrgyzstan. In a recent Azattyk report, a Bishkek resident named only as Kayyrbek said the owner of the apartment complex he lives in told all the residents that if they voted for Mekenim Kyrgyzstan that, in return, their apartment building would receive a new sewage system and have better water. The reports are all very ominous and suggest the Kyrgyz government and the country's election officials should investigate and take action before the vote is held in order to preserve the country's reputation as a country with promising democratic credentials. New Delhi, Sep 3 : N.K. Singh, the Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, along with the other members, will hold a day-long meeting with the Economic Advisory Council of the commission on Friday. An official statement on Thursday said that the meeting is for a "final discussion on GDP growth, tax buoyancy of the Centre and the states, GST compensation, revenue deficit grant and fiscal consolidation". The members of the Economic Advisory Council who are likely to attend the meeting include Pinaki Chakraborty, Prachi Mishra, Omkar Goswami, Sajjid Z. Chenoy, Neelkanth Mishra, Rathin Roy, D.K. Srivastava, Arvind Virmani, M. Govinda Rao, Sudipto Mundle, Shankar Acharya, Pronab Sen and Krishnamurthy Subramanian. The meeting comes at a time when India has recorded massive 23.9 per cent contraction in the GDP during the April-June quarter. The development has called for serious thought among the policy makers for the country's economic trajectory amid the pandemic. The issue of tax buoyancy and GST compensation for states is also a burning issue currently as a tussle is underway between the Centre and several states over an alternate mechanism to help states get funds in the absence of compensation for the Centre. The Centre has proposed two borrowing options for the states from the Reserve Bank of India which several states have not yet agreed upon. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text RIYADH, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Marib Girls' Foundation to support its vision for economically empowering women through the "Saba Project for the Economic Empowerment of Yemeni Women," using best practices to qualify Yemeni women to launch initiatives alleviating the suffering of women and ensure decent living standards for them. SDRPY Supervisor Ambassador Mohammed Saeed Al Jabir signed on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Marib Girls' Foundation President Yasmin Ali Al Qadhi signing for Yemen. "In fact, this is the first project in Marib province or in the Republic of Yemen as a whole that we have signed with a woman who is in charge of many projects to empower Yemeni women economically, as well as to empower young people and enhance their abilities," remarked Al Jabir at the signing. Al Jabir noted that the Saba Enterprise Incubator prepared for Marib would prove an exemplary step in empowering youth in Marib, ultimately enriching the rest of the country. The incubator would foster new ideas and business practices boosting the performance of the Yemeni woman, he said, as well as supporting emerging projects with a business incubator providing entrepreneurs with a headquarters. "This cooperation proceeds from several principles aimed at strengthening the role of the Yemeni woman and her contribution to society by supporting emerging projects and qualifying women to launch projects and lead free enterprises," said Al Qadhi, adding that joint efforts to highlight female Yemeni creativity and innovation in implementing and leading small projects would help women to become leading entrepreneurs in Yemen. "This is in addition to emphasizing women's talents," she added, "honoring their pioneering spirit, and drawing the attention of decision-makers toward integrating concepts of empowerment into all stages of education." In 2020, Yasmin Al Qadhi was presented with the International Woman of Courage Award by the US Department of State. She has extensive experience in the development of civil society institutions, volunteer work and project management. The project also includes various forms of support to enable the foundation to communicate with international donors, thus improving its fiscal efficiency. Furthermore, it contributes to increasing the minimum wage of working women by prioritizing those who are heads of their households or care for persons with special needs or the elderly. SDRPY has already implemented many projects in vital sectors in Marib Governorate. Al Jabir stressed that these sectors would continue to receive development support. "The education sector in Marib has received support as well through the construction of several colleges at Saba University and a school for the gifted, and the Saba University Bus Project to facilitate transportation," he added. "Also, in the agriculture sector, many wells have been fully prepared to serve the people of Marib Governorate." Hospitals and health centers in Marib have been fully outfitted with essential medical devices, ambulances and fully equipped ICUs. These include Marib General Hospital, 26th of September Hospital and Kara Hospital. In the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector, SDRPY has made clean water accessible and available by supplying fleets of water tanker-trucks and by implementing projects to dig and equip wells. SDRPY recently conducted a campaign to spray and sanitize 14 districts in Marib to promote public health and limit the spread of disease. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248592/SDRPY_3.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248593/SDRPY_2.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248591/Mareb_Girls_Foundation_SDRPY__Logo.jpg Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 03:36:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- A museum on the former site of a World War II concentration camp in east China opened to visitors on Thursday. The day marked the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. -- The Weihsien concentration camp, located in the city of Weifang, Shandong Province, was used by Japanese invaders from March 1942 to August 1945 to detain over 2,000 expatriates, including more than 300 children, from the United States, Britain, Canada and other countries. -- Seven brick buildings have survived the vicissitudes of time at the site, and three of them were converted into the museum. The rest will be added to the museum in later phases. JINAN, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- A museum on the former site of a World War II concentration camp in east China opened to visitors on Thursday. The day marked the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Speaking at a symposium commemorating the anniversary in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the people of China, together with the rest of humanity, finally won a total victory against fascism through unbreakable will and a brave fight. The victory belonged to the Chinese people, and also to all people across the world, he said, adding it will go down in the history of the Chinese nation as well as in the history of humanity's fight for justice. The Weihsien concentration camp, located in the city of Weifang, Shandong Province, was used by Japanese invaders from March 1942 to August 1945 to detain over 2,000 expatriates, including more than 300 children, from the United States, Britain, Canada and other countries. Weihsien, also spelled as Weixian, is the former name of urban Weifang. The museum exhibits kerosene lamps, kettles, clocks, and other items that were used by internees, as well as hand models from them and their descendants. In 1882, Americans built a compound called "the Courtyard of the Happy Way," which was used as a church, hospital and school for decades. During WWII, the compound was converted by the Japanese into a concentration camp to incarcerate Westerners, who formerly lived in areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong and Henan. The prison camp was liberated as a rescue team sent by the American troops in China parachuted to the site on Aug. 17, 1945, two days after the Japanese troops surrendered. Combo photo shows a building of the compound of Ledaoyuan in 1925 (up) and the building on Aug. 18, 2020 (bottom, taken by Wang Kai) in east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua) The internees received help from local farmers, who secretly brought them food and aided some of them to escape. "Heartfelt thanks to the Weihsien farmers who risked lives to smuggle food over the walls," Angela Elliot, a Canadian who was born in the camp in 1943, said in a video played at the opening ceremony of the museum. Many former internees or their descendants, who cannot attend the museum's opening ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sent their congratulatory words and expressed appreciation to Chinese people by videos. "The concentration camp is a testament to history, speaking about the Japanese aggression and persecution of citizens from Western countries," said Ji Shuchun, curator of the Weifang Museum who also serves as curator of the Weihsien concentration camp museum. People celebrating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Weihsien concentration camp comfort each other in Weifang city of east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 17, 2005. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui) PRISON CAMP Stretching only 200 yards at its widest point and 150 yards long, the compound housed a few dormitory buildings in which each bed had a gap of just 18 inches. One's snore, belch, and the nightly tinkle of urine in the pot became the neighbor's music. For adults, the lack of privacy was the worst hell. Such was the overcrowded "prison camp" described in an article by Mary Previte, who had been imprisoned as a child for three years. She was rescued in 1945 at the age of 12. "Separated from our parents, we found ourselves crammed into a world of gut-wrenching hunger, guard dogs, bayonet drills, prisoner numbers and badges, daily roll calls, bed bugs, flies, and unspeakable sanitation," she said in a 2005 speech at the 60th-anniversary celebration of the liberation of the camp in Weifang. Previte passed away last year after serving in the New Jersey General Assembly, focusing on juvenile justice and family issues. The camp is also remembered as ordinary Chinese farmers had delivered food over the wall for prisoners at what was called "a black market." Li Zhaoxian, 89, lives in a nearby community, which was a small village back then. He recalled that over seven decades ago grown-ups from the village would sneak to the outside of the site and exchange food and other necessities with internees. Relevant documents showed the food rationed for the internees, mainly sorghum and corn, was limited and often rotten as the Japanese troops exhausted resources while expanding their invasion. This undated file photo shows internees of the Weihsien concentration camp having lunch in east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua) Yan Bing, a guide with the Weifang Museum, said the filthy food had tortured the expatriates. "Behind the guards' back, the expatriates would throw their belongings such as watches and jewelry outside the wall. When the nearby Chinese picked them up, they would bring white sugar, tomatoes, eggs and other food, forming a trading market over time," Yan said. According to Yan, local villagers Zhang Xingtai and his son, both of whom were nightmen in the camp, had helped two of the internees escape from the camp. REMEMBERING FOR PEACE Over the years, original files and objects from the camp dwindled and the site itself was gradually shadowed by high-rises of Weifang. Seven brick buildings have survived the vicissitudes of time at the site, and three of them were converted into the museum. The rest will be added to the museum in later phases. A sculpture can be seen on the second floor of the museum: two rifles stuck in the ground, with a helmet hanging on the rifle stock and a peace dove standing on the helmet. "The war is a common disaster for all humankind. The retrospection of war acts as a reminder to avoid wars. Wish the world a peaceful future," read the words on the wall behind the sculpture. (Reporting by Yang Wen, Lyu Qiuping, Zhang Xinyi, Wang Huan) (Video reporter: Wang Huan, Yang Wenshan; video editor: Liu Yuting) Syracuse, N.Y. The boy cut himself with knife and told Syracuse police he wanted to die. And as he held the knife, the 14 year old threatened to try to die by suicide by having the officers kill him, police said. The Syracuse Police Department was called to Upstate University Hospital at 1:44 a.m. Sunday to help hospital police with a suicidal person, police said in a news release Thursday. Three officers responded: Officer Christopher Buske, Officer Angel Cordero and Sgt. Ryan Brimmer. When officers arrived at the hospital, they met a suicidal 14-year-old boy with a knife, said Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, police department spokesman. The boy threatened suicide by cop, he said, and cut himself with the knife. Officers Buske and Cordero talked to the boy and worked to calm him down, Malinowski said. Both officers have had crisis intervention training, he said, and have been taught how to help people in mental distress. The boy eventually calmed down, Malinowski said, and dropped his knife. The boys was then treated by hospital staff. Where to get help If you or a loved one are feeling suicidal and need help, call: Contact at (315) 251-0600 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 Health and Human Resources Referral Line at 211 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. Lithuanian English AB Ignitis Grupe, (hereinafter Ignitis Grupe or the Company) identification code 301844044, registered office placed at Zveju str. 14, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania. The total nominal value of issued bonds 900 000 000 EUR; ISIN codes XS1646530565; XS1853999313; XS2177349912. The Company informs that on 3 September 2020 the Board of AB Ignitis Grupe approved a new dividend policy (hereinafter the Dividend policy) of the Company. Under the new dividend policy, the Company will pay EUR 85 million in dividends for the financial year 2020. For each subsequent financial year, allocate at least 3 percent more than the amount paid for the previous financial year. The Divident policy of the Company was renewed after the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter Government) on 2 September 2020 adopted resolution On the amendments to the Resolution No. 20 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania On the dividends of company shares held by the State and profit contributions from state enterprises of 14 January 1997 and resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania On dividends paid by AB Ignitis grupe. Dividend policy of the Company will come into effect after the mentioned resolutions of the Government take effect. The renewed Dividend policy of the Company can be seen in the attached document. For more information please contact: Arturas Ketlerius Head of Public Relations at Ignitis Group arturas.ketlerius@ignitis.lt Attachment Beijing is furious about the Czech delegations visit, with the foreign ministry summoning the Czech Republics ambassador to lodge stern representations and saying the trip 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. Now Open 3 September 2020 Accor, together with the owners of Tabcorp Park, announce the hotel at Victoria's home of metropolitan harness racing has been rebranded to Mantra Melbourne Melton, under a franchise agreement. The 41-room hotel is set to become a destination of choice for racegoers, business travellers, sporting groups and families looking for convenient, contemporary trackside accommodation when it reopens to the public. With superb panoramic views over the racecourse, not only does the hotel offer the best seat in the house for Tabcorp Park's weekly harness racing, it also boasts a selection of well-appointed guest rooms, including a mix of Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, and Apartments, three food and beverage outlets, onsite car parking and extensive conference and events facilities for functions of all sizes - from intimate events for 20 people to large-scale dinners for 500. Accor Chief Operating Officer Pacific, Simon McGrath, said: "We are excited to bring the extraordinary Mantra brand to one of Australia's best race tracks and are confident that the Mantra Melbourne Melton will deliver exceptional accommodation and an outstanding service experience for our valued guests. Accor continues to expand its offerings in Australia, the Pacific is a strong region and the future of travel is bright." Mantra is Australia's largest hotel brand with more than 75 properties across the country. Since the brand was born in 2007, Mantra has experienced a great journey of strategic growth. The brand has achieved considerable success in the Australian market and, while the Mantra brand has expanded internationally, its core market is, and will remain, domestic. Since acquiring Mantra in 2018, Accor has continued to grow the brand with five new Australian hotels opening in the past two years, including the 146-room Mantra Albury Hotel, 214-room Mantra Epping Melbourne, 79-room Mantra Mackay, 41-room Mantra Melbourne Melton, and 50-room Mantra Traralgon. Tabcorp Park General Manager, Gayle Harvey, said: "We're excited about joining Accor's Mantra brand and the opportunities this partnership presents for our venue and our harness racing industry more broadly. Our facility, which employs over 100 staff, plays an important role within the community in Melbourne's West. We are confident the hotel will operate with great success as a Mantra property and have great comfort partnering with an Australian brand of this scale, which is backed by the power of Accor's 4.8 million ALL loyalty members in the Pacific and its global distribution channels, to capture domestic tourism." Mantra Melbourne Melton is situated just 45 minutes from the Melbourne CBD, Melbourne Airport and Ballarat, and is a one hour drive from Bendigo, Daylesford and Geelong. Guests of the hotel are able to earn points and access privileges via Accor's award-winning loyalty program, ALL - Accor Live Limitless. The program is free to join and can be used across more than 5,000 hotels, resorts and residences across 110 countries. Saudi Organization for Industrial Estates and Technology Zones (Modon) has signed an agreement with Saudi Company for Advanced Technologies (Wahaj) to lease an industrial plot of land in Riyadh to build factories involving an investment of over SR800 million ($213 million). The plot located in the Second Industrial City in the Saudi capital is spread over an area of 42,000 sq m. It will be used for building distinct local manufacturing capabilities in the defence and aviation sectors as well as oil and gas. Since its inception in 2001, Modon has been interested in developing integrated industrial lands with services. Today, it oversees 35 existing and under development industrial cities in various regions of the kingdom, in addition to supervising private industrial complexes and cities, said the statement from Modon. The developed industrial lands have exceeded 198.8 million sq m so far, and the existing industrial cities contain more than 3,500 productive factories, it added. Director General Engineer Khalid bin Muhammad Al Salem, said the contract comes within the framework of the Modon strategy to empower the industry and contribute to increasing local content, "as it is one of the most important pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030, by providing all products and facilities that will contribute to the rapid pace of growth. This industry is booming." Wahaj President Ayman Al Hazmi, said the factory will be cater to the nation's industrial needs in several areas. Al Hazmi pointed out that the manufacturing process will carried out in cooperation with several international companies specialised in the same field, as this project is considered one of the most important projects for transferring technology and knowledge to the kingdom. Wahaj aspires to recruit the best national cadres to work in the industrial sector in an endeavour to raise the Saudisation rate in the company, he added.-TradeArabia News Service India and China continued to hold talks at Brigadier-level for the fifth day as well after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Army's attempts to transgress in new areas. Ladakh [India], September 3 (ANI): India and China continued to hold talks at Brigadier-level for the fifth day as well after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Armys attempts to transgress in new areas. However, in an unusual manner, the talks are being held in an open area in Chushul rather than the usual meetings inside the Border Personnel Meeting huts built for the purpose there in both sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The meeting of Indian Armys Brigadier with his Chinese counterpart is currently underway in Chushul in eastern Ladakh to the ongoing issues between the two nations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Indian Army sources said. ALSO READ: Rahul Gandhi criticizes Modi govt, calls demonetisation an attack on the unorganised sector ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput death case LIVE news updates: Maharashtra HM accepts PIL filed by ex IPS officers over Mumbai Police being targetted The talks are being held after Indian troops have thwarted the Chinese Armys attempts to transgress into areas in Ladakh. On the intervening night of August 29-30, 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. 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 situation worsened after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June. 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. (ANI) ALSO READ: Indias Covid-19 tally crosses 38L mark with highest single-day spike of 83k+ cases Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 14:43:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Five suspected leftist rebels and a government soldier were killed in fierce fighting in Palawan province of the Philippines on Thursday, a military official said. Brigadier General Nestor Herico, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade, said a 10-minute clash erupted shortly before 6:00 a.m. local time in a village in Palawan province when marine soldiers encountered eight New People's Army (NPA) rebels while conducting reconnaissance security operations in the area. Herico said government troops were sent to the village after villagers tipped off the presence of the rebels in the area. Some of the rebels killed were women cadres, he added. He said troops recovered firearms, laptops, mobile phones, and documents in the clash site. The NPA has been fighting the government since 1969. They concentrate their attacks in rural areas and small-scale skirmishes with the military. The NPA strength is estimated at 3,500, a number significantly lower than its peak strength of around 25,000 in the 1980s. On and off talks to end the decades-old insurgency that killed thousands stalled again last year. Enditem A pregnant woman feared she was being 'kidnapped' when police stormed her home over an anti-lockdown Facebook post. Zoe Lee Buhler, 28, was handcuffed wearing pyjamas her lounge room in front of her children in Ballarat, northwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon. She was charged with incitement after creating a Facebook protest event against Daniel Andrew's draconian lockdown in Victoria. 'I was scared I was being kidnapped by people, they obviously weren't in uniforms,' she told media waiting outside her Miner's Rest home on Thursday morning. Zoe Buhler, 28, was handcuffed in her lounge room in front of her children on Wednesday afternoon and charged with incitement 'I was just so scared, I was like oh my gosh if I disappear today I want it live on Facebook. 'I'm only very early pregnancy so obviously you're told not to stress out or strain.' Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest. She said she was 'still yet to know exactly what [incitement] means' and planned to fight the charge claiming it was an honest mistake. 'I just wanted to feel like I was doing something to stand up for human rights,' she said. 'If someone steals a car, they know they are committing a crime. I didn't, so I don't feel like I should have to pay for that.' Buhler, who claimed to have lost her job in the lockdown, said police eventually took her handcuffs off and let her get dressed before taking her to the station. She claimed the officers said they weren't happy about having to arrest her. Buhler later told 3AW radio that she felt the police 'barging in' to her home and arresting her was 'extreme' and a phone call would have sufficed. 'I had a bit of a bimbo moment and I actually didn't realise that it wasn't okay. I thought so long as we social distanced and wore masks it was okay,' she said. 'I was aware that the protest coming up in Melbourne wasn't permitted, but I thought, in Ballarat, we're in Stage Three lockdown. Buhler allegedly created this event for Saturday at 11am on Sturt Street in Ballarat 'I'm not a criminal person... If the police had just called me and told me to remove the post I would've done so. 'I understand police were doing their job and they were very nice for me, but I wasn't very happy with them barging into my house in front of my children.' One of her two children was seen being cradled in the arms of her boyfriend and she said the other was so frightened he hid in another room. Buhler is not allowed on social media until Sunday as part of her bail terms, but hoped her arrest would raise opposition to the lockdown. 'It's pretty horrible circumstances but hopefully some good comes out of it,' she said. 'It might be a bit of an eye-opener about the human rights I'm trying to stand for and people realising just how out of control things are getting 'So many people have been affected by the lockdown, people are losing their jobs, the economy has collapsed, rise in suicide and domestic violence. I wish we could see a happy medium. 'I feel like Daniel Andrews is the one that should be feeling remorseful.' Zoe Buhler, 28,(pictured) said she feared she was being kidnapped during the arrest on Wednesday Mother-of-two Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her being arrested Buhler's social media pages are full of coronavirus conspiracy theories, but she insisted she believed the pandemic was real. 'My heart goes out to anyone who's died of covid, I know that people are getting sick, I don't believe it's a hoax or anything, I'm not a part of a cult,' she said. Three other protest organisers around Victoria have been charged with incitement in the past few weeks. Buhler's created a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event planned for 11am on Saturday on Sturt Street. Her 'peaceful protest' even stressed that attendees follow restrictions like wearing masks and social distancing 'so we don't get arrested'. 'As some of you may have seen, the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the Melbourne protest,' the event page read. 'Here in Ballarat we can be a voice for those is Stage Four lockdowns. We can be seen and hopefully make a difference! 'End lockdowns! Stand for human rights! We live in a free country!' Buhler's alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event she created Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest A fundraiser by Buhler's brother Jordan to pay for her legal fees has more than $2,000 in donations so far. Buhler's boyfriend filmed the dramatic police arrest, which has since been widely as 'absolutely disgusting' and 'not okay'. Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman labelled Victoria Police the 'shame of the nation'. 'The Vic Police. Shame of the nation. Unwilling to deal with youth gangs,' he tweeted. 'Compromised totally over Lawyer X. Waved through BLM protests. Found a job they can do, enforce a tyrant's draconian laws against normal Australians who simply want to earn a living and get on with life.' Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie said arresting Buhler in front of her children was 'absolute overkill' by the police. 'To come in like that and put a woman that's pregnant in handcuffs that was [acting] peaceful, there was no need,' she told The Today Show. 'They could have just knocked on the door and said 'can you please come down to the police station to take a statement'.' 'It could have been done a whole lot more peacefully.' Sunrise contributor and columnist Rita Panahi also shared her disgust at the officers' 'unnecessary' actions. 'FFS they've put in her handcuffs after she told them she's pregnant. Victoria Police also causing unnecessary distress to her small children...all over a bloody Facebook post about a proposed protest. A post she offered to remove,' she tweeted. Buhler offered to delete the post but was told she had already committed an offence Buhler's social media pages are full of coronavirus conspiracy theories, but she insisted she believed the pandemic was real Host Karl Stefanovic said that while Buhler shouldn't have been handcuffed in front of her children, Victoria Police were right to arrest her. 'Everyone's been doing the right thing, and this lady - irrespective of if she's pregnant or not - has broken the law,' he said. 'I don't think there should be any tolerance to it.' American woman Jessica Pinkstone has since remade the event page, gloating Australian authorities couldn't touch her. The video, which has since made international headlines in US and UK media, shows the confused mother asking why she is being arrested. 'Excuse me, incitement for what, what on Earth? I'm in my pyjamas, my two kids are here,' she asked police. 'I have an ultrasound in an hour because I'm pregnant.' The increasingly distressed mother insisted she wasn't breaking any laws by creating and then promoting the event. 'Actually you are, that's why we're arresting you in relation to incitement,' police replied. Buhler offered to delete the post as her boyfriend James Timmins tried to mediate while cradling their infant child in his arms. 'How about she just doesn't do the event? It's not like she's done it, she made a post,' he said. Police were unmoved, telling her: 'You've already committed the offence.' Buhler was distressed by this point and crying so much she could barely tell officers that she 'didn't realise' she was 'doing anything wrong' in making the online event. Police said they would seize all electronic devices in the house including those belonging to Mr Timmins and Buhler's sister. Buhler was charged with later incitement released on bail to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on January 25 next year. Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia anybody thinking of 'attending the protest... can expect a swift and firm response from police.' 'We will have no hesitation in issuing $1,652 fines to anyone who is breaching the restrictions on the day, or making arrests if necessary.' Regional Victorian towns like Ballarat are spared the ultra-tough Stage Four lockdown but are still in Stage Three, making it illegal for more than two people to gather. Police consider any protests to be in breach of these rules and have proved willing to arrest anyone organising or encouraging any gatherings. Victoria Police claimed the protest would put lives at risk and anyone who showed up would be fined or arrested. Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Buhler's arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign. 'Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful,' he wrote in a rant to his Facebook page after Daily Mail Australia published the video. 'The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria. 'His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom.' Angry Alan Jones backs up Zoe Lee Radio king-turned Sky News pundit Alan Jones was so enraged by seeing the video of Buhler's arrest that he called on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to resign. He posted this comment to his Facebook page after seeing the video after Daily Mail Australia was the first to publish it. DANIEL ANDREWS SHOULD RESIGN TONIGHT Thankfully I am not the only Australian who thinks this is appalling, disgusting and disgraceful. A pregnant woman, forced into tears, handcuffed in her pyjamas, in front of her children, I think it is in Ballarat, for 'incitement'. The only person guilty of incitement is the Premier of Victoria. His outlandish grab for power, his disdain of any accountability is forcing people to behaviour simply designed to take back their freedom. This woman is a victim of the appalling and unlimited powers given to the Victorian police. Everyone knew it would come to this. You can only push people so far. Wherein lies the violence in what you see here? The violence towards a pregnant mother is the like of which no Australian will tolerate. Go Daniel Andrews and go now before more damage is done. Advertisement Mr Andrews is facing mounting pressure to resign from his post amid the strict lockdown, particularly after he successfully extended the state of emergency by another six months. The bill passed just before 2am on Wednesday in the Victorian Upper House, with 20 votes in favour and 19 against. 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. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Mr Andrews had 'a lot of questions to answer'. Most recently, ex-prime minister Tony Abbott criticised Australia's handling of the crisis and accused Mr Andrews of wanting to extend a 'health dictatorship'. Mr Abbott questioned whether strict lockdowns have been proportionate to the health risks, and said he hoped international borders would reopen by Christmas. Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in London on Tuesday, Mr Abbott blamed the 'extraordinary ineptitude of the Victorian Government in the management of its hotel quarantine system' for Australia's outbreak. Bay League boys and girls basketball teams will play five league games and then there will be a tournament to determine seeding for CIF-Southern Section playoffs. A day after India banned 118 mobile apps, including the popular multiplayer game PUBG, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said companies have a responsibility to abide by the rules and regulations issued by the government. India has one of the most open regimes for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the world, this includes internet companies and digital technology companies. However, they have a responsibility to abide by rules and regulations issued by the government of India," said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at a press briefing in New Delhi. The government on Wednesday banned 118 mostly-Chinese mobile applications, including the popular online multiplayer game PUBG, after a fresh round of border confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh. In a statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology said the apps were banned as they are engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order". This is the third round of crackdown by the government on Chinese-linked applications following the Galwan Valley clashes in June in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. News18 last month had reported on the proposed ban on apps like PUBG and Ludo. Other apps banned on Wednesday include avatars of applications banned previously, like TikTok and WeChat, Youku, Baidu, Baidu Express and Ali Pay. This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace," said the ministry statement. It added that it has received many complaints from various sources, including reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms, for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorised manner to servers located outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," it said. T he Gym Group has seen higher demand at London branches in residential areas, with people working out closer to their home offices, the fitness chain has said. Chief executive Richard Darwin was speaking as the company posted a first-half loss. Income was hurt by having to close sites for the lockdown. Most centres have now reopened. Darwin said: Clearly our five open central London sites are quieter at the moment, but we are seeing a week-on- week rise in usage outside of Zone 1. The company has 183 fitness centres, of which 61 are inside the M25. Central London footfall has suffered from travel restrictions and people working from home since March when the lockdown started. The Gym Groups sales tumbled 49.6% to 37.3 million in the six months to June 30. It recorded a pre-tax loss of 27 million compared with a profit of 5.6 million a year earlier. Members at The Gym Group were offered a free freeze, with no payments taken while branches were closed. In the first few days after closing there was a significant number of membership cancellations, but this rate subsequently slowed. As at July 25, prior to the first gyms re-opening, total membership was 658,000.That rose to 676,000 as at August 31. The figure for August 2019 was 771,000. Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies before the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine COVID-19, "focusing on lessons learned to prepare for the next pandemic", on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 23, 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked governors and health departments to prepare to distribute a vaccine as soon as Nov. 1. In a letter dated Aug. 27, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said states will soon receive permit applications from medical supply company McKesson , which the Department of Health and Human Services tapped to help distribute the vaccine. He said they may need to waive some licensing and permit requirements that could delay the process. "We can have some confidence and some faith in what the FDA is saying," said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Food and Drug Administration has been "very explicit" that it is going to make a decision based on data from clinical trials, Fauci said in an interview with CNN. The trial results will also be reviewed by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, an independent group of experts who observe patient safety and treatment data, he said. White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that he is confident an approval for a coronavirus vaccine won't be motivated by politics. The deadline just two days before the federal elections raised concerns among public health experts and scientists that approval of a vaccine will be politically motivated and the White House may be pressuring regulators to get a vaccine to the market ahead of Nov. 3. Earlier Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar insisted that the government's Nov. 1 deadline for states is not linked to the presidential election. "It has nothing to do with elections. This has to do with delivering safe, effective vaccines to the American people as quickly as possible and saving people's lives," Azar said on the program "CBS This Morning." "Whether it's Oct. 15, whether it's Nov. 1, whether it's Nov 15, it's all about saving lives but meeting the FDA standards of safety and efficacy." The FDA has said it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective. The flu vaccine, by comparison, generally reduces the risk of getting influenza by 40% to 60% compared with people who aren't inoculated, according to the CDC. Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the FDA, previously said the agency wouldn't authorize a vaccine that's not safe, even if it is fairly effective. "We're going to be very, very, very carefully looking at those safety data and we're going to be transparent about what we've seen," he said July 30. However, Hahn told the Financial Times earlier this week that the agency is prepared to bypass the full federal approval process in order to make a Covid-19 vaccine available as soon as possible. Insisting the agency wasn't being pressured by President Donald Trump to fast-track a vaccine, Hahn said an emergency authorization could be appropriate before phase three clinical trials are completed if the benefits outweigh the risks. The comment raised concerns that a vaccine could be authorized before it is ready. When asked on Thursday whether he would hesitate to take a vaccine, Fauci said, "not at all." "I would look at the data and assume that a vaccine would not be approved for the public unless it was safe and effective," he said. "And I keep emphasizing both safe and effective. If that's the case, I would not hesitate for a moment to take the vaccine myself and recommend it for my family." Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization Executive Director John H. Windom, left, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Laura Kroupa speak at the Cerner Health Conference on Oct. 8, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Dept. of Veterans Affairs). In early August, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new schedule for implementing its $16 billion electronic health care reboot, with an initial operating capability set to come online at the Mann-Grandstaff Medical Center in Spokane, Wash. The work of implementing the new system, based on the Cerner Millennium health record, had been halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic both because clinicians had to deal with the outbreak and to prevent transmission of the virus among VA workers. But behind the scenes, the effort was kept online. "We never paused. We never stopped," John Windom, the executive director of VA's Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, told FCW. "What we did instead was found other avenues to continue to make progress." This includes developing what VA's is calling the "1.1 capability set" a version of the Cerner health record with interfaces and coding to support small- and medium-sized hospitals in the VA network. In mid-February, before it was clear that COVID-19 would bring much of the nation's activity crashing to a halt, VA officials announced that the Mann-Grandstaff rollout would be delayed. That go-live date was tentatively set for July before COVID rewrote much of the federal IT playbook, sending agencies into emergency telework mode. One aspect of the delay was VA's pledge to go live with expanded functionality what the agency calls "capability set 1.1" that would support a wider range of clinical activities than was previously envisioned for the launch. Windom explained that the 1.1 capability set supports small- and medium-sized hospitals, while the 2.0 set will support the functions needed at VA's largest medical centers. Development of the 2.0 capability set "was slowed by the COVID-19 environment because of our access to clinicians who support our workflow development, Windom said. That push is starting up again, but won't be ready until next spring. "We didn't want to sit on our hands until the spring of 2021," Windom said, so VA looked to other areas where it could maintain and build some momentum. One opportunity turned out to be in the Midwest. In August, the VA executed on existing plans to implement Cerner scheduling module in Columbus, Ohio. There is some highly complex history here: VA had previously pursued multiple paths on scheduling technology, in a flurry of contracting and piloting activity that arose from the appointments scandal in Phoenix in 2014. Once VA had settled on Cerner as its health record provider a decision made to match the Defense Department's selection and guarantee full interoperability between systems it made sense to go with Cerner's scheduling solution. The product called the Centralized Scheduling Solution is up and running, and is integrated into VA's existing legacy health record Vista. Among other things, CSS allows patients to schedule medical appointments in primary care and certain specialties via an app, where before they were only allowed to make appointment requests online. Because of that launch, VA has decided to accelerate the rollout of the entire Cerner system in Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 10 a regional group of VA facilities in the mid-west that includes Columbus. Those upgrades will be taking place even as VA builds out VISN 20 which includes the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. John Short, the chief technology integration officer for EHRM, said that needed infrastructure work was completed for all of VISN 20 during the COVID quarantine period, up to and including facilities in Alaska. That includes the increased bandwidth needed to operate the Cerner product as well as new end-user devices. And as part of the "pivot to VISN 10," Short explained, VA has started installing new equipment in facilities in that region. The VA is trying to have such infrastructure upgrades completed six months to one year in advance of Cerner go-live dates in order to avoid what have proven to be serious hassles in trying to use the modern software system on slow connections and old equipment. Contracting for innovation and culture While the VA is implementing the same underlying system as the Department of Defense, they're going about it in a different way. DOD cut a deal with Leidos as the prime contractor acting as integrator leading the development and change management efforts to get the Military Health System ready to adopt Cerner. At VA, Cerner is the prime contractor. Windom, who led the DOD acquisition for several years before moving VA explained that culture was the determining factor. "When I got to the VA, I saw immediately that VA has a different way of doing business," Windom said. "As I reflected on the construct of the DOD contract, where nearly 70% of the care is allocated to the commercial community and in support of DOD, there's a different model here. And so direct access to theCerner developers, the people that write the code that people that develop workflows was just far greater with far greater of a need to facilitate user adoption of the Cerner Millennium tool." Windom added: "It really required a different relationship over here at VA between the prime and the customer than I thought existed with it at DOD." Dr. Laura Kroupa, chief medical officer for OEHRM, and a practicing physician and medical informatics expert, said that VA's culture and history of being leaders in electronic health record software development and maintenance made it necessary to offer VA practitioners a seat at the table. "We have a lot of staff across the country who have informatics training and who work in informatics who have a high interest. I mean, we've had to maintain our own EHR all these years," Kroupa said. Additionally, VA offers a wider range of services that need to be taken into account when it comes to designing workflows and interfaces for clinicians. "So there was never going to be a way for us not to be intimately involved in content development and workflow development, because there's just is too much energy there," Kroupa said. A San Antonio man was arrested Thursday after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint in a motel room. Isaiah Knight, 25, has been charged with aggravated sexual assault. On Monday, Knight was staying with a woman he had known for several years at a Motel 6 in San Antonio. READ ALSO: Married couple found dead in their Stone Oak home has been identified The woman performed a live stream on a social media site and Knight became upset. He threatened to hit her in the head with a glass bottle if she tried to leave the motel room, according to an affidavit. The woman attempted to leave and Knight pushed her onto the bed. The affidavit said Knight placed a firearm against her head and threatened to shoot the woman, then sexually assaulted her. Knight was booked on a $75,000 bond. The indictment says Wu used a front company in Florida to ship at least 12,500 pounds of dried shark fins to Hong Kong through the Port of Savannah in 2016 and 2017. Prosecutors said Phoenix Fisheries of Panama City, Fla., used fake paperwork to exploit a Florida law that allows licensed dealers to sell fins from sharks that are legally caught and brought to land whole. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the third leadership summit of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) Thursday evening. The Prime Minister will express his views on Navigating New Challenges which is the theme of the five-day event that began on August 31. Looking forward to address the @USISPForum #USIndiasummit2020. Will be sharing my views on Navigating New Challenges. Do join live this evening, 3rd September, at 9 PM India time, Modi wrote on Twitter this morning. USISPF president Mukesh Aghi had earlier said, We are honored that Prime Minister Modi has taken time to address USISPF annual event. It signifies importance of US-India relations in the current challenging environment. He called India-US relationship a win-win partnership mutually dependent geo-politically, trade, culturally, diplomatically and scientifically. It is a win-win partnership mutually dependent geo-politically, trade, culturally, diplomatically and scientifically. Aggressive and assertive China provides further opportunity for both nations to collaborate and ensure international rule of law prevails, he said after USISPF announced PM Modis address to the summit. External affairs minister S Jaishankar, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, US vice president Mike Pence, and former top Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley are some of the key leaders who have participated in the virtual event so far. The virtual summit being attended by top corporate leaders, government officials and leaders primarily focuses on key areas of bilateral cooperation: trade and investment; strategic energy ties; Indias position in global supply chains, collaboration in fintech, healthcare, and technology. The USISPF is a non-profit organisation that works for the partnership between India and the United States. (With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sydney's Family Court bomber Leonard Warwick will die in jail for his 'evil' crimes after being sentenced to three life terms for murdering a judge, a judge's wife and a church-goer. The 73-year-old was found guilty in the NSW Supreme Court in July of 20 offences relating to six Sydney events between February 1980 and July 1985. They included the shooting murder of Justice David Opas and the bomb-related murders of Pearl Watson, wife of Justice Raymond Watson, and Graham Wykes, who died in an explosion at a Jehovah's Witnesses hall. Leonard Warwick (pictured in May, 2018) will die in prison after being found guilty of 20 offences including three murders Warwick also was found to have bombed Justice Richard Gee's home with intent to murder him as well as bombing the court building at Parramatta Justice Peter Garling, who heard the long-running trial without a jury, on Thursday imposed three life sentences on the former firefighter, finding the criminality involved was of the highest level for each murder. 'The conduct of the offender was calculated, violent and hateful,' he said. The judge also described the crimes as 'evil' and attacks on Australian democracy. The so-called Family Court bomber waged a campaign of extreme violence against those he believed acted adversely towards him in his drawn-out dispute with his ex-wife Andrea Blanchard. As well as the three murders, Warwick also was found to have bombed Justice Richard Gee's home with intent to murder him, bombed the court building at Parramatta and placed a car bomb at the previous home of Ms Blanchard's solicitor. Justice Opas was shot dead when he answered the doorbell just as his family sat down to dinner. Pearl Watson was saying goodbye to her husband when a bomb exploded at their front door. Graham Wykes died and 13 people were seriously injured when a bomb ripped apart the Jehovah's Witnesses hall. Congregation members had offered support to Warwick's ex-wife. Mark Zuckerberg Can Facebook gain redemption for the 2016 sin of being Russias go-to site in its effort to manipulate the US presidential election? CEO Mark Zuckerberg is giving it a shot. Hes worried about the potential for civil unrest in US in the event that it takes days or weeks for mailed-in ballots to be counted and certified. Democrats fear a Doomsday scenario in which Donald Trump declares victory on Election Night before the mailed ballots are counted. At that point, it could appear that the president won re-election in a landslide based on the in-person vote. Thats because 66 percent of Republicans plan to vote at their polling place, while 47 percent of Democrats plan to mail it in, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Zuckerberg outlined Facebooks plan to counter the chaos via a Sept. 3 blog. It's important that we prepare for this possibility in advance and understand that there could be a period of intense claims and counter-claims as the final results are counted. This could be a very heated period, so we're preparing the following policies to help in the days and weeks after voting ends. He said Facebook will assure users there is nothing illegitimate about not having a result on election night. The site will attach a label to educate people that official results do not just come from any campaign that tries to declare victory. He also warns Team Trump that Facebook will label any content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome of the election or make claims that mail-in votes are fraudulent. Good luck, Mark. Americas democracy is counting on you. WPP CEO Mark Read has updated the Never trust anyone over 30 hippie slogan of the 1960s for todays digital age. During an Aug. 27 call with analysts, he said: We have a very broad range of skills and if you look at our peoplethe average age of someone who works at WPP is less than 30they dont hark back to the 1980s, luckily. Actually, Read was unlucky. His unfortunate remark triggered outrage and charges of ageism at WPP. He apologized on Aug. 30 via Twitter: I was recently asked if our teams have the right balance of skills between TV and digital. I believe they do but was wrong to use age to try to make a point. People over 40 can do great digital marketing just as people under 30 can make great TV ads. What about people over 50? Read is 53. A majority (55 percent) of Americans say relations between Black and white people are either very or somewhat bad, according to a Gallup poll. Thats up from 47 percent when president Trump took office and 28 percent when Barack Obama became president. Positive ratings of racial relations dropped during the past 18 months among whites (down eight points to 46 percent) and Blacks (down four points to 36 percent). Gallup conducted the poll from June 8 to July 24, which was after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and before the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. There is a silver lining in the poll. Nearly six-in-ten (59 percent) believe there are better days ahead for Black and white relations. The Council for Biotechnology Information, a PR front group formed by agrichemical companies to allay peoples concerns about genetically modified crops, has quietly disbanded, according to the US Right to Know, non-profit investigative site. Backed by DuPont, Bayer, BASF, Syngenta and Dow AgroSciences, the group dissolved at the end of 2019 and transferred its assets to CropLife International in Belgium. CBI spent $28M in PR from 2014-2019 with half of it going to Ketchum for running GMO Answers, according to USRTK. GMO Answers presented content from independent experts, many of which had ties to the pesticide industry. India on Wednesday (September 2) hailed the United Nations Security Councils 1267 sanctions sub-committee's decision to reject Pakistan's attempts to list 2 Indians as designated terrorists. The UNSC panel made up of France, United Kingdom and the United States blocked the designations of Angara Appaji and Gobinda Patnaik as terrorists. According to Pakistan, Appaji and Patnaik were allegedly involved in an Afghanistan-based Indian terror syndicate that were engaged in rousing banned terror groups Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-Ul-Ahrar (JuA) of Pakistan. Islamabad accused these groups of planning to carry out terror strikes in Pakistan. Hailing the UNSC's decision, Indias UN envoy TS Tirumurti tweeted, "Pakistans blatant attempt to politicize 1267 special procedure on terrorism by giving it a religious colour has been thwarted by UN Security Council. We thank all Council members who've blocked Pakistans designs." Pakistans blatant attempt to politicize 1267 special procedure on terrorism by giving it a religious colour, has been thwarted by UN Security Council. We thank all those Council members who have blocked Pakistans designs. @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia @harshvshringla PR UN Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) September 2, 2020 UNSC members gave Pakistan time to provide evidence against the two Indians but Islamabad could not provide it. A hold was put for Pakistan to come up with evidence but the country failed. Earlier, Pakistan had attempted to list two other Indians-- Venumadhav Dongara and Ajoy Mistry as terrorists but Islamabad had failed in its attempt then too. Pakistani Foreign Ministry in a statement in June had expressed its "disappointment" for not able to list Dongar. It alleged that they were backing groups like Jamaat-ul-Ahrar etc. The move was considered a quid pro quo move by Pakistan for India able to get Masood Azhar listed as a UN terrorist in 2019. Azhar is the chief of Pakistan-based UN listed terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) responsible for Pulwama terror attack, among other attacks in India. Pakistani nationals are listed in the largest number at the UN terror list. Police officers in Twinsburg, Ohio, pulled a small child from the wreck of a car on August 29, after the mother, who was driving, lost control and it left the road. In the video, an officer can be seen crawling into the upturned vehicle and dragging the child, still in a car seat, out. The driver told officers she was westbound on [Interstate] 480 and attempted to pass a slower moving vehicle on the left. As she moved to the left lane a vehicle traveling in front of her also moved into the left lane, police said. The driver of that vehicle suddenly applied the brakes causing her to apply her vehicles brakes quickly. She said she over corrected her steering. Her car left the roadway, rolled over and came to rest in the eastbound lanes of 480. The driver and the child suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local medical facility for treatment. Credit: Twinsburg Police Department via Storyful The founder of a New York hedge fund was criminally charged on Thursday over an alleged scheme to pressure a rival not to bid for assets related to Neiman Marcus's bankruptcy so he could buy them at a lower price, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday. Daniel Kamensky, the principal of Marble Ridge Capital, which has more than $1 billion in assets, was charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, extortion and obstruction of justice, the Justice Department said. Mishustin visits Lukashenko to offer moral support as Belarus leader claims that Kremlin foes poisoning was faked. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has said Belarus should not allow external pressure to preserve its sovereign and territorial integrity, Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. Mishustin made the comments on Thursday during a visit to Belarus, where longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko is under huge pressure from opposition protesters demanding his resignation after a disputed presidential election on August 9. Meanwhile, in another sign of strengthened ties between Belarus and Russia, Lukashenko entered a growing rift between Western powers and Moscow over the poisoning of Kremlin foe Alexey Navalny. Lukashenko claimed on Thursday that his security forces had intercepted German calls showing that Navalnys poisoning had been faked. Lukashenko told Mishustin in Minsk that a call between Berlin and Warsaw showed that the incident was a falsification. There was no poisoning of Navalny, Lukashenko told a poker-faced Mishustin during their televised meeting. They did it I quote in order to discourage [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from sticking his nose into Belaruss affairs. Lukashenko provided no further details but said he would hand over transcripts to Russias security services. The claim about Navalny could be aimed at currying favour with Moscow, which has voiced support for Lukashenko during the protests. Navalnys top aide Leonid Volkov dismissed the claim as ridiculous, accusing the Russian prime minister of being an accomplice to the attempted murder by playing along in this circus. Germany said on Wednesday that tests had proven Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, after he fell ill on a plane in Siberia last month and was eventually taken to Berlin for treatment. Meanwhile, the global chemical weapons agency Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the poisoning of any individual with a toxic nerve agent would be considered the use of a banned chemical weapon. Novichok was banned this year by the OPCW. Navalny, 44, remains in an artificially induced coma but his condition is improving, his German doctors have said. Lukashenko: Our neighbours would like us to collapse Lukashenko promoted hardline loyalists to top posts in his security apparatus on Thursday in an effort to strengthen his grip on the former Soviet republic after weeks of mass protests and strikes. Lukashenko, facing the biggest challenge to his 26-year rule, accompanied the reshuffle with instructions to act tough in the face of what he has repeatedly alleged is foreign aggression. Belarus finds itself confronting an external aggressor one-to-one, he told the new security chiefs. Therefore I ask you to take this to the people. They shouldnt condemn me for any sort of softness. Theres no softness here. The country is working, although many, especially our neighbours, would like us to collapse. In recent years the Kremlin has pushed for closer economic and political integration between the ex-Soviet countries but Lukashenko has so far resisted an outright unification. Lukashenko and Putin are set to meet in Moscow in the next few weeks. HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / ?As a record number of hospitals turn to them to bolster supplies of life-saving medical equipment, US Med-Equip (USME)-the fastest growing provider of respiratory, neonatal, infusion and other devices-today announced its acquisition of Northeast industry leader Martab Equipment Management Services (MEMS). Houston-headquartered USME partners with top hospitals across the nation in the rental, sales, service and asset management of movable medical equipment. The acquisition expands USME's national reach and support to more healthcare providers throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. MEMS, based in Allendale, N.J., supports hundreds of hospitals from seven regional branches: Allendale; Plainview, N.Y.; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Boston; Baltimore; and Columbus, Ohio. "We're excited to welcome MEMS' dedicated team, which has extensive experience supporting Northeast hospitals working under extraordinary demands. Together, we will help more healthcare providers and the purchasing organizations that support them in taking care of patients in need," USME President Ed Gay said. Anthony Marmo, owner and CEO of MEMS, has dedicated his career to delivering medical equipment and services to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic healthcare community. "We're proud to join the US Med-Equip family-one that shares our mission to do whatever it takes to help hospitals give their patients the best care possible," Marmo said. USME now has 60,000 devices available for rent at a moment's notice from 40 locations nationwide, with more on the way. MEDIA CONTACT: Kristy Gillentine Drive West Communications usmedequip@drivewest.com 281.220.6861 ext. 704 Related Images SOURCE: US Med-Equip View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604530/US-Med-Equip-Bolsters-Support-for-Hospitals-in-Northeast-Across-Nation-With-Martab-Equipment-Management-Services-Acquisition Schools and classrooms remained largely empty across the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia on Thursday, amid an ongoing civil disobedience movement protesting plans to end Mongolian-medium teaching in the region's schools. Police began a region-wide operation seeking the leaders of protests and the organizers of school boycotts among the region's 4.2 million ethnic Mongolians. Police in Xing'an League and Ulanhot city were meanwhile out looking for school-age ethnic Mongolian children to force them back into school. Japan-based ethnic Mongolian scholar Khubis said high-school students in Shiliin-Gol League had begun a hunger strike over the plan to end first-grade classes in the Mongolian language. Four students in the third grade of a Mongolian-medium high school in Xilin Gol went on hunger strike [on Sept. 1] to protest the new Chinese language education policy," Khubis told RFA. "More than 300 ethnic Mongolian employees of the state-run Inner Mongolia Radio Station signed a petition saying that they could not accept the new Chinese-medium education policy," he said. DALLAS, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Risk Point Underwriters, LLC announced today that Scott A. Hoy, CIC has been named Executive Vice President for the specialty auto dealer underwriting unit. Scott will be responsible for driving profitable growth and delivering customer excellence through independent agents across its Risk Point programs for Dealer Open Lot and Garage Package for franchised Auto, Motorcycle, RV, and Heavy Truck dealerships. Bryan Wilburn, President and CEO of the parent company Risk Theory commented, "We are excited to add Scott to our company. He brings a proven leadership track record, impressive industry reputation, vast insurance experience, relationships, and knowledge specific to our dealership insurance offerings." "As the largest automotive dealership insurance program in the country available to independent agents, I am very excited to join the Risk Theory team. I look forward to working with the most experienced leadership team in our industry, and continue their success providing world class insurance solutions to dealerships across the country," said Hoy. Scott's leadership background in these industries and niche specialization comes from 25 years of experience at Victor, Marsh & McLennan's managing general agency business, SeaFire Insurance Services, a Managing General Underwriter specializing in automotive dealerships, and the National Vice President of Sales for Zurich and Universal Underwriters Group. About Risk Theory Risk Theory partners with industry specialists focused on solving niche problems within the commercial insurance marketplace. These specialists are experts in distribution, underwriting or claims and are looking for ways to improve their clients risk transfer. The executive teams at Risk Theory bring over 200 years of operational experience within the insurance industry to assist the specialist in building structure around the idea and pursue a profitable long-term venture. Risk Point provides Dealership Insurance that is dependable and flexible with garage package and physical damage coverage for cars, recreation vehicles, heavy trucks, RVs, and motorcycles. "The Simple Solution to Specialty Insurance" https://risktheory.com/ SOURCE Risk Point, LLC Related Links https://risktheory.com The driver of the Camry and a passenger in the car that hit Soria notified city officials and stayed on the scene after the collision, according to a police report. The driver, a 63-year-old man from the Pulaski Park neighborhood, told police he was driving north on Lake Shore Drive when a car in front of him swerved. He said he then saw a pedestrian and tried to swerve before the collision. A busy gym in Sydney's eastern suburbs has closed after a person infected with coronavirus visited on two days more than a week apart. Fitness First in Randwick is now undergoing a deep clean, with all visitors on August 23 and September 1 asked to watch for symptoms and undergo urgent testing. Regents Park Christian School, in western Sydney, is also closed, with anyone who attended after-school care on August 31 or September 1 considered a close contact. Fitness First Randwick (pictured) is now undergoing a deep clean, with all visitors on August 23 and September 1 asked to watch for symptoms and undergo urgent testing A person infected with coronavirus visited Fitness First inside Royal Randwick Shopping Centre (pictured) on two days more than a week apart All staff and children who attended on those days have been plunged into isolation and told to get tested. The case, which returned a positive test result late Wednesday night and is linked to a previously reported infection, will be included in the numbers announced on Friday. NSW confirmed 12 new cases on Thursday as a cluster associated with the City Tattersalls gym grew by three to 52. The cluster linked to St Pauls Catholic College in Greystanes and nearby Girraween Public School has increased to 12. Both schools reopened on Thursday after shutting to allow cleaning and contract tracing to take place. Three of Thursday's cases - a person in Parkes and two in southwest Sydney - have no known source. NSW Health has also issued an alert for a church service at Life in the Spirit Ministry in Prestons, with anyone who attended on August 30 required to self-isolate for 14 days. Meanwhile, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has hit out at Queensland's demand that NSW eliminate COVID-19 community transmissions before it considers reopening its border. NSW confirmed 12 new cases on Thursday as a cluster associated with the City Tattersalls gym grew by three to 52 Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday that NSW needed to pass 28 days without any COVID-19 community transmission before the border rules would be reassessed. 'The guideline that's been set by the Queensland government in relation to when they reopen their border is a pretty tall order,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Thursday. 'I don't know anywhere on the planet where a society could function productively during a pandemic and get an assurance you're going to (get) zero cases of community transmission.' A 25-year-old Queensland vet was one of two Australians on a ship, carrying thousands of cattle, that capsized off the coast of Japan. The family of Lukas Orda, who only recently landed a job as a veterinarian in the live export sector, is desperately hoping the young father and husband is found. Queensland vet Lukas Orda. Credit:Facebook Mr Orda went to Good Shepherd Catholic College in Mount Isa in north-west Queensland, studied at James Cook University and recently worked as an equine vet on the Gold Coast. "Its tragic, you know, not only the loss of him but the family left behind," said Mount Isa Catholic priest Father Michael Lowcock, who knew Mr Orda when he was a school student and has been in contact with the Orda family. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty El Al Israel Airlines flew the first commercial flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates on Monday with Jared Kushner onboard. The two Middle Eastern countries just announced a peace deal in August that would establish formal relations between the two. Saudi Arabia aided the flight by allowing the aircraft to use its airspace. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. An El Al Israel Airlines aircraft made history on Monday as it flew the first commercial flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The historic flight was made possible by a new peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates seeking to normalize relations. Only 1,300 miles separate Ben Gurion International Airport from Abu Dhabi but prior to Monday, no commercial airliner had ever made the trek, with geopolitical conflict in the region blocking access for any Israeli or Emirati passenger carrier to serve each other's country. Onboard the US-made Boeing 737-900ER for the first flight was a US and Israeli delegation with US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner joined by US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat. Trump placed Kushner in charge of Middle East peace with Israel's relationship with its neighboring Arab nations taking priority. Israeli passenger aircraft are typically prohibited from flying over Saudi Arabia with Air India making history in 2018 when it flew to Israel via the kingdom's airspace, Reuters reported. Here's what it was like onboard the historic flight. An El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 737-900ER was used for the flight, departing Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday morning bound for the airline's newest destination, Abu Dhabi. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty It was the first time "Abu Dhabi" or any city in the UAE was featured on Ben Gurion International's departure board for commercial airlines. Story continues The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Raddad Jebarah/NurPhoto/Getty The plane proudly wore its blue and white colors in the style of the Israeli flag but over the cockpit was a new addition, the word "peace" written in English, Arabic, and Hebrew. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty The pandemic had largely grounded El Al as Israel's border was closed to foreigners early on and remains closed to this day so the flight would give the opportunity for the airline to stretch its legs on its most important mission since the repatriation flights of the spring. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Face masks were also customized for the event. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty The Israeli delegation lead by National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat was joined by a US delegation lead by Jared Kushner a senior advisor to President Trump. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Source: Times of Israel The flight was the first physical symbol of the newly-announced peace accords between Israel and the UAE, only the third Arab country to establish ties with the Jewish state. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Source: Times of Israel Only 18 days had passed between the announcement of the agreement and the flight. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Kushner as the deal's broker was eager to get the ball rolling on normalizing relations with the in-person trip to the UAE, joking that the plane should fly faster to Abu Dhabi to speed up the process. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Source: Times of Israel Onboard the aircraft, each seat had a headrest cover with "making history" written in English, Arabic, and Hebrew... The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty And passengers were given a placard to commemorate the event. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty For most, if not all of the crew onboard, this would be the most important flight of their career. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Pilots would take the Boeing 737 where no El Al aircraft has gone before over formerly restricted airspace for the Israeli airline. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty The planned route would take the Boeing 737 towards Jerusalem before flying over the West Bank, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and even Oman before reaching touching down in the UAE's capital city. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty The leaders of the US and Israeli delegation occupied the business class cabin with Kushner, Ben Shabbat, and O'Brien occupying the first row. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Though around 1,300 miles as the crow flies, the actual routing would see the plane fly just under 1,700 miles, taking around three hours and 23 minutes. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Source: FlightAware Overhead screens kept the passengers abreast of their historic route as they made the historic crossing over the Arabian Peninsula... The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty While flight attendants began the in-flight service. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty The 737 began its descent into Abu Dhabi just under three hours from its departure while over Saudi Arabia, touching parts of Oman as it approached. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. NIR ELIAS/POOL/AFP/Getty Landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport for the first time, El Al had inaugurated its newest destination. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP./Getty Once on the ground, the aircraft headed to the VIP terminal at Abu Dhabi International for a reception upon arrival. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Pilots mounted the flags of each represented country the US, UAE, and Israel as they taxied to the terminal. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty The aircraft had arrived with the flight number LY 971, the country code for the UAE. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP./Getty The Emiratis had literally rolled out the red carpet for the delegation with carpet-lined airstairs. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP./Getty Kushner gave a speech after the jet touched down at Abu Dhabi International Airport where he thanked Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Zayed for letting them cross Saudi Arabian airspace and marked the importance of the flight as another step towards peace. "While this peace was forged by its leaders, it is overwhelming desired by the people," Kushner said of the agreement. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Source: Times of Israel The delegation stayed in Abu Dhabi for one-night, returning the next day to Israel with the callsign LY 972, the Israeli country code. The first flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Source: Flightradar24 Normalization between the UAE and Israel opens up opportunities for El Al to connect its homeland with the two of the most popular and extravagant destinations in the Middle East: Dubai and Abu Dhabi. An El Al Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Benthemouse / Shutterstock.com Israel has long suffered from a lack of connectivity from Middle Eastern airlines, which pride themselves on connecting the world through mega-hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, but don't serve the Jewish state. FILE PHOTO: An Emirates Airline Airbus A380 plane takes off from Dubai International Airport in Dubai Reuters Only two Arab airlines currently serve Israel: Royal Jordanian and Egypt's Air Sinai. A Boeing 787 Dreamliner Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty Eithad and Emirates the UAE's top carriers can benefit from a new market in Israel, which sees thousands of visitors and pilgrims from over the world. An Etihad Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty El Al is also presented with an opportunity to use the potential easing of airspace restrictions to open new routes to the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. Eliyahu Yosef Parypa : Shutterstock.com Read the original article on Business Insider External affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday it is imperative for Indian and China to reach an accommodation as the solution to the standoff along the Line of Actual Control has to be found in the domain of diplomacy. Jaishankar made the remarks during an online event organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) to mark the release of his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, during which the relationship with China and the standoff figured prominently. Besides questions on the impact of the standoff on bilateral ties, Jaishankar was asked what he would say when he meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers in Moscow on September 10. As to what I will be talking with my Chinese colleague when I meet him I mean, we have known each other a long time, so you can have a reasonable guess, Jaishankar replied, without giving details. Also read: Dont meddle in border dispute with India, China tells US The external affairs ministry confirmed on Thursday that the minister will join the September 10 meeting but there has been no official word of a bilateral meeting with Wang. This is the first time the two ministers will come face to face since the standoff emerged in public, though they have participated in virtual meetings of various groupings and also spoken in the aftermath of the June 15 clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. They will also join a virtual meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on September 4. Responding to another question on whether China is in Indias way, Jaishankar said this wasnt the easiest of times in the bilateral relationship, but added that it was imperative and vital for both countries to reach an accommodation, and not just for themselves. Also read: In stern warning to Pak, Gen Rawat says India capable of handling two-front threat Emphasising that he wasnt underplaying the challenges of the boundary question, the minister said, Im totally convinced that the solution to the situation has to be found in the domain of diplomacy. India and China have a long history, which is very good in many parts, very indifferent in some parts, and very difficult in some parts, he said, adding the more difficult parts are more recent. Jaishankar said he had taken a long view of ties in his book, which was written before the standoff began, and there are agreements and understandings on the border issue that must be scrupulously observed by both sides. Neither party should attempt to change the status quo unilaterally, and the reality is what happens on the border will impact the relationship. You cannot separate that, he said. Also read: Pakistan trying to politicise UNSCs terrorist listing process, says India He ducked a question about his recent remarks that he didnt understand why China has thousands of troops on the LAC, saying it was for Beijing to provide an answer on this issue. Jaishankar also said he wasnt comfortable with terms such as Himalayan cold war or hot peace, and that the two sides have to work our way through this. He added, I am convinced that the way out is through diplomacy. That will happen if both sides see it is in their own interests that we dont see what we have seen this summer. Jaishankar also listed the rise of China and the changed approach of the US to world affairs as two of the most impactful shifts in recent times. While the US has pulled back from its global project and shifted from alliances, the velocity and impact of the rise of China has exceeded everything else, he said. Lebanons army said it found the chemical near the entrance to Beirut port, the site of a powerful explosion last month. Lebanons army has found 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near the entrance to Beirut port, the site of a powerful explosion last month, caused by a large stockpile of the same highly explosive chemical, that killed 191 people. The military said in a statement on Thursday that army experts were called in for an inspection and found the dangerous chemical in four containers stored near the port. Army engineers were dealing with it, according to the statement that was carried by the state news agency NNA. There were no details on the origin of the chemicals or their owner. The find comes almost a month after nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at Beiruts port for six years detonated, wreaking death and destruction. 200821061750823 Along with 191 people killed, more than 6,000 were injured. Entire neighbourhoods were devastated, nearly 300,000 people were left homeless as the blast caused damage worth billions of dollars. Lebanons government quit amid public anger in a nation already brought to its knees by an economic crisis. The public remains anxious that more hazardous materials are being stored badly, putting them at risk. Days after the August 4 blast, French and Italian chemical experts working amid the remains of the port identified more than 20 containers carrying dangerous chemicals. The army later said these containers were moved and stored safely in locations away from the port. French experts, as well as the FBI, have taken part in the investigation into the explosion at the request of Lebanese authorities. So far, authorities have detained 25 people over last months explosion, most of them port and customs officials. Earlier this week, a UN agency warned that more than half of Lebanons population risk facing a food crisis in the aftermath of the explosion that compounded the countrys existing woes. More than half of the countrys population is at risk of failing to access their basic food needs by the years end, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said. Immediate measures should be taken to prevent a food crisis, ESCWA executive secretary, Rola Dashti, said. Dashti said Lebanons government must prioritise the rebuilding of silos at the Beirut port, the countrys largest grain storage. A group of young people racing motorbikes in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong attacked a man and his adolescent daughter after receiving noise complaints on Wednesday, police said. Police in An Phu Ward, Thuan An City in Binh Duong said on Wednesday they had summoned a group of youths for allegedly inflicting serious injuries on two people who complained about their loud motorbikes. According to a preliminary investigation, the incident occurred at around 3:45 pm when one of the victims, Tr.H.T., 37, scolded the group of young men for the noise their vehicles were making as they gathered near his house for illegal street racing. A quarrel broke out and the group of bikers stormed into T.s house, attacking the man and his adolescent daughter with sharp weapons. The group left after seeing T. immobile and seriously injured on the floor. Neighbors rushed the victims to a nearby hospital and reported the incident. Police have sealed off the scene for further investigation. The house where a man and his adolescent daughter were attacked by a group of bikers in Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam is sealed off for scene investigation, September 2, 2020. Photo: Tuan Duy / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A tense back-and-forth in Berlin on Tuesday showed how a planned Chinese charm offensive in Europe only appears to have backfired. On the final stop of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yis five-nation swing through Europe, he was confronted by German counterpart Heiko Maas for saying the Czech Senate president would pay a heavy price for his Taiwan visit. Maas said hed spoken by phone with his Czech counterpart and emphasized that Europe wouldnt be intimidated. We as Europeans act in close cooperation -- we offer our international partners respect, and we expect the exact same from them, Maas said Tuesday at a 50-minute press briefing in Berlin alongside Wang. Threats dont fit in here. Wang stood his ground, saying that Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcils visit was an intervention in Chinas internal affairs and a violation to which the government in Beijing had to respond. Youve crossed a red line, Wang said in Berlin, referring to Vystrcil and his 90-member delegation, including Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, a Beijing critic who in January made Taipei a sister city to the Czech capital. During the press briefing, Wang was pressured on Chinas stance on Hong Kong, the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic, his assertive comments during his week-long European tour and Chinas treatment of ethnic Uighurs in the far west region of Xinjiang. He issued an extended defense of Chinese policy, reiterating warnings that accusations against Beijing constitute an intervention in the countrys internal affairs -- and denying that China sought to disrupt relations. We are not trouble-makers, Wang said. The tensions overshadowed issues including an EU-China investment accord, which Angela Merkels government had aimed to complete by the end of the year. Maas said the 27-member bloc would assert its sovereignty and wont become a play thing as the US, China and Russia shake geopolitical foundations. Unacceptable More broadly, it showed Chinas failure to win over Europe as it seeks to counter pressure from the Trump administration on everything from democracy in Hong Kong to data security over apps such as TikTok and WeChat. The Chinese diplomat had started the five-nation European trip saying relations with Europe shouldnt suffer because of Beijings intensifying standoff with President Donald Trump, who has touted his strong stance against China on the campaign trail ahead of the November election. But his appearances tended to only ratchet up tensions with the region. In Norway, he suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize should not be issued to Hong Kong protesters, evoking memories of a cratering of relations a decade ago when the committee awarded the prize to a Chinese democracy advocate. Matters then escalated with the warning against the Czech politician, which only appeared to unify European countries. The French foreign ministry weighed in Tuesday, calling Wangs comments on the Czech visit to Taiwan unacceptable. #EU-#China relations are based on dialogue and mutual respect, Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova said on Twitter. Threats directed at one of the EU members and its representatives contradict the very essence of our partnership and as such are unacceptable. HANOI: Vietnam plans to restart international commercial flights to and from six Asian cities from mid-September, state media reported on Thursday, ending months of coronavirus-related suspension after easing some restrictions on foreign business travellers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is proposing resuming flights to Guangzhou, Seoul, Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Taipei and Tokyo, which would mean about 5,000 travellers arriving each week, the transport ministry-run Giao Thong newspaper reported, citing CAAV deputy head, Vo Huy Cuong. Those arriving must still undergo two weeks of quarantine, according to health ministry requirements, unless the duration of their visit is under 14 days. Vietnam has not yet reopened to tourists. Vietnam is seeking to revive its economic activities, especially tourism and transport, which have been badly hit by the travel restrictions. It stopped flights from certain countries in late January before closing its borders in March to all but returning citizens and foreigners with special permission, as the coronavirus spread quickly around the world. The travel curbs together with strict quarantine, testing and contact tracing has helped Vietnam keep its infections total to just 1,046 and 34 deaths and saw it record a run of 100 days without domestic transmission. The move to resume flights contrasts with several of its regional neighbours, which are suffering big losses from tight restrictions on foreign tourists and business travellers, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, its unit Pacific Airlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air will conduct the flights and the number of inbound visitors will be limited, the reports said. In July, Vietnam Airlines said it would lose 50 trillion dong ($2.16 billion) in revenue this year and might liquidity issues. 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 Domestic benchmarks closed on a negative note on Thursday, led by selling pressure in banking scrips, amid weak Asian equities. Reversing from 2 days of consecutive gains, Sensex ended 95 points lower to 38,990 and Nifty closed 7.55 points lower at 11,527. Yesterday, Sensex ended 185 points higher at 39,086 and Nifty gained 64 points to 11,535. Sectorally, gains in pharma, auto, media, FMCG, IT and media stocks were capped by losses in metals, realty, banking and financials. Britannia, NTPC, Hindalco, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, PowerGrid and ICICI Bank were among the top losers today. On the other hand, Wipro, UPL, Eicher Motors, Titan and Bharti Infratel were among the top gainers. "Bank Nifty (down 1.44%) was the worst-performing index for the day on the basis of the Supreme Court observation on loan moratorium case. The Supreme Court said that banks should not take coercive action against borrowers. The next date of hearing on this case is scheduled on September 10," Keshav Lahoti, Associate Equity Analyst, Angel Broking. "Today, also being Weekly F&O Expiry, contributed to increased volatility. Nifty is currently consolidating in the range of 11300-11600 with bias still remaining in favour of the bulls,"said Aamar Deo Singh, Head Advisory, Angel Broking. Traders said market participants were also pessimistic on back of PMI data, that showed activity in India's services industry falling for a sixth straight month in August. Although the Nikkei/IHS Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index increased to 41.8 in August from July's 34.2, it remained well below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction. "The bias was upbeat in the beginning, following firm global cues but news of India's PMI data falling for the sixth month in a row in August dented sentiments in the middle and market remained range-bound thereafter," said Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking. On the currency front, Indian rupee posted single-biggest session fall against the US dollar since May 4 and closed at 73.47 per dollar against the earlier closing of 73.03, amid weak momentum in the domestic equities and strong US dollar. Domestic markets opened higher, tracking positive momentum from Asian markets that gained on better services sector activity in China. Although, the domestic equity market turned mixed and traded marginally lower by the afternoon session, amid weakness in Asian indices, as investors turned cautious amid rising US-China tensions and weak economic data. Wall Street stocks closed higher on optimism over coronavirus relief package. European markets also traded higher ignoring not so good economic numbers from the Euro region. Rising coronavirus cases also kept equities muted today. Worldwide, there were 261 lakh confirmed cases and 8.67 lakh deaths from COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, India's death toll from COVID-19 infections rose to 67,486 and total coronavirus cases to 38.53 lakh as of Thursday. Technical Insights On market's technical indicators, Sameet Chavan (Chief Analyst-Technical and Derivatives, Angel Broking said," Going ahead, 11550 followed by 11650 are the levels to watch out for in the upward direction for Nifty, whereas on the flip side, 11450-11400-11325 is the cluster of supports." Ajit Mishra said,"The recent macroeconomic data suggests that economic revival would be gradual. Further, there are no positive domestic triggers to boost sentiments thus we suggest continuing with a cautious approach and keeping a close watch on the lingering broader tension between India and China for cues." Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst at Deen Dayal Investments said,"Markets traded with lacklustre volumes with no definite direction. We continue being in a range between 11400-11600. If we need to see higher levels, we need to cross the resistance of 11600. That could take us to levels as high as 12000. A break of 11400 can take us to 11200-11250 levels." Share Market Highlights: Sensex ends 95 points lower, Nifty at 11,535; PowerGrid, Axis Bank top losers Indian Oil's crude carrier catches fire off Sri Lanka Rupee falls 29 paise to 73.32 amid strong dollar, weak equities After opposition parties criticised the government for its decision to do away with the Question Hour during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Parliament, it will now be held for a duration of 30 minutes. Only unstarred questions will be taken up in the half-hour long Question Hour, reported news agency ANI on Thursday. Several Opposition leaders stepped up their attack on the government over the decision of not holding the Question Hour, alleging it was an attempt to suppress" their voices. Congress again hit out at the decision with partys chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleging that it was an attempt to throttle democracy" and enchain" parliamentary system. Surjewala said the party will oppose the move both inside and outside Parliament. Bahujan Samaj Partys Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali in a tweet said, Contempt if one tweets, treason if you ask questions on the streets. The countrys biggest panchayat was left to raise questions of the people. There, the government has done away with the Question Hour. This is the scary picture of New India." All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal alleged that by cancelling the Question Hour from the ensuing Parliament Session, the government is trying to deprive us from our democratic rights". We have the responsibility, as public representatives, to raise questions on behalf of the people of our country, on important issues," he said. Pandemic is just an excuse, the real motive is to suppress our voices so that the Govt shouldnt have to answer questions on burning national issues," Ajmal tweeted. Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also hit out at the decision of not having the Question Hour. PM Modi has cancelled the Question Hour & Private Members Business in the forthcoming Parliament session. Even at the peak of COVID-19 outbreak UK PM Boris Johnson faced weekly PMs Question Hour in the House of Commons," he tweeted. The Nationalist Congress Party accused the BJP of using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour to hide its failures" on multiple fronts. The NCP also called for using other electronic means to let parliamentarians question the Centre. The BJP is using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to cancel the Question Hour in the monsoon session of Parliament to hide its failures on multiple fronts," NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase alleged. There will be no Question Hour, a curtailed Zero Hour and no private members bills during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats have decided, prompting opposition leaders to hit out at the government calling the move undemocratic". The government, however, has said it is not running away from any debate and provisions are being made for allowing written answers for the questions put up by MPs. IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ATTOM Data Solutions , curator of the nation's premier property database and first property data provider of Data-as-a-Service (DaaS), teamed up with CityBldr , a Seattle-based proptech company that uses AI to determine the best use of land, to discover that a widespread group of mostly-impoverished, densely-packed urban neighborhoods ranging from Anacostia in southeast Washington, DC, to the South Shore area of Chicago, IL, to City Heights in central San Diego, CA, offer some of the most attractive opportunities in the nation for housing developers to take advantage of federal reinvestment tax benefits. CityBldr data spotlights 11 neighborhoods in seven states and the District of Columbia with some of the best potential for using Opportunity Zone tax benefits designed to spur revival in low-income communities across the United States. The zones were established by Congress under the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Along with Anacostia, South Shore, and City Heights, other neighborhoods identified include Mid-City in central Los Angeles; Parramore in west-central Orlando, FL; Central District in eastern Seattle, WA; West Colfax in western Denver, CO; Spartan Keyes in eastern San Jose, CA; North End/New Center in northern Detroit, MI; Buckman/Kerns in southeastern Portland, OR; and Hilltop in central Tacoma, WA. Most of those areas stand out as notably poorer and more densely populated than the U.S. as a whole, with lower income and educational levels and far higher percentages of renters than homeowners. However, contributing to their economic potential, a few have above-average educational levels, and most have home values that far exceed the national median home price. They also have seen a wide range of median home price increases and decreases over the past year, from nearly doubling in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, to a drop of 12 percent in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles, according to ATTOM. The areas were identified by CityBldr as among those where both communities and housing developers have the most to gain from Opportunity Zone tax benefits, based on machine learning technology from various data sources and a detailed understanding of the various markets. "This data tells us that housing developers should consider investing in these neighborhoods because they have an immense amount of potential, plus tax benefits aimed at realizing that potential," said Bryan Copley, co-founder and CEO of CityBldr. "What we've done with this study is create a standardized score to compare every opportunity zone in the U.S. to determine which areas would yield the highest average return on investment." Todd Teta, chief product officer with ATTOM Data Solutions, noted that ATTOM contributed another key element showing home price changes from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020 in those areas. "Factoring in home values and how they've done in the past year adds a critical piece of data to the picture," said Teta. "Developers can get a demographic snapshot of what these areas look like, plus the hard numbers on how home prices are changing." Key data points for areas spotlighted in the study: Median household incomes in these areas range from $20,205 in Tacoma's Hilltop area to $57,009 in the Spartan Keyes section of San Jose . Seven of the 11 areas have median household incomes below $40,000 and all 11 are beneath the national level of $61,937 . in Hilltop area to in the Spartan Keyes section of . Seven of the 11 areas have median household incomes below and all 11 are beneath the national level of . Population densities range from about 2,400 people per square mile in the North End/New Center neighborhood in Detroit to 19,400 per square mile in Chicago's South Shore area. Nationwide, the number is just 93 per square mile. to 19,400 per square mile in South Shore area. Nationwide, the number is just 93 per square mile. All 11 areas have poverty levels that are higher than the national rate of 13.1 percent, running from 16.3 percent in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles to 49.4 percent in the City Heights area of San Diego . to 49.4 percent in the City Heights area of . Between 53 percent and 98 percent of households rent homes in the 11 areas, compared to 36 percent nationwide. The lowest rental rate is in Detroit's North End/New Center area, while the highest is in Orlando's Parramore community. North End/New Center area, while the highest is in Parramore community. In three areas, the percentage of adults with college degrees outpaces the national figure of 32.6 percent: Spartan Keyes in San Jose (37.5 percent), Central District in Seattle (48.7 percent) and Buckman/Kerns in Portland (56.5 percent). Levels in other spotlighted areas range from 3.6 percent in the Parramore section of Orlando to 31.5 percent in Denver's West Colfax neighborhood. (37.5 percent), Central District in (48.7 percent) and Buckman/Kerns in (56.5 percent). Levels in other spotlighted areas range from 3.6 percent in the Parramore section of to 31.5 percent in neighborhood. Despite relatively high levels of economic distress, the typical home sells for more than the national median home price in eight of the 11 areas, according to data collected by ATTOM in the first half of 2020. The lowest median home prices are in North End/New Center in Detroit ($40,501) , Parramore in Orlando ($105,000) and Hilltop in Tacoma ($217,000) . The highest are in Central District in Seattle ($795,500) , Mid-City in Los Angeles ($860,750) and Spartan Keys in San Jose ($885,000) . , Parramore in and Hilltop in . The highest are in Central District in , Mid-City in and Spartan Keys in . The largest increases in median home prices from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020, based on ATTOM data, were in North End/New Center in Detroit (up 25 percent), Parramore in Orlando (up 31 percent) and South Shore in Chicago (up 91 percent). The biggest declines were in Spartan Keys in San Jose (down 7 percent), Mid-City in Los Angeles (down 12 percent) and Hilltop in Tacoma (down 32 percent). However, while the opportunity zone in Hilltop (census tract 614) saw a sharp decline of 32 percent, the city of Tacoma, WA saw an increase of 12 percent in median home sales prices from last year. Report methodology The overview of these opportunity zones looked at high redevelopment values defined by CityBldr in an analysis designed to showcase area that offer the greatest value to be gained by investors for building multifamily apartments, rowhomes or townhomes in those areas. Those census tracts included in the analysis also must have sufficient home sales prices from ATTOM Data Solutions, to show a year-over-year and two-year median home sales price change. Various data points mentioned above to help offer context for these opportunity zones came from Censusreporter.org. About CityBldr CityBldr is a technology company that determines the best use of land. The company offers commercial real estate, residential real estate, government and architecture products and powers acquisitions for some of the world's most admired companies. For a ranking of sites within these or other opportunity zones, submit inquiries to [email protected] . About ATTOM Data Solutions ATTOM Data Solutions provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes and enhances the data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID the ATTOM ID. The 9TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include bulk file licenses , property data APIs, real estate market trends , marketing lists , match & append and introducing the first property data delivery solution, a cloud-based data platform that streamlines data management Data-as-a-Service (DaaS ). ATTOM Media Contact: Christine Stricker 949.748.8428 [email protected] ATTOM Data and Report Licensing: 949.502.8313 [email protected] CityBldr Inquiries: [email protected] SOURCE ATTOM Data Solutions Related Links http://www.attomdata.com No worker should be forced to join or pay money to an organization he or she has no interest in supporting. Right-to-work laws do nothing to impede employees from voluntarily joining or paying dues to a union; they simply ensure that no worker can be forced to hand over a portion of their hard-earned paycheck to union officials just to keep a job. Right-to-work laws also encourage union officials to be more flexible, accountable and responsive to workers. When workers cannot be forced to join or pay dues, union officials must work harder to retain employee support. This accountability incentivizes union officials to put workers interests first, rather than promoting their own power or pushing a political agenda that is out of step with the rank and file. A labor union that genuinely enjoys employees endorsement can thrive with members voluntary support. A union that has alienated the rank and file or outlived its usefulness will need to adapt in order to survive. Churches, civic associations and thousands of other private organizations across the country succeed on voluntary association. Despite the protests of union officials, there is no reason a union made up of individual workers who freely choose to band together cannot do the same. Kanpur : , Sep 3 (IANS) The Juvenile Justice Board in Kanpur has declared that Khushi, wife of slain gangster Amar Dubey, an accused in the Bikru massacre, is a juvenile. Khushi, who had been married to Amar Dubey just three days before the Bikru massacre took place on July 3, was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) and has been languishing in jail ever since. Eight policemen were shot dead by gangster Vikas Dubey and his men on July 3 when they went to the Bikru village to arrest him. His accomplice, Amar Dubey, was shot dead in a police encounter on July 8 and Khushi was arrested immediately after. Khushi's father, Shyam Lal Tiwari, on August 12, had submitted an affidavit before the special anti-dacoity court at Mati headquarters in Kanpur Dehat, pleading that his daughter be tried as a juvenile. He had submitted a copy of her High School certificate and other basic school documents, in support of his daughter's age, which shows her to be a minor as on July 3 -- the day of the Bikru ambush. Khushi has been made a co-accused in the incident and booked under sections 302, 307, 394 of IPC and section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act. Principal Magistrate, Juvenile Justice Board, Kanpur Dehat, Kamalkant Gupta said that in case of a heinous offence alleged to have been committed by a minor, who has completed or is above age of 16 years, the Board shall conduct a preliminary assessment of the accused's mental and physical capacity to commit such an offence, ability to understand consequences of the crime and circumstances in which it was committed. The Board may take the assistance of psychologists or psycho-social workers to do the assessment, he said. Khushi's lawyer, Shivakant Dikshit, told media persons the girl's age was 16 years, 10 months and 12 days on the day of the carnage. Her high school certificate and other documents were enclosed in the affidavit, which shows her birth date as August 21, 2003. "After hearing the petition, special judge, anti-dacoity, sent the file to the Juvenile Justice Board to ascertain her age. The board, after going through facts declared her juvenile," he said. The girl's father had earlier alleged that police had implicated his minor daughter in the Bikru case. "She is not an adult and not mature enough to engineer an ambush with the gangster and his aides. We suspect police implicated her and even if my daughter had committed a crime, police should treat her as juvenile," he had said. Shortly after Khushi was arrested, Congress leader Jitin Prasada tweeted, "Khushi probably had no choice being married off to Amar and continues to suffer as a widow and facing police harassment." SHANGHAI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Electric Group, a world leading producer of power generation equipment and related infrastructure hosted the 5th Global Offshore Wind Summit in Jinan, Shandong Province, China on August 27. As the largest and highest-spec summit in the field of offshore wind power in the world, the goal of the Summit is to promote in-depth cooperation within the industry worldwide. The summit was co-hosted by the China Energy Research Association Renewable Energy Professional Committee (CREIA), the China Renewable Energy Association Wind Energy Professional Committee (CWEA), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Wind Energy Magazine. Li Junfeng, Chairman of the Renewable Energy Committee of the China Energy Research Association, remarked, "In the post Covid-19 era, many countries including China have put forward a timetable for reducing emissions. Renewable energy has been increasing its presence in national energy security, energy transition and energy autonomy." The Forum provided an in-depth analysis of opportunities in the offshore wind power market of both developed and emerging markets. This comes as China launched a guide on offshore wind power for sea planning usage during a time when the country's offshore wind power sector is growing rapidly. "If we look at China, offshore wind energy will have a very strong growth momentum in the future. Globally, we believe the market will range from 30GW to 230GW, with emerging markets the most important in this process," said Alastair Dutton, Chairman of the Global Wind Council's Offshore Wind Power Working Group who introduced the global offshore wind market and emerging markets. Focusing on the themes of offshore wind power policy, market and technology, Shanghai Electric's presentation discussed how to effectively reduce the full life cycle cost of offshore wind farms by constructing a reasonable system to enhance the reliability of equipment and components. "Our vision is to build the road of offshore wind power development with Chinese characteristics," Jin Xiaolong, Vice President of Shanghai Electric Group and Party Secretary and Chairman of Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group Co., Ltd pointed out. Jin added, "Shanghai Electric has been considering the design, construction and development stage of offshore wind farm from the perspective of full life cycle cost management and closely integrated into China's wind power ecosystem. As a service provider in the whole lifecycle of wind power systems, Shanghai Electric has built strategic partnerships with international companies in almost every segment of the value chain including generators, gearboxes, bearings, digital tools and platforms for R&D and design, promoting the high-quality development of offshore wind power." For more information, please visit: www.shanghai-electric.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248525/Shanghai_Electric_Global_Offshore_Wind_Summit.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1190744/Logo.jpg SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation announced today the full line-up of sessions for the Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2020 Virtual Experience, the leading conference for open source developers, technologists, and community leaders. The event takes place virtually October 26 - 29 in the Greenwich Mean Time Zone. The schedule can be viewed here and the keynote speakers can be viewed here . The 4-day event is dedicated to everything open source and will showcase a program of 250+ talks (conference session, tutorials, BoFs and keynotes) across tracks covering Linux Systems, IoT, AI, Cloud & Cloud Native, OS Dependability, OS Databases, Diversity & Inclusion, OS Leadership, Open Source Program Office Management (TODO) and the Embedded Linux Conference. "Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference Europe has proven to be an important event for the European open source community to gather annually for learning and collaboration that helps to grow and sustain the ecosystem," said Angela Brown, SVP & General Manager of Events at The Linux Foundation. "While the event is being held virtually in 2020, it will continue to deliver innovative content from open source leaders across the globe on key open source topics and technologies, and will include numerous ways for attendees to further pursue the engagement and collaboration opportunities the event has become synonymous with." Featured Conference Sessions Include: State of Linux Gaming - Gabriel Krisman Bertazi, Collabora From Remote First Towards Async First - Isabel Drost-Fromm , Europace AG , Using the TPM - It's Not Rocket Science (Anymore) - Johannes Holland & Peter Huewe , Infineon Technologies AG & , Building Trustworthy AI: Lessons from Open Source - Abigail Cabunoc Mayes , Mozilla , Fast Execution for Function Compositions in Serverless Computing - Ruichuan Chen & Istemi Ekin Akkus, Nokia Bell Labs MySQL Performance for DevOps - Sveta Smirnova , Percona Confirmed Keynote Speakers Include: Liz Rice , Vice President, Open Source Engineering, Aqua Security , Vice President, Open Source Engineering, Andrew Wafaa, Director, Open Source Communities, Arm & Chair, The Yocto Project & Chair, Jesus Labarta Mancho, Director, Computer Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center Nithya Ruff , Executive Director, Open Source Program Office, Comcast & Chair, Board of Directors, The Linux Foundation , Executive Director, Open Source Program Office, & Chair, Board of Directors, Sam Ramji , Chief Strategy Officer, DataStax , Chief Strategy Officer, Ali Fenn , President, ITRenew , President, Shuli Goodman , Executive Director, LF Energy , Executive Director, Thomas Gleixner , Chief Technology Officer, Linutronix GmbH , Chief Technology Officer, Sachiko Muto , Chief Executive Officer, OpenForum Europe , Chief Executive Officer, Angela Benton , Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Streamlytics , Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Neil McGovern , Executive Director, The GNOME Foundation , Executive Director, Jim Zemlin , Executive Director, The Linux Foundation , Executive Director, Dr. Allan Friedman , Director, Cybersecurity Initiatives, National Telecommunications & Information Administration, US Department of Commerce Registration for the virtual event is open and is just US$50. Members of The Linux Foundation receive a 20 percent discount - members can contact [email protected] to request a member discount code. The Linux Foundation provides diversity and need-based registration scholarships for this event to anyone that needs it; for information on eligibility and to apply, click here . Visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest event updates and announcements. Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2020 is made possible thanks to our sponsors , including Platinum Sponsors Cloud Native Computing Foundation and IBM, Gold Sponsors Red Hat and VMware. For information on becoming an event sponsor, click here . Members of the press who would like to request a media pass should contact Kristin O'Connell at [email protected] . Additional Resources About The Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and industry adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org . The Linux Foundation Events are where the world's leading technologists meet, collaborate, learn and network in order to advance innovations that support the world's largest shared technologies. The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact: Kristin O'Connell The Linux Foundation [email protected] SOURCE The Linux Foundation Related Links https://www.linuxfoundation.org The FTSE 100 index closed down 1.52 per cent or 90.09 points to 5,850.86 today, while US markets are also a seat of red after officials published new jobless data. The closely-followed IHS Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers' index recorded a score of 58.8 in August, up from 56.5 in July - signalling the second month in a row of growth and the sharpest increase since April 2015. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector. Melrose Industries has confirmed it plans to make a 'significant' number of job cuts at its GKN Aerospace business. FTSE 100-listed Melrose suffered a 560million loss in the first half of the year, which is considerably more than the 131million loss seen at the same point a year ago. Melrose said consultations with affected staff and unions were already 'well underway', with the board adding that GKN Aerspace looked set to enjoy a 'better performance' next year. Ofgem has fined SSE over 2million for a 2016 blunder which is likely to have pushed up wholesale electricity costs. Ofgem said it would send a 'strong message' to energy producers that they must share timely information with others on the market. British travel firm Dart Group has said it will continue to add further capacity for the rest of the summer. It said it will change its name to Jet2 plc, and named Stephen Heapy as its chief executive officer. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, September 3, 2020 15:14 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c428077c 1 National erick-thohir,COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,doctor,IDI,medical-workers,coronavirus,fallen Free The executive director of the governments COVID-19 Response and Economic Recovery Committee, Erick Thohir, has apologized on behalf of the government for the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has struck many sectors and impacted the lives of people across the country. Erick, who is also the state-owned enterprises minister, said the government had pulled all efforts to protect the public, including doctors and medical workers. We, the government, have tried our best and worked hard with all of our shortcomings, and we apologize if it is not perfect, Erick said in a virtual meeting with the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) to pray for the fallen medical workers over COVID-19 on Wednesday evening. Read also: Chaotic: Epidemiologists concerned about healthcare crisis after recent surge in COVID-19 cases Erick also urged members of the public to help the government, citing that mutual cooperation between the public and the authorities was vital in handling the coronavirus-induced health crisis. Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy echoed Ericks statement, saying the government had done its best to protect medical workers at the front line in the fight against the pandemic, citing the provision of protective gears as part of the support. We have worked hard to give support to the medical workers, so that they can perform their duties well, and especially for them to be safe from the COVID-19 threat, he said. The IDI reported last week that at least 100 doctors in Indonesia had died from COVID-19 as cases and deaths continued to rise. President Joko Jokowi Widodo has expressed his condolences on Wednesday, thanking the fallen health workers for their hard work, unwavering dedication and professionalism. All About Food LLC, a soul food restaurant located inside the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, is excited to announce that it has been selected as an official business partner of the recently launched Feed Phoenix Initiative. The initiative, created by the City of Phoenix and Local First Arizona Foundation with funding from The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, aims to bring high-quality meals to vulnerable populations across the Valley. We are honored to have been selected as one of the participating restaurants for this amazing program, says Michelle Daniels, executive chef at All About Food LLC. Being located in south Phoenix, my team and I are very familiar with the need that the community has for nutritious, delicious meals. Were excited to bring our diverse menu to different neighborhoods in the Valley. The restaurant completed its first round of servicing under the new initiative on August 19 and 20. With produce sourced from Abby Lee Farms All About Food prepared, cooked and packaged a total of 300 meals. Selected for the Feed Phoenix Project, members of Arizonas homeless population seeking refuge in the COVID-19 camps received the home-cooked dishes. Daniels has 25 years of culinary experience, having graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with an associate degree in culinary arts. A majority of her background, which also includes a bachelor of arts from Grand Canyon University, comes from specializing in production, hospitality and kitchen management for major healthcare facilities including HonorHealth Scottsdale Campus, Banner Del E Webb Medical Center and Banner University Medical Center Phoenix. Daniels is also a two-time past president and current member of the Unit 65 Auxiliary. All About Food LLCs philosophy is to introduce food in a positive light by providing south Phoenixs community of veterans and veteran families with cuisine from all around the world. Daniels and her team crafted a menu that includes soul food classics like southern fried catfish, Mediterranean starters like hummus and veggies, and signature dishes like the A.A.F. burger and the T.L.W. chopped salad. The restaurant has catered events for upwards of 400 guests including the Arizona launch of CyberVetsUSA, Post 65s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, APS veteran recruitment programs and more. The American Legion Post 65, including All About Food LLC, will officially be reopening on Friday, September 11. The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Posts bar will be available for patrons Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The community can also order dishes for delivery via the ChowNow platform in conjunction with the DoorDash app. For more information about All About Food LLC, follow the restaurant on Instagram or text American 65 to the number 337-33 for a full menu. To learn about the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 and all its programs, visit twilliamspost65.org. About Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 The Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 is made up of 900 members, including the Sons of the American Legion, Auxiliaries and Legionnaires. The legion supports and hosts annual community programs for the South Phoenix community in partnership with the HeroZona Foundation. Community programs include Phoenix Tools 4 School, Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, Holiday Bike Giveaways, Celebrating the Dream, Memorial Day Barbecue, Play It Forward, Veterans Reach to Teach and the Forgotten Heroes Breakfast. For more information about the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, visit twilliamspost65.org. ### MIAMI - Colombias police chief is calling on a former U.S. Green Beret behind a plot to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to answer for his crimes in the South American country. Gen. Oscar Atehortua made the announcement a day after police arrested four Venezuelans tied to clandestine camps where he said American war veteran Jordan Goudreau helped arm and train a small cadre of volunteers to carry out the cross-border incursion. They were planning from Colombia territory, destabilizing actions with the goal of undermining our institutions, Atehortua said at a news conference alongside President Ivan Duque. He said the FBI and U.S. National Security Council assisted in the five-month investigation. The Associated Press on May 1 revealed the existence of the secret camps and Goudreaus involvement in the bizarre plot. Two days later, despite being exposed, a small contingent went ahead anyway and were quickly stopped by Maduros security forces, which claims to have killed eight of the mercenaries and arrested dozens of others, including two of Goudreaus special forces buddies, Luke Denman and Airan Berry. The two Americans pleaded guilty to charges of weapons trafficking, terrorism and conspiracy; they were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Goudreau in interviews the day of the raid from Florida took responsibility for the battlefield defeat but blamed Venezuelas opposition, which he said recruited him to spur regime change and then got cold feet. Maduro, in a propaganda coup, blamed the Trump administration, which has denied playing any role in what has been dubbed the Bay of Piglets, for the 1961 fiasco invasion of Cuba by anti-communist exiles. Standing next to his police chief, Duque said the plot was likely funded by Maduros dictatorial regime but provided no evidence to back the claim. Of the four arrested Wednesday, two are brothers of Capt. Antonio Sequea, who commanded the failed beach raid and is now imprisoned in Venezuela. Also detained in Colombia is Rayder Russo, a civilian whom Maduro has implicated in a 2018 assassination attempt at a military parade using a explosives-laden drone. None of the four men took part in the raid, and Russo, who abandoned the barren camps in January, had been co-operating with Colombian military intelligence, according to a person familiar with the probe on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive dealings. Atehortua saved his harshest words for the fourth suspect, Yacsy Alvarez, who he said worked with Goudreau and the plots ringleader, retired Venezuelan Gen. Cliver Alcala, to smuggle weapons for the volunteers with illicit funding from abroad. He said a cache of assault rifles, sniper telescopes and night vision goggles seized by police on March 23 was destined for the camps, which were located along Colombias Caribbean coast. Three days later, a New York federal court indicted Alcala on unrelated narcotics charges. Before surrendering, he took responsibility for the weapons, saying they belonged to the Venezuelan people in their fight to reclaim their democracy from Maduro. Atehortua said Colombia was taking steps to notify Alcala in the U.S. that he is under investigation. Alcala never hid his intentions from Colombian authorities, who in turn kept their American counterparts informed, the AP investigation found. He openly touted his idea of training Venezuelan military deserters for an incursion in a June 2019 meeting with Colombias National Intelligence Directorate and appealed for their support, said a former Colombian official familiar with the conversation. Alcala also boasted about his relationship with Goudreau, describing him as a former CIA agent. When the Colombians checked with their CIA counterparts at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, they were told that the three-time Bronze Star recipient for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan was never an agent. Alcala was then told by his hosts to stop talking about an invasion or face expulsion, the former Colombian official said. Goudreau hasnt spoken publicly since May and both he and his lawyer didnt respond to requests for comment. He also faces charges in Venezuela, while the FBI in the U.S. has been investigating whether he violated U.S. laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman A militia member is seen reflected in the glasses of an Antifa demonstrator during a rally and counter-demonstration in Stone Mountain, Ga., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images) Antifa Members Flying Around the Country to Engage in Rioting: Barr Members of the extremist Antifa network are flying around the country and participating in riots, Attorney General William Barr said in a new interview. Ive talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence, Barr said in an appearance this week on CNNs Situation Room. They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country. We know where theyre going. We see some of the purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots, he added. So, we are following them. Crossing state lines to engage in rioting is illegal and a federal offense, the attorney general said. Riots exploded in various American cities in late May, following the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Matthew Banta, an Antifa member, in an undated mugshot. (Brown County Jail) Some of those arrested during unrest self-identify as members of the network, Barr noted, while others refuse to provide their identity. Antifa members have been arrested or identified as suspects in Washington, Portland, and Green Bay, Wisconsin, among other cities. I think its worrisome that people from out of town are coming here obviously without the intent to peacefully protest, but obviously with the intent to commit criminal acts, Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith told The Epoch Times. The Department of Justice, which Barr heads, is probing the heads of organizations behind the rioting, acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf said this week. President Donald Trump on Fox News on Monday said he received information that a plane almost completely loaded with thugs wearing dark uniforms took off from a certain city this weekend headed to Washington. He later said that a person on the plane who was uncomfortable with the situation relayed details about the trip, and said the plane was taking off from Washington, not headed there. Asked in the new interview if he has directed the FBI, a bureau within his department, to investigate the situation, Barr said he doesnt see the need. I dont have to ask the FBI, because we receive numerous reports of individuals coming from Portland, Washington, Seattle, and several other cities to come into Washington for the specific purpose of causing a riot, he said. There were many on planes. We received multiple reports on this topic. We are trying to follow these things, and we received numerous reports of people coming from other cities into Washington, as we received many reports of people going into Kenosha from other states, Barr continued. Flames engulf the Community Corrections Division building as police officers watch during rioting in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Reuters) Of the 175 people arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for crimes during riots since Aug. 24, 102 had addresses from outside the city, police officials said. Those arrested came from 44 different cities. In Washington, four people arrested for assaulting police officers during recent unrest, including one who allegedly struck an officer who was protecting Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), had addresses from out of state. One man arrested over the weekend also attended riots in Kenosha and Portland, police said. Ten people arrested in Portland from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 came from outside Oregon, according to arrest records. Two traveled from Reno, Nevada, while another showed a Mammoth Lake, California address. The others were from Washington state. A number of people arrested in Portland since May self-identity as members of Antifa, a far-left, anarcho communist network that includes groups in most major cities. Some of them, and some others, describe themselves as supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. Chants in support of the movement have often been heard during riots in Oregons largest city. Antifa is short for anti-fascist and members of the group have argued theyre opposing extremists on the other side, including white supremacists. Groups in the network have said they support violence in self-defense, with self-defense in certain cases defined as attacking before being attacked. Rioters attempt to barricade a door to the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland, Ore., on July 17, 2020. (Mason Trinca/Getty Images) Members are known to dress in all-black, obscuring their face, wielding weapons, and using anarchist imagery including a large A and ACAB, an acronym that stands for All Cops Are [Expletive]. Barr has spoken out against Antifa before. Back on May 31, Barr said groups of radicals and agitators were hijacking peaceful and legitimate protests. 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. The next month, the attorney general created a task force aimed at halting violent anti-government extremists of all persuasions. Earlier this month, Barr described Antifa as a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism. Theyre essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic, he said. Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Wednesday that her country supports Amnesty International's call for a full investigation of alleged human rights violations following the 2019 protests in Iran Linde tweeted that the Amnesty International report released Wednesday painted a grim picture of serious violations following the protests, adding, "[We] support the call for a full investigation into the allegations. Freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly must be ensured." In the report, Amnesty International compiled testimonies from victims and victims families, eyewitnesses and lawyers, as well as verified video footage, reports from human rights defenders inside Iran and news and human rights organizations outside the country. The report revealed that police, security, intelligence agents and prison officials inflicted torture and other atrocities on protesters and others detained in connection with the protests, both during arrests and in detention centers and prisons across the country. According to the report, interrogators subjected detainees to extreme temperatures and the bombardment of light or sound over a sustained period, including at night; stripped them, sprayed them with cold water and exposed them to cold temperatures, including waterboarding; extracted nails from victims fingers or toes; used sexual violence and humiliation against them; applied pepper spray, chemical substances and electric shocks to victims' face and genital areas; and staged mock executions. "In all cases documented by Amnesty International, victims also reported various forms of psychological torture aimed at obtaining forced 'confessions,'" the report said. Linde also expressed deep concern about the deteriorating health of imprisoned human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh, who is currently on a hunger strike to protest conditions for political prisoners in Iran. "Reiterate the EUs call for her sentence to be reviewed," she said in her tweet. On August 24, Sotoudeh's husband Reza Khandan shared on social media that her blood sugar levels were dangerously low and she had gone down to forty-seven kilos from fifty-three. Oracle had raised a number of issues, including allegations of conflicts of interest involving Amazon.com Inc., and claims the Pentagon violated its own rules when it set up the contract to be awarded to a single firm. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court ruling that Oracle wasnt harmed by any errors the Pentagon made in developing the contract proposal because it wouldnt have qualified for the contract anyway. Notwithstanding the extensive array of claims raised by Oracle, we find no reversible error" in the U.S. Court of Federal Claimss decision to reject those arguments, Circuit Judge William Bryson wrote for the three-judge panel. Oracle was fighting its exclusion from seeking the lucrative cloud-computing deal, known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI. The Pentagon awarded the contract to Microsoft Corp. in October over market leader Amazon Web Services. The project, which is valued at as much as $10 billion over a decade, is designed to help the Pentagon consolidate its technology programs and quickly move information to warfighters around the world. Oracle argued that the Defense Department unfairly and unnecessarily tailored the minimum contract requirements for Amazon and Microsoft. The company also alleged that the bidding process was fatally tainted by conflicts of interest, including former Pentagon employees who went on to work for Amazon after helping to craft the bid. The Federal Circuit agreed with the Defense Department that it used competitive procedures," rejecting Oracles argument that a requirement for data center capabilities ensured only Amazon and Microsoft would qualify for bidding. The panel also found the conflict-of-interest allegations raised by Oracle to be troubling" but ultimately had no effect on the JEDI Cloud solicitation." Defense Department spokesman Russell Goemaere said in a statement that the appeals court affirmed the Federal Claims Courts earlier ruling and rejected Oracles arguments. Amazon and Microsoft declined to comment. Representatives from Oracle didnt respond to a request for comment. The ruling is a win for the Pentagon, which over the last three years has faced criticism from lawmakers, industry and even President Donald Trump over its decision to choose just one company for the lucrative cloud deal. The Defense Department has said picking one vendor for the project would reduce its technical complexity and security risks. The Pentagon also faces vendor bias allegations in a separate lawsuit by Amazon Web Services, Amazons cloud unit. That suit involves claims the Defense Department failed to fairly judge its bid because Trump viewed Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos as his political enemy." Trump has long criticized Bezos over everything from the shipping rates his company pays the U.S. Postal Service to his ownership of the Washington Post, which heavily scrutinizes his administration. A Federal Claims court judge paused proceedings in that case while the Pentagon revisits its decision to award the deal to Microsoft. Government lawyers said the Defense Department wanted to reevaluate elements of the bidders price proposals and online marketplaces. The Pentagon has until Sept. 16th to complete its review. The Defense Departments inspector general found in April that the contract award wasnt affected by any interference from Trump, though it said its probe was limited by the White House. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The charity sector is 8 per cent of the economy, 10 per cent of the workforce, and mobilises 3 million volunteers. It dwarfs agriculture, mining or manufacturing. Since COVID-19 hit, two-thirds of volunteers have cut back their hours. Donations are expected to fall 7 per cent this year, and a whopping 12 per cent next year. Yet while the supply of resources has plummeted, the demand for help has skyrocketed. Just as charity is in greater demand, donations fall. Credit:Greg Wood In normal times, the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross sees about 10 new people a week who are requesting help. During COVID, that has increased to 70 requests a week. Earlier this year, Foodbank reported demand was up 78 per cent, yet their supplies of donated food had shrunk by 27 per cent. Cystic Fibrosis Australia reports that, since March, their workload has increased by 79 per cent and their revenue has dropped by a similar percentage. The Salvation Army has seen increased demand, but its Red Shield Appeal has raised less than half of its $8 million target. Food Network star Katie Lee welcomed her first child, a baby girl, on Wednesday. And the next day the cookbook author shared the happy news as she posted a photo to Instagram with her daughter from her bed. 'Welcome, baby Iris Marion Biegel 9.2.20. Our hearts are so full,' said the wife of television producer Ryan Biegel. The 38-year-old star has been open in the past about her struggle to get pregnant after marrying Biegel in 2018. Happy with her little one: Food Network star Katie Lee welcomed her baby girl on Wednesday. And the next day the 38-year-old cookbook author shared the happy news as she posted a photo with her daughter from her bed on Instagram Katie had on no makeup with her dark hair worn down as she held Iris to her chest. The little girl had on a hat and a sheet over her as she rested. The beauty has been documenting her pregnancy on social media with her last post of her baby bump shared on Tuesday: 'Pink skies at night.' On August 23 she looked heavily pregnant in a colorful dress as she joked: 'Only wearing muumuus for the foreseeable future.' Katie and Ryan announced they were expecting their first child in February. 'Eating for two. Baby Biegel is on the way,' wrote Lee, who was pictured baring her baby bump while enjoying a plate of home cooked pasta. The thrilled parents: Here the chef is seen with her husband Biegel in 2018 in NYC In April she revealed she was having a girl. 'Our original plan was to wait and be surprised at birth, but we decided at a time like this, some good news for us to be excited about right now outweighed a surprise in September,' explained Lee, in a post shared to her Instagram. Previously, Lee opened about her fertility challenges after trying to conceive with Biegel since their September 2018 wedding. 'I am so beyond appreciative to all of you who have sent me kind messages and well wishes both since I got pregnant and since I shared with you about my fertility struggles last year,' she wrote in April on social media. Last bump shot: The brunette beauty has been documenting her pregnancy on social media with her last post of her baby bump shared on Tuesday: 'Pink skies at night' Cute style: On August 23 she looked heavily pregnant in a colorful dress as she joked: 'Only wearing muumuus for the foreseeable future' In 2019, she spoke candidly about undergoing IVF treatment and how the 'intense process' had, unfortunately, resulted in 'zero healthy embryos.' 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but for some of us, it takes a village to have a child,' she noted. The ex-wife of Billy Joel - they were wed from 2004 until 2010 - talked often of her pregnancy. In May she spoke candidly about her experience on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. Her famous ex: She was wed to Billy Joel from 2004 until 2010; seen in 2008 in NYC 'I've never felt better about my body than right now, and I just love being pregnant,' said the celebrity chef. 'We're so excited,' Lee said of the anticipation felt by her and husband Ryan. 'And, you know, I feel like the best thing about being home during this time is that I don't ever have to put on tight clothes!' 'I get to just keep growing and wearing sweatpants!' said the West Virginia native. 'It's a strange time - and obviously there's a lot of anxiety about everything going on in the world - but I'm just trying to have every moment of joy that I can.' French President Emmanuel Macron wraps up a two-day visit to Lebanon during which he urged political factions to back an overhaul of government. This development comes as Pope Francis calls for a Day of Prayer for the nation on 4 September. By Nathan Morley Before heading to Iraq Wednesday, the French President Emmanuel Macron called for the swift establishment of a new government in Lebanon. During his two day visit, he toured Beirut's port to follow up on the work at the site after huge explosions last month destroyed 8,000 buildings, leading to 300,000 people being left homeless. Macron told reporters that he expected the government to start delivering on a roadmap of reforms within six to eight weeks. Furthermore, he said Lebanese leaders had promised to form a new government within the next fortnight. What I have asked for, what all political parties without exception have committed to this evening right here, is that the formation of this government will not take more than 15 days, Macron said. He has urged Lebanon to fight corruption, reform the energy sector and deal with the problems in the banking industry. In an effort to speed up the process, prime minister designate Mustapha Adib will meet the parliament speaker, former prime ministers and parliamentary bloc representatives to discuss the situation. Adib has been the ambassador in Berlin for the last seven years. Even before the blast, the country was suffering a deep economic crisis and struggling to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. To make matters worse, Lebanon has record high unemployment levels, sluggish growth and one of the highest debt ratios anywhere in the Middle East. Once known for its affordable smartphones, Xiaomi has in recent years been transforming itself into an online mall for consumer electronics by making deals and building relationships with hundreds of hardware and lifestyle startups. And some of its allies are now going after the Western market with their high-end, China-made products. Beijing-based Dreame, which produces premium hairdryers and vacuums in the style of Dyson but at lower prices, is one of Xiaomi's latest bets. The startup announced this week the completion of a Series B+ round led by IDG Capital. The financing of nearly 100 million yuan ($14.6 million) also saw the participation of existing investors Xiaomi and Xiaomi founder Lei Jun's Shunwei Capital, as well as Peak Valley Capital and Edge Ventures. Dreame makes Xiaomi-branded vacuums and operates its own label, a common setup between Xiaomi and its suppliers, which get to enjoy the security of Xiaomi distribution and build their names at the same time. The startup has emerged as a cheaper vacuum brand than the area's pioneer Dyson, whose inventor James Dyson topped the U.K.'s rich list this year. Dreame's latest handheld cordless broom V11, for example, costs 350 ($413) whereas Dyson's new model asks for $600. "If we compare Dyson to Apple, then there must be a Huawei in the [home cleaning] area, and we believe this company will come from China," co-founder and vice president of marketing and sales Roc Woo told TechCrunch . Domestic businesses are poised to tap China's rich manufacturing resources, cheaper labor and longer work hours compared to Western counterparts, he asserted. "There are more and more success stories of Chinese brands going global, from small players like us through to behemoths like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo." The fresh proceeds will fuel Dreame's marketing and sales efforts in Europe and North America and allow it to spend more on research and development, which tackles the likes of high-speed motors, fluid mechanics, robot dynamics and visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM), all essential technologies for Dreame's family of home cleaners and personal care electronics. Story continues The five-year-old startup likes to talk up its robust engineering background. The founding team consists of friends from Tsinghua University, and chief executive Yu Hao made a dent on campus by launching Skyworks, now the prestigious university's largest hackerspace with sponsorship from industry giants like Boeing and Megvii. A number of its key staff were involved in China's national spaceship program Shenzhou. In addition, the startup boasts spending 12% of its annual sales revenue on R&D and operating a 20,000-sqm factory in eastern China's Suzhou city, where it works to improve its proprietary designs, a growing trend among Chinese startups as Beijing calls for more tech self-reliance. Xiaomi codependence Xiaomi doesn't put all its eggs in one basket when it comes to picking suppliers. In the realm of home cleaning, it has also backed robot cleaner Roborock, which raised about 4.4 billion yuan ($640 million) from an initial public listing on China's new tech board in February. Xiaomi first bankrolled Roborock back in 2014, four years before its first investment in Dreame. Woo believed Dreame and Roborock can co-exist, for his company targets a wider product spectrum while Roborock is more focused and akin to iRobot. The startup doesn't consider Dyson, of which Woo spoke highly, a direct competitor either, for it's venturing beyond cleaning into areas like smart mobility. When asked whether Xiaomi picks winners, Woo said "Xiaomi is more of a platform and doesn't allocate resources." While it tended to work closely with startups in its early years, Xiaomi's empire of consumer products runs on the basis of market competition these days. "Our collaboration with Xiaomi is no different from the way we work with Amazon or eBay. The investment means not much more than having a capital tie-up and a foundation for trust," he said. Being in the Xiaomi family does provide a practical perk: it's a guarantee for sales and offers a bargaining chip for Dreame in its negotiation with production partners. What Xiaomi gets in return is millions of global consumers signed onto its Mi Home app, a central platform for managing Xiaomi-branded Internet of Things. In Europe, its biggest market, Dreame said it strictly follows the GDPR's rules on data protection. Boosted with new capital, Dreame is ready to foray into the U.S. by the end of this year. It already derives 70-80% of its sales outside of China, with a concentration in Europe where it saw a spike in orders since the COVID-19 outbreak for its products were sold mainly online. For the current year, it aims to generate 3 billion yuan ($440 million) in sales, which doesn't seem far off, given it had shipped more than 1 million vacuums by May since the category's debut two years ago. PAWLEYS ISLAND Mayor Brian Henry offered an apology but no resignation in a three-minute, 57-second press conference Thursday afternoon. Henry faces mounting criticism from the community after his public Facebook post Aug. 25 referred to Black Lives Matter as a terror organization, among other remarks that residents considered to be racist in nature. The post was prompted by a double homicide in Georgetown County that took the lives of Laura Anderson, 21, and Nick Wall, 45. I am profoundly sorry to those I offended with my post last week. My comments were hurtful and insensitive, Henry said, reading from a prepared statement at the historic Sea View Inn. I spent that past 10 days listening and learning. The conversations I've had with friends, our staff, the community and faith-based leaders provided me with a deeper understanding of racial inequality and the importance of diversity sensitivity, which is very much needed to heal Pawleys Island, Georgetown and our country. On Saturday, the NAACPs Georgetown chapter called for the immediate resignation of the mayor. Were not calling for Brian Henry to leave Pawleys Island, were calling for Brian Henry to resign. He needs to find other ways to pad his pocket, and not at the expense of the taxpayers, not at the expense of the people. You cannot divide and lead, said Marvin Neal, the chapters president. At the conclusion of Henrys statement, he was asked whether he considered resigning, but the mayor declined to take any questions, instead disappearing with wife Sassy through the dining areas double doors. One resident, who preferred to stay anonymous out of fear of retribution due to the small nature of the town of Pawleys Island where only 136 people voted in the 2019 election, offered stinging criticism of the mayors words, even after the apology. Our town needs someone that can conduct business with respect, the longtime resident said. From those that we work with and from the public. This situation distracts from the needs of the town and property owners. His message was too late, and too prepared. Another resident, also fearful of divulging their name, felt ignored by Henrys statement on Thursday. Where was the apology to the town of Pawleys Island and the folks he represents? Just throw money at it and it will go away? the resident said. Henrys concerns arent just with his seat as mayor, as he is also facing a boycott of his successful pimento cheese brand, Palmetto Cheese. According to the brands website, 15.2 million containers of Palmetto Cheese were sold in 2019. It can be found in more than 4,100 stores in the United States. Using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, concerned citizens from all over the U.S. are calling for the likes of Publix, Costco, Food Lion, Walmart and Whole Foods to take the product of their shelves. Henry said that those spurning the company should remember that it would hurt his employees. Please consider the hundreds of South Carolinians' jobs that depend on its success, he said. With the divisiveness that Henrys post has caused, in the community and on social media, a focus has also been put on Vertrella Brown, whose picture is used alongside the brands logo. Some have accused Henry of stealing Browns recipe, something he vehemently denied, adding that it is actually the recipe of his wife. Unfortunately, there have been comments on social media and news outlets falsely suggesting that Vertrella Brown created the recipe for Palmetto Cheese, Henry said. However, that is simply not true. The recipe for Palmetto Cheese is, and always has been, Sassy Henrys recipe. And that is the same recipe on grocery shelves today. Henry committed to creating a foundation in Browns honor whom he called a dear friend. The foundation will look to aid race relations through community events, while also providing scholarship opportunities for youth and grants for entrepreneurs looking to get their products on grocery store shelves. He also said that Palmetto Cheese is in the midst of a rebranding effort that will be more sensitive to cultural diversity. Having been sworn in as mayor in November, controversy hasnt been long for Henry, as he faced significant pushback for even running for the mayoral office, with many in the community pointing to him not being a full-time resident of the town. On Election Night, unofficial results showed that Henry and former Mayor Jimmy Braswell were tied at 58 votes each, with 22 additional challenged ballots in the nonpartisan election. The challenged ballots ultimately gave Henry a 20-vote lead. Upon the vote certification meeting two days after the election, Braswell protested the ballots, stating that the individuals that had registered in the weeks before the deadline did not live on the island, including Henry. A five-hour meeting ensued, with the Board of Canvassers choosing to accept the challenged ballots, making Henry the winner. Braswell would also protest the results of the appeal, with the Election Board again dismissing Braswells concerns, with Braswell ultimately accepting the decision even though he indicated the board had reached the incorrect verdict. Moving forward ... it is time to unify this island. We no longer need to refer to the north, middle, or south end of the island, Henry said upon accepting the mayoral seat. We are Pawleys Island, and we dont need any divisions or factions. Henry is up for reelection in November 2021. Japans coastguard said one Filipino crew member had so far been found during the search. Rescuers in Japan were searching on Thursday for a ship carrying 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that was feared sunk after it sent a distress signal during stormy weather in the East China Sea. Japans coastguard said one person had so far been found in a search involving four vessels and several planes. The rescued crew member, 45-year-old Filipino Sareno Edvarodo, told the coastguard that the Gulf Livestock 1, a 139-metre Panamanian-flagged vessel, capsized after losing an engine. The cargo ship sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday as the region experienced strong winds, heavy seas and torrential rain from Typhoon Maysak as it headed towards the Korean Peninsula. Japans coastguard said P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted Edvarodo, who was the ships chief officer, on Wednesday night. He was wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing up and down in the water. According to Edvarodo, who is able to walk and in good health, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said. When the ship capsized, the crew were instructed to put on lifejackets. Edvarodo said he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued. The Gulf Livestock 1 is seen at Fremantle Harbour in Western Australia on November 13, 2019 [File: Brian W Scott via MarineTraffic.com/Handout via Reuters] The crew included 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia, the coastguard said. Pictures provided by the agency showed a person in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness. The Gulf Livestock 1 left Napier in New Zealand on August 14 with 5,867 cattle and 43 crew, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealands foreign ministry told the Reuters news agency. New Zealand animal rights organisation, Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE), said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade. These cows should never have been at sea, said the campaigns manager, Marianne Macdonald. This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue. Meanwhile, on the Korean Peninsula, one woman was killed in the South Korean city of Busan when a strong gust of wind shattered her apartment window after Maysak made landfall. More than 2,200 people were evacuated to temporary shelters, and around 120,000 homes were left without power across southern parts of the peninsula and on Jeju island. The typhoon also brought heavy downpours across the north, and North Koreas state media have been carrying live broadcasts of the situation, with one showing a reporter standing in a street inundated with water in the port town of Wonsan. But authorities lifted their typhoon warning as the storm weakened and moved towards China. The typhoon will pass through Musan and leave our country, a meteorological officer told Korean Central Television. I dont expect any effects. Hunterdon County freeholders are calling for the restoration of $2.6 million in state education aid cuts to the 20 school districts in the county impacted by Gov. Phil Murphys new proposed budget, though the budget calls for the state to spend the same amount on all K-12 schools as it did in the 2019-2020 school year. Under Murphys proposed budget, school aid is planned to remain flat at $8.7 billion. Hunterdon County, like all New Jersey counties, has been affected by changes to the school funding formula, creating a $2.6 million shortfall. Because of this, Freeholder John E. Lanza, the boards representative for the New Jersey Association of Counties, suggested that the county mount a lobbying effort directed to their representatives in Trenton in expressing his opposition to the school aid cuts, which have not altered from what Murphy proposed in February. Incredibly, there is no change from the Governors school aid cuts presented in February, Lanza said in a press release shared with NJ Advance Media. This, despite the fact that the Governor proposes borrowing $4 billion dollars to support the state budget for nine months, until next June. Lanza further voiced his dissatisfaction with the budget proposal by emphasizing the majority of public school districts in Hunterdon County will resume in-person learning at the start of the new school year. The Governors school funding cuts are also despite the fact that many of our countys school districts are providing in-school learning, unlike most schools in the state, at a significant cost to those schools in putting in place protections against the spread of the coronavirus, Lanza said. Freeholder Zach Rich, the former mayor of West Amwell, echoed Lanza in stating the proposal really do(es) seem to be unfair to Hunterdon County school children, taxpayers and teachers, and the school districts that plan to offer in-school education, especially in recognition of the states big borrowing plans. I share the frustration expressed by Freeholder Lanza and so many of our school officials in the county and intend to work in pressing our legislators to correct this decision in the final state budget, Rich said in the press release. Alyana Alfaro, spokesperson for the governors office, said the proposed school funding is not a rollback but flat funding. The Governors revised (fiscal year) 2021 budget maintains school funding levels as they were in the (fiscal year) 2020 budget, Alfaro said. In between February and today, we had a pandemic that triggered a $5.6 billion revenue shortfall, which necessitated borrowing and heightened the need for direct cash assistance from the federal government. But we prioritized school funding and managed to keep it flat. She added the budget proposal builds on Murphys commitment to supporting our students, educators and staff. (The proposal) keeps the state on the path to fully and constitutionally funded public schools despite the extraordinary circumstances the state is facing, Alfaro said. Further, this budget commits additional funding for our pre-K students, a measure that will provide support to additional families in need. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (http://compare-autoinsurance.org) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website released an online guide that presents several tips for getting more affordable car insurance. The recent events have seriously affected the U.S. economy and the common citizen feels the consequences. Millions of people got unemployed due to the coronavirus outbreak and numerous cars were destroyed by rioters during the recent protects. Policyholders may find it difficult to pay for car insurance premiums. However, several factors that are under the policyholder's control will influence the costs. Check the next tips to reduce insurance cost and get free car insurance quotes from https://compare-autoinsurance.org: Compare car insurance quotes online . 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And some discounts may be unique, only available to a specific company. For example, Geico offers a 40% discount if the vehicle has a full-front-seat airbag and a 25% discount when buying coverage for multiple vehicles. State Farm offers a 25% discount for teens who have good grades. Decide whether to purchase full coverage or not . If the car is totally owned, the driver can choose to drop full coverage and stick with the state's minimum coverage. The car will no longer be protected against weather damage or theft, but the premiums will drop considerably. Raise deductibles. Increasing the deductibles for C&C coverage will lower the overall premiums. However, drivers should set the value to a level they feel comfortable paying. Consider purchasing PPM (pay-per-mile) or telematics insurance. People who do not drive a lot should opt for PPM coverage. Also, people who consider themselves good drivers should allow the insurance companies to install a telematics device and monitor their driving habits, including jamming on the brakes, speeding, and driving after dark. If the results are good, drivers will get a significant discount (as much as 25% for Allstate). Improve the credit score . Clients are asked to provide their credit score range when filling in applications. Obviously, people with Excellent status will get better prices. Improving the credit score is possible, but requires financial counseling from experts. They will present all available strategies. Enroll and graduate approved defensive driving courses . Insurance companies are more than happy to work with safe drivers. People who voluntarily enrolled in defensive driving coursed and graduated them will get a discount. Furthermore, graduating courses will help drivers keep premiums low, by offsetting some future license points. Maintain a clean driving record . Although this may seem obvious, being a safe driver is the best way to keep premiums under control. Furthermore, being a safe driver and staying with the same driver for a number of consecutive years will grant driver access to some discounts and bonuses. Avoid traffic violations, like speeding, ignoring signs and a red light, or DUI/DWI. Accumulating too many traffic violations may determine the insurer to cancel current and future bonuses. Pay the premiums in advance . Paying-in-full is a smart way to reduce insurance costs. As advertised by many online forms, paying everything in advance can save the policyholder as much as 15%. Drop full-coverage on older cars . If the car is older than 10 years, keeping full coverage is likely to make the owner overpay. Since a car's value diminishes over time, keeping full coverage for cars older than 5-6 years can lead to unnecessary costs. Story continues Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. For more information, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact Name: Gurgu C Phone Number: (818) 359-3898 Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz Website: https://compare-autoinsurance.org SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/604650/Car-Insurance-Tips-2020-How-To-Lower-Car-Insurance-Rates Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday renewed his push for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults, making an appeal for the economic windfall and the criminal justice reforms that would result were the Commonwealth to join the ranks of states that have decriminalized cannabis. I am renewing that call, said Wolf, who was joined by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and state Sen. Sharif Street of Philadelphia. Now more than ever, specially right in the middle of a pandemic, we have a desperate need for the economic boost that the legalization of cannabis could provide. The governor noted Washington and Colorado, which in 2018 generated hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenue as a result of legalized recreational marijuana. Washington added $319 million to its treasury; Colorado $266 million. Both states are much smaller than Pennsylvania, the governor noted, and the figures do not factor in the secondary economic impact of jobs creation and additional money circulating throughout the economies. Wolf called for the revenue from such a program to be earmarked to benefit historically disadvantaged businesses and restorative justice programs, in particular giving priority to repairing the impact the criminalization of marijuana has had on hundreds of thousands of individuals and the justice system. Fetterman noted that according to state police data, on average over the last few decades, roughly 20,000 state residents are arrested each year for marijuana related offenses. If you go over the span of decades we are talking nearly a quarter of a million Pennsylvanians that now have some affiliation with the criminal justice system for nothing more than consuming a plant thats actually legal in 12 jurisdictions across this country, Fetterman said. Thats counter productive. Fetterman pointed out the uneven racial enforcement of marijuana laws, with Blacks and Latinos disproportionately arrested or imprisoned. The lieutenant governor also stressed the economic impact of such a proposal. I would pitch this as a jobs bill as much as anything, he said. Legalizing marijuana would create tens of thousands of jobs that require no subsidy. No kind of guidance other than to rewrite the law and allow this business to flourish in Pennsylvania. Its a turnkey solution and I would challenge anyone, my most intensely opposed critics to name one other policy decision that could have so much immediate impact and so much unambiguous benefits both in terms to our treasury, to our employment statewide. To our social justice concerns. While the proposal has significant support from state residents, it is getting little to no traction in the Republican-led Legislature. Calling for the legalization of recreational marijuana is another inconsistency and contradiction from this governor who just recently renewed a disaster declaration for a drug overdose crisis that continues to devastate and destroy Pennsylvanias families, said Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus spokesperson Jason Gottesman. He noted that the state is under a disaster declaration related to the opioid epidemic. ...Pennsylvanians are still struggling to survive and provide for their families amid the governors unilateral and overbroad economic shutdown orders, Gottesman said. Instead of legalizing drugs as a way to tax and spend on new government programs, the governor should work with the General Assembly to help get Pennsylvanians safely back to work, get our children get the best educational opportunities, and provide the return to normalcy Pennsylvanians long for. The head of the state Chamber of Business and Industry cautioned against rushing into substantial policy changes without appropriate consideration of the impact on Pennsylvanias workforce and business community. Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical purposes only a few years ago and employers report significant confusion interpreting how theyre expected to manage medical marijuana among the workforce, said Gene Barr, president and CEO of the chamber. It stands to reason lawmakers ought to at least address issues with the medical program before authorizing this massive expansion. Barr called on elected officials to focus on policies that, he said, would remove barriers to growth and help to jumpstart the economy. Job creators have been clear about what policies are needed to help their business survive, including tax and regulatory reform, infrastructure build out and liability protections against unwarranted pandemic-related lawsuits, he said. These pro-growth policies will help the business community navigate the uncertainty brought by the pandemic, while at the same time setting Pennsylvania on a course to increase our competitiveness and improve our business climate going forward. A thriving private sector will in turn lead to more robust tax revenues for the Commonwealth. Both Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County, and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, have strongly opposed the proposal and accused the governor of grandstanding just weeks ahead of the election. Street noted that marijuana would economically benefit farmers. The crop works well in rotation with corn, for instance, he said, and would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and related jobs in struggling small counties. Regulation of cannabis would also make it more difficult for street sellers to sell to minors, he said. Wolf pushed back on the idea that some conservatives in the Legislature are framing their opposition to the proposal on moral terms. Wolf said he has spoken to some Republicans who dont see it that way, noting that the prohibition of alcohol did not work. 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. More from PennLive Coronavirus in Pa.: 1,160 new cases reported Sept. 3, the most in more than a month Pa. nursing homes will allow visitors to help care for some residents Latest Pa. GOP attempt to strip Gov. Tom Wolf of his coronavirus emergency powers fails Pa. high school sports get new guidance on how many fans can attend games, other events, this fall Pa. House passes pandemic-related school bills, including one that guarantees school boards have the power to decide whether to hold sports We need a change; Pa. House plans to attempt to override governors veto of bill to bring an end to his COVID-19 disaster declaration Gettysburg College quarantines all students to their rooms because of COVID-19 An aerial view of a wildfire in Belokalitvinsky District in Russia that burned over summer. (Getty) Experts have warned that wildfires in the Arctic over the summer have put record amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions from this years wildfires which have been dubbed zombie fires burning in the Arctic Circle have already outstripped 2019s record levels and are the highest for the region in data going back to 2003, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said. Zombie fires, a term coined by Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS, are blazes that occur at the same place and burn outside the typical fire season. The fires are fuelled by methane deposits and insulated by a layer of snow, and can burn throughout the cold and wet Arctic winter, according to the Eos website. A forest fire in the republic of Sakha Republic, eastern Russia, burning in July. (AP) They continue to burn through peat and organic matter while underground and reignite above the ground as temperatures rise in spring. Parrington said: The Arctic fires burning since middle of June with high activity have already beaten 2019s record in terms of scale and intensity as reflected in the estimated carbon dioxide emissions. We know from climate data provided by our parallel service at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), that warmer and drier conditions have been prevalent again this summer. Our monitoring is vital in understanding how the scale and intensity of these wildfire events have an impact on the atmosphere in terms of air pollution. Scientists from CAMS, which monitors wildfire activity across the world, have estimated that CO2 emissions from the Arctic Circle from the beginning of the year were 244 million tonnes, up by a third on the 181 million tonnes for the whole of 2019. Smoke billows from a forest fire in the Ust-Udinsky district of Krasnoyarsk region, Russia Far East, in July. (AP) Most of the increase in wildfires has been in Russias Sakha Republic, which falls partly within the Arctic Circle, with millions of acres of land damaged, the scientists said. Across eastern Russia as a whole, fires emitted approximately 540 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between June and August, surpassing the previous highest total emissions for the region, seen in 2003, they said. Story continues Elsewhere in the world, a large region of the south-western US has been hit by wildfires due to heatwave conditions, with large plumes of smoke seen moving eastward across the Great Lakes towards the North Atlantic. California has seen the second and third worst fires in the states history, the data shows. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Paris, TX (75460) Today Snow showers around this evening. Clearing skies later. Low near 20F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%.. Tonight Snow showers around this evening. Clearing skies later. Low near 20F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Agriculture, which regulates hemp and CBD products in the state, has issued a public health warning for all Limitless CBD LLC products, saying they were made without a state license. Although there have been no reports of illness involving Limitless cannabidiol, or CBD, products, the state regulators say they were produced without a license and outside of Ohio Department of Agriculture inspection, which is required under the year-old state law allowing for the cultivation of industrial hemp and CBD products. The Department of Agriculture is encouraging anyone who has any Limitless products to discard them. The company, which produces CBD oil in Avon and has sales offices in Cleveland, has made its products for sale on the internet, and for gas stations and convenience stores, and doesnt have a storefront, said Will Norman, general counsel for Limitless CBD. The company also purchases CBD products from other companies and sells them. Norman called the incident a misunderstanding. Norman said the company has begun the process of applying for a license from the Department of Agriculture to process hemp to CBD oil. We are very close to getting our license, he said. We have a beautiful facility. Its safe, its clean. We will have our license soon. The Department of Agriculture received a telephone complaint on Aug. 20 from someone saying Limitless CBD was producing hemp products without a license. ODA made several attempts to contact Limitless without a return call, said department spokeswoman Shelby Croft. Eventually, an attorney representing Limitless CBD made contact with ODA and confirmed the company was manufacturing hemp products." A department inspector visited the manufacturing facility Aug. 27 and banned the sale of its finished products, Croft said. Its the first time the department has issued a hemp product warning. Typically, Croft said, the state doesnt have to issue warnings because companies recall their products on their own. Limitless CBD elected not to issue a voluntary recall, Croft said. CBD products have been popular in recent years, with champions saying its chemical compounds contain medicinal properties. Hemp, closely related to marijuana, is the plant from which CBD is derived. State law specifies that the hemp plants and CBD oils cannot contain more than 0.3% of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces the high in marijuana. More coverage: Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill legalizing industrial hemp, CBD products State crime lab can now distinguish between marijuana and hemp, allowing more pot cases in courts Ohio Department of Agriculture accepting applications to grow, process hemp starting Tuesday Turkey and Greece have agreed to enter talks to establish "deconfliction mechanisms" in the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Thursday, Daily Sabah reports. In a Tweet, Stoltenberg said he had discussions with the leaders of both countries and they will engage in technical talks at NATO to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents in the region. Stoltenberg had announced the possible diplomatic opening in a statement on the military alliance's website the same day Turkey announced that Russia plans to conduct live-fire naval exercises this month in the Eastern Mediterranean. "Greece and Turkey are valued Allies, and NATO is an important platform for consultations on all issues that affect our shared security, the statement read. "I remain in close touch with all concerned Allies to find a solution to the tensions in the spirit of NATO solidarity." There was no immediate confirmation from Ankara or Athens and it was not immediately clear when the talks would begin. A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka, spokesmen for the country's navy said on Thursday, adding that one of its 23 crew was missing and another injured. Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said flames had spread to the bridge of the New Diamond, and that two Russian warships in Sri Lanka's Hambantota harbour had left to assist in the firefighting. He had earlier said navy personnel at the scene had reported the fire was under control. "We will need an international effort," de Silva said, adding that there was still no damage to the ship's cargo area. "There were 23 crew on board. We are bringing one injured crew member to Sri Lanka on board one of our vessels." The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was fully loaded with the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, Refinitiv data showed. Photographs taken by Sri Lanka's air force showed extensive damage to the tanker's funnel, and thick black smoke and flames coming from the bridge, that sits just behind the cargo area. Another spokesman, Commander Ranjith Rajapaksa, said the VLCC was ablaze about 20 nautical miles off the east coast of Sri Lanka and that the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to assist. One of its 23 crew was missing, Rajapaksa told Reuters. On Twitter, India's coast guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help fight the fire. The ship sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. It was headed for the Indian port of Paradip, where state-run IOC has a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery. Sri Lanka's Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker. Such a spill could cause an "environmental disaster", warned Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore. "No double-hull VLCC has spilt oil to date, but (it) depends on the damage to the ship," he added. Thursday's incident came a little more than a month after a state of "environmental emergency" triggered by the spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius. De Silva said some of the New Diamond's crew were rescued by oil product tanker Helen M, which an industry source said was on a time charter with India's Reliance Industries. "The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew." In a statement, the vessel's insurer, West of England, said: "We can confirm that these two vessels are entered in the West of England. The Club is liaising closely with our members and the relevant authorities and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time." The second vessel referred to was the Gulf Livestock 1, sailing to China from New Zealand with 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cattle that sank off Japan on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from IOC, Reliance Industries and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Debt-ridden IL&FS has proposed to initiate bankruptcy proceedings for two of its offshore firms ITNL Infrastructure Developers LLC (IIDL) and ITNL International DMCC (IIDMCC) in the courts of the UAE. IL&FS had request the Mumbai-bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take on record its proposal to initiate the bankruptcy proceedings before the Dubai Courts under UAE Federal Decree. The tribunal consented with the decision of the newly constituted board of the IL&FS and observed that the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings was the best option for the two firms. "After hearing both the sides and on perusal of records, this bench is of the view that the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings is the best option in the given scenario. The same is recorded as prayed for. In the circumstances, the proposal of the applicant for initiation of insolvency proceedings of IIDL and IIDMCC is taken on record, the NCLT said. The tribunal also observed that the Regional Director (WR), MCA, Mumbai representing the government has also no objection. There is no objection from the Petitioner (MCA) for the proposal of the Applicant, it said. Justice D K Jain, who is supervising the assets, has already accorded his approval for initiation of bankruptcy proceedings for both IIDMCC and IIDL in May this year. Under the roadmap for IL&FS, the offshore entities of the group have been exempted from the resolution framework by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) through its order on February 11, 2019. The IL&FS board decides on the resolution of the offshore entities under the supervision of Justice D K Jain, appointed by the NCLAT to conduct the asset resolution of the company. It has to inform the NCLT only about the actions taken for the resolution of offshore IL&FS Group Entities which places it in on the record, unlike the domestic entities, whose sale has to be approved by the tribunal. IIDMCC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITNL International Pte Limited (IIPL), which is a step-down firm of IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd (ITNL). IL&FS holds around 73 percent in ITNL. IIPL holds 49 percent shareholding in IIDL and the balance 51 per cent is held by one MAK Holdings LLC. IIDL was incorporated for implementing Transport Infrastructure Projects in UAE on public private partnership (PPP), including a car park project. IIPL holds 49 per cent shareholding in IIDL and the balance 51 per cent is held by one MAK Holdings LLC. IIDMCC was incorporated for providing support services to ITNL offices globally and for implementing transport infrastructure PPP projects in the Middle East/Africa. IL&FS had earlier recommended divestment of IIPLs stake in IIDL, however, the said proposal could not be carried out successfully and the negotiations with the investors failed. IL&FS had earlier recommended divestment of IIPLs stake in IIDL, however, the said proposal could not be carried out successfully and the negotiations with the investors failed. Moreover, on account of default on the part of IIDL to discharge its financial obligations, the Dubai Courts had on October 7, 2019, issued the default notice to IIDL. The outstanding liabilities of IIDL as on December 31, 2019, stands 59.60 lakh AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham), which mostly comprise of unpaid salaries of employees, service benefits and vendors payments. The liability of IIDMCC is 30.08 lakh AED and has virtually no assets. A spokeswoman for the ICRC office in Yerevan, Zara Amatuni, told RFE/RLs Armenian service that the ICRC is continuing its dialogue with relevant Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities regarding the officer, Gurgen Alaverdian. She would not say when the Azerbaijani side could allow ICRC representatives in Baku to meet and speak with Alaverdian. The Armenian Foreign Ministry also reported continuing efforts to arrange such a visit. Given the sensitivity of the issue I wont give other details, said the ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian. The Azerbaijani military claims that Alaverdian was taken prisoner during a failed Armenian commando raid on one of its frontline positions north of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian Defense Ministry strongly denies this, saying that Alaverdian simply lost his way on August 22 due to poor weather. Yerevan has said that Bakus treatment of the Armenian serviceman constitutes a serious violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention on prisoners of war. It has specifically decried an Azerbaijani Defense Ministry vide shows the serviceman saying in broken Armenian that he led a special army unit that planned to carry out sabotage attacks in Azerbaijan. It says he was clearly forced to read out a written text badly translated into Armenian. The Azerbaijani authorities brought a string of criminal charges against Alaverdian following the release of the video last week. Naghdalian deplored this and other trumped-up criminal cases brought against Armenian citizens held in Azerbaijani captivity. I want point out in this regard that two citizens of Azerbaijan have crossed into Armenia in the course of this year alone, she told a news conference. Unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia has not prosecuted them or portrayed them as prisoners of war and fully respects their dignity and human rights. Missiologists have long spoken of the explosive growth of the church in Iran. Now they have data to back up their claimsfrom secular research. According to a new survey of 50,000 Iranians90 percent residing in Iranby GAMAAN, a Netherlands-based research group, 1.5 percent identified as Christian. Extrapolating over Irans population of approximately 50 million literate adults (the sample surveyed) yields at least 750,000 believers. According to GAMAAN, the number of Christians in Iran is without doubt in the order of magnitude of several hundreds of thousands and growing beyond a million. The traditional Armenian and Assyrian Christians in Iran number 117,700, according to the latest government statistics. Christian experts surveyed by CT expressed little surprise. But it may make a significant difference for the Iranian church. With the lack of proper data, most international advocacy groups expressed a degree of doubt on how widespread the conversion phenomenon is in Iran, said Mansour Borji, research and advocacy director for Article 18, a UK-based organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of religious freedom in Iran. It is pleasing to seefor the first timea secular organization adding its weight to these claims. The research, which asked 23 questions about an individuals attitude toward religion and demographics, was run by professors associated with the respected Dutch universities of Tilburg and Utrecht. The general presumption of doubt risked influencing asylum applications by Iranians seeking resettlement in Europe or elsewhere. We do not regard it as remotely plausible that there are as many as 1 million people secretly practicing Christianity in Iran today, wrote a UK judge in a March ruling establishing best practice guidelines, following a case that ultimately denied asylum to an Iranian convert. The huge numbers of converts claimed by various evangelical missions must be viewed in light of the fact that the more converts they can claim, the greater the incentive for co-religionists to donate. Yet despite the widespread skepticism, research conducted by Christian advocacy organizations has begun to produce results. In 2005, the United Nations created the Geneva-based Universal Periodic Review to evaluate the human rights status of every nation every 4.5 years. During its review session in February, for the first time recommendations for Iran included its treatment of Christian converts, issued by Norway and the Netherlands. We try to build relations with diplomats as much as they allow, said Wissam al-Saliby, advocacy director for the World Evangelical Alliance. Without such reporting, news of Christian persecution will not filter into Geneva circles, and nations will not feel any pressure. It is important for Iran to hear the distinction between its traditional Christian communities, and its converts to the Christian faith. But according to the GAMAAN survey, there is another distinction Iran must make. The real news is not the number of Christians, said Johannes de Jong, director of the Sallux (Salt-Light in Latin) think tank, affiliated with the European Christian Political Movement. It is the massive secularization of Iranian society as a whole. Only 32 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as Shiite Muslim. Officially, Iran puts their number at 95 percent. The Islam in Iran is a political system, not a faith embraced by any majority, said de Jong, who has worked with Iranian asylum seekers and opposition politicians over the last 20 years. A free Iran would see an implosion of Islam, and a very significant rise of Christianity, Zoroastrism, and atheism. The survey already bears this out. Atheists poll at 9 percent of the population (and nones, or no religious affiliation, overall at 22%); Zoroastrians at 7 percent. The 2011 census numbered Zoroastrians at only 25,000. Extrapolating the percentage from this survey, which GAMAAN stated is 95 percent accurate, that would now be 5.6 million. (Sources said this may indicate a non-Islamic Persian nationalism rather than a true system of belief.) Nearly half (47%) said they used to be religious but are no longer. Only 6 in 10 Iranians surveyed said they were born into a religious family. But 6 in 10 also do not say their daily prayers. And 7 in 10 do not want legislation based on religion (68%); state-funded religious institutions (71%); or mandatory head covering (73%). A majority (58%) do not believe in wearing the hijab at all. And according to a 2019 survey by GAMAAN, 79 percent of the population would vote against an Islamic republic. While this might seem a fertile field for Christian witness, David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries warns against the clay feet of secularism. For example, almost 4 in 10 Iranians (37%) drink alcoholwhich is forbidden in Islam. Iranians are attracted to Christianity because they think it is part and parcel of the free, secular, and democratic West, he said. It is important for Christian agencies to pry Christianity away from that mould. He was also cautious about endorsing the survey statistics as a true estimate of the body of Christ. In a secular survey, Christian can imply anything from a vague attraction to a genuine love of Christ and a growing knowledge of the Scriptures. Yeghnazar believes the house churches lack of governing structure will harm the growing movement. False teaching, financial irregularity, and pastoral dictatorship may begin to plague them. Borji agrees. There is a very real risk that church growth is outpacing discipleship, he said. But the problem is exasperated by the fact that many leaders are now in prison, or have been forced out of the country. The impact, said Mike Ansari, president of Heart4Iran, is that the church is highly marginalized, scattered, and segmented. Ansari believes personal evangelism is the most effective method for spreading the gospel and the reason behind much of Christianitys growth in Iran. But given that it is extremely risky, satellite television has become the leading factor. Ansaris Mohabat TV noticed a surge in conversions during COVID-19. Whereas the channel was informed of 324 conversions through its ministry in March 2019, there was a tenfold increase one year later, with 3,088 new believers. And if the exponential growth of house churches fails to keep up with conversions, satellite TV must fill in the gap. Mohabat TV does its best. Elam Ministries Safar [Farsi for journey] program also helps. Is it enough? Without meaningful face-to-face fellowship and discipleship, the future of the Iranian Church remains uncertain, Ansari said. Isolation is the biggest enemy of church growth. It may prove a more effective foe than the Iranian government. Wybo Nicolai of Open Doors International, based in Holland, noted that rapid church growth began in 2004, when the state put pressure on officially registered churches ministering through the Farsi language. (Irans traditional Christian communities use the Armenian and Assyrian languages of their ethnic communities.) Consequently, ministry was forced underground where it spread like wildfire through cell groups and house churches. The Iranian authorities lost oversight of it, said Nicolai. There was nothing they could do to stop the spread of the gospel. They tried, and are trying still. Contrary to official accusations of Christians being Zionist agents and a threat to national security, an Iranian official recently told clerics in the holy city of Qom that these converts are ordinary people, whose jobs are selling sandwiches or similar things. He complained that conversion is happening right before our eyes. But the evidence of Irans failure as a theocracy to protect Islam is seen far beyond the Christian tally in the GAMAAN survey. If its overall statistics are valid, only 1 in 3 Iranians claim their national religion. And 4 in 10 believe every religion should be free to propagate its beliefs. The hearts and minds of the Iranian people have been plowed and made ready by Iranian government behavior over the last 40 years, said Borji. The peoples resistance to the gospel has been neutralized. Leaders of faith in Kaduna State on Thursday said they are saddened by the violence rocking the state, calling on everyone to stop conduct unbecoming of faith and to instead embrace peace. The leaders spoke at the Government House, Kaduna, during the inauguration by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of the House of Kaduna Family, a platform designed for leaders of faith to dialogue, interact and assume collective responsibility for messages that assist people of faith to live up to the highest ideals of Nigerias two main religions as peaceful, law abiding citizens. Addressing the 22 senior Christian and Muslim clerics that attended the event, Mr El-Rufai said diversity of faith should not be a reason for division and violent conflict. According to him, the decision to gather leaders of faith in a joint endeavour for peace and harmony in our state reflects our belief that religion does not have to divide. SEE ALSO: Mr El-Rufai argued that the diversity of faith can be a vehicle for unity when adherents respect the rights of every human being to life, liberty and livelihood, as creatures of God. He asked for the support of the leaders in ensuring that the conduct of people more closely mirrors the message of peace and compassion in the major religions. The governor said religious fervour is a common trait among Nigerians, but that the legacy of communal and ethno religious conflict in our state betrays the absence not only of respect for the rule of law but also any adherence to the common values of our two dominant religions which are peace, compassion and fairness to others. The governor told the gathering that Kaduna State has spent enormous financial resources to support, equip and sustain federal security agencies to provide peace in the last five years, adding that these are resources that can be better applied for investment in reducing the human and physical infrastructure deficits the state suffers from. Noting that violent conflict does not have to be the destiny of the state, the government said that no one can be wiser than Almighty God who created everyone and the universe we inhabit, who decreed diversity in biology, race, gender, religion, geography, and much else. Belief in God ought to compel people of faith to cherish a common humanity, and to stand up for everybody, not just the people with whom they share a common religion, he said. Mr El-Rufai also said that the people of Kaduna state have to work together to ensure that widespread adherence to religion translates into a broad constituency for peace, adding that division and conflict amidst intense religiosity is not our destiny. Twenty two Muslim clerics and Christian clergymen attended the inauguration and they include Archbishop Ali Buba Lamido of the Anglican Diocese of Wusasa; Bishop Timothy Yahaya; Rev. Professor Moses Audi and Rev Ishaya Adamu Jangado. Deputy Governor of Kaduna State Dr. Hadiza Balarabe (fifth from left), Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Dr. Ahmad Gumi, Catholic Archbishop Matthew Manoso Ndagoso and other leaders of faith at the inauguration of the House of Kaduna Family, held today in Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna KDSG MEDIA The rest are Archbishop Mathew Mansooso Ndagoso, Bishop Julius Yakubu Kundi, Rev Barnabas Dogo and Archbishop Sunday Oga Idoko. Others who attended are Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, Rev Olatubosun Ishola James, Mrs Agatha Asabe Soji. Those who attended on the Muslim side are Sheikh Dr Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, Dr Tukur Adam Al Mannar, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, Sheikh Abdulkareem Hashm and Malam Amin Alkasim. Others at the event were Malam Tahir Baba Ibrahim, Malam Yusuf Yakubu Al-Rigasiyyu, Sheikh Hamza Muhammad Lawal, Alhaji Mohammed Maruf Raji, Alhaji Sherrif Olutusin and Hajiya Fadila Musa attend. The participants from the Kaduna State Peace Commission included the chairman Most Revd. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the Executive Vice Chairman Priscilla Ankut and the Permanent Commissioner, Khadija Hawajah. During the interactive session, the leaders of faith firmly condemned violence as contrary to the teachings of faith. They called for courage on all sides to address the issues, including the roots of violent conflict, the skewed narratives, the scourge of illicit drugs among youth and for a firm stance against religious extremism. They pledged to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the success of the initiative. The event was organised by the Kaduna State Peace Commission which will be the secretariat of the House of Kaduna Family. COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 8 in 10 middle market business owners are concerned about making it through the economic downturn, and they're reassessing their businesses' insurance needs as a result, according to new Agent Authority research from Nationwide*. Although owners are confident in their insurance agent's ability to serve their protection needs, the results reveal many middle market business owners struggle to understand their current coverage, presenting opportunities for agents to provide personalized attention and advice for clients. Nationwide's research uncovered four key themes for middle market business owners and commercial agents: Business owners are confident in their agents and trust their advice. Agents must offer a highly digital experience while delivering personalized guidance. Business owners want to better understand what's in their policies. Concern is high for middle market business owners, and they're taking protective measures. "As business owners adapt to remain competitive, they need an agent they can trust to see around the corner and customize their protection needs," said Linda Stueber, vice president of Nationwide's Middle Market commercial team. "Now more than ever, it's vital for agents to help business owners fully understand the coverage they have in place, adapt to new or changing risks, and be proactive in addressing those risks or gaps." Mutual Confidence As compared to small business owners, middle market business owners have more complex insurance needs and in turn need an agent they can confidently rely on. Fortunately, most middle market business owners note that their agent is always available when they need them, able to offer the best price and regularly checks in on their needs. They also look to build a relationship with their agent over time and value an agent who can handle all of their insurance needs, not just property and casualty. Commercial agents echoed confidence in their abilities and services for clients. 95% of agents and 84% of middle market business owners agreed that insurance agents are always there when needed. 91% of agents said they can offer the best prices and 86% of middle market business owners agreed. 94% of agents responded that they're regularly checking in with clients to make sure their policy fits their needs; 83% of middle market business owners agreed and nearly half (49%) have checked in with their agent due to Coronavirus. 93% of agents and 89% of middle market business owners agree insurance agents have a vast knowledge of different types of industries and protection solutions. Quick tips for agents: Look for new opportunities to initiate touch points with clients. As business owners seek education about their risk management, consider pointing them to My Loss Control Services which offers digital safety resources, virtual consultations and more for business owners looking for quick technical advice. Help clients understand the importance of finding the right price, not the lowest. What Middle Market Business Owners Want The Agent Authority research shows these business owners look for insurance agents who are trustworthy, bear a strong reputation and who know and understand their unique needs. They also prefer strong, stable and well-established carriers to protect against their complex risks. 92% of middle market business owners place importance on using a company that has strength and stability, and 86% value working with a well-established and well-known carrier. While 81% feel it's important to work with an insurance agent with a local office close by, they also value digital experiences; 51% said they prefer to handle their insurance needs digitally, highlighting a need to offer both digital and personal interactions. 89% want an agent who can handle all of their insurance needs. 90% value working with an insurance agent who personalizes coverage to fit their needs. Middle market business owners are also looking to their agents for more guidance on topics outside of traditional insurance. 57% of middle market business owners are seeking information on employee benefits. 46% are interested in guidance on business interruption or disaster planning. 45% want safety and loss control resources. 37% are interested in retirement, succession planning and cybersecurity. Quick tips for agents: Work with carriers who help you reach customers with digital capabilities and deliver a breadth of expertise and solutions to meet their needs. Stay up-to-date on industry needs, trends and emerging risks to be agile for clients and demonstrate you're prepared for anything. The Commercial Insight Center offers quick, specialized and actionable information to assist agents as they protect clients. Shared Challenges: Middle market business owners have a lot to consider when shopping for insurance, and in turn, typically face significantly more challenges in the process than small business owners. Their top struggles include understanding the extent of their coverage, differentiating between types of coverages and finding the best price for their needs. Commercial agents shared obstacles too, such as understanding nuances between different industries and helping clients with disaster preparation. 71% of middle market business owners are challenged with understanding what is and what is not covered in their policy. 69% struggle with finding the best price for their protection needs. 69% have difficulties understanding different types of coverage and the length of time it takes to settle a claim. More than half of agents struggle with understanding the nuances between different industries (53%), educating clients about different types of coverage (52%) and helping clients with disaster preparation or mitigation (51%). Quick tip for agents: Work with clients to walk through scenarios to help them understand how proactive planning and loss control can help fill potential gaps and keep them running smoothly if the unexpected should occur. Economic Outlook: Compared to small business owners, middle market business owners are much more concerned about their businesses surviving today's economic turbulence. Despite that, many are still uncomfortable talking about economic challenges with their insurance agent even though they largely feel their agent is prepared for the conversations. Nearly 7 in 10 middle market business owners (69%) responded that they're too concerned about the future of their business to be concerned with their insurance right now. However, about half (49%) have checked in with their insurance agent to discuss their coverage due to the Coronavirus, and 77% have reassessed or will be reassessing their insurance needs. 78% of middle market business owners are unsure how the economy will impact their insurance coverage needs compared to 55% with small business owners. 63% of middle market business owners think talking about economic uncertainty with their agent is uncomfortable, but 84% believe their agent is prepared to have the conversations. Quick tips for agents: Many middle market business owners aren't thinking about insurance right now, but agents should be thinking about it for them. Consider new and different risks your clients may be facing, like cyberattacks as employees work remotely, or innovative technologies like telematics to help them operate more efficiently and safely. Don't be afraid to have difficult conversations about the economy with your clients. Most middle market business owners are uncertain how the economy will impact their insurance needs, but it's a topic they should be thinking about. *These insights and more were uncovered through Nationwide's ongoing Agent Authority research series, which includes samples of independent insurance agents, various business owners, and consumers. Previous Agent Authority research reports: Agent-customer relationship; Small business owner needs and challenges; Agents' top concerns through the pandemic. Survey Methodology: Nationwide commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct a 20-minute quantitative online survey among a sample of 2,600 U.S. independent insurance agents, small business owners, mid-market business owners, mid-market business owners with fleet vehicles, African American business owners, Hispanic business owners and general consumers between June 9 June 25 to understand what business owners and consumers value when buying or renewing insurance policies, explore the different challenges each audience faces around insurance, gauge perceptions of the economy and how each audience is managing uncertainty, and find out the actions business owners and consumer have taken as a result of COVID-19 and the conversations they're having with agents. For the purposes of this survey, middle market business owner was defined as anyone who self-reported as being a sole or part owner of a company with either 51-500 employees or $10M-$500M in revenue or 20+ fleet vehicles. As a member of CASRO in good standing, Edelman Intelligence conducts all research in accordance with Market Research Standards and Guidelines. About Nationwide Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Contact: Mike Switzer (614) 249-6349 [email protected] SOURCE Nationwide Related Links http://www.nationwide.com Law enforcement receives numerous reports of people 'disappearing' in the forest, but surveys, aerial footage and dog teams are limited in their abilities of locating human bodies. Now, forensic botanists are investigation how plants show signs of nearby remains, as decomposing bodies release compounds in the surrounding environment. These compounds can change soil composition that in turn alter the look of plants such as leaf color and reflectance. The team believes studying levels of nitrogen in an area could lead officials to a body, along with the adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles to detect elevation changes as unmarked graves settle over time. Forensic botanists are investigation how plants show signs of nearby remains, as decomposing bodies release compounds in the surrounding environment. These compounds can change soil composition that in turn alter the look of plants such as leaf color and reflectance The proposal comes from a team from the University of Tennessee, which is set to investigate how plants can lead to human remains at the college's 'body farm.' Officially known as the Anthropology Research Facility, this is where scientists examine the process of human body decay under different conditions. The team will determine how 'cadaver decomposition islands' - the zone immediately surrounding humans remains- change the nutrient concentrations of the soil, and how those changes manifest in the nearby plants. Senior author Neal Stewart Jr., a professor of plant sciences at the University of Tennessee, said: 'The most obvious result of the islands would be a large release of nitrogen into the soil, especially in the summertime when decomposition is happening so fast.' The team will determine how 'cadaver decomposition islands' - the zone immediately surrounding humans remains- change the nutrient concentrations of the soil, and how those changes manifest in the nearby plants Once diagnostic spectra are compiled, researchers can begin to think about scaling up to drones 'Depending on how quickly the plants respond to the influx of nitrogen, it may cause changes in leaf color and reflectance.' The study, published in Cell Press, notes that as a human body begins to decompose, it flushes out nutrients that alter the surrounding landscape and vegetation specifically nitrogen. 'The average-sized human from the USA contains 2.6 kg nitrogen, much of which will be converted to ammonium during the course of decomposition,' reads the study. 'If we consider the human decomposition island to be approximately 3 m2 , the amount of added nitrogen to the rhizosphere is approximately 50 times greater than the recommended seasonal nitrogen fertilizer rate for home shrubs and trees in the temperate USA.' On the other hand, when larger mammals die, their bodies also release nitrogen. The team said the key is finding metabolites specific to the breakdown of humans, which could include prescription drugs or food preservatives all of which can impact vegetation. 'One thought is if we had a specific person who went missing who was, let's say, a heavy smoker, they could have a chemical profile that could trigger some sort of unique plant response making them easier to locate,' said Stewart. 'Though at this stage this idea is still farfetched.' The study provides an example of searching for high levels of cadmium, a soft, silvery-white metal, which could be used to find someone who worked in manufacturing or event smoked cigarettes. Experts understand that they must first unravel the influences of cadaver metabolites on plants, but once they crack the code, search teams can use these clues to scan plants for specific fluorescence or reflectance signals that indicate human remains are close by (stock) Plants are found to easily ingest the chemical and scientists have used this to determine polluted areas along highways. And the changes can be observed in leaves of the vegetation. Stewart and his team understand that they must first unravel the influences of cadaver metabolites on plants, but once they crack the code, search teams can use these clues to scan plants for specific fluorescence or reflectance signals that indicate human remains are close by. 'We've actually built a whole plant imager that can analyze fluorescence signatures,' said Stewart. 'But the first steps are going to be very fine scale, looking at individual leaves and measuring how their reflectance or fluorescence changes over time when plants are near human remains.' Once diagnostic spectra are compiled, researchers can begin to think about scaling up to drones and other technology to investigate wide stretches of area in a short time. 'When you start to think about deploying drones to look for specific emissions, now we can think of the signals more like a check engine light-- if we can quickly fly where someone may have gone missing and collect data over tens or even hundreds of square kilometers, then we'd know the best spots to send in a search team,' Stewart explained. 'While these ideas are exciting, we are still several years away from feasibly using plants as search tools in body recovery missions. 'In the meantime, a collaborative team of botanists, anthropologists, and soil scientists will begin working at the body farm, designing their first set of plant-cadaver experiments.' Days after a court quashed his detention under the National Security Act, Dr Kafeel Khan on Thursday said he will ask the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to give him back his job in the state medical services. Khan was addressing a press conference in the Rajasthan capital, where he said felt safe as it is a Congress-run state, indirectly comparing it with Uttar Pradesh. He was suspended from Gorakhpurs BRD Medical College after several children died there in 2017, apparently due to the lack of oxygen cylinders at the government hospital. A departmental inquiry later cleared Khan of most of the charges, but he found himself in trouble for an allegedly provocative speech in Aligarh over the amended citizenship law. He was detained under the stringent NSA, which the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ruled was illegal. As the High Court has quashed the charges under the NSA lodged against me, I would write to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to reinstate me in the medical service, he told reporters. If I am not allowed, I will hold medical camps in flood-affected areas of Assam as an activist, he added. The doctor said he and his family arrived in Jaipur as they felt safe here. There is a Congress government in Rajasthan. My family felt that we will be safe here. I wanted to spend some quality time with my family, he said. He said he was falsely implicated by the UP government and sent to jail as he had exposed the system. I was leading a simple life. I tried to expose the system as children died at BRD Medical College due to lack of oxygen. This did not go well with our chief minister and a false case was lodged, and I was sent to jail, he claimed. Khan alleged he was tortured and asked weird questions after being arrested by the UP special task force in Mumbai over the speech in gave at the Aligarh Muslim University. The NSA was imposed on me for three months and was extended for three months. Again, it was extended after three months. I was not given water for 72 hours after being taken into custody, he claimed. I was physically tortured after the STF arrested me. I was asked weird questions like if have invented any powder to kill people and visited Japan to topple the government, Khan said. He had been in jail since January after he delivered the speech during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) last December. Ordering his release on Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court said the speech didnt promote hatred or violence and gave a call for national unity. The bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh said the Aligarh district magistrate, who passed the order for Khans detention, did a selective reading" of his speech, ignoring its true intent. Immediately after his release from Mathura Jail on Tuesday night, Khan told reporters that he was apprehensive that the UP government might frame him in any other case. Updated 12.30pm. Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke. The fiancee of a delivery cyclist killed in a hit-and-run in Dublin is appealing to the driver of the car to come forward. Thiago Cortes, who was originally from Brazil, was knocked off his bike on the city's north quays on Monday evening he died in hospital on Wednesday morning. The car understood to be involved in the incident was later discovered a short distance away. It is understood that four people may have fled the scene. Gardai believe the car was being driven by a teenager but enquires are continuing and no arrests have yet been made. Mr Cortes's fiancee, Teresa Dantas, appealed directly to those involved to "be brave" and come forward with information as she did not want what happened to her fiance to happen to anyone else in the future. Advertisement She said: "You were driving a car, you hit someone and you left him there to die. Just please say what you did. Come forward. "If you know something, it wasn't you but you know something, or have any information please go to the gardai. Please say something." I tried to call him several times, but there was no answer. Then a guard answered his phone and said that he was in the hospital. Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast and RTE radio's Today with Claire Byrne show, Ms Dantas told of how she found out he had been involved in an accident when a garda answered his phone. She said that she knew something was wrong on Monday night when her fiance had not returned home at his usual time of between 11pm and 11.30pm, and she thought he might still be delivering or that the battery in his phone had gone. At midnight she received a message saying that a Deliveroo driver had been involved in an accident. At that moment I felt it might be him. I tried to call him several times, but there was no answer. Then a guard answered his phone and said that he was in the hospital and he told me to go there, she told the Today with Claire Byrne show. Advertisement Earlier on Newstalk Breakfast Ms Dantas said that Mr Cortes had been working for the delivery company for only 10 days. When she spoke with the garda she thought that perhaps he had a broken leg or a broken arm, something not that bad. But when the garda told her don't worry your fiance is alive she thought his injuries must be very serious. He wanted to come here for a better life.... and we were getting that. We had a great life here. I went to the hospital, I was with my flatmate - one of Thiago's best, best friends - we got there, they let us in. The sergeant that answered the phone came to talk to me, saying that he was in an accident, it was a hit-and-run and that I'll be able to see him, that he was alive. We had over 24 hours to stay with him since the time that I found out about the accident and the time he died, she said. Her fiance had persuaded her to come to Ireland two and a half years ago as he thought they would have a better opportunities in Ireland than in Brazil: "He wanted to come here for a better life.... and we were getting that. We had a great life here." Advertisement The couple had been together for six years when he proposed on her birthday in March. They had not yet set a date, but had been planning a civil service in Ireland at the end of the year with a church wedding and big party at a later stage, she explained. Speaking on the Today with Claire Byrne show, Ms Dantas said it was "'amazing to see how much love there is around him" following the vigil held for Mr Cortes last night and the support from both Irish people and the Brazilian community. Vigil The English Language Students Union of Ireland (ELSU) organised a candlelit vigil to remember Mr Cortes on Wednesday evening, with people wearing black or a Deliveroo uniform. Mr Cortes had only been working for Deliveroo for ten days. Crowds of Deliveroo workers gather at The Spire in Dublin in a vigil to Deliveroo delivery cyclist Thiago Cortes who died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident in Dublin on Monday. pic.twitter.com/Pqxq0QfQX3 Conor McCrave (@Conor_McCrave) September 2, 2020 A spokeswoman for Deliveroo told The Irish Times that the death of Mr Cortes was a tragedy and a terrible loss. Our deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers are with the family and friends of the rider. We will do everything we can to ensure that the family of the rider is supported during this extremely difficult time, she said. It is understood that Deliveroo is in touch with Mr Cortes family and that the company provides insurance which will provide support for the family of the rider. Gardai have renewed their appeal for witnesses, with anyone who was in the area between 10.15pm and 10.30pm that night being asked to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room at Store Street Garda station (01 6668000) or the Garda Confidential Line (1800 666 111). Cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 surged to 4,55,09,380 in the country with a record 11,72,179 tests being conducted in a single day on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry underlining that "India's daily testing numbers are one of the highest in the world". IMAGE: A medic collects samples for COVID-19 tests at a road side free clinic, as coronavirus cases surge across the country, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo Higher testing numbers subsequently result in lowered positivity rate, it said. India has witnessed an unprecedented surge in testing. Over 11.7 lakh tests were done in 24 hours," the ministry said. From conducting merely 10 tests per day on January 30, the daily average has crossed more than 11 lakh, the ministry adding this demonstrates an exponential increase in the daily COVID-19 testing in the country. "Such high levels of testing on a sustained basis over a period of time in widespread areas enables early diagnosis, and in turn facilitates seamless isolation and effective hospitalisation. This eventually leads to lower mortality rate. "Higher numbers of testing also subsequently result in lowered positivity rate," the ministry said. India's COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the disease has further dropped to 1.75 per cent as on date, while the national recovery rate has risen to 77.09 per cent. There are 8,15,538 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 21.16 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The surge in testing has been made possible by an equally speedy expansion in the testing lab network across the country. India has as on date 1,623 labs in the country with 1,022 labs in the government sector and 601 private labs, the ministry said. With a record single-day spike of 83,883 infections, India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 38,53,406, while the death toll climbed to 67,376 with 1,043 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed. The alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) working on extractives, anti-corruption and good governance has described as positive its engagement with the Minister of Finance and other officials working on the Agyapa Royalties Limited listing. The CSOs said although they were assured that the national interest would be protected, they were not satisfied with all the responses they got from the minister. The Spokesperson for the CSOs, Dr Steve Manteaw, told the Daily Graphic yesterday after the groups engagement with the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, that the CSOs were not against the desire and efforts to optimise the mining revenues of the country, but that, in the larger interest of the country, they were worried about the inadequate consultations in the process. High gold prices Daily Graphic sources said at yesterdays meeting, the Finance Minister had welcomed the group, but expressed reservation about the escalation of the disagreement with the process and the setting up of the special purpose vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties Ltd, particularly the use of some words he found offensive, such as elite capture, to describe the arrangement. The ministry, however, expressed its readiness to engage with relevant stakeholders, including civil society, traditional rulers and faith-based organisations, because it did not have anything to hide. The minister, according to the sources, also indicated that the deal was being pushed through urgently in order to take advantage of the all-time high gold prices occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, saying Ghana could miss the opportunity if long periods were spent on consultations. Take cue The alliance of CSOs also maintained that the ministry could take a cue from the enactment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815), which came into being after a long process of national consultations. Dr Manteaw said that process yielded many positive results, including the creation of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) to ensure that oil resources were spent in the national interest. The spokesperson said the alliance would, in the spirit of being citizens and not spectators, continue to push for the national interest to ensure that the deal returned good revenues to the state, as the ministry engaged the citizens to fulfill a balancing act of moving with dispatch to take advantage of the high gold prices and conducting adequate consultations. Background The government passed the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, 2018 (Act 978) with the key objective of maximising the countys mineral wealth for the benefit of Ghanaians, while ensuring that receiving royalties from gold mining companies was sustainable. The law was amended a month ago to enable it to incorporate subsidiaries and use them an SPV to do business across the world. The SPV is Agyapa Royalties Ltd, initially named Asaase Royalties Ltd, which has been incorporated in a British channel island, Jersey, where it will enjoy tax reliefs on transfer of dividends and other concessions that allow it to retain much of the income it generates. The company will be responsible for managing 75.6 per cent of Ghanas royalty inflow from the 12 gold mining companies that currently operate in the country, with four more expected to come on stream. The parliamentary approval also included the approval of four other related agreements among the MIIF, the SPV and other entities with which it would have transactions. The parent SPV will be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), but the government, through the MIIF, will retain at least 51 per cent, while a subsidiary of Agyapa, ARG Royalties Ltd to be responsible for channelling the royalties to its parent company will be listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), with the government maintaining a similar shareholding structure. As of 2017, the average inflow of royalties was estimated at GH650 million. The Minerals Development Fund received 20 per cent of that, the Ghana Revenue Authority got 2.4 per cent, with Agyapa Royalties absorbing 75.6 per cent. CSOs However, the alliance of CSOs, among many other individuals and entities, has asked the government to suspend the establishment of the SPV, Agyapa Royalties, until all documents relating to its establishment and its owners have been disclosed. The CSOs include the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA), the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), CSOs Open Licensing Monitoring Group, the Citizen's Movement Against Corruption (CMAC), the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas (CSPOG), Penplusbyte and Oil Watch Ghana. The rest are the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI), Publish What You Pay (PWYP), the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), IMANI Ghana and Women Aspire. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Citing lack of proof, a summary military trial of the Nigerian Air Force has acquitted Ibrahim SA, an aircraftman, who allegedly slapped Avwebo Otoide, a Port Harcourt-based doctor, in May. Instead, Bass MO, a flight sergeant, who headed the patrol team when Mrs Otoide was reportedly assaulted, was given a punishment of reprimand during the summary trial that was held on Friday. The personnel who were found culpable in line with the extant law were tried and were awarded punishment of reprimand, in line with the armed forces law, the forces publicist, Ibikunle Daramola, said Wednesday. The River State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association also posted the information on their Twitter account. Both Messrs Bass and Ibrahim were charged for conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline after some personnel of the force assaulted Mrs Otoide during the statewide COVID-19 lockdown in May. Mrs Otoide told this newspaper at the time that she was en route to work as an essential worker when the soldiers disembarked from their vehicle, stopped and wrestled her, slapped her, smashed her phone in the process before detaining her in an isolation centre. Her show of an identity card as a senior registrar at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital could not save her from the harassment, she said. After the encounter, Mrs Otoide petitioned the Nigerian Air Force through the River State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association. Following public outrage, Mr Daramola decried the incident, promising that the force would investigate it and punish the accused as due. In the summary trial that was held last week, being the head of the team, Mr Bass was punished with a reprimand, the official said. On the other hand, he said the case of assault levelled against Mr Ibrahim could not be proven as there was no witness to that effect. At least three military personnel told this newspaper reprimand as a punishment could have a multiplier effect on the personnel concerned, being a regimented service. What this means for Mr Bass is that he has not been exonerated of the wrongdoing because it would be filed which might delay future entitlements due for him, a lieutenant , who pleaded anonymity, said. Displeased Recalling how the trial went, Mrs Otoide said she was present when Mr Bass gave his testimony but was not when Mr Ibrahim spoke. The head of base services was the judge, jury and executioner and when he gave his judgement he called in only Bass MO, giving Ibrahim a pass, she said. Mrs Otoide said she was told this was because since she had no evidence, did not identify him by name, and have no witness, he cannot be convicted. She added that the head of base service ordered Mr Bass to take responsibility for repairs of her smashed phone since he was responsible for the damage. The Bass who damaged my phone is to take responsibility for the cost of repairs and be reprimanded as he was the team leader and obviously something happened under his watch that he claims he is unaware of, Mrs Otoide said. I asked if a reprimand was ideal punish for a slap, he said in the military such things are weightier than in civilian affairs, and that a reprimand and a letter of displeasure may cost you a promotion.' He also appealed to the NMA to plead with me to drop this matter, saying they dont want to have to discharge any of the young men from duty as they may become problems to society, therefore everyones problem. They assured them that a response to their petition and an apology will come from the Airforce headquarters. However, an official report is yet to be sent, she said. But Mrs Otoide fears that with just a reprimand the soldiers might not give up on slapping civilians they deem rude. Advertisements For her, any punishment in the shape of some days in real detention to a demotion would have sufficed. I would have felt some concern if the men were remorseful or even apologised, she added. But they denied everything and got a slap on the wrist, meaning they can do it again. For this, she said she is not pressing further charges. I am not pushing (further). I believe the apology from NAF should end things once it is issued. Written by ACM * All those People who sincerely appreciate modern Germany's crucial Role in nowadays' European affairs, (including, traditionaly, "Eurofora"), suddenly had a strange feeling at their heart, when they heard about the following facts : During the last Week-end, various Demonstrations took place Both at Minsk (Belarus) and Berlin (Germany). - At Minsk, there were, reportedly, 125 People Detained by the Police. - But in Berlin (whose Police is mainly controled by local "Socialists" currently ), the reported Number was ...much More than the Double : 316 People Arrested ! And in Belarus, the Demonstrators were reportedly aggressive, surounded the President's personal residence, with gross insults, etc., while in Germany, they apparently were quite calm, mainly hearing speaches in the Tiergarten, before making a social-distancing event (with music) up to the adjacent Branderburg's gate... In Belarus those Demonstrators notoriously seek to overthrow the Government and seize political power, while in Germany they seeked to express their controversial views on the Anti-Virus and other society policies. The demonstration in Belarus apparently was not authorized at all, while, on the contrary, at Berlin, a German Court had notoriously authorized (on condition of social distancing) the demonstration, (initialy blocked by local "Socialist" politicians : See infra). At anOther issue, some correspondents of certain Foreign Medias reportedly faced problems these days in Belarus, (where the wider, general situation is beyond any comparison, anyway), but we also saw, inter alia, f.ex. also one of the rare full +50 Minutes-long video by German Web-Media of RF. Kennedy Jr.'s Press Conference in Berlin, (which, probably, might have included Journalists' Questions/Replies, totaly absent in published, shorter versions), be curiously ...blocked at the Internet, as "youtube" claimed that its content might perturbate youngsters (sic !), asking to reveil the identity of every reader, via a cumbersome procedure, before being eventualy authorized to see that topical socio-political information... Moreover, in Belarus, those Demonstrators, reportedly, insulted grossly the elected President of the country, calling him "cockroach" (sic !) and carrying "a cardboard toilet with a sign urging him to flush himself away", a coffin marked "Political corpse", etc. While, on the contrary, in Germany, the demonstrators were reading aloud selected parts of the German Constitution about Human Rights and Democracy, (as the organizers had invited them to give "white flowers" to police agents)... Nevertheless, a Belarus' Presidential Counselor, Nikolai Latyshenok, reportedly "came out to Speak" with the Demonstrators at Minsk. On the Contrary, in Berlin, various Videos published by some mainstream Medias (including Bild, RT, etc), show Policemen suddenly come arrest even certain obviously non-violent demonstrators, without discussing... Perhaps, is it only because of a particular stance by those "Socialists" who currently control Berlin's local area, especialy as the crucial National Elections 2021 are approaching ? It's a fact that the local "Socialist" Governor of Berlin's area had initially prohibited that demonstration, until a German Court of Justice authorized it. And, immediately afterwards, it was also the out-going "Socialist" President Steinmeier who published a disproportionaly alarming statement against ... a handful of a few departing demonstrators who, before leaving Berlin, walked up to the nearby Bundestag's big outdoor staircase to briefly shout their slogans, before being rapidly chassed away by the Police, (a notoriously popular place for frequent citizens' quews waiting their turn for a Touristic round-up to the Bulding's transparent Top, from where they can watch down to the MPs working at the Plenary). That tiny micro-incident astonishingly "eclipsed" the (40.000 People, according to the Police, or Hundreds of Thousands, according to the organizers) Huge Demonstration at Berlin's Tiergarten Victory column plazza, in most Establishment's Medias, which found a pretext to almost show nothing about the real big popular event... At any case, it's obviously Not Normal, in a so important European Country like Germany, to Arrest much More than the Double Number of Demonstrators arrested in Belarus, the Same Days, (316 instead of 125). The German People gave an unexpectedly Good massive example of their capacity to hold even Controversial public demonstrations (including a small counter-demonstration) on "Hot" Issues, in a Peaceful way, (as also the German Police reportedly acknowledged, later-on). But, some, apparently, had a quite Different agenda... => What's really going on, in our beloved Europe ? Who (and Why) is, eventually, attempting to manipulate such a Core European Country as nowadays' Germany ? ---------------------------------------- (+UPDATE: According to Various Converging Sources, it seems that 2/3 of the People Arrested were in front of the ...Russian Embassy in Berlin, making some Friendly Appeals to Russia, proposing a kind of "Peace Treaty", [as also to USA's Embassy, nearby], Applauding to positive Calls for President Vladimir Putin, and/or tried to "Free" some "Arrested" demonstrators, reportedly "throwing water bottles to the Police" who detained them, etc. => Who might be against Friendly relations between Germany, and all the EU, with Russia, (as well as nowadays USA : Comp. Supra), at this point, and for which real Motivation ?] ----------------------------------------- (../..) ("Draft-News") My father should have been met with a mental health specialist. He should not have been killed in the street, his 18-year-old daughter, Tashyra Prude, said in an interview with The Associated Press. He did not deserve that. He was treated like an animal. And I want this to be a step toward justice for not only my father, but justice for people like Breonna Taylor, who were killed by the police. Close Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden for not wearing a mask Donald Trump has awarded famed college football coach Lou Holtz the Presidential Medal of Freedom after the coach made a speech during the Republican National Convention. During his speech, Mr Holtz called into question Joe Biden's Catholic faith. The president's Friday press briefing also involved him accusing Democrats of holding stimulus money "hostage", with claims that $300bn in funding could be available to Americans if the Democrats would just reach a deal with the White House. When asked about the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Mr Trump said he was "no proof" yet that the man was poisoned, despite Germany reporting it to be true. Mr Trump has also denied reports that he labelled American war dead losers and suckers during a visit to Europe, where he was said to have avoided visiting a cemetery he believed was unimportant. When asked why General John Kelly, his former chief of staff, has not denied the reports, Mr Trump said that General Kelly might be one of The Atlantic's sources. Since the report was released, journalists from The Washington Post, Associated Press, and Fox News have all independently confirmed key information. But the White House has held firm that the president never said disparaging comments against military troops. The US president argued on Thursday that nobody has done what Ive done for war veterans, as he mocked his election opponent Mr Biden for wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. His Democratic rival condemned the president's alleged comments in a furious speech on Friday while delivering remarks on the economy and urging the president work with Congress on extending coronavirus relief. His remarks followed the release of an August jobs report showing unemployment at 8.4 per cent, still more than double February's jobless figures. The president also criticised Mr Biden for visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin, claiming there was nobody there despite the candidate holding a church meeting and speaking with the family of Jacob Blake, who was left paralysed after an officer fired seven rounds into his back. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load President Donald Trump made fun of Joe Biden for shaking a man's hand as soon as he got off the private plane that carried him to Wisconsin Thursday. 'Joe Hiden gets off his airplane, grabs and shakes a rather stunned mans hand (like in the old days), then touches his (Joes) face and mask with the same hand. No crowd, no enthusiasm for Joe today. Law & Order!' Trump tweeted Thursday evening. Biden reached out and shook the hand of Brian McPartlin - an aide who handles advance for the former vice president - which is considered a no-no in the coronavirus era. President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One Thursday evening en route to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, after mocking Joe Biden for shaking hands during the ex-veep's trip to Wisconsin and saying there was 'no enthusiasm' for Biden President Trump trolled Joe Biden in a tweet Thursday evening, shortly before he set off for his own rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania OOPS: Joe Biden slipped up and gave his aide Brian McPartlin a handshake as he disembarked from the private plane he and Jill Biden (left) took from Delaware to Milwauke, Wisconsin, where he's meeting with Jacob Blake's family at an airport building Black Lives Matter activists stood outside the Grace Lutheren Church where Joe Biden was scheduled to appear Thursday in Kenosha Biden's crowd was dwarfed by the crowd at Trump's rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, scheduled for Thursday night The Democratic nominee did attract a crowd of Black Lives Matter activists outside the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha, but he's also urged supporters to heed coronavirus public health warnings, which include avoiding large gatherings. Biden's crowd was dwarfed by the Trump supporters who showed up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, awaiting the president's Thursday night rally. Earlier, both Trump and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had trolled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her COVID-19 faux pas, not wearing a mask at a salon, which was also not supposed to be servicing clients indoors, though Pelosi has called that controversy a 'set-up.' On the trip, Biden said he was able to talk to Jacob Blake, the black man shot by a white officer in the city, by phone as he gathered with family members at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. 'I had the opportunity to spend some time with Jacob on the phone. He's out of ICU. We spoke for about 15 minutes,' Biden said at the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha. 'He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him. Whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up.' Biden and his wife Jill made a two-city trip to Wisconsin, a key swing state, first stopping in Milwaukee for a meeting with Blake's family members and then motorcading to Kenosha for a conversation with community stakeholders. The state's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday that he didn't want Biden, nor President Donald Trump who visited Kenosha Tuesday, to make the trips during the current unrest. But 'candidates can make their decisions' and 'it is what it is,' Evers said, according to the Associated Press. In Milwaukee, reporters were kept outside the hour-long meeting, but the campaign said the Democratic nominee and his wife met with Jacob Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., his sisters Letetra Widman and Zietha Blake, his brother Myron Jackson, and lawyers Patrick Salvi Sr. and B'Ivory LaMarr. His mother Julia Jackson and attorney Ben Crump joined the meeting by phone. Crump put out a statement about the meeting, as Biden was revealing his phone conversation also included Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police with three of his children in his car. He's likely paralyzed from the waist down. Joe Biden met with community leaders Thursday at the Grace Lutheren Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after talking to shooting victim Jacob Blake by phone during a Milwaukee meeting with family members Joe Biden bows his head in prayer at the Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin where he held a listening session with community leaders Thursday, two days after President Donald Trump visited the city Joe Biden addresses community members in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday after speaking with shooting victim Jacob Blake and meeting with some of Blake's family members in Milwaukee 'The family was grateful for the meeting and was very impressed that the Bidens were so engaged and willing to really listenl,' Crump reported. Crump and Biden both talked about how Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, led the group in prayer. Biden explained that his wife, Jill, had asked to say a prayer and it was led by Jackson. 'I'm praying for Jacob and Im praying for the policeman as well. Im praying that things change,' Jakcson said, according to the former vice president. 'They talked about changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions, the impact of selecting Kamala Harris as a Black woman as his running mate, and Vice President Biden's plans for change,' Crump continued. On Biden's conversation with the shooting victim Crump said, 'Jacob Jr. shared about the pain he is enduring, and the vice president commiserated.' 'It was very obvious that Vice President Biden cared as he extended to Jacob Jr. a sense of humanity, treating him as a person worthy of consideration and prayer,' Crump said. At the community event, Biden had two rounds of community members speak about what they were seeing on the ground and then spoke to them. Biden addressed speakers' concerns one-by-one, pitching ideas like a $15 nationalized minimum wage, ex-prisoners having access to every government benefit available, and better mental healthcare. 'I'm giving you too much, I can see you're about to stand up,' Biden said at one point. At another point when he got too wonky, he used the unfortunate expression, 'Not going to lay it out for you, I won't now because they'll shoot me.' At the church one participant, a Kenosha shopkeeper named Barb DeBerge, talked about the devasation the business community has seen in the wake of several nights of riots and unrest following Blake's shooting. 'We have never seen anything as devastating as what has gone on in our community. We are very fortunate because they didn't start our building on fire,' she told the ex-vice president. She said that while her store, DeBerge Framing & Gallery had its windows broken and was looted, a good samaritan saved it from catching fire. 'I look at the buildings in our community that are gone and I just, I don't think, I don't think grieved as much as I feel I should,' she said. Biden, again, condemned the fires, looting and riots that have taken hold in several American cities, including Kenosha. 'Protesting is protesting, my buddy John Lewis used to say. But none of it justifies looting, burning or anything else. So regardless how angry you are, if you loot or you burn, you should be held ccountable as someone who does anything else. Period,' Biden said. Trump has continued to push a false narrative that Biden hasn't denounced rioters, nor brought up law enforcement, which he has. Biden was able to sprinkle criticism of Trump through the community event. 'The words of a president matter. No matter if they're good, bad or indifferent,' Biden said near the top of the event. 'They matter. No matter how competent or incompetent a president is, they can send a nation to war, they can bring peace, they can make markets rise and fall.' Biden also said Trump's behavior 'legitimizes the dark side of human nature.' He brought up Lewis, who passed away on July 17, again as he urged Americans to vote. 'As John said, the only answer is to vote,' Biden said. Biden's Wisconsin visit comes two days after Trump visited Kenosha to tour wreckage from the riots that broke out in the aftermath of the police shooting of Blake. Trump also reinforced his commitment to siding with law enforcement during the trip, calling rioters 'domestic terrorists,' and white officers who kill or shoot black Americans 'bad apples' or individuals who've 'choked.' Democratic nominee Joe Biden is captured leaving a meeting with Jacob Blake's family at a Milwaukee airport building on Thursday. Press was kept out of the meeting, but the campaign said Blake's father, two sisters, brother and two lawyers joined Biden and his wife, Jill Democratic nominee Joe Biden met with Jacob Blake's family as soon as he landed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday. He'll then travel to Kenosha, where Blake was shot and wounded by police, to meet with community members Jill (left) and Joe Biden (right) met with family members of Jacob Blake, the Kenosha, Wisconsin man who was shot by police, as soon as they landed in Wisconsin on Thursday Joe Biden waves to reporters as he arrives at the New Castle, Delaware airport en route to Kenosha, Wisconsin where he plans to meet with Jacob Blake's family members and take part in a community event Joe Biden (left) is accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden (right), as they board their flight to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday. The Bidens' trip to the Wisconsin city comes two days after President Donald Trump traveled there Joe Biden has said he intends to try to 'heal' the community and bring people together during his trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has seen protests and violent outbursts in the aftermath of last month's police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who remains hospitalized Joe Biden is expected to meet with Jacob Blake's family members during his trip to Kenosha Thursday. Jacob Blake Sr. (left), Blake's father, and Zanetia Blake, Blake's sister (right), are photographed in Kenosha on Saturday President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday after Democratic leaders told him not to come. He toured wreckage from the riots that broke out after Blake's shooting and held a roundtable event with law enforcement and other community leaders Trump did not meet with members of Blake's family, nor did he say Blake's name during his remarks. On the ground in Kenosha, the president dismissed the idea that most of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that occurred after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd - and more recently the shooting of Blake - have been peaceful. 'I keep hearing about peaceful protests ... and then I come to an area like this and the town is burned down,' Trump said. 'By and large this is not peaceful protesting,' he repeated later. State and local officials, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and Kenosha's Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, said they didn't want Trump to come, but the president insisted. Evers then said Thursday that he held the same view about Biden's travels. Biden was asked Wednesday during a Q&A with reporters what made his trip to the area any different. 'I have spoken to all the leaders up there,' the former vice president said, adding that he had been working with Evers' staff, but had yet to speak one-on-on with the state's governor. 'There have been overwhelming requests that I do come.' 'We've got to heal, we've got to put things together, bring people together and so my purpose in going will be to do just that,' Biden continued. 'Be a positive influence on what's going on, talk about what needs to be done and try to see if there's a beginning of a mechanism to bring folks together.' He said he had received advice from House and Senate members, who he said encouraged him to make the trek. 'And I'm not going to do anything other than meetings with community leaders as well as business people and other folks in law enforcement and start to talk about what has been done,' Biden said. The campaign has not publicly confirmed that he's meeting with the Blake family. 'I'm not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do,' Biden also said. Biden's trip to Wisconsin marks the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has gone to the state since the 2012 cycle. Hillary Clinton notably skipped campaigning in Wisconsin, only to lose the state to Trump, helping him earn his Electoral College victory in 2016. The Democratic National Convention was supposed to take place in the state - and while some delegates did gather in Milwaukee - Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris gave their nomination speeches from Wilmington, Delaware instead, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump and the Republicans have gone after Biden for his reluctance to travel. On Wednesday, as the president was heading to North Carolina - another key swing state - he started referring to Biden as 'Joe Hiden,'' as the ex-veep spent most of the early months of the pandemic campaigning from his Wilmington basement. This week Biden took on a more robust campaign schedule, traveling to Pittsburgh Monday to deliver a speech. The campaign called an early 'lid' Tuesday - meaning the candidate would not be leaving his residence, which again garnered criticism from Republicans. On Wednesday, Biden delivered remarks on reopening schools and then took questions from reporters, the first time he devoted real time to a press Q&A in weeks. On Friday, Biden will deliver remarks on the economy to reporters back in Wilmington. Dr. Reza Chowdhury didnt charge copays when his patients were low on cash. He gave them his home phone number and answered their medical questions at all hours. Once, when Chowdhurys daughter, Nikita Rahman, struck up a conversation with a New York taxi driver, it turned out that he was from Bangladesh and knew her dad: Dr. Reza? Hes my doctor hes the best doctor! she recalled. An internal medicine physician with a practice in the Bronx, Chowdhury had studied medicine in his native Bangladesh before immigrating to the United States 30 years ago. He left his family back home while he settled in, and worked as a tutor, a waiter and a security guard as he trained to practice in the U.S. When COVID-19 came to New York, Rahman pleaded with her father, who had had a kidney transplant and was therefore immunocompromised, to stay home. But he kept working until mid-March, when he developed symptoms. He died on April 9. The U.S. relies on immigrant labour from doctors to nurses to health aides to keep its health system afloat. And now immigrant health workers are dying at high rates during the pandemic. Lost on the Frontline, a joint project by KHN and The Guardian, has found that nearly one-third of health care workers who were confirmed to have died of COVID-19 were born outside the U.S. However, immigrants account for just 14 per cent of the U.S. population and 18 per cent of its health care force. Chowdhury, 58, belonged to a non-profit network of health care providers in New York called SOMOS that has been devastated during the pandemic. Founded with the aim of providing culturally competent care to low-income New Yorkers, most of its 2,500 physicians and nurses are immigrants, like their patients. They come from Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic and Egypt, among other places. In the early months of the pandemic, SOMOS reported that 12 of its physicians and nurse practitioners had died of COVID-19. Our patients are the ones who wash dishes, prepare food, ride buses, drive taxis, said Dr. Ramon Tallaj, SOMOS chairman and co-founder. And were risking our lives for our patients. Chowdhury practiced in a working-class section of the Bronx, a borough hit hard by the coronavirus. Most of SOMOS practitioners are primary care providers family doctors, pediatricians, nurse practitioners. Were neighbourhood doctors, Tallaj said. We work with poor people in poor neighbourhoods, and we speak the same languages as our patients none of our doctors are on Park Avenue. He said that at the outset of the pandemic public attention and funding went to hospitals and emergency care, while he and his colleagues pooled resources to buy personal protective gear and set up neighbourhood testing sites. It turns out that this early exposure to patients, before they were sick enough to visit the ER, might have made these workers more vulnerable: A recent study found that primary care providers may have been more likely to see patients with early-stage, mild or asymptomatic but still contagious SARS-CoV-2 infection, while having little to no personal protective equipment. Family physician Dr. Ydelfonso Decoo, 70, was the quintessential neighbourhood doctor. From his practice in New York Citys Washington Heights, he saw generations of patients walk through his doors. Patients and their families many immigrants from the Dominican Republic, like him stopped to say hello when they saw him in the street. He loved his community and he always took time to listen to them, said Dorka Caceres, his assistant of 20 years. Decoo saw patients through late March, when he developed symptoms. Dr. Ashraf Metwally was a Brooklyn family physician originally from Egypt. Dahlia Ibrahim, a family friend, described him as a staple in the local Arab community. A cancer survivor who helped out in emergency rooms early in the pandemic, Metwally helped people. Thats just who he was, Ibrahim wrote. These providers were like firefighters, said Liz Webb, SOMOS vice president for human resources. They were going into their communities, communicating in their languages, and making sure (people) didnt worry about their immigration status when seeking out testing, she said. To cope with the loss of their colleagues and uncertainty about the future, SOMOS doctors have organized a nightly prayer group on Zoom that draws dozens of participants. And theyve begun to lend their services to new COVID hot spots: This summer, they sent health workers to Georgia and Florida to volunteer in clinics and hospitals. Chowdhurys family has spent the past few months learning what he meant to his patients. They were overwhelmed by the outpouring of grief and support from people around the world who had sought his care or advice at one point or another. When they held an online memorial, they struggled to find a platform that could accommodate everyone who wanted to pay their respects, Chowdhurys daughter said. Zoom maxes you out at, like, 200 users, so we used another (service) that allowed 500, and even then we were at capacity, she said. A Michigan pastor accused of multiple sex crimes is now wanted after failing to turn himself in. A Kalamazoo pastor accused of sex crimes against teenagers is now a wanted man after he failed to turn himself in. Read More: Kalamazoo pastor accused of sexual assault, paying teens to have sex with wife Rev. Stricjavvar Strick Strickland continuously pushed back the date of his surrender as he was initially due to turn himself in at the Kalamazoo County Jail on Friday, Wood TV reports. (Credit: Rev. Stricjavvar Strick Strickland) He was then supposed to turn himself in on Monday, Tuesday and then today, which he has not done, said Michigan State Police Detective 1st Lt. Chuck Christensen according to Wood TV. He continues, And at this point, with the seriousness of the charges and the victims we have out there, we now consider him a fugitive. According to theGrio, Strickland faces 11 felony charges including four counts of human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity and three counts of child sexually abusive activity. The pastor allegedly sexually abused four teenage boys and paid them to engage in sexual activity with his wife. Read More: Michigan pastor says white woman coughed on him for not wearing mask Currently, Stricklands wife, Jazmonique Strickland, does not face any charges. The pastor himself denies all claims. Wood TV reports the case is now assigned to the MSP Fugitive Task Force. The pastor has resided in his home state of Mississippi since the allegations were first brought to light in 2018. Christensen says if police learn of Stricklands location the team will go arrest him, and hell face the extradition process if out-of-state. Although he did not turn himself in, the pastors lawyer says his client is not running, citing travel difficulties as the reason for the delay. (Strickland) is currently living in the southern United States and has had to deal with hurricane weather and transportation issues, says lawyer Mike Hill to Wood TV. Story continues He continues, He will be turning himself in very soon. Hes not running. This is going to happen. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Michigan pastor accused of paying teens for sex a fugitive, police say appeared first on TheGrio. Episode 51 | 29 min Shifting the margins in your preaching to all people. How can you preach to people on the margins? What does this look like on a practical level? Matt Woodley explores these questions with Patricia Batten, Associate Director of the Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. She drew attention to how a preacher can overlook certain people groups, without realizing it. Pat said she often preaches to the middle, but recently felt convicted that she should expand her audience. She also shares a story about her daughter, which demonstrates her conviction that all people are made in the image of God. Check out what was referenced in this episode: Patricia Batten's book "Parenting by Faith: What Jesus Said to Parents." Rose Publishing LLC, 2019. Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:52:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Martina Fuchs GENEVA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- In its first week without a captain, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is not only faced with an unprecedented leadership vacuum or the biggest crisis in its 25-year history, but an urgent need to stay relevant while embracing the technological and geopolitical realities nowadays, trade experts warned. The Geneva-based global trade watchdog has de facto become leaderless on Aug. 31 with the departure of Director-General Roberto Azevedo, who surprisingly announced in May that he would step down one year before the official end of his term. Azevedo, who will join soft drinks and food company PepsiCo as chief corporate affairs officer, is leaving his successor with a massive set of challenges, ranging from intensifying trade tensions between major members, rising protectionism, to the worst economic recession, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, since the Great Depression. QUESTIONS OVER FUNCTION The WTO, which was founded in 1995 to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. While critics have warned of the imminent "death of the WTO," Bernard Hoekman, professor at the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies in the European University Institute, said such claims were exaggerated. "The real question is whether a critical mass of WTO members will be willing to engage in reform discussions that will make the organization relevant for the global governance of 21st century trade, which centers increasingly on trade in services and policies that affect the growth of the ongoing structural transformation of the economy towards digitization, disintermediation and automation," he told Xinhua in a recent interview. "There are ongoing plurilateral discussions on some of the key policy areas, for example on e-commerce and domestic regulation of services, which is a positive dynamic," he said. "International organizations rarely die but they can become irrelevant. Only when enough governments see the value in doing business at the WTO will it revive," Simon Evenett, professor of international trade at St Gallen University in Switzerland, told Xinhua. REFORMS, REFORMS, REFORMS How to reform the organization and its rule-based multilateral trading system is now hanging like the sword of Damocles over the eight candidates, who threw their hats in the ring for the top job of the WTO. The WTO is due to begin three rounds of consultations this month -- dubbed "confessionals" -- in which all of its 164 members confidentially voice their preferences, gradually eliminating the names on the list. This process is expected to last at least until November, provided that there are no delays. The candidates running for the top post of new director-general meanwhile have promised sweeping reforms of the WTO's three major functions of dispute settlement, multilateral trade negotiations and trade policy. Candidate Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh from Egypt told Xinhua in a recent interview that restoring the deadlocked negotiation function would be his number one priority. Kenya's Amina Mohamed stressed that she would update the WTO's rulebook "so that it's fit for purpose and in sync with the global developments, global aspirations and respond properly to global challenges." "The world has moved on. The question is whether trade diplomats can leave their comfort zone and embrace the realities of 21st century technological and geopolitical rivalry," Evenett said. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PARALYSIS The other pressing issue that needs fixing is the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism, which is currently paralyzed. The Appellate Body, considered as the supreme court for global trade disputes, is supposed to have seven judges and needs a minimum of three to function. The U.S. administration has been blocking new appointments for more than two years, with claims that the court had gone beyond its remit. "Without an effective system to address trade conflicts, there is no incentive to negotiate new agreements. The current crisis is an opportunity to reform the approach taken in the WTO to resolving disputes," Hoekman said. WTO members including China and the European Union set up a temporary arbitration system earlier this year that allows them to overcome the current paralysis and solve trade disputes among themselves. Jesus Seade Kuri, Mexico's candidate for the director-general, told Xinhua that restarting the dispute settlement system would be on top of his reform agenda and suggested creating a new supervision mechanism for the Appellate Body. MORE UNCERTAINTIES Irrespective of who takes the helm, the ultimate winner will have to brace himself or herself for new post-COVID-19 realities, a plunge in global trade and re-establish the WTO as an advocate for international trade. According to the body's annual trade forecast published in April, global trade in goods is expected to drop by between 13 percent to 32 percent in 2020, before rebounding by 21-24 percent in 2021. In theory, Azevedo's successor should be selected by Nov. 7, four days after the U.S. presidential election, under an agreed elimination process that is based on consensus. But as the selection process for the new director-general still continues, insiders have cautioned that the leadership void could last for months. With U.S. President Donald Trump having previously threatened to pull the United States out of the WTO, although no firm plans have been announced, another great unknown remains to be how much influence the U.S. will be exerting on that process in the run-up to the appointment of the WTO chief. Enditem He took a hint from Michelle Obamas penchant for mixing high and low. She was known for acts such as tossing a J.Crew cardigan over a dress by one of her favorite designers. Similarly, Smith would take a fancy room and add elements and fabrics to make it feel less formal. In the first ladys dressing room and private office, he arranged cozy throws and club chairs. In the Obamas bedroom, done in soft blues and neutrals, a 19th-century mahogany bed from the White House collection provided, he writes, a real sanctuary in a room, a retreat within a retreat. He added contemporary swing-arm lamps within the bed curtains to provide light for late-night reading. B ritain today stepped up pressure on Russia by warning of severe consequences for those behind the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny with a suspected Novichok nerve agent. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was due to hold talks today with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on the Wests response to the attack on Mr Navalny, with gas sanctions against Russia already being mooted in Berlin. Boris Johnson has condemned the poisoning as outrageous. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said today: We are committed to working with Germany, our allies and international partners to demonstrate that there are severe consequences to the use of banned chemical weapons. The OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) will also have an important role to play investigating this attempted murder. The internationally community must come together and use all of the tools at our disposal to hold the perpetrators accountable. He stopped short of directly blaming Russia for the attack, which Moscows denies being involved in. But he added: There are serious questions for the Russian government to answer and it must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny. The UK has offered Germany support from its experts given the knowledge they gained from dealing with the 2018 Novichok attack in Salibury on Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Earlier, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the prospect of gas sanctions against Russia. Norbert Roettgen, head of Germanys parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said: There must be a European response, when asked if work on the NordStream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany should stop in response to the attack on Mr Navalny. We must pursue hard politics, we must respond with the only language Putin understands - that is gas sales, added Mr Roettgen, a member of Ms Merkels ruling CDU party. European leaders have strongly condemned the poisoning of Mr Navalny, though there was silence yesterday from Donald Trump on the case. Berlin said a military laboratory produced unequivocal evidence that he had been poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent developed in Russia. But the foreign ministry in Moscow said Germanys assertion was not backed by evidence and the head of Russias foreign intelligence agency insisted it could not be excluded that Western special forces were behind the poisoning of Kremlin critic Mr Navalny. Sergei Naryshkin, head of the agency, added that no traces of poison had been found by Russian doctors after Navalny fell ill in Siberia last month. However, diplomats in the West had expected Russia to launch a disinformation campaign over the case. Mr Navalny, 44, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20 and is now in a coma in intensive care in a hospital in Berlin after activists arranged for him to be flown to Germany. Mr Johnson tweeted yesterday: The Russian government must now explain what happened to Mr Navalny - we will work with international partners to ensure justice is done. However, Sarah Bailey, the wife of Wiltshire Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey who almost died after he was exposed to Novichok while responding to the 2018 attacks in Salisbury, responded: Justice would be nice. Actions speak louder than words. Det Sgt Bailey was the first person to enter the home of Mr Skripal after he and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned on a park bench in Salisbury. He has spoken previously of still trying to pick up the pieces of his life after becoming seriously ill from the poisoning, and losing his family home and possessions due to contamination fears. Mr Johnson, as Foreign Secretary in 2018, played a key role in the expulsion by more than 20 allied countries of more than 100 suspected Russian spies in response to the Salisbury poisonings. A week after California State University, Chico began its fall semester, 464 coronavirus cases were reported in the Chico area and the vast majority are among people between the ages of 18 and 24, Butte County health officials said Wednesday. Butte County as a whole reported 557 cases the week of Aug. 24 to 31. Among the 464 Chico-area cases, 78% are people between 18 to 24 years old, according to the county. While Butte County Public Health cannot confirm that all cases associated with people ages 18 to 24 in Chico are college students, the increase in cases does coincide closely with the start of school and the influx of a large number of college-age students, the county health department said in a statement. There were 314 cases reported during the last two weeks of August, compared to 89 cases the last two weeks of July. Fall instruction at Chico State began Aug. 24 with 90% of classes online. On Monday, the university transitioned to 100% online. There have been 78 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on campus since the beginning of August, according to the university. That includes students, faculty and staff. University and county health officials urged students to avoid parties where they would interact with people outside of their household. Gatherings must be postponed or canceled, they said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The transition to virtual-only learning doesnt mean the university community can relax its commitment to keeping ourselves and those around us in the larger community safe, Chico State President Gayle Hutchinson said in a statement. The recent and rapid spread of the virus is evidence that we must improve our efforts and follow COVID-19 best practices like physical distancing, wearing face coverings, and washing hands. Over the Labor Day weekend, we urge students in particular to avoid large gatherings and parties. More than 26,000 coronavirus cases have been reported at 750 U.S. colleges and universities, according to the New York Times, which is tracking college outbreaks. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho Virginia Tech President Tim Sands and local leaders on Thursday projected confidence that the university will see COVID-19 cases taper off after an initial surge that could last weeks. If were really careful and diligent, were going to get through this in a few weeks. And in a few months, we should hopefully put this behind us, Sands said. Sands joined Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith and Dr. Noelle Bissell, director of the New River Health District, for a virtual town hall discussion of the communitys response to the virus. Virginia Techs COVID-19 dashboard has shown 178 positive cases among students and employees out of 10,053 tests administered since Aug. 9. While the dashboard has not been revised since Tech said Monday it would be updated more frequently, Sands on Thursday said the dashboard will be updated daily starting next week. Since the first day of Tech move-in on Aug. 14, Montgomery County has seen COVID-19 cases increase from 315 to 660 on Thursday, according to state data. Over that same time period, Radford where Radford University students began move-in two weeks prior has seen cases increase from 63 to 527, state data show. Bissell and Sands cautioned that daily reports of case numbers are not the most accurate picture of how the pandemic is manifesting on the ground. The numbers are reflecting whats happened days or weeks ago, Bissell said about Virginia Department of Health data. When we see an increase, in reported cases, people should not necessarily panic and overreact and say, Oh my gosh, this is happening right now. By the time they hit that dashboard, my team has already started the investigation and in most cases completed the investigation, she said of health department investigations that trace an infected persons contacts. Sands said the data on Techs dashboard is beyond the level of actionable information, I believe, but its important to be transparent. He said the dashboard will soon include a seven-day moving average as well as daily case numbers, which he encouraged users to become a student of them. Learn a little bit about what they actually mean. Theres probably a little bit too much attention to numbers of cases, Sands said. Thats something that is important, but is not the main metric that we use to judge how were handling the pandemic. Key metrics include the availability of campus quarantine and isolation space, as well as whether theres evidence that infections among students are spreading into the larger community, Sands said. On Monday, the university said about 24% of isolation space was occupied by students. Bissell said health department staff arent seeing uncontrolled outbreaks of COVID-19. What we are seeing overwhelmingly in Radford, and the Virginia Tech community now, the students keep it to themselves, and the community cases are separate. We are not seeing any kind of linkage there, she said. We are not seeing any cases in the community that we cannot trace, which would be a red flag. And were not seeing people getting really sick. Tech reported 157 new positive cases last week, and Sands said people should expect to see at least that, probably on the order of a few hundred new cases reported for this week. The key is will we see that plateauing over the next few weeks and trending down, and thats where we get some hope from what were seeing, some confidence in our plan from Radford, Sands said. Bissell has said Radford recently has seen a substantial drop in new cases, though backlogged data would indicate that cases are increasing. Despite Bissells assertion that Radfords cases will begin to plateau in the coming weeks, a petition supposedly started by a Radford University student is circulating on Change.org asking the school to go all virtual for the next two weeks. The petition, started by concerned student, had 379 signatures as of Thursday afternoon, and said the responsibility for the rise in cases should not rest solely on the students. There has been a lot of blame placed on the students of the university recently. The blame has primarily been directed towards activities such as parties. But, there has been no responsibility taken by Radford University for bringing the students back to campus, only testing certain students who live in hotspots, and hiding behind HIPPA Laws resulting in other students not being able to know who has tested positive for COVID-19, part of the petition reads. The University is continuing to monitor COVID-19 on our campus and in our community, Caitlyn Scaggs, a Radford University spokeswoman, said in an email Thursday. As the number of positive cases has plateaued and is declining, any reverse in this trend through a spike in the numbers would result in a modified delivery of programs and services. Any and all possible actions would be carefully reviewed and thoughtfully implemented, as necessary. Sands on Thursday said Virginia Tech has no plans to shift classes all online, as James Madison University announced on Tuesday after concerns that a spike in cases could overwhelm isolation space. At this point, we are not contemplating any change in mode of operation, Sands said. As the Labor Day weekend approaches and the semester gets underway, its critical for people not to let their guard down, panelists said. In the next two to three weeks, and especially, this weekend, theyre crucial, said Hager-Smith, who ended her comments with an impassioned message to students on the importance of protecting community members. I want to live to see my kids prosper and my grandchildren grow, she said. We are coming into this stretch with real strength and if we dont succeed at this point, its because we threw it away. We threw away the opportunity, Hager-Smith said. Lets show the world what were made of, lets show the world that this can be a success. Students, employees, parents, alumni and campus visitors can get information on Techs response to the pandemic through a COVID-19 helpline at 540-231-7600. The call center initially will be staffed 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, except for Labor Day. Staff writer Sam Wall contributed information to this report. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HOUSTON, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Partners, a national leader in multi-family real estate development, announced today the grand opening of its newest luxury residential community Alta Med Main in Houston, Texas. The four-story community features 338 units comprised of one- and two-bedroom apartment homes. Leasing is currently underway at www.livealtamedmain.com and first move-ins began in early September. Located in the Texas Medical Center, a short distance from Downtown Houston, Alta Med Main offers residents easy access to major employment centers in the area, including Texas Medical Center, Rice University, and Downtown. NRG Stadium, the Museum District, the Houston Zoo and Hermann Park are also nearby. "We are excited to welcome residents from across the Houston area to this market-leading community," said Bart Barrett, Managing Director at Wood Partners. "Alta Med Main gives residents unequaled luxury in the midst of the largest medical city in the world. This fantastic location provides everything our residents need right around the corner." The new community is conveniently located just north of Interstate 610, and within minutes of both the NRG Park/Astrodome and Fannin South Transit Stations, giving residents easy access to transportation that connects across the Houston megaregion. There is a wide variety of retail and grocery options in the neighborhood, including Target, Walmart, Costco and Kroger. In addition to luxurious apartments, the community offers state-of-the-art amenities for residents to enjoy outside of their homes. These include a clubroom, sky lounge with kitchen area, business center with reserve-able micro-offices, a conference room, and a 24/7 fitness center with a virtual fitness studio. The community also boasts two courtyards that include a resort-style pool with sun deck, a tranquility space and entertaining areas, as well as a dog park with a pet washing station. Residents will also have access to a Luxor package room, enabling stress-free package pickup. About Wood Partners Wood Partners is a national real estate company that acquires, develops, constructs and property manages multifamily communities. The company has been involved in the acquisition and development of more than 82,000 multifamily homes with a combined capitalization of more than $15.1 billion nationwide. The company currently owns 68 properties across the United States with a combined total of more than 18,000 homes. Wood Partners has offices in 19 major markets nationwide including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach. Contact: Michael Campbell [email protected] 415-227-9700 Related Images wood-partners-announces-grand.jpg Wood Partners Announces Grand Opening of Alta Med Main in Houston The four-story community features 338 units. SOURCE Wood Partners Related Links http://www.livealtamedmain.com Seven police officers in Rochester, New York, have been suspended with pay following the release of body camera footage in the March death of Daniel Prude, the city's mayor, Lovely Warren, announced Thursday. The footage, released Wednesday, showed police putting a hood on the 41-year-old's head and shoving his face into the ground for three minutes while he was naked and handcuffed. Prude's death was largely unknown until his family released the footage and police documents surrounding his death. "Mr. Daniel Prude was failed by our police department, our mental health care system, our society, and he was failed by me," Warren told reporters Thursday, adding, "I am suspending the officers in question today, against the advice of counsel." "I understand that the union may sue the city for this," she said. "They shall feel free to do so." Warren did not name the officers who were suspended. She claimed that Police Chief La'Ron Singletary originally told her Prude died of an overdose in police custody, and said she didn't see video of the incident until August 4. "l have addressed with Police Chief LaRon Singletary how deeply disappointed I am in him personally and professionally for failing to fully and accurately inform me about what occurred to Mr. Prude," Warren said. "He knows he needs to do better to truly protect and serve our community and I know he will." Warren's decision comes after footage of the incident sparked outrage in Rochester and across the nation. The footage showed officers approaching Prude, who was kneeling naked in the street, at approximately 3:15 a.m. on March 23. The officers handcuffed Prude and put him in a "spit sock" a hood over his head designed to protect officers from saliva before shoving his face into the ground for more than three minutes. Prude died seven days later of "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint," as well as "excited delirium" and PCP intoxication, according to a report from the medical examiner. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. Story continues Joe Prude, brother of Daniel Prude, right, and his son Armin, stand with a picture of Daniel Prude in Rochester on September 3, 2020. / Credit: Ted Shaffrey / AP Prude's brother Joe called police on the morning of March 23 to help Prude, who was suffering from what the family lawyer described as a "an acute, manic, psychotic episode." His brother on Wednesday condemned the officers' actions, telling reporters, "I placed the phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched." Prude's 18-year-old daughter Tashyra also decried her father's death. "I'm still waiting on him to call me and say, 'I'm coming home,'" she said in a conference call. "To know that I will never get that is breaking my heart." Rochester Police documents released by Prude's family show that Joe had told officers that Prude had run out of the house that night after he had been hospitalized earlier in the day for suicidal ideation. Warren also criticized the hospital for releasing Prude hours after his family had him hospitalized that day, calling it another "failure" that led to his death. At a press conference Wednesday, Warren and Singletary said they had turned their investigations over to New York Attorney General Letitia James, which was required under a 2015 executive order that governs how cases of unarmed men dying in police custody are investigated. The New York Attorney General's office confirmed it was investigating the case, but said Thursday that "we have not asked the city of Rochester nor the Rochester Police Department (RPD) to refrain from launching an internal investigation." "In fact, we encourage both Rochester and the RPD to proceed with an internal review simultaneous to our investigation," the office said. Warren said Thursday that this was a change in the attorney general's stance. "Therefore, we will proceed, and that is why we have suspended these officers," she said. She also claimed she wanted to come forward to the public as soon as she was made aware of the full situation, but said her law department told her the attorney general's office had asked them not to speak out until its investigation was complete. Rochester's police union said earlier Thursday that it "has concerns about the incident involving our members and Mr. Daniel Prude," and that it is in the process of gathering information. The union declined to comment about the suspensions. The family's Wednesday announcement sparked protests in Rochester, and several activists were arrested, according to CBS affiliate WROC. More protests were planned for Thursday. Jericka Duncan contributed reporting. Newly-released body camera video shows naked man suffocating in police custody in Rochester, NY Surge of mail-in voting could delay election night results Biden slams Trump's coronavirus response and school reopening failures BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 3 By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: Armenian President Armen Sargsyan has recently congratulated citizens of his country on the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, stressing that it became a signal of the beginning of a new historical stage in the life of country's people. Will the new stage of prosperity of Armenian people be based on the socio-economic foundation of the last thirty years? To answer this question, it should be enough to look at the statistics from independent international institutions, such as WB, CIA World Factbook, Knoema. For comparison, the data on Azerbaijan, which restored its independence in 1991 (the same year as Armenia) is also given: Armenia Azerbaijan 1990-91 2019 1990-91 2019 Population (mln) 3.5 2.9 7.2 10 Population growth rate (%) 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.9 Poverty rate (% of population) .. 32 .. 4.9 Unemployment rate (%) 1.6 17.1 (19.8 as of March 2020) .. 4.8 Gross national income at purchasing power parity (in billion current international dollars) 8.2 42.7 25.2 143.9 Total state debt (% to GDP) 0.5 50.1 (2020) 0.1 18.6 (2020) GDP in current US dollars (bln) 2.26 13.6 8.86 48 Current account balance (% to GDP) -9.7 9.2 Net inflow of foreign direct investments (million US dollars) 2 254.48 .. 1,503.92 Net migration rate (per 1,000 people) -5.6 (2018) 0 (2018) So, the new historical stage in the life of the Armenian people, which the Armenian president spoke about, in terms of the key economic indicators, to put it mildly, cannot instill optimism in citizens of this country. Maybe Armenia is capable of pursuing an independent state policy, which is the most important criterion for independence? No, again. Armenia has patrons, but no partners and friends. The consent to play the role of the watchdog in the region or a bargaining chip, does not allow it to build equal, mutually beneficial relations with members of the international community, and, first of all, with neighboring countries. Independence Day will be celebrated in Armenia on September 21. It would be interesting to know how many people living there realize that hanging the national flag and singing the national anthem is not independence yet. President Uhuru Kenyatta has told the global community that Kenya will lead Eastern Africa counter-terrorism efforts by working with regional governments and partners. At the same time, the President reiterated that Kenya will leverage on its membership in the UN Security Council to contribute more to global peace and security. Kenya aims to provide leadership in the Horn of Africa by exploring and implementing diplomatic measures in counter-terrorism financing and to work with partners in the broader spectrum of efforts within counter-terrorism, as well as to stem other forms of transnational organized crime. Through Kenyas non-permanent member seat at the United Nations Security Council, Kenya further aims to contribute to global peace and security, with the ultimate goal being the attainment of sustainable development for the year 2021-2022, the President said. The Head of State spoke Wednesday evening at State House, Nairobi during a virtual meeting of the Aqaba Process on Covid-19 convened by King Abdullah II of Jordan. The meeting brought together several global leaders among them Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and UN Secretary General Antonio Guteress to discuss the nexus between the Covid-19 pandemic and global security. President Kenyatta said Covid-19 is a catalyst to global insecurity by amplifying pre-existing security and contributing socioeconomic difficulties. The pandemic has been a catalyst for underlying risk trends, with many countries facing sharply deteriorating political, security, criminal and governance situations, the President said. President Kenyatta said the pandemic had slowed down global and regional crisis and conflict resolution efforts thereby escalating tensions and negating peace-building gains made over the years. In the Horn of Africa, the President said Covid-19 had heightened potential for terrorist acts, worsened the refugee crisis and led to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. To address security challenges made worse by Covid-19, President Kenyatta said frontline states in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism should be assisted by strengthening their capacities to deal with both emerging and pre-existing security challenges. Prime Minister Trudeau called for the involvement of women in the global security conversation so as to ensure that diverse voices are heard. The Canadian leader decried disinformation brought about by fake news saying it was fuelling anxiety among populations during the Covid-19 pandemic. President Duterte pitched for openness, deeper solidarity and collaboration in the global response to Covid-19 and warned against unilateralism which he said was helping fuel insecurity. Prince Harry has grown up in the public eye, a beloved member of the royal family. However, in recent years, he has gone from being known as the fun royal to a figure of extreme division. His marriage to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex kickstarted a relentless crusade against the tabloids that continues to this day. While the royal has many sympathizers, it is clear that his popularity is nowhere near what it once was especially in light of his recent exit from senior royal status. Still, some reports claim that Prince Harry comes by his hatred of the tabloid press honestly, since his mother, the late Princess Diana, also had a problematic relationship with the media. Princess Dianas back and forth battle with the press Diana Princess of Wales | David Levenson/Getty Images Princess Diana was one of the most-loved royal figures of all time. Known as the Peoples Princess, she spent her days helping others, raising awareness of important human rights issues, and spending time with her two young boys. Even a bitter divorce did little to diminish her status in the eyes of the public. The British media, knowing the peoples love for Princess Diana, pursued her relentlessly, following her whenever she dared step foot outside her home. The months following her divorce from Prince Charles were even more difficult for Princess Diana, as she was even more of a high-interest figure than ever before. After her untimely death in a car crash, many accused the media of driving her to an early grave, causing her an unparalleled amount of stress and anxiety. Still, a new book indicates that not only was Princess Diana obsessed with reading the stories about her in the press but that her youngest son actually shares her unhealthy obsession. Prince Harry is reportedly obsessed with the tabloids RELATED: Prince William and Kate Middletons Wedding Reportedly Left Prince Harry Angry and Resentful A new book, titled Finding Freedom, details the connection that Prince Harry shares with his late mother. The book claims that not only was Princess Diana obsessed with reading the media coverage about her life, but that Prince Harry started dating Meghan in 2016, he started a similar pattern. Sources for the book claim that Diana became obsessed with her media coverage and when Harry began dating Meghan, he was much the same. Reading the negative stories and the outright lies was toxic for both of them. The effect on them was powerful. The sources also reveal that Prince Harrys obsession has gotten worse in the past several years. They reveal: When Meghan became pregnant, there was a definite change. Palace aides have seen the prince become absolutely furious over certain stories. There was a bit of walking on eggshells when he got very emotional about it. Prince Harry is actively fighting the tabloid press Prince Harry | KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry might be equally affected by the negative tabloid stories as his late mother was, but rather than allow himself and his wife to go down a similar path, he has chosen to fight back. Over the years, he has issued several statements directed at the press, the first in defense of Meghan Markle not long after they started dating, and more recently, a statement announcing a lawsuit. The current, ongoing lawsuit against several British tabloids proves that Prince Harry is willing to do what it takes to defend his privacy and the safety of his family. Even if his actions have earned him substantial criticism, it seems unlikely that he will back down from his aggressive stance at this point in time. After all, he still carries the memory of his mother with him at all times. EAPC restructuring enters final phase ICR Newsroom By 03 September 2020 The restructuring of East African Portland Cement Co (EAPC)s human resources in Kenya is entering its final phase with 270 employees seeing their permanent contracts converted to contract terms. Speaking during a consultative meeting with the permanent staff, the acting MD, 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 per cent of administrative staff and 70 per cent production staff, Mr Nthei said. As we all know, the company has also been running in the past against the directive by SCAC (State Corporations Advisory Committee) on the 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, he added. Every staff will be accorded one month salary for every year worked, there is also the issue of the notice period which is three 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 programme to raise the money. The cash arising from this will be utilised to settling the staff obligations, Mr Nthei said. Published under A Malian refugee student plays the role of teacher at a school in Goudoubo camp. Because of rising insecurity teachers no longer show up and students often teach each other. UNHCR/Sylvain Cherkaoui GENEVA COVID-19 presents a dire threat to refugee education worldwide, according to a hard-hitting report issued today by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The report Coming Together for Refugee Education notes that half of all refugee children are out of school and calls for immediate and bold action by the international community to beat back the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus. We cannot rob them of their futures. Half of the worlds refugee children were already out of school, says Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today. Despite the enormous challenges posed by the pandemic, with greater international support to refugees and their host communities, we can expand innovative ways to protect the critical gains made in refugee education over the past years. The report details that, while children in every country have struggled with the impact of COVID-19, refugee children have been particularly disadvantaged. UN figures show that 1.6 billion learners across the world, including millions of refugees, have had their education disrupted. COVID-19 has led to the greatest disruption of education in history, affecting 1.6 billion learners. Including millions of young refugees. We must act now to ensure they are not left behind. pic.twitter.com/T7wQA4FsKm UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) September 3, 2020 Before the pandemic, a refugee child was twice as likely to be out of school as a non-refugee child. This is set to worsen many may not have opportunities to resume their studies due to school closures, difficulties affording fees, uniforms or books, lack of access to technologies or because they are being required to work to support their families. However, the report also highlights a series of inspiring examples of how young refugees and their teachers have kept going through the pandemic. See also: South Sudanese teacher sets sights on university for his children From refugees and host communities to teachers, private sector partners, national and local authorities, innovators and humanitarian agencies all have found numerous ways to keep education going in the face of the pandemic. It has been a demonstration of partnership, generosity, and creative thinking, allied to the passion and determination of millions of young people, Grandi says. During lockdown, refugees and teachers, governments, UNHCRs partners, all came up with various resourceful ways to keep education going. They ranged from Egypt moving its entire curriculum online, to a teacher in Dadaab refugee camp broadcasting lessons over a local radio station. Also included were mobile classrooms in Bolivia, new roles for parent-teacher associations in Chad, and a learning content platform in Uganda that has found a way around the obstacle of low or no connectivity. Eight-year-old Nicaraguan asylum-seeker Isai* (in grey jacket) working with his third grade teacher before his school just outside Guatemala City closed. UNHCR/Alexis Masciarelli Fadia, 14, attempts to do an online test as part of her e-learning at home in Amman, Jordan. UNHCR/Lilly Carlisle Nadia, 12, and her youngest brother Abed, 5, sit in the alleyway outside their home in East Amman. They and their three other siblings have been taking turns using the family's one TV and mobile phone. UNHCR/Lilly Carlisle Asma, 8, draws a picture in Rose 2 Learning Centre in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on 27 January, 2020. UNHCR/Vincent Tremeau Mornings at Vahdat Primary School in Isfahan, Iran when the mix of refugee and host nation pupils arrive are full of enthusiasm and energy. UNHCR/Mohammad Hossein Dehghanian The report states that without greater support, steady, hard-won increases in school, university, and technical and vocational education enrolment could be reversed in some cases permanently - potentially jeopardizing efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. In a powerful Final Word to the report, the Vodafone Foundation and UNHCR Ambassador for the Instant Network Schools Programme, Mohamed Salah, said: Ensuring quality education today means less poverty and suffering tomorrow. Unless everyone plays their part, generations of children millions of them in some of the worlds poorest regions will face a bleak future. But if we work as a team, as one, we can give them the chance they deserve to have a dignified future. Lets not miss this opportunity. Adapting to the limitations imposed by COVID-19 has been especially tough for the 85 per cent of the worlds refugees who live in developing or least developed countries. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, good connectivity, cheap or even limitless data, even radio sets these are often not readily available to displaced communities. I am especially concerned with the impact on refugee girls." The 2019 data in the report is based on reporting from 12 countries hosting more than half of the worlds refugee children. While there is 77% gross enrolment in primary school, only 31% of youth are enrolled in secondary school. At the level of higher education, only 3% of refugee youth are enrolled. Far behind global averages, these statistics nevertheless represent progress. Enrolment in secondary education rose, with tens of thousands of refugee children newly attending school; a 2% increase in 2019 alone. However, the pandemic threatens to undo this and other crucial advances. For refugee girls, the threat is particularly grave. Based on UNHCR data, the Malala Fund has estimated that as a result of COVID-19, half of all refugee girls in secondary school will not return when classrooms reopen this month. For countries where refugee girls' gross secondary enrolment was already less than 10%, all girls are at risk of dropping out for good a chilling prediction that would have an impact for generations to come. See also: Afghan girl who waited years for school refuses to let her enthusiasm wane I am especially concerned with the impact on refugee girls. Not only is education a human right, but the protection and economic benefits to refugee girls, their families, and their communities of education are clear. The international community simply cannot afford to fail to provide them with the opportunities that come through education, says Grandi. Putin Critic Poisoned by Soviet-Era Nerve Agent, Germany Says By VOA News September 02, 2020 Germany said Wednesday that tests performed on specimens taken from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny showed the presence of the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. A special German military laboratory had shown proof of "a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in a statement. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said, "The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today (Wednesday)," and called Navalny's poisoning "completely reprehensible." "We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities," Ullyot added. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also commented, saying, "This is shocking, and I utterly condemn it." "The use of a military-grade nerve agent makes it even more urgent that the Russian authorities conduct a full and transparent investigation. Those responsible must be identified and held accountable. We will be consulting with Germany and all Allies on the implications of these findings. NATO regards any use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security," Stoltenberg said. Navalny fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20 and, after an emergency landing, at first was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk before later being flown for treatment and tests at a Berlin hospital. The 44-year-old Navalny is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's staunchest critics and an anti-corruption activist. The Kremlin has denied claims by Navalny's allies in Russia that authorities poisoned him, calling it "empty noise." Russian doctors who treated Navalny in Siberia contested the German hospital's conclusion, saying they had ruled out poisoning and that their tests for poisonous substances came back negative. Novichok is the same nerve agent that was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain in 2018. Seibert said the German government will inform the European Union and NATO about its Navalny test results and consult with them on "an appropriate joint response." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Aamir Khan took to Twitter to mourn the demise of his Marathi teacher Suhas Limaye. The actor talked about the four years he spent with Limaye as his teacher and expressed his gratitude about everything he learnt. Aamir wrote, I am deeply saddened to hear that my Marathi Sir Mr Suhas Limaye passed away yesterday. Sir, you have been one of my best teachers. I have enjoyed every moment that I spent with you. Your curiosity, and your desire to learn and share, is what made you the fantastic teacher that you have always been. The 4 years we spent together have been most memorable. Every moment that we have spent together is etched in my memory. You taught me not just Marathi, but about so many other things too. Thank you. You will be surely missed, Sir. My heartfelt condolences to the family. Take a look below: On the work front, Aamir is currently shooting in Turkey for his upcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha. Directed by Advait Chandan, the film is the Hindi remake of the 1994 film Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Laal Singh Chaddha also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead role. The film was scheduled to release on December 25, 2020. However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it has been postponed for an entire year and will release on Christmas 2021 now. Power wheelchairs may soon come equipped with a "smart" safety system. Eleven-year-old Betsy Pringle was born with muscular dystrophy. She has been chosen as one of the less than 10 people participating in the trial of LUCI. For the past six years, Betsy has been using a power wheelchair to move around. That can also be a concern as her chair could tip over if is she is not paying attention to her surroundings. She said participating in the trial of LUCI was an exciting experience for her as now there is no more risk of her hitting her pet, siblings, or walls, or even going off any curbs. Betsy's mom, Anne, is just as excited and thinks that her daughter will become more independent because of LUCI. Betsy can now roam and explore the neighborhood safely. She is also able to play like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. And her mom does not need to worry about her encountering an accident. Anne said that LUCI gives her peace of mind knowing that she would be alerted in case something untoward happens. However, what is even better is that LUCI can prevent accidents from happening in the first place. LUCI makes power wheelchairs safer LUCI is the latest technology developed by Barry Dean and his brother, Jered. His 19-year-old daughter, Katherine, has cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair. The idea of developing LUCI came when Barry discovered that no one has yet come up with an invention to make wheelchairs safer. Barry and Jered then developed a device that will make power wheelchairs safer for its users. LUCI can be mounted to a power wheelchair. It combines radar, sensors, and a camera to let the wheelchair sense its surroundings. The device also has communication and alerts capabilities plus voice activation compatibilities. Betsy was chosen to be part of LUCI's pilot program thanks to Cathy Carver. Cathy is a physical therapist at UAB's Spain Rehabilitation Center. They met at an event that Cathy's community program organized. Betsy participated in the event to help show other kids how to interact with kids with disabilities. The two have been in constant communication since. Cathy Carver later learned that the company was looking for people to participate in the LUCI pilot. She then thought of Betsy. According to her, Betsy is best qualified to test and give feedback about LUCI. She had the opportunity to ask Betsy when the eleven-year-old returned to Spain Rehabilitation Center to get fitted with a new wheelchair. Over the next few months, Betsy will test the device. She will afterward provide her feedback about her experience using LUCI. The information that she will provide will be used to refine the device before making it available to the public. As for Cathy, she told WTVY that she sees the technology becoming part of every wheelchair in the future. Pringle agrees and she added that this type of technology gives her a lot of peace of mind. Read also: After Watching YouTube Tutorials, This Man Builds Affordable 3D Prosthetic Limbs Robot Cleaners Armed with UV Light Help Keep a School Safe for Returning Students and Teachers Researchers at Sony and Harvard's Wyss Institute Created an Origami-Inspired Robot Road rage killer Kenneth Noye has been spotted laughing while walking down the street in south east England on the 22nd anniversary of his arrest in Spain. The 73-year-old gangster was controversially released from a life sentence in June last year after stabbing Stephen Cameron, 21, to death in May 1996. After the murder, Noye fled the country, sparking a two-year international manhunt before he was arrested in Spain in August 1998. Stephen's fiancee Danielle Cable, just 17 at the time of the murder, helped identify Noye in a Spanish restaurant before he was arrested and later testified against him in court. He was pictured last weekend enjoying the bank holiday near a railway station in south-east England, according to the Mirror. Road rage killer Kenneth Noye looks happy to be free as he enjoys the Bank Holiday sunshine The 73-year-old gangster, pictured, was controversially released from a life sentence by the parole board in June last year after stabbing Stephen Cameron, 21, to death in May 1996 Kenneth Noye, now 73, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 16 years for the murder of Stephen Cameron after he stabbed the 21-year-old to death on the M25 in 1996 One onlooker told the Mirror he looked 'happy' and didn't have 'a single care in the world' before adding: 'Despite being in his 70s he still looks really fit and strong.' Noye made headlines earlier this year after he was pictured visiting the scene where Stephen was killed. Just days after the 24th anniversary of the murder, Noye was spotted at the M25 slip-road near Swanley in Kent where he killed Stephen. Noye returned to the murder scene at 4pm on May 28 in his black VW Tiguan, a brand new 25,000 car he bought shortly after his release from Standford Hill. Stephen Cameron (left) and (right) with with fiancee Danielle, was stabbed to death in 1996 Former gangster Kenneth Noye's life of crime 1947: Kenneth Noye is born in Bexleyheath, south east London 1977: Falls into crime and gets an 18-month suspended sentence for having a shotgun. November 1983: The Brink's Mat robbery took place where six gunman burst into the warehouse near Heathrow and escaped with 26.3million. January 1985: Stabbed police officer John Fordham, who was investigating the robbery, to death in grounds of his home in West Kingsdown, Kent. He was under surveillance at the time. December 1985: Jury clear Noye of murder after agreeing he acted in self-defence July 1986: Jailed for 14 years for conspiring to handle Brinks Mat gold and evade VAT payments. 1994: He is released from prison. May 1996: Stabbed Stephen Cameron, 21, to death in a road rage attack on the M25 near Swnaley, Kent August 1998: Noye arrested in Barbate, Spain. April 2000: Noye convicted of murder and given a life sentence 2017: Authorised for move to open prison. He is seen on day release from Standford Hill prison a year later. May 2019 Parole Board announced decision to free him. June 2019 Kenny Noye is released Advertisement After leaving an Asda, Noye made his way along the B2173, past the road where Stephen and his family lived before joining the A20. It was the exact same route Danielle, who has since been given a new identity, and Stephen took. He then drove to the roundabout and traffic lights where he killed Stephen before heading in the direction of Surrey. It is unclear why Noye was in the Swanley area. Whilst on-the-run for Mr Cameron's murder, Noye lived under a fake name and hid in fishing villages near Cape Trafalgar, in Cadiz province. He is believed to have kept hold of his four-bed villa in Atlanterra, which was looked after by his sons Brett and Kevin. During the infamous robbery, six gunmen burst into a warehouse near Heathrow Airport and doused security guards in petrol before escaping with 26million. In 1985 Noye stabbed police officer John Fordham 10 times after he found the officer, camouflaged, and hiding in the back garden of his home. But a jury found him not guilty of murder or manslaughter on the grounds of self-defence. He was moved to an open prison in 2018 ahead of his release last year. The 73-year-old was allowed to walk free after the Parole Board ruled he was safe for release. On his release from jail in June, Stephen's family branded his sentence 'not justice' and a senior detective in the case said it was 'a joke'. He was pictured driving in a 25,000 VW 4x4 in the months after his release. Noye's plan to return to his 2 million Spanish bolthole, a hilltop mansion, was thwarted after he was told he must live in Britain as a condition of his release. Under the conditions of his release, Noye can only leave the country in 'extra special cases' such as a family bereavement. Whilst on-the-run for Mr Cameron's murder, Noye lived under a fake name and hid in fishing villages near Cape Trafalgar, in Cadiz province. He is believed to have kept hold of his four-bed villa in Atlanterra, which was looked after by his sons Brett and Kevin. A stock image of a VW 4x4 which Noye was said to have been driving when he was pictured Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called on the people of Dagbon to vote massively for President Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party(NPP) come December 7 for the restoration of Dagbon peace by the Akufo-Addo administration. The Dagbon people are indebted to president Akufo-Addo for bringing peace to Dagbon and once you owe someone a debt you should pay and Insha Allah the people of Dagbon will vote massively for the NPP come December 7. According to him, peace was one that had eluded Dagbon and many governments for a very long time but President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo against all odds said he would help in bringing peace and with the support of the eminent chiefs peace was brought to Dagbon. Addressing the people of Dagbon at the Gbewa palace in yendi when he paid a working visit to the King of Dagbon, Ndan Ya Na Abukari II , he said former president John Mahama cannot be trusted with the Free Senior High School policy and for that matter should not be re-elected as president. John Mahama cannot be trusted with the Free SHS because he said it wasn't possible then he said if he had Gh 2billion he wouldn't spend it on Free SHS so we don't think we can trust him with it . Dr. Bawumia said a new era of development has come to the North and its a development based on accomplishment. The era of flying guineafowl to Burkina Faso is over it's an era of real development on the ground in every district . The Vice President indicated that the policies of the NPP government such as Free SHS, PFJ, 1D1F, 1V1D, among others has transform the country. we have done about 42 infrastructure projects completed , 57 ongoing and 13 inherited projects from the NDC has been completed in the yendi municipality. He said government will provide students loan to students who will complete Free SHS and will not be able to pay their university fees to able them get access to tertiary education. Due to the increasing population of students from the Senior High Schools , Government intents to build a satellite University for Development Studies campus in Yendi and upgrade the Pong-Tamale veterinary college into a University of Agriculture to expand university placement in the Northern part of Ghana. The King of Dagbon , Ndan Ya Na Abukari II, expresses his gratitude for the invaluable contribution of Dagbon Malti Naa I, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the enduring peace in Dagbon. I wish to state categorically that the state of Dagbon is being affirmed with each passing day and is a factor of peace and stability in the country. The Ya Na commended the Akufo-Addo administration for the good work done so far to make life better for the people of Ghana. The King of Dagbon however appealed to government to complete the Eastern corridor road project , the upgrade and expansion of the yendi hospital , yendi-Saboba road, and the yendi Chereponi road. The Ya Na allocated over 500 acres of land for the establishment of the University for Development Studies satellite campus in yendi adding that teeming youth of the area will benefit from the establishment of the university situated within the Eastern corridor. He advised government and opposition parties to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions which has the potential of creating anarchy and disturb the peace and tranquility of the country. I admonish the state security agencies to act professionally, without fear or favor to safeguard the existing peace in the country. Daily Guide MIAMI - A senior U.S. official quietly told El Salvadors government that anti-poverty assistance from Washington is at risk over President Nayib Bukeles defiance of his countrys supreme court and congress, The Associated Press has learned. The rare rebuke from the Trump administration one of Bukeles biggest boosters came in a May 29 letter to an aide of the president from Thomas Kelly, acting vice-president of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. foreign aid agency that has committed nearly $300 million in grants to the small Central American country. With Congress considering whether to extend a Sept. 9 deadline for spending the U.S. aid, the criticism reflects growing concerns among mainly Democratic lawmakers that Bukele is taking his country down an authoritarian path, such as his use of troops to intimidate legislators and his rejection of high court ruling against tough pandemic restrictions. Recent actions by the Government of El Salvador have raised questions about the governments commitment to MCCs eligibility criteria, in particular the Executive Branchs interactions with the other branches of government, Kellys letter said. Further concerning incidents relating to these criteria could risk negative consequences for our partnership, something we wish to avoid. Kelly added that assistance from the MCC is contingent on strict adherence to the rule of law and the protection of fundamental freedoms. A copy of the letter was provided to AP by a U.S. congressional staffer on the condition of anonymity to disclose a private correspondence. Bukeles press office did not comment in response to a list of questions about the letter. The MCC in 2014 signed a compact with El Salvador to provide up to $277 million to finance regulatory reforms, education and infrastructure improvements, with the goal of promoting economic growth and private investment in the country. El Salvador agreed to allocate an additional $88 million for those efforts. It is one of the MCCs largest commitments anywhere in the world and followed an earlier $461 million U.S. aid package. Its not clear how El Salvador addressed Kellys private concerns, but theres no sign the MCC is looking to cut off Bukeles government, which has requested a 6- to 12-month no-cost extension to carry out projects that have been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. As of July 30, 74% of the funds donated by the U.S. had been spent, El Salvadors government says. El Salvador is expected to seek new U.S. funding once the current assistance expires. But Democratic Party staffers in Congress say there is no support for it becoming the first partner country to develop a third compact with the MCC, which was established by Congress in 2004 as an agency that reports to the State Department but operates independently. Tim Rieser, an aide to Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the MCC was established with the goal of raising the standard for foreign assistance. To be eligible, a country must first pass an MCC scorecard that rates performance on 20 categories. In the 2020 scorecard, El Salvador ranked in the top quarter for political rights and top half for civil liberties, both third-party policy indicators, among 28 developing countries with similar income levels. MCC grants are supposed to be a reward for governments that meet objective criteria like battling corruption and respect for the rule of law, Rieser said. Senator Leahy believes that if we ignore conduct like President Bukeles that violate those criteria it undermines the MCCs credibility. Michael Kozak, acting assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, said this week that he was confident Congress would extend the compact for El Salvador and other countries where implementation has been slowed by the pandemic. The extension is tied up with the COVID relief bill, but we remain engaged, Kozak told reporters. We understand there is support to find a way forward and well keep working it, so thats why I dont think were really concerned that its going to be the end of the world here. Jacob Wood, an MCC spokesman, said the agencys model is built around accountability to make sure the projects are a good investment for American taxpayers. El Salvador is no exception to this and MCC is proud of our partnership, he said. Bukele has come under mounting criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans in Congress that he is exceeding his authority in a country with traditionally weak institutions. In February, Bukele sent heavily armed soldiers to surround the congress to pressure lawmakers into approving a loan to fund the fight against gangs. Then in April, Bukele defied El Salvadors supreme court, ignoring several rulings striking down strict measures that led to the detention in crowded quarantine centres of hundreds of people accused of breaking the coronavirus lockdown rules. Five people arent going to decide the death of hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans, Bukele said on Twitter about the courts judges. It doesnt matter how much ink and seals they have. The Trump administration has publicly stood strongly with Bukele amid those standoffs, saying he has promoted dialogue and praising him for adhering to an earlier supreme court ruling to withdraw troops from the congress. President Donald Trump has said on Twitter that the Salvadoran leader has worked well with the U.S. on immigration. Bukele has expressed support for Trumps tough policies on migrants by signing an agreement that would allow the U.S. to send asylum seekers from other countries to El Salvador. ___ Associated Press writers Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El Salvador, and Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Naturally the best! Possums, primates and disappearing habitats all feature among the first images to be released from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 awards. 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. Take a look. The Rat Game With a determined stare, a young fox holds tight to her trophy -- a dead brown rat -- as her brother attempts to take it off her. For the past four years, Matthew has been photographing the foxes that live on a North London allotment. On this August evening, as Matthew lay prone watching the youngsters at play, one of them exploded out of the bushes with a dead rat in its mouth. The other three then began squabbling over it and a tug-of- war developed. When one got the prize, it would repeatedly toss it into the air and catch it. Photograph: Matthew Maran/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Surprise! A red squirrel bounds away from its surprise discovery -- a pair of Ural owls, very much awake. In forest near his village on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Makoto had spent three hours, in freezing conditions, hiding behind a nearby tree hoping that the owl couple would pose or perform. Suddenly, a squirrel appeared from the treetops. It was extraordinary to see them all in the same tree, says Makoto. Rather than fleeing, the curious squirrel approached and peered into the owls hole, first from the top, then from the side. I thought it was going to be caught right in front of me, says Makoto, but the owls just stared back. The curious squirrel, as if suddenly realising its mistake, leapt onto the nearest branch and sped away into the forest. With equally quick reactions, Makoto managed to frame the whole story -- the squirrels escape, the owls expression and a soft hint of the wintry forest landscape. Photograph: Makoto Ando/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Paired-up Puffins A pair of Atlantic puffins in vibrant breeding plumage pause near their nest burrow on the Farne Islands. Every spring, these small islands off Northumberland attract more than 100,000 breeding pairs of seabirds. Evie had longed to see a puffin, and when school broke up, she and her family managed two day trips to Staple Island in July, before the puffins returned to sea in August. She stayed by the puffins burrows, watching the adults returning with mouthfuls of sandeels. Puffins are long-lived and form long-term pairs, and Evie concentrated on this pair, aiming for a characterful portrait. Photograph: Evie Easterbook/Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Perfect Catch A brown bear pulls a salmon from the shallows of a river in Alaskas Katmai National Park. Here, the bear has caught a sockeye still in its ocean form (before it has developed its reproductive red colour and pronounced jaws). Hannah chose to focus on a quieter scene and a different style of fishing. Instead of snatching at leaping fish or jumping on them, this female put her head under the water to look for one. Hannah had been watching for some time before she achieved the composition she wanted: a full reflection of the bear - and its catch -- in still water. Photograph: Hannah Vijayan/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Head Start Ever watchful, a large male gharial -- at least 4 metres (13 feet) long -- provides solid support for his numerous offspring. It is breeding season in the National Chambal Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh,northern India, and this usually shy reptile now exudes confidence. This male was left in sole charge of his month-old offspring, observes Dhritiman, but both sexes are known to care for their young. So as not to disturb the gharials, he spent many days quietly watching from the riverbank. His picture encapsulates at once the tenderness of a protective father and its dont mess with my offspring attitude. Photograph: Dhritiman Mukherjee/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Amazon Burning A fire burns out of control in Maranhao state, northeastern Brazil. A single tree remains standing -- a monument to human stupidity, says Charlie, who has been covering deforestation in the Amazon for the past decade. The fire would have been started deliberately to clear a logged area of secondary forest for agriculture or cattle farming. In 2015, more than half the states primary forest was destroyed by fires started by illegal logging on indigenous land. Burning has continued in the state, exacerbated by drought, as land has been cleared, legally and illegally. In the past year, invasion of indigenous reserves and conservation areas by loggers and land-grabbing ranchers has increased, emboldened by President Jair Bolsonaros commitment to open up the Amazon for business and his attacks on indigenous groups. Photograph: Charlie Hamilton James/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Treetop Douc When his father planned a business trip to Vietnam, Arshdeep researched the wildlife online. It was after he read about the endangered red-shanked douclangur that he asked his father to take him along. The meeting was near Son Tra Nature Reserve, Vietnams last coastal rainforest and a stronghold for the langur. Found only in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the primate is threatened by habitat loss, hunting and trade. Arshdeep had just three days at Son Tra. His long wait was rewarded when a male appeared in a tree on the slope opposite. It was a struggle to hold his telephoto lens steady and shoot at an angle clear of leaves, and just for a second, the langur glanced at him -- the moment Arshdeep had come to Vietnam for. Photograph: Arshdeep Singh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Spider's Supper A large wandering spider -- black, hooked fangs tipping its bristly, striped mouthparts -- pierces the egg of a giant glass frog, injects digestive juices and then sucks in its liquefied prey. Jaime hadwalked for hours, in darkness and heavy rain, to reach the stream in Manduriacu Reserve, northwestern Ecuador, where he hoped to find glass frogs mating. But his reward turned out to be a chance to photograph a behaviour he had seldom seen -- a wandering spider with an 8-centimetre (3-inch) leg span devouring the frogs eggs. Jaime set up his shot to capture the precise moment the female spider grasped the thin jelly coating between her fangs, steadying the egg with her long, hairy palps. One by one -- over more than an hour -- she ate the eggs. Photograph: Jaime Culebras/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Peeking Possums Two common brushtail possums -- a mother (left) and her joey -- peek out of their hiding place under the roof of a shower block in a holiday park in Yallingup, Western Australia. Gary had watched them all week. They would pop up at sunset, keep an eye on the campers till dark, then squeeze out through the gap and head for the trees to feed on the leaves of a peppermint tree. Thecurious possums -- probably used to being fed by other campers -- stuck their heads out and peered at the interesting man and his camera. He quickly framed their little faces beneath the corrugated iron roof, capturing a sense of their vulnerability, along with their resourcefulness. Photograph: Gary Meredith/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Eye of the Drought An eye blinks open in the mud pool as a hippopotamus emerges to take a breath -- one every three to five minutes. The challenge for Jose, watching in his vehicle, was to catch the moment an eye opened. For several years, Jose has been watching hippos in Kenyas Maasai Mara National Reserve -- here in a remnant of the drought-stricken Mara River. Hippos spend the day submerged to keep their temperature constant and their sensitive skin out of the sun, and at night they emerge to graze on the floodplains. Photograph: Jose Fragozo/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Memorial to the albatrosses Unlikely as it seems, this display illustrates a South African conservation success story. It represents the comparatively smaller number of deaths of seabirds - here shy albatrosses and a yellow-nosed albatross (a longline hook still in its bill) and white-chinned petrels -- caught in 2017 on longlines set by Japanese tuna-fishing boats off South Africas coast. Photograph: Thomas P Peschak/Wildlife Photographer of the Year A Risky Business A market trader slicing up fruit bats is surrounded by his other wildlife wares: pythons to his right, with bamboo-skewered bush rats beneath them. This is Tomohon Market in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Quentin observed the reality of the bushmeat trade, with wild animals in poor condition kept alive, tied to ropes or piled up in cages, awaiting butchery. Hewas struck by the juxtaposition of contrasting economies: the name-brand clothes of the stallholders amid the wild-animal body parts. The variety of bushmeat on sale here -- which at one time included that of endangered primates -- has put Tomohon, billed as an extreme food market, on the tourist trail. Photograph: Quentin Martinez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Forest Born of Fire The Araucania region of Chile is named after its Araucaria trees -- here standing tall against abackdrop of late-autumn southern beech forest. Andrea had been enchanted by this sight a year previously and had timed his return to capture it. He hiked for hours to a ridge overlooking the forest and waited for the right light, just after sunset, to emphasize the colours. The trunks gleamed like pins scattered on the landscape, and he framed the composition to create the feeling that the whole world was clothed in this strange forest fabric. Photograph: Andrea Pozzi/Wildlife Photographer of the Year The Night Shift IMAGE: As darkness falls on the remote coral Fakarava Atoll, in French Polynesia, the molluscs begin to move. These large topshells -- reaching 15centimetres across the base -- spend the day hiding in crevices among corals, usually on the outer fringes of the reef, withstanding the strong currents and surf. At night, they emerge to graze on algal pavements and coral rubble. Cruising behind these slow grazers is one of the reefs top predators -- a grey reef shark, nearly 2 metres (6 feet) longcapable of speeds of nearly 50kilometres (30 miles) per hour and ready for a nights hunting. It pinpoints prey (mostly bony reef fish) with its acute senses and often hunts in packs. Using a wide angle, Laurent framed the night life stirring beneath the reflections of the reef, contrasting the close-up, angular topshells with the sleek predator behind. Photograph: Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year World of tar As twilight falls on the Alberta tar sands, the stripped landscape takes on an oily blue tint. This vast expanse -- once boreal forest -- is just one section of the Mildred Lake Tar Mine, itself just one of the regions many tar mines that together form the worlds third largest oil reserve. To convey the scale of the operations, Garth chartered a plane and flew over the desolate landscape, choosing the early evening light for contrast and mood. The trucks in the foreground are the height of a two-storey house but are dwarfed by the giant open pit behind. The terraced strips lead towards a refinery -- fronted by enormous yellow sulphur piles -- and the Athabasca River beyond. All around the pit are tailings waste ponds, which contain a slurry so toxic that birds have to be prevented from landing on them. Photograph: Garth Lenz/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wind birds Actor Kangana Ranaut has blocked jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali on Twitter. The designer had countered Kangana on her series of tweets against Mumbai Police. Kangana had called out the commissioner of police, Mumbai, for allegedly liking derogatory tweets about the actor. The police department has denied the claim. Sharing a screengrab stating Kangana had blocked her, Farah wrote in a tweet: The self proclaimed Queen of Bollywood just blocked me !!! I must have said something to p**s her off. The self proclaimed Queen of Bollywood just blocked me !!! I must have said something to piss her off. . pic.twitter.com/4dX3HEsQ9c Farah Khan (@FarahKhanAli) September 2, 2020 She had earlier retweeted a tweet by Kangana and had said: Dear Kangana, you May be a very big star with a huge following but that doesnt give you the right to talk badly to the @CPMumbaiPolice @MumbaiPolice who are Govt officials of the state of Maharashtra and responsible for the lives of millions of people. Dear Kangana, you May be a very big star with a huge following but that doesnt give you the right to talk badly to the @CPMumbaiPolice @MumbaiPolice who are Govt officials of the state of Maharashtra and responsible for the lives of millions of people. https://t.co/kwM6R6zOL6 Farah Khan (@FarahKhanAli) September 2, 2020 In her tweet, Kangana had written: You are a big sham in the name of police force, dont you forget not just me all the people tagged got notifications of @CPMumbaiPolice liking the derogatory tweet, trying to prove victim a criminal seems your old dhandha, dont you dare to lie @MumbaiPolice, dont you dare .. This was followed by a clarification from the police department that the commissioner had not liked any such tweet against the actor. They had replied: This tweet has never been liked by @CPMumbaiPolice - the cyber police station has been asked to examine the screenshot. You are a big sham in the name of police force, dont you forget not just me all the people tagged got notifications of @CPMumbaiPolice liking the derogatory tweet, trying to prove victim a criminal seems your old dhandha, dont you dare to lie @MumbaiPolice, dont you dare .. https://t.co/6v5bwEE7An Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 2, 2020 Also read: Raveena Tandon on Kangana Ranauts claim that 99 per cent of Bollywood uses drugs: Few bad apples cannot spoil a basket Farah also went on to advise Kangana to speak on more important and burning issues at hand such as job losses and Covid-19 situation. She wrote: Or maybe please tweet about the colossal job losses that are affecting the masses in our country and how we can do something constructive to provide jobs and or stop the numbers of Covid skyrocketing. Or maybe please tweet about the colossal job losses that are affecting the masses in our country and how we can do something constructive to provide jobs and or stop the numbers of Covid skyrocketing. Farah Khan (@FarahKhanAli) September 2, 2020 Attacking every single person in Bollywood everyday will make you lose your credibility because when you repeat something day in and day out you lose value. Giving you this advice even though you may not need it because you are such a big star. Farah Khan (@FarahKhanAli) September 2, 2020 She also spoke about Kanganas continued attacks on Bollywood personalities and said: Attacking every single person in Bollywood everyday will make you lose your credibility because when you repeat something day in and day out you lose value. Giving you this advice even though you may not need it because you are such a big star. Follow @htshowbiz for more Secondary schools in cities are facing a "chronic shortage of teachers" in the coming months due to delayed retirements, at-risk staff needing time off and young teachers choosing to work in rural areas. Unions speaking at the Covid-19 response committee yesterday painted a bleak picture as schools across the country reopen. The committee met to hear input from teachers and parents about how the return of schools is operating on the ground - and significant issues were raised. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) said schools in cities, particularly Dublin, will be hit hardest by staff shortages. While the Government's roadmap to reopening allocated 1,080 post-primary staff to schools, unions said this will not be enough. "It only works out as roughly one teacher for each school," said Ann Piggott, vice president of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI). The Department of Education previously stated it would be making contact with 6,000 teachers registered with the Teaching Council who are currently not active. However, the committee heard this number was "exaggerated" as it includes many young teachers who went abroad to teach and kept up their registration here instead of allowing it to lapse. John Boyle, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), said younger teachers are choosing to work in rural areas where there is a lower cost of living. Anecdotal evidence showed there have been very few applicants for jobs in urban areas - and this is likely to be exacerbated in the context of illnesses and retirements. The committee also heard how a "large number of teachers are expecting babies" and are very concerned about returning to the workplace. Mr Boyle claimed some female teachers who are pregnant are being advised by their GPs not to return to school. This is despite HSE advice stating that evidence gathered so far shows that "pregnant women are not at-risk". "We don't fully know how it affects pregnant women and their babies," the advice on the agency's website states. A circular from the Department of Education states: "Under the current HSE guidelines, a pregnant employee is not deemed to be at very high risk of serious illness from contracting Covid-19, unless suffering from a serious heart condition." Meanwhile, TUI general secretary Michael Gillespie said there is a serious lack of teachers for pinch subjects such as languages and science. "In a month we'll have delayed retirements hitting the system... we believe there will be a chronic shortage of teachers. Most of these will be in urban areas, in particular Dublin." Mr Gillespie said the number of young people testing positive is "rapidly on the rise" and that schools do not have the staff to support absences. "If you're the only physics teacher in the school and you go out sick, you won't get a replacement. That's absolutely certain," he said. Meanwhile, concerns were also raised about staff having to restrict movements and not being paid for time off. "We know there is Covid pay for people who test positive, but if teachers are off for a number of days and test negative - and have to take time off a number of times throughout the year if showing symptoms - the days will build up," Mr Boyle of INTO said. "Teachers could end up being on half-pay or no pay due to Covid-19," he added. Facebook has banned the Bharatiya Janata Partys Telangana legislator T Raja Singh, who has been at the centre of a political furore over a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the social media company adopted a soft approach towards purported hate speech by the MLA and other functionaries to protect its business interests in India. We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to our decision to remove his account, a Facebook spokesperson said on Thursday. According to people aware of the specifics of the ban, Raja Singh has been banned under Facebooks dangerous individuals and organizations policy. The ban means he will not be allowed on Facebook and Instagram and the social medial company will remove any pages, groups or accounts representing him if they come up. WSJ first reported the ban on Thursday morning. An August 14 report by the newspaper claimed that Facebook staff had considered taking down Raja Singhs profile on the social media network in 2018 because of inflammatory messages posted by the Hyderabad-based legislator, targeting the Muslim community, before Ankhi Das, who leads Facebooks policy efforts in New Delhi, intervened to block the move on grounds that it could potentially harm its interests in India. The Goshamahal legislator later in the day said that the posts were not made using his account and that he was hoping to return to the website. The claims in the reports prompted the opposition parties to seek an investigation into whether Facebook applies its content moderation rules in a politically partisan manner, a claim the August 14 article and subsequent news reports by the same paper and Time later repeated. All three reports cited comments from past and current Facebook employees who said Facebook India executives shared past links with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Amit Malviya, the head of the BJPs information technology cell, did not comment on the specific case of Facebooks ban on Raja, but said the determination of what constitutes hate speech should conform with the rules and laws of the land. What constitutes hate speech in India will be decided by our constitutional framework and extant rules. It must be applied fairly to all irrespective of their political affiliation. Sonia Gandhi, whose divisive speech streamed live on Facebook, which led to wide-scale rioting, death, and destruction in Delhi recently, is equally guilty as is someone else. We cant have double standards, Malviya said. The Congress wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg twice complaining of a bias and asking him to specify the steps being taken to investigate the charges against its India unit. Earlier this week, union minister for Information and Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a strongly worded letter to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleged that the platform is the latest tool being used to create internal divisions and social disturbances by vested groups. The BJP has lashed out at its critics and has also insinuated that efforts are being made by some Facebook employees to discredit the democratic processes in the country. Social media has democratised discourse and that is something they havent come to terms with, Malviya said. Responding to a letter by Congress, a Facebook executive said the company was non-partisan and strove to ensure its platforms remain a space where people express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias seriously & denounce hate & bigotry in all forms, Neil Potts, Facebooks trust and safety director, said in reply to a letter written by Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopals accusing the social media platform of interfering in Indias electoral democracy.. On the question of hateful content by public figures, we want to assure you that our Community Standards prohibit attacks against people based on their protected characteristics, including religion, caste, ethnicity, and national origin. In line with our hate speech policy, we have removed and will continue to remove hateful content by public figures in India on our platforms, Potts added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Smriti Kak Ramachandran Smriti covers an intersection of politics and governance. Having spent over a decade in journalism, she combines old fashioned leg work with modern story telling tools. ...view detail 'Novichok' Would Have Killed Navalny, Developer of Substance Says Sputnik News 15:26 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 16:25 GMT 02.09.2020) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The symptoms of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny's alleged poisoning are absolutely uncharacteristic of the use of the Novichok nerve agent, Leonid Rink, who was directly involved in the development of Novichok, said. According to Rink, if Novichok had been used, the symptoms of poisoning would have been different: "There would be convulsions and so on. Completely different symptoms," the developer said. In case Novichok had been used against Navalny, he would not have been in a coma but dead. An attempt to link Navalny's "poisoning" with the use of the Novichok nerve agent against him is a political step, Rink said, adding that it is "political nonsense, absolutely." He also said that Russian doctors did all the necessary tests when Navalny was hospitalised in Omsk, his blood and urine samples were analysed not only in local laboratories but also at the leading clinical centres in Moscow. Earlier on Wednesday, spokesman for the German government, Steffen Seibert, said that at the request of the Charite clinic a Bundeswehr laboratory ran a toxicology test on Navalny's samples which "provided undeniable evidence of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group." Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fell gravely ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow on 20 August. After an emergency landing in Omsk, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors fought for his life for the next 44 hours. Navalny went into a coma and was put on an artificial lung ventilator. According to Russian doctors, they did not rule out a possibility of poisoning from the very beginning but after multiple tests were conducted, they came to the conclusion that Navalny's condition was caused by an abrupt drop of glucose levels in his blood due to a metabolic imbalance. On 22 August, Navalny was transported to Berlin for further treatment at the Charite clinic. German doctors claimed that they had found traces of a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors in his system. However, the Russian doctors denied this claim, citing his initial test results. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is all set to star in Sudhir Mishra's film Serious Men, has said that working with the director is a dream he has had for 20 years. In a post on his social media handle, Nawaz recalled hanging around on the sets of Calcutta Mail, hoping to meet Sudhir. Nawazuddin's social media post read, "In the year 2000, when the film Calcutta Mail was being shot, an assistant director promised to introduce me to the film's director, Sudhir Mishra. He told me, 'Come to the set but come close only when I raise my hand.' As promised, I reached the set and waited in the crowd, waiting for the assistant director to raise his hand so I could rush to meet Mishra ji." He continued, "After around an hour, the assistant director raised his hand and I swiftly navigated my way through the crowd and reached his chair. Mishra ji was sitting right next to him. The assistant director saw me and asked, 'What is it?' I replied, 'You raised your hand, so I came.' He said, 'I raised my hand to scratch myself, go back and come only when I raise my hand.'" "They all got busy with the shoot and like every day, I dissolved into the Mumbai crowd, thinking that he scratched his itch but left my dream of working with Sudhir Mishra unfulfilled. That dream came true 20 years later... #SeriousMen," he wrote in Hindi. Serious Men is an adaptation of Manu Joseph's award-winning novel of the same name. The film is set to release on Netflix. ALSO READ: Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Bollywood Formula Films Don't Need Talent, Many Filmmakers Work Outside Formula ALSO READ: Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Sushant Singh Rajput Was A Big Star, Money Meant Nothing To Him The Esplanade Court on Thursday sent Zaid Vilatra, an alleged drug peddler who was arrested in a case connected to Sushant Singh Rajput's death, to the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) custody till September 9. Vilatra was arrested after NCB uncovered his linkages with Abbas Lakhani, who has been nabbed in the actor's death case. The Esplanade Court on Thursday sent Zaid Vilatra, an alleged drug peddler who was arrested in a case connected to Sushant Singh Rajputs death, to the Narcotics Control Bureaus (NCB) custody till September 9. Vilatra was arrested after NCB uncovered his linkages with Abbas Lakhani, who has been nabbed in the actors death case. In the court today, NCB argued that Zaid was arrested in connection with the actors death. He has told us names of two persons in the Sushant case. We have recovered 59 grams of cannabis from the accused which is a non-commercial quantity. We have recovered a huge amount of Rs 9.55 lakh, foreign currency of over USD 2,000 and some UAE Dinars. Though this is a non-commercial quantity and is available presently this is a case where the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, section 27 read with 29 is made out so we demand custody up to September 10, the Public Prosecutor appearing for NCB informed the court. We want to interrogate to whom he sold the drugs and for how much. He has given a statement about two persons related to the Sushant case, he said. Zaids lawyer Tarak Sayyad filed an application in court and said that whatever statement Zaid has given to NCB is not true or voluntary. Also Read: First female IPS officer Charu Sinha to head terrorist-hit Srinagar sector for CRPF He has not given a voluntary statement and it is false. He said in court that he was not ill-treated because he was pressurised to say so by the NCB. There is no mention of two persons related to Sushant case in the remand application, he said. According to the NCB, Zaid disclosed that he runs an eatery shop at Bandra, which was not giving any pecuniary gains since lockdown. He also disclosed that he has been into drug peddling especially bud, through which he used to earn a substantial amount of money, it said. The NCB launched an investigation after it received official communication from Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The agency arrested Lakhani and another person named Karn Arora and seized bud (curated marijuana) from their possession. In a separate incident, on the intervening night August 27-28, based on a specific input, a raid was conducted at Mumbai and two persons namely Abbas Lakhani and Karn Arora were arrested and bud (curated marijuana) was seized from their possession. The detailed network analysis and in follow up investigation, uncovered the linkages of Abbas Lakhani with one Zaid Vilatra, read a release by the NCB. (ANI) Also Read: Vikas Singh: Sushants family had protested against recording statement in Marathi New contracts worth more than 310 million will upgrade Typhoon jet tracking capabilities and support 600 jobs across the UK, Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials have said. The fast jet fighter radar procurements total 317 million, with two-thirds going towards Scotland-based premises. The contracts mean will be Typhoon aircraft equipped with next-generation technology to locate, identify and suppress enemy air defences using high-powered jamming. Today the MOD has awarded a lion's share of a contract worth 317 million to the Scottish defence industry. Read more https://t.co/e7a3EJcBO0@iainastewart @DefenceHQ pic.twitter.com/B6UYUnBr4Y Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland (@ScotSecofState) September 3, 2020 Jeremy Quin, Minister for Defence Procurement, said: It is vital that our Armed Forces are equipped with the latest technology to counter emerging threats from our adversaries. Today we announce the investment in the latest in radar technology for our fighter jets. This demonstrates our commitment to maintaining security in the air whilst supporting highly-skilled jobs across the UK. The integration of the new European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 will provide a capability edge in what has been described as an increasingly contested battlespace. Typhoons are designed to be continuously upgraded to meet operational demand. The ECRS Mk2 will allow the aircraft to simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground in the most challenging environments. Two-thirds of the jobs supported by the new contracts will be in Scotland 300 at Leonardo in Edinburgh and 100 at BAE Systems in Dunfermline, Fife. Story continues The contracts will also support 100 jobs at Leonardos Luton site, 120 at BAE Systems site in Lancashire and 50 at sub-contractor Meggitt in Stevenage. Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: This 317 million radar contract and the 400 jobs in Edinburgh and Dunfermline it supports clearly shows yet again that not only does defence play a crucial part in the security of the United Kingdom, but it also significantly contributes to Scotlands prosperity in high-skilled employment and investment. Our nation has a proud military history and UK Government defence investment here will ensure there is a bright future with latest Ministry of Defence figures showing that procurement spend in Scotland has risen to 1.76 billion a year, supporting more than 10,000 Scottish industry jobs. Wargaming UK has rebranded as DPS Games to reflect the studio's "distinctive" direction and international growth. The UK branch has grown significantly since Wargaming bolstered its ranks with the acquisition of Edge Case Games in 2018, and has even established an overseas presence by linking up with other Wargaming teams in Australia, France, and Ukraine. Given its new global outlook, the company felt a territorial name wasn't appropriate. The new moniker also highlights a creative divergence from Wargaming, which is best known as the studio behind World of Tanks and World of Warships. DPS publishing director Keith Anderson explained the studio's upcoming project won't share any connections with those "traditional franchises," and will be a completely new property. "Over the last 18 months Wargaming UK grew from 30 to 100 developers, all working at pace on a new game in Guildford. That hasnt been enough though, we now have another 40 developers from our Wargaming Sydney studio working with us," said Anderson in a blog post. "Not only that but we have art teams in Wargaming Paris and Wargaming Kiev creating amazing content for us. Weve gone global. As a global team having a territorial name didnt seem embracing of the scale of our endeavor or the amazing work our distributed development teams are doing." Fredy Moreno had been working as a house painter for a few weeks in March when he began to suspect that his boss had no intention of paying him. He told me that he was going to pay me on a certain date, then moved that date, Mr. Moreno said through an interpreter. Then he made an excuse that hes in the hospital. But because the pandemic had just hit and he worried about finding another job in a recession, he decided to keep working. By the time he cut his losses a few weeks later, Mr. Moreno, who lives in the Minneapolis area and has sought help from the worker organizing group CTUL, was owed more than $13,000, according to his estimates. He said he had yet to receive any payment. Even in the best of times, workers in industries like construction, apparel, food and domestic work can have trouble collecting some or all of the compensation they are due especially if they are people of color or women, or lack American citizenship or union representation. But during a recession, the problem known as wage theft tends to increase significantly. According to a paper released Thursday by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a liberal think tank, the rate at which workers suffered violations of minimum-wage law increased almost in lock step with the unemployment rate during the last recession. On average, the workers on the receiving end of these violations lost about one-fifth of their hourly wage. T he head of England's coronavirus testing has blamed problems with the booking system on a "significant" rise in demand. It comes after people have been directed to test centres more than 100 miles away. For some people with Covid-19 symptoms who have tried to book tests online, the system sent them to a centre, which would take them more than three hours to reach by car. Baroness Dido Harding, interim chairwoman of the new National Institute for Health Protection, which incorporates NHS Test and Trace, blamed the problem on rising demand. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images She told BBC Radio 4s PM programme: Fundamentally, it is because the demand for testing has grown so fast and so much. Weve seen an increase in 63% more people coming forward to be tested for the first time than June and in many ways thats a good thing. Now obviously I dont want people to be being directed to go miles and miles for a test but the reason that that is happening at the moment is because of a really significant increase in demand off a testing platform that, as Ive said, is larger than any other in Europe. She said laboratory capacity was being expanded as fast as physically possible to meet demand, with an ambition of reaching 500,000 tests per day by the end of next month. Were expanding existing testing capacity, we announced this morning a new lab that will be opening near Loughborough, which by the end of September will be up and running, and at full capacity will be able to do another 50,000 tests a day. And were trialling new testing technology that will also expand capacity. So actually were at the forefront in the world in scaling and making testing more accessible to people. A university's lecturers will teach students from behind protective visors and wear personal microphones as campuses reopen amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with students wearing face masks and staying home every other week. Birmingham City University (BCU) has announced the series of measures 'to keep everyone safe', including cutting footfall on its sites by at least half, at it prepares to welcome its 26,000 students from September 21. In an open letter to the people of Birmingham, BCU vice-chancellor Professor Philip Plowden said the new term would be 'like no other we have experienced'. He added the changes and introduction of protective steps, like one-way systems and mandatory wearing of face coverings on campus, would make the return to lectures 'as safe as possible' for staff, students and the city. Pictured: Birmingham City University, which is set to welcome its 26,000 students on September 21, has announced the measures it will be taking to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading on its campus, and to the wider city The measures mean most students will be on campus every other week, alternating with a week of online classes and study, but 'with a majority of teaching face-to-face and on campus'. Where possible, staff will work from home, while students will be taught in bubbles to reduce infection transmission risk. Face coverings will be issued to every student and member of staff, as well as hygiene equipment. Lecturers are being issued with protective visors and wearable microphones to 'keep the classrooms safe', added Prof Plowden. Before returning, staff and students will complete a self-assessment to establish whether they are high risk, with students who cannot study on campus 'fully supported to study online'. Lectures resume in two weeks, with 6,000 new students joining 20,000 others returning after the summer break. Prof Plowden paid tribute to the university's healthcare students, who were drafted in to the front line early at the peak of the pandemic, adding that staff were 'immensely proud' of their effort. He added: 'Our students are the reason we exist, and our duty of care towards them is one we take very seriously indeed. 'Their safety, along with that of our staff and the people of our city, is our absolute priority.' Pictured: Spanish Students in their first year wear masks and sit distanced in a lecture hall during the opening of the new academic year at the UPNA in Pamplona, Spain, September 1 He added the measures would protect not only those on campus, but Birmingham as well. 'It is important for our students and for our city that universities such as BCU are open,' he said. 'The future teachers, nurses, midwives, artists, building professionals, engineers, business people and many other professions of our city will be essential to the post-Covid recovery and we must support our students into these vital careers. 'The steps we are taking for the coming year will help to ensure we operate in a way that minimises the risk from Covid-19, while helping our students to progress with their studies.' He expressed mutual support for the key workers, people and businesses 'who have done so much'. 'You have supported us, and we will continue to support you,' Prof Plowden added. The pace-setting Goes Down Smooth held off a long uncovered challenge from favourite Arabellas Cadet to win the $14,400 'fast-class' trotting feature at Harrahs Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 3). David Miller got the victorious four-year-old altered son of Muscle Hill to the lead near the quarter. Miller rated the half and then braced for a stern challenge from Arabellas Cadet, who trotted her own third panel in :27.1 to attack the leader. Goes Down Smooth had enough to resist the hard-fighting mare by one and one-quarter lengths in 1:52.3, which was just one fifth off of his lifetime record that was taken at Harrah's Philly two starts ago. Goes Down Smooth has won 11 of his 40 career starts and has banked $269,227. Goes Down Smooth is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Bill Switala and James Martin. In the $13,600 co-feature on 'Trottin Thursday' at Harrah's Philly, the improving Cash Hall gelding SVF Cash Deposit grinded to the lead on the far turn and went on to a lifetime mark of 1:55.2. Andrew McCarthy drove the winner for owner/trainer Justin Lebo. For Sundays $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes divisional finals for three-year-olds at Harrah's Philly, No Lou Zing was established as the early favourite in the colt pace, Amigo Volo in the colt trot, defending champion Sister Sledge in the filly trot, and the undefeated Party Girl Hill in the filly pace. Party Girl Hills race, with the likes of Rocknificent, track record-holder JK First Lady, and 2019 PASS and national champion Lyons Sentinel, will likely attract the greatest interest, as it has arguably four of the divisions top half-dozen fillies all against one another. (PHHA / Harrahs Philadelphia) T he fight to save the 54 billion West End economy has stepped up with a series of pleas from Westminster City Councils leader to the Government. Rachael Robathan is asking for everything from the extension of business rates holidays to the relaxation of social distancing rules in theatres, as central London continues to suffer from Covid-19 disruption. The West End is home to 55,000 businesses providing around 754,000 jobs, making Westminster the largest employment centre in the UK. Soho, the theatre district and some of Britains most famous clubs and restaurants have been hammered by the virus. In a letter to Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, Robathan warned: The West End relies on customers and office workers using public transport but confidence remains extremely low. Westminster has a significantly higher GDP than any other London borough, contributing 53.6 billion to the economy. That accounts for 3.2% of the UK total and more than 14% of Londons economic value. Robathan said: Positive but pragmatic messaging on the safety and secureness of public transport will be paramount to encouraging tourists and locals to return. The leader suggested the Government should consider how the message on social distancing within offices can be improved to boost numbers further. The council wants clearer guidance from the Government on numbers that can go into offices safely. Robathan also wants people wearing masks to sit next to one another in theatres, as they do on planes, warning: Current social distancing guidelines mean it is not financially viable for many larger theatres to open, which is a fundamental barrier for this important sector of the West End economy. Robathan asked the Government to extend the business rates holiday beyond March 2021. Jenrick responded: We recognise the significant work done by Westminster City Council and are working closely with them to support the safe reopening of the West End one of the most loved parts of the city. Jenrick added: Helping London and other city and town centres to safely reopen for business and leisure is vital to our economic recovery. Thats why we have introduced a comprehensive package of measures to support councils and businesses including the 50 million Reopening the High Street Safely Fund, changing planning rules to make it easier for disused buildings to be repurposed and simplifying the process for pubs and restaurants to secure licences for outdoor seating." The letter emerged as think tank Centre for London today set out a recovery plan for the West End. The proposals include introducing culture vouchers to encourage audiences back to the theatre following the success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The drug connection in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is just a tip of the iceberg. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is investigating the 'drug angle' in Sushant's death case, has gathered vital leads on other cartels supplying drugs to several Bollywood personalities in Mumbai following the interrogation of two drug peddlers, Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora, highly placed sources in the NCB told IANS. Based on these leads, the NCB would launch a nationwide crackdown on cartels involved in drug trafficking in Mumbai and other key metros. The entire operation to unearth big-time drug syndicates and cartels is being supervised by NCB chief Rakesh Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer, who earlier cracked one of the biggest international cocaine syndicates in India originating from Columbia, late last year. Top sources in NCB said that electronic evidence gathered by the bureau during the interrogation of Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora revealed that leading Bollywood personalities were not only supplied marijuana or buds, but high quality cocaine was also being pushed into the film industry. The NCB sleuths are gathering more evidence which eventually would result in a 'nationwide coordinated action' against the drug cartels, hawala operators and key peddlers involved in supplying narcotic substances to some of the best known names in the film Industry. Based on the WhatsApp chats of Bollywood actress Rhea Chakravarty, the girlfriend of late Sushant Singh Rajput, related to supply of buds, the NCB also apprehended an eatery shop owner in Bandra named Zaid Vilatra. The link between Zaid, Abbas and Karan was later established. Interrogation of another suspect, Basit Parhiar, also gave important clues to the NCB. The investigation into the drug connection in the Sushant Singh Rajput case has so far revealed that besides supplying buds, certain cocaine cartels active in Mumbai were also supplying high quality drugs to various filmstars. Cocaine priced at Rs 5 crore per kg is a highly expensive party drug usually supplied to high-end customers in the metros. In Sushant's case, the WhatsApp chats suggest that only buds, which come quite cheap in comparison to cocaine, were being delivered. "However, the peddlers during their sustained interrogation revealed that the cartels active in Mumbai were also supplying cocaine to certain clients," a source added. When asked about the involvement of cartels in pushing drugs to hi-end clients, including film personalities in Mumbai, Asthana refused to divulge any information. "The matter is very sensitive. At this stage we cannot share any information. The agency will inform, if there are any further arrests," Asthana, who had cracked several top cases, including the multi-billion fodder scam of Bihar, during his tenure in CBI, told IANS. Sources said that since the NCB was roped in to probe the drug angle in Sushant's case, the senior IPS officer has deployed a team comprising the best sleuths of NCB to thoroughly investigate the narcotics angle in the mystery death of the Bollywood star which has been making headlines ever since Sushant was found hanging at his Bandra residence on June 14. While the entire probe into the death case is being carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the apex drug agency is only dealing with the drugs angle. Last year, on a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police(AFP), top sleuths of the NCB had busted one of the biggest ever drug cartels in India, linked with Canadian and Colombian drug lords, in early December 2019. Working on inputs from the AFP, the NCB officials discovered that many shipments of cocaine reached Australia via Canada. The entire racket linked to so many countries had an Indian connection. Cocaine was also being pushed into India by these cartels through a nationwide network of peddlers primarily operating from Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Goa. As of now, several persons have been arrested by the NCB in its trail to unmask the kingpins of cocaine smuggling in the country. BANGKOK - A court in Thailand agreed with a police request to revoke the bail of two top leaders of the burgeoning anti-government protest movement who refuse to stop their public political activities. The move to put Arnon Nampha and Panupong Jadnok in custody Thursday while police proceed with the cases against them was the first time the activists have been denied release on bail. They can be held for up to 48 days for police investigation without formal charges, but can also apply again for bail. Arnon declined to do so at this time. The court offered Panupong release on bail higher than he had previously posted without his asking for it, but he turned down the offer. The court said that it made the offer to Panupong, 24, because of his age and job social work with youth. Arnon, 35, is a lawyer. The two men had been granted bail last month for charges including sedition arising from a protest in Bangkok in July. Police say their continued involvement in demonstrations violated the terms of their release and asked the court to order them back into custody. Both are key figures in the growing protest movement and are among those calling for reform of the monarchy, a revered institution that is protected by draconian anti-defamation laws. Speaking to reporters before the hearing, Arnon said he hoped the court would allow him to walk free but believes his imprisonment will not deter the movement. If there is a political accident that puts me and Mike (Panupong) in jail, I will treat it as a complete proof of our participation in the movement, that we fought the best we could, Arnon said. Then, I hope that our imprisonment could serve as an inspiration for those who will continue fighting. The protests have emerged as the most serious threat to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army general whose administration is accused of incompetence and corruption. The student-led movement has declared three core demands: holding new elections, amending the constitution and ending the intimidation of critics of the government. Some activists go further, calling for far-reaching reforms to the institution of the monarchy. The authorities have taken legal actions against more than 30 key figures in the movement in an apparent attempt to decapitate it and stall its momentum. Read more about: WASHINGTON - On Wednesday the Trump administration announced a halt on evictions through the end of the year, a move that may shield the millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes due to the financial chaos sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. But the housing crisis that has built up since March - fueled by job losses and the end of federal benefits in July - has already injected the market with so much instability that even a national moratorium may only be a temporary pause. The moratorium provides no funding for rental relief, meaning unpaid rent and late fees will continue piling up for those who had been expected to slip into eviction proceedings in the coming months. In Virginia,Maryland and the District of Columbia, advocates say an estimated 1.15 million to 1.64 million people are at risk of losing their homes. "Eviction has always been seen as a problem for low-income people, but I think there's an extent to which this is now impacting people who are middle class," said Palmer Heenan, an attorney with the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society. "Increasingly I'm seeing folks like nurses, firefighters, police officers and accountants." Both housing advocates and landlord associations say rental relief is the real key to stabilizing the market. That would require a major outlay of public funds, just as city and state governments are seeing revenue severely squeezed by the pandemic. "Really in terms of our local resources, we have put in what we can," said Polly Donaldson, the director of the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development. "Any additional rental assistance is going to have to come from the federal government." In March, after the coronavirus pandemic dropped the economy into low gear and threw millions into unemployment, proposals began floating through state capitols and city halls about how to cushion the financial blow for the estimated 110 million American households in rental properties. Some called for an eviction moratorium, freezing all efforts to shove people from their housing as the pandemic raged. Some called for rent-relief programs. In March, the federal Cares Act enacted a four-month moratorium on evictions from rental properties that receive federal subsides or other government financial backing. The pandemic hit a national housing market that was already unforgiving for low-income renters. In the past decade, four million affordable housing units have dropped out of the market; the National Low Income Housing Coalition says 20.8 million renter households were cost-burdened in 2018 - meaning that tenants were spending more than 30% of their total income on rent. In recent months, more renters are borrowing money or using credit cards for their housing; and more are failing to pay at all, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. "They are pulling out all the stops to stay where they are, including selling plasma or borrowing money from loan sharks," Shamus Roller, the executive director of the National Housing Law Project, said before the new eviction moratorium was announced. "There are going to be millions of evictions this fall without more government action." The federal moratorium - issued through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - differs from some local moratoriums, including that it requires renters to apply for the protection. The policy is for Americans who make under $99,000 or couples earning below $198,000, annually. Applicants have to prove they attempted to pay rent and also sought existing federal housing aid. The moratorium does not waive late fees or other penalties. With rent relief currently left to local authorities, how those government action look in the Washington area varies across the region's three jurisdictions. In August, the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project released a report in conjunction with the National Low Income Housing Coalition. By analyzing pre-covid eviction trends and the projected job losses tied to the pandemic, the report sketched the possible size of the problem in all 50 states and Washington D.C. According to the findings, as many as 57,000 D.C. households are under threat of eviction by the end of the year. D.C.'s Democratic Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the D.C. Council have halted evictions and late fees during and 60 days after the mayor's public health emergency for coronavirus. The city has also moved forward with a number of proposals to relieve the economic pressure. "We have stepped up for a rent assistance program using our current federal dollars to do tenant-based rent assistance, and that is working with tenants in smaller affordable house buildings, where we are assisting with up to six months of rent assistance not only to stabilize the tenants but the building," said Donaldson, the DHCH head. "We are also providing rent assistance under the Cares Act funding via HUD, and that is providing up to six months of rent assistance and rent arrears coverage." Additional programs provide grants and funding to local housing nonprofits and eviction diversion programs. But Donaldson emphasized federal relief is needed. "The rent is still due after this moratorium ends," she said. In Maryland, where the August report predicts as many as 274,000 households are teetering toward eviction, an initial freeze on evictions and foreclosures was tied to the state of emergency declared in March by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. The state also devoted $30 million of Cares Act money for housing assistance, with $20 million going to cities and counties for programs and $10 million to help state-financed rental units. But without a large-scale state effort, the setup creates a balkanized approach, with jurisdictions running their own programs with different requirements, application windows and paperwork requirements, according to C. Matthew Hill, an attorney with the Public Justice Center. "There are very limited programs available, and they're almost all at the local level," Hill said. "I'm seeing the need every day. But as a state, we don't seem to be understanding the problem." On Monday, Maryland Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, and 77 other state lawmakers sent Hogan a letter urging him to expand the relief funding. Michael Ricci, Hogan's director of communications, said the moratorium will remain in place for the "foreseeable future" and that the governor is exploring other relief options. "We previously applied to use additional Cares Act funding for eviction prevention, but the federal administration denied the request, so we are looking at other ways to further enhance housing relief," Ricci added. With the largest population in the region, Virginia also has the largest number of households at risk of eviction: 384,000, according to the August report. An initial eviction moratorium issued by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam expired in June. At the governor's request, the Virginia Supreme Court then issued its own halt on evictions. That action froze courts from issuing new writs of eviction for nonpayment until Sept. 7. It did not stop those cases from moving forward - meaning evictions are piling up. "On September 8, an absolute deluge of lawsuits are going to be filed," said the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society's Heenan. "It's going to be a double or triple whammy." The state has moved $50 million of federal Cares Act money to fund the Virginia Rent and Mortgage Relief Program in response to the pandemic. But activist groups charge that the funding has not been available long enough for distressed renters to know about the program or access it. "We've discovered that the money is not getting to people," said Tom Berlin, a member of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement. "Tenants need to know about that program, and tenants and landlords need to be able to reach the staff to implement that money." On Monday the governor's office announced a new $4 million plan to provide more legal services for Virginians facing eviction. The Virginia Apartment Management Association said that funding should go to rent relief "thereby making the lawyers unnecessary to begin with." "There's no question economic impact is larger than $50 million. We think that number should be up to $200 million," VOICE'S Berlin said. "This is all about time. The clock is ticking in people's lives, so the lack of urgency from the state government seems out of place." The man accused of transporting 27 people in a Penske rental box truck has been identified in a Laredo federal court. A criminal complaint filed on Aug. 24 identified him as Genaro Flores. He was arrested and charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport immigrants who were in the country illegally. Flores waived a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 28 and remained in federal custody on a $75,000 bond. A Penske truck arrived at the Interstate 35 checkpoint on Aug. 20. Border Patrol identified the driver as Flores. A K-9 unit then allegedly alerted to possible contraband within the trailer. Flores allegedly allowed agents to search the cargo. Agents raised the trailer door and discovered multiple people inside. Border Patrol said there were 27 people inside the trailer. All were determined to be immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras who had crossed the border illegally. Flores allegedly agreed to speak to authorities following his arrest. Flores stated he was not making it financially and had heard from a friend that he could make money by transporting undocumented (immigrants), states the affidavit. Flores stated he met a man who was identified as Murphy at a gas station. Murphy would drive a Mercedes sport utility vehicle, according to court documents. Regarding the smuggling attempt, Murphy instructed Flores to make it look casual like he was moving furniture, states the affidavit. Flores was told he was to be paid $4,000 to drive the truck and $2,000 per person in the back, according to court documents. Two immigrants held as witnesses stated that the smugglers gave them a clave, code or password, for their smuggling arrangements. One was told to use Borrador 14 while the other used Licenciado, states the affidavit. A Co Fermanagh man has been fined 1,000 for flouting strict quarantine rules after returning home from the Balearic islands. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd on Wednesday confirmed the PSNI had issued the fine, adding the management of the regulations for people arriving into Northern Ireland were a matter for the UK Border Force. The man is understood to have spent time on one of the islands before returning home. It is understood the penalty was issued after he went out socialising in Enniskillen at the weekend before testing positive for Covid-19. His fine comes after Northern Ireland businesswoman Fraser Nolan was recently jailed for a month after breaking quarantine rules on the Isle of Man. Read More She had been given permission to visit the island to take care of her late mothers estate but ended up arrested after going on a bus to visit a locksmith. Regulations require anyone entering Northern Ireland from countries outside the UK and Republic not green lit by Stormont to self-isolate for a fortnight. On Wednesday the Executive was facing pressure to reconsider quarantine rules for Greece after Scotland and Wales introduced new measures over concerns about rising coronavirus cases. The Scottish government announced on Tuesday that travellers from Greece would have to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday, while Wales also began asking arrivals from Zante to begin a period of quarantine. First Minister Arlene Foster said the Executive would be briefed on updated rules, but she added that travel was not a factor in community transmission in Northern Ireland. Mr Todd confirmed the 1,000 fine had been implemented for a breach of travel regulations. The management of the regulations is a matter for UK Border Force and their associated partners, he added. The polices role is to respond to reports from the UK Border Force or any of their associated partners of potential breaches, but the police will also act on any significant concerns raised by members of the public. He stressed that the PSNIs role remained to engage, explain, encourage and, only where necessary, enforce. Everyone needs to continue to follow the governments guidance to help suppress the transmission of the virus and support our NHS, he continued. It is encouraging to see that there has been a high level of compliance since the introduction of the mandatory quarantine on travellers coming into Northern Ireland from restricted countries and I hope that continues. Separately, the police on Wednesday served two bars in north Belfast with prohibition notices for breaching Covid-19 regulations. The news came as two secondary schools became the latest educational establishments to report cases of coronavirus. Expand Close Covid case: De La Salle College in west Belfast / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Covid case: De La Salle College in west Belfast It is understood the cases were diagnosed in pupils at De La Salle College in west Belfast and Larne Grammar School. According to reports, a sixth-form pupil tested positive for the virus at De La Salle. In a letter to parents and guardians seen by this paper, De La Salle college principal Claire White said a member of the school community had been diagnosed with the virus and advice had been sought from the Public Health Agency (PHA). Mrs White said that, in line with the official regulations, close contacts of the individual have been informed they need to self-isolate. A classroom and study area have been closed for 72 hours to undergo a deep-clean. Pupils and staff affected will also be advised separately by the PHA, the letter added. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mrs White said she could not confirm if the individual who tested positive was a staff member or pupil due to confidentiality reasons. She added, however, that a system had already been put in place to deal with such situations. Read More Wednesday was only the second day the school was fully open to pupils following the lifting of lockdown. Ensuring the safety of pupils and staff is my absolute priority and I will continue to monitor this situation carefully and keep you informed, Mrs White concluded in her letter to parents and guardians. Larne Grammar school, meanwhile, announced a pupil had tested positive for Covid-19. In a letter to parents and guardians, principal Jonathan Wylie said the pupil concerned had not been on school grounds since August 27, six days before they received their positive diagnosis. Mr Wylie said he had contacted the Education Authority and the PHA and had been advised that no further action was needed from the school. He added that, in the event of a positive case in the school community, the PHAs contact tracing team will seek to identify those who have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive i.e. someone who has been within two metres of the person for more than 15 minutes from 48 hours before the onset of symptoms. On this basis, no other pupil or member of staff is required to take any further action at this time and the school will continue to operate as normal, Mr Wylie said. Ensuring the safety of pupils and staff remains my priority. I will continue to monitor this situation carefully and keep you informed, if necessary. Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has lauded President Nana Akufo-Addo saying he's shown great leadership in the face of the current economic crisis. Ghanaians have had to readjust their lives due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in the country since March this year. Now wearing nose or face masks has become mandatory and every individual and entity is obliged to practice social distancing as well as strictly adhere to other safety protocols to prevent the spread of the disease. The President has been resolute in combating the disease, ensuring every Ghanaian is safe and healthy. He's been making decisions, albeit unfavourable but necessary in the fight against the pandemic. As a result of the decisions, Senior High and Junior High Schools (Form 1) including Primary and Creche are all closed till January, 2021. Water supply has been made free while electricity bills subsidized by the government to ease the hardships that come with the viral disease. Ghana's land and sea borders also remain closed until further notice. The President further announced, during his 16th nation address, the reopening of the country's air borders. The Kotoka International Airport commenced operations on Tuesday, September 1 and each traveler is supposed to undergo a mandatory test to show his or her COVID-19 status upon arriving in the country. It is obvious that one particular thing among many relevant needs that keep the President awake at night is the COVID-19. In view of the President's unrelenting efforts to restore the economy and improve the living conditions of Ghanaians, Kwamena Duncan is certain there could not have been a better President for Ghana in these trying times than Nana Akufo-Addo. According to him, great leadership is proven in times of crises and President Akufo-Addo has made the good mark of leadership. He called on Ghanaians to support the President. "Many [many] Ghanaians are pleased with the way this President has handled this crisis . . . The President has provided good leadership. Let's support him to continue his good works," he said on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video It is projected that Vietnams total garment exports in 2020 will fall by 20% against the previous year to about US$31-32 billion. To overcome the difficulties, garment makers must implement urgent and flexible measures to adapt to the new situation and take full advantage of the opportunities brought about by new-generation free trade agreements, especially the one with the EU (EVFTA) which took effect on August 1. With a population of 500 million, the EUs total garment imports are estimated at US$250 billion a year, accounting for 34% of global demand, while Vietnams clothing exports to the union are only US$5.5 billion, or a market share of 2.2%. This means there is still a lot of room for Vietnamese garment producers to bolster exports and expand their markets. It is forecast that garment exports to the EU will grow rapidly by 67% over the next five years. But capitalising on the EVFTAs advantages is not easy because of the yarn forward rule while the infrastructure of Vietnams garment industry remains modest with a severe lack of material supply. Vietnam needs more than 9 billion metres of fabric annually, domestic suppliers can meet only one third of this and the rest must be imported. As such, the Ministry of Industry of Trade should include fabric from Japan and the Republic of Korea, which also have trade agreements with the EU and account for 23% of Vietnams total imports. In the long run, comprehensive measures are needed to fill the shortfalls facing the garment sector. Specifically it is necessary to build concentrated and large industrial parks in all the northern, central and southern regions, and introduce incentives to call for investment in the spinning, weaving and finishing stages. The government needs to soon issue a garment development strategy for the 2020-2040 period, consider abolishing value added tax when domestic enterprises purchase materials locally and reduce their logistics costs. The government should also act to help enterprises connect with each other to form close linkages, thus bolstering their growth and keeping them competitive with foreign firms. For their part, garment makers need to reform themselves towards becoming a sustainable part of the global garment supply chain if they want to quickly increase their market share in the member countries of the agreement. (Natural News) New evidence has emerged to suggest that Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old young man who exercised his Second Amendment rights in defense of his own life during the Kenosha rights, was turned on by the left-wing mob after he tried to put out car fires at a local church. Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) terrorists had been torching innocent peoples vehicles, according to local eyewitnesses, when Rittenhouse intervened to not only extinguish the flames but also protect nearby businesses and other property from being violently destroyed. It was at this time that Antifa and BLM terrorists swarmed Rittenhouse, beating him with a skateboard and trying to take his life before he opened fire, killing two terrorists and injuring a third in what the mainstream media is now erroneously reporting as murder. One eyewitness stated during an interview on The Vicki McKenna Show, which airs on 1310 WIBA, that Rittenhouse, as well as several military veterans, responded to a call on social media from a business owner who pleaded for someone, anyone, to help protect him and his business, which had already been partially destroyed the night before during previous rioting and looting. This witness, who referred to himself anonymously as Walt to avoid being doxed, told McKenna that Rittenhouse was with his brother, who was his guardian at the time which made it legal for him to possess a firearm. At some point during the melee, Rittenhouse got separated from his brother due to police MRAPs that were deployed in an effort to disperse the wild crowds from the area. Police reportedly did not allow Rittenhouse to rejoin his brother or the other military veterans, so he was forced to act alone in self-defense. With gunshots and other explosions taking place all around him, Rittenhouse tried to go another way to meet back up with his group, traversing down on 63rd before calling Walt and his brothers group to say, Theres cars on fire down here. Earlier in the night, he put the Church next door with another one of our people in the group he put the Church out of fire, Walt further explained during the interview. So hes running there, cars are on fire, he wants to put the cars on fire out. Kyle Rittenhouse is a self-defense hero, not a murderer As Rittenhouse approached some of the burning vehicles, those from BLM and Antifa who lit them in the first place got upset and approached him, Walt explained. At this point, they terrorized the boy by chasing him around the area and threatening to kill him. I mean, they saw him as a young child, so he was prey to them, they could easily take advantage of him, steal his gun, do whatever horrible to him, Walt contends. At that point, I believe, is when he defended himself first. The full interview with Walt is available at this link about halfway down the page. This tweet from conservative commentator Mark Dice also contains video evidence showing that Rittenhouse used a fire extinguisher to put out an actual dumpster fire, further validating Walts claims. It appears he handed it off to someone else, who put out the (literal) dumpster fire, causing the rioters to begin confronting the peace keepers, resulting in Joe Rosenbaum charging at Kyle Rittenhouse trying to take his gun (eye witness who spoke with police confirms), Dice added. You can also check out our earlier report about the encounter, which shows Rittenhouse being violently attacked with a skateboard by BLM and Antifa terrorists. The evidence proves that any effort to paint him as a murder is purely political. The latest news about BLM and Antifa rioting is available at CivilWar.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com Twitter.com NaturalNews.com More than half of all African American women in the United States report having at least one family member who is incarcerated, causing higher levels of depressive symptoms and psychological distress than previously understood. The findings come from a new paper in the Journal of Marriage and Family, whose lead author, Evelyn J. Patterson, associate professor of sociology and a Vanderbilt Chancellor's Faculty Fellow, said the study sheds new light on the challenges facing African American women. "Most studies that look at the impact of incarceration are examining people who are parents or the children of someone who is incarcerated. That means, if you're not a parent or a child of an incarcerated person, you're excluded," she said. Given that having a sibling incarcerated is the most common form of familial incarceration, prior work misses a large piece of the familial incarceration story. Further, African American women as a whole are rarely the central focus when people examine the toll of familial incarceration, especially those without children. The study sought to measure the mental health impact on African American women of having a family member incarcerated. Further, the research examined whether social roles such as employment, marriage or parenthood added to, or eased, the psychological burden of having an immediate family member in jail or prison. "In all models, familial incarceration was associated with worse psychological adjustment," the authors wrote. "Our findings showed that familial incarceration was associated with elevated psychological distress and depressive symptomology, extending a long line of studies documenting the consequences of familial incarceration." Examining role combinations, women who were employed but had no other social roles showed lower levels of psychological distress and depressive symptoms than women who occupied other roles such as marriage/partnership or motherhood. In addition to Patterson, the co-authors included Ryan D. Talbert from the University of Connecticut and Tony N. Brown from Rice University. The study drew from a nationally representative survey of 1,961 never-incarcerated African American women. Patterson said the study fits into a broader research context examining how marginalized populations, particularly African American families, face worse outcomes on measures of health and psychological well-being because of the societal burdens they face. "From slavery, to lynching, to incarceration, generations of African American families have endured having their family members taken away. African Americans have had to learn how to compartmentalize this trauma and have survived, in part, due to their resilience," Patterson said. "But this resilience is a double-edged sword as these experiences worsen health outcomes." More information: Evelyn J. Patterson et al, Familial Incarceration, Social Role Combinations, and Mental Health Among African American Women, Journal of Marriage and Family (2020). Journal information: Journal of Marriage and Family Evelyn J. Patterson et al, Familial Incarceration, Social Role Combinations, and Mental Health Among African American Women,(2020). DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12699 Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP Richard Martel asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. The federal Conservatives are asking the official languages commissioner to investigate the government's choice of WE Charity to run a student grant program, saying the move showed contempt toward francophones. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The federal Conservatives are asking the official languages commissioner to investigate the government's choice of WE Charity to run a student grant program, saying the move showed contempt for francophones. Conservative MP Richard Martel alleges in a letter to commissioner Raymond Theberge that the youth group did not have the ability to deliver the multimillion-dollar Canada Student Service Grant program in both of Canada's official languages. Martel, who made the letter public Thursday, wrote that the Official Languages Act clearly states the government is obliged to ensure any organization carrying out services on its behalf must do so in English and French. Opposition MPs have been grilling the government for months over the now-abandoned program because of WE Charity's close connections to the families of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau, the recently departed finance minister. The Liberals have consistently said it was federal public servants who recommended the program be administered by the youth group to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parliament has been prorogued until Sept. 23, shutting down at least temporarily several House of Commons investigations of the controversy, including one planned by the official-languages committee. The finance and ethics committees were in the midst of investigations when Trudeau prorogued Parliament and the government operations committee had been planning to launch another. The Conservatives have sought probes of the deal by the lobbying commissioner, the ethics commissioner and the RCMP, none of whose tasks are interrupted by the prorogation. Questions about the charity's ability to deliver the program in French arose after it was revealed it had hired National Public Relations to help conduct outreach to not-for-profit and student organizations in Quebec and to help with French content development. The disclosure cast doubt on the government's contention that WE Charity was the only organization capable of delivering the program across the country. In his letter to the commissioner, Martel pointed to documents released by the federal government showing that Treasury Board president Jean-Yves Duclos raised concerns about WE's ability to deliver the student grant program in French-speaking parts of the country. Duclos wrote the he didn't see "a single word or page in French" on the charity's website and saw few signs that it "has a strong anchor" in Quebec. The documents also show that Duclos was advised that WE Charity has a separate French website, a fact Martel did not mention in his letter. WE officials have insisted the charity has offices and employees in Quebec, where it offers French-language programs and has worked in the past with hundreds of schools and groups. The student program was meant to give young people who couldn't find work due to the COVID-19 pandemic an incentive to volunteer, with payments of up to $5,000 toward education expenses if they worked 500 hours. It was initially announced as a $912-million plan. WE withdrew from managing the program at the beginning of July amid controversy over its ties to the Trudeau family. Justin Trudeau's mother, wife and brother have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses for participating in WE events and projects over the years. Trudeau has said he should have recused himself from the decision to have WE administer the student program, as did Morneau before his resignation from politics. Highland Heights Mayor Chuck Brunello Jr. was clear from the outset. This is not a retirement party, he said to laughter this week at the citys community center. And this is not a retirement speech. In fact, the dozens of people gathered at the facility were present to honor Chief James J. Cook, the citys longtime top police official, whose career in law enforcement this month spans five decades. In addition to family, friends, colleagues and community members, Cook was also recognized by U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R, Bainbridge Township, Gov. Mike DeWine, Attorney General Dave Yost, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Sen. Matthew Dolan. Being an employee in one place for 50 years is quite an accomplishment, in addition to wanting to stay in one place for that long while continuing to rise, Brunello said. Those are accomplishments that dont come around all that often. Cook agreed, noting that Brunello is the eighth mayor hes worked with during his tenure. While the party was initially planned as a surprise, Brunello suspected Cooks ingrained detective skills uncovered the revelation. Instinctively calling the bluff, Cook said he had to go to Columbus and would miss the set time they were supposed to meet at the center on Sept. 1. When Cook jokingly said he wouldnt return that day until 6 p.m., Brunello realized the cat was out of the bag. Though admittedly leery, preferring to live a low profile, Cook expressed gratitude to all in attendance, particularly his family and the good bunch of professional people hes been privileged to work and live with. Sometimes they cause me a hell of a problem, but I enjoy it, he laughed. Theyre fantastic. Im blessed. Cook recently marked 50 years with the department. Next week, he will celebrate 30 years as chief. Many years ago, I really researched and studied this city, Cook said, recalling days when he worked various jobs, including director of security at the former Front Row Theater, while putting himself through night school. Later, hed be notified that Highland Heights was seeking to hire police officers. His research paid off. When I was 21, you had to be 5 feet, 8 inches to be a police officer, but in Highland Heights, you (only) had to be 5 feet, 6 inches, so, me being 5 foot, 51/2 (inches), I thought I could get some big shoes and get in there, Cook said, smiling. So, I came out here and I was really lucky, and I grew with the city. Hired as a patrolman on Aug. 10, 1970, by then-Mayor William Brennan, Cook was promoted through the ranks, from sergeant in 1975 to lieutenant in 1978 and then becoming chief in 1990. During his years of service, Cook was also a member of the Suburban Police Anti-Crime Network SWAT Tactical Team; was instrumental in the building/modernizing of the police, fire and jail facilities; and served as supervisor of the detective bureau, jail administrator and acting chief of police. Additionally, Cook has implemented community-oriented policing concepts including D.A.R.E. and Juvenile Diversion programs and pursued and received government grants for equipment and personnel. For several years, he also taught training programs for police officers in dealing with suicide prevention, the mentally ill, substance abusers, and use of force and de-escalation standards. Nobody really paid a lot of attention to that, but, lately its the most important thing in police work, so were kind of ahead of the curve on that, said Cook, who is also an Ohio Certified Law Enforcement Executive, in addition to chair of Hillcrest SPAN and an assessor for the Ohio Collaborative. Under Cooks leadership, the Highland Heights Police Department stands as a nationally accredited department by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, awarded to less than four percent of the countrys law enforcement agencies. While off duty, Cook works with the Lake Catholic High School Wrestling Program, offering assistance with workouts of team members. In addition, he and his wife, Doris, began the Jimmy Cook Wrestling Scholarship in honor of their son, Jimmy, who graduated from Lake Catholic in 1998. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Cook said to applause. You made my day. And Ill stay as long as my guys will have me. The Opposition Platform For Life parliamentary faction has demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ensure the holding of elections in 18 merged territorial communities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "Our task today is to remind him that he ensures the rights of citizens to the constitutional right to make decisions at elections. Our demand for President Zelensky [...] is to ensure the right of choice for the residents of Donbas," co-chairman of the faction Yuriy Boiko said on Thursday. Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most-awaited US art fairs, has been cancelled this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It takes place in December every year and its cancellation comes as a blow to an already reeling industry. Art Basels other editions in Hong Kong and Switzerland respectively, too have been cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent ban on staging of large-scale events, international travel restrictions and quarantine regulations. It is with great regret and disappointment that we announce the cancellation of our December show in MiamiBeach, said Noah Horowitz, the fairs director in the Americas as per a Bloomberg report. On their official Instagram account, they said, We regret to announce that the 2020 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach has been canceled. As the artworld continues to face momentous challenges, we remain firmly committed to supporting the global gallery community and look forward to when we can meet again. #artbasel The event, over the years, has become the years grand finale for the art market, attracting billionaires from around the world, who snapped up art and partied with celebrities and models. For galleries, it represented a significant amount of business, and for wealth managers, a chance to woo potential clients. Last years Art Basel Miami, which drew more than 80,000 visitors, became an international sensation after someone paid $120,000 for a peeled banana stuck to a wall with duct tape. This installation by artist Maurizio Cattelan was titled Comedian. Cattelan bought the banana for a mere price of USD 0.30, and sold it for the whopping amount it fetched at the art fair. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter About 93% of the racial justice protests that swept the United States this summer remained peaceful and nondestructive, according to a report released Thursday, making the violence and property damage that has dominated political discourse a minute portion of the thousands of demonstrations that followed the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The report, produced by the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), also concluded that an escalation in government response to protests and a sharp rise in extremist activity means the United States faces a growing risk of "political violence and instability" before the 2020 election. ACLED, which monitors war zones and political upheaval across the world, produced the U.S. Crisis Monitor report with Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative. Using press accounts and other public information, the report identified 7,750 protests from May 26 through Aug. 22 that were linked to the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests took place in 2,400 locations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The group identified about 220 locations where the protests did become "violent," which authors of the report defined as demonstrators clashing with police or counterprotesters, or causing property damage. Even in those cases, the upheaval was "largely confined to specific blocks, rather than dispersed throughout the city," the report states. Still, the researchers warned of "violent political polarization" in the United States, which they fear could spill over into the November election. "In this hyper-polarized environment, state forces are taking a more heavy-handed approach to dissent, nonstate actors are becoming more active and assertive, and counter demonstrators are looking to resolve their political disputes in the street," the authors wrote. "Without significant mitigation efforts, these risks will continue to intensify in the lead-up to the vote, threatening to boil over in November if election results are delayed, inconclusive, or rejected as fraudulent." ACLED had previously focused on studying violent incidents in dozens of foreign countries, including Mexico, Mozambique and Pakistan. But after the protests surrounding Floyd's death erupted this summer, the group decided to also conduct research within the United States. In June, ACLED issued a statement expressing "solidarity" with protest "movements calling for systemic and peaceful change." "This urgent need transcends discrete incidents, specific groups and borders," it wrote. The report highlights what it called a dramatic escalation in the government's response to protests. Police or other government agencies intervened to stop or confront protesters in about 10% of the protests for racial justice nationwide. In a little more than half of those cases authorities used force ranging "from firing less-lethal weapons like tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray to beating demonstrators with batons," the report states. "The heavy-handed police response appears to have inflamed tensions and increased the risk of violent escalation," the report states. "The escalating use of force against demonstrators comes amid a wider push to militarize the government's response to domestic unrest, and particularly demonstrations perceived to be linked to left-wing groups like antifa, which the administration views as a 'terrorist' organization." The report noted that National Guard troops or federal agents have been dispatched at least 55 times since Floyd's death. In Portland, Ore., where protests this summer have been especially intense, the arrival of federal forces in July created even more volatility, the report states. In late May and June, less than one-fourth of Portland's demonstrations were "met with state force," the report states. That share jumped to 40% in July and August. Conversely, the number of violent demonstrations rose from 53% to 63% after Trump dispatched federal agents to that city. Statewide, the number of "violent" demonstrations increased from 17% to 42% since the federal deployment began. "Although federal authorities were purportedly deployed to keep the peace, the move appears to have re-escalated tensions," the report states. The summer also saw a surge in the number of events linked to counterprotesters and "nonstate actors," which the report defines as far-right and far-left activist and extremist groups. The report says more than 20 groups this summer and their members have held more 100 demonstrations and counterdemonstrations. On the far right, the report authors have been monitoring several self-described militia groups that have been linked to white nationalists, including the Three Percenters movement and the Proud Boys. On the far left, the authors identified antifa, a loosely organized group that claims to be a foil to far-right extremists that it believes are fascists. Increasingly, researchers say, protesters on both sides of the country's political divide are meeting face-to-face at demonstrations. In July, ACLED recorded 160 counterdemonstrations, and about 8% of them turned violent. In July 2019, the United States saw 17 counter demonstrators, and just about 1% of them had turned violent. ACLED's warning of continued escalation in violence is partially rooted in the growing numbers of Americans who have been showing up at protests armed. Last week, an armed 17-year-old boy was arrested after he was accused of fatally shooting two men and injuring another, who had protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha Wis. On Saturday in Portland, a person shot and killed a 39-year-old man who had participated in a caravan of Trump supporters that drove into the city. In all, the report states armed groups showed up at least 50 demonstrations since mid-May. "Reports that police not only tolerate the presence of certain armed individuals at demonstrations, but in some cases actively encourage their involvement suggest this trend will continue amplifying the risk of violence," the authors wrote. The disorder within the U.S. has been magnified by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as well as the subsequent surge in the nation's unemployment rate. There have been more than 1,000 "pandemic-related protests" that have also included "regular confrontation between demonstrators for and against lockdown restrictions," the report states. In early August, the number of demonstrations related to the pandemic surpassed those related to racial matters. That is when there was a surge of demonstrations related to state and local decisions about whether to reopen schools for in-person learning, with more than 300 such protests occurring so far. "The United States is in crisis," the report concludes. Smoke and fire. Its a rocketry catch phrase, three words that mean ignition and liftoff, and its a favorite saying of rocket engineers, astronauts and anyone involved in the space program. Its one of the fun parts, when it works, and there was plenty of fun Wednesday in a desert in Utah. NASA and Northrop Grumman test-fired a giant Flight Support Booster for the Space Launch System rocket at a Northrop test facility in the desert. The five-segment, solid-fuel booster which cant be turned off once ignited fired for about 2 minutes producing 3 million pounds of thrust. There will be two of these boosters, one on either side of the SLS rocket, providing more than 75 percent of the power for SLS to lift off from Cape Canaveral. That will happen late next year if everything goes to plan. Watch the full test video here or go to the 20-minute mark to see the test fire. NASA Tests Space Launch System Rocket Booster for Artemis Missions For a full two minutes the same amount of time that the boosters power the SLS rocket during liftoff and flight for each #Artemis mission the five-segment Flight Support Booster fired into the Utah desert, sending plumes of smoke into the blue sky as it produced more than 3 million pounds of thrust. SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS >> https://go.nasa.gov/3hVpprt Posted by NASA's Space Launch System on Thursday, September 3, 2020 The SLS rocket program is called Artemis, named after the twin sister of Apollo, and its goal is to meet President Trumps challenge to NASA to land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024. The SLS program is managed in Huntsville at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center, and Northrop Grumman is building the solid fuel boosters for each flight. They are the largest solid fuel boosters ever built. NASA is simultaneously making progress on assembling and manufacturing the solid rocket boosters for the first three Artemis missions and looking ahead toward missions beyond the initial Moon landing, John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at Marshall, said after the test. Today marks the first flight support booster test to confirm the rocket motors performance using potential new materials for Artemis IV and beyond. Dhaka: For the first time, Hindu widows in Bangladesh will have the rights to both agricultural and non-agricultural lands of their deceased husbands after a top court ruled in their favour, according to a media report. The Bangladesh High Court on Wednesday ruled that no separation has been made between the agricultural and non-agricultural lands. So Hindu widows have the rights to the lands of their husbands, The Daily Star reported. Under the current norm, Hindu widows in the country are only entitled to their spouses homesteads and not any other assets like agricultural land. Hindu widows will have the rights to both agricultural and non-agricultural lands that belonged to their husbands. They will also get the right to sell the lands for legal necessities during their lifetime," the report said, citing the court order. The verdict by the High Court came following a civil revision petition filed by civilian Jyotindranath Mondal from Khulna district challenging a lower court verdict. On March 7, 2004, Khulnas joint district judge delivered judgement in a case filed by Jyotindranath, saying that Gouri Dasi, widow of Jyotindranaths elder brother Avimannu Mondal, will get right to the agricultural land of her late husband. The land had been recorded in the name of Gouri after Avimannu died in 1996. Jyotindranath had filed the case with the court of an assistant judge in Khulna challenging the record of the land in the name of Gouri Dasi in 1996. 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 CAIRO (AP) - A U.S. report said the presence of thousands of Syrian mercenaries sent by Turkey to Libya to fight on the side of the U.N.-supported government was likely to degrade security and generate backlash from the Libyan public. The U.S. Defense Departments inspector general also said in a new report that it was concerned about the growing presence of Russian mercenaries fighting for the rivals of the Tripoli-based government in the Libyan war. The report, which was released Tuesday, said Turkey has sent to Libya at least 5,000 Syrian mercenaries who previously worked closely with Ankara in Syrias civil war. They were sent to help Tripoli-allied militias fight the forces of east-based military commander Khalifa Hifter. Turkey also deployed several hundred regular troops to Libya, including operators and technicians for Turkish air defense systems deployed in western Libya, the report said. While the Syrian mercenaries have bolstered the U.N.-supported governments position, "their continued presence will continue to negatively affect the overall security situation in Libya," said the report, which covers the second quarter of 2020. Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime dictator 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. 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. Fighting has died down in recent weeks, but both sides were preparing for a possible battle over the strategic city of Sirte, the gateway to Libyas major oil fields and export terminals, controlled by Hifter. The chaos has worsened in recent months as foreign backers increasingly intervene, despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. Thousands of mercenaries including Russians, Syrians and Sudanese are fighting on both sides of the conflict. The U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, described the Syrian mercenaries fighting with the Tripoli-based government as "inexperienced, uneducated, and motivated by promises of considerable salary." It said Turkish private military company Sadat has overseen supervision and payment to the mercenaries. Increasing reports of theft, sexual assault and misconduct by Syrian mercenaries in western areas are likely to further degrade the security situation and generate backlash from the Libyan public, AFRICOM said. The report says extremists with previous militant links have been involved in the Tripoli fighting, although "it is possible they were fighting for financial and personal reasons rather than ideological reasons." Protests took place over deteriorating economic conditions last month in the capital and elsewhere in western Libya, which is controlled by forces loyal to the U.N.-supported government. Tripoli militias opened fire on demonstrators with rifles and truck-mounted guns and abducted some of the protesters. The U.S. military has grown increasingly concerned about Russias growing influence in Libya, where at least 3,000 Russian mercenaries and 2,000 Russia-sponsored Syrian mercenaries backing Hifters army, the report said. A private Kremlin-linked military company known as the Wagner Group has since its initial deployment to Libya in 2019, provided trained snipers armed drones, resulting in "significant casualties" to Tripoli-allied militias, the report said. In May, the U.S. military accused Russia of sending at least 14 warplanes to a central Libyan airbase, claiming they were repainted in Syria to hide their Russian origin. Moscow dismissed the U.S. militarys accusations, insisting "the Russian military is not involved in any processes in Libya in any way." "Analysts have noted that the conflict in Libya has devolved into a proxy war, or `the new Syria, with Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt competing for access and influence," the report said. Hifter is supported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia. Tripoli-allied militias have backing from Turkey, a bitter rival of Egypt and the UAE in a broader regional struggle, as well as from the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar. The West is demanding answers from Moscow today after the 'despicable and cowardly' nerve agent attack on Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Britain said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' while NATO demanded a 'full and transparent' investigation after a German military lab found that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the Soviet-era weapon used against Sergei Skripal in 2018. Angela Merkel is now facing pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin, with questions growing about the future of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. One German lawmaker said 'toughness is the only language Putin understands' - suggesting that the Kremlin had targeted Navalny as a show of force to intimidate protesters in Belarus. Navalny remains in a coma at a Berlin hospital after he collapsed on a flight in Siberia two weeks ago, becoming the latest in a long line of Russian dissidents to be poisoned in mysterious circumstances. Russia denies involvement and said today that the West should not 'rush to judgment' on the attack, insisting there was no need for sanctions. But the Russian economy is already feeling the effects of the crisis, with the ruble and the Moscow stock market both plunging since Berlin's announcement. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - pictured, centre, shortly before he fell ill on August 20 - is in a coma at a German hospital after being poisoned with Novichok German chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) is under pressure to get tough with Vladimir Putin after a military lab found evidence that Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Merkel said last night that the findings at the German military lab had raised 'some very serious questions that only Russia can and must answer'. 'It is certain that Alexei Navalny is the victim of a crime,' she added. 'He was meant to be silenced and I condemn this in the strongest possible terms.' UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the Kremlin 'has a clear case to answer' and 'must tell the truth about what happened', while prime minister Boris Johnson called the attack 'outrageous'. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned a 'despicable and cowardly act', while French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the attack as 'shocking and irresponsible.' 'The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents,' said US National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg condemned the 'shocking' use of a military-grade nerve agent which, he said, made 'a full and transparent' investigation by Russia even more urgent. Italy's foreign ministry and Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also condemned Navalny's poisoning. The Western outrage has raised the prospect of new sanctions against Russia and thrown the future of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into fresh doubt. Construction of the 750-mile pipeline under the Baltic Sea is nearly finished but it needs to complete a final 75-mile stretch in Danish waters. Germany's best-selling newspaper, Bild, wrote in an editorial today that 'if the German government does not cancel the construction of Nord Stream 2, we will soon be financing Putin's Novichok attacks'. German lawmaker Norbert Roettgen, a member of Merkel's CDU party, called for a 'European response' said continuing with the gas pipeline would be 'maximum confirmation for Putin that his policies are right'. Going further than Merkel, Roettgen said he did not believe that Novichok could have been administered without the Kremlin's knowledge. 'We need a clear and European response. It needs toughness against Russia, because that's the only language Putin understands,' he told ZDF television. He also suggested that Navalny's poisoning had been meant to intimidate protesters in Belarus who are demanding the resignation of the Putin-backed dictator. 'This is the simultaneous intimidation of [Russia's] own population and also that in Belarus,' he said. The Kremlin has hinted at using military force to shore up Alexander Lukashenko's regime in Belarus, which has faced mass protests since a disputed election last month. Navalny being taken to an ambulance in Omsk (left) after falling ill on a plane following a trip to an airport cafe (right) where his friends suspect he could have been poisoned Navalny is in a medically induced coma at the Charite hospital in Berlin (pictured on Wednesday) Alexei Navalny's poisoners could have applied Novichok to his UNDERWEAR rather than slipping it into his tea, says man who invented the nerve agent Alexei Navalny could have had poison sprinkled in his underwear, according to the man who invented Novichok. Friends of the Putin critic have suggested his tea was spiked in an airport cafe, but former Soviet scientist Vladimir Uglev said assassins could have sprinkled a deadly toxin on his socks or underwear. Uglev, 73, said Russian secret service operatives could have broken into Navalny's hotel in Tomsk to leave a minuscule drop of poison in his luggage. He warned that 'if this was indeed novichok, then Alexei [will] have some very serious complications'. 'Most likely the central and the peripheral nervous systems will be severely damaged,' Uglev said. The scientist said Navalny may have been poisoned with a solid form of novichok known as A-242. 'If they used a liquid form, then inevitably somebody would have been hurt, people around him would have got inhalation injuries,' he said. 'This substance A-242 is safe by itself, but it acts as part of a solution applied to skin. 'It would be completely safe for other people and extremely dangerous to those who it was used against.' Another scientist involved in novichok's development, Vil Mirzayanov, said it was plausible that Navalny's tea was spiked as his friends suggest. 'This is a solid substance which can be turned into powder,' he said. 'It could have been placed into a tea bag. 'It got into the victim's digestive tract which is why Navalny could not pose any danger to people around him.' Advertisement Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference and a former German ambassador to Washington, said gestures such as the expulsion of diplomats may not be enough. 'If we want to send a clear message to Moscow with our partners, then economic relations must be on the agenda and that means the NordStream 2 project must not be left out,' said Ischinger. Germany's Green party, which is currently second to Merkel's party in the polls, is also calling for the pipeline to be scrapped. Merkel said as recently as last week that the pipeline should go ahead and should not be linked to the Navalny case. Work on the pipeline was suspended after US sanctions were imposed in December, while Emmanuel Macron has also voiced concerns about it. But Putin says it could be launched by the end of 2020 and Merkel said last week that 'our opinion is that Nord Stream 2 should be completed'. US Republican senator Tom Cotton last night urged a halt to Nord Stream construction in order to 'hold the Russians accountable'. Cotton and two others last month threatened sanctions against the operator of a Baltic Sea port in Merkel's parliamentary constituency because of the pipeline. Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, last night accused Germany of waging an 'information campaign' against Moscow. 'If politicians start taking job away from medics, I don't know where this world may find itself,' she told the news agency Interfax. 'As soon as politicians start substituting for medical institutions and doctors, you can speak immediately about absolute unscrupulousness. 'What do politicians, what does the German Foreign Office, and what does the German leadership have to do with that?'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today said there was 'no reason' to blame Moscow and urged the West not to 'rush to judgment'. Peskov said there was no reason to discuss sanctions against Moscow after Merkel said Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond to the poisoning. Nonetheless, Berlin's announcement ruble plunging to its lowest level since the height of Russia's coronavirus epidemic, at 89 rubles to the euro. Moscow's RTS stock exchange also fell more than three per cent after the German announcement, and by Thursday morning had not recovered its losses. While Berlin stopped short of directly accusing the Kremlin of poisoning Navalny, the opposition leader's aide Ivan Zhdanov said Novichok 'can only be used by the state' - suggesting that the GRU or FSB intelligence agencies were responsible. Another Navalny ally, Leonid Volkov, said: 'To poison Navalny with Novichok in 2020 would be exactly the same as leaving an autograph at a crime scene, like this one,' attaching a picture of Putin's name and a signature. A plane carrying Navalny arrives at Berlin's Tegel Airport on August 22 after the Russian opposition leader was airlifted to Germany for specialist treatment Navalny's allies have pointed the finger at Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) after the opposition leader fell ill, but the Kremlin has dismissed the claims The nerve agent, whose name means 'newbie' or 'newcomer' in Russian, can be deployed in an ultra-fine powder, liquid or vapour. It is thought to have been smeared on the door of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the 2018 assassination attempt in Salisbury. Russia denied involvement but the poison plot sent Britain's relations with Moscow to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. The United States, EU members, NATO and other nations expelled over 150 Russian diplomats in a coordinated action against Moscow over the Skripal case, leading to tit-for-tat reactions from Moscow. British police eventually named two suspects, who were later identified by the investigative website Bellingcat as members of Russia's GRU intelligence service. Skripal and his daughter survived, but a British woman, Dawn Sturgess, later died after accidentally handling the discarded nerve agent in a perfume bottle. The EU has had sanctions targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy in place since 2014. Navalny's poisoning also comes after a daylight murder of a former Chechen rebel commander in a Berlin park in August last year, which German prosecutors believe was ordered by Russia. Merkel had also revealed in May that Russia had targeted her in hacking attacks, saying she had concrete proof of the 'outrageous' spying attempts. The two men accused of trying to assassinate Sergei Skripal with the same nerve agent were filmed on CCTV walking through Salisbury in March 2018 Navalny fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month, with aides saying they suspect he drank a cup of spiked tea at the airport. He was initially treated in a local Siberian hospital, where doctors said they were unable to find any toxic substances in his blood. He was flown to Berlin for specialist treatment on August 22, but the Kremlin has questioned the credibility of German doctors. Russia's embassy in Berlin said in a statement: 'We call on our partners to avoid any politicisation of this incident and to rely solely on credible facts, which we hope will be delivered as soon as possible.' The Charite hospital that has been treating Navalny reported improvements in his condition. But the Yale-educated anti-corruption campaigner is still in the intensive care unit and remains on a ventilator. Doctors say that over time the body can clear out the nerve agent, which disrupts communication between the brain, the main organs and muscles. 'Recovery is likely to be lengthy. It is still too early to gauge the long-term effects which may arise in relation to this severe poisoning,' added the hospital. Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilising protests. He has been repeatedly detained for organising public meetings, sued over corruption investigations and barred from running in the 2018 presidential election. The 44-year-old has also served several stints in jail in recent years for organising anti-Kremlin protests. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia's arrests and detention of Navalny in 2012 and 2014 were politically motivated. Cancer patients often have to endure months of anxiety and side effects before they can schedule a scan or painful biopsy to learn if their treatment is working. Liquid biopsy tests, which have won federal approval in recent weeks, could make that process faster and less miserable. The Food and Drug Administration approved Guardant360 CDx in early August for use in a range of solid tumors; Foundation Medicine's FoundationOne Liquid CDx, became available for widespread use as of late last month. The tests aren't brand new, but the federal approvals will make them more accessible, as Medicare and more insurance companies cover the costs, which can run as much as $6,000. "I think that liquid biopsies now are coming into their own," said Dr. Matthew Freedman, an oncologist and researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Targeting treatment The newly approved liquid biopsies can identify the genetic signature of tumors, which then can be used to match patients to treatments or research trials with experimental therapies. Lung cancer patients who have certain genetic mutations in their tumors, for instance, can double or triple their life expectancy when given a drug targeted to those mutations. Doctors can also use liquid biopsies a few weeks after starting treatment to see how a tumor is evolving, and perhaps gain insights into why a treatment isn't working, said Helmy Eltoukhy, CEO of Guardant Health, of Redwood City, California, which makes Guardant360 CDx. "It's better care for patients at lower cost if you test appropriately," he said. Today, many cancer patients, particularly those with hard-to-reach tumors, get one biopsy with all future treatment decisions based on that one sample. But tumors change over time. "There's almost no other area of medicine where you'd use an old clinical specimen to decide treatment," Eltoukhy said. Because blood is so easy to access, a liquid biopsy can be done several times to see how the tumor evolves, he said. And patients who live far from an academic medical center can still get cutting-edge recommendations without traveling. Story continues So-called liquid biopsies, recently approved by the FDA, may make it easier for oncologists to track their patients' cancers. Finding a needle in a haystack Liquid biopsies are generally seen as not as precise as more typical biopsies, where a needle is inserted directly into a solid tumor. "If one had a choice, the choice would be to look at the biopsies," said Dr. Bert Vogelstein, who has spent years developing liquid biopsy tests as a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. But with some cancers, it's not easy to access the tumor, or there's very little cancerous material that can be withdrawn or seen. As a tumor begins to spread its tentacles, it's initially invisible on scans. And after successful surgery, there may be no obvious tumor, but residual disease could still be lurking. Liquid biopsies can fill those crucial gaps. Scientific advances in recent years have made it possible to identify cancer DNA in the bloodstream tiny needles in the haystack of the bloodstream. This opens up a lot of possibilities for treatment and diagnosis, Vogelstein said. Guardant Health is one of two companies that recently received approval for its liquid biopsy tests, intended to make it easier to track cancers. In colon cancer, for instance, roughly half of Stage 3 patients who otherwise would die can be cured with so-called adjuvant therapy, Vogelstein said. But nearly everyone who has enough metastatic cancer to be visible on an X-ray will die from their disease. "You cure close to 0% with adjuvant therapy," he said. Adjuvant therapy is terribly toxic, though, so doctors don't want to use it unless they believe the patient is likely to have metastatic disease. "So, this is a decision that virtually every patient goes through: Should I undergo adjuvant therapy?" said Vogelstein. Until now, they've only been able to guess and play the odds. But early research suggests using liquid biopsy to identify if there's residual disease can help make that decision easier, Vogelstein said. Although studies proving the clinical usefulness of liquid biopsies have yet to be completed, he added, "Patients with positive liquid biopsies after surgery nearly always recur, and many that don't have positive liquid biopsy tests don't recur." Doctor and patient perspective Dr. Neal Shore, medical director of the Carolina Urologic Research Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said he uses liquid biopsies to help him find clinical trials for patients with advanced cancer. One patient, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Joel, has been on a clinical trial of a double-drug therapy for two years, after a liquid biopsy identified a genetic mutation in his advanced prostate cancer. "He looks great," Shore said on a call with Joel and his wife Tracey. "He's done exceptionally well." Joel said the treatment has been challenging at times. He has trouble swallowing some days, suffers from back pain, and the hormone therapy he still takes gives him hot flashes. But his wife said his issues are largely manageable with Tylenol and heating pads. "For the most part, he feels pretty good," she said. Shore, who treats patients with kidney, bladder and prostate cancers, said liquid biopsies are particularly useful when a tissue sample is old or unusable. "It expands our treatment armamentarium," he said. "This is really exciting for me as a urologist." Hope for the future The next step, said Cindy Perettie, CEO of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Foundation Medicine, will be to use liquid biopsies early in the course of someone's treatment. "We're really focused on taking it from the metastatic setting and moving it to the early setting," she said. "That's where we're going to have the opportunity to really impact (patients)." Breast cancer patients on maintenance therapy with tamoxifen, for instance, usually have to wait five years to know if their cancer has advanced, she said, but a liquid biopsy could let them know much faster and more often. "We can look every six months whether they've progressed or not," Perettie said. Even further into the future, the real potential for liquid biopsies lies in early detection. For kidney cancer, as well as many other tumors, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the chance of survival, said Freedman of Dana-Farber. He, along with colleagues including Dr. Toni Choueiri, showed in a paper published earlier this summer they could identify kidney cancer cells in urine at all stages of disease. If such tumors could be identified when they're just beginning, the prognosis for kidney cancer would vastly improve. "You want to cure cancer. You don't cure it with third-line chemo. You want to cure it before it happens," Choueiri said. Today, about 20% of cancers are diagnosed via screening tools like mammography, colonoscopies or stool-based tests. Add liquid biopsies and that figure could jump to 75%. "I think that will be possible within five years or so," said Vogelstein, who is involved in a company, Thrive Earlier Detection, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that is working on such a test. The challenge: the smaller the tumor, the less DNA released from the cancer cells, so the harder it is to detect. Metastatic cancers that have spread throughout the body might account for 5-10% of the DNA floating in the bloodstream; but DNA from very early tumors may make up just 1-in-10,000 or 1-in-100,000 DNA molecules in blood, Vogelstein said. Studies have shown it's feasible to find these few needles in a haystack but not whether it's useful to doctors or patients. There is also a risk to using liquid biopsies as a screening tool for early tumors, Vogelstein warned. False positives telling people they have cancer when they don't could do a lot of harm. And a liquid biopsy can only say there's a high likelihood someone has cancer somewhere and that further testing is warranted, he said. Sometimes, something might look like cancer on a CT scan, but it isn't. "It is essential," he said, "to show that the benefits of early detection outweigh the risks." Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cancer: FDA approves liquid biopsy tests that can improve treatment Beijing: US report on Chinese warheads filled with bias Iran Press TV Wednesday, 02 September 2020 10:11 AM China has dismissed a US report that claims Beijing is expected to double the number of its nuclear warheads. In its annual report to Congress, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that China is expected to at least double the number of its nuclear warheads over the next decade from the low 200s now and is nearing the ability to launch nuclear strikes by land, air and sea, a capacity known as a triad. Reacting to the claims, Chinese Foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said in a news briefing on Wednesday that the Pentagon's report is filled with bias. The report comes amid a US push to get China to join the talks with Russia over the so-called New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last bilateral accord limiting the two countries' nuclear arsenals that is due to expire in February 2021. Beijing has repeatedly refused to join the talks given the fact that the US nuclear arsenal is about 20 times the size of China's. Back in July, a senior Chinese diplomat said Beijing would "be happy to" participate in trilateral arms control negotiations, on the condition that Washington significantly reduces its arsenal to match China's own level. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Seattle's top cop has said she quit her job last month after cuts to the budget left her 'destined to fail.' Carmen Best was the Seattle Police Department's first Black female police chief and officers lined the streets to bid her farewell Wednesday during her last day on the job. In an interview published the same day, Best - who previously said her decision to leave 'certainly isn't about the demonstrators' following the death of George Floyd blasted the city council's decision to drop 100 officers out of 1,400. 'I believe 100% that they were putting me in a position destined to fail,' Best told NPR All Things Considered regarding a revamp in response to calls to defund the department. 'I believe 100% that they were putting me in a position destined to fail,' Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said in an NPR interview published Wednesday She resigned last month after the Seattle City Council's (pictured) vote to drop 100 officers out of 1,400 on the force. Only one council member, Kshama Sawant (third from left), voted against the budget package, saying it does not do enough to defund the police Best said Wednesday it had become 'very difficult to move forward and make the changes needed to move the department in the right direction'. Pictured, cops line the streets of Seattle, Washington to bid Best farewell during her last day on the job 'Cutting a police department that already had low staffing numbers, that was already struggling to keep up with the demand How are we going to provide for adequate public safety in that environment?' Despite a proposal to slash the $400million budget in half, only $4million was redirected. Her own $285,000 salary was reduced as part of that. She previously said her resignation was 'not about the money.' The council plan also takes officers off a team that removes homeless camps. Jason Johnson, the interim director of Seattle's Human Services Department, said in a letter last month that the move to defund the city's Navigation Team and redirect money to homeless outreach services will 'dramatically restrict the city's ability to address unauthorized encampments'. Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan previously said any layoffs would disproportionately target newer officers, often hired from Black and brown communities, and would inevitably lead to lawsuits. She and the Mayor had urged the council to slow down talks to make changes amid an uprising. Best previously said any layoffs would disproportionately target newer officers, often hired from Black and brown communities, and would lead to lawsuits. Pictured, Seattle police officers deploy pepper spray as they clash with protesters following the Youth Day of Action and Solidarity with Portland demonstration on July 25 Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan had urged the council to slow down talks to make changes amid an uprising The mayor sketched out a plan to reduce the police budget by about $75million next year by transferring parking enforcement officers, the 911 call center and other areas out of the department. Only one council member, Kshama Sawant, voted against the budget package, saying it does not do enough to defund the police. Best who worked her way up the force over 28 years didn't like being left out of discussions. She told NPR in the Wednesday interview that it had become 'very difficult to move forward and make the changes needed to move the department in the right direction.' Best, 55, spoke as it was revealed a number of dangerous weapons including knives, a hatchet, and homemade spike strips had been recovered at the former site of Seattle's controversial 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone', two months after it was dismantled. The park, which had been turned into a 'police-free' zone, was finally cleared out on July 1 under an executive order issued by Mayor Durkan following weeks of unrest. Best previously said the area had become 'lawless and brutal' noting four shootings, two fatal, robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes. As her deputy Adrian Diaz takes over, Best admitted she had 'mixed feelings' about leaving her role during such an important time in policing. 'Of course I do, how could I not? We're in the middle of a social reckoning, you know, racial reckoning in the country ... and we have to acknowledge that policing has a history that has in many ways been conducive to the racism that we're experiencing,' she told NPR. 'But we also have to acknowledge that policing is working really hard to change that narrative. And we need to work with the public to figure out how we're going to do that.' Best has worked her way up the force over 28 years. She shared a picture Wednesday with colleagues Adrian Diaz, Deputy Chief of Seattle Police, now takes over Carmen Best's role as police chief In a statement last month Best wrote: 'This was a difficult decision for me but when it's time, it's time.' Best admitted in the Wednesday interview that she had 'mixed feelings' about leaving her role during such an important time in policing Addressing President Trump's accusations that Democrat leaders are failing to maintain law and order, Best was eager to separate politics from policies and demonstrative protests from the criminal activity surrounding them. 'All those conversations are about politics, and I really want to be about policies,' Best continued. 'Many can be peaceful demonstrators, but we also have people showing up who are rioters, who are breaking property, who are assaulting people, who are trying to set the precinct on fire, and that is criminal activity. 'And we do need to address it. I'm not saying that that is a political partisan issue, but it is an issue of public safety.' Amid the racial injustice uprising Best was also eager to point out that opinions about politics and policies aren't synonymous with heritage. Asked whether being a Black woman and a police officer has found her in moments of conflict this summer she said it hasn't. 'It's really interesting that people, they try to make it a strange dichotomy, that somehow being African American means you're anti-cop, or being a cop means you're anti-African American and neither of those things is true,' Best said. 'I think that's a very false narrative. I have ... a lot of family and none of them wants to not be safe in their neighborhood. It's not that they don't want policing. They just want to make sure that when policing happens, that it's fair and just.' Nancy Pelosi's hair stylist released a statement backing up Pelosi's claims that the house speaker was set up by the San Francisco salon where she was caught on camera getting her hair shampooed and blown dry. A law firm representing Jonathan DeNardo said the stylist got permission from Erica Kious, the owner of eSalon on Union Street, in a phone discussion prior to Pelosi's appointment. "Ms. Kious took special interest in the appointment during this telephone call, wherein she made several vitriolic and incendiary comments about Speaker Pelosi and her purported responsibility for temporarily suspending operations of Ms. Kious business, despite such orders actually being put into place not by Speaker Pelosi, but by Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed," a statement released by the firm and posted on Politico said. On Monday, Pelosi visited the salon, which has been closed due to a health order, and footage from her appointment showing her with wet hair and a mask around her neck later appeared on Fox News. Kious told the network she was offended by the House Speaker's visit to her businesses. "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 can't work," Kious said. "We have been shut down for so long, not just me, but most of the small businesses and I just can't it's a feeling a feeling of being deflated, helpless and honestly beaten down." Pelosi told reporters at an event in Noe Valley on Wednesday that she was "set up." "I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that Ive been to over the years many times," the Speaker said. "And that when they said, 'We're able to accommodate people one person at a time, and that we can set up a time,' I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a set up, and I take responsibility for falling for a set up. She added, I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up. Pelosi did not acknowledge that the arrangement she described is still a violation of the city's health order, as hair salons in the city are not allowed to serve anyone indoors, even one at a time. Kious denied it was a setup in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News Wednesday night and said her decision to give the network the video wasn't political. "Her assistant had made the appointment, so the appointment was already booked, so there was no way I could have set that up," Kious said. "And I've had a camera system in there for five years. I mean I didn't go in there and turn cameras on as soon as she walked in to set her up." DeNardo's statement said Kious has encouraged stylists for months to operate despite shutdown orders. "Ms. Kious is seen on photographs and video footage styling various clients hair, ignoring social distancing guidelines, and not wearing protective equipment (masks), as recently as a few days prior to Speaker Pelosis arrival at eSalon on August 31, 2020," the statement said. The statement concludes, "The fact that Ms. Kious is now objecting to Speaker Pelosis presence at eSalon, and from a simple surface-level review of Ms. Kious political leanings, it appears Ms. Kious is furthering a setup of Speaker Pelosi for her own vain aspirations." San Francisco Mayor London Breed came to Pelosi's defense. "Its really unfortunate with everything happening in this country, with the fact that we basically have a dictator in charge of running this country," Breed said Wednesday of the attention Pelosi's visit has received. "And we have our Speaker Nancy Pelosi working day and night to fight against the challenges against the White House she has spent her entire career working for this city and working for this country its unfortunate that this conversation has blown up in the way that it has and distracted from the real issue. We dont have good solid federal leadership helping us facilitate this COVID response We have bigger issues as it relates to this country." President Donald Trump called out the incident on Twitter, writing Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask despite constantly lecturing everyone else. SFGATE reporter Eric Ting contributed to this story. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-04 04:56:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Military Intelligence (MI) on Thursday seized five M16 rifles in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in a rare move to control the illegal proliferation of weapons. In a press statement sent to Xinhua, the MI said its security forces chased the possessors of the seized weapons before they fled to Hebron's Area C which is under full Israeli control. The MI noted that it has started to implement a Presidential decree issued on Tuesday that has amended the Firearms and Ammunition Law of 1998 in the Palestinian territories. This operation was part of an attempt to enforce the law against people who use the weapon of chaos that threaten the community's security and stability, said the statement. In a separate press statement, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye vowed to impose "harsh punishments" on all who use weapons outside the legal framework, saying his government is determined to enforce the law for the sake of security and stability in the community. Over the past few months, the West Bank has witnessed a significant increase in the crimes involving the use of illegal weapons, said Palestinian police spokesman Louay Erzikat. Enditem On Thursday, Facebooks chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, announced the companys New Steps to Protect the U.S. Elections. They include blocking new political ads in the week leading up to Election Day and attaching labels to posts containing misinformation, specifically related to the coronavirus and posts from politicians declaring victory before all the results are counted. One can and many will debate just how effective these measures will be at preventing election night chaos during a pandemic. (So far Facebooks misleading post labels are vague to the point of causing additional confusion for voters. Similarly, blocking new political ads one week out from the vote ignores the vast amounts of disinformation Americans are subjected to year after year.) But what seems beyond debate is just how deeply Facebook has woven itself into the fabric of democracy. Reading Mr. Zuckerbergs election security blog post reminded me of a line from a seminal 2017 article by the journalist Max Read. Three years ago, Mr. Read was struck by a similar pledge from Mr. Zuckerberg to ensure the integrity of the German elections. The commitment was admirable, he wrote, but also a tacit admission of Facebooks immense power. Its a declaration that Facebook is assuming a level of power at once of the state and beyond it, as a sovereign, self-regulating, suprastate entity within which states themselves operate. That power is consolidated in the decisions of its chief executive, who has voting control over the company. Heres how Facebooks co-founder Chris Hughes described Mr. Zuckerbergs iron grip on the company in The Times last year: Marks influence is staggering, far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government. He controls three core communications platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp that billions of people use every day. Facebooks board works more like an advisory committee than an overseer, because Mark controls around 60 percent of voting shares. Mark alone can decide how to configure Facebooks algorithms to determine what people see in their News Feeds, what privacy settings they can use and even which messages get delivered. He sets the rules for how to distinguish violent and incendiary speech from the merely offensive, and he can choose to shut down a competitor by acquiring, blocking or copying it. If Mr. Hughess description feels hyperbolic, it may be because such a consolidation of power is actually hard to comprehend. The Supreme Court shall hear the review plea filed by six states against its order allowing the Central Government to conduct medical and engineering entrance exams -Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) on Friday. The top court on 17 August had refused the plea for deferment of medical and engineering entrance exams in plea seeing directions for postponement and cancellation of the exams scheduled to be held in September. Since Justice Arun Mishra has retired, who had passed the order being challenged, the new bench will be led by Justice Ashok Bhushan. The matter will be considered in Judges chamber as per rules. Six state government ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had approached the apex court on 28 August seeking review of its 17 August order. These ministers belong to non-BJP ruled states and have filed a review petition in the apex court for postponement of JEE-NEET exams. The states argued that the previous order fails to secure the safety, security and right to life of the students appearing for the exams. It also ignored the teething logistical difficulties in conducting the examinations at the proposed dates. The order failed to balance the competing, but equally important aspects of conducting the examination, and securing safety of the students, they added. They said the previous order fails to ensure mandatory safeguards are put in place during the conduct of the examinations. The JEE-Main will be held from 1 to 6 September, while NEET exams for admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges is scheduled for 13 September. JEE Advanced for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is scheduled for later in September. On 17 August, the apex court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra ordered for the dismissal of the petition and said Career of students cannot be put under jeopardy for long." Justice Mishra had said "Life cannot be stopped. We have to move ahead with all safeguards and all.... Education should be opened up. COVID may continue for a year more. Are you going to wait another year? Do you know what is the loss to the country and peril to the students." On 27 August, over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying JEE-Mains and NEET any further will mean compromising the future of students. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Lili Reinhart is to be back on the set of "Riverdale," along with Cole Sprouse, KJ Apa, Camila Mendes and more, months after production halted because of the spread of the coronavirus. The 23-year-old blonde beauty has expressed feeling "like a prisoner" as she lands in Vancouver, Canada to film the popular series. According to her Nylon interview, Reinhart isn't happy about being back in the north border because she will not be able to leave Canada in time for November. Which also means she would miss visiting her family for Thanksgiving. "I genuinely feel like a prisoner going back to work because I cannot leave Canada. That doesn't feel good. No one can come visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks," she added, "It just feels f-----d." The actress has also lamented having to fit into a prom dress she wore in a previous episode just before filming was put on hold because she thinks she gained a few pounds during the pandemic. "We stopped during the prom episode, so I have to fit back in that prom dress. Five months later, we're all going to be tan, maybe a little thicker. I certainly am." However, despite feeling negatively about the situation, Lili Reinhart acknowledged the fact that she is still lucky to have the show to return to, unlike other people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The "Chemical Hearts" actress is expected to finish the last three episodes of the fourth season before they immediately start filming for the fifth season which is said to take place seven years into the future. Just before they started production, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, and the rest of the gang, were required to quarantine separately for fourteen days and once they start filming, they'll be working until after Christmas holidays. The "Husters" star has also opened up about her battle with mental health, especially depression and anxiety, describing feeling "very lost" when the COVID-19 arose. "I felt very sad and hopeless because of personal things that were happening in my life." Reinhart further said, "Instead of distracting myself, f------g random people and doing drugs and drinking my problems away, I chose the harder route which was not to distract myself." In June, Lili Reinhart revealed that she was bisexual. The actress didn't date girls "until right now" but has been with a girl when she was eighteen years old. When asked why it took her long to come out, she said, "I didn't want to come out and talk about it because I felt that bisexuality was becoming a trend among celebrities." However, she said she has been an ally of the LGBTQ community since she was a teenager. Just before coming out, Lili Reinhart and her long-time boyfriend and "Riverdale" co-star Cole Sprouse has split, eight months after reuniting. The former couple have had an on-again, off-again relationship. Speculation swirled in early May that they have already gone their separate ways after their co-star Skeet Ulrich said on his Instagram Live, "I think they were a very cute couple. They're both beautiful people." The "Suite Life" life star revealed that they got back together in January and decided to breakup permanently in March of this year. In August, Cole Sprouse has finally discussed his breakup to Lili Reinhart, saying in an Instagram post,"I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness moving forward." READ MORE: Selena Gomez Heartbreak: Deadly Disease Made Her Extremely Insecure Joe Biden has arrived in Wisconsin to meet the family of Jacob Blake in the wake of protests in Kenosha, where a police officer fired seven rounds at the back of the 29-year-old black man, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. The Democratic presidential nominee and his wife Jill Biden are visiting the battleground state two days after Donald Trumps tour of Kenosha, where he praised local and federal law enforcement and toured damaged buildings. The president did not meet with members of Mr Blakes family. Mr Blakes family, including his parents, as well as members of the familys legal team, met privately with Mr Biden shortly after his arrival in Milwaukee. The former vice presidents visit, during which hes expected to participate in a community meeting to discuss racial justice and police violence, follows a joint campaign ad with running mate Kamala Harris, who says part of the point of freedom is to be free from brutality, from injustice, from racism and all of its manifestations. Mr Bidens visit follows his damning rebuke of the presidents rhetoric in a speech from Pittsburgh on Monday, as he accused his rival of fanning the flames of violence and exploiting American vulnerability amid several crises for a campaign of fear. This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership, Mr Biden said in his remarks. 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. The president arrived in Kenosha on Tuesday during a period of relative calm after the city was rocked by the killings of two protesters by an alleged teenaged suspect defended by the president and his allies. Kyle Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old Trump supporter from Illinois who travelled to Wisconsin for the demonstrations, 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. Moments after defending violent supporters who fired pepper spray and paintball guns at anti-racist protesters in Portland, Oregon, the president on Monday claimed that Mr Rittenhouse 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 a peaceful protest using paint as a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets, he said. The presidents much-publicised visit to Kenosha which Minnesota officials had advised against included a stop at a burnt-out camera shop, though its owners did not want to participate. He met instead with the shops former owner. He condemned political violence and cast blame on reckless far-left politicians for property damage following widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism, though he dismissed those concerns and denied the need for structural reform in American policing. The president claimed that Kenosha residents want police to be police ... 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. Its official. The Republican Party, at its convention announced that it will not adopt a party platform. Rather, the party passed a resolution saying that it will enthusiastically support the Presidents America First Agenda. What is that agenda? Whatever President Trump says it is. Take a moment to ponder what this means. Traditionally, political parties in the United States have formed to advance a legislative program. Some set of goals that it wants to accomplish. The party platform is the means of elucidating those goals. By declining to adopt a party platform. the GOP is acknowledging what many have suspected these past four years: it stands for nothing. Nada. Zilch. Instead the party will acquiesce in anything that Trump says or does. Undermine NATO? Sure, why not? Promote global warming by withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords? Go do it. Separate thousands of infants and small children from their parents and throw them in prison camps? Sounds good. Destroy the U.S. Postal Service? Right on. French Prime Minister Jean Castex has pledged to create 160,000 new jobs in 2021 as his government prepares to unroll a spending plan to boost its ailing coronavirus-hit economy. The French government has earmarked 100 billion to counter the devastating impact of the coronavirus at a time when daily virus numbers in France are soaring. "I hope that the recovery plan will create 160,000 jobs in 2021 - that is our aim," Castex told broadcaster RTL on Thursday. "Relaunching the economy and fighting unemployment is the plan's priority objective," said Castex, as France is faced with the prospect of mass layoffs. The sum, a combination of new spending and tax breaks, is four times the amount France spent over a decade ago to deal with the global financial crisis, and represents a third of its average annual budget. Around one half comes from the 750 billion European Union plan agreed in July. But creating 160,000 through a 100 billion investment package made for "expensive jobs" economist Daniel Cohen told LCI TV on Thursday, adding it "wouldn't be enough to stop mass unemployment". 'France Relance' The government is to announce the details of the plan, named France Relance (Relaunch France), on Thursday. Around one third of the investment will go to decarbonising sectors which emit the most CO2, while around three billion euros will go to small and medium-sized businesses. A further one billion euros will be invested in industrial and technological projects such as health, electronics and 5G. Thirty-five billion euros will go towards boosting job creation, in particular young people who have been hard hit by job cuts in the hospitality sector due to Covid-19. In early June, the Banque de France estimated that close to a million more people would be out of work by end of 2020 compared to the previous year. (with AFP) Actor Rishi Kapoor in his final years was surrounded by friends and family. The actor died after a two-year battle with cancer in April. Hed spent a significant amount of time seeking treatment in New York, where he stayed for nearly a year with wife Neetu Kapoor. Hed have turned 68 on September 4. During that time, the actor was visited by his colleagues from the film industry, including Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Javed Akhtar and several others. His son, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranbirs girlfriend, Alia Bhatt, also visited him. While he was in New York, he spoke to Mumbai Mirror about how thankful he was to his friends and family for their support. All my siblings, my children and Neetu in particular, who has been like a solid rock, have been around me, supporting me through all this... Ranbir keeps coming every five-six weeks. I am overjoyed by all the love and concern, the solidarity of my family, he said. He had added, Here I have to make a special mention of my niece Natasha and my elder sister Ritu Nanda who is also here for the same reason. They were our anchors who kept Neetu and me going. When your anxiety is so high you need this kind of support and such motivational people around. On his birthday, here are some of his best pictures from the family album. Big or small We all have a battle to fight in our heads you may have a huge house with all the luxuries and still be unhappy whereas have nothing n be the happiest its all a state of mind !! All one needs is a strong mind n hope for a better tmrw !!! Live with gratitude ,hope ,work hard !!!! Value your loved ones as thats your biggest wealth, Neetu had written alongside one post. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The ground reality seems to be that the US Presidential election campaign is losing the sense of direction , with racism becoming a point of focus rather than economic and foreign policy of the US government. by N.S.Venkataraman U S A is one country where people from all over the world have migrated over the years and have become U S citizens. Therefore, it is inevitable that citizens of the USA have different colours like white, brown , black and yellow, which should be a matter of pride for the USA and not a subject of conflict. Certainly, the USA now remains a universal country, unlike other countries in the world, which predominantly consist of native population. Perhaps, Canada is the only other country which may also pride itself as a universal country due to the migrant population, who have descended on Canada from various parts of the world. All said and done, the USA is one of the most tolerant countries in the world, where people of multiple colour mingle with each other and readily accept one another. While there could be some white supremacists or black extremists in the USA , they are minuscule in number and a very large section of the US population do not approve of them. Such people get publicity mainly due to the media , which always seem to relish in highlighting the negatives rather than the positives. It can be readily seen that even in other countries where people belonging to the single race live, there are differences between them due to various reasons and perhaps, there is no country in the world where differences between people do not exist. The very fact that people from different races from all over the world are eager to go to USA as migrants and eager to become US citizens is not only due to the fact that US is a rich country offering lot of opportunities and enormous freedom to individuals but also due to the fact that USA is a very tolerant country, where people belonging to different religions have their own places of worship and live cherishing their values. In such circumstances, it is unfortunate that race and colour of US citizens appear to have become the central theme in the US Presidential campaign, for both the parties. The Vice Presidential nominee of the Democratic party has highlighted her racial background , by speaking about her Indian mother and Jamaican father and similarly , an important lady speaker of Republican party , spoke eloquently about the fact that her mother was wearing a saree and her father was having a turban. In a Presidential election campaign , why should the principal lady speakers of both the parties stress about their lineage ? One cannot but notice that there has been a spurt in violence before the present Presidential election, with the so called black white conflict becoming the biggest topic for discussions in the media and amongst the politicians. Certainly, no responsible and discerning US citizen would like this trend. What is even more unfortunate is the mischievous propaganda that President Trump favours the whites and not the blacks , for which there is no evidence. He has repeatedly said that in all such cases of conflicts, one should note that there are very fine people amongst the blacks as well as the whites. Why is this statement of President Trump not being given the importance that it is due in the feverish election campaign ? Again, when President Trump declared his America First Policy, it has been interpreted as an anti migrant approach and a chauvinistic attitude. The fact is that there are a considerable number of migrants in the USA who are unaccounted for and illegal migrants. In such circumstances, check and control on the entry of migrants in the USA is necessary and appropriate. It is necessary that the US President should be concerned about this situation. With joblessness becoming a serious issue in the USA, President Trump has been stating that the jobs should preferably go to US citizens and not to the people from other parts of the world , who seek visa to enter the USA to take up jobs. This need not be interpreted as anti migrant policy. On the other hand, it should be deemed to be pro American policy. The ground reality seems to be that the US Presidential election campaign is losing the sense of direction , with racism becoming a point of focus rather than economic and foreign policy of the US government. The politicians in USA belonging to Republican and Democratic party obviously seem to be short sighted and are doing great harm to the harmonious relation prevailing between US citizens for so many decades.For the sake of winning the Presidential election and scoring point over each other ,they are whipping up passion and both the parties are talking about the so called racial conflicts. This is a dangerous trend that could harm the long term social stability of the USA. If at all one could see a racial issue, it is at negligible level and should be better ignored for the sake of long term stability of the USA. It would be a good and patriotic gesture , if the leaders of Democratic and Republican party come to an agreement that they would not talk about the so called racial issues in the USA in the ongoing election campaign. New Delhi: India has said that it is ready to hold Quad--India, US, Australia, and Japan meet. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said, "we look forward to hosting quad meet later this year and details are being worked out" while responding to Zee Media question. Earlier this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said that a Quad ministerial meet is being planned in Delhi. Speaking at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Biegun said, "Theres going to be a meeting of the Quad, a ministerial meeting with the Quad in Delhi thats the intention anyway in person." "Details are still being worked out" but "strong intent is to hold something in the coming months. Likely to be after Indian parliament session though so not Sept," sources said. Last year, the Quad foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New Yeat, which was the first such meet of the grouping. Notably, Quad is viewed with suspicion by China as a grouping that is anti-Bejing. Asked about Quad being anti-China grouping, Biegun said, "I dont 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. It also has to have a positive agenda." Providence, R.I. The federal government has told states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine to be ready to distribute by Nov. 1. The timeline raised concern among public health experts about an "October surprise" a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than by science. In a letter to governors dated Aug. 27, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said states "in the near future" will receive permit applications from McKesson Corp., which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals. "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020," Redfield wrote. He wrote that any waivers will not compromise the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine. The Associated Press obtained the letter, which was first reported by McClatchy. Redfield told Yahoo Finance that officials were preparing "for what I anticipate will be reality, is that there'll be one or more vaccines available for us in November, December." James S. Blumenstock, a senior vice president at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said that the CDC was offering "an aggressive but necessary timetable" but that public health agencies were mobilizing to prepare detailed plans. Several vaccine and public health experts pointed out that final-stage trials of experimental vaccines are still recruiting, and are at best halfway through that process. The vaccines are two doses, and each is given a month apart. Several experts told the AP they did not understand how there could be adequate data on whether the vaccines work and are safe before Nov. 1. "Being ready is reasonable. Cutting short phase 3 trials before you get the information you need isn't," said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia immunization expert who sits on the FDA's vaccine advisory committee. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University's tropical medicine school, said he was "very concerned" about whether the Food and Drug Administration would use an emergency use authorization to approve a vaccine before knowing whether it works and is safe. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "It gives the appearance of a stunt rather than an expression of public health concern," Hotez said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert, said he was concerned about an "October surprise" with a vaccine being rushed through ahead of the election. "The public health community wants a safe and effective vaccine as much as anybody could want it," Osterholm said. "But the data have to be clear and compelling that the vaccine is effective and that it's safe." He said there was a "credibility gap" between doctors and the FDA about how rigorously products are being evaluated during the pandemic. Some states on Wednesday said they were working on next steps while still awaiting details from CDC. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 23:42:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government on Thursday confirmed infections for 1,228 people from coronavirus, which is the highest single day spike in the cases. With the new cases, the national infection tally reached 42,877, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. The active cases stood at 18,413. "A total of 1,228 cases were identified in the last 24 hours," said Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the health ministry at a press meet on Thursday. The previous single-day high was on Aug. 30 with 1,221 new cases. Although Nepal had been witnessing sharp decline in COVID-19 cases since July 3, the infections started to surge once again after the government ended the lockdown on July 22, allowing almost all economic and social activities to resume. While the cases were mostly confined among the Nepali migrant workers, who had returned home from abroad, particularly from India before the lockdown was lifted, the cases are now spreading to several clusters of communities, according to the officials at the health ministry. Suresh Tiwari, a senior official at Nepal's Health Ministry, said on Tuesday that around 96 percent of the cases were now locally transmitted, a reversal of a trend observed until July. Over 70 percent cases have been concentrated in just 12 districts suggesting the community transmission, according to the ministry. The capital Kathmandu has emerged as a new hotspot of the pandemic with over one third of the total COVID-19 cases reported on Thursday. As many as 445 cases were identified in the Kathmandu Valley in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry. So far, there are 7,038 cases reported in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepali government officials have been repeatedly warning against the crowding. But, on Thursday, defying the prohibitory orders issued the local administrations in the valley, the Machhindranath Jatra, a famous ritual was organized in Kathmandu Valley by pulling the chariot, which ensued clashes between police and local people. Meanwhile, six people died of COVID-19 taking the total death toll from the pandemic to 257, according to the health ministry. Enditem ANN ARBOR, MI The University of Michigan plans to test 3,000 people weekly for the novel coronavirus by the end of September as part of a program to monitor asymptomatic spread and potentially identify an outbreak earlier. Students, faulty and staff, including Michigan Medicine employees, living or working in Ann Arbor can register for the UM COVID-19 Community Sampling and Tracking program. The surveillance testing is a free and voluntary opt-in program, separate from the universitys testing of symptomatic UM community members, according to a Thursday Sept. 3 news release. As classes begin, faculty still pressing University of Michigan to switch to virtual fall semester The community sampling and tracking program will provide UM public health experts with early warning signs and an opportunity to identify groups in our community in need of targeted support to slow COVID-19 transmission, Emily Martin, a UM epidemiologist and professor, said in a statement. Martin is guiding the programs development, according to the university. Testing will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and will go through Nov. 20, when students move out of the dorms as part of a revised fall schedule. Selected participants will then schedule an appointment to do an observed, self-collected nasal swab at Palmer Commons near the medical campus on Washtenaw Avenue. 8 things to know about the University of Michigans plans for in-person classes in 2020-21 UM is targeting a goal to test 5 percent of its student and on-campus population per week, with the ability to test a higher percentage when needed in response to concerns, according to the release. The university is also testing symptomatic individuals through University Health Service and Occupational Health Services, the healthcare services for students and staff. Symptomatic people or those who have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case will not be a part of the surveillance program, officials said. The program also discourages enrollment for people who have previously had the virus. The university has tested 341 students and staff as of 2 p.m. Sept. 3, according to the UM dashboard detailing the symptomatic testing at the Ann Arbor campus. Six people have tested positive for COVID-19 so far this week. Last week, when students began arriving on campus, 1,499 people were tested and 40 positive cases were identified. The positivity rate or the rate of how many people tested received a positive result was 2.7%, according to UM. There have been more than 2,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washtenaw County residents since the pandemic began. About 88% of those cases have recovered, according to the countys health department. The university says it is using several monitoring strategies, including antibody testing for Michigan Medicine employees, baseline testing for students who moved on campus and more. Researchers are also studying sewage samples, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended strategy to identify COVID-19 infection prevalence by testing for the viruss genetic makeup. Thursday, Sept. 3: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan 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, click here. The only primary school in the City of London is changing its name to distance itself from a 17th Century slave trader. Governors at Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School said its name was 'incompatible' with the school's values. It will now become The Aldgate School. It announced on its website that the decision comes after the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in the US. Two memorials to Sir John Cass, a bust and statue, are also set to be removed. A statue of Sir John Cass is in the process of being torn down by the foundation that bears his name The new name will tie the school (pictured) to Aldgate, one of seven gates in the former Roman London wall which once stood directly outside the school The new name will tie the school to Aldgate, one of seven gates in the former Roman London wall which once stood directly outside the school. Sir John Cass's Foundation was set up as an educational charity in 1748 and still funds the primary school. Who was Sir John Cass? Sir John Cass (1661- 1718) was a merchant, politician and Alderman for the ancient London ward of Portsoken, in 1711 was elected a Sheriff of London and later knighted. Cass was responsible for helping the slave trade to establish across the Atlantic. He dealt with slave agents in the African forts and Caribbean. Cass was a member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal African Company between 1705 and 1708 and bequeathed shares in the Royal African Company on his death. The Royal African Company was established by Royal Charter under King Charles II. It gave a monopoly to the on trading in Slaves from ports in West. British slave trader Edward Colston played a large part in the running of the company. Cass also founded an educational charity, Sir John Cass's Foundation, which still exists to this day. The charity provides education for disadvantaged youth across London. Advertisement On its website, the foundation described Sir John Cass as 'a merchant and politician, whose wealth posthumously was used to create the Foundation to deliver educational benefits to disadvantaged children'. However, he was also a significant figure in The Royal African Company, which transported more African slaves to the Americas than any other institution during the Atlantic slave trade. A statement from the school's governing board, published on the school's website, said it was 'incompatible' with the school's values to be 'celebrating' Sir John Cass. It read: 'In June 2020, the Governing Board decided that the school should be renamed in light of Sir John Cass's involvement in slavery, highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. 'The new school name should be one which is geographical rather than biographical, should retain a sense of the long history of the school and its links to the Sir John Cass's Foundation and the Church of England, and should celebrate its unique position as the only state-maintained school in the City of London.' The school adds that it is 'committed to diversity' and that 'the way in which the curriculum is delivered in school will be reviewed, helping children gain a greater understanding of all histories.' A Founder's Day celebration will also be replaced with a new ceremony. The school said the new name will be adopted as soon as legal approval is granted by the City of London Corporation. The City of London Corporation has separately launched a three-month consultation into what to do with monuments associated with racism and slavery. Shia LaBeouf was back and working up a sweat on Wednesday as he went for his daily jog. The actor, 34, appeared engrossed in his morning exercise wearing a loose-fitting red T-shirt and navy Nike running leggings. With his AirPods in, the Hollywood star listened to music as he worked on his fitness regime. Going for it: Shia LaBeouf worked up a sweat on his daily run in Pasadena on Wednesday wearing a red T-shirt and leggings following his recent 'brownface' backlash The eccentric actor is known to be incredibly committed to his film characters. He tattooed his entire chest for his role as Creeper in the David Ayers film which was released on August 7. Meanwhile, Labeouf and Tax Collector director David Ayers recently found themselves in the line of fire after being accused of 'Cholo' cultural appropriation. Speedy: With his AirPods in, the Hollywood star listened to music as he worked on his fitness regime After a series of Twitter attacks, the director replied: 'Really important answer - Shia is playing a whiteboy who grew up in the hood. 'This is a Jewish dude playing a white character. Also the only white dude in the movie.' Though LaBeouf's role is supposed to be that of a 'whiteboy' who finds himself as a tax collector to a Latino drug lord, internet social justice warriors were quick to write about the casting decision. Shia was due to appear at the Fast Times at Ridgemont High virtual benefit for charity on August 21. The live table read included a cast of Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman among others. Unfortunately the star-studded event had to be rescheduled due to technical difficulties, though no date has been given at this time. 'Brownface': Meanwhile, Labeouf and Tax Collector director David Ayers recently found themselves in the line of fire after being accused of 'Cholo' cultural appropriation WASHINGTON - The Latest on the 2020 presidential campaign (all times local): 7:45 p.m. President Donald Trump is mocking his Democratic rival for letting his mask hang off his ear when he delivers speeches. Speaking to rally-goers in Pennsylvania, Trump says of Joe Biden, Did you ever see a man who likes a mask as much as him? Says Trump: He has it hanging down. Because it gives him a feeling of security. If I were a psychiatrist, right, you know Id say: This guys got some big issues. Hanging down. Hanging down. Trump acknowledges that face coverings are particularly important for the nation heading into the Labor Day holiday weekend, as public experts have called for Americans to be particularly diligent to prevent a repeat of the explosion of new coronavirus cases seen after Memorial Day. Trump is telling supporters: Distance on the weekend and all of that stuff. Wear your mask when youre close together in particular and wash your hands, all of those things. __ 7 p.m. President Donald Trump has arrived in Western Pennsylvania for a rally two months from Election Day, as his allies feel new optimism about a battleground state that flipped in his favour in 2016. Air Force One touched down in Latrobe Thursday evening as his campaign claims signs of momentum in the state a longtime Democratic stronghold Trump won by less than 45,000 votes in 2016. Polls show Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, are closely matched. After months of trepidation, Trump campaign officials have been feeling encouraged in the last few weeks as Trump has pivoted to a law and order message amid protests over racial injustice. They believe efforts to paint Biden as weak on crime will help Trump win back suburban voters, and especially women, who supported him in 2016 but have since soured on him. __ 4 p.m. Former Vice-President Joe Biden spoke with Jacob Blake on the phone for 15 minutes during a visit to Wisconsin. Blake is a Black man whose shooting by a white Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer last week led to days of protests and violence. Biden says Blake talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, about how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up. Blakes family members have said he is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times. The shooting remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Biden says his wife, Jill, asked to say a prayer and Blakes mother, who was also joining by phone, said a prayer. Biden says Blakes mother said: Im praying for Jacob and Im praying for the policeman as well. Im praying that things change. Biden met in person with other Blake family members before leading a community discussion in Kenosha. President Donald Trump was in Kenosha earlier this week but did not meet with Blakes family. __ 3:30 p.m. Jacob Blake, the Black man shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has spoken with former Vice-President Joe Biden by phone, along with his parents and other family members. Blakes attorney Ben Crump says the 29-year-old participated in the meeting from his hospital bed. Crump says Blake shared the pain he is enduring and Biden commiserated. The family has said that Blake is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police Aug. 23. Biden and his wife, Jill, met with Blakes father, sisters and brother in person while Blake, his mother and attorneys joined by phone. Crump says the family was grateful for the meeting and impressed with Bidens willingness to listen. President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday but did not meet with anyone from Blakes family. Crump says Blakes mother led everyone in prayer for his recovery. He says they talked about changing the disparate treatment of minorities in police interactions and Bidens plans for change. Crump says Blakes father talked about the need for systematic changes in policing. Crump says Biden treated Blake as a person worthy of consideration and prayer. __ 3:10 p.m. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says he did not want presidential candidate Joe Biden to visit Kenosha where he met with family members of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot by police. Evers also asked President Donald Trump not to come. Both Trump and Bide ignored Evers requests and made stops to Kenosha, the latest epicenter of racial unrest in the country. Evers says he would prefer that no one be here, be it candidate Trump or candidate Biden. But the governor says candidates can make their decisions and it is what it is. Evers said in a conference call Thursday that he made his position to the Biden campaign clear, but they had already decided to come to Wisconsin. Biden announced the trip on Wednesday and came on Thursday. Evers sent Trump a letter telling him that his visit would not help Kenosha heal. Evers says he was upset that Trump and others holding a round table discussion inside did not wear masks, despite a statewide mandate to wear them. Evers did not send Biden a letter but says he told him to be concerned about what Im concerned about. Evers did not specify what that was. ___ 3 p.m. A crowd gathered outside a Kenosha church cheered as Vice-President Joe Bidens motorcade arrived Thursday afternoon for a community meeting to mark Jacob Blakes shooting at the hands of police Some 30 protesters marched past Grace Lutheran Church ahead of Bidens arrival, chanting Black Lives Matter! while being trailed by a police vehicle instructing them to move out of the street. A larger group of 100 in front of the church chanted Dump Trump! Dump Trump! Dump Trump! as Bidens motorcade rolled up. A small group of people waving Trump/Pence and Dont Tread on Me flags stood on the corner. Blakes uncle, Justin, was also outside the church, criticizing Attorney General William Barr for remarks a day earlier that Blake was shot while committing a felony. Kenoshas police union has said Blake, a Black man, had a knife when he was shot. Investigators have said a knife was in Blakes vehicle but havent given more details. Little Jake had no weapon, Justin Blake said, accusing Barr of trying to justify the shooting. ___ 1:05 p.m. Joe Biden is meeting with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer late last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Bidens presidential campaign said he is meeting with Blakes father and mother, his siblings, and a few members of his legal team at the Milwaukee airport where he landed Thursday afternoon. Blake himself remains hospitalized. Blakes shooting set off weeks of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin that have at times erupted in violence. Those protests have made Kenosha the epicenter of a renewed political debate over systemic racism and violent protesters. Biden is visiting the city later Thursday to hold a discussion with business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. President Donald Trump visited the city earlier this week, but didnt meet with Blakes family. The president focused on thanking members of law enforcement for their handling of the violence that broke out after Blakes shooting. __ 12:30 p.m. Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden has arrived in Wisconsin, where hell meet with relatives of Jacob Blake and hold a discussion with business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials. Blake is the Black man who was shot seven times in the back on Aug. 23 by a white police officer as authorities tried to arrest Blake. He remains hospitalized. Bidens trip comes two days after President Donald Trump visited Kenosha. Trump didnt meet with Blakes family. The president focused on thanking members of law enforcement for their handling of the violence that broke out after Blakes shooting. Its Bidens first campaign stop in Wisconsin in nearly two years. Its also the first time since 2012 that a Democratic presidential candidate campaigned in the pivotal state. In 2016, Hillary Clinton skipped the state. Trump ended up winning Wisconsin by less than than 23,000 votes as he became the first Republican to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1988. ___ 11:15 a.m. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul says he thinks former Vice-President Joe Biden can help heal Kenosha, Wisconsin in ways that President Donald Trumps stop in the city did not. The Democratic presidential candidate is expected to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot seven times in the back on Aug. 23 by a white police officer as authorities tried to arrest Blake. He remains hospitalized. Before Trumps visit to the southeastern Wisconsin earlier this week, Kaul accused the president of wanting to benefit from chaos and violence happening during this administration. The Democrat Kaul says Bidens visit Thursday provides an opportunity to help heal the community, to bring people together, to support people who are protesting peacefully and calling for the change they want to see. He says Trump was not interested in that when he met with law enforcement officials and business owners affected by the violence. Trump did not meet with members of Jacob Blakes family. Trump has also not publicly condemned 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with fatally shooting two demonstrators last week. Trump implied that Rittenhouse only shot the men after he tripped and they attacked him, even though the first fatal shooting happened before Rittenhouse ran away and fell. Kaul says, When you make excuses for people who are involved in that kind of violence, whether its vigilante violence or white supremacist violence or any other kind of violence or destruction, we need clear condemnations of that from our leaders. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- An important development has been lost amid the growing alarm over the contretemps in the Eastern Mediterranean: Last month President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a major natural gas discovery off Turkeys other coast, in the Black Sea. The finding was estimated at 320 billion cubic meters, and there is a strong expectation that the figure will be revised upwards as a result of additional exploratory drilling. The finding has implications for Turkeys energy balance and energy security and for its stance in the Eastern Mediterranean confrontation with Greece. As a country poor in hydrocarbon resources, energy imports have always been a major burden for Turkey. Last years energy import bill amounted to $43 billion, or 20% of all imports. The new gas finding, which Erdogan said will come onstream as early as 2023, will help stanch a major drain on foreign exchange. A back-of-the-envelope calculation based on an annual internal consumption of 45 billion cubic meters suggests that the Black Sea reserve could cover almost all of Turkeys natural-gas needs for nearly seven years. The finding may be small compared to other major gas-producing countries such as Russia, Qatar and Iran, but it would help Turkey to greatly reduce its chronic current-account deficit. It could also potentially produce macroeconomic benefits by lessening the pressure on the domestic currency. Additionally, the finding will have strategic consequences, especially if more reserves are discovered. Turkey has traditionally been dependent on Russia and Iran for its natural gas imports. Five years ago, Russia accounted for over half of its gas imports. Since then Turkey has made smart use of changing spot-market conditions to increase the share of imports from other sources, such as Algeria and Nigeria. By the end of 2019, Russias share had been reduced to 33% and Irans to 17%. But due to long-term take-or-pay commitments with these countries, the financial benefits of this rearrangement are more limited than those figures would suggest. Story continues The new find will allow Turkey to greatly reduce its dependence on Russia and Iran. It will also strengthen Ankaras hand significantly in future negotiations with Moscow and Tehran on the renewal of supply arrangements. The Black Sea discovery will also impact Turkeys posture in the Eastern Mediterranean. It will be seen as a vindication of the governments hawkish approach to the confrontation with Greece and help consolidate the already sizeable domestic consensus on the current trajectory of Erdogans foreign policy. The so-called Blue Homeland doctrine, which underpins this vision, sets out an extensive claim for Turkeys continental shelf and economic exclusive zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. The consequence, from the perspective of the Eastern Mediterranean, is that Turkey will be less sensitive to foreign pressure. The emerging domestic consensus on hitherto little-discussed topics such as maritime borders, exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf will allow Erdogan to sustain his hard-power approach to the conflict. This only adds urgency to the need for a de-escalation and a demilitarization of the Eastern Mediterranean dispute. In past decades, the U.S. played the lead role in mitigating Turkish-Greek conflicts. But with the Trump administrations already narrow diplomatic bandwidth further constricted by the onset of the presidential elections in nine weeks, the burden falls mainly on the European Union to facilitate the resumption of direct negotiations between Ankara and Athens. Germany showed the way forward by using its diplomatic leverage to convene Turkish and Greek delegations in Berlin last July. These talks were derailed with Athens announcement of its maritime borders deal with Egypt and Turkeys subsequent resumption of its exploration in the contested waters. The EU must now choose between two mutually exclusive strategies. It can either take sides with its member Greece against Turkey. Or it can adopt a more neutral stance and press for bilateral talks between Ankara and Athens. In either event, the Black Sea finding strengthens Turkeys hand. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Sinan Ulgen is the executive chairman of Istanbul-based think tank EDAM and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels. 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 World Health Organization wants to secure an initial 230 million doses of any COVID-19 vaccine for Africa, officials said Thursday, while emphasising that any vaccine in development should also be tested on the continent. The global vaccine allocation plan, called COVAX, aims to help buy and fairly distribute deliver 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021. "This ... (initial batch) will cover 20% of the African population, initially prioritising those who are the front line, health care workers, then expanding to cover vulnerable groups," Richard Mihigo, the programme area manager for WHO Africa, told an online news conference. The scheme has nine COVID-19 vaccine candidates covering a range of technologies and scientific approaches. Some are in late-stage clinical trials and could have data available by year-end. Only two of the potential COVID-19 vaccines are being tested in Africa, said Richard Hatchett, chief executive officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which co-leads the COVAX project with the WHO and the Gavi vaccines alliance. Testing vaccines on the continent ensures that sufficient data is generated on the safety and efficacy of the most promising vaccine candidates for the African population so they can be confidently rolled out in Africa, he said. John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told an online news conference that talks with COVAX would supplement other negotiations with nations such as China, Canada and the United States over securing access to shots. The continent has fared better than expected, health experts say. The number of new cases fell 11% in the past four weeks, Nkengasong said. "We are seeing an epidemiological curve that is either stabilising or decreasing, representing a sign of hope," he said, adding that inadequate testing still means the picture is incomplete. Search Keywords: Short link: Three Alaska Marine Highway ferries are pictured at the Auke Bay terminal on Tuesday, Aug. 25 as the M/V Matanuska departed for Petersburg and other southbound ports. The M/V Kennicott and M/V Tazlina are shown tied to the pier. A fourth ferry, the M/V LeConte pulled into port just after the Matanuska pulled away from the berth. The Matanuska was off-line the prior week after the crew was tested for COVID infections in Bellingham and the ship was cleaned before resuming service to Southeast Alaska. ... Mexico City, Sep 3 : Eight people were killed and 14 others injured after assailants opened fire on mourners attending a vigil in Mexico's Cuernavaca city, a popular weekend getaway, officials said. Witnesses said the attackers arrived in vehicles at a private residence in the city's Antonio Barona neighbourhood, and fired on the people who were walking alongside the body of a young man who had died in a motorcycle accident, reports Xinhua news agency. The Attorney General's Office of Morelos state and police said in a statement on Wednesday that two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were among the victims of the attack, which occurred at 10.40 p.m. on Tuesday. Four of the victims died on the spot, and the others on the way to the hospital or while receiving treatment. The injured included three women and two minors, the statement said. Authorities said the preliminary investigation implicated local organized crime. "According to the initial forensic study of the ballistic material, the large calibre weapons used in the incident appear to be related to other high-impact crimes recently registered," the authorities said, adding some 40 shots were fired. Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos state where many well-to-do residents have weekend homes, has in recent years seen a rise in drug-related crime as it lies on the trafficking route between southern Mexico and the northern border with the US. The infusion pumps market is being impacted by a large number of product recalls owing to risk of serious injury and even death, driving up the importance of clinical trials and quality assessment processes. DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / The infusion pumps market is estimated to display a healthy 5.4% CAGR between the forecast years 2020 and 2030. The infusion pumps market is likely to find major growth opportunities for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. High demand and shortage of infusion pumps to treat the unprecedented numbers of coronavirus patients around the world has generated a massive short-term surge in demand. Faster regulatory approvals during this period will further boost market prospects. "The growing numbers of chronic diseases cases along with demand for infusion pumps in ambulatory settings, are major contributors to infusion pump manufacturers. Demand is also supported by higher numbers of surgical procedures in hospitals, sustaining long term growth," states the FMI analyst. For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-859 Infusion Pumps Market- Critical Takeaways Home care applications of infusion pumps exhibit fast growth owing to lower costs and development of ambulatory pumps. Patient control analgesia pumps are witnessing increased adoption with, high demand for pain management applications. Developing economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America are displaying faster growth, on the back of growing availability of treatment options for a wide range of chronic ailments. Infusion Pumps Market- Drivers Higher accuracy of dosage administration in comparison to manual alternatives support adoption. Strong rise in demand for ambulatory infusion pumps for hospital and home care settings aid growth of demand. Infusion Pumps Market- Restraints The potential for risk of hacking in digital infusion pumps is a major challenge for manufacturers. Strict regulations governing the production and use of infusion pumps hurts growth. Coronavirus Impact on Infusion Pumps Market The impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the infusion pumps market has largely been positive. The unprecedented growth in the number of patients in the pandemic has put severe strain on the healthcare systems, infusion pump assets in healthcare facilities are falling significantly short to meet the growing patient numbers, boosting short term demand. Consequently, regulators are pushing for faster approval of new product offerings in the market, which will also bolster near-term prospects. For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-859 Competitive Landscape Baxter International, Fresenius Kabi, Micrel Medical Devices, Becton Dickinson, Q-Core Medical, are some of the leading players in the infusion pumps market. Manufacturers in the infusion pumps market are aiming for strategic collaborations and investments into product development and launch processes, widening their portfolios, and meeting evolving consumer demand. For instance, Baxter International has received the Australian and CE regulatory approvals for its Evo IQ syringe infusion systems. Tandem Diabetes Care has received FDA approval for its t:slim X2 insulin infusion pump. Further InfuTronix has partnered with Geo-Med for the development and launch of its Nimbus II PainPRO Infusion Pump for non-narcotic therapies. Buy Now@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/859 About the Study The study offers readers a comprehensive assessment of the Infusion pumps market. Global, regional and national-level analysis of the latest trends influencing the infusion pumps market is covered in this FMI report. The study provides insights according to product type (syringe pump, ambulatory pump, volumentric pump, implantable pump, insulin pump, enteral pump, PCA pumps, and pump accessories), application (chemotherapy, pediatrics, analgesia, gastroenterology, hematology, and diabetes), and end user (hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, homecare, clinics, and others) in seven regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and MEA). Explore FMI's Coverage of the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Devices Industry Lab Automation Market- Get insights on the global lab automation market through FMI's report covering detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis for projection period 2017-2027. Lung Cancer Surgery Market- FMI's exhaustive study on the lung cancer surgery market covers the latest trends, innovations, key players, and popular strategies for the period 2019-2029. Veterinary Vaccines Market- Obtain detailed analysis on the veterinary vaccines market through FMI's report covering competitive analysis, key regions, and segmental analysis. 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. Contact: Mr. Abhishek Budholiya Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/infusion-pumps-market Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/infusion-pumps-market SOURCE: Future Market Insights View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604664/Major-Shortage-of-Infusion-Pumps-in-Covid-19-Pandemic-and-Faster-Regulatory-Product-Approvals-to-Generate-Market-Growth-Opportunities-says-Future-Market-Insights The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) has reopened the investigation of criminal proceedings in which violations by the European Court of Human Rights have been established, the PGO press service said. "More than 70 cases of torture and other forms of abusive treatment have been monitored by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe since 2013. The European Court of Human Rights found that Ukraine had violated the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms due to improper treatment of persons under government control and the ineffectiveness of the investigation of criminal proceedings on such facts," the PGO said in a statement on its official website on Wednesday evening. Since May 2020, the state of the investigation of criminal proceedings in this category has been taken under control by the Prosecutor General's Office. "According to the results of the analysis carried out by the prosecutors of the anti-torture branch, the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office canceled 27 illegal decisions of investigators to close such criminal proceedings, detailed instructions were provided in 30 proceedings, taking into account the available decisions of the European Court of Human Rights," the PGO said in the statement. The Prosecutor General's Office said that due to the measures taken, in 2020 it was possible to significantly intensify the investigation of criminal proceedings related to the use of violence by law enforcement officers. "In particular, suspicion was reported to 18 law enforcement officers for committing torture over eight months of this year, while only two over the whole of 2019, for abuse of power and official powers associated with the use of violence, suspicion was reported to 86 law enforcement officers, in 2019 to 44 officers," the PGO said. Guinean President Alpha Conde declared Wednesday that he would seek a third term in elections on October 18, confirming long-expected plans that have already triggered deadly unrest. "I am now committed, because you were the ones who decided that I should commit," the 82-year-old leader said in a video conference to women supporters campaigning for him to run again. Conde, nearing the end of his second and final spell in office, this year pushed through a revamped constitution that opponents say was crafted to reset the term counter. Protests against his suspected re-election plan erupted in the West African state in October last year but met with a ruthless crackdown, and several dozen people have died. Conde had until now refused to spell out whether he would seek re-election, saying only that this was a question for his party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG). The speculation came to an end on Monday, when the RPG issued a statement on TV saying "Conde will indeed be our candidate," a position now confirmed by the president himself. Guinea. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP) The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), an umbrella grouping of parties, labour unions and civil society groups, on Tuesday lashed the bid as "outrageous and conflict-inducing". It said its protest campaign would soon enter a "decisive phase," but gave no immediate further details. Conde is himself a former opposition figure who was jailed under previous regimes. The former French colony is replete in minerals but mired in poverty and instability. Hopes of change flourished when Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010, winning re-election five years later, but critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian. THE Children's Hospital in Tallaght is reopening this morning but the facility wont be staging full acute services to patients. Children's Health Ireland told RTE the hospital will forward critical cases to the emergency rooms at Crumlin and Temple Street hospitals. Tallaght also wont be catering for paediatric surgical inpatients. The hospitals acute services were temporarily relocated in March due to Covid-19 to Crumlin and Temple Street. The hospital was due to reopen last Monday. The facility is planned to offer a new outpatient and urgent care service in 2021 as part of the National Childrens Hospital. Tallaght will cater for a round-the-clock emergency service and for paediatric medical inpatient, day cases, medicines and x-ray outpatients. Islamabad, Sep 3 : The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing the review petition in the Kulbushan Jadhav case, has given India and Jadhav an opportunity to clarify their respective stances before the court in reference to the facilitation to be granted to Jadhav in line with the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Giving out the order, the IHC's larger bench, comprising of Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzaid stated that a second opportunity needs to be extended to remove any doubts and ensure the requirements of a fair trial. "In order to remove any doubt, and to fulfil the requirements of a fair trial, we feel that another opportunity ought to be extended to the Government of India to consider taking appropriate measures so as to ensure effective compliance with the judgment of the International Court. It is also important to give an assurance to Commander Jadhav that his rights, particularly the right to a fair trial, is an integral factor of a effective review and reconsideration for a meaningful compliance with the judgment of the International court. We, therefore, yet again restrain ourselves from proceeding in the matter in hand", read the court order. The court directed the Attorney General of Pakistan to ensure that a copy of the order if provided to Jadhav, must be passed on to the Government of India. "They are expected to assist the court on the status of compliance with the judgment of the international court in the event that Commander Jadhav or the Government of India decide against availing the remedy provided under the Ordinance of 2020", the court order read. "We are of the opinion that these proceedings and judicial review, on the basis of the judgment of the International Court, may not be meaningful and effective if Commander Jadhav and the Government of India decide not to exercise the course of action highlighted in the judgment of the international court", the order added. The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, informed the court that "Commander Jadhav has reiterated his earlier stance and has preferred to pursue the remedy of clemency instead of invoking his right under the Ordinance 2020". AGP Khan also stated that Pakistan is still waiting for a response from the Indian side on the Kulbushan Jadhav case while Jadhav has opted to stick to his mercy plea, which is already pending with the Pakistan Army Chief. "Pakistan is continuing the process of implementing the ICJ judgment but, apparently, India is busy obstructing the right to review", he added. The IHC adjourned the hearing till October 6, giving an opportunity for Jadhav and India to respond to Pakistan's request to assist the court proceedings. FREDERICTON - New Brunswicks Liberal leader pledged to create an incentive program for home renovations Thursday on the campaign trail, while the Green party released its platform, promising a $15 minimum wage and to lower the legal voting age to 16 years. During a campaign stop in Oromocto, N.B., Kevin Vickers said the renovation program will focus on promoting energy efficiency to help homeowners reduce their monthly bills. Many New Brunswickers have felt financial pressures and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic but need to make renovations to their homes, Vickers said. The program will ... also spur economic activity throughout New Brunswick. Vickers said the program would cover up to 50 per cent of the expenses for renovations to a maximum of $2,500. The work must be completed by a licensed contractor. These are things like heat pumps, windows, insulation anything that would reduce energy consumption, save money for our residents and kickstart the economy, he said, adding that the program could generate revenue for contractors and hardware stores across the province. The party leader said the total cost for the program would be about $12 million, assuming 5,000 homeowners qualified for the maximum refund. The funding would come from New Brunswicks $36-million share of federal carbon tax revenues. Vickers took aim at Tory Premier Blaine Higgs, saying the Progressive Conservatives have ignored economic issues. Blaine Higgs wants you to think everything is back to normal, Vickers said. But our businesses are still feeling the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic ... Our Liberal team will transform our economy to bring good jobs and good salaries to New Brunswickers in all regions. Meanwhile, Green Leader David Coon released his partys platform Thursday. We have two priorities to keep New Brunswickers safe and secure in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to chart a path to recovery from COVID-19 that puts the well-being of people and communities at the heart of government decision-making, while protecting the natural environment, Coon said in a statement. Platform highlights include immediately increasing the minimum wage to $15 and requiring pay equity in the private sector by 2025. Coon said a Green government would adopt a not-for-profit model for all future nursing home developments, and ensure LGBTQ+ and reproductive health services including abortions are covered under Medicare. The Green platform promises to lower the legal voting age to 16 years, to preserve wetlands and flood plains, and to ban forest clear-cuts to buffer against heavy rains, flooding, and sea level rise. Coon said he would also create an electric vehicle incentive program to replace 20,000 gas-powered vehicles with electric cars by 2030. The party also promises to launch a public inquiry into New Brunswicks justice and policing systems to investigate systemic biases towards Indigenous peoples. Earlier in the day, the Peoples Alliance party announced it would like to see the next government provide more support for seniors and home-care organizations. Leader Kris Austin issued a statement saying his party had pushed the Progressive Conservative government to increase the wages for personal-care assistants to more than $15 an hour, starting next month. Austin also said the party is promising to provide personal-care assistants with a rebate for their $2,000 training costs. The leaders of New Brunswicks six political parties were scheduled to take part in the first debate of the election campaign Thursday night, which will be broadcast live from Fredericton. The provincial election is Sept. 14. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2020. with files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax. Read more about: Sandy McFadzean, who married Norwich North MP Ms Smith in 2013, attended last weekends march against coronavirus restrictions. He has previously re-tweeted posts describing the Government as globalist puppets and tyrants, the Eastern Daily Press reported. A poster for the Unite For Freedom March, held in London on Saturday, called for an end to social distancing, track and trace and the use of face masks. Either there is a killer virus on the loose or there isnt. (Spoiler alert: There isnt) Mr McFadzean, who is employed by Credit Suisse as a vice president, wrote on Twitter: Covid-19 is most likely an outbreak of mental illness. A further post read: Government need to be clear. Either there is a killer virus on the loose or there isnt. (Spoiler alert: There isnt). Ms Smiths local paper the Eastern Daily Press said that the Twitter account was deleted on Wednesday after it tried to contact Ms Smith for comment. Advertisement Ms Smith and the Conservative Party have not responded to further requests for comment. The Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution changed her Twitter account name during the pandemic to reflect the Governments policy, Stay Alert Save Lives. Credit Suisse declined to comment. Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, said: Theres absolutely no way Id hold anyone responsible for the views of their partner. However, if my partner was spouting forth Covid conspiracy, anti-vaccination nonsense, it is very likely the subject might come up for discussion at some point over tea. Councillor Natasha Harpley, leader of Broadland Labour Group, said on Twitter: Chloe Smith is not her husbands keeper but wow, how embarrassing. What an insult to the 1000s who have died & those experiencing actual mental ill health. I hope his ignorance hasnt compromised the health of both her & those she meets whilst carrying out MP duties. A bitter argument over the use of the term 'North of Ireland' erupted during a Belfast City Council meeting as members discussed housing standards A bitter argument over the use of the term 'North of Ireland' erupted during a Belfast City Council meeting as members discussed housing standards. Councillors reprimanded each other as "petty" and "childish" after a DUP councillor asked for an amendment on a Sinn Fein housing motion which involved changing the words 'North of Ireland' to 'Northern Ireland'. After a half-hour debate on the matter, which involved more time spent on the terminology of the region than housing conditions, the council agreed to use the term 'this district'. During Tuesday's remote meeting of the full council, Sinn Fein councillor Claire Canavan forwarded a motion urging a Stormont review of housing standards. The motion asked councillors to note "that the current housing fitness standard that is applied to private rented housing in the North of Ireland is the statutory minimum physical standard which focuses on the most basic structural standards for human habitation and applies to all tenures. It was last updated in 1992". The DUP's Dale Pankhurst said: "The DUP agrees with the sentiment of this motion. I deal with more housing cases than I do anything else." But he proposed two amendments, the first to replace the term 'North of Ireland' with 'Northern Ireland' and to add paragraphs on social housing. Green councillor Mal O'Hara said he would support the Pankhurst amendment, but he added: "I want to express exasperation that amendments have corrected other people's terminology in what they call this place. I think we could do with a lot more respect." Councillor Canavan said she accepted the additional paragraph on social housing but would not accept the change of terminology. While the chief executive asked for a pause to consider the matter, Sinn Fein councillor Ciaran Beattie suggested "the six counties" and Alliance councillor Michael Long asked, "Could I suggest they just catch themselves on?" DUP Alderman Brian Kingston told the council: "I know people can use whatever terms they like when they speak, but the North of Ireland is not a legal entity. When we are talking about legal matters, we need to talk about a jurisdiction. Northern Ireland is the name." Councillors eventually agreed to the additional Pankhurst paragraph and both the terms 'North of Ireland' and 'Northern Ireland' were dropped in favour of 'this district'. WASHINGTON A fierce debate has erupted over whether the Food and Drug Administration should use its emergency authority to clear a coronavirus vaccine before it is formally approved a move opponents warn could pose safety dangers and inflame anti-vaccination sentiment but others say could save thousands of lives by speeding protection from the virus. With concerns growing about the politicization of the FDA amid a botched White House rollout of the agency's emergency authorization of convalescent plasma and sharply criticized comments by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, some scientists and bioethicists are demanding the agency forgo use of its emergency authority for a vaccine. They worry its very flexibility, which gives FDA officials broad latitude, could it make it easier for the White House to pressure the agency into clearing an unproven vaccine before Election Day, Nov. 3. President Donald Trump's repeated promise to deliver a safe and effective vaccine this year, "or maybe even sooner," has become central to his reelection campaign and has sparked concerns in the scientific community in particular that the White House could pressure regulators to cut corners. Those concerns come against the backdrop of an accelerating race to develop a coronavirus vaccine as three vaccine makers pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, biotechnology firm Moderna and drugmaker AstraZeneca conduct Phase 3 clinical trials, the last before seeking a green light from regulators. A recent report by Morgan Stanley said the most likely timing for data from one or more of the trials is November. But others say it's possible some results might be available in October if the vaccines prove spectacularly effective and there are enough viral infections in the community to prove the shots are protecting patients who receive them. The CDC has told state and local health officials to be ready to distribute a vaccine to health-care workers and other high-risk groups as early as Nov. 1 part of an elaborate planning process happening while clinical trials are underway that has spurred anxieties in some quarters. "I think it's extremely critical that we have rigorous evidence of safety and effectiveness supporting a vaccine before the FDA gives its OK," said Patricia Zettler, a former FDA associate chief counsel who is a law professor at Ohio State University. READ MORE: Latest Pa. GOP attempt to strip Gov. Tom Wolf of his coronavirus emergency powers fails Because vaccines, unlike treatments, are given to healthy people, she and others said, they should be held to a higher standard and go through the full approval process, which can take several months. In a letter dated Aug. 26, the nation's infectious-disease doctors demanded that vaccine safety and effectiveness data be "reviewed by internal, as well as independent experts," if the agency uses an emergency use authorization process. The FDA's emergency use authorization is a temporary approval used to accelerate the availability of medical products during a public health emergency. Since February, the FDA used the power to authorize hundreds of coronavirus tests and a few treatments; it has authorized a vaccine that way only once in its history, in 2005, against anthrax. For months, the agency has said it may use the authority for a coronavirus vaccine if it is safe and sufficiently effective. Amid a pandemic that has already claimed more than 180,000 lives in the United States, some are adamant that emergency use authorization is a lifesaving tool if deployed correctly, since it would be much quicker than the cumbersome full approval process. Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he believes "it is highly likely" the first vaccine or vaccines will be cleared through an emergency use authorization for a select population, such as health-care workers, which he said would be appropriate "as long as the data shows that the vaccine is safe and that it works." A number of FDA watchers agree. They say that an emergency use authorization should not be taken off the table but that the agency should spell out more clearly how it might use the procedure for a vaccine, since public trust is critically important and can be easily shaken. The FDA official in charge of vaccine approvals is attempting to offer those reassurances, saying political considerations will not enter into the process. In an interview Wednesday, Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccines, said the agency will insist on the same safety and efficacy standards for an authorization as for a full approval. "Our intention is not to give the American public anything less than a gold standard," he said. But he also stressed it would be unethical to insist on all the paperwork typically required for a full application if data showed a vaccine was safe and effective, and people were dying of covid-19, the disease the virus causes. "We have an obligation to look at that and make a risk-benefit calculation," he said. "We treat this as though the decisions we are making are decisions we are making for our own families." Both Hahn and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, echo those sentiments. They have noted in recent days that an independent monitoring board could recommend a trial be ended early if interim results show strong efficacy. The FDA could then decide whether to authorize it. Without such intervention, the trials are expected to last at least until the end of the year. "They could come back before we even have 30,000 folks enrolled and say, 'We've seen enough. This looks great. Pass it on to the FDA,' " Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a Friday briefing for Operation Warp Speed, the administration's effort to accelerate production of a vaccine. Under an emergency authorization, Marks acknowledged that follow-up time would be shorter for those in the trials to show possible adverse reactions to the vaccines. He said the agency would require more monitoring after a clearance to compensate. He also reiterated the agency's plans to consult its vaccine advisory committee before making a decision. The committee, made up of vaccine and other scientific experts, is scheduled to discuss coronavirus vaccines on Oct. 22. The agenda, as of now, says it will talk about "the development, authorization and/or licensure of vaccines." The FDA's emergency authority dates back 16 years, when a Congress focused on bioterrorism gave the agency the power to greenlight unapproved medical products for life-threatening diseases during a public health emergency when there are no approved alternatives. Since early February, the agency has authorized hundreds of tests, equipment and a few treatments convalescent plasma being the most recent. Using that authority, regulators may clear a product once they determine that it "may be effective" and that its "known and potential benefits" outweigh the risks. That is not nearly as tough as the standards for full approval, which require a product be shown to be safe and effective. Some worry that discretion can be an opening for political pressure. One way to try to avoid any perception of political interference would be for the agency to insist on higher-than-required standards, said Joshua Sharfstein, a former deputy FDA commissioner and now vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Rather than asking the career staff if a vaccine meets the authorization standard, Sharfstein said, scientists should be asked a broader question: "Is this a good idea?" The FDA's Marks said the agency already has gone beyond the legal standard of "may be effective" for emergency use authorization by telling vaccine developers that to be cleared either by authorization or full approval, their products must be at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo in preventing covid-19, or in decreasing the disease's severity. But vaccine experts worry that any hint of political interference will hurt public trust with potentially disastrous consequences for the public's willingness to be immunized. "If the public doesn't trust the authorization process and sees it as politically influenced, what is vaccine uptake going to be?"asked John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. READ MORE: Philly students head back to class, virtually; education leaders demand more funding A slew of recent events casting doubt on the FDA's credibility hasn't helped. On Aug. 22, Trump tweeted falsely that "deep state" elements at the agency were delaying needed treatments and vaccines until after the election. The next day, the FDA granted emergency use authorization to convalescent plasma at a White House news conference where Hahn and Trump erroneously described the treatment's benefits, drawing blistering criticism from scientists. For all the concerns about potential preelection interference by Trump, many scientists are skeptical there will be enough data to make any decision before the election. Moderna and Pfizer, for example, have enrolled more than half of the 30,000 participants required for each of their trials. But that's only a first step. Both vaccines require two doses, separated by three to four weeks. It then takes up to two weeks for the immune system to protect against infection, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee. Even if both trials complete enrollment by mid-September, it will be more than a month before everyone has received both doses and their immune systems have reacted to the shots. Then, researchers have to wait for people to become infected and count the cases. If a vaccine is 60 percent effective, Fauci has said it may take 160 people to get sick to detect a signal that the vaccine is working. That number might be lower if the vaccine is highly effective. But if people are not exposed to the virus at high rates, it will take longer to determine whether it works. Kathrin Jansen, Pfizer's head of vaccine research and development, said meeting that time frame will depend on how effective the vaccine is and how many people get sick over what time period. "Everything has to go well, and nothing can get into the way," Jansen said. ______ The Washington Posts Lena H. Sun contributed to this report. Portugal is increasingly likely to be removed from the Governments quarantine exemption list after its coronavirus case rate worsened. There were 23.0 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in the country in the seven days to Wednesday, up from 15.3 a week earlier. Pressure is also mounting on England to consider imposing quarantine rules on travellers arriving from Greece, amid reports of people returning with coronavirus. The Scottish Government is requiring travellers from the country to self-isolate for 14 days from Thursday, while Wales has imposed the measure on arrivals from the island of Zante. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a decision on whether to impose restrictions on the countries would be announced on Friday. In Greece, the seven-day coronavirus case rate is 13.8. It is 15.3 in Ireland and 14.7 in the UK. Figures have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government has considered triggering quarantine conditions. One family due to fly to Portugal this weekend now faces the prospect of a second holiday cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions. Gary Hiles, 34, from Sunderland and his family originally booked to go to Alcudia in Majorca but were forced to cancel after Spain was removed from the list of exempt travel destinations. (PA Graphics) They then rebooked to Portugal because the country had recently been added to the list. Mr Hiles told PA: We (initially) booked in July 2019, it was supposed to be our first family holiday abroad for our children. We have an autistic son, who weve been trying to prepare for the holiday, but now we dont know if we are going or staying. He keeps getting excited about going on a plane. He doesnt understand why our holiday may be cancelled. Holidaymakers booking flights home this week to avoid a potential quarantine requirement have been paying hundreds of pounds each due to high demand. Story continues British Airways was selling air fares from Faro which serves Portugals Algarve to Heathrow for as much as 554. In Buckinghamshire, two groups of people have tested positive for coronavirus after returning from abroad including a group of teenagers from the Marlow area who are reported to have been on a trip to Zante. Buckinghamshire Council said some of them were pupils at Sir William Borlases Grammar School and all the affected households were self-isolating. Tour operator Tui also said it was aware of a small number of positive Covid-19 test results following a flight from Heraklion in Crete to London Stansted on August 27. (PA Graphics) One passenger on the flight, who had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace and asked to self-isolate, complained that hardly anyone on the flight had been wearing a mask. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told PA: Our flight was hideous, hardly anyone wore a mask and the crew didnt do anything about it. We raised the issue twice with the cabin crew who still didnt enforce it. My family is OK but we are having to self-isolate. Im so sad for my son because he has to miss his first week back at school. A Tui spokeswoman added: We can confirm that no guests tested positive for Covid-19 in our hotels and no symptoms were displayed before or during the flight home by any of the customers. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 3, 2020 / Sky Gold Corp. (TSX-V: SKYG) (OTC PINK:SRKZF)("Sky Gold Corp." or the "Company") is pleased to report an update of current field activities on its Mustang and Virginia properties, contiguous to the north-eastern portion of the Queensway Gold Project, owned by New Found Gold Corp. (TSX-V: NFG) ("New Found Gold"). Virginia Property The Virginia property comprises 100 hectares and is located 3.3 kilometres north-east of the village of Glenwood, which is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway. The property is approximately 5.7 kilometres northeast of New Found Gold's drill hole (NFGC-19-01) which intersected 92.86 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) over 19 metres (see Mexican Gold Corp. press release dated Jan. 26, 2020)*. Planet X Exploration Services Ltd.'s field crews, retained through Grassroots Prospecting ("Grassroots"), a local, Newfoundland-based prospect generation company, have prospected and sampled the property, and have located and mapped the old trenches from the 1990s, which are badly overgrown. Additional hand stripping and trenching is ongoing to better expose a large (rusty oxidized gabbro shear zone recently observed in the field) mineralized zone or trend observed sporadically where bedrock outcrop for over 80 meters, to obtain samples from outcrop and subcrop in the excavated trenches. Results to date support the work completed in the early 1990's by Manor Resources Ltd. ("Manor") and documented in Assessment File NFLD_2244, which reports two areas of mineralization ("A2 Zone") that have not been drilled. The areas consist of a first showing comprised of quartz veining developed over a 35 metre wide zone within sheared gabbro and graphitic shale (main shear) returning up to 8.7 g/t Au, and a second showing comprised of a sheared gabbro returning a grab sample up to 109.6 g/t Au*. The Company is focused on confirming and extending these known mineral showings. *Gold values on adjacent properties in similar rocks and assays based on historical work are not representative of mineralization on the property, have not been verified and should not be relied upon. Mustang Property Grassroots crews have mobilized to the Mustang property to begin a program consisting of prospecting, geological mapping, rock outcrop and subcrop sampling, soil geochemistry and hand trenching. The program is focused on identifying drill targets for this fall. The Permit for Development was received from the Newfoundland government on August 18, 2020 and the only remaining requirement for diamond drilling operations is a water use permit and amended exploration approvals which are expected by mid-September 2020. CEO & Director Mike England states: "We are pleased with the progress made by Grassroots on the Virginia property and are looking forward to results from both properties as we refine our drill targets for a fall program in this exciting, emerging gold district led by New Found Gold." All Company activities are conducted under guidelines and policies compliant with Federal and Provincial health and safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company would also like to announce that it has amended the terms of the purchase agreement related to the Evening Star Property in Mineral County, Nevada dated Nov. 23, 2016. With a final payment of US $50,000 and the issuance of 600,000 shares, payable immediately to Multiple Metal Resources Ltd., the Company will have fulfilled its earn-in obligations and will own an 80% interest in the Evening Star Property. Qualified Person Catherine Fitzgerald, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, is the Qualified Person responsible for reviewing and approving the technical contents of this news release as they pertain to the Mustang and Virginia properties. About Sky Gold Corp. Sky Gold Corp. is a junior mineral exploration company engaged in acquiring and advancing mineral properties in Canada and the USA. The Company is now positioned in Newfoundland with the Mustang Gold project and in Nevada with the Evening Star polymetallic property. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Mike England" __________________________ Mike England, CEO & DIRECTOR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Telephone: 1-604-683-3995 Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM). SOURCE: Sky Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604648/Sky-Gold-Reports-on-Current-Field-Work-on-Central-Newfoundland-Properties-Contiguous-to-New-Found-Golds-Queensway-Gold-Project World Must Reject And Condemn Khamenei's Ideology Of Hatred, Pompeo Says Radio Farda September 02, 2020 After Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the United Arab Emirates of "betraying" Muslims, Arab nations and Palestine by establishing diplomatic ties with Israel, the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday that the world should "reject and condemn" Khamenei's "ideology of hatred." 'The children of Abraham - Muslims, Christians, and Jews - rejoice at the prospect of peace, while Khamenei calls for more violence," Pompeo added. "The U.S. stands with the UAE and all those seeking a brighter future." In a U.S-brokered deal on August 29, the UAE formally ended its boycott of Israel and normalized its relations with the Jewish state, with and direct flights now established between the two countries. On Tuesday, Khamenei publicly reacted to the deal for the first time, writing that the UAE has "opened the door of the region to the Zionists," but its betrayal of its Muslim and Arab neighbors "won't last long." Khamenei has long vowed that Israel, Iran's archenemy among other world powers, "will be annihilated". In an additional tweet directed at Khamenei, Pompeo cited Iran's silence towards China's systematic violence against its Uyghur Muslims, writing, "And if you're looking for those betraying Islam, China is seeking to destroy the Uyghurs. Looking forward to your public callout for the CCP's horrific treatment of those Muslims." Ali Motahari, an outspoken Iranian lawmaker, claimed on August 5 that the Iranian government has continued to ignore China's suppression of its Muslim population, mainly ethnic Uyghurs, because of the country's economic dependence on China, with Motahari citing a conversation with a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official. Hardliners, however, responded that Uyghurs, who they claimed were "Wahabi Takfiris" a hardline brand of Saudi-backed Islam could become a problem for Iran, due to the threat ot ISIS spreading through the nation. As a result, they claimed, the Chinese government was actually serving Islam, which in their view is Shiism, the official sect of Islam in of Iran. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/world-must- reject-and-condemn-khamenei-s-ideology-of- hatred-pompeo-says/30816836.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Niagaras Catholic school board has thrown a late-inning curve ball at parents in the final days before schools reopen. In a media release issued Thursday afternoon by Niagara Catholic District School Boards new director of education, Camillo Cipriano, the board said, We have decided that parents will be unable to request a change to their childs registration after today. Students will be expected to start school in the way that they are currently registered. Before Thursday, the release indicated parents had the option to choose how their child would attend school, effectively up to the first day of school. For parents of elementary school students who want to change education streams from either in class or at home online, they will have to do so by notifying the board by the 15th of the month in order for the change to take effect for the first day of the following month. So parents who want to change now, must notify the board by Sept. 15 in order for the change to take effect starting Oct. 1. This will continue throughout the school year, said the board. For parents of secondary school students who want to change their education streams, they will have to notify the school board by the 25th of the month in order to have the change implemented on the 13th of the following month. Parents of secondary students may make request changes on Sept. 25, to begin on Oct. 13, said the release. After that, parents may request changes near the beginning of a new course, with students able to enter the next course. Parent Doug Paget has concerns. Its unfortunate that the school board chose to make this decision, he said. Parents were put in a position to decide without any information. We had to register our children with an incomplete understanding of what our children were getting into and now everyone is locked into their decision. The board said the policy change is an attempt to lower class sizes. Niagara Catholic is confident that we will provide class sizes below the Ministry of Education caps announced in July, said the boards release. Niagara Catholic is currently reviewing class sizes in co-operation with our (Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association) partners for the beginning of school. Niagara Catholic is anticipating class sizes for kindergarten will be 21.75 students, grades 1 to 3 will be 17.4, and grades 4 to 8 will be 23.8. The release doesnt indicate anticipated class sizes for secondary school students. The school year begins Tuesday. Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Facebook will ban new political advertising in the week before the upcoming U.S. presidential election, the company said Thursday. The announcement marks the biggest change at the social media platform in the lead-up to the election, but experts say the move might not go far enough to prevent abuse on the service. The ban aims to curb the spread of misinformation that is already proliferating on social media platforms as election day approaches. Misleading political messages can lead to voter suppression and potentially to violence, say both Facebook executives and outside experts. The U.S. elections are just two months away, and with Covid-19 affecting communities across the country, Im concerned about the challenges people could face when voting, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post. Im also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country. Despite those concerns, Facebook is not banning political ads entirely, and such ads wont be subject to fact-checking, unless they seek to mislead people about how or where to vote, intimidate them into staying away from polling places, or suggest that they vote illegally. Its also against Facebook policy for an ad to claim people will get COVID-19 if they take part in voting. The presidential campaigns and other advertisers can continue to promote any ad posted by Oct. 27 as long as it has been seen by at least one Facebook user, according to a company spokesperson. Still, banning new political advertising marks a significant about-face from Zuckerberg, who previously argued that the company has no place regulating political speech. Its marginally helpful, though seven days is not enough, says Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology policy at Consumer Reports. A lot of people will have already voted by then, especially if people are voting early by mail because theyre scared their ballots wont count otherwise. Theres a strong argument Facebook should ban political ads in general, but if theyre going to do a moratorium, a monthand a restriction on how ads are targeted at specific userswould have been more useful. Story continues The political ad ban adds to a number of new and previously enacted Facebook policies that try to limit some kinds of misinformation. The company says it will add a label with a link to vetted information on any post that claims victory for a candidate before official results are in, or casts doubts on the elections outcome, including posts from the campaigns or the candidates themselves. Starting this week, users will also see a link to the companys Voting Information Center, a hub for information about the election and how to register to vote. It will appear at the top of their Facebook and Instagram feeds. Too Little, Too Late? Some experts say these changes wont make a meaningful difference in protecting the upcoming election. It is a pretty toothless attempt, says Melissa Ryan, CEO of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that specialized in combating online disinformation. Preventing advertisers from refreshing the content of their ads but continuing to run anything that has already been posted isnt likely to make a difference, she says. Ryan says the policy allows advertisers to show a large number of ads for hypothetical scenarios to just a few Facebook users by Oct. 27, and do a wide rollout of whichever ads they want right up to the election. More important, according to Ryan, is that the company isnt making any changes to its policies about misinformation. A Consumer Reports analysis of social media misinformation policies found that advertisers face the strictest rulesbut Facebooks official policy is to avoid fact-checking political ads. There is no change to that policy, a Facebook spokesperson tells CR. However, voter suppression and COVID misinformation that violate our community standards is removed and rejected in ads regardless of who runs it. As CR found earlier this year, it can be easy to get even dangerous health ads approved by the companys advertising platform. Ads arent the only source of misinformation on Facebookor the most important one. During the 2016 election season, experts say that disinformation posted by Russian fake accounts were seen by 126 million Facebook users. That appears to have been far greater than the number of users who saw ads purchased by organizations associated with a Russian intelligence agency. Another problem identified by CRs Brookman and others with the 2016 election was the use of microtargeting, in which small groups of voters, grouped by characteristics such as race and voting district, saw misleading ads that werent available to most Facebook users. That meant that journalists and others were unable to report on their accuracy or provide missing context. Facebooks new rule doesnt address that issue. Facebook continues to let users, as opposed to advertisers, post misinformation about political and social issues as long as they dont provide false information about the process of participating in voting or the U.S. Census. Posts by the candidates and their supporters are largely unregulated on the platform. TV stations will fact-check ads and not run things that are untrue. I maintain that they as a platform are not responsible enough to be running ads and have this large role in our democracy, Ryan says. Facebooks position differs from that of some of its competitors. Most notable is Twitter, which banned political ads altogether late last year, arguing that the risks posed by political interests using social media to hypertarget misleading information at susceptible voters outweigh the benefits of letting people post whatever they want online. How to Protect Yourself From Misinformation For those worried about their exposure to misinformation and other toxic content on social media, there are steps you can take to protect yourselfincluding a setting that consumers can use right now to limit political ads on their Facebook account altogether. Check out Consumer Reports guide to fine-tuning what appears on your social media feed for detailed instructions on advertising settings and other tools. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. International team of scientists discover link between genes and penicillin allergy using biobanks from Estonia, UK and USA Penicillin, a life-saving medicine, is the most common cause of drug allergy, with clinical manifestations ranging from temporary skin reactions to life-threatening systemic syndromes. Thus far, genetic factors have only been found for rare severe allergic reactions to penicillin. However, less is known about the genetics behind milder forms of penicillin hypersensitivity reactions that occur in a larger proportion of the population. A collaborative effort by scientists from the Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Statens Serum Institut, University of Oxford, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and 23andMe sought to identify genetic risk factors underlying penicillin-induced hypersensitivity reactions by harnessing self-reported data and the electronic health records of more than 600,000 participants of European ancestry from the UK Biobank, Estonian Biobank and Vanderbilt University Medical Center's biobank (BioVU). The genome-wide association study (GWAS) of self-reported penicillin allergy in the different biobanks revealed a locus located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I gene HLA-B. Fine-mapping of the association narrowed the signal down to the HLA-B*55:01 allele, which was further confirmed by independent replication in 23andMe's research cohort. Overall, carriers of the allele were found to have a 33% higher relative odds of penicillin allergy. The study also detected a genome-wide significant missense variant in the PTPN22 gene. This variant has been associated with several autoimmune diseases and more recently with drug-induced liver injury. Dr Kristi Krebs, first author of the study, said: "When examining other conditions associated with the HLA-B*55:01 allele, we found a significant association with lower white blood cell counts. Further, the top hit overlapped with regions found to have regulatory function in T-cells and correlated with the expression levels of PSORS1C3, which has previously been associated with hypersensitivity reactions to several medications. These findings together raise the possibility that the variant may predispose to a T-cell-mediated process leading to a delayed penicillin reaction." Dr Joao Fadista, one of the lead authors of the paper, further shared that "a genome-wide genetic correlation analysis of the self-reported penicillin allergy results revealed overlap with the autoimmune diseases rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. This, together with the finding in the PTPN22 gene, indicates a possible underlying autoimmune factor in the development of penicillin allergy investigated in our study." Prof. Lili Milani, one of the lead authors of the paper, emphasized the power of biobanks, "We have leveraged data from four large-scale cohorts, including more than 100,000 cases, to provide insights into the genetic architecture associated with self-reported penicillin allergy, and provide robust evidence implicating the HLA-B*55:01 allele and autoimmune factors in this condition. Further studies are necessary to determine the precise underlying immune processes and how these change over time, as several studies have reported that a large proportion of patients labelled as allergic to penicillin develop tolerance over time." ### The doi for the paper will be 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.08.008 and it will appear at this link when the embargo lifts https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(20)30276-7. New Delhi: State-owned firm NBCC has bagged Rs 150 crore project from Election Commission of India to design and construct an office building at Dwarka in the national capital. In a regulatory filing, NBCC informed that it has signed the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Election Commission of India on September 1 for planning, designing and construction of office building in Dwarka, New Delhi. The company would work as a project management consultant. The likely estimated cost of the project would be Rs 150 crore," the filing 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 Christopher Eisgruber is the president of Princeton University. He has been since September 2013. Before that, he was Princetons provost for nine years. Eisgruber is a lawyer. He clerked on the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Stevens. A constitutional law scholar, he taught at NYU law school and then headed up Princetons law and public affairs program. Thus, Eisgruber is charged with knowledge of the law and of American history. And, of course, hes charged with knowledge of and responsibility for whats been going on at Princeton under his leadership. Eisgruber just issued a letter to the Princeton community. You can read it here, although making to the end will be a challenge. Eisgrubers letter is a follow up to a letter he wrote in June of this year. In that one, he announced that he had charged [his] Cabinet to develop plans to combat systemic racism at Princeton and beyond. (Emphasis added) The latest letter follows up by announcing changes he intends to make at Princeton. The new letter declares: We must ask how Princeton can address systemic racism in the world, and we must also ask how to address it within our own community. . . . Racism and the damage it does to people of color. . .persist at Princeton as in our society, sometimes by conscious intention but more often through unexamined assumptions and stereotypes, ignorance or insensitivity, and the systemic legacy of past decisions and policies. . .Racist assumptions from the past also remain embedded in structures of the University itself. (Emphasis added) If one takes this letter at face value, three conclusions follow: (1) Eisgruber has presided over a systemically racist university for seven years, (2) Princeton is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and (3) Eisgruber should resign immediately. Its impossible to take Eisgrubers letter at face value, though. His charge to his Cabinet that it develop a plan to combat systemic racism at Princeton coincided with the death of George Floyd and the unrest that followed. But the Floyd incident and the other deaths Eisgruber cites in his latest letter (Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks) have nothing to do with the presence or absence of racism at Princeton. Princeton is no more or less racist because of them. They are relevant to Princeton only insofar as they produced pressure on Eisgruber. Nor can Eisgruber plausibly claim that police mistreatment of Floyd, etc. caused him to conclude that racism is so embedded in society that it must extend to Princeton. Deaths of black suspects at the hands of white police officers, including the occasional unjustified killing, have occurred throughout Eisgrubers time at Princeton. Eisgruber knows this. He didnt sleep through the Ferguson, Missouri controversy, to cite just one example. Whats distinctive about the Floyd affair wasnt the incident itself. Rather it was the protests that followed. Eisgrubers actions should be viewed as a preemptive effort to appease BLM-style activists (including students before they return in large numbers to campus), not as a genuine admission that he has been running a systemically racist university for the better part of a decade. This is also clear from the steps Eisgruber says Princeton is contemplating to combat its systemic racism. Examples include assembl[ing] a faculty that more closely reflects both the diverse makeup of the students we educate and the national pool of candidates and develop[ing] an institution-wide, multi-year action plan for supplier and contractor diversity. Its not systemically racist or even just plain racist to hire faculty members based on merit rather than on racial quotas derived from the student applicant pool. Nor is it racist to select suppliers and contractors based on the usual criteria, without regard to race. In fact, Princeton might well violate Title VI if it adopts some of the measures Eisgruber mentions. Eisgrubers agenda items dont stem from the need to combat racism. They stem from the demands of Princeton activists, notably the radical Black Justice League. Eisgruber doesnt want a mob to occupy his office again, and does not want to be deemed insufficiently woke by students and faculty members. Thats all there is to his letters. In sum, his admissions notwithstanding, Eisgruber hasnt presided over a systemically racist university, and Princetons treatment of black students doesnt violate Title VI. Eisgruber need not resign for these reasons. Instead, he should resign in embarrassment over his ridiculous letters, his unwillingness to stand up to radical activists, and his plans to discriminate against Whites on the basis of race. Stephen Fanning The death has occurred of Stephen Fanning, Corcoran Terrace, Kells Road, Kilkenny City, on September 1, 2020 (suddenly) at his home. Beloved husband of the late Margaret and much loved father of Stephen and Peter. He will be deeply missed by his sons, brothers Jim and Paddy, daughter-in-law Monika, granddaughter Alana, extended family and friends. In keeping with current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, Stephen's Requiem Mass will be be celebrated on Saturday, September 5, at 10.30a.m in St. Fiacre's Church, Loughboy, for family and close friends only (maximum of 50 people in the church), followed by burial in St. Kieran's Cemetery. No flowers please, donations, if desired, to the Irish Wheelchair Association. Thomas Brennan The death has occurred of Thomas Brennan, SOS Retirement Home, The Sycamores, Kilkenny and formerly of Kilmadum, Ballyfoyle, Co. Kilkenny, on September 2, 2020, peacefully, at St. Luke's Hospital. Thomas, predeceased by his parent James and Mary and his brother Eddie, sadly missed by his loving sister Kathleen, sister-in-law, Una, nephews and nieces, extended family, neighbours, friends and especially all in the SOS. In keeping with current government/HSE guidelines regarding public gatherings, Requiem Mass for Thomas will be celebrated on Friday, September 4, at 11am in St. Joseph's Church, Ballyfoyle for family and close friends. (max of 50 people in Church). Interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Requiem Mass and interment can be viewed live online by clicking on https://youtu.be/IBX8dKCwJo0 Nicholas (Noel) Doyle The death has occurred of Nicholas (Noel) Doyle, Gaulstown, Glenmore, Kilkenny. Peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family. Beloved husband of Bridget, much-loved son of Larry and Jo. Sadly missed by his sister Pat, step-daughter Roisin grandchildren Emma and Robert, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, extended family, neighbours and friends. Arriving at St. Paul's Church, Bigwood on Friday, September 4, for Funeral Mass at 11.30am followed by private cremation at The Island Crematorium, Cork. House strictly private. Due to HSE guidelines the funeral will be private to immediate family and friends. Mary (Moll) Murphy (nee O'Brien) The death has occurred of Mary (Moll) Murphy (nee O'Brien), 1 Cluain Mhuire, Goresbridge, Kilkenny. She died on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, peacefully, surrounded by her loving family. Predeceased by her loving husband Seamus and eldest daughter Kathleen. Loving mother to Nora, Jim, Mary, Brigid, Teresa, and Danny. She will be sadly missed by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, brothers, sisters, family and friends. Due to government restrictions on public gatherings Mary's house will be strictly private for immediate family only. Funeral Mass will take place on Friday at 2pm in the church of the Holy Trinity Goresbridge, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to the Irish Cancer Society. Vijayawada, Sep 3 : Two persons were killed in a massive explosion at a plywood factory on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred in an industrial estate in Surampalli in Gannavaram mandal of Krishna district. The explosion occurred when a scrap dealer and his son were shifting empty chemical cans into an auto-rickshaw. The victims were identified as Koteshwar Rao and his son Chinna Rao, residents of Raja Rajeswaripet in Vijayawada. Such was the impact of the explosion that the victims were flung into air and their bodies fell 50 meters away. Police and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed to the scene for rescue and relief work. The explosion was suspected to have been caused by some chemical left in the cans. Police said the investigations were on. Forensic experts collected samples from the scene. Locals said the incident took place during lunch hour and this minimized the loss of life as factory employees were not present in the premises. Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy expressed grief over the incident and ordered the district collector to conduct the investigations. I wish to thank everyone who voted in the primary, whether or not you supported me. Many people are asking what led to a result where a little known individual was able to upset a 4-term city councilor and Republican city chair in the GOP Primary. While the Democratic Congressional primary certainly drew many of my Independent, as well as Democratic supporters who cannot cross party lines to vote in a primary, that isnt the only answer to the results. With so few votes determining this race, it is very troubling to reflect on what affected the outcome. Many voters received several mailings from a Dark Money PAC, the Massachusetts Majority Independent Expenditure PAC. These mailings intentionally made it seem that Mayor Don Humason endorsed my opponent Kelly Pease with the headline ELECT VETERAN KELLY PEASE As our Next Republican State Representative with a picture of Pease in military uniform next to Don and his son, Quinn. I appreciate that Don stopped by my house Friday night to let me know that he had not endorsed any candidate or given Kelly or any organization permission to use the photograph, his name or endorsement. We both realized the affect this could have on the election. Another mailing arrived the day before the primary, which left no time to address the situation before people voted. It is only natural that these deceiving mailings left many voters confused, and thinking that Don had endorsed Mr. Pease, and asking Is there something that Don knows about Dan that we dont? Kelly won the primary with just 117 votes, which means if these mailings persuaded only 60 people who otherwise would have voted for me, but instead voted for Kelly, that is more than enough to change the results of the primary. In my professional career, I handle candidate mailings all of the time, and I know it is wrong for any campaign to use the image of elected officials without their explicit permission. As a former legislative aide, Kelly should know better than to allow anything that would misrepresent a public official and his former boss. Kelly knew about this for two weeks and should have publicly disavowed the misrepresentation, but he did not. Voters in Westfield deserve better than misleading cheap tricks. This mailing was designed to have people believing that their long-time and trusted public servant Don Humason, their Mayor and former Senator, had endorsed Kelly. Kelly knew Don wished to remain neutral in the race because of his friendship with both of us. Additionally, for those of us who are parents and grandparents, I think we all can agree it is not acceptable to use the image of children without the permission of their parents. As a loving parent, Don expressed to me the concern for Janice and him, that the image of his son was used. I have worked for years to get to know the people of Westfield, and to inform and engage voters on important issues and ballot questions. Together, we have had a fair amount of success in these efforts. I will continue to fight for the citizens of Westfield and their concerns. I have talked to more people at their doorsteps, put up more signs, and raised more money than any other candidate in this race. After all of this effort, for an outside group to affect this race, leaves me strongly feeling that the people of Westfield have been deceived and cheated. I am considering my options including mounting a sticker write in campaign in the November election. I humbly ask for your prayers for guidance, courage and wisdom. In the end, the truth always shines. Dan Allie is Westfield city councilor at-large A new UK study has been launched to assess the impact of covid-19 on people with cancer. People with cancer are among those at higher risk of covid-19 complications, as cancer and its treatment can weaken the immune system. In addition, there has been disruption to cancer diagnosis and treatment because of the pandemic. The Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) CANCER-UK project will run over 12 months and will examine questions that are important for the care of patients with cancer. The study will also determine covid-19 infection and mortality rates in people with different types of cancer, as well as those receiving different treatments, by collecting and analysing patient data. With almost 7,000 patients with both confirmed cancer and covid-19 diagnoses already enrolled, it will be one of the largest and most detailed studies in the world. This study is a companion to the highly successful UK arm of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium (ISARIC4C), which is led by researchers from Liverpool, Edinburgh and Imperial College London. ISARIC4C has collected data from 79,000 patients in the UK with covid-19, around 9% of whom also have cancer. CCP CANCER-UK is being led by Professor Carlo Palmieri, Professor in Translational Oncology at the University of Liverpool and Consultant in Medical Oncology at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and Dr Lance Turtle, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Liverpool University Hospitals, in collaboration with ISARIC4C. Professor Carlo Palmieri said: "Using anonymized data from patients, our aim is to look ahead to see whether certain cancer types or treatments have different outcomes in relation to covid-19. We predict our findings will inform future clinical decisions around cancer treatment and the level of risk from SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes covid-19, to individual patients. "A unique feature of this study will be the ability to directly compare cancer patients with non-cancer patients so we get a real understanding about what it means to have cancer and cancer treatment with Covid-19." Although we know that patients with cancer are more susceptible to covid-19, we strongly suspect that this is not the case across all cancer patients. Some may be at greater risk, whereas others may have much less risk. This study will allow us to determine this, giving much more detail as how to advise patients with cancer about the risks of Covid-19." Dr Lance Turtle, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Liverpool University Hospitals The study has received 340,000 from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), with additional funding from The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the sponsor for the study, which will be delivered with support from the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre. The study was developed through the Liverpool Health Partners (LHP) Cancer Programme as part of a unique cross-collaborative approach put in place to drive and support the development of cancer/covid-19 research projects. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 22:19:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan Stock Exchange continues to maintain its uptrend on Thursday as investors cheered encouraging economic statistics, with the main index gaining over 350 points. The Pakistan Stock Exchange's benchmark KSE 100-Index surged by 0.84 percent or 353.26 points to close at 42,188.11 points on Thursday when compared with 41,834.85 points reported on Wednesday. The KSE All-Share Index surged by 1.03 percent or 303.31 points to close at 29,780.50 points, the KSE 30-Index moved up by 0.52 percent or 93.77 points to end at 18,031.79 points, the KMI 30-Index gained by 1.05 percent or 701.95 points to conclude at 67,533.60 points, whereas the Islamic All-Share Index jacked up by 1.16 percent or 240.42 points to finish the trading session at 21,037.82 points. The trading session on Thursday witnessed bullish trends which made the main index to travel in a range of 378.08 points. During the course of the trading session, the key index touched an intraday peak of 42,212.93 points as against an intraday low of 41,834.85 points. Market volumes were recorded at 919.445 million shares on Thursday. The turnover was 9.85 percent or 82.426 million shares higher as against trading of 837.019 million shares on Wednesday. The market value increased by 1.41 percent or 0.368 billion rupees to close at 26.544 billion rupees on Thursday as against Wednesday's closing figure of 26.176 billion rupees. Among 385 active scrips on Thursday, the prices of 269 issues closed in the green range, 96 ended down into the bearish lap, whereas values of 20 other listed companies remained unchanged. Unity Foods Limited, The Bank of Punjab, and K-Electric Limited were the top traded companies with turnovers of 51.415 million shares, 49.765 million shares, and 41.810 million shares, respectively. Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited emerged as the top performer of the day with an increment of 846.00 rupees per share to close at 12,133.00 rupees while on the other hand, Premier Sugar Mills and Distillery Company Limited led the worst performers with a decrement of 26.93 rupees per share to finish the trading session at 572.00 rupees. (1 U.S. dollar = 165.60 rupees) Enditem By PTI NEW DELHI: The All India Students' Association has accused ABVP members of assaulting one of their activists inside a hostel at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Thursday, a charge denied by the RSS-affiliated outfit. A case has been registered and investigations is underway, police said. Terming the allegations as "baseless", the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad said if any incident has taken place, the university should conduct a fair probe. According to the Left-affiliated AISA, at around 1.30 am, eight ABVP activists went to post-graduate student Vivek Pandey's room in Mahi Mandvi hostel and started threatening him. "Most of them were inebriated, drunk and carried alcohol bottles too. Soon six more people joined them and beat him up. He was brutally thrashed by the goons in the presence of guards and JNU administration's CCTV cameras. "One of the assaulters hit him just a centimetre below his eye with an iron 'kada'. Pandey received multiple injuries on this face, head, arms," the AISA alleged. The AISA also claimed that JNUSU Councillor Sucheta Talukdar and AISA activist Rajnish, who reached Pandey's room to help him, were also abused and manhandled. Pandey was immediately taken to the university's health centre and then to the hospital for treatment at night, the AISA said. Doctors put six stitches on Pandey's face, the AISA claimed. The ABVP, however, said it "does not know anything in this regard but the Left-leaning organizations are raising baseless allegations in order to malign ABVP-JNU". "If something really happened, the university administration must conduct a fair inquiry. Any further allegations with an intention to defame ABVP will lead to legal course of action," the ABVP said. In the FIR lodged at the Vasant Kunj north police station, Pandey alleged that around 15-16 people came to his room late night. They all were drunk and they started abusing him. One of them hit him on his face with a 'kada' which caused a deep cut, he alleged. Pandey claimed that he also recognised one of them as Kartik Krishna, resident of Narmada Hostel. A case has been registered under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) and investigation is underway, police said. Unifor is calling on provinces to safely reopen casinos and gaming operations across Canada under the same public health protocols that guided reopenings in other sectors of the economy. Enough is enough its time to safely reopen casinos so gaming workers can get back to work and support their families, said the unions national president, Jerry Dias. Theres just no sound science that justifies reopening Walmarts, gyms and restaurants while at the same time keeping the casinos closed. Theres no logic behind the decision, and its placing a perfectly legal sector in jeopardy. Over the past several weeks, provinces across Canada have begun to lift restrictions on businesses including restaurants, retail shops and fitness facilities based on expert guidance from public health officials. At the same time, however, casinos remain closed under government order in certain jurisdictions. Casinos are permitted to reopen under Stage 3 of Ontarios recovery plan but must abide by restrictions including capping indoor gatherings at 50 people. Local gaming officials and politicians have said its not worth reopening Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara, which can typically handle 11,000 people at a time, for just 50. In an email, Niagara Casinos president Richard Taylor said when the region entered Stage 3, the company expected to gradually reopen with stringent health and safety protocols. The public health restrictions of a 50-person limit, with no table games permitted, do not support the reopening of our business, he said. Unifor represents nearly 9,000 gaming workers at casinos, race tracks and lotteries across Canada. It represents security workers at Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara. Dias said gaming is a highly regulated sector and operators are already required to follow strict government-mandated parameters. With many gaming facilities closed or operating at restricted capacity, thousands of workers across the country remain on layoff, he said. Many of these workers have lost, or are soon to lose, benefits, creating a looming drug coverage crisis that could put workers in the difficult position of having to choose between life-saving medication and other essentials such as paying for rent or groceries. We have reviewed the comprehensive plans our employers have submitted to government to make sure guests and workers are kept healthy and safe, said Dias. With these enhanced measures in place, our members want to get back to work and help our economy get back on its feet. Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates said hes scheduled to tour Fallsview Friday to see the safety measures put in place. After I see the plans, and if I think that it makes a lot of sense to have the minister of health do the same, I will probably send a letter and ask her to (also take a tour), he said. Gates said he understands Niagara Casinos has spent a lot of money hiring consultants and to make its facilities safe for employees and guests. I would think that there are probably going to be more safety standards in the casino than were seeing at some of the other facilities that are open, he said. Our casino has excellent ventilation, its very big, so social distancing may be part of what theyre going to show me (Friday). If what Im hearing is accurate I think the minister of health should come down and take a look at this, and see how we can get people back to work, knowing full well the No. 1 issue is safety. On September 2, the Brazilian Health Ministry said Brazil reported 46,934 new cases of the coronavirus and 1,184 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours. Currently, virus cases in Brazil have almost risen to four million, according to latest data by John Hopkins University, Brazil has registered 3,997,865 cases of contagious coronavirus and death toll has risen to 123,780, according to ministry data. Brazil is the second-worst country hit by the COVID-19 pandemic after the United States of America. Read: Dwayne Johnson Reveals He & His Family Had Tested Positive For Coronavirus; WATCH Brazil begins trial of Chinese vaccine The Brazilian city of Niteroi in Rio de Janeiro state has begun testing a coronavirus vaccine produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac. The trial is being conducted by a partnership between the city government, the Butantan Institute, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Some 800 of the city's healthcare workers have already applied to participate in the study as volunteers to receive the vaccine. Five other Brazilian states are participating in the Sinovac tests, with 9,000 volunteers in total. Rafael Bastos, an anesthesiologist who volunteered to receive the vaccine, is confident the trial will be a success. "It can solve our public health problem, not only in Brazil but in the world," Bastos said September 1. Read Russia: Coronavirus Cases Surpass One Million Mark As Schools Reopen Last month Sinovac Biotech started the third phase clinical trial of vaccine testing in Bangladesh. Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Ministry Abdul Mannan reportedly said that Bangladesh will benefit from getting the vaccine. Media reports suggest that the vaccine will be first given to healthcare workers who are fighting at the forefront to curb the spread of the virus and it might take at least six months for the Chinese company to administer the vaccine to the general population of Bangladesh. Read: Rites Surrounding Death Change As Coronavirus Ravages Peru Read: Brazil Begins Trial Of Chinese Made Coronavirus Vaccine In the 15 years she has taught in her native Galveston ISD, Diana Mitchell distinguished herself as one of the islands best educators but never saw her salary rise much until this week. Mitchell, Galvestons Elementary Teacher of the Year in 2017-18, learned she would receive a life-changing pay increase of $27,250 under a new initiative aimed at rewarding Texas highest-rated educators. The extra money will bring her compensation up to nearly $90,000, helping her family of seven afford a down payment on their forever home after living in rentals for the past few years. I get chills just thinking about it, said Mitchell, a fourth-grade bilingual reading teacher at Morgan Elementary Magnet School. Im still kind of almost like, Is this real? Thousands of Texas teachers across 26 public school districts including five in the Houston area will see some of the biggest raises of their careers this year, as the state begins rolling out a landmark program designed to keep the best educators in the classroom. Texas education officials announced the districts will receive a combined $39.2 million in extra state funding this year. The vast majority of the money will go to nearly 3,650 teachers who scored the best on district-created and state-approved evaluation systems. About 5 percent to 10 percent of teachers in four Houston-area districts Galveston ISD, Harmony Science Academy, Harmony School of Science-Houston and YES Prep Public Schools will see pay increases from the initiative. Klein ISD, which is piloting the program at one school this year, will reward four teachers. We know that retaining highly-effective teachers is whats best for our learning community and our students, said Harmony Public Schools CEO Fatih Ay. We hate to see them leave the classroom so they can get the salary they deserve. The initiative aims to identify the states top teachers often using a combination of administrator evaluations, student growth measures and other metrics and give them annual bonuses. Each highly-rated teacher generates $3,000 to $32,000 for their district, depending on their rating and income level in the neighborhood surrounding their school, annually for five consecutive years. Under state law, districts must spend at least 90 percent of the funds on teacher pay at the campus where the high-scoring educator works. Many districts are choosing to give 90 to 100 percent of the money generated directly to the highly-rated teacher. On HoustonChronicle.com: Merit pay still years away for most Houston teachers Nearly all of the Houston areas largest districts have signaled their interest in participating in the Teacher Incentive Allotment, though most would not receive approval and begin paying out bonuses until 2023-24 at the earliest. State legislators built the pay-for-performance increases into their 2019 overhaul of Texas school finance system, which also provided across-the-board teacher raises that generally ranged from 3 percent to 8 percent. Supporters of the incentive system argue it will increase interest in teaching, modernize education compensation and allow educators to remain in the classroom longer. Public school districts generally tie salary to years of experience, with relatively meager differences in pay. In the Houston areas largest districts, new teachers generally earned base salaries of about $55,000 in 2019-20, while educators with 10 years of experience made about $60,000 and those with 20 years of experience notched about $65,000. After maybe my third year of teaching, of putting in a lot of time and effort, I definitely felt like I deserved something that reflected the work I was putting in, said Jannah Morales, who will earn an extra $22,800 headed into her fifth year at Harmony School of Science-Houston, raising her pay to about $75,000. Im definitely happy to see hard-working teachers being recognized. While the 2019 school finance reform legislation unanimously passed the Texas House and Senate, pay-for-performance systems historically have drawn criticism, often from teachers unions. Opponents argue that teacher evaluation tools can produce unfair and invalid results, while also encouraging educators to teach to the test. Districts participating in the Teacher Incentive Allotment must use student growth as part of their evaluation system, which can be measured by state standardized tests, known as STAAR, or other state-approved assessments. Information released by TEA officials last month offers the first window into how the Teacher Incentive Allotment may work in the coming years. Most of the participating districts relied on observation-based evaluations, such as district administrators watching teachers in action, and student growth measures to grade their teachers. In Galveston, half of a teachers rating was based on scores from T-TESS, a commonly-used observational rubric, and half was tied to student improvement on district-administered tests. Many districts will see a small fraction of their teachers honored this year, generally 2 percent to 10 percent. However, about a quarter of the teachers will generate incentive funds in Dallas ISD, where the district has employed an evaluation and incentive pay model for the past six years. On HoustonChronicle.com: Dallas turnaround school made big gains until the money went away Grace Wu, director of strategic compensation for the Texas Education Agency, said state officials built an internal model using STAAR scores that helps them review whether a districts evaluation model is overly generous to its teachers. The purpose of the data validation piece is to ensure the teachers you put forth arent just the best in your district, but also the best in the state, Wu said. The long-term outlook on the Teacher Incentive Allotment remains cloudy, giving administrators and teachers pause. State education leaders speak glowingly about the initiative, but COVID-19 and the downturn in oil prices threaten to bruise the states budget in 2021 and beyond. As more districts receive approval, the Teacher Incentive Allotment price tag could balloon into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Mitchell said she plans to enjoy her pay bump for as long as it lasts, aware of the possibility that it could be temporary. Im going to take it year-by-year, Mitchell said. And if its there, what a blessing. jacob.carpenter@chron.com MIAMI: Police in Colombia have arrested three Venezuelans who were part of a failed plot organized by a former U.S. Green Beret to sneak across the border and oust President Nicols Maduro, The Associated Press has learned The three were arrested in simultaneous raids early Wednesday in the capital of Bogota, a person who was in contact with the men at the time of their arrest told AP. The person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the continuing investigation, said the three were picked up on charges of arms trafficking and training to carry out illicit activities. Two of the men, Maj. Juvenal Sequea and Capt. Juven Sequea, are the older brothers of the confessed commander of the failed May 3 incursion, Capt. Antonio Sequea, who is jailed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The third, Rayder Ruso, is a civilian who has long sought Maduros overthrow. All three lived for months in rustic camps along Colombias Caribbean coast where Jordan Goudreau, an American war veteran, was helping organize a volunteer army for a rapid cross-border strike against Maduro. But the men deserted the ragtag effort, known as Operation Gideon, months before the beach assault was launched, viewing it as a suicide mission that lacked the necessary support from the U.S. What was dubbed the Bay of Piglets after the failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by anti-communist exiles ended in a propaganda victory for Maduro with the capture of dozens of would-be combatants, including two of Goudreaus former special forces buddies, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who quickly pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Donald Trump OKd my murder, I am not exaggerating, and they are trying to send a group of snipers or hire snipers in Venezuela to kill me, Maduro said Tuesday, recalling the bizarre attack. The U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaid was also linked to the plot when it was revealed that two of his aides in Miami signed last fall a 42-page contract with Goudreaus Florida company, Silvercorp USA, to carry out regime change. The aides said they backed out of the deal before Christmas due to a mix of differences with Goudreau and a change in strategy. They said no money changed hands except $50,000 to cover Goudreaus initial expenses. A full telling of the plot and what, if anything, U.S. officials knew in advance has been elusive despite questions from Democrats in Congress angry over the raid. There were media reports that a fourth person, Yacsy lvarez, who served as Goudreaus translator and assistant in Colombia, had also been arrested Wednesday in Colombia for aiding the plot. AP was unable to confirm whether she had been arrested. In January, lvarez flew with the three Americans from Miami to Colombia on a plane owned by her one-time boss, Franklin Durn, a wealthy businessman with a history of close ties to Maduros predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chvez. Durn was arrested in May on charges connected to the plot, including treason, rebellion, conspiracy with a foreign government and arms trafficking and terrorism. lvarez was also an associate of Goudreaus would-be partner in arms, retired Venezuelan army Gen. Cliver Alcal, who like lvarez had been living in Colombian city of Barranquilla after breaking with Maduro and fleeing his homeland in 2018. Alcal surrendered to U.S. authorities in March on unrelated drug charges, just a few days after Colombian police seized a cache of assault rifles, tactical helmets and night vision goggles that he said belonged to the rebel cadre that he and Goudreau were readying to bring down Maduro. It was not clear if U.S. officials played any role in Wednesdays arrests. But for months the FBI has been interviewing associates of Goudreau as part of their own investigation into whether he violated U.S. laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval. Goudreau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman 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 Prime Minister Scott Morrison will push state and territory leaders to urgently fix border restrictions on Friday to ensure sick Australians in regional communities can access health services. The political tensions have sharply increased this week after NSW couple Kimberley and Scott Brown lost one of their twins after confusion over whether Ms Brown could cross the border into Queensland for emergency treatment. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday said she had raised the issue with her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk, as well as concerns healthcare workers should be able to travel more freely across the border. The federal government is also hoping to win support from states on a national definition of virus "hotspots", if it cannot get a consensus from the states and territories on ways to free up parts of the country with low infection rates. Chief Petty Officer Brian Shajari of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves returned to Lamar University this week, nearly 15 years to the day after he graduated. That year, about a month after he received his degree in Criminal Justice, Hurricane Rita crashed ashore in Southeast Texas, knocking out power for weeks and leading to a shortage in fuel. Now, Shajari is back on campus to help oversee recovery efforts from another hurricane that slammed into the coast of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana last week. The Montagne Center at Lamar University currently is housing about 20 members of the Coast Guard Reserves as they assist following Hurricane Laura. It made me proud to bean alumni to a school that is so supportive of the Coast Guard, Shajari told The Enterprise. Bert Wagner, Lamar Universitys Executive Director of Campus Operations, said the call for assistance came as faculty and staff were making their way back to campus after evacuating in anticipation of a possible direct hit from the storm. President (Ken) Evans received the call and basically, the Coast Guard unit in Port Arthur was looking for a place to put their incident command center, Wagner said. While the command center eventually was set up at the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, the Guard also toured the Montagne Center, where university officials said as many as 70 guardsmen could sleep and eat as they assisted with recovery. Chief Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said the Marine Safety Unit that the guardsmen belonged to was established to restore the maritime transportation system and safe flow of commerce and to evaluate and respond to marine pollution threats in Port Arthur and Lake Charles. Lamar University opened their doors to our men and women, providing them overnight accommodations and meals, Jorgenson said. But the Lamar campus Shajari returned to is not the one he attended 15 years ago. It was nothing compared to what it is now when I was there, he said. It has grown by leaps and bounds. I dont even recognize it, it is night and day for the better. While the amount of individuals housed at Lamar changes on a day-to-day basis depending on need, the length of time the Guard will utilize the facility has not been determined. The additional men and women surged in to assist in recovery efforts will remain in the region as long as is necessary to resume the flow of maritime commerce, address maritime pollution resulting from the hurricane, and to assist their peers who live and work in these communities and who were personally impacted by the storm, Jorgenson said. While hundreds of residents remain without power and some areas are recovering from damage to houses and businesses, Southeast Texas avoided the worst impacts from Hurricane Laura. In 2005, Louisiana staging efforts helped restore power for Southeast Texas residents after Rita. It is surreal because over here everything is back to normal, but if you go just 40 miles over the border, it is just a complete war zone, Shajari said. You hate to see that, but it is very much what we went through here in 05. Wagner said Lamar University is working to support Louisiana because they have provided similar support in the past. It is definitely good to provide support to this type of effort for our friends and neighbors, he said. They have helped and assisted us in the past people from across the state of Texas, people from Louisiana and other entities, Wagner said. We want to do what we can to support others in their time of need now. And we know that this Coast Guard team is dedicated to that mission. isaac.windes@hearstnp.com twitter.com/isaacdwindes For many chefs, a James Beard award is the pinnacle of their culinary career. For others, however, beating Bobby Flay in his cooking show is the ultimate satisfaction. Bobby Flay has been on Food Network for many years headlining his own cooking competition shows. From the Throwdown with Bobby Flay to his famous show Beat Bobby Flay, the chef seems to be unstoppable. Although the show enjoys an immense viewership on the network, many fans cant help but think that it is staged. This post gives you the scoop on why some of the shows fans cant make heads and tails of how food on the show Beat Bobby Flay is judged. The premise of the Beat Bobby Flay show Chef Bobby Flay | Lloyd Bishop/NBC Beat Bobby Flay is a cooking competition show on the Food Network that follows a few chefs on their journey towards making a name for themselves in the culinary industry. Flay chooses the ingredients which the contestants use at the beginning of the test. Guest judges determine the winner, who goes head-to-head with Flay. The twist is that this time round Flay doesnt have a say in which dish or ingredients are to be used. The winner, in this case, is responsible for choosing the ingredients and dish to be made. The guest judges determine the winner through a blind taste test. The cooking show has been on the air for 25 years, and throughout its tenure, Flay has enjoyed a 66% win streak in a total of 311 competitions. Fans are skeptical about Flays claims on the winners chosen dishes RELATED: No One Should Feel Bad for Bobby Flay, Food Network Viewers Claim Flay is a notable chef with amazing cooking skills. He was first introduced to fans in the show Iron Chef Japan. With his impressive resume, it is safe to say that he has a vast experience when it comes to making many incredible dishes. When contestants come on the show Beat Bobby Flay they expect to outwit the celebrity chef in his own game. Sometimes competitors manage to pull a win on the chef and go home with the satisfaction of having beaten a talented chef as Flay. So why do fans feel cheated when Flay is surprised about any dish any contestant picks? Well, as aforementioned, Flay has a vast experience under his belt, which is why fans usually have a hard time believing that he doesnt know how to cook some of the dishes the winning chef announces. According to TV Overmind, Flays cooking experience means that he might have encountered at least half of the dishes the winning contestants announce making his surprise a dishonest one. It can be reasoned that he may be at least rusty on some of the meals, but being clueless seems disingenuous. Why fans think the blind taste test makes no sense The ultimate battle on the show comes toward the end when Flay and the winning chef go head-to-head as each one tries to outdo the other with their dishes. However, as many Food Network fans on Reddit are trying to put it, the blind taste test makes absolutely no sense. The guest judge panel comprises of Flays close acquaintances, thus giving him an edge over the competitors. The next point to note is that Flay is known for his signature ingredients consisting of pomegranate and Calabrian chili, which make his dishes unique and any judge can easily point his dish out from the others. Additionally, many fans think Flay uses head nods and glances to signal his dishes. Finally, the shows producers have to know which dish the contestants would cook to shop for the ingredients and since the show is under his name Flay has an edge. Regardless of the shows criticisms about its blind taste test and authenticity in general, many people seem pleased with it. Beat Bobby Flay airs Wednesdays on Food Network. A group representing major internet companies including Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject a Trump administration bid to narrow the ability of social media companies to remove objectionable content. The Internet Association said in a filing that the Trump administration petition filed in August seeking new rules "is misguided, lacks grounding in law, and poses serious public policy concerns." It said new FCC rules could result in a loss of legal protections for removing "fraudulent schemes, scams, dangerous content promoting suicide or eating disorders to teens, and a wide range of other types of 'otherwise objectionable' content." The Consumer Technology Association, which represents companies like IBM, Microsoft and Sony, also blasted the effort, saying it would "make compliance all but impossible." "It is shocking that our own government would seek to undermine a law that has led to unprecedented American innovation, with massive benefits for our consumers and economy," said Michael Petricone, a CTA official. Also read: TMC accuses Facebook of bias towards PM Modi, BJP FCC Chairman Ajit Pai dismissed calls from the two Democrats on the agency's five-member commission to reject the petition without public comment. He has declined comment on the petition's merits. President Donald Trump directed the Commerce Department to file the petition after Twitter Inc in May warned readers to fact-check his posts about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting. Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube earlier pulled a post by Trump for violating their COVID-19 misinformation policies. The petition asks the FCC to limit protections for social media companies under Section 230, a provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act that shields social media companies from liability for content posted by their users and allows them to remove lawful but objectionable posts. AT&T Inc did not take a position on what action the FCC should take but said in comments "we support the growing consensus that online platforms should be more accountable for, and more transparent about, the decisions that fundamentally shape American society today." Trump, a Republican running for re-election, has repeatedly expressed anger at social media companies. Also read: Chinese apps ban to boost India's app ecosystem In August, the White House abruptly pulled the nomination of FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly for a new term just days after he questioned the effort to regulate social media companies' editorial decisions. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Merchant Hydrogen: Industrial Gas and Energy Markets under Chemical & Materials Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports. Merchant Hydrogen Market The world has started to fully face the climate emergency. After signing Paris agreement in 2016, stating their aim to limit global warming, it is the time for participating countries to act on their commitments. Similarly, more and more businesses are committing to play their role, along with pressures from shareholders to assume their responsibility for cleaner climate. This approach has now begun to feed through capital markets and finance as we see governments adopting regulations on sustainable finance. To ensure a clean future, within a few decades, all our energy needs, electricity, industry, transport, buildings and agriculture, will have to come from carbon free sources. This will need huge change in technologies and policies. Hydrogen will play a crucial role in making vital changes to our energy systems. It can form a key part of the solution to climate change. Renewable electricity (Solar and Wind) alone may not be able to provide all energy needs and thus, hydrogen will play a crucial complementary role. Request a free sample copy Merchant Hydrogen Market report @ https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/sample/reports/182785 Merchant hydrogen, the focus of this report, includes all hydrogen produced by one company for sale to another. The merchant hydrogen industry provides hydrogen used in industrial processes, including processes for the manufacture of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, plastics, metals, agricultural fertilizer, pharmaceuticals and food oil products. Other uses in areas such as food and semiconductor manufacturing, for example, while important, require much smaller volumes of hydrogen. Merchant hydrogen providers also serve emerging energy or fuel applications for transportation, although at present this market is quite small. Total annual U.S. production of merchant hydrogen was over REDACTED million metric tons (MMT) in 2019. In comparison, the total world production of merchant hydrogen was REDACTED MMT. The forecasts that U.S. production of merchant hydrogen will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of REDACTED%, approaching REDACTED MMT by 2025. Globally, merchant hydrogen production is projected to grow at a CAGR of REDACTED%, reaching more than REDACTED MMT by 2025. Report Scope: This study focuses on key hydrogen technologies and applications. It provides data about the size and growth of both captive and merchant hydrogen markets, lists company profiles, and discusses patent trends and industry trends. Cutting-edge developments, research priorities and potential business opportunities are key foci. The report includes the following - - Investigation and assessment of the future use of merchant hydrogen as an industrial gas and the roles likely played by the emerging hydrogen energy market. - Analysis of trends in the market, with data for 2019, estimates for 2020 and projected compound annual growth rates through 2025. - An overview of the structure of the industry and extensive company profiles of the leading organizations. - Detailed analyses of research focus, end-use markets and production technologies. - Analysis of patent and intellectual property activity. - Market drivers, restraints and opportunities. - Initiatives of various regions to develop the hydrogen economy. - Analysis of delivery and storage methods for hydrogen. Report Includes: - 48 tables - A brief overview of the global market for merchant hydrogen technologies within the energy sector - Analyses of the global market trends, with data corresponding to market size for 2019, estimates for 2020, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2025 - State-of-the-art trends observed in fuel cell technology as it is one of the fastest growing segments in the merchant hydrogen application areas and a shift towards Green Hydrogen - New Federal & States incentives and laws supporting utilization of hydrogen and FCV in the U.S. - Policy Recommendations from IRENA, and economy diversification measures as apart of hydrogen economy by middle eastern states - Latest information on market opportunities for merchant hydrogen and its future use as an industrial gas and the roles likely played by the emerging hydrogen energy market - Industry value chain analysis of the merchant hydrogen energy market providing a systematic study of key intermediaries involved, which could expedite stakeholders in formulating appropriate strategies - Emphasis on the current and emerging applications of merchant hydrogen and its on-site distributed generation - Insight into the major breakthrough development areas such as biological processing and localized production, research focus, end-use markets, and production technologies - Profile description of major market players including Amec Foster Wheeler Ltd., Air Liquide, Iwatani International Corp., Linde Ag, Exxon Mobil Corp., Ceramatec, Hydrogenics Corp., and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. Browse our full report with Table of Content : https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/merchant-hydrogen-industrial-gas-and-energy-markets/182785 About Bharat Book Bureau: Bharat Book is Your One-Stop-Shop with an exhaustive coverage of 4,80,000 reports and insights that includes latest Market Study, Market Trends & Analysis, Forecasts Customized Intelligence, Newsletters and Online Databases. Overall a comprehensive coverage of major industries with a further segmentation of 100+ subsectors. Contact us at: Bharat Book Bureau Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773 Email: poonam@bharatbook.com Website: www.bharatbook.com Chinese Military Rolls Into Inner Mongolia; Xi May Restore Chairman Title Several reports are noting a familiar pattern now taking place in the Chinese leadership that ties back to Mao Zedong and his path to achieving absolute power over the party. Xi Jinping may be looking to bring back something similar to the title of Chairman that was established under Mao. This ties to Xis new internal purge targeting party members, mainly in the systems of law, and thats designed openly to mimic the Yanan rectification movement of 1941 under Mao Zedong, which was the partys bloodiest internal purge. Well be taking an in-depth look at this. And in Inner Mongolia, where protests are now breaking out over a recent China policy, videos suggest Chinese authorities have responded by sending the military in to quell the unrest. These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads. Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. Join Patreon to Support Crossroads: https://www.patreon.com/Crossroads_Josh New Delhi, Sep 3 : Alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Ariz Khan, who is an accused in Batla House encounter case, on Thursday, told the Patiala House Court here that he has been falsely implicated in the case. Khan made the submissions during the final argument before Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav, saying that there was no evidence to relate him with the flat or to prove his presence there at that time. The accused was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell in February 2018, after allegedly being on the run for a decade following the incident. On September 19, 2008, the Delhi Police's Special Cell had carried out an encounter in Jamia Nagar's Batla House, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma died. Seven years ago, the court had sentenced another terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case. LONDON - A prominent British human rights lawyer is convening an independent tribunal in London to investigate whether the Chinese governments alleged rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in the far western Xinjiang region constitute genocide or crimes against humanity. The tribunal is expected to reveal new evidence and testimony over several days hearings next year. While the tribunal does not have government backing, it is the latest attempt to hold China accountable for its treatment of the Uighurs and ethnic Turkic minorities, who have been subject to an unprecedented crackdown since 2017. Barrister Geoffrey Nice, who previously led the prosecution of ex-Serbian PresidentSlobodan Milosevic over the Balkans war and worked with the International Criminal Court, was asked by the World Uighur Congress to investigate ongoing atrocities and possible genocide against the Uighur people. Allegations against China about potential genocide are questions that should be asked and answered but such claims have never been legally scrutinized in public, Nice told The Associated Press. Organizers are in the initial stages of gathering evidence, and expect to receive a substantial number of submissions from Uighurs exiled abroad over the next few months. New evidence that may emerge includes testimony from several former security guards who were involved in the Xinjiang detention camps. At the moment, the strongest evidence would appear to be evidence of incarceration and possibly evidence of enforced sterilization, Nice said. A recent investigation by the AP found that the Chinese government is systematically forcing birth control on Uighurs and other Muslims in an apparent effort to reduce their population. The report found that authorities regularly subject minority women to pregnancy checks and force intrauterine devices, sterilization and abortion on hundreds of thousands. While scores have been thrown in detention camps for alleged religious extremism, many others were sent to the camps simply for having too many children. Such enforced sterilization practices could breach the Genocide Convention, Nice said. The Chinese Embassy in London did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Chinese officials have repeatedly derided allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang as fabricated, and insist that all ethnicities are treated equally. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harbouring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion. In a lengthy press conference in August, the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. played graphic videos of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang to show that the Chinese governments measures there are necessary and important. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming also called allegations about rights abuses in Xinjiang made in Western media lies of the century, and denied that nearly 1 million Uighurs have been detained in Xinjiang. The London tribunals judgement is not binding on any government. However, Nice said the process will nonetheless be one way to address the lack of action in tackling the alleged abuses by filling the gap with reliable information. There is no other way of bringing the leadership of the (Chinese) Communist Party collectively or individually to judgement, Nice said. In July, lawyers representing exiled Uighur activists filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against China, asking the court in The Hague, Netherlands, to investigate the forced repatriation of thousands of Uighurs from Cambodia and Tajikistan and alleged genocide in Xinjiang. However, Beijing does not recognize the international courts jurisdiction, and Nice who is not involved in that case said it will likely focus more on the repatriating countries culpability and less on that of Chinese authorities. The World Uighur Congress, an international organization representing Uighur exiles, has provided initial evidence and funding to the London tribunal. Organizers expect to hold two public hearings in London next year. The tribunal will comprise of at least seven members who will act as jury. They include British property businessman Nicholas Vetch, one of the organizers. A verdict is expected by the end of 2021. Joanne Smith Finley at Newcastle University, an expert on Uighur studies, said the tribunals findings may help pressure governments to impose sanctions such as bans on cotton from Xinjiang. It does not have any true legal teeth in the sense that its determination will not be able to force any government to take any kind of action, she said. However, I do think that its determination will be important in terms of putting pressure on the U.K. government and hopefully also other governments to take clear measures to persuade China to desist from these abuses. Darren Byler, an academic at the University of Colorado, said an independent investigation would add a new perspective to the prevailing U.S.-centric reaction to the issue. So far the world response to what is happening to the Uighurs and Kazakhs in northwest China has been largely confined to unilateral actions by the United States and been associated with President Trumps more general anti-China position, Byler said. In July, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior Chinese Communist Party officials for alleged human rights abuses targeting Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other minorities in Xinjiang, including mass detentions and forced population control. BHERC THE FORGOTTEN GRASSROOTS CIVIL RIGHTS EXHIBITION CONTINUES TO DRAW ACCOLADES AND PUBLIC ATTENTION The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) exhibition The Forgotten wall, an addition to the BHERC Say Their Name exhibition in Los Angeles, CA., are 57 names of Black men and women identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that succumbed to racial violence between 1952 to 1968. The addition compliments the original special collection of names researched and first installed over the 2020 Independence Day weekend that is presented as a sobering memorial display of 41 individual markers of the names of men and women in memoriam who were killed by police violence in more recent times. During the opening weekend, hundreds of Angelenos visited the exhibition and voiced their awe and inspiration and in some cases their shock at their lack of knowledge of the many sacrifices that so many people made in the early days of the civil rights movement. Many were unaware of the brutality and senseless killings of both men and women, young and old. ADVERTISEMENT This addition commemorates and acknowledges both the 57th commemorative year of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28th 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic and historic I Have a Dream speech, as well as the 65th anniversary of the death of 14-year old Emmett Louis Till slain August 2th 1955. One did not happen without the other. While there had been many lynchings and deaths of Black Americans prior to and after Tills demise, his despot killing sent a clear message of fear that even Black children were not free from bigotry, hate and death. It is a long-held belief that the murder of young Emmet Till was the tipping point and became the icon for the Civil Rights Movement. BHERC felt compelled to revive and display the 57 names of men and women lost to racial violence. These are names of forgotten souls killed in the light of day for wanting a better life that was the very substance and foundation of Dr. Kings message as he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial that summer day in August 1963, calling for the civil and economic rights of African Americans and an end to racial persecution. It is especially fitting because just as Dr. King and the Big Tens efforts catapulted the nation towards the 1964 Civil Rights Actmoreand the 1965 Voting Right Act unfortunately there is a new non-violent uprising against killings, racial and economic injustice. Stated Sandra Ever-Manly, President BHERC. We add these names so that the young will know them, and the older will remember, as we continue to move towards a more just future! The exhibition also features original art renderings by young artist Jareesha Jacobs including one that captures the profiles of the 4 young girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11) as well as the little known Black teen Virgil Ware (13) slain the same day shot: by a team in the White Segregationist Movement. Everyone is invited to attend and view. It is open and free to the public during daylight hours thru Sunday, September 27, 2020. The outdoor exhibition is located at 1253 Longwood Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019. All visitors are asked to wear their masks and practice social distancing while viewing the exhibition. For additional information contact [email protected] or call 213.400.3489. #BHERCStrongTogether Incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 19 governorship election, and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Iyamu, beside other candidates, on Wednesday at a meeting with the Oba of Benin at the palace, promised to work towards peaceful election in the state. Governor Obaseki on his page on the social media platform declared: Earlier today, I and other political actors in Edo State were invited to the Palace of the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II. Condemning the recent attack on my re-election campaign convoy at the Palace gate, our highly revered monarch called on us to eschew violence and embrace peace and tolerance ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state. HRM sought for assurance from all political gladiators and a halt to the rising shooting and violence in the state and ensued for peace between one and all. On my part, I assured the royal father as the Executive Governor and Chief Security Officer of the state, I have sworn to uphold the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and protect the lives and property of our people. Having committed enough resources to ensure the safety of the citizens of the state, I will never encourage violence, as it would be my responsibility to do anything which would lead to the breakdown of law and order. Pastor Ize-Iyamu also acknowledged the goodwill for peace in the state during and after the election which the royal father had sought to commit all stakeholders to uphold. He expressed gratitude to the Oba for his intervention, promising to adhere to peaceful conducts. Pastor Ize-Iyamu on his page on the social media platform wrote: I am grateful to our father, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for his fatherly intervention and timely call for peace. We have his candid message, and we, the APC will continue to maintain our peaceful approach and rally the people across party lines, to shun divisiveness and respect the laws guiding the electoral process. We are one people and politics cannot divide us. OvbiOghonwan nei bun aro Oba Gha to kpere, ise! Ize-Iyamu also disclosed that he embraced incumbent Governor Obaseki at the meeting at Obas palace to demonstrate his resolve for peace in the state. Ize-Iyamu added that the election is not a do or die affair. PV: 13 T he FTSE 100 is poised to open higher this morning, as investors weigh up sentiment around a US recovery and await readings on the services industries across Europe. Londons blue chip index was forecast to rise just 12 points to 5952, after Wall Street markets recorded their biggest daily gains since July. Sentiment in markets continues to be out of lockstep with the wider economic picture across the globe, with major nations slipping into recession, including Australia this week. Yesterday talks between Democrat Nancy Pelosi - the house speaker who caused a stir today by being spotted without wearing a mask inside a San Francisco hair salon - and US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin were enough to lift hopes around potential fresh stimulus Stateside, even though there was no clear sign of progress. CMC Markets analyst David Madden said: It would appear that traders welcomed the talk between Pelosi and Steven Mnuchin, US Treasury Secretary, even though they didnt amount to anything a conversation is at least a step in the right direction. The topic of the relief fund has been doing the rounds for weeks now. Originally, the Democrats were calling for a $3 trillion package, and they later said they would settle for a $2.2 trillion scheme. On the other side of the divide, the Republicans said they would be willing to go as high as $1.3 trillion deal. A gulf clearly remains, but the US non-farm payrolls report on Friday might put pressure on lawmakers, should there be a weak reading. Those non-farms follow ADP employment report figures yesterday which missed economists forecasts. Last month, 428,000 jobs were added, a step up on the 212,000 that were posted in July, but well below the forecast of 950,000. Of the rise in US markets, which fed through to Asian indices overnight, Mizuho Bank said: The irony of market exuberance is rich. Record highs on Wall St make a mockery of policymakers grasping for recourse to the worst downturn in decades. Edward Moya of Oanda warned: Bullish stock market sentiment seems to be nearing a tentative peak as the labour market recovery stalls. In Europe, PMI services data through the morning is set to move the markets. Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK will publish their reports, and economists are expecting 48, 49.2, 51.9, 50.8 and 60.1 respectively. A reading over 50 indicates growth. The British report, due to at 9.30am, could help improve sentiment around the powerhouse in the nations economy, where many businesses were hampered by lockdown restrictions. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey is to give a speech on the future of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins at 3pm, so prices of key currencies like bitcoin may be in focus. In corporate news, investors are awaiting updates from industrials giant Melrose, which owns engineer GKN, and hotelier PPHE to get an assessment of the manufacturing and leisure industries prospects for a post-Covid recovery. Belarusian Journalists Face Charges for Covering Protests KYIV, UkraineDozens of journalists gathered on Sep. 2 outside a police station in the capital of Belarus to protest the detention of colleagues covering a demonstration against the nations authoritarian president and an election the opposition sees as rigged. Police detained several journalists from Belarusian news outlets on Sep. 1 on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration. They could receive fines or jail sentences of up to 15 days if charged and convicted. We are witnessing the lawless action of law enforcement agencies, which are muzzling journalists without bothering about methods, Olga Loiko, a journalist with Belarus popular online news outlet tut.by. As President Alexander Lukashenkos regime tries to quell weeks of anti-government protests prompted by official results that gave him a sixth term with 80 percent of the vote, it also has revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists and deported some foreign journalists. Two Moscow-based Associated Press journalists who were covering the protests were deported to Russia on Aug. 30. 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 targeting of media in Belarus. During Sep. 1s protest, hundreds of students marched across the city, chanting for Lukashenko to Go away! as they continued a fourth straight week of mass post-election protests. The Interior Ministry said 128 people were detained across the country on Sep. 1 for taking part in unsanctioned demonstrations, including 95 in the capital, Minsk. It said on Sep. 2 that 39 of the detainees remained in custody pending court hearings. More than 100 students of the Minsk State Linguistics University formed a human chain to protest Sep. 1s detentions of students and professors. The Viasna Human Rights Center said police detained at least eight participants in Sep. 2s protest. 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. During the first few days of post-election protests, police detained nearly 7,000 people and beat hundreds, drawing international outrage. The government has since avoided large-scale violence and sought to end the protests with threats, selective detention of protesters, and prosecution of activists. The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 presidential election as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. Lukashenko has dismissed the Wests input. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sep. 2 that the U.S. and its European partners are together previewing significant targeted sanctions on anyone involved in human rights abuses and oppression. The Belarusians deserve the right to choose their own leaders through a truly free and fair election under independent observation, Pompeo told reporters in Washington. We demand an immediate end to the violence against them and the release of all who are unjustly detained. Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal probe of the Coordination Council that opposition activists set up after the election to try to negotiate a transition of power. Last week, two of its members were given 10-day jail sentences on charges of staging unsanctioned protests, and several others were summoned for questioning. Pavel Latushko, a former minister of culture and ambassador to France who joined the council, traveled to Poland on Sep. 1 after facing threats and being questioned. His departure came a day after the Belarusian president warned that Latushko had crossed a red line and would face prosecution. Latushko told The Associated Press that he plans to return to Belarus later this month after attending a conference in Poland and also visiting Lithuania. I havent violated the law, he said in a telephone interview from Poland. The problem is that the constitution and laws no longer work in Belarus. Its strange to hear the president make charges that can only be made in court. 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 that he stands ready to send police to Belarus at Lukashenkos request if the demonstrations turn violent, but added that there was no need for that yet. During a visit to Moscow on Sep. 2, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei thanked Russia for supporting the Belarusian government in the face of what he described as protests orchestrated from abroad. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized what he described as destructive Western criticism of the Belarusian authorities. Asked if Moscow plans to have contacts with the Belarusian opposition, Lavrov said that wouldnt happen until the Coordination Council formulates a platform that conforms with Belarusian law. He also noted that some council members have spoken against close ties with Russia. By Yuras Karmanau BEIJING, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tibet is dubbed the "the Roof of the World" for good reason. It's not just for its high altitude, but also the foothills of snow-capped mountains with crystal-clear rivers flowing along in harmony. CGTN's "Into Tibet 2020" presents three teams led by CGTN reporters and accompanied by international journalists and vloggers. Starting September 18, they have taken different routes across the plateau from Tibet's capital city Lhasa, where they joined traditional celebrations to show audience the real Tibet. In Tibet, they learned how to draw Thangka painting with local artists, met "Living Buddha" Kyungpo in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, spent a day with Tibetan internet celebrity Lhamo, fed the Tibetan bulls, learned to ride a horse and explored the region through different routes. Three teams with fan bases CGTN reporter Li Jingjing, Canadian Youtuber Daniel Dumbrill and French journalist Manuel Rambaud are three members from Team DJ. Li Jingjing and her team met "Living Buddha" Kyungpo in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, reached the base camp for Mount Qomolangma, and visited Rongpo Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. Beard Brothers team consists mainly of CGTN's reporter Marco Shan, journalist Oscar Margain and a Bahraini "China Expert" PhD Yaser Ali Taher Jawad. On August 29, they talked to Tibetan internet celebrity Lhamo, who has nearly 1.5 million followers. She lives a quiet life in Qonggyai County but built up a huge following just by sharing her everyday routine. The team spent a day with Lhamo and tried to find out the secret to her online success. Their route covers Tibetan folk dance, local musical band, thousand-year-old crafts, a lake "in the sky," yaks on a plateau and more. The third team named themselves A.N.T., which has CGTN reporter Yang Xinmeng, Spanish vlogger Noel and digital guru of CGTN Russian Sergei. Yang and Noel learned how to draw Tibetan Thangka paintings with local artists on August 21, the sacred art of such religious painting has been passed down the generations. They met Sithar Dorje, who is one of the representative inheritors who has contributed to passing down the legacy. "The Epic of King Gesar" he performs is one of the world's oldest epic poems. During the trip of CGTN's three teams, a vivid and colorful Tibet is presented to the audiences. The veil of the mysterious "Roof of the World" was lifted. For people who live in this ancient land, we are separated not only by distance but geography as well. However it's our emotions that bind us together. Original article: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-02/Into-Tibet-2020-Explore-the-Roof-of-the-World-with-three-teams-TskKImVody/index.html?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0 Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248426/CGTN_video_Sep_3.mp4 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248382/CGTN_Tashi_Lhunpo_Monastery.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248385/CGTN_journalists.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248384/CGTN_journalists_2.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1248383/Tibetan_tea.jpg FIFTEEN members of Henley Rowing Club have had to self-isolate after a female junior tested positive for coronavirus. The girl, who is part of the clubs womens junior 17 squad, felt unwell a few days after returning from a school trip to Greece. She took part in a two-hour training session on the river on Monday afternoon last week but didnt feel well enough to return the next day. She had a covid-19 test on the Wednesday and told the club the next day after learning it was positive. As a result, 15 people who had trained at the same time as her were advised to self-isolate for 14 days and Public Health England was informed. Helen Turnell, chairwoman of the club, said: We have our own track and trace system, so if something like this happens we are able to get in touch with everyone. We have actually contacted all our members as a fallback position to make sure weve not missed anyone out. One or two of those who were advised to self-isolate have gone for testing just for their own peace of mind but none of those has tested positive. The member who tested positive did not feel like she had symptoms of coronavirus. She has been a member for about three of four years and was at training on Monday. They were doing an outdoor session in single sculls, so it was much easier to stay apart from the other boats. Even if you are in a group of boats you have blades between you and cant get too close. On Tuesday, she didnt come to training because she wasnt well and that is standard practice for what we expect people to do. She had a sore throat and runny nose and thought it was a just a normal cold. Mrs Turnell said the girl had been part of the Greece trip with fellow pupils from Sir William Borlases School in Marlow the previous week. She added: Several of her friends werent well after that, so she went to have a test and came back positive. In a message to all members of the club, Mrs Turnell said: This is a stark reminder for us all that keeping the required 2m social distance and not coming to the club if youre unwell, or have covid-19 symptoms, is extremely important. Please wear a face covering on land and in the gym if your social distance is reduced to 1m+, as per Government guidelines. Compliance with club operational plans is part of the terms and conditions of our membership. The club re-opened its indoor gym facilities on Monday ahead of the new season. There is a detailed timetable in place for each age group to help limit the number of members on site or training. Members are advised to arrive ready to row as the changing rooms remain closed and to respect one-way systems at all times. Mrs Turnell added: We would typically start our season in September. The gym is back open but with booking restrictions. Following British Rowing guidelines, we have introduced further mixed household crew boats. We have quite comprehensive coronavirus guidelines in place, both for on the water and in the gym, which we hope everybody is following. We are doing what we can to keep everybody safe, maintaining social distancing and wearing face coverings when we need to. We are doing our best. Everything has gone pretty smoothly. Weve gradually introduced more groups and have taken it very slowly but we are making progress with timetables in place and so far it has gone well. Meanwhile, the school re-opened as planned yesterday (Thursday) but has introduced staggered starts. It had postponed the start of the new term until next Thursday due to about 20 pupils, including the rower, who had been on the trip tested positive for covid-19. However, after liaising with Public Health England, the school realised that those pupils had not been in school recently so it was safe for other children to return, said Buckinghamshire Council, the education authority. The school has introduced a raft of safety measures and has written to parents. According to investigators of the ENNIA premium expropriation, at least two well-known citizens in St Maarten have received payments during the period 2006 to 2018 to a total of 10,5 million guilders from ENNIA group companies. This news is a huge contrast with the news of for instance the workers at the Towers who since March this year received 50% salary cuts which brought them under the minimum wage. Last week Wednesday, Aug 26 under the heading 7 million guilders for ex-minister from ENNIA funds and Son of an ex-minister on the pay list of ENNIA group, the Curacao newspaper Vigilante known for their very investigative judicial journalism, reported about the expropriation of premium monies of clients of ENNIA companies, in their majority workers who trusted their monies to cover their health care costs or to save for their pension. The well-known citizens in St Maarten were not needy persons. They got large sums of money from the company. According to the investigators, they got payments for work or services which could not be accounted for. In the news of the Voice of St Maarten yesterday a Curacao reporter followed up on this investigation. Since the Central bank of Curacao and St Maarten has been charged by the court with the management of the ENNIA group of companies, according to a press release from the CBCS, in October of 2019 ENNIA initiated legal proceedings against several persons, including Mr. Ansary, who according to ENNIA and the CBCS are responsible for the serious problems that have arisen at ENNIA. The action was taken after an in-depth investigation had revealed that the serious problems at ENNIA were in part caused by large-scale unlawful withdrawals of funds that should have remained available to policyholders. The aim of these proceedings is to secure compensation for as much of said withdrawals as possible, in the interest of the policyholders. As Consumers Coalition we appeal to the members of parliament, the Minister of Finance as well as the Minister of TEATT and the Minister of VSA, to demand the findings of these proceedings and this investigation. If St Maarteners have benefitted of illegal expropriation of premium monies of workers, then these funds have to be traced and recovered before they evaporate, to protect the workers premium monies! Topic 2: Are the 67 imposed conditions of the Dutch government violating workers' rights, yes or no? In the recent political discussions on the Dutch conditions for liquidity support, one of the conditions, the Caribbean Reform Entity (Caraibische Hervormings Entiteit), met with a lot of discussion. Arguments pro and against had to to do with the following issues: the entity should be based on Dutch legislation, if the entity should only give account to the Dutch Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations, if the law to regulate this entity should be a consensus Kingdom law, etc. What we observed in all discussions was, that apparently all politicians are in agreement, that all 67 Dutch conditions to get money for liquidity support, can be implemented to get the money of the Dutch government as a loan! Only the Reform entity they want changed! Where the united workers organizations in the WICLU supported by the Anti-poverty Platform have protested the 18 conditions of the first and second tranche, and where they have demanded to annul the cuts and reverse decisions to cut in workers rights and their human rights until today no parliamentarian and none of the political parties in government and parliament has requested to reverse the conditions and annul the loan conditions! Notwithstanding that the conditions the council of ministers is implementing to comply with the Dutch demands for liquidity support are violating international treaties, state legislation, and national legislation, which is even not in compliance with the motion of May 20th adopted in parliament, none of the politicians is instructing the government to stop the violations of these laws! None of the politicians is addressing the violations by the Kingdom government of the international and Kingdom legislative order! The unions have not even received promised answers from the Council of Ministers on their letters with these conclusions of violations of international treaties, state legislation and national legislation! We informed you in former press conference, that the Prime Minister wanted to inform the Prime Ministers of the Kingdom about the conclusions of the unions. We also informed that the President of Parliament wanted to set up a meeting between the members of the Kingdom relations committee of the second chamber and the unions, for the unions to inform them about their conclusions! Do we have to conclude that the Prime Minister and the President of parliament agree with the unions and want to hide behind the unions to accuse the Dutch from being workers rights and human rights violators? Internal discussions in the platform and within the WICLU about the 49 reform conditions presented to be implemented in the third tranche in the country package for Sint Maarten, are showing more developments which will affect the workers and their families, and which are not in the interest of the right to development of the workers and the people. As Anti-Poverty Platform we will provide in more detail the intentions of the Dutch for the development in the coming 7 years to be implemented by the Dutch Reform entity with our money on the budget and if the Dutch government agrees on additional funding. We will also illustrate how the National Development Vision for the coming 10 years 2020-2030 is contributing to the Dutch development vision for the coming 7 years. Topic 3: SMCC - Serious omissions in the advice of the SXM Council of Advice about monies from the Dutch! In the Daily Herald of September 1, 2020, under the heading As moneylender, The Hague is allowed to set conditions, the Council of Advice of St Maarten gave arguments to explain why the Dutch government, as the moneylender, is in principle free to set conditions for liquidity support. The Council compared the situation to a contract between a client and a commercial bank. The bank sets conditions to secure, as much as possible, a situation where the loaned money, plus interest, is repaid. Not even in the European Union has the Dutch government been compared to a commercial bank! Even in the European Union the position of the Dutch government, to demand conditions to the COVID 19 aid to other European countries. was rejected! So why in the Kingdom, we in the Dutch Caribbean countries, cannot receive aid, just as the Dutch citizens in the Netherlands and the BES-islands and just as all other European citizens in the EU, as aid and not as a loan? Shortcoming number 1: Nowhere in the advice did the Council of Advice ask the question, if COVID 19 financial support to Kingdom citizens in the different territories of the Kingdom should be provided equally: some territories can get assistance as a loan, some can get assistance as aid, that is inequality! The Council argued that the law does not state that mutual assistance, based on article 36 of the Kingdom Charter, must be unconditional and as such legally enforceable. Again the Council of Advice did not ask a fundamental question: based on art 43 of the Charter of the Kingdom, to guarantee human rights, also in a disaster situation like the COVID 19 pandemic in the different territories of the Kingdom, may the Dutch government violate art 2 of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights and impose discriminatory conditions on citizens in the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom and not on other citizens in the Kingdom? Not considering this question is another serious shortcoming of the ones who prepared this advice of the Council of Advice. In the Councils opinion, the Netherlands or the Kingdom in principle may set non-financial conditions to the providing of a loan. The Council argues that the need to set conditions apparently was the result of the findings in reports of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the recommendations of various institutions, including the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, the General Audit Chamber, the Ombudsman, the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS), the Social Economic Council, the Foundation Government Accountants Bureau SOAB and the Council of Advice. Here we see again another shortcoming of the Council of Advice. Since the full realization of economic, social and cultural rights in the Kingdom of the Netherlands has to be promoted on a progressive, non-discriminatory measure, why did not the Council of Advice argue or followed the advices of the UN Committee on Economic Social Cultural Rights, in their different observations and recommendations to the Kingdom, so that the unequal realization of human rights is not more burdened by the conditions set only for the Caribbean countries in the Kingdom? As Consumers Coalition we are of the opinion that the Council of Advice should give more balanced human rights-based advice, respecting our human rights as consumers in this part of the Kingdom! Leaving international public law out of the analysis and considerations is a serious omission, which not even with the argument that they did not have enough time to prepare the advice, cannot be accepted! Topic 4: SMCC Netherlands obliged to complement the St Maarten budget without conditions! In our last press briefing, we alerted some parliamentarians about our right to demand monies from the Netherlands without conditions. We have been following the parliamentary meetings on the liquidity support challenges, and none of the Parliamentarians gave proof to be knowledgeable of our human right, to demand unconditional compliance from the Dutch government with funds, not only because of COVID 19. Today we will provide you with some quotes of various reports of the UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, which show, that for more than two decades already, the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been addressed to comply with the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. Our politicians have to demand the Kingdom government to comply with the UN committees recommendations! 22 years ago in June 1998, the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights recommended the Kingdom government to apply all provisions of the treaty in all parts of the Kingdom (see paragraph 21 in their Comments to the Kingdoms report). 13 years ago in May 2007 the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights[1] under the heading D. Principal subjects of concern, the committee wrote that all the concerns are expressed in this chapter are based on non-compliance with the International Covenant.[2] We quote paragraph 16 in the Comments about the right to social security, an important right not to be in poverty and to still realize the right to an adequate standard of living. 16. The Committee is concerned that social security benefits are insufficient to enable the recipients to combat poverty. The Committee is also concerned by reports that social assistance is not provided to all those who need it. so as to ensure an adequate standard of living. 34. the Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary steps to guarantee the right of everyone to social security[3]. 35. The Committee encourages the State party to provide social assistance to all those who need it, in particular the most disadvantaged persons and groups, so that they may attain an adequate standard of living. In other words, just as in the Netherlands social allowances, social pensions, minimum wages are being paid for people not to be in poverty, so they should be increased to combat poverty and to cover everybody in need by an adequate equal social protection floor in this part of the Kingdom! Today the social allowances, social pensions, minimum wages in the Kingdom are still not equal and are keeping more than 13.000 (94%) households in SInt Maarten in poverty, that according to the STAT Household Budget Survey from 2015! So since St Maarten does not have enough means, the Kingdom government has to provide the means, not as a loan and without any conditions! One month after 10-10-10 the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[4] in its concluding observations under C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations, the committee addresses the inequality and the eradication of poverty again: 304. The Committee is concerned at the unequal enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights among the four constituent countries of the State party (art. 2, paras. 1 and 2). As the State party is accountable for the implementation of the Covenant in all its territories, the Committee urges it to ensure the equal enjoyment of the economic, social, and cultural rights by all individuals and groups under its jurisdiction. This entails an obligation for the State party to ensure that all its enactments and policies should provide for all the same level of enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights. Moreover, the principle of maximum available resources should apply to the State party and not to its constituent countries individually.[5] 318. () The Committee urges the State party to continue taking all necessary measures to raise awareness of social assistance entitlements both in the Netherlands and in the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, and ensure that all individuals and households in need of social assistance have effective access thereto. The Committee also encourages the State party to include these measures into national poverty action plans. 323. The Committee notes with concern that pockets of poverty exist in all the constituent countries of the State party. Moreover, the Committee is concerned that Aruba, Curacao, and St. Maarten have not yet adopted either official poverty lines or strategies or action plans to combat poverty (art. 11). The Committee urges the State party to combat poverty and social exclusion by targeting disadvantaged and marginalized groups, such as single-parent families, migrants, and children, and reiterates its recommendation calling on the State party to: (a) Establish, for each constituent country, an official poverty line which would enable the State party to assess the extent of poverty and monitor and evaluate progress; and (b) Draw up and implement anti-poverty strategies and action plans, taking full account of economic, social and cultural rights. In this regard, the Committee refers the State party to its statement on poverty and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/2002/22 E/C.12/2001/17, annex VII), adopted in 2001. [6] These are very important conclusions and recommendations. This has implications for the Governing Program, the annual budgets and for the assistance of the Kingdom government. The means to address the development needs in the national budget of Sint Maarten must include resources from the Netherlands. one of the richest countries in the Kingdom and one of the richest countries in the world. This has not been implemented in the budgets of the government of Sint Maarten, nor by the Parliament of St Maarten, nor in the advices of the CFT and decisions of the Kingdom government! The State party the Kingdom of the Netherlands must provide with all means possible in the State an equal enjoyment of economic social and cultural rights: so, the Netherlands have to put their money where their mouth is! The Council of Ministers and the Parliament of St Maarten has to amendment the 2020 budget of Sint Maarten in such a way that it should reflect the means to eradicate the poverty in Sint Maarten and to realize fully all the economic social and cultural rights on an equal enjoyment level in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. [1] third periodic report of the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning the Netherlands Antilles (E/C.12/2007/SR.9 and 10) on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/ANT/3). [2] concluding observations at its 21st, 22nd and 23rd meetings, held on May the 14th and 15nd, 2007 [3] The State party should conduct a thorough study on persons excluded from the social security system, indicating the reasons for their exclusion and the results of steps taken to address this situation, and include the study in the next periodic report [4]the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/NLD/4-5, Add.1 and Add.2) at its 43rd, 44th, and 45th meetings, held on 10 and 11 November 2010 (E/C.12/2010/SR.43, 44 and 45). [5] The Committee requests E/2011/22 E/C.12/2010/3 GE.11-42291 63 the State party to provide information on practical measures adopted and implemented in this regard in its next periodic report. [6] The Committee also requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report disaggregated and comparative, annually collected data on the number of individuals and households living in poverty, and on progress made in combating poverty. LA NACION La Cancilleria dijo que recibio informacion de que Rezai viajaria a la ciudad de Moscu y la Justicia federal emitio la orden; niegan que se trate de una confusion con otro funcionario irani con el mismo apellido que se encuentra en Rusia en este momento Indias leading Marathi news channel, ABP Majha conducted Majha Vignharta Awards, a prestigious felicitation on the occasion of Ananth Chathurti, the last day of the 11-day long festival. These awards recognised and felicitated the mettlesome spirit of the mandals of Maharashtra, which have made significant contributions to the state. Having concluded a special donation drive and programming initiatives on Ganesh Chathurthi, ABP Majha drew the legendary Bappa Majha campaign to a close, with this special award felicitation. The awards were personally distributed to the mandals by Mr. Aadesh Bandekar and various other dignitaries of the state. The aim of the awards was to bring the contributions and brave efforts of the mandals of Maharashtra to light and inspire positive action in the society. ABP Majha has been dedicatedly working towards the betterment of the community, especially during our fight against COVID-19. The mandals which were awarded as a part of this initiative included the following: 1. Ekjut Ganesh Mandal, Kolhapur, a united Ganesh Mandal which undertook various positive societal initiatives amid the COVID-19 crisis, one of the most significant being their construction of a 25-bed Kovid Center. It was the first Ganesh Mandal to set up a Kovid Center to distribute food grains. 2. Sansthan Ganpati, Aurangabad, celebrated the festival with simplicity, by hosting a health camp and blood donation camp among other essential activities. Bhaurangari Ganeshotsav Mandal, Pune,carried out various social activities & cultural programs, and also took up the task of providing food to those in need. Santi Ganeshotsav Mandal, Nagpurtook up the responsibility to distribute medicines to those in need. Jai Hanuman Bal Mitra Mandal, Thane encouraged devotees to bring shahales instead of fruits, flowers, and prasad. The grains collected by them were distributed to 500 families. Sunday Karanja Ganeshotsav Mandal, Nashikcelebrated Ganeshotsav in peace and simplicity for the first time in its 103-year history of Ganeshotsav, by complying with the government's decisions to maintain social distancing. Suvarna Yoga Friends Circle, Solapurhas been dedicatedly doing social work since the past 15 years. This time, they conducted health camps and provided food to VD workers & loom workers. Parleswar Ganeshotsav Mandal, Mumbaidid a commendable job in organizing a blood donation camp and volunteering to deliver groceries to senior citizens. They also distributed medicines to those in need, PPE kits to employees working in Mumbai cemeteries, and installed plastic covers for rickshaw drivers in Mumbai to ensure social distancing. Chinchpokli Ganeshotsav Mandal, Mumbaicarried out blood donation camps and did everything in their power to help the needy. The king of Lalbaug made a historic decision not to install the idol this time and celebrated the Agoryotsav. His efforts were lauded immensely. On this heartfelt token of appreciation, Mr. Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network said, Promoting, inspiring, and rewarding positive social action is an integral and foundational part of our organizations DNA and culture. Majha Vignharta Awards is one of the many initiatives of ABP Network, dedicated towards community outreach. This time, ABP Majha aspired to be a leading & inspiring voice during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which has been upended by the COVID-19 crisis - to provide aid to craftsmen and other associated small businesses which depend on the festival for their livelihood. We hope our efforts will light up the spirits of the people of the state. New Iranian Radar Can Detect Over 300 Targets at Once, Including Micro Air Vehicles, Commander Says Sputnik News Ilya Tsukanov. Sputnik International 19:08 GMT 02.09.2020(updated 19:30 GMT 02.09.2020) Earlier this week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his gratitude to the nation's air defence troops, saying the Islamic Republic "owes its security" to their continued "preparedness and wakefulness" in the face of regional and global threats. Iran's new radar systems are capable of detecting and destroying objects of 'any size' if they violate the country's airspace, Alireza Sabahifard, commander of Iran's Air Defence Force has said. Speaking at an exhibition of over two dozen 'salient achievements' of the air defence forces on Wednesday, the commander said that "today, we have the ability to identify any drones in the sky of the country and the region and destroy it if necessary." Sabahifard added that the systems presented at Wednesday's exhibition weren't everything that the country has in its arsenal, with some systems remaining hidden to maintain the element of surprise. "Defence systems will be used as covert equipment when needed to make enemies regret [their actions], so only a limited number of these systems will be unveiled today," he said. Among the systems that were unveiled was the Emad ('Pillar' in Persian), an upgradable virtual warfare simulator designed for use by all branches of the military for exercises and simulation purposes. The system was said to have been developed from scratch by Iranian engineers, with Sabahifard boasting that only a few advanced countries possessed such a system until now. Others systems include the Kashef-99 (lit. 'Discoverer') radar, a 3D phased-array vehicle-mountable radar capable of detecting small aircraft, drones, and even micro air vehicles (MAVs). The system is said to have the ability to detect up to 300 targets simultaneously within a 12 km range, and was developed by Iran Electronic Industries, the state-owned defence electronics company which also created the Kashef 1 and Kashef 2 2D S-Band radars. Earlier this year, Iran unveiled two other radars the Khalij-e Fars ('Persian Gulf') and Moraqeb ('Watchful) strategic 3D phased array radar systems, which officials say are capable of seeing into US military bases near Iran's borders at distances of between 400 and 800 km. The Islamic Republic is also reportedly working on even longer range radar systems with the ability to detect enemy targets at ranges of as much as 'thousands of miles'. In July, Iran showed off the capabilities of its orbiting 'Noor' military satellite, releasing satellite pictures of the US's Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, home to the United States Central Command. Before the images were published, the Pentagon had dismissed the satellite as little more than a "tumbling webcam in space" which it deemed would be unable to provide Iran with any real usable intelligence. Iran's defence ministry has made major strides in the development of advanced military hardware over the past decade due to the United Nations arms embargo placed on the country in 2010, and due to the loss of its traditional Western defence partners after the Revolution of 1979. Tehran has made the advances despite spending significantly fewer resources on defence than regional rivals, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the equivalent of about 2 percent of the US defence budget. In June 2019, the Khordad-3 air defence system produced by Iran Aviation Industries Organization shot down a $220 million Northrup Grumman Global Hawk surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing Tehran and Washington to the brink of war before both sides moved to deescalate. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address But in trying to explain how BaFin wound up using its finite resources to go after Wirecards critics, comments in July and August by its boss, Felix Hufeld, have been revealing in all the wrong ways. Excuses and defensive buck-passing have been the order of the day. Hufeld has said that BaFin didnt have the power to fully investigate Wirecards fraud, and that it did all it could to spur other supervisory bodies and prosecutors into action. He has even said that, despite having a banking license, Wirecard was actually classed as a technology company a category error so monumental that its akin to calling beef bourgignon a vegetarian dish. The defence sector of India is at a point of take-off and the nation is moving towards transformation to become regional power asserted Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, on Thursday. The remarks came against the backdrop of China's attempts to change the status quo in certain areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, CDS General Rawat also highlighted that the Centre is committed to making the defence sector more effective. "India faces the threat of coordinated action along northern and western fronts which we have to be considered in our defence planning. We have devised our strategy as primary and secondary and conceptualised our strategy for both our borders," he added. In a warning to Pakistan, he said the country will suffer "heavy losses" if it attempts any misadventure against India taking advantage of the border row with China. The Chief of Defence Staff spoke extensively about how Pakistan has been engaged in a proxy war against India and pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, attempted to spread terrorism in other parts of the country. "Pakistan has been launching proxy war...want to expand terrorism in other regions...Pakistan could take advantage if a situation develops in northern border...adequate precautions have been taken and they will suffer heavy losses if they attempt misadventure," said the CDS. According to news agency PTI, he said that India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in "best suitable ways". General Rawat said India's policy of engagement, if not backed by credible military power and regional influence, would imply acknowledging China's preeminence in the region, added PTI. The former Chief of Army Staff said India faces the most complex threats and challenges spanning a full spectrum of possible conflict -- from nuclear to sub-conventional -- but asserted that the armed forces are ready to deal with them, further added PTI. "Of late, India has been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these in the best suitable ways," reported PTI quoting General Rawat. Speaking on Quad, he called it a "good arrangement" to "ensure, complete freedom of navigation", adding "we want the Quad to become a system" "Frontline troops are not impacted by COVID-19. Few Indian Army men in the hinterland who have come in touch with locals have been impacted by the virus," he added. He also touched upon a host of other issues including India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region, the importance of defence and security ties with the US and the government's focus on self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Thiruvananthapuram, September 03 : Yuva morcha leader Sandeep Warrier on Thursday sought to kick up a political storm by alleging that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans signature had been forged in several government files. Addressing a press conference, he specifically cited the file on Malayalam day celebrations as proof of the alleged forgery. The BJP young turk alleged that the file dated 2018 September 9 bore the signature of the chief minister but the chief minister had been away in the United States for treatment from September 2 to 23. The signature on the file was not a digital signature either, he said. So who signed the file? Did the chief minister entrust someone with forging his signature on the physical files? Did his former principal secretary forge the CMs signature? Or was it Swapna Suresh, a prime accused in the gold smuggling case who signed the files? Mr. Warrier asked caustically. Previous chief ministers used to depute their chief secretaries to sign government files on their behalf with the annotation with the knowledge of the chief minister, the yuva morcha leader pointed out. Charging that an imposter had been governing the state since 2016 behind Pinarayi Vijayans back, Mr. Warrier called on the chief minister to step down. The chief ministers continuation in office had become morally untenable, he added. The chief minister responded to the BJPs allegation during the press briefing on Thursday evening. Rubbishing the charge of his signature having been forged, he said that he had affixed his digital signature on the e-file. Even physical files are sent as e-files, he said before dramatically brandishing his iPad in front of the assembled mediapersons. He then pulled up the e-files he had signed on September 6 while he was in the US for treatment and said he had signed 39 files on that day including the one pertaining to Malayalam day celebrations. The chief minister also pointed out that he had addressed this controversy earlier. In response to congress MLA K C Josephs charge back in 2018 that files were accumulating in the chief ministers office with him abroad, his office had clarified that the files had been sent to the chief minister as e-files for his perusal and clearance. This summer, Qualcomm announced a new 5G-capable Snapdragon 690 chipset. Bringing 5G to 6-series phones means cheaper devices have access to the tech. But Qualcomm isnt stopping at the 6-series. Today, it announced plans to bring 5G to its Snapdragon 4-series in early 2021. The move will bring 5G to even more affordable phones. Details are still sparse, but Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun said the company plans to be one of the first OEMs to introduce a smartphone powered by Snapdragons 4-series 5G mobile platform. Motorola and OPPO also made statements supporting Qualcomms plans to scale 5G tech to the 4-series. 5G is available on more than 80 commercial networks in 35 countries. Our Snapdragon 4-series is expected to address regions that currently have approximately 3.5 billion smartphone users combined, said Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon. As weve noted before, smartphones that use Qualcomms Snapdragon 8-series chipsets, like the OnePlus 8 and Galaxy S20 series, typically cost upwards of $700. The 5G-capable Snapdragon 7-series is typically found on devices in the $500 to $700 range. The Snapdragon 690 chipset isnt here yet, but phones with the LTE-only Snapdragon 675 typically sell between $300 and $400. We dont know yet how much phones with the new 5G-capable Snapdragon 4-series chipsets will cost, but weve seen 4-series phones, like the Nokia 4.2, start as low as $139. The caveat here is the new 4-series chipsets will probably only work with sub-6 5G, not the mmWave tech that carriers like Verizon (Engadgets parent company) have invested in. Thats not surprising though. This spring the Global Mobile Suppliers Association reported that only about 30 percent of all announced 5G devices support the high-speed mmWave networks. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on September 3 asked banks and NBFCs to roll out loan restructuring scheme for COVID-19 related stress by September 15 and provide adequate support to the borrowers following the lifting of moratorium on repayment of debts. The minister urged lenders to immediately put in place a board-approved policy for resolution at the review meeting with heads of scheduled commercial banks and NBFCs through video conferencing. During the meeting, the minister impressed upon the lenders that as and when the moratorium on loan repayments is lifted, borrowers must be given support and COVID-19 related distress must not impact the lenders' assessment of their creditworthiness, an official statement said. The six months moratorium on payment of EMIs ended on August 31. During the three-hour meeting, the statement said, the Finance Minister asked lenders to identify eligible borrowers and reaching out to them, and the quick implementation of a sustained resolution plan by lenders for the revival of every viable business. Banks are in the process of getting a board-approved restructuring framework in line with the RBI's framework and eligibility defined by the central bank in its notification on August 6. 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 Finance Minister also emphasised that resolution schemes must be rolled out by lenders by September 15, 2020, and a sustained media campaign to create awareness be carried out thereafter, the statement said. She advised lenders to ensure that regularly updated FAQs on the resolution framework are uploaded on their websites in Hindi, English and regional languages, and also circulated to their offices and branches, it added. On their part, bankers assured the Finance Minister that they are ready with their resolution policies and have started the process of identifying and reaching out to eligible borrowers and that they will comply with the timelines stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Ministry of Finance has also been engaging with the RBI to ensure that the lenders are assisted by the central bank in the resolution process. The RBI last month permitted one-time restructuring of both corporate and retail loans without getting classified as a non-performing asset (NPA). Restructuring benefit can be availed by those whose account was standard on March 1 and defaults should not be over 30 days. Besides, K V Kamath committee is working on recommendations on financial parameters like debt service coverage ratio, debt-equity ratio post-resolution and interest coverage ratio for recasting corporate loans. The resolution plans to be implemented under the framework may include conversion of any interest accrued, or to be accrued, into another credit facility, or granting of moratorium and/or rescheduling of repayments, based on an assessment of income streams of the borrower up to two years. While the resolution under this framework can be invoked till December 31, 2020, the lending institutions have been encouraged to strive for early invocation in eligible cases, particularly for personal loans. Last month, state-owned Punjab National Bank had said it expects to restructure loans worth about Rs 40,000 crore as per the RBI-approved guidelines. Contributed Photo / Bjoern Wylezich - TNS NEW HAVEN A city man will serve nearly two years in prison after he was linked to a drug trafficking organization last year, federal authorities said. A judge on Tuesday sentenced Eric E-Love Yopp, 34, to serve 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham. Americans' perceptions of white-black relations have fallen to a 19-year low amid one of the largest civil rights movements in history. The majority of US adults say relations between white and black Americans are very (24 percent) or somewhat bad (31 percent), while less than half call them very (seven percent) or somewhat (37 percent) good, according to a Gallup poll released on Thursday. The poll was conducted over a 46-day period from June to July, after the May 25 death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and intensified a national conversation about racial injustice. Gallup data shows that Americans' views of race relations have soured since 2018 and have now hit their lowest point since the analytics firm began measuring the topic in 2001 - with 55 percent of people rating them as bad to any degree. Scroll down for video The Gallup poll found that the majority of US adults say relations between white and black Americans are very (24 percent) or somewhat bad (31 percent), while less than half call them very (seven percent) or somewhat (37 percent) good Across Gallup's 19 years of data collection on race relations, white Americans have been consistently more likely to express positive views than black Americans. However, over the last 18 months the divide between the groups has narrowed, as positive ratings among white Americans dropped eight points to 46 percent, compared with a four percent drop to 36 percent among black Americans Americans' perceptions of white-black relations have fallen to a 19-year low during a summer of nationwide demonstrations against racism, a new Gallup poll shows. Pictured: Anti-racism protesters face off with counter-protesters in Portland on August 17 From 2001 through 2013, most Americans held a positive view of white-black relations, with between 63 and 72 percent of people calling them good or somewhat good each year. Positive perceptions declined took a nosedive to 47 percent in 2015 after several high-profile killings of black citizens by white police officers, including Walter Scott, Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland - as well as Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald and Eric Garner in 2014. 'Good' ratings rebounded slightly between 2016 and 2018, reaching 53 percent before dropping to 44 percent in 2020. Gallup surveyed 1,226 US adults over the phone between June 8 and July 24. The report notes that it included an oversample of black Americans that was weighted to their correct proportion of the population. It also acknowledged that the survey was taken prior to the conflicts in Portland, Oregon, that led to deaths of both protesters and counter protesters, and before the police shooting of Jacob Black in Kenosha, Wisconsin - suggesting that ratings may have fallen even lower over the past month. The Gallup poll was conducted over a 46-day period from June to July, after the May 25 death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and intensified a national conversation about racial injustice. Pictured: Protesters face off with police in Portland Gallup acknowledged that the survey was taken prior to the police shooting of Jacob Black in Kenosha, Wisconsin - suggesting that ratings may have fallen even lower over the past month. Pictured: A protester holds a #JusticeFormarch near Minneapolis on August 24 Across Gallup's 19 years of data collection on race relations, white Americans have been consistently more likely to express positive views than black Americans. However, over the last 18 months the divide between the groups has narrowed, as positive ratings among white Americans dropped eight points to 46 percent, compared with a four percent drop to 36 percent among black Americans. Though positive perceptions are at an all time low, Americans' optimism about the future of white-black relations is showing small signs of improvement. The latest poll asked respondents: 'Do you think that relations between blacks and whites will always be a problem for the United States, or that a solution will eventually be worked out?' Fifty-nine percent of people expressed optimism about a solution, compared with 57 percent who said the same in 2018. The public's outlook on the future of race relations has been steadily improving since the 1990s, when the US was rocked by the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the OJ Simpson trial. Optimism peaked at 67 percent in November 2008 with the election of President Barack Obama, before declining to 52 percent in 2012. The graph above shows Americans' optimism about the future of white-black relations. Fifty-nine percent of people surveyed in the latest poll expressed optimism about a solution, compared with 57 percent who said the same in 2018 White Americans have consistently been more optimistic about the future of race relations than black Americans in the last two decades. In the latest poll, 60 percent of white Americans shared optimism about a solution, compared with 54 percent of black Americans White Americans have consistently been more optimistic about the future of race relations than black Americans in the last two decades. In the latest poll, 60 percent of white respondents said a solution would be worked out, compared with 59 percent who said that in 2018. Fifty-four percent of black Americans were optimistic about a solution- a 10 percent jump from 44 percent in 2018. That percentage surpassed the 50 percent of people who shared a positive outlook in 2008 - marking the highest optimism rating since 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The Gallup survey also looked at perceived relations between white Americans and other minority groups, which were less polarized than white-black relations. Seventy-eight percent of respondents considered white-Asian relations to be good or somewhat good, compared with 62 percent positivity for white-Hispanic relations. However, positivity in both those categories declined in 2020 compared with the average from 2015 to 2018 - with a seven point drop for white-Asian relations and four point drop for white-Hispanic relations. T he worst thing that Boris Johnson can do, which he foolishly did at Prime Ministers Questions yesterday, is to rile Sir Keir Starmer. The standard critique of the new Labour leader, which he rather encouragingly shares himself, is that he has the forensic capacity one would expect of a top lawyer but that he struggles to tell a story. When Mr Johnson accused his opponent of, in effect, sanctioning support for the IRA, Sir Keirs evident anger was a really welcome addition to his repertoire as an orator. Its a great line to be able to say you have prosecuted terrorists, but the anger communicated even more. It said that he cared. PMQs is performance theatre but that does not mean it does not matter. Politics demands performance and its theatre is part of the spectacle. The two leaders put on a show every week before their colleagues whose morale ebbs and flows in strict accordance with how their man goes. It also reveals, as all oratory does, the contrasting character virtues and defects of the two men competing for the top job. Whoever can become the complete speaker will also become the more appealing politician. There is a great prize here. Boris Johnson is, as he showed yesterday, liable to skimp on the detail. He is too likely to resort to waffle in cliches and to name-calling. The Prime Minister was upbraided by the Speaker for waffling on about Brexit, the IRA, Nato and anti-Semitism rather than actually answering the question. However, there is always something indisputably Boris-like about him when he speaks. This is a significant virtue which he shares with President Trump who, no matter what he is saying, is always Trump-like when he says it. Most people are not watching politics closely and the ability to communicate in a character type is a priceless asset. Thats why, when he is given something serious to say, Mr Johnson can be very good. His pieces to camera from Downing Street in the early stages of the pandemic were still Boris-like but they were tightly scripted and delivered with a gravity that does not come naturally. Starmer has the opposite problem, which is that we are not yet quite sure who he is. We do know that he consumes detail. In Left Out, Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguires account of the Corbyn years, there is a story about Starmer reading all 599 pages of the EU withdrawal agreement overnight so that he could brief his colleagues. As a speaker, he seems like the kind of man who reads legislation overnight for fun and that forensic capacity is a virtue Mr Johnson lacks. However, Sir Keir needs now to tell a story that describes his character and allows the public to see who he is. Philip Collins The finest performances always merge passion with clarity. Think of Neil Kinnocks brilliant speech to the 1985 Labour conference in Bournemouth in which he castigated Liverpools Left-wing Labour council for hiring taxis to scuttle round a city handing out redundancy notices to its own workers. Kinnocks anger was palpable but so was his argument. Labour could never win when the Left is in control, he was saying, a lesson the party has needed to learn again. Boris waffles and skimps on facts but can spin a good yarn. Keir Starmer has the opposite problem Margaret Thatchers speech to the 1980 Conservative conference is known for the line the ladys not for turning. She was under pressure to reverse her course on the economy and her rhetoric told us she was refusing. It was a serious argument which also described the resolute character of the speaker. Tony Blairs final speech to Labour conference in 2006 is often remembered for its customised Les Dawson joke at least she wont run off with the guy next door. The music hall gag made an emotional connection but it has lasted because it came in the setting of a prophetic account of the places in Britain that were in danger of being left behind by globalisation. The party conference season will be strange this year as the events will be online and the speeches will not be the usual set-pieces. But they will still be a shop window for both leaders. The task for Mr Johnson is to craft an argument that holds. Last week he talked about the government being in calm seas. Today, in an article in The Daily Mail, he says there are choppy waters ahead. He is sinking in metaphor. Starmer has to summon the spirit he showed when he felt he was being denigrated as a fellow-traveller with the IRA. The pair of them approach the same task from different directions. They are both seeking to become full and rounded political characters. It is by their words this autumn that we shall know them. Environmentally-Friendly Solutions and In Place Mining to Extract Precious Metals VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- enCore Energy Corp. (TSX-V: EU) (OTCQB: ENCUF) (the "Company") reports that it has completed necessary agreements to acquire 40% of Group 11 Technologies Inc., (Group 11) a United States-based private company committed to testing and implementing non-invasive extraction technologies (in-situ recovery or ISR) of precious metals with the use of environmentally-friendly solutions. Group 11 has now completed a successful commercial launch. Effective August 28th, 2020 the Group 11 has finalized all necessary Organizational, Shareholder, and Licensing documentation with its founding partners and will now commence formal operations. Group 11s initials steps will include acquisition and subsequent testing of already identified gold projects that demonstrate specific qualities lending themselves to the Companys environmentally and economically superior processes. Group 11 is committed to providing commercially viable, sustainable alternatives to conventional mining for the extraction and processing of precious metals. Group 11 was founded and is owned by enCore Energy Corp. (enCore) (TSXV: EU; OTCQB: ENCUF) with 40% of the common stock, EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. (EnviroLeach) (CSE : ETI; OTCQB: EVLLF) with 40% of the common stock and Golden Predator Mining Corp. (Golden Predator) (TSXV: GPY; OTCQB: NTGSF) with 20% of the common stock. EnCore has contributed $750,000 in initial funding and will provide in-situ extraction expertise, EnviroLeach has entered into a license agreement with Group 11 for the use of its environmentally friendly metal recovery process and will provide chemical and metallurgical expertise, Golden Predator will contribute mobile processing equipment and expertise in utilizing EnviroLeachs environmentally friendly solution for recovery of gold from sulphide concentrates. Group 11, a private company, will finance all ongoing research and development expenditures for in-situ and secondary recovery applications. Story continues About Group 11 Technologies Inc. Sustainable metals extraction is a serious challenge for the mining industry which faces mounting concerns over its environmental and carbon footprint, energy consumption, operational safety and especially its impact on water use and water quality while responding to an ever-increasing need for metals in our daily lives. Each Group 11 owner brings a vital skill set to address these challenges and create a unique business opportunity. Group 11 is supported by a first-class staff of scientists and engineers, an extraordinary data set, independent technical validations, strategic relationships, over $20 million in research and development, and commercially proven processes and technologies. Dennis Stover, CEO of enCore Energy stated: "The enCore team members were active inventors and innovators in the earliest stages of developing and commercializing ISR technologies for the U.S. uranium mining industry and continue these leading efforts today. We look forward to applying our expertise with this proven, environmentally sound technology to the recovery of precious and other metals." Background on Non-Invasive Extraction Technology Non-invasive extraction of minerals has been successfully implemented in the mining sector with many innovators and patent holders in the field on the team at enCore, one of the Group 11 partners. These innovators pioneered In-situ Recovery (ISR) which has been successfully utilized to recover metals including uranium and copper using liquid solutions other than cyanide. Group 11 is committed to the development and application of ISR extraction for gold and other metals using EnviroLeachs patented environmentally friendly process along with enCores expertise in ISR extraction. This combination of expertise will advance a business model that has potential to disrupt the conventional mining industry. In-Situ Recovery (meaning in place) is a non-invasive extraction method that has transformed the uranium industry. In ISR, diluted water-based solutions are circulated underground, dissolving the targeted metals, and returned to surface for further processing and recovery of the target metals. ISR means no open pits or underground tunnels, no tailings or large waste dumps and no discharge of noxious chemical at surface. It therefore has the potential to be a low-impact, low capital cost mining method. When many projects are burdened by remediation and rehabilitation requirements, ISR means substantially reduced mine closure time and costs compared to conventional practices. In addition, energy requirements, water usage and the environmental footprint of mining projects can be significantly reduced using ISR technology. Group 11 Technologies Inc. (Group 11) is a private US-based company committed to the development and application of environmentally and socially responsible mineral extraction. Its combination of non-invasive extraction technology and environmentally friendly processes to recover gold and other metals provides an alternate solution to conventional open pit and underground mineral extraction. The goal of advancing sustainable extraction considers growing concerns surrounding water use and discharge, carbon footprint, energy consumption and safety while addressing a growing global need for metals in our daily lives. About enCore Energy Corp. enCore Energy Corp., with assets entirely in the United States, has a 100% interest, free of holding costs, in 115,000+ acres (46,400 ha) of private mineral rights in New Mexico, including the Crownpoint and Hosta Butte uranium deposits. These deposits contain an estimated Indicated Mineral Resource of 26.6 million pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 0.105% e U3O8. A portion of these resources are under NRC license. The Company also holds the Marquez project in New Mexico as well as a dominant land position in Arizona with additional properties in Utah and Wyoming. The Company owns or has access to an extensive collection of proprietary North American and global uranium data including the Union Carbide, US Smelting and Refining, UV Industries, and Ranchers Exploration databases in addition to a leading collection of geophysical data for the high-grade Northern Arizona Breccia Pipe District. For additional information: William M. Sheriff Executive Chairman 972-333-2214 info@encoreenergycorp.com www.encoreenergycorp.com (1) Technical Report, titled, "Crownpoint and Hosta Butte Uranium Project Mineral Resource Technical Report, McKinley County, New Mexico, USA, Mineral Resource Technical Report - National Instrument 43-101," dated May 14, 2012, and authored by Douglas L. Beahm, PEng, PGeo. 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law including the anticipated completion of the transaction and acquisition of the Marquez, Nose Rock and other properties, and the potential advancement thereof. Forward- looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward - looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. Estimates of mineral resources and reserves are also forward looking statements because they constitute projections regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the terms and completion of the transaction are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements A Kubwa Grade I Area Court on Thursday ordered a 17-year-old housewife, Khadija Akarami, to return to her matrimonial home. Delivering judgment, the judge, Muhammad Adamu, held that Ms Akarami, in her testimony, admitted to introducing her 51- year- old husband, Abubakar Aliyu, to her parents as her love interest before they eventually got married. Mr Adamu, however, made his ruling based on the petition brought before him by Mr Aliyu, adding that any party that is not satisfied can file fresh processes in court. Earlier, Ms Akaramis father, Mohammed Musa, told the court that his daughter stayed in her matrimonial home for three weeks before leaving. The day she ran away, Aliyu called me over the phone to inform me and I confirmed that she travelled to her siblings in Kaduna. All efforts made to arrange a meeting with Aliyu for us to settle failed until I saw the court summons, Musa said. He added that his daughter was not forced into the marriage because she introduced Aliyu to him herself. Mr Aliyu, however, said he wanted his wife back home but if she still refuses, he would demand to be paid for all he spent for the wedding. READ ALSO: Ms Akarami in response said Mr Aliyu had sexual intercourse with her four times during her three weeks in matrimony, adding that he should also pay her back for it. I am no longer interested in the marriage, she said. The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that Aliyu begged the court on Aug. 25 to compel his wife move back to their matrimonial home as all efforts proved abortive. He said that he started courting Akarami in 2015, got married to her on June 15, 2020, and she left home on the June 20. ( NAN) YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government adopted a decision today according to which hospitals operating in the provinces will be provided with modern ambulances within the frames of the 2020 state budget. During todays Cabinet meeting first deputy minister of healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said 5 ambulances will be provided to Tavush province, 3 to Syunik and 2 to Aragatsotn provinces. The deputy minister said that a total of 21 ambulances have been purchased. The selection of hospitals was made based on the needs presented by the governorates. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Cloud technology has helped business in sub-Saharan Africa manage the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This is one of the key findings of the third edition of the Cloud in Africa report, released Wednesday. The 2020 report was conducted by South African market research firm World Wide Worx in partnership with F5, DigiCloud Africa, and Dell Technologies. It showcases how different countries are leveraging cloud and what investments they are making in cloud technologies. Over 90 percent of surveyed respondents described cloud computing as being important in their response to the COVID-19 crisis. Perhaps unsurprisingly, cloud has primarily been used to boost disaster recovery (91 percent), remote working (82 percent) and customer service activities (52 percent) efforts. When asked if they felt that cloud had helped governments mitigate the impact of the pandemic, eight out of 10 respondents stated that cloud played a critical role governments remote work, public communication and crisis coordination strategies. The 2020 study is the most comprehensive overview to date, featuring input from technology experts across South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Malawi. The research was conducted in July and August this year, with technology and IT decision-makers from over 400 small, medium and large businesses. African cloud migration increases Looking back on the original Cloud in Africa report, which was released in 2013, World Wide Worx founder and MD Arthur Goldstuck explained that about 50 percent of businesses across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria were actively using cloud in some form or another. Fast forward to 2018, when the second edition of the report was released, and this figure had risen to 100 percent. This doesnt mean that these businesses were all-in when it comes to cloud, Goldstuck clarified. But it means that they were using the cloud for certain aspects of their business operations. As such, he described 2018 as a watershed moment for cloud in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, in 2020, these businesses are starting to realise the strategic business benefits of cloud and are slowly moving more of their business applications into the cloud. Arthur Goldstuck Arthur Goldstuck is the founder and managing director of World Wide Worx. But this doesnt mean that African business leaders dont have any worries about working in the cloud. The report mentions data security as the single biggest concern when it comes to cloud. This fear has likely been exacerbated by a recent spate of high profile data breaches, Goldstuck says. With security in mind, the survey participants were asked what applications theyve already moved to the cloud. Accounting applications were the most pervasive. Office 365 also proved popular, which makes sense given the importance of productivity apps in the era of remote working. In previous reports, backups were most commonly migrated to the cloud but this is no longer the case as cloud is increasingly being used to facilitate more operational aspects of the business. This points to the evolving role of the cloud as a business enabler and a facilitator of remote work and productivity, notes Goldstuck. Unpacking which emerging technologies are set to gain traction due to the rise of cloud, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data made the top three. In addition, the report reveals that IT, banking, insurance and manufacturing businesses are using these innovations the most. These findings hold true across all of the countries surveyed with the exception of Zimbabwe, which fell slightly behind. For Goldstuck, this is likely due to Zimbabwes lack of investment in the infrastructure needed to support cloud use. African enterprises increase cloud spending A key indication of cloud growth is cloud spend. According to the Cloud in Africa 2020 report, 38 percent of decision-makers increased their cloud services spend in the last year. In South Africa, 82 percent stated that they had increased cloud spend, in Zimbabwe this figure was 59 percent and in Nigeria and Botswana only half of companies have increased their spend on cloud. This has a lot to do with the fact that South Africa has recently experienced a lot of growth in data centre activity with Microsoft Azure and AWS both opening data centres in the region. Naturally, this increases cloud interest and activity, Goldstuck said. Looking ahead to 2021, around two-thirds (61 percent) of respondents plan to up investments in cloud services next year. The single biggest benefit of cloud tech cited by respondents is business efficiency (63 percent), followed by agility and operational flexibility (53 percebnt), and improved customer service (45 percent). And around 40 percent of respondents believe that cloud has had a direct, positive impact on their market share since 2018, which Goldstuck believes is interesting considering the fact that gaining market share is not typically one of main reasons companies why decide to move to the cloud. Innovation was also highlighted as a key benefit. As outlined above, all of these advantages proved invaluable during the disruptions experienced at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, allowing African businesses to keep working despite national lockdown regulations and enabling their remote teams. Given the pandemic, weve all had to become more open to change, concludes Goldstuck. COVID-19 has catalysed decision-makers receptivity to the cloud in recent months, but its also clear that a significant momentum was already building across Africa. Rating Action: Moody's revises Rhode Island School of Design's (RI) outlook to negative; affirms A1 Global Credit Research - 03 Sep 2020 New York, September 03, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has revised Rhode Island School of Design's, (RI's) outlook to negative from stable. Concurrently, we affirmed A1 ratings on $196 million of outstanding revenue bonds. RATINGS RATIONALE The revision of the outlook to negative reflects expectations of a continued weakening in RISD's operating performance stemming from existing financial pressure exacerbated by the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Relative to similarly rated peers, RISD's exposure to pressures from the pandemic are elevated due to its niche market and high revenue dependence on student charges, with a comparatively high proportion of international students and its hands-on educational model that complicates expense reductions. Weaker operating performance through at least fiscal 2021 will require use of reserves. This reduces the school's financial flexibility as it faces a more challenging revenue environment, potentially extending a return to a stronger financial performance. Expense pressures reflect investments in fundraising operations and upgrading facilities, which, while integral to the school's long-term strategy, will take several years to show beneficial impacts. Affirmation of the A1 ratings is based on RISD's strong national and global reputation as an art and design school, with yield on admitted students exceeding peers and a high level of net tuition revenue per student -- although this could ease in fiscal 2021 -- demonstrating clear demand. Flexible financial reserves provide a healthy buffer to financial operations amounting to 2.1x operating expenses. Liquidity remains favorable with 388 monthly days cash on hand and provides good coverage of demand debt by 2.1x for fiscal 2019. Offsetting challenges include relatively high leverage compared to peers with some exposure to a complex debt structure including variable rate debt with financial covenants and swaps. Narrowing cash flow along with elevated leverage contributes to significantly lower debt affordability. Story continues The coronavirus outbreak and deteriorating global economic outlook are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. In fiscal 2020 RISD experienced a decline in auxiliary revenues from housing and dining operations as well as losses during the summer due to the cancellation of its Continuing Education program. Revenue losses were only partially offset by expenses due to difficulties in reducing compensation costs. The school will reopen in fall 2020 with a hybrid approach with students attending labs and studios in person and taking a majority of courses online. Some students will be on campus in student residences but at a reduced density. Cost reductions to offset revenue declines are wide ranging but a portion of the gap in fiscal 2021 will be drawn from reserves. RISD's favorable market position and strong reserves position the institution fairly well to navigate through short-term operating challenges. RATING OUTLOOK The negative outlook reflects our expectations that a return to stronger cash flow margins of near 15% and growth in unrestricted reserves will take longer to occur given the potential for prolonged revenue and operational disruptions linked to the coronavirus and expenses required to maintain a high cost model. The outlook could return to stable if the school is able to successfully mitigate the financial impacts of the coronavirus in fiscal 2021 and thereafter, yielding improved operating performance. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS - Substantial increase in financial reserves to support elevated leverage - Greater diversification of revenue including increased fundraising FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS - Sustained decline in operating performance - Inability to keep pace with peers in growing cash and investments - Material weakening of monthly liquidity especially given nearly 40% exposure to demand debt - Additional material financial leverage LEGAL SECURITY The revenue bonds are a general obligation of the college and additionally secured by a pledge of the unrestricted college revenues. There is an intercreditor agreement whereby all recoveries of unrestricted college revenues securing parity obligations shall be shared on a pari passu basis among the bondholders, the LOC banks, and the swap counterparties. PROFILE Founded in 1877 and located in Providence, Rhode Island, RISD is one of the country's oldest arts and design schools serving undergraduate and graduate students. In fall 2019, it had full-time equivalent students (FTEs) of 2,500. In addition to its art and design focused curriculum, the school houses one of the largest and most valuable art collections among colleges and universities. RISD's total revenue was $161 million in fiscal 2019. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in these ratings was Higher Education published in May 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1175020. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Debra Roane Lead Analyst Higher Education Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich Street New York 10007 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Dennis Gephardt Additional Contact Higher Education 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 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. 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Two of the five students, who were arrested by Oshiwara police in cheating cases last month, were tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. The students are undergoing treatment at GT Hospital. Five police personnel who were a part of the investigations were also tested and their reports came negative, said senior inspector Dayanand Bangar from Oshiwara police station. According to the police, on August 26, a paan stall owner from Lokhandwala Market approached them and filed a complaint against an unknown person. He said on July 10 and 11, a student purchased cigarettes worth 77,800, for which he made the payment online. The complainant said after the payment was made, he received a message stating that the amount was credited to his account. However, on visiting his bank in August, he discovered that the transaction never happened. He then approached the police, and based on his complaint, a first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using as genuine a forged [document or electronic record) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. On probing, the police discovered that the accused allegedly used a messaging platform to send a fake bank message to the paan stall owner, which stated that the money was credited. Further inquiry revealed that four more students were involved in the case and through two messaging platforms they had cheated several shop owners. The police wrote to the messaging platforms to ascertain how many total messages have the accused sent. Job losses at British companies accelerated in August despite an upturn in demand, a survey showed on Thursday, in a bleak sign ahead of the closure of the government's coronavirus furlough scheme at the end of next month. The IHS Markit/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a monthly gauge of activity in services and manufacturing companies, rose to a six-year high of 59.1 from 57.0 in July. Still, that was revised down from a preliminary "flash" reading of 60.3, hinting at a weaker end to activity last month. Some economists view the current strength of the ... Facebook Bans BJP MLA Raja Singh After Hate Speech Row, Pressure From Oppn Parties Facebook has banned T Raja Singh, a BJP legislator at the centre of allegations that the social media giant did not apply hate speech rules on members of the party. The politician was banned for violating Facebooks policy on content promoting hate and violence, said a spokesperson. We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement. READ MORE In Biggest One-Day Jump Globally, India Records Nearly 84,000 Fresh Covid-19 Cases A record surge of 83,883 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours took Indias Covid tally past 38-lakh mark, the Union Health Ministry data this morning showed. The single-day tally is the highest any country has reported so far. Indias overall case count is now just 1.5 lakh shy of Brazil, which has recorded the second highest number of cases in the world. An additional 1,043 deaths linked to the highly contagious disease have pushed the total number of fatalities to 67,376. LIVE UPDATES Twitter Confirms Account of PM Narendra Modis Personal Website Hacked Twitter confirmed on Thursday that an account of Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal website was hacked after tweets called on followers to donate through cryptocurrency to the national relief fund. The microblogging site said it was aware of the activity with the website account of PM Modi and added that it has taken steps to secure it. The account, with more than 2.5 million followers, is the official Twitter handle for Modis personal website and the Narendra Modi mobile application. PUBG Mobile Ban In India: Everything You Need To Know PUBG gamers in India have not had a pleasant last few hours, most certainly. As part of the third crackdown on Chinese-owned apps and online platforms, the Government of India has now banned PUBG, the incredibly popular battle royale game that was pretty much a permanent fixture on the top of the charts on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. What does the ban mean for us, to find out READ MORE. Diamond Hubs in Surat, Mumbai on Alert as Offices in Hong Kong Raided by China A commotion has erupted in the diamond hubs in Surat and Mumbai after Chinese authorities reportedly carried out raids following the recent arrest of a local couple on the charge of smuggling diamonds. A Gujarati diamond merchant was grilled by the Chinese authorities and released on Tuesday night. The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Gujarat Zone, has now sought help from the government to help diamond merchants from India in Hong Kong. READ MORE 63% in UPs Caste-based Survey Believe Yogi Govt Works Only for Thakur Community: AAP The Aam Aadmi Party has released the report of a caste-based survey, conducted on a sample size of 68,000 people, in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The report claimed that 63 per cent of people believe that the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state was casteist and was only working for the benefit of the Thakur community. READ MORE Photo: (Photo : Instagram/kellerworks) An Alabama mom, Krystn Keller, found the solution to intense eczema after visiting 14 doctors for her son's skin condition. Even though they applied many over-the-counter and prescription creams to Elliott Keller's face, still nothing happened. Thus, the mom set out to create a soap that would nourish her son's irritated skin. In a YouTube video, Krystn recounted the backstory of how she founded "Keller Works." She said that Elliott was not reaching his milestones properly because he was so focused on relieving the itchy feeling. It was the hardest thing for her to see her son go through the irritation. Watched soap making video on YouTube Krystn set out to create a soap for her son's skin condition. Her son was allergic to more than 50 foods, and one of them is meat. Krystn had no choice but to exclude goat's milk because Elliott could not tolerate it. Meanwhile, she watched "The Soap Queen," Anne-Marie Faiola, churn out beautiful soap bars on YouTube. See also: Blind Mom Saw Unborn Baby Thanks to Doctors Who Gave Her 3d Printed Ultrasound Scan After six months, Krystn was finally able to cold-process a soap that is like a real bar of soap. The soap she cured for four weeks was made of organic palm, coconut, castor and rice bran oils, sunflower, shea butter. and oats. She used it on Elliott's face, and after two weeks, everyone in the community noticed that his eczema was gone. Everyone was curious about how Krystn did it, and they wanted to buy the soap that she never intended to sell at first. In December 2011, "Keller Works" was born. It started to take off when a chiropractor, Michael Bucknell, owner of Redbar Espresso & Market, became Krystn's first wholesale account. He was the one who encouraged the mom to use natural remedies for her son's skin. See also: Mom Was "Blown Away" by Strangers' Sweet Gesture upon Hearing About Son's Leukemia Brand expansion The brand is now found in 20 retailers and will soon hit its target sales of $150,000. From Elliott's Oatmeal Soap, the original oatmeal soap, the brand has expanded to 14 different soaps and 14 non-soap items, which are priced at $6 to $16. Through YouTube, Krystn's motherly love and persistence have made the brand's tale fly an Expedition Media crew from Los Angeles to Mobile a year ago. Since its upload on April 22, Krystn's video was already viewed 82,100 times. Her brand became known to YouTube after an article from AL.com mentioned how she relied on YouTube videos to make soap. For five days, the platform followed them and it was the coolest experience for Krystn because she felt like a movie star. She is hoping that YouTube could give her more exposure on a national level because now, they are based on the Southeast. See also: Witty Mom Slams Rude Neighbor's Brutal Complaints of Her Baby's "Inconsiderate Crying" Krystn's brand has touched the hearts of many moms. She explained that they get emails almost every day from moms or grandmothers who have a child or grandchild that suffers from severe eczema. She felt gratified after receiving before and after photos because she hopes to be a household name. A vandalized statue of King Louis XVI was being removed from the downtown area of its namesake city in Kentucky on Thursday 'amid public safety concerns,' Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. Crews began dismantling the monument around 7am and were taking it to a city storage facility where it will undergo a conservation assessment, Fischer said in a written statement. The 9-ton (8-metric-ton) marble statue, located in Jefferson Square Park downtown, has been vandalized in recent months amid ongoing protests over the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police conducting a no-knock warrant in March. A vandalized statue (left) of King Louis XVI (right) was being removed from the downtown of its namesake city in Kentucky on Thursday at 7am. One of the statue's hands was pulled off in May and the monument has been spray-painted in the weeks since The officers have not been charged almost six months later. Amid demonstrations one of the statue's hands was pulled off in May after a man climbed onto it to address crowds. The statue has been spray-painted in the weeks since and in June three people were charged with criminal mischief after police claimed they saw them spraying it. It also suffered surface abrasion from cleaning and breakage on the arms and feet. A city announcement said due to the material and condition of the statue, it cannot be reasonably cleaned and restored on-site at the corner of Jefferson and 6th streets in the weeks since. 'Given the statue's damaged condition, officials are concerned about further destruction, causing potential injury to people in the area,' the mayor said. A decision on the statue's future will be made after it is assessed, officials said. In this June 2, 2020 file photo, a worker cleans the King Louis XVI statue. A city announcement said due to the material and condition of the statue, it cannot be reasonably cleaned and restored on-site Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said given the statue's damaged condition, officials are concerned about potential further destruction causing injury Louisville was named after King Louis XVI because of his support of the colonies during the American revolution from the British of 1775-1783 after protests in Boston. The last king of France was killed in 1793. The statue was sculpted in 1829 for his daughter Marie Therese but was sent to a military base then to Montpellier University when it came under threat amid the second French Revolution. With a damaged arm, it wen into storage in 1899 until it was given to Louisville 68 years later in 1967 by officials in Montpellier. It was accepted by Republican Mayor Kenneth Schmeid and and erected outside Louisville Metro Hall. The city said the removal comes after careful consideration by city leaders and in accordance with the guidance in the 2018 Public Art and Monuments Advisory Committee Report. It was vandalized in recent months amid ongoing protests over the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police conducting a no-knock warrant in March. The cops have not been charged A common refrain among rebels in the workplace is that its usually easier to seek forgiveness than to seek permission. To make the case for a crazy idea is in itself a little crazy if working for a risk-averse business. But to defend a crazy idea after its established with evidence of its success is no longer so crazy but credible. And a victory for the rebel. Thats assuming the rebel has good intentions. If the rebels intent is one of revenge or deceit, nothing goods coming out of that. Nothing but toxicity. Which is why the rebel were focusing on here is the innovator, the challenger, the experimenter. The one who dares. Coming up with a groundbreaking idea can often require the breaking of old ground. To achieve such audacious outcomes frequently demands a "resistance to rules, regulations and fixed routines". Thats a core finding in a study due to be published soon by the British Psychological Society which refreshingly relies on an academic theory that for once doesnt sound academic. The "too-much-of-a-good-thing" theory states performance can be adversely affected whenever theres an excessive amount of any desirable quality. While being a rebel can be more effective than, say, being attached to the status quo like an arranged marriage, being too rebellious can lead to "uncompromising non-conformity and lack of respect Some level of discipline is needed." By Randy Myers Bay City News Foundation Frameline's virtual film festival in September is anything but a drag even though the Sept. 17 opener features drag queens galore and has a naughty word in its title. Programmers postponed their annual celebration of LGBTQ+ cinema held in June and shifted to a virtual program. This 44th lineup follows in the footsteps of Los Angeles' Outfest, which went virtual and runs throughout this weekend. Anyone from California can join in and watch the films. On Tuesday, executive director James Woolley and Frameline's staff announced an enticing 11-day lineup, which includes 10 world premieres, a virtual gala, an auction and - of course - a bevy of shorts and features, some with strong Bay Area ties. The festival kicks off Sept. 17 with D'Arcy Drollinger's bubbly and ribald world premiere comedy "Shit & Champagne" at Concord's West Wind Solano Drive-In. Tickets are on sale now and will likely be gobbled up fast for that one. Other festival highlights include: o "Through the Glass Darkly": Director Lauren Fash's ominous Georgia-set thriller plumbs a community's dark past while a mother (Robyn Lively), along with her partner, desperately searches for her missing daughter and the town's matriarch. It's one of the fest's centerpiece selections and receives a world premiere. o "Alice Jnor": A teen social media star who is trans leaves her liberal beachside town in Brazil and encounters bullying in a more tradition-bound rural town. Undeterred, she strikes out to make new friends. Gil Baroni's rite-of-passage drama receives a Bay Area premiere and is also a centerpiece. o "Cowboys": Anna Kerrigan's Montana-set Western finds a mentally fragile father (Steve Zahn) absconding with his 11-year-old trans son (Sasha Knight) to the Canadian border. It's a quiet must, and won Zahn the best actor award and Kerrigan a best screenplay in the U.S. categories at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. Jillian Bell and Ann Dowd co-star. o "Shiva Baby": In this outrageous comedy from Emma Seligman, a bisexual and sexually adventurous post-grad student, gets into a swirl of hilarious trouble at a shiva where her paramours meet and greet. It receives a Bay Area premiere. o "Forgotten Roads": Discovering love later in life and the challenges of being true to yourself and not to the social constraints of a community are explored in Nicol Ruiz Benavides world premiere set in a small Chilean town. o "Monsoon": Fans of swoonable Henry Golding of "Crazy Rich Asians" won't want to miss director Hong Khaou's follow-up to his well-received "Lilting." Golding returns to Saigon after his parents' deaths and falls for an expat (Parker Sawyers). o "Rurangi": Director Max Currie's drama about a trans activist returning to New Zealand and dealing with family, friends and a perplexed ex-boyfriend receives a world premiere. o "Killing Patient Zero": Laurie Lynd's explosive documentary takes a complex view of the much-vilified flight attendant who was alleged to be the original harborer for the AIDS epidemic, a person featured prominently in the late San Francisco journalist Randy Shilts' "And the Band Played On." o "Pier Kids": Talented filmmaker Elegance Bratton's fly-on-the-wall documentary takes a candid look into the lives of queer and trans homeless youths creating a space and community on the West Villiage piers. Bratton also co-directed the short "Buck" (also in the festival) and it's dynamite. o "The Obituary of Tunde Johnson": In this topical talker, a "Groundhog Day" concept plays out as a gay Black teen (Steven Silver of Netflix's "13 Reasons Why") awakens each day to the reality of being killed by cops. It too is a centerpiece selection. o "Equal: Episodes 2 and 3": Frameline teams up with HBO Max to screen two segments of the fledgling streaming service's dramatic recreations of pivotal gay-rights events and figures. Of particular Bay Area interest is Kimberly ("Boys Don't Cry") Reed's take on the 1966 riot at San Francisco's Compton Cafeteria, which predates Stonewall. It stars Jamie Clayton, Alexandra Grey and Theo Germaine. Both episodes receive world premieres. o "Chosen Fam: Season 1": In this episodic, receiving a world premiere, a Bay Area indie band lands a gag opening for a group that inspires them while band members cope with more complications in their personal lives. o "Eleven Weeks": Anna Kuperberg's heartwrenching documentary follows a Bay Area lesbian couple through the process of an agressive cancer diagnosis. It receives a world premiere. It's part of the Homegrown shorts program. "Carving Space": Queer skateboarders in the East Bay have found a safe place to show their fancy moves thanks to Unity Skateboarding, a group founded by Jeffrey Cheung and his partner Garbriel Ramirez. Annie Dean-Ganek's documentary follows the group that's trying to make a difference not only in Oakland but the nation. It's also part of the Homegrown shorts program. * Tickets cost $8-$12 per screening and full passes are available starting at $250. Q&As with filmmakers and cast members will be conducted live and will also be taped to watch later. All films can be watched throughout the festival's 11-day run. For the entire program and to purchase tickets, visit frameline.org. 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. Philadelphia Police process evidence at South Cleveland and Moore Streets in South Philadelphia after four teens were shot, two fatally, just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. Read more Police on Thursday identified two teenage boys who were killed during a quadruple shooting which also wounded two other teens in South Philadelphia on Wednesday night as Jaheim Lamarre and Zahquesz McFadden, both 17. Gunfire rang out about 8:15 p.m. on the 1800 block of Moore Street, where McFadden lived, police said. He and Lamarre, of Point Breeze, both suffered numerous gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead shortly afterward at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Another 17-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his right arm and an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his right ankle were taken by private vehicle to Methodist Hospital, where they were in stable condition, police said. Police have made no arrests and recovered no weapons. They gave no motive for the shootings. Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate. Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, at the scene Wednesday night, told CBS3: We cant sense or express enough our sense of outrage that we have about this. Im at a loss for words. She added: Weve been out here on the ground communicating with these young folks. And weve asked them: What is it? The sense of hopelessness and despair, you can hear it. But right now, today, in the moment, we need folks that are willing to step up and recognize that there are some gaps that need to be filled whether its familial gaps, stepping in not only as a mentor, but just an ear, to listen, without judgment. The city has had 306 homicides as of Wednesday night, according to police statistics, a 32% increase compared with the same period last year. The number of homicides so far this year has exceeded the total number of homicides in the city in 2009, and in each year from 2013 to 2016. It is a real risk, said Thomas Wright, the director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington. We know from Kelly and Bolton that he wanted to go much further in the first term. If he feels that he has been totally vindicated in the election, and he feels that people have endorsed his policies, I think he could effectively withdraw from NATO. Congress would most likely move to block any effort by Mr. Trump to exit the alliance altogether, but experts said he could deal it a near-lethal blow in other ways. One would be to undermine a provision in the original treaty, Article 5, that calls for collective self-defense. Previous presidents have interpreted it as a promise to defend any member from military attacks, but Mr. Trump has questioned it. He could just reinterpret it as, I could just send a strongly worded letter, Mr. Wright said. Jorge Benitez, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, noted that the Trump administration announced plans in July to withdraw 12,000 American troops from Germany, the strategic heart of the alliance, and sought to cut funding for the Pentagons European Deterrence Initiative, a program whose funding the administration initially called for increasing and pointed to as evidence of the presidents support for the alliance. European officials, Mr. Benitez said, see the escalation of negative steps, and they are definitely concerned that that negative pattern could continue if Trump is re-elected. On Capitol Hill, Democrats focused on security issues say a re-elected Mr. Trump could permanently reshape the relationship between the United States and Europe, which has been defined for generations by Washingtons bipartisan role as a leader and protector of the continent. Withdrawing from NATO would be nothing short of catastrophic and further highlights the historic importance of this election, said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire and a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Bipartisan support for NATO in Congress is unwavering and overwhelming, and there are significant procedural hurdles if any president were to choose this path, Ms. Shaheen added. President Trump has undermined trans-Atlantic relations from Day 1, and the only one reaping the benefits is Vladimir Putin. Speculation of a future withdrawal is in itself a victory for the Kremlin and beyond Putins wildest dreams. AURORA, Colo. - His death began on a streetside patch of grass less than 100 feet from his front door. Elijah McClain, his hood up against a slight chill and a bag with Arizona Iced Tea in his hand, made his way from the corner Shell station convenience store to his apartment building one night a year ago. The quarter-mile walk home was his last. Three police officers in this large Denver suburb tackled the unarmed McClain, who they later said looked "suspicious," and choked him unconscious. Paramedics then shot him up with a sedative, a dose later found to be too much for his 143 pounds. Struggling for air through his own vomit, the 23-year-old called out, "I can't breathe," as he lost consciousness. McClain never woke up. He died in the hospital nine months before George Floyd uttered the same dying refrain in Minneapolis when police officers held a knee to his neck on the street. Being Black in Aurora has proved dangerous. The same is true across many of the nation's suburbs where predominantly White, male police departments, once a fair facsimile of their communities, have not changed as rapidly as the places they are charged with protecting. President Donald Trump's campaign appeals to suburban women with dramatic characterizations of urban crime have fed into a racist legacy of White flight from large cities, which filled these communities over the past half-century and yielded sometimes-fatal consequences for residents of color. In recent years, Black men have been killed by suburban police officers in Ferguson, Mo., in Falcon Heights, Minn., and in Vallejo, Calif., where police officers are being investigated for allegedly bending a prong on their star badges to proudly signify that they have killed someone on duty. There are more and, police watchdog groups, data analysts and law enforcement experts say, the number of cases is growing: In the Denver suburbs, the number of police shootings has tripled since 2015. Last month, police officers in Kenosha, Wis. - about 30 miles from Milwaukee - shot a Black man at least seven times in the back after they were called to a dispute at an apartment complex. Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old security guard, has been in a Milwaukee hospital since, recovering with a severed spine and shattered vertebra. His three young sons were in the car's back seat when he was shot. Police policy changes and accountability have been hard to develop in suburban areas. The Colorado legislature passed a law in June that seeks to hold police officers personally liable for civil rights violations, a financial punishment meant to discourage reckless action. The following month, the City Council of Greenwood Village, another Denver suburb, voted to indemnify any officer on the hook for such a penalty. The state attorney general criticized the vote for undermining the spirit of the law. In Aurora, a tradition of impunity for police officers, a cumbersome hiring process and a changing population have resulted in deep public mistrust of the police force and numerous legal complaints against the department in recent years. A White majority endures in this city of 386,000 people, but it has shrunk from 70% of the population to 61% since 2000. Every other racial category has grown. The city paid $6.5 million in officer-involved lawsuits between 2010 and 2017, nearly as much as Denver, which has twice the number of sworn officers. One Denver law firm has five active civil rights cases against the Aurora Police Department, including one filed earlier this month concerning the killing of Elijah McClain. "We don't have the trust of the community, and we lost the trust because of the actions of the police department," said City Council member Allison Hiltz, chairman of the council's public safety committee. "Racist policing is not unique to Aurora, but unfortunately, here we have a largely White police department in one of the most diverse cities in the country." - - - Aurora grew from the post-World War II boom, a city where building and business were the primary civic ambitions for decades. Two Air Force bases bordered the emerging city, and many veterans were among Aurora's early residents. The city is low and wide with no single landmark rising above the many pines. It is still largely a commuter town, though it has its own thriving aerospace and health-care employment base with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus towering along Colfax Avenue. In July 2012, the city made a notorious appearance nationally when James Holmes, a 24-year-old White man, opened fire in a movie theater screening "The Dark Knight Rises." He killed 12 people, including a 6-year-old girl, and wounded more than 50 others. Aurora police officers captured the heavily armed Holmes alive. To this day, the city's Black residents wonder how that was managed given the fatal violence that has been used against unarmed men of their race. Holmes is serving a life sentence. Nothing has interrupted the city's growth and change, a process that has accelerated in recent decades. Suburban diversification is taking place nationally, but City Manager Jim Twombly said that here it "has been on steroids." Since the turn of the century, Aurora's population has grown by 40%, making it Colorado's third biggest municipality. The influx has comprised many immigrants. One in five Aurora residents was born abroad. El Salvador has opened a consulate here. City officials say more than 100 languages are spoken among residents. Over that time, Black people's representation has grown to become 16% of city residents. The police department, which has more than 700 sworn officers, has remained largely static in its racial composition over that time. According to the 106-page McClain lawsuit against the city, the Aurora Police Department ranked eighth among the nation's 100 largest cities for most police killings per capita. The department killed Black people at four times the rate of White people. In a statement, Mayor Mike Coffman, a former Republican congressman who narrowly defeated a Black candidate for the city office last year, said, "I do not believe that these few incidents, as egregious as they may be, define the nature of our city, which has always been welcoming, diverse and cooperative." "We will be tireless in our pursuit of a community-oriented police department that has the full support of our residents and reflects the city's people, values and culture," he said. The racial disparity in the department's use of force echoes in other American suburbs. It has led to what Chris Burbank, a former Salt Lake City police chief, calls a "crisis of legitimacy" facing law enforcement agencies. The "defund the police" movement, which gained new energy after Floyd's videotaped killing in May, is an expression of that sentiment. "What we are seeing now is a complete change in what the public expects of its police force," said Burbank, now the vice president of law enforcement strategy at the Center for Policing Equity, a think tank. "What we have not taken into account is the fact there is no connection between arrests and crime rates, between search and seizure operations and crime rates. But there is connection between those methods and the racial disparity we see so clearly now." The McClain killing, which was marked late last month on the first anniversary of his death with a thousands-strong rally at the Capitol, represents the most egregious case of violence that residents and some elected officials say is too-often employed by Aurora police. After two internal inquiries into the officers' use of force, none were disciplined, even though several of them shut off, tampered with or altered the positions of their body cameras as they engaged a terrified McClain, according to the lawsuit against the city. McClain made the walk frequently from Shadow Tree apartments, where he lived, to the Shell station and back. He loved Arizona Iced Tea, unopened cans of which now decorate the shrine across the street from where he died. There are lights spelling his name, artificial roses and "rest in peace" messages. His mother, Sheneen McClain, moved the family from Denver years ago to protect her children from gang violence. Elijah was a vegetarian and violinist, a self-described introvert, who worked at a nearby Massage Envy as a masseuse. He championed animal rights in his social media accounts. "Those are not characteristics people think of when they imagine a Black person," said Candace Bailey, a civil rights advocate in Aurora who has helped organize many of the demonstrations around McClain's death, including rallies last month here and in Denver. "We're wild animals, inhuman, that's how we're portrayed here." Bailey, who grew up in Aurora, said Black residents here have an old saying: "Come to Aurora on vacation, leave on probation and potential incarceration." The call that brought police to Billings Street and Evergreen Avenue that August night was made because, on a 67-degree evening, McClain had his hood up. Three officers grabbed McClain steps from his front door, threw him to the ground and began using a now-banned "carotid hold." "I was just going home. I'm an introvert, and I'm different," McClain said, sobbing, according to tape of the episode,captured by one officer whose body camera recorded audio but not video of the incident. "I'm just different. I'm just different, that's all. That's all I was doing. I'm so sorry. I have no gun. I don't do that stuff. I don't do any fighting. Why were you attacking me?" Paramedics arrived and administered a 500 milligram dose of ketamine, a powerful sedative. Citing Aurora Fire and Rescue Department protocol, the correct dose for someone McClain's weight should have been 325 milligrams. Eighteen minutes after police engaged McClain, the young man was dead. "Anyone who listens to the audio of Elijah McClain dying ends up crying," Bailey said. "And if you do not, you are part of the problem." The Justice Department has been examining the case since last year, and in early August, the state attorney general, Democrat Phil Weiser, announced that his office would open a new review. The city recently hired an outside firm to investigate the incident with an eye toward what it may say about the police department. "For Aurora, this is an effort to rebuild trust with the community," Twombly, the city manager, said. "We want to come out of this with peace officers. And part of this is to determine how we have been part of the problem in the past and how we can be a solution in the future." - - - The Aurora Police Department's conduct continues to baffle even some of its chief defenders. Police used pepper spray, batons and gun-fired bean bags to break up a "violin vigil" in late June commemorating McClain's life and death. The conduct, carried out in front of city hall and police headquarters, is now the subject of a lawsuit. Then, in early August, the department made national news again when police officers confronted a Black family out for a pedicure. Brittney Gilliam was taking her sister, her daughter and two nieces - the children ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old - to a nail salon on a blazing summer day. After seeing that the salon was closed, Gilliam walked the family back to her blue minivan and, soon after pulling out, police stopped her. Guns drawn, officers ordered her and other family members to the ground. Video of the incident, showing members of the family, including children handcuffed facedown on the hot pavement, attracted millions of Internet viewers. The officers explained the episode as a mistake. The van's license plate matched that of a stolen out-of-state motorcycle. Adding to the confusion, officers said, was the fact that the van had also been reported stolen earlier this year, although the report had been resolved. Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, a White department veteran who was named to the post in August after serving on an interim basis, apologized and offered the family counseling. Wilson declined to be interviewed for this report. "What we hear all the time from police is that they do not want our legislation to be too prescriptive regarding how they do their job," said City Council member Curtis Gardner, vice chairman of the public safety committee. "Then something like this happens and they say we were just following policy. Well, they can't have it both ways." Gardner, a credit union executive, was elected last year after receiving the endorsement of both police unions. He is White, a self-described numbers guy and taxpayers' advocate who said he is "more reform minded than defund minded" when it comes to the police. But he is working now on what he described as a police discipline matrix, which matches police misconduct to specific disciplinary measures. He said that, once finished, the document would be made public. "We need to send a message to the community that we have accountability for police officers and it is not just ad hoc," Gardner said. The message is meant for people like Lindsay Minter, a 38-year-old high school track coach who is also a civil rights advocate here. Minter is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the city for the police response in June to the violin vigil, which she described as "like a scene from some crazy movie where all of this horrible stuff is happening to this beautiful music." Minter, among others here, is asking for a measure of common sense in how police behave in the city. She lives not far from Colfax Avenue, the original city center, now a collection of small ethnic restaurants, boarded-up businesses and pawnshops, and once-popular and now faded movie theater marquees. Giant Dollar, Dollar General and the Dollar Store sit within a block of one another on one stretch of road. The Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library is a centerpiece, a modern building surrounded by many homeless people. A story board outside recalls King's visits to the state and his call in 1963 to "let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado." Minter has a cousin named for Elijah McClain. She worries about sending her track team running through neighborhoods here, as she has had to during the coronavirus school shutdown. She is haunted by the death of Ahmaud Arbery in a Georgia suburb this year. The 25-year-old Black man was fatally shot in February as he jogged through a neighborhood in Brunswick. Three White men have been charged in his killing. "I love this city," Minter said. "But it has a police department with no conscience." Hiltz, the council's public safety committee chairwoman, said she was stunned after seeing the video of the handcuffed family lying on hot pavement. She is White and a new mother of an infant son. "When I think about what happened a few weeks ago with those children on the ground, I just can't imagine how that must have felt for the family," said Hiltz, who lives within minutes of the parking lot where the episode occurred. "And I also realize that the likelihood of that ever happening to my son are slim to none." Hiltz, who was elected in November 2017, is focusing on how the department hires its recruits. The council-appointed Civil Service Commission manages the hiring across departments, giving leaders and elected officials little say in a process designed originally to prevent nepotism and cronyism. But the department's failure to adapt its force to the changing demographics has brought more focus on officer recruitment. Hiltz, for example, has begun to study the questionnaires used as part of the process to determine how much bias is built into hiring new officers. "Why are people getting kicked out of the process here and getting picked up by neighboring forces?" Hiltz said. "And why are our outputs largely White and male? I want to know where and why we are losing people." Pastor Thomas Mayes encouraged his first daughter, Genesis, to become an Aurora police officer more than a decade ago. He believed that as a Black woman, she would be an asset to a department out of sync demographically even then with its community. She followed his advice. Eighteen months later she left the force. "It was all about intimidation, how you had to be mean if you wanted anyone on the street to listen to you," Mayes said. "She didn't want to be a part of it." Mayes is pastor of the Living Water Christian Center, which shares its sanctuary with several other churches just off Colfax Avenue. He has been active in the civil rights community here for decades. He is both a plaintiff in the lawsuit concerning the violin vigil incident and a member of the Citizens Police Oversight Committee, which many of its members consider toothless. Mayes said "it doesn't matter if you have a seat at the table if you don't have a voice," a sentiment echoed by Bailey and Minter, who also serve on the board. Mayes uses his voice from the pulpit. "What the city of Aurora has done year after year is to pay off those the police department has harmed," he said. "I tell people I know you are struggling economically, but we can't go around with a price tag around our necks." A Vietnam veteran, Mayes is on one side of a generational divide over how to reshape policing, believing that funding cuts are the wrong course to take. Enhanced accountability and a public willing to push consistently for change across the local government, he said, are the direction to take. "I tell my parishioners that I don't believe the Lord is pleased with you if you are inactive until the problem falls on you," he said. "If we don't do anything, we cannot stand on His word that all will work together for the good." Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General Kerim Veliyev today had a meeting with First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Ruslan Tsalikov, who is on a working visit to Azerbaijan. As reported APA, the parties discussed the bilateral military and military-technical cooperation and underscored the importance of further strengthening of the cooperation. The worst traditions are being continuedThis time, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan distorted the Russian officials statement, and it is hard to verify the authenticity of the statement. The distorted statement reads as follows: Touching upon the military-political situation, Veliyev stated that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains a serious threat to stability in the region. It is important to settle the conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the principles of international law. The distortion particularly concerns the words Armenian-Azerbaijani and settle the conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The Russian deputy defense minister couldnt have allowed himself to make such a non-diplomatic statement. Of course, it is normal for Azerbaijan to distort the form and meaning of statements. Just recently, the President of Serbia became a victim of such policy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 09:42:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 2, 2020 shows the U.S. Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, D.C., the United States. Driven by the massive fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. federal debt is projected to exceed the size of the economy for the fiscal year 2021, the highest level since World War II, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Wednesday. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Driven by the massive fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. federal debt is projected to exceed the size of the economy for the fiscal year 2021, the highest level since World War II, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Wednesday. In An Update to the Budget Outlook: 2020 to 2030, the CBO projects a federal budget deficit of 3.3 trillion dollars in fiscal year 2020, which ends on Sept. 30, more than triple the shortfall recorded in 2019. "That increase is mostly the result of the economic disruption caused by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and the enactment of legislation in response," the CBO said, noting that federal budget deficit will reach 16 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, the largest since 1945. The deficit in 2021 is projected to be 8.6 percent of GDP, according to the report. In CBO's projection, annual deficits relative to the size of the economy generally continue to decline through 2027 before increasing again in the last few years of the projection period, reaching 5.3 percent of GDP in 2030. Government spending surged in recent months, as Congress has already approved roughly 3 trillion dollars since March to cushion the economic impact of the pandemic. That, coupled with a plunge in tax revenue, caused federal deficits to soar and pushed up federal debt. The CBO report showed that federal debt held by the public is projected to rise sharply to 98 percent of GDP in 2020, compared with 79 percent at the end of 2019 and 35 percent in 2007, before the start of the recession in 2008. It would exceed 100 percent in 2021 and increase to 107 percent in 2023, the highest in the nation's history, the report said. By 2030, debt would equal 109 percent of GDP. The previous peak occurred in 1946 following the large deficits incurred during World War II. Against the backdrop of a ballooning debt level, lawmakers are still under immense pressure to craft a new fiscal relief package, but remain in a deadlock over the size and scope of the package, which could again hit the trillion-dollar level. Democrats have pushed for a 3 trillion dollar relief package, while the White House and Senate Republicans have proposed a 1 trillion dollar package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she spoke to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday, but the two sides failed to bridge their differences. "As CBO shows, our fiscal situation will continue to deteriorate as a result of irresponsible tax and spending policies, rising health and retirement costs, and increased fiscal support to address the COVID-19 crisis," Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group, said in a statement. "While policymakers rightly enacted deficit-increasing fiscal support to bolster the economy, they must turn their attention to long-term debt and deficit reduction to get the country on solid fiscal ground once the crisis ends," it said. Enditem Surprise. As soon as street agitators got bored with knocking down statues, they started knocking down people. And as soon as the gunshots started ringing, the moderate Biden took off his mask and turned out to be Kamala. Be wary of the adult who bares each and every tooth when smiling. A look at history, especially at that of France and its enlightened guillotine, suggests something quite unpleasant: America is not in the throes of a simple electoral campaign but rather seems to be at the beginning of an extreme leftist revolutionary process. Perhaps the first thing the Right ought to do, if it has any intention of putting up a defense against totalitarian harassment, is to admit it. Nothing that is happening on the streets is the product of chance, unless you consider that the invasion of Poland in 1939 was just bad luck. It all happened so fast, like a magic trick. Suddenly, there is violence, there is hate, there is fear, there is exceptionality, there are lies, there is resentment, there is division, there is chaos, there is cowardice, and there is looting. In other words, we already have all the best ingredients for baking a real revolutionary cake. The violence still seems to be residual, and that is its greatest danger: that we underestimate it. Check their Twitter accounts: Not a single one of the worlds totalitarian and extreme-Left leaders has missed his appointment with BLM, including the most despotic of them. Xi Jinping is ecstatic: First he exports a pandemic to the enemy, and now the strongest democracy in the West is about to fall into his hands by his preferred means, revolution. Its like tweeting in capital letters for a week. What frightened Edmund Burke most about the French Revolution was not the revolutionaries, but the sympathies they aroused among a number of English conservatives. That is what impelled him to speak out against the great farce sponsored by an Enlightenment determined to see blood spilled. Something similar is happening today on American soil. The worst thing is not the savages trying to subvert order through violence, but the complicit attitude of the Democratic Party, which makes less and less effort to hide its enthusiasm for this kind of postmodern revolution, where it makes no difference if a television set is stolen, or someone gets shot, or a Republican politician narrowly escapes a lynching. The truth is that the Left moves in chaos like a fish in water. Story continues However, we must avoid the pitfall of constantly preaching the Apocalypse. I do not believe, as the Democrats claim, that we are on the verge of a civil war. Besides, Millennials will not fight unless it can be done from the couch via the Internet. They remind me a little of that unassuming gibe by the brilliant Spanish writer and diplomat Agustin de Foxa, from the last century, when he confessed to the British ambassador: The Spanish are willing to die for the lady of their thoughts or for a point of honor, but dying for democracy seems to them as silly as dying for the metric system. The truth is that the human condition has remained unchanged over time. We have never known a time without assassins, liars, conspirators, and God forbid, idiots who run in such numbers that if they had wings, we would live in perpetual gloom. Gomez Davila used to say that stupidity changes its subject in every era so as not to be recognized, and that explains why those who yesterday were alarmed by the ozone layer today are alarmed by racism or the lack of empowerment of women, and perhaps tomorrow they will be alarmed once again by XXL hamburgers, against which they fought unsuccessfully a few years ago; certainly, one has to be very stupid to declare war on a hamburger when it could be declared on quinoa. I guess in the end, its not the issue; its not BLM but the subversion of the established order to claim power. Or, put in plain English, to make Trump disappear. The rest doesnt matter. So I imagine that if the Left has chosen racism this time, it is only because fighting racism is easier to defend than veganism for progressive editorialists, who have to justify the wave of street violence in newspapers around the world. One example: Spains largest newspaper, El Pais, tweeted on Sunday: A man is shot in the chest in Portland. And it continued: The mortal victim was wearing a hat with the insignia of a right-wing extremist group that has been involved in altercations. If this trend in the anti-Trump press continues, it wont be long before they headline: Bullet escapes from gun and hits chest of Trump supporter, who later died of unknown causes. Its all about trivializing death, if the dead are the enemy. Thus, that Seventies slogan from Italys Years of Lead inevitably comes to mind: Marx, Lenin, Mao Tse-Tung / ce lhanno insegnato / uccidere un fascista / non e reato (Marx, Lenin, Mao Tse-Tung / they have taught us / to kill a Fascist / is not a crime). And I add: The question of whether he is a Fascist or not is also decided by the executioners. Often just by looking at his hat. To fully understand this revolutionary violence taking shape on the streets of America, we must take a look at the most photogenic of revolutionary idols, Che Guevara, and at his actual moral misery, which will not usually appear in the history books. Former political prisoner Pierre San Martin tells us that in 1959, at the La Cabana fortress in Havana, the revolutionaries beat a twelve-year-old boy to a pulp before throwing him into a cell. Because his face was bruised and bloodied when he arrived, the other political prisoners asked him what he had done. The boy confessed his crime: He had tried to defend his father so that the revolutionaries would not shoot him, but they killed him anyway. When Che Guevara learned of the boys presence, he had him brought so he could execute him himself. He ordered the boy to kneel down in front of him, and the boy answered: If you are going to kill me, you will have to do it as you kill men, standing, not kneeling like cowards do. Che then circled the boy, walking slowly, looking him over from top to bottom, saying, So you are a brave boy . . . And when he was completely behind him, he drew his gun and shot the boy in the back of his head. Im especially repulsed by back-shooting. I dont know whether its because of my admiration for John Wayne or because Im Spanish; I live in a country that for decades suffered from this cowardly murderous habit from the Socialist, terrorist gang ETA. But there is something even worse than shooting someone in the back, and that is absolving that murder just because it casts a shadow on your case. So, without so much as a word of condemnation for the crimes and altercations, the Democratic candidate poured more gasoline on the fire: The President incites violence, inspires white-supremacist shooters, and his failed COVID response is costing thousands of lives per day. And meanwhile, the entire Democratic machine (media and politics) was launched in unison on Sunday: Trump is trying to start a civil war. Of course, the implicit message is: And we will avoid it if you give us your vote. The Mafia could be more subtle. Some of this plays in Trumps favor. In 2016, the Left claimed that he would start World War III and that terrible nuclear conflicts would break out, but the truth is that the only war that Trump has started has been a war of tweets. Overall, he has turned out to be much less of a warmonger than his predecessor, Nobel Peace Prizewinning Barack Obama. So after that failed prediction, the Democrats are now attempting a new threat that directly concerns the electorate: civil war. They know they will succeed if fear dominates the country in the coming months. Racism has nothing to do with this. They could be encouraging these same violent clashes between supporters and detractors of Greta Thunberg, or between supporters and detractors of pineapple on pizza issues for which some of us would take to the streets much more eagerly than to hand a victory to someone as boring as Joe Biden. There is much that counterrevolutionaries can teach us about how to repel a revolutionary siege with dignity. Keeping up the ideological confrontation is fundamental. As Edmund Burke recalls, before the triumph of violence in France, first they needed to win a cultural war, with a multitude of writings and ideological currents aimed at changing the way people thought, and doing so sometimes almost imperceptibly, replacing old values with a black and savage mental atrocity. Today, the fine rain of cultural Marxism is doing the job. The thinking of Burke, de Maistre, or de Bonald also shows that the counterrevolutionary should not respond by adding more violence or slander to a time of crisis. In the end, the reason one opposes this kind of incipient revolution is truth, and ones most effective weapon is precisely the defense of this great American nations traditional values: freedom, life, property. Because every life matters. The property of others is not violated. And freedom is not traded. Freedom, life, property. These words are to the Biden-Harris campaign like taking a crucifix to the soul of the possessed. Translated by Joel Dalmau. More from National Review Smucker is on pace to exceed its 2020 environmental goals specific to water intensity reduction, waste diversion and greenhouse gas emissions intensity reduction. Results will be fully audited by a third-party at the conclusion of the 2020 calendar year and officially confirmed next year. In the last 12 months, the Company donated more than 32 million meals to people and pets in need, the largest amount in its more than 120-year history. Smucker increased its fully paid parental leave benefit from two to 12 weeks to allow parents more time to bond with a new addition to their family. The Company introduced four new sustainable packaging commitments and will introduce the remainder of its post-2020 goals next year. Smucker accelerated its inclusion and diversity efforts resulting in the launch of unconscious bias training, formation of new employee resource groups, recognizing Juneteenth as a paid company holiday and committing $500,000 to support organizations that advocate for inclusion, racial justice and the advancement of under-represented people. The Company increased its manufacturing volumes to provide people and pets the products they needed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while still achieving a total recordable safety incident rate three times below the national average. "The past year has presented unprecedented challenges, but it has also provided a reminder of the importance of taking care of one another," said Mark Smucker, President and CEO, The J. M. Smucker Company. "Our focus on Thriving Together with our stakeholders is central to how we operate, and I could not be prouder of how our employees have exemplified this throughout the last year." Learn more about The J. M. Smucker Company's Thriving Together philosophy and its impact on those connected to its business by reviewing the complete 2020 Corporate Impact Report and video highlighting key achievements: https://www.jmsmucker.com/news-stories/corporate-publications/corporate-impact-report. About The J. M. Smucker Company Inspired by more than 120 years of business success and five generations of family leadership, The J. M. Smucker Company makes food that people and pets love. The Company's portfolio of 40+ brands, which are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants, include iconic products consumers have always loved such as Folgers, Jif and Milk-Bone plus new favorites like Cafe Bustelo, Smucker's Uncrustables and Rachael Ray Nutrish. Over the past two decades, the Company has grown rapidly by thoughtfully acquiring leading and emerging brands, while ensuring the business has a positive impact on its 7,000+ employees, the communities it is a part of and the planet. For more information about The J. M. Smucker Company, visit jmsmucker.com. The J. M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein, except for Rachael Ray which is a trademark of Ray Marks II LLC. SOURCE The J. M. Smucker Company Related Links http://www.jmsmucker.com Day care security camera footage showed a staffer throwing a 7-month-old girl on the ground twice, ultimately fracturing the babys skull. Nearly three years later, the day care worker, Tiffany Williams, 24, of Washington County, Pa., is owning up to her actions but there are questions about the severity of her punishment in the case. As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of endangering the welfare of children on Wednesday. But as part of the plea deal from the Allegheny County District Attorneys office, Williams will get off with three concurrent terms of 18 months probation in exchange for her guilty plea. This is despite the fact that investigators had security video of Williams throwing the 7-month-old girl to the ground twice in 2017, according to the Post-Gazette, which reports: Seconds later, she threw the infant down again, this time tossing her into a pile of blocks and causing the toys to scatter on the ground. The video also shows Williams forcefully putting the child into her lap so that the baby hit her head on Williams knee. The caretaker then forcibly put the girl onto a pillow, the complaint reads. The baby is seen crying throughout the video. RELATED: Footage from Tutor Time day care in Bethel Park also shows several incidents of Williams mishandling infants at the day care, the complaint says. Williams can be seen throwing two blocks at another baby who is laying on a mat, and later cleaning the babys face in a forceful manner before she tosses the baby behind a counter and out of sight. Later, she twice puts the baby on a pillow forcefully enough that the back of the babys head hits the floor. Despite all this, Washington County Judge Alex Bicket approved probation for Williams, who appeared on video for the remote court session, the Post-Gazette reports. Williams also was ordered to have no contact with the 7-month-olds family and must take parenting classes. She has been banned for life from working with children. READ MORE: Missing mans body pulled from Pa. river Road rage suspect accused of pointing gun at off-duty Pa. cop, pulling the trigger twice Pa. mayor who banned indoor dining caught dining inside in Maryland, and chefs are roasting him Pa. man wanted for shooting, killing woman on backyard swing is arrested; victim IDd Security guard at Pa. Wawa shot as social distancing argument turns violent: report Armed and dangerous suspect wanted after Pa. woman shot multiple times and killed in her backyard: cops Pa. woman accused of breaking into apartment, stealing puppy, then throwing dog from moving car: cops Shots fired outside Pa. hotel where Milwaukee protest group is staying Man with autism badly beaten after using racial slur; 3 attackers face federal charges Protesters shooting in Pa. caught on live stream: This dude is shooting at us Group of protesters shot at while walking on Lincoln Highway in Pa.; 1 injured: report Pa. woman filmed herself brutally beating girl with wooden spoon, then sent video to friends, now faces felony charge: cops Black Lives Matter rally draws counter-protest in bitterly divided Pa. town A care home resident losing weight or appearing upset could be a sign of abuse, according to official guidelines issued last night. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said staff and visitors should also watch out for lack of social interaction and emotional changes. Abuse should be actively suspected if residents are living in a dirty environment, are dehydrated or denied access to their glasses or dentures. Officials said the guidelines provided practical advice for residents, staff and anyone who spends time with adults in care homes, including family, friends and professionals. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said staff and visitors should be wary of care home residents losing wieght or seeming upset, as these could be a sign of abuse (stock image) Professor Gillian Leng, chief executive of Nice, said: Every day, thousands of adults in care homes rely on the support and care of those around them; a fact that should never be taken for granted. This is an opportunity to equip residents, relatives and care professionals with the tools they need to identify neglect and abuse, and empower them with the knowledge of where they can go for help. It is our hope that by providing clear guidelines on the steps visitors, staff and organisations can take, we will all be better prepared to protect these residents in their time of need. The guidelines set out physical and emotional behaviour that could suggest abuse or neglect and which should lead to a closer look at the situation. There are also stronger signals that should lead people to suspect abuse and take immediate action. Abuse should be actively suspected if residents are living in a dirty environment, are dehydrated or denied access to their glasses or dentures (stock image) The health watchdog says staff and visitors should consider the possibility of abuse or neglect in situations even where there may be another explanation for a residents physical or emotional state. Although dementia, autism, learning disability and acute mental distress can lead to emotional distress, the possibility of abuse or neglect should always be considered as a cause, the guidelines say. These signs of suspected abuse, which include someone living in a dirty, unhygienic or smelly room, should not be seen as absolute proof of wrongdoing, it says, but mean immediate action is needed. In 2018/19 the authorities logged 415,050 reports of possible abuse and neglect of adults across England. This was an increase of 5.2 per cent on the previous 12 months. Hamptons-based mobile fitness franchise AWATfit (All Weather All Terrain Fitness) has plans to raise over $25K for Mashashimuet Parks playground fund over the next 60 days by hosting outdoor classes in the park. The brand has committed to donating $10 from each participating class members $40 class charge. AWATfit mobilizes fitness by building equipment into specialty trucks perfect for group training events in wide-open spaces. As a longtime resident of the Hamptons, AWATfit's CEO Richard Decker is excited by the opportunity to give back to his community through his business, and now more than ever, is eager to promote community involvement within his franchise network as it grows. Giving back to my community is incredibly important to me. This is my community, Decker explained. And not only will this donation help improve the park for the children of the community, it will also help to promote new business ventures to those who attend the classes. AWATfit is an incredibly attractive prospect for someone in the fitness industry who wants to own their own business, and Im hopeful that this fundraiser might be the best way to reach those who might not yet know their potential. During the pandemic, the demand for local training service options has been overwhelming as people are still weary of working out in enclosed spaces like traditional brick-and-mortar gyms. For Decker and AWATfit, this has been an incredible opportunity for growth Most recently AWATfit signed its first franchisee in Port Jefferson, New York who is set to open next month. Whether youre a professional athlete or just trying to get some exercise in after work, the one thing that everyone hates about going to the gym is the environment running in place, staring at walls, and now germs, says Decker. When you exercise outdoors, your energy and mood increase automatically, but most people dont have access to a full set of gym equipment outside. AWATfit plans to start the fundraising as soon as possible, with classes in Mashashimuet Park set for all of September. In addition to the funds raised for the playground fund by the initial class fees, those who are interested can also contribute donations separate from the fee as well. ABOUT AWATFIT: Founded by Rich Decker, a fitness enthusiast and entrepreneur with more than 30 years in the industry, AWATfit is a fully mobile, full-service fitness business run entirely out of 20-foot truck fully equipped with 20 cutting-edge workout stations designed to address strength, flexibility, core, agility and cardiovascular as well as the mind-body-spirit connection. Customers get the full workout experience in the comfort and convenience of their preferred location without the hassle of driving, parking, checking in or crowds. With minimal overhead and operational requirements, AWATfit franchises are easy and inexpensive to run, offering the perfect business opportunity for any fitness enthusiast, regardless of their business experience. For more information on franchise opportunities, visit AWATfit.com/franchise This procurement scheme, seen by Fastmarkets, specifies eight-year totals for battery-grade nickel and cobalt raw materials, with nickel content totalling no less than 74,400 tonnes and no more than 178,560 tonnes, and cobalt content at a minimum of 9,296 tonnes and no more than 22,320 tonnes.The per-year breakdown for nickel amounts to 9,300-22,320 tonnes (nickel contained), while the annual total for cobalt by-products is 1,162- 2,790 tonnes (cobalt contained).With the booming of global [electric vehicle (EV)] market, high-nickel and low-cobalt batteries will become the trend... [This] agreement will help us secure nickel raw materials to meet our growing [needs], GEM said in a filing to Shenzhen Stock Exchange on September 2.HPAL - a joint venture between China's Ningbo Lygend Resources & Technology Co and Indonesia's Harita Group - has a planned annual output of 240,000 tonnes of nickel sulfate and 30,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate products in Indonesia.The EV boom has sparked growing investor optimism for more nickel consumption and, in July, the United States EV producer Teslas chief executive officer, Elon Musk, called for a ramp-up in global nickel mining to match his companys production ambitions.In China, the V-shaped economic recovery from the Covid-19 outbreak has seen a strong rebound in the automobile market.The country produced 100,000 units of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in July, up 15.6% year on year, and sold 98,000 NEVs - a 19.3% year-on-year increase, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).Chinas nickel sulfate price made positive response to high costs, demand recovery and low supplies, Fastmarkets learned.Fastmarkets' price assessment for nickel sulfate min 21%, max 22.5%; cobalt 10ppm max, exw China , reached its highest level so far this year on August 28 at 26,000-26,500 yuan (3,801-3,874) per tonne.The nickel sulfate price began to rise in mid-late July and gained 4.4% in August alone, rising from 24,800-25,500 yuan per tonne on August 7.The price will increase further with the strengthening LME nickel [price] and low supplies, and I have heard a deal at 27,000 yuan per tonne already, a trader source said.In the cobalt sulfate market, the blue metal's price briefly reached a 2020 high of 290,000-300,000 yuan per tonne in the second week of August, supported by spot cobalt hydroxide supply tightness, a strong metal performance and a recovery in demand from late July.But the market then tracked down with suppliers cutting their offers to attract business because consumers had been broadly resistant to previous price increases and were cautious about restocking.High raw materials import costs are expected to limit the likelihood of any steep price drops in the near term, according to market participants.Fastmarkets price assessment for cobalt 99.8% Co min, ex-works China fell to 272,000-281,000 yuan per tonne (equivalent to about $15.99-16.52 per lb) on September 2, down 1.3% from 275,000-285,000 yuan per tonne on August 28. Outspoken Ghanaian journalist, Afia Pokuaa, popularly known as Vim Lady has sent a solid warning to party footsoldiers and certain individuals who like to verbally attack journalist when they question them about politics. According to Afia Pokuaa, shes had enough, and she is ready to face squarely anybody who insults her. Speaking during her show on Okay FM, Vim Lady explained that some people believe they are uneducated because they communicate in the local dialect, however, the same people are scared of Afia Schwarzenegger and Kennedy Agyapong because they dont spare those who offend them. She went on to disclose that she is ready to verbally attack anybody who finds it cool to insult her. Watch and read excerpts of what she said below; This year Im ready. If you like send your nonsense messages. Like President Mahama said, nobody has monopoly over violence, for us, we will not fight, for us, nobody has monopoly over spewing nonsense. Weve been quiet for long because we are public figures but for now, if you spew nonsense, we will reply in similar fold. Thats why youre afraid of Afia Schwarzenegger and Kennedy Agyapong because if you try them, they will not let you go Scot free. We will all go that line. You Ghanaians who we are seeking accountability and transparency are the same who attack the media. It will get to a point no journalist will ask any questions. They will just keep quiet and watch. Politicians take you people for granted forever. The more you insult Journalist, the more we will shut the hell up and bloody stop talking. When you people watch BBC and CNN and you see Christiane Amanpour and Stephen Sackur and they are drilling politicians, youre happy about that and say they are bold but when you do same in Ghana, you are told you dont like the politician. Do you think if we are not qualified we would have been sitting behind the microphone? The most painful thing is that because some of us speak the local language, you people think we are empty. If we should publish our CVs, like you will know that we are more qualified than some of your Ministers, we are bloody qualified than some of them but you feel that its ok to insult us the ones who are seeking for accountability for you. I say the more you insult us, the more we will decide not to speak. 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 Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 3 : Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday demanded a Kerala government probe into the narcotics case that first surfaced in Bengaluru. "Among those arrested in Bengaluru include Keralites and there are reports of the alleged involvement of the son of a top Kerala politician. The Kerala Police appear to be silent since big names have surfaced. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should order a probe into this as Kerala is becoming a haven for narcotics," said Chennithala. On Wednesday, P.K.Firoz, a youth leader of the Indian Union Muslim League, alleged that Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, has links with Anoop Mohammed, who was arrested by the by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Bengaluru last month. Soon after the allegation was levelled, Bineesh went on record to say that he had no knowledge of his arrested friend Anoop Mohammed dealing in drugs. Bineesh also pointed out that Anoop and he were good friends for a few years and he had given him Rs 6 lakh as loan to him, when he wanted to launch a restaurant in Bengaluru. On Thursday Firoz said Bineesh must come clean on a Capital Financial Service which he began in Bengaluru in 2015. "We would like to know from Bineesh, who all have invested in this financial services company of his," said Firoz. On Thursday, State BJP president K. Surendran asked why the CPI-M in Kerala was silent on the narcotics case. "In the past, when some cheap things surfaced, the CPI-M leaders said that the party need not reply to what their children were up to. But, in this case, this affects the safety of the country. Bineesh has admitted they know each other since 2012. What's baffling is the day when Swapna Suresh,the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, was arrested in Bengaluru, Bineesh and Anoop were in touch. The CPI-M has to answer a lot of questions," added Surendran. On Thursday, anti-narcotics officials in Kerala raided the homes of Anoop and his associate Ravindran, both of whom are in NCB custody. Anoop's father Mohammed Basheer, who runs a small shop in Ernakulam district, that his son last came home in January and three days ago, when he tried to call him, his mobile was switched off. "A few years ago Anoop went to Bengaluru to start a textiles business," said Basheer. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text By David R. Henderson September 02, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - It seems that more and more Americans, pro-Trump or not, are concluding that trade with China is a threat to the United States. The objections are typically one of three: (1) freer trade with China after it was admitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 has cost U.S. manufacturing jobs; (2) the Chinese have thrived by stealing our intellectual property (IP) and that has made Americans worse off; and (3) the Chinese will use some of their progress in cybertechnology to engage in surveillance of Americans. Each of these objections contains a kernel of truth. But the objections together are not nearly enough to offset the huge gains that Americans reap from freer trade with China. Perhaps it is best to start by considering the economists case for free trade: Each country produces the goods and services in which it has a comparative advantage and trades those to other countries, which, in turn, produce goods and services for which they have a comparative advantage. In that way both countries do better than they would do if they didnt trade. Comparative advantage, by the way, is jargon for lower cost. A true story: 10 years ago, I was shopping for paper clips in a Staples store in Seaside, California. A man shopping in the same aisle was picking up boxes of paper clips, examining them closely and, angrily it appeared, tossing them back in the bin. A Staples employee approached and asked him what was wrong. The following dialogue took place. Customer: Do you have any paper clips made in America? Employee: No. Customer: Then where can I buy staples made in America? Employee: I dont think you can buy them anywhere. I dont think staples are made in America. The customer left enraged. I picked up a box of paper clips and took them to the cash register where I proceeded to pay for it. As I left the store, I thought that maybe I could do the same thing at other stores that he had done at Staples. I could go to Starbucks and ask, Do you have coffee made in America? When I found out that they didnt, I could leave the store angrily. Then I could go to my neighborhood Safeway and ask, Do you have bananas grown in America? When I learned that they didnt, I could throw the bananas back in the display and storm out. Would my hypothetical actions make sense? No. The reason is that we buy coffee imported from Colombia and other countries because its cheaper to produce there. Bananas are imported from Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and a few other countries because theyre cheaper to produce in those countries. (A tiny percentage of world banana production, actually 0.01 percent, is in Hawaii and Florida.) Could we produce those items here and have high quality? Probably. But we would have to build expensive hothouses to do so. That would be so much more expensive than buying imports. Everyone, I think, recognizes that producing coffee and bananas domestically doesnt make sense. But the same principle applies to other items, whether they be tires, steel, or aluminum. If, for a given quality, its less costly to buy imports than to produce ourselves, we are better off doing so. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Why, then, do we hear so much criticism of trade? The answer is that when trade increases, some workers in the U.S. industries that face new competition will lose their jobs. Economists can show that the losses to, say, the thousands of workers newly unemployed in a particular U.S. industry are substantially less than the gains to the millions of American consumers who get a better deal on their purchases. Take a plausible example. As a result of trade opening up with another country, 10,000 workers in a U.S. industry lose their jobs and the next job they go to pays $25,000 a year instead of $30,000. The annual loss to them is $5,000 each, for a total of $50 million. And because it takes many of them at least a few months to find another job, theres an extra loss of $5,000 each, bringing the loss from unemployment to another $50 million. But 10 million consumers gain $20 per year in savings, for a total of $200 million. The gains from trade substantially outweigh the losses. But the problem politically is that each of those workers is hurt a lot, while each of the much greater number of consumers is helped only a little. So in the political arena, the voices of those who are hurt drown out the voices of those who are helped. Indeed, in a typical case, the consumers who gain from freer trade dont even whisper. In a 2016 study, MIT economist David Autor and co-authors David Dorn of the University of Zurich and Gordon H. Hanson of UC San Diego estimated that increased trade with China between 1999 and 2011 caused the loss of approximately 2.4 million U.S. jobs. Even in an economy the size of ours, with, in normal times, over 150 million jobs, thats a large number. But the gains from that trade are huge. In a 2018 study, Xavier Jaravel of the London School of Economics and Erick Sager of the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that consumers gained $202 billion from trade with China. Divide $202 billion by 2.4 million jobs lost and the gain to U.S. consumers amounts to over $84,000 per job lost. (Jaravel and Sager estimate the gain per job lost at over $101,000 because they compare it to a 2013 Autor et al estimate of 2 million jobs lost.) Moreover, Autor et als estimates of job losses due to trade with China are on the high side. A number of other studies have found much lower job losses. In a 2017 Vox article titled NAFTA and other trade deals have not gutted American manufacturingperiod, UC Berkeley economist Brad DeLong argues that even if China had not been admitted to the WTO, its exports would have surged, just not as much. His back-of-the-envelope estimate was that admitting China to the WTO created 200,000 more manufacturing jobs in industries that exported to China, and destroyed 500,000 jobs in industries competing with Chinese imports. The net result: a loss of 300,000 jobs, not 2 million. You might worry that the consumers who gained disproportionately from freer trade are the higher income ones. The truth is the opposite. In a 2008 study, University of Chicago economists Christian Broda and John Romalis found that between 1994 and 2005, prices of the bundle of goods bought by households in the lowest tenth of the income distribution rose by six percentage points less than prices for those in the top tenth. One third of this six percent, they write, was associated with the increase in Chinese imports. That makes sense. Where, after all, do lower-income households shop disproportionately? At places like Walmart and Target, which are also places where a relatively large percent of the goods sold are from China. Interestingly, in a 2019 article in Foreign Policy, deputy news editor Michael Hirsh quoted Autor: One could say that there was something of a guild orthodoxy [among economists]: The key dictum was that policymakers should be told that trade was good for everyone in all places and times. Since 1976, when I earned my Ph.D., Ive thought of myself as a member of the guild, that is, the economics profession. But somehow I missed that memo. More important, every other economist I know or read who talks about trade missed that message also. Indeed, I have yet to meet the economist who denies that trade is bad, especially in the short run, for those who must compete with cheaper imports. But, as noted above, the benefits of trade with China greatly outweigh the costs and go disproportionately to lower-income households. The second objection to trade with China is that Chinese companies violate the IP rights of patent and copyright owners in other countries, including the United States. Thats true, but heres what often doesnt get reported: WTO rules cover IP violations and we have a better shot at making China obey the rules if its in the WTO than if its out. In his first-rate analysis of the issues with China trade, Cato Institute trade specialist Scott Lincicome pointed out that when other governments litigate against unfair Chinese practices, they often win. Moreover, when they do win, the Chinese government and Chinese firms tend to comply. What about the third objection to trade with China: namely, that it can use various apps to surveil Americans? Again, just as with the other two objections to trade with China, its true. But in the major recent alleged case of such surveillance, TikTok, its hard to see how thats a problem. In an August discussion, Hoover economist John Cochrane challenged Hoover historian Niall Ferguson and Hoover national security expert H.R. McMaster to back their view that TikTok was dangerous for Americans. Ferguson argued that TikTok is addictive for young people. Im sure it is, just as computer games are, but that has nothing to do with China. McMaster argued that TikTok is collecting data on Americans, especially young people. Im sure thats true also, just as Facebook and Instagram do the same with different audiences. But how does this hurt Americans in any important way? As Julian Sanchez of the Cato Institute wrote recently: One can imagine how such information might be abused by a government interested in monitoring its own citizens, but its harder to articulate any coherent reason midwestern teens posting cat videos should be fearful that Maoists are scrutinizing their system settings or geotags. People cut a lot of slack for dance performances by young women, as we learned when a video was leaked of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing while a student at Boston University. My own reaction was that she was a heck of a dancer. H.R. McMaster argued that the Chinese government wants to weaponize data. Hes probably right. But how exactly do you weaponize data of, say, young women dancing? Interestingly, his best example of the Chinese government scooping up data that could hurt Americans was the Chinese governments hacking the confidential government-held data of millions of federal employees a few years ago. That was serious. But notice that they did that without trade. Moreover, poor security by the U.S. federal government made the hacking easier than otherwise. I was a U.S. federal employee in 2015 when the hacking occurred and Beth F. Cobert, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, wrote to tell me that my data were hacked. Heres one excerpt from her letter: Since you applied for a position or submitted a background investigation form, the information in our records may include your name, Social Security number, address, date and place of birth, residency, educational, and employment history, personal foreign travel history, information about immediate family as well as business and personal acquaintances, and other information used to conduct and adjudicate your background investigation. She added, Our records also indicate that your fingerprints were likely compromised during the cyber intrusion. I clearly recall that the hacked form I filled out the year before asked me if I had engaged in adultery in the last seven years. That was important, you see, because the U.S. government needed to know if I could be blackmailed. Fortunately, my answer was no, but notice that the U.S. government had made it easier for the Chinese government to blackmail federal employees who answered yes. Its data like that that I would like the federal government to protect, not pictures of young girls dancing. President Trump, who came to power with the goal of draining the swamp is, with his order that TikTok be sold to an American company, reducing economic freedom and deepening the swamp. In this way, the TikTok controversy highlights, in plain sight, a real threat to our freedom: the threat from our own government. (SAVANNAH, Mo.) Governor Mike Parson toured northwest Missouri today touting the benefits and importance of broadband internet access. At a stop in Savannah along with Senator Roy blunt, Parson said the problem of a lack of internet access has been magnified by the coronavirus pandemic. He said it is not uncommon that some areas on the outskirts of urban areas have broadband service gaps as well as some rural areas. Parson says that it's these gaps in service that hurt Missouri competing with other states in economic development. The big thing were trying to do is we visit these sites and realize and let them know how important this is for the future when it comes to tele-health or tele-medicine, and whether it be virtual schools, how do we make sure everybody can compete, Parson said.Especially our kids in our schools and our classrooms and our businesses and our farmers that need the internet in order to compete. Earlier this year, the state distributed $3 million to help expand broadband internet access. A recent FCC report showed 600,000 Missourians did not have access to broadband internet. Former Ralph Lauren exec Jerome Espinos is officially launching French Legacy Group and the groups first big acquisition is storied shoe brand Clergerie. French Legacy Group which is controlled by Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant private equity fund snapped up the label from First Heritage Brands and fashion executive Jean-Marc Loubier. Financial terms werent disclosed. The goal of French Legacy Group is to acquire brands with a strong identity and recognized expertise to redeploy them, support creation and accelerate their development, said Espinos. As the veteran footwear leader takes the reins, he is emphasizing Made in France craftsmanship and hopes to expand the influence of Clergeries Romans, France factory, which employs 112 artisans. Notably, Espinos himself was born in the Romans region and has extensive experience both in France and internationally. After spending 11 years at Charles Jourdan, he was the general manager for Italy at Rossimoda before working at Ralph Lauren for 10 years as the head of footwear and accessories collection. The Romans workshop will become a unique laboratory, open to other brands who wish to benefit from [a combination] of tradition, innovation and sustainable development, said Espinos. In addition to Clergerie, the group now owns Avril Gau and Violet Tomas. These brands have been strategically chosen for their complementary positioning and product offerings, Espinos said. Avril Gau who previously worked for Clergerie as well as big names like Chanel and Loewe debuted her eponymous brand in 2002. Her collections are a blend of classic and contemporary designs, which emphasize both comfort and quality. Espinos created Violet Tomas in 2017, a line of wearable, elegant shoes that are designed to be worn from day to night. French Legacy Group has a multi-pronged distribution strategy in the works and touted its own retail network, as well as partnerships with key retailers as well as a digital focus. News of a Clergerie deal was first reported in WWD this summer. Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant private equity fund has previously invested in Carvil, Le Coq Sportif, Mauboussin, Anne Fontaine and Korloff, among other labels. Pregnant Woman Arrested For Planning Protest Released on Bail A pregnant woman has been banned from social media following an arrest for organising a protest against the Victorian governments restrictions to stop the spread of the CCP virus. Three police officers entered a family home in regional Victoria on Sept. 2 with a search warrant to seize equipment. They arrested 28-year-old pregnant mother Zoe Buhler, after identifying her as the Facebook host of a Freedom Day event scheduled for Sept. 5. Police executed a search warrant at a Miners Rest address this afternoon, and a mobile device was seized, a police statement emailed to Epoch Times read. Buhler was charged with encouraging others to commit an offence, which is an act of incitement. Buhlers arrest was part of an ongoing investigation to clamp down on planned and prohibited gatherings in Victoria. Regional Victoria is currently under stage three restrictions to combat the rising cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. People are only allowed out their homes for essential shopping, work, caregiving or exercise with no more than one other person. Masks are also mandatory. Buhler was released early on Sept. 3 with bail conditions banning her from using social media reported Nine News. Speaking to reporters outside her home in Ballarat after her release, Buhler said the police were quite nice to her in the end. They did end up taking the handcuffs off and let me get dressed, she said. A video of Buhlers arrest has gone viral online, with over 5 million views. The online footage shows Buhler being handcuffed in her pyjamas in front of her children and partner. Buhler noted that the police officers admitted to Buhler they were not happy about the arrest but: They just have to do their job at the moment. Asked why she wanted to protest against lockdown, Buhler said: Sorry I didnt realise I wasnt allowed to (protest in regional Victoria), I just wanted to feel like I was doing somethingstanding up for human rights. Buhler who is among many Victorians who have lost their jobs due to the economic slump caused by the restrictions said she is sick of the lockdowns, and hearing about suicides. Im sick of watching the economy collapse, she said. In light of her experience, Buhler said she would not encourage others to protest anymore. Its sad though, I wish I could, but I dont want to encourage it and then watch people be hurt if they do go and protest if there are forceful arrests, she explained. Buhler is due to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on Jan. 25, 2021. North West Metro Region Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius has defended the actions of his officers. Admitting that arresting the pregnant woman looked terrible but the officers were polite and professional. When the individual indicated she may be late for an appointment at the hospital, our members actually contacted the hospital and made arrangements for an alternative appointment, he said. While this deadly virus doesnt discriminate, we wont discriminate. And we cant discriminate in holding people to account, said Cornelius. (Newser) The federal budget deficit is projected to hit a record $3.3 trillion as huge government expenditures to fight the coronavirus and prop up the economy have added more than $2 trillion to the federal ledger, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. The spike in the deficit means that federal debt will exceed annual gross domestic product next year, a milestone that would put the US in the company of countries like Greece whose accumulated debt exceeds the size of their economies, the AP reports. The $3.3 trillion figure is more than double the levels experienced after the market meltdown and Great Recession of 2008-09. Government spending, fueled by four coronavirus response measures, would register at $6.6 trillion, $2 trillion-plus more than 2019. story continues below The shutdown of the economy in the spring led lawmakers and President Trump to pump money into stimulus steps that have helped the economy in the short term. Most economists are untroubled by such huge borrowing when the economy is in such peril, and the debt was barely a concern when a cornerstone $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed almost unanimously in March. But now that lawmakers and the White House are quarreling over the size and scope of a fifth virus relief bill, Republicans are growing skittish at the enormous costs of battling the pandemic. The Democratic-controlled House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May. Sentiment among top leaders in the GOP-held Senate has been for a bill in the $1 trillion range, with recent party efforts focused on a measure that's even smaller. (Read more budget deficit stories.) 'Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers,' commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said Indian children play online game PUBG on their mobile phones sitting on stairs outside their house in Hyderabad, India. India on Wednesday banned the widely popular Chinese mobile game PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds, known by the acronym PUBG, along with other 117 mobile applications in yet another move targeting China in the online space.(AP File) Beijing: Chinas commerce ministry said on Thursday it strongly opposed India banning Chinese mobile apps. Indian actions violate the legal interests of Chinese investors and services providers and China asks India to correct its mistakes, commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a briefing. India has banned another 118 mostly Chinese mobile apps including Tencent Holdings Ltds popular videogame PUBG, citing data security concerns. President Trump fired back at NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday in the latest round of insults between the pair, claiming it was because of his 'incompetence' that '11,000' died from coronavirus in nursing homes. Since the start of the pandemic, the two have traded barbs over their respective responses to the crisis - Trump's on a federal level and Cuomo's in New York, once the epicenter. Now, they are fighting over Trump's threat to cut funding to states and cities that have 'lost control' amid a swell of riots, looting and - specifically in New York - crime and homelessness. Bill de Blasio and New York AG Letitia James have threatened to sue Trump if he pulls funding. Cuomo, on Wednesday, said of the president: 'He can't have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City. Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he's going to walk down the streets in New York.' 'He is persona non grata in New York City, and I think he knows that, and he'll never come back to New York, because New Yorkers will never forget how gratuitously mean he has been.' Trump, who has vowed to 'bring back' the Big Apple if he wins in November and who regularly blasts NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio as an 'idiot' responded on Friday morning on Twitter. He said: 'Governors Andrew Cuomo of New York has the worst record on death and China Virus. 11,000 people alone died in Nursing Homes because of his incompetence!' Later, he tweeted: 'Cuomo should get his puppet New York prosecutors, who have been illegally after me and my family for years, to investigate his incompetent handling of the China Virus, and all of the deaths caused by this incompetence. 'It is at minimum a Nursing Home Scandal - 11,000 DEAD! ' Cuomo's decision to send recovering coronavirus patients back to nursing homes in the height of the crisis has been one of the most talked about mistakes of the entire pandemic. He has shrugged responsibility for it. The numbers are hard to nail down due to confused reporting systems but the state official death toll of people who died in nursing homes is 6,600. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (above) has rebuked President Donald Trump over his threat to pull federal funding from 'lawless' U.S. cities On Wednesday, Trump threatened to pull federal funding from New York City, Seattle, Washington DC, and Portland, Oregon, in a presidential memo saying 'My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones.' Cuomo responded in a tweet by calling the move 'an illegal stunt,' saying of Trump: 'He is not a king. He cannot 'defund' NYC.' 'As far as this statement he's going to stop funding for New York City - he's not a king. He thinks he's a king but he's not,' Cuomo said at the press conference. 'The statutes contain the conditions [for funding] and he can't override the law. I suspect it's more of a political statement that he's making than anything else, but it's also illegal what he's talking about,' Cuomo said. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chimed in with a tweet calling Trump's moves 'unconstitutional, political threats against us.' 'Mr. President, well see you in court. Weve beaten you there before and well do it again,' de Blasio said. Letitia James issued a statement saying: 'As the nation battles a pandemic, an economic recession, and reckons with institutional racism, President Trump has decided to throw fuel on these multiple fires by threatening New York and other major cities across the country. 'This is nothing more than a desperate, last ditch election strategy by a president too weak to lead us through these national crises. Sowing anger and dividing Americans are the last thing we need, and if the president actually decides to move forward with his threat to defund New York City, we will be ready to take immediate legal action. 'The president is not a dictator and his efforts at tyrannical rule will be met with fierce opposition. Time after time, we have beat the president in court and we have no doubt we will beat him again, if necessary.' It followed Trump's threat to pull federal funding from cities he says are descending into 'anarchy'. 'My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. We're putting them on notice today,' Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday. Trump on Wednesday signed a five-page memo ordering all federal agencies to send reports to the White House Office of Management and Budget on federal funds going to four cities that can be redirected, according to the New York Post, which first reported the memo. In addition to New York, the memo names Seattle, Washington DC and Portland, Oregon as potential targets for revocation of federal funds. 'To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government's promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities,' the memo states. Federal agencies must detail 'all Federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City, Washington, D.C.' All four cities have seen either surging crime over the summer or protests over racial injustice that have spilled into violence and riots. Simultaneously, Trump ordered Attorney General Bill Barr to develop a list within 14 days of 'anarchist jurisdictions' that 'permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures' to restore order. The order does not name the cities that Barr should investigate, giving the attorney general discretion as to which cities to designate. Demonstrators raise their fists as a fire burns in the streets of Seattle in June after clashes with law enforcement near the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct The memo also instructs White House budget director Russ Vought to issue guidance in 30 days from Wednesday 'to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants.' The amount of funding in question could be massive, with federal grants making up $3.7 billion of DC's annual budget, and a whopping $7 billion in New York. Many of those funds are devoted to Medicare and social services programs, however it was not immediately clear which types of funds would be affected by the order. 'Violence has surged' in New York City In the memo, Trump detailed allegations of local mismanagement against each of the cities named, saying that New York was included because violent crime has skyrocketed even as Mayor Bill de Blasio moved to defund the NYPD. Shootings in New York soared 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, and murder rose 47 percent, according to NYPD statistics released on Wednesday. Shootings in New York City were up 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, according to police crime statistics released Wednesday Protesters with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement march through Manhattan and confront NYPD officers on August 24 Trump's memo says that 'in New York City, city officials have allowed violence to spike.' 'In light of this unconscionable rise in violence, I have offered to provide Federal law enforcement assistance, but both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have rejected my offer,' Trump says in the memo. NYC crime wave: Shootings up 166% Shootings in New York City were up 166 percent last month compared to August 2019, according to police crime statistics released Wednesday. The Big Apple has seen a troubling spike in crime and violence this year, and new data shows there were 242 shootings recorded last month. In August 2019 there were just 91 shootings recorded. The number of shootings rose in all boroughs except Staten Island. The number of murders is also up citywide, increasing from 36 in August 2019 to 53 last month, marking a 47 percent rise. Advertisement 'While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted. In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, [New York City] arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019,' the memo says. 'Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, including by cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers.' The memo also cites NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea's decision in June to disband the plainclothes anti-crime units, which had been responsible for targeting illegal guns and drugs on the streets. 'Police officials have cited this decision as a factor contributing to the rise in violence,' the memo says. Seattle allowed lawless CHAZ to fester, memo says The memo targets Seattle largely for allowing the 'CHAZ' protest zone to occupy several city blocks for nearly a month. In early June, Black Lives Matter protesters forced the Seattle Police Department to abandon the city's East Precinct building and commandeered the facility, establishing the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone', or CHAZ, in the surrounding blocks. The comandeered Seattle Police East Precinct is seen within the CHAZ in June Protesters in Seattle's CHAZ remove a man after he attempted to preach a Christian message on the street in June. The memo names the CHAZ as a reason for defunding Seattle Protesters manned barricades and barred city workers from entering the zone, but the area descended into lawlessness when three separate shootings occurred on June 20, 21, and 23. 'On July 1, Seattle declared the protest zone dismantled,' Trump's memo says. 'But such failed leadership continues to harm the people of Seattle as, in recent weeks, rioters have engaged in violence and destruction of property across Seattle, resulting in at least 59 police officers being injured and multiple businesses and vehicles vandalized.' Portland is targeted for 'allowing 99 days of violent unrest' The memo targets Portland for federal defunding for allowing weeks of nightly protests, where fires have been set and clashes with police are frequent. Earlier this week, protesters who broke windows and set a fire to a business in the upscale apartment building where Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler lives. Portland's police chief denounced the incident, labeling the events an escalation in the street violence that Oregon's largest city has endured for months. The demonstration began late Monday and stretched into the predawn hours of Tuesday, targeting Wheeler, who is also police commissioner and has been criticized for heading up a police force that has repeatedly used tear gas against the demonstrators. Protests are seen earlier this week in Portland, which has seen 99 nights of unrest Portland police officers fires less lethal rounds through smoke while dispersing a crowd of about 150 people from Portland City Hall on August 25, 2020 in Portland, Oregon Police make an arrest on Thursday after about two hundred activists protesting police brutality sprayed graffiti and started fires at the Portland Police Union building on Thursday The fire was set with a bundle of newspapers in a store housed on the ground floor of Wheeler's building. There were no reports of major damage or injuries. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the demonstrators also wound up targeting other people who live in Wheeler's building and have had nothing to do with the protests. Previously, the demonstrators have almost always clashed with police outside symbols of authority - police buildings and courthouses. 'The families that live inside have done absolutely nothing to provoke a threat to their lives. As I've stated repeatedly, the nightly violence is coming at increased cost,' he said. 'This is impacting the safety of our entire city and urgent action is needed.' Washington DC 'allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence' Trump's memo says that in Washington DC, 'Mayor Muriel Bowser allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence and destruction in late May and early June, requiring me to call in the National Guard to maintain law and order in the Nation's Capital.' The memo, which has reportedly been in the works for weeks, does not mention the crowds of activists who aggressively confronted attendees at the Republican National Convention last week as they returned to their hotels. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House after listening to Trump accept his party's nomination for re-election. Washington DC Police clear protesters out of Black Lives Matter Plaza on Saturday. Police attempted to disperse the crowd after a group of protesters had marched in the area Republican Senator Rand Paul (center rear) on Friday called on the FBI to investigate a crowd of protesters that swarmed him as he departed the White House Paul and his wife (center and left above) said they feel certain they would have been violently assaulted if police had not rushed to their protection Paul told Fox News Channel he believes the group chanting his name and pushing against his impromptu police escort was paid to incite a riot. He did not say who he believes financially backed them or offer any evidence for his contention. 'I believe there are going to be people who were involved with the attack on us that actually were paid to come here and are not from Washington, D.C., and are sort of paid to be anarchists,' Paul said. 'The FBI needs to investigate but the only way you can do it is you have to arrest people.' Opposition is mounting across Israel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud-Blue and White national emergency governments handling of the pandemic and the deteriorating economic and social conditions. On Sunday, some 2,000 public health laboratory workers in 400 public laboratories went on strike over poor working conditions and low wages. In public hospital labs, they are carrying out emergency work only. They are continuing to carry out coronavirus tests but are only contacting those testing positive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Netaim School in the West Bank settlement of Mevo Horon, September 1, 2020. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool via AP) Esther Admon, chair of the Association of Biochemists, Microbiologists and Laboratory Workers, blamed the government after talks with the Finance Ministry broke down on Monday saying, The indifference and disregard of the prime minister and his ministers is outrageous. Beyond words. I understand with sorrow that there is no leadership in Israel. Around 200 of the striking workers protested outside Netanyahus official residence in Jerusalem Tuesday evening. They criticised the government for pouring funds into private labs, saying, If the government had invested even only 10 percent of the NIS 4 billion ($1.3 billion) allocated to the private laboratories, there would have been no reason to strike... We decided to go demonstrate at Balfour [the prime ministers residence] because we have no choice. The strike takes place amid rising opposition to the governments handling of the pandemic, its return to work policy, and the reopening of schools. Twice weekly demonstrations against Netanyahus refusal to resign, even after being indicted on charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three separate cases, have continued for weeks and are growing larger. The government initially put tight restrictions in place in early March. In late April, as the infection rate began to fall, the government announced a relaxation of restrictions, allowing the reopening of schoolspartially at first and fully on May 17, the day that the new coalition government was sworn in, and a return to work. Later, the government green-lighted the reopening of restaurants, bars, clubs, swimming pools and hotels. Netanyahu did so without putting in place any measures to guard against or deal with a second wave, despite recommendations from a team of experts, headed by Professor Eli Waxman from the Weizman Institute of Science in Rehovot. His team also recommended that the government reconsider its decision to restart the economy if the daily number of infections rose above 200another recommendation the government ignored. Within days of the government lifting restrictions on class sizes, there was a resurgence of the virus, with tens of thousands of pupils later sent into quarantine as their classmates tested positive, ultimately infecting hundreds of students, teachers and relatives. Without contact tracing, hundreds of schools were forced to close. According to the Ministry of Education, by the end of the school year in late June, 977 pupils and teachers had contracted COVID-19, with teachers the worst affected. At least one teacher is known to have died. Waxman blamed the increase in cases on the speedy and uncontrolled reopening of schools and the economy and the governments failure to implement his teams recommendations. He warned that this would soon overload Israels hospitals, which have been starved of funds for decades. Waxman warned other countries considering reopening their schools, They definitely should not do what we have done, adding, It was a major failure. Experts insisted that smaller classes, mask wearing, keeping desks two metres apart and providing adequate ventilation would be crucial until a vaccine is available. But such conditions are impossible without a near doubling of the number of classrooms and teachers. In July, Siegal Sadetzki, Israels director of public health services, resigned, saying that insufficient safety precautions in schools, as well as large gatherings like weddings, had fueled a significant portion of second-wave infections. In the last two weeks, Israel has reported nearly 22,000 infections, one sixth of the total since the start of the pandemic, and a daily rate now of over 2,000 cases. Nearly 970 people have died, half of them in August. This contrasts with around 250 deaths at the beginning of May when restrictions were lifted. The situation is no less acute in the occupied Palestinian Territories. In the West Bank, there are 8,172 active cases and 161 people have died. In the Gaza Strip, there are 280 active cases and four people have died. Three of the four deaths occurred in the last week and were due to community transmission, in contrast to previous cases that had contacted the disease abroad. Dr Ashraf Alkudra, spokesman for Gazas Ministry of Health, said there was a major shortage of testing kits at Gaza hospitals. Last week, with limited means to stop the spread of the pandemic, Gaza imposed a full lockdown that is set to continue. There are only 90 available ventilators in Gaza, 10 of which were donated by the World Health Organisation. Coronavirus czar Professor Ronni Gamzu, a physician, is strongly opposed to opening Israels schools in the red areas designated by regional councils as hot spots. He said it was unreasonable to open schools in such places because it is impossible to avoid new cases in the process. It was a question of managing risk and this is not a risk to take. In the event, on Monday evening, just hours before all the schools were due to reopen at the start of the new school year, the coronavirus cabinet decided to keep schools in the designated red zones with high infection rates closed. The reopening of schools has met with fierce opposition from teachers, whose union had threatened strike action. This was only averted the day before schools were due to reopen when Judge Hadas Yahalom ruled against the unions right to strike. This was after the union and the Education Ministry agreed to maintain discussions and a guarantee that no teachers would be placed on unpaid leave without being allowed to present their case in the space of 24 hours. The Education Ministry agreed to offer 800 pre-retirement positions to teachers who can show they are at risk of becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus and to provide $10 million for personal protection equipment for preschool and elementary school teachers. The government only averted a strike by schools support staff, including student aides, maintenance staff, and secretaries, at the start of the school year by agreeing to find funds to support the Karev programme. The programme provides educational services for some of the most needy children, including at-risk students, Ethiopian Israelis, immigrants, special needs students, the ultra-Orthodox and Arab students. Without it, some 4,000 workers would have lost their jobs. This is part of a larger political problem flowing from the governments inability to agree a 2020 budgetthe deadline has now been postponed until the end of Novemberleaving many school programmes with no funding earmarked for them and at risk of cancelation. In recent weeks, there have been several strikes by public service workers over low pay and COVID-19-related issues, including: A nationwide strike of bus drivers in 16 bus companies in July over the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) as more than 1,000 drivers became infected. A nationwide strike of nurses over low pay and staff shortages, only carrying out emergency work, that was only called off after the government agreed to hire an additional 2,000 nurses on a temporary basis, 400 doctors, and additional security personnel. A 16-day strike by social workers in support of their demand for higher wages and a reduction in their burgeoning case load amid the pandemic. Far from leading any united struggle of workers against the most right-wing government in Israels history, the Histadrut trade union federation has been in talks with Amir Peretz, a former Histadrut leader and now Minister of Economy and Industry. The talks are aimed at setting up roundtable discussions with employers and government departments over flexible unemployment benefits. The official unemployment rate has reached more than 21 percent, and food poverty is soaring. By establishing a nationally recognized merit scholars program, well continue to provide the personal attention that is the hallmark of a Rose-Hulman education but in exciting new ways that will bring transformative societal change." - Robert Coons, President, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Backed by a $10 million gift, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has launched a first-of-its kind college-based merit and leadership scholars program designed to transform the worlds most gifted science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students into future science and industry leaders. The program gives the nations best and brightest students the opportunity to study, travel the world and expand their leadership skills at Rose-Hulman, one of Americas premier STEM colleges. The institute has a rigorous academic environment filled with individual attention and support that produces graduates that are in demand by a long list of companies and top graduate school programs. The $10 million gift from alumnus Niles Noblitt and his wife, Nancy, is funding the Noblitt Scholars program. This support will provide participating students with enhanced scholarships up to the cost of full tuition. We wanted to establish a program that will enable our students to make a positive impact on environmental, infrastructure, health care and other major challenges as soon as possible, said Niles Noblitt, a 1973 Rose-Hulman biological engineering alumnus and current board chairman. He co-founded Biomet, Inc., a medical device company in Warsaw, Indiana now known as Zimmer Biomet. This program will further unlock the tremendous potential of Rose-Hulmans talented and hard-working student body, he said. A dedicated faculty program director will serve as a mentor for the scholars, as students identify an area of interest or passion where they can make a meaningful impact, with the mentor encouraging pursuit of discovery, mastery and leadership in those fields. Each scholar will also have the opportunity to participate in educational travel, mentoring, and leadership development workshops. We are extremely grateful to Nancy and Niles for their generosity and commitment to the success of our students, said Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons. By establishing a nationally recognized merit scholars program, well continue to provide the personal attention that is the hallmark of a Rose-Hulman education but in exciting new ways that will bring transformative societal change. I believe this gift will also be transformational to the institute, helping to position Rose-Hulman as a national leader in educating students in STEM fields. After a rigorous selection process, including interviews with faculty and Rose-Hulman alumni from across the U.S., 81 first-year students from all over the world were selected to become the inaugural class of Noblitt Scholars, beginning with the 2020-21 academic year. The diverse group helped Rose-Hulman develop its largest class of incoming freshmen since 2017. Highlights of the inaugural Noblitt Scholars class include: 47% of the students are female 76% are from outside Indiana 21% of the students are African American International students hail from China, South Korea and India Looking ahead, the program will add approximately 55 first-year students annually. Noblitt Scholars will remain in the program for their entire four years at Rose-Hulman. Rose-Hulmans Early Action application deadline to enter the institute for the 2021-22 school year and be considered for the Noblitt Scholars and other scholarship programs is Nov. 1, 2020. To learn more about the Noblitt Scholars Program visit http://www.rose-hulman.edu/NoblittScholars. About Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Founded in 1874, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is dedicated to preparing its students with the worlds best undergraduate science, engineering and mathematics education in an environment infused with innovation, intellectual rigor and individualized attention. The institute is consistently recognized nationally as an elite STEM school for distinctions that include faculty excellence, return on investment, value added and career services. Career placement is near 100 percent year after year. Six of the colleges professors are listed in the Princeton Reviews Best 300 Professors book. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, Rose-Hulman has an enrollment of approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and nearly 100 graduate students. Learn more at http://www.rose-hulman.edu. There are two obvious differences between 2018 and 2020 (beyond the wild-card logistics of holding a national election in the middle of a pandemic). One is that Trump himself is on the ballot this year. That will surely bring out some true believers who sat out the midterms, but also more Democrats determined to make Trump a one-term president. The other difference is that the issue Trump has seized on is race a cleavage so fundamental and incendiary since the nations founding that it led to the Civil War. Belarus students with a banner reading "Is power more precious than our lives?", attend a rally in Minsk, Belarus. (AP) Kyiv, Ukraine: Dozens of journalists gathered Wednesday outside a police station in the capital of Belarus to protest the detention of colleagues covering a demonstration against the nations authoritarian president and an election the opposition sees as rigged. Police detained several journalists from Belarusian news outlets Tuesday on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration. They could receive fines or jail sentences of up to 15 days, if charged and convicted. We are witnessing the lawless action of law enforcement agencies, which are muzzling journalists without bothering about methods, Olga Loiko, a journalist with Belarus popular online news outlet tut.by. On Wednesday, police detained her colleague Vadim Zamirovsky, a photographer with tut.by. He told The Associated Press that he was released after police officers threw him into a van, beat him up and checked his ID and press card. As it tries to quell weeks of anti-government protests prompted by official results that gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term with 80% of the vote, his government also has revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists and deported some foreign 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. American and European Union officials have strongly condemned the targeting of media in Belarus. During Tuesdays protest, hundreds of students marched across the city, chanting for Lukashenko to Go away! as they continued a fourth straight week of mass post-election protests. The Interior Ministry said 128 people were detained across the country Tuesday for taking part in unsanctioned demonstrations, including 95 in the capital, Minsk. It said Wednesday that 39 of the detainees remained in custody pending court hearings. More than 100 students of the Minsk State Linguistics University formed a human chain to protest Tuesdays detentions of students and professors. By Wednesday evening, similar human chains popped up all over Minsk, with hundreds of people joining in to express solidarity with detained protesters. Viasna human rights center said police detained 17 participants in Wednesdays protest. 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. During the first few days of post-election protests, police detained nearly 7,000 people and beat hundreds, drawing international outrage. The government has since avoided large-scale violence and sought to end the protests with threats, selective detention of protesters and prosecution of activists. The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 presidential election as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. Lukashenko has dismissed the Wests input. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the U.S. and its European partners are together previewing significant targeted sanctions on anyone involved in human rights abuses and oppression. The Belarusians deserve the right to choose their own leaders through a truly free and fair election under independent observation, Pompeo told reporters in Washington. We demand an immediate end to the violence against them and the release of all who are unjustly detained. Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal probe of the Coordination Council that opposition activists set up after the election to try to negotiate a transition of power. Last week, two of its members were given 10-day jail sentences on charges of staging unsanctioned protests, and several others were summoned for questioning. Pavel Latushko, a former minister of culture and ambassador to France who joined the council, traveled to Poland Tuesday after facing threats and being questioned. His departure came a day after the Belarusian president warned that Latushko had crossed a red line and would face prosecution. Latushko told The Associated Press that he plans to return to Belarus later this month after attending a conference in Poland and also visiting Lithuania. I havent violated the law, he said in a telephone interview from Poland. The problem is that the constitution and laws no longer work in Belarus. Its strange to hear the president make charges that can only be made in court. 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 was no need for that yet. During a visit to Moscow on Wednesday, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei thanked Russia for supporting the Belarusian government in the face of what he described as protests orchestrated from abroad. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized what he described as destructive Western criticism of the Belarusian authorities. Asked if Moscow plans to have contacts with the Belarusian opposition, Lavrov said that would not happen until the Coordination Council formulates a platform that conforms with Belarusian law. He also noted that some council members have spoken against close ties with Russia. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain With many questions remaining around how children spread COVID-19, Children's National Hospital researchers set out to improve the understanding of how long it takes pediatric patients with the virus to clear it from their systems, and at what point they start to make antibodies that work against the coronavirus. The study, published Sept. 3 in the Journal of Pediatrics, finds that the virus and antibodies can coexist in young patients. "With most viruses, when you start to detect antibodies, you won't detect the virus anymore. But with COVID-19, we're seeing both," says Burak Bahar, M.D., lead author of the study and director of Laboratory Informatics at Children's National. "This means children still have the potential to transmit the virus even if antibodies are detected." She adds that the next phase of research will be to test if the virus that is present alongside the antibodies can be transmitted to other people. It also remains unknown if antibodies correlate with immunity, and how long antibodies and potential protection from reinfection last. The study also assessed the timing of viral clearance and immunologic response. It found the median time from viral positivity to negativity, when the virus can no longer be detected, was 25 days. The median time to seropositivity, or the presence of antibodies in the blood, was 18 days, while the median time to reach adequate levels of neutralizing antibodies was 36 days. Neutralizing antibodies are important in potentially protecting a person from re-infection of the same virus. This study used a retrospective analysis of 6,369 children tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and 215 patients who underwent antibody testing at Children's National between March 13, 2020, and June 21, 2020. Out of the 215 patients, 33 had co-testing for both the virus and antibodies during their disease course. Nine of the 33 showed presence of antibodies in their blood while also later testing positive for the virus. Also of note, researchers found patients 6 through 15 years old took a longer time to clear the virus (median of 32 days) compared to patients 16 through 22 years old (median of 18 days). Females in the 6-15 age group also took longer to clear the virus than males (median of 44 days for females compared to median of 25.5 days for males). Although there is emerging data regarding this timing in adults with COVID-19, there is far less data when it comes to the pediatric population. The findings being gathered by Children's National researchers and scientists around the world are critical to helping understand the unique impact on children and their role in viral transmission. "The takeaway here is that we can't let our guard down just because a child has antibodies or is no longer showing symptoms," says Dr. Bahar. "The continued role of good hygiene and social distancing remains critical." Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Mr. Navalny has been the victim of a crime. It raises very serious questions that only the Russian government can and must answer. CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL of Germany, who said there was unequivocal evidence that the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent. (Newser) The NRA is more concerned with money than defending the Second Amendment and is run by an executive who's cluelessexcept for his ability to manipulate President Trump. That's the picture of the gun rights organization painted in a new book by Joshua Powell, the NRA's No. 2 executive until he was fired in January. Powell's account largely supports accusations and criticisms the organization has faced recently, the New York Times reports, including those in a lawsuit filed by New York state to break up the NRA. In his book, Powell endorses universal background checks and red flag laws, which the NRA has headed off. Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia Within the Most Powerful Political Group in America is to be published next week. In three years with the NRA, Powell held jobs including chief of staff and top deputy to CEO Wayne LaPierre. story continues below One reason for the NRA's success against gun restrictions is LaPierre's handling of the president, Powell says. Trump signaled he was open to new measures after the shootings of high school students in Parkland, Florida, in 2018until he met with LaPierre and NRA lobbyist Chris Cox. "He was reminded who had helped elect him," Powell writes. "After the meeting, the president did a one-eighty, completely changing his tune." But Powell doesn't think much of LaPierre's management abilities overall, per the Times, saying he "couldnt run an organization on a fiscally sound basis to save his life." NRA supporters call the book self-serving, pointing out that shortly before being fired, Powell was trying to get a consultant deal, writing to LaPierre, "My loyalty to the Association is without question." Over his time there, Powell writes, "I would become lost," adding that he decided that the NRA "lost its way, too." (Read more NRA stories.) The state government is being advised by a select group of business leaders about where it can ease COVID-19 restrictions on industry without risking workplace outbreaks, as it appears many of Melbournes stage four restrictions are likely to stay to the end of the month. The Victorian COVID Advisory Group, chaired by businessman Paul Little, was quietly established last month with a direct report to Treasurer Tim Pallas, reflecting a willingness by government to consult more widely on how to reboot the states stalled economy. Networker: Businessman Paul Little, pictured with Deputy Premier James Merlino and Meagan Merlino, is chairing a new group advising the Andrews government on its COVID response. Credit:Wayne Taylor A leaked draft of the road map out of stage four suggests retail and industry will be constrained for many weeks to come, putting further strain on the relationship between the government and business groups frustrated by its cautious approach. The Business Council of Australia urged the government to allow all businesses to reopen, subject to a COVIDSafe plan, unless a specific health risk identified by the Chief Health Officer justified further restrictions. COLUMBUS, Ohio Millions of Ohioans have begun receiving their official unsolicited ballot applications in the mail this week, leading some voters who have already requested a ballot to wonder why theyre getting another form. I sent an application in to receive my #Ohio #AbsenteeBallot... and received and application for an absentee ballot. Some Aero-Space Dude (@casey_stedman) September 3, 2020 In short, the reason for the duplication is a disconnect between all the parties involved with promoting elections and voting candidate campaigns, third-party groups, county elections officials and state elections officials. Ohio ballot applications are an open source document that can be printed and distributed by any group. And, to answer the obvious question: No, you dont have to send in a second application if youve already submitted one. Ohio elections officials, concerned about mail delays, have encouraged voters to request ballot applications as quickly as possible. Candidates and outside political groups have been sending application forms out too as they try to mobilize their preferred voters. Meanwhile, the Secretary of States Office began its process of printing applications and stuffing them in envelopes in late July. They were mailed this week to all 7.8 million registered voters in Ohio, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican who oversees state elections. That means there would be no way to exclude voters who had already made their request from our mailing, said Maggie Sheehan, a LaRose spokeswoman. So, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans already had submitted applications by the time this weeks mailing went out. In Cuyahoga County alone, elections officials reported receiving more than 140,000 applications at the beginning of this week, compared to the 208,000 mail ballots total that were requested for the 2016 election. People are very likely to get multiple absentee ballot request forms from multiple sources, said Aaron Ockerman, director of the Ohio Elections Officials Association, which represents county boards of election. Candidly, it is a bit of a frustration for my folks because it generates duplicates and creates more work for them. Theres no harm in filling out a form twice and mailing it in, other than wasting government resources, Ockerman said. We will recognize the fact that they already have applied for an application, Ockerman said. Theyre fine. It doesnt hurt them, it doesnt help them. It doesnt do anything. If you are wondering about the status of your ballot application, you can call your county board of elections. You can also check it online at the Ohio Secretary of States Offices website, VoteOhio.gov/Track/. The first round of requested ballots will be mailed on Oct. 6, when early, in-person voting begins. The election is on Nov. 3. Here is a proof of the state mailing that went out this week: Heres what an official absentee ballot application looks like: Mike Milken has been recognized as "The Man Who Changed Medicine" by Fortune magazine and has dedicated nearly half a century to accelerating medical solutions and advancing public health. He founded the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank whose scholars lead an international dialogue on solutions in economics, health, aging, human capital, philanthropy and capital markets. The Institute hosts more than 250 annual events around the world. One of its 10 centers, FasterCures, is a close partner of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, each sharing in the effort to remove barriers to progress in medical research. Milken graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with highest honors and earned his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has been involved with the Foundation since joining the Council in 2012. "Focused ultrasound is an exciting development that's pushing out the frontiers of medical science," said Milken. "I've never been more hopeful about continued progress." Gary Shapiro leads CTA, North America's largest technology trade association. CTA owns and produces CES the most influential technology event in the world. Shapiro is a vocal advocate for innovation and technology in Washington, DC, having testified before Congress dozens of times. Shapiro has been named a top lobbyist by The Hill, one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine and a Tech Titan by Washingtonian magazine. Shapiro is a New York Times bestselling author, whose books include "Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation," "Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World's Most Successful Businesses," and "The Comeback: How Innovation will Restore the American Dream." "Focused ultrasound is an innovative treatment that works, and we need to adopt it globally," said Shapiro. "As humans, we can always do better. Focused ultrasound can improve millions of lives." Shapiro earned his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a double major in economics and psychology from Binghamton University. "The addition of Michael and Gary two of the most highly acclaimed thought leaders and influencers will amplify the Foundation's ability to achieve its vision of improving the lives of millions of patients globally with life-threatening and disabling conditions by accelerating the development and adoption of focused ultrasound," adds Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD. About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation The Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of this noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption by organizing and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental source of funding for focused ultrasound research. For more information, visit http://www.fusfoundation.org. SOURCE Focused Ultrasound Foundation Sarah Huckabee Sanders new memoir describes her time serving as WH press secretary for Trumps first two years, including a particular incident. [jwp-video n=1 Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House is the title of Sarah Huckabee Sanders new memoir, set to be published next week. In this 2018 photo, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly chat as President Donald Trump signs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act in the Oval Office. (Photo by Ron Sachs Pool/Getty Images) In the book, she describes her time as the White House press secretary for the first two years of the Donald Trump presidency. The book is not a tell-all; Huckabee Sanders reportedly remains loyal to the president. Yet, in it, she disclosed a shocking revelation of something said to her by President Trump. Kim Jong-un hit on you! a delighted Trump joked, according to Huckabee Sanders memoir. He did! He fu**ing hit on you! Read More: Jacob Blakes uncle on Trump: We dont have any words for the orange man In an advance copy of the title, obtained by The Guardian, she writes All I could think was, What just happened? Surely Kim Jong-un did not just mark me!? Huckabee Sanders relayed the incident to Trump and his then-chief of staff, John Kelly. Kim Jong-un hit on you! Trump said. He did! He fu**ing hit on you! Huckabee Sanders writes that she told the president that she didnt know that was what happened, but he persisted. She finally said, Sir, please stop. Read More: Melania Trump used private email accounts in White House, friend says But instead, he said, Well, Sarah, that settles it. Youre going to North Korea and taking one for the team! Your husband and kids will miss you, but youll be a hero to your country. According to the report, Huckabee Sanders recalls in Speaking for Myself that the president and Kelly howled with laughter as the car drove on. Read More: Owner of burned business accuses Trump of misleading public President Trump claims hes cultivated a close relationship with the North Korean dictator, who has been plagued by rumors of his failing health. Its a very interesting thing to say, but Ive developed a very, very good relationship, Trump said in February of 2019. Story continues He wrote me beautiful letters, and theyre great letters, he declared at a September rally in West Virginia. We fell in love. Speaking for Myself will be released Sept. 8. Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now! The post Trump told Huckabee Sanders take one for the team after Kim Jong Un wink appeared first on TheGrio. Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said on Thursday it is unlikely a COVID-19 vaccine will be ready by the end of October, but that it is not impossible. 'I think most of the people feel it's going to be November, December,' Dr Fauci said in a CNN interview when asked about the possibility of an earlier release. It's the first time Dr Fauci has spoken since documents leaked to the New York Times revealed yesterday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent instructions to state health departments to prepare for the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of October. He added that a clinical trial could prompt drug developers to decide a vaccine works sooner. 'It is conceivable that you can have it by October, though I don't think that that's likely.' Dr Fauci had previously said that regulators would have a 'moral obligation' to end vaccine trials early if the data provided overwhelming evidence that the shots were safe and effective. Top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN it is possible but unlikely that a coronavirus vaccine could be ready by October. He said a shot is more likely to be greenlit by the FDA in November or December (file) Moderna and Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine trials are in their final (phase 3) stages before they are ready to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval. Each company has said it can have millions of doses ready by year-end and Pfizer previously stated it thought i could be ready for regulatory submission by October. Dr Fauci has estimate that the Moderna trial would be fully enrolled by summer's end, and that results could be available by November. The leaked CDC forms provide guidance for storing, administering and distributing 'Vaccine A' or 'Vaccine B,' which were unnamed, in the event that either is granted emergency use authorization by the end of October 2020 - just days before Americans hit the voting booths and decide whether to re-elect President Trump on November 3. Currently, the vaccines being developed by Moderna and Pfizer are the furthest along in their clinical trials, with AstraZeneca's close behind. PREPARE FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINES BY THE END OF OCTOBER, CDC TELLS STATES - BUT EXPERTS SAY IT'S A POLITICAL 'STUNT' The documents suggest that, if 'Vaccine A' is given emergency use authorization by October, ftwo million doses will be shipped then, with as many as 50 million additional doses going out by year-end. For 'Vaccine B,' up to one million doses could be shipped by the end of October, and up to 35 million by year-end, according to the documents issued last Wednesday. It comes after Dr Anthony Fauci, top infectious disease expert in the US, said that, if data clearly shows that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective ahead of planned trial end-dates, an emergency use authorization could be issued early. While Americans are eager for life to return to some semblance of normality, a recent Stat News and Harris Poll survey found that 78 percent of people in the US think that the fast progress toward approval for a coronavirus vaccine is driven not by science, but by politics. And experts share their fears. 'This gives me concern,' Dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and vaccine delivery expert Dr Peter Hotez told DailyMail.com. 'All of this together gives me the impression that this potentially more of a stunt than an expression of concern for public health, especially coming in the weeks before the election.' CDC instructions sent to states suggest COVID-19 vaccines could be shipped by next month] Millions of Americans are counting on a COVID-19 vaccine to curb the global pandemic, which has killed more than 180,000 people in the US, and sickened well over six million. The Trump Administration launched Operation Warp Speed in an effort to expedite vaccine development via billions of dollars of investment in partner companies. Operation Warp Speed has homed in on five lead candidates, of which three - those being made by AstraZeneca (with Oxford University), Moderna and Pfizer (with BioNTech) - are in their final-stage trials. Moderna and Pfizer are currently in phase 3 clinical trials - the final run of human testing in tens of thousands of healthy volunteers - before they can apply for FDA approval. Each company expects that could have significant data on whether or not their shots are safe and effective as early as this fall, and expect full results by the end of this year or start of next. But clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines could be stopped weeks early, if data from the tests is 'overwhelmingly' positive that the shots work, and are safe, Dr Fauci told Kaiser Health News (KHN). In fact, the nation's top infectious disease doctor said researchers would have a 'moral obligation' to stop the trials short to expedite approval of shots if there is little reason to believe they won't work or will pose significant side effect risks. It's not an unprecedented move. In fact, after review of data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) trial of the antiviral remdesivir for treating severely ill coronavirus patients, the experiment was stopped short for the same reasons. CONFIDENCE IS KEY: AMERICANS MAY DISTRUST VACCINES DISTRIBUTED UNDER EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION EXPERT SAYS The FDA's emergency use authorization (EUA), a kind of stopgap form of approval that is faster, but requires less stringent review than formal approval, has had its a checkered history amid the pandemic. 'It's a substandard review, [for] something that is going to be given to maybe hundreds of millions of Americans,' Dr Hotez said. 'The EUA mechanism has been tainted - we've seen what happened with hydroxy[chloroquine] release and retracted,' he added, referring to the FDA's March issuance of an EUA for the malaria drug touted by Trump, and subsequent decision to revoke its authorization, in June. 'Americans don't trust it, [and] many would not accept a coronavirus vaccine any way.' And trust in the safety and effectiveness of a shot, as well as trust in the agency responsible for assessing and approving it is key. If Americans don't trust a shot, they're unlikely to be willing to get one, and if a sufficient percentage of the population (estimated to be somewhere between 20 and 50 percent) is not vaccinated or has antibodies from surviving the infection, the US will not reach the threshold of herd immunity. Polling of American attitudes toward prospective coronavirus vaccines has consistently shown that only fewer than half of people in the US plan to get a COVID-19 shot. 03.09.2020 LISTEN Both the Speaker of Parliament of Nigeria and Ghana are holding talks to mend the frail relations between both nations. Speaker of Nigerian House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 and was received at the Airport by the Speaker of Ghanas Parliament, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye. Nigeria recently accused Ghanaians and Ghana of harassing its citizens and perpetuating hostility against Nigeria in Ghana. The President Buhari-led administration also accused Ghana of waging media wars against its citizens and charging them high fees for resident permits. Ghana through its Information Ministry, debunked the claims by Nigeria, saying there was no media war being waged against Nigerians, nor any harassment of Nigerians. In a statement issued and signed by the Public Affairs Director of the Parliament of Ghana, Kate Addo, Prof. Oquaye, described Ghana and Nigeria as the tongue and teeth, and that although they may offend each other, they also derive great pleasure from the benefits of co-existence. He is reported to have said it is important that the good relations between the two countries are maintained at all times. Daily Guide The Wuhan virus has changed the world irrevocably. The human, economic and psychological damage have been incalculable. From the moment it took flight from China, it proliferated around the world in the midst of wild conspiracy theories that is still growing exponentially. Debunking it is a cottage industry in its own right. Quite naturally, it has added a plethora of words to our lexicon. Many have christened it plandemic and that seems to be my favourite due to the nuclear war being waged over the use of hydroxychloroquine. Its not just the death toll, economic and psychological cost, but what it has done to our basic freedoms is what makes it lethal and dangerous. When the virus became active in Wuhan, China, most people, including physicians, knew nothing about it. Naturally, some doctors reached outside the box for the way forward beside the body using its immune system to fight the disease. The first person to come up with pharmacological treatment was the French doctor, Didier Raoult, who claimed that Hydroxychloroquine in combination with azithromycin is able to cure the hitherto dreaded Covid19. President Trump, seeing his wonderful economy being obliterated before his eyes, latched on to it as a promising cure. Suddenly, hell broke loose. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of Trumps Corona taskforce team, dropped a hydrogen bomb at the root of Hydroxychloroquine hopes. His reason against the drug was so bizarre that it got my alarm bells ringing uncontrollably. His excuse was that it had not gone through the gold standard test so he will not recommend it as a therapy to fight Covid19. Then, the strangest thing happened on American news networks. While Americans were dying, Trump was pilloried and likened to the beast of the apocalypse for suggesting that the drug could be a game-changer as a treatment. It was incredible watching the 24-hour news channels lose their mind over the use of the hydroxychloroquine. It was one thing to demonise the man for political purposes, but their reaction when the drug could potentially help their compatriot that were falling like flies was very difficult to comprehend as an outsider. Besides, when the storm blew out, the World Health Organisation gave credence to the controversy by stopping all trials on the drug over safety concerns based on a publication in the Lancet that was later withdrawn. Before then, the damage had already been done. Most of the fake news media and lots of national authorities relied on this spurious publication to deny the use of this rock of ages drug as therapy and prophylaxis. It was incredible. This is a drug that the FDA had approved and has been prescribed to patients for over six decades. And for it to be described as toxic is inexcusably scandalous. And I believe the Lancet editors should be dragged to court to answer for this prodigious criminal hit job to take out Hydroxychloroquine to pave the way for their plandemic to run its course in order to justify the need for a worldwide vaccination. This is Lancetgate squared. This is corruption that has got a lot of blood on the carpet and someone should pay for it. If anyone can recall, at the onset of the plandemic, Melinda Gates, granted an interview on CNN which she made the outrageous statement that she could see bodies littering the streets of Africa because of poverty and inadequate health infrastructure. It was scary at the time, especially, when blacks in America and even in Britain were dying disproportionately. Well, she could have been right, but it didnt happen and there is a reason for it. The fact is most Africans take one form of the quinine family drug to combat malaria. And more importantly, the Chinese and foreigners who came to Africa and were supposed to seed the virus had taken the drug as a prophylaxis against malaria. Inadvertently, they nipped the incubation of the virus in their body before it could spread in Africa. The Fantes have a saying that an animal without tail is able to ward off flies by the hand of God. So, the poison drug inadvertently protected Africa from having dead bodies littering on our streets. Faucis argument that hydroxychloroquine had not been tested for covid19 was the weakest argument ever. Though a lot of people are debunking the 2005 publication on SARS that has been attributed to him to be wrong, the fact still remains that a test was done in 2005 even though not clinical, as claimed by his defenders, the title of the publication was incontrovertible Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread. Which means, the evidence for a potential efficacy of the drug existed, which he could have cautiously supported its clinical trial in the meantime and not dismiss it. Most of the doctors who were promoting the drug were stressing that when it is use early at the onset of the disease it works. It acts just like how our medical technology is able to deal with cancer cells. When cancer cells are diagnosed early enough it can easily be treated, but when undetected and it metastasises in the body no form of radiation or chemotherapy from any oncologist can change the inevitable. Even with the treatment of malaria, when the malaria plasmodium parasite has destroyed most of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells nothing can be done with any quinine medication. .So, the question desperate for an answer is why WHO, Fauci and their ilk are against this rock of ages medication that has been used in Africa for decades and counting has overnight become so dangerous? Its unbelievable that a drug, which has been approved long ago by the FDA, can now not be used as an off label to treat a disease that they dont have a cure and rather put patients on ventilators and destroy their lung which is already under pressure from cytokine storm, eventually victims drowning in their own dissolved lung tissues. Aspirin was originally developed by a German chemist, Felix Hoffman, to alleviated rheumatoid arthritis pains, however over the years it has been applied in so many uses, especially as a thinning of the blood, however, the mechanism of thinning the blood is fatal to haemophiliacs. For perfectly normal blood pressure patients it works fine. It will be nonsensical to stop the use of the drug for that purpose because of haemophiliacs. A careful study of the clinical trials that were used to discredit Hydroxychloroquine were all flawed. Either they used fatal doses or less. And I think those involved have got blood on their hands. Its near to impossibility to get this wrong especially when there is a pioneer. But all things aside, this is a wakeup call to all African leaders that we cannot rely on foreign organisations even the World Health Organisation to manage our health and anything that is important to us. The big pharmaceutical companies are behind this nonsense and if we do not put our acts together, they will be dictating to us what drugs to swallow and inject. Philip Kobina Baidoo Jnr. London Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty ImagesForbes' annual list of Highest-Paid Celebrities will likely look very different next year, when the impact that COVID-19 had on the live music industry will really become apparent. But this year's list, based mostly on numbers from 2019, shows musicians are still doing pretty well. While rapper-turned-fashion mogul-turned politician Kanye West is the highest-ranking musician on the list, at number two, Elton John, at #14, is the highest-ranking musician who doesn't have a side hustle. He made $81 million over the past year, thanks to his Farewell Tour. At number 17, Ariana Grande is the highest-paid female musician, with earnings of $72 million, thanks to her Sweetener world tour. The Jonas Brothers are the highest-paid group, ranking #20 with $68.5 million. The Chainsmokers are in at #21 with $68 million, thanks to their World War Joy tour, while Ed Sheeran and his pal Taylor Swift are at #23 and #25 respectively, with $64 million and $63.5 million. Ed's cash came from his record-setting Divide tour, while Taylor's was from her new record deal. Post Malone is #28 with $60 million thanks to his tour, Marshmello's #35 with $56 million thanks to all his festival dates, and Shawn Mendes is #39 with $54.5 million. Billie Eilish made $53 million -- she's the youngest star on the list -- while BTS raked in $50 million. Other musicians on the list: Pink with $47 million; Backstreet Boys, with $45 million; and Katy Perry, with $38.5 million. The bulk of Katy's income these days is from American Idol. Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi and U2 are all tied with $38 million. Kylie Jenner is #1 on the list: She made $590 million. By Andrea Dresdale Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. BHERC Announces The 26th Annual African American Film Marketplace And S. E. Manly Short Film Festival The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) announced today the dates for the BHERC 26th Annual African American Film Marketplace and S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase (AAFM SEMSFS). This year the popular film fest will be streamed online on BHERC.TV Friday, October 23 through Sunday, November 8, 2020. ADVERTISEMENT The festival will run for just over two weeks and feature 100 plus films from across the country, the United Kingdom and Africa. Filmmakers will host Q and A sessions to discuss their process and industry professionals will be on hand for a variety of online panels over the course of the festival. The short films run the gamut and include topics on Social Justice, which looks deeper into social justice issues that will inspire, challenge and entertain; Uncommon Women, compelling women-centered narratives, with female protagonists designed to appeal to a female and male audience; Loving and romance, diverse films about the many types and issues of love and relationships of all kind; Documentary, a slice of life set to real-life storytelling based on the real world, real people; Comedy, light-hearted and written to amuse and heal the soul through laughter and Drama, intrigue, suspense and complicated characters presented in varied stories that portray realistic characters in conflict. The African American Film Marketplace and S.E. Manly Film Festival Showcase is a prominent film festival in its 26th year, which showcases a curated selection of independent films. Since its inaugural year in 1994, it has become a recognized outlet for independent African American filmmakers to release their work to a broad audience. Viewers will be inspired by the boundless creativity of independent storytellers who are discovering and showcasing their boundary-pushing work, which is what truly makes this Festival unique. Films are still being considered for the festival. To review the qualifications and/or submit your film go to www.filmfreeway.com. All films must be submitted by September 18, 2020. For more information and for a complete schedule of the festival log on to www.bherc.org and check often for updates or contact [email protected] Press release SHL announces invitation to the Annual General Meeting Tel Aviv / Zurich, 3 September, 2020 - SHL Telemedicine Ltd. (SIX Swiss Exchange: SHLTN) ("SHL" or the "Company"), a leading provider and developer of advanced personal telemedicine solutions, today announces that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Shareholders will be held on October 8, 2020 at 13:00 (Israel Time), at the Company's registered office, located at 90 Yigal Alon Street, Ashdar Building, Tel Aviv, Israel. The agenda shall include the following matters: 1. Presentation and discussion of the Company's financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, as approved by the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") on April 30, 2020. No resolution is required with respect to this item. 2. The re-appointment of Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer (members of Ernst & Young Global) as the external auditors of the Company until the next Annual General Meeting of the Company, and authorization to the Board to determine the terms and conditions of their engagement, including, inter alia, the remuneration of such external auditors. 3. The re-election to the Board of the current directors of the Company (excluding the external directors who have been elected for a term of 3 years each), who shall serve as directors of the Company until the next Annual General Meeting of the shareholders of the Company. The aforesaid current directors, by alphabetical order, are: (1) Mr. Yariv Alroy, (2) Mr. Erez Alroy, (3) Prof. Amir Lerman, (4) Mr. Erez Nachtomy, and (5) Mr. Elon Shalev. The vote with respect to each of the candidates shall be conducted separately. All of the above is more fully set forth in the Notice to Shareholders available on the Company's website. The record date was set for September 10, 2020. One or more shareholders holding shares representing at least one percent (1%) of the voting rights at the General Meeting may request the Board, in writing, not later than seven (7) days from the date of the invitation to the Annual General Meeting, to include an item on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting to be held. Such item shall be included on the Annual General Meeting's agenda, provided that the Board found it to be suitable for discussion at the Annual General Meeting. Should there be any changes in the agenda of the Annual General Meeting due to such shareholder's request, amended ballot and notice shall be available on the Company's website at http://www.shl-telemedicine.com/about-us/investorrelations/general-meeting not later than fourteen (14) days from the date of the invitation to the Annual General Meeting. The invitation to the AGM shall not be published in newspapers. The full invitation to the AGM can be downloaded on http://www.shl-telemedicine.com/about-us/investorrelations/general-meeting/. For further information please contact: Martin Meier-Pfister, IRF, Phone: +41 43 244 81 40, shl@irf-reputation.ch About SHL Telemedicine SHL Telemedicine is engaged in developing and marketing personal telemedicine systems and the provision of medical call center services, with a focus on cardiovascular and related diseases, to end users and to the healthcare community. SHL Telemedicine offers its services and personal telemedicine devices to subscribers utilizing telephonic and Internet communication technology. SHL is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SHLTN, ISIN: IL0010855885, Security No.: 1128957). For more information, please visit our web site at www.shl-telemedicine.com. Some of the information contained in this press release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. SHL Telemedicine undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. A great-grandmother who developed an overwhelming urge to breastfeed ahead of her eightieth birthday has revealed the mysterious symptom was a sign that she had cancer. Barbara Harvey, 85, who lives in Plymouth, Devon, spent a year forced to secretly 'tweak' her 'tingly' left nipple while out in public to relieve the tingling and itchy sensation she was suffering from. After several 'frustrating' trips to her GP revealing her baffling symptoms, including an urge to breastfeed, doctors declared she was lump-free and that nothing was wrong. It was only when the retired business owner who hasn't breast-fed since 1966, visited a locum doctor that she was referred to hospital for a mammogram. Barbara Harvey, 85, (pictured) who lives in Plymouth, Devon, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer after experiencing a bizarre desire to breastfeed ahead of her eightieth birthday Barbara was so stunned she broke down in tears when doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer - bizarrely in her right breast rather than her itchy left one. She underwent surgery in April 2015 to remove the tumour and a lymph node - weeks before her 80th birthday. Now aged 85 and cancer-free, Barbara is sharing her experience to make other women aware of symptoms to look out for. Barbara said: 'All the health campaigns talk are about searching for any lumps or other changes, but they never mention the unusual symptoms I had at nearly 80 years old. 'Over the course of a year I experienced an itchy tingling feeling in my nipple that soon spread to the whole of the breast. 'I found without consciously being aware of it I was tweaking my nipple, I wanted to squeeze it as it felt as though I'd got milk in there, and sometimes a clear liquid would come out. 'As time went on the irritation was driving me mad, it felt like I wanted to feed a baby from my left breast. 'When you are breastfeeding a baby you do get these feelings in there. Barbara admits she thought her initial symptoms were related to her hormones and didn't expect to have cancer. Pictured: Barbara in the 1970s, in her 40s 'The symptoms first started in 2014, at the time I just thought "Oh it's something to do with my hormones". I never dreamt it was going to end up being cancer. 'When the consultant sat me down and gave me the news I was a bit numb, I was in total shock. 'I left his office, got in my car, drove to my son's, walked through the door and burst into tears.' BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS The first symptom of breast cancer most people notice is a lump in their breast or some thickening. Breast symptoms to look out for: A new lump or thickening in your breast or armpit Change in size, shape or feel of your breast Skin changes in the breast such as puckering, dimpling, a rash or redness of the skin Fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn't pregnant or breast feeding Changes in the position of nipple Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement Barbara who last breastfed her youngest child 54 years ago in 1966, said she went to the doctors a number of times desperate to get to the bottom of what was causing the bizarre sensation. Despite being declared lump-free several times, Barbara was unconvinced that all was well. The final straw came when she was unable to enjoy her regular knitting group meet-ups after being plagued by itchiness she was desperate to relieve. Barbara said: 'I'm a very sociable person and I run knitting groups, and have done for ten years. 'What worried me was the fact that I suddenly realised I was sitting there with other people and tweaking my left nipple because it was irritating me. 'It was very embarrassing trying to relieve that itch in public, I managed to keep it under wraps so nobody commented on it, but it was very frustrating.' Fed up of being fobbed off, Barbara returned to her GP and was relieved when a locum doctor suggested a referral to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where she underwent a mammogram. Barbara said: 'I'd been going backwards and forwards to the doctor because it felt like I wanted to feed a baby from my left breast. 'The doctor would examine me and say there were no lumps, it was frustrating being told there was nothing wrong. 'A locum lady took a look and said although I had no lumps it was worth investigating and that she would request I have a mammogram. Barbara (pictured) was diagnosed with cancer in her right breast after a hospital mammogram, despite her symptoms being in her left breast 'I went along to the hospital where they did the mammogram and I was told I had cancer. 'The specialist described it as being shaped like a fried egg - the 'yolk' being the cancer and the 'white' being the oestrogen that the cancer feeds on. 'He took a biopsy and very soon after that I was told I had to go in and have it taken out. 'I found this fascinating, all the feeling was in my left breast but the cancer was in the right breast.' Barbara underwent the operation to remove the tumour and a lymph node, which came back clear showing that the cancer hadn't spread elsewhere. The grandmother-of-seven now has hormone therapy, annual mammograms and avoids products containing oestrogen. Barbara said: 'During the operation they took away the cancer and one of the lymph nodes. Barbara (pictured) who is now on tablets to prevent her body from producing oestrogen, said she's always been conscious of her breasts 'That was clear, which was great news, and I was discharged the same day. After the op the tingling sensation disappeared. 'I'm now on tablets that stop my body producing oestrogen and I also carefully avoid anything with oestrogen in it, such as soya.' Barbara who breastfed all four of her children, said she was always aware of her 'big' boobs, but never suspected that it would be such a serious diagnosis. Barbara said: 'I was always aware of my breasts because they were very big, I didn't struggle feeding any of my four children. 'I'm 85, so my boobs are almost down to my knees now, but there was a time when I was only 8st something but I was a 34HH. 'I've always been conscious of my boobs but I never gave it a thought that it could be cancer.' Barbara (pictured) revealed she's sharing her story because it's important not to just look out for lumps and dents as signs of cancer Barbara is now sharing her experience so women know to look out for other less well-known symptoms, as well as checking for lumps. Barbara said: 'When I first experienced the symptoms I had I put it down to the fact that my breasts were so big, it wasn't something I thought I could take a trip to the GP about. 'I'm sharing my story so people know that this can be a symptom of breast cancer and not to just look out for lumps and dents. 'It is vitally important that women of all ages, not just the young but the elderly too, should seek medical advice as soon as they experience any changes - especially once regular breast cancer screening stops after a certain age. 'If you experience any changes at all, just go to the doctor. 'It's better to go to the doctors, have it investigated and be told it's nothing than to leave it. 'Fortunately I did recover from it, I feel lucky the operation got rid of it and the odd sensation stopped.' Anti-lockdown protesters are now divided about whether a large rally should go ahead in Melbourne as debate continues about Victoria Police's response to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. Promoters are touting planned protests in capital cities around the country on Saturday including in Melbourne where stage four lockdown restrictions are in place as "Freedom Day" rallies. A day before the demonstration, scheduled to take place at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, prominent voices in the anti-lockdown movement including former My Kitchen Rules host Pete Evans are calling for the protest to be cancelled. Mr Evans shared a post on his Instagram page saying that key influencers would now "not be supporting the 5th", claiming the Victorian government would use the protest to justify an extension of Melbourne's stage four lockdown. The leaders of the two provinces most ravaged by the pandemic will hold a summit next week on boosting their recession-hobbled economies and girding for a second wave of COVID-19. Premier Doug Ford and Quebecs Francois Legault and their senior cabinet ministers will meet next Tuesday night and Wednesday at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel in Mississauga. This summit is happening at a critical juncture in our history, Ford said Thursday in Hamilton where he announced $37 million for new labour training to help 15,000 people upgrade their skills construction, manufacturing, trucking, information technology, and horticulture. As Canadas two largest economies and most populous provinces ... this significant relationship .... this strong partnership, will be more important than ever as we work to counter U.S. protectionism. he said. Ford predicted an Ontario-Quebec alliance will be unstoppable in North America. Legault said it is essential for Quebec and Ontario to lead the Canadian recovery. Over the past few months, we have shown great solidarity as we have had to manage an unprecedented crisis, the Quebec premier said. We have a lot to learn from each other and collaboration between our governments will remain critical as we strive to recover our economies safely while preparing ourselves for a potential second wave, he said. The two provinces plan to share the lessons they have learned since the pandemic struck in March, including the need for domestic manufacturing capacity of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical gear. Health Minister Christine Elliott, Finance Minister Rod Phillips, Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli, Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, and Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy will also attend. Legault will be joined by Health Minister Christian Dube, Finance Minister Eric Girard, Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, Chair of the Conseil du Tresor and Infrastructure Minister Sonia LeBel, and Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel. In an interview, Ontarios finance minister said the conference will be a good opportunity for the two largest provincial governments to compare notes before the Council of the Federation meeting of the premiers later this month in Quebec City. We can build on an already strong relationship, said Phillips, adding the provinces want to talk about bolstering the Canada Health Transfer payments that Ottawa distributes. Indeed, the summit is also a chance to keep pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus minority Liberal government to fund a myriad of provincial priorities, including infrastructure and broadband improvements. Quebec, with a population of 8.5 million, has by far been the hardest-hit province followed by Ontario, home to 14.5 million people. About 5,800 Quebecers and more than 2,800 Ontarians have died from COVID-19 since late winter. Together that is about 94 per cent of the more than 9,100 deaths in Canada. Montreal, home to 1.8 million people, has had about 3,500 deaths compared with about 1,200 in Toronto, which has a population of about 3 million. Quebec lost about 450,000 jobs due to the pandemic while at the peak of the coronavirus earlier this summer some 1.2 million Ontarians were thrown into unemployment. Both provinces have been slowing recouping those job losses. Read more about: Packed to the Rafters star Hugh Sheridan has tested positive for COVID-19. The actor, 35, confirmed the news on Thursday in a lengthy Instagram post, explaining that he'd somehow caught the deadly virus in transit from Los Angeles to Australia last month. 'I've been quiet for the last few days because I've been feeling all the varied emotions about my positive Covid test. I havent felt like talking to anyone much yet,' he wrote. 'Scary, frustrating and lonely': Packed to the Rafters star Hugh Sheridan, 35, has tested positive for COVID-19 Hugh had jetted into Australia from Los Angeles in mid-August, and at the time was forced to undergo a mandatory 14-day stint at a quarantine hotel. 'I had a negative result when I arrived [in Australia]. I now know all my friends including [those] who took me to LAX airport are all negative so it's been confusing for me. It's scary, frustrating and lonely,' he said. Despite his positive test result, the House Husbands star confirmed he was not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. 'I got it in a very short space of time': In a lengthy Instagram post, Hugh explained that he'd somehow caught the deadly virus in transit from Los Angeles to Australia last month 'I am SO LUCKY & I keep reminding myself to count each blessing 1 by 1. To everyone: this virus is seriously clever. Knowing now that no one I saw back home overseas has it means I got it in a very short space of time (in transit or a surface) while I had minimal human contact,' he wrote. Hugh went on to thank the staff at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's new virtual healthcare service for providing information and emotional support. He also admitted his mental health had suffered as a result of the diagnosis. 'I wanted to be honest with you because we all have good days and not so good days': Hugh admitted his mental health had suffered as a result of the diagnosis 'I wanted to be honest with you because we all have good days and not so good days and without days like my last few the good ones wouldnt feel as good!' he explained. 'To everyone that received a positive Covid test, I now know how that feels, I wish we could all be together so we could offer each other a shoulder or even better a HUG!' Hugh concluded by saying that he would be taking time out from social media and focusing on editing his new script. 'Why oh why did I not come with a friend?' Hugh uploaded this post last month as he began his 14-day stint of quarantine hotel, after arriving in Australia from Los Angeles 'If Im not on social media as much its not necessarily because Im down, its because it can make me feel a little worse for the moment,' he confessed. 'This too shall pass. I AM OK! #somuchlove.' Hugh's celebrity friends rushed to share messages of support. Supportive: Rebecca Gibney (right), who recently reprised the role of Hugh's on-screen mother in the Back to the Rafters reboot, commented: 'Here for you always, sweetheart' Rebecca Gibney, who recently reprised the role of Hugh's on-screen mother in the Back to the Rafters reboot, wrote: 'Here for you always, sweetheart' 'And yes, you will get through this because you are a strong wonderful beautiful soul. See you very soon for that hug! Love you Mum 2,' she added. News commentator Melissa Hoyer wrote: 'Sending you so much love and a very speedy recovery my friend so important to get everything youre feeling out there to your tribe.' 'It can make me feel a little worse for the moment': Hugh concluded by saying that he would be taking time out from social media and focusing on editing his new script Democrat George Scott, left, is challenging Republican state Sen. John DiSanto in the 15th Senate District in November. The district covers most of Dauphin County and all of Perry County. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the National Security Agency's surveillance program that collected data from Americans' phone calls was illegal. What they found: The court concluded that "bulk collection" of phone data violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Wednesday's ruling came seven years after Basaaly Moalin and three other Somali immigrants were found guilty on charges of fundraising for the terror group al-Shabab. The court found that "the so-called telephone metadata program played in a criminal terror-fundraising case against four Somali immigrants was so minor that it did not undermine their convictions," Politico writes. Background: The metadata collection program was developed after the passage of the Patriot Act following the Sept. 11 attacks. The program was revealed by former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden and shut down in 2015. What they're saying: "Here the NSA collected Moalins (and millions of other Americans) telephony metadata on an ongoing, daily basis for years," Judge Marsha Berzon wrote in her opinion. "Moalin likely had a reasonable expectation of privacy in his telephony metadata at the very least, it is a close question." The big picture, via Axios' Kyle Daly: The ruling comes as the Trump administration, through Attorney General Bill Barr, has only pushed for more expansive digital surveillance capabilities. Europes high court recently struck down a data pact between the EU and U.S. over concerns that Europeans private data cant be protected from American government surveillance. Read the ruling: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday slapped sanctions on the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court -- a move that The Hague-based tribunal called a "serious" attack against the rule of law. The economic sanctions against Fatou Bensouda and another senior ICC official, Phakiso Mochochoko, after earlier visa bans on Bensouda and others failed to head off the court's war crimes probe into US military personnel in Afghanistan. "Today we take the next step, because the ICC continues to target Americans, sadly," Pompeo said. The ICC quickly fired back. "These coercive acts, directed at an international judicial institution and its civil servants, are unprecedented and constitute serious attacks against the court, the Rome Statute system of international criminal justice, and the rule of law more generally," it said in a statement. The sanctions freeze the US assets of the two officials, and bar any US individuals from doing business with them. - 'Kangaroo court' - President Donald Trump had authorized sanctions on the ICC on June 11 over its investigation of US troops. Pompeo at the time referred to the ICC as a "kangaroo court" and warned that if US soldiers were targeted, those of US allies in Afghanistan risked the same treatment. Despite the new sanctions, the ICC appeared to give no ground on the issue, saying it "continues to stand firmly by its personnel and its mission of fighting impunity for the world's most serious crimes." And the head of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties, O-Gon Kwon, said the oversight body would meet to discuss how to support the tribunal in the face of the US measures. The US measures "only serve to weaken our common endeavor to fight impunity for mass atrocities," Kwon said. - Challenge to court's legitimacy - The sanctions were announced just two months before US elections, in which Trump is running for re-election in part on his record of standing up to international institutions that don't bow to US demands. Story continues But Washington's move also added to the broader pressure on the ICC to shore up its legitimacy, 18 years after it was founded to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The United States -- like Russia, China, Israel, Syria and a number of other countries -- is not a member of the ICC, and its opposition to the court is longstanding. In 2002, the US Congress even passed the so-called "Hague Invasion Act" allowing the US president to authorize military force to free any US personnel held by the ICC, in theory making an invasion of Dutch shores a possibility. - 'New low' - But the investigation into alleged wartime atrocities in Afghanistan possibly involving US military and civilian officials has turned Washington's low-level opposition into a concerted campaign against the institution. The United States argues that it has its own procedures in place to investigate accusations against troops. Trump, however, used his executive powers last year to clear three military members over war crimes, including in Afghanistan. Also underpinning Washington's enmity is the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by US ally Israel against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Last year the Trump administration revoked Bensouda's US visa, but the court has continued with the probe, leading to the president's June decision to permit economic sanctions against the court. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said his country was disappointed over the US move. Balkees Jarrah, senior counsel at Human Rights Watch, said the sanctions move "marks a shameful new low for US commitments to justice for victims of the worst crimes." fff-pmh/sst Strangers have raised thousands of dollars to cover the legal fees of a pregnant mother after she was arrested over an anti-lockdown social media post. Zoe Lee Buhler, 28, was wearing pyjamas as she was handcuffed in front of her children in her Ballarat lounge room, north-west of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon. She was charged with incitement after creating a Facebook protest event against Daniel Andrew's draconian lockdown in Victoria. Buhler's brother Jordan created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her legal fees and fine. Zoe Buhler, 28, was handcuffed in her lounge room in front of her children on Wednesday afternoon and charged with incitement Buhler's brother Jordan created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her legal fees and fine. The page raised more than $8,600 before it was taken down 'All money raised will go straight to Help Zoe Lee pay her legal fees! Thank you!' the page reads. 'All money left after legal costs will be donated to suicide awareness. We will not be keeping a single cent of the money for ourselves. 'Let's get back our basic human rights.' But the fundraiser was mysteriously taken down by its creator less than 24 hours after it was created. The page had raised more than $8,600. On Thursday morning, Buhler said she feared she was being 'kidnapped' when she was arrested. The fundraiser page said the cash raised would help Buhler pay her legal fees following Wednesday's arrest 'I was scared I was being kidnapped by people, they obviously weren't in uniforms,' she told media waiting outside her Miner's Rest home. 'I was just so scared, I was like oh my gosh if I disappear today I want it live on Facebook. 'I'm only very early pregnancy so obviously you're told not to stress out or strain.' Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant - which she only discovered days ago - and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest. She said she was 'still yet to know exactly what [incitement] means' and planned to fight the charge, claiming it was an honest mistake. 'I just wanted to feel like I was doing something to stand up for human rights,' she said. 'If someone steals a car, they know they are committing a crime. I didn't, so I don't feel like I should have to pay for that.' Buhler, who claimed to have lost her job during the lockdown, said police eventually took her handcuffs off and let her get dressed before taking her to the station. She claimed the officers said they weren't happy about having to arrest her. Buhler allegedly created this event for Saturday at 11am on Sturt Street in Ballarat Buhler later told radio station 3AW that she felt the police 'barging in' to her home and arresting her was 'extreme' and a phone call would have sufficed. 'I had a bit of a bimbo moment and I actually didn't realise that it wasn't okay. I thought so long as we social distanced and wore masks it was okay,' she said. 'I was aware that the protest coming up in Melbourne wasn't permitted, but I thought, in Ballarat, we're in Stage Three lockdown. 'I'm not a criminal person... If the police had just called me and told me to remove the post I would've done so. 'I understand police were doing their job and they were very nice for me, but I wasn't very happy with them barging into my house in front of my children.' Zoe Buhler, 28, (pictured) said she feared she was being kidnapped during the arrest on Wednesday Mother-of-two Buhler with her boyfriend James Timmins, who filmed her arrest Buhler is not allowed on social media until Sunday as part of her bail terms, but hoped her arrest would raise opposition to the lockdown. 'It's pretty horrible circumstances but hopefully some good comes out of it,' she said. 'It might be a bit of an eye-opener about the human rights I'm trying to stand for and people realising just how out of control things are getting 'So many people have been affected by the lockdown, people are losing their jobs, the economy has collapsed, rise in suicide and domestic violence. I wish we could see a happy medium. 'I feel like Daniel Andrews is the one that should be feeling remorseful.' Buhler's social media pages are full of coronavirus conspiracy theories, but she insisted she believed the pandemic was real. Buhler's alleged offending post linked to a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event she created Buhler is about seven weeks pregnant, only finding out days ago, and was due to have her first ultrasound an hour after her arrest 'My heart goes out to anyone who's died of covid, I know that people are getting sick, I don't believe it's a hoax or anything, I'm not a part of a cult,' she said. Three other protest organisers around Victoria have been charged with incitement in the past few weeks. Buhler created a since-deleted 'Freedom Day Ballarat' event planned for 11am on Saturday on Sturt Street. Her 'peaceful protest' said that attendees would follow restrictions like wearing masks and social distancing 'so we don't get arrested'. 'As some of you may have seen, the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the Melbourne protest,' the event page read. 'Here in Ballarat we can be a voice for those is Stage Four lockdowns. We can be seen and hopefully make a difference! 'End lockdowns! Stand for human rights! We live in a free country!' Buhler offered to delete the post but was told she had already committed an offence Buhler's social media pages are full of coronavirus conspiracy theories, but she insisted she believed the pandemic was real The video, which has since made international headlines in US and UK media, shows the confused mother asking why she is being arrested. 'Excuse me, incitement for what, what on Earth? I'm in my pyjamas, my two kids are here,' she asked police. 'I have an ultrasound in an hour because I'm pregnant.' The increasingly distressed mother insisted she wasn't breaking any laws by creating and then promoting the event. 'Actually you are, that's why we're arresting you in relation to incitement,' police replied. Buhler offered to delete the post as her boyfriend James Timmins tried to mediate while cradling their infant child in his arms. 'How about she just doesn't do the event? It's not like she's done it, she made a post,' he said. Police were unmoved, telling her: 'You've already committed the offence.' Buhler was distressed by this point and crying so much she could barely tell officers that she 'didn't realise' she was 'doing anything wrong' in making the online event. Police said they would seize all electronic devices in the house including those belonging to Mr Timmins and Buhler's sister. Buhler was charged with later incitement released on bail to face Ballarat Magistrates Court on January 25 next year. Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia anybody thinking of 'attending the protest... can expect a swift and firm response from police.' 'We will have no hesitation in issuing $1,652 fines to anyone who is breaching the restrictions on the day, or making arrests if necessary.' Regional Victorian towns like Ballarat are spared the ultra-tough Stage Four lockdown but are still in Stage Three, making it illegal for more than two people to gather. Police consider any protests to be in breach of these rules and have proved willing to arrest anyone organising or encouraging any gatherings. Victoria Police claimed the protest would put lives at risk and anyone who showed up would be fined or arrested. A Woodburn man accused of fatally shooting his former boss pleaded guilty to the killing Wednesday in a Clackamas County court and was sentenced to life in prison. Camilo Santiago-Santiago, 25, was convicted of killing Carl Hellinger, 36, at Heritage Specialty Foods in 2019. Hellinger was a manager at the food processing facility, and Santiago-Santiago had recently been fired from his job there. Clackamas County prosecutor Chris Owen said Santiago-Santiago pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm. He received a life sentence with a 25-year minimum. According to a probable cause affidavit, Santiago-Santiago came into the building on the morning of Nov. 15, walked down a hallway and entered an office where Hellinger was working. He then fired a handgun at Hellinger eight times, Owen said. Hellinger died at the scene. It was completely senseless, Owen said. According to court records, Santiago-Santiago then drove away. Police chased him into a dead-end street in Woodburn where he barricaded himself in his car. He was arrested after a 40-minute standoff with police. Santiago-Santiagos attorney, Linda Beloof, did not immediately respond to request for comment. Owen said Santiago-Santiago had been fired several weeks before the shooting because he repeatedly showed up to work intoxicated. He said that he didnt know if Hellinger was Santiago-Santiagos immediate supervisor, but said investigators found no evidence that he planned to kill or harm anyone else that day. We never really developed whether there was some big blowup between them, Owen said. All indications were that he harbored some resentment. He said Santiago-Santiagos blood alcohol content at the time of the shooting was 0.22. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Noelle Crombie of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The thousands of interstate travellers required to self-isolate for 14 days upon entering Western Australia will soon be able to virtually check-in with police to ensure their compliance. WA Police Acting Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said the new G2G Now app would likely be rolled out by the end of September. Rather than receive a knock on the door, interstate travellers will soon be able to check-in with police virtually during their 14 days self-isolation. Credit:Shutterstock We have 3800 people in the community right now in quarantine thats a lot of people to check and a lot of police officers doing that work, he told Radio 6PR on Thursday morning. He said the app, made by local tech company GenVis, would be voluntary and those who chose not to opt-in would continue to receive in-person police compliance checks. Graffiti engraved by soldiers on a military prison wall in Hobart more than 150 years ago has been discovered by accident during renovations. A building contractor tidying up brickwork at Anglesea Barracks near the city centre stumbled across the markings about a fortnight ago. 'Hoey' was repeated several times, as was a triple E with an inverted N and symbols relating to the 14th and 99th Regiment of Foot, British divisions stationed in Hobart from the 1840s to the '70s. Graffiti engraved by soldiers on a military prison wall in Hobart more than 150 years ago has been discovered by accident during renovations Defence Tasmania sustainability manager Kate Hibbert said there was also a little picture of a hat badge relating to the 99th regiment. 'The wall they're scratched into was a military prison exercise wall,' she said. 'It would have been soldiers who were in the prison for punishment for some indiscretion.' Dr Hibbert said a wagon shed built in the early 1900s had helped protect the wall. 'If it was out and exposed to the elements it probably would have eroded away by now,' she said. A building contractor tidying up brickwork at Anglesea Barracks near the city centre stumbled across the markings about a fortnight ago Similar graffiti has previously been found on the doors of the building, which was built in 1847 and used as a prison for disobedient British soldiers until the late 1870s. Dr Hibbert said clear perspex would be build over the engravings so they could be viewed by the public and studied further by historians. 'When I saw the '99' and the 14th regiment I was pretty surprised because that was 170 years ago,' she said. 'It was really exciting to see something that hasn't been noticed for that long.' Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has now joined the ranks of other opposition leaders demanding the reopening of temples saying people will forcibly reopen temples if this demand is neglected. Raj wrote a letter to his cousin and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray expressing disappointment over governments refusal to accede to the demands. I do wonder if the government is in a trance or daze and has turned a deaf ear to the reverent sentiments of Hindus, MNS chiefs letter says. Also Read: Opposition corners Sena-led Maharashtra goverment over reopening temples He further stated that The citizens need solace and pray to God to save them from this catastrophe. I firmly believe that the government should not be an obstacle between God and its devotees. He expressed confidence saying Hindus will abide by all the regulations set by the government. However, if the government ignores the pleas of the people in this respect, we will then have to put aside the restrictions and march ahead to see our God, said Raj in his letter. Also Read: Covid-19: Metro services to remain shut in Maharashtra The opposition parties like the BJP, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) have all agitated for the reopening of temples. On Monday, Prakash Ambedkar also led a protest outside the Pandharpur temple at Solapur. Ambedkar was allowed to enter the temple for some time. The first step towards a strategic alliance between Ukraine and Turkey can be the creation of joint ventures in various sectors of the military-industrial complex. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky said this in an interview with Ukrinform. The strategic level of relations with Turkey, as well as the level of interaction and understanding of each other as partners, allows us to say that we are actively moving towards the creation of a strategic alliance ... In the meantime, the first step can be the creation of joint ventures or cooperation of individual companies of our countries in aircraft construction, production of armored vehicles, missilery, electronic warfare, instrument making (optoelectronics) and engine building, Urusky said. According to him, both countries are interested in such cooperation, since this can ensure complementarity in the creation of modern weapons and military equipment. The Deputy PM also noted that when creating joint ventures, they are not talking about technology transfer. He also outlined possible projects. Among them is the joint creation of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, which can have a modified Ukrainian turbojet engine. As reported, a Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Oleh Urusky visited Turkey last week. During the three-day visit, the Ukrainian delegation met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Ismail Demir and Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank. The delegation also visited the production facilities of the Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI), Roketsan, Aselsan, Baykar Makina, a technology park in Istanbul, and Sedef Shipbuilding Inc.. During the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation was also signed between the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine and the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries of Turkey (SSM). ish A protester holds a slogan during a rally outside the Department of Justice in Manila, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. A Philippine court has ordered the early release for good conduct of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton convicted in the 2014 killing of transgender Filipino Jennifer Laude, which sparked anger in the former American colony. AP A U.S. Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the Philippines nearly six years ago will remain in prison while the victim's lawyer seeks to overturn a court ruling granting him an early release, a presidential spokesman said on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Olongapo trial court has ordered the freeing of Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, sent to prison in 2015 for killing Jennifer Laude, saying he was eligible for early release from a six- to 10-year sentence under the government's good behaviour programme. Harry Roque, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte who served as lawyer in the prosecution of Pemberton, told a media briefing Philippine prison officials will not process his release until the local court decides on an appeal filed by the victim's lawyer questioning the early release on Wednesday. The court's release order has revived old tensions over the role of U.S. military in the country, with Roque joining human rights activists in slamming the decision. Pemberton has so far served less than six years after being convicted of killing Laude in a hotel in Olongapo in 2014, outside a former U.S. navy base northwest of the capital. The killing stirred heated debate in the country over the U.S. military presence in its former colony. Press freedom advocates in Zimbabwe have welcomed the release on bail of a reporter who is charged with stoking anti-government violence. But, they say the conditions placed on Hopewell Chin'ono violate his right to free expression. A court in Harare granted Chin'ono the bail late Wednesday, after four failed attempts and more than a month behind bars. He has been ordered not to post anything on social media. On Thursday, the Media Institute of Southern Africa said it welcomed the release of Hopewell Chin'ono on bail after more than six weeks at Chikurubi Maximum Prison. Tabani Moyo, the head of the media advocacy group in Zimbabwe, said Chinonos bail conditions are too restrictive. Hopewell is not free. He has been removed from custody but he is still being pursued through trial coming from his home. He is being stopped from performing journalism literally. When a court bars him from accessing the online platform where he practices his craft, literally what they are saying is: the medium becomes the message... So, we are saying journalism is on trial in Zimbabwe, said Moyo. Chin'ono was arrested on July 20 along with an opposition leader, Jacob Ngaruvhume. The two were accused of stoking violence through social media ahead of a July 31 anti-government protest in Harare. Security forces broke up the protest before it began. The government said the protest would have exposed more people to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Critics say President Emmerson Mnangagwa is stifling dissent, following the steps of his predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe. Doug Coltart, from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, says Chinonos bail conditions curtail the journalists constitutional right to freedom of expression. Of course we are happy that our client has been granted bail," he said. "The main purpose for us was for him to get out. Of course the fact that he has been incarcerated all this time is a huge injustice. These bail conditions are extremely strict. We feel that they are overly stringent, they even do restrict his constitutional rights. That we do disagree with. The government says it will not comment on Chinonos case ahead of his next court appearance; but it says it does not restrict the work of journalists in Zimbabwe. Information is power and we need our people to be informed what is happening on the ground," said Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa. "We are talking about COVID-19 preventative and precautionary measures. Because our people, yes, some may not wear their masks, but they are aware of COVID-19 because of the work which journalists have been doing out there. So we continue working as partners. When Mnangagwa took power in November 2017 with the help of the army he promised to relax tough media laws enacted under Mugabe. Media watchdogs and rights groups say it is taking time for the reforms to materialize. Pramudwinai extended congratulations from the Thai government to Vietnam on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of National Day of Vietnam (September 2), saying Thailand attaches importance to continuously consolidating and developing the bilateral friendship. Hailing Vietnams great efforts in the pandemic combat, the Thai Deputy PM expressed his belief that the country will continue to keep the epidemic under control while successfully performing its socio-economic development tasks. He stressed that Vietnam, as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, has successfully organised ASEAN meetings, and maintained and promoted cooperation within the grouping, as well as collaboration between ASEAN and partners. Minh, in reply, thanked Thailand for its support and coordination, and pledged to facilitate the entry of foreign investors, experts, managers and skilled labourers, including those from Thailand, and consider resuming flights between the two countries. The two sides agreed to increase all-level meetings and visits when possible, and join hands in organising activities marking the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties in 2021. They will also maintain and make full use of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the organisation of the fourth joint cabinet meeting at a suitable time, and the signing of an action plan to implement the enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries during the 2021-2025 period. The two sides will work to raise bilateral trade to US$20 million per year as targeted, and soon sign a new labour agreement. Vietnam will create favourable conditions for Thailand to invest in the areas of its strength like maritime tourism, garment-textile, footwear, high-tech agriculture, and support industry, Minh said. Pramudwinai expressed his hope for more Vietnamese investments in Thailand, saying Thailand will continue to encourage and make it easier for Thai investors to invest in Vietnam. The two sides consented to expand cooperation in other areas such as education, tourism, culture and people-to-people exchange. WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio on Thursday joined the top Democrats on several U.S. Senate committees in urging the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction Russia for its efforts to interfere with the 2020 election by using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment. Its long past time for the administration to send a direct message to President Putin: the U.S. will respond immediately and forcefully to continuing election interference by the government of the Russian Federation and its surrogates, to punish, deter and substantially increase the economic and political costs of such interference, said the letter from Brown and his colleagues. Brown is the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. He was joined in the letter by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois and the top Democrats on the Senate Finance, Intelligence, Homeland Security, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Appropriations and Rules Committees. The group cited an August National Counterintelligence and Security Center statement that indicated Russia was weighing in because it disliked Bidens role in Obama administration policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition in Russia. It said that pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption including through publicizing leaked phone calls to undermine Bidens candidacy and the Democratic Party. It also said some Kremlin-linked actors are seeking to boost President Donald Trumps candidacy on social media and Russian television. The counterintelligence report also indicated that China and Iran are trying to undermine the Trump administration in the upcoming election, but the letter from Brown and his colleagues asked only that Russia be sanctioned. After a lengthy investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote a two-volume report that described Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump but did not find enough evidence to charge any member of Trumps campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. Russias 2016 efforts to sway the election included hacking into the Clinton campaigns computers and releasing the stolen material through WikiLeaks. In addition, a Russian group called the Internet Research Agency spread discord and misinformation over social media and staged political rallies in the United States while pretending to Americans. We thus urge you to draw upon the conclusions of the Intelligence Community to identify and target for sanctions all those determined to be responsible for ongoing election interference, including any actors within the government of the Russian Federation, any Russian actors determined to be directly responsible, and those acting on their behalf or providing material or financial support for their efforts, said Thursdays letter from Brown and his colleagues. Read more: Cuyahoga and Summit county airports get federal grants to improve runways Sen. Sherrod Brown questions whether HUD Secretary Ben Carson violated the Hatch Act Rep. Jim Jordan questions DC mayors response to crowd that swarmed Sen. Rand Paul outside the White House EPA weakens Obama-era wastewater discharge regulations for coal-fired power plants Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine seeks Defense Department agreement to address PFAS contamination at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Ohios Rob Portmans among Republicans defending Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at Senate hearing Jim Jordan defends President Trumps call to boycott Goodyear and says the company, not Trump, is engaging in cancel culture Post Office says it will hold off on changes until after November election Ohio Democrats in Congress question educational redlining Dismantled equipment behind Cleveland post office raises delivery questions Rep. Marcia Fudge blasts signed letter from President Trump enclosed with food for the needy White House defends President Trumps handling of coronavirus in new report that Sherrod Brown calls propaganda Urban farmers in Cleveland invited to join new U.S. Department of Agriculture committee Northeast Ohio Democrats in Congress slam postal service changes, saying they will hurt mail-in balloting Ohio politicians react to Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris as his running mate STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City public school students, teachers and staff will all be subject to random coronavirus (COVID-19) testing throughout the 2020-2021 school year, beginning in October. Every school is doing this testing monthly, Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier this week. It is random. I want to be clear about that -- so its a mix of members of the school community who will be tested every month. Every union is going to work out their specific approach to it. SHANGHAI, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Music China, jointly organized by CMIA, Shanghai INTEX and Messe Frankfurt, returns in Shanghai New International Expo Centre from October 28-31, 2020. Despite the downward pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Shanghai, as China's expo centre, has already witnessed many tradeshows since July, such as China Joy and Shanghai Book Fair. Music China, one of the world's largest tradeshows of musical instruments, has been playing an important role in the global music industry. Last year, Music China hosted more than 2,400 exhibitors from over 34 countries and regions, drawing 122,519 attendees from 78 countries and regions. It is no doubt the best gateway to get firsthand information of the market. Embracing its 19th edition, Music China will continue to make the most of its advantage and serve as a business match-making platform. Brands who will exhibit at Music China 2020 includes AKG, Aria, AXL, Bechstein, Buffet, Casio, Conn-Selmer, Dunhuang, Fengling, Hsinghai, JBL, Jinyin, JOYO, Kawai, Levy's, NUX, Parsons, Pearl River, PianoDisc, Pioneer DJ, Saga, Samick, Schimmel, Seiler Steinway, Taylor, Yamaha, and Yanagisawa. They are expected to delight the audiences with their premier collection of products. As for oversea audiences who are unable to visit the show in-person due to the pandemic, Music China is establishing an exhibition platform online- a "cloud expo" where they can "visit" the show and make a deal all at home. It enables audiences to enjoy the same functions as of the on-site expo, viewing product display, interacting with exhibitors, or fulfilling purchase plans. Based on the official website, the online exhibition will display a finest selection of exhibitors' products and their VR booths. If interested in a particular product or company, audiences can click to "Reserve" a time to chat with the exhibitor in private. Exhibitors will also broadcast in livestream rooms which are categorized by the product catalogue, introducing their products and interacting with the audiences. Despite of the ongoing epidemic, the world is back on track with continuous efforts made by each country and region. Music China, in this difficult situation, is striving to provide a platform for brands to make a sound in the global market, as well as for audiences to seek for potential business opportunities. For more information about Music China 2020, please visit our official website: www.musicchina-expo.com . Contacts: Miss Arlene Zhu +86-21-6295-5609 [email protected] Related Links http://shanghai-intex.com SOURCE Shanghai INTEX Thunstrom Finds Supportive Environment at UW Linda Thunstrom At age 14, Linda Thunstrom left her home country of Sweden for her first language trip to southern France. She traveled alone, spending a full month abroad. After having such an enriching experience, she began spending every summer in a different location, learning new languages and getting to know different cultures. She spent time in several cities in France and Germany. She studied in England and South Africa. During graduate school, she traveled to the United States for the first time, spending a semester at the University of California-Berkeley. Thunstrom now lives in Laramie and is an associate professor in the University of Wyomings Department of Economics, where she motivates her students to find their passions through teaching and research. Her fondness for the small Wyoming town was unexpected, as she had preferred living in larger cities until moving to Laramie with her husband, Jason Shogren, a fellow UW economics professor. Our intent was not to stay in Laramie permanently, Thunstrom says. I was a visiting professor in the Department of Economics and had a career in Stockholm, Sweden. However, like my husband, I fell in love with the department, the university and Laramie as a place to live. The opportunity opened up to join the department as a tenure-track professor, so we decided to stay. I am so happy we did. Throughout her travels and her previous work for the Swedish government, Thunstrom has had the opportunity to observe the impact of policy. Shes passionate about understanding how society may benefit from using policies wisely. Ultimately, her work strives to generate knowledge on how to create a better society. Economic research is meaningful, Thunstrom says. It has a good chance to actually impact policy. It also is rational. It attempts to produce outcomes that consider all aspects of a problem. Her work is as fascinating as it is bold. Thunstroms research seeks to provide answers to questions that are often difficult for society to confront. It may be uncomfortable to put a price on sentiment, but her work exposes the changes necessary for societal advancement. Her research functions as a voice of clear rationality -- which is incredibly valuable in times of crisis. For example, Thunstroms work examines the price of thoughts and prayers offered to victims of tragic events. Thoughts and prayers -- Do they crowd out donations?, published in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, addresses the controversy surrounding these gestures. It seemed, after every major catastrophe, we, as a society, would end up in the same discussion -- thoughts and prayers are helpful versus thoughts and prayers are meaningless, and may take away from actions that would be meaningful, she says. So, there was this huge unresolved question about what these gestures really do, and it is an important one, given we so frequently use these gestures in conjunction with material help. The research revealed that those who offer prayers in response to tragic events are less inclined to donate to support donation recipients. When prayer becomes a substitute for material help, it reduces monetary relief. However, this is not to say that thoughts and prayers are without value. They are valued by recipients -- if the recipients are Christian as well, as shown by another of her recent studies, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. By assessing the cost of prayer, tangible figures can now be used to bring about real change. The appraisal of sentiment is complex and ambitious but, when done, it has tremendous power. Recently, Thunstrom led the research on the benefits and costs of using social distancing to flatten the curve for COVID-19, a study that found that the economic benefits from lives saved by social distancing outweigh the nations projected economic fallout by $5.2 trillion. Thunstroms research is a product of her passion and empathy. She credits part of her success to the supportive environment shes found at UW. I also have always felt supported by my department and the college, which has meant the world to me, Thunstrom says. I have freedom to do my job the way I thought I could do it best, and that amount of support and confidence in my abilities generates a lot of job satisfaction and, I believe, feeds the inner drive to keep on doing great work and improve as an educator and researcher. Germany Says Navalny Poisoned By Novichok Nerve Agent By RFE/RL September 02, 2020 The German government says tests on blood samples taken from Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny showed the presence of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group, a poison suspected of being used in other attempts to silence outspoken Kremlin opponents. Steffen Seibert, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, said in a statement on September 2 that tests at a special German military laboratory had shown proof of "a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group." Western nations and officials in unison expressed outrage over the use of a military-grade agent banned by an international treaty to poison Navalny and demanded that Russia investigate the case. The German Foreign Office said it would be informing the Russian ambassador in Berlin of the result and demanded Moscow issue a response. "It's a startling event that Aleksei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent in Russia. The German federal government condemns this action in the strongest possible terms. The Russian government is urged to explain itself over the incident," Seibert said in a statement. Navalny, 44, fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on August 20, forcing the plane he was traveling on to make an emergency landing in Omsk, where he spent two days in hospital before being evacuated to Germany. He is in a medically induced coma in an intensive care unit at Charite Hospital in Berlin and is on a respirator. "A longer course of treatment for the illness is to be expected. Long-term consequences of severe poisoning cannot be ruled out," the hospital said in a statement on September 2. Navalny is the latest Kremlin critic to take ill from a toxic substance. Activist Pyotr Verzilov was flown to Germany from Moscow in September 2018 for medical treatment after he was poisoned with an agent that affected his nerves. Verzilov's poisoning came just months after former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious in a park in the English city of Salisbury. A British investigation determined that the Skripals had been poisoned with the deadly nerve agent Novichok and alleged that the attack was carried out by Russian state agents. In the most infamous Russia-related poisoning, Aleksandr Litvinenko, a former state security service agent who defected to Britain and became a sharp critic of the Kremlin, died in November 2006 after being poisoned with the rare radioactive isotope polonium-210. Navalny, who has been attacked several times in the past, was visiting the Siberian cities of Novosibirsk and Tomsk for his latest investigation into government corruption when he fell ill. Navalny's team published the results of their Siberian investigation on August 31, claiming that 18 out of 50 lawmakers in Novosibirsk are owners or represent owners of construction companies. The activist has made many enemies over the years with his investigative videos, which have targeted Kremlin insiders, including former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and former Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the poisoning was aimed "to silence him" while the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell described it as an "assassination attempt." The U.S. National Security Council called the poisoning "completely reprehensible" and said Washington would work with allies "to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities." Novichok would only be available to the "richest and most powerful," said Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russia's security services at the Royal United Services Institute in London, in a September 2 blog post. "No local FSB officer or city mayor would be likely to be able to access such a nerve agent. Instead, someone would presumably need to be able to access the modern successors to the old Soviet 'Kamera' poisons lab," Galeotti said, noting the SVR foreign intelligence service or FSB security service likely have access to Novichok. Russian doctors in Omsk said last week that they did not find any evidence of poisoning in Navalny. The doctors updated their findings on September 2, saying the activist had carbohydrate metabolism complications and pancreatitis. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov reiterated that message, claiming there were no poisonous substances found in Navalny before his transfer to Germany on August 22. Meanwhile, Navalny's team said it had filed a lawsuit in Moscow against the Russian government for not opening an investigation into the poisoning. A hearing in that case will be held on September 4. Novichok group chemicals were developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and are more toxic than other nerve agents. They work by blocking messages from the nerves to the muscles, causing a collapse of many bodily functions. They can lead to vomiting, sweating, a loss of consciousness, coma, and death. Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) treaty agreed in November to update the list of banned Schedule 1 chemicals to include the Novichok group following the Skripal poisoning. CWC member states are not allowed to possess, develop, stockpile, use, or transfer Schedule 1 substances, said Julia Masterson, a researcher at the Washington-based Arms Control Association. Russia initially objected to the proposal from Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States to add the Novichok group to the list. They were officially included on June 7, meaning its existence and use in Russia violated the international treaty. Germany said it would contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the treaty's watchdog, and "discuss an appropriate joint reaction with the partners in the light of the Russian agreement." The OPCW will carry out its own investigation into the incident. Depending on its findings and Moscow's cooperation, the OPCW Exeuctive Council could recommend that CWC state parties vote to restrict or suspend Russia's rights and privileges as a member of the CWC or refer the case to the UN, Masterson told RFE/RL. The OPCW's Executive Council may discuss the investigation at its upcoming meeting in October, she said. The British government expelled 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow refused to cooperate with an investigation into the Skripal poisoning. "We will work with international partners to ensure justice is done," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement, calling the use of the agent "outrageous." With reporting by AP, dpa, and Deutsche Welle Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/test-shows-navalny- poisoned-by-novichok-nerve-agent -says-german-government/30817123.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The government will soon establish rehabilitation shelters for alleged witches and enact a law to protect them from mistreatment, stigmatization, and societal discrimination. The alleged witches would also be enrolled onto the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to enhance their livelihoods and welfare. The decision was reached when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender recently visited some witches camps at Gambaga and Gushiegu among other camps in the northern parts of the country. Mrs. Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, announced this when she took her turn at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra on Wednesday. She said the Ministry initially thought of closing down the "witches camps" in the northern parts of the country following the lynching of Akua Denteh at Kafaba in the Gonja East District of the Savannah Region. ...But when we got there, we realized that it wasn't easy as we sit in Accra and think because when someone sees you in his dreams and brand you a witch, you're reported to the chief, and he performs a ritual, and if the fowl used for the ritual turns someway, the chief banishes you from the community," she said. The Minister explained that at the point the chief banished the alleged witch from the community, the victim was supposed to take refuge in a witch camp for her safety...saying, "If you refuse to leave and the youth get angry, nobody can rescue you even though the chief did not authorize lynching of any alleged witch". It was upon that basis that, she said, the Ministry intended to start a process of going to Parliament with a bill and subsequently pass it into law, to protect alleged witches from abuse and societal discrimination. Mrs. Morrison said the Ministry would set up a task force to carry out community sensitization and dialogue to solicit inputs from the people towards the drafting of the bill. She entreated civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media to support the laudable efforts of enacting legislation to protect alleged witches and vulnerable persons in the country. She said the belief in the existence of witchcraft was prevalent in the Ghanaian society, hence the need to take stringent measures to protect victims from stigmatization and mistreatment. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video KYODO NEWS - Sep 3, 2020 - 23:19 | All, Japan The government will strengthen support for foreign children in need of Japanese-language education with a planned doubling of the budget as part of efforts to ensure they are not missing out on learning opportunities, the education ministry said Thursday. Based on a survey conducted last year, the ministry estimates that more than 19,000 out of the around 124,000 foreign children of elementary or junior high school-age in Japan do not attend school at all, including international schools. It also found that there is growing demand for Japanese-language education in public elementary and junior high schools. In accounting for the lack of attendance, the ministry said some children and guardians may not possess sufficient command of the Japanese language and support also varies among local governments, with many only sending notices regarding enrollment in Japanese. The ministry allocated a budget of around 700 million yen ($6.6 million) this fiscal year for support measures, which included covering one-third of the labor costs of Japanese-language tutors and assistants to provide advice in children's native tongues. The ministry plans to request a doubling of the budget for fiscal 2021 to meet the growing needs of local governments. It will also create multilingual video materials and hold training sessions for teachers at public schools to enable the admission of more foreign children. Unlike local students, foreign residents of Japan are not subject to compulsory education. The ministry, however, urges public schools to ensure that all foreign children in Japan have the same educational opportunities as local students. Related coverage: Int'l school teachers in Japan exempted from COVID-19 entry ban Gov't seeks more inclusive education for foreign children in Japan Foreign long-term residents insecure about Japanese skills: survey As Donald Trump won a temporary legal victory in his fight to keep his tax returns private, Joe Biden once again ribbed him for not releasing them after more than four years of falsely claiming an audit prohibits him from doing so. Ive released 21 years of my tax returns, the Democratic candidate wrote on Twitter. What are you hiding, @realDonaldTrump? The latest decision, handed down by a federal appeals court, has blocked a subpoena issued by Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for eight years of the presidents tax returns. The court will now consider the Trump teams argument that the subpoena is wildly overbroad and a form of harassment before deciding whether it can be upheld. And with only two months to go until the election, the latest decision means the returns may well not be released before polling day. While this means a potentially catastrophic legal risk to Mr Trump and his family has briefly been put on hold, it also allows Mr Biden to keep up one of his most consistent and most effective lines of attack against the incumbent president. Recommended Deutsche Bank investigates private banker to Trump and Kushner Mr Biden has many times demanded Mr Trump release his returns, including well before he became the Democratic nominee. He has referred to Mr Trump as the most corrupt president weve ever had, and in late 2019, his campaign began selling T-shirts reading release your tax returns or shut up quoting a video Mr Biden himself released as the president ramped up his accusations against the candidates son, Hunter. In an interview on Irish TV in 2014, he said that if he ever decided to run for office he would absolutely release his tax return. Instead, since he was first standing in the presidential primaries, Mr Trump has insisted that he will not (and sometimes that he cannot) release his tax returns while under audit from the IRS. Tax experts throughout the media agree that no sane person would give their tax returns during an audit, he tweeted in early 2016. After the audit, no problem! He has cited this excuse repeatedly in the ensuing years even as many tax experts and lawyers have publicly made clear that being under audit does not prevent any individual, even a president, from making their returns public. The case working its way through the New York courts has thus become a major thorn in Mr Trumps side. He was enraged this summer when the US Supreme Court ruled that his records could be scrutinised by Mr Vances team, complaining: This is all a political prosecution. I won the Mueller Witch Hunt, and others, and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this Presidency or Administration! The next day, Mr Biden weighed in again: The American people deserve to know what Donald Trump is hiding in his tax returns. Strides Pharma Science (Strides) today announced that its step-down wholly owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global, Singapore, has received approval for Prednisone Tablets USP, 1 mg from the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA). The product is a generic version Meticorten Tablets, 1 mg of Schering Corporation. According to IQVIA MAT July 2020 data, the US market for Prednisone Tablets USP, 1 mg is approximately US$ 12 Mn. The product will be manufactured at the company's flagship facility at Bengaluru and will be marketed by Strides Pharma Inc. in the US market. The company has 126 cumulative ANDA filings with USFDA of which 89 ANDAs have been approved and 37 are pending approval. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Michigan reported 524 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, Sept. 2. Meanwhile, state officials say they will disclose which schools have coronavirus outbreaks; students from seven Michigan colleges launched a coalition for a safe fall reopening; and a court ruled that mandatory COVID-19 testing for Michigan farm workers can continue. Heres the latest on how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting people across the state: Michigan reports 514 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, Sept. 2; death toll exceeds 6,500 benchmark The state has now had 6,509 total deaths connected to confirmed coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. That doesnt include 272 deaths from coronavirus based on symptoms vs. a positive test. Michigan now ranks ninth among the 50 states in total deaths and 10th in coronavirus deaths per capita. To date, about 6.2% of confirmed coronavirus cases have ended in death. Health officials recommend looking at seven-day moving averages to evaluate data trends during the pandemic. The state is averaging 644 new cases, and 12 new deaths per day. Since the start of the pandemic, Michigan has tallied 103,710 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Michigan to disclose which schools have coronavirus outbreaks The state will begin disclosing schools with coronavirus outbreaks online within the next two weeks, Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said at a press conference Wednesday. I also know theres been a lot of interest in understanding outbreaks at schools, which is very understandable. So were currently working with our local health departments to gather names of specific schools that have outbreaks associated with them, Khaldun said. ...We expect to be able to post that information on our website in the next two weeks. The state recently began posting information about outbreaks -- which it defines as an instance in which two or more cases are linked by a place and time -- online on Mondays. This week, the state reported eight outbreaks at K-12 schools without naming the schools where they occurred. Khaldun said local health departments were obtaining this data through their case investigations, and the state was working with them to ensure it was accurate. Students from 7 Michigan colleges launch coalition for safe fall reopening Students from several Michigan colleges have come together to launch a statewide coalition that demands a safe reopening for college campuses this fall. The Not MI Campus Statewide Coalition consists of students from Albion College, Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, Oakland University and all three University of Michigan campuses, according to a news release. The group has petitions circulating on each campus with a variety of demands, including: All classes should be made available online. All university positions should be guaranteed for workers who may need to take a leave of absence, and workers whose jobs are temporarily eliminated must be given some form of financial support. If the university returns to in-person classes, it must guarantee safe housing for all students who require housing. The costs for these changes should be drawn from the so called public safety budgets on each campus. This should be a time to take funding away from campus police and spend it on things that actually keep our communities safe. Mandatory COVID-19 testing for Michigan farm workers can continue, court rules Michigan farms must continue regularly testing their workers for COVID-19 under a state mandate while a lawsuit plays out in court, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. In a 3-0 decision, today a federal court of appeals upheld the states power to require certain agricultural employers and housing providers to implement testing protocols among Michigan workers who are especially at risk to COVID-19, said Tiffany Brown, spokesperson for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor welcomes this decision upholding her strategy to save lives and protect the food supply. Last month, True Blue Berry Management, LLC and Smeltzer Orchards Co., LLC, as well as some individual farm workers, filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the states emergency order setting strict coronavirus testing rules for agricultural laborers violated civil rights protections. The lawsuit points out that migrant and seasonal farm workers, as well as workers in the meat, poultry and egg processing industries are predominantly Latino. The plaintiffs had asked the federal district court to pause the order while the underlying lawsuit plays out. But the lower court denied the request, and the appeals panel agreed. 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, click here. Read more on MLive: Gov. Whitmer hints at news on high school sports in the coming days Coronavirus in local schools is inevitable, Kalamazoo County health director says Decision on reopening of gyms, ice rinks, theaters coming very soon, Whitmer says KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the past three months, the Thursday eviction court on the seventh floor of this courthouse in downtown Kansas City has become a masked parade of pandemic despair. Desperate tenants, many newly unemployed because of the coronavirus, huddle together on oak benches or appear on video calls trying to forestall what for many is the inevitable - losing their homes at a time when home is the only place you can be truly safe. "I feel like I'm being blamed for the pandemic," one caller said as he pleaded for help from Jackson County Special Judge Jack Grate. "I have to take care of my family. We need somewhere to go." Missouri and six other states have allowed evictions from private rental properties to continue during the pandemic. State and local moratoriums have lapsed in other places, with landlords filing at least 43,500 evictions in 17 major cities since the pandemic began, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Housing advocates predicted a tsunami of evictions would follow the July 24 expiration of a nationwide moratorium on booting occupants from most federally supported rentals. But on Tuesday, President Donald Trump ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to "temporarily halt" pandemic-related evictions through the end of the year, a move he hoped would make his desire to protect citizens from evictions "unmistakably clear." Housing advocates and public officials are still trying to work out what that means on the ground. Tenants will have to go through a lengthy application process where they attest to their loss of income, efforts to pay partial rent and that an eviction could leave them homeless. Some housing advocates praised Trump's move but said without rent relief or significant federal rental assistance beyond the $7 billion already allocated, the new moratorium would only delay, not prevent, the coming crisis. "It does stop the bleeding for a while, but it doesn't solve the problem because the rent is still piling up during the moratorium," said John Pollock, the coordinator for the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. More than 40 percent of renter households in the United States were facing eviction before the Trump order, including 167,000 potential evictions in Missouri, according to a recent study by Stout, a global advisory firm, based on U.S. Census Bureau data from July. An estimated 248,000 households in the state weren't able to make their August rent, nearly one-third of all renter households, the study said. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, called Trump's action "good news" and said he had been particularly worried about this moment dovetailing with a school year in which more children are learning online at home. He grew up homeless for parts of his childhood and would wake up early to do his homework in the bathroom of the motel room he shared with his mom and his sisters because it was the only place he could turn on a light without waking them up. "It's largely positive," Lucas said. "But like everything else with this administration, we need to see the details." Jackson County restarted its eviction court after a local hold expired May 31, with landlords filing nearly 1,100 evictions since that time, according to the housing advocacy group KC Tenants, and carrying out nearly 300, the court said. Valerie Hartman, the public information officer for the court, said judges were reviewing Trump's Tuesday order and had not yet made a decision on how to proceed. But the impact of the evictions is already being felt in Jackson County - a dramatic surge in homelessness, rising hunger, more people surrendering their pets to animal shelters - is a preview of what the United States could expect in the coming months if the government fails to provide more housing assistance, advocates say. At evictions court earlier this month, married couple Nicole and Leorteze McCray huddled together, comforting each other as they waited for their case to be called. At one moment, Nicole McCray, 28, brushed tears from her eyes. Her husband was laid off from his job at Subway when restaurant dining rooms closed, and he was never rehired; she lost her job at a call center on May 2. They face losing the home where they have lived for four years. A woman from Legal Aid of Western Missouri approached and told her that if she asked to have her case continued she might have extra time to get the more than $1,715 in back rent together. McCray said a week wouldn't make any difference. "We don't have no money," she said. "We're going to be out on the streets." When McCray's case was called, she told the judge that they had both lost their jobs and she had spent weeks trying to get through on a phone line for unemployment benefits that was perpetually busy. "I can't do anything about it. There's nothing I can do," Grate said, although he added he was "sympathetic" to the couples' plight. He ordered their case to proceed for a final hearing. - - - Protests and calls for rent strikes and rent cancellations have proliferated across the country in recent weeks as job losses soar and the $600-a-week pandemic unemployment benefit for 30 million expired. Trump ordered a new unemployment benefit for at least $300 a week last month, but that money has not reached many workers and may be short-lived. Protesters in New York hung sheets from their windows spray-painted with the words "No Job, No Rent." In New Orleans, La., protesters chained themselves together under a banner that said "Eviction = Death." In Missouri, KC Tenants hung an eviction notice on the governor's gate and disrupted Jackson County's eviction court with shouts of "Evictions are an act of violence!" One in 5 tenants are behind on rent, according to a study for the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, with Black and Latino renters facing the greatest hardship. In Kansas City, there has been a "dramatic surge" in the number calling the 211 emergency line to access homeless housing programs, with more than 1,000 calls since April, according to Marqueia Watson of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness. Food continues to be in high demand, she said, and some pantries distributed in one day the volume of food they had distributed in a month before the pandemic. Kelli Jones, a spokesman for the state's Republican governor, Mike Parson, said that the state had allocated $7.5 million in funds to combat homelessness before the pandemic. An additional $9.5 million in Cares Act funding has not yet been dispersed as state officials await federal guidance on how it can be spent, she said. Kansas City has allocated $1.5 million in Cares Act funds for emergency rental and utility assistance. Krisi Eiland, 35, a mother of three who was about to be evicted from her Kansas City home, saw the tenants protest on television and contacted the group. She had moved with her three girls, ages 4 to 18, into a $850-a-month house in February after her divorce was finalized last year, but she lost her job at a flooring company when the pandemic hit and struggled to pay rent. She started working as a clerk at Family Dollar, but the drop in pay - from $16.50 to $12.50 an hour - hit hard. "I was in this whole 'I am woman' power thing; I was going to do this on my own without a man, and I faltered," she said. By the time the sheriff's deputy pounded on her door on Aug. 11, she was alone with her dog Kane, waiting. She had taken the girls to her ex's, drained the fish tank that had belonged to her late father - giving the Jack Dempsey fish away because she couldn't bear to flush them down the toilet - and moved what she could to a storage unit. She had a dream that she and Kane were living in a box fort at the end of the driveway. When the sheriff's deputy and an armed employee from the property management company came to change the locks, Eiland called Wilson Vance, a KC Tenants organizer, who arrived and started filming on her phone. The grizzled employee of the management company became exasperated. "She has to pay rent or she's gotta go," he said on camera. "I bet if you go in there you'll find a new flat-screen. . . . Every house we've closed on, there's a brand-new flat-screen in the living room. That's where their stimulus money went. It didn't go to rent. It didn't go to food. It went to flat-screens. "I don't have any feelings for these people. None," he said. "I was raised, 'You pay your way.' If you don't pay your way, you pay the price." Zachary Lund, a lawyer for the property owner, had no comment, and the management company did not return phone calls. Vance helped Eiland move her things - Kane's dog bowls, a few bags of clothes and her last $15 - into a temporary hotel room, where she strung up the same string of Christmas lights she'd had at home. Vance posted the video of the ranting man on Twitter, where hundreds of people saw it and were so moved that donations to Eiland's GoFundMe page flowed in. She now has $13,000. The unexpected windfall will provide a fresh start, but she is still anxious about her family's long-term stability. She is contemplating buying a small, fixer-upper mobile home so they'll never be evicted again. She plans to look at one she's been eyeing on Facebook - $5,000 or best offer, "NEEDS WORK." "Needs work," she said. It's the story of her life right now, "and that's no lie." - - - For thousands, Trump's order has come too late. Nicole McCray's tiny white wood-frame house with the sagging steps has been a jumble of boxes, shoes and books in recent days as she and her husband have begun packing up four years of belongings ahead of the judge's formal eviction judgment Aug. 27. McCray didn't want to be embarrassed in front of her neighbors, so she was trying to get packed up before the sheriff deputies came knocking on her door. The plan was that she would temporarily go to her mother's home, Leorteze to his grandmother's. "We feel lost," she said. But then McCray developed a hacking cough and had to spend many of her days in bed, despite her desire to get the house packed up. She and her husband have both now been diagnosed with the coronavirus. "We are sick as all get out," McCray said. She told the judge at the Aug. 27 remote hearing that she thought she had scraped up enough money to pay the back rent and plans to start a new job as an assistant manager at Family Dollar after her quarantine period has ended. Grate still ruled in the landlord's favor, but suggested McCray try to make a deal to stay. "If you can buy your way out of this, a lot of times they'd rather have money than possession. Good luck," he said. But the landlord wasn't interested in bargaining. The couple, still feeling coronavirus symptoms, have to be out by Friday. Her landlord, Keven Powell, 66, said he was tired of hearing about the couple's woes. "One of them lost their job, the other one don't work," he said. "I've dealt with these people for quite a while. Sooner or later you just run out of patience." - - - The Washington Post's Julie Tate contributed to this report. Fighting Covid stigma: No pasting of stickers on houses in Bengaluru, says BBMP India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, Sep 03: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Wednesday decided to stop pasting posters outside the houses of Covid-19 patients in a bid to remove the stigma and discrimination attached to it. BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said, "With all sectors, barring schools, reopening, such posters are disturbing for many." "In streets with one or two cases, we will stop putting up barricades. However, we will inform the neighbours about the infections in their vicinity," he further said. Bengaluru drug case: Actor Ragini Dwivedi summoned by CCB According to Prasad, there are 17,159 streets in the city with at least one Covid case. There are close to 1,058 streets where there are more than five cases and they will keep vigil on such places. "Humane touch is our priority. We don't want to cause more pain to anyone," he said. "Earlier posters were pasted at the houses of those who have Covid 19 in the containment zones. Now the poster will not be put up, instead we will inform the neighbouring houses about any case in their locality. The barricades will be put up only when there are more than three cases in the 100 meter radius in a containment zone," Prasad added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, September 3, 2020, 10:14 [IST] NEW DELHI : India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in "best suitable ways", Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said on Thursday, remarks that came against the backdrop of China's attempts to change the status quo in certain areas in eastern Ladakh. In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Gen Rawat said India's policy of engagement, if not backed by credible military power and regional influence, would imply acknowledging China's preeminence in the region. The former Chief of Army Staff said India faces the most complex threats and challenges spanning a full spectrum of possible conflict -- from nuclear to sub-conventional -- but asserted that the armed forces are ready to deal with them. "Of late, India has been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these in the best suitable ways," Gen Rawat said at the online event. In a warning to Pakistan, he said the country will suffer "heavy losses" if it attempts any misadventure against India taking advantage of the border row with China. The Chief of Defence Staff spoke extensively about how Pakistan has been engaged in a proxy war against India and pushing terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, attempted to spread terrorism in other parts of the country. He also touched upon a host of other issues including India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region, importance of defence and security ties with the US and the government's focus on self-reliance in defence manufacturing. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan State Musical Theater is getting ready to its 111th season. The theater workers took part in a virtual meeting as part of the preparations. The meeting discussed the theater's activity during COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech, the theater's director, Honored Art Worker Aligismet Lalayev stressed that the activities of theaters over this time has been regulated in accordance with the rules established by the Operational Headquarters. He also encouraged the theater staff to actively participate in various virtual projects. During the meeting, theater workers provided insight into virtual projects carried out during the quarantine regime. It was also decided to hold an online event dedicated to National Music Day annually celebrated on September 18. The date is the birthday of Azerbaijan's prominent composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov. The tradition of Uzeyir Hajibeyov's birthday as a celebration was initiated by eminent composer and conductor Niyazi who commemorated this day very year after Uzeyir Hajibeyov's death. In 1995, national leader Heydar Aliyev decreed that 18 September would be National Music Day. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Australian Amalgamated Terminals delivers innovative solutions that boost operating efficiency across the automotive supply chain CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CargoChain, Inc, supplier of the markets leading cargo visibility and information sharing platform, announced that Australian Amalgamated Terminal (AAT) has selected CargoChain to serve as their innovation platform for information sharing services and transparency. AAT is Australias largest vehicle import service provider and is responsible to meeting the growing demand of vehicles, which exceeded 600,000 last year. The Australian automobile market is vital to our national economy, and it is our job to manage the import and quarantine process in a way that safeguards the environment and meets customer expectations, said Vincent Macheda, General Manager, CBD at AAT. We understand the need to innovate, particularly with respect to visibility and coordination amongst trading partners. CargoChains open, API-based platform provides us with the ability to build custom applications that fit our business and get our trading partners on board quickly, Vincent, said. CargoChain CEO, Jonathan Colehower commented, We are excited to welcome AAT as a customer. AATs drive for innovation compliments CargoChains vision for supply chain visibility. We look forward to working with Vincent and his organization as they continue to develop on the CargoChain Platform. AAT currently has three applications operating on the CargoChain platform to enhance workflow management between its supply chain partners, including brokers, Australian customs, planners, and service contractors. Through tighter coordination and better visibility, AAT will improve its operating efficiency and expand its capacity to meet market demand. About CargoChain, Inc. CargoChain, Inc is transforming the way people share information. Its technology is revolutionizing traditional, one-to-one collaboration with its API-based platform with native blockchain capabilities. CargoChain is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with offices in Christchurch, New Zealand and Geneva, Switzerland. In thanking Indian Americans for their support of President Trump, political commentator Tomi Lahrens gaffe goes viral. Lahren is seen here in a file photo speaking during the 2019 Politicon at Music City Center on Oct. 26, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Los Angeles, United States Thu, September 3, 2020 10:02 504 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4265889 2 Food Brad-Pitt,celebrity,actor,champagne Free Fans of the Hollywood star, Brad Pitt, will soon have a chance to savor the first ever rose champagne launched by the American actor. Christened Fleur de Miraval, the new bubbly will be available from Oct. 15. No longer content to be a mere producer of rose de Provence, the hero of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is branching out into the champagne business in partnership with the Peters family. As you can imagine, Brad Pitt has not chosen to work with just any champagne producer. The Peters, who own 20 hectares of vines in the much-sought after cote des blancs in and around the grand-cru village of Mesnil-sur-Oger, already export bottles with Pierre Peters label to 70 countries all over the world. Read also: Brad Pitt wins supporting actor Oscar for 'Once upon a Time in Hollywood' This is not Brads first foray into the wine business. Having bought a 1,000-hectare estate in Correns in the French Var region for 35 million euros in 2011, Brad and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie set about developing it with help from the Perrin family back in 2012. The result of their efforts was the remarkably successful and critically acclaimed Miraval rose de Provence. And the Perrin family once again figures large in this latest initiative, having put Brad Pitt in contact with the Peters to develop a rose champagne. The new bubbly, which will reportedly be christened Fleur de Miraval, will be a blend of 75 percent chardonnay and 25 percent pinot noir. However, there has been no mention of Angelina in the mix. Red currant, raspberry, with a lingering salt finish... This is how tasters have described Brad Pitts first ever sparkling vintage. The champagne is also presented in an elegant all-black bottle, which protects the tipple from damaging ultraviolet light. Only 20,000 bottles of the new champagne have been produced. But there is already talk of a second vintage given that the Peters have been referring to the bubbly as a first edition. Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin cast the lone vote against furloughs, arguing that they would force LAPD officers off patrol and into desk duties. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to seek furloughs for more than 15,000 city workers, despite warnings that the move would harm critical city services and push police officers out of patrol cars and into desk duties. Council members approved a declaration of fiscal emergency, which helps clear the way for many civilian city employees to receive one unpaid day off every two weeks a 10% pay cut. Councilman Mike Bonin cast the lone vote against the furloughs, saying they would force LAPD officers to pick up some of the work of their furloughed co-workers, reducing the number of neighborhood patrols and slowing police response times. Bonin asked his colleagues to first instruct the city's negotiators to start the process of meeting with the Police Protective League, the union that represents LAPD officers, and present a proposal for delaying their scheduled raises and bonuses. That effort should begin before the furloughs go into effect, he said. "There are some people who want more policing. There are some people who want less policing," Bonin said. "But I don't know that there's anybody who wants us to be paying more to the LAPD for less policing." The council rejected that proposal on a 9 to 3 vote after the city's top budget official said negotiators are seeking savings from every employee union, including the league. "We're going to need to talk to all of our labor partners civilian and sworn and we have already started those discussions about how to solve the gap," City Administrative Officer Richard Llewellyn told the council. Councilmen Herb Wesson and Marqueece Harris-Dawson supported Bonin's push to ask the police union to defer its new raises and bonuses, which are part of a three-year contract that's expected to add $123 million to this year's budget. But both also voted in favor of the furlough program, which will not apply to police officers, firefighters, nurses and librarians, among others. Story continues LAPD union officials have previously said they cannot be forced to give up their raises and have no intention of doing so. On Wednesday, the league criticized Bonin for singling them out, noting that the council already cut the LAPD by $150 million in July, taking the department down to 9,757 officers its lowest level since 2008. In a statement, the union's board pointed out Bonin voted last year to approve the raises. "He's having a tough time keeping track of all his flip-flops when it comes to public safety," the union board said. "He voted to pay a competitive wage to police officers to recruit and retain them, and now wants to cut their pay to help his political ambitions." The debate over spending comes as the city faces its worst financial crisis since the last recession. Shutdowns following the outbreak of COVID-19 have left the city with additional costs and lower-than-expected tax revenue. Added to those pressures are a series of more expensive employee salary agreements. Under the contract with the league, rank-and-file officers are on track to receive a combined 4.8% increase over the current fiscal year, which began July 1. The first of the union's two raises 1.5% went into effect July 5. Another 3.25% is due in January. On Wednesday, the council agreed to offer eligible workers up to $80,000 to retire, an effort expected to save $13 million. Meanwhile, LAPD officers are not alone in receiving raises during the ongoing budget crunch. The city's firefighter union received a 4.75% pay increase on July 5 and is poised to receive another 3% next summer, according to a city memo. The Coalition of L.A. City Unions, which represents a half-dozen civilian city employee groups, is slated to receive a 2% raise in January and another 2% in June. Bonin said he is not seeking to have either the coalition or the firefighters union postpone or give up their raises. The LAPD is the "big kahuna," he said, since it consumes more than half the city's unrestricted funds. "I wouldn't support asking for concessions from the firefighters in Los Angeles," he said. "Right now, they are the front lines of our battle against climate change and we have had a ... history in Los Angeles of decimating the Fire Department." Bob Schoonover, president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, made clear his union intends to keep fighting the pay cuts. "We know the furloughs are illegal under our labor contracts and we will vigorously fight to defend our front-line heroes," he said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-03 19:38:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu took a pummeling as Typhoon Maysak passed near the region and injured at least 18 people, local officials said Thursday, as the south braces for a second typhoon which was described as "tremendously strong." Typhoon Maysak caused around 80,000 blackouts as it passed the Kyushu region before heading towards the Korean Peninsula, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said, while Shinkansen bullet train services and some flights in the region also had to be suspended as a cautionary measure, officials said. In the wake of Maysak, southern regions in Japan are now bracing for another powerful typhoon -- Haishen as it draws closer, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA said Haishen is expected to reach waters near the Amami island chain in Japan's southwest on Sunday. Minister for disaster management, Ryota Takeda, in a meeting with government officials, has already cautioned people to prepare for the incoming typhoon, warning against going outdoors and urging people to remain vigilant. The JMA said the typhoon was charting a westward trajectory and moving at a speed of about 20 km per hour as of 12:00 p.m. local time on Thursday. The weather agency said Haishen's central atmospheric pressure was 970 hectopascals, with its core maximum wind velocity clocked at 126 km per hour. Its maximum instantaneous wind speed, in addition, has been recorded at 180 km per hour, the JMA said. As the typhoon approaches the Daitojima region of Okinawa Prefecture, the agency said that powerful gusts of up to 180 km per hour are forecast to lash Okinawa and the Amami region of Kagoshima on Saturday. Torrential downpours are expected, along with tornado-strength winds, the weather agency said, adding that high waves and storm surges were also likely. Damage of a "devastating nature" could be delivered by Haishen to wide swathes of Japan's south, even if the typhoon doesn't actually make landfall, the JMA said, referring to the storm's "wide zone" and "tremendous strength." Local officials urged people in the soon-to-be-affected regions to be aware of their surroundings and be on high alert for evacuation adversaries or orders, or to self-evacuate if necessary. Enditem Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) ("Forum") is pleased to announce that Rio Tinto Exploration Canada (RTEC) has commenced drilling at Forum's Janice Lake Sedimentary Copper/Silver Project in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. A Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drill has arrived on site and has started investigating historic and newly mapped regional copper showings, and recently developed geophysical targets buried by overburden to help delineate the extent of the sedimentary-hosted copper-silver mineralization over the 52 kilometre length of the Janice Lake property. Copper/silver mineralization currently extends for approximately 8km in outcrop and in drillholes along strike of the Janice Lake Basin. RAB drilling is a quick, cost-effective and efficient method of testing the numerous showings on the project that have not had any historic drilling. This will aid in the development of a diamond drill program for the winter of 2021. RTEC's exploration program announced by Forum on June 23, 2020 is making substantial progress. Construction continues at the Burbidge Lake camp which is nearing completion, geology crews continue to map and sample outcrop, soils and vegetation and the geophysical crew has completed its IP Resistivity survey over the Jansem deposit. The Burbidge Lake camp will be used for the 2021 exploration program, starting with a significant drill program to build off the success of the 2019 drill program, test areas that are difficult to access during the summer (bogs and lakes) and areas of structural complexity that may host higher grades of mineralization. Figure 1: Janice Lake Regional Exploration Program for Summer 2020 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4908/62959_faf650b954cfea73_003full.jpg Ken Wheatley, P.Geo., Forum's VP, Exploration and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Story continues About Forum Energy Metals Forum Energy Metals Corp (TSXV: FMC) explores for energy metals, including copper, nickel, silver, platinum, palladium and uranium in Saskatchewan, Canada's Number One mining province. In addition, Forum has also established a strategic land position in the Idaho Cobalt Belt. For further information: www.forumenergymetals.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Richard J. Mazur, P.Geo. President & CEO Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information contact: NORTH AMERICA Rick Mazur, P.Geo., President & CEO mazur@forumenergymetals.com Tel: 778-772-3100 UNITED KINGDOM Burns Singh Tennent-Bhohi, Director burnsstb@forumenergymetals.com Tel: 074-0316-3185 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62959 Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny casting his vote at a polling station during to the Moscow city Duma election in Moscow. - Tests carried out on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny provide clear proof that he was poisoned by a chemical nerve agent, the German government said Wednesday, September 2, 2020, demanding explanations from Moscow. (AFP File) Berlin: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent used in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy, the German government said Wednesday, provoking outrage from Western leaders who demanded Moscow provide an explanation. The findings which experts say point strongly to Russian state involvement added to tensions between Russia and the West. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Navalnys poisoning attempted murder, meant to silence one of Russian President Vladimir Putins fiercest critics. The Berlin hospital treating the dissident said he remains on a ventilator though his condition is improving. It said it expects a long recovery and still cant rule out long-term effects on his health from the poisoning. The German government said that testing by a German military laboratory showed proof without doubt of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. British authorities identified Novichok as the poison used on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. There are very serious questions now that only the Russian government can answer, and must answer, Merkel said. The United Kingdom and Italy also called on Russia to explain what happened, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling the use of a chemical weapon outrageous. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot tweeted that it was completely reprehensible. We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, Ullyot said. The European Unions foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said any use of chemical weapons was a breach of international law. Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on Aug. 20 and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. He was moved two days later to Berlins Charite hospital, where doctors last week said initial tests indicated Navalny had been poisoned. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the Russian ambassador was summoned to his ministry Wednesday after the latest findings. Russias deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, dismissed the finger pointing as a knee-jerk reaction. Today accusing #Russia is a must-do for any Western country, he said in a tweet. In Moscow, Russian authorities were quick to blame Germany for not sharing its findings. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian authorities are ready and interested in full cooperation and exchange of information with Germany but added that Berlin still hasnt provided any official response to formal requests from the Russian prosecutor generals office and doctors who treated Navalny. Peskov reiterated that Russian doctors didnt find any poisonous substances in Navalnys system. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charged on state TV that Germany preferred public statements without providing any facts whatsoever to a thorough investigation. The German government said it would inform its partners in the European Union and NATO about the test results and would consult them on a response. Germany also will contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Shortly after the test results were announced, the Charite hospital said that Navalny is still in intensive care but continues to improve. Recovery is likely to be lengthy, it said in a statement. It is still too early to gauge the long-term effects, which may arise in relation to this severe poisoning. Andrea Sella, a professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London, said Navalnys prognosis is hard to predict. He said that very swift action is needed to stabilize patients in poisoning cases and noted the significant delay, given that Navalny was initially cared for by Russian doctors who said they had ruled out poisoning. The problem is that even if Mr Navalny were to survive there may be lingering long-term neurological issues, Sella said. Navalnys allies in Russia have insisted he was deliberately poisoned by the countrys authorities, accusations that the Kremlin has rejected as empty noise. To poison Navalny with Novichok in 2020 would be exactly the same as leaving an autograph at a crime scene, like this one, Navalnys longtime ally and strategist Leonid Volkov said in a tweet that featured a photo of Putins name and a signature next to it. It would not be the first time a prominent, outspoken Russian was targeted in such a way or the first time the Kremlin was accused of being behind it. Navalnys allies have also accused Russian authorities of delaying his transfer out of the country after the poisoning. It took much wrangling and 48 hours to move Navalny to Berlin. Local doctors at the time said he was too unstable to be transported, and the Kremlin said it would defer to the physicians. The Siberian medical team relented only after a charity that had organized a medevac plane revealed that German doctors who examined the politician said he was stable enough to be moved. The reversal came as international pressure on Moscow mounted substantially. The system has long lost its ability to operate in an optimal way. It had to choose between the scandal related to Navalnys (possible) death in Omsk and the risk of the poisoning being discovered by German doctors, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said. Novichok is a class of military-grade nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Western weapons experts believe it was only ever manufactured in Russia. After the Skripals were poisoned, Russia said the U.S., Britain and other Western countries had acquired the expertise to make the nerve agent and that the Novichok used in that attack could have come from them. Several Russian lawmakers have said Russia isnt manufacturing Novichok-type agents. Unless you are working for the military, it is impossible to be accidentally exposed, Richard Parsons, a senior lecturer in biochemical toxicology at Kings College London, said. It is unavailable from anywhere except the Russian military as far as I am aware. Britain charged two Russians alleged to be agents of the Russian military intelligence service GRU in absentia with the 2018 attack that left the Skripals in critical condition and killed a British woman. Russia has refused to extradite the men to the U.K. New Delhi, Sep 3 : The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea by women officers, who had completed 14 years in service after the cut-off date applicable in the February 17 verdict of the top court, which directed permanent commission be granted to women in army. A bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud, K.M. Joseph and Indu Malhotra said allowing one batch of officers cannot be done because then other batches can also ask for similar orders. Dismissing the plea, Justice Chandrachud said it is difficult to address these matters as they all are in the service of the nation. "We feel that they should be able to do something for them, but where do we draw the line," said the bench. The top court noted that to allow the plea for one batch of officers, who had completed 14 years of service in March 2020, to avail permanent commission and other benefits may have serious implications, and this plea effectively amounts to review of February judgement. The counsel representing the women officers argued that the apex court verdict came in February and the officers completed 14 years in service in March. Therefore, they should get benefits, as the government began implementing orders only in July. Advocate Col. Balasubramanian, representing the Defence Ministry, contested this argument. He submitted before the bench that on July 16, the government passed the orders in connection with permanent commission, and all those who completed 14 years in service as on the cut-off date of 17 February will get benefits. Balasubramanian argued that if the matter remains open-ended then it will become difficult for the government to implement the order. "Every six months a batch gets commission. We cannot allow them to get benefits like this," he added. The bench noted that according to its judgement, those who had completed 14 years of service as on the date of the judgment will get pension and permanent commission benefits. "The cut-off is the date of the judgment. If we modify it then we will have to modify for successive batches", said the bench. Justice Chandrachud said these women officers had completed 14 years in March and the court had given a cut-off date. "The government order came later. How far back can we go?" he added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text MILWAUKEE, Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A dramatic workforce transformation is happening in front of our eyes. COVID-19 began as a health crisis and is playing out as an economic crisis and a social crisis. Work literally left the building and whole industries are disrupting at speeds never seen before. To find out how COVID-19 is accelerating What Workers Want, ManpowerGroup, in partnership with Reputation Leaders, asked 8000 people in 8 countries about the future for workers and the workplace. Empty desk with girl with stay at home on her mask on the PC As lockdowns lift and restrictions ease, nearly all (94%) of workers say they have concerns about going back to the workplace, but only 5% say they don't want to go back. Workers want to feel reassured that health, safety, and wellbeing come first when returning to the workplace. Across the world, workers want employers to ensure unwell workers stay home (75%), enforce strict hygiene policies (74%), and communicate clearly on how health will be protected before workers return to the workplace (73%). Trust and transparency have never been more important. Three in five (62%) who trust their employers to make the right work and health decisions are likely to feel positive about returning to the workplace. Working from home has had benefits half of workers (52%) list not having to commute as one of their top 3 benefits of working from home, which is followed by a flexible working schedule (38%), avoiding physical contact with others (38%) and spending more time with family (38%). However, returning to the workplace, workers are looking forward to being able to both socialize (30%) and collaborate (29%) with their colleagues in person and maintaining a clearer division between their private and professional life (31%). While almost half of men (46%) feel positive about returning to the workplace, the same is true for only one-third of women (35%). Women report feeling more scared, concerned, or nervous about returning to the workplace after the pandemic, and more women than men say they don't want to return to their workplace. Overall, 43% of workers agree that the crisis marks the end of the 9-5 in the office, and 50% of those who agree to feel happy about that fact. Most prefer 2-3 days a week in the workplace. Methodology In June 2020 ManpowerGroup commissioned a study of 8,000 workers in 8 countries to understand attitudes towards work and workplace leaders. The fieldwork ran from June 1 to June 16, 2020, with 1000 workers in each of France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, UK and USA in local languages. The data which was screened then weighted to gender and age national labor statistics. The margin of error for the study is +/- 1.1% and +/- 3.1% by country. Full results from https://www.reputationleaders.ltd/case-studies/the-future-for-workers-by-workers. Contact [email protected] for more information. Related Images what-is-the-future-of-the-office.jpg What is the future of the office? Empty desk with girl with stay at home on her mask on the PC SOURCE Reputation Leaders Ltd The development and welfare initiatives of the Himachal Pradesh government have ushered in a sea change in the lives of people, especially poor and marginalised communities, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday. He was addressing office bearers and workers of Sunderngar organisational districts of BJP at Vipasha Sadan in Mandi. Thakur said the state government has completed over two-and-half years tenure and achievements during this period were remarkable. It becomes the duty of each and every party worker to publicize these initiatives and welfare schemes among the people, he said. He called for better coordination between the government and the organisation, which was vital to cement the partys position before the 2022 assembly polls and accomplish mission repeat. The CM also suggested party workers to discuss internal matters at appropriate party platform and avoid raking up issues in the media. He said all seven morchas (frontal organizations) of the party must work with great coordination to ensure Mission Repeat of the BJP government. He said responsibility assigned by the party must be performed with utmost dedication and honesty. Party leaders shall establish direct contact with the party workers as well as common people to strengthen partys footprint and this could be achieved by maximum use of social media, Thakur said. He said the massive victory of BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections was due to better coordination and hard work of the party workers. In his address, state BJP president Suresh Kashyap stressed that improved interaction with the masses at the grassroot level was important for betterment of the organisation. He said steps must be taken to get feedback regarding various policies and programmes of the state government. Organisation secretary Pawan Rana said party functionaries must effectively counter false propaganda of opposition parties by optimum use of information technology. He said the workers must work with utmost dedication to publicize the policies and achievements of the state government in right perspective. Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma; Sunderngar MLA and state party general secretary Rakesh Jamwal, District President Dalip Thakur and MLAs Inder Singh, Hira and Vinod Kumar were among others present on the occasion. Police in Vancouver are asking for the publics help in locating the driver of an SUV that struck and killed a pedestrian Wednesday evening. Around 6:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of a crash near the intersection of East Mill Boulevard and Grand Boulevard. They found a pedestrian who had been hit and who died at the scene. The victim was not identified. Witnesses said the vehicle that struck the person left the scene after the crash, last seen heading westbound on East Mill Plain Boulevard. It was described as a silver or light tan GMC Envoy that would have damage on the front right side of the vehicle. Investigators asked anyone who sees the vehicle or who has information about the crash to contact police at 360-869-6800. Update: On Thursday afternoon, Vancouver police said they had located the suspect vehicle after a member of the public called in a tip. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Russian scientists are looking for ways to detect diamond ghost pipes 03 september 2020 News Scientists at the Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research belonging to the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCIARctic) are developing new methods of detecting diamond-bearing pipes, as they believe that traditional methods of exploration, including magnetic, gravity and electrical prospecting, have ceased to be effective. Evgeny Yakovlev, Head of the FCIARctic Laboratory of Environmental Radiology told TASS that the new method being developed by the Center has already shown good results in finding diamond pipes that cannot be detected by standard exploration methods. There are many such ghost pipes in the Arkhangelsk Province and Yakutia, where the largest diamond deposits in Russia are located. To search for them, scientists combined radiogeochemical and seismic methods of exploration. The radiogeochemical exploration block included studies of emissions of radon, a radioactive inert gas that enters the earth's surface through faults and is contained in the soil. Those areas, which have developed kimberlite bodies and explosion pipes, contain a system of faults and fractures, so the volumetric activity of radon in these territories is very high, there are even abnormal radon halos formed there and, accordingly, we are trying to identify patterns and find a connection with the explosion pipes in order to use these halos to further develop our methods for detecting kimberlite bodies, Yevgeny Yakovlev told TASS. As part of the new approach to diamond exploration, the Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research is also applying microseismological studies, which, in combination with the radiogeochemical methods, are aimed at detecting the vertical projection of kimberlite bodies. Scientists note that such technology may prove to be more efficient and less costly than the conventional approach to diamond exploration.